M asteri ng the M o d er n

Benon i and the B e n ko

Gam b it

Robert Bellin and Pietro Ponzetto

B. T. Batsford Ltd, London

First published 1990

© Robert Bellin, Pietro Ponzetto 1990

ISBN 0 7134 6288 4

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, by any means, with,
prior permission of the Publisher.

Typeset by Lasertext Ltd., Stretford, Manchester

and printed in Great Britain by

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for the Publishers,

B. T. Batsford Ltd,
4 Fitzhardinge Street,
London W1HOAH

A BATSFORD CHESS BOOK

Adviser: R. D. Keene GM, OBE
Technical Editor: Ian Kingston
Contents

Preface Vll
Introduction

Part One: The Modern Benoni

1 The Classical Centre 5
2 The Fianchetto Centre 54
3 The Restricted Centre 73

Part Two: The Benko Gambit

4 The Standard Centre 95
5 The Modern Centre 1 24
6 The Anti-Benko Centre 143
Table of Variations 163
Preface
This work has been written with
one major aim in mind: to teach
understanding of the opening. Of
course, this cannot be achieved
by cataloguing variations, and we
have sought instead to explain the
key ideas and plans of each player,
and to do so quickly and easily
with our special Read and Play
method which permits the reader
to follow the greater part of the
text without a chessboard.
Our guiding principle for ach­
ieving this ambitious goal is the
fact that once the central pawns
have stabilized there is a greater
strategic and tactical affinity
between diverse variations with
the same central pawn structure
than between different lines of the
same variation which lead to
different pawn structures. This
simple approach instantly enables
us to understand the essential
ideas of any position whatsoever.
This is in marked contrast to what
happens in ordinary books of open­
ing theory, where the exigencies of
systematization make the process
of understanding very difficult.
Having established our starting
point the continuation follows log­
ically: we divide the opening not
according to vanatlons but
according to 'type of centre'
(normally retaining the name of
the principal variation), which
means that different lines of the
same variation may be examined
in one or other type of centre
according to the pawn structure
which arises. Each type of centre
is treated in three parts: a full
exposition of the strategic ideas
(paying particular attention to the
most modern), an overview of the
recurring tactical themes, and fin­
ally some illustrative games with
particularly deep annotations in
the opening. In examining these
games (and for this it is necessary
to use a chessboard) the reader
will find not only a practical corre­
spondence with the two theoreti­
cal parts, but also some additional
exemplifying variations. A close
reading of the illustrative games is
indispensable for full comprehen­
sion of the strategic concepts pre­
viously expounded.
vii
Preface
Whilst it has not been feasible
to include every single type of
centre which can arise, we have
covered all the most important
and common structures, which
comprise at least 85 per cent of all
cases. The few possibilities not
covered (which all derive from
minor byways) can be referred to
in traditional monographs.
We have tried to be as objective
as possible in our approach to the
subject and have aimed for an
impartial exposition of the ideas
in each type of centre, so that
the work will be equally useful
whichever side the reader intends
playing.
This oeuvre can be used in vari­
ous ways by a wide range of
players, from beginners and club
players seeking to learn the funda-
V1ll
mentals of the opening, right up
to experts who want to familiarize
themselves quickly with different
variations or to acquire the essen­
tial grounding for an entirely new
addition to their opening reper­
toire. Naturally, top competitive
players, and others who require a
more detailed knowledge of the
variations and all the latest
wrinkles, must use this work in
conjunction with a systematic text.
"
We hope that readers will find
our exposition clear, learn soundly
and enjoyably, and above all
increase their understanding and
thereby improve their playing
standard : only then will our Read
and Play method have hit the
mark.
Robert Bellin
Pietro Ponzetto
Introductio n

This book looks at two defences, Chapter 2

the Modern Benoni ( I d4 lLlf6 2
c4 cS 3 dS e6 4 lLlc3 exdS S cxdS
d6) and the Benko Gambit (I d4
lLlf6 2 c4 cS 3 dS bS). As the
material is not divided according
to the traditional subdivisions of
The Fianchetto Centre : White
fianchettoes his KB, including
games where he takes this decision
before developing his QN to c3.
II

variations but on the basis of the

'type of centre', the reader might
find it useful to have an overview
of the topics that will be examined.
The first part, in three chapters,
considers the Modern Benoni.

Chapter 1
The Classical Centre: This chapter
analyses lines of play in which
White makes the advance e2-e4 Chapter 3
giving rise to the following type of The Restricted Centre : The third
centre: chapter brings together all those

III
Introduction
lines in which White opts for a
more restricted centre with e3.
The second part of the book is
also split into three chapters and
is devoted to the Benko Gambit.
Chapter 4
The Standard Centre : Examines
the most classical developments
after White gobbles up the gambit
pawns, taking first on b5 and then
on a6.
IV
Chapter 5
The Modern Centre : Deals with
those variations in which White
accepts the gambit pawn on b5
but does not take on a6.
V
2
Chapter 6
The Anti-Benko Centre : Methods
whereby white declines the gambit
are considered.
VI
Which v a r i a t i on shou l d
I play?
To help you decide which vari­
ation is most appropriate for your
style we have compiled a table of
variations (see pages 1 63-5) which
indicates their level of strategic
and tactical complexity. In
addition, we have used a survey
of nearly 1 000 games played in
tournaments of FIDE category 7
and above to extract statistical
data concerning the frequency and
results percentage of each vari­
ation so as to provide a useful
overview of their level of risk. Thus
you are given all the information
necessary to make the most suit­
able selection according to your
needs.
 Part O n e

The M od er n B e no n i
1 The Classical Centre
After the moves 1 d4 l2Jf6 2 c4 c5
3 d5 e6 4 ltJc3 exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6
e4 g6 ( l )
w
we obtain the basic position for
this type of centre, which branches
out into many of the most
important variations of the
Modern Benoni :
Mikenas Variation
7 f4 Ji.. g7 8 e5
Bishop Check Variation
7 f4 Ji..g7 8 Ji..b 5 +
Standard Four Pawns Variation
7 f4 Ji..g7 8 l2Jf3 0-0 9 Ji..e 2
Penrose Variation
7 Ji..d 3 Ji.. g7 8 ltJge2
Saemisch System
7 f3
Queen Check Variation
7 l2Jf3 !iLg7 8 ii'a4 +
Uhlmann System
7 l2Jf3 Ji.. g7 8 Ji..e2 (or 8 Ji.. g5)
8 . 0-0 9 !iLg5
. .
Main Variation
7 l2Jf3 !iLg7 8 Ji..e 2 0-0 9 0-0
1 Strateg i c Ideas
In order to understand the basic
strategic elements common to all
the variations listed above we shall
first of all consider the pawn struc­
ture of the Classical Centre on its
own (2).
The following elements are
immediately apparent:
( 1 ) The respective pawn majori­
ties (White's in the centre
and Black's on the queen­
side).
s
The Classical Centre
(2) The fixed weakness of the
pawn on d6.
(3) The weakness of the d4
square.
(4) The dynamism of the pawns
on e4 and c5.
The pawn majorities
The mobilization of the respective
pawn majorities based on the
dynamism of the pawns on e4 and
c5 is a fundamentally important
strategic idea (3).
3 The attempt to exploit the respec­
White's breakthrough in the
centre with e4-e5 can facilitate an
attack on the kingside in various
ways : ( 1 ) the clearing of the e4
6
square can serve to transfer pieces
(lZlc3-e4); (2) if Black captures with
. . . d6xe5 then the recapture f4xe5
gives White not only an open f­
file but also a dangerous passed
pawn on d5; (3) if Black refrains
from capturing by . . . d6xe5 White
can push on with e5-e6 or f4-f5.
On Black's side, the advance of
his queenside majority has two
contrasting consequences : ( 1 ) the
advance . . . c5-c4 frees the
important c5 square, emphasizes
White's weakness on d3 and
opens the a7-g 1 diagonal against
White's king, all of which contri­
bute to the organization of active
piece play on the kingside; (2)
should an ending arise, Black is
immediately poised to create a
passed pawn.
The weakness of the d6
pawn a n d the d4 square
tive structural weaknesses is
another very basic strategic aim
(4).
4
 The Classical Centre

White can pressurize the d6 5

pawn by placing his QB on f4 and
a knight on c4. Almost invariably
it is the KN which goes to c4
(tZJgl -f3-d2-c4) as the QN finds
a natural square on c3 where it
both protects the e-pawn and
helps to prevent Black's queenside
expansion by . . . bS. The plan
of pressurizing d6 is not entirely
incompatible with the mobiliz­
ation of the kingside majority, as
manoeuvre tDg I -f3-d2-c4 before
White can always move the QB
developing the QB, Black may be
and follow up with f4. Clearly,
obliged to defend his d-pawn by
however, the placing of a bishop
. . . tDf6-e8 ( 6 ).
on f4 and a knight on c4 can also
lead to the central e4-eS
breakthrough without need of the (,
f-pawn. In this latter case White's
main aim is to create a passed
pawn on dS.
For his part, Black can seek to
establish a knight (or even the KB)
on d4. It can easily be seen that
in order to reach d4 Black's knight
will have to travel via c7 and
bS. Both knights are capable of
reaching c7 : . . . tZJb8-a6-c7 or . . .
tZJg8-f6-e8-c7.
When White has developed the Clearly, with such a defensive
QB to f4 and threatens to augment reaction Black risks falling into
the pressure on d6 by tZJd2-c4 passivity to such an extent that
Black normally pre-empts the Black sometimes even sacrifices
attack by chasing the QB off the the pawn in order to achieve a
h2-b8 diagonal with . . . tZJf6-hS rapid and active development, as
(5 ). we shall see further on in the
Sometimes, however, especially case of the Restricted Centre (see
when White has carried out the Chapter 3).
7
The Classical Centre
The wea kness of the e4
pawn
A simple examination of diagram
3 will reveal that after f4 the pawn
on e4 is weakened since it is
deprived of its natural support
by f2-f3. One thematic and very
important idea for Black is to exert
pressure against e4 by occupying
the semi-open e-file. This aims to
tie White's forces to the defence of
his e-pawn and also impedes the
advance e4-e5 (7 J.
Black can indirectly increase the
pressure on e4 by trying to drive
away the lDc3 with the advance
. . . b5-b4, always being careful to
bear in mind that this advance
cedes irrevocable control of c4 to
the opponent.
In contrast to the key role
played by Black's use of the semi­
open e-file it is worth noting that
White's semi-open c-file invariably
plays no part in his plans.
8
The c5 sq u a re
Another method of increasing
pressure against e4 is to free the
c5 square for occupation by the
lDd7. Black may be able to achieve
this by playing . . , b5 and . . . c4,
but given that White will oppose
this plan he sometimes has
recourse to the pseudo-sacrifice or
even sacrifice of his c-pawn (8 J.
Ii
The diagram shows an example
of the pseudo-sacrifice, where if
White captures with ..td3xc4 then
Black plays . . . lDf6xe4, regaining
the pawn and destroying the
enemy centre. On the other hand,
if White retreats with, say, ..td3-
c2 then Black can augment the
pressure against e4 by occupying
the c5 square with the lDd7. It
should be observed, however, that
the advance . . . c5-c410ses control
of d4.

The e5 square
To avoid problems with his e­
pawn in the opening phase White
may decide to protect it by 13. This
does not necessarily mean that
White renounces the mobilization
of his majority, as he can always
play f4 later on, albeit at the cost
of a tempo.
An important consequence of
safeguarding the e-pawn with 13 is
that Black obtains the possibility
of utilizing the e5 square (9).
I)
The occupation of e5 now
becomes central to Black's plans,
whether it be to commence a
build-up on the kingside or to
seek simplification. For example, if
White has carried out the thematic
manoeuvre tDgl-f3 -d2-c4 Black
can exchange knights by . . . tDd7-
e5xc4. Consequently, when White
plays 13 he often opts for a piece
set-up aimed at avoiding such
simplification, e.g. tDgl -e2-g3
and i.f1 -e2, or tDg I-f3-d2 and
The Classical Centre
..tfl-e2. In such cases Black must
be careful not to occupy e5
without taking precautions as
otherwise he may be chased away
by f4 allowing White to revert
profitably to a central break­
through pl an . Thus Black must
preface occupation of e5 with
prophylactic measures of which
there are two types:
( 1 ) Protecting the position of the
piece that occupies e5 by playing
. . . g5 ( 1 0).
10
Now if White wishes to drive
off the knight on e5 he will have
to weaken his own king position
by playing g3. Note that the
advance . . . g5 weakens the f5
square and thus is not to be rec­
ommended if White is in a position
to exploit this weakness.
(2) Playing . . . f5 before occupy­
ing the e5 square (11 ).
This advance signals the start
of active kingside operations by
Black whilst at the same time
9
The Classical Centre
Jl
securing e5 for occupation by
eliminating the possibility of f4,
which can be achieved either by
. . . fxe4 ( 1 2),
I:!
or by . . . f4 (J 3 ), and Black has
achieved his aim in both cases.
13
10
Again i t must b e noted that the
advance . . . f5 also has its own
positional drawback in that it
weakens e6. Thus Black must be
careful to make sure that the
opponent is not in a position to
exploit this weakness.
The advance 92-g4
As White is scarcely able to escape
unscathed from a spatial disad­
vantage such as that shown in
diagram 1 3, when he plays f3 he
sometimes fights for space with
g2-g4 ( 1 4).
14
Although the main aim of this
advance is to avoid being squeezed
on the kingside it can also lead to
the opening of lines of attack if
Black insists on playing . . . f5.
The positi o n a l sacrifice of
the e-pawn
From the preceding examples it is
clear that the occupation of the e5

square is of major importance to
Black whether it be to hold up
White's central play or to launch
a kingside offensive. It follows,
therefore, that it is in White's inter­
est to oblige Black to block e5
with a pawn which would close
both the e-file and the h8-al diag­
onal at a stroke, thus considerably
diminishing Black's dynamic
possibilities. To this end White
occasionally resorts to a positional
sacrifice of his e-pawn which is
normally seen in two forms :
( 1 ) after f4 White continues with
e5 and, after . . . dxe5, pushes on
with f5, thus leaving e5 blocked
by a black pawn (15 ).
15
The clearance of e4, together
with the mobility of the passed d­
pawn and pending opening of the
f-file, infuses White's attack with
considerable vigour in contrast to
the black pieces whose activity is
markedly reduced by the obstruc­
tive presence of the pawn <? n e5.
The Classical Centre
In this type of situation Black
frequently decides to give back the
pawn by . . . e4, but even then the
initiative may well stay in White's
hands.
(2) White plays e5 without f4 in
order, after . . . dxe5, to drive a
troublesome thorn into Black's
flesh with the advance d6 ( 1 6).
16
Here White is banking on using
the freeing of the e4 and d5 squares
plus the control of c7 and e7 to
force Black into a cramped and
defensive position.
The p i n on Black's KN
White's attacking chances on the
kingside become more promising
if Black can be persuaded by some
means or other to weaken his
kingside pawn structure. With this
in mind White sometimes decides
to pin Black's KN (17 ) .
It is quite normal in this type of
position for Black to rid himself
of the annoying pin by playing . . .
11
The Classical Centre
17
h6 and . . . gS. However, once the
bishop has retreated to g3 its
action on the h2-b8 diagonal can
also be troublesome, especially in
view of the possibility of increasing
the pressure on d6 by playing ltJf3-
d2-c4. It behoves Black, therefore,
to complete his unpinning
manoeuvre by preparing to elim­
inate the enemy bishop with . . .
l2Jf6-hS before White has time to
play l2Jf3-d2 ( 1 8 ) .
18
Here, however, White can gain
the advantage by playing .i. bS +
after which Black, in order not to
12
lose his d-pawn, i s obliged to move
his king and lose his castling rights
(19 ).
1(j
In such positions, White fre­
quently has recourse to the pos­
itional sacrifice eS in order to
exploit to the utmost Black's king­
side weaknesses on the white
squares, e.g., e5 l2Jxg3, fxg3 dxe5,
l2Jd2 etc.
The prophylactic . .. a7-a6
Black can avoid all the foregoing
complications by interposing the
prophylactic . . . a6 after the initial
advance . . . h6 ( 20).
]()
 The Classical Centre

This advance threatens to The fight for the initiative is so

mobilize the queenside pawn maj­ important that Black may decide
ority and if White wants to prevent to occupy d4 even at the cost
the subsequent 000 b5 he must play of compromising his own pawn
a4 in which case Black has gained structure (22)0
the time to complete his unpinning
11
manoeuvre (000 g5 followed by 000
It:Jf6-h5xg3) whilst avoiding the
awkward check on b50
The ope n i n g of the c-fi le

Whereas White can open lines in

the centre and on the kingside
relatively easily the same is not
true for Black on the queensideo
Given Black's technical difficulties
in activating his rooks on the
Evidently, Black is only likely
queenside he sometimes resorts to
to implement this idea when he is
an artificial method of opening a confident of obtaining meaningful
file either by means of the sacrifice pressure along the c-fileo
or pseudo-sacrifice of his c-pawn,
as already mentioned, or by imple­
The advance a2-a4 (-as)
menting the strategic idea of occu­
pying d40 White will naturally do Black's queenside expansion is
his best to oppose such occupation based on the advance 000 b5, which
and keep d4 under control, a task is normally prepared by 000 a60
normally performed by the devel­ White almost always opposes this
opment of the QB to e3 (21)0 play by playing a4 (23)0

21 23

13
The Classical Centre

If White has played the KN 25

to c4 this advance also has the
important effect of safeguarding
the knight's position. The reader
will recall that the presence of this
knight on c4 is useful not only for
pressurizing Black's d-pawn but
also for supporting the central e5
breakthrough.
After a4 Black is generally
unable to play . . . bS since that
square is also normally controlled
by White's QN. He must therefore
support the b-pawn's advance
with a piece and this can be
achieved either by placing the QR
on b8 and the Q B on d7, or
manoeuvring a knight to c7. How­
ever, White can further oppose
Black's plans by playing as (24 ).
24
a6 and b2, plus the half-open a­
and b-files enriches the position
with new strategic elements.
Speaking generally, we may say
that this queenside situation is
favourable for Black, but it must
not be forgotten that the main aim
of the moves a4 and as is simply
to slow down Black's counterplay
in order to gain the precious time
necessary to effect a central
breakthrough.
When White has played an early
a4 and Black decides that he wants
to go for . . . bS even at the cost of
a tempo he may first play . . . b6
before . . . a6 in order to prevent
the restraining as ( 26).

26

After this advance Black has the

possibility of effecting the thematic
manoeuvre . . . tLlc7-bS-d4 or,
thanks to the tLld7, of playing . . .
bS anyway. After White captures
en passant we obtain the following
pawn structure (25).
The appearance of weak pawns on
14

Only at the price of moving his
b-pawn twice can Black guarantee
getting it to b5.
The move . . . b6 also contains
the possibility of serving as a fian­
chetto for Black, which he may
use to reduce the pressure Qn his
d-pawn by exchanging White's
knight on c4 by the manoeuvre . . .
.i.c8-a6xc4. This may s,ometimes
lead to the white-squared bishops
being exchanged on the a6-fl
diagonal (27).
If White has already played a4
he can answer . . . olta6 with ltJ b5,
thus discouraging simplification
since the exchange . . . .i.xb5, axb5
is normally very favourable to
White on account of the back­
ward, fixed weakness on a 7 and
the pressure on the a-file. It should
be noted, however, that there are
exceptions to this assessment
which arise when Black has a
knight on c7 in which case after
. . . .i.a6, ltJb5 he may capture with
' " .i.xb5 and after axb5 play . . .
The Classical Centre
a6. At this point if White takes on
a6 Black can expand normally
on the queenside with . . . b5 and
recapture the a-pawn later on.
Th e b2-b4 counter
Another way to meet Black's
queenside expansion is to counter
. . . b5 with b4 (28) .
:?Ii
This idea can also be carried
out in the absence of the a-pawns
which may have been exchanged
following the moves . . . a6 and a4.
White will generally support the
advance of the b-pawn with his
QR (in order to remove it from
the long dagonal) or perhaps the
queen (ifd2). The aim is to press­
urize Black's pawns on b5 and c5
and oblige him either to capture
on b4 or play . . . c4 (29).
This blockading manoeuvre is
most effective when White's KN
is still on f3 from where, after . . .
c4, it can go to d4 and observe c6.
It is worth noting, however, that
15
The Classical Centre

29 which case the idea is not to con­

tain the opponent's initiative but
rather to take control on the
queenside (3/ ) .

31

even if White's knight has gone to

c4 it can still reach c6 via a5.
We also observe, in passing, that
here Black can evidently no longer
make use of c5.
Should Black exchange by . . .
cxb4 then here too White can turn
the tables on the queenside (30 J.
30
In such positions White has
excellent chances of over-running
the opponent on the queenside
since the inevitable exchange of
the pawns on b4 and c5 is funda­
mentally very much in his favour.
Let us see a further example of
this type of plan (32).

32

White exerts strong pressure on

b5 and the ttJf3 can go to d4. If
this knight manages to establish
itself on c6 it could stifle any
counterplay along the c-file. The When . . . b6 has been played,
b4 advance may also be effected the tension between the pawns on
before Black has played . . . b5 in b4 and c5 is favourable to White

16

since Black dare not capture on
b4 on pain of ceding d4 (and
thereby c6) whereas White may
either capture on c5 when he
pleases or push to b5, occupy c4
with a knight, and then open the
a-file and weaken b6 by as.
Faced with the kind of strategic
suffocation illustrated in the last
two examples it is quite clear that
Black must develop counterplay
on the kingside at almost any
price.
The advance . . . 96-95
Just as White can try to nip Black's
queenside play in the bud as in
the previous examples, so Black
can take similar measures against
White's ambitions in the centre.
As we have already seen with
regard to occupying e5, one means
of impeding f4 is to play . . . g5
(33 ).
33
It will be recalled that in situ-
ations of this type Black must
The Classical Centre
constantly bear in mind the possi­
bility of the opponent exploiting
the weakness of f5. On the other
hand if White insists on playing
f4 regardless then both structures
will be weakened after the disap­
pearance of the pawns on f4 and
g5 and consequently both king's
posItions will become more
exposed (the kings invariably
castle short) (34).
34
In such positions of mutual
weakness everything depends on
whose pieces are the more active
and effective.
The . . . f7-f5 counter
Waiting until f4 has been played
and then countering with . . . f5
is another method of challenging
White's central pawn advance,
thereby breaking up the enemy
centre (35 ).
To effect this plan it is essential
for Black to have control of e5 in
17
The Classical Centre
35
order to prevent White simply
advancing.
The aim of the . . . f5 counter is
to exchange the pawns on f5 and
e4 and thus simultaneously
weaken d5 and increase the possi­
bilities for the major pieces on the
e- and f-files (36).
36
White's pawn structure has been
weakened and Black can use the
e-file to penetrate enemy territory.
It must be remembered, however,
that the advance . . . f5 weakens e6
and Black must always be on
guard against the adversary mak­
ing capital out of this weakness.
18
The defensive . . . f7-f6
We have seen above that in play­
ing either . . . g5 or . . . fS Black does
not limit himself just to containing
the enemy centre, but also actively
seeks counterplay on the kingside.
By contrast, the defensive . . . f6
constitutes a pure holding strategy
(37 )"
37
Here Black must seize the
initiative on the queenside at any
price in order not to get trapped
in the cul-de-sac of passive defence.
Although the e6 square is also
weakened, in this type of set-up it
is not so easy for White to take
advantage of it since the pawn on
f6 denies a white knight access to
gS.
Pressure a g a i nst d 5
Another way of containing the
advance e4-eS is to exert strong
pressure against White's d-pawn
( 38).
 The C lassical Centre

38
immediately regained by means of
a fork. In order to carry out this
pseudo-sacrifice there must be a
black knight on f6 and White must
have sufficient control of e5 to be
able to follow up with the fork
(39 J.

39

Black's pieces are effectively

placed and White is not able to
push on with e5 as that would
cost the d-pawn. In such positions,
however, Black must always be
alert to the possibility of a pos­
itional sacrifice of the e-pawn fol­
lowed by the thrust d6.
Here White cannot simply play
e5 since he would lose the d-pawn
2 Tact i ca l ideas
after . . . dxe5. He can however play
This type of centre contains many i.xd6 ..wxd6, e5 forking queen and
thematic and recurring tactical knight (40 J.
ideas which can crop up in various
positions and different lines. In 4()
fact, this classical centre highlights
the tactical and dynamic aspects
of the game to such an extent that
the result is frequently decided
by combinative motifs. We will
examine those tactical ideas which
occur most frequently in practice.

The pseudo-sacrifice on d 6

One recurring theme, generally Generally speaking, White

favourable to White, is the tem­ regains the piece with advantage
porary sacrifice of a piece on d6 since the clearing of e4 and cre-

19
The Classical Centre

ation of a passed pawn on dS 4]

usually work in his favour. Nat­
urally, this theme can also arise in
different forms, e.g. the sacrifice
on d6 may be made by a knight
on c4 and the fork eS may be
supported by a rook on e l .

The skewer o n the h2-b8

d i agonal

Black often places his Q R on b8

to support the advance . . . bS.
In some circumstances White can
exploit the position of this rook
with a tactical idea based on luring
the black queen to eS (41).
41
Ope n i ng the h 1 -a8 d i agonal
Another fairly common tactical
motif arises when White has a
bishop placed on [3 and Black's
b-pawn is unprotected, elements
which generally occur after Black
has carried out the simplifying
manoeuvre . . . .tc8-g4xf3 (43).

43

At first sight it seems that Black

has eS under control but in fact
White can break through with e5
since . . . dxe5, fxeS 'W'xe5 would
allow the skewer .tf4 (42 J.
This theme is sometimes seen
even when Black can capture on
e5 with a knight as he may find it
rather difficult to extricate himself
from the pin after .tf4 without
incurring damage.
White can play e5 and regain
the pawn by opening the long
diagonal after, for example, . . .
dxe5, d6 'tWe6, �e l .!2Jbd7, .ltxb7
(44 J.
Black's queenside pawns have
been shattered and the eS pawn is

20
 The Classical Centre

44
whilst the alternative .i.xb5
would be met by . . . t2Jxe4, t2Jxe4
'ilfaS + (46 ),

46

under fire. Moreover, with the d6

thrust White has obtained all the
advantages of the positional sacri­
fice of the e-pawn mentioned
above at no material cost.
recovering the piece, since the
parry t2Jc3 is answered by . . .
The pseudo-sacrifice . . . b7-
..Itxc3 + followed by . . , 'ilfxbS.
b5

Black can sometimes utilize tacti­ The a7-g1 d iagonal

cal means to speed through the
thematic . . , b5 thrust especially
in variations where White delays
castling (45 ) .
45
Black often uses the a7-g 1 diag­
onal to set up various types of
combination many of which are
based on threatening to get a
knight to f2 (47 ).
The diagram gives a skeleton
example designed to show the

Here Black can play . . . bS, after

which the capture tiJxbS would
leave the e-pawn unprotected,

21
The Classical Centre

dangers associated with a rapid 49

opening of the a 7 -g 1 diagonal.
Black makes the forcing sacrifice
. . . c4 and after ..txc4 there follows
. . . 'iWb6 + , � h l tZlg4 (48).
48

as otherwise it could cost him the

d-pawn.
This theme, in conjunction with
the preceding one, can produce
quite sophisticated combinations
Faced with both the classic (50).
smothered mate in four ( . . . tZlf2 + ,
�gl tZlh3 + , � h l 'iWg l + !, lhgl 50
tZl12) and the fork on 12, White is
in trouble.
Sometimes Black can get his
KB to the a7-g1 diagonal and this
introduces various combinative
pinning possibilities as we will see
later on.

P ressure on the e-file

One very basic tactical theme is
the pinning of White's e-pawn,
which can render the d-pawn
insufficiently protected (49 ).
Whenever Black is exerting
pressure with the heavy pieces
along the c-file, White must pay
particular attention not to leave
any pieces unprotected or in­
sufficiently protected on this file
White's pieces are very naturally
placed, but nevertheless Black can
make a combination involving a
double sacrifice: . . . tZlfxd5!, tZlxd5
tZlxd5, exd5 l:I.xe3!, 'ilVxe3, and
Black finishes off by winning the
queen with the pin . . . ..td4 (5 1 ).
Such unpleasant surprises can
be avoided by taking simple pre­
cautionary measures. Here, for

22
 The Classical Centre

51 System (7 f3, see Game 5) and the

Penrose Variation (7 .td3, see
Game 6).
The text move does not necess­
arily mean that White will leave
his f-pawn untouched as he will
be able to decide later on, after
the thematic retreat l2lf3-d2,
whether to play f3 or f4.
7 .tg7

example, if White's king were on

8 .t e2
hI or his KB on e2 Black would The bishop is usually developed
not have been able to carry out on this square because after 8
his combination. .td3 White would be more
exposed both to the pin . . . .tg4
3 I l l ustrat ive G a mes and sudden . . . c4 advances.
Game 1 In addition to the text move
Portisch-Nunn White could transpose into the
London 1 982 Queen Check Variation by 8
Main Variation 'l!Va4 + (see the note to Black's 7th
move in Game 2) or the Uhlmann
1 d4 l2lf6
System by 8 .tg5. In this latter
2 c4 c5
case Black must be careful how he
3 d5 e6
goes about unpinning his KN and
4 l2l c3 exd5
exchanging the enemy QB. For
5 cxd5 d6
example, 8 . . . h6 9 .th4 a6!
6 e4 g6
(threatening . . . b5) 10 a4 g5 1 1
7 l2lf3
.tg3 l2lh5 (this move is played
The most important alternative before White has time to prevent
at this point is 7 f4, after which it by l2lf3-d2) 1 2 .te2 0-0 1 3
White may choose between the l2ld2 l2lxg3 1 4 hxg3 l2ld7 with
Mikenas Variation (see the note approximately balanced chances.
to White's 8th move in Game 3), Should Black forget to interpose
the Standard Four Pawns Vari­ the important prophylactic ninth
ation (see Game 3), or the Bishop move, however, he will be plunged
Check Variation (see Game 4). into much sharper variations fol­
Other possibilities are the Siimisch lowing 9 . g5 10 .tg3 tLlh5 (not
. .

23
The Classical Centre
1 0 . . . O-O? 1 1 ttJd2 and Black can
no longer exchange off White's
bishop) 1 1 �b5 + �f8 ( 1 1 . . .
.id7 1 2 �xd7 + 'ii x d7 fails on
account of 1 3 ttJe5! with clear
advantage to White) 1 2 e5!? ttJxg3
1 3 fxg3 and now Black must
defend himself with great pre­
cision, e.g. 1 3 ' " a6 (after 1 3 . . .
dxe5 1 4 0-0 followed by ttJd2
White has a clear positional super­
iority in return for the pawn) 1 4
.id3 c4 1 5 .ixc4 b5 1 6 �b3
'ii b 6 17 'iie2 g4!? 18 ttJh4 .ixe5
19 n fl >t>e8 with a double-edged
position.
8 0-0
9 0-0
Here too it is possible to trans­
pose into the Uhlmann System by
9 �g5.
9 n e8
Alternatively, Black may begin
the development of his queenside,
the most important possibility
being 9 . . . a6 1 0 a4 .ig4, for
which see Game 2. Another play­
able variation is 9 ttJa6 10
' "
ttJd2 ttJc7 1 1 a4 b6 whereby Black
attempts to save the tempo . . . n e8
in comparison with the present
game.
The text move implements one
of the basic themes of the Modern
Benoni : pressure against the pawn
on e4.
24
10 ttJd2 (52)
52
B
10 'ii c2 would expose the queen
to attack by . . . ttJb8-a6-b4, e.g.
1 0 ' " ttJa6 1 1 �f4 ttJb4 1 2 '!!Vb l
ttJh5 1 3 .i.g5 f6 1 4 .ie3 f5 1 5 a3
fxe4 and Black has nothing much
to worry about.
The knight retreat protects the
e-pawn, prepares the transfer to
c4, and frees the way for the f­
pawn.
At this point Black must decide
how to mobilize his queenside
forces. Basically, he has two plans :
. . . ttJ b8-a6-c7 followed by . . . b7-
b6 (as we will see in the game), or
. . . ttJ bd7-e5 - unless of course
White transposes to the Standard
Four Pawns by f4 - followed by
. . . g6-g5. Here is an example of
this last line: 10 . . . ttJ bd7 ( 1 0 . . .
a6 1 1 a4 ttJbd7 is much the same)
1 1 a4 (for 1 1 f4 see Game 3) 1 1 . . .
ttJe5 1 2 'iic2 ( 1 2 f4? is bad on
account of 1 2 . . . ttJeg4 and Black
obtains the advantage after either

1 3 ttJ c4 ttJxe4 1 4 i/.xg4 .1(.xg4 1 5
Yixg4 ..td4 + o r 1 3 J::!: f3 ttJh5 1 4
'!We I f5 1 5 h3 ..td4 + 1 6 �hl
ttJgf6 17 exf5 ..txf5) 1 2 . . . g5 1 3
J::!: a3 a6 1 4 ttJd 1 ttJg6 1 5 ttJe3 ttJf4
1 6 �d 1 b6 1 7 f3 J::!: b8 1 8 g3 ttJh3 +
1 9 � hi b5, with a position rich
in possibilities for both players.
10 ttJa6
II f3
For 1 1 f4 see the note to White's
tenth move in Game 3.
II ttJc7
12 a4 b6 (53 )
53
w
It goes without saying that
when White plays f3 in place of
f4 he has fewer possibilities of
breaking through in the centre,
but in compensation his pieces
obtain greater mobility through
being relieved of the task of pro­
tecting e4. This greater activity
may manifest itself in various
The Classical Centre
ways: in pressure against d6 by
ttJc4 and .1(.f4, in restricting the
opponent by ttJc4, ..tg5 and 'ilt'd2,
or in a queenside demonstration
by J::!: b l and b4.
F or his part, Black will try to
expand either on the queenside by
. . . a6 and . . . b5 or on the kingside
with . . . f5. White sometimes plays
the double-edged advance g2-g4,
simultaneously discouraging and
challenging Black to advance his
f-pawn. Here, then, we have a
very rich position open to various
interpretations by both players.
13 �hl
White may also continue more
energetically with 1 3 ttJc4, e.g. 1 3
. . . ..ta6 1 4 ..tg5 h6 1 5 .1(.e3
..txc4 1 6 .txc4 a6 1 7 'ilfd2 'it>h7
18 n ab l 'iWd7 19 b4 b5 20 ..te2
c4 2 1 J::!: be 1 with quite a promising
position.
13 J::!: b8
14 ttJc4 .1t.. a6
Black is ready to meet .tf4 by
.1t.. xc4.
15 .1t..g 5 'iWd7
This brings extra control to b5
and prepares . . . .1t.. xc4 followed
by . . . a6 and . . . b5. The immediate
attempt to mobilize the pawn maj­
ority by 1 5 . . . .txc4 1 6 ..txc4 a6
would be frustrated by 1 7 'iWd3
�c8 18 ..tf4 .tfS 19 J::!: a b l , and
25
The Classical Centre
after b4 White would have the
preferable game.
16 b3
A strategic choice whereby
White dampens Black's queenside
play by giving himself the possi­
bility of recapturing on c4 with
a pawn, which would definitively
rule out enemy expansion.
Another option was 1 6 n b 1 ..Itxc4
1 7 .i.xc4 a6 1 8 b4 b5 1 9 �d3 c4
20 .i.c2 bxa4! 21 ..txa4 lLlb5 with
equal chances.
16 lLlh5
Recognizing that his queenside
play has been stymied, Black
changes strategy radically and
frees the path for his f-pawn in
preparation for counterplay on the
kingside. The discovered attack
on White's QN gains Black an
important tempo.
17 nel
1 7 � d 2 would have led t o a
very complicated position after 1 7
. . . .i.xc3!? 1 8 'it' xc3 lLlxd5.
17 f6
Black takes advantage of the
opportunity to chase away the
enemy bishop.
18 .i.e3 f5
A fairly typical position : Black
threatens to gain control of e5 and
26
obtain a dangerous initiative on
the kingside by . . . f4.
19 g4
A thematic attempt to wrest
the initiative on the kingside by
opening up the f-file which White
hopes to be the first to exploit. To
realize the classic plan of a central
breakthrough White would have
to be prepared to sacrifice a pawn,
e.g. 19 f4 �xc4 20 bxc4 lLlf6 2 1
e 5 dxe5, with a very complicated
and unclear position where the
dynamism of the passed d-pawn,
plus the possibility of opening up
the h2-b8 diagonal by fxe5, pro­
vides a lot of compensation.
19 .i.xe4
1 9 . . . f4? would cost Black a
pawn after the simple retreat 20
�d2.
20 bxe4 fxg4
21 fxg4 lLlf6
Note that if Black had not
driven away White's Q B o n the
1 7th move his knight would now
be trapped.
22 .i.f3
White has successfully fought
for space on the kingside and
stopped Black's queenside play,
but these gains have been made at
the cost of a considerable weaken­
ing of his pawn structure since a4,
 The C lassical Centre

c4 and e4 are all weak to varying 54

degrees. Black has obtained con­
W
trol of eS and has the sounder
pawn structure.
22 iie7

Putting pressure on e4 and free­

ing d7 for the manoeuvre . . . ltJf6-
d7-eS.
23 .tg5! h6
24 .th4! g5 easily show the knights off to
25 .tel advantage; for example if now 29
lZJg3 .txg3! and the knights will
Concluding a very important prove more effective than the bish­
bishop manoeuvre aimed at weak­ ops. Nor can White clear the way
ening fS. for his knight by first playing 29
25 .lU8 .tg3, because after 29 . . . .tf4! 30
26 .tg2 ltJd7 .txf4?! gxf4! the knight would still
27 l:!xfS +? be denied access to g3 and Black's
position is obviously advanta­
With this exchange White geous. Equally 29 i.c3 .tf4!
begins a plan which cannot, in fact, would be to no avail. These vari­
be completed, namely to occupy f5 ations demonstrate exactly why
with his knight by ltJc3-e2-g3-fS. White's 27th move was mistaken.
The f5 weakness should have been
29 iid3 ltJe8
exploited immediately by 27 1:tr5!
after which 27 . , . l:1xfS 28 exfS Bringing the QN back into play.
would have produced a position
30 .td2 iig7
where any result would be poss­
31 l:1fl l:1xfl +
ible.
32 .txfl 'lJif7
After the text move White will
33 '>t>g2?
no longer be able to rid himself of
the weakness on e4. In trying to prevent the black
queen getting to f2 White makes
27 l:1xfS
a mistake which costs a pawn
28 ltJe2 .te5! (54)
since now the .tn can no longer
The position has something of protect the e-pawn from g2. It was
a blocked character, which can better to play 33 .tg2 allowing

27
The Classical Centre

33 . . . 'Wf2 with a slight advantage 38 tLle5

to Black. 39 ..te2 �f7
40 i.f3
33 tLlef6
White's last real hope of making
Not 33 . . . ..txh2? 34 'Wh3! sim-
a draw lies in exchanging his bad
ultaneously threatening the
bishop.
bishop and the h-pawn.
40 lllf6
34 h3 'Wg6
41 ..te2 lllg6
Sealing the fate of the e-pawn 42 .in
since 35 �D? .ia I! would be
After 42 �f3? lllh4 + 43 .to>f2
disastrous.
llle4 + 44 .to>e3 (44 .to>gl wf6
35 tLlc3 ii.xc3 permits the entry of the black king
36 .ixc3 'W xe4 + via e5) 44 . . . lllg2 + 45 wxe4
37 'W xe4 lll xe4 lllxe 1 and the good knight versus
38 ..tel (55) bad bishop ending is won for
Black.
55
42 h5!
B
The correct strategy as it
favours the knights to reduce the
pawns to one wing only.
43 gxh5

White would be reduced to

zugzwang after 43 .to>g3? hxg4 44
hxg4 llle 5 45 ..te2 llle4 + 46 .to>g2
�f6 47 ..tD lllxD 48 �xD �f5
On 38 ..tb2? there would follow 49 �e3 a5!
38 . . . llle 5 and the threat of . . . llld2
43 lll xh5
would oblige White to capture on
e5 giving Black an easily won 44 �f3 llle5 +
45 >t>e4 >t>g6
ending.
46 ..te2 tLlf6 +
An instructive endgame where
47 >t>e3 ..t;>f5
the bishop pair appears
48 ..tc3 a6
insufficient to offset the pawn
49 ..tel?!
minus; Black has excellent win­
ning chances. Allowing Black to liquidate the
28
 The Classical Centre

kingside pawns. The best chance Delaying the advance . . . c5 for

was to prevent the . . . g4 advance a move can be useful in limiting the
by 49 .i. b2, after which Black opponent's choice of variations.
would have had to play . . . lLle8- This order of moves, in fact, allows
c7 with . . . b5 to follow. Black to avoid facing the aggress­
49 g4! ive lines involving f4 and also gives
50 hxg4+ Black the choice of playing, say,
the Nimzo-Indian after 3 lLlc3 and
After 50 h4 the pawn would be the Benoni after 3 lLlf3.
very weak. 3 lLlf3 c5
50 lLlfxg4 + 4 d5 exd5
5 cxd5 d6
Now the knights trample every-
6 lLlc3 g6
thing in their path.
7 .i.f4
51 'ito>d2 we4
White postpones declaring his
52 'ito>c3 'ito>e3
central structure. After the text
53 .i.dl lLlf3
move, as also after both 7 .i.g5
54 .llI..g3
or 7 lLld2, White may continue
White would also be lost after either with e4 (which will result
54 .i.xf3 'ito>xf3 55 .llI.. h4 'ito>e2 56 in a simple transposition to the
.id8 lLlf2 57 .ixb6 lLle4 + 58 classical Centre) or with e3
'ito>c2 we3 59 .i.a5 'ito>d4 60 'ito> b3 establishing the Restricted Centre
'ito>d3 followed by . . . lLld2 + . (for which see Chapter 3).
It may be observed that when
54 lLlf2
White plays .i.f4 combined with
55 .i.c2 lLlg5
e4 he has two basic plans in mind :
56 'ito>b2 lLlge4
to try to exploit the weakness of
57 .ih4 'ito>d4
d6 and to effect a rapid central
58 .i.b3 lLld3+
breakthrough with e5.
59 'ito>a3 lLle5
0-1 7 a6
Game 2
By this means Black avoids the
Portisch-Kasparov
Queen Check Variation although
Moscow 1 981
the delay in castling leaves Black
Main Variation
somewhat more vulnerable to a
1 d4 lLlf6 quick e5 break. The standard 7 . . .
2 c4 e6 .i.g7, on the other hand, enables

29
The Classical Centre
White to try and exploit the weak­
ness of d6: 8 'it'a4 + �d7 9 'it'b3
tlc7 (for the dynamic continuation
9 . . b5!?, whereby Black offers his
. e5 tle7 1 2 exf6 with a marked
d-pawn, see the note to White's
7th move in Game 9) 1 0 e4 (it is
worth noting that this position
can also be reached by the move
order 1 d4 ltJf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4
ltJc3 exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 e4 g6 7 ltJf3
�g7 8 tla4 + .ltd7 9 tlb3 tlc7
1 0 �f4) 1 0 . . . 0-0 1 1 ltJd2 ltJh5
1 2 �e3 f5 (12 . . . �d4!? is worth
attention) 1 3 exf5 gxf5 1 4 �e2
�e8 1 5 0-0 ltJd7 with a slight pull
for White.
8 a4
White has an interesting altern­
ative in 8 e4!? b5 (on 8 . . . �g7
White can transpose to a favour­
able version of the Queen Check
Variation by 9 tla4 + .ltd7 1 0
'it'b3, and in comparison with the
preceding note Black has played
the passive . . . a6 in place of . . .
0-0 which can lead to difficulties,
e.g. 1 0 . . . b5?! - White is also
better after 1 0 ... tI c7 1 1 e5! or
1 0 . . . 'it'e7 1 1 �e2! - 1 1 .i.xd6
b4 1 2 ltJd 1 ! ltJxe4 1 3 'it'e3 .i.f5 1 4
..Itxc5 tlxd5 1 5 n c l with clear
advantage to White) 9 'it'e2 threat­
ening to rupture the centre with a
thematic pseudo-sacrifice on d6,
e.g. 9 . . . .i.g7? 1 0 �xd6! 'it' xd6
1 1 e5 tle7 1 2 d6 tle6 1 3 ltJg5 'it'g4
1 4 f3! 'lixg5 1 5 exf6 + �f8 1 6
30
'lie7 + �g8 1 7 tle8 + �f8 1 8
'lixc8 with a decisive advantage,
or 9 . . . 'lie7? 1 0 .i.xd6! 'it'xd6 1 1
advantage to White. Nor would 9
. . ltJbd7? 1 0 e5 be any great
.
improvement.
Black does better to answer 9
'lie2 with 9 . . . �e7 (9 . . . ltJh5
also comes into consideration), e.g.
10 0-0-0 0-0 1 1 e5!? ttJg4 1 2 ttJe4
dxe5 1 3 ttJxe5 ltJxe5 1 4 .i.xe5 ttJd7
1 5 .i.f4 n e8, with a double-edged
position in a variation which is
clearly open to improvement.
8 .i.g7
9 e4
Establishing the Classical Cen­
tre. For Black, the unique problem
associated with this order of
moves is that he has been deprived
of the possibility of playing lines
with . . . ttJb8-a6 as we examined
in the previous game. White has
not achieved this gratis, however,
as he has been forced to declare
his plans for his QB at an early
stage.
9 .i.g4
After the move . . . a6 it is clear
that this is the only sensible devel­
opment for Black's QB, just as
equally the QN will go to d7.
10 .i.e2 0-0
11 0-0 (56)

56
B
We have transposed to a line
of the Main Variation normally
reached by the move order 1 d4
ttJf6 2 c4 cS 3 dS e6 4 ttJc3 exdS S
cxdS d6 6 e4 g6 7 ttJf3 �g7 8
..te2 0-0 9 0-0 a6 1 0 a4 �g4
1 1 ..\tf4. If we imagine that the
diagrammed position had been
reached by this move order then
it is clear that at this point White
could well choose an alternative
to 1 1 Ji.f4. The main possibility is
1 1 .i.gS, e.g. 1 1 . . . ..txf3 ( 1 1 . . .
ttJbd7 is also possible as is I I . . .
h6 1 2 ..th4 ttJbd7, either in case
waiting for White to move his KN
in order to be able to exchange
the QB for White's K B rather than
the KN) 1 2 . .\txf3 ttJbd7 1 3 "Wd2
n e8 14 as c4 I S n a4 ikc7 1 6
ikf4 and White stands better since
Black is tied not only to the
defence of the ttJf6 but also to the
pawns on d6 and c4.
11 .!:te8
The major alternative here is 1 1
The Classical Centre
. . . ..\txf3 1 2 �xf3 which can lead
to great complications if Black
continues with 1 2 . . . ike7. Let's
take a look : 1 3 eS!? (of course
White can also continue position­
ally with 1 3 n e t , e.g. 1 3 . . . ttJbd7
14 ..\tgS ! h6 I S ..th4 ttJeS 1 6
..\te2 gS 1 7 ..\tg3 ttJfd7 1 8 ikb3!
intending to continue with the
manoeuvre ttJd l -e3-fS) 1 3 . . . dxeS
14 d6 ike6 I S .!:tel ttJbd7 16 ..txb7
where it appears that Black can
defend himself satisfactorily by 1 6
. .. l:t a 7! in a rather difficult pos­
ition to evaluate.
With the text move - or the
analogous 1 1 . . . "iKe7 - Black
encourages the opponent to pro­
tect his e-pawn by ttJf3-d2 so as
to exchange his QB for the enemy
counterpart instead of a knight.
12 ttJd2
White can also play 1 2 "iKc2 in
order to force Black to capture the
KN, e.g. 1 2 . . . "iKc7 1 3 h3 ..txf3 1 4
..\txf3 with approximately equal
chances.
12 ..\txe2
13 "iKxe2
Now White threatens 1 4 ttJc4
with awkward pressure against d6.
13 ttJh5
The usual method of forcing the
enemy QB to abandon the h2-b8
diagonal.
31
The Classical Centre
14 .i.e3 t2Jd7
14 . . . .i.d41? is an interesting
way of seeking further simpli­
fication since if White captures on
d4 the t2Jc3 has no good square to
go to.
15 g4
A thematic advance, in this case
achieved with gain of tempo. A
frequently seen alternative is I S
as.
15 t2Jhf6
16 f3 (5 7 )
White could also have prepared
the advance f4 by playing 1 6 h3
( 1 6 f4 hS 1 7 gS t2Jg4 is good for
Black) e.g. 1 6 . . . hS 1 7 gS t2Jh7
1 8 f4 when White has a more
aggressive but also more exposed
position than that which he
obtains in the present game.
57
B Black soon realizes, however, that
A critical moment. Since Black is
unable to challenge White's pawns
with . . . fS, he normally seeks to
32
develop counterplay on the queen­
side as soon as possible. Let's see
various possibilities : ( 1 ) 1 6 . . . "fJ/Ic7
1 7 as bS 1 8 axb6 t2Jxb6 (Black now
threatens a typical combination,
namely 19 . . . t2JfxdS! 20 exd5 .!:!. xe3
2 1 tfxe3 �d4 winning the queen)
1 9 � h l "fJ/I b7 20 .!:!. a3 (to protect
the knight on its journey to a5 via
b3) 20 . . . t2Jfd7 2 1 t2Jb31 t2JeS 22
t2JaS 'lic8 with chances for both
sides; (2) 1 6 . . , bS 1 7 axbS axbS
1 8 .!:!. xa8 "fJ/Ixa8 19 tfxbS (not 1 9
t2Jxb5? t2Jxd5! 20 exd5 ii.d4 2 1
t2Jc4 iYa6 22 t2Jc7 .!:!. xe3! with
advantage to Black) 19 . . . t2Je5
with a position where it is difficult
to establish the extent of Black's
compensation for the pawn.
16 h6?!
This move indicates that in con­
trast to the preceding examples
Black wishes to hold up White's
kingside play and secure the pos­
ition of the knight on e5 by . . . gS.
queenside activity is vital for his
survival.
17 �hl t2Je5
18 .!:!. gl
If now 1 8 . , . gS?! then White
can choose between an immediate
breakthrough by f4 or the slower,
more positional approach of man­
oeuvring a knight to f5 before
commencing direct action.
 The Classical Centre

18 b5! 22 .l:!. xa8 'i'xa8

23 t2Jxb5 'i'b8
Black has twigged that it is not
24 t2Ja3 'i'xb2
possible merely to restrain White
25 t2Jaxc4 t2Jxc4
by playing . . . g5 and begins his
26 -.wxc4 t2Jh5! (58)
queenside counterplay in the nick
of time. 51'!

19 g5! w

The most energetic continu­

ation. Other lines promise White
little, e.g. 19 f4 t2Jc4 20 t2Jxc4
bxc4 2 1 'iW xc4 .l:!. b8 with sufficient
compensation for the sacrificed
pawn, or 1 9 axb5 axb5 20 t2Jxb5
(not 20 J:t xa8 'ii xa8 21 t2Jxb5 'it'a6
22 t2Jc3 � xe2 23 t2Jxe2 t2Jxf3! 24
Following this virtually forced
t2Jxf3 .l:!. xe4 with advantage to
sequence Black remains a pawn
Black) 20 . . . 'it'b6 and here too
down, but his pieces are very active
Black has satisfactory play for the
and White's king is rather vulner­
pawn.
able.
19 hxg5
27 'it' c6
20 il..xg5 c4
Seeking to increase his material
Now White is faced with the
advantage since the single pawn
difficult choice of whether to con­
plus is not guaranteed to secure
t �nue with the attack on the king­
victory, e.g. 27 -.w b3 �xb3 28 t2Jxb3
side or to win a pawn on the
f5 29 exf5 gxf5 30 il.. h 6 J:t e5 3 1
queenside. He opts for the latter
t2Jd4 <;t>f7 and Black will in fact
but it turns out that Black is able
regain his pawn.
�o. :,h�p up a surprisingly strong
lllittattve. 27 J:t b8

21 axb5 Black is unable to protect his d­

pawn, e.g. 27 . . . 'it'e5 28 t2Jc4 or
2 1 f4 t2Jd3 22 f5 b4 would have
27 . . . � b8 28 J:t b l .
plunged the game into a mael­
strom of complications. 28 'it'xd6

21 axb5 Acknowledging that winning

33
The Classical Centre

the queen by 28 l:t b l 'ii x bl + Simplification by 38 .td4

29 l2lxb l l:t xb l + 30 .t>g2 i.e5 Axd4 39 'ii xd4 + <;t>h7 would not
would not necessarily win the have solved all White's problems,
game. but 38 "iW g2 would have been more
precise. The natural-looking text
28 .te 5
move permits Black to play an
Even though he is now two astonishing drawing combination.
pawns down Black is still not lost
38 ..tc3
thanks to the activity and co­
39 ..td4+ ..txd4
ordination of his pieces.
40 ..wxd4 + <;t>h7
29 'ii d7 ifd4 41 J:t g l
30 'ifg4 .!::!. b2
After 4 1 'itf2? ltJf6! Black's
31 .!::!. d l
initiative would be too dangerous.
Black would meet 3 1 'itxh5 with
41 <;t>g8!
3 1 . . . ifxg l + 32 .t>xgl gxh5, after
which White too would have to Not 41 ' " l2lxf4? 42 iff2 and
be careful. Black would be in trouble. This
31 ifd3 retreat is the key to Black's idea.
32 'ir'c8+ .t>g7
33 ifc4 if a3 42 d6
34 'ife2 'ita4?! White can do nothing to avoid
An inaccuracy in time-trouble. the opponent's next move since 42
It was indeed necessary to avoid .!::!. g2? ltJxf4 43 .!::!. f2 ltJh5 would
34 . . . l2lf4? 35 .txf4 .txf4 36 l2lc4 simply lose a pawn without dimin­
winning, but 34 . . . 'it a2! was a ishing Black's initiative one jot.
better way, c.g. 35 i.e3 ltJf4 36 Now some magic touches the
'ii fl (not 36 ifc4? l hd2 etc.) 36 chessboard.
. . . .!::!. c2 and White is unable to 42 .!::!. xd2!
disentangle himself. 43 ..w xd2 if f3 +
35 .!::!. b l ! .!::!. a2 44 'i!t'g2 ltJg3+ !
36 J.. e3 'itd7! 45 hxg3 'ii h5 +
46 'i!t'h2 'ii f3+
The black queen switches 47 .!::!. g2 "iWdl +
attacking fronts. 48 'ir'g l ifh5 +
37 'i!t'f2 ifh3 49 .!::!. h2 iff3 +
.l .l
38 f4?! 2-2

34

Game 3
Ritov-Ta1
Tallin 1 979
Standard Four Pawns Variation
1 d4 lDf6
2 c4 c5
3 d5 e6
4 lDc3 exd5
5 cxd5 d6
6 e4 g6
7 f4
This move is evidently the most
direct way of mobilizing the pawn
majority, and moreover denies
Black use of e5. White's basic plan
is to force through e4-e5, thus
opening up attacking possibilities
against the opponent's king and
also obtaining a passed pawn on
d5. Whilst the text move energizes
White's kingside majority it has
the drawback of somewhat weak­
ening both the e-pawn and the
king's position.
7 �g7
8 lDf3
The Mikenas Variation, 8 e5, is
not as dangerous as it appears at
first sight, but the defence must be
conducted with a sang-froid that
does not balk at losing the right
to castle. For example, 8 ' " lDfd7
9 lD b5 dxe5 10 lDd6 + 'it;e7 1 1
lDxc8 + 'ifxc8 1 2 lDf3 ( 1 2 d6 +
wf8 1 3 lDf3 e4 1 4 lDg5 h6 1 5
lDxf7 - 1 5 lDxe4 'ilfe8 1 6 'ife2 lDc6
The Classical Centre
is advantageous for Black - 1 5
. . . wxf7 1 6 .i.c4 + �f8 1 7 f5
lDc6 does not seem to give White
sufficient attack for the piece) 1 2
. . . l:t e8 1 3 .ltc4 ( 1 3 fxe5 is an
important alternative, e.g. 1 3 ' "
lDxe5 1 4 �b5 lDbd7 1 5 0-0 wf8
1 6 lDxe5 l:t xeS 1 7 .i.f4 c4! and
now after 1 8 .i.xd7 'ifc5 + 1 9
� h l l:t xd5 20 'ilfg4 f5 Black
emerges with a material advan­
tage, and 1 8 .i.xe5 lDxe5 1 9 <.t>h 1
'ilfc5 20 .i.a4 l:t d8 is also good for
Black, whilst 1 8 'ifd4 l:t f5 1 9 'ilfxc4
lDb6 is approximately equal) 1 3 . . .
<.t>f8 1 4 0-0 e4 1 5 lDg5 lDb6 1 6
�b5 J:t d8 1 7 lDxh7+ <;tg8 1 8
lDg5 c4! and Black's position is
preferable.
The most important alternative
to the text move is the Bishop
Check Variation, 8 .i. b5 + , for
which see Game 4.
8 0-0
9 .i.e2
It is worth noting that in this
variation White develops his
pieces in the same way as in the
Main Variation, the only differ­
ence being that here he has played
f4 whereas there White usually
plays f3. It should also be observed
that this position is frequently
reached by a transposition of
moves from the Four Pawns Vari­
ation of the King's Indian
Defence : 1 d4 lDf6 2 c4 g6 3 lDc3
35
The Classical Centre
�g7 4 e4 d6 S f4 0-0 6 �e2 cS 7
d5 e6 8 lDf3 exd5 9 cxd5.
9 ne8
Black can use the tactical fea­
tures of the position to play 9
. . . b5 as the pawn cannot be
advantageously captured because
of 1 0 lDxb5 lDxe4 or 10 .txb5
lDxe4 1 1 lDxe4 'iWa5 + etc. How­
ever, this continuation must
reckon with the immediate central
breakthrough 10 e5 dxe5 1 1 fxe5
lDg4 12 �gS with a position
which practice has shown to con­
tain considerable difficulties for
Black.
10 lDd2 (59)
10 e5!? dxe5 1 1 fxe5 lDg4 1 2
�gS i s a very complicated possi­
bility, but here, in comparison
with the preceding note, Black has
made the useful move . . . n e8 in
place of . . . bS.
59
B the pawn cannot be captured
This is the basic starting pos­
ition of the Standard Four Pawns
36
Variation which may usefully be
compared with the parallel pos­
ition in the Main Variation (see
diagram S2). Black has three prin­
cipal continuations : 10 . . . lDbd7,
10 . . . tUa6 - both of which, after
1 1 0-0, produce positions which
could also be obtained via trans­
position in the Main Variation ­
and 1 0 . . . c4, which, in contrast,
can only arise from this move
order. The first of these is exam­
ined in the game and here we give
some brief analysis of the other
two :
( 1 ) 1 0 . . . tUa6 1 1 0-0 lDc7 1 2 a4
a6 ( 1 2 . . . b6 followed by . . . �a6
is also possible) 1 3 �f3 n b8 1 4
ltJc4 b 5 I S axb5 axbS 1 6 lDa5
(or 1 6 ltJxd6!? 'ili'xd6 1 7 e5 with
complicated play) 1 6 . . . Ad7 1 7
eS dxe5 1 8 d6 and White has
sufficient dynamic compensation
for the sacrificed pawn.
(2) 1 0 . . , c4 1 1 a4 (if 1 1 �xc4?
tUxe4 with advantage to Black,
whilst if 1 1 0-0 b5! and of course
because of the check on b6) 1 1 . . .
lDbd7 1 2 0-0 ltJc5 1 3 �f3 b6 (this
line has similarities with that in
the present game; Black could also
play 1 3 . . , �h6) 14 e5 dxe5 1 5
fxeS n xe5 1 6 ltJxc4 n fS (compare
this position with that in the fea­
tured game after White's 1 6th
move) 1 7 d6 n b8 1 8 lDbS! �e6
1 9 ltJe3 �b3 20 tUxf5! �xd 1 2 1

lLle7 + Iith8 22 l:t xd l and White
has sufficient compensation for the
queen.
10 lLlbd7
11 0-0
It may be interesting to note
that the actual move order of the
present game was as follows: 1
lLlf3 lLlf6 2 d4 e6 3 c4 c5 4 d5 exd5
5 cxd5 g6 6 lLlc3 iLg7 7 e4 0-0 8
..te2 d6 9 0-0 l:t e8 1 0 lLld2 lLlbd7
1 1 f4.
11 c 4 (60)
6()
It'
A pawn sacrifice quite in the
spirit of the Modern Benoni. After
White has played f4, the weakest
point in his position - and at the
same time the strongest - is the
pawn on e4 : weak, because it can
no longer be protected by the
natural f3, and strong because of
its constant threat to advance. The
text move is designed to prevent
White from simply protecting e4
and developing in such a way
The Classical Centre
as to make the e5 break a real
possibility, and this it achieves by
quickly introducing tactical ele­
ments by freeing cS for the knight
so as to increase the pressure on
e4 before White has completed his
development. The strategic ideal
for Black would be to exchange
his c-pawn for White's e-pawn as
would be the case in the variation
1 2 lLlxc4? lLlxe4 after which Whi­
te's centre is destroyed ( 1 3 lLlxe4
l:t xe4 1 4 lLlxd6?? is unplayable
because of 14 . . . 'lW b6 + ).
12 �hl
The simplistic 12 Af3? is unsat­
isfactory because the opening of
the a7-g 1 diagonal permits Black
the riposte 1 2 . . . b5! In addition,
the attempt to accept the sacrifice
and hang on to the pawn would
allow Black various tactical possi­
bilities, e.g. 1 2 iLxc4?! lLlc5 l 3 'it'f3
iLg4 and now on 14 'lWg3 there
would follow 14 . . . lLlcxe4 1 5
lLlcxe4 lLlxe4 1 6 lLlxe4 (the weak­
ness of White's back rank would
be fatal after 1 6 'lWxg4 'it' b6 + 1 7
..t> h l lLlf2 + 1 8 l:t xf2 'lWxf2) 1 6 . . .
l:t xe4 1 7 Ad3 1V b6 + 1 8 � h l
iLe2 and Black stands better.
12 lLlc5
13 e5
The pawn cannot be defended
by 1 3 'it'c2? because of 1 3 . . . lLlfxe4!
14 lLlcxe4 Af5 1 5 iLf3 'it'e7 1 6
37
The Classical Centre
lle 1 i.xe4 1 7 .txe4 f5 regaining
the piece with advantage. Since it
would be disadvantageous for him
to accept a simple static exchange
of e-pawn for c-pawn White
decides to force a dynamic change
in the pawn structure.
13 dxe5
14 fxe5
On 1 4 lLlxc4 the best continu­
ation appears to be 14 . . . exf4 ( 1 4
. . . e4 has been tried) 1 5 .txf4
lLlce41 with a complicated position
rich in possibilities for both play­
ers.
14 It xeS
15 lLlxc4
Both sides have achieved their
objectives to some extent. White
has obtained a mobile passed
pawn and the half-open f-file while
Black has largely destroyed the
enemy centre and can try to build
an attack against White's king.
15 1::tf5
Immediately seeking to neutral­
ize White's pressure along the f­
file. Black could also play 1 5 . . .
lle8 1 6 .tg5 h6 1 7 iLh4 lLlce4
with chances for both sides.
16 iLf3
It seems that 1 6 .tf4 is well met
by 1 6 . . . g5! (but not 1 6 . . . lLlxd5?
1 7 lLle3 and wins), e.g. 1 7 iLe3
38
lLlce4 18 tLlxe4 tLlxe4 19 iLf3 tLlf6
20 d6 g4 and Black has somewhat
the better of it.
16 tLlg4
Black alertly seizes the tactical
opportunity to open the d8-h4
and h8-a 1 diagonals to create
attacking chances. The immediate
threat is 1 7 . . . lLlxh2 1 8 �xh2
-wh4 + .
17 tLle3
After 1 7 .txg4 l hfl + 1 8 -Wxfl
iLxg4 White would constantly
have to bear in mind the possi­
bility of Black winning the d-pawn
following the capture . , . iLxc3.
With the move played White gets
on with his queenside develop­
ment in order to connect the rooks
as quickly as possible and thereby,
hopefully, regain control of the f­
file should a pair of rooks be
exchanged.
17 tLlxe3
18 i.xe3
It looks as though White has
advantageously enhanced his
development and that the passed
d-pawn is more dangerous than
Black's nebulous attacking pros­
pects.
18 b6 (61 )
With this little move Black har­
monizes the action of all his forces
 The Classical Centre

wxg7 then 2 1 b4 with the idea 2 1

01
. . . inn 2 2 bxc5 i.. a6 2 3 c6 i t is
W
difficult to imagine that Black will
be able to cope with the connected
passed pawns. Still, who knows
what Tal would have come up
with if he had had to face this
move?
19 i.. a6
20 lHd1 iLe5
which up to this point had seemed Signals the beginning of the
somewhat disjointed. Now Black kingside attack.
can develop the QB on a6 from
21 ..td4 'ilih4
where it can collaborate with the
22 AxeS .lheS
tLlc5 to take control of d3 and with
the .lU5 to control fl and thus White is clearly in considerable
potentially the f-file. Of course, it trouble given Black's threats to
would be mistaken now for White double on the e-file and to play . . .
to cede the bishop pair and the tLld3.
dark squares by 1 9 iLxc5? bxc5;
23 g3
nor would 19 d6? do any good on
account of 1 9 . . . i.. a 6! and the This natural-looking move
pin on White's KB gives the black seems to be necessary, but now
QR time to move to c8. the ..tD can no longer blockade
the f-file.
19 'iWc2?
23 'ilif6
White does not realize the
24 iLg2 J:t ae8
danger he is in and makes a
25 'iWd2
natural move freeing d 1 for the
KR in order to reinforce the d­ Seeking to relieve the pressure
pawn and keep d3 under control. through exchanges on the e-file. It
Subsequently, it was found that is interesting that White has never
White's best line here is 1 9 i.d4! been able to find the time to make
intending to answer 1 9 . . . i.a6 something of his passed d-pawn,
with 20 i.. xg7 and now if 20 . . . and here too the advance would
J.. xfl then 2 1 'ili d4 with excellent be useless because of 25 d6 ..td3
attacking chances, and if 20 . . . 26 'lWd2 'ilixd6 27 b4 tLla6 28 .tfl

39
The Classical Centre

(if 28 'ii x d3? n e l + 29 ..tfl �xd3 For a long time it was thought
and wins) 28 'i!r'c6 + 29 i.,g2 that both of the natural replies to
'i!r'c4 etc. this check - 8 . . . i.d7 and 8
. . . tZl bd7 - were unplayable on
25 n f5
account of allowing White to
26 n el n xel +
break through advantageously in
27 n xel tZld3
the centre with 9 e5. Consequently,
28 n e8 + rJ;; g7
the most artificial response - 8
29 <;t>gl
. . . tZlfd7 - was deemed obligatory
Parrying the threatened mate and this originally constituted the
on fl and hoping for the trap 29 raison d'Ctre of the whole vari­
. . , �d4 + 30 'tINe3 'tIN xe3 + 3 1 n xe3 ation. Indeed, as we will see in the
tZlxb2 32 d6 ..tc8 33 ..th3 n c5 game, faced with White's latest
34 d7. However, Black can now refinements Black does not find
decide the game with a simple it easy to develop his queenside
combination exploiting the con­ satisfactorily after playing 8 . . .
vergence of his pieces on f1 . tZlfd7.
Recently, therefore, Black has
29 tZlxb2!
dusted off the 8 . . . tZlbd7 line
30 h3 tZlc4
and White has encountered much
31 'tINel 'i!r'd4 +
greater difficulty than expected in
32 <;t>h2 tZle5
demonstrating an advantage.
33 tZle2 �b2
After 9 e5 dxe5 10 fxe5 tZlh5 1 1 e6
34 tZlgl ..Hl
¥Wh4 + 1 2 g3 tZlxg3 1 3 hxg3 'i!r'xh l
0-1
(on 1 3 . . . ¥Wxg3 + 1 4 <;t>d2
..txc3 + 1 5 bxc3 � g2 + 1 6 tZle2
Game 4
�xd5 + 1 7 �c2 White's extra
Kasparov-N unn
piece plays a more important role
Lucerne O lympiad 1982
than Black's pawns) White has
Bishop Check Variation
tried two possibilities :
I d4 tZlf6 ( 1 ) 1 4 exd7 + il.xd7 1 5 .txd7 +
2 c4 e6 <;t>xd7 1 6 ¥Wg4 + f5 1 7 'lWa4 +
3 tZlc3 c5 <;t>c8 1 8 .te3 .txc3 + 1 9 bxc3
4 d5 exd5 �xd5 20 n d l �c6! with approxi­
5 cxd5 d6 mately balanced chances in a
6 e4 g6 difficult position.
7 f4 ..tg7 (2) 14 i.e3 ..txc3 + IS bxc3
8 ..tbS + 'i!r'e4 1 6 'iWf3 ¥Wxf3 1 7 tZlxf3 fxe6 1 8

40

dxe6 0-0 1 9 exd7 i.xd7 20 i.xd7
l: xf3 with an ending where Black
should be able to maintain the
. balance with precise play.
Only further practical tests will
be able to determine whether this
variation is really playable.
8 lDfd7
The normal reply with which
Black increases his control of e5
and threatens to chase off the
bishop and expand on the queen­
side with gain of tempo by . . . a6
and . . . b5.
9 a4 (62)
B in order to get his queenside pieces
White can also consider allow-
ing Black to realize his ambitions
for queenside expansion in a simi-
lar fashion to analogous lines in
the Penrose Variation (see Game
6), e.g. 9 lDf3 a6 10 i.d3 b5 1 1
0-0 0-0 1 2 w h l J:t e8 1 3 -ic2 { l 3
e5!? dxe5 1 4 f5 is an interesting
thematic sacrifice of the e-pawn
which gives sufficient com pen-
sation) 1 3 . . . c4 (or 1 3 . . . b4 1 4
T h e Classical Centre
lDe2 a5 intending to continue with
. . . .1a6) 14 -ie3 lDf6 15 ..td4
Ag4 ( 1 5 . . . b4? 1 6 lDa4 lDxe4 1 7
lD b6 costs Black material) 1 6 a3
lDbd7 1 7 "lWd2 ..txf3 1 8 J:t xf3 J:t c8
with a position possibly somewhat
in White's favour.
The text move is the most logi­
cal continuation as it contains
Black's queenside counterplay and
keeps his pieces on that wing
bottled up. Generally speaking,
White wants to delay the retreat
of the ..tb5 until Black forces
it by . . . a6 as this impedes the
development of the QN on that
square and obliges Black to lose
a tempo by moving his KN again
out. For example, 9 . . . 0-0 1 0 lDf3
a6 1 1 ..te2 lDf6?! and we have
transposed into a version of the
Four Pawns Variation where
White has gained a tempo since
Black has lost two moves with his
KN whereas the manoeuvre of
the KB has cost White only one
tempo.
In addition to the text continu­
ation, Black has experimented
with various other moves from the
above diagrammed position which
we summarize as follows :
( 1 ) 9 . . . 0-0 1 0 lDf3 a6 1 1 .\te2
J:t e8 1 2 0-0 lDf8 1 3 e5 Jtg4 ( 1 3 . . .
lDbd7 1 4 lDg5 dxe5 1 5 f5 lDf6 1 6
g4! gives White the slightly better
chances) 14 lDg5 i.xe2 1 5 -Wxe2
41
The Classical Centre

dxe5 16 f5 e4! and Black has 9 lLla6

guaranteed his pieces some free­
Given that the most dangerous
dom and should be able to avoid
lines are those in which White
incurring any great disadvantage.
achieves the e5 breakthrough,
(2) 9 ' " "it'h4 + 10 g3 "*Ie7 1 1
lLlf3! 0-0 ( 1 1 " .ixc3 + ? 1 2 bxc3
'
�lack constructs a plan spe­
Cifically designed to counter this
"it'xe4 + 1 3 'it>f2 is good for White)
possibility. The idea behind the
1 2 0-0 lLla6 1 3 e5 (White can also
text move is to bring the QN to
go for an attacking position by 1 3
b4 in order to discourage White's
n e l lLlb4 1 4 e 5 a6 1 5 .i n dxe5
KB from retreating to d3 after
1 6 d6 "it'e8 1 7 fxeS) 1 3 . . . lLlb4 1 4
the subsequent . . . a6 and thereby
lLle4 lLlb6 1 5 lLlxd6 lLl6xdS 1 6 .id2
persuade it to go to e2 where
.ig4 1 7 "*I b3 n ad8 1 8 .tc4 and
it obstructs the pressure which
White's advantage is evident.
White will try to exert along the
(3) 9 . . . a6 1 0 .te2 ( 1 0 .td3 is
e-file by ll e I . With the hindsight
also possible, e.g. 1 0 . . , "it'c7 1 1
of the present game it may be
lLlf3 c4 1 2 .tc2 lLlc5 1 3 0-0 .tg4
observed that this plan is dubious
1 4 .te3 0-0 1 5 .td4 with prob­
as it obliges Black to fatally delay
ably somewhat the better chances
castling.
for White, or here 10 . . . "it'h4 +
1 1 g3 "it'd8 with similar play to the 10 lLlf3 lLlb4
line under consideration) 1 0 . , .
The knight could also go to
"it' h4 + 1 1 g3 'iWd8 ( 1 1 . . . "it'e7?! 1 2
c7 in order to put prophylactic
lLl f3 .txc3 + 1 3 bxc3 "it'xe4 1 4 0-
pressure on dS directed against
o is too dangerous for Black) 1 2
White's central breakthrough. For
lLl f3 0-0 1 3 0-0 II e8 and Black
example, 1 0 . . . 0-0 1 1 0-0 II b8 1 2
prepares the tortuous unravelling
ll e l lLlc7 1 3 .tfl J:t e8 1 4 .lie3
of his queenside, e.g. 14 lI e I lLlfS
.ixc3!? 1 5 bxc3 lLlf6!? ( 1 5 . . .
1 5 .tfl .tg4 16 h3 .txf3 1 7 "it' xf3
ll xe4?! would cost time and
lLlbd7 1 8 .lid2 ll c8 1 9 b3 and
expose Black to a powerful king­
White has an obvious spatial
side attack) 1 6 e5 lLlfxd5 1 7 .tf2
advantage and the better chances.
dxe5 18 fxe5 b6 1 9 .th4 "it'd7 and
It is essential to bear in mind
it is dear that White has promising
that these variations are merely .
attackmg chances in return for his
examples of possible develop­
sacrificed pawn and compromised
ments and are almost certainly
pawn structure.
open to improvement on both
sides. 11 0-0 a6?!

42

In order to implement his plan
consistently Black is obliged to
play this move immediately, since
after 1 1 . . . 0-0 White can prepare
an ideal retreat for the KB on f1
by playing 1 2 n e l ! To develop
this line a bit further, after 1 2 . . .
a6 1 3 Aft n e8 1 4 h3 it is by no
means easy to find a satisfactory
plan of defence for Black, e.g. 1 4
. . . "¥Iic7 1 5 jf b3 f5 1 6 Ad2 ttJf8
1 7 e5 with a pronounced superior­
ity for White, or 14 . . . b6 1 5 .1Le3
Ab7 1 6 Af2 n c8 1 7 jfd2 c4 1 8
e5 dxe5 1 9 ttJe4 and White will
win material. To sum up, the over­
riding impression is that the entire
plan with . . . ttJa6-b4 is dubious.
After the move played it seems
that Black's plan has succeeded
since the KB would not be well
placed on c4 either, e.g. 1 2 .ltc4
0-0 1 3 .lte3 ttJb6! and Black solves
the problem of the development
of his queenside. However, White
finds an unexpected alternative
which introduces a violent attack.
12 Axd7 + ! .ltxd7
13 f5! (63)
This initially strange-looking
method of pursuing the attack
renounces the central e5
breakthrough but opens the c 1 -
h 6 diagonal for the QB and max­
imizes the activity of all the white
pieces. The key to the attack lies
in the fact that Black has not yet
The Classical Centre
63
B
castled and this prevents Black
from thinking in terms of counter­
attack, e.g. 1 3 ' " c4 14 j.g5
"¥Ii b6 + 1 5 � h l ttJd3 1 6 f6 -tf8
1 7 a5! ttJf2 + 1 8 ll xf2 jfxf2 1 9
ttJa4! and White has ample pos­
itional compensation for the
exchange given that 1 9 . . . j.xa4
20 jf xa4 + �d8 2 1 e5! would
be crushing. Nor dare Black risk
breaking up his kingside structure
by 1 3 . . . gxf5, e.g. 1 4 .1Lg5 .ltf6
(after 14 ' " f6?! 1 5 .il.f4 jfc7 1 6
ttJd2! ttJ d 3 1 7 i.xd6! jf xd6 1 8
ttJc4 White regains the piece with
a winning position) 1 5 .1Lf4 0-0 1 6
e5! (but not 1 6 .1Lxd6? .1Lxa4!)
1 6 . . , dxe5 1 7 ttJxe5 and White
dominates the board.
13 0-0
The best and - given the vari­
ations in the preceding note -
perhaps only chance to survive.
14 Ag5 f6
If Black moves the queen White
43
The Classical Centre

plays £6, whilst on 14 . . . .tf6 there Black is now hoping for 1 7 n xa4
comes 1 5 'ifd2! after which the 'iW xd6 1 8 exf5 which would give
exchange of dark-squared bishops him a breathing space to coordi­
seriously weakens Black's position nate his pieces, but a rude surprise
and White's advantage becomes awaits him.
still clearer, e.g. 1 5 . . . .txg5 1 6
17 n xa4 'iWxd6
lLlxg5 f6 (Black i s paralysed after
18 tDh4! (64 )
1 6 . . . h6? 1 7 f6!) 1 7 lLle6 .txe6 1 8
dxe6.
04
15 i/..f4 gxf5?
B
Fearing suffocation Black
resorts to a radical means of pro­
curing a measure of simplification.
The move played undoubtedly
aggravates matters, but it seems
that Black's position is already
seriously compromised and the
alternatives would probably do
little more than postpone the
inevitable. For example: ( 1 ) 1 5 . . . This move starkly highlights the
'ife7 1 6 fxg6 ( 1 6 n e l is a convinc­ weakest point in Black's position,
ing alternative positional namely f5. The arrival of a white
approach) 1 6 . . . hxg6 1 7 lLlh4 knight on that square makes
�h7 1 8 .ltg3! and now on 1 8 . . . defence impossible as it not only
b5?! would come 1 9 't!t' b I! c4 20 creates major threats against the
lLlxg6! � xg6 2 1 .txd6 winning; king but also forces Black to relin­
(2) 1 5 . . . g5 1 6 .txd6 .txa4 1 7 quish his blockade of the d-pawn .
.!:!. xa4 'iWxd6 1 8 e5! fxe5 1 9 lLlxg5
18 fxe4
b5 and now White could obtain a
19 lLlf5 'iWd7
crushing advantage with either 20
.!:!. xb4 lLlxb4 2 1 lLlce4 or 20 .!:!. a3. 19 ' " 'ife5 is hopeless after 20
'ifg4 n f7 (the queen is lost after
16 .ltxd6 .txa4
either 20 . . . 'iWc7 2 1 d6 'ifd7 - or
1 6 . . . .!:!. e8 1 7 .i.xc5 fxe4 1 8 21 . . . 'iWf7 - 22 lLlh6 + ) 2 1 lLlh6 + .
lLld4 lLld3 1 9 lLl xe4 tDxb2 was
20 lLlxe4 �h8
better although White would keep
a marked advantage. In the game, On 20 . . . .!:!. ae8 comes 21 'lWg4

44
 The Classical Centre

wh8 (forced because of the threat­ possible set-ups : ( 1 ) ti:Jgl -e2-g3

ened ti:Jh6 + ) 22 ti:Jxc5 and the (or c l ) and .tfl -e2; (2) ti:Jgl -h3-
ti:J b4 falls. f2 and ..tfl -e2; (3) .tfl -d3 and
1-0 ti:Jg l -e2. White will normally
21 ti:JxcS
castle short as the queenside is too
After 21 . . if xd5 22 'lW xd5
. exposed.
ti:Jxd5 23 ti:Je6 White wins the
7 .tg7
exchange and the rest is a matter
8 .tgS (65 )
of technique.

65
Game 5 B
Gulko-Kasparov
USSR 1 98 1
Siimisch System

1 d4 ti:Jf6
2 c4 e6
3 ti:Jc3 cS
4 d5 exd5
5 cxdS d6
6 e4 g6
7 f3
One evident effect of playing
this move early on is that White
can no longer play the standard
manoeuvre ti:Jgl -f3-d2, and
indeed the deployment of virtually
all the white pieces is different
from that which we have seen so
far. White intends to develop the
QB and queen on the cl -h6 diag­
onal, either by .te3 and 'lWd2 or,
more commonly, .tg5 and 'iWd2,
thereby obtaining the possibility
of exchanging the opponent's
fianchettoed bishop. As for the
kingside, there are basically three
This is the basic starting pos­
ition of the Samisch System, from
which there develops an intricate
network of complicated variations
where Black normally castles
quickly and gets out of the pin on
the KN by playing either . . . h6 or
. . . 'lWa5. Here and in the following
note we give a few examples of the
many possibilities : .
( 1 ) 8 . . . 0-0 9 'tIfd2 ..td7 1 0
.t d 3 ti:Ja6 1 1 ti:Jge2 .: b 8 1 2 0-0
( 1 2 a4 ti:Jb4 1 3 Ac4 a6 1 4 a5
b5 1 5 axb6 'it'xb6 also leads to
complicated play) 1 2 . . . b5 1 3 ti:Jg3
c4 14 .te2 ti:Jc5 with a double­
edged position.

45
The Classical Centre
(2) 8 . . . h6 9 .i.e3 0-0 1 0 'iWd2
h5 1 1 lbge2 lb bd7 1 2 lb c l lbe5 1 3
.i.e2 lbh7 1 4 0-0 We7 with roughly
balanced chances.
Let us note in passing that
almost all of these and the follow­
ing variations can occur via the
King's Indian Defence : 1 d4 lbf6
2 c4 g6 3 lbc3 1J.. g7 4 e4 d6 5 f3
0-0 6 1J.. g5 c5 7 d5 e6 8 Wd2 exd5
9 cxd5 etc.
8 a6
9 a4 lbbd7
Black here deliberately delays
castling as he has conceived the
idea of placing a knight on e5 and
securing it by . . . h6 and . . . g5 and
wants to avoid his king coming
under attack by h4. This is a novel
plan and it is much more usual
for Black to continue as indicated
in the preceding note. Some
further examples :
( 1 ) 9 . . , h6 1 0 i.e3 0-0 1 1 "ii' d 2
l:!. e8 (or 1 1 ' " lbh7 1 2 lbge2 - 1 2
it.xh6?? Wh4 + - 1 2 . . . lbd7 1 3
lbg3 h 5 1 4 it.e2 h4 1 5 lbrt f5
with mutual chances) 1 2 lbge2 ( 1 2
1J.. xh6? lbxe4! and after . . . W h4 +
Black regains the piece advanta­
geously) 1 2 . . . lb bd7 1 3 lbcl (after
1 3 i.xh6?! lbxe4! 1 4 lbxe4 'iWh4 +
1 5 g3 "ii x h6 1 6 "ii x h6 1J..xh6 1 7
lbxd6 l:!.e3 Black has a lot of
compensation for the pawn) 1 3 . . .
h5 1 4 1J.. e2 lbh7 1 5 lbd3 lbe5 1 6
lb f 2 ..Itd7 1 7 0-0 l:!. c8 1 8 h3 f5 1 9
46
f4 lbf7 with an extremely rich
position.
(2) 9 . . . 0-0 1 0 'iWd2 'iWa5 (threat­
ening . , . b5) 1 1 n a3 'iWc7 1 2 lbge2
lb bd7 1 3 lbg3 c4 1 4 1J..e2 lbe5 1 5
..Ite3! h 5 1 6 0-0 .i.d7 1 7 a5 .l:tfe8
1 8 i.b6 'iWc8 19 ..Itd4 with the
better prospects for White.
10 lbh3
We remind the reader that
normally, as we have seen in the
preceding notes, the KN is devel­
oped to g3 via e2, after which
Black is discouraged from follow­
ing up . . . h6 with . . , g5 because
of the easily exploitable weak­
nesses on f5 and h5. Instead, even
though he has castled, Black will
seek to harass the knight by . . . h5-
h4 as illustrated in the foregoing
examples.
The text move, made possible
through the blocking of the ..tc8,
aims to place the knight on f2
from where it can both j oin in
a kingside attack and cover the
potentially weak square d3.
10 h6
Now that White has committed
his KN Black implements his plan
of occupying e5.
11 i.. e3 lbe5
12 lbf2 1J.. d7
13 i.e2
Threatening f4.

13 g 5 (66)
66
W b2-b4.
Now the importance of Black's
delaying castling can be appreci­
ated : if he were already castled in
this position then White would be
able to launch a ferocious attack
by 'iW d2 and h4. Given that 1 4 f4
gxf4 1 5 .i.xf4 'iWe7 is no cause for
concern for Black, White turns his
attention to the queenside.
14 -Wd2
This move obviously prevents
the opponent castling kingside
and also, less obviously, prepares
queenside action as will become
apparent over the next few moves.
14 "We7
Given the weakening of his
kingside Black sensibly keeps the
queen centralized.
15 a5
White aims to profit from the
absence of a black knight on d7
The Classical Centre
by cramping the opponent's que­
enside with tZlc3-a4-b6 in prep­
aration for the opening of lines by
15 n b8
16 tZla4 tZlh5?!
With this nervous reaction,
seeking quick counterplay with . . .
f5 but abandoning the queenside,
White reaps the first fruits of his
subtle strategy of also delaying
castling. Faced with the prospect
of slow strangulation on the que­
enside (of course, capturing the
equine intruder by . . . il.. xa4
would not only cede the bishop
pair and weaken the white squares
but also help White play b4) and
unable to castle, it is understand­
able that Black panics and tries to
lash out. The best solution to
Black's difficulties lay in 1 6 . . .
.i.b5 intending to meet 1 7 tZl b6
by 1 7 . . . tZlfd7, although even here
White could obtain somewhat the
better of it by playing 1 7 0-0
intending to exploit the weakness
on f5 by the manoeuvre tZlh 1!-g3.
17 tZlb6 il.. b5
18 0-0 0-0
19 b4! ( 6 7 )
This thrust poses Black dreadful
problems as the opening up of the
queenside clearly favours White,
e.g. 19 . . . il.. xe2 20 'iWxe2 tZld7 (or
20 . . . cxb4 2 1 n ab l and White
47
The Classical Centre

(J7
hxg3 liJxg3 26 lHc l fxe4 Black
would at least have regained his
B
pawn.
23 fxg4

A critical moment : Black threa­

tens to dangerously expose Whi­
te's king by . . . g3.
24 liJ h l ! 'it h4 (68 )

will recapture the pawn with an

enduring positional advantage) 2 1
� acl liJxb6 2 2 axb6 and Black
cannot maintain the pawn on c5
by, say, 22 . . . � bc8 because of 23
bxc5 dxc5 24 'itc4 and the pawn
falls. Black therefore decides to
keep the queenside as closed as
possible by leaving the c-pawn to
its fate with . . . c4 and throwing
everything into a kingside coun­ Black has conjured up a con­
ter-attack. siderable attack but White refuses
to panic and defends precisely.
19 c4
20 � acl f5 25 J£.e2! g3
21 liJxc4 26 liJxg3

White, having won a pawn, has A voiding the trappy 26 hxg3?

now the task of fending off Black's � xfl + 27 .lhfl "iVxe4! 28 J.. x h5
initiative on the kingside. liJc4 and Black regains the piece
and keeps his attack.
21 J£.xc4
22 J£.xc4 g4! 26 liJxg3
27 hxg3 'itxe4
Here 22 . . . f4? 23 J£.d4 would
28 � xf8 + � xf8
be too slow.
29 .H4!
23 fxg4
This defensive move seals
After 23 f4 liJxc4 24 � xc4 g3 25 Black's fate at a stroke: the f-file

48
 The Classical Centre

is blocked and Black's knight is 2 c4 c5

denied access to g4 and tied 3 d5 e6
against the d-pawn. Now White is 4 tZJc3 exd5
ready to turn his control of the c­ 5 cxd5 d6
file to account. 6 e4 g6
7 �d3
29 hS
30 n c7 This placing of the KB on d3 is
Looking not only at the b-pawn rarely seen in the Modern Benoni,
but also at Black's king. except in the Penrose Variation,
where it plays a specific role in
30 'tibl +
White's attacking plans.
31 "iWcl "iWg6
32 "iWc2 "lie8 7 iLg7
8 tZJge2 0-0
Black is forced to give ground
9 0-0 (69)
as only by keeping the queens on
the board can he maintain a last In the actual game this position
flicker of hope. was reached by a different move
order : 1 d4 tZJf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 g6 4
33 "iWe4 h4
tZJc3 d6 5 e4 JLg7 6 iLd3 0-0 7
34 gxh4 'lid8
tZJge2 e6 8 0-0 exd5 9 cxd5.
On 34 ' " tZJg6 White wins by
35 � xe8 n xe8 36 �h5. 0<)

B
35 n xb7 'tic8

Realizing that 35 . , . "iWxh4

would be met by 36 n xg7 + ! wh8
(36 . . . wxg7 37 lLxe5 + and
wins) 37 g3 and wins.
36 J:t e7 "iWd8
37 �g5
1 -0
This is the basic starting pos­
Game 6 ition of the Penrose Variation in
Knaak-Tseshkovsky
which White deploys his pieces
DDR v USSR, 1 982 with the intention of launching an
Penrose Variation attack on the kingside.
1 d4 tZJf6 White's build-up begins with the

49
The Classical Centre

thematic moves f4 and tll g 3 and 1 7 e5 and Black's queenside play

culminates in the positional sacri­ balances White's central action.
fice of the e-pawn by eS followed, (2) 9 . . . ::t e8 1 0 h3 tll a6 1 1 tll g 3
after . . . dxe5, by the thrust f5. tll c7 1 2 a4 b6 1 3 n e l iLa6 14 f4
In such cases White can use the �xd3 1 5 "WIxd3 a6 and Black has
important central blockading reduced the opponent's attacking
square e4 together with the possi­ potential at the cost of delaying
bilities along the f-file to work up his own counterplay.
an attack which can easily become (3) 9 . , . tll a6 1 0 f3 (Here we
overwhelming. The f4 advance give an example of an alternative
normally requires a degree of care interpretation of the Penrose Vari­
in its preparation, notably by h3 ation which has been developed
which not only prevents the sim- recently and obviously has many
plifying . . . �g4 but also the similarities with the Samisch Sys­
attacking . . . tll g4 in conjunction tem. A similar interesting possi­
with a sudden . . . c4 and . . . W'b6 + . bility is 10 a3, e.g. 10 . . . tll c7?! 1 1
From Black's point of view, the b4! tll d 7 1 2 f3 b6 1 3 .!l b i tll e 5 1 4
absence of the annoying enemy iLc2 and White stands better. Of
knight on c4 means that he can course, White may also play the
develop his queenside counterplay original plan based on f4.) 10 . . .
more easily without having to tll c7 ( 1 0 . . . tll b4!? also comes into
worry about pressure on d6. Bas­ consideration) 1 1 iLg5 a6 1 2 a4
ically, he may choose either to .,td7 1 3 a5 ::t b8 1 4 tll a4 iLxa4
simply try and activate his pawn 1 5 .!l xa4 b5 1 6 axb6 .!l xb6 1 7 b3
majority or to counter White's W'b8 18 �c2 with perhaps a slight
threatened e5 by pressurizing the advantage to White.
d5 point by developing the QN to (4) 9 . . , tll g4 10 h3 tll e 5 1 1 .tc2
either c7 or b4 via a6. Alterna­ tll a6 1 2 f4 tll c4 1 3 b3 ( 1 3 .td3
tively, Black may opt for rapid tll a 5 14 tll g3 c4 1 5 ..te2 tll c5 is
occupation of e5 by . . . tll f6-g4- also interesting) 13 . . . tll a5 1 4
e5. iLe3 b 5 with chances for both
From the vast nexus of vari­ sides.
ations possible from the position
in diagram 69 we present the fol­ 9 b6
lowing:
Intending to challenge White's
( 1 ) 9 . . . a6 10 a4 "WIc7 1 1 h3
bishop by . . . .ta6.
tll bd7 1 2 tll g 3 c4 1 3 iLc2 n b8 1 4
iLe3 tll c 5 1 5 f4 b5 1 6 axb5 axb5 10 a4

50
 The Classical Centre

White does not want to allow and it will no longer be possible

the exchange of bishops and there­ to chase away the bishop.
by reduce his attacking potential
so he prepares to answer 10 . , . 14 .i.h4!
.i.a6 with 1 1 lbb5! after which 1 1
After 14 .i.e3 Black can success­
. . . .i.xb5 1 2 axbS would leave
fully counter White's plans by tac­
White with a clear positional
tical means, e.g. 1 4 . . . .i.a6 I S
superiority. The text move, which
1fd2 ( 1 5 f4? lLlfxd5! 1 6 lLlxd5 lbxd5
noticeably weakens the b4 square,
1 7 'iil' x d5 .1i.xe2 etc.) 1 5 . " �h7
indicates that White intends to go
16 � e l (on 16 f4?! comes 16 . . .
all out for a kingside attack. It is
lLlxe4! 1 7 .txe4 i,xe2 1 8 'iil' xe2
also possible to follow an entirely
f5 and Black regains the piece as
different strategy, similar to the
the KB dare not retreat on pain of
Saemisch System, by 1 0 f3 .i.a6
. . . %l xe3) 1 6 . . . � e7 with balanced
1 1 .1i.xa6 lbxa6 1 2 .i.gS.
prospects. The maintenance of the
10 lLla6 pin and threat of f4 causes Black
far more problems.
Intending " . lbb4 obliging the
KB to retreat to b l where it inter­ 14 i,a6?
feres with the communication
An automatic move which fails
between the heavy pieces.
to appreciate the positional
lb b4 advantage White has after playing
%l e8 f4. The radical 14 . . . g5 was
mandatory.
In anticipation of White's f4
advance Black puts e4 under 15 f4 ( 70 )
pressure and seeks control of eS.
13 .i.g5
70
This pin, which can play a vital
B
role in White's subsequent attack,
is aimed at provoking . . . h6 there­
by weakening g6 and giving added
force to his basic idea of the pos­
itional sacrifice eS followed by f5.
13 h6

Otherwise White will play .. d2

51
The Classical Centre

Now that White has succeeded 71

in playing f4 and maintaining the
B
annoying pin Black will have to
constantly be on his guard against
e5 breakthroughs.
15 "it'd7

Black is understandably anxi­

ous to get out of the pin and is
banking on his pressure against
d5 preventing White from playing
e5, e.g. 1 6 e5 dxe5 1 7 f5? g5 fol­
The culmination of the attack :
lowed by capturing the d-pawn.
Black's extra pawn is merely a
White's next move, which is per­
hindrance to the defence and the
fectly consistent with his 1 4th,
threats against g6 pose significant
highlights the strategic defects of
danger to the black monarch. The
Black's position with deadly clar­
extent of Black's problems is such
ity.
that he cannot even try to give
16 �xf6! back the pawn by 1 8 . . . e4 because
of the following fine variation : 1 9
Simultaneously reducing the
fxg6 Jid4 + 20 l2Jxd4 .txfl 2 1
pressure on d5 and the efficacy of
l2Jxe4! l2Jxd5 22 �xfl cxd4 23
a . . . g5 response to a subsequent
Jia2!! with a decisive attack, e.g.
f5.
23 . . . l:. xe4 24 � xf7 + "it' xf7 25
gxf7 + �f8 26 i.xd5.
16 �xf6
17 e5! 18 il.xe2

The thematic positional sacri­ Hoping to improve on the pre­

fice of the e-pawn. ceding variation by obtaining d4
for the K B, e.g. 1 9 � xe2 e4 20
17 dxe5
fxg6 il.d4 + 2 1 '" h 1 fxg6 22
After 1 7 . . . Jig7 White would iLxe4 <3;g7 with balanced
have the pleasant choice between chances in a complicated position.
a violent continuation of the
19 l2J xe2!
attack by 1 8 e6 or the less hurried
1 8 1 H2. Scotching Black's hopes.
18 f5 ( 7 1 ) 19 ", g7

52
 The Classical Centre

Black is understandably reluct­ quickly after 2 1 ' " .1(.d8 22 f6 + )

ant to defend the clearly inferior 22 d6! J:t b8 23 d7! J:t f8 (or 23 . . .
ending arising after 1 9 . . . 'iWxd5 J:t e7 24 tLlh5 + etc.) 24 'iWd6! and
20 'iWxd5 tt:J xd5 21 .>ta2 J:t ad8 (not wins. This variation illu�trates
21 . . . tt:Je3 22 fxg6) 22 fxg6 <liJg7 very clearly that in fact Black faces
23 gxf7 when 23 ' " �xf7 loses a two major problems, the pressure
piece to 24 .!:t ad l . The passive text against his king and the mobility
move, however, permits White to of the passed d-pawn.
establish a crushing blockade and
20 .>tg5
retain the attack.
20 . . . J:t ad8 would be answered
20 .1(.e4 ( 72 )
by 2 1 J:t a3 and Black cannot cap­
ture the d-pawn.
21 J:t a3 ..H4
22 tLl xf4

22 f6 + followed by g3 would
also win.
22 exf4
23 J:t xf4 J:t xe4

Desperation.
24 f6 + 'itf8
The strategic objectives o f Whi­ 25 J:t xe4 tDxd5
te's positional pawn sacrifice have 26 'iWd2 tLl xf6
been realized to perfection: the
Nor would 26 . . . g5 help : 27
blockade of the e5 pawn paralyses
J:t d3 ir'f5 28 J:t e l tDxf6 29 J:t fl and
the black pieces and the pressure
the subsequent J:t df3 would force
against his king's position can eas­
a decisive penetration on the [-file.
ily be i ncreased. Black is totally
without counterplay and more­ 27 ir' xh6 + 'itg8
over cannot seek refuge in closing 28 J:t h4 tDh5
the position by 20 . . . g5 because 29 J:t g3!
after 2 1 tLlg3 1fd8 (White wins 1 -0

53
2 The Fianchetto
Centre
Main Variation: Fianchetto Vari­
ation
1 d4 4:Jf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4 4:Jc3
exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 g3 g6 ( 73 ) .
73
HI
The same basic strategic out­
lines apply when White plays the
fianchetto before developing the
QN, e.g. I d4 ttJ f6 2 c4 c5 3 dS e6
and now :
Accelerated Fianchetto Variation
4 g3 exd5 5 cxd5 b5 6 .tg2 d6
1 Strateg i c I d eas
Fianchettoing does not mean that
White has given up ideas of mobi-
54
lizing his kingside majority but
simply that he intends first of all
to secure his king's position before
expanding in the centre by the
usual advances e4 and f4 ( 74 J.
74
Most of the ideas for both play­
ers examined in the preceding
chapter also apply here, and there­
fore in what follows we will con­
centrate on the principal strategic
differences brought about by Whi­
te's fianchetto.
The red uced control of b5
The development of White's KB
on g2 facilitates the mobilization
 The Fianchetto Centre

of Black's queenside pawn major­ 7{)

ity since White has less control
over b5 than in the variations
where the KB is developed on the
fl -a6 diagonal (75).
75

obliged to try to cope with rapid

In such situations it is usually
sufficient for Black to prepare the
. . . b5 advance with the thematic
moves . . . a6 and ' " n b8 as it is
difficult for White to hold things
up successfully by 'it'd3 or 'ii' b 3.
In the first case White's queen is
exposed to attack by . . , ttJe5, and
in the second Black will probably
be able to play ' " b5 anyway,
since the capture axb5 axb5, ttJxb5
would leave White in a nasty pin.
To regain control of b5 White will
have to play e4 and retreat the
KB to fl ( 76).
It is obvious, however, that this
manoeuvre is rather artificial and
difficult to carry out if Black takes
suitable measures in time.
queenside expansion by the
opponent, the effects of which can
be particularly unpleasant in those
variations where the KN has been
played to c4. In order to avoid
having simply to retreat the ttJc4,
and to make something of the
control exercised over c6 by the
KB, White often provokes the . . .
b5 advance at a suitable moment
when he can obtain specific pos­
itional compensation.
White begins with the thematic
advance a5 ( 77).
77

The c6 square
Clearly, Black cannot allow his
Usually, therefore, White is queenside play to be stifled and
55
The Fianchetto Centre

therefore plays . . . b5 anyway. 71)

After axb6 ttJxb6 - in such cir­
cumstances a knight on d7 is indis­
pensable in order to play . . . b5 -
White avoids exchanging knights
and tries instead to exploit the
weakness of c6 by the manoeuvre
ttJc4-a5-c6 ( 78 J.

78

ettoed, the advance b4 takes on

particular significance in so far as
White wants to uproot the black
c-pawn (forcing . . . c4 or . . . cxb4)
in order to gain d4 for his KN and
plant it on c6.
The reader will recall that this
strategy can be applied whether
or not there are pawns on a2 and
White's fianchettoed bishop
a7, the exchange of which can
allows him to occupy c6 even if
easily occur after the moves . . . a6
Black contests it by . . . Bd7 since
and a4.
the exchange on c6 would give
White a passed pawn there, access
to d5, the open d-file against the Chal leng i ng the ttJc4
weak pawn on d6, and increased
Given that Black must almost
activity for the KB along the long
always play his QN to d7 in order
diagonal, all of which elements
to neutralize the effects of the
render White's position consider­
cramping a4-a5 (cf. diagram 77),
ably more dynamic.
it often happens that White's KN
White also has another method
occupies c4 with an immediate
of meeting Black's pawn advance
attack on the d6 pawn (80 J.
which we have already encoun­
In this type of position it is not
tered, namely to allow . . . b5 to be
possible to defend the d-pawn by
played and then to counter it by
. . . ttJe8, and . . . JLf8 is too passive,
b4 ( 79 J.
whilst . . . "We7 is often not the
When the KB has been fianch- best square for the black queen.

56

su
Consequently, Black usually
defends his pawn by moving the
lLld7 to either b6 or eS which also
has the advantage of challenging
the lLlc4. In either case, however,
White can retreat to a3 which
gives greater control of bS. Black
thus finds it impossible to expand
immediately and instead, accord­
ing to whether he has played . . .
lLlb6 or . . . lLleS, employs one of
two plans ( 8 1 ) .
81
White threatens as followed
anew by lLlc4 re-establishing the
pressure against d6. By playing . . .
ii.d7 Black vacates c8 for the QN
The Fianchetto Centre
and organizes his pieces in such a
way as to retain the possibility
of queenside expansion. If White
pushes on with a5 and lLlc4 then
the lLlc8 protects d6 and Black is
ready to eliminate the lLlc4 by . . .
..tb5 (82).
"-
,, �
The . . . b5 advance is still
unplayable at the moment because
the lLlc8 is tied to the defence of
the d-pawn but, after . . . .i.b5xc4,
expansion becomes possible and
the lLlcS can get back into play via
a7 and b5.
When Black defends the d-pawn
by . . . lLle5 on the other hand, there
arises a situation after the retreat
lLla3 where subsequent strategic
developments are determined by
the black knight's presence on e5
(83 ).
White has held up . . . b5 and is
on the point of mobilising his own
pawns by e4 and f4 with gain of
tempo. This obliges Black to alter
his strategy radically and suspend
57
The Fianchetto Centre
83
queenside play in favour of prepar­
ing to meet White's pawn advance
by . . . f5, and to this end he plays
. . . tt.Jh5 (84) .
84
Given that Black has switched
his counterplay to the kingside a
head-on confrontation is almost
inevitable. The advances e4 and f4
increase White's dynamic possi­
bilities but, as we shall see, permit
Black to whip up tactical chances
against the weakened enemy
king's position.
The prophylactic h2-h3
As we have seen from the previous
58
example, White's kingside fianch­
etto does not rule out the imple­
mentation of the basic plan of a
central breakthrough. However if
White plays e4 early on, without
taking any precautions, Black can
seize the right moment to pin the
tt.Jf3 by . . . �g4 (85 ).
85
In the variations where White
develops his KB on e2 he can
easily meet this pin by tt.Jd2, but
here it is much more awkward
since Black can try to get a knight
to e5 and, besides, even if the
simple exchange ' " �xf3 proves
necessary, neither the queen nor
the bishop would be well placed
on f3.
Black can also make use of g4
by means of the manoeuvre . . .
tt.Jf6-g4-e5 which often leads to
the exchange of White's KN
whether it is on f3 or c4 (86).
Should White now try to avoid
the exchange of knights by answer­
ing . " tt.Je5 by tt.Jd2, Black is able

86
to gain the two bishops by playing
. . . lDd3 exploiting the weakness of
d3 caused by the fianchetto of the
KB.
In view of the foregoing
examples we can understand why
White normally protects g4 with
the prophylactic h3 before playing
e4 (87).
87
It is quite clear that the capacity
of the black pieces to manoeuvre
is considerably reduced.
In order to regain control of
g4 and exploit the weakening of
White's king's position caused by
The Fianchetto Centre
h3, Black sometimes undertakes a
rather lively offensive on the king­
side based on pushing the
g-pawn with the support of the
h-pawn (88).
88
It goes without saying that such
a plan is not always playable as it
seriously weakens the king, but
when Black is able to bring his
forces to bear on the kingside this
possibility must certainly not be
underestimated.
The e4 square
Since, as we have seen, the e4
advance is often delayed or some­
times even dispensed with in the
fianchetto variation, White can try
to use the fact that e4 is free to
increase the pressure on d6 by
bringing the QN to e4 to augment
the action of the KN on c4 (89).
This idea can only be
implemented when Black has both
moved his KN and failed to chal­
lenge the lDc4. I t is difficult, of
59
The Fianchetto Centre

increases the scope of his KB and

in particular the pressure against
b2. This can be enhanced by the
intervention of the KR, especially
when White has played a4 (91 ).

91

course, for these conditions to be

fulfilled in the opening, but in the
middlegame, or even the ending,
it can happen that White can profit
from the absence of the advance
e4.
The rook finds a natural base
Black can also try to make use
on b4 where it hampers the devel­
of the e4 square in order to
opment of White's queens ide.
exchange a pair of knights by
playing . . . J:[ e8 in conjunction
P ressure a g a i nst e2
with . . . lDe4. This possibility arises
most frequently in the early part Black can also try to exploit the
of the game when the lDf3 omission of e4 by creating pressure
obstructs the KB's control of e4 against the pawn on e2 by doub­
(90). ling heavy pieces on the e-file ( 92).
By exchanging knights Black

90 92

60
 The Fianchetto Centre

To carry out his plan success­ In such situations Black must

fully Black must manage to beware of playing automatically,
remove the lbc3 either by playing since even thematic moves can
. . . lbe4 or achieving the thematic sometimes meet with a simple
queenside expansion . . . bS-b4. refutation : . . . lbb6?, lbxd6! 'it'xd6,
i.. f4 ( 94).
2 Tact i ca l Ideas
94
I n the absence of the e4 advance,
and with the greater king safety
afforded by the fianchetto, tactics
are considerably reduced and the
game assumes a mostly positional
character. Similar tactical themes
to those examined in the first
chapter, however, can arise in the
middle game if White plays e4 and
f4.
To neutralize this possibility it is
The pseud o -sacrifice lbxd6 sufficient for Black to have his KR
on e8. If this were the case in
Since Black usually posts his QR diagram 94 then Black would be
on b8 and QN on d7, it often able to interpose the rook on e5
happens, as we have already and although White could restore
observed, that the manoeuvre theoretical material parity the
lbf3-d2-c4 results in a direct minor pieces are undoubtedly
attack on the d-pawn (93 ). superior to the rook and pawn in
the early part of the game.

93 Attacking the wh ite k i n g

In the variation where Black plays

. . . lbe5 (see diagrams 83 and 84)
White can try to profit from the
position of this knight to advance
his pawns with gain of tempo.
However, such advances, in con­
junction with the thematic h3,
leave White's kingside very loose

61
The Fianchetto Centre

and open to typical combinative not recapture with the pawn

possibilities ( 95). because of the ttJhS. After . . . �xfS
instead, White can fork Black's
95 pieces by g4 but there follows . . .
�xg4, hxg4 'ilf h4 leaving the ttJhS
en prise (97).

97

Black can answer f4 by leaving

the knight en prise, taking advan­
tage of the weakness of the b8-
h2 diagonal aggravated by h3. If After gxhS ttJg4 White has to
White accepts the sacrifice by fxeS give up his queen to avoid mate.
�xeS then the pressure on g3 and Nor does it help White to decline
the possible intervention of the the second piece by playing f3
queen ( . . . 'iWh4) can easily lead to because of . . . ttJxg4, fxg4 �d4+ .
an overwhelming attack.
In analogous situations Black
3 I l l ustrat i ve Games
can play . . . fS himself, before
White has played f4, thereby offer­ Game 7
ing the opponent a fork (96). Liberzon-Yusupov
White plays exfS and Black can- Lone Pine 1 98 1
Fianchetto Variation
96
1 d4 ttJf6
2 c4 c5
3 d5 e6
4 ttJc3 exd5
5 cxd5 d6
6 g3 g6
7 �g2 �g 7
8 ttJf3 0-0
9 0-0 ( 98 )

62

98
B
This is the basic position of the
Fianchetto Variation. In broad
outline, White's plan is to transfer
the K N to c4 and then prepare to
mobilize his kingside pawns with
a view to breaking through in the
centre. He relies on the thematic
moves a4 and lLlc4-a3 to contain
Black's ambitions on the queen­
side and the prophylactic h3 to
reduce the scope of the il.cS and
lLlf6 on the kingside.
As usual, Black's counterplay
stems from his queenside pawns
and the dynamic possibilities off­
ered by the e-file and the long
diagonal hS-a 1 . Black has two
basic methods of seeking to mobil­
ize his queenside pawns according
to how the QN is developed: the
manoeuvre . . . lLla6-c7 followed
by . . . a6, or the simple . . . lLlbd7
followed by . . . a6 and . . . n bS.
Other more experimental ideas
are also worth mentioning:
( 1 ) 9 . . . 'ife7 (intending to
counter the manoeuvre lLlf3-d2-
The Fianchetto Centre
c4 with the immediate . . . lLlb8-
d7-e5) 10 lLld2 lLlbd7 1 1 lLlc4 lLle5
1 2 lLlxe5 'if xeS 1 3 a4 a6 14 il.f4
'ife7 1 5 'i!fd2 n b8 1 6 i.h6 i.xh6
1 7 'i!f xh6 bS 18 'if d2 b4 and Black
has succeeded in mobilizing his
queenside pawns, but the
exchange of his KB considerably
reduces his dynamic possibilities.
(2) 9 . . n eS (with the idea of
.
playing . . . lLle4 if White does not
play 1 0 lLld2) 1 0 i.f4 a6 (obliging
a weakening of b4) 1 1 a4 lLle4 1 2
lLlxe4 n xe4 1 3 lLld2 n b4 1 4 lLle4
h6 1 5 il.d2 ll xb2 1 6 'if c l n xd2
1 7 'if xd2 and White stands better
as Black is seriously behind in
development and can only regain
the exchange at the cost of endang­
ering his king.
9 a6
With this move Black indirectly
declares his plans for the QN. The
alternative development is 9 . . .
lLla6, e.g. 1 0 h3 il.d7 (or 1 0 . . . lLlc7
1 1 e4 tZld7 1 2 J:t e l with mutual
chances) 1 1 e4 'ifc8 1 2 \t>h2 J:t e8
1 3 ll e l c4 1 4 .,tf4 lLlc5 1 5 'i!fc2
tbd3 1 6 il.xd6 lLlxe 1 1 7 II xe 1 and
White has sufficient compensation
for the exchange.
10 a4 lLlbd7
11 lLld2
Black can parry the direct
attack on his d-pawn by il.f4
(hoping to follow up with a quick
63
The Fianchetto Centre
e4-e5) by protecting d6 with the
queen and using g4 to establish a
knight on e5. For example, 1 1
..tf4 "jIe7 (or 1 1 . . . "jIc7 1 2 e4 n e8
1 3 n e l lZJg4 14 h3 lZJge5 with
balanced prospects) 12 n e 1 ( 1 2 a5
is better with the idea of meeting
1 2 . . . lZJg4 by 1 3 lZJa4) 1 2 . . . .r:. b8
1 3 e4 lZJg4 14 lZJd2 lZJde5 1 5 1ZJf1
lZJc4 1 6 'iWe2 b5 1 7 axb5 axb5 1 8
h 3 lZJge5 with equal chances. This
example illustrates the possibilities
Black has when White omits the
prophylactic move h3.
11 n eS
The alternative is 1 1 . . . n b8 in
order to leave e8 free for the KN,
e.g. 12 lZJc4 lZJe8 ( 1 2 . . . 1ZJ b6? is
bad because of 1 3 lZJxd6! "jIxd6 1 4
..tf4) 1 3 a 5 lZJe5 (on 1 3 . . . b 5 1 4
axb6 lZJxb6 1 5 lZJa5 and White will
exploit c6) 14 1ZJ b6 lZJc7 1 5 h3
lZJb5 1 6 ..td2 n e8 with balanced
prospects in a complicated pos­
ition.
After the text move, the major
continuation for a long time was
1 2 a5, intending to split Black's
pawns after the subsequent . . . b5
and en passant capture and then
mobilize the white pawns. It used
to be thought that this plan was
favourable for White until it was
discovered that Black can hold the
balance by making the most of the
open b-file, e.g. 1 2 a5 b5 't3 axb6
lZJxb6 14 lZJb3 (with the idea of
64
getting to c6 via a5) 14 . . . lZJc4 1 5
n a4 lZJb6 1 6 .: a2 lZJc4 1 7 'iWd3
n b8! 18 'iWxc4 n b4 1 9 'iW d3 n xb3.
12 h3
Much the most common con­
tinuation.
12 n bS
13 lZJc4 (99 )
99
B
Now Black has the choice
between two very different ways
of protecting his d-pawn : 1 3 . . .
lZJb6 or 1 3 . . . lZJe5. The former ­
which we shall see in the present
game - commences long-term
strategic operations on the queen­
side, whereas the latter generally
presages violent turmoil on the
kingside. After 1 3 . . . lZJe5 the pre­
sence of the knight in the centre
of the board challenges the white
pawns to drive it away and this
invariably produces a fierce tacti­
cal confrontation, e.g. 1 4 1ZJa3 lZJh5
1 5 e4 (Black gains the upper hand
after 1 5 >t> h2 g5! 1 6 e4?! g4!) 1 5

. . . J:!. f8 ( 1 S . . . fS!? creates massive
complications, e.g. 16 exfS .txfS
1 7 g4 Axg4 1 8 hxg4 'it'h4 1 9 gxhS
J:!. f8 - preventing .tf4 in reply
to . . . liJg4 - 20 h6 .th8 2 1 liJe4
liJg4 22 'it'xg4 'iWxg4 with a totally
unclear position) 1 6 �h2 f5 1 7 f4
bS 1 8 axbS (Black gets a ferocious
attack after 1 8 fxeS?! liJxg3! 1 9
�xg3 .txeS + ) 1 8 . . . axbS 1 9
liJaxbS fxe4 20 .txe4 with a com­
plex position which theory con­
siders to be in White's favour.
13
This move protects the d-pawn,
challenges the liJc4, and prepares
to complete development by ' "
.td7.
14 liJa3
1 4 liJxd6? does not work here
because of 1 4 . . . 'it' xd6 I S .tf4
J:!. eS. The move played is only a
temporary retreat as White in-
tends to chase away the liJb6 by
as and then return to c4.
14 .td 7
Completing development and
freeing c8 for the liJb6. This move
also contains a tactical threat: I S
. . . liJxa4 1 6 liJxa4 bS regaining the
piece with a good game. It is not
possible to implement this idea
immediately because of the unpro­
tected position of the J:!. b8 : 14 . . .
liJxa4? I S 'it'xa4 bS 1 6 'iWb3 b4 1 7
The Fianchetto Centre
liJc4 and White saves the knights.
15 a5
In a way, this move facilitates
the unravelling of Black's queen­
side. I S e4 sets greater problems
for the defence, e.g. I S ' " liJc8 1 6
'iWd3 'iWc7 ( 1 6 . . . b5!? 1 7 axb5 axb5
1 8 liJaxb5 Axb5 1 9 liJxb5 liJd7
20 liJc3 liJe5 probably gives Black
sufficient compensation for the
pawn) 1 7 Ae3 liJa7 1 8 J:!. fc l b5
19 b4 c4 20 'iW fl bxa4! (otherwise
White stands better after 2 1 a5) 2 1
liJxc4 J:!. xb4 with chances for both
sides.
15 liJc8
16 liJc4 ( 1 00 )
B
White has secured his liJc4
against the . . . b5 advance at the
cost of relinquishing control of bS.
Black is well placed to exploit this
factor, first with the bishop in
order to eliminate the irritating
liJc4 ( . . . .tb5xc4), and then to
65
The Fianchetto Centre

bring the lZJc8 back into play (. . . 21 lZJb5

lZJa7-b5). 22 12Jxb5

16 ..Iib5 Not wishing to submit himself

17 'W b3 ..Iixc4 to the humble advance e3, White
18 'W xc4 tDd7 accepts the positional inferiority
following the exchange of knights
Black would be left with a weak
hoping to be able to contain the
a-pawn after 1 8 . . b5?! 1 9 axb6
phalanx of black pawns.
lZJxb6 20 'ilt'h4 and White would
also obtain play on the kingside. 22 axb5
23 'ilt'b3 'Wd7
19 'W d3?!
23 . . . b4 was more direct but
In view of . . . lZJe5 White decides
Black wants to retain the possi­
to retreat the queen to c2, but this
bility of playing . . . 12Jc4 and press­
not only cedes control of b5, it
urizing the pawns on a5 and b2.
also costs an important tempo
which should have been used to 24 ..lift
mobilize his pawn centre. After 1 9
Threatening e4.
e4 White would be able t o meet
1 9 . , . lZJe5 by 20 'We2, and f4 24 12Jc4
would be in the air. 25 e3

19 lZJe5 Now this move is practically

20 'Wc2 tDa7! forced, since White must be able
to capture on c4 if he is to develop
Black exploits the opponent's
his pieces.
inaccuracy and introduces the
positional threat . . . lZJb5-d4. It 25 l:[ a8
would have been counter-pro­ 26 ",g2
ductive to go hunting the a-pawn
The immediate 26 ..Iixc4 bxc4
by 20 . . . lZJc4? as after 2 1 lZJe4
27 'ilt'xc4 'ilt'xh3 would clearly be
12Jxa5 22 ..Iig5 White would obtain
advantageous to Black.
awkward threats.
26 l:[ a7!
21 ndl

White has run out o f useful Beginning a very subtle plan

moves as he no longer dares to aimed at exchanging the b5 pawn
permanently weaken d4 by play­ for that on as so as to open the
ing e4. a-file in such a way as to be

66
 The Fianchetto Centre

able to use it to penetrate the pieces from penetrating his pos­

opponent's territory. The simplis­ ition. In addition, the advance of
tic 26 . . . �xa5 27 'iWxb5 'iVxb5 28 Black's pawns has produced an
i.xb5 �b3 would have run up obvious difference in the value of
against the clever reply 29 .:t a3 ! the bishops.
obliging Black t o exchange rooks
31 e4 n xa5
and close the a-file, and in the
32 :t xa5 n xa5
absence of lines of penetration the
33 i.f4
game would probably end in a
draw. After the text move, how­ Seeking to keep the black queen
ever, things develop very differ­ tied down to the defence of the
ently. d-pawn.
27 i.xc4 bxc4 33 'iVe7
28 'iWxc4 .:t ea8
After 33 . . . n a2 Whi te would
29 i.d2
have been able to muddy matters
Hoping for 29 . . . i.xb2? 30 by playing 34 e5!? dxe5 35 i.e3.
.:t ab l and White stands better.
34 b3
29 b5!
Sooner or later this advance is
30 'iWc2 b4 ( JOI )
forced in order to prevent the
further advance of Black's pawns.
Now Black has absolute control
of the a-file thanks to the K B.
34 .i.d4
35 :t el (6
36 n e2 n al
37 h4 cj; g7
38 .i.e3 iLc3
39 .i.d2 .i.e5
40 (4?

Black's last two moves consti­ In a difficult position and in bad

tute the point of the manoeuvre time-trouble, White fatally weak­
begun by 26 . . . n a 7! After the ens his second rank and the a7-
a-pawn falls White can no longer gl diagonal, which Black exploits
prevent the opponent's heavy in impeccable fashion.

67
The Fianchetto Centre

40 .td4 Here and o n the previous move

41 -te3 -txe3 White has explored other paths
42 J:t xe3 'lWa7! (e4 and a4), but the line chosen is
43 J:t e2 e4 the most logical from the strategic
point of view.
The opening of the diagonal
seals White's fate.
44 'lWxe4 'lWg l +
45 c;t.oh3 :t e l !
46 'lWxb4

Or 46 'ifb5 'if £ 1 + and wins.

46 'lW n +
47 J:t g2 J:t c2
0-1

The objective of this advance,

Game 8
as we have already seen, is to put
Kasparov-Korchnoi
pressure on c5 so as to force Black
London 1983
to clarify the situation either by
Accelerated Fianchetto Variation
advancing or capturing, both of
1 d4 ltJ f6 which give White access to d4.
2 c4 e6 This strategy is particularly effec­
3 g3 tive with the KB fianchettoed as
it supports the further invasion of
This order of moves permits
c6 following ltJd4.
Black to transpose to a Benoni
where White has played g3 in 7 ltJa6!?
place of the standard ltJc3.
Of course Black will not play
3 c5 ' " c4, either now or later, as this
4 d5 exd5 would simply make White a gift
5 exd5 b5 of d4. Acceptance of the pawn by
7 . cxb4 would allow White to
. .
This immediate expansion is
open lines against Black's queen­
made possible by the absence of
side pawns by 8 a3 bxa3 9 ltJxa3,
the 1tJc3.
after which it would be difficult
6 .tg2 d6 for Black to hang on to the pawn,
7 b4! ( 1 02 ) as protection by . . . a6 is imposs-

68
 The Fianchetto Centre

ible. At the time of writing, how­ along the a 1 -h8 diagonal. In the
ever, this gambit has not been diagrammed position, by contrast,
played sufficiently to be able to White has still to develop any
make a definitive evaluation. queenside pieces and the n a 1 IS
With the text move Korchnoi dangerously exposed.
obliges his opponent to capture
II O-O?!
on c5 hoping that the c5 square
thus obtained for his knight will A natural but slow move which
balance White's on d4. gives White time to develop his
queenside. Black would have done
8 bxc5 lbxc5
better to attack the pawn on dS
9 lbf3 g6
immediately by 1 1 . . . .t b7, e.g.
10 0-0 .t g7
1 2 lbxb5 lbfe4 1 3 lbd4 i.xd5
11 lbd4 ( 1 03)
with a position where the static
weakness on d6 is offset by the
dynamism of the black pieces.
12 lbc3

White sensibly gets on with his

development and refuses the off­
ered pawn on d5 the acceptance
of which would have given Black
an enormous lead in development
after 1 2 lbxb5 l2lfe4.
12 a6?
The effects of the plan initiated
But this is really too passive and
by White with the thrust b4 now
allows White to have things all his
become clear: the disappearance
own way. It was essential to play
of the c5 pawn enables White to
1 2 . . . b4 in order to increase the
occupy d4 and thus the weakness
action of the i.g7 along the long
of c6 can easily be exploited.
diagonal and to seek correspond­
Normally - that is to say when
ing compensation for c6 in the
White plays 3 lbc3 in place of 3
square c3, e.g. 1 3 l2lc6 "jjf d 7 1 4
g3 - the advance b4 does not
l2lb5 �fe4 1 5 l2l bd4 � c 3 with
happen as quickly as in this game
balanced chances.
and thus White usually does not
experience any great problems 13 l2lc6!

69
The Fianchetto Centre
The plan of occupying c6, initi­
ated by the advance b4, has been
completed. This advanced outpost
cramps Black's queenside and
allows White to begin operations
there with the advance a4.
13 flc7
14 ..te3
Preparing to neutralize the
..tg7 completely by a subsequent
..td4.
14 ..tb7
White's tLlc6 almost totally
paralyses Black's ability to under­
take anything worthwhile since it
controls almost all of Black's key
squares for counterplay in the
Modern Benoni : b4, d4, e5, and
b8. Thus, with the text move
Korchnoi sensibly decides to give
himself the option of eliminating
this powerful intruder at the right
moment.
15 ..td4 .!:t fe8
Black's sole remaining active
move. 1 5 ' " tLlfd7 would be met
by 1 6 .i.. xg7 <t;xg7 1 7 a4 with a
clear advantage.
16 a4
Having placed his pieces on
their ideal squares, Kasparov
commences operations on the
queen's wing.
70
16 bxa4
An unpleasant decision, but
practically forced, as shown by the
alternatives. If 1 6 ' " .i.. xc6?! 1 7
dxc6 b4 1 8 .i.. xf6! bxc3 1 9 .i.. xg7
wxg7 20 fld4 + �g8 2 1 tt a2!
and the pawn on c3 cannot be
saved; on the other hand if 1 6 . . .
tLlxa4 1 7 liJxa4 bxa4 1 8 .I:t xa4
with a clear advantage since 1 8 . . .
tLlxd5? 1 9 .i.. xd5 �xc6 20 .l:t c4
loses.
17 1Lxc5
1 7 tLlxa4?! would not be good
since Black's position after 1 7 . . .
liJxd5! 1 8 J..x g7 'i!i'xc6 would be
much more defensible than
appears at first sight. With the text
move White pursues his queenside
ambitions with extreme single­
mindedness even to the extent of
exchanging his magnificent dark­
squared bishop. The idea is to
recapture on a4 with the queen
in order to reinforce the tLlc6 -
which otherwise is constantly vul­
nerable to the tactical blow . . .
tLlxd5 should the QN ever move ­
and afterwards to attack Black's
weak c-pawn.
17 dxc5
18 'iW xa4
Once again, on 1 8 tLlxa4? tLlxd5!
1 9 'ifxd5 ..txa l 20 tt xa l .l:t ac8
and Black wins material. On the

other hand, if 1 8 l:!.xa4 Black can
drive away the tLlc6, e.g. 1 8 . . .
tLld7 1 9 n a3 tLle5 20 tLla5 n ad8!
and Black has also activated all
his pieces.
The text move connects the
rooks which are ready to occupy
the b- and c-files.
18 tLld7
19 W' b3?
An inaccuracy which risks for­
feiting all of White's advantage. At
first sight it seems that the tactical
threats based on the advance d6
are crushing, but Black does have
a way out which White has over­
looked. The correct move was 1 9
W' a3!, keeping the black knight
tied down to the defence of the c­
pawn, after which 1 9 . . . c4? would
lose because of 20 d6.
19 .lixc6!
Black seizes the opportunity to
get rid of the embarrassing tLlc6.
Other possibilities would have
been inferior, e.g. 19 . . . tLle5? 20
d6 and wins or 1 9 . . . .lixc3 20
W' xc3 l:!. xe2 2 1 n ab l ! (threaten­
ing d6) 2 1 . . . .lixc6 22 dxc6 and
after the fall of the c-pawn White
has a winning position.
20 dxc6
The passed pawn on c6 embod­
ies the logical consequence ofWhi­
te's strategy directed at exploiting
The Fianchetto Centre
that square's weakness. Neverthe­
less, even at this late moment, if
Black had found the right way it
would have been difficult for the
passed pawn by itself to guarantee
victory.
20 tLlb6
Not 20 . . . tLle5? as Black must
control the d5 square.
21 n abl
( 1 04 )
104
B
The critical point. Now the cor­
rect line is 2 1 . . . c4! 22 "ira3 (22
W'xb6 'ifxb6 23 J:!. xb6 .lixc3 gives
a drawn ending) 22 . . . 'ife5! with
the idea of bringing the K B to the
aid of the queenside, e.g. 23 lHc 1
.lif8! followed b y . . . .lic5 and
even if White retains a certain
structural advantage, Black's pos­
ition has become much more
dynamic and aggressive.
21 n abS?!
This natural but inexact move
71
The Fianchetto Centre

enables White to correct the error 27 n bd 1 and although Black is

of his 1 9th move and regain the clearly in dire straits he can still
initiative. resist.
22 "lj'a3! 26 n b5

The attack against Black's que­ Preparing to double on the

enside pawns is as effective as it is b-file with gain of tempo.
simple.
26 a4
22 c4 27 ..tf3

22 . . . .ltd4 23 e3 tLlc4 24 tLld5! Played in order to free g2 for

tLlxa3 25 tLlxc7 lLl xb I 26 lLlxe8 the king as will become clear in
.!:t xe8 (or 26 . . . tLld2 27 lLld6! and the following variation.
wins) 27 exd4 tLlc3 28 d5 would
27 n ee8
give White a won ending.
Or 27 . . . n e6 28 .!:I. cb l a3 29
23 .!:t rel ..txc3
n xb6 n xb6 30 l!i xb6 a2 3 1
Black seizes the chance to win � b8 + ! 'ii' x b8 (if 3 1 . . . 1;g7 32
White's e-pawn. 'ii' b2 + etc.) 32 .Ihb8 + 1;g7 3 3
.!:t a8 .!:I. e l + 34 1;g2 (the crucial
24 �xc3
difference: if the bishop was on g2
Black would have obtained real Black would win) 34 . . . a l (Q) 3 5
chances of counterplay after 24 n xa l n xa l 36 c7 and wins.
.!:t xc3 .!:t xe2 25 "lj'xa6 'ii' e 5!
28 �c5
24 .!:t xe2
Preventing . . , a3 and threaten­
25 'ii' d 4!
ing n cb I . Black can resist no
Centralizing the queen and longer.
tying Black's pieces to the protec­
28 l!ie7
tion of the lLl b6.
29 c7 'i' xc5
25 a5? 30 n xc5 n bc8
31 ..tb7 lLld7
The final mistake which allows
32 .!:t 5xc4
White to increase the pressure on
1 -0
the b-file decisively. It was essen­
tial to play 25 . . . .!:t e5 26 .!:t e l n b5

72
3 The R est ricted
Ce ntre
Main Line: Knight Tour Variation
1 d4 ttJf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4 ttJc3
exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 ttJf3 g6 7 ttJd2
J.. g7 8 ttJc4 0-0 9 J.. g 5 'iif e7 10 e3
( 1 05 ).
105
B 1
White can also employ a restric­
ted centre in other situations. For
example, 1 d4 ttJf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6
.4 ttJc3 exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 ttJf3 g6
and now :
Knight Tour Variation
7 ttJd2 iL.g7 8 ttJc4 0-0 9 iL.f4
(or 9 .tg5 h6 1 0 �f4 ttJe8 1 1
'iif c l ) 9 . . . ttJe8 (or 9 . . . b6) 10 'lWd2
b6 1 1 e3
Uhlmann System
7 .,tg5 .,tg7 8 e3
The same type of centre can
also arise in the Queen Check
Variation (7 �f4 .,tg7 8 'iif a4 + ).
St rateg i c I d eas
Since the advance e4 somewhat
weakens the d4 square and also
gives Black a target on the e-file,
White may choose an alternative
strategy of first developing his
pieces (in particular the QB) before
deciding whether to play e3 or e4.
If White plays e4 then we obtain
the type of structure examined in
the first chapter and so we will
concentrate here on the strategic
implications of the Restricted Cen­
tre with e3.
After this advance the pawn
structure is as follows ( 106 J.
As noted previously, White's
main intention is to keep control
of d4 and try not to expose the
e-pawn to attack. But in the fol-
73
The Restricted Centre
1 ()6
lowing examination of the pawn
structure other considerations will
also become apparent.
The e4 squa re
As in the Fianchetto Variation,
the fact that the e4 square is free
can be useful to both players.
White can make use of it by the
QN to increase pressure on d6
( 1 07 ).
As we already remarked in the
preceding chapter, it is rare for
this kind of situation to occur in
the opening, but the possibility
74
must not be underestimated in the
middlegame or even the ending.
Black can use the e4 square to
pursue simplification by . . , tZle4
( 1 08 ).
lOR
As in the analogous variations
where White has fianchettoed the
KB, here too Black's manoeuvre
will generally be prepared by
moves such as . . , ne8 and/or . . .
.if5.
The v u l n e ra b i l ity of d 5
The lack of a pawn on e4 or a
bishop on g2 in the Restricted
Centre increases the vulnerability
of the pawn on d5. Consequently,
in these positions Black quite often
tries to put pressure on d5 by
manoeuvres such as . . . tZlb8-a6-
c7 ( 1 09).
The pressure on d5 can be
increased by the placing of the QB
on b7 after either . . . b6 or . . . b5.
Sometimes Black's QN will go to
b4 via a6 with the same intention.
 The Restricted Centre

Obviously, the advance of the

J 09
kingside pawns is a double-edged
weapon and favourable conditions
are generally necessary for its
implementation.

The b 1 -h7 d iagonal

A further strategic element which

is apparent from a consideration
ofthe pawn structure ofthe restric­
ted centre is that the b l -h7 diag­
As we will see later on, the absence
onal is relatively free. Either player
of a pawn on e4 may also suggest
may take possession of the diag­
to Black the idea of sacrificing his
onal with their bishop ( 1 1 1 ).
d�pawn thereby opening the file
and enabling the heavy pieces to
III
join in the attack on d5.

The m ob , l ity of B lack's

k i ngside pawns

Another appreciable difference

between the Classical and Restric­
ted Centres is White's complete
lack of control of f5 in the latter,
a factor which enhances the mobil­
ity of Black's kingside pawns
( 1 1 0). As we will see later on, White is
particularly interested in control­
ling the diagonal when Black has
weakened his kingside pawns by
. . . h6 and . . . gS.

The development of
White's OB

Given that White may play e3, he

needs to develop the QB and it
will go to either f4 or gS as can be

75
The Restricted Centre

seen from the variations listed at i.d7. The queen then retreats to
the beginning of this chapter. The b3 leaving Black's pawns on d6
position takes on different stra­ and b7 simultaneously undei'
tegic characteristics according to attack ( 1 1 3 ).
whether or not the bishop's devel­
opment is preceded by the
manoeuvre t2Jf3-d2-c4.

The i mmed i ate id4

Clearly, this development is logi­

cally connected with a plan of
creating pressure against Black's
d-pawn. However, we have
already seen (cf. diagram 5) that
when White first plays .Jtf4 and
then follows up with t2Jf3-d2 Black
can neutralize the intended attack
on d6 by playing . . . t2Jh5 before
White has time to complete his
knight manoeuvre. Thus when
White plays an immediate ..tf4
he generally tries to increase the
pressure on d6 by means of a
queen manoeuvre ( 1 1 2 J.
White plays 'iW a4 + essentially
forcing Black to reply with . . .
White wants to force ' " flc7,
which will cause Black some prob­
lems in the development of his
queenside since the obstruction of
d7 and c7 makes things awkward
for the QN. In addition, if Black's
queen goes to the h2-b8 diagonal
White will try to exploit the oppo­
sition of queen and bishop with a
quick e4-e5 breakthrough. Gener­
ally, in such lines where e4 is
played the game broadly takes
on the strategic outlines of the
Classical centre.
Things develop very differently
if Black decides to sacrifice his
d-pawn. This he can do in the
above diagrammed position by
immediately advancing his queen­
side pawns by . . . b5 intending,
after .i.xd6, to gain precious time
driving off the enemy pieces by . . .

76
 The Restricted Centre

'if b6 and . . . c4. In such lines White Protect i n g the d - pawn

will normally opt for a Restricted
The only way of protecting the
Centre since the advance e4 is
d-pawn is by playing ' " ttJe8
risky in view of Black's develop­
( 1 1 5 ).
ment advantage.

The delayed i.. f4

If White wants to link the develop­

ment of the QB to f4 with an
attack on d6 by the manoeuvre
tDf3-d2-c4, then he must transfer
the knight first in order to avoid
the defence . . . tDh5 in reply to
.i.f4 ( 1 1 4 ).

We can make some general

It would be mistaken for Black
to stop the threatened .tf4 by
playing . . . tDh5 since White would
then instantly switch plans and
play e4 followed by .te2 and
Black would have to lose time
retreating the knight. It is clear,
therefore, that Black cannot avoid
the impending attack on his d­
pawn and can only choose
whether to defend or sacrifice it.
observations about this type of
position :
( l ) Increasing the pressure on
d6 by tDe4 or ttJb5 fails for tactical
reasons (see below, 'Queenside
traps').
(2) Black is ready to profit from
the absence of a pawn on e4 and
chase the bishop by . . . g5 and . . .
f5.
(3) To prevent this threat, and
to increase the possibility of tDe4
or ttJb5, White plays 'ifd2.
(4) To reduce the pressure on
d6 Black generally has recourse
to the manoeuvre . . . b6 and
.ta6xc4.
Sac rificing the d - pawn
Instead of defending his d-pawn
Black may choose to sacrifice it,

77
The Restricted Centre
obtaining the initiative as a conse­
quence of the time lost by White
in accepting (116).
Black can ignore the attack on
his d-pawn by playing, for exam-
ple, . . . b6 intending to continue
with . . . Jta6. White cannot cap-
ture on d6 with the knight because
after tZJxd6 tZJh5, tZJxc8 tZJxf4, the
tZJc8 would be trapped. Thus
White is obliged to capture on d6
with the bishop, but after Jtxd6
n e8 ( 1 1 7)
the threat of . . . Jta6 forces White
to retreat his bishop if he wants
to avoid having to exchange it for
78
Black's undeveloped QN. After
i.g3 Black continues with . . . tZJe4
and White can hardly avoid
exchanging knights. The arrival of
the rook on e4 forces White to
play e3 in view of the double threat
. . . n xc4 and . . . :t d4 and at this
point Black confirms his initiative
with . . . b5 ( 1 1 8) .
118
White i s a pawn up, but his lack
of development and the pressure
against the pawns on b2 and d5
make it anything but easy for him
to keep his material advantage.
The i m med iate .tg5
The basic idea behind the immedi­
ate Jtg5 is to encourage Black to
weaken his kingside by . . . h6 and
. . . g5 in order to get out of the
annoying pin. Sooner or later,
Black normally decides to play . . .
h6 ( 1 1 9).
After White retreats the bishop
to h4, Black is obliged to follow
up with . . . g5 in order to free

himself from the pin. White then
retreats anew to g3 reinstating
the thematic pressure on d6 which
can be augmented by tDf3-d2-c4
and secured by e3 ( 1 20).
The point of the move e3 is to
control the square h 5 and prevent
Black eliminating the .ltg3 by
means of . . . lbf6-h5. The above
diagram shows the ideal effects
from White's point of view of his
pinning manoeuvre: Black has
weakened his king's position
without succeeding in eliminating
the enemy QB whereas White is
The Restrictea Centre
ready to increase the pressure on
d6 by lbc4 and take control of the
b l -h7 diagonal by .ltd3.
However, if Black frees himself
from the pin at the right moment
White cannot obtain such a posi­
tion, as he cannot avoid the simpli­
fying manoeuvre . . . lbf6-h5xg3
( 1 21 ) .
In this kind o f position White
exerts a certain amount of pressure
along the h-file, but the major
strategic theme centres around the
battle for control of the white
squares, particularly f5.
The delayed .lt g 5
White has attempted to improve
his pin's effect by carrying out
the lbf3-d2-c4 manoeuvre before
playing .ltg5 ( 1 22).
Now Black can no longer get
out of the pin and exchange the
QB by . . . h6, . . . g5 and . . . lbh5
because after the bishop retreats
to g3 it attacks d6. Consequently,
79
The Restricted Centre
in place of . , . lbh5 Black would
be obliged to defend by . . . lbe8.
In addition, after the advance
. . . h6 White has the option of
retreating to f4 obtaining an
identical position to that reached
in the postponed Jtf4 variation
except for the presence of Black's
h-pawn on h6 ( 1 23 ) .
Here, too, Black has the choice
between defending or sacrificing
his d-pawn. If he opts for defence
by . . . lbe8 then White can use the
pawn on h6 to introduce a new
attacking idea : he plays 'iWcl and
80
retreats the bishop to d2 after . . .
g5 ( 1 24 ).
To exploit the weakening of the
kingside thus induced it is logical
here for White to open up lines by
playing h4.
C h a l l en g i n g the lbc4
Black can avoid all these com­
plications in the line where White
delays the development of the QB
to g5 by challenging the lbc4
instead of compromising his king­
side by . . . h6 and . . . g5. One
method is to enlist the help of the
.i.c8 : in a position of the type
illustrated in diagram 1 22 Black
plays . . . 'iWe7, . . . b6, and . . . .ta6
( 1 25 ).
The move . . . 'iWe7 aims to pre­
vent lbe4 and allows Black to
defend d6 by . . . J:[ d8 if White
manages to increase the pressure
on d6 by manoeuvres such as
'iWd2-f4. Alternatively, Black can
challenge the lbc4 by calling up

the ttJb8: Black plays . . . 'lJie7 fol­
lowed by . . . ttJd7-eS ( 1 26).
Here the move . . . 'WIe7 is indis­
pensable as it not only prepares
the knight's path by protecting d6
but also enables Black to recap­
ture on eS with the queen should
White exchange knights.
2 Tact ica l I d eas ·
White has two basic plans avail­
able in the restricted centre : to pin
the K N by �gS, trying thereby
to induce the opponent to weaken
his kingside, or to pressurize the
The Restricted Centre
d6 pawn by .tf4. Normally, the
recurring tactical ideas in these
lines are based either on the subse­
quent exploitation of the weakness
of Black's king's position or on
the indirect defence of the d-pawn.
Attacki n g the black k i n g
When Black gets himself out of
the pin and exchanges White's QB
by playing . . . h6, . . . gS, and . . .
ttJhSxg3, a dangerous situation
can arise ( 1 27 ) .
White profits from the threat of
mate on h7 by playing ttJxgS. This
theme can also occur when White
has his KB on the b I -h7 diagonal
instead ofthe queen, in which case,
in favourable circumstances, after
ttJxg5 hxg5, .th7 + <;t;h8, the
.th7 will be able to deliver a
dangerous discovered check.
Queenside traps
When White plays the immediate
.tf4 in conjunction with the
81
The Restricted Centre

manoeuvre 'ii' a4 + -b3 in order to development of the QB to f4 and

attack both b7 and d6, the follow­ Black protects his d-pawn by . . ,
ing position can arise ( 1 28). tZle8 ( 1 30).

White cannot force matters by

..txd6 'ii' xd6, 'ii' x b7 because after
. . . 'ii' b 6, 'ii' x a8 'ii' x b2 ( 1 29) . . .
129
White dare not try to win the
d-pawn by playing tZle4 because
after ' " b5, tZlcxd6 tZlxd6, ..txd6
lI e8 Black obtains a winning posi­
tion. Neither does tZl b5 work as
after ' " ..td7, tZl bxd6 b5, tZlxe8
..txe8, tZle5 'ii' d6, tZld3 'ii' x d5
(131) . . ,

. . . Black obtains a winning pos­

ition, e.g. tZl d l 'ii' b4 + , tZld2 tZle4.
In similar situations, as we have
already seen, Black may decide to
sacrifice his d-pawn, and some­
times, in fact, this sacrifice actually
becomes a trap. For example, the
following position can arise in the . . . Black obtains a clear advan­
variation where White delays the tage.

82
 The Restricted Centre

3 I l l ustrative G a mes For 7 lLId2 see Game 1 0.

Game 9 7 .tg7
Grigorian-Kasparov
Black can also try the immedi­
Baku 1 980
ate 7 . . . h6, but in this case he
Uhlmann System
must be careful since after 8 .th4
1 d4 lLIf6 g5 9 .tg3 lLIh5 10 "it' a4 + the
2 c4 cS ripost 1 0 . . . .td7, for example,
3 dS e6 must take the following interesting
4 lLIc3 exdS sacrifice into account: 1 1 "it'e4 +
5 cxd5 d6 "it'e7 1 2 .txd6 "it'xe4 1 3 lLIxe4 f5
6 lLIf3 g6 1 4 .txf8 fxe4 1 5 .txc5 exf3 1 6
7 .tg S gxf3 with compensation for the
By developing his pieces before piece.
committing his pawns White 8 e3
keeps Black guessing about his
intentions concerning the central For 8 e4 see the note to White's
formation. As we already know, 8th move in Game I .
White's basic idea with the text 8 h6
move is to encourage Black to
loosen his kingside by . . . h6 and Black reacts at the right
. . . g5. Alternatively, White may moment not only to get out of the
opt for 7 .tf4 hoping to disorgan­ pin but also to make sure of getting
ize Black's set-up by means of the rid of the enemy QB. Delaying . . .
following queen manoeuvre : 7 . . . h6 would allow White to retain
.tg7 8 "it' a4 + .td7 9 "ifb3 and the bishop, e.g. 8 . . . 0-0 9 lLId2
now the most modern line - in and White's control of h5 prevents
place of 9 . . . "ifc7 1 0 e4 for which Black playing . . . lLIh5 as in the
see the note to Black's 7th move game.
in Game 2 - is 9 . . . b5!?, e.g. 1 0
9 .th4 g5
.txd6 (after 1 0 lLIxb5 .txb5! 1 1
10 .tg3 lLIh5 ( 1 32)
"ifxb5 + lLIbd7 1 2 .txd6 lLIe4 1 3
.te5 0-0 1 4 .txg7 cj;xg7 Black If White had played 8 e4 then
has tremendous compensation for he would now have the possibility
the sacrificed material) 1 0 . . . "it'b6 of playing the sharp 1 1 .tb5 +
1 1 .te5 0-0 1 2 e3 c4 1 3 "it' d 1 cj;f8 1 2 e5!? which we have
lLIa6 1 4 a3 lLIc5 with sufficient already indicated in White's 8th
compensation for the pawn. move in Game 1 . In the diag-

83
The Restricted Centre

( 1 ) 1 3 . . . �e7 1 4 tLld2 ltJe5 1 5

.t. f5 iL.xf5 1 6 'it' xf5 c4 1 7 we2
O-O? 1 8 ltJce4 b5? 19 : xh6! with
a winning attack.
(2) 1 3 . . . a6 14 a4 �e7 1 5 .t.f5
tLle5 1 6 a5 .t.xf5 1 7 'it'xf5 �d7 1 8
'W c2 O-O? 1 9 tLl xg5! etc.

11 ltJ xg3
12 hxg3 a6
13 g4
Hoping to control the white
rammed positlon, on the other squares on the kingside. Neverthe­
hand, White has no sharp continu­ less, 1 3 .t.d3 would have been a
ation available after 1 1 .Jtb5 + better means to the same end.
\tof8, and by itself the fact that
13 tLld7
Black has lost the right to castle
has no great importance especially 14 a4? ( 1 33)
as after . . . tLlxg3, hxg3 the II. h8 is
quite usefully placed.
11 tLld2

It is worth noting that in the

variations where White forgoes e4
the manoeuvre tLlf3-d2-c4 con­
tains the additional threat of a
rapid strike at d6 by tLle4. In place
of the text move White can also
try to exploit Black's kingside
weaknesses by means of the simple
developing move 1 1 iLd3. The An illogical follow-up to the
control of the b I -h7 diagonal in previous move which allows Black
conj unction with the coming to turn the g-pawn into a target
opening of the h-file can easily and thereby assume the initiative.
spell tactical dangcr for Black. White ought to have continued his
Two rather specific examples : 1 1 plan by 1 4 .t.d3, as the critical
.t.d3 tLlxg3 1 2 hxg3 tLld7 1 3 'it'c2 continuation 1 4 . . . tLle5 1 5 .t.f5
and now : iL.xf5 1 6 gxf5 tLld3 + 1 7 we2 is

84

not good for Black since on 1 7 ' "
lUxb2 comes 1 8 'iW b3.
14 lUeS
15 ..te2
White cannot bring himself to
play f3 but the move played con­
demns his queen and KB to the
protection of the g-pawn.
15 0-0
16 0-0 f5
Simple and good; the text move
considerably increases the activity
of Black's pieces.
17 gxf5 .i.xf5
18 lUde4 g4! ( 1 3 4 )
Black emerges victorious from
the opening phase. White's plan
to control the light squares on the
kingside has completely backfired
and the black pieces are poised to
initiate a violent attack against the
enemy king. The opening of the
d8-h4 diagonal by the text move
The Restricted Centre
enables the queen to join in the
attack at the right moment.
19 tLlg3 h5!?
Kasparov dreams up a fantastic
variation based on the sacrifice of
his h-pawn in order to penetrate
with his major pieces down the
h-file. If now 20 tLlxh5 there fol­
lows 20 . . . "ilfh4 2 1 tLlf4 1:H6 22 g3
'lWh7 23 cJi>g2 .i.c2! 24 n h l (if 24
'Wd2 n h6 25 n h l .i.e4 + and
wins) 24 . . . .1i.xd l 25 n xh7 .i.xe2
26 n xg7 + �xg7 27 tLlcxe2 n h8
with a winning position.
20 tLlxf5
Otherwise Black plays . . . .i.g6
after which the lOg3 becomes a
target for the further advance of
the h-pawn.
20 n xf5
21 tLle4 n f7?
A mistake which lets White
back into the game. To prevent the
game continuation Black should
have played 2 1 . . . .i.h6!, e.g. 22
lUg3 n f7 23 e4 'Wh4 24 n a3 (or
24 lOf5 n xf5 25 g3 - or 25 exf5
g3 with a winning attack - 25 . . .
'Wh3 26 exfS .i.e3!! and because
of the threat of ' " 'lWxg3 + Black
wins, e.g. 27 fxe3 'Wxg3 + 28 cJi> h l
'i+' h 3+ 2 9 <;t> g l g3 etc.) 2 4 . . . ..tf4
and Black retains the advantage.
85
The Restricted Centre

22 f4! 26 1:[ e8?

Forcing the capture en passant Black continues to play on the

as otherwise after 22 . . . lbg6? 23 opponent's time trouble and this
lbg5! the tables would be com­ could well have cost him the game.
pletely turned. The rook move plans an incorrect
combination which White proves
22 gxf3
incapable of refuting in the limited
23 i.xf3
time available. Black's immediate
With the disappearance of the threat is . . , lbxf3 + winning the
cramping g4 pawn White has lbe4.
gained vital space for defence.
27 .i.g2 1:[ xg3
23 .i.h6
Forced in view of lbf6 + .
24 "it'e2 "it' h4
25 g3! 28 lbxg3 lbg4 ( 1 35 )

Much better than 25 lbxd6 1:tf6

26 lbe4 lbxf3 27 J:1 xf3 1:[ xf3 28
ifxf3 (not 28 gxf3? �h8 etc.) 28
' " 1:[ f8 29 ifg3 + ifxg3 30 lbxg3
.i.xe3 + 3 1 <;f;>h2 (3 1 <,t>h1? 1:[ [4!
and wins) with a slightly advanta­
geous ending for Black.
25 1:[ g7?!

Black keeps the position as

complicated as possible in order
to profit from the opponent's time
trouble. The objectively correct
continuation was 25 . . . lbxf3 + 26
ifxf3 with equal chances.
1:[ f2!
26
White avoids 26 .i.g2?! 1:[ xg3
27 lbxg3 ifxg3 28 1:[ xa3 (not 28
"it'xh5? .i.xe3 + 29 <,t>h l <,t>g7
etc.) 28 . . . lbg4 29 1:[ f3 ifh2 + 30
<,t>fl .t:[ e8 etc.
In all likelihood both players
had overestimated the dangers of
the black knight's arrival on g4
and the consequent threats against
e3 and h2. In reality, White could
have defended in the diagrammed
position and retained a winning
material advantage. The correct
continuation was 29 lbf5 if h2 +
30 �fl .i.xe3 3 1 :r a3 ! and the
pin on Black's bishop would have

86
 The Restricted Centre

been fatal. In the game, however, (after . . . lLlb6 the knight would be
with his flag hanging, White makes exposed to the advance a4-aS) 9
a natural but losing move. lLlc4 lLlb6 1 0 lLle3! This position
was reached in the game Nimzow­
29 lLlf1?? ..txe3
itsch-Marshall, New York 1 927,
30 lLlxe3 'it' h2 +
in which the M odern Benoni made
0-1
its debut. There, however, the
White loses the queen after 3 1 order of moves was 7 . . . lLlbd7 8
c;t>fl lLlxe3 + 3 2 c;t>e 1 lLlc2 + etc. lLlc4 lLlb6 9 e4 ..tg7?! (the consist­
ent capture 9 . . . lLlxc4 would have
Game 1 0 given Black equal chances) 1 0
Petrosian-Nunn lLle3!
Hastings 1 97 7/78
8 lLlc4 0-0 ( 1 36)
Knight Tour Variation

1 d4 lLlf6
2 c4 c5
3 d5 e6
4 lLlc3 exd5
5 cxd5 d6
6 lLln g6
7 lLl d2
By carrying out the thematic
transfer of the KN to c4 first White
reserves all his options concerning
the QB's development and the
placing of the e-pawn. In this vari­ Here White has the choice
ation, therefore, Black must be between 9 .H4 and 9 ..tgS. In
ready to cope with an attack on both cases the fact that White has
his d-pawn. already transferred the KN to c4
represents an attempt to improve
7 ..t g7 on the immediate development of
The attempt to challenge the the QB on the 7th move. Now
lLlc4 by means of . . . lLlb8-d7-b6 Black is unable to counter ..tf4
can be well met by White with a with the thematic . . . lLlhS and
precise order of moves : 7 . . . lLlbd7 similarly on ..tgS, Black cannot
8 e4! (but not 8 lLlc4 lLl b6 and follow up . . . h6 and . . . gS with . . .
Black's idea succeeds) 8 . . . ..tg7 ltlhS, as we saw in the preceding

87
The Restricted Centre
game, because of the tempo gained
by the attack on d6 when White
retreats to g3.
9 iLg5
After 9 iLf4 Black must choose
between defending the pawn by 9
. . . 4:Je8 or sacrificing it with moves
like 9 . . b6 (the most explored
,
path), 9 . . . lbbd7 or 9 ' lba6.
"
9 h6
The modern tendency is to leave
the kingside pawns intact and con­
centrate on the removal of the 4:Jc4
by 9 . . "fie7 followed by . . . lbbd7-
. whatsoever whether Black's h­
e5 or ' " b6 and . . . iLa6, e.g.
1 0 e3 (Black has no particular
problems after 1 0 'ii' d2 b6 1 1 "fif4
J:!. d8) 1 0 . . . lbbd7 (or 1 0 . . . b6 1 1
a4 iLa6 with more or less equal
chances) 1 1 .t.e2 lbe5 1 2 4:Jxe5
"fixe5 with about equal prospects.
10 .t.f4
After 1 0 .t.h4 Black can try the
interesting 1 0 . . . "fid7!? with the
twin ideas of . . . 'ii' g4 and . . . b5,
e.g. 1 1 iLg3 (or 1 1 a4 "fig4 1 2
.t.xf6 "fixc4 1 3 .t.xg7 �xg7 1 4 a5
.i..d 7 1 5 e3 'lWb4 with a balanced
position) 1 1 . . . b5 1 2 lbxd6 b4 1 3
4:Ja4 lbh5 with a sharp position
where Black appears to have
sufficient compensation for the
pawn.
The text move transposes back
into the 9 .tf4 line with the differ-
88
ence that Black's h-pawn is on
h6. Should Black now decide to
protect his pawn by 10 ' " lbe8,
White can try to exploit this factor
by seeking a kingside attack by
means of 1 1 'ii' c 1 g5 (on 1 1 . . . �h7
comes 1 2 lbb5 with advantage) 1 2
.t.d2 followed by h4.
10 b6
Nunn prefers to avoid the
defensive line indicated above and
decides instead to sacrifice the d­
pawn. In the game continuation
it makes virtually no difference
pawn is on h7 or h6.
11 iLxd6
1 1 lbxd6? lbh5 1 2 lbxc8 lbxf4
would cost White a piece.
11 J:!. e8
The idea of Black's sacrifice is
based essentially on two factors.
Firstly, that the capture of the
pawn and retreat of the bishop
costs White two tempi which
Black can use to activate his king­
side pieces, and secondly that the
disappearance of the d6 pawn
leaves White's d-pawn open to
attack down the file.
12 iLg3
Eschewing 1 2 .i.. xb8? J:!. xb8,
which would leave Black with a
massive advantage in develop-

ment, and parrying the threatened
�a6.
12 "2Je4
The key to Black's sacrifice.
White is practically forced to
exchange knights, thereby opening
up pressure on b2 from Black's
KB which can be augmented by
the transfer of the rook to b4.
13 "2Jxe4 J:!. xe4
14 e3
The only way both to protect
the knight and avoid 1 4 ' " J:!. d4.
14 b5
15 "2Jd2
Alternatively, White can play 1 5
"2Jd6 J:!. b4 1 6 .te2 (but not 1 6
i.xb5? Af8! 1 7 .i.c6 .ta6 1 8
"tII' d2 - 1 8 .txa8 J:!. xb2 wins -
1 8 . . . "2Jxc6 1 9 dxc6 "li' f6 20 "iWc3
"iWe6 with clear advantage to
Black) 1 6 . . . .i.xb2 and now
White can choose between 1 7 0-0,
since 1 7 . . . .txa l ?! 1 8 "tII' xa l
would clearly be promising for
White on account of Black's vul­
nerable kingside, and 1 7 J:!. b 1
.i.c3 + 1 8 <ot>fl .! h b l 1 9 "iWxbl a6
20 h4 with a very sharp and
unclear position. The text move is
the most common, perhaps
because White's position looks
more compact with the knight on
d2.
The Restricted Centre
IS It b4 ( 1 3 7 )
One o f the most critical pos­
itions in this variation, which at
various times has been assessed as
favourable to both players. In view
of the threats against b2 and d5,
White can hardly hope to preserve
his material advantage but he is
no longer so much behind in devel­
opment and, moreover, Black's
rook is rather awkwardly placed
on the fifth rank.
The theoretical dispute over this
position is still in progress. The
great merit of Petrosian's conduct
of the present game is in the persu­
asive simplicity with which he
demonstrates how White can
return the material in order to
break Black's initiative.
16 b3!
Merely a temporary sacrifice, in
fact, as with the subsequent devel­
opment of his KB White snares
89
The Restricted Centre

the n b4 and obliges Black to

return the exchange.
16 �xal?

This produces a chronic weak­

ening of Black's kingside which
White exploits with a truly mas­
terly orchestration of his pieces.
Later on it was discovered that
Black's correct path is 1 6 . . . c4!
1 7 bxc4 ( 1 7 a3? J:t xb3 1 8 tLlxb3
cxb3 is very good for Black) 1 7 . . . 23 f3! 'if e6
bxc4 1 8 ..txc4 ..txa I 1 9 'it'xa 1 24 tLle4 n d8
�e6 when the position is unclear 25 tLlxc5! "iWxe3 +
and offers chances to both players. 26 �f2 "iWe7
27 n el 'ifc7
17 �xal �xd5
28 h4 h5
18 a3 J:t g4
29 tLle4
1 8 . . n xb3 is met by 1 9 Ji.e2.
Threatening 30 tLlf6 + <;1;[8 3 1
.

19 ..te2 tLlc6 .,tc5 + . Black's reply, as with

20 .H3! most of the preceding moves, is
forced.
A finesse which forces Black to
29 tLle7
recapture on g4 with the queen.
30 tLlf6 + <;t>fS
20 �e6 31 b4! ( 1 39 )
21 �xg4 � xg4
22 0-0 �b7 ( 1 38)
139
The position has clarified in B
White's favour largely due to the
presence of opposite-coloured
bishops which accentuates the
weakness of Black's king's pos­
ition. It takes Petrosian just thir­
teen powerful and artistic moves
to convert this advantage into vic­
tory.

90
 The Restricted Centre

To all intents and purposes the 32 tbxhS! gxhS

coup de grace, setting up the con­ 33 'il'h8 + lZJg8
cluding combination which Black 34 .li.. cS + .l:[ d6
is powerless to avoid. 35 'i¥e5
1 -0
31 .tc8
So as to meet 32 iLc5 with 32
' " .i.e6.

91
 Part Two

The B enko G a m bit

4 The Sta n dard Ce ntre
After 1 d4 lLlf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4
cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 ..txa6 ( 1 40) . . .
. . . we obtain the basic position
of the Benko Gambit Accepted,
where Black has positional com­
pensation in return for the sacri­
ficed pawn. The two most
important variations now are :
King's Walk Variation
6 lLlc3 d6 7 e4 ..txfl 8 �xfl
Fianchetto System
6 g3
1 Strateg i c I d eas
Black's compensation can be sum­
marized as follows:
( 1 ) Black's advantage in devel­
opment.
(2) The vulnerability of White's
pawns on a2 and b2 which can be
attacked along the a- and b-files
and along the diagonals h8-a 1
and g8-a2.
(3) White's difficulties in devel­
oping given the pressure along the
a6-ft diagonal which discourages
e4 and the inevitable pressure
against b2 which ties down the
..tel .
These factors make it very
difficult, if not impossible, for
White to carry out his natural
plan of the central advance e4-e5.
The difficulty White encounters in
finding a harmonious plan which
is not merely defensive is in stark
contrast to the ease with which
Black can purposefully develop his
forces.
B lack's p l a n of
development
From the position in diagram 1 40
Black's basic plan of development,
as efficient as it is direct, is as
follows : the fianchetto of the KB
95
The Standard Centre

(. . . g6 and . . . Ag7) followed by this latter case, too, it may even

castling, the placing of the QN
on d7 ( . . . d6 and . . . t2Jbd7), the
development of the queen along
the d8-a5 diagonal (on c7, b6, or
a5) and the transfer of the KR to
b8 ( 1 4 1 ).
happen that the knights switch
roles : . . . t2J b8-a6-c7 and . . . t2Jf6-
d7.
The possibility of the advance
. . . c4 also features constantly in
Black's plans. This may be useful
simply for freeing c5 and exploit­
ing a possible weakness on d3, or
alternatively for breaking up a
defensive structure where White
has played b3. Finally, a doubling
of the rooks on either the a- or b­
file may be conclusive in winning
back one of the white pawns.

Favo u rable e n d i ngs for

Black
Here Black generally has
If Black regains his pawn he can
recourse to the manoeuvre . . .
invariably count on obtaining a
t2Jf6-e8-c7-b5 in order to activate
very favourable ending since
the Jt.. g7 and increase his pressure
White's remaining queenside pawn
on the queenside, but not infre­
will be a real weakness ( 1 42).
quently - especially when White
has weakened d3 by the advance
e4 - this knight also goes to e5
via either g4 or d7. As for the QN,
from d7 it can join in the pressure
on the enemy queenside pawns by
means of the manoeuvre . . . t2Jd7-
b6-c4 (or -a4). It should also be
noted that in the variation where
the white-squared bishops are
exchanged early on after e4 and . . .
Axfl , Black may decide instead to The diagram illustrates a hypo­
develop the QN on a6 in order to thetical skeleton of an ending
pressurize both the pawn on a2 where Black has regained the b­
and the square d3 by . . . t2J b4. In pawn. Both sides have passed

96

pawns, but whereas White's, on
a2, � despite being an outside
passed pawn -- is isolated and
therefore weak, Black's on c5 � tension on the a6�f1 diagonal. He
despite being quite central � is
protected and therefore strong.
Similar considerations apply when
White has lost the a-pawn instead
and remains with the b-pawn.
More surprisingly, it should be
observed that Black can also usu­
ally be happy to enter an ending
where White retains his extra
pawn but has been induced to
weaken his queenside structure by
a3 ( 1 43 ).
Normally the weakness on b3
is sufficient for Black to immobil­
ize the b-pawn and, in fact, an
exchange of queens fails to
diminish Black's pressure in the
slightest.
The mob i l izat i o n of Wh ite's
kingside
As we have already remarked,
White finds it as difficult to mobil-
The Standard Centre
ize his kingside as his queenside,
but logically the most pressing
problem is that concerning the
must choose between following
the natural plan of central expan­
sion (ttJc3 and e4) and thereby
giving up castling, or forgoing �
or at least considerably delay­
ing � the e4 advance, opting
instead to prepare castling by
fianchettoing the KB. In addition
to these two methods, which are
much the most common in prac­
tice, there exists a conceptual
hybrid which we will examine later
on.
As far as the mobilization of the
queenside is concerned, to a large
extent White's options are linked
to the decisions taken on the king­
side and we will therefore examine
them both together.
Wh ite g ives up cast l i ng
When White plays e4 and permits
the exchange of light-squared
bishops, thereby losing the right
to castle, he is obliged to find a
way to castle artificially in order
to activate the J:!. h r ( 1 44 ) .
By far the most common system
is to play ttJf3 in conjunction with
g3 thus freeing g2 for the king
( 1 45 ).
White's idea is to get the KR
into play on el as quickly as
97
The Standard Centre

1 44
and the examples given below are
valid for both.
One other possibility for White
in the type of position outlined in
diagram 144 is to make way for
the king by g4 in which case the
KR may be used quite differently
( 1 46).

146

145

Should Black castle prema­

turely, White intends to blitz the
black king by storming the king­
side with his pawns, after which
possible in order to try to make the
there are possibilities of bringing
central break e5. The drawback of
the queen to the h-file via g4 or
this plan, however, is that it further
£3, and developing the KN on g3
weakens the white squares. Conse­
via e2. It should be noted that
quently, White has even tried play­
this plan has not yet been played
ing h3 instead of g3 and continuing
sufficiently to reliably assess its
with 'it;>gl -h2 with the same idea
worth.
of playing n e l as soon as possible.
However, this manoeuvre costs an
The central b reakthrough
extra tempo which, at this stage
e4-e5
of the game, and given that White
is already behind in development, When White plays his KR to e t ,
is probably more of a problem the intention i s t o try and effect
than the defects of g3. In any case, the central breakthrough e4-e5
these lines follow the same strategy ( 1 4 7 ).

98

147
It should not be thought that
the execution ofthis plan automat­
ically constitutes a success for
White, however, as the efficacy of
the e5 advance is directly pro­
portional to the solidity of the
queenside.
The central breakthrough is
best seen as a means of re-estab­
lishing positional parity rather
than the beginning of a violent
assault on the black king. In other
words, the aim is to weaken the
opponent's pawn structure, hop­
ing thereby to be able to distract
him from his incessant pounding
of the a- and b-pawns. Once White
has played e5, Black cannot avoid
a downgrading of his pawn struc­
ture since capturing by . . . dxe5
leaves the pawns on e7 and c5
weak, whilst not capturing leaves
d6 weak after exd6 exd6. In the
latter case, White also obtains the
open e-file which is useful for
exchanging the heavy pieces.
The Standard Centre
The struggle for control of
e5
In view of the preceding ideas, it
is not surprising that both players
pay particular attention to the
control of e5. White may develop
the QB on f4 or g5, in the latter
case pinning the tDf6 against the
e-pawn should it be undefended,
whilst Black may manoeuvre his
knights to converge on e5 or at
least move the KN thereby
uncovering the KB ( 1 48).
Black is ready, after .ltg5, to
defend his e-pawn passively with
the KR, if needs be, to enable
his KN to move. Similarly, White
often decides to sacrifice a tempo
in playing h3 in order to keep e5
from falling into Black's hands.
In addition to the way indicated
in the diagram, it should be
remembered that Black's knights
can also converge on e5 in rather
more elaborate fashion by
tDd7-b6-c4 and . . . tDf6-d7.
99
The Standard Centre
The weakness of the
squa res d 3 a n d d4
If Black establishes a knight on e5
it can serve as a springboard to
exploit the sensitive square d3
( 1 49 J.
149
Here Black can either fix the d3
square with his pawn by . . . c4
(which may also be useful for free­
ing c5 for a lLId7), or use the queen
to converge on it with his pieces.
As can easily be imagined, the
conquest of d3 nearly always rep­
resents a great strategic success
for Black, whether simply from the
positional point of view or because
of the extra pressure exerted on
the b-pawn.
Another weakness which Black
can try to exploit is the d4 square,
to occupy which he generally uses
the manoeuvre . . . lLIf6-e8-c7-
b5-d4 ( 1 50 J.
In addition, the QN can carry
out a very similar manoeuvre by
lLIb8-a6-c7-b5-d4 and of
1 00
1 5()
course the KB also plays its part
in the occupation of d4. White will
not normally allow a black knight
to install itself on d4 and will
exchange it in transit on b5. This
simplification, however, lays bare
the vulnerable b2 pawn.
It will be observed that the
weakness of the d4 and d3 squares
is a direct result of White's
decision to pursue the plan of
central expansion with e4.
The ma noeuvre J:r h1 -e1 -e2
and the mobi l i zation of the
q ueenside
White's biggest problem on the
queenside is the defence of the b­
pawn which usually cannot be
advanced because of discovered
attacks on the long diagonal
against the J:!. a 1 . Faced with
Black's pressure down the b-file
and the necessity of mobilizing
his queenside, White is obliged to
protect his b-pawn and the most

usual way of doing this is to con­
tinue the manoeuvre of the KR
with 1: e2 ( 1 5 1 ).
Thus White is able to develop
the QB and at the same time frees
a safe square (e l ) for possible use
by the queen which in turn would
enable the QR to be centralized.
Of course, this rook manoeuvre is
not the only way for White to
unravel his queenside. Sometimes,
for example, he may defend the b­
pawn by placing the queen on e2
or c2, or even by simply playing
1: b l .
P ressure a g a i nst the pawns
on b2 a n d e4
Black will naturally do all he can
to keep White tied down to the
defence of his pawns so as to
prevent him from completing his
development. There are two basic
methods of increasing the pressure
against b2 : doubling the rooks on
the b-file, or bringing a knight to
c4 or a4 ( 1 52).
The Standard Centre
Black can prepare to double
rooks by playing . . . 1: b4, which
also puts pressure on e4 and
increases the possibilities of occu­
pying d4. The two possible destin­
ations of the knight contain
different subsidiary ideas: when
the knight goes to c4 it may also
have designs on e5, and when it
goes to a4 it can also serve to
undermine the tDc3. In fact, White
usually answers . . . tDa4 by tDc3-
d 1 so as not to help the opponent
double his rooks. This also not
only enables White to use Black's
own knight as a shield on the a­
file, but also prepares a possible
transfer to e3 from where the
knight may prove useful either on
the queenside (c4) or the kingside
(g4).
Pressure a g a i nst the pawns
on a2 and d 5
Black can also organize pressure
simultaneously against the pawns
on a2 and d5 by playing . . . 1: a8-
101
The Standard Centre
a7 and . . . 'ilt'd8-a8 ( 1 53 ).
The object of the pressure on
a2 is self-evident, whereas that on
d5 acts more subtly as a prophy­
lactic against White's central e5
breakthrough and also creates a
favourable opposition of queen
and king on the long diagonal.
Black can sometimes increase his
pressure on the a8-h1 diagonal in
general, and on d5 in particular,
by playing either . . . e6 or . . . f5 at
the right moment. It should be
noted that the black queen may
also exert pressure on the long
diagonal from b7.
Blockad i ng the a- and b­
f i les
The ideal way for White to escape
from Black's constant pressure
down the a- and b-files is by setting
up a blockade. This possibility
normally arises at a later stage of
the game when it may be achieved
1 02
by means of the advances b3 and
a4 coupled with 1lJ b5 ( 1 54).
154
It should not be thought, how­
ever, that this defensive formation
by itself automatically resolves all
White's problems. Black still has
the possibility of undermining the
blockade by means of . . . c4, and
therefore White's set-up only
becomes really solid when he also
has c4 or a4 under control.
Wh ite fia nchettoes
on the kingside
Returning to diagram 1 40, the
simplest way for White to get
castled is to fianchetto the K B
( 1 55 ) .
Whilst the fianchetto success­
fully solves White's most immedi­
ate problems, it implies giving up
the natural plan of central expan­
sion, as this would weaken the
white squares. Having given the
a6-fl diagonal to Black, the d3

155
square would he particularly weak
and easily exploited by a knight
on e5 ( 1 56).
156
It should not be forgotten that
the advance e4 also permanently
weakens d4 which can be reached
by Black's KB and knights via c7
and b5.
Thus it is not surprising that it
is quite exceptional for White to
implement this plan, and if he does
it will need to be prepared very
carefully with moves such as h3
trying to keep Black from getting
a knight to e5.
The Standard Centre
Given that White himself is in
no hurry to play e4 after fianchet­
toing, Black will try to force him
to do so by pressurizing d5.
P ressu re a g a i nst d5
Black can bring pressure to bear
on d5 with various standard
manoeuvres which simultaneously
pursue other important objectives
( 1 57 ).
For example, ' " ll a7 combined
with ' " "!Was also puts pressure
on a2. The same applies to the
provocative . . . J/.c4, whilst the
posting of a knight on b6 may
prelude the occupation of c4 with
consequent pressure on h2. In
addition, should the thematic
manoeuvre . . . lLlf6-e8-c7 (-b5) be
halted on c7, the protection of d5
may be diminished by the radical
. . . .txc3. Despite the obvious
positional drawbacks of this cap­
ture, it is sometimes possible for
Black to regain the gambited pawn
1 03
The Standard Centre
in this way without necessarily
losing all his initiative.
The vulnerability of d5 is greater
when White develops his KN on
the natural f3 square instead of
h3, which is more artificial but
better suited to the protection of
dS.
Protect i ng d 5 after lbf3
When White has played lbf3 he
will generally follow up with lbd2
in order to protect d5 with the
KB. Having blocked the defensive
action of the queen, however, he
may be obliged to continue his
defensive manoeuvre further by,
for example, n e l and lbfl (-e3)
according to the amount of press­
ure on d5 ( 1 58).
In optimal conditions White
can sometimes use the rook on e 1
to revert to his basic plan of a
central breakthrough with e4-e5.
Alternatively, White may some­
times opt for the placement 'it'c2
1 04
and n fd 1 i f the prospects for the
rook on e l do not look too good.
Queenside development
combi ned with b2-b3
As we saw in diagram 1 57, Black's
manoeuvres are not solely directed
at encouraging White to protect
d5 by playing e4 but also fulfil the
function of pressurizing the queen­
side pawns. Naturally, White is
not going to stand idly by while
all this is going on.
Assuming that sooner or later
Black will need to uncover the
action of his heavy pieces down
the a- and/or b-files by removing
the i.. a6 and/or lbb6, it is readily
understandable that their most
suitable destination is c4. In view
of this, the potentially paralysing
effect of the simple advance b3 is
clear ( 1 59).
1 59
In preparation of the b3
advance, White naturally needs to
take the commonsense precaution

of removing his QR from the long
diagonal in order to avoid various
discovered attacks. The basic idea
is to contest the long black diag­
onal and develop the queenside by
means of �b2 followed by .tal if
necessary (see below : The pseudo­
sacrifice . . . .l:r xb2'). Although the
control of c4 afforded by b3
reduces Black's options, he still
has plenty of strategic weapons in
his arsenal such as . . . tZ:le8-c7-b5
or . . . i.c8-f5 (this latter especially
when White has played "lWc2 and
.l:r fd l ).
Black will of course try to pre­
vent the formation of the defensive
structure shown in the above diag­
ram, for example by playing ' "
'tW a5 in order to prevent b3 ( 1 60 ).
In this kind of position White
can try to play b3 by first protect-
ing the tZ:lc3 by .i.d2, retreating
to e I if necessary. Even here, how-
ever, Black may continue with
the manoeuvre . . . tZ:le8-c7-b5,
The Standard Centre
and sometimes it is possible to
play . . . i.. x c3 followed by . . .
'tWxa2.
No matter where Black has
placed his queen, he should always
bear in mind the possibility of
playing . . . c4 as long as White is
not able to block the queenside
with b4.
The b4 adva nce
The accomplishment of the b4
advance can generally be consid­
ered a strategic success for White
even if it does not close up the
queenside. Thus there are basically
two types of structure which are
favourable to White ( 1 6 1 ).
This kind of position is norm-
ally very promising, and if White
succeeds in securely blockading
Black's c-pawn whilst at the same
time retaining the mobility of his
own a-pawn, then Black will be
strategically lost.
1 05
The Standard Centre
The more fluid situation in the
next diagram is also strategically
favourable for White ( 1 62).
White has already favourably
altered the pawn structure to
avoid the dangers indicated earlier
(see 'Favourable endings for
Black') and no matter how Black
reacts White is well placed to con­
vert his extra pawn.
It goes without saying that these
concepts are merely a general
guide and it must always be
remembered that specific situ­
ations demand concrete analysis.
The manoeuvre �c1 -b2-c3
As was made clear in diagram 1 6 1 ,
when White plays b 3 h e should
ideally be ready to meet . . . c4 with
b4. Not surprisingly, however, this
is not always possible as Black
often has b4 under control (see,
for example, diagram 1 60). The
best way for White to try and
ensure that things will go his way
106
is to manoeuvre his bishop to c3
as quickly as possible. This can
only be achieved by forgoing the
natural development of the QN
and answering Black's kingside
fianchetto with an immediate
queenside fianchetto followed, at
the appropriate moment, by �c3
( 1 63 ) .
Once the QB reaches c 3 White
will be ready to meet any . . . c4
advance with b4. With this rapid
manoeuvre White establishes a
favourable tension on the long
diagonal, in contrast to that which
obtains in situations of the type
illustrated in diagram 1 59. How­
ever, the active placing of the QB
has some negative repercussions,
not only for the QN, which is
obliged to find a less active devel­
opment, but also for the d-pawn
which lacks the QN's support. To
remedy this latter problem, White
must resort to a somewhat arti­
ficial development of the KN.

The ma noeuvre tLlg1 -h3-f4
As has just been indicated, the
basic idea behind this manoeuvre,
when it is linked with the fian­
chetto of the Q B, is to protect d5
( 1 64).
1 64
In such positions, the tLlf4 can
easily be secured by meallS of
h4 if necessary. White can also
manoeuvre his KN to f4 without
fianchettoing the QB, in which
case he may also try to use the
advance of the h-pawn to weaken
g6 and develop an attack on the h­
file by means of h4-h5xg6 ( 1 65 ) .
1 65
The Standard Centre
Although it is difficult for White
to transfer the queen to the h­
file, he can nevertheless usefully
increase the pressure on the enemy
king by placing it on the b 1 -
h 7 diagonal. He can also weaken
Black's king's position in general,
and h7 in particular, by exchang­
ing his QN for the tLlf6. Black's
king will also be weakened if he
decides either to answer h5 by . . .
g5 or to prevent h5 by playing . . .
h5 himself. In this latter case, as
also after the opening of the h-file,
White will constantly be looking
at a possible tLlf4-e6 sacrifice after
which, according to circum­
stances, he may either simply cap­
ture on g6 with the queen or on
e6 with the pawn thereby opening
the long white diagonal.
These attacking ideas are
necessarily general and are there­
fore by no means assured of suc­
cess. Nevertheless, Black must not
underestimate the potential
danger and the need to defend
with care, using little finesses like
the rapid centralization of the QN
on e5 - taking advantage of the
fact that the placing of White's tLlf4
makes it safe - and/or delaying
castling.
The hybrid attempt
Returning once more to the pos­
ition in diagram 1 40, another
1 07
The Standard Centre
attempt by White to solve the
problem of the tension on the a6-
f1 diagonal should also be noted.
This is a hybrid conception where­
by White tries to carry out his
natural plan of central expansion
(by tZJc3 and e4) and at the same
time maintain the possibility of
castling. The idea is to first play
tZJgl -f3-d2 and only then play
e2-e4 ( 1 66).
The intention is to recapture on
fl with the knight and then play
tZJe3 so as to be able to castle. The
game would then basically follow
the same strategy as in the lines
where White plays e4. The whole
manoeuvre is clearly rather tortu­
ous and time-consuming, how­
ever, and thus little played.
2 Tact i c a l I d eas
As one can well imagine, the
majority of the tactical themes in
the Standard Centre come from
Black, which is not surprising
108
given that he has sacrificed a pawn
in order to increase the dynamism
of his position.
It goes almost without saying
that in the middlegame the tactical
ideas multiply exponentially -
assuming in this case very specific
characteristics - and in what fol­
lows we necessarily restrict our­
selves to those themes which recur
and are applicable in various situ­
ations.
The pseudo -sacrifice
. . . n xb2
The most common tactical theme.
It can arise in various ways either
in the lines where White gives up
castling or in those where White
fianchettoes his KB. Here are
some examples ( 1 6 7 ).
167
The diagram shows the theme in
one of its most elementary forms :
Black plays . . . n xb2! and after
n xb2 there comes . . . .i.xc3 ( 1 68).
 The Standard Centre

1 68
Black, but it may well also be
playable with the bishop on a
different square) and Black has
placed his queen on a5. From the
diagram, Black plays . . . n xb2!,
"iWxb2 tLlxe4 ( 1 70) . . .

1 70

In this case Black merely regains

his pawn, but, as we have already
seen, the majority of endings are
very favourable for him.
It is worth noting, in passing,
that this combination can also
work with different placements of . . . and at the very least Black
White's rooks (for example, .l:I. b 1 regains the sacrificed material.
and n e 1 ), and can even be carried This combination can also
out when b2 is protected by appear in a slightly modified form
White's queen if the tLlc3 is when White has fianchettoed
attacked sufficiently ( 1 69). queenside ( 1 71 ).

171

White must be particularly care­ Black can weaken the

ful when he has played .tg5 (this opponent's defensive shield by
makes the combination good for playing . . . c4 since bxc4? is not

1 09
The Standard Centre

possible on account of . . . .tr xb2, Preventi ng the centra l

1Wxb2 .lixc3 with a positionally breakt h ro u g h
favourable simplification for
Another tactical theme arises
Black.
when Black simultaneously exerts
pressure on both long diagonals
I n d i rect defence
( 1 73 ).
of the e 7 pawn

White sometimes tries to take

advantage of the lack of protection
cf the e7 pawn by playing .lig5.
He must be careful, however, as if
the d6 pawn is protected by a
piece the e-pawn can be defended
indirectly ( 1 72 ) .

1 72

In such conditions White must

be careful not to proceed too hast­
ily with his central breakthrough
with e5? dxe5, tDxe5 tDxe5, .tr xe5,
having decided that he has nothing
to fear from a discovered attack on
the long black diagonal, because in
fact after . . . ti:Jxd5! White loses the
exchange, e.g. .tr xd5 e6 ( 1 74 ) . . .
In this type of position, for
example, Black can answer 1 74
White's attack on e7 by ' " h6 as
after .lixe7 .tr e8, 3I.h4 g5 White
is forced to give up a piece for
three pawns. Even though in the
end there may be equality from
the material point of view, pos­
itionally it is clear that in the initial
phase of the game the piece is
qualitatively superior.

1 10

·. . and the pin on the long white
diagonal condemns the rook.
The boomerang trap
When White fianchettoes the KB
there sometimes arises the appar­
ently attractive possibility of lur­
ing the black queen into a trap by
using the QN as bait ( 1 75 ).
In order to develop the QB on
b2 as quickly as possible, White
may be tempted by the possibility
of playing b3? expecting to trap
the queen after . , . it'xc3, �d2
( 1 76 ).
The Standard Centre
But things boomerang spec­
tacularly after . . . �xe2!, "ii xe2
l ha2 ( 1 77).
The tactical sequence finishes
with White two pawns down.
I n d i rect defence
of the d 5 pawn
White's most common tactical
themes are defensive traps aimed
at protecting this or that pawn.
These mostly occur when White
has fianchettoed kingside ( 1 78).
1 78
At first sight it seems that Black
can win a pawn with . . , �c4, but
III
The Standard Centre

in fact White can protect both J IiO

pawns by playing a3. Now . . .
ttJxd5? would cost a piece after
ttJd2! ( 1 79 ) . . .

g6, the opening of the long diag­

onal, and the dangerous pawn on
e6.

3 I l l u strative G a m es
Game II
. . . and . . . �xd5?!, ttJxd5 ttJxd5
Spassky-Vaganian
would allow White to exploit the
Linares 1 985
awkward pin on the long diagonal
King's Walk Variation
by, for example, ttJd2 e6, ttJc4
followed by e4, regaining the pawn 1 d4 ttJf6
advantageously. 2 c4 c5
3 d5 b5
The sacrifice lLJe6 4 cxb5 a6
5 bxa6 .ltxa6
The preconditions for a typical
knight sacrifice are fulfilled when From time to time Black has
White fianchettoes the K B and experimented with the attempt to
follows up with the manoeuvre totally destroy the enemy centre
ttJg l -h3-f4 ( 1 80). by 5 . . . e6. One possible continu­
This idea occurs quite fre­ ation is 6 ttJc3 ttJxd5 7 ttJxd5 exd5
quently in various situations and 8 'iW xd5 lLJc6 9 ttJf3 .fie7 10 ttJe5!?
therefore it is impossible to ident­ 0-0 1 1 ttJxc6 bxc6 1 2 "tW xd8 .:: xd8
ify a standard combination. With 1 3 e3 .ltf6 14 .fic4 .fixa6 1 5
this example, therefore, we have .ltxa6 n xa6 1 6 <i;>e2 c4! and
simply sought to illustrate the despite the pawn minus and
compensation White obtains after doubled pawns it seems that Black
ttJe6 fxe6, dxe6 : the weakness on can hold the position.

1 12

Black can also consider post­
poning the capture on a6 by play­
ing . . . g6, which not only reserves
the possibility of taking on a6 with
the knight, but also, more subtly,
seeks to outwit White concerning
the move order. The main idea is
to avoid one of White's possible
set-ups in the Fianchetto System,
and therefore we consider the
implications of this variation in
the note to Black's fifth move in
Game 1 2. In this game we will
concentrate on the variations
where White quickly plays e4,
thereby losing the right to castle
and sending his king for a walk.
6 lLlc3 d6
7 e4
As we have already pointed out,
White can also try to have it both
ways (playing e4 and retaining
castling rights) by playing lLlg l ­
f3-d2 i n order to be able to recap­
ture on f1 with the knight after
playing e4, thus keeping the right
to castle. This plan is not popular,
however, partly because White's
manoeuvre is a bit tortuous, and
partly because Black has more
than one satisfactory reply. For
example, 7 lLlf3 g6 8 lLld2 Jt.. g7
(Black can also throw a spanner
in the works with 8 . . . 'ir'a5, pre­
venting e4, and obliging White
either to transpose to the Fianch­
etto System or lose even more time
The Standard Centre
with 9 f3) 9 e4 "txfl (simply 9 . . .
0-0 is also playable, e.g. t o "txa6
lLlxa6 1 1 0-0 ti:\d7 1 2 ti:\c4 ti:\c7 1 3
'iYe2 'Wb8 1 4 "td2 ti:\ b5) 1 0 ti:\xfl
0-0 1 1 ti:\e3 ti:\bd7 1 2 0-0 'ir' b6 1 3
'ir'c2 .l:t fb8 1 4 .Il b l lLle8 1 5 "td2
'tWa6 1 6 b3 ti:\c7 with balanced
chances.
White has also experimented
with 7 f4, aimed at trying to speed
up a central breakthrough, e.g. 7
. . . g6 8 ti:\f3 "tg7 9 e4 "txfl 1 0
.l:t xfl 0-0 ( t o . . . 'ir' b6 would cut
across White's plans somewhat
and make it more difficult for him
to carry out his artificial castling)
1 1 wf2 ti:\bd7 1 2 �gl with a
double-edged position.
7 "txfl
8 c;.t>xfl g6
White's most sensible plan here
is to get his king into safety with
9 g3 as soon as possible so as to be
able to implement the manoeuvre
.l:t h l -e 1 -e2 and see to his queen­
side development. A more aggress­
ive version of this plan, aimed at
making use of the KR on its
original square, has also been
tried: 9 g4 "tg7 1 0 �g2 ( 1 0 g5 is
premature as it weakens the c8-
h3 diagonal, e.g. 1 0 . . . ti:\h5 1 1
lLlge2 'lWc8! 1 2 �g2 �g4 + 1 3
ti:\ g3 ti:\f4 + 1 4 "txf4 'ir'xf4 1 5 h4
0-0 1 6 .l:t h3 "txc3! 1 7 bxc3 f6! and
White's exposed king comes under
attack) 1 0 . . . O-O? (Black under-
1 13
The Standard Centre

estimates the danger of White's (threatening . . . 'iW b3) 1 4 b3 e6 1 5

rustic attack and castles into big 'fid3 with chances for both sides.
trouble) 1 1 g5! tbfd7 (here Black
11 lbbd7 ( 1 81 )
does not have time to make good
use of the c8-h3 diagonal, e.g. 1 1
. . . tbh5 1 2 tbge2 'iWc8 1 3 tbg3 etc.)
1 2 h4 tba6 1 3 h5 'fic7 1 4 'fi g4
l:!. fb8 1 5 hxg6 hxg6 1 6 'iW h4 and
Black is unlikely to survive.

9 g3

A possibly rather unjustly

neglected alternative is to shelter
the king on h2 instead, e.g. 9 tbf3
�g7 10 h3 0-0 1 1 'iit g l tbbd7 1 2
'ito>h2 'iWa5 1 3 l:!. e l l:!. fb8 1 4 l:!. e2
l:!. b4 1 5 'ito>gl tbe8 and here White
has tried the interesting idea 1 6
l:!. c2 (which can equally well occur
in the main line), freeing e2 for the
queen, and Black dare not reply
1 6 . . . �xc3 1 7 bxc3 l:!. xe4 1 8 c4!
because of the exposed position of
the black rook.
9 � g7
10 'ito>g2 0-0
11
tbf3
The alternative development I I
tbge2!?, protecting the tbc3 in
order to be able to continue with
l:!. b l , a3 and b4, may deserve more
attention than it has hitherto
received. One possible continu­
ation : 1 I . . , 'iWb6 1 2 l:!. b l tba6 ( 1 2
. . . tbbd7?! 1 3 a3 etc. allows White
to carry out his plan) 1 3 a3 l:!. ab8
This move aims to get a knight
on e5 by following up with . . .
tbf6-g4-e5 and thus White often
replies with 1 2 h3. The alternative
development of the QN on a6
enables White to dispense with
this prophylaxis since Black no
longer threatens to get a knight to
e5.
Now White must decide
whether or not to allow Black to
proceed with his intended knight
manoeuvre.
12 l:!. e 1
Spassky decides against pre­
venting the manoeuvre. After the
alternative 1 2 h3 Black has several
very different plans available:
( 1 ) 1 2 . . . 'fia5 1 3 l:!. e l l:!. fb8 ( 1 3
. . . ttJb6 allows White to push on

1 14

in the centre with 1 4 e5 tLJfd7 1 5
.i.g5 lUe8 1 6 e6!?) 1 4 e5 dxe5 1 5
tLJxe5 tLJxe5 1 6 l:t xe5 l:t a 7! and
despite the fact that White has
achieved his central breakthrough,
Black can still bring pressure to
bear on White's weak pawns (by
. . . J:t d7, . . . l:t bd8 and . . . "ifa8 in
the case of the d-pawn) and thus
chances remain approximately
equal.
(2) 1 2 . . . "ifb6 1 3 :t e l tLJe8 1 4
"ifc2 tLJc7 1 5 l:t b l l:t ib8 1 6 JL.g5
h6! and the weakening of the king­
side following the piece sacrifice
1 7 .i.xe7?! l:t e8 1 8 �h4 g5 1 9
.\txg5 hxg5 20 tLJxg5 does not
particularly trouble Black, e.g. 20
. . . tLJb5 2 1 e5!? dxe5! and the
black queen can join in the defence
horizontally.
(3) 1 2 . . . 'lWb8 1 3 J:l. e l "ifb7 14
l:t e2 tLJb6 1 5 l:t b l tLJfd7 16 .\tf4
(on 1 6 "ifc2 f5! 1 7 exf5 J:l. xf5 1 8
l:t xe7 l:t xf3! 1 9 <;t;>xf3 tLJe5 + 20
l:t xe5 .txe5 and the white king's
exposed position on the long diag­
onal gives Black ample compens­
ation for the material) 1 6 . . . tLJc4
1 7 b3 tLJce5 with equal chances.
(4) 1 2 . . . tLJb6 (one basic idea
behind this move is to secure the
exchange of the tLJc3 by . . . 'lWd7
and . . . tLJa4) 1 3 l:t e l "ifd7 1 4
"ifc2 (this i s directed against 1 4 . . .
tLJa4?! which can now be answered
by 1 5 tLJd I ! intending to mobilize
the queenside by J:l. b l , b3, tLJc3
The Standard Centre
followed, if possible, by a4 and
tLJb5; another possibility is 14 a4)
1 4 . . . "ifb7 with a very similar
position to that seen in variation
3.
(5) 12 . . . l:t a7 13 l:tel "if a8 1 4
l:t e2 ( 1 4 e5? fails here because of
the thematic tactical riposte 1 4
. . . dxe5 1 5 tLJxe5 tLJxe5 1 6 l he5
tLJxd5! etc.) 14 . . . tLJb6 with typical
counterplay.
12 tLJg4
Black continues consistently. It
is, however, by no means clear
what is Black's best line at this
point and many other moves have
been played, generally transposing
into the above variations since
White sooner or later usually finds
it necessary to play h3.
13 l:t e2
The attempt to turn the tLJe5
into a target means of gaining time
and space appears too loosening,
e.g. 1 3 "ife2 tLJge5 14 tLJd2?! tLJb6
1 5 f4 tLJed7 16 tLJf3 tLJa4 1 7 tLJ d 1
l:t a7! 1 8 J:l. b l 'lia8 1 9 "ifc2 tLJab6
20 a3 e6 and White's centre comes
under attack.
13 "ifa5
There is no need for Black to
hurry to complete the knight
manoeuvre and he would rather
wait until White expends a tempo
on h3.
1 15
The Standard Centre
14 .Jig5
Developing the queenside with
gain of tempo, since d6 is not
protected by a piece and therefore
Black cannot reply with 14 . . . h6.
14 lUe8
15 J:t c 1 ( 1 82 )
White intends to complete the
mobilization of his queenside and
connect his rooks by J:t cc2,
thereby keeping everything well
defended and enabling the QB to
retreat to c l if necessary.
15 tLlb6?!
It may seem strange for this
move to be dubious, as it is after
all a normal idea in this type of
centre, but it fits ill with Black's
1 2th and breaks the coordination
of the knights. The logical continu­
ation was to concentrate on the
weakest point in White's fortified
position, the d3 square. For exam-
1 16
pIe, 1 5 . . . "Wa6! 1 6 b3 tLlge5 1 7
tLlxe5 tLlxe5 1 8 tLla4 J:t ab8 1 9 .Jtd2
c4! with a strong initiative.
16 h3!
Spassky seizes his opportunity
to simplify the position advan­
tageously.
16 tLle5
17 tLlxe5 .Jtxe5
In contrast to the knight, the
presence of a bishop on e5 does
nothing to further Black's plans.
18 ir'd3 't'k b4
Here 1 8 . . . tLla4?! 19 tLlxa4!
'iWxa4 20 b3 would leave Black
with very little indeed to show for
the pawn.
19 a3 'iWa5
20 tLl d l ! c4?!
Black sees his imtIatlve dissi­
pating in view of the threatened
regrouping .Jtd2-c3 and therefore
feels it necessary to try to do
something, even at the cost of
compromising his pawn structure.
21 "lWd2
Any ending would favour White
because of the weakness on c4.
Black is therefore obliged to avoid
the exchange of queens. Now
Spassky gradually improves his
position.
 The Standard Centre

21 'ii' a 6 32 'ii' d2 tZJc5

22 tZJe3 .i.g7 33 J:!. c3 'ilib5
23 tZJg4 tZJd7 34 'ii' c2
24 �h6 �h8
Now the c-pawn disappears and
25 .i.e3 J:!. ab8
with it Black's last hopes.
26 �d4
34 f5
With the challenge to Black's
35 J:!. xc4
control of the long black diagonal,
White's advantage assumes decis­ Here all roads lead to Rome
ive proportions. The simple threat and Spassky chooses one of the
now is 27 tZJh6 + . quickest.
26 .i.f6 35 tZJxe4
27 J:!. c3 'ilia4 36 f3 tZJf6
28 .i.xf6 exf6 37 J:!. b4 'ii' e8
29 'ilid4 ri;; g7 38 J:!. xb8 'ii' xb8
30 J:!. f3 ( 1 83 ) 39 'iWc3

1 -0
J li3

B Game 1 2
Gheorghiu-Belyavsky
Moscow 1 982
Fianchetto System

1 d4 tZJf6
2 c4 c5
3 d5 b5
4 cxb5 a6
5 bxa6 .i.xa6

White inexorably increases the As we will see in the present

pressure and Black is forced to game, this natural move permits
give up material. White to implement a very specific
plan based on the fianchetto of
30 J:!. e5
dxe5
both bishops, the development of
31 tZJxe5
the KN on h3, and the bishop
3 1 . . . tZJxe5 32 J:!. c3 would be manoeuvre .i.b2-c3. The precise
equally hopeless. move order is as follows : 6 g3 g6

1 17
The Standard Centre
7 .tg2 (threatening d6) 7 . . . d6 8
b3 and White is able to oppose
bishops on the a I -h8 diagonal.
Since this variation has proved
rather awkward to meet, Black has
also tried avoiding it by changing
move order: S . . . g6 (on S . . . d6
White can play 6 e4 without losing
his right to castle, 6 . . . lbxe4?,? of
course losing to 7 "ilfa4 + ) 6 g3 (on
6 b3 Black can continue 6 . . . .tg7
7 i.. b 2 lbxa6 crossing White's
plans in view of the threatened
. . . tZlb4) 6 . . . .tg7 7 .tg2 (the
interesting attempt to punish
Black's move order by 7 d6 is well
answered by 7 . . . 1:t xa6! 8 dxe7
"xe7 9 i.. g2 dS with obvious
compensation) 7 . . . d6 8 lbh3
i..x a6 and Black has prevented
White's intended QB manoeuvre.
Another option afforded by
Black's move order is the possi­
bility of capturing on a6 with the
knight, e.g. 5 . . . g6 6 g3 i..g7 7
.tg2 d6 8 lbh3 lbxa6!? 9 0-0 "iW b6
1 0 tZlc3 0-0 1 1 lbf4 lbg4 (not 1 1
. . . lbd7? permitting the typical
pseudo-sacrifice 1 2 tZle6! with
advantage) 1 2 h4 i.d7 1 3 lbe4
(intending hS) 1 3 . . . l1 fb8 with
sufficient compensation for the
pawn.
6 g3 ( 184 )
White has two basic methods of
interpreting the Fianchetto Sys­
tem according to whether the KN
1 18
184
B
is developed on D or h3. The latter
development occurs in the game
and we shall examine the strategic
implications of this choice further
on. With the knight on 0, we may
observe that the protection of the
d-pawn is carried out by the QN,
the queen, and the KB. The KB's
action, however, is veiled by the
KN and thus White may make
the manoeuvre lbD-d2-f1(-e3) if
necessary. For Black's part, he will
increase the pressure against d5
with the typical manoeuvre . . .
lbb8-d7-b6, coupled with the
transfer of the queen to the a8-hi
diagonal ( . . . l1 a7 and . . . "iWa8 or
. . . "ilfc7-b7), and/or . . . .tc4 at the
right moment.
Let's see some concrete
examples. 6 . . . g6 7 i.g2 d6 8 lbD
.tg7 9 lbc3 lbbd7 (other move
orders are possible of course) 1 0
0-0 and now :
( 1 ) 10 . . . 0-0 1 1 'iVc2 with the
further divergence :

( l a) 1 1 . . . n a7 1 2 n d l 'i!fa8
1 3 h3 (if 1 3 e4? lLlg4! and Black
obtains control of d3 after . . . lLlge5
and . . . c4) 1 3 . . . .i.c4?! 14 a3!
n b8 (on 1 4 . . . lLlxd5?? 1 5 lLld2
wins a piece; whilst if 14 . . . Axd5?
1 5 ttJxd5 lLlxd5 16 ttJd2! followed
by lLlc4 regaining the pawn with
a clear advantage) 1 5 lLld2 .i.a6
16 b3 lLle8 1 7 .i. b2 lLlc7 1 8 a4
'i!f b7 1 9 n ab 1 'i!fc8 20 A a l and
White having untangled his
queenside, has preferable chances.
( l b) 1 1 . . . 'i!fb6 1 2 n b l n fb8 1 3
b3 lLle8 1 4 lLld2 'it'a5 1 5 Ab2 c4
1 6 n fc 1 lLle5 1 7 .i.al and again
White stands well.
( l c) 1 1 . . . 'lJfa5 12 Ad2 n fb8
1 3 n fd 1 lLle8 14 Ah3 .i.c8 1 5
Ael and again, having unravelled
his pieces with another typical
manoeuvre, White has the edge.
(2) to . . ttJb6 (by putting press­
. thereafter; thus, here, we restrict
ure on d5 immediately Black
reduces White's options) 1 1 nel
0-0 and now :
(2a) 1 2 ttJd2 'i!fc7 1 3 n b 1 'ifb7!
1 4 b3 lLlfxd5 1 5 lLlxd5 lLlxd5 1 6
lLle4 ( 1 6 lLlfl? meets with a surpris­
ing refutation : 16 . . . lLlc3! 1 7
Axb7 Axb7! 1 8 'lJfd3 Ae4 1 9
'lJfe3 .i.d4 20 'i!f h6 .i.xb 1 2 1 a3
.i.a2 22 lLld2 n fb8 with excellent
chances for Black) 1 6 . . . n ad8! 1 7
.i.b2 .>txb2 1 8 n xb2 'it'b4 with
approximately level prospects.
(2b) 1 2 .i.f4 lLlc4 ( 1 2 . . . lLlh5!?
is an important alternative, e.g. 1 3
The Standard Centre
.i.g5 h6 14 .i.d2 ttJc4 etc.) 1 3 'i!fc1
"iIt' a5
(but here 13 . . . lLlh5?! is not
as good, e.g. 14 .i. h6 .i.xh6 1 5
'ifxh6 ttJxb2? 1 6 lLlg5 lLlf6 1 7 lLlce4
etc.) 1 4 lLld2 nfb8 1 5 lLlxc4 .i.xc4
1 6 .td2 with a slight advantage
to White.
6 g6
7 .i.g2
When White develops the KN
on h3 instead of f3 (as seen in the
foregoing analyses), he basically
has two fundamentally different
plans available according to
whether the manoeuvre lLlgl �h3�
f4 is linked with a queenside fian­
chetto or attacking ideas based on
advancing the h-pawn. Of course,
there are various other possibili­
ties and myriad vanatIOns
ourselves to outlining the main
alternatives to the fianchetto of
the QB. After 7 lLlh3 d6 8 lLlc3
.i.g7 9 lLlf4 (Black must be careful
how he meets the simple develop­
ment 9 .i.g2 0-0 10 0-0 lLlbd7 1 1
Ag5 n b8 - 1 1 . . . h6 seems more
natural - 1 2 "ilt'd2 intending to
meet 12 . . . lLlb6 with 1 3 b3 c4 14
b4 with advantage, and 12 . . . lLle5
1 3 b3 c4 with 14 .i.h6! with some
advantage) 9 . . . lLlbd7 10 h4 h6
(to . . . 0-0 1 1 h5 lLle5 12 hxg6 hxg6
White obtains real possibilities on
the kingside) 1 1 'it'c2 ttJe5 12 .i.g2
119
The Standard Centre
0-0 1 3 0-0 n bS with roughly bal­
anced chances.
We note also that if White
intends to employ the plan in the
present game he may also play
immediately 7 b3.
7 d6
8 b3
Only now does White reveal
that he intends to oppose bishops
on the a I -h8 diagonal and forgo
the natural development lZlc3. The
c3 square, in fact, is earmarked for
the QB in order to be able to meet
a future . . . c4 by b4. As we have
already learnt, the d-pawn will be
secured by means of the
manoeuvre lZlg I -h3-f4.
8 �g7
9 �b2 0-0
10 lZlh3 lZlbd7
11 0-0 ( 1 8 5 )
This is the critical position of
the variation, where White is ready
to complete his intended set-up by
1 20
tLlf4 and �c3. If Black wants to
activate his KN he is forced to
accept the exchange of his KB
which obviously reduces the poten­
tial dynamism of his position.
11 n a7
The most logical reply. The
absence of White's QN on c3
diminishes the protection of the
pawns on d5 and a2 and Belyavsky
therefore prepares to pressurize
these points by playing . . . 'iWaS.
A typical error would be for
Black to permit White to set up a
queens ide blockade, e.g. 1 1 . . 1.1 bS
.
1 2 iL.c3 (essential in order to take
control of b4) 1 2 . . . lZle5 1 3 n e l
c4? 1 4 b4 and, essentially, from the
positional point of view Black is
lost, e.g. 1 4 . . . tLlfg4 1 5 a4 e6 1 6
'iWd2 and with a subsequent tLla3-
c2 Black's fate would be sealed.
12 n et
White now prepares to play e4,
confident that any weakening of
d3 can be sufficiently offset by
means of tLlf4.
12 'iWa8
13 e4 n b8
Threatening . . . c4.
14 i.e3 tLle8
Black has a more dynamic con­
tinuation available in 14 . . . tLle5!?
1 5 lZlf4 (after 1 5 �xe5?! dxe5
 The Standard Centre

Black continues with . . . ltJe8-d6 eliminate the pressure on d3, but

with fine chances; similarly, if 1 5 now he becomes tied down to the
f4 ltJd3 1 6 J:!. e3 c4 Black has the protection of b3.
initiative) 1 5 . . . .lth6! and all of
19 ltJxf3 +
Black's pieces are very active and
20 'ii xf3 J:!. b4
White's d3 is weak.
21 h4 J:!. ab7
15 .i.xg1 ltJxg1 22 II e3 'Ii b8
16 ltJd2 ltJe5 23 J:!. a3 ( 1 86)
11 ltJ f4

As in the game, Black would 186

also have obtained sufficient com- B

pensation for the pawn after 1 7 f4
ltJd3 1 8 J:!. e3 .ltb5! 1 9 a4 (or 1 9
.i.f1 ltJb4 20 ii.xb5 J:!. xb5 2 1 a4
f5! and Black undermines d5) 1 9
.i.a6.
11 .ltb5!

Provoking a weakening of the

queenside pawns.
A very instructive moment. The
18 a4
chances of White converting his
1 8 'ii c2? would be met by 1 8 . . . extra pawn are reduced to nothing
g5 and . . . ltJd3-b4. and in fact he is now obliged to
begin thinking in terms of how to
18 .i.a6
save the game.
Obtaining the first tangible
fruits of the plan initiated with 23 ltJe8
the 1 1 th and 1 2th moves : Black's 24 �f1 .ltxfl
threats have caused a permanent 25 wxfl ltJf6
structural weakness on b3 and the 26 wg2 h5
problems with d3 remain to be 27 a5
solved.
With nothing else available,
19 ltJf3
White plays his trump card in
Faced with the threat of . . . order to distract Black even at the
J:!. b4-d4 White decides at least to cost of returning the extra pawn.
121
The Standard Centre

27 tbg4 . . . but this is in fact a serious

28 n e3 n a7 mistake, putting White in a critical
29 'it'e2 lW a8 position.
30 tbd3 n b8
31 f3 ll xa5 39 Jl b8

32 l ha5 'it'xa5 40 ll b2
33 ll e4 tb f6
Now it becomes clear that 40
34 b4!
tbc6? would lose after 40 . . , Jl b 1 .
Seizing a tactical opportunity to The best chance was 40 tbd3, e.g.
get rid of the structural weakness 40 . . . ll b3 4 1 lLl c 1 J:. b l 42 l:I. c2
in the position. 'ifb5 43 'it'e2 'it'b6 44 l:t f2 tbc5!,
although here too it is clear that
34 cxb4
Black retains much the more
35 'it'd2 tbd7
active position.
36 n xb4
40 tbe5
White has defended himself as
41 tDa2 l:t xb2
best he can, but the problems
42 'it'xb2 'it'd3
deriving from the somewhat
43 111' 12 lWa3!
exposed position of his king will
endure even into an ending. With With this move Black's dynamic
accurate defence White ought just advantage, patiently built up over
to be able to hold the position, the last twenty-odd moves, finally
but in practice it is far from easy. translates into material gain due
36 to the threat of 44 . . , tDxf3.
n e8
37 n b2 'it'a4
44 f4 tDg4
38 n a2 'ife4
45 lWd2?
Although the worst is over for
White it is clear that Black's Losing quickly. White could
domination of the c-file still makes have put up stiffer resistance by
things rather awkward. If only 45 'ife2, although even here he
White could get his knight to c6 would lose a pawn after 45 . . . tbf6
there would be nothing left to threatening . . . lll xe4.
fear and so, in time-trouble, White 45 tbe3 +
plays . . . 46 'Ot>I2
39 tb b4? Or 46 � g l tDc4 47 'iff2 'it'd3

1 22
 The Standard Centre

with a winning advantage, e.g. 48

'Wg2 lLld2 etc.
46 lLlc4
47 -We2 lLlb2!
0-1
On 48 lLlcl comes 48 . . . 'Wc5 +
49 -We3 -W xc 1 !

123
5 The M odern Centre

Main Line: Modern Variation 1 Strateg i c I d eas

1 d4 lLlf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5
Put simply, White's idea here is to
a6 5 e3 ( 1 87).
avoid any pressure on the a6-fl
187 diagonal in order to be able to
B
develop his kingside naturally
without losing the right to castle.
The basic strategic situation which
arises is as follows ( 1 88).

1 88

Fundamentally similar strategic

situations can arise in other vari­
ations, e.g. 1 d4 l2Jf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5
b5 and now :
Anti-Benko Variation
4 lLlf3 g6 5 'iWc2 �g7 6 e4 d6 7
cxb5
Having solved the most pressing
Other Variations problem by freeing the action of
his KB on the fl -a6 diagonal,
4 cxb5 a6 5 f3
White intends to reinforce the b5
The idea of postponing the cap­ and d5 points by means of the
ture on a6 is to make it less easy advances a4 and e4 in order, with
for the opponent to develop the the former, to keep Black bottled
queenside, and especially to avoid up on the queenside, and with the
Black setting up favourable press­ latter to commence the natural
ure on the a6-fl diagonal. plan of central expansion.

1 24
 The Modern Centre

The ideas beh i n d However, given that Black is not

the sta b i l izing adva nces always in a hurry to play either
a4 a n d e4 . . . a6xb5 or . . . e6xd5, the structure
shown in the above diagram can
The following explanations and
actually arise in practice and is
examples will help us understand
generally strategically favourable
exactly what we mean by the term
to White as long as the cramping
'stabilizing' .
effect of the pawns on b5 and
If we try to imagine that after 1
d5 is more important than their
d4 lLlf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5
weakness. One must not forget,
Black proved unable to remove
however, that the moves a4 and
the pawn on b5 and/or d5, then it
e4 are useful even if White is
is easy to understand that his
obliged to recapture with a piece
queenside pieces would have great
on b5 or d5, after . . . a6xb5 and/or
difficulty in getting into play
. . . e6xd5 ( 1 90).
because the b5 pawn controls both
a6 and c6 and the d-pawn blocks
the a8-h i diagonal. The long term
idea behind White's stabilizing
advances is to be able to recapture
with a pawn in answer to the
possible captures . . . a6xb5 and . . .
e6xd5 so as to maintain the status
quo ( 1 89).

189

In this situation, the partnership

It is clear that White's plan
requires a lot of preparation in
order to achieve these results.
a4-b5 is useful for blocking
Black's thematic pressure on the
a- and b-files, whilst the corres­
ponding e4-d5 duo keeps Black's
central pawns under lock and key.
Of the two 'partnerships' noted
above, only that on a4-b5 occurs
in practice with any frequency as
Black is nearly always in a position
to prevent the second.

125
The Modern Centre
W h ite's undefended Q R
Once e4 has been played, the
d-pawn is well and truly supported
without any problem, whereas
White's undefended QR can prove
a handicap and provide Black with
a pin on the a-file when White
plays a4. This problem can be
dealt with either by defending the
rook or moving it off the file ( 1 91 ) .
191
Normally White would like to
be able to answer . . . axb5 with
axb5 in order to be able to estab­
lish a queenside pawn structure of
the type shown in diagram 1 89
rather than that shown in diagram
1 90. It should be noted that the
move 1:[ a3 is particularly well
suited for solidifying the queenside
(even the a4-b5 partnership
shown in diagram 1 90 is reinforced
if White's QR is protected), and/or
entering the game via the third
rank, in which case Black is likely
to find a possible . . . axb5 an-
swered by lLlxb5.
1 26
B lack's plans
Black essentially has three ways
of countering White's idea of stabi­
lization, the extremes of which are
diametrically opposed:
Plan 1: To allow White to play
both stabilizing advances.
Plan 2: To allow White to play
a4 but prevent e4 by means of
rapid central counterplay with . . .
e6.
Plan 3: To play . . . axb5 before
White plays a4 at the same time
reserving the possibility of coun­
tering in the centre with . . . e6.
P l a n 1 : W hite plays both
sta b i l izing adva nces
When Black allows White to play
both stabilizing advances, he
develops his kingside ( . . . g6, . . .
.i.g7, . . . 0-0) in conj unction with
. . . d6 to hold up the further
advance of White's e-pawn ( 1 92 J.
In the kind of situation shown
in the diagram, Black can solve

the problem of the mobilization of
his queenside by the capture . . .
axbS followed, for example, by . . .
Jl.. a6 and . . . ttJbd7, or by . . . ttJa6-
b4 and . . . i.. a6. Black can also
try to remove White's blockade
on bS with manoeuvres like . , .
ttJe8-c7 or . . . ttJa6-c7 together
with . . . i.. a6.
Black should also keep an eye
on the possibility of a central
break with . . . e6 especially when
there is sufficient pressure on dS
to oblige White to play dxe6 and
after recapturing to follow up with
. . . dS. It should be noted that if
Black has recaptured on e6 by . . .
fxe6 he must be on his guard
against a possible eS advance
which would destroy his plans.
P l a n 2: Wh ite plays a4,
B l ack counters with . . . e6
Black's plan here is to allow White
to play a4 and then counter
rapidly in the centre with . . . e6
( 1 93) .
1 93
The Modern Centre
In this type of situation Black's
main aim, generally speaking, is
to remove the pawn on d5 so as
to make subsequent occupation of
the centre by . . . d5 possible. The
ideal for Black would be to force
White to play dxe6, recapture with
. . . fxe6, and be able to follow up
with . . . d5 thus obtaining ample
positional compensation for the
pawn ( 1 94 ).
1 94
Basically, White has two differ­
ent methods of countering this
type of plan : to defend the pawn
on d5 (with a further divergence
according to whether White does
so by e4 or i.. c4), or to exchange
the d-pawn by dxe6 and then seek
to prevent . . . d5.
Wh ite p lays e4 and B lack
opens the e-file
As previously noted, from the con­
ceptual point of view the best way
of neutralizing Black's central . . .
e6 break is to support the pawn
1 27
The Modern Centre
on d5 with the stabilizing advance
e4. However, White has bought
the stabilization of the queenside
at the cost of time (e3, tt:Jc3, a4)
and the detriment of his kingside
development ( 1 95).
In this type of position White
has some difficulty in developing
his kingside. He is reluctant to
simply play �e2 because this
would cost him time and also
allow Black to take control of the
e-file with gain of tempo after . . .
axb5, �xb5 exd5, exd5 ne8 + ,
�e2 ( 1 96).
1 96
1 28
It should also be noted that in
this kind of position the pawn on
d5 can easily become more of a
weakness than a strength as Black
has no difficulty in developing his
queenside and attacking d5, e.g.
. . . �c8-b7, . . . d6, and . . . tt:Jb8-
d7-b6.
Wh ite p lays .tc4
White can also protect his d-pawn
by playing .tc4 instead of e4
( 1 97 ).
White generally links this devel­
opment with the placing of the
KN on e2 where it is useful both
for covering the e-file (should
White play e4 at some stage) and
for possibly reinforcing a piece on
d5. Naturally, Black cannot wait
too long before making the cap­
tures . . . axb5 and . . . exd5, and
although White will generally be
able to maintain a blockade on
one of the two white squares (b5
and d5) the active development of

Black's queenside pieces will still
guarantee him dynamic compens­
ation.
The exchange dxe6 a nd the
blockad i ng move W'd6
White has also sought to scotch
the opponent's plans by means of
the capture dxe6 followed by '4!fd6,
blockading the advance of Black's
d-pawn ( 1 98).
This blockading idea crops up
in various positions. The above
diagram is of course merely sche­
matic and seeks to show the most
typical dynamic elements follow­
ing the implementation of this
plan.
The first point to observe here
is that the W'd6 attacks the pawn
on cS. This can only be defended
by . . . W'c8 when Black has already
developed his QB. Alternatively, if
White has played the thematic
n a3, then Black has an indirect
defence available in . . . n e8 setting
The Modem Centre
up the skewer . . . j.f8 if Whitt;
captures cS. This defence, how­
ever, rarely discourages the cap­
ture of the c-pawn because the
weakening of Black's kingside fol­
lowing the loss of his black­
squared bishop, plus the fact that
White has gained a second pawn,
clearly offers White good chances.
Finally, we note that Black has
possibilities of counter-attack
against f3 by means of . . . ltJe8 or
. . . ltJe4, ltJxe4 j. xe4.
It is clear that the success of
White's plan depends on how long
he can keep up the blockade
and/or the price Black has to pay
to get rid of the queen.
P l a n 3: B l ack plays . . . axb5
before a4
This third plan (again with refer­
ence to diagram 1 88) is the most
radical way of preventing White's
stabilization strategy. Black's idea
is to dispense with the moves . . .
g6 and . . . j.g7 and use the time
saved to eradicate White's pawns
on bS and dS. With this type of
plan, where time is of the essence
and forcing moves are the norm,
it is impractical to consider themes
out of context and we need to
examine the actual variation.
The plan under discussion is
introduced by the moves 1 d4 ltJf6
2 c4 cS 3 dS bS 4 cxbS a6 S e3
1 29
The Modern Centre
axb5 6 i.xb5 'iWa5 + 7 lLlc3 i.b7
( 1 99 ).
1 99
White has two fundamentally
different ways of dealing with the
threat to his d-pawn : either to try
and conserve his material advan­
tage, or to return the pawn in
order to gain an advantage in
development.
If White wants to try to hold
on to his pawn then he is obliged
to play 8 i.d2 which leads him
inexorably into a forced variation
of great complexity which is exam­
ined in detail below (see Game 1 4).
The alternative idea of returning
the pawn can occur at various
stages after the same introductory
move 8 i.d2, but is perhaps seen
in its clearest form after 8 lLle2. As
well as gaining an advantage in
development White hopes to be
able to play e4, e.g. 8 . . . lLlxd5 (the
basic strategy remains the same
after the alternative 8 . . i.xdS) 9
. with some frequency and in vari­
0-0 ( 200).
1 30
The attack on d5, activated by
castling, gains White even more
time. The planned e4 advance is
useful not only for developing the
QB but also for restraining the
enemy centre. It is worth mention­
ing that if Black tries to prevent
e4 White can sometimes play it
anyway, continuing the basic idea
of trading material for time, and
going for the jugular. These ideas
are illustrated in the analyses to
be found in game 1 4.
2 Tact i c a l I d eas
Despite, or perhaps because, of the
fact that the Modern type of centre
is tactically very rich, it is difficult
to identify many recurring tactical
themes. This is because the fluidity
of the centre naturally tends to
produce specific and particular
tactics in very diverse situations.
Only the examples below occur
ous positions.
 The M odern Centre

I n d i rect defence
of the d5 pawn

The following type of position can

easily arise ( 201 ).

Black now threatens to play . . .

t2Jxf2, �xf2 � h4 + and White
cannot avoid the danger by means
of the natural 0-0 because of the
other capture . . . tZlxh2, �xh2
� h4 + ( 203 ).
Although this theme is very sim­
ple it is worth pointing out because
203
of the very natural placing of both
sides' pieces. Black cannot capture
on d5 because after . . . tZlfxd5,
tZlxd5 tZlxd5 White wins material
by means of the double attack
..tc6.

The exposed position

of the ..tc4

When White places his KB on c4

in order to protect the d-pawn
it may become vulnerable to the
following type of tactical ideas
(202) .
Here Black can play . . . tZlg4
which in addition to the simple
possibility of continuing with . . .
tZle5 also creates tactical threats
against the unprotected bishop.
In other circumstances the
bishop may be exposed to a fork
( 204 ).
Here, for example, White may
try to support d5 by means of the
advance e4, but Black has the
riposte . . . t2Jxe4!, t2Jxe4 exd5 (205 )
. . . regaining the piece and re­
establishing material parity.

131
The Modern Centre

204
other fifth move possibilities are
examined in Game 1 4.
5 g6
5 ' " axb5 will also be analyzed
in Game 1 4.
6 LtJc3 � g7 (206)

When Black develops his king­

side first, as here, he gives White
a wide choice of possibilities but
3 I l l ustrative G a mes
at the same time reserves a flex­
Game 1 3 ibility for himself in being able to
Torre- Vaganian play setups with . . . d6 or . . , e6
London 1 984 according to circumstances.
Modem Variation
7 !Df3
1 d4 !Df6
The other possibilities are as
2 c4 c5
follows :
3 d5 b5
( 1 ) 7 e4 (the idea of this advance
4 cxb5 a6
is to force Black to play . . . d6
5 e3
because of the threat of e5) 7 . . .
Much the most important alter­ d6 (Black can also, in fact, ignore
native to the standard continu­ the threat by playing 7 . . . 0-0, e.g.
ation 5 bxa6 which we considered 8 a4 - after 8 e5 LtJe8 9 LtJf3 d6
in the preceding chapter. White's 10 �f4 �g4 the pressure on e5

1 32

is too great - 8 . . . .i.b7 9 e5 tbe8
10 tbf3 e5 1 1 �f4 dxe5 12 .i.xe5
tb f6 with strong pressure against
d5) 8 a4 0-0 9 tbf3 axb5 10 �xb5
ii.a6 1 1 .i.d2 tbe8 1 2 0-0 tbc7 1 3
'iWe2 with an edge for White.
(2) 7 a4 (this move can either
transpose back into the game con­
tinuation after 7 . . . 0-0 8 tbf3 or
develop independent significance
. with 8 .i.c4 followed by tbge2) 7
. . . 0-0 8 .tc4 e6 (White can meet
8 . . . d6 with the interesting
manoeuvre 9 tbge2 tbbd7 1 0 :L a3
tbb6 1 1 .i.a2, e.g. 1 1 . . . axb5 1 2
tbxb5 �d7 1 3 tbbc3 e 6 14 dxe6
�xe6 1 5 tb f4 �xa2 1 6 :L xa2 'iWd7
1 7 0-0 J:!. fd8 18 e4 'iWc6 19 J:!. e 1
with advantage) 9 tbge2 axb5, and
after either 1 0 tbxb5 exd5 1 1
.i.xd5 or 1 0 .txb5 exd5 1 1 tbxdS
Black will try to remove the block­
ade on bS and dS.
(3) 7 bxa6 0-0 8 tbf3 d6 9 �e2
�xa6 10 0-0 tbbd7 1 1 .txa6
J:!. xa6 12 'We2 'iWa8 with typical
compensation for the pawn.
7 0-0
8 a4 (207)
The exact moment when Black
should play . . . axbS is a charac­
teristic problem of many of the
vanattons examined in this
chapter. On the one hand, he
would rather not capture until
White has moved his KB, but on
the other, he must pay attention
The Modern Centre
2U7
B
to the fact that if White protects
the rook or moves it off the a-file
he will be able to recapture on b5
with the pawn thus making the
development of Black's queenside
rather difficult.
The relative value of these
options depends on various fac­
tors and makes a comparative
assessment well nigh impossible.
As a very general guide, however,
we would say that Black can con­
sider it a success ifhe can delay this
capture until White has moved his
KB (even if White recaptures with
his QN) as long as White cannot
recapture with the a-pawn.
In the above diagram Black
must decide whether to choose a
set-up with . . . d6 or . . . e6. In
the first case the game assumes a
manoeuvring, positional charac­
ter, whereas in the second it
becomes tactical and dynamic.
We shall take a look here at
some examples of the first possi-
133
The Modern Centre
bility as the second occurs in the
game: 8 . . . d6 9 l:t a3 (even though
this move defends the rook, White
does not intend answering 9 . . .
axb5 with 1 0 axb5 since after 1 0
. . . l:t xa3 1 1 bxa3 W a 5 he would
be forced to play 1 2 �d2 thus
giving back the pawn on a3) 9 . . .
axb5 (9 . . . lbbd7 1 0 e4 axb5 1 1
.i.xb5 .i.a6 1 2 'life2 .i.xb5 1 3
lbxb5 lbe8 1 4 0-0 lbc7 1 5 b3 leaves
White some advantage) 1 0 ..txb5
lba6 1 1 0-0 lbb4 1 2 lbd2 �b7
(not 12 . . . lbfxd5? 13 lbxd5 lbxd5
14 ..tc6 etc.) 1 3 e4 e6 14 dxe6 fxe6
and it is debatable whether Black
has sufficient compensation for the
pawn.
8 e6
It is more usual to preface this
move with 8 . . . ..tb7 which may
simply transpose but can also lead
to totally independent paths. For
example :
( 1 ) 9 e4?! (this move does not
appear to be satisfactory here) 9
. . . e6 1 0 l:t b l exd5 1 1 exd5 axb5
1 2 axb5 d6 13 .i.c4 l:t e8 + 1 4
<;t>fl lbbd7 1 5 h3 lb b 6 1 6 b3 l:t a7
1 7 ..tb2 'lifa8 and Black regains
the pawn with a superior position.
(2) 9 bxa6 lbxa6 10 lbc4 e6 1 1
0-0 lbb4 1 2 e4 (having stabilized
the central position White stands
better) 1 2 . . . exd5 (not 1 2 . . . lbxe4?
1 3 lbxe4 exd5 1 4 lbd6) 1 3 exd5
..ta6 1 4 ..txa6 l:t xa6 1 5 .i.e 3
1 34
d6 1 6 it'd2 'lifa8 1 7 l:t ad l with
advantage.
(3) 9 �c4 lbe8 (9 . . e6 1 0 bxa6
.
..txd5 1 1 lbxd5 exd5 1 2 .i.xd5
lbxd5 1 3 Wxd5 lbxa6 1 4 0-0 it'e7
1 5 e4 l:t fe8 16 e5 leaves White
somewhat better) 10 bxa6 lbxa6 1 1
0-0 lbd6 1 2 i.e2 f5 with sufficient
compensation for the pawn.
(4) 9 ll b l e6 10 dxe6 fxe6 1 1
.i.e2 axb5 1 2 axb5 d5 1 3 0-0 lbbd7
14 b4 c4 1 5 lbd4 'life7 16 e4! lbxe4
1 7 lbxe4 dxe4 1 8 lbc6 i.. xc6 1 9
bxc6 lb e 5 2 0 Wc2 and White
stands better.
(5) 9 l:t a3 e6 1 0 d6 lbd5! 1 1 lbe4
axb5 1 2 lbxc5 b4 1 3 : d3 ..tc6
with chances for both sides in a
complicated position.
The reader must not forget that
these lines are essentially illustra­
tive and that - especially in such
dynamic variations - it is always
possible for improvements to be
discovered by both sides.
9 dxe6 fxe6
to 'lifd6 (208)
 The Modern Centre

By blocking the enemy d-pawn and Black has similar compensa­

in this way White prevents Black tion to that in the game.
obtaining control of the centre.
11 axb5
The presence of the white queen
12 .i.xb5 'i'c8
is particularly awkward for Black
13 0-0 lLle8
as he can only get rid of it by
14 'i'g3 �xf3
playing his KN or KB backward.
15 gxf3 d5
In addition, the attack on the
c-pawn complicates things even Black has improved his position
more. by getting rid of the white queen
and obtaining control of the centre
10 �b7
without excessive simplification.
11 �e2
16 e4!
A quiet move which allows
Black to capture on b5 with a White must undertake some
typical gain of tempo. The follow­ positive action as otherwise Black
ing lines are more combative but will be able to mass his pieces at
also riskier: leisure.
( 1 ) 1 1 'ifxc5 lLle4 1 2 lLlxe4 �xe4
16 lLlc6
1 3 'if b4 �b7 (not 1 3 . . . .i.xf3 1 4
gxf3 n xf3? 1 5 JLg2) 1 4 bxa6 JLxf3 After 1 6 ' " d4 1 7 lLle2 Black is
1 5 gxf3 lLlxa6 1 6 'i'd6 with bal­ obliged to accept a weakening of
anced chances. his white squares since, for exam­
(2) 1 1 l:. a3 axb5 (three other ple, 1 7 . . . c4?! runs up against 1 8
possibilities: 1 1 . . . ne8 1 2 'i!fxc5! e5 and now 1 8 . . . n f5? 1 9 lLlxd4
.i.f8 13 'ifd4 �xa3 14 bxa3 and .i.xe5 20 lLlxf5 would win for
thanks to his bishops and attack­ White.
ing chances White's prospects are
17 exd5 lLld4
preferable; 1 1 . . . lLle4 1 2 lLlxe4
18 .i.e3!
�xe4 1 3 .i.d3! is good for White;
1 1 . . . 'i'c8 1 2 .i.e2 lLle8 1 3 'i'g3 White wisely completes his
d5 14 0-0 lLlf6 1 5 'i'h3! intending development and keeps the h l -a8
to continue with lLlg5 and �g4 diagonal closed. The attempt to
with advantage) 1 2 JLxb5 'i'c8 get more, for example by 1 8 d6?
(another possibility is 1 2 . . . lLle4 'i'b7!, would be very dangerous
1 3 lLlxe4 .i.xe4 1 4 0-0 n f5 1 5 n d 1 for White.
'ilff6) 1 3 0-0 lLle8 1 4 'i' g3 .i.xf3 1 5
gxf3 d5 1 6 �e2 lLlc6 1 7 f4 lLld6 18 lLlf5

1 35
The Modern Centre

After 1 8 . . . �xf3 + 1 9 � h l through a minefield of complexi­

White has the advantage. ties, only to throw away the fruits
of all his hard work with one lapse
19 'l/r' g4 �xc3
of concentration! Here White is
The only way to regain the too absorbed in his own idea of
d-pawn. playing .i.h3 and misses the
ulterior motive of Black's last
20 bxc3 exdS
move. The prophylactic 23 <t>h l
21 n fd l
would have left chances for both
White has managed t o weaken sides.
the opponent's pawn centre whilst
23 gS!
maintaining both his extra pawn
and the bishop pair but his pawns
Trapping the white queen in a
are very weak. All in all, these
fatal net.
factors leave the position substan­
tially equal. 24 'l/r'eS 'fJ. e7
21 �f6 25 II xdS II xeS

22 'lIr'f4 ll a7! 26 ll xeS

A cunning little move setting Although the remainder is

a big trap which White fails to merely a question of technique,
perceive. Black does well not to consider
his task to be a simple formality.
23 .i.f1?? (209)
Due attention is still necessary to
win.
209
26 �d7
B
27 �c4 + �g7
28 �e6 tZlxe5!

Simplification is the safest way.

29 i.xc8 �xf3 +
30 �g2 �xe3 +
31 fxe3 �h4 +
32 'it>gl

How often we see a player If 32 �g3 ll f3 + 33 �g4 �g6

thread his way successfully followed by mate.

1 36
 The M odern Centre

32 1: xc8 Game 1 4
33 a5 <;t>f6 Plaskett-Barlov
34 �f2 <;t> e5 Bor 1 985
35 c4 ll a8 Modern Variation
36 a6 li:Jf5
d4 li:J f6
37 a7 li:Jd6
2 c4 c5
38 ll a5 li:Je4 +
3 d5 b5
39 �f3 h5
4 cxb5 a6
5 e3
While the rooks cancel each
, other out on one side of the board, Other less well-trodden paths
Black has no trouble converting are:
his advantage on the other. ( 1 ) 5 f3 (with the idea of playing
e4 without losing a tempo) 5 . . .
40 h3 <;t>f5 e6 (after 5 ' " axb5?! there would
41 <;t>g2 g4 follow 6 e4 with the twofold threat
42 hxg4 hxg4 of �xb5 and e5) 6 e4 exd5 (also
43 1: a6 <;t>e 5 possible is 6 . . . �b7, e.g. : 7 li:Jc3
44 <;t>h2 li:Jd6 exd5 8 e5!? li:Jh5 9 li:Jxd5 'iV h4 +
45 ll c6 li:Jb7 1 0 g3 li:Jxg3 1 1 hxg3 'iW xg3 + 1 2
46 .l:t c7 'it>e2 'iWxe5 + 1 3 li:Je3 axb5 with a
sharp position) 7 exd5 (or 7 e5
White gives up his a-pawn and 'iWe7 8 'iWe2 li:Jg8 9 li:Jc3 �b7 1 0
for a few more moves pursues the li:Jh3 'iVd8! 1 1 li:Jf4 li:Je7 with a
forlorn hope of reaching a drawn complex position) 7 . . . 'iWe7 + ?! 8
endgame of king, rook and knight <;t>f2 c4 9 li:Jc3 axb5 10 .i.e3 with
against king and rook. the idea of continuing with 'iWd2
and II e 1, with advantage to White.
46 1: xa7 (2) 5 li:Jc3 (here too the idea is
47 �g3 <;t>d6 to play e4 in one tempo only, but
48 ll g7 <;t>c6 if he does not want to lose control
49 �f4 1: a8 of the diagonal fl -a6, White has
50 ll g6 + li:Jd6 no choice but to return the pawn
51 e4 1: i8 + forthwith) 5 . . . axb5 (5 . . . • a5!?
52 <;t>xg4 It>d7 deserves attention, e.g. : 6 �d2
53 .l:t g5 li:J xe4 axb5 7 e4 b4 8 e5 bxc3 9 �xc3
54 ll e5 ll e8 'iWa4 1 0 .xa4 ll xa4 1 1 exf6 gxf6
0-1 with chances for both sides) 6 e4
1 37
The Modern Centre

(if 6 ttJxbS WaS + 7 ttJc3 i.. a6 This move anticipates the stabi­
with adequate compensation for lizing a4 and impresses a forcing
the pawn) 6 . b4 7 ttJbS d6 (if 7
, , character on the game.
' " ttJxe4? 8 'iWe2 with a decisive
6 i.. xb5 Wa5 +
advantage thanks to the threat of
7 ttJc3 i.. b7 (210)
smothered mate on d6) 8 i..f4
ttJbd7 (the game can take an even
sharper tactical turn after 8 . . ,

gS!?, e,g. 9 i.. xgS ttJxe4 10 i.. f4

WaS 1 1 i.. c4 i..g7 1 2 We2 b3 +
1 3 <;t;>fl fS with obscure play) 9
ttJf3 J.a6 1 0 eS WaS 1 1 a4 ttJhS
12 i.. gS h6 with an extremely
complex position.
(3) S b6 (here the idea is to
return the pawn so as to attract the
black queen to a square exposed to
the manoeuvre ttJgl -f3-d2-c4) S
' " Wxb6 (S . . . d6 is of course
possible, intending to follow up
with . . . ttJbd7xb6. Black has also
tried S . . . e6!?, e.g. : 6 ttJc3 Wxb6
7 e4 i.. b 7 8 ttJf3 g6 9 i..c4 i..g7
10 0-0 0-0 1 1 i..b 3 - preparing
ttJf3-d2-c4 - II ' " Wc7 1 2 ttJd2
as 1 3 a3 - if 1 3 ttJc4? ttJxe4 -
1 3 . . , c4! 1 4 i..xc4 ttJxe4 and,
by simplifying the centre, Black
attains a substantially balanced
position) 6 ttJc3 d6 7 ttJf3 g6 8 ttJd2
i.. g7 9 e4 0-0 10 ttJc4 W c7 1 1 a4
ttJbd7 1 2 i.. e2 ttJb6 1 3 ttJa3 i.. b 7
1 4 0-0 e6 IS a5 ttJ bd7 16 ttJc4 exd5
If White now decides to defend
his dS pawn then play is practically
forced along the line we will see
in the game. The alternative, here
as in later moves, is to return the
material in order to achieve an
advantage in development. For
this purpose the most thoroughly
investigated line is 8 ttJe2 with the
following possible developments:
(1) 8 ' " e6 9 O-O! exd5 10 'ii b 3
i.. c6 1 1 i.. xc6 dxc6 12 e4! where
White has a clear advantage.
(2) 8 . . ttJxd5 9 0-0 ttJxc3 (White
.

with a position where the rough
parity derives from mutual struc­
tural weaknesses.
5 axb5
realizes his idea in the event of
both 9 . . . ttJc7 10 i.. c4 i.. a6 1 1
i..xa6 'ii' xa6 1 2 e4 e6 1 3 i..f4 d6
14 a4! with the idea of ttJb5, and
in that of 9 . , . ttJf6 1 0 e4! ttJxe4 1 1

1 38
 The Modern Centre

..tf4 with some advantage in both 9 'lifb3

cases) 10 lZJxc3 e6 (or 10 . . . g6 1 1
Here too, as at the previous
e4 ..tg7 1 2 a4 0-0 1 3 ..tg5 e6
move, White can return the pawn
14 'lifd6 with a slightly superior
with the intention of gaining an
position) 1 1 e4 ..te7 1 2 a4 0-0 1 3
advantage in development, e.g. :
..tf4 d6 1 4 ..txd6 l:t d8 1 5 e5 (one
( 1 ) 9 tDf3!? tDxd5 1 0 tDxd5
rather swashbuckling idea is 1 5
..txd5 1 1 a4 'lifg6 1 2 0-0 e6 1 3
..txe7 l: xd l 1 6 ll fxd l lZJa6 1 7
..tc3 ..te7 with a balanced game.
ll d7 with sufficient compensation
(2) 9 ..tc4 e6 10 e4 (for 1 0 'fib3
for the queen) 1 5 . . . ..txd6 1 6
see the note to White's 1 0th move
exd6 'lifb6 with equality.
of the present game) 10 . . . lZJxe4
(3) 8 . . . ..txd5 9 0-0 ..tc6 1 0 a4
1 1 lZJf3 (Black stands better after
e6 (after 10 . . . g6 then 1 1 e4!? is
1 1 lZJxe4 exd5) 1 1 . . . tDf6 1 2 0-0
interesting with the idea of meet­
exd5 1 3 J:!. e t + $.. e7 1 4 ..tb3 c4
ing 1 1 . . . lZJxe4 with 1 2 lZJxe4
1 5 ..tc2 tDc6 1 6 ..tg5 0-0 with
followed by the manoeuvre ..td2-
chances for both sides.
c3) 1 1 tDg3 ..te7 1 2 e4 0-0 1 3 e5
(3) 9 lZJge2 lZJxd5 1 0 0-0 lZJc7 1 1
lZJd5 14 ..td2 'lifc7 1 5 tDxd5 ..txd5
a4 lZJxb5 (if 1 1 . . . e6? 1 2 a5 and
1 6 iLc3 with White rather better.
1 2 . . . 1:txa5? is ruled out by 1 3
8 ..td2 ll xa5 'fixa5 1 4 lZJd5 and wins) 1 2
tDxb5 e6 1 3 e4 ..te7 1 4 ..tf4 0-0
This position can also crop up
1 5 tDec3 'lifc6 1 6 lZJd6 and White
by inversion of moves if Black
is preferable.
adopts the continuation 5 . . . ..tb7
6 tDc3 'iWa5 7 ..td2 axb5 8 ..txb5; 9 e6
however in this case White can
deviate from the text by playing 7 As the d5 pawn continues to
bxa6, e.g. : 7 . . . ..txd5 (if 7 . . . take a hammering, White has to
..txa6 8 ..txa6 lZJxa6 9 tDge2 with keep deciding whether to defend
a sound position) 8 ..td2 ..tc6 9 it or give it back.
lZJf3 'fi c7 (if 9 . . lZJxa6?! 10 tDe5
.
10 e4
..tb7? 1 1 'lif b3 and wins) 10 lZJb5
..txb5 1 1 ..txb5 lZJxa6 1 2 a4 and The commonest continuation,
White is slightly preferable. but here too White can return the
pawn with 10 ..tc4, e.g. : 10 . . .
8 'fib6
'lifxb3 1 1 .i.xb3 exd5 (perhaps 1 1
Once again attacking the d5 . . . lZJa6 is strongest, with the idea
pawn. of meeting 1 2 lZJf3 by 1 2 . . . exd5

1 39
The Modern Centre
with advantage because White's
KN cannot move to f4, and of
meeting 1 2 lbge2 by 1 2 . . . lb b4 1 3
dxe6 lbd3 + 1 4 'iit f 1 fxe6 with
compensation for the pawn) 1 2
lbge2 lba6 1 3 0-0 .te7 1 4 l:!. fd 1
0-0 1 5 .te l with chances for both
sides.
10 lb xe4
The sacrifice that is typical of
this line born of the fact that Black
cannot allow his opponent to
occupy the centre without protest
because his position would then
inexorably become inferior.
11 lbxe4 .txd5
12 'iVd3 ( 2 1 1 )
211
B
The key position in this sharp
variation. It is worth noting that
Black cannot get his piece back
immediately by 12 . . . c4 1 3 .txc4
.txc4 1 4 'i'xc4 d5 because of
the check on c8. It is obvious,
however, that this latent tactical
140
idea and the fact that he can
immediately recover some
material by 1 2 . . . f5 followed by
. . . .txg2 guarantees him sufficient
compensation for the piece.
12 f5
This is the most belligerent con­
tinuation, offering chances to both
sides. Note that it looks hard for
White to retain any advantage
after 1 2 . . . 'i'b7 which paves the
way for the tactical idea of the
previous note, e.g. : 1 3 f3 c4 1 4
.txc4 .txc4 1 5 'i'xc4 d5 1 6 �c2
dxe4 1 7 �xe4 'i'xe4 1 8 fxe4 lbd7!
19 lbe2 lbc5 20 lbc3 lbd3 + 2 1
'iit e2 lbxb2 2 2 lbb5 l:t a4 2 3 lbc3
n a8 with equality.
13 lbg3 .txg2
14 lb le2
White has also tried 14 a4 with
the idea of blocking the a- and b­
files and possibly castling long,
e.g. : 14 . . . � b7 (or 14 . . . i.e7 1 5
lbfJ .txh 1 1 6 lbxh 1 .tf6 1 7 lbg3
0-0 1 8 'iitfl ! d5 1 9 n e 1 with
advantage to White) 1 5 fJ .te7
1 6 lb l e2 .txh l 17 lbxh l 0-0 1 8
0-0-0 lbc6 1 9 'iit b l lbe5 20 'iVe3
lbxfJ 21 .tc3 .tg5 22 'i' xc5
�e4 + 23 'iit a 2! .te3! (if 23 . . .
n xa4 + ? 24 'iit b 3 l:!. b8 25 n xd7
and wins) with an extremely com­
plex position.
14 .txhl
 The Modern Centre

15 lbxhl .i.e7 happen after the sacrifice on the

16 lbhg3 1 0th move in the way the central
mass of black pawns threatens
After 1 6 .i.c3 0-0 the position
to strangle the action of White's
is a difficult one and offers mutual
minor pieces with the further
chances, but White must avoid the
advances . . . d4 and . . . e5.
trap 1 7 .i.xd7? because of 1 7 . . .
J:l d8 1 8 'it' g3 .i.f8 and Black wins 19 'it'e3
the bishop.
Practically forced.
16 0-0
19 e5?!
17 a4
With this pawn sacrifice, Black
Or 1 7 lbh5, e.g. : 1 7 ' " lbc6 1 8
hopes to activate his rooks on the
.i.c3 J:l f7 1 9 lbef4 .i.f8 (after 1 9
e-file. However, sounder was 1 9
. . . d5 2 0 .i.xg7! J:l xg7 2 1 lbxg7
. . . lbd8, e.g. : 20 .i.xg7?! wxg7 2 1
wxg7 22 lbxe6 + wf6 23 lbf4
lbh5 + wf7 (not 2 1 . . . wh8 22
White is better) 20 a4 d5!? with
'iWe5 + .i.f6 23 lbxf6 with a clear
chances for both players.
advantage, nor 2 1 . . . wg6 22
17 lbe6 'it'g3 + �xhS 23 'iW g7 ! with a
18 .i.e3 d5 (212) violent attack compensating for
the material sacrificed) 22 'iW h6
'iW xb5! (but not 22 . . . J:t g8 23
'it'xh7 + wf8 24 'iWh6 + wf7 25
lbef4! with a decisive attack) and
Black remains with a clear advan­
tage.
20 .i.xe5 .i.g5
21 f4 J:t ae8

Threatening . . . .i.xf4
22 .i.xc6 'iWxe6
Probably the soundest continu­ 23 J:l c l
ation for Black is 1 8 . . . .i.f6, e.g. :
After 23 fxgS 'ilfe6 Black reco­
1 9 lbh5 .i.xc3 20 'it' xc3 l H7 21
vers his piece and the position is
0-0-0 with a double-edged pos­
open to any result.
ition. The text, however, offers a
very good illustration of what can 23 .i.e7

141
The Modern Centre

24 b4! ..td6 It is now only a question of

25 .l:t xc5! technique, as Black cannot play
3 1 . . . l:t xe5 32 fxe5 r:. f7 owing to
White counts the exchange a
33 ltJd4 g6 34 e6 and wins.
small price to pay in order to
maintain the linchpin of his pos­ 31 r:. b7
ition on e5. Black would become
Another error induced by time-
much more active after 25 bxc5
trouble.
..txe5 26 fxe5 'ii' xa4 with a com­
plex position. 32 ltJd6 r:. ebS
33 ltJxb7 r:. xb7
25 .i.xe5
34 ..te 3 'it>,8
26 'ii' xc5 'ii' x a4
35 ltJd4 'it>f7
The exchange of queens would 36 b5 'it>e7
offer no hope for Black. 37 ..t b4 + <Jo>d7
38 c;te3
27 'ii' xd5 + 'it>h8
28 'llf d 4 .l:t f7 The king's intervention is decis-
29 ..t>f2 -Wd7? ive in supporting the progress of
the b-pawn.
Pressed for time, Black goes
into an inexorably lost ending. He 38 r:. b8
should have played 29 . . . 'ii' c6 39 c;td 3 g6
after which White, to continue the 40 i.. e5 r:. a8
attack, would have had to resort 41 b6 'it>e8
to 30 ltJh5!? 'llf h 1 3 1 ltJeg3 'ii' x h2 + 42 ..t>e4 'it>b7
32 c;tf3, giving a position in which 43 c;t b5 r:. a2
the last word remains to be said. 44 ltJe6 l:t b2 +
45 ..tb4 'it>e8
30 'ii' x d7 .l:t xd7
46 ltJc5
31 ltJxf5
1 -0

1 42
6 The Anti - B enko
Centre

Main Line: Anti-Benko Variation 1 Strateg i c i d eas

1 d4 lZlf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 lZlf3
To focus clearly on the typical
( 2 1 3 J.
ideas behind this type of centre we
should remember that after 1 d4
lZlf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5, White's most
basic plan is to support the
advance e4 by means ofthe natural
development of his QN to c3.
Refusal of the Benko Gambit,
however, makes it impossible to
follow this plan because Black can
answer lZlc3 with . . . b4, diverting
the knight from its control over
the e4 square. This, of course, does
In this chapter we will examine not happen when White accepts
those variations where White re­ the gambit because the elimin­
fuses the gambit pawn without ation of the b5 pawn allows the
resolving the tension between the unmolested development of the
c4 and b5 pawns. Similar strategic tLl b l . When White declines the
positions may occur after 1 d4 lZlf6 gambit a situation arises in which
2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 and now: the development of the tLlbl is to a
large extent linked to the decision
Other Variations
Black takes as regards his b5 pawn
4 'iWc2 ( 2 1 4 ).
As we have said, White cannot
4 a4
prepare the advance e4 by lZlc3
4 lZld2 because of . . . b4; on the other
1 43
The Anti-Benko Centre

214
players might to force the other t o
announce h i s intentions first.

Black vol u nta rily plays

'" bxc4

In this hypothesis, Black decides

to play . . . bxc4 when the white
QN is still at b l without being
induced to do so by his opponent.
In this case White can continue
with his natural plan (tLJc3 and e4),
hand tLJ b l -d2 is not ideal either
preparing to retake the c4 pawn
because Black could reply with . . .
with his KB and follow up with a
bxc4, trying to divert the knight
rapid central breakthrough by e4-
from its control over e4 and having
e5. To counter this plan, Black
in any case diverted it from its
has to set up a pawn structure
best development square at c3.
with . . . d6 (21 5 ) .
These quite straightforward con­
siderations help us to understand
the theme that typically underlies
this type of centre: White is disin­
clined to develop his QN until Black
has taken a decision about his b5
pawn (namely : on . . . bxc4 the
continuation might be tLJc3 but on
. . . b4, tLJd2 is necessary); Black,
for his part, wants to postpone
taking a decision about his b5 pawn
until White has developed his tLJbl I f White wants t o gain a march
(so as to be able to answer tLJc3 on his opponent, he has to be
with . . . b4 and tLJd2 . . . with bxc4). quick about it for otherwise Black
These opposing interests may can hold up the e4-e5 advance by
sort themselves out in the normal . . . tLJbd7 and try to simplify the
course of events in the sense that position by the manoeuvre . . .
one of the two players might take tLJf6-g4-e5 or ' " tLJd7- b6 fol­
a decision without waiting to see lowed by . . . tLJf6-d7-e5, slowing
his opponent's intentions, or arti­ the pace of the game to a more
ficially, in the sense that one of the measured mood not conducive to

1 44
 The Anti-Benko Centre

the exploitation of fast develop­ develop his QN to d2 and achieve

ment. the advance e4 ( 2 1 7).
When White carries out his plan
of .tfl xc4 and e4-e5 his 217

opponent has to play . . , dxe5

in order to prevent the further
advance e5-e6. Even though
Black is able to castle after the
subsequent lLlxe5 ( 2 1 6 ) . . .

Generally speaking, white

. . . White retains the possibility of
violently opening up the diagonal
a2-g8 by means of the sacrifice
lLlxf7 followed by d6 as well as
taking advantage of the support
of the d5 pawn so as to occupy
the advanced weak square c6. In
such situations the game takes
on a decidedly tactical hue and,
although Black has everything he
needs to defend, it is hard to deny
White the advantage of the initiat­
ive.
retains the idea of a central
breakthrough by preparing the
further advance e4-e5, while
Black, as an alternative to the plan
of a central break with . . , e7-
e6xd5, can look to implement a
blockading strategy by making the
advance . . . e7-e5 when the time
is ripe - namely when the reply
d5xe6 need no longer be feared -
and checking attempts at queen­
side breaks (e.g. a2-a3) with the
prophylactic . . . a7-a5 (218).

B l ack vol u nta r i ly plays

' " b4

When, on the other hand, Black

voluntarily plays . . . b4, White can

1 45
The Anti-Benko Centre
In such cases a situation arises
in which Black can organize a
kingside demonstration based on
the advance . . . f5, whereas White's
attacking prospects on the queen­
side are considerably reduced.
If White wants to prevent the
position in the diagram, he has to
act quickly after . . . b4 by breaking
on the queenside with a2-a3
before Black has time to play the
advance . . . a7-a5 and when the
: as is still undefended (21 9).
]1
The important point is that after
either . . . bxa3, l:t xa3, or . , . tZJa6,
axb4 tZJxb4, White wins c3 for his
QN. Further, the weakening of the
a7 pawn is more serious than that
of b2 as the latter can be defended
by centralized minor pieces (e.g. a
bishop on c3 or a knight on d3).
Otherwise, the idea is to free the
c4 pawn through the exchange
axb4 cxb4 so as to increase the
dynamism of the central pawns
(220).
1 46
220
It is obvious that under such
circumstances White is confronted
with the possibility of a promising
blockading plan involving . . , d6
and . . . tZJd7-c5, so he may decide
to sacrifice his c-pawn by advanc­
ing it to c5 even after Black has
played . . . d6. In this event, after
. . . dxc5, White finds dynamic
compensation in the freeing of
his d- and e-pawns and in the
clearance of the c4 square where
he can actively place either his KB
or QN.
It should be mentioned that the
strategies shown in diagrams 2 1 7
and 2 1 9 are the extremes o f Whi­
te's possible reactions in the face
of . . . b4: in the first case he hopes
to be able to converge his forces
undisturbed on the kingside after
blocking the queenside; in the
second he takes immediate
countermeasures to weaken the
queenside blockade because he
considers it a limitation on his
chances. Obviously, in practice
 The Anti-Benko Centre

White can adopt a whole range White's poorer piece coordi­

of intermediate attitudes such as nation compared to diagram 2 1 5
preparing to open up a queenside (same situation but with the QN
file with a2-a3 in a situation like developed at c3) is fairly evident :
the one shown in diagram 2 1 7, here White's set-up is much less
ready to act in this sector only if harmonious because the QN and
Black freezes the centre with . . . QB do not occupy natural pos­
e7-e5 at a moment when it is not itions. A demonstration of this fact
convenient to reply with d5xe6. is that with the QB on b2 the e4-
e5 advance can be refuted by Black
White d evelops the ON by simply underlining the weak­
vol u ntari ly ness of the long diagonal hS-a 1
with the reply . . . lbf6-g4.
This eventuality is very rare and
Alternatively, when White
we mention it not so much to note
develops his QN voluntarily to c3,
its existence as to underline the
matters are even worse : after . . .
fact that it represents a strategic
b4, the move lbb5 would cost a
success for Black although, of
piece through . . . a6, so the knight
course, far from a decisive one.
has to be satisfied with decentraliz­
In the event of White playing
ation on a4 (222).
lD b l -d2, after . . . bxc4 the lbd2
has to stay where it is to act as a
support for the advance e2-e4 and
the recovery of the c4 pawn will
be entrusted to the Jtfl . As for
the QB, it has to be fianchettoed,
so that we have a situation of the
kind shown below ( 221 ).

221

Here we need only make a quick

comparison with diagrams 2 1 7
and 2 1 9 (same situation, but with
the white QN on bI or d2) to
appreciate the tangible difference
in favour of Black. It is not just

1 47
The Anti-Benko Centre

that White has not yet succeeded Black to take a decision, or by

in achieving the advance e4, but
he cannot even open up the way
for the c4 pawn by a3 followed by
axb4 because the interference of
the tZla4 on the a-file allows Black
to answer a3 with . . . a5.
organizing the e2-e4 advance with
no support from his QN, thus
pursuing his natural plan despite
the presence of the black pawn on
b5.
The a2-a4 adva nce

Dea l i ng with the tension The most immediate, and by far

between the b 5 and c4 the most common, method for
pawns assaulting the b5 pawn is by play­
ing a4, after which Black can reply
The foregoing observations have
either with . . . bxc4 or . . . b4 (223 ).
helped to explain why both sides
have an interest in trying to force
their opponent to act first concern­
ing, respectively, the destiny of the
b5 pawn and the development of
the tZl b l . It should be understood
that from Black's point of view the
prolonging of the tension in a
situation like the one shown in
diagram 2 1 4 is in itself an advan­
tage. The point is that if White
fails to address the question of the
tZl b 1 then he will find it hard to
pursue his development, whereas The results of these moves are
Black is less affected by the unre­ shown in diagrams 2 1 5 and 2 1 7,
solved queenside confrontation with the difference that White has
and can carry serenely on with employed a tempo in advancing
many useful moves (e.g. . . . g6, . . . a2-a4. This difference makes it
d6, . . . JL.g7, . . 0-0, . . JL.b7).
. . impossible to apply the strategies
It is logical, therefore, that it illustrated in diagrams 2 1 6 and
should be White who should try 2 1 9, so White cannot force the
to wriggle out of the impasse pace in either case but has to play
shown in diagram 2 1 4. He can do a manoeuvring game. This is the
this in two ways : by attacking price that has to be paid for forcing
the b5 pawn directly, thus forcing Black to declare himself first.

1 48
 The Anti-Benko Centre

Referring to the last diagram, it support from the lLI b l . Speci­

should be noticed that in lines in fically, he can prepare the advance
which the Il a8 is defended (e.g. e2-e4 by developing his queen to
after . . . .Jt. b7), Black can also try c2 ( 225 ) . . .
to maintain the status quo with . . .
a6, but in that case White can
exchange pawns on the a-file and
gain b5 for his QN. This is useful
as after . . . a6, axb5 axb5, Il xa8
j,xa8, lLIc3 b4, he is no longer
forced to decentralize his knight
unattractively to a4, but can play
lLIb5 ( 224).

224

. . . or by means of the manoeuvre

lLI g l -tJ-d2 ( 226).

The white knight is deployed

safely and, although its move­
ments are limited, it can play a
useful role in the pressure on the
queenside that pivots around the
conquest of the a-file.
The idea is to embarrass his
S u pport i ng e2-e4 w ithout
opponent: the advance . . . b4 can
the ON
give rise to situations of the kind
As we have said, White can also shown in diagram 2 1 9, while the
try to force his opponent's hand alternative . . . bxc4 - above all in
by going ahead with his natural diagram 226 - would appear to
plan of central expansion without suggest that White's stratagem is

149
The Anti-Benko Centre
the right one. Black, who clearly
must not forget the possibility of
a sudden cxb5, generally reacts
with . . . bxc4 in situations of the
type shown in diagram 225, and
with . . . b4 in those like 226.
Although these differ�nt continu­
ations respond to their own logic
(the move 'tWc2 is rather a tempo
lost after . . . bxc4, while the retreat
!Dfd2 snarls up the development
of the queenside after . . . b4), it
should not be thought that other
continuations cannot be played,
as will be clear later.
The i nterchanging
of k n i g hts
If, in diagram 226, Black were to
continue with . . . bxc4, then after
!Dc3 the white knights would be
effectively and harmoniously
placed : the QN (!Dc3) protects the
d5 pawn and prepares the advance
e4, while the KN (!Dd2) prepares
to retake the c4 pawn and so
assume a blockading position
typical of the Modern Benoni.
Since, however, as we have said,
Black generally continues with . . .
b4, none of this appears to be a
practical proposition.
To get round this, White has
come up with an interesting inter­
change of knights : he can play
!Dbd2 to begin with and, after the
logical . . . bxc4, carry on normally
150
with e4. At this point, instead of
retaking the c4 pawn with his KB
he can change his knights round
by means of the manoeuvre !Dgl �
e2�c3 ( 22 7).
227
Once he has completed this
plan, he will find himself in the
situation hypothesised above,
namely the one we would see if
in diagram 226 Black were to
continue with . . . bxc4.
It is very interesting to note that
the same result could be achieved
in diagram 2 1 5 if White were to
continue more positionally with
!Df3�d2xc4 rather than the text.
All this undoubtedly looks rather
strange at first sight, but in fact it
is very logical.
This possibility of interchanging
knights means that even after first
playing, for example, !Dbd2, White
can manage to turn the tables and
make it seem (at least to some
extent) as though Black had volun­
tarily played . . . bxc4.
 The Anti-Benko Centre

2 Tact i ca l ideas 228

The fluidity of the central situation

in the Anti-Benko Centre, as in the
Modern Centre, prevents us from
identifying many recurring tactical
points. This does not mean that
on occasion play may not take a
decidedly tactical bent. Individual
variations, however, lead to con­
ditions that are too different one
from the other for it to be possible
to isolate common tactical themes.
We will confine ourselves here to
mentioning those ideas that it is as
well to know about, even though
they are mainly specific.

The weakness of the a4-e8

diagonal

This is probably the most general

tactical point of this type of centre
because it is seen in lines in which
Black plays . . . b4 as well as in
those in which he goes for . . . bxc4.
Any exploitation of the a4-e8
diagonal is usually elementary and
based on a straightforward double
attack (228).
In the diagram, for instance,
Black cannot play . . . ii.a6?
because after .ltxa6 lLlxa6, there
follows 'iWa4 + winning a piece.
Another version, just a little
more sophisticated, is the follow­
ing (229).
After axb4, Black has to retake
with his knight because on . . .
cxb4? there would follow 1:txa6,
.txa6, �a4 + winning two pieces
for the rook.
The danger of the lLlb5
One specific theme, which can
sometimes also be linked to the
previous one, occurs in variations
in which White wins the b5 square
for his QN (230).
Here, after 'l!i'a4, Black cannot
wriggle out of the double threat of
'Wxa8 and lLlxd6 + even by . . .
lLld7, because in that case White
151
The Anti-Benko Centre

tarily develops his QN quickly to

d2, Black may choose to prevent
e4 by the pin . . . "i/i'a5 (232).

can answer with '!Wxa8! 'ilixa8,

tiJc7 + (23 J ) . . .

231
In such circumstances White
can, in fact, still play e4 because
. . . tiJxe4? is refuted by b4! 'iWxb4,
n b I 'iWc3 (if . . . tiJc3, n xb4 tiJxd l ,
J:t b3 and White wins the knight),
n b3 '!Wa5, J:t xb5 'iWc3, Ab2 (233)

233

. . . recovering the queen and win­

ning a piece. It should be pointed
out that the white knight might
be trapped after . . . c;t?d8, tiJxa8.
However, even in such cases White
usually manages to obtain
maximum advantage from the
tempi his opponent has to spend
to recover the piece.
. . . and Black ends up losing his
Tra p p i ng the black q ueen
queen through trying not to lose
Sometimes, when White vol un- his knight.

1 52
 The Anti-Benko Centre

3 I l l ust rative g a mes White to prepare e4) 4 . . . bxc4

(an interesting possibility is 4 . . .
Game 1 5
lLla6!?, with the idea of meeting 5
Browne-P. Wolff
e4? with 5 . . . lLlb4 6 "iVe2 bxc4
USA 1 985
with advantage; in the event of 5
Anti-Benko Variation
cxb5 lLlb4 6 "ilfxc5 lLlfxd5 7 .td2
1 d4 lLlf6 .i.b7 8 'ir' c 1 J:!. c8 9 lLlc3 Black's
2 c4 c5 compensation for the pawn would
3 d5 b5 seem adequate) 5 e4 e6 (for 5 . . .
4 lLlf3 d6 6 .txc4 g6 7 tZJf3 see the second
line in the note to Black's 4th
This is much the most common move of Game 1 6) 6 .i.xc4 exd5 7
and most flexible way to decline exd5 d6 8 lLlc3 .te7 9 lLlge2 0-0
the Benko Gambit. Other indi­ 10 0-0 lLlbd7 1 1 a3 lLlb6 1 2 .ta2
vidual paths are: J:!. e8 and the weakness of the d5
( 1 ) 4 lLld2 (taking an immediate pawn is compensated for by Whi­
decision on the development of te's greater attacking possibilities.
the lLl b l ; White retains the option (3) 4 a4 (playing this before
of interchanging knights) 4 . . . bxc4 developing the KN has individual
(it is clear that the alternative 4 . . . insignificance only if White aims
b4 is out of the question) 5 e4 d6 to exploit the mobility of his f­
6 .txc4 (here 6 lLle2 is possible, pawn) 4 . . . bxc4 (Black can also
e.g. : 6 . . . g6 7 lLlc3 .tg7 8 lLlxc4 inaugurate a blockading strategy
and, by switching the knights, by means of 4 . . . b4, e.g. : 5 g3 e5!?
White manages to clear the way 6 dxe6 fxe6 7 .tg2 d5 with equal
for the development of his QB that chances) 5 lLlc3 d6 6 e4 g6 (6 . . .
had been shut in by his 4th move) .ta6 does not create any particu­
6 . . . g6 7 b3 (White has time lar problems for White, e.g. : 7 [4
to fianchetto the bishop, but the lLlbd7 8 tZJf3 g6 9 a5! .tg7 1 0 e5
position of his pieces is not ideal) dxe5 1 1 fxe5 lLlg4 1 2 e6! lLlde5 1 3
7 . . . .tg7 8 .t b2 0-0 9 lLlgf3 "ilfa4 + 'iit f8 1 4 .te2 with the
lLlbd7 (9 . . e5!? has also been better prospects) 7 .txc4 .i.g7 8
.

tried, but this seems to favour f4 (for 8 lLlf3 see the third line in
White after 10 dxe6 fxe6 1 1 O-O!, the note to Black's 4th move of
e.g. : 1 1 . . . d5?! 1 2 .td3 with a Game 1 6) 8 . . . 0-0 9 tZJf3 .ta6
clear advantage) 10 0-0 lLlb6 and with balanced prospects.
Black is ready for action. (4) 4 .tg5 (a continuation that
(2) 4 "ilfc2 (another way for has so far had few takers) 4 . . .

1 53
The Anti-Benko Centre
lDe4 (against 4 . . . g6 White has
succeeded in giving his QN some
of the glory with 5 d6!?, e.g. 5 . . .
i-b7 6 lDc3 a6?! 7 i-xf6 exf6 8
'Wd2 with the threat of 'We3 + and
better prospects, or 5 . . . exd6 6
lDc3 with the idea of either lDxb5
or lDe4, e.g. 6 ' " a6?! 7 lDe4
"li'a5 + ? 8 i.d2 'Wd8 9 lDxf6 +
'Wxf6 1 0 i-c3 and wins) 5 i-f4
'Wa5 + (5 . . . e6 6 'Wc2 lDxf2!?
7 wxf2 'Wf6 is a controversial
variation) 6 lDd2 bxc4 7 f3 lDf6 8
e4 i-a6 9 lDe2! d6 10 lDc3 and
White has a harmonious position.
4 bxc4
With this capture, as with 4 . . .
b4 (for which see Game 1 6), Black
voluntarily renounces the queen­
side tension. Naturally, there is a
strong case for simply putting the
ball back in White's court, for
example by 4 . . . i-b7 (noted
below, diagram 234) or 4 . . . g6
(for which see the note to Black's
fourth move in Game 1 6).
We note here an additional,
1 54
tactical, method of dealing with
this latter continuation (4 . . . g6)
following delayed capture of the
gambit pawn : 5 cxb5 a6 6 lDc3
axb5 7 d6!? i-g7 (7 . . . 'Wa5 is an
important alternative after which
White may break the pin by 8
lDd2, e.g. 8 . . . i-b7-8 . . . b4 9
lDc4-9 e4 lDxe4 1 0 lDdxe4 i-xe4
1 1 i.xb5 i-g7 1 2 0-0 i-xc3 1 3
'We2! i-f6 1 4 iJ.. d2 'W b6 1 5 'Wxe4
and White emerges advanta­
geously from the complications) 8
e4!? (the most ambitious move; 8
dxe7 'Wxe7 9 lDxb5 0-0 1 0 e3 d5
1 1 i-e2 lDc6 1 2 0-0 i.f5 gives
Black easy development and good
central control in return for the
pawn) 8 . . . b4 9 lDb5 0-0 10 e5
lDg4 with a very wild and unclear
position.
It is not possible here to play
either 5 lDbd2 or 5 'Wc2, because
of 5 . . . bxc4 6 e4 e6 with a clear
advantage for Black because
White cannot satisfactorily meet
the assault on his d5 pawn. There
are, however, other methods for
forcing the opponent to climb
down off the fence. Let us have a
look at all the possibilities :
( 1 ) 5 lDc3 (a rather over­
ambitious try) 5 . . . b4 6 lDa4 e6 7
i-g5 d6 8 e4 i-e7 and Black has
a more centralized position, e.g.
9 e5?! dxe5 10 dxe6 'Wc7! 1 1 exf7 +
�xf7 1 2 i-e3 J:!. d8 with some
advantage.

(2) 5 a4 bxc4 (after 5 . . . a6 White
can gain b5 for his QN, e.g. 6
axb5 axb5 7 Ir xa8 .i.xa8 8 lZJc3
Wa5 9 .i.f4! d6 10 lZJd2 b4 1 1
lZJb5! g6 - if 1 1 . , . lZJxd5?! 1 2
cxd5! "iWxb5 1 3 e4 with a strong
initiative - 1 2 e4 lZJbd7 1 3 lZJb3
"iW b6 14 Wal .i.b7 1 5 "iWa5 with
better prospects) 6 lZJc3 g6 7 e4 d6
8, i.xc4 .i.g7 9 0-0 0-0 10 e5 dxe5
1 1 lZJxe5 (it is useful to compare
this position with the very similar
one that occurs after the 1 1 th
move of the present game where
the tempo White has expended on
a2-a4 is deployed more actively
to play II fl -e 1 ; this is the price
White has to pay for forcing his
opponent to take a decision at the
5th move) 1 1 . . lZJfd7! (after 1 1 . . .
. axb4 lZJxb4 (not 8 . . . cxb4 because
lZJbd7 1 2 lZJc6 .i.xc6 1 3 dxc6 lZJe5
14 "iW xd8 ll axd8 1 5 i.b5 White
has the better chances) 1 2 lZJd3
lZJ b6 1 3 �a2 (not 1 3 lZJxc5? lZJxc4
1 4 lZJxb7 Wc7 and the White
knight is trapped) 1 3 . . . lZJa6 1 4
lZlf4 lZlb4 1 5 a5 with equal chances.
(3) 5 Wb3 (it is obvious that
this move only makes sense when
Black has played . , . .tb7) 5 . . .
'lWb6 6 lZJc3 b4 (or 6 . . . bxc4 7
"iW xb6 axb6 8 e4 e6 9 lZle5!
lZJxe4!? - White is better after 9
. . , exd5 1 0 exd5 lZJxd5 1 1 i.xc4
lZlxc3 1 2 .i.xf7 + Iot>d8 1 3 bxc3 - -
1 0 lZJxe4 exd5 with an unclear
position that requires further
practical tests) 7 lZJa4 "ii c7 (if 7 ' "
The Anti-Benko Centre
'iWa5 - with the idea of undermin­
ing the white centre with . . . e6 -
8 lZJd2! e6 9 e4 and White keeps
the centre blocked) 8 "ifc2 d6 9 a3
a5 and Black has no problems.
(4) 5 lZJfd2 b4 (Black can also
opt to destroy the opposing centre
with 5 . . . bxc4 6 e4 e6!, e.g. 7 dxe6
dxe6 - not 7 . . . fxe6!? 8 e5 lZJd5
9 lZlxc4 lZlc6 10 lZJc3 lZJd4 1 1 lZJe4
with a clear advantage -- 8 lZJc3
lZJc6 9 .i.xc4 il.. e7 10 0-0 0-0
and Black has better development
although his pawn structure is a
little weakened) 6 e4 d6 7 a3 lZJa6
(after 7 . , . lZJbd7 8 axb4 cxb4 9
"iWa4! White is better; instead 7 . . .
a5! seems to be more suitable for
keeping the lZJbl bottled up) 8
of 9 ll xa6) 9 .te2 g6 10 0-0 .tg7
1 1 lZJc3 0-0 1 2 lZJ b3 "if b6 1 3 i.e3
II ab8 14 n a3 and White's position
is preferable because of the weak­
ness of the a7 pawn and the passiv­
ity of the .tb7.
5 lZJc3 (235 )
The immediate consequence of
the exchange . . . bxc4 is that White
can develop his Q N and prepare
the advance e2-e4 in a perfectly
natural way.
5 d6
It is evident that Black must
curb the possibility of an immedi-
1 55
The Anti-Benko Centre
ate central expansion, e.g. 5 . . . g6
6 e4 iLg7?! 7 e5 ltJg4 S .i.f4 with
a decided advantage for White.
6 e4 g6
Supporters have also been
found for 6 . . . ltJbd7 to prevent
White's next.
7 e5!
This seems to be the most direct
line because it upsets the pawn
chain e7-d6-c5 by considerably
weakening the e7 and c5 points.
With less forceful moves the game
takes a more meandering turn and
White can no longer hope for
any substantial initiative in the
opening, e.g. : 7 .i.xc4 .i.g7 (or 7
. . . ltJbd7, along the lines of the
idea mentioned in the previous
note) S 0-0 (S e5! takes us back to
the game) S . . . J.. g4 9 h3 J.. xG
10 'iW xG 0-0 1 1 'iWe2 ltJbd7 1 2 .i.d2
'iWc7 with more or less balanced
prospects.
1 56
7 dxe5
8 ltJxe5 .i.g7
9 iLxc4 0-0
10 0-0 .i.b7
Here Black can simplify play
by 10 . . . ltJfd7!?, although the
position resulting from 1 1 ltJc6 ( 1 1
ltJxf7!? J::t xf7 1 2 d6 is a sacrifice
that deserves attention) 1 1 . . .
ltJxc6 1 2 dxc6 ltJb6 1 3 'ii' x d8 J::t xd8
14 .i.e2 (if 14 .i.b5 a6!) is by no
means clear.
11 J:!. el
Another possibility is 1 1 'ii' b 3,
e.g. 1 1 . . . 'ii' b6 1 2 J::t e 1 ltJa6 1 3
.i.g5 'iW xb3 1 4 i.xb3 J::t acS?! ( 14
. . . ltJb4 is better, but 14 . . . J::t fdS?
loses because of 1 5 ltJxf7! <;txf7
1 6 d6 + e6 1 7 l:txe6 etc.) 1 5 ltJc4!
ltJxd5 1 6 ltJxd5 iLxd5 1 7 .i.xe7
J::t feS 1 8 ltJd6 and White wins
material with advantage.
11 ltJe8
Now 1 1 . . . ltJfd7? 1 2 ltJxf7! J:!. xf7
1 3 d6 ltJe5 14 J::t xe5 .i.xe5 1 5
iLxf7 + leaves White clearly
ahead because after 1 5 . . . <;txf7
there follows 1 6 'ii' b3 + etc.
12 .i.f4 ltJd6
13 .i.b3
By blockading the d5 pawn
Black has consolidated his pos­
ition, but the weakness of the e7
and c5 pawns remains and White

may take advantage of it either
strategically or tactically, e.g. 1 3
. . . 'ilc7 1 4 l:!. c 1 with the idea of
applying pressure against c5, or
1 3 . . . lZJd7? 1 4 lZJc6 .i.xc6 1 5
dxc6 lZJb6 1 6 J:t xe7! with a clear
advantage.
13 lZJf5? (236)
Eager to reach d4, Black does
not pay due attention to the the­
matic tactical possibilities that
White can deploy in this variation
and permits a brilliant denoue­
ment.
14 lZJxf7! l:t xf7
Or if 14 . . . �xf7 1 5 d6 + �e8
1 6 lZJb5 lZJa6 1 7 dxe7 with a decis­
ive attack.
15 d6 e6
Black has no satisfactory
defence, e.g. ( 1 ) 1 5 . . . exd6 1 6
.i.xf7 + �xf7 1 7 'iW b3 + and
White recovers his sacrificed
The Anti-Benko Centre
material with interest; (2) 1 5 . . .
lZJxd6 1 6 .i.xd6 'ii' xd6 1 7 .i.xf7 +
�xf7 1 8 'ilb3 + is similar to the
previous variation; (3) 1 5 . . . i.c6
16 dxe7! 'ile8 (if 1 6 . . . 'ilxd l 1 7
l:t axd l .i.e8, then 1 8 l:t d8 wins)
1 7 .i.xf7 + "i!ixf7 (if 1 7 . . . 'itxf7
18 'ii' b 3 + �f6 19 "i!ie6 mate) 1 8
e8 (Q) + ! .i.xe8 1 9 'ild8 wf8 20
i.xb8 and White is the exchange
up with a decisive attack.
16 .i.xe6 i.c6
Once again there is no way out,
e.g. 1 6 . . . 'il f8 1 7 lZJe4! i.xe4 1 8
l:!. xe4 lZJa6 (if 1 8 . . . lZJc6 1 9 'ild5
and wins) 19 'ild5 l:t d8 20 d7 1ZJe7
(if 20 . . . lZJb4 2 1 .i.xf7 + 'ilxf7 22
ll e8 + and wins) 21 'ii' d6 1ZJb4 22
.i.xf7 + and White wins (if 22 . . .
'itxf7 23 'iif e6 mate).
17 lZJe4! lZJd4
After 1 7 . . . .i.d4 White wins
with 1 8 .i.xf7 + wxf7 19 lZJg5 +
wg8 20 'il b3 + etc.
18 .i.xf7 + �xf7
19 lZJxc5
Apart from the fact that by
capturing a third pawn White has
redressed the material balance,
Black's exposed king and poor
piece coordination leave him with
no hope.
19 'itg8
20 llet i.d5
1 57
The Anti-Benko Centre

21 �b3 J.xb3 instead of prolonging it by 4 . . .

22 axb3 �d7 J.b7 (for which see the note to
Black's 4th in Game I S) or 4 . . .
If 22 . . . �bc6 23 n xc6 �xc6 24
g6 (237).
"WdS + and wins.
23 n e7 J. f6
24 iLe3! �f5 w
25 ifd5 +
1 -0

After 25 . . . wh8 there would

follow 26 n xd7.

Game 1 6
Seira wan-Gurevich
USA 1 986
Anti-Benko Variation
1 d4 �f6
2 c4 c5
3 d5 b5
4 �f3
One of the advantages of this
move compared to the other conti­
nuations is that in some variations
White can return to the lines
examined in the previous chapter.
If, for example, he wanted to avoid
the variation of Game 1 4, in the
event of 4 ' " g6 he could return
to the line of Game 1 3 by playing
5 cxb5.
4 b4
In this continuation too - as
in that of the previous game -
Black voluntarily breaks the ten­
sion triggered by the gambit
In this position, in addition to
the delayed capture of the gambit
pawn (see note to Black's fourth
move in game 1 5), White can either
develop his QN forthwith or keep
the tension going by the usual
means. Let's have a look :
( 1 ) 5 �bd2 (this idea looks even
more passive here than on the
previous move : see the first line in
the note to White's 4th in Game
1 5) 5 ' " J.g7 (or 5 . . . "Wa5 6 e4
J.g7 - not 6 . . . �xe4? 7 b4!
"Wxb4 8 n bl and White wins, as
shown in the comment to diagram
232 - 7 eS �g4 8 "We2 bxc4 9 h3
�h6 1 0 ife4 0-0 1 1 J.xc4 d6 1 2
e6 �a6 1 3 0-0 fxe6 1 4 �b3 "it' a4
with superior prospects for Black)
6 e4 0-0 7 J.d3 bxc4 8 �xc4 J.a6
and Black has no problems.
(2) 5 "it'c2 bxc4 6 e4 d6 7 J.xc4
(another possible plan is 7 �c3

1 58
The Anti-Benko Centre
i.g7 8 ltJd2 with the idea of
retaking on c4 with the knight) 7
. . . i.g7 8 0-0 0-0 9 h3 i.a6 1 0
ltJa3 "it'c8 1 1 .i.f4 ltJbd7 1 2 ll ab l
.i.xc4 1 3 ltJxc4 W'a6 1 4 b 3 ltJb6
1 5 ltJfd2 ltJfd7 with approximately
equal chances.
(3) 5 a4 bxc4 6 ltJc3 d6 7 e4
i.g7 8 i.xc4 0-0 9 0-0 (after 9 e5
dxe5 10 ltJxe5 .i.b7 1 1 0-0 we are
back in the second line following
from diagram 234) 9 . . . i.a6 1 0
.i.b5 .i.xb5 1 1 axb5 ltJbd7 1 2
"it'e2 ltJe8 1 3 l:t d 1 ltJc7 1 4 .i.f4
W'b8 1 5 e5 dxe5 (if 1 5 . . . ne8 1 6
exd6 exd6 1 7 "it'd3 with a slight
advantage for White) 1 6 ltJxe5
ltJxe5 1 7 i.xe5 i.xe5 1 8 "it'xe5
ltJxb5 with equality.
(4) 5 ltJ fd2 "it' a5 (compared to
the similar variation deriving from
4 . . . i.b7 5 ltJfd2, here Black
is reluctant to play . . . b4 because
after a3 he would not be able to
maintain the blockade with . . . a5)
6 a3 i.g7 7 ltJc3 b4 8 ltJb3 W' d8
9 axb4 cxb4 1 0 ltJb5 a5 1 1 d6 0-0
1 2 ltJc7 n a7 1 3 i.e3 l:t xc7 1 4
dxc7 "it'xc7 1 5 ll xa5 ltJg4! 1 6 i.cl
ltJxh2 with a position in which
Black probably has adequate com­
pensation for the sacrificed
material.
5 a3! (238)
With this freeing move, White
aims to increase the dynamism of
his central pawns by taking on b4
before Black has time to defend
his l:t a8 and support his b4 pawn
by . . . a5, so as to force Black to
retake with his c5 pawn. Other
continuations are, of course, poss­
ible against which, however, Black
has better chances of setting up a
blockading strategy than in diag­
ram 2 1 8. Let's see :
( 1 ) 5 .tg5 d6 6 ltJbd2 g6 7 e4
(after 7 .txf6 exf6 8 e3 Black -
by pursuing the plan . . . i.g7, . . .
f5, . . . 0-0 - has at least equal
prospects) 7 ' " i.g7 8 .i.d3 0-0
9 O-O?! (9 a3 is better, although
here the freeing action is rather
late and Black can retain his hold
over c5 by 9 . . . ltJbd7 as well as
by 9 ' " ltJa6) 9 . . . a5! 1 0 W'c2 e5!
and Black has no problems.
(2) 5 ltJbd2 g6 (5 . . . d6 is inaccur­
ate because of 6 a3! bxa3 7 J:t xa3
and White's prospects are slightly
better, e.g . : 7 ' " e5?! 8 dxe6! fxe6
9 g3 lLlc6 1 0 .i.g2 "it' c7 1 1 lLlg5
i.e7 1 2 W'a4 d5 1 3 ll e3! with
advantage to White) 6 b3 (better
is 6 e4 d6 7 a3! which falls back
1 59
The Anti-Benko Centre
into a pattern similar to the one
we wi11 encounter in the game) 6
. . . .i-g7 7 Ab2 0-0 8 e4 d6 9 'ii' c2
eS with a good game for Black.
(3) S b3 d6 6 tLJbd2 e5! (after 6
. . . e6? 7 e4 exdS 8 cxdS White is
better) 7 e4 g6 8 a3 tLJbd7 9 .i-e2
Ah6 10 0-0 0-0 1 1 �c2 tLJhS! 1 2 g3
tLJg7 and Black has an advantage.
S as?
At this point some clarification
is called for. As we have said, with
his previous move White is trying
to force his opponent, after axb4,
to retake with . . . cxb4. Now, we
are certainly not saying that the
resulting pawn configuration is
strategically inferior for Black.
Quite the contrary : if he is able
to set up a blockade on cS (for
example by . . . d6 and . . . tLJbd7-
cS) and advance his queenside
pawns (with . . . as-a4) he will
unquestionably obtain a prefer­
able position. From this point of
view, then, the text move cannot
be considered wrong and to find
the reason for the mistake we have
to dig deeper.
Essentially, White wants to
force . . . cxb4 so as to free his
cS pawn and thus introduce two
centre rams (the c- and e-pawns)
into the equation ready to antici­
pate or unhinge all of his
opponent's attempts to block the
position. This gives the position,
1 60
which is apparently blocked, an
unexpected tactical-dynamic char­
acter that makes the time factor
extremely important. So, from this
point of view, the text move is a
serious mistake because it does
nothing to promote piece develop­
ment nor does it do anything to
safeguard the king.
Black had to play S . . . g6!,
so readying himself to castle as
quickly as possible or facilitate his
development with a small material
sacrifice, e.g. : 6 tLJ bd2 .i-g7 7 e4
d6!? 8 g3 (after 8 axb4 cxb4 9
'ii' a4 + tLJfd7 1 0 'ii' xb4 tLJa6, Black
has enough compensation for his
pawn, e.g. 1 1 �aS J:l. b8 1 2
'ii' xd8 + ct>xd8 1 3 ll b l tLJdcS 1 4
.i-e2 fS! with the initiative) 8 . . .
0-0 9 .i-g2 tLJbd7 1 0 0-0 (at this
point it is against White's interest
to play axb4 because his opponent
has prepared the blockade of cS)
10 . . . tLJg4 1 1 tLJ e l tLJb6 1 2 'ii' c2
(not 1 2 axb4?! cxb4 1 3 tLJd3 as 14
cS dxcS IS tLJxcS 'ii' c 7! 16 tLJa4 -
after 1 6 tLJd3 .i-a6 Black's advan-
tage is marked - 1 6 . . . tLJeS! and
Black is preferable) 1 2 . . . as 1 3 h3
tLJeS 14 f4 tLJed7 I S tLJd3 'Wc7 1 6
ct>h 2 bxa3 1 7 J:t xa3 a4 with equal
chances.
6 tLJbd2 g6
It would be folly to concentrate
solely on mobilizing his queenside,
e.g. 6 . . . .i-b7?! 7 e4 d6 8 axb4

axb4 9 ll xa8 .txa8 1 0 e5 dxe5 1 1
'iWa4 + lZJbd7 1 2 lZJxe5 with a clear
plus for White; or 6 . . . lZJa6? 7 e4
d6 8 e5 lZJg4 9 axb4 axb4 1 0 e6!
dxe6 I 1 lZJg5 with a decisive attack
e.g. : 1 1 . . . exd5 1 2 cxd5 lZJc7 1 3
II xa8 lZJxa8 14 lZJe6 and wins.
7 e4 d6
8 axb4 cxb4 ( 239)
The defects of Black's 5th are
clearly in evidence : the delay in
development, the imperfect block­
ade of c5 and e5 and the weakness
of the diagonal a4-e8 are all ele­
ments that bode no good.
9 c5!
A sacrifice that forms part of
the logic of the position : White
clears the fl -a6 diagonal to allow
his KB a fast lane into the action
and gains a further tempo by forc­
ing his opponent to accept the
offer.
9 dxc5
The Anti-Benko Centre
9 . . . .tg7 10 .tb5 + ,.pf8 (if
10 . . . .td7 1 1 c6 wins) is unplay-
able for Black.
10 .tb5 + .td7
11 .tc4 e6
Desperately trying to curb
enemy aggression. On 1 1 . . .
.tg7?! 1 2 e5 lZJg4 1 3 'tie2 White
would have had a crushing posi­
tion.
12 0-0 exd5
13 exd5 .t h6?!
It would have been useless to
try to castle after 1 3 . . . .te7?
because after 14 d6! .txd6 1 5
ll e l + .te7 1 6 lZJg5 0-0 1 7 lZJxf7
ll xf7 18 lZJf3 White would have
had a winning position.
Black might have provided
stiffer opposition by blocking the
d5 pawn with 1 3 . . . .td6,
although after 14 ll e l + ,.pf8 1 5
lZJe4 lZJxe4 1 6 .th6 + ,.pg8 1 7
1:!.xe4 White's advantage would
have been more than evident.
14 ll el + ,.pf8
15 lZJe5 ,.pg7
Black tries to perform a make­
shift castling operation, but the
manoeuvre is cut short tactically.
1 5 . . . .te8 would have prevented
the sacrificial conclusion of the
game, but White would have
retained all his advantage by the
straightforward 16 lZJb3.
161
The Anti-Benko Centre

16 lbxf7! �xf7 23 l:t xf7 +

17 d6 + �f8 1 -0
18 l:t e7 .ie8
A memorable demolition job
19 lbe4 .ixc1
and paradigm of the dangers of
20 lbxf6 .ixb2
delaying castling.
21 lbxh7 + l:t xh7
22 "0 + .if7

162
Table of Var iat i ons
This is a rather special table of
variations, for which some expla­
nation will be helpful.
On the left-hand side we have
given the variations in their tra­
ditional divisions, sub-divided into
minor variations. While these
minor variations may be grouped
here under one main variation,
they will often be found in different
chapters, according to their com­
mon type of centre.
The first percentage column
gives victories for White, draws,
and wins for Black, in that order.
(As these statistics have in some
cases been compiled from
additional related variations to
those alongside which the figures
appear, they are meant as no more
than a useful guide.) The next
column gives the level of complex­
ity of the variation from the point
of view of strategy first, tactics
second. The scale ranges from one
to five. Finally there comes the
percentage frequency with which
the variations are played.
1 63
 Modern Benoni
>-l
� ::r
(l>
% % >
+ Strategy Tactics frequency Chapter S.
1 d4 liJf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4 liJc3 exd5 5 cxd5 d6 Cc
(l>
:=
Fianchetto Variation 34 39 27 ••• o. o. o. 1 7.6 2 :-;'
0
6 g3 g6 34 39 27 ••• o. o. * 1 7.6 2
(J
Knight Tour Variation 45 37 18 ••• o. * * 2.9 3 (l>

6 liJf3 g6 7 IZld2 i.. g7 8 liJc4 45 37 18 ••• o. o. * 2.9 3 g

.....
(l>
Queen Check Variation 58 23 19 •• .*** 4.1 1-3
(a) 6 1Zlf3 g6 7 i.. f4 i.. g7 8 'li'a4 + (with e2-e4) 55 26 19 •• **** 3.6 1
(b) 6 1Zlf3 g6 7 i..f4 i.. g7 8 'li'a4 + (with e2-e3) 0.5 3
Uhlmann System 39 39 22 ••• o. o. * 7.4 1-3
(a) 6 liJf3 g6 7 i.. g5 (with e2-e4) 30 35 35 •• **** 2.6 1
(b) 6 liJf3 g6 7 i.. g5 (with e2-e3) 44 42 14 ••• o.o. 4.8 3
Siimisch System 33 44 23 ••• * * o. 12.7
6 e4 g6 7 f3 33 44 23 ••• o.** 1 2.7
Penrose Variation 53 17 30 •• **** 4 1
6 e4 g6 7 i..d3 i.. g7 8 IZlge2 53 17 30 •• **** 4 1
Bishop Check Variation 56 20 24 ••• . _ .. 5.5 1
6 e4 g6 7 f4 i.. g7 8 i.. b 5 + 56 20 24 ••• . * •• 5.5 1
Standard Four Pawns Variation 40 36 24 •• **** 6.2
6 e4 g6 7 f4 i.. g7 8 1Zlf3 0-0 9 i.. e2 40 36 24 •• **** 6.2
Main Variation 40 38 22 •••• o.** 30.6 1
6 e4 g6 7 liJf3 i.. g7 8 i.. e2 0-0 9 0-0 40 38 22 •••• *** 30.6 1
Unusual lines 34 38 28 9.0 1 -2-3
(a) with e2-e4 32 44 24 6.6 1
(b) with e2-e3 0.5 3
(c) with g2-g3 1 .9 2
TOTAL 40 36 24 ••• ***. 100 1 00 1-2-3
 Benko Gambit

% %
+ Strategy Tactics frequency Chapter

1 d4 tDf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5

King's Walk Variation 36 41 23 ••• **** 20.7 4

(a) 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 .txa6 6 tDc3 d6 7 e4 .txfl 8 wxfl 36 41 23 ••• **** 20,2 4
(b) Other lines 0,5 4

Fianchetto System 43 32 2S •••• *** 13.2 4

4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 .txa6 6 g3 43 32 25 •••• *** 1 3,2 4

Modern Variation 38 41 21 •• **** 36.6 5

(a) 4 cxb5 a6 5 e3 34 43 23 •• **** 26,3 5
(b) Other lines 50 36 14 .5. *** 10,3 5

Anti-Benko Variation 35 36 29 ••• *** 29.5 6

(a) 4 tDf3 26 23,9 ...,
33 41 ••• *** 6 ::r
<l>
(b) Other lines 5,6 6
;l>
TOTAL 38 38 24 ••• **.* 100 1 00 4-� 2.
0,
<l>
::l
;0<"
0

()
<l>
- a
0- ...
V. <l>