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COLLE SYSTEM
ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3
GM Andrew Soltis
A White Opening You Can Use for

the Rest of Your Career
Chess Digest, Inc.
1998
COLLE SYSTEM
Copyright©1998 Andrew Soltis
All rights reserved under Fan American and International Copyright

conventions.
ISBN: 0-87568-288-X
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

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permission from the publisher.
Author: Andrew Soltis

Editors: Ken Smith and Roy DeVault
Computer Typesetting: Roy DeVault
Cover Design: Lance Klenk
Final Proof and Diagrams: Roy DeVault
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 5
The Other CoWe 5
CHAPTER ONE 14
Zukertort 5 b3 vs Koltanowski 5 c3 14
The c-pawn strategies 18
CHAPTER TWO 23
How White Wins 23
Stonewalling 31
CHAPTER THREE 45
How White Loses 45

Queenside Disasters 49
CHAPTER FOUR 57
Common Strategic Mistakes 57
(1) Black loses

game when hefocused
to become allows the
on 57
White's bishops and their
dominating diagonals
(2) For White, the biggest mistake is 62
usually to lose control of e5
(3) One of the principal causes for 65
Black's downfall
premature over the
exchange years ison
of pawns a
d4
4 COLLE SYSTEM
(4) As in the Koltanowski 5 c3, Black 77

should avoid an unfavorable
change in the pawn structure when
White plays d*c5 followed by e3-e4
(5) It's often a mistake for Black to post 85
his queen at c7 when White can
favorably open the c-file with c2-c4
CHAPTER FIVE 88
Main Line Zukertort Variation 5 b3 Analysis 88
1 d4 d5 2 e3 Nf6 3 Bd3 e6 4 Nf3 c5 5 b3 89
(A) 5...NC6 92
(B) 5...Nbd7 98
5
INTRODUCTION
The Other Colle
There are two faces to what we call the Colle System — but
many authorities recognize only one. Weighty tomes like The
Encyclopedia of Chess and The Oxford Companion to Chess,
and even the Russian Chess — Encyclopedic Dictionary, de
fine the Colle as an opening in which White puts pawns at d4,
e3, and c3.
But there's another version: the pawns remain at d4 and e3,
and the c-pawn is held back, while the c1 bishop is fianchet-
toed at b2. This simplifies the problem of how to get that
bishop into
handling the the game while giving White greater flexibility in
center.
The variation is named after Johannes Hermann Zukertort, the
first player to demonstrate the wonderful attacking potential of
White bishops lined up on the b1-h7 and b2-g7 diagonals.
Here's a typical Zukertort-ure, from his 1883-84 tour of the
United States. His opponent in the game played at the Man
hattandecades.
three Chess Club was one of the leading U.S. players for
Zukertort - Judd
New York 1883
1 d4 e6
2 Nf3
As we'll see, there are many move orders by Black in the
Colle-Zukertort, but White usually gets by with a single se
quence: 1 d4, 2 e3, 3 Bd3 and 4 Nf3 — although in this book
we'll see a lot of other orders. Here his task is made easier by
Black's first move, which makes ...Bf5 impossible (compare
1.. .d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 e3 Bf5).
2 ... Nf6
3e 3 d5
4 Bd3 Bd6
6 COLLE SYSTEM
Black apparently waits for an indication of his opponent's

strategy. Will it be the Colle-Koltanowski with Nbd2 and c2-c3
and the eventual e3-e4? Usually, White now plays 5 b3.
50-0 0-0
6 b3
No. White wants to retain other options. One is to attack the

center with the c-pawn (c2-c4) and another, quite different
idea to keep the center closed and attack on the kingside with
Ne5, f2-f4, and Rf3-h3.
6 ... Re8?l
There are times when symmetry (6...b6) is risky. But here
Black begins a good plan — promoting ...e6-e5 — that he
never carries out.
7 Bb2 Nbd7
8 c4 c6
Later White found that the right response to this setup was
Ne5! to keep Black bottled up. Black probably didn't like
8. .. e5 because of 9c5.
9 Nbd2?
Now with 9...e5 Black should equalize.
9 ... Nf8?
(see diagram on next page)
INTRODUCTION 7
The Other Colle
This method of covering h7, a natural target for White's d3-

bishop, shows his sixth move was played with a dubious plan
in mind. Now White obtains the initiative and never gives it up.
10 e4!
If Black declines the opportunity to open the center, White will
accept it.
10... dxe4
Black cannot allow 10...Bc7 11 e5! with a huge spatial edge
for his opponent.
11 N*e4 N*e4
12 B*e4 f5?
Max Judd had his positional blind spots and this move, making
e6 a horribly backward pawn, is indicative, he probably had
...f5-f4 in mind.
13 Bc2 Ng6
14 Qd2 Nh4
15 Nxh4 Qxh4
16 f4!
8 COLLE SYSTEM
But this thwarts that idea and fixes the e-pawn as well.
White's plan now is to bombard e6 with a bishop at b3 and
rooks on the e-file.
16 ... Bd7
This was Black's last chance for 16...c5 but he was probably
afraid of opening the diagonal for the b2-bishop.
17 b4! Kf7
To protect
courage thee6 but, asbreakthrough.
winning it turns out, this, and his next, only en
18 Bb3 a5
19 c5! Bc7
20 b5l
An excellent stroke. Black doesn't want to have his pieces
locked in by 21 b6 so he allows the center to be opened.
20 ... cxb5
21 d5
Now 21 ...exd5 22 Qxd5ch wins a piece (22...Be6 23 Q*f5ch).
21 ... Rad8
22 d6 Bc6
23 Qc3 Qg4
24 Rf2 b4
INTRODUCTION 9
The Other Colle
25 Qe5 Bb8
A graphic illustration of the power of White's bishops. He

could win by 26 h3 followed by Kh2 and preparing g2-g4. But
the bishops have another, more direct, way of finishing off.
26 Bd1! Qg6
27 Bh5
Black resigns because of 27...Q*h5 28 Q*g7 mate.
Despite Zukertort's experience with the system, it gained few
immediate supporters. But by the end of the last century a
similar system — with the White c-pawn at c3 and queenside
fianchetto — was appearing in master chess. It was later
adopted with spectacular success by Belgium's Edgar Colle
and George Koltanowski in the 1920s and became known as
the Colle System, Koltanowski Variation.
Colle didn't claim the superiority of one variation over another
and, in fact, he adopted the Zukertort setup on occasion:
Colle - Grunfeld
Berlin 1926
1 d4 Nf6
2 Nf3 e6
3e3 b6
4 Bd3 Bb7
5 Nbd2 c5
10 COLLE SYSTEM
6 0-0 Be7
7 b3
Note that White has delayed his decision — b2-b3 or c2-c3 —

until now.
7 ... c*d4
This exchange usually favors White in the Colle-Koltanowski
because it opens the diagonal for the bishop that just sits out
the opening at c1. the exchange is more double-edged in the
Zukertort because it provides Black with greater play along the
c-file. The real question is a matter of timing: when ...c*d4
should be played. In Chapter Three we'll examine a faulty
...c*d4 and other typical mistakes of the Zukertort.
8 e*d 4 d6
Black decides against surrendering control of e5. This has
good points but also the minus side of granting White a
greater share of the center.
9 Bb2 Nbd7
10 c4 0-0
11 Rc1
INTRODUCTION 11
The Other Colle
One of the minor but significant differences between the Kol-

tanowski and Zukertort Variations of the Colle is the use of
White's QR. In this system it is often developed at c1 rather
than d1 o r e l
11 ... Re8
12 Re1 Qc7
13Qe2 Rac8
14 Nf1 Qb8
This
side illustrates
to speak of,Black's
and problem.
no action With no play
to initiate on the
in the queen-
center, his
pieces are restricted to three ranks, while White has access to
four or five of them. Now he is repositioning his queen at a8
to exert pressure along the long diagonal.
15 Ng3 Qa8
16 Ng5!
12 COLLE SYSTEM
But White can use his spatial edge to make specific threats,
including N*f7, N*e6 and d4-d5 followed by Nf5 after ...exd5.
16... g6
17 Nxf7! Kxf7
18 Qxe6ch Kg7
19 d5
White has excellent compensation besides two pawns for his
knight: Black's pieces, particularly the a8-queen and b7-
bishop, are frozen out of the game, while White has several
immediate (20 Q*d7) and long-range threats.
19 ... Nc5
20 Nf5ch!
Now on 20...gxf5 White crashes through with 21 Q*f5 Nxd3
22 Rxe7ch, e.g., 22...Rxe7 23 Qxf6ch Kg8 24 Qxe7 Nxb2 25
Rc3.
20 ... Kf8
21 Qe3 gxf5
As good or bad as anything.
22 Qh6ch Kf7
23 Bxf5
White isn't really interested in 24 Bxc8. His bishop is too
valuable since it will help him mate (24 Be6ch N*e6 25
d*e6ch or 24 B*h7 and 25 Qg7 mate). He's also saving
Rxe7ch for a more appropriate moment.
INTRODUCTION
The Other Colle
23... B*d5
Desperation.
24 Rxe7ch!
Like now: 24... K*e7 25 Q*f6 is mate.
24... Rxe7
25 Qxf6ch Ke8
26 Qh8ch Kf7
27 Bxc8
Black resigns.
CHAPTER ONE
Zukertort 5 b3 vs Koltanowski 5 c3
There are major differences between the Koltanowski and
Zukertort systems and they are primarily concerned with the
pawn structures. The Koltanowski employs a structure based
on solidity and stability — White enjoys rock-solid control of d4
because he has pawns at both e3 and c3. This comes at the
cost of some rigidity.
White surrenders some of that solidity in the Zukertort by con
trolling d4 with one pawn, at e3, plus the bishop at b2. This
means his queen bishop will probably have much greater
reach and flexibility. It also means that he will have holes at
c3 and a3 that Black can exploit. Usually the advantages of
the reach outweigh the holes.
Here's an illustration:
Donnelly - Gray
Correspondence 1992-3
1 Nf3
This is not a good way of reaching the Colle if that's your in
tention all along.
1 ... d5
2d 4 Nf6
3e3 e6
4 Bd3 c5
5 b3 Nc6
6 0-0 Be7
7 Bb2 0-0
8 Nbd2
CHAPTER ONE 15
White's development is fairly straightforward and he is ready

to begin the middlegame — that is, by moving his pieces for
the second time, such as Ne5, and advancing his rooks, such
as Rf3 after f2-f4.
8... b6
9 Ne5 Nb4
You'll probably find opponents play this against you from time
to time — especially opponents who have been burned by
B*h7ch mating
d3-bishop is onlyattacks. The threat
a temporary totime
gain of remove
that your
Blackwonderful
must re
turn in two moves.
10 Be2 Bb7
Black may have intended 10...Ba6, to trade off the dangerous
bishop. But after 11 a3! B*e2 12 Qxe2 White exploits the
knight's unfortunate raid (13...N*c2 14 Rac1).
11 a3 Nc6
12 f4
This, plus Bd3, is more or less what White had in mind at
move 8. Even the move a2-a3 is useful in certain ways, as
we'll see in Chapter Four.
12... Rc8
13 Qe2
14 Bd3 Qc7
16 COLLE SYSTEM
Note that White keeps his knight at d2 in order to prevent the

line-blocking strategy of ...Ne4.
Here's Black's problem: his opponent can make progress,
e.g., Rf3-h3 or g2-g4-g5. But Black has no obvious way of
improving his position. An exchange on d4 doesn't help much
because there is no penetration point on the half-open c-file.
An exchange of knights on e5 only seems to play into enemy
hands ( 14...N*e5 15 f*e5). But this might have been his best
chance, after either 15...Ne4or 15...Nd7 and 16...f5.
14... Bd6?
This is a blunder because it allows White to carry out a tactic

you'll often find in the Zukertort (but not the Koltanowski).
15 Nxc6! Q*c6
16 dxc5
Thanks to the b2-bishop, this exchange has much greater im
pact in the Zukertort. Now 16...B*c5 17 Bxf6 gxf6 allows a
textbook sacrifice: 18 Bxh7ch! Kxh7 19 Qh5ch, K-moves, 20
Qg4ch!, K moves, 21 Rf3 and Rh3 mating.
16... Be7
Sad, but best.
17 cxb6 axb6
18 Nf3 Ne4
CHAPTER ONE 17
Black can claim some compensation for his lost pawn — he

controls c3 and can occupy it with a knight. (And if White
blunders and Black wins, he can even claim 14...Bd6! was a
planned sacrifice.)
But White wins this game in a manner that has nothing to do
with his extra pawn: the usual attack on h7.
19 Nd4 Qc5
20 Rf3! Bf6
21 Rd1 Rfd8
Here h7 would prove to be a greater weakness than c3:
21...NC3 22 B*c3 Qxc3 23 Bxh7ch! followed by Rh3ch/Qh5.
The vacating of f8 gives Black's king an escape square at f8.

But White can take control of the kingside dark squares while
Black tries to do the same to the queenside dark squares.
22 g4! Nc3
23 Bxc3 Qxc3
24 Qf2 g6
25 g5 Be7
Black probably counted on meeting Qh4 with ...h5, since
White cannot safely take en passant. But, with the bishop not
at g7, there's another way of attacking the kingside.
26
27 a4
h4! Qb2
18 COLLE SYSTEM
White's plan is to soften up g6 and h7 first by exchanging h-

pawns.
27... Bc5
28 h5 Re8
29 h*g 6 hxg6
30 Rh3 Kg7
Black intends to meet 31 Qh4 with 31... Rh8.

31 f5!
Now 31...g*f5 loses to 32 Qf4, threatening Qe5ch.
31 ... exf5
32 Bxf5
Black resigns.
Black gives up after seeing that 32...gxf5 33 Q*f5 B*d4 34
Rh7ch gets him mated and 32...Rc7 or 32...Rcd8 allows a
winning sacrifice on g6 (33 B*g6f, threatening Qf6ch as well
as Q*f7ch).
THE c-PAWN STRATEGIES
Another difference between the two Colle variations is that, in
the Zukertort, White often plays c2-c4, rather than c2-c3. This
gives rise to a much more fluid center.
White may, for example, end up with the notorious "hanging

pawns" on c4 and d4. But, while this is often the issue in
CHAPTER ONE 19
complex positional middlegames, the presence of this pawn

pair does not deny White his chances for kingside attack.
Seldems - Hiller
Correspondence 1982
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 Nf6
3 e3 e6
4 Bd3 Be7
As we'll see in Chapter Four when we get into specific analy

sis, the major choices Black enjoys in the Zukertort are what to
do with his bishops. There are pluses and minuses to ...Be7
over... Bd6 that must be weighed carefully.
50-0 0-0
6 Nbd2 Nbd7
7b3 c5
8 Bb2 a6
This looks like a wasted tempo until you realize Black intends
...b5 rather than ...b6.
9 Ne5l Qc7
Not 9...b5 immediately because of 10 Nc6.
10 f4 b5
Threatening to kick White's bishop off the key diagonal by
means of ...c4. In the Colle-Koltanowski White solved this
20 COLLE SYSTEM
problem with c2-c3, and if Black dared to go ahead with ...c4

he found that it only made e3-e4 by White even stronger be
cause then Black had no counterplay at all in the center.
11 c4
Here White has a different option. He's willing to open up the
queenside in order to exploit the position of Black's queen.
Note that White could have kept matters relatively closed with
11 dxc5, and if 11...Nxc5 then 12 Ndf3 and 13 Nd4.
11 ... dxc4
Black aplays
White for share
greater a queenside majority at the cost of granting
of the center.
12 bxc4 b4
13 Rf3 cxd4
14 exd4
Even though
tentions twovaried
haven't pairs much
of pawns
fromare
theoff theZukertort
other board, White's in
Variation
games we've seen so far. He's thinking of mate on h7 and
he'll use Rh3 and g2-g4-g5 to do it.
14 ... Bb7
15 Rh3 ge
16 Qe2 Rfd8
17 Re1
White hints at Nxf7/...Kxf7/Qxe6ch a la Colle-Grunfeld.
CHAPTER ONE 21
17... Nf8
18 Ndf3 Bxf3
Otherwise 19 Ng5. Note that Black's queenside majority plays
no role and he'd be better off if he could have played ...b4-
b5!?*c4 at some point — making an illegal retreat of the
pawn.
19 Qxf3 Rac8
20 g4! Bd6
21 f5
White may have considered 21 g5 Nh5 22 R*h5 but the text,
threatening f*g6/Q*f6 has more immediate impact.
21 ...Bxe5
22 Rxe5 N6d7
23 fxg6 fxg6
24 Re2 Nb8
Finally Black has a means of putting pressure on the enemy

center: 25...Nc6. Unfortunately, it is much too late.
25 d5! exd5?
Or 25...Qf7 26 Qe3 followed by 27 Qe5 or 27 Qd4.
26 Qf6
Black resigns.
22 COLLE SYSTEM
We'll be examining the Zukertort Variation thematically. In

Chapter Two, we'll see how White wins — when he does. In
Chapter Three, we'll consider what can go wrong. In Chapter
Four, we'll
Chapter analyze
Five, we'll the
get typical
into themistakes
specific to be made. Finally
sub-variations in
you are
likely to encounter when you adopt the Colle System, Zukertort
Variation.
23
CHAPTER TWO
How White Wins
White's most successful strategies in the Colle-Zukertort bear
a resemblance to his winning ways in the Colle-Koltanowski.
He attacks, usually by driving away Black's best defensive
pieces so that his bishops can take aim at the kingside.
In both systems, this is often accomplished by a quick rush of
White's e-pawn or g-pawn to the fifth rank — or by the the
matic Ne5 and if ...N*e5, then dxe5.
True, the exchange of knights gives White doubled e-pawns.
But this is usually well compensated by the pressure he de
rives along the half-open d-file. Here's a vintage example.
Marshall - Leonhardt
Hamburg 1910
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 c5
3 e3 e6
4 Nbd2 Nf6
This actually may be an error.Until Black knows White's in

tentions he might do better to keep ...f7-f5 in reserve.
5 Bd3 Be7
6 0-0 Nc6
7 b3 0-0
8 Bb2 b6
9 Ne5
24 COLLE SYSTEM
This is a standard device and should be answered by 9...Bb7,

which would enable him to play 10...Nxe5 11 d*e5 Ne4. But
White develops a nice game with 10 f4 which would enable
him to recapture 11 f*e5!.
9... N*e5
10 dxe5 Ne8
The exchange of knights is double-edged but White benefits

more. He gets two reasonable plans as a result: pushing the
c-pawn in an attack
mating assault. on d5
He goes fororthe
pushing the f-pawn
more direct as part of a
route first.
11 f4 g6
Black cannot sit idly by while White throws his heavy pieces
(Qh5, Rf3-h3) in this direction. But he might have done a
better job of defense with the immediate 11 ...f5, since 12
exf6 Bxf6 gives Black counterplay on the dark squares. White
would improve with 12 g4 and Kh1/Rg1.
12 Rf3 Ng7
13 Rh3 f5
The drawback of this move at this moment is the possible
opening of the c4-g8 diagonal. Black should have delayed
...f7-f5 until White proved it was necessary.
14 Qe2 a6
Preparing 15 ...b5 which White stops with ...
CHAPTER TWO 25
How White Wins
15 c4 Bb7
16 Rd1
In light of what explodes in the center now, Black should have
followed general principles and gotten his queen off the d-file
(16...Qc7).
16... Qd7
17 cxd5 e*d 5
On 17 ... Bxd5 18 e4 opens lines nicely for White.
18 e4!
This still works here, thanks to the position of the d7-queen.
18... fxe4
19 Nxe4 Ne6
Of course not 19 ...d*e4?? 20 Bc4ch and 21 Rxd7. But how
is White going to meet the threat now 20...dxe4 — as well as
20 ...Nxf4 — here?
20 Qg4! Rxf4
Not 20...dxe4 21 Bc4 Q-moves 22 Bxe6ch.
21 Rxh7!
A remarkable shot, illustrating the power of the two White
bishops: 21 ...Kxh7 22 Nf6ch wins.
21 ... Rxg4
26 COLLE SYSTEM
22 Nf6ch Bxf6
23 Rxd7 Bc8
Otherwise White wins back oneof the enemy bishops with a
powerful endgame.
24 Rxd5 Be7
25 h3 Rh4
26 Bxg6 Nc7
This leads to a stunning finish.
27 Rd8ch! Bxd8
28 Rxd8ch Kg7
29 Bf5?
Now 29 ...Bxf5 30 e6ch Kg6 31 e7 Re4! b u t...
29 ... Bb7?
30 e6ch Kh6
31 e7
Black resigns. Since 31 ...Bc6 is met by 32 Rd6ch.
As we noted in the introduction, the Colle-Zukertort is more
flexible than the Colle-Koltanowski because of the options of
fered by White’s c-pawn. This is true whether or not White
plays Ne5 as in the last example.
In the Koltanowski we saw that White's best manner of

changing the pawn structure was the e3-e4 advance (with or
CHAPTER TWO 27
How White Wins
without an exchange of his d-pawn on c5). But in the Zuker-

tort White has the alternative idea of c2-c4*d5. Here's a
modem illustration that shows White winning without even at
tempting a kingside attack.

Smyslov - Suetin
Bad Worishofen 1991
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 Nf6
3 e3 c5
4 b3 Nc6
5 Bb2 Bg4
6 Be2
Black hastens to get his c8-bishop outside his center pawn
structure before he plays ...e6. This has the added benefit of
discouraging White from posting his own bishop — the one
that usually does the most kingside damage — on d3.
6 ... e6
70-0 Bd6
8 Nbd2 0-0
9 h3 Bh5
10 dxc5 B*c5
11 c4
28 COLLE SYSTEM
Black has reason to be happy about the outcome of the

opening. His minor pieces are well placed and he can now
post his heavy pieces on useful squares. But the position isn't
as innocuous as it may seem.
11 ... Qe7
12 Ne5! Bxe2
13 Qxe2 N*e5
14 Bxe5 Rfd8
After 14...d*c4 15 N*c4 White has a tiny edge.

15 Radi
This invites the liquidation of the center with 15...d4 16 exd4
B*d4 — but White ends up with a queenside majority and
promising endgame chances after 17 B*d4 Rxd4 18 Nf3.
15... Rac8
This is a major decision: Black avoids ...d*c4 and ultimately

permits his d-pawn to be isolated.
16 Bxf6! Qxf6
17 cxd5 Rxd5
CHAPTER TWO 29
How White Wins
18 Ne4 Qd8
19 Rxd5
Now 19...Qxd5 20 Qc2! and Rd1 gives White a slight pull
(20...f5 21 Ng5 h6 22 Rd1).
19... e*d5
20 Rd11 Qe8
21 Nxc5 Rxc5
22 b4 Rb5
This is a clumsy square for the rook but Black may have been
trying to avoid 22...Qb5 23 Qd2 Rc8 because of 24 a3 Rd8 25
Qd4 Qa4 26 Rd3 with the idea of 27 e4.
23 Qg4!
White's advantage lies in the weak d5-pawn and the some

what confused Black pieces. His last move defends the b4-
30 COLLE SYSTEM
pawn and threatens to win a pawn with 24 a4 — but more im

portantly it threatens 24 Rc1! and 25 Rc8.
23... Qe6
White's advantage is clear after 23...h6 24 a4 Rb6 25 Rxd5
Q*a4 26 Rd8ch Kh7 27 Qf5ch.
24 Qf4 h6
25 a4 Rb6
26 Qd4 a6
Black would be happy to trade off his weak pawn (27 Q*d5
Qxd5 28 R*d5 R*b4).
27 Qc5 Kh7
28 b5
Not 28 Rxd5 Rxb4. Now that the b-pawn is on the fifth rank,
29 Rxd5 is threatened.
28... axb5
29 axb5 Rd6
30 e4l
Of course, he can't play 30...Qxe4?? 31 Qxd6 or 30...dxe4??
31 Rxd6.
30 ... b6
31 Qd4 Qd7
32 Qd3l
CHAPTER TWO 31
How White Wins
The threat of 33 e5ch, and defense of b5, wins a pawn.

32 ... d4
33 e5ch Rg6
34 f4 Qd5
35 g4! Kg8
36 f5 Rg5
37 Qxd4 Qf3
This sets a final trap (38 Rd3? Q*f5) and avoids 37...Q*b5 38
h4.
38 Qd8ch! Kh7
39 Qd3 Qf4
40 e6l Qe5
The e-pawn helps decide after 40...f*e6 41 fxe6ch Kg8 42 e7
Qe5 43 Rc1 Q*e7 44 Rc8ch Kf7 45 Qc4ch Kg6 46 Qc2ch Kf6
47 Rc6ch.
41 exf7 Qf6
42 Qd7
Black resigns.
STONEWALLING
In that example we saw White exchanging on both d5 and c5.
This strategy can even be conducted successfully when White
has
seenadopted
often inathe
"Stonewall" pawn formation.
Colle-Koltanowski ThisZukertort
— but the is a planver
not
sion is a bit different.
32 COLLE SYSTEM
Barbalic - Mihalj
Yugoslav Correspondence 1979
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 Nf6
3e3 c5
4b 3 Nc6
5 Bb2 e6
6 Bd3 Bd6
7 0-0 0-0
8a3
This may seem a waste of time since its only apparent pur
pose is to prevent ...Nb4. Actually, it prepares a queenside
pawn march.
8... Qe7
9 Ne5
White must not permit ...e6-e5.
9... Rd8
10 Nd2 Nd7
11 f4
CHAPTER TWO 33
How White Wins
This allows White to recapture on e5 with his f-pawn and

thereby open the f-file. This may resemble the Marshall-Leon-
hardt game but changes complexion quickly after d*c5.
11 ... Nf8
12 Ndf3 f6
Black had to do something about 13 Ng5 and Ngxf7.
13 Nxc6 bxc6
14 Qe1 Bd7
15 dxC5l
As long as White acts quickly after this "surrender of the cen
ter" Black won't have time to play ...e6-e5.
15... Bxc5
16 b4 Bb6
17 c4 a5?
Black may not have liked to seal up his bishops with 17...c5
18 b5, followed by a3-a4-a5 or e3-e4. But that had to be bet
ter than what happens now.
18 c5 Bc7
19 Qh4 Ra7
20 Ne5!
Also promising was 20 g4 but White has a sacrificial plan in
mind. If allowed, he will continue Ng4xf6ch or Rf3-h3.
gs
34 COLLE SYSTEM
This wins a piece (21 f*g5 f*e5) but at considerable cost.

21 Nxc6l
21 ... B*c6
22 fxg5 f5!
After 22...fxg5 23 Qh6 White has Bf6 or Rf6/Raf1 coming up.
This move allows Black to keep the f-file and d3-h7 diagonal
closed.
23 b5 Ng6
24 Qh6 Be5
25 Bd4
The attack is over, at least temporarily, but White has fine

compensation in the form of two passed, connected queen-
side pawns. He can renew hostilities on the kingside by ad
vancing either of his pawns on the second rank.
25... Be8
26 g4! Bxd4
27 exd4 fxg4
28 Rf6 e5
This lets White's bishop into play on the weakened light
squares. But the defense was difficult. White threatened, for
example 29 Raf1 followed by 30 b6 Rb7 31 c6! and then
31...BXC6 32 Bxg6 or 31...Rxb6 32 Rf8ch! Nxf8 33 Rxf8ch
Qxf8 34 Qxh7 mate.
29 Bf5! exd4
CHAPTER TWO 35
How White Wins
30 Be6ch Kh8
31 Raf1 Bxb5
White's rooks were going to penetrate at f8 or f7 in any event.
32 Rf7 Qxf7
33 Rxf7 Rxf7
34 Bxf7 Bd3
White has a variety of ways of winning — but he has to solve
the problem of activating his queen first.
35 h4 gxh3
36 Qxh3 Ne5
37 c6l Ba6
38 g6
Black resigns.
The exchange of two pairs of White pawns — d*c5 and cxd5
— can also bring about the notorious hanging Black pawns.
The status of these pawns is delicately perched between two
conditions: they are either a fixed weakness that can come
under withering fire from White rooks or they are a powerful
pawn-web that deeply influences the center in Black's favor.
Here's how White succeeds in making them the former.
36 COLLE SYSTEM
Rashkovsky - Aseev
Russian Championship 1994
1 d4 Nf6
2 Nf3 e6
3e3 b6
4 Bd3 Bb7
5 0-0 d5
6 b3 Nbd7
7 Bb2 Bd6
8 Ne5 0-0
9 Nd2 Ne4
Black takes advantage of his quick queenside fianchetto — in

place of ...c7-c5 — to block the d3-h7 diagonal. Now 10 N*e4
d*e4 11 Bc4 N*e5 leads to symmetry and a dull middlegame.
10 f3l?
A strange-looking way of resolving the center. White envi

sions a favorable knight-less middlegame.
10... N*d2
11 Qxd2 c5
CHAPTER TWO 37
How White Wins
White doesn't mind the doubling of his pawns on the e-file af

ter 11...N*e5 12 d*e5 Bc5 because then the d5-pawn be
comes a target after Qe2/Rd1/c2-c4.
12 Radi f6
"What's good for the goose" (10 f3) should be good for the
gander, Black reasons.
13 Nxd7 Q*d7
14 c4
We have a different version of symmetry after ...Rad8. For
the next few moves each side waits for an indication of enemy
intentions in the center. Who will make the first pawn cap
ture?
14... Qc7
15 h3 Rad8
16 Qc2 g6
The first deviation from symmetry (16...h6) encourages White
to force matters.
17 cxd5 exd5
Clearly Black cannot continue 17...cxd4 18 Qxc7 Bxc7 19
dxe6 because of the threat of 20 e7. But 17...Bxd5 18 e4
Bb7 was a reasonable possibility.
18 dxc5 bxc5
38 COLLE SYSTEM
Or 18... B*c5 19 Bd4 leaving the d5-pawn isolated.

19 e4l
This is what White aimed for with the double pawn trade. To
gether on the same rank, the pawns have much greater
strength than when one is advanced. Now 19...d*e4 20 B*e4
would leave him with an exploitable, isolated c5-pawn.
19... d4
Now White has a majority of kingside pawns that will expand.

20 Bc1! Bc8
21 f4 Kg7
With the c4-g8 diagonal now open, the king should be safer
here, Black thinks. But White's next maneuver proves him
wrong.
22 Qf2! Be6
23 Qh4
White threatens 24 f5 and 25 Bh6ch.
23 ... Rf7?
After the proper 23... Kg8, White can maintain his initiative with
24 f5! g*f5 25 e*f5 e.g., 25...Bd5 26 Bh6 Rf7 27 Rde1 and
then 27...Bg3 28 Qg4ch Kh8 29 Re6.
24e5l
CHAPTER TWO 39
How White Wins
This wins because Black cannot allow the kingside to be

opened by 24...f*e5 25 f*e5 B*e5 26 Bxg6! Then 26...hxg6
27 Qh6ch Kg8 28 Q*g6ch Bg7 29 Qxe6 with advantage.
24... Bf8
25 f5! gxf5
26 Bxf5 Bxf5
27 Rxf5
Here 27...fxe5 28 Qg5ch Kh8 29 Rxf7 costs a rook.
27... Re8
28 exf6ch Kh8
29 Rdf1 a5
30 Bf4 Qd7
31 Rg5l a4
32 Rf3 axb3
33 axb3 Rxf6
There was no other defense to the threat of 34 Rfg3 and 35
Rg8 mate.
34 Be5l Rxe5
35 Rxf6 Rxg5
36 Qxg5 Be7
37 Rf7
Black forfeits.
On the other hand ... White can end up with the hanging
pawns himself because of the prospect of ...cxd4/exd4 as
40 COLLE SYSTEM
well as c2-c4/...dxc4. Then he has to be on the lookout for a

tactical means of blowing the center open for his b2-bishop.
Often this means a pawn sacrifice, since an attentive defender
with the Black pieces will keep the d5-square under heavy
surveillance.
Vlado Kovacevic - P. Popovic
Zagred/Rijeka 1985
1 d4 Nf6
2 Nf3 e6
3 e3 c5
4 Bd3 d5
5 b3 Qa5ch
This is an attempt to sow confusion in the enemy ranks.

6 c3
Black can't afford to go after the c-pawn (6...c*d4 7 e*d4 Ne4

8 0-0! N*c3? 9 Qe1 and the pin costs a piece, e.g., 9...Bb4
10 Bd2).
6 ... Nc6
7 0-0 Qc7
8 c4
CHAPTER TWO 41
How White Wins
So it took White two moves to get his pawn to the fourth rank
while it took Black two moves to shift his queen to c7: the two
lost tempi balance out.
8 ... dxc4
9 b*c4 Be7
10 Bb2 cxd4
This apparently routine capture is an error here, since White
gets more immediate use out of the e-file than Black gets in
the form of pressure
do anything against c4.
with his d4-pawn, Since
Black White
should wasn't
have ready to
waited.
11 exd4 0-0
12 Nbd2 b6
13 Rc1 Bb7
White can begin calculating the consequences of d4-d5 al
ready. Here, for example, 14 d5 exd5 15 cxd5 Nxd5 16 Nd4!
42 COLLE SYSTEM
gives him a strong attack. But White was unsure about

14...Nb4!.
14 Re1 Rad8
15 Bb1 Qf4
And here 15...Rfe8 invites 16 d5!, which is based on the c-file
pin after 16...exd5 17 B*f6 B*f6 18 Rxe8ch and 19 c*d5.
Black gets his queen off the dangerous file and near the
threatened kingside. If White aims at h7 with Qc2, the queen
can retreat to h6.
16 d5!? e*d5
17 cxd5 N«d5
Here we can appreciate the last note: 18 R*c6 Bxc6 19 Qc2 is
met by 19...Qh6. White tries to force the queen to make a
choice of retreats.
18 Rc4! Qd6!
Black saw that 18...Qh6 was the wrong idea here because of
19 Rxe7! and 20 Rh4.
19 Ne4 Qh6
20 Bc1 Qg6
21 Bd2
White shields the d-file and protects the b1-bishop so that it
threatens to discover an attack on the queen (22 Nc5; 22
Neg5).
CHAPTER TWO 43
How White Wins
21 ... f5l
22 Ng3 Kh8
23 Qb3 Ba8
24 h3!
A remarkable strong "quiet" move which supports Rg4 and

keeps the N*f5 idea on tap.
24... Bc5?
The losing move. White meets the threat of 25...Qxg3 with a
nice combination.
25 Nxf5! Rxf5
26 Rxc5! bxc5
27 Nh4 Qf6
28 Nxf5 Nd4
White was winning after 28...g6 29 Q*d5! Rxd5 30 Re8ch or
29...gxf5 30 Qxf5.
29 Nxd4 cxd4
Despite material equality, White's bishops give him a big edge,
as the following queen maneuver demonstrates.
30 Qd3 g6
31 Qg3 Qg7
32 Qh4 Rc8
33 Bd3 h5?
44 COLLE SYSTEM
Shortening what would have been a gradual loss (after

33...Qf6 34 Bg5 Qg7 35 Re7! and 36 Bf6).
34 Re6 Qb7
And Black resigned before 35 Rxg6.
45
CHAPTER THREE
How White Loses
There are, naturally, as many ways for White to lose as there
are for him to win, and in this chapter we'll examine some of
the most common scenarios.
White often loses when he dilly-dallies in the opening and
loses control of e5. Normally, he has three units attacking that
key point — a knight at f3, pawn at d4 and bishop at b2.
That's one more than he usually has in the Colle-Koltanowski,
when White's bishop often sulks at c1 until the middlegame
begins.
But if Black outguns White on e5 — and engineers ...e6-e5 —

the initiative can turn quickly.
Moses - Rubinstein
Southport 1924.
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 Nf6
3e3 c5
4 Bd3 Nc6
5h3?
What they used to call a "country move" — the amateur's fa
vorite way of anticipating pins like ...Bg4. But it loses a key
tempo.
5 ... e6
6 0 -0 Bd6
7 b3 e5l
46 COLLE SYSTEM
The difference is revealed here as White is one move short of
playingwith
piece Bb2. Black's game is freed and he threatens to fork a
8...e4.
8 dxe5 N*e5
9 Bb2 Qe7l
By retaining control of e5 Black threatens to begin the middle-
game with a nice spatial superiority (...0-0, ...b6, ...Bb7, Rfe8,
etc.).
10 Nxe5 Bxe5
11 Bxe5 Qxe5
The exchanges have left Black with an edge in operating room
and solid prospects of exploiting the queenside holes, such as
c3.
12 Nd2 0-0
13 Nf3 Qe7
14 Re1?
Pointless. White had to fight back in the center at some point
with c2-c4.
14... Bd7
15 a4? Rad8
16 Qe2 Ne4
White now has no chances for opening up lines for his rooks
with e3-e4.
CHAPTER THREE 47
How White Loses
17 Bxe4 d*e4
18 Nh2 Be6
Black looks for a winning plan. Doubling rooks on the open

file will only lead to exchanges. But the White queenside is
weak thanks to his 15th move and ready for exploitation.
19 Radi c4!
Had White stopped this temporary sacrifice with 19 c4 Black
would have gone after the b-pawn with 19...Rd3 and ...Qc7-
b6.
20 bxc4 Qc5
21 Rxd8 Rxd8
22 Rd1 Rxdlch
23 Qxd1 h6
24 Qd8ch Kh7
The best White can hope for now is a knight-versus-bishop
endgame in which all the queenside pawns are traded off or
defendable on dark squares.
25 Qd4 Qxc4
26 Qxc4
White appreciates that 26 Qxa7 Qxc2 27 Qxb7 loses a piece
to 27...Qc1ch 28 Nf1 Bc4.
26 ... Bxc4
27 a5 Kg6
48 COLLE SYSTEM
28 f4 Kf6
29 Kf2 Ke7
30 Ke1 f5
White is playing without his knight from now on since 31 Nf 1,
B*f1 is a lost king-and-pawn endgame.
31 Kd2 Kd6
32 g4 g6
33 h4 h5l
34 g5 Kc5
The only potentially serious weakness that White accepts

when he plays b2-b3 and makes the Colie a Zukertort Varia
tion is now exploited. White must lose at least a pawn.
35 Kc3 a6
White resigns.
This is a graphic example of what happens when White loses

control of e5. He should remember it is the most important
square on the board in the Colle System, Zukertort Variation.
But White can also lose on the queenside as we'll see.
50 COLLE SYSTEM
But this was the other Black threat. The exchange of bishops
gives Black excellent queenside chances against the c2-pawn
and the c3-hole.
11 B*a3 Qxa3
12 Ndf3?
Much better is 12 c3!, safeguarding the queenside before it
comes under too great an enemy assault.
Then White
or f4-f5. Forshould have12a c3!
example, freeBd7
hand
13for
f4 f2-f4
Qd6 followed by Rf3
14 Rf3 Rfc8 15
Qe1 a6 and Qh4.
12 ... Bd7
Black has ...Rac8 and ...Nb4 in mind. It's not too late for 13
c3 but that would leave his rook to defend the a-pawn.
13 N*c6 Bxc6
Black has one (minor) positional problem and that is the "bad"
bishop at c6. But he solves the problem in a nice manner.
14 Qd2
Preparing a bad idea. Afterwards 14 Qc1, followed by Ne5
and Qe3 if Black avoids a queen trade, was recommended.
14... Rac8
15 c3?
CHAPTER THREE 51
How White Loses
Now this turns out to be a horrible way of defending the weak

c2-pawn — turning it into a c3-pawn is even weaker.
15... a6l
Black will exchange off his bishop with ...Bb5, not fearing
B*b5/...a*b5 because White's a-pawn will turn out to be
weaker than Black's b5-pawn.
16 Ne5 Bb5
17 f3
An ugly way of keeping the enemy knight off e4. Black has
another use for the knight.
17 ... B*d3
18 Nxd3 Rc7l
Black's plan is elegantly simple: pound that c-pawn with

heavy pieces.
19 Rac1 Rfc8
20 Rc2 Ne8!
This guy's headed for b5, to join in on the attack on c3. It's
easy to see that, when the issue in dispute is White's queen-
side, rather than Black's kingside, something has gone awfully
wrong for the first player.
21 Rfc1 Nd6
22 Ne5
52 COLLE SYSTEM
White's last chance was to block the file with 22 Nc5!, al

though with 22...e5, Black is clearly doing well.
22... Qa5
23 a4
The obvious drawback to this way of stopping ...Nb5 is the
creation of yet another weak pawn at b3.
23... Qb6
This effectively ends the strategic battle, after which a brief
tactical series brings the game to its close. White is also last
after 24 b4 a5 25 b5 Nc4 or 24 Rb1 Nf5 25 Red f6 26 Ng4
e5.
24 Nd3 Q*b3
25 Ne5 Qb6
26 Rb2 Qa7
27 Qe1
27... b6
White's mini-initiative is over and Black can resume the attack,
this time against a4 as well as c3.
28 Nd3 Rc4
29 a5
Or 29 pawn.
White Ra2 Qc7 30 Ra3 b5! 31 axb5 N*b5 winning another
CHAPTER THREE 53
How White Loses
29... b*a5
30 Nc5 Nb5
31 Re2 N»d4!
A nice combination that strikes at the very foundation of the
Colle System, the d4-pawn.
32 cxd4 R8*c5
White resigned when saw that he will remain three pawns
down (33 dxc5 Q*c5ch).
White should always be looking for opportunities on the king-
side — but with one eye on the queenside, where Black has
his best chance for a breakthrough.
The center is usually closed or semi-open in the Colle-Zuker-
tort and this enables White to perform some elaborate maneu
vers and execute long-range plans denied him when the cen
ter is open. But, at the same time, he risks having his pieces
turn out to be badly misplaced if the queenside turns out to be
just as much of a battleground as the kingside.
Here's an example of Black winning a skirmish on the queen
side that leads to a final battle on the kingside.
Chiburdananidze - Galliamova
Women's Candidates Match 1995
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 Nf6
3e3 eS
4 Bd3 c5
5 b3 Nc6
6 Bb2 Bd6
7 0 -0 0-0
8a3 b6
9 Nbd2 Bb7
10 Qe2 Qe7
54 COLLE SYSTEM
11 Ne5 Rac8
A standard way of beginning the middlegame. White now opts

for the Stonewall strategy, with f2-f4 and Rf3-h3 taking dead
aim at h7.
12 f4 Bb8
13 Rf3 Ne4
This is tactically based on 14 N*e4 dxe4 15 Bxe4 Nxe5 and
16 f*e5 Bxe4 or 16 B*b7 Nxf3ch.
14 Rh3 N*e5
15 dxe5?l h6
16 Rf1? N*d2I
17 Qxd2 c4l
White didn't want to play c2-c4, which would have been con
sistent with the dxe5 recapture, out of fear of allowing Black to
CHAPTER THREE 55
How White Loses
open the long b7-f3 diagonal. But now Black gains valuable
space on the queenside and drives White's light-squared
bishop out of play.
18 Be2 Qc5
Now 19 Bd4 Qxa3 costs a pawn.
19 b4 c3!
White can't afford 20 b*c5 c*d2 21 c*b6 R*c2.
20 Qe1 Qc7
21 Bc1 f6
With both of White's bishops out of commission right now,
Black senses it is time to strike on the kingside.
22 e*f6 R*f6
23 Rh5?! Qf7
24 Qh4 Rf8
25 g4
25 ... g5!
Thanks to the problems he created for White's bishops with
...c4-c3, Black can now seize a decisive initiative on the king-
side.
26 Qh3 Qg7
The f4-square now falls to Black and the b8-h2 diagonal is
opened.
56 COLLE SYSTEM
27 fxg5 Rxflch
28 Bxf1 Qf7
29 Qg2 d4l
And it's Black's bishops who have the final say (30 e4 B*e4 31
Q*e4 Q*f1 mate).
30 Qe2 Ba6
31 b5 Bxb5
32 g6 Qxfl ch
White resigns.
CHAPTER FOUR
Common Strategic Mistakes
There are so many ways of losing on either side of the Colle-
Zukertort that we can only touch on the major mistakes here.
(1) Black loses when he allows the game to become
focused on the White bishops and their diagonals.
Yusupov- Scheeren
Plovdiv, 1983
1 d4 Nf6
2 Nf3 e6
3e3
4 Bd3 c5
d5
5 b3 Nbd7
6 Bb2 b6
7 0-0 Bb7
8 Ne5l a6?
Black is too concerned about stopping Bb5 and preparing
...b5 — and begins to lose the thread.
9 Nd2 b5
10 N*d7 Q*d7
11 d*c5
Well timed. He stops ...c4 and opens an excellent line for his
b2-bishop. True, White helps Black's f8-bishop get developed
quickly but he has a major problem defending g7.
58 COLLE SYSTEM
11 ... B*c 5
12 Qf3l Be7
13 Qg3 0-0
14 Nf3
A passerby might have wondered how White managed to get

his queen to g3.
White had an excellent alternative in the form of 14 e4. But
another of the major differences between the Koltanowski and
Zukertort
need e3-e4versions
to openofathe Colle is
diagonal forthat
his in
QB this
andone
heWhite doesn't
can carry out
a strong attack without the e-file for his rook.
14... Rac8?
His position was troubled and now it becomes critical. Stop
ping White's next move was essential.
15 Ng5! g6
This looks horribly weakening but Black had to meet the threat
of 16 Nxh7 Nxh7?? 17 Qxg7 mate.
16 Qh4
With a simple threat of 17 B*f6 and 18 Q*h7.
16 ... h5
Note that 16...Nh5 allows the pretty two-bishop mate of 17

Q*h5! g*h5 18 B*h7.
CHAPTER FOUR
17 Radi
Also good was 17 Qf4, to continue the assault on f6.
17 ... Nh7?
18Qxh5l
Pretty: 18...gxh5 19 B*h7 mate.
18 ... Bxg5
19 B*g6
And now 19...fxg6 20 Qxg6ch and mate next.
19 ... f6
20 f4 Qg7
21 fxg5 Nxg5
22 h4!
60 COLLE SYSTEM
The game is over after either 22... Nh7 23 Rd4! and 24 Rg4 or,
as play went, 22...Ne4 23 B*e4 d*e4 24 Rf4! and Black re
signs.
One of the most dangerous mistakes for Black is to allow his
opponent the two-bishop advantage. And one of the best
things about the "2 Bs" is that you can trade off one of the
bishops favorably. Here's an illustration of that.
Rubinstein • Kostic
Goteborg, 1920
1 d4 e6
2 Nf3 Nf6
3 e3 c5
4 Bd3 d5
5 0-0 Nc6
One wonders how Rubinstein, one of the great handlers of the

Colle on both sides of the board, would have responded to
5...C4 6 Be2 b5.
6 b3 Bd6
7 Bb2 0-0
8 Nbd2 Qe7
9 c4
Another way of stopping 9...e5 or at least trying to discourage
it (9...e5 10 c*d5 N*d5 11 d*e5 N*e5 12 N*e5 B*e5 and now
13 B*h7ch! and 14 Qh5ch/15 Q*e5).
CHAPTER FOUR 61
9... b6
10 Re1 Bb7
11 e4
White gets the big break in first and, as a result, obtains the
advantage in space.
11 ... dxe4
12 N*e4 c*d4?
Inexact, as White demonstrates. Black hoped that, by trading
three pairs of minor pieces and two pairs of center pawns, he
would eliminate White's attacking chances. But 12...N*e4
was the proper order.
13 N*d4 N*d4
14 Nxd6! Qxd6
15 Bxd4
Black can't take on d4 because of Bxh7ch. He should take
some precaution now to safeguard his kingside ( 15...Qe7) but
thinks that, by doubling on the d-file, he will force White into
damaging retreats or exchanges.
15... Rfd8?
16 Bxf6 gxf6
17 Qg4ch Kh8
18 Bxh7l
This is what Black overlooked. The point is 18...Kxh7 allows
19 Re3! and 20 Rh3ch.
62 COLLE SYSTEM
18 ... f5
19 Qh5 Kg7
20 Re3 Qf4
21 Rg3ch Kf8?
Remarkably enough, Black can survive after 21...Kf6!.
White's best chance then is 22 Rf1, protecting against ...Rd2,
and setting up Rg6ch!, e.g., 22...Rd2 23 Rg6ch! f*g6 24
Qxg6ch Ke7 25 Qg7ch K-moves 26 Q*b7.
22 Rg8ch Ke7
23 Rg7 Rf8
Black threatens an unusual fork (24...Qe5) but White gets to

make threats first.
24 Bg8! Qe4?
25 Rd1
Black resigns.
The king's escape is cut off and 26 R*f7ch will mate.
(2) For White, the biggest mistake is usually to lose control
of e5.
Black will often try to plug up the attacking lanes of the enemy
bishops, he may sink a knight into e4 or engineer the pawn
advance ...e6-e5. The following illustrates the consequences
of both. But it is winning control of e5 that hurts White the
most.
CHAPTER FOUR 63
Kuruccial - Lakatos
Hungarian Correspondence
1 Nf3 Nf6
2d4 e6
3e3 d5
4 Nbd2 c5
5 b3 Nc6
6a3
Once again this odd-looking move that may prepare d*c5 and
b2-b4.
6 ... Bd6
7 Bb2 0-0
8 Bd3 b6
90-0 Bb7
10 Qe2 Rc8
11 h3?
And again this "country" move loses time. Black now develops
a mini-initiative against the c2-pawn.
11 ... c*d4
For once, this exchange is well-timed.
12 exd4 Ne7!
13 Ne5 Qc7
64 COLLE SYSTEM
14 f4 Ne4!
Black's tactical point is that a double exchange on e4 will cost

White the c-pawn, after which his queenside would collapse.
15Bxe4
This looks like a poor way of responding to the major threat of
15... Ng3, and the minor one of 15... Nc3. Perhaps 15 Rf3 was
his best try.
15...
16 c4 dxe4
Nf5
17 Kh2
White is all set to regain the initiative with 18 N*e4 or 18 g4,
but Black destroys his control of the key e5 square just in time.
17 ... f6
18 Nd3 e5l
Better than 18...exd3 19 Q*e6ch and 20 Qxf5.
19 N*e4 exf4
20 Nxd6 Qxd6
White seems to have weathered the storm with a queenside
pawn majority and bishops of opposite color, promising him
drawing chances. But with holes at g3 and e3, as well as a
serious weakness on the c7-h2 diagonal, he has better losing
chances.
CHAPTER FOUR 65
21 c5 b*c5
22 Nxf4? cxd4
23 Qd3 Ne3
24 Rf2 g5!
The game is virtually decided by this.
25 Qxd4 Qxd4
26 Bxd4 gxf4
27 Bxa7 Nd5
28 b4 Kf7!
All of Black's pieces will coordinate now in the final attack, on
92.
29 Bc5 Rg8
30 a4 Rg3
31 Kg1 Rcg8
32
33 Raa2
Bd6 f3
Rxg2ch
White resigns.
(3) One of the principal causes for Black's downfall over the
years is a premature exchange of pawns on d4.
This is a difficult problem for Black because often ...cxd4 is
essential to his counterplay. The question is not whether, but
when, to do it. Alexander Alekhine once said, "Oddly enough,
this exchange" is made "even by very experienced players."
66 COLLE SYSTEM
Kosten - Dickenson
Northampton, 1984
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 e6
3 e3 c5
4 b3 c»d4?
The ...c*d4 exchange is not in itself bad: it gives Black a half

open file that may be useful in queenside counterplay and it
closes the a1-h8 diagonal before White opens it with d*c5.
But here it is clearly too early and could have been delayed for
at least a half dozen moves.
5 e*d4 Nf6
6 Bd3 Be7
7 0 -0 Qc7
8 Bb2 Nbd7
9 Nbd2 b6
10 Qe2 Bb7
Unlike comparable positions without ...c*d4, Black cannot
block the d3-bishop with ...Ne4 because the half-open e-file
gives White an extra bit of control of the key e4 square.
CHAPTER FOUR 67
11 Ne5!
White benefits from the e-file. If Black wastes time (11...Rc8)

White can continue 12 Rae1 threatening a 13 N*f7 knockout.
11 ... 0-0
12 f4 g6
This might seem like a high-risk defensive measure (to stop f4-
f5) and it turns out to be just that once White's dark-squared
bishop is directed against the kingside.

13 Rac1 Rac8
14 g4! Nxe5
15 fxe5 Ne8
Now th a t... Ne4 is out of the question, White can double rooks
on the f-file.
16 Rf2 Ng7
17 Rcf1 Qd8
18 Nf3 Rc7
68 COLLE SYSTEM
White needs one more piece to upset the house of cards on

the kingside. Black transfers his queenside bishop to defend
f7 — but it is g7 that now comes under decisive attack by
White's queen bishop.
19 Bc1! Bc6
20 Bh6 Be8
21 Qe3 b5
22 Ng5 b4
23 Rf6l Kh8
The justification of the blocking rook move is that 23... Bxf6 24
e*f6 wins the trapped knight. But the main function of 23 Rf6
was to gain time for Qh3 and mate on h7 after Bxg7.
24 Qh3 Rg8
Now 25 N*f7ch would win eventually bu t...

25 N*h7!
CHAPTER FOUR 69
Black resigns.
There is no defense to 26 Ng5 and 27 B*g7ch.
As we've
usually seen,
gets moreaout
major trouble
of the with Black
e-file than ...c*d4gets
is from
that the
White
c-
file. But Black also loses the possible option of ...e6-e5 —
while giving White the option of using his queenside majority.
Here's a case in point.
Rubinstein - Metger
Ostende, 1907
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 c5
3 e3 e6
4 Bd3 Nf6
5 b3 Nc6
6 Bb2 cxd4?l
7 e*d 4 Bd6
8
9 0—0
Re1 0—
b60
This is more hopeful than 9...Bd7, which Rubinstein encoun

tered later in the tournament against James Mortimer and
again won a nice game after 10 a3 Rc8 11 Nbd2 Ne8 12 Ne5
f5 13 Qe2 N*e5 14 d*e5 g5 15 c4.
10 a3 Bb7
11 Nbd2 Ne7
70 COLLE SYSTEM
The knight is headed to g6 where it serves as an extra king-

side defender.
12 Ne5 Ng6
13 g3! B*e5
This exchange wasn't necessary (although White might have
forced kingside weaknesses with h4-h5-h6).
14 d*e5 Nd7
15 b4l
This takes away c5 from Black's knight and hints at the use of
White's queenside pawns (a3-a4-a5).
15... a5
This solves one problem but creates a potential weakness on
b6.
16 b5 Nc5
17 Bd4l Ne7
18 Nf3 N*d 3
19 c*d3
CHAPTER FOUR 71
This capture may look odd but it effectively eliminates a lot of
Black's queenside
remains weak. chances. Black's bishop is bad and his b6
19 ... Nf5
20 Qa4 Rc8
21 Red
White is preparing to mine the c-file, which Black cannot easily
contest while he defends b6 (21...N*d4 22 Q*d4 Re8 23
R*c8 Qxc8 24 Q*b6 or23...B*c8 24 Rc1 with a small bind).
21 ... Qd7?
Black gets impatient but his sacrificial plan to exploit the light
squares on the kingside fails.
22 Bxb6 d4
23 Nxd4! Qd5
24 Nc6! f6
The best try in a bad position.
25 Qc4 Bxc6
26 bxc6 fxe5
27 Qxd5! exd5
72 COLLE SYSTEM
Because of the power of the c-pawn, White has an easy time

finishing up.
28 c7! Rf6
29 Bxa5 Nd4
30 Rcb1 Nc6
Otherwise 31 Rb8.
31 Bb6
Black resigns.
And the a-pawn begins to march.
THE CASE AGAINST ...d7-d5
Playing ...c7-c5 and ...d7-d5 may even be considered a con
cession to White. Although Black often advances both his d-
and c-pawns to the fifth rank in other Queen's Pawn games, it
is not advisable when White has declared his intentions to
play the Colle formation — and even less so when he's
adopting the Zukertort fianchetto.
A super-GM case in point:
Yusupov - Anand
Linares, 1991
1 d4 Nf6
2 Nf3 e6
3e3 b6
CHAPTER FOUR 73
4 Bd3 Bb7
5 0-0 dS?!
Premature: He should retain the possibility of ...d7-d6!

6Ne5!
White can convert the center favorably to a Stonewall setup.
6... Nbd7
7f4 g6
8 b3
With Black announcing his intention to abandon the a3-f8 di
agonal, White threatens to seize it.
8... Bg7
9 Nd2 c5
10 Bb2 0-0
11 Qf3 Ne8
74 COLLE SYSTEM
Black sees the g2-g4-g5 handwriting on the wall and prepares

to reposition his knights at f8 and d6.
12 Qh3 Nd6
13 Ndf3 Re8
14 Ng5 Nf8
It appears that Black has everything covered but White's next

few moves reveal problems on the d-file — of all places.
15 dxc5 b*c5
16 Radii f6
White had 17 c4 in mind so Black plays a highly provocative
idea.
17 N*h7! N*h7
18 Nxg6 Qc7
19 Rf3 Ne4
Black blocks the hot diagonal to avoid 20 Ne7ch R*e7 21

Bxh7ch Kf8 22 Rg3 with a strong White attack.
20 Bxe4 dxe4
21 Rg3 Rad8
22 Rxd8 Qxd8
CHAPTER FOUR 75
23 Qg4 Qd5
24 h4 Qf5
25 Qd1 Qd5
26 Qg4 Qf5
27 Qd1 Qd5
28 Qe2l
Correctly rejecting a draw because he has a dangerous plan

of h5-h6 coming up.
28 ... Bc8
29 h5 Kf7
30 Qg4l
Now Black has no time for 30...Qf5 because of 31 Ne5ch and
32 Qxg7ch.
30... Ng5l
76 COLLE SYSTEM
This is the only way to continue the game — although it should

lose soon after 31 Ne5ch! f*e5 32 f*g5.
31 f*g 5? fS!
Black can block the kingside now and the game becomes
confused.
32 Qe2 Bxb2
33 c4l Qd6
34 Qxb2 e5l
Black avoids 34...Qxg3 which would have lost to queen
checks at f6 and h8 followed by mate at h7.
35 Rh3?
Now Black gets back into it.With 35 Qc1 White is still much
better.
35 ... f4!
36 Rh4 fxe3
37 Kh2?
And this loses. With 37 Qe2 the game goes on.
37 ... Bf5
38 Qe2 Qd2
39 Qf1 Ke6l
40 Rxe4 Bxe4
White resigns.
CHAPTER FOUR 77
The checks are quickly exhausted.

(4) As in the Koltanowski, Black should avoid an unfavorable
change in the pawn structure when White plays d*c5
followed by e3-e4.
Then he is usually better off exchanging pawns on e4, rather
than allowing White to advance his e-pawn to the fifth rank,
where it creates a powerful attacking wedge. The following
should illustrate the risk to Black of allowing e4-e5.
Spielmann - Stoltz
Match, Stockholm, 1933
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 c5
3e3 e6
4b 3 Nf6
5 Bb2 Nbd7
6 Bd3 b6
7 0-0 Bb7
8 Nbd2 Be7
Here White can proceed with preparations for e3-e4 (such as

9 Re1) but chooses instead a plan seen often in the main lines
of the Koltanowski.
9 d*c5
White intends to meet 9...b*c5 with 10 c4 (and has excellent
play after 9...N*c5 10 Bb5ch! Ncd7 11 Ne5).
78 COLLE SYSTEM
9 ... Bxc5
10 Qe2 0-0
11 e4
The drawback to this advance is that the liquidation of the

center ( 11...d*e4 12 N*e4 B*e4 13 B*e4 N*e4 14 Q*e4)
also evaporates much of White's attacking chances.
11 ... Re8?
12 e5!
White drives away the best defensive piece on the kingside.
In the face of the unusual enemy attack, Black finds a promis
ing defensive response.
12... Nh5
13 g3 g6
Black intends to neutralize the long diagonal with ...Bf8-g7.
14 Nd4 Rc8
15f4 Bf8
16 Nb5
CHAPTER FOUR 79
White is ready to sacrifice a pawn (with Nd6) to gain control of

the kingside dark squares.
16... a6
Black decides to accept the offer, rather than offer his own
with 16...Ba6 17 N*a7 B*d3 18 Q*d3 Ra8.
17 Nd6 B*d6
18 e*d 6 Nc5
19 g4 Nf6
20 Qe5!
With g4-g5 coming up, Black's retreat is forced.
20... Ncd7
21 Qd4
White's threat, sooner

cannot retreat. or only
Black has later,one
is g4-g5, since
resource and the f6 knight
it appears to
work.
80 COLLE SYSTEM
21 ... e5
22 fxe5 Nxe5
Not 22...Rxe5 23 Nf3 Re6 24 g5 and the long diagonal is de
cisive.
23 Rxf6! Qxf6
24 d7
This is what Black overlooked: White ends up with two minor
pieces for rook and pawn. In theory, material will be in bal
ance, but in practice the rook is often not a match in the mid-
dlegame.
24 ... Nxd7
25 Qxf6 Nxf6
26 Bxf6 Rc6
27 g5 h6
28 h4 Bc8
29 Nf3 h5
Black now sees that openingthe h-file only sets up a mating
threat for White (K-moves and Rh1-h8).
30 Nd4 Rc7
31 Kf2 Bb7
32 a4 Kf8
33
34 Nf3
Be5 Bc8
Rd7
35 Bd4 Re6
CHAPTER FOUR 81
36 Kg3 Kg8
37 Kf4
Black comes up with an ingenious try — which just fails.

37... Re4ch
38 Bxe4 d*e4
Black hopes for 39 K*e4 Bb7ch and ... Bxf3.
39 Re1l
This refutes Black's desperate combination since 39...exf3 40
Re8ch mates.
39 ... f5
40 Bxb6 Rd6
41 Bf2
Black resigns
Good defensive play by Black comes in many shapes but

control of e5 and the other dark squares is a common theme.
Here's an example from a world championship match.
Janowsky - Lasker
Match, second game, Berlin, 1910
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 Nf6
3 e3 e6
4 Bd3 c5
82 COLLE SYSTEM
5 0-0 Nc6
6 b3 Bd6
7 Bb2 0-0
For reasons that will become clear, 8 a3 is usually played here

— and not just to prevent ...Nb4. Then 8...b6 9 Ne5! Bb7 10
Nd2 Qe7 11 f4 works well for White because the attempt to
regain control of e5 by means of 11...Nd7 allows the notori
ous two-Bishop sacrifice (12 N*d7 Q*d7 13 d*c5! B*c5 14
B*h7ch! K*h7 15 Qh5ch Kg8 16 B*g7! K*g7 17 Qg5ch Kh7
18 Rf3 and mates.)
Black does better with 11...Rfd8 12 Rf3 Ne4! but his opponent
retains the initiative after 13 Rh3! as we'll see in the next
chapter.
8 Nbd2 Qe7!
Now 9 a3 allows Black to seize the initiative in the center with
9...e5!
9 Ne5 Rd8?l
But here Black undoes his accurate play. Correct was
9...c*d4 10 e*d4 Ba3! as we saw in the last chapter.
10 a3l Bd7
11 f4 Be8
12 Qf3 Nd7l
CHAPTER FOUR 83
Black rushes the knight back to f8 where it preserves the

kingside and enables him to oust the e5 knight with ...f6. He
can't allow 13 Qh3 and the advance of the g-pawn.
13 Qh3 Nf8
14 Ndf3
Here White misses a great chance to use the dxc5/e3-e4 plan,
e.g., 14 d*c5 Bxc5 15 b4 Bb6 16 Kh1 and e3-e4.
14...
15 Ng4 f6
And here he lets slip another opportunity in the form of 15 Nh4

followed by g2-g4-g5. The main strategic point is to stop
...Bg6. And the main tactical point is that 15...f*e5 16 f*e5
Bc7 invites 17 R*f8ch Kxf8 18 Bxh7 followed by a rook or
knight check and ( 17...Q*f8 18 Rf1 Qe7 19 B*h7ch K*h7 20
Nf5ch)
15 ... Bg6!
After this White's attack peters out.
16 Bxg6 Nxg6
17 dxc5 Bxc5
18 Nd4
84 COLLE SYSTEM
This meets the threat of 18...N*f4 and makes its own threat of
19N*e6Q*e6? 20 Nh6ch.
18... f5!
19 Nxc6 bxc6
20 Ne5 Nxe5
21 Bxe5l? Bxa3l
Black can safely grab this pawn because ...Bd6xe5 or ...e5
will reduce White's last kingside chances to nothingness.
22 Rf3 Bd6
23 Bb2 Rf8
24 Ra6 Rac8
25 Rg3 Rf7?
26 Qh6!
Black missed his winning chance (25...e5!) and now must deal
with the threat of 27 Bxg7 Rxg7 28 Rxg7ch Qxg7 29 Qxe6ch.
CHAPTER FOUR 85
26... e5
This leads to a major liquidation that enabled White to draw
after 27 f*e5 B*e5 28 Bxe5 Qxe5 29 Rxc6 Rfc7 30 Qf6! Qxf6
31 Rxf6 RxC2 32 Rxf5 Rd2 33 h4 , etc.
(5) It is often a mistake for Black to post his queen at c7
when White can favorably open the c-file with c2-c4.
Even Akiba Rubinstein, an expert at handling the White pieces
in the Zukertort, once succumbed to this error. At the Carls
bad tournament of 1907 he played the system three straight
times with White and performed well. But a few months later:
Freiman - Rubin' in
Lodz, 190?
1 d4 d5
2 Nf3 e6
3 e3 c5
4 b3 Nf6
5 0-0
6 Bd3 Nc6
Bd6
7 Bb2 Qc7?l
8 c4! dxc4
9 Bxc4 cxd4
Compounding
Nb5. the c-file error. Black should try 9...a6 to avert
86 COLLE SYSTEM
10 e*d4 0-0
11 Nc3
It's too late now: 11...a6 12 d5! favors White.
11 ... Nb4
12 Nb5 Qe7
13 Ne5 a6
14 N*d6 Qxd6
White now restrains Black's development and gains time to
make threats against h7. Black's iron control of d5 isn't
enough.
Qf3 Rb8
Ba3! a5
17 Radi b5
18 Bd3 Bb7
19 Qh3 Rfd8
20 Rfe1 Qd5
Threatening 21...N*d3. But Black fails to notice that White's
next move also contains a threat of its own.
21 Bb1 Rbc8?
CHAPTER FOUR 87
22 Ng4!
Simple but strong . Now 22...Qg5 23 N*f6ch Q *f6 24 Qxh7ch

Kf8 would have been relatively best.
22 ... Nxg4
23 Bxh7ch Kf8
24 Be4! Qd7
25 Bxb7 Qxb7
26 Qxg4 Rc2?
Black was also lost after 26...Kg8 27 Re3 but it would have
taken a while.
27 Qh4 Qa8
28 d5l Rcc8
Admitting his 26th move was an error. Naturally, 28...Rxd5??
29 Qh8ch and 30 Qxa8 couldn't be played.
29 dxe6 fxe6
30 Bb2 Kf7
This meets the immediate threat of g7 (31 Qh8ch) but White
can also win with quiet moves.
31 Qg4
Black resigns.
CHAPTER FIVE
Main Line Zukertort Variation Analysis
Before we get into specific lines, we should consider move or
der. The most natural way of playing the Colle is 1 d4
followed by 2 Nf3 and then 3 e3. This sequence may have a
psychologist wondering where the opening is headed.
For example:
1 d4 Nf6
2 Nf3
Hmmm, Black thinks. I can't get ir 'y normal Benko gambit

(2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5) now. The Budapt^ v2 c4 e5) is also out. I
could get into a Queen's Gambit if I play 2...d5 and he replies
3 c4. But, if that's what I wanted, I would have played 1... d5.
So...
2... e6
Now, Black thinks, I can meet 3 c4 with either a Queen’s In

dian (3...b6) or Bogo-lndian (3...Bb4ch) or even some
Queen's-Nimzo-lndian hybrid (3...b6 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 Bg5 Bb4).
3e3
MAIN LINE ZUKERTORT VARIATION ANALYSIS 89
Oops, now what? Black will play ...c7-c5 at some point but
what does he do with his d-^ ° He may be reluctant to
play into the main line of the Coi^*.ukertort, with ...d7-d5, but
he doesn't have that much choice.
With 3...d5 we have the main line Zukertort. The chief alter
native strategy for Black is to play ...c7-c5 and develop the c8-
bishop on b7, while delaying a decision about what to do with
the d-pawn. For example, 3...b6 4 Bd3 Bb7 5 0-0 Be7 6 b3
0-0 7 Bb2 c5, and now White has a choice between 8 c4,
which may lead to a pair of pawn exchanges after 8...c*d4 9
e*d4 d5 and the more cautious 8 Nbd2 Nc6 9 d*c5 b*c5 10
e4 d6 as in Onischuk-Lautier, Biel 1996.
On the other hand, there is this popular opening sequence of
moves:
1 d4 d5
Note that Black is preparing to seize the key diagonal, d3-h7,
with his c8-bishop. For that reason, we recommend:

2e3
90 COLLE SYSTEM
The reason is that White is ready to play 3 Bd3 next move.
What happens if Black crosses him up — with 2...Bf5 — you

might ask. This would be a serious problem if the kingside
attack strategy were White's only means of conducting the
middlegame. But he has an alternative in this case: since
Black's bishop is absent from the queenside, the light squares
there, such as b7 and even d5, may become vulnerable after
c2-c4 and Qb3.
For example 2...Bf5 3 c4! d*c4 4 B*c4 and White is already
threatening a knockout blow of 5 Qb3, attacking f7 as well as
b7. Better is 3...c6 but then 4 c*d5 c*d5 5 Qb3 poses an
awkward defensive problem to Black. If he defends his b-
pawn with 5...b6? he allows a strong 6 Bb5ch (6...Bd7 or
6...Nd7 hang the d-pawn to 7 Q*d5). Better is 5...Qc8 but
then White contim-~ ^ Bd2 followed by Nf3-e5 and either
Bb5(ch) or Bb4!.
2 ... Nf6
This is the most natural response and leads to our main line in
a slightly different order than 1... Nf6/2... d5.
3 Bd3 e6
4 Nf3 c5
By putting some pressure on d4, this begins a struggle for the
dark squares. Black can quickly get into trouble after, say,
4...g6 5 b3 Bg7 6 Ba3! and now 6...Nbd7 7 Nbd2 c5 8 0-0 0 -
0 9 c4 (Yusupov-Sosonko, Tunis 1985) 9...b6 10 cxd5 Nxd5
11 Ne4 or 10...exd5 11 Rc1, with pressure on the queenside
in either case.
5b3
Black "threatened" to drive the bishop off the d3-h7 diagonal
with 5...c5. The alternative way of dealing with that is 5 c3,
the Koltanowski Variation. As we've seen in the previous
chapters there are many ideas in common in the Zukertort and
Koltanowski, but also quite a few that are different.
After 5 b3 we will consider the most promising plans for Black

and some other attractive but not quite adequate alternatives.
92 COLLE SYSTEM
The major choices facing Black are what to do with his bishops
and b8-knight. We'll begin with the most natural spot for that
knight:
(A)
5... Nc6
We saw in Chapter Two that 5...Qa5ch 6 c3 is only a minor
annoyance, since Black will spend another tempo later on to
get a better square for the queen and this will match the
tempo that White spends on c3-c4. Similarly, 5...cxd4 6 e*d4
Bb4ch 7 c3 manages to temporarily block White's b2-g7
diagonal. But this turns out to favor White after 7... Bd6 8 0-0
Nc6 9 Qe2 Qc7 10 Re1 0-0 11 Ne5 b6 and now 12 Bg5! is
better than the b2 development and works excellently in
coordination with Qf3-h3. threatening Bxf6 and mate on h7.
Black can also vary slightly from the main line by developing
his bishop at d6 or e7 at the sixth move. But this will almost
certainly transpose into our main lines. The most substantive
alternative to 5...Nc6 is the development of the knight at d7,
which we'll consider in section (B) below.
60- 0
Solid development is prescribed here. If Black tries something

strange, White should be well prepared to counter it. For ex
ample,
met by6...Rb8
8 dxc57 Bxc5
Bb2 b5
9— which
Nd4! withprepares ...c5-c4
excellent — is
play for well
White
against the weaknesses at b5 and c6. The game Vorotnikov-
Korchnoi, USSR 1964, went 9...N*d4 10 e*d4 Bd6 11 Qe2 b4

12 Nd2 followed by Nf3-e5 with advantage.
6 ... Bd6
After this move Black is clearly intent on battling for control of
the dark squares, principally e5 but also including a3 and c3,
which can be weakened after ...cxd4/...Qe7 and ...Ba3. We
saw that in the Bogolyubov-Capablanca game in Chapter Two.
One of the few advantages of ...Be7 over ...Bd6 is that Black
can play ... N*e5 after the inevitable occupation of e5. After
6...Be7 7 Bb2 0-0 8 Nbd2 b6 9 Ne5 Nxe5 10 dxe5 Black
doesn't have enough support for 10...Ne4 and after 10...Nd7
11 f4 Bb7 12 Qe2 and c2-c4/Rad1 White has a promising
middlegame.
Also note that the plan of putting pressure on d4 with 6...cxd4
7 exd4 Be7 8 Bb2 0-0 9 Nbd2 Qb6 fails because the pawn is
well covered, because the c8-bishop can't be fianchettoed
now and because the queen is vulnerable to c2-c4. For ex
ample 10 Re1 Bd7 11 c4 dxc4 (to stop 12 c5) 12 Nxc4 Qc7 13
Rc1 Qf4? and now in Rubinstein-Flamberg, Lodz 1906 White
could exploit his edge with 14 Rc2 Qh6 15 Bc1.
7 Bb2
You'll find some opponents who will insert ...cxd4 at move six
or seven because they want the center clarified. This is pre
mature
betweenbecause after 7...cxd4
9 c4 preparing 8 exd4
c4-c5 and 0-0 White
creating can choose
a queenside pawn
majority or 9 Re1 and Ne5, using the half-open e-file effec
94 COLLE SYSTEM
tively. Another problem with that exchange is that it makes it

easier for White to prevent ...c6-e5 with Re1 — a move that
has little point before ...c*d4/exd4.
Black is in no rush to castle here and can play, for example,

7...b6 among other ideas. But that should not hinder White's
development scheme of Nbd2, Ne5 and perhaps f2-f4. For
example, 7...b6 8 Nbd2 0-0 9 Ne5 and now 9...Nxe5? costs a
piece while 9...B*e5 10 d*e5 Nd7 11 f4 gives White a strong
attack, e.g., 11...f6 12 exf6 Nxf6 13 Nf3 Nb4 14 Ne5 N*d3 15
c*d3 Nd7 16 Qg4 Nxe5 17 Bxe5 Qe7 18 Rf3! as in Janowsky-
Esser, Paris 1910.
7 ... 0-0
Black can also anticipate White's next move with 7...Qe7
threatening ...e6-e5 as well as ...cxd4 and ...Ba3. Then 8
Ne5 0-0 9 Nd2 cxd4 10 exd4 Ba3 11 Bxa3 Qxa3 12 c3 and
f2-f4 is fine for White, as noted in Chapter Two.
Note also the move 7...Nb4, which seems to drive the bishop
off the key diagonal at a gain of time. However, White will get
the tempo back after 8 Be2 and 9 a3 — since the move a2-a3
is useful to him as we'll see.
For example, 7...Nb4 8 Be2 0-0 9 a3 Nc6 10 Nbd2 and now
10...Qe7 11 Ne5! Bxe5 12 dxe5 Nd7 13 f4 f5 14 c4! with ad
vantage to White (Rubinstein-Treybal, Baden-Baden 1925) or
10...b6 11 Ne5 Ne7 12 Bd3 Bb7 13 Qf3 Rc8 14 Qh3 ditto
(Rubinstein-Bogolyubov, Match 1920).
8a3
Now, the capture on d4 eases White's attack and gives Black
little in the way of pressure on the c-file. For instance,
8...c*d4 9 exd4 b6 10 Nbd2 Bb7 11 Qe2 Qc7 12 Ne5 Ne7 13
f4 Rac8 and with 14 Rac1! g6 15 g4! followed by c2-c4 White
gets an edge as in Alekhine-Rosselli, Zurich 1934.
8... b6
The rush to exploit the c-file with 8...Bd7 9 Nbd2 cxd4 10

e*d4 Rc8 only leaves the bishop misplaced at d7. White can
easily defend the c-pawn — and it may turn out to be safer at
c4 than c2.
For instance, 11 Ne5 a6 12 Qe2 Ne7 13 f4 Ng6 14 g4! Bb5 15
c4! and, despite the opening of a good diagonal for Black, the
position on the kingside has improved enough for White to
give him a clear edge, e.g., 15...dxc4 16 bxc4 Bc6 17 g5
Bxe5 18 fxe5 (Plaskett-Sadler, London 1991).
9 Ne5
White could also play 9 Nbd2 and, if 9...Bb7, then 10 Ne5 but
the text, threatening the c6-knight, is more forceful.
9 ... Bb7
On 9...Qc7 White can reinforce the knight with 10 f4 or go in
for 10 Nxc6 Qxc6 11 dxc5 followed by Bxf6.
96 COLLE SYSTEM
10 Nd2
10... Qe7
If Black bides his time with moves like 10...a6 and 11...b5,
White starts his attack with 11 f4 and Qf3-h3.
11 f4
White's queenside is secure, thanks to 8 a3, and he has good
reason to turn attention to the kingside. Now, in most situa
tions, he will retake on e5 with the f-pawn.
11 ... Rfd8
Note that if Black tries to oust the e5-knight with 11...Nd7,
White has one of the prettiest and most famous of combina
tions — the double bishop sacrifice: 12 Nxd7 Q*d7 13 d*c5
Bxc5 14 Bxh7ch K*h7 15 Qh5ch and 16 Bxg7! followed by a
queen check and Rf3-h3ch.
12 Rf3 Ne4l
Black blocks the key diagonal and forces White to conduct the
attack in a different manner. After other moves White's attack
becomes stronger, e.g., 12...Rac8 13 Rh3, threatening,
among other things, N*c6 followed by dxc5, B*f6 and
B*h7ch.
13 Rh3
If White becomes greedy with 13 N*e4 d*e4 14 B*e4 then
Black has 14...Nxe5l.
13 ... f5
14 Bxe4l
Now 14...Bxe5 15 Bxf5 costs Black a pawn.
14... d*e4
15 Qh5
We are following Euwe-Rubinstein, Mahrisch-Ostrau 1923 in

which White gained the upper hand since Black cannot play
98 COLLE SYSTEM
15...g6? because of 16 N*g6 or 15...h6 because of 16 N*c6!

B*c6 17 Nc4 with a prohibitively strong attack (Rg3 and dxc5).
Play continued 15...Bxe5 16 Qxh7ch Kf7 17 fxe5 with an
edge for White (17...N*e5? 18 Rg3 or 17...Rh8 18 Q*h8
R*h8 19 R*h8 Ba6).
This analysis is fairly long and shouldn't be memorized. The
point here is to consider the basic ideas that recur in the typi
cal Zukertort middlegames. White's chances certainly look
good here so we'll turn to the major alternative for Black.
(B)
(1 d4 d5 2 e3 Nf6 3 Bd3 e6 4 Nf3 c5 5 b3)
5 ... Nbd7
Of course, Black need not make a decision about this knight
until later. But he will almost certainly transpose into one of
the two systems examined in this chapter when the b8-knight
is eventually developed. For example 5...Bd6 6 0-0 0-0 7
Bb2 Qe7 8 a3 was the move order of Rubinstein-Maroczy, The
Hague 1921, which continued 8...b6 9 Nbd2 Nbd7 10 Ne5!
Bb7 11 Qf3 Rfd8 12 Qh3 Nf8 13 f3!? N6d7 14 f4! with a small
edge.
6 Bb2
An attempt
works nicelyto contest
if White control of(8e5
cooperates withe5!).
Nbd2 6...Bd6 7 0-0 Qc7
However, Black's seventh move gives White another promis

ing line of play — 8 c4!, followed by opening up the c-file and
Rc1. For example, 8...0-0 9 Nc3 a6 10 cxd5 Rb8 and 11 Rc1
must give White at least a small edge.
Another version of this is 6...Bd6 7...0-0 0-0 8 Nbd2 Qc7 9

c4 since 9...e5? fails to 10 c*d5 exd4 11 exd4 Nxd5 12 Rc1
Nf4 13 Ne4 with advantage (Rubinstein-Berger, Carlsbad
1907).)
6... b6
In this manner, Black benefits from the placement of the knight
at d7 because a bishop at b7 will indirectly support the block
ing ...Ne4.
He can also postpone the fianchetto in favor of completing his
kingside development. A frequent move order is 6...Be7 7 0 -
0 0-0 8 Nbd2 b6 after which 9 Ne5 should give White a small
pull. Typical play would be 9... Bb7 10 f4 Ne4 11 Qe2 Rc8 and
now 12 Nxe4 dxe4 13 Bb5! Nxe5 14 dxe5! with f4-f5 coming
up (Guimard-Lundin, Groningen 1936) which went 14...Qc7 15
f5 exf5 16 Bc4 with advantage.
7 0-0 Bb7
The natural continuation by both White and Black so far.
8 Ne5
This
attackis lines
most with
accurate since
8...Ne4 it prevents
(which Blackbe
now would from
metblocking the
by 9 Bb5!
100 COLLE SYSTEM
and then 9...Nef6 10 Qf3, threatening 11 B*d7ch N*d7 12

Q*f7 mate).
8... a6
After 8...Be7, White continues 10 f4, transposing into the note
to Black's 6...b6 above. The main alternative is 8...N*e5 9
d*e5 after which 9...Ne4 fails to 10 Bb5ch and 9...Nd7 leads
into positions we’ve already considered with f2-f4, Nd2, c2-c4,
Qe2 and Radi.
9 Nd2
Again ...Ne4 is discouraged because 9...Ne4 10 Bxe4! dxe4
11 N*d7 and 12 Nc4 would favor White's knight over the en
emy bishop.
9 ... b5
10Nxd7
White actsand
backward to simplify the center
gives Black before
too much ...c5-c4 room
operating pushes
on him
the
queenside. Now on 10...N*d7 11 d*c5 11...N*c5 Black is
doing well but 11 c4! appears more promising. For example,
11...d*c4 12 b*c4 b4 13 Be4 gives White a slight pull and
11...b*c4 12 bxc4 cxd4 13 exd4 dxc4 14 Nxc4 Be7 15 Re1
does the same.
10... Qxd7
11 dxc5
Opening the diagonal at just the right moment.

11 ... B*c5
Now 12 B*f6 g*f6 only helps Black out. The right way to at
tack the neglected kingside is:
12 Qf3
The queen is headed for g3, where it exerts great power
against g7, or for h3, where it sets the tables for mate on f7.
Note that 12...d4 could be met now by 13 Ne4, e.g.,
13...N*e4 14 B*e4 B*e4 15 Q*e4 Rd8 (else Q*a8ch or e*d4)
16 Radi with advantage.
12... Qe7
We saw the consequences of 10...Be7, the other way of
meeting 11 B*f6 in the Yusupov-Scheeren game in Chapter
One.
13 Qg3 0-0
102 COLLE SYSTEM
14 a3
This prevents 14...Ba3 and confers some superiority on

White. He will continue Nf3 and either Nd4 or Ne5. He need
not change the pawn structure in the center except for f2-f4 to
get his f1-rook into the game via f3.
NOTES

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7/22/2019 Colle System

A White Opening You Can Use for

Chess Digest, Inc.

Copyright©1998 Andrew Soltis

All rights reserved under Fan American and International Copyright

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

Author: Andrew Soltis

How White Loses 45

(1) Black loses

(4) As in the Koltanowski 5 c3, Black 77

Black apparently waits for an indication of his opponent's

No. White wants to retain other options. One is to attack the

This method of covering h7, a natural target for White's d3-

A graphic illustration of the power of White's bishops. He

Note that White has delayed his decision — b2-b3 or c2-c3 —

One of the minor but significant differences between the Kol-

White's development is fairly straightforward and he is ready

Note that White keeps his knight at d2 in order to prevent the

This is a blunder because it allows White to carry out a tactic

Black can claim some compensation for his lost pawn — he

The vacating of f8 gives Black's king an escape square at f8.

White's plan is to soften up g6 and h7 first by exchanging h-

Black intends to meet 31 Qh4 with 31... Rh8.

White may, for example, end up with the notorious "hanging

complex positional middlegames, the presence of this pawn

As we'll see in Chapter Four when we get into specific analy

problem with c2-c3, and if Black dared to go ahead with ...c4

Finally Black has a means of putting pressure on the enemy

We'll be examining the Zukertort Variation thematically. In

This actually may be an error.Until Black knows White's in

This is a standard device and should be answered by 9...Bb7,

The exchange of knights is double-edged but White benefits

In the Koltanowski we saw that White's best manner of

without an exchange of his d-pawn on c5). But in the Zuker-

tempting a kingside attack.

Black has reason to be happy about the outcome of the

After 14...d*c4 15 N*c4 White has a tiny edge.

This is a major decision: Black avoids ...d*c4 and ultimately

White's advantage lies in the weak d5-pawn and the some

pawn and threatens to win a pawn with 24 a4 — but more im

The threat of 33 e5ch, and defense of b5, wins a pawn.

This allows White to recapture on e5 with his f-pawn and

This wins a piece (21 f*g5 f*e5) but at considerable cost.

The attack is over, at least temporarily, but White has fine

Black takes advantage of his quick queenside fianchetto — in

A strange-looking way of resolving the center. White envi

White doesn't mind the doubling of his pawns on the e-file af

Or 18... B*c5 19 Bd4 leaving the d5-pawn isolated.

Now White has a majority of kingside pawns that will expand.

This wins because Black cannot allow the kingside to be

well as c2-c4/...dxc4. Then he has to be on the lookout for a

This is an attempt to sow confusion in the enemy ranks.

Black can't afford to go after the c-pawn (6...c*d4 7 e*d4 Ne4

gives him a strong attack. But White was unsure about

A remarkable strong "quiet" move which supports Rg4 and

Shortening what would have been a gradual loss (after

And Black resigned before 35 Rxg6.

But if Black outguns White on e5 — and engineers ...e6-e5 —

The difference is revealed here as White is one move short of

Black looks for a winning plan. Doubling rooks on the open

The only potentially serious weakness that White accepts

This is a graphic example of what happens when White loses

Now this turns out to be a horrible way of defending the weak

After 14...dc4 15 Nc4 White has a tiny edge.

This wins a piece (21 fg5 fe5) but at considerable cost.

Black can't afford to go after the c-pawn (6...cd4 7 ed4 Ne4

Simple but strong . Now 22...Qg5 23 Nf6ch Q f6 24 Qxh7ch

Korchnoi, USSR 1964, went 9...Nd4 10 ed4 Bd6 11 Qe2 b4

15...g6? because of 16 Ng6 or 15...h6 because of 16 Nc6!

and then 9...Nef6 10 Qf3, threatening 11 Bd7ch Nd7 12