5. Other CHESS STARS Books
Repertoire books:
Opening for White Ace. to Kramnik 1.ttl£J by A. Khalifman
Volume 1a: Old Indian, rare lines in the Classical Variation, 2006
Volume 1b: The Classical Variation, 2006
Volume 2: Anti-Nim-Ind,Anti-Queen'sIndian, English, 2008
Volume 3: English (l...cS), English (four knights), 2011
Opening for White According to Anand l.e4 by A. Khalifman
Volume 8: The Sicilian, Paulsen-Kan and rare lines, 2006
Volume 9: The Sicilian, Paulsen-Taimanov and other lines, 2007
Volume 10: The Sicilian, Sveshnikov, 2007
Volume 11; The Sicilian, Dragon, 2009
Volume 12: The Sicilian, Rauzer Attack, 2009
Volume 13: The Sicilian, English Attack, 2010
Opening for Black According to Karpov by Khalifman
Current theory and practice series:
An Expert's Guide to the 7.Bc4 Gruenfeld by Sakaev, 2006
The Sharpest Sicilian by Kiril Georgiev and At. Kolev, 2007
The Safest Sicilian by Delchev and Semkov, 2nd rev.ed. 2008
The Queen's Gambit Accepted by Sakaev and Semkov, 3rd. rev. ed., 2008
The Easiest Sicilian by Kolev and Nedev, 2008
The Petrosian System Against the QID by Beliavsky and Mikhalchishin, 2008
Kill K.I.D. by Semko Semkov, 2009
The King's Indian. A Complete Black Repertoire by Victor Bologan, 2009
The Scotch Game for White by Vladimir Barsky, 2009
The Modern Philidor Defence by Vladimir Barsky, 2010
The Moscow & Anti-Moscow Variations by Alexey Dreev, 2010
Squeezing the Gambits by Kiril Georgiev, 2010
The French Defence. A Complete Black Repertoire by Nikita Vitiugov, 2010
A Universal Weapon l.d4 d6 by Vladimir Barsky, 2010
The Meran & Anti-Meran Variations by Alexey Dreev, 2011
The Safest Grunfeld by Alexander Delchev and Evgenij Agrest, 2011
Fighting the French: a New Concept by Denis Yevseev, 2011
More details at www.chess-stars.com
4
8. PREFACE
The Petroff Defence is an exceptionally reliable an dalmost in destruct
ible opening,an da har dnut to crack,even for the strongest an dmost
meticulously prepare d gran dmasters theoretically. It is no acci dent
that the Petroff Defence,name dafter its inventor an dalso know as the
Russian Game,has for many years been the main opening weapon of
Vla dimir Kramnik an d Boris Gelfan dan dhas also been playe dregular
ly by Vishy Anan dan d Alexey Shirov. Nowa days there are also several
very young an dtalente dgran dmasters who play it,such as Wesley So
an d Anish Giri. Anatoly Karpov an d Artur Yusupov have been using
it as a part of their opening armoury throughout their chess careers...
The list coul dgo on an don.
The Petroff Defence is characterise dby the fact that on his secon d
move Black does not protect his e5-pawn,but instea dcounter attack s
with 2... lt:lf6,proposing to the opponent the imme diate exchange of a
pair of pawns,thus slightly simplifying the position an d quickly defin
ing the future pawn-structure.
What are the pluses an dminuses of an opening repertoire base don
the Petroff Defence,such as we are recommen ding in this book? I think
I can see only one drawback. If White is an experience dplayer with a
goo dgrasp of theory,an dhe is in the moo dto draw,then he shoul dbe
able to share the point without too much problem. Still,the same can
also be sai dabout almost every other opening,because in contempo
rary chess it is tremen dously difficult to win with Black unless White
makes a serious mistake.On the other han d,there is a great a dvantage
to consi der: you will not obtain ba dpositions from the opening. The
Petroff Defence is particularly suitable for players with a positional
style,since in a calm, quiet contest you can easily win the game if the
opponent takes too many risks. You can see this illustrate din the Com
plete Games section.
I have en deavoure dto present an dexplain to you all the finer points
of this opening,as I un derstan dthem. In general,the critical positions
have been treate dthoroughly an d I have also suggeste dan danalyze d
a great many new i deas in this book. Some variations which have
amasse dconsi derable tournament practice,but which,in my view,are
7
9. less prin cip le d, have been covere d on ly brie fly.Other wise, the book
woul dhave become too big, losing its essential purpose. Unfortunate
ly,too many authors write chess booksin that way;they offer no o rigi
na lana lysis an doften quote out date dgames,some of which are very
weakly p laye dan dalmost use less.
Ihope that you ,the rea de r, wi llenjoy stu dyin gthis book ,an d I wish
you won der fultournament results with this opening !
8
Konstantin Sakaev,
Saint Petersburg 2011
10. Partl
l.e4 e5
All White Replies without 2)Df3
I have discussed numerous
times and I know, from my own
experience, how difficult it is for
White to combat the Petroff De
fence. Whenever you are prepar
ing at home against the possibility
of facing this opening in a tour
nament game, even if you are a
very strong player you have great
problems.
In Chapter One of our book,
we shall first analyse some very
rarely played attempts for White
to avoid the Petroffand .ilack's
reaction to all of them is fairly
simple.
Later, we deal with the
Vienna Game, in which White
plays "incorrectly " on the king-
side and Black should respond
with a classical counter-attack in
the centre, ending up with an ex
cellent position.
As for the King's Gambit,
this is a very complex opening
with a long and rich history, but
readers will find very reliable
ways to combat this too.
Finally, the Bishop's Open
ing is a direct attempt to avoid
the Petroff and to introduce
themes which are similar to those
of the Italian Game.White's plans
are destined to fail, however,be
cause after 2...ll:f6 3.d3 c6,
there arises an immediate con flict
in the centre, which is quite ad
vantageous for Black.
9
11. Chapter 1 l.e4 e5
Seldom Played Moves
2.d4
It is difficult to take the move
2.WhS seriously. Black has many
attractive options an d I shall show
you just one of these: 2...tt:lc6 3.
.tc4 g6 4.Wf3 tt:lf6 5.tt:le2 .tg7
6.tt:lbc3 d6 7. d3, Nakamura - Sa
sikiran, Copenhagen 2005. Here,
I believe Black's most logical
move is 7...tt:la5 +, exchanging
White's light-s quare d bishop for
the knight an d en ding up with a
slight e dge for Black.
We shall brie fly deal with the
move 2. d3. We have no intention
here of analyzing plans base don
some passive set-up for White
with a bishop or a queen on the
e2-s quare,or with a knight on d2.
In all these cases Black shoul d de-
10
velop his knights on c6 an df6 an d
a dvance d7- d5,seizing space an d
ensuring a very comfortable posi
tion. We shall limit ourselves to
examining White's active possi
bility of trying to a dvance with f2-
f4. It is quite obvious that this
pawn a dvance is very risky, since
it exposesWhite's king,especially
in connection with the fact that
his light-s quare d bishop will be
restricte d to the e2-s quare. 2...
tt:lf6 ( Black is preparing d7- d5. It
is safer for him to play 2...tt:lc6
an dhere 3.f4 seems to be too a d
venturous for White owing to 3...
d5!)3.f4 ( A better move forWhite
is 3.tt:lf3, but Black can answer
this with 3...tt:lc6,followe dby d7 -
d5. It is also goo dto play symmet
rically with 3... d6,followe dby fi
anchettoing the bishop on g7. The
position is close dan dWhite's ex
tra tempo is irrelevant, so the
game is e qual.)
( diagram)
an dnow:
3...tt:lc6 4. fxe5 tt:lxe5 5. d4
tt:lxe4!? ( This is an interesting
move. It is simpler for Black to
opt for 5...tt:lc6 6.e5 tt:le4 7.tt:lf3 d5
12. 8. .id3 .ie7 9.0-0 0-0 10.'Llc3 .ifS
11. Ele l f6=, with e quality.) 6.'�e2
dS7.dxe5 '&h4 8.g3 tt:lxg3 9.hxg3
'&xh1 10. .ie3 '&e4 11. .ig2 '&xeS
( The game is rather unclear after
1 l... '&g6!?12. '&f2 c6 13.'Llc3oo)12.
'Llf3 '&e6 13.'Lld4 '&eS 14.'Llf3
'&e6= and after a repetition of
moves the result will be a draw;
3...exf4 4.hf4 (4.e5? 'LldS+)
4...tt:lc6 5. .ie2! (S.tt:lf3 dS6.e5 tt:lhS
7. .id2 h6!+, followed by g7-g5!)
S... .icS (5... .id6!?6.hd6 cxd6 7.
c4 0-0 8.'Llc3 a6 9.'Llf3 bS�) 6.
tt:lc3 0-0 (6...d5 7.e5 tt:lg4 8.hg4
Wl'h4 9. .ig3 '&xg4 l O.tt:lxdS Wl'd7
11.c4 tLlb4 �- Black has good com
pensation for the pawn,sufficient
for e quality.) 7.e5 'Lle8 8.'Llf3 d6
(8...f6 9.d4 fxeS l O.dxeS Elxf4 11.
'&d5±; 8...tt:ld4!? 9.'Lle4 'Lle6oo) 9.
.ig5 '&d7 10.d4 .ib6 11.'Lld5 h6oo
Black's position is fine apa rtfrom
the knight on e8,making the posi
tion difficult to evaluate.
2..•exd4
(diagram)
First of all, we shall look at
White's possible de viations from
the Centre Game:
A) 3.c3, B) 3.c!L:f3and then at
the Centre Game itself: C)
3.l!bd4.
l.e4 e5
It is simply bad for White to
play 3.f4?'Llc6 4. 'Llf3 .ic5+ - he
will not regain his d4-pawn and
has no compensation whatsoever.
The line 3. .ic4 tt:lf6 transposes
to the Bishop'sOpening.
A) 3.c3
With this moveWhite is offer
ing the sharp Danish Gambit.
However, Black is not force d to
accept the sacrifice and he has a
simple and reliable way of obtain
ing an excellent position.
3...d5 4.exd5
After 4. WI'xd4 the best White
can hope for is e quality. His c3-
pawn deprives his knight of that
s quare and does not enhance his
position. After 4...dxe4 5. '&xe4
.ie7 6. .ig5 tt:ld7 7.'Llf3 tt:lgf6 8. '&c2
0-0 9. .ie2 h6 10. .ih4 Ele8 11.0-0
tt:lh5 + Black has an excellent posi
tion, Tomas Batet - Korneev,
Malaga 2002.
4...'&xd5 5.cxd4
The move 5.'Llf3 makes little
sense at this point,becauseWhite
will have to capture on d4 with his
pawn anyway.
11
13. Chapter 1
5...c!t:lc6 6.c!tlf3 .ig4
7.c!tlc3
For 7.�e2 �b4 8. l2Jc3 - see 7.
l2Jc3.
7....ib4 8..ie2 .ix£3 9..ixf3
�c4 1 0 .�b3
The en dgame is e qual after
10.hc6 bxc6 11.�e2 �xe2 12.
lt>xe2=
1 0•..�xb3 11.ax:b3 c!tlge7 12.
.ie3 0 - 0 - 0 13. 0 - 0
13..•a5!
This move is better than 13...
a6, which has been playe dmuch
more often.
14.gfdl, D. Mastrovasilis -
Skembris, Greece 2001. Black
shoul d continue to play in the
12
centre with 14.•.ghe8! = an d
he solves all his opening prob
lems.
B) 3.c!tlf3
With this move White is trying
to transpose to the Scotch Game,
which arises if Black replies with
3... l2Jc6. He is not oblige d to do
this however an dhas a very goo d
alternative in
3....ib4+
Now White can reply with:
Bl) 4.c3or B2) 4..id2.
Bl) 4.c3 dxc3 5.c!tlxc3
After 5.bxc3, Black's safest
move is 5...�e7. The bishop is
place d on a protecte d s quare
an d prevents the possible sortie
of his opponent's knight to g5
( Even after 5...�c5 6.�c4 d6 7.
0-0 l2Jc6 White can har dly prove
sufficient compensation for the
pawn.). 6.�c4 d5! 7.ex d5 l2Jf6 8.
0-0 0-0 9.�a3 (after 9.�b3,
Black has the resource 9... l2Ja6,
with the i dea of l2Ja6-c5) 9... l2Jb d7
10.�b3 ha3 11. l2Jxa3 l2Jc5+ an d
he is even slightly better, Zvia-
14. ginsev - Motylev, Ube da 2000.
5....b:c3
If Black plays the imme diate
5...ct:Je7,thenWhite can reply with
6. '&d4 .bc3 7. '&xc3 0-0 8.b4!? d5
9. i.b2 f6 10. i. d3 �, reaching a
complicate d position in which
White has enough compensation
for the pawn, Zviaginsev - Beliav
sky, Portoroz 1 9 9 9.
6.bxc3<tle7 7.e5
Or 7. i.c4 0-0 8.0-0 ct:Jbc6
9.e5 d5 10.ex d6 Wx d6 l l.Wx d6
cx d6 + an dWhite must play pre
cisely in or der to fight for a draw,
Velimiro vic - Motylev, Herceg
Novi 2000.
7...d5! 8.exd6 'ffxd6
After 8...cx d6 9. i.a3 ct:Jbc6 10.
'&x d6 '&x d6 1 l..b d6 0-0=there is
a transposition to the same en d
game as in the main line.
9.'&xd6 cxd6 1 0 .i.a3<tlbc6
The priority in this position is
quick development! If Black hol ds
on to the extra pawn, then after
10... d5 11.0-0-0 ct:Jbc6 12. i.b5
ie6 13.:!"i:he l t he runs into diffi
culties, Zezulkin - Karpov, Bastia
2002.
l.e4 e5
ll..b:d6 0 - 0
After 11...ie6 White can play
12.ct:Jg5 0-0-0 13.ia3 ct:J d5 14.
ct:Jxe6±, so Black is reluctant to
give up his secon d bishop for a
knight.
12. 0 - 0 - 0 i.e6 13.®b2
An attempt to play aggres
sively woul dnot work for White:
13.ct:Jg5 ha2 14.@b2 h6! 15.
@xa2 hxg5 16..be7 (otherwise
White will be a pawn down
without any compensation what
soever) 16...ct:Jxe7 17.:!"i: d7 ct:Jg6 18.
:!"i:xb7 :!"i:f d8= - Black's rook is
rea dy to go to d2 an dhe is in no
danger.
13...lUd8=
White cannot profit from the
a dvantage of the bishop pair,
since his pieces lack coor dination,
while Black has easy play on the
light s quares. He has the possibil
ity of deploying his knight along
the route e7- d5-b6 an d later to
a4 or c4, accor ding to circum
stances. White can har dly save
his light-s quare dbishop from be
ing exchange d, so the game is
e qual.
13
15. Chapter 1
B2) 4.i.d2
4..•h:d2 5.li:'lbxd2
The position is completely
e qual after 5. '&xd2 c5 ( If Black
wishes to enter a more complicat
ed struggle he can choose 5.. :�e7
6. '&xd4 l2Jf6 7. l2Jc3 l2Jc6 8. Wfe3
0-0 9. i.d3 d6 t,but White main
tains a slight edge, thanks to his
space advantage.) 6.c3 l2Jf6 7.e5
l2Je4 8. Wff4 d5 9.exd6 l2Jxd6 10.
cxd4 cxd4=
5.• .li:'lc6 6.l2Jb3
After 6. i.b5, Black replies with
6...a6! 7. i.xc6 (if 7. i.a4, then 7...
l2Jge7 and White is unable to play
l2Jd2-b3,without which he cannot
regain his d4-pawn) 7...dxc6 8.
l2Jb3 b6! 9. Wfxd4 Wfxd4 10. l2J fxd4
c5!=. Black has deployed his
queenside pawns on dark s quares
and the endgame is excellent for
him. On his next move he can
continue with f7-f5!,liberating his
bishop after an exchange of
pawns,or obtaining the excellent
blockading s quare e6 ifWhite's e
pawnadvances.
6•••�{6 7.i.d3 0 - 0 8. 0 - 0
ges
14
Here it appears to be almost
e qually strong for Black to play
the immediate 8...d5!?
9.gel
9•..d5
It is a bit passive for him to opt
for 9...d6 10. l2J fxd4 i.d7 11. l2Jxc6
i.xc6 12.f3 '&en and although
Black does not have any weak
nesses or any bad pieces,White is
still slightly better thanks to his
space advantage, B.Savchenko -
Chadaev,Olginka 2011.
1 0 .e5 �d7!
This is the most precise route
to e quality for Black. His alterna
tives are less convincing, for ex
ample: 10... l2Jg4 11.h3 l2Jgxe5 12.
l2Jxe5 l2Jxe5 13. i.xh7 'it>xh7 14. Wfh5
'it>g8 15J'xe5 l"lxe5 16. Wfxe5 f6 17.
Wff4 b6 18. l2Jxd4 c5 1 9. l2Jb5 a6
20. l2Jd6 Wfe7 2 l.b4!t
There is also a way to reach a
more complex but still approxi
mately e qual position:10... l2Je4!?
l l. l2Jbxd4 l2Jxd4 12. l2Jxd4 c5 13.
l2Jb5 i.d7=
ll.lilbxd4 ll:xd4 12.lilxd4
ll:xe5 13.h:h7 'it>xh7 14.Wfh5
'it>g8 15.gxe5 c5 16.gxd5
16. 16.tt'lf3 Ei:xe5 17.1�xe5 f6=
16...�f6 17.tl:lf3 �bx2 18.�fl
�xc2 19.�xc5 �e2= Black's king
is a bit expose d,butWhite cannot
exploit this effectively,so the po
sition is e qual.
C) 3.�xd4 ll:lc6
4.�e3
The main i dea of the Centre
Game is to transfer the white
queen to g3, exerting powerful
pressure against the g7-s quare.
Accor dingly, retreating White's
queen to a4 or d1 makes little
sense. Black simply develops his
knight on f6 an dbishop on c5,ob
taining a lea din development an d
seizing the initiative. After 4.� d3,
the best that White can hope for is
to transpose to the main line: 4...
tt'lf6 5.tt'lc3 .ib4 ( Black has anoth
er very promising alternative here
in 5... .ic5!?)6. .i d2 0-0 7.0-0-0
Ei:e8 8.�g3.
4...ll:lf6 5.ltlc3
It is very important for White
to continue with his development.
After 5.e5? li:lg4 6.�e2 (or 6.�e4
�h4 followe d by �h5 - White
l.e4 e5
loses his e5-pawn) 6... d6 7.h3
li:lh6 (the piece-sacrifice 7...
li:lxe5!?looks very attractive too)
8.ex d6 .ie6 Black has a po we rful
initiative for Black.
After 5. .i d2?! Black's simplest
reply is 5... .ie7 ( Naturally he can
also play 5... .ib4 an d if White
does not transpose to the main
line with 6. li:lc3, the game is
e qual.)6. li:lc3 d5!an dafter the ex
change of the central pa wns,
Black's position seems more ac
tive.
It looks useless for White to
play S. li:lf3?!,because he bars the
way of his queen to the g3-s quare.
After 5... .ib4 6.c3 (it is even worse
for White to play 6. .i d2 0-0 an d
Black is threatening Ei:e8) 6... .ia5
7. .i d3 0-0 8.0-0 dS!+ Black is
fighting for the initiative.
5....ib4 6..id2 0 - 0 7.
0 - 0 - 0 �e8 8.�g3
Or 8. .ic4 d6 9.f3 li:le5 10. .ib3
c6 +an d White has no active pros
pects on the kingsi de,while Black
is rea dy to with draw his bishop to
c5 with tempo an dthen begin an
offensive with b7-b5 an da7-a5.
15
17. Chapter 1
It woul d be disastrous for
White to opt for 8.f3? dS+an dhis
queen on e3 is expose d,becoming
an easy target for Black's pieces.
s...c!l)xe4
White does not have full com
pensation for the pawn after 8...
l'l:xe4, but the game becomes
sharper an dmuch more complex.
A possible continuation is 9.a3
i.aS ( 9... l'l:g4!?)10.f3 l'l:e8 11.tt:lge2
d6 12.h4,Shabalov - Martinovs ky
Chicago 1 9 96. Black must play
very precisely to neutralize
White's kingsi de initiative,for ex
ample: 12...c;t>hS (12...tt:le7!?) 13.
hS h6 14.tt:lf4 i.fS 1S.W!h4 (White
must try to a dvance his g-pawn;
since he has no other reasonable
plan) 1S...tt:leS 16. i.e2 Wfd7. Now,
owing to some tactical nuances,it
is ba dfor White to play17.g4hc3
18.hc3 hc2! 1 9. l'l:d2 i.h7 20.gS
WffS-+. White might have some
other interesting i deas, but if
Black plays well he shoul dbe able
to hol dhis own in all lines.
9.lbxe4 �xe4 1 0 .c3
10.hb4 tt:lxb4 (here it is also
goo d for Black to play 10...
16
�xb4!?+) l l.a3 tt:lc6 12. i. d3 l'l:e8
13.tt:lf3 d6 14. l'l:he1 h6 1S.l'l:xe8
Wfxe8 16. l'l:e1 Wif8+an dnow Black
just nee ds to play i.c8- d7 an d
l'l:a8-e8. White's initiative is insuf
ficient to compensate for the sac
rifice dpawn.
1 0 ....ie7! ll.f4
11.tt:lf3 d6 12.h3 tt:leS 13.tt:lxeS
l'l:xeS 14.f4 l'l:aS+ Black's rook is
well place d on aS an d it cannot
cause any serious problems for
him.Or l l. i. d3 i.h4 12.Wif3 l'l:e8+
with the threat of tt:lc6-eS.
ll...d5 12..id3
12.tt:lf3 i.fS ( In this or der of
moves, Black has another very in
teresting possibility in 12... l'l:a4!?
13. i. d3 l'l:xa2 14.c;t>b1 l'l:aS1S. l'l:he1
d4+, with very active play an d
some a dvantage.)13. i. d3 Wfd7 14.
he4 i.xe4 - see 12. i. d3.
12....if5!
This is the right time to give
back the extra material an dseize
the initiative!
More cautious play is less ef
fective , for examp le: 12... i.h4 13.
Wff3 l'l:e8 14.g4 1e7 1S.tt:le2 aS!+,
with the i dea of aS-a4,continuing
18. the attack on the queensi de. The
ensuing play will be rather sharp
an dWhite's compensation for the
pawn will probably be insuffi
cient.
13.he4 he4 14.ll:£J ti'd7+
l.e4 e5
White has a minimal material a d
vantage,but Black's bishop on e4
is as goo d as a rook! There is no
doubt that Black has a verypow
erful initiative, Ru dd - Avrukh,
Lon don 2010 (game 1).
Conclusion
White movespawns at the beginning ofthe game and develops his
queen before his minorpieces, so he can hardly expect any advantage
and must even think about equalizing. I believe that in all the rarely
played lines analyzed in this chapter the best White can hopefor is
that his opponent is not wellprepared to combat them. However, with
solid, common-sense play in the centre, Black should be able to obtain
excellentpositions without any problems whatsoever.
17
19. Chapter2 l.e4 e5 2)i)c3 ttlf6
Vienna Game
We shall analyze here A)
3.i.c4, B) 3.g3and C) 3.f4.
A) 3..ic4 tt:xe4
4.�h5
It is weaker for White to play
4..bf7+ mxfl S. tt:Jxe4 dS+; Black
occupies the centre and later he
18
can castle artificially,since he has
more than sufficient time for this.
White can continue his devel
opment, ignoring Black's knight
for the time being,but that would
only be sufficient for e quality and
no more: 4. tt:Jf3 tt:Jxc3 ( The other
reliable way for Black here is:4...
tt:Jf6 S.lLlxeSdS6. .ib3 c6=White's
bishop on b3 and the knight on c3
are severely restricted by Black's
pawn-chain c6-d5, so Black has
no opening problems whatsoev
er.)S.dxc3
S...c6 ( Black often plays here
S...f6,with the idea of holding on
to the pawn. I do not like this
move at all from the aesthetic
point of view and would never
play like this. Black falls behind in
development and loses his right
20. to castle comfortably; neverthe
less, I have faile dto fin da direct
refutation of it. Black wants to
play d7- d6,followe dby c7-c6 an d
d6- d5,while White can try to de
velop his initiative in various
ways. He can play for example:
6.�e3,keeping the option of � d1-
e2 an d 0-0-0, although he can
also consi der the simple possibil
ity of 6.0-0 d6 7.lLlh4 g6 8.�e3,
followe dby f2-f4ggWhite has the
initiative,but Black has consi der
able defensive resources.)6.lLlxe5
d5 7.0-0 � d6 8.l"le1 0-0 9.� d3
lLl d7 10.�f4 �f6 l l.lLlx d7 h d7 12.
h d6 �x d6=. The position is al
most symmetrical an dabsolutely
e qual.
4...lbd6 5.i.b3
A rather dull en dgame arises
after 5.�xe5 �e7 6.�xe7 he7 7.
�b3 lLlf5 8.lLlf3 (8.lLl d5 � d8 9.lLlf3
c6 10.lLle3 d5=) 8...c6=, followe d
by d7- d5.
5...i.e7 6.lbf3 lLlc6 7.lbxe5
g6 8.�e2
8... 0 - 0
The game is more complex
an dapproximately e qual after 8...
l.e4 e5 2.lLl c3lLlf6
lLl d4 9.� d3 lLlxb3 10.axb3 lLlf5
11.0-0 d6 12.lLlf3 c6= Anan d- Iv
anchuk, Monaco (rapi d)1 9 92.
9. 0 - 0 i.f6 1 0 .lbxc6
Black has an excellent position
after 10.lLlf3 l"le8 1 l.� d1 b6 +
1 o .. .dxc6 ll.d3 ges 12JWf3
a5 13.a4 i.e6 14.i.xe6 gxe6+
an d Black's position is even
slightly preferable.
B) 3.g3
This move is not at all ambi
tious.
3...i.c5
I think this is Black's most log
ical reaction.
The line: 3... d5 4.ex d5 lLlx d5
5.�g2 lLlxc3 6.bxc3 � d6 7.lLlf3
0-0 8.0-0 lLlc6 lea ds to the Glek
variation (2.lLlf3 lLlf6 3.lLlc3 lLlf6
4.g3). Black has an alternative on
his last move,which lea ds to orig
inal positions - 8...lLl d7. His
knight is more flexibly place don
d7,but it restricts the mobility of
his ownlight-s quare dbishop. Af
ter 9. d4 h6 10.l"le1 ex d4 1 l.cx d4
lLlb6 12.� d3!± Zviaginsev
A vrukh,Ohri d 200 9, depen ding
1 9
21. Chapter 2
on circumstances, White can
s queeze his opponent's position
by a dvancing his a- or c- pawns.
He also has the possibility of in
creasing his piece-pressure with
the move tt::lf3-e5 an d Black's play
is not at all easy (it is weaker for
White to opt for 12.tt::le5 c6 13.c3
.ie6=, with e quality, Leko -
Kramnik, Bu dapest 2001).
4..ig2 0 - 0
Black shoul dnot be in a hurry
to play 4... d6,since then his bish
op has no retreat an d White may
soon try to exchange it by tt::lc3-a4.
5.ll:)ge2
The move 5.tt::lf3 is simply ba d
here, owing to 5... d5!+an d Black
seizes the initiative.
5. .)l:)c6
It woul d be premature for
Black to imme diately attack his
opponent's centre with his knight
still on b8:5...c6 6.0-0 d5 7.ex d5
cx d5 8. d4 ex d4 9.tt::lx d4 .ig4 10.
1Mfd3 tt::lc6,Stevie - G danski, Rije
ka 2010. Here the move l l.tt::lb3!
enables White to win his oppo
nent's central pawn an d Black's
compensation will be insufficient.
20
6. 0 - 0 �e8 7.d3
After 7.h3, Black continues
with the same plan: 7...tt::l d4 8.
i>h2 c6 9.f4 d5!,with the a dvan
tage.
7...h6!
With this prophylactic move
Black ensures long-term security
of his knight on f6.
8.h3 ll:d4
After completing his prophy
lactic measures on the kingsi de
Black is rea dy to open the centre.
It is also possible for him to
play patiently with 8...a6 9.i>h2
d6 10.f4 tt::l d4=when all his pieces
are poise din the centre an d Black
is rea dy to follow up with b7-b5
an d .ic8-b7. White has no pros
pects of developing an initiative
on the kingsi de an d in dee d his
own king is vulnerable.
9.ll:a4
If 9.i>h2 then 9...c6!10.f4 d5!+
an d Black's acti vity in the centre
is much more effective than
White's play on the flanks, all in
accor dance with classic princi
ples!
9....if8 1 0 .f4
22. White can prevent the pawn
break d7- d5 by means of the
somewhat artificial move 10 .c4,
but Black can counter this effec
tively with the line: 10 ...c6 11 .
li:Jac3 ic5 12 .�h2 a6=,preparing
b7-b5 .
1 0 ...c!i)xe2 11.�xe2 d5 12.
fxe5 gxe5 13.i.f4
13...ges ( It is also interesting
for Black to try13 ..J'l:e6!?an din
several va riations Black's rook
goes to the queensi de, attacking
White's pawns an dpieces .) 14.e5
i.d7 15.tl:c3 d4 16. tl:d5 tl:xd5
17.hd5 i.e6=. Black has
achieve dsafe e quality .
C) 3.f4 d5
l.e4 e5 2. liJc3 liJf6 3f4 d5
We shall now deal with the
moves C1) 4.exd5 an d C2)
4.fxe5.
Cl) 4.exd5
This move only helps Black's
development, so it cannot be
goo d.
4.•.tl:xd5 5.fxe5 tl:xc3 6.
bxc3 �h4 7.�e2 i.g4 8.tl:f3
tl:c6 9.'%l/e1 '%l/h5
White's king is in front of his
army,so he cannot even e qualize,
despite having an extra pawn .
1 0 .�d1
After 10 .d4 0-0-0 l l .�f2 f6!
the f-file is opene dan d White has
some problems . 12 .ib5 fxe5
13 .i.xc6 bxc6 14 .�xe5 �g6 15 .ge l
i d6 16 .�g5 (after 16 .�e4, Black
can again play 16 ...l"l df8!,with the
i dea of increasing his pressure
along the f-file with the move l"lf8-
f5!)16 ...!'1df8!17 J'!e2 l"lf5 18.�xg6
hxg6+. Black regains his pawn,
maintaining the initiative in the
process .
1 0 ...h£3 ll.gx£3 �xf3 12.
.ie2 '%l/d5
21
23. Chapter 2
13.c4
White cannot achieve any
thing with 13J'lf l 0-0-0 14.Wf2
(after 14.�f3 Wxe5 15. �c6 Wxe l
16.i>xe l bxc6 17 J�xf7� d6+ he will
have difficulty sa ving the game)
14...i>b8 15.Wxf7Wxe5 +. Black ex
erts powe rful pressure on the cen
tral files,while White's pieces are
very passive an dhe has no coun
terplay along the b-file.
13•.•Wxe5 14.l'�bl 0 - 0 - 0
15.�g4 f5
The position is double-e dge d
after 15...i>b8!?16.�f3 Wf6 17J''lfl
�c5�. Black has an extra pawn
an d active pieces while, as com
pensation,White exerts powerful
pressure on the b-file an don the
long diagonal.
16.Wxe5 lLxe5 17.� i> b8
18..ie6 .ic5 19.d3 1'!he8 2 0 .
.ig5 l'! d6 21..id5 c6 2 2..ie4 h6
23•.if4 l'! f6 24..ig3 i> c7+
( diagram)
Black's next move will be �c5-
f2,exchanging the enemy bishop
on g3 an dneutralizing the possi
ble danger. White must play very
precisely to salvage a draw, be
cause his pawn-structure is infe-
22
rior. If he plays 25.i>e2, then
Black can reply with 25...� d6,
with the powerful threat
Ci:le5xc4.
C2) 4.fxe5lLxe4
5.lLf3
It woul dbe just crazy forWhite
to play 5.Wf3,ignoring the princi
ples of quick development, devel
oping his queen in the centre
ahea d of his minor pieces. After
5... lLc6! ( Black can obtain a very
goo d position with the simple
move 5...Ci:lxc3, but he is striving
for more an d quite justifiably so.)
6.�b5 Ci:lxc3 7.bxc3 Wh4 (7...�e7
8. d4 0-0 9.� d3 (after 9.Ci:le2 f6
24. 10.exf6 hf6 l l.tt.'lf4 tt.le7+ Black is
also slightly better) 9...f6 10.Wh5
g6 l l.hg6 hxg6 12.Wxg6 'it>h8
13.Wh6 'it>g8=it all en ds in a draw
by perpetual check) 8.g3 We4
9.Wxe4 dxe4 10.hc6 bxc6 l l.tt.'le2
l':b8+. Black has a strong bishop
pair an dan a dvantage in the en d
game.
Although Black's knight on e4
is very strong, attac king it with
5. d3 is too passive. White's bishop
will remain on f l an dthe pawn on
e5 will be deprive dof support. 5...
tt.lxc3 6.bxc3
6... d4! Black destroys his op
ponent's pawn-chain with this
move. 7.tt.lf3 tt.lc6 8.�e2 (it is no
better for White to play here 8.
cx d4 �b4 9.� d2 h d2 10.Wx d2
tt.lx d4+; his pawns are a sorry
sight,while Black will soon castle,
establishing a consi derable lea d
in development in the process.)
8...�c5 9.0-0 dxc3 10.'t>h l 0-0
l l.We l. Black alrea dy has an extra
pawn an dWhite can har dly create
any meaningful threats on the
kingsi de. Black has many goo d
moves to choose from an d I be
lieve his best possibility is: 11...
ctJd4!
l.e4 e5 2.tt.l c3tt.lf6 3j4 d5
an dnow:
12.� dl l':e8! 13.Wxc3 tt.lxf3 14.
Wxc5 l':xe5 15. Wfc3 ( White loses af
ter 15.Wif2 W! d4 16.Wxf3 l':f5-+)
15...tt.l d4 16.�f4 l':e7+. White's
compensation is far from suffi
cient;
12.Wxc3 - This attempt by
White to restore the material bal
ance is completely ineffective.
12...�b6 (12...b6!?) 13.Wi d2 tt.lxf3
14.hf3 � d4 15.l':b l he5 16.l':b5
� d4 ( A very cautious player with
Black, fearing the transfer of
White's rook to the kingsi de,
coul dchoose 16...l':e8 17.� d5 �f6
18.�xb7 l':b8 1 9.�c6 l':xb5 20.
�xb5 � d7+,with a slight e dge for
Black.) 17.c3 (White cannot re
gain his sacrifice dpawn,since af
ter 17.�xb7 hb7 18.l':xb7 �b6 his
rook on b7 is trappe d.)17...�b6+.
Black has an extra pawn, while
White cannot create any real
threats on the kingsi de.
5...i.e7
If 5...tt.lc6 White can develop
his bishop to an active position
with the move 6. i.b5,preparing to
castle.
6.We2
It is just a loss of a tempo for
him to play 6. d3 tt.lxc3 7.bxc3 0-0
23
25. Chapter 2
8. d4 (here it is too passive for
White to play 8. .ie2 c5 9.0-0 tt:lc6
10. d4 �aS 1 l. .id2 c4 + an d Black
follows this up by un dermining
White's centre with f7-f6) 8...f6
9. .i d3 fxe5 10.tt:lxe5 tt:ld7 11.tt:lf3
( l l.�h5 tt:lf6 12.�e2 c5 13.0-0 c4
14. .if5 hf5 15. E1xf5 �b6 +. Black's
queen will go to e6 an dhis knight
to e4) 1 l...c5 12.0-0 c4 13. .ie2
�c7 +an dlater he will deploy his
bishop on d6 an dthe knight on f6,
with very promising play.
Compare dwith 6. d3,it is more
logical forWhite to continue with
6. d4,but even then after 6...c5 7.
.i d3 tt:lxc3 8.bxc3 tt:lc6 9.0-0 0-0
10. .ie3 c4 1 l. .ie2 b5= Black has
excellent prospects on the queen
si de an d his chances are by no
means worse.
6...£5!
A double-e dge dposition arises
after 6... tt:lxc3 7. dxc3 0-0 8. .if4
c5 9.0 -0-0 tt:lc6 10.c4 d4 1 l.�e4 oo
Janose vic - Gligoric, Belgra de
1 964.
7.d3
Naturally, White cannot be
happy with 7.e xf6 tt:lxf6+,because
24
all his pieces will be awkwar dly
place d.
7.. .ll:lxc3 8.bxc3 0-0 9.g3
This creates another attractive
target for Black to attack, but it
cannot be goo dfor White to play
9. d4. After 9...c5 10.g3 tt:lc6 11.
.ig2 .ie6 12.0-0 h6!+ Black has an
excellent blocka ding bishop on
e6 an d goo dprospects on the c
file.
9...c5 1 0 .i.g2 tl:lc6 11. 0-0
It woul dbe senseless forWhite
to play 1 l.h4,with the i dea of se
curing the g5-s quare for a knight
sortie. Black can simply counter it
with 1 l...h6,since this move is an
integral part of his plan in any
case.
n....ie6 12J!bl gbs 13.<;t>hl
It is difficult to suggest any
thing more active for White. Black
has excellent control of all the
s quares in his half of the boar d,
while the move 13. d4 will only
create another target for Black,as
we pointe dout earlier.
13.•.h6! 14..id2 b5+White's
pawn on e5 is perfectly blocka de d
an d Black has excellent prospects
26. for a pawn-offensive on the
queensi de,as well as on the king-
l.e4 e5 2.l1Jc3 l1Jf6 3f4 d5
si de by means of g7-g5!?, Meister
- Timoschenko , Barnaul 1 988.
Conclusion
The Vienna Game is an ancient opening which is more or less ig
nored by contemporary grandmasters. This is easily understandable.
Black has demonstrated reliable ways ofobtaining an excellent game
andthey are simple andeasy to implement. Itseems to me that White's
most promising line is: 2.l1Jc3 l1Jf6 3.g3, but Black should not have
any problem countering that either.
25
27. Chapter3 l.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4
King's Gambit
Of course, there are enor
mously complexand well-studied
possibilities for both sides in this
opening,since the King's Gambit
possesses a tremendously rich
history. But instead of analyzing
the entire theory of this sharp
opening I shall just try to show
you one very good defence for
Black,
We will deal here with A)
3.lbc3?! , B) 3.�c4and the most
important move for White - C)
3.l!Jf3.
A) 3.l!Jc3?!
I believe that to place the king
in front of the bishop can never be
good, "period "...
3•. .'1�'h4+ 4.�e2 g5
The move 4... d5 is more popu-
26
lar, since it liberates the light
s quared bishop,but it leads to an
unclear position.
5.l!Jf3 �h5 6.d4 l!Je7
This is Black's most useful
move. He develops his kingside,
depri ving White's knight of the
d5-s quare in the process.
7.�f2 d6
It is also good for Black to play
7...g4, forcing White to make an
unpleasant decision. He must ei
ther sacrifice his knight on f3,or
retreat it to a bad s quare. Still,
Black does not need to sharpen
the game so early,because he has
a very goo dposition anyway.
White has no compensation
for the pawn and his king has no
safe shelter, so Black has good
28. chances of soon organizing an at
tack against it.
B) 3..ic4
3..•d5!?
Black shoul drefrain from de
priving his opponent of the right
to castle, since after 3... 'Wh4+ 4.
�f1,White's knight will be devel
ope d to f3 with tempo an d his
king's rook will later join in the
action by means of the move h2-
h4, un dermining his opponent's
pawn on gS.
Black can e qualize safely an d
reliably by playing 3... ttJf6 4. ttJc3
c6 S. .ib3 dS6.ex d5 cx dS
an dthen:
the move 7. ttJf3 allows 7... d4!
8. ttJe2 (8. 'We2 .ie7 9. ttJe4 0-0 10.
l.e4 e5 2f4 exf4
d3 ttJc6 1 l. .ixf4 ttJdS 12. .i d2 ttJaS
13.0-0 ttJxb3 14.axb3 fS 15. ttJf2
.if6 +) 8... ttJc6 (the position be
comes very interesting after 8...
d3, but Black does not nee d to
sharpen the game so much) 9.d3
ttJdS! 10. .ix d5 (but not 10. ttJxf4
.ib4+an dWhite loses his castling
rights)10... 'Wx dS l l. ttJxf4 'WcS12.
0-0 .ie7 +;
7. d4 .ib4 (the struggle is very
complicate d after 7... .i d6 8. ttJf3
0-0 9.0-0oo) 8. .ixf4 (if 8. ltJf3,
Black has a very strong continua
tion in 8...a5! 9.a4 We ?! 10. ttJe5
ttJc6 1 l. .ixf4 0-0 12.0-0 ttJx d4 13.
ttJx dS ttJx dS 14. .ix d5 .ie6 +) 8...
ttJe4 (the position offers chances
for both si des after 8...0-0 9. ttJf3
Ele8 10. ttJe5oo) 9. ttJge2 0-0 10.
0-0 .ixc3 ( Black is inten ding an
offensive on the light s quares,so
he gives up this bishop.) l l. ttJxc3
ttJxc3 12.bxc3 .ie6 13. 'Wf3 ttJc6
14.Elae1 'Wd7= Ovetchkin - Sa
kaev,Serpukhov 2007.
4.h:d5
Or 4.ex d5 'Wh4 S.�f l .i d6
6. ttJf3 'IWhS 7. ttJc3 ttJe7 8. d4 0-0
9.�f2 ttJd7 10.Ele1 ttJb6 1 l. .ib3
ttJex dS 12. ttJx d5 ttJx dS 13.c4 ttJe3
14. .ixe3 fxe3 15J�xe3, Ju. Polgar
Topalov, Mexico 2010. In this po
sition, Black coul dhave struck a
powerful strategical blow on the
dark s quares with the move 15...
cS!,transforming the enemy bish
op on b3 into a "big pawn ". After
16. d5 gS! 17.h3 fS!+, followe d by
g5-g4, Black's attack is crushing.
4...ttJf6 5.ttJc3 ttJxd5!
Black must capture this bishop
27
29. Chapter 3
as soon as possible. It is inferior
to play 5... i.b4 6.tt:lf3 0-0 7.0-0
l"le8 8. i.b3 :t and White has the
edge.
6.lL:lxd5 g5
In principle, all developing
moves are good for Black here,for
example:6...tt:lc6,or 6... i.d6.
7.h4 c6 8.lL:lc3 l"lgS+
The position is quite sharp,
but Black has very good pros
pects.
C) 3.�f3
Here, just as on the pre vious
move, I shall ignore all Black's
possibilities apart from the most
promising one.
3•••g5!
28
White has numerous alterna
tives here: Cl) 4.d4, C2) 4..ic4,
C3) 4.tt:lc3and C4) 4.h4.
Cl) 4.d4
This is a very dubious move.
4•••g4!
In this precise position the
knight-sacrifice on f3 is not as
good for White as it is in many
other lines. Black quickly attacks
the d4-s quare and does not allow
his opponent to obtain a big lead
in development.
After 4... i.g7, an interesting
tryfor White is the rarely played
move 5.tt:lc3!?, since it is not as
good for Black to win a piece with
5...g4 as it was on the previous
move,because it is better for him
to have developed his knight on
c6 rather than his bishop on g7.
5..ixf4 gxf3 6.�xf3
6•• .lL:lc6!
After 6...d6 7.tt:lc3 tt:lc6 8.
0-0-0oo White's compensation
for the piece might still be insuf
ficient, but the position remains
extremely sharp.
7..ic4
30. The move 7. d5 exposes the
dark s quares in general an d the
b2-pawn in particular. Black can
exploit this imme diately with 7...
Wf6 8. dxc6 Wxb2 an dWhite loses
material, since the line 9.ic4
Wxa1 10. ixf7 md8 11.0-0 Wg7- +
does not work an d the attack
comes to a dea den d.
7...d5 8.hd5 ll:lxd4 9.
.ixf7+ 'i!?xf7 1 o.Whs <±>g7 n.
0 - 0
Now Black shoul d not be
gree dy an d try to hol don to the
extra material. Instea dhe shoul d
be rea dy to return some of it in or
der to block the f-file.
ll....if5!
The position remains quite
unclear after ll...ie7 12.'t:lc3 ll:lf6
13.Wh6 mf714.ie5oo
12•.ie5+ ll:lf6 13.ll:lc3 .ig6
14.�h4
After 14.W d1 ie7 15.ix d4 c6
16.e5 lt:le8 17. lt:le2 Elf8 18. Elxf8
ixf8 1 9. lt:lf4 ifS+White's initia
tive is insufficient to compensate
for the sac rifice dpiece.
Or 14.WgSie7 15. lt:l d5 Elf8 an d
here 16.ix d4 loses to 16...c6- +
l.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3. lt:lj3 g5
14..•ll:lf3+ ! 15.Elxf3 .ic5+ 16.
mh1 .td4 17..tf4 h6 1S.E�g3
After 18. Eld1 Black can simply
bolster his bishop with the move
18...c5+
18..•h5 19.i.g5
Black was threatening lt:lf6-g4.
19•..�e8 2 0 .Eld1 .ie5 21..if4
.txf4 22.�xf4 Elf8+ Black's extra
piece will be much more impor
tant than White's scattere dextra
pawns.
C2) 4..ic4
4..•ig7
The line: 4...g4 5.0-0 gxf3
6.Wxf3oo lea ds to a very sharp po
sition; Black does not nee dto en
ter such complications.
5.d4
Or 5.h4 h6 6. d4 d6 7.c3 lt:lc6
an d the main line is reache d by
transposition.
5.••d6 6.h4
If White does not break the
pawn-chain g5-f4 he will have
great problems, since the simple
completion of his development is
not very promising, for example:
6.0-0 lt:lc6 7.c3 h6
2 9
31. Chapter 3
an dnow:
for 8.h4 g4 - see 6.h4;
8.g3 �h3 9.gxf4 ( 9 J'lf2 tt'lf6 10.
gxf4 tt'lxe4+an d Black later sup
ports his knight with the move
d6- d5) 9...h f1 10.�x fl g4 11.�g2
gxf312.�xg7 �f6 13.�xf6 tt'lxf6 14.
tt'l d2 l"lg8 15. Wfl, Kleinschroth -
Scherer, Zell 1 9 93 an dnow Black
coul d have obtaine d a great a d
vantage with 15...l"lg4 16.e5 tt'lh5+;
after 8.�b3,it is verystrong for
Black to continue with 8...� d7!+,
creating the threat of tt'lc6-a5;
8.�a4 � d7 9.�b3 tt'la5! 10.
hf7 Wf8 11.�a3 Wxf7 12.�xa5
c5+ Zvjaginsev - Akopian, Rijeka
(rapi d)2010.
6•••h6 7.c3 ltlc6 8. 0 - 0 g4
9.lt)el
Here it is very promising for
30
Black to expose the enemy king
with the move
9...£3!
The game Nakamura - lvan
chuk, Cap d' Ag de 2010, contin
ue dwith 9...�xh4 10.hf4 tt'lf6 11.
e5 dxe5 12. dxe5 g3 13.hg3 �xg3
14.exf6 �f8 15.tt'l d3 � d6 an d White
ha dthe chance to enter a slightly
better en dgame with 16.�e1 (in
stea d, in the game he playe dthe
risky line: 16.�h5 �g4 17.hf7
an d here Black coul d have won
with 17... W d8!18.� d5 �e2- +an d
White woul dsuffer decisive mate
rial loss)16... Wf817.�xg3 hg3 18.
tt'l d2 l"lg8 1 9.tt'le4 tt'le5 20.tt'lxe5 he5
21.l"la dl t,which,if Black defen ds
correctly,shoul den din a draw.
1 0 .gxf3
It is not correct for White to
continue with 10.tt'lxf3? gxf3 11.
�xf3 tt'lf6+,because he cannot do
anything wo rthwhile along the f
file an d without that his attack
comes to a dea den d.
1 0 ...�xh4
After 10...g3 11.tt'lg2 tt'lf6oo,
White's centre is beautiful,but his
king is potentially vulnerable.
lt.lLig2 Wfh3 12.fxg4 ltlf6+
32. White's knight is awkwardly
placed on g2 and destroys the
harmony of his pieces, while
Black has an excellent position.
C3) 4.ll:lc3
G M Vadim Zvjaginsev tried re
cently to resurrect this ancient
move. In some variations White's
knight is ready to go to d5,but the
serious drawback of the place
ment of the knight on c3 is that
his d4-pawnis insufficiently pro
tected.
4•• )LJC6
It is less good for Black to play
4...g4 5.tt'le5 tt'lc6 (a very compli
cated endgame arises after 5...
Wh4 6.g3 fxg3 7.Wxg4 Wxg4 8.
tt:lxg4) 6.tt'lxg4 Wh4 7.tt'lf2 .tc5 8.
d4 hd4 (White's initiative is very
dangerous after 8... tt:lxd4?! 9.b4!
.tb6 10.tt'ld5t) 9.Wf3co with a dou
ble-edged position.
(diagram)
5.g3!
This is the essence of G M Va
dim Zvjaginsev's idea.White does
not allow his opponent to capture
l.e4 eS 2j4 exf4 3.tt'lj3 gS
the knight with the move g5-g4
and destroys the pawn-wedge g5-
f4 without having to make heavy
sacrifices. Additionally he wishes
to quickly develop his queenside
pieces with the idea of eventually
castling on the queenside.
Unfortunately for romantic
players the ancient gambits are
unsound:
5.d4 g4 6.tt'le5 (6. .tc4 gxf3
7.0-0 leads by transposition to
the position arising after 5. .tc4 g4
6.0-0 gxf3 7.d4) 6... tt:lxe5 7.dxe5
Wh4 8.�e2 .tc5+
After 5.ic4, Black has the res
olute response 5...g4! and White
is forced to sacrifice his knight,
but in many variations the fact
that he has delayed the develop
ment of his kingside with his
fourth move becomes important.
6.0-0 (6.d4 gxf3 7.Wxf3 Wh4 8.g3
tt:lxd4 9.Wf2 Wf6 10.tt'ld5 We5 11.
0-0 ic5 12.hf4 tt'lf3 13.�g2 hf2
14.he5 tt:lxe5 15.tt'lxc7 �d8 16.
tt:lxa8 .tc5-+- White's knight on
aSis trapped and Black must win)
6...gxf3 7.Wxf3 (7.d4 tt:lxd4 8.
Wxd4 Wg5 9J'l:f2 .tc5 10. .txf4
Wxg2 ll.Elxg2 hd4 12.Elf2 c6+-
31
33. Chapter 3
White's pieces are veryactive but
nevertheless, the position can be
evaluated in Black's favour,
thanks to his considerable mate
rial advantage in this endgame.)
7...Wh4! 8.tLld5! This is White's
best chance. (Other wise,his posi
tion would be terrible: 8.g3 ic5
9.�g2 Wh6 10.d3 d6 11.hf4 ih3
12.�h1 Wg6-+- White is a piece
down and his attack has been par
ried. No doubt,he cannot be hap
PYwith the immediate transition
into an endgame in the following
sample variation: 8.d3 tLle5 9.
Wxf4 '!tfxf4 10.1xf4 tLlxc4 l l.dxc4
d6 12.tLld5 �d7 13J!ad1 c6 14.
tLle3 We8 15.hd6 hd6 16.l"lxd6
ie6-+ and his chances of salva
tion are very problematic.) 8...
ic5 9.�h1 tLle5 10.1ltfe2 (White
loses immediately after 10.Wc3
tLlg4 l l.h3 tLlf2 12.�h2 c6-+)10...
f3 11.gxf3 ib6+ He has some posi
tional pressure, but it cannot
compensate fully for the missing
piece,so Black is clearly better.
5...g4!
Black should play this move!
He does not win the enemy
knight,but he ensures a powerful
pawn-wedge on f3.
He can also play more solidly,
emphasizing development: 5...d6
6.d4 ig7 7.d5 tLle5 8.gxf4 gxf4 9.
hf4 ig4 10.ib5 �f8 l l.ie2 hf3
12.hf3 Wf6 13. .be5 Wxe5= the
game is double-edged and ap
proximately equal, Zvjaginsev -
P.Smirnov, Novokuznetsk 2008.
6.�h4 f3
The position becomes com-
32
pletely irrational after 6...tLld4 7.
tLld5 fxg3 8.hxg3 tLlf6 9.c3 id6
10.1!tla4! hg3 11.�d1 c5 12.cxd4
hh4 13.dxc5 tLlxd5 14.exd5 h5
15.d6 1!tlf6oo, but Black does not
need to engage in such adventur
ous experiments.
7.d4
Now, under the cover of the
bastion on f3, Black can strike a
blow against the enemy centre:
7....ib4!
After 7...ie7, White should
simply fortifyhis centre with the
move 8.ie3!and it will be bad for
Black to give up his bishop even
for the sake of winning a second
pawn.
8..ic4 d5!
It is rather passive and too
slow for Black to continue with
8...d6 9.0-0 tLlxd4 10.tLld5 ic5
11.b4 tLle2 12.�h1 id4 13.c3 ie5
14.he2 fxe2 15.Wxe2 c6 16.tLle3t
and White has a powerful initia
tive.
9..ixd5 �f6! 1 0 ..ixc6 bxc6
ll.�d3 c5!
1 l...l"lb812.ih6oo
12.dxc5 �xd3 13.cxd3 �d7
34. 14.@f2
Other wise Black will comfort
ably pick up the enemy c5-pawn.
It is not good forWhite to play
here 14.d4 lLlf6+ since his light
squares are tremendously vulner
able.
14...tLlxc5 15.ll:ld5 lLlxd3 16.
@e3 c6 17.ll'lf6 @e7 18.�xg4
hg4 19.@xd3 f2!+ and White
must think about salvation.
C4) 4.h4
4...g4 5.tLle5
It is bad for White to play
5.lLlg5?h6 6.lLlxf7 'it>xf77. .ic4 d5
8. .ixd5 'it>e8+ and his compensa
tion for the piece is insufficient.
5•..d6 6.�xg4 �f6
l.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.lLlj3 g5
White has two possibilities
here: C4a) 7.�f2?! and C4b)
7.tLlxf6.
C4a) 7.tLlf2?!
It cannot be good for White to
withdraw the knight to a defen
sive position, losing a tempo in
the process.
7..J�g8 8.d4 i.h6 9.ll'lc3
lLlc6
l O .tLld5
After 10. .ib5, Black has nu
merous promising possibilities:
10...a6,10... .id7,but his most at
tractive is 10... l'!xg2! l l.d5 a6 12.
.ia4 (12.if l l'!xf2 13.dxc6 l'!xf114.
'it>xflbxc6+and he obtains several
pawns and an attack for the ex-
33
35. Chapter 3
change.) 12...b5 13.'Llxb5 axb5
14.hb5 �d7 15.hc6 (or 15.dxc6
�g4+ and Black's initiative is
crushing)15...hc6 16.dxc6 �e7+.
White is undeveloped and his de
fence will be tremendously diffi
cult.
1 0 ...ttlxd5 ll.exd5 �e7 12.
.ie2 ttlb4 13.c4 �f5 14.�a4 @f8
15.�xb4 ges 16.�d2 gxg2 17.
@fl gg3 18.�d1 �e4 19.gh2
f5-+ and White is helpless
against the threat of �e7-g7, so
Black wins, Fedorov - Shirov, Po
lanica Zdroj 2000.
C4b) 7.ttlxf6 �xf6 8.ttlc3
ttlc6
9.ttld5
After 9.�b5,Black's best reply
is 9...@d8!, after which White
must give up his bishop (other
wise Black will play 'Llc6-d4)and
Black's king will be completely
safe on d8. So 10.hc6 bxc6 11.d3
(there is merely a transposition of
moves after 1 l.�f3 Ei:g8 12.d3
�h6) 11...Ei:g8 12.�f3 �h6 13.�f2
Ei:b8 14.'Lle2 Ei:xb2 (the position is
34
e qual after 14...f3 15.�xf3 �xf3
16.gxf3 .be l 17.Ei:xc1 Ei:xb2=) 15.
hb2 �xb2 16.0-0 �xc2 17.tt:lxf4
�xf2 18.Ei:xf2 �g7 1 9.Ei:c l �d4 20.
Ei:xc6 Ei:g4 (Black has a good alter
native here in the move 20...f5,
immediately getting rid of one of
his isolated pawns. His bishop is
superior to White's knight in a
struggle on both sides of the
board, so Black is even slightly
better. The material left on the
board however,has been reduced
considerably, so his winning
chances are only minimal.) 21.
'Lld5 �b7 22.Ei:c4 �xf2 23.@xf2
Ei:xh4 24.tt:lxc7 Ei:h5= Fier - Leitao,
Guarulhos 2006.
9...�g6 1 0 .d3 �g3U.@d2
This position has been en
countered in practice numerous
times and Black has so many pos
sibilities that an extensive analy
sis is just impossible. I think his
best way of solving his problems
is:
ll...ttlb4!
Both kings carry out rather
strange sorties in the variation
11...'Lld4 12.c3 c6 13.'Llf6 @e7 14.
(1)
36. cxd4 c;t>xf6 15.c;t>c2 c;t>e7 16.�e2±,
but subse quently White will soon
deploy his bishop on f3 and gain
an edge.
It would be interesting for
Black to try the move 11...ih6!?
However, he cannot solve his
problems with the line: 11...ti:le7
12.'�e1 ti:lxd5 13.exd5 ie7 14.'�xg3
fxg3, Fedorov - Anand,Wijk aan
Zee 2001, since White can con
tinue here with 15.c;t>c3! (in the
above-mentionedgame,he played
15.ie2 Ei:g8 16.c;t>d1 ig4=, with
e quality) 15...Elg8 16.d4!±, with
the idea of ifl-b5!and Black will
have some complicated problems
to solve.
12.�f3
It would be too risky for White
to try here 12.ti:lxb4 'Mie3 13.c;t>c3
ig7 14.c;t>b31Mib6 15.hf4 (it would
be even worse for him to opt for
15.c3 as� and he immediately
l.e4 e5 2f4 exf4 3.ti:Jf3 g5
comes under a crushing attack,
Beck - Heimann, Pforzheim
2005) 15...a5 16.a3 c5 17.id2
id7�; Black has created the
threat of id7-a4! and White has
no comfortable defence against
this.
12 ...�xf3 13.gxf3 lt:lxd5 14.
exd5 l:'!g8 15.c;t>c3 �h6 16.id2
.if5 17.l:'!el 'it>d7=
Black has a verygood position
in this endgame.
Conclusion
The King's Gambit is a very interesting opening with a rich and
exciting history. We must admit that it contains numerous possibili
ties which have not been extensively analyzed at all. Some oftheposi
tions are so sharp and non-standard that often even the best com
puterprogramsfail to evaluate them correctly. Still, I believe that the
linesfor Black that I have suggested are quite reliable and our thor
ough analysis should help Black to play them with confidence.
35
37. Chapter4 l.e4 e5 2..ic4
Bishop's Opening
The Bishop'sOpening is being
played more and more often,just
with the aim of avoiding the
Petroff Defence. White hopes to
transpose to the Italian Game,in
which he can rely on a long posi
tional battle,maintaining a mini
mal edge.
2...tLlf6
We will analyze now A) 3.d4
and B) 3.d3.
The move 3. tt:lc3 leads to the
Vienna game 2. tt:lc3 tLlf6 3.�c4.
After 3.f4 - the Greco Gambit,
Black obtains a good game with
the reply 3...d5.
A) 3.d4 exd4 4.tLlf3
The Urusov Gambit arises af
ter this move.
36
Black can counter 4.e5? with
the typical response 4...d5! with
advantage.
4...tLlxe4
After 4... tt:lc6, there arises a
well-known theoretical position,
favourable for Black,but it is also
good to capture the pawn.
5.�xd4 tLlf6 6.tLlc3
After 6.�g5, Black can solve all
his problems with 6... tt:lc6! ( It is
inferior for him to play instead
6...�e7, because after 7. tt:lc3 c6
8.0-0-0 dS 9.Elhe l �e6 10.�h4
tt:lbd7 l l. tt:ld4, unnecessary com
plications arise.) 7.�e3 (after 7.
�h4, Black has the resource 7...d5
and White does not have any
compensation for the pawn.) 7...
38. Wffe7 8..b:f6 gxf6 9.t2Jc3 'Wxe3 10.
fxe3 �b4+ and White must fight
for a draw in a clearly worse end
game.
6•••t2Jc6
It is too risky for Black to opt
for 6...c6 7.�g5 d5 8.0-0-0 �e7
9.Elhe1 ( 9.'Wh4!? Avrukh- Skrip
chenko, Linares 2001) 9...�e6
10.Wh4 t2Jbd7 1l.t2Jd4 with com
plications.
7J'Mh4
7..•i.b4
After 7...�e7 8.�g5d5 9.0-0-0
�e6 10.t2Jxd5 t2Jxd5 ll..b:d5 .b:d5
12.c4± White seizes the initiative.
8.i.g5
8.0-0 .b:c3 9.bxc3 0-0 10.
�d3 d5 11.Ele1 (but not 1 l.�g5?h6
12.Elfe1?hxg5 13.t2Jxg5 g6-+)11...
t2Je4 12.'Wf4 �e6 13.Elb1 Elb8 14.c4
l2Jc5 15.Eld1 t2Jxd3 16.Elxd3 d4 17.
t2Jxd4 t2Jxd4 18.Elxd4 Wxd4 1 9.
Wxd4 Elbd8 20.Wd3 Elxd3 2 l.cxd3
b6= with a draw,although Black
still has a symbolic edge.
8.�d2 We7! 9.i>d1 d5!10.t2Jxd5
t2Jxd5 11..b:d5 'Wxh4 12..b:c6 bxc6
13.t2Jxh4 i.c5+ and Black's posi
tion is preferable.
l.e4 e5 2.�c4 tLlf6
8...hc3
Here 8...'We7!?is interesting;a
possible continuation is 9.i>d1
.b:c3 10.bxc3 d6 1l.t2Jd4 l2Je5 12.
Ele1 c5 13.f4 cxd4 14. fxe5 dxe5
15.cxd4 �e6 16.Elxe5 0-0-0=
with a very complicated and ap
proximately e qual position.
9.bxc3 0 - 0 1 0 .0 - 0 - 0 h6
ll..txh6! gxh6 12.'Wxh6 d5!
Black loses after the passive
move 12...d6 13.g4 ! �e6 14.�d3
Ele8 15.Elhg1! t2Jd7 16.�h7 i>h8
17.g5!+-, with the deadly threat
of g5-g6.
13.i.d3
After 13.g4, Black has the re
source 13...Wd6!
White can force a draw imme
diately with the line: 13.Elxd5
t2Jxd5 14.�d3 f5 15.Wg6 i>h8 16.
Wh6=
13•.•Wd6
Black has created the threat of
t2Jf6-e4, so White must take a
draw by a perpetual check.
14.Wg5
The move 14.t2Jg5? can be
countered with 14...�f5 15..b:f5
'Wf4-+
37
39. Chapter 4
14...'i!;>h8 15.�h6 'i!;>g8= -
Draw nb yperpetual check .
B) 3.d3
3...c6
Black wishes to create a com
plex struggle with this move .
White's development at the mo
ment is not in harmon ywith the
classical principles (it is accepted
that knights should be developed
before bishops),so Black is t rying
to seize the centre with his pawns .
There is a good alternative in 3 ...
ic5,transposing to a t ype of Ital
ian Game under ver yfavourable
circumstances, because Black's
knight has not been developed to
c6 yet and can be placed on d7,
which is sometimes even more
harmonious .4 .lt:Jf3 0-0
38
5 .0-0 (White has tried to ex
change Black's bishop for his
knight,but in the game McShane
- Kramnik, London 200 9 (game
2)this did not bring him an yben
efits: 5 .lt:Jc3 d6 6 .lt:Ja4 ib6 7 .c3
ie6 8 .ib3 hb3 9 .axb3 lt:Jbd7=,
with e qualit y. The pin of the f6-
knight is not dangerous for Black
either, since it can be supported
b ythe other knight on d7: 5 .ig5
d6 6 .lt:Jbd2 ie6 7 .c3 lt:Jbd7 = and
the position is approximatel y
e qual, Tiviakov - lvanchuk, Me
rida 2004 .)5 ...d6 6 .c3 ib6 7 .ib3
lt:Jbd7 8 .lt:Jbd2 c6 9 J''le l l'le8 10 .lt:Jf l
lt:Jf8 l l .lt:Jg3 lt:Jg6 12 .h3 h6
Now the position is completel y
s ymmetrical . Both sides have de
plo yed their forces harmoniousl y
andWhite's opening advantage is
practicall ynullified . Black can be
quite happ ywith the results of the
opening . The game Alekseev -
Gelfand, Astrak han 2010,contin
ued with: 13 .d4 id7 14 .ic2 c5
15 .dxe5 dxe5 16 .lt:Jf5 ie6 17 .�e2
�c7 18 .lt:Jh2 c4 1 9 .lt:Jg4 lt:Jxg4 20 .
Wxg4 �d8 2 l .l'ld l �f6 22 .�f3
lt:Jh4 23 .�g4 lt:Jg6 24 .�f3 lt:Jh4
25 .�g4 and the pla yers agreed to
a draw .
40. l.e4 e5 2.�c4 0,f6 3.d3 c6 4. 0,j3 d5 5.�b3 �d6
The line: 3 .. .0,c 64. 0,f3 trans
poses to the classical Italian Game
(We should also mention that
White has the attractive move 4.
0,c3, with the idea of developing
the other knight to the e2-
s quare .).
4)ljf3 d5 5.�b3
After S.exdScxdS 6.�b3, Black
has the interesting check - 6...
�b4 +! He is able to complete his
development in this wa y, while
maintaining his pawn-centre . 7 .
c3 . This s quare is important for
the development of White's
knight but now it has been occu
pied b ya pawn,so Black's bishop
retreats .7 ...�d 68.0-0 0-0 9 .�g5
�e 6= and Black has obtained a
good game .
5....id6
Here Black tries to be tric ky
sometimes with a check S...�b4 +,
aimed at preventing the develop
ment of White's knight on c3, or
he pla ys s. ..as, tr ying to make
trouble for the enem y bishop.
However,we shall anal yze Black's
most solid and, I believe, best
move .
Now White can maintain the
tension with the move Bl) 6.l!Jc3,
or he can give up the centre with
B2) 6.exd5,in order to complete
his development while attacking
the enem ycentre .
Bl) 6.0,c3 dxe4
The move 6. ..d4!? has been
pla yed onl yrarel y. It looks a bit
risk y, but shows fighting spirit .
7. 0,e2 0,a 6 ( He has a reasonable
alternative here in fortifying his
centre with 7. ..c5!? 8 .0,g3 0,c 6)
8.a3 0,c5 9 .�a2 0-0 (after 9 .. .
�e 6,White has the resource 10.
b4!, doubling the enem y pawns
on the e- file)10.0-0 h 6± .White is
slightl y better, but Black has his
trumps as well . He has seized
space and White will find it diffi
cult to advance with f2 -f4 .
7.0,g5
It is senseless for White to
leave his knight on c3. After 7.
dxe4 0,a 6+ Black's knight will go
to the cS-s quare and he will even
have the edge.
After the harmless-loo king
move 7. 0,xe4 things are not at all
3 9
41. Chapter 4
simple and Black mu st play very
p reci sely: 7...tt:lxe4 8.dxe4
8...�g4! 9.h3 (White would
not obtain much with 9.�g5 f6
10.�e3 tt:la6 11.�e2 �e 7 12.0-0-0
tt:lc5=) 9...�h5 10.�g5 f6 11.�e3
tt:la6 12.�e2 �e 7 13.0-0-0 tt:lc5 14.
hc5 hc5=, with e quality, Rog
e rs- T se shkov sky, V rsac 1 98 7.
If Black doe snot play 8...�g4
he will have problem s:
8...h6 9.�e3t and later White
develop shis queen on d2 and cas
tle s queenside with tempo;
After Black's natural move
8...0-0, White again has the
chance to develop hi spiece swith
tempo: 9.�g5! �c7 10.�d2 �g4
11.0-0-0 �e7 12.�xe 7 �xe 7 13.
�d6 �xd6 14 J''lxd6± and hi slead
in development i s con siderable,
Hou Yifan - Bu Xiangzhi, China
2010;
8...�b4 9.�d2! (White doe s
not achieve much with 9.c3 �xd1
10. <i>xd1 �d6,fo rexample:11. ci>c2
ci>e 7 12.�e3 f6 13. i"lad1 tt:la6=; o r
11.�e3 tt:la6 12. <i>e2 f6 13. i"lad1
ci>e 7=;o r l l. <i>e2 f6 12. i"ld1 ci>e 7 13.
tt:ld2 - after 13. '2Jh4, Black ha sthe
cold-blooded reply 13...g6 - 13...
'2Ja6 14.a4 tt:lc5 15.�c4 a5 16.b 3
40
i"ld8 1 7.f3, draw,Sho rt - We ster
inen, Brighton 1 98 2) 9...hd2
10.tt:lxd2 0-0 11.tt:lc4 ±and White
maintain s an edge thank s to the
vulne rable d6- squa re in the ene
my camp.
7• • • 0 - 0 8..!Llgxe4
A tran spo sition of move sa ri s
e s after 8.tt:lcxe4 tt:lxe4 9.tt:lxe4
�f5=
8• • • .!Llxe4 9• .!Llxe4 .if5
1 0 .�£3
The position i s e qual afte r
10.0-0 tt:la6 11.tt:lxd6 (11.�f3 �xe4
12.dxe4 l2Jc5 - see 10.�f3 �xe4
11.dxe4 tt:ld 7 12.0-0 tt:lc5) 11...
�xd6 12.�f3 �e6= Anand -
Kramnik, Frankfurt (rapid)1 9 98.
1 0 • • • i.xe4 ll.dxe4 .!Lld7
42. l.e4 eS 2.ic4 ti:Jj6 3.d3 c6 4. ti:Jj3 dS S.ib3 id6
12. a3
White has tried some other
moves here with the idea of pre
ser ving his light-s quared bishop
from exchange.
In the game Movsesian - Bu
Xiangzhi , China 2010 (game 3)
White tried to place his bishop on
c2 , but after 12.c3 a5 13.0-0 a4
14.ic2 'We7 15.l"ld1 l"lfd8 16.h4 h6
17.g3 b5= he failed to obtain any
advantage.
12.0-0 ti:Jc5 13.ic4 b5 14.ie2
'We7 (the move 14...Wh4 was test
ed in the game Tiviakov - Rozen
talis, Kallithea 200 9 and after 15.
ie3 ,it became clear that the e4-
pawn was taboo, so Black had
simply lost a tempo by not devel
oping his queen to e7 immediately
(it would be bad for him to play
15...Wxe4 16.l"lfd1 ie7 17.ixc5
'Wxf3 18.ixf3 ixc5 1 9.ixc6 since
he would lose a pawn) 15.l"ld1
l"lfd8 16.'Wg4 ti:Je6 17.c3 a5=
12 ...ti:Jc5 13..ia2 'We7 14..ie3
ti:Ja4 15..ib3 0,c5 16..ia2 0,a4
17..ib3 0,c5 18•.ia2, draw,
Rublevs ky - Sakaev ,Sochi 2008.
B2) 6.exd5
6...0,xd5
It is interesting ,but veryris ky,
for Black to opt for 6...cxd5!? 7.
ig5 ( It is too slow for White to
continue with 7.0-0 ti:Jc6 8. .ig5
ie6 9. ti:Jc3 ic7 10. ti:Jb5 ib6 l l.l"le1
a6 12. ti:Jc3 Wd6 13.ih4 0-0 14.
ixf6 gxf6 15.Wd2 Wg7+and in the
game Kams ky - Gelfand , Bazna
200 9 , Black obtained a very good
position. White cannot achieve
anything much with the line:
7. ti:Jc3 d4 8. ti:Jg5 0-0 9. ti:Jce4 ib4
10.c3 ti:Jxe4 1l. ti:Jxe4 ie7=)7...ie6
(it would be careless for Black to
opt for 7... ti:Jc6 in view of 8. ti:Jc3
and after 8...ie6, White has the
tactical blow 9.ixd5!)8. ti:Jc3
8...Wa5! (here, if 8...ic7 ,
White has the resource 9.d4! e4
10. ti:Jd2 0-0 (after 10... ti:Jc6 ,
White can play 1l.ixf6 gxf6 12.
ti:Jdxe4 ±, while if 10... .ia5 1l.f3!±
and the opening of the game
seems to be in White's favour)11.
ixf6 gxf6 12.'Wh5 .ia5 13. ti:Jxd5
ixd2 14. Wxd2 f5 15. ti:Jf4 Wxd4 16.
Wcl ±; Black's k ing is vulnerable
and he is clearly worse) 9.0-0
ti:Jc6 10.'We1 ( The position is very
difficult to evaluate after 10.a3
h6!?1l.ih4 g5 12.ig3 g4 13. ti:Jd2
41
43. Chapter 4
0-0-0 14 .ih4 ie7co) l O .. .'�cS!
(after 10 ...d4 ,White has the re
markable resource 11 .ixe6! dxc3
12 .b4! tt'lxb4 13 .ib3 ± and his of
fensive on the light s quares is tre
mendously dangerous for Black).
It looks like the best forWhite
here is the prophylactic move 11 .
a3!? ( l l .hf6 gxf6 12 .d4 exd4 13 .
tt'lxdS 0-0-0 14 .tt'lxf6 hb3 15 .
cxb3 �f5 16 .tt'le4 if4 17 .tt'lg3 'Wg6 �
- Black's passed d-pawn is very
powerful , so he has excellent
compensation for the pawn). The
b4-s quare is very important for
his queen in numerous variations ,
since it does not have too many
s quares to go to . Meanwhile , in
some lines , White retreats his
bishop from b3 and his b-pawn
can go forward . So it appears that
if Black does not wish to defend
an inferior position (which hap
pens in all the variations in which
he plays d5-d4 and his pawns are
doubled on the e-file), then he
must play 11 ...0-0-0!?co. Posi
tions with opposite sides castling
are often sharp and double-edged
and this is no exception ,so there
great complications will arise ,
with unpredictable conse quences .
42
7. 0 - 0 0 - 0 8.13el
We shall now analyze the risky
pawn-sacrifice B2a) 8...i.g4, as
well as the solid positional move
B2b) 8...lt:ld7! , forti fying the
centre .
It is not good for Black to opt
for 8 ...13e8 ,due to 9 .tt'lg5! h 6 ( 9 ...
Ele7 10 .tt'lc3 i)10 .tt'lxf7! (in a game
between junior players ,the move
10 .tt'le4 was played ,but that made
White's previous knight-move
senseless)10 ...mxf7 l l .c4 ib4 12 .
Ele4 tt'lf6 13 .c5 Wf8 14 .Elxb4 tt'la6
15 .Elc4 ifS (it is even worse for
Black to play here 15 ...ie6 16 .Elc3
tt'ldS 17 .hd5 'WxdS 18 .ie3 ± and
White has a solid extra pawn)16 .
il.e3 'Wxd3 17 .tt'ld2 Elad8 18 .'Wf3
ie6 1 9 .ic2 'WdS20 .'Wg3± with an
advantage to White .
B2a) 8...i.g4 9.h3 i.h5 1 0 .
g4 i.g6 ll.c!Llxe5 he5 12.13xe5
c!Lld7 13.13el 'Wh4 14.'Wf3
(diagram)
14...13ae8
It is not an improvement for
Black to continue with 14 ...Elfe8
15 .id2 tt'leS 16 .'Wg2 tt'lf4 17 .ixf4
tt'lf3 18 .'Wxf3 Elxe1 1 9 .Wg2 'Wf6
44. l.e4 e5 2.i.c4 li'Jf6 3.d3 c6 4. liJ.f3 d5 5.i.b3 i.d6
20. Wfg 3! Wxb2 2 l. i.d2 Wxa l 22.
he l Wfxb l 2 3. i.c3 E!e8 (it i seven
wor se for him to choo se 2 3... mh8
24. h4+-:W hite will soon capture
t he bi shop on g6, ending up in a
te chnically winning po sition) 24.
Wc7 - Black lo se s all hi s queen
side paw nsand White' spawnsbe
come un stoppable. It i s al so im
po rtant t hat Bla ck' sbi shop on g6
i scompletely out of play.
15..id2!
In t he game Alek seev- S hirov,
Germany 2007, t here followed
15. l=lf l h5 (it wa s stronger for
Bla ck to play 15... li'Jc5!t,pre se rv
ing some compen sation for t he
pawn) 16. li'Jc 3 li'Jx c3 17.bxc 3 mh7
and here after 18. .b3 E!h8 1 9.
mg2 ± W hite would maintain a
great advantage.
15...ltle5
15... E!xe l 16. i.xe l h5 (16... li'Je5
17.Wg 3 Wf6 18. li'Jc 3 li'Jf 3 1 9. mf1 ±)
17.hd5 cxd5 18. i.c3 E!e8 1 9. li'Jd2
E!e6 20.Wg2 hxg4 2 l. hxg4 ±;
W hite' sk nig ht will come to f 3and
Bla ck will have no compen sation
for t he pawn.
16.'1l!Yg2
16...Wf6
T he alternative sare inferior:
16... h5 17. li'Jc3 hxg4 18. hxg4
li'Jx c31 9.hc 3 li'Jxg4 20.f 3+-;
16... li'Jf4 17.hf4 li'Jf 3 18.�xf 3
E!xe l 1 9. mg2 Wff6 20.Wg 3 Wxb2
(an attempt by Black to pre serve
by all mean s t he pin along t he
fir st rank would not work: 20...
E!fe8 2 l. i.d2 h5 (21... h6 22.he l
E!xe l 2 3.f4 Wfe7 24.f5 hf5 25.gxf5
We2 26.Wf2 Wfe5 27. li'Jc 3 E!xa l 28.
li'Je4 +-; 21... E!le2 22. li'Jc 3 E!xd2
2 3. E!e l E!f8 24. Wfe 3+-; 21... E!d l
22. c3+-) 22. i.c 3 Wg5 2 3.he l
E!xe l 24.f4 We7 25.f5 hf5 26.gxf5
Wfe2 27. Wff2 Wfe5 28. li'Jc 3 E!xa l
2 9. li'Je4+-) 2 l. i.d2 Wxa l (21...
E!fe8 22.he l! Wxa l 2 3. i.c 3 Wxb l
24. h4+-) 22.he l Wxb l 2 3. i.c 3
E!e8 24. h4+- hi sbi shop on g6 i s
trapped and Black lo se s.
17.hd5 cxd5 18.f4 ltlc4 19.
dxc4 gxel 2 0 .bel �xb2 21.
i.c3 �cl 22.mh2 �xf4 23.�g3
�xc4 24.ltld2 We2 25.mgl ges
26.ltlb3 �xc2 27.gel± - Bla ck' s
pawn s are harmle ss and W hite
ha s excellent c han ce s of exploit
ing hi sextra piece.
4 3
45. Chapter 4
B2h) 8•• .ll:d7!
This move has only one draw
bac k: Blac k bloc ks his light
s quared bishop, but he can solve
this problem later.
We shall now analyze the im
mediate opening of the centre
B2bl) 9.d4 as well as the calm
completion of White's develop
ment B2b2) 9.tLlbd2.
B2hl) 9.d4 exd4
It is just a loss of time for Blac k
to play 9... lLJ5f6, because after
l O.tLlc3 exd4 11.�xd4,White gains
a lead in development. A possible
continuation is l l...tLlc5 12. 1g5 h6
13.ih4 gS
14 J'!ad l hh2 15. Wxh2 �xd4
44
16.Elxd4 gxh4 17.Elxh4 Wg7 18. 1c4
ie6 1 9. 1xe6 (it is also good for
White to continue here with
1 9.tLle5 ±- Blac k's king is v ulner
able and White's advantage is
overwhelming, Tivia kov - Hera,
Budva 200 9)1 9...tLlxe6 20. tLle2!,
transferring the knight to the fS
s quare: 20...Elad8 21.tLlg3 Wh7
(21...Eld5 ? 22.c4 ElaS 23.b4 +-)
22.Elxe6 fxe6 23.tLlg5 Wg6 24.
tLlxe6 Elh8 25.tLlxd8 Elxd8 26.tLlfl ±
- White has an extra pawn and
excellent winning chances.
1 0 .hd5 cxd5 11.�xd4
ll....ic5!
This is the right move for
Blac k, because he must play ac
ti vely ! He should be ready to sac
ri fice a pawn in order to bring his
pieces up to the firing line. After
l l...tLlb6 12.a4 !;!; (if 12.if4 .ifS?
Blac k has co unte rplay) Blac k's
position is unpromising and
White's permanent threat of a4-
a5 dooms Blac k to completely
passi ve defence. 12...ie7 (it is
e ven worse for him to opt for 12...
ifS 13.a5 tLlc8 14.tLlc3!±) 13.if4
ie6 (after 13...if5, White should
46. l.e4 e5 2.�c4 liJf6 3.d3 c6 4. liJ.f3 dS 5.�b3 �d6
play 14. liJc3, just as before) 14.
liJc3 ± and Black is faced with a
long and laborious defence.
12.�d3
If White accepts the pawn-sac
rifice Black obtains full compen
sation thanks to his bishop-pair
and more active pieces: 1 2.1Wxd5
1!ltb6 13 J'!e2 liJf6 14. 1!ltb3 1!lta6
15. liJc3 �e6 16. 1!lta4 1!ltb6 17.�h4,
Tiviakov - Stefanova, Wijk aan
Zee 2004.
A possible continuation is
17.. J!fe8 ( Black can also hold
the position in the variation 17...
�g4 18. liJa4 1!lta6 1 9 J'!e5 �d6 20.
�gShS21. liJc3! �fe8 22.�e3 .b£'3
23.gxf3 �e5=, but the main line
of our variation is much more re
liable; after 20... .bf3 21. �xg7
<;!?h8 22.gxf3 �g8 23. �g3 hg3
24.hxg3, Black's dark squares
are seriously endangered) 18.h3
(it amounts to more or less the
same after 18.b3 �g4 1 9. liJa4 �c6
20. �xe8 �xe8 21. liJxc5 hf3 22.
gxf3 �x eS 23.�b2 �xc2 24. hf6
Wg6 25.�g5 h6=) 18... liJd5 1 9.
liJa4 WbS 20. �e1 �b4 21.c4 �xa4
22.cxd5 hdS 23.�d2 hf3 24.
Wxb4 Wxb4 25. hb4 �c6=, with a
draw.
12...�b6!
This is Black's most active
move.
He cannot solve his problems
with 12... �e8 13. �xe8 1!ltxe8 14.
�f4! (14. Wxd5? We2-+; 14.�e3
he3 15. 1!ltxe3 1!ltxe3 16. fxe3 liJb6=;
14. liJc3 liJe5 15. liJxe5 WxeS=)14...
�e4 15.�d2
15... liJf6 (15...�b4 16. liJc3 hc3
17.bxc3 liJb6 18. �e1 1!lta4 1 9.�e3 t)
16. liJc3 �b4 17.�e5 �fS (17... liJe4
18. liJxe4 dxe4 1 9.�d8 �f8 20. liJg5
e3 21. fxe3 We7 22. Wxe7 he7 23.
liJf3 t;20...h6 21. �c3 1!ltc4 22. liJh7
<;!?xh7 23.�xf8 f6 24. �d1 '<Wxa2
25. hf6! gxf6 26.b3 �g4 27.�xa8
hd1 28.�xb7 - White pick s up
the enemy bishop on d1 with
checks and wins. There is also a
very attractive twin-variation:
45
47. Chapter 4
24...e3 25. fxe3 '&e2 26. Ee1 '&xc2
27.� xf6 ±, but here White must
still work hard to realise his ad
vantage in a position with bishops
of opposite colours)18. E!f1 (here it
might be interesting for White to
try 18.hf6!?g xf6 1 9. '&xd5 '&xb2
20. Ee1 '&xc3 2 l. '&xf5 :t; Black's
king is vulnerable, so White has
the edge)18... tt:Jd7 1 9.�d4 ::!:White
has consolidated his position and
is ready to start attacking his op
ponent's d5-pawn. Unfortunately
for Black the move 1 9... '&xb2 is
refuted with a simple but very ef
fective series of moves: 20. tt:Ja4!
'&a3 2 l. ctJxc5 tt:Jxc5 22. '&g5 �g6
23. '&xd5 Ec8 24.Ei:e1 b6 25.h4!-t
and Black has suddenly come un
der an at tack out of nowhere.
13J'!e2 �f6 14.�c3
14•.•�d7!
It is essential to deprive
White's knight of the possibility of
going to the a4-s quare with tem
po.
In the game Morozevich- Gel
fand, Biel 200 9, Black allowed
this and after 14...�g4 15. tt:Ja4 '&c6
16. tt:Jxc5 '&xeS 17.�e3 '&c4 18.
46
Ei:d2!::1: he was forced to defend a
slightly inferior position, a task
which he failed to cope with.
15.�e3
After 15. tt:Je5, Black follows
with 15...�g4! 16. tt:Jxg4 tt:Jxg4 17.
'&f3 tt:Jxf2!18. Exf2 Eae8 -t with an
a ttack!
15•..he3 16.'&xe3
Or 16. Exe3 E!fe8 17. E!xe8 Exe8
18.b3 '&c5, and Black has suffi
cient counterplay along the c-file.
16...'&xb2 17J:�bl '&a3 18.
tt:Jxd5 '&xa2
He can also play here 18...
'&xe3 1 9. tt:Jxf6 g xf6 20. Exe3 b6=
19.tt:Je7 lt>h8 2 0 J!xb7 �Ub8
21.�xb8 �xb8 22.h3=, and
Black has no problems at all.
B2h2) 9.ll:lbd2
9•.•�c7
After 9... Ee8, White has the
powerful resource 10. tt:Je4! CZJ7f6
(his pieces are also much more
active after 10...�f8 l l.d4 e xd4
12. '&xd4 ::!:) 1 l.�g5 (here White
could consider 1 l. ctJxd6 '&xd6 and
no w an interesting try is 12.c4!?
48. l.e4 e5 2.�c4 !1Jf6 3.d3 c6 4. !1Jf3 d5 5.�b3 �d6
!1Jb4 13.d4, as is the immediate
12.d4!?) l l...�f5 12.h3 �g6 13.
!1Jh4 �e 7 14. !1Jxg6 hxg6 15. 1Wf3 ±;
White enjoys the advantage of a
powerful bishop-pair.
The move 10. !1Jc4 (after 9...
:t!e8) would not be corre ct, be
cause Bla ck's e5-pawn is suffi
ciently prote cted and White
should con centrate his for ces on
the kingside. After 10...� c7 l l. c3,
in the game Va chier- Lagrave -
Gelfand, Khanty- Mans yisk 200 9,
Bla ck de cided to oust the enemy
knight from the c4-s quare, but
weakened his queenside in the
pro cess: l l...b5 (it was corre ct for
him to play 11... f6!= and Bla ck
would have no problems)12. !1Je3
!1J7f6 13. !1Jxd5 ( Naturally it would
be premature for White to play
13.a4, be cause of 13... !1Jf4 t) 13...
!1Jxd5. Now White should choose
14. c4 (the move 14.a4 allows the
unpleasant pin 14...�g4; in the
game White played rather impul
sively 14.d4?and after 14...e4 15.
!1Jg5 �f5+ Bla ck obtained an ad
vantage) 14... !1Jf6 15. cxb5 cxb5
16. !1Jg5 ± and after Bla ck prote cts
his pawn with the rook,White can
continue with 1 7. !1Je4, tr ying to
rea ch an almost symmetri cal
pawn-stru cture with a minimal
positional plus.
1 0 .c!ile4
(diagram)
1 0 ...h6
It would again be premature
for Bla ck to move his rook to e8:
10... :t!e8 11.�g5! ( l l.h3 h6 12.�d2
!1Jf8 (12... !1J7f6=) 13. !1Jh2 f5?!
(13...a5 14.a3 !1Je6=) 14. 1Wh5t
Nevedni chy - Beliavsky, Plovdiv
2008) l l...f6 12. c4 !1Je 7 13.�d2
!1Jf8 (13... c5 14.�a4 !1Jc6 15.h3 and
Bla ck will have problems freeing
his knights from the pin; 13...b6
14.d4 ±)14.d4 exd4 15. c5 !1Jd5 16.
!1Jxd 4± with a slight edge for
White.
ll.i.d2
We should consider the alter-
natives forWhite:
11. c4 CiJ5f6 12. !1Jxf6 1Wxf6=;
11. !1Jg3 :t!e8=;
after 11.h3, Bla ck can play 11...
:t!e8, fortifying his e5-pawn and
preparing to transfer his knight
on d 7 to f8 or f6 (the game Ne
vedni chy - Fridman, Plovdiv
2008, continued with l l... <i>h8?!
12.�d2 a5 13.a3 - 13. c4± - 13...
f5?!14. !1Jc3 !1Jx c3 15.h c3 1Wf6 16.
:t!e3 ± and White maintained a
considerable advantage, sin ce
Bla ck had diffi culty completing
his development);
11.d4 !1J5f6 12. !1Jxf6 1Wxf6 13. c3
exd4 14. !1Jxd4 (or 14. 1Wxd4 1Wxd4
15. !1Jxd4 !1Jf6=, leading to com
plete s ymmetryand e quality)14...
!1Je5 15.f4
4 7
49. Chapter 4
and here Black has two e qually
good possibilities:
15... tt:lg6 16.g3 cS 17. tt:lc2 (the
endgame arising after 17. tt:lb5 .ib6
18. .ie3 Ele8 1 9. .bf7+ 'Wxf7 20.
tt:ld6 'Wf8 21. tt:lxe8 'Wxe8 22.'Wd6
'We6 23.'Wxe6 he6+ seems more
pleasant for Black; or 1 9.Wd2
.ih3t with ideas of capturing on
e3, followed by c5-c4, as well as
possible knight-sorties to f4 or
h4,accodring to different circum
stances)17...b5 18. .id5 Elb8=,and
the position is approximately
e qual;
15... tt:lg4!? - this seemingly
reckless knight-move turns out
to be correct. 16.h3 'Wh4 17.hxg4
(17.Ele2 tt:lf6 18.Wd3 .id7 1 9. .id2
Elad8=)17...hg4 18.'Wd2 .bf4 1 9.
'Wxf4 'Wxe1 20. mh2 (20.'Wf l 'Wxf1
2 l. mxf1 Elfe8 22. .if4 gS23. .ig3 cS,
followed by Ela8-d8) 20...'Wh4=,
with a draw by a perpetual check.
(diagram)
ll. . . a5!
This is a very clever move with
the idea of ... tak ing control of the
b4-s quare!
Black has many other natural
moves at hi sdi sposa l:
White is better after 11...
48
tt:l7f6?! 12. tt:lxf6! (12. tt:lg3 Ele8 13.
h3 aS 14.a3 a4 1S. .ia2 .id7 16.
tt:lh4?- 16.c3=- 16...e4 17. tt:lhf5,
Efimenko - Paehtz, Dresden
2007, 17...exd3+) 12...'Wxf6 13.
d4
13...e4. This is an intere sting
attempt by Black to seize the ini
tiative, in the spirit of the Mar
shall Attack, but it is unsound
(13... .ig4 14.c4 tt:le7 15.dxe5 .beS
16.Elxe5 .ixf3 17.'We1 tt:lfS 18.Elxf5
'WxfS 1 9.gxf3 Elfe8 20. .ie3 'Wxf3
2 l.'Wd1 Wh3 22. mh1 Elad s 23.
'We2 ;t; 13...exd4 14.hd5 cxdS
1S. .ib4 ±)14 J:l:xe4 .ifS15.Ele1 Elae8
(15...Elfe8 16.c4 tt:lf4 17. .ixf4 .bf4
18. .ic2) 16.c4 (16. tt:le5 heS
17.dxe5 ElxeS 18.c4) 16... tt:lf4
17. .ixf4 .bf4 18. .ic2 Elxe1 1 9. tt:lxe1
.ie6 20.'Wd3 g6 21.h3 ;t;
50. l.e4 e5 2.il..c4 liJf6 3.d3 c6 4. liJ.f3 d5 5.il..b3 �d6
After l l... �h8, White can con- hd4 2 0. Wxf 6 gxf 6 2 l. .bd4
centrate on the target on h 6 with exd4= although he should man
the mo ve 12. Wc1! (it i sinferior to age to sa ve thi sendgame)
play 12. liJg3 aS 13.a3 fS, with a
double-edged po sition, Kobalia -
Motyle v, So chi 2 007). No w it i s
not good for Bla ck to play 12...f5,
be cau se of 13. liJc3 ± and he will
ha ve problem s with the prote c
tion of hi seS-pa wn. Therefore,he
mu st continue with 12... �h 7 but
after 13. c4 liJf4 14. �c2t White
seize s the initiati ve, be cau se he
exe rts po werful pie ce-pre ssure
again st the central squares and
ha sthe undermining pa wn-break
d3-d4 up hi s slee ve.
Ho we ver, Bla ck ha sa reliable
alternati ve in l l.. J'!e8 12.h3 liJ7f 6
13. liJg3 �d 7 14.a3= with a compli
cated middlegame and approxi
mately e qual chan ce s. It would
le ss con vin cing for Bla ck to opt
for 12... liJf8 (in stead of 12... liJ7f 6)
13. c4 (13.d4 fS14. liJg3 e4oo or 14.
liJc3 e4= with a compli cated and
approximately balan ced po sition)
13... liJf 6! (the mo ve 13... liJe 7 al
lo ws the line 14. .bh 6! gxh 6 15.
liJf 6 �g 7 1 6. liJxe8 Wxe8 1 7. liJxe5t ;
14...f5 15. c5 �e 6 1 6. liJd 6t White
ha s a dangerou s initiati ve ; 13...
liJf4 14. .bf4 exf4 15.d4 �fS 1 6.
�c2 tWhite i s slightly better,be
cau se Bla ck will need time to
bring hi s knight on f8 into play)
14. We2 (14. c5 �fS 15. Wc2 liJdS=)
14... liJe 6 15. liJxf 6 Wxf 6 1 6. We3
liJd4 (here it would be too ri sky
for Bla ck to play 1 6... liJf4 1 7. Wxf4
exf4 18 J''i:xe8 �h 7 1 9 J�lae l t) 1 7.
liJxd4 �b 6 18. �c3 �d 7 1 9. Wf3
12.c4
If no w 12.a3, B la ck can con
tinue bra vely with 12... liJ7f 6,mak
ing u se of the cir cum stan ce that
in the variation 13. liJxf 6 (after
calm de velopment s along the
line sof 13.h3 a4 14. �a2 1"!e8 Bla ck
will ha ve no problem s what soe v
er) 13... Wxf 6 14.d4 exd4 15. .bd5
cxdS,White will not ha ve a cce ss
to the b4- square for hi s bi shop.
Thi si swhere you can see the ef
fe ct of the mo ve 1 l...a5!
After 12. c3 it would be inter
e sting for Bla ck to play 12...f5 !?
(12... liJ7f 6= would be suffi cient
for e quality) 13. liJg3 liJcS 14. �c2
f4 15. liJe4 liJxe4 1 6.d xe4 liJf 6=,
with an a cti ve po sition.
12...liJf4
It i s le ss pre ci se for Bla ck to
play here 12... liJb4,be cau se of 13.
�c3! ( White' salternati ve s cannot
create any problem s for Bla ck :
13. .bb4 axb4 14. c5 liJf 6 15. liJxf 6
Wxf 6=; 13. c5 liJxd3 14. �g5 hxgS
15. Wxd3 liJf 6 1 6. Wxd8 1"!xd8 and
4 9
51. Chapter 4
after every capture of the gS
pawn, Black blocks White's bish
op with the move 1 7... LtJdS)13...f5
(13...c5 14. LtJg3 Wff6 1S.ia4 i) 14.
cS (the play is very interesting af
ter 14. LtJg3!? LtJcS 1S.d4 exd4 16.
ixd4 :t)14... LtJd5 ( It is inferior for
Black to play 14... Wh8
15. LtJd6 LtJxcS 16. LtJf7 Elxf7 1 7.
ixf7 LtJbxd3 18. LtJxe5! LtJxe1 1 9.
Wfxe1 Wh 7 20. ig6 Wg8 21. ltJf7
Wff8 22. Wfd1! if4 ( The idea of
White's last move can best be seen
in the variation 22...ie6 23. LtJxh6
gxh6 24. Wfd4+- and Black gets
mated.)23. Wff3 ie6 24. Wfxf4 ixf7
2S.ixf5 ± and White's bishop on
c3 is so powerful that he has an
overwhelming advantage.) 15.
LtJd6 LtJxcS16.hd5 cxdS1 7. LtJxc8
Elxc8 18.ixe5 :tWhite prese rves a
slight edge thanks to his domina
tion of the eS-s quare.
13.hf4 exf4 14.d4 .!Llf6=
White would have had some
advantage with a pawn on c3 in
stead of c4. Now the weakness on
d4 and his passive bishop make
his position not at all attractive
and the game is e qual.
Conclusion
In playing the Bishop's Opening White is usually hoping to deviate
from the well-known theoretical lines. He wishes to obtain a calm po
sition with a slight edge, in the spirit ofthe Italian Game, and some
times the game even transposes to that opening. However, ifBlack
replies with 3.. .c6 the game is quite differentfrom the usual develop
ments in the Italian Game. Our analysis shows convincingly that
there is not a single variation in which White can obtain even a mini
mal edge and Black has an excellentposition in all lines.
so
52. Part 2
l.e4 e5 2.lljf3 �f6
All White Replies without 3.d4 and 3.�xe5
I n the second part of our book
we anal yse some rarel y pla yed
possibilities for White on move
3.
After 3. 4'lc 3, Black can repl y
with 3... i.b4, ac quiescing to a
slightl yworse,but ver ysolid,po
sition.
The s ymmetrical move 3... 4Jc6
is also simple and quite reliable.
Of course,pla yers with Black will
need to memorize the main lines
of the variations arising after
4. i.b5 4Jd4.
The move 4.d4 leads to a
harmless version of the Scotch
Game,while a fter 4.g 3, Black ob
tains approximatel ye qual chanc
es in fighting positions of a non
forcing nature.
51
53. ChapterS l.e4 e5 2.�f3 �f6
3.lbc3
The "amateur "variation 3. i.c4
lbxe4 4. lbc3, is covere din Chap
ter 2 on the Vienna Game with 2.
lbc3 lbf 63. i.c4 lbxe4 4. lbf3.
White cannot obtain any a d
vantage in the opening wit h the
passive line : 3. d3 d6 (here 3...
lbc 6, followe d by d7- d5, is also
goo d for Black) 4. i.e2 g 6 5. 0- 0
i.g 7 6. lbc3 0- 0 7. i.g5 h 6 8. i.e3
lbc 6 9.h3 d5 1 0.ex d5 lbx d5 11.
lbx d5 Wi'x d5 12. !!e l !!e813.c3 b6=
Se dlak - Sakaev, Vrn jacka Ban ja
2 01 0.
3....ib4
This bishop -sortie is a reliable
option for Black, although it is a
bit passive. He presents his oppo
nent with the a dvantage of the
52
bishop-pair,but develops quickly,
while keeping the position close d.
It is more ambitious an dpop
ular to continue with 3... lbc 6,
which presents White with a wide
c hoice of systems (none of t hem
very promising, however...) an d
we sh all analyze these in the fol
lowing chapters.
4.lbxe5
Th e position is equal a fter 4.
ic4 0-0 5. 0-0 d6 6. d3 hc3 7.
bxc3 i.e 6.
4. .. 0 - 0 5..ie2 :aes 6.lbd3
.ixc3 7.dxc3 ti::lxe4
Now White can only create
some problems for his opponent
by making the most natural move
in the position - castling.
54. 8. 0 - 0 !
Theoryconsiders 8. �f4 as the
main line, but I think that this
move, closing the diagonal of
White's o wn bishop, loses the
minimal e dge that he has alrea dy
acquire d. 8...d6 9.0-0 �c6! (this
is more active than the more pop
ular choice for Black here: 9...
�d 7) 10.a4!? This is an original
wa yfor Whi te to bring his a l-rook
in to ac tion. (He woul dnot achieve
much with the natural line:10.c4
h6 l l. .ie 3 if5 12. E:e l �f6 and
Black has no problems at all.).
10...h6 l l.a5 a6 12.c4 if5 1 3. E:a 3
�f6 14. E:g 3 �e4 15. E:e 3 �f6, Su
tovsk y - Sakaev, Serbia 200 9
(game 4).White's most prudent
decision here would be to repeat
moves.
8...d5!
Black mus tpla yactivel yif his
opponent lets him. He has ex
change dhis dark -square dbishop,
so it woul d be positionall y justi
fie d to buil d his pa wn-chain on
the dar ksquares,keeping the po
sition close d. In this pa rticular
case,ho wever,there is a concrete
reason wh ythe move 8... d6 is not
l.e4 e5 2. �f3 �f6 3. �c3 ib4
good. White has the opportuni ty
of seizing additional space and
then pinning the enem yknight on
f6 with 9.f 3! �f6 10.ig5 �bd7
l l. E:e l b6 12.a4 (it also look s at
tractive to begin an offensive on
the light squares with 12. �b4!?
ib 7 1 3.c4 h6 14.ih4 aS15. �d5 g5
16.if2 �xd5 1 7.cxd5 �f6 18.b3 :t)
12...a5 1 3. �f2 h6 14.ih4 �c5
(14... �f8 15. �e4 g5 16. �xf6 �xf6
1 7.if2 :t. White maintains a slight
edge,since Black's king is vulner
able, Ho well - Giri,Wi jk aan Zee
200 9).
No wit is ver ygoo dfor White
to continue with 15.f4!, prevent
ing g 7-g5 and thus maintaining
the unpleasant pin on Black's f6-
knight (it is inferior for W hite to
pla y15.b4:after 15...axb4 16.cxb4
E:xa4 1 7.ixf6 �xf6 18. E:b l �b 7
1 9.ib5 E:xe l 20.�xe l E:a8 21.�e8
<±>h 7 22.id 3 g6 2 3. �e4 �d4 24.
<±>f l <±>g 7 25.�c6 d5 26. �c 3 �e5
2 7. �xd5 E:a l 28. E:xa l �xa l 2 9.
<±>e2 �e5 30. <±>d2 tt:Jd8 31.�c 3
�xc 3 32. <±>xc 3 �e6 33.ic4 ib7
34. �e 3 tt:Jd8 35.id5 ic8 36. <±>d4
<±>f6= Black should be able to hold
this position) 15...if5 16.g4! .id7
1 7. .if 3 E:xe1 18.�xe l E:b8 1 9. b 3:t
5 3
55. Chapter S
White's space advantage promis
es him a slight edge and Black is
faced with a long defence.
9.tDf4
14.f 3ih 7 15. 1Wd2 'Lle5 16. 1Wf2 1Wd6
1 7.'Lld 3:t; 16...c6 1 7.'Lld 3'Llfd 7 18.
'LlxeS'LlxeS1 9.h 3:t;White has the
edge, since he can advance his
pawn with tempo from f 3 to fS,
9•••tDf6! forcing the enemy bishop out of
Black's knight on e4 is only play on h 7)
pseudo -active,since it blocks the
e-file and impedes Black's other
pieces from occupying their best
squares.
He usually continues with 9...
c6 here, but after 10.c4! d4 11.
�e Uthere arises an open position
in which White's bishop-pair is
very powerful.
1 0 .i.e3
White cannot create problems
for his opponent with 10.if 3c6=.
Black's bishop goes to fSand his
knight on b8 is transferred effort
lessly to eSvia the d 7 -square.
1 0 ...i.f5!N
After 10...'Llc6 l l.if 3 ie6 12.
�e U Black has difficulties.
ll.g4 i.e4!
(diagram)
12.g5
White can sacrifice a pawn
with 12. �e1 'Llc6 (it is weaker for
Black to opt for 12...h6 1 3.if1 'Llc6
54
1 3.f 3 hc2 14. 1Wd2, but after
14...h6 15.if2 ih 7 16. �ad1=
White's compensation is only
enough for equality.
Or 1 3.g5 'Lld 7 14.'Llxd5 (after
14.'Llh5 'Llb6 15.'Llg 3 ig6 16. 1Wd2
'Llc4 1 7. hc4 dxc4+ Black's posi
tion is even slightly preferable)
14... �e5 (he can also solve his
problems with 14...'Llde5 15.c4
'Llxc4!16. hc4'Lle5 1 7.ie2 hdS=)
15.c4 �xgS 16. hg5 WxgS 1 7.ig4
hc2 18. 1Wxc2 Wxg4=with a draw
by perpetual check.
56. 12••. ttJfd7 13.ttJxd5 1%e5 14.
c4 1%xg5 15.hg5 '!Wxg5 16.i.g4
hd5 17.h4
17...'1Wf4!
After all Black' sother option s
hi sinitiative i sgradually neutral
ized and White' s extra exchange
should tell, for example: 17...
'!Wxh4 18.cxd5 ti:Jf6 1 9. i.f3 ti:Jbd7
20.d6!±, and the opening of the
central file s i s in hi s favour, or
17...Wg6 18.h5 '!Wg5 1 9.f4 Wh4 20.
cxd5 ti:Jf6 21. i.f3 Wg3 (21...Wxf4
22. i.g2 We3 23. l'i:f2 ti:Jbd7 24.
Wf3 ±) 22. i.g2 li:Jg4 23. l'i:f3 Wh2
l.e4 eS 2. liJ.f3 liJf6 3. tiJc3 i.b4
24. t>f l Wh4 25. i.h3 ti:Jh2 26. t>g2
li:Jxf3 27.Wxf3 ±; material e quality
ha s been re stored, but White' s
piece sare much more active.
18.cxd5 ltJe5 19.i.e2 tiJbd7
2 0 .'1Wcl '!Wxh4 21.'1We3
21.••£5!
Black' spawn i sready to join in
the attack.
22.'1Wg3 '!Wf6 23.f4 ttJf'Too.One
of hi s knight s will occupy the
blockading square d6 and hi soth
er knight i s headed for e4, so
Black ha sexcellent compen sation
for the exchange.
Conclusion
The move 3... i.b4 is not very popular but is reliable. Black obtains
a solid position and avoids having to study long theoretical varia
tions. The drawbacks are that the variation is a bit passivefor Black
and his opponent is presented with the advantage ofthe bishop-pair.
Overall, the line is playable, ofcourse, but I suspect that it will not be
to everyone's taste, so in the following chapters we shall examine
Black's more ambitious alternative: 3.. . liJc6.
55
57. Chapter6 l.e4 e5 2.ti:Jf3 tt:Jf6 3.tt:Jc3 tt:Jc6
Scotch FourKnights
Belgrade Gambit
With his last move 3... li:lc6
Black maintains the symmetry,
but he still has good chances of
avoiding a dull position with
dra wish tendencies. Instead, he
can obtain a lively position with
more than sufficient counter
chances.
4.d4
With the white knight already
developed to c3,the Scotch Game
is not at all dangerous for Black.
White's other, more interest
ing alternatives wil l be analyzed
in the following chapters.
4...exd4
(diagram)
5)Lxd4
The Belgrade Gambit is
reached after the move 5. li:ld5.
What does Black need to know
56
about it ? The following variations
are quite sufficient :5... i.e7!6. i.f4
(6. li:lxd4 li:lxd5 7.exd5 li:lxd4 8.
Wxd4 0 -0=;6. i.c4 0 -0 7.0 -0 d6
8. li:lxd4 li:lxd4 9.Wxd4 li:lxd5 10.
Wxd5 i.e6 11.Wd3 Wd7=) 6...d6
7. li:lxd4 0 -0 8. li:lb5 li:lxd5 9.exd5
li:le5=
5...i.b4 6.li:lxc6 bxc6 7.i.d3
d5
58. l.e4 e5 2. ltJ.f3 ltJf6 3. ltJc3 ltJc6 4.d4 exd4
8.exd5
After 8.0-0 .b:c 3 9.bxc 3dxe4+
White has nothing to brag about.
8...cxd5 9. 0 - 0 0 - 0 1 0 .
Jg5 c6 11.�f3
If White plays 11.lLla4, he can
end up in an inferior position,for
example: ll...h6 12.�h4 l"i:e8 1 3.c4
�d6 14.cxd5 cxd5 15. ltJc 3 ( Black's
game seems better too after 15.
l"i:c1 l"i:b8 16.b 3 �f4 17. l"i:c6 �e5.)
15... l"i:b8+and Black is better.
ll...h6
If Black wishes to reach a posi
tion with more fighting possibili
ties, he should try 11...�d6, with
the idea of l"i:a8-b8 and eventually
l"i:b8-b4.
12 ..ixf6 �xf6 13.�xf6 gxf6
14.c!l::le2 .id6 15.tt:ld4 c5 16.tt:lf5
.ix£5 17..ix£5=
Here,the opponents can agree
to a draw,as was done in numer
ous games.
Conclusion
White has developed his knight too early (in comparison with the
Scotch Game) to the c3-square and he cannot claim any advantage
whatsoever. Usually after 4.d4 the position quickly becomes simpli
fied and the game is equal, so lately White players have more or less
stoppedplaying this line.
57
59. Chapter7 l.e4 e5 2.li�£J �f6 3.�c3 �c6 4.g3!?
Glek Variation
White sometimes plays this
with the aim of reaching positions
that have not been extensively
analysed .
G M Igor Glek has contributed
considerably to the development
of this variation and has played
numerous games with it .
4. . . i.c5
The position is about e qual but
much more open after 4 ...d5 5 .
exd5 tt'lxd5 6 .i.g2 tt'lxc3 7 .bxc3
i.d6 8 .0- 0 0- 0. A reasonable
continuation is 9 .Ei:b1 Ei:b8 1 0.d4
Ei:e8
(diagram)
and here White has two main
possibilities:
1 l .tt'lg5 - this is the main theo
retical line . After , for example ,
58
1 l ...i.f5 12 .i.d5 (it is harmless for
White to play 12 .Ei:xb7 Ei:xb7 13 .
hc6 Ei:b1 14 .he8 '<Wxe8 �; Black
has excellent compensation for
the pawn) 12 ...i.g6 13 .h4 i.e ?14 .
i.xc6 (14 .dxe5 tt'lxe5 15 .Ei:e1 i.f6
16 .h5 i.f5 17 .i.f4 i.xg5 18 .i.xe5
i.f6 1 9 .'<Wd4 c6 2 0.hf6 '<Wxf6+
there arises an endgame in which
Black is at no risk) 14 ...bxc6 15 .
Ei:xb8 '<Wxb8 16 .dxe5 hg5 ( Black
can try to seize the initiative here
with 16 ...h6!? 17 .tt'lf3 c5 �, with
sufficient compensation for the
pawn) 17 .hxg5 Ei:xe5 18 .i.f4 Ei:e6=
the position is completely
e qual;
1 l .i.g5!?- This is the only way
forWhite to try to create any seri
ous problems for Black . l l ...f6!
( The move 1 l ...'<Wd7 blocks the
bishop's diagonal and thus after
60. l.e4 e5 2. lLJj3 lLJf6 3 . lL'lc3 lLJc6 4.g3 i. c5
1 2.i.e3 exd4 13 .cxd4 b6 14 .c4±
White ends up with a slight ad
vantage .)1 2.i.e3 b6!13 .'&d3 i.b7!
(after 13 ...e4, White is slightly
better: 14 .'&c4 <i>h8 15 .lLJg5 fxg5
16 .'&xc6±) 14 .lL'ld 2 ( Black's posi
tion is quite acceptable after
14 .lL'lh4 lL'la5 15 .d5 '&d 7 16 .lL'lf5
Elbd8=,followed by i.d6-f8,exe rt
ing pressure against White's cen
tre .)14 ...'&d7 15 .Elfd1 lL'la5 16 .hb7
lLJxb7 17 .Wa6 lL'la5 18 .lL'lb3 exd4
1 9 .cxd4 lL'lc6=,with e quality .
5..ig2 d6 6.d3 a6
7. 0 - 0
The move 7 .i.e3!? was tried
in one game by G M Vadim Zvja
ginsev - a very inventive player
who has made numerous opening
discoveries . After 7 ...he3 8 .fxe3,
the player with Black, G M Ev
geniy Najer, played 8 ...lLJe7 . ( Af
ter the automatic reply 8 ...0-0,
Evgeny was possibly afraid of
9 .'&d 2!?,with the idea of castling
queenside, when a very non
standard position would arise!)
9 .lL'lh4 c6 10 .'&d 2 lL'lg6 11 .lL'lf5 hf5
1 2.exf5 lL'lf8 (it seems about e qual
ly strong for Black to play here
1 2...lLJe7=) 13 .0-0-0 d5= Zvja
ginsev - Najer, Ohrid 200 9
(game 5). In the subse quent
complex manoeuvring struggle,
the chances of both sides are ap
proximately balanced, although
in the game Black had the initia
tive .
7... 0 - 0 8..ie3
White can begin with the pro
phylactic move 8 .h3, but that
would not change the evaluation
of the position . After for example:
8 ...i.e6 9 .<i>h 2 h6 10 .i.e3 he3
1l .fxe3 d5 1 2.exd5 lLJxd5 13 .'&e1
Wd7 14 .Eld1 Elad8 15 .a3 lLJxc3 16 .
'&xc3 f6= the game is e qual, Vo
robiov - Sakaev, Novokuznetsk
2008 .
8...he3 9.fxe3 ll:e7 1 0 .
ll:h4
1 0 ...c6
An interesting position arises
after 10 ...i.g4 1l .'&d 2 '&d7
(diagram)
This move emphasizes the
fact that White has not played h 2-
h3, restricting the mobility of
Black's light-s quared bishop .
White has no constructive ideas
5 9
61. Chapter 7
except for 12.d4 2"1ad8 13. 2"1xf 6!?
gxf 6 14. 2"1f1 c 6 15.�f2!?� - there
are no forcing lines,butWhite has
sufficient compensation for the
exchange.
ll.d4
ll..)!)g6
The move ll... ltJg4 has a solid
posi ti ona l basis too. B lac k rules
out the pos sible exchange sacri
fice on f 6and i sread yto bar ri cade
the f-fi le with the move f7-f 6. Still,
thi s plan slo wsd ownhi s deve lop
ment an d White c an ex ploit thi s
circu mst ance b y energetic pl ay:
1 2. �d3! (In the g ame Sha ke d -
Leko, Til burg 1 997 White pl ayed
1 2. �d2, but Bl ac k was ab le t oc ar
ryout all his plan s and g ain the
advantage : 1 2... 4Jh 613. 2"1ad1 �g4
14. i.f3 i.e 6 15. �e2 b5 1 6.b 3 �a5
60
1 7.�d2 �c7 18. Wh1 2"1ad8 1 9. i.g2
f 6+) 12... 4Jh 6 13. 4Jf5 4Jexf5 14.
exf5 f 6 15.dxe5! (this is stronger
than the often-played move 15.
h3=) 15...dxe5 1 6. i.e4 �xd3 17.
hd3±. Blac k's position is
cramped and his b 6-s quare is
wea k (White's knight is headed
there),so the endgame is difficult
for him.
12.4Jf5 �e8
With his last move Blac kgives
additional su pport to his e5-
pa wn, but he has an interesting
alternative here: 12...hf5!? 13.
exf5 4Je 7oo. He lac ks s pace but can
counter the advance of White's g
pa wn with active o perations on
the centra l files and the dar k
s quares. The chances are a bout
equal.
13.ti'd2
13....ixf5!?
The move 13...d5 is su fficient
f or eq ualit y, but Bl ac k d oe s not
h ave t o pla y thi s. After 14. 2"1ae1
(the positi oni s also bal anced af
ter 14.exd5 cxd5 15.dxe5 2"1xe5 1 6.
ltJd4 i. d7=) 14...dxe4 15. 4Jxe4
4Jxe4 1 6. he4 4Je 7 1 7. 4Jxe 7 �xe 7,
62. l.e4 e5 2. l0j3 l0f6 3. l0c3 l0c6 4.g3� c5
the position is considerably sim
plified and the result should be a
draw.
14.exf5 c!lJe7 15J::�adl Y9c7
16.c!lJe4 c!lJed5=. Black will re
place one blockading piece on f6
with another,so the prospects are
approximately e qual.
Conclusion
There was a time when you could surprise your opponent with a
move like 4.g3 but those days are long gone. This variation has now
even been tried afew times at top level, so sufficient materialfor anal
yses and conclusions has been amassed. Players who prefer more
open positions can play 4...d5, but Iprefer the move 4... �c5. I believe
this line to be morejustifiedpositionally and quite logical too, because
it guarantees a strong Black presence in the centre and good pros
pects on the dark squares.
61
63. Chapter8 l.e4 e5 2.lbf3 lbf6 3.lbc3 lbc6 4.i.b5
FourKnights Game
The Four Knights Game is, I
believe,an opening taught in the
first lessons of all children's chess
classes. I am not planning to deal
with this opening thoroughly. I
shall just show you the basic theo
retical lines which the player with
Black should focus on.
4...ll)d4
There is a mountain of theory
on the symmetrical move 4...�b4,
and we shall ignore all of it. I will
only mention that, according to
the contemporary evaluation of
this variation,White can claim a
slight advantage.
White now has two possible
bishop retreats: A) 5.i.c4and B)
5.�a4.
It is a well-known draw after
62
5. li)xd4 e xd4 6.e5 d xc3 7.exf6
"!fixf6 (but not 7...c xd2? 8.hd2
"!fixf6 9.0-0 and Black is danger
ously behind in development) 8.
dxc3 "!fie5 9. "!fie2 "!fixe2 10.he2 d5
ll.�f4 c6=
A) 5.i.c4
It may seem strange now,but
this retreat of the bishop was the
cause of great problems for Black
for a long time.
5....ic5!
This move is the correct solu
tion of all the problems in this po
sition. It is inconceivable now
howWhite can create any difficul
ties for his opponent.
64. l.e4 e5 2. tiJj3 ti'Jf6 3. tiJc3 ti'Jc6 4.� b5 ti'Jd4
It is too ris kyfor Black to opt
for 5... ti'Jxf3?! in view of 6.gxf3!
�c5 7. l'!gl ±and White has a dan
gerous initiative along the g-file.
However , the game is complicat
ed but quite acceptable for Black
a fter 5...d6 6. ti'Jxd4 exd4 7. ti'Jd5
ti'Jd7 8.0-0 g6oo
6..!Llxe5
The position is e qual a fter 6.d3
d6 7. ti'Jxd4 �xd4 8.0-0 �e6 9.�b3
0-0= Franzoni - Anand , Biel
1 988.
6...�e7
7..!Llf3
It is rather dubious for White
to play here 7. ti'Jxf7?!, because of
7...d5!8. ti'Jxh8 dxc4+
Black obtains an excellent
position a fter 7. ti'Jd3 d5 8. ti'Jxd5
�xe4 9. ti'Je3 �d6 10.f3 �h4 ll. ti'Jf2
0-0 i
7...d5 8.i.xd5
White's position remains very
passive a fter 8. ti'Jxd5 �xe4 9. ti'Je3
�g410.�e2 ti'Jxe2 11.�xe2 o-o-m:
8...�g4 9.d3
(diagram)
9.... 0 - 0 - 0 ! 1 0 .�e3
If 10.�g5 , Sutovs ky - Kram-
nik , Baku (rapid)2010 (game 6),
then besides the move that was
played in the game - 10...�h5!?-
Black could have tried 10...h6 and
a fter 11.�e3 ti'Jxd5 12. ti'Jxd5 l'!xd5
13.exd5 l'!e8 14.0-0 hf3 15.gxf3
�d6 16.f4 �h4 there would be a
transposition to the variation be
ginning with the move 10.�e3 ,
but with a pawn on h6 instead of
h7. This cannot be harmful for
Black at all.
1 0 ....!Llxd5 ll.lilxd5
ll...�xd5! 12.exd5 �e8
13. 0 - 0
Ob jectively speaking , White's
most prudent move here is 13.c3 ,
but it leads to a draw by force:
13... tt:Jxf3 14.gxf3 �h4 15. t>d2
63
65. Chapter 8
l"lxe3 1 6. fxe3 Vfif2 17. t>cl .be3 18.
<i>bl .bf3 1 9. Vfiel .bhl 20. Vfixhl
Vfie2 2 l.a4 Vfixd3 22. <i>a2 Vfic4=
with perpetual che ck.
13...hf3 14.gxf3 �d6
15.f4
Or 15. t>g2 Vfie5 1 6. l"lhl li:Jf5 17.
c3 Vfixd5 18. Vfia4 l"le 6 1 9.�g5 h 6
20. c4 Vfixd3 2l. l"lhe1 li:Jd4 22. Vfid1
Vfix c4 23. l"lxe 6 li:Jxe 6 24.b3 Vfib5
25.�e3 Vfie5+ - Now, in order to
prote ct his h2-s quare White must
make a rather awkward move
with his queen to gl or h1, when
Bla ck can patiently prepare the
advan ce of his pawns,both on the
kingside and on the queenside.
White is doomed to a long and la
borious defen ce.
15...'�h4 16.<i>hl
Here it is safer to play 1 6. c3,
with the continuation 1 6...g5 17.
cxd4 (17. 'it>h1 Vfih3 18. l"lg1 li:Jf3
1 9. l"lg2 gxf4 20. Vfia4 c6transposes
to the main line of our analysis )
17...gxf4 18. Vfif3 fxe3 1 9.h3 Vfixd4
20. fxe3 Vfixb2 2 l. Vfif2 Vfig7 22. <i>h1
Vfih6 23. Vfif5 'it>b8=, and altho ugh
Bla ck has some initiati ve, White
should be able to hold.
64
16...�h3 17J�gl tt:l£3 18.gg2
18...g5!
White has come under a dan
gerous atta ck. He will be happy if
it all ends in perpet ual che ck,but
he mi ght even get mated.
19.c4
The following variation is
clearly in Bla ck's favour: 1 9. c3
gxf4 20. Vfia4 c6! 2 l.dx c6 fxe3
22. cxb7 'it>d8- +
19...gxf4 2 0 .�a4
2 0 ...t>dS
It is wo rth conside rin g the
move 20... c6!?and after 2l. dx c6
fxe3 22. cxb7 'it>d8 23. c5 .bh2 24.
�g4 �xg4 25. l"lxg4 e2 2 6. 'it>g2
e l=Vfi27. l"lxe l li:Jxe1 28. t>x h2 'it> c7 +
66. l.e4 e5 2. 0J3 t/Jf6 3. t/Jc3 t/Jc6 4.f.l.b5 t/Jd4
there arises an endgame in which
White must fight for a draw.
21.c5 c!Llh4 22.�agl .ie5 23.
.ixf4 c!Llxg2 24.�xg2 �f3, Moty
lev - Radjabov, Khanty- Mansyisk
2010.
White can continue here with
25..ig3! .ixg3 26.hxg3 �xd5
27.�c4= and White has good
chances o fsaving the game.
B) 5..ia4
5....ic5
It is too passive for Bla ck to
play 5... ti'Jx f3 6. �x f3c 6 7.0 -0 d 6
8.d 3 fi.e 7 9. ti'Jd5 ;t.White is slightly
better, J. Po lgar - Hammer, Kris
tiansund 2 010.
An interesting position arises
after 5...c 6!?
and now:
the move 6.d 3enables Black to
exchange his knight for the bish
op and after 6...b5 7. f.l.b 3 ti'Jxb 38.
axb 3d 6= he obtains a very good
game, since White takes two
moves to advance his pawn to d4;
after 6. 0-0, Black has a good
reply in 6...WaS, preventing the
possible exchange on d4. There
might follow: 7.d 3d 68.h 3b5 (8...
f.l.e7 can be answered with 9. f.l.e 3,
forcing the exchange o fthe knight
on d4 under circumstances very
favourable toWhite.) 9. f.l.b 3 ti'Jxb 3
10.cxb 3b4 ( Black is not obliged to
hurry with the advance o f this
pawn, since after 10... f.l.e 7 l l.d4
b4 12. lt:la4 exd4 1 3. lt:lxd4 f.l.d 7,al
though it might seem at first sight
thatWhite is better,his knight on
a4 is away from the centre and
Black has more than sufficient
counter-chan ces.) l l. c!Llb1 f.l.e 7 12.
ti'Jbd2 0 -0 1 3. ti'Jc4 �c 7= -the po
sition is approximately equal;
6. lt:lxe5 d5 7.d 3 f.l.d 68. ti'Jf3 f.l.g4
9. f.l.e 3dxe4 ( 9... lt:lx f310.gx f3 f.l.h5
l l.exd5 -although Black has nu
merous atta cking possibilities
65
