Attacking the English Reti (Delchev, Semkov).pdf

AttackingThe English/Reti A Black Repertoire with 1...e5/1...d5 Alexander Delchev Semko Semkov

Chess Stars www.chess-stars.com

Chess Stars Publishing Current Theory and Practice Series

Attacking The English/Reti

Cover design by Rustam Taichinov Copyright 1£)2616 by Alexander Delchev and Semko Semkov

Printed in Bulgaria ISBN: 978-619-7188-09-7

Contents Bibliography

4

Introduction

5

The English Opening 9

1.

l.c4 e5 2.g3 lllf6 3 ..ig2 c6

2.

l.c4 e5 2.g3 c6

3.

l.c4 e5 2.liJc3 liJf6 3.g3 c6

61

4.

l.c4 e5 2.liJc3 liJf6 3.liJf3 liJc6

73

5.

l.c4 e5 2.liJc3 liJf6 3.liJf3 liJc6 4.e3

85

6.

3.liJf3 liJc6 4.g3 .ib4 5.liJd5

44

101

7.

3.liJf3 liJc6 4.g3 .ib4 5..ig2

115

8.

Rare Second Moves

133

TheReti 9.

l.liJf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4

145

10. l.liJf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.e3

159

11. l.liJf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.g3

175

12. l.liJf3 d5 2.g3 c6

193

13. The King's Indian Set-np

215

14. l.g3

223

Index of Variations

Bibliography Books The Modern Reti, Alexander Delchev, Chess Stars 2012 The English Opening Volume I, Mihail Marin, Quality Chess 2009 Mastering the Chess Openings Volume 3, John Watson, Gambit 2008 The English Opening, Zenon Franco, Gambit 2006 How to play the English Opening, Anatoly Karpov, Batsford 2007 Periodicals Chess Informant New in Chess

Internet resources Databases The Week In Chess (www.theweekinchess.com) 10 Days (www.Chessmix.com) Chess Publishing (www.chesspublishing.com) Chess Today (www.chesstoday.net)

4

Introduction

This book aims to offer an active Black repertoire against The Eng­ lish Opening 1.c4, the Reti 1.ltlf3, and their siblings that arise after 1.g3. More importantly, we try to offer not only variations, but also a philosophy of how to treat such openings.

1.g3 e5 2.i.g2 d5 3.d3 ltlf6 4.ltlf3 i.d6 5.0-0 0-0;

A century ago they called them

simply "irregular". Since then, no­ body has revoked the importance of the centre, but nowadays we are so sweeped off by the torrents of variations the engines provide that we tend to forget convention­ al wisdom. Our reasoning is simple: if White

We apply the same approach to the Reti: 1.lilf3 d5 2.c4 d4! and if 3.b4 f6! 4.e3 e5

gave us a chance, we should seize central space; if he played passive­ ly, we should advance. Our goal is to reach an ideal pawn centre: 1.c4 e5 2.g3 c6 3.i.g2 d5 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.d4 e4;

You may find old books or anno­ tated games that criticize Black's set-up on the first diagram. All the better for you - this book will arm you with an innovative approach and thorough original analysis 5

which often refutes widely ac­ cepted assessments. Many of our main lines are nearly unexplored and they are blank spots in theory. Chapter 1 offers a repertoire based on l.c4 e5 2.g3?! li:lf6 3.i.g2 c6!. Chapter 2 presents an independ­ ent alternative repertoire based on l.c4 e5 2.g3?! c6!?. We explain the pros and cons of the two move orders in the corre­ spondent "Main Ideas" chapters. Both are of equal worth and claim the initiative since the first moves. We have not tried to find equal­ izers. On the contrary, we believe that Black has all the reasons to fight for an initiative so we chose enterprising lines, often connect­ ed with pawn sacrifices. We dis­ covered amazing variety of posi­ tions where Black can give up one of his central pawns to get a strong attack in return. Chapters 6 and 7 deal with a more restrictive approach from White: 1.c4 e5 2.li:lc3! li:lf6 3.li:lf3! li:lc6 4.g3. This is played "by the ABC­ book" and we have little ground for an early activity here. Still, we chose the most active options af­ ter the move 4...i.b4. We do not cover lines with 4...d5 at all. Especially interesting is the line 5.i.g2 0-0 6.0-0 e4 7.li:lgS hc3 8.bxc3 E1e8 9.f3. 6

This position has been in the lime­ light ever since the K-K match in 1987 and it seems that it is hyper topical again. We analyse both 9... e3!? and 9...exf3 in order to give you alternatives. I have always been eager to find an exploitative strategy against passive opening play. I have star­ ted with the set-up d5-e6. My idea was to advance slowly, gradually rolling the pawns into the enemy territory. The following game il­ lustrates the zest of this strategy:

Sveshnikov-Semkov Albena, 1 987 l.g3 d5 2.li:lf3 e6 3.i.g2 i.d6 4.0-0 li:le7 5.c4 c6 6.b3 e5 7.i.b2 f6

8.li:lc3 a6 9.d4 e4 10.li:lel f5 ll.f3

Introduction 0-0 12.ltlc2 �e6 13.fxe4 fxe4 14.sxfs+ Wxfs 1s.wa2 ltld7 16.ia3 ha3 17.ltlxa3 ltlg6 18.ltlc2 1Wf5 19.ltle3 '!Wh5 20.sfl ltle7 21.ltlcdl se8 22.sf2 1Wg5 23.Wlb4

This book presents a refined and more aggressive version of the above strategy. We emphasized on piece play, regarding the pawn centre as a mean and not as a goal. We can always sacrifice it in order to get to the enemy king. Finally, I should mention the line 1.lilf3 d5 2.g3 c6 3.c4 �g4 - Chap­ ter 12.

23...c5 24.1Wxb7 cxd4 25.ltlxd5 ltlxd5 26.cxd5 ltlc5 27.1Wc6 sc8 28.1Wd6 1Wxd5 29.Wixd5 hd5 30.e3 d3

It falls out of our general line of preparing ...e5, but it is the best way of meeting White's move or­ der according to Delchev.

31.©fl ltld7 32.el ltlf6 33.h3 sc2 34.sd2 scl 35.sb2 !k2 36.g4 h6 37.a4 @f7 38.b4 ©e7 39.b5 a5 40.b6 �b7 41.�fl ltld5 42.sb5 sh2 43.ltlf2 d2+ 44.©xd2 sxf2+ 45.©el sf6 0-1

The book is written in first person, but it is a collaborative work. Eve­ ry line has been checked and dis­ cussed by both authors Semko Semkov June

2016

7

Chapter 1. 1.c4 e5 2.g3 lLlf6 3.i.g2 c6

Main Ideas

This is the most important chapter of our book. It presents a sharp at­

case, White does not actively attack the centre.

tacking rep ertoire against White's pop ular approach in the English

I adhere to the classical school of chess. I believe in quick develop­

1.c4 e5 2.g3

quence of moves like l.c4 e5! 2.g3?!

Opening lately:

ment and central strategy. A se­

defies my understanding of the game. When I see the diagram posi­

tion, I think we should immediately

switch to "p unishing mode" and try to take over the initiative! The most consistent retort, in my opinion, is to

occupy the centre by ...c6 and ...d5. The big question is should we insert 2...lilf6 3.lilc3 and only then 3...c6, or answer 2...c6. Both move orders By delaying li:lc3, White leaves him­ self more options against the Re­ versed Sicilian set-up when Black

plays an early ...d7-d5. For instance, after 2...lilf6 3.i!.g2 d5 4.cxd5 lilxd5 5.lilf3 li:lc6 6.0-0 lilb6 7.d3 i!.e7,

8.lilbd2 is preferred over 8.lilc3. Another point against 2.li:lc3 is

are possible and have their own spe­

cifics. I discuss them in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 which propose two al­

ternative, albeit similar, repertoires against White's fianchetto. Chapter 3 covers 2.li:lc3 lilf6 3.g3 c6.

2

•••

li:lf6 3.i!.g2 c6!

the line 2...li:lf6 3.g3 c6 4.d4 exd4

5.®xd4 d5 6.il.g2 i!.e6 when 7.li:lf3 would face 7...dxc4. Stayed the knight on bl, White would have had a4, li:lbd2 while from c3 it cannot re­ capture the sacrificed pawn. These two examples reveal the rea­ son behind 2.g3. However, flexibil­

ity always comes at a cost. In our

9 ---··----

Chapter l White has three major plans from here:

1. White attacks the d5-pawn.

Mastrovasilis played it in 2013 and then it has occurred in practical chess only 4 more times. Black has scored a total of 4.5/5!

The tactical background of our setup was shown in the game Peter­ sons-Tal, Riga 1958: 4.lilc3 d5

5.cxd5 cxd5 6.ll!'b3 lilc6! Now 7.lilxd5 lild4 8.lilxf6+ 1ll'xf6 (or 8...gxf6), guarantees Black a lasting initiative for the pawn.

The critical line is 9.1ll'b5 when we shed in a pawn - 9...0-0!? 10.lilxd5 h6 n.lilxf6+ li:lxf6 12.M6 1ll'xf6 13.e3 a6!

He puts a rook on c8 and the threat of ...li:lc2+ forces the enemy to lose his castling rights. Throughout this chapter, we11 often see Black sacrificing a pawn for the initiative. That is not a speculative approach to the game aimed at fish­ ing in muddy waters. It stems from purely positional factors. White has neglected basic laws of chess and we got the chance of taking the centre. He might win a pawn in some lines, but that would give us a lead in de­ velopment. Thus we would transfer our static edge (pawn centre) into a dynamic advantage - active pieces. The core of my repertoire is the line

4.d4 e4! 5.lilc3 d5 6.ig5 lilbd7 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.'lifb3 id6! This position is nearly unexplored. 10

Now 14.1ll'd5 ib4+, 14.1ll'e2 ib4+ and 14.1ll'b3 ie6 15.1ll'dl tb4+ leave White's king in the centre, so 14.1ll'a5 looks best - 14...tg4 15.h3 ie6 16.lile21ll' e7 17.a3 f5 18.0-0 ic4 19 .111'd2 1ll'f7 2 0.l'lfcl l'lad8!

1.c4 e5 2.g3 lla 6 f5 13.if3 d3!. He had more natural develop­ ing moves like 9...id6 or even 9 ...lilf6. 9...h4 10.d3, 10.ixh3? \\!.lxh3 ll.'l>llxb7 l!ld7.

1.li:lf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.g3 transposing to the comments to White's move 9.

8.d3 8.e3? li:lf6 9..lig2 dxe3 10.'1¥e2 (10. fxe3 hxg3 ll.hxg3 i.d6) 10 ...li:ld4 11.'1¥xe3+ .W.e7 12.li:lc3 occurred in V.Popov-Navara, Minsk 2015, when 12 ...li:lg4! was winning. 8..lig2 li:lf6 9.li:lf3 hxg3 10.fxg3 .lih3 11.d3?! (11.i.xh3 !lxh3 12.d3 was the lesser evil) ll ...'1¥d7 12.l'lf2 li:lg4 13.i.xh3 l'lxh3 14.l'lg2 0-0-0 was seen in Harika-Zimina, Rome 2015.

This positron illustrates Black's main goal after 6...h5!. White is probably lost here. Harika played 15.li:la3 when the strongest plan was 15...f6 followed up by ...g5. The decisive blow should be dealt on h2, e.g. 16.'/¥a4 g5 17.b4 hb4 18.l'lbl .lic5 19.li:lc2 l'ldh8 20..lia3 ha3 21.li:lxa3 li:lxh2! 22.li:lxh2 '1¥h7 23.'1¥b5 l'lxg3!-+.

s th3 ...

8...li:lf6!? is another critical line. a) 9..lig5 hxg3 10.fxg3 li:le5 n.li:ld2 (11..lig2 .lie7) ll... li:leg4 12.li:lef3

Black has various ways of develop­ ing his attack. 12 ...!lh3 or 12 ...l'lh5!? threaten ...li:lxh2. Another obvious try is 12 ...li:le3 13.'1¥a4+ c6 14.l'lfcl .W.e7. Perhaps the most unpleasant con­ tinuation is 12 ...c6!, anticipating White's check from a4 and enhan­ cing the above-mentioned threats. If then 13.'1¥a4 (13.li:lh4 '1¥a5 14.c5 '1¥xc5 15..lif5 l'lxh4 16.hf6 l'lh6-t), 13... l'lh5 14.l'lfcl '1¥d7 15.i.£4 li:le3 looks rather ominous. In these lines White's light-squared bishop is clearly missing from g2. So we should consider: b) 9 ..lig2 hxg3 10.fxg3 .lih3 (10 ... li:lg4 is also worth considering) 11.l'lf2 (11.i.xh3 l'lxh3 12.li:lf3 and 11 ..lig5 '1¥d7 12.hf6 were more resilient, but Black is better in either case.) ll ...li:lg4 12.l'lf4 (avoiding the pat­ tern ofHarika-Zimina after 12.l'lg2) 12 ...hg2 13.l'lxg4 .lih3 14.l'le4+ .W.e7 15.li:ld2 '1¥d7 16.b4 f5 was yet anoth­ er opening rout, Podzielny-Meister, playchess.com 2007. Attack is the best defence and White should probably not lose any tem­ po, but take immediately on c6: 189

Chapter 11 c) 9.hc6+ ! bxc6 10.lilf3 aiming for lilbl-d2-e4. Then 10 ...hxg3 ll.fxg3 lilg4 is unclear:

10.fi.f4?

White has 12.e4 dxe3 13.he3 fi.e7 14.sel lilxe3 15.sxe3 0-0 where the bishop pair serves as a good com­ pensation for the pawn.

9.lilg2 9.fi.g2 hxg3 10.fxg3 1!!.ld7 ll.lild2 0-0-0 is excellent for Black, but: 9.1!!.lb3, aiming to hamper the cas­ tle, deserves attention: 9... 1!!.lcS (9... hxg3? 10.1!!.lxb7) 10.fi.g2 10. lilg2 is dangerous for White since his pieces remain passive 10... lilf6 11.fi.f3 lilg4 12.lild2 fi.e7. 10 ...hg2 11.lilxg2 hxg3 12.fxg3. Now 12... 1!!.lh3 13.1!!.lxb7 1!!.lxh2+ 14.12/f2 @d7 15.fi.f4 sc8 16.lild2 lilf6 17.shl ltlg4� forces a draw, but of course Black should keep the ten­ sion with 12 ...1!!.ld7! 13.lild2 0-0-0.

9 . '!Nd7 ..

It was better to exchange first on g3, avoiding the exchange sacrifice lilxh4 - 9 ...hxg3! 10.fxg3 1!!.ld7 with a strong attack. The same reason­ ing applies to Tomashevsky's next moves, too. 101)

10.fi.g5 fi.e7 is also dubious. 10.lilxh4! was the only defence. I would not even consider taking the exchange. Black retains the in­ itiative with 10... lilf6! ll.fi.f3 lilg4, for instance: 12.fi.e4 fi.e7! (there is no reason to repeat moves with 12 ...ltlf6) 13.'l;\lb3 lild8 14.MS '/ilc6 15.lilf3 lilxh2. 10.fi.f4? hxg3 11.fxg3 ltlf6 12.fi.f3 ltlg4+.

10... lilf6 11.m td6 cn... hxg3 12.fxg3 lilg4+) 12.1!!.lcl 0-0-0 13.lila3 hxg3 14.fxg3 Black has obtained a very strong position and now 14 ...fi.xf4! 15. '/ifxf4 sde8 16.sf2 ltle5 was clearly better for him. His next two moves wipe out his advantage.

14 lilg4?! 15.hd6 (15 .. .hg2 ! 16.hg2 cxd6) •••

cxd6

1.ltlf3 dS 2.c4 d4 3.g3

16.hg4 White should be able to hold af­ ter 16.111'f4, e.g. 16 ...lilce5 17.lilb5 a6 18.lilxd4 @b8 19 ..b:g4 lilxg4 20.11!fxf7 111'xf7 21.!lxf7 .b:g2 22.!lxg7 !lxh2 23.!lxg4 l'lhl+ 24.@xg2 !lxal 25.a3 !la2 26.b3 l'lxa3 27.!lg7 dS=.

gxh4 34.gxh4 e2 35.©f2 l'lxb2 36.h5 llb4 0-1

26. Zmokly Ness ICCF 2011 -

l.lil:t3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.g3 lilc6 4..ig2 e5 5.d3.ib4+ 6 .id2 a5 7.0-0 lilf6 8.e3 0-0 9.exd4 lilxd4 10.lilxd4 Vlrxd4 11..ic3 Vlrd6 12.a3 •

16 ...'l;l'xg4 17.!lf2?! 17.111'f4 was essential - 17...lile5 (17...11!1xe2 18.l'lf2 11!1xd3 19.lilb5co) 18.11!1xg4+ lilxg4 19.l'lf4 fS 20.l'lxd4 .b:g2 21.l'lxg4! fxg4 22.@xg2 with good chances for a draw.

17 g5 18.c5 (or 18.b4 @b8 19.lilc2 lile5 20.lilgel f5) 18 ...!lhe8 19.lilb5 .••

dxc5 20.'l;l'xc5 @bS 21.!lel !le5 22.11!fc4

12....ig4 Black could include first 12 ....ic5 13.lild2 111'xd3 14..b:e5 and only now 14....ig4. Then 15.lilf3 11!1f5 16..b:c7 a4 offers good compensation, but 15.$.£3 looks totally equal. The text keeps the pawn structure unbalanced.

13 .i:f.3 •

Black dominates in the centre and he only needs to open another file against the enemy king to finish the game.

22 f5!-+ 23.e3 hg2 24.!lxg2 dxe3 25.'l;l'xg4 fxg4 26.lila3 lild4 27.lilc4 lil:t3+ 28.©fl lilxel 29. lilxe5 lilxg2 30. ©xg2 l'ld5 31.lilxg4 llxd3 32.©:f.3 l'ld2 33.h4 •••

The bishop does not stand well on f3. Perhaps 13.11!fd2 .b:c3 14.lilxc3 c6 15.111'e3 was more solid.

13 hc3 14.lilxc3 .ih3 .••

14...MS 15.lile4 is about even.

15.!lel c6

191

Chapter 11 ea! chances, but in an email game, White easily holds the balance.

23.hhS !