Basic chess openings - Kallai.pdf

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CHESS OPENINGS I

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BASIC CHESS OPENINGS GABOR

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EVERYMAN CHESS Everyman Chess, formerly Cadogan Chess, is published by Everyman Publishers, London

F1rst published in 1997 by Gloucester Pubhshers pic, (formerly Everyman Pubhshers pic), Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London, EC1V OAT Copynght

©

1997 Gabor Id8 10 0-0 .tb 7 1 1 '61Vf3 l:.b8 12 lbc3 ! exd4 (but not 12 . . . lbxc3 13 dxc3 '61Vxc1? 14 '61Vxf7 + -) 13 d3 '61Vf6 14 '61Vg4! .tc8 15 '61Vh5 lbe7 16 lbe4 and at last White gets on top. d) 5 lbxd5? (an unsound but frequently played move, so White must be prepared) 6 d4! (6lbx£7?! is not convincing: 6 . . . xf7 7 'iVf3+ e6 8 lbc3 lbb4! 9 '61Ve4 c6 10 a3 lba6 1 1 d4 lbc7, and White has no clearly advantageous continu­ ation, just a piece less) 6 . . . exd4 (alternatively, 6 . . . .tb4 + 7 c3 .te7 8 �f7! xf7 9 'iVf3+ e6 10 '61Ve4 ±, threatening f2-f4, while 6 ... .te7 7 �f7! xf7 8 'i'f3 + e6 9 lbc3 lbb4 10 '61Ve4 c6 1 1 a3 lba6 12 '61Vxe5 + f7 13 �d5 cxd5 14 .txd5 + fB 15 0-0 is also better for White) 7 0-0 .te6 8 l:.e1 '61Vd7 9 lbx£7! x£7 10 'iVf3+ g8 1 1 :Xe6! and Black has to resign. •••

6 .tb5+

The artificial 6 d3 h 6 7 lbf3 e 4 8 '61Ve2 �c4 9 dxc4 .tc5 and 1 0. . . 0-0 favours Black, whose natural fol­ low-up moves are . . ..tg4 an� . . . c7c6.

6 c6! 7 dxc6 bxc6 8 .te2 •••

White is in trouble after 8 .td3? lbd5 9 lbe4 f5 10 lbg3 lbf4 1 1 .tfl .tc5 + or 8 .ta4 h6 9 lbf3 e4 10 '61Ve2 .te6 1 1 lbe5 '61Vd4! 12 .txc6 + �c6 13 �c6 '61Vd5! 14 '61Va6 .tc8 15 '61Va4 .td7 - + . However, Black

Two Knights Defence

has a more difficult task after 8 'ii f3 !?, when 8 ... cxb5?! is insuffi­ cient: 9 'iixa8 'ii'd7 10 'ii'f3 .i.b7 1 1 'iie2 hg2 12 llg1 .tc6 1 3 d3 fol­ lowed by c!Oc3, .td2 and 0-0-0 ±. Instead of 8 . . . cxb5?! , he should play 8 ... llb8!? 9 .i.d3 (9 .i.xc6 + c!Oxc6 10 'ii'xc6+ c!Od7 +. White has a fatal lack of development and is threatened by ...'ii'xg5, ...llb6 ....i.b7 and . . . e5-e4, after the withdrawal of the knight from g5) 9 ... h6 10 c!Oe4 c!Od5 11 c!Og3 ( 1 1 b3 g6 12 'l'g3 .tg7 13 .ta3 c!Ob4! blocks the a3-f8 diagonal) 1 1 ... g6 12 0-0 .tg7 13 lDc3 0-0 =F. The clumsiness of the white pieces will be exposed by ... f7-f5 and . . . e5-e4 or ....llb4 fol­ lowed by ... .tg4 or .. .ll f4. Another typical attack against the knight on g3 is ... h6-h5-h4. 8

b6

•••

The knight must be attacked immediately, as after, for instance, 8 ... .i.c5? 9 d3! h6, 10 c!Oe4! is possi­ ble.

9 lbf 3

9 c!Oh3!? seems totally bizarre, but it is not! White has a lot of trouble with this knight in any case, so he would gladly trade it for the bishop on c8. Another ad­ vantage of 9 c!Oh3 compared to 9 c!Of3 is that Black's move . . . e5-e4 does not win a tempo. However, Black still has several ways of reaching an unclear, mutually challenging position. In the lines 9 .. .i.c5 10 0-0 0-0 1 1 d3 c!Od5 co and 9 . . ..i.d6 10 d3 0-0 1 1 c!Oc3 c!Od5 12 .i.d2 llb8 co, .i.xh3 is always .

•••

29

in the air. The threat is stronger than the execution in this case, as after the immediate 9 ... .txh3?! 10 gxh3 'ii'd5 11 .tf3 e4 12 c!Oc3 'ii'e5 13 .tg2 .td6 14 'ife2 0-0 15 d3! exd3 16 'ifxe5 he5 17 cxd3 White is somewhat better in the endgame.

9 e410 c!Oe5 •••

B

Plans and Counterplans:

Black develops by attacking the knight on e5. His ultimate goal is an attack on the white kingside, for which he is well organized due to the pawn on e4 and active piece play. White would like to develop his queenside pieces some time, and if it were his tum again, he would most probably play d2-d4 in order to facilitate c!Oc3, .te3, 0-0, 'ifd2 and .lladl. Then he would be in control owing to his pawn advantage and Black's poorly po­ sitioned knight on a5. Let us see how things tum out in concrete lines! a) 10 'ii'd4 1 1 f4 ( 1 1 c!Og4 .txg4 12 .ixg4 .tc5 13 0-0 0-0 =i=. Black is threatening 14 . . . e3! or •••

30

Basic Chess Openings

14 ... 'ii'e5 and then ... .i.d6) ll ... .i.c5 12 l:fl .i.d6 13 c31!Vb6 14 "fla4! 0-0 15 b4! l0b7 16 "flxc6, and White has sprung to life. He has re­ stricted the black pieces and has won yet another pawn. b) 10 .i.d6!? Now Black ob­ tains a dangerous initiative if the knight moves: U l0c4?! lfficc4 12 .i.xc4 l0g4 13 "fle2 0-0 14 h3 "flh4 +, threatening 15 . . . l0xf2 followed by ... .i.g3 (15 0-0 is answered by 15 ... l0e5 and ....i.xh3) or l l l0g4?! lillcg4 12 .i.xg4 "flh4! 13 .i.xcS :XeS 14 "fle2 0-0 15 l0c3 llceS 16 b3 e3 ! 1 7 dxe3 .i.b4 1S .i.d2 "flf6 19 "fld3 lidS and Black wins the c3-knight. So White has to choose between two pawn moves to pro­ tect the knight: bl) 1 1 f4 exf3 (also playable is l l ... "flc7: 12 0-0 0-0 13 l0c3 .i.f5 14 a3 l0d5 15 b4 l0b7 16 .i.b2 llaeS ) 12 l0xf3 0-0 13 d4 c5 14 0-0 lieS =. Black will follow up with . . . .i.b7, when he has active play for the pawn and the white •••

oo

king position is weak due to the missing f2-pawn. b2) 1 1 d4 exd3! (not l l . . . "flc7 this time due to 12 .i.d2! .i.xe5 13 dxe5 "flxe5 14 .i.c3! ±. Black has regained the pawn but lost his ac­ tivity) 12 lfficd 3 "flc7 13 b3! (13 h3?! 0-0 14 0-0 .i.f5 15 lOd2l:tfeS 16 a3 lladS with complete com­ pensation for the pawn) 13 . . . 0-0 14 .i.b2 and now based on the lines 14 . . . l0d5 15 l0c3 l0f4 16 lfficf4 .i.xf4, 14 . . . l0e4 15 l0d2 .i.f5 16 lffice4 .i.xe4 or 14 . . . .i.f5 !? 15 .i.xf6? (better is 15 l0d2) 15 . . . gxf6 16 l0c3 lladS 1 7 "fld2 llfeS, Black achieves full compensation. It is worth noting how Black disrupted White's impetus with a pawn sacrifice after 4 l0g5 and obtained an advantage in devel­ opment. By the end of the open­ ing the game has reached a dynamic balance: Black has offset White's extra pawn with active piece play and pressure along the e- and d-fiJ.es.

Italian Game 1

e4 e5 2 ll)f3 l006 3 .i.c4

What can Black do if he does not want to enter the tactical com­ plexities of the Two Knights De­ fence? Should he opt for 3 . . .li)d4?! and base his play on the trap 4 lDxe5? 'ifg5! 5 lDxf7? 'ifxg2 6 llfl. 'ifxe4+ 7 .te2 li)f3 mate(!)? No, 3 . . lDd4?! . is positionally refuted by the line 4 lDxd4! exd4 5 c3! dxc3 6 lDxc3 d6 7 d4 ±. So should Black prefer the solid 3 ... .i.e7 (the Hungarian Defence)? Now that is a better idea, only it produces a slightly passive position: 4 d4 d6 5 lDc3 (White can create a centre characteristic of closed openings with 5 d5!? lDb8 6 .i.d3 li)f6 7 c4 with a typical King's Indian plan: lDc3 , h2-h3 and then playing for c4-c5 after the preparatory b2-b4 or .te3 with an initiative on the queenside) 5 . . lDf6 . 6 h3 0-0 7 0-0 exd4 (Black is not well enough prepared for 7 . . lDxe4?! . : 8 lDxe4 d5 9 .i.xd5! 'ifxd5 10 lDc3 'ifd6 1 1 dxe5! lDxe5 12 lDxe5 'ifxe5 13 lle1 'ifd6 14lDd5 followed by .tf4 and Black's position is uncomfort­ able) 8 lbxd4lDxd4 9 'ifxd4 c6 10 a4;;!;; with .te3 and llad1 to follow, when White has permanent pres­ sure. Instead of playing for tricks or being o:verly cautious, the player who wishes to avoid the Two Knights Defence should opt for a

plan whereby the pieces can de­ velop and create effective coun­ terplay. For these requirements the Italian Game, typified by 3 .t c5!? , is a perfect solution. .•.

w

Black intends to build his posi­ tion with . . lD£6 . (when lDf3 -g5 is harmless, as Black can comfort­ ably defend the pawn on f7 by castling), followed by . . . 0-0, . . . d 7d6 and . . . .i.g4. Meanwhile, his c5bishop stops White's central thrust d2-d4. Of course White has some ideas, too: he can control the type of middlegame that ensues and the speed at which it is reached. There are three basic plans:

I. With a closed centre, i.e.

without d2-d4. IT.

d4.

Moller Attack: c2-c3 and d2-

ill. Accelerated development:

The Evans Gambit (4 b4!?).

32

L

Basic Chess Openings

With a closed centre

1 e4 e5 2 l0!3 lC!c6 3 .i.c4 .i.c5 4 c3

The position is equal after 4 d3 lC!f6 5 lbc3 d6 6 i.. g5 i.. e 6!? (or 6 . . . h6 7 .i.xf6 'ifxf6 8 l0d5 'ii'd8 9 c3 and now 9 . . . 0-0 10 b4 i.. b6 1 1 a4 a5 12 l0xb6 cxb6 1 3 bxa5 l0xa5 14 .i.d5 'ifc7 or 9 . . . lC!e7 10 d4 l0xd5 1 1 dxc5 lbf'4 both offer good chances of equality) 7 lC!d5 .i.xd5 8 i..xd5 h6! 9 i..xf6 'ii'xf6. The situ­ ation is similar in the line 4 0-0 d6 5 d3 lC!f6 6 i.. g5 h6 where 7 .th4? is a mistake in view of 7 . . . g5! 8 .i.g3 .i.e6, when Black is threaten­ ing to exploit the poor placement of the bishop on g3 with . . . h6-h5h4 and at the same time initiate a kingside attack. 4

lbf6

•••

Besides this natural move we should become acquainted with two distinctive strategies: a) 4 d6 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 .tb6! (after 6 . . . .tb4+ 7 .td2 i..xd2 + 8 'ii'xd2 lC!f6 9 d5 ! l0e7 10 lC!c3, the plan 0-0, lC!d4 and f2-f4 grants White the initiative) 7 lC!c3 lC!f6 8 .i.e3 .i.g4 9 .i.b5 0-0 and Black has handed over the centre in order to attack the d4- and e4-pawns with his pieces. Later on he can con­ sider the moves . . .'ii'e7 and . . ..tx£'3. b) 4 'ilt'e7 5 d4 .tb6 (5 . . . exd4 6 0-0! dxc3 7 lC!xc3 d6 8 lC!d5 and due to the threat of b2-b4, Black can only obtain the silver medal in this game) 6 0-0 d6 7 h3 lC!f6 8 •••

•••

l:te1 and now instead of the reflex action 8 . . . 0-0 Black can continue 8 . . . h6!? 9 a4 a6 10 .te3 and pre­ pare a kingside initiative by means of 10. . . g5!

5 d3

For 5 d4 see section II, while on 5 b4 .i.b6 6 d3 d6 7 a4 Black equalizes with 7 . . . a5 ! 8 b5 l0e7 9 0-0 0-0 10 .tb3 lC!g6 1 1 lC!bd2 c6 12 bxc6 bxc6 13 d4 l:te8.

5 d6 •••

5 ... d5? is no good: 6 exd5 l0xd5 7 0-0 0-0 8 l:te1 l:te8 9 b4! and after 10 'ii'b 3 White wins at least the pawn on e5 . 6 0-0 0-0 7 lC!bd2 7 b4 .tb6 8 a4 a5 9 b5 l0e7 10 lC!bd2 lC!g6 1 1 .ta3 lC!h5 !? 12 d4 (not 12 l0xe5?? l0xe5 13 'ii'xh5 .i.g4 - + ) 12 . . . lC!hf4 13 l:te1 .i.g4 yields Black strong kingside play which cannot be forcefully pre­ vented by his opponent: 14 h3? .i.xh3! 15 gxh3 l0xh3 + 16 �h2 lC!xf2 17 'ii'e2 lC!g4 + 18 Wg3 lC!f4 19 'ii'fl 'ii'ffi ! with a storm of an at­ tack. Note also that 7 .i.g5 can be answered by 7 . . . h6 8 .i.h4 a6 9 .i.b3 'ii'e7 10 lC!bd2 .i.e6.

7... a6!?

An important detail, vacating

the a7-square for the bishop on c5 and hoping to catch the bishop on c4 with 8 ... l0a5.

8 .tb3! .ta7!?

Perhaps the most precise move, sheltering the bishop and waiting to see the enemy plan before de­ ciding how to react. At the same time this move permits Black to

Italian Game

regroup by 9 ... �e7 10 d4 (the bishop on c5 was rescued from this tempo!) 10 ... �g6.

9 h3

On 9 l:.e1 Black can continue 9 . . . �g4 10 l:.e2 h8 1 1 h3 �6 (how good that on move 8 Black did not play . . . h7-h6 instead of . . . .i.a7!?), followed by . ..f7 -f5. Black acts promptly on 9 �c4: 9 ... .i.e6 10 .i.g5 h6 11 .th4 .i.xc4! 12 hc4 �5 13 �2 'fie7 14 h1 �c4 15 �c4 'fie6! =, and the tension generated by the bishop on h4 has been nullified.

9 h6 10 l:.e1 �h5 •••

33

a) 1 1M (not 1 1 �e5? �e5 12 'fixh5 �d3 +) 1 1 ... 'fif6 12 .te3 �f4 13 ha7 .:.Xa7 14 h2 �e7 15 �3 l:.a8. b) 1 1 �c4!? �f6 12 �e3 �f4 13 �5 �d5 14 hd5 .i.e6. In both cases the game is a dour fight (with all sixteen pawns on the board!), with mutual chances. n. 1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �c6 3 .i.c4 .i.c5 4 c3 �f6 5 d4 (Moller Attack)

5 ...exd4

5 ... .tb6? would be a bad mistake: 6 dxe5 �e4 7 'fid5! +-.

6 cxd4 .i.b4+

w

On 6 ... .tb6 the white centre pawns get going: 7 d5 �7 8 e5 �g4 9 d6! �f2 10 'fib3 �xh1 1 1 hf7 + f8 1 2 .i.g5 + -

7 �c3!?

Plans and Counterplans:

Here Black has already shown his hand: he wants to annoy White on the kingside with . . . �f4 followed by ... 'fif6. White would first like to force Black to retreat and then carefully make progress in the centre, gladly exchanging the ac­ tive bishop on a7 if possible. De­ pending on how White decides to move his knight from d2, play might continue:

A brave pawn sacrifice. 7 .i.d2 does not promise anything more than equality: 7 ... .txd2 + 8 �bxd2 d5! 9 exd5 �d5 10 �b3 �ce7 1 1 0-0 0-0 12 l:.fe1 c6 13 a4 'fib6 = . On 7 fl? simplest is 7. . .d5! 8 exd5 �d5 9 �c3 .i.e6 followed by . . . 0-0 and Black is on top in view of the poor placement of the king on fl.

7... �e4

Not 7 . . . d5?! 8 exd5 �d5 9 0-0 .i.e6 10 .i.g5! .i.e7 11 .i.xd5 .i.xd5 12 �d5 'fixd5 13 .i.xe7 �xe7 14 l:.e1 ±.

8 0-0 .i.xc3!

The only way! After 8 ...�xc3? 9 bxc3 .i.xc3 (9 ... .i.e7 10 d5 �a5 1 1 d6! cxd6 12 .txf7+ xf7 13 'fid5+

34

Basic Chess Openings

f8 14 ltlg5 'ife8 15 'ifxa5 h6 16 'iff5 + ±) 10 .ta3! d5 (10. . .d6 11 l:lc1 .ta5 12 'ifa4 a6 13 .td5 .tb6 14 :Xc6 .td7 15 l:le1 + �f8 16 l:lxd6! + -) 1 1 .tb5 ha1 12 l:le1 + .te6 13 'ifa4 l:lb8 14 ltle5 Black's posi­ tion is in its last throes.

9 d5!

Forced, since on 9 bxc3 d5 10 .ta3 dxc4 11 l:le1 .te6! 12 :Xe4 'ifd5 13 'ife2 0-0-0 White is in seri­ ous trouble. 9 .t f6! It is worth keeping the bishop to provide protection for the king. Another idea is 9 ... ltle5!? 10 bxc3 ltlxc4 1 1 'ifd4 0-0 12 'ifxe4 ltld6 13 'ifd3 ltle8, although after 14 .tg5 or 14 ltlg5 ltlf6 15 d6 White can no longer lose. •••

10 l:le1 ltle7

On 10 . . . 0-0 White has a strong attack: 1 1 :Xe4 ltla5 12 .td3 d6 13 g4 c5 14 g5 .te7 15 .td2 b6 16 'ife2 .tf5 17 l:le1! ±.

After 13 .. .0-0 analysts have dem­ onstrated that the game ends in perpetual check: 14 ltlxh 7 �7 15 'ifh5 + �g8 16 l:lh4 f5!? (or 16 . . . £6 17 g4! l:le8 18 .td3 �f8 19 'ifh8 + ltlg8 20 .th7 w 21 .tg6 + ! liPf8 2 2 .th7 with a draw by repe­ tition) 17 :h3!? f4! 18 'ifh 7 + �f7 19 'ifh5 + is one of the variations. 14 'ife2!? Black is close to victory after 14 .tb5 +? .td7 15 'ife2 .txb5 16 'ifxb5 + 'ifd7 17 'ife2 ( 17 'ifxd7+ �xd718 ltlxf7 l:lf8 1 9 l:lf41iPe8 -+ or 17 'ifxb7 0-0 18 l:lae1 ltlg6 19 ltlf3 l:lfb8 �) 17 . . . �f8 18 ltlxf7 (or 18 ltlf3 ltlxd5) 18 ... �xf7 19 l:le1 ltlg8! 20 l:le6 �f8 21 f4 ltlf6 22 l:le7 l:le8! - + .

1 4. . .hxg5 1 5 l:le1 .te6 16 dxe6

f6

w

l l :Xe4 d6

Black is hamstrung after 1 1...0-0 12 d6 ! cxd6 (if 12 . . . ltlg6, then 13 'ifb3 cxd6 14 .td2 followed by l:lae1 and hf7 + ) 13 .tg5 !? ltlg6 14 'ifd5 ! and it is hard for him to make a move. White is planning l:lae1 and l:le8.

12 .tg5

The strongest black defender has to be exchanged. 12 g4 0-0 13 g5 .te5 14 ltlxe5 dxe5 15 :Xe5 ltlg6 is clearly and securely better for Black, due to the scattered white pawns.

12 .txg5 13 ltlxg5 h6!? •••

Plans and Counterplans:

White plans to invade the black camp with his major pieces, but Black can hinder this and hope to reach a favourable queenless end­ game. Play might continue: 17 l:le3 d5 !? 18 l:lh3 l:lxh3 19 gxh3

35

Italian Game

g6 ! 20 'ilt'f3 'ilt'd6 2 1 'ilt'xf6 'ilt'f4 22 'ilt'h8+ 'ilt'f8 23 'ilt'd4 'ilt'f4 24 'ilt'h8+ 'ilt'f8 with a draw or, instead of 17 ... d5, 17 ... �f8!? 18 l:h3 l:xh3 19 gxh3 g6 20 'ilt'f3 �rfl2 1 'ilt'xb7 'ilt'c8 22 'ilt'f3 l:b8 23 ..ib3 1i'b7 24 1i'c3?! 'ilt'b4, and although the situ­ ation is unclear, Black's chances seem to be more concrete.

7 cxd4, 7. . . ..ib4+ fails, as after 8 �fl! White is threatening 9 'Wb3 and d4-d5. So Black should play 7 . . . ..ib6 8 0-0 d6 transposing to the main line.

m. Accelerated development: The Evans Gambit

8 cxd4 ..ib6 9 � ..i g4! 10 ..ib5!

7 d6! •••

Not 7 ... dxc3? 8 ..ixf7 + �xf7 9 'Wd5 + �f8 10 'ifxc5 + d6 1 1 'ifxc3, after which White has shattered the black position for a mere pawn.

1 e4 e5 2 � �c6 3 ..ic4 ..ic5 4 b4!?

Sacrificing a pawn to speed up his plan of c2-c3 and d2-d4.

B

4 .bb4 •••

4 ... .tb6 is also quite playable: 5 a4 a6 6 �c3 �f6 7 �5 �d5 8 exd5 e4! 9 dxc6 exf3 10 1i'xf3 'ilt'e7+ and 11 ...dxc6 = .

5 c3 .tc5!?

5 ... .te7 is more passive, as after 6 d4! , 7 'ifb3 is threatened, while after 5 . . . .ta5. the bishop is some­ what out of play: 6 d4! d6 (6 ... exd4 7 0-0 dxc3 8 'Wb3 'iff6 9 e5 'Wg6 10 �c3 �ge7 11 .ta3 ! 0-0 12 l:ad1 and Black is tied up) 7 1i'b3 'ifd7 8 dxe5 dxe5 9 .ta3! .tb6 10 �bd2 �h6 1 1 0-0 f6 12 l:ad1 � 13 1i'b4 �c4 14 �c4 'We6. For a long time this line was assessed as '=F', but then a Cuban player contin­ ued 15 l:d5 ! and it turned out that Black's game is critical in view of the threats 16 �fxe5 and 16 l:fd1!

6 d4 exd4 7 0-0!?

Offering another pawn, though this one cannot be accepted. On

Plans and Counterplans:

The threat of d4-d5 should not be thwarted by the retreat 10 .td7 as after 1 1 e5 ! �ge7 12 i.g5 ! Black is even more pinned down, while 10 ..ixf3? 1 1 gxf3 would also strengthen the white centre. That leaves us with 10 ...�f8! M­ ter both 11 .te3 �ge7 12 a4 a5 13 ..ic4 ..ih5 ! (the threat was 14 .txf7) and 11 i.xc6 bxc6 12 .ta3 ..ixf3 13 gxf3 'ilt'g5 + 14 �h1 �e7 White has enough for the pawn (the king is on f8!). However, as he has no concrete threats, his op­ ponent cannot complain. •••

•••

oo

oo,

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening 1 e4 e5 2 lbf3lbc6 3 i.b5

B

This move was already the sub­ ject of rigorous examination by the Spaniards Lucena and Lopez five hundred years ago, so it de­ serves to be known as the 'Span­ ish'. The point of White's 3 i.b5 is not to play the simple 4 i.xc6 dxc6 5 lbxe5, as Black would then easily regain the pawn with 5 . . . 'i'd4, but to develop a long­ lasting strategic initiative based upon: quick kingside development and immediate castling, after which White's king is sheltered and his rook joins the central fight from el. pressure exerted by the white light-squared bishop on the c6knight, strengthening his in­ fluence on the important d4and e5-squares. •

•

after first developing and build­ ing up his position, the d2-d4 advance. In the meantime he tries to clamp down on Black's counterplay or to meet it effec­ tively. Black, according to his style and temperament, can direct the fight into a quiet, positional strug­ gle, in which the pawn structure is changing every minute, or into a tactical minefield in which the position is no less exciting than in the sharpest lines of the King's Gambit! Mter White's third move Black's play can follow two main tracks: •

I. Black avoids 3 ... a6. II. On the way to the Main Line: systems with 3 ... a6. I. Black avoids 3 a6 •••

We will see in section II that Black risks nothing with the move 3 . . a6, and even obtains ex­ tra chances to mobilize his queen­ side. However, there are a few lines that can only be undertaken if the white bishop is still on b5 so that Black can attack it at an im­ portant juncture. Among these systems it is worth investigating the Berlin Variation (3 . . . lbf6), section A, and the Janisch (or .

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

Schliemann) Gambit (a ... f5), section B, in detail. Besides these lines Black has several other op­ tions, which can be dealt with in a nutshell: a) 3 ..tb4?! 4 ca ..ta5 5 ltlaa ! ..tb6 6 ltlc4 d6 7 a4! a6 8 lbxb6 cxb6 9 ..tc4 is clearly better for White. b) 3 g6 4 ca!? (the other op­ tion is 4 d4 exd4 5 ..tg5 !? ..te7 6 j.xe7 ltlgxe7 7 lbxd4 d5! and Black equalizes) 4 . . . d6 5 d4 ..td7 6 0-0 ..tg7 7 1i'ba !? (also good is 7 dxe5 dxe5 8 ..tg5! and on 8 . . . ltlge7 9 'ifc1, while 8 . . . f6 9 .tea is also slightly better for White) 7 . . . ltla5 (the threat was 8 hc6 hc6 9 d5 and White would win the b7pawn) 8 'ii'a4 c6 9 ..te2 b5 10 'ii'c2 ltle7 11 .tea 0-0 12 dxe5 dxe5 1a a4!, and in this position Black faces serious problems on the queen­ side. c) 3 ..t c5 4 ca f5!? (4 . . . ltlf6 5 d4 j.b6 6 ..txc6! ? bxc6 7 lbxe5 0-0 8 0-0!? ltlxe4 9 l:l.e1 ltld6 10 ..tf4 ;t. The black pieces are hard to de­ velop, while White can consider a kingside attack with ltld2, 'ii'h5 and Ilea) 5 d4! fxe4 6 j.xc6 dxc6 7 ltlxe5 ..td6 8 'ii'h 5 + g6 9 'ii'e2 (Black gains too many tempi after 9 lbxg6 ltlf6 10 'ii'h6 l:tg8 1 1 ltle5 'ii'e 7! 12 ..tg5 he5 1a dxe5 ltlg4! 14 'ii'h 5+ 'ii'f7 and the complica­ tions lead to an equal endgame) 9 ...'ii'h4 10 lM2 he5 11 dxe5 ..tf5 12 ha 0-0-0 1a g4! ea ( 1a ... j.e6 14 ltlxe4 ±, threatening 15 ..tg5) 14 'ii'xe3 ..te6 15 'ii'xa7 ..txg4 16 'ii'a8+ ! •••

•••

•..

37

�d7 1 7 'ii'a4 ltlf6, when a seem­ ingly unclear position is turned to White's favour with 18 'ii'f4! ! llde8 19 0-0! 'ii'xha 20 exf6 +-. IfBlack wants to play ... ..tf8-c5 then he should first play a . . . ltlf6 4 0-0 and only then 4 ... ..tc5 - see section A below. d) 3 ltlge7 4 ltlca !? (4 ca!? a6 5 ..ta4 d6 6 d4 also comes into con­ sideration, when the game trans­ poses into the Improved Steinitz Variation - see section II. Also playable is 4 d4 exd4 5 lbxd4 g6 6 lbxc6!? lbxc6 7 j.xc6 bxc6 8 'ii'd4! f6 9 ltlca ..tg7 10 'ii'c4!?) 4 . . . ltlg6 (White obtains a strong initiative after 4 . . . g6 5 d4 exd4 6 ltld5 ! ..tg7 7 ..tg5 h6 8 ..tf6 ..txf6 9 ltlxf6 + f8 1 0 lbxd4 �g7 1 1 'ii'd2! , a s he has the murderous threat of 12 'ii'ca!) 5 d4 exd4 6 lbxd4 ..tc5 7 .tea hd4 8 hd4 0-0 9 .tea d6 10 0-0 and White, with his bishop pair and spatial plus, enjoys a clear advantage. e) 3 ltld4. Black establishes a knight on d4, thus thwarting White's plan of d2-d4. White's simplest answer is to capture: 4 lbxd4 exd4 5 0-0 ..tc5 (5 . . . c6 6 ..ta4!? ltlf6 7 da d5 8 ..tg5! dxe4 9 dxe4 ..te7 10 e5 ! ltld5 1 1 ..txe7 ltlxe7 12 ..tba 0-0 1a ltld2 ;t, and White's plan may be 'ii'e 2, ltle4 and l:tad1) 6 da c6 7 ..tc4 (threat­ ening 8 ..txf7+ and 9 'ii'h5 +) 7 ...d6 8 'ii'h 5! 'ii'e 7 9 ltld2 ltlf6 10 'ifh4 and now on each of Black's alter­ natives White achieves a small plus: •••

•••

38

Basic Chess Openings

el) 10 ... 0. 0 11lbf'3 h6 12 �f4;!;; . e2) 10 �e6 11 c3! 0.() 12 �xe6 ••

'it'xe6 13 ltlb3 ;!;; .

e3) lO g5!? 1 1 'it'xg5 ! l:tg8 12 'it'f4 �h3 13 g3 �xfl l4 �xfl and White has full compensation for the exchange. f) 3 d6. This is the Steinitz Variation . . . the refined version of which (3 . . . a6 4 �a4 d6, the 'Improved Steinitz') we will see in section II. 4 d4! .i.d7 (or 4 ...exd4 5 'it'xd4!? .i.d7 6 .i.xc6 .i.xc6 7 ltlc3 ltlf6 8 �g5, followed by 0-0-0 and l:thel, when White stands more freely) 5 ltlc3 ltlf6 6 0-0 �e7 7 �xc6! �xc6 8 :tel exd4 9 ltlxd4 �d7 10 h3 0-0 11 'it'f3 ;!;;, and with 12 .i.£4 and then l:tadl White keeps the centre under fire. These examples demonstrate White's ideas well. Against even slightly passive play by Black, White plays for an immediate d2d4, often with the help of the pre­ paratory move c2-c3. Then he would gladly even give up the bishop on b5 for the knight on c6 since the centre will be his! •••

•••

A. 1 e4 e5 2 ltlf3 ltlc6 3 �b5 ltlf6

(Berlin Variation)

5 e5 ltle4 6 0-0 and now the lines 6 . . . a6 7 .i.xc6 dxc6 8 :tel ltlc5 9 �g5 ! 'it'd5 10 ltlxd4 ltle6 1 1 ltlxe6 �xe6 12 'it'h5 ! , with the threat of 13 ltlc3, or 6 ... d5 7 ltlxd4 �d7 8 .i.xc6 bxc6 9 f3 ltlg5 10 f4, with the nightmare of the rolling e­ and f-pawns, promise White an advantage. The theoretical rec­ ommendation, 4 0-0, assures White good chances as well.

B

Here Black has to act actively since after either 4 . . . �e7 5 d4 exd4 6 e5 ltle4 7 l:tel ltlc5 8 ltlxd4 or 4 . . . d6 5 d4 �d7 6 ltlc3 exd4 7 ltlxd4 .i.e7 8ltlf5!? .i.xf5 9 exf5 0-0 10 g4! he has problems. There are two options:

Al. 4 .i.c5 or A2. 4 ltlxe4. •••

4 0-0

If White protects the pawn on e4 with 4 d3 or 4 'it'e2 then Black smoothly develops via 4 . . . d6 fol­ lowed by ... .i.e7, ... 0-0 and . . . .i.g4, while 4 ltlc3 .i.b4 is the topic of the Four Knights Game. 4 d4!? de­ serves attention, however: 4 ...exd4

•••

A 1. 1 e4 e5 2 ltlf3 ltlc6 3 �b5 ltlf6 4 0·0 �c5

5 c3!?

After 5 ltlxe5!? ltlxe4! (5 . . . ltlxe5 6 d4 c6 7 dxe5 ltlxe4 8 .i.d3 d5 9

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

exd6 �d6? 10 :tel + .i.e6 11 :Xe6+ ! with 12 11fh5 and \li'xc5 +-) 6 \li'e2 �e5 7 Wxe4 \li'e7 8 d4 �!, Black avoids dropping a piece in a miraculous way. Mter 9 \li'xe7 + .i.xe7 10 c3 Black is a little worse but his position is solid, while on 9 \li' g4 Black achieves counterplay on the kingside by 9 ... h5! 10 \li'xg7 ..txd4.

5 ().() 6 d4 ..tb6 •••

6 ...exd4? 7 cxd4 ..tb6 8 e5llhl5 9 .i.c4 ltlce7 10 .i.g5 ! would be cur­ tains for Black.

7 i.. g5!

This is the most unpleasant move. Mter the inferior alterna­ tive 7 dxe5 �e4 8 \li'd5 ltlc5 9 ..tg5 ltle7 10 Wdl lile4 11 ..th4 d5! 12 lilbd2 c6 Black gets nearly equal chances.

7 h6! •••

A useful interpolation which carries no risk as after 8 ..txffi wxm 9 .i.xc6 \li'xc6! 10 ltlxe5 \li'xe4 11 llhl2 Wf5 12 lthlf3 d6 White has nothing. 8 .i.h4 d6

Plans and Counterplans:

White is evidently squeezing his opponent but it is not easy to find the correct sequence for the moves .i.xc6, dxe5, a2-a4, .Ldl3 and ltlbd2 . For example, 9 a4 a5 10 :tel .i.g4 11 .i.xc6 bxc6 12 dxe5 dxe5 13 Wxd8?! (13 ltlbd2!?) 1 3... l:taxd8 14 �e5 g5 15 .i.g3 �e4 16 �g4 f5 allows Black serious counter­ chances. An effective alternative is 9 i..xc6 bxc6 10 ltlbd2 l:te8 (not 10 ... ..tg4?! 11 dxe5 dxe5 12 \li'a4! .i.xf3 13 �f3 Wd6 14 l:tadl \li'e6 15 ..tg3 ltld7 16 \li'b3! and Black has a lost endgame on his hands) 1 1 :tel exd4!? ( 1 1 ... g5 12 .i.g3 llhl7 13 \li'a4! ;t) 12 �d4 .i.d7 13 Wf3 g5!? 14 ..tg3 h5!? 15 h3! h4 16 .i.h2 !, and Black has many posi­ tional defects. For instance after 16 ... g4, 17 \li'f4! gxh3 18 ltl2f3 hxg2 1 9 e5! is strong, because Black's weak king position is a decisive handicap in such an open posi­ tion. A2. 1 e4 e5 2 ltlf3 lbc6 3 .i.b5 lilf6 4 0-0 ltlxe4

5 d4!

w

39

White should not drive the knight away at once with 5 :tel as it may well have to retreat of its own accord. Mter 5 l:tel ltld6 6 �e5 .i.e7 7 .i.d3 0-0 8 M �e5 9 :Xe5 .i.f6 10 l:te3 g6! Black is fme. 5 ltld6 The recommended continuation, even though Black's tournament results in this line are nothing to •••

40

Basic Chess Openings

boast about! On 5 . . . a6, instead of 6 .hc6 dxc6 7 'ife2 .tf5 8 l:.d1 i.e7 9 dxe5 'ifc8 10 �4 0-0 =, White can transpose into the Open Vari­ ation of section II with 6 i.a4. Also played is 5 ... i.e7, when 6 1We2 �d6 7 .hc6 bxc6 (or 7 . . . dxc6 8 dxe5 �f5 9 l:.d1 i.d7 10 M 0-0 1 1 �4! ;t followed by 12 .i.g5! and White seizes control of the dark squares) 8 dxe5 �b7 (on 8 ... �f5, 9 'ife4! g6 10 �c3 and l:.d1 gives Black problems) 9 �c3 (9 �d4 is worthy of attention: 9 . . . 0-0 10 �f5! d5 11 �xe7+ 'ifxe7 12 b3! followed by i.a3, when Black's queenside pawns and pieces are out of tune) 9 . 0-0 10 l:.e1 �c5 11 .i.e3 �6 12 l:.ad1 i, and Black has not even solved the problem of his d-pawn. On 5 . . . i.e7 White can also react 6 l:.e 1 �d6 7 i.xc6 dxc6 8 dxe5 �f5 9 �bd2, when with the natural moves b2-b3, i.b2, 'ife2 and �4 he achieves a pleasant middlegame.

a) The pawn on e5 restricts Black; it obstructs the develop­ ment of his pieces. b) By 'smuggling' his d-pawn to the e-file White has fundamen­ tally improved his pawn structure. His three pawns on the queenside obstruct the Black quartet since the latter includes doubled c­ pawns. Thus White has created a pawn majority on the kingside! c) The previous two strategic gains are complemented by the momentary situation after 7 dxe5: the black pieces are unable to achieve harmony after the forth­ coming queen trade. These three factors taken together guarantee White's advantage.

White may also try the specula­ tive 6 dxe5 �b5 7 a4 d6 8 e6! fxe6 9 axb5 �e7 10 �c3 �g6 11 1Wd4!

It is worth swapping queens here as the black king cannot find a safe haven. 8 �d8 9 �c3 (D) White should not give the check 9 l:.d1 + since Black's king stands better on e8 than on dB, but play­ able is 9 b3!? �e8 10 i.b2 .i.e7 1 1 �bd2 a 5 1 2 a 4 i.e6 1 3 �e4 l:.d8 14 l:.ad1 h6 15 h3 i.

..

6 .b:c6

6 dxc6 •••

On 6 ... bxc6?! 7 dxe5 �b7 8 i.g5! .i.e7 9 i.xe7 'ifxe7 10 �c3 0-0 11 l:.e1 ± , Black i s unable to con­ struct a healthy setup.

7 dxe5

Now we can. understand the real point of 5 d4! White regains the pawn and has achieved the following benefits:

7 �5 •••

On 7 . . . � White should play not 8 1Wxd8+ �xd8 9 b3, as the way for the bishop on c8 is open, for example to g4, but 8 'ife2 i.f5 9 l:.d1 'ifcB 10 l:.d4!? �c5 11 i.e3 i.e7 12 �3 0-0 13 �h4! ±.

8 'ifxd8+

•••

Plans and Counterplans:

Black would like to create some harmony in his game while White

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

B

41

w

would like to lead the game into more and more simple endings by further developing his pieces. We can better understand Black's problems by examining three dif­ ferent continuations: a) 9 .i.e6 10 c!Og5! 'iPe8 1 1 �e6 fxe6 12 �e4 l:ld8 1 3 c3!?, and after f2-f4 White is threaten­ ing both g2-g4 and the plan cj;lf2. cj;>e2-.i.d2-l:lad1, when he can still consider playing g2-g4 later. b) 9 h6 10 h3 i..e6 1 1 g4 �e7 12 l0d4 .i.d7 13 .i.f4 c5 14 l0de2 'iPc8 15 l:lad1 �. Black's problems are not yet solved. c) 9 �e8 10 h3 h6 (or 10 ... h5 1 1 l:ld1 .i.e6 12 �g5 .i.e7 13 �e6 fxe6 14 �e4 c5 15 c3 �) 1 1 .i.f4!? .i.e6 12 g4 �e7 13 .i.g3 l0d5 14 �4 c5 15 %4! �b4 16 c3 .i.d5 17 l0d2 �6 18 lM> l:ld8 19 l:lfd1 and �f5-e3 again drives Black back. •••

•••

•••

B. 1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �c6 3 .i.b5 f5 1 7 Janisch ( o r Schliemann) Gambit

Let us first take a look at why Black did not interpose the moves

3 . . . a6 4 .i.a4 before playing . . . f7f5. That is, in which lines is it im­ portant that the bishop stays on b5? After 4 d4 fxe4 5 �e5 (not 5 hc6 dxc6! 6 �e5 'ii'h4! 7 0-0 .i.d6 8 f3 exf3 9 � 'fi'h5 10 l:le1 + �7 and . . . 0-0, when Black is al­ ready better!) 5 . . .�e5 6 dxe5 c6! At this point Black utilizes the po­ sition of the bishop on b5! Besides taking the bishop, Black is also threatening the pawn grab ...'fi'a5+ and . . . 'fi'xe5 . For example 7 .te2 'fi'a5+ 8 .td2 'fi'xe5 9 .th5 + cj;>d8 10 .tc3 'fi'g5 1 1 0-0 �m gives Black a clear pawn advantage. Later he will be almost winning with . . . d7d5. Therefore on 6 . . . c6! White is forced to sacrifice a piece: 7 � ! cxb5 8 �e4 d5! 9 exd6 �m 10 'fi'd4! �e4 1 1 'fi'xe4+ cj;lf7 1 2 .i.f4 'fi'e8 13 .i.e5 .i.xd6! 14 'fi'd5 + 'fi'e6 15 'fi'xd6 'fi'xd6 16 i..xd6 l:le8 + 17 �fl .tf5 and even though Black is a pawn behind, he seems to stand a little better! Before we move on to the main line with 4 �3, let us take a look at a few rare lines for White:

42

Basic Chess Openings

a) 4 �xc6 dxc6 5 lDxe5 'ifd4 6 lDf3 'it'xe4+ 7 'ife2 = . b) 4 exf5 e4! 5 'ife2 'ile7 6 .txc6 dxc6 7 �4 'it'e5! is a likely draw: 8 lDf3 'ile7 (8 . . .'ilxf5 9 d3!) 9 lDd4 'it'e5, etc. c) 4 'it'e2 fxe4 5 'it'xe4 lDffl 6 'ife2 .td6! 7 .txc6 dxc6 8 lDxe5 0-0 9 d4 l:le8 10 0-0 .txe5 1 1 dxe5 'it'd4 is equal. d) 4 d3 fxe4 5 dxe4 lDf6 6 0-0 .tc5!? 7 M (7 .txc6 bxc6 8 fue5 0-0 9 lDc3 d6 10 lDd3 - if 10 fuc6 'ife8! obtains excellent counter­ play - 10 . . . .td4 1 1 lDe2 .tb6 12 lDg3 lDg4! gives Black a promising attack and he can continue with 13 ...'it'h4) 7 ... d6 8 .tg5!? 0-0 9 �5 'ith8 10 lDh4 lDd4 1 1 .tc4 b5 12 .td3 c6 13 lDxffl gxf6 14 .tea l:lg8 leads to a double-edged position. So now let us see the antidote to the Janisch Gambit! 4 lDc3!

We need this knight on the bat­ tlefield.

4...fxe4

Weaker is 4 ...lDd4 5 exf5!? fub5 6 lDxb5 e4 7 �d4 � 8 d3! ± or 4 . . . � 5 exf5!? e4 (5 ... .tc5 6 0-0 0-0 7 lDxe5 lDxe5 8 d4 ±) 6 lDg5 d5 7 d3 .tx£5 8 dxe4 dxe4 9 'ife2 .tb4 10 .td2 'it'e7 11 'it'c4! ±.

5 lDxe4 d5

On 5 . . . lDffl the old answer 6 fuf6 + 'it'xffl 7 'ile2 .te7 8 .txc6 dxc6 9 fue5 0-0 10 0-0 .td6 11 d4 is slightly better for White, but in this line 7 0-0!? could be an in­ teresting improvement: 7 . . . lDd4!? 8 l:lel! lDxf3 + 9 'ilxf3 and after

9 . . . 'it'xf3 10 gxf3 White is threat­ ening f3-f4.

6 �e5! dxe4 7 �c6

White could go astray with 7 'it'h5 + ? g6 8 fug6 hxg6! 9 'it'xh8 'filffl! 10 'it'xg8 .te6 1 1 .txc6+ bxc6 12 'ifh7 0-0-0 13 d4 l:ld7 and he drops his queen. 7 'ilg5 Nobody plays 7 . . . bxc6 8 .txc6+ .td7 9 'it'h5 + 'ite7 10 'ile5 + .te6 any more, as after 1 1 f4 exf3 12 0-0 l:lb8 13 d4 White 'supposedly' has an attack, although he still has to prove this after 13 ...'ifd6!? Instead of this risky piece sacri­ fice, 1 1 .txa8! 'ilxaB 12 'it'xc7 + .td7 13 0-0 followed by 14 d3 is cer­ tainly superior for White. An­ other possibility for Black on the seventh move is 7 . . . 'it'd5. Then on 8 c4! 'ifd6 (not 8 . . .'it'g5 9 d4! 'it'xg2 10 'it'h5 + ! g6 1 1 'ile5+ and White is winning) 9 lDxa7 + .td7 (or 9 ... c6 10 fucB l:lxc8 1 1 .ta4 + -) 10 .txd7+ 'ilxd7 1 1 'it'h5 + ! g6 (ll ... 'itd8 12 lDb5 lDffl 13 'ile2 .tc5 14 0-0 l:lf8 15 d4! exd3 16 'it'e5 and Black is worse owing to his ex­ posed king position) 12 'ile5 + c:M7 13 lDb5 c6 14 'ild4! and Black has insufficient counterplay for the two pawns. •••

8 'ife2!

Not only protecting the bishop on b5 but also attacking the pawn on e4.

8 ...�

The only move, because after 8 ... 'ilxg2? 9 'ilh5 + ! g6 10 'it'e5 + Black i s losing straight away.

43

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

9 f4!

An excellent sacrifice, releasing

the pawn on g2 from attack with gain of tempo.

B

9 1i'xf4 •••

On 9 . . . 1i'h4 + an example taken from Timman is 10 g3 1i'h3 11 �e5 + c6 12 .i.c4 .i.c5 13 d3 �g4 (13 . . . exd3 14 �xd3 + .i.e7 15 �e5 ±) 14 �f7! .i.f2 + 15 �d1 e3 16 1i'f3 �h6 17 1i'e4 + �f8 18 .i.xe3 .i.g4 + 19 �d2 l:te8 20 �e5 1-0.

10 �e5 + ! c6 1 1 d4! 1i'h4 + 12 g3 1i'h3 13 .i.c4 .i.e6

Or 13 ... .i.d6 14 .i.f7+ �e7 15 .i.b3 ±

14 .i.f4

14 .i.g5 is similar: 14 . .. 0-0-0 15 0-0-0 .i.d6 16 .i.xe6 + 11Vxe6 17 Yi'c4 l:the8 18 11Vxe6+ lhe6 19 �4 ;t, and the less pieces there are on the board, the weaker Black's e­ pawn will become.

14 0-0-0 •••

On 14 .. . l:td8 15 0-0-0 .i.d6 the surprise move 16 .i.g5! puts White on top: 16 . . .1i'f5 17 .bf6 gxf6 18 l:thfl! 1i'g5+ 19 �b1 he5 20 .i.xe6 and the king is stuck in the mid­ dle, or 16 . . . 0-0 17 11Vfl ! ! �h8 18 11Vxh3 .i.xh3 19 �f7+ wins an ex­ change.

15 0-0-0 (D)

Plans and Counterplans:

White intends to play against the pawn on e4 either directly, or in a queenless endgame in which Black cannot create counterplay. Black needs to keep the pieces on the board, especially his nagging queen

on h3 . A short sample variation: 15 ... .i.d6 16 �b1 l:the8 17 he6+ !? 11Vxe6 18 h3! h6 19 g4 with slightly better prospects for White.

II. On the way to the Main Line: Systems with 3 a6 •••

In this section we consider vari­ ous alternatives after 1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �6 3 .i.b5 a6. The position after the moves 4 .i.a4 �f6 5 0-0

.i.e7 6 l:te1 b5 7 .i.b3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 can be considered the start­

ing position of the Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Main Line, but before we reach this important position, we need to become acquainted with the sidelines for both sides. At nearly every moment there are several ways to deviate from the main route, of which the follow­ ing are definitely worth further examination:

A.

Exchange Variation: 4 .i.xc6.

B. Improved Steinitz Vari­ ation: 4 .i.a4 d6.

44 C.

Basic Chess Openings

Open Variation: 4 .ta4 �f6

5 0-0 �xe4.

w

D. Marshall Attack: 4 .ta4 �f6 5 0-0 .te7 6 lle1 b5 7 .tb3 0-0 8 c3 d5!?

E. The Main Line of the vari­ ation. Within each of the variations markedA-D, short passages named 'Sidelines' will sum up other in­ teresting possibilities for White and Black. A. 1 e4 e5 2 �13 �c6 3 i.b5 a6 4 .txc6 (Exchange Variation)

can block his opponent's four pawns with three of his own since Black has doubled c-pawns. The following king and pawn ending would certainly mean victory for White:

4 dxc6 •••

4 ... bxc6? is inferior in every re­ spect: 5 d4 exd4 6 'ifxd4! 'iff6 7 e5 'iVg6 8 0-0 .tb7 (White obtains a very strong attack after 8 .. 'ifxc2 9 �c3 followed by lle1 and �) 9 �bd2 (9 e6? fxe6 10 �e5 'ifxg2+!) 9 . . . 0-0-0 10 �b3 c5 1 1 'flc3 f6 12 i.f4 fxe5 13 .txe5 and i.g3 is very good for White, but perhaps even stronger is 5 �c3!? d6 6 d4 exd4 7 'flxd4 'flffi 8 'flc4! .td7 9 0-0 ±, and all White has to do is centralise his pieces (i.g5, llfe1, l:lad1 and e4-e5) . Let us see the position af­ ter 4 ... dxc6 (D). White has voluntarily traded his bishop, rather than retreat it. Later by playing d2-d4 he will swap Black's e5-pawn for his own d-pawn to create a kingside pawn majority. On the queenside White

w

.

White can easily create a king­ side passed pawn, while Black, for instance against the pawn con­ stellation a3, b2, c3 could not do the same on the queenside. So if we took the pieces from our in­ itial diagram, White would be win­ ning! However, in the middlegame Black enjoys excellent chances as he has the bishop pair and his

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

bishop on c8 can develop easily, enabling queenside castling. Al­ though Black's prospects are by no means worse, he should always keep in mind that thoughtless ex­ changes can easily leave him in a difficult ending!

5 0-0

5 lillce 5 does not come into con­ sideration, as 5 ...1Wd4 and ...1Wxe4+ will only give White problems. In­ stead 5 lt:!ca 'ifd6!? (5 ... f6 is also good) 6 d4 exd4 7 lillcd4 (7 'it'xd4?! .tg4 8 'it'xd6 .txd6 9 lt:!d4 0-0-0 = ) 7 . . . 1Wg6 8 1i'fa .tg4 9 1i'ga 0-0-0 or 5 d4 exd4 6 1Wxd4 'it'xd4 7 lillcd4 .td7 8 .tea 0-0-0 9 lt:!ca l:.e8!? 10 0-0-0 .tb4 11 lt:!de2 f5 12 ex£5 .txf5 produces an equal game.

5 f6 •••

Protecting the e5-pawn and pre­ paring for a queen trade following White's d2-d4. A few other op­ tions are: a) 5 .td6 6 d4! exd4 7 1Wxd4 f6 8 e5! ? fxe5 9 lt:!xe5 1We7 10 l:.e1 .te6 1 1 lt:Jfa 0-0-0 12 .tg5 lt:Jf6 1a .txf6 gxf6 14 'ife3 ;!;; . b) 5 lt:!e7 6 lillce5 1Wd4 7 1i'h5!? g6 8 1i'g5 .tg7 9 lt:!da f5 10 e5 c5 1 1 ba!? h6 ( 1 1 . . . 1i'xa1 12 lt:!c3!) 12 'it'ga f4 1a 'iffa .tf5 14 1Wxb7 .te4 15 1Wxc7 .txda 16 cxda .txe5 17 'it'b7 l:.b8 18 'ifxa6 fa !? co, In this very unclear position it is prob­ ably White who is trying to hold on. c) 5 ..i.g4 6 ha h5!? 7 da! (note that White must not capture the bishop for a long time as by open­ ing the h-file he would get mated. However, with cautious play he •••

•••

••

45

can pick the ideal moment) 7 ... 1Wf6! 8 lt:!bd2 lt:!e7 (8 . . . 0-0-0? 9 hxg4 hxg4 10 lt:!h2 'it'h4 and 1 1 1i'xg4 is check!) 9 l:.e1 lL:!g6 10 d4! .td6 (not 10 . . . 0-0-0 1 1 hxg4 hxg4 12 lt:!h2 l:.xh2 1a 1Wxg4+ �b8 14 �xh2 1Wxf2 15 l:.fl 'it'xd4 16 lt:!ba and Black's attack is over) 1 1 hxg4! hxg4 12 lt:!h2 :Xh2 (12 . . . exd4 1a e5! lillce5 14 lt:!e4 'it'h4 15 lillcd6 + cxd6 16 .tf4 +-) 1a 1Wxg4 'it'h4 (1a . . . l:.h4 14 1Wf5! lt:!e7 15 1Wxf6 gxf6 16 lt:!f3 l:.h5 17 .tea followed by g2-ga, �g2, l:.h1 and dxe5 with a huge plus for White in the end­ game) 14 1Wxh4 l:.xh4 15 lt:!fa l:.h5 16 dxe5 lillce5 17 lillce5 .txe5 18 ca ;!;, after g2-ga, �g2 and .tea White can exchange rooks and then play f2-f4. d) 5 'it'd6!? A very popular move. 6 da (instead 6 lt:!aa .te6 7 lt:!g5 .td7 8 da f6 9 lt:!c4 'if e7 10 lt:!fa 'iff7 co or 6 d4!? exd4 7 lillcd4 .td7 8 .tea o-o-o 9 lt:!d2 lt:!h6! 10 ha 'it'g6 11 'iffa f5! 12 l:.ad1 fxe4 1a 1Wxe4 lt:!f5! with a very messy position) 6 . . . f6 7 .tea c5 8 lt:!bd2 .te6 9 lt:!c4 1Wc6 10 lt:!fd2 lt:!e7 1 1 a4 b 6 1 2 f4 exf4 1 a .txf4 lt:!g6 14 .tga .td6 15 lt:!xd6 + cxd6 1 6 lL:!c4 l:.d8 17 lt:!ea 0-0 =. Black can later pick from the moves ...b6-b5, ... d6-d5 and ... lt:!e5. •••

6 d4

6 lL:!c3 .tg4 7 ha .th5 is more comfortable for Black.

6 exd4 •••

Mter 6 ... .tg4 7 dxe5! 1Wxd1 8 :Xd1 fxe5 9 l:.da! .td6 10 lt:!bd2 b5 11 b4! lt:!f6 12 .tb2 lt:!d7 1a c4 ;!;;

46

Basic Chess Openings

Black has some problems in view of his inferior pawn structure.

7 l0xd4

7 'i¥xd4 'i¥xd4 8 lDxd4 .Li7 9 .tea 0-0-0 10 llk3 .tb4 11 Ne2 !De7 is just equal.

7 c5 ! 8 �b3 'i¥xd1 9 llxd1 .tg4!? •••

A slight finesse to weaken the diagonal a7-g1.

10 f3 .td7

The other, somewhat safer, plan is 10 . . . .te6, for example 1 1 .te3 b6 12 a4 �e7 1a .tf4 c4! 14 �d4 0-0-0 15 llka llxd4 16 :Xd4 �g6 17 .tea .tc5 18 �f2 .txd4 19 .txd4 with equality.

1 1 .tf4 0·0·0 12 �c3 c4 13 �a5!?

1a �d4 �e7 14 lld2 �g6 15 .tea .td6 gives Black sufficient counterplay.

game! - continued 15 c6 16 b41 .ta7 17 .tea .txea 18 �xea �e7 and it is hard to assess whether White's a5-knight is well-placed or not. A recognized pawn sacri­ fice is 15 ...�e7!?: 16 .txc7 �xd5 17 llxd5 xh2 ;t. Ma­ terial-wise Black is well off (a rook and two pawns in return for two pieces), but his king and his pawn on e4 will quickly become a target for the developing white pieces . b) 6 ...�e7 7 l:tel f5 8 dxe5 0-0 9 �b3 + 'it>h8 10 .i.d5 (10 tLlc3!?) lO . . .tLlc5 11 tLlc3 ;t. Black is unde­ veloped and has a 'hole' on d5. •••

7 .i.b3 d5

52

Basic Chess Openings

On 7 . . . exd4 8 .:.e1 d5 9 lt)c31 .te6 (or 9 ... dxc3 10 .txd5 .tb7 1 1 .txe41 .te7 1 2 'ife2 + -) 1 0 lbxe4 dxe4 1 1 .:.xe4 .te7 12 .txe6 fxe6 13 lbxd4 e5 14 'ifh5 + g6 15 lDxc6 Black faces a lost endgame.

8 dxe5

Weaker are 8 a4 lbxd41 9 lbxd4 exd4 10 axb5 .tc5 and 8 lbxe5 lbxe5· 9 dxe5 c6 10 .te3 .te7 1 1 lDd2 lbxd2 1 2 'ifxd2 0-0, when in both cases Black has equalized

8 .te6 9 c3!? A multi-purpose move, taking •••

up the fight for the d4-square while vacating a square for the re­ treat of the bishop on b3. A few other possibilities are: a) 9 a4 b41 10 a5 lbc5 1 1 .i.g5 'i!Vd7 (not ll ... .te7? 12 .txe7 lbxe7 1 3 'ifd4 and Black's queenside is in trouble) 12 lbbd2 h6 13 .th4 .te7 14 .txe7 lbxe7 and 15 . . . 0-0 is equal. b) 9 .te3 .te7 (9 . . . .tc51?) 10 lDbd2 lDc5 1 1 c3 .tg4 12 .tc2 lDe6 13 'ifbl .th51 and 14 ... .tg6 = . c) 9 'ife2 (the queen vacates its place for the rook on fl) 9 . . . .te7 10 l:[dl 0-0 11 c4 bxc4 12 .txc4 .tc5 13 .te3 .txe3 14 'ifxe3 'ifh81 15 .tb3 lba5 16 lDel lbxb3 17 axb3 f51 co. d) 9 lbbd2!? lbc5 10 c3 .tg41? ( 10 . . . .te7 transposes into posi­ tions that arise after 9 c3 lDc5 10 .tc2, while great confusion is caused by 10 . . . d41? 1 1 lbg51 'ifxg5 12 'iff3 .td7 13 .txf7+ 9;e7 14 .td5 lbxe5 15 'ife2 d3 16 Vel c6 17 f4 'ifh6 18 .tf31 9;d8 19 fxe5,

when Black's king is unpleasantly placed in the middle) 1 1 h3 .th5 12 .tc2 lDe6 and then ... .te7, ...0-0 and . . ..tg6 could be Black's next few moves.

9 .tc5 •••

Black has two nearly equiva­ lent options: a) 9 lbc5 10 .tc2 .tg4 11 .:.el .te7 ( 1 1 ... d4?1 is premature, as af­ ter 12 h31 .th5 13 e61 fxe6 14 cxd4 .txf3 15 'ifxf3 lbxd4 16 'ifh5 + White has the upper hand) 12 lDbd2 'ifd7 (12 . . . d41? produces an interesting position: 13 h31 .th5 14 lDb3 d3 15 .tbl lDxb3 16 axb3 .tg6 17 .te3 0-0 18 .td41? lbxd4 19 cxd4 .tb4 followed by 20 . . . d2, and the weak pawn flees forward. While White organizes the de­ struction of the pawn d2, Black will have to assault the pawn on d4) 13 Ml? (13 lbb31? also comes into consideration, with the idea of taking possession of the d4square. For example, 13 . . . lbe6 14 h3 .th5 15 .tf5 lbcd8 16 .te3 a5 17 .tc5 a4 18 .txe7 'ifxe7 19 lbbd41 lbxd4?1 20 cxd4 lbe6 21 g41 .tg6 22 :el l ±. The dangers of this line are materializing in Black's position: he has a back­ ward pawn on the open c-file, he has lost control of the square c5 and even his kingside is con­ stricted. An improvement might be 19 . . . a31? 20 b3 c6, instead of 19 ... lbxd4?!) 13 ....:.d8 14 lDe3 .th5 15 b4 lbe6 16 g41? .tg6 17 lbf5 0-0 18 a4 d41? co. This position is hard to assess. •••

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

b) 9 .te7 10 .tea (after 10 'iVe2 0-0 1 1 l:r.d1 lDc5 12 i.c2 i.g4!? 13 b4 lDa4 14 .tf4 'ifd7!? 15 'ifd3 g6 16 'ifxd5 'ifxd5 1 7 l:r.xd5 lDb6 1S l:r.d1 l:r.adS Black has excellent play for the pawn, while after 10 lDbd2 0-0 11 .tc2 f5?! 12 lDb3 'ifd7 13 lDfd4 ttml4 14 lDxd4 c5 15 lDxe6 'ifxe6 16 f3 lDg5 17 a4! White is threatening to rip open the loose black position on the queenside. In this line instead of 11 . . .f5?!, Black should play ll ... .tf5!? 12 lDd4 lDxd4 13 cxd4 £6!? 14 f4 fxe5 15 fxe5 'ifd7! with ample piece play) 10 . . . 'ifd7!? 1 1 lDbd2 l:r.dS 12 l:r.e1 0-0 13 i.c2, and now 13 ...f5 14 exf6 lDx£6 15 'ifb1 h6 or 13 ...lDxd2!? 14 'ifxd2 .tf5 15 l:r.ad1 l%feS 16 h3 'iVe6 produces a heavyweight clash. •••

10 lDbd2

On 10 'ife2 0-0 1 1 .te3 Black can obtain counterplay via 11 . . . £6! 12 ex£6 'ifx£6 13 lDbd2 .td6.

10 0-0 11 .tc2 •••

B

either protect it or swap it. For ex­ ample: a) l l lDxd2?! 12 'ifxd2 (on 12 .txd2, 12 ... d4! is possible) 12 ... £6 13 ex£6 l:r.x£6 14 lDg5 .tf5 15 a4! lDe7 16 hf5 �5 17 'ikd3 ±. Black is in trouble because 17 ... h6 1S axb5 hxg5 19 .txg5 is over­ whelming for White. b) l l lbxf2!? 12 lhf2 f6 13 ex£6 .txf2 + 14 �xf2 'ifx£6 15 M lDe5 16 .te3 l:r.ae8 1 7 .tc5 � 1S gxf3 l:r.f7 19 �g2 and the two pieces against the rook and pawn secure White a slight advantage. With his larger share of the pieces, White can concentrate his forces in the middlegame, aiming for an attack rather than for an endgame. c) ll ..tf5!? 12 lDb3 .tg6!? (or 12 . . . i.g4 13 h3 .th5 14 g4! i.g6 15 .txe4 dxe4 16 lDxc5 exf3 1 7 i.f4 ;!;;) 13 lDfd4 .txd4 14 lDxd4 'iVd7 and now 15 a4 lDxe5 16 f4 lDc6 17 lDxc6 'ifxc6 1S f5 'iVc5 + 19 'iVd4 .th5 20 i.f4 'iVc6 (Judit Pol­ gar's advice for Black) or 15 f4 lDxd4 16 cxd4 £6! 1 7 i.e3 l:r.adS 1S 'ife2 �hS 19 l:r.acl c6 both give Black equal chances. d) ll f5 12 lDb3 .tb6 13 lDfd4 lDxd4 14 lDxd4 hd4 15 'iVxd4 ( 15 cxd4 f4! 16 f3 lDg3! 1 7 hxg3 fxg3 18 'ifd3! .tf5 19 'ifxf5 l:r.xf5 20 .txf5 'ifh4 21 i.h3 'ifxd4+ 22 � h1 'ifxe5 brings about a rare division of material: White has two pieces and a rook for Black's queen and three pawns. Analysts have come to the following useful conclusion: ...

...

. .

...

Plans and Counterplans:

White wants to get rid of the en­ emy knight on e4, and Black can

53

54

Basic Chess Openings

'unclear') 15 . . . c5 16 'ii'd 1 h6!? (or 16 ... f4 17 f3 lDg3? 18 hxg3 fxg3 19 'ifd3 and now 19 . . .'iVh4 20 'ifxh7+ or 19 ... .U5 20 'ifxf5 :x£5 21 .bf5 'iVh4 22 .i.h3 with a huge plus for White. Instead of 1 7 . . . lDg3? worthy of attention is 17 . . . lDg5 18 a4 b4 19 cxb4 c4! 20 b3! d4! 21 bxc4 .i.xc4 22 .i.b3 'iVd5 with some com­ pensation for the pawn) 17 f3 lDg5 18 .i.e3 l:tc8 19 'ifd2 and now Black can continue 19 ... a5 20 l:tad1 'ife7 or 19 . . . d4!? 20 cxd4 cxd4 21 .i.f4 (2 1 .i.xd4? l:txc2) 21. . . 'ifc7!? Hopefully these few pages have provided a broad feel for the Open Variation. With its lively middle­ game and open-centered play, it is well worth studying more closely, although there is an immense amount of theory to know. Sidelines

Mter 1 e4 e5 2 lDf3 lDc6 3 .i.b5 a6 4 .i.a4 lDf6 5 0-0 .i. e7 we ar­ rive at an important cross-roads. We can stay on the Main Road with 6 l:te1 , while if we would like to deviate then the choices are the following: a) 6 c3?! lDxe4 7 l:te1 lDc5 8 lDxe5 lDxe5 9 l:txe5 lDxa4 10 'ifxa4 0-0 1 1 d4 .i.f6 and it is only Black, with his bishop-pair, who can be better. b) 6 d3 b5 7 .i.b3 d6 8 a4 .i.d7!? (also playable are 8 . . . .i.b7 9 lDc3 lDa5 10 .i.a2 b4 1 1 lDd5 .i.xd5 12 exd5 l:tb8! and 8 . . . .i.g4 9 c3 0-0. In both cases it is a battle of equal

forces) 9 c3 0-0 10 lDbd2 lDa5 1 1 .i.c2 c5 1 2 l:te1 'ifc7 1 3 lDfl b4! 14 .i.g5 l:tab8 15 lDe3 .i.e6 = . Black's queenside play is beginning to take shape. c) 6 .i.xc6 dxc6 (not 6 . . . bxc6? 7 lDxe5 lDxe4 8 'iVg4 lDd6 9 'ifxg7 .U6 10 l:te1! .i.xg7 11 lDg6+ 'ife7 12 lDxe7 +-) 7 d3. This is the ba­ sic position of the Delayed Ex­ change Variation. White will play against the black e5-pawn, but if Black manages to regroup his pieces he can equalize. A good plan is 7 . . . lDd7 8 lDbd2 0-0 9 lDc4 f6 10 lDh4 lDc5 1 1 'iff3 lDe6 12 .i.e3 g6 13 'ifg3 �h8 14 l:tadl lDf4! 15 l:tfe1 .i.e6 16 b3 c5 followed by . . . 'ifc8 and . . . g6-g5, when Black can hope to assume the upper hand. d) 6 d4 exd4 7 l:te1 (or 7 e5 lDe4 8 lDxd4 0-0 9 lDf5 d5 10 hc6 bxc6 ll lDxe7+ 'ifxe7 12 l:te1 l:te8! 13 f3 lDd6 14 b3 lDf5 15 'ifd2 .i.e6 16 .i.a3 'ifh4 oo) 7 . . .b5 8 e5 (8 .i.b3 d6 9 .i.d5 .i.d7 = ) 8 . . . lDxe5 9 l:txe5 (9 lDxe5 bxa4 10 'ifxd4 0-0 1 1 'ifxa4 l:tb8) 9 . . . d6 1 0 l:te1 bxa4 1 1 lDxd4 .i.d7 1 2 'iff3 0-0 1 3 lDc6 .i.xc6 14 'ifxc6 l:tb8!? 15 lDca (after 15 'ifxa4 d5 and . . . lDe4, Black has the attack . . . .i.c5/. . . .i.d6, . . . 'ifh4, . . .l:tb8-b6-g6 up his sleeve) 15 . . . a3! 16 b3 l:tb6 1 7 'ifa4 d5 18 .i.xa3 .i.xa3 19 'ifxa3 l:tc6! gives Black the initiative. For example, after 20 'ifh2 lDg4! he is threatening . . .'iV£6 and ...'ii'd6 . e) 6 'ife2!? The Worrall At­ tack, the point of which is that the central action c2-c3 and d2-d4

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

will be supported by l:r.d1, while the queen defends the e-pawn.

6 b5 •••

This is the correct move, since now White cannot play his bishop to c2 without loss of time. For ex­ ample, 6 . . . d6 is met by 7 c3! 0-0 8 d4 �d7 9 �c2!, when White has a strong centre: after both 9 . . . exd4 10 cxd4 lbb4 11 lbc3 lbxc2 12 1Wxc2 �g4 13 lbe1 c6 14 h3 �d7 15 �e3 and 9 . . .l:r.e8 10 d5! lbb8 11 h3 c6 12 dxc6 hc6 13 c4 lbbd7 14 lbc3 he can maintain his advan­ tage (;t). 7 �b3 0-0 8 c3 d5!? The most aggressive plan. Qui­ eter play results from 8 . . . d6: a) 9 d4 exd4 10 cxd4 �g4 11 l:r.d1 d5! 12 e5 lbe4 13 lbc3 lbxc3 14 bxc3 'ifd7 15 h3 �f5 16 g4!? �g6 17 lbe1 and White can in­ crease his spatial advantage with f2-f4. b) 9 h3 lba5 10 .tc2 c5 1 1 d4 'fic7 12 l:r.d1 .td7 ! : Black intends 13 . . . cxd4 14 cxd4 l:r.ac8 with the queenside plan . . .lba5-c6-b4. c) 9 l:r.dl !? lba5 10 .tc2 c5 11 d4 1Wc7 12 d 5 c4 1 3 b4! cxb3 14 axb3 �g4 15 h3 .th5 16 .tb2 :feB 17 l:r.c1! ;t, After White has secured his queenside, his knight on b1 can get active via d2-fl-g3. Let us return now to 8 . . . d5. 9 d3 White undertakes tremendous ri sks if he plays 9 exd5: 9 . . . �g4! 10 dxc6 ( 10 h3 �xf3 1 1 1i'xf3 e4 12 'fie2 lba5! 13 .tc2 'fixd5 =F. White is less developed and Black

55

can strengthen his position with . . .l:r.ad8 and . . . l:r.fe8) 10 . . . e4 1 1 d4 exf3 12 gxf3 �h5!? 13 .tf4 l:r.eB 14 �e5 �d6 15 lbd2 he5 16 dxe5 lbd5 17 lbe4 lbf4 18 'fie3 'fih4 and Black has a dangerous attack.

9 l:r.e8 •••

It is logical to bolster the centre due to the pressure on Black's d5and e5-pawns. Other options are: a) 9 1Wd6 10 �g5 ! �e6 11 lbbd2 l:r.ad8 12 :fd1 lbd7 13 .txe7 lbxe7 14 d4! exd4 15 e5 'fib6 16 lbxd4!? ;t, There is no coordina­ tion between the black pieces. b) 9 d4 10 cxd4 lbxd4 11 lbxd4 1Wxd4 (on 11 . . . exd4, 12 f4! would threaten the advance of the e- and f-pawns) 12 �e3 1Wd6 13 l:r.c1!? .tb7 14 lbd2 and White controls the c-file and threatens lbd2-f3h4-f5. 10 lbbd2 Black achieves lively play after 10 exd5 lbxd5 1 1 lbxe5 lbxe5 12 1Wxe5 �b7. 10 ..tf8 11 l:r.el �b7 A balanced middlegame has arisen in which White can play lbd2-fl-g3-f5 and .tg5 while Black can group his forces with . . . lba5, . . .'fid7 and .. .llad8, awaiting the right moment to open the centre with d5xe4. Having met White's sidelines, let us move forward to the main line! 1 e4 e5 2 lbfa lbc6 3 .tb5 a6 4 .ta4 lbf6 5 0-0 �e7 6 l:r.el b5 White's threat was 7 �xc6 and 8 lbxe5. 7 �b3. •••

••.

••

56

Basic Chess Openings

B

Here Black can opt for the hard strategic battle typical of the Span­ ish by playing either ... 0-0 or ...d7d6. However, if he wants to invite White to a tactical fight, then his only move is 7 0-0 after which he can play the Marshall At­ •••

tack.

D. Marshall Attack

l:fxe5! 22 fxe5 l:xe5, and Black gets a decisive attack) 14 . . . d5 ! 15 exd5 lld8 16 ttlg4 ttlxd5 17 ttlxd5 .i.xd5 18 'ife2 'ifc6 and now on 19 1Wxe7? l:de8! wins. c) 8 a4!? A strategically justi­ fied concept, undermining the pawn on b5. In this way Black's attention and forces are distracted from the pawn sacrifice . . . d7-d5. White has to be ready for two pos­ sible replies: cl) 8 b4 9 d3 (9 d4 d6 10 dxe5 ttlxe5 11 ttlxe5 dxe5 12 .i.g5 .i.c5! 13 'i¥f3 h6 14 .i.xf6 1Wxf6 = ) 9. . .d6 1 0 a5 (10 ttlbd2 ttla5 l l .i.a2 .i.e6!? ) 10 . . . .i.e6 1 1 ttlbd2 'i¥c8!? (ll ... .i.xb3!? 12 ttlxb3 d5 13 'ife2 l:e8 14 .i.g5 h6 15 .i.h4 ttlh5! = ) 12 .i.c4 l:d8 1 3 ttl fl h6! 1 4 ttle3 .i.f8 with level chances. c2) 8 .i.b7 9 d3 d6 (after 9 :e8 10 c3!? h6 1 1 ttlbd2 .i.f8 12 .i.a2 ! Black has no good way of neutralizing the bishop sweeping down the a2-g8 diagonal. For ex­ ample, the lines 12 . . . d5 13 exd5 ttlxd5 14 d4 ttlf4 15 ttle4 and 12 ... d6 13 ttlh4 1i'd7 14 ttlg6! dem­ onstrate White's dominance) 10 ttlbd2 ttld7 1 1 c3! ttlc5 ( l l . . . .i.f6!?) 12 axb5 axb5 13 :Xa8 .i.xa8 (or 13 . . . 1Wxa8!? 14 .i.c2 b4 15 d4 bxc3 16 bxc3 ttld7 ) 14 .i.c2 .i.f6 15 b4 ttle6 16 ttlfl! d5! 17 exd5 'i¥xd5 18 ttle3 'i¥d8 19 ttlg4 e4! leads to an unclear game. Note that 8 . . . l:b8 is a poor re­ sponse to 8 a4!?: 9 axb5 axb5 10 c3 d5 1 1 exd5 ttlxd5 12 ttlxe5 ttlxe5 13 :Xe5 c6 14 d4 .i.d6 15 l:e1 ±. •••

oo

•••

• .

1 e4 e5 2 ttlf3 ttlc6 3 .i.b5 a6 4 .i.a4 ttlt'6 5 0-0 .i.e7 6 l:el b5 7 .i.b3 0-0 8 c3

This is the last moment at which White can avoid the Mar­ shall Attack with one of the anti­ Marshall systems: . a) 8 ttlc3 .i. b7 9 d3 d6 10 a3 ttld4! 1 1 ttlxd4 exd4 12 ttld5 ttlxd5 13 exd5 .i.f6 14 'i¥f3 l:e8 15 .i.d2 'ifd7 = . b) 8 d4 ttlxd4 9 hf7+ (9 ttlxd4 exd4 10 e5 ttle8 1 1 'i¥xd4 .i.b7 12 c3 d6 = ) 9 . . . :xf7 10 ttlxe5 :ra n 'i¥xd4 c5 1 2 'i¥d1 .i.b7 13 M 'i¥e8! 14 h3 ( 14 ttlg4 1i'g6 15 ttlxfG+ .i.xf6 16 ttld5 l:ae8 17 lDxffl + l:xf6 18 f3 d5 ! 19 e5 l:f5 20 f4 d4 21 1We2

oo

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

Black has stumbled into a poor Marshall in which he has lost con­ trol of the a-file.

8 d5!? 9 exd5 •••

9 d3 is passive: 9 ... dxe4 10 dxe4 'ifxd1 1 1 .i.xd1 .i.b7 12 ltlbd2 �7 13 ltlb3 a5 and Black is comfort­ ably on top. 9 d4!? is more inter­ esting, but Black has nothing ·to fear after 9 . . . exd4 10 e5 ltle4 11 cxd4 ltla5!? 12 .i.c2 f5! 13 exf6 .i.x£6! ao,

9 lLlxd5 •••

9 ... e4 is tricky but not good enough: 10 dxc6 exf3 1 1 d4 fxg2 12 .i.g5 .i.g4 13 'ifd3 followed by ltld2, and Black's attack never gets going.

10 ltlxe5 lLlxe5 11 lhe5

B

l l c6 •••

Black is planning ... .i.d6 and . . . 'ifh4, but first he has to do something about the knight on d5. Experience has shown that is best to protect it with a pawn, since after both 1 1 . . . ltlf6 12 d4 .i.d6 13 l:te1 ltlg4 14 h3 'ifh4 15 'iff3 lLlx£2!? 16 .i.d2! .i.b7! 17 'ifxb7 ltld3 18 l:te2 'ifg3 19 'it>fl lLlf4 20 l:tf2! 'ifh2 2 1 .i.xf4! .i.xf4 22 g3! and 1 1 ....i.b7 12 'iff3 .i.d6 13 .i.xd5! c6 14 l:te2 cxd5 15 d4 Black can­ not find enough compensation for his material disadvantage. Even from these warm-up lines it be­ comes apparent that the ensuing positions are hard to assess in prin­ ciple. Mter all, it is not enough for Black to have merely a potentially promising attack, he has to prove his point in concrete variations. In addition, White is often forced to defend his plus through a se­ ries of risky situations, or perhaps to bail out for a draw (if he can!) if things get too hot in the kitchen.

12 d4

Black has sacrificed a pawn to get an attack on the kingside. His plan is justified by the cramped white queenside. White on the other hand pins his hopes on the move d2-d4 and the quick devel­ opment of his light artillery. Let us see which side will win the de­ bate!

57

Two other continuations are: a) 12 hd5 cxd5 13 d4 .i.d6 14 l:te3 'ifh4 15 g3 (15 h3 'iff4! 16 l:te5! 'if£6 17 l:te1 'ifg6 18 'iff3 .i.e6 when Black is planning . . . l:tae8 and . . . .i.g4) 15 . . . .i.g4 16 f3 .i.xg3 17 'ife2 .i.f4 18 fxg4 f5! 19 gxf5 l:txf5 2D l:te8+ :XeS 2 1 'ifxe8 + l:tf8 22 'ife6 + �h8 23 .i.xf4 'ifxf4 24 ltla3 'iff2 + and Black has a perpetual on f2 and f3. b) 12 l:tel!? .i.d6 13 g3 .i.b7! 14 d3 'ifd7 15 ltld2 c5 16 ltle4 .i.e7

58

Basic Chess Openings

1 7 �g5 f6 18 �d2 �h8 19 Vh5 f5 20 �g5 hg5 2 1 hg5 1i'c6 22 f3 c4 23 J.c2 b4 and the white king is becoming a vulnerable target. 12 J.d6 13 l:te1 13 l:te2 is a less harmonious move: 13 . . . Vh4 14 g3 1i'h3 15 'ii'fl Vh5 16 f3 (16 �d2? �f4! 17 gxf4 J.h3 - + ) 16 . . . J.h3 17 1i'f2 f5 and Black seizes the e-file. As a mat­ ter of fact, this position (after a forty-move analysis!) is predicted by theory to be a draw by perpet­ ual. 1 3 Vb4 14 g3 'ifb3 15 J.e3 On 15 l:te4 the only reply is 15 . . . g5!? followed by the plan of . . . f7-f5 and . . . l:ta7-g7. Of course 15 . . . g5!? cannot be met by 16 J.xg5 as 16 . . .'iVf5 picks up a piece. 15 J.g4 16 Vd3 The queen can defend from fl. 16 l:tae8 All the forces are drawn into the attack. 17 �d2 l:te6 Also not entirely clear is 17 .. .f5, though the latest evidence goes against it: 18 'iffl 'ifh5 19 f4 �h8 20 J.xd5 cxd5 21 Vg2 l:te4 22 h4! (preventing . . . g7-g5) 22 . . . h6 23 �xe4 fxe4 24 l:tfl. l:tf6 25 a4! and White crawls out of Black's em­ brace.

brings about a success for Black. Let us take a look at the position after 18 a4!?

•••

B

•••

•••

•••

18 a4!

Here it is not worth playing 18 'iffl as after 18 . . . Vh5 Black can chase White's queen by 19 . . . J.h3, while 18 c4 �f4! 19 cxd5 l:th6 20 Ve4 Vxh2 + 21 �fl. J.xe3 22 :Xe3 l:tf6! 23 f3 � 24 'ife5 'ifxd2

Plans and Counterplans:

Black must keep attacking but at the same time he has to beware that the a1-rook does not sud­ denly burst into the game and de­ cide the battle. Here are a few concrete lines as titbits: a) 18 l:tfe8? 1 9 J.xd5 cxd5 20 Vfl. Vh5 21 axb5 axb5 22 Vxb5 ±. b) 18. bxa4 19 ha4 f5 20 'iffl 'iVh5 21 c4 f4 22 cxd5 :Xe3 23 fxe3 fxg3 24 dxc6+ �h8 25 hxg3 :xn + 26 l:txfl +-. White has too much material for the queen and his c­ pawn is dangerously advanced. c) 18 .'i'h5 19 axb5 axb5 20 �e4!? (or 20 �fl J.f5 21 Vdl J.g4 22 'ifd2 'ifh3 23 J.d1 �xd1 24 l:taxd1 f5! 25 f4 g5 26 fxg5 f4! 27 gxf4 J.xf4 28 J.xf4 M4 and Black is threatening perpetual check by 29 . . .'iVg4+ 30 �g3 �h3 + 3 1 �g2 �f4 + ) 20 . . . �c7 2 1 �d2 :feB 22 .id1 ! and Black faces a difficult task. For example, 22 . . . .txd1 23 •••

••

••

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

:exd1 and now 23 . . . :xe4 would backfire due to 24 1i'xe4! 1i'xd1 + 25 �g2 winning the black queen because of the mate threat on the back rank, while 23 . . . f5 24 lDg5 :e2 25 1i'f3! also thwarts Black's attack. We have the Indian grand­ master Viswanathan Anand to thank for this analysis of 22 �d1! d) 18 .f5!? 19 'it'fl 1i'h5 20 f4 bxa4 (White was hoping for the continuation 20 . . . :Ce8 21 axb5 axb5 - 2 1 . . .:xe3 22 :Xe3 :Xe3 23 bxc6 :e2 24 �xd5 + �f8 25 h3! �xh3 26 �f3 + - - 22 �xd5 cxd5 23 1i'xb5 with a fatal invasion into the black position) 21 ha4 :feB 22 1i'f2 (not 22 :xa6 :xe3 23 :xe3 :xe3 24 :xc6 1i'e8 25 �xd5+ �f8 26 lDe4 fxe4 27 :xd6 l:[d3 28 �b3 e3 - + ) 22 . . . g5 23 fxg5 f4 24 gxf4 �h3 and now 25 lDfl? hfl 26 �xfl 1i'h3 + or 25 �d1 :xe3! 26 �xh5 :xe1 + 27 lDfl :8e7 fol­ lowed by 28 . . . �xf4 is to Black's advantage. White should there­ fore continue 25 �h1 'it'g4 26 l:[g1 and if the black queen moves, then he can hold with 27 l:[g3. Current theory suggests that this rather remote position presents chances to both sides. ••

Sidelines Mter 1 e4 e5 2 lDf3 lDc6 3 �b5

a6 4 �a4 lDf6 5 0-0 �e7 6 :et b5 7 �b3 d6 the main line runs 8 c3. This move prepares d2-d4 and

at the same time makes way for the bishop to retreat to c2. On 8

59

a4 Black should avoid 8 . . . lDa5?! 9 axb5 lDxb3 10 cxb3 �b7 1 1 bxa6 �6 12 d4 0-0 13 lLlc3 �b7 14 l:[a4 ±. The right direction is 8 . . . �g4 9 c3 0-0 10 h3 �h5 1 1 d3 lDa5 12 �c2 c5 = .

8 0-0 •••

Now, before we turn to the ba­ sic position of the Main Line with 9 h3, let us first take a look at White's alternatives on his ninth move: a) 9 d3 lDa5 10 �c2 c5 11 lDbd2 :e8 ( 1 1 . . . lDc6 12 lDfl :ea 13 h3 � b7 is discussed in the Main Line below) 12 lDfl �b7 13 a3!? h6!? 14 b4 cxb4 15 axb4 lDc6 16 lDe3 d5 is level b) 9 a4 �g4 (9 . . . b4 is weaker: 10 h3 l:[b8 11 a5! �e6 12 �xe6 fxe6 13 d4 exd4 14 cxd4 l:[b5 15 lDbd2 lDxa5 16 lDb3 lDxb3 17 1i'xb3 1i'c8 18 lDg5 ± ) 10 h3 �h5!? (unless it is unavoidable, Black should avoid easing the tension with quick exchanges!) 11 d3 lDa5 12 �c2 c5 13 lDbd2 b4 14 g4 �g6 15 lDfl :bs 16 lDe3 b3 17 �b1 :es co. c) 9 d4!? �g4 10 d5 (White can instead keep the position open with 10 �e3, but both 10 . . . exd4 1 1 cxd4 lDa5 12 �c2 c5 !? - on 12 . . . lDc4 13 �c1 and b2-b3 White regains the lost tempi - 13 dxc5 dxc5 14 lDbd2 lDc6 and 10 . . . d5!? 11 exd5 exd4 12 �xd4 fud4 13 cxd4 �b4 14 lDc3 a5! 15 a3 �xc3 16 bxc3 a4 17 �a2 1i'd6 18 h3 �h5 ensure Black equality) 10 . . . lDa5 11 �c2 1i'c8 12 h3 �d7 13 lDbd2 c6!

60

Basic Chess Openings

(Black is obliged to fight against the white centre and open a queen­ side file for himself) 14 dxc6 'ii'xc6 15 l0fl l0c4!? 16 .td3 (or 16 l0g3 l:lfc8!? 1 7 'ii'e2 l0b6 and Black's idea may be . . . l0b6-a4-c5 followed by . . . a6-a5) 16 .. Jlac8 17 'fi'e2 :feB 18 l0g3 h6 = . Black can consoli­ date his kingside with 19 . . . .tf8 and concentrate on . . . d6-d5. The move . . ..tc8-g4 is especially effec­ tive against an early seizure of the centre by White with d2-d4, as by attacking the knight on f3 Black weakens the pawn on d4. However, in connection with this one must know that a premature . . . .tg4, for example after 8 c3, is a mistake, since 8 ....tg4?! 9 d3! 0-0 10 l0bd2 l0a5 11 .tc2 c5 12 h3 .th5 13 l0fl followed by g2-g4 and l0g3 dooms the impatient bishop to total passivity. E. Main Line: The basic position

1 e4 e5 2 lbf3 l0c6 3 .tb5 a6 4 .ta4 l0f6 5 0-0 .te7 6 l:lel b5 7 .tb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 (D)

White has thwarted . . . .tc8-g4 and is now ready to play d2-d4, af­ ter which, often with the help of the manoeuvre l0b1-d2-fl-g3-f5, he wishes to gradually develope a kingside attack. Of course, Black's arena of play is on the queenside, but first he has to complete his development. Among the many plans at his disposal, the following are worth close examination.

B

El. Zaitsev Variation: 9 ... .tb7. E2. Breyer Variation: 9 ... l0b8. E3. Chigorin Variation: 9 ... llW>. Besides these options, the fol­ lowing lines are also frequently employed: a) 9 ... a5 10 d4 a4 11 .tc2 exd4 ( 1 1 . . . .td7 12 l0bd2 .lieS 13 lOfl .trs 14 l0ga h6 15 l0h2! � 16 f4 c5 1 7 dxe5 dxe5 18 fxe5 l:lxe5 19 .tf4 ±. With e4-e5 White will open up the diagonal of the bishop on c2 and commence a kingside at­ tack) 12 cxd4 l0b4 13 d5! (an ex­ cellent outpost has been created for a white knight on d4!) 13 ... l0d7 14 l0a3 .tf6 15 �b5 a3 16 l0bd4 axb2 17 .txb2 :Xa2 18 :Xa2 �a2 19 l0c6 and 20 'fi'al rounds up the stray horse. b) 9 ... .te6 10 d4 (10 .txe6 fxe6 11 d4 'fi'd7!? 12 dxe5 dxe5 13 'ii'xd7 l0xd7 14 .tea l0c5 is insufficient for an advantage. Black is active and his doubled isolated e-pawns control useful central squares) 10 ....txb3 11 axb3 ( 1 1 'ii'xb3!? is worth considering, for example

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

1 1 ... 'ii'd 7!? 12 �bd2 l:tfbS 13 �fl b4 14 'ii'd l bxc3 15 bxc3 :tb5 16 �g3 :tabS 17 i.g5 with mutual chances) 1 1 ... exd4 12 cxd4 �b4 (12 . . . d5 is an interesting option, although after 13 e5 �e4 14 �c3 f5 15 ex£6 Black must sacrifice a pawn with 15 . . . hf6 as 15 . . . �6 is bad in view of 16 �g5) 13 d5! Gust as we saw in the previous line, the f3-knight can again be directed to d4 while at the same White restrains the black c-pawn. 13 �c3 c5 14 i.f4 l:teS and . . . 'ii'b 6, . . . l:tadS leads to a balanced fight) 13 . . . c5 14 dxc6 �xc6 15 �c3 and White is clearly better due to the weak d6-pawn. c) 9 . . .h6 (Black prevents the move �f3-g5 thus allowing the manoeuvre . . . l:teS and . . . i.fS) 10 d4 l:teS 11 �bd2 i.f8 12 i.c2!? (in the line 12 �fl i.d7 13 �g3 �a5 14 i.c2 �c4 15 b3 �b6 16 i.e3 c5!? Black obtains sufficient coun­ terplay, while after 12 d5 �b8 13 �fl �bd7 14 �g3 �c5 15 i.c2 a5 Black's position is again satisfac­ tory. 12 i.c2!? prevents Black's queenside play from unfolding, for example, on 12 . . .�a5? 13 b4! Black is quite restrained) 12 . . . i.d7 13 i.d3 !? 'ii' b S 14 b3 g6 15 i.b2 i.g7 16 d5 �dS 17 c4, and White stands more freely thanks to his spatial advantage. d) 9 ...�d7!? (an idea of the Es­ tonian grandmaster Paul Keres. The black knight is heading for the queenside while at the same time delegating his place to the

61

bishop, which will exert pressure on the d4-square from £6) .

w

10 d4 i.£6 (this is stronger than 10 . . . �b6 when after 1 1 �bd2 i.£6 12 �fl White can transport his hi­ knight to the kingside) 11 a4!? (on 11 i.e3 Black can reply 11 . . . �a5 12 i.c2 �c4 13 i.cl i.b7 14 b3 �cb6 15 i.e3 l:teS 16 d5 �c5, with the plan of . . . c7-c6, while after 1 1 d5, playable i s 11 . . . �a5 1 2 i.c2 c5 13 �bd2 �b6 14 �fl g6 15 g4!? i.g7 16 �g3 i.d7 17 b3 �b7 fol­ lowed by . . . a6-a5-a4) 11 . . . i.b7 12 �a3 !? (other moves are 12 d5 !? �e7 13 axb5 axb5 14 l:txaS 'ii'xaS 15 �a3 i.a6 16 �h2 g6 1 7 i.c2!? 'ii'b 7 lS b4 �b6, and Black can opt for . . . c7-c6, or 12 axb5 axb5 13 l:txaS 'ii' xaS 14 d5 �a5 !? 15 i.c2 �c4 16 b3 �cb6 17 �a3 i.a6 lS �h2 c6 with equality) 12 . . . exd4 13 cxd4 l:teS!? (13 . . . �b6 14 i.f4 bxa4 15 i.xa4 �xa4 16 'ii'xa4 a5 17 i.d2! l:teS lS d5 �b4 19 i.xb4 axb4 20 'ii'xb4 l:tbS 21 'ii'c4 i.xb2 22 l:ta2 i.£6 23 �b5 ±) 14 'ii'd2!? (White stops the move . . . �c6-a5

62

Basic Chess Openings

owing to 14 .tf4 l005 ! 15 .i..c2 b4 16 /.l)b1 b3!? 1 7 .i.. d 3 c5!? ) 14 ... l:te7 15 l:tb1 bxa4 16 .i..xa4 /.l)b6 17 .i.. c2 a5 18 "if c3 /.l)b4 = . Here Black has good piece play due to the plan of . . . exd4 and ...l:te8. oo

E 1 . 1 e4 e5 2 lbf3 lbc6 3 .i.. b 5 a6 4 .i..a4 lbf6 5 0-0 .i..e7 6 l:te1 b5 7 .i.. b 3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 .i.. b 7 (Zait­ sev Variation)

10 d4

10 d3 is ineffective: 10 ...lba5 11 .i.. c2 c 5 12 lbbd2 lbc6 13 lbfl l:te8 14 lbg3 g6!? 15 lbh2 d5 = .

10 Jle8 ••

Black is preparing for . . . .i..f8. The bishop on b7 and rook on e8 are both eyeing the white pawn on e4. 10 . . .lba5 is inferior: 11 .i.. c2 lbc4 12 b3 lbb6 13 lbbd2 l:te8 14 .i..b2 .i.. f8 15 c4! exd4 16 cxb5 axb5 17 lbxd4, and the white pieces are ready to march against the black king with lbf5 and 1i'f3. l l lbbd2 Other possibilities are: a) 11 a4 .i.. f8 12 d5 lbb8 13 axb5 axb5 14 l:tax8 .i..xa8 15 lba3 c6 16 dxc6 .i.. xc6 17 .i..g5 lbbd7 and the black position looks a tough nut to crack. b) l l lbg5 l:tf8 12 f4? exf4 13 .i..xf4 lba5 14 .i.. c 2 /.l)d5! 15 exd5 .i..xg5 16 1i'h5 h6 17 .i.. g3 g6! 18· "iff3 lbc4 and Black has seized the initiative. In this line, if White's ambitions are modest then in­ stead of 12 f4? he can offer a draw by repetition with 12 lbf3.

c) 1 1 dxe5 lbxe5 ( 1 1 . . .dxe5? loses to 12 .i..xf7 + �xf7 13 "ifb3 + and on 13 . . . �g6 14 lbh4+ while on 13 .. .� 14 lbg5 wins) 12 fue5 dxe5 13 "iff3 c5 14 lbd2 c4 = .

1 1 .i..f8 12 a4!? •••

12 lbg5 is again ineffective: 12 . . . l:te7 13 f4 h6 14 lbdf3 "ife8!, and Black is better developed . White can also close the centre with 12 d5!? lbb8 13 lbfl lbbd7 14 lbg3 g6!? (14 ...lbc5 15 .i.. c2 a5!? 16 lbh2 g6 17 1i'f3 h5 also comes into consideration) 15 .i..e 3 lbc5 16 .i..c2 c6 17 b4 lbcd7 18 dxc6 .i..xc6 19 .i.. b 3 lbb6 20 "ifd3 "ifc7, with a de­ fensible game for Black, or by 12 .i..c2 g6!? 13 d5 lbb8 14 b3 c6 15 c4 "ifc7 16 lbfl lbbd7 17 .i.. e3 lbc5 18 lbg3 a5 19 1i'd2 l0fd7 20 dxc6 .i..xc6 21 cxb5 .i.. xb5, with unclear con­ sequences.

12 h6 13 .i..c2 exd4!? •••

A move that leads to some risky business! A safer choice is 13 ... g6!? and on 14 d5 lbb8 15 b3 c6 16 c4 bxc4 17 bxc4 a5! 18 l:tb1 "ifc7 19 /.l)b3 .i.. a6 20 .i.. d3 lbbd7 21 .i.. d2 cxd5 22 .i..xa5 "ifa7 23 cxd5 .i.. xd3 24 "ifxd3 lbc5! 25 lbxc5 "ifxa5 the game becomes balanced

14 cxd4

14 lbxd4 lbxd4 15 cxd4 c5 is un­ clear.

14 lbb4 15 .i..b 1 c5 •••

Here too a reliable option for Black is 15 . . . g6!? 16 l:ta3 .i.. g7 and the follow-up may be ... c7-c5.

16 d5 lbd7 17 l:ta3 f5!?

A dramatic method of under­ mining the white centre, but with

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

the drawback that the black king position is significantly weakened.

w

Plans and Counterplans:

Black aims at overthrowing the white centre while his opponent prepares a kingside attack for which he can transfer his rook along the third rank from a3 to g3. Here are a few examples taken from practice: a) 18 e5?! j.xd5 19 .hf5 j.xf3! 20 'ifxf3 �xe5 21 'ii'd 1 c4 is clearly better for Black. b) 18 exf5 �f6 19 �e4 j.xd5 (19 ...�bxd5 is also good) 20 ltlx£6+ 'ifxf6 21 j.d2 'ifxb2! 22 j.xb4 j.f7! and Black is on top. c) 18 ltae3!? �f6 (18 .. .f4 19 lt3e2 �e5 20 �fl �+ 21 gxf3 'ifh4 co) 19 �h2 'ifd7! 20 exf5 ltxe3 21 fxe3 hd5 22 �g4 j.e7 23 e4 j.f7 and the fight is still com­ pletely open. d) 18 �h2 ! (perhaps the best answer, opening the way for the rook on a3) 18 . . .�h8!? (also possi­ ble is 18 . . . c4 19 exf5 �c5 20 ltxe8 'ifxe8 21 ltg3 �bd3 22 f6 g6 23 b3

63

j.xd5 24 bxc4 bxc4 25 j.a3 or 18 . . . �£6 19 ltf3 lte5 20 ltxf5 ltxf5 2 1 exf5 hd5 with an immense fight) 19 ltg3 �f6 20 �hf3! fxe4 2 1 �xe4 j.xd5 22 � 'ifxf6 23 j.d2!? ltxe1 + !? 24 j.xe1 j.f7 co, The possibilities of attack and de­ fence are not yet fully worked out in this variation, so one may be able to find stronger moves at some point . . . for both parties! Postscript: instead of 17 . . . £5!? Black can also try 17 . . . c4!? Then after both 18 �d4 'iff6 19 �2f3 �c5 or 18 axb5 axb5 19 �d4 ltxa3 20 bxa3 �d3 2 1 j.xd3 cxd3 22 lte3 �c5 a complicated position arises with mutual chances. E2. 1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �c6 3 j.b5 a6 4 j.a4 �f6 5 0-0 j.e7 6 lte1 b5 7 j.b3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 �bB (Breyer Variation)

In the Breyer Variation, the knight withdraws to b8, ready to reap­ pear on d7, while giving scope to the bishop when it comes to b7 and the c-pawn. Black obtains a flexible position with which to fight White's spatial plus.

10 d4

10 d3 is unreasonably modest: 10 . . .�bd7 11 �bd2 j.b7 12 �fl �c5 13 j.c2 lte8 14 �g3 j.f8 15 b4 �cd7 16 j.b2 c5 17 a3 'ii'c7 with equality. 10 �bd7 11 �bd2 Black should meet 1 1 c4 with ll . . . c6. For example, 12 j.g5 j.b7 13 �bd2 c5 14 dxe5 �e5 15 �e5 •••

64

Basic Chess Openings

dxe5, 12 c5 'flc7 13 cxd6 .i.xd6 14 .i.g5 exd4 15 .i.xf6 gxf6 16 �d4 (16 'flxd4 lLle5 17 lLlbd2 l:[d8 18 'fle3 lLld3) 16 . . . lLlc5! or 12 a3!? bxc4 13 .i.xc4 d5!? 14 exd5 cxd5 15 .i.a2 e4 16 lLle5 .i.d6 17 �d7 .i.xd7, with good play for Black in each case.

ll .i.b7 12 .i.c2 ...

White protects his pawn on e4 to allow the d2-knight to continue its migration towards the king­ side.

12 :es •••

12 . . . c5 can be met by 13 d5 g6 14 lLlfl lLlh5 15 .i.h6 lLlg7 16 lLle3 lLlf6 17 a4 ;t. 13 lLlfi Also possible are: a) 13 a4 .i.f8 14 .i.d3 c6 15 lLlfl g6!? 16 lLlg3 .i.g7 =. b) 13 b4!? .i.f8 14 a4 lLlb6 15 a5 lLlbd7 16 .i.b2 l:[b8 17 l:[b1 .i.a8 18 .i.a1 g6 19 dxe5 lLlxe5 20 lLlxe5 dxe5 21 c4 bxc4 22 .i.c3 .i.c6 23 'fle2 .i.b5 24 �c4 c5 with unclear play.

13 .i.f8 •••

Black's dream of . . . d6-d5 can­ not be realized yet: 13 . . . d5?! 14 lLlxe5 �e5 (14 . . . lLlxe4 15 �f7! �xf7 16 :xe4 dxe4 17 .i.b3 + �f8 18 'flh5 g6 19 'ii'x h7 + -) 15 dxe5 lLlxe4 16 f3 lLlg5 1 7 lLlg3 .i.c5 + 18 �h2 f6 19 .i.xg5 fxg5 20 'flb1 ! h6 21 'ii'd 1! and the loose black king position is hard to defend.

14 lLlg3 g6

Black strengthens his king po­ sition against the forthcoming at­ tack.

15 a4!?

This gives Black less chances of active counterplay than 15 b3, when two lines are perfectly play­ able: a) 15 .i.g7 16 d5 lLlb6 17 .i.e3 :c8 18 'ii'e2 c6 19 c4 cxd5 20 cxd5 lLlbxd5! 21 exd5 �d5 22 'ii'd2 M 23 lLle2 b4!, when Black's plan is . . . d5-d4. His advancing central pawns provide excellent compen­ sation for the piece. b) 15 .d5!? 16 .i.g5!? (16 exd5?! lLlxd5 1 7 dxe5 lLlxc3 18 'ii'd3 lLld5 19 .i.g5 'ii'c8 20 'ii'd4 .i.g7 ;) 16 . . . h6 1 7 .i.h4!? dxe4 (17 . . . g5 18 lLlxg5 hxg5 19 .i.xg5 exd4 20 e5! :xe5 21 :xe5 lLlxe5 22 'ii'xd4 and the threat of lLlf5 or lLlh5 creates a co­ lossal attack against Black's king) 18 �e4 g5 19 dxe5! �e4 20 .i.xe4 he4 2 1 :Xe4 gxh4 22 l:[d4 :e7 23 e6! :xe6! 24 :xd7 'ii'e8 and in spite of appearances Black is no worse because he is threatening 25 . . . .i.d6 to entrap the white rook on d7. •••

••

15 c5 •••

Now if 15 . . . .i.g7, then 16 d5 ! is strong, when White's target is the pawn on b5 and the entire black queenside.

16 d5

White cannot hope for an ad­ vantage after the feeble exchange 16 dxe5 dxe5. What is more it is even Black who threatens to as­ sume the initiative with . . . c5-c4 and . . . lLlc5.

16 c4 17 .i.g5 h6 18 .i.e3 lLlc5 19 'fld2 h5 20 .i.g5 .i. e7 •••

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

w

a good home and that the early ... c7-c5 removes the option oflater nibbling at the white d5-pawn with . . . c7-c6.

1 1 d4 'i!i'c7

Plans and Counterplans:

White can double his rooks on the a-file and then open the way for an invasion with axb5. Black, in his turn, will try to neutralize the invading white rook For example, 21 i.h6 (White avoids any combi­ nations that may become possible after a jump by the knight from f6, for instance, 2 1 Aa2 h4 22 'Llxh4? 'Llfxe4!) 2 1 . . .'Llh7 22 Aa3 Ab8 23 Aeal .tc8 24 axb5 axb5 25 .te3 .tf6 26 'Lle2 i.d7 27 Aa7 'i!i'c8! and Black can pursue the rook on a7 with the manoeuvre ... .tf6-d8b6.

E3. 1 e4 e5 2 'Llf3 'Llc6 3 .tb5 a6 4 .ta4 'Llf6 5 0-0 .te7 6 Ae1 b5 7 .tb3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 'Lla5 (Chigorin Variation)

10 .tc2 c5

In this variation Black immedi­ ately mobilizes his c-pawn, creat­ ing instant tension in the centre and on the queenside. The draw­ backs of this plan are that the knight on a5 has trouble finding

65

Black protects his e5-pawn and at the same time already has the opening of the c-fi1e in mind There are of course several other moves: a) ll ... d5? 12 'Llxe5 dxe4 (af­ ter 12 . . . 'Llxe4 13 'Lld2! 'Llxd2 14 i.xd2, White is threatening 15 b4 and 15 'i!i'h5) 13 .tg5 cxd4 14 cxd4 i.b7 15 'Llc3 ± and Black cannot hold his e-pawn. b) l l ...cxd4 12 cxd4 i.b7 13 lLlc3 'i!i'c7 14 'i!i'e2 Aac8 15 .td3 :feB 16 .tg5 h6 17 i.d2 i.fS 18 d5 ;t and then with Aecl and at an apt moment a2-a4 or b2-b4 White takes over the initiative. c) l l ... Ae8? 12 dxe5 dxe5 13 'Llxe5 .td6 14 'Llxf7! �xf7 15 e5 'i!i'e7 16 .tf4! i.c7 (16 ... i.b8 17 'Lld2 'Lld5 18 'i!i'h5 + introduces an over­ whelming attack) 17 Ae3 'i!i'd7 18 e6 + ! :Xe6 19 'i!i'xd7+ .txd7 20 .txc7 + -. Black has nothing for the pawn. d) ll ... c!006 12 d5 'Lla5 13 'Llbd2 c4 14 'Llfl 'Llb7 15 g4! h5!? 16 gxh5 .txh3 17 'Ll3h2 'Llh7 18 lLle3 .tg5 19 'i!i'f3 i.d7 20 �hl, and White unfolds an attack on the kingside with the moves Agl and 'Llf5. e) l l ... i.b7 12 'Llbd2 cxd4 13 cxd4 exd4 14 'Llxd4 Ae8 15 b4 'Llc6 (15 . . . 'Llc4? 16 'Llxc4 bxc4 17 i.a4! Af8 18 .tg5 ±, and here White is threatening 19 'Llc6 or 19 'Llf5) 16 'Llxc6 i.xc6 17 .tb2 Ac8 18 i.b3!?

66

Basic Chess Openings

;t, followed by 19 1Wf3, when the white bishops exert strong pres­ sure on the black kingside. f) u . . .�d7 12 �bd2 (12 dxc5 also comes strongly into consid­ eration: 12 . . . dxc5 13 �bd2 f6 14 �h4 �b6 15 �5 J:!£7 16 �b3 �b7 17 .i.e3 'flc7 18 �d2 .i.f8 19 a4!, and White assumes the initiative) 12 . . . cxd4 13 cxd4 �c6 14 �b3 a5 15 .i.e3 a4 16 �bd2 exd4 (on any other move White follows the plan d4-d5, l:c1, .i.b1, �fl and 1Wd2, when he can hope for activity on both the kingside and the c-file) 17 �xd4 �xd4 18 .i.xd4 �e5 19 a3!? �c6 20 .i.c3 .i.£6 21 'flh5!? is much more pleasant for White. Not only is he threatening the pawn on b5, but also 22 e5 is in the air.

12 �bd2

It is not worth White closing the centre without a gain of tempo as his queenside is still undeveloped: 12 d5?! �c4 13 a4 .i.d7 14 b3 �5 15 axb5 axb5 16 �bd2 g6! 17 �fl �h5 ! 18 .i.h6 l:fe8 19 �3h2 'fld8 20 'ild2 �f4 2 1 �f3 .i.£6, and if White should ever capture the knight on f4, the strength of the bishop on f6 multiplies.

12 cxd4 •••

12 . . . �c6 is well met by 13 d5 �dB 14 a4 l:b8 15 axb5 axb5 16 b4! c4 1 7 �fl �e8 18 �3h2 f6 19 f4 �f7 20 �f3 g6 21 f5 �g7 22 g4, and White stands more freely, al­ though of course it is still very hard to attack Black in such a closed position. Black's alterna­ tive is 12 ... .i.d7 13 M � 14 �

�e3 15 .i.xe3 l:lfc8 16 l:cl .i.c6 17 �d2 cxd4 18 cxd4 'flb7 1 9 'flf3 (19 d5 .i.e8 20 'fle2 .i.d8!) 19 . . . d5 20 dxe5 �xe4 2 1 .i.b3 ! ;t Black is unable to open the long diagonal with . . . d5-d4 due to the weakness of the f7-pawn.

13 cxd4 �c6

Black is eyeing up the squares d4 and b4. Other possibilities are: a) 13 l:td8 14 b3 �c6 15 .i.b2 exd4 16 �d4 �d4 17 hd4 .i.e6 18 l:c1! 1Wa5 19 .i.b1 d5 20 .i.c3 b4 21 h£6 .i.x£6 22 e5 .i.g5 23 'fle2 'flb6 24 l:cd1, and with the ma­ noeuvre �d2-f3-d4 White takes control On 24 . . . .i.xd2 25 l:bd2, the plan l:ed1, h2 and f2-f4 also shows White's advantage. b) 13 ..i.e6 14 M :fc8 15 .i.d3 �e8 16 �e3, and 1 7 .i.d2 gives White a clear advantage. c) 13 .i.d7 14 �fl l:ac8 15 �e3 �6 16 d5 �b4 17 .i.b1 a5 18 a3 �a6 19 b4!, and now 19 . . . axb4 20 axb4 �xb4 is prohibited as 21 'flb3 'flc5 22 .i.d2 catches the black knight. White will now be able to seize the queenside initiative with 20 .i.d2 followed by .i.d3 and l:cl. d) 13 .i.b7 14 �fl (14 d5!? is also not bad as it shuts down the bishop on b7) 14 . . .l:ac8 15 l:e2 �h5 (or 15 . . . d5 16 dxe5 �xe4 17 �g3! �xg3 18 fxg3 and the black kingside is open to attack with 19 'fld3) 16 a4!? bxa4 (on 16 . . . b4, 17 b3 and 18 d5 cools the heels of the knight on a5, while 16 . . .�4 17 .i.x£4 exf4 18 axb5 axb5 19 1i'd2! �c4 20 'flxf4 �xb2 21 �g3 gives •••

••

•••

•••

Spanish (Ruy Lopez) Opening

White a tremendous attack) 17 i.xa4 ll)£4 18 llc2! ± . Black is very disorganized: besides the knight on a5, the defence of the pawn on e5 is also causing trouble.

67

B

14 lllb3

On 14 lllfl, 14 ... exd4 is possible and on 14 d5 lllb4 15 i.b1 a5 16 a3 llla6, followed by ... i.d7 and ... lLlcS equalizes. 14 a5 15 i.e3! The bishop needs to be quickly developed in order to bring the knight back to d2 . 15 a4 16 lllbd2 lllb4 16 . . . .td7 1 7 llc1 'ii' b 7 18 'ii'e2 llfe8 19 a3!? g6 20 i.b1 ! i.f8 21 i.a2! h6 22 dxe5 lllxe5 (22 ... dxe5 23 i.c5! and i.xf8, 'ii'e3, llc5 brings about an advantage for White) 23 i.d4 l:lac8 24 i.c3 i.g7 25 lLld4 ±. 17 i.b1 i.d7 18 a3 lllc6 19 •••

•••

i.d3

19 i.a2!? is also possible. 19 llla5 20 'ii'e2 'ii'b8 21 •••

l:lecl! (D)

Plans and Counterplans:

White is clearly better. He con­ trols the play and with his excel­ lent rook placement he has also prepared an unexpected plan: l:lab1 and b2-b4! One possible continu­ ation is 21...l:le8 22 l:lab1! .idS (or

22 . . . i.f8 23 i.g5! lllh5 24 b4!) 23 b4! axb3 24 lllxb3 lllxb3 25 l:lxb3 'ii'b 7 26 llld2 (the b5-pawn could not yet be taken due to the hang­ ing pawn on e4) 26 . . . h6 27 dxe5 dxe5 28 i.xb5 i.xb5 29 'ii'xb5 'ii'xb5 30 l:lxb5 llxa3 3 1 l:lc8 and White is unpleasantly squeezing Black on the eighth rank. In the Chigorin Variation Black has to live through some difficult mo­ ments so it is no wonder that the Zaitsev and the Breyer are more and more fashionable these days. In the tough positional battle of the Main Line one can count on success only if one is familiar with all the typical plans and, accord­ ing to the situation in the centre, is able to pick the one which grants active play at the right juncture.

Ph i l i dor's Defence 1 e4 e5 2 tM3 d6

'it'h5 + g6 8 'it'h3) 7 t£le6 'ife7 8 'it'h5 + g6 9 'ifh3 and once he has castled White will be threatening f2-f4.

3 t£Jf6

w

•••

Other moves favour White: a) 3 t£Jc6 4 .tb5 with a trans­ position into the Steinitz Vari­ ation of the Ruy Lopez. b) 3 .tg4 4 dxe5 .txf3 5 1Wxf3 dxe5 6 .tc4 with an initiative for White. Also good is 5 gxf3 dxe5 6 'it'xd8 + 'ii;lxd8 7 f4 and White has good chances in the endgame due to his bishop pair. c) 3 f5. This romantic move weakens Black's king position to a fatal degree. For example, 4 M fxe4 5 t£Jxe4 d5 6 t£Jxe5! dxe4 7 'it'h5 + g6 8 t£Jxg6 t£Jf6 9 'ffe5 + 'ii;lf7 10 .tc4 + ! 'ii;lg7 (10 . . . 'ii;lxg6 1 1 'it'g5 mate) 1 1 .th6 + ! Wxh 6 1 2 t£Jxh8 .tb4+ 1 3 c3 and White con­ tinues the attack on the king and is also materially well off. d) 3 t£Jd7 4 .tc4 c6 ('natural' moves lose here: 4 . . . t£Jf6? 5 dxe5 dxe5 6 t£lg5 or 5 . . . t£Jxe5 6 fue5 dxe5 7 .txf7 + 'ii;lxf7 8 1i'xd8 .tb4+ 9 'it'd2; 4 . . . .te7? 5 dxe5 dxe5 6 'ifd5 or 5 . . . t£Jxe5 6 t£Jxe5 dxe5 7 'it'h5 and 4 . . . h6? 5 dxe5 dxe5 6 .txf7+ Wxf7 7 t£Jxe5 + 8 'it'd5) 5 0-0 .te7 6 dxe5 dxe5 7 t£lg5 .txg5 8 'it'h5 g6 9 1Wxg5 and, with the bishop pair and a more developed position, White is better. •••

•••

It is less active to protect the e5-pawn with 2 . . . d6 than with 2 . . . t£lc6 because it is not a devel­ oping move and it shuts in the dark-squared bishop. However, the Philidor has the great advan­ tage that it requires much less knowledge than 2 ... t£Jc6, although the initiative is clearly in White's hands.

3 d4

On 3 .tc4 the correct answer is 3 . . . .te7, when after 4 d4 Black may transpose to the Hungarian Defence with 4 . . . t£Jc6, or may play 4 . . . exd4 5 t£Jxd4 t£Jf6 6 t£lc3 0-0. In both cases White stands slightly better. Note that it is inadvisable to meet 3 .tc4 with 3 . . . .te6 as the weakening of the e6-square can cause serious problems: 4 .txe6 fxe6 5 d4 exd4 6 t£Jxd4 e5 (6 .. .1Wf6 7 'it'h5 + g6 8 'it'b5 + ; 6 .. . 'ii'd7 7

•••

•••

Philidor's Defence

e) 3 exd4 4 lt:Jxd4 (also good is 4 1Wxd4, with the follow-up 4 . . . lt:Jc6 5 .tb5, or 4 . . . .td7 5 .tf4 lt:Jc6 6 'ifd2), and now Black should transpose to the Main Line with 4. . . lt:Jf6. Mter 3 . . . lt:Jf6 White has two possibilities: I. 4 dxe5 or

69

•••

W

II. 4 lt:Jc3.

I. 1 e4 e5 2 lt:Jf3 d6 3 d4 lL:!f6 4 dxe5 4...lt:Jxe4 5 1i'd5

The most forceful move. Mter 5 lt:Jbd2 lt:Jxd2 6 i.xd2 .te7 7 .td3 (on 7 exd6 Black has to recapture with the queen while on 7 .tf4 he plays 7 . . . d5) 7 . . . � 8 1i'e2 .te6 9 0-0-0 dxe5 10 lt:Jxe5 1i'd5 Black is free of problems, while on 5 .td3 lt:Jc5 or on 5 .tc4 c6 6 exd6 lt:Jxd6 7 i.b3 .te7 8 0-0 0-0 9 lt:Jc3 lt:Ja6 is the most accurate continuation for Black. 5 ... lt:Jc5 6 .t g5 6 lt:Jg5 is ineffective after 6 . . .i.e6 7 lt:Jxe6 fxe6 8 1i'f3 lt:Jbd7 9 exd6 .txd6 with an advantage to Black. 6 ...1i'd7 Or 6 . . . .te7 7 exd6 1i'xd6 8 lt:Jc3 followed by queenside castling and White's initiative is extremely dangerous. 7 exd6 .txd6 8 lt:Jc3 0-0 9 0-0-0 lt:Jc6 (D) Plans and Counterplans:

White's pieces are more naturally developed: He can try to make use

of the crowded state of Black's pieces and the pin on the d-file and may be able to mount an at­ tack on the king. Black would like to free his queen and his light­ squared bishop and then develop an attack against White's queen­ side castling position. There might follow 10 .te3 lt:Je7 1 1 1Wc4 b6 12 .txc5 bxc5 13 .td3 lt:Jg6 ;!;.

II. 1 e4 e5 2 lt:Jf3 d6 3 d4 lL:!f6 4 lt:Jc3 4... exd4

Here it is more acceptable to play 4 ...lt:Jbd7 than on the third move: 5 .tc4 i.e7 (Black should not play 5 . . . c6 in view of 6 dxe5 dxe5 7 lt:Jg5) and now: a) 6 .txf7 +? (White, if he wants, can 'go wild', but he is not winning) 6 . . .'�xf7 7 lt:Jg5 + �g8 8 lt:Je6 1i'e8 9 lt:Jxc7 1i'g6 10 lt:Jxa8 1i'xg2 1 1 nn exd4 12 1Wxd4 lt:Je5 13 f4 ffg4 and the white mon­ arch runs into trouble. b) The same idea in a revised form: 6 dxe5 dxe5 (also playable

70

Basic Chess Openings

is 6 . . . �xe5 7 .i.e2) 7 .txf7 + Wxf7 8 �g5 + �g8 9 �e6 11t'e8 10 �c7 'iig6 1 1 �xa8 11Vxg2 12 :n �c5, and Black achieves enough coun­ terplay with . . . .th3. c) 6 �g5 0-0 7 .txf7+ l:lxf7 8 �e6 11t'e8 9 �c7 11t'd8 10 � b5! 11 dxe5 ! (not 11 �b5? 11Va5 + 12 �c3 �xe4 =F) ll ... �e5 12 .tf4 b4 13 �d5 �xd5 14 11Vxd5 �g6 15 .tg3 .tf8 16 0-0-0 .tb7 and White is somewhat better. These lines are all very sharp and chaotic: in a tournament game the better versed player will be the one to get on top! d) 6 0-0. The natural continu­ ation is 6 . . . 0-0 7 11Ve2 c6 8 a4 (of course, . . . b7-b5 must be stopped) 8 . . .11Vc7 9 h3 b6 10 l:ld1 .tb7. White has a spatial plus but Black's po­ sition is very solid. For players with an active style this line can be recommended as White. Black's position is more suitable for 'snip­ ers' with a patient style of play.

strong attack. Black has to try to

carry out ...d6-d5.

6 .tg5

The most dangerous continu­ ation. Oi1 6 .tf4 .tg7 7 11t'd2 0-0 8 0-0-0 l:le8 9 f3 �c6 10 �c6 bxc6 1 1 e5 �5 12 �d5 cxd5 Black obtains an attack on the open di­ agonals and files, while after 6 .tc4 .tg7 7 0-0 0-0 8 .tg5 h6 9 .th4 �c6 10 lbxc6 bxc6 1 1 f4 11t'e8 Black can have no complaints. 6 .tg7 7 11Vd2 b6 8 .tf4 g5 9 .tg3 �5 10 .te2 �g3 1 1 bxg3 � •••

w

5 �d4

Here too the queen may recap­ ture: 5 11Vxd4 �c6 6 .tb5 .td7 7 .txc6 with a spatial advantage and a strong centralized queen for the bishop pair. 5 g6 The bishop is better placed on the long diagonal than on e7: 5 ... .te7 6 .tf4 (positions in which White castles kingside are less harmful for Black) 6 . . . 0-0 7 11Vd2 and after 0-0-0 White develops a •.•

Plans and Counterplans:

White is more developed and has the superior pawn structure. He will castle queenside and try to utilize the weakness of the squares d5, f5 and h5. Black will have to castle queenside as well and will rely on the activity of his bishops. There may follow 12 .tb5 .td7 13 �de2 'i!V£6 with chances for both sides.

Russian G a me (Petroff's Defence) 1 e4 e5 2 �f3 lM6 I. 1 e4 e5 2 lM3 lM6 3 �e5 3 ...d6

w

With 2 . . . �£6 Black does not bother to protect his pawn on e5. What is more, he wants to per­ suade White to spend time de­ fending his own attacked pawn on e4. IfWhite accedes to Black's will with 3 M then after 3 . . . �b4!? 4 �xe5 0-0 5 �e2 (or 5 d3 d5 ! and the centre is opened in Black's fa­ vour) 5 . . .:e8 6 �d3 �xc3 7 dxc3 �xe4 8 0-0 d5 9 �f4 c6 10 �e3 �d6! 1 1 �d3 �f5 White cannot hope for any advantage. White therefore has to opt for more com­ plex positions and an open cen­ tre(!) in which his extra tempo may be of importance. Even a slight inaccuracy will allow Black to equalize. White's two possibilities are:

1. 3 �e5 ana ll 3 d4.

3 . . .�xe4? is catastrophic: 4 'it'e2 d5 (or 4 . . .1We7 5 1i'xe4 d6 6 d4 f6 7 �c3 dxe5 8 �d5 'it'd6 9 dxe5 fxe5 10 �f4 c6 11 0-0-0! cxd5 12 :xd5, with a winning attack for White) 5 d3 �f6?? (5 ...1i'e7 6 dxe4 1i'xe5 7 exd5 ±) 6 �c6 winning the queen with a discovered check! 4 �f3 White's piece configuration is less natural after 4 l£x:4 �xe4 5 d4 d5 6 �e3, which Black can ex­ ploit with the following active plan: 6 ... �e6 7 �d3 f5!? followed by . . . �d6, . . . 0-0, . . . c7-c6 and ... �bd7.

4 ...�e4 5 d4!

White does not chase the e4 knight so that later he will attack it with �d3. Other options do not promise any advantage: a) 5 d3 �f6 6 d4 d5 (this is an Exchange French!) 7 �d3 �d6 8 0-0 0-0 9 �g5 �g4 10 �bd2 �bd7 1 1 c3 c6 = . White cannot inter­ rupt Black's mirror-game. b) 5 �c3 &c3 (also playable is 5 . . . �£6 and . . . �e7, . . 0-0 and . . . �c6) 6 dxc3 �e7 7 �f4 0-0 8 1Wd2 �d7!? 9 0-0-0 �c5 with equal chances. c) 5 1i'e2 1i'e7 6 d3 �f6 7 �g5 1Wxe2 + 8 �xe2 �e7 9 �c3 c6! 10 0-0-0 �a6! 1 1 l:[he1 �c7, followed .

72

Basic Chess Openings

by 12 . . . lDe6, neutralizing White's pressure along the open e-file. d) 5 c4 i.e7 (The best move. Black simply develops, preparing to castle shortly, while the pres­ sure along the e-file has also van­ ished. A terrifying possibility is 5 . . . lDc6 6 lDc3 i.f5?? 7 'it'e2 'it'e7 8 lDd5 + -) 6 lDc3 lDxc3 7 dxc3 lDc6 8 i.d3 lDe5 ! (not 8 . . . i.g4 9 i.e4! and Black can hardly find a plan while White, after 0-0, is ready to get going with b2-b4) 9 lDxe5 dxe5 10 'ifc2 i.g5 ! 1 1 0-0 i.e6 12 l:e1 i.xc1 13 l:axcl 'it'g5 14 l:e3 0-0-0 with an equal position.

5 d5 •••

It is necessary to act firmly in the centre. For example, on 5 ... i.e7 6 i.d3 lDf6 7 h3! 0-0 8 0-0 l:e8 9 c4 White can complete his develop­ ment with lDc3, l:e1 and i.f4, when he has the choice between doubling on the e-file ('it'd2, l:e2 and l:ae1) and a queenside expan­ sion (with or without d4-d5) : b2b4-b5 and a2-a4. 5 .. ig4 looks dangerous but after 6 h3 i.h5 7 'it'e2 'it'e7 8 i.e3 White inevitably comes out on top via 9 g4 and i.g2, M and 0-0-0.

6 i.d3

White's aim is to undermine the position of the knight on e4 with 0-0, l:e1 and c2- c4.

6 i.e7 •••

Theory c�nsiders this to be the main line. The following moves are also sometimes seen in practice: a) 6 lDc6?! 7 0-0 i.g4 8 c4 lDf6 (or 8 . . . i.e7 9 lDc3 lDxc3 10 •••

bxc3 0-0 1 1 h3 i.h5 12 l:b1 and White threatens 13 l:b5 with fifth­ rank pressure) 9 lDca (9 cxd5 i.xf3 10 'ifxf3 'it'xd5 1 1 'it'xd5! lDxd5 12 lDc3 0-0-0 13 i.c4 gives White a small plus due to the bishop pair) 9 . . . i.xf3 10 'it'xf3 lDxd4 1 1 'it'h3 lDe6 12 cxd5 lDxd5 13 i.g6!! ± and the knight on e6 becomes vulner­ able. In such an open position White's development advantage means that the threats of 'ifxe6 + , l:fe1 and l:ad1 are all but deci­ sive. b) 6 i.d6!? 7 0-0 0-0 8 c4 (8 l:e1 f5!? 9 c4 c6 10 'iVb3 �h8 1 1 lDc3 lDa6 since 1 2 cxd5 cxd5 1 3 lDxd5?! i. e 6 1 4 'it'xb7 lDac5! 1 5 dxc5 i.xd5 leads to a black initia­ tive. The bishop on d5 is pro­ tected by the discovery . . . i.xh2 + ) 8 . . .c 6 9 cxd5 (more critical than 9 lDc3 lDxc3 10 bxc3 dxc4 1 1 i.xc4 i.g4 12 'ifd3 lDd7 = ) 9 . . . cxd5 10 lDc3 lDxc3 1 1 bxc3 i.g4 12 l:b1 b6 (12 ... lDd7!? 13 h3! - 13 :Xb7? lDb6 and . . . i.c8 catches the white rook on b7 - 13 . . . i.h5 14 l:b5! lDb6 15 c4!) 13 l:b5 i.c7 14 h3 a6 15 hxg4! axb5 16 'ifc2 g6 17 hb5 with am­ ple compensation for the exchange. •••

oo ,

7 O-O lDc6

7 . . . 0-0 is weaker: 8 c4 lDf6 (af­ ter 8 . . . c6 9 cxd5 cxd5 10 lDc3 Black is even a little more passive than if he had played 6 . . . i.d6 in­ stead of 6 ... i.e7) 9 lDc3 i.g4 10 cxd5 lDxd5 11 i.e4! and White is planning to increase his pressure on the light squares with 'ifd1-d3.

8 l:el!?

Russian Game (Petroff's Defence)

Attacking e4 and vacating the n-square for the bishop on d3 which would be needed after, for instance, 8 c4 �b4: 9 .te2 i.e6 (not 9 . . . dxc4 10 �xc4 0-0 11 �3 with more active piece play for White) 10 M 0-0 1 1 �e3 f5!? 12 a3 �c3 (after 12 ... �c6? 13 cxd5 hd5 14 �d5 'ifxd5 15 :c1 Black's centre is exterminated) 1 3 bxc3 �c6 14 :b1 :b8 15 'ifa4 f4 16 �cl �h8 17 :e1 dxc4 18 hc4 �g4!? and Black can create good counter­ chances.

8 ...�g4

Mter 8 ... f5? 9 c4 �e6 10 cxd5 hd5 1 1 �3 ± Black has to aban­ don the knight outpost at e4.

9 c4

Nothing is gained by 9 he4 dxe4 10 :xe4 as after 10 ... hf3 11 'ifxf3 (11 gxf3? f5 12 :£4 0-0 13 d5 �g5 14 :a4 �xc1 15 'ifxc1 'ili'xd5 +) 1 1 ... �d4 12 'ifd3 �6 = White's most active pieces have been exchanged (�d3, �3).

9 ...lMG (D)

Black has to retreat the knight owing to 9 . . . f5 10 �c3 �xf3 11 gxf3 �xc3 12 bxc3 0-0 13 cxd5 'ifxd5 14 'ife2 �h8 15 :bl, threat­ ening �c4 and then :Xb7 or sim­ ply �f4, or 9 . . . hf3 10 'ifxf3 �d4 11 'ife3 �f5 12 'iff4 �fd6 13 cxd5 ±. Plans and Counterplans:

White has forced the knight from e4 and now wants to take the d5square away from his opponent to gain a free hand in the centre.

73

w

Black is counting on the irritating pin of his g4-bishop and an attack on the pawn at d4, but of course first he has to castle. Here are some examples: a) 10 cxd5 �xd5 1 1 �c3 0-0 ( 1 1 . . . �xd4? 12 'ifa4 + ) 12 h3 (al­ ternatively, 12 �xd5 'ifxd5 13 �e4 'ifd6 14 �xc6 bxc6 15 :e4!? �e6 16 �g5 hg5 17 �g5 �d5 18 :e3 h6 19 �e4 �xe4 20 :xe4 :ab8 leads to a drawish-looking heavy piece endgame or 12 �e4 �e6 13 a3 �f6 = with a difficult position in which Black has maintained the d5-square) 12 ... �e6 (not 12 ... �h5? 13 �xh7+ *xh7 14 �g5 + �xg5 15 'ifxh5 + �h6 16 �xh6 gxh6 17 'iff5 + �g7 18 �xd5 + -) and now on 13 'ifc2 he can answer 13 ...�£6, and 13 a3 :e8 14 �c2 �xc3 15 bxc3 �f6 16 'ifd3 g6 and . . . �a5 leads to mutual chances, while the interesting 13 �e4!? with the idea of harassing the bishop at e6 from the squares c5 or g5, still awaits practical testing. b) 10 �c3!? dxc4 (for 1 0 . . . 0-0 1 1 cxd5 �xd5 see 10 cxd5, while

74

Basic Chess Openings

after 10 ... c!Dxd4 11 cxd5 c!Dxf3 + 12 gxf3, followed by ,.e2, Black's king is stuck in the middle) 1 1 .hc4 0-0 1 2 d5 c!i)a5 1 3 .i.d3 c6 14 h3 .i.h5 (not 14 . . . .i.xf3 15 ,.xf3 cxd5 16 .i.g5, threatening lhe7 and then c!i)xd5) 15 l:te5 ! and White holds the initiative. For example 15 . . . cxd5 16 c!i)xd5! ± or 15 ... .i.g6 16 .i.xg6 hxg6 17 d6 .i.xd6 18 l:txa5 ,.xa5 19 ,.xd6 ±. Best for Black is 15 . . . .i.d6!?, forcing White to sacrifice an exchange in return for an attack: 16 l:txh5 c!i)xh5 17 c!i)g5 (17 .i.xh7+ �xh7 18 c!i)g5 + �g6!) 17 . . . c!i)f6 18 c!i)ce4 with an unclear game in which positional factors (such as Black's knight on a5 and central disadvantage) take a back seat. n. 1

e4 e5 2 c!i)f3 c!i)f6 3 d4

3 exd4 •••

Other options are: a) 3 d5 4 exd5 exd4 (or 4 . . . e4 5 c!i)e5 c!Dxd5 6 .i.c4 .i.e6 7 0-0 .i.e7 8 f3! ± and Black's e4-outpost dis­ appears while White gets ready to attack on the f-file) 5 ,.xd4 ,.xd5 6 c!i)c3 ,.xd4 7 c!i)xd4 c6! (it is im­ portant that the white knight does not attack the c7-pawn from either d5 or b5) 8 .i.g5 t . White is more developed and can play 0-0-0, .i.d3 and c!i)f5. b) 3 c!i)xe4 4 .i.d3 (4 dxe5 d5 5 c!i)bd2 c!i)c5 = ) and now after the traditional 4 . . . d5 5 c!Dxe5 Black ' has two ways to undermine the knight at e5: •••

•••

bl) 5 c!i)d7!? 6 c!i)xd7 (on 6 ,.e2 c!i)xe5 7 .i.xe4 dxe4 8 ,.xe4 .i.e6 9 ,.xe5 ,.d7 10 .i.e3 .i.b4+ 11 c3 .i.d6 12 ,.a5 ,.c6, Black's bishop pair and activity on the light squares maintain the balance) 6 ... .i.xd7 7 0-0 ,.h4 8 c4 0-0-0 (also playable is 8 ... c!l)f6 9 ,.e2+ .i.e7) 9 c5! (the dark-squared bishop must be sealed) 9 ... g5! 10 c!i)c3 .i.g7 with mutual chances. b2) 5 ... .i.d6 6 0-0 0-0 7 c4 .he5 (or 7 . . . c6 8 c!i)c3 c!i)xc3 9 bxc3 t) 8 dxe5 c!i)c6 9 cxd5 ,.xd5 10 ,.c2 c!i)b4 1 1 .i.xe4 c!i)xc2 12 .hd5 .i.f5! 13 g4! .i.xg4 14 .i.e4 c!i)xa1 15 .i.£4 and although the position is still up in the air, White is the one playing for an advantage. Mter 4 .i.d3 a surprising nov­ elty has brought new colour to this variation: 4 . . . c!i)c6!? Now 5 d5 c!i)c5 6 dxc6 e4 or 5 dxe5 d5 6 exd6 c!Dxd6 7 c!i)c3 .i.e7 8 c!i)d5 .i.e6 9 c!i)xe7 ,.xe7 and . . . 0-0-0 are per­ fectly playable for Black, so the critical line is 5 .i.xe4 d5 6 .i.g5 ,.d7 7 .i.d3 e4 8 0-0 f6! 9 l:te1 .i.e7 10 .i.f4 exd3 11 ,.xd3 0-0, when Black is close to equality, for ex­ ample 12 c!i)c3 .i.b4 13 l:te2 ,.f7 and the bishop on c8 is ready to venture out. •••

4 e5 c!i)e4

Alternatives are worse: 4 . . . c!i)d5 5 ,.xd4 c!i)b6 6 M c!i)c6 7 'ife4 .i.e7 8 .i.f4 with 0-0-0 and .i.d3 ± or 4 . . . 1i'e7 5 .i.e2 c!i)e4 6 1i'xd4 1i'M+ 7 c!i)bd2 c!i)xd2 8 .hd2 1i'xd4 9 c!Dxd4 t.

5 1i'xd4 d5 6 exd6 c!i)xd6 7 l2X:3

Russian Game (Petroff's Defence)

Nothing is gained by 7 i.g5 lDc6 8 'ili'e3 + i.e7 9 lDc3 lDf5 = or 7 i.f4 lbc6 8 'ili'd2 'ili'e7 + 9 i.e2 lDe4 10 'ili'e3 lbb4! 1 1 'ili'c1 'i!i'c5 12 0-0 i.e6! (12 . . . lbxc2? 13 lbc3! lbxa1 1 4 lDxe4 and the a1-knight will soon be lost) 13 c4 0-0-0 "" Since 7 i.d3 lbc6 8 'ili'f4 g6 9 lDc3 leads back to the line beginning with 7 lDc3, let us now move on! 7 ...lDc6 8 'ili'f4 g6 The apparent problems of de­ veloping the dark-squared bishop are thus solved. Other moves are problematic:8 ... i.e7 9 i.d3 i.e6 10 i.d2 'i!i'd7 1 1 0-0-0 0-0-0 12 l:the1 h6 13 i.e3 and 'i!i'a4 gives White the initiative; on 8 . . . i.e6 9 i.d3 g6 10 lbd4! Black faces a difficult de­ cision whether to capture d4 - but then kingside castling is impossi­ ble - or let White crash through on c6; while 8 . . . i.f5 can be met by 9 i.b5 ! , since after 9 . . . lDxb5? 10 lbxb5 Black must play 9 . . . 'i!i'e7+ 10 i.e3 lDxb5 11 lDxb5 'i!i'b4 + 12 'i!i'xb4 i.xb4+ 13 c3 i.d6, but then 14 lDxd6+ cxd6 15 0-0-0 is clearly better for White.

75

w

·

9 .td3

9 i.b5 is art interesting alterna­ tive, when 9 . . . lbxb5 10 lbxb5 i.d6 11 lbxd6+ 'i!i'xd6 12 'ili'xd6 cxd6 13 i.f4 ;!;; is inferior, but counter­ chances are offered by 9 . . . i.g7 10 0-0 0-0 11 i.xc6 bxc6 12 i.e3 l:tb8 13 l:tab1 a5 "" Another idea is 9 i.e3 i.g7 10 0-0-0 0-0 11 h4 and now Black has to play 1 1 . . . h6 to meet 12 h5? with 12 . . . g5. 9 i.g7 10 i.e3 i.e6 ·

•••

Plans and Counterplans:

White stands mor'e freely. His standard moves after castling are lDg5, lbd4, .ic5 and rooks to d1 and el. Black has to generate some counterplay, but this is not easy. Let us see an example of each type of castling for White: a) 1 1 0-0 0-0 12 lDg5 l:te8 13 l:tad1 'i!i'f6 14 'ili'xf6 i.xf6 15 lbxe6 and then lbb5 ;!;; with a pair of bishops and the initiative. b) 1 1 0-0-0 'ili'f6 (not 1 1 . . .0-0 12 i.c5! l:te8 13 i.b5! a6 14 i.xc6 bxc6 15 lDe4 ±) 12 lbg5 'ili'xf4 13 i.xf4 i.xc3 14 bxc3 0-0-0 15 lbxe6 fxe6 16 l:the1 l:thfB 17 i.g3 l:tde8 18 f3 and, with his bishop pair, White can look forward to a pleas­ ant endgame (;!;;) . I n the Russian Game it i s hard for Black to generate favourable complications. This opening is therefore recommended only on occasions when Black's aim is a simple position with equal play, hoping for a draw, for example, when the tournament situation or opponent's style justifies this.

King's G a mbit 1 e4 e5 2 f4

B

f7-pawn along the open f-file. Alas, practice has also shown the weak points of the gambit, and Black has found ways to tame White's aggressive intentions. We shall take a look at the follow­ ing responses in turn:

I. King's Gambit Declined A. System with 2 .ic5 B. Falkbeer Counter-Gambit: •••

2 ...d5

The King's Gambit is the 'king of the gambits', the pet variation of those who like romantic sacri­ fices. It is well worth experiment­ ing with it, because there is no other opening in which tactical elements are combined with stra­ tegic aims in such diverse ways as in the King's Gambit. The kings often end up dancing a samba in the middle of the board; a few pawns, or perhaps even a piece less is not always decisive; and the most important motto for both sides is 'Activity, attack!'. Before playing l0gl-f3 White throws the strength of the f-pawn into the central fight and tries to undermine the e5-pawn. If Black accepts the gambit, he will try to obtain the initiative with quick piece development ( l0f3, .ic4 and 0-0) and an attack against the

ll. King's Gambit Accepted A. Classical Variation: 2 ... exf4

3 l0f3 g5

B. The modern answer: 2 ... exf4 ' 3 l0£3 d5

I. King's Gambit Declined A. System with 2. . . .i.c5

1 e4 e5 2 f4 .ic5

The pawn move f2-f4 weakens the dark squares in White's posi­ tion. Black would like to immedi­ ately make use of this, and at the same time he also lays a trap: 3 fxe5?? 'ifh4 + and Black captures the e4-pawn with check and wins. The following alternatives are feeble: 2 ... l0t0?! 3 fxe5 l0xe4 4 l0f3 l0g5 5 d4 l0x£3 + 6 'ifx£3 'ifh4+ 7 'ii'f2 'ii'xf2 + 8 �xf2 l0c6 9 c3 d6 10 exd6 hd6 1 1 l0d2, followed by l0c4 or l0e4, when White has a

King's Gambit

clear central plus (;!;) , or 2 . . .d6?! 3 �f3 �6 4 J.. b 5!? i.d7 5 d3 exf4 6 J..xf4, followed by 0-0, �c3 and d3-d4 with a perceptible White ad­ vantage. But 2 . . . 'ilfh4+ is play­ able: 3 g3 'ilfe7 4 fxe5 (4 �c3 exf4 5 d4 fxg3 6 J.. f4 d5! co) 4 . . . d6 5 exd6 'ilfxe4+ 6 'ilfe2 'ifxe2+ 7 �e2 J..xd6 8 J..g2 � 9 c3 h5 co and Black can focus on the g3-pawn with . . . h5-h4.

3 tDf3 d6

3 . . . d5? 4 �xe5 dxe4 5 'ilfh5 'ife7 (5 . . . J.. e 6 6 �xf7!) 6 J..c4 g6 7 'ife2 �h6 8 �c3 is favourable for White in view of the threats of 9 �d5 and 9 �xe4, while 3 . . . �6 is extremely weak, as after 4 fxe5 d6 5 exd6 'ilfxd6 6 c3! and d2-d4 White has an extra pawn and a powerful centre (±).

4 �c3

An equal game is reached by 4

c3 �£6 5 fxe5 (or 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 J.. b6 7 � 0-0 8 J.. e 3 � 9 J..d3 i.g4 10 J..c2 J..xf3 1 1 gxf3 �h5 12 0-0 f5! with complicated play) 5 . . . dxe5 6 d4 (6 �xe5 0-0 7 d4 J..d6 8 �f3 �e4 = ) 6 . . . exd4 7 cxd4 J..b4+ 8 J..d2 ffe7 9 e5 (9 J..d3 �e4 10 he4 'ilfxe4 + 1 1 �f2 J..xd2 12 �bxd2 'iVd5 13 l:.e1 + J.. e 6! 14 lle5 'ilfd6 15 d5 �7! and White is pushed back) 9 . . . �d5 10 �c3 J.. e 6 = .

77

Not 5 fxe5? dxe5 6 �xe5? 'ilfd4 7 �d3 J..b6 and White is frozen in his tracks while Black can develop a victorious attack with . . . 0-0, . . .l:.e8 and . . . J..g4. 5 ... �c6 6 d3 J..g4 On 6 . . . 0-0, 7 f5! shuts in the bishop on c8 and threatens the un­ pleasant 8 J..g5. Howevet; 6 ... �a5!? comes into consideration, even though on 7 'ilfe2!? �xc4 8 dxc4 there are still minor problems for Black, since after 8 . . . exf4 9 J..xf4, 10 J..g5 and 10 e5 are simultane­ ously threatened, while on 8 . . .ffe7 9 f5! followed by J.. d2 and 0-0-0 is again more attractive for White.

7 h3

An interesting alternative is 7

�a4!? J..b6 8 �b6 axb6 9 c3 (it is important that on 9 . . . �a5 10 J..b 5 + c6 11 J.. a4 b5 the bishop can flee via 12 J..c2) 9 . . . 0-0 10 0-0. 7 ...txf3 8 'ilfxf3 ••

B

4 � •••

4 . . . �c6 is a mistake, as after 5 J..b 5! J..g4 6 d3 �£6 7 �a4! White eliminates the bishop on c5 and then castles.

5 J..c 4

Plans and Counterplans:

White is threatening 9 �a4 or 9 J.. e 3, while 9 g4 may be unpleas­ ant as well, so Black cannot afford

78

Basic Chess Openings

to remain idle. On 8 ... �4 White, in the spirit of the gambit, can re­ ply 9 'it'g3 ! , when both 9 . . .lDxc2 + 10 �d1 ltlxa1 1 1 'it'xg7 :rs 12 fxe5 dxe5 13 i.g5 i.e7 14 l:fl ltlh5 15 i.xf7 + �d7 16 'it'xe5, winning, and 9 . . . 0-0 10 fxe5 dxe5 1 1 i.g5 'it'd6 (11 . . .ltlxc2+ 12 �d1 lDxa1 13 lbdS i.e7 14 ltlxe7+ 'it'xe7 15 l:fl �h8 16 'it'h4 with l:xf6 to follow +-) 12 0-0-0 ± give him the upper hand. More precise for Black is 8 exf4!?: 9 i.xf4 (not 9 'it'xf4? ltle5 ! 10 m 0-0 1 1 i.b3 ltlh5! 12 'it'g5 'it'xg5 13 i.xg5 ltlg3 +) 9 ... lbd4 10 'it'dl (not 10 'it'g3? lDh5 1 1 'it'g4 ltlxf4 12 'it'xf4 ltlxc2+ 13 �d1 ltle3 + , followed by . . . ltlxc4, and Black is almost winning) 10 . . . c6 and now 11 'it'd2?! d5 12 exd5 0-0 is excellent for Black (13 0-0-0 b5 14 i.b3 lbxb3+ 15 axb3 ltlxd5 +), but White can play 11 ltla4! i.b6 (White is also better after both 1 1 . . . b5 12 ltlxc5 dxc5 - 12 . . .bxc4 13 ltlb7 - 13 i.b3 ;!;; and 11 . . .'it'a5 + 12 c 3 b 5 13 ltlxc5 dxc5 1 4 b4! cxb4 1 5 i.xf7 + � 16 cxd4 ±) 12 c3 ltle6 13 lbxb6 axb6 14 i.g3, when the bishop pair and open f-file of­ fer White the better chances. •••

B. Falkbeer Counter-Gambit 1 e4 e5 2 f4 d5

Black grabs the chance to start an attack against the cornerstone of the white centre, the pawn on e4, while his own e-pawn is still taboo (3 fxe5? 'it'h4+ followed by . . . 'it'xe4 + and Black wins). Even

though this idea is neat, White can still manage to secure an ad­ vantage. The fate of the Falkbeer Counter-Gambit proves the old adage: 'The best answer to a gam­ bit is not a counter-gambit, but the acceptance of it and then giv­ ing back the sacrificed material at the appropriate moment. '

3 exd5 e4?!

This is what makes it a gambit. Note that Black could still have transposed into the Modern Vari­ ation via 3 . . . exf4! 4 ltlf3 ltlf6, which is one of the most effective setups with Black. The other foxy continuation is 3 . . . c6. If White is greedy, then he can get in trouble after 4 dxc6? ltlxc6 5 d3 i.c5 6 lbc3 lb£6 7 ltlf3 0-0! 8 fxe5 ltlxe5 9 ltlxe5 l:e8 10 i.f4 ltlg4 1 1 'it'e2 i.d4! But if he simply develops then he is better after 4 ltlc3! cxd5 5 fxe5 d4 6 ltle4 'it'd5 7 .td3! ltlc6 8 'it'e2! ltlh6 (8 . . . ltlxe5 9 i.b5 + i.d7 10 i.xd7+ 'it'xd7 11 ltlf3 ltlxf3 + 12 'it'xf3 ;!;) 9 i.c4 'it'a5 10 ltlf3 i.g4 1 1 ltld6 + , and Black's king is stuck in the middle (;!;;) .

4 d3!

White immediately takes meas­ ures against the unpleasant e4pawn. On 4 i.b5+ c6! 5 dxc6 bxc6! 6 i.c4 ltlf6 (6. . . i.c5!? 7 'it'h5 'it'e7 8 i.xf7+ �fB! and 9 . . . ltlf6 is also far from simple!) 7 d4 i.d6 8 l00 2 0-0 9 0-0 c5 10 d5 ltlbd7, followed by . . . ltlb6, . . . i.b7 and . . . c5-c4, Black has sufficient chances. 4 ltlc3 ltlf6 5 'it'e2 i.f5 6 d3? i.b4! 7 i.d2 0-0 8 dxe4 i.xc3 9 i.xc3 ltlxe4 + also

King's Gambit

demonstrates that White has no alternative to 4 d3.

4 lM6 •••

After 4 . . . exd3? 5 .i.xd3 lM6 (or 5 ...1i'xd5 6 � 'it'e6+ - 6 . . . 'it'xg2 7 .i.e4 - 7 ltlge2 ltlh6 8 f5! ltlxf5 9 0-0 with a big attack for White, who can follow up with �g5 and ltlf4) 6 ltlc3 .i.e7 7 lM3 0-0 8 0-0 ltlbd7 9 �c4 ltlb6 10 �b3 �b4 1 1 ltle5 �xc3 12 bxc3 ltlbxd5 1 3 �a3! l:te8 14 'it'd4 c6 15 f5! ± Black is tied up, while 4 . . .1i'xd5 5 'it'e2 f5 6 � .i.b4 7 .i.d2 .i.xc3 8 .i.xc3 ltlf6 9 dxe4! fxe4 10 'it'c4! ± is no im­ provement. 5 dxe4! 5 ltld2 exd3 6 .i.xd3 ltlxd5 equal­ izes easily, while Black also stands well after 5 ltlc3 .i.b4 6 .i.d2 e3!? 7 �xe3 0-0 8 �d2 �xc3 9 bxc3 ltlxd5 10 'it'f3 l:te8+ 11 ltle2 ltlc6 co, and after 5 1i'e2 .i.g4 6 'it'e3 ltlxd5! 7 'it'xe4+ .i.e7, intending . . . 0-0, ... ltlc6 and ... Ae8. 5 ltlxe4 6 ltlf3 Mter 6 1i'e2 'it'xd5 7 ltld2 f5 the white pieces are stuck. 6 .i.c5 6 . . . c6 is met by 7 ltlbd2 ltlxd2 8 .i.xd2 'it'xd5 9 .i.d3 ;t, followed by 0-0 or 1i'e2 + , .i.c4 and 0-0-0, while on 6 . . . .i.f5, 7 �e3 c6 8 �c4 b5 9 �b3 c5 10 d6! c4 1 1 'it'd5 is win­ ning for White. 7 1i'e2 .i.f5 The best chance since after 7 . . . 1i'xd5 8 ltlfd2 ! f5 9 ltlc3 'it'e6 10 ltldxe4 fxe4 11 'it'h5+ ! the bishop on c5 is lost; 7 . . . .i.f2+ 8 �d1 'it'xd5+ 9 ltlfd2! f5 10 � 'it'd4 11 ...

79

ltlxe4 fxe4 12 c3 'it'e3 13 'it'h5 + 'ii?f8 14 .i.c4 'it'xf4 15 'it'd5! allows White a mating attack (the threats are 'it'd8 mate, ltlxe4 and l::t£1) ; 7 . . . 0-0 8 'it'xe4 Ae8 9 ltle5 f6 10 .i.b5! .i.d7 11 .i.e2 fxe5 12 fxe5 ± leaves Black helpless against the powerful e5- and d5-pawns; while 7 .. .f5 8 .i.e3 'it'xd5 9 .i.xc5 'it'xc5 10 ltlc3 allows White a serious plus.

8 ltlc3 'it'e7

8 . . . 0-0 loses attractively to 9 ltlxe4 Ae8 10 ltle5 .i.xe4 1 1 'it'xe4 f6 12 d6! 'it'xd6 (12 . . . cxd6 13 .i.c4+ 'ii?£8 14 'it'd5) 13 �e3! (blocking the e-file) 13 . . . .i.xe3 14 1i'c4+ �h8 ( 14 . . . 1i'e6 15 'it'xe6+ and .i.c4 +­ or 1 4... l:te6 1 5 l:td1 'it'e7 1 6 'it'xe6+ ! and l:td8, mating) 1 5 ltlf7+ 'ii?g8 16 ltlh6+ + 'ii?h8 17 'it'g8 + l:txg8 18 ltlf7 smothered mate!

9 �e3! .i.xe3

Not 9 . . . ltlxc3 10 .i.xc5! ltlxe2 1 1 .i.xe7 ltlxf4 1 2 .i.a3! ltlxd5 13 0-0-0 c6 14 ltlg5 ltld7 15 .i.c4 .i.e6 16 l:the1 and Black falls to pieces. 10 'it'xe3 ltlxc3 1 1 'it'xe7 +

�xe7 12 bxc3

•••

B

80

Basic Chess Openings

Plans and Counterplans:

White is threatening tbd4, .td3 or 0-0-0. As for Black, he would like to regain the pawn but he cannot make up for his material and posi­ tional drawbacks at the same time! For example: a) 12 .txc2 13 �d2 .ig6 14 lle1 + �d6 15 ltld4! h6 16 ltlb5 + �d7 1 7 g3! a6 1 8 .th3 + �d8 19 ltld4 ltld7 20 c4 ltlc5 21 f5 ± and the coordination of the black pieces is non-existent (bishop on h7, rook on aS). b) 12 .te4!? (a tricky move, as after 13 c4? .txf3 14 gxf3 lild7 followed by ... ltlc5 and ...c;fa>d6 Black is better despite being a pawn down!) 13 ltlg5 ! ! .txd5 14 0-0-0! (development, attack!) 14 . . ..te6 (14 ... .txa2 15 c4 or 14 ... c6 15 .id3 and llhe1 + ±) 15 ltlxe6 fxe6 16 .tc4 ltld7 17 llhe1 ltlc5 18 .txe6! ltlxe6 19 f5 and White has good winning prospects in the ending. So the King's Gambit has to be accepted! •••

•••

II. King's Gambit Accepted 1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4!

The advantage of accepting the gambit is that Black permanently weakens the enemy kingside; and by releasing the central tension, the counter-thrust . . . d7-d5 also becomes possible.

3 ltlf3

This is the King's Knight Gam­ bit. In several other systems White allows Black to play . . . 'ifd8-h4+ !

For instance: a) 3 ltlc3 'ifh4+ 4 g8 7 tCJg5 1i'd7! (not 7 ...1i'xg5?? 8 "it'xd5 + and mate!) 8 tCJe2 h6 are excellent for Black, so White steers the game straight into a tactical minefield!

4 'ii'h5! tCJd6 5 i.b3!?

The dull 5 "it'xe5+ 'ii'e7 6 "it'xe7+ i.xe7 7 i.b3 tl)f5 8 tCJd5 i.d8 leads to complete equality. 5 ...tCJc6 A quieter position is reached af­ ter 5 . . . i.e7 6 tl)f3 (not 6 'ii'xe5?! 0-0, followed by . . . tCJc6, when the white queen is on the run) 6 ... tCJc6 7 tCJxe5 g6!? 8 1i'e2 and now 8 ... 0-0 or 8 . . . tCJd4!? with chances for both sides.

6 tCJb5!

Black's two most important moves are:

I. 3 tCJxe4 and 3 tCJc6. •••

II.

•••

Direct play. White threatens to deliver mate on f7 by getting rid of the knight on d6. As the black queen is tied to the protection of the c7-pawn, the following moves are practically forced. 6 g6 7 1i'f3 f5 Black should avoid the line 7 ... ffi? 8 �c7+ 'ii'xc7 9 "ifxffi and rook on h8 falls. 8 1i'd5 Now the queen must move from dB to protect the f7-square. •••

Besides these moves Black can also consider the somewhat for­ gotten 3 ... i.c5 , as after 4 d3 d6 5 f4 i.e6! 6 i.xe6 fxe6 7 fxe5 dxe5 and then . . .ti)c6 and ... 0-0 Black is not badly placed since his doubled isolated e-pawns control all of the central squares.

8 ...'ii'e7 9 tCJxc7+ �d8 10 llml8 b6!

88

Basic Chess Openings

White has won a rook but his knight a8 is doomed and Black is ready to counterattack with ... .tb7 and ... lbd4. 1 1 tDxb6 axb6 12 "iff3 Had Black played 8 . . .11£6?! in­ stead of 8 ... 1Ve7 (so that his queen would now be standing on f6 in­ stead of e7) then the road to sim­ plification would be open with 12 d4! �xd4 13 �f3 .ib7 14 "ifxd4! exd4 15 .ig5. 12 .tb7 13 d3 �4 14 11Vh3 •••

(D)

in the middle. This line demon­ strates how material can trans­ form into initiative and attack on the chessboard n.

1 e4 e5 2 �c3 lMG 3 .tc4 �c6

4 d3

On either 4 l0£3 or 4 t0ge2 Black would play 4 ...�xe4 5 �xe4 d5. In fact, even after 4 f4, 4 . . . �xe4! is good: 5 .ixf7 + �xf7 6 �xe4 d5 7 �5+ CiPg8 8 d3 exf4 9 .txf4 h6 10 �5f3 g5! with ... .tg7 to follow and Black is better.

4 .tb4 •••

B

Plans and Counterplans:

White would like to secure his material plus (the exchange and a pawn) by castling queenside, while Black must exploit his develop­ ment to launch an attack against the black king. He therefore needs to open up the centre, for exam­ ple: 14 . . .e4! 15 .te3 exd3 16 0-0-0 �xc2 17 .ixb6+ xd2 0-0 ( 15 . . .lL!c5 !?) 16 .l:.hd1 and 14 'it>fl!? i..d6 15 l:r.d1 lillc e 5 ( 15 . . . lL!h5 16 g3!?) 16

Plans and Counterplans:

White wishes to castle queenside. He can play 11 i.. e3 , but this is met by l l . . . 'ifc7 ( l l . . . lL!bd5? 12 0-0-0!) 12 lLle5 i.. d 6 13 lL!gf3 0-0 14 0-0 (14 0-0-0 i.. d 7!?) 14 ... lL!bd5.

102

Basic Chess Openings

w

It i s worth remembering this mo­ tif: the e5-pawn can be regained with ...'fla5 + and ...'flxe5! b) 6 i. c4 e6 7 �1e2 � 8 �4 i.d6 9 0-0 �d5! 10 �gh5 0-0 = . c) 6 �3 �d7! (White's 7 �e5 must be hindered as it would gain the bishop pair) 7 i.e2 e6 8 0-0 i.d6 9 b3!? (9 l:te1 �gf6 10 i.fl. 'flc7 11 c4 0-0 and Black controls the e5-square) 9 . . �gf6 10 i.b2 'flc7 1 1 c4 0-0 12 �h4 ltfe8 13 �xg6 hxg6 14 'flc2 l:tad8 =. .

Sharp play results from 11 i.f4!? i.d6 12 i.g3!? 0-0 13 0-0-0?! c4! 14 i.xc4 �xa4 with counterplay for Black, while 1 1 dxc5 �bd7! 12 �e5 �xe5 13 'flxe5 �d7 14 'fle2 i.xc5 15 �3 b6! (it is often better to let White castle first to avoid a kingside attack if he should castle queenside) 16 0-0 ( 16 i.e3 i.a6!) 16 ... 0-0 is equal.

6 h6 •••

6 . . . h5? would destroy the op­ tion of kingside castling and cre­ ate some horrible weaknesses: the pawn on h5 and the g5- square.

7 � lM7

Black develops, prepares queen­ side castling and, not least, stops 8 �5.

B. 1 e4 c& 2 d4 d5 3 �c3 dxe4 4 �xe4 i.f5 w

5 �g3 i.g6 6 h4!? White undertakes a long-range strategic plan! The bishop on g6 cannot be tolerated but before White trades it with i.d3 he clamps down on the black kingside. The price of this manoeuvre is that later he will have to keep an eye on the advanced h-pawn. Here are a few other possibilities: a) 6 �le2 �f6 7 �4 e5!? 8 �xg6 (or 8 dxe5 'flxd1 + 9 �xd1 �g4) 8 . . .hxg6 9 dxe5 'fla5 + 10 c3 'flxe5+ 1 1 i.e2 'flc7 and Black can continue with . . . i.d6 and . . . 0-0 = .

8 h5 i.h7 9 i.d3 i.xd3

9 . . . e6? 10 i.xh7 l:txh7 would be tragicomic.

10 'flxd3 'flc7

10 . . . e6 1 1 i.f4 'fla5 + 12 i.d2 'flc7 may lead to the same thing,

103

Caro-Kann Defence

although White may be able to profit from the difference with 12 c3 ana 0-0, a2-a4 and b2-b4. 10 .. . 'ifc7 avoids this by disallow­ ing M4. 1 1 ..i..d2 e6 12 0-0-0 l.bgf6! The perfect move-order. Fol­ lowing the principle 'make the essential moves first and then choose the best follow-up depend­ ing on the opponent's play' Black maintains the opportunity of cas­ tling on either side. 12 . . . 0-0-0?! is very strongly met by 13 'it'e2! l.bg£6 14 l.be5 and after 14 . . . 1.bxe5? 15 dxe5 1.bd5 16 f4 c5 17 c4 1.bb4 18 hb4 .lhd1 + 19 .lhd1 cxb4 20 l.be4 White is on top. In such positions Black should not capture on e5 as the pawn that recaptures will restrict his game. So instead of 14 . . . 1.bxe5? it is better to continue 14 . . . 1.bb6!?: 15 ..i.. a5 l::td5 16 ..i..xb6 (16 b4!?) 16 . . . axb6 17 f4 or 15 c4!? l:lxd4 16 ..i..e3! l:lxd1 + 17 .lhd1, al­ though Black's play is still some­ what problematic as 1 7 . ..'flxe5? 18 l:ld8 + and 19 ..i.. xb6+ wins the queen and 17 . . . ..i..d6 is met by 18 l:lxd6 followed by l.bxf7 +-. The only playable move seems to be 17 . . . l:lg8! 18 f4 c5 19 'it'd3 ..i..e7!? 20 l.bxf7 l.bg4! but even here Black is not safe yet.

13 1.be4!?

On 13 'ife2 the difference be­ comes apparent: 13 . . . c5! and, for example, 14 c4 cxd4 15 l.bxd4 l:lc8 16 c;l;>b1!? ..i..c5 ( 16 . . .'it'xc4?? 17 l:lcl!

and White wins) followed by ... 0-0 with equality.

13 0-0-0 14 g3! (D) •••

White prepares 15 ..i.. f4.

B

Plans and Counterplans:

Black has to play carefully in or­ der to equalize. An example of the dangers is 14 1.bxe4 15 'it'xe4 /.[}ffl?! 16 'ife2 c5? 17 dxc5 ..i..xc5 18 l:lh4! and the rook from h1 will transfer to c4 with deadly strength. Instead of 15 . . . 1.bf6?!, 15 . . . ..i.. d6!? 16 c4 1.bf6 17 'ifc2 c5 18 d5 exd5 19 cxd5 deserves attention as it pre­ vents White occupying e5. Instead of 14 . . . 1.bxe4, 14 1.bc5!? 15 l.bxc5 hc5 comes into consideration, when White can achieve a slight plus with the plan c2-c4, ..i..c 3, 'it'e2 and l.be5. Nowadays the Caro-Kann with . . . M5 is not considered quite good enough to equalize, so Caro-Kann adherents tend to prefer the solid line 4 . . . 1.bd7, and not without suc­ cess! •••

•••

French Defence 1 e4 e6

Black's intentions are honour­ able. He is planning . . . d7-d5, and if White builds a pawn centre with e4-e5 then Black can under­ mine it with . . . c7-c5 and .. f7-f6. The price of this strategy is the limited scope of the bishop on c8, which is obstructed by its own pawns (e6, d5). The material is divided into four sections:

I. King's Indian Attack and other sidelines. ll. Advance Variation: 2 d4 d5 3 e5.

m. Tarrasch Variation: 3 c&l2. rv.: Classical Main Line: 3 �c3.

I. King's Indian Attack and other sidelines If he wants to sidestep the main lines (which require thorough preparation) White can choose be­ tween two independent lines:

A. King's Indian Attack: 2 d3 R Exchange Variation: 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 exd5.

The following variations are less important: a) 2 f4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 �3 �6 5 c3 d4!? 6 d3 �h6 to be followed by . . . �f5, ... �e7 and . . . 0-0 = .

b) 2 c4 d5 3 exd5 exd5 4 cxd5 �f6 5 �b5 + �bd7 6 �c3 �e7 7 1i'f3 0-0 8 �xd7 'i'xd7!? 9 �ge2 l:td8 10 �4 �d6 and after return­ ing the pawn White will stand worse due to his isolated d-pawn (=F) . c) 2 �c3 d5 3 lbf3 d4!? (after 3 . . . �f6 4 e5 �fd7 5 d4 c5 play transposes to the 3 �c3 line) 4 �e2 c5 5 d3 �c6 and Black can build a very strong position with the plan . . . e6-e5, . . . f7-f6, . . . �e6, ... 'i'd7, ... �d6 and ... �ge7. . d) 2 'i'e2!? (trying to dissuade Black from ... d7-d5 because White would capture and only the queen could recapture). 2 . . . c5 (also good is 2 ... �e7!? and then . . . d7-d5) 3 f4 �c6 4 �f3 �e7 5 �c3 d5! 6 d3 (6 e5 �h6! followed by ... �£5) 6 ... �f6 7 e5 �d7 8 g3 b5 9 �g2 'i'b6 10 00 b4 1 1 �d1 c4+ ! 12 �e3 �c5 13 �h1 �a6! 14 �xc5 cxd3! 15 cxd3 �xc5 16 �f2 0-0 and Black is ob­ viously better. A. 1 e4 e6 2 d3 (King's Indian At­ tack)

White opts for a setup that resem­ bles the King's Indian Defence. His idea is to play �d2, �gf3, g2g3 and �g2. Then he will either open up the centre, counting on the strength of his bishop g2, or just the opposite, close it with e4-e5 to

French Defence

undertake a kingside attack with the manoeuvres h4-h5-h6, lle1 and M-h2-g4. The latter plan is more suitable when Black plays ... d7-d5, c7-c5, . . . lb£6 and . . . i.e7 than if Black develops with a kingside fianchetto, as it is harder to break down such a king posi­ tion. Note that the positions in this section are often reached by a Sicilian move-order ( 1 e4 c5 2 l0f3 e6 3 d3) instead of the French De­ fence.

2 d5 3 lbd2 •••

To avoid a queen swap after 3 ... dxe4 4 dxe4.

3 c5 •••

Mter 3 . . . l0£6 Black constantly needs to be on the alert against ... e4-e5.

4 l0gf3 l0c6 5 g3 i.d6!?

5 . . . l0£6 6 i.g2 i.e7 7 0-0 0-0 8 l:te1!? and White is ready to play 9 e5 followed by the usual attacking plan of lbfl, h2-h4-h5, l0h2 and l0g4. 6 i.g2 lbge7! 7 0-0 0-0 The fight centres on the ad­ vance e4-e5.

8 llel 'flc7 9 'fle2 f6! (D)

This is why the knight had to

go to e7.

Plans and Counterplans:

White can hardly think of a king­ side attack now since the black pieces are not separated from their king by a pawn on e5. Sooner or later White will have to play c2-c3 and then consider e4xd5. Black can complete his development with

105

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. .. i.c8-d7 and then expand on the queenside with . . . b7-b5, . . . a7-a5 and . . . b5-b4 or . . . c5-c4. If White prematurely plays b2-b3 and i.b2 Black can even consider . . . d5-d4. Chances are even.

B. 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 exd5 (Exchange Variation) The Exchange Variation is rather an unpretentious line in which ­ just as in other exchange vari­ ations (the Slav Defence, for ex­ ample) - White cannot hope for an advantage.

4 i.d3

4 c4 l0£6 5 l0c3 i.e7 6 l0f3 0-0 7 i.e2 dxc4 8 i.xc4 l0bd7 followed by . . . l0b6-l0d5 and . . . c7-c6 is fine for Black.

4 i.d6 •••

More exciting is 4 . . . c5!? 5 l0f3 lbc6 6 dxc5 i.xc5 7 0-0 l0ge7 and . . 0-0. 5 l0f3 l0f6 6 0-0 0-0 7 i.g5 i.g4 8 l0bd2 l0bd7 9 c3 c6 And now after the white moves l:tfe1, i.h4 and i.g3 Black will just .

106

Basic Chess Openings

copy with . .:feB, ... .th5 and ....i.g6. Isn't this all just terribly boring?

On 5 . . .'iVb6 White will usually answer:

IT. 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 (Advance Variation)

A. 6 .i.e2 B. 6 a3!?

.

3 c5 •••

Black attacks White's centre and prepares �c6. 'One should first develop the pawns and then the knights! '

4 c3

Otherwise after Black's 4 . . .cxd4 the pawn-chain protecting the pawn on e5 is demolished.

4 �c6 5 �f3 •••

5 .i.e3 'iVb6 6 'iVd2 .i.d7 7 �f3 ffi!? destroys the white pawn cen­ tre.

5 1!fb6

Also possible is 6 .i.d3, but this is only a trick based on 6 . . . cxd4 7 cxd4 �d4?? 8 �d4 'iVxd4 9 .i.b5 + winning the queen. If in­ stead of 7 . . . �xd4?? Black hinders the discovered check with 7 ... .i.d7 then after 8 0-0!? �xd4 9 �xd4 . 'iVxd4 10 �c3 White has some compensation for the pawn. For example, 10 . . . 'iVxe5 1 1 :e1 'iVd6 ( 1 1 . . . 'iVb8 12 �d5) 12 �b5 or 10 . . . a6!? 1 1 1i'e2 �e7 12 h1 � 13 f4 �b4 14 .i.bl.

•••

Also possible is 5 . . . .i.d7 (5 . . . ffi? 6 .i.b5 ! and White controls e5) 6 .i.e2 (not 6 .i.b5?? �xe5) 6 . . . ffi (6 . . . �ge7!? followed by . . . �f5 is also not bad) 7 0-0 fxe5 8 �xe5! �xe5 9 dxe5 and Black's position is a little loose, for example 9 ....i.c6 10 c4! �e7 11 .i.g5 ! threatening 12 .i.h5 + .

w

A. 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 �c6 5 �f3 'iVb& 6 .i.e2

6 cxd4 •••

Black would like to develop his king's knight to f5 but 6 . . . �ge7 7 dxc5 'iVc7 8 �d4!? �xe5? (8 . . .'iVxe5 9 0-0 and b2-b4) 9 �b5 Vxc5 10 'iVd4! or 6 . . .�h6 7 .i.xh6 'iVxb2 8 .i.e3 'iVxal 9 'iVc2 (the black queen is in trouble!) prevents this. How­ ever, after a swap on d4 this line is good for Black as his queen can­ not be netted due to the hanging pawn on d4!

7 cxd4 lllli6!

After 7. . .�ge7 8 �a3 �f5 9 �2 .i.b4+ 10 fl. White 'castles' with g2-g3, 'iPg2 and then unfolds with a2-a3 and b2-b4 or g2-g4.

8 �c3

French Defence

Now 8 .txh6 is met by 8 ... 'ifxb2 9 .td2 'ifxal 10 'ifba tLlxd4 11 .tb5 + �d8 - + , but 8 ba!? i s inter­ esting: 8 ...tLl£5 9 .tb2 .tb4+ 10 'iWl .te7! 1 1 tLlc3 f6!? 8 tLlf5 9 tLla4 .tb4 + 10 .td2 On 10 �fl Black plays 10 .. .'i'd8 and ... f7-f6. •••

10 'i'a5 1 1 .tea b5 12 a3! .txc3 + 1a tLlxca b4 14 axb4 'ifxb4 1 5 .tb5 .td7 16 .txc6 .txc6 17 'ifd2 0-0 18 0-0 = •••

B

107

6 ...c4!?

What happens if Black does not obstruct b2-b4? One line contin­ ues 6 . . . tLlh6 7 b4 cxd4 8 cxd4 tLl£5 9 .tea! (9 .tb2 .te7 10 .tda a5! 1 1 b 5 tLlcxd4 i s good for Black a s af­ ter the exchanges there is no check on b5) 9 . . . f6 10 .tda! tLlxe3 11 fxe3 fxe5 12 b5! e4 1a bxc6 and wherever Black captures his king runs into trouble. Black can also impede b2-b4 with 6 . . . a5!?, e.g. 7 .tda tLlh6! 8 0-0 cxd4 (8 . . . tLlf5 9 dxc5! ) 9 cxd4 tLlf5 10 .txf5 exf5 and Black completes his develop­ ment with ... .te6, . . . .te7 and ... 0-0 while White can aim for tLlca-a4, .tea and llcl.

7 g3

Plans and Counterplans:

The game is balanced. White at­ tacks the pawn on a7 while Black does the same with the pawn on b2. But neither player can win the opposing pawn without abandon­ ing their own.

7 tLlbd2 would threaten 8 ba, which Black can meet by the pre­ ventive 8 . . . tLla5 or the counterat­ tack 8 . . . f6. Mter 7 ga White is ready for Black's . . . f7-f6, as the white bishop will find a place on g2 or ha. 7 ... f6!? 8 exf6 tLlxf6 9 .tg2 After 9 .tha .td6 10 'ife1 0-0 11 .txe6 +