Chess Opening Essentials VolUIlle 1 ~ The Complete 1.e4
Stefan Djuric - Dimitri Komarov - Claudio Paritaleoni
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Chess Opening Essentials VolUIlle 1 ~ The Complete 1.e4
Stefan Djuric - Dimitri Komarov - Claudio Paritaleoni
Chess Opening Essentials Volume 1 - The Complete 1.e4
New In Chess 2007
2007 New In Chess © Messaggerie Scacchistiche 2004 Revised and updated Engish edition published by New In Chess. Alkmaar. The Netherlands www.newinchess.com This edition is published by arrangement with Le due Torri - Chess Department Store - Italy - www.chess.it All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced. stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means. electronic. mechanical. photocopying. recording or otherwise. without the prior written permission from the publisher. Editor: Pierluigi Passerotti Cover design: Steven Boland Supervisor: Peter Boel Translator: Richard Jones Proofreading: Rene Olthof Production: Anton Schermer
ISBN-I 0: 90-5691-203-8 ISBN-J3: 978-90-5691-203-1
Throughont our entire lives we all need a game thot lets us play like children; something we can take seriously and to which we apply ourselves in earnest, knowing all along that it is of no real importance ot all. G. Rensi Letters on the spiritual
This opening book is chiefly intended for the average player. Yet at the same time, it should prove to be of use to both beginners and master-strength players. I know that I have certainly learnt a great deal while editing this book. Above all it has given me the opportunity to apply, re-examine, and deepen my knowledge of chess within the context of what we can learn from the historical development of chess theory. The book underlines the importance of understanding the subtle thread that runs through and unites the various phases of the game. I believe that opening books of this quality are rare indeed. I hope that by using this book readers will enjoy improved practical results, as well as the satisfaction that comes from having a deeper understanding of our 'royal game'. To finish with, a quick look at some of the book's features. Coloured text highlights moves which are of great importance; the names of the main variations, key initial positions and positions arising after important sequences which are all useful for evaluating the opening variation in question. Bold type, be it in black or in colour, indicates main lines, which are also classified and sub-classified (AI, B22, etc.). Lines in italics are unsound lines or errors to be avoided. But this is not all. Two-colour printing makes consulting the book quicker, and there are numerous graphic features more often associated with sophisticated chess computer software than with chess books. In short, no effort has been spared to create a truly exceptional book.
Pier/nigi Passerotti Editor
5
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
Glossary of chess symbols brilliant move interesting move dubious move mistake blunder novelty initiative
!! !? ?! ?? N
t
6
+- White has a decisive advantage ± White has a clear advantage ;;!;
=F
-+ #
White has a slight advantage equal Black has a slight advantage Black has a decisive advantage checkmate
Contents Preface· ......... .... . ... .. . .... ......... ...... ..... . ..... ........ 5 Glossary of chess symbols .. . .. . .. . ........... . ... .. . ...... . .... . . . .. 6 Introduction· ....... .. . . . . . . .. ..... . ... ... . . .. . ..... .. . . ........... 9
11
Open Games
Centre Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 13 Danish Gambit· . .. .. ... .......... . .. . ....... .. .. ... ..... .. . ... ... 15 Bishop's Opening · .. . ... . . ..... . .. . . . ...... . . .. .. .. .......... . . . .. 17 Vienna Game· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 19 King's Gambit · . .... .. . ........... ........ .. ... ............... .... 22 Latvian Counter-Gambit· ...... . ..... . . . ... ... ... .. ... . ............ . 30 Other Minor Lines after 2.ttJf3 ... ... . ... . . ..... ... .. . . . . . .. .... . ..... 32 Philidor Defence · ... ... .. .. ... ...... . ..... ..... . . .... .... ...... ... 33 Petroff Defence· . . . . ........ ... ......... .. ... ..... ... .... ..... . ... 36 Ponziani Opening .. .. . ...... .. . . .... . ... .. .... . ...... .. . .... ... . . . 42 Goring and Scotch Gambits · ... ..... . ... . ......... .......... .. .... 43 Scotch Game· . ..... . . . .... ..... ........ ...... . .. . ....... . .... . ... 45 Four Knights Opening· ... .... ... .... . . .. .... .. .. ......... ... ... .. .. 49 Hungarian Defence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Evans Gambit ...... ... ..... ... ...... ... .. . .. .. . ........ .... ...... 53 Giuoco Piano .... . .. .. ... . . ... .... . . ..... ... ............ ... . . . . . . 57 Italian Game .... . ..... .. ... ... ....... .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. ..... . . . . ... . 59 Two Knights Defence ... . . . ... . .... . .. . . .. .... ... ..... .... . . . . . .... 62 Ruy Lopez· .... . .. . ............... ..... . ....... ..... .... ... ...... 67 - Ruy Lopez without 3 ... a6 · ...... ....... ........ ... . .... . ......... 69 - Ruy Lopez with 3 ... a6 . . .. . ... . . ........... . ... .. . . . .. . ......... 77 Exchange Variation . .. .. ..... ................. .... . . ......... 78 - Minor Variations after 4 ..lka4· ... ....... . ......... .... .......... 83 - Steinitz Defence Deferred .. ........ . .. . . ...... . . ..... ......... 84 - Archangel and New Archangel Variation .. ..... . ......... .. .. . .. . 87 - Open Variation· ......... .. ........... ..... . .... . ... .. .. .... . 90 - Minor Variations after 5 ... Jle7· ......... ........... .. .. ... .. ... . 99 - Marshall Attack· ... .. . . ... . . . .... ......... ..... .... .. . .... . 101 - Closed Variation· .. .... ......... .. ... ... .. .............. . ... 106
Semi-Open Games
117
Minor Defences after I .e4· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Owen Defence ·· ·· .. ...... .. ... ..... . . . . . ... . . . . .. . . ......... . ... Nimzowitsch Defence · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Scandinavian Defence· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
I 19 120 120 122 7
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I Alekhine Defence· ..... . .. . .. . ... . . ...... .. . . . . ... . . . ...... ... . . . 126 Modem Defence (without c4)· ... . ......... . ... . . . .... ...... . .. . . ... 131 Pirc Defence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 136 Caro-Kann Defence· ........ ... ... .... . . . .. . ... .... . ...... . .... ... 144 - Advance Variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 - Exchange Variation and Panov-Botvinnik Attack· ..... .... . ........ . 154 - Main Line· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 French Defence· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .. 170 - Exchange Variation· .................... . . .. . ..... . . . . .. .. .. .. 173 - Advance Variation· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 - Tarrasch Variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 179 - Rubinstein Variation· ....... . ........... .. ......... ..... ..... .. 188 - Classical Variation· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 - Winawer Variation· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 197 Sicilian Defence ........... .. .. .... ............... ... ..... .... ... 218 - Alapin Variation· .. . . . ... . .. ..... ... .. ...... . . . .. .. ...... .. ... 222 - Minor Systems after 2.ttlc3 ttlc6 . . . ... ... . ......... ...... . . ... ... 227 - Closed Sicilian· .... ...... .. . ....... .. . . ..... ... ...... ... ... .. 229 - Minor Systems with 2.ttlf3· .... ...... ....... .... ... ............ . 234 - Rossolimo Variation· . . . ..... ...... ............ .. ... . . . .. . .. . . . 237 - Variations with ... 'ifb6 ....... .. ............................. . .. 243 - De La Bourdonnais and Kalashnikov Variations· .... . . . ............ . 244 - SveshnikovlLasker-Pelikan Variation· ............. . . .. ........... 247 - Accelerated Dragon· ............... . . . . . ......... . . .. .... . . . .. 253 - Minor Systems after 2 ... e6 ......... . ......... : .... ..... ..... . ... 262 - Pin Variation· .... .. ...................... .. .... . .. . .......... 263 - Kan Variation· ..... . ..... . ... ....... ......... ... ... .. . . ...... 265 - Paulsen-Taimanov ..................... . ..... .. . . .... .. ... .. .. 270 - Four Knights Variation· ................ .. ................... . .. 276 - Moscow Variation .............. . . . ............ . . ... ...... . . .. 279 - Minor Variations . . .......... . . . . . . . ... ......... .......... ... . 283 - Classical Sicilian· . .......... . ... . .............. .......... ... . 287 - Richter-Rauzer··· · ·············· · ············ ·········· · ··· 289 - Dragon Variation .. ...... .. . ......... . . . ........ .......... . .. . 295 - Scheveningen Variation · .. .............. . ......... ... ..... . . . .. 306 - Sozin-Velimirovic Attack .. ........... . .. . ........ ... ...... ... . 316 - Najdorf Variation· ... . . . ................ . ..................... 325 - Najdorf 6.i¥.e2 .. . . . ................. .. ... . ................ . 330 - Najdorf 6.Jll.e3 .. . . .................. . . . . . . . .............. . . 333 - Najdorf 6 . ~g5 ........ .. .. ..... ....... . . ... .. ... ........ .. . 337 Index of Games · ...... .......... ....... ..... ... ... ....... ..... .. . 353
8
Introduction
Introduction
What is the best move in this position? Our great-grandparents would not have h esitated for a second: the move 1.e4!. It occupies the centre and allows for the development of the king's bishop and the queen. This book is about this move, and all of Black's probable replies. We will discuss closed games in the later volumes of this series, thus completing this overview of the ideas and objectives of all the openings. And what is Black's best response to l.e4? Once again there used to be few doubts: I. .. e5!. This fights against White's expansion in the most natural way, or so it was thought at the end of the 19th century. Indeed, until that time the vast majority of games had begun with these two moves. Why then is it that today only 10% of games begin 1.e4 e5, which are the moves that define the branch of opening theory known as the Open Games? The answer is that over a hundred years of tournament experience has demonstrated that
there is no Single opening or variation that is able to magically give a clear advantage to White, or easy equality to Black. Instead there are various systems that are more or less equal in terms of statistical success in tournaments, but that are very different indeed in terms of style and the type of positions they create. Some could say that the Sicilian is the best defence against 1.e4, given that Black wins 47% of the games, compared to 44% for the Open Games, or 45% for the Caro-Kann. But this begs the question why a player such as Karpov, who was World Champion for 10 years, virtually never plays the Sicilian. Evidently, su ch an aggressive defence is not suited to his solid positional style. For this reason it is important to know, at least in general terms, the characteristics of all the openings, so as to choose the one that is best suited to your own personal taste and style. And once we have decided on an opening, should we remain faithful to it for the rest of lives, or should we frequently flirt with other systems? Here opinions differ. Needless to say, if a player always uses the same opening they will end up knowing it very well (Grandmaster Wolfgang Uhlmann's dedication to the French Defence comes to mind) . On the other hand, in the age of computers and the Internet, it only takes a few seconds to find the details of another player's repertoire. As a result, players with a predictable repertoire will find themselves sitting opposite adversaries who are very well prepared. The renowned English grandmaster and ope9
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
ning expert John Nunn wrote that until recently the advantages and disadvantages of a limited opening repertoire balanced themselves out, but with the advent of the computer age the balance was now clearly in favour of the player with a large repertoire. Indeed, today it is very easy to familiarize yourself with a new system with the help of a book or DVD that explains the opening's general concepts, a good database, and a variation table. This preparation allows you to surprise your opponent and to play the variation most suited to the occasion, and also perhaps to your mood at the time. It is no mere coincidence that a player like Karpov, with his highly limited opening repertoire, has difficulty in the opening phase when playing against the younger champions who were born in the computer age. Obviously, most of us are not champion players, and we have neither the time, nor the desire, to expand our opening repertoire. However, we would suggest
10
- if possible - that you use a minimum of two opening systems for both White and Black. This will also enlarge your understanding of the game, and you will see the benefits of this in an improved performance in the middlegame. As the Dutch grandmaster Jan Timman wrote, 'A wide opening repertoire keeps your thinking flexible' . It comes as no surprise that this great player knows, and plays, almost all of the openings. In these books we will discuss all of the openings, so as to give the reader a broad but not superficial overview. We will not only give you the specific moves played, but more importantly an understanding of the ideas behind each system. To h elp us with this goal we will observe the traditional division into open, semi-open and closed games; not only for clear organization but also because it makes learning about them easier.
Open Games
Centre Game Danish Gambit Bishop's Opening Vienna Game King's Gambit Latvian Counter-Gambit and other minor variations Philidor Defence Petroff Defence Ponziani Opening Goring Gambit and Scotch Gambit Scotch Game Four Knights Opening Hungarian Defence Evans Gambit Giuoco Pianissimo Italian Opening Two Knights Defence Ruy Lopez
II
Centre Game
4. 1Wd4-e3! With this move (suggested by the Syrian player Stamma in the 18th century!) White prevents the feeing move dS by Black and prepares lLlc3, ~d2 followed by 0-0-0 with good piece play. 4. ... lLlg8-f6!
Centre Game , .e2-e4 e7-e5 2.d2-d4 e5xd4
3.'i"d1 xd4
:~
White is playing a type of Scandinavian with an extra tempo (the pawn is already well placed on e4, while in the Scandinavian it is rare that Black manages to get his pawn to eS). White prepares for a quick 0-0-0. White will have active piece play and he will be able to exploit the space advantage which arises from the central pawn structure with a white pawn on e4 and a black pawn on d6. Of course Black has his own trumps to play: after the natural 3. ... lLlb8-cG The white queen is forced to move and White loses a tempo. This in itself was sufficient reason for the Centre Game to quickly become a museum piece and to be scoffed at for decades. However, its recent adoption, even if occasional, by very strong players the likes of Morozevich, Adams and Judit Polgar has, in part, led to are-evaluation of the opening.
Black must play actively, so as not be left with a structurally inferior position without compensation. 5. lLlb1-c3 M8-b4 S... ~e7!? 6.~c4! (after the uninspired 6 .~d2, Black obtains good play with 6 .. .dS!) 6...0-0 7 . ~d2!. 6. £l.c1-d2 0-0 7. 0-0-0 ~f8-e8
Now the e4-pawn is under a great deal of pressure and White sacrifices it to maintain active play. This can be done in two different ways. 13
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
Romero Holmes,Alfonso Karpov,Anatoly
Method No 1: S. ~f1-e4
Madrid J 992 (8)
.i. 'iii I. ~'
.I
j.. j. "j. j.
,
~ ;."
.~ ~ :"~
" j. 'j. j.
4il ",
See the Romero Holmes-Karpov example game in the appendix. Method No 2: S. 'i!Ve3-g3
The strongest response to this move is 8 .. Jhe4! The resulting positions are dynamically balanced, and even if against correct play White cannot expect an objective advantage. it is clear that in practical play the opening is still an excellent surprise weapon. Most of the time black players will be unprepared for an opening that is so rarely played. and which is very much better than its reputation would suggest.
14
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.'iltxd4 ti:lc6 4.'ife3 tLlf61 [4 ...~e7 S.~d2 ti:lf6 6.ti:lc3 0-0 7.0-0-0 dS 8.exdSti:lxdS 9Jtg3 with chances for both 'sides. Mie'ses-Alekhine, Scheveninge~ 1913] 5.ti:le3 Ab4 6.ii.d2 0-0 7.0-0-0 ile8 8.~c4 d6 [8 ... L c3 9 ..i.xc3 ti:lxe4 10:ii'f4 ti:lf6 11 .ti:lf3 d6 12.ti:lgS h6 ' 13.~d3 h6 14.h4 Winawer-Steinitz , 1896 (1-0 at m~;"e 26)] 9.13 ti:la5 , :10...tb3 ti:lxb3+ 11.axb3 a51 [1 1... dS? 12.tbXdS tLlxdS 13.'fi'd4!] 12JWf2 ..td7 13.ti:lge2 a4 14.bxa4 ~a4 ' 15.ti:lb1 ~e516.ge3 b617•..td4 iLd7 1S.g4 11a5 19.tbf4 ..te6 20.J:thg1 .ti:ld7 21.ti:lh51? 96 22.Wd2!? ..txd4 23.1!Vxd4 gxh5 24.gxh5+ ..t?f8 25.'fi'g7+ 'i!;e7 26.1:1g5? [26.f41 'i¥a8 (26 ... .L.e4!? 27.J:tgeJ dS 28.M! l:ra2 , 29JIxe4+ dxe4 30.'iVgS+ 'ittf8 ,·3J.'iYh6+=) 27.eS! dxeS 28.'tlfgs+! (28.fxeS J:rxeS-+ is Karpov's evaluation) 28 ... .f6 (28 .. .'Jt>f8! 29:iYh6+ cJ;;e7 . 30.VWgS+=) 29.'fifS!! Wd830.l:tg7 'i!;c8 31. J:rdxd7 h d7 3 2.'ii'Xd7 + Wb7 33.'iYxc7+ 'iita6 34.M! l'lc8! 3S.'iVf7! l:ta4 36.'ffb3 bS with an unclear positi- , 'on] 26 ...~a8 27.b4 1:txg5 2S.'ii'xg5+ f6 29.'ikg7+ 'if.id8 30:~xh7 'ii'a2 ' 3UWh6 cJ;;c8 32:~f4 lthS 33.h6 ' 1IfgS 34.11d3 ~g5 0-1
Danish Gambit
Danish Gambit 1.o2-e4 e7-e5 2.d2 -d4 e5xd4
3.c2 -c3
Here we have a gambit where White sacrifices two pawns for a clear lead in development. If Black takes both pawns with 3. d4xc3 4. ~f1-c4 c3xb2 5. ~c1xb2 he would be well advised to return at least one of the two pawns with 5. d7-d5! 00'
given the fact that hanging on to the material with S ... d6 appears to be dangerous (see the Mieses-Marshall game for an illustration of this).
White's best move is 6. ~c4xd5! and Black responds with 6. ... tLlgS-f6! Black also returns the second pawn to achieve complete equality after 7. .1i.d5xf7+ ~eSxf7 S. 'itVd1xdS ~fS-b4+ 9. ~dS-d2 ~ b4xd2+ 10. tLlb1 xd2
This position, even if objectively equal, contains winning possibilities, as both sides have pawn majorities they can mobilize. Black can also refuse to accept the pawn on offer and play 3 ...dS.
After 4.exdS '\iVxdS, the position involves the typical strategic considerations and potential long-term prob15
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
lems around an isolated d4-pawn, but with active play for the white pieces. This position often arises in the Scotch Gambit. It is worth noting at this point that White should only sacrifice the c3 -pawn, not the b2 -pawn as well: 1.e4 e5 2.M exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.tLlxc3
l::IxfS'" 26.ndj' "h6 27.~e3 n xf3 28.~e5 itxe5 29.tLlxe5 b6 30.tbe4 ' .lleS 31.~g2 J:.a3 32.J::te1 .l:txa2+ . 33.'~h3 e5 34.tbg5 lta3+ 35.Wg2 , 0-1 , li.lf4+ 36.~f2 J:.f8
MiesesJacques Marshall,Frank Monte Carlo 1903 (14)
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.e3 dxe3 4.~e4 exb2 5.hb2 d6 6.tLie2 tLJe6 7.0-0 ' ~e6 S.~d5 tLJf6 9.'ifb3 .,;veS 10.tLJf4 : tbdS 11 ..bf6 gxf6 12.tLJh5 e6 ' 13.J:.e1i1..e7 14.'iff3 ngS 15.tLJxf6+ . 16.'\!Yxf6 exd5 17.exd5 ):[g6 ' lS.'WhS+ ~d7 19.tbe3 hd5 20.'ifeS+ Wc7 21.tLJxd5+ wbS !22.J:ae1 tLJe6 23.J:.xe6 bxe6 24.J:.b1X 1-0
:.bf6
and after 4 ... tLlc6, White can continue with 5.~c4, or 5.tLJf3 (usually you will reach the resulting position by 1.e4 e5 2.tLlf3 tLlc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 dxc3 5. tLlxc3 - see the Goring Gambit).
D1ll1Iie,Alex Hjartarson.Johann . Philadelphia 1997 (6)
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.e3 dxe3 4 ..ic4 d6 5.tLJxe3 tLJd7 6.tLlf3 tLJb6 7.0-0 tLJxc4 S:l'!lfa4+ e6 9.'iWxc4 ~e6 .10.'ilfe2 tbf6 11.iLg5 iLe712.J:.fd1 0-0 13.tbd4 Ag4 14.13 .td7 15.e5. dxe5 16.'iVxe5 J:.eS 17.tLJf5 :.tfS lS....g3 tbh5 19.'ifg4 .,;vb6+ 20.~h1 iLxf5 21.'\!bf5 ....xb2 22.tbe4 "'e5 23.l'i'xe5 J:.xe5 24.g4 f5 25.gxf5 ,',
16
,/:.
Schulz,Hans Jiirgen Dunne,Paul Hamburg 2005 (4)
..
,1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.e3 dxe3 4.il..e4 exb2 5 ..bb2 d5! 6 ..bd5 ttJf6 7.tLJe3 \ ~e7 S.tfb3 0-0 9.J:d1 'iifeS : 10.tLJge2 tLJbd7 11.tLJg3 c6 12..tc4 : ttJe5 13.~e2 ~e6 14.1We2 , tLJc4 : 15...tc1 lIdS 16.0-0J:.xd1 17.l:txd1 tLJb6 lS.h3 'ti'eS 19.wh2 I.tdS 20.txf1 'iVbS 21.14 ' ~e4 . 22.e5 tbfd5 ' 23.ttJxd5 cxd5 24.Ji.b2 ~fS 25...td4 iLxe2 26.'iWxe2 tLlc4 : 27.trg4 J:.eS ; 2S.tLJh5 J:.e6 29.tbf6+ whS 30.tLJd7 'We8 31.tLJxfS 'iixf8 32.f5 ttJxe5 , 33.'iWg3 tLJc6 34.fxe6 ttJxd4 35.J:.xf7 "gS 36.1Wd6 ttJb5 37.Wle7 'ti'bS+ ' 3S.wh1 wgS 39.l:txg7+ 1-0
Bi shop 's Opening
Bishop's Opening 1.e2 -e4 e 7-e5 2 . ~f1-c4
'-4
',." ,
.,',
:
With 2.i.c4 White not only attacks fl, which is the weakest point in Black's defence, but also begins harmonious development, as suggested by Philidor in the 18th century, with the usual moves d3, ttJc3, f4 or ttJf3, etc. - the sort of moves every beginner learns right from the start. The bishop on c4 also has the advantage of helping to prevent his opponent's pawn advance to d5, which generally frees Black's pOSition in the Open Games. The only negative aspect is that Black, not having yet developed the b8-knight, can ambitiously plan to push the pawn to d5 by advancing his c7-pawn to c6. However, this is a risky strategy and usually Black prefers to play ... ttJc6, re-entering the typical set-up of the Giuoco PianisSllnO or Vienna GanIe. lLlgS-fS! 2 .... This is the most logical move, as it attacks the undefended e4-pawn. 2 .. .i.c5 is also playable. Make sure you avoid the
beginner's mistake 2...iLe7?, which loses a pawnafter3. ~h5!.
After 2 .. .ttJf6, and 3.ttJc3, you transpose into the Vienna GanIe. The alternative 3.d4!? can complicate play, as in the variation 3 ... exd4 4.ttJf3 ttJxe4 5:~xd4, which is known as the Urusov GanIbit. It is perhaps unsound, but in practical play it proves to be highly dangerous. However, White's best option is 3. d2-d3 Now 3 ...d5?! would leave the e5-pawn very weak: 4.exd5 ttJxd5 5.ttJf3 ttJc6 6.0-0 and then .t:[el. If Black does not want to transpose to other systems with 3 ... ttJc6, he can try 3. c7-cS 4. ttJg1-f3 d7-d5 ~fS-dS 5. ~c4-b3! If 5 ... ~b4+ 6.c3, and only now 6 ... ~d6, White cannot develop the bI-knight to c3 . However, the c3-pawn could be an advantage in the fight for the centre. S. ttJb1-c3 d5xe4 7. ttJf3-g5! 0-0 S. ttJc3xe4 ttJfSxe4 9. iLlg5xe4
X~ "
.t. ".t. .t.
White has a small but unpleasant initiative.
17
Chess Opening Essential s - Volume 1
,
Alexeev,Evgeny Shirov,Alexey . Germany Bundeshga 2006/07 (8)
~,
·1.e4 e5 2.~c4 tbf6 3.d3 c6 4.tbf3 dS S..tb3 .td6 6.exdS tbxd51? [6 ... cxdS 7.~gS tbc6 S.tbc3 d4 9.tbdS ~e6 10.0-0 hdS 11 .~xdS h6 f2~Lf6 ~xf6 13.c3 dxc3 14.bxc3 0-0 IS .J:Ibl l:tabS 16.~a4 ~cS 17 JWe4 ~b6 IS:h c6 bxc6 19.1t'xeS± Ivanchuk~ L.Dominguez, Havana 200SJ 7.0-00-0 SJle1 ~g4 9.h3 .thS 10.g4 .tg6 11.tbxeS ~xeS12.l:txeS tbd713.l:te1 'ilfh4 14:~f3 l:taeS 1SJ U1 hS 16.tbc3 tbxc3 17.bxc3 d2 J:1e2+ 32.wd3 J:xf2 33.l:l.e1 .tg2 34JleS ' itxh3 3S.J:IgS+ wf6 36.~c7 J::tf3+ 37.wd2 g4 3S.~dS+ w eS 39•.tc7+ wd4 40..td6 g3 41 J ldS 0-1
Adams,Michael 'Kramnik,Vladimir '.
,~
Tilburg 1998 (7)
1.e4 eS 2.1t.c4 tbf6 3.d3 c6 4.tbf3 dS S..tb3 .td6 6.tbc3 dxe4! [6 ....te6?! 7.AgS!; 6... d4 not ideal for Black, nevertheless playable] 7.tbg5! [7.dxe4 tba6 is satisfactory for ' Black] : 7... 0-0 S.tbcxe4 tbxe4 9.tbxe4 : [9.dxe4
18
•itb4; ' i'0 .~'3·' ~~dl + i~i .'~xdii.ci=j' 9 ....tf5! 10.~f3 .txe4 11.dxe4 Qjd7 . 12.c3 [12.0-0 tbcs 13 ..tc4 b5 14.£id3 . (14,.te2 ~h4) 14.. .tbe6 IS .c3 .i6=J ,12 ...a5 13.a4 [13.0-0 (allows) 13 ... a4 14.itc2 tbcS=] 13 ...tbc5 14.itc2 b5!? [14 ...tbe6 IS.OcO '4We7::=l 1S.0-0 'WIc7 16.l:td1 :tabS 17.axbS cxbS 1S.g3 b419.cxb4 J:txb4 20.~d2 l:txb21f2_1f2
Fedorov,Alexey Shirov,A!exey .. ' . Leon Ech-tt 2001 (8)
1.e4 e5 2.~c4 tbf6 3.d3 c6 4.tbf3 dS . S..tb3 £id6 6.tbc3 dxe4 7.tbgSO-0· 'S.tbcxe4 tLixe4 9.tbxe4 as 10.\\Yh5! ' .§l.b4+1. [10."ii,e7 11... 3 a4 . 12 .~a2. tbd7 13.0-0 with a slight advantage for White] 11.'it>f1!? [11.c3 £i.e7=; 1L..ti'xd3? 12 tbg5! b c3+ 13.bxc3 ~xc 3+ 14, ~e2 ..\1l.gH (14 ...~fS· IS .L f7+ w hS 16. ~dl! 'il'xal. 17,.ta3+-) lS.'iYxg4 ~xal 16.~fs· with a strong attack] 11...~e7 12.a4 tbd7 13.h4 .tbcS ' 14.tbxc5 h cs 15JWxeS .td4 16:~'g5?! 'fIfb6! 17..te3 .§l.e6 1S..tIa3 lUeS 19.Wg1 [19 .he6 .txe3! 20 .'iVxe3 ~xb2=J 19... h6 20.'iYf4 :t.adS 21..Uh3 1Wb4 22..txe6? [22.c3!? dynamically maintains the balance] 22 ...l:ixe6 23.~xd4 Uxd4 24:iWbS+ ~h7 2S.:t.b3 'iVe1+ 26.'it>h2 ~xf2 27J!t'g3 'i¥xc2 2S.J::tc3 ~xb2 29.l:[c4 l:Ig6 30. ~f3 lIxd3 . O-~
Vienna Gam e
Vienna Game 1.e2-e4
e7-~5
2. ~b1-c3
Black should not have many problems if White plays the solid 3.g3. After 3. ~f1-c4 Black has a more complicated task, and must choose between two very different continuations: A)
White controls the d5 -square and plans the advance of the f-pawn . The Vienna Game was developed in Vienna around 1850 by Carl Hamppe, as an attempt to play an improved version of the King's Gambit. However, in the modern approach the choice of 2. tt:Jc3 is not always made with the intention of advancing the f2-pawn, but rather as part of a more solid deployment with the move JiLc4 , or even g 3, developing the fl -bishop by way of a fianchetto. However, after 2 ...tt:lc6, White can in fact create some headaches for Black with 3.f4!. More logical would be the move 2. ... liJgB-fS which, by counterbalancing the pressure on the centre squares, makes it possible to respond to the thematic 3.f4 with 3 ... d5! 4.fxe5 tt:Jxe4 with a complex but balanced position.
3 ....
liJfSxe4
An apparent knight sacrifice: However, in reality after 4.tt:Jxe4 d5, Black regains the piece, with a fluid game. If White instead avoids the pawn fork by first sacrificing the bishop with 4 .~xf7+, then 4 ...'lt>xf7 5. tt:Jxe4 d5!, and Black's dominant centre is more than sufficient compensation for the exposed king. However, the best move for White is 4. ~d1-hS! This move leads to a long sequence of forced moves with the inventively picturesque name Frankenstein-Dracula Variation. It is very popular with correspondence players. After liJe4-dS 4. ttJ bB-cS S. ~c4-b3! g7-gS S. ttJc3-bS! f7-fS 7. 'ithS-f3 B. 'i¥f3-dS 19
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I B)
the threat to f7 forces Black to move his queen, losing control of the c7-square. Now after 8. ... ~d8-e7 9. tbb5xc7+ We8-d8 10. tbc7xa8
Black loses a rook. But with 10.... b7-b6 followed by ... itb7, he wins the a8-knight, and it is not clear, notwithstanding the large number of examples from tournament play, if Black's initiative along the light-square diagonal a8-h I compensates [or the exchange. What we can say is that with correct play White should maintain a certain advantage. However, in practice Black's position is not only easier to play, but also more [un. 20
3 ....
tbb8-c6
The most solid line: Black continues normally and after 4. d2-d3 he takes advantage of the fact that the knight is already on c3 by playing 4. ... ~f8-b4
which puts White's centre under pressure and prepares [or ... dS. A slightly more ambitious alternative exists for Black: 4 ... tbaS
Vienna Game
The objective is to acquire the bishop pair. The downside is that the move neglects development and concedes White good control of the centre after 5.eS 20.llJh3 ' ,ttJxf2 21.tiJxf2 'ili'e2+ 22.lt>g1 'iYxf2+ , < GjedSted;Soren 'Havn :' Y' ....: ..," °23.lt>h2 'ifxh4+ 24.Wg1fid4+ ; 25...tth2lbeS 26.llhf1 tLlg4+ 27.Wh3 Thingstad.Tormod ~e3+ 28...ttxg4 hS+ 29...tth4 gS+ ; Copenhagen 2006 (7) '" ;1.e4 · e5 Vbe3 lbeS 3.i.e4 i.e5 30...ttxh5 ; llh8+ 31.WgS .1t.e4+ 4.'ifig4 .ii'fS ' 5.ltJdS _bf2+ 6.\&>f1 : 32 ..tIfS .bfS+ 33 ...ttxf5 l:tf8+ 34.~g6 ''fie4+ 35.~g7 'iWe7+ , , ~d6 7>flx97 i.bS · S:ti'xh8 '!WgS 9.lbf3 >1;>fS 10.d3 d6 11.lbh4 'iWg4 36.~gS .' 'fIf6+ 37.~h5 'it'h8+ . 12.Ah6+ ~e813.lbf6+ 1-0 ~.8 :Wg4 'ifh4X ;. 0-1
21
Chess Open ing Essentials - Volum e I
King's Gambit 1.e2-c4 e 7- ~5 2.f2-f4
players; and indeed, if Black is well prepared, it is difficult for White to achieve an objective advantage. Black is naturally not obliged to accept the offered pawn, and for this reason - depending on Black's choice - the gambit is classified as either being declined or accepted.
King's Gambit Declined Black usually either continues solidly with 2 ... ~c S, or he counterattacks with 2 ...dS; but there is also a novelty: 2 ...lDc6. 11 should never be forgotten that White is not really threatening 3jxeS??, because of 3..:.h4+ followed by 4..:flxe4+ and Black is winning. The King's Gambit is one of those openings which have made chess history. It was enormously popular in the 19th century at the height of the Romantic era . However, it all but disappeared with the advent of the positional school at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 193 Os there was a partial re-evaluation thanks to the Swedish grandmaster Gosta Stoltz, who highlighted the positional merits of this gambit. The King's Gambit was now no longer seen simply as a means of violently attacking the f7 -square via the f-file and the usual ~c4, but as a way of conquering the centre, without ruling out the possibility of later simplification and an early endgame. Its occasional use by champion players such as Keres, Spassky, Bronstein, and even the great Bobby Fischer, and more recently Gallagher and Fedorov, has made the opening popular with lovers of sparkling and aggressive play. However, the King's Gambit is still viewed with a certain scepticism by top 22
A) 2 .... ~c5 This is highly logical , as it takes possession of the diagonal which has been weakened by advancing the pawn to f4 . After the obvious 3. ltJg1-f3 d7-d6
White can play along the lines of the Giuoco Pianissimo with 4. ltJb1-c3 ltJg8-f6 5. ~f1-c4 ltJb8-c6 6. d2-d3 and White has a minute advantage, but both players have chances.
King 's Gambit
Alternatively, he can more ambitiously prepare to take possession of the centre with 4.c3. After 4 ...tDf6 S.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 i..b6, it is not clear if White's impressive-looking centre is in actual fact a strength or a weakness.
son to think that Black - having played all the logical moves - has not at least a playable position. However, the most frequent move in modern times is c7-c6!? 3 . ...
The Falkbeer Counter-Gambit is without doubt the most active way to decline the King's Gambit. After B)
2 .... d7-d5 3. e4xd5 Black's original idea was to push the pawn to e4: 3 ... e4
with the ambitious goal of creating an obstacle to White's development and to highlight the unhappy placement of the f4-pawn, which in this position would be certainly better placed on f2. However, White will obviously play 4.d3!, threatening the advanced black pawn, and after 4 .. .tDf6! S.dxe4! tDxe4 6.tDf3 ..\kcs 7."ViIid i..fS (or 7 ...fS) 8 .tDc3 ~e 7, a position is reached where Black, with active piece play, will try to compensate for his material deficit. Opinions differ as to how much compensation there really is, but there is no rea-
This is just another of Aaron Nimzowitsch's countless contributions. For White to now take on c6 appears to be dangerous. The following line has proved to be the best for both players: 4. tDb1-c3 e5xf4! ~fS-d6 5. tDg1-f3 6. d2-d4 tLlgS-e7 7. d5xc6 tLlbSxc6 S. ~f1-c4 0-0 9. 0-0 jLcS-g4 10. tLlc3-e4 jLd6-c7 11. c2-c3 tLle7-g6 and we have a position in which White's strong centre is compensated for by the well-protected f4-pawn, which impedes White's developmente.g. of the c 1-bishop - and those are the ingredients of good piece play for Black. Remember that with 3 ... exf4!? 4.tDf3 Black transposes to the modern variation of the King's Gambit Accepted, having avoided the Bishop's Gambit 3 .~c4.
23
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
C)
2. 3. lDg1-f3
lDb8-c6!? f7-15!?
This is the latest fashion, but it is still not clear how good it is. There are some who have opined that it represents the refutation of the King's Gambit! But even if this line were as strong for Black as has been suggested, it is worth remembering that with 3.lDc3 instead of 3 .lDf3, White can enter a favourable variation of the Vienna Game.
To continue with 3... VWh4+ 4.';%;f1 at this point would facilitate White's development, as he can play lDf3 with tempo, followed by d2-d4. Therefore Black should seek counterplay in the centre with 3 ... lt:lf6! 4.lDc3 c6!
King's Gambit Accepted 2 .... e5xf4 Now the move ... ~h4+ is such a threat that White generally plays either 3 .~c4 (freeing the fl -square for the king) or 3.lt:lf3 (controlling h4) . Eccentric moves such as 3.lDc3 or 3. d 4 - wi th the idea of moving the king to e2 after the queen check on h4 - would have some appeal to a player from the Romantic period, but are fundamentally ill advised. 3 .~c4, sometimes called the Bishop's Gambit, is not to be underestimated. Evidence of this is its employment by Fischer on several occasions, admittedly against lesser players, but with a noteworthy performance of I 00%. 24
and after 5.~b3 d5, you reach a dynamically balanced position. 3. lDg1-f3
King's Gambit
After this knight move, which is by far the most popular, Black has eight perfectly playable replies: A) 3 .... h7-h6 In the Becker Defence Black prepares the pawn push ...g7 -gs, ready to respond to h4 with ... ~g7. Now an interesting move is 4.b3!? to prepare the possession of the long dark-squared diagonal. B) ttJg8-e7 3 .... has been undervalued because of a beautiful victory by Fischer playing with the white pieces. In reality this knight move is much better than its reputation would suggest : it supports dS and it prepares to defend the f4-pawn from g6 or ds. Now the natural moves are 4.d4 ds s.ttJ c3 dxe4 6. ttJxe4.
White's central domination seems more significant than Black's extra pawn. D) 3 .... ~f8-e7 is the Cunningham Defence: after 4 ..i1l.c4 or 4.ttJc3, Black can continue solidly with ...ttJf6. Otherwise he could risk giving check with .. .~h4. This would prevent White from castling but leaves the bishop badly placed on h4. In both cases the resulting positions are complex and difficult to evaluate. E) d7-d5 3 .... is the Modern Variation: it was inspired by the old saying that the antidote to all gambits is to push the pawn to ds (!!). 4. e4xd5 ttJg8-f6!
The discovery of the move 6 ... tLld5! has led to a re-evaluation of this continuation. C) 3 .... ttJg8-f6 is the Schallopp Defence, which counterattacks the e4-pawn and which also allows the knight to transfer to hs supporting the f4-pawn . After 4.es (4.ttJc3 is interesting) 4 ... ttJhs s.d4
Black has denied White the pawn advance to es, which is so dangerous in the King's Gambit. However, after 25
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume
S. ..tf1-c4
tLlfSxdS
Black needs to be careful: a well-timed, even if unnatural exchange on dS by the bishop could give White a slight positional advantage, and at times a dangerous initiative. Nevertheless, with correct play Black maintains equality. For example : S. ~c4xdS 'iVdSxdS 7. tLlb1-c3 'iVdS-dS 7 .. .~fS!? S. d2-d4 ~fS-e7 9. ~c1xf4 0-0 10.0-0 ~cS-fS 11. 'liVd1-d2
F)
3 .... 4.
tLlbS-cS!?
tLlb1-c3
We have transposed to the VieJUla Game.
G)
3 ....
you reach a strange position in which after six moves all of both player's pieces are still on their original squares! Strange in an opening where development is the most noteworthy characteristic! This is a clear example of the modern interpretation of this opening: White seeks to exploit the weakness of the pawns on f4 and g4 positionally, renouncing the classic attack against f7.
d7-dS
S. 7. tLlb1-c3 S. tLlg1-e2 9. g2-g3!
.lii.fS-hS c7-cS ~dS-fS
Play is complex. with possibilities for both sides. H)
3 ....
g7-gS
The Fischer Defence, which was so named following the publication of an article in which the American champion maintained that it refuted the King's Gambit! The goal is to play the .. .gS variations without having to deal with tLleS. But after 4. d2-d4 S. h2-h4! S. tLlf3-g1!
26
g7-gS gS-g4
This is called the Classical Variation. It is now well accepted that aggressive variations such as the Muzio Gambit
King's Gambit
and the like, which come from 4 ..ilLc4 g4 (4 ... .ilLg 7!) S.O-O!? gxf3 6. ~xf3, do not promise White any advantage. The only serious attempt remains 4. h2-h4! Undermining Black's pawn chain. 4. ... g5-g4 5. tiJf3-e5! The move S.ttlgS introduces the Allgaier Gambit, which is considered unsound. After S... h6! 6.ttlxj7 <Ji;xj7, White does not have enough compensation for the piece. The next diagram (after S.tt::leS!) is the key position of the Kieseritzky Gambit.
White moves the knight several times, but gains the g4-pawn or the one on f4, at times losing the e4-pawn. The pawn push to h4 weakens White's kingside (in some variations a black knight lands on g3 via hS), but Black's king is also in a rather precarious position. As a result the continuations that arise are tactically complex and have strategic possibilities for both players. Black can continue with S ... d6, sacrificing the g4-pawn in exchange for good piece play after 6.tt::lxg4 tt::lf6 7.tt::lxf6 ~xf6, or he can play the classical 5. ... tiJgS-f6 Now, modern theory suggests 6. d2-d4
Preparing for the knight's retreat to d3. The old move 6..ilLc4 has proved to be ineffective becauseof6 ... dS 7.exdS Yld6. 6. d7-d6 7. tiJ e5-d3 tiJf6xe4 ~c1xf4
S.
.i •
.a'i¥'~.t
', '.&. , ; i.
'
&
:" , ".. , (
i
The key position of the Classical Variation of the King's Gambit Accepted. It seems to go against common sense to concede the e4-pawn for the one on f4: in addition Black has an extra pawn and an active knight on e4. Nonetheless, White receives good compensation: Black's kingside has many weaknesses, the g4-pawn, even though a material advantage, has the negative quality of restricting black activity on that wing, and perhaps Black would be better off without it (as is the case in the S ... d6 variation). In addition, White's rooks on eland fI will exert unpleasant and ongoing positional pressure. This is also the case in variations in which the queens are exchanged. Black almost always castles queenside. White sometimes castles queenside too, and on other occasions he moves the king to d2 or otherwise to fl. In conclusion, after 8 ... ~e7 or 8 ... .ilLg 7, the position is dynamically balanced. 27
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
'"Spielmann,Rudolf ;. Tarrasch,Siegbert Karlsbad 1923 (7) 1.e4 eS 2.f4 ~cS 3.tlJf3 d6 4.c3 .i.94 S.fxeS dxeS S.'ifa4+ ~d7 7.ffc2 tlJcS 8.b4 ~d6 9.il.c4 ttJf6 10.d3 tlJe711.0-0 tlJgS 12.il.e3 bS 13.i1.b3 as 14.a3 axb4 1S.cxb4 0-0 16.tlJc3 cS 17.h3 'i'ie7 18.ttJe2 ~b8 , 19.~h2 ~a7 20.il.9S ' hS 21.~xf6 iYxf6 22.ttJfd4 'tWd6 23.ttJfS .txfS 24.l:Ixf5 ttJf4 25.ln1 9S 26.l:I1xf4 exf4 27.e5 'fie7 28.1:[16 '''''97 29.d4 .b d4 ' 30.~xf7 .b e5,31.llfxgS+ 1-0
SchultenJohn William . Morphy,Paul ' New ¥orkhlirid m 1857
1.e4 e5 2.f4 dS 3.exdS e4 4.ttJc3 ttJfS S.d3 ~b4 6 ..td2 e3 7.b e3 0-0 8.~d2 ~xc3 9.bxc3 tre8+ 10..te2 ~g4 11.c4 c6 12.dxcS ttJxc6 13.""f1 n xe2 14.ttJxe2 tlJd4 1S.\'Wb1 .be2+ ,1 6.c.t'f2 ttJg4+ 17.~g1 tlJf3+18.9xf3 ~d4+ 19.~g2 "'f2+ 20.~h3 'iYxf3+ 0-1 ·21.""h4 tlJh6 22.~g1 ttJfS+
Andei-s~~;Adolr' "' Kieseritzky,lionel London 1851
1.e4 eS 2.14 exf4 3..tc4 'iYh4+' 4.~f1 bS S.~~bS 0 fS 6.tlJf3 llfh6 7.d3 [7.~c3!l 7... tlJh511 8.tlJh411 ~gS 9.tlJfS ' c6 10.g41 [iO ,~a4±] 10...tlJf6 (10 ... g6!?] 11.%1911 cxbS1, 12.h4 'fig6 13.h5 'iWgS 14.'i'if3 ttJg8': ' 1S.il.xf4 ~f6 , 16.tlJc3 ~cS 17.~d5 ' 'iYxb218..td6 [critidzedbyEuwe: 18.:: d4 was winning. But despite of all mistakes (it was a friendly game) this is' known asthe.Immortal Game because of 'its brilli~t finish] 1a.~xg1 1 ( 18 .. :~xal+ J9.c.t>e2 'iYb2!] 19.eS! ~xa1+ 20.c.t>e2 ' ~a6 21.tlJxg7+ g1 'iid4+ 19.i.e3 l!fxeS 20.tre1 tlJd7 ' 21.1i'c4 wh8 22.$.e4 UaeS 23.il.d4 9f4 24.Ue2 tlJf6 2s ..bfS gxf6 26.h3 %1g8+ 0-1 28
Reti.Richard Flamberg,Alexander
"
1912 (4) 1.e4 eS 2.f4 exf4 3.4:Jf3 9S 4Jii.c4 94 , 5.0-0 dS 6.exd5 gxf3 7.'i'ixf3 ~d6 8.d41i'fG 9....e4+ VJ6e710.~c3 tlJd7, 11 ~xf4 'Wxe4 ,12.tlJxe4 jLxf4' 13.'u'xf4 fS (13 .. ,tlJe7 14.d6] 14.l:txfS tlJe7 1S.:1e1I ' tlJb6 (IS ... tlJxfS ' 16,tlJd6+ Wf8 , 17Jle8 + c.t>g7' 18.tlJxf5+ ", wf6 19.tlx1l8 , c.t>xfS' "i oJhh7 ±] 16.~bS+ 'if;>d8 '[16...c6 17.&c6 bxc6 18..!:I.eS cxbS 19.tlJg5; 16 ....icl7 17 ..!:I.eS ,., .\txbS 18.d6±] 17.:1eS tlJ96 [17 ,.. tlJbxdS 18.tlJgS %1f8 , Opatija
h
King 's Gambit .,
.'
19 ..::4xdS+ ~xdS ,; 2Q,tLlf7+ llxf7 Spassky,Boris Fischer,Robert "21..::4e8X] 1S.li:Jg5 li:Jxe5 19.1:txe5 ·..td7 20.li:Jf7+ weS 21.li:JxhB · ~xb5 · Mar del Plata 1960 (2) 22.IIh5 .ac4 23.Uxh7 b dS 24.h4 1.e4 eS 2.14 exf4 3.tLlf3 gS [afterwards , Fischer suggested 3,':.d6!] 4.h4 g4 '.i 4e4 2S ..::4g7 .be2 26.h5 as 27.h6 'a4 2S.h7 .bh7 29.l:txh7 ~c4 30.li:Jf7 '· S.tLleS tLlfG 6.d4 · [6'.tLlxg4] 6_d6 , 7.tiJd3 ttJxe4 " S..hf4 iLg7 9.tLle3=i= ::'a6 31.94 li:Jxb2 32.11hS+ : ~d7 ! 33.li:JeS+ , ~e6 34.gS ' li:Jd1 , 3S.UfS [9,c3! 'fie7! (Fischer) J O.'iVe2 iill=i=] li:Je3 36.wf2 li:JdS 37.g6 1-0 9•.tLlxe3 10.bxe3 eS! 11 ..ie2 exd4 12.0-0 tLlc6 [lL.h5 13.ii,gS f6 14.iLcl - and li:Jf4: g6h1? [z : 17.li:JhS .::4h7 1S.eS dxeS 19.'fk'e4 fS 18..L:d6 rlf619.iLe5 li:JxeS20.tbxeS 20.J:rxfS AxfS 21.'iVxfS [Tartakower: A , ., with some Compensation for the pawn] position in the best' tradition of the ' 1S~g8 19b d6 ~fSt [19 ... .id4] 20Jt.e5+ li:Jxe5 2H~h:e5+ :g7! , King's Gambit: Black, even though he is ' a rook up, is in a compl~tely hopeless 22.J:1xfS '[22.'i!VxfS 1!:Vxh4+ 23 .c;i;>gl positIon] . 21 ...Ile7 ' 22 ..lhgS hxgS 'iVg4' '' 24.'ti'xg4 (24.Wif2 iLd6-» "23J H1 ~d6 24..bgS exd4 25.~f8+ 24,.J.lxg4+; 22,Ilf4? iLd6":+: 22.tfff4? ' ~d7 26.'iWxaS ~eS 27.li:Jf6+ wd6 l:tg4-+] 22...'iVxh4+ 23.'it>g1 1!i'g4? ! 2S:iff8 'iieS 29.PbS 24.l:ta5 .baS 25.lDd2 ,. f2 lLldS 32.lDxdS xdS ;33.lld3+ rJ;;c7 34.g3 c4 35.~c3 ~aS 3S.f4 'it>dS 37.l:ta3 lDc5 [37 ... .abS . ; 38J:la8] 3S.We3 h5 39.n a5 iLb5 · 40.b3 lLld7 41.a4 .cxb3 42.cxb3 ~f1 43.:%8S ~g2 44.~e8 ~xe4 45.fxe5+ ' d54S.a5 1-0
r
Peng'Xiaomin DuShan '" . Xiapu 2005 (19)
1.e2-e4 e7-e5 2.lLlg1-f3 d7-dS 3.d2-d4 lDba·d7?1 4~f1-c4 c7-c6 ' 5.0-0 hS? S.dxe5 dxe5 7..txf7+1 '.txf7 S.lDxe5+ Wf6 9....d4 ", .,peS 10.ttJgS bS 11.lLlxhS 'iVfS 12.1t'xf6+ 'It>xfS 13.b3 ~dS 14..tb2+ .te5 · 15.heS+ lDxeS 1S.f4 lDg4 17.e5+ . WeS 1S.lDc3 lDe3 19.1:.13 ttJxc2 : 20.l:td1 lLle7 21.~dS+ ~f5 22.lDe2 c523.h3 .. ,., , 1-0 '
Philidor Defence ~
~
Castaldi,Vincenzo ;, Tartakower,Savielly Stockholm'ol 1937 (2)
,
1.e4 e5 ' 2.tbf3 dS 3.d4 lbfS, 4.lbc3 :/pbd7 5.~e2 ~e7 S.O-O hS 7.b3 cS ' ,S.ii.b2 'fIkc7 - 9.'lWd2 g51? 10.J:tfd1 ;'ttJfS? 11.dxe5 dxe5 1Voxe5!1 ~eS , [l2... ~xe5 J3,lbdS!!] 13.lbb51! ~bS ' 14.~aSI ~dS 1SJ:txdS+1 i't'xd8 1S.tt:lc7+ *e717.~a3+ , 1-0
RabinoVich.Ilya . Ilyin Zhenevsky,Alexander \ '. Soviet Union 1922
1.e2-e4 e7-eS . 2.lbg1-f3 d7-dS 3.d2-d4 lbgS-fS 4.tbb1-c3 lbb8-d7 S.~f1-c4 ~fS·e7 ., S:i.c4xf7+? ; We8xf7 , 7.lbf3-gS+ :. Wf7-g81 , 8.lbg5-eS . ~dS-eS '. 9.tbeSxc7 'tWeS-g6 10.lbc7xa8 '. 'ilYg6xg2 , 11.lIh1-f1 . eSxd41 12.~d1-e2 [12,'ikxci4 lbes 13.f4'lbfg4- threatening 14... ~4+] 12..•d4xc31 [! 2:..tileS ' 13.f4!] 13.'iVe2--c4+ dS-dS ' 14:*Vc4xca+ wga-f7ll!l 1S.'Wcaxb7 [lS.'i!Yxh8 'tWxe4+ ' 16.wdl . 'iYf3+ I7.Wel cxb2 ' 18.Lb2 .itb4+ 19.c3 ',.'"
..... ;... ' .,.
~'!Ie2 ~c2+ 22.Wel (22.~f3 'iYe4+' 23. ~g3 ~g4X) 22. .. lbe4 : 23 .J:ldl lbc3-+] 1S...'iWg2xe4+ ' 16.~c1-e3 .:tha-ba 17.'i:fb7xa7 c3xb2 , 1a.We1-d2 [! 8.l'Ibl " 'iVxc2-+] 1a••.~e4-b4+ 19.c2-c3 lbfS-e4+ ' 20.~d2-e2 lbe4xc3+ 21.~e2-f3 'fi'b4-e4+ 22.~3-g3 '. 4:lc3-e2+ '., 23.~g3-h3 ~e4-f3X
,,:.,,0-1
,Yu Shaoteng
Bauer,Christian Paris tt 2006 (3)
1.e2-e4 d7-d6 2.d2-d4 tilga-fS 3.lbb1-c3 e7-e5 4.lbg1-f3 lbbS-d7 S.~f1·c4 ..tfS-e7 6.0-0 0-0 7.a4 c6 S...b 2 as 9:~te2 exd410.lbxd4lbcS 11Jld1 '~ bS 12.h3 ~eS 13.lbxeS fxeS " 14.eS 4:ldS 1S.exdS .bdS 1S.lbxd5 exdS 17.c4 J:taeS 1a..ie3 .1i.f4 19..1i.xcS 'i:YxcS 20.'Wd3 d4 21.g3 .!te3 22 J:If 1 J:[xf2 23.l'Ixf2 -bf2+ 24.~xf2 l:te3 2S:*'f1 ~eS 26.c5+ w ha 27.Wg1 J:[xg3+ 2S.wh1 'iWe4+ 29.c.t>h2 :f3' 30.fYe1 .Ile3 31.1Yf1 J:le2+32.wg3 !e~+., . 0-1
35
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
PetroH Defence 1.e2-e4 c7-c5 2.~g1-f3lLlg8-f6
With 2 ...4Jf6, Black does not defend the e5-pawn, but attacks the e4-pawn instead. We are therefore talking about a defence which is conceptually ambitious and active. However, in practice, the resulting variations tend to lead to symmetrical and quiet positions, and the number of drawn games is unusually high. If Black is looking for a win, other defences would be more suitable. On the other hand, it could be an excellent choice if you are black against a stronger player, or one who plays ambitiously: indeed, if White plays too aggressively he may find that the more tactical variations will backfire on him. The Petroff Defence is OIle of the most extraordinary examples of opening reevaluation of all time: you only need to consult a 197 Os opening book to realize how little it was appreciated then. The prospect of playing symmetrical positions with one or two tempi less was 36
sufficient for it to be considered unplayable. Only the Italo-Hungarian Bela Toth played it in those years, after which it began to appear in the repertoires ofYusupov, Karpov, Hort, Hubner and other champions. From the beginning of the 1990s the Petroff Defence has been appreciated as one of the most effective means of drawing with the black pieces - especially by top-level players. The Petroff is often called the Russian Defence. Alexander Petroff, who popularized it at the beginning of the 19th century, and Carl Jaenisch, who also contributed a great deal to its development, were both Russians. At the beginning of the 20th century the American Frank Marshall believed in the validity of several lines where Black plays very aggressively. Other very dynamiC players, such as Harry Nelson Pillsbury, have also used the Petroff Defence with success. This makes you reflect on the common notion that certain openings are always solid and passive by nature, whereas others are always dynamiC and aggressive. Fortunately, the possibility of personal interpretation in so many openings is so great that there is always room for creative play. Now we will have a close look at some speCific variations. After the defence of the e4-pawn with 3 .4Jc3, there is 3 ... 4Jc6, and you transpose to the innocuous Four Knights Opening. For this reason, if White wishes to travel along more promising paths, there remain effectively two alternatives: either to take the pawn on e5 or to look for activity with 3.d4.
Petroff Defen ce A)
3. tDf3xeS
were on f6 we would be in the Exchange Variation of the French, which is notorious for leading to an easy draw. Black has three continuations : A1)
3. ...
6 ....
tDbS-c6
7. 0-0
~cS-g4
d7-d6
Not 3 .. .tDxe4? 4.Wte2 tDf6 (4 ... dS S.d3) S.tDc6+.
4. tDeS-f3 The move 4.tLlxf7!? looks like the work of a drunken Irishman. Yet it is a part of chess theory and is even dignified with a name: the Cochrane Gambit. However, against correct play White will have his work set out for him trying to find sufficient compensation for the sacrificed piece. 4. ... tDf6xe4 5. d2-d4! After S.~e2 V/iie7 6.d3 tDf6 7. ~gS ~xe2+, even with the two extra tempi the position is too sterile to offer White a concrete advantage. 5.tDc3!? is interesting, as after S ... tDxc3 6.dxc3!, White's objective is quick development with 7~ e3 or 7~ f4, 8. ~d2 and 9.0-0-0 . 5. ... d6-dS 6. ~f1-d3 In this almost symmetrical position White must exploit the presence of the black knight on e4, which appears to be actively placed, but which in reality renders Black's centre somewhat unstable. It is worth noting that if the knight
S. c2-c4! tDe4-f6 9. tDb1-c3!? ~g4xf3 tDc6xd4 10. 'ilt'd1xf3 11. 'iWf3- h3 with good compensation for White. A2)
6 ....
~fS-d6
7. 0-0 0-0 S. c2-c4 c7-c6 is the m ost logical. Now the critical line appears to be 9.cxdS cxd5 10 .4Jc3, and Black can no longer maintain the knight one4. 37
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 After 10 ... tLlxc3 1l.bxc3 ~g4 12.l:!.b 1 White has an unpleasant initiative.
A3)
6 ....
~fS-e7
Here the bishop is more passively placed. However, the dS-pawn is defended by the queen, and Black does not have to move his pawn to c6 when White plays c4. After 7.0-0 tLlc6 8.c4 - with 8.l::ie 1 jLg4!?, the position becomes complex; especially after 9.c3 fS - 8 ... tLlf6, or 8 .. .tLlb4, you reach typical Petroff Defence positions, in which White's nice centre is compensated for by Black's active piece play. B)
3. d2-d4
The most direct move. This was considered the best response in the 1970s, but 38
now it is less common than the previously examined alternative. 3. ... tDf6xe4! Inadvisable is 3... exd4 4.e5 tLle4 5.'lWxd4!, which leads to a position that is considered to be difficul t for Black. 4. ~f1-d3 d7-dS The incredible 4 ... tLlc6!? (invented by Yaacov Murey) is also playable. After 4.~xe4 dS and S ... e4 Black will regain the sacrificed piece. S. tDf3xeS
you have a symmetrical position where White will have difficulty gaining any advantage from his extra tempo after either 5 ... tDd7, or the more complex S. ... ~fS-d6 6. 0-0 0-0 g d6xeS! 7. c2-c4 tDbS-c6 S. d4xeS 9. c4xdS 'iYdSxdS tDc6-b4 10. ~d1-c2 11. ~ d3xe4 tDb4xc2 12. g e4xdS g cS-fS! g f5xg4 13. g2-g4! 14. ~ dS-e4 14.jLf4 tLlxal lS. jLe4 fS!, and again the position is balanced. 14.... tDc2xa1 1S. tDb1-c3 ~g4-h3 16 . .§.f1-e1 f7-fSI
Petroff Defence
J. "'.: '1 '11
J.~ i
1' 1
White will receive two minor pieces for a rook and a pawn, and yet in the many games with this line, White has not been able to demonstrate any substantial advantage.
"
the alternatives are no better; 17 ... nae8? 18 ..igS!!+-; 17 .. .f4 18.11e6! 'iYd8' . 19.1Llxb7 'lWgS 20.~fJ!) 18.hS 12.h3 ~S 13.~xb7 '· lLlxe1 21.l:1xe1 ~e6 22.dxe7+ Wxe7 IU6 14.~b3l:1g6 1S.~e2 Ji.h4 . 23.~d4 b6 24.a4 g6 2S.aS bxaS , 2S.l:ta1 as 27.i.e2l:tdS 2S.£c3lLldS : 1611f1 .bf3 17/ilxf3 Ji.xf2+ 1S.nxf2 lLlxf2 19.wxf2 ~d6 20.lLlgSIl.fS 29..ad4 lLlb4 30.i.c5+ weS 31.i.d1 21.\'i'a3 ~d8 22.~f4 h6 23.lLlf3 J:!.eS lld2 32 ..ta4+ .td7 33.ne1 + ~dS 24.~d3 J:re4 2S.g3 J:rfG 26.'i!VeS gS 34.~bS+ Wc8 3SJ:tc1+ wb7 27.lLlxgS , hxg5 2S..bgS J::.ee6 3S ..txd7 wxbS 37..teS fS 3S.b3 29.J:te1 'iWgS 30.h4 ng6 31.11xe6 1-0 1.tc2 39.l::td1 lLld3 40.14 Ilc1 41.l:I.xc1 , y lLlxc1 42.j.t7 lLle2+ 43.wf2 lLlxf4 Anand, Viswanathan 44.£c4 wcS 4S.il.gS h6 4S.Ji.f7 wd4 Kramnik, Vladimir 47.'it>g3 lLle2+ 4S.Wg4 lLlc1 49.h4 :.. Tilburg 1998 (2) fS+ SO.M3 gS S1.hxgS hxgS S2.£e6 wc3 ' 0-1 :1.e4 eS 2.lLlf3 lLlf6 3.lLlxeS d6 4.lLlf3 'lLlxe4 S.d4 d5 S.~d3lLle6 7.0-0 };.,e7 S.lle1 ~g4 9.e3 fS 10.'i!Vb3 0-0 Kasparov,Garry . Karpov,Anatoly 11.lLlbd2 lLlaS 12.~a4 lLle6 13.lLb5 lLlxd2 14.lLlxd2 \'i'd6 1S.h3! [before Moscow Wch m 1985 (48) this suggestion by Ubilava 15 : lLlb3 waS 1.e4 e5 2.lLlf3lLlf6 3.lLlxeS d6 4.lLlf3 pl~yed immediately) 1S...~hS 16.lLlb3 lZlxe4 5.d4 d5 6.i.d3lLlc6 7.0-0 i.e7 .ih417.lLleS ~xf2+? {insufficient, but 8.c4 g2 S3.f5 llh1 54.~d5 lld1 + 55.J:id4 l:tcdB 3S.n xc3 ~xc3 37.'fk'xc3 U2d5 Ue1 SS.'itJdS n e8 S7.d6 5S.~f5l:tf2+ 59.<J;>g6 20..be6+ wxe6 2HWd7+ <J;>f7 l:txa2 60.wf7 bS 61.l:le6+ <J;;d7 22.e6+ wgS ,' 23 ..bc7 l:tadS S2.xf6 llf2+ S3.~e5 l:lb2 '" 24.J..xdS< l:lxdS 2S.fVxb7 'iYxg2 ,S4.11d6+ b2 a4 37.c3 tiJd6 . 0-1 i
Four Knights Opening
Four Knights Opening 1.e2-c4 c7-c5 2.~ g1-f3 'Lb8-c6 3. ~b1-c3 ~g8-f6
If White decides on 4.d4, then after 4 ... exd4 you transpose to an innocuous variation of the Scotch Game that we have discussed in the previous chapter. If Black is not pleased by the prospect of playing the somewhat sterile positions that ensue, he can try 4 ... ~b4, but after 5. ttJxe5, the resulting complications seem to favour White. It is worth mentioning the minor variation 4.g3. However, by far the most frequent continuation is:
4. k f1-bS
The Four Knights Opening is one of White's most solid set-ups against 1...e5, and it was very widely played at the beginning of the 20th century. Then it all but disappeared until the 1980s and '90s, when it made a hesitant comeback, its chief use being to avoid highly theoretical lines. Black has few problems achieving equality if White plays 4.~b5 (sometimes called the Spanish Four Knights Game) or 4.d4, which is in the spirit of the Scotch Game. That fact that Black has few problems is not surprising, as practice has taught us that if White wishes to gain a significant advantage in dIe open games he must usually occupy the centre with pawns. However, this is rarely possible without the support of the c3-pawn: in this context the move ttJc3, made purely as a developing move, is too mechanical to offer concrete prospects.
Now, unlike in the RUy Lopez, the e4-pawn is defended, and therefore the threat 5.~xc6 and 6.tt:lxe5 is real. Black can respond in two completely different ways. A) kf8-b4 4 .... is a solid continuation that indirectly defends e5 by attacking e4. 0-0 S. 0-0 5 ... d6? allows 6.ttJd5J. 6. d2-d3 d7-d6
7. k c1-gS Now threatening ttJd5, and Black cannot go on copying White's moves. Therefore: kb4xc3! 7.
8. b2xc3
~d8-e7!
49
Chess Openin8 Essentials - Volume opening. However, in this case the attack is specifically aimed at bS and, above all, the presence of the knight on c3 renders a capture on d4 unwise. Moreover, it prevents the pawn push c2-c3. This gives Black resources that are not present, for example, in the Bird Defence of the RUy Lopez (3 .. .ttJd 4), a borderline variation in terms of playability. S. ~ bS-a4 Probably best. It maintains the pin on the d7-pawn and reduces the impact of Black's counterplay with .. .c6 and ...dS. Now Black usually makes a positional sacrifice of a pawn in one of two ways:
with the idea of ... ttJd8 -e6 to lift the pin by the gS-bishop. 9. l:l.f1-e1 tZlc6-dS tZldS-e6 10. d3-d4 11. ~ gS-c1 With the possibility of repositioning the bishop on a3. Now we reach a strategically complex position in which White has good control of the centre and the bishop pair, while Black has a solid position with good endgame prospects.
B1) c7-c6 S .... Enabling .. .d6. d7-d6 6. tZlf3xeS 7. tZleS-f3 ~cS-g4 with compensation, or, more violently:
B)
B2)
4.
tZlc6-d4
S.
~fS-cS
0-0 6. tZlf3xeS 7. tZleS-d3 Here one of the disadvantages of ... ~cS is revealed; White now gains a tempo with this move. 7. ... ~cS-b6 At the moment Black threatens 8 ... dS. S. e4-eS tZlf6-eS
Rubinstein's move (who was usually a very solid player!) is appropriate if Black wants to unbalance the position. It would appear that this move contravenes the general principles of opening theory, which always advise against moving the same piece twice in the 50
Four Knights Opening
White's kingside is a little exposed and White now plans to protect it with 9. tt'le3-dS! and then tt'le3, keeping the extra pawn. d7-dS! 9. ... Opening the game and putting his trust in his superior development, his control of the e-file and White's weakly-defended king. The position after lO .ttJe3 is difficult to evaluate, even if the results are slightly in White's favour.
we have had it drummed into us that we musm't place our bishop in front of a centre pawn, as only the advance of these pawns allows us to develop freely. We are not suggesting for a moment that such general strategic guidelines are no longer valid. It is just that they should never again be viewed as the Word of God.
Rublevsky,Sergey ." ; Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar '
i"
As a testimony to the vitality of the chess game, it is worth mentioning Black's final alternative. A move which began to become popular, even at higher levels, at the beginning of the new millennium: the 'beginner's move' 4 ... ~d6!?
Dogmatism is truly a thing of the past! From the time of our first chess lessons,
'7~
:Poros 2006"(1)
: 1.e4 e52.ttJf3 · li:leS 3.li:le3 li:lf6 .4 ...tb5 ' li:ld4 , 5 ...ta4 e6 S.ttJxe5 d5 ' 7.d3 ~dS S.f4 ~e5 9.exd5 0-0 10,llle4 ttJxe4 11.dxe4 'ilHh4+·12.g3 ' ~h3 13.~e3 'ii'g2 14.1:(g1 ~xe4 ' 15.~f2 rleS 16.'ifd3 llxe5 17.fxe5 l"Wf3+ 1S.'it>e1 j:,f5 19.11f1 i.b4+ , ,20.c3 ..txd3 21.llxf3 ttJxf3+ 22.'ittf2 dS 19.ttJxaS±) 19.ttJxaS '· d6 20.tWc1+- Kasparov) ' 16.ttJxb6 · (16.hl!? 0-0 17.'tWe2 d6 · lS.f4~) 16 ...cxb6 17 . ~d5 0-0 lS.1:1:cl;!;] 15.ttJd5! .ba1 1S.tWxa1 0-0 [J 6... f6 17.b6! . cxb6 18.eS (lSJXbl-+) IS ... fxeS19.%tel WdS ~; 20JXxeS±] 17.eS ~cS 1SJtc1+- [L:. ttJc7, .tf7] 18M.c6 19~a2 tWa3 · 20.ttJbS dS 21.'ttJxaS+- WhS 22.ttJbS ~eS 23.h3 l:tdS 24.bxcS ' bxc6 2S.l1c3 ~b4 2S.ttxcS n bS ' 27.ttJxd5 'eVxa4 2SJ:tc1 '{Wa3 29.:.tc4 1-0
Chigorin,Mikhail Lasker,Emanuel
,.
St Petersburg 1895 (1)
1.e4 e5 2,lbf3 ttJc6 3~c4 ~c5 4.b4 .b b4 5.c3 ~c5 S.O-o dS 7.d4 .tbS ; S.a4 :DfS 9..tb5 as 1O.~xcS+ bxcS ,11.a5 .ta7 12.dxe5 .lLixe4 13.'iWe2 .dS 14.ttJd4 ttJxc3 15.tt:lxc3 .bd4 1S.'fHd3 c5 17.~g3 ~eS 1S.~g5 'ifd719.l1a~1 fS 20.exfS gxfS 21 ..tf4 l:tgS - 22.'iYf3 0-0-0 23.l:tfe1 · c4 24.'iYe2 .afS 25.'iia2 J:[xg2+26. h1 l:xf2 0-1
Chigorin,Mikhall Pillsbury,Harry Nelson London 1899 (1)
· 1.e4 e5 2.ttJf3 ttJcS 3.$..c4 Acs 4.b4 ' .b b4 5.c3 .tc5 S.O-O dS 7.d4 .i.bS S.dxe5 dxe5 9.'tiYxd8+ ttJxd8 10.ttJxe5 Srl.eS 11.ttJd2.ttJe7.12 ..b3 ~
13.ttJd3 ttJgS 14.l:tab1 <M1 J:!e8 1S.c4 cS ' 17..i.xeS+ tDxes 18.ttJb3 rIadS 19.ttJbc1 rId7 20.c5 Y4C7 21.g3 ttJeS 22.ttJxeS+ .axe5 23.ttJ b3 gS 24.J:[fd1 J:[edS 25.l:txd7+ rIxd7 2S.h3 .i.c7 27.c,f;>f1 bS 2S..tb4 h5 29.Wg2 l1d3 30.l:tc1 ttJd4 31.l:.c3 l:txc3 32.b c3 ttJxb3 33.axb3 a5 34.f3 ~eS 3S.we3 g4 36.hxg4 hxg4 37.'~ d3 a4 3S.bxa4 bxa4 39.Srl.b4 .te5 40.Srl.a3 Srl.a1 41.Ac1 fS 42 ~a3 weS 43.exfS Wxf5 44.~e3 We5 4S.14+ WdS 4S.fS .te5 47.~2 We4 ' 0-1 f6
1S.~d5
Kasparov,Garry Anand, Viswanathan . Riga Tal mem 1995 (4)
1.e4 eS 2.ttJf3 tDcS 3.~c4 .ac5 4.b4 .b b4 S.c3 J;.,e7 S.d4 ttJa5 7..ie2 exd4 S:~xd4 ttJf6 9.eS ttJcS 10.'iWh4 ttJd5 11.1Wg3 gS 12.0-0 ttJbS 13.c4 dS 14.l:td1 ttJd7 1S...thS ttJcxe5 1S.liJxe5 ttJxe5 17.ttJc3 f6 .1S.c5 ttJf7 19.cxdS , cxd6 -- . 20.'tWe3 ttJxhS 21.'tiYxh6 .ita 22:iWe3+ <JiI7 23.ttJd5 .teS 24.ttJf4 ~e72S.l:te1 1-0 ,
Short,Nigel Gupta,Abhijeet Mumbai 2006 (5) " '
1.e4 e5 V bf3 ttJc6 3.~c4 .ic5 4.b4 .txb4 5.c3 ..ta5 S.d4 exd4 7.li'b3 'iVt6 S.O-O b5 9..bb5 .ttJge7 10..ig5 ~g6 11..b e7 ttJxe7 12.cxd4 0-0 13.ttJa3 llbS 14:iWa4 .tc3 15.l1ac1 .ib2 1S.l1xc7 'iWd6 17.l:txc8 ttJxc8 1S.ttJc4 'fIic719.ttJxb2 ttJd6 20..,bd7 l:xb2 21.£t.cS l:tfbS 22.83 l1b1 23.g3 h6 24.e5 ttJf5 25 .~e4 l:xf1 + 26. ~xf1 ttJe7 27.dS iVc5 2S.dS ttJd5 29:ii'd4 'iYb5+ 30.~g2 ttJbS 31.ttJe1
ss
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
-..a5 32/tJd3 'iWxa3 33.tOc5 :tea 34.d7 tOxd7 35.tOxd7 'iic3 3S:iVxa7 ~d2 37.'iYb7 :td8 38.~cS 'fVc3 39.M h540~e4 'iYd241.i.d5 1-0
" [9 ... hc3 10.tlhc3 f6 (10 ... tI.:lf6 I Li.a3 d612.e5 tOe4 J3.'iVb2 tOxeS 14.tOxeS'iiVxeS IS,tlfel!+-) Il..ta3 d6 12.i.dS! .td7 13 ..trabl 0-0-0 14.tOd4+-; a little better is this sugges-' tion of Fischer ' himself: 9 ... 'ifb4! 1O .~?,f7+ 'it>dS n ...tg5+ (ll.hgS? Anderssen.Adolf Dufresne.Jean " 'iYxb3!) ll...tI.:lge7 12.tI.:ldS ~xb3 Berlin 1852 ' . J3.axb3 with an attack] 10.tI.:ld51 tI.:lxd5 1.&1 e5 2.tOf3 tLlc6 3...tc4 ~c5 4.b4 [ 10 .. :iVxe40 1 I.tOgS... with the initia.txb4 " 5.c3 A a5 6.d4 exd4 7.0-0 tive] 11.exd5 tI.:le5 [J l. ..tI.:ld8 n .Aa3 , d3?1 [avoids the creation of a central d6 13 .•b5++-] 12.tOxe5 'ifxe5 pawn duo on d4 and e4] 8.'ifb3! 'tIi'f6 , 13~b2 "'g5 14.M! 'ifxh4 [J4 .. JiYh6 9.e5 'iYgS10.J::re1 tOge711 ..b3 b5?! ' IS.'ifa3+- 6. 16.tlfe1+; J4 ... 'ii'g4· 12.1txb5 :tb8 13.'fVa4 A bS 1S.l:tfe 1+ ~xel (I L'tiidS 16.'iii'e3 : 14.tObd2 .tb715.tOe4 'iff5 1S..bd3 .iM 17.'iWh61! gxb6 JS ..tf6+Ae7 ; 'ii'h5 17.tOfS+I? (I7.tDg3! (this would ' 19.he7+ ·'it>eS 2o.Ag5+! f8 21 ,.txh6+ 'irg7 . 22.J::re8+!! 'oPxe8' ,have won more, easily, but Anderssen plays in the romantic spirit of the time, 23.A xg7+-) 16.trxel+'it>dS 17.'tfe3 : ,and this 'encounter is rightly ,rememit'xM 18.g3!) 15hg7 J::rg8 bded as the Evergreen Game) I 7... 'iii'h6 1SJ:tfe1+d8 [16 ... i.xel 17.trxel+] 1-0 , IS.Ac1 +-] 17'hgxf6 18.exf6 :g81 , 17.'ii'g3! (17 ... 'ifxg3. 1S .~f6X) ,19.l%ad11 [this move is indeed the work .:.. . of a genius] 19...'fVxf3? [losing:, " Lasker's 19 ... l%g4!L was better] Mariotti.Sergio 20.:txe7+! tI.:lxe71? , [20 ... ,""d8 Gligoric.Svetozar 21.trxd7+! ,""cS! (2l...'it>xd7 n :i.f5+ Venice 1971 (8) 'it>e8 B ..td7 + d824.Lc6+) ·1.e4 e5 2.tI.:lf3~cS 3 ..tc4 .fc5 4.b4 22.J::rd8+1 ;, ~dS . (22 ... tI.:lxdS ~xb4 5.c6 A bS 8.cxd4dS 9.h3 tI.:lfS 10.lle1 hS' 11 .i.a3 0-0 12.tI.:lc3 l:e813Ac1 tI.:lh7' (24...WeS2S.Ad7X) - 25.i.d7X) i3·~.te2+ tI.:ld4 H ..Lfl i.ill 2,s.g3 14.lle3 tDa5 15...id3 A eS ' 1S.•e2' i.xd l 26.'ifxd1+-] 21.'ifxd7+11 tLif8 17.~a4 tOgS 18.tOxb6 axb6 'oPxd7 22 ~f5+ xf7 10.'i¥b3+ dS II.ttleS+ ..t>e6!. However, more often than not he opts for the solid 7. ... ~b4xd2+ 8. ttJb1 xd2 d7-d5 Necessary to free up play. 9. e4xd5 ttJf6xd5 10. 'ii'd1-b3 ttJc6-e7 11. 0-0 0-0 12 . .J:l:f1-e1
The Italian Game
:as
This position is reminiscent of several variations of the Queen's Gambit Accepted. White has more active pieces and a slight initiative. Still. the isolated d4-pawn and the excellent outpost on dS for his knight give Black adequate resources.
, SteinfU.WiIhelni " ~ Von Bardeleben.Curt t, .
Hastings 1895 (10)
1.e4 e5 2,lbf3 ~c6 3.~c4 .§l.c5 4.c3 ~f6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 ~b4+ 7.~c3 :d5? 8.exd5 ~xd5 9.0-0 ~e610~g5 ~e7 11.bd5! .bd5 12.~xd5 'ii'xd5 · 13..be7 ~xe7 14.lIel f6 15.l\i'e2 1!fd7 [I S... 'iVd6? . J 6.'ifbS+ 'ifc6 . 17 .'ifb4 'tWd6 18~1!fxb7-] 16J:lacl11 [16.nadl! was the right way to ~xploit ·Wh·ite's better development: 16 .• :>1o>fl ,, 17.1!fc4+ ~dS . 18.~5+ fxeS 19.dxeS+-] ' 16_.xf5 57.l:tb6 J:tb4 . · 0-1 61
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I It was only at the beginning of the 20th century, when the playability of 5 ... ltJa5 ! was discovered (as were 5 ... b5!? and 5 ... ltJd4!?) that the popularity of this defence boomed, as it was now seen as an effective way for Black to fight for the initiative. Indeed, 3 .. .ltJf6 has currently overtaken 3 ... ~c5 in popularity.
Two Knights Defence l.e2-e4 c 7-e5 2.'- '91-'3 ( ,b8-c6 3 .i.f1-c4 !: g8-f6
Against the Two Knights White has fundamentally three lines to consider - excluding 4.ltJc3?I, which allows 4,.. ltJxe4! with the idea of. ..d7-d5 .
.~
This defence was not ed by the Abruzzian Giulio Cesare Polerio in the 16th century, and discussed again by Giambattista Lolli and Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani two centuries later. In the 19th century it was adopted chiefly as a means of avoiding the much-feared consequences of the then reigning Evans Gambit. Why was it used just as an expedience in the past, given its popularity today? It should be remembered that even though 3...t2lf6 is the most natural move (it attacks the unprotected e4-pawn), it is in effect a pawn sacrific e ... at least from the modern viewpoint! 4.t2l g5 d5 5.exd5 used to be automatically followed by 5,. .ltJ xd5? I, but at this point either 6.ltJxj7!? (the celebrated Fried Liver Attack - also known by the original Italian name Fegatello Attack), or 6.d41, produces positions which are undoubtedly advantageous to White.
62
A) 4. d2-d3 The most solid and currently the most popular m ove. It is in line with the modern tendency to play 3 .~c4 with a positional approach. After 4 ,. .~c5, we are back in the Giuoco Piano. However, 4 .. .~e7 is the more popular choice. It is solid, even if slightly passive, and it generally leads to positions which are strategically similar to the Closed Spanish. B) 4. d2-d4 is a natural response in the centre, to which 4 .... e5xd4 is the best reply. You may be wondering why 3 ... ltJxe4 is valid after 3.d4 in the Petroff Defence, whereas in the Two Knights 4 ... ltJxe4? is considered to be so bad. The answer is that in the Two Knights after 5 .dxe5, White already threatens 6.'iVd5 with a clear advantage, whereas in the Petroff after 4.dxe5, Black gains easy equality with 4 ... d5 (there is no bishop on c4 to prevent this move).
Two Knights Defence 81) 5. e4-e5 In modern play this positional approach is the most usual continuation. d7-d5 5. S. ~c4-b5! With the g7-pawn defended, 6.exf6 does not make sense. tLlfS-e4 S. 7. tLlf3xd4
Arriving at a complex position. Black obtains satisfactory play after either the solid 7 ...~d7 or the aggressive 7 ... ~cS. 82) 5. 0-0 This classical move is currently less popular (S.c3 tDxe4!). Black can respond S ... tDxe4 6. J:te1 dS 7.i.xd5! ~xdS 8. tD c3 'tIi'aS (or 8 ... ~hS) with a balanced position and results that tend to favour Black. Another response is the more ambitious 5. ... ~fS-c5 S. e4-e5 We have arrived at th e famou s Max Lange Attack. S. d7-d5 7. e5xfS Now yes! 7. d5xc4 ~cS-eS S. llf1-e1 + 9. tLlf3-g5
The threat is lO. tDxe6 followed by 11. ~hS+ and then 12.~xcS. After th e virtually forced 'il;YdS-d5 9 .... comes 10. tLlb1-c3 This knight is immune because of the undefended l!¥dS. 10. ... 'iWd5-f5 11. tLlc3-e4 and the threat is 12.g4. It is surprising that with such active pieces White does not obtain anything after 11. ... 0-0-01 12. g2-g4 'Wf5-e5 Keeping the cS-bishop defended. 13. tDg5xeS f7xeS l:!hS-gS 14. fSxg7 15. ~c1-hS d4-d3 Dozens of games have demonstrated that the position is dynamically balanced with possibilities for both players. C) 4. tDf3-g5 The critical move, at least in terms of the application of chess theory, is this now comparatively little-played and romantic move. A 'beginner's move', huffed Tarrasch, who was famous for such dogmatic dismissals. d7-d5 4 .... 63
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
Before examining this line, let's look at another surprising move available to Black: 4 ... ~cS!?
which delightfully ignores the attack on f7, so as to counterattack £1. This is the Traxler Variation (or Wilkes-Barre for the Americans), and it dates back to the end of the 19th century. After 5.tt'lxf7 j&x£1+!. Black seems to have sufficient counterplay, even if a hundred years of analysis has not fully explored the resulting positions. Let's just say that in practice it is easier to play the black side. lt is therefore not surprising that White prefers the safer 5 . ~xf7 +, even if after S... ~e7 (threatening 6 ... h6) 6. ~b3 or 6.j&d5, Black receives a certain degree of compensation with ... nhfS-~dS-eS- g6 and ... d7-d6 fol lowed by ... ~g4. It must be said that White, in addition to having an extra pawn, should be able to take advantage of the unhappy position of the black king on e7 if he can playa well-timed c3 and d4. 1n short, this counterattack is perhaps not 100% sound, but it is dangerous and greatly feared.
5. e4xd5 As we have already said, 5 ... tt'lxd5?! gives White the advantage after either 6.tt'lxj7!? (the Fegatello) or 6.d4!. 64
At this point the main move is 5. ... 4:lcS-a5 Also interesting are the Ulvestad Variation S... bS!? and the Fritz Variation S... ttJd4, which often merge at various stages: the following is a line that exemplifies the furious complications that can arise from S... ttJd4: 6.c3 bS 7 .~fl! 4:lxd5 S.4:le4 ~h4!? (S ...4:le6 is more solid) 9.tt'lg3 ~g4 10.f3 e4!
clearing the diagonal for the fS -bishop to exploit the uncomfortable position of the knight on g3 : 11.cxd4 j&d6 12..~.xb5+ \t>dS (the king is safer here than on fS), and now either the classical 13.0-0 or the more recent 13.'ifb3!? ~xg3+ 14.';t>d1 seems to give White the advantage . S. ~c4-b5+ 1n case of 6.d3 h6 7.ttJf3 e4!, Black obtains good play. c7-cS S.... 6 ... ~d7!? is also becoming popular.
7. d5xcS
bSxcS
8. ~b5-e2 S.'i!lVf3!? was not considered to be dangerous until recently. However, today it must be treated with respect: it was successfully employed by Karjakin in 2005 and by Short in 2006! 8. ... h7-hS
Two Knights Defence "
Brandenburg,Daan Postny,Evgeny , Hoogeveen 2006 (4)
For the pawn Black has a fairly significant lead in development and he is ready to grab centre space with his pawns. If White doesn't want to lose another tempo after 9.lLlf3 e4, he can continue with the unnatural but interesting 9.tOh3, which was played by Steinitz, and later by Fischer. Remember that White is a pawn up and that 9...~xh3 to create bad doubled pawns for White removes the dynamiC quality from Black's position. With his bishop pair and the weak c6-pawn, White can look to the future with confidence. Black's best option is to ignore the tOh3 and continue development with 9 ... ~cS and ... 0-0, with good compensation. The most common 9th move, however, remains 9.tOf3 and now 9 ... e4 10.tOeS ~d6 (10 .. :~ c7 is also playable)
. ..
.t 'ii'. '\ J ..X. '~' .. . ... ::' ...
:
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:xf2 i..c6 1S.lLld2 ''fib6 19.c4 d4 20:t'ic2 0-0 21.15 lladS 22.ltf1 .bs 23.'~g1 d3 .24 ....c3 l:td4 2S.lU2 J:[eS 26.l:te1 :"h6 27.'fia3 'fig5 28.g3 hS :29.1hts h4 30.ifxd4 hxg3 31.'it>f1 'gxf2 ' 32:t!;'xf2 '*'g4 33.16 gXf6 :34.J:[e3 1i'd1+ 35.1fe1 'iWxe1+ ,36.t;>f2 l:Lh3 20.fxg4 ~xg4 21.n ag1 lld8 · 22.11xg4 I:I.xd4 23.>t;>g2 ·l:te3 24J U1 t
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21.'iYh4+-;
19 .. .f6!
20.tLlxf6 + J:l.xf6 2 J.h f6' ~xd5 22 .'iVc3-:-- VuI)20.tLlf6+! llxf6 21.l:txe6! 'i'bl+ (2L.J:l.xe622.J:ldS+! l1xd8 23.~xe6+ >t;>g7 24.~e7++-) n.J:1dl! 'i!fxdl+ 23.l:e1+ · liVd5 24. ~xd5+cxd5 25.~xf6+:-] 19.tLlf6+ h2 ndf8 25.llxf8+ J:rxf8 2S.tLle3 ~d4 27.tLla4 llf1 28.94 J:th1": 29•..t>g3 llg1 + 30...t>h2 ~f2 0-1 i
"
Radjabov. Teimour
" Harikrishna,Pentala Cap d'Agde rapid 2006 (2)
1.e4 eS 2.tLlf3 tLle6 3..tbS as 4 ..be6 ' dxe6 5.0-0 ~g4 6.h3 jt"xf3 7."fVxf3 "i'd7 8.d3 f6 9.tLld2 .adS 10.tDe4 tDe 7 ,11.lIfhS+tDgS 12.tLlxd6+ cxd6 13.f4' exf4 14..i.xf4 0-0 1S~.ag3 d5 16.exdS ."iVxdS 17."i!VxdS+ exd5 18.c4 dxc4 :19.dxc4 ; nfe8 20J~ac1 ne6 . 21.b3 " llac8 22.ncd1 b5 23.exb5 , axb5 .24.11dS 'lle2 25.llf2 nxf2 2S.>itxf2 'l:le2+ 27.wf3 r:.e3+ 28.'M2 1:tc2+ '29.>t>f3 1f2-1f2 " ,.. ... -.... ' >.' ~ ....
82
~
.
~
.~
".;,.-
Mecking.Henriqne '" Kort~hnoi; Viktor Augusta m 1974 (12)
1.e4 e5 2.tLlf3 tLle6 3.jLb5 a6 4..beS dxe6 5.0-0 Vj"dSI? S.d3 [here' the strategic goal is not the ending but .' to attac:k with Opposit~,~side' 'castling]' " S...fS 7•.te3 .tg4 ' 8.tt;lbd2 0-0-0 (8 ... tLle7] 9.l:I.b1 tde7 10.b4 gS11.a4' tdg6 12.bS ' exb5 13.axb5 ' axbS 14J:txb5 'tlfe61S.11b2 .teS 1S.tLlb3 ~b4 17.tLlfd4 exd4'18.'i!fxg4+ ~d7, 19."fVxd7+ 1:txd7 20.tLlxd4 ' ~e3 21.lla2 llxd4 22.na3 llb4 23.l:.xe3 . n e8 24.f3 Wd7 2S.J:ta1 nbS 26.f2 'dS 27.J:taa3 h5 28.J:ta4 eS 29.llea3' g4 30.1:1aS l:leeS ' 31.J:txb5 J:txb5 32.fxg4 hxg4 33.W'g 3 J:Ib1 34.~d4 lle135.11e3 b5 as.hf6 b4 37.11b3' nf1 38.~g5 e5 39.d7 39.ttJxh6 ~e6 40.~f1 d5 41.lDfS It>e4 42.lDe7 ~xd4 43.0Jxc6+ ~e4 44.we2 lDc4 45.13+ ' ~d5 46.lDb4+ · 'it>e5 47.lDc2 'l!;>f5 · 4B.~d3lDe5+ 49.d4 ttJg6 50.';t;'d5 .ttJh4 51.ttJe1ttJg6 .. 112·112 83
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
White can solve the problem of the exposed bishop with the radical 5. ~xc6+!? bxc6 6.d4, but after 6 .. .f6!
Ruy lopez Steinitz Defence Deferred 1.c4 e5 2.rl..!f3~~c6 3 ..i.b5 a6
4 .... a4 d6
.1
; '>!
Unlike in the normal Steinitz with 3 ... d6. Black here has a sly tactical motif at his disposal that changes the strategic direction of the whole system. If White continues with the normaI5.d4? I, after 5... b5 6.~b3 fLl xd4 7. fLlxd4 exd4
Black's position is solid. He does not need to fear the weakening of the light squares, as he is the one with the light-squared bishop. This is why White usually proceeds with 5. c2-c3 which is not played - as is often believed - to support the d4 pawn advance, but to give the a4-bishop the escape square c2. Now Black has two continuations that are of a very different nature: A)
he will be forced to sacrifice a pawn with 8.c3: taking back the d4-pawn unthinkingly with 8.'iJVxd4?? loses a piece after 8... c5 9.'Villd5 iLe61O.~c6+ ~d711. 'Villd5 c4. 84
5 ....
f7-f5
The aggressive Siesta Variation, which ambitiously aims to take advantage of the w eakness of the d3 -square.
Ruy Lopez - Steinitz Defence Deferred
6. e4xf5! 7.
~c8xf5
0-0
7.d4 gives Black a comfortable game because of 7... e4. ~f5-d3 7.... 8. J:tf1-e1 £i.f8-e7 9. ~a4-c2 By freeing himself of the annoying intruder, White gains a slight advantage. B)
5 ....
~c8-d7
6. d2-d4 Now Black can prepare the fianchetto with 6... g6 and after 7.0-0 ~g7 SJ:[el tLlge7
intending to trade off the bad bishop with the manoeuvre ... h6, ... tLlg6 and ... ~e7 -g5 . White can frustrate Black's plan with the annoying h4-h5. The other option is to change the nature of the position with 7.d5!? tLlbS S.c4 with a type of Queen's Pawn Opening position in which White can free himself of his bad light-squared bishop.
" .,. Aioriian,Levon ; Yandemirov,Valery '. Sochi tt 2005 (4)
;1.e4 eS 2.tLlf3 tLlc6 3.~bS a6 4.~a4 · 'd6 5.0-01? .it941? 6.h3 h5 7..bc6+; 'bxc6 8.d4 ~xf3 9.1!fxf3 exd410.l1d1 . ~f6i1.1Wb3lbe712Ji·b7l:tc813.c3
he finds himself in a cramped but playable position. Otherwise, he can continue with the classical 6. ... tLlg8-e7
:jjfe5 14.'fVxa6 'tIr'xe4 15.cxd4 'iff5 16.tLlc3 g6 iHle1 Wd718.l1e3 .tg7 :19JU3 ~e6 20..td2 f5 2U%e1 'fVf7 .22 ..t95 l:heS 23.l:tfe3 .tf6 24..bf6 'ifxf6 2S.'iWc4 dS 26.'iYe2l:ra8 27.b3 f4 28.11e6 f3 29.~e3 'iWh4 30.93 ,'fi'xh3 : 31.l:txe7+ llxe7 . 32.'iYxe7+ ·weS 33.'i!Vf8+.t>b7 34.1fxf3 h4 ~ 3S.11e7 l1eS 36.lba4 hX93 37.tLlc5+ ;Wb6 38.'Ii'xg3 "t1i'h5 39.1Wc3 :: 1-0 ~.
.
. Steiner.Endre ; Capablanca.Jose Raul Budapest 1928 (6)
.
11.e4 eS 2.tLlf3lbc6 3~bS a6 4..ta4 d6 5.c3 fS 6.exfS hfS 7.d4 e4 8~g5 .te7 9.tLlh4 .te6 i0_be7. tLlxe7 11.1WhS+ 96 12.'i!Vh6 lbg8 ;'13.'ilff4 ' lbf6 14.lLld2 0-0 1S.0-0 d5 ,16."t1i'gS lbhS 17.1!fxd8 tLlxd8 18.g3 .th3 19.1bg2 · tLle6 20ib3 c6 21.~d1 llae8 22ixhS gxhS 23.f4 h4 24.l:tfe1 hX93 2S.hx93 .txg2 26.xg2 . :te7 27.tLlf1 :tg7 2S.Wh1 85
Chess Open inn Essentials - Volume 1 ... :
h5 29.c4 ' tDxd4 30.1:.ed1 tDf3 31.cxd5 h4 32.d6 hxg3 33.Wg2 tDh4+ 34.Wg1 g2 35.tDh2 .t:I.xf4 36.1:.d4 J:d7 37.J:te1 tDf5 3S,Udxe4 l:xe4 39.1:.xe4 1:I.xd6 40.tDf3 1:.g6 41J:l.e5 tDd6 42.J:le2 \t>fS 43.t!.xg2 tlf6 44.tDe5 r:J;e7 45 ..ttf2 46.tDd3 :re3 47.tDf4 tDc44S.b3 tDe5 49.tDg2 .uc3 50.r:te2 cJ;>d6 51 ;cJ;>f1 J:!c1 + 52,';pf2 tDd3+ 53.\t>e3 tDb4 54.a3 tlc3+ 55.cJ;>d411c2 56~J:e1 c5+ 57.cJ;>e4 ttxg2 5S.axb4 1:.g4+ 59.'.tId3 .uxb4 60.~c3 as 61.1:l.a1 b6 62.na2 cJ;>c6 63.11a1 <j;>b5 64J~a2 a4 .65.bxa4+ tlxa4 66.1:I.b2+ J:ib4 67.l~h2 J:!.g4 . 0-1
neG
86
".
.,
Fischer,Robert Ciocaltea.Victor Varna 01 1962 (8)
1.e4 e5 2.tDf3 tDc6 3.~b5 a6 4.14a4 d6 5.c3 ~d76.d4 tDgei 7.il.b3 h6 S.~e2 tDg6 9.~c4 ~f6 [9 ...'ife7 10.dS bS 11.WV e2 tDaS=] 10.d5 b5 11.~e2 tDa5 12.R.d1Yle713.g3 0-0 [13 ... il.h3 14.a4} 14.h4 lUcS11 15...tg51 hxg5 16.hxg5 ~xg5 [16 ... tDf4 17.gxf6 tDxe2 18.fxe7 and the knight is lost] 17.tDxg5 il.xg5 1S.0a3 c6 19.dxc6 ~e6 20.'fi'h5 iLh6 21.Ylg4hg4 22.'ifxg4 tDxc6 23Jld1 . b4 24.tDc4 bxc3 25.bxc3 tDd4 26:tDb6 " 1-0
Ruy Lopez - Archangel and New Archangel Variation
Ruy Lopez Archangel and New Archangel Variation 1.c:4 c5 2. !i f3 !i ,eG 3.~b5
Classical Archangel
s....
~c8-b7
This variation has the plus of forcing White to play n e 1 if he wishes to occupy the centre with d4. The move 7.c3
aG 4 ....i.:.a4 [Lt6 5 .0-0 b5
6 ..ib3
Black's most popular fourth move remains 4 .'/uf6. After 5.0 -0, (those of you who are not crazy about the idea of having to learn a lot of theory should consider 5.d3 or 5:~Ve2) thenormalresponse is 5 ... ~e7, or 5 .. .tUxe4 (the Open Spanish), which we will look at soon. However, the immediate 5 ... b5 is being played more and more, and after 6 ..2.b3, 6 ... it.b7 (the Classical Archangel) or 6,.. ~ c5 (the New Archangel). The two variations are similar, in that they both aim for more active play, even if by nature this involves taking more risks than with the Closed Spanish. Both bishop moves have good and bad points, and it is therefore difficult to decide which of the two is better: especially, as the two variations often cross paths.
is in fact playable, but it amounts to a gambit. The bishop on b7 allows 7...tUxe4! 8.d4 tUa5! 9.~c2 exd4! and Black's position seems to be playable. Therefore, 7.d3 is often played. This robs the b 7-bishop of much of its effectiveness and avoids a lot of theory. However, the critical line remains 7. J:[f1-e1 ~f8-c5 8. c2-c3 d7-dS ~c5-bS
9. d2-d4
J: ~l~~
Nt ~ r~·. 'I
1ii ;~~! .l [I i .l 'i=\Al~i~':' :"' 1~r: tj,\~ j"
8j~; .t. i':~:~
:!:t~
¥1~
~~~
jt3f ~ ~ ~~1 jL l~ ~tf: ttJ >~~ 1""( " '" 'A ' ' ~ '!
~ La'
t
~l!il!
]Ji ttJ ~ ~ ll:1ji
:i!3i ~ b l
;w,
with great strategic tension: White's centre is impressive, but it also runs the risk of collapsing. The ~b6 increases Black's pressure on the centre, but at the same time his kingside is left weakened. 87
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
After the natural 10.~gS, Black can respond with the effective IO ... h6 I I . ~h4 gS!?, or with I I ... ~d7 followed by ... 0-0-0. For this reason White usually reinforces the centre. 10. ~c1-e3 0-0 10... ttJxe4?? loses a piece after 11.d5. 11. ttJb1-d2 h7-h6 To play ... ttJg4 hitting the bishop. 12. h2-h3
d7-d6 7. c2-c3 This line has an advantage over its sister variation: the cS-bishop can go to either b7 or g4, depending on the circumstances. The problem is that White, not having played :tIe I , can use the time saved to make more active moves, such as S. a2-a4!
The modern treatment involves a direct 6. ... ~fS-c5
which puts pressure on the queenside. At this point the most popular move is S. ... J:!.aS-bS even ifS ... ~b7 and S...~g4 are pOSSible. 9. d2-d4 ~c5-b6 10. ttJb1-a3! Now Black sacrifices a pawn with 10. ... 0-0 11. a4xb5 a6xb5 ~cS-g4 12. ttJa3xb5
This move became popular when it was realised that the presumed refutation 7.ttJxeS ttJxeS S.d4 ~xd4 9.~xd4 d6 is in fact nothing special for White.
(or I 2 ...exd4 followed by I 3 .. .~g4) with compensation which is difficult to evaluate.
A strategically and tactically rich position for both sides: the kind that appeals to the contemporary player's taste.
New Archangel
88
Ruy Lopez - Archangel and New Archangel Variation '.,
8.a4 [8.d4 exd4 , 9.cxd4 ~b6 10 .~gS " ii.b7 11.tbc3 tbe7 12.l:tel h6 13.illi4 "'. Leipzig m 1877 (4) gS l'4.~g3 ~f8· 15."'d3 cS 16.eS dxe5 ,1.e4 eS 2lbf3 ttJc6 3~b5 a6 4.b4 17,.L:eS 'it'g7 18.ttJe4 ltxe4 19,'iWxe4 bS S~b3 Ab7 S.O-O gS ,7.e3 Jig7 ttJg6 20.'ii'b7 %:ta7 21.'iWc6 c4 n.i.c2 S.d4 dS 9.~gS ttJ16 10i dS hS ~c7 23 ..tladl ~e7 24.i.xg6 Wxg6 ,11.lUfS 'ii'xf6 12.dxeS dxe5 13.a4 2S.d5 $..xeS 26.tbxeS+ .~g7 '0-0 14.ttJa3 ttJdS 1S..hb7 ttJxb7 27.ttJg6+- Lowenthal-Morphy, london m- l 1859 (1-0, 38)}l:tbS 9.d4 ,16.axb5 axb5 17.ttJxb5 '{WbS 1SlIxaS ;~bS 10.axbS axb5 11.tba3 0-0 JbaS 19.ttJa3 'ii'xb2 20.ttJb1 ttJdS .21.h3 :ra122.ttJfd2 .rla2 23.~g4 'tWbS .' 12.tbxbS ~g4 13.dS · ttJe7 14.~c2 '24.c4 ~b4 2S."'e2 l:tb2 2S.'iWd3 hS tbgS 1S.h3 .bh3 1S.gxh3 ~d7 27.g3 ,$.il6 2S.f4 ~c5+ 29.Wh1 h4 17.e4 1!Vxh3 1S.ttJgS ~g3+ 19.'it'h1 .30:~We3 Ua2 31.fxeS hd2 32.tiJxd2 'i.!Vh4+ 20.~g2 tbf4+ 21 ..txf4 exf4 22.tbh3 9S 23.:a3 tbg4 24J~h1 J:i:a3 33.'iWb2 ttJxc4 ," 34....e2 J:!.xg3 ,3S.ttJxc4 l:tx:h3+ 36.'i,(g2 Ug3+ ttJxf2 '2S.tbxf2 " ~xf2+ 2S.tJJh3 f5 37.~h2 Wg7 3S.eS fxeS 39....b2+ 27.exf5 " 'ifh4+ 2S.'it'g2 \'#'f2+ '>txh5 tJJf7 ,44JWdS+ 'it'hS 45.1i'd1 + ~hS 34.16 .l:hS+ 3S.'if,(g4 WxfS 3S.~e1 '4S.ttJg4+ J:Ixg4 47.'ilhg4 ' 'iWd2+ . tIh4+ 37Jbh4 ~xe1 3S.l::thS+ 'if,(g7 48.~h3 'We3+ 49.11f3 'ife2 1-0 39.J:~h7+tJo>g8 40.~g6 · 1!Vg3+ 41.tJo>fSf3 '. 0-1 '
Anderssen.Adolf Paulsen,Louis "
"
Fischer.Robert . Bisguier,Arthur .
',:', . Schlechter,CarI
Buenos Airei 1970 (12)
"
;"1.e4 eS 2.ttJf3 ttJeS 3.Ab5 as 4.~a4 Chigorin,Mikhail tbf6 5.0-0 b5 S.ltb3 ltb7 7.d4 tbxd4 Berlin 1897 (15) ·S.ttJxd4 exd4 ' 9.e3 tbxe4 10.:e1 · 1.e4 e5 2.ttJf3 tbcS 3.~bS a6 4.~a4 bS S.~b3 ~b7 S.O-O tbfS 7.tbc3 j.,e7 J(.dS 11.ttJd2 ~xh2+ 12.'it>f1 CIS ·13.'it'h5 0-0 14.'iWxh2 dxc3 1S.tb~e4 S.d3 0-0 9.~gS dS10.tbe2 tbhS "dxe4 16.bxe3 e5 ;11..ae3 c4 18.~e2 ',' 11.ii.d2 tJJhS 12.g4 ~16 13.h3 tbd7 \lIIf6 19.':f3 'iWeS .; 20.Uh3 v,wfS 14.ttJg3 ttJc5 1S.~dS tbeS 1S.'lt>h2 21.~e3 .tlad8 22 •.tle1 %:td7 23...\td4 tIbS 17.e3 gS 1S.d4 ttJgS 19.tbxgS XXeS 24J:lhS g5 25.g4 ;; 1-0 ~xg5 20.f4 exf4 21.hf4 hf4 22.Uxf4 'ite7 23.'iWf3 tbdS 24.:f1 ; Vocaturo,Daniele ' tJo>g7 2S.gS~xdS 2S.exdS hS , Godena.Michele 27.Ue4 ~xgS 2S.h4'iWd2+ 29..tle2 Cremona ch-ITA 2006 (7) 'iWxe2+ 30.ttJxe2 f5 31.tbf4 95 32.tbhS+ tJo>gS 33.tbg3 f4 34.'ii'e4+ '1.e4 e5 2.tbf3 tbc6 3.kb5 as 4.~a4 f7 3S.'~'h7+ 1-0 tbfS 5.0-0 b5 S.~b3 ~c5 7.e3 d6 . ~
"0
89
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
Ruy Lopez Open Variation 1.e4 xdS 14.Wxh2 90
So Black is virtually forced to weaken his queenside. 6. ... b7-b5! 7. ~a4-b3 White threatens the paralyzing S.dxeS and, given that 7... exd4 8. 1:Iel d5 9.ttJc3!! gives a clear advantage to White, Black has litde choice but to play 7. ... d7-d5 8. d4xe5 Now Black has to defend dS.
8. ...
.llc8-e6
We have arrived at the initial position of the Open Spanish.
Ruy Lopez - Open Variation
The black pawn on bS facilitates White's opening of the queenside with a2-a4. The d4-square is often occupied by the f3 -knight. Generally this is done after c3, ~c2, which puts the adversary's e4-knight under pressure, and lLlbd2-b3 in order to be able to recapture on d4 with the knight or, alternatively, with the c3-pawn, which fixes the weakness on c7. In addition the move lLlf3-d4 clears the way for White's kingside pawn majority and the pawn advance f4-fs can be devastating. Needless to say, Black has his resources. His pieces are active, the eS-pawn is weak, and his counter play against f2 could become unpleasant, especially after .. .f6, which opens the f-file for a rook. At this point White can choose between three main alternatives: 9.'iVe2, 9.lLlbd2, and 9.c3.
A)
9. ~d1-e2
14. 'lI¥e2xe3 ~d8-b81 The pin is broken by the counterattack onb2. 15. ~c4-b3 ttJc6-a5 Black has sufficient counterplay to maintain equality. B) 9. ttJb1-d2 This is increasingly popular : White does not vacate the c2-square for his bishop for now, but instead immediately attacks the outpost on e4. 9. ... ttJe4-c5 10. c2-c3 if Black takes the bishop on b3, this would leave White with good control of the centre squares. As a result, the thematic move has always been considered to be d5-d41? 10.... even if in the light of recent developments, it may be preferable to play the more prudent 10 ... ~g4. After 10 ... d4, White has at his disposal one of the most important theoretical novelties of recent times : 11. tLlf3-g5!!
The Keres Variation. White clears the d I-square for his rook in order to apply immediate pressure on the dS -pawn. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
...
~f8-e7
~f1-d1
c2-c4!
0-0 b5xc4
~ b3xc4
~e7-c5
~c1-e3
~c5xe3
Thought up by Igor Zaitsev and played for the first time by Anatoly Karpov against Kortchnoi in the 1978 World Championship match, 91
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
this has been considered the best response from that moment on. It received its most famous seal of approval with Kasparov's famous victory over Anand in the 1995 World Championship. The idea is to vacate the f3-square for the white queen, with the threat of tLlxf7. Taking the undefended knight with ';lYd8xg5 11 .... is risky but still considered best: after 12. ~d1-f3 the best thing for Black is to give back the piece with 12. ... 0-0-0 12 .. .'ltod7 13.~d5 ~xd5 14.Wlxd5+ ~d6 15. tLlc4 gives White the advantage. 13. ~ b3xe6+ f7xe6 14. ~f3xc6 WiYg5xe5 15. b2-b4 'iYe5-d5 e6xd5 16. 'iYc6xd5 17. b4xc5 d4xc3 18. ttJd2-b3 d5-d4 19. ~c1-a3!
.t '8 &4J& 8
1:
,.,2:
The line previously thought to be safer, 11. .. dxc3, has been refuted by Kasparov: after 12.tLlxe6 fxe6 13.bxc3 Wld3, he found the brilliant 14.~c2!! 'iVxc3 1S.tLlb3!
and White's attack cannot be fought off. C) 9. c2-c3 The standard move that clears the c2 -square for the bishop and exerts influence on the d4-square .
/"
\,a8 28.tZJc4 l:td4-+] 24 ....ba1 j; 25.l:I.xa1 l:theS 2S.tlc1! (26.c6? wb8 , Kasparov,Garry 27J:tcl rte4! 28 ...i.c3 J:tc4 29.l:I.xc2 l:[d3 30.lib2+ b8 30,itaSl:tc1+ 31.tZJf1 13.bxc3 l'id3 14.itc211 ( fixc3 : 15.lbb3 tZJxb31S ..bb3 tZJd417.'iVg4 · :tIddl 32 .g3 lixfl+ 33.g2 l:[g1+ ,'i¥xa1 18..be6 l:[dS19~h61 'iVc3! 3Hti'f3 l:txc5 35 ..Si.d2] 29...l:[cxc3 , 20..bg7 'ii'd3 21 ;bhS 'iVg6 22.iLf6 30,a7 l:[a3 31.r:.bS+ .t>d7 32.aS'iV l:[xaS 33JlxaS l:txd2 ['12-'12 Kiilaots"ite7 23 ..be7 ..-xg4 24 ..bg4 wxe7 25.l1c11 . cS 26.f4 as 27.<M2 ' a4" Rytshagov. Finland tt ' 2004/0S] 34.g4 .t>cS 3S..t>g2 .t>xcS 3S.~g3 ·' l:rd7 2S:>ite3 b429.itd1! a3, 30.g4+lId5 31.lIc4 " cS 32.'it~4 l:[dS 37.f4 wd4 3S..I:1a1l:[f7 39.l:!.d1 + 'ii;>e3 ,40.l:[eH .t>d4 41.l:rdH 1h-Y2 33Jbc5 tZJeS 34.tldS , lieS 35.fS '.i:c4+ 36.we3 t2lcS 37.g5 lic1 3S.J:tdS 1-0
~ 1S.bdS
"
Morozevich.Alexander Ponomariov,Ruslan ,';
Metger,Johannes .• Tarrasch,Siegbert .. ' Frankfurtch-GER 1887 (13)
2004 (10) ' : ' " 1.e4 e5 Vbf3 tZJc6 3...tbS a6 4.ita4 : 1.e4 e5 2.tZJf3 tZJc6 3..ltbS a6 4~a4 lLlf6 5.0-0 ttJxe4 6.d4 b5 7.~b3 d5 . tZJf6 S.O-O tiJxe4 S.d4 b5 7.iLb3 dS 'S.dxe5 ite6 9.c3 itc5 10.itf4 g5 ' S.dxe5 .i.e6 9.tZJbd2 ttJc5 10.c3 d4 11.~e3 .be3 12.fxe3 ,g4 13.tZJd4 '11.tbgS 'iVxgS 12.'iff3 0-0-:0 tiJxeS " 14.tZJd2 tZJcS 1S.'iVe1 0-0 : 13~xe6+ fxe6 , 14.1¥xcs 'iVxeS 1S.'iVg3l'ig5 17.llae1 tZJcd31UI.e2 ,1S.b4 'iVd5 16.'ii'xd5 exd5 17.bxcS c5 19.tZJ4f3 .l'ig7 20.tZJxe5 'iVxe5 ; dxe3 1S.tZJb3 d4 19•.lta3 g6 20,jLb4 ., 21.l'ixe5 tZJxe5 22.e4· d4 23.cxd4 .ltg7 21.a4 d31 22.axb5 ['h-Vl . exd4 24..be6 fxeS 2S.tZJb3 ~xf1+' : Grischuk-Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2005) 2S.'~xf1 l:[f8+ 27.e1 lbd3+ 22 ...d2 23.bxa6 [23.c6?! 'ii;>bS 2S.~d2 tZJf4 29.1::.12 eS 30.tZJe5 rteS 24..rladl J:[d5 (24...axbS 2S.tZJc5 J:!:d5 31.lbd7 d3 32.lbfS+ 'iPg7 33.tZJxg4 ·' 26.tiJa6+ WcS 27.tZJc5 D.28.l:tal::::) ~c2+ 34.we1 tZJxg2+ 35.Wf1 d2 :· 25.bxa6 l:I.hdS ' 26.tZJa 1 'i;;a7 27.tZJc2 ,', 3S.~e2 h5 37.'ii;>d1 J:[xb2 3S..uxg2 tl.b8 2S.f4! (2S.rtbl? (Shirov-Anand; ' ': rtbH 39,e3 . ~f4+ .40.>t>d4 . 'it'e5+ . 41.'it'e3 · tbg4+ 42.w d2 'il'xb2+. 43.'fic2 'ii'xa1 44.11g6+ 'it'h7 . 0-1 4S.J:Ixg4f2
Capablanca,Jose Raul Marshall,Frank .,;. : New York 19 I 8
1.e4 eS 2.tb f3 tbc6 3..tbS a6 4.~4 tbf6 S.O-O Ji.e7 6.lie1 bS 7~b3 0-0 S.c3 d5 9.exdS tbxdS 10.tbxeS tbxeS 11Jl xeS tbfG 12.l:!.e1 ~d6 13.h3 tbg4 14.flf3 'ii'h4 1S.d4 [15 .hxg+ Ah2+! 16 .•t>fl h g+ 17 .~e+ ~f+! IS.g3 'ii'h2 19.J:Le3 ltaes 20.'iWdS h g3! 21·.J:hg3 (21.~xf7+ ~hS!) 2L.Ji.e2+ 22.~e l i.f3+-+] 1S ...tbxf2 · ,16.lte2 [16.~d2!] 16...i.g417.hxg4 [17.'fkxfl Ji.g3 lS.'t!ffl he2 19.'ihe2 llaeS':"'+] 17...~h2+ 1S.f2 tbM 30.'iWh1 gS 31.b4 g4 32~b2 g3+ 33.~g1 tbf3+ 104
..
Kotronias', Vasilios ,
Beliavsky,Alexander Istanbul Ech 2003 (3) . 1.e4 e5 2.tbf3 tLlc6 3~b5
a6
4.~a4
tbf6 S.O-O !i1.e7 6.l1e1 bS 7.~b3 0-0
S.c3 d5 9.exdS tbxd5 10.tbxe5 tbxe5 1Ulxe5 c6 12.d3 .id6 13Jle1 ~h4 14.g3 fl h315.l:Ie4 1!tf516.tbd2 flg6 17.l:te1 f5 1S.f4 ii.xf4 19.'i'f3 i.b8 20..b d5+ cXd5 21.tbb3 .ltb7 22.~f4 .txf4 23.'iYxf4 d4 24.tbxd4 l:ae8 25.IlxeS 'iYxeS 26.'it>f2 ~f7 27.1:e1 h6 2S.Ue2 i¥dS 29.~e1 'iYxa2 30.tbe6 IU7 31.tbdS . " . 1-0 't
,
Leko,Peter ~and.Viswanathan Cap d'Agde rapid 2003 (3) 1.e4 eS 2.tbf3 tbc6 3 .~bS
,
a6 4.i.a4 · tbf6 5.0-0 ii.e7 6 ..!:le1 bS 7.!iLb3 0-0 S.c3 dS 9.exd5 tbxd5 . 10.tbxe5 tbxe511.tl.xeS c6 12.tl.e1 jt,d613.g3 !iLfS 14.d4 ~d7 15..te3 " l:!.ae8 16.tbd2 .tg4 17.~c2 £tfS1S.'iVc1 h5 19.tbf3 ~g4 20.tbh4 .tIe6 21 ..ltd1 fS 22 ..b g4 hxg4 23~gS f4 24.'iYd2 lUeS 25.Uxe6 'i!Vxe6 26.gxf4 . ~e2 27.f5 ~e4 2S.1:1f1 .\tf4 29.!i1.xf4 tbxf4 ' 30.f3 gxf3 31.tbxf3 JUS 32.'iWe1 'iixf5 33.'it'h1 'iWh3 34.'fif2 tbh5 35.'it;>g1 J:tf4 36.'+l!'e3 'ii'g4+ 37.'ii'h1 tbg3+ 3S.hxg3 fih3+ 39.~g1 'ii'xg3+ 40.'it'h1 Uh4+ 41.tbxh4 ~xe3 42.tbg2 'fke2 43.l:l:f5 ~xb2 44.llc5 fixa2 45Jl xc6 a5 0-1
RUy Lopez - Marshall Attack
KuZmin.Gennady Malinin. Vasily Sudak 2002 (9)
1.e4 eS 2.t2Jf3 t2JcS 3.~bS as 4.~a4 t2JfS S.O-O Ji..e7 SJ:te1 bS 7.~b3 0-0 S.c3 dS 9.exdS t2JxdS 10.t2JxeS t2Jxe51U!.xeS cS12.d4 ~dS13.I1e1 '¥ih4 14:g3 ' ,*,h315~e3 ; Ji..g4 1S.'ii'd3 I1aeS ,17.t2Jd2 I1eS 1S.c4 ~f4 19.cxd5 I1hS 20.'lie4 '¥ixh2+ 21.~f1 ~xe3 22.J::xe3 I1f6 0-1
Ponomariov.Ruslan Anand, Viswanathan Linares 2002 (14)
1.e4' eS 2.t2Jf3 t2JcS 3.~bS as 4 ..b4 t2JfS 5.0-0 ~e7 S.lle1 bS 7~b3 0-0 S.c3 d5 9.exdS t2JxdS 10.t2Jxe5 t2JxeS11JlxeS cS12.d4 i.dS13.I1e1 " '\liYM 14.g3 ~h3 1S.I1e4 9S 1S.'iYe2 fS 17.•b dS+ " cxdS 1SJteS f4 19JIxdS ~g4 20JWf1 'ii'xf1+ 21.~xf1 l:IaeS' 22.~d2 ~h3+ 23.~g1 txg3 24.hxg3 I1e2 2S.~e3 I1xe3 2S.fxe3 Irf1 + 27.';1;h2 g4 2SJbd5 1fz_1f2
Shirov.Alexey Aronian,Levon Moscow Tal Memorial 2006 (4)
1.e4 e5 2.t2Jf3 LUcS 3.~bS as 4 ..aa4 LUIS 5.0-0 .ie7 S.I1e1 b5 7~b3 0-0 S.c3 • d5 '9.exd5 t2Jxd5 10.t2Jxe5 LUxe5 11.I1xeS cS 12.d4 .1tdS 13.I1e1 ~h4 14.g3 'iYh3 15.l:I.e4 95 1SJlff1 ~ h5 17.LUd2 ~f5 ,1S.f3 LUfS 19.a4 LUxe4 20.t2Jxe4 ~gS 21.t2JxdS ~xdS 22.~xg5 'iYgS 23. ~c1 ..td3 24.axb5 axb5 25.I1xaS .!.IxaS 2S.~f2 jlc4 27•.b c4 bxc4 2S:94 lIeS 29 ...tf4 VWd3 30.\t'g3 'tIVe2 31.~b1 'iYe1+ 32:~xe1 Ilxe1 33.~dS Ilg1+ '34.f2 I1b1 35.it.a3 'ii;g7 3S.h5 15 4S.h7 I1hS 47.w gS ~e7 4S.Wg7 eS 49.gS 'iPfS 50.h4 <J;;e7 S1.~g7 WeS 52.gS 37.tLlgS 1-0 ~
Adams,Michael . Beliavsky,Alexander' · . .
\':': Leon Ech-tt 1001 (9)
,) 1.64 eS 2.tLlf3 tLle6 3 :~bS a6 ' 4 ..1a4 tLlf6 S.O-O .ie7 6.Ue1 . b5 ) ...i.b3 d6 S.c3 0-0 9.h3 ::teS 1().d4 "j~b7 11.lDbd2 ~fS 12.dS lDbS ·'13.t2:\f1 lDbd7 14.lD3h2 lDc5 1S.il.e2 c6 16.b4 lDcd7 17.dxc6 ,.b e6 1S.tLlg4 lDxg4 19.hxg4 lDb6 20.'ffd3 g6 21.:td1 .'fIc7 22.1Ii'f3 ;i.d7 23.i.b3 jj,e6 24.i.g5 a5 25.lDe3 ·, il.xb3 .. 26.axb3 axb4 27.cxb4 , trxa1 • 2S.Uxa1 d5!it . 29.t2:\xdSlDxdS 30.exdS e4 31.'iVe3 · , ~d7 32.~d2 'iVxg4 33.J:la6 i.xb4 . 34.1Vc1 ~e5 3SJlc6 e3t 36.Axe3 ~~xe3 37.fxe3 hS+ 3S.l'.tc7 .t1eS 39.Wf1 UfS 40.1Wa1 ..t>h7 · 41.d6 . ~g3 42.Ue8 'iYxe3+ 43.~h1 f6 44.lIe3 'iYd2 4SJle7+ w h6 4S.d7 :l'.teS47JWc3 fgxe3 48.l:txe3 lldS-+ 49J'le7 fS 50.b4 ~gS S1Jl b7 wg4 52.xdS · 21 ..i.f2 't'i'c6 ' 22 ..ba7 lOd7 23.a3 'ife4 24.~e3 , \:i.f5 25':1g3 'MIc6 26.lOd4 _a4 ; 27.lOxf5 1Iixa3+ , 2S.'it>d1 Wa1+ 29.~cl ~xb4 30.~b5 lOb6 31."e4 .11t'a532....xb7 1-0
A useful prophylactic move.
6. 7. S. 9.
... tLlbl-c3 £ cl-e3 'irdl-d2
~f8-g7
0-0 tLlbS-c6
Preparing to castle queens ide.
9. ...
e7-e5
The only useful move for Black.
10. d4-d5 124
Svieller,Peter Tiviakov,Sergey Wijk aan
Zee 2007 (2)
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 1Wxd5 3.1Oc3 1i'd6 4.d4 1Of6 5.tbf3 a6 6.g3 .tg4 7.h3 · ..ih5 S...tg2 1Oc6 9.0-0 0-0-0 10...tf4 . 'irb4 11.g4 ~g6 12.a3 1ifc4 13.g5 lOd514.ti:Jxd51:.xd515.c31:.dS·16.b3 •
Scandinavian Defence
1i'd3 17.'ifc1 ~c2 1S.~e3' e6 19.M ,'ife4 20.lild2 ' If'xe3 21.fxe3 e5 22.~g3 exd4 23.cxd4 it.d6 24..bd6 'cxd6 25J::tac1 wd7 26.tbc4 h6 ,27.tbb6+ w eS :" 2S.9xh6 J:Ixh6 t 29.tiJd5 f6 30.a4 ~f7 31.b5 ' axb5 32.axb5 tba5 33.1:[a1 tiJc4 34.1:[a7 tJ:Ih5 35.tiJc7+ wf8 36..txb7 l:txh3 ! 37.l:tf3 nh5 38.~c6 UbS 39.1:[g3 i'tbb6 40.e4 tiJc8 41.1::[a1 J:Ih4 42.tiJa6 ' l:tb6 . 43.tiJb4 1:[bS 44.l:tga3 tiJb6 4S.J:Ia7 dS 46.tiJa6 l:rdS 47J.:tb7 tbc4 :4S.tiJc5 dxe4 49.J:Iaa7 17.g4+' SO.w h2 ,tiJd6 51.J:Ixf7+"tiJxf7 S2.tiJe6+ ~gS 53.tiJxdS tiJg5 54.~dS+ wh7 S5.tiJe6 ".~!3+ S~.Wh~, ,fS '."~7:l:tXg7,+ , " J:[~g7
"'xf7 7.~h5+ '.t>e6
after which 8.c4 (or also 8.g3!?) 8 ... tLl5f6 9.d5+ \t>d6 10. ~f7! is psychologically demanding for Black, even if it isn't necessarily winning for White. Therefore recently, Black has shown a preference to prepare ... tLld7 with 5 ... c6, or to fianchetto the itf8 with 5 ... g6, after which the game usually continues as foll ow s: 6.~c4 c6 7 .0-0 ~g7 8. l:Ie 1 0-0 128
S .... e7-e6 Flohr's move 5 ... c6!? is interesting. But it leaves the door open to the complications that ensue after 6.tLlg5!? ~f8-e7 6. 0-0 7. c2-c4 tLldS-b6 8. tLlb1-c3 0-0 9. h2-h3 The c4-pawn is indirectly defended, as after ... ~xf3 the b7 -pawn is hanging. White can also choose not to play h3, but it is generally a useful move. 9. ... il.g4-hS 10. il.c1-e3 d6-dS The moves 10 ... a6 and 10 ... a5 are both interesting, since 11 ... iLxf3 is a threat, as the a7 -square is now free for the rook. 11. c4-cS 11.b3!? and 11.cxd5 are both rare, but playable. 11. ... il.hSxf3 In order to take the knight to c4 after 12.~xf3. But, aware of this , White replies
Alekhine Defence
12. g2xf3! 13. f3-f4
tLlb6-c8
54.We2 We4 SSJlxd6 ' llxe3+ S6.f2 J::!.d3 S7.l:[c6 l:td2+ S8.~e1 ",d3 S9J:id6+ Wc2 .. 60.ne6 lldS 61.~e2 ",b2 62.1:I.c6 c2 ' 0-1
Leko,Peter . lvanchuk,Vasily Odessa rapid 2007 (4,)
White has a good space advantage and seems to have easy attacking possibilities on the kingside. However, the doubling of the f-pawns makes it difficult to break with f4-f5, and Black's position usually proves surprisingly robust.
Steiner,Endre ." Alekhine,Alexander Budapest 1921 (9)
1.e4 tLlf6 2.eS tLldS 3.d4 d6 4.c4 tLlb6 S.exd6 exd6 6.tLlc3 ke7 7.~d3 tLlc6 S.tLlge2 Ag4 9.f3 j(,hS 10.0-0 k g6 11.b3 0-0 12.k e3 l:%ea 13.hg6 hxg6 14.1l1Vd2 kf6 1S.dS tLleS 16.kf2 tbbd7 17.tLle4 ~h4 lS...td4 tLlf6 19.tLl4c3 tLlh720.llad1 a6 21.whl 'fIIe7 22.~gl l:%adS 23.tbd4 tbd7 24.'iWc2 ~f6 2S.l:%d2 '.teS 26.14 .bd4 27..txd4 'Wh4 2S.l:%e2 tLlhf6 ' 29.•d3 llxe2 30:tibe2 neS 31.'iWf3 tbcS 32if2 ~hS 33.'iWxhS gxhS 34.ne1 llxe1+ 3S ..be1 wh7 36.g3 wg6 37.wg2 tLlfe4 3S.tLlxe4 tUxe4 39."'f3 fS 40.h3 iif7 41.g4 g6 42.gxhS gxhS 43."'e3 WeS44.~d4 ~d7 45.~h4 c646~e1 cS+ '{ 1/2-1/2
1.e4 tLlf6 2.eS tbd5 3.d4.d6 4.~g5 dxe5 S.dxeS tLlc6 6.~bS ~fS 7.tbf3 tLlb4 S.tLla3 'ifxd1+ 9.J::I.xdl tLlxc2+ 10.tLlxc2 ~xc2 11.nc1 ke4 12.tLld4 .bg2 13.:g1 0-0-0 14.tLlxc6 ~xc6 ·. 1s.Axc6 bxc6 16.llxc6 lId5 17.Af4 ' Nakamura,Hikarn e6 lS.we2 ~c5 :, 19.b4 .ixb4 Benjamin,Joel 20.J:l.xg7 .l:rd7 21.k e3 as 22.J:l.c4 h5 Philadelphia 2006 (4) 23Jlh4 ~c3 24.1:I.gS :dS 2S.f4 f6 1.e4 tLlf6 2.eS ttJd5 3.c4 ttJb6 4.d4 , 26.%lgxhS " l:txhS 27..ttxhS fxe5 d6 5.f4 dxeS 6.fxe5 tbc6 7..ie3 it.f5 2S.fxeS ~xeS 29J:lh7 l1b5 30."'f3 ,. ," S.ttJc3 e6 9.tbf3 k g4 10.'iYd2 ~3 1J:l.b2 31.n h5 .bh2 32 ..tI:xa5 kd6 11.gxf3 'ifh4+ 12.~f2 'i!VhS 13.cS 'Mixf3 14.:g1 ttJdS lS.~g2 \i'f4 . 33.We4 ",d7 34.jld4 !:td2 3S..te3 l:[e2 . 3S.wd3 .t!.e1 '. 37.kd4 :tcl 16.ttJxdS 'i\t'xd2+ 17.Wxd2 exd5 3S.~e3 lld1+ 39.we4 .t!.el 40.wd3 '· lS..bd5 .adS " 19..ixc6+ bxc6 eS 41,kt2l,If1 42.~e3 we6 43.~e4 20.ltc3 f5 21.b4 wd7 22.a4 J::!.b8 1%h1 , 44.~f2 J:th2 45.~e3 llh4+ 23.Wc4 a6 24Jl gel ~e6 2S.J:l.abl iLe7 26.bS axbS+ , 27.axbS cxbS+ 4S.wd3 kb4 47.na7 cS 4S.a3 c4+ 49.we2 .\tdS ·SO.J::I.aS .Ilh2+ 51.bS 1S..if3 cS 19.tLla3 e4 20.~e2 bS 21.cxbS 1!fxdS 22.'ifxdS+ J:[xdS 23.ltad1 ,J:l.hdS 24.J:l.xdS l:IxdS 25.g4 iLd2 2S.~f2 ~b7 27.tLlc4 :IdS 2S.gxfS exfS 2Uld1 il.b4 30.~e3 gS 31.f2 : );Ixd1 32 ..bd1 cS 33.~b3 " tLlxbS : 34.tLlxb6 w xbS 3S.il.gS ' 1-0
Velimirovic,Dragoljub Martz,William ' Vrnjacka Banja 1973
. 19.bxc4 l:te8 20.l'.!d1 '*'c5 21.'iYh4 b6 22.~e3 ~c6?! 23..Ml.h6 ~hS 24.ltdS! .\tb7 .2S.J:l.ad1 il.g7 ' 2SJ:t8d7! :am 27.iLxg7 st>xg7 " 28.J.:i1d4 J:tae8' 29.'itVf6+ ~gS 30.M h5 31.~>h2 :aea " 32.~g3! llces 33.~4! .\tea 34.~gS" [34.....L:d~ 35,~h6!with ~ate ong7] 1-0 ,:~
Spassky,Boris Fischer,Robert Reykjavik Wchm 19 72 (19)
1.e4 tLlf6 2.eS tLldS 3.d4 dS 4.tLlf3 , .Ml.g4 S.~e2 e6 S.O-O ~e7 7.h3 ~hS S.c4 tLlbS 9.tZic3 0-0 10.iLe3 dS11.cS .Ml.xf3 12..b f3 tLlc4 13.b31 tLlxe3 14.fxe3 bS 1S.e4! cS 1S.b4 bxc5 17.bxcS 'iWaS 18.tLlxd5 i.gS 19.~h51 cxdS 20..b f7+ [:2: 20.exdS] 20..Jlxf7 2U!.xf7 'iYd2! 22.flxd2 §i..xd2 23.J:l.af1 tLlcS 24.exd5= exdS 2S.n d7, .\te3+ 2S.~h1 A xd4 27.eS .\teS! . 2SJlxdS Ire8 29.J:le1 J:l.xeS 30.J:.dS! hS 33 ..lkg6 , ~g7 34.~dS+ 'ilgS 35.'if'f6+ 'YWg7 36.'iWdS+ 'tlVgS 37.'iWxe7 tZld5 3S.'it'e5+ 'iWg7 39:ii'b8+ ~gS 40.'ii'e5+ 'iVg7 41:ifxe6 'i!Vf6 42.'iYxf6+ tZlxf6 43.~f5 w g7 44.~e1 134
tZleS 45.tZle4 ..be4 46 ..be4 tZld6' 47.~d3 a5 4S.~d2 Wf6 49.w e3 t>g7 3S.tDgS .ltd7 39.b4 'i!\YaS 40.bS tDaS 41.b6 l:tb7 x ,, 1-0 143
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
Caro-Kann Defence 1.e2-e4 c7-c6
tected. And if we look a little closer, w e notice that the e4-pawn is the strategic linchpin around which all semi-open openings are based. Let's have a look at the various starting pOSitions . • in the Alekhine :
When Nimzowitsch wrote during the 1920s that the Caro-Kann Defence is the refutation of l.e4, he was either kidding or he just wanted to stir the stagnant waters of a theoretical approach that resisted all attempts at innovation under the banner of Tarrasch's rigid and dogmatic principles. Nimzowitsch knew that if you want to rock the boat you need to exaggerate somewhat. The proof that Nimzowitsch did not fully believe his pronouncement is demonstrated by the fact that he continued playing l.e4 on a fairly regular basis after making this remark! What he really meant was that it isn't compulsory to answer l.e4 with I .. .eS and that chere are many pocenlial stralegies besides pure frontal available opposition based on simple space control. In this sense I .. .c6 is conceptually very ambitious. The e4-pawn, unlike its colleague to the immediate left, is unpro144
with I ... ttJf6, the e4-pawn is attacked immediately, but this leaves White with a sound space advantage; • in the Scandinavian:
with I ...dS, Black immediately wants to exchange his d-pawn and create a pawn majority on the kingside, but in doing so he will either lag behind in development (2.exdS 'tlHxdS 3.ttJc3) or, in the line 2.exdS ttJf6 3.d4 ttJxdS 4.c4 ttJb6, his knight on b6 is far removed from the action;
Caro-Kann Defence
• in the French Defence :
after 1...e6, the e4-pawn is threatened on the second move when Black continues with L.d5. However, now White often advances the pawn to e5, keeping the centre closed. In the Closed French, it is a good thing that the c8-bishop cannot speak, as it has plenty to grumbleabout;
after I .. .c5, Black prevents the two central pawns from standing side by side, usually attacking the e4-pawn on his fourth move (3.d4 cxd4 4.4:lxd4 4:lf6) , but often at the expense of his own king's safety. Presented in this light, the Caro-Kann appears to be a perfect defence. 2. d2-d4 d7-d5
• in the Pirc Defence :
with the move 1.. .d6, Black prevents the advance of the e-pawn's to e5 in order to attack it on his second move. But the drawback of this system is that White can successfully maintain his two central pawns side by side on e4 and d4; • in the Sicilian Defence:
Here White's options are limited by the fact that the e4-pawn is threatened. The exchange 3.exd5 is excellent for White in the Scandinavian. In the Caro-Kann, after 3 ... cxd5 Black achieves a central pawn majority. As for 3.e5, it gains space, but unlike in the Advance Variation of the French the c8-bishop has nothing to complain about here and it can go straight to f5. The remaining option is to defend the 145
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 pawn with 3.lLlc3 or with 3.lLld2 and after 3 ... dxe4 4.lLlxe4, Black can safely continue his development, attacking the unprotected knight on e4 with 4 ... ~fS, or with 4 ... lLld7 followed by s ... lLlgf6. In real life, things are not so simple: in the first place 3.eS and 3.exdS, even considering the previously discussed limitations, do not allow Black to take equality for granted. Furthermore, in the main line, even though the absence of the e-pawn takes some of the sting out of White's play, it is also true that in the ensuing long positional battle White obtains a spatial advantage anyhow, and a comfortable position. This might not be so easy to convert into a win, but it is also true that the risks oflosing are minimal. As a result, the Caro-Kann has gained a reputation as a very solid defence suitable for positional players. All this is true, but beware if your opponent chooses 3 .eS, the Advance Variation in particular if h e replies to 3 ... ~fS with the aggreSSive 4.lLlc3 .
A)
Here White intends, after the thematic 2. ... d7-dS to continue with 3. e4xdS c6xdS 4. c4xdS and if Black captures with his queen, to transpose to a favourable line of the Sicilian with 2.c3 (!). If Black plays the more accurate 4. ... lLlg8-f6 White can attempt to keep the dS -pawn with S .~bS+ ~d7 6 .~c4, or try with S. iLlb1-c3 to transpose to favourable lines of the Panov-Botvinnik Attack (see below), advancing his pawn to d4 at the most opportune moment. This is not as academic as it may seem: A1)
You will be dealing with one of the sharpest and most complex lines found in all opening theory! 1. e2-e4 c7-c6 Besides occupying the centre with 2.d4, White has other interesting options. 146
2. c2-c4!?
S....
97-g6
Curo-Kunn Defence
Compared to the similar line in the Panov-Botvinnik Attack, White, instead of advancing d2-d4, could decide to defend the d5 -pawn with either ~b3 and ke2 -f3 or kc4, and it is difficult for Black to regain the pawn. A2) ttJf6xd5 5 .... In order to avoid the risk of not being able to recoup the pawn, Black usually captures on d5 right away. 6. ttJg1-f3 ttJb8-c6 7. d2-d4
nings, even if they are not part of your repertoire. For as much as we study or prepare for a particular type of game, sooner or later we will be confronted with unpredictable and ever-changing situations which require us to think for ourselves. Specialized preparation is all very fine, but by cultivating a more general awareness we develop mental .elasticity', which is a fundamental requirement for a good chess player. Once we admit that it is impossible to know everything about everything, we can reach a suitable compromise by learning a little about everything, and everything about a little. B)
Now 7 ... ..\1Lg4 transposes to a line of the Panov-Botvinnik Attack, which we will look at later. However, Black could also play the solid 7. ... e7-e6 and, incredibly we end up on SemiTarrasch territory with possible transpositions to the Queen's Gambit Accepted! In addition, from the PanovBotvinnik Attack we may transpose to the Nimzo-Indian. All of this should suffice to convince us that opening theory is a coherent whole and not a group of segmented compartments, as is commonly believed. It is for this reason that, in order to have a full grasp of what you are doing, you should have a general understanding of ope-
2. d2-d3
This is a typical move in the King's Indian Attack, and it is playable against the French Defence and some lines of the Sicilian. But more frequently it features in 1.tt:Jf3 followed by a kingside fianchetto and e4: therefore we're talking about a King's Indian with an extra tempo, and hence the name. d7-d5 2. ... 3. ttJb1-d2 Now Black may occupy the centre with 3 .... e5, or he can continue with 3 .... g6. The game assumes the character of a 147
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 slow positional battle with chances for both sides, and tactics are postponed until the middlegame.
C)
2. tLlb1-c3 3. tLlg1-f3
d7-dS
White's 2nd and 3rd moves can, of course, be played in reverse order. The idea behind White's move order is that if Black mechanically plays along the lines of the main line Caro-Kann with 3 ...dxe4 4.tLlxe4 .ft.j5?!, there follows S. tLlg3 Jl.g6? (the lesser of two evils is 5 ... Jl.g4!?), 6.h4! (with 6.d4 we are back in the normal variations) 6... h6 7.tLleS! ilh7 8.VJiJhS g6 9 .Jl.c4 (threatening mate) 9... e6 1O.'ii'e2
3 . ... ..IiLc8-g4! This move implicates that Black is completely willing to give up the two bishops, as White often plays the equally natural 4. h2-h3 Now 4 .. .~h5 is playable, but it leads to complications that aren't to the average Caro-Kann player's taste : h e is more likely to enjoy 4. iLg4xf3 S. 'iiUd1xf3 e7-e6!
Black has a solid centre and has freed himself of the bad light-squared bishop. 5 ... tLlf6 followed by ... e6 is also possible. A slow strategic battle will follow with chances for both players. So we have finally come to the most common line, which, as we said, is 2. d2-d4 d7-dS
and the bishop on h7 is not a pretty sight! However, Black is better off profiting from the knight's placement on f3 by playing the natural developing move 148
Caro-Kann Defence
White must decide what to do about his e-pawn. Ignoring the curious 3.f3 which, by the way, is not to be underestimated, he has three choices: 1) advance it: the Advance Variation; 2) exchange it: the Exchange Variation and the Panov-Botvinnik Attack; 3) defend it: the Main Line.
," Tiviakov,Sergey ."' Dreev,Alexey
'v ' ;,t"
f1 hhS 49.hS'iW+ " " 1-0
'".
Gothenburg Ech-tt 2005 (6)
1.e4 cS 2.d3 d5 3.lLld2 'fIIc74.tbgf3 tbd7 5.exd5 cxdS S.d4 eS 7.~d3 ,tbe7 8.0-0 g6 9.J:e1 · ~g7 10.tbf1 tbcS 11.c3 0-0 12..tgS e5 13.tbe3 tbbS 14.dxe5 tbxeS 1S ..tf4 tbxf3+ 1S.Vi'xf3 "cS 17.tbc2 i.d7 1S.tbd4 ~c5 19.'ilfg3 l:!.feS 20~dS 'iWcS , 21.h4 .tba4 22.tbb5 bbS 23.Jiixb5
Popovic,Aleksandar Zivkovic,Dejan Belgrade 2005 (4)
1.e4 cS Vbc3 d5 3.tbf3 ~g4 4.h3 .hf3 SJi'xf3 eS S.d4 dxe4 7.lbxe4 1!t'xd4 S.c3 'iWb6 9.Ag5 h6 10.i.h4 lbd7 11.0-0-0 g5 ; 12 ..tg3 1!YaS 13JIxd7 ~xd7 14.'iYxf7+ i.e7 15.i.C4. ~S1S.'i'f5+ weS17.lld1 1-0
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Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
Caro-Kann Advance Variation 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5
After 3 .e5, the immediate
3. ...
~cB-f5
is the most natural, but 3 ... c5!?, a useful move for players who wish to avoid a lot of theory, could also be a good idea: compared to the French, Black has lost a tempo, but his potentially bad bishop can still be developed to f5 or g4 . However, after 4.dxc5! - an ugly but effective move Black has difficulty winning back the pawn and the results are sufficiently in White's favour. Let's return to 3 ... i l.f5 . Now White can play several moves. A) 4. li:lg1-f3 A solid choice, championed by Nigel Short. e7-e6 4. 5. ~f1-e2 c6-c5 li:lbB-c6 6. c2-c3 7. 0-0 150
For decades, opening manuals have pronounced that Black is in effect playing an improved version of the French, with the bishop on f5 instead of c8. However, this has been revealed to be a somewhat blinkered analysis. Recently we have come to realize that the loss of two tempi ( ... c6-c5 and indeed .. .i1l.f5) make it possible for White to develop a small but unpleasant initiative which has produced encouraging results. B)
4. h2-h4!?
With this poisonous move, White gains space on the kingside and threatens to seriously harass the f5-bishop. Indeed, the naturaI4 ... e6?? loses the bishop after g2 -g4, £1-f3 and M -bS. After 4 ...h6 5.g4, if Black continues with the normal-looking 5 ...i1l.h7?! (5 ... ~d7! is the right move), White obtains optimal play on the light squares with 6.e6! fxe6 7.i1l.d3.
Caro-Kann - Advance Variatian
Black's most common move is h7-h5 4 .... and now it is not dear which of the two h-pawns is the weaker. At this point White responds with the committal 5. c2-c4!?
which is considered to be much better if played at this point than on the move before, because White has more comfortable access to the gS -square. If Black now takes on c4, he gains control of the key dS-square, but at the same time he gives White the important e4-square. If Black dithers, White will have the usual initiative on the queenside. White's results are fairly good and it is strange that this variation is not played more often, especially considering that there is not too much theory to study. C)
4. tt:lb1-c3
This aggressive move allows White to control e4, reserving g2-g4 for a better moment later on. At this stage, all sorts of moves have been tried, among which 4 .. .'i¥d7, 4 .. .hS, 4 .. .''»Yb6, and recently also the interesting 4 ...a6. However, the most popular move by far is still e7-e6 4. 5. g2-g4 Now yes! A f5-g6 5. 6. tt:lg1-e2!
White seeks to harass the g6-bishop with tt:lf4 and/or h2-h4. However, this takes several tempi and Black responds thematically in the centre: 6. ... c6-c5 In order to dissuade White from the idea of tt:lf4. 6 ... tt:le7 and 6 .. .f6 are also playable. 7. h2-h4 7.A e3!? with the idea of 8.dxcS contains a drop of poison too, but the text move is more common. Now Black gives the bishop some breathing space by advancing his h-pawn, or by capturing on d4. To give you an idea of the complexity of the variations that ensue, you only need to look at this line: lSI
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I 7.... a. tlJe2xd4 9. f2-f4! 10. ~f1-bS+ 11. f4-fS! 12. J:th1-f1!
eSxd4 h7-hS hSxg4 tlJba-d7 J::thaxh4 !:th4-hS!?
Even if the 4.i.e3 variation is still in its infancy, the following move sequence is usually seen as the main line. 4. ... e7-e6 S. tlJb1-d2 tlJba-d7 S. ~f1-e2 tlJga-e 7
with unclear play. 4. ~e1-e3
D)
The results for White after 7.f4 or 7.lt:lgf3 are encouraging, even if it is too early to speak of an indisputable advantage for White.
Morozevich,Aleiander Asrian.Karen . Fugen tt 2006 (5)
Speaking of uncharted waters, this was played in 2002 by Garry Kasparov. His distinguished patronage is reason in itself to take this strange move seriously. Predictably, in the following years this variation became very fashionable and many of the top players in the world are now exploring its deeper mysteries. The idea of 4.~e3 is to defend b2 with s.'tlfcl if Black plays 4 .. ..~b6; the second idea is to make the freeing pawn advance ... c6-cs more difficult if Black prepares for this with 4 ... e6. 152
. ~
1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.e5 ~f5 4.tlJf3 e6 5...te2 tlJe7 6.c3 tlJd7 7.tlJh4 ~g6 . a.tlJxg6 hxg6 9.lt:ld2 tlJf510.tlJf3 . tlJh4 11.lt:lxh4 J:[xh4 12.g3 :ha 13.0-0 i;..e7 14.~d3 'iie7 15.lj'e2 cS " 16.~e3 0-0-0 17.a4 ~ba 1a.aS.trcS .,19.:fe1 gS 20.'Wg4 'We6 21.b4 c4 22.b5 'iixbS 23~c2 "ilVc6 24.~xgS f5 25.exf6 . gxf6 26.~f4+ ~d6' 27..b4 fIIc7 28..bd6 'Wxd6 29..tre1 " .trhe8 30..bd7 'li'xd7 31.1Wf4+ ~aa ' 32.i¥xf6 l:te7 33.:e5 .trceS 34.:ae1 . a6 3S.h4 .trf7 36.'li'g6 .trefa 37.fllxe6 ' 'iVa4 3a:t!fxd5 :xf2 39.:b1 J:l.b2 ; 40.:be1 J:[cS 4UWf3 J:tg8 42.g4 "itcs 43:iYg3 1;a7 44.g5 · :h8 : 45 ..tr5e2 nbS 46Jle6 . 'iVc8 47.g6
Caro-Kann - Advance Variation d
rlxaS 4S.g7:gS 49J~g6 'iffS SO.llf1 fxeS 9.i..d3 .bd3 10:ti'xd3 ~d6 'ife4 SUlg4 'ife6 52.:e1 "iYfS , 11.f4 ttlfS 12.ttJf3 ttJbd7 13.'ifgS+ ~dS14.ttJeS 1-0' S3.llf1 'iWe6 S4.11b1 'iffS S5.J:.b2 1:.a1+ S6.>l;>h2 'i!i'dS 57.1:.g2 'fif7 SS.l:U4 'ifc7 S9.dS l:ld1 SO:iff2+ bS " Kasparov,Garry S1.llg3 : xdS62.J::tf7 lld7 S3.llxd7 ·' Karpov,Anatoly ,'ifxd7 " S4.li'fS as 65.hS 'WeS Linares 2001 (5) 'SS:iWgS a4 S7.hS , 'iWe2+ SS.llg2 1.e4 c6 2.d4dS3.eS .if5 4.ttJc3 e6 , ,' tte4 S9.'ifg4 , 'iVe5+ 70.ng3 'iVf6 " S.g4 ~gS 6.ttJge2 ,ttJe7 7.ttJf4 cS 7U!fgS 'ii'dS 72.h7 1-0 8.dxc5 ttJd7 9.h4 ttJxeS 10.$..g2 h5 lUWe2 ttJ7cS !'/ 12.ttJxg6 ·o ttJxgS j, ' Kramnik~ Vladimir 13.i.gS 1I.e7 14.gxhSttJf8 ,lS.ttJbS . ttJd7 " 16.h6 ' ttJxc5 17.1I.f4 wfS '. Leko,Peter Brissago Wch m 2004 (14) .. 1S.hxg7+ wxg7 19.0-0-0 wfS 20.'.tb1 as 21.ttJc7 .l:1c8 22.1I.xd5 , i1.e4 c6 2.d4 dS 3.eS .tf5 4.h4 hS exd5 23 ..llxd5 'iWxc7 24~xc7 llxc7 5.g4 ~d7 S.ttJd2 c5 ,.1.dxcS eS 'S.ttJb3 ~xc5 9.ttJxc5 'it'aS+ 10.ca, 25.llf5 l:td7 2S.c3 fS 27..l:gl ttJdS :1fxcs 11.ttJf3 ttJe 7 ,12..ltd3 ttJbcS ' 2S:iWg4 weS 29..l:1h5'l::rtS , 30.llxcS. ..txc531.'iWhS+ 1-0 ; .13.1I.e3 'WaS 14.1Ikd2 ttJgS 1S.~d4 ttJxd4 lS.cxd4 'it'xd2+ 17.'i!i>xd2 ttJf4 ., 1S..l:acl h5 19.11hgl ~cS 20.gxhS Morozevich;Alexander 'ttJxhS 21.b4 as 22.a4 wdS 23.ttJgS lvanchuk,Vasily ~eS 24.bS ttJf4 2S.bS ttJxd3 2S.wxd3 J:.cS 27JhcS+ , >l;>xc8 Calvia 01 2004 (4) ' ,2S.1:.c1+ ~cS 29.ttJxf7 J:!.xh4 1.e4 cS 2.d4 dS 3.e5 ~fS 4.f4 eS ,30.ttJd6+ '· wdS ' 31.:g1 llh3+ 5.ttJf3 c5 S..te3 cxd4 7.ttJxd4 ttJe7 32.~e2 lla3 33 ..c.xg7 J:[xa4 34.14 S.i.bS+ ttJd7 ,9.0-0 as 10...te2 g5 11.g4 gxf4 12.gxfS ttJxfS 13.ttJxfS ;J:!.a2+ 3S.<M3 lla3+ 36.Wg4 lld3 37.fS J:!.xd4+ 38.'it'gS exf5 39.wfS Jxe3 14.ttJc3 llgS+ lS.whl .g5 J:[g440..!'lc711h441.ttJf7+ 1-0 1S.~f3 ttJxeS 17:ife2li'xf5 1S..bd5 'ii'h3 19.~xb7 lla7 .20..tf3 il.hS 21.ttJe4 we7 22:tJ'e1 fS 23:i;'b4+' Gelashvili, Tamaz ~ 24:iWd4 "ttJxf3 2S.'it'f6+ weS .~ Nauryzgmev,Amangcldy Turin 012006 (I) .,.. , 2S.1be6+ wfS 27.1ff6+ " J:[f7 1.&4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.eS 1I.fS 4.h4 hS 2S.1t'dS+ ""g7 29..!'lgl + ~hS 5.g4 ~e4 S.f3ii.gS 7.hS ~h7 S.e6 . , 30.ttJfS " , . 0-"
,.
153
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
Caro-Kann Exchange Variation and Panov-Botvinnik Attack 1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.cxd5
3. e4xdS
c6xdS
No one ever seems to think of it, but 3 ... 'lWxdS is also playable, transposing to the Scandinavian. Recapturing with the c-pawn usually leads to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack. However, we would like to make note of the move which helped Fischer obtain his famous victory against Petrosian in the USSR vs Rest of the World match in 1970: 4. ~d3, the so-called Exchange Variation. White prevents 4 ...~fs. After 4 ...l2Jc6 S.c3 tLlf6 6 .~4 ~g4!? 7.~b3 Black can maintain equality with 7 ... ~d7, 7 .. .'~c8, or also with 7...tLlaS.
4. c2-c4 This introduces the Panov-Botvinnik Attack. The diagrammed pOSition has the characteristics of a Queen's Gambit, with the difference that there is no black pawn on c7 and no white pawn one2. 154
Who is better off? It is difficult to say Results are similar to those of the Queen's Gambit. White has the slightly better statistical performance that is his colour's privilege. Strategically. it is as if Black has played ...,'jc7-c5xd4 and White has recaptured with the e3-pawn. It is true that the ... cS advance is a freeing move in many variations of the Queen's Gambit, but it is also true that Black is in no hurry to take on d4, which would facilitate White's development, in particular of the bishop on c 1. This subtle delaying strategy is common in many lines of the Rubinstein Variation (4.e3) of the Nirnzo-Indian Defence, which we will look at in the next volume. It is, therefore, no surprise that there are many transpositions from the Panov-Botvinnik Attack to the NimzoIndian when Black plays ... ~b4. As said, a common transposition is to the Semi-Tarrasch (l.d4 dS 2.c4 e6 3.tLlf3 dS 4.tLlc3 cS), but this depends on the willingness of the players to cooperate, as there are many lines here that preserve the characteristics of the Panov-Botvinnik Attack - in which White advances the pawn to cS, or Black plays .. .~g4. 4. ... ItJgS-f6 S. ItJb1-c3 Here Black has three options:
Caro -Kann - Exchange Variation and Panov - Botvinnik Attack A)
5. 6. tDg1-f3
e7-e6 iLfS-e7
Solid but slightly passive. 6 ...£.b4, along Nirnzo-Indian lines, is more ambitious. 7. c4-c5!? White seeks to exploit his queenside pawn majority - a typical but risky approach in many lines of the PanovBotvinnik Attack. 7.cxd5 would transpose to the Semi-Tarrasch. 7. 0-0 S. ~f1-d3 b7-b6 9. b2-b4 a7-a5 10. tDc3-a4! tDbS-d7 11. a2-a3 with a position that is not easy to evaluate. White has achieved his strategic objective, but his delayed development gives Black excellent chances of counterplay based on an ...e6-e5 pawn break. B)
5 ....
g7-g6
The central pawn structure is reminiscent of the Griinfeld Defence, but the absence of the white e-pawn naturally means that this is another kettle of fish. 6. c4xd5 iLfS-g7! The natural 6 ... tDxd5 is considered dangerous because of 7.~b3 g2 l%xb3 New Delhi/Teheran FIDE-Wch 2000 (2) 31.l:tb7 wg7 32.c4 1:Ib4 33.wg3 WfS 1.c4 cS 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 l2'lf6 4.l2'lc3 ' cxd5 , 5.d4 e6 6luf3 it.b4 7.cxd5 , 34.14 we6 35 ..t[c7 l:b3t 3S.f3 l'lb4 l2'lxd5 S:Wc2 'ilc7 9.~d2 l2'ld7 " 37.ilc6+ Wd7 38.11fS we7 3UtcS - Y2-Y2 ,10•..¥i.d3 .b c3 11.bxc3 l2'l5fS 12.a4 .-. \tieS 40J:tf611xc4 41 ..i1xb6 ,bS 13.0-0 ~b7 . 14.l2'lh40-0 .15.f4 .td5 . 16.l2'lf3 ":tc4 17.l2'le5 .txd3 Kasparov,Garry .. ;. 1S.ifxd3 .t[ac819.l'lf3llld5 20:i1'b5 Anand,Viswanathan (UfdS 21 ..!1af1 , f5 " 22.A e1 l2'lxe5 Amsterdam 1996(3) ' 23.fxeS ''iWc4 24.i.h4 '1Wxb5 25.axbS 1.84 cS 2.d4 dS 3.exdS cxd5 4.c4 tZlfS S.l2'lc3 l2'lcS 6.i1.gS eS 7.l2'lf3 ,Ud7 26.l:tc1 l:tc4 27.~e1 l2'lc7 2S:h3 l:tdxd4 '; ", . 0-1 ~e7 S.c5 h6 9.j.f4 tL)e4 10...tbS l2'lxc3 :11.bxc3 iid7 12.0-0 0-0 :.' Sveshnikov,Evgeny 13.11c1 l:teS 14..1:1e1 iif6 15.l:tb1 b6 16.i.a6 .tc8 17.iibS ~d7 18..b S Malakhov. Vladimir Moscow 2003 (9) , 1t.cS 19..itd3 bxc5 20.l2'le5 ~d7 21 J:tb7 ~xeS 22.dxe5 n bS 23.ILxbS 1.e4 cS 2.d4 dS 3.exdS cxd5 4.c4 'itxbS 24.'ifg4 wfS 25.1:1e3 'ikdS i l2'lf6 5.tDc3 eS 6.l2'lf3 ~b4 7.cxdS 26.h4 'tWaS 27..i:t:g3 We7 .2S.VWxg7 ·l2'lxdS SJi'c2 'lllcS 9.~e2 0-0 10.0-0 wdS 29.'iWxf7 'ill'xc3 30.~bS 'it'a5 ~e7 ; 11 J:td1 ilf6 12.1We4 . l2'lce7 3U'tg7 l2'le732.2.xd7 >t>xd7 33:i¥f6 ;. 13.h4 i.d7 14.~d3 g6 15.hS l:tcS d4 34.j.xh6 c4 35.~ gS 'it'cS .1S.hxgS hxg6 17.iihSl2'lxc3 18.bxc3 3S.ttxe7+ " 1-0 ,j.cS · 19.'iWf4 l2'ld5 20.'iWg4 k g7 : 21.2.xg7 ~xg7 22.l2'leS "effS 23.c4 l2'lf4 24.j.f1 .:thS 25.l2'lxc6 .J:!h4 .' Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar ·26.VJt'g3 l:tchS 27.f3 bxcS 2S.l:Id2 cS Smeets,Jan ' 29.ile1 cxd4 30.tte4e5 31 :xc3 3S ..ie5! .., 1-0'
Caro-Kann - Main Line
Caro-Kann Main Line 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3 /L C3
favour in the positional variations. The aggressive continuation 5 ...ttJf6 6.e5 ttJe4 7.ttJxe4 dxe4 8.ttJg5 c5 9.£i.c4 also seems to be doubtful for Black. Returning to 3. ttJ c3 (3.ttJd2), and now: 3. d5xe4 4. ttJc3xe4
~.
After 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5, White's most usual choice continues to be defending e4 with the knight, usually with 3. ttJc3. Over the last 20 years the pseudo refinement 3.ttJd2 is a frequent alternative. Given that nine times out of ten Black continues by taking on e4, this move does not make a big difference. Unless, of course, Black intends to play one of the 3 ... g6 systems. In that case ttJd2 proves to be more precise than ttJc3 given that, as in some lines of the Modern Defence, White keeps the option of supporting the centre with c3. However, you need to contemplate the wisdom of discouraging a variation (3 .. .g6) that has a worse performance statistically than other normal variations! Indeed, after 3.ttJc3 g6, the position has the characteristics of many dubious variations of the Pirc-Modern Defence. For White 4.h3!, so as to prevent ... £i.g4, seems best. After 4 ... £i.g7 5.ttJf3 the results tend to be in White's
We have reached the key position of the Classical Variation of the Caro-Kann. Black has three continuations: A) 4 ... ttJf6, which is provocative and controversial. Its reputation oscillates from 'dubious' to 'interesting'; B) 4 ... ttJd7, the popular Smyslov Variation; C) 4 ... £i.f5, the old main line. A) 4 .... ItJgS-f6 Black allows the creation of an ugly doubled pawn, which has the virtue of controlling e5, the usual outpost for White's pieces in the Caro-Kann. 5. ltJe4xf6+ Now Black can recapture with either of the pawns.
A1) 5. e7xf6 This appears to be anti -positional, as it gives White a queenside pawn majority. Yet, it does have the advantage of being solid: the mass of pawns will protect
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Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
the king after subsequent kingside castling and, in addition, Black's two pawn islands are easier to defend than the three pawn islands created by taking with the other pawn. There is a very high percentage of draws with this line and for Black, it is difficult to win. White can continue quietly, aiming for a slightly favourable endgame. Or he can play the more aggressive 6. c2-c3 Defending d4. 6. ~fS-d6 0-0 7. ~f1-d3 S. 'iVd1-c2 l:US-eS+ 9. tUg1-e2 g7-g6 9 ... h6 is safer. 10. h2-h4
with a dangerous attack.
A2)
160
5.
g7xf6
This recapture is enterprising and more popular. It is often called the Bronstein/Larsen Variation, after two of its most illustrious exponents - it is no coincidence that both players are associated with daring and creative chess. Black enjoys better control of the centre, he has his eye on the g-file, and in some variations he succeeds in advancing his e-pawn to es. Black will usually develop the cS-bishop to fs or, less often, to g4; the knight goes to d7 and the queen is moved to c7 or as. However, Black's real problem is not his pawn structure - the active placement of his pieces makes this academic - but the much more urgent dilemma of his king's future. Kingside castling without the g7 -pawn seems unsafe; and after Black castles queenside, White's pawn advance there should be quicker than Black's pawn march on the kingside. White has several different plans. However, the most common, and probably also the strongest, has proved to be the waiting move 6. c2-c3! White delays tUf3, as he does not wish to encourage ... ~g4. He waits for 6. ... ~cS-f5 to harass the bishop with 7. tUe2 tLld7 S.tLlg3 ~g6 9.h4. It is true that after 9 ... hs IO.~e2 ~as, White can win a pawn with 1 1.b4 followed by tUxhs, but Black's counterplay, based on the ... e7 -es advance or, alternatively, ... a7 -as, has revealed itself to be insidious. As a result, the plan of preparing for the kings ide fianchetto 7. tUg1-f3 e7-e6 S. g2-g3! has recently caught on.
Caro-Kann - Main line
By doing this White aims to consolidate his king after castling, and in the case of opposite-side castling the g2-bishop becomes a dangerous weapon. If instead Black castles kingside, White's advantage is small but concrete, as his excellent percentage of more than 60% would appear to confirm. B) tLib8-d7 4 .... This has recently been called the Smyslov Variation, while in some of the older manuals it is referred to as the Nimzowitsch Variation.
Besides Smyslov, anotller famous and devoted practitioner was, and still is, Anatoly Karpov. For many, his continued support is the reason why this variation enjoys its current popularity. Black does not directly attack the knight on e4, but it 'threatens to threaten' on
the next move with .. .tLlgf6: perfectly in keeping with Nimzowitsch's style of play. Now White has to decide what to do with his knight on e4 in the next two moves. Practice has shown that neither to defend it, nor to exchange it with the one on f6, nor to m ove it to g3, gives White any serious opportunities to gain an advantage. Strangely, the best square has proven to be g5 1, and the knight can be moved there either immediately or after the preliminary 5.ii.c4. Black cannot try to rid himself of the knight's ominous presence here right away because of various tactical resources centred around e6 or f7. First he must continue to develop, and after the knight - depending on the variation - returns from g5 to f3 or to e4, White maintains an unpleasant initiative. However, the system is a hard nut to crack and it is well suited to black players who are not worried about the prospect of defending cramped but solid positions. B1) 5. ~f1-c4 The most natural continuation, and it was the most popular move until the 1980s. tLig8-f6 5. 6. tLie4-g5! e7-e6 6 .. .tLld5 is playable, but it has never been popular. 7. "iYd1-e2! tLid7-b6! Black first defends the e6-pawn. Instead, the move 7 ... ~d6?? (or 7 .. .h6??) would be followed by the brutal 8. tLlxf7! r3; xf7 9.'i!he6+ W g6 10.jg,d3+ r3;h5 11.'i!I'h3
161
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
Mate! After 7 ... tLlb6 White's bishop usually retreats to d3, having played out its role on the a2-g8 diagonal; namely, to force Black to block the way out of the c8 -bishop with ... e6. However, 8 .~b3 also has its admirers and it is not necessarily inferior. h7-h6 8 . .tc4-d3 It is inadvisable to take the d4-pawn: indeed, at first glance B..."Wixd4?! 9.tLl1f3
"fII dS! 10. tLleS WI xg2 11.:1f1 iie7
seems very dubious. However, things are not as terrible as was thought before the advent of chess computer programs. For example, after 12.tLle5/tLlg5xf7 0-0, it is even possible that Black is better; but after 12.~ef3!, it is probable that White is in fact the one with the advantage: 12 .. :~g4 13.tLlxf7! and now after 13 ... 0-0?, we have 14.tLlh6+!.
162
Computer programs are capable of finding hitherto unthought-of tactical resources in what appear to be desperately bad positions. As a result, many variations that had been uncritically accepted for decades have had to be subsequently re-evaluated. Back to 8 .. .h6 . 9. tLlg5-f3 Now the d4-pawn was really undefended. Here Black's c8-bishop looks ugly However, the g I-knight is hardly happy to find his fellow knight sitting onn. c6-c5 9 . ... Black attempts to free his game. With time, the main line has become 10.d4xc5 ~f8xc5 The move 10 ... tLlbd7 is playable, but this usually does not appeal to a Caro-Kann player's taste, given that after l1.b4 adequate compensation for the pawn is yet to be proved. 11. tLlf3-e5 Vacating n for the other knight. 11. ... tLlb6-d7 12. tLlg1-f3 "iVd8-c7
13.0-0 Keep in mind the following tactics: 13.it,d2? tLlxeS14.tLlxeS bj2+!! lS.<J;>xj2 'iYxeSand after 16.Wl xeS Black regains the queen with
Caro-Kunn - Main Line an advantage ong4.
all
account of the knight fork
0-0 13. '" 14. ~c1-f4 ~ cS-d6 and White will have difficulty maintaining the outpost on eS. After IS JHel tLlcs 16.J:Iadl b6, Black concludes his development and the game is balanced. B2)
S. ti:le4-gS
A paradoxical move that creates no immediate threat. S. ... ti:lga-f6 Or 5 ... h6?! 6. tLle6! 'fIHa5+ (the knight is immune from capture because of mate in two) 7.~d2 filb6 8. ~d3 tLlgf6 (once again taking the knight on e6 doesn 't work, this time becalise of 9. fiih5+ followed by 1O. ~5 and Black loses the queen) 9.tLlxf8 tLlxf8 with a big, even though not decisive advantage for White.
6. ~f1-d3 With 6 . ~c4 we would be back in Variation Bl. e7-e6 6 .... 7. ti:lg1-f3 ~fa-d61 7 ... h6?! is premature b ecause of 8.tLlxe6! fxe6 9. il.g6+ cJ;;e7 10.0-0 and only a computer would know how to defend this position with Black. In prac-
tice White's attack proves to be winning. a. iVd1-e2! To take on e4 with the queen. a. ... h7-h6 Finally Black can force the troublesome knight to go elsewhere. 9. ti:lgS-e4 With the fS-square free for the black king, the sacriflCe on e6 does n ot lead to anything good. ti:lf6xe4 9. ... 10. ~e2xe4
Black's problem is the c8-bishop, which is usually developed to b7. To make this p ossible, Black must defend c6 or force the white queen to leave e4. After 10 .. .'Wc7 11.fiIg4! the black king's position is problematic, in that he must continue with 11 ... cJ;;fS!, with a small plus for White. For this reason, Black usually prefers the alternative 10.... ti:ld7-f6 In the past the natural 11.lWh4 was played, putting the kingside under pressure and rendering kingside castling too risky for Black. However, in 1993 Karpov stunned the chess world with the sensational n ovelty 11... ..te7!!. 163
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume
ier for White to open the g-file after short castling - after which the game turns into a slow positional struggle, typical of many variations of the CaroKann. White has slightly more possibilities thanks to his space advantage, but Black's position is solid and without weaknesses.
An incredible move which, by defending the rook on h8, puts the white queen in peril with the simple threat of 12 ... g5 13.'iYh3 g4.1n order to give the queen some space there remains only 12.tt:le5, which, however, loses a pawn after 12 ...~xe5 13.dxe5 ~a5+. Enthusiasm for Karpov's idea waned a little when it was discovered that after 14.c3 'iYxe5+ 15.~e3, White has greater compensation than was originally thought and probably enough to continue, with an unclear game. Obviously, however, most white players are looking for an objective advantage, and thus prefer the more solid 11. ~e4-e2 b7-b6 ~c8-b7 12. ~c1-d2 13.0-0-0 'iYd8-c7
Now Black will be wise to castle queenside - the h6-pawn makes it eas164
Classical Variation C) ~c8-f5 4 .... This is the old main line. It suffered a slump in popularity at the end of the 20th century because of the success of the Smyslov Variation. However, in the £lrst years of the new millennium it has become more and more fashionable again. In the age of the computer and the Internet, in which new moves are available within seconds of being made, the following phenomenon turns up: during an important game a strong player employs a new variation, or dusts off a forgotten one; the game is subsequently discussed and analysed around the world; other new moves are proposed and discovered; lower-rated players imitate the stronger players by using the variation in question; and in no time at all there is such a big database of games available that it is very diffl.cult to surprise your opponent that is, until another creative player uses something else that's new and offwe go again. An example of this is a move that we will look at soon: 7 .. .tLlf6 . This move was even classified as a blunder in the old opening manuals. It would appear that as a result of these developments there will soon be nothing left to discover in opening theory: a
Caro-Kann - Main Line
convIctlOn that Capablanca already ventilated in the 1930s (!!). However, fortunately for us, history has demonstrated that this is far from being the case, and that there still exist large areas that have yet to be explored, and much from the past that need to be reassessed in the light of what we know now. Even if one day we do manage to sift through everything there is to be known about chess, human memory is such that the old saying 'Everything new is something forgotten' will prove itself to be as true as ever. Returning to where we left off, White almost always proceeds with 5. tUe4-g3 By the way, even if 5.ctJc5 is playable and better than it would appear to be: as is so often the case with David Bronstein's ideas! 5 .... ~f5-g6 Now we have reached one of the most important positions of the Caro-Kann.
White can choose from many plans, whereas Black's scope for development is restricted. Usually White continues with 6.h4, but once in a while he also has plans that include ctJe2-f4 - with or without ~c4. The advantage of the two
bishops after the possible exchange of the f4-knight for the g6-bishop is only academic. This is because in the closed positions that are typical of these variations it is not rare that a knight is more effective than a bishop. The sacrifice of a knight or bishop on e6 in these variations is interesting but not really sound. On the other hand, the idea of advancing the f-pawn is a double-edged sword, because if the subsequent advance to f5 becomes impossible, the pawn on f4 will become a pronounced positional weakness; for starters, just have a look at the poor bishop on c 1. White normally seeks to profit from the position of the g6-bishop to gain space on the kingside with 6. h2-h4 It is true that sometimes pawns that advance too far up the board can become weak, but in this specific case, experience has demonstrated that this is the only option that allows White to hope for a concrete advantage. 6. ... h7-h6 7. tUg1-f3 White threatens 8.ctJe5 before advancing the h-pawn again. Here we corne to another point relevant to our previous discussions about the development of opening theory. For decades in this position Black automatically played 7. ... tUb8-d7 to prevent the very move ctJe5. Recently, it has become fashionable to ignore this threat, and play 7 ... ctJf6!? After 8.ctJe5 i..h7, the most solid move is 9.Sit.d3! (the old opening books believed the following line to be excellent for White: 9 .i..c4 e6 10.Wk'e2, with the idea of 11. ctJxf7. But in reality after 165
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I IO ... tLldS, White does not gain anything - indeed, the results favour Black) 9 ... ~xd3 (9... 'fHxd4? lO.tLlxf7!) I O.'i1Vxd3 e6.
White seems to have gained a tempo compared to variations of the old main line: the pawn on the h4-square has no influence on the game compared to hS, but the knight's placement on eS rather than f3 seems to be an advantage. However, the latter may in fact not be the case. In certain variations of the Petroff Defence also, the black knight is better on f6 than on e4, where it facilitates White's development). The resulting positions are typical of the Caro-Kann: solid but cramped, and are variously described as equal or slightly to White's advantage, depending on the taste of the commentator. Let's return to 7 .. .tLld7. B. h4-h5 As the pawn has already been played to h4, you may as well advance it one more square before exchanging the bishops.
B. ...
~g6-h7
9. ~f1-d3 i.h7xd3 10. tfd1xd3 Now, to stop ~ f4, Black usually proceedswith
166
10. ... 11. ~cl-d2 12.0-0-0
'lifdB-c7 e7-e6 ILlgB-f6
We have reached another key position of the Caro-Kann (a so-called tabiya, an Arabic term for 'key position' which is derived from the medieval predecessor of the game). Experience gained from thousands of games demonstrates that the best move for White is either of the following two: 13 .~e2 or 13 .tLle4. C1) 13. 'iWd3-e2 Spassky's aggreSSive idea: the queen defends eS, enabling tLleS, to attack f7. 13.... 0-0-0 The recent idea 13 ... cS!? is intriguing, as it undermines the control of eS before White can occupy it. 14. ILlf3-e5 And here Black generally plays 14. ... ILld7-b6 to defend f7 indirectly, given that 14 .. .lLlxeS has not produced encouraging results. Indeed, a white pawn on eS limits Black's mobility, also in a possible endgame, and the g3 -knight can immediately become very active on e4. Back to 14 ... tLlb6. White now mostly continues with
Caro-Kann - Main Line 15. ~d2-a5
This defends d4 and threatens the annoying c4-cS. Black responds energetically. 15 ....
J:!:d8-d5!
from the fact that there are as many exceptions as there are rules: in this specific case the knight on g3 is White's most passive piece and it seems to be a good idea to exchange it for the knight on f6, which is playing an important defensive role. In addition, the move makes g2 -g3 possible, with control of f4 . At this stage, Black almost always plays 13. ...
0-0-0
against which the best response is 14. g2-g3!
Liberating himself from the pin with every means available. Now White can play the solid 16. ~a5xb6
contenting himself with a slight positional advantage. 16._
a7xb6
The defence ofD must be maintained. 17. c2-c4 Followed by 18.4Je4, and if needs be f4. Alternatively, White can accept the challenge and defend the as-bishop with 16.b4. Black must then continue energetically with 16 .. .IhaS! 17.bxaS ~a3+ 18.~bl 4Ja4, but it is not clear if Black has achieved sufficient compensation for the exchange. C2)
13.4Jg3-e4
is the most frequent and probably best move. This is despite the fact that it seems to contravene the principle that in a cramped position, every exchange favours the defender. However, as you know, the complexity of chess arises
Preparing for Is .~f4. Black now usually simplifies with 14. ...
4Jf6xe4
14 ... 4JcS!? is playable, even if IS .4JxcS ~xcS 16.c4!, with the idea of .i1Lc3, seems to give White a small plus. 15. ~d3xe4 ~f8-d6 . IS ... 4Jf6?! attacks the queen but gives up control of the eS - and cS -squares. 16. c2-c4!
c6-c5
And after 17 .~c3 or 17 .dS!? the results appear to be slightly in White's favour, with a decidedly high draw rate of aroundSO%. This type of variation is typical of the Caro-Kann: suitable for patient players who have no problem with the prospect of a probable draw. 167
Chess Opening Ess entials - Volume I
Reti.Richard Tartakower,Savielly Vienna 1910
,1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.tbc3 dxe4 4.tbxe4 tbf6 5.'iWd3 e51! 6.dxe5 ~a5+ 7.£ d2 'ii'xe5 S.O-O-O tbxe411 [Black was 'worse anyway: this game aptly il- , lustrates the dangers of having your king in the' centre when there are open lines and the development is lagging; 8".'if(xe4 9.l:!.el+-; 8 .. ,tbbd7 9,tbf3±; 8... ~e7 ' 9.tbxf6+ 'iWxf6 IO.tbf3±] 9:ii'dS+! It.txdS 10.~g5+ dS 0-1 j
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.tbf3 tLlf6 5.~d3 c5 6:tWe2+ ~e7 7.dxc5 Tatai,Stefano Kortchnoi,Viktor 0-0 S.ite3 l:[eS 9.~b5 tZlc6 10.tLld4 ,A xc5 11 •.txc6 bxc6 12.c3 .bd4 Beer-Sheva 1978 (6) ,13.cxd4 ' C5 ' 14:~Vd3 'iWb6 15.0-0 " 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.~d3 'il,a6 16.'ii'b3 ~xb3 17.axb3 £ xf1 c5 5'.tb f3 tZlc6 S:iVe2+ fi.e7 7.dxc5 1S.Wxf1 tLlg4 19.dxc5 tZlxe3+ tLlf6 S.h3 0-0 9.0-0 i.xc5 10.c3 ,UeS 20.fxe3 .l:txe3 21.tbd2 J:taeS 22.b4 1Ult'c2 '*'d6 12.tZlbd2 'ii'g3 13•..Itf5 .l:td3 23 ..l:txa7 , l:!xd2 24.b5 llxb2 .tte2 14.tZld4 tLlxd4 0-1
174
French Defence - Advance Variation
French Defence Advance Variation 1.04 c6 2.d4 d5 3.c5
,f
I", "
This is sometime s called the Nimzowitsch Variation - as if there weren't already enough variations with that man's name - and it represents one of White's most ambitious options. White gains space on the kingside and he is not afraid to concede Black the initiative. Black will apply pressure to the d4-pawn for several moves, and White will be forced to defend it. This is the heart of the matter. Will this attack bring some concrete advantage, or will it come to nothing and will White then be able to exploit his structural advantage? This subject has been a topic of debate since the time when Nimzowitsch disputed Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch's claims (i.e. that 3.e5 is strategically wrong) in the pages of his famous book My System. Nowadays, we do not have to rely on the inevitably subjective opinions of commentators on any given variation. Modern players have a resource that was
unavailable in the greater part of the last century: statistics. With all its defects, statistical analysis can be very revealing and supply a lot of useful information. If, as in this case, statistics are available for thousands and thousands of games, and White's performance is within the standard result range (let's say 52 -55%), then the results are normal and harsh judgements are unwarranted, Perhaps the truth lies somewhere between the two conflicting viewpoints: 3.e5 does not give White the net advantage that Nimzowitsch claimed, nor does it give Black as easy a game as Tarrasch would have us believe. Black almost always responds with the natural 3. c7-c5 But sometimes he will vary with 3 ... b6 or 3 .. .lLle7, which are both playable moves that leave Black with a cramped position. At this point, White keeps the pawn chain intact by playing 4. c2-c3 The move 4.~ g4 seems too optimistic; while 4 .lLlf3 is interesting, as it is based on the idea of leaving the d4-pawn to its fate : 4 ... cxd4 5 ,~d3 lLlc6 6.0-0 and if Black does not wish to be overwhelmed by White's kingside initiative, he must react energetically there with ... lLlge7 -g6 or ... f? -f6. 4. ... tLlbS-c6 There are some who prefer 4 ... ~b6 5 .lLlf3 ~d 7, to exchange the bad bishop, However, with 6.~e2 ~b5 7,c4! White can open up the game to his advantage. 5. tLlg1-f3 \'WdS-b6 175
Chess Opening Essentiols - Volume
Giving up another pawn to increase his initiative. I O.'i!rYe2 4Je7! 11. 4Jc3 a6! is a simple transposition. 10....
a7-a6!
IO .. .'t lVxe5 is playable but results in an unclear position. After ll..l:(e I, White has the sort of game he has been looking for. 11. ~d1-e2 12. <Jtg1-h1
The most thematic, even though 5 ... ~d7 with the idea of ...4Jge7-f5 is becoming more and more popular. Black increases the pressure on the d4-pawn. Now White has three alternatives. A)
tZlgS-e7
Preparing £1-f4. 12 . ... 13. f2-f4 14. l::tf1-d1
tZle7-c6 ~fS-c5!
tZlc6-b4!
And after ~xa6 or ~xh7, the queen goes to £1 , giving Black the advantage.
6. ilf1-d3
Preparing an interesting but dubious pawn sacrifice. c5xd4 6 ....
7. c3xd4 ~cS-d7 Obviously the double capture on d4 doesn't work because of 9 ..it.bS+, which wins the queen. S. 0-0 To have second thoughts and defend d4 with S . ~e2 does not make sense, as White would transpose to the next variation with loss of a tempo. S. ... tZlc6xd4 9. tZlf3xd4 'tlfb6xd4 10. tZlb1-c3!?
B) 6. ~f1-e2 The most natural move, quietly developing. 6 .... c5xd4! Black wants to relocate his knight to f5, but after 6 ... 4Jge7 a strong response is 7.dxcS, and after 6... 4Jh6 7. ~xh6!, Black cannot take on b2 because of the reply 8. ~e3!, and if 8 .. :~xal 9:~'c2!, and the black queen will be captured. 7.
c3xd4
tZlgS-h6!
The knight goes to f5 via h6 to allow the fS-bishop to maintain control of the a3 square. After 7 .. .4Jge7 S.4Ja3 4Jf5 9.tLlc2 ~b4+ I O.'it>fl!, White castles by hand and will be a little better thanks to his space advantage. S. tZlb1-c3 After 8. 4Ja3, there follows 8...~ xa3; and after 8. ~xh6, without the c3-pawn, the move8 .. :~xb2! is now good . S. ... tZlh6-f5 9. 4Jc3-a4! ~b6-a5+ 10. ~c1-d2 ~fS-b4 11. ~d2-c3! b7-b5
176
French Defence - Advance Variation 12. a2-a3! A b4xc3+ 13. tLla4xc3 b5-b4 'iYa5xb4 14. a3xb4 And it is not clear which is weaker : White's pawns on d4 and b2 or Black's pawn on a7: both sides have approximately equal chances. C) 6. a2-a3 This is the most popular move. Before proceeding with his development, White prevents future checks from b4 or as - a common tactical resource for Black - and prepares for the b2-b4 advance, which gains space on the queenside. However, every move has its negative consequences, and in this case the weakness created on b3 allows the ambitious 6 .... c5-c4!? Black can also permit White to advance the b-pawn with 6 .. .~d7 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 n c8, waiting for 9 .~b2
That would be the case if the white pawn were still on a2: but now, as soon as White wants to open up the queenside he has to recapture on b3 with a piece, and the outpost on c4 will give Black excellent chances. 6 ... c4 is therefore a prophylactic move that intends to completely restrict White's activity on the queenside, after which the strategic centre of gravity will shift to the centre and the kingside. 7. g2-g3!? In anticipation of the .. .f7 -f6 break, White does well to move his bishop to g2 or h3. It is wise for Black to continue with the solid 7. ... ~c8-d7 followed by ... tLlaS and ... 0-0-0, with slow manoeuvring play and chances for both sides.
Bondarevsky,Igor . Botvinnik,Mikhail
in order to respond with 9 ...tLlaS!
10.tLlbd2 tLlc4 with a complicated game. Let's go back to 6 ... c4. This seems like a beginner's move, one of those moves computers used to play in their early days.
L~ningrad/Moscow ch-URS J 94 J (2) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.tbf3 tbc6 S.ii.d3 cxd4 S.O-O ~cS 7.a3 tbge7 8.tbbd2 tbgS 9.tLlb3 ~ bS 10.ne1 .lri.d7 11.g3 fS 12..b gS+ hxgS 13.'Wd3 Wf7 14.h4 'iYg8 15. ~d2 ~h7 1S..tb4 g5 17.ii'xh7 Mxh7 18.exf6 gxf6 19.hxgS eS 20.gxfS ..t>xfS 21 •.tdS %:.e8 22.tLlh4 n g8 177
Chess Opening Essential s - Volume 1 .....
".,'..
,
.~."
23.'lt>h2 jg"fS 24Jle2 d3 2S •.r:td2 'dxc2 26.14 A e3 27..b eS+ lLlxeS 2S.fxeS+ ~e7 29.J:H1 c1 'ilY 0-1
Sveshnikov,Evgeny Bischoff,Klaus , Calvia 01 2004 (2)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.eS cS 4.c3 lLlc6 S.lLlf3 A d7 6.iLe3 cxd4 7.cxd4 lLlge7 S.A d3 h6 9.lLlc3 lLlcS 10.0-0 a6 11.lLld2 lLlb6 12Jlc1 :rcS 13.f4 g6 ,14.g4 lLle7 1S:fk'e2 h5 16.h3 hxg4 17.hxg4 lLlc6 1S.lLlf3 tDb4 19Ji.b1 lLlc4 20. ~g2 iLe7 21.l::th1 l:tg8 22.~f2 lLlc6 23.l:th7 '~bS 24.lLla4 'iiibS 2S.lLlcS b c5 26.dxcS ~xb2 27. ~xb2 .i lLlxb2 28Jkh1 lLle7 29.lLlgS tl:fS 30Jlg7 .tc6 31.iLd4 lLlc4 32.llhh7 ,Wd7 33 ..bg6 lLlxg6 34.I:Ixg6 llcdS 3S.1:[gg7 'weS 3SJbf7 11xf7 37Jbf7 lLla3 3s.lLlf3 lLlc2 39.Wg3 A bS 40..tf2 A e2 4U1g7 iLd3 42.lLld4 ' ". 1-0
10.~f4 fxeS 11.lLlxeS lLlxeS 12..b eS
lLlf6 13.lLld2 0-0 , 14.lLlf3 ~d6 1S:iWe2 :!:acS 16.~d4 Wlc7 17.lLle5 A eS 1S.J:rae1 ~e5 19.A xeS ~c6 20.~d4 A d7 2U!Vc2 tIf7 22.11e31 b6 "" 23.J:!.g3 ~hS 24.~xh71± eSI? [24 ... lLlxh7 2S.'iVg6!+:'::] 2S.~g6 J:{e7 26JIe1 ,'i!fd6 ·27.~e3 . d4 ·' 2S.A g5 , J:[xc3 29J:txc3 dxc3 30.~xc3 Wg8 31.a3 w fS 32.~h4 .teS 33.~fS ~d4 34JWxd4 ,. exd4 3SJbe7 ~xe7' 36.A d3 'It>dS37...b f6 gxf6 38.Wf1 .tcS 39.h4 1-0
Maslak,Konstantin '
~ Asrian,Karen
, Moscow 2 007 (5)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.eS c5 4.c3 lLlcs S.lLlf3 fHb6 6.a3 c4 7.g3 iLd7. S.lLlbd2 lLlaS 9.h4 0-0-0 10.hS lLlh6 11.iLh3 fS 12.'i!Ye2 lLlf7 13.0-0 fS 14.lLlh2 g6 1S.14 iLe7 16.94 gS 17.iLg2 gxf4 1S.gxfS exf5 19...b d5 llhgS+ 20.'toh1 .te6 , 21.h eS+' Nimzowitsch,Aaron ~xe6 22.lLldf3 .;lLlb3 23 J~b1 lLlxc1' Salwe,Georg ' . 24.l1bxc1 'it'cS 2S.l:Igl lLlgS 26.11g2 Karlsbad 191 1 lLle4 27.Wg1 'fHdS 2S.lLlf1 llxg2+: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.eS cS 4.c3 lLlc6 . . 29.xg2 J:l.gS+ .. 30.w h1 iLh4 S.lLlf3 'it'b6 S..td3 A d7?1 7.dxcS!? 31.w h2 .tf2 32Jtc2 lWf7 33.lLl3d2 A g1+ ~i ~xc5 8.0-0 f6? [~ 8::.aS] 9.b41 A e7
178
French Defence - Tarrasch Variation
French Defence Tarrasch Variation 1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.!i' d2
To defend the e4-pawn with 3 .ttJd2 seems less natural than to do so with 3.ttJc3. However, the former has the virtue of rendering .. .~b4 ineffective. Tarrasch began to play it towards the end of the 19th century, as a means of avoiding the Winawer Variation 3.ttJc3 ~b4, which was beginning to be seen as a valid alternative to the Classical French 3. ttJc3 ttJf6. Another plus of 3.ttJd2 is that in the face of the thematic and omnipresent ... c7 -cS pawn advance in the French, White is ready to support the centre with c3. On the downside we have the knight standing in the way of the bishop on c 1, but more concretely the lack of pressure on the centre (i.e. dS) compared to ttJc3 allows for the immediate .. .c7 -cS advance. Even if it does not solve all of Black's problems, this is one of the most popular moves. The fact that White has no immediate threats m eans that Black has an ample
choice of contillllations. Remember that with 3 ...dxe4 you transpose to the Rubinstein Variation, which we will discuss later. In ascending order of popularity the variations at Black's disposal are: A) 3 .... ~fS-e7 This was occasionally played by Oleg Romanishin during the 1970s and remained a rarity until there was a boom in its popularity at the end of the 20th century; in part thanks to its adoption by big names such as Morozevich and Lputian. The idea, besides getting off the beaten path, is to wait and see what White does, with the chance of making ... cS more effective than on the third move; for example, after 4.il"d3 cS! 5.exd5? (S.dxcS is forced and a good m ove) 5...Wixd5f
Black gets an improved version of the analogous variation after 3... c5, which we wiIllook at furth er on. 4. ttJg1-f3 is the most solid and the most frequent. 4. ... ttJ gS-f6 Now White's best option seems to be 5. e4-e5 5.~3 c5f is good for Black. And after 5. ttJfS-d7 S. .lit.f1-d3 c7-c5 7. c2-c3 ttJ bS-cS 179
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume
you magically transpose to the 7.tDgf3 gambit line of the variation with 3 ... tDf6!.
3.
B)
a7-aS
As above. Black wants to play an improved version of 3 ...cS . After 4.eS!? the move 4 ... .l1i.d7 - with the idea of ... .l1i.bS - is interesting. Therefore, if White does not wish to re-enter the 3 ... cS variation with 4.tZlgf3 cS!, the most incisive move would appear to be 4. ~f1-d3 This is connected with the idea of opening up play after 4. c7-c5 5. d4xc5! ~f8xc5 S. tZlg1-f3 White has a freer game; however, Black's position is playable. 180
C) 3 .... tZl b8-cS The controversial Guimard Variation . Developing while attacking a pawn cannot be that bad. However, voluntarily blocking his c-pawn is not natural to a French player and, ignoring its objective value, most people continue to see it as an ugly move. 4. tZJg1-f3! 4.c3 eSt? is not necessarily advantageous for Black, but it makes life more complicated for White. tZJg8-fS 4. 5. e4-e5 tZlfS-d7
We have reached a strange position in which the c6-knight blocks the natural advance of the c-pawn. However, Black is ready to attack the head of the white pawn chain with ...f? -f6. In addition, the d2-knight does not have any particularly inviting squares to go to; so much so, that it usually goes to b3 or fI . Besides 6 ..l1i.bS!? - in the style of the Ruy Lopez - White has two good alternatives: C1) S. tZld2-b3 To set the c I -bishop free. S. ... a7-a5 Not so much with the intention of ... as-a4, but rather with the idea of ... b6 and ... .ia6.
French Defence - Tarrasch Variation 7.
a2-a4
S.
~f1-b5
b7-b6 ttJc6-a7
9. ~b5-d3
even if the flexible 4.tLlgf3, with unforced transpositional possibilities, is becoming popular. Now Black must make the big strategiC decision: should he take back with the queen or with the pawn?
White has the freer game. C2)
6. ~f1-e2 7. e5xf6 8. ttJd2-f1 ! 9. ttJf1-e3 10.0-0
f7-f6 '§'d8xf6 ~f8-d6
0-0
Here, White's position is slightly preferable.
0) c7-c5 3 .... The most thematic response, even if it is less popular than 3 ... tLlf6. Black takes advantage of the timidly placed knight on d2 to fight back in the centre. White generally responds with 4. e4xd5
01) 4 .... 1i'd8xd5 An increasingly large number of players are choosing this move, which leads to sharp positions that are reminiscent of some Sicilian lines. Even if it is not necessarily the best move, the capture by the queen is definitely a nuisance for White, who would normally prefer to proceed more quietly. Generally he reacts with 5. ttJg1-f3! The sacrifice is only temporary: 5. ... c5xd4 6. ~f1-c4 'iWd5-d6! The best square for the queen. 7. 0-0 tLlgS-f6 8. tLld2-b3 tLlb8-c6 9. ttJb3xd4 ttJc6xd4 10. ttJf3xd4 a7-a6 11. l:rf1-e1 'iiVd6-c7 Attacking the bishop on c4 and preparing ... SLd6. 12. ~c4-b3 ~fS-d6 More solid is 12.. . ~d7. 13. tLld4-f5!? ~d6xh2+ 0-0 14. wg1-h1
181
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 15. ttlf5xg7!
This posltlon still has not been fully evaluated, notwithstanding the many games that have been played with it. The following is a representative line that will give you an idea of the possible complications that can ensue: 15....
.l::rf8-d8!
Capturing with 15.. .'Jitxg7 appears to give White the advantage after 16.'iWd4!. 16. ~d1-f3 17. ~c1-h6+1 18. c2-c3!
g8xg7 <J;>g7-g6!
Threatening with a devastating check onc2 . 18....
ttlf6-h5!
To play ... fs. 19. ~h6-c1! Threatening 20.~g4+. Now, probably Black's safest option is to return the piece with 19. ... ~h2-f4! 20. g2-g4 21. f2xg3 22. J:l:a1xc1
ttlh5-g3+! ~f4xc1
b7-b6
with equality. 02) 4 .... e6xd5 The most solid. Without fear Black accepts the isolated pawn on ds, putting his faith in his greater piece activity.
182
Tarrasch proposed the same strategic concept in his eponymous defence to the Queen's Gambit (l.M d s 2.c4 e6 3.tLic3 cs! ?) . This move is very popular with strong players; however, it has few adherents at lower levels, where there is an instinctive mistrust of the isolated queen's pawn: that is, if it is black! The point being that when the isolated queen's pawn is white, players seem to be much more aware of its dynamic potential. Just think of the Sicilian with 2.c2-c3, which is popular at all levels, where the isolated d4-pawn is seen more as a means of favourably opening the game (by the d4-dS advance) than a static weakness. 5.
ttlg1-f3
s .~bs+!? iLd7 6.'ilfe2+ ~e7 7.dxcs is
interesting. ttl b8-c6 5 ..., Black prefers to develop the g8-knight to e7 . s ... c4 seems premature, while s...lLlf6 6.iLbs+ iLd7 7.iLxd7+ ttlbxd7 8.0-0 !ii.e7 9.dxcs lLlxcs 10.tLlb3 tLlce4 l1. tLlfM! - with the idea of f3 or 1/Wf3 would appear to be slightly advantageous for White, even if after 11 ...~d7!, Black's position is perfectly playable. 6. ~f1-b5 It is better to postpone taking on cs so that the black bishop moves twice.
French Defence - Tarra sch Variation
S.
~fS-dS
7. d4xc5 S. 0-0
iLdSxc5 lLlgS-e7
9. lLld2-b3
~c5-dS
9 ... £ b6 is also playable. White can then respond with the effective 1O.:rle 1 followed by 11 .£e3, neutralizing the activity of the annoying black bishop. 10. l:tf1-e1 10 .lLlbd4!? is interes ting. 10. ... 0-0 11. ~c1-g5 ~cS-g4 We have arrived at a typical position in this line, for which the percentage of draws is unusually high: around 60%! E) lLlgS·fS 3 .... is the most popular. the most ambitious, and the move which best represents the spirit of the French Defence. 4. e4-e5 lLlfS·d7
A typical 'French' centre has been created, and we are presented yet again with the eternal question: is this a strong or weak centre? There is a basis for a white kingside initiative, but Black's counter play with .. .c7 -c5 and ... f7 -f6 can be very dangerous. At this point White must make an important strategic decision : either support the centre with f2.-f4 or give preference to piece development with ~d3 . 5 .c3!? is a waiting move, but you will transpose to one of the two systems immediately below, depending on White's 6th move. 5.tLlgf3! ? is also playable - it transposes to the gambit that we will deal with in Variation E21 . E1)
5. f2-f4
In a certain sen se this is the m ost logical move: White enlarges his centre and to avoid suffocation Black must react energetically before his opponent fmishes development. To that end, apart from putting pressure on d4, it is often necessary to take radical measures , such as the pawn advances .. .f6 and .. .g5! 5. c7-c5 S. c2-c3 tLl bS-cS 7. lLld2-f3 183
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I Allowing the king's knight to develop to e2 (orh3). 7. ... ~dS-b6 S. g2-g3 Keeping d4 defended: the light-squared bishop seeks a future on h3, and in do ing so leaves the g2-square vacant for the king! 8.li:Je2 is possible, leading to the Steinitz Variation. However, the most popular alternative nowadays is 8.a3!? which, like 6.a3 in the Advance Variation, prevents irritating checks fromb4. c5xd4 S. 9. c3xd4 YLfS-b4+ 10. lite1-f2 And we see the first consequences of White's late development (after 1O.iLd2? Black can calmly take on d4). Now after 10 ...f7-f6 or IO ... .g7-gS, the position is extremely tense with chances for both sides. It is true that White's centre will collapse, but with Black's pawn advances on the kingside it is not clear which of the two exposed kings is more vulnerable. E2)
5. iLf1-d3
White places his pieces more modestly on their natural squares and seeks to limit Black's counterplay, with the idea 184
of profiting from his positional advantages in the long term. In particular the eS-square, if occupied by a trusty knight, could cause Black many problems in the middlegarne as well as in the endgame. 5 .... c7-c5 6. c2-c3 ttJbS-c6 Now White has two options: E21) 7. ttJg1-f3 The increasingly popular choice, which introduces a poisonous pawn sacrifice: 7. ... '(ifdS-b6 After 7 ... YLe7 8.0-0, a recent hot idea is the move 8 ... gS!? (with the point of 9 .!'tel ? g4, winning the knight!). However, this still needs to be accurately assessed. Curiously, this position can also be reached via the variation 3 ... .!te7 (!) S. 0-0 The placement of the white pieces makes it difficult to defend the d4-pawn, so White leaves it to its fate. S. ... c5xd4 9. c3xd4 ttJc6xd4 10. ttJf3xd4 '*li'b6xd4 11. ttJd2-f3 ~d4-b6 12. 'iYd1-a4!
With the idea of going to g4. Black will be wise to prevent this with
French Defence - Tarrasch Variation 12 .... 'iYb6-b4! 'iVb4-c5! 13. ~ a4-c2 If White does not want a draw by repetition, he can try to win with 14. ~c2-e2 With compensation that practical play has demonstrated to be more than adequate. Not that White's position is winning, but in practice these positions are difficult for Black to play; unless he happens to be a computer. E22) 7. ttJg1-e2 Continuing the policy of solidity, keeping the f3-square vacant for the other knight. 7. ... c5xd4 After 7.. f6?1, without the exchange on d4, the move 8.ttJj4! is very strong. S. c3xd4 fN6! At times it is better to attack the head of the pawn chain: in this variation the b6-square is not always the best place for the black queen. 8 ... ttJb6 - with the idea of ... as -a4, ... ~d7 and queenside play - has fallen slightly into disuse. It teeters on the edge of being playable. 9. e5xf6 The aggressive 9.ttJf4, which attacks e6 and threatens 'fi'hS+, is now met by 9 ... ttJxd4 lO .'iVhS+ We7 11.exf6+ ttJxf6 I2 .121g6+ hxg6 I3. ~xh8 ~f7 and practical play has demonstrated that Black receives adequate compensation for the exchange. 9. ... ttJd7xf6 This is more natural than 9 .. .'ttYxf6, even though the latter move has its supporters. 10.0-0 Or first IO.l2lf3. 10.... ~fS-d6 11. ttJd2-f3
We have arrived at one of the key positions of the Tarrasch Variation. Thousands of games have not been sufficient to make clear what Black's best plan is. E221) 11 .... 'ifdS-b6 Putting pressure on d4 and h2. 12. b2-b3 The pawn sacrifice 12..~.f4 is playable, but White aims for a pOsitional advantage. 12.... 0-0 13. ~c1-f4 ~d6xf4 14. ttJe2xf4 ttJf6-e4 15. ttJf4-e2! ~cS-d7 16. ttJe2-g3 ttJe4xg3 17. h2xg3 As often happens in these variations, it not clear which weakness is greater: White's d4-pawn or Black's eS -square. E222) 11 ....
'iidS-c7
Preventing the thematic ~f4. 185
Chess Op ening Essentials - Volume E223) 11 ....
12. i1l.c1-g5
With the idea of going to g3! The move 12 .g3 is also interesting - always with the idea of exchanging the dark-squared bishops in mind after 12 ... 0-0 13 .~f4. Now Black maintains equality with the aggressive 13 ... tLlg4!? 12. ... 13. i1l.g5-h4!
0-0
0-0
Simply continuing his development. White almost always proceeds with the strategically appealing 12. i1l.c1-f4
which, however, allows Black a certain amount of counterplay: 12. ... 13. tLle2xf4
i1l.d6xf4 tLlf6-e4!
Black was threatening the annoying 13 ... tLlg4, which would now simply be met by ~g3. At this point 13. ...
tLlf6-h5
seems to be the most logical step. The latest find here is 14. 'iYd1-c2!
Among the various moves which are playable at this point (14.g3, 14.tLle2 and 14.tLlhS), the most popular at the moment is the unnatural-looking 14. ~d1-c1
since 14 ..llcl g6!, with the idea of applying pressure to d4 with the ~ on g7, has proved to be good for Black (now 14 ... g6? does not work because of 15. ~xg6).
14. ... 15. i1l.d3-g6
h7-h6
Now Black sacrifices the exchange : 15. 16. 17. 18.
... g2xf3 'it'g1-h1 tLle2-g3!
llf8xf3 i1l.d6xh2+ tLlh5-f4
And we have a position which is difficult to weigh up, notwithstanding the many games played from this position. 186
Defending the f4-knight and preparing a transfer to the excellent e3 -square. A delightful though unforced line that often occurs is 14. 15. 16. 17.
... tLle4-g5! tLlf3xg5 'iYd8xg5 .J1Ld3xh7+!? wg8xh7 tLlf4xe6
which exploits the undefended black queen and the intermediate check on f8 to obtain a rook and 2 pawns for a knight and a bishop. If Black either exchanges queens or defends the rook with the queen, the resulting positions seem to be easier for White to play, even if they are not objectively superior from his point of view.
French Defence - Tarrasch Variation ...
'.
...,
. ', •. t~
.....
.".'
",
Iordachescu,Viorel . Volkov,Sergey ;
Tal,Mikhail Portisch,Lajos Montrea,'1979 (IS)
..
Moscow '2007 (4)
'1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.g7 76.'it>g5 wh7 77.wf6 h6 7S.g5+ wh7 79.wf7 hB 80.g6 1-0 '" Tarrasch,Siegbert Rubinstein.Akiba " San Sebastian 191 1 (6)
.' 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tLlc3 dxe4 4.tLlxe4 tLld7 5.tiJf3 tLlgf6 6.A d3 iLe77.0-0 Lausanne 2005 (3) '" .1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.tLlc3 dxe4 4.4:lxe4 0-0 8.ti:Jxf6+ tLlxf6 9.tLle5 xh7 23.l:txe4 f5 24J:la4 b6 25.g4 e4 20.~xf7 nfB 21,'ii'xfB tLld3 22JWf3 26.gxfS gxf5 27.wf1 'iitf7 2S.J::.ad4 tLlhf4 23 ..lhf4 tLlxe124.'ife4+ ~hS u'e6 29J:1d7+ U,e7 30.t!4d5 r::xd7 25.b3 WaS 26.'irxe1 ifxa2 27.'iYd1 31.l:xd7+ 'it>g6 32Jba7 l:tdB ~b6 2S.~g3 'iVb2 " 29.c4 'ii'c3 . 33J% a6 U,d2 34.l:txb6+ wg5 35.we1 30.wh1 e5 31.h3 ~d4 32.Wh2 wgS . r::c2 36.nb5 wg4 ' 37.h3+ wxh3 33.'il'b1 a6 34.~h4 'ti'd2 3S.~g6 38J:txfS J:txb2 39.1:1f4 u'xa2 40Jbe4 ~f4+ 36.Jig3 'ti'f737.'iWg5 'ti'e6 h5 41.c4 wg2 42J:tf4 l:t.c2 43Jlh4 \pf3 ' 44.wd1 . J:xf2 45.c5 we3 3S.\i'dS+ 'it>h7 39.~h4+ ~gS 40.'iVe4 b5 41.14 bxc4 42.fxe5 ~c5 46. ~xh5 'it>d4 , 1f2-V2
189
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
French Defence Classical Variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. ~ c3 'U6
White's third most played move re mains, even if by only a small margin, 3.~c3.
White is not worried about the knight getting pinned or about blocking his c-pawn. His greater central control produces sharper positions, and therefore this variation is usually preferred by aggressive players. This is not an academic consideration, as is demonstrated by the fact that 3 ... c5? is an excellent move in the Tarrasch Variation, but here it is a grave mistake. 4.exd5 exd5 and then 5.dxc5! follows, with a clear advantage for White. Back to 3. ~c3. The classical 3 ... ~ f6 is more solid than 3 ... ~b4, the Winawer Variation. At the end of the 20th century it experienced a revival, probably because it is a way to avoid the excessive amount of accumulated theory pertaining to the Winawer. White can now defend e4 by advancing the pawn or by pinning the ~f6. 190
A) 4. e4-e5 The so-called Steinitz Variation. White gains space on the kingside, but Black's typical reaction of ... c7 -cS is now more effective because of the knight on c3.
tLlf6-d7 4. Now White usually supports the eS-pawn with 5. f2-f4 and leaves the d4-square, when it is cleared by dxc5 or ... cxd4, for his pieces. The very old move 5. ~ce2 has recently become fashionable, thanks to the efforts of Shirov and Anand. After 5 ... c5, the centre can be supported with 6.c3. The ensuing positions resemble, and at times transpose to, the Tarrasch Variation with 3 ... 0f6. After 6 ... ~c6 7.£4
7 ... 'iVb6 (or 7 .. .b5!?) 8. ~f3 f6!?, you have a double-edged position with chances for both sides.
French Defence - Cla ssical Variation c7-cS S. S. ttJ g1-f3 ttJb8-cS 7. ~c1-e3! Reaching the variation's key position. Black now has three options.
A1)
7....
a7-aS
Preparation for queenside counterplay with 8 ... bS. White maintains a good positional advantage thanks to his control of the d4-square with a timely dxcS .
A2) 7.... 'liVd8-bS Counterattacking b 2, even if there is 8. ttJc3-a4! 'liVbS-aS+ 9. c2-c3 cSxd4 9 ...c4!? is playable, but 10.b4! gives White a slight edge. 10. b2-b4! ttJcSxb4 11. c3xb4 iLf8xb4+ 12. ~e3-d2 ~b4xd2+ 13. ttJf3xd2
Practice has shown that the white knight is stronger than Black's three pawns.
A3) 7.... cSxd4 For the abovementioned reasons, Black usually opts for this solid line. 8. ttJf3xd4 9. 'liVd1-d2
~f8-cS
Black can now exchange twice on d4 and continue with 11 ... 'Ili¥b6; but the resulting endgame, though manageable, is not exactly exhilarating. Black can also maintain the tension: 0-0 9 .... 10.0-0-0 a7-aS 11. h2-h4 ttJcSxd4 In order to play ... b7 -bS. 12. ~e3xd4 b7-bS 13 . .t!.h1-h3 bS-b4 14. ttJc3-a4 ~cSxd4 1S. 'iYd2xd4 as-aS White's apparent central control is something of an illusion: in practice, o pposite -side castling and Black's counterplay on the c-file will mean that there are good chances for both players. This is confirmed by the statistics, which show Black doing very well. However, it must be noted that, curiously, the black players had a higher average Elo rating than the white players. 191
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
This is also true of the 3 ... c5 line in the French Tarrasch. It is evident that this is one of those lines which is greatly appreciated by highly-rated players, but much less so by mere mortals. B)
4. jLc1-gS
The old main line is positionally justified by the fact that the exchange of the bad dark-squared bishop for the opponent's good dark-squared bishop is theoretically recommended for White. However, it is also true that every piece exchange will assist the ambitions of the player with the more cramped position; in this case, Black. After 4. ~ g5, Black has three variations at his disposal. All three are very different in terms of their competitive and strategic characteristics. If Black wants to win, then the McCutcheon Variation is certainly the right choice. In terms of fighting spirit and strategic characteristics, it is correctly considered to be the connecting link between the Classical French and the Winawer. B1) 4.... ~fS-b4 Here we have the controversial McCutcheon Variation. There are those who have said that after 4 .. .~b4, 192
both players are worse off! Indeed, after the main line sequence S. e4-eS h7-h6 jLb4xc3 6. jLgS-d2! 7. b2xc3! ttJf6-e4 S. 'iWd1-g4 g7-g6 - 8 .. .>t>f8!? is probably better than its reputation 9. ~f1-d3 ttJe4xd2 10. we1xd2 c7-cS
both kings would prefer to be somewhere quieter. There are evident weaknesses on Black's kingside, and the pawn advance h4-h5, often combined with the manoeuvre .l:!:h3-g3, can be very dangerous for Black. However, the king on d2 gives Black chances of qUick counterplay with ... cxd4 and .. :~l'a5+, for example: 11. ttJg1-f3 ttJbS-c6 12. h2-h4 cSxd4 13.c3xd4 ~dS-aS+ 14. >t>d2-e3 b7-b6 1S. ~ g4-f4 ~cS-a6 16. 'i!Yf4-f6 UhS-gS and it is not clear which of the two kings is more exposed to danger.
B2) 4 .... dSxe4 The Burn Variation, which has evident similarities to the Rubinstein. How-
French Defence - Classical Variation ever, with the Burn, the presence of the bishop on g5 offers Black the favourable possibility of exchanging pieces, which is always most welcome in cramped positions. ~f8-e7 5. ttJc3xe4 6. ~g5xf6! The best response, which does not lose time defending e4, and does not excessively simplify matters, as is the case with 6.ttJxf6+. After 6 .. .ii.xf6 and 7.ttJf3, we have a typical position in which White has a small central domination (d4 pawn against e6-pawn). White either seeks to qUietly exploit his minute advantage, or he castles queenside and tries a pawn assault on the black king. More combative is the alternative move g7xf6!? 6. ...
IJiI.t.~. · ~~ . ~ .t~ '''~
solid of the alternatives has lost a lot of its past popularity. Thi s is more a question of fashion than objective consideration. 5. e4-e5 is by far the most popular response. The Anderssen Variation 5 .~xf6 is considered to be a bit of a museum piece, but like many variations that have fallen into disuse, it may only need a bit of spit and polish, and it will prove to be playable. 5. ... ttJf6-d7
I
~
~.t.
Tartakower's move S... ttJe4 has not stood the test oftime. At this point White is at a crossroads; and as is so often the case, the choice is between aggression and solidity. Along the lines of the Bronstein-Larsen Variation of the Caro-Kann, with the difference that Black has the bishop pair. The books claim that White has a small advantage, but in reality you reach those typical, strategically complex positions where the stronger player will win. 83) ~f8-e7 4 .... The Classical Variation of the Classical French! The most strategic and
831) 6. h2-h4!? The historic Chatard-AIekhine Attack, which remains a dangerous weapon, even though Black has nothing to fear with correct play. It is difficult to say which is the best continuation for Black. Taking twice on g5 after 8.'iVd3, (or 8.ttJh3) gives White obvious compensation, but whether it is sufficient to provide him with an advantage is still uncertain. 193
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I Black has several playable moves (6 ... a6, 6 ... 0-0, 6 ...h6), but the most combative is c7-c5! 6 .... A fearle ss move, as Black knows that his king will have to go to e7 after 7. ~ g5xe7! e8xe7!
Perhaps 7.. .'~xe7 is playable, but it obliges Black to make a risky sacrifice after s.ltJb5! O-O! 9JiJ c7 cxd4 IO.ltJxaS . 8. 12-f4 Unlike in the Classical Variation, Black has already advanced his pawn to c5, and the queen is ready to move across to the queenside. On the other hand, the king's position on e7 is a bit of a worry. 8 .... W8d8-b6 9. ttJc3-a4 ~ b6-a5+ 10. c2-c3 b7-b6! Preparing the thematic ...~ a6, with a satisfactory position. 832)
6. ~g5xe7 7. f2-f4
~d8xe7
0-0
The immediate 7...c5? is an error because of 8.ttJb5!, after which the knight threatens to go to c7, and also to give an annoying check ond6.
8. ttJg1-f3 194
c7-c5
We have a position that has been reached in hundreds of games. Black will obviously play on the queenside; at times Black - when White does not exchange on c5 and castles queenside plays ... c5-c4. For his part, White can castle queenside, launching a kingside attack using his pawns and the bishop on d3. Otherwise, when Black plays ... f7 -f6, White will play exf6 and then place his two rooks on the d- and e-files, with the aim of controlling the centre: in particular the e5 -square. If Black does not respond dynamically to this, he will have to play the classic endgame where a centrally-placed white knight dominates Black's bad bishop. The game generally continues with 9. 'iWd1-d2 9.i.d3, threatening the classic sacrifice on h7 followed by ttJg5+ and ~h5, can be comfortably met by 9 ... f6!. 9. ... ttJ b8-c6 10. d4xc5! Here Black can continue with the ambitious Io .. .'fhc5, which prevents White's kingside castling and prepares ...ttJb6 after 11.0-0-0, followed by ... i.d7 and ... ttJc6-a5-c4, with a strong initiative against White's king. The problem is that Black must always be careful. After 1 I .i.d3, the i.xh7+ sac-
French Defence - Classical Variat io n
rifice, followed by tLlg5+ and 'i'fd3, though not necessarily winning, gives White a dangerous attack. This position is a tough one to evaluate. Anything could happen. If instead Black has more positional inclinations he can play 10. ... f7-f6!? 11. e5xf6 ~ e7xf6! It is best to keep control of e5 . tLld7xcS 12. 92-93 13. 0-0-0 l:(fS-dS
;'2'2.tbb3 axb4 23.axb4 tLla4 24.'ittf2 .exfS 2S.gxfS lleS "26Jlfe1tLlb2 i 27.,lhaS l'!xaS 2S.e6 · fxe6 29.lZlcs :~es 30.fxe6 . <MS 31.'itte3 tLlxd3 . ,32.cxd3 ,'J:Ia2 : 33.Wd4 we7 34.h3 · Illh2 3S.l'!e3 ~g6 ' 36.wxd5 AfS , ~ 37.l:[f3 96 3S.d4 J:l:e2 39",tJ'c6 J:l:xe6+ , ,40.t2Jxe6 .te4+ 41.dS .bt3 42.lZlgS , t,i92 , 43.tLlxh7 1i.e4 44.h4 '. ~g2 :4S.tLl9S ,wfs 46.wc5 we7 47.lZle6 :wf6 ,g1 llxg3 75.lt>f2 1:(f3+ 76.'.tg1 f4 0-1
Nataf,Igor-Alexandre Riazantsev,Alexander
.
Portugal u2006 (I)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ttJc3 ttJf6 4.~g5 if.e7 5':e5 ttJfd7 6.h4 ' c5 7.ii.xe7 rtlxe7 S:ifg4 l2Jc6 9.dxc5 ttJdxe5 10.W6xg7 J:[gS 11.11bh7 ii.d7 12.0-0-0 'iifa5 13.'i1i'h6 d4 14.ttJge2 dxc3 ,15.ttJxc3 lladS 16.ttJe4 l2Jg4 17.'ii'd2 'it'xa2 18.1t'd6+ weS 19Ji.d3.tcS 20.'t!fc7'iifa1+ 2V,t>d2 'ii'a5+ 22.lWxa5 ttJxa5 23.11a1 ttJc4+ 24.>t>e2 f5 25.ii.xc4 fxe4 26.1ba7 llfS 27.13 exf3+ 2S.gXt3 ttJe5 29.i.b5+ ii.d7 ; 30.J:[xb7 ii.xb5+ 31.11xb5 ttJxf3 32.c3 ttJe5 33.h511gS 34.h6 llg2+ 35.We3 lldd2 36.c6 ttJc4+: 37.'M3 lldf2+ 3S.'.te4 J:[g4+ " 39.>t>d311d2X :, 0-1
196
. Stefansson,Hannes Kortchnoi, Viktor Gothenburg Ech-tt 2005 (3)
1.e4e6' 2.d4 d5 3.ttJc3 ttJf6 4.ii.g5 §;.e7 5.e5 ttJfd7 6.Jt..xe7 'ifxe7 7.14 ttJb6 S.ttJf3 Jt..d7 9.'ifd2 a6 10.h4 ttJc6 11.h5 h6 12.l2Jd1 ttJa7 13.l2Je3 Jt..b5 ' 14.0-0-0 c5 15.15 ii.xf1 ,16.11dxf1 ttJc6 17.c3 0-0-0 1S.l2Jh4 cxd4 19.cxd4 ttJc4 20.l2Jxc4 dxc4 21.fxe6 1t'xe6 22.ttJf3 Ild7 23J%h4 J:[hdS 24..lld1 ,i wbS 25.¥!Yc3 ttJe7 26.ttJe1 ttJd5 27.~h3 'tifxh3 2SJlxh3 ttJf4 29.11e3 J:[xd4 30.11xd4 llxd4 31.ttJf3 ttJxg2 32.11e2 llg4 33.~d2 ttJf4 34.J:[e4 " J:[g2+ 35.wc3l2Jxh5 36.ttJd4 tbg3 37.l:tf4 ttJe2+ 3S.ttJxe2 llxe2 39.11xf7 g5 40.11h7 l:txe5, 41.llxh6 g4 42.~xc4 rIg5 43Jlh2 g3 44.J:[g2 e3 '.t>c5 41.f5 53.Wf3 a5 54.b3 b5 0-1
French Defence - Winawer Variation
French Defence Winawer Variation 1.e4 cG 2.d4 d5 3. ~ c3 ~b4
notwithstanding the poor results he had against the Winawer (or perhaps for that very reason!), considered it to be positionally unsound! 4.e5 is the move most often chosen by White. However, before looking at that, we will have a brief look at the minor alternatives. While none of these put the soundness of the Winawer in doubt, they can be most dangerous if Black is not sufficiently prepared. A) 4. a2-a3 The most direct.
4 . ...
At a deep level this is very logical: Black indirectly attacks the e4-pawn without allowing White to gain a tempo with the pawn advance e4-e5, and reserves e7 for his king's knight. The obvious drawback is that the bishop on b4 very often ends up being exchanged for the knight on c3, with a consequent weakening of the dark squares, which in some variations can result in the black king's safety being put in jeopardy. However, Black enjoys long-term advantages thanks to the doubled white pawn on c3 and the excellent play offered on the queenside - at least in the Classical Winawer. Like all the openings, it has virtues which compensate for its defects. Nonetheless, the Winawer manages to polarize opinions in a particularly pronounced fashion. This becomes clear when you consider the fact that former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik used it for years as his main weapon against 1.e4, while another World Champion, Bobby Fischer,
~b4xc3+
5. b2xc3 d5xe4 White concedes the e4-pawn with the idea of exploiting the enemy's weakened kingside with
6. ~d1-g4 The gambit 6f3?! is interesting bu t probably lIot completely sound. t2igS-f6! 6. 7. 'iiVg4xg7 S. 'lWg7-h6 9. t2ig1-e2
llhS-gS t2ibS-d7 c7-c5
Black reaches a balanced pOSition in which the weakness of the dark squares is compensated for by better development. In practical play, the results are slightly in Black's favour, which is a 197
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 simple enough explanation for this line's lack of popularity with white players.
B) 4. ~d1-g4 Another very direct line: g7 is undefended and White attacks it. 4.
...
lDgB-fS!
Black must always react energetically to justify the positional deficiencies of the Winawer. ~ hB-gB 5. ~g4xg7 S. ~g7-hS Again, Black must respond dynamically:
5.
...
lDgB-fS
Or 5 ... ~xd4 6.0-0-0 h5! 7.~e2!? ~d7 8 .lDxe4, with an unclear game. S.
~g4xg7
.l::!:hB-gB
7.
~g7-hS
~dBxd41
B.
0-0-0
~ b4-fB!
An excellent idea of Bronstein's, which he played in his 1950 match against Isaac Boleslavsky. 9. 'i\'hS-h4 10. ~ h4-h3 11. ~f1-e2
n gB-g4 ~ d4xf2!
J:lg4-h4!
S. ... c7-c5! After 6... dxe4?! 7.lDe2!, White is better. 7. e4-e5 c5xd4 B. a2-a3 ~ b4-fB!
Deliberately rising to the bait. 12. 'llIYh3xh4 13. g2-g3
~f2xh4
This would appear to win back the queen with interest, but in reality there is :
9. 'ti'hSxfS 10. e5xfS
'llIYdBxfS d4xc3
13 .... 14.g3xh4 15. 'it>c1xd2
with a small advantage for Black. C)
4. iiLc1-d2
The Keres Gambit. White prevents the creation of a doubled pawn on c3 but allows the e4-pawn to be taken. 4. ... d5xe4 5. 'llIYd1-g4! Alekhine played 5.lDxe4?, but after 5 ... VWxd4 White does not have sufficient compensation.
198
e4-e3 e3xd2+ j&cB-d7
and if one of the players is better off, it is Black. He may have lost the exchange, but the two united passed eand f-pawns are supported by his two bishops, and they will soon start to advance. White's pOSition is not easy to play. D)
4.
e4xd5
5.
~f1-d3
eSxd5
French Defence - Winawer Variation
5 ... ~e7 6. 0,xe4 0,f6 is also perfectly playable, giving Black an improved version of the Rubinstein Variation 6. ttJe2xc3
This move has been relatively popular since the 1990s as a reasonably safe way of avoiding the strategic complexity of the Winawer, ending up with a sort of improved version of the Exchange Variation. After the exchange on c3, if Black develops his knight to e7 to avoid the pin with ~g5, plans centred around 'iVh5 have proved to be troublesome. When this line was first used, players had difficulty dealing with it. However, after a while, the remedy was found : 5. ... c7-c6! This allows the b4-bishop to return to d6 after 6 .a3; or, after the natural 6.t2le2, Black can continue with 6.J[je7 without haVing to fear 'iYh5 . E) 4. ttJg1-e2 One of the most solid alternatives to 4.e5, which is very popular at low levels of play, where there is a tendency to avoid the doubled c-pawn. 4. ... d5xe4 Both 4 ... 0,f6 and 4 ... 0,c6 are also playable. 5. a2-a3 The idea is that if Black wants to keep the e4-pawn he will have to do without his dark-squared bishop. 5. ... ~b4xc3+
Now the avaricious 6 ... f5?! is perhaps not as bad as people say: however, it does give White a promising position after 7.f3! exf3 8.'ihf3. Therefore the best thing is to counterattack on the d4-square: 6. ... ttJbS-c6! 7. d4-d5!? A logical attempt to open up the game for the two bishops. 7.jLb5 0,e7 8.0,xe4 a6leads to equality. 7. ... e6xd5 S. ~d1xd5 ttJgS-e7 and neither player has the advantage. We will now return to the main move: 4. e4-e5 White's closing of the centre would indicate a reaction on the flanks and indeed, 4 ... c5 is the most popular move here. Leaving aside 4 ... 0,e7, which usually leads back to the main line, there are valid alternatives that are often based on the attempt to exchange the bad c8-bishop for White's good one with ... b7 -b6. These alternatives are pOSitionally justified, although it is im199
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 portant to underline that Black remains dangerously behind in development, and that White has a big space advantage. You are therefore dealing with lines that are suitable for solid and patient players who like to manoeuvre behind their own lines. There also exists another incredible alternative, which we will look at first :
4 ....
A)
i1l.b4-fS!?
Compared to the normal Advance Variation, White already has his knight on c3 and it's his turn to move! However, Black will try to prove that the knight is badly placed on c3, where it blocks the c2-pawn. In addition, on f8 the bishop defends g7 from the ~g4 incursion and Black prepares ... b6 and .. ..¥La6. If White believes these considerations to be valid, he could continue with the even more paradoxical 5.ttJbl!? returning to the 3.e5 variation ... But usually White is sceptical and continues with the natural 5.liJf3. Black's tournament results, though not exceptional, are acceptable. Please note that you can often reach this pOSition via the Steinitz Variation(!!) with the move sequence 3 ... tUf6 4.e5 tUg8. 200
B) ~dS-d7 4 . ... This move is more 'normal', even if it appears unnatural: it serves to defend g7 from aside. Black will play ... f? -f5 if White moves his queen to g4.
This side-defence of g7 is better achieved from d7 than from e7. because it leaves the e7 -square vacant for the knight, whereas the c8-bishop develops to a6. Usually, White proceeds with 5. a2-a3 ~ b4xc3+ The move 5 ... .¥Lf8!? is also playable here, for the reasons explained before ... but why play the Winawer if you are not prepared to concede the bishop? 6. b2xc3 b7-b6 The obvious strategic objective is to exchange the bad bishop. 7.
~ d1-g4
The most energetic. f7-f5 7. S. 'iYg4-g3 ~cS-a6 9. ~f1xa6 lLlb8xa6 10. lLlg1-e2 Heading for f4. lLla6-bS! 10. ... With the intention of going to c4 via c6-a5. 11. lLle2-f4 weS-f7!? Preparing ... tUe7; the move 11 ... tUc6 is too risky because of 12.tUxe6! VJilxe6 13.~xg7
French Defence - Winawer Variation
and White would appear to have the advantage. White in effect has a certain initiative after 12. '&'g3-f3 t2Jg8-e7 13. 'iYf3-h5+! ~f7-g8 14. J:th1-g1 with the idea of advancing the pawn to g4. However, Black's position is very solid and not easy to break down.
C) 4 .... b7-b6 Prophylactically defending g7 turns out to be unnecessary. 5. 'iWd1-g4 .i&.b4-f8 This could be the reply to S .a3, too, although S... ~xc3+ 6.bxc3 lDe7 is more in the spirit of the Winawer. 6. ~c1-g5 ~d8-d7 7. f2-f4 ~c8-a6 White has a tiny edge. As we have pOinted out above, the most popular move is
4 ....
c7-c5
5. t2Jg8-e7! White's idea was lDbS with the unpleasant threat of a check on d6. Black therefore hurries to castle. For this reason the natural-looking 5... cxd4?! is of doubtful merit: if the black king has to move to f8, White's attack can become very dangerous. 6. t2Jc3-b5 6.a3 and 6.dxcS!? are playable, even though not problematic for Black. 6. .i&.b4xd2+ 7. '&'d1 xd2 0-0 8. c2-c3 White has preserved the integrity of his centre, but at the price of a slight lag in development and his bS-knight is away from the action. Black will be able to reach equality by developing normally. B)
5. ~d1-g4
which puts White's centre in crisis. Here the most common continuation is S.a3, which aims to solidify the centre. However, two important alternatives for White are worth noting .. A)
5.
~c1-d2
Not as dangerous here as it is on the 7th move, when - after the exchange on c3 201
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 - the centre is less fluid. However, the move should not be treated lightly. 5. ... tLlgS-e7 Naturally, Black will not lose time defending g 7. He seeks counterplay speculating on White's unstable centre. 6. tLlg1-f3! A positional choice. 6.'fllxg7?! is premature because of 6...l!1gB 7.'fllh6! cxd4 B.a3 Lc3+ (with the queen on h7, the move 8 ... '/:IVas would be extremely powerful, as after 9.axb4 ~xal the bishop on c1 would now be unprotected) 9.bxc3 'l:\Yc7 and Black has an improved version of the main line 7. ViVg4. Back to 6.tLlf3. Now the simplest reply is 6. ... c5xd4 7. tLlf3xd4 tLle7-g6! which counterattacks the e5-pawn: defending it with a piece is not easy and £'2-f4 leaves the white queenside in trouble after ... tLlc6 and ... ~ a5.
A) 5 .... c5xd4 Starting a tactical sequence typical of the Nimzo-Indian, where after a2-a3 Black takes on d4 so he can retreat the bishop to e7. But here White has another possibility: 6. a3xb4! Damaging his own pawn structure: however, White obtains play on the dark squares that is more promising than in the normal Winawer. 6. d4xc3 7. tLlg1-f3!
Let's return to the main line. 5. a2-a3 7. bxc3 ? ! 'iWc7 gives Black the advantage.
7. ... tLlgS-e7 S. ~f1-d3 White often loses a pawn; on the other hand, he has the freer game and the two bishops. B)
At this point the normal continuation is 5 ... hc3 +, which we will call the Classical Winawer. We will take a look at this after we have examined two alternatives for Black. The Hrst is 5 ... cxd4, which is rather rare: the second option 5 .. .£La5 is becoming ever more popular.
202
5.
~b4-a5
French Defence - Winawer Variation The Armenian Variation, which has been very fashionable since the late 1990s and is now threatening the historical domination of the Classical Winawer. Yet, strangely it had not been dignified with a name until a short time ago, on account of its successful adoption by the Armenian grandmasters 5mbat Lputian and Rafael Vaganian. The concept is very logical: instead of stabilizing the centre with an exchange on c3, Black keeps the tension, forcing White to take extreme measures: we are referring to Alekhine's energetic move 6. b2-b4! In the past this response was considered so strong that players were discouraged from playing S ....\taS. However, as is often the case, many of opening theory's old conclusions have been proved to be only partially true or even outright wrong. Still, although 6.b4 remains the most popular move, the search for alternative continuations that give an opening advantage is becoming more frequent; moves such as 6..td2!? or even 6.dxcS! ? The idea of 6.b4 is that after the obvious, but probably dubious 6 ... cxb4 7.tOb5!, White obtains a clear advantage, at least according to the opening theory of the past. However, after 7 ••• tOc6! 8.axb4 .\txb4+ 9.c3 .\te7 10 ..\ta3
you reach a distincdy improved version of the Sicilian Wing Gambit. This is certainly not easy for Black to meet. However, is this enough to justify speaking of an objective advantage for White? Whatever the answer to that may be, the best move is 6 .... c5xd4!
White, as is so often the case in the opening, can choose between an aggressive and a solid continuation. B1) 7. 'ilUd1-g4 The immediate 7.bxaS dxc3 8.~g4 tOe7 is simply a transposition. 7. ... liJgB-e7 B. b4xa5 8.'iWxg7 also transposes. B.... d4xc3 9. 'ilUg4xg7 .IlhB-gB 10. ~ g7xh7 liJbB-c6
~
" -f':"
A'it'. X " ... , 'iV
...
,
'f':"
203
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I Let's look at the interesting position that has arisen, which is very reminiscent of the analogous position in the Classical Winawer. Material is equal (the as -pawn will disappear soon), but strategically both positions have evident virtues and defects. White is behind in development and must defend eS; in compensation he has control of the dark squares, and in the endgame the h-pawn may be a winning trump card. For his part, Black quickly prepares .. . 0 - 0- 0 with .. .'iYc7/aS and ... ~d7, if necessary sacrificing the f7 -pawn, and he will activate his pieces - in particular his rooks - on the kingside, and the e7 -knight, moving it to fs, or to dS after ... d5-d4. Returning to concrete variations, White usually defends eS with the ambitious 11. f2-f4 This move does not contribute to White's development, which is already lagging, and the bishop on cl becomes bad. However, it reinforces the centre and prepares the insidious ttJf3-g5. The move 1 l. ttJf3 is also playable, and after 11 .. .'~Wc7! (preventing ttJgS) 12 .~f4 or I2. ~b5, the resulting positions are double-edged and give both players possibilities. A good example is the fa mous drawn game between Fischer and Tal in 1960. Let's return to the position after 11.f4. 11. ... 1ifd8xa5 12. ttJg1-f3 ~c8-d7 13. ttJf3-g5!? Or, more solidly, 13 Jlb1 0-0-0 14.'li'd3. 13. ... l:1g8xg5!? 0-0-0 14. f4xg5 with compensation for the exchange and a position that is difficult to evaluate. 204
82) 7. ttJc3-b5 The most solid alternative. 7. ... ~a5-c7 8. f2-f4 8.ttJf3 provides less reliable control of the centre, in view of 8 ... ttJc6 9 .~f4 ttJ ge7 with the idea of .. .ttJg6 . 8.
...
~c8-d7!
The latest idea. Its intention is to exchange the bad bishop if White 's knight doesn't take on c7 . 9. ttJg1-f3 If9. ttJxc7+ 'li'xc7 10.ttJf3 ttJe7 I l.~d3 a6 with the idea of .. .~b5, Black maintains eq uali ty.
9.
~d7xb5
ttJb8-d7! 10. ~f1xb5+ Here the knight has better prospects than on c6, as it is able to transfer to c4 via b6.
French Defence - Winawer Variation 11. 0-0 tt'lgS-e7 12. tt'lf3xd4 0-0 13. ~ b5-d3 g7-g6! White has a good space advantage and the two bishops, but Black is solid on the kingside, and can reasonably hope to exploit the weaknesses on White's queenside created by the pawn advance b2-b4. If the pawn were on b2, White would probably be better. However, the position as it stands is dynamically balanced.
The Classical Winawer 5 .... ~b4xc3+ 6. b2xc3 Here we have the key position of the Classical Winawer.
all the characteristics of a slow manoeuvring struggle. Naturally, White has his own trumps to play: he will seek to exploit the weakness on g7, moving the queen to g4; or develop his pieces more solidly and naturally, hoping to put his dark-squared bishop to good use when the game inevitably opens. Black can castle either kingside or queens ide, and attack the head of the white pawn chain by ... f? -f6. In the lines with kingside castling, he can advance the pawn to c4 to prevent the opening of attacking lines for White; White sometimes opens up the game with the 'sacrilegious' dxc5. It is no wonder that the Classical Winawer is considered to be such a strategically complex opening. Now, 6 .. .tiJe7 is the natural move, demonstrating that Black is not afraid of the attack on g7 with 'iWg4. However, if you wish to avoid the complications that this involves, there are two alternatives: A) 6 . ... ~dS-a5 Another case of re-evaluation. 7.
For the moment White's centre is sufficiently solid, and the usual pressure applied by Black to d4, which is typical of many French variations, is less effective here, given that White has a second c-pawn with which to support the centre. Black's trump cards are the weaknesses of the white a-pawn, the c2-pawn and the c4-square, which can be effectively occupied by a knight. In addition, Black can exert strong pressure along the c-file. The position has
~c1-d2
'iYa5-a41
Not so much to attack d4 as to prevent a3-a4. S. ~d1-g4! 205
Chess Opening Essentials - Volum e 1
8.'iYbl does not produce anything special, as there is 8 .. .c4; while after 8.tLJ f3 b6!, Black frees himself of the bad bishop with .. .~a6, with equality. 8, ... g7-g6!? An example of the beautiful complexity of chess: every position has its own individual nature. This move has always been considered to be inferior to the thematic 8 ... tLJe7, which concedes the g7 pawn in exchange for an initiative. But here 8 ... g6 is actually the best move. The difference is the attack on the c2-pawn, which is not easy to defend. This is so crucial that the best move seems to be the paradoxical 9. 'irg4-d1! A pendulum manoeuvre that also occurs in other variations of the Winawer. b7-b6! 9 .... Safer than the premature 9... cxd4?! which, by opening lines, highlights the weakness of the dark-square complex. 10. h2-h4 h7-h5 11. tLlg1-f3 ~c8-a6
and the position is balanced. B) 6, ... llVdB-c7 As in the 4 ... 'iVd7 variation, Black takes measures against "VWg4, defending g7 from aside, with the difference that c7 is a more natural square. 206
7.
llVd1-g4
White plays this all the same. However, here it would be interesting to transpose to the positional main line with 7 .tLJ f3, considering that in this variation the black queen is more actively placed on as. 7. ... f7-f5 With 7 ... tLJe7 you transpose to the Poisoned Pawn Variation, which we will look at later. However, 6 .. .'VJlic7 is generally played in order to avoid this line. An alternative option is 7 .. .f6, keeping more tension in the pawn structure. B. 'iYg4-g3 c5xd4 If 8...tLJe7?! is played immediately, then 9.'fHxg7 J:g8 1O.W!ixh7 cxd4 l1.';t;dl! is strong. g, c3xd4 tLlgB-e7 10. ~c1-d2 Now 10.'ftIxg7?? would simply lose a rook. 10. _ 0-0 11. ~f1-d3 b7-b6 12, tLlg1-e2 With its eye firmly on f4! 12.... ~c8-a6 13. tLle2-f4 'ftIc7-d7 14. h2-h4 White has an unpleasant kingside initiative, but if Black likes to play the French, this should not worry him too much.
French Defence - Winawer Variation N ow back to the main lin e. 6.
...
tiJgB-e7
We finally examine the move which is the most popular and the most combative. The diagram shows White's principal options. He has various plans to choose from.
B. 9. ~c1-d2 Thematic.
'/WdB-a5
10. 11. 12. 13.
tiJbB-c6 h7-h6 i..cB-d71
J:!:h1-h3! h4-h5 'iWg4-f4 J:!: h3-f3
~a5-a4
~d7-eB
f'
t
t , __ ,_
The most direct is to move the queen to g4. but the slower-paced plans 7.h4-h5 and 7.tbf3 - with or without a3 -a4 are also played.
The Poisoned Pawn Variation 7.
'ilVd1-g4
The most aggressive reply. Now Black usually sacrifices the g7 -pawn with 7 ... 'JlIic7 or 7 ... cxd4, which usually transposes. Alternatively, he can defend it with the solid 7 ... wfs or the provocative-looking 7 ... 0-0. A) weB-fB 7.... A solid alternative. The king is safer here than after kingside castling. However, the development problems of the hS-rook could become a factor. B. h2-h4 This move, with the idea of ~h3-g3, seems the best, even if the strange S. ~d2!? (to discourage .. :~Wa5) is interesting.
In true French fashion, White has a dangerous kingside initiative and Black has promising queenside play. Opening books claim a certain advantage for White, but in over-the-board play anything could happen. B) 0-0 7.... Black castles without fear of White's queen; the counterplay obtained by a w ell-timed ... f5 is sufficient to maintain a dynamic balance. Until a few years ago this so-called Warsaw Variation was viewed as a reasonable way to get off the beaten track and avoid a lot of theory. This is no longer the case; its recent popularity has made it topical, with the inevitable explosion of related theory. B.
i..f1-d3!
This is by now considered to be the best : delaying tiJf3 gives White the possibility to retreat his queen to d 1 in some variations, when Black is forced to weaken his position with ... g6 because of'iVh5. 207
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume
f7-f5 S .... The safest. 8 ... 4:lbc6 is playable, but you need to have a good knowledge of the variations that follow. 9. ~h5! is a little crude but effective: 9 ... 4:lg6! (9 ... h6? has proved to be good for White: 1O.it.xh6! gxh6 11. "fIixh6) 10.4:lf3 'fIfc7 II.h4!? cxd4! I V;t>d I! and White has a dangerous initiative, even if not necessarily a winningone. 9. e5xf6 l:!:.f8xf6 10. it.c1-g5 10.'i¥hS h6!? Il.g4 4:lbc6! 12.g5 g6! 13.~xh6 Il:f7 14.it.xg6 Jlg7 15.it.d3 e5 with good counterplay for Black. 10. ... l:!f6-f7 10 ... 4:ld7 is interesting but the compensation for the exchange after 11. 'iYh4! appears doubtful. g7-g6 11. 'iWg4-h5 12. 'iWh5-d1!
Again this recurring theme: the queen returns to its home square. 12. ... 4:lbS-c6 13.4:lg1-f3 'iHdS-fS! 14.0-0 In theory, White has a small advantage thanks to his control of the dark squares, but in practice Black's kingside initiative means that both players have chances. 208
C) 7.... 'ildS-c7 This remains the most popular move in the Classical Winawer.
S. 'iVg4xg7 8.it.d3 is interesting. After 8 ... cxd4 (8 ... c4!? is playable and perhaps safer) 9.4:le2 dxc3 10.'i¥xg7 Il:g8 11.'iYxh7 4:lbc6 (1l...'i¥xe5!?) 12 .it.f4 it.d7 13 .0-0 0-0-0, we have another Poisoned Pawn type situation that is hard to assess. J:[hS-g8 S. 9. iVg7xh7 c5xd4
It should be remembered that Black's 7th and 9th moves can be played in reverse order. This key position is analogous to the more famous one from the Sicilian Najdorf, and is therefore called the Poisoned Pawn Variation of the
French Defence - Winawer Variation Winawer. How much pOison the pawn actually contains is the question that lies before us. The dual threat against eS and c3 allows Black to recover the pawn (I 0.cxd4?? would lose the aI-rook after 10 ...~ c3 + ), after which the strategic considerations are the same as those already discussed in the Armenian Variation with 'il'g4. White now has two possibilities to deal with Black's threats: C1)
10.
13.... 14. ~f4xe5 15. ~h7-h41 16. ~h4-d4 17. ~e5xd4
~c7-b6!
llg8xg5 1:[g5-g8 'iYb6xd4+
~e1-d1
Who is better om Black has a good mass of pawns in the centre, but it may not be a good idea to advance them, as they could become a target for White's two bishops. If this position is not Black's cup of tea, he might prefer the complications that ensue after 1 1... tLlxeS!? A rare line, but a very dangerous one where Black needs to know his stuff White protects himself against the queen fork on c3 and the queen check on eS in an unnatural way. In compensation, the knight can later develop to £3, where it is definitely more active than on e2. 10. ... tLl b8-c6 11. tLlg1-f3 d4xc3 Safer than the other capture Il ... tLlxeS lLiilf4 ~xc3 13. tLl xeS! ~xal+ 14 ..ltcl d3! lS. ~xf7+ >t>d8 16. ~f6! dxc2+, with a position that is difficult to weigh up. 12. tLlf3-g5 tLl c6xe5 13. ~c1-f4 13f4 f6! appears to be good for Black.
C2) 1 O. tLlg 1-e2 Defending c3 and, indirectly, eS. 10. ... tLlb8-c6! IjlO ... Wixe5? l1.cxd4, and White simply has an extra pawn. 11. f2-f4 1l.cxd4? tLlxd4! - again the theme of the queen check on c3. 11 .... ~ c8-d7 12. ~ h7-d3 Forcing Black to clarify the position in the centre and freeing the path for the h-pawn which is ready to march all the waytoh8! 12.... d4xc3 This position has been reached hundreds of times and it is still not clear 209
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
which of White's many alternatives is the best.
He can take on c3 with the queen or the knight, or he can move the cI-bishop to e3 or the rook to bI. Another alternative is to advance the h-pawn. White tries to organize his forces, which at the moment are not harmoniously placed. He hopes to make the most of the extra pawn that he will have, the two bishops, and the passed h -pawn. For his part, Black will castle queenside and seek to activate his pieces by placing one knight on fS and the other on c4 by way of as. Sometimes he will play .. .£7 -f6 to undermine White's centre and activate th e d7 -bishop, moving it to g6 via e8, and he often pushes ...dS -d4, to break open the white king's position . It is not possible here to examine all of the variations exhaustively. We will therefore present only one of the many p ossible lines, which is, however, indicative of the strategic and tactical complexity of the system. 13. tiJe2xc3!? a7-a6 To stop tiJbS . 14. lla1-b1 Always a useful move, and in this case it is particularly venomous. 210
tiJc6-a5! 14 .... After the mechanical 14...0-0-0?, there follows lS. 'VJHxa6!. 15. h2-h4 tiJe7-f5 Threatening I6 .. Jlg3 . 16. 1:rh1-h3 0-0-0 17. h4-h5 tiJa5-c4
with a position that is truly difficult to assess. In these situations, opening experts usually hedge their bets and make do with 'good possibilities for both players'.
Classical Winawer Positional Lines Now we will have a look at the positional lines in the Classical Winawer, where White does not seek to capture the g7-pawn, but instead is happy to emerge from the opening phase with his pieces harmoniously placed and, at the most, with some expansion on the kingside without decentralizing his queen. The first of the three variations that w e will examine is the least common : A)
7.
h2-h4
French Defence - Winawer Variation
Black's lead in development compensates for his structural weaknesses. B)
tilb8-c6 7. 8. h4-h5 '¥!fd8-a5 9. Sl.c1-d2 Sl.c8-d7!? Black is correct in continuing to develop without worrying about the weakening of the dark-square complex. Alternatively, 9 ... h6 10."iV g4 4:JfS 11. ~d3 tilce7 12.dxcS! gives White a freer game. 9 ... cxd4 10.cxd4 "iVa4 12.4:Jf3!? 4:Jxd4 is playable, even if by playing 13 .~d3 White achieves excellent compensation for the pawn. 10. h5-h6 At this point White must follow through with his idea, as after the banal developing move 10.4:Jf3 the move 10 ... h6! would be good, since "iV g4 is no longer playable. 10.... g7xh6! 0-0-0 11. tilg1-f3
7.
tilg1-f3
In view of the possible transpositions to line B, which we have just looked at, or to D, the final line, w e will now deal with the variations in which White does not play either h2-h4 or a3-a4. B1) ~c8-d7!? 7.... With the idea of ... ~a4. Here the fol lowing unaesthetic move is interesting: 8. d4xc51? Sl.d7-a4 9. l:ta1-b1
The active placement of White's pieces compensates for his bad pawn structure. 111
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 82) ~d8-a5 7.... is playable: ttJ bS-c6 S. il.c1-d2 9. .I1i.f1-e2 For 9.a4, see Variation D below. iLcS-d7 9. ... 10.0-0 c5-c4! Not 1O... 'il'a4? on account ofll. ~bl!, after which both 12.'fHxb7 and 12.~b5 are threatened.
11. ttJf3-g5!?
h7-h6 11. ... 12. ttJg5-h3 The manoeuvre ttJf3-g5-h3, to get to f4 and, if necessary, h5, is common in these variations. ttJe7-g6! 12 .... Now the position is approximately balanced. 83)
7....
The idea of exchanging the bad bishop with .. .~a6 is particularly good here. S. .l:i.f1-b5+ .l:i.cS-d7 9 . .l:i.b5-d3! With this manoeuvre White has prevented ... ~a6. 9. ... c5-c4 10. .i.d3-f1 In order to move the bishop to g2 or to h31ater on. 10.... ~d7-a4! Black obstructs the pawn on a3: for this reason the variation with ... b6, which is excellent here, is not as good after 7.a4, when the a4-square becomes inaccessible for Black. For this reason, many experts consider that 7.a4 is in fact the most accurate of White's solid alternatives. 11. h2-h4 h7-h6 12. h4-h5 w eS-d7! Black has brought his king to safety; and after 13. g2-g3
'C""
b7-b6
he obtains a satisfactory position with 13.... ~ d8-g8! The idea is to put the c2-pawn under pressure with ... 'fHh7. C) 212
7. a3-a4
French Defence - Winawer Variation
This move is not played so much to open the a3-f8 diagonal for the dark-squared bishop, which rarely happens, but more to prevent Black from occupying the a4-square with the bishop or the queen. It also assists a possible if.bS, which is often a useful move. 7. ttJbB-c6 S. ttJg1-f3 fidS-a5 9. if.c1-d2 White prefers to keep the queens on the board: the old 9.'iilVd2 is rarely played today, and does not cause problems for Black: 9 .. .~d7 10. ~a3 cxd4 11.cxd4 'iYxd2+ 12.'.t>xd2 ttJfs. 9. ... ~cB-d7 This is a tabiya position.
10. ~f1-b5 This move is in the spirit of the RUy Lopez and it has become more popular than the more natural 10 .if.e2 or 10 .~d3. White seeks to discourage
...f? -f6 and in some variations adds a drop of pOison to the threat of c4. The idea is that if Black plays 10 ... a6, White can take on c6 or, better still, retreat to e2, after which the weakness on b6 should become apparent. This is a subtlety, as something can only be considered a weakness if it can be exploited. 10. ... a7-a6 11. ~b5-e2 f7-16!? ~a5-c7 12. c3-c4 13.c4xd5 ttJe7xd5 14. c2-c4 ttJd5-e7 g7xf6 15. e5xf6 16. d4-d5!?
In this position, anything can happen. The weakness on b6, which is absent in the analogous variation with 10. ~e2, does not appear to be significant. If Black does not like the very open character of this line, he can choose to close the position with 10 ... c4!?, or protect himself against the c2-c4 advance with 10 .. .'t!Vc7. Alternatively, he can safely continue with 10 ...f6. All of these alternatives lead to acceptable games. This confirms that in most openings the number of playable moves is much greater than you might think. Some variations are much more popular than others simply because we tend to copy the moves played by champions. 213
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
.. Ragozin, Viacheslav .' Botvinnik,Mikhail • Moscow 1936 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tbc3 .tb4 4.a3 .bc3+ 5.bxc3 dxe4 6.'ii'g4 tbfG 7.'fIixg7 l:tgS S:~h6 c5 9.tbe2tbc6 . 10.£i.b2 ·jld7 11.l:!d1 l:!g6 12.'iYe3 'iraS 13.dxcS 0-0-0 14.tbg3 tbg4 1S.1i'xe4 ~xcS 16.l:1d2 'irb6 17.j.c1 f51S.'flfc4 ~b119.tbe2 ~b6 20.tbf4 ::99S 21.~d3 ~bS 22.'ii'b3 VJKc7 23.: e2 eS 24.tbe6 oItxe6 2S:~'xe6 e4 26.~bS tbceS 27.c4 tbxh2 " 0-1 2S.Ilxh2
.!:xd6 26.l:IeS Vif3 27.11xhS 'iVxh5 2S.J:reS+ ~h7 . 29.'iVxd3+ 'il'g6 30.'Wt'd1 l:te6 3UtaS l:leS 32.l::txa7. cS 33.l:!d7 . ~e6 34.'i!fd3+ g6: 35JldS d4 36.a4 l:te1+ 37.g2 ~c6+ 3S.t3l:le3 39:~d1 ~e640.g4 , :t::e2+ 41.~h3 'ile3 42:iWh1 ' 'i¥f4 43.hSllf2 0-1 .~£
Alekhine,Alexander Nimzowitsro,Aaron
Bled 1931 (6) 1.e4 eS 2.d4 dS 3.tbc3 il.b4 4.tbe2: dxe4 S.a3 ~c3+ 6.tbxc3 fS?! 7.f3!. [7 ..¥t.c4 tDf6 S..tg5 0-0 9.'iWd2 tLlc6 , Steinitz,Wilhelm 10.0-0-0 ~h8 11.f3 t exf3 12.gxf3±" Winawer.Szymon . Maroczy-Seitz, Gyor 1924; 7 .i.f4!? tbf6. • Paris 1867 8.f3 (S.'iI'd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 tbhS 10.i.c4: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.tbc3 .tb4 4.exdS . tbc6 11.f3! (l1.tLie2? tbe7 12.f3 tbxf4 exdS S.~d3 '~e6 6.tbf3 h6 7.0-0 . J3. tbxf4 tbd5+ Pilnik-Stahlberg, Mar" ~xc3 ; S.bxc3 tbd7 9.l:!b1 tbb6 .'; del Plata 1943) 1 I...exf3 (1 L.tb~f4? ·10.tbeS tjje711.f4 o'tf5 12..bfS tbxf5 12.'t!Yxf4 tbxd4 13.tbb5 e5 14.c3±) 13.~a3 ttJd6 14.fS tbe4 1S.f6 g6 12.gxf3 tbxf4' 13.'iIll'xf4· '@'d6 14."ttVe3 16.VJig4 'ircS 17.'ihg6 'i'e6 1S.'iI'g7 ~hS 15.f4;1;) S... O-O (S ... exf3 9.~xf3 · 0-0-0 19.1bxf7 tbxc3 20.tbxdS l:1xdS 'Wxd4? 10.tbb5+- ·Alekhlile) 9.fxe4 21.f7 tbd7 22 ..!:be1 tbe2+ ' 23.~h1 tbxe4 JO.tbxe4 fxe4 11.'iVd2 tbd7 cS 24.il.xcS 'i!t'e4 2S.f8'i1' i ·tbxfS 12.~e2 c5 Thomas-NirnZOwitsch/ 26.l:txfS tbg3+ 27.'tWxg3 l:lxfS Marienbad 1925] i ..:exf3 S:ifxf3 2S.il.xfS 1-0 ~xd4 [S ... 'i¥h4+ 9.g3 ,'i¥xd4 I 0.~f4! ., (IO.tbbS!? (Alekhine) 10 ...'WdS Capablanca,Jose Raul . (lo .. :illcS 1 1.~e3 "'ife7 12 ..tg5!) Alekhine,Alexander " 1 L~.f4 tba6 · 12.J::!.dl 'iIll'e7 13 .tbd6+! Bueno~' Aires Weh m 192 7 (I') cxd614.Axd6 'iIll'fl IS.ha6±) 10 ... c6' 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tbc3 ~b4 4.exdS 1 L'tIVh5+ g6 12.'iWe2 '\ikg713.0-0-0± exdS S.~d3tLlc6 6.tbe2tLlge7 7.0-0 (Lars~) 13 •.. tbf6 14.'Wd2 ~fl 15 ~.th6 ' ~fS ' S..bfS tLlxfS 9.1i'd3 'i¥d7 lIkg8 16.~c4 'iVeS: i 7.g4!±; '· S... tbf6 10.tLld1 0-0 11.tbe3 tLlxe3 12..be3 9 ..tf4 (9 ..ltg5) 9.:.0-0 ' 10.0-0-0 c6' llfeS 13.tbf4 ~d6 14J:tfe1 tbb4 11.h3 tbd5 12.tbxd5 'iiixd5 13.1i'c3!±' 1S:iYb3 'iWfS 16.l:lac1 tbxc217J:txc2 Matokhin-Birnov, USSR 1949] 9.~g3! 'YWxf4 . 1S.g3 'it'fS " 19.1:tce2 b6 [9 ..lte3!? 'iWg4 10.iff2 tLif6 II.h3 'Wg6 20.'iWbS hS 21.M l:te4 22.il.d2 :xd4 12.0-0-0 0-0 13 ..ltc4 tbc6 , 14-.g4 23.~c3 l:ld3 24.~eS ndS 25.il.xd6 Chalabi-Mashian, .. Munich 01 1955; 214
French Defence - Winawer Variation
~9 .tbbS!? 'i!fh4~ lO:g3 'i!fe7 c" 1 '1 ~'iV~3! \tba6 (11. .. c6 12 ..§l.f4) 12.M4 tbf6 13.~g2 0-0 14.0-0-0 tbe8 IS.~he1 'Tilevic-Ra1:linovich, Sverdlovsk 1957] ,9...tbfSI? 10:iixg7 'ife5+? ·· [::::: \ 1o... ~g8i] 11.i..e2 %%g8 12:it'hS ilgS ' 13,'ifh4± ';j ~d7?1 [13 ... l'Jxg2? ;J 4.i..f4+-Alekhine;'- 13.'.. .ttg4!? 14.'iYf2 tbc6 15.0-0 l:rg7 Kmoch} ; 14.~g51" £t.cS? [l4... tbc6] '15.0-0-0+':' .b g2 · 1S..l:the1 .te4 i 17.~h5 tbxh51S.!tdS+ ~f7 ; 19.1txh5 [I9 ...c;t>g7 20.tbxe4 fxe4 21..§l.h6++-] . " 1-0
,. 13.'~b1
[13.'iixaSl?] 13..:ibd2 . 14.J:[xd2 fSI=1= 15.gxfS [IS,f4? fxeS] 15...gxfS1S.i..h3 [seeking salvation in a tactical skirmish] 1S...fxe5 17.tbc7 .!:tbS 1S.tbxeS %XfS 19.tbc7 .bh3 20.tbxh3 lbf3 2U~dd1 exd4 22.tbxd5 1:I.f5 23.tbdf4 UbfS 24.tbd3 tt:Jce5 25.tbxe5 llxe5 2S.tbg1!? tbg5! 27.h4 tbeS 2S.l'.Ih2 J:Ie4?! 29.f31lle3 30.l::te21 l'Jf4 3Ube3 dxe3 ·32,l'.Id3 trxh4 33Jlxe3 tbd4 ~.l:{e4 l:txe4 [34...ltJxf3? 3S. l::te8+_ wfl 36.tbxf3 l'.'th1 + 37.Ilel!+-] 3S.fxe4 Wf7 3S.'iitc1 ~S 37.~d2 t ,',. .' ~eSI 3S.'~e3 hS 39.a3 [39.tbh3!?] Steiner,Lajos . . ~" 39 ...aS 40.tbh3 tbc2+.. [40 ... tbe6] 41.wd3 [41.~d2tbd4 42.We3 tbe6] Nimzowitsch,Aaron '~" '. Berlin 1~2 8 (10) 41 ..:tbe1+ 42.We2 tZlg2 43.c;t>t3 l1.e4 eS 2.d4 dS 3.tbc3 i..b4 4.eS c5 tbh4+ 44.~e3 0.gS 4S.tbgS<M6 S..td2 ltJe7 6.a3 .bc3 7.bxc3 c4 4S.tbh7+ ~g7 47.tbgS ~S . S.h4 hS 9.~e2 tbfS 10.g3 gS 11 ..i.g'S 4S.tZlh7+ ~e7! 49.tbgS [49.'~(d4 ,'\WaS ' 12:iWd2 GbcS 13.£dS : gS tZlf8! SO.tbgS tZle6+!-+] 49 ...lbeS ~14.tbh3 ~d71S.tbgS ltJhS 1S.f3 9iic7 50.~d4 ~d6 S1.tbh3 a4 S2.tZlf4 h4 ·17.g4 J:IeS 1S.~g7 tLlgS 19.9xh5 S3.tZlh3 bSI S4.tbf4 bS SS.Gbh3 gxhS 20.f4 tbce7 21 ..bh5 tbfS tbcS+ S6.'iite3 Wc5 57.'iitd3 b41 SS.axb4+ xb4 S9.W·c 2 Gbd4+ 22 ...txf7 tbxg7 23 ..beS tbxe8 ' 24.tbf7tbgfS 2S.exfS tbxf62S.tbg5 SO.b1 tZleS! S1.a2 [61.Wc2 Wt4 tbh5 27:iYe3 il.d7 2S.'iVeS+ h1 J:tf652.Wg1 ,,: t30.dxeS - Botvinnik; 30.he7 ttlxe7] ;WbS . 53.l:th2 ,: llf! ' 54.ltg2.' 1%13 ' 30.)iJxd41.[30 ...0,xi6 31.'iVxa6 'if~6 '55.e7 40Jtx~ 'Wxg4+:
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::." Smyslov.VasilY ,J·' , . Botvinnik:Mikhail
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:J.e4 eS 2.d:4 d5 ~.lbc3. ~:4.e5 c5 . tarsen.Bent ( . ,L i .( 5.a3 'hc3+ S~bxC3 0,e7 7.a4 0,ix;6 Denverm1971(1) ' , " .' '! 'albf3 'fi'a5 9~d2 c4 10.lbg5 [10.h4'... :' 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.0,c3 Ab4 4.e5 :(Stciner): 10':g3\] Hl.:.hS ·11.tt;lh3 0,9S ·,,~.. ·:Ci:Je7 5.a3 ii.xc3+ . S.bxc3 c5 7084' ~ 12.ti'f3?1 . [12.f4 ..ad7 · 13.g4 ·, (Fi~e); - ' tbbc6 B.tiJf3 ~d7 9.~d3 'WIc7 10:0-0', nAe2 ··'il.d7 ' 13;il.h5;t] " 12_~7 . _C4 11 ..te2 f6 12.lte10,g6 13.ii.a3 :13:tiJf4 lbxf4 .: 14J~·xf40,e7!15.h4 fxe5 14.dxe5 0,cxe5 15.lLlxe5 0,xe5~ ~ha41:j: 1S.h5 (16.~e2 ' ~S 17...adl) ', 1S.'lWd4 ' lZlgS .' 17.kh5 ' ~f7 ·18.f4 ~ 1S.~'fi'b5!+ ,: 17.wd1 " [17.nel] ! lIhe819.f5 exf5 20.'1ifxdS+ >tiS . \7_trc81~ 1SJi.C1 [18 ..te2 tc6 19.94? ..." 21.~f3 , lbe5 '22:i!t'd4 wgS 23.l:txe5: :hc2t o. 20.Wx~2 ,. 'tIfb3+ " 2L,WcJ ' 'ifxe5 . 24:ii'xd7 l:tadB 25.'ilkxb7 rlb6-+] 18.:.rlCS ' 19ie2 I. [19.g4!?J'ife3+ 2S:Ji>f1 Ud2 27.~cS+ J:teS . ; .., . ' . 19.~l:taS20.wd2 0-0 [a questionable .. 2S..tc5 - 1:rf2+ : 29.Wg1 -.l:txg2+ 'mC;~_ . Whlte' now .developsa ~trongini. . 30.wxg2 . 'ifd2+ : 31.wh1 . .l:txc6 'tiative on the kingside;~ 20:~.'iYd7 21.g4 .. 32..lUc6 " 'ii'xc3 ,; 33.l::tg1+ . Wf6 t..ab5] 21.94! [21..L3?..\hc2! n1Lxe'i ' ,3:4JUa7 ~g5 35.~bS ti'xc2 ~S.a5 1i'b2!Botvinnik121_f6! 22.exfS lXxfS Wb2 '37.AdS+WeS 38.aS'fWa3 23.'ilkc7 ti3. ...e3] 23_l:!.f724:ii'd8+· 39.~b71Wc540.J:tb1c341.AbS 1-0 ... , ......... .... ...... ... 0,
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217
Chess Open inn Essentials - Volume I
Sicilian Defence 1.c2-e4 c7-c5
.
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In the Sicilian Defence, Black advances his pawn to c5 so as to make it as difficult as possible for White to achieve the ideal pawn centre, which consists of pawns on e4 and d4. Until the end of the I 920s, Black almost always preferred to directly occupy the centre with the classical move I ... e5. However, the Sicilian Defence has a big advantage over this move: usually White responds to ... c5 by advancing his pawn to d4 and then recaptures with the knight (the Open Sicilian). This gives Black the advantage of a central pawn majority; an e-pawn and d-pawn against the single white e-pawn. This structure has strategic characteristics that are more complex than those of the Open Garnes, and Black can end up with a variety of very different pawn fomlalions. White, for his part, can castle kingside or queenside. He can play strategically. or he can violently attack the black king by making use of his space advantage and better piece development, and the increased mobility granted by these factors. 218
White directs his forces to the kingside, and Black seeks an initiative on the queenside, exploiting the semi-open c-fiIe. There are, of course, the inevitable exceptions: a striking example is the Sveshnikov Variation, in which Black develops a strong kingside initiative against the white king! This complexity is well suited to the taste of modern players, who like to be able to determine the strategy of their own game, and not have it determined too much by the strategic intentions of their opponent, even if this relative autonomy entails greater risks. The Sicilian was virtually never played in the 19th century: it enjoyed a boom in the second half of the 20th century, and it is as vital and popular as ever at the beginning of the new millennium. Kasparov, whom many consider to be the strongest player of all time, played it almost exclusively, and his contributions, especially in the NajdorfVariation, have led to the creation of a very large body of theory. However, we are still far from plumbing the depths of this defence.
Minor Variations 2.tbf3 and 3.M leads to the Open Sicilian. However, there are quite a few players who, for one reason or another, prefer one of the following minor variations. These variations may not be quite as sharp as the main lines, but they should not be underestimated by Black. In particular, the Sicilian with 2.c3 otherwise known as the Alapin Variation - has become so popular lately that it is only because of convention that it is still classified as a minor system.
Sicilian Defence
Wing Gambit 1. e2-e4 2. b2-b4
c7-cS
The Wing Gambit has never been popular with elite players, and for the few who do use it at this level it is only brought out as a surprise weapon. White plays 2.b4 with the intention of giving up a pawn, in order to construct a strong pawn centre with 3.d4; or he will activate his pieces with 3.a3. Against correct play, White does not seem to gain sufficient compensation for the pawn. However, in practice it is not easy for Black to defend his position.
Morra Gambit Here is another gambit for adventure lovers, even if it is more positional by nature than most of the other gambits: 1. e2-e4 c7-cS 2. d2-d4 cSxd4 3. c2-c3 d4xc3 4. tLlb1 xc3 White gives up a pawn for development, and above all to make the c- and d-files available for occupation by his rooks. Black, denied his usual active play on the queenside, has to operate in a cramped and passive pOSition for many moves.
White usually develops his pieces very aggressively (usually: tLlf3, ttJc3, ~f4, ~c4, ~e2, .l:lfdl, l:!.acl) and Black must defend with precision. Black usually establishes a Scheveningen set-up (e6, d6, a6, ttJf6, ttJc6, ~e7, ~d7, 'iVc7 or 'iVb8) and normally delays kingside castling. A modern treatment of the Morra Gambit by Black involves advancing the pawn to e5: a drastic measure to prevent e4-e5 (which in many continuations causes Black serious problems). More rarely Black fianchettoes on the kingside in the style of the Dragon Variation. The Siberian Variation has become a very fashionable choice recently: tLlbB-c6 4. e7-e6 S. tLlg1-f3 6. ~f1-c4 'iVdB-c7 tLlgB-f6 7. 'tilfd1-e2 tLlf6-g4 B. 0-0
219
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
with the venomous idea of responding to 9.h3?? with 9... tt:ld4 and Black wins the queen. ~c7-b8 9. tt:lc3-b5 h7-h5! 10. h2-h3 a7-a6! 11. g2-g3 ~f8-c5 12. tt:lb5-c3 tt:lg4-e5 13. ~c1-f4 White does not have sufficient compensation for the pawn. The Morra Gambit is very popular at amateur level, but is viewed with suspicion by grandmasters. In view of this reservation, it is surprising how often these elite players decline the gambit and prefer to continue with 3... tt:lf6, transposing to positions from the Alapin Variation. Other ways of declining the Morra are 3 ... d5 or 3... d3. In conclusion, Black's extra pawn should count in the long term: at least in theory. However, as it happens, in the ensuing endgames the extra pawn is not always enough to guarantee a win.
2.f4 Variation 1. e2-e4 2. f2-f4
c7-c5
seek to break up White's aligned pawns in the centre with .. .e6 and ... d5 . Or he can immediately play 2...d5 to produce a kind ofimproved Scandinavian: d7-d5 2. ... 3. e4xd5 ~d8xd5 3 ... tt:lf6!? is an interesting gambit ~d5-d8 4. tLlb1-c3 Black's c5-pawn is without doubt more useful than White's f4-pawn. For this reason White usually postpones f4 until the third move, first preventing 2...d5 with 2.tt:lc3 ~'.~
Mariotti,Sergio ?";:;'" ''',
". KuZniin.Genitady
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; 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cxb4,3.d4 dS '4.eS tt:leS l ; S.a3 'iWb6 S.lL\e2 .itfS 7.axb4 lLlxb4 i· S.tLla3 :e8 9.tt:lf4.bC210.•g4 eS ; ; 11.AbS+ :' ~c6 ' '12.lLlxd5 '''' 'ifd8 ; :;13:lLlxc2 'i!fxd5 14.11b1 hS 1S.'ifh3 ~ i'ife4+ 1S.'itd1 :iVg4+. 17.1hg4 hxg4 : ~ 18..b4 . .tlc7 .. )9.i.xc6+'" nxc6 ! t20.11~b7 :~~7 21 .ltxaf:teS 22J:la4 l ~tCid5 23..td2 J:l:bS 24.lt>e2 , ..!te 7 ; \ 25.g3 O~O 2S:tLle3 . 11b2 27.tCixdS : ~exd5 " 28.:td1 l'1eS ' 29.wf1 : J:cc2 1 r 30:~e1 .igS 31.lta5~h7 32.Jlxd5 : ~lt>gS , 33.J:td6+ '~f5 ". 34.tl:d7 Wg6 \ ;35.d5.ie3 3S.tl:dS+~h7 37.fxe3 ; iJ:txh2 3S.lfd211bxd2 39.i.xd2 11Xd2 ! f40:e4 lld3 ' 41.gS 11.tild5 tt:lxd5 12.exd5 tt:lxf3+ 42.~g2 h5 43.~f3 Ue5 44..tXa7 w fS 13.'ifxf3 0-0 14J:Iab1 f5 15.a4 exf4 45.:.tb7 ,Ue7 46 ..t!.b6 ~f7 47.J:!.a6 Ud7 16..ixf4 g5 17..td2 ~d7 lS.b3 14'f6 4S.J:l.b6 ~e7 49.Ua6 Ud6 50.Ua5 19J~be1 .i:!.aeS 20:iWd1 'fHg6 21 ..if3 e6 51.hta3 we5 52.11e3+ .: Wf5 g4 22..ih1 Uxe1 23.'ii'xe1 tIeS 53.J:!.a3 .t!.d5 54 ..t!.e3 g5 55.hxg5 24.¥Wd1 h5 25.~f4 ~c3 26.'>txf7 ·'. if3+ 45.~g1 g3 46.h6 ii,e4 47.l~a4 2S:ibg7+ ""eS 29.gS f5 30.1hg6+ ., 0-1 •. Wd7 31 :iif7+ ~c6 32.exf5+ 1-0 ~
233
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
Sicilian Defence Minor Systems with 2.:I"f3 1.e2-e4 c7-c5 2. L g1-f3
standard Dragon and the Accelerated Dragon. Some play this move with the aim of transposing to an Accelerated Dragon, while avoiding the troublesome Maroczy Bind (white pawns on e4andc4).
'.~.:
In response to 2.tb f3, there are three moves that are significantly more popular than any others. In ascending order of popularity they are: - 2 ... d6 - 2 ... lDc6 - 2 ... e6 We will examine them in reverse order. However, first we will look at the rarely played 2 ...g6, 2 ... a6, and 2 ... lDf6. These lines do not have good reputations. It is doubtlessly true that White can obtain a certain advantage, but, as is so often the case with minor variations, this is not always sufficient to bring victory against correct play. In addition, it is not rare that their surprise value shifts the balance in Black's favour.
Hyper-Accelerated Dragon g7-g6 2 .... This line has been given its name by some experts to distinguish it from the 234
3. d2-d4 c5xd4 Now, the recapture by the f3-knight indeed transposes to the Accelerated Dragon. However, after 4. '\IVd1 xd4 lDg8-f6 Bronstein had the interesting idea of 5. j&f1-b5!? The idea is to play e4-e5 without having to deal with lDc6. To avoid this variation, some players try 3 ...1i.g7!?, and if White plays 4.c4, hoping to transpose into the Maroczy Bind, Black can deviate with the interesting and littleexplored 4 .. .'~Wa5+ or 4 .. .'lJIib6. Naturally,
White has other options, such as 4.dxc5!. White can also try another means to take the game away from typical Dragon positions: 3.c3, with the aim of creating an Alapin position in which Black has already played ... g7 -g6.
O'Kelly Variation 2 ....
a7-a6
Sicilian Defence - Minor Systems wi th 2. tLl f3
In many Sicilian variations, Black advances his pawn to a6 to prevent jJ,bS or lDbs at various stages of the game, and also with the intention to continue with ... bS and possibly ... b4 and .. .jJ,b7. If this is so, why not immediately play ...a7-a6? Among other things, this continuation offers the advantage that if White continues with the thematic 3.d4, Black achieves easy equality with 3 ...cxd4 4.lDxd4 eS! After ali, unlike in variations such as the Sveshnikov or the De La Bourdonnais, the knight is denied the bS-square, and after s.lDfS we have S... dS !, and Black is better. White's best strategic option is to forget about d2-d4 and instead directly play into one of the minor variations of the Sicilian in which the ...a7 -a6 proves to be of little use, for example with 3.c3 or 3.c4. However, in a closed position the loss of one tempo with the a-pawn may not be such a bad thing, and you avoid many highly theoreticallines.
Nimzowitsch Variation 2 .... tDg8-f6 This move produces another interesting system, which many call the Nimzowitsch Variation.
Black plays a type of Alekhine Defence in which White has his knight already on f3 and Black has already advanced his pawn to cS . It is not clear which of the two players benefits the most from this . However, in the main line, White seems to maintain a certain advantage with correct play: 3. e4-eS! lDf6-dS 4. tDb1-c3! e7-e6 4... lDxc3 5.dxc3 is advantageous for White. S. tDc3xdS e6xdS 6. d2-d4 tDb8-c6 7. d4xcS ~f8xcS 8. 'iYd1xdS
and White has a small plus. It should be noted, though, that it is not easy for White to remember the details of all the complications that can arise, seeing how infrequently you come across this 235
Chess Opening Esse nti al s - Volum e 1
defence in tournaments. Therefore, the Nirnzowitsch Variation can be a very dangerous weapon because of its surprise value.
Adams,Michael Tkachiev,Vladislav
....~-;.
~~
France tt 1999/00 (8)
1.e4 ·c5 2,tiJf3 g6 3.d4 ~g7 4.d5 d6 5.i-b5+ .td7 6.a4 liJf6 7.liJc3 0-0 . S.O-O liJa6 9Jle1 h b5 10.ti)xb5 J:l.eB 11.h3 h6 12.!!Ia3 liJb4 13.Itae3 e6 14.c3 tt:la6 15.tt:lxd6 'iixd6 16.e5 'lixd5 H .J:l.d3 'lia2 1aexf6 .b f6 19Ji.xh6 c4 20.trd2 'iWb3 2U!Vxb3 cxb3 22 ..te3 , b6 23.l:ld7 liJb8 24.J:l.c7 J:l.dS 25.tt:ld2 tt:la6 26.J:[c4 ti)c5 27.Ite2 tt:lb7 2S.ti)xb3 Itd1+ 29.~h2 l:I.ad8 30..td4 .txd4 31.tt:lxd4 tt:lc5 32.a5 J:[c1 33.tt:lc6 l:I.d7 34.axb6 axb6 35.J:[b4 ~g7 36.tt:le5 l:lb7 37.tt:lc4 b5 3S.tt:ld6 J:[d7 39.J:l.d2 ~fS 40.J:l.xb5 tt:la4 1-0
Euwe,Max · Rubinstein,Akiba The Hague 1921 (5)
1.e4 c5 2.tt:lf3 tt:lf6 3.e5 tt:ld5 4.d4 cxd4 5.it'xd4 e6 ' 6.c4 tt:lc6 7.'lid1 . tt:lde7 8•.td2 tt:lg6 i 9.'ilfe2 'fIIc7
236
.10..Wt.c3 b6 11.M d6 12.exd6 .b d6 13.tDbd2 tt:lf4 14.'We3 i-c5 15:ft'e4 f5 16.'ifc2 0-0 17.g3 tt:lg6 18.h5 . tt:lge5 19.1i:lxe5 tt:lxe5 20.b4 .b f2+ 21 .'.ttxf2 tt:lg4+ 22.~e2 "iWxg3 . 23 ..td4 i-b7 24.J:l.h3 'iWd6 25.'ii'c3 e5 26.~g1 f4 27.c5 Wh6 28.~e1 e4 29.l:1.h4 'iVg5 30.'iVh3 tt:le3 31 ..b e3 fxe3 32.i-c4+ ..t>h8 33.tt:lf1 ~f6 0-1
Short,Nigel Osterm~yer,Peter
Solingen 1986 (2)
1.e4 c5 2.tt:lf3 tt:lf6 3.e5 tt:ld5 4.ti)c31 tt:lxc35.dxc3 tt:lc6 6.~f4 h6 7~c4 ' e6 S.'We2 b6 9.0-0-0 .tb7 10.h4 , 'i'c7 11.J:[d2 0-0-0 12.J:l.hd1 ~e7 13.d8 · I8.lLlb3H-;" 14...ttJe7!?].1S.lLlfSlbb2 [lS.:.lLlxfS ; Radjabov,Teimour Turin 01 2006 (5) 16.exf5+ ..t>fll 17.f6+-] 16.lLlcxd6+ · ~f8 [l6 .. ...t>d8 17.lLlxh6! ·' .\k.xaH 1.e4 cS 2.lLlf3lLlc6 3.~bS e6 4.Axc6 bxc6 S.d3 lLle7 6.'fie2 'i!ic7 7.lLlg5 18.'ilYxal+-] 17.lLlxh6 f6 (I7 ... ~xal J "lLlgS 8.f4 c4 9.0-0 cxd3 10.cxd3 I8.'iYxal +- J 18.lLldf7! · 'iYxd1 1 ~cS+11.h1 f612.lLlh3 0-0 13.lLlc3 19.naxd1 .".We7 . 20.~xh8 nxh8 :
Bad Gastein 1948 (10) 1.e4 cS 2.4::lf3 4::lc6 3.~bS e6 4.0-0 lLlf6 S.J:le1 d5 6.exdS lLlxd5 7.lLleS 'i!ic7 8.'iYf3 ~d6 ' 9.~xc6 bxc6?? 1-0 [9,,,0-01] 10.~xdS
240
Sicilian Defence - Rossolimo Variation
21.4:lf5+1 'gxf5 [2 L.~e6 22.J:td6+.. S.~e3 e5 9.~d2 'tlVe7 10..thS 0-0 WeS 23 J:td7 iLc6 \24.l:te7+ ~f4 11.4:lh2 lXdS 12.4:lg4 4:l18 13"iLxg7 2S.4:le3+-] 22.exf5+ i.e5 23.14 UcS 'it'xg7 14.~hS+ ~gS 15.0-0-0 c4 24.fxe5 . l:Ixc2 25.eS A cs 26.11c1! 1S.dxc4 .bg4 17.hxg4 'iIIc5 18.f3 l:I.xc1 27.l:!.xc1 'it>dS 2SJ:!d1 + We5 '\i'xc4 19.J:lxdS J:!.xdS 20:iYgS .l:l.e8 29.e7 a5 30.l:!.c11 [30.e8'ilf+? .Le8 ,;. 21.'iWe3. ~d4 22.'i¥xd4 exd4 23.4:le2 31.l:tel + ~d432.J:txe8 b3 33 ..I:I.b8 ' tt:leS 24.~d2 J:1dS 25.b3 b5 2SJ.ta1 e3 Jif7 ltJdS 33J:taS lIc7 34.g5 gxf5 35.exf5 37.g41 [Zugzwang; 37.t!b8?] 37..·. wc2 tt:lcS 3S.l:tbS tt:lb4+ 37.~d2 4:ld5 3S.f1?? [30.'iWxf3· gxf3 31.tt:lxfS b hS 11.'WxhS fS 12.tt:lh4!? 'i!YfS 13."iWd2 ~e7 14.0-0-0;:1; f5 15.g3 f4 .i.xfS 32.t1Jd4!=] 30....id3+ 3Ul e2 .be2+ 32.w xe2 'i!Ve4+ 33.'il'e3 16.tt:lg2 fxg3 17.fxg3 tt:lfS 1S.h4 h5 19.1:tdf1 tt:le6 20.IU2 tt:ld4 2Ui'g51 tt:lxd4+ 34.t1Jxd4 'iVxe3+ 35.wxe3 ~xg5+0 22.hxg5 l:tfSO 23.l:thf1 gxh3 3S.gxh3 J:Ig51? 37.liJxcS .tc5+ 38..bc5 l:txc5 39.tt:ld4 a4 40.~d3 J:txf2 24.l:txf2± .fLeS 2S.tt:la4 bS l:tc1! 0-1 2S.c3 t1Jb5 27.tt:lh4 O-O-O!? 2S.c4 l:txd3 29.cxb5 cxb5 30.tt:lc3 b4 Adams,Michael 31.1:lfS! .ic4 32.tt:ld5+- .i.xa2 Chandler,Murray . 33.1::131 ·' J:!:d4D 34.tt:lfS! l:!c4+ 35.~d2 ii.b1 3S.e3 a5 37.tt:lxgS a4 Southend rapid 2001 (2) . 1.e4 c5 2.t1Jf3 tt:lcS ·3..ib5 gS 4.b cs 38.l::!.f1 a3 39.l::!.xb1 a2 40.J:!a1 b3 41.tt:lxe5 1-0 dxcS S.d3 .ig7 S.h3 tt:lfS 7.tt:lc3 t1Jd7 241
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 '
f6 [16. : .~f8 17 ..L:aS+-] , 17.tLlgSI .,' 18.g4 gS19.~fS+ ~e7 20.il.x9S+; P~ttJ95 tbh.6 1~.,~ e7~ ' ~", ' t>g7 32.We211fS 33.n cHtg6, ,10..bf6 ' gxf6 11.~dS fS 12.it.d3 34.g3 nhS 3S.h4 n gS 3S.nxf5 nxg3 '~eS 13.0-0 Ag7 14.\'i'hS hS 15.c3 . '· 37.1:1gS+ , :.xg5 3S.hxg5 hS 0-0 1S.~c2 fxe4 17..he4 f5 1S.~f4 ". 39.gxh6+ >t>xhS 40.nCS+ ' wh7 ~d7 19.~dS+ 'Oirh7 20.'ifgS+ whS :. 41.e3 :g742..lte6 flg3+ 43.>t>xe4' ' 21.t>xg2 f3+ .30.'.ilh1: . . ' 0-1' :., .: t!ixc4 3Ute6 .'tWbS ' 32.J:tdS / e4: :41.We3l:tgS ,.,; ' . " ". 33.l:txd4 · ':ixd4 ' 34••xd4+ . 'ire5. Anand,Viswanathan ' · · · ·35 .•xeS+ l:lxeS 3S.~e21:[b8; ,gS 41.h4llgS 42.Wh3Wf7: 1.e4' eS 2.lbf3 ~eS 3.d4 cxd4:43.~f5l:tc2 44.t;:Je3 J:td2 45.e5 weS 4.~xd4 ; ~16 5.1Oc3 eS S.~db5 ·dS ( 4S.eS 1:[gS 47.e7:XeS 48.'it>g3 :xe7: 7i gS as S.!iJa3 bS 9..bf6 gx16 49.Wf4 nd4 50::a1 llf7.+ 51.g3: 10.lOd5 f5 11.e3 ~g7 .12.exf5 ..bfS lldS .52.1:[a6+ 'it>eS 53.~g4+ >t>dS 13.~c2 0-0 14.~ee3 ~eS 1S.~d3 fS 54.~fS+ l:!.xf6 55.l:txf6e5 SSJ1hS'i .1S.0-0 na7 17.'ffh5 naf7 1S.J:tad1 tigS+57.>t>h3e3 .,.",. " .,,:..0-1 ' 252
Sicilian Defence - Accelerated Dragon
Sicilian Defence Accelerated Dragon 1.e4 c5 2. ~f3 ....~ c6 3.d4 cxd4
4/LXd4 g6
The Accelerated Dragon is one of the oldest of the Sicilian variations. It made its distant debut in 1851 in london. The venerable age of the Accelerated Dragon should not come as a surprise if you stop to think about how the ideas behind the Sidlian have developed. If the aim of l...c5 is to take control of the d4-square, then as a consequence 2 ... ltJc6 appears to be the most logical continuation, as is the opening up of the diagonal so as to control d4 further with the fianchettoed bishop on g 7. This logic was irresistible to the early pioneers of opening theory; it is therefore understandable that the fu st examples of the modern Dragon type positions with 2 ... d6 did not appear until the 20th century. In the preceding years Black tried to deal directly with the famolls Maroczy Bind, which takes its name from grand-
master Geza Mar6czy (1870- 1951), who was one of the strongest Hungarian players of all time. This formation, which was first played at the beginning of the 20th century, is renowned for its great solidity and reliability. Frustrated by the difficulties presented by the Mar6czy formation, players started to experiment with 2 ... d6. Profiting from the fact that the knight is still on b I, White seizes fum control of the centre with 5.c4 (this is the key move of the Mar6czy Bind) and greatly reduces Black's chances for counterplay. In the beginning, this did not appear to be so worrying for Black, in that it was widespread usage to first play 4 ... ltJf6, and only after S.ltJc3 to continue with S... g6. In this way White no longer has the c2-c4 pawn advance at his disposal. However, it did not take long to discover that after the sequence 6.ltJxc6 bxc6 7.eS!
7 ... ltJg8 (sad necessity, as the pawn sacrifice 7 ... ltJdS 8.ltJxdS cxdS 9. ~xd5 !:Ib8 fails to 10.e6! fxe6? II.'lWe5! hitting two rooks), White is better, notwithstanding the fact that the pawn on eS is so far advanced that it could be subject to a counterattack. Then someone thought of substituting 2 ... ltJc6 with 2 ... d6 so that the pawn
25 3
Chess Openinn Essentials - Volume 1 advance to e5 would not longer be possible. And this is how the 'normal' Dragon came to make its debut in 1924: l.e4 c5 V1Jf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tLlxd4 tLlf6 5.tLlc3 g6. The name 'accelerated' was added later and indicates the opening of the fianchetto diagonal on the 4th move instead of on the 5th as occurs with the 'standard' Dragon. This means that the standard Dragon has the virtue of preventing the Maroczy Bind, but as we will see in the section that deals with the Maroczy, all that glitters is not gold. The problem is that there is less central influence exerted on the centre with 2 ... d6 compared to 2 ... tLlc6, and this means that White can more freely choose continuations that would be dubious against the Accelerated Variation. A good example of this is the popular 9.0-0-0 in the Yugoslav Attack in the standard Dragon. As always, the final choice boils down to questions of taste and style of play The Accelerated Dragon could be an excellent choice, if a player does not mind the positional struggle that ensues after the imposition of the Maroczy Bind.
At this point Black generally responds with ~f8-g7 5 .... The following subtle sequence is also popular: 5 ... tLlf6 6.tLlc3 d6!? Only after 7 .~e2 or 7.f3 (after 7. ~e3 Black has the unpleasant intrusion of 7 .. .tLlg4), Black proceeds with 7 ... tLlxd4,
before White plays ~e3, with the object offorcing White to take on d4 with the queen. This modern approach is called the Gurgenidze Variation, and it is characterized by an early exchange on d4, which reduces White's options. After S. ~xd4 ~g7
Maroczy Bind We will look at 5. c2-c4 in some depth, both because it is popular, and because it is also objectively the best move. You must remember that it is not uncommon to reach the Maroczy pawn formation by means of the Symmetrical English: l.c4 c5 2.tLlf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tLlxd4 tLlc6 5.e4. 254
Black moves his queen to as; the cS-bishop to e6; the fS-rook (after castling) to cS; and then the a-pawn to a6, preparing ...b5, exerting a lot of pressure on the queenside. White. for his part, can seek aggressive counterplay on the kingside with f4-f5. He can also de-
Sicilian Defence - Accelerated Dragon velop his queen's bishop to e3 (or to g5), retreat the queen to d2 and then playa timely ttJd5 (without castling, so the king can recapture on d2). If this is followed by an exchange of queens, an endgame, or better still, a queenless middle game ensues that is often favourable for White. After the likely exchange on d5, White can choose e4xd5, which means he will then exert a certain amount of pressure on the e7-pawn by means of the semi-open e-file. Alternatively, he can play c4xd5, hoping to control or exploit the open c-file. When this file is open, it is common for the major pieces to be exchanged on this file. The ensuing endgame is very often in White's favour, because of his space advantage and the possibility to exploit the weak c6-square, against which Black will be induced or forced to play ... b7 -b6 or ... b7 -b5 . Now we will return to 5 .. .~g7. After the obvious moves 6. il.c1-e3 7. tLlb1-c3
This continuation fell into slight disrepute from the beginning of the 1970s, but now it is again considered to be playable. S. ~d1xg4
tLlc6xd4
Now the best move is, curiously, 9.
~g4-d1!
to safeguard the queen against the latent threat posed by the bishop on c8, to defend c2, and also to attack the knight on d4. Now Black can continue with the aggressive but dubious 9 ... e5, or with the more reliable tLld4-e6 9 .... The knight is well placed on e6: there, it controls c5, d4 and f4, and in the variations with ... 'i¥a5 it also sometimes supports the pawn push ... g6-g5 [!]. This can be seen in the following line, which at first sight appears to contravene the most fundamental strategic principles: 10. :i:l.a1-c1
'iYdS-a5
11. 'iVd1-d2 12. il.f1-e2 13. f2-f3 14.0-0 15. J:!f1-d1
b7-b6 il.cS-b7 g6-g5!? h7-h5!?
tLlgS-f6
Black must make his first big choice: 7... tLlg4, or 7... 0-0 (with or without ...d6) . A) tLlf6-g4 7.... The Simagin Variation.
White has a slight space advantage, but Black's position is flexible and playable. 255
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume B)
0-0 7.... S. ~f1-e2 with two likely continuations: 8 ...d6 or 8 ...b6.
s....
d7-d6 9. 0-0 ~cS-d7 and you reach one of the key positions of the defence. B1)
up the position will always favour White ! b7-b6 B2) S.... An alternative to 8 .. .d6 that has its fans, in part because of a couple of traps that White can fall for! After 9. 0-0 ~cS-b7 if White plays the solid 10. f2-f3
.i ~
..t. .l~
Strangely, you can also arrive at this position by means of the King's Indian Defence : 1.d4 tLlf6 2.c4 g6 3.tLlc3 ~g7 4 .e4 d6 5.tLlf3 0-0 6 .~e2 c5 (instead of the more common 6 ...e5) 7.0-0 cxd4 8.tLlxd4 tLlc6 9 .~e3 ~d7. In this position Black's typical plan is to exchange on d4, move the bishop to c6 in order to force White to play f3; then transfer the f6 -knight to c5 via d7 ; advance the pawn to as; and to close the game by placing pawns on the dark squares. Black's defensive strategy would make it advisable to exchange the dark-squared bishops, to limit White's offensive possibilities, and leave him with the 'bad' e2-bishop. For his part, White will patiently prepare slow play on the queenside with llab 1, 1:'1fc1, ,0, a3 and ,0, b4 . That is, when it is tactically feasible to do so. However, it should not be presumed that opening 156
'i¥.i~
.I.
~.l
.t. .I.
~.l
he obtains the customary space advantage with slightly the better chances. However, if he tries to be clever, speculating on an exchang e on g7 with a following check on d4, his plan will backfire: 1O. fii d2? ! tLlxd4 l1. jg,xd4 est 12. ~xeS tLlxe4 (now yes) and Black has the advantage . Or 1O. :r:J. c1? tLlxd4 11 .~xd4 iih6t winning at least a pawn or the exchange .
Standard Accelerated Dragon Back to the initial position of the Accelerated Dragon. If White does not like the idea of the positional struggle inherent to the Mar6czy Bind, he can deviate with the more direct ~fS-g7 5. ttJb1-c3 ttJgS-f6 6. ~c1-e3
Sicilian Defence - Accelerated Dragon B)
Now White must show the utmost care. Black has not yet played ... d6 and here he can play ... d7 -dS, which in variolls Dragon variations frees the defender's game. in one tempo. In addition, some of the lines with .. :iHb6 are particularly effective in this defence. White can choose between the pseudo-active 7.tbxc6, the solid 7.i..e2 and the aggressive 7.i.c4. A)
7. S.
tt.Jd4xc6 e4-e5
b7xc6
0-0
To prevent .. .d7-dS. Now Black usually replies 8 ... d6, transposing to the classical lines of the standard Dragon. It is worth remembering that if in this position, White tries to steer the game in the direction of the Yugoslav Attack of the Dragon Variation with 7.f3?! 0-0 B.~d2?!, Black can obtain good play with B... dS! (here requiring only one
tempo). C)
tt.Jf6-gS S. The pawn sacrifice 8 ... tt.JdS!? is playable and Black's compensation should be sufficient. With the text, Black should be able to equalize after either 9.f4 tbh6 or 9.i..d4 f6.
7. iLf1-e2 S. tt.Jd4-b3!
7.
~f1-c4
This can be considered the most aggressivemove. White tries to get back into the main lines of the Dragon Variation by castling queenside and initiating a pawn storm on the kingside; alternatively, he 257
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 can continue more solidly with h2 -h3 and 0-0 . Black can allow this ifhe wishes, but he also has the possibility to enter quieter variations; or, if he likes, more aggressive ones. C1)
7.
'fi'dS-a5
The 'quiet' variation which, thanks to the combined threat of 8 ... ttJxe4 and 8 ..'ifb4, forces White to castle kingside. This greatly reduces the dynamic rhythm of the game. Black now has a position which is not particularly active, but playable. The most popular line in this variation is : S. 0-0 0-0 9. ~c4-b3 10. h2-h3 11.12-14 12. ~e3xd4 13. iVd1-d3
d7-d6 il.cS-d7 t2Jc6xd4 il.d7-c6
and White has an edge. If Black intends to be more bellicose, he can continue with the normal C2) 0-0 7. ... to which White may respond by establishing the classic set-up of the Yugoslav Attack: f3, 'lI:Vd2 and 0-0-0.
258
S. .ic4-b3
White has to play this way in order to defend b2! Sf3?! allows s...'JltIIb6!
9.i!.b3 ttJxe4!, and Black is better. Please take note of a typical error often made at this point, even by many strong players: S... ttJaS? (It is natural to want to rid yourself of the strong bishop on b3) and now 9.eS ttJeS allows for the brilliant 1O.~xf7+! rJ;;xf711.ttJe6!!
and White wins material, as happened in a famous game between Fischer and Reshevsky, New York 1958 . Back to 8.~b3. The hyper-aggressive variation that we referred to is 8 ... a5, threatening .. .a4 followed by ... ttJxe4. White can react solidly with 9.a4 or defend e4 with 9.f3. Now Black can play 9 ... d5!?
Sicilian Defence - Accelerated Dragon bishop on b3 gives Black an additional possibility: the Parma Variation: 10. ... tIfl tbe6 22.g3 0-0-0 23.i.e3? t!. hS 24.'iff3 " J:th2 25.c5 , llfS ' •2S.cxbS+ wdS 27.i.f4 tbd4! 2S.'fie3 'ii¥g4 29.'i fxd4 'iWt3?? 30.'iYxd7+! 1-0
Adams,Michael ' Gonzalez,Bernal Manuel , Istanbul 01 2000 (2)
~ 1.e4
,
55.J:!e5+ wd2 5S.l:te6 h5 57.14 l:ta5 5S.'Ot>f3 d3 59.n dS wc2 SO.'if,;>e3 l:ta3 6Utd5 1:txaS 62.: c5+ wdl S3.'~xd3 1-0
Svidler,Peter
Carlsen,Ma~us Morelia/Unares 2007 (7) •
1.e4c5 2.tbf3 tbcS , 3.tbc3 gS 4.d4 cxd4 5.tbxd4 .ig7 S.ll.e3 tbfS 7..ic4 0-0 8.~b3 eS 9.0-0 d5 10.exd5 tbxd5 11.tbxd5 exd5 12.c3 tba5 13.'iWd3 tbxb3 14.Bxb3 a6 15.§'d2 lleS , lS.J:tte1 Ad7 17.tbc2 jLc6 lS.~d4 fS 19.1lxeS+ ~xeS 20.h3 ~f7 21.tbb4 .its 22.tbxc6 bxcS . 23.b4 ~d6 24.b5 cxb5 25..ixfS a5 2S.Ad4 li't4 27.'ihf4 Y2- V:z
c5 2.tbf3 ' tbc6 ,, 3.d4 ·" cxd4
4.tbxd4 g6 5.c4 fig7 S..te3 tbf6 Shirov,Alexey 7.tbc3 0-0 S.Ae2 ' d6 9.0-0 i.d7 Ivcuichuk, Vasily .10.J:te1 tbxd4 11 ..ixd4 fic6 12.~d3 Wijk aan Zee 1999 (13) a5 13.'it'd2 tbd7 14.b g7 wxg7 1.e4 c5 2.tbf3 tbcS 3.tbc3gS 4.d4 15.t!.e3! h6 16.~e2!?;!; a4 17.h41 · cxd4 5.tbxd4 .ig7 S..§Le3 tbf6 7...tc4 ~a5 18.h5 g5 19.11fl 'ife5 20.tbd5 0-0 S..ib3 dS 9.f3 .itd7 10.'ii¥d2 a3 21.bxa3?# eS 22.g3 whS . tbxd4 11 •.b d4 b5 12.h4 a5 13.a4 23.'it>h2·' g41 24.tbb4 tbfS 25.tbxcS bxa4 14.tbxa4 i.eS 15.tbbS tta6 lS.tbd5 .ixd5 17.exd5 'lilic7 lS.1:1a4 bxcS , 2S.'+lYd1 tLlxe4 27.'it>gl f5 ;llbS 19.h5 tbxh5 20..ixg7 wxg7 2S..itd3 d5 29.cxdS ' exd5?=i! 21.g4 · tbfS 22.'Wh6+ 'Ot>gS 23.l:tf4 30..be4 fxe4 3Ui'xg4 n a732.11cl lIYc5 24Jlxf6 exfS 25.wdl ttxb3 ,; 'Wb2 33J Ul ttg7 34.'ifdl '/We5 '26.cxb3 'ii'xd5+ 27.Wc2 J:[cS+ 35:iWc2 lUS 3S.a4 l:Ie7 37.lltel 'iVdS?# 3S.'iVb2! Wh7 39.a5! c5?;!; 28.'if,;>bl 'i/Kd3+ 29.'if,;>a2 95 30.'iVxfS 40J:tb3! d4?+- ". 41.l:!bS 'ii'e5 'iWgS 31:~'e7 g7 32.l%dl h6 42.11xe4! "ilxe4 43.llxfS · 'i/Ke1+ 33:iWd7 ttaS 34.'i!i'cS n bS 35.'~c7 ' 44.'if,;>h2 'ii'e2 45.'ii'b3?;!; 'iYxh5+ ,J:l:a6 3S.'i t'c8 l:ta7 37.'ficS d5 47.'lWf7+ 'ifxf7 4S.Wg2 . l':i:el 3S.'iYc3+ tS 39.l:txd5 a4 40.bxa4 4SJl xf7 + ~g6 49J:td7 Wf5fti . li'f7 41.'i/Kb3 l:txa4+ 42:~'xa4 'ii'xd5+ '. 43.'ii'b3 'ifa5+ 44.'iYa3 50.l1d5+ 'Ot>e4 51.tl.xc5 J:Ie2?+Wid5+ 45.'tWb3 V:z- 1h 52.a4 1:a2 53.aS J:!.xa4 54.f3+! we3
261
Chess Opening Essenti als - Volume I . . .. . . ... lbe8 9.c4 ltJc710.ltJc3 11b8 11.'ud1 b5 12.b3 f5!? 13.cxd5 exd5 14.d4 Yi.a6 15.'ilfe3 ltJe6 16.lbe2 b4 17.dxc5 ' ~
Sicilian Defence Minor Systems after 2 ... e6
~.
..bc5 1&1Wd2 'ilfb6 19.1t:lf4 tiJxf4 . 20.gxf4 l1bdS 21 .~b2 d4 22.ttJg5 · l1feS [22 ...ltJe7!] 23 ..:tacl It:le7 ' 24.l:!xc5 Vixc5 25.lt:le6 'ilt'b6 26,lt:lxdS . 'l1xdS ' 27..hd4 tfgS 2&'ifxb4 ttJc6 ' ·29.1i'c3 ~b7 30.wh1'+- h5T31.l:td2 .h4 32.h3 11c8 33.'ifb2 'iff7 34.l:tc2 · .'ilfd7 35~e3 tiJb4 36.l1xc8+ 'iWxc8 ,37.'ii'd4 bg2+ 38.'ii;>xg2 'ifb7+ 39.w h2 a5 40.e6 ltJd5 4UHe5 It:le7 42JWXa5 _. 1-0
Zhang Zhong Kobalia,Mikhail Ubeda 2001 (8)
After 2... e6, White can decide not to advance the pawn to d4, to avoid some of the better-known theory. With 3.d3 or 3.'iVe2, you generally transpose into variations of the King's Indian Attack, which is arrived at with the following moves: ltJf3, g3, ~g2, 0-0, d3, ltJbd2 and e4. The precise order of the moves is usually not so important. It is so named because White is playing a King's Indian Defence with colours reversed. White can also open the diagonal for his queen's bishop with 3.b3 or seek to transpose to the Alapin with 3.c3 or, with the non-committal moves 3.ttJc3 or 3.c4, to an Open Sicilian on the next move.
Psakhis.Lev Strikovic,Aleksa Yerevan 01 1996 (3)
1.e4 c5 2.tbf3 e6 3.d3 ltJc6 4.g3 d5 5.iYe2 It:lf6 6.Ag2 Yi.e7 7.0-0 0-0 S.e5 262
1,e4 c5 2.ltJf3 e6 3.d3 lbc6 4,g3 'ltJge7 5.~g2 g6 6.0-0 Ji..g7 7.c3 0-0 , S.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d5 10.e5 ltJf5 11.ltJc3 f6 12.g4 ltJfe7 13.exf6 l:txfS , 14.~e3 l:!fS 15.'ifd2 ~d716.h3 ltJc8 . 17Jlfe1 lbd6 1S.b3 1i'a5 19..:tacl . 'l1ac8 20.'itd3 It:lb4 21.'iVbl It:lc6 :22.1i'd3 tbb4 23.'ii'd2 lDc6 24.~f4 .ltJf7 25.'ii'e3 lDb4 2S.h4 ltJxa2 '2Vt:lxa2 ~xa2 2S.h5 't!fa3 29.hxg6 : hxg6 30.'ilfd3 'We7 31.l:txc8 ~xcS 32.g5 ltJd6 33.bd6 'ii'xd6 34.'iVxg6 ,'iff4 35 ..:te3 'ii'f5 36.ibf5 ):txf5 ' 37.Ah3 l1fS 38.'ot>g2 n es 39.nc3 ~d7 40.l:tc7 · ~cS 41.i.g4 ' <MS .42.''''g3 a5 43.i.h5 l:taS 44~f7 a4 45.bxa4 · l:!xa4 46.Ji..xeS Yi.eS 47.l1xb7 l1a3 4S.n b4 Ji..h5 49..b d5 ~xf3 50ixf3 l:!d3 51.d5 ~e5+ 52.~g2 l:td2 53,~1 ~d4 54..te2 . ' ~c5 55..l:tb5 .td4 56.n b3 w e7 57JU3 <j;>d6 5S.l:tf5 .tc5 59.g6 .id4 . 60.1:I.f7 l1a2 61 •.tg4 ~xd5 62.l:!d7+ ' c5 63J1xd4 ~xd4 64.g7 , 1-0
Sicilian Defence - Pin Variation
fore this, players had responded automatically with 6 .~d3. 6. ... ttJf6-d5 The alternatives are inferior. However, the kingside weakness (g7) is more significant than the doubled pawn on c3 and there are two ways White can gain a good advantage.
Sicilian Defence Pin Variation 1.e4 c5
2 .r~ t3
4':1 xd4 t. It6
e6 3.d4 cxd4 5. ~ ,c3
j:,b4
A) 7. il.c1-d 2 The solid approach.
f. ;
: .: ,
,
...
.\
This is a direct, but not completely sound attempt to immediately attack the e4--pawn. Played by Owen and Bird as far back as the second half of the 19th century, this variation has always been viewed with a certain suspicion. It had a brief revival in the 197 Os, when it was played with a new idea: an exchange sacrifice. However, it was soon discovered that White gains a concrete advantage with correct play, and the variation returned to obscurity. However, it can be a valid surprise weapon: indeed, if White is unaware of the correct antidote, he can easily lose his way in the ensuing complications. 6. e4-e5! The only move that can give Black a headache. It is a strange fact that the effectiveness of this move was not appreciated until the 1930s: for decades be-
7.
ttJd5xc3
8. b2xc3 9.
~b4-e7
~d1-g4
0-0 10. SLd2-h6 g7-g6 11. h2-h4! White refuses to take the bait and he continues to attack with excellent chances. B) 7. ~d1-g4 The aggressive approach.
263
Chess Openin8 Essentials - Volume J •
7. ... O-O!? and here is the exchange sacrifice we mentioned before S. ~c1-h6 g7-gS 9. ~g4-g3! The new idea is not to immediately accept the exchange sacrifice, in order to better exploit the weakness in Black's kingside position,
N'
•. "
'21.'tlf'xgS+ WdS 22.1'1hS . lllcS '23.'iYgS+ It>cS 24.l:tb1 bS 2S ...te3+ "tl:ld4 2S.i.xd4+ exd4 27:itfS+ wc4 . 2S:ij'gS+ ' IiitcS 29.l:!.xbS+. wxbS ;30.'iVdS+ 'illf'cs 31.a4+ . -.1-0 ' ','
DelRio Angelis,Salvador Gabriel , Sulskis,Sarunas Port Erin 2003 (5)
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,
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1.e4 cS 2.lllf3 eS 3.d4 cxd4 4.lllxd4 '.':; '.;" lbf6 S.4:lc3 ..tb4 6.e5 ltJd5 7.~d2 Taubenhaus,Jean ""~ .~ Schlechter, Carl lllxc3 S.bxc3 ~aS 9..!ld3 dS 10.f4 dxeS 11.fxeS "VifIc7 12.0-0 .bc3 Ostend 1905 (8) , 1.e4 cS 2.lllf3 eS 3.d4 cxd4 4.lllxd4 13.~xc3 iYxc314.lllbS ~cS+ ti.JfS S.tl:lc3 ~b4 s.Ad3 tl:lcS [6 .. ,eS 1S.wh1 0-0 1S.llldS 'ii'xeS 17.lllxf7 1:txf7 1S.~xh7+ xh7 19J:£xf7 It>gS . 7.tl:le2 tl:lc6 8..td2 d6 9 .0-0 ~e6 JO,a3 20.J:!.e7 ~d7 21.ttbL ..tcS 22:ii'g4 .1aS 11..Ilel h6 12.f4 ~b6+ J3.Whl lllg4 14,l:I.fl lllxh2t Gri.inw~ld-Meister, llld7 23.l:!.xeS 'iVc3 24J:£e7 lllfS Berlin 2006] 7..lte3 dS S.lllxc6 bxcS " 2S.J:td1 J:teS 2S.l:!.xeS h eS 27.'iff3 ' 9.eS tLid7 10:~'g4 ~fS 11.f4 .abS ' 'i!fxf3 , 2S.gxf3 tLieS 29.Wg2 '; f7 30.~f2 wfS 31.We3 gS 32J4b1 ~cS 12.llld1 gS ' 13.h4 hS 14.~e2 ti.JcS 1S.c3 lllxd3+1S.~xd3 cS 17.l'Ve2 33J%b4 tLlf4 34Jlc4 ~eS 3S.wf2 ~e71S.tLif2 "(WaS 19.'ii'c2 .!laS 20.a4 it.dS 3S.1:184 as 37.a3 ~cS 3SJ1aS+ WfS 21.g3 ~bS 22.b4 d4 23.bxcS MS 39J:tcS , ti.Jh3+ 40.we3 , weS .bcli 24.ii.c1 Wg72S.tl:le4 'ifcS 0-1 . 4Utc4 ,tl:lf4 42.ttd4 a5 43.l:tdS a4 44.11gS fS 4S.J:US+ ~g7 4S.11cS . Wagman,Stuart " ti.Jg2+. ' 47.~f2 tl:lh4 4S.~g3 .bt3" Barle,Janez 49.c3 i!-cS 50J~aS tl:lgS 0-1 Biel1981
1.e4 cS 2.lllf3 eS 3.d4 cxd4 4.tLixd4 Lalic,Bogdan Sulava,Nenad tLlfS S.lllc3 ~b4 S.eS tLldS [6...'iWcn 7,exf6 h c3+ 8.bxc3 'iWxc3+ 9.'(Wd2 Pula 1997 (9) " 'iWxa 1 10.c3 "iWb J l1.fxg7 'il'e4+ 1.e4 cS 2.tl:lf3 eS 3.d4 cxd4 4.ti.Jxd4 12.~e2 , J:!.g8 J3 .tl:lb5 ' '/Wxg2 14.11fl tl:lfS S.tl:lc3 .ltb4 S.eS llldS 7.~d2 lllxc3 S.bxc3 ~e7 9.'i1i'g4 0-0 llla6 IS .tZld6+ Iiitd8 J6. ~d4 b6 17.'iWf6+ ~c7 18.tZlbS+ 1-0 Pavlovic.. ,", 10..ii.hS gS 11.h4 dS [1l...'i\ta5 Petrovic, Belgrade 2006] 7.i&.d2 lllxc3 . 12.'iYg3 d6 13.tLibs tZld7 t4.hS tZlxeS S.bxc3 i.aS 9:~'g4 0-0 10.i&.d3 dS 1S.f4 .ii.d7 16.fxeS i.xbS ' 17.ii.xbS 11.tl:lf3 gS 12.h4 dxeS 13.hS fS l'kxbS 18.hfS Czarnota-Sulskis, War14.ii.xfS exfS 1S.'(Wc4+ l:tf71S.hxgS saw Ech200S (1-0, 68)] 12.hS 'ii'aS hxgS 17.lllgS Wic7 1s:iVh4 ~S 13.tZlbS as 14.hxgS fxgS 1S.~xfS 19.tZlxf7 'i£(xf7 20."fNh7+ ~eS .1xfS1S.1'1xh7 1-0 264
Sicilian Defence - Kan Variation
Sicilian Defence Kan Variation 1.c4 c5 2 ...'2. f3 c6 3 .d4 cxd4 4. !; ,xd4 a6
so it was natural that until the 1960s opening theory would include their contributions within the Paulsen Variation. However, as theory developed each variation acquired its own name, even if this is not consistently observed by opening manuals. After I.e4 c5 2.t2:lf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.t2:lxd4, we will use the following names: 4 ... a6 - Kan Variation; 4 ... t2:lc6 - Paulsen-Taimanov; 4 ... t2:lc6 5.t2:lc3 a6 6 .~e2 ttlge7 Taimanov (in the strict sense); 4 ... t2:lc6 5. t2:lc3 a6 6 .~e2 "'c7 Paulsen (in the strict sense).
The move sequence l.e4 c5 2.t2:lf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.t2:lxd4 a6 leads to one of the oldest positions in the Sicilian Defence. It was used in several of Adolf Anderssen's games in the middle part of the 19th century, and by Louis Paulsen towards the end of the same century. However, it only started to become popular from the beginning of the 195 Os onwards, due to good results achieved by the Soviet player Ilya Kan. It is statistically one of the best lines for Black in the Sicilian. Though this is in part a comment on its objective worth, it also reflects the fact that the Kan is greatly appreciated by strong players, who find its flexibility attractive. There is sometimes a little confusion about the nomenclature of the 'sister' Taimanov and Paulsen variations, in part because of possible transpositions. Both Kan and Mark Taimanov were more recent players than Paulsen, and
From what we have said so far, you will now realize how subtle the distinctions are. For example, when playing the Kan, Black only needs to play ... t2:lc6 and he will suddenly find himself in the Paulsen-Taimanov variation. It is interesting to know that in the past the Paulsen Variation used to be reached almost exclusively via the Kan (4 ... a6) . Nowadays, black players more commonly prefer to reach the Paulsen through 4 ... t2:lc6. This trend is also because modern players, who are wellversed in the intricacies of the Kan, like to develop the b8-knight to c6. Otherwise, its placement there is delayed. To make matters even more confusing, it should be remembered that when Black plays ... d6 (either after 4 ... a6 or after 4 ... t2:lc6 5 .t2:lc3) and develops the bishop to e7, he transposes to the Scheveningen Variation. This is something that happens often, as in this way Black avoids the dangers associated with the Keres Attack. 265
Chess Openina Essentials - Volume I We will consider S. ~d3 to be the main line of the Kan. Before we look at it, we will examine the alternatives: A) 5. c2-c4 Adopting the Mar6czy Bind pawn formation, as in the Kalashnikov, the Anti-Taimanov and the Accelerated Dragon.
5. ttlb1-c3 B) This tends to lead to positions found in the Paulsen-Taimanov Variation where every now and then Black plays S... ttlc6 . However, if Black wants to remain in the orbit of the Kan, he can play the completely re-evaluated 5. ... b7-b5 In old opening books this was considered doubtful because of 6. it.f1-d3!
.J
Now the advance ... d7-dS by Black will prove to be difficult. At first, this was considered to be a sort of positional refutation of the Kan. However, today it is not viewed with fear: Black can respond directly with S ... ttlf6 and then 6.ttlc3 ~b4, which produces tactically complex play. This is particularly the case in the variation 7 . ~d3 ttlc6 8.ttlxc6 dxc6 9 .eS ~aS 10 .exf6 ~xc3 +, where White's initiative used to be seen as very promising. However, in reality Black has more than sufficient resources. Also good is the solid 6 ... ~c7, which controls eS and creates a typical Hedgehog Defence formation (this variation acquired its name because the e6-d6-b6-a6 pawn formation reminded players of the thorny spines of a hedgehog). This variation is willingly used by modern players who are unconcerned by White's space advantage. 266
However, in fact after 6 ... 'i\Vb6 - a recent move that is very fashionable - or 6 ... d6, Black's results have been acceptable. However, the classical S.. .~c7 is also playable. 5. ~f1-d3 C) The principal move of the Kan Variation.
Sicilian Defence - Kan Variation
This is not such a natural-looking move; generally we are advised to place the bishops on open diagonals. However, in this case there are many advantages that come with this move. Substantially, it is a question of timing: by defending the e4-pawn with the bishop, White postpones the development of the knight to c3, to reserve the option of c2-c4 for a more opportune moment than the 5 th move. Nonetheless, this flexible developing move allows White, if he wants, to still develop the knight to c3, transposing to common variations of the Scheveningen in which the d3-bishop can become a threat after pawn advances to f4 and e5. Moreover, in some variations the white queen - unobstructed by a bishop on e2 - can relocate directly to the kingside. After 5.~d3, Black has an ample choice of moves besides 5 .. .d6, which is one of many ways to transpose to the Scheveningen Variation. Some of the available moves are: 5 ... b5, 5 ... b6, 5 ... tOe7 or even 5 ... d5, which until not long ago was considered to be premature. However, the most popular are the follOwing:
C3) 5 .... tOb8-c6 is the classical continuation. Now it is seen more rarely, but this is only a question offashion. C4)
5 ....
g7-g6
Here a student could protest, 'But doesn't everybody say that with an e6-d7 pawn structure you shouldn't advance the pawn to g6, as it creates ugly weaknesses on d6 and f6?' This is true, but as always, general principles must be considered in the context of each particular case. Here, the weakness in question is not easy to exploit, since the d3 -bishop obstructs the d-file. In addition, the move ... ~g7 will gain a tempo by attacking the undefended knight on d4. C5)
5 ....
ttlg8-f6
C1) jLf8-c5 5. To try to exploit the presence of the undefended d4-knight by attacking it immediately, and after 6.tOb3, retreating the bishop to a7 or e7. C2) 'iWd8-b6 5 .... This is all the rage with Sicilian players at the moment. The resulting pOSitions are still largely unexplored.
267
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 The most popular move at the moment, taking advantage of White's inability to advance the pawn to eS because of 6 .. .'l!VaS+ followed by 7 .. .'~xeS. After 6.0 -0 (threatening 7.eS), you continue with 6 .. .'i i'c7 or 6 ... d6 to establish a classic Hedgehog formation in the event that White plays c2-c4.
l:ta2 2S.'ifr>g3 t>xf6 16.fxe3 tLlxcH 17.We2 1-0 Morphy -Anderssen, Paris 1858 - thiS; modem line was already played 150 years ~ ago!) 8 ..tgS as 9.tLl5c311..e710.tLld2?! ' '[lO,il.xf6!?] 10...1I..g4 1Ut e2 .be2 , ,12.tLlxe2 d5= 13.~xf6 1t.xf6 14.0-0 , '0-0 1S.c4 dxe416.tLlxe4 ~e717.eS?! ;'1}Jfe7 18.'iI'b3 ..trad8 19.1:tfd1 g6 • 20.~c4 tba5 21.'ifb4 rJ;>g7 22.tLl2e3?! , tLle6 23.'i'c4 fS 24.tLld6 .bd6 : · 2S.exd6 l:txd6 26.J:txd6 ~xd6 27.lld1 ~ ; tbd4 28.14 bS 29.'ifd3 J:td8 30.'WPh1 ; ; b4 31.tLle2 tLlbS! 32.'iYxd6 UxdS 33J:txdS tLlxd6 34.fxeS tZlc4 , 3S.b3 ,tLlxeS 3S.tLlf4 'as 37.h4~S '38.Wg1 ; lbg4 39.tLld3 We6':"'+ 40.tt:lcS+ >itdS! ~41.lbb7+ we7 ', 0-1 ,\,
Rethymnon tt 2003 (7) '"
'1 f1 .l:tb1+ 37.g2 .i:tg1+ Zunker,Reinhard " BadWiessee 2005 (2) 3S.'iM3 h a7 " 39:ifxh7 : f1 + 1.e4 c5 2.lLlf3 e6 3.lLle3lLle6 4.d4 40.iJ.tg2 J:tf2+ 41 ;lth1' ~e5 42.'iYhS+' .tfS 43.Wlh3'lLld5 44.Wlb3 .ltb4 : 0-1 ,exd4 5.lLlxd4.f:fe7 6.~e2 a6 ,7.0-0 "
*e8
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Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
Sicilian Defence Four Knights Variation 1.c4 c5 2.!" J3 !:; cS (2 ... eS) 3 .d4 cxd4 4. r, xd4 ~ fS 5 / j c3 e6
paid for this is a reinforced black centre. The following common sequence is indicative of the variation's complexity: 8 ... ~c7 9.f4 '+!fb6! lO.c4 ~b4 + 11.c;t>e2! fs 12.ttJf2 ~a6 13.c;t>f3! ttJe7 14.~e3 ~cS I S . ~xcS 'i!fxcs 16 .~d6
(5 .. Ac6)
This variation has the ECO code B4S , which classifies it as a sub-variation of the PauIsen-Taimanov (4 ... e6 S.ttJc3 ttJf6). In reality, most of the time the position is reached by playing 2...ttJc6 and 4 ... ttJf6 . At the moment the following line is popular: 6.ttJxc6 bxc6 7.eS ttJdS
8.ttJe4, which gains space and fixes the weakness on d6, but the price to be 276
with an unbalanced posmon where both players have chances. However, 6. ttJd4-b5 remains the most logical and it is also the most popular: the weakness on d6 is put under further pressure. The usual reply is 6. ... ilfB-b4
This is the move which defines the Sicilian Four Knights. Naturally, with 6 ... d6 7 .~f4 eS 8 . ~gS you transpose to the Lasker-Pelikan Variation, with an extra move played by both sides.
Sicilian Defence - Four Knights Variation
Given that the thematic 7.liJd6+, as well as 7 .~f4, gives Black good counterplay, the most frequent move by far has become the solid 7. a2-a3 White contents himself with the small advantage of the two bishops. The game becomes a slow positional struggle after 7.... i.b4xc3+ S. lLlb5xc3 d7-d5 Black opens the position after conceding the two bishops to White, in order to free his game 9. e4xd5 e6xd5
Therefore, on the whole, this variation is good for a Black player who is happy to draw. If Black wants to fight for the full pOint, then the percentage of victories for Black (10%) is certainly not encouraging. This is particularly clear when it is compared to the overall win rate of 29 % for the SicHian, higher than for any other of Black's defences, and testimony to the Sicilian's combative nature.
"Adams~Michael ' +2' " ,"', '~;"'. " Radjabov, Teimour :, ,; :. '} EnghienlesBains ,2003.(6)
,
1.e4 cS 2.lLlf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lLlxd4
It is true that Black has a weak pawn on dS and is without his dark-squared bishop. However, after the usual sequence 10. ~fl-d3 0-0 11. 0-0 d5-d4 12. lLlc3-e2 we have a position which is different to the classic isolated d-pawn positions. Here the pawn has advanced to d4. Black has gained a good space advantage and control of the dS-square. White maintains a minimal plus, but it is difficult to gain anything concrete, as is apparent from the unusually high draw rate.
'liJ16 S;liJc3, liJc6 , 6.lLlxc6 bxc6 ' 7.eS lliJdS S.tZle.. 'ilfc7 9.f4 Ub8?110~d3 :'ilfb6 11.Vi'e2 .te7N 12.c4?1 JLb4+? ![lLJS!}'.13.Wf1 f5 14.exf6 liJxf6o' 1S.lLlxf6+! gif6 16..te3;t 'ilfaS?! :17.'M2 ~e71S.c5' dS19.cxd6 bd6 !20.Uhd1± / 9;;e7 '· 21.wg1 .tcS : 22.~xc5+ 'iixcS+ 23.wh1 1Vb4?! '24.1i"e3, '1i"a5 25.b3 iLd7 26..tc4' tl1b1I>fS : 29..ic4 [_d) 29...1:le7 30.'it>t2[;t/=] 30.•J:i,e731.il.e2 d5 k a5 cxd4 S.'ilfxd4 lbfS S.~gS 'iVaS+ 42.ttlC5+ ~a7 43.Wd6 wb8 44.~d7 gS 4S.lbd3! b4 4S.ttlxb4e4 47.fxe4 , 7.lb c3 as 8.b4 ~d8 9..b fS gxfS 281
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
10..bd7+ .t~d71>Vt:ld5 ·bS 12.lLlM '" i'7.~f6+ ~g7 · 18.li\hS: ~f8 i9>jg7~L licS . 13.lLlfS .bfS 14.exfS· ~g7 ~e 7 20.'il'f6+ <Ji>fil 21.l:[eS ~4 1S.0-0 0-0 1S..tl:ae1 J:le817Jle2 J:tcS 22.a3+-) IS.ttJxe7+Wfil 16.'i¥d6. ,18J .tfe1 eS 19.fxeS fxeS 20.U.xeS $.bStoo] 14...l:txd7 1S.lLle4 [I 5Jld3': i.l:rxeS 2UbeS l:txc2 22:i!:Ye3 f8 ~gs+ 16:~bl 'il'f6; lS.lIe3 ~gS 16.f4 23.h4h524.J:te7'i¥cS2S.rLa7 1-0e$ 17.J:txeS 'i¥xeS 18.'il'xeS ·' dxeS 19.J:txd7.txf4+ oo ] 1S ...hS?! [IS ...'iVxa2t; l.LeS?! 16.liJf6+ Lf6 ' Dvoretsky,Mark Poh~a,Ha:r.ry . ' ";," 17 .'~g4+ <Ji>h8 18.'il';d7 ~xa2 19.c3±] "1S.J:te3 wh7 17.rLf3! rLf8 18.c.t>b1 bS Viliandi 1972 1.e4 c5 2.lLlf3 dS 3.ibS+ lLld7 4.d4 [18 ... £5? 19.ttJcS+-] 19.~e.3 ~~gS? , cxd4 S:~bd4 lLlf6 S:1I.gS e6 7.ttJc3 [19 .. .'~'h5t]20.'*Yd3 ' 15 ;; 21.lLlxgS+: hxgS :. 221th3+ ,.; .c.t>g7 ' [22...Wg6 ·j.,e7 ao-o-o 0-0 ' 9.llhe1 [9.h4!?] 9...'tWaS 10.hd7 .bd7 .11 ..bf6 gxf6 23.1t'e2!] 23:f.t'e3 f4 24.'il'xeS 'tIi'fS ;[I'L...L:f6 n.eS :J;.e7 13.exd6 :· ..tf6 2S.'*YhS+ ~f7 2S.rLxdS " . . 1-0 .. . 14.lLleS±] 12.eS fxeS 13.lLlxeS J:tfd8 '0 ' [13...~c6 '· 14.l:td3?? (14.ttJxc6 bxc6 Spanton,Timothy : ·Marusenko.Petr ·' .' , :IS.l:td3+-) 14" .dxeS lS ;l:txeS'iWb4!-+ riVoretSky-Scholseth,,"~ Saint Jolm .1,988] Hastings 2005/06 (4) .•'. ", " , ;14.lLlxd7 [14.'il'g4+!! . wfil ' IS,ltJxf7t '1.e4 cS 2.ttJf3 dS 3.~bS+ lLld7 4.d4' lLlfS S.lLlc3 ~xd4 S.'fWxd4 hS 7..te3 :(1 s. lLlxd7+ lhd7 . 16.J:tdS ,· '6lVb6! (16 .. :exd5? 17.'~xd7 Zle8 18.<Ji>bl d4 '· · eS8.~d3 .1te79 ..ic40-010.t2lh4d5 (19,f!fbS!+-) 17Jbe6!? fxe6 18.'ii'xe6 11.exdS e4 12.xd1 gxf6 12.fxe4 tDe6 ,13.e3 ~gS 14.g3 ~ dS+ 1S.tDd2 tDe7 16.'if<e2 wd7 17.Ilad1 ~e6 18.tDf3 J:lxd1 19.tDxe7+ -ixe7 20.Jlxd1 lldS ; 2U!.xdS .bdS 22.tDh4 ~e7 23.tDfS ~fS 24.b4 d7 2S.w b3 e6 26.~e4 a6 27.a4 b6 2S.94 bS+ 29.w b3 \t?d7 30.tDe3 .th6 31.tDd5 .tgS 32.c4 ,\t?e6 33.tDe3 bxc4+ 34.'~xe4 ~h4 3S.tDdS ~gS 36.h3 .th4 37.tDe7+ d7 3S.tDfS ~e1 39.b5 axbS+ 40.xbS -id2 41.';i;>b6 ~e1 42.a5 .if2+ , 43.b7 \t?e6 44.'~e6 1-0
i d7 11.0-0-0 tDc6 12.tDxc6 bxc6 13.h4I'iVb6 14Jlh3 'eS?! [14 .. Jlb8 IS.tDa4 'iVc7) 1SJ:!.f3 .i.e7 [ls ... Ad 16.eS!] 16.e5! dxeS? [16 ... rlb8! 17.exf6 (17 .exd6 flYxb2+ 18. \t?d2 ,, ~xd6 with counterplay) 17 ... ~f8 the solid centre and the bishop pair offer good ' compensation for the pawn) 17.l:l.xd7! xd71S.'ti'xf7 J:Ia719..lk.c4 'it'de . 20..b e6 c4 21 ..b c4 rld7 22.tDd5 '$iaS 23.b4! ~a4 24.tDb6 'iYxb4 2S.tDxd7 ~xd7 26.l:%b3 1-0
Kosintseva,Nadezhda ' Sedlak,Nikola Moscow 2007 (7)
Bosch.Jeroen Dvoiris.Semen .' Leeuwarden 1997 (4)
".
1.e4 eS 2.tDf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tDxd4 tDf6 S.f3 eS 6 ..tbS+ tDbd7 ?tufS a6 S.iLxd7+ ~xd7 9.$.gS d5 10•.hf6 gxf6 11.tDc3 .ib4 12.0-0 .be3 13.bxc3 dxe4 ,. 14.fxe4 ~xd1 ,1S.IIaxd1 Ae6 16.a4 bS 17.axbS axbS 1S.tDe3 e719.t2JdS+ .b dS 20.:1xdS IIabS . ,2 U tfd1 :a.hcS ,22.J:1d7+ eS 23.1:1a7 traS 24JlxaS , btxaS . 25 .'~f2 J:.1 c8 26.J:!d3 lk4 , 27.J:e3 We7 2S.we2 hS 29.d3fS 30.exfS f6 3Ule1 ~xfS 32Jl b1 ~g4 33.g3 h4 34.btfH ~e6 3SJ1g1 . hxg3 36.hxg3 fS 37.l:lb1 llxg3+ ' •3S.~d2 ' J:tg2+ 39.Wd3 e4+40.~d4 Ild2+ 41.\t?e3 J:txc2 42~n b3 b4 , 0-1
Ganguly,Surya Shekhar Zugic,Igor i
Calvia 01 2004 (11)
:'
1.e4 cS 2.tDf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tDxd4 " tDf6 5.tDe3 ' Ad7 6.~g5 e6 7.0 dbS .ie6 8 ..b fG gxf69:ifhS a6 10liJd4, 286
1.e4 c5 2.tDf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tt:Jxd4 tDf6 5.tDc3 .id7"6.~gS e6 7.tDdbS ~c6 S~xf6 gxf6 9,'iWh5 a6 10.tDd4 .i.d7 11.0-0-0 b5 12.f4 tDe6 13.'>£,b1 'ifb6 14.tDxc6 .lk.xe6 15.fS ~e7 · 16.l\Yh6 ~c5 17.i£.d3 e5' 1S.g4 b4 ' 19.tDe2 dS 20.tDg3 . 0-0-0 ' 21.exdS ~xd5 22.~e4 .ic4 23.b3 ~b5 24.gS rIxdH 25Jixd1 lIdS 26.l:rxdS+' .!txde 27.gxf6 . i.b6 ' 2S.a4 ' bxa3' 29.~d2 'lWgH 30.a2 .id4 31.c3 .!te3 32.'iVdS Wic1 33.'iWb7+ dS 34.'l1rfe7+ > weS ;': 35.'iff8+ .Wc7 36.'lWe7+ ·.i.d7 37.'tIfxa3 'iVxe3 3S.b4' 'llHc4+ 39.1!Yb3 ~bS 40.'iVxc4+, h c4+ 41.Wb2 · ~d4+ 42.'it>a3 ~g1 43.h3 .if2 44.tDh5 .ih4 4S ..if3 >t>d6 46.tDg7 ~xf6 4?tt:JeS+ j;, ." Kortcbnoi.Viktor Moittpellier ct 1985 (8) ,.
1.e4 c5 2.tDf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lbxd4 lbfS 5.lbc3 lbcS S.~g5 e6 7.1lfd2 Ae7 S.O-O-O 0-0 9.lbb3 a5 10.a4 d5 ,11 ..tb5 dxe4 12.1!t'xdS jUdS 13.J:lhe1 tDa7 14.~c4 h6 15••bf6 'gxf6 16.lbxe4 f5 17.lbdS~c7 1&g3 bS 19.1bxf5 exf5 20•.td5 jg,e6 21~xaS l%xaS 22.lbd4 £d5 23.J:1e7 ::lea 24.lbb5 .. :". 1-0 292
1.e4 c5 2.lbf3 tDc6 3.d4 cxd4 '4.lbxd4 lbf6 5.~c3 d6 6..tg5 e6 7.'ifd2 as S.tDxc6 bxc6 9.0-0-0 d5 ; ' 10.e5 hS 11.iLh4 g5 12.i.g3 lbd7 ; ,13.h4 g414.'ite2 J:1g815.1Wd3 .t!.bS ; o16.tlfh7 J:tg7 17.'fVhS 'Wa5 "1S.J:td3 : ,d4 19J1xd4 ~Jbb2 ' 20.'it>d2 tDbS ; 21.Ad3 . lbd5 22.l:!c4 ..tb7 , 23.J:l.e1 ; i'1Ib4 24.1%ee4 c525.a3 l:!x04 . ' 26.l:!x04 tbbS 27.J:l.f4 ·tDd5 2S.J:104~ ; lbbG 29.J:1f4 e4 30J:Lx04 lbxc4+ ' 31.iLxc4 .lit.e4 32.'it'xh6 J:1h7 33.'it'e3 ' .i.h6 34 ..tf4 ·i.xf4 35.1Wxf4 i,g6 : ' 3S.g3 .l:th5 37.1Wxg4 U.xe5 3S.1Vd4 ; .1%e5 39.f4 ·We740.g4 J:1e6 41.Ad3 ~.bd3 42.exd3 J:l.c7 43.g5 'ii'xa3 j '44.'i!ff6+ ,, ~e8 45.'fVhS+ 'it>d7 , 4S.tDe2 'i!fb4+ 47.<J;>e3 J:lc2 4S.~h5 1 ~' 'ifd2+ 49.~d4 'it>e7. 50.'it'f3 'iWxe2 ,1 51.1IYb7+Wf8 0-1 ' , ~.
,.
Yakovenko,Dmitry HouYifan.,". Moscow 2007 (3)
0\
1.e4 c5 2.lbf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lbxd4 , lbf6 5.tbc3tt:lc6 6:.i(.g5 e6 7.'it'd2 as S.O-O-O tbxd4 9.'ilYxd4 ii.e710.f4 b5 , 11 •.1i.e2 jLb7 12.~f3 'U.cs 13.JafS ~ gxf6 14.~b1 1%c5 15Jlhe1 ,'ilYc7 ' 1S.f5 O~O 17•.l:te3 'it>hS 1S.'ttd2 J:1gS . 19.1be2 .1i.fS 20.J:1d3 · :re5 21.lbg3 ' jg,e7 22.1IYhS ~dS 23.l:!xd6 ~xdS ' .' 24.J:l.xdS W'fS 25.1IYxf6+ 'Wg7 .; 26.'iYxg7+ ~xg7 27.~c1 lIcS ; 2S.lId7 .tc6 29.1%a7 J:1a8 30.l:tc7 . ~eS 31.tbh5+ ~fS 32.f6 b4 33.tbf4 %Ia5 34.'it>b1 nbS 35.lbd3 e5 3s.g4 : h6 37.M lIab5 38.g5 hxg5 39.hxg5
Sicilian Defenc e - Richter - Rauzer
J:t8b740.n c4 a5 41.b3 1:t7b6 42.a4 bxa3 43.wa2 J:rb8 44.w xa3 A d7 45JIc7 ~eS 46.A g4 l:ISb7 47.l:Ic4 nbS 4S.~f5 1:[dS 49.lle7 J:l.dbS 50Jle7 .!lSb7 51.n xb7 'J:txb7 52.lllxe5 llbS 53.e4 l:tdS 54.c5 lld1 ; 55.e6 l:te156.~b2 C 1-0
35.'Ifoob1 a4 36 ..bh61 37.J::txfS+ xf6 52:~ d4 ~e6 53.~xe4 ~d6 ' 54.~d4 tZJc6+ 55.~c4 , tZJa756.c3 '.t>c6 57.'.t>d4 'it'b6 5S.tZJc4+ ~a6 59.'~, d5 tZJcS 60.w e6 1-0
'.r,
35.g4 \fica 36.lt>g2 'tVd7 37.c4 'flVeS 3S.b3 'tVdS 39.'ifd2 f6 40J:rh1 ~f4 41.llfc3 : 'iKhS 42.'ifh3 h543.'iYxh5 llfxh5 44.l:txh5 ~d2 45.b4 1-0
Inarkiev,Ernesto Khalifman,Alexander Khaniy Man~iysk2 00$ (I) ,
1.e4 c5 2.tZJf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tZJxd4 lLlf6 5.tZJe3 g6 6 •.te3 $.g7 7.f3 a6 S.~d2 b5 9.0-0-0 £i.b7 10...th6 ..txh6 11.'ii 'xh6 lLlbd7 12.~b1 tIcS 13.ff'd2 b4 14.lLlce2 ~b6 15.h4 h5 16.tZJe1 d5 17.exd5 tZJxd5 1S.J:Ie1 e5 19.1Lldb3 ,a5 ' 20.lLld3 0-0 2Ut f2 'iJlic7 22.94 a4 23.lLlbc1 a3 24.gxh5, axb2 25.tZJb3 e4 26.fxe4 , tZJc3+.' 27.w xb2 tZJxe4 2S.'fNh2 'iYc3+ 29.~b1 ~d5 30.l:td1 'iYf6 31.~h3 .txb3 32.axb3 tIaS 33.tZJb2 lLlc3+ 34.w c1 tIa1 + 35.~d2 lLlxd1 36Jlxd1 'iKxb2 37.J:ba1 'iVd4+ 0-1 .
Rauzer, Vsevolod Chekhover, Vitaly Leningrad J 936 (8)
.,
1.e4 c5 2.tZJf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tZJxd4 tZJf6 5.tZJe3 g6 6.f3 .\tg7 7.iLe3 0-0 Karpo~,Anatoly Sosonko,Genna S.'iWd2 .tZJc6 9.0-0-0 tZJxd4 10.~xd4 . ~e6 11.w b1 l:i.cS 12.h4 tZJh5 Bad Lauterberg 1977 (1) 1.e4 c5 2.tZJf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tZJxd4 13..txg7 ·~xg7 14.lLld5 .bd5 tZJf6 5.tZJc3 g6 6.~e2 fig7 7.0-0 tZJc6 15.exd5 tZJg3 16 J~h2 ' e5 17.dxe6 fxe6 · 1S.h5 tZJxh5 19.'iYxd6 'i!Vxd6 S.tZJb3 0-0 9.~g5 ~e6 10.'.t>h1 a5 11.a4 tZJd7 12.f4 tZJb6 . 13.f5 sil.c4 20.J:txd6 l:lfdS 21.l:rxdS ttxdS 14.b c4 tZJxc4 15.'i¥e2 tZJb6 16JWb5 .' 22.~c1 tZJg3 23.~d3 l:ld4 24.J:lh3 lLld4 17.lLlxd4 ~xd4 18.l:l.ad1 .\kg7 , lLlh5 25.g3 b6 26.'.t>d2 l:!.d5 27.~e3 19 ~e3 tZJd7 20.tZJd5 I:teS 21.e3 .lte5 1:[g5 2S.w f2 lIa5 29.a3 ~f6 30.I:th4 . 22.~b6 tZJxb6 23.tZJxb6 l:1a6 24.tZJc4 tl.c5' 31.11d4 l:!.d5 32.11c4 llc5 ~bS 25.lLlxa5 I:tca 26.tZJc4 A xh2 33.11xe5 bxc5 34.b4 cxb4 35.axb4 27.lLlb6 I:txb6 2S.'¥Hxb6 ~e5 29.a5 tZJd5 36.b5 lLlc3 37.w e3 e5 3S..tc4 l:(c6 :,. 30.'tVe3 'i'c7 3U'Id5 tIa6 h5 39.wd3 tZJa4 40.££.d5 g5 41 •.tc6 32.\\i'd3 rbg7 33.n b5 g5 34.'tWd5 I:ta7 112- 1/2 ' h4 42.gxh4 gxh4 43.f4 ,.. 302
Sicilian Defence - Dragan Variatian
. ~,
~
,',
.~
Lahno,Katerina Jobava,Baadur
,~
.....
"
- dS 23.iif2 lZlaS 24.~c5 lLle7 2S.fS fS 2S.exdS eS 27.lLldS Uc7 2S.lZlde4 l');cS 29.dS lLlcS 30.lZld5 31.gS ,~ Dubai 2004 (2) ' 1.e4 cS 2.tbf3 dS 3.d4 lLlfS 4.lLlc3 lZld4 32 ..b d4 , exd4 33.gxfS .bfS ,cxd4 S.lLlxd4 gS6.i e3 ~g7 7.f3 , 34.lZlexfS .l:txfS 3S.'i!bd4 ,·it.xfS+ , 1-0 lLlcS S.'lWd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 dS 10.dS ' 19.1WdS lLJxf7 20.'ifxf7 ~c8 :~:! 1..0 ' 'S..lte3lLJc6 9.'lWe2 Ad710.h4 lLJxd4 .... 21.lDd>5 Wa5 22 . b4 :hi.xd4 ' eS 12..lte3 il.c6 13:tWd3 .a5 14.0-0-0 tLJxe4 15.lLJxe4 dS Naiditsch,Arkady ' ;16.1!fb3 dxe4 17.Ac4 IU8 ' 18.11dS Belov,Vla~ir i.xdS 19..bd5 ttdS 20.~c4 .i.b4 Moscow 2007 (2) . '21.c3 .bS 22..i.e2 ~d6 23.'~·dS ~e7 1.e4 c5 2.lLJf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lLJxd4 .24.il.cS i.xcS 2S;~xe5+ <J;;d7 lLJf6 S.lLJc3 , a6 6.Jte3 e6 7.g4 eeS ' 26.'{Wxc5 '¥Iic7 27.'tlYfS+ .. <J;;e7 S.tL':)fS g6 9.9S gxfS 10.exfS dS :2S."iWxe4+ wd7 29.~fS+ ~e7 11.gxf6 d4 12.il.c4 'i¥c7 13.'ifd3 ' 30.tte1 J:1d6 31.i.c4+ '.t>dS 32 ..i.xbS dxe3 14.f4 i.b4 1S.0-0-0 A xc3 'a6 33.il.a4 g6 34.'~ff3 <J;;c8 3SJ:te7 ·· 16.bxc3 lLJc6 17.l:thg1 l:tf8 1S:iWxe3 JldH 36.'.t>xd1 'ilixe7 37JWaS+ 'i;;c7 AxfS 19:Wc5 lldS 20.il.dS llxdS 3S:iWa7+'.t>d639.1i'b6+.'. 1-0 ... 21.l:xdS A e6 22.l:td6 exf4 23.ttg7 313
Chess Opening Essen ti al s - Volum e 1
Jid7 24.J:td {' iLea 2S~l:e1 'fr'eS 2SJi'dS Wid7 27.'iYxf4 'fKdS 2SJteg1 : 1i'bS 29.~hS 'tWdS 30.J:t1g2 't/k'a3+ 31.d2, 'ti'd4+ 34.~e1 ~a1 + 3S.c;t>d2 tWd4+ 3S.c;t>e1 ~eS 37J%d2 'i\YeS 3S.e3 'iIlYeS 39.'tWf4 ',' '/j"eS 40.~f2 ~aS 41.1Wf4 ~eS
Polgar,Judit , .Kasparov,Garry Geneva rapid 1996 (3)
' .,
112- V2
~
..
~,
"
~e3 \t;>g7 Sl.Wf4 'it>fS S2.b5 hS Lautier,Joel 53.wg3 g5 S4.wf3 g4+ SS. ~g2 h4 Calvia 012004 (10) 5S.'Ji>f2 -tbS+ S7.g2h3+ SS.'Ji>g3 1.e4 eS 2.tt:lf3 eS 3.d4 exd4 4.tt:lxd4 cJtgS S9.cJth2 ~e7+ SO.cJtg1 g3 0-1 ttlcS S.ttle3 as S.Ae2 dS 7..te3 tpfS ' S.f4 .te7 9:ti'd2!? 0-010.0-0-0 tt:ldi Pantaleoni,Claudio 11 •.tf3 l:l.b8 12.tb~e2 'iYaS 13.tt:l)(eS! Zoldan,Matteo 1Wxd2+ 14J:xd2bxeS 1·S.J:!.hd1 tt:lbS, Bratto 1997 (2) lS..txbSI l:txbS 17.l:I.xdSI± .txdS 1.tt:lf3 dS 2.e4 eS 3.d4 exd4 4.tt:lxd4 lS.J::rxdS eS 19.fxeS .J:teS20.tt:ld4 tt:lfS S.ttle3 eS S.f4 as 7.'ii'f3 ~bS ' ~f8 21.eS h eS 22.eS .te4 23.b3 S.tt:lb3 '(i'e7,.. 9..td3 b5 10.g4 .tb7 . .. .ifl 24.tt:lxeS gS 2S.a4 g4 26..td5
314
Sicilian Defence - Scheveningen Variation
.tIxe5 27J:tdS+ l:leS 2S.J:!d7 l:XeH 29.b2 l:td1 30.l1xf7+ eS 31J:te7+ ' b6 4S.g4 Jld6 49.w a3 rlg2 50.h3 J:!g3 51.b4 l:td4+ 52.~e3 Jld6 53:i.'e4 .% U3 54.b4+- )';tf4+ 5S.~b3 11f3 .56.a4 11g3 S7.A e4 Jle3 5S..ltd3 '<J.ob7 S9.h4 J:eS 60.g5 hxg5 61.hxg5 ;Itd4 62.g6 1:1g4 63.~fS 1-0
Ljubojevic,Ljubomir Andersson, Ulf l'
WijkaanZee 1976 (3)
·1.e4 e5 2.lLlf3 e6 3.d4 exd4 4.lLlxd4 lLle6 5.lLle3 'Wie7 6 ..lk.e2 a6 7.0-0 lLlf6 S.~e3 Yl.e7, 9.f4 d6 10.'iVe1 0-0 ' 11.'~g3 A d7 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 ~lLlxe5 . 14.~f4 ~d6 15J%.ad1 'ifbS · 16Jld3 lLleS v 17.lLle4 ll.e7 1S.J::!.e3 o.lLle6 19...be7 lLlxd4 20.~d3 'iVa7 '21.lt:Jc5 ~b5 22.~e5lLle6 23.~xh7+ ''it>xh7 24.l:tf4 f6 25.l:th4+ \tJg8 26.'Wh3 lLldS ' 27.~d4 b6 2S.lLlxe6 ' tbxe6 29.'iVxe6+ ViHf7 30.'life4 g5 .3Ulh6 ria7 32 ..lleh3 'iWg7 33.11g6 :l:.'( ff734.c4 1-0
[_ Fernandes,Antonio Arlandi,Ennio . Leon Ech-tt 2.001 (5)
,
.
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,1.e4 e5 2.lLlf3 e6 3.d4 exd4 4.lLlxd4 'lLlf6 5.lLle3 d6 6 ...te3 a6 7.~e2 ~e7 S.f4 ~e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.~h1 · lLle6 .1HWe1 lLlxd4 12..b d4 b5 13.a3 "~b7 14."5'g3 ..te6 15.ttad1 ~b7
16..l1i.f3 ll~eS 17JUe1' b4? 18.axb4 Wxb4 , 19.1LldS! '.bd5 20.~e3 "iVa4 21.exd5 'i'xc2 22.dxe6 lle7 23 ..l1i.e4 ~a4? 24.~xf6 .bf6 25.exf7+ ~h8 26.'i'h3 1-0
Anand. Viswanathan Kasparov,Garry New York Wch m 1995 (9)
1.e4 eS 2.lLlf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lLlxd4 lLlf6 5.lLlc3 a6 6.~e2 e6 7.0-0 ike7 S.a4 lLlc6' 9.il.e3 0-0 10.f4 ..Wic7 11.h1 lleS 12.~f3 it.d7 13.lLlb3 tba5 14.lLlxa5 Wlxa5 1S.VJkd3 l1adS 16Jlfd1 ~e6 17.b4 Wie7 18.b5 ~d7 19.ttab1 'axbS ' 20.lLlxb5 ~xb5 21.1ii'xb5 l:taS 22.c4 e5 23 ..l1i.b6 1fVca 24.fxe5 dxeS 25.a5 £lf8 26.h3 '*Ye6 27Jld5 lLlxd5? 2S.exdS 'ij'g6 29.c5 e4 30.it.e2 J:te5 31.Wid7 J:[g5 32.1',1g1 e3 · 33.d6 n g334.l\Vxb7 , '*Ye6 355.t;>h2 1-0
Adams,Michael Topalov, Veselin . Wijk aan Zee 2006 (2)
1.e4 c5 2.lLlf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lLlxd4 lLlf6 5.lLlc3 a6 6.A e2 e6 7.0-0 Jie7 S.a4 lLlc6 9.Jie3 0-0 10.f4 'fIfe7 11.'
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I
Sicilian Defence Sozin-Velimirovic Attack 1.e4 c5 2. ~ f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4"~xd4 .~J6 5. ~c3 t.;c6/a6
6 ...ic4
In this section we will discuss the variations in which White plays ~c4 on the 6th move against the Scheveningen, the Najdorf, or the Classical Sicilian. It is evident that there are many strategic similarities and transpositions, and thus it seemed logical to look at them together rather than in the respective sections for each variation. The development of the bishop to c4 gives a clear strategic quality to each variation. The Russian master Veniamin Sozin (1896-1956), whose name has become attached to this system, was not the first to play 6. i1Lc4. You can see examples of it being played occaSionally in some 19th century games. However, Sozin was the first to show what White's best plan is in some games that were played in the 193 Os. This plan is to combine ~c4 with the advance f2-f4 and a pos316
sible further advance to f5, in order to rapidly apply pressure on e6, and thus add some sense to the development of the bishop to the a2-g8 diagonal, where it would otherwise be less influential. It is not without reason that the game plan of the highly popular English Attack, i.e. the pawn advances f2 -£1, g2 -g4 and h2-h4, does not include the development of the bishop to c4, and indeed in the Sozin this pawn configuration proves to be largely ineffective. The only exception, in this sense, is the main line of the Dragon, in which this set-up does include ~c4. However, in this case the bishop only has the prophylactic role of preventing ... d6-d5. Another great advocate of the deployment of the fl -bishop to c4 during the 1960s was the future 11 th World Champion, Bobby Fischer, who came up with many new ideas for White and for Black! In recognition of his many contributions, some experts attach his name to Sozin's when denoting the whole system. However, we will call it by its usual name.
Fischer Attack 7 . ~b3 is called the Fischer Attack only ifit is played in the Najdorf; that is, after a7-a6 5. ... 6. ~f1-c4 e7-e6 or via the Scheveningen (5 ... e6 6.i1Lc4) when Black plays 6 ... a6. 7. ~c4-b3!? With this precautionary retreat by the c4-bishop to b3, White is making a move that will be necessary sooner or later (even if 7.0-0 and 7.a3 are both playable).
Sicilian Defence - Sozin- Velimirovic Attack S .... .l¥.f8-e7! The old main line was 9.f4 0-0 10.eS dxeS 1 l.fxeS lDfd7, which is now slightly out of use, since Black has more than adequate resources. 9. ~d1-f3!
Black usually seeks immediate counterplay on the queenside with the manoeuvre ... lDbd7 -cS, or with ...b7 -bS. We will first take a look at 7 ... lD bd7 , which is fashionable at the moment, but which was considered to be theoretically bad in the past. It was played more than once by Kasparov in his 1993 World Championship match against Short. After 8.f4 lDcs
practice has shown that Black's position is perfectly playable. Now back to 7 .~b3. 7. ..• b7-b5 White continues more often than not with S. 0-0 The direct 8.f4 followed by f4-fS is playable, but does not give more than equality.
This has now become all the rage. Played by Fischer in 1960, its real popularity began when Kasparov adopted it in the 1990s. Here we have a rare case where play, when restricted exclUSively to pieces, proves to be dangerous. Black's problem is that the threat of 10.eS cannot be prevented with the natural-looking 9 .. .~b7 because of 10 ..lii.xe6! fxe6 Il.lDxe6, with a strong attack. Therefore play proceeds with 9. ... 'iWdS-c7 1O. ~f3-g3 0-0 11 . .lii.c1-h6! tt:Jf6-eS Now White has an unpleasant kingside initiative. However, with correct play, Black should be able to maintain the balance. Now we will look at how w e can get to this position via the Classical Sicilian: 1. e2-e4 c7-c5 2. tt:Jg1-f3 d7-d6 c5xd4 3. d2-d4 317
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 4. ttlf3xd4 ttlgS-fS ttlbS-cS 5. ttlb1-c3 S. ~f1-c4 e7-eS We will now examine the positions where White does not develop his queen to £3, but instead to e2, with both kingside and queenside castling. The most common continuation is 7. ~c1-e3 a7-aS
With the move 9.~e2 you transpose to a Velimirovic Attack in which White has retreated his bishop a little prematurely to b3. This allows ... tLJaS, but with the difference that White cannot retreat the bishop to d3, as you can in the standard Velimirovic line.
S. ~c4-b3 The more flexible 8.0-0 (for 8.Wfe2 see the Velimirovic Attack further on) 8 ... ~e7 9 .~b3 0-0 10.f4 tLJ xd4 11..~.xd4 bS n.eS dxeS 13.fxeS tLJd7 14.tLJe4 ~b7 lS. tLJd6 ibcd6 16.exd6 'iWgS
We can call this position the Classical Sozin, as it was played this way in the 193 Os. White searches for a balance between aggressiveness and solidity, and he prepares an initiative on the kingside without burning all his bridges behind him.
9. ... 10. ~d1-f3
0-0
Velimirovic Attack
leads to a complex position that is difficult to assess. S .... ~fS-e7 9. f2-f4 318
Here is another famous variation where White's light-squared bishop is developed to c4. You should note that White can only enter this variation if Black plays the Classical Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.tLJ£3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. tLJxd4 tLJf6 S.tLJc3 tLJc6). S. ~f1-c4 e7-eS 7. ~c1-e3 ~fS-e7 7 ... a6 8.'tWe2 Wic7 9.0-0-0 ~e7 is a transposition of moves. S. 'iVd1-e2
Sicilian Defence - Sozin-Velimirovic Attack
White's idea is to prepare queenside castling while keeping control of g4, to be able to push the g-pawn without the need to play f2 -f3. It became popular in 1965, following some brilliant victories by its creator, the Yugoslav GM Dragoljub Velimirovic. It was sometimes played by Fischer; he used this variation in a famous game with Larsen in 1 970, which he lost. This aggressive line has never achieved the popularity of the Richter-Rauzer : probably because most players prefer not to play such a one-dimensional line, and instead would rather play something strategically more complex. Black generally continues with S. ... a7-a6 9. 0-0-0 'iVdS-c7 10. ~c4-b3
This is a prophylactic move, which is necessary to be able to play g2 -g4. Now Black must choose. He can leave the king in the middle and play on the queenside with 10 .. .tLla5, exchanging it for the bishop on b3, but this leaves White with the strong knight on d4. Instead, Black can immediately play 10 ... 0-0. In the latter case, White's plan is the brutal manoeuvre g2 -g4, I:Xh1-g1-g3-h3 and, then g4-g5, ~e2-h5-h7 checkmate! However, Black will not just sit there twiddling his thumbs, and in practice it is difficult to pull this off. A)
11. 92-94
This is best met by 11 ....
tLlc6xd4
when White must recapture with the rook, since 12.1i.xd4 eS 13.1i.e3 Jixg4 14.13 iLe6 gives no compensation for the sacrificed pawn. 12. .l:[d1xd4
This prevents 12 ... e5 thanks to 13.J:l.c4 (gaining a tempo by attacking the queen) followed by g4-g5 and tLlc3-d5 . Therefore, Black continues with 12. ... 13.94-95 14. J:l.h1-91
b7-b5 tLlf6-d7 tLld7-c5
319
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume I and White can try and add some sense to the rook's placement on d4 by clearing the way to h4 with 15.e5!? Black would be wise to not accept the proffered pawn immediately; instead he should respond with I5 ...d5 I6 .l:!.h4 'iYxe5, with a position that is not easy to evaluate. B)
However, at this point White can playa courageous two-piece sacrifice: 13. ttJd4-f5!? 14. ~ b3-d5!?
b7-b5
11. llh1-91
11. ...
ttJf6-d7
11.. .b5 12 .g4 b4 13 .tLlxc6 ~xc 6 14. tLld5 is another highly sacrificial line. ttJd7-c5 12.92-94 Now the normal continuation would be I3.g5.
320
For examples of these lines, see the games at the end of this section. As you have doubtlessly noted, when you play these variations, you are living on a razor's edge. Exhilarating perhaps, but not to the taste of every black player, who has alternatives such as ...tLlc6-a5xb3, or postponing kingside castling and first mobilizing his queenside pawns. To finish we have prepared a table (see next page) which presents the various systems in which White can play ~c4.
Sicilian Defence - Sozin-Velimirovic Attack ~.,
A) Classical Sicilian 1. e2-e4 ,'. 2. tbgH3 3. d2-d4 i 4. .tbf3xd4 5.tbb1'·C3 . 6: ~f1-c4 ,c"
3. , d2-d4 ,.' 4. ,·tbf3xd4 the more popular 6 .. Jj'b6. Then, 'after ' 5; tbb1-c3 7.lLJdbS, or 7.4:lb3, youreachpositions 6. ~f1~c4 which are ; similar .t~ the Classical Sche~eningen: '; 7 ... a6 8.~e3 'it' c7 ; 9.$.e2 ; Do not jorget about the common er~or 6, ..g6?7.0.xc6bxc6'S.e51, ,;." '
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B) ' Scheveningen ', . 1. ' e2~e4 c7-c5 ~" . ,,: 2. ' tbg1~f3 d7·d6 ~" , 3. d2-d4 c5xd4 < .. :; 4. . .tbf3xd4 tbgS-f6 '.: ,,' .. ", ,' , 5. " tbb1';c3 , ;'. e7-e6 , .,t:::.~--"'=:"'::::'-=-----."""".=J " 6; :' kf1-c4 ",' . ,,' ..... Now, after ..\¥..c4 is less frequently played against'the : '" 7. .i.c4-b31? scIievenitigen than against the Najaorf '. We h~ve the Fischer Attack, 7,0-0 is also the Classical Sicilian because of the playable. The alternative 7,.\te3 is ambi~ popuhirity ofi:heKeres Attack. dous ,but double-edged; after 7.,.bs Here, Black .can avoid the. usual set-up 8,~b3 h4!?, it isn't clear If White will get by not playing .. ,tbc6, for example: " .-"., :.~ suffident compensation fo):, the e4-pawu, ;
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Chess Open inn Essentials - Volume I
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Sicilian Defence - Najdorf 6 .~ e3 B) 6 . ... e7-e5 A response in pure Najdorf style. Now White can retreat the knight to a solid position on f3, with the plan to castle kingside and limit Black's queenside counterplay with a2-a4-aS, or White may choose the more aggressive and more frequently played 7. ttJd4-b3
This move was barely dealt with, if at all, in the old opening tomes. It underwent a sudden boom in the 1990s, and is now one of the most commonly played moves. As it was introduced by Murray Chandler, Nigel Short and John Nunn in the 1980s, it was to become known as the English Attack. White prepares for 'iWd2 and 0-0-0 followed by f2 -f3 (more rarely by f2 -f4) and g2-g4, with an initiative on the kingside. Black has fundamentally three continuations at his disposal: 6 ... e6, 6 ... eS and 6 ... tbg4. A) e7-e6 6. is the most popular, but leads into the realms of the Scheveningen Variation (see that section).
which leaves the passage open for the f-pawn, and he can prepare to castle queenside, which is followed by opposite-side pawn storms. The main line is 7. 1i.cS-e6 S. 'iWd1-d2 ttJbS-d7 9. f2-f3 .ItfS-e7 10. g2-g4 h7-h6 b7-b5 11. 0-0-0 12. h2-h4 ttJd7-b6 with a complicated position and chances for both sides.
C) ttJf6-g4 6 .... This move, which was not even mentioned in the old opening manuals, was perhaps the most frequ ent of all in the 1990s! Yet another clear indication that opening theory is far from exhausted and new contributions keep cropping up. Often a move is not part of opening theory Simply because it has not been played yet - or at least, not often enough! 333
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume
7. ~e3-gS S. JiLgS-h4 9. ~ h4-g3 10. i.,f1-e2
h7-h6 g7-gS ~fS-g7
h6-hS
Now we have a position that is difficult to evaluate. It is easy to see why people have such differing views about this line: Black has lost a tempo to move the knight to a fairly unstable pOSition on g4. On the other hand, White has moved his bishop four times to put it on g3, whereas his adversary's bishop has already taken control of the long dark-squared diagonal. Naturally, the price Black pays for his piece activity is the strategically doubtful advance of his g- and h-pawns, which denies the black king a quiet refuge on the kingside. However, this assessment is academic and should not be seen as immutable: it 334
is not rare in practice that Black, haVing taken control of the centre, will use his g- and h-pawns to apply pressure on White's castled king's position! The most common continuation is 11. i.,e2xg4 i.,cSxg4 JiLg4-d7 12. f2-f3 13. ~g3-f2 tZlbS-c6 14. 0-0 e7-e6 Black has an active pOSition and the bishop pair, while White has a better pawn structure. Given the effectiveness of 6 ... tbg4, players are increasingly resorting to 6. f2-f3!?
to prevent the knight move, and then they enter the 6.i.,e3 variation. Black can try to take advantage of the negative aspects of this idea with 6. ... 'iWdS-b6!? ~" ~:'~ " ' «'~-'-
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Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
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Sicilian Defence - Najdorf 6.~ n5
Sicilian Defence Najdorf 6.~g5 1.e4 c5 2,.'d3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.t; Jxd4 !; .f6 5 . ~ ,c3 a6 6 ...i..g5
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countering an unprepared adversary. In the first years of the new millennium there has been a return of interest at the higher levels. This is perhaps because the quantity of theory for the so-called minor variations has now also reached disturbing proportions. After 6. ... e7-e6 White almost always continues with 7. f2-f4
... :
The last of the alternatives is the old main line 6.~g5. Though it is not so commonly played now, its appeal remains unaltered. The move was very popular from the 1950s until the 1980s - or more precisely, the line that continues with 7.f4 was by far the most common variation. With the advent of a burgeoning amount of theory, creative players started to look for alternatives in unexplored areas, as they had become tired of the fact that memory was becoming as important a factor as understanding. For this reason, the move 6 .~g5 was to become a rarity in the 1990s, at least at the higher levels. However, lower-level players have always continued to show a marked preference for this historically important and fascinating variation. Their choice is probably inspired by the hope of a qUick checkmate or of en-
with the idea of e4-e5. 7.'iWf3, which was popular in the early days of the variation, is now very rare. After 7 .f4 there is a major crossroads: Black has a healthy choice from six major continuations which are all perfectly playable, plus two minor lines (7 .. .~d7 and 7 ... h6). All of these have a lot of related theory and they are strategically very divergent as well; small wonder that 6 .~g5 is a daunting prospect for the lazy player! A) 7.... ttJb8-c6 The most recent of the alternatives is now part of established theory. A move that applies pressure to the centre would appear to be logical. since the moves ~g5 and £2-f4 have isolated the bishop on the kingside. with a resulting weakness of the dark squares in the centre and on the queenside. The question is if the pawn advance e4-e5, which
337
Ches s Open inn Essential s - Volume 1 Black does not appear to be worried about, is good or bad for White. White has two continuations, both of which produce unclear positions: A1)
S. e4-e5 9. jLg5-h4 Or 9 .. .tLlxd4!? 10. f4xg5 11. ttJc3xd5 12.e5xd6 13. ~d1-e2+
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and the black king's precarious position seems to be compensated for by the weaknesses on White's queenside. B) ttJbS-d7 7.... Another way to prevent e4-e5, and also enabling the ... b7 -b5 push. When Black develops the bishop to e7, you transpose to the main line with 7 ... ~e 7, but here Black's idea is to immediately activate his pieces on the queenside. S. ~d1-f3 ~dS-c7 9. 0-0-0 b7-b5
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with complicated play. A2)
S. ttJd4xc6 9. e4-e5 10. ~g5-h4 11. f4xg5 12. ttJc3-e4 Or 12.tLlxd5. 12 ....
b7xc6 h7-h6 g7-g5 ttJf6-d5
~dS-b6
Now White has three continuations: 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
~f1xb5
a6xb5
ttJd4xb5 e4-e5 e5xf6
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338
RaS-a5! g7xf6
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Sicilian Defence - Najdorf 6 .~ gS With two pawns for the piece and the Black king out in the open. White would appear to have abundant compensation: in reality practice has taught us that it is a struggle for White to maintain equality. 82) 10. e4-e5 Aiming to sacrifice two pieces! 10.... ~c8-b7 11. ~f3-h3 dSxe5 12. lLld4xeS f7xeS 13. 'tiVh3xeS+ .l1l.f8-e7 14. ..Itf1xb5 Alternatives like 14.lLlxb5 and 14 ..l1l.xf6 often tend to end in a draw as well. 14.... aSxb5 15. lLlc3xb5 ~c7-cS 1S. lLlb5-dS+ we8-d8 17. f4xe5 wd8-c7!
with a chaotic posmon whose extreme consequences have yet to be fully examined. However. the unwritten law of chess harmony teaches us that it is rare that such violent methods can refute variations with a solid positional foundation. A draw is the most likely result. 83)
10. ~f1-d3
White contents himself with increasing the pressure. and as such this is the most dangerous line. 10.... ~c8-b7 11. J:lh1-e1 Now Black can transpose with 11 ...Ji e7 to the main line Najdorf (7 .. .~e7). or otherwise maintain a position of a more individual nature with 11 ... 0-0-0. or with 11 .... 'tWc7-bS After this last move. the sacrifice 12. lLlc3-d5!?
is not for ced. but it is interesting. If Black is wise. he will not accept the piece (after 12 ...exd5, 13.lLlc6!! is very strong), instead h e should sacrifice his queen : 12 ... ~xd4! 13 . .l1l.xf6 gxf6 14 .~ xb5 'if c5 15. b4! ~xb5 16.lLlc7+ c;J;;e7 17.lLlxb5 axb5. with unclear play. 339
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume C)
7....
~da-c7
A logical move : before playing ...b7-b5, Black protects himself against the e4-e5 push without worrying about doubled pawns on the f-file . a. 'lWd1-f3 b7-b5 White doesn't seem to gain an advantage with either the solid 9 . ~xf6 gxf6 or the aggressive 9.0-0-0 b4 10.e5 ~b7 11.tLlcb5!? axb5 12.~xb5+ tLlbd7! 13 .1Wh3 b3!.
edly played the variation from 1959 until the 1990s, and it has never been refuted. Like the Dragon Variation it always rises from the ashes. Despite all this, it has never been as popular as the other variations. This is perhaps because of the excessive risks involved if you have not memorized a truly large number oflines.
After the thematic a. e4-e5 d6xe5 9. f4xe5 Black does not lose a piece on account of 9 .... ~da-c7
It is surprising that this variation is not
played more often.
Polugaevsky Variation D) 7.... b7-b5 This famous variation is named after its creator, the Russian grandmaster Lev Polugaevsky (1934- 1995). He devot-
340
and now we have reached a major crossroads: White can defend e5 to maintain his space advantage, but he will be left with a weak e5-pawn. He can also take on f6 conceding a central
Sicilian Defence - Najdorf 6 .~ 95 pawn and his dark-squared bishop, and put his faith in the lead in development that he gains. ItJf6-d7 10. 'iWd1-e2 11. 0-0-0 ~cS-b7 11 .. .tLlc6 is also interesting. 12. "ii\¥e2-g4
01)
Now Black can play either the cautious 12 ... 'ii:Vb6 to parry the threat of 13.ttJxe6, or the bold 12 .. .~xe5. White can meet the latter with the optimistic 13 .~xb5; however, it is b etter to choose 13 .~e2, with the idea of ~f3, which keeps Black under long-term pressure. Years of practical play have shown that White is unable to overcome the surprising resilience of Black's positio ns in both these lines. 10. e5xf6 ~ c7-e5+ 11. ~f1-e2 'fWe5xg5 After 12 .0-0 or the refined 12.llVd3, nobody has yet found a way to squeeze any advantage out of White's lead in development. even if it is evident that Black is walking on a tightrope.
02)
Poisoned Pawn Variation E)
7....
"ti¥dS-b6
This is the famous Poisoned Pawn Variation: since its inception, it has always been the subj ect of co ntroversy. Its colourful name would suggest a scant regard for the validity of the variation, but the experience gained from years of practical play is that the b2-pawn often proves to be a tasty morsel for Black, and not a small pellet of poisonous bait! The Poisoned Pawn Variation first appeared in tournament play in the 1950s and it was at first underestimated, in part due to the brilliant victories with the white pieces obtained by Keres and Tal. However, there is nothing as persuasive as victory, and Fischer's successes in the 1960s with the black pieces qUickly changed the opinion of opening scholars and players alike. This is made evident by the fact that 7.. .~b6 was Kasparov's favourite move. However, it rarely anyone felt brave enough to take him on with this line. In a certain sense. 7.. "~b6 is perhaps Black's most logical move : with the darksquared bishop no longer controlling b2 and e3. White's queenside is put under immediate pressure. S. 'ilVd1-d2 The timid 8.ttJb3 is playable, but brings no advantage. S. ... "tWb6xb2 341
Chess Opening Ess entials - Volume 1
White has two continuations: E1)
9. ttJd4-b3
The most solid. It seems unnatural to take the ttJd4 away from the centre, but the threat of a2-a3 and l::ta2 forces Black to act. 9 .... 'li'b2-a3 9 ... ttJc6 is also playable as after 10.a3 ttJaS 11.l::ta2, 11.. .ttJxb3 saves the queen. 10. ..\1l.g5xf6 g7xf6 11. ~f1-e2 h7-h5 12.0-0 and White's compensation is difficult to evaluate. E2) 9. J:la1-b1 The most natural, and it is considered to be the strongest, even if statistically the results are in Black's favour! 9. ... 'li'b2-a3
342
The following attempts fail to give White an advantage: 10.eS, 10 ..txf6 and 10. ~e 2. The same goes for 10. f4-f5 ttJb8-c6 11. f5xe6 f7xe6 12. ttJd4xc6 b7xc6
Here the positions become tactically highly complex after either the solid 13. ~e2,or
13. e4-e5!? d6xe5 13 .. .ttJdS is another line. 14. ~g5xf6 g7xf6 15. ttJc3-e4 Some continuations have been deeply studied until the endgame stage: with correct play Black maintains at least equality. However, it obvious that we are dealing with very risky lines that do not offer many opportunities for personal interpretation.
Sicilian Defence - Najdorf 6 . ~ g5 F)
7....
~f8-e7
The so-called Main Line. Black delays counterplay on the queens ide and develops naturally on the kingside. White continues with 8. ~d1-f3 to prepare queenside castling. An attentive student might ask why the queen is moved to f3 and not to d2. as is the case in the Richter-Rauzer. This is because on f3 the queen is more usefully placed than on d2: it is easier to transfer it to g3 or to h3 and the advance e4-e5 will gain force when Black plays ... b7-b5. Above all. the move 8 .~d2 would lead to a tactical problem here after 8 ... h6! and if9 .~h4 tLlxe4!. Back to 8.'i!Vf3. At this point we are at an important crossroads: 8 ... h6 or 8 .. :tlYc7. F1)
8 ....
h7-h6
The Gothenburg Variation, whose ambitious idea is 9. ~ g5-h4 g7-g5!? To break up the white pawn formation on the kingside. This variation made its simultaneous (!) debut in the 1955 interzonal tournament in Gothenburg. Remarkably, three Argentinean players, Pilnik, Panno and Najdorf, played it at the same time against three Soviet champions: Spassky, Geller and Keres, respectively. The result: three victories for White! The implied verdict has not changed with time: against correct play Black has an uphill battle maintaining equality after 10. f4xg5 tLlf6-d7 11. tLld4xe6! II .~h5 also makes a lot of sense. 11. ... f7xe6 12. ~f3-h5+ It>e8-f8 13. ~f1-b5!!
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Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1
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352
Index of Players The numbers refer to pages. If the page number is bold the player was Black.
A Adams
18,104,113, 114,115,232, 236, 241 , 261, 277,293,315, 335 226 Adly 242 Akopian 34,44,129,214, Alekhine 214 Alexandrov 76 18,328 Alexeev 76,130,274, Almasi 278,305 39,40,41,55, Anand 97,104,105, 114,114,134, ]57,168,250, 251,251,252, 252,260,269, 293,305,312, 315,335,335, 336,349,349, 349 28,56,89,277 Anderssen Andersson 269,315 76 Annageldyev 221 Antoms Arizmendi Martinez 328 75 Arkhangelsky Arlandi 315 85, ] 05 Aronian
Asrian Avrukh
152, 178 292
B
Bachin Bacrot Bareev Barle Bauer Beliavsky Belov Benjamin Benko Bernstein Bertok Bilek Bird Bischoff Bisguier Bogoljubow Boleslavsky Bologan Bondarevsky Borozan Bosch Botvinnik Brandenburg Bronstein Bu Xiangzhi Byrne
232 259 168 264 35 104, 113, 134, 328,346,350 313,314 129 168 226 350 348 ] 89 ]78 89 312 98,98 114, 168, 240 177 31 286 98, ] 77,2]4, 216,216,217 65 ]58,351 304 269 353
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume C Canal Capablanca Carlsen Castaldi Cebalo Chandler Chekhover Chiburdanidze Chigorin Ciocaltea City London City Paris Cosulich Cueto Chajtur
65 75,81,85,104, 214 227,261 35 303 241 302 346 55,55,89 86 174 174 172 66
Fernandes Fernandez Filippov Fine Fischer
Flamberg Friedel Fuderer
315 28 241 56 29,40,56,86, 89,96, 115,130, 143,156,158, 172,215,217, 221,221,240, 268,275,294, 294,322,323, 323,347,347, 348,350,350, 351 28 323 348
D
D'Arminio 66 De Firmian 328 De la Paz 268 De la Riva Aguado 275 Del Rio Angelis 264 Dominguez,L. 134,323,328 Dorfman 313 Dreev 75, 149 Du Shan 34 Dufresne 56 Dunne,A. 16 Dunne,F~ 16 Dvoiris 286,346 Dvoretsky 282 E
Efimenko Ehlvest Epishin Euwe
275,331 157, 268 269 96, 158, 236
G
Ganguly Gelashvili Gelfand Geller German Gik Gjedsted Gligoric Godena Golubev Gonzalez,B.M. Grischuk Griinfeld Guido Gupta Gustafsson
65, 286 153 157,331,345 233, 233, 323, 350,350 40 303 21 56,350 47,89,227,285 305 261 48,251,278, 278,304,322 29 31 55 81
H F
Fedorov
354
18,29,304,312, 324,324
Hansen,S.B. Harikrishna Hector
268,335 82,281 31
Himanshn Hjartarson Hort Hon Yifan Hracek
242 16 232 292 303
Ilyin Zhenevsky Inarkiev Iordachescn Ivanchnk
35 302 187 129, 134, 143, 153,157,241, 260,261, 274, 281,281,329, 336,336 251
Ivanovic
J Jobava John Jonkman K Kamsky Karjakin Karpov
Kasimdzhanov Kasparov
Kanfmann
303 195 226
125,195 335,335,349 14,39,39,83, 114,114, lIS, 143,153,168, 250,274,302, 303,304,313, 313,330,348 114,260,336, 348 39,41,54,55, 76,97,114,114, 142,153,157, 251, 260, 268, 274,278,305, 312,314,315, 322,322,329, 335,348 34
Kavalek Keogh Keres Khalifman Kholmov Kieseritzky Kobalia Kortchnoi
Kosintseva,N. Kotov Kotronias Kottnaner Kovacevic,S. Kovalev Kovalevskaya Kovchan KOZllI Kramnik
Kryvornchko Kiirschner Knzmin,A. Knzmin,G. Kuznbov
39 220 96,312,348 302 351 28 262 21,39,82,83,143, 174,196,221,292, 304 286 281 104,114,130 240 31 221 221 334 227, 293, 293 18,39,40,40, 76,105,153, 168,169,232, 232,241 334 187 246 105,220 242
L
Lahno Lalic Landa Lanka Larsen Lasker,Em. Lantier Leko
303 264 32,275 324 124,217,260 55,81,81,135, 142,215,226 314 40,104, lOS, lOS, 129, 153, 169,252,252, 261 355
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume Lilienthal Ljubojevic Luther Lutsko
M Macieja Malakhov Malinin Mamedyarov Marco Mariotti Maroczy Marshall Martz Marusenko Mas Hafizulhelmi Maslak McShane Mecking Megaranto Messa Metger Miagmarsuren Mieses Miladinovic Miles
Milov Miton Monticelli Moradiabadi Morozevich
Morphy Motylev Movsesian Movsziszian Murey 356
41,281 285,293,304, 315,351 348,351 324
31,274 157 105 51,157,227 34 21,56,220 187 16,104,142 130 282 81 178 221,242 82 323 220 97 172 16 275 44,168,227, 303,304 268 281 48,65,76 332 97,152,153, 157,242,292, 322 28 232,349 311 324 75
N
Nisipeanu Nunn
66,216,240,313 65,129,189, 269,351 221 196,240 153 313 216 75,178,214, 215,215 275,322 21,44,304
0 Okhotnik Olafsson,F. Onischuk Ost Hansen Ostermeyer Ott
134 133 331 21 236 351
Naiditsch Nakamura Naranja Nataf Nauryzgaliev Nevednichy Nijboer Nimzowitsch
P Panno Pantaleoni Pasik Paulsen Peng Xiaomin Petrosian Piket Pillsbury Pirc Pogrebissky Pohla Pokojowczyk Polerio Polgar,]. Polugaevsky Ponomariov Popovic,A.
350 314 28 89,277 34 156 54,261 55, 187 142 216 282 172 66 104,134,314, 331,331 330, 346, 346 47,48,97, lOS, 228,250 149
Porreca Portisch Postny Prokes Psakhis
350 187 65 113 262
Sedlak Shabalov Shanava Shirov
Q QiJingxuan Quezada
348 335
Short
Ragozin Rashkovsky Rauzer Ree Reshevsky Reti Riazantsev Rodzinski Romanenko Romero Holmes Rossolimo Rowson Rubinetti Rubinstein Rublevsky
35,216 66,82, 240, 277, 349,349 98,214 346 302 96 96,98 28,168,302 196 34 242 14 240, 242 285 322 189,236 51,274,281
Shtyrenkov Smeets Smirnov Smyslov
S Sakaev Salov Salwe Sandipan Sanz Alonso Satyapragyan Sax Schallopp Schlechter Schulten Schulz
227,311 285,324 178 242 227 226 313,313 48 89,113,264 28 16
R
Rabinovich Radjabov
So Socko Sofrevski Sokolov,A. Sokolov,L Sokolsky Soppe Sosonko Spanton Spassky
Spielmann Spraggett Stefansson Steiner,E. Steiner,L Steinitz Strikovic Stulik Sulava Sulskis
286 243 227 18,18,29, IDS, 134,241,251, 261,278,293, 303,336 55, 130, 130, 232,233,236, 260,293,322, 33 I, 33 I, 348 76 157,313 304 41,96,96,98, 217 314 195 324 216,324 61 96 66 302, 305 2 82 29,115,124, 130,133,143, 232,233,233, 240,252,268, 294,294,294, 323, 346, 347, 347,351 28,28,29, 76 324 196 85,129 215 61,189,214 262 142 264 264, 268 357
Chess Opening Essentials - Volume 1 Sveshnikov
Svidler
157,178,226, 246,250,251, 252,252 105, 124, 134, 143,261,269, 314,331
T Tal
Toth Tseshkovsky
158,168,187, 215,275,292, 328, 346, 349 28,28,81,97, 187,189,269 35,168,302 133,174 264, 269 195 21 130,133,216, 281,303,313, 345,350 124,149,227, 227,259,303 236 349 lIS, 125, 142, 169,312,312, 315,336 39 252
U Unzicker
115
V Vallejo Pons Van den Doel Van Wely Varga Vasquez
169 61 251,349 130 31
Tarrasch Tartakower Tatai Taubenhaus Teichmann Thingstad Timman
Tiviakov Tkachiev Tolush Topalov
358
Velimirovic Vera Verlinsky Vidmar Vlassov Vocaturo Vogiatzis Vo1kov Volokitin Von Bardeleben Vuckovic Vul
130,324,351 312 44 48 228 89 32 187 189 61,135 351 75
W
Wagman Ward Winawer Wippermann Wirig
264 304 214 278 332
Y
Yakovenko Yandemirov Ye Jiangchuan Yermolinsky Yu Shaoteng Yusupov
292 85 233 243 35 216,216
Z Zavadsky Zeleic Zhang Zhong Zhukhovitsky Zivkovic Zoldan Zugic Zuidema Zukertort Zunker
323 293 262 294 149 314 286 305 48 275