10/7/2019 ANTI-SICILIANS, PART SIX

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127 captures 09 f 🐦
12 Jun 2006 - 15 Mar 2017 2006 2008 2009 ▾ About this capture

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

OPENING SHORTCUTS

ANTI-SICILIANS
PART SIX

by Joel Benjamin
We continue our survey of anti-e6 Sicilians with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6, the move
of choice for those looking to backdoor their way into a Sveshnikov Defense (4.d4 cxd4
5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Ndb5 d6 6.Bf4 e5 7.Bg5 a6 etc.). If your goal was simply to avoid the
Paulsen or straight Scheveningen, for that matter, you may play 4.d4 with confidence.
If you want to avoid these sharp theoretical battles, the move is 4.Bb5.

We now have a Rossolimo Variation, though the knight usually shows up on c3 via this
move order: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.0-0 Nge7 5.Nc3. Our move order brings
about some independent possibilities, though many of the lines can arise from the
aforementioned move order.

Svidler-Zyla [B30]
Groningen open 1993
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Nd4

I think this is the critical move, though some players may prefer the more traveled
lines of 4…Nge7, which will be considered later. The only other sensible looking move is
4…Qc7, but 5.0-0 a6?! 6.Bxc6 Qxc6 isn’t recommended since 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 d6
9.Bg5 gives White too big a lead in development.

5.0–0

Though I found forty games on my database, 5.Nxd4?? is just a blunder leading to big
trouble after 5…cxd4 6.Ne2 Qg5!

THE JAWS OF THE TRAP SNAP SHUT!

Now 7.Nxd4 Qc5 8.c3 e5 costs a piece, while other moves “gambit” the g2-pawn most
unattractively. Avoid this trap at all costs!

5…a6

Well-timed -- White will have to retreat the bishop to an awkward square. “Winning”
the bishop pair with 5…Nxb5 is again inadvisable. After 6.Nxb5 a6 7.Nc3 the Black
pieces come out slower.

6.Bd3 Ne7

Consistent with Black’s plan of controlling the d4-square, yet the playful 6…Nc6!? has
found some reputable adherents. The idea is to embarrass the “double-parked” bishop
on d3, and after 7.Re1 the shocking 7…g5!? looks reasonable.

STRANGE TIMES ARE UPON US

7.Nxd4 cxd4 8.Ne2 d5!?

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10/7/2019 ANTI-SICILIANS, PART SIX
Black fights for the initiative with this bold and ambitious thrust. He could also hold the
http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_shrtcts/041001_anti_sicilians_6.html
line with 8…Nc6 9.c3 Bc5 (9…d5 now allows 10.cxd4 dxe4 11.Bxe4 Nxd4 12.Qa4+ Nb5
Go DEC FEB MAR
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127 captures 13.d4 with some advantage because of the errant knight on b5) 10.b4 Ba7 11.cxd4: 09 f 🐦
12 Jun 2006 - 15 Mar 2017 2006 2008 2009 ▾ About this capture

11…Nxd4 (by no means forced. Black has also tried 11…Nxb4, 11…0-0, and 11…d5)
12.Bb2 Nxe2+ (12…Qf6 13.Kh1! and the pin is uncomfortable) 13.Qxe2 0–0 14.e5
(White is perhaps slightly better because both his bishops are already playing) 14…
Qh4?! 15.a4 Rd8 16.Rfc1 Qh6 17.Rc4 d5 18.exd6 Rxd6 19.Bxg7! winning for White,
Tseitlin-Khenkin, Israeli ch 1994.

9.exd5

9.e5?! has been played a few times, but it’s inadvisable. After 9…Nc6 10.f4 Bd7 11.a3
g5! White’s center collapses.

9…Qxd5

9…Nxd5 is a solid alternative. After 10.c3 dxc3 11.dxc3 Bd6 White has a variety of
plans. In Shabanov-Cherniaev, Russia 1996 White opted for queenside expansion:
12.Qc2 Qc7 13.h3 Bd7 14.Bd2 h6 15.Rac1 0–0 16.a3 e5 17.c4 Nf6 18.c5 Be7 19.Ng3
Rfe8 20.Rfe1 Bf8 21.b4 Bc6 22.Bc3 Nd5 23.Bb2 Rad8 24.Rcd1 g6 25.Bc4 Bg7 26.Ne4
with advantage to White.

10.c3 Nc6 11.Qc2

11…f5

Black prevents 12.Be4, but he could do so indirectly with 11...Bd6!? 12.Be4? Bxh2+
13.Kxh2 Qh5+. 12.Re1 might be the best answer.

12.cxd4 b5

Black isn’t sure he wants to take the cripple on d4. 12...Nxd4 13.Qa4+ Nc6 14.Bc4
Qd6 15.d4 Bd7 16.Qd1 frees White’s center and offers a slight edge due to the
weakness created by Black’s eleventh move.

13.Re1! Nb4

Svidler refutes 13...Be7!? with the finesse 14.Qc3! (intending Bc2-d3) 14...Bb4
15.Qb3! Qxb3 16.axb3 with a clear edge due to the dual threats of 14.d5 and 14.Bxb5.
Eliminating the bishop offers Black dominance on the light squares.

14.Qc3 Nxd3 15.Qxd3 Bc5!

The pressure on d4 slows down White’s development. If now 16.Nf4 Qxd4 17.Qxd4
Bxd4 18.Nxe6 Bxe6 19.Rxe6+ Kd7 20.Re2 Rhe8 21.Rxe8 Rxe8 22.Kf1 Ke6! White’s
extra pawn is useless.

16.b3 0–0 17.Bb2 Bb6?

Now the pressure on d4 is less important than covering key squares. 17...Bd6! 18.Nc3
Qb7 keeps the position unclear.

18.Qg3!

Now the White pieces flood into Black’s position.

18…Qd7 19.d5! exd5 20.Nf4 d4 21.Ba3 Rf7 22.Nd5! Bd8

23.Re5 f4
The last chance was 23...Bb7 24.Rae1 Bh4 25.Qxh4 Bxd5 26.Qxd4 Bc6 27.Qf4 Rd8
28.d4! but White has a winning position anyway.

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10/7/2019 ANTI-SICILIANS, PART SIX
24.Rae1! Be7 25.Nxe7+ Rxe7 26.Qxf4, 1–0.
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127 captures 4…Nd4 can lead to quite unconventional play. My feeling is Black is a bit better off than 09 f 🐦
12 Jun 2006 - 15 Mar in the better traveled lines after 4…Nge7 5.0-0.
2017 2006 2008 2009 ▾ About this capture

Vassily Smyslov-Ketevan Arakhamia [B30]

Cancan Veterans vs. Ladies, Roquebrune 1998
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Bb5 Nge7 5.0–0

The text move order is consistent with the previous material, but it should be noted
that most games we will encounter come from a standard Rossolimo move order: 1.e4
c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.0-0 Nge7, and now White chooses 5.Nc3 over the major
alternatives 5.c3, 5.Re1, and 5.b3.

5...a6

This move seems the logical follow-up but is hardly obligatory. 5…Nd4 6.Nxd4 cxd4
7.Ne2 a6 8.Ba4 is more comfortable for White than the earlier Svidler game because
the bishop isn’t forced to the awkward d3-square. After 8…b5 9.Bb3 Nc6 10.d3 Bb7
11.f4 White can optimistically pursue activities on the kingside.

A completely different idea is 5…Ng6. After 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Black is into a “pure”
Taimanov setup (favored by the man himself) with a bishop on b5 that is likely to have
to retreat. I once pursued a different strategy myself: 6.d3 Be7 7.Ne2!? (I believe a
c3 strategy is more effective with the knight on g6) 7…Qc7 8.c3 a6 9.Ba4 b5 10.Bc2
Bb7 11.Ng3 with a promising “Spanish” position for White, Benjamin-A. Kogan, Oz.com
Internet Qualifier 2000. Isn’t the Net great? I don’t believe I have ever met Arthur
Kogan, but I can quote a game I’ve played against him!

6.Bxc6 Nxc6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Qc7

8…Be7 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.e5 is a playable but risky strategy for Black. The most common
move is probably 8…d6 9.Re1 (the alternative is 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Qg4) 9…Be7 10.Nxc6
bxc6 11.Qg4 and now Black must make a concession:

11…0-0? (natural but bad) 12.Bh6 Bf6 13.e5! dxe5 14.Ne4 Kh8 15.Rad1 Qe7 16.Be3
and White is winning, as proven in many games over the years.

11…Kf8 12.b3 e5 (12…d5 13.Qg3! h5 14.Na4 h4 15.Qc3 Rb8 16.Be3 and White
dominates the dark squares, Yudasin- Greenfeld, Haifa 1995) 13.Qe2 Be6 14.f4 f6
15.Na4 h6 16.c4 with an edge for White, Glek-Ciemniak, Groningen 1992. The
maneuvers involving b3, Na4 and c4 are typical in the structure after the Nxc6 bxc6
exchange.

11…g6 (keeping the castling privilege but weakening the dark squares) 12.e5!? (this
prevents Black from activating his queen bishop with 12…e5) 12…d5 and now White
utilized an interesting strategy in the game Glek-M. Hoffmann, Dutch Team Ch, 2000:
13.a3!? (preventing the maneuver Ra8-b8-b4) 13…h5 14.Qf3 Rb8 15.Ne2!? c5 16.Nf4
a5 17.b3 Bb7 18.Bd2 d4 19.Qe2 Qb6 20.Nh3 Qc6 21.f3 a4 22.Bg5 (White begins to
exploit the dark squares) 22…Bxg5 23.Nxg5 axb3 24.cxb3 Qc7 25.Rac1 0–0 26.b4 Qe7
27.Qd2 cxb4 28.axb4 Bd5 29.Rc5 Rb7 30.h4 Rfb8 31.Rec1 Qd8 32.b5 Rxb5 33.Nxf7
Rxc5 34.Nxd8 Rxc1+ 35.Qxc1 Rxd8 36.Qg5, 1–0.

9.Nxc6

This move got a lot of attention after the text game. 9.Re1 is quite common, but I like
Larry Christiansen’s maneuver 9…Bd6 10.Kh1 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 f6 12.Be3 b5 13.Rad1
Be5 14.Qb4 Rb8 15.f4 a5 and Black had the advantage, Shliperman-Christiansen U.S.
Ch. Salt Lake City 1999.

9…bxc6

Black could consider all captures here. I once lost a game against 9...Qxc6, but I didn’t
play the best move, 10.Re1! Then Nc3-d5 is in the air, graphically illustrated by
Sadvakasov-Kasimdzhanov, Lausanne 1999: 10…Be7 11.Nd5 exd5 12.exd5 Qd6
13.Bg5 f6 14.Bf4 Qxf4 15.d6 Kd8 16.Rxe7 b5 17.Qd5 Rb8 18.Rae1 Qc4 19.Qh5 Qg8
20.Qc5 Qc4 21.Qe3 Qe6 22.Rxe6 dxe6 23.Qa7 Rb7 24.Qxa6 Re8 25.Qc6 b4 26.h4 e5
27.a4 bxa3 28.bxa3 Re6 29.c4, 1–0. No way to treat a future FIDE World Champion!

The other capture 9...dxc6 looks less logical, but Bacrot has adopted it successfully.
After 10.Be3 Be7 11.f4 0–0 12.a4 I think White has a slight edge.

10.f4

White looks to begin a kingside attack without any delays.

10…d5 11.f5 Bc5+?!

If we’re looking for the culprit in Black’s swift debacle, this may be it. The bishop
defends the king much better from e7.

12.Kh1 0–0 13.f6!

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10/7/2019 ANTI-SICILIANS, PART SIX
http://www.jeremysilman.com/chess_opng_shrtcts/041001_anti_sicilians_6.html Go DEC FEB MAR 👤 ⍰❎
127 captures 09 f 🐦
12 Jun 2006 - 15 Mar 2017 2006 2008 2009 ▾ About this capture

13…Rd8

This defense is as rickety as it looks, but 13…g6 14.Na4 Bd6 15.e5! Bxe5 16.Qd2 Qd8
(16…Kh8 17.Qh6 Rg8 18.Rf3 with the stock sacrifice 19.Qxh7+! coming next) 17.Qg5
forces Black to cough up the bishop to avoid mate.

14.fxg7 Bb7 15.Qh5 Bd4 16.Bg5 Rd7 17.Bf6 c5 18.e5 Qb6

19.Nd1 Qb5 20.Rf4 Bxb2 21.Rb1 Qa5 22.Nxb2 Qxa2
23.Rbf1 Qxb2

TIME FOR THE KILLING BLOW

24.Be7!
Smyslov has always been universally liked and respected, but here he is no gentleman!

24…Rxe7 25.Rxf7, 1–0.

Copyright © 2006 Joel Benjamin

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