TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page
Key to symbols
Foreword by Romain Edouard

PART 1. GAMES, PLANS AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Introduction to part 1
Chapter 1. First Games and Plans
Chapter 2. White’s Strategy to Trade the d-Pawns — Pros and Cons
Chapter 3. Keres’s Legacy
Chapter 4. White’s f2-f4 Pawn Push in Non-Closed Centre Positions
Chapter 5. Closed Centre Strategies
5.1. White’s f2-f4 pawn push
5.2. Queenside decisions
5.3. Black’s misplaced b7-bishop and a5-knight problems
5.4. White’s g2-g4 pawn push

PART 2. THEORY

Introduction to part 2
Overview of the Chigorin Theory
Chapter 1. Early ...d5s and the Romanishin Variation
Chapter 2. 11...Qc7 12.d5
Chapter 3. 11...Qc7 12.Nbd2, Rook Moves and 12...cxd4
Chapter 4. 11...Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6, Old Main Line
Chapter 5. 11...Qc7 12.Nbd2, Bishop-moves
Chapter 6. 11...Nd7, 12th Move Sidelines
Chapter 7. 11...Nd7 12.N bd2 (Main Line)
Chapter 8. 11...Nd7 12.a4 (Modern Line)
 THE CHIGORIN BIBLE

A CLASSIC DEFENCE TO THE RUY LOPEZ

by

Ivan Sokolov

Iván Salgado López

Thinkers Publishing 2019

www.thinkerspublishing.com

Editor in Chief
Romain Edouard

Consulting Editor
Daniël Vanheirzeele

Proofreading
Part 1: Ian Marks
Part 2: Bernard Carpinter
 Graphic Artist
Philippe Tonnard

Cover design
Iwan Kerkhof

Authors’ photos
Jos Sutmuller & Irina Petrova

Typesetting
i-Press ‹www.i-press.pl›

First edition 2018 by Thinkers Publishing

The Chigorin Bible. A classic defence to the Ruy Lopez

Copyright © 2018 Ivan Sokolov & Iván Salgado López

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-94-9251-041-9
D/2018/13730/22

All sales or enquiries should be directed to Thinkers Publishing, 9850 Landegem,

Belgium.

e-mail: info@thinkerspublishing.com
website: www.thinkerspublishing.com
 KEY TO SYMBOLS

! a good move
? a weak move
!! an excellent move
?? a blunder
!? an interesing move
?! a dubious move
™ only move
= equality
∞ unclear position
© with compensation for the sacrificed material
² White stands slightly better
³ Black stands slightly better
± White has a serious advantage
µ Black has a serious advantage
+– White has a decisive advantage
–+ Black has a decisive advantage
‚ with an attack
ƒ with initiative
„ with counterplay
… with the idea of
¹ better is
≤ worse is
N novelty
+ check
# mate

5
 FOREWORD

by Romain Edouard

IVAN AND IVAN: A WONDERFUL COCKTAIL!

I first met the Ivans many years ago: Ivan Salgado in 2004, at a World Youth
Championship, and Ivan Sokolov in 2012, in a round robin tournament in Nancy. I became
friends with both of them, as it was obvious that they were friendly and interesting people.
From 2011 to 2014 I was the captain of the Chalons-en-Champagne team which was
competing in the Top 12 French league. In 2013, I decided to hire both Ivans, as I considered
them strong fighters and great for team morale. It turned out they didn’t know each other!
The funniest thing was the difference in their personalities. Ivan Sokolov was very
classical, able to spend hours thinking about a position and come up with a very smart idea. Ivan
Salgado was more the kind who — at the time — would switch on the engine and be convinced it
showed the right move after a few seconds. As a result, any chess debate between them quickly
became very animated!
I remember once asking, “Guys, I want to go 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 with Black, but if
4.Nc3 I don’t want to play any of the main moves. What should I do?”. Ivan Sokolov started to
think, but Ivan Salgado immediately answered, “4...h6!”, then added, “he should know 5.g3, or
Black is absolutely fine!”. Sokolov said, “Hmm, and what is so terrible if I play, let’s say,
5.Bf4?”. Salgado answered “Bad! Then 5...Bd6, equal 0.00”. And Sokolov almost fell off his
chair.
We had incredible fun during our first time together in the French league, and later, at
another tournament, I saw both Ivans sitting together at dinner. “Did you two get along?”, I
asked. “Yes”, answered Ivan Sokolov, “actually most of the things Ivan says make a lot of
sense!”. And they became great friends.
When they came up with the idea of writing a book together on a particular opening for
Thinkers Publishing, I accepted with great excitement. Having seen previous examples of their
work, I believed Ivan Sokolov’s experience and working method, complemented by Ivan
Salgado’s fresh ideas, would result in a wonderful cocktail.
Their book did not disappoint me. After reading it, you won’t be missing any information
about the Chigorin Defence, and will also acquire a lot of chess culture and understanding.
A highly recommended book!

Romain Edouard
Barcelona, Spain
4th November 2018

6
 PART 1

GAMES, PLANS AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

by

Ivan Sokolov

INTRODUCTION TO PART 1

The Chigorin Variation is one of the oldest variations of the Ruy Lopez, ‘invented’
(according to my database) at the Monte Carlo tournament in 1902 by Carl Schlechter in his
game versus Siegbert Tarrasch.
Doing my research for this book I was surprised to discover that in the early years of the
development of the Chigorin Variation, Black often intentionally kept his king in the centre by
opting for 8...Na5 9. Bc2 c5 instead of 8...0-0, trying to be flexible and keeping extra options.
The drawback was that White was not obliged to spend time on h2-h3, as he was on 9.h3 in a
regular move order. Nevertheless this unusual more order was tried with Black by Capablanca,
Lasker, Botvinnik, Euwe, Rubinstein and Reshevsky, amongst others. However, sometime in the
late 1940s, this flexible plan more or less disappeared from grandmaster practice, so I did not
include it in the games in this book.
The player who made the greatest contribution to the Chigorin Variation in its early years
was Akiba Rubinstein. According to my database Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin himself played
‘his’ variation only twice, in 1906 and 1907, and it is rather surprising that the variation bears his
name.
In later years Paul Petrovich Keres became the great champion of the Chigorin
Variation, and an entire chapter of this book is devoted to his legacy.
The strategic part of the book consists of thirty-two fully-annotated games divided into
five chapters, with the fifth chapter divided into four subchapters.
7
 In this strategic part I have given an insight into the historical development of the
variation and have tried to help the reader understand the most common plans and concepts for
both sides.
My own practical experiences in this variation date back to 1994, and over the years I
have tried it with Black versus greats like Kramnik, Shirov and Grischuk. Some of these
experiences are included in the book.
The Chigorin Variation is rich in ideas which can be used in a range of middlegame
positions arising from different variations.
Understanding the strategic ideas of this complex variation is also a middlegame
improvement ‘tool’ and a must for anyone wanting to take his or her chess to the next level.
The current trend, developed in recent years, is for Black to capture on d4 with his
e-pawn, aiming for Benoni-type pawn structure positions which lead to rather double-edged
positions.
These modern developments and the current theoretical state of affairs in general are dealt
with in the theoretical part of the book by my friend, Ivan Salgado.
This ‘Chigorin bible’ aims to be the ultimate improvement ‘tool’ for club and tournament
players in the variation. The first part provides the reader with a good understanding of general
plans and strategic concepts and the second part provides direct theoretical knowledge.
I hope the reader will also simply enjoy playing over the games, many of which are
famous historical ones. I really enjoyed selecting and analysing them.

Ivan Sokolov
Lelystad, The Netherlands
9th October 2018

8
 CHAPTER 1.

FIRST GAMES AND PLANS

According to my database Mikhail

Ivanovich Chigorin played ‘his variation’ in only
two regular tournament games, at Nuremberg in
1906 and Ostend in 1907.
This information came to me as a complete 12...cxd4
surprise, but my database simply shows no other
games of his with it. In the first game (vs Duras) Chigorin’s first game in ‘his variation’
Chigorin did not show any coherent plan for went 12...Kh8?! 13.Nf1 Ng8?! Black is preparing
Black, at least in the opening, and got a clearly for counterplay with ...f7–f5 if White closes the
inferior position, although he eventually won the centre with d4–d5. The problem with playing
game. In the second game (vs Schlechter) he had 12...Kh8?! and 13...Ng8?! though is that Black
definitely prepared opening and middlegame plans does not exert any central pressure, so White can
and his ideas in that game resemble plans for take his time over a decision about the centre and
Black that we were to see in years to come. happily continue to develop his pieces. 14.Ne3
Chigorin developed his pieces to try to exert Be6
pressure on White’s centre, while remaining
flexible in case White closed the centre by pushing
d4–d5. Pioneering efforts are usually difficult;
Chigorin tried to solve his opening problems with
an illtimed central pawn break, the position
opened and, with White’s pieces well positioned
for such an eventuality, Black soon came under a
crushing attack.
1
Carl Schlechter
Mikhail Chigorin
Ostend 1907

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 15.Nf5 White wastes no time in starting a
kingside attack, typical of the playing style of
those times. He could have put Black in a difficult
situation (i) after 15.b3±, cutting the a5-knight out
of play, (ii) by continuing development and
pushing d4–d5 at a convenient moment, (iii)

9
simply going for the exchange of d-pawns with
dxe5, or (iv) playing for the Nd5 jump, since
Black’s knight is on g8. It is not easy for Black to
find useful moves here. 15...Bf6 16.d5 Bd7 17.g4
g6 18.Ng3 Bg7 19.Kh2

13...Bd7!

The exclamation mark is because

Chigorin has reached the type of position
he was aiming for when playing 12...Kh8 and
13...Ng8. The centre is closed, so he can try to
improve his pieces and prepare pawn pushes or
breaks. First he improves his knight (a plan we see
up to the present day) with 19...Nc4! 20.Nd2 To
trade or not to trade? Strategically it is useful for
Black to keep the knights in these types of
positions as his b6-knight will slow down any
white queenside pawn push, while helping support
a possible pawn roller with ...a6–a5, ...c5–c4 etc.
Chigorin makes the correct strategic decision!
20...Nb6! 21.h4?! Not seeing how to advance on
the kingside, White sacrifices a pawn. 21...Qd8!
22.Kg2 Qxh4 23.f3 Bh6 24.Rh1 Qf6 25.Rh3 Qg7
26.Kf2 Bf4µ White did not have enough
compensation for the pawn and Black went on to
win in Duras,O-Chigorin,M Nuremberg 1906.
13.cxd4
Chigorin’s idea is from 1907! Nowadays Black
develops his bishop to d7, connecting his rooks,
while the bishop is both well placed and flexible
should White close the centre with d4–d5.
Schlechter will continue to develop his pieces
while keeping decisions about his central pawns
open, also a common white strategy up to the
present day!
Modern theory does not consider 13...Bd7
precise and the main line nowadays is 13...Nc6
14.Nb3 a5 15.Be3 a4, for which please see the
theoretical part of the book.
14.Nf1 Nc6 15.Be3 Nb4 16.Bb1 Rfc8

Black
is ready, if White decides to close the centre with
d4–d5, but White refuses to cooperate!
17.Qd2!

17.d5 a5 leads to a good game for Black.

10
One modern example (reached by a different move
order) went 18.Re2 Bd8 19.Ng3 Qb7 20.Qd2 Na6
21.Bc2 Nb4 22.Bb1 Na6 23.Bc2 Nb4 ½–½
Short,N (2674)-Adams,M (2741) Wijk aan Zee
2005.
17...d5?!

Principled, but it doesn’t quite work.

Opening the centre favours White.
18.Ng3! exd4 19.Bxd4

Chigorin definitely misjudged the

consequences of his 17...d5? central break, for
which Black was simply not ready. There is no
The
way for him to liquidate into anything playable;
most precise continuation. The black king has no
the white pieces are simply much better placed and
defenders.
he lands in a lost position.
20...Bxf6 21.Nxe4 Be7 22.Neg5 Nc6
19...dxe4
23.Bxh7+ Kf8 24.Rad1
19...Nxe4 does not help: 20.Nxe4 dxe4
24.Nxf7 also wins.
24...Rd8

24...Be8 does not escape the mating attack

after 25.Be4 Rd8 26.Bd5 Nb4

21.Bc3! Qd6 22.Bxe4 Qxd2 23.Bxd2 Ra7

24.Bxh7+ Kxh7 25.Rxe7+–.
20.Bxf6!
and
now the queen lif t mates: 27.Qd4! Rxd5
28.Qh4+–.
25.Nxf7 Bf5 26.Nxd8 Rxd8

11
 13.d5
Various moves win here for White. Nd8
27.Qxd8+ Nxd8 28.Bxf5 Qb6 29.Ne5 Kg8
30.Nd7 Qh6 31.Rxe7 Qg5 32.Nf6+ The plan Rubinstein invented in 1907!
Black’s d8-knight will go to f7, and the f6-knight
1–0 to g7. Black’s problem is that he does not really
get to play ...f7–f5, while White gets dangerous
At Ostend in 1907, alongside the Ostend knight sacrifice possibil- ities on f5 after pushing
Championship tournament where t he g2–g4, as in the Bogoljubow game below. It is
Schlechter-Chigorin game was played, there was a quite possible that Rubinstein simply
Masters tournament, where first place was shared underestimated White’s sacrificial possibilities on
by Ossip Bernstein and Akiba Rubinstein. In their f5, as in his game vs Bogoljubow.
game Akiba Rubinstein chose the ‘Chigorin 14.Nf1
Variation’ and came up with a novel plan of
shuffling his knights to f7 and g7 (see the game). Eighteen years later Bogoljubow decided
Black’s concept looks flexible, but is rather to close the queenside in order to focus on a
passive. Eighteen years later Efim Bogoljubow kingside attack, and played 14.a4 Rb8
would test Rubinstein’s concept by advancing his
g-pawn and following up with a knight sacrifice
on f5. This is rather dangerous for Black and was
likely underestimated by Rubinstein. Throughout
his career Akiba Rubinstein made significant
contributions to the ‘Chigorin Variation’ (many
more than Chigorin himself ) and I honestly have
no idea why the concept was not called the
‘Rubinstein Variation’.
2
Ossip Bernstein
Akiba Rubinstein
Ostend 1907

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

15.c4! To stop the opening of the
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
queenside in White’s favour, Black now needs to
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6
close it immediately. 15...b4 If White is to focus
on a kingside attack, this is the correct strategy, as
he needs all four rooks on the board and does not
want to be bothered on the queenside. 16.b3
12
 [16.Kh2 Ne8 17.g4 was Bogoljubow’s 17...h5! had to be played, creating counterplay.)
strategy in another game of his vs Rubinstein. The 18.Kh1 Ng7 19.Rg1 h5 20.Nf1 hxg4 21.hxg4 f6
two of them had quite a theoretical debate on this 22.Ne3
line in the mid-1920s! 17...g6 18.Rg1 f6 19.Nf1
Nf7 20.Ne3?! The start of a wrong idea to place
the bishop on the a1–h8 diagonal. (20.Ng3,
keeping his dark-squared bishop on the c1–h6
diagonal, looks nice for White, who will keep
improving his position and prepare a break on the
kingside, while Black is a sitting duck!)

White
has consolidated his position on the kingside and
is ready to prepare the thematic piece sacrifice on
f5. 22...Nf7 23.Nh4 Nh8 24.f4 (24.Nef5± also
looks quite strong.) 24...exf4 25.Nef5 Nxf5
26.gxf5 g5

20...Kh8 21.b3 Rg8 22.Bb2 Bf8 23.h4 Qe7

24.Rg2 Now Black gets his bishop to f4 and is
doing fine. 24...Bh6! 25.Qe2 Bf4+ 26.Kh1 Qf8
with a comfortable game for Black in Bogoljubow,
E-Rubinstein, A DSB-Kongress 1925.]
16...Ne8

27.Bxf4 (27.Ra2!, bringing the rook to

h-file first, looks quite good for White. 27...Rf7
28.Bd3 Rh7 29.Rh2 with Bxf4 to follow and Black
still needs to solve the problem of his king.)
27...Rf7 28.Bh2 Rh7 29.Ng2 Nf7 and the game
was eventually drawn in Bogoljubow,
E-Rubinstein, A Baden-Baden 1925.
17.g4 14...Ne8 15.a4 Rb8 16.axb5 axb5
(White had no reason to rush. He could have
played 17.Nf1, preparing to push the g-pawn.)
Rubinstein understood that Black’s correct
reaction is to push ...h5 (as we will see later in the
‘g4-pawn push’ section), however he did not go
about it in the best way. 17...g6 (The immediate
13
 particular situations, swapping pawns and knights
on d4 is good for Black, as the d6-pawn is merely
an academic weakness. This strategy had already
been adopted a year earlier by Rubinstein, so in
essence Tarrasch was copying Rubinstein’s
strategy. This concept is nowadays seen in many
opening variations, however in 1907 and 1908
Rubinstein and Tarrasch were definitely ahead of
their time. In the first game Lasker launched a
futile attack and Tarrasch won easily with a
mating attack himself! In the second game in this
line Lasker stuck to his concept, trying to improve
on move 16. Tarrasch lost the thread and Lasker
won with a mating attack. Modern theory agrees
17.g4
with Tarrasch, and, due to Rubinstein’s and
Tarrasch’s reactions, Lasker’s ‘flexible strategy’
17.Be3 with b2–b4 to follow, combining
with 13.Nf1 has disappeared from tournament
play on both wings, is another plan for White.
practice.
17...g6 18.Ng3 Ng7 19.Kh1 f6 20.Rg1 Nf7
3
21.Be3 Bd7 22.Qe2 Ra8
Emanuel Lasker
Siegbert Tarrasch
Düsseldorf 1908
3rd match game

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3

23.Nd2

In order to sacrifice a piece on f5, White

needs his rooks on the board, thus 23.Rab1 Rfb8
24.Rg2 and White is ready to jump with his knight
to f5, e.g. 24...b4 25.c4 Qc8 26.Nf5 with an attack.
23...Kh8 24.b3 Qb7 25.Bd3 Ra6 26.Rgb1 An
Rfa8 unusual move order (Black has delayed castling),
but after 12...0-0 we will reach the main line.
½–½ 8...Na5 9.Bc2 c5 10.d4 Qc7 11.Nbd2 Nc6
12.h3 0-0
In 1908 the ‘Chigorin Variation’ was to
gain prominence at top level when it was adopted
twice by Tarrasch in his World Championship
match versus Lasker. Lasker tried to keep central f
lexibility, however Tarrasch understood that in
14
 13.Nf1 16.Ng3

Lasker wants to keep his options open, In the next game Lasker tried to improve
however Tarrasch correctly understands that in the with 16.Bg5 h6
ensuing positions his ‘weak d6-pawn’ will be an [16...Be6 was played in the Rubinstein
academic weakness, as Black will get ample play. game mentioned. 17.Rc1 Qb6 18.Ng3 Rac8
A year before this game, the same plan for Black
had already been employed by Akiba Rubinstein
(see comment to 16.Bg5 Be6), so Tarrasch
basically followed Rubinstein’s idea. Based on
those games, theory would later abandon Lasker’s
13.Nf1.
a) 13.d5 Nd8 had already been seen a year
earlier in a Rubinstein game — see game 2.
b) Friedrich Sämisch’s concept from 1921
— 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Nf1, trying to take advantage
of White still having his pawn on c3, hence better
control of the central squares — is how theory
would develop. See the next chapter, ‘Common
Strategies’.
13...cxd4! 14.cxd4 Nxd4! 15.Nxd4 exd4 19.Ne2 (19.Nf5 Bxf5 20.exf5 was perhaps
where Lasker wanted to improve.) 19...h6 (19...d3
White has to lose time to capture the might lead to an entertaining line, ending with
d4-pawn, while Black’s good pieces amply perpetual check: 20.Qxd3 Ng4 21.Bxe7 Qxf2+
compensate for the ‘d6-pawn weakness’. This 22.Kh1 Ne3 23.Nf4 Rxc2 24.Bxf8 Rxc1 25.Rxc1
strategy, common in modern times and seen in
different openings, was far from obvious in 1907
and 1908! Lasker believed in White’s chances, as
he tried 13.Nf1 twice in the match.

15
 25...Bxh3 (25...Qxf4 should also be a draw,
but Black is pushing his luck a bit: 26.Rc3! b4
27.Bxd6 Qf2 28.Qxe3 Qf1+ 29.Kh2 bxc3
30.Qxc3) 26.gxh3 Qf3+ 27.Kg1 Qg3+ 28.Kh1
Qf3+=) 20.Bf4 d5 (20...Nh5 was definitely worth
considering.) 21.e5 Ne4 22.Nxd4 Rc4
The
position is about equal. 23.Be3 Bg5?! (23...Bc5
24.Bxe4 Rxc1 25.Qxc1 Bxd4 26.Bb1=) 24.Bxe4
dxe4 25.Bxg5 (White misses his chance to get the
upper hand with 25.Rxc4!.) 25...Rxd4 26.Be3
Rxd1 27.Bxb6 ½–½ Forgacs, L-Rubinstein, A
Ostend 1907]
17.Bh4
16
White’s plan is 18.Qd3, 19.Bxf6, 20.e5 and
21.Qh7 mate! However, White is not ‘playing by
himself ’ and Black can easily counter these
threats. Tarrasch, however, is about to lose the
thread immediately and Lasker indeed obtains a
mating attack! 17...Qb6?
[17...Re8! gives the king an escape square
on f8 and is at least OK for Black: 18.Rc1 (or
18.Qd3 Be6) 18...Qb6 19.Qd3 Be6.]
18.Qd3! Now suddenly the situation is
dangerous for Black. Tarrasch tries to solve it
radically. 18...g5 (18...Re8 19.e5 dxe5 20.Rxe5
looks promising for White.) 19.Bg3 Be6 20.Rad1
Rfc8 21.Bb1 Nd7
22.e5! Nf8 White has a tremendous attack
and different ways to strike. Lasker first improves
his queen, then rips open the kingside. 23.Qf3 d5
24.Qh5 Kg7 25.f4! f5 26.exf6+ Bxf6 27.fxg5 hxg5
28.Be5+– d3+ 29.Kh1 Ng6 30.Qxg5 Bf7 31.Ng3
and White won a few moves later: Lasker,
E-Tarrasch, S Munich 1908.
16...Nd7!
 The
bishop will defend the d4-pawn from the active
f6-square, while the knight will also find a more
active position. This manoeuvre is quite common
nowadays.
17.Bb3 Qb6 18.Nf5 Bf6 19.Bf4 Ne5
20.Bd5 Ra7
Lasker now goes for an all-out attack that
is not going to work.
21.Qb3?
21.Nxd4 Nc4 22.Ne2 was definitely worth
considering, as after 22...Nxb2 23.Qb3 White has
compensation for the sacrificed pawn.
21...Rc7 22.g4 g6 23.Nh6+ Kg7 24.g5
Bd8 25.Qg3
17
25...f6!
As well as Black being a pawn up, the
tables are turning, and he is the one who obtains a
devastating attack!
26.Nf5+ Kh8 27.Nh4 fxg5 28.Bxg5 Bxg5
29.Qxg5 d3 30.Kh1 Rc2 31.Re3 Rfxf2
Lasker could have safely resigned here.
32.Ng2 d2 33.Rg1 Rc1 34.Qe7 Rxg1+
35.Kxg1 d1=Q+ 36.Kxf2 Qf3+ 37.Ke1 Qa5+
38.Rc3 Bxh3 39.Qxd6 Qaxc3+ 40.bxc3 Qxc3+
41.Ke2 Qc2+ 42.Ke3 Qd3+ 43.Kf4 g5+ 44.Kxg5
Nf7+
0–1
 CHAPTER 2. In my games selection I have tried to find
examples that best reflect the pros and cons of the
position.
WHITE’S STRATEGY TO TRADE We may draw the following general
THE d-PAWNS — PROS AND CONS conclusions:
WHITE:

• of ten utilises the d5-square, sometimes

even by means of a pawn sacrifice, to recapture
exd5 and open the b1–h7 diagonal to Black’s king.
See (in the games or comments) games 4, 6
(Lipnitsky-Botvinnik), 8 (Spielmann-Yates).
• has the plan to push g2–g4 — see game
5;
• has the idea of playing g2–g3 and
sacrificing the pawn on h3 to stop Black’s knight
coming to the f4-square via h5) — see game 8.
• The position of the knight on d5, and
dynamics resulting from it, is often the key to
White’s success.
BLACK:

• Pushing his c-pawn to c4, taking space, is

In
usually a good idea as it can offer Black abundant
this chapter we will examine White’s strategic idea
tactical possibilities! One idea can even be an
to play dxe5 at some stage; after Black recaptures
exchange sacrifice on d3 — see game 9, comments
we will get the pawn structure in the diagrammed
to 24...c4!. The more common tactical idea
position.
connected with Black’s ...c5–c4 pawn push is the
White hopes to have an advantage based
...Nd4 jump, sacrificing a piece in order to get a
mainly on the position of his pawn on c3 and
central pawn roller (...c4 and ...d4). This is one of
Black’s on c5, giving White the possibility of
Black’s most important ideas for counterplay and
infiltrating with his knight on the central
can be very dangerous for White, as Fischer found
d5-square, while Black does not have the same
out in his game versus Kholmov! See games 4
possibility, since White’s pawn on c3 guards the
(Fischer-Khomov), 5 (comments to 17...c4!) and 7.
central d4-square.
• In order to have the important d5-square
This strategic idea was a great favourite of
under control Black should not be afraid of
the famous 11th World Champion Robert James
doubling his e-pawns — see game 4
Fischer, and often played by him, and in a number
(Fischer-Kholmov).
of books this plan/idea has even been named after
• If Black trades White’s knight on d5 for
him. Well, nothing could be further from the truth,
one of his knights without altering the central
as in this case Fischer merely copied existing
pawn structure, he equalises — see game 6
knowledge!
(Lipnitsky-Botvinnik).
According to my research the author of this
4
strategic plan is the famous German theoretician,
Friedrich Sämisch
Friedrich Sämisch, who introduced the idea in his
Efim Bogoljubow
game versus Bogoljubow in 1921! Sämisch’s idea
Triberg 1921
was well received and became a frequent guest at
top level, including in the Smyslov-Botvinnik
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
World Championship match in 1957.
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
18
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6
13.dxe5
Friedrich Sämisch was a German
grandmaster and renowned theoretician. Most of
grandmaster Sämisch’s opening concepts are in
1.d4 systems, like the Sämisch Variation of the
Nimzo or Sämisch Variation of the King’s Indian.
Here, however, we see him developing a new
concept in the Ruy Lopez. It was a fresh idea at
the time, searching for ways for White to avoid
battling Black in a blocked Rubinstein (13.d5
Nd8) set-up. It is worth mentioning that in the
games to follow White usually reached the
position in the game after 13.dxc5 dxc5.
Rubinstein’s plan for Black after 13.d5
Nd8 14.Nf1 Ne8 15.a4 Rb8 16.axb5 axb5 17.g4 g6
18.Ng3 Ng7 19.Kh1 f6 20.Rg1 Nf7 was already
known — see game 2 (Bernstein-Rubinstein), and
at the time White did not have a clear antidote to
it.
13...dxe5
19
This
is a good moment to take strategic stock and make
a few observations. White is hoping to exploit the
d5- and f5-squares for his knights and obtain better
play. Black obviously cannot do the same with the
d4- and f4-squares, but Black’s space advantage
on the queenside may count, and in a number of
positions Black also has the ...Nd4 piece sacrifice
motif, creating a powerful rolling pawn chain (pay
attention to Fischer-Kholmov, comment to move
16!). My impression is that Black has sufficient
counterplay to balance White’s activity on the
kingside.
14.Nf1 Be6!
Probably Black’s best set-up. Black will
place his rook on the d-file, push ...c5–c4 and
create counterplay. 14...Bd6 was played by
Botvinnik in the World Championship match vs
Smyslov, however it looks rather passive and
Smyslov got an edge after 15.Nh4 g6 16.Bh6 Rd8
17.Qf3 Ne8.
Black’s position is solid, but also quite
passive. 18.Ne3 f6 19.Nd5 Qf7 Not seeing a clear
follow-up Smyslov correctly parts with his
dominant knight and grabs the bishop pair.
20.Nb6! Rb8 21.Nxc8 Rbxc8 22.g3 (22.Be3+=)
22...Bf8 23.Be3+= W hite had pressure in
Smyslov, V-Botvinnik, M Moscow 1957 (½–½).
15.Ne3 Rad8 16.Qe2
16...g6
Forty-four years later Soviet grandmaster
Ratmir Kholmov showed important active plans
for Black in his famous victory over the 11th
World Champion, Robert Fischer. 16...c4! Black
takes space on the queenside and prepares various
tactical/strategic ideas. 17.Ng5 White threatens to
take Black’s bishop pair and also damage his pawn
structure, so the e6-bishop needs to go back to c8,
right? Wrong! 17...h6! 18.Nxe6 fxe6
An
excellent strategic concept by K holmov! Black’s
doubled e6– pawn now controls the d5- and
f5-squares, the f8-rook is well placed on the f-file,
20
while the e7-bishop will improve its position by
coming to c5. Also there is a hidden tactical motif
in the position. It would have been good for White
here to have the a2–g8 diagonal open and place his
c2-bishop on b3, but this is easier said than done!
19.b4? This allows Black a nice tactical solution.
(19.b3 was arguably the most logical and White’s
best, however Fischer probably did not know
exactly what to do after 19...Bc5! as 20.bxc4?
allows 20...b4! — a typical strategic motif
— and Black is better, as he dominates the dark
squares.) 19...Nd4!
This
standard tactical motif leads to a large advantage
for Black, who will immediately get his piece back
and dominate events. 20.cxd4 (White cannot
ignore the knight as 20.Qf1? loses to 20...Nh5 with
21...Ng3 to follow.) 20...exd4 21.a3 d3 22.Bxd3
Rxd3 Black’s d3-rook is a monster. 23.Ng4 Kh7
24.e5 Nxg4 25.Qe4+ g6 26.Qxg4 Rf5

Black’s superior pawn structure on the
queenside should decide. 27.Qe4 Qd7! Forcing
transition into a very favourable endgame. 28.Be3
Qd5 29.Qxd5 Rxd5 30.f4 g5 Due to his better
pawn structure Black had a large advantage and
went on to win in Fischer, R-Kholmov, R Havana
1965.
17.a4
17.Ng5 Bc8
18.a4
(18.Qf3?? was an unusual piece blunder: 18...h6!
19.Nd5 Qd6 20.Rd1 hxg5 21.Nxe7+ Qxe7
22.Bxg5 Kg7 and Black soon won in Averbakh,
Y-Botvinnik, M Moscow 1957.) 18...Qb7 (18...c4!
is almost always a good move for Black in these
positions; it transposes to our main game and is, I
think, more active than what Botvinnik played.)
19.axb5 axb5 20.h4 Bd6 21.Nd5 Nh5 White had a
slight pull, but the game ended in a draw:
Smyslov, V-Botvinnik, M Moscow 1957.
17...c4! 18.axb5 axb5 19.Ng5 Bc8
21
White
doesn’t see a clear follow-up and decides to
temporarily sacrifice a pawn with the aim of
forcing a draw. It is worth noticing that Black’s
space advantage on the queenside restricts White.
20.Nd5
20.b3 Na5 21.bxc4 bxc4 looks about equal.
20...Nxd5 21.exd5 Rxd5 22.Be4
22...Rdd8
22...Rd6! could have been winning
attempt: 23.Bxc6 Qxc6 24.Qxe5 Bb7 White must
be careful to keep the balance here.
23.Nxh7 Rfe8?
Avoiding a draw is risky and not a good
decision.
Black had to acquiesce in a perpetual
check: 23...Kxh7 24.Qh5+ Kg8 25.Bxg6 fxg6
26.Qxg6+ Kh8=.
24.Qf3 Bb7 25.Nf6+
 25.Ng5 looks promising for White.
25...Bxf6 26.Qxf6 Rd6 27.Qg5 Qd7
28.Be3 f5

White is really set on forcing a draw.

14...Rd8 15.Qe2 Be6

a) 15...g6, with the plan of fianchettoing

the bishop, takes control of the f5-square and also
strengthens Black’s king position. There is an
interesting game of Tal’s on this subject: 16.Ne3
29.Bd5+ It’s not clear if Tal needed to rush with this move,
which blocks his c1-bishop. 16.Bh6 was an option.
29.Bf3 would have led to White’s 16...Rb8 17.Ng5 Bf8 18.Qf3 Bg7
advantage.
29...Rxd5

And draw agreed due to perpetual check.

½–½

5
David Bronstein
Samuel Zhukhovitsky
Kiev 1940

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.dxc5 dxc5
True
14.Nf1
to his style, Tal now initiates a tactical whirlwind.
19.Nd5! Qd6?! I assume Black simply thought he
In this game Black chooses a different
had the threat of 20...h6, winning a piece.
set-up and develops his f8 rook to d8. This allows
[19...Nxd5! was the right answer: 20.exd5
the e7-bishop to retreat to f8 and Black can also
Na5
delay the development of his c8-bishop.

22
 follow with tempo). However it involves a
temporary pawn sacrifice: 15...Nh5

with a
standard ...Nc4-Nd6 idea, when Black is at least
OK. White probably needs to be quite inventive 16.a4
(which Tal certainly was!) and strive for an Rb8 17.axb5 axb5 18.g4! Nf4! 19.Bxf4 exf4 20.e5
immediate initiative with, for example, 21.Qg3 g6 21.Qe4
(21.Rd1 Nc4 looks quite comfortable for Black.)
21...Rxd5 22.f4. White has enough attack ing
ammunition to bail out with equality, but not
more. 22...h6 23.Nf3 Rb6! 24.fxe5 Nc4 25.Be4
Rd8 26.Qh4 Nxe5 27.Bxh6 Nxf3+ 28.Bxf3 Bxh6
29.Qxh6 c4=.]
20.Be3! h6 21.Nxf6+ Bxf6?! (21...Qxf6
22.Qxf6 Bxf6 23.Nf3± and White finishes a pawn
up.) 22.Rad1 Qe7

Black
now weakens his kingside pawn structure
unnecessarily. 21...f6? (Better was 21...Bf8!
22.Qxf4 Bg7 and Black gets his pawn back,
leading to approximate equality. 23.Ng3 Re8
24.Ne4 Nxe5 25.Nxe5 Rxe5 26.Nf6+ Bxf6
27.Qxf6 Re6 28.Rxe6 Bxe6= White does not have
enough attacking potential to pose Black any
threats on the kingside.) 22.Qxf4 fxe5 23.Qe3 c4
24.Ng3± 0–1 Kan,I-Botvinnik,M Moscow 1954.
White’s knight has no retreat, however Tal 16.Ne3 h6
has his magic. 23.Bxc5! Rxd1 24.Rxd1 Qxc5
25.Qxf6 hxg5 26.Bb3 White had to see this when
playing 20.Be3! Black is defenceless. 26...Rb7
27.Qxg6+ Kf8 28.Qh6+ Ke8 29.Rd5 Qb6 30.Qh8+
Ke7 31.Qxc8 1–0 Tal,M-Averbakh,Y Riga 1961.
b) Botvinnik’s interesting idea for Black is
to prevent White’s f1-knight getting to g3 (as it
will be traded) or e3 (as the ...Nf4 jump will
23

Bronstein now emba rk s on a
straightforward attacking plan.
17.g4!
A critical moment! Black needs
counterplay quickly!
17...Bf8
The way to get counterplay was with the
plan shown in the previous game
(Fischer-Kholmov, comment to move 16). First,
the always useful move here 17...c4! 18.g5 hxg5
19.Nxg5
And
now Black has a standard sacrificial motif:
19...Nd4! 20.cxd4 exd4 White needs tactics to
balance Black’s rolling pawns. 21.Nd5 Bxd5
22.exd5 Bb4
24
White
can now try to complicate matters with 23.Bg6!
(23.Rd1 d3 24.Bxd3 cxd3 25.Rxd3 Nxd5 leads to
a drawish ending, although Black has a slight plus.
26.Qe4 Nf6 27.Rxd8+ Rxd8 28.Qxb4 Rd1+
29.Kg2 Rxc1 30.Rxc1 Qxc1³) 23...d3! Forcing the
trade of queens.
a) 23...fxg6? is not the way to go for
Black: 24.Qe6+ Kf8 (24...Kh8? runs into mate:
25.Re4 Nxe4 26.Qxe4+–) 25.Re4 Qe7 Now White
wins the queen with advantage:
26.Nh7+! Nxh7 27.Qxg6 Nf6 28.Rxe7±.
b) 23...Rd7 leads to a position not easy to
assess: 24.d6 Qxd6 25.Ne4 Nxe4 26.Bxe4 d3
27.Qf3;
24.Qe5 Rd7 25.Qxc7 Rxc7 26.Bf4 Rd7
27.Bf5 Rxd5 28.Re5 Rad8 With his strong pawns,
Black is definitely not worse.
18.g5 hxg5 19.Nxg5
 25...Bf6 is only a temporary measure: 26.fxe5
Bxe5 27.Be3 Ngf6 28.Nxe5 Qxe5 29.Qf2 Rf8
30.Bf4 Qh5 (30...Nxe4 31.Bxe5 Nxf2+ 32.Kh2
Ra7 33.Rag1 and Black loses his f2-knight:
33...Rff7 34.Bg3+–) 31.Qg3+– and White’s attack
should win.
26.e5 g5

Now
Bronstein has a tremendous attack.
19...Ne7

19...Qe7 20.Qf3 g6 was the lesser evil:

21.Kh1 c4 22.Rg1 Bg7 23.Nf5! gxf5 24.Nxe6 fxe6
25.Bh6 and White ends up with queen for rook
and knight. 25...f4 26.Rxg7+ Qxg7 27.Bxg7
Kxg7±.
20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Ng4 27.Bxf4

Black doesn’t have a suitable defence.
21...Nh7
21...Ng6 22.Nxf6+ gxf6 23.Qg4 Qf7
24.Kh2+– The g-file attack decides.
22.Kh1 Kh8 23.Rg1 Ng8 24.Rg2 Be7
27.Qe4 Nf8 (27...Bf8 28.h4+–) 28.h4 also
wins.
27...gxf4 28.Bxh7 Bh4 29.Be4 Bg3
30.Bxa8 Rxa8 31.Nf6 Qf7 32.Qh5+
1–0

6
Ilia Kan
Mikhail Botvinnik
Moscow 1952

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.dxe5 dxe5

White
needs fresh attacking resources, meaning ‘time to
open the b1–h7 diagonal!’.
25.f4!+– exf4

Trying to keep b1–h7 diagonal closed with

25
 14.a4!?
White wants to open and control the a-file,
which is in general good for him.
14...Rb8
Black is by no means forced to surrender
the a-file immediately and could have played
14...Be6. After 15.Ng5 Rad8 (15...Bd7! is a better
move leading to equality: 16.Nf1 h6 17.Nf3 Be6
½–½ Zaitsev, I-Smyslov, V Moscow 1969)
16.axb5 axb5 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Qe2 c4
White
now hurried to open the a2– g8 diagonal with
19.b3 (Better was to play 19.Nf3! first.) and
allowed (as already shown in the comments to
game four) the known strategic motif 19...b4!,
when Black is fine. 20.Qxc4 bxc3 21.Nf3 Qc8
22.Ra4 Nd4 23.Qxc8 Nxf3+ 24.gxf3 Rxc8 with
approximate equality and later drawn in Levenfish,
G-Lilienthal, A Moscow 1940.
15.axb5 axb5 16.Nf1 Bd6 17.Bg5 Ne8
18.Ne3 f6 19.Nd5 Qb7 20.Be3 Be6 21.Nd2
26
A
relatively common situation for this line. White
has got his knight to d5, and has some ‘pull’,
however due to the closed nature of the position,
and Black having more space, it is not easy for
White to increase his momentum. In order to do
so, the position will need to open a bit. Botvinnik
played two interesting games with Black here, in
both of which he immediately challenged White’s
dominant knight on d5.
21...Ne7
In the other game Botvinnik went for
21...Nc7, and after 22.Nb3! c4 23.Nc5 Bxc5
24.Bxc5 Rfd8
White
had to sacrifice a pawn in order to open diagonals
for his bishops and get an advantage. 25.Qh5
[25.Qf3! was the way to go, and after
25...Nxd5 26.exd5 Rxd5 (26...Bxd5? 27.Qf5 g6
28.Qxf6±) 27.Be3 White has more than just
compensation. Black can opt for a positional
exchange sacrifice with 27...Rd3 (27...Rd6 28.Be4
f5 29.Bxf5 is better for White.) 28.Bxd3 cxd3, but 23...Rf7 24.Ra5 Qb7
White should be better here.]
25...Bf7 26.Qh4 For some reason Botvinnik is refusing to
push 24...c4.
25.Rea1 Nc7

In order to get chances, White needs to

open up the position.
26.c4! Bf8 27.Bd3 bxc4 28.Nxc4 Qc6
29.Qc2 Nb5 30.Ra6 Qc8

30...Qe8 was better.

31.Nb6 Qe8

Now
the way for Black to equalise is to force an
immediate exchange of knights. 26...Bg6!
(26...Ne6 allows the d5-knight to live and is better
for White. 27.Bb6 Re8 and now White gains the
advantage by opening up the position: 28.b3! 1–0
Gligoric, S-O’Kelly de Galway, A Hastings1956.)
27.Nxc7 Qxc7 28.Qg4 Bf7= with equality and
soon drawn in Lipnitsky, I-Botvinnik, M Moscow
1952.
22.Nxe7+

Opening up the position with 22.b4! Nxd5 32.Nd5!

23.exd5 Bxd5 24.bxc5 would have offered White
somewhat better prospects. White has pressure. Probably because of
22...Qxe7 time trouble, the rest of the game is full of unusual
mistakes for this level.
32...Kh8?

32...Nd4 was necessar y, though White is

better after 33.Bxd4 exd4 34.Nc7 Rxc7 35.Rxe6.
33.Bc4?

33.Bxb5! Rxb5 34.Qa4 wins, as Black is

under terrible pins and will lose material.
33...Nd6?!

33...Nd4 was better.

34.Bxc5 Nxc4 35.Qxc4 Bxd5

23.Qe2

Now the position is about equal.

27
 Leonid Stein comes up with a different
plan of manoeuvring his knights in this game.
14.Nh2!? Be6 15.Qf3 Rad8 16.Ndf1 g6

Black decides to cover the f5-square.

16...c4, the standard ‘useful move for
Black ’, was another option: 17.Ne3 Rfe8.
17.Bh6 Rfe8 18.Ne3

36.Qxd5?

36.exd5, creating a passed pawn, leads to a

large advantage for White.
36...Rxb2??

A blunder only terrible time pressure can

explain.
36...Bxc5 37.Qxc5 Rxb2= White
37.Ra8 Rb8 38.Rxb8 is ready to attack. How does Black create
counterplay? With the standard knight jump motif.
1–0 18...Nd4! 19.cxd4 cxd4

7 Black will get his piece back, while White

Leonid Stein wants to create an attack.
Henrique Mecking 20.Nf5! Bxf5 21.exf5 Qxc2 22.Rxe5
Sousse 1967

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.dxc5 dxc5

The
situation is tense, and Black slips!
22...Bf8?

22...Qxb2! 23.Rae1 d3! was Black’s best

defence. After a tactical skirmish the game would
28
likely come to a peaceful end: 24.fxg6 hxg6
25.Rxe7 Rxe7 26.Rxe7 Qa1+ 27.Nf1 Black gets
his piece back. 27...d2 28.Bxd2 Rxd2 The game is
about equal. 29.Qa8+ Kg7 30.Qxa6 Qxa2 31.Qxb5
Rxf2=.
23.fxg6!

27.Rae1!

White keeps up the pressure. The

immediate pawn grab 27.Rxe8+? Rxe8 28.Qxd4
probably leads to a draw, as Black is active after
28...Re2.
Now 27...Rf8?
the tactics favour White.
23...Bxh6 A crucial mistake, as White now weaves a
mating net, immediately forcing the outcome.
23...Rxe5 loses, as after 24.Qxf6 Qxg6 a) 27...Rxe5 does not solve Black’s
25.Qxd8 Qxh6 26.Ng4 Qg5 White creates a fork, problems: 28.Qxd8+ Kh7 29.Qh4+ Rh5 30.Qxd4
snatching a pawn and getting a won endgame: White is a healthy pawn up with excellent winning
27.Nf6+! Kg7 28.Qxf8+ Kxf8 29.Nxh7+ Kg7 chances.
30.Nxg5 Rxg5 31.Rd1+–. b) 27...Qc8 was Black’s best defence, and
24.Ng4! after 28.R5e4 Qb8!

This should net White a healthy pawn up

position.
24...Bg7

24...Rxe5?? 25.Qxf6+–
25.Nxf6+ Bxf6 26.Qxf6 hxg6

White
needs to go for a queen endgame a pawn up:
29.Rxe8+ (29.Re7 Rf8 30.R1e4 doesn’t mate, as
Black has 30...Rd6.) 29...Rxe8 30.Rxe8+ Qxe8
31.Qxd4 and W hite has a plenty of work to do to
gain the full point.
28.R5e4
29
 13.dxe5

13.Nf1 Rfc8 (Smyslov later realised that

the rook belongs on e8 and play 13...Rfe8. See the
comments to game 9, Botvinnik-Kan.) Now, in
one of the first games with this position, Rudolf
Spielmann correctly understood that with rooks on
a8 and c8, Black is not ideally placed for positions
with the trade of d-pawns! 14.dxe5! dxe5 15.Ne3
Bf8

This
simple rook transfer does the job.
28...Rd5 29.Rh4 Rh5 30.Rxh5 gxh5
31.Re5 Rc8 32.Rg5+

1–0

8
Viacheslav Ragozin
Vasily Panov And
Leningrad 1939 now White seizes the moment to open the b1–h7
diagonal for his bishop. 16.Nd5! Nxd5 17.exd5 f6
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2

White
has the initiative on the kingside, but needs to play
energetically! 18.Be4 was played by the ‘maestro
from Vienna’, allowing Black to consolidate.
Now [18.Nh4! was the way to go, when Black is
we will examine a few games where Black played in trouble: 18...g6 (18...Be8 19.Qg4 with 20.f4 to
flexibly... follow looks good for White.) Now White can
12...Bd7 remove Black’s pawn defences by means of a
piece sacrifice: 19.Nxg6! hxg6 20.Bxg6
...and White went for the pawn structure
we are examining in this part of the book.
30
 White
brings in an extra attacking unit via a rook lift,
obtaining a winning attack. 20...Be8 (Black is not
in time to bring his knight in play: 20...Nc4
21.Re4+–) 21.Bf5 Rd8 22.Re3 Qf7 23.Rg3+ Kh8
24.Qg4+–]
18...Ra7 19.Qc2 g6 20.g4
20...Nc4! The ‘Nimzowitsch knight’ was
already a known strategic resource and this is
exactly what Black does. 21.Bd3 Nd6 With his
knight well placed on d6, Black is already in the
driving seat. 22.Be3 Rb7 23.Rad1 Bg7 Black had
the advantage and went on to win in Spielmann,
R-Yates, F San Remo 1930.
13...dxe5 14.Nf1 Rad8 15.Qe2 Nh5
31
Black
wants to stop White’s f1-knight from reaching g3
(as he will take it) or e3 (as he will jump with his
h5-knight to f4). We have already seen a similar
plan in one of the Botvinnik games.
Here White comes up with an instructive
pawn sacrifice.
16.a4 g6 17.g3!
The idea is obviously Ne3–d5, so Black is
invited to accept a pawn sacrifice (which he will
do and regret!).
17...bxa4
If 17...Rfe8 18.Ne3 Nf6 19.axb5 axb5
White can develop his initiative with 20.g4.
18.Bxa4 Bxh3 19.Bh6
19...Bxf1
Black wants to eliminate the f1-knight
before it heads to e3 and d5.
19...Ng7 20.Ne3 is good for White, as after
20...Be6 21.Nd5! Bxd5 22.exd5 Black does not critical moment!
have a good response. 22...Rxd5 (22...f6 23.Bc2 28...Bxh4?
Nb7 24.Rxa6 is a large advantage for White.)
23.Nxe5 White will soon get a material advantage, a) 28...g5 29.Nf5 h4
while Black’s coordination is terrible.
20.Rxf1 Ng7 21.Kg2 Rb8

White now becomes too focused on

delivering mate, and lets his advantage slip.
22.Rh1

Principled, but not best!

22.Rfd1! regains the pawn with a la rge
adva nt a ge. 22...Rfd8 23.Rxd8+ Bxd8 (23...Rxd8
24.Qxa6 and Black’s a5-knight is terribly placed.)
24.Rd1 Nc6 25.Qxa6 White has a winning
advantage.
22...Rfd8 23.Rh2 Ne6 24.Rah1 Bf6
will
not keep things closed as White has 30.Rxh4!
gxh4 31.g5 Qxb2 32.Kh2 Qb5 33.Qh5 Bg7
34.Kg2 with Rxh4 to follow and a tremendous
attack.
b) 28...Nf4+! would have tested White, as
after 29.Bxf4 exf4 30.gxh5 g5

White
now needs to deliver mate, but this proves elusive.
25.Bc1 h5 26.Nh4 Qb7 27.Bc2 Kf8 28.g4

31.Ng6+ Kg7 with 32...Kh6! to follow,

White’s attack is at risk of dying.
c) The immediate 28...Qxb2 leads to a
tactical blow-for-blow battle possibly ending in a
drawish endgame: 29.Qf3 (29.gxh5??, analogous
to the game, now blunders into 29...Qxc1 30.Rxc1
Nf4+–+) 29...Nf4+ 30.Bxf4 exf4 31.Qxf4 Qxc3
32.g5 Rb2 33.Rc1 Qe5 34.Qxf6 Qxf6 35.gxf6 Rd2
36.Rh3 Rbxc2 37.Rxc2 Rxc2 38.Ra3=
29.Rxh4 Qxb2

The
32
 38.Rxf6 Rfxg7 39.Rxg7 Rxg7 40.Ba4
Qg8 41.Ke2 Rg1 42.Rf7 Rg7 43.Rf6 Rg1

This
tactical motif no longer works for Black.
30.gxh5!

White now has a winning attack.

30...Qb5 31.Qg4 Ke7 32.hxg6 Rg8
33.Rh7 Rbf8 34.Qf5

There was probably terrible mutual time

pressure here. Now White gets the right idea, but
34...Qe8 35.R1h6 executes it wrongly.
44.Bh6
35.Rd1! keeps the black monarch boxed in
and wins in a few moves. 44.Be3! wins, as after 44...Qg4+ 45.Kd3!
35...Kd6 36.g7 f6 c4+ (45...Rd1+ 46.Bd2 wins as in the game.)
46.Kd2 Nb3+ 47.Bxb3 Qxf5 48.exf5 cxb3 White
has t he simple 49.Rxe6+ Kc7 50.Rb6.
44...Qg4+ 45.Kd3

37.Kf1

37.Rxf6 Rxf6 38.Qxf6 Qe7 39.Bg5+–

Now
37...Rf7
Black does not take the chance that is suddenly
available!
37...Rxg7! 38.Rxg7 Nxg7 39.Rxf6+ Rxf6
45...Rd1+?
40.Qxf6+ Ne6 and Black is fighting.
33
 45...c4+! 46.Kd2 Nb3+! drew: 47.Bxb3
Qxf5 48.exf5 cxb3 49.Rxe6+ Kc7 and because of
Black’s passed b-pawn White has to take a draw
by perpetual check: 50.Re7+ Kc6 51.Re6+ Kc7=.
46.Bd2

Now it’s all over.

46...Rxd2+ 47.Kxd2 Qg8 48.Rg6 Qc8
49.f4 Nc4+ 50.Ke2

1–0

9
Now
Mikhail Botvinnik
18.Nf5 is the principled follow-up by White, as he
Ilia Kan
wants one of Black’s bishops (18.Nxc4 Bxc4 is
Moscow 1954
about equal.) 18...Bxf5 19.exf5?! Now Black’s
13...Rfe8 development is seen as fully justified.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
(19.Qxf5 Nd2 T he threat is 20....g6. 20.Ng4 Nxg4
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
21.Qxg4 Rd6 Black has a pleasant game, however
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1
it’s still about equal.) 19...e4!

White
In
is now stuck between a rock and a hard place! It is
this position Smyslov understood that Black’s
inadvisable to grab on e4, but is also rather
f8-rook is best deployed on the e-file, anticipating
unpleasant not to. 20.Bxe4 (20.Qe2 led to Black’s
further events.
advantage: 20...Bd6 21.Ng4 Nd5 22.f6 h5 and
13...Rfe8 14.Ne3
Black went on to win in Milev, Z-Smyslov, V
Bucharest 1953) 20...Ne5 21.Qg3 Bd6 22.f4
The Smyslov games mentioned 14.dxe5
White’s problem is that he doesn’t threaten to take
dxe5 15.N3h2 Rad8 16.Qf3 Be6 17.Ne3 Nc4
on e5. 22...c4! The a7–g1 diagonal is now open
with devastating effect on White. 23.Nf3

34
 White’s pieces are poorly coordinated and
a decisive tactic is in the air — but Black has to
find it! 23...Nxf3+
[23...Bc5+! was a forced win: 24.Kh2
(24.Nd4 Bxd4+ 25.cxd4 Nxe4 26.Rxe4 Nd3 White
is positionally busted, Black’s d3-knight is a
monster and White will soon start losing material.
24.Kh1 also loses to 24...Neg4 25.hxg4 Nxe4.)
24...Neg4+! 25.hxg4 Nxe4 26.Qh3
and
now it’s important for Black not to be afraid of
ghosts: 26...Bf2! 27.Rxe4 Rxe4 28.Ng5 Rxf4!
Check on h7 does not bring White anything; Black
wins in a few moves.]
24.Bxf3
35
24...Rxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Bxf4 Black still has
the better game, however White managed to hold
in Aronin, L-Smyslov, V ½–½ Moscow 1952.
14...Bf8
Now
Botvinnik decided to force ‘our’ pawn structure.
15.dxe5 dxe5
As in some previous examples, White
shuffles his f3-knight to the g4-square. His
problem, as we saw earlier, is that he does not
have enough space to really get his attack going.
16.Nh2 Rad8 17.Qf3 Be6 18.Nhg4 Nxg4
19.hxg4 Nc4 20.Nf5

20...Nd6
It was also possible for Black to take more
space on the queenside with 20...a5 and ...a4 to
follow.
21.g3 Qb7 22.Kg2 f6 23.Rh1 Nf7 24.b3
White
does not have any threat, so Black plays a
constructive move, doubling his rooks on the
d-file.
24...Rd7
a) The ‘always useful move’ 24...c4!
would have presented White with a difficult
choice, e.g. if 25.b4 White is in serious trouble
after 25...g6! 26.Ne3 Ng5! 27.Qxf6 Nxe4 28.Qf3
Rd3!
36
and
White does not have good defence against
29...Be7 (or 29...Bd6) with 30...Rf8 to follow.
29.Bxd3
[29.Rd1 Bd6 (29...Be7? is a mistake due to
30.Rxd3 Rf8? 31.Rd8 and White even wins.)
30.Rxd3 Rf8 and Black wins.]
29...cxd3 30.Rd1 Be7 with ...Rf8 to follow
and Black has a winning attack.
b) The immediate 24...g6 25.Ne3 Ng5
does
not work in the same way, as there is no 28...Rd3:
26.Qxf6! Be7 (26...Nxe4 now enters an ending
which can only be better for White after 27.Qf3
Nd6 28.Qxb7 Nxb7.) 27.Qxe5 Rf8 Now White has
a choice between a likely forced draw or being
ambitious: 28.Rd1 (28.Nf5 Bf6 29.Qf4 is ‘being
ambitious’. My engine gives 0.00, but to me it
looks promising for White.) 28...Rxd1 29.Nxd1
Bf6
 30.Qd6 28...Qc7?
[30.Qxc5 is rather risky for White, as after
30...Nxe4 31.Bxe4 Qxe4+ 32.f3 Black plays 28...Qc6, avoiding Nd5 with tempo, was a
32...Qa8! (In case anyone is wondering why not better move.
the ‘more logical’ 32...Qb7, the reason is that after 29.Nd5 Qa5
33.Nf2 Bd5 34.Bh6 Bxf3+ 35.Kh3 Re8
Now Botvinnik misses an interesting
tactical solution.
30.a4

30.g5! seized the moment, when White

gets a promising attack! With the best defence,
however, it probably ends in a draw.

White
has 36.Re1!.) 33.Nf2 Bd5 34.Bh6 Bxf3+ 35.Kh3
Re8 Black’s initiative is worth more than a pawn
here.]
30...Be7 31.Qe5 Bf6= with a repetition of
moves.
25.Qe2 Red8 26.Ne3 c4 27.bxc4 bxc4
28.Rb1
30...Nxg5
[30...fxg5 31.Qh5 Bf5 32.exf5!? (32.Bxg5
Nxg5 33.Qxg5 transposes toour main line.)
32...Qxd5+ 33.f3 h6 34.Rd1 White definitely has
compensation for his sacrificed pawn.]
31.Bxg5 fxg5 32.Qh5 Bf5 33.Qxg5
(33.exf5? now is just wrong, as after 33...Qxd5+
34.Kg1 h6 there is no follow-up for White.)
33...Bg6
37
 34.Rxh7! Bxh7 35.Nf6+ Kh8 36.Nxd7
Rxd7 37.Rh1 g6 (37...Kg8 38.Rxh7 Kxh7 39.Qf5+
is very good for White, as Black’s king is weak.)
38.Qf6+ Kg8 39.Qe6+ Rf7 This looks very
promising for White, but there is probably no more
than a draw.
40.Rxh7 (40.Qxc4 leads to a likely draw
after 40...Qb6 41.f4 Qe3 42.Bb3 Kh8 43.Rxh7+
Kxh7 44.Qxf7+ Bg7 45.fxe5 Qxe4+.) 40...Bg7
41.Qxc4 Now Black again gets counterplay and
chances of a draw: 41...Qb6! 42.Rh2 Qxf2+
43.Kh3 Qf3 44.Qe2 Qxe2 45.Rxe2 Rf3 46.Bb3+
Kh7 and Black should be able to save his skin.
30...Bc5 31.Rd1 Bxd5 32.exd5
38
32...g6?
A strange decision. Black voluntarily
allows White to open diagonals for his bishops!
The natural blockading move 32...Nd6
would have led to an unclear game with mutual
chances.
33.Qxc4 Nd6 34.Qe2 Qxc3 35.g5! Rf7
36.Rb3
White could have got a large advantage
with 36.gxf6 Rxf6 37.Bb2 Qc4 38.Qxe5!.
Perhaps White saw some ghosts here.
38...Rdf8 (38...Rxf2+? 39.Kh1 simply wins for
White.) 39.Bd3 Qxa4 40.f4 Material is equal, but
White’s bishops are firmly in command.
36...Qa5 37.Bb2 Re8 38.gxf6 Rxf6 39.f3
 a) Later in the tournament, in his second
white game vs Keres, Fischer opted for 12.d5 Nb6
and now made an instructive mistake! 13.g4?!
White is underdeveloped and not ready for this
aggressive pawn push, and Keres reacts correctly!
13...h5!

39...Bd4

After the trade of dark-squared bishops

Black’s king is much safer.
40.Bxd4 exd4 41.Qf2
Later
½–½ in the book we will see examples of similar play
by Black in the part on ‘closed centre plans’.
10 Black is already better! 14.Nh2 hxg4 15.hxg4
Robert Fischer Bg5! Trading the ‘right’ bishops. 16.Nd2 g6
Paul Keres 17.Ndf3 Bxc1 18.Qxc1 Kg7 Black was better and
Curacao 1962 went on to win in Fischer, R-Keres, P Candidates
1962.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 b) 12.Nbd2 is considered White’s main
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 move here.
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7

12...Bf6 Rashid Nezhmetdinov had this

Nowadays, this is arguably the main line
for Black, however in 1962 this was Keres’s novel
preparation for the Curacao Candidates.
12.dxc5
39
idea (in 1958!) which resembles the modern main
line. (12...exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 is Black’s main line
nowadays, following Nezhmetdinov’s aim of
achieving a Benoni-type pawn structure. 14.d5
Nce5 Play is sharp. Please study the details in the
theory section of the book. 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6
was Paul Keres’s preparation for the 1962 Nezhmetdinov went on to win this game! Kotkov,
Candidates tournament and we will explore this Y-Nezhmetdinov, R Sochi 1958.
later in the chapter on Keres.) 13.Nf1 (White can 12...dxc5 13.Nbd2
naturally also opt for 13.dxc5 dxc5 and get a good
version of the 12.dxc5 dxc5 lines (as 13.Nbd2 is in
‘the system’, while Black is not in a hurry to play
13...Bf6.) 13...exd4 14.cxd4

13...Qc7?!

Black’s queen will prove poorly placed

14...Nc6 As mentioned above, Black would
like to get a Benoni-type pawn structure after
15.d5 Nde5, the modern main line idea, however
this way the idea fails for tactical reasons. White is
tactically alert and reacts well! 15.e5! dxe5 16.Be4
Bb7 17.dxe5 Nezhmetdinov correctly judges that
his best chances are in the rook and pawn vs
bishop + knight endgame! 17...Ndxe5! (17...Be7
18.Ng3 gives White a tremendous attack.)
18.Nxe5 Qxd1 19.Rxd1 Bxe5 20.Rd7
here because of the possibility of a Nd5 jump with
tempo, and will be the source of Black’s further
problems.
13...f6 is considered the main line and
three years later Fischer was to suffer an
instructive loss with White. 14.Nh4 Nb6 15.Nf5

White
goes after Black’s bishop pair, but because of
Black’s g7/f6/e5 pawn chain, White’s
dark-squared bishop will not be superior to
The Black’s k night. 15...Rf7 16.Nxe7+ Rxe7 17.Qf3
point behind 15.e5! — White wins material. Be6 18.Nf1 Rd7 19.Ne3
20...Rab8 21.Rxb7 Rxb7 22.Bxc6 Rc7 23.Bf3 c4
24.Ne3 White has some advantage, however
matters are far from clear, Black’s extra queenside
pawn offers him good counterplay and
40
 Now
Black plays the ‘always useful move in these 34.g4? (34.f3 f5 35.Kf2 was necessary,
positions’. 19...c4 20.Nf5 Na4 As in some other with a likely draw.) 34...f5! 35.gxf5 gxf5 36.exf5
games, due to lack of space White cannot really e4 37.Ke1 Ne5
get a kingside attack going. Black now has the
threat of ...Nc5–d3, so White eliminates the
knight. 21.Bxa4 bxa4 Yes, Black got doubled
a-pawns, but he also has the excellent d3-square
for his rook. 22.Be3 Rd3 23.Qg4 Qd7

White
now suffers unavoidable and decisive loss of
material, since Black’s passed d-pawn will cost
him his bishop. 38.Bc5 (38.Kd2 loses a rook after
38...Nc4+ 39.Kc1 d2+ 40.Kc2 e3–+.) 38...Nf3+
White 39.Kf1 Kf7 40.Kg2 Rg8+ 41.Kh1
does not have any threats and Black has a pleasant
position. Black’s queenside pawn weaknesses are
academic here. 24.Bc5 Rc8 25.Be7 Fischer now
forces 25...Bxf5, which Black probably wanted to
play anyway. (25.Ba3 was perhaps a better move.)
25...Bxf5 26.Qxf5 Nc6 (26...Qxf5 27.exf5 Nc6
28.Ba3 g6 also looks pleasant for Black.) 27.Bc5
Nd8 28.Qxd7 Rxd7 Fischer was renowned for his
preference for bishops, however here Black’s
knight proves superior. 29.Rad1 Rd3 30.Ba3 Nc6
31.Rxd3 cxd3 32.Rd1 Rd8 33.Kf1 g6

41
 41...Rg1+! 42.Rxg1 Nxg1 43.Be3 Nf3
44.Kg2 d2 45.Bxd2 Nxd2 And with an extra piece,
Black won easily in Fischer, R-Ivkov, B Havana
1965.
14.Nf1 Nb6 15.Ne3 Rd8
16.Qe2
The immediate 16.Nd5 was also an option.
16...Be6
If 16...f6 White gets a strong attack after
17.Nd5! Nxd5 18.exd5 Bb7 19.Nh4 Bf8
42
20.Qh5!‚ (20.f4 Rxd5 21.Qg4 e4 22.Bxe4
Rdd8 23.Bc2 Qf7= was about equal and later
drawn in Gligoric, S-Unzicker, W Varna 1962)
Now Black does not have a good solution as after
20...g6 (20...g5 21.Nf5 with 22.h4 to follow is
very good for White.) 21.Nxg6 hxg6 22.Bxg6
Bxd5 23.Re3 White has a winning attack.
17.Nd5!
Fischer’s novelty at the time!
17.b3 Nc6 18.Bd2 c4 19.Red1 a5 20.Rab1
Rab8 was fine for Black in Matanovic, A-Van
Scheltinga, T Birmingham 1951.
17...Nxd5 18.exd5 Bxd5 19.Nxe5
Material is equal, but Black’s pieces are
poorly coordinated, his king potentially weak and
a5-knight out of play, so White has a clear
advantage.
19...Ra7 20.Bf4 Qb6 21.Rad1 g6 22.Ng4
22.b3+– Keeping the a5-k night locked out
was quite good, as Black does not really have an Qxh6+=) 26...Nd6 White is better, but Black is
acceptable response. 22...Be6 (22...Nc6 23.Rxd5 still fighing.
Rxd5 24.Nxf7 leads to a winning attack for 25.Rxd8+ Bxd8 26.Bxc4 bxc4 27.Qxc4
White.) 23.Qf3 and White develops a winning
attack.
22...Nc4

22...Be6! 23.Qe5 Bxg4! destroying the

irritating knight was the way for Black to stay in
the game.
23.Bh6

23.b3 looks like an immediate win:

23...Na3

White
is a sound pawn up and has a strong attack.
27...Qd6 28.Qa4 Qe7 29.Nf6+ Kh8
30.Nd5 Qd7 31.Qe4 Qd6 32.Nf4 Re7

24.Qxe7 Rxe7 25.Rxe7 Here 26.Bc7 is a

terrible threat, so Black either gets mated or loses
tons of material.
23...Be6 24.Bb3 Qb8

The only way for Black to stay in the game

was 24...Rxd1 25.Rxd1

33.Bg5

It is difficult to understand why Fischer

refrained from the simple 33.Bf8, collecting an
exchange and winning immediately.
33...Re8 34.Bxd8 Rxd8 35.Nxe6 Qxe6
36.Qxe6 fxe6 37.Rxe6 Rd1+ 38.Kh2 Rd2 39.Rb6
Rxf2 40.Rb7 Rf6 41.Kg3

1–0

25...Bxg4! 26.Qxg4 (26.hxg4 g5! 27.Bxc4

43
 CHAPTER 3.
KERES’S LEGACY
Paul Petrovich Keres, uncrowned king and
in the opinion of many the strongest player never
to become World Champion, probably contributed
most to the popularity of the Chigorin Variation.
Throughout his career the Chigorin
Variation was Keres’s trusty companion. He had a
dynamic style based on solid positional concepts,
and he handled the Chigorin Variation
accordingly.
The two concepts most frequently seen in
his games relate to dynamic central play. One is
based on an early central ...d6–d5 pawn push.
Black
pushes ...d6–d5 early, creating immediate central
tension. Play is dynamic and it is easy to go
wrong.See games 11 and 12. Game 18 is a modern
example.
Another concept actually more often seen
in Keres’s games is related to voluntarily agreeing
to an ‘academic’ pawn weakness on d6, hoping
that active piece play will compensate for it.
44
We
have already seen this concept in game 3,
Lasker-Tarrasch. Black hopes to pressurise
White’s e4-pawn, and the possibility of the
...d6–d5 pawn break and general active piece play
will compensate for the d6-pawn weakness.
If White’s f2-pawn had been on c2, the
pawn structure would have resembled a typical
Sicilian. Comparing the two, the Sicilian idea
appeals more as Black can place his knight on the
e5-square, whereas in the Chigorin it can be hit by
f2–f4.
The resulting positions are complex,
however I would be inclined to say favourable for
White.
There are a few general guidelines:
• Black should be alert to White’s
light-squared bishop taking control of the a2–f7
diagonal — see games 13 and 14;
• White can develop a violent attack
against Black’s king, with sacrifices often being
the means of getting the job done, therefore Black
must keep an eye on his king’s safety — see game
11 (comments to 15...Nd7 in Unzicker-Keres),
game 12 (comments to 19.Ndf5!) and games 14,
17 and 19;
• A black knight on e5 is an excellent piece
if it cannot be chased away — for a modern
example see game 18;
• Getting the upper hand requires knowing
what to trade and what to keep, game 16 being a
good example.
11
Efim Geller
Paul Keres
Moscow 1951
 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2

15.Bb1

15.Bd3 is another bishop move. Keres had

In
this game Paul Keres first makes a central pawn
trade and than develops his bishop to b7. In later
games Keres would usually keep his bishop on the
c8–h3 diagonal.
12...cxd4
The immediate 12...Bb7 is considered
favourable to White after the simple 13.d5.
13.cxd4 Bb7 14.Nf1
huge experience in these positions and two
instructive games. 15...Nd7
[15...d5! Six years later versus the same
opponent Keres opted for the same idea! 16.dxe5
(16.exd5 can lead to a positional pawn sacrifice:
16...e4 — 16...exd4 17.Bg5 Nc4 also looks about
equal — 17.Bxe4 Nxe4 18.Rxe4 Bxd5

Modern theor y considers 14.d5 White’s

best, as Black’s a5-knight and b7-bishop are not
well placed for the closing of the centre. I assume
that Keres came to the conclusion that those
positions are better for White and therefore in
most of his later games kept his bishop on the
c8–h3 diagonal — see the next four Keres games
in this chapter. For strategic insight on closed
centre positions after 14.d5, see the game
Shirov-Timman in the ‘closed centre’ section.
14...Rac8 Black’s d5-bishop is strong and his pieces
are well coordinated. 19.Re1 Nc6 Black either has
excellent compensation or White has to allow
...Bxf3 with ...Nxd4 giving the extra pawn back.]
16...Nxe4 17.Ng3

45

17...f5! Black gets excellent play with this
pawn sacrifice. 18.exf6 Bxf6 19.Nxe4 dxe4
20.Bxe4 Rfd8 Black’s f6-bishop is an excellent
piece, and in order to develop White will have to
give his extra pawn back. 21.Qe2 (White could
also have considered giving his pawn back
immediately and completing his development:
21.Bd2 Bxe4 22.Rxe4 Bxb2=.) 21...Re8 22.Nd2
22...Qd7 (Black could have got ambitious
with 22...Re5 and ...Rce8 to follow, provoking
White into playing f2–f3, creating dark square
weaknesses a round his king.) 23.Qf1 Nc6 24.Nb3
Nd4 25.Bxb7 Qxb7 26.Nxd4 Bxd4 In order to
finish his development, White surrenders his
b2-pawn, so a draw was agreed in Geller, E-Keres,
P Candidates 1956.) 16.Ne3 (As is often the case
when Black’s bishop is developed to b7 White’s
best is to close the centre: 16.d5! transposing to
my game vs Kramnik — see ‘personal
experiences’ section.) 16...exd4!
46
Keres
loved this strategic decision. The d6-pawn will be
an ‘academic weakness’, while Black will get
excellent piece play. As we will see in some other
Keres games in this chapter, this strategy will not
always work perfectly, but here it works out
excellently. 17.Nxd4 Bf6 18.Ndf5 g6 Smyslov
must have overestimated the dynamic possibilities
afforded by his h6-knight. 19.Nh6+ Kh8
White’s h6-knight is more of a liability
than an asset and White has to think about
equality. 20.Rb1
[20.Neg4 Bg7 21.Bf4 Ne5 (21...Bxb2
22.Bf1 gives White good compensation.) 22.Rc1
Qe7 23.Bb1; or 20.Nd5 Bxd5 21.exd5 Nc4 22.Rb1
were both possible equalising attempts for White.]
20...Bg7 21.Nhg4 (If 21.Nd5 Black can
also opt — apart from 21....Bxd5 — for dy namic
play with 21...Qd8 22.Ng4 f5! 23.Nge3 fxe4
24.Bxe4 Qh4 25.Ng4 Rc4 with the initiative.)
21...h5! 22.Nh2 Nc5 23.Nd5 Bxd5 24.exd5

Black
now penetrates to the second rank. 24...Nxd3
25.Qxd3 Qc2 26.Rd1 Rfe8 27.Qxc2 Rxc2 With his
powerful rook(s) on the second rank Black was
better and went on to win in Smyslov, V-Keres, P
Candidates 1959.
15...d5!?
This standard central break, seen in a
number of Keres’s games, leads to sharp play and
a likely dynamic balance. 15...exd4 16.Nxd4 Rfe8
is Keres-type central strategy, Black’s active piece
play being compensation for the rather academic
d6-pawn weakness.
Keres had actually already tried the
strategy he used to beat Smyslov in their 1959
Candidates game above in 1956 (!), but this time it
did not work so well! 15...Nd7 16.Ne3
Now
Keres goes for his favourite central strategy.
16...exd4 17.Nxd4 With White’s bishop on b1
instead of d3 Black does not have ...Bf6 tempi,
which turns out to be important!
17...g6 18.a4 b4 Now White places his
47
bishop on an active post. 19.Ba2! Nf6 (White’s
a2-bishop hits the f7-square, so Keres cannot
transfer his bishop to g7, as in the game vs
Smyslov, as 19...Bf6? is bad due to the simple
20.Ng4 and White’s h6-knight will now cause
serious damage.) 20.Bd2 Qb6
White
now executes a standard attacking plan. 21.Nef5!
gxf5 (If 21...Bd8, ignoring the knight, White gets a
w inning advantage after the forced sequence
22.Nh6+ Kh8 23.Be3 Qc7 24.Nxf7+ Rxf7 25.Ne6
Qe7 26.Nxd8 Rxd8 27.Bxf7 Qxf7 28.Bb6 Nc6
29.Bxd8 Nxd8 30.Qxd6+–.) 22.Nxf5
Black
is a piece up, but his king is wide open and in
order to prevent mate, he will suffer decisive
material losses. 22...Qd8 (If 22...Bd8 23.Bh6
threatening 24.Qf3–g3 with mate cannot be
stopped.) 23.Bxb4 White was perhaps a bit greedy
to collect material.
[23.Bh6 Nc6 24.f4 with 25.Qf3 or 25.Re3
to follow wins for White; 23.Qf3 also wins:
23...Ne8 (or 23...Kh8 24.Nxe7 Qxe7 25.Bg5 Kg7
26.Qg3 Nc6 27.Re3+–) 24.Nh6+ Kh8 25.Nxf7+
Rxf7 26.Qxf7 Ng7 27.Bxb4 Nc6 28.Bc3 White
has a material advantage and an attack.]
23...Nc6 24.e5 Nxb4 25.exf6 Bxf6
26.Qg4+ Kh8 27.Qxb4 White has a material
advantage, but later misplayed and eventually even
lost (!) in Unzicker, W-Keres, P Hamburg 1956.

18...Rfd8
[18...gxh6? loses to 19.Qd2 Rfd8 20.Qxh6
Rxd5 21.Ng3 and White has a decisive attack, e.g.
21...d3 22.Bxd3 Bf8 (or 22...Rxd3 23.Nf5 Bf8
24.Qg5+ Kh7 25.Qxf6 Bxf3 26.Re7+–) 23.Qxf6
Bg7 24.Qh4 Rxd3
16.exd5

16.dxe5 Nxe4 leads to good play for Black:

17.Bf4 Black has a number of good possibilities
here. 17...Bb4 (17...Bc5 18.Ne3 f6 was fine, or
17...Nc4) 18.Re2 f5 19.Bd3 Nc4 with good play
for Black in Klovans, J-Tal, M Riga 1952.
16...exd4

16...e4, hoping for the same as in 15.Bd3

d5 16.exd5 e4, is different now as White can play
17.Ng5 and keep his bishop pair. Black has
difficulty here proving compensation for a pawn.
17.Bg5!
25.Nf5 Bxf3 26.Ne7+! Kf8 27.Qh7 Be5
White keeps the tension, as Black cannot 28.Nxc8+–]
take so easily on d5. 19.Qd2 Rxd5 20.Bf4
17...h6

17...Nxd5 leads to White’s advantage after

18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Bxh7+ Kxh7 20.Ng5+ Kg8
21.Qh5 Qc2 22.Rxe7.
18.Bh4

The adventurous possibility 18.Bxh6! leads

to an interesting tactical tussle.

48
 20...Nc4! (20...Bd6 21.Bxd6 Rxd6 22.Nh4! 19.Qd3
with Nf5 to follow gives White an attack.)
21.Bxc7 Nxd2 22.Rxe7 Nxf3+ 23.gxf3 Kf8! White It was the time for White to think about
temporarily saves his extra piece, but falls under a equa lit y: 19.Bxe7 Nxe7 20.Nxd4 Rfd8 21.Qg4
back rank pin. Qd6 22.Be4 Bxe4 23.Rxe4 with a likely drawish
outcome.
19...g6 20.Bg3 Bd6

20...Qb6! was better for Black, as White

cannot capture the d4-pawn: 21.Qxd4? (21.Nxd4?
Bf6) 21...Qxd4 22.Nxd4 Bf6 and Black wins.
21.Bxd6 Qxd6

24.Bd6 Rxd6 25.Rxb7 Rc1 Black has

sufficient compensation, but not more.
18...Nxd5

22.Qd2?

It is quite likely that White simply missed

Black’s next move.
22.Qxd4!, seeking equality, was necessary.
22...Nf4! 23.Qxa5 Bxf3 24.gxf3 Nxh3+
25.Kg2 Nf4+ 26.Kg1

Black has a decisive attack.

49
 26...Nh3+ 27.Kg2 Nf4+ 28.Kg1 the modern ...d5 central pawn push, see game 18,
Grischuk-Bologan, later in this chapter.
14.exd5

White could a lso have chosen 14.Ng3,

when Black probably has to accept a pawn down
position: 14...dxe4 15.Nxe5 cxd4 16.cxd4 Be6
17.Nxe4 Rac8

28...Qd5! 29.Ng3 d3 30.Ne4 Qf5 31.Qb4

Rfe8

With 32...Rxe4 and mate to follow.

0–1

12 18.Re2 Nc4 19.Nf3 Bd5 Black has some

Isaak Boleslavsky pressure for his sacrificed pawn, but White
Paul Keres gradually made his extra pawn count and went on
Zürich 1953 to win in Gligoric, S-Milic, B Zagreb 1953.
14...exd4 15.cxd4
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Rd8 13.Nf1

15...Nxd5?

Now It was necessary for Black to keep his

Keres goes for his favourite central pawn break,
but here matters are a bit more complicated.
13...d5!?
For 13...cxd4 14.cxd4 exd4 15.Nxd4 d5,
50
knight on f6, guarding the king, and play 15...Bb7.
After 16.Bg5 (16.Ne3 Nxd5 17.Nf5 Bf8 and
White’s kingside activity looks to be of a
temporary nature.) 16...h6 17.Bxf6 (17.Bh4 Nxd5
looks about equal.) 17...Bxf6 18.Ne3
 18...g6! 19.Rc1 Nc4 the bishop pair should
provide Black with adequate compensation.
16.Qe2?
Black’s king is temporarily vulnerable and
White missed a good possibility in 16.Ng5!
The
situation is now difficult for Black. 16...Nf6
[16...g6 17.Qf3 (17.Nxh7 Nc6! is not really
clear.) 17...Bf8 18.Be4 Bb7 19.dxc5 h6 20.Rd1
and White finishes a pawn up.]
17.Qf3 h6 (17...Bb7? loses a pawn for
nothing: 18.Bxh7+ Kf8 19.Be4.) 18.Bf4 Qd7!
51
19.Ne4 (Taking the rook with 19.Qxa8 is
also possible; it’s messy, but White should be
better. 19...hxg5 20.Bd2 Bb7 21.Rxe7 Qxe7
22.Qa7 Nc4 23.Bxg5) 19...Bb7 20.dxc5 Nxe4
21.Bxe4 White definitely has the initiative here.
21...Bxc5
22.Bxh6 (22.Ng3 looks less violent, but
offers good attacking chances.) 22...gxh6
(22...Bxe4 23.Rxe4 gxh6 24.Rg4+ Kf8 25.Re1
should win for White.) 23.Qg3+ Kf8 24.Bh7
Bxf2+ 25.Qxf2 Qd4 26.Ne3 Thanks to his safer
king, White is better.
16...Bb7 17.Ng3 cxd4

18.Nxd4
18.Ng5 now is considerably less dangerous
and can lead to a forced draw (if Black wants):
18...g6 19.Nxf7 Kxf7 20.Bxg6+ hxg6 21.Qe6+
Kg7 22.Nf5+ gxf5 23.Qh6+ Kg8 24.Qg6+ Kh8
25.Qh6+=.
18...g6 19.Bh6?
Similar to the Unzicker-Keres game (see
the comments to the Geller-Keres game above),
White has the tactical motif 19.Ndf5!
Compared to that game Black is now in
better shape as he can ignore White’s intrusive
knight. 19...Bf6! (Accepting the Trojan horse with
19...gxf5? falls under a mating attack after
20.Nxf5 Bf8 21.b4! Black’s knight is forced on to
the c-file, so that the c2-bishop will no longer be
attacked and White’s queen can move to the
mating position on h5. 21...Nc4 22.Qh5 with
23.Ne7+ to follow mates.) 20.Nh6+ Kh8 In order
to break through the black king’s pawn defences,
52
White has to offer another knight. 21.Nh5! Bd4
22.Be4 gxh5! 23.Qxh5 Nf6
And
now White has to force a draw by perpetua l
check: 24.Nxf7+ Kg8 25.Bxh7+ Nxh7 26.Qg6+
Bg7 27.Nh6+ Kh8 28.Nf7+ Kg8 29.Nh6+=.
19...Bf6
White is struggling to create real threats on
the k ingside, while Black’s f6-bishop is a
monster.
20.Nb3?
This passive retreat seals the game as
White loses material without compensation.
For better or worse 20.Qg4 or the
speculative 20.Ndf5 had to be played.
20...Nc4 21.Ne4 Bxb2 22.Nbc5 Bxa1
23.Rxa1 f5!
 We will now look at four games where
Keres executes his favourite central strategy. He
clears most of the central pawns, swapping both
his eand c-pawns on d4, judging that the resulting
d6-pawn weakness will prove academic and that
he will get ample piece play in return.

The
game has been decided. White does not have any
compensation for his material losses and Black
soon obtains a mating attack himself.
24.Nxb7 Qxb7 25.Nc5 Qc6 26.Nd3 Nc3
27.Qe1 Qf6 28.f4 Ne4 29.Kh2 Qc3 30.Qb1 Ncd2
31.Qc1

12...Bd7

The idea behind Black keeping his bishop

on d7 is that the bishop is already ‘correctly
developed’, compared to being on b7, should
White decide to close the centre by pushing d4–d5.
13.Nf1 cxd4 14.cxd4 Rac8 15.Ne3

31...Rxd3 32.Bxd3 Qxd3 33.Qc7 Nf3+!

White is nicely mated: 33...Nf3+ 34.gxf3

Qe2+ 35.Kh1 Qxf3+ 36.Kh2 Qf2+ 37.Kh1 Ng3#.
0–1

13
Boris Spassky
Paul Keres 15...Rfe8
Riga 1965
5th match game Black develops his last piece before
opening the centre with 16....exd4.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 a) The transformation of the pawn
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 structure with 15...Nc4 16.Nxc4 bxc4 leads to
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 some advantage for White after 17.Bd2 Rfe8
53
18.Bc3, as in Bronstein, D-Panov, V Baku 1944.
b) If 15...Nc6 White happily closes the
centre as Black loses too much time with his
knight: 16.d5! Nb4 17.Bb1 a5 18.a3 Na6
Now
White has the important move 19.b4!, gaining a
space advantage and the possibility of play on both
sides of the board. 19...axb4 (19...g6 20.Bd2 Nh5
21.Bd3 and White had queenside pressure, while
Black could not create anything close to a kingside
attack. White went on to win in Bologan, V
(2655)-Peng, X (2648) Shanghai 2001) 20.axb4
Qb7 (20...Nxb4?? is a terrible blunder as Black
loses the knight immediately: 21.Bd2 Qc5
22.Qb3+–.) 21.Bd2 Black now makes the
‘standard Chigorin bishop improvement’: 21...Bd8
22.Bd3 Bb6
Black
has improved his bishop, but has two problems,
viz. lack of counterplay (none of his other pieces
are well placed to support it) and vulnerability on
the kingside, where the absence of the bishop will
soon be felt. 23.Nc2 h6?! (23...Ra8 with 24....Nc7
to follow, trying quickly to trade one or both pairs
54
of rooks, was necessary.) Now Leko plays a model
game! On a number of occasions White refuses
immediate material gain, trying to extract the
maximum from the position! 24.Nh4 Nh7 25.Qf3
Ng5 26.Qg3 Nc7
27.Ne3! (27.Bxg5 hxg5 28.Qxg5 wins a
pawn, but gives Black the time to connect his
pieces after 28...Ne8.) 27...Ra8 28.Nef5 Rxa1
29.Ne7+! Again White plays for the maximum,
not interested in winning a pawn with 29.Rxa1
Ra8 30.Rxa8+ Qxa8 31.Nxd6 because he correctly
judges that he can get more. 29...Kh8 30.Rxa1
Nh7
31.Qf3! Imposing a terrible threat! 31...Nf6
(31...Ne8? runs into a pretty mate: 32.Qxf7! Rxf7
33.Nhg6#.) 32.Bxh6 And White, now a pawn up
with a terrible attack to boot, went on to win in
Leko, P (2740)-Kamsky, G (2686) Wijk aan Zee
2006.
16.b3 exd4 17.Nxd4 Bf8 18.Bb2
 The
type of middlegame Black has been aiming for!
Black has a potentially weak d6-pawn, but judges
that active piece play will compensate for it. If
White’s f-pawn had been on c2, we would have
had a ‘Sicilian’ pawn structure. It is naturally
much better for White to have his pawn on f2 as
Black’s strategy does not equalise here. Black
would like to play 18...g6 with 19...Bg7 to follow,
but the f6-knight would be hanging, so Black
needs to defend that knight first, losing precious
time.
18...Qd8
Now we have an instructive moment!
Spassky makes arguably the most logical decision
— he collects Black’s bishop pair while
maintaining pressure on the d6-pawn weakness.
19.Ndf5
The strongest for White was to ‘correct’
Black’s pawn weakness! 19.Nd5! Nxd5 20.exd5
Black no longer has a weak d6-pawn, but has a
terrible problem with the passivity of his a5-knight
(Black’s ‘regular problem’ in many lines of the
Chigorin Variation). White also enjoys a space
advantage. 20...Rxe1+ 21.Qxe1 g6 22.Qd2 Bg7
23.Re1 The a5-knight is badly placed and Black is
in serious difficulties here.
55
23...Qb6 (If 23...Nb7 24.b4! keeps the
unfortunate knight locked up. Black cannot solve
the problem tactically with 24...Nc5 as after
25.Nc6! Bxc6 26.Bxg7 Kxg7 27.bxc5 dxc5
28.Qc3+ White should win the ensuing technical
ending: 28...Qf6 29.Qxf6+ Kxf6 30.dxc6 Rxc6.)
Now, as so often in these positions, Black’s king
becomes vulnerable. White can open routes using
the sacrificial motif already seen in previous Keres
games in this chapter: 24.Nf5! (The positional
24.Bd1 b4 25.Bg4 also leads to a large advantage
for White.) 24...Bxf5 (24...Bxb2 loses to 25.Ne7+
Kg7 26.Nxc8 Bxc8 27.Bf5! and in order to prevent
mate, Black loses one of his bishops.) 25.Bxf5 Rf8
26.Bxg7 Kxg7
27.Re7! and Black is in bad shape, as
27...gxf5? loses to 28.Qg5+ Kh8 29.Qf6+ Kg8
30.Re3 f4 31.Re5!+–.
19...Bxf5 20.Nxf5
Strategies related to 20.exf5!? often
deserve consideration in similar positions.
 20...g6 21.Ne3
Black
can create adequate counterplay here, but needs to
be precise!
21...Bg7
It was better for Black to improve his
knight first, as his bishop can potentia lly occupy t
wo diagonals. 21...Nc6! 22.Qd2 (22.Rc1 Bg7
23.Qd2 Black now has the typical central pawn
break 23...d5! 24.Bxf6 Qxf6 25.Nxd5 Qb2 and is
doing well.) 22...Bh6! The black bishop now uses
a different diagonal! (The pawn grab with
22...Nxe4 23.Bxe4 Rxe4 is risky, to say the least,
for Black after 24.Nd5 Re6 25.Rec1! Bg7 26.Bxg7
Kxg7 27.Rc3, when White’s d5-knight is a
monster and Black’s king is weak.) 23.Bxf6
(If
23.Rad1 Black can now take 23...Nxe4.)
23...Bxe3! (23...Qxf6 24.Ng4 Bxd2 25.Nxf6+ Kf8
26.Red1 Bc3 27.Nxe8 Bxa1 28.Nxd6 Rd8
29.Rxa1 Rxd6 30.Rd1 and White finishes a pawn
up.) 24.Rxe3 Qxf6 and the position is about equal.
56
Please note that White’s b3-pawn limits his bishop
here.
22.Qd2 Nb7
Black’s b7-knight is passive, but Black was
worried about his d6-pawn weakness.
If 22...Nc6 White can again happily
sacrifice his e4-pawn, as after 23.Rad1 Nxe4
24.Bxe4 Rxe4 25.Nd5 he has more than enough
compensation.
23.b4
White limits Black’s b7-knight, while
opening the diagonal for his c2-bishop — a logical
move, but not the best!
23.Rad1! was quite unpleasant for Black,
as after 23...Nxe4 (With White’s rook on d1 the
...d5 pawn break does not work now: 23...d5
24.e5! Ne4 25.Qe2 with a large advantage for
White.) 24.Bxe4 Rxe4 With Black’s knight badly
placed on b7, White now wins material. 25.Bxg7
Kxg7 26.Nd5
 26...Re6 (26...Re5 27.Qb2+–) 27.Qd4+ been decided.
Kg8 Now Black suffers decisive material losses 25...Nd8 26.Rad1 Rc6 27.Rc1 Qe7
after 28.Qa7! Rb8 29.Rxe6 fxe6 30.Ne7+ Kh8 28.Kh2 Qd7 29.Nd5 Nxd5 30.Bxd5 Rxc1
31.Nc6+–. 31.Rxc1
23...Qe7?

The problem in practical over-theboard

play in these positions (at least as I see it) is that
Black needs to be more precise and more inventive
than White, as Keres’s mistakes in this game
illustrate.
Black could have stayed right in the game
using Nimzowitsch’s blockading knight strategy
with 23...d5!.

The
difference in activity between White’s d5-bishop
and Black’s d8-knight is striking.
31...Qe7 32.Bxg7 Kxg7 33.Qc3+ Kg8
34.f4 Ne6 35.g3

There is no immediate killing threat, but

White
has to take the pawn. 24.exd5 (If he doesn’t, Black
is fine after 24.Nxd5 Nxd5 25.Bxg7 Nxb4; or
24.e5 Ne4.) and now after 24...Nd6 Black
definitely has his chances.
24.f3 Qf8 25.Bb3
Black simply does not have any counterplay.
35...Ng7 36.Qc7 Qf6 37.Rc2 Rf8 38.Qb6
Black loses his queenside pawns and does
not have enough material for a miracle on the
kingside.

38...g5 39.fxg5 Qxg5 40.Qxa6 Qe5

41.Qxb5 Ne6 42.Qf1 Kg7 43.Qf5
Now
White has a monster bishop on b3, Black has no 1–0
counterplay and in a higher sense the game has
57
 14
Alexander Grushevsky
Paul Keres
Moscow, 1963

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4

Compared to the previous game, White is

better placed here as his c2-bishop can go
immediately to the a2–g8 diagonal, granting him a
pleasant advantage!
17.Bb3 Bd7

17...Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Be6, opposing White’s

b3-bishop, was played in one instructive game of
Leonid Stein’s, so let’s see it: 19.Ne3 Rc8 20.Re2
13...Nc6 White wants to bring his rook to the d-file.
(20.Nd5 was also possible.) 20...Re8
In this game Keres uses an idea he had
already employed in the 1962 Candidates
tournament. Essentially the strategy is similar to
that of the previous game versus Spassky.
14.Nf1

14.Nb3 is modern theory’s main line here.

For developments, see the comments to the next
game, Ivkov-Keres.
14...Bf6

Keres places his bishop on the long

diagonal, preparing 15...exd4, ready to employ his
favourite strategy once again.
15.Be3 exd4 16.Nxd4 Nde5 21.Rd2?! This natural move is a mistake!
(21.Nd5 was correct, keeping an advantage. White
would like to trade his knight for Black’s
e6-bishop in order to get a light-squared bishop vs
knight situation, as Spassky did in the previous
game vs Keres.) 21...Qe7? Now White forces the
‘desired trade’!
[Remember — in these positions, what to
keep and what to trade is often a crucial strategic
question and in this game Black does not get the
answer right! 21...Bg5! was necessary and Black
58
equalises! 22.Bxe5 (22.Rc2, escaping the pin, does
not bring White any advantage either: 22...Nc6
23.Rac1 Bxb3 24.axb3 Qd7 25.Qg4 Qxg4 26.hxg4
Ne7 and this ending is most likely going to end
peacefully.) 22...Bxb3 The complications peter out
into a drawn endgame: 23.Qxb3 (23.axb3 Bxe3
24.Rxd6 Qh4=) 23...Rxe5 24.Rd4 Bxe3 25.Qxe3
d5=]
22.Nd5! Bxd5 23.Bxd5 Nc6 24.Bxf6 Qxf6

White
is simply better here: his b3-bishop is a strong
piece, and Black’s piece play does not compensate
for his d6-pawn weakness and White’s use of the
d5-square.
22...Qd7 23.Bd4

White had another good possibility in

23.Bh6 Rfe8 24.Ne3.
We
now have situation similar to Spassky-Keres
(Game 13). White’s bishop is superior to Black’s
knight, whi le Black’s d6-pawn weakness is an
important factor. 25.Rc1 Nb4 26.Rxc8 Rxc8
27.Bb3 Rd8 28.Qc1!+– Qf4 29.Qc7 Rf8 30.Rxd6

30...h6 (30...Qxe4?? runs into mate after
31.Qxf7+!) 31.Rd7 Qxc7 32.Rxc7 a5 33.Rb7 1–0
Stein, L-Novopashin, A Kiev 1963.
18.Ng3 g6 19.Nxc6 Bxc6 20.Rc1 Rc8
21.Re2 Bh4 22.Nf1
59
His
idea is simple: to jump with his knight to d5,
forcing its trade for Black’s c6-bishop, when he
would enjoy an advantage akin to Spassky-Keres a
nd Stein-Novopashin above. Black cannot take as
he would land in a lost position after 24...Bxe4
25.Rxc8 Rxc8 26.Qd4! Qxh3 27.Qxe4! Rc1+
28.Nd1 Bxf2+ 29.Rxf2 Qxh6 30.Rf1. Black has
picked up three pawns for his piece, but his king is
weak and White should win.
23...Bg5 24.Rcc2 b4
Searching for counterplay, Keres prepares
25....Bb5 in order to disturb White’s rook, a good
idea in general, but which fails tactically here!
 25.Ne3 Bb5
26.Rxc8
White has a nice tactical solution in
26.Nd5!, and after 26...Bxe2 27.Rxe2 he has the
terrible threat of 28.f4, so Black has to move his
e5-knight, while White’s d5-knight is a monster.
Black’s strategy has failed completely.
27...Nc6 28.Bf6 Bh6 29.Nb6 Qc7 30.Nxc8
Rxc8 31.Rc2 White has regained the sacrificed
exchange with a winning advantage. His next
move is 32.Qd5 and Black simply cannot protect
the f7-weakness, the c-file pin, the d6-weakness...
26...Rxc8
60
Again
— what to trade and what to keep? Should White
trade the remaining pair of rooks?
27.Rc2?
No! Trading the remaining pair of rooks is
a terrible mistake which throws away White’s
advantage.
White needs his rook in order to target
Black’s d6-pawn weakness!
27.Rd2 targets that weakness and leads to a
clear advantage for White. Black’s d6-pawn
weakness is a real problem here, so we see clearly
that Keres’s dynamic central strategy does not
always work! 27...Nc4 28.Bxc4 Bxc4 29.b3 Be6
30.Bb2 Qc6 31.Qf3
Black
is in trouble here and cannot get counterplay, for
example 31...f5?! loses to 32.Qg3! Bxe3 33.Qxe3
Qxe4 34.Qg5 and White wins with a mating
attack.
27...Rxc2
The situation is no longer clear, as White
cannot target Black’s d6-weakness. Most likely we
have a dynamic balance here.
28.Bxc2

28.Qxc2 a5 29.Bd5 h5.

28...Bc6 29.Bb3 Bxe3 30.Bxe3 Bxe4
31.Qd4 Qc6

It’s a
different story now compared to the 32.Ba4! Qd5
variation as Black’s queen can retreat to c8!
33...Bxh3 34.Qb8+ Qc8 0–1

15
Borislav Ivkov
Paul Keres
Beverwijk 1964
32.Qxb4??
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
32.Ba4! was necessary, leading to a 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
probable draw: 32...Qxa4 (If 32...Qd5 White can 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6
now take with 33.Qxb4! as 33...Bxg2? loses to
34.Bh6.) 33.Qxe4 h5 34.Qd4 Qxa2 35.Qxd6 Qxb2

Due 14.Nf1
to Black’s weak king position, the outcome is
perpetual check: 36.Kh2 f6 37.Bd4 Qd2 38.Qe6+ Probably because of Keres’s ideas and
Kh7 39.Qe7+ Kg8=. White’s difficulty in getting an advantage after
32...Bxg2! 33.Bh6 14.Nf1, modern theory considers 14.Nb3 best —
see the following game, Volokitin-Mamedyarov.
a) 14.a3 was played in another Tal-Keres
game at the Curacao Candidates, Keres again
opting for his ‘central pawn trade strategy’:
61
14...exd4 15.Nb3 Nde5 16.Nfxd4 Bf6
White’s c2-bishop does not find a
dominant position here and the game is about
equal. 17.Bd2 Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Nd3 In a roughly
equal position Tal now goes for complications...
that will end to his opponent’s advantage. 19.Nc6?
19...Nxf2! 20.Qf3 Nxh3+ and Black went
on to win in Tal, M-Keres, P Candidates 1962.
b) Should White close the centre, Black
shuffles his knights and gets counterplay. Tal has a
game with Black here: 14.d5 Nb4 15.Bb1 a5 16.a3
Na6 17.b4 Nb6 18.Qb3 Bd7 19.Bd3 Nc7
62
Black
is playing for the ...f7–f5 pawn break, after which
White’s d5-pawn will be hanging. 20.Rb1 (20.Nf1
was White’s best, when play becomes very sharp:
20...axb4 21.Be3! Nc4 22.Bxc4 bxc4 23.Qxc4
bxa3 24.Bb6
Black
looks in trouble, but he has an ingenious piece
sacrifice idea: 24...Bb5! 25.Qxc7 Qxc7 26.Bxc7 a2
White is a piece up, while Black has a monster
pawn. The position is very difficult for a human to
evaluate, but the engine says 0.00.) 20...Kh8!
21.Bb2

21...f5! Black had excellent play and went
on to win in Suetin, A-Tal, M Kiev 1964.
14...exd4
a) 14...Nb6, delaying a central decision,
was seen in another Tal-Keres game: 15.b3 Bf6
16.Bb2 Bd7 17.Ne3 Rc8 18.Qd2
Now
Keres goes for his ‘standard plan’. 18...exd4
19.Nxd4 Be5 Again it is worth noticing that Black
has nothing to fear as White has not placed his
light-squared bishop actively on the a2–g8
diagonal. Being able to relocate this bishop from
c2 to b3, controlling the a2–g8 diagonal, is of
crucial importance for the assessment of the
position! 20.Nxc6 Rxc6 21.Bxe5 dxe5 22.Rad1
Qc8 23.Kh2 Be6= and later drawn in Tal,M-Keres,
P Moscow 1963.
b) 14...Bf6 We saw this in the previous
game. Keres definitely understood that the
resulting positions were better for White.
15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Qxd4 Ne5
63
White
now retreats his queen in order to vacate the
d5-square for his knight.
17.Qd1
17.Rd1 was played in another top-level
game twenty years later: 17...Bb7 18.Ng3 Qc7
19.Bb3 White has placed his bishop on the desired
diagonal; Black will try to block it by jumping
with his knight to c4. 19...Rfd8 20.Be3 Nc4
21.Nh5 Bf8 22.Rac1
22...Rac8
[22...d5 is the standard central pawn break,
and also the engine’s suggestion, but from a
human perspective it looks risky for Black here, as
after 23.e5 (23.Bg5 f6 promises White nothing, as
sacrifices on f6 do not bring the desired result.)
23...Re8 24.Qg4 (24.Bf4 is also possible.)
24...Qxe5 25.Bd4 f5 26.Qf3 looks promising for
White.]
Now White uses a rook lift to develop an
attack. 23.Rc3 Qe7 24.Bh6 Qe5 25.Rg3 Probably
thinking that he cannot afford to lose the g7-pawn,
Black now panics.
25...g6? (25...Bxe4! was cold-blooded
defence and after 26.Bxg7 Bxg7 27.Rxg7+ Kh8
chances are about equal.) 26.Bg5 Now White is
winning. 26...Qxd4 27.Rxd4 Nxb2 28.e5! White
wants the maximum from the position! The
materialistic approach with 28.Bxd8 also wins.
28...Nc4 Now White sadly succumbs to material
greed.
29.Bxd8? (29.Nf6+ could have led to a
forced mate: 29...Kh8 30.Rh4 h6 31.Bxh6 Bxh6
64
and
now White weaves the mating net with 32.Rxg6!
fxg6 33.Rxh6+ Kg7 34.Rh7+ Kf8 35.e6.)
29...Rxd8 And it took thirty more moves for White
to win in Timman, J (2650)-Romanishin, O (2570)
Wijk aan Zee 1985.
17...Bf6 18.Ne3 Be6 19.Nd5 Bxd5
20.Qxd5
Based
on our previous two examples Ivkov has made the
necessary trade to get an advantage — right?
Nope! Black places his knight on c4, so White’s
bishop never gets to d5!
20...Rc8 21.Bb3 Nc4! 22.Re2
Black is now in time with the central pawn
break.
22...Rc5 23.Qd1 d5! 24.exd5 Rxd5
25.Qe1 Rd4
 White Most
has development problems and is fighting for likely a time pressure decision. How should White
equality here. react here?
26.Rb1 36.Bxd1?

26.a4 trying to get some activity was Going for an opposite-colour bishop
perhaps advisable. 26...b4 27.a5 Nxa5 28.Bc2 and ending was a better choice, as after 36.Qxd1
Black has nothing better than to accept a drawish Qxd1+ 37.Bxd1 Bxb2 38.Be2 b4 39.Bb5 b3
outcome with 28...b3 29.Qxa5 bxc2 30.Qxd8=. 40.Bc4 White should survive.
26...Qd6 27.Be3?! 36...Qe6–+ 37.Qc2 Qe1+ 38.Kh2 Be5+
39.g3 h4
White is under pressure and it is
understandable that he wants to force events to try
to clarify matters.
27.Bc2 was perhaps better.
27...Nxe3 28.Rxe3 g6

40.Kg2 hxg3 41.Bf3 gxf2 42.Qxf2 Qc1

43.b3 axb3 44.axb3 Qf4 45.Kf1 Bd4 46.Qe2 Qf5
47.Qe4 Qxh3+ 48.Ke2 Qd7 49.b4 Bc3 50.Qc6
Qd2+ 51.Kf1 Qe1+ 52.Kg2 Bd4 0–1
The
position might look as though it’s almost a draw, 16
but things are actually not easy for White. Andrei Volokitin
29.Re2 Kg7 30.Rd1 Rc8 31.Rc1 Rxc1 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
32.Qxc1 h5 33.Re1 a5! 34.Rd1 a4 35.Bc2 Rxd1+ Foros 2006

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

65
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6
14.Nb3!
This
is the modern approach which after
14...a5 15.Bd3
is nowadays considered White’s best
attempt to get an advantage.
The alternative 15.Be3 was played by Tal
in the 1962 Candidates versus Keres (in that
tournament we had two Tal-Keres games in this
variation, Keres winning both of them!): 15...a4
16.Nc1 Keres now makes his ‘usual central
transaction’. 16...exd4 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4
Bf6
It is
important to note here that, with Black’s pawn on
a4, White’s c2-bishop is well contained and does
not get to the important a2–g8 diagonal! 19.Ne2
Bb7 20.Qd3 Now Keres goes for a trade of his
b-pawn for White’s e-pawn. 20...Nc5 (In the case
of 20...Ne5 the b5-pawn can be taken! 21.Qxb5!
66
Ba6 22.Qb4 Nc6 23.Qxa4 Nxd4 24.Nxd4 and
Black does not have enough compensation.)
21.Qxb5 Bxe4 22.Bxe4 Nxe4
Black’s d-pawn is a weakness and White
has some pull here. However, a draw should be the
most realistic outcome. 23.Rad1 (23.Qd5 does not
get White anywhere after 23...Re8 24.Rad1 Be5!=)
23...d5 24.Nf4 This forces tactical play, so the
character of the game now changes. The positional
approach was 24.Bxf6 Nxf6 25.Nc3 This would
have kept Black under pressure, as White has one
weakness to worry about (the b2-pawn), while
Black has two (the a4- and d5-pawns). 24...Bxd4!
25.Rxd4 Qf6 26.Qxd5 Rad8
27.Rexe4 Rxd5 28.Nxd5 Qg5 Objectively
the position is about equal, but the play is now
sharp, and Tal will eventually ‘disconnect’ his
pieces. 29.f4 Qh6 30.Rxa4 Qd6
 31.Ra5?! This move leads to the
discoordination of White’s pieces and his
subsequent problems. (31.Rad4=) 31...h6 32.b4
Kh7 33.Rc5 Qa6! White’s pieces are losing
coordination, with the dominant d5-knight unable
to maintain its position. Black’s rook enters the
fray andmWhite’s king finds itself in trouble.
34.Nc3 Rd8 35.f5 Rd2
17...a4
17...Rc8? blunders into a well-known trick:
18.Nxa5! Qxa5 19.Bd2 with 20.a3 to follow and a
healthy extra pawn for White.
18.Nbd4
This tactical solution yields White an
advantage here!
Black has good counterplay after the old
move 18.a3 Nxd5 19.Qxd5 Nf6 20.Qd1 axb3
21.Qxb3 Rb8.
18...exd4 19.a3

White now gets his piece back and obtains

a favourable game.
19...Nxd5 20.exd5 Ne5 21.Nxd4 Qd7
22.Bf4 Bf6

36.Re8? This loss of tempo obviously

loses, but White no longer had any good solutions.
36...Qd3–+ 37.Re4 Rc2 38.a4 Rc1+ 39.Kh2 Qd6+
40.Ree5 Rxc3 0–1 Tal, M-Keres, P Candidates
1962.
15...Ba6 16.d5 Nb4 17.Bf1

White
has an advantage here, but he should know what to
trade and what to keep!
23.Qd2
67

23.Bxe5!, parting with his bishop, was a
clever trade for White here! 23...Bxe5 (23...dxe5
allows White’s knight to c6: 24.Nc6 Rfe8 25.Qd2
Qd6 26.Nb4 Black’s a6-bishop is terribly passive,
the b5-pawn is a target, and White’s rook comes to
c-file. White is clearly better here.)
Ne7+ fork: 26...Qf5 (or 26...Qc8 27.Re3+–)
27.Re3+– with the double threat of Ne7+ and
Rxa3.]
26.Bxb5 Bxb5 27.Rxb5±. The c6-knight is
a monster, the f6-bishop is hitting empty squares
and Black will lose the a4-pawn.
23...Rfc8

White
has two different ways to get a clear advantage White
here. 24.Nc6 now makes the wrong trade.
[The other is 24.Qd2. 25.Nc6 will be 24.Bg5?!
unpleasant for Black, so it is logical for Black is to
eliminate the knight: 24...Bxd4 25.Qxd4 This 24.Qb4! still maintains the pressure:
position is far from equal. Black’s problem is that 24...Ng6 25.Nc6.
his b5- and a4-pawns are weak. Play might 24...Bxg5 25.Qxg5 Rc5
continue 25...Bb7 (25...Rac8 26.Qb6±; 25...Qa7
26.Qf4 Qb7 27.Rad1±) 26.Re3 Rac8 27.Rae1 Rc5 Now Black is fine.
28.Re7 Qc8 29.Qb4 Bxd5 30.Bxb5 and White 26.Nf5 f6 27.Qf4 Bb7
collects the a4-pawn, a healthy pawn up.]
24...Bxb2 25.Rb1 and Black has problems: In this unclear position, the players agreed
a draw.
½-½

17
Bozidar Ivanovic
Paul Keres
Sarajevo 1972

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6

25...Bf6
[25...Bxa3?? blunders a piece after
26.Re7!, forcing Black’s queen into a potential
68

Keres
is playing his favourite variation; White comes up
with an interesting idea!
14.a4!?
This move has only been played in a few
grandmaster games, but it certainly deserves
attention.
14...bxa4
a) 14...Bb7 is another logical continuation,
but here White gets the advantage by closing the
centre — nearly always White’s best reaction
when Black develops the bishop to b7. 15.d5!
(15.axb5 axb5 16.Rxa8 Qxa8 17.Nb3 Nb6 with
equal chances was seen in Beliavsky,
A-Romanishin, O Odessa 1974.) 15...Nb4 16.Bb1
Nc5
17.axb5
[17.Nb3 is an interesting pawn sacrifice,
however after 17...Nxa4 18.Bd2 a5 (18...Nxb2??
blunders a piece after 19.Qe2.) 19.Nxa5 Qxa5
20.b3 White gets his piece back and will have
69
compensation for a pawn in the shape of the pins
Black is under, but not more.]
17...axb5 18.Rxa8 Qxa8 19.Nb3 Now we
have a relatively standard structure where White
has an advantage.
b) A move like 14...b4? is simply a
positional blunder. White has a big advantage after
15.Nb3 and Black will collapse on the queenside.
15.Bxa4
A
critical moment! Interestingly enough, Keres does
not carry out his favourite central strategy
immediately, but first develops his bishop —
which is a serious mistake!
15...Bb7?
15...Nxd4! was necessary, although after
16.Nxd4 exd4 17.Nb3 with Nxd4 to follow, Black
has still to prove that his active piece play
compensates for the d6-pawn weakness.
16.Nc4 Qc7 17.Ra3?
This rook lift looks nice, but is not White’s
best. The problem is that in many lines it is
exposed to a ...d6–d5 pawn push with tempo.
The regular white reaction to the
development of Black’s bishop to b7 in such
positions is to close the centre, which indeed
brings White a large advantage here too: 17.d5!

17...Ncb8 (or 17...Na7 18.Bxd7 Qxc4
19.Bd2±) 18.b3 Nc5 19.Bd2 Black does not have
any counterplay and White will win the game on
the queenside. 17.Be3 is also very good for White
who wants to play 18.Rc1 with 19.d5 to follow (or
18.d5 right away), so Black has to open the centre:
17...exd4 18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.Bxd4
The
tactics here work in White’s favour: 19...Nc5
(19...Qxc4 20.Bxd7 is just an easy white
advantage) 20.Ne3! Ne6
[20...Bxe4?? loses a piece after 21.Qg4 f6
(or 21...Bg6 22.Nd5) 22.f3 (22.Bxc5? offers Black
chances of survival after 22...f5.) 22...Bb7
23.Nf5+–]
21.Bc3 Bxe4 22.Bb3 with Nd5 to follow
and White’s initiative is clearly worth more than a
pawn.
70
Now
Keres has a choice — how to take on d4, with the
knight or pawn?
17...exd4?
Wrong choice! Now White gets an
attacking knight on d4.
17...Nxd4! was the correct exchange,
leading to equality: 18.Nxd4 exd4 19.Qxd4 Now
Black equalises by means of the central pawn
break seen so often in Keres’s games:
19...d5! Lots of things are hanging, but this
tactical tussle is likely to end peacefully. 20.Bxd7
(If 20.exd5 Bxa3 21.bxa3 Qc5 22.Rd1 White has
compensation for the exchange, but probably not
more.) 20...Bxa3 21.bxa3 Qxc4
 Ivanovic definitely correctly calculated, but
probably overestimated.
20.exd5! was the way to go, when after the
relatively forced sequence 20...Bxa3 21.dxc6 Bb4
22.Bd2! Black lands in a lost endgame: 22...Bc5
(22...Bxd2 loses to 23.Re7!) 23.Ba5 Qf4 24.cxd7
Qxd4 (24...Bxd4 25.Ne3 does not solve anything
for Black.) 25.Qxd4 Bxd4 26.Rd1

22.Qb6! Black cannot keep his extra

exchange. 22...Qc3 23.Rf1 Bc8 24.Bb2 (or 24.Bc6
Rb8=) 24...Qd2 25.Bc6 Be6 26.Bxa8 Rxa8 and a
peace agreement will soon be signed.
However White is tactically alert and takes
advantage of Black’s inaccuracy.
18.Bxc6! Bxc6
White
18...Qxc6 19.Na5 Qc7 20.Nxb7 Qxb7 gets his sacrificed exchange back with interest.
21.Nxd4 is clearly better for White due to Black’s 26...Bf6 27.Bc7 Bd8 28.Bd6 Ra7 29.Ne5 and
d6-pawn weakness. White’s d-pawn proves decisive.
19.Nxd4 20...dxc4 21.Nf5 Bf6

White has many threats and Black hopes to

solve his problems tactically.
19...d5

An
important moment, as White had a forced win
here!
22.Rxg7+! Bxg7 23.Qg4 Qe5 24.Bh6 Qf6!
20.Rg3
25.Bxg7 Qg6
This leads to the win of the queen, which
71
 White wins Black’s queen, but Black gets
enough material for it.
26.Ne7+
White’s other option was not to be eager to
even the material ‘score card’, but to continue the
attack: 26.Qf4 Rfe8 27.Re3
All
White’s pieces are participating in the attack.
Black again saves himself by giving up his queen.
27...Nc5! 28.Rg3 Ne6 29.Qf3 Nxg7 30.Rxg6 hxg6
(30...fxg6? loses to 31.Nh6+ Kh8 32.Qf7! —
33.Qg8 is a terrible threat! — 32...Nh5 33.g4 Rf8
34.Qe6 Rf6 35.Qe5 Re8 36.Qc3 and White soon
gets a decisive material advantage.) 31.Nh6+ Kh7
32.Nxf7
The
engines evaluate this crazy position as 0.00.
26...Kxg7 27.Nxg6 hxg6 28.e5 Rfe8
29.Qxc4 Re6 30.Qd4
72
The
position is objectively dynamically balanced,
however White cannot just sit and wait, as Black
has a plan to regroup. White needs to push his
kingside pawns, aiming at Black’s king.
Strangely, Ivanovic, who was known for
being a fearless attacking player at the time, will
sit on his hands, and Keres will regroup his forces
undisturbed and obtain a winning advantage.
30...Rb8 31.Rc1
Keres does have a clear regrouping plan!
31...Rb7 32.b4 Nf8 33.h4
33.f4 Kg8 34.g4 is another plan, with
complicated play and a likely dynamic balance.
33...Kg8!
34.Rc5?
This was White’s last chance to do
something active! 34.f4! Bd7 35.h5 Reb6 36.hxg6
Nxg6 37.Rc7! Rxc7 38.Qxb6 Rc6 39.Qd4 and the
weakness of Black’s king gives White enough
counterplay.
34...Bd7! 35.f3 Reb6 36.Rc4 Be6
Mission accomplished! Black has
regrouped, while White has refused to create any
counterplay. There is still work to do, but Keres
ultimately brings it home.
37.Rc2 Rxb4 38.Qd8 Rd7 39.Qg5 Bf5
40.Ra2 Rb6 41.h5 Rd5 42.hxg6 Bxg6 43.f4 Ne6
44.Qf6 Rd1+ 45.Kf2 Bb1 46.Ra4 Rb2+ 47.Kg3
Rg1 48.Rc4 Rgxg2+ 49.Kh3 Rg6 50.Rc8+ Nf8
51.Rxf8+ Kxf8 52.Qh8+ Ke7 53.Qc8 Rh6+
54.Kg4 Rg6+ 55.Kh3 Rb3+ 56.Kh4 Rh6+
57.Kg4 Rg6+ 58.Kh4 Bf5 59.Qxf5 Rb8
0–1
18
Vladimir Kramnik
Alexei Shirov
Linares 2004
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6
73
14.a3!?
White is preparing the d4–d5 pawn push
and takes away the b4-square from Black’s knight.
How should Black react here? Shirov probably
reacts the best way using, in its essence, Keres’s
idea of active piece play to compensate for the
d6-pawn weakness.
The present state of theory considers
14.Nb3 the main line here, but it does not bring
any advantage to White as Black succeeds in
jumping to b4 with his knight. 14.d5 Nb4 and after
15.Bb1 a5 16.Nf1 Bd7 17.Be3 Rfc8 18.Re2 comes
the standard plan for Black to improve his
dark-squared bishop:
18...Bd8! 19.Ng3 Qb7 20.Qd2 Na6 (Black
probably judged 20...Bb6 to be too early, as White
might get attacking prospects after 21.Bg5.)
21.Bc2 Nb4 (Black could also have shown
ambition and taken space with 21...b4.) 22.Bb1
Na6 23.Bc2 Nb4 ½–½ Short, N (2674)-Adams, M
(2741) Wijk aan Zee 2005.
 14...exd4!

a) 14...Bb7?

This
is probably the worst Black can do as it plays
directly into White’s hands. As is almost always
advisable in these situations when Black’s bishop
is already developed to b7, White closes the
centre! 15.d5! Nb8 16.Nb3 Rc8 17.Bd3 Nbd7
he is
in much better shape with his bishop on d7 instead
on b7. After 16.Nf1 Nh5 17.Bd3 g6 18.Bh6 Rfc8
19.Ne3 Qd8 White had just a small advantage in
Smyslov, V-Botvinnik, M Moscow 1940.
c) Black can also force ‘Keres-type’ central
play with 14...Nxd4 15.Nxd4 exd4, however
Alexei Shirov has a specific reason for keeping his
c6-knight on the board!
15.Nb3

18.Bd2! White has the initiative on the

queenside, while Black has no counterplay.
18...Nc5 19.Ba5 Qb8 20.Nxc5 dxc5 (If 20...Rxc5
White opens up the queenside with 21.a4.) 21.b3
Nd7 22.a4! b4 23.Nd2 White has a clear advantage
and went on to win in Anand, V (2781) -Nikolic, P
(2676) Germany 2004.
b) If Black wants to develop his c8-bishop,
And now we see why Alexei kept his
then he should play 14...Bd7, as after 15.d5 (White
c6-knight on the board.
can also keep flexibility with 15.Nb3.) 15...Na5
15...Ne5!

This was an improvement on existing

theory at the time, equalising the game. Now

74
Black either has an active knight on e5, or White 16.Nbxd4 Nxd4 17.Nxd4
takes it and improves Black’s pawn structure.
15...Nd7, resembling Keres’s games, has
been played, and led to tactical adventures in two
games by the ‘Magician from Riga’, shown in the
next game, Tal-Kholmov.
16.Nbxd4 Re8 17.Bf4 Bf8

It
turns out that trading a pair of knights here leads to
White’s advantage. Let’s see the two spectacular
games of the legendary Mikhail Tal.
17...Bf6

This stops the Bd2–c3 development, but

18.Rc1
Now Black plays a useful move.
18...h6 19.Bb3 Qb6
Black’s e5-knight is excellent piece, so
Kramnik does not find anything better than to
trade it, improving Black’s pawn structure and
bringing the game to equality.
20.Be3 Qb7 21.Nxe5
allows White to develop his bishop to e3.
The other Tal game went 17...Ne5, and
now White placed his bishop on c3, which is a
good square for the dark-squared bishop here.
18.Bd2 Bf6 19.Bc3 Re8 20.Qd2 (Perhaps White
can consider the immediate 20.f4.) 20...Bd7 21.f4
Nc6

With a draw offer which Shirov accepted.

After 21.Nxe5 dxe5 22.Nc6 Bd7 chances look
about equal.
½-½

19
Mikhail Tal
Ratmir Kholmov
Moscow 1969

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

Again, ‘what to trade and what to keep?’.
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
22.Ne2! Black has a tough choice, either to move
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.a3 cxd4
his bishop from the long diagonal and make a
14.cxd4 exd4 15.Nb3 Nd7
monster out of White’s c3-bishop, or to trade the
bishops and improve White’s knight while having
15...Ne5! is Black’s best equalising
problems defending the d6-pawn weakness. White
attempt, as in the previous game, Kramnik-Shirov.
stands clearly better here. 22...Be7 23.Ng3 g6
75
Now Tal gets carried away as the artistic
component of his play takes the driving seat!

24.Nf5!? A typical Tal sacrifice. It was
unnecessary, not needed at all, but he did it — just
for kicks! The ‘simple and dry’ 24.Bb3 would
have led to a large white advantage, as after
24...Be6 25.Bd5 Bh4 loses to 26.f5 Bxd5 (or
26...Bxg3 27.Qh6, winning) 27.Qh6 Ne5 28.Qxh4
and the holes around the black king prove
decisive.) 24...gxf5 25.exf5 Qd8
and
White’s attack runs out of steam. 28.f6 Bxf6
29.Qxh7+ Kf8 30.Rxc6 dxc3! and Black wins.)
27.Qf2 Now Black spots the right idea! (27.Rae1?
loses to 27...Bxe6! 28.fxe6 d5 and White’s bad
king position becomes decisive. 29.Qd3 Bc5+
30.Kh1 Ra7–+; White should have opted for the
less fancy, but quite clever, 27.Re3 and his attack
goes on.) 27...d5!

28.Rd1 d4 and Black went on to win in

Tal, M-Vasyukov, E Alma-Ata 1968.
Actually White has good compensation, 18.Be3 Ne5
but now Tal goes a step too far. 26.Re6?! This
beautiful fancy move doesn’t really work for
White! (26.Re3 Bh4 27.Rd3 with compensation)
26...f6 (26...fxe6? naturally plays into White
hands: 27.fxe6 Bxe6? 28.Qd3 and White’s wishful
thinking becomes a reality! Black’s way to fight
off the attack was 26...d5! with the simple idea of
closing out (or trading) White’s c3-bishop: 27.Qd3
d4!

76
 27.Qh5! was a better move: 27...Qd6
28.Rcd1 and White wins in a few moves.
27...Qb7 28.fxe5 Rxc1 29.Rxc1 Bxf5
30.Qxf5 Qd5!

Black
wants to place his knight on c4, as for example in
Ivkov-Keres, but White does not allow it.
19.b3

White first wants to quench Black’s Black

counterplay and will activate his c2-bishop later. has survived the direct onslaught, but White is a
19...Bd7 20.Rc1 Rac8 pawn up and Black still has a difficult time ahead
of him.
Now Tal seizes the moment and goes for a 31.Bf4 Kg8 32.b4 Bh4 33.Kh2 Re8
forced tactical sequence! 34.Rc7
21.f4 Nc6 22.e5! dxe5 23.Nxc6 Bxc6
24.Be4 Black now blunders a piece, bringing the
game to an immediate end.
34...Bf2?

34...g6 was the way for Black to struggle

on.
35.Rc8!

Due
to various pins and a weak king position, Black
does not have a suitable defence.
24...Rfd8

In the case of 24...Qb7 White continues

with 25.Rxc6 Rxc6 26.fxe5 Be7 27.Qh5 h6 28.Qf5
g6 29.Qf3 and Black’s position will collapse. 35...Rf8
25.Qg4 Bd7 26.Bxh7+ Kf8 27.Bf5
Taking White’s rook with 35...Rxc8 drops
77
a piece after 36.Qxc8+ Kh7 37.Qc2++–.
36.Bg5!

A nice finishing touch. White threathens to

either take on f8 followed by Qc8 mate or grab
Black’s bishop on f2.
1–0

20
Alexander Grischuk
Viktor Bologan
Enghien les Bains 2001

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

Black
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
can now opt for Keres-type central play with
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4
trades on d4, or continue his development, trying
to keep his options open. 15...Bb7 (15...exd4
16.Nxd4 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 has proved in practice not
to equalise for Black.) 16.Rc1 (16.a3!? has been
played by Michael Adams and is unpleasant for
Black. His opponent postponed the central
decision: 16...Bf8 (16...exd4 17.Nxd4 Nxd4
18.Bxd4 with 19.Rc1 and 20.b4 to follow is better
for White.) 17.b4 Rac8 18.Rc1 Qb8

13...Rd8

Similar to Boleslavsky-Keres, Black

prepares for the ...d6–d5 central pawn break.
Should the centre be closed with 14.d5, yes,
13...Rd8 will prove a loss of tempo, but Black is
still in better shape than after 13...Bb7 14.d5, as
Black’s light-squared bishop now goes to d7 Now
immediately (and practice has shown that Black Adams correctly judges that the time has come to
has a reasonable game here). close the centre. 19.d5! Ne7 What is the best
14.Nf1 location for White’s d2-knight here? Well it is
the... a5-square! 20.Nb3! Nd7 21.Na5 White had a
A clever move for White, played by a clear advantage and went on to win in Adams, M
number of strong players, is the flexible 14.b3!. (2726)-Koneru, H (2612) Merida 2008) 16...Qb6
White develops his bishop to b2, Black’s pawn 17.Nf1
break ideas no longer work, and it looks like Black
does not equalise. 14...Nc6 15.Bb2

78

White
keeps improving his pieces (18.Ne3–d5 or f5 is a
threat), so if Black is planning any central pawn
break, the time is now! 17...d5 This being a rapid
game, Alexander Grischuk does not come with up
with the best reaction. 18.exd5
[18.dxe5! was needed, and after 18...Nxe4
(18...dxe4 19.N3d2 wins a pawn for White.)
19.Qe2 Grischuk probably did not realise that after
19...Nb4 20.Bb1 Bc5 White has strong exchange
sacrif ice: 21.Rxc5! Qxc5 22.Nd4 and Black is in
trouble, as diagonals open towards his king.
22...Nc6 (22...g6 23.e6±; 22...Bc8?? blunders a
piece to 23.Rc1 Qe7 24.a3+–) 23.Nf5 Bc8 24.e6
fxe6 25.Nxg7 and White’s attack is worth much
more than the exchange.]
18...Nxd5 (18...Rxd5 was better, with an
unclear game.) 19.Nxe5 Nxe5
How
should White recapture? Safely, with the rook, so
Black’s d5-knight does not have any discovered
attack jumps, or with the pawn, risking a
discovered attack on queen? 20.dxe5! Yes, with
the pawn of course! (20.Rxe5? is a positional
79
mistake as it allows Black an excellent blockade
on d5.) 20...Bg5 21.Qh5 Bh6
22.Ne3? In rapid games, in time pressure,
even great players sometimes blunder. (22.e6! was
strong: 22...fxe6 23.Qh4 as after 23...Nf4 White
has the killer 24.Bxg7!) 22...Nxe3 23.Rxe3 Rd2
Now Black is winning. 24.Qh4 Rxf2 25.Bd4
Rxg2+ 26.Kf1 Qa5 27.Be4 Qd2 28.Bxb7 Bxe3
0–1 Grischuk, A (2717)-Smirin, I (2650) Odessa
2007.
14...exd4
15.Nxd4
Black is now ready for his central pawn
break!
In some games (including one of
Bologan’s) White delayed the capture on d4,
aiming first to stop Black’s ...d6–d5 pawn break:
15.Bf4 Nc6 16.Ng3 Be6 17.Rc1 Qb6

18.Nf5
[Perhaps White can improve on those
games with 18.Bb3, e.g. 18...Bxb3 19.axb3 g6
20.Nxd4! Qxd4 (20...Nxd4 21.Be3±)
21.Rxc6 Qxb2 22.Bg5 White definitely has
compensation for a pawn, as after 22...Rdc8
23.Re2 Qe5? (23...Qa3 24.Qc2 with
compensation) loses to 24.f4 Qe6 25.e5!+–]
18...Bxf5 19.exf5
80
White
has compensation for his sacrificed pawn, but not
more. 19...d5
[Playing Black here, Bologan went for a
strange (to me anyhow) doubling of rooks behind
doubled pawns! 19...Ra7 20.Bb1 Rad7 21.a3 h6
22.Bg3 Kf8 23.Ba2 White went on to win in
Galkin, A (2584)-Bologan, V (2676) Tomsk
2001.]
20.a3 Rac8 Kasimdzhanov’s play with
Black is much more natural than Bologan’s
doubled rooks. 21.Bb1
(Threatening 22.Rxc6 with 23.Rxe7 to
follow.) 21...Bf8 22.Ba2 (22.Bg5 does not promise
White anything, as after 22...b4 23.Bxf6 gxf6 he
cannot take advantage of Black’s damaged
kingside pawn structure.) 22...h6 If anybody
stands better here, it can only be Black. Svidler, P
(2686)-Kasimdzhanov, R (2706) Yerevan 2001.
15...d5! 16.e5 Ne4
 17.Bf4 20.Bb2 Nc4 21.Nc6 Qxb2 22.Rb1 Bc5+
23.Kh1 Qf6 24.Nxd8 Qxd8 25.Qxd5 And here
a) 17.Nd2 has been played in some games, Black has no reason to fear an endgame: 25...Qxd5
but after 17...Bc5! (17...Bb7 has been played in 26.exd5 Bd7. With the bishop pair, queenside
practice.) 18.N2f3 (18.N2b3 simply loses a pawn pawn majority and good blockade on d6, this
after 18...Nxb3 19.Bxb3 Qxe5.) 18...Nc4 White position is easier to play for Black.
has a problem protecting his e5-pawn. 17...Bc5 18.Ne3
b) 17.f3 leads to complications where
Black is not worse! 17...Bc5! Yes, Black’s
e4-knight doesn’t move! We now have a tactical
sequence leading to a fine position for Black.
(17...Ng5 leads to White’s advantage after 18.Ng3
g6 19.Kh2 Ne6 20.Nxe6 Bxe6 and now White got
a strong attack after 21.f4 Rac8 22.Bd3 d4 23.f5 in
Sigurjonsson, G (2475)-Torre, E (2520) Reykjavik
1980.) 18.b4
[18.fxe4 dxe4 19.Be3

18...Qb6?!

a) 18...Nc4! was a better move leading to

an unclear game after 19.Qe2! g6 (19...Bxd4 leads
to complications favourable for White after
20.Nxd5.) 20.b3 The game is dynamically
balanced.

and
Black gets his material back after 19...Nc4
20.Bxe4 Nxe3 21.Nxe3 Bxd4 (21...Rxd4 is also
fine for Black.)]
18...Bxb4 19.fxe4 Qxe5

81
 Play and
might continue 20...Nc3 21.Qd3 Nxe3 22.fxe3 now after the relatively forced sequence 22...Bf5
(22.Qxc3 Nxc2 23.Qxc2 Qb6=) 22...b4 23.e6 Qb7 23.Qxd5 Rd8 24.Qf3 Bxe1 25.Bxf5 Bd2 26.Bxd2
24.exf7+ Qxf7 with an unclear position. Rxd2 27.Re1
b) 18...Qa7 19.Nxb5 axb5 20.Bxe4 Be6+=
19.Nb3?!

Grischuk does not spot a nice tactical

possibility and soon gets into big trouble.
White had a beautiful tactical solution in
19.Qf3!, leading to clear advantage for White:

with
28.e6 to follow, White has a big advantage.
19...Nxb3 20.Bxb3 Be6

19...Bxd4 (19...Nd2 does not work for

Black, as after 20.Qh5 g6 21.Qh4 Bxd4 22.Bg5
Be6 23.Bf6 Black must quickly cover the
g7-square, so he has to return his extra piece.
23...Bc5 24.b4 Bxb4 25.Qxb4 Ndc4 and here
White has a pleasant choice between collecting an
exchange or [more principled!] playing for an
attack.) 20.Nxd5 Bxf2+ (20...Rxd5?? loses to
21.Bxe4.) 21.Kh2 Rxd5 22.Qxe4

21.Qd3?

82
 White’s queen will be terribly placed on d3
where it allows all sorts of tactics.
21.Qe2 a5 22.Rad1 was a better defence.
21...a5! 22.f3

22.Rad1 a4 23.Bc2 Rac8 is advantageous

for Black, but much better for White than the
game.
22...a4 23.Bc2 g5!

Now
a ‘small pawn move’ throws White off balance!
26...a3! 27.Qxa3 (Or 27.fxe4 axb2 28.Rce1 d4
29.Rg3 Rc3 30.Rxg5+ Kf8 and White either loses
his queen or has to allow the devastating 31...d3+.)
and here 27...Rc3! is a killer blow!

White’s f4-bishop has to move, so his

e3-knight is no longer sufficiently defended.
24.Bh2

Having achieved a winning advantage,

Black now fails to be precise.
24...Bf5?

24...Rac8 was winning by force as after

25.Qe2?
25.Rac1
[25.fxe4 loses to the prosaic 25...dxe4
White does not take the chance he was
26.Qxe4 Bxe3+ 27.Rxe3 (27.Qxe3 lands White in
given.
a lost ending: 27...Qxe3+ 28.Rxe3 Rxc2 29.Rg3
25.fxe4 Bxe4 26.Qd2 Bxc2 27.Kh1 would
h6 with 30...Rdd2 to follow and Black collects
have kept White in the game due to the weakness
‘ever y thing’.) 27...Rxc2 28.Qxc2 Qxe3+ and
of Black’s king!
again Black’s rook enters the second rank,
25...d4?
deciding the game.]
25...Bxe3+ 26.Rxe3
25...Bxe3+ 26.Qxe3 d4 27.Qd3 Ng3 was
an easy win for Black.
26.Bxe4?

The final blunder.

26.fxe4 Bg6 would still have kept White in
the game.
26...dxe3 27.Kh1 Rd2 28.Bxa8 Rxe2
83
29.Rxe2 Bd3

Now
Black’s d-pawn decides the game.
30.Ree1 Bb4 31.Rec1 e2 32.Bg3 Bd2
33.Rg1 b4 34.a3 b3 35.Be1 Be3 36.Bc3 Bxg1
37.Rxg1 Qf2 38.Re1 h5 39.Bd5 Qc5 40.Bb7 Qb5
46...Kh7
A bit strange.
Black could have taken the much shorter
route 46...Kf5! followed by 47...Ke6, trapping
White’s bishop the same way as in the game.
47.Kh1 Kg8 48.Kh2 Kf8 49.Kh1 Ke7
50.Kh2 Ke6 51.g3 Qa6

The
time control has been reached. White is totally tied
up and Bologan gets the idea to ‘trap’ White’s White
lightsquared bishop. is now forced to allow 52.Be4 Bxe4 53.fxe4 after
41.Ba8 Qc5 42.Bb7 Kh7 43.Ba8 Kg6 which everything will fall.
44.Bb7 Qb5 45.Ba8 Qc4 46.Kh2 0–1

84
 CHAPTER 4.

WHITE’S f2–f4 PAWN PUSH IN

NON-CLOSED CENTRE POSITIONS

I will
now give a couple of examples of White going for
the f2–f4 pawn push. As mentioned above, this is
normally carried out in closed centre positions, but
in this game we see David Bronstein doing it with
his pawn still on d4, thus in an open centre
position.
12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1 Nc4

We saw 13...Rfe8 in game 9,

Botvinnik-Kan.
14.Ng3 Rfc8 15.Bd3 Nb6 16.Nh4
White’s f2–f4 pawn push is a standard plan
to grab a kingside or central initiative, not only in White prepares the pawn push.
the Chigorin Variation, but also in some other Ruy 16...Bf8
Lopez lines. This f2–f4 push is normally executed
in closed centre positions (as will be seen in our
next chapter at 5.1).
Here we have an interesting game where
White pushes f2–f4 in a nonfixed central situation,
and we get an incredible tactical tussle between
two chess legends!
21
David Bronstein
Paul Keres
Moscow 1949

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7
And
now decides that the time is right!
17.f4!

Black now logically tries to get

counterplay in the centre.
17...cxd4 18.cxd4 exd4 19.Nf3

85
 White improves his knight to be able to
jump with it later to g5, and gets ready for the
e4–e5 central pawn break.
Perhaps White’s best was 19.b3!,
postponing kingside action, but limiting Black’s
b6-knight.
Black
can use tactical means to activate his knight with
19...Nc4, but after 20.Qe2! it cannot remain
hanging forever on c4, and while it might look
active after 20...Ne3, it cannot do much damage
fighting on its own, while its ‘line of support’ is
under threat of being cut off after 21.Bb2. Black
now needs to be inventive to maintain the dynamic
tension with 21...Qb6 22.Qf2 (22.Nf3? blunders
into simple discovered check tricks after 22...Nc2.)
22...b4! (22...d5 doesn’t help: 23.Nf3 dxe4
24.Nxe4± Nxe4? 25.Bxe4 Bc5 26.b4+–) 23.Nf3
Rc3!
24.Bxc3 bxc3, but his enterprising play
still does not provide full compensation after
25.Ne2 (Of course White shouldn’t blunder into
some silly trick like 25.Nxd4?? Neg4–+; 25.Kh1
86
moving away from tricks on the a7–g1 diagonal
also looks good for White.) 25...d5 26.Nexd4 dxe4
27.Bxe4 Nxe4 28.Qxe3 Black has some
compensation, but not enough for equality.
19...Nc4
19...Na4! with the idea of jumping to c5
offered Black enough counterplay.
20.Qe2 b4
Black
senses that time is precious here and aims for
...Bb5 creating counterplay.
21.e5!
Bronstein goes for the most straightforward
solution, opening diagonals to Black’s king.
21.b3!, disturbing Black’s knight, was
enough for a safe advantage: 21...Na3 22.Nxd4
Black is now forced to improve his knight with
22...Nb5 and after 23.Nxb5 Bxb5 (23...axb5
24.Bb2 is obviously advantageous for White due
to the pawn structure.) 24.Bxb5 Qb6+ (24...axb5
25.Bb2 is again clearly better for White.) 25.Be3
Qxb5 26.Qf2 Black’s attempt at counterplay does
not equalise:
 26...d5 27.e5 Ne4 28.Nxe4 dxe4 29.Bd4
Qd5 30.Rad1±. White has different ideas here, e.g.
to push his f-pawn, or to round up Black’s
e4-pawn. White is better here.
21...dxe5 22.fxe5
Due to the pin on the b8–h2 diagonal
(White’s g3-knight is undefended) Black does not
need to move his f6-knight and aims for
counterplay.
22...Bb5!
Black has his counter-tactics too and now
we get amazing complications!
22...Ne3? only speeds up White’s attack
after the simple 23.Bxe3 dxe3 24.Rac1 and Black
does not have a good move:
87
24...Qxc1 (24...Qb8 loses to 25.Rxc8 Bxc8
26.Qxe3 Black is undeveloped, his king
undefended, and he falls under a decisive attack.)
25.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 26.Kh2 Black’s f6-knight needs to
move, allowing basic textbook tactics after
26...Nd5 27.Bxh7+ Kxh7 28.Ng5+.
23.Bg5!
The most precise!
23.Kh2 also looks promising for White, but
leads to equality after sharp tactical play: 23...Re8
24.Qc2 Nd5 25.Bxh7+ Kh8 26.Qe4 Nxe5
27.Qh4 (27.Nxe5 leads to equality after
27...Nf6 28.Qc2 Rac8! 29.Qxc7 Rxc7 30.Bf5 Rce7
31.Bf4 Nd5 and Black gets his piece back.
32.Nxf7+ Rxf7 33.Rxe8 Bxe8 34.Be5 Ne3=)
27...Nxf3+ 28.gxf3 Nf6 29.Bf5+ Kg8 30.Bg5
 The
situation looks like bad news for Black! White is
about to remove the f6-knight and mate on h7, but
Black has a defensive resource here! He chases
White’s light-squared bishop, hence mate on h7
cannot be delivered! 30...Bd7! 31.Bd3 Bb5! White
can get no further than a draw. 32.Bxb5 axb5
33.Bxf6 Qc2+ 34.Kh1 Rxe1+ 35.Rxe1
Now
Black is just in time with his d-pawn counterplay!
35...d3! 36.Rg1 (36.Nf5 d2 37.Nh6+ gxh6
38.Rg1+ Kh7 39.Qh5 Ra7 40.Qd5=) 36...d2
37.Bxg7 Bxg7 38.Ne4
88
38...Kf8! (38...d1=Q?? 39.Nf6+ Kf8
40.Qxb4+ mates.) 39.Qg5 d1=Q and it ends in a
draw by perpetual check: 40.Qxg7+ Ke7 41.Qf6+
Kf8=.
23...Ne8 24.Rac1 Qa7 25.e6
Black is facing tough choices. His position
is simply difficult to defend!
25...f6
Arguably best for Black was 25...g6,
however White is better after 26.Rxc4! Bxc4
27.Bxc4 d3+ 28.Qe3
 Black
wins White’s c4-bishop, but loses his own knight
on e8. 28...Rxc4 29.Qxa7 Rxa7 30.exf7+ Rxf7
31.Rxe8. White has an unpleasant attack.
26.e7
This tempting move throws aways White’s
advantage!
26.Nf5! was stronger...
and
Black has no good defence: 26...Be7 (26...fxg5?
Now the e-pawn push decides as White recoups
his material investment with a number of wins.
27.e7 Ne3 28.Rxc8 Rxc8 29.N3xd4 Bxe7 30.Qxe3
Bc5 31.Qe6+ Kh8 32.Bxb5 Bxd4+ 33.Kh1+–)
27.Qe4 g6 28.Nxe7+ Qxe7 29.Bxc4 Bxc4 30.Rxc4
Rxc4
89
31.Qxa8 fxg5 32.Qxa6 with a large
advantage for White.
26...Qxe7 27.Bxh7+ Kh8 28.Qd1
Bronstein must have overestimated his
attacking chances in this position. It is true that the
light squares around Black’s king are very weak
and that the mating net is almost woven, but
Black’s king remains an elusive target and White
can easily lose this position! It is very easy for
both sides to go wrong and the position makes a
good tactical exercise!
28...Ne3
This is arguably the most logical move.
However Black had a stronger possibility
in 28...Qa7! when White needs to walk a tightrope
to stay in the game! Black’s king is ‘almost
mated’, but it never actually happens. 29.Bf5!
White’s only move! The bishop is needed on f5 to
threaten a Be6+ mating net later. (29.Bg6 loses to
29...fxg5 30.Nxg5 Nf6 White is a piece down and
his attack is running out of steam. 31.Re4 d3+ (34...Kg8 is also possible, resulting in similar
32.Kh1 d2 33.Rc2 Ne3 34.Rh4+ Kg8 35.Qxd2 positions.) 35.Nxf8 Rxf8
Be8!–+; 29.Ne5? also loses to a piece grab:
29...Kxh7 and after the fancy 30.Ng6 Black has to
endure a few scary moments, but ultimately wins
after 30...Kg8 31.Qh5 Ne3 32.Bxe3 dxe3 33.Qh8+
Kf7–+.) 29...fxg5 30.Nxg5 Nf6 31.Re4!

White
is fighting for a draw and arguably the ‘most
human’ 36.Qxd4 Qxd4+ 37.Rxd4 Nxb2 38.Rc7+
Ke6 39.Rxb4 leads to a better ending for Black.
29.Bxe3 dxe3
The
point behind 29.Bf5: 32.Rh4+ with Be6+ to follow
is something Black urgently needs to deal with!
31...g6! This simple move frees the g7-square for
Black’s k ing and White ends up fighting for a
draw.
[31...Bd7? does not remove the mating net
motifs and loses to 32.Rh4+ Kg8 33.Rxc4! Rxc4
Move order is important here! How does White
win?

Prolonged massive complications are

taking their toll and the players start to err.
30.Bf5?

White needed to find 30.Rxc8! Rxc8

34.Qd3! (34.Qb3? Rac8–+) 34...Rc1+ (
34...Rac8? 35.Bh7+ Kh8 36.Nf7#) 35.Kh2 and
now the double mating threat Bh7+ and Nf7# or a
deadly check on the a2–g8 diagonal seals Black’s
fate.]
32.Rh4+ Kg7 33.Bxc8 Rxc8 34.Ne6+ Kf7
90
31.Qd5! winning an exchange with the better
position after 31...Kxh7 32.Qf5+ g6 33.Qxc8 Bh6
34.Ne2.
30...e2?
A strange blunder! Keres pushes White’s
queen to its mating position!
30...Rxc1! removing White’s queen from
mating net possibilities was necessary, and after
31.Qxc1 Qc7 White is forced into a worse
endgame:

32.Nh4 Qxc1 33.Ng6+ Kh7! (It is possible

that Keres did not see this move!) 34.Nxf8+
(34.Rxc1 Bd6µ) 34...Kg8 35.Rxc1 Kxf8µ
31.Qd4

31...Rxc1?

One blunder often leads to another and

Keres now runs into a simple mating net, bringing
an immediate end to this exciting game.
31...Qc5! 32.Bxc8 Rxc8 33.Qxc5 Bxc5+
34.Kh1 with 35.Nxe2 to follow and White still
needs to do some work to win.
32.Qh4+ Kg8 33.Qh7+ Kf7 34.Qh5+ Kg8
35.Bh7+

1–0

91
 CHAPTER 5.
CLOSED CENTRE STRATEGIES
Understanding closed centre strategies in
the Chigorin Variation is important, not only for
this particular variation, but also for a general
understanding of Ruy Lopez closed centre
positions in general.
I have divided this chapter into four
subchapters, trying to illustrate the standard plans
and strategies.
Subchapter 5.3 is Chigorin
Variation-specific, while the other subchapters are
also helpful for understanding Ruy Lopez closed
centre positions in general, as similar plans (for
example an f2–f4 or g2–g4 pawn push) can be
used in some Breyer Variation positions.
5.1. White’s f2–f4 pawn push
The
f2–f4 pawn push is one of White’s common plans
in closed centre Chigorin positions. It is often
accompanied by White opening the a-file, but does
not have to be.
Should Black not capture, White wants to
push f4–f5 and start rolling his gand hpawns
towards Black’s king. If Black captures on f4,
White’s philosophy is that Black will have control
of the e5-square, while White will have pretty
92
much everything else (and indeed this very often
happens to be the case!).
I found the ease and simplicity of Leonid
Stein’s win versus Matanovic impressive, while
Svidler-Piket (14...Qb7 comments in game 23)
shows that Black should not assume that control of
the e5-square holds his position. Karpov-Spassky
(16...c4 comments in game 23) is an excellent
example of a ‘logical move’ being a grave mistake
and how quickly the tables can turn.
Game 24, another Karpov-Unzicker game
(and Landa-Nikolic in the comments) shows the
far-reaching implications of Black’s decision to
capture on f4 or ignore White’s f-pawn push.
General instructions could be the
following:
1. It is often a clever idea for Black to
ignore White’s f2–f4 pawn push, as it takes White
time to subsequently roll his gand h-pawns: see
games 23 (16...c4 in the comments to
Karpov-Spassky) and 24 (Landa-Nikolic in the
comments to this game).
2. Black’s control of the e5-square is often
not as good as it initially looks as White has more
space and Black is in general passive: see games
20 and 23 (comments to 14...Qb7 in
Svidler-Piket).
22
Leonid Stein
Aleksandar Matanovic
Tel Aviv 1964
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1 Rfe8
Compared to game 9, Botvinnik-Kan,
theory develops and in the 1960s White players
came up with the plan Stein uses in this game.

14.b3!
White limits Black’s a5-knight while
keeping his central pawn decisions open.
14...g6
Applying a Keres-type middlegame plan
with 14...cxd4 15.cxd4 Nc6 16.Bb2 Nxd4 17.Nxd4
exd4 does not work here, as Black has no
counterplay to compensate for the d6-pawn
weakness and White’s space advantage.
The
following game of Tal’s illustrates well Black’s
problems: 18.Rc1 Qd8 19.Qxd4 Bf8 20.Rcd1 Rc8
21.Bb1 Bc6 22.Ng3
93
White
has a space advantage and better-placed pieces.
Sadly for Black, good advice in this position
probably does not exist. He hopes to solve his
problems with a central pawn break. 22...d5
23.Qe3 Nd7 24.Nf5 (24.Qf4± is also quite good
for White as files and diagonals open in his favour.
24...dxe4 25.Nxe4 with an attack.) 24...f6
(24...dxe4 25.Nd6 Bxd6 26.Rxd6±) 25.Qg3 Qc7
26.Qg4
Facing a difficult defence it is easy to
blunder. 26...Ne5? (26...dxe4 27.Rc1 with an
attack) 27.Bxe5 Rxe5 White now finishes an
exchange up. 28.Nh6+ Kh8 29.Nf7+ Qxf7
30.Qxc8+– 1–0 Tal, M-Gligoric, S Reykjavik
1964.
15.Bg5!
 The coordination of Black’s pieces is horrible.
29...Kh8 30.Rad1 Qh5 31.Ne6 Black will lose an
exchange to start with and then some more.)
24.Nd3 bxc4 25.Nxc5 White soon won in Keres,
P-Zuidema, C Beverwijk 1964.
16.Bxe7 Rxe7 17.Ne3 Nf6

A
strong move! In general Black does not mind the
trade of darksquared bishops in these lines at all,
however here White keeps the central tension and
defines the central pawn structure only at a
favourable moment of his own choosing. Black is
passive, his king also potentially vulnerable and I
think that White’s plan in this game more or less
closes this line for Black. White simply has a 18.Rc1
pleasant risk-free advantage. Stein plays a model
game. White is ready to push b3–b4 when it suits
15...Nh5 him, defining the central situation in his favour.
a) 18.Ng5?! is a move based solely on a
15...Kg7, delaying the trade of darksquared tactical trick and throws away White’s advantage.
bishops, is no improvement: 16.Ne3 Be6 17.Qd2 However it served Tal well in practice. 18...cxd4
Ng8 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.dxe5 dxe5 20.Nxe5 Bxh3 19.cxd4
This transaction (trading his e5-pawn for White’s
h3-pawn) will not make Black happy. White
already has a large advantage. 21.f4 Be6 22.c4
Qd8 23.Nd5

23...f6 (23...bxc4 24.bxc4 f6 does not
reduce Black’s problems at all, e.g. 25.Ba4 Rf8
26.Nd3 Nxc4 27.Qf2 Bxd5 28.exd5 Qxd5 29.Nxc5
94
19...Rc8
[19...Nc6!, hitting White’s centre, is the
principled response and equalises for Black:
20.dxe5 (20.Nf3 ‘agrees’ that 18.Ng5?! was not a
good move.) 20...dxe5 21.Nd5 Nxd5 22.exd5 Nd4
23.Rc1 Qb6 and Black is at least OK.]
20.Rc1 Black now simply runs into
White’s tactical idea. 20...h6? (20...Nc6!) 21.dxe5
dxe5 22.Nd5 Nxd5 23.exd5
Black
is in bad shape. His king is weak, his a5-knight
misplaced (it could have been on d4!) and White
has a strong passed pawn. With his next move
Black misses another, final, tactical shot.
23...Nb7? (23...Qd6 24.Ne4 Qb6±) 24.Nxf7+–
Rxf7 25.Bxg6
25...Qd6 (25...Qxc1 26.Bxf7+ Kxf7
27.Qh5+ Kf8 28.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 29.Kh2+– is totally
lost for Black due to his weak king.) 26.Bxf7+
Kxf7 27.Rxc8 Bxc8 28.Qc2 Bd7 29.Qh7+ Kf8
30.Re3 1–0 Tal, M-Matanovic, A Moscow 1963.
b) 18.Qd2 is also possible for White.
Gligoric won a nice, ‘easy’ game, which I would
like to show here. 18...Kg7
95
19.Rad1 (19.g4!? undermining Black’s
f6-knight is also interesting. In order to keep his
knight on f6, and hence control the d5-square,
Black needs to weaken his castled position. 19...h6
20.Nd5 Nxd5 21.exd5 Nb7 22.Re3± Black’s
passive knight is a clear consequence of the 14.b3!
plan. 22...cxd4 23.cxd4 Rc8 24.Bd3 Qc3 25.Qd1±)
19...Nb7
Now
Gligoric decides that the time has come to change
the central pawn structure. 20.dxe5 dxe5 21.c4 h6?
This move is most likely a crucial mistake(!).
(21...Qa5 was probably the only way to struggle
on.) Gligoric now plays excellently! 22.Nd5!
Nxd5 23.exd5 Qd6
 24.Qc3! b4 25.Qa1 f6 26.Qb1! Forcing a
further weakening in Black’s camp. 26...g5
27.Nd2! Qc7 28.Ne4 Nd6 29.Nxd6 Qxd6
40.Qh1! Black is now obliged to trade
bishops and lands in a lost pawn endgame.
40...Bg6 (or 40...Bg8 41.Qh5+–) 41.Bxg6 Kxg6
42.Qh8 f5 43.Qg8+ Kf6 44.Qh7 g4 45.Qh6+ Ke7
46.Qxd6+ Kxd6

The
relatively closed nature of the position should not
deceive. Black is passive and White only needs to
open the kingside. He will simply open the h-file, 47.Kg2 f4 and Black resigned, not waiting
trade everything and finish up with a won pawn for 48.f3. Gligoric, S-Matanovic, A Belgrade
endgame! 30.Bf5 Be8 (30...Bxf5 31.Qxf5 Qd7 1964.
32.Qf3 Qd6 33.h4! will end similarly to the game.) 18...Nb7 19.b4!
31.h4! Bf7 32.Qe4 a5 33.hxg5 hxg5 34.g3 Ree8
35.Kg2 Rh8 36.Rh1 Rxh1 37.Rxh1 Rh8 38.Rxh8
Kxh8 39.Kg1 Kg7

96
 position. With no counterplay, Black is a sitting
duck!
25.Nh2 Kg7

Trying to save himself with tactics does not

work for Black either: 25...Nc5 26.Ra3 Ncxe4
(26...Na4 27.Qe2 Nb6 28.Rea1±) 27.Qf3 Two
knights defending each other rarely works and
here is no different.

Black
is now forced to make a decision about the central
pawns, but does not have a suitable one at his
disposal. Matanovic decides to close the centre.
19...c4

19...cxd4 20.cxd4 Rc8 leads to a very

pleasant ending for White: 21.Bd3 Qxc1 22.Qxc1
Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Kf8 24.g4. Black cannot regroup
his pieces and has a difficult time ahead of him.
20.a4 Rae8 27...Bf5 Now White has a nice exchange
sacrifice. 28.Bxe4 Nxe4 29.Nxf5 gxf5 30.Rxe4!
Stein first takes the a-file. fxe4 31.Qf6 h5 32.Nf1
21.axb5 axb5 22.Ra1 Bc6 23.Ra6 Qc8

The
diagram illustrates well the misery of Black’s
And position.
now decides that it is in his favour to close the 26.Qf3 Rf8 27.Rea1
centre.
24.d5! Bd7

White has a great position, but how to

finish Black off? White goes for the f2–f4 pawn
push plan! The absence of dark-squared bishops
accentuates the weaknesses of Black’s king
97

27...Ng8
27...Qc7 28.Qg3 Nh5 preventing White
from pushing f2–f4 brings Black another set of
problems: 29.Qh4 f6 30.Nf5+ and his position
soon collapses.
28.Qg3 Kh8
White is now ready for his f-pawn push.
29.f4
Black does not have a good choice here.
Taking on f4 opens the position up in White’s
favour, while not doing so allows White to simply
push the pawn to f5, getting an attack. Black’s d6-
and b5-pawn weaknesses and weak king position
play a crucial role.
29...exf4
29...f6 30.f5 indeed looks bad for Black.
30.Qxf4 Rfe8 31.Nf3 Kg7 32.Nd4
White
98
has various threats here, e.g. 33.Rb6 collecting
material, or 33.Nc6, so Black hopes to get some
counterplay.
32...f5 33.Ra8! Qxa8 34.Rxa8 Rxa8
35.exf5
Black’s weak king position now proves
decisive.
35...Re5 36.Ng4 Rae8 37.f6+ Kf7
38.Nh6+! Nxh6 39.Qxh6 Kxf6 40.Qxh7
1–0
The ease of Stein’s win in this game, and
the other games I gave in the comments, leads me
to conclude that 14.b3! simply kills Black’s 11.d4
Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1 Rfe8 setup! White has a
relatively easy riskfree advantage, while Black
struggles to find active play.
23
Anatoly Karpov
Wolfgang Unzicker
Nice 1974
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2
 on e5, but White has everything else. Also
important is that Black’s e5-knight can easily be
traded! 20.Ne3! Planning to jump to f5 and
provoking ...g7–g6. 20...g6 21.Neg4

12...Nc6

In another game played a year later versus

Karpov, Unzicker went for 12...Bd7. See the
following game.
13.d5 Nd8
Back to the ‘Rubinstein knight plan’, one
of the first structured plans for Black in the
Chigorin (game 2, Bernstein-Rubinstein!).
14.a4 Rb8
White’s knight on h6 would be unpleasant,
so Black decides to trade it. 21...Bxg4 22.Nxg4
Nxg4 23.hxg4 Black position is passive, while
White decides to play on the both sides of the
board. 23...Nc7 24.Rf1 Rf7 25.Qf3 b4

14...Qb7, trying not to surrender the a-file

to White, has also been tried, and one of Svidler’s
games as White was rather instructive here:
15.Nf1 Ne8 16.N3h2 Peter Svidler prepares the
f2–f4 pawn push. 16...f6 17.b3 Nf7 18.f4! exf4
19.Bxf4 Ne5

26.Bd2 (26.c4, focusing only on the

kingside, was also good for White. 26...Ne8
27.Qh3 a5 28.Rf3 White is definitely better here,
but I guess Svidler was worried about some
possible drawing blockade.) 26...a5 27.cxb4 cxb4
28.Rac1

Possibly Black thought that with his knight

well placed in e5, it could hardly get any better.
Perhaps, but it’s White who is better! His space
advantage is important here. Black has his knight
99
 has a large advantage; Black can only await his
execution. I assume there was some time pressure,
as Svidler repeated moves on a few occasions.
31...Qa7+ 32.Be3 Qd7 33.Rfc1 Ra8 34.Rc7 Qe8
35.Bd4 Bd8 36.R7c6 Be7 37.Rc7 (37.Qf4+–)
37...Bd8 38.R7c6 Be7 39.R1c4 h6

28...Raf8 (28...Na6, trying to stop White’s

rook from entering on c6, does not work for Black:
29.Bd3 Nc5 30.Rxc5! dxc5 31.e5 and White wins,
e.g. 31...c4 32.Bxc4 Bc5+ 33.Kh1 fxe5 34.d6 Qxf3
35.Rxf3 Raa7 36.Rxf7 Rxf7 37.d7 Be7

40.Rc7 (40.Qf4 Kg7 41.Rc7+–) 40...Bd8

41.R7c6 Be7 42.Rc7 Bd8 43.Rxf7 Qxf7 44.Qf4
Qd7 45.Rc6 Be7 46.Qxh6 Qxg4 47.Rc7 1–0
Svidler, P (2710)-Piket, J (2605) Tilburg 1998.
15.axb5

15.c4! was Bogoljubow’s strateg y versus

Rubinstein (see comments to game 2) and later
Stein’s vs Ivkov (see the following game). The
12th World champion Anatoly Karpov was a Ruy
Lopez virtuoso with both colours, however I prefer
15.c4! here.
15...axb5 16.b4
and
now White wins with the elegant 38.Bxb4!+–.)
29.Bd3 Na6 30.Bxa6! Qxa6 31.Rc6

White
controls the a-file and will keep Black busy on the
White
queenside while planning the f4-pawn push on the
100
kingside. When Karpov had more space he loved
playing over the whole board.
16...Nb7
16...c4 was Spassky’s choice versus
Karpov and this game was also quite instructive!
17.Nf1 Ne8 Karpov prepares the f4-pawn push.
18.N3h2 f6
19.f4!
(Delaying the f4-pawn push leads to an unclear
game, as Black gets counter play by executing a
Rubinstein-type plan: 19.Be3 g6 20.Qd2 Ng7
21.Ra7 Rb7 22.Ra5 f5 with counterplay.) 19...Nf7
20.Nf3
What
should Spassky do here? Capture on f4 or ignore
it? 20...g6! (Just like in our other examples in this
chapter 20...exf4? would have had been a grave
strategic mistake leading to a large advantage for
White after 21.Bxf4 Ne5 22.Nd4.) 21.f5 Ng7
22.g4 Bd7 23.Be3 Ra8 24.Qd2 Qb7
101
Black
wouldn’t mind trading all four rooks in this
position, but White keeps the rooks on to support
his kingside attack. As a result Black is able to get
queenside counterplay. 25.Rac1 Ra2 26.Ng3 Rfa8
27.h4 While Black’s dark-squared bishop is a
defender of the king, in general it is strategically
good for Black in these closed-type positions to
trade the said bishop, so Spassky does so. 27...Bd8
28.Kh1 Bb6 29.Rg1 Bxe3 30.Qxe3
For a
player of his stature, Spassky now makes a
mistake which is difficult to explain. 30...Qa7?
The first of four queen moves out of six which
achieve nothing, while White builds up a winning
attack on the kingside. (By penetrating first with
his rook with 30...R8a3! and 31...Qa7 to follow
Black could have created counterplay and not
given White a free hand on the kingside.) 31.Qd2
Be8 32.g5 Qe7 33.Rcf1 fxg5 34.hxg5 Qd7 Now
White improves his knight. 35.Nh2! Qd8
 An
instructive moment! Karpov must have thought the
game was over and committed an instructive
mistake! 36.f6? White wins a piece, so it should be
game over, right?
[White should have continued with the
attack: 36.fxg6! hxg6 37.Ng4! (37.Rf6 Rb2
38.Rxg6 maybe also wins for White.) 37...Qxg5
(37...Kf8 38.Rf6 Qd7 39.Nf1 Ra1 40.Nfe3 Rxg1+
41.Kxg1 Qa7 42.Rxg6 wins for White.) 38.Nf6+
Kh8 39.Qh2+ Qh6
And
now White weaves a mating net around Black’s
king: 40.Rf2 R2a3 41.Nf5! gxf5 42.Rfg2+.]
36...Bd7! 37.fxg7 Qxg5
102
No!
White is not even better any more! For the time
being White’s g7-pawn actually protects Black’s
king, but Black will collect it at a suitable moment,
so with two pawns for a piece and active rooks,
Black is not worse here. White is actually well
advised to make a draw here. Even great players
often have difficulty coping with a sudden turn of
events and Karpov here proves no exception!
White continues playing for a win and lands in a
lost position! 38.Qg2 (38.Qf2 Qf4 39.Qg2 Qh4=)
38...Rb2 Black simply has enough counterplay.
(38...Qh4=) 39.Rb1 Rba2 40.Qe2? Karpov is still
under the illusion that he has the upper hand.
(40.Rbc1=) 40...Qh4 41.Rbf1 Bh3 42.Rf2 Ng5
43.Qe3 Bg4 44.Rgf1 Kxg7 White cannot prevent
material losses, at the minimum a pawn to start
with. Black has a large advantage.
45.Bd1 Bxd1 (45...h5–+) 46.Rxd1 Ra1
(46...Nh3µ) 47.Rdf1 Rxf1+ 48.Rxf1 Ra2 49.Rf2
Ra1+ 50.Rf1 Ra2 51.Rf2 Ra1+ 52.Rf1 Rxf1+
53.Ngxf1 Qxe4+ 54.Kg1 Qxe3+ 55.Nxe3 Ne4 The
position Spassky wanted — a risk-free clear
advantage in the endgame. 56.Nd1 Nf6 57.Ne3 h5
58.Nf3 Ne4 59.Nd1
An
interesting moment to agree a draw, as games were
adjourned at the time, so there was likely no time
pressure involved. ½–½ Karpov, A
(2660)-Spassky, B (2655) Moscow 1973.
a) I can easily imagine Spassky calculated
the following line: 59...Kf6 60.Ne1 g5
61.Nc2! g4 62.Na3 h4 63.Nxb5 and
although the computer gives an evaluation of 0.00
here, it is easy to understand why a human player
would decide not to investigate it further and call it
a day!
b) Pushing the pawns directly with 59...g5
is also quite disturbing, but probably not winning:
60.Ne1 g4 (60...Nf6 61.Ne3 Kg6 62.N1c2 Ne8
63.Na3 Nc7 is just a draw.) 61.Nc2 h4 62.Na3 h3
63.Nxb5 g3 64.Ne3™ 64...Kf6 65.Nf1™ 65...g2
(65...Kg5 66.Nxg3 Nxg3 67.Nxd6 Ne2+ 68.Kh2
Nxc3 69.Nxc4=) 66.Ne3 Kg5 67.Nxg2 hxg2
68.Kxg2 Kf4 69.Na3=.
However, the computer engine strongly
103
supports Black with 59...Kh6!.
The point of the engine’s move is that after
60.Ne1 Black has 60...Nf6! (This square is no
longer occupied by the black king!) 61.Ne3 Kg5
62.N1c2
62...Ne8! 63.Na3 Nc7–+ when he has
successfully regrouped and covers his only
weakness, so now his pawns should decide.
There is definitely a lot to learn from this
game between the two chess titans!
17.Nf1 Bd7 18.Be3 Ra8 19.Qd2 Rfc8
20.Bd3 g6 21.Ng3 Bf8
Karpov wants to provoke Black to close
the queenside by pushing ...c4 so that he can focus
on his kingside plans.
22.Ra2!
If Black does not react, White enters on the
a-file.
22...c4 23.Bb1 Qd8
 Karpov now uses a textbook example to try
to wrest control of the a-file.
24.Ba7!
24...Ne8?
24...Qc7!, not giving White a free hand,
was necessary!
25.Bc2
Now Black is doomed! White controls the
a-file and combines play on both sides of the
board. Karpov’s execution is instructive.
25...Nc7 26.Rea1 Qe7 27.Bb1 Be8 28.Ne2
Nd8
How to improve for White? With the
f4-pawn push!
29.Nh2 Bg7 30.f4 f6
Black’s problem here is that, contrary to
Karpov-Spassky, Black has no queenside
104
counterplay, so White has all the time in the world
to get rolling on the kingside.
31.f5 g5
Karpov now improves his position by
trading what needs to be traded!
32.Bc2! Bf7 33.Ng3 Nb7 34.Bd1!
White
has various plans, Black zero counterplay — it is
no longer ‘if ’, but ‘when’.
34...h6
34...Qe8 prevents the trade of lightsquared
bishops, but does not save Black. 35.Bf3 h5
36.Qe2 h4 37.Nh5 and White will either penetrate
with his rook to the seventh rank or open the
kingside with g3, or both. 37...Nd8 (37...Kh7
38.g3 hxg3 39.Nxg3+–) 38.Bb6+–.
35.Bh5 Qe8 36.Qd1 Nd8
Karpov is taking his time. His bishop stays
on a7, and a potential rook penetration on a7 will
remain a worry for Black. immediately.
37.Ra3 Kf8 38.R1a2 Kg8 39.Ng4 Kf8 14.d5
40.Ne3 Kg8 41.Bxf7+ Nxf7
I personally prefer Stein’s 14.b3! (see
41...Qxf7 42.Bb6+– Stein-Matanovic).
42.Qh5 Nd8 43.Qg6 Kf8 14...Nb7

14...c4 was played in an instructive

Bundesliga game. White prepares the f2–f4 pawn
push. 15.Ng3 (15.g4, as played in Spassky, B-Tal,
M Riga 1959, is another white plan here. See the
comments to game 32 in the ‘Closed Centre —
g4-Pawn Push’ section.) 15...Nb7 16.Nh2 Nc5
17.f4

44.Nh5

And Black had enough of this torture.

1–0

24
Anatoly Karpov Here
Wolfgang Unzicker we have an instructive example! How should
Milan 1975 Black react here? 17...exf4? A serious strategic
mistake which helps White tremendously to
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 unleash the power of his pieces on the kingside!
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 (Getting on with ‘his own business’ with 17...a5!
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1 Rfe8 was the way for Black to proceed here, and after
18.Nf3 b4 followed by 19...Rab8 and 20...a4 Black
gets excellent play on the queenside, while White
struggles to create anything meaningful on ‘his’
side of the board.) 18.Bxf4 Now White has an
objective advantage and easy play. 18...h6

Karpov decided here to close the centre

105

19.Qf3 (19.Nf3, placing the knight on d4,
was also good for White.) 19...Nh7 (Now Black’s
queenside pawn push does not create anything to
counterbalance White on the kingside. 19...Rab8
20.Be3! b4 21.Bd4 a5 22.Rf1 and White builds up
a decisive attack.) 20.Rf1 (20.Nh5 was also
strong.) 20...Bg5 21.Nh5 Bxf4 22.Qxf4
Black
has no good defence here. 22...f6 (22...Re7 23.Qg3
g6 24.Nf6+ Nxf6 25.Rxf6 leads to a winning
attack for White.) 23.Qg3 Re7 24.Nxf6+ Nxf6
25.Rxf6 Nxe4 26.Bxe4 Rxe4 27.Raf1 White had a
large advantage and soon won in Landa, K
(2571)-Nikolic, P (2676) Germany 2004.
15.N3h2
106
White
is ready to push f2–f4 next move and Black needs
to decide how to react.
15...g6?
A grave mistake. Black voluntarily creates
weaknesses around his king!
Focusing on queenside counterplay was
Black’s best, leading to an unclear game: 15...c4!
16.f4 Now (as in Landa-Nikolic above) Black
should not touch anything on the kingside and
continue with his counterplay. 16...Nc5! Black
will put his rook on b8 and start pushing his
queenside pawns. If White continues to advance
his f-pawn with 17.f5 Black has an interesting
piece sacrifice at his disposal.
17...Nfxe4! (17...Reb8, pushing on the
queenside, letting White get on with it on the
kingside and finding out whose attack will strike
first, is also an option for Black here.) 18.Rxe4
Bxf5 19.Re2 Bxc2 20.Qxc2
 push achieves its aim. White already has a clear
advantage, but Black’s next move definitely
doesn’t help.
18...Bf8? 19.Bg5 Be7 20.Qd2 Bc8 21.Rf1
Nd7

Not seeing an escape from White’s mating

attack, Black resigned here.

Sacrificing a piece for White’s central

pawns is a black strategy often seen in the Ruy
Lopez, but here Black only gets two pawns for his
investment instead of the usual three. Still, Black
has full compensation. 20...Rf8 (20...Nd3 21.Ne3
Qd7 sacrifices a pawn after 22.b3 f5! 23.bxc4 e4
24.cxb5 axb5. Black has only one pawn for his
sacrificed piece, however my computer engine 1–0
confirms that he has full compensation!) 21.b3 f5
with compensation. Did Black resign too early? Well, not
16.Ng3 c4 really. White has an unstoppable mating attack.
The following lines illustrate White’s attacking
potential and White’s attacking motifs in similar
positions: 22.Ng4 Bf8 23.Rf2 Nd8 24.Raf1

17.f4!

Now with his kingside weakened, Black

cannot just ignore White. 24...Ra7 (24...Bg7 25.e5! Rxe5 26.Nh5!
17...exf4 gxh5 27.Bxd8 Qxd8 28.Nh6+ Bxh6 29.Qxh6+–)
25.e5! Rxe5 (25...dxe5 26.Nh5!+–) 26.Bxd8 Qxd8
17...Nc5 18.Rf1 gives White unpleasant 27.Rxf7 Re7 28.Rxf8+! Nxf8 29.Nh6+ Kh8
f-file pressure. 30.Qd4+ Rg7 31.Rf7+–
18.Bxf4

A typical position where White’s f4-pawn

107
 5.2. Queenside decisions instructive strategic mistake. Leonid Stein now
opens the queenside and wins the game with
incredible ease!
Decisions about the queenside pawn 15...b4, as Rubinstein played in his epic
structure are not easy for Black in the Ruy Lopez games versus Bogoljubow, is a better move (see
Chigorin! On the one hand Black is reluctant to those games in the comments to game 2,
close the kingside as it might give White a free Bernstein-Rubinstein).
hand on the other side of the board and deprive 16.axb5! axb5 17.cxb5 Bxb5 18.Ba4!
Black of counterplay.
On the other, the risk of a queenside Trading light-squared bishops is almost
collapse, and Black getting some terrible version invariably good for White in these positions.
of Old Indian-type positions is a ‘clear and
present’ strategic danger! Our featured game,
brilliantly played by Stein, illustrates it well!
25
Leonid Stein
Borislav Ivkov
Amsterdam 1964

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.d5 Nd8
14.a4 Rb8

We are still in Rubinstein ...Nd8-plan

Black
positions. Stein follows Bogoljubow’s play (from
gets into a terrible Old Indian-type position. It may
forty years earlier!).
sound harsh, but Black is already strategically lost!
18...Ra8

Keeping the light-squared bishops, in

general a good idea for Black in these positions,
does not help him create enough counterplay here,
e.g. 18...Ba6 19.Re3 Rb4 20.Bc2 Bb5 21.Rea3

15.c4!

Here Black decides to postpone the closure

of the queenside. Most likely Black thought this
was clever, as he can close the queenside by
pushing ...b4 ‘anytime he likes’...
15...Bd7? Black
has no counterplay here. His pieces are clumsily
This decision by Ivkov proves to be an placed and he soon loses at least an exchange.
Black’s only possible counterplay is connected to
108
placing his knight on f4 to work together with his
b5-bishop, however Black is far from making
anything work here. I will give just a few possible
lines: 21...Nb7
a) 21...Nh5 22.Nxe5 Nf4 23.Ra7 (The
flashy 23.Nec4 also does the job.) 23...Nb7
24.Nc6+–;
b) 21...g6 22.b3 Nh5 23.Ra7 Nb7 24.Nc4
Bxc4 (24...Nf4 25.Bd2+–) 25.bxc4 Rxc4 26.Bd2
and Black loses at least an exchange: 26...Nf4
27.Rb1 Rb8 28.Ba4+–;
22.b3 g6 23.Bb2 Nh5 24.Bc3 Again Black
loses an exchange. 24...Nf4 25.Nc4! Bxc4 26.bxc4
Rxc4 27.Qf1+–
19.Re3!
This
rook lift enables White to force the trade of
light-squared bishops and take control of the a-file.
19...Nb7 20.Rea3 Bxa4 21.Rxa4 Rxa4
22.Qxa4 Rc8
This
is an Old Indian pawn structure type of position
109
which has gone strategically terribly wrong for
Black. White controls the a-file, the light-squared
bishops have been traded, and Black has zero
counterplay. White’s b3-pawn is only a
hypothetical target, as Black cannot really attack
it. White now only needs to improve his minor
pieces.
23.b3
Computer engines prefer direct play like
23.Nc4 Nxe4 (23...Nd8 24.Bd2±) 24.Qb5 Nf6
25.Ra7
As a
result of the pin on the seventh rank White wins a
piece. 25...Rb8 26.Qc6 Ne8 27.Nb6 Qxc6 28.dxc6
Nd8 29.Nd5 Nxc6 30.Nxe7+ Nxe7 31.Rxe7 White
should win this ending, however I prefer the
systematic way Stein improved his pieces to win
the game with ease.
23...Nd8 24.Bb2 h6 25.Bc3 Qb7
White’s bishop has been developed, so
now is the time to improve the f3-knight.
 26.Ne1! Rb8 is two sound pawns up and has the better position
to boot!
Black cannot try anything active because 34...Nf7 35.Nc7 Bd6 36.Bxd6 Nxd6
of the d6-pawn weakness, e.g. 26...Nd7 27.Nc2 37.Ne6 c4 38.bxc4 Nbxc4 39.Nxc4 Nxc4 40.f4
Bg5 28.Nc4 and Black’s bishop will have to go Rb2 41.Ra8+
back to e7.
27.Nc2 Nd7 28.Ne3 Nb6 1–0

The execution phase in chess is almost This must have been a terrible loss for
always tactical. Borislav Ivkov, who was one of the top twenty
29.Qe8+ Bf8 30.Nf5 players in the world at the time. The ease with
which Leonid Stein won this game is amazing.

Black
cannot now prevent material losses.
30...Qd7

30...Ne6 31.Nxd6 also results in an

endgame two pawns up for White: 31...Qc7
32.Qxf7+ Qxf7 33.Nxf7 Kxf7 34.Bxe5 Rd8
35.dxe6+ Kxe6 36.Bf4+–.
31.Nxd6 Qxe8 32.Nxe8 Rb7 33.Bxe5 f6
34.Bg3

White
110
 5.3. Black’s misplaced b7-bishop and and comments. Over the years I have spent quite
a5-knight problems some time analysing and playing these positions,
but could not really make them work for Black!
White stands, well, better...
26
Alexei Shirov
Jan Timman
Belgrade 1995

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Bb7
14.d5! Rac8

In
Chigorin Variation positions, it looks good for
Black to open the c-file, develop his bishop to b7
and at some stage take with ...cxd4, applying a
good version of Keres-type strategy.
There is one small problem for Black
however! Once Black plays ...Bb7, White closes
the centre with d4–d5 and it takes Black a lot of
time to activate his b7-bishop and a5-knight!
In our featured games we see Black’s
difficulties in solving the problems associated with
these badly-placed pieces. Timman develops his rook with tempo,
Timman (against Shirov, game 26) brought reaching the same position as in my game with
his f6-knight to f4 and White parted with his Kramnik below via a different move order. Black
bishop pair. Problems with the badly-placed is fully developed, but he needs to get his
a5-knight and b7-bishop still remained, however, b7-bishop and a5-knight working, and this will not
ultimately costing Timman the game. be easy.
In Shirov-Sokolov (game 29), I got a better 15.Bb1
version of Timman’s plan, equalising the game.
In Bronstein-Geller (game 27) we see 15.Bd3 was Kramnik’s choice vs me.
Black stuck with his b7-knight, while White 15...Nh5
prepares a standard f2–f4 push on the other side of
the board. Bronstein nicely combines different Black is hoping for active play.
motifs. 15...Nd7 has been tried too. White transfers
In Kramnik-Sokolov (game 28), comments his knight to g3 and has the better game.
to 19.Be4 underline Black’s badly-placed 16.Nf1
a5-knight problems. As we will see, with 19.Be4
Kramnik did not react the best way, but the lines a) 16.Nb3
given in my comments to 19.Be4 show that even
though I managed to activate all my other pieces,
my badly-placed a5-knight meant the tactics
worked for White.
Please take your time to study the games
111
 Black
has problems with his a5-knight, so what is White
trying to do? Exchange it! This may look stupid,
but it was tried by a great player, Vassily
Ivanchuk, and he got some advantage. 16...Nxb3
17.axb3 g6 18.Bh6 Rfe8 19.Be3 Qd7 20.Kh2 Bf8
21.Nd2 Bg7 22.g3 Qe7 23.b4
White’s knight can travel to a5, targeting
the c6-square, with a good version of a KID-type
position; Ivanchuk, V (2740) -Timman, J (2595)
Horgen 1995.
b) 16.g3
112
This
prevents Black’s knight coming to f4, but weakens
the a8–h1 diagonal, so Black gets good dynamic
play. 16...g6
b1) 16...Qd7 17.h4 f5 looks fine for Black:
18.exf5 (If White gets greedy with 18.Nxe5? he
soon ends up being sorry after 18...dxe5 19.Qxh5
f4! with many threats, e.g. ...Bc5 with ...Qh3 to
follow or ...fxg3 with ...Bb4 to follow and Black
gets a winning attack.) 18...Nf6;
b2) The immediate 16...f5 is less good for
Black as now (using the ‘standard reaction’) White
gets the advantage: 17.exf5! Bxd5 (17...Nf6
18.Ne4 Nxd5 19.Nfg5‚ ) 18.Ne4 Ba8 19.Nfg5‚.
17.Nf1 Qd7 18.h4 Nc4 19.b3 Nb6 20.Bh6
Rfe8 21.Bd3 Nf6 22.N3h2
Now
Black goes for a standard piece sacrifice motif in
these positions. 22...Nbxd5 23.exd5 Nxd5 24.Rc1
Nc3 25.Qd2 b4 Black has only two pawns for his
sacrificed piece, but his c3-knight is a monster and
his pawn centre is mobile. Black has sufficient
compensation here. 26.f3
 Now The
Black ma kes an instructive mistake. 26...d5? second chance. 34.Bf4 (34.Kg1! was a strong
(26...f5 taking space — very advisable in similar move, as it gets out of the way of a ...Bxf3 check;
situations! — would give Black enough 35.Ng4 is a devastating threat now. 34...Qd6
compensation.) 27.Rxe5 Bc5+ 28.Re3 Black has 35.Ng4 Bxf3 36.Qf2 Black’s weak king now
arguably improved his material situation (he’ll get proves decisive.) 34...Qc5 35.Bg5 (With White’s
an exchange for a pawn after all), but has king on g2 35.Ng4?? is a terrible blunder:
destroyed the coordination of his pieces, has a 35...Bxf3+ 36.Kxf3 Qc6+–+.) 35...Qd6
terribly weak king, and his c3-knight is not really
disturbing White any longer, as the action is
moving towards Black’s king! White should now
win the game with a mating attack, as Black’s king
has no defenders. 28...Re6 29.Rce1 Rce8 30.Kg2
Bxe3 31.Rxe3 d4

And
finally the third chance. 36.Bf4 (36.Be3 would still
have closed the case: 36...Rd8 37.Bf4 Qc5 38.Bg5
Re8 39.Bf6+–.) 36...Qc5 37.Bg5 Qd6 and White
decided to call it a day. 38.Bf4 ½–½ Timman, J
(2595)-Piket, J (2625) Amsterdam 1995.
The
first chance for White to get a large advantage.
32.Rxe6 (32.Bc4! was stronger: 32...Rxe3
33.Nxe3 d3 34.a4 Black does not have any threats
and White will keep improving his position.)
32...Qxe6 33.Bc4 Qe5

113
 16...Nf4
If 16...f5 White resorts to the ‘standard
reaction’ 17.exf5! Nf6 18.Ng5 and the position
opens, very much in his favour, as in Shirov, A
(2710)-Adla, D (2460) Bordeaux 1998.
How should White react now? To take or
not to take on f4?
17.Bxf4!
20...bxc4 is perhaps better, but far from
good for Black.
[20...Qxc4 results in positions where
Black’s Black’s b7-bishop is a dead piece and,
crucially, his king is left without defenders, e.g.
21.Qxf4 Bxb2 22.Ne3 Qc7 23.Rab1 Bc3 24.Rec1

The correct reaction!

17...exf4 18.Bd3 Bf6

And
with 25.Nf5 to follow White gets a winning attack.
I will give a few possible lines: 24...Qd7 25.Nf5
Rfd8 26.a4 b4 (26...bxa4 27.Rb6 a3 28.Rxd6+–)
27.a5 Rc4 (27...Rc5 28.N3d4 Qc7 29.Rxc3! bxc3
30.Nxg7+–) 28.Rxb4! Rxb4 29.Rxc3 Bxd5
30.N3d4+–.]
21.Rac1
19.Qe2

Principled, but White should rather target

the weakness he has just created!
19.Qd2! leads to a clear advantage for
White: 19...Nc4 20.Bxc4

114

21...Qb6
[21...g5 is not an easy move to play,
Black’s king position being weak and his problems
definitely not solved: 22.h4 h6 (22...c3 23.bxc3
Bxc3 24.Qd3±) 23.Nd4±.]
22.Qxf4 Bxb2 23.Rc2 f5 24.Ne3 fxe4
25.Qxe4 Rce8 26.Qxc4± White is a sound pawn
up, and Black’s bishop pair does not offer any
objective compensation.
19...Qc5
19...Qb6! was a better move, Black’s
strong f6-bishop compensating here for the
deficiencies of his position, and the game
dynamically balanced.
20.Rac1
White could still have changed his mind
(and should have) and gone for 20.Qd2! resulting
in positions similar to 19.Qd2!: 20...Nc4 21.Bxc4
bxc4 22.Rac1 g5 23.N1h2 c3 24.bxc3 Bxc3
25.Qd3±.
20...Qb4
115
Black
is now doing reasonably well. His b7-bishop and
a5-knight still need improvement, but on the other
hand the f6-bishop is strong and White’s plan is
not obvious.
21.b3 Rfe8
Perhaps this was a good moment for Black
to consider a ‘useful move’, e.g. 21...g6!? or
21...h6!? and recapture on c8 with his rook.
22.Rxc8 Bxc8
Timman is very eager to play ...Nb7 with
...Nc5 to follow, and finally solve this terrible
knight problem; Shirov wants to prevent it
tactically.
23.Qc2!
Is it a
clever idea for Black to trade queens here?
23...Qc3?!
No, it’s not, but the decision was not easy!
a) 23...Nb7 During the game Timman tried
to work out the pawn sacrifice 24.Qc6 (the point
behind 23.Qc2). Black will lose at least a pawn,
but will get active play and practical chances.
Timman ultimately did not trust it and decided
against it and it is easy to understand him. 24...Rd8
(The computer engine prefers 24...Kf8 25.Qxa6
Nc5 26.Qxb5 Qxb5 27.Bxb5 Rxe4 when Black has
drawing chances, but it is obviously better to be
White here.) 25.Qxa6 Nc5 26.Qxb5 Qc3
Now
in order to really maximise his advantage, White
needs to play some good moves! 27.Be2! (27.Bb1
Bxh3 Black is only a pawn down and has his
chances; 27.Bc4 Ba6 28.Qb6 Bxc4 29.bxc4 White
is better, but Black has saving chances.) 27...Nxe4
28.Bc4 Bd7 29.Qb6 Ng5 And now White needs to
be clever!
30.N3d2! (The ‘logical’ 30.N1d2 likely
leads to a forced draw: 30...Nxf3+ 31.Nxf3 g5!
and Black has enough compensation. 32.Qxd6
Bg4 33.Qc6 Bxf3 34.Re8+ Rxe8 35.Qxe8+ Kg7
36.gxf3 Qxf3 37.d6 Bd4 38.Qxf7+ Kh6 39.Qf8+
Bg7 40.Qe8 Bd4=.) 30...f3 31.Re3! Now it is
116
obvious that Black is in trouble. 31...Qd4 32.Qxd4
Bxd4 33.Rd3 fxg2 34.Rxd4 gxf1=Q+ 35.Kxf1 and
White should win this.
So, is there a way for Black to solve his
problems here? Well, yes, there is!
b) The best for Black was 23...Kf8!,
protecting the rook and eliminating White’s Qc6
tempo move. Black will play 24...Nb7 next with a
reasonable game.
24.Rc1! Qxc2 25.Rxc2
It is easy for Black to underestimate the
gravity of his situation here and this likely
happened to Timman. The bad knight problem is
still there and there is no clever way to solve it.
In
practical terms, this is a very difficult situation for
Timman, as he needs to choose between different
‘bad possibilities’.
25...b4
Hoping to create KID-style counterplay
was perhaps a better practical chance for Black,
e.g. 25...g5 26.N1d2 h5 27.b4
 however Black loses a piece and later the game
after 33.Nc2 Bc5

27...g4 (27...Nb7 doesn’t work for Black:

28.Rc7 g4 29.Ne1 Bd4 30.Nc2 Ba7 31.Nb3 with
32.Ncd4 to follow and a large advantage for 34.Nd2! (35.a3 next wins a piece.) 34...f5
White.) 28.bxa5 gxf3 29.Nxf3 Bb7 Black targets 35.a3 fxe4 36.Bxe4 bxa3 37.b4+–.
White’s a5-pawn with his bishop and cherishes 33.Nc2 fxe4 34.Bxe4 Bf6
some drawing hopes, however after 30.Rc7 Re7
31.Rxe7 Bxe7 32.Nd4 Bd8 33.Nf5 White should
win.
26.Rc7

I will quote Shirov here: “Black’s problem

is still the same as in the opening — the knight and
the lightsquared bishop”.
26...Bb7 27.N1d2 Kf8 28.Kf1 Re7
29.Rxe7 Kxe7 30.Ke2

35.Nxb4 h6 36.Bd3 Bd4 37.Nc2 Ba7

White is not in a hurry to take a piece with

38.b4 and first defends his d5-pawn. Black’s
a5-knight is not going anywhere.
38.Nc3

Black’s a5-knight and b7-bishop problems

have still not been solved!
Again 1–0
Shirov describes the position best: “White’s plan is
very simple — to grab the b4-pawn. He only must 27
be careful about ...f7–f5 counterplay”. David Bronstein
30...Bc3 31.Nb1 Ba1 32.Ne1 f5 Efim Geller
Moscow 1951
32...Bd4 was arguably a better defence,
117
 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4
In
this game and the two which follow we will
investigate positions with Black’s bishop
developed to b7, c-pawns traded and the centre
closed after White’s d4–d5.
13...Bb7
As a general rule in situations where
Black’s bishop has been developed to b7, White’s
best reaction is to push his pawn to d5 and close
the centre.
14.d5!
I will quote Shirov (from the comments he
gave on his game vs Timman): “A logical move
when you don’t know much theory. Now the
knight on a5 and the bishop on b7 are not the best
pieces on the board”.
Black’s b7-bishop is now indeed badly
placed and Black has two natural ways to improve
it:
a) move it back to c8 and develop it to d7
as in our game (which costs time!),
b) break White’s pawn centre with the
...f7–f5 pawn push, opening the a8–h1 diagonal for
the bishop (which is difficult to achieve!).
Black’s a5-knight is also a problem as it
cannot stay on the edge of the board forever.
I have played these positions as Black in a
number of games, even against the world’s best
players, and I can assure you from experience that
the badly-placed a5-knight and b7-bishop are
problems not easy to solve. I have mostly tried to
118
solve the latter by pushing the f-pawn with
...f7–f5, breaking White’s centre and making the
b7-bishop count! It is a dynamic plan, but not an
easy one for Black to make work, as the game
Kramnik-Sokolov shows.
14...Bc8
Losing time but improving the bishop is
another of Black’s choices here and I would like to
show a few strategically interesting examples.
White would ideally like to play on both sides of
the board. On the kingside he is looking for
attacking chances, while on the queenside he
wants to ‘lock up’ Black’s a5-knight. This locking
up of Black’s a5-knight is important here! If
Black’s knight gets to a safe post on c5, Black will
have a good KID/Old Indian-type structure. White
can prevent this scenario once Black’s knight goes
to b7 by being ready to push b2– b4 and (very
important!) support this pawn with a2–a3 if
needed, so Black’s knight stays ‘locked up’ on b7!
Let’s see how this works in practice, two games
played by David Bronstein as White being
particularly instructive.
14...Rac8 looks more active, but Black’s
badly placed b7-bishop and a5-knight remain a
problem. Please see the Shirov-Timman and
Kramnik-Sokolov games.
15.Rb1!
This move may look unpretentious, but
actually has a strong strategic idea behind it!
Anytime Black moves his knight back to b7,
White will push b2–b4 and after Black’s ...a6–a5,
White will simply support his pawn on b4 with
a2–a3, being able to take back with axb4 (with
White’s rook on b1 there is no a-file pin) and keep
Black’s knight ‘locked up’ on b7.
15.Nf1 Bd7 16.N3h2 Rfc8 17.Bd3
Black
now improves his knight. 17...Nb7 White wants to
prevent it coming to c5, but after 18.b4 a5! White
cannot keep his pawn on b4 due to the a-file pin.
19.Bd2 axb4 20.Bxb4 Nc5 Black has got
everything he wanted strategically, a great version
of an Old Indian-type position, and gradually
outplays White. 21.a3 Qa7 22.Ng3
Now
comes the standard bishop improvement
manoeuvre which Black resorts to in these
positions. 22...Bd8! 23.Bf1 Ba5 24.Qf3 Qb6
25.Ng4 Nxg4 26.hxg4 g6 27.Rab1 White’s g-pawn
is a weakness! 27...Qd8! 28.Qe3 Qh4 29.Be2
Bxg4 30.Bxb5 Trading his b5-pawn for White’s
g4-pawn is obviously a good piece of business for
Black here as White’s king is now very vulnerable
to an f-pawn push. 30...Bb6 31.Bc6
119
Keres
has played a great game so far, a pure instructive
lesson in how to play these positions as Black, but
now he misses a forced win. 31...Rab8 (31...f5!,
ignoring his hanging rook and focusing on
annihilating White on the kingside, would have
won quickly for Black.) 32.Bd2 Bd7 33.Bxd7
Nxd7 34.Qd3 Bd4 Black is still better, but White
managed to escape with a draw in Bronstein,
D-Keres, P Moscow 1951. 15.Re3!? is an
interesting modern idea of Norwegian grandmaster
Hammer.
White
however, does not get an advantage because
Black, as Keres did against Bronstein, manages to
trade his a-pawn for white’s b-pawn and as a result
Black’s knight has a future on c5. 15...Nb7!
16.Rc3 Qb8 17.b4 a5! The situation is similar to
Bronstein-Keres above. Black is doing fine.
18.Ba3 Bd8! 19.Bd3 Bd7 20.Qf1 axb4 21.Bxb4
Ba5 22.a3

The
position is about equal, but Black now gives away
his b5-pawn for no reason. 22...Rc8? (22...Qa7!
and Black has sufficient counterplay, not giving
White a free hand to grab the b5-pawn. 23.Rac1
Bb6) 23.Rxc8+ Qxc8 24.Bxb5 Bxb5 25.Qxb5
White is a sound pawn up and went on to win in
Hammer, J (2610)-Radulski, J (2556) Helsingor
2011.
15...Bd7
15...b4!?
This
is an interesting strategic idea for Black, played
(according to my database) in only five games so
far, the famous grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky
being its main protagonist. The idea is obvious:
Black wants to stop White’s b2–b4 pawn push and
keep the c5-square for his k night. Reshevsky had
two high-profile games with it versus Gligoric (in
1952!), both of which ended in a draw. 16.Bd3
(The other game went 16.Nf1 Nb7! 17.Be3 Bd7
18.Rc1 Rfc8 19.Qd2 Qa5 20.Bb1 Bd8! and was
balanced in Gligoric, S-Reshevsky, S New York
120
1952.) 16...Nd7 17.Nf1 Nc5 18.Bc2 Nc4 19.b3
Nb6 20.Be3
As a
result of 15...b4!? Black has got his knight to c5,
however White is planning a kingside attack and
Black goes for one of his typical counterplay
plans. 20...f5!? How to react with White? 21.Bxc5
(21.exf5! was the correct reaction! Very often in
similar situations taking on f5 is White’s best
response.) 21...Bb7 22.Bxc5 Qxc5 23.Be4 and
White is better.
23...Nxd5 24.Rc1 Qb5 (24...Qa5 25.Qd2
Rab8 26.Ne3 Nxe3 27.Bxb7 Nxf5 28.Be4 with the
initiative) 25.Bd3 Qa5 26.Bc4 Kh8 27.Bxd5 Bxd5
(27...Qxd5 28.Rc7+=) 28.Nxe5 dxe5 (28...Bxg2
29.Nc4 Qxf5 30.Kxg2 Qxf2+ 31.Kh1±) 29.Rxe5
Bxb3 (29...Rad8 30.Rxe7+– Bxg2 31.Qg4)
30.Rxa5 Bxd1 31.Rxd1 Bd8+=) 21...Qxc5 22.Rc1
f4!
 19...Ne8 20.Kh1!

With Black’s a5-knight stranded on the

queenside, White will have an extra piece on the
kingside after the f2–f4 push.
20...Nb7 21.b4 a5 22.a3

Now
Black is fine. 23.Bd3 Qa5 24.Re2 Bd7 25.Rec2
Rfc8 ½–½ (44) Gligoric, S-Reshevsky, S New
York 1952.
16.Bd3 Rfc8 17.Nf1

White’s strategic idea behind 15.Rb1! is

now evident — Black’s knight remains under lock
and key on b7.
22...axb4 23.axb4

Black is in a bad way here. Geller must

have felt stupid making his next move, but Black
has no good moves here.
23...Be7

23...Bb6 looks more principled, but leads

to a bad position for Black after 24.Nh4 g6 25.f4!
Black Rxc1 26.Rxc1 exf4 27.Nh5 (27.Ne2 Be3 28.Ra1±)
goes for the standard dark-squared bishop 27...Be3 (27...gxh5 28.Qxh5+–) 28.Nxf4±.
manoeuvre we see in these positions. 24.Ne2
17...Bd8 18.Ng3

Black needs to improve the position of his

a5-knight, but it’s not clear how.
18...Qa7

18...Nc4 19.b3 Nb6 20.Be3 still does not

solve the problem of Black’s knight.
Black apparently has no active plan, but
how does White improve his position?
19.Rf1!

David Bronstein prepares the f2–f4 pawn

push, one of White’s standard plans, as we learned
in the chapter on closed centre positions!
121
 With
a range of pleasant options available, White
simply goes for Black’s b5-pawn.
24...Bd8 25.Bd2 Bb6 26.Nc3 Bxf2
27.Nxb5 Qb6 28.Qe2 Bg3 29.Be3
White has a large advantage.
29...Qd8 30.Na7! Rc3 31.Qd2 Ra3
32.Nc6 Qf6
33.Nfxe5
Now Black has to part with his queen.
33...Bxe5 34.Rxf6 Bxf6
Black’s basic problem is his
badly-placed/uncoordinated pieces, the b7-knight
in particular.
35.Bc4! Rc3 36.e5! Rxc4 37.exf6 Nxf6
122
38.Bd4! Bxc6
38...Nxd5? loses by force: 39.Qg5 g6
40.Qxd5 Rxc6 41.Qg5 and Black loses the house
after 41...d5 42.Qe5 f6 43.Qxd5++–.
39.dxc6 Rxc6
Having played brilliantly and with a steady
hand, David Bronstein now misses a relatively
prosaic win, perhaps due to time pressure on the
last move before the time control.
40.Qg5?
40.Bxf6! gxf6 41.Rb3+– would have won
on the spot.
40...d5 41.Rf1 h6 42.Qg3 Ne8
White
still has a large advantage, but Black is still
kicking. Bronstein eventually ‘brings it home’.
43.Qe5 Rd8 44.Qh5 Nf6 45.Bxf6 Rxf6
46.Rxf6 gxf6 47.Qf3 Rd6?
 47...Kf8 48.Qxf6 d4 was a better defence,
though White should win.
48.Qg4+ Kh7 49.Qc8 Rb6 50.Qc7

1–0

28
Vladimir Kramnik
Ivan Sokolov
Wijk aan Zee 2005

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 Bb7
Black’s knight now gets an outpost on c5,
while the b7-bishop is improved. 17.Ng3 Bc8
18.Be3 Qc7 White now comes up with a wrong
plan 19.Nh2?! (19.Bd3 was more natural.)
19...Bd7 20.Ng4?! (Better was 20.Qd2 Nc5 21.f4!
b4 or 20.f4 Rfe8 21.Nf3 Rac8 22.Qd2 Nc5 23.Bc2
— 23.Kh1 b4 — 23...b4 when in both cases
Black’s position is solid, although White does
have some pressure.) 20...Nxg4 21.hxg4

I have
often started with this move, keeping my queen on
d8, in order to have more flexibility with move
order. With Black’s bishop developed to b7, the
best for White again is to close the centre.
13.d5!

Another game of mine played some

months earlier went 13.Nbd2 Nc6 14.d5 Nb4
15.Bb1 a5 16.Nf1 Na6 Doubling his pawns is not going to make
White happy, as he is not going to get any attack
on the kingside, while his g4-pawn will be a
weakness. 21...g6 22.Bd3 Nc5 23.Rc1 Qd8! Now
White’s problems connected to his doubled
g-pawns are clear. Black wants to play ...Bg5,
trade dark-squared bishops and place his queen on
g5, hitting White’s g4-pawn weakness. Black is
already better. White decides to part with his
bishop pair. 24.Bxc5 dxc5 25.b3

123
 White’s passed d-pawn is not going
anywhere, while Black’s queenside majority is
unpleasant for White. For starters Black takes the
a-file. 25...a4! 26.Nf1 axb3 27.axb3 Qb6 28.Qe2
Ra3 29.Rb1 Rfa8
White’s position is passive, while Black
has many plans. A timely ...c5– c4 pawn push will
create a passed b-pawn for Black and allow him to
place his bishop on c5, simply paralysing White.
30.Ne3 Bd6 31.Red1 Kg7 32.Qf3 Time to improve
Black’s queen. 32...Qd8! 33.g3 Ra2 34.Kg2 Qg5
35.Rh1 h6 36.Bc2?!
124
36...c4! Now Black’s bishop will come to
c5 with tempo, when the c2-bishop will be
hanging. 37.bxc4 Bc5 38.Bb3 (38.Rhc1 b4 with
39...R8a3 to follow. White simply cannot move
any of his pieces.) 38...Bxe3 39.Bxa2 Rxa2 0–1
Stellwagen, D (2512)-Sokolov, I (2663)
Hoogeveen 2004.
13...Rc8
13...Bc8 is one of the ways for Black to try
to take advantage of this move order. One of my
games went 14.b3 Bd7
15.Bb2 Placing White’s bishop on b2 in
this position does not look logical to me. (15.Bd2
Qb6 16.Nc3 Now Black should secure his knight’s
post on c5. 16...b4 17.Ne2 Nb7 White is a bit
better, but Black’s position is definitely playable.
15.a4!?, trying to open the queenside immediately,
is always a possibility for White here.) 15...Qb8
16.Nbd2 g6 17.Nf1 Nh5

18.Ng3 Nxg3 19.fxg3 White doubles his
pawns in order to open the f-file for his rook.
19...Rc8 20.Qd2 b4 21.Kh2 Nb7 22.Rf1 Nc5 with
an unclear game in Handke, F (2471)-Sokolov, I
(2677) Amsterdam 2002.
14.Nbd2!
In my
opinion White’s best.
I have faced 14.b3, putting an immediate
‘lock’ on Black’s a5-knight, versus two Ruy
Lopez experts. With precise play Black should be
about equal. See the next game, Shirov-Sokolov.
14...Qc7
I tried 14...Nd7, shuf f ling t he knights on
the queenside, a couple of rounds later in the same
tournament. White has an advantage in the
resulting positions. 15.Nf1 Nc4 16.b3 Ncb6
17.Ne3 g6
125
White
has different plans here and can also try to build
kingside attack, keeping his dark-squared bishop
on the c1–h6 diagonal. 18.Bd2 Qc7 19.Ba5 Qb8
20.Qd2 Bd8 21.Rec1 (21.a4 leads to equality:
21...bxa4 22.bxa4 Nc4=; 21.Rab1! with 22.a4 to
follow leads to White’s advantage: 21...Nf6 22.a4
Nbd7 23.axb5 axb5 24.Ra1 and Black has a
difficult life ahead.) 21...Nf6 22.Qb4 Nbd7
23.Bxd8 Rfxd8
24.Qe1 (24.a4! bxa4 25.bxa4 Qc7 26.Rab1
Nc5 27.a5 and due to Black’s terribly placed
b7-bishop, White still has pressure.) 24...Rc7 Now
Black equalises. 25.b4 Rdc8 26.Bd3 Nb6 27.Nd2
Rc3 with approximate equality in Bruzon Batista,
L (2652)-Sokolov, I (2685) Wijk aan Zee 2005.
15.Bd3!
 This
is more direct than 15.Bb1. Black has problems
here. I went for the f-pawn push to hit White’s
centre and make my b7-bishop count.
15...Nd7 16.Nf1 Nc5
16...f5 17.b3! leads to positions similar to
the game or a straight transposition in the case of
17...Nc5.
17.b3!
As so often in this variation, this simply
kills Black’s a5-knight. Black’s only chance here
is tactical central counterplay, but the problem is
that tactics work for White here. With Black’s
knight terribly misplaced on a5, White is
practically a piece up!
17...f5 18.exf5!
Usually White’s best reaction to Black’s
f-pawn push in these positions, and here is no
exception.
18...Bf6
126
It
looks as if Black has managed to create a mess,
however this is rather deceptive, as tactics here
clearly favour White.
Kramnik plays it safe and eliminates
Black’s ...e5–e4 pawn push, but lets the lion’s
share of his advantage slip.
19.Be4
a) 19.Bc2 was good for White as Black’s
tactics turn out to be shortlived: 19...e4 (or
19...Na4 20.Be4 Nc3 21.Qd3 with 22.Bd2, 23.Rc1
to follow with a large advantage for White.)
20.Nd4 Nd3
21.Rxe4! Nb4 (21...Bxd5?? blunders
material: 22.Bxd3 Bxe4 23.Bxe4 Qc3 24.Be3+–)
22.Ne3 Nxc2 (22...Bxd4 23.Qxd4 Nxc2 24.Nxc2
Qxc2 25.Re7 Rf6 26.Bh6) 23.Nexc2 Bxd5
24.Re2± and White is a pawn up with an excellent
position besides.
b) 19.Be2 also leads to White’s advantage:
19...Qf7 (19...e4 20.Nd4 Bxd5 21.Nxb5 Bxb3
22.axb3 axb5 23.Rb1 b4 24.Ne3 is clearly better
for White.) 20.b4 e4 21.Ng5 Qxd5 22.Qxd5+
Bxd5

23.Bd2! An important move. 23...Bxa1
24.Rxa1 Nc4 (24...h6 25.bxc5 and Black’s
a5-knight is now hanging — the reason behind
23.Bd2!.) 25.Bxc4 Bxc4 26.bxc5 dxc5 27.Nxe4
The smoke has cleared; White should win this
ending.
19...Qf7! 20.Ng3 Nxe4 21.Nxe4 Qxd5
White
did not play precisely on move nineteen but Black
is still worse. A draw might look close, but
practical defence is not easy as Black has to
choose between different ‘slightly worse’
positions.
25...Qxd1
I judged trading queens and tripling
White’s pawns the most logical defence.
25...Rcd8 26.Nxb7 Qxb7 was another
‘slightly worse’ option.
26.Rexd1 Bxf3 27.gxf3 Rc3

Trying to be active.
Another ‘slightly worse’ option was
27...Rcd8 28.Kh1 (or 28.Ne4 Rxd1+ 29.Rxd1
Nxa2 30.Kg2±) 28...Nc2 29.Rac1 Nd4 30.Ne4
Nxf3 31.Rxd8 Rxd8 32.Nxf6+ Kg7 33.Rc6±.
28.a4!

Black
looks to be doing fine, but with a clever
zwischenzug Vlad still doesn’t let me off the
hook!
22.Bd2!

22.Ba3 Qxd1 23.Raxd1 Bxe4 24.Rxe4

Nb7=
22...Nc6 23.Bg5 Nb4 24.Bxf6 gxf6
25.Nxd6

28...Rxb3?

127
 This is probably Black’s first real mistake 33.Rag1?!
in the game, but quite a serious one.
28...bxa4! was needed, e.g. 29.Rxa4 Rxb3 33.Ne4! Rxf3 34.Ra6±
30.Ne4 with 31.Rd6 to follow. White is better, but 33...Kh5?
Black has drawing chances.
29.axb5 axb5 30.Kh2! The final mistake.
33...Rb4! probably saved the game: 34.Ne4
To my complete shock, I realised I was in a (34.Nxb5 Rd8 White is better, but Black should
mating net here! draw this.) 34...Kh5 35.Kg3 Kh6! with
30...Kg7 31.Rg1+ Kh6 counterplay.
34.Rg7! h6
Kramnik gives me a chance to get back
into the game! 34...Kh6 35.Nf7++–
32.Rg4? 35.Ne4! Rxf3 36.R1g4 1–0

32.Ra7! won on the spot: 32...Nc6 I resigned as forced mate cannot be

(32...Rxf3 33.Rgg7! Rh8 34.Rg4+–) 33.Rf7 Rxf7 stopped: 36.R1g4 Nd4 37.Ng3+ Rxg3 38.fxg3
34.Nxf7+ Kh5 Nxf5 39.Rh4+ Nxh4 40.g4#.
29
Alexei Shirov
Ivan Sokolov
Sarajevo 2004

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 Bb7 13.d5! Rc8
14.b3 Qc7 15.Bd3

35.Rg7! h6 36.Rg6 and Black’s king does

not escape the mating net.
32...Nc6

15...Nh5

Black cannot try any tactical central tricks

here, as he only tricks himself. 15...Bxd5? is a
blunder after 16.exd5 e4 17.Bd2! exf3 18.Bxa5
Qxa5 19.Rxe7 and White finishes a piece up;
15...Nxe4? doesn’t work either: 16.Bxe4 f5
17.Bd3 e4

128

18.Bg5! spoils Black’s fun: 18...Bf6
19.Bxf6 Rxf6 20.b4 (20.Be2 exf3 21.Bxf3± with
advantage for White in view of Black’s
terribly-placed a5-knight was seen in Morozevich,
A-Ponomariov, R Moscow 2001) 20...Nc4
21.Bxc4 Qxc4 22.Nd4 with a large advantage for
White.
16.Bd2
Shirov more or less copies his play versus
Timman from some years earlier (see
Shirov-Timman). The situation will however
prove to be different.
16.a4 was the choice of Alexander
Grischuk. Black now sacrifices a pawn in order to
obtain active play. 16...b4 17.Bd2 f5 (17...Nf4!
18.Bxb4 Qb6 was perhaps a better way to
sacrifice, as after 19.Bxa5 Qxa5 with 20...f5 to
follow Black has good compensation.) 18.Bxb4
Nf4 19.Nc3 Nxb3
Black’s a5-knight problem looks solved, so
life should be easy for Black? Well... not quite.
129
20.Rb1 A critical moment. 20...Nc5? The losing
mistake, as I misjudged the resulting
opposite-coloured bishops position.
[20...a5! was Black’s best: 21.Nb5 Qd8
22.Rxb3 axb4 23.Rxb4 Qa5 24.Rc4 fxe4 25.Rexe4
25...Bxd5 (25...Nxd5?? is a losing blunder:
26.Qb3 Kh8 27.Rxc8 Rxc8 28.Nxd6+–) Now
White’s best is to sacrifice an exchange. 26.Rxf4
exf4 27.Bxh7+ Kxh7 28.Qxd5 Rxc4 29.Qxc4 Kh8
Black’s king is weak, however a lot of pieces have
been traded off and a draw is the most likely
result.]
21.Bxc5! Qxc5 22.Rxb7 Qxc3 23.Bxa6±
White is simply a pawn up with an excellent
position and soon won in Grischuk, A
(2719)-Sokolov,I (2706) Poikovsky 2004.
16...Nf4 17.Bxf4 exf4 18.Nbd2 Bf6
19.Rb1 Qb6 20.Qe2
20...b4!
As we see, the situation here is different
compared to Shirov-Timman as Black is in much
better shape with queens on the board. Black’s
next move is either 21...Rc3 or 21...Rfe8, so
Shirov opens up the centre.
21.e5 dxe5 22.Nxe5 Qd8

22...Qd6!, defending the a6-pawn, was a

better move with approximate equality after
23.Ndf3 g6.
23.Ndf3 Bxe5

23...g6? now loses to the simple

24.Bxa6+–.
24.Qxe5 Qxd5
White
has voluntarily placed himself in a pin on the
d-file, however the position is too dry for Black to
profit from it.
34.f3 Bb5 35.Kf2 Ba6 36.h4 Kf7 37.g3
fxg3+ 38.Kxg3 g5 39.hxg5 fxg5 40.f4 gxf4+
41.Kxf4 Kf6 42.Ke3 Re8+ 43.Kf2 Rd8 44.Ke3
Re8+ 45.Kf2 Re4 46.Nf3 Kf5 47.Rd6 Re2+
48.Kg3 ½-½

25.Bxa6!

I missed this tactical shot which leads to a

better endgame for White.
25...Qxe5 26.Rxe5 Bxa6 27.Rxa5 Ra8
28.Ne5 Be2 29.Rxa8

29.Ra4! would have made Black work for

half a point!
29...Rxa8

The game is now equal.

30.Rb2 Bb5 31.Rd2 f6 32.Nf3 Bc6
33.Nd4 Rd8

130
 5.4. White’s g2–g4 pawn push
In the
Ruy Lopez Chigorin Variation with a closed
centre, the advance of White’s g-pawn is one of
his most common attacking strategies.
Efim Bogoljubow adopted this attacking
strategy in his epic battles versus Akiba Rubinstein
in the 1920s. See game 2, comments to 14.a4.
White’s idea is quite simple: he wants to
bring his d2-knight to f5, place his rook on the
g-file and kill Black with a direct attack.
Most of the time Black’s best reaction is to
challenge White immediately on the kingside by
pushing ...h7–h5!
The games selected and their comments,
will, I hope, illustrate the kind of hurdles both
sides face, however there are the following general
guidelines:
• it is advisable for Black to react on the
kingside, otherwise the risk of being overrun is
high;
• Black does not have much reaction time,
and normally needs to push ...h7–h5 immediately
(!);
• White should not assume he will have a
free ride as he is taking a strategic risk and his own
king position might get compromised, see game
30;
• if Black ignores White and plays
...g7–g6, White’s Nf5-piece sacrifice can be very
dangerous for Black! Beware computer engines
which normally need time to start appreciating the
danger of White’s attack! See game 2 (comment to
14.a4 in Bogoljubow-Rubinstein) and game 31
(comment to 15.Kh2 in Sutovsky-Postny);
131
• high tactical alertness by the both sides
and an eye for a detail are needed here.
30
Mikhail Tal
Tigran Petrosian
Yerevan 1975
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 d6 7.Re1 Be7 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2
12...Be6
Black is happy to lose a tempo in order to
persuade White to close the centre by pushing
d4–d5. I guess his logic is that he is in better shape
compared to 12...Bb7, as after 13.d5 he can retreat
his bishop to d7. This little-played continuation
has been favoured in recent years by Israeli
grandmaster Evgeny Postny, however it fails to
equalise and can lead to rather passive positions
for Black. 12...Bd7 is played more often and was
Petrosian’s choice a year later versus the rising
star Garry Kasparov, who was sixteen years old at
the time — see Kasparov-Petrosian in this chapter.
13.Nf1
13.dxe5 dxe5 leads to a pawn structure ty
pe we examined earlier (games 4–10) which
doesn’t give White an opening advantage. Closing
the centre immediately is another logical option
for White. For 13.d5 see the next game,
Vachier-Lagrave-Postny.
13...Nc4 14.d5

14...Bc8
14...Bd7 15.g4 h5 16.gxh5 (16...Bxh3
transposes to the game) and now the 16...g6 idea
does not work for Black due to 17.b3 Nb6 18.Qd2!
Nxh5 (or 18...Bxh3 19.Ng3±) 19.Qh6 Rfe8
20.Ng5 and White has a strong attack.
15.g4 h5 16.gxh5 Bxh3 17.N3h2 g6
Critical moment!
18.Ng3?!
Tal misses the best continuation: 18.b3
Nb6 (including 18...Bxf1 does not help Black here,
as after 19.Kxf1 Nb6 20.hxg6 fxg6 White plays
21.Ke2 with Rg1 to follow and a promising
attack.) 19.Re3! Bxf1
132
and
now comes the key move 20.Rg3!. Black’s
f1-bishop is not going anywhere, White has a
strong attack and Black has no real counterplay.
20...Kg7 21.Nxf1 Rh8 22.hxg6 fxg6 23.Ne3 Black
is in a difficult situation. 23...Rh7 (23...Nh5
24.Nf5+ Kf7 25.Nh6+ Rxh6 26.Bxh6 Nxg3
27.Qf3+ Kg8 28.fxg3±) 24.Qf3! (24.Nf5+ Kf7
25.Nh6+ Kg7 is less dangerous for Black than it
looks.) 24...Rah8
25.Qf5 Rh6 26.Qe6 Kf8 27.Nf1 Rh1+
28.Kg2 White wins the g6-pawn, for which Black
does not get compensation.
18...Kg7! 19.Kh1 Rh8 20.Rg1 Kf8
 Black
has now accomplished all of his strategic ideas. 24.hxg6 (24.h6 Ng8–+ does not change
The h-file will open in his favour and White’s king anything.) 24...fxg6 25.Be3 Black now has
is weak. different ways to attack White’s king and win, e.g.
21.a4 25...Ng4–+ or 25...Bd8 with 26..Qh6 to follow.
22.axb5! axb5 23.Rxa8+ Nxa8 24.hxg6
Black now makes an instructive mistake. fxg6
21...Nb6?

This allows White to survive by trading a

pair of rooks, reducing Black’s attacking power.
21...b4! was much stronger as the h-file
opens in Black’s favour. Black is attacking and
needs all four rooks on the board! 22.cxb4
(22.hxg6 fxg6 23.Ngf1 trying to follow up on the
game strategy now loses to 23...Kg7 24.Qf3 Rh7

25.Ngf1

With a pair of rooks traded, Black cannot

build a decisive attack.
25...Kf7 26.Qf3 Qc8 27.Bg5!

Now Petrosian decides to call it a day and

and forces the trade of queens, and the game soon ends
White suffers decisive material losses or gets peacefully.
mated. 25.Qg3 Rah8 26.Qxg6+ Kf8–+) 22...cxb4 27...Bxf1 28.Rxf1 Qg4 29.Qg2 Nb6
23.b3 Na5 30.Bxf6 Qxg2+ 31.Kxg2 Bxf6

Rooks now get traded as well and a draw

becomes inevitable.

133
 15.b4!

White first kills Black’s queenside

counterplay, then starts his kingside attack.
Emil Sutovsky opted for a straightforward
attack on Black’s king with 15.Kh2 and Postny got
on with his own business on the queenside:
15...Nb7 16.g4 g6 17.Ng3 Rfb8 18.Rg1 Nc5
19.Qe2 a5 20.Bd2 b4!

32.Ra1 Ra8 33.Rxa8 Nxa8 34.Nf3 Nb6

35.Kf1

½-½

31
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Evgeny Postny
Germany 2009 Black
has got his counterplay and White goes for a
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 standard piece sacrifice to open the g-file.
5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 d6 7.Re1 Be7 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 21.Nf5!? A principled decision! Computer engines
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Be6 usually underestimate these kinds of sacrifices.
(21.cxb4 axb4 22.Qxc4 led to equality: 22...Bb5
23.Qxb4 Be2 24.Qc3 Bxf3 25.Qxf3 Rxb2 26.Rgc1
Raxa2 27.Rxa2 Rxa2 with a likely peaceful
outcome.) 21...gxf5 22.gxf5+ Kf8
[It is not immediately obvious how White
crashes through the black defences after 22...Kh8
but the usual attacking strategy of removing the
pawn defences around the enemy king does the job
here: 23.Ng5! Rf8 24.Rg2! b3 25.axb3 (25.Rag1!
bxc2 26.Nxh7 also wins.) 25...cxb3 26.Rag1! bxc2
27.Nxh7 Ncxe4 (or 27...Nxh7 28.Rg7 with Rxg7
and Qh5 to follow, mating immediately.) 28.Nxf8
Rxf8 29.Qe3 and again Black cannot prevent
mate.]
One 23.Qe3 Ke8 24.Qh6 bxc3 25.bxc3
of the world’s strongest players of modern times
now chooses to close the centre immediately.
13.d5 Bd7 14.Nf1 c4

Black wants to bring his knight to c5 and

push his queenside pawns.
14...Nc4 15.g4 h5 16.gxh5 Bxh3
transposes to our previous game.
134

25...Ba4 (A logical decision. Black makes
space should his king have to run, but 25...Rb2!
would have refuted White’s attack.) 26.Bxa4+
Nxa4 27.Bg5 (27.Rg7 led to balanced, if messy,
positions easier to play for White — for humans!
27...Rb2 28.Be3 Nxc3 29.Ng5 Bd8 30.Rg1! Now
Black has to play a difficult move for a human.
30...Rab8! (30...Ncxe4? looks more
logical, at least to me, but loses after 31.Nxe4
Nxe4 32.Rxh7 Nf6 33.Rh8+ Kd7 34.Rg7 and
White wins.) 31.Rxf7 Qxf7 32.Nxf7 Kxf7
33.Rg7+ Ke8 34.Rxh7 Nxh7
135
Black
has enough material for his queen, but his king is
terribly weak. The engines assess it as 0.00.
35.Qxd6 (35.Qxh7 Nxe4 36.Qg6+ leads to
perpetual check: 36...Kd7 37.Qe6+ Kc7 38.Qf7+
Kc8 39.Qe6+=) 35...Bf6 36.Qe6+ Kf8 This
position looks rather promising for White to me,
however the engines stick to their 0.00 verdict.
37.Bh6+ Bg7 38.d6 Bxh6 39.Qxh6+ Kg8
40.Qe6+ Kf8 This should end in a draw.
27...Nxe4! 28.f6

28...Qc5! 29.Be3 Qxd5 30.fxe7 Naxc3
Black was better and went on to win after a
tactical roller coaster in Sutovsky, E
(2676)-Postny, E (2651) Ohrid 2009.
15...Nb7
15...cxb3! was Black’s best, though after
16.axb3 Nb7 17.Re3 he struggles to create
counterplay.
16.g4!
White will effectively have an extra piece
on the kingside, while compared to
Sutovsky-Postny Black has no counterplay on the
other side of the board.
16...g6
16...a5 17.Ng3 axb4 18.cxb4 fails to create
counterplay for Black, while 16...h5 17.gxh5 Bxh3
18.Ne3 with 19.Ng5 to follow leads to a strong
attack for White. Black’s king is soon going to be
in trouble.
136
17.Ng3 Ne8 18.a4 Ng7 19.Bh6 Rfb8
20.Qd2
20.a5 leads to very good position for
White. Without counterplay Black is a sitting duck
and has to hope that White does not win on the
kingside. I guess Maxime was worried that Black
might somehow hold, so decided to keep the a-file
open
20...Nd8 21.Ra3 Ra7 22.Rea1 Rab7
23.axb5 axb5 24.Ne1 f6
White
has played a model game and achieved a clear
advantage. Black is doomed to everlasting passive
defence without any sign of counterplay. Most
probably White makes a mistake here allowing
Black to close the kingside.
25.f4
25.Be3± with 26.f4 to follow and White
should break through Black’s defences.
 25...Nf7 26.f5 g5 27.Bxg7 Kxg7

White is obviously better, but with the

kingside closed it is difficult to ‘break’ Black.
28.Nf3 Rg8 29.Qh2 Kf8 30.Kf2 Bd8
31.Ke2 Nh6 32.Nh1 Be8

59.Qf6+

59.d6 does not change the drawish

outcome: 59...Qf7 60.Qxf7 Bxf7 61.e6 Bxe6
62.fxe6 Bxd6=.
59...Qe7 60.Qb6+ Qc7 61.Qf6+ Qe7
Yes, 62.Qb6+ Qc7 63.Qf6+
Black is passive, but he is also solid and manages
to hold. ½–½
33.Nf2 Nf7 34.h4 h6 35.Nh1 Qe7 36.Ng3
Bb6 37.Ra8 Qc7 38.Qh1 Rb8 39.R8a6 Rb7 32
40.Ra8 Rb8 41.R8a6 Rb7 42.R1a3 Ke7 43.hxg5 Garry Kasparov
hxg5 44.Qh7 Rh8 45.Qg7 Ra7 46.Nh5 Rh6 Tigran Petrosian
47.Kd2 Qb7 48.Rxa7 Bxa7 49.Kc1 Be3+ 50.Kb2 Banja Luka 1979
Qb8 51.Ra6 Qb7
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7

White
finally creates a breakthrough, but just not enough.
52.Rxd6 Kxd6 53.Nxf6 Rxf6! 54.Qxf6+
Kd7 55.Nxe5+ Nxe5 56.Qxe5 Bf4 57.Qe6+ Kd8
58.e5 Qc7! Petrosian is trying to achieve the same as
in his game with Tal (game 30), but saving a
tempo in the process. White is now less
137
encouraged to push d4–d5, as it no longer wins a
tempo, and to me this approach looks more logical
for Black than 13...Be6. Along with this main
game see also the instructive Spassky-Tal game in
the next note.
13.Nf1 Nc4
13...Rfe8?! Spassky now reacts well, as in
the ensuing positions Black’s rook will prove
poorly placed on e8. 14.d5! c4 15.g4!
15...h5 Tal reacts in the most principled
way, but his e8-rook is now poorly placed.
(Playing like Postny with 15...Reb8 — see
comment to 13.d5 Bd7 in the main text — leads to
passive positions, apart from the fact that after
16.g5 Black has to retreat his knight to e8:
16...Ne8 17.Kh2 when White has good kingside
attacking prospects.) 16.gxh5!
This
is almost invariably White’s best reaction in such
positions, as the g-file highway to Black’s king is
now open. 16...Bxh3 (Compared to the comments
to 13...Nc4 below in Kasparov-Petrosian, the
138
16...g6 idea does not work well for Black now, as
after 17.hxg6 fxg6 18.Qd2! Black has to retreat his
rook to f8 and White gets a kingside initiative
himself while also being a pawn up.) 17.N3h2
[17.Ne3 with 18.Ng5 to follow also looks
promising for White: 17...Nh7 (17...Nxh5?
blunders into 18.Nxe5.) 18.Kh2 Bd7 19.Rg1 and
White is the one taking advantage of the open
kingside.]
17...Nh7 18.Ne3 Bg5 19.Kh1
The
action is on the kingside, while Black’s a5-knight
is totally misplaced. This ‘extra piece’ proves
crucial for White, who brings about a favourable
two bishops vs two knights position. 19...Bf4
20.Rg1 Qd8 21.Qf3 Black is now forced into an
endgame. 21...Qh4 (21...Bd7 22.Nf5 leads to a
winning attack for White; Black’s misplaced
a5-knight aga in proves crucia l!) 22.Ng2 Bxg2+
23.Qxg2 Qxh2+ 24.Qxh2 Bxh2 25.Kxh2
White
will ‘ break ’ Black on the queenside. 25...Nf6
26.Rg5 (The immediate 26.b4 also looks great for
White.) 26...Nh7 27.Rf5 g6 28.Rf3 Kg7 29.hxg6
fxg6 30.b4! cxb3 (After 30...Nb7 31.a4 Black
cannot solve the a-file problem as White will play
on the both sides of the board and ultimately
penetrate with his rooks.) 31.axb3 Nb7 32.b4 And
White went on to win in Spassky, B-Tal, M Riga
1959.
14.d5
14.b3 Nb6 15.Ne3 delaying central
decisions is definitely an option to consider for
White here.
14...Nb6 15.g4
White
goes for the closed centre g-pawn push and
Petrosian reacts in the best way.
15...h5! 16.gxh5! Bxh3
Here, with his rook on f8 (compared to
Spassky-Tal above), Black had the possibility of a
positional pawn sacrifice which often works in
similar positions: 16...g6! In game 30,
Tal-Petrosian, after 14.d5 Bd7 15.g4 h5 16.gxh5
g6 I gave 17.b3 Nb6 18.Qd2! as the way for White
to deal with the ...g6 plan, so here are more details
for readers who were wondering why. 17.Qd2!
139
Definitely the critical continuation to
assess the viability of Black’s 16...g6!. The only
difference compared to the position mentioned is
that White’s b-pawn is on b2 here instead of b3,
and control of the c4-square turns out to be
important! This small nuance of White’s pawn
being on b2 or b3 is difficult to grasp, even for a
strong grandmaster. Prior to the publication of this
book I was training two strong Iranian
Grandmasters, Pouya Idani and Amin Tabatabaei,
in the Chigorin Variation. After first seeing the
Tal-Petrosian game and White’s idea of Qd2-Qh6
as the way to deal with ...g6 in these positions,
Idani said, “But the only difference is that here
White’s pawn is on b3 and there it was on b2!
How can this really matter?”. I gave it long
thought and had some human ideas... finally a
‘silicon friend’ joined our analysis and beautiful
lines were produced! The lines given here are
excellent calculation training for a tournament
player!
[17.Ng3 Bxh3 looks fine for Black;
17.Bh6? is a terrible positional blunder as Black
sacrifices an exchange with 17...Nxh5! and has,a
clear advantage; in the case of 17.hxg6 fxg6 Black
gets what he wants — his rook on f8 makes a huge
difference compared to Spassky-Tal above. Black
has good compensation for the sacrificed pawn,
and the game is very unclear. 18.Ng5 Qc8 19.Nh2
Nh5∞]
17...Bxh3 18.hxg6 Ng4!

White’s pawn still being on b2 gives Black
the option of a ...Nc4 jump here, disturbing
White’s queen. 19.Ng5 This leads to interesting
positions.
[19.Ne3 can lead to unusual tactics, again
due to White’s pawn still being on b2: 19...Nc4!
(19...fxg6 20.Nxg4 Bxg4 21.Qh6 leads to a
balanced position, where it is perhaps sensible for
Black to accept a draw by perpetual check:
21...Rxf3 22.Qxg6+ Kh8 23.Qh6+=) 20.Nxc4 fxg6
White’s king is the one in danger and
White has to find a narrow path to a draw here.
21.Ncxe5! dxe5 22.d6 Bxd6 23.Ng5! White seems
to win material, but the story is far from over!
23...Rxf2 (23...Nxf2 24.Re2 is perhaps pushing it
too far for Black.) 24.Qd5+ Kg7
140
And
now we get a rather unsual perpetual check:
25.Ne6+! (25.Nxh3? loses to 25...Rf3 26.Kg2
Rxh3 27.Kxh3 Rh8+ 28.Kg2 Qe7 and Black has a
mating attack.) 25...Kh7 26.Ng5+ (26.Nxc7?? runs
into an immediate mate: 26...Rg2+ 27.Kh1 Nf2#)
26...Kg7 27.Ne6+ Kh7 28.Ng5+ Kg7 29.Ne6+
Black can postpone the draw for a few moves:
29...Kh8 30.Qxa8+ Bf8
31.Be3 (or 31.Qxf8+ Rxf8 32.Nxc7 Rf2
33.Be3! Rg2+ 34.Kh1 Rxc2 35.Rad1! Rh2+
36.Kg1 Rg2+=) 31...Rg2+ 32.Kh1 Qd6 33.Nxf8
Rh2+=]
19...Bxg5 20.Qxg5 fxg6 21.Ne3

21...Qh7! 22.Nxg4 Bxg4 23.Qxg4 Rxf2
Now White needs to find the only move to draw.
His b-pawn still being on b2 helps Black with
mating nets. 24.Qe6+! (24.Kxf2 Qh2+ 25.Ke3
loses to 25...Rf8! 26.Re2 Qh6+! 27.Kd3 c4#.)
24...Kh8 25.Kxf2 Qh2+ 26.Kf3 Rf8+ 27.Kg4
‘Mutual greed’ can still lead to interesting
calculation training lines:
Test
yourself — where should the king go! 30...Kg7!
(30...Kg8? loses to 31.Kxg6 Rf7 32.Qe6+–)
31.Qh6+ Kg8 And now is the time for the warriors
to agree to a peace treaty. For a human it is very
difficult to see how Black loses after 31...Kf7

But
White wins here — test yourself! 32.Qxg6+ Ke7
33.Qe6+ Kd8
27...Qg2+ (27...Qh5+ 28.Kg3 Qf3+=)
28.Kh4 Qf2+ 29.Kg5 (29.Kg4=) 29...Qxe1
30.Qh3+

Now
141
comes a star move! 34.Bd1!! By means of a piece
sacrifice White lures Black’s queen to an
unfortunate square, as we are to see. (34.Kg6
preparing Bg5 in order to cover the king is only a
draw after 34...Kc7 35.Bh6 Qg3+ 36.Bg5

36...Nd7! Black has the threat of ...Rf6 at a
time of his own choosing and the game is now
balanced.) 34...Qxd1 35.Kg6! Kc7 36.Bh6! With
his queen on d1 instead of e1 Black has no checks
with his queen and this proves crucial here.
It’s a
safe bet that the young Kasparov knew the
Spassky-Tal game! (See the comments to
13...Rfe8?! above.)
17...Bxf1 18.Nxf1 Qd7 19.Ng3 Qh3
20.Qf3
Black has to cover the f5-square and try to
get counterplay, so Petrosian opts for Black’s
usual plan in these positions.
20...g6! 21.Bd1!

22.Nf5 is now a threat.

21...Rfe8

36...Rg8+ 37.Qxg8 Qxa1 38.Qg7+ Nd7

39.Kf7 Qh1 40.Qg6 and White wins. 32.Qxg6+
(32.Kxg6? loses to 32...Rf7) 32...Kh8 33.Qh6+=
17.N3h2!

An important moment!
22.Qg2

142
 22.Bg5! would have put Black in trouble:
22...Nxh5 (22...Nfxd5 23.hxg6 fxg6 24.Bxe7 Nxe7
25.Qf6

White
wins an exchange. Black gets some positional
trumps for it, but not enough to hold. 24...Qxf3
25.Nxe7+ Kf8 26.Nxg6+ fxg6 27.Bxf3 Nf4 and
is White should win this endgame.
clearly better for White, as 26.Qxd6 is coming 22...Qxg2+ 23.Kxg2
next, while if 25...Rad8?? White has 26.Nh5! gxh5
27.Re3+–; 22...Nbd7 deals with the immediate
threats, but after 23.a4! it is not easy to find a good
response for Black as after 23...Nxd5 White now
has 24.hxg6 fxg6 25.Nf5! Qxf3 26.Nxe7+ Nxe7
27.Bxf3

Petrosian’s b6-knight is much better placed

and
although temporarily a pawn up, Black is in
serious trouble here. 27...bxa4 28.Red1 Nc8
29.Rxa4 Black has weaknesses he cannot cover, so
White will regain his pawn deficit with interest.)
23.Bxe7 Rxe7 24.Nf5
here than Spassky’s on a5 (again see the
comments to 13...Rfe8?!), however White
probably still has some advantage. Young
Kasparov definitely had respect for the famous
World Champion and a draw was agreed.
½–½

143
 PART 2
THEORY
by
Iván Salgado López
INTRODUCTION TO PART 2
Dear friends,
This book is the kind of openings book I
always wanted to read when I was a kid, but could
never find because they did not exist. When I
started playing chess, I was using the ECO and
some other books. In the ECO, you could find only
the moves with some evaluations by symbols, and
you were expected to believe that everything
would be all right. There were some books with
typical games from the opening that was being
studied but at the end, chess is a concrete game
and we need concrete moves!
In this book, I think we managed to get
both. My colleague Ivan Sokolov has already
written many good books about the middlegame
and he is an expert on the Ruy Lopez with Black. I
cannot think of a better person to write about the
topic of the book. In my case, I am a 1.e4 player
and, in the last two years, I had to prepare several
times against the Ruy Lopez Chigorin. I realized
that things were not as easy as I had thought, even
if White normally has good results — but this is
only because the best methods of play with Black
have not been discovered... yet.
This is not a repertoire book because I do
not trust that format. When you are giving only
one line against every variation, it is enough that
just one line does not work for the book to lose all
144
its value. These books use a lot of space for the
sidelines and only a few pages for the main lines,
the ones that people are playing the most. In cases
where these books do give more than one line, you
know that this is the variation the author is not
comfortable about and probably you will find
some variations he does not like.
I tried to give another look at all the
variations in the Ruy Lopez Chigorin after the
move 9...Na5. What you can find in my part of the
book is the following:
• I checked the old games and the modern
ones but in the end, my idea is to give an idea
about what is the best (in my opinion, of course). I
think this work will be useful for both White and
Black players. Taking into account that the Ruy
Lopez Chigorin is the most frequently played in
the Closed Ruy Lopez, many people can make use
of it.
• I tried not to be biased towards either of
the colours. The moves are the most important
thing. Sometimes one variation is not so good and
that is it. Sometimes a particular line is very
interesting but there are not so many games with
it, so I had to give some ideas about how the game
would go on but it is very complicated to go deep
into the analysis without practical tests. However,
in the end, the main idea is to give simply the best
moves.
• There is a lot of new material; you can
find loads of novelties.
• My evaluations of the variations are
completely different from the official theory in
many cases. This gives you a good chance to catch
your opponents, because probably they will not be
familiar with the ideas in this book.
I hope that you enjoy going through these
variations and if you manage to win some games
with my ideas, even better!
Iván Salgado López
Sofia, Bulgaria
18th September 2018
 OVERVIEW
OF THE CHIGORIN THEORY
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
The
Ruy Lopez Chigorin is one of the oldest defences
against 1.e4, and one of the most popular as well. I
was checking my database and just from 1998
until the moment when this book is published,
there are 30.000 games from this position! For
years I struggled to study this opening and I
suffered some painful defeats because I didn’t
understand what was going on, and I didn’t know
where I could get this information! I remember
checking many games played by Anand because
he was the best in this kind of position, but this
was not enough for me somehow. I needed some
methodical work on the topic, line by line, and
explaining the positional ideas as well as the
theory. I asked some friends where I could get
some information about the Ruy Lopez Chigorin,
but without success. I kept on making mistakes
here again and again.
Dear friend, this is over. The book you
have in your hands will solve most of your
problems if you had the same ones I had. While
we were writing the book, Sokolov was sending
me the games he was analyzing. The material he
145
collected is extremely good. Each day when he
sent me some of his files, I was checking them and
even if I was writing the theory, he was showing
me ideas I didn’t know! Later, I could improve my
analysis thanks to these games. I hope that you
have already gone through this invaluable material
so you are ready to proceed!
My part of the job in this book is to write
about the theory. This is not a repertoire book for
White or for Black. This is about the Ruy Lopez
Chigorin. I wanted to know what is going on in
this opening, that’s all. For many years, it
disappeared from the top tournaments because it
was considered passive. I never thought this. I
always considered that it is an opening where there
is a lot of tension and there are also many changes
in the pawn structure which are very difficult to
understand. Maybe for the top guys this was very
easy.
I was studying this opening a lot. I checked
thousands of games with the computer and believe
me: nobody knows what is going on in this
opening. So many years, so many games, how is
this possible? In my opinion, there are a few
reasons:
1. This opening didn’t pass the computer
check of the 21st century. Lines that had been
considered fully playable failed to withstand the
increasingly rigorous scrutiny of the engines. But
many strong players still had some old patterns in
their heads from the previous periods and they
thought they didn’t need to recheck this
knowledge. Because of that, they repeat the same
mistakes as I did.
2. There is almost no literature about this
topic. There are some books which offer a
repertoire for White and some others that offer a
repertoire for Black. The problem is that their
work is always biased. They want to say at the end
of the chapter that White is better or Black is fine,
in order to help sell the book. In the end, one
understands that White is not better in every line
and that there are some positions that are very
difficult for Black to defend. What should they do?
Normally the writers decide not to include the best
lines, hoping that the readers won’t realize that.
Then you get to your game and your opponent
plays a move that you didn’t see in the book and...
it’s a very good move! How many games I won
thanks to these books, you cannot imagine!
3. The book you have in your hands didn’t
exist. No knowledge, no understanding! How did I
analyze this book? It was very easy. I checked all
the reasonable moves I found in every position. Of
course, if you do this, you can make a book with a
thousand pages. Because of that, I used some
filters to decide what should be analyzed and what
not:
a. If there is a dubious continuation for
White, I try to give you the best continuation for
Black as soon as possible; sometimes I will give
you only this move! If this move by White is not
good, if you know the best continuation that
should be enough. If Black manages to equalize
without any problems, I stop my analysis. Thanks
No
to the middlegame chapter, you will understand
chance that White is going to give up his bishop.
how to play. If there is a continuation that is better
10...c5
for Black, don’t worry, you will know about that
too!
10...d5 The Gajewski gambit. Black has
b. If there is a dubious continuation by
had good results in the past but I think that I
Black, I try to refute it in the best way and that’s it.
manage to refute this line in the first chapter.
Normally a refutation is considered something
11.d4
between slightly better and clearly better for
White. I consider engine assessments of +0.50 to
The only move I will check in the book.
be enough.
11.d3 This is possible as well but not very logical
c. Following the previous filters, normally
if you can play d4 at once.
we will get a very stubborn line (sometimes more
11...Nd7
than one, but not very often!) where the evaluation
will be between 0.00 and 0.30 (no way that Black
is better in the Ruy Lopez Chigorin, sorry). I will
try to go a bit deeper than usual in these positions
because they are the positions most likely to
appear over the board if both sides know what are
doing. Depending on these variations, I will tell
you if the variation is playable, if this is easier for
White or for Black in a practical game and so on.
These positions are not so easy to evaluate so I
apologize if I’m wrong regarding some positions
but believe me, I tried to give my best.
How many new ideas I give in this book, I
have no idea. When I counted more than 50, I
decided that probably I was doing a good job!
Enough about how I worked on this part of the
book, it is time to show you some moves! Nowadays this is the main line and I will
10.Bc2 analyze it quite a lot. I will call it the Keres-Graf
variation of the Ruy Lopez Chigorin. Keres played
this a lot in the past, but for many years no one
was following his example until, at the end of the
80s, grandmaster Alexander Graf, with whom I
had the pleasure to train in my childhood, gave
new life to this variation. Nowadays many people
are simply copying his ideas, although there are
146
some who are improving them!
a) 11...d5
Again, in the chapter “Subvariations” you
will find the refutation.
b) 11...Bb7
The
Romanishin variation. Here after 12.d5! White is
better and you will understand why later.
c) 11...Qc7
The most played variation but nowadays
the top players prefer other moves.
12.Nbd2. The main move. In the chapter
“White alternatives on move 12”. I will have a
look mainly at 12.d5!?. Other moves don’t cause
any problems.
147
12...cxd4 The oldest move and ... the best!
In the chapter “Black releases the tension with
12...cxd4” you will find all you need. Please pay
attention, what I have written might surprise you!
Here I will just tell you a little secret: I think that
Black is doing fine here! 12...Re8 and 12...Rd8
you will find in the chapter “Two rook moves”.
Here White has an interesting way of playing that
provides him with the advantage. 12...Bd7,
12...Bb7 and 12...Be6 you will find in the chapter
“Bishop moves”. For now I will tell you that my
favourite one is 12...Bd7! 12...Nc6 This will be
analyzed in the chapter “The old main line”.
Black
was successful here in the past but not so long ago
I had a game with White in this line, I analyzed
this variation quite deeply and I consider that
White is much better. Here I analyzed 13.dxc5 as
well. This is not the best move, but it is so
common that I couldn’t leave it without comment!
12.Nbd2
The old main line. There will be a chapter
only for this move.
a) Another option is is 12.d5

The
same idea as after 11...Qc7. When is this
White continuation better?
doesn’t want to allow the Benoni pawn structure. 12...exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6
Is it good to close the centre or does White do it
too soon?
b) 12.a4

The
way Graf played. Is this good enough for Black?
The Keep on reading!
new main line. Black has a lot of problems to
solve. I think that I found some interesting ideas
but Black needs to be extremely careful to get a
reasonable position!
c) 12.dxc5

148
 CHAPTER 1.

EARLY ...d5s AND THE

ROMANISHIN VARIATION

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2
This
gambit was played by the creative Polish
grandmaster Gajewski. It was popular for some
years but nowadays White knows how to play to
get the advantage.
11.d4!

11.exd5 e4! 12.Bxe4 Nxe4 13.Rxe4 Bb7

Black has long-term compensation thanks to his
pair of bishops. Maybe White is still better, but it
is not practical to play like this.
11...dxe4

a) 11...exd4 Probably the best move here,

but this was not the idea of the gambit! 12.e5 Ne4
13.cxd4!
Contents

1. 10...d5 alternative (Gajewski Gambit)

2. 10...c5 11.d4 d5
3. 10...c5 11.d4 Bb7 (Romanishin)

1
10...d5 alternative (Gajewski Gambit)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 d5!?
13...c5! Black should play actively to get
some chances. (13...f5 14.exf6 Bxf6 15.Nc3! Nxc3
16.bxc3 Nc4 17.a4!± Black has some stable pieces
but the kingside is simply too weak. Thybo, J
(2442)-Saptarshi, R (2425) Kolding 2017;
13...Nc4 14.b3 Nb6 15.Be3 Bb7 16.Nbd2± 1–0
(26) Krauss, H (2096)-Koch, D corr. 2010)
149
14.Nc3!? Nxc3 15.bxc3 c4!?

The 18.Nf6+! This idea is very important.

best practical chance. White has the advantage on
the kingside, Black on the queenside. Who is
faster? 16.Nh2!N A very important move to prove
an advantage for White.
[16.Bd2!? Nc6?! Black didn’t pay attention
to White’s idea. (16...Rb8!N 17.Qb1 h6 The rook
will defend everything from b6. Then ...Nc6 and
...a5 will come. The position is not clear.) 17.Qb1!
g6 (17...h6!? 18.Qc1! and Bxh6 next move is
killing.) 18.Bh6 Re8
18...Bxf6 19.exf6 Qxf6 20.Qh5 h6 21.Qxd5±;
b) 11...Nxe4 12.Nxe5 f6 13.Nd3 Bd6
Croatian grandmaster Stevic played this position
six times and achieved four draws and two wins!
It’s incredible that none of his opponents made
serious preparation.

14.Nd2 f5 (14...Nxd2 15.Qh5! is a very

nice trick.) 15.a4! This move is the key and the
one that Stevic didn’t face in his games. White
won all the games I found in the database with this
19.e6! f5 20.Bxf5 gxf5 21.Qxf5 Bf8 move!
22.Qf7+ Kh8 23.Ng5 Ra7 24.Qh5 Kg8 25.Qf7+
Kh8 26.Qf4 Kg8 27.Nf7 Bxh6 28.Qxh6 Qc7
29.Qf6 1–0 Antipov,M (2529)-Slonimskij,A
(2176) Jerusalem 2015.]
16...b4 17.Ng4 bxc3

150
 Qb1, trying to take the pawn on e4. 13.Bg5 this is
tempting, but not good enough. 13...Bb7 14.Bxf6
Bxf6 15.Bxe4 Re8©
13...Bb7

13...Qc7 14.Nd2 Bb7 is the same.

14.Nd2 Qc7

15...Bd7
[15...b4? 16.Nxb4 Bxb4 17.cxb4 Nc6
18.Bb3 Be6 19.f3! Nxd4 (19...Nxd2 20.Bxd2 Bf7
21.Bf4 Qf6 22.Be5± 1–0 (48) Teipel, T
(2104)-Meyer, J (1798) GER email 2012) 20.fxe4
fxe4 21.Nf1 Nxb3 22.Qxb3 Qd6 23.Qe3+– 1–0
(30) Mostowik, D (2122)-Khrolenko, V (1966)
ICCF email 2012; 15...Bb7 16.f3! Ng3 17.Nc5±]
16.Nf3 Nc4 17.Nfe5!± Patel, A 14...Rc8 15.Qb1! White simply tries to
(2478)-Atoufi, P (2284) Las Vegas 2017. take the pawn. 15...cxd4 16.Bxd4 Bc5 17.Nxe4
12.Nxe5 Bxe4 18.Bxe4 Bxd4 19.cxd4 Qxd4 20.b4! The key
move! Black loses material. 20...Rce8 (20...Nxe4
21.Rxe4 Qd5 22.bxa5 Rfe8 23.Qe1 f6 24.Rd1 Qe6
25.f4±) 21.Nf3 Qc3 22.Re3 Nxe4 23.Rxc3 Nxc3
24.Qd3+– Carlsson, P (2501)-Lie, E (2428) Oslo
2008.
15.Bf4!

White goes for the pawn, but now in a

different way!
15.Qb1?! Now the game becomes very
forced. 15...cxd4 16.Bxd4 Bd6! 17.Ng4 Nxg4
18.hxg4 Bh2+ 19.Kh1

12...c5

12...Bb7?! Black simply loses a pawn.

13.Nd2 c5 14.Nxe4 cxd4 15.cxd4 Nxe4 16.Bxe4
Bxe4 17.Rxe4± Maybe the position is not so easy
to win but White has a healthy extra pawn.
13.Be3!

White should try to place his pieces on the

best squares. Later White can play with Nd2 and
151

19...Bf4! The most accurate. (19...f5
20.gxf5 Bf4 21.Nf1 Rxf5 22.Bxe4 Rh5+ 23.Kg1
Bh2+ 24.Nxh2 Qxh2+ 25.Kf1 Qf4 26.Bxb7 Nxb7
27.Qd3² Kononenko, D (2502)-Gajewski, G
(2575) Pardubice 2008) 20.Nf1!N (20.Nxe4 f5
21.gxf5 Rxf5ƒ) 20...f5 21.Kg1 Nc6∞
15...cxd4 16.Nxe4
16.Ng6!?N White could also take the
exchange. 16...Bd6 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Nxf8 d3
19.Nxh7 Kxh7 20.Bb3 According to the engine
White is better, but in a practical game this is not
so easy to evaluate.
16...Nd5
The best practical try.
16...Nxe4 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 18.Rxe4 Bd6
19.Qxd4±
17.Bg3 f5
This
is the critical moment. Some games reached this
position and White lost control of the situation. It
152
is important to play
18.b4!N
This move is difficult to find if you don’t
know it beforehand.
18.Ng6? Qc6 19.Nxf8 Rxf8 20.Qxd4 Nc4
21.a4? (21.b3 Na3 22.Bd1 fxe4 23.Qxe4 White is
still better, but the situation remains unclear.)
21...Nf6!µ Stevic the hero managed to win again
with this variation in Almasi, Z (2674)-Stevic, H
(2571) Plovdiv 2008.
18...fxe4
a) 18...Nc4? White wins material after
19.Nxc4 Qxc4 20.Nc5! Bxc5 21.Bb3 Qxc3
22.bxc5 Qxc5 23.Rc1 Qb6 24.Qf3 Rad8
25.Bc7!+–.
b) 18...f4 19.Qh5! g6 20.Nxg6+–.
19.bxa5! Nxc3 20.Bb3+ Bd5
20...Kh8 21.Qh5+–.
21.Bxd5+ Nxd5 22.Rc1 Qb7 23.Qxd4
The pawn on e4 will fall soon. White is
almost winning.
CONCLUSION
The Gajewski Gambit is simply bad. It was
really interesting many years ago when the
computers were not so strong and people didn’t
know it, but nowadays this should not work. White
should remember a few important things:
1. 11.d4! Instead of taking the pawn, it is
better to fight for the initiative.
2. 13.Be3 and 15.Bf4 in the main line. It is
not easy to explain why; sometimes in chess we
just need to remember!
3. 18.b4!N and White is almost winning.
2
10...c5 11.d4 d5
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 d5
This is very similar to the Gajewski
gambit. If you paid attention to the previous
chapter, it won’t be difficult for you to guess the
best move...
 12.Nxe5!
The best move according to the engine.
a) 12.dxe5!? Actually, maybe this is better
from the practical point of view. If you are lazy,
you can be happy with this line! 12...Nxe4
13.Nbd2
13...Nxd2 (13...Bf5 14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.Bxe4
dxe4 16.Nd2 Qd5 17.Rxe4 Rad8 Black has some
activity but after 18.Qe1 Nc6 19.Nf3 White is
better.) 14.Qxd2 Be6 15.Qf4! This is also good for
White.
b) 12.exd5 exd4 13.cxd4 Nxd5 14.Qd3!?
g6 15.dxc5 Bf5 16.Qe2 Bxc2 17.Qxc2² This is
good for White as well.
12...Nxe4
153
12...dxe4 13.Be3 transposes into the
Gajewski Gambit.
13.Nd2!N
13.dxc5? Bxc5 14.Be3 Bxe3 15.Rxe3 Qf6
16.Bxe4 dxe4 17.Rxe4 Bb7© ½–½ (37) Yagupov,
I (2501)-Riazantsev, A (2623) Miass 2007.
13...f5 14.Nb3!
This
move is the difficult one. It seems that Black
cannot keep his position together.
14...Bh4
The trickiest try.
14...Nxb3 15.Nc6! (15.axb3!? Bd6
16.Nf3²) 15...Qd6 16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.axb3±
15.g3 Nxb3 16.axb3 Bf6
 more than 10 times!
12.d5!

This is the typical idea against the bishop

on b7. 12.Nbd2?! Many people have played like
this but now Black’s play is justified. 12...cxd4
13.cxd4 exd4 14.Nxd4 Re8!= Black has got a
good version of the ...cxd4 and ...exd4 positions.
12...Nc4

The bishop is misplaced on b7. At least

let’s try to improve the position of the knight! This
is the only independent try.
12...Qc7 13.Nbd2 is checked in 11...Qc7
Now
(chapter 2).
White cannot play Nc6 and take the bishop but
13.a4 Nb6 14.b3!
there is a nice opportunity.
17.b4! cxd4 18.Nc6 Qd7 19.Nxd4²

CONCLUSION

11...d5 is simply bad. Taking on e5 with

the knight or with the pawn are both good. It
depends on your taste!
3
10...c5 11.d4 Bb7 (Romanishin)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Bb7?!
The
main position of the Romanishin variation.
14...Bc8

Rapport and Romanishin play like this.

a) 14...c4?! This was one of Romanishin’s
first tries, but it is not good. 15.bxc4 Nxc4 16.Na3!
Qc7 17.Nxc4 Qxc4 Now White has two different
ways to fight for advantage.

This
move has been played by many grandmasters, in
the past and now! With his last move Black puts
pressure in the centre. This move is directed
against the players who like to play with the open
centre. Grandmaster Romanishin has played it
154
 18.Qd3!? (18.Ra3!? Qc7 19.axb5 axb5
20.Rb3 Rfb8 21.Bg5 Bc8 22.Bd3 Bd7 23.Qe2±
1–0 (44) Tringov, G (2430)-Romanishin, O (2550)
Stara Pazova 1988) 18...Qxd3 19.Bxd3 Nd7
20.Be3 f5 21.exf5 Nf6 22.axb5 axb5 23.Bxb5±
1–0 (64) Khalifman, A (2630)-Beliavsky, A
(2655) Reykjavik 1991;
b) 14...Nxe4 A speculative sacrifice.
15.Bxe4 f5 16.Bd3
16...e4 (16...Nxd5 17.axb5 axb5 18.Rxa8
Bxa8 19.Bxb5 Nc7 20.Bf1! Other bishop moves
were good as well, but I would like to keep my
king safe. 20...e4 21.Nfd2 d5 22.Na3 Ne6 23.Bb2
Bc6 24.b4! Breaking up the pawns. 24...Bd6
25.Nb5 Bxb5 26.Bxb5± 1–0 (34) Kuznetsov,
A-Ivanov, B ICCF email 2009) 17.axb5! (17.c4!?
bxc4 18.bxc4 exf3 19.Qxf3 g6 20.Nd2² 1–0 (33)
Kovalevskaya, E (2451)-Bezgodova, S (2268)
Elista 2000) 17...exd3 18.bxa6 Bxd5 19.Qxd3 Be4
20.Qd1± The pawn on a6 is very annoying and
Black is not able to create threats yet.
15.Qe2 Bd7
155
16.Be3!
This is an interesting move with a
positional trap. It should be enough for an
advantage.
16.c4!? This was played by Kasparov and
it is good as well. 16...b4 17.Nbd2 g6 18.Nf1
18...Nh5? (18...Bc8!? 19.Bh6 Re8 20.Ng3
Nbd7 I’m not sure how this position can be
cracked, to be honest.) 19.g4! Nf4 20.Bxf4 exf4
21.Qd2 Bf6 22.e5 dxe5 23.Nxe5 Bg5 24.Nh2 a5
25.Nhf3± 1–0 (43) Kasparov, G (2849)-Grischuk,
A (2663) Cannes 2001.
16...bxa4
16...Qc7N Black tries to keep the position
together but White plays 17.Nh2! Rfb8 18.a5! Nc8
19.f4!±.
17.bxa4 Qe8
 The Romanishin variation has been played
for many years but in my opinion is not really
good. The plan with b3, a4, Qe2 and Be3 puts
Black in a very difficult situation. I don’t believe
that Rapport will keep on trying this idea with
Black. If he does hopefully you will be on the
White side!

18.Qd1!N

This is the move that White hadn’t found

yet.
18.a5?! Bb5 19.Bd3 Bxd3 20.Qxd3 Qb5
21.Qc2 Nc4∞ 0–1 (65) Saric, I (2668)-Rapport, R
(2752) Monzon 2016.
18...Nc4 19.Bc1

It may look as though White is playing

badly, but that is not the case. The b-file can only
be in White’s favour. In the future, the c4 square
will be weak and White will make use of it.
19...a5 20.Nfd2 Nb6

21.Nf1

21.c4!? with the idea of Nc3-b5 is strong as

well.
21...Rb8 22.Nbd2 Qc8 23.Ne3±

CONCLUSION OF CHAPTER 1
156
 CHAPTER 2.

11...Qc7 12.d5

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 0-0 7.Bb3 b5 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.d5!?

12.d5!?

The only good a lternative to 12.Nbd2.

White wants to play a slow game. In this kind of
position, normally the player who knows the plans
better wins. Great players like Kasparov and
Topalov liked to play this.
a) 12.a4?! Bd7! 13.Na3 cxd4! 14.cxd4 b4³.
b) 12.b3?! cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6! 14.Bb2 Nb4
and Black gets the bishop and a comfortable
position.
12...Nc4

This move has been played many times,

Contents but in my opinion it is not so good.
Black considers that the knight on a5 will
be better placed on b6, but this is not so clear. At
1. 12...-- the same time, White gains some important tempi
2. 12...Bd7! on the queenside.
a) 12...Nd7 will be checked in the
Graf-Anton variation.
1 b) 12...Bd7! will be the subject of the next
12...-- subchapter.
c) 12...c4? A bad positional move. 13.b4!
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 cxb3 14.axb3 Bd7 15.Bd3 Rfb8
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 0-0 7.Bb3 b5 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7

157

16.Re2! A very nice move. White wants to
play Ra2, push the knight back to b7 and later play
b4. 16...Nb7 17.b4 Qc8 18.Rea2 Nd8 19.Ra3 Ne8
20.Nbd2± 1–0 (49) Gashimov, V (2734)-Inarkiev,
E (2669) Astrakhan 2010.
d) 12...Ne8 Black wants to play...f5 as fast
as possible.
13.b3! (13.a4?! c4! 14.Nbd2 Bd7=) 13...g6
14.a4N No one has played like this, but this is the
most normal move. White threatens axb5 followed
by b4. (14.Nh2?! Ng7 15.g4 Nb7 16.a4 Bd7
17.Be3 Rab8= 0–1 (33) Lee, A (2271)-Bojkov, D
(2544) Berkeley 2011) 14...Rb8
158
Now
we reach a very interesting position which the
engines normally don’t understand. 15.b4! Not the
best according to the engine, but the most
practical. White opens the queenside. (15.axb5
axb5 16.Bh6 Ng7 17.Nbd2 Bd7 18.Ra2 The
engine at first is really happy with White’s control
of the a-file, but after Rubinstein’s manoeuvre
things are not so clear. 18...Nb7 19.Qe2 Ra8
20.Rea1 Rxa2 21.Rxa2 Rb8 22.Qd1 Nd8 23.Qa1
f6= White has the file, but nothing can be attacked
there. Meanwhile, Black improves his position
slowly. The position is more or less balanced.)
15...cxb4 16.cxb4 Nc4 17.axb5 axb5 18.Bh6 Ng7
19.Qe2²
White
will play Nc3 and at the right moment will take on
c4 with advantage.
Back to 12...Nc4?!.
 13.b3!
It’s very important to start like this, to
force the knight to go to b6.
13.a4?! Bd7 14.b3 Na5! This is the key
move. The knight finds a nice outpost on a5. From
there, it will be able to control the b3 and c4
squares.
15.Nbd2 (15.axb5?! Never give up the
tension if you are not forced to! 15...axb5 16.Nbd2
g6! A very important and typical move. Black
plans ...Nh5. In this game the Russian grandmaster
Kuzmin shows with great class how this position
should be played with Black. 17.Nf1 Nh5 18.Bh6
Rfe8 19.N3h2 Qd8 20.Qd2 Nf4 21.Nf3 Bf6
22.Ne3 Qc8 23.h4 c4 24.b4 Nb3 25.Bxb3 Rxa1
26.Rxa1 cxb3 27.Kh2 Bh3! 28.Ng1 Bxg2 29.Nxg2
Nxg2 30.Kxg2 Qg4+ 31.Kf1 Qxh4µ 0–1 (40)
Psakhis, L (2535)-Kuzmin, G (2530) Krasnoyarsk
1980) 15...g6! 16.Ra2
159
16...Rfb8? (16...Rfc8!? was more accurate.
17.b4 cxb4 18.cxb4 Nc4!=) 17.b4! Nb7 Standard
play, but mistaken. (17...cxb4 18.cxb4 Nc4 19.a5!
Now Black has his rooks on the wrong squares,
although probably this was still better than the
game.) 18.a5! Nh5 19.Nf1 Bf6 20.Ne3 Bg7
21.Bd3 Rc8 22.Bf1 cxb4 23.cxb4² ½–½ (46)
Korneev, O (2565)-Kaiumov, D (2430) Jakarta
1997.
13...Nb6 14.a4!
14...Bd7
Black should keep the tension.
14...c4?! 15.axb5 axb5 (15...cxb3?!
16.Bd3²) 16.Rxa8 Nxa8 Here I didn’t find the right
way. 17.bxc4!N (17.Ba3!? I’m still better, but not
as much as with the main move. 17...Nd7 18.Bb4
Nc5 19.bxc4 bxc4 20.Nbd2 Na6 21.Ba3 Nb6
22.Qb1² ½-½ (69) Salgado Lopez, I
(2456)-Iuldachev, S (2508) Benasque 2007)
17...bxc4 18.Be3± The c4-pawn will be a
permanent weakness. the problem is that after 21...Nxg3 22.fxg3 Ne7
15.a5! Nc8 23.Rf1 f6 White is slightly better, but is not
possible to break into Black’s position so easily.
The game was drawn later in Kasparov, G
(2838)-Ivanchuk, V (2711) Prague 2002) 21...Nf4
Not good, but otherwise Black is totally paralyzed.
(For example: 21...Bxh6 22.Qxh6 Nf6 23.Ng3 is
just a decisive advantage for White.) 22.Bxf4 exf4
23.Qxf4 Bg7 24.Re3+–

This
position is better for White. Now he should decide
what to do with the pawns on the queenside. It’s
possible to play with c4 or with b4. I will show
you two model games by very strong players.
16.b4
Black
16.c4 b4 17.Nbd2 Grischuk, A has no compensation because the knight on c8 is
(2761)-Rapport, R (2694) Geneva 2017. You have extremely badly placed.
already checked this in the first part of the book. 18.g4!N
16...c4 17.Nbd2

Now Kasparov plays standard moves.

17...Ne8!?

Black tries to play with ...f5 and to create a

weakness on the kingside.
17...g6 18.Nf1 Nh5 19.Bh6 Re8 20.Qd2
Bf8

White
should control the possible breakthrough ...f5.
18.Nf1?! f5 19.exf5 Bxf5 20.Bxf5 Rxf5

21.g4!N (21.Ng3?! This looks normal, but

160
 This
looks like a slightly better position for White, but
the weakness on d5 means his life will not be so
easy. 21.Ng3 Rf8 22.Be3 Bd8 23.Ra2 Qf7 24.Rd2
h6 25.Qc2 Ne7 26.Bc5 Ng6 27.Be3 Bc7 28.Nh2
½–½ Debevec, B (2310)-Malyshev, V (2374)
ICCF email 2008.
18...h5!?
The only chance. If White manages to play
Nf1–g3 Black won’t be able to move.
19.gxh5 Bxh3 20.Nh2 Bg5 21.Kh1²
White
will have a strong initiative on the kingside.
2
12...Bd7!
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 0-0 7.Bb3 b5 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.d5!? Bd7!
161
The
most logical move. Black doesn’t show his cards.
13.b3
White keeps the knight out of c4. At some
point he will play a4, but it is not yet clear when.
The knight is not on d2 and this gives White two
extra possibilities: 1) To play with Na3 and put
pressure on b5, and 2) The c1-bishop can develop
on the next move. Normally the bishop needs to
wait until White plays Nf1. 13.Nbd2?! It doesn’t
make sense to play Nbd2 now, as the idea of
playing d4-d5 with the knight on b1 is to put
pressure on the b5-pawn with Na3 at the right
moment. 13...c4! will be checked in the 12.Nbd2
Bd7 chapter.
13...g6
I like this move the most. Black always
needs this in order to play ...Nh5, so better play it
now! There are no concrete lines so I will simply
show some games.
a) 13...c4?! A positionally bad move.
14.b4! Nb7 15.a4!

15...g6 (15...a5 16.axb5 axb4 17.Rxa8
Rxa8 18.cxb4 Bxb5 19.Nc3± 1–0 (33) Kanarek, M
(2453)-Kowalska, S (1828) Koszalin 2009;
15...Kh8 16.Be3 Ng8 17.Nbd2 g6 18.g4! f6
19.Nf1 Rfb8 20.Ng3± 1–0 (87) Marholev, D
(2401)-Umanec, F (2198) Prague 2011) 16.Be3
Rfb8
17.a5!? (17.Nbd2 Keeping the tension is
good as well, and probably more practical.)
17...Nh5 18.Nbd2 Bf8 19.Nf1 Re8 20.Qd2± White
was better but in a mail game is not easy to win
this position. Pirs, M (2506)-Tauscher, K (2408)
Remote email 2013.
b) 13...Nb7!?
162
Black
starts the Rubinstein manoeuvre. Black is fine, I
didn’t find the way to crack the position. Most of
the people play this and I didn’t find any problem.
14.a4!? This is the only plan that makes sense to
me if you want to play with 12.d5.
b1) 14.Be3?! This move doesn’t put any
pressure on Black. 14...g6! (14...c4?! 15.b4 a5
16.a4! bxa4 17.Na3 Black has only created weak
pawns on the queenside and in the future White
will collect them.) 15.Nbd2 Nh5
16.Bd3 (16.g4 Nf4 17.Bxf4 exf4 18.e5
Rae8 19.Qe2 Bd8µ 0–1 (51) Kleijn, C (2424)-Bok,
B (2469) Belgium 2010) 16...Bf6 17.Kh2 Bg7
18.Rc1 Rae8 19.g3 Qc8 20.Ng1 f5!„ ½–½ (54)
Boruchovsky, A (2542)-Grandelius, N (2649)
Gjakova 2016;
b2) 14.Nbd2 Nd8 15.Nf1 Ne8 16.g4 g6
17.Ng3 Ng7 18.Nh2 f6 19.f4 exf4 20.Bxf4 Nf7=
½–½ (41) Karjakin, S (2786)-Hansen, T (2450)
Tromso 2014;
b3) 14.c4?! As you already know, I don’t
like this plan when Black’s knight is going to f7.
14...g6! 15.Nc3 Nh5 16.Ne2 f6 17.g4 Ng7 18.Ng3
Nd8 19.Be3 Nf7 20.Qd2 Rfb8= ½–½ (45) Costa
Trillo, V (2293)-Santamaria Perez, T (2364) ICCF
email 2016.
14...Rfb8
15.Na3! (15.Nbd2 g6! A typical position
where Black is fine.) 15...g6! This way of getting
the knight to g7 is much more active. (15...Ne8
16.Qe2 Nd8 17.Bd2 g6 18.Nh2 f6 19.c4 bxa4
20.bxa4 Nf7= Hracek, Z (2607)-Nikolic, P (2661)
Selfoss 2002) 16.Bg5!? Qd8 To be followed by
...Nh5. Black has no problems at all.
Back to 13...g6.
14.Bg5
14.Bh6 Rfb8! 15.Nbd2 Nh5 16.Nf1 Nb7
17.Qd2 c4 18.b4 a5 19.a3 Ra6 20.g4 Ng7 21.Ng3
Rba8 22.Rac1 axb4 23.axb4 Nd8 24.Nh2 f6
25.Be3 Nf7³ 0–1 (72) Collins, S (2431)-Zhang, Z
(2582) Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.
14...Rfe8 15.Nbd2 Nb7 16.Bd3 Nh5!
17.Be3 Bf8=
163
Black
is ready for ...Bg7 and in the future can play with
...Nf4. He has no problems.
17...Ng7 18.Bf1 f6 is good as well.
11...Qc7
CONCLUSION
When White does not play 12.Nbd2, these
other moves don’t set problems for Black —
12.Nbd2 is the best move by far.
1. 12.a4 Bd7! And White has only created
weaknesses on the queenside.
2. 12.b3 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6. Black gets the
pair of bishops and is completely fine.
3. 12.d5!? This move has been quite
popular. Many strong players played it with White
but somehow this variation has not been checked
in recent years and even the best players in the
world are not familiar with the best setups and
pawn moves. Let me refresh you these ideas:
a. If you are Black, be careful with the
move ...c4. Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is
bad — it depends very much of the position, so be
careful!
b. If you are White you should try to create
some pressure on the queenside with Na3.
Otherwise, it is better to play 12.Nbd2!
c. Black’s best setup is ...g6 and ...Nh5
ALWAYS! (I don’t like to say this word, but in
this case I see it constantly). Then Black decides
whether the standard plan with ...Ng7, ...f6 and
...Nd8–f7 is good or it might be better to try
something faster with ...Bf6 and ...Nf4. The engine
likes White almost all the time but please, don’t
trust it! In these closed positions the engine
sometimes is very stupid. But once you show it the
good plan, it starts to understand that the space
advantage is not as good as it had thought. In my
opinion, White can’t fight for the advantage with
12.d5 if Black is ready. Moreover, once you know
what to do with Black, it is very easy to play!

164
 CHAPTER 3.

11...Qc7 12.Nbd2, ROOK MOVES AND

12...cxd4

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2
12...Re8!

The better of the two rook moves.

12...Rd8?! This move is quite popular, with
675 games in my database. Some grandmasters
have played it quite often, including top ones like
Almasi. If you remember the ...exd4 chapter, you
know that White is better with 13.b4! Nc6
(13...cxb4 14.cxb4 We already checked this.)
14.d5 cxb4 (The sacrifice is obviously not forced,
but if Black plays 14...Nb8 he’s just clearly worse
because of the lack of space for his pieces. For
example 15.Nb3±, White takes the a5-square
under control and plans to play a4 in the near
future.) 15.dxc6 bxc3 16.Nf1 Qxc6 17.Ne3!±
Contents

1. 12...Re8, 12...Rd8
2. 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6, 13...Bb7
3. 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Re8, 13...Rd8
4. 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Bd7

1
12...Re8, 12...Rd8

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
Black
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2
doesn’t have enough compensation for the piece.
13.b4!

This move seems to be good here as well!

13...cxb4 14.cxb4 Nc6

165
 Now
White gets the advantage with two different
approaches.
15.Bb2!
This idea is better here. Now Black doesn’t
have ...d5 ideas because the rook is on e8. 15.a3
White plays the same as in the 12...Rd8 variation.
15...exd4 16.Bb2
16...Nd7 (16...Bb7 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4
Nd7 19.Rc1 Qd8 20.a4 Ne5 21.Bb3² ½–½ (35)
Szczepanski, Z (2461)-Szabo, V (2386) LSS email
2011) 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Bf6 19.Nb3² In this
typical position Black can only dream of
defending well and making a draw.
15...Nh5!
The best chance to seek counterplay.
15...exd4 16.Nxd4 Nxd4 17.Bxd4
166
17...Be6!?N (17...Bb7?! A few times
players have agreed a draw in this position but
after 18.Bb3! Rac8 19.Re3 Black’s position looks
terrible. All White’s pieces are on the best squares
and Black cannot create any counterplay against
the e-pawn.) 18.Rc1 Qb7 19.Nb3²
16.Rc1 Nf4 17.Bb1
17...Qd7
17...Bxh3!? Looks tempting, but White is
better after 18.gxh3 Qd7 19.Re3! Nxh3+ 20.Kf1
and Black doesn’t have enough compensation for
the piece.
18.Nf1
 18...Nxb4
18...Bf6!?N might be the safest. Black
doesn’t risk a thing and puts pressure in the centre.
19.d5 Ne7 20.Ne3 Neg6 21.Bc3 White is better
but Black’s position is not so easy to crack.
18...exd4?! 19.Nxd4 Ne5 20.Nf5 g6
21.Rc3!! (21.Nxe7+ Qxe7 Now it’s
difficult for White to fight against Black’s strong
knights.) 21...gxf5 22.Rg3+ Kh8 (22...Kf8
23.Qc1!+–) 23.exf5 Bh4 24.Rg4! Nxh3+ 25.gxh3
Bf6
167
26.Bxe5! White has no other way to
increase the pressure. (26.Rg3 Bb7=) 26...Rxe5
27.Rxe5 dxe5 (27...Bxe5? 28.f6! To be followed
by Qd3 with mate.) 28.Qc1 Bb7 29.Qh6 Qd8
30.Nd2
The
position is clarified. Black is completely tied up
and Be4 is coming for White. After he exchanges
the bishops and installs the knight on e4, the game
is over. The only chance for Black is 30...Rc8
31.Be4 Rc1+ 32.Nf1 Bxe4 33.Qxc1 Bxf5 34.Rg3
where Black’s weak king makes the position better
for White.
19.Ne3!
 White
is a pawn dawn but all his pieces are very well White
placed. Black needs to be very accurate to hold the will follow up with gxf5 and Re6 at the right
position. moment, sacrificing the exchange if necessary.
19...Nc6 20.Nd5! The position looks really hard to defend.
CONCLUSION OF 12...Re8 AND
20.dxe5?! Nxe5 21.Nxe5 dxe5 22.Bxe5 12...Rd8
Qxd1 23.Rcxd1 Ng6=
20...Nxd5
These moves are not so popular, but
20...Nxg2!? 21.Kxg2 Qxh3+ 22.Kg1 Bg4 normally White doesn’t know how to play against
23.Re3 Qh5 24.Qd3± them. The universal system I offer against both
21.exd5 Nxd4 22.Nxd4 exd4 23.Qxd4 Bf8 with 13.b4 is simply very good for White in my
opinion. Black should think about doing
something else instead of moving the rooks so
early!
2
12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6, 13...Bb7

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4

Here
White has two options to fight for an advantage.
24.Qd3!?N

24.Re4!? Rxe4 25.Qxe4 f5 26.Qf4 a5

27.g3 b4 28.Rxc8 Qxc8 29.Bxf5 Qe8 30.Qh4 h6
31.Kg2 Rb8 32.Qg4 Rb7 33.h4± ½–½ (81)
Romanov, R (2410)-Cernovsky, K (2344) ICCF
email 2013.
24...Rxe1+ 25.Rxe1 f5 26.g4
168
 13...Nc6
For many years this has been one of the
most played variations. Black wants to force
White to define the situation in the centre as soon
as possible.
13...Bb7?! 14.d5! This kind of move
should be played without thinking. Immediately
the knight on a5 and the bishop on b7 are out of
play. 14...Rac8 15.Bd3!
The
easiest and the best, in my opinion. Here we will
follow a game by my colleague. 15...Nd7 16.Nf1
Nc5 (16...f5?! 17.b3! f4 18.Bd2± Black’s attack on
the kingside is far away and White won’t have any
problems to open the queenside at the right
moment.) 17.b3!
White
should not be afraid of giving up the bishop. The
most important thing is to keep the bishop on b7
out of the game. 17...f5 (17...Nxd3 18.Qxd3±
White will follow up with Ng3, Bd2 and Rc1,
gaining a much better position.) 18.exf5 Bf6
(18...Bxd5?! 19.Be2! This is the important point!
169
19...Bb7 20.b4+–) 19.Be4 (19.Bc2! was even
better, although the variations are not so clear.)
19...Qf7 20.Ng3 Nxe4 21.Nxe4 Qxd5 22.Bd2±
1–0 (36) Kramnik, V (2754)-Sokolov, I (2685)
Wijk aan Zee 2005.
14.Nb3!
By far the best way to keep the tension.
a) 14.d5?! Nb4 15.Bb1 a5! Black has
perfect squares for his pieces. 16.Nf1 Bd7 17.Bd2
Rfc8 18.Ne3 Na6!³ Adams, M (2505)-Ivanchuk, V
(2660) Lucerne 1989.
b) 14.a3
An
interesting waiting move. White wants to play d5
on the next move, when Black cannot play ...Nb4.
Kramnik, Anand and Caruana among others have
made use of this move. 14...exd4 15.Nb3 Re8!
Almost no games have been played with this, but
it is the most logical move by far. Black
immediately puts pressure on e4. 16.Nbxd4 Nxd4
17.Nxd4 Bb7
We
reach a typical position where the activity on the
e-file compensates for the weakness of the
d-pawn. 18.Bf4 Bf8 19.Rc1 Qb6 20.Be3 Qd8=
Ivanchuk, V (2746)-Svidler, P (2726) Dagomys
2009.
c) 14.Nf1?! Nxd4 15.Nxd4 exd4=
14...a5

19.Bd3! The real fight is on the queenside!

(19.Ba2?! This appears to be the right square for
the bishop, but it is not! 19...Rac8 20.Rc1 Qb7
21.Qe2 Rfe8= White cannot exert any pressure.
Now the engine decides that is time to play
Bb1–d3...) 19...Qb7 20.Qe2 White has developed
all the pieces to the best squares. 20...Rfe8!
15.Be3

Once again this is the only way to keep the

tension.
15.d5?! Nb4! 16.Bb1 a4=
15...a4 16.Nbd2

This position is critical. Now Black has

two options: play with ...Nb4 and force White to
play a3 in the future, or play without ...Nb4.
16.Nc1?! The knight here is completely misplaced.
16...Bb7! This forces d5, but Black is in time with
the counterplay. 17.d5 Nb4 18.Bb1 Rfc8! 19.Re2
Na6 Following the typical plans with ...Bd8, Black
Black
will have a completely satisfactory position.
holds the position with tactics. (20...Rab8?!
16...Bd7
21.Rab1! The rook is ready to enter into the game
after b3! 21...Rfe8 22.b3²) 21.Rac1! An impor ta
This is the main line.
nt move, directed against Black’s counterplay with
a) 16...Nb4!? 17.Bb1 Bd7 18.a3 Nc6
...b4. The great Anatoly Karpov already played
like this. (21.d5?! Na5=; 21.Bxb5? Nxd4 22.Nxd4
exd4 23.Bxd7 dxe3 24.Bxe8 exd2³; 21.Rab1 exd4
22.Nxd4 b4! Black should be faster than White
with the counterplay on the queenside. 23.Nxc6
Bxc6 24.Bd4 Bd8 25.axb4 Qxb4 26.Bc3 Qb7=)
21...Rab8! (21...exd4N 22.Nxd4 Rab8 23.f4!²
After this move, ...d5 is not possible any more.
Black should be able to put pressure on e4, but
actually this is not possible. 23...Nxd4 24.Bxd4
Bc6 25.Kh2 Bd8 26.b4!±) 22.dxe5!
170
 The
typical way to handle the position. (22.Nf1?! exd4
23.Nxd4 Bf8=) 22...dxe5 (22...Nxe5 23.Nxe5 dxe5
24.Nf3 Bd6 25.Bc5² White has a small but stable
edge.) 23.Bc5! we need the c5 square for our rook.
(Instead 23.Nb1?! b4! would have been
complicated, while 23...Bd8 was Karpov — Hort.
After many complications, Karpov won.)
23...Bxc5 (23...Nh5?! 24.g3! Probably this is the
move that Karpov didn’t see. 24...Bxh3 25.Bxe7
Rxe7 26.Ng5!+–) 24.Rxc5²;
b) 16...Re8!?N It’s incredible, but I
couldn’t find any game with this typical move!
17.Rc1 Qb7 18.Nf1 Nb4 19.Bb1 These are
the normal moves for White in this variation, but
now comes 19...Be6! This is the difference! Black
forces White to define the central position with d5.
20.d5 Bd7 21.Qd2 Na6
171
Once
again, the engine considers that White is better,
but I’m not sure. Only practice can show us the
path. One possible variation would be 22.Ng3 g6
23.Bd3 Bf8 24.b4 The only plan I could find for
White. 24...axb3 25.axb3 Nc5= Black has a good
King’s Indian! Only the future will say if my
novelty 16...Re8 is good enough to set problems
for White!
17.Rc1 Qb7
The
idea is clear, both sides keep the tension. The one
who finds the most useful moves is better. White’s
idea is to play dxe5 at the right moment and get
some advantage on the c-file, as you should
already know!
18.Nf1!
Here Black has many moves. This is
considered to be one of the main positions in the
Chigorin! Once again, I consider myself ready to
offer new ideas to the variation.
18.Qe2?! The queen was misplaced and
even Kramnik didn’t manage to get an advantage
here. 18...Rfe8! 19.Bd3 Rab8 20.dxe5 Nxe5
21.Nxe5 dxe5 22.Bc5 Bc6 23.Bxe7 Rxe7 24.Nf3
h6 25.Rc5 Nd7 26.Rc3 Re6 27.Rec1 Rd8 28.Qc2
Nf6 29.Nxe5 Bxe4 30.Bxe4 Qxe4 31.Qxe4 Nxe4
32.Rc8= ½-½ (53) Kramnik, V (2753)-Adams, M
(2737) Sofia 2005.
18...Nb4!
a) 18...Rfe8 19.Ng3 Bd8 20.Qe2
Many
games have reached this positions but the pattern
is always the same. I will show only one game.
20...h6 21.dxe5! dxe5 22.Bd3 Nb4 23.Bb1!
(23.Rc5?! Nxd3 24.Qxd3 Ba5 25.Bd2 Bb6
26.Rxe5 Rxe5 27.Nxe5 Be6 28.Qf3 Bd4 29.Nd3
Rd8© ½–½ (44) Dominguez Perez, L
(2713)-Svidler, P (2750) Nice 2010) 23...Nc6
24.Nh4² White now has the advantage on both
sides of the board.
b) 18...Rac8 19.Ng3 Rfe8 20.b3! axb3
21.Bxb3²
c) 18...Bd8 19.Ng3 Ba5 20.Rf1²
Black
172
should be careful with the kingside.
19.Bb1
19...Be6!N
Once again this idea! I like this the most. If
Black does not play this, White will simply place
every piece on the best square and take on e5 at
the right moment.
20.d5
20.a3 Bb3 21.Qd2 Na2! Great setup!
22.Rcd1 b4! Black is doing fine.
20...Bd7
Again this kind of position appears on the
board. According to the engine White is better but
I’m not sure at all. Practical tests are needed. I will
try to show some ideas.
21.Qd2 Na6 22.Ng3 Rfc8 23.Bd3!
The
typical way of improving the bishop.
 23...Bd8 24.b4! axb3 25.axb3 Bb6
26.Rxc8+ Rxc8 27.Bxb6 Qxb6 28.b4
With
Ra1 to follow, probably White is slightly better,
but not much. Black is very solid as well and if he
manages to play ...f5 in the future he could be
better!
3
12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Re8, 13...Rd8
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4
13...Re8
Black keeps the situation flexible once
again. This move has been played by Voiculescu,
a strong correspondence chess player, and with
good results!
13...Rd8 A very interesting move. Black
aims for ...d5 if White is not careful. Many
173
grandmasters have played this variation. The one
who is playing it the most is Ilya Smirin, he even
had a game in 2018. 14.b4! This concrete
approach should be checked always. I found only
12 games and White has great results! The only
strong grandmaster who played like this was
Sergey Zhigalko. Normally he is well prepared, so
it makes sense to trust him! Almost nobody knows
this, so maybe it will earn you a point! I will not
analyze the other options really deeply. If you
know 14.b4! it’s enough for White, and enough for
Black to play something different! (14.b3 Almost
everyone plays like this but after 14...Bb7 15.Bb2
Nc6 16.Rc1 Qb6 there are many games with this
position and I’m not sure how good it is for White;
14.Nf1 The standard move 14...Nc6! 15.Be3 d5!
Black is completely fine; 14.d5 Bd7 15.Bd3 Nb7
A typical closed position where Black is more or
less all right.) 14...Nc6 (14...Nc4?! 15.Nxc4 bxc4
16.d5! The pawn on c4 will be weak. Zhigalko
played excellently in the following game. 16...Bd7
17.a4 Nh5 18.Re3! The rook goes to c3, the best
square in the position. 18...Nf4 19.Rc3 Rdc8
20.Rb1 Bd8 21.Bxf4 exf4 22.Bd3± The pawn on
c4 will fall. White won later in Zhigalko, S (2651)
-Meribanov, V (2409) Minsk 2013) 15.a3!
White
plays calmly. Now d5 is a threat, so Black should
do something. (15.Bb3 This is tempting, playing in
gambit style and speeding up the development, but
Black seems to have the strong move 15...a5!
16.bxa5 Nxa5 17.Ba3 Qb7 To be followed by
...Nxb3 at the right moment, Black is fine.) 15...d5
The most interesting option, although White’s next
move is very strong...
[15...Nxd4 16.Nxd4 exd4 17.Bb2 Bb7
18.Rc1 Qd7 19.Nb3 Rac8
 development before moving the knight from d2.
14...Bb7!? Black goes for a positional trick.
(14...Nc6 15.Bb2 Bd7 It’s another way of playing
but there are no games yet.) 15.Bb2 (15.d5? Now
this is wrong because of 15...Rac8! 16.Bd3
Qc3–+) 15...Nc6

20.Nxd4!N This is very logical, with Nf5

ideas. (20.Bxd4 Re8 21.Qd3² ½–½ (43) Adair, J
(2481)-Savage, N (1991) West Bromwich 2016)
20...Ne8 21.Qd2± White is planning Bb3 and
Rcd1 with strong pressure; 15...exd4 16.Bb2 Nd7
17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4² A typical Keres position
where White has everything under control.]
16.Bb2!N
16.Nf1! The most logical move, in my
opinion. If White does not need to define the
central position, it is better not to.
a1) 16.Rc1 Qb6 17.Nf1 Bf8 18.Bb1 exd4
19.Ng3 Ne5 20.Nxd4 d5! was balanced in
Schuetze, M (2427)-Voiculescu, C (2538) ICCF
email 2011;
a2) 16.a4?! White’s pieces are not ready to
create weaknesses on the queenside. 16...Rec8
17.Bd3 Nb4! 18.Bb1 Nc2 19.Bxc2 Qxc2 20.Qxc2
Rxc2 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.Bxe5 Bb4© Barnsley, A
(2472)-Voiculescu, C (2532) ICCF email 2012;
a3) 16.d5!? Nb4! 17.Bb1 a5 18.Qe2

It’s
very difficult to make this kind of move with so
much tension in the centre, but this seems to be
very good! (16.dxe5?! Nxe4 17.Bb2 a5! 18.bxa5
Qxa5 Black is very active; 16.exd5!? Nxd5
17.dxe5 a5! 18.bxa5 Nxa5 With ...Nc4 to follow.
Black has some activity, although after 19.Be4
Rb8 20.Bb2 White is better.) 16...a5 The best,
although the position is bad anyway. (16...exd4
17.e5!±; 16...Nxd4 17.Nxd4 exd4 18.e5±;
16...dxe4? 17.dxe5! exf3 18.exf6+–) 17.exd5
Nxd5 18.bxa5 Nxa5 19.Nxe5±
14.Nf1! 18...Reb8!N I like this move very much.
Black keeps the queenside more stable. At some
a) 14.b3 White simply wants to finish his point, ...Nh5–f4 will be annoying. (18...Rec8 After
174
this move, White managed to create some
problems on the queenside. 19.a3 Na6 20.Bd3 b4
21.axb4 Nxb4 22.Rec1 Qd8 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Nc4
Ba6 25.Bc3 Bxc4 26.Bxc4² Pirhala, L
(2310)-Cernovsky, K (2344) ICCF email 2013)
19.a3 Na6 20.Bd3 b4 21.axb4 Nxb4 22.Rec1 Qd8!
This
is the difference! White doesn’t manage to
exchange the rooks. 23.Bb5 Bc8 Now ...Nd7–c5 is
coming and the position is more or less balanced.
16...Rac8 17.Rc1 Qb6
Now
that White’s bishop is on b2, b6 is a good square
for the queen. There are some games from this
position, and it seems like Black is more or less
fine. 18.Ng3! (18.d5 Nb4 19.Bb1 a5„; 18.Qd2 d5!
This sharp try is working now. 19.dxe5 Bb4
20.Qf4 Bxe1 21.exf6 Qxf2+ 22.Kh2 Nd8 23.Bd4
Ne6 24.Bxf2 Nxf4 25.Nxe1 dxe4 26.Be3 Nd5
27.fxg7 Nxe3 28.Nxe3 Rc3 ½–½ Gueci, A
(2370)-Triay Moll, L (2359) ICCF email 2009)
18...g6 19.Qd2!?
175
A
typical position. Both sides have played very
precisely and found all the useful moves without
defining the position. Here I believe that there is a
better try for Black. 19...a5!N This is an
interesting waiting move, after which White has to
find some plan. (19...Nxd4 20.Nxd4 exd4 21.Bxd4
Qd8 22.Rcd1 Bf8 23.Bb1² Black has managed to
hold this position several times, but in my opinion
it is a bit sad.) 20.Bd3 Now the bishop goes to f1,
in order to put some pressure on the queenside.
20...Nd7 (20...Bf8 21.Bf1 h5 22.d5 Nb8 23.a3
Nbd7 24.b4² Black has a permanent weakness on
b5.) 21.Bf1 Bf6!? 22.d5 Ncb8∞
This
is some kind of King’s Indian where the bishops
on b2 and b7 are misplaced. The engine always
supports White’s position a bit more, but Black
has counter-chances.
b) 14.b4 Nc6 (14...Nc4?! 15.Nxc4 bxc4
16.d5² The c-pawn will be weak in the future.)
15.Bb2 Nh5!
 13...Bd7.
15.Nxd4!

15.a4?! b4 16.Nxd4 Bb7! 17.Bf4 g6

18.Nd2 Rac8= 0–1 (56) Milde, L
(2089)-Voiculescu, C (2538) ICCF email 2011.
15...Bb7

Now
that f4 is not protected, it seems to be interesting to
jump there! 16.a3 Bf6 Black forces d5. 17.d5 Ne7
18.Nf1 Ng6„ Black’s knights are perfectly placed.
His bishops will head for d7 and b6, via d8. In my
view both sides have more or less the same
chances.
Back to 14.Nf1.
This
is the critical position. Black is almost fine, but
with active play White manages to get an
advantage.
16.b3!

Of course, White tries to place the bishop

on the best diagonal. At the same time, this move
restricts the knight on a5.
16.Ng3!? g6 17.Bg5

14...exd4

Black releases the tension. The point is that

now Black can coordinate his forces with ...Re8
and ...Bb7. It is difficult for White to find a big
advantage here.
a) 14...g6N No games with this move!
Black gets ready to play ...exd4 at the right
moment. 15.d5! White has no more useful moves,
so it’s time to close the centre. 15...Bd7 16.Bd3 This
Nb7 17.Be3² White is going to win the battle on is very sharp and probably good as well, although
the queenside. 16.b3 is simpler. 17...Rac8 (17...d5?! Here White
b) 14...Bb7?! 15.d5! The bishop on b7 is has the strong 18.Ndf5!N 18...gxf5 19.Nxf5 Bd8!
really misplaced, as you already know. 20.Re3 Nc4 21.Rg3 Kh8 22.exd5± White is a
c) 14...Bd7 This would transpose to piece down but everything is pointing at the
176
kingside.) 18.Rc1 Nc4 19.b3²
16...Bf8N

The most normal move.

16...d5?! This move is not usually good if
White can push forward with his e-pawn. 17.e5
Ne4 18.Bf4 Nc6 19.Rc1 Qd7 20.Nxb5! axb5
21.Bxe4±
17.Bb2!

My
favourite move in this position. This is the most
flexible square for the bishop and Black connects
the rooks.
14.Nf1

14.b3? Rac8! This is the reason why I like

...Bd7!
14...Rfe8!
This
pawn sacrifice is the key! This move has not been played a lot but in
17.Ng3? d5!= my opinion it gives new live to the 12...cxd4
17...Nxe4 18.Nf5 d5 19.Nh6+ Kh8 20.Ne3 variation. I’m not sure how big White’s advantage
Qf4 21.Bxe4 Qxh6 22.Bxd5 Qg6 23.Qf3² is. Black keeps the position very flexible.
14...Rac8?!

White
is better thanks to his more active pieces. Almost everyone plays this move here, but
4 it is a mistake! White wants to place the knight on
12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Bd7 e3 and with this move, we are simply helping him.
We are not creating real pressure on the c-file.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 Moreover, sometimes the rook on a8 is needed to
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 fight against White’s play on the a-file. 15.Ne3
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Bd7! Rfe8 (15...Bd8 16.Bd2!N 16...Re8 17.Bc3²)
177
16.Bd2! This is the extra possibility that Black
should avoid, and because of that I consider the
14...Rc8 move order a mistake. 16...Nc6 (16...Nc4
17.Nxc4 bxc4 18.Bc3²) 17.d5 Nd4 18.Bd3 Nxf3+
19.Qxf3²
15.b3!

Once again, White keeps all his options

open.
a) 15.Ne3?! Nc6! 16.d5 Nb4 17.Bb1 a5
Black has got a good version of this variation.
b) 15.Ng3 This is the standard plan,
although I’m not a fan of losing the opportunity to
play Ne3. 15...Rac8
Now
White has two possibilities. 16.Re2! White wants
to have the possibility to play with Bb3. Moreover,
d5 on the next move is stronger than it usually is.
[16.Bd3 exd4 (16...Nc6 17.Be3 exd4
18.Nxd4 d5 Again the same idea,but here White is
slightly better. 19.exd5 Nb4 20.Ndf5 Bxf5
21.Nxf5 Nbxd5 22.Bd4²) 17.Nxd4 d5!N A very
sharp try. No games with this but Black equalizes
here!
18.e5
(18.exd5 Bd6 19.Rxe8+ Rxe8 20.Ndf5 Nc4
21.Nxd6 Qxd6 The pawn on d5 will fall and the
position is more or less equal.) 18...Bb4! 19.Re2
Rxe5 20.Bf4 Rxe2 21.Bxc7 Re1+ 22.Qxe1 Bxe1
23.Be5 Bb4 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Nh5 Be7∞ Black is a
pawn up but White has good activity, so the
chances are balanced.]
16...Nc6 This is the only move for Black to
get a reasonable position. White’s d5 was already
a threat, although many strong players have failed
to recognize this. (16...g6 17.d5!N White closes
the centre and is ready to start action on the
queenside. 17...Nc4 18.Bd3 Nb6 19.b3±;
16...Bd8?! 17.d5! h6 18.b3 Qa7 19.Rb1 Nb7 20.b4
a5 21.a3 Kh7 22.Bd3 a4 23.Qd2 Ng8 24.Bb2 Bb6
25.Kh1 Rc7 26.Nh4 Rec8 27.Ngf5± 1–0 (51)
Ibarra Padron, J (2452)-Manduch, M (2466) ICCF
email 2007)

17.d5
Probably the best try for advantage.
b1) 17.a3?! d5!N This typical move seems
to equalize again. 18.dxe5 Nxe5 19.Nxe5 Qxe5
20.exd5 Qxd5=
178
 b2) 17.Bg5!? Directed against Black’s
central activity. 17...h6 18.Be3 (18.Bh4 g5! There
is no mate.) 18...exd4 19.Nxd4 d5! I don’t believe
that ...h6 was so bad for Black.
b3) 17.Be3!? exd4 18.Nxd4 d5! Now the
game becomes extremely forced. 19.Nxc6 Bxc6
20.e5 Qxe5 21.Bf5 Bd7 22.Bd4 Qd6 23.Bxf6 Bxf6
24.Rxe8+ (24.Ne4 Rxe4 25.Bxe4 Be6
26.Bd3 g6© ½–½ (31) Palac, M (2582)-Rogic, D
(2502) Kutina 2006) 24...Rxe8 25.Ne4 Rxe4
26.Bxe4 Be6 Black didn’t have any problems
playing this position the exchange down. 27.Rc1
g6 28.Qd2 h6 29.h4 Kg7 30.Bf3 b4 31.g3 a5 32.b3
h5 33.Kg2 ½–½ Cornejo, W (2503)-Cordoba, H
(2555) ICCF email 2007.
17...Nb4 18.Bb3 a5
19.Bd2!N A very important move for
theory. (19.a3?! This has always been played, but
White loses an important tempo to get counterplay
on the queenside. 19...Na6 20.Bc2 a4=) 19...Qa7!?
Black is ready to activate the e7-bishop as soon as
possible. This is my favourite move. (19...Na6?!
179
20.a4! Nc5 (20...b4 Closing the position is not
good either. 21.Be3 Qb7 22.Rc1 Rxc1 23.Qxc1
Rc8 24.Rc2 Rxc2 25.Qxc2 Bd8 26.Bc4 Bb6 It
seems that Black is doing fine, but it is not so easy.
27.Bxb6 Qxb6 28.Bxa6! Qxa6 29.b3± Only White
can win; a knight on c4 will be extremely
annoying. After that, White will only have to
exchange the queens to win the game!) 21.axb5
Bxb5 22.Re3 a4 23.Bc2²
White
has managed to open the queenside. Moreover, the
rook on the third rank is perfectly placed for action
on both sides of the board.) 20.Ne1 (20.a4!? Bd8!
21.axb5 Bxb5 22.Bxb4 Bxe2 23.Qxe2 Qb8! This
move is the key! 24.Bxd6 Qxd6 25.Ba4 Rf8∞)
20...Bd8 21.Bxb4 axb4 22.Nc2 Qc5
The
position is very strange. White will grab the pawn
on b4 and will be a pawn up, but Black will have
good play on the dark squares. The game could
continue 23.Qe1 h5 24.Nxb4 h4 25.Nf1 Ba5 26.a3
Nh5 Here the engine favours White’s position but
in a practical game both sides will have chances.
c) 15.d5?! Rec8! Of course this rook! Now
the e5-pawn is more than protected. 16.Ne3 Nb7!
Black will make use of the typical middlegame
ideas with a good game.
d) 15.Bg5 White tries to take control of the
d5 square. 15...h6 16.Bh4 Rac8 17.Rc1 Nc6=.
Back to 15.b3.

We
reach, in my opinion, one of the critical moments
in the 12...cxd4 variation where it is not so easy
for White to prove an advantage, if indeed there is
one! Only a few grandmaster games here. My
engine doesn’t manage to crack Black’s position.
18.Rc1 Qd8
15...Nc6
This move is the key! This idea, played by
15...Rac8!? is the other move order to get the correspondence chess player Garcia
into the same position: 16.Ne3 Nc6 17.Bb2 Bf8 Rodriguez, looks quite good. Black is ready to
18.Rc1 Qd8 transposing. play ...exd4 on the next move. It’s very strange
16.Bb2 Rac8 that d8 is the best square for the queen but it is the
only square that controls the kingside and the
16...Nxd4?! 17.Nxd4 exd4 18.Rc1 Qd8 queenside at the same time!
19.Qxd4 Bf8 20.Rcd1± 1–0 (40) Tal, M-Gligoric, a) 18...Nxd4?! 19.Nxd4 exd4
S Reykjavik 1964.
17.Ne3

a) 17.Ng3?! This common move is not

good here because of 17...Bd8!=. Black has nice
control over e5. The only thing that is left is to
place the bishop on b6.
b) 17.Rc1!? Qb7 18.Ne3 Bf8 This is
another possibility. The lines are very similar to
the main line.
17...Bf8!

20.Bxd4 (20.e5?! dxe3 21.Rxe3 dxe5

22.Bxh7+ Kxh7 23.Rxc7 Rxc7 24.Bxe5 Rxe5
25.Rxe5 Rc6= 0–1 (38) Nikolic, B
(2079)-Sprenger, E (2435) ICCF corr. 1988)
20...Qd8 21.Qf3±.
b) 18...Qa7

180
 Rodriguez got this position twice and had no
problems. 23.Nxe5 (23.Nxf6+ Bxf6 24.Nd4 Nc6
25.Nxc6 Bxc6 26.Bxf6 Qxf6 27.Bb1 Bb7= ½–½
(34) Marconi, R (2062)-Garcia Rodriguez, I
(2054) ICCF email 2011) 23...dxe5 24.Bb1 Rxc1
25.Rxc1 Nxd5 26.exd5 Qb6 27.b4 ½–½
Pietrocola, R (2173)-Garcia Rodriguez, I (2054)
ICCF email 2011.
c) 19.Re2!?N 19...g6 20.Rd2 exd4 21.Nxd4
Nxd4 22.Bxd4 h5= Black’s waiting moves were
better!

19.d5! (19.Nd5!? Nxd5 20.exd5 Nxd4

21.Nxd4 exd4 22.Rxe8 Rxe8 23.Bxd4 Qb8 24.Bb2
Qd8 25.Qd3 Qh4 26.Rd1 Rc8= 0–1 (47) Rios
Parra, A (2335)-Van Riemsdijk, H (2400) Merida
1993) 19...Ne7 20.Nh2 Ng6 21.Nhg4 Be7 22.g3
Nxg4 23.hxg4 Bg5 24.Bd3² ½–½ (52) Illescas
Cordoba, M (2605)-Miralles, G (2515) Escaldes
1998.
c) 18...Qb7!? This is interesting as well,
but probably ...Qd8 is more accurate.
19.d5!
19...Nb4!N
I couldn’t find any good waiting move, so
it’s time to change the pawn structure. This seems to be the most logical move in
a) 19.Bb1 Nxd4 20.Nxd4 Rxc1 21.Qxc1 my opinion, although I couldn’t find any game
exd4 22.Nf5 Qc8 23.Qxc8 Bxc8 24.Nxd4 Bb7= with it. This novelty in my opinion changes the
½–½ (38) Vuillemin, G (2177)-Rakhimov, R whole evaluation of 12...cxd4! It was considered
(2142) ICCF email 2014. to be passive but now I think that it is completely
b) 19.Qd2 exd4 20.Nd5 (20.Nxd4 Nxe4³) playable!
20...g6! 19...Ne7?! A bit too passive in my opinion,
although quite solid as this game shows. 20.h4
Ng6 21.g3 Qb6 22.Qd2 Be7 23.Bd3 Rxc1 24.Rxc1
h6 25.Kg2 Ra8 26.a3 Bd8 27.a4 Qb8 28.Ba3 Bc7
29.Ra1 Qd8 30.Qd1 ½–½ Mamutov, S
(2150)-Duplenko, V (2322) ICCF email 2011.
20.Bb1 a5

An
important move. Black needs to improve the
f8-bishop. 21.Nxd4 Bg7 22.Nf3 Ne5 Garcia
181
 prepared at all to play with either side. There are
many old games with typical mistakes. It looks
like this variation didn’t pass the 21st century test
— till now! My conclusions are the following:
1. 13...Re8 is a very interesting try with the
idea of ...exd4 as soon as possible. Here White has
some pawn sacrifices and gets a better position.
2. 13...Rd8 is very interesting as well and
has given good results to many grandmasters, but
the strong idea 14.b4! refutes it.
3. 13...Bb7 is simply bad, you cannot let
your opponent kill your bishop with d5!
4. 13...Nc6 The old main line. I think that
White is slightly better in some variations but the
Black
fresh idea with 16...Re8!?N gives me some hope
creates a retreat square for the knight. Later Black
that Black can still play this. As well in the main
will play with ...Na6 and ...Qb6. Then, if possible,
line, my idea with 18...Nb4 and 19...Be6 seems to
... Be7 followed by ...Bd8–b6. White should try to
give a reasonable position for Black, although
prove that he can make use of his space advantage.
maybe White is a bit better.
One possible line is
5. 13...Bd7 This is simply good. I analyzed
21.Rxc8 Bxc8 22.Bc1 Na6 23.Nh2 h5!
many opportunities for White but somehow I
failed to show any advantage. There are a few
Preventing Ng4.
positions where White can be slightly better if he
24.Qf3 g6
plays extremely accurately, but in these positions
White is taking some risk as well because
normally White pushes d5 and aims to make use of
the space advantage. If White fails to do that, in
the future... f5 might come and Black will be
better! It will be interesting for me to see the
evolution of this variation. Nowadays, the
evolution is frozen but after this book maybe
everything will change!

Black
seems to be all right. The engine shows that White
is marginally better but Black has chances as well,
with. ...Nd7–c5 coming fast.
13.cxd4

CONCLUSIONS ON THE 12...cxd4

LINE

This variation is considered very passive

for Black and nowadays almost no one plays like
this. In my opinion people are not very well
182
 CHAPTER 4.

11...Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6, OLD MAIN

LINE

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6
Black
wants to define the situation in the centre as soon
as possible.
13.dxc5

This is common for people who don’t like

closed positions. White’s strategy is also very easy
to play, so it is normal that many players favour
this system. Anyway, if Black plays the best
moves, I believe he doesn’t have any problems.
13.Nf1?! No time to keep the tension.
13...cxd4 14.cxd4 Here Black has to decide how to
capture.

Contents

1. 13.--
2. 13.d5

1
13.--

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
14...Nxd4 The easiest way, in my opinion.
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6
(14...exd4 15.Ng3 Re8 16.b3!N 16...Nd7 17.Bb2
g6 18.Nxd4 The position is more or less balanced,
but I slightly prefer White.) 15.Nxd4 exd4 In the
past this was topical for some time. In the end, it
was established that Black is doing fine. 16.Ng3

183
 (16.Bg5?! Qc5 17.Bh4 Be6³) 16...Re8!?N
This normal move makes things much easier.
(16...Nd7 17.Bb3! could be a bit problematic, as in
Lasker-Tarrasch.) 17.Bg5 (17.Bb3 Qb6 18.a4
Be6³) 17...h6 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Nh5 Qd8=
13...dxc5
14.Nf1
14.Qe2!? This move order could be
interesting, although there are almost no games
here. 14...Nh5! Black should make use of the
f4-square.
[14...Rd8 15.Nf1 Be6 We are into the main
lines; 14...Be6 15.Ng5! Bd7 16.Nf1
184
16...h6?! Black creates weaknesses with
this move. (16...Rfe8!?N The typical waiting
move. 17.Ne3 h6 18.Nf3 Be6 19.Nh4 Bf8 20.Qf3
The engine considers the position equal but in a
practical game I think it is a bit easier to play with
White.) 17.Nf3 Be6 18.Nh4! Rfd8 19.Nf5 Bxf5?!
(19...c4 was more stubborn although after 20.N1e3
White is better.) 20.exf5² 1–0 (41) Elsbergs, J
(1793)-Sileika, A (1664) ICCF email 2016.]
15.Nf1 Rb8
A
mysterious waiting move suggested by the engine.
Black gets ready to handle a4. 16.Ne3 Nf4 17.Qd1
Na5! Black anticipates 18.Nd5 Nxd5 19.exd5 f6
and later the knight will go to c4 and d6 with good
play.
14...Be6
The most natural move. Black should try to
take the d5 square under control.
14...Rd8
 18.axb5 axb5 19.Nh2 Be6

I
don’t like to define the position of the rook so fast,
although many people do it. 15.Qe2 Rb8!? Once 20.Nhg4 (20.Qf3 Bg7 21.Nhg4 Nxg4
again this interesting waiting move. It was very 22.hxg4 Nd4! 23.cxd4 cxd4 24.Bb1 dxe3= ½–½
popular at the beginning of the 60s. Black is doing (42) Gipslis, A-Smyslov, V Tbilisi 1967)
fine so far. 20...Nxg4 21.hxg4 Rd6 22.g5 Qd7 23.Rd1 Rxd1+
[15...Be6 16.Ne3 This is the main line.; 24.Bxd1 Qd8 25.Ng4 Bxg4 26.Qxg4 Ra8= ½–½
15...Nh5?! I don’t like to give up control of the d5 (57) Polugaevsky, L-Averbakh, Y Moscow 1961.]
square. Moreover, White now has a very 17...Be6 18.Nhg4
interesting way of playing. 16.g4! A very
important move that kills the line! 16...Nf4
(16...Nf6 17.Ne3²) 17.Bxf4 exf4 18.e5! g6
19.Qe4± White will be a pawn up and Black
doesn’t have enough counterplay.]
16.Ne3 g6

18...c4!N If you can play this strong

positional move, do it!
[18...Rd6!? 19.a4! c4 20.axb5 axb5 21.Qf3
Nxg4 22.hxg4 Rbd8 23.g5

17.Nh2!? A very interesting practical try.

[17.Ng5!? Although this move objectively
doesn’t seem to work, again Black faces some
interesting problems. 17...Bf8! 18.Qf3 Bg7 19.Nd5
Qd6? (19...Nxd5! 20.exd5 Na5³) 20.Be3 h6
21.Nxf6+ Bxf6 22.Rad1+– 1–0 (31) Tal
M-Averbakh, Y Riga 1961. In the first part of the
book this game is well analyzed.; 17.a4 Bf8
185
 23...Na5?! (23...R6d7 24.g4 I would be
worried about getting mated on the h-file! But the
computer defends with 24...b4 25.Kg2 bxc3
26.bxc3 Na5 27.Rh1 Nb3 28.Bxb3 cxb3 29.Qh3
h5! 30.Qh4 Kg7 31.gxh5 Rh8! and Black is on
top! A really nice resource to defend the position.)
24.Qg3?! Here White missed his chance. (24.Nf5!
gxf5 25.exf5 Bd5 26.Qh5 Bf8 27.f6 e4 28.Bf4!+–)
24...R6d7 25.Nd5 Bxd5 26.exd5 Rxd5³ ½–½ (39)
Keres, P-Dunkelblum, A Beverwijk 1964.]
19.Qf3 Nxg4 20.hxg4 Qa5!
With
the idea of ...Nd4. The position is still very
complex, but the chances appear to be balanced.
15.Ne3
186
15.N3h2?! Rad8 16.Qe2 c4! with the idea
...Nd7–c5 Black is already better.
15...c4!
I like this move very much. Black almost
always needs to play like this. It’s very important
not to define the rooks’ placement yet. Now, if
White plans the manoeuvre Ng5xe6, the rook on
f8 will be perfectly placed. Anyway, I found this
move only after understanding that
Fischer-Kholmov is not as promising for Black as
everyone thought!
a) 15...Rfd8 16.Qe2 h6
According to the engine this position is
satisfactory for Black, but in a practical game it’s
very dangerous for Black because of the next
ideas. 17.Nh4!?N (17.g4!? I like this attacking
thrust. Maybe Black can defend against the g5
ideas, but his task is quite hard.) 17...Bf8 18.Nhf5²
White has better pieces.
b) 15...Rad8 16.Qe2 c4!
 20...Rxd1+ (20...Nd4?! 21.cxd4 exd4 22.bxc4
dxe3 23.Bxe3 Bxe3 24.Qxe3 bxc4 25.e5 Nd5
26.Qe4 Rf5 27.Rd4 Qxe5 28.Re1 Qxe4 29.Rexe4²
White will recover the pawn and will be on top in
the endgame.) 21.Nxd1 Qd6

This
is considered to be the best way of facing the
13.dxc5 variation. I think is quite good, but maybe
White has some extra chances which have not
been discovered yet. 17.Ng5 (17.Nf5!? Rfe8
18.Be3!N White should fight against ...Bc5 ideas. 22.b4
18...Bxf5 19.exf5 h6! To prevent Bg5. Like this, (22.bxc4 b4 23.cxb4 Nxb4 24.Be3 a5 Probably
Black will control the e4 square better. 20.a4∞ Black has enough compensation for the pawn.)
The position is unbalanced. The engine offers his 22...Bb6 23.a4² White is slightly better. The only
famous 0.00 evaluation. Probably that is right, but thing he has to do is to get out slowly from his
in my opinion Black is the one who needs to play a cave.
bit more accurately; 17.Nh2? Nd4 18.cxd4 exd4µ) Back to 15...c4.
17...h6 18.Nxe6 fxe6

16.Nf5!
19.b3! (19.b4? Nd4!! 20.cxd4 exd4µ
Fischer, R-Kholmov, R Havana 1965) 19...Bc5 Of The best try for White.
course Fischer didn’t like this position, but things 16.Ng5?! h6! 17.Nxe6 fxe6
are still complicated if White keeps calm.
20.Rd1!N White should try to exchange some
pieces with the hope of gaining a better static
position thanks to the weaknesses on e6 and e5. In
my opinion this changes the whole evaluation of
the variation! What Kholmov found is good, but
maybe not enough... (20.bxc4?! b4 21.cxb4 Bxb4³)
187
 Black
has not played ...Rad8 yet, and this can be a very
important factor. 18.Qe2 (18.b3 b4! 19.Bd2 bxc3
20.Bxc3 Bc5„) 18...Nd4! Black’s counter-attack
comes immediately! This pattern is seen several
times in the first part of the book. 19.cxd4 exd4
20.Nf1 Bc5 21.Bd1 d3 22.Qd2 Rad8
Black
is down a piece for a pawn but White cannot
move!! It is not surprising that the engine gives
advantage for Black!
16...Rfe8!N
Black is ready for ...Bf8 and ...Nd7–c5.
16...Nd7?!
188
17.Ng5!N (17.Nxe7+ Nxe7 18.Ng5 Nc5
19.Qh5 h6 20.Nxe6 Nxe6 21.Be3² 1–0 (56)
Rittner, H-Sorri, K Netherlands 1982) 17...Bxf5
(17...Nc5 18.Nxh7! Kxh7 19.Qh5+ Kg8 20.Nxg7!
and Black will be mated soon!) 18.exf5 Bxg5
19.Bxg5±
17.Nxe7+
17.N3h4 Bf8 18.Qf3 Nd7 19.Qg3 f6 and I
cannot see the mate.
17...Nxe7 18.Be3 Ng6=
Black
has everything under control. His position seems
to be easier already.
2
13.d5
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.d5!
This is the best. It’s true that the position
becomes closed, but even there sometimes time
matters! In my opinion, if White doesn’t play this
here, he can forget about being better.
13...Nd8
This old plan, played by Rubinstein and
Botvinnik, contains more poison than might be
expected, as you could understand from the
middlegame part of this book. Here I will try to
show you the best ideas for White, because I don’t
consider this a reliable line for Black.
13...Na5 This will be like 12.d5 but with a
tempo up for White. Maybe this is not so terrible,
but a tempo is a tempo! 14.b3! This move is
always useful. Now White can think about playing
c4 at the right moment. 14...Bd7 15.c4!? Rfb8
16.Bd3!N
Easy
and effective! 16...g6 (16...b4?! 17.a3 Nb7 18.Nf1
a5 19.a4!± It’s true that everything is closed, but
White will have a free hand to start an attack on
the kingside. Black has no counterplay.) 17.Nf1
Nh5 (17...bxc4 18.bxc4 Nh5 19.Ne3 Nf4 20.Bf1±)
189
18.Ne3 Nf4 19.Bf1 Nb7 20.Bd2 b4 21.Ng4!
An
interesting idea, forcing Black’s next move.
21...h5 22.Ne3!± Now ...f5 is much more difficult
to achieve. Then White has to improve his position
slowly and, thanks to his space advantage, it will
be much easier for him to manoeuvre. Don’t worry
about the closed queenside, one side is enough to
win!
14.a4!
Here I consider this plan better.
14.c4 It’s very tempting to play with c4
again, but there are differences. 14...g6! Black is
ready for his knight manoeuvres on the kingside
and White is not in time to create problems! 15.a4
b4 16.Nf1 Ne8 17.Bh6 Ng7 18.g4 f6 19.Ng3 Nf7
20.Be3 Kh8 21.Kh2 Rg8 22.Rg1 Bd7
Both
sides have played nice and logically. The engine
keeps on shouting that White is much better but
it’s difficult for me to imagine how to break
through Black’s position. 23.Qe2 Raf8 24.Rg2
Qc8 25.Rag1 Ng5 26.Nd2 Nf7 27.b3 ½–½ Haag,
E-Kholmov, R Tbilisi 1969. queenside. (17.Nf1 f6 18.Bh6 Re8 Now after
14...Rb8 ...Nf7 and ...Ng7, Black will get the typical
comfortable position. The engine keeps on giving
advantage for White but the deeper you check it,
the better is Black’s position!) 17...Bd7 18.Bh6
Re8 19.Bd3 Bf8 (19...f6!? was interesting as well.
20.Be3 Nf7 21.Nbd2 Ng7 And ...f5 will follow.)
20.Bc1 Nf4 21.Bxf4 exf4 22.axb5 axb5 23.Qd2
Bh6∞ ½–½ (94) Gipslis, A-Karpov, A Riga 1970.
b) 15.c4?! b4 16.Nf1

This
is Black’s idea. The queenside should be as closed
as possible. Afterwards, Black starts jumping with
the knights on the kingside and dreaming of ...f5.
At the beginning of 2018, I had the luck to play
against the German grandmaster Rene Stern, a
specialist in this variation. He had had good results
so I spent hours on preparation, aiming to break
his wall. After few hours of analyzing games and 16...g6! 17.Ng3 (17.g4?! h5!³) 17...Ne8
checking variations, I came up with a new and Once again, White can do nothing against the
interesting way of playing which I’m ready to dance of the knights. 18.Bh6 Ng7 19.Nh2 f6 20.f4
share with you! exf4 21.Bxf4 Nf7=
15.b4! 15...Nb7

After many hours, I understood that this The most stubborn try. Black doesn’t
was the best line for White. define the position.
a) 15.b3 This is a normal move, but too a) 15...Bd7
slow here. 15...g6! Black starts his standard plan.
16.Qe2 Nh5

I
considered this move to be inaccurate before I
started this book but after checking it deeply I
17.Nb1!? Trying to put pressure on the think maybe it’s not that bad! 16.bxc5 The easiest,
190
changing the nature of the position. 16...Qxc5
(16...dxc5? 17.axb5 axb5 18.c4! b4 19.Bb2! Very
important. Black is not in time for ...Ne8 and ...f6.
19...Bd6 20.Ra6 Ne8 21.Rxd6! Nxd6 22.Nxe5+–
No one can stop the pawns! Saric, I
(2609)-Breutigam, M (2403) Karlsruhe 2017)
17.axb5 (17.Re3 Qc7 18.Ba3 Re8 19.axb5 axb5
20.Bb4 Nb7 Black is doing fine.) 17...axb5 18.Ba3
Qxc3 19.Re3 Qc7
20.Bb4! The positional approach looks like
the best way to go.
[20.Nxe5 This was my preparation but
things are not so clear. 20...Bxh3! The only move
for Black to keep fighting. (20...b4 21.Nxd7 Nxd7
22.Bb2²) 21.Ndf3!?N (21.Rxh3?! dxe5 22.Bxe7
Qxe7= 1–0 (56) Huerga Leache, M
(2426)-Grotnes, N (2197) Plovdiv 2010; 21.Nd3
Bg4! 22.Qb1 Re8 23.Nb4 Ra8∞ 1–0 (55) Vovk, A
(2551)-Longson, A (2281) Hastings 2011)
21...Bg4 22.Nxg4 Nxg4 23.Rb3 Bf6 24.Bb2 Bxb2
25.Rxb2 Nb7! 26.Nd4 Ne5 27.Rxb5 Nc5=
The
position is more or less balanced.]
191
20...Re8 21.Rc3 White has more than
compensation. There are a few correspondence
games where Black manages to hold, but in a
human game I consider this to be very difficult.
21...Qb7 22.Bd3 Rc8
Now
White has two options, both favourable to him.
23.Rb3 (23.Rca3 Qb8 24.Qe2²) 23...Qb6 24.Ba5
Qb8 25.Rbb1 Rc5 26.Qf1² Soon the pawn on b5
will fall. Jensen, E (2415)-Sandstroem, B (2362)
ICCF email 2009.
b) 15...c4?! Too soon for this move.
16.Nf1 Ne8 Black starts his typical plan. There are
many ways of playing. I will only show you one
game from Negi, who plays a great game up to a
certain point. 17.g4! The idea is not to attack; this
is aimed against ...f5. 17...g6 18.Ng3 Ng7 19.Be3
f6 20.Kh2!
The
rook can go to the g-file if Black plays ...f5. This
makes the counterplay for Black impossible. Now
the only thing he can do is sit and wait. 20...Nf7
21.Rg1 Kh8 22.Nd2 Bd7 23.Qe2 Rg8 24.f3 Rb7
25.h4
 This move might not appear logical, but in
reality it is. Let me explain why. The queenside is
closed, so Black cannot create counterplay there.
The good thing for White is that he can play c4 or
bxc5 at the right moment, so if Black wants
everything completely closed, he should play ...c4.
In the endgame this will allow a piece sacrifice on
c4 and if White is doing well, he will probably
take the pawn on a6 as well, with decisive
advantage. The push ...c4 also has the problem that
the g1–a7 diagonal is opened. This might allow
White to invade on the queenside in the future. It’s
true, White doesn’t have the a-file, but was it
This
possible to make use of it? I checked many games
position deserves to be remembered, because it
and in my opinion, Black was doing all right.
can be a typical way of handling the position.
16.axb5 axb5 17.Nf1 Bd7
White’s advance h5 will come at the right
moment, creating weaknesses on the kingside. In
case the kingside is closed, White will go to the
queenside! I like the fact that White did not
capture on b5 very early; this way the rooks were
not exchanged. 25...Rf8 26.Rg2 Rbb8 27.h5! g5
28.h6!? Negi was worried about a completely
closed position, but I don’t think this was a
problem. (28.Rgg1 h6 29.Ra3 Kg8 30.Rga1 Bd8
31.R1a2 Qb7 32.axb5 axb5 33.Ra7 Qc8 34.Qf2
The first part of the plan has been accomplished.
White should try in the future to sacrifice on c4
and get two passed pawns. I believe this should be
enough to win, but that is not so easy to prove!)
28...Ne8 29.Rgg1 Nxh6 30.Rh1 Rf7 31.Kg2±
White eventually won, but after loads of Black’s play is very easy. I will show some
adventures! Negi, P (2662)-Spraggett, K (2568) games to help you understand why 16.axb5 is not
Linares 2013 dangerous. Even if the engine gives 0.50 for White
Back to 15...Nb7. at the beginning, it always goes down, trust me!
18.Be3 (18.Bd2 Ra8! The first sign that I don’t
like this for White. Black is fighting for the file!
19.Ne3 Rfb8 20.Bd3 c4 21.Bc2 Rxa1 22.Qxa1
Qc8 23.Qb2 Ra8 24.Ra1 g6= ½–½ (120)
Neiksans, A (2624)-Stern, R (2521) Germany
2017) 18...Ra8 19.Qd2 Rfb8

16.a5!
192
 play h4–h5. If not, it doesn’t help White’s
position. 19...Nd8 20.Ng3 f6 21.Qd2 Nf7= ½–½
(37) Szabo, K (2510)-Rubil, M (2306) Austria
2017. There is no attack any more and Black will
try to slowly prepare ...f5. In case this is not
possible, the position cannot be opened and we
will have a draw, although only Black has
chances.) 18...Ng7 19.Qe2! I keep my options
open. I might play on the queenside as well so
before making the famous tour with the knight,
Black should close the position. (19.Nh2 f5!„)
19...Nd8

20.Bd3 (20.Ng3 g6 21.Bd3 c4 22.Bc2 Nd8

23.Nh2 Ne8 24.f4 exf4 25.Bxf4 f6 26.Nf3 Nf7
27.Nd4 Ng7 28.Be3 Qc8= ½–½ (32) Haba, P
(2502)-Bromberger, S (2511) Germany 2012)
20...Qc8 21.Ng3 Rxa1 22.Rxa1 c4 23.Bc2 Ra8
24.Rf1 Ne8 25.Nh2 f6 26.f4 exf4 27.Bxf4 Nd8
28.Nf3 Nf7= 1–0 (58) Georgiadis, N (2473)-Stern,
R (2521) Germany 2017.
16...Bd7!

16...Ne8 Black immediately starts his plan.

17.Nf1 g6
20.Be3 (20.c4!? This is very typical, but
the advantage is not so big. 20...cxb4 21.cxb5
Rxb5 22.Ba4 Rxa5 23.Bd2 Bd7 24.Bxd7 Rxa1
25.Rxa1 Qxd7 26.Bxb4²) 20...c4 (20...f6 21.c4!±)
21.Nh2! Now White is ready to play f4. 21...f6
(21...f5 22.exf5 gxf5 23.Nh5!±) 22.f4! exf4
23.Bxf4 Nf7 24.Nf3 Bd7 25.Rf1±

18.Ng3 (18.Bh6?! The first step in the

wrong direction, even if the computer supports it!
This move looks very good but it has a big
problem: it only loses time. The point is that
Black’s knight on d8 belongs on f7 and it will
protect the kingside. Normally, is difficult to mate
a king when a defending knight is around, imagine Black
with two! 18...Ng7 19.g4?! As we saw in other is solid but has too many weaknesses and no
variations, this move is only good in very concrete counterplay. This was the kind of position I got in
circumstances, for example if White manages to my analysis and I was happy about it. Black can
193
only wait. 25...Rbe8 26.Qd2 Kh8 27.Rf2 Kg8
28.Raf1 Kh8 29.Kh2 Kg8 30.Nd4 Kh8 31.Nge2
Kg8 32.g4 Kh8 33.Ng3 Kg8 34.Rg2 Kh8 35.Nh1
Kg8 36.Nf2 Kh8 37.h4!

21.Bh6!

The move order is very important!

And 21.bxc5? dxc5 22.Bh6 f6! 23.Bxf8 Bxf8
White increases the pressure. I decided to finish and Black has great compensation for the
my preparation here, it was getting too much... exchange.
17.Nf1 21...Ng7 22.bxc5!

The whole point of my conception. White

makes the typical moves but now I have an extra
option!
22...dxc5

22...Qxc5 23.Be3 Qc7 24.c4 Qxc4

25.Bb6!+– The queen cannot escape.
23.Nxe5 f6 24.Nd3 Nf7 25.Bf4

17...Nd8 18.Ng3 g6

18...Ne8 19.Nf5!? Bxf5 20.exf5²

19.Bg5!?

I decided to make use of the tactical

possibilities of the position, although the plan with
Qe2 which I saw before is good as well.
19...Bc8 20.Qd2 Ne8 And I
later won in Salgado Lopez, I (2629)-Stern, R
(2522) Germany 2018, although not without
difficulties!
12...Nc6

194
 CONCLUSIONS ON 12...Nc6

This variation is the oldest in the Chigorin.

In this case, we cannot say that old is always good!
Black’s play is too schematic and if White is well
prepared he should get some advantage. I will
comment the variations one by one:
1. 13.Nf1?! Keeping the tension is not
good in this case. Black manages to equalize with
the Keres manoeuvre of exchanging in the centre.
2. 13.dxc5 This was the favourite move of
many grandmasters; probably the one who liked
this way of playing the most was Bobby Fischer.
His game against Kholmov was considered like
some kind of refutation but my idea with
20.Rd1!N gives some hopes for White to keep on
trying this variation. Fortunately for Black, I could
find an improvement with 15...c4!, where Black
gets a similar position to that in Fischer-Kholmov,
but an improved version.
3. 13.d5! is the good move and the one you
should play if you want to fight for advantage.
Here Black has two possibilities:
a. 13...Na5 and play slowly. Here the idea
with b3, c4 and Bd3 to open the queenside seems
quite good. If Black closes the queenside White
will have a free hand on the kingside. The knight
on a5 will be quite far from his king so White can
develop his initiative without many problems.
b. 13...Nd8 Rubinstein’s idea. This was a
hard bone for me. But if White remembers to play
with a4, b4 and at the right moment a5 as in my
game, Black will have a difficult life. Taking into
account all that is written here, I consider 12...Nc6
refuted. Black should play other variations if he
wants to enjoy a comfortable game.

195
 CHAPTER 5.

11...Qc7 12.Nbd2, BISHOP-MOVES

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2

12...Be6!?

This move was played once by Petrosian

against Tal. Nowadays almost no one plays like
this, but in 2018 the Belarusian youngster
Vladislav Kovalev played this and I decided to pay
some attention to it. The move is not bad, but in
my opinion is not very flexible.
12...Bb7? 13.d5!± Of course, White kills
the bishop. The plan of b3, c4 and Bd3 is good
here as well, as in the 12...Nc6 13.d5 Na5
variation. I don’t consider it necessary to give
more information about this.
13.d5
Contents
a) 13.b3? cxd4 14.cxd4 Rfc8µ
b) 13.b4?! cxb4 14.cxb4 Rac8!³
1. 12...Be6 13.d5 13...Bd7
2. 12...Be6 13.Nf1!
3. 12...Bd7 13.--
4. 12...Bd7 13.Nf1 --
5. 12...Bd7 13.Nf1 Rfe8 14.--
6. 12...Bd7 13.Nf1 Rfe8 14.b3

1
12... Be6 13.d5

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2

Black
loses a full tempo but I’m not sure if this is enough
for White to claim an advantage. Grandmaster
Postny has defended this position very
196
successfully many times. The other two experts in
this position are Hebden and Filippov. I checked
all their games and on a regular basis they got a
better position with Black! The reason is that
Black’s play is always the same: Black is trying to
play the Rubinstein manoeuvre with the knights.
On the other hand, White has to decide how to
play with his pawns and sometimes that is not so
easy.
14.b3!?

14.Nf1 c4! Black is on time with this.

15.Ng3 (15.Kh2 Nb7 16.g4 g6 17.Ng3 Rfb8
18.Rg1 Nc5 19.Qe2 a5³ Sutovsky, E
(2676)-Postny, E (2651) Ohrid 2009) 15...Nb7 15...Nh5
16.Nh2 a5
The engine favours White but things are
not so easy! This is like a King’s Indian: if White
does nothing, Black plays...f5 at some point and
gets the better game.
15...c4!? This is interesting as well. 16.b4
(16.Ba3!? Bd8! holds everything.) 16...Nb7

Black
should continue like this. 17.f4 Nc5 18.Be3 b4!
With ...Nd3 to follow at the right moment, Black is
fine.
14...g6

Grandmasters Filippov and Hebden have

played this move with great results. 17.Bd2?! (17.Ng3 was the normal move. In
15.Nf1 the future White should try to play f4 somehow.)
17...a5 18.a3 Nh5 19.N3h2 Nf4! 20.Bxf4 exf4
21.Qf3 Bf6 22.g3 fxg3 23.Qxf6 gxh2+ 24.Kxh2
Qd8= Britton, R (2230)-Hebden, M (2545)
Blackpool 2014.
16.Bh6

Hebden got to this position several times,

and he used different strategies.
16.Be3 Rfc8?! (16...Rfb8 17.Qd2 Nb7!
18.c4 f6 This is the standard plan where Black is
doing fine.) 17.Qd2 c4 18.b4 Nb7

197
 Once What
again, we have the problem of handling the pawns. is his idea? 17.N3h2!
19.a4! (19.g4? Ng7 20.Ng3 a5 21.a3 Ra6 22.Qc1 [17.Ne3 f6 18.h4 This seems to be
Rca8 23.Qb2 Qc8 24.Kh2 Bd8 25.Reb1 Bb6 annoying. The computer suggests this, but in my
26.Bxb6 Rxb6 27.Ra2 Rba6³ 0–1 (44) Tleules, T opinion it is wrong. 18...Nb7
(1710)-Filippov, A (2592) Almaty 2017) 19...a5
20.axb5 Bxb5 21.Ba4!

19.Bxg7 (19.h5 Nxh5! This must be

White Hebden’s idea! He gives the exchange but he
is much better. Don’t be afraid of opening the hopes that the position is closed and he has good
queenside with White. compensation. 20.Bxf8 Rxf8 21.a4! b4 22.Bd3 a5
16...Rfe8 The engine considers that White is better but I’m
not sure at all. I don’t see how to open the position
The knight should stay on h5 to fight and I would be afraid of a well-timed ...f5.)
against f4 and h4–h5! 19...Kxg7 20.h5 Rf7! Now ...f5 is coming and
16...Ng7!? The engine doesn’t like this Black is fine!]
variation for Black, although Hebden played this 17...Nb7
again later.

198
 18.Ne3! (18.Qd2?! This move does
nothing. 18...f6 19.h4 Nd8 20.h5 Nf7! 21.Bxg7
Kxg7 22.Re3 c4 23.bxc4 Qxc4 24.Rg3 Ng5³ Ni, H
(2681)-Debashis, D (2451) Fujairah 2012)
18...Rfb8 19.Nhg4 With f4 to come, White is
much better.
17.Qd2
17...Nb7!N
17...c4?! 18.b4 Nb7 19.g4 Ng7 Once again,
Hebden is lucky that his opponent doesn’t play in
the best way with the pawns.
199
20.a4! (20.Ne3?! a5 21.a3 f6 22.Kh2 Nd8
23.Rg1 axb4 24.axb4 Rxa1 25.Rxa1 Nf7 26.Nf1
Nxh6 27.Qxh6 Qb7³ 1–0 (56) Britton, R
(2230)-Hebden, M (2523) London 2014) 20...Reb8
21.a5! f6 22.Ng3 Nd8 23.Be3 Probably Black can
make some kind of fortress but White always has
some f4 ideas and, very far in the future, a piece
sacrifice on c4.
18.g4
18.a4?! Na5! This is a typical positional
trick.
18...Ng7 19.c4 f6 20.Qe2 Nd8
Black
has got the position he was looking for.
2
12... Be6 13.Nf1!
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Be6!? 13.Nf1!
 White
should keep the tension a bit longer.
13...Nc4
The best try for Black.
a) 13...Rfc8 14.Ne3!²
b) 13...cxd4 The only reasonable
alternative to 13...Nc4. 14.cxd4 Rac8 15.Ne3
White is ready to play with Bd2–c3, so Black
should do something fast. 15...Nc4 16.Nxc4 Bxc4
As
with the previous variation, White has some extra
options. 20.exd5 (20.e5 Ne4 21.Bxe4 dxe4
22.Rxe4² Black doesn’t have enough
compensation for the pawn.) 20...Nxd5 21.Rxe6
fxe6 22.Nxe6 Qe5 23.Nxf8 Rxf8

24.Qe1! Qxb2 25.Be4² The pair of bishops

gives White a good advantage.
14.b3!

17.Bb1! I like this. It is important to keep a) 14.d5!? Bd7 15.Ng3 Nb6

the pawn on b2 because the c1-bishop is best
placed on c3. (17.b3 Be6 18.Bd3 is good as well
but Black should simplify the position by
18...exd4 19.Nxd4 d5 20.exd5 Nxd5 when I’m not
so sure how big White’s advantage is. 21.Nxe6
fxe6 22.Rxe6 Qc5! It is difficult for White to
defend f2.) 17...Be6 18.Bd2 exd4 19.Nxd4 d5

200
 The
problem with this position is that White cannot 16.Nh2 (The idea 16.Nh4!? g6 17.Nf3
open the queenside. Look how the black pieces are deserves attention.) 16...Re8 17.Qf3 White is
developed there: a4, b4 or c4 by White are not ready to play Nf5. 17...g6 18.Bh6 Kh8 19.Ng4!
annoying! This means that the other way is Qd8 20.Nxf6 Bxf6 21.a4!
playing on the kingside, but how to do it?
16.Nh4!? g6 17.Nf3 The engine suggests playing
this. You might think: “Black always wants to play
...g6 and now I force him, what’s going on?” It’s
all about the knights! The knight on b6 cannot go
to f7 now, and should stay on the queenside. White
hopes that ...g6 creates weaknesses around the
king. 17...Ne8 (17...Rfb8 18.Rf1 Bf8 19.Bg5 Bg7
20.Qc1!? This is balanced according to the engine
but the plans with Nh2 followed by f2-f4 are very
interesting for White.) 18.Bh6 Ng7 19.Qd2

Model play by Vallejo. Once he has tied

Black up on the kingside, he decides to open the
queenside. 21...Bg7 22.Be3 Nxa4 23.Bxa4 bxa4
24.Rxa4 Bd7 25.Ra3 Rf8 26.c4!

19...f5?! 20.exf5 gxf5 21.Ng5! White is

much better! What a difference because of the
black knight missing from the kingside!
b) 14.Ng3!? Vallejo understands that he
should play on the kingside and he doesn’t want to
move his pawns on the queenside. An interesting
practical choice. 14...Nb6 15.d5 Bc8
201
 16...Rfe8 17.d5 Bc8! (17...Bd7? 18.Nxe5
cxb3 19.axb3 Qxc3 20.Nxd7 Nbxd7 21.Nf5±
Popovic, P (2508)-Radulski, J (2502) Herceg Novi
2005) 18.Nxe5! cxb3 19.axb3 dxe5 20.d6 Qxc3
21.dxe7 b4 22.Qd6 bxa3 23.Qxb6 Next comes
Qd6, with an awkward position for Black.
17.d5! Bc8

An
important move, improving the pawn structure on
the queenside. 26...f5 27.Bd2 Bc8? (27...f4 28.Nf1
White will play Rea1 and b4 at the right moments,
and will be much better.) 28.b4 cxb4 29.Bxb4±
Vallejo Pons, F (2700)-Hansen, S (2566) Germany
2012. Some of the games played by Vallejo are
not the best according to the engine but from the
practical point of view, they are simply excellent!
14...Nb6 15.Ne3
18.bxc4!N

White changes the pawn structure on his

favour.
18.Qd2?! a5 19.bxc4 bxc4 20.Rab1 Bf8
21.Qe2 Ba6 22.Nf5 g6 23.Ng3 Bh6 24.Nh2 Rdb8
25.f3 Nbd7= ½–½ (51) Nijboer, F (2562)-Postny,
E (2641) Rijeka 2010.
18...Nxc4

18...bxc4 19.Rb1 Bf8 (19...a5? 20.Nxe5!±)

20.Rb2 a5 21.Nd2 Ba6 22.Qf3! White plans Reb1,
and Black is completely tied up.
19.Nxc4 bxc4

19...Qxc4? 20.Nxe5 Qxc3 21.Nc6 Qxa3

15...c4
22.Nxe7+ Kf8 23.Nc6±
20.Rb1±
a) 15...a5?! Black should be really careful
about this move because the b5 square is weak
The c4-pawn will be weak until it is taken!
afterwards. 16.a4 c4 17.bxc4 Nxa4 18.Bxa4 bxa4
3
19.Nd5 Nxd5 20.cxd5 Bd7 21.Ba3± Pijpers, A
12... Bd7 13.--
(2366)-Ernst, S (2566) Groningen 2013.
b) 15...Rfe8 16.dxe5!N The pawn structure
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
can be changed in this way now! (16.d5!? Bd7
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
17.c4 is interesting as well.) 16...dxe5 17.Ng5 c4
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7
18.Nxe6 fxe6 19.Bd2²
16.Ba3 Rfd8
202

My
favourite move. It’s not by chance that Magnus
Carlsen and Nils Grandelius are playing this
variation from time to time. It’s difficult for White
to prove an advantage. This move is very flexible
and fights against most of the typical White moves
in this position. This line has been a great
nightmare for me. There are hundreds of
transpositions thanks to the flexibility of Black’s
setup and it is really difficult to analyze
everything.
13.dxe5!?
a) 13.d5?! c4! and ...Nb7–c5 is in time.
b) 13.b4?! cxb4 14.cxb4 Rac8! This is
possible thanks to the bishop on d7! 15.bxa5 Qxc2
16.Qxc2 Rxc2=
c) 13.b3? cxd4 14.cxd4 Rac8µ
13...dxe5 14.Nf1
Compared to the 12...Nc6 13.dxc5
variation, Black’s knight is on a5 instead of c6.
This gives the extra option of ...Nc4–d6 at the
203
appropriate moment. The bishop is on d7 and can
go to c6 at some point. It is not so clear which
version is better, we should analyze more!
14...Rad8 15.Qe2 Rfe8!
Black decides to play with ...Bf8.
a) 15...c4
Black
wants to play ...Nb7–c5. This is good as well
although the variations are more difficult to
understand. 16.Bg5! The most annoying move.
16...Be6!N (16...Nb7?! 17.Ne3 Be6 18.Nf5±)
17.Ne3 Nh5! 18.Nd5 (18.Nf5!? Bxg5 19.Nxg5
Nf4 20.Qg4 g6! Black pushes the knight. 21.Nh6+
Kh8 22.Qh4 f6 23.Nxe6 Nxe6=) 18...Bxd5
19.Bxe7 (19.exd5!? Bxg5 20.Nxg5 g6!
21.Nxh7 Nf4 22.Nf6+ Kg7 23.Qf3 Kxf6 24.g3
Kg7 25.gxf4 exf4=) 19...Nf4! This is the idea that
saves the day! (19...Qxe7? 20.exd5 Nf6 21.Qxe5
Qxe5 22.Rxe5 Nxd5 23.Rd1!± White is much
more active than in the main line.) 20.Qe3 Qxe7
21.exd5 Nxd5 22.Qxe5 Qxe5 23.Rxe5 Nc6=
b) 15...Nc4?! 16.b3 Nb6 17.c4! White is
much better, ready to play Ne3–d5 at the right
time.
16.Ne3 Bf8!

Very
solid and very effective.
17.Nh2

White continues with the standard plan.

17.b3 c4! 18.b4 Nb7 I start to prefer Black
because ...Nd6 and ...Bc6 are coming.
17...Be6! 18.Nhg4 Nxg4 19.hxg4 Nc6!
20.a4

20.Nd5 Qb7=
20...c4 21.axb5 axb5 22.Nd5 Qc8=

And
...Ne7 follows.

204
 4
12... Bd7 13.Nf1 --

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1

As
usual, this move seems to be the best.
13...Nc4
The Carlsen-Grandelius way of playing.
a) 13...cxd4 was already checked in the
12...exd4 chapter and in my opinion Black is
completely fine, but almost no one knows it!
b) 13...Rfd8?! Normally this is not the
square for the rook. It is better on e8 because
Black is always ready to exchange everything on
d4 and put pressure on the e4-pawn. 14.b3 Rac8
15.Ne3 White is perfect.
14.b3
Black
believes in this position. The first time I saw the
position I thought that White should be better.
When the time is right he will take on c4, Black’s
pawn (if Black takes with the b-pawn, of course)
will be weak and slowly White will prevail.
Somehow, this plan is not so easy to implement
because at the crucial moment Black can take on
b3 and follow up with ...a5 with the idea of
creating a passed pawn on the queenside. This is
one of the positions in the Chigorin where White
still hasn’t found a clear plan.
16.Rb1!?
I like this move. White is ready for bxc4.
16.Ba3 Rfe8 17.Qd2 Bf8 This has been
played automatically in many games but is not so
easy for White to continue with the initiative if
Black plays accurately.

a) 14.Ne3?! This makes Black’s life easier.

14...Nxe3 15.Bxe3 a5!= It’s really difficult for
White to create an initiative.
b) 14.Ng3!? Rfe8 15.d5 Playing like
Vallejo is interesting as well but now Black has an
extra tempo.
c) 14.a4 Nb6 15.b3 c4! Too many pieces
will be exchanged on the queenside and Black will
equalize without problems.
14...Nb6 15.Ne3!

15.a4 c4 16.Ba3 Rfe8 17.axb5 axb5

18.bxc4 Nxc4 19.Bb4 Bf8= Black is very solid 18.Rad1 (18.bxc4 Nxc4 19.Nxc4 bxc4
and has no problems. 20.Rab1 Rab8= So, W (2775)-Carlsen, M (2834)
15...c4 Doha 2015) 18...cxb3! Grandelius finds the right
205
way to exchange on b3. Otherwise he would get a
passive position. (18...h6N This is a useful waiting The best move to hold the queenside.
move but here White has a forcing continuation. 16...Rfc8?! 17.bxc4! Nxc4 18.Nxc4
19.bxc4 Nxc4 20.Nxc4 Qxc4 21.dxe5 dxe5
22.Bxf8 Kxf8 23.Qd6+ Kg8 24.Nxe5 Qxc3
25.Nxd7 Nxd7 26.Rc1² The bishop on b3 will be
very annoying; 18...a5!? 19.bxc4 Nxc4 20.Nxc4
bxc4 21.Nh2²) 19.axb3 a5 20.Rc1

18...Qxc4 (18...bxc4 19.Be3 Rab8 20.Qd2

This setup is better than with the bishop on a3.
20...Rxb1 21.Rxb1 Rb8 22.Rxb8+ Qxb8 23.Qc1²
White’s advantage is not great, but his position is
much easier to play because only Black has
20...exd4! (20...a4?! A positional mistake weaknesses.) 19.Bb3 Qc7 20.Bb2 Bc6 21.c4!
from the practical point of view, a lthough not so
bad. 21.bxa4 Nxa4 22.Bb4² Areshchenko, A
(2654)-Grandelius, N (2643) Grosseto Prugna
2016) 21.Qxd4 a4 22.Bb4

A
great idea! White opens the position and his
bishops will be very strong. 21...Bxe4 22.dxe5
dxe5 23.Rc1 (23.cxb5!? Bxb1 24.Qxb1 axb5
From 25.Ng5 was interesting as well.) 23...Qb7 24.Nxe5
this position there are two games where Black got bxc4 25.Nxc4± Tarrio Ocana, F (2388)-Sciupokas,
reasonable chances. 22...h6 (22...Be6 23.bxa4 A (2228) ICCF email 2015.
bxa4 24.Ra1 Nfd7 25.Qd1 Nc5 26.Ng5 g6 17.bxc4!?N
27.Nxe6 Rxe6 28.Nd5 Nxd5 29.Qxd5 Rc8=
Scuderi, D (2260)-Neder, A (2281) ICCF email
2010) 23.bxa4 Nxa4 24.c4 bxc4 25.Nxc4 Nc5
26.Bxc5 dxc5 27.Qc3 Be6= Ronat, O-Henrich, T
(1872) ICCF email 2010.
16...Rfb8!
206
 This
plan is very easy to play. Maybe White doesn’t
have a big advantage, but his position is very
comfortable.
17.Qe2 The engine supports this move.
The idea is the same, to play bxc4 at some point,
but the variations are more complicated. 17...Be6
18.d5 (18.Ng5 Bd7=) 18...cxb3
19.axb3 (19.dxe6 bxc2 20.exf7+ Kxf7
21.Qxc2 This is very interesting but difficult to
evaluate.) 19...Bd7 20.Bd2 a5 21.Bd3 a4 22.b4
Rc8 23.Ra1 g6 24.Rec1 Qd8 25.Ne1!
207
Following with N1c2–a3, White will be
slightly better. Vaclav, J (2459)-Ostriker, J (2520)
ICCF email 2011.
17...Nxc4 18.Nxc4 bxc4 19.Be3 Rxb1
20.Qxb1 Rb8 21.Qa1
White
is slightly better once again.
5
12... Bd7 13.Nf1 Rfe8 14.--
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1 Rfe8
 16...h5!?N Eighty games in the database and no
one played like this! In the past the grandmasters
were really sensitive with their pawn moves next
to the king and probably they were right!

This
is very interesting and I wouldn’t be surprised if
Carlsen or Grandelius play like this next time they
reach this position. Black keeps all the possibilities
open and White needs to decide how to proceed.
14.d5 Anyway, I couldn’t find the way to refute
this advance and it has the benefit of fighting
White decides to close the centre because against Nh2–g4. (16...Rad8 17.Qf3 Be6 18.Nhg4²)
Black’s rook is placed on e8, which is not its best 17.Nf3 Once the knight has forced ...h5, it comes
square. In this position normally Black has three back to its place. (17.Qf3 White tries a sharp plan.
different plans: 17...Bc6 18.g4!?
• ...c4 followed by ...Nb7,
• ...Nc4 followed by ...Nb6 with the idea of
pushing the queenside later, and
• ...g6 at the right moment, trying to plan
Rubinstein’s manoeuvre.
a) 14.dxc5!? dxc5 15.Ne3

15...g6! Black controls the f5-square.
(15...Bc6!?N Black doesn’t care about the
f5-square. 16.Nf5 Bf8 17.Nh2 Kh8 18.Ng4 Ng8!?
Black has everything on the first rank but the
position is not easy to crack!) 16.Nh2 There are
many classical games from this position.
208
White
uses the hook! Black should stay cool with
18...Rad8 19.gxh5 Nxh5 20.Nhg4 Bf8 Thanks to
the knight on h5, Black’s position is not easy to
crack. 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.exd5 Bg7 23.Bg5 This
would be the logical follow-up, and here I like
Petrosian’s typical idea 23...Nc4! 24.Bxd8 Qxd8
followed by ...f5 when Black has more than
enough compensation for the exchange.) 17...Rad8

18.Qe2 (18.Nd5!? White changes the pawn
structure to open lines for the c2-bishop, but this
strategy is not enough this time. 18...Nxd5 19.exd5
Bc8 This is safer. (19...Be6 20.dxe6!? — 20.Nxe5
Rxd5 21.Qe2 Bd6!= — 20...Rxd1 21.exf7+ Kxf7
22.Rxd1 The engine considers the position equal
but with Black’s weakness on the kingside I think
White has the better chances, although I should
admit that this is a personal opinion.) 20.Rxe5 Nc4
21.Re2 Bb7=) 18...Bc6 19.Ng5 Bf8
Black
is ready to play ...Bg7. The position is still
complex but more or less balanced. One possible
line is 20.b3 Bb7 21.c4 Nc6=.
b) 14.Ne3?! cxd4 15.cxd4 Nc6!= White
doesn’t have a good way to keep the tension as we
saw in the 12...exd4 variation.
c) 14.Ng3!? Nc4! (14...cxd4 15.cxd4 Rac8
This is analyzed in the 12...cxd4 chapter.) 15.b3
Nb6 16.Be3
209
If
White doesn’t want to play with d5, this is the
alternative. 16...a5 Black should try to gain some
space on the queenside. 17.Rc1 a4! 18.Nd2 axb3
19.axb3 Rec8 20.f4!
Both
players have played very normal and logical
moves but now Black makes a mistake.
20...cxd4?! This makes White’s life a bit easier.
(20...b4! Tension, pressure! 21.Bb1 cxd4 22.cxd4
Qxc1 23.Qxc1 Rxc1 24.Rxc1 exf4 25.Bxf4 d5!
26.e5 Ne8 Black is doing all right here.) 21.cxd4
exf4 22.Bxf4 Ra2 23.Bb1 Qxc1 24.Qxc1 Rxc1
25.Rxc1 White was better in the endgame in
Geller, E (2545)-Unzicker, W (2510) Moscow
1982.
Back to 14.d5.
 Black
14...Nc4! is ready to play the Rubinstein setup, but White
has an easy way to fight against this. 16.b3
The most common plan. (16.Nh2 Ne8 17.b3 Nb7 18.f4!²) 16...c4 Black
a) 14...c4!? 15.b4!? (15.Ng3 Nb7 16.Nh2!? normally needs this. (16...Ne8?! 17.Nh2! Nb7
a5 17.f4 Nc5 18.f5 b4 19.Ng4 looks double-edged 18.Ng4 Nd8 19.f4±) 17.b4 Nb7 18.a4!
but after 19...Nxg4 20.Qxg4 Kh8³ it is difficult for
White to break through on the kingside and Black
is coming with ...Nd3.) 15...cxb3!N It is very
important that Black can play like this. (15...Nb7?!
16.a4!±) 16.axb3 Nb7 17.Bd2

White
is ready to play b4 and be better but 17...Nc5!
followed by ...a5 gives Black a pleasant game
because after 18.b4 Black simply plays 18...Na4!=.
b) 14...Reb8 15.Ng3 g6
I’ve
seen many games with this kind of position.
Normally White is afraid to play this advance
because of ...a5, but I will show you that there is
nothing to fear. 18...a5 19.axb5 axb4 20.Rxa8
Rxa8 21.cxb4 Bxb5 22.Re3!

210
 When
the time is right White will play Ra3 and Ne2–c3,
and will have a real advantage.
15.Ne3!?
Probably the best idea.
15.b3 Nb6 16.Ng3
16...c4!N Once the knight is on g3, this is
very effective because it is not so easy for White
to put pressure on c4. (16...g6 17.Be3 Bf8 18.a4!²
Jovanovic, Z (2526)-Rogic, D (2559) Austria
2010) 17.Be3 Reb8 18.Qc1 a5 With ...cxb3 and
...a4 to come, Black is completely fine.
15.Ng3 Nb6 16.Nh2!?
211
Playing for f4 looks ver y logical when
White has not touched the queenside. 16...a5!?N I
like this move. (16...c4?! 17.f4 Now Black cannot
cover e5 with a knight! 17...exf4 18.Bxf4 Na4
19.Rb1 Nc5 20.Nf3 Qb6 21.Nd4± Ermenkov, E
(2449)-Ibragimov, I (2611) Dubai 2000) 17.f4
(17.b3 c4! Now is the moment!) 17...exf4 18.Bxf4
Nc4!=
15...Nxe3 16.Bxe3 h6!=
Black
will continue with ...Nh7 and ...Bg5 when he
considers the time is right. This position is all right
for Black; he doesn’t have any problem playing
...h6 now because White has only one knight and it
is very difficult to create an attack.
6
12... Bd7 13.Nf1 Rfe8 14.b3
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1
Rfe8!? 14.b3

The
most flexible. White is ready to enter either the d5
or the dxe5 variations with the best version
possible thanks to the support of the pawn on b3.
It’s incredible how such a small move can make a
big difference!
14...cxd4!
Probably this is the moment to play this
exchange. I couldn’t find better moves.
a) 14...Rac8?! 15.d5! Now ...Nc4 is not
possible. 15...c4?! 16.b4! Nb7 17.a4±.
b) 14...g6
This
is the only reasonable move that I could find to
keep the tension. White has many ways of getting
a better position; it depends on your tastes. I will
give you no fewer than three options. This time
even Bh6 is a good move because the knight from
a5 has a long road to f7. 15.d5
[15.Bh6 Bf8 (15...cxd4 16.cxd4 Nc6
17.Rc1 Rac8 18.d5 Na5 19.Bd3± 0–1 (58)
Reppert, V (1859)-Korchut, A (1792) LSS email
212
2014) 16.Bg5 (16.Bxf8 Kxf8=) 16...Bg7
17.Rc1! (17.Ne3 exd4 18.cxd4 Bc6 19.d5
Bd7 20.Nd2 h6 21.Bh4 c4∞ 1–0 (48) Timoscenko,
G (2530)-Kakageldyev, A (2415) Ashkhabad
1978) 17...Bc6 18.Ng3 Kh8 19.Qd2 Ng8 20.Be3
Qe7 21.Rcd1 Red8 22.d5 Bd7 23.c4 b4 24.a3±
1–0 (52) Ovcharenko, L (2267)-Wilshusen, H
(1572) ICCF email 2017; 15.dxe5!?N In my
opinion this is an easy way to fight for a small
edge. 15...dxe5 16.Bh6 Rad8 17.Qe2 Bf8 18.Bg5
Be7 19.Ne3 Bc6 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.c4²]
15...Nh5
16.N3h2! The start of a strong plan.
[16.Be3 Nb7 17.Qd2 c4! 18.b4 a5 19.a3
Ra6 20.g4

Again
the following games prove that this plan is often
not dangerous for Black. 20...Ng7! 21.Ng3 Rea8
22.Rac1 Nd8 (22...axb4 23.axb4 Ra2 24.Nh2 Nd8
25.f4 exf4 26.Bxf4 f6 27.Nf3 Nf7= ½–½ (38)
Ponomariov, R (2710)-Sasikiran, K (2668)
Mallorca 2004) 23.Kh2 f6 24.Rg1 Nf7 25.Ne1
½–½ Shankland, S (2595)-Kolev, A (2585) Las
Vegas 2012; 16.Ng3!? Nxg3 17.fxg3 Nb7 18.Rf1
(18.c4! f6 19.Rf1 Nd8 20.Nh2²) 18...c4 19.b4 a5=
1–0 (73) Onischuk, V (2427)-Efimenko, Z (2612)
Poltava 2006.]
16...Qd8 17.Ne3 Nb7 18.Qf3 Rf8 19.Nhg4
Nf4
20.h4! h5 21.Nh6+! The only way to
continue the attack. Sometimes there is no way
back, you just have to keep charging forward!
21...Kg7 22.Nhf5+! gxf5 23.Nxf5+ Bxf5 24.exf5
Let’s pause in this position. White sacrificed a
piece, but the knight on f4 is trapped and g3 is
coming, so White will get the material back.
Moreover, White’s bishops are pointing at the
kingside and the g-file will open. A nice
213
transformation of the position with the knight
sacrifice!
24...Bxh4 25.g3 Qg5 26.Kh2± ½–½ (44)
Liang, A (2488)-Stukopin, A (2586) Chicago
2017.
15.cxd4 Rac8 16.Ne3 Nc6 17.Bb2 Bf8
18.Rc1 Qd8!
We
are again in the 12...cxd4 chapter.
12.Nbd2
CONCLUSIONS ON THE BISHOP
MOVES
This chapter has been the most difficult of
the 11...Qc7 variation. The point is that you should
understand the previous chapters if you want to
understand this one! Black keeps the position
flexible and he can choose one plan or another. At
the same time, this gives White the possibility to
play different pawn structures. Another important
point about the bishop moves is that White cannot
play immediately b3 or b4 because one of the
rooks from a8 or f8 enters the game attacking the
bishop on c2. All this made it extremely
complicated for me to give some clear conclusions
and not jump around with different transpositions
all the time. Let’s clarify what happened here!
1. 12...Bb7? 13.d5 The bishop-killer. Now
black’s best move is 13...Bc8 and we would be on
the same variation as 12...Nc6 13.d5 Na5, the only
difference being who is losing the tempo, the
bishop or the knight.
2. 12...Be6 This move is a bit provocative.
I always thought that the best strategy would be to
play d5 at the right time, but things are more
complicated. This move is not so good because
White can keep the tension and in this position, the
bishop on e6 is misplaced because Black cannot
play ...cxd4 followed by ...Nc6 because of d5 and
Black loses a piece. After 13.Nf1 Black has two
main ways:
a. 13...cxd4 with the idea of playing ...Nc4
at the right moment and recapture with the bishop
on c4. Please have a look to my idea 17.Bb1! with
the plan of Bd2–c3, earning White the advantage.
b. 13...Nc4 and then ...Nb6. If White closes
the centre, it is not so easy for him to prove an
advantage. It is better to play with 14.b3 Nb6
15.Ne3. White is ready to change the pawn
structure with dxe5 followed by Ng5 and c4,
winning control of the d5 square with the better
game. Because of that, Black normally plays
15...c4. Here White has the straightforward
continuation 16.Ba3 Rfd8 17.d5 Bd7 18.bxc4!N
leaving a permanent weakness on c4. White is
much better.
3. 12...Bd7 The best move of the three.
Black keeps all the possibilities open and White
needs to know exactly what to do if he wants to
get any sort of advantage. It is not a coincidence
that world champion Magnus Carlsen played like
this. It was really difficult to draw conclusions in
some positions because there were many
possibilities, but these are the ones I consider
important:
a. 13.d5?! c4! Followed by ...Nb7–c5.
Amazingly there are more than 300 games but
Black is doing all right. After the knight
manoeuvre Black pushes the queenside with ...a5
and ...b4, and normally gets a very pleasant game.
b. 13.dxe5 is tempting because the bishop
214
is on d7 and maybe will need to lose a tempo to go
to e6. After 13...dxe5 14.Nf1 Rad8 15.Qe2 it is
very important to play 15...Rfe8! (15...c4 also
equalizes, but Black needs to play much more
accurately). White continues with the standard
play 16.Ne3 Bf8 17.Nh2 Be6! 18.Nhg4 Nxg4
19.hxg4 Nc6! and Black will fight the Nd5 jump
with ...Ne7 at the right time, with equal chances.
c. 13.Nf1 is the good move, keeping the
tension, and now Black has different options:
• 13...cxd4 We would go immediately to
the 12...cxd4 chapter.
• 13...Nc4 is the move preferred by the top
chess players in recent years. It is not so easy for
White to get an advantage. The idea with 16.Rb1
instead of 16.Ba3 (played by many grandmasters)
gives White a small but stable plus.
• 13...Rfe8 is the best move in my opinion
and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it in the near
future at the top level. Black keeps all the
possibilities open.
Botvinnik already played this idea in 1940!
It had a period of glory but then disappeared from
tournament practice. Maybe now is the right time
for its return! Here White has different options:
• 14.d5 Nc4 Black is doing fine in this
closed position.
• 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.Ne3 has its merits but
Black has two interesting ways of facing it: my
idea with 15...Bc6 or 15...g6 followed by 16...h5!
So far, no one has played like this but it looks
completely acceptable for Black.
• 14.Ng3 Nc4 15.b3 Nb6 16.Be3 is a
position with a lot of tension. Black should start
with 16...a5 gaining some space on the queenside.
If he is calm and doesn’t make positional
concessions everything should turn out well.
• 14.b3 is the most annoying. Here I tried
to find some moves for Black but the only
reasonable one was 14...cxd4, switching to the
12...cxd4 chapter. This is not bad for Black, taking
into account that I consider the 12...cxd4 variation
completely satisfactory.
 CHAPTER 6.

11...Nd7, 12TH MOVE SIDELINES

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7
The
Keres-Graf variation.
12.Kh1!?

An extremely mysterious move, but with

fantastic results! White’s idea is to be ready to
play d5 and g4, avoiding ...f5. Thanks to the king
on h1, Black’s typical counterplay with ...h5 after
g4 is not so effective because after gxh5 White’s
rook is ready to enter the attack with Rg1. Apart
from that, I don’t consider this move really good.
There are many good normal moves in this
position, so there is no need to play like this.
a) 12.b3 White’s idea is to play with Bb2
and Nbd2–f1 and Ne3. 12...exd4! Black tries to get
Contents the Benoni pawn structure. 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.Nc3
Bf6!

1. 12.--
2. 12.dxc5
3. 12.d5!? 12...--/13...--
4. 12.d5!? Nb6! 13.b3 f5
5. 12.d5!? Nb6! 13.Nbd2

1
12.--

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7
Many
games have reached this position. Black seems to
be completely fine here. 15.Be3 cxd4!
[15...Bb7? 16.e5! dxe5 17.dxc5 Nd4
18.Ne4!N (18.Nxd4?! exd4 19.Bxd4 Nxc5
20.Bxc5 Bxc3= ½–½ (38) Kveinys, A
(2550)-Kollars, D (2509) Aarhus 2018) 18...Nxc2
215
19.Qxc2± White will be much better thanks to the
pressure on the d-file and the passed c-pawn.]
16.Nxd4 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 Bb7!
White
cannot put enough pressure on d6. 18.Rc1 Rc8
19.Bb1 Bg5!?N No one has played like this but
this is the first option for the engine. (19...g6
20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Qd2 Rfe8= 0–1 (60) Dominguez
Perez, L (2712)-Karjakin, S (2763) Beijing 2011)
20.Rc2 (20.Be3 Bxe3 21.Rxe3 b4 22.Ne2 Rxc1
23.Qxc1 Nc5=) 20...Re8 21.a4 b4 22.Nd5 Rxc2
23.Bxc2 Bxd5 24.exd5 Rxe1+ 25.Qxe1 a5=
The
position is equal according to the engine but White
should be careful. If Black manages to exchange
the dark squared bishops the position will be
completely winning for him!
b) 12.b4!? A very concrete try for White.
Black must react correctly. 12...cxb4 13.cxb4
216
13...Nc6! (13...Nc4?! 14.Nc3 Bb7 15.d5²)
14.Nc3!? An interesting pawn sacrifice to keep up
the fight for the initiative. (14.a3?! exd4 15.Bb2
Bf6 16.Nxd4 Nde5 17.Bb3 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Be6=;
14.Bb2 Nxb4 15.Bb3 Bb7 Thanks for the pawn!)
14...Nxb4! The easiest. (14...exd4 15.Nd5 Nde5
16.Nxd4 Nxd4 17.Qxd4 White will take the bishop
on e7 and Black has no need to allow such a
thing.) 15.Bb3 Bb7 16.Ba3
16...Qa5 The solid move. (16...Nc6 17.Nd5
Nxd4 18.Nxe7+ Qxe7 19.Nxd4 exd4 20.Qxd4 Nc5
should be balanced as well, although White has
some initiative.) 17.Bb2 Qd8 18.Qe2!? White has
to play like this if he doesn’t want to repeat moves.
18...Nc6 19.Nd5 exd4 20.Nxe7+ Qxe7=
12...Qc7!
This move is always one of the favourite
moves for my engine in this variation. Here it
makes a lot of sense because it keeps the position
flexible.
 12...Bb7 13.d5 18...Qc7! 19.Ne6 Bxe6 20.fxe6 Nh5
21.Qd5 Rad8? (21...Nxf4! 22.Bxf4 exf4 23.Qh5
g6 24.Bxg6 hxg6 25.Qxg6+=) 22.f5! Ng3+
23.Kh2 Nxf5 24.Rf1 Nh4

This
is exactly what White wants to get in this variation
— but it is not so great anyway! 13...Nc4!?
[13...f5 14.exf5 Here Black has two
options to recover the d5-pawn. 14...Nc4! 25.Bg5? (After 25.Be3! Ng6 26.g3
(14...Nf6?! 15.Ng5! Bxd5 16.Nd2 Kh8 17.f4 exf4 Kramnik would have had total domination of the
18.Ndf3±) 15.Nbd2 Nxd2 (15...Ncb6?! 16.a4! position.) 25...Ng6∞ Kramnik, V
Nxd5 17.Ne4 h6 18.Nh2 c4 19.Ng4 h5 20.f6 hxg4 (2807)-Ponomariov, R (2734) Linares 2003.]
21.fxe7 Qxe7 22.Qxg4² ½–½ (32) Sakai, K 14.b3 Ncb6
(2637)-Mercadal Benejam, J (2565) ICCF email
2004) 16.Qxd2 Nf6 17.Ng5 Bxd5 18.f4!
Kramnik’s idea is non-standard and very
interesting.

217
 15.a4
(15.g4?! c4 16.b4 a5³) 15...c4! This move is
important. (15...bxa4 16.bxa4 a5 17.Na3² 1–0 (37)
Sutovsky, E (2692)-Lenic, L (2623) Aix les Bains
2011) 16.a5 cxb3 17.Bxb3 Nc4 18.Bxc4 bxc4=
Svidler, P (2753)-Efimenko, Z (2648) Dubai 2014.
13.d5
Black
creates further weaknesses. 18.Ng3 (18.h4! This
move, with the idea of h5, is normally good.)
18...Kh8 19.Nh4 c4 20.Ng2 Nc5 21.f4 f5 22.exf5
gxf5 23.Nxf5 Bxf5 24.Bxf5± 1–0 (36) Miron, L
(2511)-Costachi, M (2399) Olanesti 2016.
16.Nf1 Nc5 17.Ng3 a5! 18.Rg1 b4!

This is the only move that makes sense.

13.Nbd2 cxd4 14.cxd4 exd4 15.Nxd4 Bf6!
16.N2f3 Ne5„
13...Nb6 14.g4!?

Graf
understands what should be done. He doesn’t care
about the kingside, he tries to create counterplay
on the queenside.
19.Be3 Rb8 20.cxb4?!
The
only way to avoid ...f5. Moreover, White is ready 20.Nf5 Bd8!
to play the easy plan Nbd2–f1–g3.
14...Nb7 15.Nbd2 c4!

15...g6?! I don’t like this move. The

kingside will simply be weaker after this move. If
Black doesn’t touch the kingside it is much more
difficult to get mated. 16.Rg1 Bd7 17.Nf1 f6?!

218
 The
bishop on d8 defends many critical squares. 21.h4
Kh8 22.h5 b3! 23.Bb1 (23.axb3 cxb3 24.Bb1 Nc4
25.Bc1 a4ƒ Nothing has happened on the kingside
yet and Black has developed active counterplay on
the queenside.) 23...Nba4ƒ
20...axb4 21.Rc1
21...Kh8!N
I like this prophylactic move. It’s useful in
almost all circumstances!
21...Ra8? Here Graf couldn’t find the best
plan. 22.Qe1 Rb8 23.b3 Ba6 24.Nf5 Rfc8 25.Nh2
Bf8 26.g5 Qb7 27.Ng4!
219
Now
we can see why ...Bf8 is not so good. Black simply
locks the king in the corner and mate can be easily
delivered! 27...cxb3 28.Nf6+ Kh8 29.f3 Nbd7
30.Nxh7+– 1–0 (54) Handke, F (2459)-Graf, A
(2601) Germany 2007.
22.Bd2 Nbd7 23.Nf5 Bf6!? 24.g5 Bd8
Black
is completely f ine here! I couldn’t find a way for
White to deliver in this kind of position.
25.h4
25.Nxg7!? Kxg7 26.Nh4 Rg8! 27.Nf5+
Kh8 28.Nh6 Rg7 With ...Nf8 to follow, everything
is under control.
25...Nb6 26.Bxb4 Nba4! 27.Bxc5 Nxc5³
 Black
is a pawn down but has a strong initiative on the
queenside, and in the future will try to prove that
White created weaknesses on the kingside as well!
11...Nd7
CONCLUSIONS
Alternatives on move 12: The lines
checked in this chapter are not very dangerous, but
it is good to know them!
1. 12.b3 allows 12...exd4 followed by
13...Nc6 and Black has a good version compared
to other variations that we will check in the later
chapters.
2. 12.b4 is an interesting dynamic try but
Black can take the pawn with 12...cxb4 13.cxb4
Nc6 14.Nc3!? (The only try for advantage)
14...Nxb4. White has some activity, but is not
enough.
3. 12.Kh1 was popu larized by Kramnik.
His plan to play against ...f5 is very deep. 12...Bb7
is what White wants. I would play with 12...Qc7
and if you follow the ideas I gave in this chapter
Black has no problems.
2
12.dxc5
White
plays a la Fischer.
12...dxc5 13.Nbd2
This looks to me like an improved version
of Fischer’s variation against 11...Qc7. The knight
on f6 was well placed, taking the d5 square under
control. On the other hand, the knight is ready for
...Nb6 or ...c4 followed by ...Nc5 so the situation is
not so clear.
13...Bb7
The main move and one that makes a lot of
sense. Black’s idea is to control d5 and put
pressure on e4.
a) 13...f6?! This was the common move in
the first games of this variation, but I don’t like it.
Black allows a standard manoeuvre for white.
14.Nh4!

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.dxc5

14...Nb6 (14...Rf7 15.Nf5 Bf8 16.h4!²)

15.Nf5 This is the normal move. (15.Qf3!? This
plan is not so common but it was really effective
in this game. 15...Re8 16.Nf1 Ra7 17.Qg3 Kh8
220
18.f4 Nc6 19.f5! We don’t see this plan every day
in the Ruy Lopez! 19...b4 20.Bd1 Qc7 21.Bh5 1–0
Zaitsev, A-Dragunov, V USSR 1963.) 15...Rf7

16.Nd5! The right move! White opens lines

for the c2-bishop.
Black [16.Qe2?! Once again, Fischer doesn’t find
is planning to play with ...Bf8. White has different the best move. 16...f6! (16...Be6?! 17.Nd5! Don’t
options. There are some grandmaster games but give him the same chance twice! 17...Nxd5
they are not really convincing. I will limit myself 18.exd5 Bxd5 19.Nxe5 Ra7 20.Bf4± Fischer,
to showing one idea. (15...Kh8 16.Qe2 Be6 17.Nf1 R-Keres, P Curacao 1962) 17.Nh4 Bf8 18.Nd5
Ra7 18.h4 Re8 19.Nxe7 Qxe7 20.Ng3² 1–0 (46) Nxd5 19.exd5 g6!N Af ter this simple move,
Christiansen, L (2585)-Ree, H (2475) Hastings White’s initiative is over. (19...Bb7 20.f4 Rxd5
1982) 16.h4!?N I want to place my pawn on h5 21.Qg4ƒ Gligoric, S-Unzicker, W Varna 1962)
and later I will decide on the best follow-up. 20.a4 c4³]
[16.Qg4 Kh8 17.Nf3 Bf8 18.Qh5 Qe8∞ 16...Nxd5 17.exd5 f6 18.Nh4!
Kengis, E (2475)-Graf, A (2405) Pinsk 1986;
16.Nxe7+?! Fischer always thought that any
bishop was better than the best knight, but here I
don’t think so. 16...Rxe7 (16...Qxe7 17.Nf1 Be6
was better according to the engine but I must
admit that is strange to leave the rook stuck on f7
like this.) 17.Qf3 (17.Nf1!? Be6 18.Qxd8+ Rxd8
Maybe this endgame is better for White, but of
course that was not Fischer’s idea.) 17...Be6
18.Nf1 Rd7 19.Ne3 c4= Fischer, R-Ivkov, B
Havana 1965. Eventually Fischer lost this game!]
16...Bf8 17.h5!² White has won the battle
on the kingside. The next idea is to play Re3–g3,
afterwards Qe2 or Qf3 and Nf1, and later build up There
the initiative. is no way back! White needs to try to mate Black,
b) 13...Qc7 Black wants to play ...Nb6 on or the weakness of the d5-pawn will tell against
the next move but doesn’t want to play with ...f6. him. 18...g6 (18...Bf8 19.f4! exf4 20.Bxh7+! Kxh7
14.Nf1 Nb6 15.Ne3 Rd8 21.Qh5+ Kg8 22.Ng6+–) 19.Nxg6! hxg6 20.Bxg6
Nc4
[20...Kg7 21.Re3!!

221
 We
21...Rh8 (21...Kxg6 22.Rg3+ Kf7 23.Qh5+ have seen that for some reason this move is useful
Kf8 24.Bh6#) 22.Rg3 Kf8 23.Qf3± most of the times, so why not here? I didn’t see
any problem with this move and Black is
completely fine. Only 20 games in my database so
this is an interesting choice. 14.Nf1 Nc4! The
knight goes to d6. 15.b3
[15.N3h2 a5!N I like this move very much.
After a4 Black will be always ready for ...b4. At
the same time, White should be careful about
Black’s possible ...a4. (15...Bg5?! 16.b3 Bxc1
17.Rxc1 Ncb6 18.Ng4² Khalifman, A (2702)-Graf,
A (2630) Lanzarote 2003. The knight on b6 is
completely out of the game.) 16.Ng4 a4 17.Nfe3
Ndb6=]
15...Nd6 16.Ne3 Bb7 17.Nd5 Nf6!
A
very interesting position. White has no threats yet
but Black’s king is permanently locked in on the
kingside. One check at the right moment could be
mate! White only has to try the manoeuvre
Rg5–h5 or even at some point the idea
h4–h5–h6–h7 and Black’s position will collapse.]
21.Qh5 Bf8 22.Re4 Ra7 23.a4+– 1–0 (33)
Sarakauskas, G (2408)-Caoili, A (2202) London
2012.
c) 13...Re8!?

Black
puts a lot of pressure on e4. 18.Nxe7+ (18.c4
Nxd5 19.cxd5 f5!„) 18...Qxe7 19.Nd2 Qc7=
McShane, L (2643)-Sasikiran, K (2666) Biel 2004.
14.Nf1 Nc4!

222
 15.Ng3
15.b3 Nd6 16.a4 Re8 17.N3d2
17...Nf8!N This is the perfect setup for
Black, as in the main line. (17...Bg5?! Black here
missed the tactical possibility 18.Nc4! bxc4
19.Bxg5² Tzoumbas, A (2415)-Graf, A (2575)
Chania 1994.) 18.Ne3 Ne6 19.Nd5 Bf8= Black
will decide when to take on d5, or play ...Nc7 and
then take on d5. White will probably get a passed
pawn but this is not important because the black
knight is perfectly placed on d6.
15...Nd6! 16.Qe2 Qc7
223
17.Be3?!
17.Nf5! Nxf5 18.exf5 would be equal.
17...Rfe8 18.Nd2 g6 19.b3 Nf8
Bologan, V (2676)-Morovic Fernandez, I
(2565) Poikovsky 2001. The players agreed a draw
here but Black is already better. After ...Ne6 his
knights will have full control of the centre!
CONCLUSION 12.dxc5
This variation is not really good for White.
Black doesn’t have the queen on c7, that’s the
whole point. Black will develop his pieces in this
fashion: ... Bb7, ...Nc4 and ...Nd6. After this
move, Black will have control of the central
squares. I very much like Morovic’s manoeuvre
...Nf8–e6. In my opinion, if Black plays like this,
his position is easier to play.
 3 the c4-square. 16.Qe2!N 16...Na5 17.Na3 Rb8
12.d5!? 12...--/13...--
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.d5!?
White
decides to close the centre immediately to avoid
the Benoni formation.
12...Nb6!
Black’s most logical move, because now it
is possible to play ...f5.
a) 12...Nc4?! This only helps White to
improve his position on the queenside. As we will
see in the main line, the knight is perfectly placed
on a5 with the idea of ...Nb7–c5. 13.b3! Ncb6
14.a4 White has played the normal moves and his
position is already much better.
14...Bb7 (14...bxa4 15.bxa4 Nc4 A few
grandmasters got to this position and they
completely misplayed it. The key is the control of
224
18.Be3 Qc7 19.Nd2!± Please, remember this setup
for White! If you get here, everything is under
control. Black has no moves. White will later play
Reb1 and in the future will try to place one knight
on c4, exchange it, play a5 and later Ba4. White’s
play is slow but extremely effective!; 14...Rb8
15.a5! Na8 16.Nbd2 Nc7 17.Nf1 Ne8 18.b4!
White is better in this kind of position as we saw
in previous chapters.) 15.a5 Nc8
I
don’t like Black’s concept. White can play with b4
or c4 depending on the circumstances. There is no
need to rush. 16.Nbd2 (16.c4!? b4 17.Be3 Qe8?!
Black chooses the wrong plan. 18.Nbd2 Bd8
19.Nf1 Ne7 20.Nh4 Kh8 21.Nf5± Navara, D
(2660)-Miton, K (2646) Birmingham 2006)
16...Bf6 (16...f5? 17.exf5 Bxd5 18.Ne4+–) 17.Nf1
g6 18.Ng3 Bg7 19.h4! h5 20.Ng5
Black
has no counterplay. White should manoeuvre and
at the right moment (maybe after another 20
moves) play f3 followed by g4 opening the
kingside.
 b) 12...c4? This is a strategical mistake.
Normally, this advance is good only when the
white pawn is placed on a4. 13.b4! This is the
typical reaction in this position.
13...cxb3 14.axb3 Qc7 15.Be3 Nb7 16.Na3
Rb8 17.Qd2 Nb6 18.b4!
Excellently played! 18...Bd7 19.Bd3 Rfc8
20.Rec1 Nc4 21.Bxc4 bxc4 22.Qc2 Qd8 23.Nd2
Bb5 24.Nxb5 axb5 25.Ra6± 1–0 (60) Hou, Y
(2570)-Munguntuul, B (2261) Nalchik 2010.
Extremely clean and good play by Hou Yifan.
Back to 12...Nb6.
225
13.b3
Sergey Zhigalko played this move more
than once, although if Black knows how to play
here everything is fine.
a) 13.g4?! A very typical move, but Black
has a typical reaction. 13...h5! 14.Nh2 hxg4
15.hxg4 Bg5 16.Nd2 g6 17.Ndf3 Bxc1 18.Qxc1
Kg7µ 0–1 (73) Fischer, R-Keres, P Curacao 1962.
b) 13.b4?! Nb7!N I like this move the
most. Black keeps the tension and will try to
exploit White’s weaknesses on the queenside; he is
planning ...a5. (13...cxb4?! 14.cxb4 Nac4 15.Nc3
Black’s knights look really nice but in
reality they are doing nothing. Now White has a
free hand on the queenside. 15...Bd7 16.a4 bxa4
17.Nxa4 Nxa4 18.Bxa4 Bb5 19.Bc2 Qb6 20.Bd3
Rfc8= The position is more or less equal although
White eventually prevailed in Kovalenko, I
(2636)-Neiksans, A (2586) Olaine 2017) 14.a4!
 The
only way for White to keep the balance. (14.Nbd2
a5 15.bxa5 Nxa5³) 14...Nxa4 15.Bxa4 bxa4
16.Be3 cxb4 17.cxb4 Bd7
This
is the only independent try.
14...Qc7!
The most normal move. Black is not in a
rush to play ...f5. First, he consolidates his position
on the queenside.
a) 14...Qc8 Black is ready to play ...f5 and
take with the queen. Anyway, I get the feeling that
this move was more improvisation than serious
preparation. 15.Nbd2!N It was difficult to
calculate the consequences of this move but
apparently White is better.
[15.Qd2?! Nb7 16.Na3 f5 17.exf5 Bxf5
18.Nh2

The
engine considers the position equal although I
would prefer Black thanks to the pair of bishops.
13...Bd7

This is the positional move.

14.Be3

18...Bf6?! Black has lost an important

tempo in the fight for the e4-square. (18...Bxc2!N
19.Nxc2 Qf5 20.Rad1 e4 21.Nf1 Bh4³ It’s very
difficult for White to find a plan and ...Nd7–e5 is
coming for Black.) 19.Rad1!² Qd7 (19...Bxc2
20.Qxc2! This is the difference. White takes
control of the e4-square thanks to the queen. On
the previous move this move was not possible
226
because the d5-pawn was hanging.) 20.Nf1 Bh4
21.c4
21...e4? (21...b4 22.Nb1 was still playable
although White’s position is easier to play.) 22.Bf4
b4 23.Nb1 a5 24.Bxe4± 1–0 (65) Zhigalko, S
(2671)-Anton G, D (2650) Doha 2016]
15...f5
16.exf5 Nxd5 17.Ne4! Nxe3 18.Rxe3 Bxf5
19.Nxd6 Bxd6 20.Bxf5 Qxf5 21.Qd5+! An
extremely accurate move. (21.Qxd6 e4 22.Qc7
exf3 23.Rxf3 Qc2=) 21...Kh8 22.Qxd6 e4
227
23.Rd1!! This is the key move. 23...exf3
24.Rxf3 Qc8 25.Rxf8+ Qxf8 26.Qb6! The knight
is trapped on a5! 26...Nxb3 27.axb3 h6 28.Ra1
According to the engine White is slightly better
although extremely good technique is needed to
convert this into a full point.
b) 14...c4!? This is possible as well.
15.Nbd2 Qc7 16.Qe2 Rfc8 17.b4 Nb7 18.a3 a5
19.Rac1 axb4 20.axb4 Ra2= Zhigalko, S
(2671)-Anton Guijarro, D (2650) Tallinn 2016.
15.Na3
If
White needs to play such a strange move to keep
his centre together, this is not a good sign!
15.Nbd2?! f5!„
15...c4!
Black is completely fine. There were some
games but White got nothing, only problems!
16.Qe2
16.Qd2 Bf6 17.Rab1 Rac8 18.b4 Nb7
19.Rb2 Ra8 20.Nh2 Bd8= Sueess, F (2242)-Juras,
Z ICCF email 2015.
16...Rfc8 17.Nd2 Bd8 18.Nab1 Nb7
19.Rf1 Nc5=

Kireev, S (2308)-Barnsley, A (2382) LSS

email 2011.
4
12.d5!? Nb6! 13.b3 f5

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.d5!? Nb6! 13.b3 f5!?
A
risky choice, but interesting as well. 17...Rxf3!
18.gxf3 Qxh3 19.Nd2 (19.Qe4? Rf8 20.Qg4
Qxg4+ 21.fxg4 Nxd5 22.Bd2 Nc6µ 1–0 (43)
Sandipan, C (2510)-Gozzoli, Y (2377) Goa 2002)
19...Rf8

The
most concrete try.
14.exf5 Bxf5 15.Bxf5 Rxf5 16.Re4

This is the continuation supported by the

engine although I must admit that it is extremely
This
strange. The idea is to play c4 at some point and
happened 14 years ago! I was playing against
the rook will be supporting this advance.
David Recuero, one of the most talented Spanish
16.Qd3?! Maybe it was unnecessary to
players in recent years. Unfortunately for chess,
show this move, but I played it many years ago
when he was 18 he decided to stop chess and focus
and I decided to include it. 16...Qd7 17.Be3!?
in his studies. Fortunately for him, he is doing
great in life! 20.a4? I was young, feeling nothing
could happen to me — so let’s attack on the
queenside. It worked, but it wasn’t objectively
correct. (20.Rad1 Rf6 21.Ne4 Rxf3 22.Qf1 Qh5©)
20...bxa4?! Here the problems started for my
opponent. (20...Nxb3! 21.Nxb3 Rf6 22.axb5 axb5
Then he will play ...Rg6, take my queen and I will
lose for sure!) 21.b4 Nb7? 22.bxc5 Nxc5 23.Bxc5
dxc5 24.d6!

228
 Black
Suddenly the situation was unclear. has two interesting options to keep his initiative
24...Bg5 25.Qf1 Qh4 26.Ne4 Bf4 27.Qg2 Nd7 going.
28.Red1+– Salgado Lopez, I (2232)-Recuero 21...Qh5
Guerra, D (2245) Mondariz 2004. I won later and
thanks to this game I managed to win the U14 21...Qf5 22.Bxa5 Bh4 23.Kh1 Bxf2 24.Rh3
Spanish championship! Qg4 25.Nd2 Bd4 26.Qg2 Qxg2+ 27.Kxg2 Rf2+
16...Qd7!N 28.Kg3 Rxd2 29.Bxd2 Bxa1

The most normal move. Black plans ...Raf8

and ...Rxf3!

The
endgame is very complicated but, according to the
engine, completely equal.
17.c4 22.Bxa5 Bh4 23.Be1 Qg4+ 24.Qg2 Qd1
Raf8 18.Bd2!? 25.Qf1 Qg4+

18.Nbd2 bxc4 19.bxc4 Bd8! Black is ready

to play ...Qa4 and is completely fine.
18...Rxf3!

Black cannot lose time!

18...Nb7?! 19.Be3! Rxf3 20.gxf3 Qxh3
21.Nd2 White is better.
19.gxf3 Qxh3 20.Qf1 Qxf3 21.Re3

229
 And
draw! 16.Be3 (16.b4?! a5 17.g4 axb4 18.cxb4
5 Na4 19.a3 g6 20.Ng3 f6 21.Nh2 Qc8 22.f4 exf4
12.d5!? Nb6! 13.Nbd2 23.Bxf4 Nd8 24.Be3 Nf7 25.Nf3 Ne5³ 0–1 (63)
Kryvoruchko, Y (2676)-Polgar, J (2709) Achaea
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 2012) 16...Qc7! (16...cxb3? Improve the position
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5 first before exchanging on b3! 17.axb3 a5 18.Bd3!
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.d5!? Nb6! 13.Nbd2! a4 19.b4 Rc8 20.Qe2± Liang, A (2572)-Caruana, F
(2811) chess.com 2018) 17.Bxb6 (17.Qd2 cxb3
18.axb3 a5 19.Bd3 Nc5!³) 17...Qxb6 18.bxc4

Once
again, the most normal move is the best. Now, ...f5
is not dangerous any more. Black has so many
moves here, it is impossible to analyze them all.
But there is a very interesting one.
13...g6!
Probably Black was worried about this, but
after. 18...Nc5! Black has excellent compensation
for the pawn. Later he will play ...g6 and ...f5.]
14...Nb7

The direct approach. Black is ready to take

on f5 with the pawn. An extremely good practical
choice in my opinion.
a) 13...Bd7 The safest move. Black decides
to play slowly. Unfortunately for Black, if White
knows what he is doing, he will have a small plus.
14.Nf1 White is ready to play Ng3 and control f5.
[14.b3 c4 15.Nf1 Nb7
230
 Black
is ready to play ...c4 and ...Nc5.
15.Ng3
[15.b3 a5? It is interesting that Caruana
fails for the second time in the moves with the
pawns on the queenside. Probably it is not so easy
to do it right! I’m here with my head and my
engine and life is much easier! (15...Qc7 16.Be3
c4! was the best.) 16.Rb1!
White
prepares a4 to close the queenside. 16...c4 17.bxc4
Nxc4 18.a4! Qc7 19.axb5 Nb6 20.Be3² Hou, Y
(2680)-Caruana, F (2811) Wijk aan Zee 2018.]
15...g6
231
I’m
not sure about this move now. The knights on b7
and b6 are very far from the kingside and Black
could come under attack. Anyway, allowing Nf5 is
not really good either. This position is really
interesting. Black appears to be completely fine,
but some problems might appear. 16.Bh6 Re8
17.b3!
White
prevents ...c4, and is ready for b4. Initially I
thought that Black was completely fine, but not so!
17...c4!
[17...a5?! 18.Qe2 b4 19.c4? Don’t close the
queenside in Black’s favour! (19.Bd3! White has
all the possibilities covered. If the queenside is
opened, it will be better for White! 19...bxc3
20.Qc2 a4 21.Qxc3 axb3 22.axb3² The knights on
the queenside are really clumsy.) 19...a4 20.Qe3
Bf6 21.h4 Qe7= Hansen, E (2566)-Naroditsky, D
(2633) Reykjavik 2015]
18.b4 a5 19.a3 Ra6
 Black
has won the battle on the queenside, but at a high
price: his kingside is very weak! 20.Rc1!! I very
much like this kind of move. I will let you have
the file but you will get mated! 20...axb4 21.axb4
Bf8 22.Be3 Qe7 23.Nh2! White is much better and
will play f4 at the right moment.
b) 13...f5?! Black is not yet ready for this.
14.exf5 Bxf5 (14...Nxd5 15.Nb3! Nf6 16.Nxa5
Qxa5 17.g4!±) 15.Bxf5 Rxf5 16.Ne4² Leko, P
(2749)-Kramnik, V (2754) Monte Carlo 2005.
c) 13...Qe8?! This is not the best way to
prepare ...f5. 14.b3 f5 15.exf5 Bxf5 16.Bxf5 Rxf5
17.Ne4 Qg6 18.Bd2 Raf8 19.Ng3 Probably Black
was thinking about taking on f3 here but then
realized that this was not enough.
19...R5f7 (19...Rxf3 20.gxf3 Nxd5
21.c4!+–) 20.c4 Nb7 21.Qe2 b4 22.Qe4±
Volokitin, A (2709)-Socko, B (2635) Istanbul
2012.
Now back to 13...g6.
232
14.Nf1
a) 14.b4 White tries to counter-attack on
the queenside before ...f5 comes. 14...Nb7! Black
keeps the tension and is ready to play ...f5. White
cannot do much to avoid it.
[14...cxb4?! A positional mistake that even
Carlsen made! All right, it was back in 2007, but
he was Carlsen any way! 15.cxb4 Nac4 16.Nxc4
Nxc4 17.Bb3!
This
position is simply slightly better for White. Let’s
see what happened to Magnus. 17...Nb6 18.Be3
Bd7 19.Rc1! Rc8?! Normally exchanging pieces is
good when you have less space, but not in this
case. White will get control of the c-file.
(19...Qb8!? was a better try but after 20.Qe2 Qb7
21.Nd2 Rfc8 22.f4 I still prefer White. Only he has
chances.) 20.Rxc8 Bxc8 21.Qc2 Bd7 22.Rc1 Na8
23.Qd2 Qb8 24.Bg5!
 c) 14.a4 c4! 15.axb5 axb5 16.Nf1 Bd7
17.Ng3 Na4³ Sjugirov, S (2602)-Chirila, I (2487)
Rijeka 2010.
14...f5! 15.Bh6 Rf7

A
great concept by Anand! White has to exploit the
weaknesses on the kingside! 24...Bxg5 25.Nxg5
Rc8 26.Rf1! h6 27.Ne6 Kh7 28.f4 and Black was
punished in Anand, V (2779)-Carlsen, M (2690)
Linares 2007. Great game by Vishy!]
15.a4 16.exf5

Only an insane person would allow Black

to play f4. In correspondence chess there are such!
16.b3 f4 There are many correspondence
games in this position. The chances objectively are
more or less balanced but in a practical game I
would always be Black.
16...gxf5

A very critical position.

17.a4!

17.Ng3 e4! 18.Nxe4 (18.Nd2 Bg5=)

18...fxe4 19.Bxe4 Kh8 20.Ne5 ½–½ Sekret,R
The (2311)-Pannekoek, W (2319) LSS email 2010.
only try to mess things up a bit. (15.Nf1 f5! Probably the players agreed a draw because of...
16.exf5 gxf5 17.N3h2 Bg5 18.a4 Bxc1 19.Rxc1
cxb4 20.cxb4 bxa4³ Leko, P (2699)-Tari, A (2597)
Gallipoli 2017; 15.Nb3 c4 16.Nbd2 a5 17.Nf1
axb4 18.cxb4 Bd7 19.Bh6 Re8 20.Ng3 Bf8 21.Qc1
Ra6 22.a3 Bxh6 23.Qxh6 Qe7³ 0–1 (46) Swiercz,
D (2492)-Howell, D (2624) Puerto Madryn 2009)
15...cxb4 (15...bxa4 16.Bxa4 Nxa4 17.Qxa4 Bd7
18.Qb3 Qc7= Vedmediuc, S (2456)-Zhigalko, S
(2669) Calimanesti Caciulata 2016) 16.cxb4 Nxa4
17.Bxa4 bxa4 18.Qxa4 Bd7= Kryvoruchko, Y
(2676)-Bartel, M (2677) Lublin 2012.
b) 14.b3?! f5 15.a4 bxa4 16.bxa4 f4
17.Nb3 Nxb3 18.Bxb3 c4³ Niekras, D
(2313)-Sadzikowski, D (2590)
Fuengirola 2017.
233
 20...dxe5 21.Qh5 Qg8 22.Re3 Bf6 23.Rg3
Rg7 24.Rxg7 Bxg7 25.Bxg7+ Qxg7 26.Qe8+ Qg8
27.Qxe5+ Qg7 28.Qe8+=.
17...Bd7

21.Qh5!

White fights for the initiative.

21.Nxc4 Rxa1 22.Qxa1 Nxc4 23.Qc1
e3!?∞
18.axb5!N 21...Rxa1 22.Rxa1 Ne5!

It is a mystery to me why White hasn’t The knight should be close to the defence.
tried this. I will try to give some interesting 22...Nxb2?! Too risky. 23.f3!
analysis about the position.
18.b4?! cxb4 19.cxb4 Nac4 20.a5 Na4„
Preusse, G (2233)-Kukula, P (2149) ICCF email
2011.
18...axb5 19.Ng3!

White is planning to play Nh5 and to get as

many pieces as possible close to the black king.
19...e4

Black doesn’t have many moves, so he

should attack.
19...Nac4? 20.Rxa8 Nxa8 21.b3 Ncb6
22.Qd2±
White
20.Nd2
plans to open the kingside completely. 23...Bh4
24.Ndf1! (24.Ngxe4!? This sacrifice is interesting
20.Bxe4!? fxe4 21.Nxe4 Rf5! 22.Nfd2 Rf7
as well. 24...fxe4 25.Nxe4 Qe7 26.Nxd6 Bf6
23.Nf3 is a very funny draw!
27.Qxf7+ Qxf7 28.Nxf7 Kxf7 29.Ra7 N2c4∞ The
20...Nac4
engine says that White is better here. For me, this
endgame is very difficult to understand.) 24...N2c4
25.fxe4 Bf6

234
 The
26.e5! White clears the way for the Ruy evaluation is 0.00. What to say? This is really
Lopez bishop! 26...Bxe5 27.Nxf5± White’s pieces complicated. Games are needed to understand who
are very close to the black king. Black will have a is better!
really hard time defending himself. CONCLUSIONS ON 12.d5
23.f3 Rf6!

White closes the kingside but Black tries to

open the position with ...f5. Actually, there are not
so many good moves for either side in this
position. This is typical when one side decides to
get some kind of advantage (White gets the space
advantage) and the opponent has to fight against it
(in this case, Black needs to play ...f5 and make
the d5-pawn weak).
The best moves are 12...Nb6 13.Nbd2
planning Nf1–g3. Here there are two main options:
1. Black plays calmly with 13...Bd7 trying
to develop. Then Black places his pieces in this
formation: ...Qc7, ...Nb7 and ...c4 planning ...Nc5
Black with a great position. The problem is that if White
plans ...Rxh6! plays b3 at the right moment, he is ready to fight
24.fxe4 ...c4 with b4, closing the queenside. Then White
will even give the a-file to Black but this is not
24.Bg5 Be8 25.Qh4 h6! 26.Nxf5 hxg5 important because Black’s knights are far from the
27.Qxg5+ Bg6 28.Nxe7+ Qxe7 29.Nxe4 Rf7= The kingside and White can develop an attack there.
game goes on but the three pawns compensate for The engines don’t understand this at the beginning
the piece. but sometimes I can offer good ideas as well!
24...Rxh6 25.Qxh6 Bg5 26.Qh5 Bxd2 2. Black plays 13...g6! and a big mess
27.Nxf5 Bxf5 28.exf5 Nxd5= appears on the board. White needs to play with
14.Nf1 allowing Black to play ...f5. The position is
really concrete, no plans, only moves. After some
analysis it seems that Black is doing fine. My
novelty 18.axb5! is interesting but probably not
good enough to get an advantage. This means that
Black has a fully playable game after 12.d5 and
White should try to find new ways!
235
 CHAPTER 7.

11...Nd7 12.Nbd2 (MAIN LINE)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2
This
is considered to be the main line nowadays, but in
my opinion Black can get a very interesting game
with more than one line!
12...cxd4?!

Keres’ plan. Nowadays it is not so popular.

You will understand why soon.
12...Bf6?! This is the third most played
move. In my opinion it doesn’t make too much
sense. The point is that there is one pawn structure
where this bishop is completely misplaced here.
13.dxc5! Only seven games with this move but
I’m almost sure that this is the best move. It is
simply an improved version of other variations we
Contents have seen before. 13...dxc5 14.Nf1

1. 12...--
2. 12...Bb7/12...Re8
3. 12...exd4 13.cxd4 Re8
4. 12...exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5 Nce5 15.--
5. 12...exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5 Nce5 15.a4
--
6. 12...exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5 Nce5 15.a4
Rb8

1
12...--
White’s plan is very easy: Qe2, Ne3 and
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
Ng4 when the time is right. I checked the games
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
and Black can do little against this. If you have a
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2
look at the next games you will know enough.
14...Ra7 (14...Nc4 15.b3 Ncb6 16.Ne3 g6
17.Bb2!? c4 18.bxc4 Nxc4 19.Nxc4 bxc4 20.Ba3±
1–0 (49) Atakisi, U (2384)-Tanrikulu, S (2131)
236
Ankara 2007; 14...Nb6 15.Qe2 Qc7 16.Ne3 Be6
17.Ng4! Now we see the problem of the bishop on
f6. 17...Nd7 18.Nxf6+±) 15.Ne3 Nb6 16.Qe2 Be6
17.Ng4! Nc6 18.Rd1± 1–0 (70) Unzicker,
W-Wolk, S Bad Pyrmont 1963
13.cxd4 Nc6
14.Nb3
Once again, the best idea is to keep the
tension.
a) 14.a3?! exd4 15.Nb3 Nde5 16.Nfxd4
Bf6 17.Bd2 Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Nd3= 0–1 (41) Tal,
M-Keres, P Curacao 1962. What happened next
was analyzed in many books.
b) 14.d5?! Nb4 15.Bb1 a5
237
Black
has a good version of the ...cxd4 and d5 lines.
16.a3
[16.Nf1 Na6! The most logical move. The
knight was doing nothing on b4. 17.Ng3 (17.Bd3
Rb8 18.Ng3 Nac5 19.Bf1 g6 20.Bh6 Re8 21.b3
Bf8= ½–½ (51) Malaniuk, V (2460)-Romanishin,
O (2585) Moscow 1983) 17...g6 18.Bh6 Re8
19.Bd3 Rb8 20.Rc1 Nac5= ½–½ (62) Hunt, H
(2436)-Rowson, J (2594) Sunningdale 2007]
16...Na6
17.b4!? (17.Bd3 Rb8 18.b3 Ndc5 19.Bc2
f5!„ ½–½ (29) Damjanovic, M-Reshevsky, S
Nathanya 1971; 17.Nf1 Nac5 18.Bd2 a4 19.Bc2
Nb6 20.Ne3 Bd7 21.Rc1 ½–½ Janev, E
(2463)-Damljanovic, B (2541) Paracin 2010. Here
Black could have played on with 21...Nc4 22.Nxc4
bxc4 followed by ...Nb3. I think I would prefer
Black already.) 17...Bb7! A very important and
difficult move! The knight is on d2 and doesn’t
have time to control the f5-square, so Black plays
for ...f5! There are other moves in this position,
but they are not so good.
 [17...Nb6 The best a lternative to ...Bb7.
18.Bd3! (18.bxa5 Na4 19.Nb3 Nc3 20.Qd3 Nxb1
21.Rxb1 f5!„) 18...axb4 19.Bxb5 Bd7

White
is slightly better thanks to his more active pieces.
Probably he will win the pawn on d6 but I don’t
consider this to be enough to win the game.
20.Qe2?! (20.Bxd7 Nxd7 21.Nb3 Maybe 14...a5
White is slightly better.) 20...Nc5 21.Bxd7 Nbxd7
22.Bb2 Na4 23.Nc4 Nxb2 24.Qxb2 Nc5³ ½–½
(38) Shabalov, A (2633)-Becerra Rivero, J (2575)
Tulsa 2008)]
18.bxa5 (18.Qb3 Nc7 Black will follow up
with ...f5) 18...Nac5 19.Nb3 Nxb3 20.Qxb3
Qxa5=.
c) 14.a4!? I didn’t realize this move was
important till I saw one of the games explained by
Sokolov in his chapter. Black doesn’t have much
choice. 14...bxa4! 15.Bxa4 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 exd4
17.Nb3 Nc5

Black
should put pressure on the knight on b3. Now
White has two different options.
15.Bd3!

This is the problem and reason why this

variation is not played more often.
15.Be3?! Incredibly enough, there are more
people who play Be3 than Bd3. It is clear that
people don’t know the Ruy Lopez Chigorin very
deeply! 15...a4 16.Nc1 (16.Nbd2 Bf6! 17.d5 Nb4
Black and Black is completely fine.) 16...Bb7!
should go for massive exchanges if he wants to
keep the balance. 18.Nxd4 Nxa4 19.Nc6!
(19.Qxa4 Bf6 The bishop pair compensates for the
weakness on b6.) 19...Nxb2 20.Bxb2 Qe8
21.Nxe7+ Qxe7 22.Re3 f6

238
 White
cannot keep the centre together. 17.d5 (17.Bd3
Nb4!N This novelty gives Black a great position!
18.Bxb5 Bxe4 19.Bd2 d5! 20.Bxd7 Bxf3 21.Qxf3
e4! 22.Qg4 h5 23.Qxh5 Qxd7³ Black is a pawn
down but he is very active.) 17...Nb4 18.Bb1 f5„
15...a4!?
Black has to play like this to get a
reasonable position.
15...Ba6 The move if Black doesn’t want
to sacrifice material. 16.d5 Nb4 17.Bf1 a4
18.Nbd4!
A Romanishin reached this position several
very important move! 18...exd4 19.a3 Nxd5
20.exd5² ½–½ (27) Volokitin, A
(2660)-Mamedyarov, S (2699) Foros 2006. Go
back to the middlegame chapter if you don’t
remember so well how to continue!
16.Bxb5 Qb6 17.Bxc6 Qxc6 18.Nbd2
239
Grandmaster Romanishin tried to defend
this position many times. He had the feeling that
he could hold it: two bishops and White hasn’t
finished his development. I understand him
perfectly.
18...Bb7!?
Only some correspondence players have
tried this but it seems to be the most logical move.
Black simply wants to play ...f5!
18...Bf6 19.Nf1 exd4 20.Nxd4
times but couldn’t equalize. 20...Qb6 21.Be3!
Qxb2 22.Ng3 Ne5 23.Re2 Qb7 24.Rb1 Qa6
25.Nh5± 1–0 (42) Kulaots, K (2556)-Romanishin,
O (2532) Budapest 2008.
19.Nf1

19...Rfc8
19...f5?! 20.Bg5! This is the trick!
20.Ng3 g6!
I like this simple move. Black keeps the
status quo. His position is not so easy to crack.
20...Qb5?! 21.Rb1 Bf8 22.b4 g6 23.Be3 a3
24.Rb3² ½–½ (47) Hartl, H (2483)-Haug, U (2414)
LSS email 2010.
21.Bh6
21...Bf6!?N
Black wants White to push d5!
21...Qb5?! I don’t like this move, it only
helps White. 22.Rb1 Rc7 23.Re3 Rac8 24.Ne2±
Farkas, L (2118)-Salonen, J (2129) ICCF email
2017. Black has no compensation.
22.Qd2!
But White doesn’t advance his d-pawn!
240
22...exd4 23.Nxd4 Qb6
23...Qc4 24.Rad1 Qxa2 25.Qb4±
24.Rad1²
So we
can say that the old Keres variation with 12...cxd4
is in trouble!
2
12...Bb7/12...Re8
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2
12...Bb7!?
This is not so popular but lately David
Anton, one of the biggest experts in this variation,
has been playing this from time to time. I must
admit that it is much more interesting than I had
thought!
12...Re8 Canadian grandmaster Eric
Hansen has played like this not so long ago. In the the position closed.
past Keres tried this as well, of course. This looks [17...cxb3 18.axb3 Bd7
like a really healthy move. Unfortunately, Black
has problems with his pieces in the closed
position. 13.d5! Normally I don’t like this move
with the bishop on c8, but the rook now is on e8 so
...f5 is more difficult to play. After analyzing, it
appears that White is doing fine. (13.Nf1 exd4
14.cxd4 transposes to 12...exd4) 13...Nb6! 14.Nf1

19.Nh2?! (19.Qe2! was needed to avoid the

...a5 plans. 19...a5? 20.Bd3+–) 19...a5 20.Ng4 Bg5
21.Qd2 Bxe3 22.Qxe3 Rc8„ ½–½ (49) Tari, A
(2584)-Hansen, E (2603) Wijk aan Zee 2017.]
18.b4! a5 19.a3²

14...Nb7
[14...c4?! Too soon for this move. 15.Be3
(15.b4! Nb7 16.Be3 Bd7 17.Ng3²) 15...Nb7
16.a4?! A strange mistake. You almost never play
a4 if Black plays ...c4. 16...Bd7= ½–½ (26)
Dgebuadze, A (2499)-Hansen, E (2604) Belgium
2016.]
15.Ng3 g6

White’s plan is ver y easy. The queenside

is closed, so he simply needs to play for f4 at the
appropriate moment. 19...Ra6 (19...axb4 20.axb4
Rxa1 21.Qxa1 Na4 Maybe this is the best chance
for Black, but even here he is worse.) 20.Rf1 Qc7
21.Nh2 Rea8 22.Rc1!

Black
should not allow Nf5. 16.b3 c4 (16...Bd7!?N I will
need this move for sure, so better play it now.
17.Be3 Bf6 18.Qd2 Bg7 19.Bd3! With c4 to
follow, White is better; ...f5 is not possible.)
17.Be3 Bd7! I think that Black should try to keep
241

A
typical move! I saw one game of Karpov’s where
he did this and I never forgot it. White will play
with f4 and will crash through on the kingside.
22...Be8 23.f4 exf4 24.Bxf4±
13.Nf1!
One of the strange situations in the
Chigorin when d5 is not the best reply to ...Bb7.
a) 13.d5!?
If
there is a refutation, this should be the one, but
maybe there is no refutation. White should be
worried about Black’s ideas with ...f5 at some
point. After some analysis, I realized that things
are not clear at all. 13...Nb6 (13...f5 14.exf5 Bxd5
15.Ne4! This is very common in this kind of
position. 15...Nb6 16.a4! White exploits the
unstable position of the black knights. 16...Qc8
17.Nfg5 Qxf5 18.b4 cxb4 19.cxb4 Nc6 20.a5
Nxb4 21.axb6+– 1–0 (30) Schmidt, V
(2141)-Jung, K (1684) GER email 2010; 13...Bc8
14.b3! An important move to support White’s
centre. 14...Qc7 15.Qe2± White will follow with
242
c4, with the advantage.) 14.b3 The critical test.
(14.b4!?N 14...cxb4 15.cxb4 Nac4 16.Nxc4 Nxc4
17.a4 Probably White is a bit better here, but
Black’s position is solid.) 14...f5! It’s now or
never! (14...Bc8?! 15.Qe2 Bd7 16.c4²)
Now
White has to decide how to play. 15.exf5!? White
gives up the centre. (15.c4?! f4!N The engine
favours White but this is like some kind of King’s
Indian, where maybe White will get mated at some
point on the k ingside! 16.Bd3! White should put
pressure on the queenside as soon as possible.
16...Qe8 17.Qe2 bxc4 18.bxc4 Bc8! 19.Rb1 Bd8∞
Both sides have some chances although I would
prefer Black. The rooks can go to a7 and f7. At
some point ...g7–g5 is coming — White should be
careful!) 15...Bxd5
(15...Nxd5?! 16.Ne4! Next comes Ng5; the
e6-square is really weak.) 16.g4!?N I was a bit
shocked when my engine was suggesting this
move, but actually it makes a lot of sense. White
wants to play with Be4 or Ne4 and at the same
time doesn’t want to lose the f5-pawn. (16.Nh2!?
The other move suggested by the engine. 16...Kh8
17.Ng4 Bf7∞ A very strange position. The engine
favours White but practical tests are needed to
show what’s going in reality.) 16...Nc6!
[16...Bf7!? 17.h4!

This
is the engine’s evaluation, not mine. If I saw this
position on a board, I would think that Black is
completely fine! Extremely deep analysis is
needed to understand what’s going on here.
A b) 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Nf1 We had a look at
great idea! 17...Nc6 (17...Bxh4?! 18.Nxh4 Qxh4 this in the 12.dxc5 chapter.
19.Ne4 h6 20.Kg2! Bd5 21.Rh1 Qf6 22.f3!+– 13...exd4
White is a pawn down but the black pieces are
terrible!) 18.Ng5! White should play ver y
actively. 18...Bxg5 19.hxg5 d5 20.Qf3 Qxg5
(20...e4? 21.Qh3! White plans Kg2 and Rh1!)
21.Nc4 Qd8 22.Nxe5² White is better thanks to the
pair of bishops and the space advantage on the
kingside.]
17.Be4 Rc8 The critical position in this g4
idea. I couldn’t prove a clear advantage for White.

Black
couldn’t wait any more, or d5 would come.
14.cxd4

Now Black should decide what to do.

Different moves are possible.
14...cxd4!?

Probably this is good enough to equalize.

18.a4!? (18.Bxd5+ Nxd5 19.Ne4 Nc7!∞
The engine considers that White is still better here
but the position is very strange and in a practical
game I wouldn’t be unhappy with Black.) 18...Bf7
19.axb5 axb5 20.Bxc6 Rxc6 21.Ne4²
243
a) 14...Re8?! 15.Ne3! This is analyzed in
the main variation with 13...Re8.
b) 14...Nc6!? 15.Ne3
[15.Bf4?! Rc8 (15...Nxd4 16.Nxd4 cxd4
17.Qxd4; 15...cxd4 16.Nxd4 Nxd4 17.Qxd4 Rc8
should be enough to equalize.) 16.Ne3 cxd4
17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Qxd4 Nc5 19.Bb3 Bf6³ ½–½
(52) Padmini, R (2388)-Anton Guijarro, D (2617)
Gibraltar 2015; 15.d5 Nce5 I guess Black is fine
here. White’s knight went to f1 too soon.]
15...Bf6 The best move. Black tries to
force the Benoni pawn structure. (15...Nxd4 This
is solid. 16.Nxd4 cxd4

16...Rc8!

16...Re8 17.a4 b4 18.Bd2 Qb6 19.Nb3 Nf6

20.Nxa5 Qxa5 21.Bb3 Nxe4 22.Ng4² ½–½ (43)
Bokar, J (2582)-Mary, P (2563) ICCF email 2010.
17.a4 b4 18.Bd2 Qb6 19.Ng4 Nc4 20.a5
Qc5 21.Nb3 Qc7=
17.Nf5!? (17.Qxd4 Rc8 18.a4 Ne5=)
17...Bf6 18.Nxd6 Black couldn’t find the accurate
move 18...Bc8!N (18...Bc6?! 19.Nf5 Re8
20.Nxd4± Kozionov, K (2393)-Demchenko, A
(2619) Izhevsk 2014) 19.Bf4 Ne5 20.Nxc8 Rxc8=)
16.d5 Nce5 17.Nxe5 Nxe5 18.f4 Ng6

½–½
(38) Dolgov,I (2508)-Wilczek,T (2538) ICCF
email 2008.
3
12...exd4 13.cxd4 Re8
The
position is really unclear and both sides have 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
chances. 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
15.Nxd4 g6 16.Ne3 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2 exd4!

244
 annoying continuation. 15.Ne3! The knight is
aiming for f5. 15...cxd4 16.Nxd4 Bf8 17.b3!

The
most played move. A lot of theory about this has
developed in recent years. In 1991 Alexander Graf This
played like this. At the beginning it was virtually is the key! This typical pawn sacrifice is really
only him, but year by year more grandmasters good. 17...Rc8 (17...Bxe4 18.Bxe4 Rxe4 19.Bb2!
started to use his idea. White has a great initiative, with Nf5 coming.)
13.cxd4 Re8 18.Bb2 Nf6 19.Nd5! Again the same idea!
19...Nxd5 20.exd5 Rxe1+ 21.Qxe1 Bxd5
An interesting waiting move. White has to
decide how to play: close the centre or keep the
tension?
13...Bf6? 14.e5±
14.d5!

This cannot be bad. The knight is left on

the rim and it is not so easy to get it back into the
game.
14.Nf1

This
is interesting as well, although Black has some
unknown chances. 14...Nc6! Now Black gets an
improved version!
[14...Bb7?! There are many games with
this but the engine immediately comes with an
245
David
was playing great till this moment but now he
couldn’t find the best continuation. 22.Qd2!N This
simple move sets problems for Black. (22.Bf5?!
Rc7 23.Rd1 Qg5!∞ David, A (2585)-Nikolov, M
(2543) Porto Rio 2015) 22...Nc6 23.Bf5! Rc7
24.Nxb5 axb5 25.Qxd5².]
15.Bf4! The best try to fight for advantage.
[15.Be3 Bb7 16.Qd2 Qa5 17.Qxa5 Nxa5
18.Rad1 Rad8= Gullaksen, E (2344)-Howell, D
(2667) London 2014; 15.d5 Nce5
 The
difference from the main line is that in the Benoni
the knight on f1 is not doing much! It is much
better on d2 with the idea of playing f4 followed
by Nf3 when the time is right. 16.N3h2 (16.Nxe5
Nxe5 17.f4 Nd7„) 16...Bh4!? 17.Re2 c4 18.Be3
18...a5!N Typical Benoni play. (18...Qc7?
The queen is doing nothing on the queenside.
19.f4 Ng6 20.Nf3!²) 19.f4 Nd3 20.Bxd3 cxd3
21.Qxd3 Ba6³ Black has more than enough
compensation for the pawn.]
15...Nb4!?N
246
This
non-standard move makes White’s life a bit
difficult. (15...cxd4 16.Nxd4 Nxd4 17.Qxd4 Ne5
18.Ne3 Maybe White can claim a small
advantage.) 16.Ne3! (16.Bb1 Nc6 It’s funny, but it
is not so easy to find a good move for White!)
16...Nxc2 17.Qxc2 Bf8 18.Rad1
18...Bb7 White is better centralized but
Black has the pair of bishops. White needs to play
very accurately to keep some edge. (18...c4 19.e5!
is risky for Black.) 19.Nf5! Qc7!? Keeping the
tension, my favourite move here. (19...cxd4
20.Rxd4 d5!? 21.exd5 Rxe1+ 22.Nxe1 Rc8 Black
has some compensation, but still has to fight for
full equality.) 20.b3² I couldn’t find an easy way
for Black to continue here.
14...Bf6 15.Rb1
 on the right squares while the knight on b7 was
right out of the game.
17.Nf1

15...Ra7!?

A typical Benoni device. The point is to

place the rook on e7 when Black’s second rank
gets cleared of pieces. White’s advantage maybe doesn’t look so
a) 15...Nb7 16.b3! The knight on b7 is big, but the Black knight on a5 is terribly
terrible. misplaced. Here we can see how Karjakin plays
b) 15...c4?! 16.b4! Very common in these excellently and gets a big advantage.
positions. 16...Nb7 17.a4² 17...Ne5 18.Bf4 Rc7 19.Ng3 Nxf3+
16.b3 h6 20.Qxf3 Nb7 21.Nh5 Be5 22.Re3!

16...Rc7 Connected with the previous

move. Before playing ...Nb7, it is important to
have the rook on c7 for better coordination. 17.Nf1
Nb7 18.Bf4 Ne5 19.Ne3 Nxf3+ 20.Qxf3 Rce7

I like
this move. White improves his position and makes
space for the other rook.
22...Qh4 23.Bg3 Bxg3 24.Nxg3 Qg5
25.Rf1 Rce7 26.Qe2 f5
21.Re2! This move defends the weakest
point in White’s position, a2. 21...Qa5 22.Rd1 Qc3
(22...Qxa2? is a bad move because of 23.e5! with
the idea of Bxh7+.) 23.Qg3 Be5 24.Bxe5 Qxe5
25.f4± Later White won in Navara, D
(2708)-Howell, D (2606) Rijeka 2010. A great
example by Navara. He simply placed his pieces
247

Black
tried to complicate matters with ...f5 but, as so
often, one bad piece (the knight on b7) is enough
to have a bad position!
27.f4 Qf6 28.Nh5±
1–0 (61) Karjakin, S (2720)-Short, N
(2696) Wijk aan Zee 2010.
4
12...exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5 Nce5 15.--
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2 exd4! 13.cxd4
Nc6!
Black forces White to play a Benoni
position. This is the most direct approach.
Moreover, it is nice that the knight comes back to
the centre!
14.d5!
248
14.Nf1?! Nxd4 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Qxd4
Ne5! Playing like Keres, Black has no problems in
this position.
14...Nce5
The only reasonable move. Now White has
many options and it is not so easy to choose. The
main ideas are as follows. 1) White takes on e5
and pushes f4 as soon as possible to make use of
the space advantage. 2) White plays a4 first. Black
has to decide what to play: ...Rb8, ...b4 or ...Bb7.
For White a4 is a normal move but he needs to be
careful, since sometimes this move simply helps
Black because it opens the queenside. 3) White
plays Nh2 because he doesn’t want to exchange
pieces. He will have time to push the pawns later.
15.Nxe5
15.Nh2!?
Not
so many people play like this. The main reason
probably is that the engine gives 0.00 and the
position is really complex. Normally with White
you are not so happy with this evaluation, but from
the strategical point of view, this decision is really
sound. In the future if we manage to push f4,
Black’s knights won’t have a place to go. I
checked it quite a lot and it seems that Black has at
least three ways to get a reasonable position.
15...c4!? Black tries to activate the knights as soon
as possible. Almost no one plays like this. I like it
the most because a big mess is created!
a) 15...Nb6!? Black allows f4 but plans a
counterattack. 16.f4 Ng6
 17.g3! This typical control move is
necessary. (17.Ndf1?! f5! Black destroys White’s
centre completely. 18.Qh5 Bf6³ Smeets, J
(2620)-De Jong, J (2421) Bunschoten 2012)
17...f5!N I like this concrete approach. (17...Re8?!
18.Ndf3 a5 19.Ng4 a4 20.Rb1 Nf8 21.a3 Nc4
22.Bd3² Kolpakov, N (2315)-Semmler, R (2326)
ICCF email 2015) 18.h4
18...Rf7!? (18...Bxh4 This piece sacrifice is
not enough. 19.gxh4 fxe4 20.Nxe4 Qxh4 21.Re2
Bg4 22.Nxg4 Qxg4+ 23.Rg2 Qxd1+ 24.Bxd1
Nxd5 25.Nxd6 Ndxf4 26.Bxf4 Nxf4 27.Rd2
White’s pieces will be stronger and Black’s pawns
are not creating any danger yet. Anyway, I think
that Black can hold this.) 19.h5 Nf8 At first glance
it looks as though Black has played passively, but
in reality he is putting a lot of pressure on White’s
centre. The position is really unclear and practical
tests are needed.
b) 15...Ng6 The positional approach, and a
very logical move. 16.g3
249
16...c4!? Active again. (16...Nf6 17.h4
Ne5! I like this setup very much. The knights will
have squares all the time. 18.Ndf1 h5 19.Bf4 Nfg4
20.Bxe5 dxe5= Ponomariov, R (2718)-Adams, M
(2725) Cap d’Agde 2003) 17.a4 (17.f4?! Nc5!
18.Ndf3 f5 19.exf5 Bxf5³ Belikov, V
(2554)-Bezgodov, A (2502) Alushta 2008)
17...Rb8 18.axb5 axb5 19.f4∞ Both sides have
chances.
16.f4
(16.Ndf3 Nc5!N Black changes the pawn
structure for good! 17.Nxe5 dxe5 18.b3 f5!„)
16...Nd3!N This is the idea! Black gives up a
pawn and fights for compensation. (16...Ng6
17.Ndf3 Re8 18.Be3± Ivanov, O (2462)-Naumkin,
I (2426) Moscow 2017) 17.Bxd3 cxd3 18.Ndf3 f5!
19.exf5 Nc5
 Now
White has many options, but Black seems to be all
right. 20.g4 (20.Nd4 Bb7 21.Qf3 Bf6 22.Be3 Bxd4
23.Bxd4 Rxf5„) 20...Bb7 21.b4 Bf6! 22.bxc5
(22.Rb1 Na4 23.Qxd3 Qc8 Black is two pawns
down but has interesting ideas like ...Nc3 or ...Qc4
exchanging queens. Then the pawn on d5 would
fall. The engine loves his 0.00 but I would prefer
to play with Black.) 22...dxc5
23.Re5! c4„ Black is a piece down but will
take on d5. Then he will have strong pawns on the
queenside and White’s king will be weak.
Although the computer thinks that the position is
equal, everyone would prefer to be Black here.
15...Nxe5 16.f4
250
The
most direct approach, but Black is doing all right
here.
16...Ng6 17.Nf3
Many games have reached this point. Now
Black has two interesting possibilities.
17...f5!?
This sharp move seems to work. I consider
it perfect if Black is playing for a win.
17...Bh4
18.Nxh4 (18.Rf1?! Here this is not good
because there is no rook lift to the third rank.
18...Bg3 19.f5 Ne5 20.Ng5 Qf6! 21.Qh5 h6
22.Nf3 a5³ Vachier Lagrave, M (2788)-Howell, D
(2693) England 2016. I’m sure that Vachier
simply didn’t realize that a4 and ...Rb8 had not
been included. He just forgot his preparation.)
18...Qxh4 19.f5 Ne5 20.Rf1 a5=
18.a4
Probably the most annoying move.
 a) 18.exf5 Bxf5 19.Bxf5 Rxf5
20.g4!? Rxf4! 21.Bxf4 Nxf4 Some games
have reached this position, and Black had no
problems. 22.Qd2 (22.Kh2 Qd7 23.Re4 Rf8
24.Qd2 Nxh3 25.Qe3 Rxf3 26.Qxf3 Ng5 27.Qe3
Nxe4 28.Qxe4 Bf6³ 0–1 (44) Al Modiahki, M
(2542)-Kovalev, V (2639) Riadh 2017; 22.Re4
Nxh3+ 23.Kg2 Ng5 24.Nxg5 Bxg5= ½–½ (35)
Florescu, C (2282)-Miron, L (2525) Sarata
Monteoru 2012) 22...g5 23.Kh2 Qd7 24.Re4 Rf8
25.Rae1 Bf6 26.Nh4 Be5 27.Nf3 Bf6 28.Nh4 Be5
29.Nf3 ½–½ Bakunts, R (2355)-Kovalev, V
(2584) Yerevan 2016.
b) 18.e5 Bb7
White’s centre appears to be very strong
but in reality it is very weak. 19.e6 Ra7! A very
nice manoeuvre. After ...Qa8 White cannot defend
the pawn on d5. 20.a4 Qa8 21.axb5 axb5 22.Rxa7
Qxa7 23.Kh2 Qa2! 24.Bb3 Qa8
251
Black
plans to play ...c4. White needs to play really
concretely to hold the position. 25.Ng5 Bxg5
26.fxg5 Ne7 27.Bf4 Qb8∞ White will lose the
pawn on d5 but will have compensation because of
his e6-pawn. The position is unclear.
18...b4!?
Now the weakness on c4 is not so
important.
18...fxe4 This is good as well. 19.Bxe4
bxa4 (19...Bh4!? 20.Bxg6 hxg6 21.Nxh4 Qxh4
22.axb5 Bxh3 23.bxa6 g5! 24.gxh3 Qg3+=)
20.Bxg6 (20.Qxa4 Nh4 21.Ra3 Rb8 22.Qc2 h6
23.Qe2 Bf6 24.Bc2 Nxf3+ 25.Rxf3 Bd4+=
Primbetov, K (2258)-Esserman, M (2467)
Budapest 2017) 20...hxg6 21.Rxa4 Bh4= Black’s
king is a bit weaker but White cannot exploit that
weakness.
19.e5
19.exf5 Bxf5 20.Bxf5 Rxf5 21.g4 Rxf4
22.Bxf4 Nxf4©
 19...Bh4! outstanding wins of Anton Guijarro against
Veselin Topalov and Emil Sutovsky at the
19...Bb7 20.Bb3! Now it is not so easy to Gibraltar Open. He showed how to play this
attack d5, so Black plays differently. position in great style. Many players have since
20.Nxh4 tried to do the same as him but, unfortunately for
them, they didn’t manage to play the position as
20.Rf1 Bg3 21.e6 Qf6∞ well as David!
20...Qxh4 21.Rf1 Bb7 15...b4? This is a positional mistake. Black
cannot weaken the c4 square in this way. 16.Nxe5
Nxe5 17.f4 Ng6 18.Nc4 a5

The
position is really unbalanced but the chances are
more or less equal.
5 ...Ba6. 19.g3!?N I like this move, avoiding ...Bh4
12...exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5 Nce5 15.a4 --
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2 exd4! 13.cxd4
Nc6! 14.d5! Nce5 15.a4!
Black
believes that he can fight the knight on c4 with
forever and taking control of the centre. This is a
very typical move in this pawn structure. White
will consolidate first and then will improve his
position slowly. 19...Ba6 (19...Bxh3? 20.f5 Ne5
21.Nxe5 dxe5 22.Qh5 Black loses the bishop.)
20.Bd3! (20.b3? Bxc4 21.bxc4 Bf6! And Black
would be better because White always needs to
pay attention to the b-pawn.) 20...Bf6 21.Rb1 Re8
22.Kg2²

15...Bb7
White
This move became really popular after the is much better. Everything is under control and he
252
only has to improve his position slowly. One
possible plan is Bd2, Qf3, b3, Re2, Rbe1 and so
on.
16.Nh2!
I like this move, which normally is
underrated. White is planning to push f4 on the
next move so Black should act quickly.
a) 16.Qe2!?
The
engine supports this move, although I don’t
understand it very well. It’s clear that Black will
play ...Re8 at some point. It is true that White
forces ...Rb8 and White will have the control of
the a-file, but I have the feeling that White’s
advantage in this position is really on the kingside.
16...Rb8 17.Nh2! This is the best move here,
although I would do it one move earlier.
[17.Nxe5 Nxe5 18.axb5 axb5
19.f4!
(19.Nf1? This concept is mistaken and after this
move, Topalov couldn’t find his way in the game.
Black’s moves were much easier all the time and
eventually Topalov lost. 19...Re8 20.Ne3 Bf6
253
21.Bd2 Bc8 22.Ba5 Qe7 23.Bc3 Ng6³ Topalov, V
(2739)-Anton Guijarro, D (2650) Gibraltar 2017)
19...Ng6 20.Nf3 Bf6!„
Black
will follow up with ...Re8 and ...Qd7, maybe ...c4
at some point. According to the engine, the
position is completely balanced, but we shouldn’t
forget that this is some kind of Benoni and
normally the engine says that White is always
much better. Probably this position will be easier
for Black in a practical game.]
17...Re8
18.f4!
This move is always needed in this position
although often White is afraid of playing it for
some reason. (18.Ndf1?! Bf6 19.Ne3 c4 20.axb5
axb5 21.Bd2 Nc5„ Kobo, O (2482)-Ben Artzi, I
(2400) Rishon Le Zion 2017) 18...Ng6 19.Ndf3
Nh4 20.Qf2! This way, White justifies Qe2. The
engine supports White although I must admit that
the position is really unbalanced and everything
can happen.
b) 16.Nxe5!? Nxe5 17.f4 Ng6 18.Nf3
Maybe this is better for White as well, but 16.Nh2
should be stronger.
Back to 16.Nh2.
16...c4!?
Probably the best try. Black has to look for
some activity.
a) 16...Ng6 17.Ndf1! A very nice move.
The knight heads for f5. Then f4 can be played
with a big advantage. 17...c4 18.Ne3 Nc5 19.Nf5
Ne5
20.Re3!N This was the right concept. The
rook on the third rank is really good in many lines
of the Ruy Lopez! (20.axb5 This is good too, but I
prefer to keep the queenside closed. That way,
fewer pieces will be exchanged. 20...axb5 21.Rxa8
Bxa8 22.Re3 g6 23.Nxe7+ Qxe7 24.Bd2± Bures, J
(2380)-Kozak, M (2232) Brno 2011) 20...g6
21.Nxe7+ Qxe7 22.Bd2± Black will suffer a lot in
the near future because of his weak dark squares.
b) 16...Re8 17.f4 Ng6 18.Ndf3².
c) 16...Bg5 This attempt to restrain f4 is
bad because of 17.g3!
254
17.b3
White tries to break Black’s pawn chain on
the queenside.
17.f4?! Nd3! 18.Bxd3 cxd3 19.Ndf3 Re8!„
Black
has good compensation. White cannot try to grab
the pawn with 20.axb5 axb5 21.Rxa8 Qxa8
22.Qxd3 because of 22...Nc5! 23.Qc2 Qa4! Black
exchanges queen and afterwards the central pawns
will fall.
17...Nd3!?N
The engine does not initially support this
move but any Benoni player would try it.
17...Qc7
This
will leave Black with a bad pawn structure.
18.bxc4 bxc4 19.Ndf3 a5 20.Nd4 Nc5 21.Ng4
Ned3 22.Bxd3 Nxd3 23.Re2² White has Rc2
coming, targetting the c4-pawn.
18.Bxd3 cxd3
 19.Ng4 21.Rb1

19.Ndf3 Bf6 20.Rb1 b4 21.Qxd3 Nc5© 21.Nxf6+? Qxf6 22.Ba3 Qxf5µ

19...f5! 21...Bxd5 22.axb5 axb5 23.Ne4!

Black must play actively. If White plays White eliminates one of Black’s bishops.
Ne3 Black won’t have any counterplay. 23...Bxe4 24.Rxe4 Ne5 25.Bf4²
20.exf5!

This move, opening the long diagonal for

the bishop on b7, is not at all easy to play.
20.Ne3?! White tries to keep the diagonal
closed, but this is not enough. 20...Bf6 21.Ra2 f4!
22.Nf5 Bc3!

The
pawn on d3 will fall at some point. The game is
not over but Black will have to play really
precisely to have chances of surviving.
6
12...exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5 Nce5 15.a4 Rb8

23.Qg4 (23.Nxd6 Qc7 24.Nxb7 Qxb7© 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
Black’s pieces are simply very active and White 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
cannot make use of the extra pawns in the centre.) 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2 exd4! 13.cxd4
23...Qf6!„ Nc6! 14.d5! Nce5 15.a4! Rb8
20...Bf6
The best move in my opinion. I like the
bishop on c8 because it makes the move g3
difficult for White to play in some variations.
255

16.Nxe5
a) 16.Nh2 My favourite idea now is not so
good. 16...Bg5!N Black doesn’t allow f4. 17.g3
Nc4! Another extra option thanks to ...Rb8. Black
will have activity on the b-file. 18.axb5 axb5 19.f4
Bf6 20.Nxc4 bxc4„
b) 16.axb5 axb5 17.Nxe5 Nxe5 18.f4 This
is like the main line.
16...Nxe5 17.f4 Ng6
We
will check something similar in the main line. In
my opinion Black has no problems in this kind of
position. The only independent idea for White here
is 22.b4!? Bd7! This move one should remember.
(22...c4? 23.Re3 Qe7 24.Rg3 Kh8 25.Qd4±)
23.bxc5 dxc5 24.Be3 Rfc8 Black kept the position
together and the pawns on the queenside are
planning to roll. The position is not clear but it
appears the chances are more or less balanced if
both sides play well.
18...Bh4!

The best move by far.

a) 18...f5? In this case, Black gets a very
bad position by force. 19.exf5 Bxf5 20.Bxf5 Rxf5
21.axb5 axb5 22.g4!

Now
White has to decide whether to take on b5 now or
later.
18.Nf3

18.axb5 axb5 19.Nf3 Bh4 20.Nxh4 Qxh4

21.f5 Ne5= 22...Rxf4 (22...Rf7 23.f5±) 23.Bxf4 Nxf4
24.Qd2! Bg5 (24...Nxh3+ 25.Kg2 Bg5 26.Nxg5
Nxg5 27.Ra7± The rooks will try to clean up
everything on the seventh rank!) 25.Kh2 Nxh3
26.Qd3 Nf4 27.Qf5 h6 28.Ra7! Qf6 29.Nxg5 hxg5
30.Qxf6 gxf6 31.Rd7 With Rxd6 to come, White
256
should be winning.
b) 18...Bf6!?N

Black
has good control of the position. I don’t see big
A problems for him in Kotronias, V (2529)-Indjic, A
very provocative move, but not so bad. If White (2612) Moscow 2018.
pushes e5 too fast, the bishop will come back to 19...Bg3!
e7. Then Black will play ...Bb7 and the pawn on
d5 will suffer, so... 19.Kh2! Control! White is
ready to play g3 at any moment. 19...Bb7 20.Rb1²
White has control of the position and Black
doesn’t have any active plan.

White
is forced to push the pawns.
20.f5 Ne5 21.Ng5!?

White tries to mate Black, with f6 and Qh5

19.Rf1!? in the air. Black can’t solve his problems with
21...Qf6 as 22.Ra3 Bh4 23.Qh5 would guarantee
This is a very interesting option for White, White some advantage.
and in my opinion the only try for advantage. 21...h6!
a) 19.f5?! Bxe1 20.Qxe1 Ne5 21.Nxe5
dxe5 22.Be3 c4 23.axb5 axb5 24.Bc5 Re8 White The safest try.
doesn’t have enough compensation for the 21...Nd7?
exchange.
b) 19.Nxh4 Qxh4 20.f5 The only chance to
keep the game alive. (20.Rf1 Bxh3! 21.gxh3
Qg3+=) 20...Ne5 21.Rf1 b4 22.Bf4 Qe7 23.Bd3
f6=

257
 The
engine supports this move but if you analyze this
deeply, Black is in big trouble. 22.axb5! The best
moment for this capture!
a) 22.f6 This is only good for a draw.
22...Nxf6 23.e5 Bxe5 24.Rxf6 Qxf6 25.Bxh7+
Kh8 26.Qh5 Bd4+ 27.Kh2 Be5+=
b) 22.Qg4 Be5 Black’s defence holds.
c) 22.Nxh7!? I like this idea but here,
Black is holding. 22...Kxh7 23.f6 g6 24.Qg4!?N
Probably this is not winning, but it sets new
practical problems. (24.Qd2 Nxf6 25.Qh6+ Kg8
26.Bg5 Be5 27.Ra3
An
interesting position. Black is pinned and should be
careful to avoid getting mated with Raf3 and Rxf6.
27...Rb7! A logical try. Black wants to play ...Ng4,
...Bd4 and ...f6. Please, pay attention to the rook
on b7, it is defending perfectly! 28.Qh4 Kg7
29.Qh6+ Kg8 30.Qh4 Kg7 31.Bh6+ Kg8 32.Bg5=
Berg, E (2575)-Forsberg, V (2227) Sweden 2012)
24...Be5 25.Qh4+ Kg8 26.Bg5 Now Black is
completely locked in.
258
Actually, he should be terrified here!
Luckily for him, there are two moves to make a
draw. 26...bxa4! The easiest try. Black’s rook
enters into the game.
[26...b4 Trying to push the pawns on the
queenside is a bit slower. 27.Rf2! Preparing Raf1
and Qh6. Black should react very fast. 27...b3
28.Bd3 c4! Only move! 29.Bxc4 Rb4 30.Bd3 Qb6
31.Kh1 Qd4! Extremely concrete defence! 32.Rf3
Qxb2 33.Raf1
White
is ready for Qh6 and mate, but Black has a
fantastic resource. 33...Nxf6 34.Bxf6 Bxf6
35.Rxf6 Rxa4 36.Qh6 Ra1!! There is no mate with
Rxg6 and Rf8! 37.Rxg6+ fxg6 38.Qxf8+ Kh7
39.Qe7+= What a draw! Who knows, maybe I
missed some mating resources for White, but so
far this variation looks like a draw. Anyway, Black
should have good nerves to enter such a line;
26...c4? With the same idea of b4, but there is a
problem. 27.a5! Closing the queenside to avoid
counterplay. Not an easy move to make! 27...b4
28.Ba4! Nxf6 29.Bxf6 Bd4+ 30.Rf2!
 The
most accurate, keeping the king close to the centre
for the endgame. 30...Qxf6 31.Qxf6 Bxf6 32.Rxf6
Rd8 33.Rc1± The c-pawns fall and Black must
fight hard for the draw.]
27.Bxa4 Nxf6!
Black
is forced to give back the material because Bxd7
was coming. 28.Bxf6 Bd4+! 29.Kh1! (29.Rf2?!
Qxf6 30.Qxf6 Bxf6 31.Rxf6 Rd8 32.Raf1 Rb7=
Black keeps his position together.) 29...Bxf6
30.Rxf6 Rxb2=
259
Black
is a pawn up but White has pressure on the
kingside and the position looks equal. White will
play Raf1, Qg5 and probably Rxg6 at the right
moment with a draw. White is not winning but
Black should be very careful!
22...axb5 23.Nxh7!N
I got
this idea from Berg’s game, but in this position no
one has played like this. 23...Kxh7 24.f6 g6
25.Qg4 Be5 26.Qh4+ Kg8 27.Bg5
 Once
you’ve checked the variation 22.Nxh7, you
understand why this version is much better for
White! One small pawn capture can change
everything! 27...b4 The only move to keep the
position together. (27...c4 28.Rf3! b4 29.Raf1 b3
30.Bb1±) 28.Ba4 Planning Bxd7. 28...Nxf6
29.Bxf6 Bxf6 30.Rxf6 Ra8 31.Kh2!
In
many lines is important that Rxa1 is not check.
31...Kg7 (31...Bd7 32.Bxd7 Rxa1 33.Be6!! Kg7
34.Rxf7++–) 32.Raf1± White has very unpleasant
pressure on the kingside.
22.f6! gxf6
22...hxg5? 23.Bxg5 g6
260
24.Ra3!+–
23.Nf3 Kg7 24.Kh1∞
The
position is very strange. White is a pawn down,
but Black’s king is exposed. According to the
engine Black can defend, but is not easy to say
what would happen in a practical game.
12.Nbd2
CONCLUSIONS ON THE 12.Nbd2
VARIATION
This is the most-played variation in the
Keres-Graf. Black has many options but many of
them are not good! We will check them one by
one:
1. 12...cxd4 This was one of Keres’
favourite ideas. It is interesting but in the main line
the move 15.Bd3! is very annoying and I couldn’t
find a way for Black to equalize.
2. 12...Re8 is an interesting variation,
keeping all the possibilities open. Unfortunately, feeling is that everything is decided here. The
after 13.d5 the black knights don’t seem to be well engines consider that the position is equal but
coordinated and ...f5 is not possible because the maybe some hidden attacking ideas (I couldn’t
rook is on e8. White can make good use of his find them at least) can be discovered in this
space advantage and has the better game. position. Only practical tests will show us the
3. 12...Bf6 forces White to make a decision truth.
but after 13.dxc5 this Fischer pawn structure is a
very good version for White. At some point, the
knight from e3 will jump to g4 and will take the
bishop on f6.
4. 12...Bb7 is a very good option for Black.
I didn’t manage to find a clear refutation and it
seems to be fully playable. There are some Benoni
positions that cannot be analyzed until the end but
in most of them, I have the feeling that Black has a
good game. I really wanted to make 13.d5 work.
Maybe White is better but the positions are strange
and I have the feeling that White has to play
extremely accurately to avoid getting into a
difficult position. I believe that 12...Bb7 will be
played more and more often.
5. 12...exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6! (It is not good to
leave the knight on a5.) 14.d5 Nce5 is the critical
position and now White has different possibilities:
a. 15.Nh2 is a very interesting try to keep
the tension but Black appears to have different
alternatives to get a complex and interesting game.
b. 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.f4 Ng6 Black is doing
fine. The ideas with ...Bh4 keep Black in the
game.
c. 15.a4! is the critical test. The fate of the
12.Nbd2 variation depends on White’s
possibilities here. If White cannot find something,
Black is completely fine. Here Black has different
options:
• 15...b4 is bad. White will have the control
of the c4 square and Black cannot create
counterplay.
• 15...Bb7 is an interesting try and David
Anton managed to win two very important games
with it. The problem is that after 16.Nh2 the black
knights are suffering a lot and in my opinion
White has the better game.
• 15...Rb8 is the main and the best move.
Here Black should be careful if he doesn’t want to
be mated after 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.f4 Ng6 18.Nf3
Bh4 19.Rf1 Bg3 20.f5 Ne5 21.Ng5! The move
21...Nd7 falls under a very strong attack where I
don’t think Black can save the game. It is really
important to play 21...h6 22.f6 gxf6 23.Nf3 Kg7.
There are no games with this position but my
261
 CHAPTER 8.

11...Nd7 12.a4 (MODERN LINE)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.a4!

Probably this should be considered the

main line. In the variation with 11...Qc7, this move
was not good because Black could play simply
...Bd7. Here that is not the case and Black has to
define the situation on the queenside. Many strong
grandmasters are playing 12.a4 and Black has big
problems to fight for equality.
12...b4

This line is very solid for black, although

in my opinion White manages to keep some small
edge. 12...exd4 13.axb5! This move is very
important! (13.cxd4?! b4! 14.b3 cxd4 15.Bb2 Bf6
16.Nxd4 Bb7 17.Nd2 g6 18.N2f3 Rc8³ 0–1 (51)
Contents Bok, B (2591)-Almasi, Z (2695) Germany 2014)
13...axb5 (13...dxc3? 14.Nxc3 axb5 15.Nxb5 Qb6
16.Nc3± 1–0 (54) Kosteniuk, A (2490)-Kovanova,
1. 12...b4/12...exd4 B (2408) Eilat 2012) 14.cxd4
2. 12...Rb8
3. 12...Bb7

1
12...b4/12...exd4

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.a4!

14...b4! Black should take the c3 square

under control. Here White has two options to get
an advantage. (14...Bb7 15.Nc3 b4 16.Nd5 Bxd5
17.exd5 Bf6 18.Bf4± Krzyzanowski, M
262
(2457)-Karpus, M (2328) Katowice 2017)
15.Bf4!?N
[15.Nbd2 Bb7!?N (15...Nb6?! 16.Nf1 c4?
— 16...Re8 was better — 17.Ne3 d5 18.exd5 Bb7
19.Ne5+– 1–0 (28) Sasikiran, K (2669)-Piorun, K
(2638) Matanzas 2017) 16.Nf1 Nc6 17.Rxa8 Bxa8
18.Ne3²]
15...cxd4 16.Nxd4 Ne5 17.Nd2² White has
good control of the central squares.
13.d5!

A very interesting idea of the Spanish

grandmaster Lopez Martinez. Here he decides to
close the centre because the position on the
Black
queenside is defined and he hopes to exploit it. In
takes the f5 square away from the knight, playing
the game he didn’t manage to find the concrete
like Keres. 17.Ne3 Rc8! This is the move
moves, but the idea deserves consideration.
preferred by the correspondence players. They
a) 13.Nbd2?! This is a standard move but
equalize without many problems.
does not fit the concrete needs of the position.
[17...Ne5!? 18.f4 (18.b3 with the idea of
13...Rb8 14.Nf1 b3 15.Bd3 exd4 16.cxd4 c4
Bb2 was easier.) 18...Nec4 19.Nxc4 Nxc4 20.b3
17.Be2 c3³ 0–1 (37) Quesada Perez, Y
Na3 21.Bd3 Re8 22.Nf3 Bf6 23.Ra2 Bc3
(2627)-Caruana, F (2811) chess.com 2018.
b) 13.cxb4 The most played move and the
one you would play if you like an open game.
13...cxb4 14.Nbd2

24.Rae2!? was a mess where probably

Black is fine but in the game David didn’t manage
to defend his kingside. Ter Sahakyan, S
The (2598)-Anton Guijarro, D (2660) Minsk 2017.]
difference with the previous variation is that now 18.Bd2 Qb6 19.Nb3 Nf6 20.Nxa5 Qxa5=
Black cannot change the pawn structure in his Kharlamov, V (2492)-Lednev, V (2453) ICCF
favour. 14...Bb7 The best try, keeping some email 2013.
tension. In case of 15.d5 Black will be ready to 13...Rb8
play ...f5 at some point. Once again, David Anton
played this. (14...exd4 White gets a good version
of the line. 15.Nxd4 Bf6 16.N2b3 Nxb3 17.Bxb3±
1–0 (39) So, W (2822)-Lesiege, A (2525)
chess.com 2017; 14...Rb8 15.Nb3 Bf6 16.Nxa5
Qxa5 17.Be3² ½–½ (42) Huebner, R-Glauser, H
Groningen 1965) 15.Nf1 exd4 16.Nxd4 g6!
263

14.b3!N
This is very interesting because White
retains all the possibilities on the queenside.
14.Nbd2 c4 15.cxb4 Rxb4 16.Ra3? (16.b3!
was needed: 16...cxb3 17.Nxb3 Nxb3 18.Bxb3
Nc5 19.Bc2²) 16...Nc5! 17.Nf1 Nab3³ Lopez
Martinez, J (2557)-Candela Perez, J (2411)
Villava 2009.
14...bxc3
a) 14...c4 15.cxb4 cxb3 16.Bxb3 Rxb4
17.Bc2
The
queenside is opened and normally this brings
advantage for White.
b) 14...Re8 15.cxb4 cxb4 16.Be3²
15.Nxc3 c4 16.bxc4 Nxc4 17.Qe2 Qc7
18.Nd1!
264
With
Ne3 coming, White has control of the position.
2
12...Rb8
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6
5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.a4! Rb8
Black
doesn’t yet want to define the pawn structure or
decide the best post for the c8-bishop. The
problem is that the a-file is now in White’s hands.
13.axb5 axb5 14.b3!
Normally in the Spanish, the most flexible
move is the best. Here that is the case. Black now
should decide how to go on. I also like this move
because now d5 will be a better move, taking into
account that after ...c4 White can always play b4
and push the a5-knight to b7, where it will be
passive.
a) 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.Nbd2 This looks good
but Karjakin has showed how to play this position
with Black. It’s funny that initially the engine
gives White the advantage because of the a-file but
White cannot do a thing there!
15...Bb7 (15...Re8 16.Nf1 Nc4!? this is
very interesting as well. 17.Qe2 Nd6 18.Rd1 Bb7
19.Ne3 Bf8 20.Nd5 Nb6 21.Be3 Nxd5 22.exd5 e4
23.Nd2 c4³ ½–½ (75) Zhang, C (2229)-Garcia, J
(2436) Philadelphia 2017) 16.Nf1 Nc4 17.Ne3
(17.Ng3 Nd6 18.Nh2 Qc7 19.Qg4 Kh8 20.Nf3
Ra8 21.Rxa8 Rxa8 22.Ng5 ½–½ Vedmediuc, S
(2459)-Istratescu, A (2604) Arad 2017) 17...Nxe3
18.Bxe3 Qc7 19.Qe2 c4!
In the
end, the a-file gives White nothing. 20.Ra7 Nc5
21.Nd2 Qc6 22.f3 Ne6 23.Kh2 Rfd8 24.b4 Nd4
25.Qd1 Bh4 26.Rf1 Nxc2 27.Qxc2 Rd3–+ 0–1
(32) Borisek, J (2541)-Karjakin, S (2763) Porto
Carras 2011.
b) 14.Nbd2?! exd4 15.cxd4 Nc6!?
265
Now
the b4-square is weak and this helps Black. 16.Nf1
(16.e5?! dxe5 17.dxe5 This is very sharp. Once
Fischer won a very nice game against Stein in this
kind of pawn structure, but here it seems that
Black is doing fine. 17...Bb7! The easiest move.
White cannot increase the pressure. 18.Ne4 Ncxe5
19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Qh5 Nd3= or 20...Ng6=;
16.dxc5 dxc5! Again this pawn structure is good
for Black.) 16...cxd4 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Qxd4 Ne5!
A
typical Keres position. Once again, a4 didn’t help
White at all. 19.Qd1 Bf6 20.Ne3 Be6 21.Nd5
Bxd5 22.Qxd5 Rc8 23.Bb3 Rc5 24.Qd1 Nc4
25.Qe2 Re8 26.Bxc4 bxc4³ 1–0 (37) Anisimov, P
(2521)-Kovalev, V (2609) St Petersburg 2016.
c) 14.d5?! c4 15.Be3 Nb7! The knight will
go to c5, Black is doing fine.
Back to 14.b3.

14...Qc7
a) 14...exd4?! Changing the pawn structure
is not good in this case. 15.cxd4 Nc6 16.Nc3! This
is the difference!
When
this transformation appears on the board the knight
is better placed on b1 than on d2. 16...Nb4 Here
White has several ways to get a better game.
(16...Bf6 17.Be3 cxd4 18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.Bxd4
Be5 20.b4 Bxd4 21.Qxd4 Ne5 22.Qe3± ½–½ (43)
Korneev, O (2548)-Garbisu de Goni, U (2411)
Nova Gorica 2018; 16...Nxd4 17.Nxd4 cxd4
18.Nd5²) 17.Nd5!?N A bit strange, but very
interesting. (17.Bf4 Rb6 18.Bb1 Re8 19.Qd2 Bb7
20.Be3² 1–0 (41) Sevian, S (2615)-Javakhadze, Z
(2452) Dallas 2017; 17.Bb1 Re8 18.Bf4 Qb6
19.Qd2² 1–0 (59) Ivanchuk, V (2769)-Karjakin, S
(2779) Astana 2012) 17...Nxd5 18.exd5 Nf6
19.Bg5!
266
White
prepares Qd3 with mating ideas!
b) 14...Re8 A normal waiting move. 15.d5!
Nf8
16.Be3!N The favourite move for the
engine in this kind of position and it is absolutely
right! (16.Nbd2 Bd7 17.Nf1 Ra8 18.Ne3 Qc7 was
good for White as well, but now with the knight on
e3 the plans are not so clear, and White eventually
drew in Inarkiev, E (2707)-Rapport, R (2694)
Geneva 2017) 16...Ng6 17.Nbd2 White has the
typical plan of playing Bd3–f1 and in the future
the rooks will control the a-file. White is much
better. Black should be careful about the b4 move
as well.
15.d5!
 21.Bxe7 Qxe7 was not so clear in Leko, P
(2732)-Karjakin, S (2775) Beijing 2012.
20...Bxg5

20...fxe4 21.Nxb5! Qd8 22.Bxe7 Qxe7

23.Nd2±
21.Nxg5±

3
12...Bb7

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6

5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5
10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.a4! Bb7
White
doesn’t have any more useful moves to improve
his position, so he should improve the pawn
structure.
15...c4?!

15...Nb7 16.Be3 (16.Nbd2?! Nd8 17.Nf1

f6 18.Be3 Nf7 19.Qe2 Nb6 20.N3d2 Bd7 21.Bd3
f5 22.exf5 Nxd5 23.c4 Nb4∞ ½–½ (49) Djukic, N
(2526)-Koksal, E (2405) Minsk 2017) 16...Nd8
17.Na3! The knight is very well placed here,
attacking the weakness on b5.
16.b4 Nb3!?

Karjakin understands that after ...Nb7 his

position is really sad so he decides to search for
counterplay even if it means sacrificing a pawn.
17.Bxb3 cxb3 18.Qxb3 f5 19.Bg5! Nb6
A
fighting move. Black forces d5. This means that
the bishop on b7 will be misplaced, unless Black
manages to play ...f5 and make the d5-pawn weak.
The position is very concrete.
13.d5

Of course, White should accept the

challenge. After 13.Nbd2?! exd4 14.cxd4 b4 Black
has no problem.
13...Qc7

The most played move, and a logical one.

Black connects the rooks and doesn’t reveal his
intentions yet.
a) 13...Kh8

20.Na3!N

The perfect square for the knight,

controlling c4 and attacking b5. 20.exf5 Rxf5
267
 has good compensation for the pawn because the
d5-pawn will fall.) 15...Nxc4 16.Na3 Qc7 Black
will play with ...f5 at some point and the chances
are equal.
a3) 14.Nbd2 c4 15.Nf1 Nc5„.
14...Nc4 15.Nfd2 Nxd2

A
very interesting waiting move. The point is that
after Black plays ...f5, there will be no pins on the
a2–g8 diagonal. 14.b4! If Black plays slow, it’s
good for White to play fast!
a1) 14.Nfd2 White wants to play b4 on the
next move. 14...c4! 15.Na3 f5! Black plays very
actively and offers a pawn sacrifice. 16.axb5 axb5 International master Kozak had this
17.Nxb5 position twice. The second time, his opponent was
well prepared. 16.Nxd2! This is the clearest way.
(16.Bxd2 f5 17.exf5 Bxd5 18.bxc5 dxc5 19.Be3
Nf6 20.Nd2 Qc7∞ Nayhebaver, M (2440)-Kozak,
A (2428) Balatonszarszo 2017) 16...f5 (16...Qc7
17.Nb3! Heading for a5.) 17.bxc5 Nxc5 18.Rb1

17...Ba6 (17...Nc5 18.Na3 Nab3 19.Rb1

Nxd2 20.Bxd2 Nxe4 21.Rxe4! fxe4 22.Bxe4 The
c4-pawn is weak and White has the better
chances.) 18.Na3 f4 19.Naxc4! White gives up the
exchange in order to develop his pieces. 19...Nxc4
20.Rxa6 Rxa6 21.Nxc4 Ra1 22.Qd3 Qc7∞ The 18...Qc7!N is more stubborn but after
engine favours White here but advancing the (18...Qa5 19.c4 bxa4 20.exf5± Buksa, N
pawns on the queenside seems quite difficult. In (2351)-Kozak, A (2422) Budapest 2017) 19.c4
the future the black bishop on b6 would be bxc4 20.Nxc4 Nxe4 21.Bxe4 fxe4 22.Nb6 White
annoying. The position probably is balanced but I has the upper hand.
would prefer Black in a practical game. b) 13...c4?! Black is not ready for this
a2) 14.b3N White wants to play Nbd2 and move yet. 14.Be3!
c4 and keep everything calm. 14...c4! 15.bxc4
(15.b4?! Nb3! 16.Bxb3 cxb3 17.Qxb3 f5³ Black
268

Black
has problems to keep the position together. After
Na3 the b5-pawn is really difficult to defend.
14...Qb8 (14...Qc7 15.Na3 bxa4 16.Bxa4 Nc5
17.Bc2 Bc8 18.Nd2± Kulaots, K (2579)-Mihajlov,
S (2386) Fagernes 2018; 14...Nb6 15.Na3 f5
16.axb5 axb5 17.Bxb6 Qxb6 18.exf5²) 15.Na3!N
(15.Nbd2 Bc8 16.axb5 axb5 17.Ra3 Nb7 18.Qa1
Rxa3 19.bxa3!± was also good in Sutovsky, E
(2650)-Bologan, V (2640) Poikovsky 2017)
15...Bc8 16.Qe2 White’s plan is Reb1 and b3,
opening the queenside.
c) 13...f5?! 14.exf5±
Back to 13...Qc7.
14.b4!
White has had very good results with this
move lately.
a) 14.Nbd2?! This natural move is simply
bad. 14...c4! Now White has problems to develop
an initiative on the queenside. 15.Nf1 (15.b4?!
cxb3 16.Nxb3 Nxb3 17.Bxb3 Qxc3³) 15...Nc5³
b) 14.Nfd2 White plans b4. Here Black has
269
some extra appealing moves compared to 14.b4.
14...c4! This option is very interesting, as is
Black’s compensation. (14...Nb6 15.b4 cxb4
16.cxb4 Nac4 17.a5!N White should close the
queenside as soon as possible. 17...Nd7 18.Bb3
Nxd2 19.Bxd2 Rfc8 20.Nc3²
Black
has no counterplay and White will try to prove that
his space advantage is big enough. This is not an
easy task, but anyway White is better. 14...f5
15.b4 Nc4 16.Nxc4 bxc4 17.bxc5 Nxc5 18.exf5
This is like the main line.) 15.Na3
15...f5!N This novelty is extremely
important. Probably there will be new games in
this direction. (15...bxa4 16.Bxa4 Nb6 17.Bc2 f5
18.Nab1! Nd7 19.Ra4 Nc5 20.Rxa5 Qxa5 21.Nxc4
Qc7 22.exf5 a5 23.Nca3 1–0 Seric, A
(2168)-Nilsson, M (2109) ICCF email 2016;
15...Qb6? 16.axb5 axb5 17.Nxb5! This is the
problem!) 16.axb5 (16.exf5 bxa4 17.Bxa4 Nb6
18.Bc2 Bxd5„) 16...f4!? Black will be a pawn
down but in the future will have options to attack
on the kingside. 17.Ba4 (17.bxa6 Bxa6 18.Qe2
Rfb8©) 17...Bc8 18.Qe2 Nb6 19.Bd1 Qc5 20.bxa6
Bxa6 21.Nc2 Bb5 22.Nb4

White
is a pawn up but it is very difficult to improve his
position. Maybe there is some dynamic balance.
22...g6 23.Bc2 Kg7 24.Kh2 h5„
14...Nc4
Now White should decide how to deal with
the knight on c4. 14...cxb4?!N 15.cxb4 Nc4
16.Bd3! The knight on c4 in reality is very
unstable.
The
only way to fight for advantage! Here Black has
two reasonable options. I went very deep into both
of them. Black is close to equalizing but doesn’t
quite manage to do it.
a) 15.Nbd2?! The most normal move. The
only problem is that White cannot put pressure on
b5 with Na3 in the future. 15...Nxd2
[15...cxb4 16.cxb4

16...Nxd2 (16...Rac8? is a mistake as after

17.Nxc4 Black needs to take back on c4 with the
pawn, which is well-known to be a mistake
16...bxa4 17.Rxa4 Rfc8 18.Nbd2² because the pawn on c4 will be a weakness in the
15.Nfd2! future. In case of 17...Qxc4 18.Bd3! Qxb4 19.axb5
axb5 20.Ra7 Rb8 21.Ba3

270
 followed by 22.Qb1, White is clearly
better. The pawn on b5 is endangered and Black
will suffer a severe lack of space for his pieces.)
17.Nxd2 Qc3 18.Nb3 Qxb4 19.Bd2 Qc4 20.Na5
Qc7 21.axb5 axb5 22.Bd3 Nc5 23.Bxb5 f5 24.exf5
Bxd5 25.Bb4² ½–½ (57) Tudorache, M
(2101)-Schott, D (2297) ICCF email 2016.]
16.Bxd2 (16.Nxd2?! White wants to play
with Nb3–a5. 16...Rfc8! 17.Bd3 c4! 18.Bc2 f5
19.exf5 Nf6 20.Ne4 Nxd5„) 16...cxb4 17.cxb4
Nb6!
Now
White is forced to define the queenside pawn
structure. 18.a5 (18.axb5 axb5 19.Bd3 Rxa1
20.Qxa1 Nc4=) 18...Nc4 19.Bc1 Rac8 Black will
continue with ...Qd7 and ...g6, preparing ...f5; his
position is fine.
b) 15.Na3 Nxa3 16.Rxa3 Rfc8 Black is in
really good shape.
15...f5!?
a) 15...Nxd2!? 16.Bxd2
271
16...f5! Black should counterattack as soon
as possible.
a1) 16...bxa4?! 17.Bxa4 Nb6 (17...c4
18.Bxd7! Qxd7 19.Na3 Rac8 20.Qe2 Qc7 21.b5!
f5 22.Reb1 fxe4 23.Qxe4 axb5 24.Be3 Qd7
25.Nxb5± 1–0 (38) Sutovsky, E
(2646)-Sadzikowski, D (2548) Minsk 2017.)
18.bxc5!N This move is logical and strong. White
has a better structure on the queenside.
[18.Na3?! f5?! Black again allows White to
carry out the favourable transformation of the
pawn structure. (18...cxb4 19.cxb4 Nxa4 20.Qxa4
f5! The position in completely unclear.) 19.bxc5!
Qxc5 20.Be3 Qc7 21.Bc6 Nd7 22.Bxb7 Qxb7
23.exf5 Rxf5 24.Qd3± 1–0 (46) Barski, R
(2402)-Svetushkin, D (2563) Paleochora 2017.]
18...Qxc5 19.Be3 Qc7 20.Nd2 Nxa4
21.Qxa4±
White
is planning to play Reb1 followed by c4 and Black
cannot get any counterplay because his bishops are
very passive.
a2) 16...cxb4?! 17.cxb4 Nb6 18.Nc3!
 Once The
again, Black took too soon on b4 and the c3 square d5-pawn is simply very important. 19...Bxd5
is available for the white knight to put pressure on (19...Rxf5 20.Be3 Qc7 21.axb5 axb5 22.Rxa8+
b5. Bxa8 23.Qd3±) 20.Be3 Bxb3 21.Qxb3 Qc4
a3) 16...Rfc8 17.Na3!±. 22.Qxc4 bxc4 23.Nd2 d5 24.Rad1!± White is a
17.exf5 pawn up and Black’s central pawns will be more a
weakness than an advantage; 17...Bxd5? 18.Bg5!
Bxg5 19.Qxd5+±.]
18.axb5 axb5 19.Na3! Qd7 20.Qb1!

17...Nb6 Black tries to recover the

d5-pawn as soon as possible.
[17...Kh8 Black prepares ... Bxd5. A
18.bxc5!N This is the best move. I should admit very accurate move. White keeps on putting
that the moves are really difficult to understand; pressure on the b5-pawn. The position becomes
the position is simply very concrete. (18.Be3 Nf6! extremely forced now. 20...Kh8 21.bxc5 dxc5
(18...cxb4 19.cxb4 bxa4 20.Bxa4 Nb6 21.Bb3 Nc4 22.Qxb5 Qxd5 23.Be4 Qxd2 24.Bxb7 Rxa3
22.Qc2+– Nguyen, T (2539)-Kozak, A (2440) 25.Rad1 Qc2 26.Qxb6 Ra2
Budapest 2018) 19.bxc5 dxc5 Black will later take
on d5 and the position is unclear.) 18...Qxc5
(18...Nxc5 19.Be3 Nxa4 20.Bxa4 bxa4 21.Qd3±
White will play c4 and g4, taking full control of
the position.) 19.Bb3!

272

Opposite-coloured bishops but White is a
pawn up. In reality Black doesn’t have an attack
because White’s bishop on b7 protects the
important g2-pawn. Now White has two options.
27.Qe6 (27.f4!?N 27...Qf2+ 28.Kh1 e4 29.Bxe4
Rd2 30.Qe6 Bd6 After ... Bxf4, Black will be able
to hold the position.) 27...Qxf2+ 28.Kh1 Bh4!
(28...Bf6N 29.Rf1 Qb2 30.Qd6 Rc8!! 31.Rb1 Qc2
32.Qe6 Rd8 33.Be4² White’s pieces are more
active but I’m not sure if he can get the full point.
Everything depends on whether he manages to
create mating threats on the eighth rank.) 29.Rf1
Rd2
30.Rxf2! A fantastic way of playing,
possible only in correspondence chess! (30.Rde1
Qg3 31.Qxe5 Qxe5 32.Rxe5 g6 Black should
make a draw here thanks to the opposite-coloured
bishops.) 30...Rxd1+ 31.Kh2 Bxf2 32.f6!
273
This
is a great move. White removes the protection
from Black’s king. 32...gxf6 33.Qe7 Bg1+ From
now on, everything is forced. 34.Kg3 Rg8+ 35.Kf3
Rf1+ 36.Ke2 Rf2+ 37.Ke1 Rf4 38.Bd5 Rb8
39.Qc7 Rb2 40.Bf3 c4 41.Kd1² Black’s king is
weaker and his rooks are not very well
coordinated. White is better although at the end he
didn’t manage to win in Ozols, A (2206)-Costachi,
M (2229) ICCF email 2016.
b) 15...cxb4?! 16.cxb4 Rfc8 17.Bd3! f5
(17...Nxd2 18.Bxd2 bxa4 19.Nc3±) 18.Nxc4 bxc4
19.Bc2± The pawn on c4 is extremely badly
placed, as you already know.
16.Nxc4 bxc4 17.bxc5
17...Nxc5
17...Qxc5 18.Nd2²
18.exf5
Black is a pawn down but very active. I left
my engine running all night and it couldn’t find a
way to equalize with Black.
18...Rab8!

This has been tried in correspondence

chess.
a) 18...Rae8!?N

Black’s pieces are quite active. The only

piece that is doing nothing is the rook on b8 but
after ...Ba8 there will be possibilities like ...Rb2 or
...Rb3. Probably White is better, but in a practical
game it is not easy at all.
This 23.g3 Ba8 24.Qg2
was the suggestion of the engine after very long
thought but somehow I don’t like the position it White plans to run away with Bf3.
gives. 19.Ba3 Kh8 20.Ra2! A smart way to get the 24...Nxe4 25.Qxe4 Kh8©
rook into the game. 20...Nd7 21.Be4 Nf6 22.Nd2
Bxd5 23.Bxd5 Nxd5 24.Ne4 Qc6 25.g3 Rxf5
26.Rd2 Nf6 27.Nxd6 Bxd6 28.Rxd6² White is
more active and Black has weak pawns on c4 and
e5. A long defence awaits Black.
b) 18...Nb3!?N Black gains the bishop pair
hoping for long-term compensation. 19.Bxb3 cxb3
20.Qxb3 Rab8 21.Nd2 Ba8 (21...Bc8 22.Qc4!±)
22.Qc2 Bxd5 23.Ba3² Black has compensation but
doesn’t have an easy way to recover the pawn.
19.Be3 Nd7!N

In a practical game this is a really good try.

Black plans ...Nf6 and taking the pawn on d5.
19...Qa5!? 20.Bxc5!?N (20.Na3?! Nd3 21.Bxd3
cxd3 22.c4 Qc3 23.g4 Bc8 24.Qc1 Qxc1 25.Rexc1
Bd7 26.a5 h5!„ Janisch, M (2313)-Ottesen, S
(2356) ICCF email 2014) 20...Qxc5 21.Be4 This
way looks simpler and White is better.
20.Be4 Nf6 21.Qf3 Qa5 22.Rd1!
It’s easy for the engine to play like this, but
for a human this is not so simple.
22...Rfc8
274
A
very strange position. White is a pawn up but
Black is very active. Maybe White is better, but
good luck finding all the moves!
12.a4
CONCLUSIONS ON 12.a4
This new move is very interesting. In the
last two years there have been many games with
this move and White seems to win many games! I
think that this should be considered the main line.
Maybe not yet, but when the book appears, for
sure! Black has a few possibilities:
1. 12...exd4 is not good but only because
White has 13.axb5! After this Black has some
problems with the pin on the a-file while White
has easier development, gaining a better position.
2. 12...b4 is a very solid line. After
checking different possibilities I think that 13.d5!
as played by Lopez is the best continuation. Black
has already defined the situation on the queenside
so White can close the centre without problems
because he will have the initiative on the
queenside.
3. 12...Rb8 13.axb5 axb5 and now the
accurate move 14.b3! keeps all the options. Then
White will play d5 and the knight will be
misplaced on a5. White will have the initiative on
the queenside with the plan Be3, Nbd2 and Bd3
followed by b4 or putting both rooks on the a-file.
4. 12...Bb7 is the best and the most played
move. This forces White to close the game with
13.d5 and hope that ...f5 won’t be good enough.
Here Black has several options but the only one to
get a reasonable position is 13...Qc7. This position
is important for the evaluation of this line. White
should try to play with b4 at the right moment and
fight against the knight on a5. There are two
possibilities to do so:
a. 14.Nfd2 planning to play b4 on the next
move. White should do this with the f3-knight
(14.Nbd2?! c4! and White now cannot increase the
pressure on b5 with Na3). Here Black has three
275
options:
• 14...Nb6 15.b4 cxb4 16.cxb4 Nac4
17.a5!N The position will remain closed but the
space advantage will give White some plus.
• 14...f5 15.b4 this is like 14.b4.
• 14...c4! 15.Na3 f5!N is a very interesting
option for Black. The position is extremely
unclear; Black is a pawn down but seems to have
interesting chances to fight for the initiative. We
will need some games to understand better what is
going on here.
b. 14.b4! Nc4 15.Nfd2! The most accurate
move order. Now Black has different options:
• 15...cxb4 16.cxb4 Rfc8 17.Bd3! White
will have the upper hand on the queenside.
• 15...Nxd2 16.Bxd2 f5! The position is
very unclear. I went very deep into this variation
(up to move 41!). This was necessary because the
variations are really concrete. Black is very close
to equality but at the end of the day White is better
if he finds the accurate moves.
• 15...f5 16.Nxc4 bxc4 17.bxc5 Nxc5
18.exf5 Rab8! This is the critical position of the
12.a4 variation. After 19.Be3 my novelty
19...Nd7! is very interesting. The engine supports
White but the position is really strange and
difficult to analyze. We will need more games in
this but right now I consider that White should be
better although in practical terms Black has all the
chances.