wir 4 a ety) aye pas eo P17 sdecwee te & UNEXPLORED RESOURCES ia Sokolov a * Ea > | GAY ea eer era ne ee a rte ree ea are Cte TCR oS oe To DAVE Oils c) insights und explanations. Great games, rete eee et ~~ DenyigiMonokroussos, ChessToday ey Gate eee te eects C3 - y PaThe Ruy Lopez Revisited ee MUO eee eee seer at ented important and oldest chess openings, forever popular with amateurs as well as professional players. In this ground-breaking book, one of today’s greatest Ruy Lo- pez experts, Ivan Sokolov, presents with a wide repertoire for black players who want pum Oana contains in-depth but highly accessible analysis of the Jaenisch Gambit, the Delayed Jaenisch, the Cozio Variation, the Smyslov Variation, the Bird Variation and the Classical Variation. BU hoo Om er ena eed Roaccme Cees sta eC Chioe meme d them himself on numerous occasions, even against the Naren ciee Monon emer me aie eee Rae stronger than their reputation suggests, but Sokolov al- ways remains an objective analyst. As well as numerous improvements for Black; the book also contains some at ao OM Ais * Great practical weapons against one of the most Rothe ucircemunemo aati) Dae ee Mee crcn mr tei nn ¢ Written in an accessible, down-to-earth style Se cnleedeeenniet eg ERO ean Cincom OR Cosme Bosnia in 1968. He was Yugoslav champion in 1988 and Pome LCE ECM Chime D meee mc tecog Sokolov has beaten world chess champions like Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik as well as Viswanathan Nutter ISBN 8789056912870 | | | | olyeaosclsi2s70 NEW iN CHESSIntroduction When about twenty years ago I decided to change my opening repertoire with black and replace the Sicilian with the Ruy Lopez, one of the main problems I faced was the huge amount of theory and the deviations White had at his disposal, should I prepare lines like the Breyer or the Zaitsev Variations. So I realized that first I would have to learn all the deviations for White (the Exchange Variation, the We2 line, the line with d4 without h3, the d3 variation, etc. — to name just a few), and then, after learning all this theory I would still have to solve the problems Black was facing in the actual Breyer or Zaitsev Variations. The easy solution to this problem was to actually deviate myself: And so I started to learn the Cozio Variation, the Smyslov Variation, the Classical Variation (3...2c5) anda little later the Jaenisch Gambit. This was a practical decision which also scored well, because white players would normally take some time to think as early as move 5 or 6, instead of banging out the first 15 moves, which would have been the case if I had indeed opted for the Breyer or the Zaitsev. Over the years I did broaden my Spanish arsenal with the Open Variation and the Marshall Variation, and only about 15 years later came the time for the Breyer, the Zaitsev and the Chigorin. In this book I have aimed to explore these ‘sidelines’ for Black, and to give a practi- cal opening guide to a tournament player who is willing to employ these varia- tions, whereby he will often bring a fight to his opponent’s doorstep as early as move 6 or 7. Although I am a Ruy Lopez player with Black, I tried not to be biased — I have also tried to give routes for White to get an opening advantage. One important aspect of these ‘sidelines’ improves their practical viability. Many years ago I talked to my French colleague grandmaster Joel Lautier, who at the time played the Siesta Variation of the Ruy Lopez with Black. I was not fond of the Siesta — I considered it dubious and challenged the viability of his ope- ning choice. His answer was quite simple: “Yes, White is objectively better, but the position is sharp, the line is not often played and the vast majority of my op- ponents will have to make do with a maximum of a few hours of preparation before the game, versus my 100 hours of work at home. Under such circum- stances, in a sharp and relatively unexplored position, I should be the favourite and the tables should turn.’ This reply made sense — his results in the Siesta were good. Later I often employed a similar kind of opening preparation (never even close to 100 hours, though!), and with success. I even played the Siesta at some stage!While working on this book in 2009, I got the chance to apply some of the ideas I discovered along the way in a number of practical games. Four of these are in- cluded at the end of the chapters where they belong. The variations analysed in this book have been played by many famous players, including World Champions, as Black. The positions are in general fundamentally sound and most of the time the advantage White gets (this book also contains some crushing novelties for White!) is just a ‘regular’ opening advantage which he nor- mally gets anyway in many different openings for the simple reason of being White. Apart from their practical virtues, the lines analysed in The Ruy Lopez Revisited are often great fun to play, with sharp tactical complications offering Black as many winning chances as in certain sharp Sicilians. The difference is that there is still considerably less theory and, probably, more scope for fresh ideas in the Spanish ‘sidelines’ you will find in this book. Ivan Sokolov October 2009Contents Introduction .. 0... tte eee 5 Part I— Jaenisch Gambit ........... 0.0.00. ccc ce eee eens 9 Chapters] Mainyline witht: W560 eee 10 Chapter 2: Main Line with 7...Wg5 2.00.00. 0.0.00 22 e eee eee 27 hapten sabully Playable 9° 76 6p) 8 ee 65 Chapter 4: The Risky 5...2e7 20... 0000. o cece eens 74 Chapter 5: The Main Deviation 4.0c3 AE... 2... eee 79 Chapter 6: The Practical 4.d3 ................0.0 000000000000, 109 Part II — Delayed Jaenisch Gambit ............0....0 0000.00.00 00 125 Chapter 7: A Provocative Choice: 3...a6 4.@a4 f5................. 126 Part III — Cozio Variation... 2.6... ee eee eee 139 Chapter 8: An Occasional Weapon: 3...Age7 . 0.0.00... 00000. e eee 140 Part IV — Smyslov Variation............... 0.000000. c eee eee eee 165 Chapter 9: The Sound 3...g6............ 0.0... eee ee eee eee 166 Part V — Bird’s Defence .... 0.0.0... eee ee 177 Ghapter 10: Development..od3. 6 6: 8] |) |) 7 178 Chapter 11: The Accurate 6.2c4 2.0.0.0... cece eee eee 192 Part VI — Classical Variation. .... 0.2.00... 00 eee 203 Chapter 12: 4.c3 — The Interesting 4..f5 ...............00.000., 204 Chapter 13: 4.c3 — The Uncommon 4...Af6........... 0000.00 ee 212 Chapter 14: 4.0-0 — The Puzzling 4..Age7 ...........0...00-00. 219 Chapter 15: 4.0-0 — The Viable 4..d6......................0000, 229 Chapter 16: 4.0-0 Af6 5.A\xe5 AxeS 6.d4 — The Inferior 6...c6...... 235 Chapter 17: 4.0-0 Af6é 5.Axe5 Axe5 6.d4 — The Improvement 6...a6 . 241 Chapter 18: 4.0-0 @f6 — Main Line 5.Axe5 Axe4..............0. 247 Chapter 19: 4.0-0 @f6 — The Complex 5.c3...........0..2200005 251 Index of Variations .. 0.0... 2.2 263 Index of Players... 0.6... eee eee eee 267Part | — Jaenisch Gambit 1.e2-e4 e7-e5 2.4g1-f3 Ab8-c6 3.2f1-b5 f7-f5 The Jaenisch Gambit (in many sources wrongly attributed to the German lawyer Adolf Schliemann — who, however, championed 3...&c5 4.c3 5) is a romantic way for Black to meet the Ruy Lopez. It is experiencing a renaissance at the moment. Well-known theoreticians like grandmasters Tseitlin, Parma and Matulovic em- ployed the Jaenisch regularly, and with success, in the period between the maid-1960s and the 1980s. In the 1990s the gambit found few adherents among better-known grandmasters and until a few years ago it was just a surprise weapon, occasionally seen in top tournaments. Nowadays, due to the efforts of Radjabov and Carlsen, the Jaenisch is back on the stage and a regular guest in top encounters. After 4.4\c3 fxe4 5.Axe4 dS 6.AxeS dxe4 7.Axc6, Black is at a crossroads where he can choose between 7...Wd5? and 7...Wg5. We will discuss these lines in the first two chapters. Black’s alternatives 5...Af6 and 5...@e7 are treated in Chap- ters 3 and 4 respectively. Black’s main deviation on move 4, discussed in Chapter 5, is 4...7.f6. White can deviate early with 4.d3, a line discussed in Chapter 6. The Jaenisch should appeal to any black player who is ‘looking for trouble’ at an early stage of the game. There are many dynamic ideas and still many lines to ex- More. I personally support Black's cause and I think the Jaenisch is a fully-fledged wariation. Here is a survey of the chapters in this Part: GQheapter 1: Main Line 4.4c3 fxe4 5.Axe4 d5 6.AxeS dxet 7.Axcé Wd5 Gaapter 2: Main Line 4.Ac3 fxe4 5.Axe4 d5 6.DxeS dxe4 7.Axcé Weg5 Chapter 3: Fully Playable: 4.0c3 fxe4 5. Axed Af6 Chapter 4: The Risky 4.2c3 fxe4 5.Axe4 Be7 heater 5: The Main Deviation 4.Ac3 Af6 Chapter 6: The Practical 4.43Part I — Jaenisch Gambit Chapter 1: Main Line with 7...4%d5 1.e2-e4 e7-e5 2.4g1-f3 Ab8-c6 3.2f1-b5 f7-f5 4.0b1-c3 f5xe4 5.Ac3xe4 d7-d5 6. Af3xe5 d5xe4 7,Ae5xc6 Wd8-d5 I think that 7...Wd5? is not playable for Black due to 8.c4 Wd6 9.xa7!, which leads to a big advantage for White, as I hope to prove with my analyses in this chap- ter.1. e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Agi-f3 Ab8-c6 3. &f1-b5 f7-f5 4. Abi1-c3 f5xe4 5. DAc3xe4 d7-d5 6. Af3xe5 d5xe4 7. Dedxc6 Wd8-d5 8. c2-c4 Wd5-d6 8...Wg5?? is a well-known blunder which loses immediately to 9.d4 Wxg2 10.8h5+. Now White is at a crossroads. A) 9. Ac6xa7+! The critical move and, in my opinion, Probably the refutation of 7...Wd5. @A lot of strong white players decided mevertheless to stay away from compli- eations and opt for a forced ending with 9.Wh5+ g6 10.We5+ where, as we will see in the next line, the best White can hope for is a very marginal advantage. The only logical explanation for this is that when facing 7...Wd5, white players were surprised with Black's opening choice and did not want to venture into complications “ower the board’ — without proper homework, that is. But as we will see in the notes below, after 9.Axa7+! Black is mm serious trouble — provided that White is well prepared. Chapter 1: Main Line with 7... Wd5 O Not good is 9.05? Wxc5 (9... Wf6? is bad due to 10.Wh5+ g6 11.We5+ WrxeS 12.Axe5+ c6 13.2c4 Df6 14.44 exd3 15.2e3 with a big advantage) 10.Wa4 Afo 11.44 Wb6 (more direct than 11...Wd6 12.e5+ c6 13.8c4 Be6) 12.De5+ c6 13.8c4 Bb4+ 14.$f1 Wxd4! 15.2f4 Ag4! and Black wins. 9. .. &c8-d7 9...c6? fails to the simple 10.Axc8 Exc8 11.2a4 and Black has very little to show for his two lost pawns. 10. Wd1-h5+! White has to use the tactical peculiari- ties of the position to the maximum in this line. In case of 10.2xd7+ Wxd7 11.Ab5 Afé 12.0-0... A) Inaccurate is 12...c6 13.Ac3 &c5 14.d4 (a standard decision here: White returns one of his two extra pawns in order to finish development) 14...exd3 15.Hel+ Gf7 16.2e3 Qxe3 17.Hxe3 Had8 18.WF3 Hhe8 19.He4 Wad4 20.Axf6 Hxe3 21.fxe3 Wxfo 22.Hf2 and White was a sound pawn up in the ending in Spassky-Kholmov, Baku ch-URS 1961; B) But Black gets excellent compensa- tion after 12...2c5! 13.d4 (again, White has to return one of his two extra 11Part I — Jaenisch Gambit pawns. It is important to note that most of the time this is the only way for White to finish his development — meaning that in reality Black is only one pawn down here) 13...exd3 14.He1+ Sf7 15.2e3 Bxe3 16.Hxe3 Had8 17.Wd2 (after 17.WE3 Hhe8 18.4d1 c6 19.@c3 Wd4! 20.h3 Bxe3 21.Wxe3 Wxc4, Black was better in Gufeld- Seredenko, Novosibirsk 1962) 17...Hhe8 18.8d1 Bxe3 19.Wxe3 We4 20.Wf3 Wxf3 21.gxf3 c6 22.Ac3 DS, Parma-Tatai, Rome 1981. E es ‘'S. 10. ... g7-g6 Black is at the moment two pawns down and is already walking a thin line. Other moves also do not offer enough compensation: © 10...Se7 11.2xd7 Wxd7 12.0b5 c6 13.Dc3 Af 14.We2 LF7 15.0-0; © 10...d8 has been tried in some cor- respondence games: 11.2xd7 Wxd7 and now: A) In the event of 12.Wa52! Black gets enough compensation due to the misplaced white knight on a7, for ex- ample: 12...8e8 and now: Al) An old analysis by Yudovich, which gives 13.0-0 Af6 14.d3 exd3 15.2e3 as slightly better for White, can be challenged with 15...@£7 Wrong is 15...b6?! 16.WeS+ Bf7 17.Ab5 c6 12 18.Ad4! Qd6 19.Af3! Hhe8 20.Wc3 and White has managed to get his knight back into play and to coordinate his pieces. 16.We3 16...c6! 16...2e7 17.8b5 should be better for White. 17.Had1 Ed8 18.2b6 &d6! Now or after a few moves, White will take the rook on d8, being an ex- change and a pawn up, but his knight on a7 is virtually a lost piece. Black has plenty of compensation and is probably better here; A2) 13.d4 exd3 14.23 Df6 15.We3 The knight remains pinned after 15.0-0-0 bé! 16.Wa6 £7. 15...0£7 and now: A21) 16.0-0 c6! (keeping the white knight boxed in. Black can also play for compensation with 16...Ae4 17.Wes Hes 18.Wi4t Af 19.AbS c6 20.Ac3 2d6) 17.Had1 Hd8 18.2b6 2d6 transposes to line Al; A22) 16.0-0-0 Wa4 17.3 Hxa7 18.2xa7 Wxa7 19.Wxd3 Qd6 — the black pieces coordinate better and the white king is potentially vulnerable; Black is better here. B) The white knight has to get back into play as quickly as possible: 12.AbS! Afe 13.We2 c6 14.0c3 BcS 15.0-0 He8 15...2f8? loses to the sim- ple 16.Axe4! Axet 17.Wxet Gc7 18.d3 Hae8 19.2f4+ Sc8 20.25.Chapter 1: Main Line with 7...¥d5 B1) Black does not have enough com- pensation here: 16.b3 HaS 17.2b2 @a7 18.Ad1 Oh5 19.4e3 Bgs (or 19.2 :f4 20.Wg4) 20.f4! and it is obvi- @ws that Black does not have nearly emough for the sacrificed material, Basanen-Haantola, cr Finland 1986. B2) White can also return one of his extra pawns and aim for quicker devel- @pment with 16.d4 exd3 17.Wf3 Age §8.£95+ Gc8 19.Aet DeS 20.Weg3 Mids 21.c5 Dc4? (the lesser evil was 21_.2f7, though White is clearly better after 22.Ad6+ Axd6 23.cxd6) 22.@xd3! Wds5 23.Bfel! (wrong is 23.@xc4? Hxet 24.Wxd5 cxd5 and Black is active and will get his pawns Wack) 23...b8 24.2f4+ a7 25.Wb3, winning in Zabala-Huerga, cr 1995. 11. 2b5xd7+ Wd6xd7 12. Wh5-e5+ e8-f7 13. Da7-b5 The text is a better move order than 13.@xh8 Afe 14.4b5 (bad for White is 14.94? Wxg4 15.Db5 Hd8 16.A0xc7, simee Black wins with 16...e3! 17.fxe3 @h4+ 18.801 Wxc4), when Black can choose between 14...c6 15.Ac3 He8, mansposing to the line 13.Ab5 cé6 14.8xh8 He8, and the immediate 14...He8 with ...&c5 to follow. 13... c7-c6 14. We5-d4! It is important for White to send the black queen to e7 before taking the rook on h8, see the tempo move 18.23! later on. OBlack seems to have enough com- pensation in a messy position in the event of 14.Wxh8 14.Wc7?? is a well-known blunder after 14...Wxc7 15.@xc7 Hc8 and the knight is trapped. 14...Af6 15.23 and now: A) 15...2e8 has been played; how- ever, I doubt that Black has compensa- tion. Let’s see: Al) Keeping the king too long in the centre with 16.b3 Q2cS 17,\Wxe8+ @xe8 18.h3 brings White into trouble after 18...Wd3 and now: All) 19.8b2 &xf2+; A12) If 19.4e2, Black continues with 19..2d4! 20.@xd4 Wxd4 21.b1 Wd3!, preventing White from castling: 13Part I — Jaenisch Gambit 22.Hb2. The white pieces lack any co- ordination and Black here improves his knight with 22...0h5! 23.g3 ®g7! (the knight travels to d4; 23...Axg3 24.fxg3 Wxg3+ 25.6f1 W3+ is only a draw) 24.b4 Wxe4 25.2d1 Deb 26.Hel Ad4 27.Bxe4+ Gf7 28.xd4 Wxd4 and Black has winning chances; A13) 19.2f1 ®h5! 20.g3 and now in Ruban-J.Madler, Minsk tt 1964, Black could have won with 20...e3! 21.fxe3 Bxe3. A2) So White is well-advised to castle as quickly as possible here: 16.0-0 2c5 17.Wxe8+ Sxe8 18.b3 Wd3 and now: A21) Black is fine after 19.h3 2d4; also possible is 19...5!? 20.2b2 g4; A22) 19.He1?? is a terrible blunder due to 19...2xf2+ 20.@xf2 DAg4+ 21.8g1 Wd4+. Funnily enough this position occurred in a correspondence game, which finished with 22.&h1 Af2+ 23.6g1 Dh3+ 24.eh1 Welt 25.Bxgl Af2 mate. 0-1, Neukirch-Mohring, corr 1957. A23) 19.2b2! Wxd2 20.0a4 — Black is in trouble here. B) 15...Wd3! Black is not in a hurry to take the white queen, but first pre- vents White from completing his devel- opment. Bl) A messy position arises after 16.h4!? He8 17.h5 gxh5 18.Hh3! (a 14 blunder is 18.4xh5? because of 18...e3 19.fxe3 Axh5, since the h7 pawn is defended) 18...Wxc4 19.Bxh5 297 20.Wxe8+ Sxe8 21.Bg5 Bhé; B2) 16.b3 Hd8 17.h3 Be7 18.Wxd8 &xd8 19.823 Qb6 20.Bf1 We2 21.Hc1 Wd3 and White has terrible problems coordinating his pieces. The game Nikolaiczuk-Budde, Brilon 1976, continued: 22.2b2 &d4 23.Ha4 Dd7! 24.2c3 Ba7 25.Hb2 Wd6 26.%e2 Wh? 27.Bg1 Afs! (This knight is heading for f4) 28.d3? (A losing mistake. Necessary was 28.b4! &e6 29.c5 in order to try and box in the black bishop) 28...0e6 (Black’s pieces are working nicely together in the attack, while White's pieces lack all coordination) 29.dxe4 Af4+ 30.2 (on 30.8f3, 30...2xf2! 31.&xf2 @xh3+ wins) 30...Qxf2 31.Hgfl Wxg2 32.Hcd1 @e1+ 33.xel We2 mate. Note that the positions with black queen vs two white rooks are very ir- regular. Black is behind in material, but for the time being the white pieces are uncoordinated and his king is vulnera- ble, and as shown in a few of the above examples, it is very easy for both sides to blunder here. 14... Wd7-e7! Trying to keep things messy. Other moves do not suffice either, for exam- ple: © 14...Wg4? 15.0-0 If Black decides on a queen swap here (and he has a few different ways to do this), he gets some initial compensation, but the problem is that with a limited number of pieces left on the board, the black initiative will slowly evaporate and he usually re- mains a pawn down, struggling for adraw in a long ending, which is not a Promising prospect for a Jaenisch Strangely enough, the queen swap idea “with pressure providing enough com- pensation for a draw’ has been advised for Black in a number of opening books. Queen swap lines can go as fol- lows: © 14.06 15.\Wxd7+ Dxd7 16.0c3 x5 17.0-0 &g7 18.f3 is better for White; @14..0d8 15.Wxd7+ Exd7 16.dc3 6 and now: A) 17.Bf1 2d6 (17...2c5 18.f3) 48.f3 exf3 19.0xf3 @xh2 20.d3 He8+ 21.8d1 Sg7 22.8c2. A regular situa- tion in this line: White has returned qme pawn and coordinated his pieces, and remains a healthy pawn up; B) Also good for White is 17.0-0 ficS 18.Hb1 Ha8 19.b3 (also possible is 19.b4 Qd4 20.23) 19...He6 20.Hel FS 21.8b2 g5 22.Hc2 and it is not easy for Black to prove compensation here, Augustin-M6hring, Stary Smoko- wee 1976; C) Or 17.b3 &c5 18.0a4 Ba7 19.2b?2 Hhd8 20.2xf6! Sxf6 21.Hd1 fid4 22.Se2 — with a limited number of forces left on the board Black cannot qreate enough play here, Vogt-Mohring, Leipzig 1975. © 14...Wxd4 15.2xd4 297 and now: A) 16.0c2 Ha4 17.He3 De7 with 5 to follow, and Black gets some compensation. However, 17... Ah6 18.g4 (With a knight on e7, Black would have had ...h7-h5 here) 18...2d4 19.h3 was good for White in Gheorghiu-Hennings, Sinaia tt 1965; B) 16.4e2 Ha4 17.f3! The ‘primitive’ 17.63 Hxc4 18.bxc4 &xal 19.0-0 Af6 20.@a3 Ha8 21.Hxal Hxa3 22.0c3 Chapter 1: Main Line with 7... Wd &e6 23.Hb1 was also better for White in Jamsa-Vera, Bratislava 1983. 17...Hxc4 Or 17...exf3 18.0-0. 18.fxe4 18.0-0 @f6 19.b3 exf3 20.8xf3 Hes 21.0g3 Helt+ 22.6f2 Me6 23.2b2 with a clear advantage, Dely-Mohring, Zinnowitz 1965. 18...Rxe4 19.d3 Hb4 20.0-0+ Se6 Bl) 21.8d2? This decision is diffi- cult to explain. White returns the pawn for no reason at all. This game, by the way, has been quoted as a way to equality for Black in a number of books: 21...Hxb2 22.2c3 &xc3 23.Aaxc3 @®h6 %-% Pinchuk- V.Agzamov, Uzbekistan 1964; B2) 21.Bb1 ®e7 22.b3 Ha8 23.2d2 HbS 24.Hbel! (besides being a sound pawn up, White also has an initiative) 24...@d6 25.47 and White has a win- ning advantage; OTrying to keep things messy with 14... £5? does not work after the sim- ple 15.Wxh8! (15.Ad6+? &xd6 16.Wxd6 De7 17.0-0 was played in Ciocaltea-Malich, Sinaia tt 1964) 15...cxb5 (15...Af6? 16.2)d6+) 16.Wxh7+ 2g7 17.Wh3 and White wins. 15. Wd4xhs! Logical and strong. Black’s queen is, strangely enough, badly placed on e7 15Part I — Jaenisch Gambit and the tactics will be working for White — see further on. OShould White opt for 15.43, then Black gets very good compensation af- ter 15...Af6, see: A) Black is fine in the event of 16.We3 Hd8 17.d4 (White uses the standard plan we have already seen, re- turning one of his extra pawns to try and finish development; however, now the black d-pawn becomes very strong) 17...exd3 18.Wxe7+ Bxe7 19.2d2 Ed4 20.b3 ®e4 21.Aaxe4 Exe4+ 22.2e3 Qb4+ 23.8f1 bS 24.cxb5 cxb5 — Black’s initiative is worth at least a pawn here, G.Sorokin-Kaminik, Soviet Union 1966; B) 16.0-0 Hd8 and now: Bl) 17.8b6 runs away from the tempo-gaining 17...8d3, but has other drawbacks: on b6 the queen is badly placed: 17...d3! The black rook is still needed on d3 in order to eliminate the d2-d4 motif. White is better in case of 17..08d7 18.Hel WeS 19.d4! Wxd4 20.Wxd4 Hxd4 21.2g5; or 17...2g7 18.d4! exd3 19.2d2 Ag4 (19...Hhes 20.Hael) 20.h3 (Wrong is 20.Hael Wd6 21.Wxb7+? Bd7 22.2f4 Bxb7 23.Rxd6 Hd8 24.823 Qxc3 25.bxc3 d2 26.8d1 @eS and Black wins) 20..8d4 21.Wb3 Dfe 22.Hael. 18.Hel 2g7 19.b4 Trying to develop the queenside. 19...&hd8 Another pos- sibility is 19...He8 20.3; but not 20.8b1? Ag4 21.Hxe4 Qd4! 22.Was Wd7 and Black wins. 20.h3! It is neces- sary to prevent the knight from jump- ing to g4; 20.b5? loses to 20...Ag4! 21.Bxe4 Wh4 22.Wxb7+ Hed7 23.Bf4+ Qf6. 20...18d4 21.c5 Ads! 21...0h5 22.He2 22.axd5 Exds 23.Bb1 2d4 24.2b2 Sxf2+! 25.xf2 Hxd2+ 26.eg1 16 26...e3! and now: B11) 27.Bf1+? loses after 27...g8 28.Wa7 (or 28.2c3 Wes! 29.8xd2 &xd2 — with the black king on f7 there would have been the defence with Wc7+ and Wg3 for White here, but now White is lost: on 30.2f3 Wxb1+ 31.@h2 We4 wins) 28...Bxg2+! 29.4xg2 We4+ 30.8f3 (30.6h2 Hd2+) 30..Bg5+ 31.8h2 We2+, mating — note in all these lines the ter- rible position of White’s queen; B12) 27.2c3! Logical. 27...Axg2+ 28.4xg2 We4+ 29.6h2 W4+ 30.8h1 Wf3+ 31.Gh2 and this enter- taining line ends with a perpetual check. B2) 17.We3 Hd3 18.We2 Wes 19.b3 This position appeared on the board in one of the Kasparov simuls, where Black continued 19...Wd4? 20.2b2 Exd2, falling for 21.Axe4! Hxb2 22.Ag5+ gs 23.We6+ Sg7W7+ She 25.Ac6 Wes 26.Hael 27.4xf8 and White won in -Croset, Geneva simul 1995. should have continued 19...2d6! not bad is 19...@h6!?) and now: & M21) Black is clearly better after 20.f4 We 21.Hh1 (21.YF2? loses to B_ScS 22.Wxd4 Qxd4+ 23.Gh1 3) 21...He8 (not 21..e3 22.4a4! md? 23.2b2). Now ...e4-e3 is coming. Whee cannot finish his development gand is in terrible shape here; M22) 20.g3 Qc5 21.6g2 Hhd8 22.4 MBBS 23.4d1 hS5 and Black has strong @emmpensation. 15. ... @g8-f6 16. b2-b3! Weecise play from White is needed. In ge coming few moves Black does not get the time to collect the white knight anbS. @ 16.242! solves the problem of White's tapped queen, but weakens the sxqoares around the white king terribly: R6—cxb5 17.95 DAbS 17...Ag4 can lead @ an amusing drawing variation after 18h4 WS 19.Bf1 DeS 20.h5 Ad3+ 21.8d1 Wxce4 22.Wxh7+ &g7 23.Wxg6+ &g8 24h6 Axb2+ 25.2xb2 Wxfl+ 26.8c2 Wd3+ 27.$d1 Wfi+ with perpetual check. Chapter 1: Main Line with 7... Wd5 18.cxbS5 Wxg5 19.Wc3! Black has a huge advantage in case of 19.Wd4 Wg? 20.8f1 @f4. A) 19...g22! is now considerably less efficient, for example: 20.Wc7+ @g8 21.Hf1 g5 22.d3 exd3 23.We4+ @h8 24.Wxd3 He8+ 25.8d1 (not 25.263? Af4); B) 19...2g7? fails to 20.Wc4+ Sf8 21.d3; C) 19...Be8!? is also possible, when Black gets a strong attack after 20.Wc4+ Gg7 (20...He6? is a blunder due to 21.d4! and White wins) 21.b3 Af4 22.2b2+ Gh6 23.0-0-0 WES; D) 19...Af4! 20.We4+ 20.d4? loses to 20...Wg2 21.Wc7+ Sg8. 20...8g7 This position actually appeared on the board in one correspondence game which continued: D1) 21.b42 The wrong move: 21..0d3+ 22.6f1 WS (Black has multiple threats and has clearly taken over) 23.\Wd4+ @g8 24.2b2 Wh3+ 25.g1 We4+ 26.Hf1 Axb?2 27.Hel (or 27.Wxb2 Wh3+ 28.g1 &g7) 27...Wh3+ and Black soon won in Engel-Mallee, corr 1969; D2) After 21.44 Wg2 White can force a draw by perpetual check after 22.2xf41 Wxhl+ 23.6d2 Wxal 24.2e5+ Whe 25.2f4+ 5 (25...@h5?? runs into mate after 17Part I — Jaenisch Gambit 26.Wd5+) 26.We6+ BhS 27.Wh3+ Sg6 28.Web+; D3) Also possible was 21.Wxe4 Wxb5! 22.Wd4+ gs 23.Wxf4 He8+ 24.We3 Hxe3+ 25.dxe3 (25.fxe3? loses to 25..Qe7 26.h4 Whs5; 26.@d1 loses a rook after 26...Wa4+ 27.62 Wg4+ 28.03 Ws+ 29.%e2 Wh5+ 30.63 Wd5+) 25..2b4+ 26.2d2 Wds 27.0-0-0 &xd2+ 28.8c2 Wxa2 29.exd2 Wxb2+ 30.%e1 bS and a draw is the most likely outcome. O Black is fine in case of 16.Ac3 Hd8 17.0-0 2g7 18.Wxd8 Wxd8 19.44 exd3 20.25 Wd4; White was better after 20...WaS? 21.8d2 We7 22.h3 @h5 23.Hael in Klovans-Zhuravlev, Soviet Union 1968. 16. ... %a8-d8 O After 16...He8 17.2b2 Qg7 18.23 (also good for White is 18.2xf6 Wxf6 19.Wxe8+ Sxe8 20.Ac3 with a large advantage in Mukhametov-Bokan, Mos- cow 1990) 18...c5 19.Wxe8+ Axes 20.Bd1 Be5 21.d4! exd3 22.0-0 the white pieces were coordinating very well and White soon won in Watson- Cooper, Saint John 1988. © 16...cxb5? loses to 17.2b2 with Wxfé (or in some lines 2@xf6) to fol- low, and White remains at least a full exchange and a few pawns up. 17. &c1-b2! It is essential for White that his knight remains on b5. In case of 17.@c3 Black would get typical compensation after 17...2h6 18.Wxd8 Wxd8 19.0-0 Wd3 20.Bel Qf4 21.He2 bS as in Rogers- Praznik, cr 1978. wa 2f8-g7 18 18. 2b2-a3! The point of White’s idea. The black queen is badly placed on e7, so White wins an important tempo and his knight enters on d6, deciding the game. If I am not mistaken, the idea with 18.243! was first pointed out by Murray Chandler. 18... We7-d7 18...c5 19.2xc5 definitely does not help Black. 19. DAb5-d6+ Lf7-e6 20. Wh8xd8 Wd7xd8 21. Ad6xb7 Wd8-c7 22. Ab7-c5+ Ye6-f7 W ema ok Bae A ae & : A&A & BR. @ 8 23.2.a3-b2 Black is too much material behind, without serious chances to create an at- tack. While White still has to round offthe technical part, it is obvious that Black is better advised not to repeat this opening preparation. However, White has to be careful, as things can still go wrong after, for example: 23.Hb1? Wf4 24.h3 @hS 25.0-0 BeS 26.93 Wf3 27.Hbel?? 24! 28.gxf4 Wxf4 0-1, Emms-Lyell, Hastings 1995/96. 23. .. We7-f4 24. 0-0-0 White had a winning advantage in Todorov-Boudre, Cannes 1997. We move on to Variation B: 9.Wh5+. 1. e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Dgi-f3 ADb8-c6 3. &f1-b5 7-5 4. @b1-c3 f5xe4 5. Dc3xe4 d7-d5 6. Af3xe5 d5xe4 7. DeSxc6 Wd8-d5 8. c2-c4 Wd5-d6 B) 9. Wd1-h5+ g7-g6 10. Wh5-e5+ Wd6xe5 11. Ac6xe5+ c7-c6 12. 2b5-a4 A terrible blunder is 12.Axc6?? a6 13_Sa4 2d7 and White loses a piece. This is a well-known position coming from the 9.Wh5+ line. White is tempo- Chapter 1: Main Line with 7... Wd5 rarily a pawn up, but in order to de- velop his queenside he will be forced to play d2-d4 after which Black takes e4xd3, and material equilibrium is re-established. The black pawn on d3 may fall — in fact it very often does, but equally often it may offer a range of tactical possibili- ties. The white bishop on a¢ is also often out of play for quite some time, and the white pawn on c4 is weak and easy to target. Black’s dynamic possibilities should offer him about equal chances here. 12... 2f8-g7 OFor quite some time 12...2e6 was considered the other main move here. Then came the game Timman-Piket, Wijk aan Zee 1995, in which White re- vealed some problems for Black that were previously unknown. Previously known was 13.b3 &g7 14.2b2 a6 15.b4 (15.c5!?) 15...Ah6 16.0-0 0-0 17.2b3 aS 18.bxaS (18.23 Ag4!) 18...Hxa5 19.d4 exd3 20.Axd3 @xb2 21.Axb2. Being a pawn up, White is better here. However, due to the defi- ciencies in the white queenside pawn structure, Black held a draw in Velimi- rovic-Vasiukov, Tbilisi 1973. The above-mentioned game Timman- Piket continued 13.d4! Opening up the centre and playing for an advantage in development. 13...exd3 14.2g5! Pre- venting 14...0-0-0. 14...2g7 Black ends up a pawn down for nothing after 14...@e7 15.8xe7 (Khalifman’s pro- posal 15.h4 is also good) 15...Axe7 16.0-0-0 0-0-0 17.Hhe1 Hhe8 18.2b3 BS 19.94 Be 20.He3 and the d3 pawn falls. 15.0-0-0! White extracts maximum activity out of his pieces. 19Part I — Jaenisch Gambit Black’s problem here is that apart from the fact that White has the better devel- oped pieces and the initiative, the black d3 pawn is very likely to fall without any compensation. 15...@xe5 Also bad for Black is 15...h6 16.2f4 g5 17.293 0-0-0 18.24he1 with multiple threats. 16.Hhel and now: A) 16...h6? Black is trying to take one of White's bishops and to open the file for his h8 rook. This is a good idea in general — however, Black is underdevel- oped here and remains one tempo short until the end of the game: 17.Bxe5 hxg5 White has a very strong initiative after 17...8£7 18.8d2 — this position has been extensively analysed by Khalifman, Timman and probably also some other grandmasters, and I agree with them — so for those who do not trust the white initiative here, please have a look at those analyses. 18.Hxe6+ Sf7 19.Hd6 Afo 20.K1xd3 g4 21.£3! The threat of Hf3 is going to be renewed. 21...4xh2 22.fxg¢ Det 23.8f3+ &g7 24.8d7+ She 25.He3 @c5 26.g5+! 1-0 Timman-Piket, Wijk aan Zee 1995. Black loses a piece after 26...8h5 27.2d1+ Sxgs 28.8 e5+. B) Black’s best defence and probably the only way to save the 12...2e6 line was 16...@f7! 17.Exe5 2xc4 18.Hdel &xa2 Collecting some material by way of 20 consolation for all his troubles. However, not surprisingly with his bishop pair, ac- tive rooks and Black’s open king, White's initiative is very strong. 19.2d2 and now: Bl) The power of White's bishops is evident after 19...h6 20.2c3 Eh7 21.H5e3! This line has been given as a refutation of 16...8f7 by many com- mentators — Timman, Khalifman, etc. Play may continue 21...d2+ (or 21..2d5 22.2b3!) 22.8xd2 Bd8+ 23.8cl Qd5 24.2b3! Hd6 (24...2xb3?? loses a piece after 25.0f3+ ALE 26.2xf6) 25.Hf3+ Afe 26.Bd1! g5 27.Q2e5 Heé 28.Hxd5! cxd5 29.2xd5 and White wins; B2) 19...Hd8! This active defence, us- ing Black’s only trump, the tactical pos- sibilities created by his d-pawn, has not been mentioned by commentators. 20.8c3 Hd7! Cool defence, covering the seventh rank and preparing 21...Af6. 20...h5? would lose to 21.81e3! Bd6 22.Qd1! d2+ 23.8c2!, Keeping the bishop on the al -h8 diago- nal is essential. Black has chances to es- cape in case of 23.8xd2? 2d5. Now Black loses his bishop: 23...&c4 (other- wise 24.b3) 24.8c5. Now: B21) Playing for the f-file pin with 21.45e3? is now considerably less effective after 21...Af6 22.8f3 Hdo 23.@d2 2d5 24.Bf4 g5 25.0f5 woe and Black wins; B22) Or 21.Hle3 Afé 22.863 Bde and White does not seem to have more than a draw with 23.2b4 Hd7 24.2c3 £d6 25.2b4; B23) 21.He8 hS! (the threat of ...d3-d2+ saves Black from material loss) 22.8d1! (running away from ...b7-b5 tempi and preparing b2-b3, to shut in the black bishop) 22...2h7 23.b3 Afé 24.Ha824...d2+! (the only way to let the wapped bishop on a2 escape) 25.2xd2 Sibi 26.5xa7 £5 and with his bishop pair and more active rooks (see espe- qally Black’s passive rook on h7) White is better, though Black has reasonable qhances to hold. However, this was probably Black’s best bet after 12...2e6 13.d4. The line looks rather forced with Black walking a thin line and still hav- img an inferior position — definitely not something to aim for in your opening Preparation. @Then 12...2g7, which immediately Ihits the white knight and looks more Bogical, rightly became the only chal- lenge for White. 13. d2-d4 14. 201-74 The other main move here is 14.0-0, for example: e4xd3 © 14...2e6 and now: Chapter 1: Main Line with 7... Wd5 A) Not convincing for White is 15.24 0-0-0 16.Had1 Hd4! Black has already taken over. 17.8g3 Black is slightly better after 17.Axd3 @&xc4 18.2e5 Qxe5 19.AxeS Hxd1 20.Hxd1 &xa2 21.2c2 Dfe (if 21... 2e6 22.86 Black has nothing better than 22...2a?; 22...8d5?? blunders to 23.Bxd5 cxd5 24.Af7) 22.Ha1 (the attempt to trap and collect the bishop on a2 with 22.b3 fails to 22...He8 23.f4 Ad5) 22...Re6 23.Hxa7 Gc7. 17...Af6 18.Hfel d2 19.He2 He8 Also fine is 19...Ae4 20.Af3 and now in Madl-Elstner, Balatonbereny 1988, Black should have continued with 20...2xc4 (instead of, as played, 20...8g4? 21.Axd4 Axg3) 21.2b3 He8 22.Axd2 Axd2 23.Hexd2 Hd4 24.8xe6+ Hxe6 with slightly better chances. 20.Af3 Hxc4 21.2b3 He4 22.Qxe6+ H8xe6 23.Hexd2 “dS with some advantage for Black; B) 15.Hel 0-0-0?! Better is 15...2xe5 16.Hxe5 &f7, transposing to 14... 2e5. Now: B1) Incase of 16.2g5 Black can try to create counterplay with 16...d2 (16...d42? 17.Axc6) 17.He2 Af6 (17...2f6? fails to 18.2xd2 Qxe5 19.2a5 and White is a sound pawn up; 17...He8 loses to 18.Axc6! bxc6 19.&xc6 Dh6 20.Qxe8 Hxe8 21.2xd2 @FS 22.Hael Gd7 23.c5 Ad4 24.He4) 18.0xc6 Bxc4 19.He7+ b8 20.Hxd2 Hxd2 21.8xd2 Bet (21..8d8 22.2f4+ a8 23.Acé6! and the knight gets out) 22.2f4+ wa8 23.Hel Ac5 24.b3 Axa4 25.bxc4 Hes and due to the weakness of the white queenside pawns Black should be able to save the game; B2) 16.2d2 QxeS 17.HxeS Bxc4 18.Hc5 (a better way to take the ex- change was 18.2c3! Ah6 19.HcS Bab 21Part I — Jaenisch Gambit 20.2xh8) 18.226 19.2c3 De7 20.2xh8 Hxh8 and White was objec- tively better, though Black had some compensation for the exchange in Tuovinen-Auvinen, Helsinki 1998. Oin the event of 14...2f5 White should probably follow the analyses of Khalifman/Bezgodov (though things are not as clearly great for White as these authors want us to believe!) with 15.Axc6! An interesting and original tactical idea. 15..2d7 16.Hel+ &f8 16...8f7? 17.De5+ 17.0d4 A nice tac- tical idea and the only way to proceed. 17...Qxa4 17,...Q2xd4? 18.2xd7 Bd8 19.2e6 leaves a pawn-down position that is simply lost for Black. 18.Ae6+ SF7 19.Axg7! 19.Dg5+ Sf6 20.He4+ Gf7 is only a draw. 19...6xg7 20.b3 The point of White’s play becomes clear: the white bishop on b2 becomes a monster. 20...2e8 20...Af6? loses to 21.He7+ £8 22.8xb7 2c6 23.Hc7; while 20...He8 21.2b2+ Af 22.bxa4 is clearly better for White. 21.2b2+ f6 22.He7+ Q£7 23.g4! The entire variation starting with 15.4c6 is accurate and very forced. 23...g5 24.4 24...gxf4! 24...6g6 loses to 25.fxg5 @®xg4 26.2xh8 Hxh8 27.h3 and Black’s knight is trapped. 25.g5 &g6 26.2xf6 Hhes8 22 This position is a forced outcome of the previous tactical play and a good mo- ment to take stock. White is going to be a pawn up, but Black has a well-placed king and good counterplay related to his passed d- and f-pawns, and the black rook will enter and be active on e2, so all in all Black should be able to hold: A) 27.axb7 He2 (not 27...d2? 28.8f2) 28.Hd7 hé! 29.h4 d2 30.2c3 hxg5S 31.hxg5 £3 32.8xd2 (it’s never too late to lose with a terrible blunder: 32.2xd2?? Hg2+ 33.6f1 Mths 34.8d6+ Sf5 35.kh6 Hxh6é 36.gxh6 Hxd2) 32...xg5 and Black should draw; B) 27.8d7 He2 and again Black should have enough counterplay to draw — this is definitely Black’s best defence in this 14...2f5 15.Axcé6 line. Strangely enough, 24...gxf4! was not even mentioned by Khalifman and Bezgodov. While defending a pawn- down ending is not everyone’s cup of tea, I would not be surprised if the re- sulting endgame simply turns out to be a relatively easy draw for Black, making 14...@f5 actually a rather via- ble line. © Unfortunately, Black is best advised to part with his beautiful g7 bishop and base his counterplay on the strength of his d-pawn and the weakness of White’se# pawn: 14...Qxe5! 15.2e1 £7 86.Bxe5 Af6 and now: A) In case of 17.3 Black is fine after 17...2e6 18.2b3 a5! 19.a3 a4 20.2a2 Hhe8 with ...b7-b5 to follow, as played mm Zunker-Pirrot, Bad Worishofen 2001; B) 17.2g5 does not promise White munch after 17...h6 (17..2e6 18.43! shows the idea behind 17.2g5) 18.d2 Be6 (18..g4?! did not eqmalize after 19.Heel 2e6 20.Hacl Had8 21.8c3 hS 22.f3 Affe 23.6f2 when in Kr.Georgiev-Mohring, Zamardi 1978, the black pawn on d3 was becoming a liability) 19.Hael Bhe8 20.23 20...4d7! (other moves do not equal- we, for example: 20...b5 21.2xe6! Bxe6 22.cxb5 or 20...a5 21.Hxa5 (a eerrible blunder is 21.2xa5?? “d7) 21...Bxa5 22.2xaS bS 23.cxb5 2xb3 24.Bxe8 @xe8 25.axb3 cxbS 26.f3) 21.85e3 Ac5 (this type of position is quite common here, with Black often at some stage taking with his knight on b3 and transferring to a drawn oppo- site-coloured bishops endgame) 22.5f3+ Sg8 23.6f1 Qg4 24.Oxe8+ Hxe8 25.He3 Hxe3 26.2xe3 Axb3 with a draw; C) 17.2b3 Be6 White’s dark- squared bishop is very strong, the black Chapter 1: Main Line with 7... Wd5 d3 pawn can easily be either an asset or a liability here, the white c4 pawn is weak. While the position is probably marginally better for White, Black should easily hold: C1) If 18.2e3 then 18...a5!; instead, 18...Hhd8?! 19.@d2 a5 is not good because White has 20.Hael with tempo; C2) 18.2d2 Hhe8 19.He3 (19.Hael @®d7 20.85e3 AcS=) 19...Had8 (19...b5?! 20.Bxe6 @xe6 21.cxbS+ Sd6 22.2f4+ cS 23.bxc6+ Sxc6 24,.Ra4+ Sd5 25.2xe8 EBxe8 26.295 Bet 27.2e3) 20.Hael (20.2c3 BFS) 20...b5!F (20...H5 21.f3£) 21.Bxe6 Bxe6 22.cxb5 Ad5 23.bxc6 Hxel+ 24.Q2xel Be7 25.2a5 Abo; C3) 18.2g5 18...a5! This move undermines the white b3 bishop, accentuates the weak- ness of the c4 pawn and is the correct plan for Black here. Opening books assess this position as better for White based on 18...Ad7?! 19.He3 with initiative (Szalanczy- Polajzer, Hungary 1981) or 18...2ad8?! 19.3 h6 20.8d2 @d7 21.He3 AcS 22.8f3+ Sg8 23.Hel, and with a rook stuck on h8 and no counterplay, Black is in deep trouble (Volchok-Peleshev, cr ch-URS 1983-86). With 18...a5! Black starts immediate counterplay. 23Part I — Jaenisch Gambit C31) White has no time for 19.He3 because of 19...a4! 20.8d1 (White’s pieces are uncoordinated and clumsy in case of 20.Hf3 Q2f5 21.Q2d1 h5) 20...Ha5 (also fine for Black is 20...Mhe8 21.8xd3 &xc4) 21.2xf6 Sxfo 22.H63+ Be7 23.Mxd3 Qxct 24.Hd4 Be6 25.a3 (White loses his a2 pawn after 25.2xa4 Hha8) 25...4b5 with better chances for Black in Sauermann-Mallee, cr Kurt Klar Memo- rial 1982-87; C32) 19.Hae1 Hhe8 and now: C321) 20.h4 a4 21.2d1 h6! 22.2xf6 Or 22.2xh6 &xct 23.Hxe8 Hxe8 24.Mxe8 &xe8 and the inclusion of 20.h4 a4 in comparison with the previ- ous comment does not help White. 22...8xf6 23.f4 Qf7 24.Hxe8 Hxe8 25.Hxe8 Qxe8 26.22 26.2xa4? is a mistake, favouring Black after 26...&f5 27.93 &£7. 26...2f7 The position re- mains sharp and a lot of things can go wrong on either side. One nice varia- tion is 27.b3 b5 28.cxbS cxb5 29.Ge3 29...2xb3!! (29...axb3? 30.axb3 is pro- bably winning for White) 30.2xb3 axb3 31.axb3 @f5 32.&xd3 (32.93 hS 33.8xd3 @g4 and Black wins) 32...dxf4 33.04 g3 34.5 xg? 35.8xb5 Bh3 36.b4 Sxh4 37.Hc6 g5 and Black will be a pawn up in the queen endgame; 24 C322) The other option for White is 20.2d1 The idea is clear — for the time being the c4 pawn is taboo as after 20...2xc4?? 21.2xf6 Black loses a piece, and on the next move White wants to play b2-b3 solving the prob- lem of having to defend the weak c4 pawn. By the way, if White really gets in b2-b3, the c-pawn is no longer a weak- ness but a nice healthy pawn, limiting the black bishop. Black must react immediately and he does this with 20...h6! 21.Qxh6 Qxc4 22.Hxe8 Hxe8 23.Bxe8 Yxe8 24.b3 &e6. White has the bishop pair and a kingside majority, but Black has good counterplay on the queenside and he also often has the possibility to ex- change his knight for White’s light- squared bishop, resulting in a drawn opposite-coloured bishop endgame. The position is balanced and a draw is the most likely result. Khalifman does not consider 20...h6 and assesses the position as better for White, based on the line 20...d2 21.Ble3 Had8 22.f3 b6 23.b3 cS 24.He2, when Black has no counterplay and he will lose his d-pawn, as in Stern-Mallee, cr Kurt Klar Memorial 1982-87. This kind of scenario; no counterplay and the d-pawn singled out, is something Black must alwayswatch out for. Taking the c4 pawn, for example, is a good way to avoid such positions. C33) Stopping the advance of Black’s apawn with 19.a4? is a terrible posi- tonal mistake that is quickly punished with 19...2d7 20.He3 @c5 21.Hf3+ PFS 22.2a2 hS (Black’s d-pawn is well defended, while White’s queenside pawns are easy to target and the light squared bishop, misplaced on a2, has become a big pawn) 23.h3 @yg7 24.2c3 Deb 25.8d2 Hhes8 264c3+ @h7 27.Hel? (a blunder ina worse position) 27...Ad4! 28.Hfe3 #e2+ 0-1 Kondali-Sauermann, cr 1984. Lest someone thinks that Black resigned somewhat prematurely, the play may continue 29.8h2 Exe3 30.fxe3 Axc3 31.bxc3 d2 32.8d1 Bds 33.2b3 cS 34.hg1 Hd6 35.hf2 (or 35.8f1 Hd3) 35...2b6 and Black wins. 14, ... g8-f6!? @Also quite OK for Black is 14...2£5 and now: A) 15.0-0 @®h6!, with either ...0-0-0 ar ...0-0 to follow, is favourable for Black; B) 15.g4!? B1) White seems to be better after 15..d2+ 16.@xd2 0-0-0+ 17.@cl! Chapter 1: Main Line with 7... #d5 (not 17.&e3 He8 18.gxf5 &xe5) 17,..8e6 18.Hel Hd4 19.2d2 Afe 20.8c3 He4 21.8c2; B2) 15...@e6! and Black has a nice, dynamic game, for example: 16.0-0-0 @fé (or 16...0-0-0, transposing to the 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 16.g4 Se6 line) 17.Hhel (17.f3 0-0) 17...0-0 18.Axg6 Hfe8 19. Aes Axg4. C) 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 and now: C1) 16.Af7 Hd4 17.2e5 (or 17.2.d2 Re6 18.Axh8 Exc4+ 19.2c3 Qh6+ 20.8b1 Hxa4 21.b3 He4 (21...Ha6!?) 22.Hxd3 “e7, giving Black compensa- tion with the white knight trapped on h8) 17...2xe5 (better for White is 17...Hxc4+ 18.2c3 Qxc3_ 19.2d6+ Bc7 20.Axct Ld4 21.Rc2 b5 22.2a3) 18.AxeS Df6 and the ad- vanced d-pawn is a clear asset here — Black is better; C2) Another possibility is 16.94 Hd4 Also fine for Black is 16...2e6 17.2b3 (17.Hhei Hd4) 17..8d4 18.223 @fo. 17.2e3 Het 18.gxf5 Bxed 19.Bxd3 Hxc4+ 20.2c2 gxfS? (cor- rect was 20...Ae7! 21.fxg6 hxg6 with a better game for Black, for instance: 22.8xa7 Dd5 23.&b1 b6 24.2b3 Ed4 25.Bxd4 Qxd4 26.Hd1 Bh4 and the bishop on a7 is trapped) 21.@xa7! @e7 22.Bel Agé 23.¥b1 and due to White’s strong and unopposed light- squared bishop, which is exerting pressure, White was better in Butuc- Zelic, Rijeka 2008. OwWrong is 14...2e6?!. The d3 pawn is not defended, the bishop on e6 will be hanging and compared to the 14...2f5 lines, White does not have to weaken himself with g2-g4 in order to force the black bishop to e6: 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 16.Hhel! 8d4 17.Axd3 Bxc4 25Part I — Jaenisch Gambit 18.2c5! (this nice tactic ensures White an advantage) 18..@h6 (if 18...Hxf4, 19.He8+ Gc7 20.4d7+ Gb6 21.b4! wins, see: 21...Hf7 (or 21...2a6 22.Bxg7 Exb4 23.Aad7+ @aS5 24.2b3+—-) 22.8xf7 @xf7 23.8b8) 19.Bxd4 Qxd4 20.Ab3 Qxf2 (20...g5 21.Axd4 gxf4 22.2.c2 is also difficult for Black) 21.He7 ®fS 22.8c7+ Gd8 23.exb7 Hes 24.Ha5 Hel+ 25.@d2 1-0, Svidler- Pirrot, Frankfurt rapid 1999. 15. DeSxd3 Black has nice compensation after 15.0-0-0 0-0 16.Axd3 Ag4 17.Bhfl BFS 18.Ac5 Hae 19.h3 DeS, or 19.2d6 Qh6+ 20.f4 De3 21.Qxf8 Conclusion 8...Wd6: Sxf8 22.93 Axfl 23.Hxfl bé 24.0b7 He2. 15... &c8-f5 Note that in most of these lines Black has a nice, King’s Indian type, compen- sation, based on his well-placed bish- ops, pressure on the d- and f-files, the weak white queenside (the white pawn on c4 is badly placed and cannot go back!), the misplaced white bishop on a4, etc. Things can easily go wrong for White here, for example: 16. 0-0-0 0-0-02 17. 2a4-c2 Hd8-d4! The standard idea here. 18. 2f4-e5 Hd4xc4 19. f2-f3 Zh8-e8 20. Hht-e1 &g7-h6+ 21. Sct-b1 Hc4xc2! 22. Sbixc2 Afé-d5 And Black will get back the exchange, with a better game in Scherer-Pirrot, Bad Worishofen 2002. The ending arising after 9.Wh5+ is a dynamic line, fully playable for Black, where, regardless of the queen swap, the position remains complicated and in a sharp fight the tables can turn quite fast. The problem for Black in my opinion is 9.4xa7+!, where a strong antidote is needed to solve the problems that I have shown. Should black players find a way to combat 9.@xa7 +!, then 8...Wd6 will bea fully playable line. 26Chapter 2: Main Line with 7...4%g5 1.e2-e4 e7-e5 2.4g1-f3 Ab8-c6 3.2f1-b5 f7-f5 4.Ab1-c3 f5xe4 5.Ac3xe4 d7-d5 6.Af3xe5 d5xe4 7.Ae5xc6 Wd8-g5 AAABR BAA H 8We ox As we have discarded the move 7...'Wd5 in the first chapter, that leaves 7...Wg5 (to- gether with the earlier deviation 5...f6 which we will discuss in Chapter 3). Most books on the Jaenisch consider this to be the main line, and claim that White has an advantage due to Black’s potentially weak e4 pawn in the subsequent ending that arises after the tactical complications. In this chapter I challenge this verdict, and show that in the main line Black’s position is quite OK, based on the fact that with dynamic play his e-pawn will be an asset rather than a liability. Also, contrary to the general opinion that White is better and does not run any risk at all, I will show that quite often the tables can turn quickly. The position after 13...2e6 is often considered forced, with White having an ad- vantage after both 14.2f4 and 14.@g5. However, Black has a number of possibili- ties to successfully combat 14.24. Should black players not like my suggestions, then they have the possibility to play 13...2d6!? instead of the usual 13...2e6, and avoid the regular 14.2.f4 lines. In case of the featured main line 14.2g5, the road is much narrower for Black. After the virtually forced 14...2d6 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 White has many different possi- bilities. His best bet is 16.Wf1. If Black replies 16...@he8 White gets a lasting plus without any risk in the endgame after 17.2xf6!. It may be defensible for Black, but it is an unpleasant, one-sided affair. Therefore, better is 16...@hf8! with full equal- ity. Should the reader still be unconvinced, then there is also the relatively unex- plored possibility 16...8xe5!?, which deserves practical tests. My analysis suggests that this should equalize for Black. I would not be surprised if in the future white players focus on the complicated 9.®xa7+!? (instead of 9.f4), and that this becomes one of the main lines in the Jaenisch Gambit. 27Part I — Jaenisch Gambit 1. e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Ag1-f3 Ab8-c6 3. 2f1-b5 = £7-f5 4. Dbi-c3 f5xe4 5. Ac3xe4 d7-d5d 6. Af3xe5 Definitely the main move here. In grandmaster practice 6.Ag3 was at some stage a relatively frequently played alternative. However, white play- ers failed to prove an opening advantage and over the years 6.g3 has become a sideline of the Jaenisch. Therefore I have not given it independent status in this book. 6.Ac3, on the other hand, has never been considered a serious attempt to gain an opening advantage. Neverthe- less, it will not hurt for black players to have a short look and to know what they are doing. 1) 6.4e4-g3 0 6...2d6? is a bad idea. This move has surprisingly been played by a number of good grandmasters (even Spassky in 1962!). A) 7.Qxe5! is the most direct: 7...Ae7 8.d4 0-0 9.f4 DFS 10.Axf5 &xf5 11.0-0. White has an extra pawn and a fine position, Black is already doomed to fight for a draw, as his con- 28 trol of the central light squares e4 and fS is not enough compensation for the pawn, Mamedov-Degraeve, France tt 2008; B) Also good for White is 7.44 exd4 8.Axd4 We7+ 9.2e3 Bd7 10.Agéfs Wed 11.Axd6t+ Wxd6 12.2xc6 2xc6 13.WhS+ g6 14.Wg5 De7 15.0-0-0 and Black is in trouble: 15...h6 16.Wg3 0-0-0 17.2f4 Wd7 18.Wa3 Obs 19.Xhel Hh7 20.2xh6, winning a pawn and later the game in Bannik- Spassky, Yerevan ch-URS 1962; 0 6...e4 is possible, but does not equal- ize: A) 7.Qe5 should not worry Black: 7...Wd6 8.f4 exf3 9.Axf3 Lg4 10.We2+ Qe7 (10...Ae7 is also fine) 11.d4 0-0-0 and Black had a very com- fortable — probably better — game in Damjanovic-Malich, Pecs 1964; B) 7.ad4! Wf6!? An old recommen- dation by Yudovich. White gets an easy advantage in case of 7...Wd6 8.d3 exd3 9.Wxd3 (9.0-0! also looks strong — Black is terribly behind in develop- ment) 9...2d7 10.0-0 0-0-0 11.8xc6 &xc6 12.2g5 with a clear advantage for White in Nevednichi-Gipslis, Tallinn 1964. 8.8hs+ 8...8e7! The point behind 7...Wf6!?. 9.Adf5+ 2xf5 Forced; 9...6d8? blun- ders a pawn after 10.He3! We5Bb@xd5 Wxh5 12.axh5 @d4 13_a4. 10.Dxf5+ Sd8 11.De3 Wes! Now the white queen is not defended om hS. 12.WxeS 12.Wh3 Af6 leads to am unclear game. 12...Axe5 13.b3 Af6 Or 13..c6 14.2b2 Dg6o 15.Re2; whereas 14.2e2?! allows Black to beter organize his forces after 14...8c7 15.2b2 He8. 14.2b2 Ago Naturally Black can play this, but with two bish- ops White is definitely better. @6...294, pinning the knight, is the only road to equality: A) 7.0-0 allows Black to damage White's kingside pawn structure: Al) The developing move 7...Af6 does not equalize after 8.c4! Qc5 9Sxc6+ bxc6 10.Wad 0-0 11.Axe5 11-Bxc6 loses too much time. Black has good compensation after 11... Wd6! 22.2:xe5 (or 12.Wxd6 cxd6) 12...Hae8 13.8xd6 cxd6 14.Ad3 Qd4. In the process of finishing development White will be forced to return his extra pawns and Black has at least compensa- tion here; 15.cxd5? failing to 15...Ae4. 0186 12.20d3 2d4 12...De4 does mot fully equalize after 13.Axc5 WxcS 14.44 Wxd4 15.83 Wxb2 16.Wxc6. 13.c5! Returning his extra pawn White eliminates Black’s strong bishop. 13...2xc5 14.Axc5 Wxc5 15.43 White has a small but annoying plus, for Chapter 2: Main Line with 7...Wg5 example: 15...kab8 16.2e3 Whb5 17.WxbS ExbS 18.Hfcl Exb2 19.2xcé6 and Black had to fight long for the draw, which he ultimately achieved in Geller-Inkiov, Moscow 1986; A2) 7...W£6! is to the point and best here. A21) Now 8.2xc6+ bxc6 9.d3 does not make too much sense: 9...2e7 (simply 9...2xf3 10.Wxf3 Wxf3 11.gxf3 2d6 is also good — if anybody is better here, it is Black) 10.He1 0-0-0 (this is good enough for equality; how- ever 10...8g6 looks unpleasant for White) 11.Qg5 Qxf3 12.8xf6 Qxdi 13.Q2xe7 Qxe7 14.Haxd] Qd6 15.05 Bd7 16.d4 e4 17.0xd6+ cxd6 18.He3 Efs '4-% Geller-M.S.Tseitlin, Moscow 1992; A22) The main idea behind 7.0-0 is 8.8e1, trying to exert immediate pres- sure along the e-file. A221) Now 8...Ae7 doesn’t equalize: 9.d4! and now: A221a) 9...e4 10.295 Qxf3 (if 10...Wd6 White is clearly better after 11.h3! Qxf3 12.gxf3; also, 10...Wg6 11.Qxe7 Qxe7 12.c4! looks good for White) 11.2xf6 (11.Wd2!? Wf7 12.gxf3 Wxf3 13.c4 also looks promis- ing) 11..@xd1 12.&xe7 Qxe7 13.Haxd1 a6 (Black also has problems in case of 13...0-0 14.c4) 14.8xc6+ 29Part I — Jaenisch Gambit bxc6 15.f3 exf3! (the only way to avoid material loss) 16.AfS f2+ 17.8xf2 0-0 18.Hxe7 ExfS+ 19.6g1 Hf7 20.He6. White is better, a fight for a draw is awaiting Black in this endgame; A221b) 9...0-0-0 10.2g5 2xf3 11.Wd2! (11.8xf6 Q@xdi 12.2xe7 “@xe7 13.Haxd1 c6 is about equal) 11...WE7 (or 11...Wg6 12.2xc6 Axc6 13.2xd8) 12.2xc6 Axc6 13.Q2xd8 and Black has no compensation for the exchange. A222) 8...0-0-0! 9.2xc6 bxc6 Now White cannot prevent exchanges on f3, after which Black will have a pleasant endgame, for example: 10.We2?! e4 11.h3 Qxf3 12.gxf3 exf3 13.Wa6+ &d7 14.Wa4 hS was much better for Black — his king is reasonably safe while its white counterpart is under severe attack, Espinosa Flores-Gilb. Hernandez, Linares ch-MEX pff 1994; or 10.d3 2xf3 11.Wxf3 Wxf3 12.gxf3 Qd6. B) In order to keep his kingside pawn structure intact, White has to force an immediate exchange on f3 with 7.h3 Rxf3 8.Wxf3. White has the bishop pair and some ad- vantage in development; however, Black has a nice pawn centre, so the position is balanced. Black has two sensible re- plies here: 30 B1) After the logical developing move 8...Af6 White has a few options: B11) 9.0-0, for example: 9...2d6 9..Wd6 has been played in some games, but if Black wants to put his queen on d6, he is better advised to do it immediately with 8...Wd6; 9...2c5!? is connected to the sacrifice of a pawn, or two: 10.We2 0-0 11.2xc6 bxc6 12.Wxe5 @d7 13.We6+ hs 14.Wxc6 Wh4 15.d4 (the bizarre 15.@h1!? might be better than it looks) 15...2xd4 16.WxdS Exf2! 17.Bxf2 Ofs 18.8h2 &xf2 19.af5 We 20.\Wxd7 We5+ 21.g3 Qgl+! 22.8xgl Wel+ 23.4g2 %-% Kir Georgiev-Inkiov, Varna tt 1995. 10.@h5 and now: B111) 10...e4, for 11.0xf6+ 11,WFS?! is rather risky: example: 11...0-0! (White has wasted a consider- able amount of time and Black is rightto judge that his advantage in develop- ment is easily worth a pawn or two. 11...Axh5 12.Wxh5+ g6 13.Whe We 14.43 0-0-0 15.Wg5 WES 16.dxe4 dxe4 17.2e3 ho 18.WxfS+ gxfs 19.Had1 was seen in Dvoirys-Smirin, Polanica Zdroj 1989) 12.Axf6+ Wxf6 13.Wxd5+ @h8 14.2xc6 bxc6 15.Wxe4 Hae8 16.Wc4 Hel! and Black soon won in Zamanov-V.Agzamov, Soviet Union 1965. 11... Wxf6 and now: Blilla) 12.Whs+ W7 13.Wxf7+ &xf7 14.f3 does not worry Black after the simple 14...exf3 15.Hxf3+ Se6. He may also try 14...@g6!?, though the correctness of that decision is far from clear after 15.fxe4 dxe4 16.c3 De 17.Hel!; instead, wrong was 17.d4? exd3 18.2f4 a6 19.Qxe5 QcS+ 20.8h1 axbS. Black was better and went on to win in Gheorghiu-Lein, Sochi 1964; . B111b) 12.Wxf6 gxf6 13.d3 0-0-0 14.dxe4 dxe4 15.Hel (or 15.2e3 £5; 15...Ae5 is also OK) 15...£5 with approximate equality in Karpov- Lautier, 2nd match game, Ubeda 1994. B112) Also possible is 10...AxhS 11.Wxh5+ g6 12.W£3 a6 13.24 Wh! 13...e4? loses a pawn without compen- sation after 14.Wc3 0-0 15.2xc6 bxc6 16.Wxc6 HFS 17.d3. Chapter 2: Main Line with 7...Wg5 B1121) 14.d4 and now: Bl121a) If 14...Wxd4?! 15. We Sd7 16.Wf7+ Sc8 17.2b3 White gets his pawn back, with a better game; B1121b) After 14...0-0-0!? Black gets some compensation for the pawn, but 15.2xc6 bxc6 16.Wc3 Wxd4 17.Wxc6 e4 18. Wxa6+ &d7 looks highly suspect; B1121c) 14...e4 leads to a highly unclear position after 15.Wb3 0-0-0 16.2xc6 bxc6. B1122) After 14.c4 Wxc4: B1122a) 15.2b3 does not get White anywhere after 15...e4 (15...ad4?! probably does not give Black enough for the exchange after 16.Wf6e Hfs 17.Wxf8+ Sxf8 18.2xc4 dxc4) 16. Wie Wd4 17.Wxd4 Axd4 18. 2xd5 0-0-0 19. Qxe4 De2+ 20.Hh1 Qf4; B1122b) 15.Wfe @d7!? 15...Hf8 should also be OK after 16.We6+ @e7 — 16..d8 17.b4! Wxb4 18.axc6 bxc6 19.d4 with a white advantage, ac- cording to Keres’s old analyses — 17.b3 WS 18.d4 Wd6. 16.WE7+ 16.Wg7+?! eb! is fine for Black: 17.2d1 Hags! 18.2¢4+ Wxg4 19.Wxg8+ Hxgs 20.hxg4 “Ab4; the knight travels to d3 and Black has much more than just compensation here. 16...@e7 17.2b3 Hafs! 18.Qxc4 18.Wxf8? Wxfl+ 19.&xfl Bxf8 20.Qxd5 QcS is only a worse version for White. 18...2xf7 19.Qxd5 Hf6 with equality. 31Part I — Jaenisch Gambit B12) 9.2xc6+!? bxc6 10.Wc3 is an interesting plan, which deserves more attention than it has received up to now. 10...Wd6 11.0-0, for example: B121) 11..@£7 leads to sharp play: 12.He1 He8 12...2d7? is bad due to 13.d4 e4 14.Wb3! dg6 (the only way to prevent material loss: 14...We6 15.f3; 14... b8 15.xe4; or 14...Wb4 15. Bxet Wxb3 16.Hf4+) 15.c4 and Black is in big trouble. 13.Wa5! g6 and now: B121a) 14.d3 does not worry Black after 14....Wb4! and now the greedy collection of the c7 pawn gets the white queen almost trapped: 15.Wxc7+ He7 16.c3 WbS 17.Wd6 (17.42? is a huge mistake; after 17...Wa6 18.Wdg Hd7 19.Wb8 Hb7 20.Wd8 Bg8 followed by ...&£8-e7, the white queen is indeed trapped) 17...d7 18.c4! (freeing the c3-square and making Wc3 possible, saving his queen. 18.Wxe5 would run into 18...He7) 18...WaS (or 18...2xd6 19.cxbS cxbS) 19.b4 Wxb4 20.Wxb4 &xb4 and Black has a nice game; Bl21b) 14.Wxa7 @h6 15.d4 2f4. Black definitely has some compensa- tion, but is it enough? Difficult to say. B122) 11...0-0-0 does not equalize after 12.Bel @d7 13.d4 — 13.d3 is less good because of 13...Wb4; B123) 11.7 12.d4! e4 13.Was g6 (13...Wb4! was needed) 14.c4 &g7 32 (14...Wb4?? is no longer the same. Now it simply blunders a piece after 15.Wxb4 Sxb4 16.c5S) 15.Ae2! Bhc8 16.2f4 Web 17.Ac3 (17.2e5 gives White a large advantage, but the text is also fine) 17..@hS 18.@h2 &xd4. White, who had played quite well so far, here made a double question mark move by accepting a draw offer in Rendle-Inkiov, Rosny-sous-Bois 2004. After 19.cxd5 Black’s position is hope- less and will quickly collapse. B13) 9.@h5 is probably the most di- rect. 9...Wd6 10.Axf6+ gxf6 11.Wh5+ &d7 Black wants to play ...Ha8-d8 next and then run with his king via c8 to the safety of the queenside. B131) If 12.c3 Hd8 and ...&c8 to fol- low; B132) 12.2e2!? has not been played yet in practice, but could be an interest- ing idea to try.12..4d4 13.2g4+ Gc6 (the black king has been forced to a place where it would not voluntarily go, and Black will have to lose some more time to solve his king position) 14.2d1 b6 (14...8b6 15.0-0 c6 16.c3 Deé 17.d4! as better for White, since 17...exd4? 18.cxd4 @xd4? loses after 19.Qe3 c5 20.b4 We 21.bxc5+ Bxc5 22.2b1+) 15.0-0 &b7 16.43. The black knight will be kicked from its central post with ©2-c3, White has the bishop pair and a safer king; his queen is actually well placed on h5, so White should be better; B133) 12.0-0 Hd8 13.d4 Gc8 and mow: B133a) 14.dxe5 fxeS 15.2g5 Qe7 leads to a type of position where only Black can be better: 16.2xc6 bxc6 17.2xe7 Wxe7. Do not be fooled into believing that White’s king is safer than iss black counterpart. With the semi- open g-file White's king can quickly fall under attack, while Black’s king is actu- ally quite safe: 18.Bael e4 19.f3 WcS+ 20.2f2 exf3 21.Wxf3 Hde8 22.Bxe8+ Bxe8 23.c3 Sb7 and Gdanski-Lautier, Polanica Zdroj 1991, later ended in a draw; B133b) 14.2xc6 bxc6 15.2e3!? is another idea to improve for White. The bishop on e3 is more useful than the pawn on c3 and White also keeps c2-c4 ideas, for example: 15...8b7 (S...We6?! 16.c4! is good for White, as 16...exd4? 17.2xd4 c5? is a losing blun- der after 18.Hfe1 Wd6 19. WE5+) 16.b4 &g8 with a complicated position; B133c) 14.03 We6 15.8xc6 bxc6 16.2e3 2d6 17.Hael Hd7. Later in the game Black doubled his rooks on the g-file, got an attack and went on to win in Planinec-Parma, Novi Sad ch-YUG 1975. Chapter 2: Main Line with 7... Ws Back to the position after 8.Wxf3. B2) With 8...Wd6 Black tries to castle queenside as quickly as possible. 9.0-0 0-0-0 10.c3 10.2xc6 Wxc6 11.WES+ Sb8 12.WxeS Wxc2 has been played in some games; Black is not inferior. Now: B21) 10...£6 is logical, but proba- bly does not equalize: 11.d4! exd4 (11...e4 125+ Wd7 13.2g5, with f2-f3 or, depending on the circum- stances, c3-c4 to follow, is better for White) 12.Af5 WcS 13.&xc6 Wxc6 14.Axd4 Wd7 15. Q2g5 Bc5 (15...Rd6 may be an improvement; 16.2xf6 Hdf8) 16.8fel Qxd4 17.cxd4 Hhfs 18.Wa3! (a typical motif) 18...8b8 19.He7 — White was better and went on to win in Smirin-Tukmakov, Lvov zt 1990; B22) 10...8b8!?, moving the king away from the check and keeping op- tions open, is also playable: 11.d4 e4 12.Wd1 g6. Black is fine here. One game from grandmaster practice con- tinued 13.Qg5 2e7 14.2e3 (I assume that by first luring Black’s bishop to e7 and then playing his bishop to e3 White wanted to prevent the ...Ag8-h6-f5 manoeuvre) 14...h5 15.Wd2 h4 16.De2 AF6 17.Haci a6 18.2.4 Abs. Now Black’s kingside attack is quick and strong: 33Part I — Jaenisch Gambit 19.c4 dxc4 20.2xc6 Wxc6 21.b3 g5 22.Hxc4 Wego 23.Was Qd6! 24.Wxg5 WE7 25.f4 bS 26.4c2 Hdg8 (Black has a winning attack) 27.Wxh4 “g3? (al- lowing White to escape with a draw. 27.06 28.WF2 Hxh3 was winning in a few moves) 28.Wxg3 Hxg3 29.Axg3 Wee 30.h2 Bg8 31.0h1 Whs “-% Kurajica-Tatai, Karlovac 1979; B23) 10...e4 is probably the most di- rect: 11.W£5+ @b8 12.d3. Here 12...g6 has been tried in practice: 13.Wf4 exd3 14.Wxd6 2xd6 15.2xd3 and thanks to his bishop pair White had a small, long-term advantage and ultimately won in A.Sokolov-M.S.Tseitlin, Moscow ch-city 1983. But Black can improve on existing theory with 12...2\ce7!. The po- sition is messy, but Black is not worse. On 13.Wf4 there is 13... Wb6. Il) 6.e4-c3 With the idea to put pressure on d5. 34 However, Black neutralizes this pressure easily and then the white knight does not have much future on c3: O Now, 6...e4?? simply blunders a cen- tral pawn after 7.Aad4 Wd6 8.Whs+ Sd8 (8...26 9.WxdS) 9.Axd5, when 9...Axd4?? is not possible in view of 10.We8 mate. OSo, 6...2g4 is the only reasonable move for Black. Now, trying similar ideas as in the 6.Ag3 line mostly does not work for White here, for example: 7.0-0 e4 8.Hel Be7 9.h3 2xf3 (or 9..Q2h5 10.g4 exf3 1l.gxh5 fo) 10.gxf3 exf3 11.Wxf3 Afe and it is ob- vious that the knight would have been far better placed on g3, when White has the AfS5 jump. So White plays 7.h3 2xf3 8.Wxf3 Afe and now: A) On 9.d3 &b4 followed by kingside castling, gives Black nice play; B) 9.g4?!, trying to attack the f6 knight and justify the pressure on d5, does not work after the simple 9...a6! (9...2c5 10.g5 Det 11.Axe4 dxet 12.Wxe4 Wd6 13.2xc6+ bxc6 14.43 0-0 15.263 was played in Damaso-Bergonzi, Paranana tt 1993) 10.2xc6+ (10.g5? is bad due to 10...axb5 11l.gxf6 @d4 12.WWhS+ hd7 13.WE7+ Sco 14.fxg7 &xg7 15.Wxg7 Axc2+ 16.8d1 Axal and Black wins) 10...bxc6.Whe d5-square is well defended, while MMhite's ‘aggressive’ plan has weakened is kingside and will bring him noth- Sing but trouble; © 9.0-0 &cS 9...6f7, threatening ‘We_.2.d4, is also OK for Black after W@Sxc6 - 10.He2, defending the @t-square, clearly indicates that the pan with 6.4c3 has not been a success — 10...bxc6 11.d3 2d6 12.Wg3 e4!. 90.853 We7 11.d3 Trying to quickly eaert e-file pressure with 11.He1? does wat work because Black’s f-file pressure becomes more important after 11...0-0 S2sxc6 bxc6 and now 13.Hxe5?? Boses to 13... 2xf2+. 11...0-012.2g5 27:4! 12...Bad8 has been played in Practice, but White is better after 13.Bae] 2d4 14.Ad1 Ade 15.c3 Bc5 16.2e3 @xe3 17.Hxe3, as in Rozen- talis-Kolosowski, Ustron tt 2003. 13.2xd5 13.Hael cé6 is better for Black, as White’s light-squared bishop will be oat of play. 13...DxdS 14.Qxe7 De2+ 85.fh2 Axg3 16.2xc5 Axfl+ 17.Axfl 36 With an exchange up, Black is obvi- ously better; 18.Hei does not win back amy material after 18...b6!. C d5xe4 7. Ded5xc6 Wd8-g5 In most theory books this is considered to be the main Jaenisch Gambit line. Chapter 2: Main Line with 7... g5 Olt should be mentioned that 7...bxc6? is considered to be bad on the grounds of 8.&xc6+ @d7 9.Wh5+ Se7 10.\We5+ Be6 11.Rxa8 Wxa8 12.Wxc7+. The black king is badly placed and White has a material advan- tage, and theory correctly assesses this position as clearly better for White. Should the reader have doubts, then he should refer to the existing theory and the games played in this line. OAnd 7...Wd6? is very bad on the grounds of the simple 8.Wh5+ g6 9.Wes+ Wxe5 10.Axe5+ c6 (if we compare this position to 7...Wd5 8.c4 Wde 9.Whs g5 10.We5+ Wxes 11.AxeS c6, the white pawn is now still on c2, which makes a tremendous difference in White's favour) 11.2c4. 8. Wd1-e2 Ag8-f6 The only move here. 8...Wxg2?? is a terrible beginner’s blunder due to 9.Wh5+ 6 10.Wes+. 9. f2-f4 © 9.Dxa7+!? is possible here as well; however, compared to the line 7...Wd5 8.c4 Wd6 9.Axa7+ things are now rather complicated and far from clear: A) Not good is 9...c6? 10.Axc6 (10.Axc8?? WxbS 11.Wxb5 cxbS 12.ab6 Ha6—+) 10..2d7 11.Ad4 Wxg2 12.Qxd7+ Dxd7 13.WF1 Wg 14.Wc4 and it is obvious that Black does not have nearly enough for the two sacrificed pawns here; B) Also bad is 9..@d8?! 10.0xc8 Wxg2. Black gets back one of his two pawns, but still remains a pawn down with problems to solve: 11.1 W£3?! This decision to keep the queens on the board in order to create complications will backfire terribly. The black king 35Part I — Jaenisch Gambit will soon prove more vulnerable. After 11...Wxfl+! 12.2xf1 (also better for White is 12.Hxfl1 @xc8 13.d4) 12...@xc8 13.d4 exd3 14.2xd3 2d6 White remains a pawn up, though Black keeps some drawing chances. So this is a considerably better choice than 11...W3. 12.ab6 The immediate 12.8g1 &xc8 13.293 is also good for White. 12...cxb6 13.Hg1 @c5 14.8g3 WS 15.d4! Qxd4 16.c3 Bc5 17.2xg7 Hfs 18.895 Wee 19.2£4 With his king stuck in the centre and the white bish- ops dominating the board, Black found himself in a lost position in Steingrims- son-Inkiov, Germany Bundesliga B 2006/07, C) 9..2d7 10.Qxd7+ Axd7 10...8xd7? allows the queen swap 11.b5+ Wxb5 12.Axb5 and Black does not have nearly enough for the two sacrificed pawns. AARAWAAA ZE 2 }» —# C1) Wrong is 11.Wxe4+? &d8 and white cannot save his knight on a7, for example: 12.Wxb7? (this attempt to ‘justify the idea’ only makes matters worse for White — however, Black is better after 12.d4 Wa5+ 13.2d2 2b4 or 13...Wxa7; or after 12.43 WaS+ 13.2d2 Wxa7) 12...Bxa7! 13.Wxa7? Wxg2 14.8f1 2c5—+ C2) Black has compensation for the pawn in case of 11.Ab5 Wxg2 12.Wfl 36 (it is necessary for White to force the queen swap here; bad is 12.8f1? 0-0-0) 12... Wxfl+ 13.Hxf1 0-0-0. ek 2 & “hha Ab “a a &RAAA A A H 2 O# Black is only one pawn down here. He will target White’s weak f2 and h2 pawns and probably get one of them, while White still has to finish his devel- opment. C3) 11.f4! The best move for White, defending the important g2 pawn. Black is at a crossroads here. The positi- on is very complicated and unfortu- nately has not been seriously tested in practice (very few good games). I have analysed this position for a while and would like to share those analyses with the reader here. However, practical tests and further analyses are definitely needed. Black is indeed material down, but the white king will be stuck in the centre for quite some time, the white knight on a7 has to be brought back into play, which will cost time, and White still has to develop his cl bishop and con- nect his rooks, which, again, costs time. On general grounds Black should have good compensation here and therefore 9.Qxa7+ should be considered risky for White, but a rather serious analytical back-up for the both sides would be rather helpful here — White can easilyget into trouble with his king in the middle and his uncoordinated, un- der-developed pieces, while Black is af- ter all two pawns down. I am surprised that this line has not been seriously tested in grandmaster practice. Black has a number of moves here: C31) Taking the pawn with 11..Wxf4? helps White develop: 12.d4 with a sound pawn up. In practice ILZbS 0-0-0 13.d4 exd3?! has been tried. Black is in trouble, but this queen swap only makes matters worse: 14.8.xf4 dxe2 15.8xe2 He8+ 16.4d2 Set 17.Hhfl and White was a sound pawn up and went on to win in Ostergaard-Simmelink, corr JECG 2000; C32) Also probably not sufficient for Black is 11...Wc5 12.0b5. Now, 12...0-0-0 13.0c3 @f6 14.a4!. Take note that most of the time the move a2-a4 is very useful for White in these positions. Here Black has to hope for a swindle, as there is no objective compensation. After 12...Wxc2 instead of queenside castling, White has three possibilities: C321) Black has compensation in case of 13.d3 2&b4+ 14.0f1 Wxe2+ 15.8xe2 exd3+ 16.8xd3 0-0-0 17.8c2 Hhe8; C322) 13.Ac3 0-0-0 (13...Ac5 14.44! Wxe2+ 15.xe2 Ab3 16.Hb1 Chapter 2: Main Line with 7... Was “xd4+ 17.@f2 and the black e-pawn is weak and likely to fall) 14.Wxe4 Wxe4+ 15.Axe4 AcS 16.Axc5 Axc5 17.8d1 Hd4 18.8f1 He8 19.b3 — with a limited number of forces left on the board, Black could not prove compen- sation in Kaminski-Henris, Pardubice 1996; C323) 13.d4 &b4+ 14.6f2 and Black does not have enough for the sac- rificed pawn. C33) 11... fS is one of the critical moves: 12.b5 0-0-0 and now: C331) 13.b3, with the simple idea to develop the bishop and castle queenside. If instead 13.4\c3, then 13...2c5 followed by ...2he8, ...Af6 gives Black nice compensation; and in case of 13.0-0 Black takes a pawn with 13...WeS+ 14.6h1 Wxc2, keeping the pressure (after all, Black is now only one pawn down), for example: 15.a4 AcS 16.a5 Wd3 17.Wxd3 Hxd3 witha better game for Black. C331a) 13...Wfe 14.0c3 e3!? 14...8b4? 15.2b2 e3 does not work because Black runs out of ammunition after 16.0-0-0 exd2+ 17.Wxd2 Ac5 18,.We3 and White wins. The text looks dangerous, but White has his resources: 22 2 & aka aa & AQ & & &AW BA RE 2 E 15.0-0 2c5 16.@h1 Hhe8 17.2b2 exd2 18.Wxd2 “b6 19.%cl ‘Looks like a draw. 19...2e3 37Part I — Jaenisch Gambit eR. a wy. | A ~ AD &@ «© ABA & EW ££ @ 20.Ad1! A strong reply; 20.Wel 2d4 21.Wd2 (21.Wg3? Be3) 21...8c5 22.Wel looks like a draw. 20...xd1 21.8xd1 Wh4 22.2d2! The only move. 22...2xf4 23.g3 and White is winning; C331b) Black gets enough play with 13...c6! 14.Ac3 Not 14.4d4? because of 14... 15.2b2 cS 16.Wct Sb8. 14...e3! 15.dxe3 After 15.0-0, Black gets at least enough compensation with 15...Wxe2 16.Wxe3 Qc5 17.d4 hes 18.Wd2 Wxd2 19.8xd2 Qxd4+ 20.8h1 “cS. 15...2b4 16.2d2! 16.2b2? loses a piece to 16...Wc5. 16... Af6 17.a3! Only move. 17...2xd2 18.Wxd2 Bet 19.axb4 Dxd2 20.hxd2 White has enough material, but his king is awkwardly placed. There is probably a dynamic balance here. C332) Possibly a road to advantage for White lies in 13.Wc4!?, which looks a bit odd to play with only two pieces developed, but it may work here: 38 13...c6 White is better after 13... Wxf4 14.d3! (not 14.d4 e3!) 14...WeS 15.d4 @Db6 16.Wb3. 14.0d4 Wxf4 15.De6! WE7 16.Bf1 Afe 17.b3 and White is clearly better: 17...2e8 18.Axf8 Wxf8 19.2b2 e3 20.2xf6 gxfo 21.Weg4+ bs 22.Wi4+ a8 23.dxe3; C333) 13.a4 As often seen in annota- tions on this line, this is a standard plan. C3331) 13..2c5! Preventing White from castling and developing the bishop to a natural place looks logical. 13...Af6? is not to be advised because of 14.a5! c6 15.a6! — yes, the a-pawn can be fast here! 14.45 c6 and now: && x a A aa 4 AAR wy a&é RAARW BA HZ 2 ©@ x C33311) Black has enough compen- sation in case of 15.4\c3 Hhe8 16.a6 bS 17.8f1 Or 17.a7 @b7 18.Axb5 Wxf4 19.c3 Ga8 20.d4 exd3 21.2xf4 dxe2 and the black pawn on e2 is quite un- pleasant for White. Now: C33311a) 17...b8? is a blunder due to 18.Axb5!+— cxb5 19.Wxb5+ Dbé