10/7/2019 ANTI-SICILIANS, PART TWO

http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_shrtcts/041001_anti_sicilians_2.html Go OCT DEC MAR 👤 ⍰❎

201 captures 17 f 🐦
8 Mar 2005 - 27 Nov 2018 2004 2005 2007 ▾ About this capture

Google Search

Search Our Site

Search The Web

Click to enable Adobe Flash Player

Home > Chess > Openings > Opening Shortcuts > ANTI-SICILIANS, PART TWO

OPENING SHORTCUTS

ANTI-SICILIANS
PART TWO

ANTI-SICILIANS, PART TWO

By Joel Benjamin

Time for a little confession: I always thought the Moscow Variation was an
innocuous drawing system until I came across the following game, annotated by
GM Ehlvest in New In Chess.

Jaan Ehlvest-Darmen Sadvakasov [B52]

Philadelphia, 2003
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7

?! according to Ehlvest. “Kasparov captures with the queen. I have played this
move myself, and I knew the danger awaiting Black.”

5.c4 Ngf6 6.Nc3 g6 7.0–0 Bg7 8.d3

This move may surprise some people who are expecting the Maroczy approach
with 8.d4. Though White gains space, Black will have a solid, flexible position
with potential counterplay. Instead White plays to emphasize his superior bishop
with a kingside squeeze.

8...0–0 9.Ng5 h6 10.Nh3 e6 11.f4 Qb6 12.Nf2 Qc6 13.Qf3 Kh7 14.Be3 Ne8

Black would be fine if he had time to get in f7-f5, but Ehlvest has a plan.

15.f5 exf5 16.Qh3! Nef6

Ehlvest’s notes were light on tactics, so I don’t know how he intended to dispatch
16...fxe4. With the help of Pocket Fritz, he would have worked out 17.Bxh6 Rh8
18.Nfxe4 Kg8 19.Rxf7 Ne5 20.Qe6 Nxf7 21.Nd5 and White has a decisive
advantage. I invite the readers to continue analyzing if you don’t believe us. Now
Ehlvest wins routinely, albeit with some flair.

17.exf5 Ne5 18.Nfe4 Neg4 19.Bd2 Rae8 20.Rf4 h5 21.Raf1 Kg8 22.Qh4 Nxe4
23.Nxe4 d5 24.f6 Bh8 25.Rxg4 Rxe4 26.dxe4 hxg4 27.cxd5 Qa4 28.Qxg4 Re8
29.Bc3 b5 30.d6 b4 31.e5 Qc6 32.d7 Rd8 33.e6, 1–0.

Okay, Ehlvest exaggerated a bit with the dubious sign. Sadvakasov has had better
days, too. But I was still impressed that such a fine player not only played the
variation for White, but relished the opportunity.

And to think, a few years earlier I had gone out of my repertoire to defend Black
in the 4...Nxd7 variation:

Oral - Benjamin
Sydney, 1999
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7 5.0–0 Ngf6 6.Qe2 e6 7.d4 cxd4
8.Nxd4 Be7 9.c4 0–0 10.Nc3 a6 11.b3 Qc7 12.Bb2 Rfe8 13.Rad1 Bf8 14.Qf3
Rad8 15.Kh1 Qc5 16.Qg3 Qh5 17.h3 Nc5 18.Qe3 Qg6 19.Rfe1 d5 20.e5 Nfe4

https://web.archive.org/web/20051217043454/http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_shrtcts/041001_anti_sicilians_2.html 1/3
10/7/2019 ANTI-SICILIANS, PART TWO
21.b4 Nxc3 22.Bxc3 Ne4 23.c5 Be7 24.Kg1 a5 25.a3 axb4 26.axb4 Ra8 27.f3
http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_shrtcts/041001_anti_sicilians_2.html Go OCT DEC MAR
👤 ⍰❎
Bg5 28.Qd3 Nxc3 29.Qxc3 Ra2 30.Re2 Rea8 31.b5 R8a3 32.c6 bxc6 33.Qxc6 17
201 captures
h6 34.Nc2 Rb3 35.Kf1 Bf4 36.Nd4 Rxe2 37.Nxe2 Bxe5 38.b6 Rb2 39.b7 Kh7, f 🐦
8 Mar 2005 - 27 Nov 2018 2004 2005 2007 ▾ About this capture
0–1. This game clinched first place for me.

So I looked forward to trying out Ehlvest’s plan. A few weeks after the World
Open, I faced one of the most active grandmasters on the circuit, Alex
Wojtkiewicz. He has played a whole lot of Najdorf’s, so I thought I would likely
have the opportunity to “check” him.

The match-up occurred in an unlikely forum, the Tullah Hanley Open in Bradford,
Pa. The Grand Prix comes at the end of the Castle Chess Camp, giving the
instructors a shot at fairly easy prize money. I was a bit perturbed to learn that
Wojtkiewicz made a mad dash in his car from Baltimore to remote Bradford, 300
miles away. He was in turn perturbed that he arrived too late for the first round
and had to take a half-point bye. We met in round four when I had 3-0 and he was
trailing with 2.5.

The last day started at 8:30 in the morning, not my favorite time to play chess.
Wojo, who had spent the night in counselor’s quarters, arrived a few minutes late
in his standard slightly disheveled manner. We quickly pounded out some early
moves.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+

I didn’t get a rise out of him with this move. Perhaps he had expected as much;
my spies (camp kids) told me he had prepared extensively in his room the night
before.

3...Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7 5.0-0 Ngf6 6.d3 e6

Wojo offered a draw. I had already put in for a bye in the last round in order to
catch a ride back to New York with Aviv Friedman. I was pretty sure a draw
would ultimately suffice for a share of first place. I could have gone for the whole
enchilada, but I was reluctant to make Aviv wait. I figured I had learned more than
I had given away. So I saved the battle for another day. Draw agreed.

A few weeks later I found myself on the spotlight board at the Tuesday Night
Masters opposite the young Polish grandmaster Kamil Miton. Although I had seen
Miton at several World Opens, we had never played before. With our 2-0 scores,
we were by rule prohibited from making a short draw (not that we wanted to;
sometimes it’s useful to get an extra kick to get in a fighting mood).

Joel Benjamin-Kamil Miton [B52]

NY Masters, 2004
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7

Just like Wojo so far. They are both Polish, and might well have worked together
before (I vaguely recall Wojo used to coach Miton, but I may be mistaken).
Perhaps the two had exchanged knowledge about this opening. That fact piqued
my intellectual curiosity; interesting positions tend to give me more energy,
especially at this stage in my career.

5.0–0 Ngf6 6.d3

I’m using a slightly different execution of Ehlvest’s idea. If 6...g6, White can
switch gears and play for d3-d4 after 7.Re1 and 8.c3.

6...e6 7.c4 Be7 8.Nc3 0–0 9.Ng5 d5!? 10.f4

Black strikes in the center before White is in position to answer e4-e5. So Black
has a moment to open things, if he wishes.

10...dxc4 11.dxc4 Nb6 12.e5

https://web.archive.org/web/20051217043454/http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_shrtcts/041001_anti_sicilians_2.html 2/3
10/7/2019 ANTI-SICILIANS, PART TWO
http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_shrtcts/041001_anti_sicilians_2.html Go OCT DEC MAR
👤 ⍰❎
12...Nfd7 17
201 captures f 🐦
8 Mar 2005 - 27 Nov 2018 2004 2005 2007 ▾ About this capture
12...Ne8 13.b3 is simply better for White, but Black has an interesting alternative
in 12...Qd4+ 13.Qxd4 cxd4 and now there are two options:

A) 14.exf6 gxf6 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Nb5.

B) 14.Nb5 Ng4 15.b3.

In both cases White may stand slightly better.

13.Qe2 Qc7

13...Bxg5 14.fxg5 Qc7 15.Bf4 gets Black nowhere.

14.Nce4 h6 15.Nh3 f5 16.exf6 Nxf6 17.Ng3 Qc6 18.b3 Rae8 19.Bb2 Bd8
20.Rae1 Nc8 21.Qc2 Nd6 22.Nf2 b5 23.cxb5 Qxb5 24.Qg6 Rf7 25.Rd1 Nf5
26.Rfe1 Nh4 27.Qc2 Qc6 28.Nd3 Bc7 29.Ne5 Bxe5 30.Rxe5 Nd5 31.f5 Nf4

32.Qe4

It’s getting a bit out of control for a 30-minute game. I thought this was a “safe”
move, but I could have risked 32.fxe6, e.g. 32...Nh3+ 33.gxh3 Nf3+ 34.Kf2.

32...Nh3+ 33.Kf1

I couldn‘t evaluate 33.gxh3 Nf3+ 34.Kf2 Nxe5 35.Qxe5 exf5 36.Qd5 in seconds.

33...Qxe4

Miton misses his big chance: 33...Qa6+! 34.Ke1 Nf4 35.Rd2 Nhxg2+ 36.Rxg2
Nxg2+ 37.Qxg2 Qxa2 looks good for Black.

34.Nxe4 Nxf5 35.Ke1

I should have gone for 35.gxh3 Ne3+ 36.Ke2 Nxd1 37.Kxd1, but as the position
quiets down, White wrests control.

35...Nf4 36.g3 Ng6

36...Ng2+! 37. Ke2 Nge3 38. Rc1 Ng4 keeps Black in the game.

37.Rxc5 Ne3 38.Rd3 Ng2+ 39.Ke2 Ref8 40.Rd1 Rf3 41.Bd4 e5 42.Bg1 R3f7
43.Ra5 Rc8 44.Rxa7 Rc2+ 45.Rd2 Rxd2+ 46.Nxd2 Rf8 47.b4 e4 48.b5 e3
49.Nc4 Rc8 50.Nxe3 Nxe3 51.Bxe3 Ne5 52.Bd4 Re8 53.Kf2

They told me I made this move with one second on my clock!

42...g5 54.Bxe5 Rxe5 55.b6, 1–0.

In the next installment we will wrap up the Moscow Variation, beginning with
Sarkar’s second try in the check line.

Copyright © 2005 Joel Benjamin

https://web.archive.org/web/20051217043454/http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_shrtcts/041001_anti_sicilians_2.html 3/3