Zuke 'Em. The Colle-Zukertort Revolutionized: A chess opening for everyone. Phoenix Attack Edition

Tile Colle-Zu�ertort R._evolutioqized chess opening system for everyone, including new ideas to thwart the Slav, Benoni, Caro-Kann, Tarrasch, and many other defenses A

by David Rudel

Tl}iq�ers' Press. Iqc. Boo�s 2008

Savannah, Georgia

©2008 David Rudel All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be permitted by the 1 976 Copy­ right Act or in writing from the publisher. This also includes e-Books (and associated publishing) and information stored or used on or by internet services. First Publ ished (May 2008 ) : ISBN: 1-8887 10-34-9 New Edition (June 2008 ) ISBN : 1-8887 10-35-7

Contact the author David Rudel at: david @zukertort.com Requests for permissions and republication rights should be addressed in writing to : Thinkers' Press, Inc. Books

22 Hickory Rd. Rincon, GA 31326 [email protected] / [email protected]

Colle-Zukertort Revolutionized

Foreword

01 Why?

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02 Introduction: The Enigmatic Zukertort .. 03 The Cast

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Zukertort Principles, Wisdom, and Guidelines

04 The Mainline

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5 7

20 35 46 47

OS Classical Variation -A Thematic Treatment..

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06 Early Bishop Deviations

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07 The Slav Defense

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08 The Queen's Indian and Benoni Defenses 09 The Sneaky Griinfeld

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10 The Queen's Gambit Reversed 1 1 Various Oddities 12 Extra Analysis 13 Training

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14 New Ideas Index

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15 Players and Variation Indices 16 Bibliography

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About the Author. Colophon

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130 147 162 174 191 212 238 245 250 253 254 256

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Zu ke 'Em

DEDICATION

to Michael, who showed me the moves, and my mother, Diana Wood, who redefined the term

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Queen Sacrifice.

Colle-Zukertort Revolutionized

Foreword by GM Aaron Summerscale

T

he Colle-Zukertort opening system is generally seen as a way for White to avoid having to learn lots of opening theory. I ndeed it was this opinion that attracted me towards playing the opening on a regular basis. White, I thought, can bash out his first 8 or 9 moves and get the sort of position he is familiar with. Then it was a case of using my better experi­ ence in the line to out-maneuver my opponents. It took a while to iron out some of the wrinkles but eventually it turned into an opening I was happy to play against GM's with fairly good results. The culmination of this was when I decided to write a White repertoire book, A Killer Chess Opening Repertoire, based on the Colle-Zukertort and other slightly offbeat White systems in 1 996. One of the drawbacks of writing a book like this is that your competitors can immediately see the systems that cause you the most trouble and start remorselessly using them against you. One particularly irksome move order was 1 . d4 dS 2 . Nf3 Nf6 3 . e 3 g6. And to b e honest I never truly found a way I was completely happy with to overcome this problem. I eventually moved onto new opening pastures. Forward wind 8 years and in 2004 I received an e-mail from David Rudel suggesting a creative solution to the 3 ... g6 prob­ lem that had previously eluded me. I congratulated him for his vision and thought no more of it. However, David evidently 5

Zu ke 'Em

did a great deal of thinking about the Colle and the result is the book you have in your hands. One of the things that im­ mediately impressed me about the book is how much thought and effort has obviously gone into it. Although it is possible to just bash your moves out in the Colle-Zukertort without much thought, a savvy opponent will make your life very difficult in­ deed if you pay no attention to move order. In this book David takes you on a journey avoiding the trapdoors set by sneaky opponents and into a middlegame where you have a fair idea of what you are trying to achieve. He doesn't shirk from using game statistics to tel l you if a particular l ine doesn't score well and you can look forward to learning the role of each piece as the position evolves. All in all if you are looking for an offbeat way to surprise your opponents and yet at the same time keep a solid founda­ tion from which to attack, then this just might be the perfect book for you. Aaron Summerscale London, April 2008

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Cl}apter t Wl}y? The cover of this book may have i nvited certain questions into your brain: 1.

Why should I play the Colle-Zukertort?

2. Why on Earth do we need another book on the Colle? 3. Why should I get this book; I al ready have a Colle­ Zukertort book? 4. Why did Heather D. Carroll dump me for Stu Campbell in 8th grade? 1

Why should I play the C-Z?

The Colle-Zukertort is everything you could ever want in an opening ! • You have real attacking possibilities early on. • You don't have to sacrifice material or position to gain initiative. • You have excellent King safety. • It helps you to lose weight. • It increases your vertical leap.

Why? AND • It makes you ng women (or men) of all ages and nationalities go crazy for you ! Okay, some of the state­ me nts ab ove m ight not b e completely accu rate . H ow­ ever, it is true that the Col le­ Zukertort: • has a fair amount of poi­ son in it • fol l ows sou nd openi ng principles • requ i re s no l o ng-te r m concessions • g ive s B l a c k l it t l e e a rl y counter play Notice that I did not say a ny t h i ng a b o ut t h e Co l l e ­ Zukertort being a "thematic" opening where you j ust have to "understand " the position instead of learning a bunch of "theory." While it is true that the C-Z requires memoriza­ tion of fewer l i nes than the S e m i - S l av, t h i n k i ng of a ny opening as a purely thematic u n d e r t a k i n g w i l l get y o u roasted ! You cannot be lazy in chess !

8

Hold on a sec. I need some clarification. Is the Colle­ Zukertort the same as the Colle?

Good question. The Col le has two flavors. The "normal " branch is now known as the Colle-Koltanowski and refers to the setup below:

The Colle -Zukertort i s con sidered t h e more ambi­ t i o u s b r a n c h a n d has t h e b-pawn advanced instead of the c-pawn .

Chapter One Since I am coming from a Col le-Zukertort perspective, I will use "Colle " to refer to the Zukertort version . So if I play the Colle­ Koltanowski, this book will not be of any use to me 1

Not true ! The Koltanowski variation suffers from many of the same problems as the Zukertort. In particular, there are several pet defenses that people use against both. The two openings do not branch from each other u ntil move 5, so any deviation by Black prior to then is equally prob­ l e m at i c to p l aye rs of b o t h Colle variations. I n fact, the maj ority of t h i s b o o k is as useful to Koltanowski players as Zukertort players. Fi n a l ly, you , l i ke I , m ay decide to c h a nge fro m t h e Koltanowski variation t o the more h ig h ly rega rded C-Z . For m a ny ye ars t h e Co l l e­ K o l t a n owsk i was t h e o n l y opening I would play. Then I made the switch to the Zuker­ tort li ne, and I never looked back !

2

Why another Colle book?

The re a re two a nswers­ o n e c o n c re t e , t h e o t h e r vague. 2.1 The concrete answer

Th e c o n c re t e a n swe r i s simple. The Col le-Zukertort needs help ! I t su ffe rs from two major problems : •

•

There are many Anti-Col­ les out there that Black can use to avoid the Zuker­ tort, and several of them a p p e a r to g ive B l a c k a good game. Eve n when B l a c k d o e s not p l ay a pet defe n se agai nst the C-Z, several of t he sta n d a rd setups White aims for have sim­ ply not done that well in practice !

I know, I know, I just did the unthinkable . . . in Chapter 1 I cast aspersions on the very ope n i ng I a m t re at i ng ! I 'm afraid you' l l just have to get used to this book's not being the standard type. 9

Why? I w rote t h i s b o o k to ad­ dress these two issues. I think the Col le is a fantastic open­ i ng-why else wou ld I h ave pl ayed it exclusive ly fo r 1 5 years ! ! But, it has some prob ­ lems that si mply must be ad­ dressed . Let's take a look at some of them.

The delayed G ri.infeld : 1. d4 d S 2 . Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 g6 • The QID • The Benon i

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I don't l ist the K ID or the D utch defense in the above lines because they deviate be­ fore White has locked in his Anti-Colles c- Bishop. Nor do they trans­ pose to a normal QP (Queen M a ny systems h ave anti­ Pawn) game (as the QI D and systems devoted to them. The Benoni can) . normal reason for this is that I n add ition to the above, Black wa nts to avoid sharp there are eve n syste ms t h at l i nes, even if it means using books suggest as bad for Black a n ope n i ng that scores less but actually are not ! For ex­ wel l . I wish I cou ld say the a m p l e , c o n s i d e r t h e e a rl y same thing about the C-Z, but Bishop check variation shown the situat ion is the reverse. below: B l ac k 's d ev i at i o n s te n d to sharpen play and increase his 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 chances. 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 cxd4 6. exd4 Some of these pet defenses Bb4+ are known thorns in the side of Zu kertort p l aye rs . Eve n authors o f o p e n i n g b o o k s (which typically tend to laud an opening more than it de­ serves) have admitted the fol­ lowing are particularly chal­ lenging responses :

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Chapter One Smith & H a l l give Black's 5th move a ? ! , claim it leaves his position poor, and then say his 6th was ineffective. Other authors do not re­ spect this line enough to even d i scuss it. H oweve r, i n my 3 m i l l ion+ game database, I find Black wi nning more of­ ten than Wh ite. It gets worse if you only count games be­ tween 200 0 + players; I found Black winning twice as often as Wh ite ! This includes mul­ tiple G M -leve l games fro m just the past few years. Let's look at another ex­ ample. Since Black's problem piece in this opening tends to be his c- Bishop, developing this Bishop early via . . . Bf5 or . . . Bg4 is a standard defense. A basic example of this is: 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 Bg4

Ga r y La n e , i n The Ulti­ mate Colle, groups this with a couple other openings that he says are not played often " for go od reason . " The c l a i m i s that "with prior book knowl­ edge, t hey can be shown to be bad." He ( a n d everyo n e e l s e ) t h e n sugge sts t h e m ove 4 . c4, w it h t h e idea of gett ing the Queen out to attack the b 6 -pawn that is now u nde­ fended. While that plan is certainly a reasonable one, Lane's re­ m a rk s on t h i s d e fe n s e a re rat her u n fo u n d e d . I fou n d ove r 2 0 0 games pl ayed b e ­ tween strong players (2000 +) in this l ine, with Black scor­ ing nearly 50 % . And it is not a mere consequence of those players lacking the basic book knowledge to play this open­ ing. I n fact, the most common response to 4 . c4 is 4 . . . c6, which N O ONE (not Lane, not Summerscale, not Smith & H a l l ) eve n m e n t i on s ! I s there some conspiracy here ? I f this opening is s o bad, then there are some I M/GMs who haven't gotten that memo 11

Why? yet, like Fridman (who used it in 2006 agai nst Yusupov). To reinforce my point, let's look at one more example. 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 BfS

Oddly enough, this varia­ tion occu rs more frequently in practice than the last, yet it has received less attent ion. Gary Lane does not mention it at all. Summerscale mentions it in a note, saying it tra ns­ poses to another line, but he assumes the conti nuation 4 . c4 c 6 5 . cxd5 cxd5 when i n reality Black does better with 4 . . . e6, after which Wh ite can­ not really hope to transpose to the 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Bf5 line because the B/c l is blocked by the e3 -pawn, and after 5 . cxd5 exd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 White does not appear to have any12

t h i ng s i nce 7. Qxb7 Nb4 8. Bb5+ Nd7 is certainly not what Wh ite was looking for and 8. Na3 a6 ! is even worse . I n the nearly 2000 games I found with 3 . . . Bf5, Black won more games than White . So it appears this line is plagued by both theoretical and practical concerns. The pract ical con­ cerns persist in all major lines: 4. c4 e6, 4. c4 c6, and 4. Bd3. They also persist when con­ sidering only ga mes between strong players (2000+). Yet Smith & Hall say that in all . . . Bf5 lines Black " faces an uphill defensive task" and that "the middle game w i l l favor White." With rega rd to this particu lar line, they say "as analysis a nd games have shown, the development of the c-Bishop is premature." (To his credit, Summerscale indicates that Wh ite's advan­ tage in the l i ne he mentions is minimal, so this line could have been placed in the previ­ ous category as wel l.) Mainline problems

In addition to the known,

Chapter One a n d u n k n ow n , A n t i - C o l l e the results are 1:3:6! (1 win, 3 p rob l e m s d i scussed ab ove, draws, 6 losses ) -not exactly there are standard l i nes sug- inspiring. When searching all gested to Wh ite that si mply games, the o n ly w i n s I can have generated l ittle success find in this line are the ones everyone quotes ( not counting in practice. Consider the position aris- a game from a Jun iors event) . ing after the following moves : Let's look at another stan1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 dard position: 4. Bd3 cS 5 . b3 N c6 6 . 0-0

1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3. e3 e6

Be7 7. Bb2 0-0 8. N bd 2 b6

4. Bd 3 cS 5. b3 N c6 6. 0-0

9. NeS B b7 1 0. f4 N b4 1 1 .

Bd6 7. Bb2 0-08. N bd 2 cx d4

Be 2

9. exd 4 b6 1 0. a 3 Bb7

Th i s i s a s t a n d a rd l i n e where Black has played . . . Be?, a move some writers ( Smith &. Hall ) expl icitly say is bad for Black wh ile others impl icitly indicate as not critical because it is not the "main" line. H ow has Wh ite done after t h i s deviation ? I fou n d 10 games with this variation between players 2000+, and

Now, it's bad enough that Sadler may have found an im­ provement on this last move by 10 . BfS ! But, let's go with the likely inferior text move, wh ich represents the end of establ ished theory in this line. From h e re, b o t h La ne a n d Sum merscale show multiple ideas for White. I found 20 games with this . .

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Why? position in OTB play. The ag­ gregated results of those games are 4 : 5 : 1 1 ! I n fa i r ness to the o t h e r writers, t h e records i n these lines have really tanked in the past years. Most of the losses c a m e a fte r S u m m e rs c a l e 's book, and about half of them post-date Lane's . My point is that even these standard posi­ tions need some work ! One leveling remark bears mention. Black tends to be the stronger player in these posi­ tions . . . possibly through hap­ penstance, possibly through White choosing a safer system agai nst a stronger opponent. However, the results suggest a reexamination of theory, that caveat notwithstanding. 2.2 The vague answer

The vague answer as to why there could possibly be a need for a new Colle book is that the open ing is very much virgin te rritory-an opin ion give n by Jeremy Silman, with whom I agree. One reason is that strong players, as Black, will tend to 14

avoid the mainline Col le setup ( wh ich should give us some opti mism ! ) , using any of sev­ eral pet defenses instead . An­ other reason is strong players, as Wh ite, tend to use the C-Z setup against only certain lines or as a transpositional device, switching to a QGD later. For example, Yusupov has used the C-Z setup in over 50 ga mes . . . yet I cannot fi nd a si ngle game of his that opened in either of the so-called "nor­ mal " ways : 1 . d4 dS 2 . Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS or 1 . d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 dS 3 . e3 e6 3 . Bd3 cS. Th is is due to both the factors I mentioned above. He tends to use the C-Z pri marily after 1 . d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 e6, and those few ti mes where he has offered it in the more normal order, h i s grandmaster oppone nts have declined to follow suit ! Another example is Vlatko Kovacevic, who has used the C - Z w i t h s o m e fre q u e n c y aga inst a l l setups, but rea l ly appears to l i ke it against the Benon i . Just as in Yusupov's case, h i s oppone nts do not tend to play the "mainline." In 16 games of his that began 1 .

Chapter One d4 dS 2 . Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 or 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3. e3, his opponent played the "normal " 3 . . . e6 in only 1 . Statistics val idate my obse rvations o n a l a rge sca l e . I found the position a fter 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 in 24 4 games where both players were 2400 or above. Among these high-level games, less than 23 percent continued with 3 . . . e6, the "ma i n l i ne " move. Fewer than 10% continued 4. Bd3 cS. Yes, this means that there exist only about 20 GM-level games with even the first 4 moves of the mai nline ! Compare the same statistics for lower-level games. I found over 2500 games after 1 9 60 in wh ich the 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 position arose. The likelihood of the Colle-Zukertort conti nuation ( at both stages ) in these games was 50% high­ er than at the GM-level. How­ ever, si nce these players tend to follow bl i ndly the sugges­ tions of the repertoire books they read, the level of experi­ mentation has been small. I nterestingly enough, the converse of the above is also

true. Many, many of the games we see quoted by theory ar­ r i ved at p o s i t i o n s th ro ugh some odd t r a n s p o s i t i o n of moves, so a large percentage o f the g a m e s t h at op e n i ng manuals quote are played by h ig h - l eve l p l aye rs who a re looking at critical positions for the first time or si mply happen to have a personal repertoire that shares l i nes with a C-Z repertoire via transpositions. It's no wonder that the plans chosen by titled players with a Frankenstein ian repertoire might di ffer from class players using a thematic one. For example, consider the so-called mainline: 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS S. b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 8. N bd 2 Qe7 9. NeS cx d4 1 0. ex d4 Ba3

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Why? I found 55 games with this posit ion . Ful ly 2/3 of them came fro m a n o n - s t a n d a rd move order (normally a trans­ position from a QID) . Another problem is that au­ thors of previous books on the Colle-Zukertort have generally not been active practitioners of the opening. Other than Sum­ merscale, none of the recent authors (Lane, Schil ler, Sm ith & H a l l ) used the Zukertort even sem i-frequently prior to the years immediately before writing their books . Th is has obvious disadvantages when writing a book on such a thematic opening. For exa mple, you' l l fi nd moves l i ke Re l o r Qe2 de­ scribed in almost every book as "supporting a Kn ight on e5." Baloney! The N/e5 has plenty of support. (To fi nd out the real reason for these moves, see later chapters.)

fou nd to many of the prob­ lems Colle players face make t h i s b o o k requ i red read ing for all practitioners, especially those who play the Zukertort version . If you have dabbled with the Zukertort and are inter­ ested in hearing a new view­ point/philo s o phy on the opening from someone who has played it exclusively for many years, this b ook is for you.

I f you face the Colle a lot and want to see what surprises lie in wa it for Black in certain lines, or wa nt some analysis on you r pet defense to the opening, this book will serve as a foil. As a class-leve l playe r, I bring a different perspective to the table. I n addition to analy­ sis, I provide guidance in Eng­ l ish about ideas and pitfalls to avoid. One of the most im­ portant things to understand is not just why a certa in move 3 Why should I buy th is makes sense in a certain situ­ book? ation, but why another "natuThe answer to that depends raJ" move should be avoided . o n who you a re . My b e l ief To put a sharper point on is that the solutions I have how this book differs from a

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Chapter One typical open ing manual: Typical books focus on show ing what has been done, Th is book focuses on what m ight be bet­ ter where new ideas are needed. • Typical books use model games a n d t rees, I fo ­ cus on ideas coupled to analysis. • Typical books expect you to be fa miliar and fluent with all types of adva n­ tages a n d i m b a l a nces . I have tried, when pos­ sible, to focus on those adva ntages/imbala nces that tournament players can best use : Bishops in open or tactica l ly quiet positions, an attack on t h e o p p o n e nt's K i ng when the opponent has no cou nterplay, and the endga me adva ntages of better pawn structure.

•

that one. 5

Fin al notes

As I a l luded earl ier, this book is a bit d i ffe re nt than most opening manuals . The method I 've used to familiarize readers with the opening in the next two chapters is atypi­ cal. Perhaps it will prove a suc­ cessful method for introducing an opening system. I n an effort to make this book as valuable as possible, I've consigned certain chunks of the least important analysis to a separate chapter so readers do not lose the forest for the trees. I 've also added a qu iz/ training bonus chapter and a separate chapter givi ng a non­ comprehensive index of new ideas of mine and not-quite­ new ideas that I have fleshed out more than earlier books . Thus, different people can ef­ ficiently use this book in dif­ ferent ways. I often re fe r to prev ious 4 W hy di d H eat her D. books, and one could eas ily C arroll dump m e for Stu get the i mpression that I am C amp bell in 8t h gr ade? den igrating the work of earlier Sorry, can't help you with authors. I do not wish to sug17

Why? gest that earlier books are not worthwh ile. Smith & Hall was the Colle book fo r many yea rs, and I wou ld neve r have become a devotee were it not for their work. S u m merscale's b o o k re ­ m a i n s to t h i s day a book I would reco m mend to other players, managing to pack an entire repertoire into 144 pag­ es . I have written noth ing at all on the K I D, Pirc, Modern, Dutch, or "normal " Gri.infeld defenses because I d i d not think I had anyth ing to add to Summerscale's recom menda­ tions . Wh i l e I h ave not fo u n d Lane's book to b e a n improve­ ment o n S u m merscale's i n terms of his coverage of the Zukertort, I h ave found his extens ive d iscussion of the Col le- Koltanowski helpful to me personal ly. For example, a l ine he recom mends against the QID really saved my bacon when preparing this book. Final ly, Palliser's book on the Colle- Kolta nowski is to be praised for obsoleting the Koltanowski half of Sm ith & 18

Ha ll, much as Sum merscale d i d to the Zu k e r to r t h a l f. Pal l iser's book is notable for taking a stark departure from conventional style by having a tone that, relative to the norm, comes across as abject pessi­ mism. H is book is the chess equivalent of Ecclesiastes. If you are under the impres­ sion that the Colle allows you to comfortably play the open­ i ng w ithout worrying about the n i tty- g r i t ty rea l i t i es of move-orders and tactics, then allow me to disabuse you of that illusion . The Col le is not the sharpest of open i ngs, but tryi ng to navigate the opening using vague ideas, no matter what those ideas are, is a recipe for disaster! The structure of this book respects this ad mon ition . The s e c t i o n i n g o f the ch apte rs is p redo m i na ntly based on a comb i n at i o n of plan and move-order options for Black. I have tried to highl ight exactly why different move-orders call for different responses . Final ly, I must ask future readers to keep in mind that I am essentially trying to fix a

Chapter One raft of problems that previous writers have either ignored or been oblivious to. It should not be a surprise if some of the ideas and analysis I give prove faulty under the magnifying glass of time and practice. I 've spent a good deal of time over the last 4 years writ­ ing this book on the Zukertort, my adopted ch i l d . I f t h e re is something you don't l i ke

about it, or l i nes you t h i n k are nugatory, or anything else you think could be improved, I welcome you r suggestions and comments! If any of you Zuke Dukes play the lines I introduce here in tournaments, please feel free to send me your game scores. I may include them in a later book.

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Citapter 2 lqtroductioq: Tite Eqislllatic Zu�ertort The Zukertort is a symphony of irony. Why do you soy thot1

Well, to begin at the beginning, in his an notations to the oft-quoted seminal game on his opening, Zukertort v. Black­ burne 1883, Zukertort wrote that he plan ned to play the whole game on the Q-side. Now players typically think of the system as one long, prepared attack on the enemy's King. Secondly, the opening is called the "Colle-Zukertort, " even though Colle practically never played it. In fact, in my own personal data­ base I have many hundreds of games where Colle played what is now known as the "Colle-Koltanowski, " but not a single game where he played the Zukertort except when his opponent used the Queen's I ndian Defense. Th irdly, it is unclear why the Colle- Koltanowski and the Colle-Zukertort are so often put in the same book. We do not see books for Black containing in-depth coverage of both the D ragon and Najdorf variations of the Sicilian. We do not see repertoire books for White going deeply into both the Botvin­ nik and Me ran variations of the Semi-slav. Why package these two very different systems in the same text?

Chapter Two Fourthly, a thorough inves­ tigation of the Zukertort will show that it appears to have no real mainline ! Or, rather, its "mainl ine" is so tactically d i ffe re n t t h a n m o s t o f i t s other l i nes that i t is hard to say whether it is the mainline of t h e syste m o r a popu l a r deviation ! Lastly, the Zuke rtort is a opening whose deviations are probably more important to study than the lines that are considered "standard." This is, in fact, one of the major roadblocks for the stu­ dent of the Zukertort. Books ofte n cage it as "thematic . " O n e of its maj or appeals i s that i t can b e played against m a ny d i ffere nt set-ups a n d should require less study time to p l ay wel l . Th e p ro b l e m w i t h t h i s view p o i nt i s t h at the student may not u nder­ stand that, while the open ing is quite thematic i n n atu re, the themes t h at a re i mp o r­ tant vary from one subtree to another. Th is is particularly t rue when Black " dev i ates " relatively late (say move 7 or 8) . For example, if Black opts

to delay castl i ng for a bit, he c a n p ress m atters i n a way very much different than he can if he castles early (as we shall see) . I wou l d suggest the stu­ dent understand the Zu ker­ tort as an open i ng in which White presents Black the same choice given to the protago­ nists at the end of the movie Ghostbusters. Black may choose to defuse certain themes, but with 5 pieces a i med at h i s K-side, he can not stop all of Wh ite's attac k i ng c h a n c e s . Wh ite's goal is t o give Black the u nsavory choice of being slowly crushed or reacting in an ove r- aggress ive m a n n e r early on. The frustrati ng chal lenge of the student attempting to play the Zukertort is that it is practically never really played at top level except by transpo­ sition . The upshot of this is that the lower ranked player is quite likely to see l ines that have been infrequent or non­ existent at higher levels. This is espec i a l ly t r u e of va r i a­ tions that do not involve a c4 advance by Wh ite, the most 21

The Enigmatic Zu kerto rt common gate of t ra n sposition. 1

Fa miliarization

Enough yammering ! Let's take a look at the opening ! I n familiarizing you, I will point out popular deviations avail­ able to Black. These are impor­ tant to know for the Zukertort is uncommon enough that most people would prefer to learn a pet line against it (or transpose into their comfortable QGD de­ fense) than play the "mainline" (whatever that is ! ) . 1 . d 4 Nf6

I am taking this as the rep­ ertoire move order for Black, as it is more common than dS. As far as Black is concerned, White could be playing any of several openings, most likely a Queen's Gambit. The maj or deviations for Black here are the Dutch Defense 1 . . . fS and the "old " Benoni 1 . . . cS. 2. Nf3 dS

N f3 i s a bit u nco m mo n , more usual is c4 . Th is is the fi rst maj o r deviation point. I nstead of 2 . . . dS, Black can 22

head fo r a n I n d i a n syste m with 2 . . . g6, j u mp i nto the modern Benoni with 2 . . . cS, indicate an i nterest in trans­ posing to any of several op­ tions with 2 . . . d6, or bide his ti me with 2 . . . e6. Why do you say ''bide his time'' with the last of those 1

It is the only one that se­ riously preserves the option of playing dS later. While dS is certainly an option a fter the others, it would ind icate that B l ack is using a rather queer move order. With . . . e6 it is perfectly reasonable for Black to play . . . d S on move 3, or he can transpose into the Queen's I ndian Defense. 3. e3 e6

With his third move, White frees h i s f- Bishop. Th is is a ve ry co m m ittal move, as it locks in his c- Bishop. A com­ mon deviation at this point is for Black to play his Bishop to fS or g4 . Black could have chosen to do this earlier if he played . . . d s at move 1 , but these options are weaker for h i m . By playing . . . BfS, he is

Chapter Two attempti ng to transpose into he plays this now before de­ a l i ne of t h e S l av D efe n s e . veloping more pieces. Another common play here 5. b3 N c6 is . . . c S . Wh ile this may apWh i t e p l ays b 3 n o w to p e a r i n n o c u o u s , it p o s e s stop Black from playing . . . c4 sign i ficant problems for the to k n o c k the B / d 3 o ff h i s Zukertort player, and is likely n ice p o s t . B l ac k m ay p l ay the most formidable of all pet 5 . . . Qa5 +, which cuts across Wh ite's development plans. defenses. Black may also play . . . Bd6, . . . Be7 or . . . Nbd7. Other authors How's that? have given the impression that The Zu k e r t o r t i s l i ke a playing the Bishop to e7 or twenty-five year old man i n the Knight to d7 is an inferior that i t c a n often have "com­ setup for Black, but the extra m i t m e n t p r o b l e m s . " T h e defense given to the N/f6 can biggest o f these i s closing i n be rather useful. o f the c- Bishop before Black has to. So when Black plays . . . cS here, he exacerbates this by holding off for one more move the l o c k i ng i n of h i s Bishop. Black is keeping h i s options open, and White can­ not assu me that he will play n ice and voluntarily close in his Bishop on his next move. I nstead, White must react ac­ 6. 0-0 Here, Black generally de­ tively or land like a drunken paratrooper in " Wh at we nt velops his c- Bishop to either d6 or e7. The re a re s u b t l e wrong? " land. d i ffe rences i n t h e play d e ­ 4. Bd3 cS It is standard in QP games pending o n Black's choice of for Black to play . . . cS, and so Bishop placement. 23

The Enigmatic Zukertort 6

•••

Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0

Depending on his level of temerity, Black can leave his K i ng in the center a nd play . . . Qc7 here, threatening . . . eS and . . . Nb4 at the same time. This is yet another situation where Wh ite can not affo rd to s i m p l y h o p e B l ac k w i l l transpose to the mainli ne by castling on the next turn. An­ other option is . . . Qe7, which threatens . . . eS and possible ideas based on a n eve ntual . . . Ba3.

What plan is that?

The most c o m m o n p l ay at h igh leve l s at t h i s p o i nt i s fo r Wh ite to develop h i s b-Knight. (Actually, that's a l ie. The most common thing for White to do now is play c4, but I con­ sider this more a transposition to the Queen's Gambit than a Zukertort. The true Zukertort player will keep c4 back until tactics mandate otherwise. ) A ft e r N b d 2 , B l a c k h a s the option of playing . . . Qe7, threate n i ng both . . . Ba3 (af­ ter . . . cxd4) and . . . eS. I nstead, with a N/eS and the b-Knight still eyeing a3, neither of these is a concern. What does White give up by doing this ?

8. NeS!?

I p r o p o s e t h i s o ff- b e a t move now. Normally it hap­ pens one move l ater, but this move order completely cuts out a popular plan for Black.

24

Three th ings. First, the N/ eS is a bit fragile right now because his " l ast ditch " de­ fender, the Q - K n ight, is sti ll 2 hops away. Wh ite wou l d like to defend the Knight with fS, but that is not always an opt i o n . More i m me d i ate ly, Wh i t e fo reg o e s d e fe n d i n g

Chapter Two against t he ideas o f . . . Ne4 and . . . Nb4. We w i l l discuss these issues at length later. Since . . . Qe7 is dissuaded, Bl ack commonly cont i nues with 8

...

Qc7 9. f4 cxd4

his square in the process. ) He will l i kely advance his Q-side p a w n s a n d t r y to b re a k­ through on the c-file. That's great for him ... but what about White 1

B l a c k 's m ove re m oves a co m m o n way fo r Wh ite to open the a 1 -h8 diagonal for his Bishop. I ndeed, if Black were to play, say, . . . b6 imme­ di ately, then after 1 0. Nxc6 ! Qxc6 1 1 . dxcS, Black cannot recapture the pawn safely.

The critical thing for Wh ite to understand at this point is that he has an opponent ! Too often players of the Colle systems tend to ignore subtle threats by Black, throw­ i ng t h e i r p i eces a ro u n d to 10. exd4 their normal squares and as­ suming everyth ing will shake out to their advantage. I n t h e n e x t fe w m ove s , Wh ite must be pa rticu l a rly careful about meeting Black's tactics. We deal with various options Blac k has to sti r up trouble in chapter 4 . I f Black p l ays l a ngu id ly, with moves like . . . b6, . . . Bb7, And from here Black can at­ . . . Rc8, . . . a6, . . . bs, then White tempt tactics with his Knights can develop a deadly attack and Queen, or he can play in due to B l a c k 's i n a b i l ity to a more reserved fashion by quickly transfer pieces to his developing his other Bishop K i ng's zip c o d e . N ote t h at and re-locating his Knights to practica l ly a l l Black's pieces help defend the K-side ( pos­ have to go through the e7- and sibly kicki ng the N/eS from f6 -squares to get over to help 25

The Enigmatic Zukertort the King, so a bottleneck ef­ fect can occur. White can use this ti me to prepare his pieces for an attack and then march his pawns up the board. Let's take a look at wh at happens if Black does not try to muddy things with scrappy tactics.

Note that i f you are pl ay­ i ng class-leve l p l aye rs, it is much more l i kely that they will fol low general ope n i ng principles and si mply develop their pieces, allowing you to do the same. 3. e3 Bb7 4. Bd3 e6 5 . 0-0 dS 6. b3 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 8. NeS Nc6 9. Nd2 N b4

Terentiev-Chernyshov Russia 2004

1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6

Wait, wait.. I thought Black played d5 here. .

O ne u n fortun ate rule i n chess is that your opponent can play whatever legal move he wants. It is practically im­ p o ssible to fi nd ga mes be­ tween strong p l aye rs u s i n g the normal move-order where Black aimlessly develops with­ out trying to refute Wh ite's strategy. I nstead, we are look­ ing at a game that started dif­ ferently, where Black used a poor move-order that did not let h i m compl icate Wh ite's life. 26

M a ny authors c l a i m this m ove d o e s n o t ga i n B l a c k any ti me, reason ing that the Knight will hop back and forth (2 moves ) , as will the Bishop (2 moves ) . H owever, this is faulty logic. Th is move does give Black a tempo because it forces White to play a3. 1 0. B e 2 cS 1 1 . a3 N c 6 1 2. B d 3 cxd4 1 3 . exd4 Q c 7 1 4. f4

And now Black finds him­ self i n a situation where all

Chapter Two natural freeing moves ( . . . Nb4, . . . Ne4, and . . . eS) are blocked. H is next move is a strong one in that it threatens . . . Ne4 and . . . NfS. 1 4 . . . Ne7! 1 5. Qf3

This stops the . . . Ne4 threat, but I will be suggesting Qe2 instead in a later chapter. 1 5 . . . R a c8

This puts more pressure on the c2-pawn and is more pow­ erful than it looks because the B/d3 is currently both defend­ ing c2 and e4 . 1 6. Rf2!

thi ngs to worry about. 1 7. Re 1

I n add ition to bolste ring e4 (and therefore freeing the Queen) , this puts pressure on the e6-pawn, a common tar­ get for White. Note how awk­ ward it is for Black to defend the e 6 - square with a p iece, and the f7-pawn often comes forward to either oust the N/ eS or block the B/d3. 1 7 . . . b5 1 8. N g4?!

Th is re moves a defender, but White should be more in­ terested i n add i ng attackers . Let Black stew in his lack of space. One idea is Qh3, mov­ ing the Queen to the h-fi le be­ fore a later g3 blocks the way. A more violent option with good chances in practical play is si mply g4 ! ? 1 8 . . . Nxg4 1 9. Qxg4 Ng 6?!

A n exce l l e n t m ove t h at adds to the defense of c2 i n the case that fireworks on e4 engage the B/d3 and N/d2. 1 6 . . . a 6?

This is part of a slow plan to gain control of bS and c4, but Black has more important 27

The Enigmatic Zukertort Ma ny options a re better compensation v i a . . . f6 ! ? i s here . . . . f5 gets a useful space­ better. Wh ite al ready has too ga i n i ng, b l o c k a d i n g m ove much pressure on the K-side in with tempo, giving Black fo r a s l o w r e r o u t e of t h e t i me to defend the e 6 -pawn Queen to save him. after the Queen moves . . . . Nf5 2 2 . b 4 Q d 8 2 3 . N g S Qf6 frees up the crucial e7-square for Black to transport more pieces. The g6 - K n i g h t app e a r s more sec u re than it i s . The f7-pawn is tied to the defense of e6, and Wh ite might gladly sac a piece on the h7-pawn . Furthermore, after White's re­ ply, the Knight has few moves available. It practically begs 24. Refl ?! for an h-pawn march. Better i s R fe 2 . But eve n 20. g 3 Rce8?! better than that is the si mple If it were possible for Black h4 ! , w i n n ing, Black can not to ach ieve . . . e5, the text move survive either 24 .. . h6 25. h5 ! would be worthwh ile. How­ hxg5 2 6 . fxg5 or 2 5 . . . Nxf4 ever, this is a pipe dream . . . . f5 26. Nh7 ! cou l d sti l l h ave been tr ied. 24. . . h6 25. Nxf7 Kxf7 26. Note how after White's next QhS Kg8 27. Bxg6 Re7 The l ast few moves h ave move, he controls the right squares to squelch Black's de­ been more or less forced. Now White has only one good way fensive options. to continue his attack. 2 1 . Nf3 QaS B l a c k i s p l a n n i ng to re­ 28. g4 Rc7 29. gS Qd8 30. route his Queen to f6 via d8, h4?! 30. gxh 6 may no t be th e but fi rst he fi nesses a Q-side be st m ove in thi s pos itio n, pawn shift. Giving up a pawn for some but it is cer tai nly a natura l on e 28

Chapter Two that suffices. White's next few moves give Black time to organize his defense. 30 . . . Bc6 3 1 . f5 exf5 32. Bxf5 Qe81

I assume t h at Wh ite d id not see 3 8 . . . Bx f6 3 9 . gxf6 Rxf6 ! , after which Black can l iquidate a great deal of mate­ rial to wind up a pawn down in what m ight be a drawable position . 3 8 . Rxf7 Rxf7 39. Re l Qg8 40. Qe2 or 3 8 . Re l Rxf6 39. gxf6 Rxf6 40. BgS are superior paths to victory.

38 . . . Bxf6 39. gxf6 Qd7?

A st ro n g m ove g i v i n g Wh ite the unkind decision of exchang i ng his most power­ ful attacking piece or allowing Black to erect a l ight-squared pawn wall. 3 3 . Q g 4 K h 8 3 4 . Bel h 5 3 5 . Qg2 g6 3 6 . B d 3

As noted earl ier, 38 . . . Bf6 has to be played here.

Black has repel led the at­ tack at a cost of a pawn, but 40. Bg5 ? 40. RfS w i n s on the spot. his light-squared Bishop is still exceedingly useless, even this 40 . . . Rxf6 4 1 . Rxh S + Kg8 42. far i nto the ga me. H owever, Bd3. On the other hand, Black if White simply traded all his is down by enough that only pieces off, Black might erect a severe blunder would save a fortress with that currently him. 4 0 . . . Qe6 4 1 . Qf3 Be8 42. useless cleric. 36 . . . Rcf7 37. Rf6 Be7 38.

Qxh 5+ Kg8 43. Bxf7+ Rxf7

Bxg6?1

44. Qg6+ Kh8 45. Bh6 Rh7

29

The Enigmatic Zukertort 46. Qg 3 Qe4 47. c3 Qg6 48. Bg S Rd 7 49. Re l Bf7 SO. Qb8+ Kh 7 5 1 . Qf8 Rc7 52. Re3 Rc6 53. Kh2 Qc2+ 54. Kg3 Qg6

By taki ng away the option of . . . dxc4 and making . . . eS im­ possible, White forces the fol­ lowing pawn skeleton:

55. Re7 ReS 1 -0 2

Ph i l o s o p hy

The Zu k e r t o r t i s b a s e d o n a si mple concept. Every­ t h i ng i n the "m a i n l i n e " of the Zukertort flows out of one principle: In Qu e e n Pawn ope n i ngs, Black has problems devel­ oping his c-Bishop.

That one idea fo rms the foundation for the rest. Every­ thing from pawn structure to choice of target to philosophy about counterplay flows from this one premise. White's goal is to m a ke Black's c- B ishop t h e m o s t u s e l e s s p i ece of wood that ever graced a chess board. How does he do that?

Since White holds c4 back, he cedes some center pres­ sure in exchange for stability. 30

Bl ack w i ll l i kely p l ay . . . cxd4 at some point, but that is the only real control Black has over the central pawn struc­ ture in the early and middle parts of the game. Why does Black have to fianchetto? Why not play . . . Bd7 instead?

Good ques tion ! The main reason is that . . . Bd7 mak es the option of g4-g 5 very pow­ erfu l for Wh ite since the N/f6 has few goo d fl ight squ ares . Wh ite p l a n s on kee p i ng th e ce nter blo cke d unt il it is advan tageou s for him to ope n it. Si nce Bla ck fi an ch ett oes

Chapter Two

But what about White's Bishop on b21

4. So long as B l ack h a s pl ayed . . . cS without hav i ng played . . . cxd4, it is White, and not Black, who has the power to choose when to open up the center.

It is true that its power is lessened as well, but there are four sign ificant differences. 1. One of the jobs of the B/ b2 is supporting a NfeS; Black is much less likely to success­ fully establish a Nfe4. 2 . The B/b2 supports d4 to mi rror the support of d S b y the B/b7. However, White does not give a fig about the d S - p aw n , so what d o e s he care if it is supported? Black, however, would sincerely love to destroy the d4-pawn. 3 . As far as Wh ite is con­ c e r n e d , t h e i n ac t i v ity o f Black's Bishop i s i mportant p r i m a r i ly because it m a kes Black 's l ight squares on the flanks easier to attack, since this is where the B/b7 does not have influence. Contrari­ ly, Black does not have much prospects of attacking White's dark squares on either flank any time soon.

Th e s e fo u r c o m b i n e to make White's B/b2 much more useful than Black's B/b7. The next way the penury of the B/b7 shapes White 's plans is his choice of color­ in fluence. Wh ite will attempt to control the l ight squares on the fl a n ks, in particul a r the K-side, while controlling the dark squares in the center. This will allow him to pressure the l ight squares that the B/b7 can't defend. For example, it is standard to post a Kn ight on eS and to put a Queen on f3 or h3 (these l ight squares are safe havens for the major pieces) . These pieces and, of course, the B/d3, combine to put pressure on Black's l ight squares, in particular e6 and h7. bS is another i mportant square for Wh ite to control, but we will get to that later. Th e N / e S a t t a c k s l i g h t squares deep in Black's camp.

h is l ight-squared Bishop, this lessens considerably the scope of that piece.

31

The Enigmatic Zukerto rt I f it i s c aptu red, t he pawn that recaptu res furthers this motif indirectly by knocking the Knight from f6, where it is optimally placed to defend h7 and the K-side in general. Sometimes the B/b2 aids the l ight-square domi nation by capturing this Knight as well. Fi nal ly, the B/b7 h i nders B l a c k 's o w n c o u n t e r p l ay. Black's standard plan is to ad­ vance on the Q-side, gaining space and eventu ally break­ i ng open l ines on that sector. I t t u r n s out tact i c a l ly t h at this can take several moves, largely due to the placement of the B/b7. Howl Why11'm confused.

Two ways in particular. The fi rst is that a com mon option for the attacking side in these situation is . . . Rb8 . H owever, t h at o n ly works w h e n t h e Bishop is anywhere else than b7. On b7, the Bishop blocks the Rook. Secondly, with the Bishop on b7, Wh ite has com­ plete control of many of the l ight squares on that side of the board . In particu lar, he 32

controls b S , so Black h a s to waste a move w ith . . . a6 to get . . . bS in. However, by the t i me Black has worked this up, Wh ite will have played a 3 , wh i c h m a kes it h a rd e r t o adva nce his pawns with­ out letting White lock up the Q-side The c2-pawn is a natural target for Black, but it is hard for Black's minor pieces to get to it (especi a l ly once Wh ite plays a3 ) . Fu rthermore, it is n atu ra l ly protected by t h e B / d 3 a n d e a s i l y protected by the a-Rook as well. Other than the thematic Nb4 + Qc7 attack (which we will treat ex­ tensively later) , there are very few good ways of attac k i ng the Q-side quickly with pieces or pawns. The fi n a l key a s p e c t to the Zukertort is space issues. Wh ite a l l ows B l ack Q - s ide space and time to use it with­ out grabb i ng a s i g n i fi c a nt amount of space for h im self because his plans are based on a future f4 and garnering of K-side space. Th i s i s one reason why central control is so i mportant for White. H e

Chapter Two Ot h e r o p t i o n s , l i ke t h e Englu nd Gambit and random open i ngs t h at m ay or m ay not transpose several moves later make up the remaining 81/2 % . 3 Repertoi re brea kdown Note t h at the va r i o u s c- Bishop variations represent With the exception of Sum­ roughly the same number of me rsca le's , p rev ious b o o k s games as the m a i n l ine. The have presented a skewed rep­ prevalence of openings such resentation of what one can as t h e K I D a n d G riin fe l d expect when u s i ng a repe r­ are not a s troubling because toire based on the C-Z. This White has not locked in his B/ gets back to a previous point cl with e3 yet. The reader can I made about the deviations pick whatever variations he being as important as the so­ wishes to play aga inst these defenses, but the Barry and called mainline. To give an idea of how of­ 1 SO found in Summerscale's ten one can expect va rious book are fun and potent. The Dutch defense is simi­ defenses, I analyzed a large col lection of games between l a r i n t h i s regard, a n d t h e p l aye rs rated b e l ow 2 0 0 0 . responses recom mended by Here are the results assuming Summerscale ( 1 . d4 fS 2. BgS ! a d4, Nf3, e3, Bd3 move order. and 1 . d4 e6 2 . Nf3 fS 3. dS ! ?) (See chart on the next page) . are adequate as well. is bank i ng on being able to advance a K-side pawn or two (or three) , and that would be a bit dodgy if the center were not stable.

33

The Enigmatic Zukertort Une

Plrc, KID, Griinleld

Sample varlaUons

1. d4 Nl8 2. Nl3 gB 1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3 d6

Basic mainline

1. d4 Nl8 2. Nl3d5 3. e3 eB 4. Bd3 c5

% 24 15

1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3 e8 3. e3c5 QID and related openings

1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3eB 3. e3 bB

10

1. d4 NIB 2. N13bB Reversed London

Symmetric pawns

1. d4 NIB 2. N13d5 3. e3Bl5 1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3d5 3. e3 eB 4. Bd3 BdB

B

B

1. d4 NIB 2. N13d5 3. e3eB 4. Bd3Be7 Dutch

Cblgorln-style

Reversed Torre

1. 11415

5¥2

1. d4 eB 2. Nl315

5

1. d4 d5 2. Nl3 NcB

5¥2

1. d4 NIB 2. N13d5 3. e3NcB

5

1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3 d5 3. e3Bg4

5

1. d4 cB Slav

1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3cB

4

1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3 d5 3. e3cB Benoni

1. d4 c5 1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3c5 1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3 d5 3. e3 gB

2Yz

1. d4 d5 2. Nl3c5

5

1. d4 NIB 2. Nl3d5 3. e3 c5

2

Reversed Mason attack

1. d4 d5 2. Nl3 Bl5

2

Reversed Trompowskl

1. d4 d5 2. Nl3 Bg4

1

Sneaky Griinleld

Reversed QG

34

3

Cl}apfer 3 Tl}e Cast As an aid to those unfamiliar with the opening, and as a review for those who are, let's take a look at what various pieces and pawns stereotypically do in the Zukertort. Sounds great. Where do we begin ?

Let's get our bearings by playing through the first moves and taking a look at the board. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3 . e 3 e 6 4. B d 3 cS 5 . b3

The Cast advance by Black. He also, of cou rse, passively sh ields the B ish op in c ase B l a c k p l ays The a2-pawn . . . Q b 6 . I n so m e l i n e s t h e White's a-paw n typically b3 -pawn gives support for a has only one job : to protect c4 advance, but the variations t h e b 4 sq u a re fro m i n va­ I suggest minimize this duty. sion. There is one i mportant The c2-pawn l i ne where he protects t h e a 3 - sq u a re, but most l y t h e The c2-pawn is one of the a2-pawn protects the B/d3 by stopping a Knight from alight­ most decisive men for White in this opening. ing on the b4-square. 1

The white men

How in the world does the a2-pawn protect the a3square111

What do you mean by that1

Wh ite al most always has the option of playing c4 at an G o o d q u e s t i o n ! T h e appropriate ti me, but once he a 3 - p a w n " p r o t e c t s " t h e does the ti mbre of the game a3-square by advancing to a3 changes. Traditional ly, Wh ite so that the a-Rook can protect h a s b e e n adv ised to p l ay him along with the B/b2. This this pawn advance whenever is practically always done to Black pl ays . . . Qc7 or when stop a B + Q battery on the Wh ite needs another avenue a3-f8 diagonal. of att a c k . I prefe r kee p i ng the pawn on c2 un less there The b2-pawn is no other way to obtain an advantage. The poor b2-pawn pretty I n fact, the c2-pawn does much has his fate determined a good j ob by stay i ng right for him from the beginning. where it is! He gets out of t h e way fo r the c- Bishop and stops a cS

36

Chapter Three Howso1

The e2-pawn

By kee p i ng h i s p aw n on The e2-pawn does not have c2, White deprives Black of an quite the glorious role in this easy way to open up the cen­ op e n i n g a s in t h e "ot h e r " ter. This reduces Black's ability Colle open ing. Rather, h e is to mount an attack against the consigned to the duty of sup­ wh ite K i ng. The general i n ­ porting the d4-pawn. I f Black abil ity o f Black t o obtain any takes the d4-paw n with h i s significant i n itiative against cS-pawn, t h e e3-pawn takes Wh i te's K i ng i s o n e of t h e back, opening up the e-file for Zukertort's ch ief virtues. a Rook or Queen. Several authors have per­ The d2-pawn petuated the myth that this open file helps White ch iefly The d-pawn sets out at the by allowing a Rook or Queen very beginning of the game, support the N / e S , but t h i s and generally it stays rooted e x t ra protect i o n i s a l m o s t to d4, very often supporting never critical . I n a t least one a Knight on eS. It also has the crucial l ine, in fact, the open­ silent task of keeping a black ness of this file actually pre­ Bishop off the cS-square and vents White from posting his restra i n i ng the e 6 - pawn . I n Knight there! ge nera l , White neve r, ever, ever wants Black to be able to So why is the open e-file useful1 play his pawn to eS. Sometimes the above is all Recall that White exercises the d-pawn does, but some­ times it se rves to pull away gre at control ove r the d a rk Black's dark-squared Bishop squares in the center and the with tempo. Often, White will l ight squ a res on the flanks. play dxcS at an appropriate Thus the central l ight squares time, followed shortly by Bxf6 can be a bit wea k . The key and a powerful K-side attack. point of a Rook or Queen on 37

The Cast the e-file is to stop a . . . Ne4 in- when Black pl ays . . . Bd7 and vasion by Black. Heavy pieces later Wh ite plays g2-g4-g5 ? on the e-file also put pressu re on the e6 -pawn, which tends Oh, I see. to lack piece support. The h2-pawn The f2-pawn

The f2-pawn often comes to f4 to support a N / e S . I f Wh ite i s lucky, he may l ater go to eS and serve to block the center completely, giving White a free hand to b u i ld p res s u re aga i n st t h e b l ac k K i ng. Advanci ng t h e f-pawn also allows the Rook-lift Rf3 .

Since White often sticks a maj or piece on the h-file, the h-pawn tends to stay at home. Someti mes it participates in a pawn storm. The a-Rook

The a- Rook comes to l i fe when sharp play has opened up the c-fi le. It can support The g2-pawn the a3-square if the a2-pawn moves, and sometimes it is The white K ing is often so moved to dl if Black has left wel l protected that White can h i s Q u e e n o n h e r o r ig i n a l send the g2-pawn down the square. These situations are board to add fuel to a K-side qu ite rare . I n p a r t i c u l a rl y attac k . Th is i s p a r t i c u l a rl y blocked situations, i t m ight true if Black makes the dubi­ c o m e to fl to s u p p o r t i t s ous choice of playing . . . Bd7. brother o n a more advanced square of that file. What does . . . Bd7 have to do with the g2-pawn 1

The b-Knight

M aybe you were sleeping through the philosophy chap­ ter. What happens to the N/f6

Th e b - K n ight a l most a l ­ ways ju mps to d 2 . H is main task at fi rst is to p atrol the

38

Chapter Three e 4 - s q u a re, sto p p i ng B l ac k , o r at least discouraging him, from playing his Knight there. A nuance of some i mportance is that once this Knight moves the B / d 3 h a s a n extra b olt hole on b l . White would pre­ fer to get Rc l in first to avoid h av i ng h i s a- Ro o k t rapped on a l . Later White may play this K n ight to f3 and t h e n g S , where it joins its brother o n eS in harrying the black King. The c-Bishop

The c- Bishop com mands great indirect influence in the Zukertort. Primarily, it helps control the eS-square. Often, the combination of the B/b2 and pawns on e3, d4, and dS form a wall stopping diagonal entry to the white King. The n t h e re i s t h e m o re rapacious side of the coin. I f Black chooses not to exchange on d4, he a l l ows Wh ite the option of dxcS fol l owed by Bxf6, inducing black to play . . . gxf6 , wh ich opens up the g- fi l e fo r an attack on t h e black monarch.

The Queen

The Queen is often i ntegral to White's attacking chances. Sometimes it goes to e2. If B l ac k has e xc h a nged on d 4 , t h e n a ft e r W h i t e pl ays exd 4 , a wh ite Q ueen on e2 helps to defend the e4 square, and also defends the d2-Knight if Black manages to play . . . Ne4 . Why does the N/d2 need protection1 Can't he just take on e41

H e could, but then when B l ac k re c a p t u re s t h e B / d 3 must move. I n general White would rather not capture on e4, and he may not have any goo d pl ace for the N / d 2 to go. The King

T h e w h i t e K i ng c a s t l e s and then stays put for a long time. The f-Bishop

The f-Bishop is the star of 39

The Cast both passive ly and actively. There is the obvious issue of having the Knight on such a good square, but there is the added problem of the Knight jumping to take a Kn ight on c6 or d7 at a time when Black can i ll-afford it. This can oc­ cur as part of the B/b2's attack on the Njf6. The K n ight often assists in a K-side attack by covering the f7-square, both to stop the King from fleeing there and by allowing White the option of taking there with his Queen. A com mon mot i f is to h ave The f-Knight the Nje5 coordinate with the B/d3 and a Q/hS to threaten The f-Knight is a real work­ mate on both f7 and h7 at the horse ( h a) i n t h i s open i ng. same time. Commonly, the steed gal lops to eS, with f4 soon to follow. The h-Rook B l ack does not want to ex­ change on this square because A fter Wh ite c a s t l e s , t h e after a pawn recaptures, the Rook generally d o e s one o f N/f6 must move. After NeS, 2 t h i ngs. One o p t i o n is fo r Bl ack must dec ide i m medi­ it to go to the e-file to cover ately whether he should ex­ the i mportant e4 -, e S - and change the Kn ight or not as he e 6 - squ ares. At a l ate r p o i nt would prefer Wh ite recapture it can lift to the e3 -square if dxeS rather than fxeS. necessary. The other option is L e t t i n g t h e K n ight s t ay for the Rook to be played to f3 on eS dampens Black's ga me after White plays f4 . From f3

this opening. The pressure the Bishop ex­ erts on h7 from its post on d3 often compels a weakening of Black's pawns. Black may play . . . fS (weakening e6) or . . . h6. This latter option can greatly slow down an attack, but it can increase the potency of an eventual . . . gS. The B/d3 also adds to the defense of the e4-square and d e fe n d s t h e c 2 - p aw n a fter Black exchanges on d4 . This Bd3-c2 block stops early inva­ sion on the c-file.

40

Chapter Th ree it can go to g3 or h3 as part of stigation of either side) . a K-side attack. The d7-pawn 2

The black men

The a7-pawn

Black plays this pawn to dS at the beginning of the game. Black may use the d-pawn to support a Nje4, but mostly the d - p aw n i s i n e rt u n less White plays c4.

Sometimes Black adopts a plan of Q-side expansion i n an effort, eventually, t o flum­ mox the wh ite Bishops on b2 and d3. To do this he begins The e7-pawn by playi ng . . . a6. Other than that, the a7-paw n ge neral ly Th i s p aw n i s t h e c a u s e does not factor into the major o f many o f Black's troubles. tactical motifs in the l i nes I Since it blocks in his c-Bishop, suggest. Black al most always must de­ velop three minor pieces on The b7-pawn his cramped Q-side. Further­ more, si nce Wh ite does n ot Si nce Black generally has attempt to attack the d-pawn, severe problems if he puts his the e-pawn fi nds itself doing c- Bishop on d7, he will com­ more harm than good until monly fianc hetto h is c- Bish­ later in the game when it may op. The b7-pawn may later be be crucial in holding back an played to bS if Black t h i n ks advance by White's f-pawn or the position allows a Q-side an attack along the sensitive a2-g8 diagonal. pawn storm. The e-pawn often finds it­ self lacking protection. Typi­ The c7-pawn cally none of Blac k 's m i nor Black advances his c-pawn pieces will be in a position to to cS. It generally is exchanged defend it, and it certainly ap­ for White's d-pawn (at the in- pears a waste to play a Rook 41

The Cast to e8 when that file is l i kely to remain blocked for Black the whole game. Th is makes the e6-pawn a common sec­ ondary ta rget for Wh ite, as it can be attacked ably by a R/e l , a Q/h3, or a N/gS. With K n ights on both eS and gS, a stock tactic is for the N/eS to capture on f7 and then the N/gS to capture the now-un­ defended e6 -pawn. The f7-pawn

I n some lines this pawn has the important role of kicking out a N/eS. Sometimes Black p l ays h i s f7- pawn to fS to block White's B/d3.

The h7-pawn

The h7-pawn is a very sen­ sit ive man in Black's a r my. H e is eyed from the begin­ n i ng by the B/d3. I f Bl ack 's f- K n ight moves, either vol ­ untarily o r after a n exchange on eS brings a pawn to that square, the h7-pawn instantly becomes a candidate for at­ tack. Black may advance the h7-pawn to b l u nt p o s s i b l e threats along the h-file. The a-Rook

Black will sometimes move his a- Rook to c8, as that file is often half- open for Black. Wh ite typical ly has l ittle to The g7-pawn fea r by a Q + R b attery on that file since White controls The g7-pawn fu l fi l l s its c l , c 2 , c 3 , c4 , a n d cS w i t h standard roles i n this open­ pawns o r minor pieces. Thus, i n g . It s u p p o r t s the N / f6 , it is likely on ly later that this shields the King from attack Rook is to take an active part on the g-file, and may advance in the game. to g6 to stop the B/d3 . White can someti mes pu l l it away The b-Knight from its much-needed duties by sacrificing the m i nor ex­ Black can play his b-Knight change with Bxf6 . to c6 or d7. It is both a maj or weapon and major hindrance

42

Chapter Three if played to cG . Why do you say that1

On c G , the K n ight g ives Black one of his major options in this open ing-to play . . . Nb4 at an appropriate time. I n fact, playing . . . Nbd7 i s close to giving White a free move since it means a3 is not needed. On the other hand, a Kn ight on cG makes the Bishop on b7 even less useful than otherwise. Playing . . . NeG allows Black one other major defensive op­ tion. If he is willing to expend the te mpi to do so, play i ng . . . NcG-e7-gG adds a useful de­ fensive piece to Black's K-side. This is a a tactic weaker play­ ers are less likely to play at the right time.

powerful B/d3. Fro m b7, the Bishop can potent i a l ly support . . . Ne4. Th is option is i rritating but can not be stopped entire ly. Once Black plays his Kn ight to e4, the key bl -h7 diagonal is blocked. Luckily, if Wh ite plays accurately, Black seldom has the opportun ity to play . . . Ne4 with advantage. I should note that if Black does not play eG .on his th ird move, a n i m portant set of deviations i nvolves play i ng the Bishop out early to fS or g4 . These plans are addressed separately. The Queen

B l ack typ i c a l ly c h o o s e s among three options for his lady. He can leave her on her home square, wh ich removes The c-Bishop tactical problems caused by Blac k 's problem piece i n placing her on the c-file wh ile al most any version o f the Q P also keeping an eye on the ga me, t h e c- B i s h o p a l m o st gS-square. H e can also play always goes to b7. O n d7 it re­ her to e7, supporting a pos­ moves a vital flight square for s i b l e e - p aw n adva n c e a n d Black's N/fG . One interesting the Bishop-killing maneuver deviation is to pl ay . . . BaG in . . . Ba3. Lastly, . . . Qc7 sets up an effort to exchange Wh ite's a battery with a B/dG against 43

The Cast t h e h 2- p awn a n d eyes t h e c2-pawn a s well . The King

The black King castles and then tries not to be killed. The f-Bishop

The f- Bishop is played to d6 or e7. On e7 the Bishop re­ moves a good square from the Queen, but also helps restrain a K-side pawn storm by White if the N/f6 moves or is cap­ tured. More importantly, the Bfe7 gives piece protection to the N/f6 . Playing the Bishop t o d6 both encourages and discour­ ages Wh ite's playing of NeS. How is thatl

rather than the more common f2-f4 . H owever, after . . . Bd6 ex­ changing the N/eS becomes dicier. Taking the NfeS with the Q - K n ight is practically impossible, as the recapturing pawn will fork the N/f6 and the B/d6. On the other hand, taking the N/eS with a Bishop sacrifices the minor exchange and is likely to only be an op­ tion if Black has pl ayed . . . Nc6 or . . . Ne4, as otherwise the N/ f6 may not have a good flight square. Furthermore, if Black plays . . . Bd6, he gives White the op­ tion of capturing dxcS with te m p o aga i n s t t h e B i s h o p . Th is w i l l make n o difference if Black is planning on playing . . . cxd4 early, but might be an issue later if he does not.

The re i s t h e obv i o u s i s ­ The g-Knight s u e t h at t h e B / d 6 att a c k s the e S - squ a re, a n d i f Black The g- K n i g h t 's g re a t e s t hasn't developed his b-Knight duty at the beginning (other qu ickly it m ight even al low than the obvious task of pre­ Wh ite to p l ay NeS without venti ng 2. e4 ) is to protect the fear of capture, which gives h7-pawn and therefore protect White the option of playing against the Greek Gift on h7. Qf3 i m mediately afterward, The K night can be forced away 44

Chapter Three from f6 when Black exchang- stultify these moves. es on eS. The N/f6 can be played to The h-Rook e4 to m irror Wh ite's posting of a Knight on eS. Otherwise, A ft e r B l a c k c a s t l e s , h e Black will eventually play his m ay atte mpt t o prepare a n Knight to d7 or e8 to allow . . . . . . e 6 - e 5 adva nce b y playing f6 or . . . fS. The timing of this . . . Re8 . However, this is easily m a neuver i s qu ite del ic ate t hwa r te d . B l ac k s h o u l d at­ si nce Black has to be sure that tempt to create play with his he can su rvive Bxh7+ after he minor pieces before relocating moves the Kn ight away. QhS the h-Rook. is another response that can

45

Zukertort Principles, Wisdom, and Guidelines Your introduction to the Zukertort is complete. I f you are new to the C-Z, stop reading and go play some games with the basic philosophy of the first 3 chapters using the setup below: The rest of this book will make more sense after you have done coursework in the "school of hard knocks. " For now, I leave you with the following general principles: 1 . Never allow Black to place anything on a3, f4 or eS. 2. Don't allow Black to place anything but a pawn on dS or cS . 3 . Always consider attacking when Black retreats his Knight from f6 . 4 . Keep a pawn o n d 4 unless you are beginning, or have al ready begun, your attack on the King. 5 . If your opponent dilly-dallies, just continue to train more men on his King. Do not attack too early. 6 . If Black moves h i s K-side pawns or transfers a Knight to g6, use a pawn or two to help your pieces attack him. Otherwise, you can probably attack with just your pieces. 7 . It's okay to let your opponent take your B/d3 with a Knight if you can immediately attack with Rf3 . 46

Chapter Four

Cl}apfer 4 Tl}e Maiqliqe: "-voidiqg fl}e Bisl}op-�illiqg Plaq The most common set-up for Black involves playing his Knight to c6 and his Bishop to d6. Th is is called the " Bogolyubov" defense. 1

Fa m i l i a rization

At high levels of play, the "mainline" for Black involves kill­ ing off the B/b2. Here is how this variation begins: 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0

Black has put his King to safety and has several ways of "mixing it up" on his next move. 47

Mainline - Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan . . . Qe7 wou ld si multaneously threaten both . . . eS and . . . cxd4 followed by . . . Ba3. . . . Qc7 wou l d s i mu ltane­ ously threaten both . . . eS and . . . Nb4. It is i mpossible to stop all threats, and the l ine given by theory is: 8. N bd2 Qe7 9. NeS cxd4 1 0. exd4 Ba3

The "old " way of dea l i ng with this was to play 1 1 . Qcl . There are strong players who have still recently played this l i ne, but the results have not been good. The "modern" method is to pull the Queen offside by exchanging Bishops and then playing c3 to stop . . . Nb4 ( 1 1 . Bxa3 Qxa3 1 2. c3 ) . This is giv­ en by Smith & Hall, Summer­ scale, and Lane, but I would steer clear of it. What's wrong with it?

pet l i ne concocted . 2 . Black can capture on eS before Wh ite plays f4 . Th is m a ke s a K- s i de o n s l a u g h t h a rder. For e x a m p l e , 1 2 . . . NxeS 1 3 . dxeS Nd7 1 4 . Nf3 and Black should be able to engineer the exchang i ng of White's central pawns. At that point the open center and c-, d-files give Black the one thing I like to avoid : counterplay. The continuation 14 . . . NcS also does not look too lovely for Wh ite. 3. Matthew Sadler unveiled a new idea that allows Black to get a Bishop on f4 . Whether or not this is a good idea, it cer t a i n ly thwarts much of White's thematic attack. 4. Th is can all be avoided by using a better move order. Thus, if your opponent uses this as his stock answer to the Zu kertort, he is in for a big surprise !

I wou ld not go so far as to How's this magicpossible1 say anything is "wrong" with it. Rather, there are reasons to Let's take a nother look at go a different route. the starting moves. 1 . Th is l ine is popular, so 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3 . e3 e6 4. Black may have an annoying Bd3 cS 5 . b3 Nc6 48

Chapter Four . . . N b d 7 i s co m mo n and will be seen in a later chapter. The text is the more frequent.

Why is that1

The re ason t h at is often g ive n fo r p l ay i ng c4 when 6 . 0-0 I recommend castling now, Black puts his Queen on the to take away the possibil ity of c-file is that there is the threat a latent 6 . . . cxd4 7. exd4 BbS + o f e xc h a n g i n g t h e c- p a w n o r 6 . . . Qa4 +. and putting the Queen under pressure along the semi-open 6 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 c-file. This is true, but another effect is that it gives the B/d3 access to the b 1 -square once the b l - K n ight move s . The n i t is no longe r as crucial to guard the b 4 - square from a Knight invasion. So, if Wh ite pl ays c4 l ater, a 3 w i l l h ave been a half-wasted move. The b l o od-th i rsty player White al most always plays can improve on these options by t a k i ng some J e re my Sil­ either 8 . a3 or 8. Nbd2. The fi rst is an effort to stop man advice : if your opponent the threats of . . . Nb4 or . . . Ba3, "threatens" something, make w h i l e t h e s e c o n d d e fe n d s su re it actua l ly warrants re­ aga i nst a n early occupation sponse. In this case, the prac­ of the e 4 - squ a re by Black's tical attacker need not fea r either . . . Ne4 or . . . Nb4 . N/f6 . With this in m ind, I sug­ 8 . a 3 i s a bit c l u n ky be­ cause if Black continues with gest playing 8 . NeS! ? i m me­ 8 . . . Qc7 White often ends up diately. a m ove down on s t a n d a rd That Knight certainly looks l i nes. • • •

a bit odd there. . .

49

Mainline - Avoiding the B ishop-ki l l i ng Plan It does. But this move not only shuts down the standard mainline, but as long as White keep's his c-pawn on c2, Black w i l l h ave proble m s fi n d i ng play that does not rely on a . . . Ne4 or . . . Nb 4 . I n my d a­ tabase over eighty percent of the games in this l ine feature one of these two, norm a l ly . . . Nb4. Otherwise Black will attempt to develop normally with b6. So, what you are saying is that for this line . . .

You shou ld focus on u n­ d e r s t a n d i ng h o w t o m e e t plans involvi ng . . . Ne4 and/or . . . Nb4. Let's get to that! I f Black is going to employ o n e o f t h e s e s t rateg i e s , h e c a n choose t o d o i t before or after he plays . . . Qc7, and he can also decide whether to exchange on d4 first. We will examine each case. 2

Plans based on attacki n g

t h e B/d 3

Th i s is by fa r t h e m o s t com mon cont i nuation, and t he co n t i n u a t i o n i n w h i c h B l ac k w i n s a lot of ga m e s . Black al most always develops his Queen to c7 at this point. I t makes l ittle sense to play . . . Qe7 since Black has no play against the B/b2 until White develops his b-Knight. White c a n c o nt i n u e w i t h f4 a n d should get a better version of another mainline once Black moves his Queen to a more u s e fu l p o s t . Fu r t h e r m o re, from e7 the Queen would not protect the Nfc6, hence Black must be concerned with pawn s t r u c t u re prob l e m s a fter a possible Nxc6. More directly, it precludes developing the c-Bishop as the b7-pawn is stuck defending the Knight. Black often exchanges on d4 as a matter of course. He wou l d rat her not deal with the problem of Wh ite playing dxcS at an inconvenient time, pull i ng his B/d6 away from the b8-h2 diagonal. So, the major l ine here is:

2.1 Black develops his Queen and

8. NeS Qc7 9. f4 cxd4 1 0. exd4

then exchanges the d-pawn

N b4

50

Chapter Fou r to c31

I t i s l a m e ntable t h at the very fi rst real l ine we examine requ i res us to dev iate from this general principle, but it is warranted in this case. White has a very powerful attack in mind. To a n s we r yo u r s e c o n d Black tends t o d o very wel l question, White's Kn ight o n in this l ine. I recommend a n c3 has two main j obs: interesting attack line with ex­ First, a common theme run­ cellent practical chances. This ning through this variation is attack has also succeeded in White playing, or threaten ing correspondence play, suggest­ to play, NbS, which is typi­ ing it has at least some theo­ cally quite annoying for Black to deal with. retic strength. Second, the K n ight acts 1 1 . Nc3 Nxd 3 1 2. Qxd3 as a block on the c-file. Black will derive his short-term play from the c-file, and the Knight planted on c3 defended by the B/b2 is a tremendous road­ block for Black. White's plan is reasonably simple. He will swing his Rook over to h3, threatening to win immediately with Ng4. At the same time, he will be trying to keep his c-file under control. A I thought White was useful method of doing this is supposed to protect his d3to play his a-Rook to c l , tak­ Bishop in the Zukertort ing advantage of Blac k 's inand why is the Knight going • . .

51

Mainline - Avoidi ng the Bishop-killing Plan opportune ordering of major pieces on the c-file. Black's defensive options are numerous, defy i ng total a n a lysis . I a m i nc l ud i ng il­ lustrative games to show the attack in progress. If you do not like the look of this attack, o t h e r o p t i o n s on m ove 1 1 i nclude Ba3 and c4. The fi rst a i m s to t rade B l a c k 's go od B i shop, a c h i ev i ng a G o od­ K n ight/ B ad - B i s h o p type of middlegame. The second aims to smother Black and achieve a passed c-pawn .

the B ishop than tucked away on the K-side for defense i s unclear, b u t what is c l e a r is t h at B l a c k h ad to add re s s the th reat o f Ng4, wh ich this move (as many other natural ones) does not. 1 5 . Ng4

White is winn ing here. 1 5 . . . N e4 1 6. Nxe4 f5

Ta k i ng the K n ight is i m ­ possible: 1 6 . . . dxe4 1 7. Nf6 + gxf6 1 8 . Qg3 + K h 8 1 9. Qh4 . However, this fork does not save Black. 1 7. Ng5 Qxf4 1 8. Ne5 Bb5 1 9. Qxb5 1 -0

Uebau-Remling Germany 1 894

Serebriansky-Vam Gompel Correspondence 1 873

1 . d 4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e 6 3 . e 3 d 5 4. Bd3 c5 5 . b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7.

A similar problem occurred even in correspondence play.

Bb2 0-0 8. Ne5 Qc7 9. f4 cxd4 1 0. exd4 N b4 1 1 . Nc3 Nxd 3

1 . d4 d 5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4.

1 2. Qxd 3

Bd3 c5 5. 0-0 N c6 6. b3 Bd6 7.

We are now at the starting position of the variation.

Bb2 0-0 8. Ne5 Qc7 9. f4 cxd4

1 2 . . . Bd7 1 3 . Rf3 Rac8 1 4.

1 2 . Qxd 3 a6

Rh3 Bb4?

Th is puts pressu re on the Knight in the most direct way possible. Whet h e r t h i s i s a better general pl acement for 52

1 0. exd4 N b4 1 1 . Nc3 Nxd3

Chapter Four

Th i s is a n o t h e r way t o cover the bS-square; i t makes sense if Black plans on play­ ing . . . Bb7 rather than . . . Bd7. 1 3 . Rf3 bS 1 4. Rh3 Bb7?

As in the previous game, Black must address the threat of Ng4 . 1 S. N g 4 Ne4 1 6. Nxe4 dxe4 1 7. Nf6+! gxf6 1 8. Qg3+ Kh8 1 9. Qh4 1 -0

Wiemer-Schoenthelr Germany 1 985

Th is seems an u n n atural choice. 1 4. Raf1

I think Rh3 is sti ll the bet­ ter option u n less Wh ite has R l f2 i n mind, protecting c2 while putting pressure on the K-side. A Rook on the f-file can be qu ite useful if White plays g4 because in many lines after . . . BxeS fxeS Nxg4, a Rook on fl can help the P/eS prevent Black's playing fs . 1 4 . . . a6 1 S. a4 g6

At l e a s t B l a c k won't b e killed by a quick Ng4 tactic.

1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3 . e3 cS 4.

1 6. g4

Bd3 dS S. b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Bd6

I 'm certa i n better move in Black does not defense to this trouble.

7. Bb2 0-0 8. NeS Qc7 9. f4 cxd4 1 0. exd4 N b4 1 1 . Nc3 Nxd3 1 2 . Qxd3 Bd7 1 3 . Rf3 Rfc8

1 6 . R l f2 is a theory, but if find the right surge, he's in

1 6 . . . Be8

It's useful to see why the re53

Mainline -- Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan sponse 16 . . . Ne4 ? ! gets Black i n hot water: 1 7. Nxd7 Nxc3 1 8 . Nf6 + Kg7 1 9. fS ! Ne4 20. fxe6 Nxf6 2 1 . Rxf6 fxe6 2 2 . R f7+ Q x f7 2 3 . R x f7 + K x f7 24. c4 ! , the point being that dxc4 ? ! j ust asks for trouble due to a future Qf3 +. Worth noti ng in the above is how Wh ite o n ly succeeds because Black moved his Rook from the f-file. 1 7 . h 3 b5?

Nxfl 2 6 . Kxfl . 20. fxg6 Bxe5 7

B l ack has to re m ove the errant pawn ripping up the K-side. Neither the text move nor 20 . . . bxc3 2 1 . Rxf6 cxb2 22. gxf7+ Bxf7 2 3 . Nxf7 Qxc2 24. Nh6 + suffices. 20 . . . hxg6 2 1 . Nxf7 Bxf7 2 2 . Rxf6 Rf8 is his only hope. 2 1 . Rxf6?

W h i t e n e a r l y t h rows it away here. 2 1 . NxdS is need­ ed. H ad Black responded to the text with 2 1 . . . hxg6 the outcome becomes unclear.

Th is is where Black falters. He has to play . . . Ne4 ! , high­ l ighting Wh ite's failure to pro­ tect c2 on his 1 6th move.

2 1 . . . bxc3? 22. gxf7+ Bxf7 23.

1 8. f5 exf5 1 9. gxf5 b4

Rxf7 Bxd4+ 24. Kh 1 Qxf7 25. Rxf7 Kxf7 26. Qf5 + Bf6

26 . . . Kg7 is not sufficient: 27. Bel and Black will eventu­ ally lose more material. 27. Bxc3 1 -0 2.2 Black develops the Queen but does not exchange on d4

This in-between move fails because White simply ignores it ! 19 . . . gS may have let Black su rvive : 20. Q e 3 h 6 2 1 . h4 BxeS 22. QxeS Ne4 23. hxgS QxeS 24. dxeS Nd2 25. R3f2 54

Th is l i ne is much less frequently seen, and White can react in a somewhat si milar way to get an attack going. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d 5 3. e3 e6 4.

Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 8. Ne5 Qc7 9. f4 N b4

Chapter Four 1 0. Nc3

a6

his previous play, and it stops possible combinations based on Bxh7+. 1 3 . cxd 3

10 . . . Nxd 3 and 10 . . . Bd7 should transpose to the ear­ lier section because delaying the exchange on d4 only has i n d e p e n d e nt i nterest if he plays for bS, c4 . 1 1 . dxcS BxcS

Wh ite c l e a rly has better deve l opment, more centra l control, and good prospects of a K-side attack.

1 1 . . . QxcS should be worse since the Queen is exposed to 2.3 Black attacks immediately both Rac 1 and Na4, the latter of which can be played as part Black can m atch White's of a comb i n ation u nve i l i ng aggressive 8th move with the the threat of Bxf6 or Bxg7. For immediate 8 . . . Nb4. A principled reply is to at­ example, after 1 1 . . . QxcS 1 2 . Qf3, Rybka actually suggests tempt the winning of a tempo 1 2 . . . Nd7 as the best move, by pul l i ng the black Bishop but this loses to 1 3 . Na4 Qc7 from d6 and convincing him 14. Bxh7+ Kxh7 1 5 . QhS + Kg8 that h i s Bishop and K n ight are better placed back on c6 1 6 . Nxd7 Qxd7 1 7. Bxg7 ! and d6. 1 2. Rf3 Nxd3 There's no law saying Black 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e 6 4 . has to take the Bishop, but it Bd3 cS 5. b3 Nc6 6 . 0-0 Bd6 7 . is cert a i n ly consi stent with B b 2 0-0 8. NeS N b4 55

Mainline - Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan 1 0 . . Qc7 i m med i ately i s less c r i t i c a l si nce t h e B / c S blocks play down t h e c-fi le. After White plays 1 1 . a3, Black has a choice among a few un­ appeal i ng alternatives . 1 1 . . . Nc6 a l l ows Wh ite to either wreck Black's pawn structure after 1 2 . Nxc6 bxc6 1 3 . Bxf6 gxf6 1 4 . c4 or m a i nt a i n a n advantage due t o his control over the central dark squares a fter 1 2 . . . Qxc6 . H oweve r, leaving the Knight there with 1 1 . . . Bd6 leaves Wh ite with a comfortable position and su­ perior Bishop after 1 2 . axb4 BxeS 1 3 . BxeS QxeS 14. Qd4 . .

9. dxcS BxcS 1 0. Be2

The hope is to gain a move (when the Bishop moves back to d6, it will have moved three t i me s ) by gett i ng B l a c k to move his Kn ight and Bishop back to t h e i r more normal squares. White has to walk a tight-rope to do this. If you are happy with the position aris­ ing after 9. Be2 Qc7, then feel free to play it, but I don't l ike the look of it myself. The play in these l i nes is rather tactical. I will present a "crash course" here and put a more full account i n the Extra Analysis chapter. 10

• • •

Bd6

10 . . . Ne4 ? ! lets Wh ite se­ cure a better endgame struc­ ture after 1 1 . a3 Nc6 1 2 . Nd2 NxeS 1 3 . Nxe4 dxe4 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 1 5 . BxeS f6 1 6 . Bc3 . 56

1 1 . f4 Qc7

Other options are less inci­ sive. 1 1 . . . BcS 1 2 . Rf3 ! ; 1 1 . . . Nc6 1 2 . Bd3 BcS ( . . . Nb4 1 3 . Rf3 ! ?) 1 3 . Qf3 ! 1 2 . c4 Ne4

Chapter Four 12 . BcS 1 3 . Bd4 leads to positions where Wh ite's has a powerful Q-side maj ority. . .

1 3 . a3 Nc6 1 4. Nxc6 bxc6

Black would rather not do this to h i s pawns, but after 14 . . . Qxc6 1 5 . Nc3 Nxc3 1 6 . Bxc3 White has too much ac­ tivity (e.g. 1 6 . . . f6 1 7. Qd3 ! ) . 1 5 . Nd2

A nd B l ac k shou l d pro b ­ ably capture, but that clearly leaves h i m short of equal ity after 1 5 . . . Nxd2 1 6 . Qxd2 aS 1 7. b4. 2.4 Black exchanges immediately

B l ac k c a n exc h a nge i m ­ mediately, but unless he then plays an i mmediate 9 . . . Nb4 10. Be2 Qc7, play is likely to transpose. In practice, Blac k a l most always plays 9 . . . Qc7 instead, which w i l l transpose to the 8 . . . Qc7 9. f4 cxd4 10. exd4 sect ion discussed earlier after Wh ite repl ies 1 0 . f4 ( u n less he wants to try for more with 10. Re l ! ? , plann ing on meet­ i ng 1 0 . . . Nb4 with 1 1 . B a 3 . T h e p o i nt b e i ng t h at 1 1 . . . Nxd 3 ? ! 1 2 . Bxd 6 Qxd 6 1 3 .

Qxd3 leaves Black i n a posi­ tion that is goi ng to become pretty rest r i cted ( re l atively speaki ng) after Wh ite plays

f3.)

I cannot find a single game that contains the position af­ ter 9 . . . Nb4, but should you find yourself in such a posi­ tion, 10. Be2 Qc7 1 1 . c4 is a s o l i d opt i o n . I n t h at case I suggest considering deploy­ i ng your b-Knight to a3, leav­ ing the B/b2 to defend d4 so you r Queen is freed to go to b3. A s h a r p e r o p t i o n is 1 1 . a 3 ! ? s i nce 1 1 . . . Nxc 2 1 2 . R a 2 N e 4 1 3 . Q d 3 f6 1 4 . N f3 B d 7 1 5 . Rc 1 Rac8 1 6 . g 3 req u i res B l ac k t o k n ow what h e i s d o i ng, a n d even then the onus is o n h i m to show adequate com p e n s a­ t i o n a fte r e i t h e r 1 6 . . . Q b 6 1 7. R x c 2 B b S 1 8 . Q d 1 Rxc2 1 9 . Qxc 2 Bxe 2 2 0 . Qxe2 Qxb3 2 1 . Ra 1 {2 1 . Nc3 e n d s up b e i ng dead eve n i f you a re l o o k i n g fo r a d raw) Rc8 2 2 . N e 1 or 1 6 . . . Bf4 ! ? 1 7. Rxc 2 Qxc 2 1 8 . gxf4 Qc7 1 9 . Qe3 R fe 8 20. B d 3 .

57

Mainline - Avoidi ng the Bishop-killing Plan 3 Plans based on playing a Knig ht to e4

The other threat White ig­ nores with the move order I propose is the . . . Ne4 option. Black h as to wal k through a mine field j ust to get a pl ay­ able game in these lines. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3 . e3 dS 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7.

Black has several options fro m h e re , v a r y i n g fr o m Bb2 0-0 8. NeS Qc7 The i m med i ate 8 . . . Ne4 bad to terrible. See the Extra loses to 9. Bxe4 dxe4 10. Nxc6 Analysis chapter for specifics. bxc6 1 1 . dxcS BxcS 1 2 . Qg4 A short version : • . . fs o r . . . f6 : W h i t e th reatening mate wh ile fork­ pressu rizes the dark ing the e4 -pawn. squares, ga in ing at least 9. f4 cxd4 Once again, over-eagerness the d6- outpost with is treated harshly: 9 . . . Ne4 10. moves like NbS, a4, Ba3. • . . . Nxd4 : Nxe4 forces the Bxe4 dxe4 1 1 . Nc3 threatens NbS . 1 1 . . . Be7 1 2 . Nxe4 cxd4 e xc h a nge of t h e B / d 6 1 3 . exd4 leaves Wh ite a sol id a n d Wh ite w i l l h ave a pawn up, as does 1 1 . . . cxd4 Q-side maj ority and the 1 2 . NbS Qb8 1 3 . Nxc6 bxc6 only good Bishop on the 1 4 . Qxd4 eS 1 S . Qxd6 cxbS board. 1 6 . fxeS. A similar line was seen in Janowski-Teichmann, San Se­ Janowski-Teichmann bastian, 1 91 1 . See the illustra­ San Sebastian 1 81 1 tive game at the end of the 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 cS 3. e3 e6 4. section. .

1 0. exd4 Ne4 1 1 . Bxe4 dxe4

Bd3 Nf6 5. 0-0 N c6 6. b3 Bd6

1 2 . N c3

7. Bb2 0-0 8. NeS Qc7

58

Chapter four

The i m mediate 8 . . . Ne4 ? loses a pawn to 9. Bxe4 dxe4 1 0 . Nxc6 bxc6 1 1 . dxcS BxcS 1 2 . Qg4 . 9. f4 Ne4

This is still too early. Black should exchange pawns first. 1 0. Bxe4 dxe4 1 1 . Nc3 cxd47

B e 7 s t i l l l e a ve s B l a c k badly off, but is better than this. 1 2 . NbS Q d 8

Qb8 is better. 1 3 . Nxc6 bxc6 1 4. Qxd4 e S 1 S. Qxd6 cxbS 1 6. QxeS f6 1 7. QxbS Rf7 1 8. Rad 1 Bd7 1 9. QdS Qe8 20. c4 a S 2 1 . Rd4 Bc6 22. QcS Rc7 23. Rfd 1 Rcc8 24. Rd6 a4 2S. b4 Bb7 26. Qd4 Qf7 27. Rd7 1 -0 4

Black delays castling

on his 7th move, but Wh ite should be on sol id ground here. It is possible for Black to play 7. . . b6 as well, but it al­ most never h appens. Doing so basical ly robs Black of all his i nteresting options since . . . Bb7 does not threaten any­ thing immediately. Wh ite can comfortably stop all the an­ noying tactical tries after 8 . NeS. 7. . . cxd4 8 . exd4 h a s also been seen in practice, but play will transpose to either previ­ ous lines or a line discussed in this section. B l ac k c a n a l s o p l ay 7 . . . Qe7, but he is almost certain to have to move h i s Queen to c7 and h ave a n i n fe r i or version of another l i ne. A n i m me d i ate 7 . . . N b 4 can be played as we l l , but a fte r 8 . dxcS BxcS 9. Be2, play should transpose to the 7 . . . 0 - 0 8 . NeS Nb4 9. dxcS l ine. The critical l i ne is 7 . . . Qc7, t h re a te n i n g . . . e S s i n c e 8 . Ne S ? ! c a n b e met with 8 . . . Nb4. 7 . . . Qc7

Black may forego castling 59

Mainline - Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan

Th is threatens both . . . eS and . . . Nb4. White needs to respond in the time-honored : 8. c4

8 . . . eS ? 9. cxdS e4 ( . . . NxdS 10. dxeS NxeS ? 1 1 . Bb5 +) 10. dxcS BxcS 1 1 . Bxf6. 8 . . . dxc4 9. bxc4 eS ? ! 10. N c 3 ! w i t h N b S t o fo l l o w (10 . . . a6 ? ! 1 1 . NdS ) . Clearly 8 . . . cxd4 must be even worse for this line since t h e e - fi l e w i l l b e o p e n for Wh ite to use. Wh ite's threat of Nc3 -b5 in these l ines should not be underestimated ! If Black does not prevent this, he will need to re l o c ate h i s Q u e e n a n d d a rk- squ a red B i s h o p s i nce the Bishop is too important to exchange for Wh ite's Knight. Th e s e r e l o c a t i o n s l e s s e n Bl ack 's piece activity and al­ low Wh ite to reorga n ize his pieces to protect and support t h e adva nce of h i s central pawn (s) .

Black has several options here, but in practice the over­ whel mi ngly common one is to exchange one of the central pawns and then castle. If White is allowed initiate both central pawn exchanges, Black can get into trouble : 8 . . . 0-0 9. dxcS BxcS 10. Bxf6 gxf6 1 1 . cxd S with the threat of Bxh7 and Qc2. Black could play 9 . . . Be7 instead, but White is still guar­ Then why doesn't Block just anteed tremendous activity. ploy o6 to prevent this? One th ing Black cannot do here is safely get . . . eS in. At­ H e very we l l may ( prob ­ te mpt i ng to use the te mpo ably should) play . . . a6 after saved by not castling in this Wh ite plays Nc3, but doing so way is a sure road to trouble, gives Wh ite a crucial tempo regardless of how he exchang­ at a c h a rged t i m e and a l s o es beforehand: gives Wh ite the b 6-square as 60

Chapter Four an outpost . Then Wh ite can play Na4-b6 at an appropriate t i me. Black w i l l l i kely need to play . . . a6 anyway to eject the Kn ight, a m i rror i m age to what occurs normally i n t h e C-Z, where Wh ite plays a 3 . The crucial d i fference is that Black has to relocate two pieces whereas White only has one threatened. 4.1 Black inflicts hanging pawns

I n h ig h - l e ve l p l ay, i t i s ra re fo r B l ac k t o exc h a nge both p a i rs of pawns, but it is i n st r u c t i ve to s e e why ! Plus, the fol lowing game is a g re at example o f a basic p l a n e x e c u t e d we l l whe re improve ments for either side a re hard to fi nd during most of the middle-game. Th i s g a m e a l s o s h o w s w h y B l a c k a l m o s t a l ways pl ays . . . a6 to prevent NbS .

Dzagnidze-Javakhishvli AzerbaiJan 2002

1 . d4 e6 2. Nf3 cS 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bd3 dS 5. 0-0 Nc6 6. b3 Qc7

7. Bb2 Bd6 8. c4 dxc4 9. bxc4 cxd4 1 0. exd4

1 0 . . . Be7

10 . . . Nb4 1 1 . Nc3 Nxd3 ? ! leaves Black far behind i n de­ velopment after 1 2 . NbS ! Qd7 1 3 . Nxd6 + Qxd6 14. Qxd3. 1 1 . N c 3 N b4 1 2. NbS Qd8

Other relocations tend to have tactical problems based on some permutation of cS, Ba3, Qb3 and Qc4 . B l ac k 's Queen has to stay in contact with the c7-square and would like to stay con nected to the B/e7 as well. 1 3 . Bb1

The Bishop w i l l be useful in push i ng h i s pawns up the board l ater, so he safeguards it for now. Ba3 ! ? attempts to take adva ntage of the tacti­ cal mot i fs i n this position, i n p a r t icu l a r t h re ats of cS, 61

Mainline - Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan Qa4 or Qb3, Nd6, and Rbl in va r i o u s p e r m u t a t i o n s , but I t h i n k Wh ite does fi ne with the boa-constrictor method . 1 3 . . . 0-0 1 4. a3 Nc6 1 5 . Qc2 g6 1 6. Rd 1 a6 1 7. Nc3 N a 5 1 8. Ba2

White's Bishops a re we l l placed. They support the central advance of his pawns and they lance through to the K-side.

QcS 23. d7 QxeS Wh ite can respond with 24. NdS. Viewed defensively, how­ ever, it is better than the text as it al lows Black to neutral­ ize two m i nors and White's central pawn roller through regicide. 20. Ne4 Nxe4 2 1 . Qxe4 Bc5 22. Qh4 exd 5

2 2 . . . B e ?, attac k i ng t h e Queen while getting the Bishop over to the K-side (so it can no longer be cut off by a later d6) does not change the outcome. 23. NgS hS 24. dxe6 Bxe6 25. Nxe6 fxe6 26. Qe4. 23. cxd 5 Qb6 24. Bc3

24. d6 immediately, block­ ing the Bishop from getti ng back to the K-side, is eve n better. I 'm reasonably sure this is not the position Black had in mind when he chose his plan on move 8.

24 . . . Bf5 25. d6 Rxd6 26. Rxd 6 Qxd6 27. N g 5 1 -0 4.2 Exchange on d4

1 8 ... Qc7 1 9. d5

White's plan is simple. H is past moves all work towa rd advancing his pawns.

I n this case, White has an easy plan of cS and an eventual Nb6. 1 9 . . . Rd8 Back to the position after 1 9 . . . Nxc4 ? is ridiculously 8. c4 . ambitious/greedy, as after 20. 8 . . . cxd4 9. exd4 0-0 1 0. Nc3 Bxc4 Qxc4 2 1 . d6 Bd8 22. NeS a6 1 1 . c5

62

Chapter Four 8. c4 . 8 . . . dxc4 9. bxc4 0-0 1 0. Nc3 a6 1 1 . d S

Regardless of where Black plays h i s Bishop, White not only has a strong position and a natural game plan (promote the c- paw n ) , but B l ac k h a s a hard time com ing u p with ways to better his position. Note that if Black plays 1 1 . . . Bf4, Wh ite should play 1 2 . g3 before playing Na4-b 6 . 4.3 Exchange o n c4

W h ite c a n adopt a l i n e o f play i n which the freeing . . . exd5 is tactical ly prevented, so this move opens Wh ite's pieces up wh i l e l i m it i ng Black's play. Not only is Bxf6 an option now, but Black can­ not play . . . cxd4, which con­ nects his B/d6 to the impor­ tant b4-square.

I n t h i s c a s e , W h ite c a n 1 1 . . . Ne7 The fre e i n g 1 1 . . . exd 5 ? ! make use o f the open b-file and clear l ines for his better­ runs into 1 2 . Nxd5 Nxd5 1 3 . pl aced piece s . Q c 2 i s a key cxd 5 N e 7 1 4 . N g 5 ! , wh i c h move in t h i s va r i ation as it provokes the begrudging 14 . . . helps prevent . . . c4, protects B/ f5 si nce other defenses fa i l . b2, eyes the vicinity of Black's White can then offer the sacri­ King, and removes the Queen fice 1 5 . a4 ! ! which Black more from possible pins along the o r less h a s to accept: 1 5 . . . Bxh 2 + 1 6 . K h 1 Bd6 1 7. Bc4 d-file or from a later . . . Bg4. Back to the position after and Black's position begins 63

Mainline - Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan to take on the feel of a drown­ ( 1 3 . . . NfxdS ! ? 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 ing man. Black will play . . . h6 1 5 . cxdS fS 16. e4 ! ) 14. cxdS either now or soon (after, say, and it is d i fficult to address QhS ) , and then after 1 8 . Ne6 both Bxf6 and Bxh7+. Bxe6, 1 9. dxe6, White's pawn 1 3 . e4 Ng6 Black must prevent eS. on e6 both cramps and dis­ rupts Black's position. White 1 4. Ne2 This unveils the B/b2 and has plenty of ways to increase pressure on the black K-side supports a later f4. and Black's pieces get in each other's way. B l ac k c a n t r y to thwa rt this plan by playing 15 . . . c4, removing the square Wh ite's 1 5th move was designed to se­ cure, but after 16. Be2 Bxh2+ 1 7. K h l Bd6 1 8 . Qd4, Black is punished for giving up con­ trol of the d4 -square. 15 . . . h6 16. Nf3 leaves Black in a sim­ Wh i te i s t h re ate n i ng , ply rotten position. a mong other t h i ngs, Bxf6 , 1 2 . Qc2 h6 wh ich w i l l m a ke a ny l ater With the N/f6 likely to be exdS less appet i z i ng , as it excha nged, t h i s m oves a p ­ leaves Black with a K-side full pears needed . . . . g6 j ust asks of pawn weaknesses. Any con­ for White to find tactics based tinuation that lets White trade on t h e we a ke n e d d i agon a l h is N / f3 i s b o u n d to l e ave and undefended Kn ight. The Black in a frenzy to stop the immediate . . . Ng6 can be met central pawns, for exa mple with h4, high l ighti ng more 1 4 . . . Ng4 ? ! 1 5 . h 3 N4e5 1 6 . starkly the overworked nature Nxe S NxeS 1 7. f4 Nxd 3 1 8 . of the N/f6 . Qxd 3 exdS 1 9 . e S ! Be7 2 0 . 1 2 . . . exd S ? wa l k s i nto a cxdS. n ightmare : 1 3 . Nxd S NexdS The calm 14 . . . Nd7 allows 64

Chapter Four White to continue h is constric­ tion by playing 1 5. a4 . . . after which it is hard to find a move for Black that does not help White. Black can hardly want to play . . . eS, yet playing any piece to that square allows the central pawn surge described in the last paragraph.

Queen to c7 has some signifi­ cant shortcomings as well. On c7 the Queen can become a target down the c-file and is less able to defend her King or the often-targeted e6-pawn. Though there is no "main­ line" per se for this situation, the following illustrates how things may work.

5

1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3 . e3 e6 4.

Quiet play- . . . Qc7

Bd3 cS 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. 5.1 Introduction

Bb2 0-0 8. NeS Qc7 9. f4

It m ight see m stra nge to play the Queen to c7 without envisioning play i ng . . . Nb4, but the move has s e ve r a l things going for it. What do you have in mind1

First of all, it protects the K n ight on c6. Th i s protects 9 . . . cxd4 Black should do this before Black's pawn structure in the event of Nxc6 and helps Black develop i ng his Bishop. I f he deve l o p h i s B/c8 by a l l ow­ plays . . . b6 right now, he loses ing b6. Furthermore, it keeps to 10. Nxc6 Qxc6 ( . . . c4 would the e7-square open for a later al low Black to struggle on a . . . Ne7-g6 maneuver to help pawn down) 1 1 . dxc S Bxc S in the defense of his K-side . . . . ( . . . Be? also lets Black struggle Ne7 also allows Black the un­ on a p awn down (though I suppose he has some com­ comfortable threat of . . . NfS. H o w e v e r, m o v i n g t h e pensation) , . . . QxcS leads to 65

Mainline - Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan the same thing except White needs to play the i n-between­ move 1 2 . Bd4 first, and . . . bxcS 1 2 . Bxf6 gxf6 is mate in 8 ) 1 2. Bxf6! and neither 1 2 . . . Bxe3 + or 1 2 . . . gxf6 can save Bl ack from the coming attack based on Bxh7+, QhS, Rf3, etc. 1 0. exd4 b6 1 1 . a3

S i nce Wh ite depends on the Nc3 -b5 tactic in many of the tactical l i nes considered earlier, he needs to either play a3 or c4, rather than Nbd2. c4 does not look good to me here, but if you like it, feel free. Nc3 m ight be a way to play for more in this situation, ex­ cept the d4-pawn is no longer directly shielded and the tac­ tics involved in getting it back a fter . . . Nxd4 do n o t l e ave White particularly well off. 1 1 . . . Bb7 1 2. Nd2

66

Let's take a look a t th is po­ sition fro m Blac k 's perspec­ tive. I think it is hard for Black to come up with a good plan. Black's defensive options are rather l i m ited u n less he can m a n age . . . N e 4 . The p aw n m oves h e has ava i l able a re dubious: . . . h6 only welcomes g4 -g5 i mmediately or soon . . . . g6 would be much bet­ ter-it protects h7, gives the N/f6 a place to roost on hS, and prevents QhS -however it blocks the transfer . . . Nc6 e7-g6 . This is critical because the other p ieces on the Q - side take more work to transfer. It's u nclear what type of Q-side pawn play Black has because . . . bS requ i re s p re p a rat i o n and the eventual . . . b4 seems wel l met with a4 ! (so long as White keeps his Rook on a 1 ) . With White having already played a3 it is unclear how an a-pawn march is going to be of much use. Black h as the option of playing aS, Ba6, but si nce White plans on playing Q e 2 a ny w ay, B l ac k wo u l d h ave t o t h row i n . . . N b 8 a s

Chapter Four wel l . And I am sure 12 . . . aS 13. Qe2 NbS 14. Rf3 Ba6 1 5. c4 has to be good for White. . . . Rac8 has the benefit of being non-committal, but ac­ complishes l ittle. After Qe2, play should transpose. Trying to unclog his K-side and oust the N/eS with 1 2 . . . Nd7 ? ! has been tried in prac­ tice, but after 1 3 . Qe2 Black c a n n o t p l ay . . . fS or . . . f6 and Wh ite is close to having enough firepower to make the Bxh7+ sacrifice work. A more incisive try for Black would be . . . a6, . . . bS to pre­ pare . . . Qb6. This line requires careful play from both sides. Wh ile it is hard for Black to find play in this position, White must be carefu l in ex­ ecuting his attack. Black may not have many pieces on the K-side, but it is not as though his pieces are doing nothing ! Black has many shadowy half­ moves that accompl ish more than they seem. Let's investigate these now. . . . Ne7 is commonly played, threatening . . . NfS and . . . Ng6 wh ile unveiling the Bishop's support of e4 . Si nce a Q/e2

and a B/d3 are each doubly co m m itted (to the d e fe n s e o f c2 a n d e4 ) , White should take care that tactics involving these squares cannot be played with advantage by Black. . . . Be7 (or . . . Bf8 ) is another nuanced move. The obvious idea is to redirect the Bishop to help defend the King. The less obvious point is that now . . . NxeS can be safely played. Th i s b e c o m e s p a r t i c u l a rly problematic if White plays a l ate r fS or fxgS . I n that case White would h ave to recap­ ture on eS with his d-pawn, leaving cS open for Black. For this reason a well-timed b4 might be needed by White. . . . Qe7 is yet another option that accomplishes two th ings. It gets the Queen closer to an emergence on the K-side, but it also hits a3. For this reason, Wh ite needs to t h i n k twice before moving his Ra 1 . White should use his pieces to support his central blockade and rely on his pawns to attack the King. Other plans have led to a loss of control. We i nvest igate the t h re e m o s t i n c i s i ve o p t i o n s fo r 67

Mainline - Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan Th i s move has h ad l i ttle success in p rac t i ce (I o n l y fo u n d 3 g a m e s whe re t h i s move was played i n this posi­ tion, all losses) , but it should be noted that the position we h ave reached was not o n ly reached (via transposition) by Alekhine but also in a 2006 active play match where Bru­ zon, as White, played Anand 5.2 Black transfers the c-Knight and won ! If a 2 6 5 0 b e at a 2800 from here, it cannot be 1 2 . . . Ne7 This move threatens . . . NfS all bad ! There is a lot goi ng on in a nd . . . Ng6, either of wh ich m a k e s W h i t e 's h o p e d - fo r this position. The two squares K-side attack difficult. I t also Wh ite n e e d s to be c a re fu l uncovers support for . . . Ne4 . about are c 2 and e4. The B/d3 Th i s position h a s not been and Queen are both doubly reached in too many games, committed, so be extra cau­ but that is mostly because the t i o u s about p l ay i ng N d f3 , move order normally chosen wh ich removes a crucial de­ by White a llows Black more fender of e4 . active play. On the other hand, si nce 1 3 . Qe2 Black has moved his K n ight away fro m c6, there is •Jess pressure on eS. Indeed, he may well play . . . Be? soon as well. With this in mind, White can consider c3 and a4 to make his Bishop more available for attac k i ng or b r i n k manship. H owever, it is i mportant not to do this too quickly! Black: • 12 . . . Ne7 • 1 2 . . . a6 p l a n n i n g b S , Qb6 • 12 . . . g6 The Bruzon-Anand il lustra­ tive game showcases several of the ideas in the l ines ana­ lyzed here.

68

Chapter Four White's main attacking op­ tion here should be the g-pawn push, which appears to work in pretty much all lines. 13

• • •

Ng6

13 . . . Rac8 transposes to the note to Black's next move. 1 3 . . . Nf5 ? 14. g4 Nh4 1 5 . g5 ! is ve ry good for Wh ite . 1 5 . . . Nd7 1 6 . Q g4 Ng6 1 7. Rf3 and 1 5 . . . NeB 1 6 . Bxh7+ ! Kxh7 1 7. Qh5 + Kg8 1 8 . Qxh4 Qxc2 1 9. Rf3 Qh7 20. Qxh7+ Kxh7 2 1 . Rh3 + Kg8 2 2 . Nd7 Bxf4 23. Nf3 ReS 24. g6 !

With . . . Rac 8 , Black puts more pressure on the c2-pawn. Wh ite needs to protect t h i s pawn more o r else 1 5 . . . Ne4 ! 16. Nxe4 dxe4 1 7. Bxe4 Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Qxc2. This move also frees the Rook to sweep side­ ways to the g- or h- files later. Final ly, it allows the Ra 1 to continue to overprotect the a3 -pawn. 1 5. g S ! Nd7 1 6. Nxg6 hxg6 1 7. h4!

1 4. g4!

This works here too. 14

. • .

Be7

Th is multipurpose move anticipates the evacuation of the N/f6 and sets up tactics based on a future . . . Nxe5, as the recapture will not come with tempo on the Bishop. 14 . . . Nd7 1 5 . g5 threatens, among other things Qh5-Qh3 with pressure against e6 and the squares around Black's King. 14 . . . Rac8 only helps White after 1 5 . Rf2 ! ! I'm lost, what's going on with that1

It certa i n ly seems to me that Wh ite has a powerful at­ tack here. For example 1 7 . . . Bd6 18. h5 Bxf4 1 9. hxg6 Bxg5 20. gxf7+ Rxf7 2 1 . Bh7+ ! is no picnic for Black. Both Kings will be exposed with power­ ful Queens, but White's pieces have much more scope. If that is too wild for your taste, 17. Rf3 with Qf2 and Rfl 69

Mainline -- Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan to follow is pretty formidable as well. This illustrates another of Dvoretsky's stated principles:

When lining up heavy material, then Queen.

Rook first

Bruzon - Anand Leon 2008

1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Bd6 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Bb2 N c6 8. N bd 2 cxd4 9. exd4 b6 1 0. a3 Bb7 1 1 . Ne5 Qc7 1 2. Qe2 Ne7 1 3 . f4

Wh ite should be marching his g-pawn up the board. This Rook belongs on f2 . 1 4 . . . Rac8 1 5. Rc 1

Protecting the c-pawn in this way can allow a later . . . Qe7 to come with tempo on the a3pawn. 1 5 . . . b4

Black fi nds another way to make a useful move with tempo. This move ensures that Black can use the cS-square. This can be an option if White moves his f-pawn after Black captures on eS. 1 6. a4 Ng6 1 7 . Rcf1 Ne4

H ad White played Rf2, this would have been prevented . 1 8. Rh3 f5 1 9. Bxe4!?

White could have regained an advantage with 1 9. Nxe4 with 20. Bc4 to follow. Th is is a common configuration we' ll see in the next chapter. By transposition we have arrived to this line. 1 3 . . . b5

Th is prevents c4, but gives up the cS -square. I don't think Wh ite needs c4 to do well in the . . . Ne7 l i ne, so it seems unwarranted. 1 4. Rf3

70

1 9 . . . dxe4?

This is a severe error. Black needs to take on e4 with his f-pawn rather than his d-pawn to keep White's Q-side at bay. To do this he must interpose 1 9 . . . BxeS ! , which would have lead to an even game after 20. dxeS fxe4 2 1 . QhS Kf7 !

Chapter Four I know this looks crazy, but Wh ite cannot both execute his attack and stop the threats of . . . Qb6 + or . . . QcS + (e.g., 2 2 . fS exfS ! ! 2 3 . RxfS ? ! Ke8 24. Rxf8 + Kxf8 2 5 . Qxh7 ? ? Q c S + ! - +) . O nce Black gets his K i ng to e8 he is su rpris­ ingly safe.

O t h e r options a re ava i l ­ able, but most will transpose to i n ferior ve rsions of other l i nes. This move has the vir­ tue of forest a l l i ng gS si nce after . . . hxgS the f4 -pawn no longer supports the N/eS. 13 . . . Rad8 attempts to take advantage of White's not play­ 20. QhS BxeS 2 1 . fxeS Qxc2 22. ing Qe2. IfWhite plays 14. gS ?, Qxh7+ Kf7 23. Rg3 Qxd2 24. then 14 . . . Ne4 becomes pos­ Rxg6 Rg8 25. Rxe6 Kxe6 26. sible due to tactics along the QxfS+ Ke7 27. Qf7+ Kd8 28. e6 e-file. However, White is going to play Qe2 anyway, so in the e3 1 -0 end it doesn't help Black. 1 3 . . . bS is naive since after 5.3 Black prepares pressure against 14. gS, White can play Nf3 if d4 needed to add support to the I cannot find examples of d4-pawn. p l aye rs prep a r i n g Q b 6 (as­ 1 4. Q e 2 Rfe8 saulting d4) , but I think it is Black's most direct attempt at refuting White's setup. It cer­ tainly requires the most care on White's part. Black main­ tains pressure against the cen­ tral squares. I f the aggressive option I give here does not pan out, the simple 1 3 . c4 preserves an Th is move gives the black advantage and some play for King some space, frees up f8 for Wh ite, but Black 's position has some venom in it as well . a possible . . . Bf8, supports the e6 -pawn, and suggests tactics 1 2 . . . a6!? 1 3 . g4! h 6 71

Mainline - Avoiding the Bishop-kill ing Plan on the e-file against the Q/e2. 1 5 . b4

The immediate 1 5 . g5 ? ! has to be stifled since 1 5 . . . hxg5 16. fxg5 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Bc5 is not what White has in mind.

can be crucial in the ensuing l i nes. Si nce Bl ack is going to play . . . Bxe5, Black's best de­ fender of the c5-square will be in the box. 1 7. gS hxg5 1 8. fxgS Bxe5 1 9.

1 5 . . . g6

dxeS Nd7

Black shields the h7-square from the B/d3 and opens the g7-square for later occupation by a piece.

Now if 19 . . . Nh5, attempt­ ing to setup a fortress on the K-side, White can utilize that c5-square with 20. Nb3 ! in­ tend ing Nc5, applyi ng pres­ su re to those l ight- squ ared pawns on the K-side. This pres­ sure can be increased with Rf6 after Black plays . . . Ng7.

1 6. Rac1 !

Once again, the g5 push has to be restrained. 16. g5 ? ! hxg5 1 7. fxg5 Bxe5 1 8 . dxe5 Nh5 and Black 's King looks curi­ ously safe . . . at the very least it can move to the Q-side. The strength of 1 6 . Rac 1 ! lies in what it provokes. 16

. • .

20. Nf3

bS

This move stops c4 . Anand was concerned enough about c4 to p l ay it much e a r l i e r. I f Wh ite i s a l l owed to play c4 - c 5 , B l ac k w i l l b e rat h e r squeezed . But why should White be so happy about b51

S o o n exc h a nges i n the center are going to open the d4 -square. The Bd4-c5 option 72

From here Wh ite has the obvious option of h4-h5 -Nh4 coupled to the more subtle plan of Qf2 (threatening a dis­ covered attack on f7) followed by Qh4 - Qh6 -Nh4 with Bd4Bc5 th rown in if needed. This

Chapter Four is very hard to stop. Blac k 's Knights block his position but they are needed to protect the d4 - and cS-squares. 5.4

Black plays g6

The main interest i n this l i ne is t h at Black can rede­ ploy his Bishop to g7. As in the l ast l i ne, Blac k 's play is slow enough that Wh ite is as­ sured a decent game by a well­ placed c4 . On the other hand, more rapacious types m ight l i ke the attack suggested i n this section. 1 2 . . . g 6 1 3 . Qe2 Rfe8

1 3 . . . N h S i s a n i nterest­ ing idea, and I advise against 14. g4 ? ! Nxf4 1 5 . Rxf4 f6 1 6 . Nxg6 hxg6 1 7. Rf2 with u n ­ clear play. I nstead a simple 14. g3 should work fine.

Wh ite should have an at­ tack after 16. h S . 6

Q u iet Play-. . . Qe7

Black may play . . . Qe7, hop­ ing for a transposition to the Bishop -kil l i ng l i ne. We wil l not consider variations where he transfers the lady over to c7 afterward, as these should leave h i m a move dow n on other variations. I ndeed, you m ight get some scalps here since Prie suggests as one of h i s favor ite defenses to the Zukertort to play . . . Qe7 and then . . . Qc7, intending . . . Nb4. O u r move order d rop-kicks t h at i n the face because a 3 comes one move earlier. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3 . e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 8. NeS Qe7

1 4. g4 Bf8 1 5 . h4

73

Mainline - Avoiding the Bishop-killing Plan 9. a3 Nd7

to do this now. • Wh ite wishes to do this In the qu ieter lines, Black m a neuve r before B l ack typically employs this tactic. compels him to trade on He m i ght do t h i s in o rd e r e4 . A pawn on e4 takes to kick the N/eS away, o r he away the f3 -square. m ay si mply wish to switch • White may wish to play to a Stonewal l formation . In Qf3, and it is more flex­ the latter case, he figures that ible to play the Rook over the blockage in the center is first than afterward. sig n i ficant enough that the • Black may react to this wasted time is not too much pl acement of the Ro ok, of a disadvantage. putting him even further 1 0. f4 fS 10 . . . f6 1 1 . QhS ! fs ( 1 1 . . . behind in development. • Depending on what tac­ g 6 ? ! 1 2 . Nxg6 i s g reat fo r t i c s a r i s e fro m B l a c k 's White) 1 2. Nd2 Nf6 1 3 . Qh3 gives Wh ite excellent attack­ re s p o n s e , W h i t e m ay ing chances. See Extra Analysis wish to have his e3 -pawn chapter. protected . In particu lar 1 1 . Rf3 Nf6 1 2. Rh3 if chooses to play dxcS Wh ite has taken the two soon. free moves given to him to re­ Wh ite h a s m a ny p l a n s position his Rook on a good, available from here. I f Black safe square. p l ays q u i e t l y, W h i t e c a n threate n to produce a favor­ Why not play some less able Q - side pawn structure committal developing by p l aying c4 i m me d i ate ly. move l it does not look like The threat is dxcS BxcS, b 4 White can barrel through B -moves, cS. with Qh5 , etc. here. Wh ite can also b a n k on finding reasonable places for I n d e e d , t h e N / f6 m ig h t his pieces, for example Qf3, have someth ing t o say about Kh 1 , Rgl . that ! There are many reasons 74

Cl)apfer 5 Classical Variatioq: � THEM�TIC Tl\_E�TMENT If Black is willing to play a quieter, more cramped game, he can play . . . Be? instead of . . . Bd6. As far as I can tell, no one has given a thematic treatment of this variation. From a ca­ sual perspective, the model games and suggestions look like a bizarre porridge of plans with little interrelation. My hope is that after you read this chapter you will be much closer to understanding what is going on in this variation. 1

Fa miliarization

The key to understand i ng the classical variation l ies in knowing when you can play NeS. Other authors have touched on this question but they have gotten sidetracked by focus­ ing on the threat of . . . Ne4 by Black after White fi n ishes his Stonewall development with f4 . In reality this is of marginal concern. Yes, Black can play . . . Ne4 so long as he does not have a Knight on c6 . . . and you should welcome his doing so ! No, the real problem is that, iron ically, playing . . . Be? in­ stead of . . . Bd6 makes NeS harder! You'll have to explain that one. How can having less pressure on eS make it harder to post a Knight there1

Classical Variation-A Thematic Treatment O f c o u r s e , W h ite cou l d That's the 64 thousand dol­ lar question. Take a look at the try other options, such a s 1 1 . following natural sequence of Nxc6 or making space on c2 for his Bishop with 1 3 . c4 NcS moves. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3. e3 e6 4. 1 4 . Bc2 or attempting to at­ Bd3 cS 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. tack the K-side with 1 3 . QhS, Bb2 0-0 8. a3 b6 9. N bd2 Bb7 but none of these are particu­ larly promising. 1 0. NeS ?! Based on the above idea, to play NeS the following condi­ tions should be met: • B l a c k should not h ave traded pawns on d4 . • c6 must be without de­ fense. I f t he s e two c o n d i t i o n s a re met, t h e n i f Black tries . . . cxd 4 , Wh ite c a n cou nte r Even though it looks l i ke with Nxc6 ( or Nc6 i f B l ac k White played all the normal pl ayed . . . Nbd7 ) . moves, and he has stopped Wh ile there are scenarios B l a c k 's . . . N b 4 a n d . . . N e 4 where Wh ite m ight conceiv­ threats, i t turns out that he ably play NeS safely when c6 now has a bad position be­ is defended ( i ndeed, I g ive cause of a tactic I have never one as an alternative idea in seen explained in any book: the early exchange section ) , I 1 0 . . . cxd4! 1 1 . exd4 NxeS 1 2 . will ask the reader to trust me dxeS Nd7 that they are rarer than you Wh ite can not easily stop would think. For purposes of . . . NcS, kicking the Bishop off repertoire building, Wh ite's its prized diagonal. preparation is much simpli­ 1 3 . b 4 Qc7 1 4. R e 1 a S fied by taking the two guide­ Th i ngs a re not as Wh ite lines above as gospel. was hoping. 76

Colle Chapter Five 2

Black prevents NeS

The re a re two ways fo r Black to discourage NeS. He can either exchange pawns or defend the c6-square. 2.1 Black exchanges pawns early

I a m sugge s t i n g a l ittle­ known attack t h at Smith & Hall mentioned in a note and others have given l ittle or no pl ay. It's actua l ly qu ite bril­ liant. A s i m i l a r at t a c k c a n be used if Black plays . . . Nbd7 as well, but then Wh ite h a s an extra tempo as he has not had to play a3. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3 . e 3 e 6 4 . B d 3 cS 5 . b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Be7 7 . B b 2 cxd4 8. exd4 0-0 9 . a3 b6 1 0. Nbd2 Bb7 1 1 . Re1 Qc7

Th i s i m m e d i ate l y g i ve s Wh ite t roubles. I f the black Q u e e n gets to f4 , Wh i t e 's ab i l ity to attac k t h e b l a c k King will b e greatly reduced. Fu r t h e r m o re, W h i te needs to get his own Queen over to the K-side to attack. Both of these goals are typically aided by NeS, blocking one Queen while opening an avenue for the other. However, we have al ready seen how Black can refute this. Note that . . . Rc8 is much m o re co m mo n h e re, but it g i ve s W h ite l e s s t o swe a t about. White can either continue in the vei n of this sec­ tion, assuming Black will play . . . Qc7 soon anyway, or play Qe2 (see next section) . There is a way for Wh ite to do exactly what he needs without moving N/f3 ! It in­ volves using g3 to protect f4, pulling the Rook up the e-file, slipping the Queen in beh i nd it, and then using the vacated g2-square to get to h3. C o mputers d o not seem to think much of this attack, until you walk through 4 or 5 moves, when they start to real77

Classical Variation-A Thematic Treatment ize how formidable it is. Let's see an example of this attack in a game.

adds defensive glue to Wh ite's position . 1 3 o o o Qc7 1 4o Qfl

1 o d4 e6 2o Nf3 c5 3 o e3 Nf6 4o

P l ay i ng g3 now is prob ­ ably more accurate to stop the co mpl ications of Qf4 . N ote how Black 's pawns and B/e7 h i nders t h e t ra n s fe r of t h e N/c6 .

Bd3 d5 5 o b3 Nc6 6o 0-0 Be7 7 o

1 4o o o N b8 1 5 o g 3 Nf6

Bb2 0-0 So N bd2 cxd4 9o exd4 b6

Th i s a d m its t h at . . . Ng4 was unneeded.

By transposition we have arrived at this line.

1 8o Nh4 N h 7 1 9o f4 Bxh4 20o

1 0o Re 1 Bb7 1 1 o a3 ReS 1 2o

Qxh4 Nhf6

Re3

White could play fS here, comb i n i ng an attack on the black K i ng with a we aken­ i ng of Black's center pawns. Instead, White decides to ma­ neuver his Queen to the im­ portant f3 -square to support a pawn storm.

Kovacevic Farago ·

Hastings 1 983

1 6o Rc1 N bd7 1 7o Qh3 h6

2 1 o Qh3 Qd6 22o Qg2 Rc7 23o Qf3 Rfc8 24o g4 Ne4

Th is is the fi rst eyebrow­ raising move from White. Up until now, Black has no rea­ son to suspect what Wh ite has up his sleeve. 1 2 o o o Ng4 1 3 o Re2

It is rare for the Rook to be here in the Zukertort. But, it 78

This gives a pawn away, but other options m a ke B l ac k 's defense of his K i ng quite dif­ ficult. 25o Nxe4 dxe4 26o Bxe4 Bxe4 27o Qxe4 Nf6 28o Qf3 ?!

Wh ite can do much bet­ t e r w i t h 2 8 . Q e S b e c au s e the g-pawn i s not in any real

Colle Chapter Five danger {28 . . . Qxe5 ? ! 29. fxe5 Nxg4 ? 30. h3) . I nstead, Black can muddy the waters sign ifi­ cantly. 28 . . . NdS 29. fS Nc3 30. Rd2 Na2 3 1 . Ra 1 Rxc2 32. Qd 1 Rxd2 33. Qxd2 QdS?

B l ac k m i sses h i s c h ance to get effective equality here. 33 . . . e x f5 ! is the m ove he wants to play. Th is presents a real quandary to White. I f h e takes the pawn, then after 3 4 . gxf5 Qd5 3 5 . Q d 3 ReS , taking t h e K n ight would be very bad. H owever, taking the K n ight while he can a l l ows 34 . . . Qg6, when the activity of Black's pieces rel at ive to White's gives him nearly full compensation .

2.2 Black exchanges: alternative line

If t he ab ove attack looks dodgy, and you are willing to deal with some " interesting" positions, then this section is for you. It turns out that White can play Ne5 in this line if he is careful. Here is how. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3 . e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. Bb2 cxd4 8. exd4 0-0 9. a3 b6 1 0. Nbd2 Bb7 1 1 . Re1 ReS

Th is is the most common response, but 1 1 . . . Qc7 puts more immediate pressure on White due to the threat of Qf4 (which might not be the best move, but certainly interferes with White's plans ! ) I f you don't like the attack 34. Qd3 Nc3 3 5 . Rc1 Qxb3 36. Rxc3 Rxc3 37. Qxc3 Qd 1 + 38. given i n the last section, the Kf2 Qxg4 39. fxe6 fxe6 40. way to proceed after 1 1 . . . Qc7 Qc7 QfS+ 4 1 . Ke3 QdS 42. is 1 2 . Ne5 Nxe5 1 3 . dxe5 Nd7 Bc3 QgS+ 43. Qf4 Qg 1 + 44. 14. Qh5 ! The reason for the exclaim Kd2 Qg2+ 45. Kd 3 Qh3+ 46. Qe3 Qf1 + 47. Qe2 QfS+ 48. is because this move has a hid­ Qe4 Qh3+ 49. Kc4 Qf1 + 50. den point. It adds support to Kb3 QbS+ 5 1 . Bb4 Qd7 52. the e5 -pawn to allow White to QeS Qf7 53. a4 Qd7 54. Bd6 later play c3. 1 4 . . . h 6 1 5 . c 3 ! Nc5 1 6 . a S 55. Ba3 Qc6 56. Bb2 Kf7 Bc2 and White has safeguard­ 57. Qxg 7+ 1 -0 ed his Bishop. The game can 79

Classical Variation-A Thematic Treatment become very i nteresti ng. For example : 16 . . . bS 1 7. Re3 BgS 1 S . Re 2 aS 1 9. Nf3 Be7 2 0 . Nd4 b4 2 1 . cxb4 axb4 2 2 . a4 Ne4 2 3 . NbS Qb6 with a po­ sition that is the definition of unclear. Trying 14 . . . g6 instead, to prevent White time to play c3 is not as simple as it looks. For one thing, after . . . g6 the B/d3 is less worth exchanging. For another, Wh ite can take ad­ vantage of the placement of the Queen. For example, after 1 S. Qh6 NcS 1 6 . Rac 1 , Black should think twice before tak­ ing the Bishop : 1 6 . . . Nxd3 1 7. cxd3 QdS 1 S . Nf3 d4 1 9. Qf4 QdS 20. Qe4 RacS 2 1 . QxdS BxdS 2 2 . Nxd4 BgS 2 3 . RxcS RxcS and it unclear that White is worse off for ceding the two Bishops. O t h e r m oves t h at h ave been seen here are : 1 1 . . . NhS, and 1 1 . . . ReS . 1 1 . . . N h S g o e s nowhere after 1 2 . g3 (at which point White m ight want to switch gears to the attack mentioned in the earlier section. ) 1 1 . . . ReS c a n b e met i n several ways, a s i t does not re80

ally threaten much. 1 2 . NeS is a thematic (if not objectively best) option. 1 2. Qe2

1 2 . N e S i m m e d i ately wou ld b e a mistake because 1 2 . . . NxeS 1 3 . dxeS Ne4 is not easy to meet. After the text move, White can play NeS after any reason­ able response. 2.3 Black develops Queen early

A very early development of the Queen to either c7 or b6 prevents NeS because c6 is protected. Black plays Queen to c7

By far the more com mon o p t i o n for B l ac k i s to p l ay . . . Qc7.

Colle Chapter Five 1.

d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3 . e3 e6 4.

Bd3 cS 5 . b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. Bb2 0-0 8. Nbd2 Qc7

B l a c k 's m ove o r d e r h a s squelched Wh ite's standard methods at deve l o p i ng h i s Zukertort attack, so the cor­ rect line of play here is to ad­ vance the c-pawn. N o t e . Th i s is t h e s a m e strategy to use i f Black plays . . . Nbd7 instead of . . . Nc6 .

1 1 . exd4 NxeS 1 2. dxeS Nd7 fol l owed by . . . N c S because not only does he have cxdS in his pocket, but the advance of the c-pawn has given his Bish­ op a retreat square at bl . White typically gains some time in this line by Black hav­ ing to move his pieces in the wake ofWhite's central pawns. White can use this time to cre­ ate a passed d-pawn.

Volnov Gusava -

Russia 2004

1 . Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. e3 cS 4. Bd3 d S S. 0-0 Nc6 6. b3 Be7 7. Bb2 0-0 8. Nbd2 Qc7 9. c4

9. c4

Th i s m ove d o e s seve r a l things. The obvious goal i s to open the c-file and exploit the Quee n's e a rly deployment. However, the c-pawn advance has a deeper point as well -it renews the NeS option. Imag­ ine that Black responded with 9 . . . b6. Then if White played 10. NeS, he would no longer have to worry about 10 . . . cxd4

Th is is the prescribed re­ sponse to an early . . . Qc7. 9 . . . cxd4 1 0. exd4 b6 1 1 . Rc1 dxc4 1 2. bxc4

81

Classical Variation-A Thematic Treatment Wh ite has hanging pawns but it is not hard to advance them with advantage. 1 2 . . . Bb7 1 3 . Qe27!

This is inaccurate because it allows Black to get in . . . Qf4 ! Instead, Wh ite should play g3 . Black really needed to take ad­ vantage of this on one of his next two moves.

Nf3 R a 1 3 3 . Qb2+ Kf8 34. NdS Ke8 35. Qf6 1 -0 Black plays Queen to b6

1 3 . . . Rfd8 1 4. Rfe 1 Rac8 1 5.

A less common option is for Black to play . . . Qb6 on move 8 . Th is threatens cS since the b-pawn is now pinned to the B/b2. However, the called-for response is pretty obvious.

d S exd S 1 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 1 7.

1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3 . e3 e6 4.

cxdS

Bd3 cS 5. b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Be7 7.

This shows how easy it is to take advantage of the Queen's placement on the c-file.

Bb2 0-0 8. Nbd2 Qb6 9. c4

1 7 . . . Nd4 1 8. Qe4 Ne2+ 1 9. Qxe2 Qxc 1 20. Rxc 1 Rxc 1 + 2 1 . Nf1 Bxd S 22 . . h3 g6 23. Kh2 Bxa2 24. Qxa2 Rxd3 25. Ne3 aS?

Black is nominally equ al in material, but in fact he is already losing. Currently, he is threatening both the a-pawn Th is stops the threat me­ and Ng4 - e 5 . The only way c h a n i c a l l y, a n d . . . d xc4 i s to stop both is 25 . . . Rd7 26. even more d iscouraged than Qa4 Rcc7 27. Qe4, and there's n o r m a l s i nce Nxc4 c o m e s nothing to be done about NdS with tempo. A n d 9 . . . cxd4 1 0 . since 27. . . Re7 ? is answered by cxdS ! ? lets White open excel­ 28. Qf4 . lent diagonals for his Bishops 26. N d S Bg7 2 7 . N g S BeS+ wh ile mainta i n i ng excel lent 28. g 3 Kg 7 29. Ne7 Bxg 3+ central control. 30. fxg 3 Rf1 3 1 . Kg2 Rdd 1 32.

82

Colle Chapter Five 2 .4 Black expands on Q-side

A fi n a l option fo r Black i s to p l ay 8 . . . a6, fig u r i ng t h at he can then play 9 . . . bS t h reate n i ng . . . c4 . S i nce c6 is under control u nt i l . . . bS is p l ayed, N e S is, at the ve ry least, d icier. Th is i s rea l ly only a con­ c e r n i f B l a c k h a s p l ay e d Fro m the d i agra m m e d . . . N b d 7 i n stead o f . . . N c 6 . position, Wh ite has a tremen­ With Black's K n ight o n c6, dously posit ive record with Wh ite can counter this with NeS, but I 'm not sure how t h e cleve r 9 . a 3 si nce a fte r safe it is. 9 . . . bS 1 0 . a4 ! Black is i n a II he has such a great record, bind. After 1 0 . . . b 4 1 1 . NeS Bb7 why the lack of confidence 1 1 2 . f4, Wh ite can get on with I n my d at a b a s e , W h i t e his K- side assault. I f i n stead Black plays the scores over 8 0 % in t h i s line, more prudent 9 . . . cxd4 1 0 . but I am reasonably sure it is exd4 bS, then Wh ite can re­ because no Black player has vert to the "ea rly exchange " retorted with 9 . . . cxd4 ! The strategy suggested earl ier i n n o r m a l 1 0 . exd4 is met by t h i s chapter si nce . . . c4 is n o 10 . . . NxeS 1 1 . dxeS Nd7 with 1 2 . . . NcS to fol low, which is longer a t h reat. 1 . d 4 N f6 2 . N f3 d S 3 . e3 e6 normally very bad for White. 4. Bd3 c S 5. b3 N bd 7 6. 0-0 H oweve r, in t h i s case, with Black having wasted a move Be7 7. Bb2 0-0 8 . N bd 2 a 6 with . . . a6, the position after 1 2 . c4 NcS 1 3 . Bc2 m ight be fi n e . N o r m a l ly Wh ite does not have time for c4 because 83

Classical Variation-A Thematic Treatment h is eS -pawn is typically under a double attack at this poi nt (from . . . Nd7 and . . . Qc7) .

Bb7

NxeS immediately occurs someti mes, and Black ac­ tually has a good record with 10. dxeS NeB rather than 1 0 . . . Do you have a more solid alternative 1 Nd7. Both moves should be answered with an immediate Wh ite c o u l d p l ay 9 . c4 , QhS with a promising attack. transposing to a . . . well . . . not I n this attack, important ideas re a l ly t ra n s p o s i n g to a ny­ are c4, Rad l , Nf3 and h4. thing, but you could see it as 9 . . . Qc7 will transpose to a bizarre Meran variation of the note afte r B l a c k 's l O th the Se m i-Slav where Black has m o ve a ft e r 1 0 . f4 Bb7 i s gained one move by playing played. . . . cS in one play but lost two 1 0. f4 Ne4 by not batting around White's Bishop. Wh ite has done well i n practice with this l i ne as wel l . 3

Black Allows NeS

I f Black does not exchange or protect c6 before playing . . . b 6 , W h ite can p l ay N e S wit hout concern about the tactic discussed in the introduction. 3.1 Black plays . . . Nbd7

1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d 5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 N bd 7 6. 0-0 Be7 7. B b 2 0-0 8. N b d 2 b 6 9. NeS

84

9. . .

I f 1 0 . . . Qc7, t h e n Wh ite can play the standard 1 1 . c4, t h reate n i n g fu t u re t a c t i c s along the c-file. It is too am­ bitious for Black to respond w i t h 1 1 . . . N e 4 ? ! s i nce 1 2 . cxd S Nxd 2 1 3 . Qxd 2 NxeS 1 4 . fxe S Bxd S 1 5 . e4 looks promisi ng for Wh ite and 1 2 .

Colle Chapter Five cxd S exd S ? ! 1 3 . Nxe4 dxe4 Genand-Veremelchik 14. Bc4 Rad8 1 5 . QhS is even Minsk 1 883 more so. I am breaking ranks with 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3 . e3 c5 4. the other authors to present b3 b6 5. Bb2 Bb7 6. Bd3 Be7 a d i ffere nt method of deal­ 7. 0-0 0-0 8. N bd2 d 5 9. Ne5 ing with 1 0 . . . Ne4 . Not only N bd7 1 0. f4 Ne4 does this method score very We have arrived at the po­ we l l in pract ice, but it has sition described earl ier in the been played by someone even chapter. Now the super- G M stronger than Yusupov ! takes the advantage. 1 1 . Nxe4! dxe4 1 2. Bc4 Nxe5

1 1 . Nxe4 dxe4 1 2. Bc4 Nxe5

1 3 . fxe5

Black does not have to play this, but the tactics tend to go against him if he does not. 1 3 . fxe5 Bg 5 1 4. Qe2 a6 1 5. a4 Bh6

Wh ite has a conve r t i b l e Q -side majority, a n d Black's e4 - pawn can prove h a rd to defend ! It is not inconceivable that Wh ite could even try a K-side pawn storm, but it is probably not needed. Black may not play . . . Ne4 on move 1 0, but he will prob­ ably play it soon.

This move has been criti­ cized, with 14 . . . a6 suggested by Albu rt, Dzindzichashvili, and Pe re l s h t e y n in C h e s s O p e n i n g s fo r B l a c k , E x ­ plained, provoking 1 5 . a4 to stop the b-pawn from advanc­ ing. DA P correctly point out that 1 5 . . . BdS 1 6 . BxdS exdS ( . . . Qxd S is u n n atu ral a n d poor: the e4-pawn i s hard to defend and Black is v u l ner­ able to g3 -h4 ! a mong other things) leads to tactica l com­ plexities favoring Black after the natural, but quite bad, 1 7. dxc S ? 85

Classical Variation-A Thematic Treatment Th e p r o b l e m w i t h t h i s move i s that it opens up both t h e b 6 - s q u a re fo r B l a c k 's Q u e e n a n d t h e b - fi l e fo r Black's Rook. As mentioned earlier, the advantage Wh ite has here is his Q-side pawn-roller, so why give Black's power pieces these n ice squares ? I nstead, White should m a ke B l ac k pay for moving h is overly ambitious Bishop move with 17 aS ! For a thorough look at this l i ne, see the Ext ra Analysis chapter.

B l a c k is t rad i n g p aw n s , which is in general good ad­ vice if you are play i ng for a draw, but the pawn trades are wreaking havoc on his structure. Still, it must be said that for p l ay i n g 4 0 0 p o i nts up, Black i s doing a com mend­ able job !

1 6. Rad 1

42. dS hxg3 43. Rxg 3+ Kf6 44.

Un less Black wants to play QgS, this forces some kind of pawn-structure concession. Even so, I th i n k 1 6 . dxcS i m mediately is a sign i ficant i mprovement. After 16 . . . bxcS 1 7. Rad 1 , White can l a nd a Rook on d6.

26. QaS Rf7 27. Qb6 Rg7 28. g 3 fS 29. Rdc1 e3 30. Rc7 QdS 3 1 . Qxb7 Qxb7 32. Rxb7 Rxb7 3 3 . Bf3 Rab8 34. Bxb7 Rxb7 35. Rc3 Kg 7 36. Rxe3 Kf6 37. Kf2 Rb4 38. Rd3 h S 39. Ke2 Kg S 40. Kd2 h4 41 . Kc3 Rb8 dxe6 Rh8 45. Re3 f4 46. Re4 KfS 47. Re1 f3 48. e7 ReS 49. Kd 3 Kg4 50. Re4+ KfS 5 1 . Ke3 f2 52. Rf4+ KeS 53. Rxf2 Rxe7 54. Kd 3 Rb7 55. Kc3 Rc7+ 56. Kb4 Rb7+ 57. Ka3 aS 58. Rf8 Kd4 59. Rf5 1 -0

1 6 . . . cxd4 1 7. exd4 Qe7 1 8. Bel Bxc 1 1 9. Rxc 1 Kh8

1 9 . . . Q g S wo u l d h ave prevented Rf4, wh ich Wh ite should h ave pl aye d on h i s next move.

Rumianstsev - Rodkin Russia 2004

Be2 b4 23. Rfd 1 bxc3 24. Rxc3

The fol lowing qu ick game shows what type of tactics can go Wh ite's way i f Black does not take the N/eS in this variation.

fS ?! 25. exf6 gxf6

1 . Nf3 d S 2. b3 Nf6 3. Bb2

20. QhS?! Qd7 2 1 . c3 bS 22.

86

Colle Chapter Five e6 4. e3 Be7 5. d4 0-0 6. Bd3 N bd7 7. N bd2 c5 S. 0-0 b6 9. Ne5 Bb7 1 0. f4 Ne4 1 1 . Nxe4 dxe4 1 2. Bc4 a6

Wh ite goes for a winning c o m b i n a t i o n , but 2 0 . N f7 ! Qe6 2 1 . Bxg7 Kxg7 2 2 . ReS is even better. 20 . . . Qe6 2 1 . NxfS RxfS 22. ReS Qd6 23. Rxe4 Nc6 24. Qxa6 Qg6 25. Qc4 RdS 26. Rg4 1 -0 3.2 Black plays . . . Nc6 Guiding Points

Th is move is pretty stan­ dard to threaten bS . Wh ite's reply is similarly standard. 1 3 . a4 ReS

Black is preparing to dis­ m a nt l e the Q - s i d e p aw n s . However, even though there are many pawns in the center, Wh ite's K-side options must s t i l l be add re s s e d . Wh ite's next move is good, but per­ haps playing fS here is better. 1 4. Qe2 N bS? 1 5. f5 exfS 1 6. RxfS BdS

Th is effort at trad i ng off a n attacke r fa ils, but so do other methods of ste m m i ng the tide. 1 7. Bxd S QxdS 1 S. Raf1 Qe6 1 9. d S Qxd S 20. N g 6

This option for Black, de­ veloping with 5 . . Nc6 while d e l ay i n g a ny exc h a nge o f pawns, is not only t he most c h a l l e ng i ng subtree i n t h e c l assical variation, b u t per­ haps the most nuanced varia­ tion in the entire Colle-Zuker­ tort system ! The difficulty for Wh ite in this variation stems from two poi nts : 1 . There are many tactics lurking in the position. 2. If White is not careful in the methods he uses to ad­ dress those tactics, he can find h i mself i n a position where Black has too many options. The t h re at s t h a t W h i t e must address are: .

87

Classical Variation-A Thematic Treatment . . . Nb4 occu rring at an inopportune time. • . . . Ne4 being played with advantage. • The seque nce . . . cxd4, exd4 N xe S , dxeS N d 7 with . . . NcS to follow. Note that the first and sec­ ond threat are i nterrelated be­ cause if the B/d3 is forced to relocate, the e4-square loses a defender. It is impossible to ful ly de­ fuse all the above threats in a thematic way, and the best suggestions given so far force White to accept the following position : •

decent ! He seems to d o okay with . . . Ne4, . . Re S , . . . cxd4 , . . . NeB, or . . . Nd7 ! ! These last two are particularly distasteful for White because Black will be able to play . . . f6 or . . .fS at a time when White cannot take advantage of Black's temporar­ ily weakened K-side. The suggestions I give in this sect ion a re designed to prevent this position. Instead, at worst, we will allow the fol­ lowing position : .

This position has far fewer viable options for Black Obvi­ ously . . . cxd4 is not an option, since it has already been played. This position may not be . . . R e S i s n o t go o d , . . . N e B objectively bad (though White is worse, and . . . Nd7 i s very has a terrible record with it ! ) , bad. This not only lessens the but the real problem i s that amount of theoretical knowl­ Black simply has too many op­ edge required, but also means tions and they all seem to be t h a t B l a c k c a n n o t sque l c h 88

Colle Chapter Five less has to play the dodgy 1 1 . d4 due to the lack of squares Early Moves for his Knight on b4.) 8 . . . Bd7 9. Bd4 and Black 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3. e3 e6 4. has to work to get his pawn Bd3 cS 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. back. Bb2 0-0 8 . . . 0 - 0 9. Be2 Bxc S and B l a c k d o e s not h ave to White can transpose with 10. castle here. NeS, but there is no need to A super-accelerated 7. . . Nb4 commit the Knight this way. at best t ransposes to a l i ne The u ncastled n atu re of similar to the immediate attack Black's K i ng makes 7 . . . Ne4 found in section 2.3 of chapter suspect as we l l si nce Black 4. After 8 . dxcS, the exposed will have to invest a tempo in nature of Black's King does not castling very soon due to the allow the simple 8 . . . Nxd3 ? ! 9. undefended g-paw n . Wh ite Qxd3 BxcS ? due to 10. QbS +, should do wel l here as long so Black must suffer a bit more as he plays c4, cxdS, and Nc3 than he would like if he wishes s o o n . Wh ite's we l l - p o sted to take the Bishop. You can Bishops should prevai l once find a more detailed explana- the center partially dissolves. tion in the Extra Analysis secBack to the position after tion, but suffice to say that it is Black's 7th move. harder than it looks to regain the pawn without adequ ate compensation. After any other 8th move, Wh ite can either accept the transposition or try for more. F o r e x a m p l e : 8 . . . Bxc S 9 . BbS + ! Bd7 10. c4 ! looks quite promising ( 1 0 . . . BxbS is not really much of a threat since after 1 1 . cxbS Black more or 8. N bd 2 b6

White's K-side initiative.

.

.

89

Classical Variation-A Thematic Treatment 8 . . . Nb4 can be tricky to meet for Black has not weak­ ened his c6 -square with . . . b6. I recommend 9. Be2 b6 ( other more aggressive moves tend to go badly after 1 0. dxcS fol­ lowed by a Q-side pawn ad­ vance upon Black's extended minor pieces. ) 10. dxcS bxcS 1 1 . NeS Bb7 1 2 . c4 and White should be able to put pressure on the c-pawn after cxdS. If B l ac k recaptures with the Bishop instead, he invites a pawn expansion: 1 2 . . . BxcS 1 3 . a3 Nc6 14. b4 with c4 to follow.

At this point, he no longer has to worry about the threat of 1 0 . . . cxd4 1 1 . exd4 NxeS 1 2 . dxeS Nd7 with NcS to follow because he can recapture 1 2 . fxeS and keep a pawn on d4.

9. Ne5

10

1 0. f4

• . •

N b4

This is the only move treated 9. a3 is actually more com­ m o n , b u t , i f W h i te w a n t s by other books, which is odd as t o play NeS, he h a s t o d o it 10 . . . Rc8 is far more common. NOW! Wh ite should be fi ne i n Eve ryone agrees that the this l ine after 1 1 . a3 s o long only moves to consider fo r as he meets the strangely suc­ Black at this point are 9 . . . Bb7 cessful 1 1 . . . a6 with 1 2 . Nxc6 ! and 9 . . . Nb4 . 9 . . . NxeS gives Rxc6 1 3 . Q e 2 , a fter w h i c h Wh ite t o o g re at a n a t t a c k 1 3 . . . bS ? ! can be met b y 1 4 . a n d 9 . . . Qc7 allows White a dxcS Bxc S 1 5 . b 4 and after smooth game after 1 0. a3. Nb3, White's pieces are all on good squares. Black develops h i s Bishop 10 . . . cxd4 1 1 . exd4 Rc8 has been tried a handful of times, 9 . . . Bb7 but White has a good record with both 1 2 . a3 and c3 here. 90

Colle Chapter Five The cont inuation 1 0 . . . cxd4 1 1 . exd4 N b 4 1 2 . B e 2 Ne4 might be Blac k 's best hope, but after 1 3 . c3 Nc6 14. Nxe4 dxe4 White can try to advance his Q-side. Th e b o o k s a l l s ay t h a t Wh ite should now play 1 1 . Be2, leading to the position I remarked on in the introduc­ tion. What the books do not say is that White has a TERRI­ BLE record in this variation ! The v i c t o r i e s a u t h o r s c i te (Yusupov - Spiridonov, Janowski­ Jaffe) are the only White wins I can fi nd (not cou n t i n g a jun ior's game in 2004) .

1 1 . Rf3!?

Wh ite calls Black out on his threat to take the Bishop. 1 1 . . . Nxd3 1 2. cxd3

I f Black does not take the Bishop, he has wasted time for nothing. He might postpone taking the piece for a move or two, but those lines should Do you have something transpose. better in mind? From here, White has great attacking opportun ities. H is M ayb e . I hope s o . A fte r Queen a n d Rook c a n b oth 1 1 . Be2, Black has done well transfer easily to the h- and both by playing the straight­ g-files. The N/f6 blocks Black's fo rwa rd 1 1 . . . N e 4 a n d t h e Queen and B ishop, and the more passive . . . Nd7 o r . . . NeB . d 3 - p a w n re m ove s the key Th ese l atter o p t i o n s a l l ow e4-square. Finally, to open up Black to play . . . fS or . . . f6 at the c-file, Black will h ave to a time when White does not play . . . cxd4, but then Bxd4 ! have the abil ity to take advan­ adds t h e B i s h o p to t h e at­ tage of the Kn ight's absence. I tack. For more detai led a n a ly­ have something in mind that sis on this line, see the Extra changes all that. 91

Classical Variation-A Thematic Treatment Analysis ch apter. Black Delays

• • •

Bb7

I f B l ac k p l ays 9 . . . N b 4 , Wh ite c a n r u n i nto t rouble i f he tries the attack i n the l a s t s e c t i o n b e c a u s e a ft e r 1 0 . f4 Nxd 3 1 1 . c x d 3 there i s no g u a ra ntee t h at B l ac k I can only fi nd one seri­ w i l l continue with . . . Bb7. I ndeed, if he plays . . . Ba6 now ous game where White tried or in the near future, he will this. I t h i n k it is the key to have ga ined a tempo on the saving this l i ne, leavi ng the l ine analyzed above because N/b4 without many squares . . . Bb7 was not a particularly and putting an extra attacker useful move. on c6 . 1 0 . . . cxd4

You said that White does poorly in these lines after retreating his Bishop. If retreating has not done well and the attacking plan with Rf3 does not do well, what should he do?

I nstead of retreati ng with the Bishop or attacking with the Rook, he should attack with the Bishop: 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6. 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. N bd2 0-0 8. Bb2 b6 9. NeS N b4 1 0. BbS!

92

Th is g ive s White a d i ffi ­ cult choice between keeping the cS- and eS-squares under paw n control with exd4 or keeping the option of a later Bxf6 available. Other options are pretty poor for Black: 10 . . . Ba6 1 1 . Bxa6 Nxa6 1 2. Qe2 Qc8 1 3 . c4 leaves White with much better deve l o p ­ ment. 1 0 . . . Bb7 1 1 . dxc S bxc S ( 1 1 . . . BxcS ? ! 1 2. a3 Na6 1 3 . b4 Bd6 14. f4 gives White a great attack. . . . Qc7 is complicated, but should leave White a smal l

Colle Chapter Five edge . ) 1 2 . a 3 Qb6 1 3 . axb4 because Wh ite needs to be Qxb5 14. bxc5 Bxc5 1 5. Nd3 able to p l ay f4 soon. A fte r Be7 16. Ndf3 and Wh ite has Bd4 B l a c k h a s a h a rd t i me exceptional central control. (e.g. 1 5 . . . Qd6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 10 . . . Nd7 1 1 . a3 Nxe5 1 2 . 1 7. Qg4 Kh8 1 8 . Qh4 Qe7 1 9. dxe5 Ba6 1 3 . Bxa6 Nxa6 14. c4 Bb7 20. cxd5 and White's Knight becomes active: c4-a5 Qg4 with an attack. 10 . . . a 6 see ms a n at u ra l or c4-e5, since the f6 -pawn is o p t i o n a n d w a s t h e m ove pinned.) chosen in Porassmaa-Molander 1 1 . Bxd4 B b 7 1 2. c 3 a 6 1 3. 2 0 03 . The game cont i nued Be2 Nc6 1 4. Nxc6 Bxc6 1 5. f4 1 1 . Bc6 ! Nxc6 1 2 . Nxc6 Qc7 1 3 . Nxe7 Qxe7 14. dxc5 Qxc5 { 1 4 . . . bxc5 is better, but after 1 5 . Qf3 Bb7 1 6 . Bxf6 Qxf6 1 7. Qxf6 gxf6 1 8 . c4 Black's pawn structure is going to make the endgame a pain . ) . At this point White played the natural 1 5. Bxf6 ? I nstead, he shou l d h ave p l ayed t h e The p o s i t i o n i s m o re or clever 1 5 . Bd4 ! , when Black i s fi rst fo rced to m ove h i s less equal, but White still has Queen o ff h e r best square . prospects of an attack on the The e 3 - square is i mportant K-side.

93

Cl}apfer 6 Early Bisl}op Deviatioqs Black's problem piece when playing against the Zukertort is his c-Bishop. It is no surprise, then, that a standard method of meeting the Colle systems is to develop this piece early before . . . e6. I ndeed, I believe this is the reason why Yusupov gener­ ally only plays the Zukertort against the 1 . d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 e6 move order. Once . . . e6 has been played, White need not worry about the variations shown in this chapter. In this chapter we will discuss various pet defenses involv­ ing the development of the c-Bishop. The one line we will not consider is 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 BfS 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 e6 and orders that transpose to the same board position. Why are we not going there1

Pretty simple: That line is a transposition to a very highly regarded, theoretical line of the 0 1 2 Slav-it can hardly be considered a " deviation ." I nstead it gets its own chapter!

94

Colle Chapter Six 1

I ntrod uction

w h i c h I d i scuss here . ( U n ­ fortu n ately for me, P a l l iser beat me to the punch, and he shows the refutat ion i n h i s book o n the c3 -Colle. ) In short, even the most well­ read Zukertort player should find this chapter useful.

There are 4 essentially dif­ fe re nt options for Black ( i n ascending order o f strength) : • Black plays 2 . . . Bg4. • Black plays 3 . . . Bg4 . • Black plays 2 . . . BfS. • Black plays 3 . . . BfS. I t a p p e a rs t h at p rev ious 2 Black plays his Bishop to c o m m e ntators h ave rat h e r g4 on move two misrepresented Black's chanc­ es after the rapid 2 . . . Bg4 . Fur­ 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Bg4 3. NeS thermore, the critical l i ne 3 . B o oks adj udge t h i s early NeS BfS 4 . c4 f6 ! i s completely play harsh ly, saying Black is m i s s i ng fro m a l l p rev i o u s l i kely to get a worse version works. I have a novel idea here of o n e of t h e o t h e r l i n e s , that should put control back but I think things are not so si mple. I ndeed, as we shall in White's hands. The Zukertort l iterature is see, attempting to get a better oddly thin in deal ing with 3 . . . version of another line looks BfS . This is especially critical to be a second-rate strategy in because it is Black's best op­ these variation. tion of the fou r. G a ry Lane gives no coverage of this op­ tion at all. Summerscale omits an important and critical l ine by Black. I a l s o t h i n k Wh ite c a n make more out o f h i s posi­ tion in the 2 . . . BfS using a new idea, and none of the t h ree books on the Zukertort give the best refutation to 3 . . . Bg4, 95

Early Bishop Deviations Th e two m o s t c o m m o n moves here are 3 . . . BfS and 3 . . . BhS, though the awkward 3 . . . Be6 ! ? may actu a l ly be best ! D on't l augh . Th is move has been played by several 240 0 + players. I f you fi n d yourself i n the Twil ight Zone and r u n up against this, 4. c4 has had very good results. 3 . . . N f6 ? , o n t h e o t h e r hand, i s terrible. After 4. Nxg4 Nxg4 5. e4 ! White has a great start. 2.1 3 . . BhS .

This is the worse of the two major options, but still occurs frequently. Strangely enough, Lane, Summerscale, and Pal­ l iser all give this as the main response, even though . . . Bf5 i s p l ayed m o re ofte n , with greater success, and by more highly rated players ! Black keeps his Bishop in contact with the possibly vul­ nerable f7-square, and should White be particularly accom­ modating by playing e3 then h i s p o s i t i o n m ig ht a l m o s t look l i ke i t had some rhyme or reason. 96

I n d e e d , i f Wh i te i s not careful, Black's position can start to look passable pretty quickly due to the vulnerabil­ ity of the Nfe5. For example, 4. c4 would be the i ndicated move if Wh ite thinks he is in for an i mproved version of an­ other line, but after 4 . . . f6 the f7-square is suddenly opened for Black's Bishop. Neither 5 . Qa4 + c 6 6 . N d 3 dxc4 7. Qxc4 Nd7 with Bf7 to fol l ow nor 5. Nf3 Nc6 6 . Nc3 e6 7. cxd5 exd S with 0 - 0 - 0 i n Black 's near future looks particularly good for White. An aggressive and inte r­ esting option is 4 . g4 ! ? , after wh ich B l ac k has to g ive up something. However, the po­ sition after 4 ... Bg6 5. h4 e6 6. hS Be4 7. f3 f6 8. fxe4 fxeS 7. dxe5 Be7 8. Bg2 Bh4 + 9. Kfl is a bit wild for my taste, the extra pawn notwithstanding. I nstead of these options, my sugge s t i o n is t o u s e a m ove t h at o fte n c o m e s i n h a ndy wh e n B l ac k h a s de­ layed castling and developed his c-Bishop too early: 3 ... BhS 4. Qd3! Qc8

Colle Chapter Six 7. Qxc4 Bf7 8 . Qc2 with e4 to follow. Avoiding the exchange (as Chigorin did in his World Championship match against Steinitz) has similar problems: 6 ... e6 7. cxdS exdS 8. Qb3 with Nc3 to fol l ow leaves Wh ite with a firm grip on the central squares. As Summerscale has point­ ed out, this is the only way to meet both the threat of QbS and the positional threat of Qh3 followed by Nxg6. From here I'm giving two o p t i o n s . O n e is s o l i d ( a n d noth ing new) . . . the other i s wild and crazy (but original) : Solid line 5. c4 f6 6. Nf3

Black has a variety of ways to deal with the threat to his dS-pawn, but regardless, White is assured a good game because h i s Queen no longer exe rts any pressure in the center and the natu ral . . . Nf6 is i mpos­ sible. Black can kick the Queen around a bit, but ultimately it is White who will have the center. For example 6 . . . dxc4

Wild and Crazy Line 5. Nc3!

This move capitalizes on a subtlety in this position : Black has no good way of defending the d-pawn. 5 . . . e6, of course, counteracts the point of Black's last move. s . . . c6 defe n d s the pawn while also claiming the impor­ tant bS-square, but it develops noth i ng, takes away a good square for the Knight and re­ ally makes the Queen on c8 look silly because Black can­ not even make use of the open a5-d8 diagonal. What about just 5

...

Nl61

There are two problems: One is the clear issue that Black would rather be able to 97

Early B ishop Deviations play . . . f6 to knock the Knight has a monster lead in develop­ off e S . With the K n ight be­ ment. Note that the h4-square i ng pl ayed to f6 , Wh ite has can be a very useful place for cemented the tempo won on the Queen. move 3 . The other problem is much deeper. The K n ight 2.2 3 . . . BfS on f6 cuts the g6-square away Th is occu rs sl ightly more from the Q-side: 6. g4 ! Bxg4 often i n practice and has a ( . . . Bg6 ? 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8 . gS ) 7. Nxg4 Qxg4 8 . Bh3 Qg6 9. much better reputation. QbS +, and the Queen cannot 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Bg4 3. NeS see the c6 square. 9 . . . Nbd7 BfS 10. Qxb7 Rb8 1 1 . Bxd7+ Nxd7 1 2 . Qxc7 e6 1 3. Bf4, and it ap­ pears Black has little choice but to play 1 3 . . . Qxc2. After the dust settles with 14. Qxa7, it is evident that White will emerge the victor in this slugfest. 5 ... c6 6. e4

This is the best way to take advantage of Black's poor de­ velopment. White should have a fantastic game regardless of Black's reply: 6 . . . f6 ? ! 7. g4 favors White. 6 . . . N f6 7. cxd S cxd S 8 . NxdS NxdS 9. QbS + Nc6 10. QxdS e6 1 1 . Qc4 leaves Black down a pawn for meager com­ pensation. 6 . . . dxe4 7. Qxe4 a l lows Black to keep material equal for the time being, but White 98

Once again, trying to get an i mproved version of the other l ines leads to l acklus­ ter results. For some reason, other authors only give 4 . c4 e 6 ? ! here whe n . . . f6 occurs THREE times more often ! In fact, 4 . . . e6 is only the third most common response, and it has an understandably ter­ rible record. I n stead, afte r 4 . c4 f6 5 .

Colle Chapter Six Nf3 we are back to t h e 2 . . . Bf5 variation but with Black be­ i ng given the . . . f6 move for free. This move can be qu ite helpful as it prevents Ne5, at­ tacking the l ight squares on the Q-side. I n d e e d , a fter 5 . . . e 6 , 6 . Qb3 ? ! would be the move if you wish to mirror the other l i n e , b u t n ow 6 . . . N c 6 ! i s strong. After the more reason­ able 6. Nc3 Bb4 it isn't clear that White really has anything to crow about here. Note that the tactical ef­ fort at playing Nd3 by using 5 . Qa4 + c6 6. Nd3 does not come to much either. After 6 . . . dxc4 7. Qxc4 Nd7, both players h ave awkward posi­ tions, but Bl ack is not p a r­ ticul arly wo rse . The K n ight White worked so hard to get to d3 is actual ly a te mporary h a nd icap si nce t h e Q u e e n needs t o stay in contact with it to avoid doubled, isol ated d-pawns. And I suppose you have some new idea to address this1

do indeed ! My idea is to threaten . . . nothing. I

4. Nc3!

Yeah, I agree... Biack can more or less just resign now.

You r sarcasm aside, even though this move threatens nothing d i rect and prevents White's Q - s ide attack ( t h e textb ook response t o a pre­ matu re . . . Bc8 deployme nt) , I believe it m a kes the most sense ! Th ink of the situation on the chessboard. Black has broken a basic rule of chess opening {Knights before Bish­ ops) and given Wh ite a free move. Wh ite shou ld be able to gain an advantage as long Black can not play . . . f6 with impun ity. . . . f6 has adva ntages and d i s advant age s , but its d i s ­ adva ntages h ave noth ing to do with attacking the Q-side p aw n s . I n d e e d , . . . f6 h e l p s Black in defending h i s Q-side by stopping Ne5 . So, all in all, it seems rat her ill-conceived to play for the Q-side assault. White should be trying to find ways to make . . . f6 pai nful to 99

Early Bishop Deviations play. It is not h a rd to see that . . . f6 slows down the K-side development and weakens e6, which now has no pawn sup­ port. Furthermore, the lack of . . . Nf6 fu rther suggests that the central l ight squares are vul nerable. To attack t hese light squares, pawn advances on t he K-side, i n particu l a r g4, might b e used t o confound the B/fS . Th is means Wh ite will want to keep castling long as an option. N c 3 stands in the i nter­ section of all these interests because it attacks the central light squares, puts White one step closer to castling Q-side, and (by keeping the c-pawn at home) makes the Q-side safer for White's K i ng. Final ly, the lack of c4 means that if Black does manage to get . . . f6 in, Nd3 does not look so odd. Fine, fine. But since nothing is threatened, can't Black do pretty much anything he wants now1 That hardly seems to be what we are looking for.

100

N o t e x a c t l y. N c 3 d o e s not th re ate n a nyt h i ng, but it certainly p repares certai n options. For example e4 fol­ lowed by BbS or Qf3 attacking those l ight squares, (or Bc4 threatening mate on f7 ! ) . The problem for Black is that the only reasonable move that protects the l ight squares w i t h out s l ow i ng down h i s deve l o p m e nt i s . . . N f6 , but once . . . Nf6 is played, White's extra te mpo is secu re si nce . . . f6 is, for the t i me b e i ng, prevented.

Let's look at Black's options. 4 . . . Nf6 . Th is move, while granti ng Wh ite's N/eS some rest, does address m a ny of the problems Black has in the other lines. It helps develop his K-side, it defends the cen­ tral l ight squ a res, a n d d i s -

Colle Chapter Six to weaken his already trau ma­ tized light squares . . A thorough analysis of this gambit is in the Extra Analysis section. I wanted to include it here (I was so proud of it ! ) , but could not do so i n good conscience. 4 . . . f6 is the move Wh ite's last was designed to prevent. A fte r 5 . g4 the ret reats 5 . . . Bc8 or 5 . . . B e 6 al low Wh ite to take advantage of his extensive lead i n development with 6 . Nd3 Bxg4 7. Rg l Bf5 Why notl (7. . . Bc8 8. e4 ! , 7. . . Be6 8 . Nc5, 7 ... h5 8. Nf4 ) 8. Nc5 with the I'd rather rip Black's face threats of e4 and Nxb7. Scrap­ off w i t h 5 . g4 ! , a h it h e rto pier alternatives leave Black unseen gambit that opens at­ in trouble if White reacts sen­ tacking lanes for his Bishops, sibly and castles long, which Q ueen, and Rooks after 5 . . . invariably puts pressure on a Nxg4 6 . e4 Nxe5 (6 . . . Bxe4 ? weak d-pawn. 4 . . . c6 is Black's most am7. Nxf7 ! Kxf7 8 . Nxe4 dxe4 9. Bc4 +) 7. exf5. White's Queen bitious choice, it protects d5, and Bishops can take up plac- prevents a later Bb5, opens c7 es on the K-side, poi nting at for his Queen, and keeps . . . f6 Black's Q-side. The semi-open on the table. However it fails e- and g-fi les will make the to develop any pieces or put black King uncomfortable in pressure on d4 or e4 . A fter the cente r or on the K- side. 5 . g4, Black has to move his Fu r t h e r m o re , t h e f- p aw n Bishop to a square that stifles thwarts Black's K-side devel- h i s deve l o p m e n t s i nce 5 . . . opment un less he i s w i l l i ng Bg6 ? ! 6 . h4 ! is quite terrible

suades g4, wh ich appears to be Wh ite's staple move in this variation. The point remains, however, that White's been allowed to keep his free move because . . . f6 i s out o f the quest ion . Furthermore, even on f5, the B i s h o p is v u l n e r a b l e . Th i s means that White should be able to get a safe advantage by simply playing 5 . f3 with 6 . e4 to follow. But that's not what I play.

101

Early Bishop Deviations for hi m . Bl ack 's b est play is 5 . . . Be6, but after 6. h3 Black has trouble deve loping h i s K-side . 4 . . . N c6 tr i e s t o f i g ht fire w i th f i re , b ut sho w s up without a torch . 5 . e 4 ! Nxe 5 ( 5 . . . dxe 4 ? ! 7. Bb 5 ! ) 6. exf5 Nc6 and the f5 -pawn proves a nuisance for Black This is more logica l than whereas White can develop easily while pressu ring the tr ying the same move on d5 -pawn with Be3 and Q f3 . move 2 s i n ce he pins the If Black plays . . . g6, then g4 ! Knight to the Queen . Smith is quite strong. For example & Hall do not conside r this 7. Be 3 g6 8 . Q f3 Nf6 9. g4 ! line at all . 4 . . . Nd7 is unlike ly since G a r y Lane a nd Aa ron it blo cks the Queen, but I Summe rscale b o th suggest suggest Wh ite respond w ith the text-b o ok solution to 5 . g4, wh i ch should trans ­ these ea rly fo rays by Black 's pose to othe r lines . c- Bishop. They indi ca te 4 . 4 . . . e 6 ? i s ter rible : 5 . g4 c4 to b e followed b y 5 . Qb 3 Bg6 6. h4 f6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 and 6 . N c 3 . But, I think 8 . Qd3 is awkward for Black this is a much too kind re ­ no matte r how he meets it. sponse. 3

Bl ack pl ays hi s Bi shop

Why do you say that?

to g4 on mo ve t hr ee 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 dS 3 . e3 Bg4

102

Because the truth is that a suggestion given b y Jer­ emy Silman has completely changed how to think ab out thi s o p e n i n g . O f th o s e games starti ng 1 . d4 d 5 2 .

Colle Chapter Six Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 or 1 . d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 dS 3 . e 3 , Black tries 3 . . . Bg4 i n approximately 1 out of 8 ti mes, and if you take Sil­ man's suggestion you should score the full point with sick­ ening frequency. What suggestion is that? 4. h3!

With this move White be­ gins to wage war on the black King. Black can stop this im­ mediately with 4 ... Bxf3 or play the more standard 4 . . . B h S . Other options are extremely rare since h3 is hardly a move Black wishes to finesse. 3.1 Black exchanges

4 .. Bxf3 .

Fro m a t h e o re t i c s t a n d ­ point, this move simply can­ not be good for Black. Because it concedes the Bishop pair too early?

I wou ld not say the mat­ ter is that simple. The reason I say 4 ... Bxf3 cannot be good for Black is t h at it c h a nges

the position i nto a reversed Semi-Slav, Moscow Variation without Black (or i n this case White) h aving h ad to play c6 ( c3 here) . Si nce the Moscow variation is a very respected way of p l ay i n g t h e S e m i ­ sl av, a n d t h e wea k ne s s o n c 6 tends to b e Black's main p roblem i n t h at variation, one would t h i n k that White shoul d do quite well in the reversed system (with a free move) . O r, a lter n atively, the sys­ tem is l i ke a reversed (with a move in h a n d ) version of the 1 . d4 N f6 2 . N f3 dS 3 . BgS e 6 4 . e 3 h 6 Torre Attack s y s t e m b u t w h e re W h i t e plays 4 . Bxf6 ? ! i nstead o f the vastly more common Bh4. I n deed, the position a f­ ter 4 . . . Bxf3 5 . Qxf3 is one w h i c h has h e av i ly favored Wh i te in t h e p a s t . Of t h e q ua l ity ga mes i n my d ata­ base (standard games with at least one p l ayer rated over 2 0 0 0 ) , Wh ite scores over 70 p e rc e n t with o n ly 1 l o s s ! (The 1 loss was whe n G M Matthew S a d l e r bested the u ntitled Franco Baccaro . ) 103

Early B ishop Deviations I should temper the above comments by saying that Bur­ gess suggests this line is okay for Black, though the l ine of the Slav this can easily trans­ pose to heavi ly favors White in practice ( 6 0 + % i n 2 0 0 + games) . As a word of wa r n i ng, it is qu ite p ossible t h at B l ack has done so badly in this l ine primarily due to not fi nding the best plan. Black's best bet might be to make moves that do not appear position a l ly called for. I n particular . . . cS a n d . . . N c 6 , p r e s s u r i ng d4 and eS. The idea being that Black should be trying to get a Knight to one of those squares to harry the white Queen. If Wh ite has t i me to play Bd3 or Nbd2 to prepare a very fast e4, he should do well . . . but if Black beats him to the punch it might not be so clear. M aybe I 'm wrong. M aybe this l ine is just bad all over for Black, and White has nothing to fear from an early 5 . . . e6, 6 ... cS, 7 ... Nc6 . But in case I am right, here is some analy­ sis of what m ight be White's safest bet. 104

5. Qxf3 e6 6. c4 cS

A nyt h i ng e l se shou ld be good for White. 6 . . . Bb4 + 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8 . Nxd 2, a n d Wh ite should b e able to orchestrate a l iquida­ tion of the center. 7. cxd S Qxd S

7. . . NxdS should be easier for White because it leads to a position, say after 8 . Nc3 cxd4 9. NxdS QxdS 10. QxdS exdS 1 1 . exd4 or 8 . . . Nc6 9. Nxd S exd S 1 0 . Bd2 cxd4 1 1 . exd4, where Black only has one mi­ nor piece that can either de­ fend or use his central pawn as an outpost. 8. Qxd 5

Prie has suggested 8. Bb5 + as the move here, but I just don't think it is worth it since Black can block while developing his Knight and then more or less force the exchange after a sub­ sequent a6. But i f you do d e c i d e to go with the 8. Bb5 + line, I'd s t rong l y re c o n s i d e r b e fo re a n swer i ng 8 . . . Nc6 with 9 . QxdS. Black's play in this line is l a rgely due to h i s K n ight having access to e4, so White should welcome a Queen ex-

Colle Chapter Six change on f3 , which would Alternative Line stymie the N/f6 and prepare e4 to boot. Richard Pall iser has sugI nstead I would consider gested a completely different 9. dxcS, which Prie does not idea for this l i ne in case the mention. This leads to posi­ above is shown to be unprom­ tions that I am not personally ising. H is interesting idea is to a fan of, but are a good deal shut down all of Black's piece better (in my opin ion) then play by the fol lowing: the other variation. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Bg4 8 ... exd 5

4. h3! Bxf3 5. gxf3!7 (?!)

8 . . . NxdS 9. Nc3 has prob­ lems s i m i l a r to the note to Black's last move. 9.dxc5 Bxc5

Wh ite h a s the two B i s h ­ ops and Black has an isolated d-pawn he cannot afford to advance because it would open up the board completely.

From here, White will play a3 and f4 to shut down Black's play. Then Palliser suggests aim­ ing for c4. I would like to see the outworkings of this in practice. At the very least, it should lead to an interesting game. 3 .2 Black retreats

Th i s i s by fa r t h e m o re com mon scenario. 4... Bh5 5 . g4 Bg6 6. Ne5

105

Early Bishop Deviations there and the capture on gS needs to be prepared, but also Wh ite nor m a l ly can not use the f3 -square for his Queen for a while. The good news is that ev­ erything tends to go White's way. H e has the Bishop Pair, b e tte r pawn structu re a n d more King safety from the be­ ginning ! We organize ou r analysis based on Blac k 's 6th move . Since this l ine is so sharp and common, I am putting those i n st a nces w h e re B l a c k c a n avoid the attack in this chap­ ter instead of the Extra Analy­ sis chapter, for it is i mportant to know when you can press the attack and when your ad­ vantage l ies elsewhere. There are 4 ways for Black to avoid the coming attack: • . . . Nfd7 • . . . cs • . Nc6 then . . . Qd6 to fol­ low • . . . Qd6

Now Black gets one move to t ry to save his K i ng from the coming attack or develop counte r p l ay of some for m . White has the simple plan of playing h4 ! , practically forc­ ing Black to move his h-pawn. After 7. Nxg6 fxg6, Bd3 is a salty cracker to chew since the only way to hold the pawn is . . . Kf7. White can then fl i ng his K-side pawns up the board to attack the black monarch. White has two major plans, and the big difference between them is how he chooses to use the f3 -square. The rapacious immediate f4 is quite strong, but in certain situat ions the slightly slower idea of moving a Knight along the path Nd2Black retreats his Knight f3 -g5 + is even more deadly. It is slow not only because it At h igh leve l s t h i s i s takes the Knight a while to get t h e p r e d o m i n a n t m o v e , . .

106

Colle Chapter Six wh ich says someth i ng about B l a c k 's p o s i t i o n . B l a c k at­ tacks the N/eS wh i le at the same t i me gett i n g h i s own K n i g h t o u t of t h e way o f the e-paw n . Th is m a kes t h i s m ove co m p l etely d i ffe rent fro m . . . Nbd7 . . . . N e 4 i s a n i n fe r i o r way o f d o i n g t h e s a me t h i ng ( ge t t i n g out o f the way o f the f-pawn) , but fai l s to 7. h4 f6 8. Nxg6 hxg6 9. Qd3, threaten ing QbS and p i n n ing the K n ight to d 6 . This retreat requires White to take a more deliberate tack. With no 7. h4, there will be no weakness on g6 requiring the King to defend. Rather, White is positioned to develop beau­ tifully and maintain good at­ tacking chances. He will castle Q-side and trade his c-pawn. The combi n at ion of the ad­ vanced K-side pawns and the semi-open c-file (to say noth­ ing of the excellent lines White has for his own pieces) , will cause the black monarch dis­ comfort (and, hopefully, dis­ comfiture as well) . Since this line requires less hand-to-hand combat, I will limit myself to general ideas

a n d g i ve s o m e i l l u s t rat ive games. Note that this move is much more likely to be tried at higher levels since it requires a cert a i n u n d e rstandi ng of various ope n i ng syste ms to realize that . . . Nfd7 solves his immediate problems and can transpose to a l ine of a main­ stream opening. 6 ... Nfd7! 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. c4 dxc4

8 . . . c6 9. Qb3 Qc7 10. Nc3 e6 transposes to a favorable line of the Sl av. This line is a favorite of super- G M Alexey D re ev. H e u s e d it in 2 0 0 4 twice a t Ca n a r i as t o defeat other G Ms. The Qb3 in par­ ticular has a nice logic to it. The position in this varia­ tion after 10. Nc3 e6 :

What logic is that?

107

Early Bishop Deviations Wh ite is taking advantage of the rat h e r st ra nge p aw n skeleton. I n particular, Black h a s l o s t h i s l i g h t- s q u a re d Bishop, and the chain of wh ite p aw n s i n t h e center makes it difficult for Black to get a K n ight i nto, say, d3 or e2. Therefore, White decides to use h i s Queen to defend the c-pawn so (depending on Black's reaction) he can play his Bishop to g2 . At the same time, White is pressuring the b7-pawn. Note that: playi ng Qb3 before Nc3 cuts out the option of . . . Qb6 by Black. 9 . . . Qb 6 ? essentially loses a pawn since after 10. cxdS Qxb3 1 1 . axb3 cxd S 1 2 . N c 3 Nf6 1 3 . NbS the a-pawn will fall. A p ro m i s i n g i d e a is t o i g n o re c a s t l i ng to g e t b e t­ ter Rook play on the central colu m n s . Th i s is where the idea of Bg2 comes up. See the next illustrative game for an example. Returning to the position after 8 . . dxc4 :

9. Bxc4

From here out, White has a straight-forward plan. The placement of the pawns (and his l ack of a N/f3 ) makes it easy to find good posts for his pieces. He will place his Queen on f3 and place his c- Bishop on d2 where it supports the K n ight, which supports h i s central breaks. Black will have to advance his Q-side pawns, when a3 has the double pur­ pose of helping to stop the pawn storm while creati ng a hole for his c4- Bishop. Once the center is broken up, he can attack the black King, which lacks a safe haven.

.

Dreev-Devyatkln Internet canarlas Anal 2004

I f Black shies away from 108

Colle Chapter Six exchanging pawns in the 3 . . . Bg4 4 . h 3 B h S 5 . g 4 B g 6 6 . N e S Nfd7 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. c4 line, we get a line of the Slav.

gS followed by e4 is tough to meet. 1 2. Qxc4 N b6

e3 Bg4 5 . Nc3 e6 6. h3 BhS 7.

Black needs to vacate d7 . . . . N f6 wou l d m e a n a lways being on the watch for gS fol­ lowed by a central advance.

g4 Bg6 8. NeS Nfd7 9. Nxg6

1 3 . Qb3 a S 1 4. a 3 N8d7 1 5.

hxg6 1 0. Qb3 Qc7

Bg2 a4 1 6. Qc2 N c4

1 . d4 d S 2 . c4 c6 3 . Nf3 Nf6 4.

Th is completes a dubious plan by Black. Using 6 moves to exchange a pawn and one of yo u r b e t t e r d e ve l o p e d pieces fo r you r oppone nt's terrible Bishop j ust cannot be a good idea . . . even if Wh ite's K i ng i s m o re e x p o s ed a n d Black's R/a8 is unleashed. 1 7 . Nxa4 Nxd2 1 8. Kxd 2 Bd6 1 1 . Bd2 dxc4

Wh i l e B l a c k i n ge n e r a l would l i ke t o have the center blocked so his Kn ights show their strength, the constant threat of cS is hampering his development. Black can try to develop harmoniously by playing 1 2 . . . Nf6 1 3 . Bg2 Bd6, a s in D reev - M a l s h u n fro m earlier i n the same tourney, but after 14. Rc 1 Black more or less has to play . . . dxc4 as the comb i n at i o n o f tactics on the c-file and the threat of

Th is move has been criti­ cized, with preference given to­ ward . . . Be7. The idea being that Black might get an attack on White's King down the d-file. 109

Early Bishop Deviations 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3 . e3 Bg4

I think White's King can safely scurry to the Q-side.

4. h3 BhS S. g4 Bg6 6. NeS

1 9. Ke2 0-0 20. N c3 eS?!

Nfd 7 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. c4 dxc4

This gives up the eS -square. Perhaps Black figured Wh ite wou ld not open the central file up with his K i ng i n the center. 20 ... Rfd8 has been sug­ gested, but White wou ld be doing well after Ne4 with h4 to fol low. After the text move, Black's position steadily dete­ riorates.

9. Bxc4 N b6

2 1 . dS cxd S 22. BxdS Rac8 23. Rhd 1 Kh7 24. Rac1 Qb6 2S.

9 . . . Nf6 ? 10. Qb3 !

Qb3 Qxb3 26. Bxb3 NcS 27.

1 0. Bb3 e6 1 1 . Qf3 c6 1 2. Nc3

Ba2 Be7 28. N d S Bh4 29. N b6

N8d7 1 3 . Bd2

Rc6 30. Nd7 Nxd7 3 1 . Rxc6

Rb8 40. b7 Bf6 4 1 . a4 Bc3 42.

Th e s e a re t h e s t a n d a rd piece placements for Wh ite's pieces i n t h i s l i n e . Black would be doing better by cas­ tling early while he still can .

BdS g S 43. Bxe4+ Kg8 44. fS

1 3 ... aS 1 4. a3 Nf6 1 S. 0-0-0 a4

Kf8 4S. BdS BaS 46. Kd 3 Bd8

1 6. Ba2 NfdS 1 7. e4

bxc6 32. Rxd7 fS 3 3 . gxfS RxfS 34. f3 e4 3 S . f4 RbS 36. b4 cS 37. Bc4 Rb8 38. b S Ra8 39. b6

47. Kc4 1 -0

Bogdanovich-Drtmann Ditzlngen Open 2002

I f Black exchanges pawns i m me d i ately i n t h i s l i ne, White gets easy development and pawn breaks.

110

Colle Chapter Six B l ac k c a n not stop t h i s move, which is why this varia­ tion is good for White. 1 7 ... Nxc3 1 8. Bxc3

It might seem odd to take with the Bishop j ust after it was freed, but Black can play . . . gS anyway, taking away the f4-square. Wh ite's pieces tend to support the central pawn rol ler in this l ine. Also, dS is going to hurt once White gets to play it, and now it will hurt more since Black cannot castle in time. 1 8 ... QgS+ 1 9. Kb1 QbS 20. Ka 1 Bd6

20 . . . Rad8 does not stop the attack: 2 1 . Rhe l . 2 1 . d S cxd S 22. Bxg7 Rh7 23. Bf6 dxe4 24. Qxe4 Nc8 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. Qxg6+ Rf7 27.

ing to cage the Bishop on g6. With this move, Black gives h i m s e l f t h e o p t i o n of e x­ changing his c-pawn, playing his Q ueen to c7 and taking on c 2 . H e hopes Wh ite will have too much to deal with because . . . dxc4 also removes t h e o n l y p rote c t i o n of t h e N/eS. I f White does not see this and clogs along as though he can trap the Bishop, he runs i n to p rob l e m s . I n t h e e n d Wh ite is looking t o get fast development and eventually pressu re the e-pawn, which Black will have problems de­ fending after he plays . . . e6 to free his Bishop. Returning to the point af­ ter Wh ite's sixth move :

Qg8+ 1 -0

It is notable t h at t h e re ­ doubtable To ny M i l e s s u f­ fered from a similar attack in a h igh ly enterta i n i ng ga me : Rodriguez-Miles, 1 9 78. Black plays

• • •

cs

Th is move looks reckless, but it has a da ngerous idea behind it. Wh ite is threaten-

6... cS 7. h4 cxd4

7 . . . Qc7 is too e a rly a de111

Early Bishop Deviations velopment. 8 . hS Be4 9 . f3 cxd4 1 0 . BbS + ! The ge n iu s o f t h i s m ove i s t h at B l a c k i s compelled to g ive Wh ite someth i ng t o exc h ange for h i s N / e S . B l a c k 's p l ay i n t h i s p o s i t i o n d e r ives fro m t h re ats to t h i s K n ight a n d t h e c 2 - p aw n . W i t h o u t t h e K n ight t o t h re ate n , B l a c k 's p o s i t i o n l o s e s i t s b i t e . By p l ay i n g t h i s m ove, W h i t e fo rce s B l ac k to g ive h i m a target to exchange his N/eS for. For example, 1 0 . . . Nfd7 1 1 . Nxd7 Q a S + 1 2 . Nbd2 ( 1 2 . K f2 ! ! ? i s o b j e c t i ve l y better but i n sanely compl i­ cated ! ) QxbS 1 3 . Nxf8 exd 3 1 4 . Nb3 . . . and B l ack w i l l not wind up with enough pawns fo r his piece. 10 . . . Nbd7 i s worse s i nce i t gives Wh ite t h e o p t i o n of t a k i n g t h e N/f6 with check l ater. 1 0 . . . NeG takes away the thre at to the c 2- p aw n a ltoget her, so White can j ust respond with 1 1 . exd4 ! 8. exd4 Qc7 9. N c3

This attacks the dS -pawn and sh ields the c 2-paw n . It also m ight support a future BbS. 11 2

9 ... Nc6

9 . . . h 6 does not work wel l n ow, s i n c e W h i t e i s ve r y g o o d a ft e r 1 0 . N x g 6 fxg 6 1 1 . B d 3 K f7 1 2 . Q f3 - t h e d S - p aw n i s o n e we a k n e s s too ma ny. 9. . . Nbd7 exposes the we a k n e s s e s i n B l a c k 's p o ­ s i t i o n a s B l a c k c a n n ot a f­ ford to recaptu re with 1 0 . . . Qxd7 after Nxd7 d u e t o 1 1 . BbS . Thus we have 1 0 . Nxd7 N fx d 7 1 1 . B g 2 , a n d t h e d-pawn w i l l fa l l . 1 0 . Bb5 h 6 1 1 . Bf4

Black cannot afford to put his Bishop i nto the bolt-hole he has created due to Nxc6 . Black will need to move h is Q u e e n to e i t h e r b 6 o r c8 . Afte r that Wh ite h as the at­ tacking plan of Bxc6, Nxg6, Q d 3 (with f3 t h row n i n i f

Colle Chapter Six needed) . I n any event, I think Black is completely lost here. Black plays his Knight to c6

I f Black pl ays 6 . . . Nc6 he can wiggle out of White's net by playing a subsequent 7. . . Qd6, which combines to pres­ sure the white center enough 6 N c6 7. h4 Qd6 8. hS Be4 9. to m i n i m i ze m ate r i a l loss. f3 NxeS 1 0. dxeS QxeS H owever, this is not a good line for Black. Note, Black can not avoid t h e att a c k by p l ay i n g 7 . . . Nb4, which might look like it gives the Bishop an out (the c2-square) . White can respond with 8 . N a 3 , when Black is forced to play 8 ... h6. After 9. Nxg6 fxg6 10. c3 Nc6 1 1 . Bd3 Kf7 1 2 . Qc2, White wins the 1 1 . Rh3! The only move. Playing 1 1 . g-pawn, still has the two Bish­ ops, the better King safety, and fxe4 ? ? a l l ows 1 1 . . . Q g 3 1 2 . Ke2 Qxg4 + 1 3 . Ke 1 Qg3 + 14. better development. Ke2 Nxe4 and it looks bad for Returning to the position White since Black can wiggle after White's 6th move : into f2 with his Queen, forc­ i ng Kd3 . ..•

1 1 . 0-0-0 1 2. Nc3! .

.

11 3

Early Bishop Deviations Nd7 10. hS ! gxhS 1 1 . gxhS threatening Bg6 + is no victory for Black. 9 . . . Ne4 1 0 . c4 ! is similar to the text variation. The attack Black gets with 7. . . Nbd7 8 . hS Be4 9. f3 NxeS 10. dxeS QxeS 1 1 . Rh3 0-0-0 1 2 . fxe4 transposes to the above Nc6 -Qd6 option . 9. . .

8. Nxg6 fxg6 9. g S Ne4 1 0.

Wh ite is not in as muc h d a nger as i t appears. Black can not whip up any real at­ tack as long as White does not a l l ow Bl ack to get a K n ight on e4 . White should wind up with a piece for two pawns regard l ess of the va r i a t i o n chosen.

c4!

Th i s move t h re ate n s ev­ erything. White threatens to take on dS and if Black cap­ tu res with the Queen then Bg2 is a cruel retort, pi n n i ng t h e K n i g h t to t h e Q u e e n . I t also t h reatens Qb3, fork­ ing the dS -pawn and the b7- p aw n . I t a l s o t h reatens Qa4 + and brings in the pos­ Black Plays Qd6 sibil ity of Bd3 and Qc2, hit­ B l a ck c a n a l so ave r t the ting that g6 -pawn that is such K-side attack simply by play­ a problem for Black in other i ng Q d 6 o n move 6 . The n va r i at i o n s . H oweve r, those later h e can move his Knight are j ust its " l ittle threats. " Its and u n mask support for the big threat is cS, which knocks g6-pawn: t h e Q u e e n fro m h e r n i c e 6. . . Q d 6 7. h4 hS square a n d cuts off chances 7 . . . h 6 wou ld prevent gS of Qb 4 + . cS w i l l a l s o t a ke for the time being, but after 8. away all but one square from Nxg6 fxg6 9. Bd3, Black's idea the K n ight. of protecting the pawn with If Black chooses a plan that the Queen is cracked anyway: does not move h i s Q u e e n , . • .

114

Colle Chapter Six then cS fol l owed by R h 3 is qu ite strong (the K n ight i s out of squares) . 1 0 . . . Qb4 + 1 0. Nd2 Nxd2 1 1 . Bxd 2 Qxb2 is terrible for Black. I f B l a c k t r i e s to d e fe n d against the b7-threat with . . . Qd7, then cxd4 is quite good since it leaves e4, b7 and a8 all in danger of the Bishop after White plays Bg2 . B l a c k c a n p l ay . . . h S i n ­ I f Black has the te merity stead o f . . . h6, but this gener­ to play . . . dxc4 ? ! then Qc2 ! is ally helps White because it lets pretty hard to refute. gS come without preparing it So, in short, 9. c4 is a real with Rgl . crusher. W h i t e 's a d v a n t a g e l i e s mostly i n t h e wea k n ess o f Black allows a K-side attack B l a c k 's l i g h t s q u a re s , i n particular e 6 and g6 . For The attack that White gets Black t o scrape out of t h is, when Black does not use one h e n e e d s to e i t h e r d e fe n d of the tactics above is rather g 6 by some piece other than easy to u n d e r st a n d . To i l ­ his K i ng a n d t h e n r u n h i s lustrate, let's take a look at K i ng t o safety ( for exa mple what the board looks l i ke a by play i ng . . . Qe8 and then few moves i nto it assu m i ng . . . Ke7- d 7, e tc . ) , b l o c k t h e B i shop o r k n o c k i t off t h e t h at Black plays 6 . . . e 6 . 6 ... e 6 7 . h 4 h 6 8 . Nxg6 fxg6 b 1 - h 7 d i ago n a l , o r strong­ 9. Bd3 Kf7 point a square on the f-fi le. I n this case, by "strongpoint" I speci fically mean plac i ng a piece with 2 pawns protect­ ing it on a squ a re that none of Wh ite's pawns can attack. 11 5

Early Bishop Deviations The only square t h at this is possible on is fS . Therefore, it must be a K n ight. One way of doing t h i s is the maneu­ ver . . . N e 4 - d 6 - f5 . A n o t h e r o p t i o n i s . . . N e 8 - d 6 - f5 . F i ­ n a l ly, there i s . . . Nc6 - e7-f5 , w h i c h takes t o o l ong t o p u l l off. The problem is that Black To take adva ntage of the has to wa it until Wh ite has played eS to strongpoint se­ we a k nesses caused by t h i s curely, or else he has to play v e r y e a rl y B i s h o p o u t i n g , . . . e6 and have a K night ready White commonly responds to jump to fS when needed . . . 3. c4 Th i s attacks t h e d-paw n w h i c h ends u p n o t working because White can then play while freeing the Queen to fly e 4 ( a fter su itable prep a ra ­ to b3. Since Black would prefer tion) , and a l l o f Black's work not to have to lose time with is destroyed. the Queen after 3. cxdS, Black To see some speci fic l i nes generally finds some method of of analysis of these efforts, see defending his dS-pawn. the Extra Analysis chapter. 3 ... e6 This is the most common 4 Black plays his Bishop to option. Black plan ned from fS on move 2 t h e b e g i n n i n g to deve l o p h i s Bishop outside h i s pawn 4.1 I ntroduction chain, so this move is consis­ tent. 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 BfS 3 ... dxc4 is the sort of move computers love, but the reply 4. Nc3 prepares e4 while pre­ ve nting the te nacious . . . bS and practically forces 4 ... Nf6. 11 6

Colle Chapter Six After S . e3 e6 6. Bxc4 Wh ite has a great game. In 68 games I found where both players were 2000+, there were 3 1 wins by White and only 8 by Black. 3 . . . c6 h a s t h e m e r i t o f open i ng some extra squares fo r t h e b l a c k Q u e e n , b u t t h i s d o e s n o t m a ke u p fo r h i s p o o r deve l o p m e n t . I n fact, Black has now si mply transposed to a dubious Slav l i n e . Bu rgess gives 4 . cxdS fol l owed by 4 ... cxd S S . Qb3 Qc8 6. Nc3 e6 7. B f4 N f6 8 . NbS o r 4 . . . cxd S S . Qb3 Qc7 6 . Nc3 e 6 7. Bf4 Qb6 8 . NbS a s both b e i ng good for Wh ite. Note t h at the moves fo r Wh ite a re t h e s a m e i n these two l i nes. What about simply 3

•••

to play Na3, at wh ich point B l a c k c a n fo rce a d raw by repetition with . . . Rb8, Qxa7 R a 8 , e t c . I f B l ac k h ad n o t played . . . e 6 , . . . N b 4 would b e impossible. But after 3 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5, Black would still control b4 •••

•••

Ye s h e wou l d , b u t t h at b r i ngs u s to a n o t h e r tact i ­ cal ram ification o f having to recapture with the Knight . . . after 3 . . . Nf6 4. cxdS NxdS we have the following board :

Nf6 1

. . . Nf6 may seem t h e natu­ ral move, but . . . e6 has anoth­ er important poi nt-it al lows the f- Bishop a grand scope. Th is has sign i ficant tactical ra m i fications i n t h i s situa­ tion. In part icu lar, after 3 . . . e 6 4 . cxdS exdS 4 . Qb3 Nc6 White should not play Qxb7 because . . . Nb4 forces Wh ite

Now, taking a look at that, what comes to mind ? Fork Trick/

Yes. So Black can get h im­ sel f into a great deal of trou11 7

Early Bishop Deviations ble tryi ng to p l ay l i ke t h i s . F o r exa mple, i f h e b a n ke d on t h e Queen trapping idea, the game m ight go 5. Qb3 Nc6 6 . Nbd2 Bg4 7. e4 Nb6 8 . d5 NbS 9. Ne5, and Black has not lost any material yet, b u t t h i n g s c e r t a i n ly l o o k poor. O f course, Black could h ave reacted b etter, but a l l the same i t i s fair t o say that Black has an abysmal record with 3 . . . Nf6 4 . cxd 5 . I n fact, at h igh levels the continu ation from here is a lmost always 4 . . . Bxb l ? ! , when White i s we l l o ff a ft e r 5 . Q a 4 + ! Qd7 6 . Qxd7+ Nbxd7 7. Rxbl Nb6 ( 7. . . Nxd5 ? ! 8 . e4 ! ) 8 . e3 Nbxd 5 9. a 3 . Note, the 4 . cxd 5 i s not t h e m o s t co m mo n w a y o f meeti ng 3 . . . N f6 . 4 . N c 3 is much more com mon . Wh ile t h at move has e ncou ntered great prac t i c a l success, I suspect it is because m a ny t i m e s t h e p l aye r s o n t h e b l ac k s i d e d i d n o t rea l i z e Wh ite could be coaxed i nto a dub ious l i ne of the Q G D exchange variation. Coming back to the posi­ tion after 3 ... e6. 11 8

4. cxd S

H e re S u m m e r s c a l e sug­ g e s t s a ve r y l o g i c a l l i n e w i t h st rong p e d i g re e : 4 . Q b 3 N c 6 5 . c 5 R b 8 6 . B f4 Nf6 7. N c 3 a6 8 . e 3 B e 7 9 . B e 2 Ne4 . . . , a n d G a ry Lane fo l l ows t h i s l i n e u p u n t i l m ove 6, w h e n B l a c k o p t s fo r K- s i d e e x p a n s i o n . P a l l i s e r g i ve s t h e s a m e s u g ­ ges t i o n but s h ows t h e n e e d fo r a d i ffe re n t move o rd e r. W h i l e W h i t e , i n ge n e r a l , scores we l l in t h e s e l i nes, I c a n n o t reco m me n d t h e m . The probl e m is that Black does wel l by si mply play i ng . . . N h 5 at some point (say on move 7 in the above l i ne) , when Wh ite's Bishop on f4 has no good square to go to if he wants to cont i nu e to pressure e 5 . Thus, White will

Colle Chapter Six need to spend a move on 7. h 3 i f he wi shes to play this va riation w ithout worrying about this an noya nce . Th is extra move in Black's pocket plus the many possible de­ fenses avai l able for Black are e n ough d i s i ncentive t h at I have taken another tack. 4... exd S 5. Qb3 Nc6 6. Nc3

the Bishop, " in a more critical way than normal si nce 7 ... BaS al lows Wh ite now to play 8 . Qxb7, after wh ich should fol­ low 8 ... Nge7 9. Qb3 Rb8 1 0. Qa4 Bxc 3 + 1 1 . bxc 3 . Taking the Knight immediately with 7 ... Bxc3 gives White a choice of recaptures and I would go with Qxc3.

So fa r we a re m a tc h i n g S m i t h & H a l l 's sugge s ­ t i o n . H oweve r at t h i s p o i n t Bates-SUmmerscale t hey o n ly c o n s i d e r 6 . . . B b 4 1 894 England (and 6 . . . Nb4, wh ich is a s e m i - b l u n d e r) . 6 . . . N f6 i s 1 . d4 d S 2. c4 BfS 3. Nc3 e6 4. a c t u a l l y a m o re c o m m o n cxd S exdS 5. Qb3 Nc6 6. Nf3 re s p o n s e . A s S m i t h & H a l l i nd icate, Wh ite can meet t he scrappy 6 . . . N b 4 , w i t h 7. e4 d x e 4 8 . NeS Be6 9 . B c 4 Bxc4 1 0 . Qxc4, a n d White is good i n a l l l i nes. ( E .g. 1 0 . . . Qe7, 1 1 . a 3 N c 2 + 1 2 . K f 1 Nxa 1 1 3 . N d S ( 1 2 . . . 0 - 0 - 0 ? 1 3 . NbS ) . 7. . . Qe7 ( i n response to 7. e4 ) Since S . . . Nc6 is the only is met by 8 . a 3 dxe4 9. NeS good response to Qb3, this is f6 10. axb 4 fxe S 1 1 . N d S . more or less a standard posi­ tion for th is branch. 4.2 Black pins the Knight 6... Bb4 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Qxc3 6 ... Bb4 7. a3

This "puts the question to

No one seems to ever take w i t h t h e b - p aw n . W h ite 's 11 9

Early Bishop Deviations resu lts i n t he Qxc3 l i ne a re p ro p r i at e . W h ite i s t r y i n g good, but bxc3 m ight be a vi­ t o unpin h i s K n ight, but he shou ld probably be coax i ng able surprise. Black i nto exchanging it for 8 ... Nf6 9. Bg S Qd6 W h i t e fu l l y i n t e n d s to the Bishop. capt u re the K n ight, but he 1 4 ... Rfd8 1 5. Rfc 1 Rd6 1 6. b4 ge neral ly waits for a tempo h6 1 7. Ra2 Kh8?! 17 . . . a6 was needed here to to be spent before doing so. 9 . . . h 6 m ight b e a tad b e t­ take away the bS-square. ter since the Queen is goi ng 1 8. h 3 BhS 1 9. QbS Rb8 20. to recaptu re a nyway. B o t h Qa4 W h ite h a s succeeded i n moves are pl ayed w i t h h igh fre q u e ncy fro m t h i s p o s i ­ m a k i n g B l a c k d e fe n d h i s paw n s with h i s Rooks, but tion. 1 0. Bxf6 Qxf6 1 1 . e 3 0-0 1 2 . this last move is not as criti­ cal as, say, 20. NeS ! Black will Be2 Bg4 1 3 . 0-0 likely need to play . . . a6 any­ way, so no reason to spend a tempo on it. 20 ... a6 2 1 . Rac2 Qe7 22. bS?!

Th i s r u s h e s t h e a t t a c k . B l a c k d o e s n o t h ave obv i ­ o u s ways of i mp rov i ng t h e pl aces of h i s pieces, and t h e p aw n s t o r m h e wou l d l i ke to s e n d o n t h e K-side Th is is a pretty frequent i s more l i ke a pawn " b a rely setup. White will try to use his c l o u dy s k i e s " at t h e m o ­ space on the Q-side to attack. m e n t . I n s t e a d , a p p l y i n g Black can mount an attack on p re s s u re t o e S w h i l e p r e ­ the King, but it is going to take p a r i n g t h e b S p u s h w i t h some time. 2 2 . R e S a n d t h e n p l ay i n g 1 3 ... Rac8 1 4. QcS Qb3 looks goo d . Wh ite 1 4 . Qb3 seems more ap- c a n fe i nt at a 4 a n d decide 1 20

Colle Chapter Six w h i c h s q u a re h i s Q u e e n b e l ongs o n . I f B l ac k moves h is Bishop, B d l -b3 and N h 4 -f5 become o p t i o n s . 22

• • •

axbS 2 3 . QxbS

29. Rcxc6

23

•••

Na7?!

I n a d i ffi c u l t s i t u at i o n , Sum merscale picks a n insuf­ ficient defense.

2 9 . Rb3 would have been more cruel, with a4 to come. However, the more direct text move is enough and Wh ite keeps a winning advantage for the rest of the game. 29

•••

Rxc6 30. Nxc6 Nxb6 3 1 .

Nxb8 Kg8 32. BbS Bf5 3 3 . a4

24. Qb4 c6?

Nc4 34. Nd7 Bxd7 3 5. Bxd 7

24 . . . Bxf6 was needed to stop Black's next.

Kf8 36. Kf1 Ke7 37. BbS Nd6 38. Ke2 Kd8 39. Bd3 Kc7 40.

25. NeS!

Kd 2 Kb6 4 1 . Kc3 KaS 42 . Kb3

2 5 . . . Bxe 2 l o s e s to 2 6 . Qxd6.

h5 43 . Be2 Ne4 44. Bxh S g6 45. Bf3 Nd2+ 46. Ka3 Nc4+

25

47. Ka 2 Kxa4 48. Bxd S Nd6

•••

Bg6 26. Rb2

White could have cashed in with 26. Nxc6 Nxc6 27. Rxc6 bxc6 28. Qxb8, but he is look­ ing for more.

49. e4 f5 50. eS N bS 5 1 . Bxb7

26... Qc7 27. Qb6 Qxb6 28.

gxhS 59. gxhS Ng8 60. Kb3

Rxb6 Nc8

Nh6 6 1 . Bf3 Kb6 62. Kc4 Kc7

Nxd4 52. BdS f4 53. h4 NfS 54. Be4 Ne7 55. g4 fxg3 56. fxg 3 Kb4 57. g4 KcS 58. hS

63. KdS Kd 7 64. e6+ Ke7 65. Ke5 Kf8 66. Kf6 Ng8+ 67. Kg6

1 21

Early Bishop Deviations Ne7+ 68. Kf6 Ng8+ 69. Kg S Ke7 70. BdS Nf6 7 1 . h6 Nxd S

l must odmit the full point is not clear to me, either/

72. h7 Kxe6 73. h8Q 1 -0

With this move White offers a peculiar gambit. White will not be hoping to bushwack the This is the more common Black monarch. Rather, he is response and is not covered hoping to use the i mportant in other manuals. Not only aspects of the Black position that, but my suggested play is to extract significant endgame a completely new idea, so it is concessions. rather unlikely that your op­ What aspects ore those 1 ponent is prepared for it. Returning to the position Firstly, as has already been after White's 6th move : mentioned, the b7-pawn is 6 ... Nf6 7. e4! ?! o n l y tac t i c a l ly h e l d at t h e moment. After the e n su i ng c h ao s , Wh ite's Q u e e n w i l l b e able to take i t more o r less safely.

4.3 Black plays

. .

. Nf6

So, this is not really o gambit at oll?

I n t h e seventy games or so i n my database with this position, I can only fi nd one i n stance of someone using this move, and from his fol­ low-up, it appears that the full point of it had not been clear to him. 1 22

S ad ly, no, s i nce Wh ite's d-pawn will also fall. So White is going to lose two central pawns ? How is this justified?

By the other " i mportant aspects" of the position. I n

Colle Chapter Six particular: 1. Black is still two moves away from castling. 2. After the b-pawn fal ls, both of Black's Q-side pawns are isolated . Not only is this an e n d g a m e prob l e m , but there are many spaces in that region for \Vhite to use. 3. A fter Wh ite t a kes the b7-pawn, then Black has to figu re out how to protect his aS-Rook. 4 . Wh i te 's K n i g h t s w i l l b ecome h ighly act ive, eve n i n t h e a b s e nce o f o u t p o s t squares because Black has so little minor piece influence in the short term. In add ition to the above, there is likely to be significant exchanges, which makes the lack of central pawns less im­ portant. As t he modern day t reatment of the Q G D sug­ gests, the importance of cen­ tral pawns declines as fewer and fewer minor pieces exist to push around. Also, as discussed in John Wat son's S ecrets of M odern Chess Strategy, it i s not t h e "open" versus "closed " nature of positions that i n fluences

the relative values of Knights and Bishops as much as it is the degree of tactical energy in a position (and the avail­ ab i l ity o r p o t e n t i a l ava i l ­ abil ity o f outposts) . I n this case White is banking on his Knights to demonstrate their strength in the early middle­ game ( a nd t h e n h o p e fu l ly exch ange themselves before their endgame disadvantages take hold) . I have placed a couple pag­ es of analysis of this gambit in the Extra Analysis chapter. For those who are not given to this style of play, White can do well by continuing 7. BgS, which avoids the . . . NhS prob­ lem. Now, if Black continues with the com m o n 7 . . . N a S , Wh ite c a n get an i nteresting game by playing 8. Qa4 +, and after 8 . . c6 9. Bxf6, Black is forced to retake with 9 ... gxf6 or else the a S - K n ight hangs. After 1 0 . e3 Black does not have a good record with 1 0 . . . Qb 6 . H e does h ave a good record with 10 ... bS, but 1 1 . Qd 1 Nc4 1 2 . Bxc4 bxc4 1 3 . Qa4 Qd7 14. 0-0 should serve h i m wel l . P reviously 1 4 . e4 .

123

Early Bishop Deviations h as been played, but t h is is too hasty.

va cat i ng 5. N c 3 . You m ight ask why.

5

Okay, I'll bite. Why1

Black plays his Bishop to

fS on move 3 a n d avoids the Slav

Because the transposition to the Slav is such an important anti-Colle idea, I am giving it its own chapter. I n this section we deal with games that begin: 1.

d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 d5 3. e3 Bf5

but do not later transpose to the Slav shown below:

I f B l a c k p l ays 4 . . . c 6 , t h e most common recom menda­ tion has been 5 . cxd5, given by H al l , S u m m e rscale, and Palliser. I f Black plays 4 . . . e6, the o n ly reco m me n d at i o n , given b y H a l l and Pall iser, is the immediate 5. Qb3 . Yet, in both cases I 'm ad124

Two reasons. The first is s i mply to m a ke t h e re p e r­ to i re e a s i e r to l e a r n , si nce both invite play back to the Slav. The second is that I fi nd the advantage given by the other lines either dubious or marginal. Ofte n Wh ite is i n danger o f being "al l dressed up and nowhere to go " : H e has pieces developed on the Q-side, but not i n a configu­ ration that allows him to ex­ ecute a useful plan. For example, White m ight have some m i nor advantage after 4 . . . c6 5 . cxd 5 cxd5 6 . Qb3 Qb 6 7. Qxb 6 , b u t i t i s certainly not significant. The more critical l i nes with 6 . . . Qc7 are not i nspiring either. For example 7. Bd2 e6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Bb5 seems to be met by the si mple 9 . . . a6 . Mark Heb­ den has played about a dozen games with the idea of Bb5 and Bd2-b4, but those l i nes now seem b l u nted if B l ac k si mply plays . . . Nbd7 instead

Colle Chapter Six of . . . Nc3. Wh ite's adva nt age a ft e r 4 ... e 6 5 . Qb3 may not b e all people think it is, either. For example, after 5 . . . Nc6 6. cS Qc8 White will not be able to claim any advantage if Black is patient. This has been borne out in practice. For example, after 7. BbS Nd7 ! Black will be able to rebuff the attack by an eventual . . . Ne7 fol lowed by . . . c6 and . . . bS. The same holds true even if White delays a bit until after Black plays . . . Be7, except then the move will be . . . Nd8 (and Wh ite w i l l not have the option of Nh4.) Eve n if B l a c k p l ays t h e move that "everyone knows is bad," 5 ... b6 ! ?, White has a much harder time getting an advantage than people real ize because 6. Nc3 can be met by 6 ... Bd6 ! , when NeS no longer paralyzes Black's Q-side. For example 7. N e S 0 - 0 8 . B e 2 Nbd7 ! 9 . Nc6 ? ! Q e 8 a n d d S is tactically h e l d due t o the risk of . . . Be4 ! Of cou rse, i n practice White doesn't try this, instead he plays 7. Bd2, which removes the threat of . . . Bb4 + and threatens the d S -paw n .

What n o one has figured out is that Black can simply respond with another silly move : 7. . . dxc4, giving Wh ite free de­ velopment, and end up with a fi ne position after 8. Bxc4 Nbd7 ! Black is safe as long as he delays castling a bit. While it appears that White has ac­ tive options i n this posit ion like Nh4, NgS or BbS, it turns out that Black has sufficient counterplay due to the threat of . . . c5-d4-c3-d2. For example 9. NgS Bg6 10. e4 cS ! ! , when neither NbS, dS or eS really works for White . 5.1 Deviations after 4 ... e6

Here we look at what hap­ pens if Black does not play 5 . . . c 6 in response t o 5 . Nc3 . 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3. e 3 BfS 4. c4 e6 5. N c3 N c6!7

125

Early Bishop Deviations 5 . . . Be7 see ms odd si nce Black w i l l want to h ave h is Bishop on d6 after h i s ot her Bishop is captu red on g6. After 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Qb3, B l ac k h as to figu re out how to defend h i s l ightsqu a red paw n s w i thout tying down h i s pieces too m u c h . O d d l y, t h e n at u r a l 6. Nh4 h as been p ractica l ly u n heard of here. One prob lem Black has in t h i s l i ne is t h at without the fS - Bishop, the option of Qxb7 becomes much safer. 5 . . . Bb4 more or less just loses a pawn without adequate co m p e n s at i o n after 6 . Qa4 + Nc6 7. N e S . 5 . . . N b d 7 has given good results, but t h e move m akes l it t l e s e n s e b e c a u s e it n o t only blocks the Queen's protec t i o n of d S , but re moves much of the d a nge r Wh ite c a n fa c e i n t a k i n g o n b 7 because t h e re is no option o f Nb 4 . After 6 . Qb3 Wh ite must be better. 5 . . . cS gets tried, but once aga i n , 6 . Q b 3 h a s to give h i m an advantage . The maj or point here is t h at af126

ter 6 . . . b 6 7. cxd S exd S 8 . Bb5 +, Black can not keep h i s d-paw n secure. 6. cS

S i nce t h e m a i n problem Wh ite can r u n i nto i s h av­ i ng h i s pieces developed to the wrong squares, he delays choosing the order of t h e i r deployment. One other note is that Qa4 may be better than Qb3 depending on what Black does. 6 ... a6

Black needs to do this now. Other moves allow White to get a lasting advantage due to the difficulty in defending the c6 -square. 6 ... Be7 7. BbS Nd7 (. . . 0-0 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9 . NeS Qe8 1 0 . Q a 4 ) 8 . 0 - 0 p i n p o i nts t h e wea kness o f Black's position by bringing i n the t h reat of Re 1 with e4 to fol low should B l a c k re t re a t h i s K n i g h t s fu rther. 8 . . . a S is a creat ive e ffo r t at p r e p a r i n g e x t r a defense (vi a . . . Ra6 ) for the c 6 - sq u a re wh i l e h i n t i n g at . . . N b 4 . But a fter 9. a3 0 - 0 1 0 . Re 1 Na7 1 1 . Bd3 Wh ite clearly has the better posi­ tion.

Colle Chapter Six 6 . . Bg4 was chosen in the h ighest level game from this position I cou ld fi nd (Hoff­ man-Szm etan, B uenos A ires 1 9 8 8) , a ft e r wh i c h W h i t e should do wel l w i t h 7 . Qa4 with the threat of Ba6. 6 ... h6 and 6 ... NeS do not really deal with pressing is­ sues on the Q-side, so White should be able to si mply go forward with pressure to c6 . .

7. Be2

Now that White has forced Black to play . . . a6, this is the best place for the Bishop. The idea is to continuing making m ove s t h at c a n n o t b e a d dressed by developing pieces. In this case the threat is Nh4 now that . . . Bg4 is not an allowed response.

This pressures c6 and ternporarily prevents b 6 . It also continues in the vein of not a l l ow i ng B l a c k to deve l op si nce 8 . . . Qd7 can be met by 9. BbS ! 8 . Nd7 9. 0-0 ..

I n add ition to t he obvi­ ous boons, castling frees the e l -square. 9 .. Be7 .

Other moves are possible, but unless Black tries a K-side The more natu ral 7. . . Be7 pawn sto rm, Wh ite should ignores the nuances ofWhite's be able to conti nue with his last move . 8. N h 4 ! Bg6 9. Q-side in itiative. I n the event Nxg6 hxg6 10. b4 gives White of Black stri king out on the all kinds of positional advan- K-side, Wh ite has the option tages wh i l e 8 . . . 0 - 0 9. NxfS of Ne l - B d 3 . Th i s p u l l s the exfS 1 0 . a3 with b4 to follow Kn ight from the path of a pos­ should give White plenty of sible g-pawn march and also opportun ity to target Black's al lows f3 , Nf4 and va rious other defensive options. central and Q-side pawns. 7 . . h6 .

8. Qa4

1 0. b4

127

Early Bishop Deviations W h i t e o p e n s b 2 fo r t h e B i s hop a n d b 3 fo r t h e Quee n . A n e x a m p l e of h ow p l ay c o u l d l i k e p r o c e e d fro m h e re i s : 1 0 ... 0-0 1 1 . Bb2 Nf6 1 2. Rfc 1 Ne4 1 3. Nxe4 Bxe4 1 4. Qb3

From here it is very rare at h igher levels for Black to do anything other than e6. How­ ever, it is possible to transpose to a l ine of the QGA. 5 ... dxc4

Anything else should give W h i t e c a n c o n t i n u e t o White just a better version of press h i s Q - side pawns for- the cxdS line or else he domi­ w a rd . H e w i l l h ave m o re nates the center with Bd3 fol­ space and at least one more lowed by Qxd 3 . piece t h a n Black in that sec- 6. Bxc4 e6 7. 0-0 N bd 7 tor of the board . 5.2 Deviations after 4 . . c6 .

Let's t a ke a l o o k at B l a c k 's opt i o n s i f h e d e ­ l ays o r avo i d s . . . e 6 a fter 5 . Nc3. 1 . d 4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 d 5 3 . e3 Bf5 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3

We have managed to land at a semi-standard position of the 128

Colle Chapter Six tion begi n s to l o o k a l most reasonable. Typically play has gone 9 . Bb3 N b d S 1 0 . N e S Bd6, but that is far kinder to 8. Qe2 N b6 Black than I think necessary. Th is is con sidered Black's Both 9. Bb3 NbdS 1 0. Nh4 ! ? best hope, and computers like a n d t h e i m me d i ate 9 . B d 3 the move. The idea i s to play seem much better. 9 . NbdS, when Black's posi-

Queen's Gambit Accepted ! The good news is that White has a historically tremendous record from here.

. .

129

Cl)apter 7 Tl)e Slav Defeqse When building your repertoire as a Colle Player, one question you have to answer is whether to avoid the Slav or take it head­ on. The Colle Player faces the Slav option after 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 BfS

Now, shou ld he conti nue with 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 e6 he will 11Theoretically crucial" have arrived at a theoretically sounds a bit intense. crucial point in the Slav: L e t me e x p l a i n w h at I mean here. I do not mean that he is in a particularly popular or " h ighly-rated " line. Rather,

Col le Chapter Seven I mean that he is in a line that is hard to avoid as Black, so if a sign ificant advantage could be proven for Wh ite, it would be of importance for the Slav as a whole. In reality, this line is con­ sidere d quiet and u n a m b i ­ tious. I am hopeful that I have fo u n d s o m e re a l i m p rove ments here. I n any event, you shou ld h ave a better u nder­ standi ng of t hese positions than your opponent. O t h e r C o l l e b o oks te nd to avoid the Slav. Gary Lane gives no coverage at all, Smith & H a l l b a rely mention t h e possibility, Summerscale opts for a pretty unambitious op­ tion and spends about 1/4 of a page on it. Pall iser discusses the Slav a bit, but rel ies on 4. Bd3 as his official recom­ mendat i o n . H e does ad m i t that 4 . c4 i s a better try for a n advantage. It is my belief that these l i nes of the Slav a re not so hard to understand, and they g ive the greatest c h ance for an opening advantage. That is why I am taking a chapter to deal with this fairly common

(and very an noying) response by Black. Si nce I bel ieve I 've fo u nd a re a l i mp rove m e n t i n the mainline, this chapter m ight be usefu l for people who d o n o t eve n p l ay t h e Colle regularly a s the Slav i s a pretty common defense. 1

Fa m i l ia rization

The sharpest response after Black's fifth move is 6. Nh4

Black can not stop Wh ite from taking his Bishop, but he can determine which square the captu re occurs on. He'd much rather have his Bishop taken on g6, when hxg6 in­ creases his central influence, creates no new pawn islands, and gives h is rook an open fi l e . I n t h e 1 5 0 0 + g a m e s 1 31

The Slav Defense where t h i s position occ u rs i n my database, Black allows NxfS less than one percent of the time. I t m a kes sense, t h e n , to d ivide o u r cove rage i nto 3 branches. • 6 . . . Bg6 • 6 . . . Be4 • 6 . . . Bg4 These branches are more s i m i l a r t h a n t h ey s e e m i n that i n each case Blac k w i l l eventually play Bg6 . The only question is how many moves he uses to get there. With Bg6, he go es t h e re directly, of course. With Be4, he will go there after White re­ sponds with f3, and after Bg4, he will wind up there after h 3 and g4 {Wh ite w i l l first play Qb3) . The debate is whether these pawn moves by Black are useful or not. Practice suggests that these pawn moves are useful since Bg6 is the most common play fol l owed by B e 4 as second most com mon. This tendency is even greater at h igher lev­ els in recent years. Strangely, Black's results in the Be4 have consistently been better. 132

I t i s m o re i m p o r t a n t i n most of these lines to take ad­ vantage of Black's lack of space than it is to figure out how to open up the game. Note that d7 is the only advanced l ight square in Black's camp. That means t h at h i s Queen a n d Kn ights are al most certainly going to be getting in the way o f h i s "go o d " B i s h o p . The c6-pawn places a bit of a kink in Black's position, hindering translocation from one side to the other. I f White plays gS, Black's N/f6 can find hi mself short on squares. I n ge neral, Wh ite's l o ng term goal is to either play e4 or assault the Q - side, where he has a significant space advantage. 2

6 . . . Bg6

6 . . . Bg6 7 . Nxg6 hxg6 8 . Bd2 N bd7

While there may be other alternatives for Black, this last move is by far the most com­ mon one in practice. White's 8th move made Bb4 less use­ fu l and 8 . . . Bd6 has no real bite since the h 2-pawn is poi-

Colle Chapter Seven It is true, of cou rse, t h at son . After 9. cS, Black will be fu rt her b e h i nd in terms of Bishops flourish in open posi­ space. tions. However, as anyone can 9. cS! tel l you, it is generally very And this is my suggested d i fficult to close a p osit ion i m p rove me n t on s t a n d a rd e n t i re ly. Wh ite s h o u l d not theory. be looking to open the posi­ tion immediately. I nstead, he should be more interested i n stabil izing t h e game with the goal of opening it up later. H e re W h i te h a s not lost any time, but he has traded a very usefully posted K n ight for Black's bad Bishop. A nd he has given Black an open h-file. It is most important to make I 'm h o p i n g t h i s n ove lty s u re B l ac k c a n n o t co nve r t m ight i nvigorate this ent i re these t o a lasti ng advantage. variation. With 9. cS White removes t h e d 6 - a n d b 6 - s q u a re s . Si n ce t h e only usefu l l ight Hey, aren't you supposed square in Black's camp is d7, to be trying to open up the Black's pieces are likely to get game after winning the two i n each other's way as t hey Bishops ? move about the dark squares. That's wh at a l l the basic Wh ite's idea is to cont i nue pri mers say, but as John Wat­ to c l a i m space, suffocat i ng son says i n his Secrets of Mod­ Black. The c 5 -c6 pawn ra m ern Chess Strategy, the value makes it hard for Black to ob­ of the Bishops and K n ights tain any play at all because it and the immediate plans for pinches his position, forci ng each side are often misunder­ a l l h i s m i n o r pieces i nto a small central area itself l i mstood. 133

The Slav Defense ited by his own pawns. Furthermore, the fact that Black's Bishop is "good " might come back to haunt him since any efforts at locking up the center will mean he must de­ fend a long pawn chain with only his Knights (Knights that will therefore have to be sta­ tioned on dark squares, exac­ erbating his space problems) . Fi nally, a big deal is that Black cannot i n general play . . . Ne4, which would alleviate so many of his problems. I n addition to giving him more space, it would help him mo­ bil ize his K-side pawns. The issue is that the e6-square is so vu l n e rable. A fter an ex­ change on e4, the d S -pawn no longer blocks access to this tender area. c S is a l s o p a r t i c u l a r l y c a l led for i n t h i s va r i at i o n because White has not weak­ ened h i s K- side, so the dis­ solution of the Q-side is less dangerous. If B l ac k is go i ng to t a ke adva ntage of B l a c k 's m ove order, it seems 9 . . . eS is h is most reasonable option. The 9 . . . b6 1 0 . b4 aS 1 1 . a3 plan is 134

not very good now that the R/ a 1 is protected by the Queen. If Bl ack does th is, he is j ust opening up space in a region where he can not easily use it. G iven the vulnerability of the c6 -pawn, this seems like a very bad idea. G i ve n t h e a b ove, we ' l l consider 9 . . . e S and 9 . . . Qc7, assuming 9 . . . Be7 will transpose to the latter. 2.1 9 . . . eS

9 . . . eS

Black shows that he is not the only person to have read Watson's book and uses this opportun ity to try to break out. Perhaps his extra Knight in the center can be useful ! 1 0. Be2!

An i mportant move. Black might otherwise play the in­ ventive 10 . . . Rh4 ! , hitting d4 and making . . . Ng4 an option (after . . . Qc7) . This is not as easily dismissed as you might think; Black can sacrifice the exchange for a pawn plus play. Be2 places an extra defender on g4, puts Wh ite one step closer to castling, sh ields the

Colle Chapter Seven King down the e-file, and dis­ courages a g-pawn march.

fryi ng pan, into the fi re." 11 . . . Ne4 ? ! al most works. 1 0 ... Qc7 1 1 . g3 0-0-0 After 1 2 . Nxe4 dxe4 1 3 . Qc2, 1 1 . . . e4 m ight appear to Black can play 1 3 . . . 0 - 0 - 0 ! , give Black a head start on a when 14. Qxe4 does not quite K-side attack while locking up give White what he is looking the game, but Black's pawns for. I nstead, 14. Qa4 Kb8 1 5 . are easily attacked, causing 0 - 0 - 0 m a i nt a i n s a n adva n ­ the oppo site effect. B l ac k 's tage. lack of space and maneuver­ 1 2. b4 abil ity become evident after 1 1 . 0-0, with f3 to follow. B l a c k c a n a i m to c a s t l e K-side with 1 1 . . . Be? 1 2 . b4 0-0 1 3 . 0-0, but there is only so much Black can do with­ out moving his N/f6, when f4 becomes powerful since Black will not be able to support e4. All White has to do is attack Black's Q-side, weakening the Things are starting to look base of his chain. a little better for Black because Black's best try might be he c a n p l ay 1 2 . . . Ne4 now 13 . . . Ne4 1 4 . Nxe4 dxe4 1 5 . that he has castled . O n the Qc2 but here 1 5 . . . Bf6 can be other hand, White gets good met with 16. Rad 1 ! , so it ap­ play against the King. pears he has to settle for 15 . . . exd4 1 6 . exd4 N f6 . At t h at 2.2 9 . . Qc7 point he has eased his spatial cra mp, but afte r 1 7. b5 the 9 . Qc7 Black can also decide ad­ threat of bxc6, leaving Black to figure out how to defend all va n c i ng t he ce ntral p aw n s his pawns, is strong. 1 7. . . cxb5 doesn't give h i m any squares 1 8 . Bxb5 looks like "out of the he c a n u s e , s o i n s tead h e .

. .

135

The Slav Defense should play solidly and devel­ op as best he can. He has a lead in development due to White's p aw n p u s h e s . Q u e s t i o n i s whether h e can utilize it. 1 0. g3 Be7 1 1 . b4

Sheesh, it looks like White is doi ng everyth i ng wrong ! He's closed up the game, ig­ nored development, a n d i s putting h i s pawns on squares t h at w i l l l ate r m a ke t h e m vulnerable to Black's Bishop ! I f Black manages to trade off White's l ight-squared Bishop, he can hope for an endgame advantage. W h i t e 's p l a n i s p r e t t y simple. Black i s going to have trouble playing in the center or the K-side. Advancing his g-pawn will just get it taken, retreating the N/f6 to advance t h e f- paw n gets d icey once 136

White plays Qc2, h itting g6. P l ay i n g . . . Ne4 w i l l not a l ­ low Black to gain appreciable space si nce the f-pawn sti l l can not be adva nced due to the d i fficu lty in defe n d i ng the e6-pawn . Advancing the e-pawn shou ld transpose to the previous section. If Black advances his a- or b-pawns at all, Wh ite will l ine h i s major pieces up ( Rook, then Q u e e n , t h e n Rook) and invade on whichever file ( probably the a-fi le) can be opened. 3

6

• . •

Be4

6 . . . Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3

W i t h f3 p l aye d , W h i t e should refra i n fro m t h e cS push we saw i n the last sec­ tion . Black tends to be able to

Col le Chapter Seven make a Q-side pawn push the aftermath of which can cause Wh ite's less protected K i ng some problems. On t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e " free" f3 advance makes a fu­ ture e4 the obvious plan. The i mportant thing for White is to make sure his K i ng is safe before pressing forward i n the m iddle. Wh ite's l ast move puts a question to Bl ack, who w i l l either reply with . . . Q b 6 o r . . . Qc7. The former puts more pressure on d4, which makes e4 harder. The latter supports a possible eS -break and keeps the Queen in a position where s h e c a n fu n c t i o n o n b o t h sides o f the board . With the Queen on c7, B l ac k i s a l s o better able t o execute a Q-side pawn-expansion. This l ine i n general, and the 8 . . . Qb6 variation in par­ ticular, is given by Cox as an antidote to the Zukertort, but he does not address 10. Kf2 ! 3.1 8 . . . Qb6

So o o Qb6 9o Nxg6

Otherwise, Black can ex-

change Queens and open the c2-square for the Bishop ! 9 o o o hxg6 1 Oo Kf2!

This l ast move signals an idea that has been played by Karpov, Ivanchuk, and Korch­ noi. Wh ite brings his King to safety while keeping his Rook on h 1 to thwart h-file tactics. The King will go to g2 where it protects both g3 and h2. The subtle point here is that White is forcing Black to commit to a plan of development i n a po­ sition where the space cramp l i m it s h i m . A n o t h e r t h i ng that might not be clear at first blush is that White's moving to g2 with his King turns out to remove the option for Black of advancing his g-pawn to g4, but we'll get to that later. 1 0 o o o N bd7

This move might seem like 137

The Slav Defense it does not "g ive a nyt h i ng away" because clearly this is the only good square for the Knight. H owever, once Black plays this move, White is free to exchange on dS without let­ ting Black have the c6 -square for h i s K n ight. These subtle poi nts are helpfu l when try­ ing to figure out move order. I can't fi nd an example of someone playing it, but 10 . . . Be? is a reasonable way to dis­ suade the p awn excha nges. H owever, Wh ite has ple nty of h igh-qual ity moves in his pocket: 1 1 . g3 0-0 1 2 . Kg2 . Castling carries some signifi­ cant disadvantages here. First, it gives up any hope of using the h-file i n the near future (and therefore frees the R/h 1 ) . I f Black continues i n his plan to delay developing his N/b8, he should play 1 2 . . . Rd8, but after 1 3 . Na4 Qc7 1 4 . cxdS cxd S a N/c6 would j ust be­ come a target after a later Rcl . 1 0 . . . Bd6 ? ! does not h ave the desired results after 1 1 . cS ! Qxb3 1 2 . axb3 because both 1 2 . . . Bxh 2 ? and 1 2 . . . Rxh 2 ? 1 3 . Rxh 2 Bxh2 let White trap the Bishop. 138

1 1 . g 3 Be7

1 1 . . . Qc7 is pl ayed more often, as in Korchnoi-Fridman 2002, but it al lows White to play e4 soon : 1 1 . . . Qc7 1 2 . cxdS exdS 1 3 . Kg2 Be7 14. e4. A commentator to that game p o i nted out t h at 1 3 . . . N b 6 stops this, due t o the threat of 1 4 . e4 dxe4 1 5 . fxe4 Qd7, but what about 14. a4 ! then, when 14 . . . aS leaves the Queen as the Knight's only defender. 1 1 . . . gS ? ! was tried in Gur­ evich-Stefanova 2002, but this K-side assau lt will not come to a nyt h i ng. After 1 2 . cxd S exd S 1 3 . Kg 2 , Wh ite i s i n good shape. 1 1 . . . dxc4 m ight be Black's best here, hoping to castle long and hold back White's center by pressuring the d-pawn. But no one has tried it. 1 2. Kg2 0-0 1 3 . cxd S

Colle Chapter Seven And Wh ite is wel l on h i s way t o controlling then open­ ing the center. 3.2 8 .

. .

Qc7

•

•

8 . . . Qc7 9. g 3 •

He will delay moving his B/f1 , i f reason ably pos­ sible, until afte r he has taken the B/g6 . H e will del ay capturing on g6 until Black moves h i s B i shop to fB o r h is Queen. H e will delay cxd S un­ til B l ac k has played . . . Nbd7.

What's the reasoning behind all these delays1

Wh i t e i s t a k i n g u p t h e same pawn structure, but i n this variation he will b e able to play e4 more or less when­ ever he wants. H owever, he will generally delay this move for the safety of his King. It is more the threat of this move t h at is i mportant. Wh ite is best served by taking h is time and slowly controll i ng more and more squares while Black is stuck developing within his very limited space. I n fact, Wh ite will gener­ ally be delaying a lot i n this variation :

He delays cxdS because if Black responds with . . . cxdS, it opens the c6-square for the Knight. He delays moving his B/f1 because he wou ld l i ke to at least have the option of movi ng it to d 3 . H e delays capturing on g6 to slow down any attack Black might get on the K-side. 9 . . . Nbd7

9 . . . Be7 s h o u l d come to the s a m e t h i ng s i nce a fter 10. Nxg6 hxg6 1 1 . Bd2, Black cannot make a ny use out of the h-file, so he should con­ tinue with 1 1 . . . Nbd7. Black might actually do best with somet h i ng l i ke 1 1 . . . B d 6 ! ? 139

The Slav Defense 1 2 . f4 Be?, using two moves 1 1 . . . Be7 Black can play 1 1 . . . Bd6, to thwart White's intended e4 push and give himself a K-side which temporarily stops e4 be­ h o o k . H oweve r, a ft e r 1 2 . cause White must exchange on Be2 dxc4 14. Qxc4 Nbd7 1 S . g6 before pushing his e-pawn, Bf3 0 - 0 - 0 1 6 . 0 - 0, the space at which point the g-pawn is en around Wh ite's K i ng should prise as the h-pawn is pinned. let him defend h imself while However, this is a temporary m e a s u re s i n c e o n c e B l ac k he attacks on the Q-side. castles this i s n o longer a n is­ 1 0. cxd S exd S 1 0 . . . NxdS 1 1 . Nxg6 hxg6 sue. Castl i ng short re moves 1 2 . e4 Nxc3 1 3 . bxc 3 gives the Rook from the h-file while White a wide, strong center. castling long allows NbS ! Any­ He can castle K-side and it is way, after Bg2, White can play not hard to thwart play down e4 without exchanging first if need be. the h-fi le. 1 1 . . . Qb 6 would slow e4, 1 1 . Bd2 Wh ite wou l d re a l ly l i ke but then Black should get a to exchange on g6 and then worse version of the other line. 1 1 . . . 0-0-0 allows Black to play e4 because after 1 1 . Nxg6 hxg6 1 2 . e4 dxe4 1 3 . fxe4, the castle before the u nguarded f7-pawn is only defended by nature of the f7-pawn becomes the King, which might suggest a problem. However, it seems that he cannot castle long. that White can simply assault However, this is tactically the Q -side. 1 2 . a4 a S . Th i s fo i l e d b e c a u s e a ft e r 1 3 . . . leaves Black i n a n awkward 0 - 0 - 0 1 4 . Qxf7 Bb4, White's position si nce the B/e2 eyes game falls apart. For exam­ the aS-pawn, which is only de­ ple 1 S . Bg2 ? ! Q d 6 ! 1 6 . Be3 fended by the Q/ c7, but Black Rxh2 ! can get in trouble by ignoring 1 1 . Bd2 stops the above tac­ the a-pawn march. There are tic by breaking the pin on the lots of possibilities here, but it Kn ight, allowing eS ! should certainly looks like White's at­ Black try such shenanigans. tack hits first. For example 1 3 . 140

Colle Chapter Seven Re i Kb8 14. Kf2 and Wh ite has threats of NbS and e4 (threat­ ening Bf4) . In any event, it is hard for Black to play on the K-side in this position.

1 2. Rc 1 !

ter Black plays . . . Qxb3, Wh ite ga ins pawn control ove r a4 and c4, making it hard to see how Black can contemplate fi n d i n g go o d p o sts fo r h i s Kn ights. The doubled b-file pawns do not look particu­ larly vul nerable. 4 6

6

• • •

• • •

Bg4

Bg4 7. Qb3

Black has a terrible record in this variation, but comput­ ers like it. B l a c k now h a s to c o m e u p with a way t o protect h i s dS -pawn. 12

. • •

Qb6

This seems to be the only reasonable option si nce 1 2 . . . 0-0-0? ! is answered by 1 3. Bh3 ! , with the threats of NfS and e4 (after castling) looming. From here I guess Wh ite should go ahead and exchange on g6 and continue to slowly do m i n ate the b o a rd . Black w i l l l i kely take on b3 si nce o t h e r w i s e Wh ite c a n s o o n play Qxb6 followed by a4 and h4, when all of Black's pawns seem paralyzed. However, af-

Black has 3 ways of protecting his b-pawn. • 7 . . . Qb6 • 7 . . . Qc7 • 7 . . . b6 I n most of these variations, the idea of g4, gS, h itting the N / f6 is key. In p a r t i c u l a r, the goal Is to hit the Knight

141

The Slav Defense when t h e re are n o central sq uares available to him.

4.1 7

. . .

Qb6

7 . . . Qb6

Th is is the most common move in this variation. 8. cSI?

proceed . Si mply working on exchanging his front b-pawn while taking measures to pro­ tect the Knight on h4 seems an obvious plan. 9. axb3 eS 10. h3 Be6 1 1 . b4 e4 12. f4 Be7 13. Kf2 (to protect against . . . NhS) . 1 3 . . . Nbd7 14. bS and White has an initiative on both sides of the board. 9. h 3 BhS 1 0. g4 Bg6 1 1 . gS Nfd7

1 1 . . . N h S is j u st a s k i n g for trouble after Be2 with the th reat of Qd1 since the Knight has no escape squares. Note that 1 2. Be2 Be7 can be met by 1 3. Rg 1 ! without Wh ite need­ ing to be concerned with Qh2 Th is is my suggested i m ­ due to the weakness on b7. 1 1 . . . Ne4 1 2 . Nxg6 hxg6 provement. I t puts the Queen trade question to Black before 1 3 . Nxe4 dxe4 14. h4 and the White chooses to weaken his e-pawn is a pain to hold. K-side wh i l e re movi ng a ny 1 2. Nxg6 hxg6 1 3 . e4 hope Black may have vacating the dS -square for his K night. 8 . . . Qc7

8 . . . Qxb3 is not horrible, but in the 9 games I can find in this position, not a single black player has chosen to t rade . White should definitely have some advantage here, though it is unclear how the game would 142

Colle Chapter Seven Fro m here, Black w i l l fi ­ nally break out with b6, but Blac k 's c- and d-pawns rep ­ resent a lasting problem. The only good way to protect his d-pawn is with the c-pawn, which will now be backward on an open file after cxb6 . 4.2 7 . . . Qc7

7 . . . Qc7

Th is is whe re you expect t h e Q u e e n t o go in t h e s e types o f situations, though it is not the most common in this particu l a r var i ation. Wh at no r m a l ly happens after 7 . . . Qc7 is 8 . h 3 B h S 9. g4 Bg6 1 0 . Nxg6 hxg6 , and Wh ite does wel l a fter both 1 1 . Bg2 and 1 1 . g S . The problem w i t h this i s t h at i f B l a c k s i m p l y p l ays . . . dxc4 at some point, t h i ngs b ec o m e l e s s c l e a r. For e x­ a mple, a fter 9 . . . d xc4 ! 1 0 . Bxc4 Bg6 1 1 . Nxg6 hxg6 1 2 . gS NdS 1 3 . e4 Nxc 3, Black's p o s i t i o n b eg i n s to start to m a ke s e n s e ! U n less Wh ite tries a dubious sacrifice on e 6 , B l ac k w i l l c a s t l e l o n g a nd h i s Rook w i l l show up

magically on the h a l f open d-file. Obviously, this is not the only l i ne. For example, 1 3 . e4 i s probably not the best move, but it is the only one played in pract ice that I have fou n d . 1 2 . gS isn't requ i red. Wh ite could play 1 2 . e4 but this apparent i mprovement gives Black a free hand and after 1 2 . . . Nbd7 1 3 . gS Nh4 14. Be3 0 - 0 - 0, Black has sev­ eral ways to i mprove his po­ sition ( . . . c s , . . . Nb6, . . . Be? ) , and White's pawns and K i ng a re starti ng to look fragile. 1 0 . Qxc4 c o u l d b e p l ayed i nstead, but this won't stop . . . NdS u n less Wh ite fol l ows up with 1 0 . . . Bg6 1 1 . Nxg6 hxg6 1 2 . e4, but then Wh ite has to be comfortable w ith 1 2 . . . Nxg4 ! ? . Wh ite can not fi x a l l this by s i mply p l ay i ng cxd S at some poi nt, si nce that gives B l ac k t h e o p t i o n of e i t h e r op e n i n g t h e c 6 - sq u a re fo r h is K n ight when the c-pawn rec aptu res or s i mply p l ay­ i ng . . . Nxd S , a nd Black w i l l sti l l h ave a reasonable look­ i ng position with h i s Rook 143

The Slav Defense on the h a l f-open d-fi le afte r castl i ng long. I assume you wouldn't cite these problems without having something better in mind. . .

Quite true. It has not been played often, but it seems to me that all these problems go away if White plays

Bl ack 's steed l acks a good pl ace to run due to Wh ite's move o rder. I told you t h i s 8. f3 ! Th is move looks silly be­ was t h e key t o t h is variation, cause it voluntarily takes away a nd I meant it ! the only exit square of the N/ 1 1 . . . N h S 1 2. Nxg6 hxg6 1 3 . h4. Wh ite's idea is to acceler­ Nxe4 Nd7 1 4. Bd2 Black probably needs to ate the e4 push, hence side­ play . . . c5 to activate h is piec­ stepping the . . . Nxg4 tactic. In this l ine, . . . dxc4 is not a es, but 1 5 . d5 exd 5 1 6 . cxd5 problem: 8 . . . Bh5 9. g4 dxc4 0 - 0 - 0 1 7. 0 - 0 - 0 sti l l l o o k s 1 0 . Bxc4 Bg6 1 1 . e4 ! Nbd7 go o d fo r W h i t e , w h o h a s 12. Be3 0-0-0 1 3 . 0-0-0 Nb6 more active pieces and plenty 1 4 . Bd3 Be7 1 5 . Ng2 . . . and of space for his Bishops. 1 1 . . . White's position could h ave Nfd7 1 2 . Nxg6 hxg6 1 3 . Nxe4 come from a textbook. Na6 should be worse a fter Attempts to take advantage 14. c5, when there are exactly of the K night's lack of squares 2 squares ava ilable for all 3 backfire : 8 . . . Bh5 9. g4 g5 ? ! of B l a c k 's m i n o r pieces to 10. cxd5 Nxd5 ( 1 0 . . . cxd5 1 1 . share ! When a player has too Nf5 ! ) 1 1 . gxh5 gxh4 1 2 . Bd2 m a ny pieces competing for and White has to be better. not enough squares, he has 8 . . . BhS 9. g4 Bg6 1 0. e4! what Mark Dvoretsky calls a dxe4 1 1 . g5 superfluous piece. This idea has 1 44

Colle Chapter Seven become more and more im­ portant in modern chess, and in this case Black is probably best se rved by the sacr i fice . . . NaxcS.

open for his Bishops by trying the suggestions below. After 9 . . Ne4, no one has played 1 0 . cxdS ! ? . The obvi­ ous 10 . . . Qxh4 1 1 . Nxe4 exdS 4 . 3 7 . . b6 1 2 . gx h S ! Qxe4 might look good for Black until you real­ 7 . . . b6 ize that White's King is quite This is the move computers s a fe a fter h e 's pl ayed Rg 1 , like, and it does have the ad­ Ba6 - d 3 , B d 2 , Rfl , and Rc l . vantage of letting the Queen Black, on the othe r hand, is hit the Knight if the N/f6 va­ going to have a hard time de­ cates. fend ing his c- and d-pawns. 8. h3 BhS 9. g4 Wh ite's two Bishops will give him tremendous play. The more tame 1 0 . . . Nxc3 1 1 . Q x c 3 exd S 1 2 . N fS i s less dangerous, but certa inly leaves Black with a position he would not have chosen at the start of the game. A fte r 9 . . . B g 6 1 0 . Nxg6 hxg6 my suggested improve­ ment on theory is the imme­ From here, play normally diate 1 1 . gS ! ? The idea is to goes either 9 . . . Ne4 10. Nxe4 get this in before Black can Qh4 or 9 . . . Bg6 1 0. Nxg6 hxg6 p l ay . . . g S . Wh ite w i l l p l ay 1 1 . Bg2, wh ile some sil icon for an e4 -break, after wh ich has decided that 9 . . . Nfd7 ! ? White's center and Bishops should make Black's monarch equal izes. Eve n though Wh ite does very unsafe. For example 1 1 . . . well in these games, I think he dxc4 ( 1 1 . . . N h S ? ! 1 2 . cxd S can go for more ! In particu­ exd S 1 3 . e4 dxe4 1 4 . B e 3 ) lar, he can rip the center wide 1 2. Bxc4 NdS 1 3 . e4 Nxc3 14. .

.

1 45

The Slav Defense bxc3, and Wh ite's control of critical dark squares makes it difficult for Black to develop safely. As for the rare 9 . . . Nfd7, why has no one pl ayed 1 0 . cxdS ! , the threat being 1 0 . . .

1 46

exdS 1 1 . NxdS ! 1 1 . . . Q x h 4 d o e s n 't s ave anything after 1 2 . dxe6 Bxg4 1 3 . exd7+ Bxd7 14. Bc4 mate­ rial is equal, but Black is still in trouble. White can play e4 with impunity.

Cl)apfer 8 Tl)e Queeq·s Iqdiaq aqd Beqoqi Defeqses Authors disagree regarding the Zukertort's viability against a QI D or Benoni. Much of the Zukertort theory revolves around the d4-d5 pawn ram. When Black maintains a more flexible center or manages to get a piece on dS, thi ngs can get ugly ! 1

I ntrod ucti on

Summerscale does not have much confidence in using the Zukertort against a QI D or Benoni wh ile Lane is fine with it. For the main two lines, I give both a way for White to effect a comfortable QI D position and a way for him to play more aggressively, landing Black in ( hopeful ly) a position that is both uncomfortable and unfamil iar to him. Beware-move order is critical here ! There are many pitfalls for Black to fall into, but White must be aware of them! 2

Q I D: Early . . . c5/b6

According to Yrj6Hi and Tella (Y&T) , writers of The Queen's Indian, the critical l ine when White has played e3 involves Blac k playing the moves . . . a6, . . . dS, . . . Bd6, and . . . N bd7. This makes clear the problem Black has when trying to play against a Zukertort openi ng. He can't play . . . dS early without

The Queen's I ndian and Benoni tra nsposi ng to t he ma inl ine Zukertort, making . . . Nbd7, . . . Bd6 (a nd there fore cas­ tling) esse ntially non - o p ­ tions a s well . In short, he can't w ait around hoping for c4 w hi l e pl aying t his system. Thus, the most common Q I D line Zukertort play­ ers have to deal with is not the mainline QID, or even the most critical e 3 - Q ID line, but rather a line where Bl a ck pl ays . . . c S , . . . N c 6 , and . . . Be?, for these are t he de velopment moves avail­ able if he does not wish to play d S . 1 . d 4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 e 6 3 . e 3 cS 4. Bd3 b6 5. 0-0 B b7

t h i n k t h is is because Wh ite has not taken the bull by the horns and played 6. e4 ! , af­ ter which there are plenty of options for b oth sides, but White should end up wit h superior development at the very least . 2 . 1 White Accepts QID

If White wants to play a good line of t he QID, this is t he time to transpose . Trans­ posing e arlier gives Bl a ck more freedom . Transposing later can cause tactical prob ­ le ms for White . This line may now be of greater practical significance as Jon Cox gives it as one of his antidotes to the Colle in Dealing with d4 deviations . 6. c4 Be7

This co mpletes the trans­ position into a main branch of the e 3 system. White does well in this mainline (5 8 % i n my database) . 7. Nc3 cxd4

Black has actually do ne pretty w e l l w it h 5 . . . B e ?, keeping a b it of flexibility. I 148

Castling h e re is just b ad : 7 . . 0 - 0 8 . dS exdS 9 . cxdS d6 and Black is very cramped . The i mmedi ate .

Colle Chapter Eight 7.

. dS to sto p this is a lso poor as Black is in no posi­ tio n to meet 8. cxdS exdS 9. dxcS bxcS 1 0 . Bb 5 + .

8. exd4 d 5

Castling now a l so l ets Wh ite get too much central space with 9. dS . 9 . cxd S N xd S 10. BbS+

Wh ite's attack is stone dead, and the th reat of . . . Nh4 is no picnic fo r Wh ite either. Th e c r i t i c i sm l e v e l ed by Y &T o f the text move is that after 1 0 . . . Bc6 1 1 . Bc4 0 - 0 1 2 . Qe2 Nxc3 1 3 . bxc3 BdS ! , Black can get counter­ play against White 's center. H o wever, I would pro ­ pose instead . . . 10 . . Bc6 1 1. a4! .

Theory suggests 1 0 . NeS is b etter since after 1 0 . . . 0 - 0 1 1 . Qh S N f 6 Wh ite gets a go od attack b ecause b o th 1 1 . . . f S 1 2 . B c4 a n d 1 1 . . . g6 1 2 . Qh 3 Nxc3 1 3 . bxc3 Nc6 1 4 . Ng4 give Wh ite a clea r positiona l advantage . H owever, no one seems to have t ried 1 1 . . . g6 1 2 . Qh3 Nc6, wh i ch I think is fine fo r Black due to the possibil­ ity of an Exchange sacri fice : 1 3 . Bh6 Re8 1 4 . BbS Nxd4 ! Once that Kn ight gets to fS,

Th i s m o v e ( n o t m e n ­ tioned i n John Cox's Deal­ ing w i th d4 de v i a tions ) breathes new li fe into this lin e , I h o p e . Ta k i ng the Bish o p makes it di f f i cult for Black to develop his Q ­ side Knight, but leaving the Bishop there (say, w ith 1 1 . . 0 - 0 ) i nvites Ne S . This o blig­ es Black to play : .

11

. . .

a6 1 2. B c4

Wh i te is b e t te r i n this p o si t ion t h a n in the l ine quoted by Y&T b ecause the b 6 - a nd a6 -pawns are both more vulnerable . Black will e ve n tu ally wa nt to pl ay . . . Nxc3, a f ter which White w ill have a semi-open file to attack the b 6 -paw n .

1 49

The Queen's I ndian and Benoni 2 . 2 Alternative Path

I f you do not want to play the Q I D, here is a n i nterest­ i ng l i n e t h at p o s e s s o m e pitfalls for Blac k . I t does not promise a g reat advantage i n a n d of itse l f, b u t it's origi­ nal, has a d rop of poison, and certa i n ly is not bad. Returning to the position after 5 moves:

6. Re 1

Black is not in a position to m e c h a n ic a l ly b l o c k t h e m ove m e n t o f t h e e - p aw n , and h e stil l needs to move h is B/f8 before castling, so White threatens to open the center. 6 . . . Nc6

6 . . . Be7 a l l ows B l ack to castle more quickly, but does nothing to stop White's plan. 7. e4 0-0 8. e5 Nd5 9. dxc 5 1 50

bxc5 10. Be4 Qc7 1 1 . Bg5 and the only minor piece defend­ i ng Black's K i ng is under at­ tack. Neither 1 1 . . . Bxg5 1 2 . Bxh7+ Kxh7 1 3 . Nxg5 + nor 1 1 . . . f6 1 2 . c4 Ne3 1 3 . Bxh7+ Kxh7 1 4 . Bxe3 fxe5 1 5 . Bg5 are comfortable. 6 . . . cxd4 ? ! 7. exd4 diverts the e-pawn but opens White's pieces. 7 . . . Be7 8 . Bf4 0 - 0 9. Nc3 Nc6 . One idea from here would be 1 0. d5 exd5 1 1 . Bf5 g6 1 2 . Bh3, and White has a great deal of activity. A calmer approach is 10. a3, bottling up Black's pieces by limiting the Bfe7 and N/c6 (and, by exten­ sion, B/b7) . 6 . . . d 5 i s a s o l i d way of addressing t h e e4 t h reat . 7. Nc3 ! ? renews this threat while putting more pressure on the center. The knee-jerk 7 . . . c4 8 . B e 2 Bb5 9. B d 2 Nc6 1 0 . b3 does not do any favors for Black while other moves allow a central thrust, now with a bit of extra bite since the option of exd5 exists. 7. . . Nc6 8. e4 cxd4 9. exd5 Nxd5 (9 . . . dxc3 10. dxc6 Bxc6 1 1 . Ne5 Qd5 1 2. Nxc6 Qxc6 1 3 . Qe2) 1 0. Nxd5 Qxd5 1 1 . Be4 Qc5 1 2. Bf4 and

Colle Chapter Eight it looks like Black has to castle into a pawn storm. 7. c4

I was all ready to suggest a n i m m e d i ate 7. e 4 h e re , wh ich works out to be a fun attack as Black's pieces end up getting all blocked up on the Q-side. Unfortunately, I could not crack 7. . . Nxd4 8 . Nxd4 cxd4 9. eS NdS 10. Nd2 Nb4, when Black actually benefits from the undeveloped state of his f-Bishop as it takes the bite out of Qg4. 7 . . . Be7

I f you're lucky, Black will t h i n k t h e re 's somet h i ng to 7. . . Nb4. You' ll have the last laugh a dozen moves later: 8. Be2 Be4 9. Nc3 Bc2 10. Qd2 Ne4 1 1 . Nxe4 Bxe4 1 2 . NeS Nc2 1 3 . f3 Nxe 1 { 1 3 . . . BfS is similar) 1 4 . fxe4 Qh4 1 5 . g3 Qxe4 1 6 . Qxe 1 cxd4 1 7. Bf3 ! QxeS 1 8 . Bxa8 BcS 1 9. B d 2 dxe3 20. Bc3 Bd4 {20 . . . e2 2 1 . Kg2 and the King is safe because White controls the long diagonal) 2 1 . Bxd4 Qxd4 2 2 . Qe2. A lot of dust h as settled, but most of it has settled on Black's face ! Black might instead think

he can transpose to a favorable normal setup a fter 7. . . Nb4 8 . Be2 with si mply 8 . . . dS ? ! The idea b e i ng that Wh ite's R/e 1 i s probably not best and White kicks the Knight away with a3, Black will be okay. The problem with this logic is that after 9. cxdS ! not one of the possible five recaptures is good for Black: 9 . . . QxdS clearly loses time after 10. Nc3, which supports the coming e4 . 9 . . . NfxdS is terrible: 10. a3 Nc6 { 1 0 . . . Na6 ? 1 1 . Qa4 +) 1 1 . e4 with dS to follow. 9 . . . N bxd S 1 0 . Q a 4 + i s awkward to meet. 9 . . . exdS 10. BbS + Bc6 1 1 . Bf1 ! asks Black how he plans on meeting both 1 2 . a3 and the other t h reat of 1 2 . NeS with e4 to fol low given the vulnerability along the a4-e8 diagonal a n d e-file. 9 . . . Bxd S 1 0 . Nc3 and it does not look like Black will be able to catch his breath. Other 8th moves after 7. . . Nb4 8. Be2 do not address the threat of dS. 8. Nc3 dSI?

Castling consigns Black to 1 51

The Queen's I ndian and Benoni a bad position because there is no way to stop the central pawn roller (e.g. 8 . . . 0-0 9. d5 exd5 10. cxd5 Nb4 1 1 . e4 ! )

As i n the ab ove section, Black can play 4 . . . Be7 here, retaining some flexibility for the placement of his b-Bishop. W h ite s h o u l d st i l l do we l l 9 . cxdS exd S Th is is the safer play. For with the simple 5 . e4 ! i n reply. a d iscussion of the provoca­ After 5 . . . d5 6 . exd5 Nxd5 7. tive 9 . . . Nxd5, see the Extra c4, Wh ite is better si nce 7 . . . N b 4 is a nswered by 8 . B e4 Analysis chapter. 1 0. dxcS bxcS 1 1 . e4 dxe4 1 2. N8c6 9. Nc3 . An eventual a3 will leave Black with a poorly Nxe4 0-0 1 3 . a3 placed Knight and l ittle K-side protection. 3.1 White Accepts QID

White can get into a favor­ able l ine of the QI D via: S. 0-0 Be7 6. c4 0-0

Playing c5 at either of the last moves would transpose to It does not appear that Black the line in the last section. has enough activity to make 7. Nc3 d S 8. b3 up for his two isolated pawns. (E.g., 13 . . . Nd4 14. Nxd4 cxd4 1 5 . Nxf6 Bxf6 16. Bf4.) 3

Q I D: Black delays . . . cs

Black can steer the game into another branch by delay­ i ng c5. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e 6 3. e3 b6 4 . Bd3 B b 7

1 52

Colle Chapter Eight From here, Wh ite typically plays Bb2, Qe2, Rac 1 and ei­ ther side can exchange pawns in the center. 3.2 Alternative Path

For those wishing to side­ step the deep Q I D theory, I advocate Lane's recommenda­ tion. Since Black is not putting A N Y pawn pressu re i n t h e center, why not threaten e4 ? Returning to the position after the fi rst four moves :

6. 0-0 Nc6

6 . . . Be7 7. e4 cxd4 8 . e S NdS 9. Nxd4 N c 6 1 0 . Nxc6 Bxc6 1 1 . Q g4 0 - 0 1 2 . Ne4 gives White an attack. Tradi ng pawns j ust helps White since it opens up both his Bishop and the e-file. 7. c3 Be7

7. . . Qc7 8 . Re1 Be7 and now, instead of the 9. a3 suggested by theory (to safeguard b4 af­ ter an eventual pawn exchange on d4) , why not 9. e4 ! ? as now 9 . . . cxd4 can be answered by 10. Nxd4, keeping the c-pawn on c3. After 10 . . . NeS 1 1 . N2f3 Nxd3 1 2. Qxd3, White still has some initiative. 8. e41? cxd4 9. cxd4 N b4 1 0. Bb 1 Ba6 1 1 . Re 1

Accord i ng to L a n e ( a n d practical results) , White does very well due to the threat of d S . In t h e 2 9 games where B l a c k ( at l e a s t) i s 2 0 0 0 + , 5. N bd 2 cS If Black plays 5 . . . dS now, White has won 1 6 times and t r a n s p o s i n g to a r a re i m ­ lost only 4 ! See the Carrabeo­ med i ate-fi a nc hetto defense Teran game for an example. suggested by A a g a a rd and Lund, White can fol l ow my recommendation against that defense by playing 6 . 0-0. See the Various Oddities chapter. 153

The Queen's I ndian and Benoni Santos·Saga

4. N bd 2 Bb7 5. Bd3 cS 6. c3

Perhaps 1 2 . Nxc6 should be played now to allow the N/f3 to move to d4 while re­ moving a defender of eS. Black should play . . . NeS soon.

Be7 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Re 1 Qc7 9 .

12 ... a6 1 3. BgS Rfd 8 1 4.

e4

Rad 1 bS 1 5. a 3 Rac8

By transposition we have reached the line in question if Black plays 7 . . . Qc7. White keeps his c-paw n where i t is t o gu a rd the b 4 -square .

Black and Wh ite are both putting pie ces on lo gi cal s quares, but Black appears oblivious to the da nger to his King. NeS at some point would have given White the opti on o f lo c k i ng up the e -file and t ry ing a paw n­ storm up the K-side, but it al­ so would not allow the piece play White will soon have .

Brazil l • 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d 4 e6 3. e3 b6

9

• • •

cxd4 1 0. Nxd4 0-0

1 0 . . . Nxd4 would have taken the paw n b efore White could play N2 f3, but it also opens up the c-file and gives White a big center.

1 6. N xc6 Bxc6 1 7. N d4 Bb7

1 1 . N 2f3 d6

1 8. Qf3 h6 1 9. Bxf6?!

Preventing eS, but . . . Ng4 foll o w e d b y . . . N e S m a y have b een a b etter way.

This se e ms odd . Sin ce White is not in a posit ion to use the g4 - or h S -s quares, why r e m o ve the Knight ?

1 2. Qe2

154

Colle Chapter Eight A fter the Bishop recaptures, W h i t e w i l l h ave t r o u b l e b re a k i n g t h ro u g h o n t h e K- side. A l most a ny B i s h o p move looks better.

for Black's Knight. Note that Wh ite, a n E x­ pert, is play i n g a 2 4 0 0 + i n this game.

19

4. c 3 b 6 S . N bd2 Bb7 6. B d 3

• • •

Bxf6 20. Qg3 d S ?

This move is suicidal . The simple . . . Qb6 prepares a mi­ nority attack and, in the event of a later f4, pins the N/d4.

1 . Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3 . e 3 c S Nc6 7 . 0-0 Be7 8. e4 cxd4 9. cxd4 N b4 1 0. B b 1 Ba6 1 1 . Re 1 N d 3 1 2. Bxd3 Bxd 3

21 . eS BgS 22. f4 Be7 23. fS

White's attack is irresistible. 23

• • •

BcS 24. fxe6 Rf8 25.

exf7+ Qxf7 26. Rf1 Qe6 27. BfS Qb6 28. e6 1 -0

The s m o k e h a s c l e a re d a nd Black has bagged Wh ite's "Colle Bishop . " 1 3. d S !

Th i s move, p l ayed n ow or soon, appea rs to b e the refutation of this l i ne. 13

Carrabeo-Teran Spain 2007

Let's exa m i ne what hap­ pens in the same line if Black exchanges early in a multiple­ move tactic designed to win Wh ite's l ight-squared Bishop

• • •

Qc8

1 3 . . . exd 5 ? 14. exd5 Nxd5 1 5 . Nfl Nb4 ( 1 5 . . . Bf6 ? 1 6 . Qxd3 B c 3 17. Rxe7+ ) 1 6 . a 3 Nc2 1 7. Qd3 Nxe1 1 8 . Nxe l . 1 4. d 6 Bd8

14 . . . Bxd 6 ? 1 5 . e 5 . 1 5. N e S

155

The Queen's I ndian and Benoni Rc3 1 -0

Th is allows Qf3, but Nd4 is a better way of doing this, preventing Black's next.

4

1 5 . . . Bc2 1 6. Qf3 0-0 1 7. Re3

ha rry the Bishop

Q I D: Black threatens to

a4 allows Wh ite to make B l a c k m ig h t c h a nge h i s use of the c4 -square by pre­ move order to take advantage venti ng . . . b 5 . The t h re at of of White's: Rc3 can be countered. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3 . e3 cS 4. 1 7 . . . Qb7?!

Bd3 Nc6?!

1 7 . . Qc5 allows Black to take advantage of White's in­ accurate l ast move. If Black wants to vacate c8 for fear of Rc3, then . . . Qa6 is better as after . . . b5 he will be h itting the d6 -pawn .

This leaves open the pos­ sibility of an early Nb4.

.

1 8. b3 bS 1 9. Bb2 Ba S??

5. 0-0 Be7

5 . . . Nb4 6. e4 should be good for White. 5 . . . b6 takes the kick out of White's next move, but after 6. c3 White can push the e-pawn similar to the l ine in the last section. Alternatively, 6. c4 trans­ poses to an odd QI D position where Black has played . . . NeG way too early. 6. dxcS BxcS 7. a3

A game losing blunder. . . . Bb6 keeps him in the game. 20. Nc6!!

The t h reat of 2 1 . Q x f6 ! gxf6 2 2 . Rg3 + with mate next requires material loss. 20 . . . Ne8 2 1 . NxaS Qb6 22.

156

Col le Cha p ter Eight (From Black's Pe rspective) White aims to get as much from his exchange as possible. Black's dark Bishop a l ready m ove d o n ce , t h e n moved aga i n to capture the paw n , and i t w i l l have to move again after b4. In and of itself, of course, that is all worthless. In this case White's a3 and the coming b4 are independently valuable as t hey re move b 4 from Black's minor pieces and Now comp a re t h at p o s i ­ prepare Bb2 . tion t o the position w e would I n fact, this position is like­ have in this line after, say 7 . . ly to start looking like a well­ dS 8 . b4 Bd6 9. c4 ! known variation . . . but with White TWO moves up ! .

Show mel

Okay! C o n s i d e r t h e R ey n o l d s variation o f the Meran Semi­ Slav: 1 . d4 d S 2. c4 c6 3 . Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 N b d 7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 bS 8. Bd3 a6

Comparing t hese two we see that Wh ite is essentially a full move up on a reversed Semi-Slav (in addition to the normal bonus move of being in a reversed opening) . The above l i ne is not the only one possible, but Black is rather far behind in devel157

The Queen's I ndian and Benoni opment without anything to show for it.

1 3. Nxc4 gives White outstand­ ing board control. 1 2 . . . Nbd7 1 3 . Ndf3 N e4 1 4. Nxd 7 Qxd7 1 5. Ne5 Qe7

Gereben-Szabo

1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3 . e3 c5 4.

The Q u e e n must stay i n contact with the K-side o r else QhS or Qg4 can prove tough to meet.

Bd3 Nc6 5. 0-0 Be7

1 6. c4

This signals White to em­ bark on a reversed Semi-Slav­ esque initiative.

16. Bxd4 exd4 1 7. a4 would have given White some chanc­ es both i n the short term and l o n g te r m . The t e x t m ove works out wel l for White, but only because Black doesn't de­ fend the b2-g8 diagonal.

Hungary 1 837

6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. a 3 d 5 8. b4 Bb6 9. Bb2 0-0 1 0. N bd2 ReS 1 1 . b5

1 6 . . . f6 1 7. cxd 5 exd 5 1 8. Bc2 Rd8 1 9. Nd3 d4? 20. Nf4!

M u c h b etter t h a n exd4 . Wh ite is taking advantage of B l a c k 's o m ission of . . . B e G . The threat is Bb3 + followed by QhS. 20 . . . Bf5 2 1 . exd4

Now Wh ite is up a pawn This key move gives Black a n d h a s p l e nty of ways to a tough choice. Regardless of pressure Black's King. Black's where he moves, c4 will come next few moves can probably soon. be improved upon, but his po­ 1 1 . . . N b8 1 2. Ne5?! sition is hard to defend. With Black so underdevel­ 21 . . . Bc7 22. Qh5 g6 23. Qh6 oped, 1 2. c4 is really the move N g 5 ? to play here. Black cannot af­ 23 . . . Qf7 was needed to ford to capture as 1 2 . . . dxc4 ? ! prevent Wh ite's next move . 158

Colle Chapter Eight Even then Wh ite has a good attack. 24. Bb3+

Black can not recapture after 38 . . . Qxh7 3 9 . Qxh7 as h i s King i s too far away from e8.

The g a m e is e s s e n t i a l l y 38 . . . Bd6 39. a S Qg7 40. Be4 won at this point. Wh ite plays BcS 4 1 . g 3 b6 42. axb6 axb6 accu rately over the next few 43. Kg2 Kg8 44. hS h6 45. BdS moves to bette r h i s a l ready Kh8 46. Bel Qf8 47. Be3 Kg7 strong position. 48. Be4 1 -0 24 . . . Kh8 25. Rfe l Qd6 26. d S Nf7 27. Q h 4 g S 2 8 . QhS NeS

5

The Modern Benoni

29. Ne6 Bxe6 30. dxe6 Qe7 3 1 . Rac1 Bd6 32. Rcd 1

3 1 . Bc2 with Re 3 - R h 3 to follow is more lethal. 32 ... Bc7 3 3 . h4 g4 34. QfS Rxd l 35. Rxd l Rd8 36. Rxd8+ Qxd8 37. Bc2 Qe7 38. a4

The exchanges have not re­ ally helped Black. . . of course at this point it would take a dose of arsenic in Wh ite's coffee to help Black. White's last move is un need fully cautious. Simple Qxh7+ is good enough si nce

The Benon i creates special proble m s fo r the Zukertort player for it combines the re­ strained d-pawn with a K-side fianchetto, either of which is enough to cause a headache by itself! Summerscale has a separate defense agai nst the Benoni, but for those who do not wish to learn much theory, here is a novelty to try. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 cS 3. e3 g6

Other options should not pose White special difficulty. 3 . . . cxd4 4 . exd4 g6 is of­ te n met by a plan of trans­ fe r r i n g the b - K n i g h t w i t h Bd3, 0-0, Re l , Nbd 2-fl . Th is idea has been played by Mi­ chael Adams and Tony Mi les, among others. Kovacevic has played this as well, but with 159

The Queen's I ndian and Benoni Be2 instead . 3 . . . e 6 transposes to the QI D. 3 . . . b6 occurs surprisingly often given that after 4. dxc5 bxc 5 Wh ite can p l ay 5 . e4 ! with i mpu n ity. I n practice, Black has responded with 5 . . . Bb7, after which White should h ave the more com fortable position after 6. e5 Nd5 7. Bd3 Nc7 8 . 0-0 g6. White will put a Knight on c4 and play h4 ! ? 4. dxc5 Qa5+ 5. Nc3!?

6. Qd4!?

This looks ridiculous, like a duffer trying to hold onto a pawn that is moribund. How­ ever, it is not easy for Black to retake the paw n . Th is move also pins the N/f6, supports a possible b 4 , a n d w i l l a l ­ low B d 2 to b e played without boxing in as many of White's pieces. 6. . . N c6 7. Qc4 Ne4 8. Bd2 Nxd2 9. Nxd2 d5

Most other moves wou ld al low 1 0 . 0 - 0 - 0 or 1 0 . Nb3, neither of which Black wants. The exchange with 9 . . . Bxc3 w i l l not give Black enough compensation s i n ce the c5 -pawn is easy to trade off. 9 . . . b5 10. Qb3 does not leave Black off better than the text. 1 0. Nxd5 Bxb2 1 1 . Rb1

Th is bizarre move, wh ich no one plays, keeps the Queen free to help out on the d-file. 5

. • •

Bg 7

Of cou rse, 5 . . Qxc5 sim­ ply gives Wh ite a good game after 6. Qd4 . 6. e4 m ight even be better. The Queen on c5 will help White develop and complicate Black's life. .

1 60

Colle Chapter Eight The t h reat of Nc7+ p i n s Blac k 's Queen t o t h e a 5 -d8 diagonal. Thus, the cowardly 1 1 . . . Bg7 can be addressed by si mply 1 2 . Qb5 Qd8 ( 1 2 . . . Qxb5 1 3 . Bxb5 and the King has to move : 1 3 . . . 0 - 0 ? 1 4 . Bxc6 bxc6 1 5 . Nxe7) 1 3 . Bc4 0 - 0 1 4 . Rd 1 a n d B l ac k h a s d i fficu lty complet i ng devel­ opment. H e can not kick the Knight away without shutting in his Bishop, but if he sends his Bishop out the b7-square hangs. On the other hand, 1 1 . . . Be5 is an over-reaction because the Bishop will eventually be a tar­ get. All White has to do is un­ wind his position and by using a R/b5 to move the Queen. An example is 1 2. Be2 0-0 1 3 . Rb5 Qd8 14. Nf3. One problem for Black in the above l i nes is that they do nothing by way of devel-

opment. I nstead, Black m ight play 1 1 . . . Be6 ? ! , developing the Bishop and clearing the way fo r a p o s si b l e . . . Rad8 (which is why this move does not l o s e a p i e ce : 1 2 . Rxb2 Bxd5 1 3 . Qxd 5 ? Rad8 ) . White can respond to this with the i maginative 1 2. e4 ! ? Bxd5 1 3 . exd5 Bc3 1 4 . dxc6 Bxd 2 + 1 4 . Ke2 ! bxc6 1 5 . g3 and the King is strangely safe due to the mass of material on the c-file wh ile his pieces are on excel lent squares. For those who don't like the look of this, Wh ite is also looking good after 1 2 . Qb5 Bxe5 1 3 . Qxa5 Nxa5 14. Rxb2 0-0-0 1 5. e4 Be6 1 6 . Nb3, when Black has nowhere near adequ ate compensation since White can simply hand-castle if need be (e.g., 16 . . . Nc4 1 7. Bxc4 Bxc4 1 8 . f3 Rd7 1 9. Kf2) .

1 61

Cl)apfer 9 Tl)e Sl}ea�y Oriil}feld The "Sneaky Gri.infeld " (a fitting appellation coined, I think, by Smith &. H all) is the fol lowing defense: 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3 . e3 g6

Oops. After the fianchetto, White would l i ke to play h is dark Bishop out; but, the committal e3 has deprived him of this response. No Torre attack, no 1 50 Attack, whatever shall he do ? 1

Fa m i l i arization

If he looks i n Smith &. H all, he is told to follow a plan based on c3 and b4, hoping Q-side play will emphasize the lack of Black's dark Bishop. After 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3. e3 g6

Colle Chapter N i ne Bd3 Bg7 5. Nbd2 Nbd7 6 . 0-0 c S 7. c3 0-0 8 . b 4 , they say White has a small advantage. I ran t h i s position t h rough a l a rge d atabase and fou nd 4 3 games between h u m a n s from this position . The score in those games : 7: 1 7: 1 2. To be fa i r, among stronger players (2000 and up playing both) , the score was 5 : 4 : 5, but this is hardly compel ling. Of course, quoting a data­ base does not refute an idea, so if you l ike the look of the position for White after 8. b4, by all means play this l i ne. However, Aaron Summerscale suggests instead simply play­ ing a normal Zukertort setup except with Be2 and possibly Na3 instead of Nbd2 to avoid easy exchange. He says that this black setup is "a tough nut to crack," and in an email to me s a i d t h at s e c t i o n of his book was a headache to write. The p o s i t i o n a fter 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3 . e3 g6 4. b3 Bg7 5 . Bb2 0-0 6 . Be2 cS 7. 0 - 0 occurred over 100 times in my database, and Wh ite fares better here than i n the 4.

c3/b4 line, scoring 51 percent. There were 40 games where b o t h p l ayers we re hu m a n s rated 2000 o r higher and the ledger was 8 : 2 2 : 10. Not quite as good as one would like. What about Lane? What does The Ultimate Colle h ave to say about this move order? Nothing. In fact, he does not mention the Gri.infeld at all. To b e fa i r, this i s probably l i n ked to his w i l l i ngness to play a sub-optimal ope n i ng out of convenience. He more or less says as much in his in­ troduction to the Colle versus the K I D. Not being happy with any of the above, I decided to fi nd an answer to this myself. Of­ fering a draw after the third move did not seem politic, so I sought some more innova­ tive method. As Christ sa id, "When you seek, you s h a l l find." A n d fou nd i t I did. After finding my answer, I sent G M Summerscale a note. He was kind enough to write me back, congratulating me on my solut io n and i n it i a l a n alys i s . I t was t h at i n te r­ cha nge that sealed the deal 1 63

The Sneaky Grunfeld with rega rd to my choosing to write the book you hold in your hands. Ta ke a l o o k at w h at t h e typical Griinfeld opening in­ volves :

pose a line i nvit i ng Black to take a free move he wish he did not have : 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d 5 3 . e3 g6 4. c4! Bg7 5. cxd 5 Nxd 5 6. e4

1 . d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3 . Nc3 d 5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. cxd 5 Nxd5 6. e4

I fou n d t h i s p o s i t i o n i n about 3500 games i n my da­ tabase. 9 8 % of the time, Black responds . . . Nxf3 , leading to what is called the "Modern Exc h a nge " va r i at i o n of the G r ii n fe l d . White 's position wou l d actu a l ly b e better i f the Knight were back o n b l . Black ga i n s t i me b y h av i ng someth i n g to exc h ange for his Knight. Black does poorly in practice with the rare alter­ nat ives . . . Nb6 and the even rarer . . . Nf6 . With this in m ind, I pro1 64

We have arrived by trans­ position to the same position, b u t w i t h W h i t e 's c- K n ight back on bl . Now Black lacks the option of exchanging his Knight. In fact, we have arrived at a bad, colors-reversed version of the Benoni ! This variation is so bad for White ( or, in our case, Black) that it, most of time, gets classified as a Torre attack even though the c-Bishop might not end up moving for many, many moves ! I have only found 4 games between players 2000 + from this position, but all four were wins by White ! However, I 've

Colle Chapter N ine found about 1 20 games in the 6 . . . Bf5 can b e met with 7. reve rsed ve rsion w ith both Nfd2 ! which discourages 7. . . players 2000 +. The tally being Qxd5 because 8 . Bf3 Qb5 9. 3 1 : 33 : 54, which sounds pretty Nc3 gives White excellent de­ darn good to me ! velopment and K-side expan­ sion options. 7. . . Bxb1 8. Rxb1 2 Black Declines Nxd4 is a lackluster fix, when both h4 or Qb3 look good for 1 . d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 dS 3. e3 g6 4. White. c4! c6 6 . . . Bg4 has similar prob­ lems after 7. h 3 since 7. . . Bxf3 8 . Bxf3 just gives Wh ite more control over d5. The quiet 6 . . . b6 7. 0-0 Bb7 is wel l-met by 8 . Qc2, h igh­ l ighting the lack of low-cost defenders of c7 while threat­ ening e4 . 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be2 0-0 7. 0-0

4 . . . d xc4 a l m o s t n e v e r occurs as it t ransposes to a favorable l i ne o f t h e Q G A after 5. Bxc4 Bg7 6 . 0 - 0 0 - 0 7. Nc3 . I 've found about 500 games w i t h White sco r i ng 6 1 % . One problem for Black is that . . . e6 (to blunt the Bfc4) weakens the al ready anemic f6-square. Th is is a typical position Black can play an odd gam­ in the Schlechter-Slav. From bit with 4 . . . Bg7 5. cxd5 0 -0 ? ! here Black has many possible 6 . Bel, but it looks like there p l a n s . In S ad l e r's exce l lent is nothing there : book The Slav, the following 1 65

The Sneaky Grii n feld plans are mentioned: • Fianchetto h is c-Bishop. • P repare Bg4 by playing dxc4 . • U nb a l a nce t h e pawn structure with Ne4 . • Expand on the Q-side. Of t h e ideas m e n t i o n e d b y Sadler, a l l but the last fare poorly in practice. Black often has to give up a pawn for play, but seldom gets ful l compen­ sation . Black appears to do best with the t h ree strange l o o k i n g m oves . . . e 6 , . . . a 6 , and . . . Be6. The common 7 . . . Nbd7 can be ably met with 8. cxdS cxdS 9. a4 ! b 6 10. b4, and Black's pieces are very constricted. The s o l i d 7 . . . b6 can b e answered by 8. cxdS cxdS 9 . NeS ! I f B l ac k p re p a re s . . . Bg4 by fi rst play i ng . . . dxc4 and exchanges the K night, White can get good play by launch­ ing his d-pawn up the board, as shown in the Bareev-Kram­ nik game below. Against 7. . . e6, White has had tremendous success with Qc2, Rd 1 and then e4. After 7 . . . a6, 8 . Qb3 dxc4 166

9 . Bxc4 bS 1 0 . Bel, White can e i t h e r p ro b e t h e adva nced Q-side with a4 or advance in the middle. In the 7. . . Be6 line, I'm sug­ gesting 8. NgS, which essen­ tially tries to get a free move out of Black by forcing h i m to use 3 moves ( . . . BfS, . . . h6, . . . Be6) compared to two for White (NgS, Nf3) . Wh ite can get a g reat at­ tack if Black tries to leave his bishop on fS : 8 . . . BfS 9. Bd2 h 6 1 0 . N f3 N b d 7 1 1 . cxd4 cxd4 1 2 . Nh4 ! Be6 1 3 . f4 Nb6 fS with a strong initiative oc­ curred i n Polugaevsky- Sham­ kovich, Leningrad 1 971 .

Bareev-Kramnik Novgorod, Russia 1 884

This game illustrates the d­ pawn march rather clearly. 1 . d4 dS 2. c4 c6 3. e3 g6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Be2 0-0 7. 0-0 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bg4 9. h 3 Bxf3 1 0. Qxf3 N bd7 1 1 . Rd 1 eS 1 2. d S

Colle Chapter Nine

This d-pawn march is the indicated play when Black ex­ changes on f3 . 1 2 . . . e4 1 3 . Nxe4 Nxe4 1 4. Qxe4 N b6 1 5. Bb3

Blac k 's ma neuvering has m a n aged to s i d e s t e p t h e structural disadvantages that would arise if White were al­ lowed to capture on c6. Black is a pawn down, but soon his Queen and Bishop will coor­ dinate well . d 6 h a s b e e n t r i e d a few times from this position, but not enough to draw conclu­ sions. Bareev has suggest Rbl here. I found 7 qual ity games w i t h t h i s suggest i o n , a n d Wh ite picked u p 6 1/2 points out of those 7 ! 1 5 . . . cxd 5 1 6. Bxd5 Nxd5 1 7. Rxd 5 Qb6 1 8. Qd3 Rad8 1 9. e4 Bd4 20. Kh 1

Th i s move looks odd on the surface, for White is vol­ u n t a r i ly m ov i n g h i s K i ng away from the center when he cou ld j ust as easily play Be3. The issue is that Wh ite will derive play from a com­ b i n at i o n of adva nc i ng h i s passed d-pawn and threaten­ ing Black's Bishop. Note that currently b6 is the only pawn­ protected square available to Black's Bishop. Exchanging Bishops would relieve Black's other pieces from defending the Bishop. See the note to White's 23rd move to see how these twin concerns influence the game. 20 . . . Bxf2 2 1 . Bh6 Rxd 5 22. exd 5 Rd8 23. Rd 1

Th i s p o s i t i o n i s a g o o d e x a m p l e of how isol ated d-pawns c a n be useful even 1 67

The Sneaky Grilnfeld late in the middle-game. With so few pieces on the board, restraining the pawn is a real p r i o r i t y, w h i c h t i e s dow n Black's pieces. After 2 3 . . . Qxb2 Black is a pawn up and controls the d i agon a l Wh ite wou l d l i ke for h is Queen. H owever, the simple 24. d6 is probably too The two options are . . . Nb6 much to handle, espec i a l ly with Black's Bishop l ac k i ng and . . . Nf6. The clumsy . . . Nb4? outposts. 24. d6 QeS 2 5 . Qd2 loses to Qa4 with dS to follow. Bg3 26. d7 b6 27. Re i Qe7 2 8 . The overwhelming favorite in practice h as been . . . Nb 6 . A Rc6 ! looks decisive. 23 ... Qd6 24. Qc3 f6 2 5 . Rf1 problem in both lines is that Bh4 26. Qb3 Bg5 27. Bxg 5 Black would l i ke to pressure fxg 5 28. Qxb7 Qxd 5 29. Qxa7 Wh ite's center with n atu ral Ra8 30. Qe3 Qxa2 3 1 . Qxg 5 moves like . . . Bg4 and . . . Nc6, Rb8 3 2 . b4 Qc4 3 3 . Rf4 Qe6 but . . . Nc6 allows dS to come 34. Rd4 Rxb4 3 5 . Qd8+ Kg 7 with tempo and Black has no 36. Qc7+ Kh6 37. Qc 1 + 1 -0 reason to play . . . Bg4 unless he intends to actually exchange 3 The Bad Ben o n i the Bishop, for the K-side fi­ anchetto robs him of space if So, what about when Black White plays h3. plays to our script? How bad Let's cover the less common is this Benon i ? And why? Let's option first. return to a point where Black has to make a decision : where 3.1 Black retreats his Knight to f6 to send his horse? 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d 5 3 . e3 g6 4. This move allows Black to c4 Bg 7 5. cxd 5 Nxd 5 6. e4 fianchetto the B/c8 , and the shielding of the B/g7 can be 1 68

Colle Chapter N ine useful as well. I n these lines, White does fine by slowly building up more and more center control until Black can not defend all h i s pieces. Black typically needs to play . . . e6 before he plays . . . c5 to stop d5. But, before playing . . . e6, Black will want to develop his Bishop, so the most consis­ tent line of play is: 6

• • •

Nf6 7. Nc3 0-0 8. Be2

Since Black's Q-side pawns can become mobile, t h i s is probably the best place for the Bishop. 8

• • •

b6 9. 0-0 Bb7 1 0. Qc2

Asllkelaii-KaiiDazalp Turkey 2004

1 . d4 Nf6 2. NB cS 3. g3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 dS 5. Bg2 eS 6. NB Nc6 7. o-o Be7 8. b3

8. c4 d4 9. e3 0-0 10. exd4 exd4 and White is not i n a position to either capture or blockade the pawn. Th is has been tried in 1 1 high-qual ity games. Black won 8 of those and only lost 1 . 8

• • •

o-o 9. Bb2 Qc7 1 0. h3.

Th is prevents the pinning . . . Bg4 , but Wh ite wou ld do better just playing e3 immedi­ ately. In addition to the tempo used, Wh ite m ight need the h3-square for his Knight if a later e4 forces Ng5. 10

. • •

Rd8 1 1 . e3 Be6 (Colors Reversed)

From here Wh ite will seek play on the c-, d-, and e-files while being prepared to assail Black's King if he attempts to play too much on the K-side. An il lustrative game with colors reversed : 169

The Sneaky Grii n feld Qd6 1 9 . Bxf6 gxf6 20. Bxe4 Bxd2 2 1 . Nf3 Bxh3 2 2 . Rfe 1 Qb4 2 3 . Nxd2 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 Qxe4. The 1 8 . Rd 1 line might 1 2. Qe2 Rac8 have tempted Black into tak­ The prophylactic . . . h6 and . . . a6 might be reasonable choic­ ing on h 3 too qu ickly: 20 . . . es. These moves jam up White's Bxh3 ? 2 1 . QhS ! and White is position by taking away choice back in the game ! 18 Nxe4 1 9. Bxe4 Rd2 20. squares from his Knights.

Black has developed logi­ cally, developing his pieces to support his pawns.

• • •

1 3 . N bd2 e4 1 4. N e 1 ?

Qh5 g6 2 1 . Qh4 Rxb2 22. Qf6

Perhaps White anticipated his K n ight on d2 cutting off defense of c2 by his Queen on e2. 14. NgS would have still left him down (e.g., 14 . . . BfS 1 5. c4 Nb4 16. g4 Bg6 17. h4 dxc4 18. Nxc4 h6 1 9. hS BxhS 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 2 1 . Nxe4 Bxa1 22. gxhS), but he would be safer.

Rd2 23. Nd3 Rd8 24. Rac 1

14

• • •

a6 1 5. c4 dxc4 1 6. Nxc4

b5 1 7. Nd2 Bb4 1 8. Nxe4 (Colors Reversed)

This loses, but so does the o b j e c t ively b e tte r 1 8 . Rd 1 1 70

R8xd3 25. Rxc6 Q d 7 2 6 . Rxa6 Rc3 27. a3 Qe7 28. Qe5 Bc8 29. Qxe7 0- 1 3.2 Black retreats his Knight to b6

This requires more finesse from both sides. 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3 . e3 g6 4. c4 Bg7 5. cxd 5 Nxd 5 6. e4 N b6

Viewed i n a very cu rsory manner, this position looks

Colle Chapter N i ne promising for Wh ite. He has a huge space advantage, a big center, an open file, and clas­ sical ly a Kn ight on b6 is not particu l a rly good (Tarrasch said so) . But whe n you look more closely, a slew of problems be­ comes evident. To keep an ad­ vantage, White needs to make sure Black can not play . . . c S o r . . . eS with advantage. The former of these is particularly h a rd to meet because dxcS typically goes badly due to pressu re down the d-file and along the long diagonal (and Wh ite cannot hold the pawn anyway ! ) wh ile meeti ng c S with dS is met b y a near-fu­ ture fS ! To add to all this, Black has the looming threat of . . . BgS, which i n d i rectly puts even more pressure on d4 . Stop ­ ping this with h3 does noth­ ing about the . . . cS and . . . eS threats. To add to these problems, White has a hard time devel­ o p i ng w i t h out co m m itt i ng his Bishops, and to top it off Black has the option of simply playing . . . Nc6.

Well cheerio to you tool

Yeah, but if you look even c l o s e r you fi nd t h at B l a c k h a s o n e major problem: the d7-square. d7 is a vital transportation square. Note that 4 of Black's p i e c e s requ i re t h i s s q u a re for transport. Three of those pieces are completely depen­ dent on it at the moment ! Fur­ thermore, the pressure down t h e d - fi l e d e p e n d s on t h e d7-square being open. Finally, the " . . . fS" retort to dS is based on Black controlling e6 or else NgS ! can hu rt. . . but if that d7-square we re blocked, the Bishop could not control e6. 7.a4!!

Th i s m ove ( o n ly pl ayed in 5 of 200 + games) th reat­ ens to knock the N/b6 i nto the d7-hole, causing a l l the p rob l e m s d e s c r i b e d ab ove plus more (si nce now Black's Kn ights will soon be on the same color and hence more eas i ly conta i ned by Wh ite's center) . 7. a4 a l s o t a kes away a S from B l ac k 's p ieces si nce a pawn will be there soon no 1 71

The Sneaky Grii n feld matter what Black does. 7. . .as

Black can ignore the threat with 7 . . . 0 - 0 ? ! , but after 8 . aS N6d7 9. Nc3, White's advan­ tage is undeniable. 7 . . . B g4 ? ! , t r y i n g to get the Bishop out before it gets stuck, appears too ambitious : 8 . aS N6d7 9. Be2 and all the problems mentioned befo re re a l ly i n form t h e position : 9 . . . c S 1 0 . d S and t he . . . fs plan fa i l s b ecause the B/g4 is trapped away from e6. 9 . . . Nc6 10. eS cages Black up. 9 . . . eS ? ! 10. BgS ! is very awkward to meet while 9 . . . 0-0 10. 0-0 has only postponed B l ac k 's difficulties. 8. BbS+ c6

The pawn on c6 h i nders Black's development. H e es­ sentially has one square (b4) to use, and there is only so much he can do with it. H e re i s a colors-reversed version of this idea.

Schlosser·Aiburt Italy 1 881

8 . . . B d 7 d o e s n o t s c a re Wh ite s i nce he i s h appy to 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 cS 3. g3 cxd4 exchange on bS here (which 4. Nxd4 d S S . Bg2 eS 6. N b3 removes the sting from . . . cS aS! for the foreseeable future) . 8 . . . N8d7 with the idea of . . . Nf6 later is suspect: 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Be2 with a good posi­ tion that has room to i mprove (e.g., NeS, dS, Bf4) . 9. Be2

1 72

Colle Ch apter Nine We have arrived at a colors­ reversed version of the posi­ tion after Wh ite's 7th move in ou r mainline. 7. a4 Bb4+ 8. c3 Be7 9. 0-0 0-0 1 0. Na3 Be6 1 1 . N b S

White has grabbed his one and only square. Woohoo ! 1 1 . . . Nbd7

As a rule Black would like to retake on f6 with a Kn ight, b u t n o w w i t h t h e wh i t e Kn ight on bS, this is especially i mportant si nce the darksquares on the Q-side need a little extra attention.

squared Bishop. 1 5. Re 1 Rfd8 1 6. e3

Wh ite i s d o i n g the o n ly t h i ng t h at he can . . . att ack­ ing in the region where he is not whol ly beaten. Th is move clears the a6 -fl diagonal to help in a futu re Q-side pawn in itiative. It doesn't work out, but it is hard to see what better road he has. 1 6 . . . Nd7 1 7. Q b 1 Rac8 1 8. Bf1 NcS 1 9. b3

White prepares c4 wh ile ad­ dressing the weakness of the b3-square. His N/d 2 is in danger of becoming overworked. 1 2. BgS h6 1 3 . Bxf6?1 1 3 . Be3 is better. Now that 1 9. b4 is probably better, or Wh ite has found some spots Bd3-c2. Either would prevent for his pieces, exchanges are the particular problems he is not so needed, his space defi- about to have on d3. cit notwithstanding. Since the 1 9 g6 20. c4 BfS 2 1 . Qa2 Knight on bS is his prize piece, Nd3 22. Red 1 maintaining his dark-squared 2 2 . Bxd3 Bxd3 is not pleas­ Bishop (to overload the dark- ant, but it is probably a little squ a res on the Q - side) ap- less lethal. pears more reasonable. Plus, 22 . . . Qf6 23. Nc3?1 this al lows Black to move the Now Bxd3 had to be tried. most awkwardly placed piece 23 . . . Nxf21 24. Re 1 24 . Kf2 ? ? Bb l + in his army. • • •

13

• . .

Nxf6 1 4. Nd2 Qb6

A natural (and good ! ) post for the Queen now that Wh ite h a s e x c h a n g e d h i s d a rk-

24 . . . Nd3 25. Bg2 Nxe 1 26. Rxe 1 dxc4 0- 1

1 73

Citapter 10 T ile Queerfs Oaltlbit }\eversed: Terrible Tarrascit aqd a Caro-l{aqq tllat Caq't And this is the chapter in our book where we meet Sauron, Darth Maul, Goliath, Oscar the Grouch, Freddy Krueger, Key­ ser Soze, Voldemort, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man all rolled into one nasty S'more of Pain . . . oh, and his kid brother as well.

S'more o f Pai n

K i d B rother

Before moving on, let's see if you've gained anything from the fi rst three quarters of this book. Why is the former of these harder to meet?

Colle Chapter Ten Because White has already shut in his Bishop.

Excel lent ! It appears my efforts h ave not been com­ pletely in va i n . I would also add that White has forfeited h i s cha nce of play i ng e4 i n one move, but that i s a more subtle point. 1

Fa m i l ia rization

To give an idea of how sol id the 1 . d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 va riation is, re a l ize t h at of all the pet defenses in this book, it has enjoyed the great­ est success historically, scoring something l i ke 55 % . Worse, in my database there is not a single response for White that scores above 50 % ! This view of the data suggests Black has equalized on move 3 ! ! The b ig prob l e m i s t h at B l ack is play i ng a move he will likely play anyway ( . . . c5) , but doing it early enough that Wh ite h a s to com m i t eve n more than normal. Black could play his Bishop out to f5 or g6, play a late version of the open Gri.infeld, or simply transpose

to the normal Zukertort. That's a lot to contend with ! These lines are such a pain t h at t hey a p p e a r to be the principal reason that Kovacev­ ic & Johnsen chose the move order 1 . d4 d5 2 . Bf4 ! ? in their book on the London System (wh i c h i s more o r l e s s the "other" Colle with Bf4 thrown in before playing e3) . The position after 1 . d4 d5 2 . Nf3 c5 certa inly does not look all doom and gloom for White. He has done nothing classically wrong, and Black appears to be playing over ag­ gressively. However, the suggestions give n i n other m a n u a l s do not really punish Black for his early temerity. Summerscale suggests a sol id l ine (3. dxc5 e6 4 . c4 Bxc5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. e3 Nf6 7. a3) that yields a safe, small advantage, but nothing to write home about. Pal liser suggests the more provocative 4. e4 ! ? that ends up with a similar type posi­ t i o n a fte r t h e dust s e t t l e s . Pal liser claims n o theoretical adva ntage, but th at's pretty common for him. 1 75

The Queen's Gambit Reversed When it comes to the 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 cS ! varia­ tion, however, t he l iteratu re gets interesting. Both Summerscale and P a l l i s e r g ive t h e " Reversed Queen's Gambit" to " Reversed Noteboom" craziness 4. dxcS e6 5. b4 aS 6. c3 axb4 7. cxb4 b 6 8 . B b S + B d 7 9 . Bxd 7 + N bxd7 1 0 . a 4 bxc S 1 1 . b S , but the three t i mes this l ine has been tried in the last 1 0 years were all losses for White (though in all fai rness in two of those, Black was a much stronger player. ) Don't get m e wrong . . . this position is unbalanced, fun to play, and not completely los­ ing for White . . . but so is Rus­ sian Roulette played while do­ ing a " dancing bear" routine on an oily beach ball. The analogy is more faith­ fu l t h a n m ight be e v i d e nt because White is mostly j ust trying not to die due to Black's central pawn roller and K-side attacking chances. In theory if White continues "not to die" for long e nough his passed Q-side pawns will be useful. Sm ith & Hall's suggestion 176

o f 4 . b3 ? ! does not i n s p i re much confide nce as Black's com i ng . . . Bg4 or . . . BfS now has even more bite than they did in chapter 6 . I g ive a m o re a mb i t i o u s option against the 2 . . . cS line and a sol id, qu iete r option agai nst 3 . . . cS. Note that my work on this latter line consti­ tutes a bit of a refutation for a major l ine of the Caro- Kann, so those with a wider opening repertoire might really appre­ ciate that gem ! Against 2 . . cS Wh ite can force Black i nto an i n ferior step-brot her to the Tarrasch simply by delaying or omit­ ting Nc3. It's really a simple system to play. .

2

2 . . . cS

You o n ly h ave to under­ stand one t h i ng ab out t h e Tarrasch Defense t o play this line. Let's take a look at what "normally" happens i n that defense: 1 . d4 dS 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 cS 4. cxdS exd S 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. 0-0 0-0

Colle Ch apter Ten 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 cS!? 3 . c4!?

Now there a re two c h i e f options for Wh ite, and h i s cho ice dete r m i n e s how the c e n t e r re s o lves a n d wh e re Black puts his c- Bishop. If Wh ite plays BgS, Black will either exchange on d4 or play c4 . Then he will play Be6. IfWhite plays dxcS, pocketing a te mpo s i nce the f- Bishop has already moved, Black will respond . . . d4 and then place his Bishop on fS (most of the time) . By a clever move order, we can p a i nt Black i nto a situation where he is u n able to respond as he wishes. All you have to do is delay Nc3 and BgS a b i t wh i l e kee p i n g i n mind the information in the last paragraph. Let's see how this plays out in our repert oire.

L e t h i m s t i c k that i n h is pipe and smoke it ! 3 . . . e6

Almost anything else leads to a comfortable QGA: 3 . . . dxc4 4 . dS ! and White will eventually get his pawn back and claim more than his fair share of the center. 3 . . . cxd4 ? ! should be an­ swered with 4. cxdS ! , which tends to lead to more interest­ i ng positions than 4 . Qxd S . For example, if Black tries to over-liquidate with 4 . . . Nf6 5. Nxd4 NxdS after White's nat­ ural response 6. e4, both 6 . . . Nf6 7. BbS + Bd7 8. eS ! BxbS 9 . N x b S Q xd l + ( . . . N fd 7 ? ! 10. e6 ! ! ) and 6 . . . Nb4 7. Be3 ( preparing Qa4) are good for White. 3 . . . N f6 s h o u l d be a n 1 77

The Queen's Gambit Reversed swered by 4. cxdS as well, for s i m i l a r reasons and s i m i l a r play. 4. cxd 5 exd 5 5 . g 3 !

hi mself any favors here. 7. . . Be6 is a major conces­ sion . Go back and read the fi rst portion of this section if you do not see why.

White waits for Black to move his f- Bishop before ex­ c h a ng i ng o n c S . A n d t h e n Because Black has he w i l l delay Nc3 so that a committed his c-Bishop too later . . . d4 will not come with early? tempo. 5 . . . Nc6 6. Bg2 Nf6 7. 0-0 Exactly ! Now White can happily play 8. N c 3 Be7 9 . dxcS a n d h ave a go od p o ­ . � .�.��- . s i t i o n t h at B l a c k i s a l most �· v,� l �·�f certainly not prepared for. If � Black is truly trying to keep �� his tempo, he may play 8 . . . h6 � � � or 8 . . . Rc8 instead, but he is � � fighting a losing battle against 11 � the clock since White has sev­ �' V, eral usefu l moves ava i l able 7 . . . Be7 to him. 7 . . . cxd4 ? ! does not help See the Reti-Tarrasch, 1 922 since after 8 . Nxd4, Black still game for an example of this has to find a move, and all he concession. has done is unmask the B/g2. 8. dxc5 Bxc5 7 . . . c4 cou l d h ave b e e n With no N/c3 to h it, 8 . . . p l ayed e a r l i e r. Th i s a l lows d4 appears to make no sense. White to attack the d-pawn T h e u n c a s t l e d n a t u r e o f with his Queen a fter 8. b3 Black's King means that after cxb3 9. Qxb3. White has two 9. b4 ! , Black cannot respond more ways of attack i ng the 9 . . . Nxb 4 due to 1 0 . Qa4 + d-paw n : N c 3 and BgS, s o I Nc6 10. Nxd4 do n't t h i n k B l a c k i s d o i ng I f B l a c k does not ret a ke

d ... �� '� W4�/,� � ��-"'% '� ',. ·� �� �- -���-� �� � ... �4)� �� �l�� � ��r�� ; � ;�f�,•

1 78

...

/• . . .

Colle Chapter Ten now, it is u nclear that he re­ which cannot be good for Black. gains the pawn without major 1 1 . . . Bb6 1 2. b3 and Black has concession a fter 8 . . . 0 - 0 9. to scramble to either save his Be3. For example 9 . . . Ng4 10. d-pawn or come up with a con­ Bd4 Nxd4 1 1 . Qxd4 . vincing way of threatening to 9. Bg 5 take another.

l. � .l�*� B � �� t � ' �� � ��t ��- t- ' � � 4) �� �-"'

� � �%-'/� �� t �---

'� f(�

�����!�-� :������ ��::1� � �� � � � �- - - �

1 1 . Bxf6 Qxf6 1 2. NdS

The alternative 1 2 . Ne4 is good as well, but White often has a hard time converting his advantage i n that l i ne to an actual win. Plus, this line has more traps for Black.

L.�

Wh ite normally does not have the luxury of doing this after exchang i ng on cS, but now he can. This has further positive i mpl ications down the road, as we shall see. 9 . . . 0-0 1 0. Nc3 d4

H e re Black faces a d i ffi ­ This is probably still best. 10 . . . Be? 1 1 . Bxf6 Bxf6 1 2 . cult choice. Black practically NxdS Bxb2 1 3 . Rb1 Bf6 1 4 . e4 a l ways p l ays . . . Q d 8 , a ft e r looks qu ite good for Wh ite, which White's Knights tend to though t h i s is not the only dominate the middle. The al­ possible strand. I n general I ternative . . . QfS ! ? is doubled­ think White gets a large devel­ edged. Black gets extra central i n fluence, but the Queen is opment lead in this line. 10 . . . Be6 1 1 . Rc1 gives Black vulnerable. a hard choice. 1 1 . . . Be? unpins the Knight but allows 12. Nd4, 1 79

The Queen's Gambit Reversed RIU-Tarrasch

1 0. Na4 Be7 1 1 . Be3 b6

Bad Pistyan 1 822

Tarrasch would occasion­ a l ly experi ment i n his own defense. Here is an example of one of those experimenta­ tions. 1 . d4 d 5 2. c4 e6 3 . Nc3 c5 4. cxd 5 exd 5 5. Nf3 N c6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Be6?!

This prevents NcS and will allow a later . . . BcS to help re­ move a blockader, but modern players tend to prefer . . . 0-0 or . . . Ne4. I assume the former is due to a lack preparation since I cannot find a single game that conti nued 1 1 . . . 0 - 0 1 2 . NcS where White failed to score the full point ! (8 games, 8 wins ) . 1 2. Nd4 Nxd4

As mentioned in the main section, this move typical ly is pl ayed only after White has given some indication of his plans.

A s t a n d a rd o p t i o n fo r Wh ite i s to t a ke on c6 and then gang up on the backward c6-pawn.

8. 0-0 Be7 9. dxc5 Bxc5

1 3 . Bxd4 Qd7 1 4. Nc3 Rd8

Tarrasch typically preferred to push the d-pawn, but with the Bishop on e6 he runs into 9 . . . d4 ? ! 1 0 . Na4 0 - 0 1 1 . b4 Nxb4 1 2 . Nxd4 BdS 1 3 . NfS ! , when there is no compensation to be found for his lost pawn.

It m ay h ave m ade m o re sense to castle fi rst and then determine which Rook should go on which fi le.

180

1 5 . Qb3 0-0 1 6. Rfd 1 N e8

P e r h a p s B l ac k was c o n ­ sidering playing . . . Bf6 next?

Colle Chapter Ten I must ad m it to not u nder­ s t a n d i ng wh at o t h e r p o i nt this move could have . . . . Rfe8, preparing . . . Ne4, should be considered.

24 . . . Bc4 is best. After this simplification, there is no hope.

1 7o a4 BcSI?

Re7 32o Rb4

Objectively t h i s is l i kely worse than 17 . . . Bf6 1 8 . aS Bxd4 1 9. Rxd4 Nf6 20. axb6 Rb8 . But the text at least al­ lows the hope of saving the game through the interesting tactics that will ensue.

I t d o e s n o t m a t t e r, o f course, but 32 . Rc4 i s more direct. After 33. Rc6, White's King has a clear path through the middle.

1 8o BxcS d41 ?

37 o RbS f6 38o Kb4 1 -0

25o Rxd4 Bxg2 26o Rxd8 Rxd8 27o Kxg2 g6 28o Rxa7 Rd2 29o b3 Kg7 30o Ra4 Rxe2 3 1 o b6

32 o o o Rb7 3 3 o Kf3 Kf6 34o Ke4 Ke6 35o Kd4 Kd6 36o Kc4 Kc6

Andersson-Nu111 London 1 880

Let's see an open ing theo­ rist get put in a bad position from this line. 1 o Nf3 Nf6 2o c4 e6 3 o g 3 d S 4o d4 cS S o cxd S exd S 6o Bg2 N c6

This is Black's only hope of 7 o 0-0 Be7 8o dxcS BxcS mixing it up. Unfortunately, it is Tarrasch who makes the fata l e rror . . . but that is not too surprising given that he was defending such a difficult position. 1 9o Qa3 bxcS 20o QxcS Bb3 2 1 o Rd2 Qc7 22o Qxc7 Nxc7 23o N bS NxbS 24o axbS BdS?

1 81

The Queen's Gambit Reversed Without a K n ight on c 3 , 8 . . . d 4 lacks punch. 9. Bg 5 0-0 1 0. Ne3 d4 1 1 . Bxf6 Qxf6 1 2. N d 5 QdS

This is the standard contin­ uation, occurring about 9 0 % o f the time in 500+ games. 1 3 . Nd2 a6

shou l d be conside red . Th i s would l i kely either i nduces weaknesses i n Black's pawn structure or compel Black to exchange one of his Bishops for a white Knight. 1 S.

•.

ReS 1 9. Ne4 BbS 20.

Nd3

This creates a hole for the Bfc5 and in theory could sup­ port . . . b5, t a k i ng away the c4-square. 13 . . . ReS is the other main choice, whe n Wh ite can re­ spond with 1 4 . Rc 1 and per­ haps Nc4 . 1 4. R e 1 Ba7 1 5. Re 1

White clearly has a great deal of centra l control, but what can he do with it? He has no outposts, and his pieces are not configured in such a way to attack Black's King. 20

. . •

Qe7?1

1 5. Nf4 is much more com­ mon now. But t h i s position was novel at the time.

B l a c k m i sses h i s o p p o r­ tunity to gai n equal ity here. 20 . . . Bg4 ! 2 1 . Qxd8 Nxd 8 , and the game i s unbalanced but equal.

1 5 . . . ReS 1 6. Nf4 Bd7 1 7. Qb3

2 1 . Qe5 RedS?!

RbS 1 S. Qd5

1 8 . Bd5 Qe7 1 9. Be4 with the ideas of Red 1 and N d 5 1 82

Colle Chapter Ten Perhaps 2 5 . . . Re6 ! ? 26. Qf4

26. Nxb7 ! ? Rxd6 27. Nxd6 Qb8 28. Rxc6 Rd8 29. Nb7 ap­ pears even better: 29 . . . ReS 30. Reel Rc8 3 1 . Rxc8 Bxc8 32. Na5 Bb6 33. Nc6 Qd6 34. Ne7 Qxe7 35. Rxc8 Kh7 and 29 . . . Rd7 30. Nbc5 Bxc5 3 1 . bxc5 both look pretty bad for Black. While Black's position was 26 Bd5? cramped earl ier, it only h ad 26 . . . Bb8 had to be tried. one weakness . . . now that the The text is disastrous. c6 - K n ight has less support, 27. Bxd 5? Black will soon have 3 weak27. Nxc6 ! with Ne5 to folnesses ! 21 . . . Bg4 was still bet- low is quite strong ! ter. 27 Rxd 5 2S. Qf3 RedS 2 8 . . . Rd6, supporting the 22. Bf3 22. Qh5 ! ? with the idea of K n ight, is bette r. . . . Qd7 i s Bd5 could make things more a l s o go o d , u n p i n n i ng t h e Knight. interesting here. • . •

. . •

22

• • .

h6 23. b4 Ba7

29. Rc4 Qd7?

It's u nd e rst a n d ab l e t h at Unfortunately, unpinning Black wants to get his pieces now does not work. off the fi rst ran k, but . . . Rc8 30. Nxc6? would be more circumspect. . . Ulf misses another chance: even at the cost of stultifying 3 0 . Nxb7 ! Qxb7 3 1 . Re e l ! wins the exchange due to the his own 2 1 st move. threat of Nf4 . 24. Qd6 QcS 25. N a 5 The p i n this uncovers and 30. .. bxc6 3 1 . Rec 1 ReS 32. the pressure on b7 and c6 will R 1 c2 BbS?! be thorns in Black 's side for Nunn was defending a position with too many weaknessmost of the duration. es, but this lets Ulf del iver a 25 Be6 . . •

183

The Queen 's Gambit Reversed knock-out blow. Once a white piece gets to c 5 , wh at l ittle hope Black had goes away.

4 . . . e6

Black can also try to get by w i t h out shutt i ng i n h i s Bishop. 4 . . . Nc6 is far too ambitious due to 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nf6 7. d5 Nxe4 (7 . . . Nb8 concedes a loss in time, but is more cir­ cumspect) , after which White can choose the small gambit 8. Nc3 Nxc 3 9. bxc 3 or the more fiery 8. dxc6 ! ? Qxd 1 + 9 . Kxd 1 Nxf2 + 10. Ke 1 Nxh 1 3 3 . NcS Qd6 34. Qa3 ReS 3 5 . 1 1 . cxb7 Bxb7 1 2 . Bb5 + Kd8 Nd3 aS 3 6 . Rxc6 Q e 7 37. Qb3 1 3 . Ne5 Kc7 ( 1 3 . . . Bd5 ? ! 14. RhS 3S. ReS axb4 39. Qxb4 Nc3 e6 1 5. Bf4 a6 16. Bc6 ! + -) 1 4 . Nxf7 Rg8 1 5 . Nc3 ! Th is 1 -0 last move is key. Do not make the mistake Christiansen did 3 3 . . . cS We deal with the more in- and try to recover material . . . fernal option. The general idea i n s t e a d c o n t i n u e to b r i ng here will be to work toward a pieces to bear on Black's King. White's plan is to play Be3 and mobile Q-side maj ority. 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 cS! pressure along the c-fi le un­ 4. c4 less Black pushes his e-pawn, in which case White will in­ filtrate on the d-file. The dif­ ference b e i ng that once the e-pawn moves forward a white Rook on d7 hits the important g7-square, where a black piece is likely to appear. Of course, if Black is reckless enough to play 1 5 ... Bxg2, or some other

184

Colle Chapter Ten move that allows Bf4 +, White should probably take advan­ tage of that. 4 . . . cxd4 5. exd4 only leads to something independent if Black continues with 5 . . . Nc6 6. Nc3 Bg4 or 5 . . . g6. Other lines should transpose to later notes. In the case of 5 . . . Nc6 6 . N c 3 Bg4 , 7 . cxd 5 N x d 5 8 . Q b 3 ! ? i s a ve ry s h a r p b u t good l i ne. The most i mpor­ tant variation to know is 8 . . . Bxf3 9. gxf3 e6 10. Qxb7 Nxd4 1 1 . Bb5 + Nxb5 1 2 . Qc6 ! Ke7 1 3 . Qxb5 Nxc3 ( 1 3 . . . Qd7 1 4 . Nxd5 Qxd5 1 5 . exd5 i s pleas­ ant for White.) 1 4 . bxc3 and both . . . Qd7 and . . . Qd5 can be met by Rb1 , and 1 5 . . . f6 ? ! is met by 1 6 . Ba3 Kf7 1 7. Rd 1 with a vibrant attack. 5 . . . g6 is a wel l - rece ived line, but White can twist it into a strange c3-response to the Sicilian Dragon (which is un­ likely to be in your opponent's repertoire) with 6 . cxd5 Bg7 (6 . . . Nxd5 7. Qb3 Bg7 8. Bc4 e6 9. Nc3 looks awkward for Black) 7. Qb3 0-0 8 . Nc3 Nbd7 9. Bg5 Nb6 1 0. Bxf6 Bxf6. This position has occurred in doz-

ens of games. While the results h ave b e e n decent a fte r 1 1 . Be2, I think White can do bet­ ter with 1 1 . Bd3, taking away . . . Bf5. Both 1 1 . . . Bg4 1 2 . Ne5 Bxe5 1 3. dxe5 and 1 1 . . .e6 1 2. d6 ! with the idea of 1 3 . Ne4 look good for White. 5. a3!

Yeah, that will show him ! Does this really threaten to keep the pawn should Black not defend it1

No. But, it does th reaten to put Black two moves down on a typical Meran Semi-Slav syste m . I f B l a c k cont i nues with 5 . . . Nc6 then a fte r 6. dxc5 Bxc 5 7. b 4 , Blac k w i l l b e down two moves (instead of the normal one) in a Re­ versed Semi-Slav. Wh ite will be up a move by playing c4 in one play. Needless to say, that should be a fine position for White. It is more or less the same va riation seen in the fi nal section of the Queen's I ndian Defense chapter with the line : 1 . d4 Nf6 2 . Nf3 e6 3. e3 c5 4 . Bd3 Nc6 ? ! 5. 0-0 Be? 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. a3. 185

The Queen's Gambit Reversed 5 . . . cxd4

H i storical ly, Wh ite does The only reasonable way not do wel l i n these l i nes if to avoid the above variation. Black has not played . . . Nc6. . . . dxc4 is always an option, H oweve r, I 've fou n d a new but it should be even better idea that should put this vari­ t h a n n o r m a l for Wh ite b e ­ ation in a whole new l ight ! cause it makes h i s a 3 - move 8 . . . Ne4 Th i s is t h e s t a n d a rd re ­ have added value in that the sponse to a cS-pawn push in a2-square is a bolt hole for the Bishop. the Caro - K a n n . Blac k plans 6. exd4 Be7 on setting up a Stonewall and 6 . . . Nc6 is welcome because attacking on the K-side. a general rule for these posi­ 8 . . . b6 is played more often, tions is that White can have a but with bad results. As sev­ good game by playing cS ! ? so eral chess writers have stressed: long as he gets Black to play . . . don't move pawns on the side Nc6 first. Partially this is due to where you are weak. the attack BbS where Black has 9. Bd3!! to passively guard the Knight or And t h i s is my i mprove ­ allow an exchange on c6 that ment over conventional wis­ benefits White. See the Ivkov­ dom. In al most eve ry ga me Fischer game. feat u r i ng t h i s position, the 7. Nc3 0-0 p l ay is Q c 2 , w h i c h m a ke s sense o n the surface a s i t both attacks the Knight on e4 and d e fe n d s t h e K n ight on c 3 . H owever, i t re moves protec­ tion the d4 -pawn, which can come under fi re afte r . . . Bf6 and . . . Nc6. The subtlety here i s t h at the text move also p rotects aga i nst . . . Nxc 3 , as we shall 8. cS!? see. I n addition, it helps White 186

Colle Chapter Ten maintain latent protection on d4, accelerates cast l i ng, and makes Wh ite's 10 move fea­ sible. 9 . . . fS

has so lved m o re or less all the problems he has i n this variation. Blac k can no lon­ ger wreck h is pawn structure with . . . Nxc 3 . Wh ite can now e a s i ly defe n d d 4 , w h i c h i s ty p i c a l ly a m a j o r pre s s u re p o i n t , a n d t h e p l ay B l a c k c a n get down t h e a 1 -h8 diag­ onal on the R/a 1 after Wh ite pushes h i s b - pawn won't come t o a nyth ing since the N / c 3 h a s m oved a n d t h e a 1 - Ro o k i s l i ke l y go i ng to sl ide to b l . Black will h ave a very d i fficult t i me stopping Wh ite from adva nc i ng those Q -side pawns now.

9 . . . Nxc 3 ? underestimates the strength of Wh ite's posi­ t i o n . After 1 0 . bxc 3 b6 1 1 . h4 ! Black needs to consider carefu l ly how he plans not to die. Out of nowhere White has something pretty similar to a standard Colle attack. Both Bishops, his Queen, a Knight, and quite possibly his h-Rook, are a l l in position to ass a i l Black's K i ng . H e i s a l re ady prepared for the h7- B i shop sacrifice ! lvkov-fischer For a more thorough anal­ Rovinj/Zagreb 1 870 ysis of this attack, see the Ex­ B obby Fischer was prob­ tra Analysis chapter. In short, 1 1 . . . Ba6 is met by NgS, 1 1 . . . ably ove r 3 0 0 E L O p o i nts g6 cries out for 1 2 . hS, and higher than lvkov when this 1 1 . . . h6 (the only re a l d e ­ game was held. fense) should be met b y 1 2 . 1 . d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 cS 4. NeS. 1 0. Ne2

Now Black is in trouble.

e3 d S 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. a3 cxd4 7. exd4 Be7

What's the big dea/1

I n a s i ng l e move Wh ite 187

The Queen's Gambit Reversed for ge neral ly attac k i ng with his g-pawn a bit too often, but this time it can hardly be criti­ cized. Computers l i ke 1 1 . . . Bd7, but it has been t reated roughly in practiced, partially because it allows White to get Bf4 in. 1 2 Bxc6 bxc6 1 3 NeS o

o

We have arrived by trans­ position to a position nearly the same as the note to our move 6 . I n general, if Black has played Nc6 in these po­ sitions, the cS -pawn push is likely good. S cS Ne4 o

Th i s i s a pretty com mon response to the pawn push. B l a c k w i l l a t t a c k on t h e K-side, White will advance on the Q -side. 9 Qc2 o

White protects h is Knight since his Q-side pawn rol ler will be significantly hampered i f the b -pawn gets d iverted . The Bd3 idea discussed in the last section does not work as wel l here because Black has not castled. 9

o o o

fS 1 O BbS 0-0 1 1 0-0 g S o

o

Bobby has been criticized 1 88

Better is 1 3 . Qa4 first, then 1 3 . . . B b 7 1 4 . N e S B f6 1 5 . Nxe4 fxe4 1 6 . Be3 Bxe S 1 7. d xe S . W h i l e Wh ite c a n n o t speak of a sizeable advantage here, Black has the worst piece on the board and a central pawn rol l e r t h at is not go ­ ing anywhere for the nonce. White might even have some i nterest i ng K- side c h a nces after, say, 1 7 . . . Qc7 18. BxgS QxeS 1 9. Be3 with the ideas of Bd4, Qb3 and the activation of H is Rook with f4 .

Col le Chapter Ten 1 3 . . . Bf6

it in.

Th i s is b e tte r than 1 3 . . . Qc7

22 . . . h 5 2 3 . a4 Bd3 24. b5

1 4. Nxc6?!

24 . c6 might be a little better here.

Wh ite cannot hold o nto 24 . . . e5 25. c6 a6 26. b6! this pawn, so it seems that Wh ite is playing very well, the less ambit ious 1 4 . Nxe4, though Fischer is in the un­ 14. Rd 1 , or some other choice enviable position of trying to was better. win from a negative position. 1 4 . . . Qc7 1 5 . Nxe4 fxe4 1 6.

26 . . . Rf6 27. Bb2 Rxc6 2S.

Ne5 Ba6 1 7 . Re1 Bxe5 1 S.

Bxd4 h4 29. Qxe5 Qxe5 30.

dxe5 Qxe5 1 9. Qc3 Qf5 ?

Bxe5 Rxb6 3 1 . hxg4

Fischer h a s e l i m i n ated W h i t e 's a d v a n c e d p a s s e d pawns at the expense of being a pawn down. 31

• • •

Rg6 32. f3 ReS 3 3 . Bd4

RfS 34. Re3 RdS 35. Bc3 exf3 36. gxf3 Bc4 37. Rae1 RfS 3S. ReS Bd5 39. RxfS+ KxfS 40. Re3 Re6 4 1 . Be5 KgS 42. f4 Rg6 43. g 5 Rc6 44. Rh3 Rc1 +

This just seems like an aw­ 45. Kf2 Rh 1 46. Rd3 Rh2+ 47. ful mistake. I can only assume Ke 1 Be4 4S. Rd6 Rg2 49. Rh6 Fischer thought there was too Rg4!? great a chance of not winning After dozens of very accu­ after the exchange, and he'd rate moves from both sides, rather play an inferior posi­ Fischer shows his tru mp card tion with more fight left in it. of sorts. He is convinced that 20. Qg3 g4 2 1 . b4 d4 22. h3! he can set up a fortress to gain Th is needs to b e p l ayed a draw even two pawns down, soon, a n d White i s correct but only if he can eliminate in ignoring the central pawn the fa r paw n s . So he g ives rol ler for the moment to get Wh ite another pawn in return 189

The Queen's Gambit Reversed for having all pawns be on t h e same wing.

Be4+ 73. Kd4

50. Rxa6 h3 5 1 . Rh6 Rg 1 + 52. Kf2 Rg2+ 53. Ke3 BfS 54. a S Kf7 55. a6 R a 2 5 6 . Kd4 h2 5 7 . a7 Rxa7 5 8 . Rxh 2 Rd7+ 59. KeS Re7 60. Bd6 ReS 6 1 . Ra2 Kg6 62. Ra7 KhS 63. Rf7 Kg4 64. Rf6 ReS+ 65. Kd S ReS 66. Rh6 Be4+ 67. KeS BfS 68. BeS ReS+ 69. Kd6 Ra8 70. Kd S Rd8+ 7 1 . Bd6 ReS 72. Be7

1 90

112-112.

Cl)apter 11 Various Oddities This chapter is an "odds and ends" chapter. None are particu­ larly common, but they can cause a real headache to someone trying to play in a thematic way. The specific lines we will study: 1 . The Hybrid Zukertort ( . . . Nbd7, . . . Bd6) 2. The Patzer Line (and Semi-Slav) 3. I mmediate Q-side Fianchetto 4. Chigorin Play 5. Bishop to a6 6. Queen to b6 7. Early Checks 8. The Errot 1

The Hybrid Zukertort

The case where Black combines the classical line with the Bogolyubov by putting his Knight on d7 and h is Bishop on d6 warrants separate discussion. Th is variation looks odd as it gives White a free move ( a3 is not needed to stop Nb4 ) , and there is no concern ab out the . . . cxd4, exd4 NxeS, dxeS Nd7, . . . NcS ma neuver a fter Wh ite plays NeS si nce dxeS wou ld fork the B/d6 and N/f6 .

Various Oddities There is a l s o l e s s cove rage on the c-file for the Queen, a nd the B i shop - k i l l i ng B a 3 i s far l e s s effect ive because Blac k can not fol low it with . . . Nb4. Sti l l , B l ack gai n s flu idity because he does not need to be as concerned about fi re­ works on the l ong d i agona l ( s i n c e t h e N / f6 h a s m o re s u p p o r t ) , a n d t h e re i s t h e "threat" o f . . . N e 4 si nce the b - K n ight does not block the B/b7. I n fact, there a re sev­ eral "normal " looking l ines t h at W h i t e h a s l ac k l u s t e r performance i n . M y advice is for Wh ite to refrain from playing c4 u n­ less B l ac k p l ays . . . Q c7. D o not b e too concerned about . . . Qe7 pl ans, and m a ke ab ­ solutely sure you know how to re s p o n d to t h e . . . N e 4 that Black i s allowed to play. Black does best i n this l i ne by de l ay i ng t h e m ove m e nt of his Queen as long as pos­ sible.

From here Black c a n try to b a mb o oz l e Wh i t e w i t h 7 . . . Qc7 ? ! , threatening . . . eS. While 8 . Nbd2 is a fine way of meeting this, as then 8 . . . eS can be met with 9. dxeS NxeS 10. NxeS BxeS 1 1 . BxeS QxeS 1 2 . BbS +, White can do better with 8 . c4 ! , open ing up the center. See Extra Analysis for commentary on this line. 7 . . . 0-0 8. Nbd2 b6

Th i s is n o t a c o m m o n move here, but it i s the best. If B l ack cont i nues with the t h reatening 8 . . Qc7, Wh ite can open up the middle with 9. c4 b6 10. cxdS exdS 1 1 . e4 ! , when neither 1 1 . . . cxd4 1 2 . Re i nor 1 1 . . . dxe4 1 2 . Nxe4 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3. e3 e6 4. Nxe4 1 3 . Bxe4 look good for Bd3 cS 5. b3 N bd7 6. 0-0 Bd6 Black. Note how undefended 7. Bb2 Black's King is in this l atter position !

1 92

.

Colle Chapter Eleven Qe7 is fundamentally flawed si nce the Bishop-kill­ ing plan of Ba3 leaves some­ thing to be desired, for there is no threat of . . . Nb4 l ater: 9. NeS cxd4 10. exd4 Ba3 1 1 . Bxa3 Qxa3 1 2 . f4. It is at this point when Wh ite would nor­ mally need to play c3 to pro­ tect the b4- and d4-squares. 8. . .

9. NeS Bb7 1 0. Qe2

Th is last move is hard to find. Qf3, f4, and c4, all seem more natural, but the text is the most restrictive. What do you mean l it seems like the text does the least in terms of restriction.

Qf3 gets dicey after Qc7 since t h e Q u e e n is b l o c k i ng t h e f-pawn. c4 is not a s good as in lines where the Queen is al­ ready on c7. f4 invites . . . cxd4 1 1 . exd4 Ne4, when Black has managed both to exc h ange cent ral p aw n s a n d p l a n t a Knight on e4. W i t h Q e 2 , Wh i te goads Black i n to m a k i ng a c o m ­ mittal move. I f 1 0 . . . cxd4 1 1 . exd4, then t h e Queen pre­ vents . . . Ne4. White is not too conce rned about . . . N e 4 i n this l ine a s long a s Black has not excha nged pawns fi rst : 1 0 . . . Ne4 1 1 . Bxe4 ! dxe4 1 2 . Ndc4 Be? 1 3 . Nxd7 Qxd7 14. dxcS is quite nice for White. From here Wh ite can freely develop towa rd a K-side at­ tack with f4 because neither . . . cxd4 nor . . . Ne4 is a threat (unless Black bribes the ref­ eree into allowing him to play both at once ! ) . 2

The patzer l i n e (an d

Semi-Slav)

It m ight appear that way, but this move stifles a few of I f Black is so t a i nted by Black's options without giving conservative opening b o oks h i m any new ones. I nstead, t h at he c h o o s e s to m a k e 1 93

Various Oddities no other p aw n moves than . . . d 5 and . . . e6, he is play i ng what I refer to as the " Patzer Line." Th i s va r i at i o n n at u r a l ly contains the D e l ayed Semi­ S l av (where Black p l ays a n e a rly . . . e 6 and o n ly l ater a . . . c6) . I f Black instead opens up with 1 . d4 d 5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 c6, then Wh ite can j ust play 4. c4 i nviti ng 4 . . . B f5, with a transposition to the S l av c h apter. Should Black refuse t h i s and cont i nue i n t h e S e m i - s l av w it h 4 . . . e 6 , then 5 . N b d 2 is a n asty sur­ prise, allowing Wh ite to cap­ ture on c4 with h i s K n ight i n stead of h i s B i s h o p . F o r 4 . . . B g 5 , s e e section 8 of this chapter. Even though Blac k is not play i ng a mbitious ope n i ng moves, do not be fooled i nto t h i n k ing you r task is e asy ! To get a promising position, Wh ite w i l l b e playing for a q u i c k K - s i d e att ac k . S i n ce B l ac k has not advanced h i s c- p a w n , W h i t e g e n e r a l l y d o e s not n e e d t o p l ay b 3 . I n st e a d , h e w i l l b e t r y i ng to use h i s B/c l to attack the 1 94

black K i ng along the c l -g6 diagonal . 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 N bd7

I f B l a c k p l ays 4 . . . B d 6 here, play w i l l l i kely trans­ pose. H owever after 5 . 0 - 0, if Black plays 5 . . . 0 - 0 ! , Wh ite should continue 6. Nc3 ! , for 6 . Nbd2 not o n ly would al­ low Black to go back to the standard Bishop-kil l i ng line (now that Wh ite has moved his b - K n ight) , but also Bl ack could p l ay t h e provo c at ive 6 . . . c 5 7. d x c 5 Bxc 5 8 . e 4 Nc6 ! ? The p o i nt b e i ng that a fte r 9 . e 5 , B l a c k c a n p l ay 9 . . . Ng4 due to the K n ight's blocking the B/c l . With 6 . Nc3 ! , play should t r a n s p o s e a ft e r a l at e r ex­ c h a nge on e 4 . 6 . . . c5 c a n be met with 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8 . e 4 dxe4 9 . Nxe4 Nxe4 1 0 . B x e 4 , w h e re W h i t e h a s a usefu l Q - side maj ority and shou l d b e ab l e to pressure t h e e 6 - p aw n s i nce B l a c k w i l l eventually need to play . . . f5 . 5. 0-0

Colle Chapter Eleven The aftermath o f 7. e 4 favors White. 7. e4

7. Re 1 actua l ly has more b ite, a n d i s m ore l i ke l y to score a quick win against an u nprepared opponent si nce . . . eS and . . . ReS both le ave B l a c k i n troub l e . H oweve r after 7. . . cS 8 . c3 White finds The b iggest question for himself in a comfortable but Black to answer is whether his compl icated m a i n l i ne posi­ tion of the "normal " Colle. I f Bishop goes on e7 or d6. you happen t o know t h e ins and outs of that position, then 2.1 Patzer with Bd6 by all means go with 7. Re l . . . .

5 . . . Bd6 6. N bd2

7 . . . dxe4 8 . Nxe4 Nxe4 9.

With the Kn ight on d7, the note to Black's 4th move is no longer valid.

Bxe4

6 ... 0-0

6 . . . c6 is too slow. Wh ite can get a great game after 7. 0 - 0 0 - 0 8 . e4 d xe4 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Rxe4 ! , with the idea of eventually playing Rh4 and probably sacrificing it (rather t h a n t h e B/ d 3 ) . S e e E x t r a From here, Black has done Analysis for more details on well with 9 . . Nf6 10. BgS h6, this exciting line ! 6 . . . c S transposes to the but after 1 1 . Bxf6 Qxf6 1 2 . c3 Black should h ave difficulty Hybrid Zukertort. 6 . . . e S ? ! fai l s to i mpress, developing his B/c8 . A similar as p o i nted out by P a l l i s e r : statement holds for 1 0 . . Be? .

.

1 95

Various Oddities 1 1 . Bxf6 Bxf6 1 2 . c3. In both natural 1 0 . . . Ng4 can b e met cases Wh ite's B/e4 is hard to by 1 1 . Qe2 when 1 1 . . . Bb4 1 2. d i s l o dge w it h out i nvest i ng Bxh7 Kxh7 1 3 . NgS + Ng8 14. significant time or playing . . . Qxg4 is complicated but fa­ fS, which weakens e6 as wel l vors White. See Extra Analysis chapter for more information a s eS and gS. on the possibilities here. You could also simply play 2.2 Patzer with . . . Be 7 a less sharp l i ne with b3 or Th i s i s a s i mpler l i ne to c3. d e a l w i t h because t h e re i s I n addition to 7 . . . cS, Black n o danger o f a n early eS by can play 7. . . b6, preparing to Black. develop his Bishop. A fter 8 . 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. e 4 dxe4 9 . Nxe4, Black prob­ Bd3 Nbd7 5. N bd 2 Be7 6. 0-0 ably can not afford to play 9 . . . 0-0 7. Re l Nxe4 si nce it allows a deadly Rook l i ft. I nstead, after 9 . . . Bb7, White should probably settle for the small advantage 10. Bf4 gives him. Black's best response is 10 . . . cS, and after 1 1 . dxcS NxcS 1 2 . NxcS BxcS 1 3 . Q e 2 Wh ite has sl ightly more central i n fluence, still some hope of a K-side attack, and the option of Ba6. From here Black can con­ The final option is 7. . . ReS, tinue with a rather c h rono­ t h reate n i ng to advance the logical ly chal lenged 7 . . . cS, e-pawn . A fter 8. e4 dxe4 9 . but I think it is too late. White Nxe4 Nxe4 1 0 . Rxe4, Wh ite can press for an attack w ith has the makings of a strong the admittedly dubious look­ attack on the K-side s i m i l a r ing 8 . b3 Qc7 9. e4 ! ? cxd4 1 0. t o t h e Semi-Slav l i ne i n the eS, the point being that the last subsection. It appears that 196

Colle Chapter Eleven 10 . . . b6 1 1 . Rg4 Nf6 1 2 . Rg3 Bb7 is Black's most tenacious try, with strong dark square protection around his K i ng. Wh ite should then play 1 3 . NeS ! , eyeing l ight squares on both side of the board and opening up the idea of QhS.

the three men that are delayed all control dark squares, it is not surprising that the key is to take advantage of this lack of control : 6. NeS!

This move m akes a lot of sense. With no pressure on d4 o r eS and no c h a nce of 3 Q-side fianchetto Black playing c4, the need for b3 and Bb2 is less . Further­ Aagaard and Lund suggest more, White plays this move meeti ng t h e C o l l e syste m s at a time when Black cannot with a n i m mediate Q-side fi­ exch ange the K n ight i m me­ diately. anchetto. 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. From here, play will likely Bd3 b6 5 . 0-0 Bb7 transposed to another chapter unless Black fianchettos his f- Bishop as wel l or plays for a very early . . . Ne4 In the case of a K-side fi­ anchetto, Wh ite can bu i ld a strong attack because Black's . . . e6 is more or less a wasted move, and Black has a hard time finding counterplay in this double fianchetto forma­ This gives Black some ap­ tion. Wh ite can play f4, b3, parent flexibil ity because the Bb2, Qf3-h3, and Nbd2-f3 -g5 B/fB has not been developed in a suitable order to put pres­ and the c-pawn has not been sure on the black King. If Black delays developing com mitted to cS yet. Howev­ er, this also delays the devel­ h i s N/ b 8 , he i s l i kely pl ay­ opment of the b-Knight. Since ing for an accelerated . . . Ne4 . 197

Various Oddities There is no real danger of this the Zukertort playe r. While if he plays . . . Bd6 since White "everybody knows" you are can delay f4 nearly indefinite­ not supposed to lock in your c 6 - p awn with you r K n ight, ly in that case. I f B l a c k p l ays . . . B e?, h e eve rybody also k n ows t h at c a n provoke f4, which allows you are supposed to play c4 Black to fol low with . . . Ne4, as White after playing d4 . The but as we h ave seen in the fact t h at Wh ite has al ready classical variation, this is not hem med in his Bishop with a problem si nce Wh ite does e3 also justifies a certai n cre­ wel l by simply lopping off the ativity on Black's part. I f Wh ite conti nues w it h Knight with Nxe4. Bd3, ignoring Black's irregu­ 4 Black plays a Chigorin­ l a r m ove, B l ack c a n c a u s e trouble with both . . . Nb4-Bf5 style defense or . . . Bg4 (note that the l i ne If Black plays the Chigorin suggested in the Early Bishop normally, he m ight play the Deviations chapter of dealing following: with an early Bg4 is thwarted 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 ifWhite has already placed his Nc6! ? Bishop on d3.) I also do not recom mend playing i nto Black 's prepara­ tion with 4. c4. I nstead, I sug­ gest a si mple strategy of fi rst playing 4. Nbd2 to get Black to m a ke a com m ittal move (and place an extra defender o n the f3 - K n ight, which i s l i kely to b e p i n ned . ) Wh ite w i l l then fol low up with 5 . This may appear a begin­ BbS o n al most any of Black's ner error, but in real ity it is moves. rather an noying to meet for B l a c k d o e s n o t h av e a 198

Colle Chapter Eleven 1 0 . exf5 bxc4 1 1 . Nxc4 go od way of de fe n d i ng the Qxd 5 1 2 . Qxd 5 N fxd 5 c6 -Knight. Wh ite will typical­ 1 3 . Ke2 ! For exa mple, ly aim to put more pressure on a fte r 1 3 . . . g 6 1 4 . Rd 1 the pinned Knight with Ne5. I f Black tries to defend with Rd 8 1 5 . B d 2 N c 6 1 6 . . . . Qd6 then c4 is the general fxg6 fxg6 1 7. Rac 1 Bg7 response. B l a c k 's p o s i t i o n d o e s Obviously, if Black pl ays not hold together wel l . 4 . . . a 6 , Wh ite w i l l n o t b e playing 5 . Bb5, b u t t h e n 5 . 5 Black plays Bishop to a6 c4 ! gives Wh ite a particularly strong position because: O ften Bl ack t h reatens to • B l a c k i s o u t o f b o o k exc h a nge Wh ite's powerfu l si nce . . . a 6 i s not a nor­ Bishop w i t h an early . . . Bf5 . m a l C h i g o r i n m o v e . Less often, Black attempts the Th i s is particu l a rly sig­ same via Ba6 . I recall playing n i ficant si nce the Ch i ­ former I rish national cham­ gori n is a practical/tac­ pion Eugene Curtin once in a simultaneous exhibition, and tical open i ng. he did this very thing (which • The . . . a6 move is not as useful here as it would be probably indicates how con­ cerned Eugene was about his had White played Nc3 . • B l a c k m ay v e r y we l l opponent) . It is not a particu­ t h i n k h e c a n m a k e larly good line, but it's also a s o m e t h i n g o u t o f h i s line that has been unexplored p o s i t i o n w i t h 5 . . . B f5 in other manuals. 6 . cxd 5 Qxd 5 7. B c4 Qd7, pl a n n i ng to meet 5.1 Black plays his Bishop out im­ 8 . Qb3 with 8 . . . 0 - 0 - 0, mediately when White pieces start to look stupid. In rea l ­ 1 . d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. ity, i t i s B l a c k w h o i s Bd3 c5 5. b3 b6 6. 0-0 Ba6?! t a k e n b y surprise w i t h 7. N c3 8. d 5 ! ! N b 4 9. e4 b5 199

Various Oddities And now regardless of where the black Knight moves, White has a nice attack. 5.2 Black delays with

In these lines Nc3 is almost always u s e fu l s i nce NbS is generally a good threat. 7

• • •

Bxd3

• • •

Be7

If Black is going to delay, . . . Be7 makes the most sense . . . . B d 6 i s too v u l ne rable to a K n i g h t h o p to b S or a n e-pawn charge. 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 Be7 6. Bb2 b6 7. 0-0 Ba6?1 8. dxcS

7 . . . Bd6 is answered wel l by NbS ! 7. . . Be7 is probably Black's best move here, but is inconsistent with his earlier play. 8 . NeS stunts Black's de­ velopment due to the threat of Nc6 . I n a ny eve nt B l ack will eventually have to take on d3. 8 . Qxd 3 Nc6 9. N e S NxeS 1 0. dxeS

Black has played . . . Be7, so this is more attractive. 8

• • •

bxcS

Th is isolates the a-pawn, but 8 . . . BxcS 9 . Bxa6 Nxa6 10. Qe2 Nb4 1 1 . Rd 1 0-0 1 2 . c4 Nc6 1 3 . cxd S exdS leaves Black in a bad IQP position. 1 3 . . . Nxd S avo ids t h e I Q P but puts Black i n the awkward 200

Colle Chapter Eleven situation of having all of h is minor pieces temporarily rely­ ing on dark squares for trans­ portation. 14. a3 threatens 1 5. b4 fol lowed by either g3 and e4 or Nbd2 and Nc4 . 9. c4 dxc4 1 0. bxc4

Th i s l i ne m ight see m to threaten . . . cxd4 since 7. Bb2 ? ! looks odd after 7. . . c4. How­ ever, in truth . . . cxd4 is not a problem since 7. Nc3 ! cxd4 8. exd4 Nxd4 ? 9 . Nxd4 Qxd4 ? ? 1 0 . BbS + is n o t what B l ack White's position is not typ- had in mind. ical of the Zukertort, but his In the above line, 7. . . c4 is pieces are on bette r squares not a concern as there is no than their Black counterparts Bishop on b2 to attack . But (not to mention Black has not what if Black waits a bit? 1 . d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. castled yet) . Bd3 c5 5. b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. 6

Black plays Queen to b6

Bb2 Qb6?!

No one has d iscussed the followi ng l i ne for Black (and fo r g o o d re a s o n ) , w h i c h a i m s to use the u ndefended nature of the B/b2 to get c4 in. 1 . d 4 d 5 2 . Nf3 Nf6 3 . e 3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Qb6?!

201

Various Oddities . . . c4 is a defi n ite option, fr u s t r a t i n g W h i t e 's p r i z e Bishop. 8. dxc5

Neither recapture is partic­ ularly good. 8 . . . Qxc5 allows 9. Ba3, after which 1 0 . Bxe7 will not only mean the loss of Black's good Bishop, but will also requ i re either Nxe7 or Kxe7, neither of which is de­ sirable. 8 . . . Bxc5, on the other hand, means 9. N c 3 comes with the threat of Na4, which is also bitter.

I t h i n k W h i te is fi ne i n these lines, but i f you want to avoid them, you can just castle earlier with 5. 0-0. Black does not get a good game with 5 . . . c4, but you might find the line one not to your liking. 7.1 Bishop check

Smith & Hall are the only ones to mention a s u r p r i s ­ ingly common l ine rem inis­ cent of certain Benon i or Q I D lines. 5 . . . cxd4 6. exd4 Bb4+

7

Early ch ecks

Smith & Hall dismiss this l ine as being poor for Black, A fter t h e fi rst 5 m ove s, but it has a positive record ! Black has a chance to disrupt Furthermore, the attack that White along the a5-el diago­ White supposedly gets due to nal. his lead in development is not 1 . d4 d 5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 e6 4. to be trusted, wh ich is why Bd3 c5 5. b3 this line continues to be played even at the GM level. The obvious problem for Wh ite i s t h at t h e c 3 -pawn blocks the contact a later Bb2 has with e 5 . Th is is not too bad since Black cannot force e5 as the e-file is open ( Qe2 and a later Re i stop it) . The subtler issue is the c-pawn is now h a rder to defe n d , sig202

Colle Chapter Eleven H e re a re two i l lustrative n ificant as the c-file is exactly where Black tends to find play. games showing this idea. To keep the Q - side c l osed, Wh i t e h a s t o d e fe n d t h e c3 -pawn, a task for wh ich the Horvath-Bischon optim a l method is unclear. Hungary 2004 Rac l leaves the a2-pawn un­ The first game is a clash be­ defended, uses up a cruc ial tween two 2500 + players. transport square for the dark­ squ a red Bish op, and cou l d 1 . d4 e6 2. Nf3 c5 3. e3 Nf6 lead to tactical problems later 4. Bd3 d 5 5. b3 cxd4 6. exd4 if Wh ite uses a Rook- l i ft on Bb4+ 7. c3 Be7 8. 0-0 Nc6 9. the K- side. Qd2 m ight have N bd 2 0-0 1 0. Bb2 b6 1 1 . Qe2 p o tent i a l , but t h i s s q u a re Bb7 1 2. Rad 1 Qc7 1 3 . Rfe 1 might be important for con­ Rfd8 1 4. Nf1 Bf8 1 5. N g 3 veya nce of pieces from one side to another. Bb2 appears a waste with the pawn on c3. An interesting plan played at high levels involves the fol­ lowing: • Play Bb2 to defend the c3. • Play Qe2 to dissuade eS and Ba6. • a4 can be played to lock Th is completes the basic up t h e B l ac k 's Q - s i d e White setup. Note how the pawn skeleton limits Black 's play. • P l ay t h e Ro o k s to t h e pteces. 1 5 . . . g6 1 6. h4 Bg7 1 7. h5 middle two files. • Pl ay N b d 2 - f l - g 3 ! ? to ReS Yz-Yz I think Wh ite cou ld have support an attack on the K- side based on the ad­ pressed t h e p o s i t i o n a b i t . Q d 2 w i t h t h e idea o f Q g S vance of the h-pawn. 203

Various Oddities seems to have potential.

23. Bel Qa5 2 4 . Bd2 Ba6 25. Qf3 Rd7 26. h4?

vaclav-Milos Czechoslovakia 1 892

It should be noted that M i­ los is rated nearly 200 points higher than Vaclav. 1 . d4 d 5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 e5 5. b3 exd4 6. exd4 Bb4+ 7. e3 Be7 8. Nbd2 N e6 9. Bb2 b6 1 0. Qe2 Bb7 1 1 . 0-0 0-0 1 2. Rfe l Re8 1 3. Rad l Qe7 1 4. Nfl Rfe8 1 5. N g 3

The h-paw n t h rust is i n l i ne w i t h t h e ge nera l st rat­ egy, but Wh ite should take adva nt age o f B l a c k 's piece p l a c e m e n t o n the Q - s i d e . The text move we akens the g4 -square (wh ich B l ack u s ­ es l ate r) wh i l e provo k i n g a move that also gives Black 's K n ig h t t h e h 7 - s q u a re a n d protects the g4 -square ( both weaken Wh ite's BgS option) . Instead, 26. a4 ! bS 27. c4 b4 2 8 . BgS Q d 8 2 9 . c S l e aves White much better off. Note that the BgS in this line can­ not be wel l met by . . . Ng4 . 2 6 . . . h 5 27. a4

Bxg6 ? ! is tempting but ul­ timately is probably i nsuffi­ cient after 27 . . . fxg6 28. Rxe6 Rf8 29. Qd3 Bc8 27 . . . b5 28. e4 b4 29. e5 Ng4

Wh ite has completed the basic setup

30. Bf4 Bb7?

B l ack u nde rest i mates Wh ite's attack. 3 0 . . . Qd8 or This prepares BgS and pre­ some other defens ive move vents Qf4, but NeS was really was needed. needed here instead. 1 5 . . . Bf8 1 6. Bel

1 6 . . . g6 1 7. Bb5 Bg7 1 8. Ne5 RedS 1 9. Nxe6 Bxe6 20. Bd3 Bb7 2 1 . Bd2 Qe7 22. B b l Qa3

204

Colle Chapter Eleven treats, he would can exchange on c8 and take on g6. 34 . . . Rf8 3 5 . g3?

Now 3 1 . Bxg6 ! works, win­ ning for White. After 31 . . . fxg6 32. Rxe6 White threatens not only the black King but all the pawns in front of him. Qd3 is particularly hard to meet. The Exchange sacrifice 3 2 . . . Rc6 33. Bd6 Rxd6 34. Re8 + Kh7 35. cxd6 is clearly not sufficient. Retreating the Knight does not work either: 32 . . . Nf6 33. Qd3 Kf7 34. Nxh5 ! ! gxh5 35. Rxf6 and Black is in trouble regard­ less of which piece retakes. ( E.g., 35 . . . Bxf6 36. Qh7+ Bg7 37. Rd3 ! Rf8 38. Bd6 Ke8 39. Re3 + Kd8 40. Bxf8 Bxf8 4 1 . Qg8 Kc8 4 2 . Qxf8 + Rd8 4 3 . Qf5 + Kb8 44. Qxh5.)

3 5 . Bxg6 is b e t t e r t h a n the text, taking g 6 before the Bishop gets exchanged. How­ ever, Rxg6 ! is even better! For example, 3 5 . . . Qxf2 + ? ! 3 6 . Qxf2 Nxf2 37. Rd4; 35 . . . Nxf2 36. Rc l ! ? Nh3 + 37. Kh2 Qf2 3 8 . Qxh3 Qxf4 + 39. Ng3; 35 . . . Ne5 3 6 . Qg3 Nxg6 37. Bxg6. 35 . . . d4 36. Be4 36 ... Bxe4?

Black throws away his sub­ stantial advantage and more w i t h t h i s i n a c c u racy. The amazi ng 36 . . . Qf5 ! ! keeps his advantage due to infelicitous placement of the white Rooks (which are forked by a Bishop making its way to g4) . 37. Rxe4?!

3 7. Qxe4 extracts an ad­ vantage fro m B l ac k 's ove r­ sight. After the text we have near equality. 37 . . . Qd5 38. Qd3 ReS 39.

3 1 . Nfl ? e5 3 2 . dxe5 Qxc5 3 3 .

Bd27

e6 fxe6 34. Rxe6

A l a s , t h i s m i st a ke d o e s not go unpunished. It m ight not be coincidental that the i n accu racies i n the last few

Had White played Rc l , he would still have a substantial advantage. After the Queen re-

205

Various Oddities I've found a total of about SO games with this variation, and yet it gets a separate sub­ section in both Summerscale and Smith & Hall, and a whole 39 . . . QfS 40. Bel NeS 4 1 . Qe2 (short) chapter in Schil ler's . aS 42. Rf4 Qe6 43. Nd2 Rf7 Compare that with, say, 1 . d4 d S 44. Re4 QdS 45. Qa6 Rc2 46. 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e 3 BfS, which has QbS ReS 47. Qe2 Rf8 48. f3 been played over 1 SOO times Rc2 49. f4 d3 50. Qg2 Ng4 5 1 . and gets scant (if any) coverage in any of the manuals ! Bf2 0- 1 I n a ny eve nt, I don't see Even though White lost to his much stronger opponent, why more people do not just he was in the game for the fi rst block with the Bishop. 39 moves and had a winning 6. Bd2 S u re , t h i s i s n o t w h e re opportunity on move 30. Not the Bishop should be, but if bad at all ! Black plays Qd8, he will have 7.2 Queen check lost two tempi, so White can move his Bishop back to b2 I must adm it that I 'm be­ if he wants. I f, instead, Black wildered how much attention plays . . . Qb6 or . . . Qc7, White this line has received ! s h o u l d do we l l as l o n g as 1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. he plays Nc3, since then the Bd3 cS 5. b3 QaS+ threat of Na4 or NbS, is often useful.

moves o cc u r re d n e a r t i m e control. 39. Nd2 is the only move for White here, leading to a stand-off since 39 . . . Rc3 is met by 40. Qa6

G . Raissa-c. Tatiana Russia 2003

1 . d4 d S 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 QaS+ 6. Bd2 Qc7 7. c4

206

Colle Chapter Eleven

7

• • •

Nc6 8. Nc3 N b4

H av i ng a l re ady sent h i s Queen out on a l a rk, B l ac k sends h i s K n ight ga l lo p i ng out as well. The virtue of do­ ing this now is that White has not gotten Rc 1 in yet, so it is less appetizing to respond Bbl . On the other hand, Black is not doing much for his de­ velopment, espec i a l ly si nce the Q - side activ ity suggests Wh ite's d 3 -Bishop might not sit substantially worse on e2. It appears that Black might have concocted a general plan of activating his c-Bishop via . . . Bd7-c6, and then this move is a way of transfe r r i ng the Knight with tempo to another square. . . but that whole plan is misconceived, as we shall see. 9. Be2 dxc4?! 1 0. bxc4 Bd7 1 1 . 0-0 Bc6?!

P e r h a p s c o n s i stent w i t h Black's plan, but st i l l a mis­ take. Note that activating the Bishop via b7 also runs into problems due to Wh ite's at­ tacking options. For example h a d B l ac k p l aye d . . . b 6 o n move 1 0, t h e n Wh ite could have charged forward: 1 1 . a3 ! Nc6 1 2. dS exdS 1 3. cxdS with an attack. 1 2. a3 Na6 1 3. N bS

White should always look for t h i s move in t h i s va ria­ tion . . . the m a i n question is when to play it. 1 3 ... Qd8

1 3 . . . BxbS 1 4 . cxbS Nb8 1 5. Rc 1 Nbd7 is better, though still uncomfortable for Black. 1 4. NeS Be7 1 5 . Nxc6

U s i ng a tactic to convert his positional advantage into a material one, but he cou ld 207

Various Oddities also have si mply conti nued to increase the pressure with Bf3 or Qa4 . 1 5 . . . bxc6 1 6. Qa4 0-0 1 7. Qxa6 cxbS 1 8. BaS

This is smart play, but 1 8 . Bf3 might be even better.

in this bad position. 26. Bc3 ReS 27. dxcS N b7

The text is the best retreat, though it does allow 28. Bxg7 ! with the threat of Qb2 . White fails to notice th is, though. 28. c6? NcS 29. Bd4

1 8. . . Qc8 1 9. QxbS Rb8 20.

Since Wh ite should proba­ Qa4 N e4?! bly be trying to exchange piec­ The text does not fit the es and get Rb7 in, my guess is needs of the situation, which that 29. Be4 wou ld be better, is to get some type of com­ though it appears that Black pensation or concession for is in no hurry to exchange his h i s l o s t p aw n . 2 0 . . . Q a 6 , Knight. Of course 29. Bh7+ is t h reate n i ng . . . Bd8 m ight at better still, knocking Black's least induce White to move King away from the f7-pawn, the wrong Rook to the b -file thus making a later Rb7 even or play an awkward Bd l . more powerful. 2 1 . Bd3 Nd6 22. Qc2 h6 23.

29 . . . Qxc6 3 0 . Be2 a6 3 1 . Qb2

Rfb 1 Qc6 24. h 3 Rxb 1 + 25.

Na4 32. Qb7 Qxb7 33. Rxb7

Rxb 1 Qa6?!

Bxa3 34. Ra7 Rc6 3 5 . Ra8+ Bf8 36. Kh2 NcS 37. Bf3 Rc7 38. BeS Rd7 39. Bc6 Rd 1 40. Bd4 N b 3 ?

Th i s e r ro r s h o u l d h ave ended the game, but Black's position was very difficult. 41 . Ba4 Rxd4 42. exd4 Nxd4 43. Rxa6?

W h i t e n e e d e d to c a l m down here and rea l i ze that This only chases the Bish- picking up t hat a-pawn was op to a better square . . . . Rc8 or unimportant. He should sim­ . . . fs would be better options ply be pushing the c-pawn. 208

Colle Chapter Eleven 43 . . . eS 44. Kg 3 f6 45. Bc6 Kf7 46. BdS+ Kg6 47. Be4+ Kf7 48. Kg4?

Falling for a trap. Black is now al most in the game ! 48 . . . fS+ 49. BxfS hS+ SO.

short-l ived. I n o u r re p e r t o i re , t h i s step-brother to the "real " Slav would occur as : 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Nf6 3 . e3 cS 4. c4 Bg4?!

Kxh S NxfS 5 1 . Rc6 Nd4 52. Rc7+ Kf6 5 3 . Kg4 Be7 54. Rd7 Ne6 55. g 3 BcS 56. f3 Be3 57. h4 BcS 58. Rd S g6 59. f4 e4 60. hS gxhS+ 6 1 . Rxh S Bf2 62. RfS+ Kg7 63. ReS NcS 64. KfS Kf7 65. g4 N d 7 ?

Black has been putting up a good fight, but all hope now is lost when the e-pawn is. 66. Rxe4 BcS 67. gS Nf8 68.

5. h3 Bxf3

ReS Nd7 69. g6+ Kf8 70. RdS

5 . . . B h 5 i s u n l i kely, a n d White should be able t o de­ velop nicely since Black is not really in a position to exploit the pin.

Ke7 7 1 . Rxd 7+ 1 -0

It was brought to my atten­ tion that the " Errot" [ reversed Torre] is being given as a new antidote to the Colle, so let's put a short section on that. 1 1 .8 The Errot

J a mes Vigus coined t h i s term for a n odd version of the Slav that looks like a Torre in reverse, hence the name. Th is line is becoming fashionable, but I bel ieve its fame will be

6. Qxf3 e6 7. Nc3 Nbd7 8. Bd2 Bb4

Vigus suggests 8 . . . Bd6 as a clever move to first fi nesse 9. g4 before playing 9 . . . Bb4 . The problem with this is that Wh ite can j ust p l ay 9 . c S ! , as i n the Slav ch apter. One option after this is 9 . . . Be? 1 0 . g4 ! , taking advantage of the N/f6 scarcity of squares. Vigus g ive s n o ment i o n of 209

Various Oddities this move, wh ich shuts down Black because . . . Bb4 is a sine qua non in this variation. 9. Bd3 0-0 1 0. a3

because Black's l i fe becomes complicated if he contests the soon-to-be-opened fi le with 1 3 . . . ReS ? ! ? - 1 4 . Ne4 Nxe4 1 5. Bxf7+ Kf8 16. Bxe8 + Ndf6 1 7. Bxc6 bxc6 1 8 . Bc3 Nxc3 1 9. bxc 3 . Black is goi ng to h ave a hard t i me stopping Wh ite fro m d o m i n at i ng t h e o n l y open fi l e a n d h itting his iso­ lated pawns.

There is an i mportant nu­ a n ce h e re . Wh ite wants to push the Bishop back and also play cxdS to stabilize the cen­ ter. The right way to do this is to first put the question to the Bishop, then take on dS, then push the B i shop back 1 1 . cxd 5 exd 5 1 2. b4 Bc7 1 3 . 0-0 ReS with b4. Th i s m ove o rd e r i s b e s t 1 3 . . . Nb6 has gained some because if Black wants t o ex­ popularity, allowing Black to change on c3, White would put a Kn ight on dS after 14. rather keep the center tension. e4 dxe4 1 5 . Ne4 while letting At the same time, once Black the other K night exchange on has u s e d a te m p o o n 1 0 . . . e4. However, after 1 5 . . . NbdS, BaS, it is best to take on d S 1 6 . Rac 1 ! looks good, taking rather than play 1 1 . b4 a n d advantage of the N/dS being allow Black to retort with 1 1 . . . overworked (the threat being dxc4 . 1 7. BgS) . 1 0 . . . BaS

1 4. Rfc 1

10 . . . Bd6 ? ! has h ad some A s n o t e d by M a r i n , 1 4 . success, but after 1 1 . cS ! Black Rac1 can cause tactical prob­ is even further behind. Note lems because in some varia­ that this is one more reason to tions where Black might play delay cxd4. . . . Ne4 and . . . Nxd2, the Rook 1 0 . . . dxc4 1 1 . Bxc4 Bd6 1 2 . on f1 would be hit. 0 - 0 e S i s l i kely Black's best 1 4 . . . Bd6 hope in this line, but 13. Rfe 1 , discouraging . . . exd4 is rather stronger than it m ight look 210

Colle Chapter Eleven era) theory dictates yet ends up with a bad position ! Th is attack bears a striking resem­ b l a nce to l i n e s cove red i n Chapter 4 , section 5 . 2 . 1 5. g4! e S 1 6. Q g 2 e4 1 7. Be2 h6

S o fa r we a re fo l l ow i ng Bareev-Leko, Elista 2007. H ere Bareev conti nued with 1 5 . e4, consiste nt with the general viewpoint that White should p l ay for t h i s t h rust h e re . I would suggest that the reverse might be true. White can at­ tack on both w i ngs and do diddly squat in the centre. I n fact, it appears to me t h at Wh ite h a s a lud icrous l i ne here where i n he al lows Black to do everything gen-

Th is restra ins g5, at least for a while. 17 . . . Nfd7 1 8 . g5 should end up b e i ng pretty similar. 1 8. h4 N b6 1 9. a4!! Bxb4 20. gS hxgS 2 1 . hxgS Nfd 7 22. Nxe4 dxe4 23. Bxb4

A n d we h ave a t r u ly re ­ markable situation. White has ignored the center ent i rely, B l ac k m e t a fl a n k a s s a u l t with a central paw n th rust, and he managed to maintain his good bishop, placing his central pawns on the oppo­ site color. And yet, what does Black have to show for it?

211

Cl}apter 12 Extra �qalysis Wow. . . you made it through the whole book, huh ? Or maybe you just wanted to see some variations to back up something I said in a previous chapter. Either way, you're here now . . . make you rself comfortable. Basically, I put all the stuff that did not seem i mportant enough to warrant cluttering up the earlier chapters here. Since the vast maj ority of these positions have never seen the l ight of a tournament table, please grant some leniency should I be found to have missed one or two (dozen?) improvements for each side. The section headings indicate where in the book the l ine in question resides. For example " From 4 . 2 . 1 " means "Chapter 4, section 2 . 1 . " I n many cases, the variations and lines shown are meant merely to give ideas of what might seem natural ideas. I'm un­ der no delusion that the analysis here is complete. From 4.2.3 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 8. NeS N b4 9. dxcS BxcS 1 0. Be2

Colle Chapter Twelve like to have the option of us­ ing Bxf6 at some poi nt, and that plan works much better if White's f-Rook is already free to move to f3 . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , the B i shop i s cu r re n t ly shield­ ing the Queen's access to the c2-pawn, so Wh ite may play 1 1 . a3

F r o m h e re t h e a n a ly s i s At t h i s p o i nt, i f Black branches : p l ays . . . N c 6 Wh ite s h o u l d 1 . Black can play the very have reasonable chances af­ aggressive . . . Qc7. ter Nxc6 with Bxf6 to follow. 2 . Black can play his Bish­ I f Black recaptures with the op back to d6. p aw n , Wh ite c a n adva nce 3. Black can play . . . Ne4 . his Q - s ide w i t h advant age I f Black plays . . . Nc6 i m­ by Nd2 with c4, b4, and bS mediately, White has already to follow. If Black recaptures gotten wh at he wants. Par­ with his Queen, he can play ticularly because the plan to to exchange Bishops with Bf3. get eS in via 10 . . . Nc6 1 1 . Nd2 Then, if he can exchange the NxeS 1 2 . BxeS Nd7 1 3 . Bb2 eS Q-side pawns (and hopefully fails to 14. c4 dxc4 1 5 . Nxc4 the Rooks as wel l ) , his Q + N should serve him well against with the threat of 1 6 . QdS. Q + B with pawns on only one half of the board. Black plays his Queen to c7 immediately

1 1 ... Bd6 1 2. axb4 BxeS 1 3 . BxeS QxeS 1 4. Qd4 Qc7

1 0 . . Qc7 .

This move forces White to deal with the i mpending . . . Bd6 without playing f4 . This is an noying as White would

Exch anging Queens w i l l leave him with a bad Bishop. 1 5 . c4 eS

Th i s s e e m s t h e n a t u r a l m o v e , t r y i n g t o s a ve h i s 21 3

Extra Analysis Bishop from its prison . Black might find this an opportuni­ ty to play 15 . . . dxc4, thinking it is not clement cond itions for 16. bxc4 . However, things get murky after 1 6 . Rc 1 ! ? I be­ l ieve White is still " for choice" there, though. 1 6. Qb2 a6!

Shouldn't Black be trying to develop some of those pieces he has on his back rank1

Be6 1 8 . Rfd 1 Rfd8 1 9. cS a6 20. Na4 nor 16 . . . Be6 1 7. Rc 1 Rfc8 1 8 . Nc3 Qe7 1 9. cS a6 20. Na4 look good for Black, and other Bishop moves just look silly after Rd 1 or Nc3. 1 7. Rc 1

I f Wh ite t a kes on e S , he gives Black's Kn ight free pas­ sage to whatever sector of the board he wants. 1 7 . . . Qe7

O nce again, Black refuses to commit his Bishop. 1 8. b5

The only plan that does not Black's last move is indeed a bit hard to understand. The involve exchanging on eS. issue here is that, even though 1 8 . . . d4 1 9. bxa6! ? dxe3 20. Black and White are more or fxe3 QcS 2 1 . Qc3 Ne4 2 1 . . . Rxa6 2 2 . b 4 Qe7 2 3 . less equally developed, White has a looming advantage i n Rxa6 bxa6 has t o be good for that it appears t h e action is White. go i ng to t a ke p l ace o n t h e 22. Qd3 BfS 23. Nc3 Ng3 24. Q - s i d e , a n d h e c a n e a s i l y Qd2 Nxe2 25. Qxe2 Rxa6 26. bring a l l h i s pieces t o good NdS Rxa 1 27. Rxa 1 Be4 28. posts there quickly. b4 Qd6 The text move takes away a P re t t y i n t e re s t i n g t h a t key square from White with­ the Q ueen h as 1 0 ava i l able out co m m itt i ng t h e p l ace­ squares and all but 1 lose im­ ment of a ny o f h i s piece s . mediately (note the threat of Black would prefer t o know Ne7+.) Wh ite's plan with rega rd to 29. N c3 the c4-d5 stand-off. For exam­ The position still has plen­ ple, neither 16 . . . Qe7 1 7. Nc3 ty of play in it, but even with 21 4

Colle Chapter Twelve pawns on both sides of the board, White's Kn ight looks as good as Black's Bishop. The onus is on Black to stop Wh ite from making something from his Q-side maj ority. Black plays his Bishop back immediately

This option is more danger­ ous than the immediate 1 0 . . . Qc7 because now 1 1 . . . Qc7 can come with two threats at once, yet Black has not com­ mitted his Queen. The down­ side is that the f2-pawn is no longer pinned. Returning to the diagra m after White's lOth move:

1 2 . . . Bc5 then 1 3 . Qf3 ! gives Wh ite g o o d pl ay, w h e r e a s 1 2 . . . N b 4 a l l ows Wh ite t o cont i nue with 1 3 . Rf3 Nxd3 14. cxd3, when the extra tem­ po makes up for the Queen not being on the c-file. 1 2. c4 BcS!?

B l a c k 's m o s t test i n g re­ sponse and a logical response to Wh ite's pl ay, the mu ltiple m ove s by t h e B i s h o p n o t­ withstanding. White must be carefu l . The natural 1 3 . Rf3 can run into problems after 1 3 . . . RdS . 1 3 . Bd4

Wh ite plans to establ ish a pawn on c4 and rely on the influence of his Knight on e5 and the Kn ight he can pl ace on b5 to produce an advan­ tage ( l i kely a large space ad­ vantage or 6th rank outpost.) 13

•••

dxc4

1 3 . . . RdS 14. a3 Bxd4 1 5 . exd4 Nc6 16. c5 ± 1 4. bxc4 Rd8

Fro m h e re W h i t e c a n choose between 1 5 . Nc3 a6 16. Bf3 or the interesting 1 5 . 10 Bd6 1 1 . f4 Qc7 1 1 . . . Nc6 1 2 . B d 3 allows Na3 a6 1 6 . Bxc 5 ! ? Rxd 1 1 7. Wh i t e t o get w h a t h e h a s Rfxd l . Either position holds wanted, an extra te mpo. If rich possibil ities. • • •

21 5

Extra Analysis Black plays his Knight to e4

Wh ite by letti ng Wh ite pull his Queen to d 2 (to protect Trying to take advantage of e3) for free. 1 2 . . . N f6 c a n b e d e a l t White's retreat by a quick Ne4 backfires on Black. with using tools s i m i l a r to other l i ne s : t a ke advantage of exc h a nges t h at compro ­ mise Black's structure and use Black's dark-squared Bishop as a target to help advance the Q-side pawns. 1 3 . Nxe4 dxe4 1 4. Qxd8 Rxd8 1 5 . Bxe5 f6 1 6. Bc3

1 0 . . . Ne4?! 1 1 . a3 N c 6 1 2.

White has better chances of creat i ng a p a s s e d pawn with his Q-side maj ority.

Nd2

Th is si mple move threat­ ens the N/e4 while preparing c4. White plans to leave Black with a poor pawn structu re wh i l e s a fely adva nc i ng h i s Q-side pawns. 1 2 . . . Nxe5

1 2 . . . Qg5 1 3 . Nxc6 bxc6 ± . 1 2 . . . Nd6 1 3 . b4 Bb6 1 4 . c4 Nxe5 1 5 . Bxe5 Nxc4 1 6 Nxc4 dxc4 1 7. Bxc4 ± . 1 2 . . . f5 1 3 . c 4 Nxe 5 1 4 . Bxe5 Bd6 1 5 . Nf3 and there is no way Black can stop White from having the better (and more secu re) outpost. 1 2 . . . Nxd 2 only helps 21 6

From 4.3 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 8. Ne5 Qc7 9. f4 cxd4 1 0. exd4 Ne4 1 1 . Bxe4 dxe4 1 2. Nc3

Colle Chapter Twelve 1 2 . . . Nxd4

1 2 . . . fS 1 3 . NbS Qb8 1 4 . Nxc6 bxc6 1 5. Nxd6 Qxd6 i s qu ite poor for Black. 1 3 . Nxe4 Bxe5

1 3 . . . NfS 1 4 . Nxd6 Nxd 6 is only moderately poor for Black (at least I do not see the knock-out blow) . Th is is the best that Black can hope for in these li nes. 1 1 . . . g6 just does not work 1 3 . . . NfS 1 4 . Nxd6 Qb 6 + for Black: 1 2 . Nxg6 hxg6 1 3 . 1 5 . K h 1 Nxd6 1 6 . Ba3 Rd8 1 7. Bxg6 when 1 3 . . . Qg7 attempts QhS is completely losing, and to get out of Black 's problems 1 3 . . . NfS 14. Nxd6 Qc5 + 1 5 . too cheaply, losing to 14. Rf3 Rf2 Nxd6 1 6 . Qf3 i s too much Qh8 1 5 . Qg4 . wh ile 1 3 . . . Rf7 for him to handle as well. In 14. Bxf7 Qxf7 1 5 . Qg4 + leaves these lines it is important for White up 2 pawns and a Rook Wh ite to keep in m i nd that for 2 minors. Black has more he often has Ba3 as a power­ pieces developed, but t hey ful tool. will need to be redeployed, giving White time to mobil ize 1 4. fxe5 Nxc2 14 . . . NfS 1 5 . Rf2 with 1 6 . his heavier un its. 1 1 . . . h6, 1 2 . Qg6 fS looks Qg4 to follow i s qu ite power­ uncomfortable. ful for Wh ite. 1 5 . Rc1 Qb6+ 1 6. Rf2 Ne3 1 7.

1 2 . Nd2 Nf6

Qf3 Nf5 1 8. Ba3 Rd8 1 9. g4

H a rd t o s e e why B l a c k would not want to play this soon, if not immediately.

From 4.5.1

1 3 . Qh3 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Nc6 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. Bb2 0-0 8. Ne5 Qe7 9. a3 Nd7 1 0. f4 f6 1 1 . Q h 5 f5

White's position here is bet­ ter than looks at first glance mostly due to White 's bet­ t e r- d e ve l o p e d Q u e e n a n d 21 7

Extra Analysis c- Bishop. A lso, Black's N/c6 has l ittle in the way of good use at the moment. He has few spots to jump to, does not do a good job of defending Black's pawns, and if he exchanges on e5 he only makes Black lose even more time with the Bish­ op, which has fewer options of escape t h a n its counter­ part on d3 due to the Queen's placement on e7. If Black plays . . . Ne4 then Wh ite can cap­ ture with his N/d2 and pul l h i s Bishop back t o e 2 . Black is then nearly forced to capture on e5 (otherwise the pawn on f4 and N/e5 give White a great deal of K-side influence. Once that exchange takes place (as­ su m i ng B l ac k retook on e4 with the f5-pawn) , White can swing his Bishop over to g4 where it eyes the e 6 -paw n , one o f Wh ite's targets in this variation. Note the crafty 1 3 . . . cxd4 1 4 . exd4 Ne4 1 5 . Nxe4 fxe4 16. Be2 Nxe5 17. fxe5 Rxfl 18. Rxf1 ! Bxa3 ? 1 9. Bxa3 Qxa3 is refuted by 20. Bh5 ! , the point being that 20 . . . Qe7?? fails to the stunning 2 1 . Bf7+ Kh8 22. Bg6 h6 23. Qh4 ! ! 21 8

The more circumspect 20 . . . h6 runs into 2 1 . Qc3 ! when Black has to figure out how to deal with the impending Qc7. Neither 2 1 . . . Bd7 2 2 . Qc7 Bc6 2 3 . B f7 + K h 7 ( 2 3 . . . K h 8 ? ! 24. Bxe6 Qb4 [ 24 . . . e3 ? ! 25. Bc8 e2 26. Qd8 + Kh7 27. Re 1 Qb4 2 8 . c3 ! ] 2 5 . Qd6 Qxd6 26. exd6 Rd8 27. d7 Bxd7 28. Bxd 5 Bc6 2 9 . Bxc6 bxc6 30. c3) 24. Bxe6 Qb4 25. c4 ! Qd2 (25 . . . e3 ? 2 6 . Qd6) 2 6 . Qf7 Qxd4 + 27. K h 1 Qxe5 28. Bf5 + Kh8 2 9 . Q g 6 Kg8 3 0 . Qh7+ Kf7 3 1 . Bxe4 Ke7 32. cxd5 nor 2 1 . . . Qe7 2 2 . Qg3 ! Qg5 2 3 . Qxg5 hxg5 2 4 . c4 look com­ fortable for Black. If Black captures the N/e5 with his Bishop, then he has t h e h a n d i c a p of a t e r r i b l e Bishop without the benefit of that Bishop ensuring the pro­ tection of his central pawns. Black's Queen and P/e6 can become ove rworked (wh ich m a kes sense as his N/c6 is u n der-worke d ) , a n d W h ite has many reasons to be happy with his prospects. If Black does not do any­ thing severe immediately, for example Bxe5 or Ne4, White

Colle Chapter Twelve should l i kely cont i nue with c4 , h i g h l i g h t i n g the ove r­ worked and sensitive nature of the e6 -pawn. From 5.3.1 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3 . e3 cS 4. b3 b6 5. Bb2 Bb7 6. Bd3 Be7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. N bd2 d S 9. NeS N bd7 1 0. f4 Ne4 1 1 . Nxe4 dxe4 1 2. Bc4 NxeS 1 3. fxeS Bg5 1 4. Qe2 a6 1 5 . a4 Bd5 1 6. Bxd S exd S 1 7. aS!

B l a c k 's c S -paw n is a big problem here. It is being at­ tacked by the d-pawn, it is in danger of being pinned to the R/f8 by Ba3, it cannot advance without being taken, the only good way to defend it ( . . . Be7) m a ke s B l a c k 's 1 3 t h m ove looks silly, its only defender is being attacked by the a-pawn

and is itself only defended by the Queen ! Normal ly the above would merely be cause for concern. In this case, on the other hand, Black is in near-zugzwang due to the threat of e6 ! ! For example, if Black tried to ease the over-worked na­ ture of his Queen (the prin­ cipal proble m here) by 1 7 . . . h 6 ? then 1 8 . e6 ! ! could not be met by 18 . . . fxe6 ? due to 1 9. Rxf8 Kxf8 20. axb6 Qxb6 2 1 . dxcS. These various tactical mo­ tifs more or less force Black to play either 17 . . . cxd4 or 17 . . . Be7. 1 7. . . cxd4 1 8 . Bxd4 bS might look l i ke i t gets Black out of trouble with only a mi­ nor m i nus, but after 1 9. c4 ! bxc4 20. bxc4 dxc4 2 1 . Qxc4, Black is once aga i n horrifi­ cally constrained by the nag­ ging threat of e6. 2 1 . . . Qd7 is the only move that stops both QdS and Qc6, but that frees Wh ite to play Rabl . Sl i n king the Bishop back with 17 . . . Be7 is Black's best option . Wh ite's answer is that painful thorn 1 8 . e6 ! , threat21 9

Extra Analysis ening Qg4 now that Black has been so k i nd to ret reat h i s Bishop. Ta k i ng the pawn c a n n ot be good (e.g., 1 8 . . . fxe6 ? 1 9. Qg4 Qd7 20. Rxf8 + Rxf8 2 1 . axb6 i s a handful) , s o 1 8 . . . f6 seems the natural play. Black needs to take time to pick up that blasted e-pawn. White will use t h at t i me as we l l as p re s s u re down t h e d-file t o establish a monster on dS. For example, 1 9. dxcS bxcS 20. Rad 1 Qd6 2 1 . cxdS, and White is in control. From 5.3.2

There are two lines in 5 . 3 . 2 that get extra treatment here. The first is when Black attacks with . . . Nb4 very early, before castling. The other is when he attacks with . . . Nb4 l ater. Super Accelerated Attack 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 cS 5. b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. Bb2 N b4 8. dxcS Nxd 3 ?! 9.Qxd3

220

9 ... QaS

As mentioned in the main chapter, 9 . . . BxcS ? fails to 10. QbS +. 9 . . . 0-0 10. Bd4 and . . . Qc7 or . . . QaS can be met with c4, t h re ate n i ng Bxf6 a n d t h e n cxdS. 9 . . . Bd7 can be met (among o t h e r way s ) by 1 0 . N c 3 ! , t h re ate n i ng e4 a n d t a k i ng advantage of Njf6 being tem­ porarily pinned to the unde­ fended g-pawn. 1 0. Rd 1 ! 0-0

This is not ideal since now the Bxf6 play is possibly a real danger. 10 . . . QxcS ? ! 1 1 . Ba3 ! will leave Black with a very bad Bishop and behind in develop­ ment after White takes on d7. 1 0 . . . BxcS ? ! 1 1 . Bxf6 gxf6 1 2 . c4 dxc4 1 3 . Qxc4 looks

Colle Chapter Twelve Less Accelerated Attack awful for Black. 10 . . . Bd7 ! ? is an interest­ ing way of taking advantage 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3. e3 e6 4. of White's pieces being frozen Bd3 cS 5. b3 N c6 6. 0-0 Be7 in certai n positions to hold 7. Bb2 0-0 8. N bd2 b6 9. NeS the c-pawn tactical ly. Wh ite Bb7 1 0. f4 N b4 1 1 . Rf3 Nxd3 should give back the pawn for 1 2. cxd 3 positional considerations with 1 1 . NeS ! , once agai n taking advantage of the N/f6 being pinned to the g7-pawn. After 1 1 . . . Rd8 1 2. Nd2, White is set to play c4 with advantage. 1 1 . NgS! g6

It appears that this massive concession (wh ich not only weakens the K-side in general but makes the prospect of get­ ting that pawn back even less solid after 1 2 . Qd4 ) is forced because otherwise Black has to give up even more : 1 1 . . . R d 8 1 2 . Bxf6 Bx f6 1 3 . Qxh7+ K f8 1 4 . Q h S g6 15. Qh6 + Bg7 16. Qh7 d4 1 7. Nd2 dxe3 1 8 . fxe3 Rxd2 ( 1 8 . . . QxcS 1 9. h4 ! ! Qxe3 + 2 0 . K h 1 Rxd2 2 1 . Rxd2 Qxd2 2 2 . Rfl ) 1 9. Rfl Rxg2+ 20. Kxg2 Qd2+ 2 1 . Kh 1 QdS + 22. e4 QxgS 23. Rxf7+ ! ! Kxf7 24. Rf1 +

An obvious plan for Black is to retreat the Kn ight tem­ porarily so his pawns, Bishop, and Queen can take up better defensive positions. 1 2 . . . NeB does not work well since after 1 3 . Rh3 and QhS, the Knight will have to jump back. 1 3 . . . h6 is not a satisfactory solu­ tion due to Q g4 . 1 3 . . . g6 to stop QhS is well met by Ndf3, threatening NgS. 1 2 . . . Nd7

Th is is better in that it al­ lows B l ac k to exchange the N/eS, for after 1 3 . Rh3 NxeS 14. dxeS g6 Black has come a 221

Extra Analysis long way in blunting the fi rst to get the Bishop to the K-side wave of the assault. However, by way of d3, but White can i f Wh ite i n stead chooses to counter with 1 5 . Nf3 ! threat­ take the K n ight he presents ening Ne5, which forks many Black with a difficult position i mportant squ are s . 1 5 . . . f6 stops this but after 1 6 . Rd 1 to defend. White has plenty of attacking 1 3 . Nxd7 Qxd 7 1 4. Rh3 White is feinting at winning options. a pawn here because after dxc4 1 4 . . . QbS Th is is l i kely Black's best Black cannot afford to recap­ ture due to the power of the B/ option, but even now he must b2. To illustrate, consider 14 . . . be careful after 1 5 . Qh5 h6 Ba6 ? ! 1 5 . dxc5 bxc5 ? ? 16. Qh5 16. dxc5 not to recapture but w i t h m ate soon . B l a c k h a s rather play 1 6 . . . f6 1 7. Qg6 Ba6 (recaptu ring is sti l l bad many defenses to consider. 14 . . . h 6 ? is met by the sim­ due to Rxh6 ! ) . After 1 8 . cxb 6 ple 1 5 . Qg4 . Qxd 3 Blac k has compensa­ 1 4 . . . f6 deals w i t h tactics tion for his p awn, but how i nvolving Bb2, but after 1 5 . much ? Qh5 h6 1 6 . Rg3 Kh8 1 7. Nf3 From 6.2.2 Wh ite has several attac k i ng options. 14 . . . g6 may seem like the 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Bg4 3. NeS BfS obvious defensive option, but 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. g4!? Nxg4 6. e4 after 1 5 . dxc 5 Bxc 5 ( bxc 5 ? ? NxeS 7. exf5 1 6 . Q h 5 ! ) 1 6 . B f6 ! B l ac k is goi ng to h ave a h a rd t i me dealing with the threat of 1 7. Rxh7 ! Kxh7 1 8 . Qg4 . 14 . . . Bf6 i s another attempt to address the Medusa on b2, but after 1 5 . Qh5 h6 1 6 . g4 ! Black is i n trouble. 14 . . . Ba6 is a clever attempt 222

Colle Chapter Twelve Some would say White en­ countered a spell of madness here. Let's see, he now has 3 isolated pawns, a pair of them doubled, and he's thrown a central pawn overboard. Wh ite's idea is si mple . If he wins his pawn back with­ out losing the Bishop Pair, he should have a powerful posi­ tion. He has plenty of K-side s p a c e fo r h i s Q u e e n a n d Bishops to eye Black's Q-side squ a res fro m wh i l e he h a s semi-open files in the middle and the K-side to attack the K i n g t h e re . H i s adva n c e d f-pawn hits important squares on the semi-open files. Black has to decide where to put his K n ight. 7 . . . Ned7 lets Wh ite regai n his central pawn i m med i ately, and 7 . . . Nec6 leaves Black unable to defend the pawn without his position collapsing. After 8 . Be3 White threatens Qf3. The prob l e m , of cou rse, is t h at an exchange on e6 will leave Black with a difficult pawn to defend on e6. After 8 . . . e6 9. fxe6 fxe6 1 0. Bh3 Qf6 1 1 . Qg4 Nd8, not only is Black pushed back, but has 0-0-0, Ne2-f4 (or

NbS if . . . Bd6 ) , Rhgl and Rde1 , BgS t o look forward to ! I f B l ack responds to 7 . . . Nec6 8 . Be3 with 8 . . . g6 in­ stead, then after 9. Qf3 gxfS 10. QxdS e6, Black has built a bit of a wal l and can dream o f c a st l i ng l o ng, at w h i c h p o i nt h i s position starts to look pretty nice, but 1 1 . QbS puts an end to such fairy tales since 1 1 . . . f4 is woefully in­ adequate : 1 2 . Qxb7 fxe3 1 3 . 0-0-0 Nd7 1 4 . Qxc6 exf2 1 5 . d S Bd6 1 6 . dxe6 fxe6 1 7. Bh3 Ke7 ( 1 7 . . . Q g S + ? ! 1 8 . K b 1 Ke7 1 9. N d S ! ) 1 8 . Rhf1 and quee n i ng the pawn is never going to happen. 7

•••

Nc4 8. Bf4

Wh ite plans Bxc4 to pull the d-pawn from dS, al low­ ing his own d-pawn to march up the board . Thus, he puts h i mself one move closer to long castling. He would l i ke to just play Qf3 i m mediately, but t h e n . . . Nc6 i s a strong response. A fte r play i ng the Bishop out first, an immedi­ ate . . . Nc6 would be folly since a fter Bxc4 d xc4, d S comes with tempo. He can easily re­ spond to any later. . . Nc6 by 223

Extra Analysis castling. 8 . . . c6

G ive n the ab ove d i s c u s ­ sion, t h i s makes the best use of the c6 -square. 8 . . . Nb6 is solid, but after 9. Qf3 Nc6 10. 0-0-0 it will be difficult to meet the threats of NbS and Qg3 . Taking a move to play 1 0 . . . a6 is too great a loss of time: 1 1 . Qg3 Rc8 1 2 . B h 3 ! Th is c a n b e met with 1 2 . . . Rg8 but a fte r 1 3 . Q f3 Ra8 14. QhS, Black has traded problems on the Q-side for problems on the K-side. The crafty 8 . . . Nd6 9. NxdS c6 10. Ne3 NxfS 1 1 . NxfS QaS 1 2 . Qd2 QxfS does not solve Black's problems since after 1 3. 0-0-0 White still has the Bishop Pair and a huge lead in development. 13 . . . QdS is re­ futed by 14. Be2 Qxa2 1 5 . Qb4 bS 16. Qc3 Qa 1 17. Kd2 Qa6 1 8 . dS ! , exploiti ng the over­ worked nature of Black's only developed piece. White's gen­ eral threat is Bf3 . This means Black needs to play . . . b4, but those options allowing him to do so are awkward: 18 . . . Qa4 1 9. Ke3 ! b4 20. Qc4 QbS 2 1 . QxbS cxbS 2 2 . BxbS + leaves 224

White still down a pawn, but in a totally winning endgame. 1 8 . . . Qb7 1 9 . R h e 1 b4 2 0 . Qc4, and the threat o f Bf3 is now even more powerful. The provocative 18 . . . Rg8 ! , threat­ ening to play gS and then de­ fend with . . . Rg6 is Black's best and should be met w ith 1 9. Qg3 when both 1 9 . . . Nd7 20. Ra1 Qb6 2 1 . dxc6 Nf6 22. Bf3 and 1 9 . . . Qb7 20. Bxb8 Qxb8 2 1 . dxc6 keep the pressure on Black. 9. Bxc4 dxc4 1 0. dS! cxd S 1 1 . Qe2

White throws another cen­ tral pawn overboard. He will castle long on his next play and take advantage of pins along the central files. For example: 1 1 . . . Qd7 1 2. 0-0-0 d4 1 3. Qxc4 QxfS 14. NdS Na6 1 5 . Rxd4 when the N/a6 is now in dan­ ger. after f6 or Qe6, White will swing his other Rook around with Rhd 1 and continue his as­ sault against the undeveloped Black position. From 6.3.2 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 dS 3. e3 Bg4 4. h3 BhS 5 . g4 Bg6 6. NeS

Col le Chapter Twelve to the wea k ness on e 6 (e.g., 13 . . . e4 Nxg5 + 1 4 . Kg6 Ne6 ) . I f Black plays the better 1 3 . . . e x d 4 , p l ay s h o u l d go 1 4 . dxe4 Qe7+ 1 5 . Q e 2 , wh ich i s fi ne for Wh ite no matter wh at h a p p e n s . Whet her or not B l ac k t rades Q u e e n s , Wh ite plans B e 3 a n d prob­ ably c 3 . The g 5 - pawn is sim­ ply too h a rd to hold. Black tries to defend g6 If B l a c k u s e s his Queen to hold the g6 -pawn, he can and then escape make it out in ti me, but with Black w i l l not have t i me so l ittle central control that to use his b-Knight to do the h i s maj esty fi nds no refuge. j ob. For example 6 . . . Nc6 7. 6 . . . e6 To make room for his King h4 h6 8. Nxg6 fxg6 9. Bd3 Kf7 to sl ide out via e7. 10. Rg l . N o w, 1 0 . . . e 6 t o m a k e 7. h4 h6 8. Nxg6 fxg6 9. Bd3 room for . . . Ne7 to protect g6 Kf7 1 0. Rg 1 Qe8 1 1 . gS hxg S fa i l s : 1 1 . g5 hxg5 1 2 . h xg5 1 2. hxg S Ng8 Black can play Nfd7 and Ng8 1 3 . Qf3 +. If Black tries 10 . . . e5 instead, then 1 1 . g5 plan on playing Kg8 instead, still wins because 1 1 . . . e4 1 2 . but after 1 3 . c4 ! he is lost, for gxf6 exd 3 1 3 . fxg7 does not White threatens Qf3 +, Qc2, and Qb3 . work for Black. I f Black tries 1 0 . . . g5 to 1 3 . Qf3+ Ke7 1 4. c4 Th reate n i ng both the d 5 stop W h ite's s t a n d a rd a n ­ swer, h e w i l l eve ntually suc­ pawn and the b7-pawn. cumb to a K n ight attack i ng 1 4 ... Qf7 Th is is better than 14 . . . c6 the wea k g5 -pawn: 1 1 . hxg5 h xg 5 1 2 . N d 2 e5 1 3 . N f3 . when afte r 1 5 . e4 it is clear Note : t h i s o n ly works due the K i ng will fi nd no refuge . 225

Extra Analysis It m ig h t a p p e a r t h at b o t h 6th move . . . K i n g s a re i n d a n g e r, b u t 6 . . . N c6 7 . h4 h6 8. Nxg6 fxg6 White's K i ng can sti l l castle 9. Bd3 Kf7 1 0. Rg 1 N b4 1 1 . a n d h a s t h e m u c h b e t t e r gS! hxgS 1 2. hxgS Nxd3+ 1 3 . deve lopment (and the Bish- Qxd 3 ops) . At the very least, Wh ite w i l l h ave a m i d d l e g a m e w i t h a n e a rl y c o m p l e t e l y open center a n d b ot h Bish­ ops to attack B l a c k 's mon­ arc h throughout the game. 1 5. Q g 4 Kd8 1 6. cxd S exd S 1 7. Nc3

And White should fol l ow with 1 8 . e4 and Bf4 , cove r­ ing a bunch of Black's King's squares wh ile preparing h is own castling. Black harasses the B/d3

The only real way of doing this is with . . . Nc6 -b4, since u s i ng t h e c- pawn does not work, for White can play c3 and pul l his Bishop back if he needs to. I f B l ack attempts to u s e h i s K n i g h t to at t a c k t h e B i s h op, Wh ite c a n d o fi n e b y taking t h e gift o f acceler­ ated deve lopment and K i ng safety. Start i ng off afte r Wh ite's 226

1 3 . . . Ne4

1 3 . . . N h S i s better t h a n it l o o k s , b u t Wh ite s h o u l d b e able t o succeed b y over­ working Black's dark Bishop. Wh i te e s s e nt i a l ly h a s two threats: to put a K n ight on eS and to attack the pawns on a7 and b7. Wh ite can use these two threatens to put Black in a bind. 1 4 . N d 2 e 6 . B l ac k n e e d s to g e t h i s B i shop out dou­ b l e t i me to stop t h e K n ight fr o m l a n d i n g on e S . 1 5 . N f3 B d 6 1 6 . c4 p o s e s B l a c k a prob l e m . 1 7 . . . c S o p e n s t h e p o s i t i o n too m uc h , a n d 1 7 . . . d xc4 a l l ows Qxc4,

Colle Chapter Twelve Other strategies whe n W h ite c a n p l ay B d 2 a n d B b 4 t o e x c h a nge t h e If Black does not atte mpt d a rk B i s h o p so h e c a n p ost h i s K n i g h t a t t h e e x c e l ­ one of these options, the most l e n t o u t p o s t o n e S . Th a t straightforward way of o b ­ l e aves . . . c 6 t o support t h e taining an advantage i s : d - p aw n . Th e n Wh ite pl ays 1 . Play Rgl t o remove the cS fo rc i ng . . . B e ?, a n d White pin along the h-file. s h o u l d b e able to fo rce the 2. Play gS (if Black prevents e xc h a nge o f d a rk- squ a re d this with . . . gS, then after ex­ B i s h o p s w i t h B d 2 , Q a 4 changing on gS, Wh ite can a n d B b S . B l a c k c a n n o t d o use the Nd2-f3 attack) . much, si nce h e i s essent i a l ­ 3 . After the Kn ight retreats, ly pl ay i ng a piece d ow n . play Qf3 +, knocking the King Other Kn ight moves allow from the g6 -pawn. White to lift his Rook: Rg3 -f3 4 . Take g6 -pawn. For those who want more to knock the King away from of an enduring attack against protecting the g-pawn. the King, I suggest the modi­ 1 4. Nd2 Nxd2 If Black does not exchange, fied plan: 1. Play f4 . then Wh ite can play 1 5 . Nf3 2 . Pl ay g S , knoc k i ng the and there is no stopping him Knight off f6 . from getting to eS 3 . Play Qf3 or Rfl , e4, and 1 5 . Bxd2 e6 Black needs to get the Bish­ optionally Nbd2 . 4 . P l ay e 4 a n d t h e n fS , op out. cracking open the Black posi­ 1 6. 0-0-0 Bd6 1 7. e4 And now either Black allows tion . the game to open up, or allows From 6.4.3 eS, neither of which is good for him. White has the constant th reat of Rg3 -f3 or Rg4 -f4 if 1 . d4 dS 2. Nf3 Bf5 3. c4 e6 4. Black does not develop his dark cxd S exd 5 5. Qb3 Nc6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. e4!?! Bishop quickly enough.

227

Extra Analysis Th is deals with the mate threat "once and for all." How­ ever, since it ends up allowing White to strongpoint e6 and thereafter effect the exchange of l ight-squ a red Bishops, it makes protecting his e4-pawn eve n more d i fficult t h a n it would otherwise be. 9. dxeS N d 7 1 0. Bc4 7 . . . dxe4

It i s t r u e t h at B l ac k h a s t h re e d i ffe re nt ways to re ­ capture the e-pawn, but 7 . . . Nxe4 and 7 . . . Bxe4 both al­ low 8 . Qxb7, where Wh ite has good chances because Black can not play . . . Qxd4 due to the shielding of the dS -pawn. The . . . Nxe4 option leads to interesting play: 8. Qxb7 Bd7 1 0 . . . Qe7 10 . . . NxeS ? 1 1 . QbS + + 9. NxdS Bd6 10. Bd3 Rb8 1 1 . 1 0 . . . N c S 1 1 . Bxf7 + Kd7 Qa6 Nb4 1 2 . Nxb4 Bxb4 1 3 . Kf1 ! ? Bl ack h a s compensa­ s h o u l d be go od fo r Wh ite. tion for the pawn, but White There are stil l plenty of pieces around for attacking. should be safe enough. 10 . . . Bg6 1 1 . Qxb7 Rb8 1 2 . 8. Ne5 Black has two reasonable QdS Bb4 1 3 . e6. ways to stop the mate threats. 1 0 . . . Be? 1 1 . Bxf7+ Kf8 1 2 . We will examine each. BhS a nd Wh ite can quickly bring more pieces to bear on Black exchanges on eS the black King. 1 1 . e6! 8 . . . NxeS

228

Th is move is a maj or im-

Colle Chapter Twelve p rove m e n t ove r 1 1 . Q x b 7 Rb8 1 2 . Qxc7 QxeS 1 3 . QxeS Nxe S , w h i c h a l lows Blac k 's mi nor pieces to wind up on good spaces. It also leads to the exchanging of light Bishops, making the e4 -pawn difficult for Black to maintain. 1 1 . . . Bxe6

1 1 . . . N c 5 1 2 . exf7 + Kd7 1 3 . Qc2 Nd3 14. Kf1 is an interesting line. Black's central pieces certa i n ly se rve a pur­ pose, but u l t i m ately White h as easier development and more K i ng safety. Black can­ not easily hand castle. 1 1 . . . fxe 6 lets the Wh i te Q ueen loose l i ke a six-year­ old at t h e ca n dy store . 1 2 . Qxb7 R-moves and either 1 3 . Qxa7 o r Qxc7 g i ve s Wh ite good prospects . . . just look at the pawn structure ! It seems like something a pet leaves as an unwanted present. 1 2 . Qxb7 Rb8

1 2 . . . Rd8 is an interesting option here. O n fi rst glance it looks terrible. It coops up Black's King, forgoes the natu­ ral attack on b2, and leaves Black's Q-side pawns vulner­ able to White's angry woman .

I won't go into the detai ls, but suffice it to say that Black's p o s i t i o n h a s m u c h m o re strength and energy than it looks. The line White should take here is 1 3 . Nd5 ! Bxd5 14. Qxd5 a6 1 5 . 0- 0 ! ! It is hard to believe that White should not only place his Queen on d5 but leave it there. After 15 . . . Nc5 1 6 . Qc6 Qd7 1 7. Qxd7, Wh ite has very act ive pieces and every reason to suspect he will regain his pawn with an advantage intact. 1 3 . Qxc7 Bxc4

1 3 . . . Qc5 ? ! in an effort to untangle his K-side does not work well because the need to maintai n the e4-pawn stops Black from recapturing how he m ight l i ke to : 1 4 . Qxc5 Bxc 5 1 5 . Bxe 6 fxe 6 1 6 . Rb1 a n d B l a c k 's p aw n s a re too hard to hold . 1 4. Qxc4 Rb4

This is a sharp way to try to hold the e4 -pawn, but 14 . . . f5 is met by 1 5 . Bf4 ! with the threat of Nd 5 . Neither 1 5 . . . Rb 4 1 6 . Qc8 Qd8 1 7. Qxd8 Kxd8 18. 0-0-0 nor 15 . . . Ne5 16. Bxe5 Qxe5 17. 0-0-0 with Rd5 to follow can be comfort229

Extra Analysis able for Black. 1 5. Qc8+ Qd8

1 6. Qxd8+

Kxd8 1 7. b3

Wh ite has a small advan­ tage due to the weak a-pawn and exposed Rook. If does not suit your taste, 1 5 . Qe2 is the best way to keep the pressure on Black. Black blocks with his Bishop 8 . . . Be6

have the Knight c u rrently on c6 take on a7 at an appropri­ ate time and then pull back to b5, where it is protected by the other Knight. 1 2 . . . Qc8

1 2 . . . a6 1 3 . Nxd8 axb5 14. Nxe6 fxe6 1 5 . Nxb5 must be good for White. Alternatively 1 3 . Qa4 Qh4 1 4 . Nxe4 Qh5 15. 0 - 0 gives White material equal ity, b etter pawn struc­ ture, and a temporary advan­ tage due to central control. 1 3 . Be3!

Why not just take the e-pawn l

U n fortu nate ly, Bl ack has too much control ove r the b -fi l e : the N/c6 and Queen c a n b o t h be h a r r i e d fro m Th i s i nvokes a s e r i e s o f t h e i r d e fe n s e o f t h e b 4 more o r less forced moves: square . A fter 1 3 . Nxe4 a6 ! 9. Qxb7 Nxd4 1 0. BbS+ NxbS 14. Qe2 Qb7 the poor Knight 1 1 . QxbS+ Nd7 has to go somewhere unless 1 1 . . . Bd7 1 2 . Qc4 Qe7 1 3 . Wh ite plays 1 5 . Q f3 ! Then Nxd7 Qxd7. 15 . . . Qxc6 loses to 1 6 . Nf6 +. 1 2. N c6 However, Black can just force White pushes the Queen to a d raw by re p e t i t i o n w i t h a worse square while putting 1 5 . . . Bd5. I f White played 14. the Knight on a very n ice one. Qa4, then 1 4 . . . Nb6 1 5 . Qc2 A useful tactic in this line is to Qd7 with the threat of . . . Nc4 230

Col le Chapter Twelve help defe n d the h 7- s q u a re is tough. So i n stead Wh ite t h reat­ v i a a l ater. . . B d 3 . But a fter ens the a7-pawn while at the 1 2 . Ng5 ! Bxd 3 1 3 . Qxd 3 gG same t i me t a k i ng away the 1 4 . Q g 3 one wonders how bG-square from the N/d7. Bl ack p l a n s to stop 1 5 . h 5 , A complete analysis of this t h e problem being that both position would be a lengthy t h e f7- a n d h 7 - p aw n s a re endeavor, but I am confident over-worked. O ne has to de­ Wh ite h a s both a theore t i ­ fe nd eG wh i le the other has c a l a n d practical advantage. to stop l ater mate t h reats on A word of wa r n i ng : Wh ite h 8 . should probably castle long Si nce 1 1 . . . gG ? ! h a s t o b e qu ite soon or else tactics in­ Christmas-come- early a fter volvi ng b2 can prove nettle­ 1 2 . h5, t h at leaves 1 1 . . . hG some. as Black 's only option. After 1 2 . N e 5 White i s t h re ate n­ From 1 0.3 i ng Bxh G , Qh5, or Q g4 with NgG, Ng4 or NeG as options 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3 . e3 cS 4. d e p e n d i n g on B l a c k 's re ­ c4 e6 5 . a31 cxd4 6. exd4 Be7 sponse. For e x a m p l e , a fte r 1 2 . . . 7. Nc3 0-0 8. cSI ? NeS 9. Bd311 fG , Wh ite h a s 1 3 . NgG R f7 Nxc3 ? 1 0. bxc3 b6 1 1 . h41 1 4 . Q h 5 , when 1 4 . . . Bf8 i s t h e o n l y m o ve t h a t d o e s not lose t o 1 5 . N h 8 ! ! 1 4 . . . Bf8 is met by 1 5 . g4, when things start looking grim for Black. S i m i l arly, 1 2 . . . f5 is met by 1 3 . NgG R f7 1 4 . g4 d i ­ re c t ly. A g a i n s t 1 2 . . . B a G , W h i te c a n s i mply pl ay 1 3 . 1 1 . . . BaG might appear to Bx hG wh ile 1 2 . . . BfG is slow save the day because it can enough to al low a Rook-lift 231

Extra Analysis after 1 3 . Q h S . From 1 1 .1 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6 4. B d 3 c5 5. b3 N bd7 6. 0-0 B d 6 7. Bb2 Qc7?! 8. c4!

Rd8 1 5 . fxg4 ! Rxd 1 1 6 . Raxd 1 Q g 3 1 7. N d S ! Nxd S ( 1 7 . . . Nxg4 ? 1 8 . Bxg7 Rg8 1 9. Nf6 Nxf6 20. BbS + Nd7 2 1 . Bxd7 Kd8 2 2 . Bh3 + -) 1 8 . RxdS 0-0 1 9. RdfS Qh4 20. RhS Qxg4 2 1 . Rxh2 . From 1 1 .2.1 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d 5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 N bd7 5. 0-0 Bd6 6. N bd2 c6

I f Black t u r n s tail a t this point with 8 . . . 0-0, he gets in trouble with 9. cxdS exdS (9 . . . NxdS 10. Na3 ! ) 10. dxcS and Black is bad no matter what he does. I f Black recaptu res, White will play Nc3, threaten­ 7. Re1 Th i s t e l e g r a p h s W h ite's i ng NbS, and then Rc 1 with a great position. Black must i ntentions, or at least part of also be mindful of Bxf6 . them. But what can Black do Instead, if Black continues about it? That c6 move sure with 8 . . . eS, there follows very looks useless right now. interesting play: 9. dxeS NxeS 7 . . . 0-0 10. NxeS BxeS 1 1 . Nc3 ! Bxh 2 This is probably the most 1 2 . K h 1 dxc4 ( 1 2 . . . BeS 1 3 . logical move ; Black can not NxdS NxdS 14. BxeS QxeS 1 5. survive without castling soon, cxdS ± ) 1 3 . Bxc4 Bg4 ! 1 4 . f3 but he could postpone a move 232

Col le Chapter Twelve or two. 7. . . Qc7 m ight make sense if Black is hop i ng to d e l ay cast l i ng or castle long. O n the other hand, after 8 . c4, I th i n k Black is stuck for a move. The natu ral S . . . b6 can be answered with 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 1 1 . Bxe4 and Black has to be carefu l due to various pins and sacrificial options. For example, 1 1 . . . Bb7 ? ! can be a n swered by 1 2 . d 5 cxd 5 1 3 . Bxd 5 ! with lots of c o m p l e x i t i e s a h e ad , b u t I t h i n k Wh ite has the better of it. I f Black tries to free his Q u e e n w i t h 1 3 . . . Rb 8 we have the fu n 1 4 . Bxe6 ! fxe 6 1 5 . Rxe 6 + Be7 16. Nd4 ! with two pawns and an attack for the piece. Black has many other responses, but the reflex 1 3 . . . Bxd5 is not a good one since after 14. cxd5 e5 1 5 . Bf4 0-0 1 6 . Rc 1 Qb8 1 7. Bg3 Wh ite will get a good game by posting a Rook on c6. If instead Black plays 1 1 . . . Nf6, then after Wh ite gives a tempo back with 1 2 . Bd3, B l a c k st i l l h a s to e ve n t u -

ally put his King somewhere. Wh ite can get a head start on the pawn storm if Black cas­ ties long, whereas Bg5 i s a bit awkward for Black to meet if he wishes to castle short. 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 1 0. Rxe4!

This is more powerful than the Bishop capture. The Rook can take up residence on the h-file because h3 and h4 are both temporarily free of at­ tackers. There are several lines in which White has the option of a forced perpetual check in case you wish to s e c u re an easy draw here. Clearly, it is hard to calculate all l i nes from here, but here are some ideas to the natural moves: 10 . . . Nf6 is the sort of move people play without thinking. Sure, it h its the Rook . . . but the Rook was not planning on staying on e4 anyway: 1 1 . Rh4 Be7 1 2 . Bg5 ± 1 0 . . . h 6 a l l ows a fo rced perpetual after 1 1 . Bxh6 gxh6 1 2 . Rg4 + K h 8 1 3 . Qd2 Qf6 14. Rh4 Kg7 1 5. Rg4, etc. But Wh ite can get more by play­ ing 1 1 . Bf4, which looks rather strange since one might think 233

Extra Analysis the d a rk B i shop should b e retai ned for sacrifice on the g7 /h6 for m ation . Rather, it is more i mportant to m a ke sure that the B/d6 and N/d7 can not dom i n ate the Rook with the help of the K-side pawns. Wh ite plans on sacri­ fici ng the Rook anyway; after he does, he does not want the dark squares to have another defender. After 1 1 . Bf4, i f Black re­ sponds 1 1 . . . N f6 , t h e n 1 2 . Bxd6 Qxd6 1 3 . Rh4 and the black pieces are not well po­ sitioned to stop Qd2, Rxh6, Qxh6 without significant con­ cessions. Unless Black wants to play the rather dubious line 1 3 . . . KhS ? ! 14. Qd2 NgS, he will need to put his R/fS on dS or eS . . . . ReS leaves the King one less fl ight square, which might end up killing him (e.g. 13 . . . ReS 14. Qd2 c5 1 5 . Rxh6 gxh6 1 7. Qxh6 c4 1 S . Qg5 + K fS 1 9 . Qxf6 cxd3 2 0 . Ne5 Qc7 fails to Ng6 + with mate next when the same line with 13 . . . RdS is possibly tenable) . H oweve r, 1 3 . . . RdS m a ke s 1 4 . . . c 5 b ad si nce afte r 1 5 . dxc5 the Queen cannot take 234

the pawn due t o 1 5 . . Qxc S ? 16. Bh7+. 1 3 . . . RdS also means that if Black plays . . . b6 to get his Bishop out and connect his Rooks, then Ne5 threatens to take c6 while forking the Rook on dS and the Queen that will likely pull back to e7 to protect t he Kn ight after the Queen lands on h6. If Black plays the si mple 1 1 . . . Bxf4 then after 1 2 . Rxf4 Nf6, 1 3. Ne5 keeps the e-pawn fixed and makes a n ice spot for the R/f3 in the eve nt of Nd4 . White still has the same possible tactics here. Black's position is difficult because the N / f6 is t h e o n l y t h i n g stopping mate o n h 7 after the Rook sac, but the Queen is the only thing that can defend it. Black's c-Bishop is difficult to develop as t h i ngs stand be­ cause the c-pawn is only de­ fended by the b-pawn, etc. .

What if Block decides to defend with g6 insteod1

1 0 . . . g6 can be met many ways. One way would be 1 1 . Bg5 . Then 1 1 . . . f6 ? ! i s pun­ ished by 1 2 . Bh6 ReS 13. Rg4

Colle Chapter Twelve and the th reat of Bxg6 fol lowed by Rxg6, etc . is qu ite strong. 1 1 . . . Be? ca n't be good. . . surely Black needs to keep his dark Bishop in this position. 1 1 ... Qc7 can be met (among other ways) with 1 2 . Bh6 Re8 1 3 . Ng5 ! ? when 1 3 . . . Bxh 2 + ? ! is likely to rebound badly (too m u c h go i ng on el sewhere to spend a tempo l i ke this ! ) . For example 1 4 . Kh 1 Bd6 1 5 . Qf3 or, if Black leaves the Bishop on h2, 1 4 . . . Nf6 1 5 . g3 Nxe4 1 6 . Nxe4 . If Black tries to launch a des perat ion attack with 1 5 . . . Bxg3 16. fxg3 Qxg3, then 17. Qf1 is game over. If Black does not indulge in 13 . . . Bxh2+, then White can get a lot of pieces around Black's King with Rh4 and Qf3.

afford to exchange on eS both because he needs h i s pieces fo r d e fe n s e a n d b e c a u s e a white pawn on e5 is al most as deadly as a piece there ! Black's l ight-squared weaknesses are the recurring refrain of the above ballad. While the above is not exhaustive, I be­ l ieve it makes my point. From 1 1 .2.2 1 . d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d S 3 . e3 e6 4. Bd3 Nbd7 5. 0-0 Be7 6. N bd2 0-0 7. Re1 c57! 8. b3 Qc7 9. e4!7 cxd4 1 0. eS

1 0 . . . ReS

Black plans on later playing . . . Nf8, so that after fireworks on h6, the N/f6 is no longer stuck there to stop mate on h7. This idea largely sidesteps the tactics discussed above. 1 1 . NeS

Wh ite threatens Qh5 and Qf3, eyeing f7. Black cannot

As mentioned in c h apter 1 1 , the point of this move is that the natural 1 0 . . . Ng4 can be met by 1 1 . Qe2 when 1 1 . . . Bb4 1 2 . Bxh7 Kxh7 1 3 . Ng5 + Kg8 1 4 . Qxg4 is complicated but favors Wh ite ( 1 4 . . . Qxc2 235

Extra Analysis does not save Black si nce af­ ter 1 5 . QhS f6 1 6 . Nxe6 NxeS 1 7. Nxf8 Bg4 1 8 . Qh4 neither 18 . . . gS 1 9. Qh6 nor 18 . . . Bc3 1 9. f4 ! work for Black, the l ast fa i l i ng b e c ause a fter Qh7+ Black will eventually have to play Kxf8, when Ba3 + comes with tempo, al lowing Wh ite to connect h i s Rooks wh i l e maintaining an attack o n the black monarch. 16 . . . fxeS 17. Nxf8 is better, but White still retains good chances. ) 1 1 . . . f6 i s met by the simple 1 2 . exf6 when 12 . . . Bxf6 1 3 . Qxe6 + + -, and 1 2 . . . Ngxf6 1 3 . Qe6 + Rf7 14. NgS + - both lose for Black. 1 2 . . . Rxf6 is poor because a Rook on f6 will not support an e-pawn march, which turns out to be critical for Black in this l ine. After 1 3 . h 3 , Black i s i n trouble. Instead, 1 2 . . . Ndxf6 is defi­ nitely the move for Black here. After 1 3 . h3 Black has to find 1 3 . . . eS because 1 3 . . . N h 6 leaves Black in bad shape after 14. Bb2 . Those central pawns are going to be hard to hold ! A ft e r 1 3 . . . e S 1 4 . h xg4 Nxg4, 15. Bb2 is the best way to keep Black under the gun. 23 6

1 5 . NxeS is more deadly un­ less Black can find 15 . . . Rxf2 16. Qd 1 NxeS 17. RxeS QxeS 1 8 . Kxf2 Qe3 + 1 9. Kf1 Qh6, when he can force a draw by repetition. 1 1 . . . N c S l e a d s to 1 2 . h 3 Nxd 3 1 3 . Qxd3 Nh6 1 4 . Nxd4, a position that favors White. 1 1 . . . Qb6 ? ! looks silly after 1 2 . Bb2 . The awkward-looking 1 0 . . . NhS leads to a position White can be happy about after 1 1 . Nxd4 N f4 1 2 . N 2 f3 N xd 3 , when either recapture should leave him well off. Note that if Black tries the sneaky 1 1 . . . Qc3 he runs into trouble with 1 2 . B a 3 ! ! s i nce a fter 1 2 . . . Bxa3 1 3 . NbS White will have a strong (if not i rresistible ! ) attack on the K-side based on QxhS, Nf3 -g5, Bxh6 or BxgS, and the Rook-lift Re3 . An example o f t h e above is 1 3 . . . QcS 14. QxhS g6 1 5. Qh6 Bb2 1 6 . Nf3 f6 1 7. Bxg6 hxg6 1 8 . Qxg6 + Kh8 1 9. Rab1 Bxe S 20. Re3 Qe7 2 1 . Nxe S Qh7 2 2 . Rh3 Qxh3 2 3 . gxh3. The re a re, o f cou rse, other possibi l ities, but I t h i n k the

Col le Chapter Twelve which leads to an open game assault can not be stopped. Note : i f B l ac k p l ays t h e where Black should still have rather ambitious 9 . . . eS ? ! i n at least a little trouble until he this line, White gets great play gets eS in, which he could do out of 10. exdS cxd4 1 1 . Nxd4, now, but he would have to be with the threats of NbS and comfortable with 1 2 . . . eS 1 3 . NfS. NbS Qb6 1 4 . RxeS Bxf2+ 1 S. 8 . . d xe4 should b e met Kh1 BcS 16. Qf3, which looks with 9. Nxe4 cxd4 1 0. Nxd4 a bit dangerous. NcS 1 1 . NxcS BxcS 1 2 . Bb2, .

23 7

CH�PTEI\ 13 Traiqiqs E.g., 3.4.1 means Chapter 3, Section 4.1

Basic Ideas

White to play. I 've indicated Black's last play each time.

After 1 . . . Nf6 (2.1 )

After 4 . . . cS (2 .1 )

Zukertort Training

Basic Responses

For each position below, what is the move White should play, and what is the (very general) plan White will pursue? What are the targets?

After 3 Bg4 (6. 3)

After 3 cS (8.2)

After 4 Bd6 (1 1 .2.1)

After 3 g6 (9.1 )

• • •

• . •

After 3 cS (1 0.3) • • •

• • •

• • •

After 3 Nc6 (1 1 .4) • • •

239

Training

Timing

I n each position below, there a re multiple natural moves that must be decided between. Which is the preferred move and why?

Bb2 or 0-0? (4.1 )

a3 or Ne5? (5.3.2)

N bd2, Bb5, or Bd3? (1 1 .4)

Ne5, N bd2, or b2? (1 1 . 3)

240

a3, N bd2, or Ne5? (4.1 )

Qxb7 or Nc3? (6.4.1 )

g3, Nc3, or e3? (1 0.2)

g5 or e4? (7.4. 2)

Zukertort Training

Tactics

In each position below, Black has made an error. How can White exploit it? I have included the final move by Black.

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After 6 . . . N b4 (6.4.1 )

After 8 . . . Ne4 (4.3)

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After 1 1 . . . g6 (4.4.6)

After 1 2 . . . Nd7 (4.2 . 2)

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After 7. . . Be7 (6.5.1)

After 7. . . Qc7 (6.3.2)

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2 41

Training

Strategic Planning

What should White play in each position ? What is his plan?

After 11 . . . Qc7 (5. 2 .1 )

After 7 0-0 (1 0.3) . • •

242

After 4 exdS (1 0.2) • . .

Zukertort Training

Strategic Planning (Less Common Positions)

What should White play in each position? What is his plan?

After 6 . . . Nf6 {6.4.3)

After 6 N c6 {8.3.1 )

After 6 e6 {6.3.2)

After 9 . . . N b4 {8.3.2)

After 9 . . . Nxe4 { 1 1 . 2 . 2)

• • •

• • •

After 6 BxcS {8.4) • • •

243

Training

After 3 . . . Bf5 (6.2 .2)

After 4 e xd5 (1 0.2)

After 9 Bb7 (1 1 .1 )

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After 1 0 Ne4 (5.3.1 )

After 1 4 Rac8 (4. 5.2)

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