Challenging the sicilian with 2 a3! by Jose Manuel Vargas

Current Theory and Practice Series Challenging the Sicilian with 2.a3!

Editorial Panel: Technical Editor:

1M S.Soloviov 1M Semko Semkov

Translation by:

GM Evgeny Ermenkov

Cover design by Kalojan Nachev Copyright ÂŠ 2004 by Alexei Bezgodov

Printed in Bulgaria by "Chess Stars" Ltd. - Sofia ISBN 9548782 375

Challenging the Sicilian with 2.a3! 1.e4 c5 2.a3

Alexei Bezgodov

Chess Stars

Contents

Intoduction ..................................... 9 1

2... eS 3.lDc3 .............................. 10

2... eS 3.f4 ..............................19

2... lDc6 3.b4 .............................. 37

2... lDc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lDxb4 SJ!a4 .......... .4S

2... lDc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lDxb4 S.d4 ............. 70

2... dS 3.ed ............................... 80

2... lDf6 3.eS .............................. 91

2 ...g6 3.d4; 3.b4 .......................... 116

2... g6 3.c3 ............................... 139

2... e6 3.b4 dS 4.ed; 3 ... b6 4.ib2 ........... 14S

2... e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ........................ 163

2 ... d6 3.b4 .............................. 197

Rare lines .............................. 204

I I

Preface By the year 2002 I was already fed up with playing the old routine long theoretical lines of the Sicilian Defence with White. It was not that I had bad positions. No, not at all! I began to have the feeling that the universally familiar position after La.4 u5 should not necessarily lead to the thoroughly analysed theoretical lines. Was not there any other way for White to fight for an opening advantage? I began to think that there might be some new original and untried ideas at White's disposal. I usually play sharp tactical chess and I do not avoid complications at all. I was not attracted by timid solutions. I wanted to find a way to attack right at the very beginning of the game. I was thinking about the gambit 2.b4, but that was a bit too much and unfortunately that gambit would not withstand the analytical test successfully. It came to my mind then "Why not prepare the move b2-b4?! This in fact has a very reasonable positional idea - to eliminate the annoying enemy c5-pawn! But not with the help of the usual d2-d4, but in some other way, so that White's d-pawn remained on the board. Why notthen2.a3!? At first it was immediately clear that White at least should not be worse after that move. Secondly the arising positions are so unusual and non-standard that practically every player might get confused right in the opening! I shared my concepts with the chess-master and publisher Sergey Soloviov. He became immediately interested and so I began to write the first book in the world about that opening variation. This however proved to be a really difficult task! This line is quite rare and naturally the attitude towards it not quite serious. Therefore there happened to be quite few practical examples with substantial theoretical value. It became a complex task to create new theoretical concepts right out ofthe blue ... !

The most difficult problem was not so much to invent new lines. You are not going to impress anybody with that nowadays! The really challenging task was to create a logical and also really dangerous attacking system. I found a lot of new and original ideas, but all that happened after weeks and months of strenuous analytical work. As a result I became convinced that by playing in such non-standard fashion White can really obtain and preserve an opening advantage! Besides Black sometimes may get checkmated rather quickly! In general I am content with the quality of my analytical work. I hope not to disappoint my readers with my book and I believe that my practical recommendations will bring them plenty of victories. I tried to comment verbally the games and lines in such way as to be maximally helpful to my readers. This book was designed for whom? At first I was planning to devote that book to the blitz-players. This is quite understandable, since White's chances are just excellent in an original super-unexpected opening variation in a situation with a reduced time-limit. It came to my mind only later that the variation might withstand the test of more serious tournaments. There are plenty of beautiful variations and the practical players can use that line quite successfully. Now I cannot even say for sure that Black can equalize after the opening. Generally speaking this is a chess-book for all players. The book is now ready and you are holding it in your hands. In case you find something arguable or difficult to understand you can always test it in a blitz-game, or in a friendly game, or in a serious tournament. I would also like to ask a favour from my readers. Please be as kind as to send me your games in the l.e4 cS 2.a3 variation to my E-mail address: alexsvet@mail.raid.ru. I would like to use them in the next editions of that opening monograph. Naturally, all that depends entirely on the future interest of the readers. I wish you success with all my heart as an author of the book!

A.Bezgodov Perm, June 2004

Introduction

One might ask "Why is White wasting time and in such strange way at that? My answer to that question is: "This waste oftime is in fact an illusion! White is preparing the double-edged pawn-strike b2-b4! It is far from being harmless for Black. White attacks the c5-pawn, the bishop on cl is ready to spring into action and the queen's rook will soon be activated too!" This modest or maybe in fact not so modest move is capable of causing turmoil for your opponent psychics. He will surely be surprised and maybe even amazed. He might feel something like "How is it possible that I, being such a strong player, am presently treated like a beginner with such weak and even ridiculous moves?" He might lose his composure and get confused. He might like to have spent some more time studying that move at home. It is not so important what your adversary would think after all You are go-

l.e4 c5 2.a3!

ing to gain plenty of time on the clock before he makes up his mind what move to play! Meanwhile it would be quite probable that his choice might turn out to be wrong after all! You are going to be convinced, after you have studied that book, how difficult it is to find a defensive scheme for Black that will provide for him complete safety. The move 2.a3 - is the beginning of a new purposeful and quite logical system of development! I am not going to assert that the idea is superior to the main lines of the Sicilian Defence for White. No, not at all! I am only saying that the system must no doubt be assured of a place under the sun! White's tactical resources guarantee for him a quite nonstandard aggressive play. I would not be surprised if the interest towards the 2.a3 system increases dramatically in the nearest future thanks to the appearance of this book.

Chapterl

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e5

This is not Black's most popular move, but it is not quite rare ei ther. It is in principle very favourable for White. He needs the least of efforts to obtain a wonderful position in comparison to the other lines for Black! We will deal with the move 3.ct:lc3 in this chapter and then the really interesting gambit line 3.f4!? will be analysed in Chapter

To make a long story short - White is OK! I would like to explain to you the strategical advantages of White's position and the justification of his further plans. There is a line of the Sicilian Defence that has become incredibly popular lately: l.e4 c5 2. ct:lf3 ct:lc6 3.ct:lc3 e5 4.~c4. Have a look for example at the game Anand - Van Wely, Monaco 2003: 4 ... ~e7 5.d3 d6 6.0-0 ct:lf6 7.ct:lg5 0-0 8.f4 ~g4 9.ct:lf3 exf4

2. 3.lLlc3

White is better, because he has an excellent outpost on d5 and he can prepare some active play later with f2-f4. The arising positions resemble the Vienna Game (1.e4 e5 2.ct:lc3), but in a much more favourable situation for White. The move c7-c5 weakened Black's position considerably. Black is incapable of exploiting a lot of ideas that are typical for the Vienna Game. For example his bishop cannot go to c5, his knight cannot go after White's bishop on c4 with ct:lc6-a5, because White has the a2-square to retreat to ... Well, I am not writing a book on the Vienna Game, so I will stop here. 10

1O.~xf4

You might ask: "What is all this about?" Just be patient and you will understand everything quite soon. The game Kroshk - shasa, Internet 2004 followed with: l.e4

l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.lLlc3 cS 2.a3 eS 3.lLlc3 lLlc6 4.~c4 d6 S.d3 ~e7 6.f4 exf4 7.~xf4 lLlf6 8.lLlf3 0-0 9.0-0 ~g4

Can you notice the differences between the two positions? This is not a very difficult task, of course, but my opinion is that White has a couple of definite advantages in the position on the second diagram in comparison to the first i.e.: LIt is White to play and not Black! 2.White's pawn is already on a3 (and not on a2). The plan with b7bS for Black that Van Wely used later can be countered easily by White with the retreat of the bishop to a2. Therefore we now see a convincing proof of the usefulness of the early a2-a3 move. I can add jokingly "In case you wish to get a better position with White than Anand, you only need to play 2.a3!" Having seen a couple of instructive examples of the games of some of the greatest players of our times we should now go back to our games and analyses.

Let us check now what is going to happen if Black is not in a hurry to develop his king's knight a) 3 ..â&#x20AC;˘ tt:lc6. Later we will deal with the move b) 3 ... tt:lf6. a) 3 ... tt:lc6 4.~c4 d6 White must now choose between the sharp line al) 5.f4 and the more timid, but not less strong a2) 5.d3 (also with the idea to follow with 6.f4, butthen the f4-pawn will be defended). I cannot tell you right now what I consider as best, therefore we will analyse both of them. al) 5.f4!?

This move is a bit risky, but White gets a quite sufficient compensation for the pawn. 5 ... g6 Black's other playable possibility S... exf4 6.lLlf3 gS 7.0-0~ leads 11

Chapter 1 to very sharp positions in the spirit ofthe King's Gambit. I will advise you to study carefully Chapter 2 in order to get well acquainted with the prospects of both sides. 6 . .!bf3 ~g4 6 ... exf4 7.d4! (White has sacrificed a pawn and he should play energetically to compensate the material deficit. Black is not well developed and cannot offer stubborn resistance because of that.) 7... ~g7 S.~xf4! (White must open the f-file and he does not need his d4-pawn so much. Moreover its disappearance from the board might even be favourable for White, since it will be easier for him to create threats along the d-file without it. He will organize an attack against the enemy king faster because of that.) S ... GtJxd4 9.GtJxd4 cxd4 (9 ... ~xd4 10. GtJb5 'fff6 11.'ffd2 hb2 12.Elbl+-) 1O.GtJb5! (White has created really dangerous threats against the critical d6-square with his pawn sacrifice.) 1O ... ~e5 11.0-0 ~e6 12.he6 fxe6 13.'fff3 <±>d714.~xe5 dxe5 15.'ffg3 'ffbS 16.Elf7+ GtJe7 17.'ffg5 EleS IS.Eldl a6 19.GtJxd4 'ffd6 20.'fff6 EladS 21.Eld3 <±>cS 22.'ffxe6+-. 7.0-0 Black's defence is already far from easy!

obvious that if Black captures on e5 with his knight, White remains with only a slight advantage. 9.~xf7+! <±>e710.GtJd5+ <±>d6 l1.iI,xgS ElxgS 12.c3+- Kroshk BrettPitt, Internet 2004) S ... ~xf7 9.GtJg5+ <±>eSlO.'ffxg4+-.

8.d4! .!bxd4 9.~4! Unfortunately White's attempt to finish the game off with a spectacular combination like the famous "Legalle - checkmate" does not work: 9.GtJxd4?! ~xdllO.~b5 'ffd7!. This counter sacrifice ofthe queen for Black is necessary; otherwise he will really get checkmated spectacularly by the white knight from the d5-square! 11. Elxdl cxd4 12.Elxd4 g5 13.~xd7+ <±>xd'7+. 9 ... hf3

7 ... exf4

7 ... ~g7?! Black overlooks a simple tactical strike after which he is in a big trouble. S.~xf7 +! (Note that it is less effective for White to play S.fxe5?! dxe5? It is 12

10J;xf3!!

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e5 3.tDC3 This exchange sacrifice is the fastest way to emphasize the defects of Black's position. 10 ... lLlxf3+ (l0 ... .th6 11.tDb5 .txf4 12.i=lxf4 tDxb513.'1Wd5 V:'1c714. i=lxf7 tDe7 15 ..txb5+ ~dS 16.V:'1e6 c4 17.i=ld1 V:'1b6+ 1S.~hl+-) 11. V:'1xf3 .tg7 12.e5+-. 12.lLlb5+- wins for White as well. We will consider for now the move 5.f4 to have been analysed sufficiently, so we will try to cover the other possibilities for White too. a2) 5.d3

This is a calm and solid move. Black's defensive problems do not diminish because of that at all. White plans to push f2-f4 without a pawn sacrifice. We will deal with two possibilities: a2a) 5 •.. .te6 and a2b) 5 ... lLlge7. a2a) 5 •.• .te6 Black hopes to exchange the dangerous bishop on c4 and to solve some of his defensive problems like that. White preserves better chances in both cases, after the exchange as well as ifhe avoids it.

6.lLlf3 That is a quiet developing move. White presumes that the exchange on c4 will only improve his set-up in the centre and that is quite reasonable! Meanwhile there are two other moves that promise White the advantage too: 6.tDd5!? (White prevents the exchange of the bishops with the idea that the bishop on c4 is too valuable and the exchanges will only facilitate Black's defence.) 6 ... tDf6 7.f4 exf4 S ..txf4 .te7 9.tDf3 0-0 10.0-0 V:'1d7 11. V:'1d2 i=laeS 12.i=lae1 .tdS 13.~ha. White is planning a kingside assault under very comfortable circumstances and Black can hardly counter that simple plan; 6.f4 (This move might seem too direct and straightforward, but White pursues his plan methodically and Black's defence is very difficult!) 6 ... .txc4 7.dxc4 exf4 S. ~f4 tDf6 9.tDf3 .te7 10. 0-0 0-0 11.V:'1d3t. White has a lasting positional edge, because of his dominance along the light squares. The minute weakening of his pawn structure is almost irrelevant. 6 ... .te7 7.lLld5 lLlf6 8.c3 13

Chapter 1 0-09.0-0 h610.b4!?

Note the various attacking possibilities for White in this line! He can play on the queenside on order to create weaknesses for the opponent there. This plan is dangerous for Black too. 10 ... a6 1l.bxc5 dxc5 12. li'lxf6+ i.xf6 13.,ixe6 fxe6 14. a4 lMfd6 15.i.e3 gadS 16.lMfb3 gd7

17.gfdlÂą Kroshk - rakot18, Internet 2004. Black has too many weaknesses to worry about all over the board. a2b)5 ... li'lge7 It is quite doubtful that Black

can counter White's aggressive play with such a timid developing move! I think that White's ad14

vantage is already too great. Black's choice is only between moves that provide White with a clear edge! That is not much of a choice, is it? 6.f4

We will now deal with a2bl) 6 ... i.e6 and a2b2) 6 ... exf4. a2b1) 6 ... i.e6 Black trades off White's aggressive bishop and so he does not need to worry about the annoying tactical possibilities of attack against the V-square. His problems are not over at all, though ... They tend to multiply instead! 7.,ixe6 fxe6 Black's pawn chain has been weakened a bit after the exchange, but that is not so important. White can easily organize some active play along the Hile. S.fxe5! li'lxe5 8 ... dxeS 9.ctJh3!? ctJg6 1O.ctJgS ctJd4 11.0-0 ctJf4 12.ctJf3 i.d6 13. ctJxeS! i.xeS 14.i.xf4Âą. 9.li'lf3 li'lxf3+ 10.1Mfxf3 White enjoys a considerable lead in development and he does not need to look for any too sophisticated ways of playing. He

1.e4 c5 2.a3 e53.CLJc3 can act simply and create a straightforward attack against the black king, or in the worst possible case - to exchange queens and transfer into an endgame with a great positional advantage for him.

10 ....~d7 1O ... CLJc6 11.0-0 Wld7 12.~e3 g6 13.8:f2 ~g7 14.8:afl CLJd4 15. Wlf7 +!. The exchange of the queens happens often to be a nasty surprise for the defending side particularly when it is initiated by the attacking side! White wins in this position in this instructive fashion: 15 ... Wlxf7 16.8:xf7 CLJxc2 17.CLJb5!. Everything has suddenly become clear now. Black is going to lose plenty of material even if White fails to checkmate in the next few moves. 17 ... CLJxe3 lS.CLJc7+ \tJdSI9.CLJxe6+ \tJeS (19 ... \tJcS 20.8:c7+ \tJbS 21.8:ff7 CLJd5 22.8:xb7+ \tJcS 23.exd5+-) 20. CLJxg7+ \tJdS 21.CLJe6+ \tJeS 22. 8: If6 +-. 11.~e3 e5 Naturally this move weakens the d5-square irrevocably, but Black has no choice. 12.0-0 0-0-0 13.b4!

White can proceed is another fashion too: 13.Wlf7 CLJc6 14.Wlc4 (He prefers to preserve the queens with the hope to finish the game off with a direct attack. This decision seems to be reasonable, but it is also possible to trade the queens: 14.b4 Wlxf7 15.8:xf7 8:d7 16.m2 ~e7 17.CLJd5 h6 lS.b5 CLJd4 19.b6 a6 20.c3 CLJe6 21.8:afl±) 14 ... ~e715.b4 (15.8:f7 Wlg416.CLJd5 8:d7 17.h3 Wlg6 lS.h4!±) 15 ... 8:dfS 16.G2Jd5 CLJd4 17.~xd4 exd4 lS.c3!. White continues to destroy methodically Black's defensive fortifications on the queenside. IS ... dxc3 19.Wlxc3 ~f6 20.CLJxf6 8:xf6 21.bxc5 dxc5 22.Wlxc5+ 8:c6 23. Wlxa7 8:dS 24.8:abl 8:c7?? (24 ... Wld4+ 25. Wlxd4 8:xd4 26.8:fS+-) 25.WlaS# 1-0 Kroshk - darkod, Internet 2004. 13 ... d5 13 ... CLJc614.CLJd5±.

14.hc5! This is the simplest - White wins a pawn and he preserves a great positional advantage. (The transfer to an endgame is promising less and Black has some chances to save the game after: 14.exd5 CLJxd5 15.G2Jxd5 ~xd5 16.

Chapter 1 W'xd5 Elxd5 17.Elf7 cxb4 18.axb4 a6 19.~d2 Eld7 20.Elafl ~e7!:f;) 14 ... d4 15.~xe7 ~xe7 16.~d5

EldfS 17.Wfg3+-. White must win this position with an extra pawn, moreover that his attack continues. a2b2) 6 ... exf4

15.~h1 ~h8 16.W'h5 Elb8 17.m3 Elg8 18.Elh3 ~f8 19.W'xf7 b5 20. ~xf6 1-0 Kroshk - shasa, Internet 2004. 1 0 .~xf4 ~g4 11.~xg6 hxg6 12.~e3 ~e5

This move seems natural and attractive, but it provokes sharp tactical complications that might end quite tragically for Black! 13.~xe5!?

7.~f3

I believe that the simple cap-

ture of the pawn is also good enough: 7.~xf4 ~g6 8.~g3 ~e7 9.~f3 ~f6 10.0-0 0-0 1l.Elb1 ~g4 12.~d5~h413.Wfe1~xg314. W'xg3 ~xf315.gxf3!' White's pawn chain on the kingside becomes very powerful and elastic after that move. 15 ... ~d416.Elf2 b517.~a2Âą. It is enjoyable that the bishop can retreat to such a comfortable square! I am sure that line will be tested in practice in the nearest future. 7 ... ~g6 8.0-0 ~e7 9.~d5 0-0 9 ... ~g4 1O.~xf4 ~d4 11.~e3 ~xf3 12.gxf3 0-0 13.c3 ~c6 14.f4 (Black's aggressive knight was repelled from the centre and Black has now the difficult defence of his kingside to worry about.) 14 ... ~f6 16

Such a sudden queen-sacrifice is capable of confusing even a very strong and experienced opponent! I t is very easy to play that position with White and he does not in fact risk losing it at all. 13.~d5 is also very good for White: 13 ... CtJxf3+ 14.gxf3 ~h3 15.Elf2 ~f6 16.c3 ~h4 17.Eld2 g5 18.~xb7 Elb8 19.~d5Âą Kroshk shasa, Internet 2004, but the queen-sacrifice is more beautiful and possibly stronger! 13 ... ~xdl

14.~xf7!

What should Black do now? He has a huge material advantage, but it is not enough even for equality. 14... Wfa5 (This developing move is quite reasonable, but White can patiently prepare

l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.cuc3 his attack after it too. Black's other moves do not help him much either: 14 .. J'1xf7 lS.i.xf7+ ~h7 16.l"Iaxdl±; 14 ... 'Wb61S.l"Iaxd1 ~h7 16.b4 l"IaeS17.bxcS dxcS1S.l"If3 gS 19.1"Ih3+ ~g6 20.CUeS+ ~f6 21. cud7+-) IS. l"Iaxdl ~h716.13f3 gS 17.i.xgS 13xf7 18.13h3+ ~g6 19.i.d2 'We7 20.13g3+ ~h7 21. i.xf7 i.h4 22.i.g6+ ~g8 23.13f3 i.f6 (23 .. J'lfS 24.i.h7+ ~xh7 2S. l"IxfS+-) 24. l"Idf1+-. b) 3 ••. cuf6

4.i.e4 CUe6 The typical combination with a knight-sacrifice does not work for Black: 4 ... CUxe4?? S.CUxe4 dS 6.i.bS+-, because White's bishop avoids the double attack with a check! S.d3 d6 If Black chooses to develop his bishop with S... i.e7 the arising positions are more or less similar. 6.f4 exf4 7.i.xf4 d6 S.cuf3 0-0 (Black cannot change the evaluation of the position as favourable for White after: S ... i.e6 9.cudS;I:;) 9.0-0 i.g4 10.'Wd2 a6 1U''1ae1 (White is concentrating his forces on the kingside and they will all

soon be where they are needed most!) 11...i.xf3 12.gxf3 cuhS 13. i.e3 i.f6 14.f4 ~hS lS.'We2 g6 16.'Wg2 i.d417. i.xd4+ CUxd41S.fS (Note how easy, simple and logical it is to play that position with White! All that is not so much due to some grave mistakes by Black in fact he has played rather well. I believe that Black's troubles are mostly caused by his quite dubious ... second move!) IS ... 'Wh4 19.'Wf2 'Wh3 20.l"Ie3 'Wg4+ 21.~h1 'WgS 22.cudS bS 23.i.a2 l"IaeS. All that was played in the game Kroshk - shasa, Internet 2004. White had to continue with: 24.l"Ih3± with a quite dangerous attack. 6.f4 i.e7 7.CUf3 0-0

8.fS Black cannot do much in the centre, so White can afford to acquire some space on the kingside. It is also good for him to play S.O-O (This logical move is enough to preserve White's advantage.) S ... i.g4 9.h3 i.xf3 10.'Wxf3 cud4 11.'Wf2 l"IeS 12.g4! (This method of gaining space seems to be very effective and 17

Chapter 1 Black is forced to new concessions.) 12 ... exf413.i.xf4 h614.i.e3 tLlc6 IS.tLldSÂą. White has the two bishop advantage and Black's pieces are very passive, so the position is clearly in White's favour. S ... ttJd4 9.0-0 i.d710.ttJdS bS This attempt at counterplay is not effective at all. 1l.ttJxf6+ i.xf6 12.i.dS i.c6 13.ttJxd4 i.xdS 14.ttJxbS i.c6 lS.ttJc3 gbS

16.b3Âą White remains with a solid extra pawn and excellent winning chances, Kroshk - thotep, Internet 2004.

Conclusions White canfightfor an opening advantage in several different ways after 2 ... e5. He can play in the spirit of the Vienna Game and his main attacking idea is to prepare f2-f4 with an assault on the kingside. I think that Black's counterplay is insufficient to equalize.

Chapter 2

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e5 3.f4

This position resembles a lot the King's Gambit except for the inclusion of the moves a2-a3 and c7-cS. I consider that to be in favour of White. The basic difference between this position and the other one after l.e4 eS 2.f4 is that Black controls not quite reliably the d4-square, but he has weakened the dS-square irrevocably. His bishop on fS will not be able to come to the wonderful cSsquare because his pawn is already there. Meanwhile White's bishop might become a real force to reckon with along the a2-gS diagonal! It will now be interesting to check whether Black's attempts to defend according to the methods in the classical King's Gambit would be effective after the move: 3 ... exf4 Accepting the gambit should be Black's best method of playing no doubt about that. Therefore we will deal with that move in details. Should Black decide to decline the gambit we can expect a move like 3 ... d6, particularly from a player with a tentative defensive

style. White can follow that with 4.CUf3! (It is also good for him to play 4.~c4!? exf4 S.d4 1Wh4+ 6. ~f1 ~g4 7.CUf3~) 4 ... ~g4 (White has also tried here S.b4?! but without too much of a success. I do not think that to be the best move for him. S... CUc6 6.~bS 1Wb6 7.hc6+ 1Wxc6 S.CUc3 CUf6 9.fxeS dxeS 10. CUxeS ~xd111.CUxc6 ~xc2+ Kroshk - Litti, Internet 2004; 6.bxcS!? dxcS=) S.~bS+! (This is the best! White develops a piece with tempo and can rely on obtaining a lasting advantage later.) S... CUc6 6.d3 exf4 7.hf4 1Wf6 S.1Wc1! (This is a good, despite a non-standard way to defend simultaneously the bishop on f4 as well as the pawn on b2.) S ... ~xf3 9.gxf3 White's position has not become worse after the exchange of the pawns on the kingside. On the contrary he can organize his attack even easier now. In addition he has the twobishop advantage. The only thing White cannot exploit is the f-file, because it has been closed. This however is hardly any great consolation for Black: 9 ... g6 1O.CUc3 ~h6 1l.CUdS! 1Wh4+ 12.~g3 1WdS 19

Chapter 2 13.f4Âą. White's pawn structure is excellent; he has the bishop pair and good prospects to attack on the kingside. He has a lasting advantage. It is of course too early to tell whether Black's difficulties, if he declines the gambit, are insurmountable, but his defence is evidently not easy at all. White completes his development effortlessly, while Black has no extra material to brag about.

After 3 ... exf4 we will analyse for White: a) 4.d4?! and b) 4.tbc3?! (these two possibilities are rather arguable) as well as the two moves that create most problems for Black i.e.: c) 4.tbf3 and

ter of style. Moreover it is quite possible that some of the readers of this book might be interested in the 2.a3 variation from Black's point of view. Therefore I have decided to analyse these moves too, since there are plenty of interesting dynamic possibilities for both side after them. a) 4.d4?! This idea seems to be too risky, but nevertheless it can be tested at least in active chess tournaments. White has plenty of chances to confuse the opponent with some confident aggressive play. I advise my readers to choose the 4.ltJf3 and 4.~c4 lines in regular timecontrol games, since these moves are much more solid and reliable! Black's best move is no doubt the queen-check on h4 and we will analyse it in details: 4 ... ~h4+!

d)4.~c4.

I have already defined the moves: a)4.d4?! andb) 4.tbc3?! as not too good for White. I am not trying to say that if White plays them he should necessarily lose outright (although I would not be surprised if some high authority player tries to prove that definitely... !). I am in fact convinced that White is in trouble after playing them and quite unnecessarily so! It happens that the choice of lines in the opening is often a mat20

This move is not only the strongest but it is the most natural too. Black should deprive his opponent of the right to castle. White does not have a good square to retreat with the king and the choice between the d2 and e2-squares can

I.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.f4 hardly be too enjoyable ... ! 5.me2 This is a "solid" decision if of course we can talk about "solidity" in a position like that! It is definitely stronger than the retreat to d2 for sure. S. c;t>d2 - is a bit too brave move, almost on the border of recklessness. Black has plenty of possibilities to obtain an excellent position, for example: S ... lLlc6 6.lLlf3 ~f2+ 7.~e2 ~xe2+ S.mxe2 cxd4 9.~xf4lLlf6+. Black has no problems to preserve his solid extra pawn in a calm position without queens; S... ~f2+ 6.~e2 ~xe2+! (This is the simplest. Black has a clearly better endgame after the exchange of queens. He does not need to complicate the game in order to capture a pawn with check after: 6 ... ~xd4+?! 7.mel because that presents White with the chance to prevail in the complications, for example: 7... lLlf6 S.lLlc3 c4 9.lLlf3 ~b6 10.eS lLlg4 11.~xc4 ~f2+ 12.c;t>dl ~cS 13.lLle4 dS 14.exd6 ~xc4 IS.~xc4 fS 16.lLlc3 lLlf2+ 17.c;t>e2lLlxhllS.hf4lLlc619.CLlbS md7 20.1'1xh1+-, and White has a considerable edge, despite Black's ongoing attack. Or 7 ... gS S.lLlf3 ~g7 9.lLlc3 lLlc6 lO.lLldS ~d6 II. ~d2 CLlge7 12.~c3 lLld4 13.1'1dl lLlec614.~f2 ~eSlS.h4 g416.lLlxeS ~xeS 17.~d3 f3 IS.gxf3 gxf3 19. md2 1'1gS 20.1'1dgl 1'1g6 2I.hS 1'1xgl 22.1'1xgl mfS 23.~e3lLle7 24.~h6+ meS 2S.lLlf6+ mdS 26.c;t>dl f2 27. 1'1fl mc7 2S.1'1xf2 d6 29.lLleS+ mc6

30.~bS+

c;t>xbS 3I.CLlxd6+-; 17 ... g3 d6 20.lLlhS ~e6 2I.lLlxg3 1'1gS 22.c;t>f2;!;. The position has clarified a bit after the super-dynamic developments in the opening and White's chances are definitely preferable.) 7.lLlxe2 lLlf6 S.lLlbc3 cxd4 9.CLlxd4lLlc6+; S... cxd4 (This simple capture is also very good for Black.) 6.lLlf3 (6.~e2 lLlc6 7.lLlf3 ~e7 S.c3 gS 9.lLlxd4 ~g7 lO.CLlfS ~eS lI.c;t>c2 ~f6 12.lLld2 dS 13.lLlf3 ~xe4+ 14.~xe4+ dxe4 IS.lLld6+ mfS 16. lLlxe4 ~fS 17.~d3~; S ... dxc3+ 9. lLlxc3 lLlf6 lO.eS lLlg4 1l.CLldS ~dS 12.mc2 lLlgxeS 13.~xf4 d6-+; 12. mel ~cS 13.b4 ~f2+ 14.md1 ~e3 IS.lLlxe3 fxe3 16.~xe3 0-0 17. ~cS 1'1eS lS.~d6 lLlgxeS 19.1LlxeS ~f6-+) 6 ... ~f2+ 7.~e2 (White loses spectacularly after 7.~e2lLlf6 S.1'1fl lLlxe4+ 9.c;t>d3 dS! lO.~xf4 ~d6 11.~xd6 ~e3#) 7 ... ~xe2+ S.~xe2 lLlf6 9.eS lLlg4 lO.lLlxd4 lLlxeS 1l.lLlc3 lLlbc6 12.lLldbS 1'1bS 13.c;t>d1 gS 14.lLle4 a6 lS.lLlbd6+ hd616.lLlxd6+ me717.lLle4 h6-+. We can safely assume that the move S.md2 is practically unplayable for White. 5".lLlc6!? It is important and also good for Black to control the d4-square. He can also play S... dS!? and this counterstrike is quite typical for the classical King's Gambit. Black solves his problems and can rely at least on equality. 6.exdS ~e7+ 7.mf2 ~h4+ S.g3!? (It is quite possible that White's most prudent decision might be to agree IS.~xf4 ~xf419.CLlxf4

Chapter 2 to a draw by a perpetual after: 8.'>t>e2 iMre7=) B... fxg3+ 9.'>t>g2 gxh2 10.l"i:xh2 iMre4+ 11.lLlf3 cxd412.l"i:h4 ~g413.lLlbd2 hf3+ 14.lLlxf3 iMrxdS lS.l"i:xd4 iMraS+.

6.d5 This is probably White's best move, but he cannot even think about an advantage after it. 6.lLlf3 iMre7. What should White do now? His important central pawn is under attack! 7.dS (7.'>t>d3? is a move that White simply cannot afford. 7 ... lLlf6 B.eSlLlg4 9.iMre1 d6-+; 7.'>t>f2 cxd4 B.~xf4 iMrxe4 9.iMrc1lLlf61O.~d3 iMrdS11.l"i:e1 + ~e7 12.lLlbd2 0-0 13.lLle4lLlg4+ 14.'>t>gl d6+; 7.lLlc3 lLlf6 B.dxcS lLlxe4-+; B.'>t>f2 cxd4 9.lLlbSlLlxe4+ 1O.'>t>gl d611.hf4 gS!+; B.eSlLlxd4+ 9.'>t>f2 lLlg4+ 10. '>t>gl lLlxf3+ 11. iMrxf3 c4 12.~e2 iMrcS+ 13. '>t>f1lLle3+ 14.he3 fxe3+; 14 ... iMrxe3 lS.iMrxe3 fxe3 16.lLldS '>t>dB 17.lLlxe3 c3 1B.bxc3 ~cS 19.1Llc4 f6 20.~f3 l"i:fB 21.exf6 l"i:xf6 22.'>t>e2 l"i:bB 23.a4 b6+) 7 ... iMrxe4+ B.'>t>f2 lLld4!. Black forces favourable simplifications after having acquired a material advantage. 9.lLlc3 iMrxc2+ 1O.~e2 iMrxd1 (l0 ... lLlf6 1l.lLlxd4 iMrxd1 12.l"i:xd1 cxd4 13.lLlbS lLlxdS 14.~f3 a6 lS. 22

~xdS

axbS 16.~xf4 ~cS 17.l"i:e1+ '>t>dB 1BJ'lac1 d6 19.b4 ~b6 20. ~xf7~) 11.~xd1 lLlxf3 12 .~xf3 d6 13.l"i:e1+ '>t>d714.~xf4lLlf6+. 6 •.• ttJd4+ 7.'>t>d3 ttJf6 8.ttJf3 ~f2 9.hf4 c4+ 10.@xc4lLlxc2 1l.l"i:a2 ttJxe4 12.iMre2 b5+ 13. @d3 ~xe2+ 14.he2 ttJf2+ 15. @xc2 ttJxhl

16.ttJc3~

As a conclusion we must admit that after 4.d4 it is White who might be in danger and not Black! Nevertheless White can play like that particularly if he is in an adventurous mood!

b) 4.ttJc3?!

This is also a dubious decision! Black can preserve his extra pawn and he can organize a powerful attack against the white king. The

l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.f4 last move with the knight is suitable only for players who want to test their nerves, or feel like playing some "Russian roulette"! The arising positions are quite interesting, though ... 4 ... Wlh4+! 5.r;!;>e2lDc6! That is Black's best bet on creating problems for the white king!

6.lDd5!? This counterattacking move presents White with some practical chances to organize some serious counterplay. After the other moves his prospects are not very bright in case Black plays energetically: 6.lDf3 - is a natural move, but it puts White on the verge of an immediate defeat after: 6 ... lDd4+! 7. r;!;>d3 (7.lDxd4 is only facilitating Black's attack after: 7... cxd4 S.lDdS lDf6!. This rook-sacrifice is deadly for White! 9. lDc7+ mdS 1O.lDxaS dS!~+ I will refrain from showing you what might follow, because I take pity on White and I also hope that White will not get pathetic positions like that in any opening ever!) 7...Wff2! Black's queen has

occupied a very comfortable position and White is in a big trouble! S.b4 lDf6 9.eS dS!-+; S.lDxd4 Wlxd4+ 9.me2 dS! 1O.me1 dxe4 11.~bS+ ~d7 12.~xd7+ Wlxd7 13. lDxe4 0-0-0-+; S.lDdS ~d6 9.c3 ttJxf3 10.gxf3 (10.Wlxf3 Wlxf3+ 1l.gxf3 lDe7 12.lDxe7 he7 13. mc4 gS 14.b4 d6 lS.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 ~e6-+) 1O ... b6 11. r;!;>c2 ~b712.~c4 lDe7-+. It looks like 6.lDf310ses by force. 6 ••• lDf6! This is the simplest and maybe the only way to get an advantage for Black - to sacrifice his rook on as. This idea is well familiar and has been quite successful in many lines of the King's Gambit. I must add that Black cannot make such a move so easily - it is a whole rook after all, but after the sacrifice White is headed for disaster ... ! 6 ... lDd4+?!. This natural move enables White to preserve the tension on the board. 7.md3 lDe6 (7 ... ~d6 S.c3 lDe6 9.lDf3 \&f2 10. mc2lDf611.lDxf6+ gxf612.mb1 b6 13.d3 lDgS 14.lDxgS fxgS lS.h4 gxh4 16.~d2 ~e7 17.~e1 Wle3 IS. E1h3 Wlg1 19.Wle2 f3 20.gxf3 dS 21.~f2 \&g6 22.E1h1;t) S.lDf3 WlhS 9.b4 lDe7 10.c4 fS n.eS lDxdS 12.cxdSlDgS 13.d6lDe4 14.Wfe1 b6 lS.mc2ii5. 7.lDc7+ 7.lDf3 lDd4+ S.lDxd4 cxd4 9. lDxf6+ Wlxf6-+. 7 .••@dS S.tlJf3 tlJd4+ 9.lDxd4 cxd410.tlJxaS

Chapter 2 and c2) 4 ... g5. About 4 ... lLlc6 g5 - see d) 4.~c4.

5.~c4

cl) 4 ... d5

lO ... d5!-+

Black's threats are simply irresistible. The conclusion is simple: Dear readers! Please refrain from playing 4.d4 or 4.tbc3 - you might get crushed quickly and spectacularly! c) 4.ttJf3

This move is stronger and more reliable - White develops his kingside first. Still I think that Black's chances in this line are better in comparison to the classical King's Gambit. He controls the allimportant central d4-square although not quite completely yet. What can Black do now? I think that we have to analyse mostly the moves that resemble Black's possibilities in the "classical" King's Gambit. I have in mind: cl) 4 ... d5 24

This central counterstrike is quite enough to ensure active game prospects for Black. 5.exd5 ttJf6 5... Wxd5 (This possibility is not to be recommended in the "traditional" King's Gambit, but here it is quite possible. The point is that Black controls the d4-square and that facilitates his defence. Nevertheless White has some chances to fight for the advantage!) 6.lLlc3 We6+ 7.~e2! (The move 7.~f2?! seems artificial and weak. White wants to bring into action the rook as quickly as possible along the efile. Black equalizes easily. 7... c4!. This move solves two problems simultaneously - White is deprived of the dangerous check from the b5-square and the black bishop has the excellent c5-square. S.d4 cxd3 9.~xd3 ~c5+ 1O.~f1 ~e3! 11. ~xe3 fxe3 12.~b5+ lLlc6 13.lLld5 Wd7 14.lLlxe3 lLlge7=.) 7... lLlc6 S. 0-0 ~d6 9.d4! (This energetic opening of the position is timely and strong, because Black has not completed his development yet.) 9 ... cxd41O.lLlb5~bS11.lLlfxd4 Wh6 12.lLlxc6 bxc613.Wd4l1:Je714.~xf4 ~xf415J~xf4 0-0 (Black somehow managed to castle, but his problems have not diminished at all. White's initiative is getting stronger. Black's weaknesses on the queenside are complicating his defence even more.) 16.l1:Jc7! 8:bS

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e53.f4 17.:i:'lafl f5 IB.ii.c4+ ~hB 19.:i:'le4 CZlg6 20.:i:'leB i'fig5 21.b4 h6 22. :i:'lxfB+ CZlxfB 23.i'fid6+-. White wins material unavoidably and his position remains more active.

gant but not bad at all! The black king might be comfortable enough without castling in a situation like that. The advantages of the move are quite evident - the rook on hB is joining the action immediately. After 7 ... i'fie7 White can obtain a considerable edge in the endgame rather quickly with: 8.d4 CZlbd7 9.b4 i'fixe2+ 1O.ii.xe2 cxb4 11.c5 ii.bB 12.d6 bxa3 13.ii.xf4 CZld5 14.ii.d2 0-0 15.CZlxa3 :i:'leB 16.CZlc4 CZl7f617.CZlce5Âą. The activity of the black pieces is not quite enough to equalize.

6.c4! This is definitely White's best move. The reason is that Black does not have the possibility to activate his pieces with the move c7-c6! His first (!!) move has deprived him of that opportunity and I am going to try to mention jokingly that to be one of the drawbacks ofthe Sicilian defence ... ! 6.ii.b5 - this is a logical developing move for White, but he has 8.d4! no advantage after it. The arising That is the most principled positions are approximately equal move - White is fighting for the and rather calm. 6 ... CZlbd7 7. i'fie 2 + centre! He will need to consider i'fie7. The simplifications are un- seriously Black's active counteravoidable now. (7 ... ii.e7?? 8.d6+-) play along the open e-file. 8.c4 (B.CZlc3 i'fixe2+ 9.~xe2 a6 White can try to obtain some 1O.ii.xd7+ ii.xd7 1l.d4 :i:'ldB 12.:i:'lel advantage successfully with a cxd4 13.CZlxd4 ii.e7 14.~f1 ii.cB strange king move of his own too 15.ii.xf4 CZlxd5 16.CZlxd5 :i:'lxd5 17. B.~dl!? He takes his king away :i:'ladl f6=) B... a6 9.ii.xd7+ ii.xd7 from the dangerous open e-file 1O.d4 cxd4 1l.CZlxd4 :i:'lcB 12.CZld2 and tries to ensure the safety of his i'fixe2+ 13.CZlxe2 CZlg4 14.CZlxf4 CZle3 queen. The travels of both kings 15.~f2 CZlxc416.:i:'le1+ ~dB=. towards the queenside make the 6 ...ii.d6 7.Wfe2+~d7!? arising positions quite original and This decision is a bit extrava- beautiful too. 8 .. .:1!e8 9.i'fif2 CZle4 25

Chapter 2 1O.~gl ~b611.<;t>c2 <;t>c712.d3 tiJf6 13.tiJc3 (The later developments on the board resemble a race and the point is - who is going to get at the enemy king first!) 13 ... td7 14.td2 tiJa6 lS.tiJgS Ele7 16.tiJge4 tiJxe4 17.dxe4 fS 1B.td3 fxe4 19. tiJxe4 ElaeB 20. tiJxd6 (Now it looks like White is winning the race, but he still needs to play very precisely.) 20 ... ta4+ (20 ... ~xd6 21. ~f2 gS 22.g3;t) 21.<;t>b1 ~xd6 22. ~f2 gS 23.g3! (Black's hopes are based on the beautiful tactical line: 23.b4? Ele2!!-+) 23 ... ElfS 24.gxf4 gxf4 2S.~f3 teS 26.<;t>a2 tg6 27. txg6 hxg6 2S.Elhgl±. White's king is completely safe now and he can attack successfully the weaknesses of the enemy at leisure. 8 .. J~e8! This is the best for Black. Black steers the game into wild, concrete tactical play in order to obtain equal chances. S ... cxd4?! (This is a positional concession by Black, because now White's pawn chain on the queenside becomes very powerful.) 9.~d3! (The d4-pawn is doomed anyway, so White takes quite timely his queen away from the dangerous open file.) 9 ... EleB+ 10.te2 tiJa6U.b4! txb4+ (11...~e7 12.tiJxd4 teS 13.Ela2! This is one more merit of the move 2.a3 - the white rook can support his pieces from the a2-square! Had the white pawn been on a2 - the whole idea of creation of such powerful pawn chain would have been unthinkable! 13 ... <;t>dS 14.0-0+-) 12.axb4

tiJxb4 13.~d1 d3 14.~a4+ tiJc6 lS.tiJc3+-. 9.tiJe5+ <;t>c710.tiJc3 It is a disaster for White to play 1O.txf4? tg4 l1.tiJxf7 Elxe2+ 12. txe2 ~eS13.txd6+ <;t>d714.tiJeS+ <;t>xd6-+. 10 ••• tg4 11.tDb5+ <;t>b6

White is faced with a choice. He can comply with Black achieving a beautiful draw by a perpetual after a series of precise moves and checks on the c7 and as-squares! I have in mind the 12.~d3line), or he can prefer the arguable, but strikingly beautiful queen-sacrifice for only two light pieces (I am talking about the 12.tiJxd6!? line). 12.~d3 txeS 13.dxeS ElxeS+ 14.<;t>f2 tiJe4+ lS.<;t>gl ~h4 16.g3 fxg3 17.tiJc7 g2! (it is weaker for Black to play 17... <;t>xc7 lS.tf4 g2 19.txeS+ <;t>cS 20.~xe4 gxh1~+ 21.<;t>xh1 ~hS 22.tg2 fS 23.~e3 tiJd7 24.txg7±) IB.tiJxaS+ <;t>a6 19.tiJc7+ <;t>b6!=. 12.tDxd6!? I would not like to force my opinion on you, but I think that it is a sin not to realize such a beautiful tactical idea! 12 .•• he2

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e5 3.f4 obtain an excellent game after some precise play. c2) 4 ... g5!?

13.~dxf7!

I am not planning to analyse

this position extensively, but I will mention the consequences of the most natural retreats of the black queen: 13 ..â&#x20AC;˘. 1Mfe7 13 ... 1Mfc714.,be2 cxd415.b4 a6 16.i.b2 \ila7 17.d6 1Mfc8 18.i.xd4+ b6 19.c5 ~bd7 20.0-0 bxc5 2l. bxc5 ~xe5 22.c6 \ilb8 23J'1abl+-. 14.,he2 ~fd715.i.xf4 cxd4 16.0-0 gfB 17.h4 a6 18.i.g4 ~f6 19.i.e6 ~e4 20.gae1 g5 21.i.c1 ~c3 22.,hg5 1Mfe8

23.~d6+-

The "weak" white light pieces together with the white pawns simply crushed enemy's position despite Black's material advantage! We came to the end of our study of the move 4 ... d5. White can

This move happens to be one of Black's main resources of defence in the classical King's Gambit. He is defending his f4-pawn and prepares to attack subsequently the white knight on f3 with g5-g4. There arise rather complex positions in which White should be prepared to sacrifice even more material, while Black must be prepared to face numerous tactical threats. I think that White has two main lines at his disposal in this position: c2a) 5.h4 and c2h) 5 ..ic4. c2a) 5.h4 White tries to eliminate Black's g5-pawn immediately and hopes to exploit the weakness of the f4 and g4-pawns later. Meanwhile the black queen is deprived ofthe possibility to check from the h4square. 5 ..â&#x20AC;˘ g4 This is Black's only reasonable move otherwise his position will quickly be in ruins. 27

Chapter 2 6.lLle5

This is the best and most principled retreat of the knight.

6 .. .'~e7 Black could have chosen some other moves too: 6 ... dS 7.1bS+! (This check is very powerful mostly because Black cannot play c7-c6 with tempo. His c-pawn was pushed two squares forward on the first move rather frivolously ... !) 7... lLld7 (7 ... 1d7 S.lLlxd7 lLlxd7 9.'&xg4 lLlgf6 1O.'&xf4lLlxe4 11.0-0. It becomes evident now that Black has a lot of problems. 11...'&e7 12.Ele1 197 13.d3 1d4+ 14.1e3 1xb2 1S.Ela2 1eS 16.1xd7+ ~dS 17. '&h6+-; 1S ... 1c3 16.Elf1 1eS 17. 1xd7+ ~xd7 1S.'&fS+ ~eS 19. dxe4+-) S.d4! (This is a nice and beautiful move to play. White completes his development and threatens to create new dangerous threats. Black will be forced to defend a very unpleasant position.) S... dxe4 9.1xf4 a61O.1xd7+ 1xd7 11.lLlc31fS 12.'&e2 lLlf6 (12 ... f6 13. dxcS! fxeS 14.1xeSlLlf61S.Elf1 lLlhS 16.lLlxe4 1xe4 17.'&xe4 '&xh4+ 1S.g3 '&e7 19.0-0-0 '&e6 20. '&xb7+-) 13.dxcS 1xcS 14.lLlxf7

'&b6. This counterstrike enables White to try a striking idea to attack by sacrificing both his rooks: ls.lLlxhS '&xb2 16.'&c4 '&xa1+ 17. ~e2 '&xh11S.'&f7+ ~dS19.'&xf6+ 1e7 20.lLlf7+ ~eS 21.lLld6+1xd6 22.1xd6 '&xg2+ 23.~e3 '&f3+ 24.~d4 ,&f2+ 2S.~eS ,&h2+ 26. ~xfS ,&f2+ 27.1f4+-. The amazing expedition of the white king has come to a successful end!; 6 ... lLlc6 7.d4! (This is the only move that preserves White's lead in development! This is quite essential in every sharp opening variation!) 7... '&e7 (Mter 7... lLlf6 S.1c4! White manages to get at the enemy king: S ... dS 9.exdS lLlxdS 10.0-0 1e611.1bS '&b612.c4lLlc7 13.dSlLlxbS14.lLlxc6 bxc61S.dxe6 lLld4 16.exf7+ ~xf717.Elxf4+ ~eS 18.Ele4+ 1e719.1gSlLlfS 20.'&xg4 ElfS 21.lLlc3+-) S.1c4lLlxeS 9.dxeS '&xeS 10.lLlc3! f3 l1.'&dS! (Black will not be able to complicate matters after the trade of the queens. The endgame will be very difficult for him.) 11 ... '&xdS 12.lLlxdS fxg2 13.Elg11d6 14.Elxg2 hS 1S.eS1bS 16.1f4 b6 17.0-0-0 1b7 1S.Elf2 1c6 19.1gS Elh7 20.1d3 Elg7 21. lLlf6+ lLlxf6 22.1xf6 g3 23.1xg7 gxf2 24.Elfl d6 2S.Elxf2 dxeS 26. 1c4Â±. Black's past material gains are not very comforting for him now. White regains the sacrificed material and has excellent endgame prospects; 6 ... lLlf6 7.1c4 '&e7 S.d4! d6 9. 1xf7+ ~dS1O.1xf4lLlbd711.0-0! (This knight-sacrifice is quite typical for similar positions. It is even

l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.f4 more standard than a tactical combination. White does not mind sacrificing a piece because the defence of the black king is very problematic!) 11...dxeS 12. dxeS Vf1xf7 13.exf6 (Black cannot get rid of the all-powerful white f6-pawn without decisive material losses. His attempts to coordinate his pieces are now doomed to fail.) 13 ... c4 14.ltJc3 ~cS+ lS.~h1 Vf1hS 16.~g3 b617.2:fS Vf1f71S.ltJbS (Note the ease with which all white pieces are joining in the attack and Black has nothing to do against that!) 18 ... Vf1e6 19.1tJc7 Vf1xe4 20. 2:eS+-. 7.d4d6 7... cxd4 8.Vf1xd4 ~g7 9.~xf4 (It is amazing that Black is incapable of exploiting the pin of the white knight on eS along the long diagonal.) 9 ... d6 (9 ... ltJc61O.ltJxc6 hd4 1l.ltJxe7 CiJxe712.c3 ~g713.~d6 hS 14.~c4 2:h6 lS.eS f6 16.0-0 ltJc6 17.exf6 2:xf6 18.2:xf6 ~xf6 19.1tJd2 ~xh4 20.g3 ~e7 21.2:e1 ~dS 22. ~xe7+ ltJxe7 23.2:eSÂ±) 1O.Vf1a4+ ltJd7 11.CiJxg4 ~xb2 12.2:a2 ~eS 13.ltJxeS dxeS14.~e3t - White can exploit Black's weaknesses at his leisure. 8.~b5+ CiJd7

9 ..b:f4! White does not pay attention to "trifles" like a loss of a knight! 9 ... ~h6 9 ... dxeS 1O.dxeS (10.~xeS?? f6-+) 1O ... a6 11.CiJc3 axbS 12.CiJdS Vf1dS 13.e6 Vf1aS+ 14.b4 cxb4 lS. exd7+ ~xd716.Vf1d4 bxa3+ 17.~f1 f61S.ltJc7+ ~dS19.2:d1+-. 10.~xh6 CiJxh6

1l.CiJc3!! White's most urgent task is to complete the development of his pieces! The moment all white pieces join in the attack against the black king the game will be over and Black's extra knight will be immaterial! 1l ... dxe5 12.CiJd5 ~d6 The other retreat of the black queen is too passive: 12 ... Vf1dS 13.dxeSltJgS 14.Wxg4 ~f8 lS.Vf1f4 ltJb6 16.0-0-0 ~e6 17.2:hf1 c4 lS.CiJxb6 Vf1xb6 19.2:d7!!. This tactical strike is very spectacular and Black is beyond salvation! He cannot capture the rook because of a checkmate in one. 19 ... ltJe7 20. 2:xe7 ~xe7 21.Wf6+ ~f8 22.Vf1xhS+ ~e7 23.~xa8 Vf1xbS 24.2:d1+-. 13.dxc5 Wxc5 14.~d2! White completes calmly his 29

Chapter 2 development since his bishop is indirectly defended. 14 ... ~d6 15.0-0-0 f516. ~c3 @dS 17.ttJf4 'lWe7 17... iWb818j~xd7+ hd719J'l:dl @e7 20.iWcS+ @f6 21.E&d6+ @g7 22.iWxeS+-. IS.ttJd3 ttJf7 19.ttJc5 ttJd6 20.i.xd7 i.xd7 21.E&xd6 E&cS 22.E&hdl @eS 23.E&xd7 ~xc5 24. iWxc5 E&xc5

25.E&dS+White's dynamic beautiful attack has led to a bit dull, but in fact totally winning endgame for him. This happens so often in chess. We can assume that White preserves the advantage in the S.h4 variation. I like a lot the other possibility for White - the move with which he simply ignores Black's threats! I am talking about the simple move 5.i.c4!, which is as natural as it is aggressive.

c2b) 5.i.c4 (diagram) 5 ... g4 Black's other moves are less logical. We will not deal with them 30

here, because we have already devoted too many pages in our book to the "New King's Gambit" It is quite evident that Black can hardly find anything better here than to attack the knight on g4 immediately. 6.0-0!? 6.ttJeS (It is not easy to evaluate that move definitely. I do not like the fact that White's knight runs away from attack risking the safety of the king in the process. That does not necessarily mean that the move is bad, though. It is all a matter of style. I do not mind sacrificing material for attack, or even for attacking chances only... It is quite possible however that I might play like that sometimes. It might all depend on my mood that day... Black is trying to organize a counterattack, bit it is difficult to tell whether it might be successful.) 6 ... iWh4+ 7.@f1f3 (This is one of the standard methods of counterattack for Black in similar situations in the King's Gambit. White's position is solid enough and will not crumble so easily!) 8.d4! fxg2+ 9.@xg2 ttJh6 (9 ... lLlf6 1O.hf7+ @d811.i.b3lLlxe412.iWel iWh3+ 13.@gl+-) 1O.i.f4 f611.lLld3

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e53.f4 1Wh3+ 12.mg1 cxd4 13 ..ig3 1Wh5 14.e5 .ig715.C2Jf41Wf516.exf6 .ixf6 17.C2Jd5 d318.1Wxd3+-. 6 ... gxf3 7.1Wxf3 1Wf6 8.e5! 1Wxe59.d3

15 ... 1Wg7 16.C2Jd5 f3 17.1Wxf3 .ixd2 18.l'l:xe7+ cj;Jd8 19.1'l:xf7+-. 16.l'l:xf4 ~xd217.'~xf7+ md8 18.VNxe7+ me7 19.1tJd5+ me6 20.l'l:e6+ dxe6 21.~e7#.

Conclusions about the 4. f)t3 line White's prospects are slightly better, but he needs to play creatively and enterprisingly in order to bring his attack to a victorious end even at the expense of considerable risk. Can you imagine the amazement of some ardent fan of the King's Gambit if he looks at this diagram? What is so strange about it? It is really simple - if only you put the pawns on a3 and c5 to their original places we will have one of the most popular and extensively analysed positions of the King's Gambit. It had been dealt with back in the 70ies of the 19 th century if my memory was serving me right. So that King's Gambit fan might ask - where and how have these a3 and c5-pawns come from? It will be time consuming to analyse exhaustively in whose favour it is the inclusion of the pawn moves. I might do that some day in the future, but for now I will show you some lines that illustrate White's excellent prospects: 9 ....ih6 10 .C2Je3 C2Je711.iod2 ltJbe612J~ae1

White's attack is very powerful. 12 ... ~d4+ 13.mh1 ltJe5 14. ~h5 ltJxe4 15.dxe4 .ig7

Finally we are going to analyse White's most promising possibility if my opinion is correct d) 4 ..ie4!?

White's bishop on c4 is even more comfortable now than after l.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3 ..ic4. The difference is that Black can hardly organize the d7-d5 counterstrike which parries the activity of that bishop. Moreover the bishop might retreat to the comfortable a2-square just in case. We will analyse in details dl) 4 ... f5 and d2) 4 ... VNh4. White's task is much easier after some other moves: 31

Chapter 2 4 ... d5 (This counterstrike enjoys a good reputation in the "classical Bishop's Gambit", but here White preserves excellent chances and might even end up with an extra pawn. The reason is that Black is deprived of the active possibility to play ib4 at some point!) 5.ixd5 lLlf6 6.lLlc3 lLlxd5 7.lLlxd5 ~h4+ 8.~f1 id6 9.lLlf3 ~g41O.h3 ~e6 11.d3 0-0 12.ixf4 ixf4 13. lLlxf4 ~f6 14.lLld5±; 4 ... lLlf6 5.lLlc3lLlc6 (The routine exchange combination 5 ... lLlxe4?? does not work here. The culprit is - Black's move 1. .. ! After 6.lLlxe4 d5 the fork is harmless for White because of 7.ib5+- and after the retreat of the bishop with check White remains with an extra piece since Black cannot interpose with his c-pawn anymore ... ) 6.d3 (Black naturally would like to protect his f4-pawn.) 6 ... id6. Black tries to defend the pawn, but White solves that mini-problem easily. (6 ... g5. This idea is also quite dubious. Black defends his f4-pawn indeed, but after White's next simple move Black's pawn structure crumbles with disastrous consequences 7.h4! :Sg8 - Naturally it is bad for Black to play 7... h6? 8.hxg5+-, and the rook on h8 is hanging - 8.hxg5 :Sxg5 9.lLlh3!. White wins several tempi for development with this unusual move. 9 ... :Sxg2 1O.lLlxf4 :Sg7 1l.lLlh5! lLlxh5 12.~xh5 lLld4 13.ih6! lLlxc2+ 14.~d1 lLlxa1 15. ixg7+-. Black's material loses are just catastrophic.) 7.lLlh3! (White regains his pawn now with a bet32

ter position.) 7... 0-0 8.lLlxf4 ie5 9.0-0 d6 1O.h3±. White has achieved a considerable positional advantage. The position is calm but favourable for him and he can patiently prepare a kingside assault. Black's counterplay is quite insufficient; 4 ... d6 (This cautious move is not enough to equalize for Black.) 5.lLlf3 g5 (Black can hardly defend his position without that move, for example: 5 ... ie7 6.0-0 if6 7.d4 cxd4 8.hf4lLlc6 9.c3!. White continues to sacrifice material as before ... 9 ... ~b61O.~h1 ~xb211.:sa2. The rook joins the action comfortablynow.11...~b612.hd6±) 6.h4! (The piece sacrifice is also promising for White: 6.0-0 ig7 7.d4 g4 8.ixf4 gxf3 9.~xf3 ixd4+ 10. ~h1~) 6 ... g4 7.lLlg5lLlh6 8.d4 ig7 9.ixf4 ixd4 1O.lLlc3 lLlc6 1l.lLlb5 lLle512.ie2 hb2 13.:Sb1 id414.c3 f6 15.cxd4+-; 4 ... lLlc6 5.lLlf3 g5 (This position might also arise after 4.lLlf3 naturally by transposition of moves.) 6.0-0 g4 7.d4! (This knight-sacrifice might seem risky for White, but in fact Black is on he verge of disaster very quickly after accepting it!) 7... gxf3 8.~xf3 ig7 9 .hf7 +!! (The sacrifice of the second piece is a logical part of White's idea. I have seen plenty of games in the classical King's Gambit in which White wins beautifully and swiftly like that.) 9 ... ~xf7 1O.~h5+ ~e711.e5!' It is amazing that Black is completely lost despite his huge material advantage:

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e53.f4 11...cxd4 12.ibxf4 '2lxe5 13.ibxe5 lLlf6 14. ~g5 Wf7 15.lLld2 Ei:e8 16. ibxf6 ibxf6 17.Ei:xf6 ~xf6 18.Ei:f1+-. White's brilliant attack with sacrifices of two pieces resembles the best samples of the classical traditions ofthe 19 th century games! dl) 4 ... f5!?

This original counterstrike is based on geometrical motives. White has no reasons to worry right now! 5.llJc3!

This is certainly the simplest solution of the problem with the move 4 ... f5. It becomes clear now that Black has only weakened his position with his last move and quite unnecessarily so. White's other moves are weaker: 5.'We2 (This move does not look too good. It was simpler and much more convincing to develop the queen's knight. There is a hidden trap in this position and Black must be on the alert.) 5 ... lLlc6!. This knight might cause some trouble to the white queen. (5 ... fxe4?! 6.'lMrh5+! g6. Otherwise White checkmates! 7.~e5+ ~e7 8.~xh8. Black has some counter-

play indeed, but this is not enough to compensate a whole rook. 8 ... lLlf6 9.lLlc3 lLlc6 1O.lLlge2 f3 11.Ei:fl lLle5 12.lLld5 '2lxd5 13.ibxd5 lLlg4 14.h3 ~h4+ 15.g3 'Mrxh3 16.ibxe4 f2 + 17.Ei:xf2 lLlxf2 18. Wxf2+-. It is also possible for White to play 11.0-0 fxe2 12.ibxe2 ~g713.~xg7 ibxg714.d3Âą) 6.exf5+ (6.lLlf3. This is a natural developing move. White preserves excellent compensation for the pawn, despite the exchanges and Black's temporary material advantage. 6 ... fxe4 7.'lMrxe4+ 'lMre7 8.d3 lLlf6 9.~xe7+ ibxe71O.lLlc3 ibd611.0-0 h612.b4! cxb4 13.axb4~) 6 ... ~e7! (Black cannot interpose with a light piece: 6 ... ibe7? 7.~h5+-; 6 ... lLlge7?! 7.~h5+ g6 8.fxg6! - It is important for White not to fall into the amusing trap: 8.f6? d5!. That was Black's only defence against the pawn-checkmate, but White's position became terrible after the last move. 9.fxe7 ~xe7+ 1O.~e2 dxc4-+ - 8 ... lLlxg6 9.lLle2 ibd6 10.0-0 ~f6 11.d4!. White's task is simple - to attack Black's weaknesses on the kingside and destroy them. Black's position will crumble soon after that! 11...lLlxd4 12.lLlxf4 bf413.bf4lLle614.be6 dxe6 15.lLlc3 ~d4+ 16.Wh1 0-0 17.ibh6 Ei:f5 18.Ei:xf5 exf5 19.Ei:d1 ~h4. Black was risking to get checkmated after the other retreats of the queen. White now wins a piece rather quickly. 20. 'Mrxh4 lLlxh4 21.Ei:d8+ ~f7 22.lLlb5 Wg6 23.ibd2 b6 24.ltJd6 ibb7 25. lLlxb7+-) 7.lLlf3 'lMrxe2+ (7 ... lLlf6 33

Chapter 2 8.lIJc3;!;) 8.~xe2 dS 9.lIJc3 ~xfS 1O.lIJxdS 0-0-0 l1.lIJxf4 ~xc2 12.b4 lIJf6 13.~b2 cxb4 14.axb4 ~xb4 IS.0-0ii':; S.exfS (This move is also possible and White preserves some initiative after it. Black can equalize after a precise play, though.) S... W'h4+ 6.i>f1 f3!. This was the essence of Black's idea. He is now inflicting a double attack against c4 and g2. White must push now his d2-pawn one or two squares forward. We are going to check both possibilities: 7.d3 fxg2+ S.i>xg2 d5!. Black cannot afford not reacting immediately! (The following line is very instructive: S ... lIJe7 9.lIJh3 ctJxfS 1O.Ei:el + ~e7 1l.~gS W'd4 12. lIJc3 W'd6 13.lIJdS lIJc6 14.W'g4+-) 9.~xdS lIJe7 10.W'e2 lIJbc6 11. ~xc6+ bxc6 12.lIJc3 ~xfS 13.lIJe4 O-O-O!oo; 7.d4 fxg2+ S.i>xg2 lIJc6 (S ... W'xd4 9.W'xd4 cxd4 1O.lIJf3 lIJc6 11.Ei:el+ ~e7 12.~f4 d6 13.~xd6 ~xfSI4.~xgS Ei:xgS1S.lIJxd4l1Jxd4 16.Ei:xe7+ i>dS 17.CUc3 ~d71S.Ei:d1 lIJfS oo ) 9.cuf3 W'g4+ 1O.i>f2 cuf6 (1O ... lIJxd411.Ei:eU) 1l.Ei:e1 + lIJe4+ 12.i>f1! W'h3+ (12 ... W'xfS 13.CUc3 lIJxd4 14.Ei:xe4+-) 13.i>gl W'g4+ 14.i>hl ~e7 15.W'e2 cud6 16.Ei:g1 W'hS 17.Ei:xg7 lIJxc4 lS.f6 cxd4 19J''\xe7+ i>dS (19 ... i>fS 20.lIJeS W'xe2 21.~h6+ i>gS 22.f7#) 20. lIJgS!. This is White's best decision. He trades queens and enters a quite favourable endgame. 20 ... W'xe2 21.Ei:xe2 CU4e5 22.~f4 d6 23.lIJd2 Ei:fS 24.CUde4 h6 2S.lIJh7 34

~g4

26.lIJxfS ~xe2 27.i>gl i>eS 1l ... ~e7! 12.lIJc3 lIJxd4 13.lIJxd4 cxd4 14.W'xg4 lIJxg4+ IS.i>g3 dxc3 16.i>xg4 i>dS 17. bxc3oo. Now we know that Black has counterplay after S.exf5. S ••• W'h4+ 6.i>f1lL\f6 6 ... fxe4 7.lIJxe4l1Jf6 S.lIJf3 W'h6 9.W'e2 lIJxe4 1O.W'xe4+ ~e7 11.d4 g5 12.h4! (This powerful strike emphasizes the vulnerability of Black's fortifications on the kingside. He is now forced to comply with a quite unfavourable exchange of queens.) 12 ... W'g6 13. lIJxg5 W'xe4 14.lIJxe4 cxd4 lS.~xf4 Ei:fS16.g3l1Jc617.i>g2±. 7.cu£31!f1hS S.d3 gS 9.h4! Both opponents should bear in mind the possibility of that move! Black is again forced to comply with considerable positional concessions. 9 ... fxe4 It is hopeless for Black to play 9 ... g4? 1O.lIJgS dS 1l.lL\xdS+-. 10.dxe4lL\c611.eSlL\g4 28.~xh6±.

12.~e2!

(12.lIJdS i>dS 13.e6 lIJgeS 14. lIJf6 W'g61S.exd7l1Jxc416.dxcSW'+ i>xcS17.W'd7+ i>bS1S.hxgSlIJe3+ 19.~xe3 fxe3 20.Ei:e1 W'xc2 21.

l.e4 cS 2.a3 eS 3.f4 Elxe3;1;.) 12 ... i.g7 (12 ... lUe3+ 13. i.xe3 fxe3 14.lUxg5+-) 13.lUd5 0-0 14.@gl d6 15.exd6 lUd4 16.c3 lLlxe2+ 17.Wxe2 lUe5 18. hxg5 lLlxf3+ 19.Wxf3+-. So, Black is too far from equality after the counterstrike 4 ... fS. d2) 4 ..• \Mfh4+

Black succeeds to deprive White of the right to castle after that move for sure. This is hardly so important in this position, though. 5.@f1 I doubt that Black will manage to exploit the fact that White cannot castle. Moreover White can attack the enemy queen and gain tempi for development. Black's extra pawn is presently immaterial. 5 •.. g5 S... lLlc6 6.lLlf3 \MfhS 7.lLlc3 lLlf6 B.d4!? ttJxd4 9.i.xf4 ttJxf3 10.\Mfxf3 \Mfxf3+ 11.gxf3 (White is a pawn down in this endgame, but he has more than sufficient compensation for it. Black has problems to parry the numerous threats of the excellently developed opponent's pieces.) 11...a6 (Black must waste

one more tempo to defend against the annoying threat of a move like ttJbS.) 12.Eld1 bS 13.ttJdS Ela7 14. lUxf6+ gxf6 lS.i.dS d6 16.Elg1ii5. White's chances are definitely better, but since he is not yet winning by force I would only qualify what he has as "compensation"! S... lLlf6 6.ttJf3 \MfhS 7.ttJc3 ttJc6 B.b4!? (The possibility of this sharp tactical strike on the side reminds us once again how useful it is for White to have played a2a3 in the first place! It is too slow for him to play instead B.d3 i.d6!?oo) B... ttJeS (B ... cxb4 9.ttJdS i.d6 1O.lUxf6+ gxf6 1l.axb4 i.xb4 12.i.b2 ElgB 13.d4 bS 14.i.dS i.b7 lS.\Mfe2 a616.c4 bxc417.hc4 \Mfg6 1B.Elg1ii5) 9.ttJxeS ~xeS 1O.i.b2 cxb4 11.axb4 (11.d4?? \Mfc7!-+) 11. .. i.xb4 12.Ela4 ~cS 13.~e2ii5. 6.ttJf3 \Mfh5 7.h4! This powerful and quite timely strike does not let Black consolidate and fortify his kingside. 7 ••• g4 7 ... ttJf6 B.lUc3. White could have taken on gS neither with the knight nor with the pawn. (His queen as well as his rook on h1 were defenceless). Now the capture with the knight becomes possible, but not forced at all! B... ttJc6 9.eS! (White could have recaptured his pawn immediately with 9.ttJxgS, but after 9 ... ~xd1+ 10. ttJxd1 he was losing something much more important - the initiative!) 9 ... ttJg4 10.lLldS @dB 1l.i.e2 \Mfg612.hxgSlUgxeS (Black cannot change anything with 12 ... ttJcxeS 3S

Chapter 2 13.cuxe5 - see 12 ... cugxe5) 13.CUxe5 CUxe5 14.d4 cxd4 15.~xd4 1i.g7 16.1i.xf4 d6 (16 ... 11h'xc2 17J'1c1 ~f5 18.~c3!+-) 17.cuf61i.xf618.~xd6+

1i.d719.gxf6 Elg8 20.Elh2+-. 7... h6. White can (with the help of a strikingly elegant exchange combination) transfer to a favourable endgame with: 8.1i.xf7 +!! ~xf7 (Black loses his queen after 8 ... @xf7?? 9.cue5+ @e61O.~xh5+-) 9. cue5 ~g7 1O.~h5+ @e7 1l.cug6+ @d8 12.ctlxh8 ~xh8 13.hxg5 ~e5 14.gxh6 ~xh5 15.Elxh51i.xh6 16.d3 d6 17.g3±. This endgame is very favourable for White if we have in mind the material ratio. He has a rook and two pawns for a couple oflight pieces. Black will be forced to fight for a draw for a long time and most probably he will succumb at the end. 8.cug5 cuh6 9.d4 f6

9 ... cxd4

1O.~xd4

Elg8 11.cuxh7

1i.e712.1i.xf4+-.

10.cuh3 \Wxh4 1O .. .f3?? 1l.cuf4+-.

1l.g3!! This move is unbelievably strong and worth remembering. The pawn comes under a double attack! 11 ..• ~xg3 (l1...fxg3 12. cuf2!+-) 12.hf4 \Wf3+ (12 ... ~h4 13.cuf2+-) 13.\Wxf3 gxf3 14.cuc3 d6 (14 ... CUg4 15.cud5+-) 15.cub5 @d716.dxc5±.

Conclusions The "new King's Gambit" that we have dealt with in this chapter is very interesting. You can have the experience of playing many beautiful games and exciting combinations if you try it in practice. The evaluation of the "ordinary" King's Gambit (after 1. e4 e52.j4) isfar from clear presently, so it is more than evident that you can expect to make plenty of interesting discoveries in the "new gambit"! If you wish to experiment in a quite new field - play the "new King's Gambit" and try to do your best! The psychological aspect is quite essential too. People who play the Sicilian Defence usually have a very vague idea about the methods of defence in the King's Gambit. That is hardly surprising - no one can know everything, can he? You can serve your opponent with a nasty surprise if you master the methods of attack for White. He will have to solve quite unfamiliar problems in wild tactical positions that are so very differentfrom his beloved Sicilian Defence. You should notforget the old wisdom of the great army commanders of the past: "To surprise means to conquer!" 36

Chapter 3

l.e4 cS 2.a3 lLlc6

This is the most popular choice! Well, a logical move like that cannot be weak indeed. It has a certain drawback, though; White can play b2-b4, sacrificing a pawn. The black knight on c6 will have to lose tempi and White's development will be speeded up. 3.b4! Black's most principled reply3 ... c5xb4 will be analysed in Chapters 4-5, while Black has tried numerous times to play prudently without accepting the gambit: a) 3 ... e6, b) 3 ... d6 and c) 3 ... eS. We are going to have a look in short at some other moves that are not particularly important: 3 ... CtJf6 4.b5 CtJe5 5.~b2 d6

a) 3 ... e6 This move is not so bad in principle, but it is too tentative and slow. White has several excellent possibilities at his disposal. 4.~b2

This is White's most energetic move. In Chapter 10-11 (in which we analyse the 2 ... e6 defensive scheme) White's strategy is mostly based on the power of this bishop and its pressure on the g7 square. It is also very good for White to follow with 4.b5CtJe5 (4 ... CtJd4?? 5.c3+-) 5.~b2 CtJg6 6.d4 cxd4 7.~xd4 d5 8.exd5 exd5 9.~d3CtJf6 1O.CtJf3 ~e711.0-0 0-0 12.CtJbd2;!;;. 4 ... cxb4 S.axb4lLlxb4 6.lLlf3 dS

6.CtJc3;!;;;

3 ... d5?! (This counterstrike is only helping White's development.) 4.exd5 ~xd5 5.CtJc3 ~e6+ 6.~e2 cxb4 7.CtJb5 vtie5 8.d4 ~b8 9.d5 CtJe5 1O.axb4 ~d7 11.~f4 a6 12.~d2 ~xb5 13.~xb5+ axb5 14. E1xa8 ~xa8 15.~xe5+-; 3 ... g6?! 4.bxc5 ~g7 and after the calm move 5.c3Âą Black will hardly be able to recapture his pawn.

7.exdS! White preserves a powerful ini-

Chapter 3 tiative after all possible captures on dS. 7 •.. lLlxd5 7... exdS 8.ibS+ id79.ixd7+ lWxd71O.0-0 lLlf6 1Ufe1+ ie712. ixf6 gxf613.d4 2:g8 14.lLlbd2 2:c8 lS.2:xa7 lLlxc2 16.2:e2:i5; 7... lWxdS 8.lLlc3lWfS 9.ibS+ id71O.ixd7+ <tilxd711.0-0! The defencelessness of the c2-pawn is only superficial and White usually pays no attention to it. 11. .. tt'lxc2 (1l ... iWxc2 12.lLleS <tile813.iWf3+-) 12.2:c1 tt'lb4 13.iWa4+ tt'lc6 14.2:fe1 <tild8 IS. tt'ld4+-. S.lLle5 lLlgf6 8 ... iWb6 9.iWhS g6 1O.iWf3 f6 11.tt'lc4 iWc612.ie2 eS13.0-0 tt'lf4? 14.tt'lxeS fxeS1S.ixeS+-. 9.lLla3ie710.ib5+ .id711. lLlxd7 lLlxd7 12 ..ixg7 2:gS 13. .ib22:xg2

14.iWf3:i5 The activity of the white bishops is evidently more than enough to compensate the pawn deficit. b) 3 ••• d6

(diagram) Black ignores White's b4-pawn and awaits developments. 4.f4!? 38

This is another interesting line with a pawn-sacrifice. White's chances to confuse the opponent after it are considerable. It is also good and quite logical for him toplay4.bS - ifBlackdemonstrates his reluctance to accept the pawn sacrifice then White can use the same pawn to harrass the enemy knight. He wins tempi in that fashion after all! 4 ... tt'laS (The knight on as is only seldom placed well. I think however that the other retreats are even worse. For example after the provocative move 4 ... tt'ld4 - White can repel the knight and occupy the centre with tempo: S.c3 tt'le6 6.d4 cxd4 7.cxd4 dS 8.eS g6 9.tt'lf3 tt'lh6 1O ..id3 tt'lfS 11.lWa4ig7 12.0-0::1;. The passive retreat 4 ... tt'lb8 enables White to act at ease all over the whole board. s.ib2 tt'ld7 6.f4 eS Mazuchowski - Triplett, Lansing 1989, 7.iWf3! It is important that Black cannot attack the white queen with anything at all. Therefore, White defends his f4pawn and completes calmly his development preparing his attack patiently. 7... tt'lgf6 8.tt'lc3 .ie7 9. tt'lh3 0-0 1O.ie2 exf411.0-0 tt'leS 12.iWxf4 ixh3 13.gxh3. White

l.e4 c5 2.a3 cuc63.b4 should not mind having his pawns doubled like that - this is in fact more dangerous for Black's king than for its white counterpart! 13 ... Wfd7 14.Wfg3 1'i:feS lS.1'i:f2 Wfe6 16.1'i:af1 ~hS 17.1'i:g2 cug6 lS.d3;!:;. White can create some problems for his opponent on the kingside.) S.c4 cuf6 6.cuc3 g6 7.ii.e2!? ii.g7 S.1'i:b1 (This move is easy to explain - White's e4-pawn was under attack.) S ... O-O 9.g4!? (This is a quite original idea! White starts an offensive on the kingside even before completing his development. This seems to be rather dangerous for Black.) 9 ... cueS 1O.h4 f6 11.hS g5 12.h6 ii.hS 13.f3 ii.e6 14.cudS ii.xdS lS.cxdS;!:; Suttles - Van der Weide, Vancouver 1979.

4 ... cuf6 4 ... dS (Black loses a tempo with that move indeed, but he is trying to exploit the fact that White has played f2-f4. His hopes are not quite justified, though. White can preserve his advantage.) S.exdS WfxdS 6.cuc3 Wfe6+ (6 ... WffS 7.cuf3 cud4 S.ii.bS+ cuxbS 9.cuxbS Wfxf4 1O.d4 11-lfe4+ 11.~f2 Wfc6 12.c4 a6 13.dS 11-lfb6 14.cuc3 cxb4+ lS.ii.e3 WfaS 16.axb4 Wfxb4

17.lubS Wfxc41S.Wfe2! After the exchange of Black's only active piece - the queen, he is practically helpless and suffers decisive material losses immediately. lS ... Wfxe2+ 19.~xe2 1'i:bS 20.cuc7+ ~dS 2I. ii.b6+-; 20 ... ~d7 21.1'i:hc1+-) 7.ii.e2 cxb4 S.cubS ~dS 9.d4ltJf6 1O.cuf3 ltJdS 1l.axb4 cucxb4 12.c4 ltJe3 13.ii.xe3 Wfxe3 14.cueS ii.fS lS.cuxf7 ~eS 16.1'i:a3 cuc2+ (16 ... Wfxf4 17. 1'i:f3+-) 17.Wfxc2 hc2 lS.1'i:xe3 ~xf7 19.ii.f3Â±.

4 ... cxb4 S.axb4 ltJxb4 6.d4 d5 7.c3 ltJc6 S.exd5 WfxdS 9.cua3! (This flank development of the white knight is very dangerous for Black! It is interesting that he could have obtained the same position, but with a white pawn on f2, instead of on f4, if he had played 3 ... cxb4. I am not going to assert definitely that White has profited so much by this quite non-standard win of a tempo in the opening, but his position did not become worse because of it either. Black now must consider White's knight penetration on eS.) 9 ... e6 (9 ... cuf6 1O.ltJbS Wfe4+ II. ii.e2 ~dS12.cuf3 ii.g413.0-0 e614. c4 ii.b4 lS.ii.d3 ii.xf3 16.gxf3!+-; 1O ... WfdS 11.dS ii.g4 12.11-lfb3 CUbS 13.Wfc4+-; 9 ... ii.fS 10.ltJc4 e6 II. cue3! It becomes clear now that White's knight can also go to other squares, besides b6! 11 ... Wfe4 12.Wfb3 b6 13.ii.a6 ltJge7 14.cue2. Black's centralized queen is suddenly endangered. 14 ... ii.g6 IS. 0-0 ltJf5 16.ltJxfS ii.xfS 17.cug3+-; 16 ... exfS 17.1'i:f3+-) 1O.ltJc4 WfdS 39

Chapter 3 (l0 ... ClJf6? It is amazing, but after that seemingly natural move Black loses at least the exchange and he is on the verge of defeat. 11.ClJb6 'lWe4+ 12.lt>f2 E'1b813.~d3! It turns out now that White's main object for attack was Black's queen and not the rook on as! Black manages to save it, but he is faced with another problem, which causes his demise. 13 ... ClJg4+ 14.lt>g3 ClJe3 lS.~xe4 ClJxd1 16.~xc6+ bxc6 17. ClJxcS E1xcS lS.ClJe2+- Black loses his unfortunate knight now. The other possibility for Black is more or less based on the same motives: 10 ... 'lWe4+ 1l.lt>f2 ClJf612.~d3 ClJg4 13.lt>g3+-; 12 ... 'lWdS 13.ClJb6 axb6 14.E1xaS+-) l1.ClJf3 ClJf6 12.~d3 (White's powerful pressure in the centre and on the kingside is more than compensating the pawn deficit.) 12 ... ~e7 (12 ... ClJdS13.~d2 ~e7 14.0-0 0-0 lS.ClJceS±) 13.0-0 0-0 14.ClJceS 'lWc7 lS.~d2 b6 16. 'lWc2 ~b717.ClJgS g6 (That is Black's best defence! White checkmates immediately after the careless 17... h6?? lS.~h7+-) lS.hg6! hxg6 19.ClJexf7 E1xf7 20.ClJxe6! 'lWcS 21. 'lWxg6+ It>hS 22.'lWxf7±. 4 ... eS S.ClJf3! (This is played again in the already familiar gambit spirit.) S... exf4 (S ... cxb4 6.axb4 exf4 7.d4 gS S.bS ClJbS 9.~c4 g4 10.0-0! This knight-sacrifice is much more typical for the King's Gambit than for the Sicilian Defence. 1O ... gxf3 11.'Wxf3 ~g7 12. ~xf4! ~xd4+ 13.i>h1 hal14.~eS! f6 lS.ha1 White is a whole rook down and he has not created any 40

decisive threats yet, but I still prefer his position! lS ... 'lWe7 16.ClJc3 ~e6 17.~xe6 'lWxe6 lS.ClJdS It>dS 19.'lWc3±) 6.d4! ClJxd4 7.ClJc3!! (The development is the most important factor here! White has already sacrificed two pawns, but he has plenty of aggressive possibilities.) 7 ... ~g4 (7 ... ClJxf3+ S.'lWxf3'IWh4+ 9. g3 fxg3 1O.hxg3 'lWf6 l1.~bS+ ~d7 12.hd7+ It>xd7 13.~f4 E1cS 14.eS 'lWe6 lS.0-0-0+-; 11...lt>dS 12. ~f4 gS13.eS! 'lWg714.~e3'IWxeS1S. 0-0-0 ~g4 16.'lWxb7 'lWxe3+ 17. It>b2 E1c81S.E1he1 cxb419.E'1xe3+-; lS ... g4 16.~f4! gxf3 17.~xeS f6 18. ~xd6 ~xd619.bxcS ~g4 20.E1he1!± and White manages to create powerful threats, despite the early exchange of the queens.) S.bxcS ClJxf3+ (S ... ~xf3 9.'lWxd4±; 8 ... dxcS 9.ClJxd4 hd11O.~bS+ It>e711.ClJdS i>d6?? 12.hf4#; 1l...'lWxdS12.exdS cxd4 13.lt>xd1ro; 9 ... 'lWh4+ 1O.g3 fxg311.ClJf3 g2+ 12.ClJxh4 gxh1'IW 13. 'lWxg4±; 9 ... 'lWxd4 1O.'lWxd4 cxd4 1l.ClJbS E1cS 12.~xf4 E'1xc2 13.ClJxd4 E1cS 14.~bS+ ~d71S.~xd7+ i>xd7 16.E'1b1 b617.ClJbS a618.E1d1+ It>c6? 19.ClJa7+ i>b7 20.E'1d7+ It>aS 21. ClJxcS+-; lS ... lt>e7 19.~d6+ It>e6 20.ClJc7+ It>f6 21.0-0+ i>g6 22. ~xfS E1xc7 23.E1d3 f6 24.E1g3+ i>h6 2S.E1ff3!! Black is totally helpless. 2S .. .fS 26.E1xg7! E1xg7 27.E1g3!+-. This endgame combination is just exquisite.) 9.gxf3'IWh4+ 1O.i>e2 (It is not dangerous for White that his king has not castled yet. Black has no time to attack it, since he has plenty of defensive problems of his own!) 1O ... ~e6 l1.ClJdS 0-0-0

1.e4 cS 2.a3 CLlc63.b4 12.c6! bxc6 13.c4!! (It becomes clear now that Black's castled king is defended much worse than White's king.) 13 .. J'1d7 (13 ... cxdS might lead by transposition to the line 13 ... Eld7 -14.cxdS .ih31S.Elbl .ixf1+ 16.Elxfl Eld717.~b3 rj;>dB1B. ~bB+ rj;>e719.eS etc.) 14.Elb1 cxdS lS.cxdS .ih3 16. ~b3 hf1 + 17.Elxf1 rj;>dB 1B.~bB+ rj;>e7 19.eS ~xh2+ 20.Elf2 ~h6 21.Elb4! (White has nothing better than a draw after the attractive: 21.Elb7? Elxb7 22. ~xb7+ rj;>eB=) 21...EldB 22.~xa7+ Eld7 23.exd6+ ~xd6 24.Ele4+ rj;>dB 2S:~aB+ @c7 26.Elc4+-. 5.tDc3 S.bS CLlaS 6.CLlc3 dS 7.eS d4!=. 5 ••• cxb4 S ... eS 6.CLlf3 exf4 7.d4 cxd4 B.CLlxd4 CLlxe4!? 9.CLlxe4 ~e7 10. CLlbS! ~xe4+ 11.~e2 ~xe2+ 12. he2 @dB 13.hf4;!;. 6.ax:b4 tDxb4

7.Ela4! It is not easy to conceive of any

other opening in which White can make use of his rook so early and so effectively at that! This might be a nasty surprise for the opponent! 7 .•• tDc6

Black would be reluctant to retreat with this knight, but the other moves are even more dangerous for him: 7 ... aS 8 ..ibS+ .id7 9.~e2!? CLlxc2+ 1O.~d1 CLlb411..ia3 CLlc612. eS (White's attack is very unusual! Black's lag in development is so great that White is not ham pre red even by the "strange" placement of his king on d1.) 12 ... .ig4 13.CLlf3 dxeS 14.fxeS CLldS lS.CLlxdS ~xdS 16.Elxg4 Wfb3+ 17.@e1 ~b1+ (17 ... ~xa3 1B ..ixc6+ bxc6 19.~c4 @d7 20.e6+ @c7 21.CLld4 ~a1+ 22.@e2 ~xh1 23.~xc6+ @bB 24.CLlbS+-) 1B.@f2 ~xhl19.Elc4! ~b120.Elxc6 bxc6 21.hc6+ @dB 22.haB ~b6+ 23.d4±; 7 ... .ig4 B.CLlf3 CLlc6 9.eS dxe5 10.fxeS CLlxeS 1l.CLlxeS! .ixd1 12. .ibS+ CLld7 13 ..ixd7+ ~xd7 14. CLlxd7.ixc2 lS.Ela2±. White wins a piece and Black's pawns are not sufficient to compensate for it. 8.tDf3 d5 B... g6 (This move is too slow and White manages to complicate the game quite favourably. His rook on a4 is the key-piece of the operation.) 9.e5 dxe5 1O.fxe5 CLldS 11. CLlxd5 WfxdS 12 ..ic4 Wfe4+ 13. @f2 (Black should be very careful, since White is threatening to sacrifice on f7 and Black might lose his queen in a flash!) 13 ... ~fS 14 ..ib2 .ig7 lS ..id3 ~e6 16. CLlg5 ~d5 (16 ... ~d7? 17.e6 fxe61B. .ixg7+-) 17.tc4 ~cS+ 1B.d4 ~b6 19 ..ixf7+ @f8 20 ..ib3 CLlxeS 21.Elf1 .if6 22.@gl \t>g723.CLle4±. B... e6 9.eS dxeS 1O.fxeS CLld7 41

Chapter 3 11.~bS lLlb612J:'\g4!? (This attacking resource is really non-standard!) 12 ... a6 13.~xc6+ bxc6 14. 0-0 as lS.lLle4 ~a6 16.d3 a4 17. lLlfgSl"Ia71S.l"Igf4 (White's powerful pressure against the fl-square turns out to be more important than Black's passed pawn on the a-file.) lS .. .'&d4+ 19.~h1 WxeS 20.lLlxfl l"Ixfl 21.l"Ixfl+-. 9.e5 ttJd7 9 .. .':tJg41O.Cbd4 a611.Wf3 Cbxd4 12.l"Ixd4 Wb6 13.l"IxdS ~e6 14.l"Id3 l"IcS (14 ... ~c4?? lS.~xg4+-) lS.h3 Cbh6 16.g4 ~c4 17.l"Ie3 (White's manoeuvers with this rook are quite amazing and also very dangerous for Black!) 17... ~xf11S.l"Ixf1 e6 19.fS ~cS 20.l"Id3 Wc7 21.Wf4 0-0 22.f6+-.

gains time to create decisive threats later.) lS ... Cbxb4 16.~bS+ lLlc6 17.Wxg7 l"IfS lS.~a3 l"If4 19. l"If1!! (This sudden offer of exchanging rooks leads to a situation in which Black's king is left almost defenceless! His pieces on the queenside fail to join in the action.) 19 ... Wh4+ 20.g3l"1xf1+ (20 ... l"le4+ 21.Cbxe4 Wxe4+ 22.~d2 ~xd4+ 23.~d3+-) 21.~xf1 Wh3+ 22.~gl+-.

12.h4! This attacking move is quite justified, because Black's g6-pawn is an attractive target. 12 ••• ~g713.h5 ttJc5 13 ... Cbb6 14.l"Ia1 0-0 lS.hxg6 hxg6 16.~d3 Cbxd4 17.~xg6~. 14.l"la3 ttJe4 15.hxg6 ttJxc3 lS ... hxg6 16.l"IxhS+ ~xhS 17. ~d3 CtJxc3 lS.l"Ixc3 ~fl 19.~xg6+ ~xg6 20.lLleS+ heS 21.l"Ig3+ ~fl 22.WhS+ ~fS 23.fxeS WaS+ 24. ~dl+-.

16.l"lxc3 hxg6 17.l"lxhS+ hhS lS.~d3 ~f7

10.e6! This standard pawn-sacrifice is with the idea to disrupt Black's kingside development. 10 ••• f:xe6 1l.d4 g6 White is quite well prepared against Black's counterstrike: ll ... eS 12.CtJxeS CtJdxeS 13.fxeS e6 14.Wg4 ~b4 lS.l"Ixb4! (White sacrifices the exchange in order to prevent Black from castling and

19.~xg6+ c.t>xg6 20.ttJe5+ ~xe5 21.l"lg3+ ~f7 22.Wh5+ ~:f8 23.f:xe5+-, and White check-

mates in three!

l.e4 cS 2.a3 lLlc63.b4 c) 3 ... e5

4.b5 White prefers not to sacrifice a pawn. 4.f4?! (This strike is quite arguable! The chance that Black might get confused and fail to find the best defence in this sharp position is quite considerable. Still I do not recommend playing that move more than once or twice, since Black would be then prepared and could at least equalize!) 4 ... dS!? (4 ... exf4 S.lLlf3 cxb4 6. axb4 .ixb4 7.c3 .ie7 8.d4 .ih4+ 9.me2 d6 w.hf4ii6) S.exdS1ftfxdS 6.lLlc3 (6.lLlf3 1ftfe4+ 7..ie2 1ftfxf4 8.d4 1ftff6 9 ..igS 1ftfg6 10.0-0 e4 1l.lLleS 1ftfxgS 12.lLlxf7 1ftfe3+ 13. mh1ii6) 6 ...1ftfe6 7.lLlbS exf4+ 8 ..ie2 1ftfeS 9.~b1 a6 W.lLlf3 1ftfb8 11.lLlc3 cxb4 12.axb4 .ixb4 13.lLldS .iaS 14..ib2 f6 lS.0-0 1ftfd6 16.c4lLlge7 17.1ftfb3 1ftfd8 18.lLlxf4 1ftfb6+ 19. 1ftfxb6 hb6+ 20.d4ii6. 4.lLlf3 (This is a good move. White's compensation for the sacrificed pawn is sufficient if Black captures it.) 4 ... cxb4 S.axb4 hb4 6.c3 (This position is a bit similar to the famous Evans Gambit, which was a powerful weapon for

several generations of attacking players! It is not a surprise that White can create plenty of problems for his opponent rather soon.) 6 ....\tcS 7.~c4 (It is also very good for White to play 7.d4 exd4 8 ..ic4 dxc3 9.hf7+ mxf7W.1ftfdS+ mf8 11.1ftfxcS+ d6 12.1ftfxc3 lLlf6 13.0-0 lLlxe4 14.1ftfa3 as lS.lLlc3 lLlxc3 16:~xc3 .ig4 17.~b2 1ftfd7 18.~a4! hf319J':\f4+ mg8 20.1ftfxf3 1ftfe6 21..ixg7 <;t>xg7 22.~g4+-; 8 ...1ftff6 9.0-0 lLlge7 W.eS lLlxeS 1l.lLlxeS 1ftfxeS 12.~e1 1ftff6 13.lLld2 dxc3 14.lLle4 1ftfd4 lS.lLlxcS 1ftfxcS 16 ..ia3 1ftfxc4 17.1ftfd6! 0-0 18. '.Wxe7+-) 7 ... lLlf6 8.0-0 0-0 9.d4 .ie7 W.E1e1 '.Wc7 11..id3 d6 12 ..ie3 .ig4 13.lLlbd2 exd4 14.cxd4 ~fe8 lS.'.Wc2 1ftfd7 (lS ... h6?? 16.dS 1-0 Carson - Powe, corr. 1990) 16. 1ftfb1!ii6. 4 ... lLla5 4 ... lLlce7 S.lLlf3 f6 (Black's other possibility leads to a calm position quite favourable for White: S... d6 6 ..ic4 lLlf6 7.d3t. It is essential that White has already obtained some advantage on the queenside.) 6 ..ic4 (White can also try the aggressive pawn-sacrifice: 6.d4!? cxd4 7.c3 dS 8.exdS1ftfxdS 9.cxd4oo; 6 ... exd4 7.c3 dS 8.exdS 1ftfxdS 9.cxd4 cxd41O.lLlxd4lLlfSll ..ib2oo. White can also play here in the spirit of the English opening: 6.c4 d6 7.lLlc3 fS 8.g3! lLlf6 9.d3t) 6 ... dS 7.exdS lLlxdS 8.0-0 .ie6 9.~e1 (Black fails to consolidate his position in the centre.) 9 ....id6 (9 ... lLle3 1O.fxe3 .ixc4 11.lLlc3 1ftfaS 12.a4 0-0-0 13.lLlxeS fxeS 14. 43

Chapter 3 '%Vg4+ <;1:;>bS1S.'%Vxc4±; 12 .. .tIJh613. il.b2 EldS14.d3 ie61S.t2le4;!;) 1O.d4 cxd4 11.lIJxd4 il.f7 12.il.xdS ixdS 13.lIJc3 if714.lIJfS il.fS1S.'%Vf3 '%Vc7 16.Eld1 ig6 17.ib2 '%VcS lS.lIJd6+ il.xd6 19.Elxd6 lIJh6 (19 ... lIJe7 20. Eld2 0-0 21.Elad1 il.fS 22.lIJe4 Wie6 23.h3 ElacS 24.lIJd6 Elc7 2S.c4± Crafty 16.2 - Crafty 16.1/1, Notts 1999) 20.Elad1 0-0 21.El6d2 lIJfS 22.lIJdS Wics 23.a4± Crafty 16.2 Crafty 16.3/1, Notts 1999. 4 ... lIJd4 S.c3 lIJe6, Shchukin Arutiunov, Kiev 2002, 6.il.c4! (White's control over the dSsquare is essential in this position!) 6 ... '%VgS 7.g3 '%Vg6 S.d3 d6 9.f4! exf41O.gxf4 fS (This counterattacking move is definitely the most principled, but Black's difficulties after it are quickly going to be unsurmountable. It was possible that he had better comply with the inferior endgame after the queen trade: 1O ... Wig211.'%Vf3 Wixf3 12.lIJxf3;!;. Black's attempts to avoid that exchange are in favour of White: 11...Wic2 12.lIJe2 ie7 13.0-0 il.f6 14.eS il.e7 lS.lIJd2±; 13 ... lIJf614.eS lIJd71S.lIJd2! dxeS?? 16.il.b3+-; lS ... Wia4 16.Wie4±) 11. lIJe2 fxe4 12.lIJg3 Wif6 13.fS e3!? 14.il.xe3 lIJc7 lS.WihS+ g6 16.'%Ve2 ie7 17.lIJe4! '%VeS lS.Elfl! il.h4+ 19.<;1:;>d1 <;1:;>dS (19 ... ixfS 20.id4 cxd4 21.lIJxd6+-) 20.il.f4+-. S.c4 d6 6.d3 fS 7.ltJc3 il.e7 S.g3!

Whenever Black places his pawns on the cS-d6-eS squares in the opening - White should think about fianchettoing his bishop on g2. It usually becomes very powerful after opening ofthe game. S ••• llJf6 9.il.g2 fxe41 0 .lIJxe4 il.fS l1.ltJc3 a6 12.a4 0 - 0 13. ltJge2 '%VeS 14.ltJdS il.dS IS.ltJe3 il.g6 16.0 - 0 e4

We have reached a position from the game Kuipers - Ikonnikov, Vlissingen 1995. White has managed to outplay his formidable opponent and he could have obtained an almost decisive advantage after: 17.dxe4! il.xe4 IS.£3 il.g6 19.1tJf4 il.f7 20.Elel b6 21.il.b2 Wid7 22.il.h3 (White has an overwhelming edge on the kingside as well as in the centre. All that happened because Black's knight was essentially out of play on as.) 22 ••. Wib7 23.ltJe6 EleS 24.bxa6 Elxa6 2S.ltJxdS ElxdS 26.hf6 gxf6 27.ltJfS ltJc6 2S. '%Vd2 hc4 29.'%Vxd6!! ~xd6 30. ~eS+ 1!If7 31.ltJxd6+-.

Chapter 4

Capturing the pawn is Black's most principled decision. He should take that pawn indeed, why not? 4.axb4 White has been provided with a quite active fighting unit - the rook on a1! 4 .. .lbxb4 Black is naturally forced to capture that pawn; otherwise White's advantage is practically undisputed! 4 ... a6?! (Black will be forced to comply with White's lasting advantage after that weak move.) S.bS tLlbB 6.d4 e6 7.i.d3 dS B.eS iWb6 9.tLlf3 i.d71O.iWe2 tLle711.i.d2 iWdB 12. h4! (This is a quite appropriate way to emphasize White's advantage along the dark squares. White's play in that game is very instructive and it resembles the classical samples of French Defence strategy. It is in fact a quite different opening, but there is certain similarity.) 12 ... aS13.tLlc3 tLlcB 14.tLla4 b61S.tLlgS i.e716.iWf3 i,xgS 17.hxgS g61B.iWf6! iWxf619.gxf6 hS 20.g4 h4 21.i.gS h3 22.E1h2+Wege - Haase, Hessen 1991.

1.e4 c5 2.a3 lbc6 3.b4 cb

4 ... eS?! S.bS tLlbB 6.d4 i.b4+ 7.c3 i.d6 B.tLlf3 iWc7 9.E1a4 tLlf6 1O.E1c4 iWdB 1l.dxeS1-0 KroshkVrusimov, Internet 2004. 4 ... dS (This is Black's best method of playing in case he wants to avoid accepting the pawn-sacrifice. It is still insufficient to equalize, though ... ) S.bS! (This gain of a tempo is quite logical and it provides White with a lasting positional advantage. It is also good for him to follow with: S.exdS tLlxb4 6.c4 tLlf6?? 7.iWa4+- and White won a knight, Kroshk Desp, Internet 2004. Black had to play instead 6 ... e6!, with good chances for a successful defence.) S... tLld4 (S ... tLleS?! After that risky move, White has the pleasant choice between two promising lines: 6.f4 tLlg6 7.fS! e6!? B.fxg6! This might seem to be a mistake, but in fact, it is the most principled refutation of Black's interesting combination: B... iWh4+ 9.g3 iWxe4+ 1O.iWe2 iWxh111.gxf7+ ~xf7 12.tLlf3. Black's queen is beyond salvation now! 12 ... eS 13.tLlxeS+ ~f6 14.i.b2 iWe4 lS.iWxe4 dxe4 16.i.c4 i.e617.tLld7 + ~f71B.i.xe6+ 45

Chapter 4 ~xe6

19.'2lxfB+ l"1xfB 20.1xg7+-; 12 ... '2lf6 13.1b21b4 14.'2lc31xc3 1S.1xc3 eS 16.0-0-0 e4 17.1g2 exf3 1B.1xf3 ~xf3 19.~xf3 194 20.~f4hd1 21.~xdl±, or White can try the calmer: 6.d4 '2lc4 7. exdS ~xdS B.'2lc3 ~e6+ 9.1e2 '2lb6 1O.'2lf3 '2lf6 11.0-0 g6 12.l"1e11g7 13.1a3 0-0 14.1d3+-; 6 ... '2lg6 7. exdS ~xdS B.c4 ~e4+ 9.1e3 eSlO. '2lc3 1b4 11.~d2 i.xc3 12.~xc3±. Black loses after 9 ... 1fS 1O.'2lc3 ~e6 11.'2ldS! ~cB 12.b6!+-; 10 ... ~c2 11.~xc2 1xc2 12.'2ldS §:bB 13.l"1xa7+-) 6.c3 '2le6 7.exdS ~xdS B.d4 (It is obvious that the black knight on e6 is misplaced and it stands in the way of its own pieces.) B... '2lf6 9.'2lf3 g6 (9 ... '2lc7 - this attempt to find a better square for the knight did not bring Black any success at all: 1O.c4 ~e4+ 11.1e2 194 12.0-0 e6 13. '2lc3 ~g6 14.'2leS 1xe2 IS.'2lxe2 ~e416.'2lg3 ~h417.ltJf3 ~g41B.h3 ~g6 19.'2leS 1-0 Kroshk - Grind, Internet 2004) 1O.c4 ~dB (Black's queen is in grave danger after: 10 ... ~e4+ 11.1e2 197 12.'2lc3 ~g4 13. h3! ~xg2 14.l"1h2+-; 13 ... ~hS 14. ltJgS ~h4 IS.ltJxe6 he6 16.g3+-) 11.1e2 197 12.ltJc3 0-0 13.0-0 ltJhS 14.ltJdS b6 IS.ltJeS (White's centralized knights are very powerful. Black is incapable to cope with them.) IS ... 1b7 16.1f3 ~d6 17.1a3ltJcS1B.l"1e1 heSl9.l"1xeS e6 20.l"1xhS exdS 21.dxcS bxcs 22. 1xdS gxhS 23.hf7+ §:xf7 24.~xd6 l"1afB 2S.1xcS §:xf2 26.1xf2 1-0 Kroshk - delorme, Internet 2004. After Black captures the sacri-

ficed pawn with 4 ... '2lxb4, White can proceed with the development of his initiative in several ways. We will analyse two of them - S.l"1a4 in this chapter and S.d4 in the next chapter. 5.l3a4!?

This idea is interesting, but a bit arguable, though ... That nonstandard move forces Black to solve immediately rather unusual problems. White's rook goes quite rarely to the a4-square on move five in the game of chess, indeed! This move however demands a rather creative approach not only from Black, but from White too! The rook might turn out to be a target for attack for Black's pieces and pawns if White fails to utilize it as an active attacking piece after some imprecision. Black has to make a choice between numerous possibilities: a) 5 ... aS, b) S ... ltJa6, c) S ... eS, d) S ... ~b6, e) S ... ltJc6 and f) S ... e6. a) S ... aS I am going to qualify that move as a positional mistake. Why is that? White can try to exploit

l.e4 cS 2.a3 tLJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab tLJb4 SJ'1a4 the weakening of the bS and b6 squares and penetrate with some of his pieces there. It is not so simple, though ... One 9hould not forget that the aspawn is a passed pawn and White's rook on a4 might feel a bit uncomfortable after that move. 6.tLJc3 White's other possibility 6.tLJf3 is also interesting. White can continue with his development calmly and avoid the immediate occupation of the centre with his pawns. This plan has certain attractive features, for example, his knight can be manoeuvred quickly to the eS-square with a great effect and his rook can go to the d4-square. This idea looks quite efficient. 6 ... dS 7.tLJeS tLJf6 8 ..ibS+ .id7 9.tLJxd7 tLJxd7 10.c3 tLJa6 11.exdS tLJc7 12.tLJa3 tLJxdS 13.'Wf3 e6 14. tLJc4 f6 (14 ... tLJc7 lS.tLJeS+-) IS. 0-0 .ie7 16.'WhS+ g6 17.'Wh3 @f7 18.d4 tLJ7b619.ElxaS;t;. It is also good for White to play 6.c3, for example: 6 ... tLJc6 7.d4 d6 8.dS ctJeS 9.f4 tLJg6 1O.tLJf3 .id7 (White can simply ignore this illusory attack against the rook.) 11.eS! bs (l1.. ..ixa4?? 12.'Wxa4+ 'Wd7 13 ..ibS+-) 12.Ele4 (White's rook is perfectly placed on that quite unusual square!) 12 ... 'Wc7 13 ..id3 fS (Black's position is cramped and this move is supposed to be played as the least of evils.) 14.Ele2 dxeS lS.fxeS e6 16. tLJd4 (16.dxe6 he617.tLJd4 .ic418. tLJxbS 'WcS19.tLJd6 .ixd6 20.exd6+ @d8 21..ie3 'Wc6 22.0-0 .ixd3

23.'Wxd3 tLJf6 24J''1xfS+-) 16 ... exdS 17.e6 .ic6 18 ..ixbS tLJ8e7 19.'Wa4 Elc8 20.0-0 f4 21.@h1(Whitewins too after: 21..ia3 .ixbS 22.'WxbS+ tLJc6 23.e7 ctJgxe7 24 . .ixe7 .ixe7 2S.Ele6+-) 2l...Elg8 22 ..ixf4 tLJxf4 23.tLJxc6 ItJxc6 24 ..ixc6+ 'Wxc6 2S.'Wxf4 Elc7 26.'Wf7+-. 6 ••• d5 7.exd5 tLJxd5

8.Eld4! It is easy to overlook an idea

like that with White! He recaptures his pawn with clearly better chances. 8 ... e6 White wins immediately after 8 ... tLJgf6?? 9.tLJxdS tLJxdSlO ..ibS+ .id711.ElxdS+-. 9.tLJxd5 exd5 10 •.ib5+ .id7 11. Elxd5 White's rook is strikingly mobile and powerful. It has already captured a vitally important enemy pawn and it is ready now for new exploits. 11 ... We7+ 12.ctJe2 hb5 Black will not be able to complete his development without material losses after: 12 ... tLJf6 13.hd7+ ctJxd714.0-0 tLJf61S.Eld3 'Wc7 16.tLJd4 .id6 17.ctJbS .ixh2+ 18.@h1 'Wf4 19 ..ia3 tLJe4 20.'We2 47

Chapter 4 'We5 21.ltJc7+ 'Wxc7 22.'Wxe4+ 1i.e5

23.1i.d6+-. 13.gxb5 'We7 14.0- 0 1i.d6 15.ttlg3 ttle7 16. ~f3 0 - 0 - 0 17.'Wxf7+-. b) 5 •.• ttla6

This unusual move is not bad at all. It is of course too difficultto find a forced win for White yet. Meanwhile I think that you will hardly confront such an ugly retreat of the knight in a practical game anytime soon. 6.d4 That is the most natural move. White occupies the centre and has an excellent compensation for the pawn. He can also try a positional solution to the problems: 6.1i.xa6!? bxa6 7.ltJc3 e6 S.l2Jf3 1i.b7 9.0-0 ltJf6lO.e5ltJdSll.ltJe4ltJb612J'ld4 gcS 13.d31i.xe414J'1xe4 d515.exd6 1i.xd6 16.1i.b2 0-0 17.'Wa1 g6 IS. c4~. The game will develop calmly now and I am reluctant to say that White has the advantage. 6 .•• d6 The other possibility for Black seems to be too risky: 6 ... d5?! 7.exdS 'WxdS S.ltJc3 'We6+ 9.1i.e3 1i.d7lO.dS 'WeS 11.liJb5 ltJf6 12.ltJf3 4S

'Wxd5 13.Elxa6 'Wxd1+ 14.Wxd1 bxa6 15.liJc7+ WdS 16.liJxaS WcS 17.1i.xa6+ wbS lS.We2! WxaS 19. Elb1. Black has succeeded to do what he was after - he exchanged queens and he recaptured his piece ... His position is however hopeless as a result! 19 ... 1i.c6 20.ltJe5 ltJd5 21. wd2 ltJc7 22.1i.cS 1i.d523.ltJd7+-. 7.ttle3 ttlf6 8.f4! This resolute move is most probably the best. White takes under control the all-important e5-square and plans to play soon e4-e5 himself. Note that the black knight on a6 cannot do anything about that. It is too slow for White to play: S.1i.b21i.d7 9.Ela3 (The attractive exchange sacrifice is unfortunatelyincorrect after: 9.'Wa1? 1i.xa4 lO.'Wxa4+ ltJd711.ltJf3ltJc712.1i.c4 a6-+) 9 ... ltJb4 lO.e5 dxe511.dxe5 ltJg412.ltJf31i.c6 13.'We2 e6°o. 8 ••• i.d79.ga3 White's rook is forced to retreat, but its activity is not over yet! 9 ••. ttlc710.gb3 ~c8 1l.1i.d3 e612.ttlf3 i.e713.i.a3

13 •.• a5

l.e4 cS 2.a3 tiJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab tiJb4 S.E1a4 Black is trying to organize some counterplay with the help of his passed pawn. He might like to castle, but that would hardly guarantee the safety of his king. Check the line: 13 ... 0-0 14.eS! (White makes use of the defenceless bishop on e7, since Black cannot capture on eS because of it.) 14 ... tiJfeS lS.h4! (This attacking motive is well familiarWhite exploits the fact that Black has not castled yet and so the swift offensive along the h-file becomes effective.) lS ... i.c6 16.tiJgS! (The classical bishop-sacrifice on h7 seems attractive, but it is not good enough after: 16.i.xh7+? <j;>xh7 17.tiJgS+ <j;>h6 lS.fS exfS 19.i.c1 dxeS-+) 16 .. .fS17.'MfhS h61S.'Mfg6!! (White forces Black to capture on gS and thus opens the h-file. His rooks have long been ready for such developments.) IS ... hxgS 19.hxgS i.xgS 20.fxgS tiJdS 21.tiJxdS i.xdS 22.i.c4! This is a simple combination based on the motive of deflection. 22 ... 'Mfxc4 23J!bh3+-. 14.eS! White's advance in the centre is very effective, because Black has not castled yet. 14 ••. a4 IS.gb2 lLlcd5 16. lLlxdS lLlxd517.c4! lLlxf4 White can now exploit the f-file to attack, after this forced capturing of the f-pawn by Black. 18.exd6 White's d6-pawn is a powerful force. Black's pieces are discoordina ted because of it and they can-

not cooperate harmoniously. 18 ... i.f6 19.0-0 0-0 20. lLle5 lLlxd3 21.'Mfxd3 %'1a7 This move enables White to sacrifice the exchange quite favourably. It would not have been easy for Black to defend the position after 21...i.xeS 22.dxeS± Black has no good prospects and White is totally dominant all over the board. The opposite coloured bishops contribute to his strong initiative.

22.gxf6! gxf6 23.lLlg4! (White must comply with a draw after the premature: 23.'Mfg3+? <j;>hS 24.'Mff4 24 ... fxeS 2S.'Mff6+ <j;>gS 26.~gS=, or 24.'Mfh4 fxeS 2S.'Mff6+ <j;>gS=) 23 ..• ~d8 24.gf2 fS 2S.lLlh6+ <j;>h8 26.dS! ~f6 (Black does not save the day after: 26 .. .f6 27.dxe6 i.xe6 2S.'Mfe3+with a double attack against a7 and e6.) 27.i.b2 eS 28.~e3 ge8 29.'Mfxa7 '\?;Yxh6 30.~xb7 ~xd6 31.cS 'Mfe7 32.c6 .tc8 33.~xe7 gxe734.d6+-. c) 5 •.. e5 6.lLlf3 This simple move might turn out to be the best after all. Black cannot defend his eS-pawn natu49

Chapter 4 rally (with the move d7-d6), because the knight on b4 will be hanging. He will have to lose precious time to retreat it, or else he must find some other means of defending the eS-pawn. It is weaker for White to play 6.c3lLlc6 7.d4 and it becomes clear that Black is well prepared for actions in the centre: 7 ... dS! 8.ibS lLlf6 9.lLlf3 ig4 10.dxeS lLlxe4 11.c4°o. White has failed to obtain any advantage at all.

After 6.lLlf3 we are going the analyse the following possibilities for Black: el) 6 ••• li:le6, e2) 6 ••. f6, e3) 6 ••• d5 and e4) 6 •.• li:lf6. el) 6 ••• li:le6 7.ib5 li:lge7 7 ... ics 8.0-0 lLlf6 9.lLlxeS! (This exchange combination is quite routine and it has been tried in numerous openings. White does not win material indeed, but the activity of his pieces increases considerably.) 9 ... ixf2+ (White is clearly better after another possible exchange: 9 ... li:lxeS 1O.d4 11ijb6 1l.dxeS 11ijxbs 12.tt:lc3±) 10. E1xf2 lLlxeS 11.d4 tt:lxe4 12.11ije2! (This move refutes Black's idea.) 12 ... lLlxf2 13.11ijxeS+ 11ije7 14.11ijxg7

11ije1+ 1S.if111ijxc116.11ijxh8+ <±>e7 17.11ijeS+ <±>f8 18.tt:lc3! (White's attack is quite enough to secure the win and he should of course avoid the draw by a perpetual.) 18 ... tt:lg4 19.11ijh8+ <±>e7 20.tt:ldS+ <±>d6 21.c4 11ijd2 22.E1a2!! (This combination based on the motive of deflection is very spectacular.) 22 ... 11ijxa2 23.11ijf8+ <±>e6 (23 ... <±>c6 24.11ijcS#) 24.11ije7+ <±>fS 2s.id3# 8.d4exd4 8 ... a6 9.0-0 11ijb6 1O.ixc6! (White is of course reluctant to trade his active bishop, but he solves his main problem in that fashion. His lead in development becomes a telling factor after it! It was also possible to play the attractive line: 1O.tt:la3!? exd4 11.c3 lLlg6 12.ixc6 dxc6 13.cxd4 ig4 14.h3 ixf3 1S.11ijxf3 ie7 oo ; 10 ... lLlxd4 11.tt:lxd4 exd4 12.E1e1 tt:lg6 13.eS! This is a piece sacrifice and Black's king might be in a real trouble if he accepts it. 13 ... ics 14.lLlc4 11ijxbS 1S.lLld6+ ixd6 16. exd6+ tt:leS 17.E1xd4 0-0 18.E1dS 11ijc6 19.E1dxeS bS 20.ih6 gxh6 21.E1Se3 <±>h8 22.E1g3 ib7 23.11ijg4 E1g8 24.11ijd4+-; 23 ... 11ijxg2+ 24. E1xg2 ixg2 2S.11ijd4+-; 13 ... ixa3 14.ixa3 11ijxbS 1S.E1xd4 b6 16.f4 ib7 17.fS tt:lxeS 18.c4 11ijc6 19. E1xeS+ <±>d8 20.11ijg4 E1g8 21.E1e7 hS 22.E1exd7+ 11ijxd7 23.E1xd7+ <±>xd7 24.11ijxhS E1ad8 2S.11ijxi7+ <±>c8 26. id6+-) 1O ... 11ijxc6 11.c4! (This excellent positional move defends the rook on a4 too!) 11...11ijxe4 (11. .. exd4 12.lLlxd4 11ijxe4 13.tt:lc3 11ijg6 14.lLldbS <±>d8 1S.if4 axbS

l.e4 c5 2.a3 lIJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lIJb4 5.E!a4 16.E!xaS Wif6 17.Wid2 bxc4 lS.lIJd5 lIJxd5 19 ..ig5+-) 12.lIJc3 Wic6 (12 ... Wif513.E!e1 f614.dxe5 fxe515.E!xe5 Wig6 16.lIJd5 WdS 17 ..ig5+-) 13. lIJxe5 Wie614.E!e1 d615.d5 Wixe516. E!xe5 dxe5 17.lIJb5 wd71S.c5+-.

9.c3! This is the only way for White to prove the effectiveness of his opening idea. The common capture on d4 might lead him into swift and decisive material losses after: 9.lIJxd4?! Wib61O.lIJc3l1Jxd4 11.E!xd4 lIJc6 12.E!d5 .ib4 13 ..ib2 lIJe714.0-0 .ixc3-+; 1O.lIJa3l1Jxd4 11.E!xd4l1Jc6 12.E!d5 .ixa3 13 ..ixa3 Wia5+ 14.Wid2'IWxa3-+. 9 ••• dxc3

Black cannot equalize either after he recaptures his pawn with 9 ... d3. The idea to refrain from accepting a pawn-sacrifice is usually connected with the attempt to avoid opening lines for the opponent. In this position, however White has already opened some lines and Black has nothing to do about it anymore. 10.'lWxd3 d5 11.0-0 a612.E!e1.id713.exd5 axb5 14.E!xaS 'lWxa8 15.lIJg5 f5 16 ..ia3 'lWa4 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.'lWd6+-. 10.tiJxc3 a6 11. 0 - 0 tLlg6

12.eS! White has acquired numerous positional advantages, but he wishes to open additionally the efile. Black can of course avoid accepting that sacrifice too, but White can penetrate to the b6square then. 12 ••• tLlcxeS 12 ....ie713.lIJd5 0-0 14 ..ie3 d6 . 15 ..ib6 Wid7 16.lIJxe7+ lIJgxe7 17. exd6;±;. 13.tLlxe5 tLlxe5 14J~~e1 f6

15.E!xe5+! This combination wins for White. 15 ••• fxeS 16.~h5+ g6 17Jbe5+ ~e7 18:~xh8 ~e1+ 19 •.if1'IWxc1 20.E!e4+ wf7 21. tLld5+-. c2) 6 ••• f6

Black defends his e5-pawn with 51

Chapter 4 this ugly move. A move like that in the opening cannot be recommended as a rule. This position is however rather extraordinary. The usual standard rules of opening development do not exclude it, but some exact reasoning applies too. We should also not forget that Black enjoys some material advantage! 7.d4 White needs that pawn break in the centre immediately. He should not be so much in a hurry to castle. The really important issue right now is what is going to happen in the centre. 7 ... exd4 7... dS 8 ..b3! (The fate of the black knight on b4 becomes critical now. It was not good for White to play 8.dxeS?! dxe4 9.~bS+ ~d7 1O.liJd4 ~xbS 1l.liJxbS Wxd1+ 12. ~xd1 0-0-0+ 13.liJd2 a614.liJd6+ ~xd6 lS.exd6 liJc6 16.liJxe4 fS 17.~b2 liJf6+) 8 ... aS (8 ... ~d7 9. :gxb4 WaSlO.c3 dxe411.liJfd2 ~b4 12.~xb4 WdS 13.~c4 Wc6 14.dS Wc7 lS.liJxe4+-; S ... Wd7 9.:gxb4 ~b4+ 10.~b4 dxe411.liJc3! exf3? 12.~bS+-) 9.exdS! (White has no advantage after 9.c3 liJc6 1O.dxeS ~xa3 11.liJxa3 dxe4 12.WxdS+ ~xdS 13.:gxe4 ~fS 14.:ge3=) 9 ... WxdS (9 ... ~fS 10.ibS+ ~f7 11. dxeS! ixc212.e6+ ~g613.Wd2 hS 14.ixb4 ixb4 lS.:gxb4 axb4 16. liJh4+ ~h7 17.Wxc2+-) 1O.liJc3 (Black's queen is an excellent target for attack.) 10 ... We611.liJbS! (It is important for White to create threats continuously. This is the S2

only way to fight for a win if you have sacrificed material early in the opening.) 11. .. exd4+ 12.~e2 Wb6 13.liJfxd4 ~d7 14.0-0 icS lS.c3 liJa6 16.:ge1 liJe7 17.ic4! (Black should now forget about his dream of castling.) 17 ... ixa3 lS. :gxa3 ~fS19.WhSliJg6 20.WdS ieS 21.:gxe8+ ~xeS 22.liJd6+ ~d7 23. We6+ ~d8 24.liJf7+ ~c7 2S.liJbS+ WxbS 26.Wd6+ ~cS 27.ie6+ Wd7 2S.ixd7# S.liJxd4

White's prospects are better, because Black's position has been quite evidently weakened. S ... d5 S ... Wb6 9.ie3 icS 1O.c3 liJc6 1l.liJd2 liJxd4 12.cxd4 ~b4 13.~c4 ~xd2+ 14.ixd2! liJe7 (14 ... Wxd4? lS.~f7+ ~xf7 16.:gxd4+-) lS.0-0 dS16.exdS id717.~aS Wd61S.~b4 Wc7 (lS ... Wf4 19.:gel+-) 19.Ele1 Wxc4 20.:gxe7+ ~dS 21.iaS+-. White has here another way of playing which is more complex and even more convincing, despite being longer: 21.:gxd7+ ~xd7 22.Wg4+ ~dS 23.ie7+ ~xe7 24. Wxg7 ~d6 2S.Wxf6+ ~xdS 26. WeS+-. 9.ib5+ ~d7

I.e4 c5 2.a3 'Oc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab 'Ob4 5.Ela4 9 ... <j;Jf7 10.c3 CLla6 11.Elxa6! bxa612 ..ic6 ElbB13 ..ixd5+ <j;Jg614. CLlc6 Vf1c7 15.f4 h6 16.f5+ <j;Jh7 17. Vf1h5+-. 10.exd5hb5 Black loses a piece after 10 ... CLlxd5? 1I.Vf1h5+ (or 1I.CLle6 Vf1cB 12.Vf1xd5+-) 11...g612.Vf1xd5+-. His other possibility leads to a similar result: 1O ... Vf1e7+ 11 ..ie3 a6 12.0-0 CLlxd513.Vf1h5+ g614.Vf1xd5 .ixb5 15.CLlxb5 EldB 16.Vf1f3 axb5 17.Ele4+-. 1l.CLlxb5.ic5

12.0-0 (White can win in anotherfashion too: 12.d6 <j;JfB 13.CLlC7 Vf1d714. CLlxaB Vf1xa415.d7'Oxc2+ 16. Vf1xc2 Vf1xc2 17.dBVf1+ <j;Jf7 1B.0-0 .ixf2+ 19.Elxf2 Vf1xcl+ 20.Elf1 Vf1e3+ 2I. <j;Jhl. White's extra piece is decisive now. 21...Vf1e2 22.CLld2 b5 23.CLlC7 b4 24.Vf1d5+ <j;Jg6 25.CLle6 Vf1g4 26. Vf1d7 <j;Jh6 27.Elf3 CLle7 2B.Vf1xe7+-) 12 ..• <j;Jf8 13 •.ia3 a514.lt:Hc3 b6 15)ijd4 <j;Jf7 16.tlJe6 Vf1d6 17. Vf1h5+ g6 1S.~f3 tlJxc2 19.1Oe4 Vf1d7 (19 ... ~xd5 20.'04g5+-) 20. .ixc5 bxc5 21.tlJ6xc5 Vf1a7 22. Elb1 gbS 23.lOd6+ <j;Jf8 (23 ... <j;Jg7 24.'Oe6+ <j;Jh6 25.~h3#; 25.Elh4#) 24.gxbS+-.

c3) 6 ... d5

The counterstrike in the centre is one of the most popular defensive resources for Black in numerous sharp opening gambit variations. It is however not sufficient in this position. The reason for that is the vulnerable placement of the black king. It becomes even more endangered after Black's last move! 7.lOxe5.id6 7 ... Vf1c7 B..ib5+ <j;JdB 9 ..ib2! dxe4 (9 ... 'Oxc2+ 1O.<j;Jf1 dxe4 11. Elc4+-; 1O ... d4 11.lOxf7+ Vf1xf7 12. Vf1xc2+-) 10.0-0 lOf6 11.d3 exd3 12.'Oxd3 lOxd3 13.Vf1xd3+ .id6 (13 ... 'Od7 14.Eld1+-; 13 ... .id7 14. .ixf6+ gxf615.Eld4+-) 14.Eld4'OeB 15 ..ixeB+-; 14 ... <j;Je715.Elxd6 Vf1xd6 16 ..ia3+-. S •.ib5+ <j;JfS 9 •.ia3! It is not so good for White to play 9.d4 dxe4 10 ..ia3 'OdS II. 0-0 .ixa3 12.Elxa3~. 9 ••• ~e710.f4! White consolidates his centralized knight. This idea is not so standard and you are going to understand its fine point quite soon! 10 •••f6 53

Chapter 4

11.0-0! White's rook on f1 is now supporting the knight! Black cannot capture on e5 as before. 11 ... dxe4 12.Wfh5! a6 (Black loses quicklier after 12 ... liJh6 13J'%xb4! ixb4 14. ixb4 Wfxb415.WfeB#) 13.c3 (White has another road to victory at his disposal: 13.lLlc3 ~bB 14.lLldS g6 lS.lLlxe7 gxh5 16.lLlxcB ~xcB 17. id7 b5 1B.ixb4+-; 17... ~xc2 lB. ixb4 ixb4 19.~xb4 bS 20.lLlc6 ~xd2 21.~d4+-) 13 .•. ie6 14. cxb4 lLlh6 15.lLlc3 e3 16.'~·e2 .if5 17.d4 ~cS lS.lLld5 Wfe6 19. .ic4 b5 20.l':1xa6 bxc4 21.b5 ha3 22.~xe6he6 23.Wfxe3+c4) 6 ••• tLlf6

7.tLlc3 d5 7...Wfc7 (Black's queen might be

attacked by White's knight on this square. His other possibilities on 54

move seven are not too attractive either.) B.ia3 lLlc6 9.Wfa1 (It is quite often in this opening line that White's queen is most effective right on this corner-square.) 9 ... a6 1O.lLlb5 WfbB 1l.ixfB ~xfB 12.Wfa3 liJxe4 13.id3 lLlc5 14.Wxc5 axb5 15.~xaB WfxaB 16.0-0 Wa717.Wd5 f61B.ixh7b419.Wd6±. 7... id6 (This move is a bit unnatural and ugly too. It is still possible and playable, because Black must defend an important pawn!) B.ia3! a5 9.lLlb5 ie71O.c3 liJc611.lLld6+! This is White's simplest way to acquire a big advantage. Black is now deprived of his bishop. He loses his control over the dark squares altogether and his position is without any good prospects. 11...ixd6 (Black loses immediately after 11...i>fB? 12. Wfb3 ixd6 13.ixd6+ lLle714.liJxeS WfeB ls.ic4+-) 12.ixd6 (White's advantage is evident. He can increase it and materialize it in numerous ways.) 12 ... liJg413.h3 Wf6 14.ia3lLlh6 15.g4 Wfe6 16.i.c4 Wg6 17.Wfe2 f6 1B.d4 b6 19.ic1 ib7 20.liJh4 lLlxd4 21.cxd4 Wfxe4 22. ~gl Wfxe2+ 23.ixe2±. S.tLlxe5 Wfc7 B... dxe4 9.ib5+ lLld7 (9 ... id7 1O.lLlxd7lLlxd7 1l.Wfg4 a5 12.0-0! Wfe7 13.liJd5 lLlxd5 14.~xe4+-) 1O.Wfg4! (This is the right decision for White! His queen controls now several very important squares: e4, d7 and g7.) 1O ... id6 1l.Wfxg7 ~fB 12.lLlxe4 Wfe7 13.ixd7+ ixd7 14.tLlf6+ i>dB 15.lLlfxd7 ~eB (IS ... lLlxc2+ 16.i>dl+-) 16.0-0+-.

l.e4 c5 2.a3 tt'lc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab 4:Jb4 5.Ela4 9.f4 White can also play the logical move - 9 ..ib5+. Black loses his right to castle immediately. 9 ... ~d8 10. tt'ld3 .ig4 1l.f3 tt'lxd3 12.cxd3 (The pawn structure is so very unusual! It might seem to you that Black's extra a and bpawns are providing him with an advantage, but that is just an illusion.) 12 ... .ie6 13.d4 a6 14 ..ie2 ~b6 15.e5 tt'ld716.f4 f517 ..if3 ~c6 18.~b3 b5 19.Ela5 tt'lb6 20.d3 .ie7 21..id2 ~d7 22.0-0Âą. White has a solid positional edge, but he has still a long way to go on the road to victory. 9 ... dxe4 10 ..ib5+ .id7 11. ~e2 .ic6

12.lL'lxe4 lL'lxe4 13.tt'lxc6 bxc6 14.~xe4+ <.!?d8 15 . .ie2 lL'ld5 (15 ... .ic5? 16 ..ia3 Ele8 17. ~c4+-) 16.0-0 .ic5+ 17.~h1 Ele8 18.~d3 Wfd6 19 . .if3 h6 20 ..ib2 (White's two bishop advantage in this open position is decisive. He wins material rather quickly.) 20 ... f6 21..id4 ~e7 22 ..ih5 E1eb8 23.%Yh7 ~d8 24. hc5 Wfxc5 25.Wfxg7+-. d) 5 â&#x20AC;˘.. Wfb6

Such early introduction of the queen into the game is often risky and this position is no exception. White's advantage in development increases, since he can attack it additionally. We are going to analyse dl) 6.tt'lf3 and d2) 6. lL'lc3. d1) 6.lL'lf3 White preserves a long-lasting initiative after that calm developing move. 6 ... d6 This move is quite restrained. Black complies with White's space advantage and he only wishes to complete calmly his development. White should not let him have any respite and he should act precisely and resolutely! 6 ... d5 (Black tries to seize the initiative with that move. It is however not dangerous for White, moreover Black might end up in a losing position after it.) 7.c3! (This is to remind Black of the unstable position of his knight. It becomes clear now that Black's counterplay is non-existent and he has to solve plenty of difficult defensive problems instead.) 7 ... 4:Ja2 (This idea is attractive only because it is brave. 55

Chapter 4 Unfortunately for Black, the move has no other merits besides that. I t will be fair to note that the more prudent line 7... tUa6 is not any better after: S.tUa3tLJcS 9 ..ibS+ 'it>dS 1OJ;;:d4! It is not often that White's rook is placed in front of the d4pawn and in the opening at that! The rook is creating some really dangerous threats! 1O ... tUxe4 11. E1xdS+ 'it>c712.d4 .ig413 ..if4+ 'it>cs 14.tUgS!! This is a spectacular combination with a queen-sacrifice. It is untouchable, because of a swift checkmate. 14 ... .ixdl IS ..id7+ 'it>dSI6.tUxf7#; 14 ... tUgf61S.~xg4! e6 16.tUc4 tUxg4 17.tUxb6+ axb6 IS ..id7+ 'it>dS 19 ..ixe6+ 'it>eS 20. .id7+ 'it>e7 21.tUxe4 E1al+ 22.'it>e2 E1xhl 23 ..ixg4+-) S ..ia3! (This bishop-move is the most principled. White wishes to capture the knight on a2, which came to that square in such unordinaryfashion. It is weaker for him to follow with S.E1xa2 ~xbl 9.E1a4 e6! Black needs to control the b4-square. 10 .exdS exdSll.E1aS. White has compensation for the pawn and Black's attempts to preserve his material advantage can be promptly punished. For example: 1l ... tUf6 12. .ibS+ .id713 ..ixd7+ 'it>xd7? Black had better capture on d7 with his knight giving the pawn back. 14.~a4+ 'it>c7 IS.0-0 ~e4 16.d4 .id6 17 ..ia3 E1hdS IS.E1xa7 E1xa7 19.~xa7 .if4 20.E1el ~g6 21..ie7 E1eS 22.~cS+ 'it>d7 23.g3 .ic7 24. tUeS+ .ixeS 2S.E1xeS+-) S ... dxe4 9.E1xe4 .ifS 1O.~a4+! (This check refutes Black's idea. White obtains S6

at least two pieces for a rook and additionally Black's king position remains quite unsafe.) 1O ... .id7 11.~c2 tUf6 (11.. ..ifS 12 ..ic4 .ixe4 13.~xe4 tUf614.~c2 tUxc31S.tUxc3 e6 16 ..ibS+ 'it>dS 17.~d3+ 'it>cS IS.,ixfS E1xfS 19.0-0 'it>bS 20.E1bl ~cS 21..ia6 b6 22.tUd4+-) 12.E1d4 eS 13.tUxeS ~e6 14.f4 .ixa3 IS. tUxa3 0-0 16 ..ic4 ~e717.~xa2+-. It is also enough for White to win by playing: 12.E1c4 ~e6+ 13 ..ie2 .ic6 (13 ... bS 14.E1cS ~b6 IS.~xa2 e616.d4,ixcSI7.,ixcS+-) 14.~xa2 (White should avoid 14.tUd4?! ~e4 IS.E1xc6 ~xc216.tUxc2 bxc617 ..ic4 tUxc3 IS.tUxc3 e6Â°o, because Black has a good position after the trade of the queens, since his king is safe.) 14 ... bS (14 ... .ibS IS.E1cS+ E1xcS 16.~xe6 fxe6 17..ixbS+ 'it>dS IS.tUgS+-) IS. tUgS ~dS 16 ..if3 ~eS+ 17.E1e4 .ixe4 IS.~xf7+ 'it>dS (IS ... 'it>d719.tUxe4 tUxe4 20.d4+-) 19.tUxe4 tUxe4 20.d4+-. 7.tUc3.id7 7 ... tUf6 provokes complications that are unfavourable for Black: S.eS! It becomes evident that Black will hardly manage to complete his development uneventfully. S ... tUg4 9 ..ibS+ .id71O.,ixd7 'it>xd7 (Black has lost his right to castle, but that is not his real problem. He is absolutely incapable to coordinate his pieces. Under these circumstances, White's attack is victorious without any proper resistance.) l1.d4 dxeS 12.h3 E1cS 13 ..ib2 e4 14.tUgS tUh6 IS.0-0! fS 16.dS! (White is occupying the important e6-square.) 16 ... tUd3!?

l.e4 c5 2.a3 Ct:lc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab Ct:lb4 5.Ela4 (This is an interesting attempt by Black to exchange the aggressive white bishop. Nevertheless the rest of the white pieces are much more effective than Black's, so the trade does not solve any problems for him!) 17.cxd3 '<Mfxb21S.Ct:le2 Elc2 19.Ct:lf4 Eld2 20.'<Mfe1 a6 21.dxe4 '<Mfc2 22.Elb4 I!Ics 23.Ct:lf3 e5 24.'<Mfxd2 '<Mfxd2 25.Elc4+ I!IbS 26.Ct:lxd2 exf4 27.e5+-.

8.i.b5! White's rook is not forced to abandon the a4-square at all! 8 ... i.xb5 The good book says that exchanges facilitate the defence in general. That is true in most of the cases, but here Black cannot solve his problems even after some exchanges. See what might happen ifhe refrains from capturing on b5: S ... Ct:lc6 9.Ct:ld5 '<MfdS 10.0-0 e6 (Black repels the knight and hopes to acquire enough breathing space for his pieces. However White's knight is not obliged to retreat at all.) 11.Ele1! (The positional sacrifice of the knight on that square is a typical motive in numerous openings. It is still most popular in the Sicilian Defence. White en-

joys plenty of attacking possibilities as a compensation after it.) 11.. .exd512 .exd5+ Ct:lce713 ..bd7 + '<Mfxd7 14.c4 b5 15.cxb5 '<Mfxb5 16. i.a3! (The d6-square is in danger now.) 16 .. :~xd5 17.Eld4! '<Mfb5 lS. Elxd6 ElbS 19.Ct:ld4 (Black has a material advantage, but he is helpless, since all white pieces participate actively in the attack.) 19 ... '<Mfa5 20.'<Mfc1 f6 21.Ct:lc6 '<Mfc7 22. Ct:lxbS '<MfxbS 23.'<Mfc6+ 1!It7 24.'<Mfc4+ l!IeS 25.Elc6 I!Id7 (25 ... l!IdS 26.1Wf7 I!Id7 27.Elc3+-) 26.'<Mfe6+ I!IdS 27. '<Mff7 I!Id7 2S.Elc3+-; 24 ... l!Ig6 25.'<Mfd3+ 1!If7 26.EldS '<Mfc7 27.'<Mfb3+ I!Ig62S.ElxfS+-. 9.Elxb4 a6 Black can force the exchange of queens with a rather unusual move: 9 ... i.e2!? 10.Elxb6 i.xd1 11.Elxb7 i.xc2 12.Ct:ld4 i.d3 13. Ct:ldb5! (Black is temporarily with a pawn up, but his positional problems are now even greater than before the trade of the queens.) 13 ... l!IdS (13 ... 0-0-0 14.Elxa7 Ct:lf6 15.f3 Eld7 16.Ela5 e6 17.i.a3 I!Ib7 lS.l!If2 d519.hfS ElxfS 20.e51!1b6 21.Elha1 d4 22.exf6 dxc3 23.fxg7 ElgS 24.Ct:lxc3 Elxg7 25.g3. White has won a pawn with good winning chances. 25 ... i.c4 26.El5a4 Elxd2+ 27.l!Ie1 Elxh2 2S.Elb1+ I!>c5 29. Ct:le4+ I!Id4 30.Eld1 + l!Ie3 31.Ela3+ i.d3 32.Elaxd3#; 30 ... l!>e5 31.Elxc4 Elh1+ 32.l!>e2 Elxd1 33.l!>xd1 f5 34.Ct:lf2 Elxg3 35.l!Ie2±; 26 ... i.d3 27.l!Ie3±) 14.Ct:lxa7 Ct:lf6 15.f3 i.a6 16.Ct:lc6+ I!>cS 17.Elb2 e6 lS.d4. White completes calmly his development and the black king will 57

Chapter 4 soon be in trouble after that. Black's attempt to repel White's powerful knight is refuted beautifully: lS ... ib7 19.ttJdS! (This is a strong move! White occupies the seventh rank permanently and that is decisive.) 19 ... ~xdS 20. Elxb7 ie7 21.~e2 d5 22.if4 ElcS 23.Ela1 Elxc3 24.ElaS+ ElcS 25. ElxcS+ ~xcS 26.ElbS+! (White should be victorious quickly after the win of the exchange. He should however avoid 26.Elxe7 ElfS 27. ~e3Âą, although his advantage is considerable in that case too.) 26 ... ~d7 27.ElxhS dxe4 2S.fxe4 ttJxe429.Elxh7+-.

10)Zld5!? This sharp move shows that White has ambitions to attack. It was also possible to play more timidly: 1O.ttJd4 ttJf6 1l.ttJdxb5 axb5 12.Elxb5'<!ffc613.'<!ffe2 e614.ib2 ie7 15.0-00-0 16.Elb1 Elan. White is slightly better indeed, but it would not be easy for him to win that position at all. 10 ... '<!ffd811.c4! ic612.0-0 e613.Elel! Black was hoping that the white knight would retreat. He would have then some space for 5S

his pieces and a possibility to continue with his development. White's knight is not forced to retreat at all however! He is ready to sacrifice it instead. White is going to have powerful threats along the open e-file after the capture on d5. I am going to add that the idea of such sacrifice is not new. Moreover, it is a typical resource in the Sicilian Defence in order to create attacking chances in many of the variations of that opening. 13 ... ttJe7

14.ib2! Now White's piece-sacrifice is for real,_ since he cannot hope to recapture it. 14 ... exd5 15.exd5 a5 (15 ... id7 16.ttJg5 ~iWh5) 16. dxc6 axb4 17.cxb7 :Bb8 18.c5 (M9.cxd6 '<!ffxd6 20.ie5) 18 ... Elxb7 (1S .. .f619.c6 ~f7 20.'<!ffe2 h6 21.id4 '<!ffc7 22.ia7 Elxb7 23.'<!ffe6 ~g6 24.cxb7 '<!ffxb7 25.id4) 19. '<!ffa4+ Eld7 (19 ... '<!ffd7 20.c6+-; 20. '<!ffaS+ '<!ffdS 21. '<!ffxb7 f6 22. Elal+-) 2 O.cxd6f6 21.ltJd4 ~f7 22.'<!ffb3 ~g6 23.ltJe6 '<!ffe8 (23 ... '<!ffb6 24. ttJf4 ~f5 25.'<!ffh3 ~xf4 26.Ele4! ~xe4 27.'<!fff3#) 24.ltJf4+ ~f5 25. h4! '<!ffa8 26.'<!ffh3+ ~xf4 27.g3+ ~f3 28.Ele3#.

I.e4 c5 2.a3 ltJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ltJb4 5J''!a4 d2)

6.~c3

This is a good decision by White. 6 ... ~f6 6 ... e5 (Generally speaking, natural moves like that are seldom bad in the opening. That position is an exception, though ... White has a simple and straightforward plan to develop his initiative. The point is that the position is very similar to some very old lines of the open games of the past. White's strategical aim here is as old as the game itself and that is the enemy king! His most direct way to a successful attack is the 0square.) 7..tc4 .tc5 S.ltJf3! (It is far from easy to playa move like that over the board! It seems that White should not treat with ignominya threat to have a pawn captured with a check and to lose his right to castle as a result. Moreover, it would be Black's second extra pawn! It is all quite logical in fact. White loses a pawn and his castling rights, but he solves some other more important problems. He completes successfully his development and he manages to coordinate all his pieces. Meanwhile

the f-file might be of use to the white rook that is presently on hI.) S... i.xf2+ 9.~e2! id4W.ia3 ct:Ja6 (Black can now disrupt White's pawn structure once again: 10 ... i.xc3 1I.dxc3 ct:Jc6. There are however kings on the board, besides pawns! After the evident line: 12.'lWd5 ltJh6 13.ct:Jxe5 ltJdS 14 . .tb5 'lWe6 1S.ltJc4 'lWxd5 16.exd5+Black's king is in dire straits.) 11.tLld5 'lWg6 12. cj;lfl! (This is the simplest. White should not be distracted by calculating the absolutely unclear consequences of the capturing on g2.) 12 ... 'lWc6 (Black would have probably liked to have captured White's central pawn: 12 ... 'lWxe413.d3 'lWf5, but White can compensate that amply after: 14,l'!xa6! bxa6 15.ltJc7+ ~dS 16. ct:JxaS. It becomes clear now that Black cannot recapture his piece, for example: 16 ....tb717.'lWb1 cj;lcs 1S.id6 'lWf6 19.ixa6! 'lWxd6. Black cannot take the other bishop, because of the checkmate in one. 20.'lWxb7+ cj;ldS 21.'lWcS+ cj;le7 22. ltJc7 tLlf6 23.'lWxhS 'lWxc7 24.ic4 d5 25.ib3+-) 13.c3 (Black's centralized bishop is in real danger now. It cannot retreat because of the loss of the e5-pawn and if it remains where it is, it will simply be captured. The problems of the bishop reflect a more serious problem for Black and that is the safety of his king!) 13 ....tc5 (This is relatively Black's best. He is completely lost after: 13 ... ltJc514.cxd4 ltJxa4 15.tLlxe5+-; 13 ... b5 14.cxd4 bxc4 15.tLlxe5 'lWh6 16.'lWf3 f6 17. 59

Chapter 4 lIJxc4+-; 14 ... bxa4 lS.lIJxeS ~e6 16.lIJc7+-; lS ... ~h6 16.lIJxf7 ~xf7 17.~f3+ lIJf6 lS.lIJxf6+ ~g6 19. ~fS#; lS ... dS 19.1IJgS+ ~xgS 20. ~fS#; 19 ... ~g6 20.lIJxh6+-; 20. ~xdS ~e6 21.~xe6+-) 14.lIJxeS ~d6 lS.~xa6 (This is White's simplest solution of the problems. He could have sacrificed his knight, but that was hardly necessary: lS.lIJxf7 ~xf7 16.eS ~xeS 17.~f3+ ~eS lS.d4 ~gS 19.dxcS lIJe7 20. Elxa6+-) lS ... bxa6 16.~xcS ~xeS (16 ... ~xcS 17.Elc4 ~d6 lS.lIJc7+ ~e7 19.1IJxaS+-) 17.~d4 ~xe4 (17 ... ~gSlS.lIJc7 ~dS19.lIJxaS+-) lS.lIJc7+ ~dS 19.1IJxaS ~xaS 20.

1O ... lIJe6 11.~e3 lIJcdS 12.cS ~c6 13 .dS+-. It is also too bad for Black to play S ... ~cS 9.c4l1Jf4 1O.d4+-. 9.c4 a6! This is an ingenious defensive resource for Black. 10.ttJ:f3! Naturally White cannot capture the knight on dS - after the check on c2 he wiUlose much more than a mere knight! 10 ... tlJb6 1O ... axbS 1l.ElxaSÂ±. 1l.Elxb4 axbS

~xg7+-.

7.eS tlJfdS

8.lIJbS! White avoids the premature exchange of the knight with that unusual move. The point is that Black cannot repel that piece with a move like a7-a6, because of the pin along the a-file, since his rook on as is not defended. 8 ... ~c6 This is Black's only move! He loses immediately after S... lIJc6? 9. c4 lIJf4 10.d4 (but not 10.cS? lIJxg211.hg2 ~xbS12.d4l1Jb4-+)

12.:SxbS 12.cxbs (This move is less risky than the capture of the rook. White's chances are better after that too.) 12 ... ~g613.~e2! (White must sacrifice the g2-pawn. If Black refrains from accepting the sacrifice he will stand clearly worse, and without any extra material at that. White can then attack at ease, risking nothing.) 13 ... ~xg2 14.Elg1 (The open g-file is a powerful asset of White's attack!) 14 ... ~h31S.~b2 ~fS (Black loses his queen immediately after: lS ... e6?! 16.Elh4 ~fS 17.ElgS+-) 16.~c1! f6 (This move seems to be very ugly, but it enables Black to

l.e4 cS 2.a3 tDc6 3.M cb 4.ab tDb4 5.:ga4 reduce slightly the activity of the bishop on b2 and secures the safety of his queen.) 17.:gb3 d6 18.exd6 e5 (Black is trying to hold the position preserving the compactness of his pawn chain. Capturing on d6 is out of question, since his position would be in shambles after that.) 19.d4! (It now proves to be wonderful for White that he has two d-pawns!) 19 ... ibe6 20.:ga3 :gxa3 21..ba3 ibd5 22.CtJxe5!? (This is the tactical solution to the problem. White's position is so good that he could have played calmly too and quite successfully at that: 22.tDd2 exd4 23:~c7tDd7 24.ibg4 ~e5+ 25.wd1 ibe6 26.ibxe6 ~xe6 27.:ge1 tDe5 2S.f4 ~g4+ 29.Wcl+-) 22 ... fxe5 23.:gg5 ~h3 24.ibg4 ~d3 25.d7+ (or 25.:gxe5+ Wf7 26.~f4+ WgS 27.:gxd5 ~b1+ 2S.ibc1 ~b4+ 29. ibd2 ~b1+ 30.We2+-) 25 ... Wf7 26.:gf5+ ~xf5 27.ibxf5+-. 12 ... tDxe4 13.gb3 d6 14.ge3 ~e4+ 15.ibe2 tDxe5

16.0-0! White has sacrificed two pawns, but he has completed his development. Black is far from being safe. There are plenty of

open files and and White can quickly create dangerous threats against the black king. 16 ... tDxf3+ 17.i.xf3 ~f5 18.~b3 ~d7 19. 'We2 ~f5 20 .1e4 'We6 21.1b2 f5 22.1f3 1d7 23.1xb7 gb8 24. ge7 gg8 25.gxd7! (White captures that bishop, which was one of the main defenders of the black king and he achieves a swift success after that.) 25 ... Wxd7 (25 ... ~xd7 26.1c6+-) 26.We6+ wd8 27.~b6+ wd7 28.1e6+ We8 29.Wa6+ We7 (29 ... wdS 30.~aS+ WcS 31.:gcl+-) 30.'Wa7+ (It was quite enough for White to play 30.:gcl+- in order to win.) 30 ... Wxe6 31.ge1+ wb5 (31...wdS 32.~d4#) 32.~xb8+-.

e) 5 ... tDe6

This move is quite possible and it has been tested numerous times in practice. It is worth analysing it extensively. The black knight retreated from the dangerous b4-square and that looks quite acceptable for Black. On the other hand, it can be attacked in a rather simple fashion with d2-d4-d5 and that is quite dangerous for Black! 61

Chapter 4 6.d4d6 This is a very tentative move. Black complies with the fact that his opponent has a space advantage. He hopes to complete his development and to equalize subsequently. The counterstrike 6 ... dS in the centre seems logical, but it is still quite dangerous for Black. White's attacking prospects are so rich that I was really amazed! 7.exdS! ~xd5 8.ttJc3 ~d8 (It is even worse for Black to play 8 ... ~d6, because White wins an important tempo with: 9.d5 ttJeS 1O.ttJbS! This is it - the tempo! 10 ... ~b8 11.~f4 a6 12.ttJf3 ttJd3+ 13.~xd3 axbS 14. bb5+ 1-0 Kroshk - thotep, Internet 2004; 1l ... g6 12.ttJf3 ~g7 13. E1c4 ~d7 14.ttJc7+Âˇ @f8 IS.~xe5 beSI6.ttJxeS+- Kroshk - Kiserov, Internet 2004) 9.d5 ttJb8 (Black is also beyond salvation in the line: 9 ... ttJeS 1O.~d4 ttJg6 11.E1xa7 E1xa7 12.~xa7 ttJf613.~bS+ ~d714.~xb7

e6 IS.dxe6

~e7 16.~xd7+

ttJxd7 18.exd7+ @xd7 19.ttJf3 1-0 Kroshk - RedHaven, Internet 2004; 1O ... ttJd711.~f4 eS 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.ttJbS eS 14.~xeS ttJxeSlS.~xeS+ ~e716.ttJc7+ 1-0 Kroshk - darkod, Internet 2004) 1O.~f4 ~d7 (1O ... ttJf6 1l.ttJbS ~d7 12.ttJc7+ ~xc7 13.~xc7 ~xa4 14. ~bl! Black's compensation for the queen is quite insufficient after: 14 ... b6 15.~bS+ ~xbS 16.~xbS+ ttJbd7 17.~c6 E1c8 18.~b7 E1xc7 19.~xc7 1-0 Kroshk - Bosha, Internet 2004) 11.ttJbS ~xb5 12. bbS+ ttJd713.ttJf3 tiJgf614.0-0 a6 17.~xd7+ ~xd7

15.~xd7+ ~xd7

16.c4 g6 17.ttJeS

~f5 18.E1a3 ~xf4 19.~a4+ bS 20. ~xbS+ @d8 21.~b6+ @c8 22. ~c6

@d8, Kroshk - TheBigDaan2, Internet 2004, 23.tiJxf7#. 6 ... ttJf6 (This move is quite provocative. Black's knights are just tempting White to attack them with his pawns.) 7.dS! (White should naturally not shun from such wonderful possibility. He win gain a lot of space in case he fails to win a piece. That will be quite favourable for White anyway.) 7... ttJeS (It is too passive for Black to follow with: 7... ttJb8 8.eS ttJg8. Have a look at that amusing variation: 9.~bS a6 1O.ttJf3 ~b6 11.~e3 ~xbSI2.c4 ~b2?! 13.~d4+-) 8.f4 ttJg6 9.eS ttJg8 (This position is a disaster for Black. White's enormous space advantage can be materialized in numerous ways.) 10.tiJf3 (This is probably the simplest. I will not overburden the readers with the other possibilities. They are all very attractive for White.) 1O ... d6 11.~d4 a6 12.~d3 tiJh6 13.0-0 ttJfS 14.~f2! (This move has been played with the conviction that the f-file will be opened quite soon.) 14 ... dxeS IS.fxeS ~xd5 16.tiJc3 ~c6 17.E1c4 ~d718.bfS ~xfS 19.ttJdS+-. 6 ... e6 (This move does not seem bad. White obtains an excellent chance to push his pawn all the way up to d6. This might be disastrous for Black.) 7.dS ttJb8 (7 ... tiJe5 8.f4 ttJg6 9.~e3 ttJf6 1O.ttJc3 as 1l.d6 b6 12.tiJb5 1-0 Kroshk - darthweber, Internet

1.e4 cS 2.a3 tLlc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab tLlb4 SJ''\a4 2003) S.d6 (White's d6-pawn is Black's worst enemy. White should try to preserve that pawn by all means and if he succeeds, Black is just doomed!) S ... bS!? This is an interesting defensive resource for Black. (S ... tLlf6 9.tLlc3 tLla6 lO.tLlbS g6 1U'\xa6+-; 9 ... a5 lO.eS tLlgS l1.tLlbS tLla6 12.f4 b6 13.V~H3 l!bS 14.l!c4! fS lS.l!c7! White's rook has occupied a rather unusual square in a very extraordinary fashion. Black must comply with certain positional concessions ifhe wishes to exchange that dangerous rook. lS ... tLlcS 16.~e3 ~b717.l!xb7! Black's bishop on the long diagonal was capable of creating plenty of problems for White. Therefore, he is not sacrificing the exchange, but makes only a favourable exchange combination instead. 17 ... tLlxb7 IS. tLlc7+ mf7 19.tLla6 tLlcS 20.tLlxbS ~xbS 21.~b5 ~cS 22.tLlh3 h6 23. O-O! tLle4 24.c4 g6 2S.tLlf2 tLlcS 26.~xcS ~xc5 27.~b7+-; 26 ... bxcS 27.tLld3 l!h7 2S.l!al+-. White can fall into an amusing trap ifhe is in a hurry to exchange pieces: 23. ~xcS?! ~xcS! 24.~xd7 ~xd6! This positional piece-sacrifice is just essential for Black's survival and White's win is highly problematic in the position after: 2S.exd6 tLlf6ii6.) 9.l!a3! (Otherwise White is hardly any better, for example after 9.~bS ~b6 he loses the important d6-pawn.) 9 ... b4lO.l!a4! tLlc6 (After lO ... aS, White manages to consolidate his central pawns: H.eS tLlc6 12.f4 tLlh6 13.tLlf3 ~b6

14.~d3~a61S.We2 ~d316.~xd3.

Black preserves his extra pawn indeed, but White's prospects are better. Black's pieces have problems to join in the action. 16 ... ~a6 17.c4! bxc31S.Wxa6l!xa619.tLlxc3 l!b6 20.0-0 fS 21.~e3 l!b3 22.l!c1 tLlg4 23.~c5 g6 24.h3 tLlh6 25.tLle2 tLlf7 26.tLlfd4 tLlxd4 27.~xd4 E'lbS 2S.E'lxaS+-; 26 ... l!b2 27.tLlxc6 E'lxe2 2S.E'lxaS dxc6 29.l!aS+ md7 30. l!a7+ meS 31.d7+ mdS 32.~b6+ me7 33.dS~#) 11.f4 e5 (This prevents White to get a positional bind with e4-eS.) 12.tLlf3 exf4 13.~xf4 as 14.eS ~b6 lS.c3! (This undermines Black's pawn chain on the queenside. White enables his pieces to attack the weaknesses of his opponent subsequently.) lS ... l!bS 16.~c4 ~a6 17.~dS ~xc4 lS.~xc4 bxc3 (lS ... b3 19.tLld4 tLlxd4 20.cxd4 b2 21.0-0 ~bS 22.~c7 ~b6 23.'lWxb6 l!xb6 24. l!xaS+-) 19.tLlxc3 ~b3 20.0-0 (White's advantage does not decrease after the trade of the queens. His pieces remain much more active.) 20 ... ~xc4 21.l!xc4 l!b4 22.l!xb4 axb4 23.tLldS f6 24. ~g3 fxeS 2S.tLlc7+! mf7 26.tLlxeS#; 2S ... mdS 26.tLlxe5 tLlh6 27.tLlxc6+ dxc6 2S.tLle6+ meS 29.tLlxfS l!xfS 30.d7+-; 26 ... ~xd6 27.tLlf7+ mxc7 2S.~d6+ @b6 29.tLlxhS+-; 24 ... mf7 25.tLlb6 me6 26.exf6 tLlxf6?? 27.tLlg5#; 26 ... gxf6 27.l!e1+ mfS 2S.tLlxd7+-. (diagram) 7.d5! White should be in a hurry! It is enough for him to make one 63

Chapter 4

mistake and the opponent might get a respite and equalize gradually. Have a look at an example of a unsatisfactory play by White, who acted experimentally out of only common sense: 7.LUf3?! g6 S.fi.bS fi.d7 9.fi.e3 fi.g7 W.'lWd2 a6 1l.fi.e2 LUf6 12.dS LUeS 13J'lb4 as 14.Elxb7 LUxe4 IS.'lWcl 0-0 16.0-0 e6 17. LUxeS dxeSlS.fi.b6 'lWcS19.Elc7'IWbS 20.Elxd7 'lWxb6 21.dxe6 'lWxe6 22. Elfdl ElabS 23.c4 ElfcS 24.fi.f3 LUcS 2S.Ela7 e4 26.fi.e2 LUd3 27.fi.xd3 exd3 2S.LUa3 fi.b2 0-1 Kroshk TheBigDaan2, Internet 2004. 7 .â&#x20AC;¢. tlJe5

This is an active move, but White can repel that knight with f2-f4 and therefore he should not develop his knight prematurely to f3 in similar positions. It was more prudent for Black, but also too passive to play 7... ttJbS S.ttJc3 ttJf6 9.f4! (This is an important resource. Black should now exercise permanent control over the eS-square in order to prevent the possible advance e4-eS.) 9 ... fi.d7 W.Ela3 e6 1l.ttJf3 fi.e7 12.fi.d3 0-0 13.0-0 exdS 14.ttJxdS ttJxdS IS.exdS fi.f616.fi.e3 a617.c4. White has obtained a wonderful com pen64

sation for the pawn and he has excellent attacking prospects. This is partially because the black knight on bS is out of play. The following variation is quite indicative: 17... EleSlS.'lWbl! This is a double attack against b7 and h7. IS ... h6 19. 'lWxb7+-. 8.'lWd4 White has good prospects too after S.f4. I cannot make up my mind which of these two moves is better. S ... ttJd7 9.fi.bS a6 W.ttJf3! (White's bishop is untouchable!) 10 ...ElbS 11.fi.e2 (Black's rook has left the as-square and Black is threatening to take on bS. White must retreat. The loss of time however is immaterial in that position. White is perfectly prepared for decisive actions in the centre.) 1l ... ttJcS 12.Eld4 ttJf6 13.eS ttJfe4 14.0-0 bSlS.ttJfd2 ttJxd2 16.LUxd2 fi.b7 17.c4 b4 lS.ttJb3 ttJxb3 19. 'lWxb3 as 20.'lWa4+-. 8 ... a6 Black defends the attacked a7pawn. Naturally, he cannot try to exchange queens from the b6square, since he loses a rook after that. Black can return his extra pawn, but is that good indeed?! S ... ttJf6 9.Elxa7 Elxa7 W.'lWxa7 'lWc7 (but not W ... ttJxe4?? 1l.'lWa4+ fi.d7 12.'lWxe4+-) 1l.fi.bS+ fi.d712.'lWaS+ 'lWdS 13.'lWxb7 ttJxe4 (13 ... 'lWaS+?! 14.fi.d2 'lWxbS?? IS.'lWaS+-) 14. fi.xd7+ ttJxd7 (14 ... 'lWxd7?? 15. 'lWaS 'lWdS 16.'lWa4+ 'lWd7 17.'lWxe4+-) IS.ttJf3 ttJecSl6.'lWc6 e617.0-0 fi.e7 18.dxe6t.

l.e4 cS 2.a3 ct:Jc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ct:Jb4 S.l"la4 9.f4lUd7

f2) 6. ia3. fl) 6.ct:Jc3!?

10.eS! Black has no space at all. His attempt to solve part of the problems by winning a second pawn would backfire: 10 ••• \l;!fe711 •.ib2 \l;!fxe2 12.lUa3 \l;!fg6 13.lUf3 lUeS 14 . .ibS+ 'it>d8 1S. 0 - 0 lUxa4 (Unfortunately, it is a disaster for Black to play: lS ... .ih3 16.lUgS .ixg2 17.'it>xg2 h6 lS ..id3 ct:Jxd3 19.\l;!fb6+ 'it>eS 20.\l;!fxb7 ct:Jxf4+ 2U''laxf4 \l;!fxgS+ 22.'it>hll"ldS 23. e6+-) 16.ha4 'it>e717 .l"le1 + 'it>b8 18.\l;!fb6+-. t) S ... e6

This natural move is very flexible too. It is quite possible that it may become Black's main defence in the near future. We will analyse the lines fl) 6.ct:Je3 and

White develops his knight in this quite natural fashion and Black may soon become the victim of plenty of beautiful tactical lines. 6 .•• lUf6 6 ... dS 7.Jta3 as S.exdS id7 9. dxe6! (This exchange-sacrifice is quite promising.) 9 ....ixa41O.exf7 c;t>xf711.ic4+ c;t>eS12.ct:Jxa4 ct:Jxc2+ 13.~xc2 .ixa3 14.ct:Jf3 (White's compensation is excellent.) 14 ... ~e7+ 15.c;t>dl ~b4 16.l"lel+ (16. .ixgS l"lxgS 17.l"le1+ c;t>dS lS.l"le4 ~b5 19.ct:Jd4 ~f1+ 20.l"le1 ~xg2 21.ct:Je6+ c;t>d7 22.~c7+ c;t>eS 23. ct:Jg5+-) 16 ... ct:Je7 17.l"le4 \l;!fd6 lS. l"le6 \l;!fb4 (lS ... \l;!fdS 19.ct:Jb6 c;t>fS 20.~e4l"lbS 21.\l;!ff4+ c;t>eS 22 ..ib5+ \l;!fd7 23 ..ixd7+ c;t>dS 24.\l;!fxbS+ ct:JcS 2S.\l;!fxcS#) 19.1"lb6+-. 7.eS ct:JfdS 8.lUbS! White's active knight avoids being exchanged in this instructive fashion. 8 ... a6 Black practically forces his opponent to sacrifice the exchange in addition. White can and even must be ready to refute the insidious intentions of his opponent. This is because Black falls quickly into trouble after he wins the exchange! S ... ttJb6 9.l"la3 a6 10.ctJd6+ .ixd6 11.exd6 (White's activity along the dark squares promises him an excellent compensation for the pawn.) 11...~g5 12.l"lg3 ~e5+ 13 ..ie2 0-0 14.d4 \l;!fxd4 15 ..ih6 65

Chapter 4 Wlxd1+ 16.<;l:;>xd1 g6 17.h4! (White can afford not to accept the exchange-sacrifice, since his kingside attack will definitely yield even more!) 17 ... EleS lS.h5 e5 19.iid2lLJ4d5 20.hxg6 fxg6 21.Elb3 as 22.c4 lLJb4 (22 ... a4 23.Elbl+-) 23.c5 lLJ6d5 24.Elbh3! (White's attack is not victorious after: 24.iixb4 lLJxb4 25.Elbh3 h5 26. g4 a4 27.gxh5 a3 2S.hxg6 a2 29. iic4+ <;l:;>g7 30.Elh7 + <;l:;>f6-+) 24 ... h5 25.g4lLJf6 26.gxh5lLJe4 27.El3h2 g5 2S.lLJf3 g4 29.Elg1 g3 30.fxg3 b6 31.iic4 <;l:;>hS 32.iif7 lLJxd2 33. <;l:;>xd2+~.

9.iia3! lLJb6 10.hb4 ttJxa4 11. ttJd6 + ! hd6 12.hd6 White's bishop is very powerful now. The moment the white queen manages to support its actions Black's defence will just crumble. 12 ••• ttJb6 12 ... Wlh4 13.Wlf3! ttJb6 14.lLJh3 ttJd5 15.c4 lLJe7 16.iid3 0-0 17. iixe7 Wlxe7 lS.hh7+ <;l:;>xh7 (1S ... <;l:;>hS 19.Wlh5+-) 19.Wlh5+ <;l:;>gS 20.lLJg5 Wlxg5 21.Wlxg5±. 13.~g4 Elg8 14.iid3 g6 IS. ~f4

Whute's pieces have occupied 66

tremendously active positions. The arising variations are quite spectacular. White can even afford to sacrifice his last rook as well! IS ... ttJdS 15 ... g5 16.Wlg4lLJd5 17.Wlh5! g4 (17 ... Wla5 lS.g3 Wla1+ 19.<;l:;>e2 Wlb2 20.Wlxh7 ElfS 21.Wlg7lLJe7 22.Wlxg5 f6 23.Wlg7 Elf7 24.iig6 lLJxg6 25. Wlxg6 Wlb5+ 26.d3+-) lS.Wlxh7 Wlg5 19.h4 Wlg7 20.Wlxg7 Elxg7 21.h5 ElgS 22.h6 f5 23.exf6 <;l:;>f7 (23 ... lLJxf6 24.h7 ElhS 25.iie5 <;l:;>f7 26.Elh6+-) 24.h7 ElhS 25.Elh6 as (25 ... lLJxf6 26.iie5+-) 26.iie5 Ela6 27.iig6+ <;l:;>fS 2S.f7+-. 16.~h6 ~aSI7:~xh7 ttJe7 17 ... ElfS lS.lLJh3 Wla1+ 19.<;l:;>e2 Wlxh1 20.iixg6! lLJe7 (20 ... fxg6 21.Wlg7!+-) 21.iixf7+ Elxf7 22. WlhS+ ElfS 23.~h5+ <;l:;>dS (23 ... Elf7 24.ttJg5 lLJg6 25.Wlxg6+-) 24.~h4 EleS 25.lLJg5 ElfS 26.lLJxe6+ dxe6 27.Wlxe7#

18.ttJf3!! ~a1+ 19.1!ie2 Wlxhl 20 .ttJgS (Black's rooks are a miserable sight.) 20 .. JU8 21.ttJe4 ttJfS (21...lLJc6 22.c3 Wlxg2 23.lLJf6+ I!idS 24.iie4 Wlg5 25.Wlg7 EleS 26. Wlxf7 ElhS 27.iixc6+-) 22.ttJf6+ I!id8 23.hfS gxfS 24.Wlg7 E1e8 2S.~xf7+-.

l.e4 cS 2.a3 lLlc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lLlb4 S.~a4 f2) 6 . .ia3!

I admit that I was quite hesitant about what the best idea for White was. He has an ample choice and that makes the right decision difficult. Finally, I decided that the bishop-move must be preferred. 6 .•. lLlc6 7.hf8 ~xf8 8.lLlf3! The idea of this quite ordinary move is that White wishes to preserve the possibility to occupy the d4-square with a piece and not with a pawn! I believe that after 8.d4 dS (Kroshk - Bosha, Internet 2004) Black's position is at least equal. This is not surprising at all. White's activity is neutralized, since he is incapable to use the d4square for his pieces and the long a1-h8 diagonal has been blocked. 8 ... d6 8 ... dS 9 ..ibS! (This is White's best way to fight for the all-important central squares. The other possibilities are weaker.) 9 ... dxe4 (9 ... lLlge7 10.0-0 dxe4 1U'lxe4 b6 12.lLlc3 .ib7 13.'Wa1 lLlfS 14 ..ia6! Black's bishop has become dangerous, so it must be exchanged.

14 ... .ixa6 15.'lh'xa6 lLlcd4 16.lLlxd4 lLlxd4 17.'Wb7! White has obtaind a powerful initiative. The game might follow with: 17 ... lLlxc2 18. ~f4 f6 19.§c4 'lh'b8 20.Wfe4 lLla3 21.§a4+-) 1O ..ixc6 bxc6 11.~xe4 (Black's king position remains unsafe and that is almost decisive. His pieces are too difficult to coordinate in this pawn structure.) 11...lLlf6 12.~d4 Wfb6 13.0-0 eS 14.§a4 .ig4 lS.h3 .ixf3 16.Wfxf3 Wfc5 17.lLlc3 ~d8 18J'lfa1 §xd2 19.§xa7Wfc4 20.~a8+ lLle8 21.lLle4 l"1d4 22.lLlgS WfdS 23.'WfS e4 (23 ... l"1d1+ 24.~xd1 'lh'xd1+ 2S.~h2 WfdS 26.c4 Wfxc4 27.WfxeS+-) 24.lLlxh7+ l"1xh7 2s.Wfxh7l"1d1+ 26.~h2 l"1xa1 27.'Wh8+! (27.l"1xa1?? WfeS-+) 27... ~e7 28.Wfxe8+ ~f6 29.§xal+-.

9.d4! This is the right move now. Its idea is that Black intended to stabilize his position with the move 9 ... eS. White needs to play flexibly and counter the intentions of the opponent deftly. The arising position resembles some lines of the Volga Gambit with colours reversed. It was weaker for White to play 9.lLlc3 eS10.'lh'a1.ig4+; 9 ..ibS .id7 67

Chapter 4 10.tLJc3 a6 11.~a1 ElcS 12.~xc6 ~xc6 13.ElaS (13.Eld4 tLJf6 14.0-0 ~c7 lS.~a3 'itigS+) 13 ... tLJf6 14.eS dxeS lS.tLJxeS ~xg2 16.Elg1 ~dS+. 9 ... ttJf6 9 ... ~f61O.~bS eS11.~c6 bxc6 12.tLJbd2 exd4 13.Elxd4 ~a6 14.c4 gSlS.~a4 cS16.~c6 EldS17.eS ~e7 lS.Elxd6 Elxd6 19.~xd6 ~xd6 20. exd6 f6 21.'itie2 g4 22.tLJh4 ~cS 23.ct'Je4+-. 9 ... g61O.tLJbd2 'itig711.~a1 tLJf6 12.~d3 ~d7 13.0-0 eS 14.dS tLJd4 lS.Elxa7 (The consequences of the positional exchange-sacrifice are rather unclear: lS.Elxd4 exd4 16. ~xd4 EleS 17.tLJc4~) lS ... Elxa7 16. ~xa7 tLJxf3+ 17.tLJxf3 ~cS lS.tLJd2 tLJhS19.g3±, and Black will hardly be able to defend his weaknesses on the queenside. Meanwhile his counterplay on the kingside is evidently insufficient. 10.J.d3 e5 1O ... g611.ct'Jbd2 'itig712.~a1! eS (12 ... EleS 13.0-0 'itigS 14.eS dxeS lS.dxeS tLJd7 16.tLJe4±) 13.dxeS dxeS 14.ct'JxeS tLJxeS lS.~xeS EleS 16.~al±.

11. ttJbd2!

White solidifies the position of his knight on f3 quite timely. 11 ... ~g4

12.Wi'a1! It is evident now that the same queen-manoeuvre would have looked ridiculous with a white knight on c3, instead of on d2. 12 ... ~xf3 (12 ... exd4 13.tLJxd4;!:;) 13.ttJxf3 exd4 14.ttJxd4 d5 15. ttJxc6 bxc6 16.e5 ttJd7 17.0-0 Wi'c7 1S.f4 (Black's extra pawn is almost immaterial. He has several weaknesses to worry about, but his main problem remains to be the safety of his king.) 1S ... ttJc5 19.Wi'a3 Wi'e7 20J~la5 ttJxd3 21. Wi'xd3 g6 22. Wi'c3 'itig7 23.f5 gxf5 24J;xf5 ElhcS 25.Ela4 Wi'e6 26. Elf6+-.

Conclusion We got acquainted with one of the strangest and even confusing lines of the amazing 2.a3 system. The early development of the white rook requires subtlety and precision of both opponents right at the very beginning of the game. One mistake may often lead to disastrous consequences. Some of the merits of the move 5. Ela4 are that the rook creates the threat to capture the knight and depending on the further developments, it can occupy some squares along the fourth rank quite advantageously. This is not a bluff - you can find plenty of lines with that motive in our analyses. 6S

l.e4 c5 2.a3 ttJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ttJb4 5J':&a4

White's queen gains access to the promising aJ-square that often turns out to be the best for it in this position. There are some other advantages of the rook-move, but maybe it is time to pay some attention to the drawbacks too ... The basic defect of the move is possibly thefact that White might have to lose time while retreating the rook from the a4-square. White is already a pawn down, so the loss of the initiative might lead him into a bad position. Therefore, I am strongly advising my readers to study the variations in this chapter quite thoroughly! You can play these lines and experiment successfully only after you have acquired the necessary theoretical knowledge.

ChapterS

l.e4 cS 2.a3 lbc6 3.b4 cxb4 4.axb4 lbxb4 S.d4

My analysis shows - that is the best move. We will deal now in details with a) S ..• dS, b) S ••• d6 and c) S •.• e6. The other possibilities are not satisfactory for Black: S ... eS?! This move was suggested by a computer programme! Human players do not come up often with moves like that. White cannot regain his pawn immediately, but he has excellent attacking chances. 6.dxeS VlJc7 7.c3 VlJxeS B..te2! ltJc6 9.ltJf3 VlJxe41O.0-0 dS 1l ..tbS ltJge7 12J'lel VfffS 13.ltJd4 VlJf6 14.ltJxc6 bxc6 IS.VffxdS .td7 16.Vffe4 ElbB 17..td3 Elb71B.ElaS h6 19 ..te3 Vffe6 20.ha7Vffxe4 21.he4 f6 22.ltJd2 @f7 23 ..te3 g6 24.Ela6±; Black can ignore completely White's threats with the move: S... g6. White obtains a great advantage with simple moves: 6.c3 ltJc6 7.dS ltJaS (7 ... ltJeS?? B.f4+-; 7 ... ltJbB B.Vffd4 f6 9.Elxa7 Elxa7 1O.Vffxa7 ltJa6 l1.ltJf3 .tg7 12 ..td3 ltJh6 13 ..te3 VffaS 14.0-0 0-0 15. .tb6 Vffa2 16 ..td4ltJf717.VlJb6ltJd6 IB.ltJbd2 ltJf7 19.1tJb3 d6 20.Elal VlJb2 21.c4+- Kroshk - chenxinyuan, Internet 2003.) B.VlJd4ltJf6

(B .. .f6 9.Vffa4 b61O.ltJf3ltJb711 ..ta3 ltJcS 12 ..txcS bxcS 13 ..tc4 .tg7 14.0-0 ltJh6 IS.d6±) 9.eS ltJb3 lO.Vffa4 ltJxal (lO ... ltJxcl l1.exf6 Vffc7 12.ltJf3 exf6 13.VlJc2 .th6 14. ltJbd2+-) l1.exf6 VlJb6 12.Vffxal±. I thought about another quite unusual way of playing with White in answer to the S... g6 move: 6.Ela4 ltJc6 (6 ... aS 7..ta3 ltJc6 B.dS ltJa7 9.Vffd4 ltJf6 lO.eS ltJgB 11..tcS! White wins a knight and he can easily parry Black's harmless threats. 1l ...Vffc712.ha7bS 13 ..tb6 Vffxc214.Elal Vffcl+ IS.Vffdl+-) 7.dS ltJaS B..tb2 ltJf6 (B .. .f6 9.ltJf3 b6 lO.eS .tg7 l1.d6 .tb7 12.ltJc3 ltJh6 13.dxe7 Vffxe7 14 ..ta3 Vffe6 IS.ltJbS ItldB 16.ltJbd4 VffdS 17.c4 Vffe4+ IB ..te2 Vffg4 19.exf6 .txf6 20.ltJeS Vffxg2 21.ltJe6+ ItlcB 22.Vffxd7+ @bB 23 ..td6#) 9.eS ltJhS 1O ..te2 ltJg7 1l.ltJf3 b6 12.0-0 ltJb7 13.ltJgS h6 (13 ... ltJcS 14.Elf4 f6 IS.exf6 exf6 16.Elel fxgS 17..tf3+ .te7 IB.d6+-) 14.ltJe4ltJcS IS.ltJxcS bxcS 16.ltJd2 .tb7 17.ltJb3 e6 IB.d6 Vffb6 19 ..tf3 ElbB 20 ..txb7 Vffxb7 21.Vffal c4 22.Elxa7 VlJbS 23.ltJd4! VffxeS (23 ... Vffxb2 24.Vffxb2 Elxb2 2S.ElaB+ ElbB 26.ElxbB#) 24.ltJc6+-;

l.e4 cS 2.a3 ctJc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab l/Jb4 S.d4 S... ctJf6 (This move is challenging even provocative! It helps Black's development indeed, but both his knights are rather misplaced after it.) 6.eS ctJfdS (6 ... ctJe4? 7.f3+-) 7.c4 ctJb6 S.~b3 e6 9.ctJf3 as 10.ctJc3 a4 (Black's main problem is that he cannot play d7-dS (or d7-d6), because after White captures en pass ant he has the decisive resource of playing c4-cS then.) 11.~bl ie7 12.ia3 l/Jc6 13.icS! (Black's b6knight has been trapped in an amusing way!) 13 ... Ela6 14.ixe7 ~xe7 IS.cS! (Black's rook and knight are hanging now.) 15 ... ctJxd4 16.ctJe4 ctJxf3+ 17.gxf3 ctJdS IS.ixa6 1-0 Kroshk - arcanine, Internet 2004; S... ctJc6 (Black should be really cold-blooded to playa move like that! The knight loses additional time retreating under the attack of White's advancing pawn-chain. White must play energetically otherwise his initiative might evaporate.) 6.dS ctJbS 7.eS! (White must immediately seize the opportunity to cramp the enemy position maximally.) 7 ... d6 (It is too bad for Black to play 7 ... e6? S.d6+-, followed simply by ctJbl-c3-bS-c7.) S.ctJf3 g6 (S ... dxeS 9.ctJxeS ctJd7 10.ibS ctJgf6 1l.ib2! White has a powerful initiative and Black can hardly complete his development naturally. 11...~b6 12.ctJc3 a6 13.~e2 Ei:bS 14.ctJc4 ~cS IS.ia3! ~d4 16.0-0 axbS 17.ctJd6+ cj;>dS IS.ctJxV+ cj;>eS 19.ctJxbS ~e4 20. ~xe4 ctJxe4 21.l/JxhS ctJdf6 22.ib2

id7 23.ctJc7 + cj;>dS 24.ctJe6+ cj;>eS 2S.etJc7+ cj;>dS 26.ieS ElcS 27.ctJf7# 1-0 Kroshk - Diablos, Internet 2004) 9.ie3 a6 1O.ibS+! (White begins an operation with the idea to occupy the all-important e6square, with that check.) 1O ... id7 Il.ixd7+ ctJxd7 (1l...~xd712.~d4! f6 - Black loses immediately a piece after the natural move 12 ... ig713.e6!+- - 13.e6 ~cS 14.~c3! White's most direct road to victory is the trade of the queens. The rest of the black pieces left on the board are too passive. 14 ... ~xc3+ 15. ctJxc3 ih6 16.ib6 as 17.0-0 ctJa6 IS.Ei:fbl ElcS 19.ixaS ctJcS 20.ib6 cj;>fS 21.ixcS Ei:xcS 22.Ei:a3+-; 15 ... ctJh6 16.ctJbS cj;>dS 17.ib6+ cj;>cS IS.ctJc7 Ei:a719.Ei:a4 ig7 20.Ei:c4+-) 12.e6 fxe6 (12 ... ctJeSI3.ctJxeS dxeS 14.exf7+ cj;>xf71S.c4 cj;>g716.0-0 bS 17.cxbS axbSlS.ib6! ~eSI9.Ei:xaS ~xaS 20.ic7 e4 21.ieS+ ctJf6 22.ctJc3 cj;>f7 23.ctJxe4 ih6 24.~d4 ~dS 2S.Ei:bl+-; IS ... ig7 16.~b3 ~d7 17.0-0 l/Jf6 IS.ctJc3 ~hcS 19.ctJa4±; IS ... Ei:hfS 19.1/Ja4 ~c7 20.ctJcS l"i:fcS 21.Ei:fcl ctJg4 22.ctJe6 ~d7 23.Ei:abl bS 24.cS l/Jxe3 25. fxe3 cj;>gS 26.c6 ~d6 27.ctJgS±) 13.dxe6 ctJdf6 14.c4 ~cS (14 ... ~cS IS.~a4+ Ei:c6 16.ctJd4+-) IS.ctJd4 ~xc4 16.ctJd2 ~dS 17.~a4+ cj;>dS (17 ... bS?! IS.ctJxbS+-) IS.ctJbS ~xe6 19.~aS+ cj;>d7 20.ctJc7 b6 21.~xb6 ~e5 (21...ctJdS 22.ctJxe6 ctJxb6 23.ctJxfS+ Ei:xfS 24.hb6+-) 22J:kl Ei:cS 23.~b7 Ei:xc7 24.~xc7+ cj;>e8 2S.ctJf3 ~dS 26.ctJgS ~aS 27.~cS+ ~xcS 2S.Ei:xcS+ cj;>d7 29.~xfS+-.

Chapter S a) S ... dS

This move is logical. The counterstrike in the centre can often facilitate Black's defence. White's resources however are too great in this position. 6.c3 White can also try here the already familiar idea: 6.l=i:a4!? It is not as effective now on move six, as it was on move five, though ... : 6 ... e6 7.~a3 as (The idea of that move is to activate the passed pawn immediately. It is also good for Black to play 7 ... lUc6 S.~xfS ~xfS) S.c3 lUc6 9.~xfS ~xfS (It is quite useful for White to trade these bishops from the point of view of strategy. Still Black has an extra pawn and his position is solid enough.) 1O.eS ~d7 (10 ... fS 1l.lUf3 lUge7 12.~d3 g6 13.h4 h6+ Kroshk - ent, Internet 2004; 10 ... hS 11.f4 lUh6?! 12.~xhSt Kroshk - Suspender, Internet 2004; 1l ... g612.lUf32i5) 11.lUf3lUge7 12.~d3 lUg6 13.0-0 lUf4 14.l=i:a3 lUxd3 lS.~xd3 g6 16.lUbd2 ~g7 17.l=i:b1 ~c71S.~e3 h619.~f4 (This is the type of position that White should be after in this quite unclear variation. The black king will 72

be unsafe in this pawn structure, no matter how Black plays.) 19 ... lUdS 20.~f6+ ~h7 21.~e7 l=i:cS 22.l=i:ba1l=i:eS (22 ... lUc6?? 23.~xf7# Kroshk - bierund, Internet 2004; 22 ... ~c6 23.~xc7 nxc7 24.l=i:xaSÂą) 23.~h42i5 White's knight is better than the black bishop. This position is the ideal example of the correctness of the famous rule: "Queen and knight are better than Queen and bishop". 6 ... tLlc6 7.exdS ~xdS

8.tLla3! This surprising knight-manoeuvre is extremely dangerous for Black. S.lUf3?! (This move is solid, but a bit too slow.) S ... eS! (This is the most resolute answer. Black returns the extra pawn, but equalizes easily.) 9.lUxeS lUxeS 10.~e2 ~e611.~xeS ~xeS+ 12.dxeSlUe7= Hoogendoorn - De Winter, Vlissingen 1997. 8 ... e6 It is dubious for black to play S ... ~fS, Shchukin - Kruglyakov, Kiev 2002. White has the nonstandard manoeuvre 9.lUc4!Âą with the powerful threat 1O.lUe3!, repelling the black queen away from the

l.e4 cS 2.a3 CiJc6 3.M cb 4.ab CiJb4 S.d4 centre. White follows that with d4dS and Black's position crumbles. S ... ct:lf6 (This developing move seems good, but it is not enough to solve Black's problems in this sharp position.) 9.lijbS ~dS 10. dS! CiJeS (Capturing on dS was losing a piece for Black after: 10 ... CiJxdS? l1.~xdS ~xdS 12.CiJc7+-) 11..~f4 CiJfd7 (The possibility of Black playing that move was the reason for the retreat of the queen to dS and not on d7. Nevertheless White's initiative increases.) 12. CiJf3 f6 (This is Black's only way to preserve his knight on eS. It was hopeless for him to play 12 ... CiJxf3+? 13.~xf3+-) 13.CiJfd4 CiJcS (Otherwise White's knight penetrates to the e6-square.) 14.heS fxeS lS.~hS+ g6 16.~xeS ElgS 17.CiJc7+ <j;>f71S.CiJxaS+- Kroshktituli, Internet 2004. S ... eS 9.CiJbS id61O.~f3! (This is an excellent idea. Black's defence is quite problematic after the surprising trade of the queens. White had other ways to seize the initiative as well: 1O.ic4!? ~e4+ 11.CiJe2 ibS 12.0-0 CiJf6 13.~b3 ~g6 14.dS CiJe7 lS.ia3iC; 12 ... a6 13.CiJg3 ~g6 14.f4 CiJge7 lS.fxeS axbS 16.hf7+ ~xf7 17.Elxf7 Elxa1 lS.Elxg7 ifS 19.CiJxfS CiJxfS 20. ~hS+ <j;>dS 21.~xfS Elxc1+ 22.<j;>f2 CiJe7 23.Elxe7 <j;>xe7 24.~f6+ <j;>d7 2S.~xhB ia7 26.~xh7+ <j;>c6 27. ~h6+ <j;>dS 28.~xc1 b4 29.g41-0 Kroshk - delorme, Internet 2004. The choice between these lines is mostly a matter of style. White has an overwhelming advantage in

both cases.) 10 ... ~xf3 (W ... e4 11..~c4 exf3 12.ixdS ibS13.hf3±) 11.CLlxd6+ Ii>d7 12.CiJxf3 <j;>xd6 13.i.a3+ We6 14.dS+! (The black king now is the target of an irresistible attack.) 14 ... li>xdS lS.CiJgS i.e6 16.Eldl+ CiJd4 17.cxd4 exd4 lS.i.b2+-. B... WaS (Black is attacking the c3-pawn.) 9.CiJc2 (This is a sacrifice of a second pawn and it is attractive, but a bit risky. White could have played another line, but after: 9.dS ~xc3+ 10.id2 WeS+ 1l.ie3, Black has to repeat moves in order to avoid the worst and the game should end in a draw after 11...~c3+. If White wishes to fight for a win without sacrificing a second pawn, he should try 9.id2 with a good compensation for the pawn.) 9 ... Wxc3+ 1O.id2 ~b3 (1O ... Wb2 H.dS CiJd4 12.CLlxd4 ~xd4 13.ibS+ id7 14. ixd7+ <j;>xd71S.CiJf3 ~xdS 16.0-0 Black has already three extra pawns, but that is not enough even for a draw. His king is too weak! 16 ... e6 17.'®'a4+ bS lS.~a6 <j;>eS 19.Elfb1 ElbS 20.if4 Elb6 21.WcS+ ~dS 22. ~xdS+ <j;>xdS 23.Elxa7 <j;>eS 24.Elcl i.e7 2S.ElcS+ idS 26.ic7 Elc6 27 .ElxdS + <j;>e7 2B.Eldl+-) 11.Elb1 ~e6+ 12.CiJe3 CLlxd4 (12 ... CiJf613.ic4 W'e414.dS CLld41S.ic3 eS 16.dxe6 ~cS 17.exf7+ <j;>fB IS. ElbS b6 19.1iJe2 CLlxbS 20.~dS+ CiJeS 21.fxe8~+ ~xeB 22.~xeS+ <j;>xeS 23.i.xg7! CiJa3 24.idS+-) 13.ic4 ~g6 14.CLlf3 CiJxf3+ IS. ~xf3!! (This move might seem to you to be impossible, because 73

Chapter 5 White loses two rooks, but in fact Black is immediately beyond salvation after it. The reason for that is White's enormous lead in development.) 15 ... ~xbl+ (Black's attempt to remain with three extra pawns and defend just fails after: 15 ... CUf6 16.E1:xb7 ~xb7 17.~b5+ i>d8 18.~xb7 ~bl+ 19.i>e2+-) 16.i>e2 ~xhl (16 ... ~g6 17.~b5+ i>d8 18.~a5+ b6 19.E1:dl+ i>c7 20.E1:cl+ i>b8 21.E1:xc8+ i>xc8 22. ~xa8+ i>c7 23.~xa7+ i>d6 24. ~d7+ i>e5 25.~d5+ i>f4 26.g3+ ~xg3 27.hxg3#; 16 ... ~b617.~xf7+

~xb5+-) 15.~a3+

CUb4 16.~xb4# 1-0 Kroshk - Traumtanzer, Internet 2004. 10.~f4 e5 1O ... i>e711 ..id6+ i>d712.hf8 ~xf8 13.d5 CUe5 14.dxe6+ i>c6 15.CUxa7+-.

i>d718.~xf8 ~f619.~b5+ i>e6 20. ~e8!

a5 21.E1:bl+-) 17.~b5+ ~d718.

~xd7+ i>xd7 19.~xb7+ i>d6 20. ~b4+ i>e5 21.~d5+ i>f6 22.~f5#.

9 . .!L\b5~d8 9 ... ~d6 (The bishop has left its place in order to defend the c7square, but Black has suddenly another problem to solve. His g7pawn needs defending badly!) 1O.~g4! i>f8? (1O ... CUce7 11.~xg7 CUg6 12.CUf3 ~d7 13.~c4 ~e4+ 14.~e3 ~b815.~xf7+ i>xf716.CUg5 i>g7 17.CUxe4 ~c6 18.CUc5+-; 10 ... g6 11.~c4 CUf6 12.~xd5 CUxg4 13. CUxd6+-) 1l.CUxd6 1-0 Kramps Funke, Germany 1989. Black decided to resign in view of the line 1l ... ~xd6 12.~a3+-. 9 ... ~d71O.~f4 e511.dxe5 ~xdl 12.E1:xdl i>e7 13.CUc7 E1:b8 14.~c1! This sudden retreat of the bishop to its initial square creates the irresistible threat of the check from the a3-square. Black is outright lost. 14 ... ~g4 (14 ... f6 15.~a3+ i>f7 16.~c4+ i>g617.hf8+-; 14... b515. 74

This position was reached in the game Kroshk - Long-Dong, Internet 2004. 1l.dxe5! (This simple move is definitely the strongest.) 1l... ~e6 12.~xd8+ gxd8 (12 ... i>xd8 13. CUf3 CUge7 14.gdl+ i>c8 15.CUd6+ i>c7 16.CUxf7 ~xf7 17.e6+-) 13. CUc7+ i>d7 14 . .!L\xe6 i>xe6 15. ~c4+ i>f516 ..!L\e2 .!L\xe517.he5

i>xe518.gxa7Â±. b) 5 ... d6

6.c3 .!L\c6 7.~a4!

That move is not so easy to find

l.e4 c5 2.a3 lDc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab lDb4 5.d4 and it is the only one to secure the initiative for White! 7 ... ~d7 This looks like a simple and quite satisfactory solution to the problems. Black is not afraid to lose his knight anymore. Still White wanted to maime the black bishop to d7 and you will now see why! Black's attempt to oppose White in the centre with the move 7... d5 is refuted by the powerful resource S.c4! (White is threatening the simple capture 9.cxd5.) S ... e6 9.cxd5 exd5 1O.~b5 lDge7 11.exd5 11:Ifxd5 12.lDf3 a6 13.lDc3 11:Ifd714.0-0 ElbS (It might seem to you that Black has solved his basic problems and his position is easily defendable, but that is an illusion.) 15.~f4! (White must sacrifice a piece in order to succeed.) 15 ... axb516.lDxb5 lDd5 (16 ... lDg617.d5! lDxf41S.11:Ifxf4! ~e719. dxc6+-) 17.~xbS lDxbS 1S.lDe5 lDb6 19JI,Xib3 11:Ife7 20.lDxf7! ~e6 (20 ... 11:Ifxf7 21.Elfe1 ~e7 22.lDd6+-) 21.lDbd6+ ~d7 22.11:Ifxb6+-. B.d5 lDe5

9.11:Ifd4! The essence of White's idea is

that Black's bishop on d7 is quite misplaced. It is blocking that square for the retreat of the knight on e5; moreover Black might lose his b7-pawn because of that. It is weaker for White to play 9.1Wb3 due to 9 ... lDf6!+. 9 ... a6 In case of 9 ... lDf6, White's offensive in the centre is quite successful: 1O.f4 lDg6 11.e5 lDg4 12. lDf3 11:IfbS. Black is trying to exchange, or capture the annoying white e5-pawn in this awkward fashion. White should not trade that pawn, but just sacrifice it in order to disrupt the natural development of his opponent! 13.e6! fxe6 14.dxe6 he6 15.~b5+ ~dS 16.0-0 lDh617.lDg5 ~f51S.~e3 a6 19.~c4 b5 20.~d5Âą. 10 .f4 ~g6 11. ~f3 e6 12. dxe6! fxe6 12 ... he6?? 13.f5+-.

13.f5 (White has promising attacking possibilities too after: 13.~d3 ~f6 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 lDd5 16. hg6+ hxg617.1Wg4 ~f71S.0-0ii3) 13 ... ~h414.fxe6 he615.~g5 ~e7 (15 ... ib3 16.11:Ifb4 ~c2 17. 11:Ifxb7+-) 16. ~xe6 ~xe6 17.

Chapter S .ib5+ 'i!;>d8 (17 ... 'i!;>e7 lS ..igS+-; 17 ... 'i!;>f7 lS ..ic4+-) 18.0-0 'i!;>c7 19 •.ie3 tL'lf6 20.e5 Wfg4 21.Wfb6 'i!;>c8 22 . .ic6 bxc6 23.Wfxc6+ 'i!;>b8 24J~~a2!!+-.

queens is typical for the variation. That is Black's most active piece and White will be better despite the material advantage of his opponent.) 12 ... Wfxd4 (12 ... b6 13.c4 1Mixd414.hd4l1Jc61S.hb6+ axb6 c) 5 ... e6 16J''1xaS lIJxe4 17.lIJf3 lIJxd6 lS. lIJgS! Otherwise Black will have good compensation for the exchange. lS ... lIJxbS 19.1IJxf7+ 'i!;>c7 20.lIJxhS .ib4+ 21.<j;>d1l1Jba7 22 . .id3 <j;>b7 23J'1xcS lIJxcS 24 ..ixh7 lIJd6 2S ..id3 lIJeS 26. <j;>c2±) 13. cxd4 lIJc6 14.eS lIJdS lS.lIJf3 (It is evident that White is clearly better, nevertheless Black still has an extra pawn and we are going to 6.c3 tL'lc6 7.tL'la3! deal with this position in details.) This move conceals beautiful lS ... h6 16 ..ic4 lIJdb4 17.0-0 lIJa6 tactical ideas. Black has serious (17 ... a61S.lIJc7 E1bS 19.dS exdS 20. lIJxdS bS 21.lIJxb4 lIJxb4 22 ..ixf7 problems to counter it! .ib7 23.lIJh4 gS 24.lIJg6 E1h7 2S. 7 ... d5 7 ... WfaS? S.tL'lbS! Wfxa1 9.tL'lc7+ .ib3 .ig7 26 ..igS+-; 2S ... <j;>eS 26. 'i!;>dS10 ..igS+ f611.Wfxa1+- Kroshk f4+-; 21...bxc4 22.lIJxc6+ dxc6 - petzowitsch, Internet 2004. 23 ..ic3±) lS.E1fc1 gS 19.dS lIJcb4 7... ltJf6?! (White obtains a pow- 20.E1a4 g4 21.lIJd2 exdS 22.e6 dxe6 erful attack and great chances of a 23 ..ixhS dxc4 24 ..if6+ <j;>eS 2S. quick victory after that natural E1xb4l1Jxb4 26.lIJc7+ <j;>d7 27.lIJxaS move.) S.dS! lIJeS (Black's other bS 2S.E1a1 lIJa6 (2S ... lIJc6 29.lIJe4 possibilities are weaker: S ... lIJbS b4 30.E1d1+-) 29.E1aS .ib7 30.E1xbS 9.d6 lIJxe4 10.lIJbS lIJa6 11.Wff3 .ixaS 31.lIJxc4 .ixd6 32.lIJxd6 lIJxd612.lIJxd6+ hd613.ha6 .ieS <j;>xd6 33.E1aS .ib7 34 ..id4±. 7 ... d6 S.dS lIJeS (S ... exdS 9. 14.lIJe2±. White's knight is clearly stronger than Black's pawns; exdS lIJeS 1O.lIJbS a6 l1.f4 lIJg6 S ... exdS? 9.exdS lIJeS 1O.d6 lIJe4 12.Wfa4!±; 11.. ..id7 12.fxeS axbS 1l.lIJbS+-) 9.d6 1MiaS! (Otherwise 13.E1xaS WfxaS 14.e6 fxe6 lS.dxe6 White's knight goes immediately .ic6 16 ..ixbS! hbS 17.1MihS±; lS ... to bS. 9 ... lIJxe41O.lIJbS+-) 10 ..ib2 .ixe6 16 ..ixbS+ <j;>dS 17.lIJf3 lIJf6 (White is again threatening lIJbS. lS.0-0~; 1O ...1Mie7 l1..ie2 .ifS 12. The black queen must abandon the 1Mia4l1Jd3+ 13.<j;>f1l1Jxcl14.lIJxd6+ as-square.) 1O ... WfcS l1.lIJbS <j;>dS <j;>dS lS.lIJxfS1MigS16.lIJd4l1Jxe217. 12.1Mid4! (This exchange of the lIJgxe2 1MixdS lS.E1d1 <j;>cS 19.1IJbS 76

l.e4 cS 2.a3 CLlc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab Ct:Jb4 5.d4

Vf1c6 20.Ct:Jxa7+ l'l:xa7 21.Vf1xa7+-; 17 ... Ct:Jf6 lS.Vf1aS+ ~d7 19.Vf1bS±; lS ... b6 19.Ct:Jc6+ ~c7?? 20.d6+ ~xc6 21.Vf1xgS+-; 19 ... ~d7 20.'Ihlra6 Ct:JxdS 21.Vf1b7+ Ct:Jc7 22.Ct:JbS+ l'l:xbS 23.'IhlrxbS+-) 9.f4 Ct:Jg6 (The attractive combination for Black does not work after: 9 ... exdS 10.fxeS Vf1h4+ 1l.g3 Vf1xe4+ 12.~f2 Vf1xhl. Black has won the exchange, but that is only a symbolic consolation, since White manages to trap easily Black's queen which is stranded at the corner. 13.Ct:Jf3 itd7. White was threatening a check from the bS-square. 14.Vf1xdS itc6 lS.itbS Ct:Je7 16.itxc6+ bxc6 17.Vf1b3 dxeS lS.itb2+-) 1O.itbS+ itd7 1l.dxe6! (The pawn-shelter of the black king has been destroyed and it is now much easier for White to attack.) 1l... fxe6 (1l ... itxbS12.exf7+ ~xf7 13.Vf1dS+ ~eS 14.Ct:JxbS±) 12.Vf1b3 Vf1e7 13.Ct:Jc4 l'l:dS 14.l'l:xa7 Ct:Jf6 lS.itxd7 + Vf1xd7 (IS ... l'l:xd7 16.Ct:Jb6l'l:dS 17.Ct:Je2±) 16.eS±. 7 ... itxa3 (Black exchanges White's knight, because it would have been very dangerous. White obtains an excellent compensation though - his dark squared bishop becomes a powerful force to reckon with.) S.itxa3! d6 9.Vf1g4 Vf1f6! (This is a surprising and ingenious resource for Black! He must return the pawn and comply with White's slight, but lasting advantage. He could have lost really quickly after his other possibilities, for example: 9 ... Vf1a51O. itb2 Vf1b6 11.l'l:b1 g6 12.itd3 e5 13.Vf1h4! exd4 14.Ct:Jf3 dxc3?? 15.

itxc3+-; 14 ... Ct:JeS lS.Ct:Jxe5 dxe5 16.0-0 ie6 17.ita1! Vf1d6 lS.cxd4 exd4 19.1'l:fdl±; 17 ... Vf1cs lS.cxd4 exd4 19.1'l:fc1 Vf1d6 20.l'l:xb7±, or 9 ... g6 1O.itbS Vf1aS 11.hc6+ bxc6 12.4Je2. White has a powerful pressure on the dark squares and that provides him with an edge despite the pawn deficit. 12 ... Ct:Jf6 13.'Ihlrf4 'Wd8 14.itxd6 Ct:Jxe41S.ia3 Ct:Jf6 16.0-0 ita6 17.l'l:fe1 Ct:Jd5 IS. Vf1eS 'Ihlrf6 19.Vf1d6! E:cS 20.Ct:Jg3 Ct:Jxc3 21.itb4 Ct:Jb5 22.Ct:Je4 Ct:Jxd6 23.4Jxf6+ ~e7 24.E:xa6 ~xf6 2S. itxd6+-; lS ... l'l:gS 19.Ct:Jg3 itd3 20.E:ad1 ic2 21.E:d2 itfS 22.c4 Ct:Jb6 23.Vf1cS l'l:cS 24.itb4±; 12 ... eS 13. Vf1f3 hS 14.0-0 itg4 lS.Vf1e3 he2 16.Vf1xe2 'Wxc317.Vf1a6l'l:dS1S.dxeS 'WxeS 19.'Ihlrxc6+ ~fS 20.E:fd1 ~g7 21.itxd6±; 13 ... ita6 14.0-0 itxe2 lS.Vf1xe2 Vf1xc3 16.Vf1a6! Ct:Je7 17. ixd6 Vf1xd41S.'Ihlrb7+) 1O.itxd6 eS! (White must simplify the position and that is quite favourable for him!) 11.dxeS 'Wxf2+ (11...itxg4 12.exf6 4Jxf6 13.f3±; l1...Ct:JxeS 12.ibS 4Jc613.Vf1g3 Vf1g614.Ct:Je2±) 12.~xf2 itxg4 13.Ct:Jf3 Ct:Jge7 14. Ct:Jd4±.

8.exd5! White must exchange here. 77

Chapter 5 Black can easily counter White's attempt to penetrate with his knight to c7: 8.cub5 dxe4! 9.~f4 e5 1O.dxe5 ~e6 1I.'&a4 a6 12.cud4 ~d5 13.~b5 '&b6 14.cuge2 ~c5 15.0-0 cuge7 16.Ei:ab1 0-0 17. hc6 hc618.Ei:xb6 ~xa419.Ei:xb7 cud5°o. 8 ... exd5 About 8 ... '&xd5 9.cub5 - see 5... d5. 9.cub5 a6 9 ... ~d6. This move enables White to exchange the bishop favourably: 1O.cuxd6+! '&xd6 II. ~a3 '&e6+ 12.~e2 cuge7 (12 ... cuf6 13.cuf3 cue4 14.'&b3 b5 15.0-0 a6 16.Ei:fel±) 13.cuf3 0-0 14.0-0 '&f6 (14 ... Ei:d8 15.Ei:e1 '&f6 16.cue5:i5) 15.Ei:e1 Ei:d8 16.cue5 cuxe5 17.dxe5 '&e618.~d6 cuf519.~g4:i5; 1l... '&g6 12.cuf3 cuf6 13.~b5 a6 14.~xc6+ bxc6 15.0-0 cue4 16.cue5±. Black can hardly defend against White's threats along the e-file. 9 ... cuf6 (Black shows that he is not afraid of the penetration of the white knight to c7.) 10.~f4 '&e7+ 1I.~e2! '&e4 12.~g3! (12.cuc7+ is not so good for White after: 12 ... @d8 13.~g3 Ei:b8 14.cuf3 ~f5 15. 0-0 Ei:c8 16.cub5 a6 17.cua7 cuxa7 18.cue5 Ei:xc319.~f3 '&c2 20.cuxf7+ @e8 21.cuxh8 '&xd1 22.Ei:fxd1 oo ) 12 ... @d8 (12 ... @d7?! 13.cuf3 a6 14.0-0 cue815.Ei:e1! '&g616.~d3 f5 17.'&b3+-) 13.cuf3 a6 14.0-0 ~g4 (14 ... ~f5 15.cug5 '&e7 16.cud6 ~g6 17.'&b3 '&d7 18.'&b6+ @e7 19. Ei:fel+-) 15.Ei:e1 '&f5 (15 .. J'1c8 16. ~d3 hf317.gxf3!+-) 16.cue5 cuxe5 (16 ... ~xe2 17.cuxf7+ @d718.'&xe2 78

Ei:e8 19.'&b2 Ei:xe1+ 20.Elxe1 axb5 21.'&xb5 @c8 22.Ela1! '&h5 23. cuxh8+-) 17.dxe5 ~xe2 18.Elxe2 '&d719.exf6 '&xb5 20.Ei:e5+-. 10.~f4

White's simple threat to check from the c7-square is quite annoying for Black. 10 •.• ~g4 This original counters trike does not save Black. 1O ... @e7 (It is quite interesting how many players might venture to play so bravely with the king! It is risky indeed, but Black can hope to save the day with some precise defence.) 1I.~c7! (11.~d6+ @f6 12.'&f3+ ~f513.g4 ~xd6 14.'&xf5+ @e7+) 1l... '&e8! (1l ... '&d712.'&e2+ @f6 13.~e5+ cuxe5 14.'&xe5+ @g6 15.cuc7 Ela7 16.cuxd5±; 15 ... ~d6 16.~d3+! f5 17.~xf5+ '&xf5 18. '&xd6±) 12.'&e2+ @d7 (12 ... ~e613. ~d6+ @d7 14.cuc7 '&d8 15.hf8±) 13.'&xe8+ @xe8 14.~b6 @d7 15. cuc7 Elb8 16.cuxd5 ~d6 17.~c4 cuge718.cue2;1;;.

11.Wfa4!

Capturing on g4 was good enough only for equality. 1l... Wfe7+ 12.~e2 he2

12 ... 0-0-0 13.cud6+! Ei:xd614.

l.e4 c5 2.a3 tUc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab tUb4 5.d4 ~xd6 ~xd615.~xg4+ tUf6 17.~f3Âą.

13.tUc7+!

mb8 16.tUe2

This intermediate move is essential for White in order to fight for the advantage. 13 ... md8 (13 ... md7 14. tUxe2 Eld8 15.tUxd5 ~e4 16.tUb6+ me817.d5 ~xa418J'lxa4 ~c5 19. dxc6 ~xb6 20.cxb7 ia7 2U'lxa6 ~b8 22.~xb8 Elxb8 23. Ela8+-) 14.ti)xe2 Ela7 15.ttJxd5 ~e4 16.ttJe3 b5 17.~a2 ttJf6 18.d5 ttJe7 19.~a5+ me8 20. ~b6 Eld7 21.Elxa6 ~bl + 22.ttJdl Eld8 23.d6 ~d3 24.c4 ttJd7 25. ~xb5+-.

Conclusion The move 2 ... tUc6 - is the most natural for Black and the most probable for someone who has to play against the surprising 2.a3 ideafor thefirst time. It might seem to you that Black prevents 3.b4 in thatfashion. We already know that to befalse, though ... ! White sacrifices a pawn and possibly a second one and creates powerful and annoying threats for his opponent. It is quite possible that the most essentialfeature of this original gambit is that it leads to non-standard original positions. The opponent will have enourmous difficulties to cope with his opening problems without special extensive analytical preparation, particularly if he had not studied this monograph beforehand.

Chapter 6

l.e4 c5 2.a3 d5

This counterstrike in the centre seems to be the natural reaction. It is quite probable that Black might play just like that! Here however, contrary to the 2.c3 system, White can attack the black queen immediately and gain some tempi in the process. He has excellent chances to get the advantage because of that. 3.exd5 This capture is necessary. Black should simply take back the pawn in order to avoid the worst. Nevertheless besides the natural move a) 3 ... ~xd5, we are going to have a look at the rare gambit line b)

in the tournament practice and that should tell you that you must be well prepared for it too!

3 ... tt:lf6. a) 3 ... ~xd5 4.tt:lc3 We will analyze the retreats of the queen to e5, d6 and dS. The rest of the moves are clearly worse and the retreat to c6 just loses the queen. al)4 ... ~e5+ That check looks very suspicious; moreover it is evident that White will soon gain additional tempi attacking the queen. Black has played like that plenty of times

5.~e2

This is the most sensible move. White does not need to exchange queens yet (although he is better in that case too, you can easily check that if you wish ... ). White's knight on gl will soon be developed to f3 with tempo and Black's queen will have to look for a safe haven again. 5 ... tt:lc6

Black can try to prevent the move lDf3 by playing 5 ... ~g4, but that will hardly be helpful for him. 6.b4!? (I suggest you played that seemingly shocking strike on the queenside, which has not been tested in practice yet. It is very much in the aggressive spirit of this dynamic, attacking and nearly fantastic variation!) 6 ... e6 (6 ... lDc6 7.f4 ~e6 S.bxc5 lDd4 9.:§:bl 0-0-0 1O.h3 ~f5 1l.d3±) 7.~b2 ~xe2 S.tt:lgxe2±. Look at the final position of this line and observe the quantity of the developed pieces of both sides. That should be more than enough for you to

l.e4 cS 2.a3 dS 3.exdS prefer White's position and that would be the correct evaluation too! 6.liJf3 Black's evident lag in development should be rather worrisome for him. 6 ••• ~d6

7.b4! cxb4 8.axb4 liJxb4 9 ..ia3! Black's king will hardly be able to escape from the centre of the board after that move, which is definitely the best right now. White can effectively exploit the a3-fB diagonal as well as the "b" file. The other possibility for White does not seem to be so convincing 9.liJbS 'MrdB (Black should better play 9 ... 'Mrb6! 1O.c3 .id7 11.~a4 4:lc6 12.d4 a6 13.dS 4:laTt) 10. d4 4:lc6 1l ..if4 eS 12.4:lxeS .id7 13.4:lxd7 ~xd7 14.4:lc7+ @dB IS. 4:lxaB+- Kroshk - Thomas Elbern, Internet 2004. 9 ••• e610 •.ib5+ .id7 lO ... @dB 11.0-0 4:lf6 12 ..bb4 ~xb413.4:leS ~e7 (13 ... @e714.'Mrf3 'Mrd4 IS.E1fe1 11Qfxd2 16.E1edl! 'Mrxc2 17.4:la4!+-. Black is helpless to defend against the deadly check

from the a3-square without considerable material losses.) 14.'Mrf3 ~c7 IS.'Mrf4 ~cS 16.4:le4! .id4 17. 4:lxf7+! 'Mrxf7 IB.4:lgS ~xf2+ (1B ... 'Mre7 19.'Mrxd4+ 4:ldS 20.4:le4 @c7 21.E1xa7+-) 19.E!xf2'Mre7 20.~d4+ @c7 21.'MreS+! @dB 22.E1a4! ~d7 23.E1d4 @cB 24.~xd7+ 4:lxd7 2S. E!c4+ @dB 26.4:lxe6+ @eB 27. 4:lxg7+ @dB 2B.'Mrc7#. 11.~xb4 ~xb4 12 •.ixd7+ @xd713.E1bl ~f4 13 ... 'MrcS14.E!xb7+ @cB ISJ~xf7 4:lh6 16.E1f4!+-. White's exquisite rook maneuvers all over the board brought him quickly an overwhelming advantage.

14.~e2!

White does not need to capture the b7-pawn with check notwithstanding its attractiveness: 14. E1xb7+ @cB lS.'Mrbl E1bB 16.E1xbB+ ~xbB 17.~xbB+ @xbB=. 14 ... ~c7 (14 ... @c7 lS.4:leS! E1dB 16.g3 'MrfS 17.Wfc4+ @bB IB.4:lc6+ @aB 19. 4:lxdB+-; IS ... b6 16.4:lbS+ @bB 17. g3 WffS IB.liJd4! 11Qfh3 19.4:lxf7+-) 15.liJe5+@e8(1S... @e716.4:lg6+!! hxg6 17.4:ld5+-; lS ... @cB 16.4:lbS! Wfxc2 17.0-0+-; 16 ... 11Qfe7 17.~f3 4:lh6 1B.4:ld6+ 'Mrxd6 19.~xb7+ @d8 20.'MrxaB+-) 16.~b5+ @d8 Bl

Chapter 6 17.f4 tLlh618.'Wd3+ \tle819.'We4 gb8 20.'Wa4+ \tle7 21.tLlb5 'Wb6 22.tLld7! !+-. a2) 4 ... 'Wd6

That retreat might seem to be quite reliable to you at first sight. In fact Black's queen on d6 provokes White to reasonably justified activity. 5.b4! White must exploit the opportune moment immediately otherwise the lucky bird might flyaway! We will analyze now a2a) 5 ... tLlf6, a2b) 5 ... tLld7 and a2c) 5 ... cxb4. a2a) 5 ... tLlf6 6.tLlf3 bxc5 'Wxc5

~g4

9.h3~h5

9 ... ~xf3 1O.W1xf3 CtJc6 11.~bS e6 12.~a4!! CtJd7 13.gxb7 CtJdeS 14.~xc6+ CtJxc6?? C14 ... W1xc6 1S. Wlxc6+ lLlxc616.CtJbS ElcS17.\tle2±) 1S.W1xf7+ \tldS 16.d3 CtJeS?! 17. ~gS+ 1-0 Kroshk - DXM, Internet 2004. 10 .g4 ~g6 1l.tLle5

8.gb1! Black has problems defending S2

his b7-pawn. 8 ... 'Wc8 S ... b6. Black's pawn is safe after that move, but his position is definitely not! 9.~bS+ tLlbd71O.h3 ~fS 11.0-0 a6 12.~xa6! ~xh3 (12 .. J''lxa6 13.ElbS ~xc2?? Naturally Black had to comply with the loss of a pawn, but his position was desperate anyway. 14.ElxcS hd1? 1S.ElcS#) 13.~bS ~fS (13 ... ~g4 14.lLla4! W1c71S.lLlxb6!±) 14.Ele1 e6 (14 ... lLlg4 1S.W1e2 hc2 16.~xd7+ \tlxd7 17J'lbS+-) 1S.tLleS ~d6 16. W1f3 ElcS 17.lLlxd7lLlxd71S.hd7+ \tlxd7 19.tLla4 W1xc2 20.CtJxb6+-; 16 ... EldS 17.d4! W1c7 1S.~xd7+ CtJxd7 19.CtJbS W1bS 20.CtJc6+-) 1S.CtJc6 W1h419.g3±.

White has a considerable lead in development. His task now is to transfer that temporary advantage into decisive material gains.

l.e4 c5 2.a3 dS 3.exdS 1l ... e6 1l...~e6 12.~e2 .bc2 13.Ei:xb7 CLlc6 14.CLlxc6 ~xc6 15.~b5 ~xb5 16.i.xbS+ i>d8 17.d3 i.b3 18.gS CLlhS 19.i.d2 eS 20.i.c6 i.e6 21. CLlbS+-. 12.~f3 ltJc6 13.i.b5 a6 14. i.xc6+ bxc6 15.Ei:b6 i.xc2 16. Ei:xc6 ~b8 17.d4 h6 17... i.e718.gS+-.

18.Ei:c7! White forces the super favourable trade of the rooks in this quite extraordinary fashion. 18 ••• ~xc7 19.~xa8+ i>e7 20. a4!! (Black is now forced to accept the knight sacrifice, moreover with check, since the threat of a check from the a3-square is really frightening!) 20 ••• ~xc3+ 21.i.d2 ~a1+ 22.i>e2 ~xa4 23.i.b4+! ~xb4 24.lbc6+ i>d7 25.lbxb4 i.e4 26.~a7+ i>e8 27.Ei:cl+-. a2b) 5 ••• lbd7 (diagram) 6.lbf3 lbgf6 7.i.b2 cxb4 8. ltJb5 The move 8.axb4!?, deserves a thorough analytical attention too, for example, 8 ... ~xb4 (8 ... eS 9. ~e2 i.e7 10.CLlbS±; 8 ... e6 9.

bS i.e7 1O.i.a3! ~c7 1l.i.xe7 Wxe7 12.Ei:a3 eS 13.~al±) 9.CLlbS ~xb2 (9 ... CLldS 10.c4 ~xb2 11.cxdS wd8 12.CLlxa7 CLlb6 13.Ei:b1 ~f6 14.CLlxc8 CLlxd51S.i.c4 ~e6+ 16.~e2 ~xe2+ 17.Wxe2 CLlf4+ 18. i>e3 CLlxg2 19. i>e4 Ei:xc8 20 .i.f1+-) 10. CLlc7 + wd8 ll.CLlxa8 e6 (1l ... a6 12.c3! bS 13. CLlgS CLleS14.f4 i.g41S.~b1 ~xb1+ 16.Ei:xb1+-) 12.c3 i.cs 13.CLlgS We7 14.i.c4! (Black was planning to trap White's knight on a8. Surprisingly everything turns the other way around. White's knight on a8 helps him to trap the black queen controlling the vital b6-square!) 14 ... CLleS1S.Ei:a2+-. 8 ••. ~b8 8 ... ~e6+?! 9.i.e2±. 9.axb4 a610.lba3 e6 1O ... eS ll.CLlc4 i.xb4 (11...e4 12.CLlfe5! .bb4 13.lbxd7 .bd7 14. CLlb6 Ei:a7 lS.i.xf6 gxf6 16.CLlxd7 Wxd7 17.~g4+ wd8 18.~g7 We7 19.c3 i.d6 20.Ei:a4! f5 21.~g5+-) 12.CLlfxeS 0-0 13.i.e2 Ei:e8 14.CLlxd7 CLlxd71S.0-0 b5 16.CLle3::1;. 1l.b5 axb5 ll ... i.e7! 12.i.e2 0-0 13.0-0::1;. 12.hb5 (diagram) The material is equal indeed, but Black has a lot of problems to 83

Chapter 6 22.'~Âˇa8+ ~e7 23.~xb7 ~xg2 24.~b4+ ~e8 25.~b8+ ~e7 26.~g3+-.

a2c) 5 ... cxb4 6.axb4

solve with the development of his pieces and the neutralization of White's activity. 12 ... id6 12 ... ie713.ie5! id614.ixd7+ ~xd7 (14 ... ixd7 15.ixd6 ~xd6 16.lLlb5!+-) 15.lLlc4 Elxa1 16.~xa1 ixe517.lLlfxe5+ ~e8 18.~d4lLld5 19.~c5 f6 20.lLld6+ ~d8 21.lLldf7+ ~e8 22.~b5+! ~f8 (22 ... ~e7 23. lLlc6+ bxc6 24.~xb8+-) 23.lLld7+ hd7 24.~xd7 Elg8?! 25.lLld6+-. 13.lLlc4 Elxa1? 13 ... ic7 14.Elxa8 ~xa8 15.0-0 0-0 16.~a1 ~xal17.Elxa1t.

14.'~xa1

Black is totally helpless! 14 ... 0-0 (14 ... ~e7?! 15.~e5 1-0 Kroshk - Brunico, Internet 2004.) 15.lLlxd6 ~xd6 16.~a3 ~d5 17.hd7! (17.~xf8? ~xb5!t) 17... ~e4+ 18.~d1 ~xd7 19. ~xf8 ~xf8 20.~a3+ ~e8 21. Ele1 ~g4 84

6 ....~xb4 It is quite possible that your

opponent might like to snatch enemy pawns. He will probably gobble that one as well. It is a well known fact that affections usually require sacrifices! Meanwhile the most probable sacrificial goat in this position will probably be the black king at the end. If your opponent decides to refrain from accepting the pawn sacrifice - then what? I admit that I cannot give you all the right answers in my short analytical work and I don't even think that I should. Just see an instructive illustration of White's vast possibilities in this amazing position: 6 ... lLlf6 7.lLlf3 e6 8.lLlb5 ~b6 9.~b2 ~xb41O.~e5! (White's brave knight is threatening to penetrate to the c7-square and that is not surprising at all. It is not clear how Black can parry that threat.) 1O ... lLlg4 (1O ... 0-0!? It is not easy to go for such a desperate move

l.e4 c5 2.a3 d5 3.exd5 over the board. Black's ingenuity will not be rewarded however if White finds the cold-blooded reaction 1l.c3!! This is the only refutation - otherwise after 11.ct'lc7?! Black's position will be satisfactory. -1l ... ct'le412.~e2+-; 1l ... ct'lg4 12.i.g3+-; 1l...ic5 12.d4+-; 10 ... ct'ld5 Il.c4 id7 12.cxd5 i.xb5 13. id4 i.c5 14.hc5 ~xc5 15J'kl+-, White's rook goes to cS and collects Black's unfortunate rook. Black remains a piece down without any compensation after: 11 ... i.c512.cxd5 hf2+ 13.'it>e2 ~xb5+ 14.'it>xf2 ~xd515.hg7+-) 11.ct'lc7+ 'it>dS 12.i.g3 liJxf2 13.ct'lxaS. This position is exquisitely beautiful! Both queens are hanging and it is Black's move. He can run away with his queen with check at that, but White's extra rook will definitely decide the issue. 13 ... ~e3+ 14.~e2 ~xe2+ 15.i.xe2 ct'lxh1 16. hbS+-. 7.liJbSliJa6

8.~f3!

White is threatening to capture on a6 and later on as too. Black's only move is not so easy to find. 8 ... ~c5! White now should not overlook

the possible check on e5, because he would be beyond any salvation then. Therefore his rook on a1 must retreat from the dangerous aI-square and where? Naturally to a6, of course! 9J'!xa6! I t is quite amusing that I found unbelievably interesting prospects for that rook throughout my work over this book. It is capable of performing miracles in many lines creating difficult and sometimes unsolvable problems for Black! 9 ... bxa6 In case Black tries to capture the c2-pawn, then White wins immediately with a surprising and quite effective retreat of the rook: 9 ... ~xc2? 1OJ'!a1!+-. 10.~xa8 axbS 1l.i.xbS+ 'it>d8 The line 11... ~xb5?? 12.~xcS# hardly deserves any comments. 12.c4 eS 13.lilf3 i.d6

14.lilgS! This move is very powerful and Black's position is hopeless now. 14 ... lilh6 (14 ... ~c7 15.~d5!+-) lS.lile4 ~b4 16.liJxd6 ~xd6 17Jlfxa7+-.

Chapter 6 a3} 4 ... Wfd8

5.~f3!

White would like to play 5.b4 in general, but he should better maim the black knight to c6 first. He is threatening to play d2-d4 now and Black must prevent this. 5 ... ~c6 5 ... ~f6. After this move White can play the routine line 6.d4 cxd4 7.Wfxd4 Wfxd4 8.tDxd4;1;. The endgame is evidently better for White. 5 ... e6 6.g3!? This is a quite original idea! White plans to treat the position in a rather calm fashion and his bishop on g2 will be ideally placed. Black lost the logical thread of the play and was defeated quickly. 6 ... b6 7.~e5 a6? This was a decisive mistake! It is not easy to criticize somebody for a blunder in a desperate timetrouble! (Black's best defence was the not so evident 7 ... ib7! 8.ib5+ me7 9.0-0 00 ) 8.tDxf7! (8.Wff3? l"1aTt) 8 ... mxf7 9.Wff3+ ~f6 10. Wfxa8 Wfc7 11.ig2 id6 12.d3 l"1f8 13.ig5 id7 14.ixf6 gxf6 15.Wff3 tDc6 16.Wfh5+ mg8 17.0-0-0 1-0 Kroshk - Dragoneye, Internet 2003. 6.b4! 86

Black should now be aware of White's b-pawn, since it can attack the black knight! 6 ... cxb4 6 ... e6 7.b5 tDd4 8.ib2 tDf6 9.id3 (This is an interesting idea - the white bishop is placed quite comfortably in front of its own pawn!) 9 ... b6 1O.tDxd4 cxd4 11. lLle4 ib712.Wff3 (The position has become rather complicated and small wonder Black got quite confused!) 12 ... tDxe4 (12 ... l"1b8 13. tDxf6+ gxf6 14.ie4 ixe4 15.Wfxe4 ic5 16.0-0;1;; 13 ... Wfxf6 14.Wfxf6 gxf6 15.ixd4 e5 16.ie3 l"1g8 17. l"1g1 e4 18.ie2 id6 19.93Âą; 16 ... ixg2 17.l"1g1 if3 18.ie2 ie4 19. c4;1;) 13.ixe4 ixe414.Wfxe4l"1c8?! (14 ... ic5! 15.Wfc6+ mf8 16.0-0;1;) 15.ixd4 id6?! 16.ixg7 l"1g8 17. Wfxh7+- Kroshk - artus, Internet 2003. 7.axb4 ~xb4 8.~e5!

White has sacrificed a pawn and what did he achieve to compensate for it? He has plenty of various attacking possibilities. Most of them are quite unusual and non-standard and because of that they are very unpleasant for Black. Trust my experience - all

l.e4 c5 2.a3 d53.exd5 that is more than compensating the minute material deficit of a mere pawn. S ... tt:le6 8 ... tt:lf6 9.ib5+ id7 (You should also have in mind the possibility 9 ... ltJd7?! 1O.Wf3! f6? II. 'lWh5+ g6 12.ltJxg6+-) 10.ltJxd7 CDxd7 1l.0-0~, and Black has yet to complete the development of his kingside while White's bishops and the rook on al are dangerously active. 9.ltJxe6 bxe610.Wf3

10 ... ib7 We need to see the consequences of: 1O ... Wd7 1l.ic4 ItJf6 12.0-0 e6 13.ib2 id6 14.ltJb5!! Now comes an elegant tactical strike! Black was just hoping to castle and sigh with relief and suddenly this: 14 ... cxb5 (14 ... ie7 15.ie5! cxb516.Wxa8 bxc417.~xa7 ~d8 18.ic7 Wd7 19.ia5+-) 15. ~xa8 bxc4 16.~xa7 ic7 17.ie5 ItJd5 18.~fal f6 19.ixc7 ItJxc7 20. ~b8 ~d8 2I.d3!. Black is totally squeezed and pinned all over the board and his position is utterly helpless. The game might proceed in the following fashion: 21...~e8 22.dxc4 ~e7 23.~7a3 Wc6 24.~dl+

~d7 25. ~xd7+ ~xd7 26.~d3+ ItJd5 27.cxd5 'lWxc2 28.dxe6+ ~xe6 29.~e3+ c;t>f5 30.h3+-.

1l.ia6 WeS 12.ixb7 Wxb7 13.l'!b1 Wd7

14.ia3! This is an excellent idea. White's knight is going to have remarkable prospects after the exchange of the bishops. White's move 14 is very instructive and you should better remember it because it might come around quite handy some other time! 14 ... e6 15.ixfS ~xfS 16. ltJe4!ttJh6 16 ... ltJe7 17.0-0 Wd5 18.~b7 Wf519.~a3! c5 20.ltJxc5+-. 17.0-0 ttJf5 IS.e3 h6 19.94 ttJh4 20.~g3 ttJg6 21.~bS+ White has also tested here 21.~fel. 1M S.Soloviov played a game which continued 21...~c8 (21...e5!? 22.d4 h5 oo ) 22.ltJd6 ~d8 23.ltJb7 ~c8 24.c4 Wxd2 25.ltJd6~, and White had a good compensation for the two sacrificed pawns but not more than that. He can instead try to get something more than just compensation, though ... ! 21. .. ~e7 22.ttJe5 Wd5 23. ~b7+ ~fS 24.~xa7 ~xa7 25. 87

Chapter 6 Wfb8+ rJ:Je7 26.Wfxa7+ rJ:Jf6

27.f4± White has already created plenty of dangerous threats. Conclusions about 3 ... f:f!xd5 3 ... Wfxd5 is not good enough to equalize for Black. Moreover White has the opportunity to seize the initiative with the typical tactical strike b2-b4 in the very early stages of the game. The line resembles very much the Scandinavian Defence l.e4 d52.exd5 Wfxd5, in a definitely worsened situation for Black.

b)3 ... ~f6

This move was played for the first time in the game Kuipers Van Beek, Leiden 1997. White now can try to protect his extra pawn 88

and not give it back at all! (I am now going to make a remark addressed to the fans of comparing positions from different openings. The arising positions now resemble very much the rare line of the Scandinavian Defence: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 ct:lf6 3.i.b5+!? I believe that line to be quite favourable for White as well.) 4.i.b5+! Black is now faced once again with the difficult problem how to defend his king. 4 ••• tLlbd7 It is weaker for Black to play 4 ... i.d7. The point is that after the exchange of the bishops Black does not have the possibility to follow with a7-a6 and later eventually b7-b5 with tempo in order to create some counterplay, and obtain the two bishops advantage. Therefore White is going to have to solve fewer problems in a position with an extra pawn. 5.i.xd7+ ~xd7 6.c4 e6 (6 ... g6 7.ct:lf3 i.g7 8.0-0±; 7 ... ~g4 8.~b3! ~e4+ 9.@dl±; 6 ...b5 7.d3 e6 8.~e2 i.e7 9.dxe6 fxe6 10.ct:lf3 ct:lc6 11.0-0 ct:ld4 12.ct:lxd4 cxd4 13J~e1 @f7 14.cxb5 ~he815.ct:ld2 i.d616.ct:lc4± Kroshk - Gertel, Internet 2004)

1.e4 c5 2.a3 d53.exd5 7.Wle2!' This is better than the

simple capture on e6. White manages to compromise Black's pawn structure. 7 ... fJ.e7 8.dxe6 fxe6 9.'Llf3. Black is now a pawn down and he has no compensation for it whatsoever. 9 ... 'Llc6 10.0-0 0-0 11.~el e5!? Black is now sacrificing a second pawn but White should not accept it. (He can however capture the pawn after 11 ... ~ad8 12.Wlxe6+ Wlxe6 13.~xe6 h6 14.'Llc3 mf7 15.~el g5 16.h3 ~fe8 17.b3 fJ.d6 18.fJ.b2 fJ.f4 19.~xe8 ~xe8 20.~dl h5 21.g3 g4 22.hxg4 hxg4 23.'Llh4 fJ.e5 24.'Llf5 ~d8 25.1t>f1lt>g6 26.'Lle3 'Lld4 27.'Llcd5 'Llxd5 28.'Llxd5 ~f8 29.~g2 ~f3 30.'Lle3 It>g5 31.~hl ~f7 32.~h4+ Kroshk - rakot18, Internet 2004) 12.d3! (12.'Llxe5?! 'Llxe5 13.Wlxe5, derecha - flashlight, ICC 2004, fJ.d6! 14.Wle6+ Wlxe615.~xe6 ~ae8!' Black can equalize now because he has a great lead in development. 16.~xe8 ~xe8 17.~f1 'Llg4 18.g3 'Lle519.'Llc3 'Lld3 20.'Lle2 fJ.e5 2l.f4 fJ.f6:x5) 12 ... 'Lld4 (Black can transpose to the same position after 12 ... ~ae8 13.'Llbd2 'Lld4 14.'Llxd4 exd4 15.Wle6+ - see 12 ... 'Lld4) 13.'Llxd4 exd414.'Lld2 ~ae815.Wle6 Wlxe6 16.~xe6 ~f7 17.~el fJ.d6 18.~xe8 ~xe8 19.'Llf3 a6 (Black's attempt to place his rook on the second rank unfortunately fails after: 19 ... ~e2 20. ~fl ~c2?? 21. 'Llel+-) 20.1t>f1 b5 21.b3±. White remained with an extra pawn and he was supposed to gradually win the clearly superior endgame. 5.c4a6

5 ... g6 6.b4! (It is essential that White should refrain from 6.d4?! cxd4 7.'Llf3 fJ.g7 8.0-00-0 9.'Llxd4 'Llb61O.b3 a6. The white bishop on b5 looks really pathetic! 11.fJ.a4 'Llxa412.bxa4 W!c7!'t) 6...fJ.g7 7.fJ.b2 0-0 8.'Llf3 cxb4 9.axb4 'Llb61O.d3 a6 11.fJ.a4±.

6.fJ.a4!? To take or not to take on d7? It is mostly a matter of choice. 6.fJ.xd7+. This is evidentlysimpIer than the retreat to a4, but that does not necessarily mean that it is better too. In fact Black obtains the two bishops advantage and can hope to save the game because of that. It is still more enjoyable to play with White, though ... 6 ... fJ.xd7 (6 ... Wlxd7 7.'Llc3 e6 8.Wle2;;!;)7.d4 cxd4 (7 ... e6 8.dxe6 fxe6 9.'Llf3 cxd4 1O.0-0±; 8 ...fJ.xe6 9.d5 fJ.g4 1O.'Llf3±) 8.Wlxd4 g6 (8 ...Wlc7 9.fJ.f4 e5 1O.dxe6 ~a5+ 11.fJ.d2+- 1-0 Kroshk - Mattyy, Internet 2004) 9.'Llf3 fJ.g7 10.0-0 0-0 11.~el±. 6 ... b5 Black can hardly create counterplay in any other fashion. 7.cxb5 tlJxd5 7... 'Llb68.lt:lc3±. S.li.::lc3 li.J5b6 9.i.c2 axb5 89

Chapter 6 10 .ttJxbS .ia6 1O ... eSll.<t:lf3 .ia6 12.lWe2 <t:ldS 13.lWe4.ixbS14.lWxdS±; 10 ... <t:leS 1l.d4 cxd4 12.lWxd4 IWxd4 13.<t:lxd4 .ib714.<t:lgf3±. 1l.lWe2 ttJf612.a4 '\1;lfd7

troublesome for Black. 13 ... c4 14.ttJf3 e6 lS.ttJeS IWb7 16.gg3 ttJxa417.ttJd6+ hd618 ..ixa4+ @f8 19 ..ic6IWb8 20 .has heS 21.ga3 '\1;lfxa8 22.'\1;lfxeS '\1;lfxg2 23.gfllWc624.gg1±.

13.ga3! White must resort to this nonstandard resource in order to neutralize Black's initiative. The rook seemed to be passive until now but it was still capable of being quite

Conclusions about 3 .. AJf6 White preserves excellent winning chances due to the extra exchange. He can also keep his extra pawn and the better position. On the other hand he must play inventively in order to parry Black's possible activity. We must emphasize once again that Black usually avoids the risky pawn sacrifice 3 ... <t:lf6. We believe that your present knowledge after having read this chapter is quite sufficient to play successfully with White.

Conclusion Black can hardly equalize in the line 2 ... dS. White is perfectly capable of neutralizing this premature activity in the centre.

Chapter 7

l.e4 c5 2.a311Jf6

The position on the board re- move repetition like - tLlgB-f6-gB? sembles some other opening, does No, I do not think that people will it not? We have now a situation play chess like that. quite similar to the Alekhine DeAfter 3 ... tLld5 White has three fence (l.e4 tLlf6) after Black's last moves that promise him good interesting and quite acceptable prospects: a) 4.ttJf3, b) 4.c4 and move. There is some essential dif- c) 4.d4. ference, though ... Black can fight for the centre more effectively with a) 4.11Jf3 ttJc6 the presence of his pawn on c5, but White has the possibility to play b2-b4, which is just unthinkable for the Alekhine Defence. The development of the game is going to be quite original and unpredictable, just like in the rest of the lines of the l.e4 c5 2.a3 system. 3.e5 White should play like that, of course. After 3.tLlc3 tLlc6, or 3 ... d6, 5.i.c4 or even 3 ... dS it will only turn out This is a calm move that rethat White has just presented quires precise play from Black to Black with an extra tempo with his reach equality. move two. It is also good for White to play 3 ... ttJd5 S.liJc3!? tLJxc3 (S ... e6 6.i.b5 fie7 3 ... tLle4?? loses a piece after 7.0-0 0-0 B.i.xc6 dxc6 9.tLJe4 c4 4.d3+-, and we are not going to 1O.d3 cxd3 11.Wxd3:t; B... tLJxc3 deal with the retreat to gB simply 9.dxc3 dxc6 - after 9 ... bxc6 10. because it is without any construc- fif4Âą the weakness of the d6tive idea. I do not believe that a square and the backward d7-pawn player might be attracted by a promise White a considerable 91

Chapter 7 edge - 1O.1!?ie2;t Black cannot activate easily his bishops, or 5 ... lLlc7 6.~c4 d5 7.exd6 exd6 S.d4 d5 9.~e2 cxd41O.lLlxd4lLle611.~e3t; 9 ... c4 1O.~g5 ~e7 11.~xe7 lLlxe7

12.0-0 0-0 13.Ei:e1;Âą;; 11. .. 1!?ixe7 12.0-0 0-0 13.Ei:e1 Vl1f6 14.lLle5t. White's other possibility leads to a very complicated position after: 6.b3 d5 7.exd61!?ixd6 S.~b2 ~g4 9. ~e2 e6 1O.h3 ~h5 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.d3 Ei:gS 13.b4 cxb414.lLle41!?id5 15.axb4 hb4 16.c4 Vl1d7 17.1!?ia4~, and White's attack triumphed at the end in the game Noire - Chambers, IECG 2001) 6.dxc3! (This is the better capture. White needs the d-file more than the b-file.) 6 ... d5 7.exd61!?ixd6 (7 ... e5 S.~c41!?ixd6 9.0-0 1!?ixd11O.Ei:xd1 ~g411.~e3t; 7 ... exd6 S.~c4 ~e7 9.0-0 0-0 1O.~f4 ~e611.~d5t) S.~e3 (White can trade queens immediately preserving better chances after: S. 1!?ixd6 exd6 9.~f4 ~e6 10.0-0-0 d5 11.~b5 ~e7 12.lLle5 Ei:cS 13. Ei:he1t; 11...a6 12.~xc6+ bxc6 13. Ei:he1 ~e7 14.lLle5 Ei:cS 15.~g3t) S ... ~g4 9.~b5 0-0-0 1O.1!?ixd6 exd611.lLlg5 ~h512.lLlh3 d513.lLlf4 ~g4 14.f3 d4 15.cxd4 cxd4 16.~f2 ~f517.0-0-0t. White still has the initiative despite the exchange of queens. 5 ... tt:lb6 The retreat of the knight from the central square is a partial positional concession for Black. It might not seem to you so important, but sometimes small advantages tend to accumulate and lead to grave consequences. 92

5 ... e6 6.0-0 d6 7.exd6 ~xd6 S.lLlc3 lLlxc3 (S ... lLlb6 9.~a2 0-0 1O.d3 e5 11.lLle4 ~g4 12.h3 ~h5 13.lLlg3 ~g6 14.Ei:e1 Ei:eS 15.~e3t) 9.dxc3!? (9.bxc3 0-0 10.d4oo ) 9 ... 0-0 1O.1!?ie2 (This is one ofthe critical positions. Black must play very carefully otherwise he might soon have to face insurmountable difficulties.) 1O ... e5?! (l0 ... h6!? 11.Ei:d1t) 11.tt:lg5! h6 12.lLle4 ~e713.~e3 b614.Ei:ad11!?ic7 15.f4! ~b7 (15 ... ~f5 16.lLlg3 ~e6 17.~xe6 fxe6 lS.1!?ig4 ~h7 19.f5 exf5 20.lLlxf5+-) 16.1!?ig4 Ei:adS 17.f5 ~hS lS.Ei:xdS Ei:xdS 19.f6+-. White's attack was immediately decisive. 6.oia2 White's bishop is excellently placed on the a2-square as a rule in this opening system. That is one of the numerous proofs that White's second move is strong. White's other try is not so logical: 6.~b5 1!?ic7 7.1!?ie2 a6 S.~xc6 1!?ixc6 9.0-0 d5 10.exd6 1!?ixd6 11.lLlc3 ~f5 12.d3 e6 13.lLle4 1!?id5 14.Ei:e1 ~e7=. 6 ... d57.exd6 White trades pawns so that the bishop on a2 participates actively in the further operations. 7 ... 1!?ixd6 7 ... e6 S.lLlc3 ~xd6 9.d3 0-0 1O.~e3 e5 11.lLle4 1!?ie7 12.lLlfg5 ~f5?! (White wins now with a beautiful and not so obvious combination! Black's play until now seemed to be quite natural, so you might be able to make that combination in some of your games quite

l.e4 c5 2.a3 CDf6 3.e5 CDd5 soon.) 13.ixf7+!! l"1xf7 14.CDxf7 Wxf7 (Black loses his d6-bishop after the other captures.) 15.\Mff3 We6 (15 ... g616.g4+-) 16.CDg5+ Wf6 17.g4+-. S.ltlc3 Black now has the possibility of White playing CDe4 to worry about, so he must control this square. S ... if5 8 ... ig4? 9.ixf7+! Wxf7 10. CDg5+ \ilg811.~xg4 CDd412.\ildl±. 9.d3 e610.ie3l"1dSll.0-0 ie7 12.ltJe4 he4

black knight has certain advantages. We will analyse three retreats ofthis knight: bl) 4 ... ltlf4, b2) 4 ... ltlb6 and b3) 4 ... ltlc7.

13.dxe4;!; White's two bishop advantage promises him excellent prospects in this position.

5 ... ltJe6 5 ... CDg6 6.dxc5! (Black can now capture the important white e5pawn, and that might have provided him with an excellent game under somewhat different circumstances. He wasted too many moves on maneuvers with the knight and White can use that time to organize a dangerous attack.) 6 ... ~c7 (6 ... ctJxe5 7.b4 d6 8.ib2 ig4 9.ie2 ixe2 1O.\Mfxe2 CDbc6 11.b5 ctJa5 12.CDd2 CDg6 13.l"1dl e6 14.CDe4±) 7.CDc3 ~xe5+ 8.ie3 CDc6 9.ltlf3 \Mfb8 (Black's queen is safe here, but tile white knight can penetrate to the c7-square in some

b) 4.c4!?

White's immediate chase of the

bl) 4 ..• ltlf4 This move seems to be quite eccentric, but the position is not simple at all! White must play very precisely in order to get the advantage. 5.d4 This double attack against the knight and the c5-pawn seems to be very natural.

Chapter 7 lines with a decisive effect. The black rook on aB will have nowhere to run to then.) 1O.b4lLlgeS 11.~e2 g6 (11. .. lLlxf3+ 12.hf3lLleS 13.0-0 lLlxc4 14.~d4 lLleS IS.E1el lLlxf3+ 16.~xf3. White's considerable lead in development will soon prove to be decisive, for example: 16 .. .f617.lLle4 c;t>dBIB.lLld6! This is a beautiful tactical strike! You now can only take pity on Black, because White's attack is developing effortlessly. IB ... exd6 19.~xf6+ gxf6 20.~xf6+ c;t>c7 21.~xhB+-, and Black loses his bishop on fB; 21...~h6 22.cxd6+ c;t>xd6 23.~eS+ c;t>c6 24.~cS#; 19 ... c;t>c7 20.cxd6+ hd6 21.~c3+ c;t>b6 22.~d4+ c;t>a6 23.bS+ c;t>xbS 24.E1eS+ ~xeS 2S. ~b4+ c;t>c6 26.~cS#; 2S ... c;t>a6 26.~a4#) 12.lLld4! fS (This is not an attempt to attack, but a preparation of an eventual retreat of the knight on eS to the V-square.) 13.bSlLlxd414.hd4~h6 (14 ... E1gB IS.lLldS ~g716.f4lLlVI7.hg7 E1xg7 IB.~d4 eSl9.fxeSlLlxeS 20.b6+-) IS.lLldS e6 (1S .. .f4 16.b6 0-0 17. lLlxe7+ c;t>hB IB.lLldS+-; 17.lLlc7 lLlc6 IB.~c3+-) 16.f4 lLlV 17.hhB lLlxhB IB.Wd4 lLlV 19.1Llf6+ c;t>dB 20.0-0 ~g7 21.c6 bxc6 22.bxc6 c;t>e7 23.cxd7 hf6 24.WcS+ lLld6 (24 ... c;t>xd7 2S.~f3 Wc7 26.E1adl+ lLld6 27.E1xd6+ Wxd6 2B.E1dl Wxdl 29.hdl+-) 2S.E1abl Black's queen is almost trapped! 2S ...~b7 26. E1fdl c;t>xd7 (26 ... c;t>dB 27.E1xd6 ~e7 2B.E1bdl ~dS 29.~aS+! Wc7 30.Wxc7+ c;t>xc7 31.E1a6 ~b7 32. E1xe6+-) 27.E1xd6 c;t>eB (27... ~xd6? 2B.E1xb7+, c;t>eB 29.Wxd6+-) 2B. 94

E1xe6+ c;t>f7 29.~f3 c;t>xe6 30J3Xb7 Wxb7 31.~xb7 E1dB 32.~dS+ E1xdS 33.WxdS+-. Are you curious what might happen after the natural move 12 ... ~g7? (instead o£12 .. .fS)? See what: 13.f4! gS!? (13 ... 0-0 14.bS!+-, and Black loses his knight. But not 14.fxeS?! ~xeS<X:), and Black regains his piece in this extraordinary fashion.) 14.fxgS!± White can also play here: 14.fxeS!? WxeSlS.lLldSlLlxd416.Wxd4 Wxd4 17.~xd4 ~xd4 IB.E1dl ~eS 19.~hS e6 20.0-0 exdS 21.E1del±. White has regained his piece and his advantage in the endgame is almost decisive. 6.d5! White manages to occupy the centre and the black knight that took so many tempi to wander around is exchanged to White's favour. 6 ... ltJd4 7.ltJf3ltJxf3+ 8.Wxf3 d69.exd6

9 ... ~xd6 9 ... exd6 1O.~d3 ~e7 (Is it possible to punish Black for the frivolous check 1O ... ~e7+? - yes it is possible! Black is faced with problems along the open file after: 11. c;t>dl!! lLld7 12.E1ellLleS 13.~g3+-,

l.e4 cS 2.a3 ttJf6 3.eS ttJdS and Black loses his knight after the unavoidable f2-f4.) 11.0-0 0-0 12.tiJc3 ttJd7 13.if4 a6 (13 ... ttJeS 14.ixeS dxeS lS.'lWe4 White wins a pawn after this double attack and Black has no sufficient compensation for it. lS .. .fS 16.'lWxeS .1d6 17.'lWe3±) 14.Elfe1 ttJf6 lS.Ele3 EleS 16.Elae1 .1g4 (16 ... id7 17.h3±) 17.~g3±.

10.1L1c3 White plans to attack the vulnerable c7-square and presently Black could only manage to bring his queen into action. Meanwhile it was not even clear whether that was good for him. 10 •.. 1L1d7 1O ... a6 (Black defends the bS square reliably but White has plenty of other possibilities.) 11.if4 (Black now must make a choice between several unattractive lines. His position remains bad after everyone of them.) 11...eS (1l ... 'lWb6 12.0-0-0 ttJd7 13.id3 ttJf614.h3! This simple and effective prophylactic move prevents the annoying pin ig4 and prepares the possible cramping of the opponent later with the move g2-g4. 14 ... .1d7 lS.Elhe1 0-0-0 16. Wc2±) 12 ..1e3 fS13.g4! This positional pawn-sacrifice is quite typical for the King's Indian Defence. White occupies a lot of important outposts, particularly the e4-square. 13 ... fxg4 14.'lWg3 ifS 15.h3 gxh3 16.hh3 ixh3 17.Elxh3 ttld7 lS.ttJe4 ~b6 19.b4 0-0-0 20.Eldl±. 1l.lLlb5 ~e5+ 12 ..1e2 a6

13 ..1f4! This is the most resolute move. Black lags behind in development and that will be the decisive factor after the play gets sharpened. 13 ... 'lWxb2 14.1L1c7+ Wd8 15. lLlxa8 'lWxal + 16 ..1dl White's possible material losses would be immaterial. After castling Black's king will fall an easy prey to the combined efforts of the white pieces. 16 ... 1L1e5 16 ... 'lWd4 17.0-0 'lWxc4 lS.'lWg3 'lWxdS19.ic7+ \t>eS 20 ..1bS!! (This is a very beautiful and original resource! White is three pawns down and the knight on as as well as the bishop on bS are rather awkwardly placed ... Nevertheless he must win this position. Chess tends to be a quite unusual game at times ... !) 20 ... ~fS (20 ... 'lWc6 21.if3 ~f6 22.ttJc7+ WdS 23.ttJdS 'lWc6 24. 4:Jxe7 'lWe6 2S.4:JxcS+-) 21.4:Jc7+ \t>dS 22.4:Je6+ fxe6 (22 ... \t>eS 23. 'lWc7 fxe6 - see 22 ... fxe6) 23.~c7+ WeS 24.'lWxcS+ Wf7 2S.~xd7 ~dS 26.'lWc7+-, and White's super-active bishop pair will just take apart Black's position quickly and easily. 17.~e31L1xc418.~xc5'IWc3+

Chapter 7

19.~e2!

The king must retreat exactly here! Retreating to other squares might lead to disaster: 19. ~f1?? ttJd2+ 20.hd2 ~xc5-+, and White 10seshisqueen.19 .••.ig4+ 20.f3 e5 (20 ... ~b2+ 21.~f1+-, and the white king avoids the checks easily.) 21.lMrc7+ ~e8 22 . .ig5 f6 23.fxg41Mrb2+ 24.~f1lMrbl 25. ~f2 ~b2+ 26.~g3 ~c3+ 27..if3 .id6!? (This counterstrike is beautiful, indeed, but White is quite well prepared for it!) 28Jkl e4+ (28 ... ~xc129.~c8+ ~e7 30.~e6+ ~f8 31..ixc1+-) 29.lMrxd6 lLIxd6 30.l"lxc3 exf3 31.l"le3+ ~f7 32. ~f4lL1c4 33.l"lc3 g5 34 ..ic7lL1d2 35.gxf3 l"lxa8 36.d6 ~e6 37. l"ld3 lLIc4 38.d7+-.

treat of the knight. 5.b4d6 About the other possibility 5 ... d5 6.exd6;!; - see 5 ... d6. 6.exd6exd6 6 ... ~xd6 7.ttJf3 e5 8.lLIc3! leads to a powerful initiative for White - his knight can go to b5 or to e4. 7.d4lL1c6 7 ... cxd4 8.ttJf3! (White intends to capture the d4-pawn with his knight and not with the queen.) 8 ... ~e7+ (It is possible that Black had better prefer the slightly inferior endgame after: 8 ... .ig4 9.~xd4 .ixf3 10.gxf3 ~e7+ 11 . .ie3lLlc612.~e4 f513.~xe7+ he7 14.ttJc3.if615.l"lc1.ixc316.l"lxc3;!;) 9 ..ie2 .ie6 1O.0-0! (White is not obliged to defend the c4-pawn.) 1O ... ttJxc4 11.lLlxd4 ~f6 12.lLlxe6 fxe6 (12 ... ~xe613.l"le1.ie714.ttJc3 0-0 15.lLld5+-) 13 ..ixc4 ~xa1 14.~h5+ g615.~b5+ lLld716.he6 l"ld8 17.~d5 ~e5 18 ..if7+ ~e7 19 ..ig5+ ttJf6 20.~xb7+ l"ld7 21. M6+ ~xf6 22.l"le1 + ~xf7 23.~xd7 .ie7 24.ttJc3 l"ld8 25.~xa7+-.

b2) 4 ..• lLIb6

This is Black's most natural re96

8.d5! Black is incapable to exploit his insignificant lead in development. White has some extra space and

l.e4 c5 2.a3 lLJf6 3.e5 lLJd5 that is an important factor in this position. 8 .. .'~f6 8 ... lLJd4 9.lLJe2 Wie7 1O ..ib2! lLJxc4 11..ixd4 cxd4 12.Wxd4 lLJe5 13.lLJbc3 .if514.f4lLJd315.~d2+-; 8 ... lLJe5 9.bxc5 dxc5 10.f4 lLJg6 1l.Wie2+ ~d7!?;!;. 9.13a2 lLld4 10 ..id3! .if5 11. lLle2 lLlxc4 Black is trying to win a pawn in order to compensate the drawbacks of his position. After 11...0-0-0 12.0-0±, White is clearly better, because the black king is seriously endangered. 12.0-0! hd313.Wxd3 lLle5 14.Widl! lLlef3+ 15.gxf3 Wg6+ 16.~hl Wixbl

17.lLlxd4! (White sacrifices the exchange to get at the enemy king.) 17.•• exa218.13el+ ~d819.ea4i.e7 20.'l!;Ya5+ b6 21.lLlc6+ ~e8 22. ea6 exd5 23. ee2 ~d7 24. lLlxe7 'l!;Yb7 (24 ... Wie6 25.eb5+-) 25.lLlf5 13he8 26.'l!;Ye7+ 13xe7 27.13xe7+ ~c6 28.b5+ ~xb5 29.13xb7+-. b3) 4 •.• lLlc7 This is a wise manoeuvre, be-

cause the knight can join the actions quickly via the c7-square. 5.b4!

This is the right way for White to continue the fight for the centre. We will now analyse b3a) 5 ... d6 and b3b) 5 ••. cxb4. b3a) 5 .•• d6 This is a logical move. White should be ready to sacrifice a pawn in his fight to seize the initiative as it is often quite typical for this variation. 6.exd6exd6 6 ... exd6 7 ..ib2 lLJc6 (7 ... .if5 8.ef3 Wc8 9.b5 .ig6 1O.lLJh3 lLJd7 1l.lLJf4 lLJe5 12.We3 fie7 13.lLJxg6 hxg6 14 ..ie2 Wif515.0-0;:!; Kroshk - bierund, Internet 2004) 8.lLJf3 cxb4 9.axb4 lLJxb4 1O.Wia4+ lLJc6 11.fie2 d512.0-0 (Black has failed to develop his bishop on f8 and that presents White with good attacking chances.) 12 ... We7 (12 ... fie7 13.fixg7 13g8 14.fieS! fih3 15.fig3±) 13.cxd5 lLJxd5 14.fibS ec7 lSJ'~e1+ lLJde7 16.d4 fie6 17. lLJc3 (White now has the threat d4d5 as the "Damocles' sword" over Black's position!) 17 ... Wif4 (17 ... 13d8 18.Wxa7+-) 18.dS exa4 19. 97

Chapter 7 ixa4+-. 7.ll:rf3! Do not overlook the threat of a check from the eS-square - winning the rook!

bishop after: 1S ... b4 16.ltJc4 'lf1cS+ 17.d4+-) 16.d4 as 17..ieS±. b3b) S ..• exb4

7 ... exb4 Black could have tried the central move 7... eS, but his defence is difficult after thattoo. 8.bxcS 'lf1xcS 9.ib2 ltJc6 (9 ... e4 1O.'lf1e2 'lf1e7 1I. ltJd4 ltJc6 12.ltJbS ltJxbS 13.cxbS ltJaS 14.ltJc3 ltJb3 1SJ'J:b1 ifS16.b6 ltJd417.'lf1c4 'lf1cs 18.ltJdS 'lf1xc4 19. ixc4 ltJe6 20.0-0 axb6 2I.ltJxb6 Ei:aS 22.a4 e3 23.fxe3 ixb1 24. Ei:xb1;!:;. White's prospects are better in this quite original endgame, since his play is much easier.) 1O.ltJxeS!? ltJxeS 1l.'lf1e2 id6 (11 ... 'lf1xc4 12.'lf1xeS+ 'lf1e6 13.ie2 'lf1xeS 14.heSltJe61S.0-0;!:;) 12.d4 'lf1xc4 (12 ... WiaS+ 13.ic3 'lf1a6 14.dxeS±) 13.dxeS 'lf1xe2+ 14.ixe2 ie7 1S. ltJc3;!:;. 8.axb4 'lf1xb4 9.ltJe3 e6 10. .ia3 Wib6 (diagram) H.eS! heS (ll ... 'lf1aS 12.ltJeS ixcS13.ltJc4 ixf2+ 14.c;:t>xf2 'lf1fS+ 1S.c;:t>e1+-) 12.tlJa4.txf2+ 13.~e2 ~aS 14.~xf2 bS lS.tlJb2 'lf1b6+ (Black has no chances to trap the 98

This move cannot be easily qualified as good or bad! White activates his pieces much easier after it, but Black wins a pawn after all! 6.axb4 tlJe6 This is the most logical move. Black had to shun the capturing of the b4-pawn in case he did not wish to accept the pawnsacrifice. He inflicted a double-attack on the eS and b4-pawns with his last move. White had to sacrifice one of them, but which one? The central pawn is more important and it should be preserved, while the b4-pawn can be sacrificed. We can be easily convinced

l.e4 cS 2.a3 'tJf6 3.eS 'tJdS that Black cannot equalize even if S.tLle4! 0-0 (The development of he refrains from playing 6 ... ltJc6, the game is rather different, but also quite favourable for White affor example: 6 ... dS 7.ttJf3 tg4 (7 ... dxc4 S. ter: S ... d6 9.Wa4+ ltJc6 1O.ta3 txc4 ltJc6 9.bS ltJb4 1O.Wb3 e6 txa3 11.Wxa3 O-O! 12.exd6 'tJa6 1l.ta3 liJbdS 12.txfS :8:xfS 13.0-0 13.cS 'tJab4+; 9.'tJxd6+! The exf6 14.d4 ltJf4 lS.ltJbd2 ltJcdS 16. change of Black's dark-squared ltJe4Â± and the white knight is bishop is very advantageous for headed for the wonderful d6 - White. His own dark-squared square.) S.tb2 e6 9.cS te7 bishop will become then a power(Kroshk - Valeanu_eduard, Inter- ful force to reckon with. 9 ... hd6 net 2004) 1O.d4 0-0 1l.ltJbd2;t; 1O.exd6 Wxd6 11.ta3 Wd7 12.d4 9 ... ltJc6 1O.bSltJb411.b6. The pur- 'tJc613.'tJf3 b614.td3~; ll ... WeS+ poseful assault of the white pawns 12.te2 'tJc6 13.'tJf3 Wf6 14.d4~) is very impressive: 1l ... axb6 12. 9.WhS 'tJc6 (9 .. .fS 10.exf6 gxf6 cxb6 ltJca6 13.Wa4+ Wd7 14.tbS 1l.td3 fS12.tb2! Itturns out now ltJc6 lS.Wxg4+- Kroshk - Dani- that the white knight can easily be San, Internet 2003; sacrificed. His queen is co-acting 6 ... e6 7.ltJc3!? (White obtains with the bishops so effectively that dangerous attacking possibilities White's threats are almost imposafter this interesting pawn sacri- sible to parry. 12 ... fxe413.he4 :8:f7 fice.) 7... txb4 (7 ... ltJc6 S.ltJe4!? 14.txh7+ :8:xh7 lS.Wg6+ \t>fS 16. hb4 9.tb2~; S... ltJxeS 9.cS! White Wxh7 WgS 17.'tJf3 WfSoo; 14.tg6 must dominate over the d6-square We7 lS.hf7+ Wxf7 16.WeS! Wg6 otherwise his compensation for 17.Wxc7+-; 14 ... :8:e7 lS.WeS hxg6 the pawn would not be sufficient. 16.WhS+ \t>f7 17.Wg7+ ~eS IS. 9 ... dS1O.cxd6 hd611.Wa4+. This WgS#; 13 ... :8:fS 14.txfS exfS 15. important check deprives Black of 'tJe2! White completes his develthe right to castle. His king now opment calmly. Black can win a might quickly fall into trouble. couple of more pawns, but he l1...~fS 12.ltJxd6 Wxd6 13.tb2 cannot defend against White's ltJdS 14.bS ~gS lS.We4 f6 16.ltJf3 all-powerful assault. lS ... dS 16. ltJxf3+ 17.Wxf3~; 9 ... ltJdS 1O.tb2 0-0 dxc4 17.'tJd4 hd2 lS.:8:a3 c3 ltJg6 11.1&b3 as 12.bxaS :8:xaS 13. 19.txc3 WgS 20.We2 txc3 21. :8:xaS WxaS 14.ltJf3 fS lS.ltJd6+ :8:xc3+-; 19 ... Wd6 20.tb2 f4 21. txd6 16.cxd6 0-0 17.tbS Wb4 WgS+ ~f8 22.:8:d3 tb4 23.'tJbS lS.Wxb4 tiJxb4 19.0-0~; 1O ... Wh4 Wxd3 24.1&g7+ \t>eS 2S.'tJxc7+ 11.d3 ltJc4 12.td4 eS 13.g3 We7 ~d8 26.tf6+ te7 27.Wxe7#) 10. 14.tc3ltJxc31S.ltJxc3+-; 12 ... ltJce3 td3! h6 (lO ... 'tJeS 1l.tb2 h6 12. 13.ltJf3 ltlxdl14.ltJxh4 fS lS.ltJd6+ 'tJf6+ gxf6 13.Wxh6 fS14.'tJf3 Wb6 txd6 16.cxd6 ltJlc3 17.txg7 :8:gS lS.g4 tcs 16.'tJgS+-; 14 ... We7 lS.teS1":lg419.'tJf3 :8:xb4 20.:8:c1~) lS.g4 'tJxeS16.'tJxeS Wf617.We3 d6 99

Chapter 7 18.gxfS+-; lS ... f6 16.gxfS ~h7 17Jl:g1+ ~h8 18.~xh7+ ~xh7 19. fxe6+ ~h8 20.lLlh4 lLle7 21.i.g6 dxe6 22.i.xe8 fS 23.i.a3 i.xa3 24.El:xa3 El:xe8 2S.El:h3+-; 19 ... ~h6 20.exf6 dxe6 21.El:g6+ ~hS 22.~e2 lLld6 23.El:agl+-; 21...~h7 22.lLlgS+ ~h8 23.El:h6+ ~g8 24.f7+ El:xf7 2S.El:h8#) 1l.lLlf3 dS 12.lLlf6+ ~h8 13.lLlg4 ~g8 14.lLlxh6+! gxh6 15. ~xh6 fS 16.g4! ~f7 (l6 .. Jl:f7 17. gxfSi.f818.El:g1+ El:g719.El:g6lLlxeS 20.lLlxeS exfS 21.i.b2 ~e8 22. El:xg7+ i.xg7 23.~gS dxc4 24.i.xc4 i.e6 2S.El:c1 i.xc4 26.El:xc4 lLle6 27.~xfS as 28.El:h4 lLlf8 29.El:g4 lLle6 30.~d1 El:a6 31.lLld7+-) 17. gxfS exfS 18.El:g1 i.e6 19.i.xfS ~e7 (19 ... i.xfS 20.El:g7 ~e8 21.~hS+-) 20.El:g7+ i.f7 21.e6+-.

7.d4! White sacrifices his b4-pawn. If White loses his eS-pawn he cannot even hope to equalize: 7. bS?! lLlxeS 8.i.b2 d6 9.f4 lLld7 10. ~f3 e6 11.lLlc3 i.e7 (It is nowobvious that White has failed to organize any attack whatsoever.) 12. i.d3 i.f6 13.lLlge2 dS 14.~e3 dxc4 lS.i.xc4 lLlb6 16.i.b3 0-0 17.0-0 lLlxbS 18.ttJxbS hb2 19.El:a2 i.f6 20.El:c1 i.d7-+ Schepel- Chumfwa, 100

Istanbul 2000. 7 ... ttJxb4

Capturing the sacrificed pawn is Black's best and most principled decision. 7... dS?! 8.bSlLlb8 (This retreat looks pathetic, but Black has nothing better.) 9.cS i.fS 1O.ttJc3 ttJe6 (l0 ... e6 1l.lLlf3 i.e7 12.i.e2 0-0 13.0-0 lLld7 14.i.a3 f6 lS.exf6 lLlxf6 16.El:elÂ±) 11.lLlf3 h6 12.El:a4 i.g4 13.~b3 i.xf3 14.gxf3 lLlc7 lS.b6 axb6 16.cxb6 lLlca6 (16 ... El:xa4 17.~xa4+-) 17.lLlxdS e6 18. i.bS+ lLld719.ttJc7+ ttJxc7 20.bxc7 ~c8 21.El:xa8 ~xa8 22.~a4 ~xa4 (22 ... ~c8 23.i.xd7+ ~xd7 24. c8~+ ~e7 2S.~axd7#) 23.c8~+ ~e7 24.~xd7#

Black loses a piece and the game after: 8 ... ttJb4? 9.~a4! e6 (9 ... aS 1O.b6+-. The knight on c7 is lost.) 1O.cS! (It is not so convincing for White to playlO.b6+?! i.d7 1l.bxc7 ~h4! This is an excellent resource for Black. 12.~d1 ~e4+ 13.i.e3 ttJc2+ 14. ~d2 ttJxa11S.lLlc3 i.b4 oo ) 1O ... aS 1l.b6+ i.d7 12.bxc7 ~xc7 13.i.bS (l3.~xb4 axb4 14. El:xa8+ ~e7 lS.i.d2+-) 13 ... lLld3+ 14.~e2 ttJxc1+ lS.~d2+-. Black's knight on c1 is lost and White wins easily. S.dS ttJba6

8 ... e6 9.d6 (This powerful pawn is like a wedge in Black's position It is as if it cuts Black's position in two parts. He cannot coordinate his pieces at all.) 9 ... lLlca6 1O.ttJf3 b6 1l.i.gS f6 12.exf6 gxf6 13.lLleS! This powerful manoeuvre is worth remembering.

l.e4 cS 2.a3 tLlf6 3.eS tLldS choice now is only between the least of evils: 12 .. J'\gS (12 ... ig7? 13.exd6+-; 12 ... f6 13.e6 ig7 14. tLlc3 0-0 lS.h4 tLl7xe6 16.dxe6 ~g717.ltJf71Wc71S.1We7+-. ixe6 17.h5 ixc4 lS.hxg6 hxg6 19.ixg6+-; lS ... h6 19.tLlge2±; 9.~d3 ttJc5 10 .i.c2 d6 17... gS lS.ltJdS h6 19.1We2 fS 20. ixg7 ~xg7 21.tLlf3 id7 22.0-0 e6 23.tLlb4 as 24.tLld3 tLle4 2S.tLld2 ic6 26.tLlxe4 fxe4 27.ltJb2 dS 2S. ia4 1Wf6 29J:;:ad1:j;) 13.tLlf3 ifS 14.0-0 hc2 lS.1Wxc2 (Black's position is too cramped and the exchange of the knights is not helping him much ... ) lS ... ig7 16.1Wb2 (White is threatening the b7pawn.) 16 ... b6 17.tLlbd2 (17.e6 1l.~e3! This strong and difficult to find ixd41S.exf7+ ~xf719.tLlxd41Wd7 move provides White with a last- 20.tLlc6 eS 21.tLlc31Wg4=) 17 ... tLld3 ing advantage. Black has great lS.~c3ltJf419.E1fe1 dxeS 20.ltJxeS problems to complete his develop- e6 21.tLldf3 1Wd6 22.tLlc6 (White provoked the advance of Black's bment. 1l.e6!? White can play like that pawn and now has the wonderful and sacrifice a pawn if he likes c6-square for his knight.) 22 ... non-standard positions with wild ixd4 23.1Wxd4 E1fS 24.E1xa7 E1xa7 tactical possibilities and unclear 2S.ltJxa7+-. It is better for Black to play chances. 1l ... fxe6 12.1Wh5+ g6 (12 ... ~d7) 13.hg6+ hxg614.1WxhS 12 ... f6! (after 11...g6 12.id4), but ltJd3+ lS.~f1 ltJxc1 16.1Wc3 ih6 this also enables White to push 17.~hS+ ifS lS.1Wh7!? (1S.1Wc3=) his pawn to the fearsome e6lS ... ~d719.ltJd2ltJd3 20.tLle4 tLleS square: 13.e6 ig7 14.ltJc3 0-0 lS.h4! tLl7xe6! This is Black's 21.dxe6+ ~c7 22.1Wxg6fZ 1l ... e6 only chance to offer some resis1l ... tLld7?! 12.e6 fxe6? 13.1WhS+ tance. He sacrifices a piece for g6 14.~xg6+ hxg6 lS.1Wxg6#; 12 ... three pawns and has some minute tLlf6 13.ia4+ b5 14.cxbS+-; chances to save the game. 16.dxe6 1l ... b612.e6 fxe613.1WhS+ ~d7 ixe6 17.hS ~xc4 (17 ... gS lS.tLldS 14.ixc5 dxc5 lS.dxe6+ tLlxe6 16. h619.~e2 fS 20.hg7 ~xg7 21.tLlf3 1Wd5+ ~c717.~xaS+-; ~d7 22.0-0 e6 23.tLlb4 as 24.tLld3 Black cannot complete his de- tLle4 2S.ltJd2 ~c6 26.tLlxe4 fxe4 velopment ifhe tries to fianchetto 27.tLlb2 dS 2S.ia41Wf6 29.E1aCU±) his bishop: 11...g6 12.id4, Black's IS.hxg6 h6 (18 ... hxg619 ..bg6+-) 13 ... hS (This is the only move. 13 ... fxg5?? 14.1WhS#; 13 ... ixd6 14.1WhS+ ~f8 lS.1Wf7#) 14.ie2! ~xd6 15.ixhS+ ~f8 16.1Wxd6+

101

Chapter 7 19.LUge2±. 12 ..b::c5! White is of course not happy to exchange his powerful bishop, but he obtains now a very dangerous pawn on d6. It practically divides Black's position in two parts that do not communicate with each other at all. His defence becomes highly problematic after that! 12 ... dxc5 13.d6 ttJa6 14.ttJf3 Black's bishop on fS is incapable of joining the action. That means that Black cannot castle and he fails to activate his rook on hS too.

14 ... ttJb4 The character of the game remains more or less the same after: 14 ... id7 IS.ie4 ~b6 16.0-0 fS 17.ic2 g61S.ia4 ~dSI9.LUgS! ig7 20.LUxe6 ixeS 21.~el ixal 22. LUgS+ i'fS (22 ... ieS 23.~dS!+-) 23.~dS i'g7 24.~e7+ i'h6 (24 ... i'f6 2S.LUe4+! fxe4 26.~f7#) 2S. LUf7+ i'g7 (2S ... i'hS 26.~f3+ i'h4 27.~h3#) 26.ttJxdS+ i'h6 (26 ... i'f6 27.~f7+ i'gS 2S.~d2+ f4 29.~xf4+ i'hS 30.idl+ ig4 31. ixg4+ i'h4 32.g3#) 27.~d2+ gS (27 ... i'hS 2S.idl+ i'h4 29.~f4#) 102

2S.LUf7+ i'g7 29.ct:lc3 i'fS 30. LUxhS+-. 15.ia4+ ~d7 Is ... LUc6 16.LUc3 ~d7 17.ttJbS i'dSlS.0-0 a619.LUc7 ~a7 20.~b3 (White is threatening to penetrate to the b6-square.) 20 ... bS 21.cxbS axbS 22.~xbshd6 23.exd6 ~xd6 24.~fdl LUd4 2S.LUxd4 cxd4 26. LUeS!+-. 16.ct:lc3 a6 16 ... g617.ct:le4! (This is a double attack against the important cS and f6-squares.) 17 ... ig7 (Black has nothing better.) IS.ct:lxcS ha4 (1S ... LUc6 19.LUxb7 ~b6 20.~bl ~a6 21.0-0 ~xc4 22.~cl ~b4 23. ixc6 ixc6 24.~xc6 ~xb7 2S.~c7 ~b4 26.d7+ i'dS 27.~c2 ~b6 2S.~c6 ~b7 29.~dl f6 30.~cS+ and White has the deadly threat to check from the cS-square.) 19. ~xa4+ ttJc6 20.ct:lxb7 ~b6 (20 ... ~cS 21.LUaS i'd7 22.~bl+-; 22. LUd4+-) 21.LUaS ~xaS+ 22.~xaS LUxaS 23.~xaS i'd7 24. i'd2 ~hbS 2S.~hal ~b7 26.~a6 ~abS 27.cS ~b2+ 2S.i'el ~bl+ 29.~xbl ~xbl+ 30.i'e2 ~b2+ 31.i'd3+-. 17.0-0

17 ... gb8 18.ixd7+ ~xd7 h6 20.gfdl b6 21.ttJa2

19.~e2

l.e4 cS 2.a3 ltJf63.eSltJdS lLle6 22.lLlel lLlb4 23.lLld3 (The knight must be exchanged.) 23 ... a5 24.lLlxb4 exb4 25.c5 bxc5 26.gxa5Âą. Black's whole kingside is out of action now.

White than the move Wf3! This is because the black pieces are deprived of the important b4-square. Secondly White can support his e5-pawn with the simple f2-f4. I must admit that I failed to appreciate immediately White's idea Conclusions about 4. f'Jf3 and it seemed to me that Black's and4.c4 Both moves enable White to at- position is satisfactory. Neverthetack in the centre. His actions less the analysis showed that Black there are often supported by the has serious problems to solve in strike b2-b4. Moreover White can this line and White is clearly betrepel easily Black's knight from ter! the center. He must play invenLet us first see the considerable tively and aggressively in order drawbacks of the developing move to succeed and he should be ready 4 ... ltJc6?! Black only loses a pawn to risk considerably ifnecessary. with this seemingly active move Both sides are often deprived of and he does not get anything in return: 5.dxc5! Wa5+ 6.c3! This is the right to castle! the right move! (It is not good for c) 4.d4! White to play 6.b4?! ltJdxb4 7. ~d2?! Wxc5!-+) 6 ... e6 (but not 6 ... Wxc5 7.b4+-, and Black loses his knight) 7.b4 Wc7 8.f4Âą. We are also going to analyse in details: el) 4 ... e6, c2) 4 ... d6, and c3) 4 ... exd4.

This move might seem to a knowledgeable theoretician a bit paradoxical and not so strong too. The point is that in the well-known line: l.e4 cS 2.lLlf3 ltJf6 3.eS ltJdS 4.d4 cxd4 S.Wxd4 e6 Black solves easily his problems in the opening and White usually plays some other lines on move 4. It is not so easy to believe that the a3 pawnmove is presently more useful to

el) 4 ... e6 This move is quite possible and it seems logical, but White obtains quickly a huge advantage. This is mostly due to the weakness of the d6-square. White has excellent prospects on the kingside too. 5.c4lLlb6 6.dxe5 hc5 7.lLlc3 It is good for White to play 7.Wg4 as well, since Black cannot castle, because he loses the exchange. I will not analyse that move, because after 7.ltJc3 White has a great advantage. 103

Chapter 7

7 ... a5 7... 0-0 B.M fie7 9.c5 (White now wins a pawn by force and he has a great positional advantage.) 9 ... Wc7 (9 ... lLld5 1O.lLlxd5 exd5 l1.WxdS as 12.bS! a4 13.lLlf3 Wc7 14.fie3 Wa5+ 15.fid2 Wc716.Ek1 h6 17.fid3+-) 10.lLlf3 a6 (10 .. .f6 11. lLl b5+-) 11.fie3! (11.fib2?! lLldS 12.lLlxdS exd5 13.Wxd5 a5 14.fid3 axb4 1S.axb4 l"lxa1+ 16.fixa1 b6 17.We4 g6~) 11...lLld5 12.lLlxd5 exdS 13.Wxd5 lLlc6 14.fid3+-. S.tbe4 tLla6 9.~g4 White's position is so good that I can even recommend to you another way to achieve a great (and possibly decisive) advantage. 9.fie3 (This is a quite reasonable positional decision. Black will be incapable to defend his dark squares after the exchange of the bishops. Moreover the f-file is opened and White's attack is even more powerful after that.) 9 ...fixe3 1O.lLld6+ rJle7 11.fxe3 f6 12.~d4 fxe5 13.Wxe5 WfB 14.l"ld1 Wf6 15. Wb5 lLldS (This piece sacrifice is forced and Black's chances to survive are not too great after it. His position was already lost anyway.) 16.lLlxcB+ l"laxcB 17.cxd5 Wh4+ 1B.g3 We419.dxe6 Wxe3+ 20.lLle2 104

Wxe6 21.fih3 Wxh3 22.We5+ rJldB 23.lLlf4 Wg4 24.lLle6+ rJle7 2S.lLlg5 rJlfB 26.0-0+ rJlgB 27.WdS+-. 9 ..â&#x20AC;¢ rJlf8 9 ... 0-0 1O.fih6 g611.lLlf6+ rJlhB 12.Wh3! This is better and simpler than winning the eXj::hange 12 ... l"lgB 13.lLlxh7+-. 10.tLlxc5 tLlxc5 11.fie3 ~c7 12.tLlf3 tLlb313.l"ldl tLla414.fie2 b6

15.tLlg5 fib7 (1S ... WxeS 16. Wf3+-) 16.~h5 g6 17.tLlxh7+ rJlgS (17 ... rJlg7 1B.Wh6+ rJlgB 19. lLlf6#) lS.tLlf6+ rJlg719.~g5+-. c2) 4 ... d6

The idea of that move is very attractive for Black; he leaves the d4-pawn under threat and attacks immediately the other central pawn of the opponent. White can

l.e4 c5 2.a3 lLlf6 3.eSlLld5 however achieve an excellent position with some aggressive play. S.c4! It becomes clear now that the black knight has only two squares to retreat - c7 and b6. Both of them are· quite unsatisfactory, though ... c2a) S ... lLlc7 6.exd6! This exchange is important and quite favourable for White. It is weaker for him to play 6.dxcS?! dxeS! 7.lMfxdS+ WxdSoo. c2al) 6 •.• 'Wxd6

7.dS! This move creates a powerful outpost in the centre. The seemingly attractive line 7.dxcSlMfxd1 +! promises less, because Black sacrifices a pawn and obtains counterplay that is sufficient for equality. (White's advantage is considerable after 7... lMfxcS?! S. 1e3 lMfc6 9.ttJf3 1fS 1O.ttJd4 lMfg6 l1.ttJxfS WixfS 12.'Wb3 lMfcS 13.lLlc3 eS 14.0-0-0 ttJc6 lS.wbl lLle6 16.lLldS1cS 17.1xcS lLlxcs lS.Wie3 lLle619.g3 0-0 20.f4±) S.Wxd1 as 9.1e3 lLlba6 10.lLlc3 eS 11.lLldS lLlxdS 12.cxdS lLlxcs 13J'i:c1 b6 14.lLlf31d61S.1bS+ We7=.

7 ... e6 S.lLlc3 exdS 9.cxdS White's central pawn may become very powerful soon. 9 ... lLlSd7 After 9 ...1e7 1O.Wif3! White is threatening to play the dangerous move 11.~f4. 10 ... 0-0 (l0 ... g5. This move might seem to you a bit anti-positional, but it has a substantial merit - White cannot place his bishop on f4, at least for a while. He should try to enter a favourable endgame after: 11.h4 g4 12.Wif4 Wixf4 13.1xf4 lLlba6 14.d6lLle6 15.1eS f6 16.1g3 lLld4 17.0-0-0 1fS lS.1d3 1e6 19.1Llge2 0-0-0 20.lLlxd4 cxd4 21. lLlbS wbS 22.lLlc7+-) 11.1f4 (The black queen must now abandon the blocking d6-square. White's dS-pawn can quickly spring to action after that. Black is very likely to suffer some material losses, because of the misplacement of his knights.) 11...lMfb6 (l1...lMfdS 12. lMfg3 ~h4!? This is an interesting resource. White cannot win material indeed, but he can transfer to a favourable endgame. 13.~xc7 lMfe7+ 14.Wie5 l"1eS lS.~xbS lMfdS 16.1e2 l"1xeS 17.1xeS lMfb6 IS. lLlf3+-; 15.lMfxe7 l"1xe7+ 16.1e2 l"1xc7 17.d6 l"1d7 lS.lLlf3 1f6 19. 0-0-0 1xc3 20.bxc3 wfS 21.l"1he1 f6 22.1c4l"1dS 23.l"1e7 ttJc6 24.l"1f7+ wgS 2s.d7 bs 26.1dS 1b7 27. l"1xf6+ whS 2S ..hc6 gxf6 29.1xb7 l"1abS 30.1cS+-; 14 ... iWxeS+ 15. ixeS l"1eS 16.ttJf3 1f6 17.1bS 1d7 lS.0-0-0 ~xeS 19.ttJxe5 l"1xe5 20.l"1he1 l"1xe1 21.l"1xe1 wfS 22.~d3 h6 23.lLlb5 ttJa6 24.ttJd6 l"1bS 25. 105

Chapter 7 lLlxb7 ~xb7 26.ixa6 ~b6 27.ic4Â±) 12.mrg3 if6 13.0-0-0! (This is White's simplest method to defend the b2-pawn. The placement of the white king might seem risky, but Black cannot create any real threats against it.) 13 ... lLlba6 14. ic4 id7 lS.lLlge2 lLl bS 16.~he1 ~feB 17.d6 lLlxc3 1B.lLlxc3 ~xe1 (lB ... id419.ieS! This trade is very advantageous for White. Black should forget about his hopes of creating counterplay and White's passed pawn is quite likely to decide the issue. 19 ... ~xeS 20.~xeS ixeS 21.mrxeS ~eB 22.mrhS ie6 23.ixe6 ~xe6 24.mrh4 ~xd6 2S. lLldS+-; 24.d7 ~d6 2S.~xd6 mrxd6 26.mrdS+-; 24 ... mrdB 2S.mrh4 f6 26.mrc4 ~f7 27.lLlbS ~e7 2B.lLlxa7 lLlc7 29.lLlcB+ ~f8 30.mrxcS+ ~gB 31.~bl+-; 29 ... ~f7 30.lLld6+ ~e7 31.lLlxb7+-) 19.~xe1 ~eB 20.~xeB+ ixeB 21.ieS ixeS 22.mrxeS mrdB 23.lLldS (This knight-move wins even faster than 23.ixa6 bxa6 24.mrxcS+-) 23 ... bS 24.id3 h6 2S.lLlc7lLlxc7 26.dxc7 mrcB 27.mre7 mrd72B.mrdB+-.

10.g3!! tiJe5 (l0 ... ie7 11.if4 ttJe5 12.ttJb5 iWbB 13.d6; 12.ttJe4!? mrg6 13.mre2 f6 14.d6 ifS 15.ig2 106

lLle6 16.ixeS fxeS 17.mrbS+ ~f7 1B.mrxb7 ~aeB 19.1Llf3 ixe4 20. lLlxeS+ ~gB 21.lLlxg6 ixb7 22. lLlxe7+ ~f7 23.ixb7+-; 22 ... ~xe7 23.dxe7+-) 1l ..if4 .ig4 (About 1l ... ie7 - see 1O ... ie7.) 12.ie2 ixe2 (l2 ... ifS 13.iWa4+ id7 14. mre4 f61S.ttJf3 0-0-0 16.ttJxeS fxe5 17.ixe5 mrb6 1B.0-0-0+-) 13. iWxe2 f6 14.tiJf3 tiJxd5 15.he5! fxe5 16.mrb5+ iWc6 (16 ... ~f7 17.~dl+-) 17.tiJxd5! White wins a piece with this simple combination. 17 ... iWxb5 18.tiJc7+ ~d7 19. tiJxb5+-. c2al) 6 ... exd6

7.dxc5! White should not avoid the exchange of the queens in this position. After the trade on dB, White can attack simultaneously along two open files, instead of one! 7 ... iWe7+ Thus Black preserves the queens on the board, but he pays a dear price for it - White gains a healthy lead in development. 7 ... dxc5 B.mrxdB+ ~xd8 9.ttJc3 (Black can hardly hold this position. I will venture to qualify endgames ofthis type as hopeless

1.e4 cS 2.a3 lLlf6 3.eS lLldS for Black. The difference between the activity of the pieces and the placement of the kings is just too great for Black to compensate.) 9 ... !e6 (9 ... lLlc6 1O.!gS+ f6 11.0-0-0+ !d7 12.!e3 lLle6 13. lLlf3 lLleS 14.lLlxeS fxeS lS.EldS !e7 16.!e2 rj;;c7 17.Elhd1 lLld4 18.ElxeS lLlxe2+ 19.1Llxe2 Elae8 20.lLlc3+-; 13 ... lLled4 14.lLlxd4 cxd4 lS.!xd4 lLlxd4 16.Elxd4 !cS 17.Eld2 Ele8 18.g3 Ele1+ 19.rj;;c2+-. It is also good for White to play 14.lLlbS!? lLlxbS lS.cxbS lLleS 16.lLlxeS fxeS 17.EldS rj;;c718.ElxeS !d619.ElgS g6 20.!d3±; 9 ...!fS 10.lLlf3 lLlc6 11. !e3 rj;;c8 12.0-0-0 lLlaS 13.lLld2 !e7 14.h3 hS lS.!e2 h4 16.!g4 hg417.hxg4 b618.rj;;c2 rj;;b719.b3 Elad8 20.lLlf3 Elxd1 21.Elxd1 h3 22.Eld7 lLlc6 23.lLlbS !d8 24.gxh3 Elxh3 2S.lLlgS Elh6 26.lLlxf7 rj;;c8 27.Elxd8+ lLlxd8 28.lLlxh6 gxh6 29.lLlxc7 rj;;xc7 30.!xh6+-; 10 ... !d6 l1.!gS+ f6 12.0-0-0 rj;;e7 13.!e3 lLld7 14.lLlh4 !g4 lS.!e2 ,be2 16.lLlfS+! This intermediate move wins. 16 ... rj;;d817.Elxd6hc4 18.Elhd1 !e6 19.1Llxg7 !g4 20.f3 E1g8 21.!h6+-; 17...!g4 18.lLlxg7 @e7 19.Eld2 Elhg8 20.h3 E1xg7 21. hxg4+-; 20 ...!xh3 21.gxh3 Elxg7 22.Elhd1 rj;;e8 23.lLle4+-) 1O.!f4 IiJd711.0-0-0 !e712.lLlf3 h6 (This is important in order to deprive the white knight of the gS-square.) 13.!d3 Ele8 14.Elhe1 gSlS.!g3 rj;;c8 16.h4 g417.lLld2 lLlb618.b3 (White should not be in a hurry, because his opponent has practically no useful moves. His attempts at activity can only bring swifter disas-

ter.) 18 .. ,i.d7 19.1Llde4 lLle6 20. lLld6+ !xd6 21.!xd6 lLld4 22.rj;;b2 Elxel 23J'!:xe1 lLle6 24.lLle4 ~d8 2S.lLlxcS lLlxcS 26.hcs Elc8 27.!e3 hS 28.!g5+ ~c7 29.!f4+ ~d8 30.EleS+-. Naturally Black could have tried to defend in some other ways, but his difficulties would have been too great anyway. 8.!e3 dxc5 9.lLlc3 g6 9 ... lLlc6 1O.lLldS lLlxdS l1.cxdS lLld4 12.Elc1 !fS 13.lLle2 lLlxe2 14. !xe2 b6 lS.0-0 g6 16.Ele1! ~d8 17.!bS !g718.!xcS+-.

10.Wle2! b6 1O ...!g711.!xcS±. 1l.!f4! ~xe2+ 11...lLlba6 12.!eS Elg8 13.lLle4! (This spectacular move just emphasizes Black's great defensive problems. The bishop is evidently untouchable, because of the loss of the queen.) 13 ... !g7 (13 .. .fS 14. lLlf6+ ~f71S.lLlf3 !h6 16.lLlxg8+-) 14.!f6!! ~e6 lS.Eldl rj;;f8 16.Eld6! Wle8 17.Eld8±. 12 •.txe2 ttJe6 Black is simply forced to sacrifice the exchange. White should not hurry though; he can try to achieve even more in that position! 107

Chapter 7 13.i.e5! 13.i.f3?! lLlxf4 14.i.xaS lLld3+ 15. ~f1 lLlxb2 16.i.d5 i.e6 17.E1e1 ~droo.

13 ... ggS 14.i.f3 lLld7

15 •.ic6! (Just like before, White should avoid accepting the exchange sacrifice: 15.haS lLlxe5;t.) 15 •.• ltJdS 16.i.xd7+ ~xd7 17.0-0-0+ l!?e6 (17 ... ~eS1S.ltJd5 i.h6+ 19.f4 i.b7 20.ltJf6+ ~fS 2l.lLlxh7+ ~e7 22.i.d6+ ~e6 23.ltJf3 ixf3 24. gxf3+-) lS.ltJf3 ib7 19.9he1 i.xf3 20.gxf3 I!?f5 21.gd5! g5 (Black could have been checkmated spectacularly after: 21... ltJe6 22.id4+ ~f4 23.ie3 ~xf3 24. E1g1!+-) 22.i.bSl!?g6 23.E1xdS+c2b) 5 ••• ltJb6

6.exd6! lOS

White does not have much in the endgame after: 6.dxc5 dxc5 7.'<iWxdS+ ~xdS S.ltJc3 ltJc6 9.f4 ltJd4!+. 6 ... Wxd6 6 ... exd6 7.dxc5! dxc5 S.WxdS+ ~xdS 9.lLlf3 (White has a considerable edge in this position. He can now attack along two open files and Black should worry about his king!) 9 ... lLlc6 (9 .. .f6 1O.lLlc3 ie6 11.b3lLlc612.ie3lLla513.0-0-0+ ~cS 14. ~b2 ie715.id3 g6 16.E1he1 if7 17.if4 E1eS lS.lLlb5 ifS 19. E1xeS+ ixeS 20.lLlc7+-; 9 ... ie6 1O.lLlg5lLlc611.lLlxe6+ fxe612.ie3 lLld4 13.ixd4 cxd4 14.lLld2 a5 15.lLlf3 ic5 16.id3 ~e7 17.~d2 E1hfS lS.E1he1 h6 19.E1e4 E1adS 20. E1ae1 E1f6 2l.h4 g6 22.E11e2±; 9 ... lLl6d7 1O.lLlc3 b6 1l.if4 lLlc6 12. 0-0-0 ib713.lLlg5!+-. Black loses at least a pawn.) 1O.ie3 ig4 11. lLlc3 hf3 12.gxf3lLle5 13.0-0-0+ ~c7 14.if4 f6 15.lLlb5+ ~c6 16. i.xe5 fxe5 17.id3 lLlcS lS.ie4+ ~b6 19.E1d7 E1bS 20.E1hd1 a6 2l. lLlc7 g6 22.@c2! (White can start playing for a checkmate, because Black has been reduced to total passivity.) 22 ... ~a5 (22 ... ~a7 23.lLle6 ie7 24.E1c7 a5 25.E1dd7 id6 26.E1xcS E1hxcS 27.E1xd6+-) 23.E1dS ig7 24.lLld5! E1xdS 25.b4+ ~a4 26.~c3! b5 27. ic2+ ~xa3 2S.E1a1#. 7.d5! Now, just like in the line c2a) 5 ••• ltJc7, it is not good for White to play 7.dxc5?! Wxd1+! S.~xd1 ltJa4 9.b4 a5. Black regains quickly his pawn with an excellent game

l.e4 cS 2.a3 4Jf6 3.eS 4JdS afterwards. 7 ... e6 S.lLlc3 exd5 9.cxd5 1J.e7 10 .tDb5! White obtains a considerable edge exploiting the weakness of the c7-square. 10 .•. Wfe5+ This check is forced, otherwise White could have played 11.1J.f4, or

c3) 4 ..• cxd4

1l.d6.

1l.1J.e2 0 - 0 1l ... tDa6 12.d6 if6 13.4Jf3 WfdS 14.0-0 0-0 lS.~xdS 4JxdS 16.~d1 ie6 17.4JgS! ixgS 1S.ixgS f6 19. if3! (This powerful intermediate move forces some exchanges that are quite favourable for White.) 19 ... fxgS 20.1J.xdS1J.xdS 21.~xdSh6 22.~e1 ~feS 23.~e7 ~xe7 24.dxe7 ~eS 2S.~eS+-.

12.tDf3 (The black queen cannot defend the important c7-square anymore after that attack. The position was not so clear had White played: 12.d6 idS 13.4Jf3 WfdS! 14. ie3 4Ja61S.0-0 ~eSoo) 12 ... Wfxd5 13.tDc7 (White wins the exchange. Black gets a pawn for it indeed, with some drawing chances too.) 13 ... Wfxdl+ 14.1J.xdl if5 15. lLlxaS tDxaS 16.1J.e3t.

Capturing that pawn is Black's simplest and most probable move. 5.Wfxd4! This early development of the queen is not looked upon favourably by the classical rules of opening principles. There are no rules without exceptions, though. White's queen is very active in this position and creates plenty of problems for Black. We will deal now with the moves c3a) 5 ... tDb6 and c3b) 5 ... e6. c3a) 5 ... tDb6 The retreat of that knight from the centre only facilitates White's task. 6.tDf3 lLlc6 7.Wfe4 This is the best square for the white queen. 7 ... d5 S.exd6 Wfxd6 9.lLlc3 f5 This is a serious weakening of Black's position. 9 ... eS 1O.1J.bS f6 11.ie3 ie6 (11...Wfc7 12.1J.xb6! axb6 13.4JdS WfdS14.0-0-0 id71S.~d2! This is the simplest for White. Black's chances of survival are non-existent after White doubles his rooks 109

Chapter 7 along the open file. 15 ... Ei:a516. ~e2 1c5 17.Ei:hdl 0-0 18.<'2le7+ tiJxe7 19.Ei:xd7+-) 12.1xb6 axb6 13.Eld1 ~c5 14.tiJd4!! (This sudden tactical strike emphasizes the questionable reliability of Black's position.) 14 ... exd4 (14 ...1d715.tiJb3 ~e7 16.tiJd5 ~d8 17.~e3+-) 15. ~xe6+ 1e7 16.tiJe4 ~e5 17.1xc6+ bxc6 18.~xc6+ wf7 19.~c4+ Wg6 20.~xd4 ~xd4 21.Elxd4 f5 22.tiJc3 1f623.Eld3+-. 10.~h4!

Black will fail to safety his king now irrelevant of how he plays. lO ... a6 The important b5-square is now defended from the activities of knight, but White's possibilities are not exhausted yet. Moreover Black's knight on b6 is not defended anymore. 1O ... g6 l1.tiJb5 ~b8 12.1f4 e5 13.~f6! exf4 14.0-0-0! (This is White's most energetic and convincing road to victory. He is playing to checkmate disregarding further material gains. Naturally the simple 14.~xh8+- was winning too.) 14 ... Elg8 15.tiJg5 Elg7 16.Elel + tiJe7 17.tiJd6+ wd7 18.Eldl tiJbd5 19.Elxd5! tiJxd5 20.1b5+ Wc7 21. 110

tiJe8#. 1O ... e5 11.1g51e6 12.Eld1 ~c7 13.tiJb5 ~f7 14.Eld6! (After this non-standard penetration of the rook, White is threatening to capture on e6 and Black is absolutely helpless after it.) 15 ... Elc8 15.Elxc6! (Black's position crumbles after the loss of the e5-outpost.) 15 ... bxc6 (15 ... Elxc6 16.tiJxe5 ~g8 17. ~d4 1d7 18.tiJxc6 bxc6 19.~e5+ 1e6 20.tiJd4+-; 17 ... Elc8. White can now checkmate in two different fashions: 18.~d8+ Elxd8 19. tiJc7#, or 18.tiJc7+ Elxc7 19.~d8#) 16.tiJxe5 ~g8 (16 ... ~b7 17.tiJd4 tiJd7 18.tiJxe6 tiJxe5 19.~d4 tiJf7 20.tiJxg7+ hg7 21.~xg7. White's bishops are strikingly effective. He can win in several ways: 21...Elf8 22.1c4 Elc7 23.1h4 tiJd6 24.~e5+ Ei:e7 25.~xe7+ ~xe7+ 26.1xe7 Wxe7 27.1d3+-) 17.tiJxa7 Ei:c7 18. tiJaxc61d6 19.1d8 Elc8 (19 ... <'2ld5 20.hc7+-) 20.hb6+-. 1l.1e3 tt\e5 It is usually considered that exchanges favour the defending side, but the trade of the knight in this position does not stop White's offensive at all. 11 ... tiJd5 12.0-0-0 e6 13.1c4 1e7 14.tiJg5 tiJe5 15.1xd5 exd5 16.tiJxd5 h6 17.tiJb6 ~b8 (17 ... ~xb6 18.1xb6 1xg5+ 19.~xg5 hxg5 20.Eld8+ wf7 21.Elxh8+-) 18.~a4+ tiJc6 19.tiJf3+-; 11...~c7 12.0-0-0 e5 13.1b5! White completes his development in the quickest possible way, making use of the fact that his bishop is indirectly defended. 13 ...1e6 14.

l.e4 cS 2.a3 C2lf6 3.eS C2ldS Elhel C2ld71S.C2lgS ~gS (IS ... mrdSI6. ~c4 hc417.1I¥xc4 mrf6 IS.C2ldS+-) 16.~c4 hc4 17.mrxc4 C2lf6 IS.~b6

mre7 19.~cS 1I¥c7 20.mre6+ ~e7 21.mrf7#; 17... 0-0-0 IS.C2le6 C2lb6 19.mrb3+-; 19.ElxdS+ mrxdS 20. mrxc6+ bxc6 21.C2lxdS+- or 13 ... axbSI4.C2lxbS1I¥f71S.C2lxeS Ela416. C2lxc6 mrf6 17.1I¥xf6 gxf6 IS.C2lc7+ cjJf7 19.C2ldS+ cjJg6 20.~xb6+-; 14 ... mre71S.C2ld6+! 1I¥xd6 (1S ... cjJd7 16.C2lxfS+-) 16.Elxd6 ~xd6 17. ~xb6+-.

12.C2lxe5 1I¥xe5 13.0-0-0 mrc7 14.mrb4 C2ld7 15.tLld5 mrc6 16.~c4! mrxc4 17.~xc4 Elb8 18.tLlc7+ cjJd8 19.tLle6+ cjJe8

20.~b6!

Black is in zugzwang.) 20 ••• cjJt7 (20 ... C2lxb6 21.C2lc7#) 21.tLlcS+ me8 22.~c7 b5 23.~e6+-. c3b) 5 ••. e6

That is Black's best and most principled move too - since his centralized knight on dS preserves its place! White needs to resort to tactical measures now. 6.c4 tLlc6 7.mre4! This is the best square for the queen. The other retreats do not pose any problems to Black: 7. mrdl? C2lde7 S.f4 (S.C2lf3 C2lxeS-+) S ... C2lg6 9.lLlf3 d6 lO.~d3 dxeS l1.hg6 'i{gxdl+ 12.cjJxdl hxg6 13. fxeS f6+; 7.mrd2?! C2lde7 S.f4 f6 9.exf6 gxf61O.~e2 C2lg611.lLlc3 fSoo. 7 ... f5! Black organizes some interesting counterplay with this move, which happens to be the best. He just refuses to succumb to his opponents' will. 7 ... lLlb6 S.~e3 dS 9.exd6 mrxd6 lO.cS!? mrdS 1l.mrc2! (This is the essence of White's idea. It turns out now that the "too active" black queen is dangerously misplaced. I must add that Black would not have had any problems after the trade of the queens.) 11...C2ld7 12.lLlc3 mrhS 13.lLlbS! (The black king must defend the c7-square now.) 13 ... cjJdS14.~e2 'i{gg61S.mrd2 mrxg2 16.~f3 mrg6 17.0-0-0 eS IS.C2le2 e419.Elhgl! (Black's compensation for the queen seems to be more than sufficient. His numerous pieces are in fact so misplaced that they fail to help the defence of the king effectively.) 19 ... exf3 20.Elxg6 fxe2 21.mrxe2 hxg6 (21...fxg6 22.~f4 ~e7 23.mre6 cjJeS 24.lLld6+ cjJdS 2S.lLlxcS+-) 22.~f4 ~e7 23.~c7+ cjJeS 24.~d6 111

Chapter 7 \tldS 25.ixe7+ CiJxe7 26.i"lre5! CiJc6 (26 ... CiJf5 27.i"lrc7+ \tle7 2S.c6 bxc6 29J'1e1+ \tlf6 30.i"lrxc6+ \tlg5 3l. i"lrxaS+-) 27.i"lrc7+ \tle7 2S.i"lrd6+ \tldS 29J:!el+-. White can now continue developing effortlessly - 1O.CiJf3!? (instead oflO.c5!?). Black cannot feel safe after that at all. 1O ... CiJd7 (This knight is headed to the f6-square in order to oust White's queen away from the centre. That idea is quite unconvincing, because of the great loss of time on knightmoves. It is however difficult to say whether Black had anything better. 1O ... f5 1l.i"lrc2 CiJe5 12.CiJbd2 CiJxf3+ 13.CiJxf3 i"lrc7 14.~d3 ie7 15.0-0-0 0-0 16.id4~f617.ixf6 Elxf6 lS.Elhe1 id7 19.CiJe5 ElcS 20.g4±. White can try a less ambitious line that is also rather unpleasant for Black i.e.: 15.0-0 0-0 16.Elfe1 id7 17.id4 EladS;!;) 1l.CiJc3 CiJf6 12.i"lrh4 CiJe5 (12 ... e5 13.Eld1 i"lrb8 14.ig5 ~e7 15.CiJd5 CiJgS. This retreat is just pathetic, but Black loses a lot of material otherwise! 16.id3 f617.i"lrh5+ \tlfS lS.ie3 ie6 19.CiJh4 if7 20.CiJg6+ \tleS 2l.i"lrh4 ixg6 22.ixg6+ \tlfS 23.if5+-; 20 ... ixg6 2l.ixg6±) 13.c5 CiJxf3+ 14.gxf3 i"lre515.f4 i"lrf5 16.CiJb5 CiJd5 17.Eld1 ~e7 lS.CiJd6+ ixd6 19.cxd6 i"lrf6 (19 .. .f6 20.Elg1 \tlf7 2l.id3 CiJxe3 22.ixf5 CiJxf5 23.i"lrh5+ g6 24.Elxg6+-; 23 ... \tlfS 24.d7+-) 20.i"lrxf6 (The exchange of the queens is the fastest way to terminate Black's resistance. He is incapable to cope with the perfectly coordinated pieces of the op112

ponent. The role of the d6 pawn is quite essential too.) 20 ... gxf6 (20 ... CiJxf6 2l.Elg1 0-0 22.id4 \tlh8 23.d7+-; 23.ixf6 gxf6 24.d7+-) 2l.Elg1 \tld7 22.Elg7 \tlxd6 23.Elxf7 id7 24.f5 Elaf8 25.fxe6 ixe6 26. Elxb7 Elf7 27.Elb5 ElgS 2S.if4+ \tlc6 29.Elc1+ \tld7 30.Elb7+ \tleS 3l. ib5+ (It is equally strong for White to play 3l.Elb8+ \tle7 32. ElxgS CiJxf4 33.Elc7+ \tld6 34.Elxf7 !xf7 35.Elg7+-) 31... \tldS 32.ElbS+-

8.i"lre2 It was futile for White to cap-

ture en pass ant, because that would forfeit all his chances to obtain an opening advantage. Black is faced with a difficult choice now. If he removes his knight from the central d5-square - White obtains a long-lasting positional advantage. There is a way for the knight to remain on d5though ... ! 8,..i"lra5+! Black organizes an interesting, but rather risky counterplay. White is now forced to sacrifice the exchange, but his compensation for it is quite sufficient. The retreat of the knight S ... CiJde7 is illogical. Black has already

l.e4 cS 2.a3 ct:Jf6 3.e5 ct:JdS played the enterprising move 7 ... fS, which has created plenty of weaknesses in his position. Now he must try to create concrete threats in order to compensate these weaknesses and White will have no problems if Black starts defending.) 9.ct:Jf3 Wic7 1O.b4 ct:Jg6 11.~b2 d6 12.exd6 ~xd6 13.ct:Jc3 0-0 (Black cannot afford to play the prophylactic move 13 ... a6, because the white knights become suddenly dangerously active after: 14.ct:JdS Wif7 IS.ct:JgS WigS 16.ct:Jb6 E1bSI7.ct:JxcS E1xcSlS.Wixe6+ Wixe6 19.ct:Jxe6+-; 13 ... ct:Jf4 14.Wie3 a6 IS.g3 ct:Jg616.ct:Jd5 Wif717.ct:JgS WigS IS.c5 ~bS 19.ct:Jb6+-; IS ... ~eS 19.~xeS+-; IS ... e5 19.~c4+-; 19. ct:Jb6+-) 14.ct:Jb5 WibS IS.ct:Jxd6 Wixd6 16.h4! (It is important not to let Black have a minute of rest. White attacks the knight on g6 with the advance of the h-pawn and he activates his rook on hI and opens the long diagonal too. His bishop on b2 becomes a very powerful piece in the process.) 16 ... E1dS 17.b5 ct:JaSlS.h5 ct:Jf419.Wic2 b6 20. h6 g6 21.'lWc3 e5 (Black has nothing better. He parries the checkmating threats and hopes to exploit the e-file. White's threats are much more effective, though ... ) 22.ct:Jxe5 ~b7 (22 ... E1eS 23.E1dl Wic5 24.E1d2 gS 25. <tt>dl+-) 23.ct:Jg4 E1eS 24.ct:Je3 ct:Jxg2+ 2S.~xg2 E1xe3+ 26.fxe3 Wig3+ 27.@dl 'lWg4+ (27 ... EldS+ 2S.@cl+-) 2S.@cl ct:Jb3+ 29.@bl ct:Jd2+ 30.@a2+-. S ... ct:Jb6 (Black's knight is not too well placed on this square ei-

ther. The position remains very complicated and White needs to play very precisely in order to get some real edge.) 9.~e3! (The eSpawn is defended indirectly, so White takes the knight on b6 "under observation". However the main idea of the last move is that Black cannot play d7-d6 as well as d7 -dS. Why? There is a simple tactical reason for that. White exchanges pawns on d6 and plays c4cS winning a piece.) 9 ...Wic7 (Black also loses a piece without sufficient compensation after: 9 ... ct:JxeS? 1O.bb6 Wixb611.'lWxeS ~cS 12.Wie2+-) 1O.f4 ct:Ja4 11.Wic2 ct:JcS 12.ct:Jc3 Wia5 (This is Black's only chance to obtain some satisfactory game. White has however a move that marks the end of Black's futile dreams. It was equally hopeless for him to play 12 ... aS, due to some purely positional reasons after: 13.ct:Jbs WibS 14.E1dl gS 15. ~e2 gxf4 16.~xf4 hS 17.ct:Jf3 ct:Je4 IS.ct:Jd2Â±; 16.~hS+ @dS 17.~xf4 ct:JxeS IS.ct:Jh3 ~e7 19.ct:Jg5 ElfS 20. 0-0 h6 21.ct:Jf7+ E1xf7 22.~xf7+-; 21.Wie2 ~f6 22.ct:Jh7+-; 21...hxg5 22.~xeS d6 23.ct:Jxd6+-) 13.@f2! (This is the right move. White's king is removed away from the dangerous el-square and that is the end of Black's initiative. It was not good for White to play: 13.~d2 ct:Jb4 14.Wibl ct:Jb3 15.axb4 Wixal 16.Wixal ct:JxaI17.ct:Jb5 @f7 IS.ct:Jd4 b619.~c3 as 20.bxaS bxa5 21.ct:Jgf3 a4 22.~d3 ct:Jb3-+; 13.E1a2 ct:Je4 14.ct:Jge2 dS 15.b4 ~xb4 16.axb4 ct:Jxb4+; 15.exd6 ~xd6 16.b4 'lWc7 113

Chapter 7 17.'2lxe4 fxe4 18.'Wxe4 0-0 19.c5 ~e7 20.'2lg3 e5 21.~c4+ ~h8 22. 0-0+-; 16 ... ~xb4 17.axb4 '2lxb4 18.'Wxe4 '2lxa2 19.'Wc2 '2lxc3 20. 'Wxc3 'Wxc3+ 21.'2lxc3 ~d7+) 13 ... d6 14.exd6! (In case of 14.~d1 Black can try the interesting piece sacrifice: 14 ... dxe5 15.b4 'Wxa3 oo ) 14 ... ~xd6 15.~d1 'Wc7 16.b4! (16. '2lb5 '2le4+ 17.'Wxe4 fxe418.'2lxc7 + ~xc719.g3 e5 20.'2le2 0-0 21.~g2 exf4 22.gxf4 '2le5! 23.~xe4 '2lg4+ 24.~f3 '2lxe3 25.~xe3 ~g4=) 16 ... '2le4+ 17.'2lxe4 fxe4 18.'Wxe4 0-0 19.'2lh3 ~xf4 20.'2lxf4 e5 21.~d3 ~f5 22.'Wd5+ ~h8 23.~c5 ~xd3 24.~xf8 ~xf8 25.~xd3 '2le7 (25 ... ~xf4+ 26.~f3+-) 26.'Wc5+-. 9.~d2 tildb4 Black could have tried here also: 9 ... 'Wa41O.'2lc3, White has no other move! (He was losing plenty of material after 1O.cxd5? '2ld4-+ or 1O.f4? '2ld4 1l.'Wh5+ g6 12.'Wd1 tilc2+ 13.~f2 ~c5+ 14.~g3 'Wb3+ 15.'2lc3 '2lxal-+) 1O ... '2lxc3 (It is worse for Black to play 1O ... 'Wb3 11. '2lb5!, because it becomes clear that he loses a piece after that. He gets some material and positional compensation for it, indeed. White must play very actively after that. I continued my analysis with: 11...'Wxb2 12.~dl a6 13.cxd5 axb5 14.dxc6 bxc615.g4! White starts a kingside attack. 15 .. .fxg4 16.h3! White must open files on the kingside! 16 ... g3 17.'2lf3 gxf2+ 18.'Wxf2 ~xa3 19.~d3 0-0 20.~gl d5 21.~xg7+! ~xg7 22.'Wh4 ~h8 23.~bl 'Wa2 24.'Wf6+ ~g8 25.~h6 'Wg2 26.'Wd8+ ~f7 27.'2lg5+ 'Wxg5 114

28.'Wxg5+-; 16 ... gxh3 17.~xh3 ~xa3 18.~g2 ~xh3 19.'2lxh3 g6 20.'2lg5 ~g7 21.'2lxe6 dxe6 22. ~xc6+ ~f7 23.'Wf3+ ~g8 24.~c3

'Wa3

25.~d8+ ~f8 26.~e8

'We7

27.~xc8+-) 11.~xc3 b612.'2lf3 ~a6

13.'2ld2

~b4

14.'Wh5+ g6 15.'Wf3

~b816.~c1 hc317.'Wxc3 'Wa518.f4 'Wxc319.~xc3 g5 20.g3 ~g8 21.~e2 @e7 22.~f2;t. The endgame is

clearly better for White due to his space advantage. 1 0 .~c3 tild4 H.axb4 This decision is forced, but quite satisfactory. H ... 1/ba1

So, Black has won the exchange. I am not sure however that he has equalized and we cannot even think about him having the advantage. The point is that the alsquare is hardly the best for the black queen and it cannot be removed easily from there without material losses! Generally speaking, the position is really complicated and White's initiative is quite noticeable. 12.'Wd1!? It is also interesting for White

to play 12.'Wh5+!? g6 (12 ... ~d8 13.~d3 '2lc614.'2lf3 '2lxb415.~g5+

1.e4 cS 2.a3 ttJf6 3.eS ttJdS rllc7 16.~d2 1i'Jfa4 17.0-0 ct:lxd3

23.~xe5

Wfa5 24.0-0 Elt7

1B.~xd3ii5.

White has lost another pawn, but he can attack the black king quite effectively as a result.) 13.~d1 ct:lc614.bS ct:lb41S.ct:lf3 ct:la2 16.~d4 ~b4+ 17.rlle2 0-0 1B.ct:le1 ~xel19.rllxe1 ttJb4 20.~c3 as 21. ~e2 b6 22.f3 f4 23.rllf2 (Do not forget that White has lost his rights to castle according to the rules of chess!) 23 ... ElbB 24.~d6 Elb7 2S.Eldl ~a4 26.~d4 ttJc2 27. ~xb6 ct:le3 2B.~cS EleB 29.~xe3 fxe3+ 30.rllxe3 ~b3+ 31.ttJc3 ~xb2 32.ttJe4 ElfB 33.cS a4 34.Eld2 ~a1 3S.rllf2 a3 36.b6 a2 37.~c4+-. I2 ... lDe6 Black can quickly lose a piece after: 12 ... ttJb3? 13.~d3 ~a2 14. ttJa3 ttJal lS.ttJe2 ~xb4 16.~xb4 ~xb2 17.~d6+-.

I3.b5 ttJb4 After 13 ... lDaS, Black's queen can escape away from the corner only at the cost of losing the knight: 14.~d3 ~a2 lS.ttJd2 b616. ttJe2 dS 17.~b1 ~a11B.b4 ~a3 19. bxaS bxaS 20.cxdS exdS 21.ttJf3 ~b4 22.0-0 hc3 23.~xdS ElbB 24. Eld1 ~e7 2S.ct:lxc3 ~b7 26.~d6+-. I4.~d3 d5 About 14 ... d6 lS.exd6 - see 14 ... dS. I5.exd6 hd6 I6.b3 Wfa2 16 ... ttJxd3+ 17.Wfxd3 ~a2 lB. ttJe2 ~cS 19.0-0 ~xb3 20.ttJd2 ~a3 21.Ela1 .txf2+ 22.rllxf2 ~e7 23.lDf3 0-0 24.~e3±. I7.lDe2 0-0 IS.lDeI ~a5 I9.~xf5 Wfb6 20.~d4 ~e5 21. ~xh7+ @xh7 22.'\~Yh5+ @gS

25.gdI± White has obtained more than sufficient compensation for the exchange.

Conclusions about the 4.d4 This move is very dangerous for Black and that makes me very happy, because I am the author of this line. Black has problems to equalize even after he plays the best. The 2. a3 system is still no too popular and that is the only possible explanation that the line 4.d4 has not been tested in practice yet. Thefact that the b4-square is under control is a very important detail that provides White with a certain edge in that position. Black's light pieces - the knight and the bishop are deprived of this square and Black lacks space as a result in almost all lines. Black's knight on d5 has no good prospects there. Moreover Whitf can quickly and effectively activate his queenside with the move b2-b4, which is so typicalfor the whole system.

11S

ChapterS

l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6

This move is quite logical. The black bishop will be very active after its development to g7. 3.b4 This is one of the basic ideas for White in almost all variations of the 2.a3 system. White has another possibility at his disposal and it is very interesting although it has not been tested in practice yet: 3.d4!? (I presume that Black should be able to equalize at the end, but he will have to play very precisely starting with his move three!) 3 ... cxd4 (This is the best for Black. It is quite dubious for him to play: 3 ... i.g7?! 4.dxcS! WfaS+? S.b4!±; 4 ... Wfc7 S.'Llc3 WfxcS 6.'LldS! 'Llf6 7.b4 Wfd6 B.i.b2 eS 9.c4 'Llxe4?? 10.cS! 'LlxcS 11.bxcS+-; 10 ...Wfc6 11.i.bS!+-; 9 ... 'LlxdS 1O.'Llf3 0-0 11.cS Wfc7 12.WfxdS±; 11. .. Wfe6 12. exdS Wff6 13.d6±; 3 ... b6?! 4.dxcS bxcS S.WfdS 'Llc6 6.WfxcS±. White is already a pawn up and his position is very good too! After the tentative move 3 ... d6 White should better trade queens, because that is the best way for him to preserve his advantage: 4.dxcS! dxcS S.

WfxdB+ 'tt>xdB 6.i.c4 i.e6? 7.i.xe6 fxe6 B.'Llf3±; 6 ... e6 7.eS i.g7 B.'Llf3 'Llc6 9.i.f4 i.d7 1O.'Llc3 h6 11.h4 'Llge712.0-0-0 'LlfS13.'Lle4 b614. c3 'tt>c71S.g4 'Llfe716.'Llf6t; 6 ... 'Llf6 7.'Llc3 e6 B.i.gS i.e7 9.0-0-0+ 'Llbd7 1O.h3 h6 11.i.e3 a6 12.eS 'LleB13.i.d3 bS14.i.e4 E1bB1S.f4 b4 16.axb4 E1xb4 17.'Llf3t) 4.c3!? (White sacrifices a pawn in order to seize the initiative. The position is a bit similar to the popular gambit: l.e4 cS 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3!? It is partially different, though ... It is not easy to tell immediately in whose favour it is the inclusion of the moves a2-a3 and g7-g6. It will be a hard task for Black to parry White's attack anyway.) 4 ... dxc3 (4 ... d3. This is an attempt to deprive White of attacking prospects by returning the pawn. He still has better chances and Black's counterplay is difficult. S.i.xd3 i.g7 6.'Llf3 d6 7.0-0 'Llf6 B.i.gS 'Llc6 9.'Llbd2 0-0 1O.E1e1 Wfc711.h3 i.e6 12.'Lld4t; 1O ... h6 11.~h4lUhS 12.'Llc4 gS 13.i.g3 'Llxg3 14.hxg3 i.e6 lS.'Lle3 E1cB 16.'LlfS ~xfS 17. exfS dS 1B.~c2 d4 19.f6 exf6 20. Wfd3 E1eB 21.E1xeB+ WfxeB 22.E1e1

116

l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.M ~g7 4.CDc3 WldS 23.cxd4 g4 24.~h7+ i>fS 2S.CDh4 CDxd4 26.~b3! CDxb3 27. CDfS+-; IS ... CiJeS 16.CDxeS ~xeS 17.WlhS ~g7 lSJl:e2! gcS 19.9ael Wld7 20.f4±) 5.CDxc3

This position is sort of amusing variety of the Sicilian Gambit. It might look like White has lost a tempo for the move a2-a3, butthat is not harmful to him. The point is that the development of the bishop to g7 is not to be recommended for Black in the Morra Gambit l.e4 cS 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.CDxc3. Accordingly, White obtains more than a sufficient compensation for the pawn as a result.) 5 ... CDc6 (S ... ~g7 6.CDf3. Now, some of the natural moves for Black can be countered with powerful tactical refutations, for example: 6 ... CDf6 7.eS CDg4 S.~c4 0-0 9.0-0 CDc610. ~gS!? CDgxeS I1.CDxeS CDxeS 12. CDdS! f6 13.CDxf6+ i>hS 14.CDdS CDxc4 lS.~xe7 WleS 16.gel CDeS 17. ~d6 ~f7 IS.~xeS ~xeS 19.9xeS Wlxf2+ 20. i>hl Wlxb2 21.ge2 Wlg7 22.ge7 Elf7 23.geS+ gfS 24.CDc7! gxeS 2S. CDxeS WleS 26.CiJd6 Wlf6 27.gcl WlfS 2S.Wld4+ 'it>gS 29. gel+-; 24 ... gbS 2s.Wlf1! ggS 26. gael h6 27.g1e7 gxeS 2S.Elxg7+-;

2S ... 'it>gS 26.Elael dS 27.gxfS+ WlxfS 2S.geS+-, or 6 ... d6 7.~c4 CDf6 S.eS CDg4 9.e6 he6 1O.he61 fxe6 11.~a4+ CDc612.Wlxg4+-; 9 ... fSlO.0-0~; 9 ... fxe61O.CDgS hc3+ Il.bxc3 CDeS12.~b3 Wlc713.0-0 dS 14.~f4 0-0 IS.~g3 gfS 16.h4 h6 17.CDh3 i>g7 IS.CiJf4 ~d719.~c2±; S ... dxeS 9.~xdS+! White does not need to avoid the exchange of queens. His prospects in the endgame are better. 9 ... 'it>xdSlO.CDxeS gfS 11.CDxf7+ 'it>eS 12.CDgS;t, or 6 ... e6?! 7.CDbS dS S.exdS a6 9. Wla4!±; S ... exdS 9. WlxdS WlxdS 1O.CDc7+ i>fS I1.CDxdS CDc6=; 9. ~f4! Wle7+ 1O.~e2 CDa611.gclCDf6 12.CDd6+ i>fS 13. CDxcS+-; 12 ... 'it>dS 13.Wlb3 CDhS 14.~eS ~xeS IS.CDxeS+-; 14 ... CDc7 IS.CDgS!+-) 6.~c4 ~g7 7.tDf3

7 ••• tDf6 (7 ... d6 S.Wb3! White is attacking the f7-pawn and that prevents Black's harmonious development. S ... e6 9.~f4 CDf6 10. gdl 0-0 11.~xd6, White has regained his pawn. 11 ... geS 12.~fS! ~d7 13.~xg7 i>xg7 14.eS CDg4 IS. Wlxb7 CDcxeSl6.CDxeS CDxeSI7.~bS ge7 IS.Wle4 WlbS 19.0-0!;t) 8.e5 tDg4 (S ... CDgS 9.~f4 CDh6 1O.Wld2 CDg4 11.h3 CDgxeS 12.CDxeS CDxeS 117

ChapterB 13.1xeS 1xeS 14.1xf7+ @fB IS. 14 ... @xf7 IS.1MI'dS+ e6 16. 1MI'xeS d6 17.1MI'f4+ @gB IB.O-O eS 19.1MI'b4 as 20.1MI'b3+ @g7 21.f4~) 9.~xf7+ IDxf7 10.tLlg5+ @g8 11.'Wxg4 (This combination is not winning anything substantial yet, but it still gives White excellent attacking prospects.) 1l ... tLlxe5 12.'Wd1!? 'Wb6 (12 ... h6 13.'WdS+ @fB?? 14.CLle6+-; 13 ... e6 14.CLlxe6 'We7 IS.CLlxg7+ @xg7 16.1e3 d6 17.1MI'd4! @h7 IB.CLldS 1MI'f7 19J'1cl gdB 20.0-0 1e6 2l.CLlc7 gacB 22.CLlxe61M1'xe6 23.1MI'xa7Â±) 13.0-0 e614.~e3 'Wc6 (14 ...1MI'xb21S.1d4 h6 16.CLlxe6! dxe6 17.ga2+-) 15. ~d4 b5 16.f41b7 17.tLlge4 d5 18.tLlc5 tLld719.hg7 @xg7 20. tLlxd7 'Wxd7 21.'Wd4+ IDg8 22. gac1;t;. We can now conclude that after 3.d4 White obtains excellent compensation for the sacrificed pawn. This gambit idea deserves extensive practical testing. 1a2~;

3 ... ~g7 It is in favour of White if Black plays 3 ... cxb4?! 4.axb4::!:. We are going to deal later with positions in which Black lets the white rook on al go free so early - see line a1. As for this position - White domi11B

nates in the centre after 4 ...1g7 S.d4. 3 ... b6?! (This move has been tested in practice and it enables White's bishop to become tremendously active.) 4.1b2 f6 (This is the only move and naturally Black is quite unhappy to play like that. You might think that Black had better play simply 4 ... CLlf6? It is amazing, but he loses by force after that move! The reason for that is the quite vulnerable placement of both black rooks: S.eS CLldS 6. 1MI'f3! CLlc7 7.1c4 e6 B.CLlc3 CLlc6 9. CLle41b71O.CLld61xd611.exd6+-; S... CLlgB 6.1MI'f3CLlc6 7.bS+-; S... CLlh5 6.1MI'f3 CLlc6 7.bS+-; S... CLle4 6.1MI'g4 1b7 7.d3 hS B.1MI'h4 gS 9.1MI'h3 g4 1O.1MI'h4+-; 6 ...dS 7.1bS+ 1d7 B.e6! 1xbS 9.exf7+ @xf7 10.1xhB+-; 6 ... fS 7.1MI'f41g7 B.d3CLld6 9.exd6! Black loses quickly a piece after that move. 9 ...1xb2 1O.ga2 197 11.1MI'f3CLlc612.bS+-. I recommend to you to study all these lines very carefully! It is quite probable that your future opponents might like to develop their bishops on the long diagonals and they would fall into this trap quite easily.) 5.CLlf3 197 (S ... eS. Black's position has been weakened and White can afford to play sharply and sacrifice material bravely: 6.1c4! 1b7 7. O-O! 1xe4 B.CLlxe5! fxe5 9.gel! ds 1O.1xeS 1MI'g5 ll.gxe4 dxe4 12. 1xhB+-; 9 ... 1g7 10.gxe4 CLlc6 1l.1MI'f3! CLlh6 12.1d5 gfB 13.1MI'e2 gcB 14.1xc6 gxc6 15.1xeS+-; 6 ... CLlc6 7.0-0 cxb4 B.d4 d6 9.axb4 CLlxb4 10.dxe5 dxe5 1l.1MI'xdB+!

l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ig7 4.ct:Jc3 z;t,xdBI2.ct:Jxe5! fxe513.~xe5 ct:Jxc2 14J'l:a2+-; 1O ... fxe5 Il.c3 ct:Jc6 12.~xgB! ElxgBI3.'lWd5+-; 6 ... cxb4 7.d4! d6? B.~d5!+-; 7 ... bxa3 B. tLlxa3 ~b4+. White's bishop on b2 would have been tremendously active along the al-hB diagonal after Black's other moves. Black's defence now is difficult as well, though ... 9.c3 ~e71O.dxe5 ~b711. ct:Jb5 a6 12.ct:Jd6+ ~xd6 13.'lWxd6 ~xe4 14.~a3 ct:Jh6 15.exf6 ct:Jc6 16. ct:Je5+-; 11 ... ~xe412.hgS ElxgS13. exf6 ~c5 14.ct:Jg5+-; 13 ... ~c6 14. fxe7 'lWxe7+ 15.z;t,d2!+-; 1O ... ct:Jc6 11.'lWd5 ct:Jh6 12.~cl g5 13.ct:Jb5 a6 14.exf6 hf615.ct:Jd6 z;t,fBI6.e5 ~e7 17.ct:Jf7+-; 16 ... ~g717.hg5+-. The exchange on a3 is quite unfavourable for Black too: 9 ... ~xa3 10. ~xa3 'lWc7 11.'lWb3 ct:Je7 12.dxe5 fxe5 13.tLlg5 ~b7 14.~f7+ z;t,fS 15.~gS!+-; 14 ... z;t,dB 15.Eldl z;t,cB 16 ..be7+-; 15 ... 'lWc616.Eld6+-).

White can obtain an excellent game now in two different ways: 6.d4 (This move is quite routine for the Sicilian Defence, is it not? It promises White wonderful prospects in this position as well!) 6... cxd4 (6 ... ~b7 7.ct:Jc3±) 7.ct:Jxd4 ~b7 8.~c4!? (This pawn sacrifice

is quite in harmony with the spirit of the position. White obtains a magnificent compensation. Nevertheless his position is so good that he can continue even without sacrificing a pawn with: S.ct:Jc3 this move is more "solid", but strong enough. B... ct:Jc6 9.ic4 ct:Jh6. Unfortunately Black has no other available square for this knight! 10.0-0 f511.ct:Jd5 ct:Jxd412.hd4 e5 13.~b2 ElcS 14.'lWd3 fxe4 15.'lWxe4 ct:Jf7 16.~b3 0-0 17.f4! d6 IB.f5 gxf5 19.Elxf5 z;t,hB 20.Elafl±) Boo. ixe4 (You can expect a move like that from Black, since he needs to have some material compensation for his inferiour position. It is quite usual to grab pawns in situations like that, regardless of the potential dangers.) 9.0-0 'lWcS 1O.'lWe2 ~b7 (1000.'lWb7 I1.Elel id5 12.ct:Jd2 z;t,f7 13.Eladl ixc4 14.ct:Jxc4 ifS 15.ct:Jf5! This is an exquisite combination! It almost looks like Black's position is a fortress, but White destroys it with a spectacular non-standard combination sacrificing knights and rooks. It turns out that sometimes successful attacks are possible without the participation of pawns. 1500.gxf5 16.'lWh5+ z;t,g717.Eld3 f4. This is the only way for Black to stop the manoeuvre of the white rook to the g3-square. It now has another attractive outpost: IS .Eld5! h6 19. ct:Je5!! fxe5 20.Elexe5 tLlf6 21.Elg5+ hxg5 22.Elxg5#; 21...z;t,h7 22.'lWg6#) 11.Elel z;t,fS (Black crumbles quickly after 11...ct:Jc6? 12.~xgS! It becomes clear now that he loses a 119

Chapter S piece due to the checkmating threat from the e7-square. 12 ... E1xgS 13.tLlxc6+-. It is not satisfactory for White to follow tha same idea with: 12.tLlxc6? ~xc6+, since Black is already threatening to checkmate from the g2-square.) 12.tLlc3 (Black cannot complete his development now without losing material.) 12 ... e6 (12 ... eS13.tLldbS tLle7 14.tLld6 ¥fIc6 lS.tLlce4 tLlfS 16. bS! ¥fIc717.tLlxb7¥fIxb71S.gadl+-; 12 ... tLlc6 13.E1ad1 tLlxd414.gxd4 fS lS.tLldS! b:d4 16.b:d4+-; lS ... e6 16.tLlf4 eS 17.E1xd7! ~xd71S.tLle6+ cJ:]e7 19.tLlxg7 i.e4 20.i.xeS tLlf6 21.f3+-) 13.b:e6! (This powerful piece sacrifice is paving the way for White for a successful kingside attack.) 13 ... dxe6 14.tLlxe6+ cJ:]f7 IS. E1ad1 tLlc6 (1S ... tLla6 16.tLle4 b:e4 17.¥fIxe4 i.fS lS.¥fIdS i.e719.tLldS+ cJ:]g7 20.¥fIf7+ cJ:]h6 21.i.c1+ cJ:]hS 22.tLle6+-; 21...gS 22.E1e4+-) 16. tLle4! cJ:]xe6 (16 ... cJ:]e7 17. tLld6+-) 17.¥fIc4+ cJ:]e7 (17 ... cJ:]fS IS. tLlg3+! cJ:]gS 19.i.c1# The final checkmating position is strikingly beautiful!) lS.tLlgS+ tLleS19.¥fIf7#; 6.h4 (This is a very good idea! Black's position on the kingside has been weakened considerably and his g6-pawn is a juicy target. The easiest way for White to attack it is with the h-pawn!) 6 ... i.b7 (After 6 ... hS, Black's g6-pawn is weakened additionally. 7.i.c4 tLlh6 S.O-O e6 9.d4 0-0 10.dxcS bxcS 1l.¥fId6 tLlc612.¥fIxcS tLlg413.b:e6 dxe6 14.¥fIxc6+- Kroshk - Gabelbissen, Internet 2004) 7.tLlc3 (7.hS!? This pawn sacrifice is quite 120

justified. 7 ... i.xe4 S.tLlc3 i.b7 9. hxg6 hxg6 1O.E1xhS i.xhS 1l.tLlh4! cxb4 12.axb4 cJ:]f7 13. ¥fIg 4 ¥fIeS 14.¥fIxg6+ cJ:]fS lS.¥fIh7 i.g7 16. tLlg6+ cJ:]f717.i.c4+ dS1S.tLlxdS+-; 17 ... e6 lS.tLlbS!+-; S ... i.fS 9.hxg6 i.xg6 1O.tLlh4 tLlh6 l1.g3 tLlc6 12. i.g2 E1bS 13.tLlxg6 hxg6 14.tLldS e6 lS.tLlf4 tLle7 16.¥fIe2±; 10 ... cxb4 l1.axb4 tLlc6 12.tLlxg6 hxg6 13. gxhS b:hS 14.i.d3 cJ:]f71S.bS tLleS 16.i.e4 E1cS 17.E1xa7±; 14 ... tLleS lS.i.e4 E1cS 16.d4 tLlc4 17.i.xg6+ cJ:]fS lS.i.cl±; 14 .. .fS lS.b:fS! gxfS 16.¥fIhS+ cJ:]fS 17.¥fIxhS±) 7 ... tLlc6 S.d4 fS (S ... cxb4 9.axb4 tLlxb4 1O.i.c4 as l1.hS tLlh6 12.i.b3±) 9.exfS! (9.dS tLld4 1O.tLlxd4 i.xd4 1l.exfS ¥fIbS!? 12.¥fIe2 b:dS13.E1h3 i.f7oo) 9 ... cxb4 (9 ... gxfS1O.dS cxb4 l1.tLla4! b:b212.dxc6b:a113.cxb7 E1bS 14.¥fIxa1 tLlf6 lS.axb4±) 10. axb4 gxfS l1.bS tLlb4 (ll...tLlaS 12.hS e6 13.E1h3) 12.E1a4! as 13. bxa6 tLlxa6 14.hS tLlh6 lS.i.c4 e6 16.tLlbS tLlf7 17.tLleS b:g2 1B.tLlxf7 cJ:]xf7 19.E1g1 dS 20.E1xg2 dxc4 21.E1xg7+ cJ:]xg7 22.dS+ cJ:]h6 23. ¥fId2+ cJ:]xhS 24.~e2+ cJ:]gS 2S.f4+ cJ:]h4 26.ga3! geB 27.¥fIh2+ cJ:]g4 2S. gg3+ cJ:]xf4 29.¥fIf2+ cJ:]e4 30.¥fId4#

4.tLlc3!

l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ig7 4.ltlc3 This is the only way for White to preserve good prospects for the future. The exchange on c3 is definitely in his favour. White's other possibilities are harmless for Black: 4.c3. This move is too slow! Black can obtain an excellent game immediately with: 4 ... d5! 5.exd5 ~xd5 6.bxc5 (6.~f3 ~e6+ 7.~e3 ~xe3+ 8.fxe3 lLld7 9.lLlf3 lLlgf6 1O.d4 b611.id3 ib712.0-0 1'k8+)

9.~xd8+ ~xd8 10.ie3 cxb4 11.axb4 a6 12.ic4 ie6 13.ixe6 fxe614.2:a5 e415.2:e5 ltlf616.2:xe6 ~d717.2:e5 2:hc818.id4Âą. White's bishop is much stronger than Black's knight in this endgame.

at) 4 ... cxb4?!

6 ... e5=;

4.2:a2 - is not convincing at all - the rook has nothing to do on a2. Black can equalize easily in several ways, for example: 4 ... d5 5.ib2 ixb2 6.2:xb2 cxb4 7.2:xb4 lLlc6 8.~b5 dxe4 9'2:xe4 id7 1O.lLlf3 This move is quite possible, but lLlf6=. White's rook has made so it has many drawbacks. Black does many moves, but that has not not control the d4-square anyhelped him to achieve anything at more and White's rook can beall. Black has no problems. come very active along the open aAfter 4.lLlc3 we are going to file. Moreover White's b4-pawn analyse in details: at) 4 ... cxb4?!, can create some threats going fora2) 4 ... lLlf6, a3) 4 ... b6 and a4) ward to b5 and even to b6 subse4 ... d6. quently. I do not expect many players 5.axb4 lLlc6 to venture 4 ... ixc3?! (Black dis5 ... d6 6.d4 (White's centre has rupts the pawn structure of his become very powerful and the reaopponent indeed, but White's son for that is the absence of the pieces join the action very quickly. black c5-pawn!) 6 ... ~b6?! This is White's bishop pair is very active a very dubious idea, since Black and he does not need to be really loses a lot of time. He wins a pawn afraid of the trade on c3.) 5.dxc3 indeed, but his position becomes lLlc6 (5 ... cxb4?! 6.cxb4Âą. White got very difficult after that. (6 ... lLlf6 7. rid of his doubled pawns and his ltlf3 0-0 8.ie2 ig4 9.0-0 lLlbd7, bishop has the excellent long a1- Kroshk - Gabelbissen, Internet h8 diagonal at his disposal.) 6.ltlf3 2004, 1O.h3 hf3 1l.hf3 ~b6 12. d6 7.e5! (White sacrifices a pawn b5;!;) 7.lLld5! ~xd4 8.~xd4 ixd4, temporarily in order to activate his White can now fight for the advanpieces.) 7 ... lLlxe5 8.lLlxe5 dxe5 tage in two different ways: 121

Chapter 8 9.l':i:a3 c;t>d8 (Black defends the c7-square.) 1O.cuf3 cuc6 (1O ... ig7 - Black loses control over the b6square: l1.cub6 axb6 12.l':i:xa8+-) 1l.cuxd4 cuxd4 12.id3 (White has defended the threat of a knightfork CUxc2+ and Black is in trouble now.) 12 ... a6 (12 ...cuc6 13.ib2 f6 14.b5 cue5 15.cub6 l':i:b8 16.l':i:xa7 cuh6 17.0-0 CUxd3 18.cxd3 id7 19.1':i:cl e5 20.d4 ixb5 21.CUd5 l':i:f8 22.ia3 cuf7 23.ib4 b6 24.cuxb6 l':i:xb6 25.ia5+-) 13.ie3 e5 14.c3 cuc6 15.b5 cuce7 16.cub6 l':i:b8 17. CUc4 c;t>d718.ia7!+-; White has excellent prospects too, after the immediate attack against the bishop 9.c3, for example: 9 ... e6 (9 ... ig7 10.id2. Black cannot defend simultaneously the c7 and b6-square against the assault of the white knight. He is suffering decisive material losses because of that. 1O ... c;t>d811.cub6 axb612.l':i:xa8+-) 1O.cuc7+! c;t>d7 l1.cxd4 c;t>xc7 12. cuf3 (Black's extra pawn is immaterial and White is clearly better.) 12 ... cuf6 13.id3 cuc6 14.ia3 d5 15.e5 cuh5 16.b5 cuf4 17.ifl cud8 18.id6+ c;t>d7 19.93 cuh5 20.l':i:c1 c;t>e8 21.id3 a6 22.l':i:c7Âą. 6.b5! This immediate attack against the knight is the most aggressive attempt to seize the initiative for White. His rook on al is also very active and it paralyzes Black's actions. Look at an example confirming that: 6.l':i:bl?! White should not take the rook away from the open 122

file. 6 ... e6 7.cuf3 cuge7 8.d4 d5 9.e5 0-0 10.b5 cua511.if4 id712.'&d2 '&c7 13.id3 cuc4 14.'&cl CUxe5! 15.cuxe5 '&xc3-+ Van Veen - Snuverink, Hengelo 1996 - White had no compensation for the sacrificed pawn.

6 ... ltJd4

This is Black's best retreat for the knight. The other moves - CUe5 and CUb410se outright: 6 ... CUe5? 7.d4+- (7.f4+- is good enough too.). Black's knight is trapped!; 6 ... cub4? White obtains a decisive advantage immediately after that! 7.ia3! '&a5 (7... a5. This is in effect something like a rook-sacrifice. 8.ixb4 axb4 9.l':i:xa8 bxc3 1O.d4+-) 8. '&b1 hc3 9.dxc3 cud5. Black is trying to organize some counterplay. 1O.exd5 ~xc3+ 11. c;t>d1 '&d4+ 12.id3 ~xf2 13.~b2 cuf614.c4+-;

I t is too passive for Black to play 6 ... cub8 7.d4 d6 8.cuf3 cuf6 9.id3 a51O.0-0 0-0 1l.ib2 cubd7 12.~e2Âą. White is dominating in the centre and Black's defence will be rather difficult. 7.ltJf3 d6

l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ig7 4.ctJc3 7... lLlxf3+ S.Wxf3 d6, Kroshkiannis, Internet 2004, 9.ib2 lLlf6 (9 ... lLlh6 1O.ic4 0-0 11.0-0 lLlg4 12.ib3 ieS13.g3 id414J'la4 lLleS lS.Wf4 ctJd7 16Jhd4 eS 17.We3 exd4 lS.Wxd4 Wf6 19.ctJdS Wxd4 20.ixd4 %'1eS 2l.f3+-. Black has failed to complete his development. White is threatening the knight-fork 22.ctJc7.) 1O.ctJdS ig4 (lO ... ctJxdS 11.ixg7 %'1gS 12.id4 ctJb6 13.We3 id7 (This is an attempt to connect the heavy pieces.) 14.Wh6 eS lS.ie3 %'1fS 16.ie2 as 17.0-0±) l1.Wb3 0-0 12.ctJxf6+ hf613.hf6 exf614.ic4 We71S.idS ie6 16.0-0;t 8.ctJxd4 hd4

9J:'~a4! .ig7 You might be curious to know whether Black might try to keep his bishop in the centre instead of retreating it. What are the drawbacks of the seemingly solid and reliable move 9 ... eS? White should be ready to sacrifice the exchange on the d4-square after that move. Re is going to have a pawn as an additional compensation and great activity along the dark squares. The element of risk after that sacrifice is quite minimal in-

deed! 10.ib2 ctJf6 11.id3! ctJg4 01...0-0 12.0-0 ig4 13.Wa1 ctJd7 14.%'1xd4 exd41S.ctJdS ctJb616.hd4 etJxdS 17.exdS;t) 12.%'1xd4 exd4 13. etJdS 0-0 14.hd4ie61S.0-0 %'1eS (lS ... ixdS 16.Wxg4 ie6 17.Wf4 f6 lS.%'1a1 b6 19.c3 We7 20.h4±) 16. lWf3 Wh417.Wf4 hdS1S.exdS WhS 19.f3 ctJeS 20.Wf6 gS 21.f4 gxf4 22.%'1xf4 Wd1+ 23.%'1f1 WhS 24.%'1fS lWd1+ 2S.if1 Wxc2 26.%'1gS+-. 9 ... Wb61O.Wf3 ctJf6 l1.h3! This is a good prophylactic move that prevents Black's pieces from the access to the g4-square. Moreover it is a well disguised trap! 11 ... id7 (Black would have fallen right into the trap after: 11 ... 0-0?? 12.ctJe2 icS13.d4 'WxbS14.ctJc3!+-, and he loses his bishop) 12.ib2 WcS (12 ... 0-0 13.ctJdS! ctJxdS 14.ixd4 Wc7 lS.exdS 'Wxc2 16.%'1al+-) 13.id3 %'1cS 14.0-0 0-0 lS.%'1fa1 WeS 16. %'1aS! We6 17.ctJa4 hb2 lS.ctJxb2±. 10 ..ib2 ctJf6

1l.'Wal! This powerful positional resource is quite typical for the whole system. White has all the chances to materialize his extra pawn. 1l... .ie6 12.l::1xa7 l::1xa7 13.'Wxa7 ctJxe4 14.'Wxb7 ttJxc3 123

Chapter S 15.~xc3

0 - 0 16.~xg7 @xg7

17.~e2 ~a5 18.~a6 ~b4 19. ~a1+ f6 20 .c3 ~e4 21.£3 ~e5

22.@f2± Kroshk - Bilacska, Internet 2004. a2) 4 ... ttJf6

This is an interesting "provocative" move. White's edge after it is only slight, but good enough! 5.e5! Black obtains quickly an excellent game after White's other moves. For example: S.1''1bl (White parries Black's threat to capture on e4.) S... dS!oo and Black's counterplay is quite sufficient. 5 ... ttJh5 S... liJgS 6.bxcS! (It is weakerfor White to play 6.f4 d6 7.liJf3 ig4 S.h3 ixf3 9.~xf3 ttJc61O.ibS1"lcS 11.0-0 lDh6= Kroshk - ritschi, Internet 2004) 6 ... ixeS 7.d4 ig7 S.lDf3 liJf6 9.ie2 0-0 10.0-0 b6 1l.cxb6 axb612.1"lelliJc613.liJbS;I;. 6.bxc5! White cannot protect his eSpawn anyway, but he does not need it either. He can use instead the open e-file to his advantage. 6 ... ~xe5 7.d4 ~g7 8.ttJf3 0-0 9.~bl d610.cxd6 exd6 124

1O ... ~xd611.ie2liJc6 (1l ... lDf4 12.lDbSliJxg2+ 13.@f1 ih3!? This interesting queen-sacrifice is still not good enough to equalize. 14.lDxd6 liJe3+ lS.@el liJxdl 16. liJe4 ig2 17.1"lgl fS ISJ''1xg2 fxe4 19.~c4+ @hS 20.lDgSliJc3 21.1"lxb7 liJc6 22.liJf7+ ~xf7 23.~xf7 lDxd4 24.1"lxe7 lDxc2+ 2S.@f11"ldS 26. 1"leS+ ~xeS 27.ixeS ~d4 2S.~c6±) 12.0-0! (White should complete his development quickly and avoid losing time defending his d4pawn.) 12 ... lDf4 (Can Black grab the central pawn? Yes, he can, but White regains his pawn and preserves his advantage. 12 ... liJxd4 13.lDxd4 ~xd4 14.lDdS ~eS IS. ixhS ~xhS 16.lDxe7+ @hS 17. ~xhS gxhSlS.lDxcS ~fxcSI9.1"lxb7 1"lxc2 20.~xf7;1;; lS ... gxhS 16.1"lel ~g4 17.Wifd2±; 17.f3 Wifd4+ IS.~e3 ~xd119.~exdlie6 20.lDxe7+ ~hS 21.1"lxb7 as 22.id4 ~fbS 23.1"lxbS+ 1"lxbS 24.lDc6 ixd4+ 2S.1"lxd4 ~b2 26.c4 ~a2 27.lDxaS ~xa3 2S.liJb7±) 13.~c4 a6 (13 ... lDxd4 14.liJxd4 ~xd41S.lDbS ~c616.ixf4+-; IS ... ixf2+ 16.~xf2 WifcS+ 17.Wifd4+-; 14 ... ~xd4 lS.Wifxd4 ixd4 16.lDbS ieS 17.1"le1;l;; 16 ... ie6 17.lDxd4 ixc4 IS.ixf4 ixfI19.~xfl1"lfdS 20.lDf3;1;) 14.1"lel bS lS.lDe4! Wifc7 16.~a2 1"ldS 17.lDfgS (White starts a kingside attack in this way and it is quite dangerous for Black.) 17 ... e6 (17 ... liJdS IS.lDxf7! ~xf7 19.1Dc3! White easily regains his material thanks to the displacement of Black's pieces. 19 ... e6 20.liJxdS exdS 21.~f3+ ~g8 22. ixdS+ ~hS 23.if4 Wifb6 24.ixc6

l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ~g7 4.tt:lc3 l"i:a7 25.d5+-; 21...~f5 22.~xd5+ @f8 23.~xc6 Elac8 24.d5+-; 22 ... l"i:xd5 23.~xd5+ @f8 24.a4 l"i:d8 25.~c5+ ~d6 26.~xd6+ l"i:xd6 27.~a3 b4 28.Elxb4+-) 18.c3 tt:ld5 19.~f3 h6 20.tt:lh3 g5 21.i.d2 e5 (21...f5 22.tt:lexg5 hxg5 23.i.xg5 l"i:d6 24.~g3 ~b7 25.i.xd5 exd5 26.~f4 l"i:ad8 27.l"i:e6+-) 22.~xd5 l"i:xd523.tt:lexg5±. 11.~e2 Ele812.0-0 tt:lc613.

defensive set-up. 5.tL\f3 tt:lc6 The immediate development of the bishop to b7 has its drawbacks too: 5... i.b7 6.bxc5 bxc5 7.l"i:b1, and the black bishop cannot be defended by the rook. Black will be forced to either retreat it, or play 7... ~c8. White will have an excellent game in that case after 8 ..ic4. 6.Elbl

~g5! ~f6

13 ... tt:lf6?! 14.tt:ld5 ~e6 (14 ... l"i:e6? 15.tt:lxf6+ ~xf6 16.d5 l"i:xe2 17.dxc6+-; 14 ... tt:lxd5? 15.~xd8 tt:lc3 16.~d2tt:lxe2+ 17.@h1tt:lxd8 18.l"i:fel+-; 14 ... b6 15.i.b5 ~d7 16.c4 l"i:c8 17.~a4 l"i:e6 18.l"i:fdH) 15.tt:lxf6+ ~xf6 16.~xf6 ~xf6 17. l"i:xb7 ~d5 18.l"i:b1! l"i:e7 19.c3 l"i:ae8 20.i.d3±.

14.i.e3! (Black has serious problems after that retreat. 14.i.xf6 tt:lxf6=) 14 ... tt:lg715.tt:ld5 tt:lf5 16.tt:lxf6+ ~xf6 17.i.g5 ~g7 18.d5 tt:lcd4 19.tL\xd4 tL\xd4 20 ..id3;!;.

This is a very timely move. The b4-pawn was under attack and what was even more important White prevented the development ofthe black bishop to b7. (6 ....ib7? - is simply blundering a pawn, since after 7.bxc5±, Black cannot recapture on c5, because of the loss of the bishop; 6 ... l"i:b8 7.~c4 ~b7 8.0-0 lLlf6 9.l"i:e1 0-0 1O.bxc5 bxc511.~b2::t). Black's natural development has been hampered in that way. We are going to analyse the following moves: a3a) 6 ... tL\f6, a3b) 6 ... d6, a3c) 6 ... a5 and a3d) 6 ... e6.

a3) 4 ... b6 This is a solid line. Black avoids risky tactical skirmishes and builds a flexible and reliable

a3a) 6 ... tL\f6 This logical move has not been tested in practice yet. White must play calmly avoiding sharp tacti125

ChapterS cal lines. 7.h3! That move deprives the black pieces of the g4-square. Moreover White can attack on the kings ide under favourable circumstances and the placement ofthe h3-pawn might turn out handy. It was also possible for White to play 7.bxcS bxcS S.h3 with quite similar ideas. 7 ... 0-0 8.bxc5 bxc5 9.i.c4 d6 Black cannot try the standard combination 9 ... ttJxe4? here, because the knight on c6 is defenceless: 1O.ttJxe4 dS 1l.i.bS j"1bS 12.ttJc3 i.xc3 13.dxc3 a6 14.ih6! axbS ls.ixfS @xfS 16.0-0±, and Black's compensation for the exchange is quite insifficient. 10.0-0

White's advantage in this position is not so great, but it is still quite real. His pieces are much more active and Black must defend very carefully. 10 ... ttJa5 The exchange of the rooks helps Black not to waste efforts to defend the only open file, but he is too far from having solved all his problems yet. For example: 10 ... 126

j"1bS 11.j"1xbS ttJxbS 12.j"1e1 ttJc6 13. e61S.IWa1! This is a powerful resource for White in the positional battle! He is not only creating a strong pressure along the a1-hS diagonal, but he intends to occupy again the open b-file at the first opportune moment. There are still a couple of rooks left on the board! lS ... eS (lS ... ttJeS? 16. ttJxeS dxeS 17.ttJa4 ttJd7 lS.~bS±; 17 ... IWaS lS.~xeS IWxa4 19.~xf6 ~xf6 20.IWxf6 IWxc2 21.IWe7 IWc3 22.@f1! ~aS 23.IWxa7±) 16.ttJdS ttJd4 (16 ... IWd7 17.~bS;t) 17.ttJxd4 cxd4 lS.ttJxf6+ IWxf6 19.j"1b1 ~c6 20.c3 dxc3 21.~xc3 j"1dS 22.IWa2 ~fS. The arising position might seem to be simple, but Black still has a lot more problems to solve. White can gradually prepare a decisive penetration on the queenside. Black's counterplay is quite minimal: 23.~d2! l"kS 24.~e3±. 1l.i.a2 ~b7 Black can try to prevent White's advance in the centre with the move 1l ... eS, but that only increases the scope of action of the bishop on a2. 12.d3 ~e6 (Black now exchanges the dangerous white bishop, but his pawns become very weak.) 13.~xe6 fxe6 14.~gS ttJc6 lS.ttJd2 IWaS 16.ttJc4! Black is faced with a difficult choice. He can either retreat his queen and comply with White's great positional advantage, or sacrifice the queen after: 16 ... Wxc3 17.j"1b3 ttJxe41S.j"1xc3 ttJxc319:~g4 ttJd4 20.ttJxd6 hS 21.IWh4±. 12.j"1e1 j"1b8 13.e5 ~b2 ~b714.d3

l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.M i.g7 4.tLlc3 14.Wi'xf3 dxeS 1S.E!:xeS E!:xb1 16.ttJxb1 Wfd617.E!:e1tLlc618.d3 tLld4

13 .••,bf3 Black exchanges White's powerful knight and the attack is not as dangerous as after 13 ... dxeS (see later). This is however a considerable positional concession and Black is going to suffer because of that in the ensuing battle. White's two bishop advantage provides him with a lasting positional edge and excellent winning chances. I3 ... dxeS I4.tLlxeS e6 lS.tLlxf7! (White is perfectly prepared for this typical sacrifice. Black must either comply with White's material advantage, or endanger his king considerably.) lS ... <±>xf7 (Black's defence is very difficult after IS .. J'hf7 16.i.xe6 tLlc6 17. ixf7+ <±>xf7 18.d3 ia8 19.E!:xb8 Wi'xb8 20.tLle4±. White can afford to patiently exchange pieces, because his rook and two pawns will prevail over Black's couple oflight pieces in every possible endgame.) 16.ixe6+ <±>e7 (16 ... <±>e8 I7.Wi'e2 ILic6 18.ic8!+-; 17... E!:f7 I8.Wi'bS+ It>f8 I9.ixf7 ~xf7 20.iWxcS+-) 17.iWe2 E!:e8 I8.~bS ~c7 I9.id7+ 1t>i8 20.i.xe8 E!:xe8 21.i.b2 E!:xeI+ 22.E!:xe1 iWc6 23. ~xc6 hc6 24.tLldl i>f7 (24 ... tLlc4?? 2S.i.xf6 i.xf6 26Jl:e6+-) 2S.tLJe3±.

19.Wi'd1 White is retreating, but that is only temporary. Black cannot stabilize in the centre for long. 19 ••. e6 20.c3 tUc6 21.a4! E!:d8 22. i.a3 Wfxd3 23.Wfxd3 ~xd3 24. i.c4 E!:d8 2S.i.bS tUb8 26.,bcS a6 27.i.f1t. a3b) 6 •.. d6

This is a sort of an excessive defence of the cS-pawn. This move however has one seemingly inconspicuous defect - Black has weakened the long hI-a8 diagonal a bit! That means that White must develop his bishop on g2! He cannot rely on obtaining any quick advantage and he should be prepared for 127

Chapter S a tough positional battle. 7.g3! ttJf6 8 . .ig2 0-0 9. 0-0 .ib7 10.gel a6 1l.bxe5! dxe5 l2.e5 ttJd7 12 ... ttJg4 13.h3 tDh6 (13 ... ttJgxeS?? 14.ttJxeS+-) 14.tDa4! ttJd4 lS.gxb6 .ic616J'~xc6! (White's best chance to preserve his advantage is to sacrifice the exchange. This is in fact not exactly even a sacrifice, because White remains with two extra pawns.) 16 ... tDxc6 17. tLlxcs tLlfS lS.g4! tLlh6 (lS .. .'&dS? 19.tLlb3! tLlh6 20.tLlfd4+-) I9.d4 Wa5 20 ..ie3! f5 21.exf6 exf6 22.Wc1 tLlf7 23 ..id2! Wc7 24.tLle6+-.

l3.e6!he3 It was not an easy decision for

Black to exchange his powerful bishop. He was not going to fare any better after 13 ... fxe6 14.tLlg5 .id4 lS.tLlxe6! It becomes clear now that Black's counterattack against the f2-square is not strong enough: ls ... hf2+ (lS ... gxf216 ..idS! gf7+ 17.@h1 WbS1S.tLlg5 tLlce519.ttJxf7 .ixdS+ 20.tLlxdS @xf7 21.We2 e6 22.gf1+ @g723.tLlf4 Wb7+ 24.Wg2 Wxg2+ 2S.@xg2+-) 16.@h1 WcS 17.tLlxfS tLlxfS (17 ... WxfS1S.gfl+-) lS.gfl.id419.tLld5+-. 12S

l4.dxe3 fxe6 14 ... tLldbS1S.exf7+ j"1xf716.tLlgS Wxdl17.j"1xd1 j"1f61S.j"1xb6 j"1a719. .if4 eS 20.heS tLlxe5 21.j"1xf6+-. l5.ttJg5 gf5 l6 •.ih3 White has another way at his disposal to obtain a decisive advantage -16.tLlxe6 WcS (16 ... WeS? 17.tLlc7+-) 17.tLlf4 j"1e5 lS.tLldS j"1xe1+ 19.Wxe1 WdS 20 ..igS @f7 21.tLlxe7 tLlxe7 22 ..ixb7 j"1a7 23. .idS+-. l6 ... ttJee5 l7 •.ixf5 exf5 18. .if4 Vge7 lS ... h6 19.tLle6 tLlf3+ 20.Wxf3 .ixf3 21.tLlxdS+-.

19.f3! White must deprive Black of the possibility to create threats along the hI-aS diagonal! 19 ••• h6 20.he5! (20.We2? presents suddenly Black with excellent chances after: 20 ... hxg5 21..ixe5 Wc6! and his counterplay is very effective!) . 20 ... ttJxe5 21.~e2 hxg5 22. Wxe5 ~xe5 (22 ... Wc6 23.Vge6+-) 23.gxe5+ • a3e) 6 ... a5 (diagram) This move seems logical too. Black starts fighting for domina-

l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.b4 i.g7 4.'I:lc3 tack in another fashion i.e.: 11 ... ~g4, but that move was weaker: 12.~e2 ~xg213.l"lgl ~h314.~bS+

lS.~xaS! i.c6 (1S ... ~xf3?? 16.~a8+ i.c8 17.~xc8#) 16.l"lg3

i.d7

~d7

17.d3+-. 12.'I:lc3 hc313.dxc3 V;l[xe4+ 14.i.e3 'I:lf6 14 ... i.g4 lS.0-0 i.xf3 16.~xf3! tion on the queenside. The essen- (White enjoys a huge lead in detial drawback of this move is that. velopment and he will win at least it weakens the bS-square in the a pawn after the trade of the process. queens.) 16 ... ~xf317.gxf3 White's pawns are a miserable sight, nev7.bxc5 bxc5 S.i.b5 8.i.c4 'I:lf6 9.0-0 0-0 lOJ'l:e1 ertheless the endgame is evidently d611.h3 i.a612.1Mfe2 hc413.~xc4 in his favour! The difference of the l"lb8 14.i.b2 e61S.i.aU;. activity of the pieces is too great for Black to compensate. 17 ... c4 S ... l"lbS9.hc6 White starts an exchange op- 18.l"ld1 'I:lf619.i.b6 'I:ld7 20.i.xaS±. 15.0-0 V;l[c6 16.lLle5 V;l[c7 eration with this move and it might seem to you that he simpli- 17.i.f4 ~b7 fies unnecessarily the position. In fact White obtains excellent prospects after it. The other line for him is much calmer and the game proceeds slowly: 9.0-0 'I:ld4 1O.i.b2 'I:lf6 11.eS 'I:lhS12.a4 i.b713.'I:lxd4 cxd4 14.'I:le2 i.xeS lS.i.xd4 i.xd4 16. 'I:lxd4 0-0 17.~g4;!:;. 9 ••• l"lxb110.hd7+ White wins a pawn only tem1S.i.h6! l"lgS (Black fails to porarily - Black can regain his castle anyway.) 19.~d3 ~c7 20. pawn immediately. The point is l"ld1! i.f5 (20 ... ~xeS?? 21.~d8#) that he does not equalize after bal- 21.V;I[b5+ i.d7 (21...lLld7 22.i.f4 ~b6 23.~a4 ~b7 24.lLlxd7 i.xd7 ancing the material. It is simpler for White to play 2S.~xaS±) 22.'I:lxd7 'I:lxd7 23. 1O.'I:lxbU;, but he achieves less too. i.e3 c4 24J!d4. 10 .. :~xd711.lLlxb1 V;l[b7 This is a double attack against a3d) 6 •.. e6 You can qualify this as the main the knight and the e4-pawn. He could have inflicted a double at- line in this rare and unusual sys129

Chapter 8 tem. Black has been defending this position quite successfully until now. I have managed to find some improvements for White, though ...

7.d4! This is a beautiful idea and I have been trying to discover it for a long time! It is definitely going to cause some unrest even to quite calm and balanced players. White gets the advantage even after Black's best defence. The point is that White opens files and obtains excellent attacking prospects against the enemy king. Black is in fact too far from completing his development and his king might get stranded in the centre indefinitely! It is also possible for White to play 7.~b2 (This calm move has been tested in some games between strong players and White preserves good chances too.) 7... d6 8.~bSttJge7 9.ttJdS! (This is a beautiful tactical idea.) 9 ... 0-0 (That is Black's only move. It is too bad for him to play 9 ... ~xb2 10.ttJxe7! ~xa3 11.ttJxc6 Vlic7 12.bxcS bxcS 13.ttJxa7+ ~d7 14.~xd7+ Vlixd7 lS.ttJbS+-) 1O.ttJf6+ <;t>h8 (Black can hardly be satisfied with 10 ...

130

~xf6 11.~xf6Âą) l1.ttJgS!? (I think White must continue his attack in that exact fashion, since his knight must be headed to the h7square! White has also tested the attractive possibility 11.h4. The reknowned expert of the system GM Varavin failed to win however after: 11...ttJd4! This enterprising move proves that Black's position is not bad at all. 12.ttJxd4 cxd4 13.Vlif3 - Black's successful defence is based on the line 13.hd4? eS!-+ White must lose one of his pieces - 13 ... ttJg8! White's attack is not so dangerous anymore after the exchange of the knights. 14. ttJxg8 <;t>xg8 lS.hS Vlic7 16.Vlid3 eS 17.hxg6 fxg6 18.~c4+ <;t>h8 19.c3 dxc3 20.dxc3 ~b7 2U!d1 as 22. ~e6;!;; 16 ... dS17.hd4 dxe418.Vlic3 Vlixc3 19.hc3 ~xc3 20.dxc3 ~b7 2U'ld1l"lfd8 22.~d7 ~dS 23.~b5=; 17.hxg6 fxg6 18.~xd4 ~xd4 19. Vlixd4l"lf4oo ; 16J'lc1 dS17.exdS exdS 18.0-0 ~e6 19.c3 dxc3 20.~xc3 ~xc3 2U'lxc3 VlieS 22.hxg6 hxg6 23.Vlie3 Vlixe3 24.dxe3, and the opponents agreed to a draw some twenty moves later, Varavin Glotov, Serpukhov 2002.) 11...h6 (White is better too after: ll ... cxM 12.axb4 h6 13.ttJgh7 ~xf6 14.ttJxf6 eS lS.f4 a6 16.~xc6 ttJxc6 17.fxeS dxeS 18.0-0 ~fS 19.exfS Vlixf6 20.fxg6 Vlixg6 21.Vlif3;!;. Black is clearly worse after 11...ttJd4?! 12.hd4 cxd413.lt:Jfxh7f614.lt:Jxf8 Vlixf8 lS.lt:Jf3+-) 12.lt:Jgh7! ~xf6 13.ttJxf6 (The exchange of the dark squared bishops is a considerable positional achievement for White.

l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ig7 4.ltJc3 His initiative is much more dangerous now.) 13 ... eS 14.f4 a6 IS. ixc6 ctJxc6 16.fxeS dxeS 17.0-0 cxb418.axb4 ifS!? (This is in principle a good idea, because Black gets rid of the dangerous white knight on f6. He weakens however the position of his king in the process and White can continue fighting for a win.) 19.exfS ~xf6 20.fxg6 ~xg6 21.~f3 ~acS 22.~f6+ ~h7 23.ic3 ~xf6 24.~xf6 ~g7 2S.~d6 as 26.bS ltJd4 27.~f2! (Black was

threatening a knight-fork on the e2-square.) 27 ... ~bS 2S.ixd4 exd4 29.~xd4± and White remained with an extra pawn in the rook and pawn endgame. 7••• tLlxd4 Black is not safe at all after: 7 ... cxd4 S.ltJbS eS (S ... dS 9.exdS! exdSlO.if4±) 9.c3! (White should continue to open files in order to attack the black king with all his forces.) 9 ... a6 (This is possibly Black's best defence; otherwise he risks being checkmated rather soon. White must now comply with the exchange of his powerful knight.) 1O.ltJd6+ ~e7 1l.ltJxcS+ ~xcS 12.ic4 ltJf6 13.igs dxc3 14.Wd5 ~eS ISJ'lc1 h6 16.ixf6+ ixf6 17.~xc3 bS IS.ib3::!;. (Black's defence is quite difficult and his extra pawn is immaterial; 7 ... ltJge7!? Black continues calmly his development disregarding the aggressiveattempts of his opponent. I liked that move mostly because of its cold-bloodedness! White should probably give up the idea of a swift kingside attack after it,

since Black can castle immediately. White can try to win the cSpawn, or depending on the future actions of the adversary, he can try to occupy the center and that will be a considerable achievement too!) S.ltJbS! dS (S ... O-O 9.dxcS bxcS 1O.bxcS::!;) 9.dxcS bxcS 10. bxcS 0-0 l1.exdS ltJxdS 12.igS! WaS+ 13.id2 ltJc3 14.ltJxc3 ixc3 IS.ibS ib7 16.0-0 ixd2 (16 ... ~fdS 17.id3 ~abS IS.~bS ~xa3 19.~b3 Wxb3 20.cxb3 ~xd3 21.~c2 ltJb4 22.~cl ltJdS 23.ixc3 ~xc3 24.~a3 ~cS 2S.~cl ~SxcS 26.~xcS ~xcS 27.~xcS+-) 17.~xd2 ~xa3

(17... ~xd21S.ltJxd2±) IS.~h6 ~c3 19.~fdl ~fdS 20.~d6 ~xcS 21.ltJgS ~xgS 22.WxgS ~xd6 23.ie2 ltJd4 24.~xb7 ltJxe2 2S. ~fl ltJc3 26.g3±.

8.bxc5! This is another surprising decision, and quite correct at that. White plays a strange move despite Black's centralized knight. 8 ••. tLlxf3+ S ... bxcS 9.ltJxd4 cxd4 1O.ltJbS ~b611.ie3! (That excellent move enables White to recapture his pawn and enter a favourable endgame.) 11...ltJe7 12.ixd4 ixd4 13.~xd4 Wxd414.tLlxd4::!;. 131

Chapter S 9.~xf3 bxc5 Black's attempts to avoid that capture are doomed to failure: 9 ... ~c7? 1O.cub5! ~xc5 ll.e5! (It becomes evident that Black will suddenly suffer decisive material losses. He cannot protect his rook on as!) 11. .. ~xe5+ (ll .. J'l:bS 12. cud6+ ~dS 13.~g5+! This is simpler than the capture on f7. 13 ... f6 - White checkmates spectacularly after: 13 ... ~c7?? 14.cueS#! - 14. exf6 ~fS15.cuf7+ ~c716.!l:b5 ~xc2 17.!l:b3 ~c5 lS.~f4+ d6 19.hd6+ ~d6 20.!l:c3+-; 19 ... ~d7 20.ib5#) ll ... ~xe5+ 12.ie2 ~bS (12 ... ~b7 13.~xb7+-. After 12 ... d5 White has numerous ways leading to victory: 13.~b2! ~xb2 14.!l:xb2 ~xb2 15. cuc7+-, or 13.~f4 ~f6 14.cuc7+ ~dS 15.cuxaS+-; 15.cuxd5 exd5 16.~xd5+ ~eS 17.~xaS cue7 IS. ~d2+-) 13.if4 e5 (13 ... ib7 14.

13J:%b3! ~d8 14.lbd6 ~c7 15J'!xb8 ~xb8 16.~e3 ~b2 (16 ... cuf6 17.'t:lxf7+ ~e71S.'t:lxhS hhS 19.f3+-) 17.lbxt7+ ~e818.lbxh8 ~xh8 19.ie2 ~c3+ 20.~d2 ~a1 + 21. ~c1 ~c3+ 22.~d2 ~d4 23.0 - 0 lbf6 24.ie3 ~xe4 25. ~b2 d6 26.~d1 ~e7 27.~b8 ~c6 28.~xd6 ~xd6 29.~xc8 lbd7 30.~xh8+-.

a4)4 ... d6

~xb7! ~xb715.cud6+ ~f816.cuxb7 ic3+ 17.~f1 d5 lS.cud6 cue7 19. cub5+-) 14.~d5! exf4 (14 ... ~e7

15.ic4! exf4 16.~xf7+ ~dS 17. ~xg7+-) 15.'t:ld6+ ~dS 16.'t:lxf7 + ~e7 17.cuxhS ic3+ lS.~fl 't:lf6 19.~f7+ ~dS 20.~c4 ia5 21.if3 ~b7 22.~d4+-.

10.lbb5 ~b6 1O ... ie5 ll.if4 ~a5+ 12.~d1! f6 13.ixe5 fxe5 14.'t:ld6+ ~e7 15.cuf7 ia6 16.cuxhS lbf6 17.ha6 ~xa6 lS.'t:lxg6+ hxg6 19.!l:e1 !l:hS 20.h3 !l:h4 21.g4+-. 11.~f4 e512.~d1 ~b8

12 ... ~c613.ie3 ifS14.ic4cuf6 15.id5 't:lxd5 16.exd5 ~b7 17.d6 ~xg218.~d5!! ~xd519.'t:lc7+ ~dS

20.ig5+ f6 2l.hf6+ ie7 22.he7# 132

This is a strong move. Black defends the c5-pawn. The position is rather complicated. White has plenty of interesting possibilities and he must make up his mind what to choose. His best bet probably is the fianchetto of his light squared bishop and quiet positional play to follow. We will analyse three promising schemes for him: a4a) 5.bxc5,

l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ~g7 4.lLlc3 a4b) 5.g3 and a4c)

5.1'~b1.

a4a) 5.bxc5 This move clarifies the situation more or less and it becomes easier for both sides to play that position after it. 5 ... dxc5 5 ... ~xc3?! (This is a very argueable decision. White's two bishop advantage provides him with good prospects. His weaknesses on the queenside are presently almost irrelevant.) 6.dxc3 dxc5 7.~xd8+! (What do you think - is this exchange to be recommended for White? I like it and I think that White's pieces can get at the black king easily despite the trade of the queens.) 7 ... ~xd8 8.~c4

8 ... lLJf6 (Black must be prepared to defend this position patiently and stubbornly. His every attempt to show some activity will only backfire: 8 .. .f5? 9.lLJf3 lLlf61O.lLle5 ~c7 11.~f4 lLlh5 12.lLlxg6+ lLlxf4 13. lLlxh8±, or 13.lLJxf4±; 8 ... ~e6? White is now deprived of his two bishop advantage, but Black pays a dear price for that. 9.he6 fxe6, Black's pawns are very weak now

and White can win one of them rather quickly. 1O.lLlf3 lLJf6 11.lLJg5 ~d7 12.f3! White fortifies his e4pawn. 12 ... h6?! 13.lLlf7 l"1h7 14. lLJe5+! ~e8 15.lLlxg6+-; 12 ... lLlc6 13.~e3 b614.l"1d1+ ~e815.lLlxe6±) 9.f3 ~e8 (9 ... ~e6 10. ~xe6 fxe6 11.lLJh3!±. I would like to remind you that Black cannot castle to the end of that game, according to the rules!) 1O.lLJe2 lLlc6 11.0-0 lLle5 (This attempt by Black to repel the bishop does not bring the desired result. His other moves are also advantageous for White, for example: 11 ... e512.~g5 lLJd713.l"1ad1 h614.~e3 ~e715.~d5! f516.f4! g5 17.fxg5 f4 18.g6 fxe3 19.97+-; 18 ... ~f6 19.93 ~xg6 20.gxf4+-; 15 .. .f6 16.f4! exf4 17.lLlxf4 Black is suddenly beyond salvation. 17 ... lLJce5 18.~a2 White's powerful threat to check from the d5-square settles the issue immediately. 18 ...b6 19.1LJd5+ ~f8 20. ~f4 ~g7 21.lLJxf6! This spectacular combination with a knight-sacrifice is White's most direct road to victory. 21...~xf6 22.~xh6+ ~e7 23. ~g5+ ~e8 24.l"1d6!+-) 12.~b3 b6 13.f4! lLJed7 (13 ... lLlc6 14.e5 lLJd7 15.lLJg3 lLJf8 16.f5 lLlxe517.~d5 E1b8 18.~h6±; 15 ... ~a6 16.~d5 E1c8 17.E1d1 lLJdb8 18.f5 lLJxe5 19.~f4 lLlc4 20.f6 exf6 21.lLle4 f5 22.lLJg5 f6 23.lLJf7±) 14.e5 lLlh5 15.a4 ~a6 (15 ... a5 16.~d5 E1b8 17.l"1d1 lLJf8 18.~e3 ~g4 19.h3 ~xe2 20.~c6+ lLJd7 21.E1xd7 l"1c8 22.E1b7+! ~f8 23.E1xb6+-; 22 ... E1xc6 23.E1b8+ ~d7 24.l"1xh8+-; 18 ... ~d719.l"1db1! White increases the pressure on 133

ChapterB the queenside and he is threatening to capture on cS too. 19 ....tg4 20.CUc1 cud7 21.CUa2 It>dB 22.c4 .tfS 23.Elb2 cug7 24.CUc3 f6 2S.exf6 exf6 26 ..tc6 CUe6 27.Eldl+-) 16.c4 gS17. fxgS CUxeS IB ..tb2 f6 19.9xf6 exf6 20.ElfS (20 ..txeS was also good enough to win the game: 20 ... fxeS 21.ElfS CUg7 22.ElxeS+ It>d7 23.Eldl + It>c6 24.aS EladB 2S.ElxdB ElxdB 26.Ele7+-) 20 ... CUg7 21.Elxf6 tLlxc4 22 ..tc3 ElfB 23.ElxfB+ It>xfB 24.Elfl+ It>gB 2S.Elf4 EleB 26.CUg3+-. 6 •.tb5+

6 ....td7! This is the right move for Black. White has a powerful initiative after the other possibilities: 6 ... CUc6 7 ..txc6+! bxc6 B.Wff3 (Black's pawn chain has been disrupted and that is more important than his two bishop advantage. White is clearly better.) B.. ,ElbB 9.CUge2 CUf6 1O.h3! 0-0 11.0-0 cud712.d3 WfaSI3 ..td2 Elb214.Elfc1 CUeSlS.Wfe3±; 6 ... CUd7 (White has a long-lasting domination after that tentative move.) 7.a4! (This is to prevent Black's eventual activity on the queenside after a7-a6 and b7-bS, moreover White's bishop now has 134

the wonderful a3-square at his disposal.) 7... a6 B..te2 CUgf6 9 ..ta3 WfaS 1O.tLlf3 0-0 11.0-0 CUhS 12. CUdS! (This exchange sacrifice is quite promising.) 12 ... .txal 13. CUxe7+ It>g7 14.Wfxal+ f6 IS.CUdS Wfxa4 16.tLlgS It>h6 (16 ... lt>gB 17. Wfc3 fxgS IB ..tc4 CUeS 19.WfxeS Wfxc4 20 ..tb2 bS 21.WfhB+ 1t>f7 22.Wfxh7+ CUg7 23.Wfxg7+ It>e6 24.Wfe7#) 17.CUe6 Wfxe4 IB.tLldc7 Wfxe2 19.CUxfB CUf4 20.tLlfe6 tLlxe6 21.CUxaB tLlf4 22.Wfdl! Wfe4 23.f3 Wfd4+ 24.lt>hl Wfd6 2S.d4! WbB 26 ..tcl gS 27 ..txf4 gxf4 2B.Wfd2 cxd4 29.Elel WfxaB 30.Wfxf4+ It>g6 31.Wfg4+ It>h6 32.Ele7+-; 12 ... EleB (It is understandable that Black prefers not to accept the sacrifice, but he cannot organize any effective counterplay in that position with material equality.) 13.c3 e6 14.CUe3 CUf4 IS ..tc4 cub6 16 ..tb3 .td7 17.d4! (White's pawn centre advances.) 17... cxd41B.cxd4 ElacB 19 ..td6! (Black's active knight has been repelled and White occupies the centre.) 19 ... cuhS 20.tLleS cuf6 21..tc2 .tc6 22.Wff3 cubd7 23.Elfbl Wfc3 24J'!dl! tLlxeS 2S ..txeS cuhS (2S ... tLld7 26 ..txg7 It>xg7 27.tLlfS+ exfS 2B.Wfxc3 he4 29.Wfb4 Elxc2 30.dS+-) 26 ..txg7 tLlxg7 27.Elac1 Wfa3 2B.dS exdS 29.exdS .txa4 30.Elal WfxaI31.~xal.txc2 32.tLlg4 tLlhS 33.d6+-. 7.i.xd7+ ~xd7 7... tLlxd7 B.CUge2 cugf6 9.Elbl b6 10.0-0 0-0 Il.d3 a6 12.a4 e6 13.h3 Wfc714 ..tf4 Wfc61S.Wd2 tLlhS 16 ..th6 ~abB 17.hg7 It>xg7 IB.f4 bSl9.axbS axbs 20.eS b4 21.tLle4±.

l.e4 cS 2.a3 g6 3.M ~g7 4.tiJc3 8.ttJge2 ttJc6 This position was played in the game Kroshk - ritschi, Internet 2004. 9.0-0 ttJf610.!!bl 0-0

1l.d3;t. This is a complicated position in which White should prepare a kingside advance: f2-f4-fS. Black must try to organize some counterplay in the centre and on the queenside. It is not so easy to evaluate the chances of both sides quite precisely, but I would still prefer to play with White. Why? The reason is that it has always been more rewarding to play against the enemy king! a4b) 5.g3

This move leads to complicated positions without early tactical

clashes. White is slightly better, because he has already made some progress on the queenside. White's bishop will soon be placed on g2 and it will be very useful for White's further operations on that side of the board. We are soon going to see that he has some other actions in mind as well. 5 .•• ttJc6 6.!!bl White has prepared a quite original queenside offensive and it might be rather troublesome for Black. 6 ... e5 The natural move 6 ... ttJf6 is definitely in favour of White: 7.~g2 0-0 S.ttJge2 Wld7 (This decision seems strange, but it is relatively the best. Black has no compensation for the pawn after: S... ~g4? 9.bxcS dxcS10.Ei:xb7±. He can also try a move that creates tension for both sides: S ... b6? 9.eS! ttJxeS. White must find the not so obvious tactical strike 1O.f4!+-; White might get into big trouble should he capture the black rook: 1O.~xaS? ~h3! 11.~b7 WlcS!! 12.ibccS ttJf3#; 12.~dS ttJxdS 13.f4 Wlc6--+) 9.0-0 (Black's pieces are misplaced and White has active prospects all over the board.) 9 ... ttJg4 (9 ... b6? 1O.bs ttJeS 1l.f4 ttJc4 12.eS+-) 1O.h3 ttJgeS 11.f4 ttJc412.d3 ttJb613.bxcS dxcS14.eS Ei:dS lS.~e3 c4 16.d4 e6 17.Wld2 ttJdS (17 ... Ei:bS lS.g4±) lS.ttJxdS exdS19.fS! gxfS 20.~gS Ei:eS 21.ttJf4 h6 22.ttJh5! Wle6 (22 ... hxgS?! 23. ~xgS+-) 23.~f6 ~fS 24.ttJf4 Wld7 2S.ttJxdS+-. 13S

Chapter S

7.h4! This is probably White's most promising idea! His attack with the h-pawn will be very effective, since Black's pawn on g6 is a juicy target. 7.~g2 (This calm development is not causing too many problems for Black.) 7... ltJge7 S.ltJge2 0-09. 0-0 (9.f4 fS 1O.bxcS dxcs 11.0-0 exf4 12.ltJxf4 fxe4 13.ltJxe4 b6 14. 'it>hl ~fSoo) 9 ... fS 1O.d3 (1O.f4 exf4 l1.ltJxf4 fxe412.ltJxe4 cxb413.axb4 dSl4.ltJgS Wd600; 1O.bxcS dxcS 11. exfS ltJxfSl2.d3 Wd713.ltJe4 b614. f4 00 ) 1O ... f4 (White cannot capture the black f4-pawn and so Black seizes the initiative.) l1.bS (l1.gxf4 efI2.hf4? ~xc313.ltJxc3 gxf4-+) 1l ... ltJbS (1l ... ltJd4 12.gxf4 ~g4 13. f3 ~e6 14.ltJxd4 cxd4 IS.ltJe2 EkS 16.~d2 Wd700 Stertenbrink - Hantke, Germany 1976) 12.f3 (12.gxf4 exf413.f3 gS+) 12 ... gS (12 ... ~e613. gxf4 exf414.d4 ~c4 IS.gf2 WaS 16. dxcS dxcS 17. Wd6 ltJcS 18.~xcS ltJb6 19.Wb4 Wxb4 20.gxb4ltJSd7 21.a4!;\;) 13.gf2 (13.a4ltJg614.ltJdS hSlS.b6 ltJc616.c3 ~d717.d4 cxd4 IS.cxd4 ltJxd4 19.1tJxd4 exd4 20. ~b2 axb6 21.hd4~xa4 22.Wd2+) 13 ... ~e6 14.Wfl Wd7 IS.a4 a6 16. ~b2 ltJg6 17.ltJdSoo. 136

7.~h3 ~xh3 S.ltJxh3 Wd7 9.ltJgS ltJf6 10.0-0 0-0 1l.bxcS (l1.d3 h6 12.ltJf3 cxb4 13.axb4 gacS 14.bS ltJd41S.ltJxd4 gxc3 16.ltJe2 gcSl7. c4 Wh3 IS.f3;\;; IS ... exd4 16.ltJe2 dS17.f3 dxe41S.dxe4 gc419.Wd3 gfcS=) ll...dxcSI2.d3 gadS 13.ltJf3 b6 (13 ... c4 14.~gS cxd3 IS.cxd3 Wxd3 16.hf6 Wxdl17.gfxdl gxdl IS.ltJxdl hf6 19.9xb7 gb8=) 14. ~gS h6 IS.hf6 ~xf6 16.ltJdS ~g7 17.c4 fS=. White's active knight on dS is incapable of creating any dangerous threats yet. 7 •. .ttjge7 7... ltJf6 S.d3 0-0 9.~h3 ~xh3 1O.ltJxh3 cxb4 1l.axb4 dS 12.~gS d413.ltJdSWd614.hf6~xf61S.hS

ltJe7 16.ltJxf6+ Wxf6 17.f4 gfcS IS.gh2;\;. S.h5 0-0 9.bxc5 dxc5 10. hxg6fxg6 Black cannot solve his problems with: 10 ... hxg6 11.~c4 a6 12.a4 ltJd4 13.d3 gbS 14.~gS WaS (14 ... geSlS.Wd2 WaS 16.he7 gxe7 17.ltJdS Wxd2+ IS.'it>xd2 ge619.c3 ltJc6 20.ltJf3 ltJaS 21.~a2 ~d7 22. ltJgS gd6 23.f4 exf4 24.gxf4 ha4 2S.eS gd7 26.ltJb6+-) IS.~xe7 Wxc3+ 16.'it>fl geS 17.~xcS ~e6 IS.~a7 gbcSl9.hd4 exd4 20.ltJe2 WaS 21.~xe6 gxe6 22.ltJf4± and White's attack continues and he has a material advantage too. 1l.~c4+ 'it>hS 12.ltJf3 White's threats along the h-file are quite dangerous! 12 .•. ltJa5 12 ... ~g4?? loses plenty of material outright: 13.gxh7+ 'it>xh714. ltJgS+ 'it>hS (14 ... 'it>h61S.Wxg4~hS

1.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.b4 ~g7 4.tUc3 16.lLle6+-) 15.~xg4 ~h6 16.~h3 lLlg8 17.d3 ~d4 18.lLld1! lLlce7 19.1Lle6+-. White wins quickly after 13.lLlg5 as well: 13 ... ~h514.g4 ~d4

15. ~e2 lLla5 16.~a2 ~h6 17.lLlf7+ ~xf718.hf7 ~f8 19.9xh5 Elxf7 20.hxg6+-. 13 . .ia2 llJec6 14.llJh4 ~f6 15.~f3llJe716.~xf6 .ixf6 16 ... ~xf6 17.d3 lLlac6 18.~g5 ~d6 19.tt:lb5 ~d7 20.~e6 ~d8 21.

~f7!+-.

17.tt:ld5 llJac6 1S.llJxf6 ~xf6

19.d3± Black's king is endangered, he has plenty of weaknesses and White has a couple of very powerful bishops. Black's defence is doomed to fail.

ous one very much. There are some transpositions possible and the arising positions will look very familiar. The only symbolic drawback of White's rook-move is that Black cannot make now the mistake to present him with the a-file after the trade of the pawns on b4. That is hardly too important, though ... 5 .•. llJf6 5 ... tt:ld7 6.g3 (6.tUf3 tt:lgf6 7.~c4 0-0 8.~e2 e5 9.0-0 a6 10.b5 a5 1l.d3 h612.tt:lh4 Wh713.g3 tt:lb614. ~a2 ~g41S.f3 ~e616.he6 fxe617. tUdt!; Becx - Tolhuizen, Roosendaa11983) 6 ... tUgf6 7.~g2 0-0 8. tUge2 ~b8 9.0-0 b61O.~b2 ~b711. ~a1 eS (1l ... tUe5 12.d3 ~d7 13.h3 ~a814.f4 tt:lc615.b5 tUd416.llJxd4 cxd417.tUe2 eS18.c3 dxc319.hc3 ~fe8 20.1Wd2±) 12.d3;:!;; S ... tUc6 6.g3;:!; - and now if Black plays e7-eS followed by llJg8e7, see the line a4b) 5.g3, while if Black tries tUg8-f6 - that transposes to the main line. 6.g3 0-0 7.~g2 llJc6 S. llJge2 gbS

a4c) 5.gb1

This line resembles the previ-

This position has been tested numerous times in games between Kroshk - Gabelbissen, Internet 137

ChapterS 2004. White kept winning every Gabelbissen, Internet 2004. game with ease. (S ... eS 9.0-0;!;) You are now more enlightened 9.d3 to make up your mind what to play That move seems to me to be on move nine. the most logical. 9 ... ttJd710.f4! cxb4 It is also good for White to fol10 ... ttJd4 11.0-0 bS 12.bxcS low with: 9.bxcS dxcS 10.0-0. He dxcS 13.eS a6 14 ..ie3 ttJb6 lS.h3 has a lasting initiative in this com- .ib716.ttJe4 ttJdS17 ..id2 ~c71S.c4 plicated position. White had excel- bxc4 19.dxc4 ttJb6 20.ttJxd4 cxd4 lent prospects in all games that 21..iaS .ixe4 22.he4 d3 (22 ... ~cS had been played until now. He has 23 ..ib4 ~xc4 24 ..ixe7 ~feS 2S. strong pressure on the queenside .id6+-) 23.~h2 ~xc4 24.~xd3±. and he can also try a pawn-offen1l.axb4 ttJd4 12 ..ie3 e5 sive on the kingside. It is not easy 12 ... ttJxe2 13.ttJxe2 as 14.bxaS at all for Black to find a reliable ~xaS+ lS.~d2;!;. 13.0-0 ttJb6 defensive plan, for example: 10 ... b6 (l0 ....ig4 11.f3 .ie6 12.f4 .ig4 13.eS ttJhS 14.h3 .ixe2 lS.ttJxe2 ttJd4 16.~h2 .ih6 17.~xb7 ~xb7 lS.hb7+- Kroshk - Gabelbissen, Internet 2004) 11.£4 ttJd4 12.eS ttJg4 (12 ... ttJeS 13 ..ib2 .ib714.ttJe4 ttJxe2+ lS.~xe2 ttJc7 16.fS gxfS 17.~xfS ttJe61S.~hS h619.d3 ttJd4 20.~f2 ~c7 21.c3 ttJe6 22.d4 cxd4 23.cxd4 ~c4 24.~c1 ~a4 2S.dS 14.~d2 .ig4 (14 ... fS lS.fxeS .ixdS 26.ttJc3 ~b3 27.ttJxdSl-0 Kroshk - jamato, Internet 2004; dxeS 16.ttJdS;!;) 15.h3 .ixe2 16. 13.h3 ttJh6 14 ..ib2 ttJhfS lS.ttJe4 ttJxe2 ~c8 17.c4 f5 18.ttJxd4 .ib7 16.~h2 ~c7 17.g4 ttJh6 lS. (White could have also played ttJxd4 cxd419 ..ixd4 ~bdS 20.c3 fS instead: lS.hd4 exd419.exfS ~xfS 20.~a1 ~c7 21.~xa7 dS 22.cS+-) 21.~b3+ .idS 22.ttJf6+ exf6 23. hdS+ ~hS 24.exf6 M6 2S.hf6+ 18 .•. exd4 19 •.if2 fxe4 20 . ~xf6 26.gS ~fd6 27.c4 ttJgS 2S. .ixe4± Kroshk - Gabelbissen, ~be1 ttJe7 29.~c3+ 1-0 KroshkInternet 2004. Conclusion After 2 ... g6 3.b4, the game might develop relatively calmly. White should not start attacking immediately, since there are not enough strategical prerequisitesfor that yet. He must complete his developmentfirst and exert lasting pressure only later, seizing the initiative all over the board. I believe that the opening knowledge and erudition is not as essential in this line as the real practical playing strength. 13S

Chapter 9

1.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.c3

In case you enjoy playing nonstandard positions with plenty of tactical possibilities, I am going to suggest to you a line that leads to a quite lively play starting from the very beginning of the game. 3.c3 seems to be illogical. White suddenly changes his plan and starts preparing the routine d2-d4 instead of the habitual play on the queenside. It is important for us to know whether White loses his chances to obtain an advantage after the opening due to his inconsistency. I did a lot of analytical work and I have to tell you: it is much more enjoyable to play with White and he preserves the advantage! There is an essential difference in comparison to the variation l.e4 cS 2.c3, and that is the inclusion of the moves a2-a3 for White and g7-g6 for Black. It is amazing, but that is in favour of White in many positions. Why is that? This is because Black is deprived of many comfortable ways of development that he is used to in the lines after 2.c3, for example 2 ... tLlf6 and 2 ... dS. The culprit is the placement of the black pawn

ong6. We will analyse the important answers for Black a) 3 ... .tg7 and b) 3 ... d5 a) 3 ....tg7 4.ttJf3 This move is more precise than the immediate 4.d4, because after the latter Black can quickly equalize with: 4 ... cxd4 S.cxd4 dS 6.eS (6.ed tLlf6! and there arises a position from the Panov Attack of the Caro-Kann Defence in which Black has no problems anyway, moreover here White has lost a tempo for the not necessarily useful move a3.) 6 ... tLlc6. Now after 7.tLlf3, Black plays 7....tg4, and in case of 7.h3 he undermines White's centre with the move 7... f6. 4 ••• ttJc6

Black cannot play now dS and after capturing with the pawn (S.exdS) to follow with S... tLlf6, because after 6.c4 his compensation will be quite problematic. If he had played 4 ... dS in spite of all, then after S.exdS WxdS 6.d4 we reach positions that we are dealing with in the line b) 3 ... dS. After 4 ... d6 S.d4 tLlf6 6 ..td3 cd 139

Chapter 9 7.cd 0-0 8.lLlc3lLlc6 9.h3 e51O.de ing. About 6 ... dS 7.ed ¥tfdS - see the de 11.0-0 ie6 12.ie3 there arise quite familiar positions, which line b) 3 ... d5, while after 6 ... d6 have been well analysed. They usu- 7.lLlc3 lLlf6 8.id3 0-0 9.h3 e5 ally appear after other move-or- 1O.de de 11.ie3 ie6 12.lLlc3 - you ders, for example: l.e4 c5 2.c3 g6 should see the notes to the line 3.d4 cxd4 4.cxd4 ig7 5.lLlf3 d6 4 ... d6. 6.id3 lLlf6 7.h3 0-0 (or after: 7.lLIc3! The fine point here is that 7 ... e5 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.0-0 0-0 1O.ie3 lLlc6 11.lLlc3) 8.0-0 lLlc6 White can and should sacrifice a 9.lLlc3 e5 1O.dxe5 dxeS 11.ie3. pawn to obtain attacking chances. 7 ... lLIxd4 There have been plenty of games Black loses immediately if he played in these variations and they prove that White has considerable captures with the bishop: 7 ... opening edge. If we make a com- hd4?? 8.lLldS ¥tfa5+ 9.id2 ¥tfd8 parison with our position, we can 1O.lLlxd4 lLIxd4 11.ic3 eS 12.ixd4 mention that White has lost a exd4 13.¥tfxd4 f614.gcl+-. 8.lLId5! lLIxf3+ 9.¥tfxf3 tempo indeed on the move 2.a3, but on the other hand, he has forced Black to playa position that is considered not so favourable for him. Therefore, the transposition might be not bad at all for White. The future tournament practice will show whether Black can make use of the seemingly slow play by White and equalize after all. The black queen must retreat, In the game K.Landa - Silivanov, St. Petersburg 2004, Black but where? It is not easy to answer, chose a plan with dS (instead of since White can attack energeti9 ... eS), but he was dearly worse cally with excellent chances for after: 9 ... dSl0.eSlLle811.0-0 lLlc7 success after every possible re12.gel lLle6 13.ie3 b6 14.b4 ib7 treat. lS.'lt,lj'b3 gc8 16.gac1 ge8 17.ib1 I would like to change the sublLlc718.ia2 e619.¥tfb2 h6 20.¥tfd2 ject for a while. Have a look at a 'it>h7 21.ib1lLle7 22.h4lLlf5 23.hS±. position that arises in the English Opening. 5.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 ~b6 There is a line that goes like This attack of the d4-pawn seems to be quite logical. It looks that: l.c4 eS 2.g3 c6 3.ig2 (theory like Black can punish his opponent considers that move too risky for for the tentative play in the open- White) 3 ... dS 4.cxdS cxdS S.lLlc3 140

l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.c3 .ig7 4.d4 'Llf6 6.iMIb3 'Llc6! 7.'Llxd5 'Lld4! 8.'Llxf6+ WIxf6 (Black can also capture here with the pawn 8 ... gxf6, with excellent prospects too.). Compare now that position with the position that we are analyzing after 9. ~xf3. It is in factthe same, except with colours reversed! The only difference being that White's pawn is already on a3. This is probably even better for White's attacking prospects! 9 ... 'Wd6 9 ... 'Wc6 1O.~b5!±; 9 ... 'lWd8 10. ~f4 d6 1U'k1 ~f8 12.~c4! White should not waste time to protect the b2-pawn. His great lead in development should be enough to settle the issue! 12 ... ~xb2 13.1'k2 ~g7 14.0-0 e6 15.'Llc7 WIxc7 16. ~xe6! 'lWe7 (16 ... 'lWxc2 17.~xd6+

White must be prepared to sacrifice his knight in order to open the e-file! 15 •.• exdS 16.exdS d6 17 ..ib5+ @fS 1S.WIf4 @e7 19. gfe1+ .ie6 20.dxe6 fxe6 21. l'l:bd1+-. Black's position is quickly in ruins. It is quite evident that capturing the d4-pawn is too dangerous for Black! b) 3 ..• dS This counterstrike in the centre is logical, but it is not enough to solve all opening problems for Black! 4.exd5 ~xd5 S.d4

~e818.WIxf7+ ~d819.~c7+ WIxc7

20.:1!d1 + ~d7 2Ul:xd7+-) 17.l'l:xc8+ l'l:xc818.hd6+-. 10.~f4~e5

1O ... e511.~g5 h6 12.~d2 f513. l'l:c1 fxe414.WIxe4 ~d815.~a5+! b6 16.~b4 WIe6 (16 ... 'lWb817.'lWxg6+-) 17.'Llc7+-. 1l . .id2 .ixb2 12.gb1 .ig7 13 •.ic4 e614 ..ib4 ~b8

15.0-0!!

There arose a position similar to the variation: l.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exdS ~xdS 4.d4, but with an essential difference - the moves a2a3 and g7-g6 have been included. It is not quite clear, in whose favour that is, but you should note that in the 2.c3line of the Sicilian Defence the development of the bishop to g7 is not popular at all. I believe that White preserves some advantage. 5 ..•.ig7 Black's idea to counterattack White's centre with S... eS will be hardly effective. He does not need 141

Chapter 9 the move g7-g6 for his actions in the centre. The game will be irrevocably opened and White will either remain with an extra pawn, or he will get a considerable lead in development. 6.dxeS! (White should not be afraid to lose his right to castle, because his opponent cannot create any real threats against his king.) 6 ... WxeS+ (6 ... '@'xd1+ 7. Wxd1 ct:Jc6 8.f4 i.g4+ 9.i.e2 0-0-0+ 1O.ct:Jd2 i.xe2+ 11.Wxe2 f6 12.ct:Jgf3 ~e8 13.~e1 gS 14.fxgS fxeS lS.ct:Je4±; 13 ... fxeS 14.Wflct:Jh61S.ct:JxeSct:JxeS16.fxeS ct:JfS 17.ct:Jf3 i.g7 18.g4 ct:Je7 19. Wg2±) 7.i.e2 (it is quite clear that the black queen is misplaced on eS. White can attack it in numerous ways gaining tempi for development.) 7 ... i.g4 (otherwise White would follow with 8.ct:Jf3) 8.h3 i.xe2 9.ct:Jxe2 ct:Jc6 1O.i.f4 '@'e6 11. 0-0 ~d8 12.ct:Jd2 i.g713.Ei:e1ct:Jge7 14.ct:Jd4 '@'f6 lS.ct:Jxc6 '@'xc6 16.'@'f3 '@'xf3 17.ct:Jxf3. Black is not out of the woods despite the exchange of the queens. His king is not safe and White's pieces can easily attack Black's queenside pawns. 17... f6 lS.ct:Jd2 Wf7 19.ct:Je4 b6 20.ct:Jd6+ WfS 21.~e6 gS 22.i.g3 hS 23.~ae1 ~d7 24.h4 ~g8 2S.hxgS fxgS 26. ct:Je4 h4 27.i.d6 i.h8 28.ct:JxcS bxcS 29.i.xe7+ Wf7 30.i.xcS+-. There is another possible modification of the same idea for Black: S ... cxd4 6.cxd4 eS 7.i.e3 exd4 8.ct:Jc3! (You can now see the advantages of the early a2-a3 move - Black cannot develop his bishop on b4 with tempo! That 142

means he will need to retreat with his queen. This promises White a considerable and long-lasting lead in development.) 8 ... '@'dS (It is weaker for Black to play S ... '@'eS?! 9.ct:Jf3! White gains additional time thanks to this simple tactical trick! 9 ... '@'aS 1O.'@'xd4±) 9.'@'xd4 ct:Jf6 1O.'@'xdS+ WxdS 11.i.c4 i.e6 12. i.xe6 fxe6 13.ct:Jf3 ct:Jbd7 14.ct:JgS We71S.0-0t. The pawn on e6 is a chronic weakness in Black's position. 6.lLlf3 lLlf6 7.i.e2 cxd4 Black can of course avoid that exchange. In that case, he will have to bear in mind continuously White's possibility to play c3-c4. 8.cxd4 0-0 9.lLlc3

9 ... '@'d8 This is the best retreat of the black queen, but he has some other possibilities too: 9 ... ,@,d6 10.0-0 ct:Jc6 l1.dSct:JeS (This exchange of the knights is in favour of Black, but it is still not enough to solve all his defensive problems. Black's other moves however are clearly worse.) 12. ct:JxeS '@'xeS13.i.f3 Wd614.Ei:e1 i.fS lS.i.gS h6 (This move is weakening Black's position, but otherwise

l.e4 c5 2.a3 g6 3.c3 ~g7 4.d4 White would follow with ~d2 with a better game.) 16.~h4 l"1fe8 17. l"1el;!;. Black has no acceptable active plan to continue the game. The only thing he has left to do is defend patiently his difficult position. 9 ... '@f51O.0-0 ltJc611.d5! (This move is very favourable for White. Generally speaking, in positions with an isolated pawn the good book says: "If the isolated pawn can move forward - it should and that enriches the prospects of its owner".) 11...l"1d8 12.~d3 ~d7 13.~c4! ltJa5 14.~a2 (White once again makes good use of the move 2.a2-a3! His bishop is magnificently placed on the a2-square. It becomes clear now that Black fails to capture, or exchange the dangerous white d5-pawn.) 14 ... b6 15.l"1e1 ~a6 16.ltJe5 (White's threats are becoming irresistible.) 16 ... ~f5. This is an enterprising and seemingly risky, but quite effective idea: (16 ... ~e8 17.~g5 l"1ac8 18.~f3 ltJc4 19.1tJc6 l"1d7 20. ltJb4ltJxa3 21.l"1acl+-) 17.g4! ~c8 18.~f3 l"1f8 19.~f4 h5 20.h3 hxg4 21.hxg4lLld7 22.lLlc6ltJxc6 23.dxc6 lLlf6 24.g5+-. 10.0-0

This is the critical position of the variation. 10 ... ltJbd7 Black would like to develop his knight to a more active position, but that fails. After 1O ... ltJc6 11.d5 Black must retreat 1l ... ltJb8 (11 ... ltJa5? 12.b4, Black's knight is trapped and he has nothing better than a quite unfavourable exchange: 12 ... lLlxd5 13.ltJxd5 ~xa1 14.bxa5 ~g715.~f4 ~e6 16.lLlc7Âą) 12.~f4 ltJbd7 13.~c4! ltJb6 14.~a2 ~g4 15.h3 ~xf3 16.~xf3 l"1c8 17. l"1fe1 ltJc4 18.~xc4 l"1xc4 19.1"1ad1 l"1e8 20.~e5;!;. Black still has some difficulties despite the exchanges. His pieces are passive and his e7pawn requires permanent defending. It was quite possible that Black had better prepare the development of the knight to c6 with 1O ... ~e6. 1l.~f4 ltJh5 1l ... ltJb612.~d2lLlbd513.~e5;!;. 12.~e3 ltJb6 13.ltJe5 ltJf6 14. ~d2

ltJbd5 15.~f3 ltJxe3 16. V;Yxe3 ~e6 17.l"1acl White is simply increasing the pressure. It was also possible for him to play: 17.~xb7 l"1b8 18.~f3! l"1xb2 19.1Llc6;!;. But not 18.lLlc6? ~c719.ltJxb8 ~xb7+. 17 ... ltJd5 18.~e4

ltJxc3 19.

bxc3 l"1b8 (diagram) 20.c4 White's powerful pawns are stronger than Black's bishop pair. The game K.Landa - S.Soloviov, St. Petersburg 2004, followed 143

Chapter 9 with: 20 ... ~a5 21.d5.if5 22.~e3 h5 23.c5 gbcS 24.gfel c,!>h7 25.c6! .ih6 26.~c5 ~xc5 27. gxc5Âą f6 2S.llJd7 gfeS and here White could have finished the game off immediately with the simple move 29.cxb7.

Conclusion My analyses show that White has good prospects after the modest move 3.c3. Black's logical response 3 ... d5 leads to an approximately equal game, but still White preserves some advantage. In case of the quite probable reaction by Black: 3 ... .ig74.liJj3 liJc6 5.d4 cd 6.cd ~b6, White can hope to win beautifully and quickly with effective tactical play. It is important to note that the move a2-a3 proves to be quite useful for White in many positions!

144

Chapter 10

1.e4 c5 2.a3 e6

3.b4! This pawn sacrifice is quite logical and promises White a good compensation. The relative weakness of the g7-square is one of the main motives of White's play. Some more tentative players would naturally decline the gambit and quite justifiably so. Black's basic replies are: 3 ... b6 - and that move is dealt with in this chapter, while 3 ... cxb4 - is the subject ofthe next chapter. We should not leave Black's counterstrike in the centre 3 ... d5 aside. We will analyse it now in short. This is a solid move with a sound positional basis. Black tries to occupy the centre despite White's tactical tricks. 4.exd5! (This is the right decision. It is not favourable for White to close the centre because he will be incapable then to exploit his numerous tactical resources. The e-file must remain open!) 4 ... exd5 (It is not good for Black to play 4 ... cxb4?! S. ibS+ id7 6.dxe6!. This important tactical fine point provides White with a long lasting advantage. 6 ... .txbS?! 7.exf7+ 'it>xf7 8.~hS+ g6

9.~xbS+-;

6 ... fxe6 7.~hS+ g6 9.ib2. White attacks along the diagonal. 9 .. :~xeS+? 1O.ixeS ixbS 11.ixh8+-; 9 ... ig7 10.1Mfxf6 ixf6 11.ixf6 lbxf6 12. ixd7+ lbbxd713.axb4. White has won a pawn and he has good winning chances in the endgame. 13 ... lbdS 14.c3 lbf4 1S.g3 lbd3+ 16.'it>e2 lb7eS 17.f4 lbc1+ 18.'it>d1 lbed3 19.1bh3 eS 20.'it>c2+-; 14 ... :gf81S.lbf3lbf416.g3lbd3+ 17.'it>e2 lbxf2 18.'it>xf2lbeS19.'it>g2 :gxf3?? 20.d4+-; 19 ... lbxf3 20.:gf1 lbeS 21.:ge1lbc6 22.:gxe6+ 'it>d7 23.:ge3 :gfS 24.g4 :gf4 2S.h3 :gaf8 26.bS :gf2+ 27.'it>g3 lbd8 28.:gxa7 hS 29.lba3+-; 26 ... lbd8 27.:gxa7 :gf1 28.lba3 :glf2+ 29.'it>g3 :gxd2 30. lbc4 :gd1 31.:ga2±; 20 ... lbgS 21. :gxf8+ 'it>xf8 22.d4'it>e7 23.lbd2 a6 24.:gaSlbf7 2S.:gcS :gd8 26.lbe4 b6 27.:gc6lbd6 28.'it>f3 h6 29.'it>e3 as 30.bxaS bxaS 31.:ga6lbc4+ 32.'it>d3 lbeS+ 33.'it>c2±; 26 ... :gd7 27.'it>f3 eS 28.dS! bS 29.h4 :gd8 30.'it>e3±. White has excellent prospects to materialize his positional advantage. The other possibility for Black - to capture the central pawn with his queen is also argu8.~eS ~f6

14S

Chapter 10 able: 4 .. .'~xd5. You can get better acquainted with the drawbacks of such early queen development in our Chapter 6 (2 ... d5). 5.liJc31Mfe5+ 6 ..lie2 cxb4 7.axb4! - It is weaker for White to play 7.liJf3 1Mfa5! and the position is quite unclear. 7 ... .lixb4 S ..lib2 CLlf6 9.liJf3 1Mfd6 1O.liJb51Mfb6 11..lie5 CLlg4 12.liJc7+ <;t>dS 13 ..lig3+-; ll...liJd5 12.c4 .lid7 13 ..lid4 .lic5 14.cxd5! .lixd4 15. CLlbxd4+-; 14 ... .lixb5 15 ..lixb5+ 1Mfxb5 16 ..lixc5 1Mfxc5 17Jkl+-; 9 ... 1Mff4 1O.g3 1Mfc7 1l.liJb5 1Mfb6 12.i.e5 0-0 13.CLlc7 CLlg4 14.0-0 liJxe5 15.CLlxaS CLlxf3+ 16 ..lixf3Â±; 12 ... liJg4 13.CLlc7+ <;t>fS 14.0-0 CLlxe515.CLlxaS CLlxf3+ 16.i.xf31Mfd6 17.c3 i.c5 IS.d4+-; 16 ... 1MfdS 17. l'%xa7liJa61S.d4 i.c319.1Mfd3 hd4 20.l'%dl e5 21.c3 CLlc5 22.1Mfc4+-; 19 ...1Mfxd4 20.l'%dl1Mfxa7? 21.1MfdS#; 20 ...1Mfxd3 21.l'%xd3+-)

5.i.b2! (It is essential for White to take the important long diagonal under control. It is weaker for him to play 5.CLlf3 cxb4 6.axb4 .lixb4 7.i.b2 CLlf6 S ..lib5+ CLlc6 9. 1Mfe2+ <;t>fS 10.0-0 i.g4 1l.l'%a4 as 12.1Mfe3 h6 13.1Mff4 .lie6 14.liJd4 CLlxd4 15 ..lixd4 i.d6 16.i.xf6 gxf6 17.1Mff3~ Vlasveld - Berclaz, ICCF 146

1995) 5 ... ftJf6 (Concerning 5 ... cxb4 - see 3 ... cxb4. It seems logical for Black to play 5 ... CLlc6 6 ..lib5! liJf6 7.liJf31Mfe7+. This attempt by Black to prevent White from castling will not be successful. S.liJe5! White enjoys a considerable lead in development and he can afford to play sharply. S ... i.g4 9.f3 liJd7 10.0-0 CLldxe5 1l.f:xg4 0-0-0 12 . .lixc6 liJxc6 13.1Mff3 f6 14.liJc3 CLld4 15.1Mfh3 1Mfd700 ; 11.i.xe5 0-0-0 12 ..lig3 i.f513.liJc3 ftJd414.l'%e11Mfg5 15.bxc5 .lixc5 16.<;t>h1 i.d6+; 13. .lixc6!. This is an important positional decision! White's prospects to finish the game off by an effective kingside attack are based on this exchange. 13 ... bxc614.liJc3 h5 15.l'%e11Mfg5 16.1Mfe2 c4 17.1Mff2 l'%d7 IS.l'%eS+ <;t>b719.l'%bS+ <;t>a6 20.CLla4 d4 21.l'%xfS l'%xfS 22.CLlc5+ <;t>b5 23.a4+ <;t>xb4 24.liJxd7 .lixd7 25. 1Mfxd4 1Mfc5 26.l'%bl+-) 6.i.b5+. Black can try to counter White's bishop-check in numerous ways: 6 ... liJbd7 7.1Mfe2+! (White makes use of the opportune moment to disrupt Black's pawn structure on the kingside.) 7 ... .lie7 S.i.xf6 (S.bxc5 O-O!oo) S ... gxf6 9.bxc5 0-0 1O.liJf3!. White should castle quickly disregarding the c5pawn otherwise his queen and king might be in trouble because of the juxtaposition of the black rook on eS. 10 ... l'%e8 11.0-0 a6 12.hd7 hd713.liJc3 hc514.1Mfd3 .lie6 15.liJd4t. White's knights have excellent outposts and they are superior to Black's bishops; 6 ... i.d7 7.1Mfe2+! .lie7 S.i.xf6

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e63.b4 gxf6 9.tLlc3! (White's development has been slowed down a bit, but that defect of his position can easily be corrected soon. Therefore it is weaker for him to play: 9.bxcS 0-0 1O.tLlf3 l"IeB 11.0-0 hcS 12. ~d3 d4=) 9 ... d4 1O.tLle4! (White does not fare too well after: 10. tLldS'it>fB 1l.tLlxe7 ~xe7 12.~xe7+ 'it>xe7 13 ..hd7 tLlxd7 14.tLlf3 l"IhgB lS.g3 'it>d6=) 10 ... 0-0 11.tLlf3 l"IeB 12.0-0 tLlc6 13.bxcS fS (13 ... i.xcS 14.~d3 i.fS lS.l"Ife1 l"IcB 16.tLlh4 i.xe4 17.l"Ixe4 l"Ixe4 1B.~xe4 tLleS 19.tLlfS d3 20.hd3 tLlxd3 21.~g4+ 'it>fB 22.cxd3 ~xd3 23.l"Iel+-; 16. l"Ie2 a6 17.i.xc6 l"Ixc6 1B.tLlh4 i.g4 19.~g3 hS 20.h3 d3 21.cxd3 i.d4 22.l"Iae1 i.eS 23.tLlxf6+ ~xf6 24. l"IxeS+-) 14.tLlg3 f4 (14 ... i.xcs lS.~d3 ~f6 16.l"Ife1 a6 17.i.c4 i.e6 1B.tLlhS ~h619.l"Ixe6 fxe6 20.~xfS i.fB 21.tLlf4'it>hB 22.tLlxe6±) lS.tLle4 hcS (lS ... i.fS 16.l"Ife1 .ifB 17.d3! i.xcS 1B.~d2 he4 19.dxe4±) 16. l"Ife1 (White is not well prepared for the sharp tactical fight on the kingside after: 16.tLlfgS?! i.fS 17. tLlxf7 l"Ixe4 1B.~hS ~dS 19.tLlh6+ ct>hB 20.d3 l"IeS 21.tLlf7+ ct>g722. 'Wh6+ 'it>xf7 23.i.c4 ~xc4 24.dxc4 hc2+) 16 ... i.fS 17.hc6 bxc6 lB. 'Wc4he419.~xcshf3 20.l"IxeB+ 'WxeB 21.~gS+ 'it>fB 22.gxf3 ~e6 23.1MfcS+ 'it>g7 24~~xd4+ ~f6 2S. 'Wxf6+ 'it>xf6 26.l"Ibl±; 6 ... tLlc6 7.1Mfe2+ .ie6 B.tLlh3!? (This move is enough for White to obtain a slight advantage. It is also interesting for him to play the less creative move B.tLlf3, which preserves some initiative too.) B...i.e7

9.tLlf4 ~d6 1O.tLlxe6 ~xe6 l1.bxcS .ixcS12 ..ixf6! (This is a wise practical solution. You can qualify that as "transformation of advantages". White has decided that the two bishop advantage might be insufficient to win. He now compromises the pawn structure of the opponent by exchanging his bishop for the knight. There remain bishops of opposite colour on the board indeed, but Black has a high mountain to climb before making a draw!) 12 ... gxf6 13.c3 0-0-0 14.d4 l"IheB lS.~xe6+ l"Ixe6+ 16. 'it>d2± Kroshka - Guest, Internet 2004. 3 ... b6

This is a small concession by Black. The famous grandmaster and writer D.Bronstein used to play the gambit l.e4 c5 2 .b4!? quite often. It was amazing that he considered the calm 2... b6 move to be Black's best reply. He even thought that Black was already slightly better after that! I am however not quite inclined to agree with that assumption ... I remembered all that, because the arising positions there are rather similar to the line 3 ...b6 that 147

Chapter 10 we are going to deal with right now. We will analyse two attractive possibilities for White - the calmer a) 4.bxc5 and b) 4.~b2 after which White nearly always follows with a pawn-sacrifice. a) 4.bxc5

This is probably White's best move! He can continue without sacrificing a pawn and still preserve good chances for initiative ... 4 ...bxcS

4 ... ~xc5?! This capture is quite unfavourable for Black - he surrenders his control over the centre and loses valuable time: 5.d4 ~e7 (5 ... ~fS 6.c4±) 6.Wg4 '2lf6 7.Wxg7 ElgS S.Wh6 '2lxe4 9.Wxh7 '2lf6W.Wh3;!;.

S.lLlf3!

That is the right way for White! He should temporarily refrain from developing his queenside and await developments. Later, depending on the actions of Black, he should choose the right plan for actions, for example, he can play along the open files, or along the a1-hS diagonal. 5 ... ~b7 14S

Naturally it is not good for Black to play 5... g6?! due to 6.~b2 f6 (6 ... lLlf6 7.e5 '2ld5 S.c4 '2lb6 9.'2lc3±) 7.'2lc3±. 6.lLlc3 lLlc6

Black is prepared to counter Elb1 with the move ElbS. He should in principle try to play d7-d5, but right now the move 6 ... d5?! does not work, because White makes use of the defencelessness of the black bishop and obtains an advantage after: 7.Elb1 ~c6 (7 ... Wc7 S.exd5 exd5 9.'2lb5 We7 + W.~e2±) S.exd5 exd5 9.'2le5 Wd6 (9 ... ~d6? 10.ElxbS WxbS 1l.'2lxc6+-) W.d4 '2lf6 11.~f4±. 6 ... '2lf6 7.e5 '2le4 S.Elb1!? '2lxc3 (S ... WcS 9.~c4!? d5W.'2lxe4 dxc4 11.'2lfg5t) 9.dxc3 ¥tic7 10.~f4. White prevents Black from pushing the d7-pawn and preserves some edge, for example: W ... '2lc6 (It is too dangerous for Black to win a pawn with: W ... ~c6 11.~e2 Wa5 12.0-0 Wxa3 13.Wd3 Wa5 14.'2lg5 h6. White wins now with the sacrifice: 15.'2lxf7! ~xf7 16. ~h5+ rJJe717.Wd6+ ~dS1S.ElxbS+ ElxbS 19.WxbS+ ~e7 20.WeS#; 16 ... ~gS 17.Wg6 Wxc3 lS.Wf7+ ~h7 19.~g6#; 17 ... ~e4 lS.¥tixe4 '2lc6 19.Wg6 '2ldS 20.Elfd1 ¥tia4 21.~e3 a5 22.WeS+-) 1l.h4!? ~e7 12.h5 EldS 13.h6 g5 14.'2lxg5 ~xg5 15.~xg5 Wxe5+ 16.~e3 ElbS 17.Elh5 ¥tixc3+ lS.~d2 Wxa3 19.Elb3 Wa4 20.Elxc5t with an initiative for White. 7.Elbl Elb8

Should Black try to continue without the move ElbS, like with

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e63.b4 S.~e2 CUf6 9. 0-0 his attempt to organize some active counterplay with 9LlCUd4 might end up pathetically: 10. tt:lxd4 cxd4 1l.tt:lbS WicS 12.d3 !'l:bS 13.a4 e5 (13 ... dS 14.eS ttJd7 IS. ~b2!±) 14.f4 d61S.~a3t

7...Wic7, then after

lowing fashion: 12.tt:ldbS!? d6 13.igS! a6 (13 ... ~xgS 14.tt:lxd6+ rJJe7 IS.CUxb7) 14.ixe7 rJJxe7 IS. CUd4t. If Black however plays the cold-blooded 12LlO-0! 13.tt:ld6 iaS the position will remain extremely complicated. It would not be good for White to follow with 14.ib2? !'l:xb2! IS.!'l:xb2 WiaS, because he will have problems with his knights on c3 and d6. 9 ... cxd4

8.~c4!?

White keeps on preventing the freeing move for Black d7-dS. 8 ... liJge7 It is not good for Black to develop his knight on f6 - S ... tt:lf6, because after 9.0-0 dS (9 ... tt:laS 1O.~a2) the open e-file is decisive: 1O.exdS tt:lxdS (lO ... exdS ll.!'l:el+ ~e7 12.~bS O-O?? 13.~xc6 hc6 14.!'l:xbS WixbS IS.!'l:xe7+-; 12 ... !'l:cS 13.Wie2±) 11.~xdS exdS 12.!'l:el+ ~e713.d4 0-0 14.~f4 ~d61S.hd6 Wixd6 16.CUbS Wif417.dxcS±. 9.d4 9.0-0 CUg6 (9 ... dS?! 10.exdS exdS 11.~a2± and Black is pinned all over the board) W.d4 cxd4 1l.CUxd4 ~e7 (llLl~cS 12.ie3!? Vlie7 13.tt:la4 ixa3 14.liJxc6 dxc6 IS.Vlid4 0-0 16.Vlixa7;!;). This position arose in the game V.Orlov K.Landa, St. Petersburg 2004. White could have used the weakness of the d6-square in the fol-

10.liJxd4 In the game Golovchenko Landa, St. Petersburg 2004, White played 1O.CUbS, but after 1O ... CUg6 Black had an excellent game. 10 ... liJxd4 11.Wixd4 liJc6 (12 ... CUg6?! 13.Wixa7) 12.Vlie3t, and if 12LlVliaS, then simply 13.0-0 and it is too dangerous for Black to capture the pawn 13Ll~xa3, because of 14.~a3 (14.!'l:al? ~cS!) 14LlWixa3 IS.!'l:b3 Vlie7 16.!'l:fbl. Black should better complete his development. 12 ••• ~e7 13.0- 0 0 - O. Still after 14.!'l:fd1 White is better. He has prevented Black from playing d7 -dS and he is ready to exploit the weakness of the d6-square with the move CUbS.

149

Chapter 10 b) 4 ..\tb2 .\tb7 5.tbc3! White has other possibilities to fight for the initiative but I think this is the most appropriate. White must be ready to sacrifice the b4pawn although it is a bit risky for him. S.eS?! seems to be interesting, but it is still not quite good enough: S ... cxb4 6.axb4 .\txb4 7.~g4 (7.tba3 tbh6 S.~hS 0-0 9. tbf3 .\te4-+; 7.~a4 tbc6 S.~xb4 tbxb4 9.~g4 tbxc2+ 1O.<j;Jdl tbe7 11.<j;Jxc2 ~c7-+) 7 ... .\tfS. It becomes clear now that White has won some tempi indeed, but that is not enough to compensate the pawn deficit. S.tbc3 tbh6 9.~f4 (9. ~hS tbc61O.tbf3 tbb41l.~cl a6-+) 9 ... tbc6 1O.tbbS (1O.tbf3 tbb4-+) 10 ... tbb4 l1.tbd6+ (11.~a4 tbdS 12.~f3 a6 13.tbd6+ ixd6 14.exd6 tbfS IS.id3 tbc3; 11.<j;Jdl tbdS 12. ~g3 tbfS-+) 1l ... ixd6 12.exd6 tbxc2+ 13.<j;Jdl tbxal14.hg7 tbg4 IS.hhS ~h4-+.

Let's go back to the position after S.tbc3. Black can now choose between a huge number of possibilities at this early stage of the game. We will now have a look at five ISO

of them: bl) 5 ... tbc6, b2) 5 ... cxb4, b3) 5 ... tbf6, b4) 5 ... d5, b5) 5 ... d6. bl) 5 ... tbc6 Black continues with his development and awaits White's decision concerning the fate of the problematic b4-pawn. 6.tbf3!

White persists with his wish to sacrifice the pawn, because he will be able to attack much easier after its acceptance. bla) 6 ... tbf6 The capture 6 ... cxb4 will be analysed in the line bIb). 7.e5! This move is logical and strong - otherwise Black completes his development without any problems. 7 ... tbd5 7 ... tbg4 S.tbbS cxb4 9.h3 bxa3 10.~xa3 tbgxeS l1.tbxeS tbxeS 12.heSha313.tbxa3 ~gSI4.id6 ~cS IS.~al ~c6 16.~d4 f6 17.tbbS ~xc2 IS.ia3 <j;JdS 19.tbd6+-; 7... tbhS S.tbe4! tbxb4 9.tbfgS tbf4 1O.axb4 h61l.tbxf7 <j;Jxf712.~f3 gS 13.tbxgS+ hxgS14.~xb7+-. S.tbxd5 exd5

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e63.b4 9.i.b5! The pawn sacrifice in this position is again White's best decision. 9 ... cxb4 9 ... a6 1O.ixc6 dxc6 11.0-0! The black king remains stranded in the centre and White is perfectly developed, so it is time to attack! Black's defence is far from easy: 1l ... cxb4 12.e6!. White of course should not capture on b4, because that would only help Black's development.12 ...fxe6 (Black must capture the powerful e6-pawn immediately: 12 .. .f6 13.lIJh4 g6 14.[le1 ie715.Wg4 bxa316.lIJxg6! axb217. Wh5+-; 13 ... bxa3 14.Wh5+ g6 15. lIJxg6+-) 13.lIJd4 bxa3 14.ic3! (The fate of that game will definitely be decided on the kingside, so White should not be distracted by the immaterial b4-pawn.) 14 ... ~f7 15.[le1 e5 (otherwi~e White's knight penetrates to the e6square) 16.[lxe5i.d617.Wf3+ ~gB (17 ... Wf6?! 1B.[lf5+-) 1B.lIJe6 Wf6 19.[lg5!+-, and the weakness of the g7-square causes Black's doom. 10.0-0! bxa3

11.1:':~xa3 ! This is the right decision!

White's dark-squared bishop proves to be more valuable than a rook in many lines of the 2 ... e6 defensive system. In general we should consider this positional exchange sacrifice as typical for the 2 ... e6 variation. 1l... a6 BIs.ck's other possibility 11... ixa3 - is a very risky decision that presents White with superb chances because of his total domination over the dark squares. It is logical though, because Black hopes to manage to parry the oncoming attack and realize his material advantage. 12.ixa3 a6 13. id3! (Naturally White should not improve Black's position by exchanging on c6. It is annoying for him that the black knight remains on the board, but the concrete analysis shows that it is incapable to participate effectively in the defence of the king.) 13 ... lIJe7 14.lIJg5 h6 15.Wh5 g6 16.~h3 lIJc6 17.e6! (This tactical strike destroys Black's brittle defensive construction.) 17 ... dxe6 1B.lIJxe6 WcB 19. [leI fxe6 20.[lxe6+ ~dB 21.[ld6+ ~c7 22.Wg3+-. 12.i.xc6 dxc6 White's e5-pawn becomes really powerful after that capture and is ready to go forward. Black's pawn structure gets improved after that, but this is more or less immaterial. Black would not fare any better either after 12 ... i.xc6 13.lIJd4! (White's knight now becomes a master since it cannot be dis151

Chapter 10 lodged from that wonderful outpost. White is also threatening to play tLlf5 followed by e5-e6!) 13 ... ha3 (Should Black refrain from capturing that rook again, White can follow with 1"1g3!. In case Black tries to castle long after a move like 13 ... \Wc7, White can counter that idea quite effectively with 14.\Wa1! .txa3 15 ..txa3 0-0-0 16.tLlf5 g6 17.tLle7+ ~b7 1B ..td6+-; 14 ... a5 15.1"1c3.tb4 16.tLlb5 \WbB 17.tLld6+ hd61B.exd6Âą) 14.ha3 \Wg5 (14 ... g6 15.\Wa1 1"1gB. White can now press his great positional advantage home in numerous ways, but I will suggestthe following: 16.\Wc3 1"1cB 17.\Wg3 .ta4 1B.tLlf5 1"1c6 19. tLld6+ 1"1xd6 20.exd6 ~fB 21..tb2 .txc2 22.1"1c1+-) 15.f4 \Wg6 16.f5 \Wg5 17.f6 g6 1B.e6 \Wh4 19.\Wa1 dxe620.tLlxc6Âą. 13J~~e3

White's plan is now more than clear - he pushes his pawn to e6 and then he follows that with a direct attack with his pieces. 13 ... .ic5 13 ....te714.e6 0-0 15.tLle5 fxe6 16.\Wg4 \WcB (16 ... \Wd6?? 17.tLlc4+White is threatening the enemy queen as well as a checkmate.) 152

17.tLld7! Suddenly the weakness of Black's b6-pawn became important and White acquired a decisive material advantage rather swiftly. 17 ... e5 (17 ... 1"1f7 1B.tLlxb6+-) 1B ..txe5 1"1f7 19.1"1f3 \WeB 20.tLlxb6 1"1dB (20 ... 1"1a7 21. \We6 \wfB 22.tLld7 \WeB 23 ..txg7 ~xg7 24.1"1g3+ ~hB 25.\We5+-) 21..tc71"1xf322.\Wxf3+-. 14.e6! It is essential for White not to slow down the intensity of the assault. 14... 0-0 Black should better shun the exchange sacrifice once again: 14 ....txe3 15.exf7+ ~xf7 16.tLle5+ ~gB 17.fxe3 White's rook on f1 joins the action now exquisitely, economically and what is most important - effectively! 17... h6 lB. 1"1f7! \WcB 19.\Wh5 1"1h7 20.tLld7+-. Black's further resistance is useless. 15.tLld4

It becomes clear now that Black's king would not be safe even after castling! All white pieces are extremely active and Black cannot cope with the all-powerful white e6-pawn without considerable

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e63.b4 material losses. I5 ••• Wlf6

15 ... hd4 16.e7!+-. This beautiful fork is decisive! 15 ... fxe6 16.tL:lxe6 Wfh4 17.gg3 g61S.lOxfS gxfSI9.gf3+-. 15 ... Wlc7 16.e7! §bxe7 (16 ... gfeS 17.Wfg4 g6 IS.Ct:Jf5 §bxe3 19.fxe3 gxe7 20.Wfd4+-) 17.lOf5 §bg5 (17 ... §bd6 IS.Wfg4 f6 19.ge7 Wfxe7 20. Ct:Jxe7+ §bxe7 21.Wfd7+-) IS.§bxg7 (1S.gg3 f619.f4+-) IS ...§bcS (1S .. . Wff4 19.9f3+-) 19.Wfh5 ~f4 (19 .. . ~xe3 20.~f6 §bxf5 2l.fxe3!!) 20. ge7+I6.gf3 ~e5I7.gel ~c7I8.e7! The powerful pawn must be sacrificed to ensure the success of White's attack. Timing is even more essential than a mere pawn! I8 ... §bxe7 I9.Ct:Jf5 §bd6 20. hg7 gfe8 2I.§bh6 §bxh2+ 22. 'i!?hI gxeI+ 23.~xeI ~e5 24. ~e3'i!?h8

25.gg3! i.xg3 26.~g5!!+ White now checkmates in two unavoidably. bIb) 6 .•• cxb4 (diagram) 7.Ct:Jb5 This is not just a retreat of that

knight! White is threatening to capture on g7. Secondly, the knight can eventually be placed on the important outposts d6 or c7. Finally, after the disappearance off the board of the pawns a3 and b4 - the black pawn on a7 might become perilously endangered! White also has another interesting possibility 7.axb4!? It is not so easy to tell now what the best for White is and only the subsequent tournament practice can clarify that issue 7 ... ~xb4 (7 ... Ct:Jxb4 S.§bc4 lOf6 9.e5 Wlc71O.exf6 ~xc4 l1.d3 ~g4 12.lOb5 ~xg2 13.gg1 ~xf3 14.fxg7! Wlxdl+ 15. 'i!?xdl hg7 16.hg7 ggS 17.lOc7+ ~e71S.lOxaS haS? 19.~f6+ ~xf6 20.gxgS+-; 19 ... 'i!?fS 20.§be7 ~xe7 21.gxgS+-; IS ... gxaS 19.~d2;!:;) S.e5 lOge7 9.Ct:Je4 0-0 1O.lOfg5 (The game remains very sharp too after 1O.c3 d511.lOf6+ gxf612.cxb4 Ct:Jxb4 13.exf6 lOg6?? 14.lOg5+-; 13 ... lOf514.lOg5<x:» 1O ... h611.lOf6+ (White's assault seems to be quite threatening!) 1l ... 'i!?hS! (11...gxf6? 12.exf6, and Black is in a real trouble: 12 ... e5 13.~h5 hxg5 14. ~d3 lOg6 15.~xg6+-; 13 ... lOd5 14.~xh6 Ct:Jxf6 15.~d3 lOd4 16. ~h7+ 'i!?hSI7.c3 lOg418.~h4+-or 153

Chapter 10 12 ... lIJf513.1d3 hxg514.iWh5l1Jcd4 15.~xg5+ ~hB 16.1xd4 E1eB 17. ~d11fB 1B.1xf5 exf5 19.E1a3!+Remember that move - it is very strong but it can also be easily overlooked. There are plenty of lines in which it will be the only way in which you will finish off your attack successfully with it!) 12.~h5l1Jf5! (The position is really complicated indeed, but White's attacking resources are great.) 13.~xf7 (This move leads to a much better endgame for White even after best play from both sides, while after 13.lIJxf7+ White has only a perpetual: 13 ... E1xf7 14.~xf7 gxf615.exf6 ~c716.~eB+ ~h717.f7? lIJe5 1B.~d1 E1cB 19.c4 lIJxc4-+; 17.~f7=) 13 ... lIJxe5 (Here are some beautiful lines after which White's attack is quickly becoming decisive: 13 ... hxg5 14. ~h5+ lIJh6 15.~g6 E1xf6 16.exf6 lIJf517.1d3 ~eB1B.f7+-; 13 ... lIJce7 14.~h5 ~c7 15.1d3 1xg2 16.E1g1 1c6 17.1xf5 lIJxf5 1B.~g6!+-) 14.1xe5 ~xf6 15.1xf6 E1xf7 16. lIJxf7+ ~gB 17.lIJdB 1d5 1B.1b2 E1xdB19.E1xa7Â±. Meanwhile White could have played differently earlier - 13.g4! and that would be the most energetic move! 13 ... lIJcd4 14.gxf5l1Jxc2+ (14 ...1xh115.hd4 exf5 16.lIJxf7+ E1xf7 17.~xf7 gxf6 1B.e61e719.exd7+-) 15.~d1 tLlxal 16.E1g1 ~c7 17.1d3 tLlb3 1B.tLlxf7+ E1xf719.~xf7 1f3+ 20.~e11xd2+ 21.~f11g5 22.tLleB+-.

7 ... d6

7...bxa3 B.ha3! (B.tLld6+ hd6 9.1xg7 tLlf6 10. 1xhB tLlxe4oo ) B...

d6 (B ... 1xa3 9.E1xa3 ~bB 1O.E1d3 d5 11.exd5 exd5 12.~a1 tLlf6 13. E1e3+ ~d7 14.1d3 ~f4 15.g3 ~b4 16.lIJe5+ tLlxe5 17.~xe5 ~b1+ lB. ~e2 ~xh119.\wc7#) 9.d4 a61O. d5 exd5 (l0 ... axb5 11.1xb5!) 1l.exd5 lIJa5 12.\Wd4 tLlf6 13.tLlc3 1e7 14. 1d3 0-0 15.0-0 E1cB 16.E1fe1 E1eB 17.1b2 E1c5 1B.\wh4 h6 19.tLle4 lIJxe4 20.\Wxe4 g6 21.\Wd4 f6 22. ~g4+- (S.Soloviov). 8.axb4 a6 B... lIJxb4? 9.tLlxa7!. The point is not only that White has recaptured his pawn back. He is also threatening a quite annoying for Black check on b5! 9 ... he410.1b5+ ~e7 1l.E1a4! This move might seem to you to be a blunder, because of Black's threatto capture on c2, but in fact Black is totally hopeless. 1l ... 1b7 (l1...tLlxc2+? 12.~xc2 1xc213.lIJc6+. Black loses both his queen and his rook after that check! That is amazing indeed! 13 ... ~d714.tLlxdB+-) 12.tLld4 tLlf6 13.0-0 \WbB 14.~a1 e5 15.c3+-. 9.tDbd4 tDxb4 White remains with a considerable positional advantage in a position with material equality after the rest of the moves. lO.c3

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e63.b4 10 ... lLlc6 1O ... e5 - this counterstrike is not solving Black's problems either. 11.cxb4 exd4 12.cuxd4 cuf6 13.b5! (White has established a wonderful future outpost for his knight on c6. This is an excellent positional achievement.) 13 ... a5 14.cuc6 (Black should try to avoid the exchange of this knight for his bishop on b7. There are two important reasons for that: White's pawn on c6 will be very powerful and also the weakness of the light squares will really be hurting Black.) 14 ... Wfd715.Wfa4 d516.hf6 gxf6 17.ie2 ih6 18.0-0±. Black's bishops are without good prospects and his king is not safe. White's knight is very strong and Black will be forced to exchange it at some moment with probably disastrous consequences. 1l.lLlxc6 hc6 12.ha6 lLlf6 12 ... he4?? 13.Wfa4+-, and the black bishop on e4 is lost.

Wfe2 d516.ib5 ic517.cuc6 Wfc8 18.

cue5+-; 15 ... ig6 16.ib5 %'i:xa1 17. %'i:xa1 ie718.%'i:a7+-) IS.d3 ig616. ibS i>f817.Wfb3 eS1S.lLlc6 WfcS 19 J'!xaS Wfxa8 20 .%'i:al (Black cannot counter the simple but tremendously effective idea of White occupying the a-file.) 20 ... WfcS 21.%'i:a7 idS 22.Wfa3+-. b2) S ... cxb4

6.axb4hb4 It is quite probable that Black

will venture capturing that pawn, because it seems like White's threats are not so dangerous after all. 7.ltJbS! lLlf6 This is Black's most natural defence ofthe g7-pawn. The loss of the right to castle seams to be a considerable concession for Black: 7... i>f8 8.%'i:a4±. S.l'~a4!

13.lLld4! 13.d3;!; was not bad either, but White was interested in a much sharper play. 13 ... he4 14.0 - 0 ! Amazingly Black is already beyond salvation! 14 .•. ie7 (14 ... liJd7 15.

Black will hardly be able to complete his development after that move. S ... if8 8 ... ltJc6 - is too dangerous for Black. 9.e5 lDe4 1O.c3 a6 (This is the only move for Black to avoid the immediate material

Chapter 10 losses.) 1l.cxb4 axbS12.~xa8 has (12 .. :Wxa8 13.f3 l2Jxb4 14.fxe4 ixe4 lS.l2Jf3 id3 16.~b3 ~e4+ 17.~f2+-) 13.~g4 l2Jxb4 14.f3 l2Jc2+ lS.~e2 ~gS 16.~xgS l2JxgS 17. ~d1l2Jb418.h4+- and Black remains a piece down after all.

9 ..ie5!! This is another beautiful idea - worth remembering! Black has only one way to parry the threat of a check on c7. 9 ... d6 That move should be Black's best. It is bad for him to play 9 ... l2Ja6? 1O.~xa6+-. The queen sacrifice for Black is also possible, but unlikely 9 ... ic6 10.l2Jc7+ ~xc7 (1O ... ~e711.~a2+-) 11.ixc7 ha4 12.id3l2Jc613.~a1 bS14.l2Jf3l2Jb4 lS.0-0Âą. 10 ..ixf6 gxf6 1O ... ~xf6? 1l.l2Jc7+-. 11.lbxa7 It becomes clear now why White has induced the weakening of the black position with the pawn move d7 -d6 before exchanging on f6. White's threat to check from the bS-square makes Black's life hard, while he would have been

quite happy in this position with a black pawn on d7. 1l ... he4 It is quite possible to transpose to the same position after 11...l2Jd7 12.ibS ixe4 - see 11...ixe4. We must also check what is going to happen if Black declines to capture the e4-pawn altogether: 12 ... ie7 13.~hS ~c7 14.~c4! This strong and beautiful move forces the black queen to go back to where it started the game from: 14 ... ~d8 lS.l2Jc6! (White does not mind that the enemy rook might penetrate to a1, because his threats are much more dangerous.) ls ... ixc6 16.~xc6 ~a1 + 17. ~e2 ~aS18.tLlf3 fS19.l2Jd4 0-0 20. ~c3!' White has suddenly created threats against Black's kingside. Black can parry them but at the cost of a pawn! 20 ... l2Jf6 21.~h6 l2Jg4 22.~h3 if6 23.exfS ixd4 24.~xg4+ ig7 2S.~f3 hS 26.~b4 ~gS 27.~b1 exfS 28.~xd6 ~xg2 29.~g3 ~xg3 30.hxg3 ~c8. Black will hardly save that endgame despite the presence of bishops of opposite colours. 31.c4Âą. 12 ..ib5+ lbd7 This is the natural move. After 12 ... ~e7 Black loses the right to castle. White's attack against the enemy king stranded in the centre will soon become decisive. 13.l2Jf3 dS (13 ... ixf3 14.~xf3 dS lS.~a3+ ~d6 16.l2Jc8+ ~d8 17. l2Jxd6+-; 13 ... fS 14.lbgS! ixg2 15. ~hS ~f6 16.~xf7+ ~xgS 17J''1g1 ~e7 18.~xg2+ ~h6 19.ie8! ~xf7 20.~h4+ ~hS 21.~xhS#; 13 ... ib7

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e63.b4 14.ttJd4 ih6 15.ic6! Wc7 16. ttJdb5+-; 14 ... V~k7 15.Elc4! Wfxc4 16.ixc4 Elxa7 17.0-0 ElgS lS.g3 Ela4 19.d3 d5 20.c3±. White now has a material advantage and the black king is rather unsafe as before.) 14.ttJd4! (with the powerful threat of a check from the c6square.) 14 ... @d6 that is surprisingly Black's only move! 15.f3 ig6 16.1Wa1!' White's attack is nonstandard and quite original, but very dangerous too! 16 ... e5 (16 ... @c717.ieS!! 1WxeS1S.ttJab5+ @b7 19.ElxaS+-) 17.ic6! ttJxc6 (17 ... exd4 lS.ixaS+-) lS.ttJab5+ @d7 19.ElxaS+-. 13.Elxe4 Elxa714.Wfh5! Elal+ 15.@e2 White does not mind the loss of his castling rights because Black's king position is very perilous. 15 ... ~e7 After 15... @e7Whitehasacombination similar to the one in the mainline (see later); 16.ttJf3!! Elxh1 17.ttJd4 ttJe51S.Elxe51WcS (lS ... WfaS 19.ttJf5+ @dS 20.Wfxf7+-) 19.Ele3 ig7 20.ttJf5+ @fS 21.ttJxd6 Wfc7 22.Elxe6! !+-.

This supremely beautiful combination with a rook sacrifice emphasizes the power of White's position.16 ... Elxhl17.~a4! White's rook goes back to a4 (it was there quite recently, though ... ) with a decisive effect! 17 ... @dS (Black loses very quickly too after 17 ... WfdS lS.Ela7 ie7 19.ttJd4 0-0 20. ixd7! The black queen became caged in a very non-standard fashion and Black can save it only by losing a lot of material. 20 ... b5 21.ttJc6 Wfb6 22.Ela3!. White could have captured the black bishop with a check at that, but he is playing for a checkmate! 22 ... Wfc5 23.ttJxe7+ @hS 24.1Wh61We5+ 25. Ele3+-) lS.ElaS+ @c7 19.Ela7+ @cS 20.Elxd7 1Wxd7 21.hd7+ @xd7 22.~xf7+ ie7 23.llJd4+b3) 5 •.. llJf6

6.e5llJe4 7.llJxe4 he4 It might seem that Black has

16.llJf3!!

facilitated his defence with a couple of exchanges but I don't think so! S.llJf3! White must simply ignore the threat against his b4-pawn just like before.

Chapter 10 8 ... cxb4 9.axb4 .b:b4 9 ... tiJc6 1O.b5 tiJb4 l1.d3 ~xf3 12.gxf3 (Black cannot exploit effectively the doubling of White's kingside pawns. He is lagging in development, his knight is misplaced and the a7-pawn is rather weak too.) 12 ... d613.c3 tiJd514.c4 tiJf4 15.iWd2 dxe5 16.~xe5 tiJg6 17.~c3 iWc7 lS.iWe2 l"1dS 19.iWe4 l"1gS 20.d4±. 10J~la4!

White's rook influences both black bishops as if with X-rays! 10 ... lDc6

l1.~bS! .b:f312.exf3 ~e7 The black bishop is forced to retreat now and White's positional advantage becomes quite evident. 13.~xc6 dxc6 14Jbc6+ @f8 lS.0-0 l'!c816.iWe4±.

b4) S ... dS

This counterstrike is logical. Black wants to prove that White's flank development is dubious and lacks serious argumentation. 6.exd5! White plans to open the position because of his lead in development. 6 ... exdS 7.bxc5 bxcS 7... hc5 S.tiJa4! ~fS (S ... M2+? 9.@xf2 iWh4+ 1O.g3 iWxa4 l1.~xg7 d412.tiJf3+-; 8 ... tiJf6 9.tiJxc5 bxc5 1O.iWe2+ iWe711.hf6 gxf612.l'!blt. White's advantage after the trade of the queens is not great but it is long-lasting, because his pawn structure is much superior!) 9.tiJf3 (White's lead in development is a quite telling factor despite the unusual placement of the knight on a4.) 9 ... tiJd7 (9 ... ~c6 1O.tiJc3 tiJf6 1l.tiJb5 ~e712.~e5 hb513.hb5;!;) 1O.~b5 tiJgf6 11.0-0 ~d6 (1l ... ~e7 12.tiJe5 0-0 13.tiJxd7 tiJxd7 14. ~xg7! White wins a pawn now and weakens the position of the black king in the process. 14 ... @xg7 15.iWg4+ @h8 16.~xd7! l"1g8 17. eh3 d4 18.f3±) 12.l"1e1+ @f8 13. ~d4 l"1c8 14.c3 tiJc5 15.tiJxc5 bxc5 16.~e5 he5 (16 ... g6? 17.~d7 iWxd7 18.hf6l"1g819.tiJg5+-) 17.tiJxe5 g6 18.d4 @g719.l'!b1;!;. 8.~bS+ lDd7 8 ... ~c6 9.~xc6+ lDxc6 10.iWe2 ~e711.tiJa4.

9.d4 cxd4 10.~xd4 lDgf6 1l.lDf3 ~d6 12.lDe5 12.0-0!? 0-0 13.l"1fe1. 12 ... iWe713.lDe2! .b:e5 Black is forced to exchange his bishop and White gets a consider-

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e63.b4 able positional edge after that. The other possibility 14 ... 0-0?? lS.tLlxd7+- was of course even worse. 14J1*i'xeS WfxeS1S.heS 0-0

moment. All this however is much easier said than done in this position! 6.tLlf3 tLlf6 7.eS! It is important to prevent Black from the completion of his development! White attacks in the centre immediately therefore. Black is now incapable to force any exchanges in order to facilitate his defence. 7 ... dxeS 8.tLlxeS

16.~d4

This is a wonderful square for the all-powerful white bishop and it controls the whole board from there.16 ... aS17.f3~a618.ha6 gxa6 19.~d2 gc6 20.gabl;!;. The endgame is slightly better for White. He can try to attack the weak as-pawn, his king is active and his bishop is quite superior to either one of the black knights. bS) S ... d6

We will now deal in details with bSa) 8 ... ~d6 and bSb) 8 ... cxb4. Black can also play S ... tLlc6 (Black attempts to exchange White's centralized knight, but White will object to that. He pins the black knight on c6 instead.) 9.~bS !'i:cS 1O.Wff3 Wfd6 1l.Wfg3 a6 (11...cxb4?! Black loses a pawn after that ill-advised exchange. 12.axb4 a613.hc6+ hc614.tLlxc6 Wfxg3 lS.hxg3 !'i:xc6 16.!'i:xa6+-; 1l ... tLld712.tLle4 WfdS 13.d3 tLlcxeS 14.~xeS ~c6 lS.~xc6

This move is too cautious. Black plans to finish his development first and only then to enter complications at an opportune

Wlxc6 16.

tLld6+ hd617.hd6 !'i:gS lS.0-0t) 12.bxcs WlxcS 13.tLlxc6 axbS 14. tLla7! (White now wins the bSpawn in this unusual manner.) 14 ... ~d6 lS.Wle3 !'i:dS 16.tLlaxbS;!;.

Chapter 10 bSa) 8 ... .id6 This natural developing move loses for Black his right to castle. He is not afraid of that because his position remains very solid. 9 ..ibS+ 'kt>f8 9 ... <;t>e71O.iWe2 a6 1l ..ic4 cxb4 12.CLlxf7! (White's attack is based on the possibility of this tactical strike.) 12 ... <;t>xf7 13.iWxe6+ <;t>g6 (Otherwise Black would have been checkmated on the next move.) 14 ..id3+ <;t>h6 15.iWe3+ <;t>h5 (15 ... g5 16.h4 .if4 17.hxg5+ <;t>xg5 lS. iWh3+-) 16.iWh3+ <;t>g517.tLle2 iWd7 lS.iWe3+ <;t>h5 19.Ct:Jg3+ <;t>h4 20. .ixf6+ gxf6 21.iWh6+ <;t>g4 22.h3# 9 ... Ct:Jd7 1O.Ct:Jxd7 Ct:Jxd711.bxc5 .ixcS12.iWg4 0-0 13.Ct:Je4t.

10.d4!.ixg2 The exchange in the centre would not have been better for Black: 10 ... cxd4 1l.iWxd4 .ixg2 12. E:g1.id5 (12 ....ib713.0-0-0 a614. iWf4! axbS15.Ct:JxbS+-) 13.0-0-0! as 14.Ct:Je4!! Ct:Jxe4 15.Ct:Jxf7 .if4+ 16.<;t>b1.ia2+ (16 ... e517.Ct:Jxe5!+-) 17.<;t>xa2 iWxd4 lS.E:xd4 <;t>xf7 19. E:xe4 .ih6 20 ..ic4 E:eS 21.bxa5 E:xa522.E:gel+-. 1l.E:gl White's initiative might soon

turn into a decisive attack. 1l ••• .idS 1l ... .ib7 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.bxc5 (White makes good use of the fact that the enemy queen is not well protected. Black's defensive resources are partially restricted with a king on e7.) 13 ... .ic7 14. iWxdS+! (This is the simplest solution to the problem. Black will soon be almost in a zugzwang position in this endgame, because his pieces are all terribly misplaced!) 14 ....ixdS 15.c6 .ia6 16.a4 .ia5 17. 0-0-0 h61S.Ct:Jc4 .ic719.Ct:Je4+-. 1l ... cxb4 12J''!xg2 bxc3 13 ..ixc3 iWc7 14 ..ib2 Ct:Jbd7 15.iWe2 E:cS 16.0-0-0±. Black has an extra pawn indeed, but his position is clearly worse. His main worries are due to the fact that his king is very unsafe. 12.bxcS! bxcS 13.tlJg4 White plans to exchange the knight on f6, since it is a very good defender in this position. He can later attack easily along the long a1-hS diagonal, having eliminated the obstacles along the way. 13 ••• a6 13 ... cxd4 14.iWxd4 Ct:Jc6 (14 ... Ct:Jxg4 15.E:xg4 f6 16.Ct:Jxd5 exd5 17.0-0-0 .ixh2 lS.iWcs+ .id6 19. E:xd5+-) lS ..ixc6 .ixc6 16.Ct:Jxf6 gxf617.0-0-0! .ie71S.iWg4+-. 14 •.ia4 Ct:Je4 IS.tlJxe4 .ixe4 16.iWd2 f6 16 ... iWe7 17.dxc5 hcS lS ..ixg7 <;t>xg719.iWh6+ <;t>gS 20.Ct:Jf6#; 16 ... Ct:Jc617.dxcS .ixc5 lS.hg7+ <;t>xg7 19.iWh6+ <;t>gS 20.Ct:Jf6# 17.0-0-0!

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e63.b4 White does not need to recapture his pawn with: 17.dxcS?! :iJ.e7 18.iWxd8+ :iJ.xd8 19.0-0-0 :iJ.e7, since Black can can defend successfully after that. 17..• c4

18.d5!! Black cannot save the game after that beautiful tactical strike. The white pieces overwhelm the defence of the Black king easily. 18 .•. exd5 (18 ... eS 19.iWc3 ct:ld7 20.f4! hS 21.ct:lxeS fxeS 22.:iJ.xd7 iWxd7 23.fxeS :iJ.cS 24.e6+-; 20 ... exf4 21.:iJ.xd7 iWxd7 22.ct:lxf6 gxf6 23.Wlxf6+-) 19.ct:lxf6 c3 20.hc3 gxf6 21.~h6+ ~f7 (21...l!?e7 22. Wlxf6#) 22.~g7+ l!?e6 23.~h3+ :iJ.f5 24.~e3+ :iJ.e5 25.:iJ.b3 ct:lc6 26.he5 fxe5 C26 ... ct:lxeS 27.E1xdS ~xdS 28.Wlb6+ ct:lc6 29 :~xc6+-) 27.~xd5 ~xd5 28.~h6+ :iJ.g6 29.~xg6+ bxg6 30.~xg6+ ~d7 31.hd5+-. b5b) 8 ... cxb4 (diagram) 9.axb4 hb4 Black has won a pawn but he will be forced to pay for that now. 10.:iJ.b5+ Black cannot castle after that.

White can also exploit favourably the open files on the queens ide and Black's defensive task is quite complex because of that. 10 ... l!?e7 10 ... l!?f8 11.0-0 a6 12.:iJ.e2! ct:lbd7 13.ct:ld3 (Black must now solve a difficult dilemma for his bishop - to retreat it or to exchange it on c3? I am at a loss what to advise you ... ) 13 ... hc3 (13 ...:iJ.e7 14.:iJ.f3 :iJ.xf3 lS.iWxf3 ct:lcS 16.ct:lxcS :iJ.xcs 17.lt:la4 iWdS 18.iWc3 :iJ.d6 19.ct:lxb6 :iJ.xh2+ 20.l!?h1 iWhS 21. iWh3 iWxh3 22.gxh3 ~b8 23.hf6 E1xb6 24.:iJ.d4 E1d6 2S.:iJ.cS+-) 14. hc3. White's pieces are extremely active and he occupies some crucially important squares quite swiftly: 14 ... lt:le4 lS.:iJ.b2 f6 16.E1e1 iWc7 17.:iJ.f3 fS 18.E1e3 eS 19.ct:le1 ct:lecS 20.:iJ.xb7 ct:lxb7 21.iWf3 g6 22.ct:ld3 ~e8 23.~ael+-. 11.0-0 a612.:iJ.e2! It might seem to you that White's last move is a bit passive. In fact there is no better square for it. It eyes both sides of the board and can be favourably exchanged from the f3-square. It impedes the operations on the e-file indeed, but that is immaterial. 12 ... ~c7

Chapter 10

13J:~a4!

This is an excellent positional decision! Black is now forced to concede the two-bishop advantage to his opponent. This is soon going to become quite important in that position. 13 ... ~xe5 13 ... ~d614.Ek4! It'lc615.lt'lxc6+ hc616.~f3+-.

14.gxb4lt'lbd715.d4 ~g5

16.d5! This is all quite logical. White's pieces are very active and he needs open files as well as diagonals. He does not mind to sacrifice a second pawn to achieve all that, otherwise Black can consolidate his defence.16 ... lt'lxd517.gg4 ltlxc3 18.hc3 ~d5 19.~cl! ltlc5 20 . .if3 ~d7 (20 ... ~f5 21.Elg5+-) 21.gdl ~c8 22.gxg7~.

Conclusion White has excellent tactical resources in the 3 ... b6line. He practically forces Black to accept the pawn sacrifice on b4.

Chapter 11

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cxb4 4. axb4

Naturally Black's most logical reply is to accept the sacrificed pawn b) 4 ... hb4. We will also analyse in details the .move a) 4 ... d5 suggested by 1M S.Semkov. 4 ... ttJf6 does not look so strong since Black does not win a pawn and he is not creating any dangerous counterplay. White preserves a small but lasting advantage after: 5.e5 ttJd5 6. b5 V11c7 7.~b2! It is important for White to control the g7-square, because that prevents the development of the bishop on g7. (7.ttJf3 ~e7 8.~e2 0-09.0-0 d6 1O.d4 dxe5 11.ttJxe5 ttJd7 12. ttJxd7 ~xd7 13.c4;!; Hardy Overton, Leicestershire 1991) 7... d6 8.exd6 V11xd6 (8 ... ~xd6 9. ~xg7 l"ig8 10.~b2±) 9.ttJf3 ttJd7 1O.c4 ttJb4 11.d4 ~e7 12.~e2 0-0 13.0-0±.

5.exd5! exd5 White does not achieve much after a check on b5. Black ahould avoid the line: 5 ... ~xb4?! 6.~b5+ ~d7 (6 ... @f8 7.dxe6 ~xe6 8.ttJf3 a6 9.0-0 ttJf6 1O.l"iel±) 7.dxe6! (This tactical motive is well-familiar and it helps White to weaken the pawn structure of the adversary.) 7 ... V11e7 (7 ... ~xb5 8.exf7+ @xf79.V11h5+ g6 1O.V11xb5+-) 8.V11e2 V11xe6 9.V11xe6+ fxe6 1O.hd7+ ttJxd71l.ttJf3±.

a)4 ... d5 It is a well-known fact that the

counterstrikes in the centre are often the proper reaction against the flank operations of the opponent. White now must play very precisely in order to get some advantage.

White now has two interesting continuations: al) 6.~b2 and a2) 6.V11e2+. al) 6.JLb2 This move is logical - White controls the critical g7-square immediately and we must mention

Chapter 11 that the same position can also be reached after a different move order. One of my blitz-games started like that: 3 ... dS 4.exdS exdS S.~b2! This is an important moment just like before - White must control the g7-square! 5 ... cxb4 6.axb4. 6 ... ltJf6 6 ... ~fS (This development of the light-squared bishop is not to be recommended and it is also a bit premature. The bishop is not creating any problems for White on fS and can also be attacked in the nearest future.) 7.ltJf3 ~e7+ (7 ... ltJd7 8.~e2+ ltJe7 9.ltJc3ltJb61O.ltJd4 ~d711.~e3 a6 12.~d3 ct:lc4 13.~xc4 dxc4 14.0-0 ~b61S.ct:lfS ~xe316.ct:ld6+ ~d817. ct:lxf7+ ~c7 18.fxe3 ~g8 19.bS+-) 8.~e2 ~xb4 9.~a3 ~f4 10.~xf8 ~xf811.0-0 ct:lc612.ct:lc3 d413.~a4 ~d8 14.ltJbS a6 1S.g3 axbS 16.gxf4

bxa4

17.~a1 ~xc2 18.~bS

~a3+

ct:lge7

20.~xc6

d3 19. bxc6 21.

~el+-.

6 ... ~e7+ Otis well-known that the computer programmes prefer to snatch pawns in case they do not "see" any concrete threats. Human players are usually more prudent. I would not even look at capturing that pawnl) 7.~e2 ~xb4 8.~a2! (White preserves excellent chances after various possible lines and I will show you a line recommended by my "opponent": 8.~a3 ~d4 9.c3 ~f4 1O.~xf8 ~xf8 11.ct:lf3 ct:ld7 12.0-0 ct:lgf6 13.ct:la3 ct:lcS 14.ct:lc2 ~g4 1S.ct:le3 as 16. 4lx)!A tilx!!417.~b1 ~d618.~e1 b6

19.~bS

ct:lce4 21.~d3 hS=) 8 ... d4 9.ct:lf3 ct:lc6 10.0-0 ct:lge7 11.c3! dxc3 12. ct:lxc3 ~e613.~a3 ~g414.~b2 ct:ldS 1S.h3 ~g6 16.ct:lxdS ~xdS 17.~e1! ct:lf6

20.~e3

~g8 22.~ee1

~xa3 18.~d3+ ~f8 19.~xg6 ~xb2 20.~e4 ~xe4 21.~xe4 White obtained a great advantage and won quickly: 2l...~f6 22.~b3 ~b8 23.d4 hS 24.dS ct:le7 2S.ct:leS ~xeS 26. ~xeS ct:lg6 27.~a3+ ~g8 28.~xa7 ~d8 29.~aS ~c8 30.~gS ct:lf8 31. ~b6 ~cl+ 32.~h2 g6 33.~eS ~c8 34.~e7 ct:lh7 3S.~xb7 ~e8 36.~c7 ~f8 37.~eS ~a8 38.d6 ct:lf8 39.~f4 ~h7 40.d7 ct:lxd7 41.~xd71-0 Bezgodov - Fritz 8, Perm (blitz) 2004. 6 ... ltJc6?! (This move provokes White to advance his b-pawn favourably.) 7.bS! (This pawn becomes very powerful and can create serious problems for Black.) 7 ... ~b6. This move defends the knight on c6 tactically, but it is not very natural and leads Black quickly into dire straits. (7 ... ~e7+ 8.~e2 ct:lb4 9.ct:lf3 ~fS 1O.d3 ct:lf6 11.0-0+- and White's threat to trap the black knight with the move c2-c3 is unavoidable!; 8 ... ct:leS 9.b6 ct:lc6 1O.ct:lc3 ct:lf6? 1I. ct:lbS!+-, and White's knight penetrates surprisingly to c7; 1O ... ~cS 11.~a3 ~xb6 12.~xf8 ~xf8 13. ct:lxdS ~cS 14.ct:le3 ct:lf6 1S.ct:lf3 g6 16.0-0 ~g717.d4 ~c318.~b1! ~d8 19.~b3 ~aS 20.c4Âą. White is evidently dominant in the centre and Black's defence is difficult.) 8.ct:lf3 ~g4 9.~a4! (This early development of the white rook is not so rare in this line. Believe me it can

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab be surprising and quite annoying for players that have not read this book!) 9 ... tLlh6 (9 ... tLlb4? 1O.E1xb4! ibxb411.ibxg7+-) 1O.'lWe2+ tLle711. ibd4 'lWg6 12.tLla3 tLlhfS 13.E1xa7 E1xa714.ibxa7 ~f61S.~eS hf316. ~bS+ i>d717.~xb7 + i>dS lS.gxf3, and Black is lost: lS ... ~eS+ (IS ... ~a1+19.i>e2 ~xa3 20.ibh3 ~d6 21.ibb 6 + i>eS 22.~aS+ i>d7 23.E1a1 8.lDh3!? i>e6 24.E1a6 i>eS 2S.f4+-) 19.ibe2 This is a rare case in which a ~a1+ 20.ibd1 ~xa3 (20 ... 'lWeS+ white knight on h3 is placed quite 21.i>f1+-) 21.b6 ~cS 22.1~a8+ i>d7 well. 23.b7+-, White's passed pawn S.tLlf3 - that is also a good promotes despite the fact that the move. S ... ibxb4 9.~bS+ tLlc6 10. ~xb7 ibd711.tLleS E1bS (11 ... 0-0?? board is full of pieces. 7Jge2+ ibe6 12.tLlxc6 ~eS+ 13.ibe2+-) 12.tLlxc6 7... ~e7 S.tLla3!? (This is more E1xb7 13.tLlxdS i>xdS 14.ibd4! interesting than the capture on f6.) (White has much better prospects S ... ibe6 (S ... ~xe2+ 9.tLlxe2! ibxb4 in this endgame due to his supe1O.tLlbS i>dS11.tLlxa7 tLle412.ibxg7 rior pawn structure and his powE1eS 13.ibd4 ibxd2+ 14.i>d1 ibh6 erful dark-squared bishop.) 14 ... lS.f3 tLld6 16.tLlc3! tLld717.ibd3+-; E1eS+ lS.i>d1 )"Ie716.tLlc3 ibxc3 17. 12 ... ibxd2+ 13.i>d1 E1gS 14.ibd4 dxc3! (The stability of the bishop ibh61S.f3 tLld216.tLlg3 tLlxf117.E1xf1 on d4 is essential! It is weaker tLla6 lS.tLlxcS E1xc8 19.E1aS tLlc7 for White to play 17.ibxc3?! tLle4 20.tLlfS ibfS 2l.g4±. Black's numer- lS.ibd4?! )"Ib4 19.ibxa7 d4-+) 17... ous pawn weaknesses are too dif- as lS.f3 a4 19.i>d2t. White has ficult to defend effectively.) S ... a great advantage because of ibe6 9.tLlf3 tLle4 (9 ... ~xb4 1O.ibxf6 his two bishops. Black does not gxf6 11.tLlbS ~b2 12.~d1 tLla6 have a sufficient counterplay 13.E1b1 ~a2 14.tLlc3 ~a3 lS.E1xb7 despite his passed a4-pawn. White tLlcS16.E1bl±) 10.c3! (White's pow- intends to follow with g2-g4 erful b2-bishop is temporarily and his kingside initiative is powdeprived of activity, but White erful. achieves two other objects. He de8 ... .hb4 fends his b4-pawn and Black's S ... ibe7 9.tLlf4 ~d7 (9 ... ibfS? knight on e4 will be dislodged 10.ibxf6 gxf6 l1.~bS+ tLlc6 12. from there after the inavoidable tLlxd5+-) 1O.tLlxe6 fxe6 11.g3! 0-0 d2-d3 move in the nearest future.) 12.ibh3 tLle4 13.~g4 tLlgS (13 ... )"If7 10 ... tLlc6 l1.tLlbS a6 12.d3 tLlf6 14.~xe6 ~bS lS.tLlc3 ~xb4 16. 13.tLlbd4 tLlxd4 14.tLlxd4t. ~xdS ~xb217.)"Ibl tLlxc318.~xf7+

Chapter 11 ~xf7 19J'~xb2 lLla4 20.~xb7 lLlc6 21..~g2 ~cB 22.~d1 lLlcS 23.~xc6 ~xc6 24.~xa7

lLle4 2S.~f1+-) 14. lLla6 lS.f4 lLlxb4 16.~d1 hS 17.11*'xhSlLle41B.he4 dxe419.11*'g6 ~f6 20.hf6 ~xf6 21.11*'xe4±. 9.11*'bS+ lLle6 10.11*'xb7 11*'eS 1l.11*'xeS+ White has recaptured his sacrificed pawn and prefers to go into a slightly better endgame. ll ... gxeS l1 ... ~xcB 12.~bS ~d7 13.0-0 0-0 14.~xf6 gxf6 lS.1L1f4 ~abB 16.~a4 d4 17.c3 dxc3 1B.lLlxc3±. 12.~xf6 gxf6 13.lLlf4 lLld4 14.gxa7 lLlxe2+ lS.~dl lLld4 16.lLle3 ~eS

~g2

17.ga4 gdS (17 ... gbB1B.~d3; 17... 0-0 1B.lLlcxdS) lS.lLlbslLlxbS 19.hbS;!;. a2) 6.11*'e2+!?

This interesting move has also been tested. 6 ... .ie7 That is Black's most natural reply and it helps the development of his kingside. It is also the most likely to be played. 6 ... ~e6 - That square for the black bishop in rather unreliable. It can be exchanged for the knight quite favourably for White. 7.bS (White defends his b4-pawn in that fashion and also deprives the black knight of the c6-square making Black's harmonious development highly problematic.) 7... 1L1f6 B.lLlf3 ~d6 (B ... ~e7 9.1L1d4 11*'b6 10.1L1xe6 fxe6 11.1L1c3 lLlbd7 12.g3! eS 13.~g2 ~cB 14.0-0 d4 lS.1L1a4 11*'aS 16.f4! exf4 17 ..ia3 lLlgB lB. ~ae1+-; 12 ... ~f7 13.~g2 gheB 14.0-0±) 9.1L1d411*'e71O.1L1xe6 fxe6 11.g3! (White should strive to develop his light-squared bishop to g2 or h3. This is because of the weakness of Black's e6-pawn.) 11...0-0 12 ..ig2 eS 13.0-0 lLlbd7 14.c41L1b61S.cxdSlDfxdS16.1L1c3±. 6 ... 11*'e7. Black is not out ofthe woods yet after the exchange of the queens, but his position remains solid indeed. 7.lDc3 11*'xe2+ B. lDgxe2 ~e6 9.1L1f4 lDf6 1O.1L1xe6 (Note that exchange. It is very favourable for White who can try to realize his two-bishop advantage in the endgame. Black can hadly equalize completely.) 10 ... fxe611.1L1bS ~d712.d4!? (I believe 12.c3;!; was much simpler here.) 12 ... 1L1c6 (12 ... ~xb4+ 13.c3 ~d6 14.~xa7 gxa71S.lDxa7lDc616.lDbS

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ElaS 17.~d3 Ela21S.0-0;/;) 13.c3 a6 14.cua3 ~d6 lS.~d3 eS 16.dxeS ~xeS 17.~d2 cuxb4? lS.~f5+ mc7 (lS ... ~dS 19.f4 cue4 20.fxe5+-) 19.f4 ElheS 20.0-0 1-0 Kroshk el ninjo, Internet 2004. 7.~b2 ttlf6 This move requires certain bravery from Black because his kingside pawn structure can be easily compromised after it! It is also interesting to check the coldblooded retreat 7... ~fS, but the loss of the castling rights will not suit everybody's preferences despite being deliberate! S.b5 ttlf6 9.cuf3 cubd71O.g3 cub611.~g2 ~g4 12.0-0 cuc4 13.~d4;/;. 8 ..ixf6gxf6

bishop to a5. 1O ... ~a51l.~b5+ cuc6 12.cue2 a6. Black thus forces the trade of the dangerous white bishop, but he loses plenty of time like that. (12 ... 0-0. Black's king safety is quite problematic after castling. This is mostly due to the possibility of White bringing his queenside rook quickly over to the kingside. 13.EJ:a4 ~g7 14.Elh4 ElhS 15.~h6+ ~gS 16.~d3 f5 17.Elh5 cue71S.g4 f619.~xf6 ~fS 20.EJ:g5+ cug6 21.~e5 ~dS 22.~xd5+ ~g7 23.Elxf5 ~xf5 24.gxf5+-; 17 ... cue5 lS.0-0 cuxd3?? 19.Elg5+-; lS ... cug6 19.~xf5±) 13.~xc6+ bxc6 14.0-0 ~b6 (14 ... 0-0 lS.EJ:a4±) 15.cud4 ~xd4 16.cxd4 0-0 17.Ela3 ~hS lS.Elg3 ElbS 19.cuc3 Elb4 20. cue2 Elb2 21.cuf4 ElgS 22.~h6 Elxg3 23.fxg3 ~gS 24.cuh5 ~g6 25.~fS+ ~gS 26.~e7+-.

1l.~d3

9.'~h5!?

This pawn sacrifice helps White to coordinate his pieces quickly and it is very promising for him. Black is practically forced to accept it otherwise his position remains inferior without any compensation. White can also play 9.c3 ElgSlO.~d3!?t in case he does not wish to sacrifice a pawn. 9 ... .b:b410.c3 ~e7 We will analyse now the consequences of the retreat of the

White should not be deterred to place his bishop temporarily in front of his pawn. This is of course unusual, but there is no law against that after all! Naturally that move would have to be criticized in case it could have hampered the development of the queenside. 1l ... ttlc6 11...~b6 Black's attempt to counterattack is not effective at all. 12.cue2 ~b2 13.Ela5±. 12.ttlf3 ~b6 13.0-0 ~e6 14J:1el0-0-0 14 ... mdS\15.cua3 ~c5 16.~h4±. 15.ttla3 ~c5 16J3ebl ~c7 16 ... ~xf2+ 17.~f1 ~c5 lS. ElbS+-.

Chapter n 17.tDbS ~f4

18 •.ic2l3hg8 (18 ... .ig419.~h4 )ghg8 20.)ga4 .ixf3 21.)gxf4 )gxg2+ 22.'j;Jfl+-) 19J'3a4 ~b8 20.c4 l3g4 21.d4 tDxd4 22.tDbxd4 ,ixd4 23 •.ifS )gf4 24.tDxd4 l3xd4 2S.cxdS l3xa4 26.dxe6 mc7 27.~xf7+ md6 28.e7+-. b)4 ... hb4

Accepting gambits is usually one of the best methods of countering them. S •.ib2! White plays often the move S.c3, but I have decided after long analyses that to be the wrong idea. White's bishop is temporarily very active on the long diagonal and it should not be hampered by a move like S.c3. After S..ib2 we will deal with

two main lines for Black: bl) S ... .if8 and b2) S ... tDf6. The move 5... mf8?! seems to be rather dubious. It is evident that Black should not forfeit his catling rights so easily and quite unnecessarily at that. White's prospects are clearly better. After the natural move 6.tDf3 there might follow: 6 ... tDc6 7..ibS dS 8.exdS 'lWxdS 9.'lWe2 tDf6 10.0-0 'lWe4?! Black's wish to trade queens might be quite understandable psychologically, but it surprisingly loses a piece: 1l.'lWxe4 tDxe412.)ga4 as 13 . .ixc6 bxc6 14.c3 tDcS lS.)ga2!+-; 6 ... tDf6 7.eS tDe4 8.)ga4! 'lWb6 9 ..id4 .ics 10.hcS+ tDxcS 11.)gf4! (This rook is more often placed on g4, but the position of the enemy king on f8 introduces the necessity of some corrections in the planning.) 11...d6 (Black's attempt to repel White's pieces with a pawnsacrifice fails after: n ... dS 12.tDgS f6 13.exf6 eS 14.'lWhS!! 'lWxb1+ 15. me2 'lWbS+ 16.mf3 'lWe8 17.tDxh7+ )gxh7 18.~xh7+-) 12.tDa3 'lWd8 13.tDbS dS 14.tDd6 fS lS.c4 gS 16.)gd4 tDc6 17.cxdS! tDxd4 18. tDxd4 tDe4 19.'lWhS tDxd6 20.dxe6 'lWb6 21..ibS!! 'lWxd4 22.'lWh6+ @g8 (22 ... @e723.'lWf6#) 23.'lWxgS+ @f8 24.e7+ @f7 2S.'lWf6+ @g8 26.'lWf8#; 6 ... dS 7.exdS exdS 8 ..ie2 .ig4 9.0-0 tDf6 1O.)ga4 as!? (1O ... .id6? 11..ixf6+-; 10 ... tDc6?! 11.)gxb4 tDxb412 ..ia3 as 13.c3+-; 1O ... hf3 1l ..ixf3 tDc612.)gxb4 tDxb413 ..ia3 as 14.c3+-; 1l ... .id6 12 ..ixf6 'lWxf6 13.tDc3 tDc614.tDxdS ~eS1S.g3 g6 16.tDb6±) 1l ..ixf6 'lWxf6 12.c3 bS

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab (12 ... ~xf3

13.~xf3

14.~xdSÂą)

ltJb6

13.~xbS ~f314.1/,\[xf31/,\[xf31S.gxf3 ~d6 16J~d4Âą. The basic defect of the S... 'tt>f8 move is that it is much easier to play with White after it, contrary to the other available defence of the g7-pawn.

bl} 5 ... ~f8 This move is solid but still too cautious. White preserves a long lasting initiative after it.

White's strongest move 6. :ga3!! will be dealt with in the line ble}. Meanwhile we will have to convince you that the other more natural moves - bla} 6.ltJa3 and blb} 6.ltJf3 - are not promising White much.

lO.:ga3! This transfer of the white queen - rook to the kingside is so very typical for the variation we are dealing with. Black must be very careful otherwise he might get crushed quickly. lO ... a6 Black forces White to check on d6 and facilitates his defence like that. There are no checkmating threats yet after all! White's rook is untouchable: 1O ... ~xa3? 11.~xa3+-, and the check on d6 will be deadly for Black. After 1O ... ~e7White's attack is again too powerful: 11.~g3 0-0 12.~d3! g613.~hS ~e814.ltJf3 ~f8

bla} 6.ltJa3 This is an enterprising move. White plans to follow with - 7. ltJbS, and later to penetrate with this knight to d6 or to c7 just in case. 6 ... ltJe6 6 ... dS!? It is quite possible that is Black's most direct road to equality. 7.ltJbS ttJc6 8.exdS exdS 9.'1Wf3~.

7.ttJb5 ttJf6 8.e5 ltJd5 9.e4

(White's attacking formation is simply ideal and it is time for decisive actions.) 1S.ttJgS!! gxhS 16.ttJxe6+ 'tt>h8 (16 ... ~g717.~xg7+ 'tt>h8 18.~xh7+ 'tt>g8 19.ttJxd8+-) 17.ttJxd8 ttJxd8 18.e6+ ~g7 19. ~g7+ 'tt>g8 20.~eS+ ~f8 21.~d6+ :ge7 22.~xh7 fxe6 23.!tJc7+-. l1.ltJd6+ hd612.exd6 0-0 l3.:gh3 e5l4.~h5 h6 (diagram) 15.f4 :ge8! (Black loses imme-

Chapter 11

diately after the too naive: 15 ... exf4? 16 ..ixg7! E1eS+ 17 ..ie2 E1e6 IS ..ixh6 ~f619 ..ixf4+-; 16 ... @xg7 17.~xh6+ @gSIS.~hS#) 16.fxe5 llJa4 17 ..ial \Wb6 18.E1e3 \Wb1+ 19.~dl \Wxd1+ 20.@xdl;!;;. bIb) 6.llJf3

White simply continues with his development and that is easily understandable, because Black has lost a couple of tempi for bishop moves in order to capture a pawn .ixb4-.ifS. It seems now that White will get easily a decisive attack, but that is far from clear. Black's position is solid and his loss of time might not be so fatal after all. We will analyse now blbl) 6 ... d5 and blb2) 6 ... a6!? White's task is much easier after thp rp~t nfthp mnvp~'

6 ... ~b6? (This move is a mistake and can only be profitable if the opponent is careless.) 7. .id4! ~c6 (The natural defence of the queen with tempo is impossible: 7 ... .icS?? S ..ixg7 .ixf2 9.@e2+-) S.ttJc3 b6 9.ttJeS ~b7 1O.~hS! (This move is very dangerous for Black and I failed to find a satisfactory defence for him. It is weaker for White to play 10. ttJxf7? This beautiful move cannot provide White with anything better than a perpetual. 10 ... @xf7 11.~hS+ g6? 12.~f3+ @eS 13 . .ixhS+-; 11 ... @e7 12.~gS+ @eS? 13 ..ixg7+-; 12 ... @f7 13.~hS=) 10 ... ttJh6 (l0 ... d6?! 11..ibS+-; 1O ... g6 11.~f3 f6 12.ttJc4 ttJc6 13 . .ixf6 ttJxf6 14.~xf6 E1gS IS.ttJbS ~bS 16.eS dS 17.ttJcd6+ .ixd6 IS.ttJxd6+ @d7 19.~f7+ ttJe7 20 . .ibS+ @dS 21..ic6+-. It is also good for White to play Il.ttJxg6 fxg6 12.~f3 ttJf6 13 ..ixf6 E1gS 14 . .ie2Â±) Il.ttJc4! vtfc6 (ll. .. E1gS 12. ttJbS ~xe4+ 13 ..ie2 @e7 14.ttJcd6 ~xc2 IS ..ie3 g6 16.~f3 ttJc6 17. .igS+ f6 IS.~xf6#) 12 ..ie3 g6 13. ~eS E1gS14.li:JbS ttJg41S.ttJc7+@dS 16 ..igS+ f6 (16 ... .ie7 17 ..ixe7+ @xe7 IS.~g3 ~xe4+ 19 ..ie2 ttJf6 20.~d6+ @dS 21.ttJeS .ia6 22. ttJxf7 + @cS 23.ttJxa6+-) 17.hf6+ ttJxf61S.ttJxaS+-; 6 ... ttJe7 (This move looks a bit ugly and White can exploit its drawbacks.) 7.ttJa3 ttJbc6 S.ttJbS ttJg6 (S ... dS 9 ..id3 ttJg6 10.0-0 ttJf4?! 11.ttJeS aSI2.~f3 f613.~xf4 fxeS 14 ..ixeS ttJxeS 15. ~xeS+-) Q.h4' (Whitp

p-np~ ~ftpr

thp knip-ht

1.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.M cb 4.ab on g6 quite habitually.) 9 ... d5 1O.h5 <1:Jf4 11.h6! (White destroys Black's kingside in that fashion.) 11...Ei:g8 12.hxg7 ~xg7 13.e5 h6 14.<1:Jd6+ mf81S.d4 Ei:h816.<1:Jd2 f5 17.'Wf3 <1:Jg6 18.c4 dxc4 19.~xc4±; 6 ... d6 7.<1:Ja3! (White develops his knight in that original way in order to follow favourably with ctJc4 or <1:JbS.) 6 .. ,<1:Jf6 8.~d3! ctJc6 9.0-0 ~e7 lOJ':\e1 0-0 11.e5 dxe5 12.ctJxe5 <1:JxeS (This exchange is dangerous for Black, but the more tentative move 12 ... ~d7, leads after 13.Ei:e3! to a position in which Black fails to neutralize the activity of the rook: 13 ... CUxe5 14.~xe5 g61S.'Wf3 ~c616.'Wf4 cud717.'Wh6 cuxe5 18.Ei:h3+- or 13 ... ~c5 14. <1:Jxd7! <1:Jxd7 15.~xh7+ mxh7 16. 'Wh5+ mg8 17.~xg7 f5 18.~h6+-) 13.Ei:xeS ~d714.Ei:g5 8:e815.<1:Jc4 b5 16.<1:Je5 g6 17.'Wf3 a6 18.'Wg3 <1:Jd5 19.Ei:h5 ~d6 20.8:xh7 'Wf6 21.Ei:xf7 'Wxf7 22.~xg6 'Wg7 23.~f7+ mh7 24.'Wd3+ mh6 25.'Wh3+ mg5 26. cuf3+ mf4 27.~xg7+-.

blbl) 6 ... d5 This is the most principled move and it is quite likely to be played too. White must play very resolutely now!

7.exd5! The reader should get used to the idea that White must open the position in order to exploit his lead in development. 7 ..• 'Wxd5 After 7 ... exdS White opens the e-file and that provides him with additional attacking possibilities. 8.~b5+. Black's defence is very difficult irrelevant of how he is going to counter that check: 8 ... <1:Jc6 9.0-0 ~e61O.8:e1 cugc7 1l.<1:Jg5. White is attacking the e6square from different sides and Black gets crushed very quickly. 11...~f5 (After the seemingly reliable 11...'Wd7 White wins with the beautiful tactical strike 12.8:xe6!! fxe6 13.'Wh5+ g6 14.'Wf3+-; 13 ... <1:Jg614.~d3 <1:Jce715.<1:Jxh7 mf716. ~xg6+ ctJxg6 17.<1:Jg5+ mg8 18. 'Wxg6+-) 12.'Wf3 ~g6. White can now create dangerous threats in two different ways: 13.c4! a6 14.cxd5 axbS (14 ... 'Wxd5? 15. 'WxdS+-) lS.dxc6 Ei:xa1 16.~xa1 bxc6 17.Wifxc6+ \Wd718. Wifa8+ \Wd8 19.\Wb7 \Wd7 20.\Wb8+ \Wd8 21. \WxbS+ \Wd7 22.\Wb8+ 'Wd8 23. \WeS+- or 13.<1:Jc3! h6 14.cuxd5! hxg5 lS.~xc6+ bxc6 16.ctJf6+ gxf6 17.\Wxc6+ Wifd7 18.Wifxa8+ 'Wd8 19.Ei:xa7 'Wxa8 20.Ei:xa8+ md7 2l. ~xf6 Ei:hS 22.Ei:xf8+-; 8 ... ~d7 9.Wife2+ Wife7 (9 ... <1:Je7 1O.<1:Jc3 ~c6 11.<1:Jd4 a6 12.0-0 \Wd7 13. Ei:fel±) 1O.ctJe5! (Naturally White shoid avoid trading queens!) 1O ... a6 11.ctJc3 cuf6 12. 0-0 md8 13.Ei:fe1 ~xb5 14.<1:Jxb5 <1:Jbd7 15.Wiff3 <1:JxeS 16.Ei:xeS \Wb4

Chapter 11 (16 ... WI'c5 17J~f5 Wl'xb5 1S.~xf6+ gxf619.Elxd5+-; 1S ... i>c719.Elxd5 Wl'c6 20.~e5+ i>cS 21.WI'xf7+-) 17. Elxd5+ <1:lxd5 1S.WI'xd5+ i>cS 19. Wl'f5+ i>dS (19 ... i>bS 20.~e5+-) 20.~d4! (This is the quickest solution of the problem. White forces the transition to a winning endgame.) 20 ... WI'xb5 21.WI'xb5 axb5 22.ElxaS+ i>d7 23.~c5 ~xc5 24. ElxhS+-. S.<1:lc3 Wl'dS This is Black's best square to place the queen. It can easily be attacked after a retreat to any other square by the super active white pieces.

9.lLlbS lLlc6 9 ... <1:la6?! This idea is definitely anti-positional, because that knight might remain outside of the actions for a long time there. 1O.~e5 f6 11.~g3 e5 12.d4 ~g4 13.~d3 exd4 14.0-0 ~c5 15.h3 ~xf3 16.WI'xf3+-. 10.lLleSlLlf611.WI'f3 White's play is rather simple he is trying to attack something with his every move! Now for example he is eyeing the c6-square. 11 ••• ~b4

Black is threatening to checkmate in one. White copes with this mini-problem easily and continues with his assault. 11 ... ~d7 - this move is solid but not very active. White exploits the weakness of the d6-square immediately: 12.<1:lc4! <1:lb4 (The humble retreat of the bishop 12 ... ~cS?! sets Black on the brink of imminent disaster: 13.WI'g3! White's threatto check from the c7-square leaves Black with no choice. His king now must take care of its defence immediately: 13 ... i>d714.<1:le5+ <1:lxe5 15.~xe5. White's knight is again threatening to go to c7. 15 ... <1:ld5 16.c4 f6 17.~d6+-; 16 ... <1:lb4 17. <1:lc7! ElbS 1S.c5! White's threats are much more dangerous than Black's pathetic attempt to counterattack with the solitary knight. 1S ... <1:lc2+ 19.i>d1 <1:lxal White does not mind losing his rook, because he is capturing the enemy queen instead. 20.~b5+ i>e7 21.~d6+ i>f6 22.<1:leS+ i>f5 23.~d3#; 22 ... Wl'xeS 23.WI'f4+ i>g6 24.~xeS h5 25.~xf7+ i>h7 26.WI'e4+ g6 27. Wl'xg6#; 24 ... i>h5 25.~xf7+ g6 26.h4+-) 13.<1:lbd6+! hd6! This is Black's best defence. White has a strong attack indeed, but Black preserves some chances of survival. (13 ... i>e7 14.~xf6+ gxf6 15.WI'h5 ~eS 16.WI'c5 <1:lc6 17.Elxa7 <1:lxa7 1S.<1:lcS+ i>d7 19.<1:lSb6+-; 17 ... Elxa7 lS.<1:lb5+ i>d7 19.<1:lb6+ Wl'xb6 20.WI'xb6 Ela1+ 21.i>e2+-. In case of 16 ... <1:lxc2+ 17.i>d1 <1:lxa1 1S.<1:lxb7+ i>d7 White weaves a strikingly beautiful checkmating

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab net: 19.1i:JeS+ fxeS 20.tibS#) 14. ttJxd6+ rJ:Je7 1S.'Wb3 as 16.tia3 rJ:Jxd6 17.c3!? This move shows that White is not satisfied with a draw! It is hardly risky because Black's defence remains very difficult. (Meanwhile the move 17. tixb4+ leads only to a draw by a perpetual: 17... axb41S.'Wxb4+ rJ:Jc7 19.'Wf4+ rJ:Jb6 20.'Wd6+ ~c6 2l. Elb1+ rJ:Ja7 22.'WcS+ rJ:JbS 23.'Wxc6 'Wd7:t; 19 ... rJ:Jc6 20.'Wc4=) 17 ... tic6 1S.cxb4 rJ:Jd719.tie2~. Black's king is far from finding a safe haven and White hopes to create dangerous threats quite justifiably. 12.~d3

You see now how easy it is! White has played a move and has done everything necessary with it - he has defended against the checkmate, he has developed a piece and he is ready to castle ... What about the black bishop on b4? It is doing what there? 12 ... 0-0 After that move White captures his pawn back and obtains longlasting positional advantage in a calm and completely safe position. Black could have defended his knight with 12 ... tid7 13.0-0 a6

(13 ... 0-0 14.ttJxd7 EL:lxd71S.cuxa7! This surprising tactical strike is based on the motive of a double attack. 1S .. J'1xa7 16J'1xa7 cuxa7 17.'We4. Black is now forced to give up his bishop because of the checkmating threat. 17 ... g6 1S.'Wxb4±; 14 ... 'Wxd7!? This move seems to be too enterprising and risky, but it is not bad at all! 1S.hf6 gxf6 16. 'Wxf6 'We7 17.'Wh6 fS 1S.Elfet!;) 14. 'Wg3 ttJxeS (14 ... 0-0 1S.ttJxd7'Wxd7 16.tixf6+-; 1S ... ttJhS 16.tixh7+ rJ:Jxh717.ttJxfS+ tixfS1S.'Wf3+-) 15. tixeS hbS (15 ... 0-0 16.ttJc7 ElcS 17.'Wh4 h6 1S.'Wxb4 Elxc7 19.tixc7 'Wxc7 20.Elfel±. White has excellent chances to turn his extra exchange into a full point.) 16. tixbS+! rJ:JfS (16 ... axbS 17.ElxaS 'WxaS 1S.'@xg7 ElgS 19.'Wxf6 ~xd2 20.~g3! The position has simplified, but Black's difficulties have only multiplied. He is just helpless to coordinate his pieces. 20 ... 'WcS 2l.tih4 'Wd7 22.Eld1 rJ:JfS 23.'WeS 'Wc6 24.'WbS+ rJ:Jg7 2S.~f6+ rJ:Jxf6 26.'@xgS '@xc2 27.'WdS+-; 26 ... tigS 27.h4 tif4 2S.g3 tih6 29.g4+-) 17.tie2! 'Wxd21S.tif3 'Wxc219.Elfb1 tie7 20.Elxb7 ElcS 21.h3~. White's initiative is amply compensating the two-pawn deficit, moreover that White will recapture the a6pawn quite soon. The black king is hardly comfortable on the fSsquare. 13.cuxc6 bxc6 14.Elxa7! White loses his edge ifhe takes his pawn back in any other fashion. 14 ••• Elxa715.cuxa7 ~xd2+

Chapter 11 This move shows inventiveness, but it is still insufficient to equalize. 16.l"t>xd2 '!Wa5+ 17.l"t>e2 '!Wxa7 18.,hf6 gxf619.'!Wxf6 '!Wa5

20.h4! This is White's simplest way to bring the rook into action. 20 ••. '!Wd8 (20 .. J~dB?? 21.~h3+-) 21. '!Wg5+! I"t>h8 (21...'!Wxg5 22.hxg5±) 22.'!Wc5;!;. Black now fails to defend reliably his king as well as the weak c6-pawn. blb2) 6 ••• a6!?

That idea is quite interesting! Black plays a useful move (defending the important b5-square) and awaits White to clarify his aggressive intentions. 7 •.id3!? This is probably the best square

for the white bishop, since it is eyeing the kingside of the opponent quite threateningly. White's compensation for the pawn was not so convincing in the game 7.ic4 lLlf6 B.e5 lLlh5 9.0-0 lLlc6 lO.d4 Wb6 11.ic1 d5 12.id3 g6 13.c3 ieTt Junior - crafty, ICC 1995. 7 .•• d6 7... d5 B.exd5 exd5 9.0-0 lLlc6 lO.~e1 + lLlge7 11.c4 ie6 12.cxd5 lLlxd5 13.ie4 lLlf6 14.hc6+ bxc6 15.lLld4±; 7... lLlc6 B.O-O lLlf6 (B ... lLlge7 9.c4 lLlg6 lO.e5 d6 11.exd6 lLlf412.ie4hd613.d4 0-0 14.~e1 id715.lLlc3 f516.ib1~) 9.e5 - see 7... lLlf6. 7... lLlf6 B.e5 lLld5 9.0-0 lLlc6 lO.ie4! That is an excellent square for the bishop. lO ... d6 (10 ... f5 11.hd5 exd512.lLlc3 d613.~e11"t>f7 14.lLlxd5 dxe5 15.~xe5!? lLlxe5 16.lLlxe5+ I"t>gB 17.Wf3 ie6 1B.lLlf4 Wb6 19.1Llxe6 Wxb2 20.~e1 h6 21.Wxf5+-; 19... Wxe6 20.Wxb7~dB 21.d4±; 15.lLlxe5+! This is the simplest solution. 15 ... lLlxe5 16.~xe5 id6 17.Wh5+ g6 IB.We2 he5 19. Wxe5 ~gB 20.~e1 g5 21.lLle7!+-) 11.lLla3 dxe5 12.lLlxe5 lLlxe5 13. ixe5 id6 14.ixg7 ~gB 15 ..ixd5 ~xg716.if3 Wh4 17.g3t. 8.0-0 lLlf6

1.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab

9.ttJa3! The knight is placed aggressively enough at this square and it is not hampering the activity of the bishop on b2. 9 ... i.e710 .eS! dxeSll.ttJxeS

11 ... 0-0 Il...ltJbd712.l"1el lLlxeS 13.l"1xeS! lLld7 (13 ... 0-0 14.l"1gS h615.l"1xg7+ ~xg7 16.1!Jfg4+ ~hS 17.1!Jfe4 ~gS IS.~xf6 1!Jfxd3! 19.1!Jfxd3 ~xf6 20. c3±) 14.l"1xe6!? (This sacrifice is very interesting, but a bit risky too. White gives up a piece to have a long-lasting attack. His bravery and enterprising playas well as his strong will to win will be decisive in the sharp fight that is to follow.) 14 ... fxe6! This is correct! (14 ... lLlcS? This is exceedingly tentative and White gets a big advantage after that. IS.l"1e3 lLlxd3 16.l"1xd3 1!Jfc7 17.~xg7 l"1gS IS.l"1g3 ~d6 19. lLlbs axbS 20.1!Jfe2+ ~d7 21.1!Jfg4+ ~c6 22.1!Jfe4+ ~b6 23.l"1xaS+-; IS ... 0-0 16.~xh7+ ~xh717.1!Jfh5+ ~gS IS.~xg7 ~xg7 19.1"1g3+ ~f6 20.EJ:el+-; 19 ... ~g5 20.EJ:xg5+ ~f6 21.EJ:dS+-) IS.hg7 ~f6 (15 ... l"1gS?? 16.1!JfhS#; IS ... ~f7 16.~c3!! This bishop is once again stronger than a rook as it is becoming quite ha-

bitual in this opening line! 16 ... ~f6 17.1!Jfh5+ ~fSlS.1!Jfh6+ ~e719.l"1el 1!JfgS 20.~c4 lLle5 21.l"1xe5+-; IS ... ~f7 19.EJ:el lLlfS 20.lLlc4 hc3 21. dxc3 ~gS 22.EJ:e3 tLlg6 23.l"1g31!JffS 24.1!Jfg5±; 16 ... lLlf6 17.tLlc4 EJ:fS IS.~xh7! lLlxh7?? 19.1!Jfh5+ ~gS 20.1!Jfg6#; IS ... ~g7 19.~d3! bS 20.1!Jfg4+ ~hS 21.1!JfhS+ ~gS 22. 1!Jfg6+ ~hS 23.1!Jfh7#; 19 ... l"1hS 20.1!Jfg4+ ~fS 21.1!Jff4 b5 22.lLle5 l"1gS 23.~e4+-; IS ... l"1hS 19.1LleS+ ~g7 20.~d3 ~d6 21.1!Jff3 ~xe5 22. ~xeS EJ:h6 23.g4 EJ:g6 24.h4+-; 20 ... 1!Jfd6 21.1!Jff3 EJ:hS 22.EJ:el ~gS 23. 1!Jff4 bS 24.EJ:e3 b4 2S.EJ:g3+ ~fS 26. EJ:g6 ~eS 27.EJ:xf6 ~xf6 2S.~g6 ~e7 29.~xb4 EJ:xeS 30.~xd6+ ~xd6 31.d4+-) 16.1!JfhS+ ~e7 17.~xhS 1!JfxhS (17 ... ~xhS IS.1!Jfxh7+ ~f6?? 19.1!Jfh4+-; IS ... ~d6 19.1"1bl ~c7 20.lLlc4 bS 21.lLlaS eS 22.c4 bxc4 23.1!Jfe4+-; 19 ... bS 20.~xbS axb5 21.tLlxb5+ ~c5 22.1!JfhS+ e5 23.d4+ ~b6 24.~f7 exd4 2S.~e6+ ~a5 26.lLlc3+-) IS.c3! lLleS (IS ... lLlfS 19.1Llc4 ~d7 20.~c5+ ~f7 21.~e4 ~g7 22.~xb7 EJ:dS 23.d4;:±:) 19.~e4 l"1bS 20.f4lLlc6 (20 ... lLlg6 21.1!JfcS+ ~d7 22.lLlc4 1!JffS 23.~a7 ~c7 24. EJ:xa6 ~e7 2SJ'k6+ ~dS 26.1!JfxbS bxc6 27.1!Jfb6+ ~d7?? 2S.~xc6#; 27 ... ~eS 2S.1!Jfc7 ~d7 29.~xg6+ hxg6 30.lLleS ~cS+ 31.d4+-; 20 ... lLld7 21.lLlc2 bS 22.EJ:el ~d6 23. d4 ~b7 24.~xb7 EJ:xb7 2S.1!Jff7~) 21.lLlc4 i.d7 22.1!JfcS+ <j;>f7 23.lLld6+ ~g7 24.1!Jfh5 lLldS 2S.EJ:fl ~c6 26. l"1f3 ~xe4 27.tLlxe4 ~f8 (27 ... 1!JffS 2S.l"1h3+-) 2S.EJ:g3 fie7 29.lLlcS! ~d6 (29 ... ~xcS+ 30.~xcS+ ~eS 31.1!Jfc7 l"1aS 32.l"1g7+-) 30.l"1d3!

Chapter 11 (30.ct'ld7+ We7 31.ct'lxbS ~xb8oo) 30 ... ~xcS+ 31.WxcS+ WeS 32.Wc7 E1aS 33.Wd7+ WfS 34.WxdS+ E1xdS 3S.E1xdS+ Wg7 36.E1xhS WxhS 37.Wf2 as 3S.We2 a4 39.Wd3+-. 12.~f3 tLlbd713J:1fe1 tLlxeS

14 J:1xeS! White should capture on eS with the rook, because it it tremendously active there. 14 ... ~d7 (14 ... ct'ld7 1S.~xh7+ Wxh7 16:~h3+ WgS 17.E1hS fS 1S.E1hS+ Wf7 19.~hS+ g6 20.~h7+ WeS 21.~xg6#; 17 ... f6 18.E1hS+ Wf7 19.~hS+ g6 20.~h7+ WeS 21. ~xg6#) lS.~h3 h616.E1gS!! Wh8 (16 ... hxgS 17.~xf6+-) 17.E1xg7 r;t>xg7 18.~g4+ Wh8 19.~xf6

latest analyses and it is the essential motive on which White bases his initiative. We will deal now with: b1e1) 6 ... ~xa3?!, b1e2) 6 ... tLlf6, b1e3) 6 ... d6 and b1e4) 6 ... dS. b1e1) 6 ... ha3?! White's problems are not so great after that move. He recaptures his pawn with an edge after it. 7.hg7 ~b2 After 7... ct'lf6 S.hhS ~d6 Black has no time to capture the e4pawn, because of his defenceless bishop on a3. 9.ct'lc3Â±. 8.hb2f6 Black's extra exchange is immaterial, since his king is in a precarious situation. Black loses plenty of material after 8 ... ct'lf6? 9.~f3+-.

9.~hS+

Wf810.eS! ~6 11.

.ia3+ Wg7

M620.~e4+-.

b1e) 6.ga3!!

This move is the oroduct of my

12.tLle3! Black's pieces are helpless to defend the king. White wins rather quickly. 12 .. :~d413.tLlf3 ~f414.tLlbS tLle6 lS.tLld6 tLlh6 16.g3 ~g4 17.exf6+ Wxf6 18. ~xh6+-.

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab blc2) 6 ... tLlf6

7.eS! ha3 Capturing the exchange is of course the most principled decision. 7 ... ttJdS - it is possible that move to be too humble! Now White also has a powerful initiative, but "only" for a pawn. B.E'i:g3 g6. Black hopes to defend the vulnerable g7-square in that fashion. (It was also possible to try to deflect White from the kingside by attacking the bishop on b2 with B... V9b6 9.E'i:b3 V9c7 10.c4 ttJb6 1l.E'i:g3 dS. It is well known that attacks on the side should better be countered with actions in the centre. However Black cannot defend his position successfully even after following that ancient and wise rule. 12.exd6 hd6 13.i.xg7 i.xg3 14.hxg3!? White sacrifices the exchange and continues to fight for the advantage in the opening. 14 ... E'i:gB. This is an interesting position and I prefer to play it with White! IS.i.b2~. In case White wants to play safer and he is content with an approximately equal position he should better follow with 14.i.xhB i.eS IS.V9g4

mfB! =) 9.h4! It turns out now that the delay of White's castling has some advantages too! The rook on hI influences the developments on the board without having played a single move of its own. 9 ... i.g7 10.hS d6 l1.hxg6 fxg6 12.V9g4! (White is now threatening to capture on h7.) 12 ... tLle713.i.bS+ i.d7 14.exd6 i.xb2 IS.dxe7 Vkfxe7 16. hd7+ V9xd717.E'i:d3! White's rooks are just unbelievably active! 17... Vkfe7 (17 ... V9c6 IB.E'i:xh7 E'i:xh7 19. Vkfxg6 E'i:f7 20.E'i:f3 V9xf3 21.ttJxf3+-) IB.E'i:e3 mf719.c3 ttJd7 20.ttJh3Âą. S.ha3 tLldS 9.Vkfg4 White should not be in a hurry to attack the knight! In case of 9.c4? ttJe7!-+, Black manages to castle and his great material advantage will soon decide the issue. 9 ... g6 9 ... V9b6 - this counterstrike leads to really wild positions in which Black wins plenty of material, but White is trying to checkmate instead. 10 JWxg7! (White does not have much of a choice here, but I still put an exclamation mark on that move. This is because Black will again capture a lot of material and White's king will be forced to travel all over the board!) 1O ... V9xbl+ 11.lt>e2 tLlf4+ 12.mf3 ttJg6 (Otherwise Black will not be able to defend against the checkmating capture on hB. White's attack continues, though ... !) 13.i.d3! (White is threatening to capture on g6 and then on hB.) 13 ... V9dl+ (13 .. .fS 14.exf6 ttJeS+ IS.lt>g3 ttJf7 16.ttJf3 V9a217.ttJgS 'Mfxa31B.'Mfxf7+

Chapter 11 WdSI9.'iWg7 ~eS 20.f7 ~fS 21.CI:lxh7 ~xf7 22.'iWxf7+-. White's positional and material advantage is absolutelydecisive.13 ... CI:lxe5+ 14.We2 d6 15.CI:lf3!! White can afford not to pay attention to the helpless black rook! Instead of capturing it he is sacrificing his other rook in order to checkmate. He is left with too few pieces, but they prove to be good enough! 15 ... 'iWxhl 16. CI:lxe5 dxe517.'iWf6!! Black's couple of extra rooks is immaterial. 17.. . wd7 1S.'iWe7+ Wc6 19.'iWd6#; 17 .. . CI:lc61S.ib5+-, and the checkmate on e7 is unavoidable.) 14.CI:le2! (The rook on hI is not important!) 14 ... 'iWxhI15.ixg6 d6 (Otherwise White captures on hS with a decisive effect or simply checkmates on the e7-square. He is winning now easily too.) 16.'iWxf7+ wdS 17.ixd6+-. 10.c4

Now after Black's position has been weakened with the move g7g6, this move is very good. It is important that the black king would not be safe even after castling! 10 ••. ttJe7 1O ... 'iWb6 - this counterstrike is

not solving Black's problems either. 11.'iWdl! (White can now afford this temporary retreat. His queen has done its deed and it is high time that the knight on bl showed what it is capable of!) 11 ... CI:lb412.CI:lc3 0-0 13.CI:le4~. 1O .. .f5 (This is an interesting idea, because now Black has more space for his pieces. On the other hand it is also easier for White to attack the enemy king.) 11.exf6! CI:lxf6 12.'iWg3 d5 13.CI:lc3 a6 (this is not to let the white knight to the b5-square) 14.id3! 'iWa5 (14 ... Wf7 15.CI:lh3 CI:lc6 16.0-0 ~eS 17.CI:lg5+ Wg71S.CI:lxh7! The idea of this sacrifice is definitely not just a draw by a perpetual! IS ... Wxh7 19. 'iWxg6+ WhS 20.~e1!! Black has a whole extra rook, but he is totally helpless! 20 ... d4 21.CI:ld5 exd5 22.~xeS+ 'iWxeS 23.'iWxf6+ WgS 24.'iWg5+ WhS 25.'iWh6+ WgS 26. 'iWh7#) 15.ixg6+ WdS 16.'iWd6+ CI:lbd7 17.if7 'iWb6 1S.'iWe7+ Wc7 19.i.xe6 d4 (19 ... ~eS 20.'iWxeS CI:lxeS 21.CI:lxd5+-) 20.ixd7 ixd7 21.CI:ld5+ CI:lxd5 22.'iWe5+ wdS 23. 'iWxhS+ ieS 24.cxd5'iWb1 + 25. We2 'iWe4+ 26.Wd1'iWxg2 27.'iWf6+ WcS 2S.'iWfS 'iWfl+ 29.Wc2 'iWc4+ 30. Wb2+-. 1l.ttJc3 'iWa5 12.ttJb5 ttJf5 13. id3! White attacks the black knight on f5, because it defends the critical d6-square. 13 ••• a6 14.ttJd6+ ttJxd6 15. ixd6 ~a1+ 16.We2 ttJc6 You might think that White's attack has temporarily subsided,

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.M cb 4.ab but ...

17.lLlf3!! This striking sacrifice of White's last rook emphasizes the huge hidden potential of White's position. 17...11t1xh118.i.e4! (It is hard to believe, but Black is totally helpless against the checkmating attack despite his tremendous material advantage.) 18 ... ~c1 (18 ... h619.Wif4 fS 20.exf6 'i!?f7 21. i.xc6 Wia1 22.i.eS Wia2 23.i.c3+-; 18 ... fS19.exf6ltJd8 20.i.xg6+ hxg6 21.11t1xg6+ ltJf7 22.ltJeS l'!f8 23. Wig7+-; 19 ... ltJd4+ 20.ltJxd4 Wic1 21.f7 + 'i!?xf7 22.Wif4+ 'i!?g7 23.i.eS+ 'i!?g8 24.Wif6 Wixc4+ 2S.'i!?f3+-) 19. i.xc6 dxc6 20.~g5 Wixc4 21.d3 11t1c2+ 23.lLld2+-. b1c3) 6 ... d6

White's attacking formation is absolutely unusual for the Sicilian Defence! The energy of White's pieces is just overwhelming. 9 ... i.d7 10.i.d3 lLlc6 1l.lLlf3 ltJb412.0-0 White has completed his development, while Black cannot even dream about that. 12 ... lLlxd3 12 ... i.c6 13.ltJds ltJfxdS (13 ... exdS14.i.xf6 gxf61S.Wixf6 dxe416. WixhS 0-0-0 17.l'!b1 WicS 1S.l'!gS fS 19.1'!gS dS 20.ltJd4 exd3 21.c3+-) 14.exdSltJxd3 1S.i.xg7ltJf4 16.l'!e1 i.xg717.Wixg7 0-0-0 18.dxc6 bxc6 19.Wixf7l'!df820.Wie7±. 13.cxd3

13 ... lLlh5 13 ... l'!g8 14.l'!b1 i.e7 1S.d4 i.c6 16.dS exdS 17.exdS ltJxdS 18.ltJxdS i.xdS 19.i.xg7 Wia6 20.~d4 Wic6 21.Wie3 'i!?d7 (21...i.xf3 22.i.f6+-; 21...i.e4 22.ltJd4 WidS 23.d3 i.g6 24.i.f6+-) 22.ltJd4 ~c4 23.Wif4 l'!acS 24.l'!c3 Wia6 2S. ~fS+ i.e6 26.ltJxe6 fxe6 27.~xh7 l'!xc3 28. i.xc3 l'!f8 29.i.d4 l'!f4 30.i.e3 l'!h4 31.Wig7l'!hS 32.h4 ~c6 33.i.gS+-. 14.l'!g5 lLlf4 15.lLla4 i.xa4 16.Wixa4+ Wic617.~b3 e5 17 ... Wib618.l'!bS±.

Chapter 11 18.~f5f6

19.d4! This tactical strike destroys Black in the centre! It is very beautiful because of the unusual placement of the white rook on f5 in front of all white pawns. 19 ... ttJe2+ (19 ... ~xe4 20.~xf4 ~xf4 21.~b5+ ~f7 22.dxe5 fxe5 23. ~d5+ ~f6 24.d4 e4 25.~c1 ~g4 26. ~g5+ ~g6 27.ttJh4+ ~h5 2S.~e3+ g5 29.~f7+ ~xh4 30.f3+- with a quick checkmate.) 20.~h1 ~xe4 21.~e6+ ~d8 (21...~e7 22.dxe5 ~dS 23.d3 ~xd3 24.exf6 ~xf6 25. CLld4!! CLlxd4 26.~xd6+ ~eS 27. ~el+ ~f7 2S.~e7+ ~g6 29.~xg7+ ~xf5 30.~d5+ ~e5 31.g4+ ~f4 32.~cl+-; 31...~f6 32.~f7#) 22.

dxe5

~c8 23.~xf6

gxf6 24.

~xf6+ ~d7 25.~xh8 ~g6 26. e6+ ~c7 27.~e1 ~xe6 (27 ... CLlf4? 2S.~cl+ ~b6 29.~d4+ ~c5 30. ~xf4+-) 28.~d4! ~b8 29.~e3±.

b1c4) 6 ... d5 (diagram) 7.~g3!?

White attacks the g7-square outright. 7.exd5 is probably as good as the rook move: 7 ... ~xd5 (7 ... exd5

S.~e3+ ~e6 9.CLle2±, and Black must worry about the vulnerable e6-square in addition to his other problems.) White resorts now to a quite non-standard attacking formation: S.~g3 CLlf6 9.CLlc3 ~dS 1O.~al! All white pieces are concentrated against the g7-square. 10 ... CLlc6 11.~b5 ~d7 12.CLlf3±. 7 ... ttJf6 This calm developing move shows that Black is reluctant to enter sharp complications. He can hardly live so peacefully in this position though, because of the permanent tension around the critical g7-square. 7 ... dxe4 S.~xg7! (Naturally White should avoid exchanging the bishops! The difference in the activity between ~b2 and ifS is too great to even compare!) S ... CLlf6 (S ... ixg7? 9.ixg7+-) 9.~g3 id6 1O.CLla3!! (This elegant positional sacrifice enables White to preserve a powerful initiative.) 1O ... ixg3 11.hxg3 (Black has an extra exchange but his position is very difficult. White is totally dominant on the dark squares all over the whole board! The h-file has been opened and that is one more reason for Black to worry

I.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab about.) 11...tt:lbd7 12.~al 'tt>f8 13.tt:lh3 (This developing move looks a bit strange, does it not? The situation is too far from being standard either! White should play moves corresponding to the spirit of the position.) 13 ... l'%g814.tt:lc4 b6 15.tt:lf4l'%g516.Elh6 'tt>g717.l'%h5 Elg6 18.tt:lxg6 hxg619.Elh4±, and White remains with a clear advantage after he regains his sacrificed material. 8.exd5exd5 8 ... tt:lxd5 9.tt:lh3! (White must develop his knight exactly to this square. This prevents the black knight from disrupting White's attacking plans with a move like tt:lf4. Secondly the white queen can go to g4 or h5 at an opportune moment.) 9 .. :~c7 10 ..id3 tt:lc6 II. 0-0 .id7 12 ..ixg7 .ixg7 13.Elxg7±. 9 •.ib5+ White remains with a great advantage no matter how Black interposes against that bishop check. 9 ....id7 9 ... tt:lc61O.c4! Black's set-up in the centre is quite reliable and therefore White is trying to destroy it. 1O ... Ne4 (Black's knight is unstable here, but he probably has no better alternative at that moment!) 1l.'lWe2 ~e7 (1l ....ie612.Ele3 .ic5 13.cxd5 he3 14.dxc6 .ixf2+ 15.'tt>fl 0-0 16.'lWxe4 bxc6 17 ..id3 g618.'tt>xf2 .if519.'lWe5 f6 20 ..ic4+ 'tt>g7 2I.'lWd4 hb122.tt:lf3±) 12.Ele3 'lWb4 (12 ... .ie6 13.cxd5 .ixd5 14. tt:lc3+-) 13.cxd5 'lWxb2 14.Elxe4+ 'tt>d8 15.tt:lc3 and White preserves dangerous threats.

10.'lWe2+ .ie711.Elxg7 White here has another possibility which is not so clear, but it still deserves further testing: lI..ixf6 gxf6 12.tt:lc3 a6 13.hd7+ 'lWxd7 14.Eld3 d4 15.tt:le4 'tt>f8. White definitely has some compensation for the pawn, but I am afraid to say that he is better. .. 1l ... 'tt>f8 12.gg3 .ixb5 13. 'lWxb5'IWb6

14"~xb6

axb6 15.gb3t

It is much more enjoyable to

play that position with White, since the pawn structure is favourable for him and his pieces are much more active than their black counterparts.

Conclusion The retreat with the bishop 5 ... .if8 leaves Black with the necessity to solve numerous problems after the sharpest and most dangerous move 6.ga3!! Unfortunately the whole line has not been tested in practice yet, but I hope that to be only temporary. The arising positions are so interesting that I believe they are going to attract players ofquite different strength really soon!

Chapter 11 b2) 5 ... ttlf6

6.e5 ttld5 6 ... CUgS - seems to be too passive but White still needs to play inventively. 7.Wifg4 ~fS S.~a3 Wifc7 9.cuf3 Wifxc2 1O.cuc3 cuc6 11.~xfS ~xf812.~b5 f613.hc6 dxc614.0o Wifg6 15. Wifd4;!:;. White's compensation for the two pawns is quite sufficient due to his strong initiative along the dark squares. It is not easy for Black to complete his development too. Black's attempt to confuse the opponent with the non-standard move 6 ... Wifb6 is refuted in the following fashion: 7.exf6 ~c5 S.~c3! ~xf2+ 9.~e2 ~xgllO.d4 Wifb5+ 11.Wifd3±. 7.c4 Black's knight now has four possible retreats! b2a) 7 ... lDf4 S.h4! This unusual move prepares some future operations on the kingside for White. The black knight on f4 is quite unstable and that only facilitates White's initiative. S ... h5

Black prevents the advance of White's pawn "physically". He is weakening his position a lot with this move though and now even his castling short becomes problematic. Meanwhile castling S... O-O?! is quite dubious on move S as well: White plays 9.Wifg4 and starts attacking: 9 ... cug61O.h5 CUe711.~d3 Wifb6 (11 ... h6 12.Wife4 cuf5 13.g4+-) 12.h6 g6 13.Wiff4 cuf5 14.g4 ~e7 (Black cannot defend his knight, so the counterattack against the bishop on b2 is his best bet.) 15. ~c3 cuh4 16.E1xh4! (This refutes Black's idea altogether.) 16 ... hh4 17.g5 (Black's bishop on h4 has been trapped.) 17... Wifxf2+ IS.Wifxf2 ~xf2+ 19.~xf2 cuc6 (White's positional advantage is decisive despite the material deficit.) 20. CUa3+-. 9.lDc3 d5 This move prevents the white knight from going to d6 (via the e4 or b5-squares), but the white bishop on b2 is becoming very powerful. It will be enjoying its long-range scope of action! 10 .exd6 ~xd6 1l.lDb5 Wifc5 12.i.d4 ~c6 Black's defence is really difficult, trying to protect the c7square against the invasion of the white knight. 13.Wiff3! This exchange offer is very strong and timely too. 13 ••. lDg6 14.~xc6+ lDxc6 15.hg7! E1gS

l.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab

16 ..if6!

White did not need to check from the c7-square on moves 15 and 16, because his dark-squared bishop was too valueable. He would not give it even for a rook. Meanwhile now the check on c7 is already a threat and Black is forced to play an awkward king move. 16 ... 'it>d7 17.~e2 e5 18. ~ec3±.

b2b) 7 ... ~c7

8.!la3!!

The same idea will also be effective after the retreat of the knight to b6. 8 ... 0-0 It is too dangerous for Black to

accept the exchange sacrifice: 8 ... .ixa3 9 ..ixa3 'Llc6 (9 ... 1Wh4 this attempt to counterattack is

too premature. In fact Black cannot create any dangerous threats with his queen only, since the knight on c7 is out of play! 1O.tLlc3 tLlc6 1l.tLlf3 1Wf4 12.g3 1Wf5 13.d4 b6? 14.tLlh4+- and the black queen gets trapped. 13 ... 1Wg4 14.h3 1Wh5 15.'Lle4 d516.'Lld6+ 'it>d717.g4 1Wg6 18 ..id3 f5 19.9xf5 1Wh6 20.cxd5 exd5 21.tLlf7+-; 9 ... d5!? This is an interesting trick! Black permits White to capture en passant and with a tempo at that, but all this is very unfavourable for White: 1O.exd6? 'Llca6-+. It is worth trying for him instead: 10.'Llc3!? 1O.1Wg4! g6 Il.tLlc3 h5 12.1Wg3 g5 13.'Llf3 h4 14.1Wg4 tLlc6 15 ..id6 b6 16.tLlxg5 f5 17.1Wf4 tLle7 18.tLlf3±; 13 ... g414.tLld4 tLlc615.tLldb5±, and the white knight penetrates to d6 with a decisive effect.) 10.~g4 tLlxe5. Black thus manages to capture an important central pawn, but fails to complete his development and to bring his king to safety. (The other possibility for Black is also quite favourable for White 1O ... g6 1l.tLlf3 f5!? Black's pieces have some freedom for action now, but his king has become even more vulnerable. 12.exf6 1Wxf6 13.tLlc3 h5 14.1Wg3 'Lla6 15 . .id3 Elg8 16.0-0±.) 11.~xg7 tLlg6 12.tLlc3 d5 13.tLlf3 Elf8 14.tLle5 tLle7 15 ..ie2+-. 8 ... tLlc6 9.Elg3 0-0. This is a position from the game Kroshk gdr, Internet 2004, in which White played 1O.1Wg4 and won quickly. Black could have defended better, so I suggest another move for

Chapter 11 White 1O.~h5! (This is evidently White's most direct road to success.) 1O .. .lzJe8 lLid3 g6 12.~h6 ~e713.CUf3 .ic5 (White settles the issue immediately with a simple but beautiful queen-sacrifice after: 13 ... d6?! 14.exd6 ixd615.~xh7+. This combination is so routine that I will abstain from placing an exclamation mark! 15 ... c;t>xh7 16. ~h3+ c;t>g8 17.~h8#) 14.CUg5 f5 15.exf6 cuxf6 16.CUxh7! (Strangely enough the white rook on hI is playing a decisive role in that combination! It is soon going to join the actions quite decisively.) 16 ... ixf2+ 17.c;t>dlixg318.cuxf6+ ~xf6 19.hxg3 ~g7 20 ..ixf6 ~xf6 2l. ~h7+ c;t>f8 22.~fl+-. 9.~g3 d6!? Black is trying to facilitate his defence by undermining White's e5-pawn. 9 ... c;t>h8?! This attempt to defend passively is not convincing and I think it is doomed to failure. 1O ..id3! CUe811.~g4 ~e712.~h3 g6 13.cuf3 ~g8 14.cug5 ~g7 (14 ... h5 15.~xh5+ gxh5 16.~xh5+ c;t>g7 17.~h7+ c;t>f8 18.~h6+ cug7 19. cuh7+ c;t>e8 20.cuf6+ c;t>d8 21.CUxg8 ~f8 22.cuf6+-) 15.~h6 ~f816.~h4 ~g8 17.CUe4!+-. 10 â&#x20AC;˘.id3! dxe5 The humble defensive move 10 ... g6? is evidently weaker. Black can play a move like that only if he gets too frightened with the possible rook-sacrifice on g7 and tries to prevent it at any rate. White can punish him for that swiftly and resolutely! 11.~h5 d5

12.~h6 ~d713.~h3 f514.exf6 ~f7 16.~g3+-.

15.ixg6 ~xg6

Now White has nothing better than a combination with a temporary rook-sacrifice which leads to a favourable endgame for him. lU3xg7+ c;t>xg7 12.~g4+ ~h8 13.~e4 f5 14.~xe5+ ~f6 15. ~xf6+ gxf6 16 â&#x20AC;˘.ix{6+ ~g8 17. ie5;l;. b2c) 7 ... cub6

8.ga3!! This is a fantastic resource and happens to be the only way for White to create a powerful attack. If Black accepts the sacrifice his king will remain stranded in the centre for a long time and can quickly get into trouble. Should Black ignore the sacrifice White's rook becomes a formidable attack-

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.M cb 4.ab ing force on the kingside! The move S.1!fig4 seems to be attractive but Black can defend successfully: S ... O-O 9.CLlf3 d6 (9 ... CLlc6?! 1O.id3 d5? This move is a mistake and Black overlooks White's only really dangerous attacking motive - the bishopsacrifice on h7. 1l.ixh7+ ~xh7 12.iWh5+ ~gS 13.CLlg5 ~xg5 14. ~xg5+-; 13 ... E'i:eS 14.~xf7+ ~hS 15.~h5+ ~g8 16.~h7+ ~fS 17. iWhS+ ~e71S.~xg7#; 9 .. .f51O.exf6 E'i:xf611.id3 CLlc612.c5 CLld513.CLlg5 h6 14.CLle4 b6 15.CLlxf6+ CLlxf6 16. ~g6 ibxc5 17.0-0 a5 lS.E'i:a4 e5 19.E'i:h4 ~h8 20.E'i:e1 ~fS 2l.E'i:xe5 ixf2+ 22.~xf2 CLlxe5 23.ixe5 CLle4+ 24.~e1 ~f2+ 25.~d1 ~gl+ 26.~c2 ~c5+ 27.CLlC3 ~xe5 2S. E'i:xe4+-; 21...CLlxe5 22.ixe5 ~gS 23.E'i:xh6 ibxf2+ 24. ~f1 ic5 25. ~e1 ~e7 26.ibc4+ d5 27.ibxd5+ CLlxd5 2S.iWh7+ ~f7 29.~xg7+ ~eS 30. ~g8+ iWfS 31.~g6+ ~fl 32.E'i:hS+ ~e7 33J'lh7 ibf2+ 34.~e2 ig4+ 35.~f1 ~xh7 36.iWxh7+ ~e6 37. ibg7 ibf5 38.~h6+ ~d7 39.~g5 ~e6 40.~xf2 b5 41.CLlc3 CLle7 42.CLlxb5 ~d7 43.CLld4 id3 44.CLlf3+-; 9 ... d5 1O.id3 dxc411.ibc2 CLlc612.h4 ~d5 13.E'i:h3 CLld7 14.ibxh7+ ~xh7 15. ~h5+ ~gS 16.CLlg5 E'i:dS 17.1!fixfl+ ~hS 18.~h5+ ~gS 19.~h7+ ~fS 20.~h8+ ~e7 21.~xg7+ ~eS 22. ~fl#; 1O ... g6 11.h4 CLlxc4 12.ixc4 h5 13.iWf4 dxc4 14. ~h6 ie71S.iba3 ~c7 16.CLlC3 ibxa3 17.CLle4 f5 IS. CLlf6+ E'i:xf619.exf6 ~fl 20.CLlgS ifS 21.CLlxfl ibxh6 22.CLlXh6+ ~fS 23. E'i:h3 CLld7 24.Elg3 CLlxf6 2S.Elxg6 CLldS 26.Ela4 b5 27.ElgS+ ~e7 2S.

E'i:g7+; 12 ... dxc413.hS bS14.CLlgS h6 lS.CLle4 ~g7 16.hxg6 fxg6 17.CLlf6 ~d3 lS.Elxh6 ~xh6 19.1!fih4+ ~g7 20.1!fih7#; 17 ... Elfl lS.Elxh6 ~xh6 19.1!fih4+ ~g7 20.CLlh5+ gxhS 2l. 1!fixdS+-) 1O.id3 (1O.h4 dxe5 11. CLlxe5 f6 12.CLld3 eS 13.1!fie4 ie7+; 1O.exd6 e5 1l.1!fie4 fS+) 1O ... dxe5 11.CLlxe5 f6 12.1!fie4 fS 13.1!fie3 CLlc6 14.g4 CLlxeS lS.1!fixeS E'i:fl+; or S ... g6!? 9.CLlf3 d6 (9 ... d5 10. exd6 0-0 1l.CLlc3 ct'Jc6+) 10.1!fif4 CLlc6 11.exd6 ixd6 (11...0-0? 12. if6 ixd6 13.ibxdS ibxf4 14.ixb6) 12.1!fih6 e5 (12 ... ifS 13.1!fif4 id6 14.1!fih6 ifS=; 13.1!fie3!? ElgS 14.d4 ig7 15.CLlbd2 as 16.ct'Je4 ct'Jb4 17. 1!fid2 h6 18.c5 CLl6dS 19.CLld6+ ~e7 20.ic4 b6 2l.CLleS ElfS 22.0-0~) 13.1!fig7 ElfS 14.CLlC3 if5 (14 ... ibg4 15.CLle4 ibxf3 16.CLlf6+ ~e7 17.gxf3 CLlb4 lS.CLlXh7 CLlc2+ 19.~d1 CLlxa1 20.c5 CLlb3 21.1!fif6+ ~d7 22.1!fixd6+ ~cS 23.ibh3+ fS 24.CLlxf8+-; 22 ... ~eS 23.ibb5+ CLld7 24.1!fixfS#) IS. CLlb5 e4 16.CLlxd6+ 1!fixd6 17.CLlgS 0-0-0 lS.iWc3 1!fif4 19.CLlXh7 ElhS 20.g3 ~c7 2l.ct'Jf6 CLld4 22.ct'Jd5 ct'JxdS (22 ... CLlf3+ 23.iWxf3 exf3 24.CLlxc7+-; 23 ... ct'Jxd5 24.iWb3+-) 22 ... CLlXd5 23.~xd4 CLlb4 24.~c3 e3 25.~xb4 exd2+ 26.~d1 iWc6 27. ig2 Wxg2 2S.Wc5+ ~d7 29.Wd5+ Wxd5 30.cxdS Elh5 3l.~xd2 ibe4 32.Elhe1 Elxd5+ 33.~c3 ElcS+ 34. ~b4 f5 35.Elxa7 Eld2 36.ibc3 Elxf2+. I believe that you are convinced now that after S.~g4 - Black can obtain an excellent position after some precise play. After S.Ela3 we will analyse in details b2cl) 8 ... ha3 and b2c2)

Chapter 11 8 ... 0-0. S .. .':t'lc6 9J'&g3 0-0 1O.iMfg4 g6 l1.h4 CiJe7 12.h5 CiJf5 13.2:gh3 d6 14.hxg6 fxg615.2:xh7 iMfeS 16.2:hS+ \ilg7 17.2:1h7# 1-0 Kroshk - gdr, Internet 2004. White's task is not so difficult either after S ... d5 (This counterstrike is attractive but White preserves better chances.) 9.Elg3 CiJxc4 1O ..txc4 dxc411.Elxg7 iMfd5 12.CiJe2 CiJd7 13.0-0 CiJxe5 14.CiJf4 (White is attacking just like in the other lines!) 14 ... iMfa5 (14 ... iMfe4 15.Elel iMfxf4 16 ..txe5 iMfh6 17.iMfa4+ .td7 lS.iMfxb4+-) 15.Ele1 CiJd3 16.CiJxd3 cxd3 17.iMff3 ElfS (17 ... iMfc7 IS. 2:g4+-) lS.Elxh7 .txd2 (IS ... iMfa2 19 ..tg7 ElgS 20 ..tc3+-) 19.2:d1.tg5 20 ..ta3 .te7 21.iMfxd3 .txa3 22. CiJxa3 iMfd5 23.iMfc2! iMfc6 24.CiJc4 \ile7 25.iMfg6 iMfc5 26.CiJd6 iMfxd6 27. iMfg5+ \ild7 2S.iMfb5+ \ile7 29.Elxd6 \ilxd6 30.iMfb4+ \ilc7 31.iMfxfS+-. b2cl) 8 ... ,ha3

It is too dangerous for Black to accept the exchange sacrifice. 9.,ha3 d5 9 ... CiJc6 10.iMfg4 CiJxe5 1l.iMfxg7 CiJg612.CiJc3 d513.tLlb5+-; 9 ... iMfh4 1O.0\c.~ 0\c.6 11.lLif3 iMff4 12.2:3 iMff5

13.d4 (Black's queen is suddenly endangered!) 13 ... iMfg4 (13 ... b614. CiJh4+-) 14.h3 iMfh5 15.CiJe4 d5 16. CiJd6+ \ild717.g4 iMfg61S ..td3 f519. gxf5 iMfh6 20.cxd5 exd5 21.CiJf7+-. 10.ltJc3 a6 Black defends the b5-square against the penetration of the white knight. This move is quite necessary as you can see after the following lines: 10 ... CiJc6 11.iMfg4 and now:

11... \ild7 12.c5! (12. iMfxg7 iMfgS!-+; 12.cxd5 CiJxd5 13.CiJxd5 iMfa5 14. iMfxg7 iMfxa3 15. iMfxf7 + CiJe716.iMfg7 iMfc1 + 17. \ile2 iMfc4=) 12 ... CiJc4 13. hc4 dxc414.CiJf3 \ilc715.0-0 \ilbS 16.iMfxc4 g5 17.Elbl±; or 1l ... g6 12.lLlb5 lLlxe5 13.iMfd4 f6 14.lLld6+ \ild715.c5lLlc616 ..tb5 e5 (16 ... \ilc7 17.cxb6+ axb6 IS . .txc6 bxc619.lLlf7±) 17.iMfd3 a61S.hc6+ \ilxc6 19.cxb6 iMfxb6 20.lLle2 2:dS 21.iMfc3+ \ild7 22.0-0! (22.iMfh3+ \ilc6=) 22 ... h5 23.iMfh3+ f5 24.iMfc3! d4 25.iMfc4 ElfS 26.2:c1 iMfc6 27. iMfb3+-; or 11...g5 12.CiJb5 CiJxe5 13.iMfg3 tLlbxc4 (13 ... f6 14.lLld6+ \ild7 15. cxd5 exd5 16..tb5+ lLlc6 17.iMfh3+ \ilc7 lS.iMfg3 \ild7 19.1Lle2! iMfgS 20.lLld4 a6 21..txc6+ bxc6 22.

1.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab CLle4!!; 19 ... a6 20 ..ixc6+ It>xc6 21.CLlf7+-; 20 ... bxc6 21.CLlf7+-) 14 ..ixc4 CLlxc4 lS.CLlc7+ It>d7 16. CLlxaS b6 (16 ... ~a5 17.CLlf3 CLlxa3 lS.0-0 f6 19.M b5 20.hxg5 .ib7 21.gxf6 E1xaS 22.CLle5+ It>cs 23.f7 ~b4 24.~g7+-; 19 ... h6 20.E1a1It>e7 21.CLlh2±; 20 ... e5 21.E1xa3 ~xa3? 22.CLlxe5+ fxe5 23.~xa3+-) 17.~bS CLlxa3 lS.~xa7+ It>c6 19.~xa3 .id7 20.CLlf3 ~xaS 21.CLle5+ It>b7 (21... It>c7 22.~c3+ .ic6 23.CLlxf7 d4 24.~g3+ It>cS 25.0-0+-) 22.~b2 .ieS 23.0-0 ~dS 24.E1a1 f6 25.CLld3 e5 26.~a2 .ib5 27.CLlb4 It>c7 2S. CLlxd5+ It>d6 29.~b3 .ic6 30.CLlxb6 ~bS 31.E1c1 It>c7 32.CLld5+ It>d6 33.~a3+ It>xd5 34.~d3+ It>e6 35. E1xc6+ 1t>f7 36.h4 ~dS 37.E1d6!+-. 1l.~g4

24. ~g5+ It>f7 25.h5+-) 16.CLlf4 CLlxc4 17..ixc4 dxc4 lS.CLlxhS CLld7 19.CLle4 ~b6 20.0-0 It>dS 21.~f4 E1hS 22 ..id6!! E1xh5 23.~xf7+-; l1...g6 12.CLlf3 h5 13.~f4 CLlc6 14 ..id6 E1gS15.h4! CLle716.E1h3 CLlf5 (16 ... CLlxc4 17 ..ixc4 dxc4 lS.CLlg5 CLlf519.lLlce4 CLlxd6 20.CLlxd6+ <±>d7 21.~xf7+ It>c6 22.CLlxe6 .ixe6 23. ~xe6 Wd7 24.~xc4+ It>b6 25J:~b3+ It>a7 26.1~k5+ It>bS 27.E1xb7+ ~xb7 2S.CLlxb7lt>xb7 29.d4+-) 17.c5 CLld7 lS ..id3lLlxd619.cxd6 f6 20.E1g3 g5 21.hxg5 fxe5 22.CLlxe5 CLlxeS 23. ~xe5 h4 24.E1g4! (24.CLlxd5? hxg3 25.CLlc7+ It>fS 26.Wf4+ It>g7 27. ~e5=) 24 ... lt>d7 25.CLlxd5!! exd5 26.~xd5 E1eS+ 27.lt>dl E1e6 2S ..ifS ~gS

29.E1e4+-.

12.~h5!!

This is White's proper reaction! He must prevent h7-h5 at all costs.

12 ... lLlxc4 12 ... CLlc6 13.CLlf3 h614.h4 CLlxc4 15.hc4 dxc416.hxg5 ~d317. gxh6 b5 lS.lLlg5 lLlxe5 19.CLlge4 ~d4 20.Wh4 CLld3+ 21.It>e2 ~a7 22.h7 e5 23.CLld6+ It>d7 24.CLlxf7+-.

13.hc4dxc4 1l ... g5!? This sharp move requires extreme precision from White. He must understand that Black's threat to repel the white queen with the move h7-h5 is really very dangerous. 1l ... E1gS 12 ..id3 g6 13.h4 h5 14.~g3 g5 15.CLlh3! g4 (15 ... CLlxc4 16.hc4 ~a5 17..id6 dxc4 lS.0-0 g4 19.CLle4 CLld7 20.CLlf4 E1hS 21. CLlxh5 f5 22.CLlg7 + 1t>f7 23.~f4It>xg7

14.h4! (White's other attractive possibility leads only to a draw by a per-

Chapter 11 petual: 14.lIJe4 ~d31S.lIJd6+ @d7 16.~xf7+ @c6 17.lIJxcS ~b1+ lS. @e2 ~d3=) 14 .•• lIJc6 (14 ... ~d3?! lS.~xgS! lIJc6 16.~g7+-; lS ... ~dS 16.11:Yg7@d717.11:Yxtl+ @c61S.11:Yf3+ @d7 19.1IJge2 lIJc6 20.11:Yf7+ lIJe7 21. lIJa4+-) 15 •.id6 gxh416.E1xh4 b5 (16 ... E1gS 17.lIJf3 lIJe7 lS.11:Yxh7 E1xg2 19.1IJe4 lIJgS 20.E1f4 ~d7 21.lIJegS+-) 17.ttJf3 ttJe7 18.ttJe4 ttJd5 19.ttJfg5 E1a7 20 ..ia3 ~a5 21.ttJd6+ @d8 22.ttJgxf7+ @c7 23 ..ic5 c3 24.~d1!+-. b2c2) 8 ... 0-0

This move is possible and quite logical too. After castling however, the black king will be faced with a bitter enemy - the rook that has just entered the action from the queenside in a rather unusual manner. 9.E1g3! This is the right square - the rook is not so useful for White on the h3-square. I must tell you that I failed to find any satisfactory defence for Black. White's attack is too strong to counter. 9 ... @h8!? White must play with maximum ingenuity after that prophy-

lactic move! The other moves are losing even quicklier: 9 ... g6 1O.h4! dS 11.hS lIJxc4 12.hxg6 fxg6 13.11:YhS 11:Yd7 14 ..id3 11:Yf7 lS.lIJf3 tLlxb2 16.bg6+-; or 9 ... d610.11:YhS! g6 (lO ... dxeS 11.11:Yh6 g6 12J~h3 EleS 13.beS+-; 1O ... @hS11.id3 h612.exd6 eS13. beSf614.11:Yg6+-; 1l...g612.exd6+ eS 13.ixeS+ @gS 14.ixg6 fxg6 lS.Elxg6+ hxg616.11:Yxg6#; lS ... @f7 16.E1f6+ @gS 17.~gS+ @hS lS. ElxfS#) 11.tLlf3 tLlSd7 (11 ... lIJc6 12. 11:Yh6 f6 13.Elxg6+ hxg6 14.~xg6+ @hS lS.exf6+-) 12.~h6 dxeS 13. tLlgS lIJf6 14.tLlxh7 tLlxh7 lS.Elh3 EleS 16.ixeS!+-.

10 ..id3! White must attack the h7square immediately! It is not so effective for him to play 1O.~g4 E1gS 11.id3 g612.h4 hS13.~f4 E1g7 14.lIJf3 @gS lS.tLlc3 dSoo, because Black manages to consolidate his defence. 10 ... h6 This is the most stubborn defence! White wins even easier after the other moves, but he must still play precisely. 1O ... tLlc6? This move is one of

1.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab the weakest. 11.:8xg7! That simple rook-sacrifice marks the end of Black's defensive efforts. 11... <;toxg7 12.~g4+ <;tohS 13.~h5 f5 14.exf6 l'U7 15.~xf7 ~gS 16.~h5 e5 17. ct:lf3+-. 1O ... g6 11.h4! This is the essence of White's idea - the rook on a1 now joins in the attack! Additionally White attacks with a majority of forces. 11 ... ct:lc6 (Black cannot save the game either after 11... h5 12.ct:le2 ct:lc6 13.ct:lf4 i.c5 14. :8g5!+-, and White's attack is crushing) 12.h5 g5 (This is Black's only way to parry the activity of the rook on hI. Black copes with one of the straightforward problems, but succumbs to another danger.) 13. ~ e2 ! (White's queen goes to the e4-square threatening a checkmate along the diagonal.) 13 .. .t2ja4 14.~e4 f5 15.exf6 :8f7. Now, the most direct road to victory is the sudden exquisite queen-sacrifice: 16.~g6!! ~fS (16 ... hxg6 17.hxg6+ <;togS1S.:8gh3!+-) 17.~g7+! This is already the second queen-sacrifice! 17... ~xg7 (17 ... :8xg71S.fxg7+ ~xg719.i.xg7+ <;toxg7 20.h6+ <;tohS 21. ct:lf3+-) 1S.fxg7+-. 11.~g4gg8

11 ... g6 12.i.xg6 fxg6 13.~xg6 ~e7 14.i.c3! White exploits the tactical motive of deflection! This idea is so effective that Black is forced to give back his extra piece. 14 ... i.c5 (14 ... i.xc3? 15.~xh6+-) 15.d4 ~h7 16.dxc5 ct:lxc4 17.ct:ld2 ~xg6 1S.gxg6 <;toh7 19.:8f6 :8xf6 20.exf6 d5 21.ct:lxc4 dxc4 22.f7 ct:ld7 23.ct:lf3+-.

12.gh3 i.e7 13.~e4! g6 14. i.gS IS.f4 i.h4+ 16.g3 i.e7 17.gxh6+ <;tog7 Black has already returned his extra pawn too. It might look like he has parried White's direct kingside attack, but suddenly White follows with a deadly rooksacrifice! ~e3

18.h4!! <;toxh6 Black is forced to accept the sacrifice because of the threat 19. h5!+-.19.fS+ ~g7 20.f6+ hf6 (20 ... <;tofS 21.~h6+ <;toeS 22.fxe7 ~xe7 23.i.a3 d6 24.i.xd6 ~dS 25.~h7 gfS 26.~g7 ct:l6d7 27.ct:lc3 ct:lc6 2S.ct:lb5 ct:lcxe5 29.i.e4 ~f6 30. i.xf8+-) 21.exf6+ ~f8 (21...<;toh7 22.h5+-) 22.~h6+ ~e8 23.hS! (White should not slow down the intensity of the assault in order to recapture some material - he can lose all his advantage like that! 23.i.xg6? e5 24.i.h7 :8xg3 25.he5 :8g2 26.i.d6+-; 24 ... :8fS 25.c5 ct:lc4co ; 24.~h7 gfS 25.i.xf7+ gxf7 26.~gS+ :8fS 27.~g6+ gf7=) 23 ... gxhS (23 ... ~c7 24.hxg6 '\Wxg3+ 25.<;toe2 fxg6 26.~h7+-) 24.gxhS dS 2S.~g7!! <;tod7 (25 ... Ei:xg7 26. :8hS+?? Ei:gS! 27.Ei:xgS+ <;tod7-+; 26.fxg7 <;tod7 27.:8hS ~g5 2S.gS~

Chapter 11 iMrxg8 29J'&xg8 dxc4 30 ..ie4+-) 26.iMrxf7+ @c6 27.lLlf3 lLlxc4 28 •.ixc4 dxc4 29.lLle5+ @b6 30.lLlxc4+ @c6 (30 ... ma6 3l. iMrxg8! iMrxg8 32.~aS#) 31.iMrh7 lLld7 32.iMre4+ @c7 33.iMrf4+ e5 (33 ... @c6 34.iMrd6#) 34 •.ixe5+ lLlxe5 35.iMrxe5+ @d7 36.~h7+ @c6 37.f7+-. b2d) 7 ••• lLle7

This is a very solid move and White has serious problems after it! The black knight has retreated to a comfortable square and it is now ready to assist in the defence of the kingside. The exchange sacrifice 8.~a3, which is very good after moves like lLlb6 or CiJc7 does not work here. What should White play? His next move is not easy to find over the board. White suddenly shows some interest in the enemy bishop on b4 first, instead of preparing something on the kingside. I believed that White's position was very good and kept on looking for a move with good prospects for White. It is important for you to note that after some other more "natural" moves

White might be left without any compensation for the sacrificed pawn! 8.lLla3!! I will now show you some other lines that I have been analysing. They will help you appreciate the power of White's last move which seems to be a bit primitive at first sight. 8.h4? 0-0 9.hS (9 ..id3 d6 10. iMrhS h6 11.g4 iMrb6 12.exd6 .ixd6 13.hg7? mxg714.gS ~h8-+) 9 ... d6 1O.h6 g6 11.exd6 iMrxd6 12.CiJc3 hc3 13 ..ixc3 eS-+. 8.CiJc3? 0-0 (8 ... hc3!? This is a wise and economical decision. Black simply trades the white knight that threatens to become dangerous. Meanwhile he remains with a solid extra pawn. 9 ..ixc3 0-0 1O ..id3 d611.iMrbl h612.exd6 iMrxd6 13.CiJf3 CiJbc6 14.0-0 eS lS.~el f616 ..ih7+ @h817.d4 exd4 18.CiJxd4 fS 19.CiJxc6 CiJxc6 20.cS iMrxcS-+; 1O.iMrhS dS 11.exd6 ~xd6 12.CiJf3 CiJbc6+) 9.CiJe4 dS 1O.exd6 .ixd6 (lO ... CiJfS? 11.cS CiJd712.~c2 eS13.CiJf3±) 11 ..id3 eS! (11 ... CiJbc6? 12.CiJf6+ gxf6 13 ..ixf6 iMrc7 14. .ixh7+ @xh7 lS.iMrhS+ @g8 16. iMrh8#) 12.CiJxd6 (12.iMrc2 .ic7+; 12. iMrhS fS 13. CiJxd6 iMrxd6 14 ..ic2 CiJbc6+) 12 ... iMrxd6 13.iMrc2 (13.l"1a3 .ifS) 13 ... CiJg6 (13 ... CiJbc614 ..ixh7+ @h8 lS.CiJf3? g6-+) 14.cS iMrf6 IS. h4 CiJc6 16.hS CiJb4 17.iMrb3 CiJxd3+ 18.~xd3 CiJf4-+. 8.~g4. This move is White's second best. Should Black be careless he might get punished in a flash. 8 ... CiJg6! (8 ... CiJfS 9 ..id3 0-0

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab 1O.tUf3 d611.exd6 g6 12.ii.xfS exfS 16.Wd1 e4 17.gxf4 exf3 1B.~xf3 13.~d4 E'1eB+ 14.Wd1 f6 lS.WdS+ ~b6 19.~c3 ii.fB 20.h6 ~g6 2l. Wg7 16.cS tUc6 17.E1e1 E1xe1 + lB. hxg7 ii.xg7 22.~xg7+ ~xg7 23. tUxe1 ~eB 19.tUc2 ~e4 20.~xe4 ii.xg7 Wxg7 24.tUc3±) lS.h6 g6 fxe4 21.tUc3±; B... O-O 9.tUf3 tUbc6 16.tUc3 tUc6-+. 1O.h4 tUfSll.ii.d3 ~b612.tUc3 ii.cS We can say in conclusion that 13.tUa4 ii.xf2+ 14.We2! Wb3 IS. if White does not play B.tUa3!!, he E'1hbl±; 11...d6 12.exd6 f6 13.cS can of course trick his opponent whB14.~c4 eS1S.ii.e4 as 16.tUc3±; somehow and create some attack9 ... tUce7 12.~e4 hS 13.g4 hxg4 ing chances and even checkmate him, but Black is better after a pre14.~xg4 tUh61S.~g2 bS16.E'1g1 g6 17.cxbS ii.b7 1B.hS tUhfS 19.ii.xfS cise play after all! tUxfS 20.hxg6 tUh4 21.gxf7+ Wxf7 22.~g7+ WeB 23.tUxh4 Wxh4 24. ~g6+ wdB 2S.~gS+ ~xgS 26. E'1xgS; 19 ... exfS 20.E'1a4 as 2l.hxg6 fxg6 22.~h3; 21...tUxg6 22.~h3 ii.xf3 23.~xf3 ~h4 24.WxfS ~h6 2S.tUc3 E'1aeB 26.f4 E'1e6 27.tUe4 ~h2 2B.ii.d4 E'1cB 29.Wd1 E1c4 30. ii.e3 WfB 3l.b6 E'1xb6 32.hb6 E'1xe4 33.E'1xb4 ~e2+ 34.Wc2 axb4 35. 8 ••• 0-0 ~xd7 Wc4+ 36.wb2 E'1xf4 37.ii.e3 E'1h4 3B.E'1xg6 fxg6 39.e6 We4 40. Black cannot solve his prob~f7# 1-0 Diaz-Aedes, ICC 2004) lems with B... ii.xa3 due to 9.ii.xa3! 9.tUf3 0-0 1O.h4 d6! White's hopes (White's bishop is placed so agare not going to be crowned after gressively that it practically parathe disappearance of the impor- lyzes Black.) 9 ... 0-0 (9 ... tUbc6 tant eS-pawn. (It would have been 1O.tUf3 0-0 1l.ii.d3 f6 12.~c2 h6 a quite different ball game after 13.exf6 E'1xf6 14.0-0 eS lS.cSt. 1O ... tUe7?! 1l.ii.d3 tUbc612.~e4 g6 Black failed to complete his devel13.hS tUfS 14.g4 tUg7 lS.~f4 tUeB opment and White's bishop pair is 16.~h6 ~e7 17.hxg6 fxg6 lB. very powerful. Black is in fact a ii.xg6+- derecha - flashlight, ICC pawn up but that is immaterial.) 2004) 11.exd6 (ll.hS tUxeS 12. 1O.ii.d3! (White should not disretUxeS dxeS 13.h6 g6-+) l1...eS gard his development even in an 12.~e4 ii.xd6 13.hS (13.Wd1 tUc6 unusual position like that! It is too 14.hs tUf4 lS.g3 tUe6 16.h6 g6-+; slow for White to follow with 13 ... fS 14.WdS+ whB lS.cS ii.c7 1O.ii.d6?! tUbc611.d4 f612.tUf3 E1f7 16.~xdB E'1xdB 17.hS±) 13 ... tUf4 13.ii.d3 b614.~c2 tUfS1S.ii.xfS exfS (13 .. .fS?? 14.~dS+-) 14.g3 (14.Wd1 16.0-0 ii.b7 17.E'1fe1 fxeS 1B.dxeS f6-+) 14 ... tUe6 (14 ... fS1S.~e3 E'1eB tUaS oo) 1O ... tUbc61l.~hS h6 (1l ... g6

Chapter 11 12.WgSlLlfS13.Wf4 EleS14.g4lLlfd4 lS.~d6 b6 16.h4 ~b7 17J'1h3 lLlb3 lS.Ela3lLlcS19.~b1 as 20.lLlf3lLle7 2l.hS lLlcS 22.hg hg 23.Wh6+-) 12.lLlf3 f6 13.0-0 fxeS 14.lLlxeS d6 lS.lLlxc6 bxc6 (lS ... lLlxc6. This capture enables White to start a crushing diagonal attack immediately. It is very effective in this position mostly due to the possibility of playing f2-f4-fS! 16.Wg6 lLle717.Wh7+ ~f7 lS.~e2 eS 19.f4 ~fS 20.fxeS ~e6 2l.Wxg7+-; 16 ... lLleS 17.Wh7+ ~f7 lS.~e2 lLlg6 (lS ... ElhS 19.~hS+ ~f6 20.We4 gS 2l.d4lLlc6 22.Wg6+ ~e7 23.Wg7#) 19.~b2 eS 20.f4 Wb6+ 2l.~h1 Wxb2 22.fxeS+-) 16.cS! (White prevents Black from playing the consolidating move c6-cS, and Black is now doomed to a strenuous defence of numerous weaknesses.) 16 ... dxcS 17.~e4 Wd4 lS.d3! Elxf2 (lS ... lLldS 19.Elacl±) 19.Elxf2 Wxa1+ 20.Elfl Wd4+ 2l. ~h1 g6 22.~xg6 Wg7 23.~h7+ ~xh7 24.Elf7+-. S ... d6 - this is a correct decision showing that Black is quite aware of his defensive difficulties. He returns his extra pawn outright (although that is often quite difficult psychologically) and obtains some chances to complete his development successfully. The point is that White cannot create any dangerous checkmating threats quickly! White's chances are better even after the simplifications, so that he has nothing to be really afraid of. 9.exd6 lLlfS (9 ... ~xd6 1O.~xg7 ElgS 1l.~c3 eS 12.lLlbS;!::)

1O.lLlbSlLlxd6 11.~xg7 ElgS 12.~b2 lLle4 13.lLlf3 ~cS 14.Wc2 fS lS.d4 ~b4+ 16.~e2lLlc617.g3 a61S.~g2

ElbS19.lLla3 b6 20.Elhdl±. 8 ... lLlg6 9.h4! This is another difficult move. White opens the hfile in advance, or in case Black refrains from capturing on h4 - he activates his forces on the kingside. 9 ... 0-0 (9 ... lLlxh41O.Wg4lLlfS 1l.~d3 Wb6 12.~xfS ~xd2+ 13. ~xd2 Wxb2+ 14.lLlc2 exfS1S.Wxg7 ElfS 16.Elxh7 lLlc6 17.ElhS ElxhS lS.WxhS+ ~e7 19.Wf6+ ~eS 20. lLlf3 dS 21.Elh1 ~e6 22.cxdS ~xdS 23.ElhS+ ~d7 24.Wd6#; 12 ... ~fS 13.lLlbS exfS 14.WxfS h6 lS.~d4 Wc6 16.lLld6+ ~xd6 17.exd6 0-0 lS.Elxh6 EleS+ 19.~eS!! ElxeS+ 20.WxeS gxh6 2l.Ela3 Wxg2 22. Elg3+-; 9 ... hS. This move stops the advance of White's h-pawn "mechanically", but his attacking resources remain huge. White should not let his opponent enjoy even a moment of rest! 10.~d3! The placement of the Black knight on g6 turns out to be quite unstable. White is threatening now to exchange that knight and the black king will be in a real danger then. 1O ... lLlf4 11.~e4 dS 12.exd6 ~xd6 13.g3 fS 14.~c2 lLlg6 lS.~xg7 Elh7 16.~c3±; 10 ... lLlxh4 11.g3 lLlfS 12.ElxhS 0-0. This move is amusingly witty. The black rook has come under attack and ... Black castles! Nevertheless he is already beyond salvation. 13.Wg4 d6 14. Wh3lLlh6 lS.Elxh6 hd2 + 16. ~xd2 WgS+ 17.f4 Wxh61S.Wxh6 gxh619. lLlbS+-; 12 ... ElxhS 13.WxhS dS 14.

l.e4 cS 2.a3 ct:Jc6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ct:Jb4 S.E!a4 .ixfS exfS1S.~hS+ rlle716.~xg7±; lS ... .ifS 16.ct:JbS dxc4 17 ..ia3!+-; 16 ... rlld7 17.cxdS ct:Ja6 lS.ct:Jf3. Black is helpless. lS ... ~eS 19.e6+ fxe6 20 ..ixg7 .ixg7 2l.~xg7+ ~e7 22.ct:JeS+ rlldS 23.~hS+ ~eS 24. ct:Jf7+ rlld7 2S.~g7 exdS+ 26.ct:JeS+ rlldS 27.E!xa6+-; 24 ... rlle7 2S.~h4! rllfS 26.ct:Jbd6+-) 1O.hS ct:Je7 ll.h6 g6 (This positional decision is just forced, but now the white knights will gain access to the important f6 and gS squares.) 12.ct:Jc2 .iaS 13.ct:Je3! This is a very good manoeuvre. White's knights will be quickly coordinated and will create powerful threats making use of his excellent attacking set-up on the kingside. 13 ... ct:JfS 14.ct:Jg4 ct:Jc6 lS.ct:Jf6+ rllhS 16.ct:Jf3 ~b6 17.~c1 .ib4 lS.ct:JgS .ics 19.ct:Jgxh7 .ixf2+ 20.rlld1 ~b3+ 2l.~c2 ~xc2+ 22. rllxc2 E!dS 23.ct:JgS E!fS 24.g4 ct:Jg3 2S ..ia3!+-. 9.ttJc2

neutralize the activity of the white bishop on a3. (It is a disaster for Black to play ll ... aS?? 12 ..ixb4+-; the other possibility is more stubborn: ll ... ~aS 12.ct:Jf3 f6 13.~b1 ct:Jec6 14.exf6 gxf6 lS ..ie2 eS 16. 0-0 d6 17.d4 exd4 lS.E!d1 E!eS 19.ct:Jxd4 ct:Jxd4 20.E!xd4 E!xe2 2l. .ixb4 ~fS 22.~f1! ~eS 23.E!adl±) 12.ct:Jf3 f6 13.exf6 E!xf6 14 ..ie2 eS lS.cS ct:JfS 16.0-0 ct:Jfd4 17.E!el±; 9 ... .icS 1O.d4 i.b6 ll.i.d3

Black's position is much more difficult than it seems at first sight. My analysis should convince you of that: ll ... d6?! Black gives back his extra pawn, but that does not solve his problems. 12.exd6 .iaS+ (12 ... ~xd6 13.cS+-) 13. rllfl lLlec6 14. ~hS±;

9 ... i.a5 I will show you my analysis concerning the moves: 9 ... ct:Jbc6 as well as 9 ....icS. 9 ... ct:Jbc61O.ct:Jxb4 ct:Jxb41l..ia3 ct:Jbc6. This humble retreat is an admission that Black has failed to

ll ... i.aS+ 12.rllf1! White does not mind losing his right to castle in this position, while Black should worry about his bishop on as! 12 ... ct:Jbc6 13.ct:Jh3 h6 (13 ... d5 14. hh7+ rllxh71S.1!t!hS+ rllgS16.lLlgS E!eS 17.1!t!xf7+ rllhS lS.E!a3!+-. Once again White's queen-rook joins in the attack in the already familiar manner for this line! lS ... ct:JgS 19.E!h3+ lLlh6 20.E1xh6+

Chapter 11 gxh6 21.~h7#) 14.~g4 b6 (about 14 ... d6 lS.exd6 - see 14 ... dS; 14 ... dS lS.exd6 liJg6 16.~g3±; lS ... ~xd6 16.dS eS 17.~g3 lbfS lS.lbxfSliJxfS19.~d3liJfe7 20.~e4

fS 21.~e2 liJxdS 22.E1d1!+-; 17 ... liJfS lS.~f3 liJh4 19.~e2 E1dS 20. lbe4+-) lS.~e4! liJg6 (15 ... liJf5 16.d5liJce717.g4 exdS1S.cxd51bb7 19.1iJf41bd2 20.gxf51bxf4 21.~xf4 liJxd5 22.~g3liJe3+ 23.liJxe31bxh1 24.f6 gS 2S. ~h3+-) 16.d5 liJce7 17.d6liJc6 lS.liJf4 fS 19.exf6 liJxf4 20.~h7+ cj;>f7 21.lbg6+ liJxg6 22. ~xg7+ cj;>eS 23.~xg6+ E1f7 24. ~gS+ E1fS 2S.f7#. This checkmate with a pawn is strikingly beautiful! 11...lbc7 12.~hS h6 13.liJf3 d6 14.exd6 ~xd6 lS.0-0 liJbc6 16. E1fd1 ~f4 (16 ... E1dS 17.d5 exd5 lS.cxdS liJxdS 19.1bh7+ cj;>xh7 20. liJgS+ cj;>hS 21.lbxg7+ cj;>xg7 22. ~xf7+ cj;>hS 23.~h7#) 17.lbc1 ~f6 (17 ... ~d61S.lba3 ~f419.g3! Naturally White should not agree to a draw by repetition of moves. 19 ... g6 20.gxf4 gxhS 21.liJeS±; 19 ... ~f6 20.ct:le3 eS 21.lbxe7 liJxe7 22.dxeS ~c6 23.liJd5 lbdS 24.liJd4 ~cS 2S.e6! White's initiative turns out to be a strong light-squares attack on the kingside. 2S ... liJxd5 26. exf7+ E1xf7 27.cxdS lbf6 2S.E1ac1 lbxd4 29.E1xcS lbxcS 30.E1d2+-; 29 ... lbxf2+ 30.cj;>h11bxcS 31.d6 b6 32.lbe4!+-) lS.lbgS g6 19.~xh6. White has recaptured his sacrificed pawn and his attack is powerful too. 19 ... ~g7 20.~h4 E1eS 21.liJe3 ~h7 22.~xh7+ cj;>xh7 23. liJg4 liJgS 24.lbf6 lbf4 2S.lbe4 eS 26.lbxeSliJxeS 27.ct:lgxeS±.

10.~g4

liJbc6 1l.liJf3 liJf5

12.lbd3 liJce7 13.liJcd4 lbb6 14.

liJxf5 liJxf5 14 ... exfS lS.~g3 d5 16.exd6 liJg6 17.0-0 f4 lS.~gS ~xd6 19. lbe4 E1eS 20.d3 h6 21.~hS as 22. E1fc1t.

15.0-0 ~e7 15 ... ~c716.liJgS h617.liJe41bd4 lS.lbxd4 liJxd4 19.1iJf6+ cj;>hS 20. ~xd4 gxf6 21.~h4 fS 22.~xh6+ cj;>gS 23.lbxfS exfS 24.~gS+ cj;>h7 2S.E1a3+-. Note again this manoeuvre with the rook! You might forget about that possibility in the heat of the fight and later it will already be too late! 16.liJg5

16 ••• lbdS! This is Black's most stubborn defence. He can also trade queens preserving the extra pawn, but all that is still not good enough to equalize. 16 ... hS?! This decision seems strange, but it is not easy to give any good advice. (Black was also losing after: 16 ... h6 17.liJe4 lbc7 lS.liJf6+ cj;>hS 19.1iJdS exdS 20. ~xf5 g6 21.~f4 cj;>h7 22.lba3+-; 21...~g5 22.e6+! cj;>h7 23.~xc7+-) 17.~xh5 liJh6 lS.liJe4 d5 19.exd6

l.e4 cS 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cb 4.ab ~e8

20.cuf6+ ~h8 21.cuxe8 1-0 Kroshk - Esbjergmaster, Internet 2004. 17.CUe41Wh4 Otherwise White was threatening the annoying 18 ..ia3! 18.f3! 1Wxg4 18 ... ~h6 19 ..ic2 .ic7 20.f4 d6 21.Ela3 .ib6+ 22.~h1 dxeS 23.fxeS ~g6 24.~d1 hS 2S.d4 Eld8 26.cuf6+ gxf6 27 ..ixfS exfS 28.Elg3+-. 19.fxg4 cuh6 White now has a pleasant choice. 20 ..ie2 20.h3!7 dS. This is Black's only chance to free his position somehow. 21.exd6 fS 22.gxfS exfS 23 . .ia3 fxe4 (23 ... Ele8 24.CUc3 .if6 2S.Elab1.id4+ 26. ~hl±) 24.Elxf8+ ~xf8 2S.d7+ ~f7 26.dxc8~ Elxc8 27.,ixe4.if6 28.Ele1 .id4+ 29.~f1 b6 30.~e2 ~f6 31.~d3 Eld8 32.

Elf1+ ~eS 33 ..idS .ics 34 ..ib2+ ~d6 3S ..ixg7+-. 20 •.. .ie7 21..ia3 .ixa3

22.l3xa3 d5 The white knight was headed for the d6-square and Black had to prevent that, because he would have beee left without any reasonable moves to play. 23.exd6 e5 24.cuc5 .ixg4 25 . .ixg4 cuxg4 26 . .!Llxh7 l3tb8 27.Elh1 f5 28. c5+-, and White's passed pawns will soon prove to be decisive.

Conclusions The move 2 ... e6 - is one of Black's main defensive resources in the variation we are analysing. It is enough for White to play just a bit imprecisely and Black will not only equalize immediately, but might start fighting for an advantage. Strangely enough I was slightly skeptical at first about White's prospects to obtain any considerable opening edge at the beginning of my work. Only later, after I got immersed in the various possibilities fo;· both sides in these complex positions, I managed to appreciate White's great attacking potential! I invested a lot of time and endeavour to analyse all these lines, but I believed that it was more than worth the effort! White should not be afraid to sacrifice a pawn or even the exchange for his dark-squared bishop! This is all due to the strange fact that Black has ... weakened his dark squares a bit, as early as with his move two! Every reader who has read carefully all these pages should have noticed by now the beautiful attacking resource Ela3! - directly under the gun!

Chapter 11 I have inventd the quite original attacking formation with a white queen on aI, a rook on g3 and an early pressure against the g7-square. Black's problems facing that early positional pressing are rather difficult to cope with! Frankly speaking - I like White's position in this variation! I have failed to find any satisfactory defence for Black. These conclusions apply to the lines in which Black gladly accepts the sacrificed material as well as to the lines in which he is trying to defend positions with material equality.

Chapter 12

1.e4 c5 2.a3 d6

It is bad for Black to follow with 4 ... .td7 S.bxcS dxcS 6.eS ttJg4 7.f4;t. Black's other possibilities lead to positions from the English opening with colours reversed: 4 ... g6 S.g3 (White can easily lose the initiative if he plays more aggressively.) S ... .tg7 6 ..tg2 0-0 (6 ... ttJc6 7.E1b1- see 2... g6 3.b4.tg7 4.ttJc3 d6 S.g3 ttJc6 6.E1b1 ttJf6 7..tg2) 7.ttJge2;t; White is slightly better after 4 ... eS S..tc4 (It is also good for him 3.b4! to play 5.bxcS dxcS 6 ..tc4 ttJc6 7.d3 White must play like that of .td6 8.ttJge2 0-0 9.0-0 a6 1O.a4 course; otherwise, his second b6 l1.ttJdS;t) S... .te7 6.d3 0-0 move becomes senseless. 7.ttJd5! (7.ttJge2 cxb4 8.axb4 .te6 3 .â&#x20AC;˘. ttJf6 9.ttJdS ttJxdS 1O.exdS .tg4 11.h3 About 3 ... eS 4 ..tc4 ttJf6 S.ttJc3 .thS 12.0-0 fS~) 7 ... ttJc6 8.c3 - see 3... ttJf6 4.ttJc3 eS. ttJxdS 9 ..txdS .tgS 1O.ttJe2 .txc1 1l.iWxc1;t. 4.ttJc3 e6 You can expect a move like that 5.i.b2 from the adherents of the ScheWhite's play on the long dark veningen variation. Black plans to diagonal is one of the main mocomplete calmly his development tives of this unusual opening system. His other possibilities are not behind his solid pawn centre. 4 ... ttJc6 S.f4 see - 2 ... ttJc6 3.b4 promising much, since they are not in the spirit of this original d6 4.f4 ttJf6 S.ttJc3. It is anti-positional for Black to opening. 5 ... i.e7 play 4 ... aS? S.bxcS dxcS 6.ttJf3Âą.

This seemingly modest move defends the cS-pawn and facilitates the development of Black's light squared bishop. We are not going to deal in this chapter with lines in which Black develops early his knight to c6 (see 2... ttJc6 concerning these variations). I must admit that now it is not easy at all for White to create any direct threats. I have analysed these positions for a long time and I have found some attractive possibilities for him.

Chapter 12

White must now choose between two aggressive possibilities: a) 6.f4 and b) 6.g4. a) 6.f4

I think that Black can equalize after that move. He needs to play carefully and precisely though, so we are going to analyse it in details. al) 6 ... d5 This is the principled counterstrike in the centre. Black should not be dissuaded by the loss of time (d7-d6-d5). 7.e5 ~fd7 7... ~e4 (This is the natural attempt for Black to activate in the centre.) B.tiJxe4 dxe4 9:lM'e2 cxb4 1O.'IlNxe4 (The trade of pawns was definitely in favour of White. He has stabilized his position in the centre and he can now exchange pieces in order to try to reach a better endgame.) 1O ... bxa3 (10 ... 'IlNd5 11 ..id3 .id7 12.axb4 .ic6 13. 'IlNxd5 exd5 14.b5+-; 13 ... .ixd5 14.tiJf3 .ixb4 15.f5. White has failed to win a pawn; nevertheless he has achieved a lot. He has a great space advantage on the kingside and that is going to cause Black a lot of problems later. 15 ...

tiJc6 16.0-0 0-0 17.f6 g6 IB.tiJel b5 19 ..ixb5 .ixd2 20.tiJd3 l"1fbB 21.c4 tiJb4 22 ..icl tiJxd3 23 ..ixd2 .ie4 24 ..ic3 tiJc5 25 ..ib4 tiJb3 26 . .id6 tiJxal 27.hb8 l"1xb8 28.l"1xal l"1a8 29.l"1a5±; 23 ... tiJxe5 24 ..if4 .ixc4 25 ..ixc4 tiJxc4 26.hb8 l"1xb8 27.l"1xa7±) 11..ixa3 ~a5 12 ..ib2 'IlNb6 13 ..id4! .ic5 14 ..ixc5 ~xc5 15.tiJf3 tiJc6 16.l"1bl a6 17.d4! (This move might seem risky, but White manages not only to repel the black queen from the c3-square, but also to exchange it favourably.) 17 ...'IlNc3+ 18.~f2 tiJb419.l"1b3! 'IlNc6 (Black loses his knight after 19 ... 'IlNxc2 +7 20. 'IlNxc2 tiJxc2 21..id3+-) 20.'IlNxc6+ tiJxc6 21..id3±.

8.bxc5! White should refrain from sacrificing a pawn in this closed position, for example: 8.tiJf3 cxb4 9.axb4 .ixb4 1O.tiJb5 tiJc6 11 ..id3 .ie7! (Black loses after 11 ... 0-07 12 ..ixh7+ ~xh7 13.tiJg5+ ~g6 14.'IlNg4 tiJdxe5 15.'IlNg3 .ixd2+ 16. ~xd2 tiJc4+ 17.~cl+-) 12.0-0 'IlNb6+ 13.~hl tiJc5+. 8 ... hc5 B... tiJxc5 9.tiJf3 0-0 1O.d4 tiJe4 11..id3 'IlNa5 12.0-0! (It turns out now that Black's threat to capture

1.e4 cS 2.a3 d63.b4 the knight on c3 is only illusory, since White recaptures his piece immediately.) 12 ... ltJxc3 13.'Wd2 ltJc6 14.i.xc3 'Wc71S.ltJgS! (This is a quite amusing attacking idea. White's knight penetrates to the h7-square deep into the enemy camp in order to create dangerous threats against the black king.) lS ... h6 16.ltJh7 1"i:dS 17.1"i:f3 bS IS. 1"i:g3 c;t>hS19.1"i:h3 c;t>gS 20.fS! (Naturally White should avoid the repetition of moves. He sacrifices temporarily a pawn instead and destroys the position of the black king.) 20 ... exfS 21.ltJf6+ i.xf6 22.exf6 'Wd6 23.fxg7 c;t>xg7 24.1"i:fl±. 9.lLlf3 lLlc6 Black should not be in a hurry to castle in this position, because he might become the victim of a standard combination: 9 ... 0-0 10. i.d3ltJc6? 1l.hh7+ c;t>xh712.ltJgS+ c;t>g613.'Wg4lLldxeS14.'Wg3 c;t>fS1S. fxeS 'WxgS 16.'Wd3+! c;t>xeS (16 ... c;t>g4 17.'Wf3+ c;t>h4 lS.'Wh3#) 17. ltJe4+-. 10.d4 i.e711.~b1 This surprising move is probably White's best resource. White can only achieve a quick draw if he plays the natural looking line: 1l.i.d3 'Wb612.ltJa4 'WaS+ 13.ltJc3 'Wb6=. White can provoke immediately great complications with the attractive pawn strike l1.fS!? Black's simplest and probably best defence would then be: 11...exfS! (It is weaker for him to follow with 11 ... ltJb6 12.fxe6 fxe6 13.i.d3 ltJaS 14.0-0 ltJac4 lS.i.c1 0-0 16.'We1

i.d7 17.'Wg3 'Wc7 lS.ltJe2 1"i:f7 19. i.xh7+! c;t>xh7 20.ltJgS+ i.xgS 21. 1"i:xf7 c;t>gS 22.1"i:xg7+ c;t>xg7 23. i.xgS+-; lS ... 1"i:acS 19.1tJf4 'Wc6 20.i.xh7+ c;t>xh7 21.Wh3+ rugS 22.ltJg6 c;t>f7 23.i.gS! i.xgS 24. ltJxgS+ c;t>xg6 2S.'Wh7+ c;t>xgS 26. h4 c;t>g4 27.'Wg6+ c;t>xh4 2S.ruh2+-) 12.ltJxdS 'WaS+ 13.ltJc3ltJb6°o. 1l... lLlb6 11 ... 0-0 12.i.d3 fS13.exf6 i.xf6 14.0-0 ltJxd4 lS.ltJxd4 i.xd4+ 16. ruhl c;t>hS 17.i.xh7! i.xc3 18.i.g6 'Wh419.hc3±. 12.i.d3 lLlc4 13.hc4 dxc4

14.0-0! It is weaker for White to play the premature 14.dS exdSoo. 14 •.• 0-0 15.c;t>h1 b6 16.f5 exf5 17. d5lLla5 18.d6 i.g5 19.1Lld5 i.e6 20.lLlxg5 'Wxg5 21.lLle7+ c;t>h8 22.'Wf3 ~ad8 23 •.ic3;t;. a2) 6 ... 0-0

Chapter 12 This move is very logical. Black continues with his development ignoring the strange moves of his opponent. 7.llJf3 b6 7 ... cxb4 S.axb4 d5 9.e5 (It is also interesting for White to followwith: 9 ..id3 .ixb41O.e5 CiJfd7?! 11..ixh7+ Wxh7 12.CiJg5+ WgS 13. ~h5+-; 12 ... wh6 13.~g4 CiJxe5 14.~h3+ Wg6 15.~h7+ wf6 16. fxe5+-; 12 ... Wg6 13.~g4 CiJxe5 14.~g3 CiJg415.~xg4 f516.~g3+-.

Black must immediately exchange that knight: 1O ... .ixc3! 11..ixc3 CiJe4! Now Black does not need to be afraid of the consequences of the dangerous sacrifice of the bishop on h7.12 ..ixe4 dxe413.CiJg5 e3 14.dxe3 ~xd1+ 15.Wxd1 b5 16.CiJe4 .ib7 17.CiJd6 .ixg2 lSJ'~gl .ic6 19.f5 E1dS 20.f6 g6 21..ia5 E1d7 oo ) 9 ... CiJe4 1O.~e2 CiJxc3 11. .ixc3 b6 12.CiJd4 as 13.~h5 .id7 14 ..id3 g6 15.~h6 CiJc6 16.h4! (White's attacking ideas might seem to be primitive and not really dangerous for Black. The attack however is quite strong and promises White good chances of success at the end.) 16 ... 4Jxb4 17.h5 4Jxd3+ lS.cxd3 g5 19.f5 f6 (19 ... exf5 20.e6 fxe6 21.4Jxe6+-) 20.fxe6 fxe5 21.exd7 (This pawn is too dangerous for Black and he will probably need to give up a piece for it subsequently.) 21... exd4 22.~e6+ Wg7 (22 ... E1t7 23.E1f1 ~fS 24 ..ixd4 .idS 25.E1xt7 ~xt7 26.~eS+ ~fS 27.E1c1.ic7 2S.~xaS ~xaS 29.E1xc7+-) 23 ..ixd4+ .if6 24.h6+ whS 25.hb6 E1a6 26.E1b1

~e7 27.~xe7

.ixe7 2S.E1f1 E1aaS 29.E1xfS+ E1xfS 30.E1c1 WgS 31..ixa5 g432.E1cS+-. 8 ..id3 White has some other ways of playing that position too, like: S.d4 cxd4 9.4Jxd4 .ib7 1O ..id3 CiJc6 1l.4Jxc6 .ixc6 12.~e2=; Or S.e5 4Jd5 9.CiJxd5 exd5 10. .ie2 (1O.bxc5 dxe5 11.fxe5 bxc5 12 ..ie2 4Jc6 13.0-0 E1bS 14.E1b1 f6=) 1O ... dxe5 11.CiJxe5 cxb4 12. axb4 .ixb4 13.0-0~. 8 ....ib7 S ... .ia6 9 ..ixa6 (9.0-0 .ixd3 10.cxd3 d5Â°o. It is more logical for White to play 9.b5;:!:;) 9 ... 4Jxa6 10.b5 CiJc7 11.0-0 a6 12.a4 d5 13.4Je5! (White's knight is headed for the weakened c6-square.) 13 ... d4 14.4Jc6 ~d7 15.e5 dxc3 16.CiJxe7+ ~xe7 17.exf6 ~xf6 IS . .ixc3 ~f5 19 ..ie5;:!:;. 9.0-0 llJc610.bxc5

10 ... dxc5 The computer programs recommend here a counterstrike that does not promise Black success either: 1O ... d511.e5 .ixc5+ 12. wh1 CiJd7. Just like before White has the typical combination: 13 ..ixh7+ Wxh714.4Jg5+ Wg615.~g4 CiJdxe5

1.e4 c5 2.a3 d63.b4 16.~g3 ~hS 17.~h3+ ~g6 18. ~h7+ ~f619.fxeS+ ~e7 (19 ... ~xgS 20.~xg7+ ~hS 21.g4+ ~h4 22. ~h6+ ~xg4 23.E1f4#) 20.~xg7~e8

10 ... ElfS 1l.g6! fxg612.~g4 Elf6 13.ttJd5±. b2) 6 ... h6

21.ttJbS+-. H.e5 ttJd5 12.ttJxd5 ~xd5 13.~e2 ttJd4 14.ttJxd4 cxd4 15. f5 exf5 16.E1xf5 .ic5 17.\!}h1 E1aeS lS.E1afl g6 19.E1g5 ~a2 20 ..ia1 ~xa3 21..ic4ao. b) 6.g4!?

This flank operation is quite risky for both sides! Similar ideas enjoy great popularity in different openings nowadays. This is quite understandable; since White should strive to seize the initiative starting on move one! b1) 6 ••• e5 This move is natural, but it does not solve Black's problems. White occupies space on the kingside and Black does not have sufficient counterplay. 7.g5 tiJfd7 S.h4 h6 9.~f3 ttJc610 ..ic4! Black has problems now with the defence of the f7 -square as well as plenty of other reasons to worry about!

7.h4 ttJc6 S.Elh3! This is a quite original idea! It would not seem so strange if you think about it. White plans to play g4-gS and places his rook on a defended square. White's other moves are weaker here: 8.bS 8 ... ttJeS! (8 ... ttJd4 9 ..ig2 ttJxg4? 1O.~xg4 ttJxc2+ 11. ~d1 ttJxa1 12 ..ixa1 .if6 13.ttJf3 ~aS 14.eS dxeS lS.ttJe4 ~a4+ 16.~c1 ~xa3+ 17 ..ib2 ~d3 18. ttJxeS±) 9 ..ie2 dS 10.d4 ttJg6 (10 ... cxd4 11.~xd4 ttJc4 12 ..ixc4 dxc4 13.~xd8+ hd8 14.f3 eS lS.ttJge2 .ie6 16.0-0-0 ttJd7=) l1.eS ttJd7 12.hS ttJf4 13 ..if1 f6+; 8 ..ig2 cxb4 9.axb4 ttJxb4 10.gS hxgS l1.hxgS Elxh1 12 ..ixh1 ttJh7 13.g6 fxg614 ..ia3 ttJc61S.~g4 ttJgS 16.ttJge2 ttJeS 17.~g3 .if6 18.f4 ttJgf7 (18 ... ttJgf3+ 19.~d1 .ih4 20.~h3±) 19.~d1 lDc4 20 ..ic1 gS 21.d3 gxf4 22.hf4 g5+. S ... e5 8 ... cxb4 9.axb4 lDxb4 10.gS ttJd7 l1.ttJbS hxgS 12.hxgS E1xh3 13.ttJxh3 ttJcS 14.hg7;l:;.

Chapter 12 9.g5 hh3 10.gxf6 hflll. fxe7 'lWxe7 12.lLid5 'lWxh4 13. @xfl 'lWxe4 14.lLic7+ @d7 15. lLixaS ~xaS

16.d3;;!;. b3) 6 ... d5

7.g5lLifd7 This retreat is too passive. White must now exchange his gpawn for the opponent's central pawn and that promises him excellent chances. In case of Black's most principled decision - 7 ... lLixe4 - White preserves again better chances, moreover Black might quickly fall into trouble in some lines: S.cuxe4 dxe4 9.1xg7 E:1gS 1O.1c3 E:1xg5 11. cuh3! (Black is faced with a difficult choice, since every retreat of the rook has certain drawbacks.)

11...E:1f5 (l1 ... E:1gS 12.1l~rh5;j;; 11 ... E:1g6 12.cuf4 E:1g513.h4! E:1f514.cuh5 @fS 15.'lWg4! This is the beginning of a direct attack on the open file and Black's defence is already quite problematic. 15 ... cxb416.E:1g1 @eS 17.cug7@d71S.cuxf5bxc319.cuxe7 cxd2+ 20.@e2 'Wxe7 21.E:1d1 f5 22. 'lWgS+-) 12.E:1g1 'Wd6 13.E:1gS+ 1fS 14. 'We2! 'Wxh2 15.'Wxe4 cud7 16. 0-0-0 (White has completed his development successfully and his attack becomes decisive outright.) 16 ... cxb417.1xb4 a51S. hfS cuxfS 19.'Wa4+ @e7 20.'Wh4+ @eS 21.f4 1d7 22.1d3 E:1c5 23.E:1g7 1a4 24. E:1xf7 ~xf7 25.CUg5 E:1xg5 26.'Wxh2+S.exd5exd5 S ... 1xg5 9.dxe6 fxe6 (9 ... 'We7 1O.cue4 'Wxe6 11.'We2 1e7 12.1h3 'Wc613.1xg7 E:1gS14.1c3Â±) 1O.cue4 0-0 11.'Wg4 1f6 12.'Wxe6+ ~hS 13.cuxf6 cuxf614.'Wc4 cxb415.axb4 1e616.'Wh4;;!;. 9.cuxd5 0 - 0 10 .cuxe7+ 'Wxe7+ 1l.'lWe2 'lWxg5 12.cuf3 'WdSI3.0-0-0 ~eSI4.'lWd3;j; White now has excellent attacking prospects. He can force a draw immediately if he wishes: 14.E:1g1 E:1xe2 15.hg7 E:1xf216.iLh6=. b4) 6 ... 0-0

l.e4 cS 2.a3 d63.b4 Black intends to prove that White's pawn offensive is not so perilous. He has some reasons though, since White must play quite precisely in order to succeed, otherwise Black might seize the initiative very quickly. 7 •.ig2 This solid move consolidates White's position. He can start his attack a bit later. 7.gS ctJfd7 B.h4 ctJc6 9.bS (9.f4 cxb4 1O.axb4 ctJxb4 11.ctJf3 fS 12. exfS exfS 13.ibc4+ cj;JhB 14.hS :geB 1S.cj;Jf1 ctJb616.ibf7 :gfB17.ibb3 :geB 1B.h6.ifB 19.96+-; 11 ... eS12.fS dS 13.exdS ctJb614.f6 gxf61S.:gg1 cj;JhB 16.ctJe4 ibfS; 11...dS 12.eS f67 13. exf6 gxf6 14J=fg1 fS 1S.ctJbS a6 16.ctJbd4 ctJcS17 ..ia3 ctJc61B.ctJxc6 bxc6 19.ctJeS±; 12 ... b6 13.ctJe2 as 14.ctJfd4 .ia61S.ctJg3 ibxf116.cj;Jxfl Vf1c7 17.hs ibcs+) ctJd4 1O.ctJf3 fS!7 This interesting counterstrike shows that Black's position is not so bad after all! He is in fact already a little better. 11.ctJxd4 (11.ibg2 ctJeS12.ctJxd4 cxd413.ctJe2

d3 14.ctJd4 fxe4 1S.ibxe4 :gf4 16. cxd3 dS 17.ctJxe6 :gxe4+ 1B.dxe4 ctJd319.cj;Je2 ibxe6 20.cj;Jxd3 dxe4+ 21.cj;Jxe4 ibdS+ 22.cj;Je3 Vf1eB-+) 11...cxd4 12.ctJe2 fxe4 13.ctJxd4 ctJcS+. 7 .. .llJc68.bxc5! B.gS ctJd7 9.bxcS dxcS 1O.h4 bS 11.f4 b4 12.ctJce2 as 13.ctJf3 iba6 14.hS c4 1S.h6 g6 16.ctJed4 ctJxd4 17.ctJxd4 Vf1c7 1B.eSoo. 8 ... dxc5 9.f4 e5 IO.f5 b5 H.g5 ctJd712.h4 ctJd4

13.llJd5;j; White has a powerful pawn chain on the kingside and a strong centralized knight too. All that guarantees him better prospects.

Conclusion The lines that we have dealt with in this chapter requirefrom White not so much extensive theoretical knowledge as preparedness to risk. White's main attacking idea is to organize a pawn offensive on the kingside. Thefianchettoed dark squared bishop supports it quite efficaciously. It is difficult to assert that White has a definite advantage, because Black's play is logical enough and he has not made any obvious mistakes. It is still evident that White has the initiative. His threats are quite real and Black might easily get into trouble. It is only the tournament practice that is going to say the final words in this line.

Chapter 13

l.e4 cS 2.a3

We are going to deal in this chapter with several rare moves that deserve some attention after all. a) 2 ... aS? This is a very weak move from the point of view of positional play. Black weakens the b6 and b5squares without getting anything in return. The only thing that he achieves is the prevention of the threat b2-b4. It was hardly so dangerous for Black to have to resort to such desperate measures to defend from it! 3.ll::lf3 Black cannot hope now to get a satisfactory position because White can get a big advantage in numerous ways. 3 ... b6 3 ... ct:lc6 4.~b5. This is the simplest for White. His bishop on b5 is very well placed and it cannot be repelled from there. (It is also good for White to play 4.d4 cxd4 5.ct:lxd4 g6 6.ct:lc3 ~g7 7.~e3;!; Kroshk - CHESSOOO, Internet 2004; as well as 4.ct:lc3±) 4 ... ct:lf6 5.e5±. 4.d4 cxd4 5.ltJxd4 ~b7 6.

ct:lc3 ttJc6 7.~e3 e6 S.ltJdbS d6 9.~f4 eS10.ltJdS! This is the simplest and the best for White. His bishop is untouchable now! White managed to win also with: 1O.~e3?! ct:lf6 1l.f3 ~a6 12.~g5 ~e7 13.~xf6 gxf6 14. ct:ld5 ~xb5 15.~xb5 E1cS 16.~d2 E1gS17.0-0 i>f81S.f4 ct:ld419.~d3 exf4 20.~xf4 ltJe6 21.~h6+ i>eS 22.ct:lxf6+ ~xf6 23.~b5+ i>e7 24. ~xf6+ 1-0 Kroshk - Guest, Internet 2004 lO ••• E1cS 10 ... exf4? 1l.ct:lbc7+ i>d7 12. ~g4+ f5 13.~xf5# 11.~e3+-. Black loses his b6pawn and his brittle position is bound to crumble soon afterwards. b) 2 ... b6

l.e4 cS 2.a3 rare lines 3.b4 I can also suggest the seemingly illogical move 3.CtJf3!? It is amazing that position has not been tested in practice yet. It might seem strange that White showed his intention to play b2-b4 with his second move and now it looks like he changed his mind! The correct explanation is very simple. I think that the inclusion of the moves a2-a3 and b7-b6 (in comparison to the main line Sicilian positions after l.e4 cS 2.CtJf3) is in favour of White! The reason is that Black's hopes to get counterplay are mostly connected with the active pawn-advance b7bS, and not so much with the timid b7-b6. White's pawn move a2-a3 is very useful for him, for example White is not afraid of the pin of his knight after ~fS-b4, White has the possibility of playing b2-b4 at his disposal and the a2-square might be used by some white piece just in case. So it is quite reasonable for White to test the simple 3.CtJf3 followed by 4.d4. 3 ... ~b7 4.lbc3 d6 4 ... e6 - Black should better play that on his second move. Black's bishop is on b7 now and the white rook can attack it. S. bxcS! bxcS (It is not logical for Black to play S... ~xcS, because White is clearly better after 6.d4± because of his domination in the centre.) 6J'~b1 ~cS (Black is forced to play that ugly move in order to defend his bishop. If the black queen had occupied the c7-square

White could have attacked it with his knight.) 7.ltJf3 (White has also tested the eccentric move 7.g4!?, which is not bad at all! He occupies additional space on the kingside, but Black can get some counterplay because of that. White will not be worse anyway ... 7 .. . CtJc6 S.~g2 :gbS 9.d3 d61O.f4 ro ; 9 .. . CtJge7 10.CtJge2 ItJd4? 11.~f4! :gaS 12.CtJxd4 cxd413.ltJbS CtJg614.~d6 f6 lS.~d2 \t>f7 16.~xfS ~xfS 17. CtJxd4±; 11 ... CtJec6?! 12.hbS+- Luberti -Van der Linden, Netherlands 1995; 10 ... ltJg611.h4 ~e712. gSro) 7... ltJc6 S.~bSltJd4 9.~c4 CtJf6 1O.0-0!? CtJxe4 11.ltJxe4 ~xe4 12. CtJxd4 cxd4 13.d3 ~c6 14.~g4 dS lS.~a2 eS 16.~hS ~d6 17.f4 ~e6 lS.fxeS g6 19.~h4 ~xeS 20.~h6 \t>d7 21.:gbe1 :ghgS 22.~f4 gS (22 ... f6 23.~xh7+ \t>d6 24.c3 :ghS 2S. ~xg6 :gagS 26.heS+-) 23.hgS±. 5.lbf3!

White must prepare and play d2-d4 under favourable circumstances. It is weaker for him to try the immediate S.d4?! cxd4 (S ... CtJd7 6.CtJf3 g6 7.~b2 ~g7 S.~c4, Kuipers - Van der Heijden, Hengelo, 1996, S ... cxd4 9.CtJxd4 CtJgf6+) 6.~xd4 CtJc6=. 5 ... lbf6

Black cannot afford to remain impartial towards the actions of his opponent in the centre, for example: S... CtJd7 6.d4 :gcS 7.bxcS dxcS S.dS g6 (S ... e6 9.dxe6 fxe6 1O.~bS ~c6 11.0-0 ~f6 12.~xc6 :gxc613.~b2±) 9.eS ~g71O.~e2 a6 11.~b2 CtJh6 12.e6 CtJfS 13.0-0-0

Chapter 13 ~d614.Wb1!±.

6 ..ib5+ ttJbd7 6 ... CiJc67.e$±.

b4-b5. White should not be de.terred to continue with his idea: 3.b4 e5 4.ttJf3 ~c7 5 . .ib2 ttJc6 6 ..ic4!? This gambit manner of playing seems very attractive. White's advantage is very problematic after the already tested lines: 6.CiJc3 CiJf6 7.CiJd5 (7.b5 CiJd4 8.ic4 ie7 9.0-0 0-0 00 ; 7..ic4 cxb4 8.axb4 ixb4 9. 0-0 ixc3 1O.ixc3 CiJxe4 11.ib2~) 7... CiJxd5 8.exd5 CiJd4°o Mengarini - Murray, New York 1966. 6 ... cxb4 Should Black continue to play calmly he is not safe at all after: 6 ... CiJf6 7.0-0 d6 8.CiJg5! This is an important resource of White's attack. 8 ... LtJd8 9.f4 cxb4 1O ..ib3 h6 11.LtJf3 LtJc6 12.axb4±. 7.0-0 ttJf6 S.ttJg5 LtJdS 9 . .ib3 h6 10 .ttJf3 ttJc6

7.0-0! This is an interesting sacrifice of the e4-pawn in order to open the e-file. White gets excellent attacking prospects after it. 7 ... ttJxe4 (7 ... cxb4 8.axb4 CiJxe4 9.CiJxe4 .ixe4 1O.CiJg5 .ig6 11.~f3 E:c8 12. E:xa7±; 11...e5 12 ..ixd7+ Wxd7 13.ttJxf7 .ixf7 14.~xf7±) S.ttJxe4 he4 9.E:el! (White does not have more than a draw after: 9.ttJg5?! .ig6 1O.~f3 E:c8 11..id3 ttJe5 12 . .ib5+ ttJd7 13 ..id3=) 9 .•. .ib7 (9 ... .ixf3 10.~xf3±) 10.bxc5 bxc5 (10 ... dxc5?? 11.ttJe5+-) 1l.d4 cxd4 12.ttJxd4 g6 13.ttJc6 hc6 14 ..ixc6 E:cS 15.~xd6 e6 16. ~d4 E:gS17.~c4 .ie71S •.if4 g5 19 ..ig3±. c) 2 ... a6 1l.d4 d6 12.axb4 ttJxe4 13. This is not a bad move, but it is :Se1 .if5 14 . .id5 ttJf6 15.dxe5 a bit passive. Black prepares in dxe516. hc6+ ~xc617.ttJxe5 advance some countermeasures ~e6 lS.ttJd3 (18.CiJxf7+-) IS ... against White's pawn-assault b2- ttJe419.f3+-. Conclusion The moves for Black that we have dealt with in this chapter are quite rare nowadays. They have not been tested in the grandmaster practice yet. It is quite evident that Black can hardly equalize if he plays like that and White preserves a lasting advantage.

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