Grandmaster Repertoire 20 the Semi Slav

Lars Schandorff The Semi-Slav

Tired of bad positions? Try the main lines!

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Grandmaster Repertoire 20

The Semi-Slav By

Lars Schandorff

Quality Chess . q ualitychess. co. uk

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First edition 20 1 5 by Quality Chess UK Ltd Copyright © 20 1 5 Lars Schandorff

The Semi-Slav- Grandmaster Repertoire All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. Paperback ISBN 978-1 -907982-94- 1 Hardcover ISBN 978-1 -907982-95-8 All sales or enquiries should be directed to Quality Chess UK Ltd, Suite 247-248, Central Chambers, 1 1 Bothwell Street, Glasgow G2 6LY, UK Phone +44 1 4 1 204 2073 e-mail: [email protected]. uk website: www.qualitychess.co.uk Distributed in North America by National Book Network Distributed in Rest of the World by Quality Chess UK Ltd through Sunrise Handicrafts, ul. Poligonowa 35A, 20-8 1 7 Lublin, Poland Typeset by Jacob Aagaard & Colin McNab Proofreading by Andrew Greet & John Shaw Edited by Daniel McGowan Cover design by www.adamsondesign.com Cover photo by capture365.com Printed in Estonia by Tallinna Raamatutriikikoja LLC

Contents Key to Symbols used Introduction and Move Order

4 5

Botvinnik 1 Introduction Rare 9th Moves 2 Main Line - 1 6.E1b 1 !? 3 4 Main Line - 1 6.l2Ja4

10 23 31 41

Anti-Moscow 5 I ntroduction 9.ie2 ib7 - Sidelines 6 7 1 0.0-0

56 66 81

Moscow 8 Various 7th Moves 9 Main Line

96 1 08

Meran 10 11 12 13

121 1 34 1 47 1 59

Introduction 9.e4 1 3 .ltJd4 and others Main Line 1 3.dxe6

Anti-Meran 14 Various 7th Moves 15 7.b3 7.g4!? 16 7.id3 - Introduction 17 7 .id3 - Main Line 18

1 75 1 82 1 94 205 216

Minor Lines 5 .g3 19 Exchange Variation 20 5 .1Wd3 & 5 .1Wb3 21

230 238 247

Variation I ndex

254

Key to symbols used ±

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White is slightly better Black is slightly better White is better Black is better White has a decisive advantage Black has a decisive advantage equality with compensation with counterplay unclear a weak move a blunder a good move an excellent move a move worth considering a move of doubtful value mate

Bibliography

Dreev: The Moscow & Anti-Moscow Variations -An Insider 's View, Chess Stars 20 1 0 Kasparov: Revolution in the 70s, Everyman Chess 2007 Kaufman: The Kaufman Repertoire for Black & White, New In Chess 20 1 2 Kornev: A Practical White Repertoire with J. d4 and 2.c4 - Volume 1, Chess Stars 20 1 3 Paulsen: Chess Developments Semi-Slav 5 Bg5, Everyman Chess 20 1 3 Sakaev: Complete Slav II, Chess Evolution 20 1 3 Schandorff: Playing J. d4 - The Queen's Gambit, Quality Chess 20 1 2 Scherbakov: The Triangle System, Everyman Chess 20 1 2 Vigorito: Play the Semi-Slav, Quality Chess 2008 Periodicals

New in Chess Yearbooks The Week in Chess Electronic/Internet resources

ChessBase Magazine ChessPublishing.com Chess24.com

Introduction and Move Order And some people say it's just rock and roll Oh but it gets you right down to your soul -

Nick Cave

Do you know the feeling? I cercainly do. Suddenly you don't fancy having Black anymore. It wasn't always like this of course: you used to have a pet opening. Right from the beginning it just felt natural, almost like love at first sighr. You and your new favourite line were a real couple back then, weren't you? Interesting games, good results, lots of laughs, never looking back. But that was years ago! Be honest, these days you have lost some of the early enthusiasm. The picture has begun to crack. The original bravery and creativity has long since been replaced by the boredom of routinely making the same moves over and over again. And the results have declined as well. But cheer up, friend! I think I might have the solution for you. Ld4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.CDB ClJf6 4.ttJc3 e6

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The Semi-Slav! It has served me well, on and off, throughout most of my chess career. I played it exclusively around the time I became a grandmaster, and so a lot of pleasant memories are closely attached to it. Even now, many years later, some of the games still stand out vividly in my mind. The Semi-Slav is one of the deepest and most complex opening concepts ever devised. At first glance the Semi-Slav is just another sound and solid variation of the classical Queen's Gambit, where Black apparently bolsters the important d5-pawn and secures his share of the centre. But there is a hidden world underneath - full of Scary Monsters and Super Creeps as Bowie sings. In its modern interpretation the Semi-Slav is truly a dynamic, fighting opening. The key to the complications lies with the seemingly innocuous ... dxc4. This shouldn't be mistaken for a premature surrender of the centre; in fact it is a clever initiation of activity. Black immediately follows up with . . . b5 and takes the initiative on the queenside. The queen's bishop is developed to b7 and - after a well-timed ... c5 - springs to life as one of the finest pieces on the board. If

6

Grandmaster Repertoire - The Semi-Slav

White does not strike back he will quickly be worse. Routine moves are not enough - White's only chance for an advantage is to gain the initiative himself. There is no way he can avoid the challenge and settle for a small positional plus: Black's position is not only perfectly sound, it is also extremely flexible and ready to neutralize any quiet schemes. Many White players will be forced out of their comfort zone - that's why they hate facing the Semi-Slav! 5.ig5

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The most aggressive move, which is covered in great detail in the first part of the book. Already Black has an important choice: he can go for the uncompromising Botvinnik Variation with 5 . . . dxc4!? - an often unpopular line that I am proud to say we fully rehabilitate in this piece of work - or he can choose the more subtle 5 . . . h6, when it is suddenly White who has to make a major decision. White can keep playing for the initiative with the speculative pawn sacrifice 6 . .ih4, also known as the Anti-Moscow Variation, or settle for the 'normal' Moscow with the solid 6 ..ixf6 - which surrenders the bishop pair. 5.e3

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I ntroduction

The second part of the book is dedicated to this seemingly innocent move - a lifelong favourite of the Soviet World Champion Anatoly Karpov. White stands more actively in a symmetrical position, which is enough to develop some initiative and hope for a small positional advantage. However, Black uses his flexibility and the dynamic factors of the opening to the maximum benefit. 5 ... tll bd7 Now Black is ready to answer the natural 6.�d3 with the thematic 6 ... dxc4 7.�xc4 b5 - the so-called Meran Variation - when he keeps his full share of the chances in a double-edged and demanding position. White can try to keep more control with 6.'1Wc2 - the Anti-Meran - by keeping all options open. In return, Black answers with 6 ...�d6 and keeps ...dxc4 in reserve for an appropriate moment. The third and final part of the book is about all the rest: ranging from the Exchange Variation 5.cxd5, via the protection of the vulnerable c-pawn with 5.'1Wb3, to a Catalan-type set-up with 5.g3. These attempts lead to very different kinds of positions, but they do have one thing in common - Black is absolutely fine no matter how White may try to confuse him. All in all the Semi-Slav is the perfect choice for Black against l .d4. It is a solid, positionally sound, and well-respected opening. Yet Black has excellent winning chances, thanks to the opening's hidden layer - full of dynamic possibilities - where creativity and originality reign. To put it more bluntly, the Semi-Slav is reliable on the surface, but wild at heart. So much for the praise, now the big question is how do we get there? As you can see, the book starts after the first four moves when the position that initiates the Semi-Slav is on the board. But a lot of things have already happened during these four simple moves, or rather a lot of things could have happened! Throughout the book I have chosen the Slav move order: 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6

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Here White can, for instance, play the Exchange Variation 3.cxd5 cxd5. I am sure some of you won't be too happy to allow that, so be aware! Personally I don't mind; I am a realistic guy. I mean, I cannot prevent White from equalizing! So if he wants to take on d5 he is welcome.

8

Grandmaster Repertoire - The Semi-Slav

Then I will just be content to have an okay game with Black, without too many problems after only a few moves. There is another popular Anti-Slav line that needs to be mentioned, namely: 3.c!bf3 c!bf6 4.e3

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At first this seems pretty harmless, but in fact it is a well worked-out system full of positional subtleties. Let's take the following natural continuation as an example: 4 ... .if5 5.c!bc3 e6 6.c!bh4 White will try to gain the pair of bishops and hope to have a slight long-term advantage. Black's position is perfectly playable: I merely wish to point out that you should know the line exists. Of course we could try 4 ... e6 instead of . �J5, which is in the style of the Semi-Slav, but White is not forced to play lll c 3. He can try 5 .b3 and put the knight on d2 instead, with some differences compared to the lines I examine in the book. Again the message is the same - Black has nothing to fear, but you must be aware that White can play this way. .

..

If you want to avoid this Slav discussion it is tempting to protect d5 with the e-pawn first: l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 This makes sense, but it doesn't solve all our move-order problems. The most obvious example arises immediately: 3.c!bc3 Now we have a dilemma, since if Black continues with 3 ... lll f6 White can play 4.j,g5 or 4.cxd5. Suddenly we are trapped in a Queen's Gambit, which is completely different to a pure Semi-Slav. To get where we want to go, we are more or less forced to play: 3 ...c6 But now White has the dangerous Marshall Gambit at his disposal.

I ntroduction

9

4.e4!? Of course you can defend with Black, but it is necessary to know what you are doing if you face a well-prepared opponent. And I haven't even mentioned White's most flexible move of all yet: l.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.liJf3

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What to do now as Black? The triangular move 3 ... c6 springs to mind, but then White can try a move like 4.'Wc2!? or even develop flexibly with 4.e3, when Black can no longer get his light­ squared bishop our to f5. Problems, problems! 3... liJf6 And on this natural reply White has another small surprise in store:

4. g3 The Catalan! Not exactly what we set out to play. Still, none of these scenarios is in any way catastrophic for Black, and if you have a good set-up versus the Catalan then you don't have to worry too much about it. What is important is that each Black player finds his way of reaching the Semi-Slav. I prefer the Slav way, because I am not too scared of the anti-systems there, and if you have a broad opening repertoire you have many options yourself. I have seen world-class players, like the former World Champion Vishy Anand, use the move order 1 .d4 tt'lf6 2.c4 e6, meaning that on 3.tt'lc3 he is ready to play a Nimzo-lndian after 3 . . .i.b4. After 3.tt'lf3 he goes 3 . . . d5 4.tt'lc3 c6 and here we are; although allowing the Catalan on the way was part of the package. There is more than one option - the important thing is to choose something that suits you. There are many sources you can consult on the way. Boris Avrukh's excellent GM 17 The Classical Slav is especially useful if you play the Slav move order, and is from the same series as the present book. If you want to go even further back, Avrukh also deals with sidelines after 1 .d4 d5 in GM 11 - Beating 1.d4 Sidelines. And now I think we are ready to jump to move 5 and let the real book begin! Lars Schandorff Copenhagen, June 20 1 5

Botvinnik Introduction Variation Index 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tllf3 tllf6 4.tllc3 e6 5 ..ig5 5 ... clxc4 13 14 15 16 17 17 18 19

A) 6.g3?! B) 6.e3 C) 6.a4 .ib4! 7.e4 �a5 8 ..id2 c5 Cl) 9.clxc5 C2) 9..ixc4 cxd4 10.tllxd4 0-0 C2 1) 1 1 .tllb3 C22) 1 1 .�e2 C23) 1 1 .tllc2!

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Chapter 1

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Hardcore will never die, but you will

- Mogwai The Borvinnik Variation is one of the sharpest and most analysed lines in the whole of chess opening theory. Black immediately burns his bridges and goes all-in, creating a complete mess on the board. White players fear the Borvinnik because of its complexities - you have to memorize a lot of sharp variations and still the resulting positions are so full of dynamic and tactical possibilities that normal positional judgement doesn't make sense. On the other hand you also get the impression that maybe Black is pushing too hard in his eagerness to create a real dogfight. Theoretically the Borvinnik Variation has been discredited for some time, but recent discoveries show that, although he is clearly balancing on a knife edge, Black is in fact holding his own. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.llif3 tlif6 4.llic3 e6 5.igS dxc4!

11

Introduction

6.e4 The only critical move. White takes the centre and threatens both j,xc4 and e4-e5. Because of the massive amount of theory in the main line - to put it mildly - many White players use this opportunity to chicken out and go for a calmer game with 6.a4, which basically just tries to win back the c-pawn. This tends to lead to a positional game where Black has no real problems, but the line should not be underestimated and is covered in detail later in this chapter. This chapter will also cover the modest 6.e3 and the Catalan-like gambit 6.g3. These are both too meagre to create any problems for Black, who can obtain a good position by simple means. 6 ... b5 The point: Black defends the c-pawn and allows e4-e5, as he is ready with a counterattack on White's dark-squared bishop. That means he will be able to hold the extra c-pawn and establish a powerful pawn structure on the queenside. 7.e5 Consistent. White could also try 7.a4, which is covered together with 6.a4. 7 ...h6 8.ih4 g5

The exclamation mark is for the determination with which Black seeks to fulfil his grand design - and for the bravery! After 5 . . . dxc4! there is no way back, but that goes for both sides.

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12

Botvin nik

9.tll xg5! White temporarily sacrifices a knight for two pawns, but is sure to regain the piece because of the pin on the fG-knight. Sometimes White goes for 9.exfG which can be quite a tricky line - though Black shouldn't have too many worries if he knows how to react. It is covered in Chapter 2. Another option is 9 .ig3 which leads to a well-known position that often arises from the Anti-Moscow Gambit. It is analysed here in Chapter 2. 9 ... hxg5 10.i.xg5 tll bd7 l l.exf6 The natural move, but in fact White is at a big crossroads here: should he take on fG immediately or first play g2-g3? There are pros and cons with both moves. In our case the difference is academic; because if Black strives for the old main line - like we do - it will merely be a transposition. l l .g3 is probably slightly more accurate, and I will use it as the main move in the rest of this chapter.

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It gives Black the extra option l l .. El:g8!? with the idea 12.h4 El:xg5. This leads to unclear complications that probably favour White after 1 3.hxg5 tlid5 1 4.gG! fxgG 1 5 .Wg4. If Black instead proceeds with the more normal l l . .ib7 1 2.ig2 WbG we will end up in our main line after 1 3.exfG c5 14.d5 0-0-0 1 5.0-0.

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Still, after both 1 1 .exfG or l l .g3 White has a few options to deviate himself. They are not dangerous for Black, I can assure you of that! We will have a closer look at them in the introduction to the Botvinnik main lines. l l ...i.b7 12.g3 The bishop belongs on the long diagonal. l 2.ie2 is too tame, but I will have a brief look at it together with other rather obscure alternatives to the main line. 12 ...c5 13.d5 °\Wb6 14.i.g2 0-0-0 1 5.0-0 b4

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Black attacks the white knight and hopes to undermine the important d5-pawn, which blocks the position and prevents the black pieces, especially the queen, from any activity. This is the real starting position of the Botvinnik Variation! Already the tension is high, but don't worry: we are just getting started. It will be much more fun before we are finished. You can get a glimpse of what I mean when I mention that one of White's two main moves here is the spectacular 1 6.E!:b l , simply leaving the knight en prise. This is Chapter 3. The most critical line, 1 6.tt:la4, is examined in Chapter 4. Here we will take modern opening theory to a completely new level, because the play more or less by force ends in a drawn rook ending!

Chapter 1 - Introduction Let m e try co clarify a thing o r two i n words before we proceed t o the actual theory. In general you can say that the Botvinnik is extremely tactical, and based on calculating long forcing lines. Normal judgement is more or less suspended along the way, but let's nevertheless cake stock - or try to - of what has happened so far: Black grabbed the white c4-pawn as soon as he could, but as a consequence lost two pawns on the other wing! Then followed opposite-side castling. Both sides are striving for the initiative with each move and attacks and counterattacks are in the air. Black has an open h-file cowards the white king, but he has trouble including more troops in the offensive. White can try to confront the far-advanced black pawns on the queenside and hope to open some lines, but it is easier said than done. To cut a long story short, an interesting fight lies ahead!

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A) 6.g3?! b5 7.ig2 ib7 8.0-0 ie7i Black has a dream Catalan. If we compare with the modern Catalan 5.g3 in Chapter 1 9, we see that here White has ventured with i.g5 for no apparent reason.

1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tlif3 tlif6 4.tlic3 e6 5.ig5 dxc4 As previously mentioned, this chapter will focus on A) 6.g3?!, B) 6.e3 and C) 6.a4. 6.tt:le5?! b5 7.a4 i.b4+ White is a clear pawn down here. Practice has seen 8.g3 1ltfd5 9.f3, and now best is:

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9 ... tt:l bd7!N (9 ... c5?! 10.Wf2! was not so clear in Kuhn - Dinckel, Pinneberg 1 994), the point being 1 0.e4? tt:lxe4 l l .fxe41!tfxe4t-+.

10 h6 1 I.ixf6 ixf6 12.axb5 1 2.e5 i.e7 1 3.tt:le4 tt:ld7 1 4.b3 was another try, albeit an unsuccessful one: l 4 ... cxb3 1 5.1ltfxb3 0-0 1 6.l:l:fcl c5 Black was better in Mandon - Bratanov, Le Touquet 2004. ..•

14

Bocvinnik

12 ...axb5 13.�xa8 ixa8 14.VNal tlid7 15.VNa7 0-0 16.e5 ie7 White clearly doesn't have enough for the pawn, though he still managed to draw in Andreikin - Shirov, Loo 20 13.

1 1...VNb6 12.ixf6 White weakens Black's pawn structure on the kingside which at least gives some long­ term compensation.

B) 6.e3 b5 7.a4 ib4

1 2.e4 lt:'ibd7 1 3.ie2 0-0 1 4.0-0 Wc6 1 5 .Wb2 a6 1 6.E!:fel e5 1 7.d5 Wc7 1 8.Wc2 h6 1 9.ih4 Wd6 was better for Black in Jobava Jakovenko, Khanty-Mansiysk 201 1 . 12...gxf6 13.f3 1 3.E!:a2 is given by Vigorito as unclear, but after 13 ...ic6N 14.E!:b2 We?+ Black escapes all tricks on the b-file and White shouldn't have enough for his pawn. 13 ... tlid7 14.ie2 0-0 1 5.0-0 So far we have been following Van der Werf - Ushenina, Wijk aan Zee 2008, where Black played her f8-rook to c8 and then changed her mind and put it on g8.

8.tlid2 8.ie2 tlibd7 9.0-0 Wb6 is comfortable for Black, as White's compensation seems unclear to me. A recent example was 10.Wc2 ib7 l 1 .lLid2 a6 1 2.b3 cxb3 1 3.Wxb3 ie7 1 4.E!:fc l 0-0 l 5.lLide4 E!:fc8 1 6.h3 c5+ Kveinys - Bauer, Saint Quentin 20 1 4. 8 ...ih7 9.axb5 ixc3 10.bxc3 cxb5 1 1.VNbl l 1 .ie2 lLi bd7 1 2.E!:b l ixg2 13.E!:gl ic6+ Jobava - Svetushkin, Melilla 201 1 .

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1 5 ... @hSN Preparing ... E!:g8 without any loss of tempo. Other sensible moves are 1 5 ... a5 or 1 5 .. .f5. White doesn't threaten anything so only Black can be better.

Chapter 1 - Introduction C) 6.a4

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ixa3 1 0.®'a4t lii c6 l l .'W'xa3, and now after l 1 ...lii e4 the position is between a small plus for White and equality. 7.e4 °1Wa5 Again my choice leads to a solid position for Black, while leaving him with some positional trumps. White will have some initiative, but this should not materialize to a concrete advantage if we play carefully. Popular is: 7 ...ixc3t 8.bxc3 Wa5 9.e5 lii e4 A more static approach, which also seems perfectly playable.

A standard reaction to ... dxc4 in all Slav structures. White prevents Black from protecting the c4-pawn with ... b5, and intends to play e2-e4 and ixc4 with a nice position. 6...!b4! Pinning the knight and fighting for the e4-square. 6 ... b5 is also possible, and has been played by Shirov, but in my opinion Black takes some positional risks. After 7.axb5 (7.e4 'W'b6 and Black keeps the extra pawn) 7 ... cxb5 8.lii x b5 'W'b6 Black will win the bl-pawn but will lose the c4-pawn in return - leaving him with the worse pawn structure.

1 0.id2 After 1 0.Ei:cl b5 l l .'W'c2 lii xg5 12.lii xg5 Wxa4 1 3.Wxa4 bxa4 1 4.ixc4 lii d7 Black will play his king to e7 and, combined with the moves ... a5 and ...ia6, will be able to break with .. c5. Black should be fully equal here, as has been shown in practice. ( 1 4 ... c5 1 5 .d5 lii d7 1 6.f4 leads to livelier play and has been recommended as an alternative in several sources, for example by Ikonnikov in his series of surveys for NIC Yearbook, but it doesn't look so clear to me that Black is fully equal.) 1 O . . . lii xd2 If Black wants to play for all three results he could try 1 0 ...Wd5!?, though objectively it is likely to be good for White.

16

Bocvinnik

l l .®xd2 c5 1 2.ixc4 cxd4 1 3.cxd4 Wxd2t 1 4.'ktixd2 tt:lc6 Whice is a ciny bic beccer chanks co his excra space. Scill, Black should be able co hold wichouc coo much crouble. s ..id2 c5 Ac chis poinc Whice can choose becween Cl) 9.dxc5 and che more common C2) 9 ..ixc4. 9.d5?! exd5 1 0.exd5 0-0 l l .ixc4 :B:e8t was awkward for Whice in El Kher - Cawdery, Szeged 1 994, especially as Whice now played his king co fl . Whice is a bic worse even afcer che more natural 1 2.ie2N ig4 1 3.0-0 tt:lbd7+ because of his weak d5-pawn.

10.e5 Ocherwise ... tt:lg4 becomes an annoying ch rear. 10....ixc3 1 0 ... tt:lg4? would now be a miscake due co l 1 .tt:le4!. l I..ixc3 c!lid5 12..id2 1 2.Wd4 is no beccer. Afcer 1 2 ...Wxd4 1 3.ixd4 c3! Black gives back his extra pawn co eicher cause scruccural damage or deprive Whice of che bishop pair.

Cl) 9.dxc5 This is quire a good cry for an advancage for Whice, bur Black has a nice way co neutralize che pocencial pressure:

1 2 ... 0-0 1 3.:B:cl c3! 1 4.ixc3 tt:lxc3 1 5.:B:xc3 gives Whice some iniciacive. 13.�cl c3! We have already seen chis idea of returning che pawn under favourable circumstances.

Over che board che only move char has been cried is 9 ... tt:lc6, bur afcer 1 0.ixc4 Wxc5 l 1 .We2 Whice has gained a loc in cerms of coordinacion and scands a bic beccer, as in Pelletier - Shirov, Biel 20 1 1 .

14.bxc3 1 4.ixc3 tt:lxc3 1 5.:B:xc3 Wb4 leads co equalicy. 14....ic6 Black has a fine position.

17

Chapter 1 - Introduction C2) 9.hc4 cxd4 10.llJxd4 0-0

12 ... .llJc6 13.0-0 ltJe5 14.llJb5 1 4.ib5 ? a6 brings White all sorts of problems. I4 ...We7! 1 4 ...Wxc4? favours White in the following forcing variation: 1 5.Wxc4 lll xc4 1 6.ixb4 Ei:d8 1 7.Ei:fcl lll xb2 1 8.ie7 Ei:d7 1 9.lll xa7 Ei:xe7 20.lll xc8 Ei:e8 2 1 .lll b6 Ei:a6 22.a5± The point is that 22 ... lt:lxe4? 23.f3 lll f6 24.lll c 5 traps the poor knight at b2 or simply wins the exchange. 15.l"\fcl a6 16.liJ 5d4

White has a choice of several possible moves, bur only one of them is truly critical: C21) I l ..liJb3, C22) 1 1.We2 and C23) I l.llJc2!. 1 1 .0-0!? looks at first to be a mistake due to l 1 . ..Wc5 with a double attack, but things are not that simple. Here is a sample variation: l 2.lll cb5 ixd2 l 3.Wxd2 a6 (l 3 ...Wxc4 l 4.e5) 1 4.Ei:fcl axb5 1 5.ixe6 lll xe4 1 6.We3 ixe6 1 7.Ei:xc5 lll xc5 1 8.Ei:cl lll bd7 1 9.b4 lll xa4 20.lt:lxe6 fxe6 2 1 .Wxe6t Ei:f7 22.g3= White's active queen secures the balance. C21) I l..liJb3 Wc7 12.We2 l 2.id3 is met by 1 2 ... lt:lc6 followed by ... lll e 5, and 12.ie2 ixc3 simply drops a pawn.

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16...�d6!?N Black's idea is to take the bishop (on either c4 or d3) and continue his development with ...id7, with equal chances. 1 6 ...ixd2 17.lll xd2 Ei:d8 1 8 .lll 4f3 lll xf3t 19.lll xf3 e5 20.h3 id7 was also okay for Black in Reyes la Rosa - Figlio, email 2009. 17.�d3 llJxd3 18.Wxd3 l"1b8!? A prophylactic move, which anticipates the arrival of a white knight on a5. 1 8 ...id7 19.lll f3 e5 20.lll a 5 and Black will likely play ... l"\ab8 anyway.

18

Borvinnik 15.lll xb4 Wi'xb4 16.�fdl 1 6.j,g5 a5, with the idea of putting the bishop on a6, as in Shulman - Potkin, Khanry­ Mansiysk 201 1 , is fine for Black. 16 ...i.b7 17.i.el This was seen in Belous - Reshernikov, Moscow 20 12.

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19.lll f3 e5 20.lll aS �d8 Black has a fine position. C22) 1 1 .Wi'e2 lll bd7 Black's idea is to play his knight to e5 and then continue with ... Ei:d8 and ... b6 - without bothering to avoid the exchange of the bishop on b4 for a knight after lll c2.

l 7.ll'id5?! is a punch in the air. l 7 ...Wi'xe4 ( 1 7 ...Wxb2 is also possible) 1 8.li:'ixf6t gxf6 and the queen is protected by the bishop. Sakaev gives the following line in Complete Slav!!: 1 7.j,g5 Ei:xd l t 1 8.Ei:xdl lll xe4 1 9.li:'ixe4 j,xe4 20.f3 h6! 2 1 .j,xh6 (Not 2 1 .j,cl ? j,g6 22.Wxe5 Wxa4 attacking both a2 and d l .) 2 1 ...gxh6 22.Wi'xe4 Wxe4 23.fxe4 Wg7+ This seems like a correct evaluation, as the bishop is restricted and Black will have chances to activate his rook.

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17... �xdl!N Sakaev's novelty seems best.

1 4 ...j,d? was a more passive, and thus worse, approach in Edouard - Inarkiev, Barcelona 20 1 0.

18.�xdl lll xe4 19.f3 1 9.lll d 5? Wxa4 is the whole idea behind the rook exchange, as now the white bishop is under attack. 19 ...Wi'cSt 20.@hl lll xc3 21 .i.xc3 lll g6

19

Chapter 1 - Introduction 2 1 ...lll c6 22.2"i:d7 ic8 23.2"i:d l ib7 is proposed by Sakaev and is indeed a natural conclusion to the line - but Black is not forced to accept the draw. After the text move, both ... lll f4 and ...ic6 (to stop the white rook from going to the 7th rank) are threatened, so White must play actively. 22.gd7 .id5 23.hd5 exd5 24.g3 llif8 25.\We5 lli e6 26.'1Wxd5 '1Wxd5 27.gxd5 White has regained the pawn and, with ... 2"i:d8 coming up, the position is fizzling out.

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27...£6 28.'iiig2 gds 29.gxdSt llixd8= Of course it looks like a draw, but you can continue if you like - or maybe you will even be forced to play on, depending on the draw rules for the tournament. C23) l l .llic2! llic6

Unfortunately there is no time to save the bishop. 12.llixb4 1 2.We2 lll e 5 1 3.ia2 2"i:d8 1 4.0-0 b6 transposes to 1 1 .We2. 12...\Wxb4 13.b3 1 3.Wb3N is a novelty analysed by Sakaev. He believes chat after 1 3 ...Wd6 14,2"i:dl We5 1 5.f3 lll d4 1 6,Wa2 lll c2t 1 7.We2 b6 Black achieves equal play: 1 8.b3 lll d4t 1 9.Wf2 ib7 (Sakaev stares with . . . 2"i:d8, but I will use the ocher rook!) 20.ie3 2"i:ad8 2 1 .Wb2 lll c6 22.Wc l h6= 13 ... gds I 4.o-o

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14...'1We7 1 4 ... lll d?N is another novelty proposed by Sakaev, but after 1 5.lll b 5 We? 1 6.ie3 lll de5 17.Wh5 White has some annoying pressure which is not so easy to neutralize. Sakaev notes chat it was important to play . . . lll d7-e5 and cake the light-squared bishop, but I see no need to do chis immediately. The bishop can also be captured with ... lll a 5 and the queen will have to go to e7 anyway, so why not put it there now?

20

Bocvinnik

1 5.f4?! Wc5t 1 6.'kt>h l Wd4! is pleasant for Black. A practical example continued 1 7.e5 Wxd2 1 8.Wxd2 E!:xd2 1 9.exf6 gxf6 (a natural reaction, but 19 ... E!:d8!?N 20.E!:adl id? might be another good idea here) 20.lll e4 E!:d8 2 1 .lll xf6t 'kt>g7 22.lll e4 lll a 5 Grover - Debashish, Korinthia 20 1 2. Black shouldn't have any complaints about his position. Moving the f-pawn one square less has been tested in a correspondence game: l 5.f3 lll d7 1 5 ... b6N followed by ... lll a 5 is another possible idea for Black. 1 6.ie3 lll de5 1 7.Wc2 lll xc4 1 8.bxc4 id? 1 9.c5 a6 20.E!:ab l ie8 8 7

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1 6.ig5 h6 1 7.ih4 g5! 1 8.ig3 (The tempting sacrifice l 8 .ixg5 hxg5 l 9.Wxg5t \t>h8 hardly works. After 20.e5 lll h 7 2 l .Wh5 ib7 22.lll e4 E!:g8 Black defends everything.) l 8 ... lll h 5 Black will continue with ...ib7 and . . . lll a 5, and is more than okay. l 6 . . . lll a5 l 7.ie3 lll d7 1 8.Ei:dl After 1 8.lll b 5 Black seems fine with l 8 ... lll c 5. 18 ... lll xc4 1 9.bxc4 ia6 20.lll b 5 It seems that Black is able to neutralize the pressure.

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20 ... lll e 5! 2 1 .Wc3 E!:xd l t 22.E!:xd l f6 One sample line could be: 23.c5 23.f4 lll g4= 23 . . .ixb5 24.axb5 bxc5 25.ixc5 E!:c8=

Black seems completely equal here. The rest of the game didn't last long, so I'll show it all: 2 1 .E!:fd l lll e 5 22.Wb3 E!:xdl t 23.lll xd l E!:d8 24.lll b 2 Wf6 24 ... icGN 25.Wc3 f6, with the idea of putting the knight on f7 if needed, is a way to avoid the draw. 25.Wxb7 lll xf3t 26.gxf3 Wxf3 27.if2 E!:d2 Y2-Y2 Benzoni - Noble, email 2009. From all the moves I analysed, the most promising seems: 1 5.Wc l N b6 1 5 . . . lll d? is another idea. 1 6.f3

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1 5 b6!N ...

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Chapter 1 - Introduction

21

This move was recommended by lkonnikov in his analysis for New In Chess Yearbook 1 00. 15 ... lll e 5 1 6.i.fl b6 1 7.Wc2 l 7.We2 might be a slight improvement for White. 1 7... i.b7 1 8. f3 l'l:ac8 This is okay for Black, but he may not be completely equal after 19.l'l:edlN. Instead, in the only game that reached this position in practice, White went for: 19.i.e3?! This was Chadaev - Reshemikov, Moscow 20 1 1 , and now both lkonnikov and Sakaev missed that Black can play:

2 1 .l'l:d8 2 1 .l'!e7 i.e6 22.l'l:xe6 fxe6 23.i.xe6t 'kt>h8 24.f4 promises nothing special for White after 24 ... g6. 2 1 ...i.d7 22.l'!xa8 l'l:xa8 23.i.a6 l'l:f8! 23 ... 'kt>fs 24.l'!cl i.c8 25.l'l:d l i.d7 26.l"lc l = 24.l'l:cl lll e4 Threatening to play ... lll c 5. 25.c8=W i.xc8 26.i.xc8 lll c 5 Black is at least equal, and it is White who has to solve some problems. 16 ... tll d7 17.f4 tll c5

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1 9 ... i.xe4!N 20.fxe4 Wc7 2 1 .i.c4 lll xc4 22.bxc4 22.lll b 5 We5 23.bxc4 lll g4 is also at least equal for Black. 22 ... lll g4 23.g3 Wxc4 Black has a strong initiative for a small material investment. 16.e5 1 6.lll d 5!? A standard piece sacrifice in positions like this. In this case it is fairly easy to neutralize. 1 6 ... exd5 1 7.exd5 Wd6 1 8.dxc6 Wxd2 1 9.c7 Wxd l 20.l'l:axd l ms The strong passed pawn on c7 gives White some compensation for the piece, but this is only enough for equaliry - at best! For example:

18.tll b5 i.a6 19.�cl

22

Bocvinnik

1 9.ctJd6 i.xc4 20.bxc4 ctJb7 and the mighty white knight is kicked back. 19 ... tll d3 1 9 ...i.xb5 20.axb5 ctJd4 also looks good, for instance 2 1 .i.b4 1"\d7 followed by . . . 1"\c8. 20.�xd3 �hd3 21.ge3 2 1 .ctJd6 ctJd4 22.i.b4 'Wd7+

Conclusion

If White tries to avoid every theoretical discussion with a speculative pawn sacrifice like 6.g3 or 6.e3, Black should just protect his newly gained asset on c4 with ... b5. Although the positions remain unclear, White hardly has enough for a pawn. The 6.a4 line is a serious positional attempt by White to maintain some control instead of entering the complications of the Bocvinnik main line. Black has a sound position and - if forced - we can also play positionally!

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21 ...gds 22.tll d6 tll d4 Black has the initiative. The white knight seems impressive, bur it is not threatening anything.

Botvinnik Rare 9th Moves Variation Index 1 .d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 � f6 4.� c3 e6 S.i.gS dxc4 6.e4 bS 7.eS h6 8.i.h4 8 ...gS A) 9.exf6!? gxh4 1 0.�eS Wfxf6 Al) 1 1 .a4 A2) 1 1 .g3 B) 9.i.g3!?

A2) afcer 16.f4

24 24 25 26

B) nore ro 13.a4

B) no re ro 1 O.tlld 2

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24

Borvinnik

l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.l£if3 .!£if6 4. .!£ic3 e6 5.ig5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.i.h4 g5

White has another choice here between Al) l l .a4 and A2) l l.g3. l l .ie2 is well met by l l ... tll d 7! and we shall see the same recipe in variation Al below. 1 2.tll xc6 ib7 1 3.if3 a6 Black calmly protects his structure. Next he intends to kick the annoying white knight back with . . .!'lc8. 1 4.0-0 !'lc8 1 5.tll e 5 ixf3 1 6.tll xf3 ie7+ Black will castle and he still has an extra h-pawn.

Al) l l.a4 This is simply met by: l l . ..a6 It is true that in many lines White can win a pawn back by taking on b5, but it always runs into a disturbing check on b4 so Black is just fine. A) 9.exf6!? A gambit line that leads to tricky play. Great accuracy is demanded from Black, but he will have good chances to come out on top. 9 ...gxh4 10. .!lJeS This active knight move, hitting both c6 and f7, is the first point of the 9.exf6 line. 1 0.g3 is too slow: 1 0 . . .�b7 l l .ig2 tll d7 and l 2.tll xh4 is well answered by l 2 ... tt:lxf6+. 10 ...\Wxf6

12.i.e2 12.axb5?! cxb5 1 3.tll x b5 axb5! 14.!'lxa8ib4t 1 5 . 'itie2 id6 gives fantastic compensation for the exchange. A practical example continued 16.tll g4 Wf4 1 7.tll e3 ib7 1 8.!'la7 tll c6 and Black was already winning in Martic Sjugirov, Rijeka 20 1 0.

25

Chapter 2 - Rare 9th Moves extra pawns he will end up in a very passive position. 13.axbS 1 3.llixc6?! b4! 14.llie4 Wf5 1 5.if3 ib7 leaves the knight in trouble: 1 6.llid2 E:c8 l 7.ie4 Wg5-+ Buhmann - Cerveny, Pardubice 2008. 13 cxbS 14.llixbS ih4t 15.llic3 1 5.@fl 0-0 1 6.llic7 E:a7 1 7.llixa6 is a desperate combination that doesn't work. l 7 ...ixa6 (Black could even just reply 1 7 ...ie7) 1 8.E:xa6 E:xa6 1 9.llixd7 Wd8 20.llixf8 •..

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20 ... Wa8! 2 1 .Wc2 !'!:al t 22.id l Wxf8 and White couldn't get out of the terrible bind in Marzolo - Ribli, Germany 20 1 1 .

1 5 ...ixc3t 16.bxc3 llixe5 17.dxeS 'Wxe5 18.0-0 ib7+ In Baumgartner - Kloster, email 20 1 0, White had to fight to survive.

Al) 1 1 .g3 ih7 12.ig2 llid7

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76

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A0,W.�;;, }..; "lifrW' ?,0, ,,,,,:m • 0,liffi-{ ?,0,�?d � 0,�-xg2 c5t 24.©fl �xcl 25.�xe6 �c3 26.1"i:h7 �f3 27.1"i:xd7t Wb8 28.1"i:d8t 'tt> c7 29.1"i:d7t= 1 9 ... 1"i:xg3! A standard positional exchange sacrifice. 20.fxg3 This was Dubov - Shirov, Moscow (2) 20 13, and now I recommend:

l 1 ...tt:lxc3 1 2.bxc3 c5 now is met by 1 3.�f3. 1 1 ...tt:ld7 1 2.0-0 �b6 1 3.a4!

E D � ·7 ,l.i.B'llBiB s

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This may not be worse for Black, but he will certainly feel a lot of pressure. I'll provide some lines to support this argument. 1 3 ... a6

28

Botvinnik

1 3 ... a5!? is met by 1 4.2"1c l !, when in this case the presence of the knight on d2 helps White. It will soon jump to e4, eyeing key squares on c5, d6 and f6. 1 4 ...ie7 1 5.lll de4 lll xc3 1 6.lll xc3 b4 17.lll e4 was Fier Harikrishna, Montcada 2009, and already Black's position was starting to fall apart. 14.lll de4 0-0-0 1 5.\Wd2! c5?! This natural move allows White to play a powerful sequence, as given in Playing J.d4 - The Queen's Gambit. Black can improve, but I do not want to get too sidetracked. 16.axb5 axb5 17.lll xd5 ixd5 1 8 .lll c3

a tricky alternative: 1 2.h4!? \Wxd4! ( 1 2 ... lll d 7!? followed by ... c5 also seems fine, but the text is more ambitious) 1 3.hxg5 ib4!N ( 1 3 ... lll xc3 1 4.bxc3 \Wxc3 1 5.0-0 lll d7 1 6.lll e4 \Wa3 1 7.ih5 gave White a big initiative, and eventually the full point, in Raijmaekers Kolodziej ski, corr. 201 2.) 14.2"1xh6 (there is nothing better) 1 4 ... 2"1xh6 1 5.gxh6

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Now Black has two main options, but neither of them guarantees him a comfortable game: 1 s ... tt:Jbs 18 ...ib7 1 9.d5! ig7 20.b3! Correctly trying to open files on the queenside - White's initiative looks promising and this has been confirmed in practice. l 9.lll xd5! 2"1xd5 Now White has the mmauve after both 20.2"1a8 and 20.if3 2"1xd4 2 1 .\We2, which was Babula - Hoffmann, Germany 201 1 . Yes, Black can defend - and long computer analysis proves this - but White's game is much easier and more fun. A single mistake for Black may prove fatal and there is a long way to go before he can put his two extra pawns to good use! 12.llide4 This may seem forced, but in fact there is

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With the knight already committed on e4, the ... c5 break is stronger and the a2-a4 push is not as dangerous as before. With the knight on d2 the c4-pawn is more sensitive, but here there is no knight attacking it.

29

Chapter 2 - Rare 9th Moves 13.a4 Now we'll see the big difference compared to the 1 1...ttJd? continuation. White could also castle of course, but then Black easily neutralizes the pressure. 1 3.0-0 ttJxc3! 1 4.bxc3 ( 1 4.lt:Jxc3N has never been tried, probably because after 1 4 ...ig? Black's . . c5 break is very strong.) 1 4 ... c5 Black is already fine, and should be looking to gain the upper hand: 1 5.dxc5 ixc5 1 6.if3 0-0-0 17.'1We2

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1 7 ... ixe4!N ( 1 7 ...ia3 was seen in Shishkin Dumitrache, Baia Sprie 20 1 2, when Black went on to win after some complications) 1 8.ixe4 ia3 Black is better because he has prevented White from opening lines on the queenside with the standard break a2-a4. At the same time he has made room for his knight to come to c5, while the plan of pushing the h-pawn is also dangerous.

13... a5! With the knight still on d2 the move Ei:cl would have been strong - as was shown in the notes to move 1 1 - but now White is the one on the ropes. 14.0-0 b4 15.tll b l 0-0-0! This seems like a promising alternative and was mentioned in the ChessPub forum. 1 5 ...ia6 is more common, simply protecting the c4-pawn. 1 6.Ei:e l ie7 1 7.lt:Jd6t ixd6 1 8.exd6 f5

8 1 �� •i•��;j 7 � /" '';·��� ��-:;:. 6 �.1· l.1�1..t.� .. · ·%�4)� ,..1i/ 5 .. %�,%�� -%��Y,,,,. %� �t�%�Y, l. t� •.. ,,%�•��� ��-':;� �� -;o.. .��'0. � ,�,�% 4 3

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l 9.ih5t ©d8 led to a highly unclear position in Zhak - Napalkov, corr. 20 1 1 , but Black's chances are not worse. His plan is to put the king to b 7, after which he can target the sensitive d6- and d4-pawns as well as push his own pawns on both sides of the board. 16.tll bd2 1 6.ixc4 lt:Jf4!+

30

Botvinnik

16...VNxd4i Here is a sample variation: 17.VNc2 c3 1 8.lll b 3 VNb6 19.hxc3 lll xc3 20.lll xc3 bxc3 21.VNxc3

Conclusion

9.exf6 is not without venom, but Black rather easily neutralizes White's initiative and remains a pawn up in most the cases. The 9.ig3!? variation is very important, because it often arises via the Anti-Moscow move order as well. After the natural 9 ...tt'ld5 1 0.tt'ld2 ib7 l l .ie2 Black has the key move l l ...iWb6! hitting d4 and securing good play in all lines.

22.VNB h5 23.h3 g4 24.hxg4 c5 25.VNxf7 h4 26.�h2 h3 27.gxh3 i:!xh3 Black has a dangerous attack.

Botvinnik Main Line- 16 .�bl!? Variation Index 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 �f6 4.�c3 e6 5.�g5 dxc4 6.e4 h5 7.e5 h6 8.�h4 g5 9.�xg5 hxg5 1 0.�xg5 �hd7 1 1 .g3 �h7 12.�g2 YMb6 13.exf6 0-0-0 14.0-0 c5 15.d5 h4 16.�hl!? 1 6 ... YMa6! 1 7.dxe6 �xg2 18.e7 �xfl 34 35 36 36 38 39

A) 19.YMd5 B) 19.©xfl �xe7! 20.fxe7 �dg8 2 1 .�e4 �xg5! 22.�xg5 �e8 B l } 23.YMe2 VMg6 Bl 1 } 24.VMe4!? B12} 24.�e4 B2) 23.YMd5

A) nore to 27.a4

B 1 1) after 32.E:eS

B 1 1) no re to 32. .liicG!N .

32

Borvinnik

l.d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.tlJO tlJf6 4.tlJc3 e6 S.igS dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.eS h6 s.ih4 gS 9.tlJxgS hxgS 10.ixgS tlJ bd7

good.) 1 3.Wf3 ie7 1 4.ie2 ( 1 4.0-0-0 ctJd5 l 5 .ixe7 Wxe7 l 6.ctJe4 0-0-0 proved to be fine for Black in Taner - Noble, corr. 201 2.) 14 ... ctJd5 1 5.ixe7 Wxe7 1 6.ctJxd5 cxd5 l 7.h5 a5 Black's queenside majority proved to be no less potent than White's kingside one in Brewer - Noble, corr. 20 1 3 . 1 2 ...Wb6 1 3.We3 0-0-0 1 4.0-0-0 Wa5 1 5.Wbl CL!b6 1 6.h4 b4 1 7.CL!e4 c5! Standard by now. 1 8.f3 c3 1 9.ie2 id5 Black was winning in Zhivtsov - Borvinnik, Moscow 1 943. l l...ib7 12.ig2 °Wb6 13.exf6 0-0-0

l l .g3 l l .exf6 ib7 Instead of the almost universally played 1 2.g3, which will transpose to the main line, White has occasionally tried some other moves. Furthermore this is an excellent opportunity to see some classical games from the man that gave his name to this opening variation. l 2. Wf3 1 2.ie2 Wb6 1 3.0-0 0-0-0 1 4.h4 ( 1 4.a4 b4 l 5.ctJe4 c5! was a later demonstration by the Patriarch in Denker - Borvinnik, USA USSR radio 1 945. White is really suffering from the bishop's absence on the long a8h l diagonal.) 1 4...ih6 1 5.a4 ixg5 16.hxg5 b4 1 7.ctJe4 c5! 1 8.a5 Wc7 1 9.ctJg3 ctJe5+ Ragozin - Borvinnik, Moscow 1 94 1 . 1 2.h4!? CL!xf6 The most forcing option, intending ...ie7 and . . . ctJd5. ( 1 2 ...Wb6 followed by ... 0-0-0 and . . . c5 is also

White has experimented with the artificial looking 1 4.Wg4!? in a few games. However Black equalizes easily by pushing . . . c5. 14 . . . c5 1 5.ixb7t Wxb7 1 6.2"i:dl Wc6 1 7.0-0 cxd4 1 8.Wxd4 ib4= Boehme - Blinchevsky, email 20 1 0. 14...cS 1 5.dS Opening the posmon with l 5.dxc5?! should only help Black. 1 5...ctJxc5 1 6.We2 ixg2 1 7.Wxg2 ih6 1 8.h4 ixg5 1 9.hxg5 was Timman - Tai, Hilversum 1 988, and now

33'

Chapter 3 - Main Line - 1 6.E:b 1 !? after 1 9 ... :B:hg8!? Black is fine, for instance: 20.We3N :B'.d3 2 1 .Wf4 Wc6t (2 1 . ..:B'.dd8!? with the idea ... tll d3 is also possible, but it does invite a repetition after 22.'We3.) 22.f3 e5 23.Wf5t 'Wd7 24.Wxd7t Wxd7 25.:B:adl Wc6 26.f4 e4 With an unclear ending. 1 5... b4

almost to the end. Almost! In the words of one of the greatest players of all time: " 1 6.:B:b 1 has the reputation ofbeing a drawing continuation, and 1 6.tll a4 is still at the centre of discussions." - this was Kasparov in Revolution in the 70s. Is chis really the case? I'd say chat top-level correspondence games of today have actually proved the opposite! 1 6.:B:b l is maybe the only line chat still has some life left, while 16.tll a4 has been established as a forced draw! Enough said, lee's enter the maze. 16...Wa6! Getting off the dangerous b-file and threatening to cake on c3. Now play cakes on a forcing character. 17.dxe6 �xg2 1 8.e?

8

So here we are once more: you might as well get used to chis position! The rest of our Botvinnik coverage will cake off from here. A man that deserves a special mention as one of the pioneers of the modern Botvinnik is the correspondence GM Aleksandr Gennadiev Efremov. He has lost only one game - against the German correspondence GM Wunderlich - in a line chat seems to me to be filled with danger. Happily after his one defeat, Efremov tweaked his repertoire accordingly and has continued on another unbeaten run! We will see all the details in the following chapters. 16.gbl!? Uhlmann's spectacular move. White simply leaves the knight en prise because it cannot really be taken. l 6 ... dxc3? l 7.bxc3 allows decisive threats along the b-file, for instance l 7 ... Wa6 1 8.:B:xb7! Wxb7 1 9.dxe6 Wb6 20.e7 and White wins. You can call the move 1 6.:B:b 1 aggressive prophylaxis! le has been analysed

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1 8...�xfl Black grabs as much material as possible. le is tempting to keep the light-squared bishop and cry to mate White on g2, but sadly chis is rather unrealistic! l 8 ... .ib7?! l 9.exd8='Wt Wxd8 20.tll e2 and White can always close the long diagonal with f2-f3.

.

Now White has either the spectacular blow A) 19.WdS or the critical B) 1 9 shxfl .

34

Botvin nik

1 9.exd8=Wft? Wxd8+ is problematic for White as Black will soon emerge a piece up for inadequate compensation. A) 19.°Wd5

23.lll xc5?? is another mistake: 23 ...Wfb5 24.ie7 :ge8 25.Wfa8t lll b 8 26.Wfxa7 c3 27.bxc3 bxc3 28.a4 Wfc6 White resigned in Jessen - Nilsen, Tromso 2010. 23...@c7 24.!£4 @b6 25.tlJxc4t @b5 26.lll d6t @b6 8

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l 9 ... :ge8 also holds up according to correspondence games and computer analysis, but I prefer the text. Beware of wrong move orders: after l 9 ...id3?? 20.Wfa8t lll b8 2 1 ..if4+- White is winning! 20.fxe7 !d3! Shirov's move is considered today to be the complete antidote to 1 9.1Mfd5. 21.exd8=°Wt 2 1 .tt:le4 .ixb l 22.lll d6t will lead to the main line, but there is always room for mistakes between humans, even strong GMs. Take a look! 22 ... Wc7 23.lll xc4?? Oops! It should have been .if4t first and then lll xc4, because now Black has 23 .. .f6! 24.if4t lll e 5 25.Wfxc5t b8 and it was 0-1 already in Mchedlishvili Dvirnyy, Porto San Giorgio 20 1 3. 21...i:!xd8 22.lll e4 !xbl 23.lll d6t

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Ladies and gentlemen we have a draw. Nothing can actually change this fact, but if White feels obliged to try and play on then he might get punished! 27.a4 27.lll x f7? was seen in Hrubaru - Kroes, email 20 1 0, and now Black could have played:

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27 ... ixa2!N This is sadly a move Vigorito missed in his excellent book Play the Semi-Slav when he tried to make this line playable again

Chapter 3 - Main Line - 1 6.:!! b 1 !? for White. 28.Wd6t @a5 29.'1Wxa6t 'itixa6 30.lll xd8 @b5+ and Black is at least equal. My computer screams that this is a draw and I believe it, but look what happened in one of my training games here: 3 l .h4 a5 32.h5 a4 33.h6 !g8 34.g4 c4 Black is winning! 27... bxa3 28.l£ic4t Wfxc4! 29.Wfxc4 a2

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35

1 9 ... Wc6?! 20.exd8='1Wt 'itixd8 2 1 .lll d 5 E:xh2 22.'itigl E:h8 23.E:cl! A move missed by Paulsen in his recent Semi-Slav book, but proposed by Sakaev in his work. This is well-known stuff in correspondence chess circles and is the move that gives the 1 6.E:b 1 line new life. 23 ...id6 24.ih4 ie5 25.lll e7 '1We6 25 ...'1Wd6 was proposed by yours truly in a ChessBase Magazine article about this position, but unfortunately White has 26.'1Wf3! instead of going into the endgame: 26 ... 'itic7 27.lll d 5t 'itib8 28.lll e3 c3 29.:!'!dl We6 30.bxc3 bxc3 3 1 .E:b l t lll b6 32.a4 and White prevailed in Kiselev - Neborak, corr. 20 1 3. 26.'1Wf3 'itic7 27.E:el Wd6 28.ig5 'itib6 29.b3 c3 30.lll d 5t @a6 3 1 .lll e 3 '1Wd3 32.E:d l '1Wh7 33.ih4 lll b6 34.lll f5± Wunderlich - Efremov, email 20 1 0. 20.fxe7 :gdg8 21.ltie4

White has to take a perpetual to avoid disaster.

B) 19.ci>xfl

2 1 . .. c3t This is the only move discussed by Sakaev in his work, and Efremov has also played this way a couple of times. He has defended

36

Borvinnik

the posmon successfully (as have other correspondence players) but in a practical game it looks rather scary. 22.Wgl :B:xg5 23.lll xg5 Wg6 24.bxc3 Wxg5 25.We2 White has two pawns and a strong initiative for the piece.

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3 1...lll e 5 32.Wd5 We6 33.Wxe6 fxe6 34.c7 :B:c8 35.Wg2 :B:xc7 36.:B:el lll d3 37.:B:xe6 :B:c2 38.:B:f6 :B:xa2 39.h4 a5 A draw was agreed here in Mielke - Noble, corr. 20 1 2. 22.lll xg5 E:eS In this position there are two lines that deserve a special look, namely Bl) 23.'1We2 and B2) 23.'1Wd5. Bl) 23.'1We2 '1Wg6 A double attack immediately leads us to another branching point. White can defend tactically with B l l) 24.'1We4!? or play Bl2) 24.ll:Je4. Bl 1) 24.'1We4!? E:xe7! 25.'1Wxg6 fx:g6 26.E:cl tlJb6

25 ...We5 26.Wa6t Wb8 27.Wb5t Wc7 28.cxb4 28.Wa5t Wb7 29.Wd8 lll b 6 30.cxb4 c4 3 1.:B:d 1 c3 32.h4 f5 33.Wf8 f4 ended in a draw in Chubukin - Efremov, email 2008. 28 ...Wxe7 29.Wa5t Wb7 30.bxc5t Wa8 3 1.c6 3 1 .'1Wc3 Wf6 32.Wb3 Wc6 33.:B:dl lll e 5 34.Wd5 Wxd5 35.:B:xd5 f6 36.:B:d6 :B:h6 White failed to break through once again in Schneider - Efremov, email 2009.

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Sakaev gave this as "clearly better for White" but we are in fact talking about a basically drawn position - as has been shown m several correspondence games.

An interesting ending has arisen, which is quite typical for the Botvinnik Variation: White has the somewhat better pawn structure, but the black majority on the queenside gives enough dynamic counterplay to secure the balance. 27 .!bO White threatens lll d 2. •

37

Chapter 3 - Main Line - 1 6.:1'!:b l ! ? 27.f3 \t>b7 28.'ll e4 ©c6 29.h4 aS 30.We2 a4+ was better for Black in 'Donmez' - 'Black Dynamite', Internet 201 1 .

32 ... c;tic6!N The easiest. Black stops Ei:bSt and threatens to cake on a2, forcing White to defend.

27... l3d7 Black stops 'll d2.

32 ... Ei:xa2 33.8'.bSt \t>c6 34.Ei:xb4 ©cS 3S.Ei:g4 Ei:a6 36.©e2 This would not be an easy position to defend in practice.

Instead 27 ... Ei:e4? was a mistake because of 28.Ei:el ! Ei:xe l t 29.Wxe l 'll d S 30.'ll e S c3 3 1 .b3 'lie? 32.'ll d 3 and another pawn dropped: 32 ... ©d7 33.'ll x cSt Wd6 34.'ll d3 aS 3S.e2 ©e6 36.'ll e 1 gS 37.'ll c2 dS 38. Wd3 'll g6 39.'ll e 3t ©e6 40.h3+- Maack - Jenkinson, corr. 20 1 3. 28.tll es White has to act quickly otherwise Black will simply improve his king's position. 28 ... l3d2 29.tll xc4 tll xc4 30.l3xc4 l3xb2 31.l3xc5t c;tib7 White is a pawn up but he cannot expect to win against accurate defence. 32.l3e5 32.h4 ©b6 33.Ei:gS Ei:xa2 34.Ei:xg6t cS 3S.Ei:g7 aS and Black's pawns are more advanced, and thus more dangerous, than the white ones. 36.hS b3 37.Ei:b7 a4 38.h6 Ei:d2 39.h7 Ei:d8=

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36 ... bS!N Black stops Ei:a4 and prepares ... Ei:d6, after which he will push his pawn and achieve a draw. 36 ... Ei:d6? immediately is met by 37.Ei:a4!±. 36 ... Ei:a2t 37.f3 Ei:a3t 38.Wg2 Ei:a6 39.h4 bS 40.Ei:gSt \t>b4 4 1 .g4 Ei:d6 occurred in one game in my database, but as you see Black played the plan I suggested only after deliberately improving White's position! Seil!, it is a draw objectively. 42.hS gxhS 43.Ei:xhS aS 44.gS a4= Black's pawn provides enough councerplay, but in Totogreko Devour, email 2009, White managed to lose the game. 37.h4 Ei:d6= 33.l3e2 33.Ei:gS?? Ei:xa2 34.Ei:xg6t ©dS-+ 33 ... l3bl t 34.l3el 34.g2 aS= 34... l3b2 35.l3e2=

38

Botvinnik B12) 24.tlie4

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The only way to play for the advantage according to Scherbakov on ChessPublishing, but this is not really the case as Black has equal chances here as well. 24...:gxe? 25.:gel @dS! Avoiding all checks,

26...'Wg4 Black generates counterplay with his queen. 27.:ge2 27.1Mfd5 f5 28.WaSt Wc7 29.Wxa?t Wc6 and White had to give a perpetual in Dabija - Efremov, corr. 20 1 2. Otherwise the knight falls - if it moves then disaster comes in the form of checkmate: 30.'ll d2 1Mfh3t 3 1.Wgl E!:xe l t 32.'ll fl E!:xfl# 27...°Wf3! Threatening mate in one! 28.:ge3 °Whl t 29.@e2 tlib6 30.°Wc2 30.Ei:d3t \t>e8 3 I.1Mfb5t \t>f8 32.:ge3 'll d 5 33.'ll xc5 was agreed drawn in Salvatore - Wagner, corr. 20 12, because of the line 33...'ll xe3 34.'ll d7t E!:xd7 35.1Mfxd7 'll d 5 36.WdSt Wg7 37.1Mfg5t and perpetual.

26.°Wxc4 26,Wf3 f5 (26 ..,c3N 27.bxc3 f5 is also equal, but the text keeps some life in the position) 27.tlid2 E!:xel t 28.Wxel We6t 29.1Mfe2 tll e 5 30.'ll xc4 'll f3t 3 1 .Wdl Wd5t 32.Wcl 'll d4 33.Wfl We6 34.b3 Wh6t was equal in Fourie - Henri, email 20 1 1. 35.'ll e3 1Mfxh2 36.1Mfg2 1Mfxg2 37.'ll xg2 Wd7 38.\t>d2 'll c6 39.'ll e3 We6 40.'ll c4 'll d4 4 1 .Wd3 'll b 5 42.f3 'll d4 43.'ll d2 'll c6=

32.°Wf8t @c7 33.°Wc5t With another draw in Marcinkiewicz, email 2009.

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39

Chapter 3 - Main Line - 1 6.l'l:b l !? B2) 23.Wfd5 gxe7 24.@gl

24...£6 25.tlJe4 25.lll h 3N l'l:e5 26.Wg8t ©c7 27.lll f4 Wxa2= 25.lll f3N ©c7 will transpose to the main line after lll d 2, because Black is fine after 26.l'l:d 1 (26.h4 We6=) 26 ...Wc6!=.

26...Wfxa2 27.h4! White is applying some pressure here, but still Black doesn't face too many problems holding the position. 27.l'l:d l Ei:e5 28.Wf7 Wa4 29.Ei:cl c3 30.bxc3 a5 3 1 .lll c4 l'l:e4 32.cxb4 axb4 33.lll e3 Wc6 34.h4 Ei:xe3! The simplest way to equality. 34 ... @b6 35.Wa2 We6 36.We2 f5 with the idea 37.h5 f4 is a way to keep playing for the win: 38.gxf4 @c7 39.h6 Wg6t 40.©fl Ei:d4 4 1 .Wf3 Wa6t 42.©el Wxh6 Neither side managed to force the issue in Kuhne Pepermans, email 20 1 3. 35.fxe3 Wd6 36.Wg8 36.Wg6 b3 37.We4 lll b6 38.g4 c4 and the pawns are very strong, so best is 39.Ei:xc4t lll xc4 40.Wxc4t @d8 4 1 .Wxb3 Wlg3t with a draw. 36 ... Wd3 37.Wc4 Wxc4 38.Ei:xc4 @c6 A draw was agreed in Kahl - Sadowski, corr. 2013, due to the following line: 39.Ei:cl ©b5 I would certainly be tempted to play for a win here in an over-the-board game!

25 ... @c7 26.tlJd2 26.lll xc5 Wc6 27.Wxc6t was Zhak Efremov, email 20 10, and now after 27 ... ©xc6 28.lll xd7 l'l:xd7 29.©g2 @c5 Black has quick counterplay which secures the draw.

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40.©f2 b3 4 1 .h5 c4 42.h6 lll f8 43.©e2 ©b4 White must be careful. 27 ... ge5 28.Wfxc4 Wfxc4 29.tlJxc4 ge8!

40

Bocvinnik 30 ... @c6 31 .gal tlib6 32.tlie3 ge7 33.tlifS gd7 34.@e2 a5! A clever tactical solution. 35,gdl 35.Ei:xa5 allows 35 ... tll c4 and White should be really careful!

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30.@fl 30.f4 tll b 6 3 1 .tll a 5 c4 32.:!:'i:cl Ei:c8 33.h5 @d7 34.h6 ©e7 35.h7 ©f7 36.h8='1W Ei:xh8 37.tll xc4 lll xc4 38.Ei:xc4 a5 39.Ei:c6 Ei:a8 Y2-Y2 Aupi Royo - Bendana Guerrero, email 2008. 30.:!:'i:al tll b 6 3 1 .tll e 3 Ei:a8 32.Ei:a5 was agreed drawn at chis point in Antonenko Myakonikikh, corr. 20 1 3, due to 32 ... ©c6 33.@fl tll d 5 34.tll c4 (34.tll xd5?! ©xd5 allows the king to reach b3) 34 ... tll b 6= with a repetition.

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35 ... tlid5 36.tlie3 a4 37.tlixd5 gxd5 38.gxd5 In Bokar - Cruzado Duenas, corr. 20 1 2, the two correspondence GMs analysed this to a draw and found no reason to continue, bur in a practical game of course it is legal to try your luck here. 38 ... @xd5 39.@d2= Conclusion

The amazing 1 6.Ei:b l leads to hair-raising complications, but Black is doing well after l 9.Wi'd5 1J.xe7 when White has nothing better than to force a draw. 1 9.@xfl leads to a more positional game if you can use such a term in the Botvinnik Variation. After 1 9 ...1J.xe7! 20.fxe7 Ei:dg8 2 1 .tll e4 l'!xg5! 22.tll xg5 l'!e8 Black eliminates the important e7-pawn and is able to keep the balance.

Botvinnik Main Line - 16 . �a4 Variation Index 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.CD f3 'Df6 4.CD c3 e6 5 ..ig5 dxc4 6.e4 h5 7.e5 h6 8 ..ih4 g5 9.CDxg5 hxg5 I O .ixg5 'Dbd7 1 1 .g3 .ih7 1 2 ..ig2 1/Mh6 13.exf6 0-0-0 14.0-0 c5 1 5.d5 b4 16.CDa4 •

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A) 1 7.dxe6 B) 1 7.a3 CD b8! 1 8.axb4 cxb4 Bl) 1 9 ..ie3 B2) 1 9.1/Md4 B3) 1 9.1/Mg4

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42

Borvinnik

I .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.llif3 tlif6 4.llic3 e6 s.ig5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 s.ih4 g5 9.llixg5 hxg5 10.Lgs llibd7 1 1 .g3 ib7 12.ig2 '11Nb6 13.exf6 0-0-0 14.0-0 c5 1 5.d5 b4 16.llia4

1 6 .. .'\Wa6 This older continuation became popular again 3-4 years ago. The main line is: 1 7.a3 ixd5 1 8.ixd5 lll e 5! The move which revived the whole line again in the 90s. 1 9.axb4 E:xd5 20.We2 cxb4 2 1 .lll c3

2 1 ...Wd6! The precise execution. Originally 2 1 ...Wc6 was played, but this gave White some additional possibilities such as 22.if4. The move 2 1 ...'11Nd 6 first appeared in the correspondence game Rotella - Schachinger, email 2009, and was adopted shortly afterwards by the strong young American Ray Robson. In turn the modern star of this line - Alexei Shirov - took notice, analysed everything, lectured about it in various Chess Base videos and... that was that: the Wa6-Borvinnik line was suddenly both playable and fashionable again! Despite this, my main line suggestion of 1 6 ...Wb5 has much older roots and has been the choice of many high-level correspondence players who have basically analysed it to a draw, so I consider it a more reliable continuation. But we will delve a little further into the Wa6 line to see what problems could arise for Black: 22.lll x d5 Wxd5 23.f3 lll d 3 24.h4 24.ie3 ic5 25.ixc5 Wxc5t 26.Wg2 :!"i:d8� 24 ...ic5t 2 5.©g2 E:d8

�� � · � �� �� ----Y-� ·� . %� �� !��� ���.-;-�� �� �.. . %Wxfl ?! ih6+ as in Zendrowski - Ibar, email 2003, offers Black slighcly better chances. 20 ...Wxa4 2 1 .Wxc4 Wc6 Now White can keep things level only with a new idea: 8

If White continues in similar fashion to the 1 6.l':!:b 1 line and opens the centre, he risks giving Black a big initiative. 17...ixg2 18.@xg2 1 8.e7?!

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44

Bocvinnik

With the idea ...Ei:g6. 25 . . .ih6 is also equal bur the position is chaotic once again. 26.'Wf3 lii b6 27.a3 Ei:g6 28.axb4 c4 29.b5 axb5 30.Ei:d6 ixd6 3 1 .Wc6t d7 33.Wb?t g2 gh5 3 1 .h4 ge5 32.Wd3 Wc6t 33.Wh3 gd5 Y2-Y2 Tazelaar - Schwarte, email 201 1 . 30.h4 was seen in Shimanov - I. Popov, Loo 20 1 4, and Black is fine now after 30 ...gc8!?N or the computer-inspired 30 . . . a5!N. Beware though, 30 ... ixg3? 3 l .gxb4 t loses for Black. 30 ...Wa5 3 l .Wd3 gds Black has escaped from White's grip. 32.@g2 ic7 33.gd4 gxd4 34.Wxd4 A draw was agreed here in Bokar - Cruzado Duenas, corr. 20 10. A good move now would be 34 . . . Wb5. 29 .. .ic5t Finally! .

54

Botvinnik

30.tlJxc5 Of course 30.cj;lfl ?! has never been tried in this position because after 30 . . . :B:xh2, or even 30 ...'Wc6 threatening to give a check on h 1 , Black's counterplay is very strong. White should seek salvation in a perpetual check or a repetition of moves, which he can in fact get quite easily. On the other hand 30.Wh l ? ? is a pure blunder; Black forces checkmate starting with 30 ... 'Wc6t. 30 ...�xc5t 31.�d4 3 1 . \ti fl ?! :B:xh2 again forces White to fight for the draw with 32.'Wd8t 'Wc8, and it seems that he can get it with: 33.'Wd6t cj;>a8 34.'Wd8 :B:h8 35.'Wxc8t :B:xc8 36.:B:d7 a5 37.:B:xf7 a4 38.:B:d7 a3 39.g4 1he rook ending is extremely complicated with all these passed pawns, so let me go a bit further to prove that it is balanced. 39 ... :B:cl t 40.We2 a2 4 1 .f7 :B:el t 42.Wxel a l ='Wt 43.cj;>e2 'Wb2t 44.Wfl 'Wh8 45.g5 cj;>bs 46.g6 cj;>cs 47.:B:a7 Wb8 48.:B:d7 and there is no progress for either side. Of course this variation doesn't show all the resources for both sides, but highlights one funny endgame that could arise. 3 1 .cj;>g2 leads to a perpetual after 3 1 .. .'Wc6t.

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31...�d! A key move. 32.�xc3 bxc3 33,:gc1 :gcs 34.Wfl :gc5!

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After this move Black has already equalized, as has been shown in several correspondence games. The rook is strong on the fifth rank and Black will next centralize his king. Often it goes all the way to e5 and attacks the white kingside pawns. 35.We3 35.We2 cj;>c7 36.Wd3 cj;>d6 37.:B:xc3 :B:xc3t 38.Wxc3 We5 was agreed drawn in Jaulneau Voss, corr. 2012. The mutual protected passed pawns balance each other out. 35 ... Wc7 36.g4 36.Wd4 cj;>d6 37.:B:xc3 :B:f5!? (37 . . . :B:xc3 is a draw as in the previous note) 38.b4 (38.We4 38 . . . :B:xf6 39 .:B:f3 :B:h6 40.:B:xf7 :B:xh2 4 l .:B:xa7 :B:g2= Acevedo Villalba - Efremov, corr. 20 1 2.) 38 ... a5! 39.bxa5 :B:xa5 is a draw. Here is an example that illustrates why: 40.g4 :B:a2 4 1 .E:cs e5t 42.ltie4 m2 43.g5 E:f4t 44.We3 We6 45.:B:e8t Wf5 46.:B:e7 :B:h4 47.Wf3 Wxg5 48.:B:xf7 :B:f4t 49.cj;>e3 :B:xf6 50.:B:xf6 Y2-Y2 Hall - Noble, email 20 1 3 .

h

36...Wd6 37.h4 We5 38.g5 i>f5

55

Chapter 4 - Main Line - 1 6.lt:la4 The black king arrives just in time and keeps the pawns under control. 39.d3 39.'it>d4 E!:c8 40.E!:xc3 e5t 4 1 .'it>d3 e4t 42.'it>d2 E!:d8t Y2-Yi Stephan - Hauenstein, corr. 20 1 2.

Conclusion

In the Main Line Botvinnik starting with 1 6.llia4 we get to our real starting position with the moves 16 ...Wb5 1 7.a3 lt:lb8 1 8.axb4 cxb4. Here White can try 1 9 ..ie3, but after 1 9 ....ixd5 20 . .ixd5 E!:xd5 2 1 .We2 llic6 22.E!:fcl Black gets good play with Tal's 22 ... llie5!. The spectacular queen sacrifice 1 9.Wd4 lt:lc6 20.dxc6!? is not enough for an advantage. After 20 ... �xd4 2 1 .cxb?t @b8! 22 ..ie3 e5 Black defends.

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39 ...g4 40.h4 40.E!:xc3 E!:d5t 4 1 .'it>e4 (4 1 .@e3 @xh4 42.g6 @g5=) 4 1...E!:f5 42.E!:c? 'it>xh4 43.E!:xa? 'it>xg5 44.E!:xf7 Y2-Y2 Legemaat - Boskovic, email 201 1 . After 44 ... E!:xfG the position is a dead draw. 40 ... �f5 41 .�hl �f3t 42.c2 h5 43.b5 �f5 44.xc3 �xb5 45.�al a5 46.�a4 �d5 47.�e4 Y2-Y2 Persson - Serban, corr. 20 1 2.

l 9.Wg4 is clearly White's strongest continuation, but if Black manages to navigate through a minefield he will achieve a draw in a rook endgame! The line that you should memorize goes like this: 1 9....ixd5 20.E!:fcl llic6 2 1 ..ixd5 E!:xd5 22.E!:xc4 E!:xg5 23.Wd4 'it>b8 24.E!:xc6 E!:xg3t! 25.fxg3 Wxc6 26.E!:dl We?! 27.b3 @c8 and Black covers everything. Botvinnik Variation Conclusion

It has been an amazing journey through one of the sharpest and most complicated lines that exist in the entire opening theory of chess! What is really remarkable is that nowhere in this tactical maze full of original attacking ideas and clever counter-strikes did we encounter any serious trouble. In other words, The Botvinnik Variation in 20 1 5 is theoretically sound and fully playable - although I must admit that it loses some of its charm by leading to a forced draw in so many lines. Anyway that's mainly White's concern: with Black we can be satisfied with a draw.

Anti-Moscow Introduction Variation Index 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 �f6 4.� c3 e6 5 ..ig5 h6 6 ..ih4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8 .ig3 b5 9.�e5 .

9 ... �bd7! 59 59 60 61 61 64

A) 10.�xc6 w.rb6 Al) l l .�e5 A2) 1 1 .d5 B) 10.�xd7 Bl) lO ...w.rxd7 B2) 1 0 ... �xd7

Al)

note co

26 . 'tt> x h7 ..

A2)

note co

l 5.axb5

BI) after 22.l"lh4

57

Chapter 5 - Introduction Tm slowing down the tune I never liked itfast You want to get there soon I want to get there last

- Leonard Cohen The Moscow and Anti-Moscow Variation has been at the heart of Semi-Slav theory for the lase decade. le is more positional - and I might add much more subtle - than the outrageous Bocvinnik Variation examined in the previous chapters, yet it shares some of the same directness which at the first given moment puts the onus on White to come up with something concrete. Or to put it in another way: White isn't allowed to get even a tiny positional plus just by playing safe, natural moves. 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tll f3 tll f6 4.tll c3 e6 5.igS h6! Black doesn't give the white bishop any time co relax and confronts it immediately. "Show me your documents!" as Victor Bologan puts it in a similar position in one of his entertaining ChessBase DVDs. You have probably already noticed chat I give the move 5 ... h6! an exclamation mark, just as I did with 5 ... dxc4! The justification is simple: both are very strong moves chat fight for both the initiative and che positional upper hand. Personally I think chat 5 . . . h6 is a sounder and deeper move than 5 ... dxc4 and I can hardly wait to start examining it. Since we are having chis little discussion, lee me emphasize chat Black can also play 5 ... tt:'lbd7 6.e3 �a5, known as the Cambridge Springs variation of the Queen's Gambit. Bue here I would never add an exclamation mark co the black moves, not chat they are bad after all it is a well-respected and absolutely playable line - but it is not in the spirit of the Semi-Slav! In the Semi-Slav the key move is . . . dxc4 - as we should be well aware of by now. OK, lee's return to 5 ... h6!.

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6.ih4! The critical line. White is willing to sacrifice a pawn for active play. The alternative is 6.ilxf6, also known as the Moscow Variation. Of course Black recaptures with his queen, giving White a lead development and a slight positional initiative. On the other hand, Black is very solid and the bishop pair might be a long-term asset. The variation is examined in depth in the next part of the book. 6... dxc4! Aiming for an improved Bocvinnik! 7.e4 g5 Now there is no tt:'lxg5. s.ig3 bS Black protects his c4-pawn. This used to be considered good for Black, as the white pawn sacrifice seemed a bit speculative back then. Many games and a lot of analysis later we are wiser. After all, Black has weakened himself on both flanks, meaning chat although White doesn't have a clear path to an advantage he will have plenty of dynamic possibilities - just consider the pawn breaks a2-a4, b2-b3 or h2h4 - which will keep his initiative alive for a long time. Many discoveries have been found for both sides, and these days the Anti-Moscow Variation is considered balanced.

58

Anti-Moscow

9.ie2 The big main move, but White has tried other moves as well: 9.tt::l e 5 turns out to be the only significant alternative to the main line, and we will study it shortly. 9.h4 is a popular move, but in most cases it will transpose to other lines. Let's check out the few extra moves we need to know: 9 ... g4 1 0.tt::l e 5 tt::l b d7! This is a good move as well as the best way to stay within our repertoire. Now usual is l l .ie2 ib7 and we transpose to Chapter 6, line B on page 72. l 1 .tt::l xd7 �xd7 1 2.ie2 ib7 And we transpose to line B3 on page 76. l l .tt::l xc6 �b6 is an independent line but it is not a threat to Black, as his development is accelerated. For example: l 2.d5 (l 2.tt::l e 5 ib7 is also fine) 1 2 ...ib7 1 3 .a4 a6 Black is comfortable. Naturally there are some similarities with variation A below.

miserably after 1 0 ... g4 l 1 .tt::l e 5 tt::l bd7! so it seems that che White players no longer trust chis continuation. Nevertheless, there are chree continuations for us co study: 1 2.tt::l xd7, 1 2.ixg4 and 12.tt::l xg4 - see Chapter 6. After 1 0.e5 tt::l d 5, White often plays l 1 .tt::l d2, transposing again to che line of the Botvinnik covered as variation B of Chapter 2. However, 1 1 .0-0 has independent value and is examined in Chapter 6 on page 78. 10...c!libd7 1 1.c!lie5 h5!? My choice, which seems to be doing excellently in correspondence games. It gives Black a relatively easy way to play compared to the main line of l l . . .ig7, and a major practical benefit is that you don't have to memorize nearly as many lines. 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.c!lif3 c!lif6 4.c!lic3 e6 5.ig5 h6 6.ih4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 s.ig3 b5 9.c!lie5

9.e5 reaches a position that I have covered via the Botvinnik move order. 9 ... tt::l d 5 1 0.tt::l d2 tt::l d7 l l .ie2 reaches a line I recommended for White in my book Playing 1.d4 - The Queen's Gambit. The latest evidence shows that Black is very comfortable here as we have already seen in che Botvinnik coverage in variation B of Chapter 2! Yeah, rimes are changing. 9...ib7 10.0-0 1 0.�c2 was recommended in The Kaufman Repertoire for Black and White but ic doesn't seem to offer White much hope for an advantage after correct play. 1 0 . . . tt::l bd7! 1 1 .E:dl tt::l h 5! and now forcing play scares after 1 2.d5! but Black is doing fine as we'll see in Chapter 6 on page 70. 1 O.h4 used to be a respectable main line, but in the last couple of years White has scored

The standard 9 ...ib7 is answered by 1 0.h4, and although Black probably is fine here as well I prefer the text.

59

Chapter 5 - Introduction A) 10.c!ll xc6 is by far White's most common choice in this line. B) 10.c!ll xd7 is the alternative and it is examined next. Obviously 1 0.ie2 ib7 transposes to the big main line of the Anti-Moscow Gambit which usually arises via the 9.ie2 ib7 1 0.lt'le5 lt'l bd7 move order.

another

8

7

A) 10.c!ll xc6 Vffb6 We immediately have Al) 1 1 .lll eS or A2) 1 1 .dS.

After l 7.h4 lt'l f4 1 8.hxgS hxgS l 9.g3 Black is in a better situation compared to the game, as he can play 1 9 ... lt'lxeS! 20.dxeS lt'lxe2. Now White should take back on e2, and Black will have a level game after ...Vfic7. If 2 1 ..ixb6? lt'lxc l 22.E!:xcl E!:d3 then Black is better!

split:

Al) 1 1.lll eS .ib7 Black doesn't seem to have any problems, but it is a difficult game for both sides. Let's follow a well-played encounter until the end: 12.f3 12.lt'lxd7 lt'lxd7 1 3.h4 ig7 1 4.hxgS hxg5 l 5.E!:xh8t ixh8 is absolutely fine for Black.

6 5

4 3

2 1

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17 ...axbS 1 8.l:!xaS .ixa8 19.h4 lll f4 20.hxgS hxg5 21.g3 lll xe2 2 1 . . .lt'lxeS 22.dxeS lt'lxe2 23.ixb6 lt'lxcl 24.ixd8 now doesn't work for Black. After 24 ... b4 he has some dangerous compensation, but my PC defends easily against all the tricks and claims an advantage for White. 22.'itixe2 b4 23.c!ll a4 VfibS 24.VfixgS l:!bS 25.l:!h7 c3t 26.'itiel This was Volkov - Halliwell, corr. 20 1 3, and here the two players agreed a draw. This was because of the following line:

13.a4 a6 14..if'2 0-0 15 ..ie2 l:!fd8 16.Vficl Planning to strike with h2-h4. 16... c!ll hS 17.axbS

26... 'itixh7 I would actually be tempted to try 26 . . .VfixeS!? 27.dxeS 'it>xh7 where there is certainly some play left in the position; I don't think that Black is significantly worse, if he is worse at all! 27.VfihSt 'itigS 28.Vfixf7t 'itihS 29.VfihSt With a perpetual check.

60

Anti-Moscow A2) 1 1 .d5

19 ... aS is also possible: 20.c2 0-0-0 2 1 .h4 and now 2 1 ...fS! was equal in Percze - Van Unen, email 20 1 1 . 20.bxa6 e7! 8

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12 ...a6 13.i.e2 i.xc6! l 3 . . . �g7 is also fine for Black, but let's keep things simple when we can. 14.dxc6 '11*fxc6 15.axb5 This move was chosen by Nakamura in his battle against Anand in the 20 1 1 Grand Slam final, but in correspondence chess, where this position has been tested much more than in over-the-board play, another move is in the front line: 1 5.eS!? lll d 5 1 6.lll xdS '1Wxd5! This is Black's safest choice. 1 6 ... exdS 1 7.0-0 lll c5 1 8.axbS axb5 l 9.l"lxa8t '1Wxa8 20.�f3 �g7 2 1 .�xdS '1Wc8 is also possible. Black drew the game in Akdag - Ljubicic, email 20 1 1 , but he seems under a bit of pressure. Also, exchanging queens doesn't mean that you have to immediately agree to a draw, as the resulting ending is far from lifeless. 1 7.'1Wxd5 exd5 1 8.axbS �b4t 1 9.dl lll c 5

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I have several games - all draws! - in my database of correspondence games, with che highest raced encounter being Lafarga Santorroman - Herrel, corr. 20 1 0. Black has confirmed char he is fine in chis position and can of course cry to win as chere is a loc of play left.

15 ... axb5 16.l3xa8t '11*fxa8 17.0-0 17.tll xbS?! does not yield anything after 1 7 ... �b4 t followed by castling - as noced by Moradiabadi. Black would chen be betcer.

61

Chapter 5 - Introduction 1 8.eS l 8.if3?!N is met strongly by l 8 ... e5! 1 9. lll d5 ig7 and Black will take on d5 next. 18 ... lll ds 19.lll xdS 1 9.if3N lll 7 b6 20.lll e4 ic5 is given as dynamically equal by Moradiabadi and he seems right, though in practice I'd like to take the side with the extra pawn! 19 ...'IWxdS 20.'!Wal '1Wb7! Sakaev gave this as a novelty, but it has since been played in Kazoks - Destruels Moreno, corr. 2014.

B) IO.lll xd7 White refuses to take the pawn and plays more in line with the Anti-Moscow! Black can recapture with the queen or the knight and both seem absolutely fine, so I will examine them in turn: Bl) 10 ...'1Wxd7 and B2) 10... lll xd7. Bl) 10 ...\Wxd7 1 1 .�eS l l .ie2 ib7 1 2.0-0 h5 once more transposes to a major tabiya that I will examine later. l l ...�g7 12.'\Wf.3 '1We7

20 ...ig7 2 1 .:B:dl Wc5 22.Wa8t 'i!Je7 23.'Wb7 :B:d8 24.if3 was the course of the game Nakamura - Anand, Sao Paolo 201 1 . Black is under a bit of pressure, but after John Bartholomew's suggestion of 24 ...Wc8!N 25.Wxb5 'Wc7 it seems that he can hold the balance without too much trouble.

13.h4 We are following a high-class game between two of Asia's most promising players. 1 3.ie2 ib7 1 4.:B:dl :B:d8 1 5 .'We3 a6 is very solid for Black: 21.�f.3 '1Wb6 22.'!Wast @e7 Black remains a pawn up and stands slightly better. He will play ...ig7 next and finish his development, while the king in the centre is pretty safe for the moment.

62

Anti-Moscow

l 6.h4 (After l 6.f4N gxf4 l 7.'\Wxf4 0-0 Black may appear to have a fragile kingside at first sight, but he is ready to play ... c5 and White will find it difficult to prepare an attack with such a mess in the centre. For instance, 1 8.0-0 lll h 7! 1 9 .ixg7 Wxg7 20.h4 c5 and in all lines Black seems fin e.) 1 6 ... l"i:g8 l 7.hxg5 at this point in Kregelin - Lupini, corr. 20 1 3, a draw was agreed. Indeed after 1 7 ... hxg5 Black faces no problems with ... c5 about to happen.

13 ...l"i:gS A typical way to respond to the pressure on the h-file. It doesn't mean that Black has given up hope with regards to castling though - he intends to castle long and enjoy a sound position. Although White didn't allow Black to castle long in this game, Black's counterplay was strong enough to secure the draw when things got dangerous. 14.hxgS hxg5 1 5.Wfg3 l 5 .ie2N is simply met by l 5 . . . ib7 and castling on the following move.

most solid is to play . . . l"i:g6 and .. ig7, while another is to try and dislodge the bishop from e5 with ... lll e 8 and ... f6.

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17. . .cxdS 1 8.exdS .!bxd5 19.tlixb5 Wfb4 1 9 . . .'\W c5N could have been another choice, but it is possible that Black wanted to avoid the complications arising after 20.l"i:xd5! ixd5 2 1 .lll c7t Wd7 22.lll xd5 exd5 23.'1Wf3. We require the help of a cold-hearted computer to show that White doesn't have more than a draw here. 20 . .!bd6t 20.lll c3 ie7 leads to a dynamically balanced game. Black has an extra pawn but his king's position is a bit uncertain. 20...ixd6 21.ixd6 Wfa4

A neutral move such as 1 7.Wb l N can be met by 1 7 ... 0-0-0 1 8.ie2 a6 and Black is ready to start his counterplay. He has several ideas: the

63

Chapter 5 - Introduction 22.:gh4 An imaginative way to activate the rook. Nothing much is happening on the h-file anyway. 22 '?Nxa2!? This pawn was taken with a perpetual check in mind ( ...Wal t followed by ... Wa4t) in case things start to become more complicated than a human can withstand. ..•

22 ... :B:c8N was certainly an alcernacive. After 23.ia3 tt:l b4 24.ixb4 Wxb4 Black will place his bishop on d5 next. It is still an unclear mess, but Black's chances don't appear to be worse. 23.ia3 23.:B:xc4N needs some analysis as well. 23 ...ia6 24.:B:c5 and Black has nothing better than to give the perpetual:

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23 :gcs Things are really heating up. Black is not able to play ... c4-c3 next because of the annoying check on b5, but if White gives him a spare tempo he is ready co do it after 24 ... a6 or 24 ... ia6. Unfortunately White is not so charitable: ..•

24.'?Nd6 :gc6 25.'?NbSt icS 26.B:xdS '?Nal t 27.'ii> c2 exd5 28.:gh6 f6

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24 ... Wal t (24 ...ixfl is met by 25.:B:dxd5!) 25.'ii> c2 Wa4t White has to agree to the draw because after 26.Wb3? Wxb3t 27.Wxb3 ixfl 28.l'!xfl 'ii> d7+ we reach an endgame where Black has an extra pawn. Don't forget chat Black has a pawn more from the start of this variation and chis pawn plus has been preserved until now! 29 ... :gcS! This rook might as well be taken, otherwise White must constantly look out for ... c3.

64

Anti-Moscow

30.ixcS Wfa4t 31 .'it>cl Wfalt 32.'it>c2 Wfa4t 33. 'it>cl WTalt 34. 'it>c2 Y1-Y1 Ding - Le Quang, Saint Louis 20 1 2. B2) 10... llJxd?

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l 5.a4 0-0 ( l 5 ... b4 1 6.llib5) l 6.llixb5 llie4 1 7.:ge l :gdg 1 8.°Wcl ib7 1 9.ixc4 llixg3 20.hxg3 :gac8 2 1 .a5 'Wc6 22.ifl 'Wxc l 23.:gaxc l :gxcl 24.:gxcl ixe5 25.b4 ib8 26.llia3 'tt> f8 27.llic4 With a draw in Pierzak - Iotov, corr. 20 1 2, though Black could have played on. His chances with the bishop pair are slightly superior.

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1 1...ih? l l ...b4N is analysed briefly by Sakaev in his book, reaching the conclusion of "unclear", but I think that the text is more solid.

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The d7-square is an excellent post for the knight; it controls e5 and is out of reach from any white pawns. On the downside Black's position is a bit passive, so he must aim to activate his pieces at a convenient moment. 1 1.h4 l l .ie2 ig7 1 2.0-0 'Wb6! applies pressure on d4, and afrer l 3.e5 c5 l 4.dxc5 llixc5 Black is a pawn up with a dangerous majority and is ready to play . . .ib7. However, in the following correspondence game White managed not to collapse and reached a defendable endgame:

12.Wfd2 12.hxg5 forces the unusual 1 2 ... 'Wxg5 but it turns out that it is not so bad for Black after 1 3.°Wc2 ie7. Black needs only two moves ( ...'Wg7 and ... 0-0-0) in order to claim a better game. Note that 1 4 ... 0-0-0? will lose to l 5 .ih4, so White first plays l 4.ih4 'Wg6 1 5.ixe7 mxe7 1 6.0-0-0. Nevertheless after 1 6 ... b4 1 7.llia4 c5 1 8.d5 exd5 1 9.exd5 'Wxc2t 20.mxc2 md6 2 1 .ixc4 :gag8 Black stood fine in Mikhalchuk - B. Ivanov, corr. 20 1 2. s

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12 ... :ggs 13.hxgS hxgS 1 3 ...'Wxg5N doesn't seem bad either, and after 1 4.if4 'Wg6 Black is ready to continue with ... 0-0-0 and ...ig7. Still, it is more solid

Chapter 5

-

to keep the structure intact unless you are forced to do otherwise. 14.ie2 VNa5 1 5.0-0 0-0-0

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[j 8 � ' 8 f[j.��f , ,, ,/,·j �-,,,,/, � a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

The position is double-edged but Black is still a pawn up - which must count for something. In the following correspondence game Black prevailed and I will present it without annotations just for inspiration: 16.VNc2 lbf6 17.�fdl �h8 18.e5 llid5 19.llie4 ie7 20.a4 VNb6 2 1.a5 VNc7 22.b3 cxb3 23.VNxb3 @b8 24.a6 ic8 25.llif6 VNb6 26.VNf.3 llib4 27.VNc3 La6 28.if.3 ib7 29.VNa3 @as 30.VNb2 llid5 31.ixd5 exd5 32.VNd2 c5 33.dxc5 hc5 34.VNxg5 d4 35.�d3 ib4 White resigned in Fagerstrom - Simakhin, corr. 20 1 2.

65

Introduction Conclusion

On 9.lll eS a good answer is 9 ... tll b d7! If White takes the pawn with 1 0.tll xc6 Black gets good play with 10 . . . Wb6, and now either 1 1 .lll e S ib7 1 2.f3 ig7 or 1 1 .dS ib7 and the knight is in trouble. After 1 0.tll xd7 Wxd7 1 1 .ieS ig7 1 2.Wf3 We7 1 3.h4 �g8 the position is unclear, but Black is not worse at all. 1 0.tll xd7 lll xd7 is the more flexible recapture. Black gets a fully playable position after l 1 .h4 ib7 1 2.Wd2 :B:g8 1 3.hxgS hxgS 1 4.ie2 WaS followed by long castling.

Anti-Moscow 9.ie2 ih7 Sidelines -

Variation Index

I .d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.lDf3 lDf6 4.lD c3 e6 S.�gS h6 6.�h4 dxc4 7.e4 gS 8.�g3 bS 9.�e2 9 ...�b7 A) 10.�c2 lD bd7! Al) 1 1 .lDd2!? A2) 1 1 .:gdl B) 1 0.h4 g4 1 1 .lDeS lD bd7! Bl) 1 2.�xg4 B2) 12.lDxg4 B3) 12.lDxd7 C) 10.eS lD dS 1 1 .0-0

B2) after l 6.�xc4

67 67 69 72 73 74 76 78

C) nore ro ! 6.�xc4

B3) after 25 .�e3

a

1 6 . . .�d6!

b

26 . . ElgSN

c

d .

e

f

g

h

Chapter 6

-

9 .!e2 !b7 - Sidelines

I .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.lll f3 lll f6 4.lll c3 e6 5.!g5 h6 6.ih4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 s.ig3 h5 9.!e2 ih7

67

to go for Black, as was shown i n the game Johansson - Nizky, corr. 20 1 3. White had gained a dangerous initiative and went on to win. 10 ... g4?! l 1 .tll e 5 Wxd4? wins a pawn but is far too risky. After 1 2.:gdl Wb6 White already has a spectacular continuation: l 3.tll g6! fXg6 l 4.e5 With a winning attack. Our next branching point sees us consider the new and logical idea Al) l 1 .lll d2!?, before moving on to the more standard A2) 1 1.�dl . Al) l I.lll d2!? White simply stops Black's plan of playing ... tll h 5 on the next move.

1 0.0-0 is covered in the next chapter. A) 10.°Wc2 White slightly improves the position of his queen and makes room for the rook to go to d l .

1 1 .. .h5 seems attractive due to the fact that there is no longer a knight attacking rhe g5-pawn, but it is definitely a bit premature. After 1 2.h4 g4 1 3.0-0t White has the plan of playing :gfd l and a2-a4 with good pressure for his pawn. Nevertheless, che . . . h5 idea may

68

Anti-Moscow

be valid at some point and so it shouldn't be dismissed. A move like l l ...a6 or 1 1 ...ie?, waiting for 1 2.0-0 before playing 12 ... h5, is maybe sounder, but I prefer the plan of luring the rook to d l now instead of giving White the option of castling and putting the king's rook on d l . 12.gdl 1 2.h4?! is met by 12 ... g4, and ... tll h 5 becomes a possibility again while the d4-pawn still hangs. 1 2.0-0-0?! is not great either, as after l 2 ... a5 Black's position has the greater potential. He is material up and already has some initiative on the queenside. 1 2 ..ie7 Another point of putting the queen on b6 so early reveals itself after 1 2 ... c5!?N. It is risky, but I am not sure if White has any way to exploit this! After 1 3.d5 exd5 1 4.exd5 ig7 1 5.h4 ( 1 5.tll de4 tll xe4 1 6.Wxe4t ©f8 seems fine for Black as well) 1 5 ... 0-0 l 6.hxg5 hxg5 the position is unclear, but it seems that Black is doing fine. He has a good way of regrouping his kingside forces with . . . :gfe8 and ... tll f8-g6.

14. gc8!? Putting the rook in contact with the queen down the c-file is a logical way to improve on the following game: ..

14 . . . :gdg l 5.b3! cxb3 l 6.tll xb3 :gc8 l 7.a5 Wa7 l 8.e5 tll d 5 l 9.tll x d5 cxd5 20.Wd2 b4 2 1 .:gcl ic6 22.Wd3 :gc7 23.Wxa6 Wxa6 24.ixa6 0-0 25.id3 :gfc8 26.:gal :ga8 Now after 27.f4!, planning to reroute the bishop to a better place at d2, White was already practically winning in Johansson - A.S. Ivanov, corr. 20 1 2. 1 4 ... h5!?N is the idea I told you to have in mind if White castles, and this time it seems to produce an exciting, unclear game with good chances for Black. A sample continuation is: 1 5.h4 ( 1 5.h3 g4 1 6.h4 :gc8!? will probably transpose to 1 4 ... :gc8) 1 5 ... gxh4 1 6.ixh4 tll g 4!? 1 7.ixe? i;xe7 l 8.tll f3 :gag8?

.

13.a4 a6 14.0-0

1 5.@hlN This move was suggested by Johansson in his ChessPublishing notes. 1 5.b3 This standard break is not so strong here. 1 5 . . . cxb3 1 6.Wxb3N 1 6.tll xb3 can be met by 1 6 . . . h5 with a total mess, though after l 7.h3 a draw was agreed in Bacrot - Lenic, Italy 20 1 5. Maybe more prudent is 1 6 ... 0-0 preparing for ... c5 with excellent play.

69

Chapter 6 - 9 .ie2 ib 7 - Sidelines 1 6 ... 0-0! Black finishes development and intends to play actively with ... c5. The cl-pawn is probably now hanging as well. 1 6 ... 1l;Vxd4? was premature: 1 7.lll c4 'Wa7 1 8 .lll d Gt With a crushing attack for White. 1 7.e5 An attempt to guard the d4-pawn, but Black has a clever response: l 7 ... lll e 8! With the idea of ... lll g7-f5 . Black still has the ... c5 break in mind and has the better chances. 1 7 ... lll d 5 l 8.lll xd5 cxd5 1 9.axb5 axb5 20.'Wxb5 'Wxb5 2 1 .ixb5 lll b 6 cannot be worse for Black either, but there is no reason to let White escape with a draw!

1 7.i.xh4 lll g4 1 8.i.xe7 i>xe7 Black has a pleasant game. 1 6.f4 h4 1 7.i.el gxf4 1 8 .Ei:xf4 h3 opens the long diagonal and exposes the white king to all kinds of tactics. 16...g4 17.h4 White must strive to keep the position closed.

15 ... hS!

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a

b

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f

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A rypical offensive thrust from Black on the kingside, and we will see it again and again throughout this coverage of the Anti-Moscow. The bishop on g3 is quite vulnerable and there is an immediate threat of ... h4. 16.h3 White is hoping to play f2-f4 and prepares a retreat post for the bishop on h2. After 1 6.h4 Black can play in a similar fashion to the note to 1 4 ... h5N above: 1 6 ... gxh4

1 8.f3 1 8.f4 is worse: 18 ... c5 1 9.d5 exd5 20.exd5 lll e 8! and Black is at least equal. We see another point of putting the king on f8: the e8-square becomes available for the knight! 18 ... cS 19.dS exd5 20.exdS id6 21.f4 Ei:h6!? Again, it is Black if anyone who has the slightly more comfortable position. A2) 1 1 .�dl White activates his rook and toys with the dangerous d4-d5 break. What to do? Quiet play isn't that comfortable, so with our next move let's provoke the aforementioned central

70

Anti-Moscow

break! This is very cunning: we force the play at a moment when our defensive resources are more than capable of withstanding the assault.

The knight is on its way to the fantastic f5-square. The standard move 1 6.a4N could be thought of as an alternative, but Black has a concrete way to make it look dubious: s

�H �· �

��. �l.i..•i)Bi�ff

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.

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a

12.d5! This is the only dangerous idea from White and by far the most popular move played. If Black is allowed co cake on g3, play ...j_g7 and solidify his queenside with ... a6, then he will definitely be well on the way to converting his pawn advantage. 12 ... tll xg3 13.hxg3 exd5 1 3 ...'Wb6?! l 4.dxe6 fxe6 l 5 .tll x g5± was Anand - Shirov, Leon 201 1 . As we'll see, Shirov went back to this position in his home lab and found the correct continuation for Black. We are actually following his lacer praxis. 14.exd5 cxd5 15.tll xd5 .ig7 White has succeeded in blowing the centre apart before Black has solved his king problems. However the black bishops have really come to life and they protect a lot of squares. Play is highly complex, so lee's examine some sample lines: 16.tll e3!

..

. ...

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

1 6 . . . tll c 5! ( 1 6 ... a6 is also possible) 1 7.tll c3 The only move that defends against the double threat of taking on either d5 or a4. l 7 ...'We7! Introducing the ... tll d 3t idea and winning a valuable tempo co cake on a4 after all: 1 8.0-0 tll xa4 19.tll xa4 ( 1 9.tll x b5 0-0+ leaves Black a pawn up) 1 9 ...j_e4! 20.'Wd2 bxa4 2 1 .j_xc4 0-0+ Black has the bishop pair and is a pawn up. 16...�a5t! Precision is demanded. Now White will have some inconvenience with his own king. 1 6 ... 0-0?! doesn't improve the black king's position; on the contrary, White is clearly better after l 7.tll f5. 17.fl The only move. l 7.l'l:d2?! tll f6 1 8.0-0 0-0+ 17 .. J;ds 1 s.tlif5 f8!

Chapter 6 - 9 .ie2 ib 7 - Sidelines

8

7

� :W. �;: � ��i!S' � � � �_i-lj)�' ·/,-��,a _ ,,,

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1

---- - "� !R�BM b

a

d

c

e

f

g

h

The critical position. Black defends against every immediate threat and he can untangle surprisingly quickly by moving his knight. White keeps some initiative for the pawn, but nothing more.

71

25.i.h5 'tt>g7 Black had equalized in Fleetwood - Zidu, corr. 201 1 . 1 9.g4 lll f6 20.:B:xd8t 1Mfxd8 2 1 .1Mfc3 'ttig8 22.a4 a6 23.axb5 axb5 24.Wb4 i.xf3 25.i.xf3 h5! secures enough counterplay. 26.'tti g l (26.gxh5? Wd3t+) 2 6...1Mfd3 27.lll e7t i>f8 28.tt:lg6t Y2-Y2 Peschardt - Pavlicek, email 201 1 . 19... llJf6 Kaufman only analyses 19 ... lll e 5, while Sakaev gives the text move as interesting with no more comment. 20.if3 20.tt:lxg7 Wxg7 2 1 .lll f5t 'tt> f8+

19.llJ3d4 Keeping control over f5 seems logical. 1 9.lll xg7?!

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7

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4 3

2 1

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1 9 ... 'tt>xg7!N ( 1 9 ...i.xf3 worked well for Black in the end in Amanov - Shirov, Istanbul 20 1 2, but objectively this move is not the best.) 20.lt:Jd4 (20.Wf5 lll f6+) 20 ... lll fG 2 1 .lll f5t 'tt>f8 22.:B:xd8t 1Mf xd8+ 19.:B:dG lll c 5! 20.Wdl lll e 6 The knight is excellently placed here: 21 .tt:lxg7 'tt>xg7 22.lll d4 :B:xd6 23.lll f5t 'tt> g8 24.tt:lxdG 'W'b6

21 .\t>g1 2 1 .tt:lcG :B:xd l t 22.Wxdl 1Mfc7 is fine for Black. 21...�b6 22.a4 22.b3 lt:Jg4! With the help of some exchanges Black frees his position from the bind of the white pieces, but objectively he can hardly claim an advantage as White's compensation lingers on: 23.i.xg4 i.xd4 24.:B:xd4 :B:xd4

72

Anti-Moscow

25.ltJxd4 ixg4 26.'!Nc3 l!Nf6 and Grammatica - Delizia, corr. 20 1 3, soon ended in a draw. Of course, there is some play left in the position should you reach it in an over-the-board game. 22 g4 23.�e2 a6 24.axb5 axb5 25.b3 cxb3 26.'!Nxb3 gd5 .•.

u.am �� , � � 7 u � � %,�lf , j�'��, ef""�/ �,,-,,; �� m �� 6 - -a), �� 5 ··%� .i� 'l�5� � 4 �� � �� ,� � ,� ,, � � , 3 � � 2 .� .• fn8'• ' %'�� 8

�----

� a

b

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d

e

f

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h

The game Hiltunen - Zakharov, email 20 1 2, finished in a draw, but at this point I think Black's chances can be evaluated as somewhat higher. After all, he still has an extra passed pawn! B) 10.h4

With this move White attacks the weakened black kingside. It's actually quite inconvenient because we would prefer to have a few extra tempos to complete our development without being disturbed. Also, what should we play? 1 O ... gxh4? is out of the question: after l l .i.xh4 White is threatening 1 2.e5 and, positionally speaking, Black is in a total mess. The natural 1 O ... �g8 also surrenders the h-file after l 1 . hxg5 hxg5. Fortunately there is an active response. Black is ready to give the pawn back and insert some confusion into the white set-up before the first player can dictate the play. This is a very important sequence in the understanding of the Anti-Moscow: basically it all comes down to fighting for the initiative!

.

...

10 ... g4 1 1 .tll e5 tll bd7! Better than both l l . . �g8 and l l h5, which lose time and further weaken the kingside.

s i. U �- �� � ,��� , , ,/,� �� V, vl �Y//,'� JM,�£ � � �! ·� · � ��

7

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m-- --;� 4 � '· . ,�8 � � ��;"/ d6 28.ie2 tl:J f6 29.ixc4 ic8 30.b3 if5 3 1 .:B:fd l :B:e8 Black went on to win in Kazantsev - Nizky, email 20 1 0. It seems amazing, but despite being an exchange and a pawn down in the ending Black is clearly better! There are holes everywhere in the white position and the white pieces just defend, rather than do anything constructive.

74

Anti-Moscow

16...ig7 1 6 ... 0-0-0 1 7.0-0-0 b4 1 8 .tt:le2 ia6 as in Holmberg - Dronov, email 2007, is at least okay for Black, with the main line continuing 1 9.'it>b l c3 20.Wc2 cxb2 2 1 .i.h5 Ei:g7. 17.0-0-0 1 7.Ei:dl 0-0-0 1 8.ih5 c5 1 9.d5 b4 leads to another mess but Black always seems to be comfortable in the complications, for example 20.tt:le2 exd5 2 1 .i.xf7 Ei:gf8 22.i.xd5 tt:l f6 23.Wf4 tt:lxd5 24.Wg4t Ei:d7 25.exd5 h5 26.Wxh5 Wf6 27.Wg4 ia6 28.0-0 Wf5 and Black managed to win in Mezera - Toropov, corr. 2010. His strong bishop pair and queenside pawn majority dictate the game.

1 9...c3 20.bxc3 bxc3 21.Wfc2 Wfa3t 22.@hl �xc5 23.dxcS ia6 24.Wfh3 Wfxc5 24 ... c2t 25.Wxc2 ic4 is tempting bur probably j ust leads to a repetition after 26.ic7 ic3 27.e5.

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3

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25.id6 Wfh6 26.eS 0-0-0 27.@cl c5 Y2-Y2 Even - Scherer, corr. 20 1 2. There is no need to rake a draw over the board as anything can still happen. For starters, White can't take the pawn back on c3 because of the hanging bishop. B2) 12.�xg4

18.�a4 WfaS 19.�cS 19.W c2 c5 20 .d5 e5 is extremely comfortable for Black, and this is verified by his huge plus score in the database. 1 9.b3 c3 20.Wf4 i.f8! 2 1 .Ei:hel Ei:g6 22.Wc7 (22.d5 e5) 22 ...Wxc7 23.ixc7 Ei:c8 24.if4 c5 25.h5 Ei:g8= 'Aliagaly' - 'United States', Internet 20 1 1 .

75

Chapter 6 - 9 .ie2 ib 7 - Sidelines below with 1 2 . . . tll h 5 1 3 .i.h2 ( 1 3 .i.e5 lll xe5 1 4.lll xe5 tll f6 1 5.i.h5 E!:h7 was fine for Black in Badolati - Scherer, email 20 1 1) 1 3 ...'®xh4 as in Prizant - Yevseev, Vladimir 2004. In this messy position White probably holds some advantage, but nothing is clear. 13.lll xf6t lll xf6 14.lll a4 lll xe4 The point. Unfortunately it drops the c4-pawn. 15.ie5 ggs 16.ixc4 id6!

8 7 6 5 2 1

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

A simplifying move. This is a position where Black has equalized easily, but White can draw if he remembers how to do it! 17.'®h5 l 7.'®e2 i.xe5 l 8.dxe5 c5+ is given by Sakaev. 17...c5 1 8.gdl 1 8.d5 i.xe5 1 9.'®xe5 tll d6 20.b3 '®b8 2 1 .'®e3 '®c7= Scherer - Mahling, email 20 1 1 . 1 8.0-0-0N '®c7 1 9.d5 0-0-0 20.dxe6 i.xe5 2 1 .exf7 E!:xd l t 22.E!:xdl ms+ is another line mentioned in Sakaev's book.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

a

b

c

d

Take, take and take!

e

f

g

h

22.gxd6 This has been seen in many correspondence games and the draw seems to be rather forced. 22.E!:gl N is another cry, but Sakaev analyses this to the draw as well: 22 ... E!:g6 23.tll c 5 if3! 24.i.xf7t! lll xf7 25.'®xg6 '®xc5 26.E!:e4t! ixe4 27.'®xe4t 'tt> d7 28.'®xa8 '®cl t 29.'it>e2 '®xgl 30.'®xa7t= 22 ... ixhl 23.ixf7t Wfxf7 24.ge6t 'it>f8 25.Wfxh6t Wig? Or 25 ... E!:g7 26.E!:f6.

76

Anti-Moscow

26.§'f4t §'f7 27.§'h6t With a repetition.

,,�mW,«,,;,,� zwil /.� %��t ' ' " " m , , 6 !�· �- � · · · � �

1 8 ... ltlb6 1 9.a3 19.'l.We3 :gxg3! Here we go again: 20.fXg3 ig7 2 1 .e5 'l.Wd7 22.ltlf2 'l.Wxd4+ 1 9 ... b3 20.tt'lc3 :gxd4 2 1 .:gdl :gxdl t 22.'l.Wxdl ig7+ Black is of course better with his fantastic g7-bishop. We are following an interesting correspondence game that shows how play can unfold from here: 23.'l.Wcl ia6 24.0-0 id4 25.'l.Wd2 e5 26.©h2 ixc3 27.'l.Wxc3 lll a4 28.'l.Wa5 ib5 29.ie2 ©b7 30.:gd l 'I.We? 3 1 .'l.Wd2 c3 32.bxc3 ixe2 33.'l.Wxe2 ltlxc3 34.'l.Wb2 ltlxdl 35.'l.Wxb3t Wc8 36.'l.Wxd l :gg6 Black ground out a win in Dosi - Ljubicic, corr. 20 1 0.

�� �� 2 � tt!fd�_,,,,;m Ji. t�'t!fd� 8 � 8 �'

14 .. J�g8 15.h3 White wants to open a new front. And Black? He wants to keep it closed!

B3) 12.lll xd7 This is more in the spirit of the opening. 12 ... §'xd7 13.!e5 §'e7

s i. U mcm� �-

7 5

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b

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14.0-0 White goes for rapid development. If instead he begins to take material back Black will get an easy game - as we have seen in several similar cases already. 1 4.ixg4 :gg8 1 5.if3 0-0-0 Black is fine here. 16.'l.We2 lll d7 1 7.ig3 b4 1 8.ltldl 1 8.tt'la4 ia6 1 9.0-0-0 ib5 is an instructive way to get the bishop into play. 20.'l.Wc2 e5 2 1 .d5 ©b8 22.ie2 :gc8 23.Wb l f6+

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

1 5 ... b4 Aronian has tried the move order 1 5 . . . tt'ld7 1 6.ig3 b4 but it just transposes. 16.lll a4 c3 17.§'dJ 1 7.lll c5 tt'ld7 1 8.tt'lxd7 'l.Wxd7 l 9.a3 c5 20.axb4 cxd4 2 1 .'l.Wxd4 'l.Wxd4 22.ixd4 ixb4 was equal in Riedener - Serazeev, email 201 1 . 17... lll d7 18.!g3 a5 19.a3 h5

Chapter 6 - 9.ie2 ib7 - Sidelines

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a

b

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c

d

e

f

g

In the Grischuk - Karjakin game mentioned earlier, play continued 1 6.axb5 d3 1 7.ixg4 a5 1 8.if3 ixf3 1 9.lt:Jxf3 Wfd5 20.1"i:a4 lt:Jd7 2 1 .Wfa2 lt:Jb6 22.1"i:xa5 1"i:xa5 23.Wfxa5 ic5 24.Wfa2 0-0 25.Wfd2 'iiih 7 26./"i:el and now a logical improvement recommended by Gustafsson in his analysis for Chess24 is:

h

13...a6 1 3 ... h5 is possible, but Black will again face a tough task defending: 1 4.lt:Jxg5! ( 14.h4N was the reason I did not like ... h5 on move 1 2, but here after 1 4 ... g4 1 5.lt:Jg5 Wfd5 1 6.f3 cxd4 1 7.lt:Jxf7 Black has 1 7 ... 1"i:g8! 1 8.cxd4 lt:Jc6! l 9.fxg4 hxg4! denying the bishop access to f3 and thus leaving Black better. l 4.h3 g4 l 5 .hxg4 hxg4 1 6.lt:Jh2 Wfd5 1 7.f3 cxd4 1 8.lt:Jxg4 lt:Jd7 1 9.cxd4 a6 20.Wfd2 1"i:g8 2 1 .Wff4 ie7 22.lt:Je3 Wfc6 23.ih4 lt:Jb6! looks scary, but was soon agreed drawn in Teichmann - Andeer, corr. 201 3.) 1 4 . . .Wfxg5 1 5.if3 Wfe7 16.ih4 Wfc7 1 7 .d5 lt:Jd7 1 8.i"i:e 1 White has dangerous compensation for the piece. 14.Wfhl Neither 1 4.dxc5 ixc5 1 5.lt:Jd2 id5 1 6.if3 1"i:a7! as in Romanov - Narusberg, corr. 20 1 4, nor 14.axb5 axb5 1 5.1"i:xa8 ixa8 1 6.Wfb l ic6 1 7.i"i:dl lt:Jd7 1 8.d5 ixd5 1 9.Wfxb5 Wfb6 20.ixc4 ic6 as in Blank - Goncharenko, corr. 20 1 4, give Black any headaches. 14 ...g4 15.llih4 cxd4 16.ixc4 The critical continuation, though Black seems to be doing fine after the practically forced line shown in the correspondence game below.

b

a

c

d

e

f

g

h

26 ... 1"i:g8N Planning to return the bishop back to f8 if needed. (Black was also fine after the game continuation 26 ...ie7 27.if4 1"i:g8 28.'iii h l if8 but it is clear that he has lost a tempo. White went on to win, though this was not due to Black's opening play.)

87 6 4 3 2 5

a

b

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16 ...WfcS 17.ie2 dxc3 1 8.axhS c2 19.Wfb3 ids 20.Wfd3 axh5 21 .E:xaS ixa8 22.E:cl b4 23.E:xc2 Wfd7 24.Wfc4 ltlc6 Black was equal in Ruefenacht - Mend!, corr. 20 1 3.

80

Anti-Moscow Conclusion

On 1 0.W/c2 Black should play 1 0 ... lt'id7 with the idea . . . lt'ih5. If White prevents this by the speculative move l l .ttJd2!? then l l ...W/b6! attacking d4 is a good answer. After 10.W/c2 lli bd7 1 1 .Ei:dl llih5! Black eliminates the white bishop and gets a good game. White can break in the centre, but after l 2.d5 llixg3 l 3.hxg3 exd5 l 4.exd5 cxd5 1 5.llixd5 ig7 1 6.llie3 Wa5t! 1 7.Wfl E!:d8 1 8.tll f5 Wf8! Black defends. On 1 O.h4 g4 l 1 .tll e 5 Black responds actively and thematically with l l ...lt'i bd7! after which White has three options. If White takes the pawn back with 1 2.ixg4 Black gets good play after 1 2 ... tt:lxe5 1 3.ixe5 E!:g8 l 4.if3 tll d7 l 5.ig3 Wb6 followed by castling long. On 1 2.llixg4 Black has the forcing line l 2 ... b4 1 3.llixf6t llixf6 1 4.llia4 llixe4 l 5 .ie5 E!:g8 l 6.ixc4 id6! which equalizes on the spot. White's best bet is probably 1 2.llixd7. Still, 1 2 ...W/xd7 1 3.ie5 Wfe7 looks fi n e for Black after either l 4.ixg4 E!:g8 1 5 .�f3 0-0-0 or 1 4.0-0 E!:g8 1 5.b3 b4 1 6.llia4 c3. Finally, 10.e5 might attract some followers after having been used successfully by Grischuk against Karjakin, but analysis and correspondence games show that Black is by no means worse here either.

Anti-Moscow 10.0-0 Variation Index 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Cll f3 Cll f6 4.Cll c3 e6 5 ..ig5 h6 6 ..ih4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8 ..ig3 b5 9 . .ie2 .ih7 1 0.0-0 'll bd7 l 1 .Cll e5 h5! 12.Cll xd7 1 2 ...Wfxd7 A) 1 3 .ie5 �h6 14.WIcl Al) 14... 'll g4 A2) 14... 'll h7 A2 1) 1 5.f4 A22) 1 5.h3 A3) 1 4... �g6! B) 13.Wfcl

83 83 84 84 85 86 89

•

note to l l .lt:Je5

A3) note to l 5 .:1'i:dl

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82

Anti-Moscow

l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3 . .!lJf3 .!lJf6 4. .!lJc3 e6 5.ig5 h6 6.ih4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.ig3 b5 9.ie2 ib7 10.0-0 .!lJbd7 This is the main position of the Anti­ Moscow Variation. White should continue to play sound, active moves to ensure that his compensation for the pawn won't vanish. To that purpose the right move is l 1 .tll e 5, bur for completeness I will also mention a couple of other continuations:

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

under control. Sakaev gives the additional line: 1 6.lll e4 0-0 17.tll d6 lll xe5 1 8 .lll xb7 lll xf3t 1 9 .ixf3 'ilJixb7+

l l .d5 is an interesting try to see if this standard break in the centre can work at such an early stage of the opening. Well, it shouldn't really, as Black easily neutralizes the threats: 1 l ...cxd5 1 2.exd5 tll xd5 1 3.tll x b5 a6 14.tll d6t ( 1 4.lll bd4 ig7 1 5.ixc4 0-0 was already somewhat more pleasant for Black in Shirov Kramnik, Frankfurt 1 996) 1 4 ...ixd6 1 5.ixd6 lll 7b6 1 6.ic5 'il!ic7 1 7.ixb6 lll xb6 1 8.'\M.ld4 rJle7 1 9 .l::!:acl This was Radjabov - Anand, Linares 2009. Now 1 9 ...l::!: a d8!N would have kept White struggling to show enough compensation for the pawn. 1 1...h5! My favourite move. Black starts chasing the white bishop.

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1 1..!lJe5 l l .'il!ic2 gives White an inferior version of the 10.'il!ic2 variation. Black responds with l l . tll h 5 and with no white rook on d l the d4-d5 break loses much of its sting:

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1 2.d5 lll xg3 1 3.hxg3 ig7 1 4.dxe6 fxe6 1 5.e5 ( 1 5.l::!: adl '1Mfe7+ Bosboom - Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 1 999) 1 5 ...'il!ie7 Black has everything

1 2.h3?! g4 1 3.hxg4 hxg4 1 4.lll xg4 b4 1 5 .lll xf6t was seen in Anand - Erenburg, Rishon Le Zion 2006, bur now 1 5 ... 'il!ixf6!N would have been powerful, with the idea to switch the queen to the h-file.

83

Chapter 7 - 1 0.0-0 1 2.h4?! gxh4 1 3.ih2 h3 is also quite bad for White. l 2.d5?! cxd5N l 3.exd5 llixd5 l 4.ixh5 llixe5 l 5 .ixe5 :B:h6 gives Black a strong initiative, for example 1 6.llixb5 Wfa5 l 7.a4 (l 7.llid4 :B:d8) l 7 ... :B:d8. 12 '!Wxd7 We will first look at A) 13.ie5, forcing the black rook to move to h6, before examining the immediate B) 13.Wfcl. •..

A) 13.ie5 :B:h6 14.Wfcl A flexible and clever idea: White moves around on his back rank and still manages to threaten the g5-pawn! Sometimes he has chosen to push the f-pawn, but then Black is well prepared to fight back:

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Back to the main line 1 4.Wfc l . Black has several good responses and I will consider no fewer than three! We start with Al) 14 ... ltlg4, though there is also A2) 14 ... lll h7 and finally my personal preference of A3) 14.. ,i;g6!. Al) 14... lll g4 15.ixg4 hxg4 16.'!Wxg5 :B:g6

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Keeping the position closed is Black's ball game. 1 5 .Wfc2 c5 1 6.d5 has been played by Radjabov, but White is probably pushing too hard. Sakaev proposes just taking the pawn; after 1 6 ... exd5 l 7.exd5 llixd5 White can put a rook on the cl-file but so what? Black is okay. 14.f3 surrenders the initiative. 1 4 ... h4! 1 5.a4?! b4 1 6.llibl llih5! with the threat of .. .f6 was already more or less winning for Black in Khumidze - Galliamova, Ekaterinburg 2006.

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17.'!Wh4 The newest twist. White is better according to Sakaev, bur he doesn't examine the move in our main game. The alternatives don't give anything: l 7.i@'e3 c5!f± or l 7.i@'f4 ie7=. 17...ie7

84

Anti-Moscow

The move not considered by Sakaev. Black is solid in all lines. 18.°1Wh8t 1 8 .'Wh5 0-0-0 and 1 8.'Wh7 ifs 19.'Wh5 'We7 with the idea of castling next are both fine for Black.

22.if3 l':!:xf3 23.gxf3 'Wxe4 24.fxe4 ixc5 With good positional compensation for the exchange, Werle - Dreev, Dresden 2007. A21) 15.f4 This leads to incredibly sharp play.

18 ...iffi 19.ig3 �h6 20.°1We5 f6 21.°1Wf4 °1Wxd4 22.°1Wxg4 ic8 23.�adl e5 24.°1We2 °1Wc5 25.�d2 ie6= Burghoff - Zidu, corr. 20 12. Black covers everything and will eventually catch up in development; and then who knows? The bishops and the queenside pawn majority might be a factor. A2) 14 ... ltJh7 Okay, we protect g5. Admittedly the knight doesn't look great on h7, but it is not going to be there forever and a pawn is a pawn!

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15 ...ie7 16.°1We3 White centralizes his queen and prepares E!:ad l . 16.f5 exf5 l 7.exf5 was the recent game Boehm - M. Zaitsev, Dortmund 20 14. Here Black could just castle or try 1 7 .. .f6N l 8.ig3 h4 1 9 .if2 h3 with play on the long diagonal. 16 0-0-0 17.�adl f6 18.fxg5 fxe5 19.gxh6 exd4 20.°1Wg3 20.'Wh3 h4 is unclear. ..•

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White's main responses are A21) 1 5.f4 and A22) 15.h3. 1 5.h4 gxh4 1 6.'We3 lLi f6! The knight is back, and the following game White even took it with his good bishop! 1 7.ixf6 E!:xf6 1 8.e5 E!:f5 l 9.lLie4 c5! 20.dxc5 ixe4 2 l .'Wxe4 'Wd5 (2 1 . ..l':!:c8!N is even better, as White will have problems on the dark squares.)

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Chapter 7 - 1 0.0-0 20 d3! A modern computer improves on the play of an older one! This extremely complicated line was actually tested in one of the fascinating Man vs Machine duels. There Black chose 20 ... We8?! when White had the better game and did well for a long time - until an unfortunate error tipped the game in Black's favour, Radjabov - Comp Deep Junior, Florence 2006. ..•

85

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21.hlS b4 22.llibl 22.lba4 Wd4t 23.Wf2 We5 is given as interesting by Dreev in The Moscow & Anti­

Moscow Variations.

22... lligS 23.'WeS 'Wc7 24.'Wxc7t 'it>xc7

25.g4 After 25.ig6 Ei:h8 26.h7 ic5t 27.ii>h l ia6 28.h4 lbxh7 29.E':f7t 'it>b6 30.Ei:xh7 Ei:xh7 3 l .ixh7 id4 White is a whole rook up! 32.e5 ixb2 33.g4 ib5 34.lbd2 ixe5 35.lbf3 This wild position ended in a draw in the following amazing game:

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35 ...if4 36.g5 c3 37.lbd4 c5 38.lbxb5 c2 39.E':el c4 40.lbd4 cl =WI 4 1 .E':xcl ixc l 42.lL'if3 'it>c5 43.lbe5 'tti d4 44.lbg4 a5 45.g6 ih6 46.lbxh6 d2 47.g7 d l =1&t 48.'tti g2 We2t 49.'it>gl Wel t 50.'tti g2 We2t Kozlov - Filipchenko, corr. 20 1 2. Yeah, it's no fun to have to defend against an army of passed pawns.

A22) 1 5.h3 This is given by Sakaev as slightly better for White, but I think I can challenge his evaluation.

86

Anti-Moscow

15 ...f6 16..tg3

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16 h4 1 6 . . .'®xd4 1 7.l:'i:dl '®c5 immediately is also fine for Black, for example: l 8.b3 ibe7 1 9 .bxc4 a6 20.e5 f5 2 1 .h4 lll f8! 22.hxg5 l:'i:h7 23.ibf4 lll g6 24.ibe3 '®xe5 25.ibf3 l:'i:d8 26.cxb5 l:'i:xdl t 27.'®xd l '®xc3 28.l:'i:cl '®b2 29.bxa6 ...

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21.WfxdSt Wfxd8 22.gxdSt 'it>xd8 23.axh5 i.c5 24.hxc6 i.xc6 25.i.xc4 tll f8 Black held the draw in Craciuneanu A.S. Ivanov, corr. 2012.

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A draw was agreed in Siigur-Andriuschenko, corr. 20 1 2, because of the following line: 29 ...ibxa6 30.ibxh5 �f7 3 l .l:'i:xc6 '®xa2 32.l:'i:c7 l:'i:xh5 33.®xh5 'Wal t Black is able to defend. 17.i.h2 W/xd4 18.gdl W/b6 19.a4 White must open some lines but it is not so easy. Black still has all eight of his pawns left! 19 ...e5 20.Wfd2

1 5.gdl White activates the rook and puts the ball back into Black's court.

87

Chapter 7 - 1 0. 0-0 l 5 .ixf6 �xf6 1 6.'Wxg5 won the pawn back for White, but there was a high price to pay. 1 6 ... �g6 17.'We3 0-0-0 1 8.�adl h4 was excellent for Black in C.Williams - Avocins, corr. 2009.

1 6 .. .f5

1 5.f3

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l 5 ... c5!N (Sherbakov's l 5 ... g4N is also logical) 1 6.a4 ( 1 6.d5 b4!+) 1 6 ... a6 1 7.dxc5 b4 1 8.lll d l and now Black's position looks preferable after 1 8 ... g4!. 1 5.'We3 llig4 16 ..ixg4 hxg4 is similar to the l 4 ... llig4 line. The difference is chat here we haven't lost the g5-pawn! 1 7.�adl f6 1 8 .ig3 ©f7 1 9.f3 gxf3 20.�xf3 \t>g8 2 i .'Wf2 ig7+ left Black with a pleasant position in Porper Korneev, Senden 2007. 1 5 '!We7 Dreev suggested this move in his book as a novelty to be seriously considered, and indeed Sakaev gives it an exclamation mark! Well it is not exactly a novelty anymore. ..•

l 5 ... llig4 The older move is also still doing pretty well. 16.ig3 l 6 ..ixg4 hxg4 1 7. b3 cxb3 1 8 .axb3 f6, followed by putting the king to f7 and the pawn to a6, was given as fine for Black by both Dreev and Sakaev.

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1 7.f3 l 7.h3 f4! is mentioned by both Dreev and Sakaev. Here is a possible continuation: 1 8.hxg4 fxg3 1 9.gxh5 gxf2t 20.Wxf2 �f6t 2 1 .©gl ie700 l 7 ... lll e 3! A nice tactical solution. 1 8.'Wxe3 f4 1 9 ..ixf4 gxf4 20.'Wxf4 0-0-0 Dreev says White is better but Sakaev likes Black's compensation. I have to agree with the latter, especially after having seen the following correspondence game! 2 1 .°Wh4 .ih6 22.©hl �dg8! Improving on 22 ....ie3 from Iljin - Pockin, Dresden 2007. 23.ifl 'Wg7 24.'Wh3 Wb8 25.e5 c5! This thematic break almost turns the cables. It is clear that if anyone is better, it is Black. 26.dxc5 'Wxe5 27.�el 'Wf6 28.lll e4 ixe4 29.�xe4 'Wxb2 30.�ae l .id2 3 1 .�4e2 'Wb4 32.a3 'Wa5 33.�al c3 34.�xe6 �g5 35.c6 'Wd8 36.f4 �c5 37.�e5 �xe5 38.fxe5 �d5 39.e6 'Wxc6 Y2-Y2 Bancevich - T. Schmidt, corr. 2012. 16.a4 1 6 ..ixf6 'Wxf6 1 7.e5 'Wf4! ( 1 7 ...'Wf5 1 8.if3±) 1 8 ..ixh5 'Wxcl 1 9.�axcl �h6= is given by Sakaev. Black will probably castle long and in every ending his pawn majority on the queenside might be a dangerous factor.

88

Anti-Moscow

16... a6

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17.axb5 l 7.ixf6 is nothing, and Black responds like . m the previous note: 1 7 ... WxfG 1 8.eS Wf4!= l 7.We3 didn't fare well in the only grandmaster clash so far: l 7 ... llid7 1 8.ixhS Ei:h6

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18... b4 1 8 ... cxb3?! 1 9.llixbS! axb5 ? 20.Ei:xa8t ixa8 2 1 .Wc8t Wd8 22.ixbSt and wins. Instead Black must keep the position closed, a recurring motif in this opening. 1 9.illi a4 c3 The position is extremely unclear, but in a few more moves it will settle down to something more readable. 20.illi c5 i.h6 21 .Wc2 g4 22.i.xa6 ixa6 23.illi xa6 @f8 24.llic5 Ei:dS 25.:l;a4 At first sight it looks very good for White, who has already won his pawn back and now has his mind set on conquering the b4-pawn as well - but a nasty surprise awaits him.

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1 9.g4N An improvement. (Sakaev gives l 9.Wf3 0-0-0! 20.h3 llixe5 [20 ... b4+] 2 l .dxe5 l:l:xd l t 22.Ei:xd l ig7+ as in So - Pashikian, Moscow 20 1 0.) 19 ... llixeS 20.dxeS ig7 (20 . . . Ei:d8 21 .Wb6 Ei:d3 22.axbS cxb5 23.Ei:xd3 cxd3 24.Ei:dl 00) 2 1 .axbS cxb5 22.llixbS ixe5 23.WbG 'itif8 24.llid6 ixd6 25.Ei:xd6 ixe4 26.Ei:aS ig6 27.ixgG Ei:xg6= 17 ...cxb5 18.b3 The point. Black can't take the second pawn:

Chapter 7 2S ... g3! Out of nowhere Black generates a long­ term attack with this inspired pawn sacrifice and in the following correspondence game he prevailed. I'll give the remainder of the moves here, although we sometimes seem to forget this is actually an opening book! 26.hxg3 'll g4 27.'ll d3 h4 28.iMal hxg3 29.ixg3 id2 30.Wldl W!f6 31 .dS Wigs 32.ga8 gxa8 33.gxa8t @g7 34.dxe6 gxe6 3S.'ll xb4 WfhS 36.ga6

-

at the World Championship tournament in Mexico 2007, when Kramnik sprung it on Gelfand. 13 ... gg8 14.gd1

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36 ... ge8 37.gal gh8 38.@fl Wihl t 39.'it>e2 Wlxg2 40.@d3 gd8t 41.'ll dS gxdSt 42.exdS WfxdSt 43.@e2 ctJeS 44.ixeSt WfxeSt 4S.'it>fl e2 46.W/g4t @h7 47.Wfh3t ih6 48.gcl WidS 49.gel WibSt SO.@g2 WlgSt S I.'it>h2 el=Wf S2.gxcl Wfxcl S3.Wfd3t 'it>g8 S4.'it>g2 Wlf4 SS.@fl iffi S6.WidS id6 S7.Wla8t 'it>g7 S8.Wig2t @f6 S9.WidS Wicl t 60.@e2 Wies 61.Wld3 @e6 62.@fl f5 63.Wfe2t @d7 64.Wid3 @e7 6S.@e2 'it>b6 66.'it>f3 Wies 67.Wle4 WibS 68.Wid4t 'it>e6 69.Wic3t Wies 0-1 Kurbasov - Kirsanov, corr. 20 1 2. B) 13.Wicl Hitting the g5-pawn and vacating dl for a rook. The move made its international debut

89

1 0. 0-0

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14... h4! This forcing continuation seems to me like the most attractive choice for Black, at least from a practical perspective. White has lots of chances to go wrong in the complicated position that arises, and it is easier for Black to avoid the draw that can be found in at least two publications thus far: Sakaev's and Dreev's books. 1 4 . . .i,b4 This is the main line suggested m the aforementioned books. 1 5.Wfe3 Wfe7 1 6.h3 h4 Now both grandmasters recommend a move introduced by Wojtaszek: l 7.i,e5! Wojtaszek first played this move in a German Bundesliga encounter against Kasimdzhanov. The former World Champion must have been impressed, as he went on to use it himself a month later in a game against Motylev! l 7.i,h2?! allowed Black to obtain a dangerous initiative after 1 7 ...i,xc3 1 8.bxc3 g4 in Kramnik - Gelfand, Mexico 2007.

90

Anti-Moscow

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l 7 . . . tlid7! l 7 . a6 l 8.if3!N This is where Sakaev takes a different course from the analysis by Dreev ( l 8.a4 tlid7 l 9.ih2 lli f6 was Kasimdzhanov - Motylev, Germany 2008, and here Dreev gives 20.ie5=) 18 ... tlid7 19.ih2 tli f6 20.'1We2 This is Sakaev's subtle idea which stops the g-pawn from advancing and thus keeps an advantage for White. 1 8.ih2 tli f6 1 9.ie5= Stopping ... g4 and forcing the draw is the most accurate way to proceed. .

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15.i.e5 Wfe7

1 6.a4 b4 1 7.tlibl llixe4 1 8.'1Wxc4 0-0-0 is unclear, but in a practical game Black's chances can be seen as somewhat higher. After all, he is a pawn up, as is customary in the Anti­ Moscow. It has only been tested once and, after an incense fight with attacks on both sides, che point was shared. Morozov - Pierzak, email 20 1 1 , continued 1 9.a5 g4 20.a6 ia8 2 1 .'1Wc2 tli f6 22.tlid2 tlid5 and the two players drew in 33 moves, but at this point we have a mess where Black is certainly not worse. 16. g4!? Again forcing matters. l 6 . . . a6 has been tried in more than a dozen correspondence games with good results for Black, the idea being that after protecting b5 the ... c5 break is easier to accomplish. I prefer the text move though, as getting ... g5-g4 in is so thematic; just compare the Kramnik - Gelfand game cited above. ..

17.i.xf6 The computer's first choice and the only possible refutation.

l 7.hxg4?! llixg4+ gives Black a dangerous attack for free. l 7.'1Wf4 �g6!? not only defends f6, but also prepares the move ...ih6! After 1 8.hxg4 ih6 1 9.g5 ixg5 20.'1Wh2 0-0-0 Black soon doubles rooks on the g-file and can at least claim dynamic equality, not co mention a big initiative! 17...Wfxf6 1 8.e5! This seems like the only critical move. Taking the g4-pawn is much weaker.

16.h3 Making a retreat square for the bishop on h2. The problem is that h3 in itself is now a target, something Black can cry to use to get a serious initiative going on the kingside.

l 8.ixg4 0-0-0 is fine for Black alchough the position is very complicated. A sample line is 1 9.tlie2N ( 1 9.e5 transposes to 1 8.e5 Wh6 1 9.ixg4) 1 9 . . . �b8!? 20.'1Wc3 '1Wg5, threatening to play .. .f5 next and put White under some pressure. Black is certainly not worse.

91

Chapter 7 - 1 0.0-0

l 8.hxg4?! allows Black to grab the initiative after:

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1 8. , .ih6! 1 9.'1Mfc2 0-0-0 20.e5 How else is White going to defend d4? 20 ... '\Mi'f4! The queen is tremendously active here. Black's ideas revolve around playing ... c5 and . . . h3 while it is not easy to play the White side. 2 l .if3 :B:xg4! 22.ixg4 Wxg4+ From a material point of view Black is fine (or even a bit more than fine) with two bishops and a pawn for a rook and a knight, but he also has aggressive ideas against the vulnerable white king. 1 8 'l&h6 We shouldn't avoid a queen exchange - on the contrary we should welcome it - because it gives us a chance to get rid of some of the annoying pressure. •.•

ie7, when 22.b3 is met by 22 ... c5! 23.tll xc5 ixc5 24.dxc5 :B:xdl t 25.:B:xdl 'it>c?+ and, due to the weak c5-pawn and the soon-to-be passer on the c-file, Black's position can be seen as more comfortable. 1 9.hxg4 'IMfxcl 20.:B:axcl 0-0-0 is once again fine for Black. A sample line is 2 1 .'it>h2 'it>c7 22.f4 a6 23.if3 when a good plan is:

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23 ... c5! 24.d5 ixd5 25.ixd5 :B:xg4! 26.if3 :B:xdl 27.:B:xd l :B:xf4 Owing to the fact that e5 is also likely to drop, Black cannot feel pessimistic about his chances in this double­ edged ending. 19.'1Mfxh6 ixh6 will certainly transpose to one of the lines seen below.

19.llie4 The knight is strongly placed here, controlling the key c5-, d6-, and f6-squares. However, Black still has his dark-squared bishop and can put up a tough fight for these important squares. Without this bishop Black would be in dire straits positionally. Alternatives are much easier for Black to deal with: 1 9.ixg4 is met by 19 ...Wxcl 20.:B:axcl 0-0-0 and Black is at least equal, with the two bishops and a potentially dangerous pawn mass on the queenside. A logical continuation is 2 1 .llie4

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92

Anti-Moscow

Luring the bishop to h6 is a good idea for White. As we are going to see shortly, Black will bring this bishop back to the f8-a3 diagonal to control the important d6- and c5-squares. 20....txh6 21.hxg4 2 1 .ixg4 if8!? 22.a4 a6 23.if3 ie7 24.©fl ©c7 offers Black balanced chances. 21. ...ifS! 22.a4 This is my computer's first choice, though Black has no problems. After 22.b3 ia3! 23.bxc4 bxc4 24.E!:ab l ia6 it may seem that Black is somewhat worse, but in reality he has everything covered: 25.g5 (25.f4 1'l:h8 26.©f2 ib5 is basically the same as the game) 25 ... E!:hS 26.f4 @c7 27.©f2 ib5 Black is fine, and the players saw nothing better than repeating the position with 28.lll c3 ia6 29.lll e4 ib5 30.lll c3 ia6 3 1 .lll e4 Y2-Y2 Wunderlich - Simakhin, corr. 20 1 2.

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22 ...a6! We come across this motif throughout the book: White throws in a2-a4 at an appropriate moment and Black neutralizes it by calmly responding with ... a6, thus keeping all strategic options open. In this particular case Black wants to play the freeing move ... c5 next and equalize without problems. le is even

White who muse be more careful not to end up defending. 23.f4 Reinforcing the e5-post. White plans to meet . . . c5 with the active lll f6 and d4-d5. 23.lll f6 This allows Black to execute another idea. 23 ... E!:hS 24.if3 h3!? Black gets rid of his main weakness. 24 . . . c5? now is met by 25.d5. 25.lll e4 25.g3? h2t 26.©h l ie7 27.g5 c5 28.d5 ixf6 favours Black. 25 ... hxg2 26.©xg2 @c7 0

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Another important strategic factor which guarantees counterplay. Black is able to improve his position on the queenside by putting his king on b6 and then moving the pawn to a5 and the bishop to a6, thus gaining both space and activity. 27.lll c 5 27.lll g 5 1'l:d7 is fine for Black. 27 ...icS 28.axb5 cxb5 29.lll xa6t @b6 30.lll c5 ixc5 3 l .dxc5t ©xc5= 23.©h2 stops the ...h4-h3 idea but allows another pawn move: 23 ... c5! (23 ... ©c7 is also possible) 24.lll xc5 (24.lll f6 1'l:h8 25.d5 ih6+ and the bishop comes to f4) 24 ...ixc5 25.dxc5 E!:xd l 26.E!:xdl id5=

93

Chapter 7 - 1 0. 0-0 23.if3 The only move that stops ... c5, so Black has to go for the other idea of improving his king's position. 23 ... c;:t>c?!? 23 ... c5? 24.axb5 axb5 25.�a7 is nasty. 24.tt'lf6 24.tt'lc5 ixc5 (24 ...ic8=) 25.dxc5 �xdl t 26.�xd l �g5 27.�el a5= Black will activate his bishop with ...ia6 and ... b4. 24 ... �h8 2s.c;:t>h2 c;:t>b6 26.c;:t>h3 ie7 27.g5 ixf6 28.gxf6 28.exf6? �dg8+

once again it solves all of Black's problems in one stroke! 24.tt'lf6 24.d5 exd5 25.tt'lf6 �g6 transposes to the game. 24.ll'ixc5 runs into a little tactic: 24 ... �xd4! 25.ll'ixb7 �xb7 26.�xd4 ic5 27.�ad l �d8 and only Black has winning chances.

25.axb5 axb5 26.�a7 looks tempting but is unclear: 26 ... cxd4 27.if3 ixf3 28.gxf3

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28 ... �xf6! 29.exf6 ic5 The black pawns are dangerous, and after 30.�xf7 c3 the only move

94

Anti-Moscow

that keeps the balance is 3 1 .l"i:a 1 ! The computer says it's equal and gives the following variation: 3 l ...'kt>b8 32.l"i:a5 d3t 33.Wh2 d2 34.l"i:xb5t Wa8 35.l"i:a5t Wb8=

pawns give Black the upper hand, either with or without the exchange sacrifice on f6: 28.f5 ? l"i:xf6!+ o r 28.1J.xb7t? Wxb7+ o r 28.g5? 1J.xf3 29.gxf3 'tt> b7+

25 exdS Black can also sacrifice the exchange here. 25 ... l"i:xf6!? 26.exf6 exd5 27.axb5 axb5 gives similar play to the game. That said, there is no need to take on f6 just yet; the possibility is not running away.

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29 l"i:xf6! 30.exf6 b4 31.B:xf7 id6 32.B:al c3 Yz-Yz Lukasova - Ntirlis, corr. 20 1 3. White has nothing else than to force the draw with 33.l"i:a8t 1J.b8 34.l"i:a5 1J.d6 35.l"i:a8t. ••.

The position is very tricky, especially with the exchange sacrifice . . . l"i:xf6 lurking in the air. 28J�a7! This more or less forces a draw and is the sensible choice. Otherwise White could easily end up in major trouble: 28. Wf2 1J.e7 is fine for Black. 28.l"i:a5? looks active and threatening, but runs into 28 ... l"i:xf6!. A funny line goes 29.exf6 1J.xf3 30.gxf3 Wb7 and the black pawns will decide the game. After 3 l .l"i:xb5t? Wa6 and the rook is trapped. Other lines also see the impressive queenside

Did you notice the name of the Black player in the interesting encounter that we just witnessed? Ntirlis! It is Nikos Ntirlis, the Greek opening coach, who has worked with the Danish national team on several occasions and also helped research a lot of the material for the book you are holding in your hands ... I didn't know he could play himself!

95

Chapter 7 - 1 0. 0-0 Conclusion

Anti-Moscow Conclusion

In the main line with l 1 .lt:le5 h5! l 2.lt:lxd7 Wxd7 1 3.�e5 E\h6 1 4.Wcl Black can respond 14 ... lt:lg4 1 5.�xg4 hxg4 1 6.Wxg5 Elg6. White has regained his pawn, but Black is positionally fine. 14 ... lt:l h7, protecting the hanging pawn on g5, is absolutely playable although it is a little passive. l 4 ... Elg6! is the fighting choice! After 1 5.Eldl both 1 5 ... lt:lg4 and 1 5 ...We7 lead to complicated play with chances for both sides.

We have visited one of the major battlefields of contemporary opening theory and witnessed for ourselves that there still exists a kind of status quo: the game is dynamically balanced, something that has been both known and shown for a couple of years now. White's early pawn sacrifice gives good long­ term compensation - primarily because of the weaknesses Black has been forced to accept on both flanks. Black will have a hard time finding a safe spot for his king, bur the closed nature of the position works for the second player. White has tried all kinds of possible ways to break through, but despite the effort of some of the world's leading players (not to mention a lot of computer-generated lines) no path to an advantage has been found. It is fair to say char the position is equal, albeit only in a higher sense - over the board all three results are possible of course. In general rhe play is more slow and positional than in the Botvinnik Variation, but there are still some hardcore lines here and there! Speaking about the Botvinnik, one important feature the Anti-Moscow and the Botvinnik have in common is the dangerous and dynamic black pawn majority on the queenside. This majority is often a key factor, especially in the endgame, as we have seen time and again.

Kramnik's interesting 1 3.Wcl can be met by the active 1 3 ... Elg8 1 4.Eldl h4! 1 5.�e5 We7 and if 1 6.h3 then 1 6 ... g4!? gives strong counterplay.

Moscow Various 7th Moves Variation Index 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.llif3 lli f6 4.lli c3 e6 5.i.g5 h6! 6.i.xf6 6 ...'l&xf6 97 98 1 00 1 03 105 105 1 06

A) 7.e4 B) 7.a3!? C) 7.'l&b3 D) 7.'l&c2 E) 7.g3 llid7 8.i.g2 dxc4 9.0-0 i.e7 El) 1 0.e3 E2} 10.llie4

B) note to 8./tJe5!

9 . . . a6!N

El) note to l 1 . 1/N e2

E2) note to 1 5.iik l

Chapter 8

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97

Various 7th Moves

Take it easy, take it easy Don't let the sound ofyour own wheels drive you crazy

- Eagles So let's get to some proper positional chess! 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.lll f3 tll f6 4.tll c3 e6 s.ig5 h6! 6.ixfG The safe choice. Or you could also call it the positional choice. Play will be much quieter compared with the Ami-Moscow Variation which we have just examined, though it won't be without venom. 6 ...'1Wxf6 White is far ahead in development and has a strong presence in the centre, which will be even more visible if he gets e2-e4 in as well. The bishop pair is a high price to pay though, because it means that Black has a long-term asset in his possession. His position is also very solid and it won't be easy to overrun. A complicated positional battle can begin! White has tried a lot of different moves here. First there is the direct A) 7.e4. It is desirable, but runs into a check on b4 as we will see shortly. That explains the preparatory move B) 7.a3!?, which we will have a look at next. Another interesting move that prevents ... ib4 t is C) 7.°1Wb3, again with the idea to follow up with e2-e4. White can also try another queen move, the flexible D) 7.°1Wc2. Or he can go for a kind of Catalan with E) 7.g3. Finally in the next chapter there is the natural 7.e3, which constitutes the big main line.

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8. .ib4t! Thar's it. A most disturbing check. .

9.tll ed2 After 9.ct;>e2 White hopes to win a tempo and then continue with g3, .lkg2, l'!el and castle by hand. 9 ...'Wf4 1 0.'Wd3 .lke7 1 l .g3 'We? 1 2 ..lkg2 l0d7 1 3.l'!hel showed White's plan in action in Vokac - Dreev, Ohrid 2009, bur after 1 3 ... e5 Black was doing well as the position opened up for the two bishops.

A) 7.e4 This move is strategically desirable. Unfortunately there is a minor derail which I have hinted at already in the introduction. 7... dxe4 s.tll xe4

9 ... c5! This move solves all Black's problems. 10.a3 ixd2t 1 1 .°1Wxd2 0-0 White has deprived Black of the pair of bishops, but he is behind in development

98

Moscow

and ... �d8 is coming, which will cause further inconvenience.

l l ...cxd4 1 2.Wxd4 leads to a pretty equal endgame.

22.gbl a4 23.h3 f6 24.llih2 b6 25.llifl @f7 Black prevailed in Smyslov - Gligoric, USSR 1 979. B) 7.a3!?

12.dxc5 gds 13.Wf c2 lli a6!

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Black has excellent prospects. A classical game continued as follows: 14.ie2 1 4.c6 e5! 1 5.cxb7 ixb7 16.'1Wc3 llic5 gives Black amazing compensation for just a mere pawn. 14 llixc5 15.0-0 id7 16.gacl 16.b3 is met by 1 6 ...�c6 followed by ...�e4 after which White will have to work out how not to lose the b3-pawn. .•.

16 ...ia4 17.Wfc3 Wfxc3 18.gxc3 ib3! An unusual blockading move - White's b-pawn is fixed to b2. Soon the immobile pawn majority on the queenside will be a liability rather than a strength. 19.gfcl a5 20.@fl ga6! 21.@el gad6+ The black pieces play; the white ones defend.

An interesting way to prepare e2-e4, and slightly underestimated in my opinion. 7 ... dxc4 The standard Semi-Slav response. 8.llie5! 8.e4 is met by 8 ... b5. 8.e3 b5 The same reply is best here. 9.lll e 5 Now I found an improvement over a correspondence game:

99

Chapter 8 - Various 7th Moves 9 ... a6!N Giving the black rook a useful square at a7 in some lines. 9 ...id6 10.lll e4 Wd8 l l .f4 0-0 1 2.ie2 ixe5 1 3 .fxe5 Wh4t 14.lll g3 lll d7 1 5.if3 ib7 was objectively okay for Black in Eldridge - Krauss, corr. 20 1 2, but after l 6.a4 followed by :!::i:c l , 0-0 and lll e2-f4, White had good play for the pawn. Black had to play accurately to neutralize his positional initiative, which is not always easy to do in a practical game over the board. 1 0.lll e4 1 0.g3 is met by 1 0 ...id6 and now after l 1 .lll e4 Black can play the natural l 1 ...We7. 1 0 ...Wd8! Black has a disruptive check on a5 after say Wf3 or '.Wh5. l l .ie2 lll d7 12.lll xc6 Wb6 1 3 .lll e 5 lll xe5 1 4.dxe5 ib7 1 5.if3 :!:l:d8 Black is obviously on top. 8 .b5 A simple and consistent continuation. ..

8 ... c5 is usually recommended here, for example by both Vigorito and Dreev, bur after 9.e3 cxd4 1 0.exd4 lll d7 ( 1 0 . . . lll c6 is better, but it is not everyone's cup of tea to defend the position arising after l l .lll xc6 bxc6) l 1 .lll xc4 ie7 1 2.g3;!; the bishop on g2 will be leader of the pack.

9.g3 i.d6! Black forces the play. 10 .!lixbS White takes on the challenge. .

1 0.f4 We7 l l .ig2 ib7 1 2.0-0 0-0= Omelka - Macek, corr. 1 998. 1 0.ig2 Disregarding the material is interesting. 10 ...ixe5 l l .dxe5 Wxe5 1 2.f4 Wc5N 12 ... Wc7 1 3.lll x b5 Wa5t ( 1 3 ...cxb5 14.ixa8 lll c6 and maybe Black doesn't have enough for the exchange) l 4.lll c3 0-0 was also fine for Black in 'raphk57' - 'CoffeeOne', Internet 20 1 4. 1 3 .lll e4 Wb6 1 4.Wd6 This looks promising at first: Black can't castle and the white queen seems menacing in the middle of the black position. The problem is there is no real threat! Slowly bur surely Black will untangle and then the extra material can begin to tell.

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1 4 ... a6 1 5.a4 :!:l:a7 1 6.Wa3 Wa5t! 16 ... b4 1 7.a5 Wb7 ( 1 7 ... bxa3 1 8.axb6 axb2 1 9.:!::i: b 1 leads to complications that favour White) 1 8.Wa2 0-0 1 9.Wxc4 e5 opens the position for the bishop. 20.fxe5 We7 2 1 .0-0 leads to complicated play, and shows why 1 6 ...Wa5t is better. 1 7.'tt> f2 Wb6t 1 8.e3

1 00

Moscow

1 8. 'it>e 1 b4 19 .a5 leads to the above line but with White having lost the right to castle! l 8 ... �d7 l 9.tt::l d6t 'it>d8 Black is in excellent shape!

87

6 5 4 3 2 1

17 .. .E�hcS!N The text is a bit more pressing compared with 1 7 ...�xfl 1 8.�xfl �hc8 1 9.�d2 tt::l e 5, which was level in Grabuzova - Panush, Moscow 1 996. 18.tlJc6t '41d6 19.ixa6 �xc6 Black has a bit of an edge and can keep on playing. C) 7.Wfb3

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10...i.xe5 1 O ... cxb5 is dubious in view of l 1 .�g2. l l.dxe5 Wfxe5 12.tiJd6t '41e7 13.tlJxc4 Wfd5 White has won the pawn back, but this move repairs Black's pawn structure and secures a fine ending. 14.Wfxd5 cxd5 15.tlJa5 ia6 1 5 ... tt::l d7 1 6.e3 was seen in Rapport Perunovic, Vrnjacka Banja 20 1 0, and now the natural 1 6 ... tt::l f6N would secure equality. 16.:Ekl tlJ d7 17.e3

A deep move. The queen protects the c4-pawn and at the same time covers the b4-square - thereby preventing the annoying bishop check. The plan is the same as in the previous game; White wants to play e2-e4! 7... tlJ d7 7 ... a5 is another popular move, though after the simple 8.e3! I think that White maintains a slight edge. 8.e4 dxe4 9.tt::l xe4 �b4t 1 0.Wxb4 is also possible, and after 1 0 ... axb4 l 1 .tt::l xf6t gxf6 we reach an ending that looks rather equal, but is full of play. 8.e4 dxe4 9.tlJxe4 Wff4 This is the simplest and most forcing line. 9 ...Wf5!? 1 0.�d3 Wa5t

101

Chapter 8 - Various 7th Moves We should examine this decent alternative. Now best is: l l .ttJed2! l l .ttJc3 can be met by l l ...g6! when 1 2.c5 ig7 1 3.ixg6 0-0! seems okay for Black, although this is of course experimental stuff.

l l ...ie7 l l ...g6 1 2.c5 now is strong for White. 1 2.0-0 0-0 1 3.mel l 3.ic2N E:d8 will be similar to the game mentioned below. 1 3 ...Wc7 14.ic2 E:d8!

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12.ic2 1 2.E:adl is another approach, and was proposed by Sakaev. After 1 2 ... exd4 1 3.llixd4 0-0 1 4.ic2 Black has to remember to play:

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Black was okay in Yegiazarian - Asrian, Yerevan 200 1 . He can meet 1 5 .Wd3N with 1 5 ... llifs. IO.id3 e5 A key move: Black needs to liberate his position. 1 1 .0-0

l l .dxe5 llixe5 1 2.llixe5 Wxe5 1 3.0-0 ie7 has been considered fine for Black since Keres - Mikenas, Tallinn 1 965.

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l 4 ... lli f6 ( l 4 ... llic5? is met by l 5 .Wa3!) 1 5.me l ig4 ( l 5 . . .g6 as i n Euwe - Fine, Holland 1 938, is less accurate and is considered to be in White's favour) 1 6.f3 ic8 Black is okay despite the loss of time. l 7.g3 Wc7 l 8.We3 id7 1 9. lli b3 E:ad8 was level in D. Fischer Ermolaev, email 20 1 2.

1 02

Moscow

1 2.Ei:fel exd4 1 3.lll g3!? was proposed by Kasparov as best in his book Revolution in the 70s ( 1 3.lll xd4 0-0 1 4.Ei:ad l lll c 5 1 5.Wc3 Ei:d8 simply transposes to the main line) . 1 3 ... lll c 5 1 4.Wa3 lll e6

16...ig4! A similar idea to the one we saw above. It is paramount that Black gets this bishop out and, furthermore, it provokes a slight weakening of White's king's position. 17.f3 ihs 18.tll e2 This is proposed by Grivas in ChessBase Magazine, but after Black's next move White has no hope for an advantage.

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1 8.Wa5 b6 19.Wa3 ifs 20.g3 Wc7 2 1 .Wc3 a5 22.lll f2 Ei:d6 23.mg2 Ei:ad8 is obviously excellent for Black. He had no trouble at all after 24.b3 ig6 25 .ixg6 Ei:xg6 in Persson Riccio, corr. 20 1 2.

And now l 5.c5! is given by the 1 3th World Champion, attributing this move to Timman. Frankly I don't see what is wrong with Black's position after 1 5 . . . 0-0 1 6.Ei:e5 g6 17.ic4 Ei:d8 1 8.Ei:ael if8 as everything is covered. One idea is to meet 1 9.lll e4 with 1 9 ... d3! 20.ixd3 lll d4 2 1 .lll ed2 ie6 and Black breaks free, for instance with 22.Ei:5e4 Wf6. 12 ...exd4 13.!!fel 0-0 14.tll xd4 lll cS! Less accurate is 1 4 ... lll f6?! 1 5.Ei:ad l , after which l 5 ... g6 transposes to Euwe - Fine in the note to 1 2.Ei:ad l .

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18 .. '!Wc7! Black has a nice position which has been tested in a couple of engine games in my database. .

1 8 ...Wh4 1 9.lll 4g3 ig6 20.ixg6 fxg6 was obviously better for White in Sargissian Malakhov, Copenhagen 2007. 19.tll 4g3N 1 9.iih l Ei:xdl 20.Ei:xdl lll xe4 2 1 .ixe4 f6 followed by . . . Ei:d8 is fine for Black. 19 .. '!Wb6! 20.iihl if6! .

103

Chapter 8 - Various 7th Moves This strong intermediate move is quite annoying for White!

8.e3 b5 9.a4 i.b7 Black returns the pawn and gets his pieces out. 10.axbS cxb5 1 1.tlJxbS i.b4t 1 2.tiJc3 1 2.lt'id2? 0-0 1 3.lt'ic7 This wins material, bur leaves the king in danger. 1 3 ... e5! 1 4 ..ixc4 1 4.d5 E!:c8 1 5.lt'ixa8 .ixd5 1 6.E!:xa7 c3 1 7.'it>e2 lt'ia6 1 8.bxc3 E!:xc3 1 9.Wfb l Wfd6 and White is in trouble. 1 4 ... exd4 1 5.0-0-0 lt'ic6 1 6.lt'ixa8 E!:c8! Black has a strong initiative. 1 6 ... E!:xa8 1 7.'it>b l lt'ie5 1 8 ..ia2 is much less critical.

An interesting idea, albeit one that has been more or less neutralized for years. White plays a useful move before showing his cards; can Black do the same? No, not really. If 7 ... lt'id7 then 8.e4, and we see one of the points of White's seventh move after 8 ... dxe4 9.Wfxe4. a

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1 7.lt'ie4 1 7.lt'if3 .ie7 1 8.E!:xd4 lt'ixd4 1 9.lt'ixd4 'it>h8 20.b3 .ixg2 2 1 .Ei:d l .ih3 22.E!:gl .ia3t 23.'it>dl E!:xa8+ 1 7 ...Wfe7 1 8.lt'ig3 dxe3 1 9.lt'if5 Wff6 20.lt'ixe3 lt'ia5 20 ... lt'ie5 allows 2 1 .Ei:d4!+. 2 1 .'it>bl 2 1 .Ei:d7 lt'ixc4 22.E!:xb7 .id2t 23.@b l lt'ia3t 24.bxa3 E!:xc2 25.lt'ixc2 Wfxf2 26.E!:d7 Wfxg2 27.Ei:dl .if4+ 2 1 ...lt'ixc4 22.lt'ixc4 .ixg2 23.E!:hgl .ixa8 ' 24.Wfd3 .if8 Black had an excellent game in Nett Ntirlis, corr. 2014.

104

Moscow 1 8.E!:xc4 E!:xc4 19.ixc4 ixf3 20.Wxf3 20.gxf3? exd4 2 1 .'1Wxd4 lll e 5 22.ie2 lll x f3t 23.ixf3 Wxf3 24.'\Wf4 Wxf4 25.exf4 id2 26.E!:a3 E!:b5 27.h3 ixf4 28.lll c3 E!:c5 left Black a pawn up, although he didn't manage to convert it in Zielinski - Evstigneev, email 20 1 1 . 20 ...Wxf3 2 1 .gxf3 exd4 22.exd4 lt:l b6 23.lll xb6 E!:xb6 White's pawns are too weak to give any serious winning chances. 24.E!:dl ctf f8 25.b3 E!:g6t 26.ctffl E!:g5 27.Ei:d3 E!:h5 28.'tt> g2 E!:g5t 29.'tt> fl E!:h5 30.'tt>g2 E!:g5t V2-Yz Kramnik, - Leko, Miskole 2007. Kramnik failed to find something against his own invention.

14 ... �fcS Practice has shown that this position is equal. 15.lll d2 It is not enough just to attack the c4-pawn, because Black easily defends it with ... lll b6. However any attempts to regroup and keep some positional advantage have also proved to be frui dess.

1 5 .lll a2 id6 l 5 ... a5! ? is risky but playable according to my analysis: l 6.lll xb4 axb4 l 7.E!:xa8 ixa8 1 8.Wa4 ixf3 1 9.ixf3 We7 20.Wa6 Wf8 was Scharf - Kaiser, email 2009. The position is dynamically balanced, but Black keeps more winning - and losing! - chances. 16.lll d2 lll b6 l 7.lll c3 l 7.if3 ixf3 l 8.lll x f3 a5 was equal in Ralls - Kireev, email 20 1 2.

1 5.:B'.fcl a5 l 6.lll a4 E!:ab8 1 7.Wd 1

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1 7... e5! Kramnik's move, which immediately kills any hope of an advantage for White.

15 ... lll b6 16.�fcl 1 6.if3 We7, as above, is equal.

Chapter 8 - Various 7th Moves 16...'We7

1 05

7 ... l2Jd7 Whenever White is not threatening e2-e4 Black can play this useful move. He prepares to take on c4, and then either play ... e5 or simply keep the pawn with ... lll b 6 - while at the same time stopping lll e5xc4. s.ig2 dxc4 No extra points for guessing this move! 9.0-0 ie7 Timing is everything. Black needs to play ... e5 to get his light-squared bishop out and he could have done it at once. It would have been much riskier though and finishing kingside development is always important!

17.h3 a5 1S.t2Jf3 'WeS!? 19.l2Je5 a4 20.ih5 �c7 21 .e4 �a5 22.if3 'Was 23.�a2 �cs 24.�dl �dS 25.l2Jg4 ixc3 26.bxc3 �b5 Although the game Serban - Ljubicic, corr. 20 1 1 , ended in a draw it is an interesting position which is probably a bit better for Black at this point. E) 7.g3 White tries a kind of Catalan. Why not?

El) 10.e3 0-0 1 1.'We2 l l .lll d2

e5 equalizes at once as after lll xc4 Black plays ... exd4 followed by . . . lll b 6. Therefore the only critical continuation is l 2.d5, but this might be in Black's favour after 1 2 . . . lll b6 1 3 .We2 ( 1 3.dxc6?! bxc6 is pretty bad for White) 1 3 ... E!:d8 1 4.e4 �c5 1 5 .lll xc4. So far we are following Dreev - Potkin, Khanty­ Mansiysk 2013, where the well-known Semi­ Slav specialist is playing with the white pieces

106

Moscow

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and hasn't been able to come up with anything against his own pet opening. In fact he could have faced some serious problems equalizing after:

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1 1 ...eS 12.'Wxc4 This is a better option for White, bur it is not particularly dangerous. The following game is a model example of how Black should play the position.

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20.a3 'Wf6 21 .b4 E:xdl t 22.'Wxdl E:d8 23.'Wc2 'We? 24.'We4 ie6 25.h4 E:d2 26.'Wbl tlJc4 27.tDxc4 ixc4 28.ifl ie6 29.E:dl E:xdl 30.'Wxdl a5 Suddenly White was doomed in Oms Pallisse - Granda Zuniga, Tarragona 2006. E2) 10.tlJe4 'Wf5 1 1 .tlJed2 l l .tt'i fd2 is considered inaccurate due to l ...tt'i b6! ( l l ...e5?! 1 2.tt'ixc4 is pretty bad for Black this time) 1 2.a4 'Wa5! and now ... e5 is coming in much better conditions. l

107

Chapter 8 - Various 7th Moves 12.tll xc4 exd4 13.tll xd4 The universal preference. Instead, 1 3.'Wxd4 0-0 1 4.lll d 6 'We6 is comfortably equal for Black. 13 ... '!Wf6 14.e3 0-0 Black's piece constellation is not optimal, but he is very solid, he has kept the bishop pair, and he can look forward to a long game with his fair share of the chances. In fact as soon as the black pieces have improved their positions, and the last obstacles of development have been overcome, he will be slightly better due to the bishops. 1 5.gcl I have tried the seemingly more active l 5 .'Wh5 myself with success, bur objectively it is nothing. I quite like an idea for Black mentioned by Sakaev, similar to how Granda Zuniga played in the position we saw above:

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1 5 ... l:'i:e8!N 1 6.l:'i:fd l if8 This position is already evaluated as slightly better for Black by Sakaev. 15 ...gds l 5 ...l:'i:e8N also seems possible. 16.'!Wh5 �f8 17.gfdl tll b6 18.tll a5 g6 19.'!We2 h5 20.h3

21.tll ab3 �f8 22.tll c5 '!Wes Y2-Y2 Vinchev - Kalchev, corr. 2013. Conclusion

The early 7.e4 is premature because of the annoying check after 7 ... dxe4 8.lll xe4 ib4t. 7.a3!? - with the idea to continue with e2-e4 - is strongly met by 7 ... dxc4! followed by ... b5 with good play. 7.'Wb3 is interesting. However, after 7 ... lll d7 8.e4 dxe4 9.lll xe4 'Wf4 1 0.id3 e5 Black solves all his positional problems. Play continues 1 1 .0-0 ie7! and the simplifying ... exd4 is in the air. 7.'Wc2 is answered by 7 ... dxc4! 8.e3 b5 and after 9.a4 Black gives the pawn back and equalizes completely with 9 ...ib7 10.axb5 cxb5 l 1 .lll x b5 ib4t 1 2.lll c3 0-0 1 3.ie2 lll d7 14.0-0 l:'i:fc8. The Catalan-like 7.g3 is met by 7 ... lll d7 8.ig2 dxc4. Black will not try to hold onto the pawn, bur instead liberate his position with a well-rimed ... e5. In the main line 9.0-0 ie7 1 O.tll e4 'Wf5 l 1 .lll ed2 e5! Black achieves easy equality after l 2.lll xc4 exd4 1 3.lll xd4 'Wf6 14.e3 0-0.

Moscow Main Line Variation Index 1 .d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.ll:if3 ll:if6 4.ll:ic3 e6 S ..igS h6 6 ..ixf6 Wfxf6 7.e3 ll:i d7 8 ..id3 8 ... dxc4 9 ..ixc4 1 10 1 10 111 111 1 12 1 13 1 14 l lS 1 16 1 16 1 17 1 18 1 18 1 19

A) 9 .id6! 10.0-0 Wfe7 Al) 1 1 .e4 A2) l l .Wfe2 A3) l l .Wfc2 A4) 1 1 .gcl AS) l 1.ll:ie4 B) 9 ...g6 10.0-0 .ig7 Bl) l 1 .1Mf c2 B2) 1 1 .gel B3) l l .e4 B4) 1 1 .b4 BS) 1 1 .gcl 0-0 BSl) 1 2.e4 BS2) 1 2 ..ih3 .•.

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109

Chapter 9 - Main Line I .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.llJf3 llJf6 4.llJc3 e6 5.ig5 h6 6.ixf6 'Wxf6 7.e3 The most natural continuation. We now enter the big main line. 7... llJd7

moves the fl -bishop, Black takes on c4 and transposes to Variation A. 8 ... g6 can lead to independent play after a quick cxd5 as . . . g6 may not be the masc useful move in a Carlsbad structure. One very recent example was Carlsen - Topalov, Stavanger 20 1 5, which continued: 9 ..ie2 .ig7 (9 . . . dxc4 would transpose to line B5.) 1 0.cxd5 exd5 But this game will be remembered for Carlsen losing on time rather rhan the opening. 8 ... dxc4 9.ixc4

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8.id3 This is the most natural move as the bishop will have to develop at some point anyway. 8 ..ie2 makes no difference after 8 ... dxc4 9 ..ixc4, when we are back in the main line. 8.'®c2 is met by 8 ....id6! - which is the set­ up we'll examine in the main line. 9.0-0-0 '®e7 1 0.e4 ( 1 O.g4 a6 1 1 .h4 b5 l 2.c5 .ic7 like in Muschik - Ruzele, Berlin 1 995, is fine for Black who will also castle queenside.) 1 O ... dxc4 1 l .e5 .ic7 1 2 ..ixc4 tt:lb6 1 3 . .ib3 .id7 Black will castle queenside with a better position, Szmetan - Tempone, Mar de! Plata 1 998. 8.cxd5 exd5 is not a good Carlsbad structure for White: the black knight is ready to go to b6, letting the light-squared bishop out, while the other black bishop can be developed actively on d6. 8.:!l:cl is a common move, but will make no difference after 8 ....id6!. As soon as White

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A) 9 ...id6! is the easiest defence. According to my analysis Black equalizes in all lines and has nothing to worry about whatsoever. Play becomes purely positional and, due to the relatively simple position, it is actually hard to suggest improvements for either side along the way. Most of the dynamics have been removed once and for all, and further simplifications are in the air. This sterile equality will probably be considered dull by some, but you shouldn't forget that the onus is on White to come up with something. Still, 9 ....id6 is just a little sideline in opening theory - although I am sure that's only because people are nor aware of its existence. Everybody seems to play B) 9 g6. This leads to much more complicated play and offers White many active possibilities - but it also .•.

1 10

Moscow

gives Black more chances to win! Therefore I have included a guide to the ... g6 line after the coverage of ... id6, in case some readers feel a strong urge to go that way. A) 9 id6! 10.0-0 V!ie7 •..

There is a plethora of alternatives at this point but Black's general idea always remains the same: play for ... b6, ...ib7 and meet e3-e4 with . . . e5. If White tries to exchange the good bishop on d6 for a knight then let him do it! White spends several moves on the operation and the simplification helps Black to neutralize all positional pressure quite easily. Al) l 1.e4, Al) l l .Vfie2, A3) l l.Vfic2 and A4) 1 1.�cl will all be covered in detail, but on principle I regard A5) l 1 .tlie4 as the most dangerous of the white tries. Al) l l .e4 e5

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The typical counter-strike. White should not be allowed to play e4-e5 as it leads to a space advantage and a potential attack. 12.dxe5 Closing the centre is usually pretty harmless. After 1 2.d5 tt'lb6 1 3.ib3 0-0 Black is absolutely fine. The worst thing that can ever happen to him is getting a weak pawn on c6,

but there is no way White can really exploit this. And there is also the bishop pair - don't forget about that! Here is a recent top-level game to back the verdict: 1 4.:gcl ( 1 4.dxc6 bxc6 l 5.tt'lh4!? is a tricky tactical sequence, but after 1 5 .. .'�f6 1 6.tll f5 as in Kramnik Anand, Moscow 201 1 , Black would be fine after 1 6 ... :gd8N 17.Wf3 ib4=) 1 4 ...:gd8 1 5 .We2 id? 1 6.:gfd l :gac8 1 7.dxc6 ixc6= 1 8 .tll b 5 ib8 1 9.g3 g6 20.lll h 4 'it>g7 2 1 .tll c3 :gxdl t 22.:gxd l :gd8 23.tll g2 :gxdl t 24.Wxdl id6 25.tll e 3 ic5 26.tt'led5 ixd5 27.tt'lxd5 lll xd5 28.ixd5 b6 29.Wf3 Wf6 30.Wxf6t Wxf6 3 1 .'it>fl a5 32.a4 id4 33.b3 ic5 34.ic4 id4 35.id5 ic5 36.ic4 id4 Y2-Y2 Bacrot Matlakov, Bilbao 2014. 12 tlixe5 13.tlixe5 ixe5 14.Vfie2 0-0 In general in the Semi-Slav if White takes on e5 in a similar situation - and we will meet it again and again - he has to follow up with f2-f4, otherwise the black bishop is too strong on e5. So White's next is more or less forced. In this particular position Black has a nice tactical riposte though. •.•

15.f4

Chapter 9

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111

Main Line

16...ic7 Played with tempo; the threat is .. ,j,b6. 17.c;t>hl :B:ad8! Active play by Black. 1 8.'?Nxa7 '?Nb4 19.ib3 :B:d2 20.°?Ne3 :B:fd8 21.:B:f2 :B:2d.3 22.°?Nel i.b6 23.:B:fl Black has excellent play for the pawn. He can retreat with 23 .. .'�e7, as in Ryvova Stoeckert, email 2008, or activate his pieces with 23 ... :B:d2N. In both cases I prefer Black. A2) 1 1.°?Ne2 Moving the queen to e2 or c2 and then the rooks to cl and d 1 is something you can do in your sleep. Unsurprisingly it gives very little.

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17.i.b3N ig4 18.f3 i.d7 Everything looks fine for Black here.

A3) 1 1 .°?Nc2 0-0

1 1 ...0-0 12.:B:acl

Here 12 ... b6 1 3.e4 e5 1 4.d5! would create some problems on the light squares. 13.tll e4 exd4 The simplest continuation.

12 ... tll f6N A nacural reaction. Black wants to play ... e5 nexc and liberace his posicion. 1 2 ... :B:d8 1 3.a3 has been played in some games.

14.tll xd6 '?Nxd6 15.:B:fdl '?Ne7 16.tll xd4 tll e5= Wich equality in Johnson - Wharam, email 20 1 1 . A possible continuation is:

13.e4 e5 14.dxeS he5 15.tll xeS '?Nxe5 16.h3 :B:e8 Black is fine.

1 12

Moscow A4) 1 1 .�cl 0-0 12.l£ie4

A good positional try. This position could just as easily occur after 1 l .tt'le4 0-0 1 2.�c l , but I will cover it here. Speaking about transpositions, 1 2.e4 e5 1 3.d5 tt'l b6 14.ib3 is covered in variation Al on the note to move 1 2.

13.l£ixd6 Otherwise there is not much substance in White's play. 13 ...Wfxd6

We have a basic position from the ...id6 line; please compare with variation AS below. 14.Wfe2 �b7 14 ... aS! ? This interesting continuation is given by Sakaev. Black prevents ia6 and keeps a lot of pieces on the board. 1 5.�fd l I f l 5.e4 ib7 1 6.e5 Vfle7 then Black is able to play ... c5. 17.tt'ld2 c5 1 8.tt'le4 ixe4 1 9.Vflxe4 cxd4 is equal according to Sakaev. 1 5 ...ib?

1 6.id3 1 6.e4 mds l 7.�d2 Vflc7 1 8.h3 c5 1 9.d5 exd5 20.ixd5 ixd5 2 1 .�xd5 tt'l f6 was equal in Camacho Dominguez - Ruiz-Jarabo, corr. 20 12. 1 6 ... �ac8 1 6 ... mds 1 7.ie4 �ac8 1 8.tt'ld2 Vflb8 with the idea of ... c5 is proposed by Sakaev. l 7.tt'ld2 1 7.a3 �fd8 1 8 .ia6 ixa6 1 9.Vflxa6 Vflb8 20.�d2 c5= Alifanov - Petrigin, corr. 20 13. 1 7 ... mds 1 8 .tt'le4 Vflb8 19.ia6 ixa6 20.Vflxa6 e5 Okay, it's ... e5 rather than . . . c5 this time. The result is the same though: Black equalizes. 2 1 .h3 exd4 22.�xd4 Vfic? 23.�d6 �a8 24.Vfle2 tt'le5= 25.�cd 1 �xd6 26.tt'lxd6 �d8 27.tt'lf5 tt'lg6 28.�xd8t Vflxd8 29.Vflc2 Vflf6 30.b3 Y2-Y2 Haugen - Schoen, email 20 1 2.

Chapter 9 - Main Line

1 13

1 5 .ia6 The most precise.

like that as it is too passive. The text move is much simpler.

1 5.:§:fd l :§:fd8 1 6 ..ia6 .ixa6 1 7.'1Mrxa6 c5!= was Moiseenko - Shirov, Saratov 20 1 1 .

However, you should always be alert. Trying to accomplish the ... b6 and ...ib7 plan as soon as possible would backfire: l l ...b6? 1 2.d5! exd5 1 3 ..ixd5 cxd5 1 4.'\Mi'xd5±

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15 ... La6 16.'1Mrxa6 :gfc8 The black rooks aren't optimally placed but this is only a small inconvenience at the present moment. Later, a central break should level the game without too much trouble.

A5) 1 1.tlJe4

8 7 6 5 4

12.tlJxd6 '1Mfxd6 13.e4! 1 3.Ei:cl b6 will transpose to the previous variation. 13 b6! l 4.e5 White tries to play as directly and actively as the position allows, so as to maximize the pressure on Black. •••

l 4.'1Mf e2 a5! ? Just as in the Sakaev example from the previous line, Black must be okay. Also 1 4 ... ib7 1 5.ia6 ixa6 1 6.'1Mrxa6 E!:fd8 is absolutely fine. 14 Wl'c? The more precise queen retreat. •.•

14 ...'1Mfe7 1 5.tll d2 E!:d8 ( 1 5 . . . c5 1 6.tll e4 ib7 l 7.tll d6, attacking the bishop, shows a major difference berween ...'1Mrc7 and ...'1Mre7. 17 ... .ic6 l 8.f4±) l 6.f4 White holds some initiative. 15.tlJd2 c5! Black immediately seeks active counterplay.

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1 1 ...0-0 In many games Black has tried to preserve the bishop with ...ic7, but I don't particularly

11

4

Moscow

16.:act l 6.ltJe4 cxd4! highlights another advantage of having the queen on c7 by hitting both c4 and e5. 16...ib7 The white knight won't get to e4 and Black has solved his opening problems satisfactorily. We will now follow a correspondence game.

fxe5 might be okay for Black, but on the other hand it might not! I certainly prefer the main line. 20.lll d6 id5 2 1.dxcS bxc5 22.YMc2 Or 22.:B'.xc5 f6!f±

17.ibS The only critical try. 17... a6! Black is forcing the play: it is already a good sign that he can do this. 18.ixd7 YMxd7 19.lll c4 1 9 .dxc5 :B'.ad8 give Black great activity, for instance: 20.ltJb3 YMa4! 2 1 .We2 i.c6 22.:B'.fe l i.b5 23.Wc2 bxc5 24.l2ixc5 Wxa2=

23.b3 A positional pawn sacrifice. Clinging onto the e5-pawn would be dangerous: 23.f4 fxe5 24.fxe5 We? Black can activate his queen on the kingside. 23 ...fx:eS 24.lll c4 YMb7 25.lll e3 :acs The position is balanced and a draw was the end result in Almiron - Muck, corr. 20 12. B) 9. . g6 .

1 9 ...Wxd4N 20.Wxd4 (20.l2ixb6 We4 2 1 .f3 We3t 22 . .,gh l :B'.ad8=) 20 ... cxd4 2 1 .l2ixb6 :B'.ad8 22.f3 f6 23.:B'.fel d3 24.:B'.cdl d2 25.:B'.e2

The most popular continuation; Black fianchettos his dark-squared bishop and sets up a slightly passive, but very flexible, position. Later he hopes to punch in the centre with one of the two standard breaks - either ... e5 or ... c5. In both cases the g7-bishop could turn out to be really well placed.

Chapter 9 - Main Line

1 15

1 0.0-0 ig? White has a free hand. He can start direct operations on the queenside with b2-b4 or in the centre with e3-e4. He can also improve his pieces, especially his heavy artillery, and concentrate on making it hard for Black to liberate himself. However, despite White's having a lot of creative tries, no clear path to an advantage has been found. We will consider Bl) I l.'1Wc2, B2) 1 1.gel, B3) l l .e4, B4) l l.b4 and BS) I I.gel. Bl) 1 1.'\Wc2 This line is similar to variation B5 on page 1 1 8 except for the fact that here Black is not forced to play his rook to d8.

17.dxe5 lll xe5 18.tll xe5 'IWxeS 19.gd2 a4! 20.ia2 After 20.�xa4 'W'xb2 (20 ... g5!?N with the idea .. .f4 seems interesting as well) 2 1 .'W'xb2 �xb2 22.�xc6 �xa3 Black's two bishops allowed him to draw comfortably in Lintchevski - Potkin, Novokuznetsk 2008. Black can even hope for more, as his passed pawn forces White to show some accuracy.

13 ...eS So Black strikes the other way! 14.tll g3 Wh8 1 5.gadl a5 16.a3 f5

23.'IWcl f4

1 16

Moscow

Black went on to win in Moiseenko Potkin, Yaroslavl (rapid) 2014, but perhaps objectively better is 23 . . ..if6N, with the idea of challenging the cl-file with ... l"i:ad8. Then the game is balanced. B2) 1 1.:gel 0-0 12.e4 e5! You should always think rwice before you allow White to play e4-e5; he might be able to generate some serious activity on the kingside and he can also use the influential e4-square as he pleases.

1 8 .l"i:edl l"i:xdl t 1 9.l"i:xdl .ie6 20.lll h 2 l"i:b8 2 1 .tt::l g4 'Wb6 22.lll e3 .if8 23.l"i:d2 'Wa5 24.tt::l ed5 .ic5= A draw was soon agreed in Satici - Bondi, corr. 20 14. 14...hS! Again we see this active forcing line. 1 5.dxc6 bxc4 16.lll dS Tempting, but not the best move. 1 6.cxd7!N is preferable, although after 1 6 . . . l"i:xd7 l 7.'We2 Black can again respond with either ...'Wa6 or ....ia6.

B3) l l .e4

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Chapter 9 l 1 ...e5 12.d5 lll b6 13.i.b3 i.g4! Now Black can always simplify by caking on f3. 14J'kl 1 4.h3 ixf3 1 5.Wxf3 Wxf3 1 6.gxf3 r;!;e7 1 7 .dxc6 bxc6 is an endgame where the weaknesses cancel each other out.

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1 17

Main Line

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13.aS exd4 l 4.exd4 �d8! A multipurpose move; the rook puts pressure on the isolated cl-pawn, but also frees the f8square for the knight. Afterwards the lighc­ squared bishop can come out and Black will have a harmonious position. 15.�el lll f8 16.Wl'b3 i.e6=

1 4 ... 0-0 1 5.h3 ixf3 1 6.Wxf3 Wxf3 1 7.gxf3 E!:fc8 is also possible; Black shouldn't have any real problems. 1 5.h3 i.xf3 16.Wl'xf3 Wfxf3 17.gxf3 cxd5 18.lll xd5 lll xd5 19.i.xdS �d7 20.�c3 @e7 The players were heading towards a draw in Zakhansov - Parkin, Belgorod 20 1 0. B4) l l .b4 0-0 12.a4 e5 From the classical school of chess: a flank operation is met by a strike in the centre. In fact Black could also ignore the advance and respond with 1 2 ...'®e7 1 3 .'®b3 b6 1 4.a5 E!:b8, which has been played by Boris Gelfand amongst others.

25 ... �d4 White resigned in Scefansson - Carlsen, Heraklion 2007.

1 18

Moscow BS) 1 1.�cl

1 2 ... e5 1 3.d5 lll b6 14.dxc6 leaves Black with some structural weaknesses. Given the choice after 14 ... bxc6 l 5 .ie2 I would take White, although the position should be considered completely equal.

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Now White can decide between B51) 12.e4 and B52) 12.ib3. 1 2.b4 '®e7 1 3.'®b3 b6 14.b5

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B5 1) 12.e4 �dS! Here this makes sense. The white rook on c l doesn't contribute to the forthcoming play on the kingside.

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1 6 ... c5! It is all about this freeing move. 1 7.lll xc5 lll xc5 1 8.dxc5 '®c7 Now ...ixf3 followed by taking on e5 will give Black at least an equal game: 1 9.�e3 ( 1 9.'®e2 ixf3 20.gxf3 ixe5 2 1 .'®xe5 '®xe5 22.l"i:xe5 l"i:xd3=) 1 9 ...ixf3 20.'®xf3 ixe5 2 1 .l"i:c2 ixh2t 22.\t>fl ie5 23.ixb5 l"i:ab8 24.'®e2 l"i:d5 Black was better in Holt - So, Lubbock 20 1 3.

Chapter 9 14 ... c5! 15.d5 c!ll xe5! This surprising sacrifice solves all Black's problems. 16.c!ll xe5 exd5 17.c!ll f3 Wfxe2 18.Le2 d4 19.c!ll e4 d3 20 ..idl b6 The two fantastic bishops and the two extra pawns give Black great compensation for the piece, even without the queens.

B52) 12 ..ib3

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Main Line

1 19

12 ...Wfe? 13.c!ll e4 b6! This seems to be more reliable than 1 3 ... Ei:d8 1 4.'Wc2 e5 1 5.tll g3! . The idea is shown after the main line 1 5 ... tll f8 1 6.lll xe5 i.xe5 I 7.dxe5 'Wxe5, where White can play I 8.'We2!? with the intention of pushing f4-f5 with active play on the kingside.

14... b5 15 ..ic2 1 5 .i.b3 a5 I 6.a4 i.a6 1 7 .Ei:el 'Wb4 leaves Black with plenty of counterplay. 1 5 ...ib? 16..ibl 13fd8 This led to a draw in Baranowski - Welle, email 20 1 1 . 1 6. . .e 5 is even cleaner. I n both cases the game is just about to begin; Black should definitely be fine and has his fair share of the chances.

1 20

Moscow Conclusion

Moscow Conclusion

In the Moscow main line 7.e3 lll d7 8.j,d3 dxc4 9.j,xc4 Black gets full equality with 9 . . .j,d6!. White's best try is to go for the bishop with 1 0.0-0 Vfie7 l 1 .lll e 4, but after 1 1 . .. 0-0! 1 2.lll xd6 Vfixd6 White hasn't been able to demonstrate any kind of advantage.

The Moscow Variation is positionally balanced. White gets smooth and easy development, but surrenders the bishop pair. Black lacks some space, but has just enough to regroup in a satisfactory manner. The big discovery in the main line is that the move ... j,d6, with the idea of letting White exchange this great piece for a mere knight, equalizes with ease.

The interesting . . . g6 line leads to a complex middlegame with lots of opportunities for both sides. In that respect it is probably better suited if you want a fight than the clean equalizer .. ,j,d6, but then again it is also a matter of playing style. But beware, I have only shown the most important lines - some might call it the tip of the iceberg - so there still remains some work to be done. Still, there is more than enough information to actually start playing the line and gain your own experience.

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Introduction Variation Index 1 .d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.CLJf3 CLJf6 4.CLJ c3 e6 5.e3 CLJ bd7 6 ..id3 6 ... dxc4! 7..ixc4 bS 1 22 1 24 1 24 125 128 1 29 129 130 132

A) 8 ..ib3 B) 8 .ie2 .ib7 Bl) 9.e4 B2) 9.0-0 C) 8 ..id3 .ib7 9.a3 .id6!? 10.0-0 0-0 Cl) 1 1 .CLJgS C2) l l .b4 C3) l l.e4 C4) l l ..id2 •

B 1 ) after l 2.fxg7

A) after l 3.e4

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Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.

- Walter Sobchak, The Big Lebowski I .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tll f3 tll f6 4.tll c3 e6 5.e3 tll bd7 6.id3 The Meran Variation: the most direct, the most active, the fastest. White wastes no time as he develops the bishop, prepares to castle and then pushes e3-e4 with a great game. However, that will only happen in a perfect world, and in the real one Black has adequate plans of his own. The fact chat White's bishop move invites Black to start the typical queenside offensive with tempo shouldn't go unnoticed:

other openings - most notably in the Queen's Gambit Accepted where it constitutes the modern main line. It should be treated with care; if White is allowed to castle and then advance e3-e4 followed by e4-e5 or d4-d5 it could cause big problems. Fortunately Black has a simple and effective antidote:

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8 ...b4! 9.tll e2 9.tll a4 ia6! This is the reason for playing 8 ... b4: on a6 the bishop prevents White from castling. Of course he can try to solve this inconvenience, but Black will nevertheless break with ... c5 and obtain a good game. Here is an illustrative example:

7.ixc4 b5 White has experimented with both A) 8.i.b3 and B) 8.ie2, bur they are clearly inferior and give Black a good game without too many problems. That said, they do contain some pitfalls here and there. The real Meran is connected with the move C) 8.id3, which is simplest and best. A) 8.i.b3 An unusual move in the Meran, although the bishop placement on b3 is well known from

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1 0.id2 c5 1 1 .tll xc5 tll xc5 1 2.dxc5 ixc5 1 3.�cl '®b6 1 4.ic4 ib7! Black has the more active pieces and has no interest in starting to exchange some of chem. 1 5.Wa4t ic6 1 6.'®c2

Chapter 1 0 - Introduction id6 1 7.id3 ib? 1 8.Wa4t rj:;e7 19.lll d4 E:hc8 Black is slightly better, and White cracks due to the pressure: 20. rj:;e2?! llie4! 2 l .ixe4 ixe4 22.f3 id5 23.rj:;f2 a5 Now the bishops dominate. 24.E:xc8 E:xc8 25.g3 ie5 26.lll b 3 E:c2 0-1 ]. Costa - Kramnik, Debrecen 1 992. 9 .. cS Proposed by Sakaev. .

9 ...ib? 1 0.0-0 id6 1 1 .lll f4 ( 1 1 .lll g3 or 1 1 .lll d2 are no better) 1 1 . .. 0-0 12.lll g 5 ixf4 1 3.exf4 c5 1 4.ie3 h6 1 5 .lll f3 E:c8 has been the traditional main line as analysed by Vigorito. Black is also fine all the way here. 10.0-0 ih7 1 1.tll f4 1 l .lll g3 ie7! Black benefits from the fact that he hasn't put the bishop on d6 already. It is better on e7 when White plays e4-e5: 1 2.E:e 1 0-0 1 3.e4 cxd4 1 4.e5 ( 1 4.llixd4 Wb6N 1 5.e5 ic5! 16.exf6 ixd4 1 7.fxg? E!:fd8+) 14 ... lll g4 1 5.if4N Wa5 1 6.ic2 ixf3 17.Wxf3 lligxe5 1 8.ixe5 llixe5 1 9.Wh5 f5 20.lll xf5 exf5 2 1 .ixf5 E:xf5 22.Wxf5 if6+

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1 8 ... lll e 5! 1 9.if4 Wf6 20.ixe5 ixe5 2 1 .lll xe5 Wxe5+ 12 ...�e7! As given by Sakaev. With this move order there is no reason to play l 2 ...ixf4 although it is also absolutely fine for Black. After the cool text move Black makes all sacrifices on e6 or f7 less attractive. White's big problem is that his previous play seems out of place if he can't destroy the black centre. 13.e4 I can't see anything else. White has to keep playing actively, otherwise his concept falls apart.

16.eS 1 6.dxc5 llixe4 17.id6 llixd6 18.cxd6 Wf6+ The passed pawn on d6 is more a weakness than a strength! 16 ... tll dS 17.ig3 :Sfcs; Black has good play on the queenside and a strong knight on d5.

1 24

Meran B) 8.�e2

The more traditionally favoured move. 1 2.bxc3 id6 1 3.0-0 0-0 White usually continues with: 1 4.ig5 c5 This is proposed by Ragger. 1 4 ...Wi'c7 is also possible, with the idea of playing ... c5 next, and if White doesn't exchange on f6 (which will be met by putting the king on h8 and the rook to g8) then we play ... tt'ld7. 1 5 .E!:b l Black can go ...Wi'c7 again, but a nice game continued as follows:

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1 5 ...ie4 1 6.id3 ig6!? 1 6 ... ixd3N is also okay. 1 7.c4 cxd4 1 8.ixg6 hxg6 1 9.Wi'xd4 Wi'c7 20.ixf6 gxf6 2 1 .Wi'xf6 Wi'xc4= 22.E!:fdl 22.E!:b7N would have been met by 22 ... Wi'd5. 22.h4N is not dangerous as Black can play 22 ...Wi'f4 at the very least. 22 ... E!:ab8 Black was fine in V. Georgiev - Shulman, Mashanrucket 2005, with White being the one who had to rake care.

l l ... tt'lxf6

12.fxg7 The "Four Queens Variation" after 1 2 ... bxal =Wi' 1 3.gxh8=Wi' is somewhat better for White, though it is a lot of fun to play for both sides! Instead of char I recommend:

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Chapter 1 0 - I ntroduction B2) 9.0-0 ie7 10.e4

Here it comes. Black can't allow e4-e5, so he must counterattack with . . . b4 as in the previous analysis.

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12 ...ixg7! 13.i.xb2 c5! A rare move.

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13 ... '®aSt is more popular, but after l 4.tt:Jd2 the knight goes where it wants to go anyway. 14.0-0 0-0

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10 ... b4 1 1.e5 bxc3 12.exf6 ixf6 13.bxc3 c5 The critical position. Black frees his game with the thematic ... c6-c5 and hopes that White can't punish him. As the following analysis will show, White doesn't have that many interesting options to choose from and Black is absolutely fine - although the line did decide a World Championship match in White's favour. 14.dxc5 White has to play actively, another way being: 1 4.E:b 1 Hitting the black bishop. Black should respond by reversing the roles:

1 5.E:bl E:b8 16.i.al? ha 17.ixf3 cxd4 Black prevailed in Kantorik - Fodor, Slovakia 20 1 2.

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1 26

Meran

1 4 ...ie4 White's rook is now the target. After the exchange of the light-squared bishops Black has an easy game. 1 5.id3 ixd3 1 6.'\Wxd3 0-0 1 7.l:!dl l 7.if4 lt:lb6, planning ... '\Wd5 and/or ... l:!c8, was equal in Moreira - Danenkov, email 20 1 0. 1 7 ... '\Wa5 1 7 ... cxd4!? 1 8 .cxd4 l2l b6 1 9 .ia3 l:!e8 20.ic5 '\Wd5= Gull - Hiarcs, Internet 20 1 3. 1 8.l:!b7 lt:lb6 1 9.lt:ld2 cxd4 20.lt:le4 id8 2 1 .'1Wg3 '\Wf5 22.f3 lt:lc4 23.cxd4 ib6= With an eventual draw in Balutescu Sergeev, corr. 20 1 3 .

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14... l!Jxc5! My favourite move, which may come as a surprise ro many White players. However, I think that Black has every reason to play for the win in the resulting positions. 14 ...0-0 1 5.ia3 ie7 is the main line and is also fully playable for Black. 16.'\Wd4 (After 1 6.l:!b l Black cannot play the bishop to c6 as White can hit this with lt:ld4, so he has to instead choose 1 6 ...id5.) 1 6 ...'\Wc7 1 7.l:!ab l Here I like the choice of the young Carlsen:

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1 5 ... lll c3! Black's most serious option according to Krasenkow. In practice 1 5 ... 0-0 and 1 5 ...Wc? have been played a lot, but the text move immediately solves all problems in spectacular fashion. 16.Wc2 Not 1 6.bxc3? '.Wxd3 17.'.Wa4t c;:!;>f8 1 8.cxb4 '.Wg6! l 9.g3 ib6 and the white king's position is terribly weak on the light squares.

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16...WfdS Threatening mate in one! 17.ttif.3 gds 18.ttiel 1 8.bxc3 Wfxd3 is fine for Black. Sakaev gives l 9.Wfxd3 :B:xd3 20.cxb4 ixb4 2 1 .:B:b l a5 22.a3 ixf3 23.axb4 ie2 24.:B:el axb4 with equality.

2 l ...:B:d7 also seems fine, but after 22.ixb5 Wfxb5 23.:B:xd7 Wfxd7 24.lt'if3 id6 25.:B:dl id5 26.ixd6 Wfxd6 27.Wfa4t '1Mfd7 some precision is still required. 22.WfcS Safe and more or less forced. 22.Wfa4t Wfc6 23.Wfxa7 nets a pawn, but looks extremely shaky after 23 ...Wf c7!. 22... l£ic6 23.l£if.3 Wfxc5 24.i.xcS i.d6 25.ie3 iie7= C) 12.0-0

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The prelude to a great battle. White hurries with his development, while Black nets some structural gains by destroying the white centre. h

1 8...i.d4! Black defends the knight tactically. 19.i.d2 1 9.bxc3? ixc3 and both ...ixal and ...ixel are threatened.

12... cxd4 The principled move. Black could avoid some of the complications with the relatively safe 1 2 ... h6!? or l 2 . . . :B:c8!?, but if the text move is strong, why not play it?

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20.lt'if3 as in Mamedyarov - Gelfand, Moscow 2006, is well met by 20 ... a5 2 1 .a4 lt'ia7N and Black's centralized pieces gives him an edge.

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2 1 .:B:cl is coolly met by 2 1 .. .a6 and Black is fine in this unclear position. 21. .. l£id4

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19 ... ttihs 20.ixh4 The only critical move.

20 ...i.xeS 21.gdl 2 1 .ic4 lt'id4 22.Wfa4t Wfc6 23.Wfxc6t lt'ixc6 is nothing for White.

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White has a choice. He can take back on d4 at once with Cl) 13.l£ixd4 and sacrifice the e5-pawn in the process. The question is if his initiative is worth this pawn or more. A somewhat safer alternative is to start by

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Chapter 1 1 - 9 .e4 protecting the e5-spot with C2) 13.E:el and only then take on d4. This is a quieter and less threatening approach, but probably sounder. Cl) 13.llixd4 Energetic and straightforward. Black must grab the offered pawn to find out what is going on. 13 ... llixeS 14.ihSt lli d7

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1 6.1M.fxd5 Spectacular; the point being that ... exd5 is met by !:!:el t and White holds the initiative, but with a few precise moves Black gets the upper hand: 1 6 ... .id6! 1 7.Ei:e l 0-0 1 8.1M.fc4 E!:fc8 1 9 . .ig5 .ixc6 Black was just a pawn up in Christiansen - Bareev, Biel 1 99 1 .

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Black relies on his firm Sicilian-like structure and his super knight on d5 to make his position impossible to penetrate. 15.:Sel White points the rook towards the black monarch and increases the pressure to a maximum without taking any concrete action. If we breathe in slowly we realize that White is not threatening to take on e6 immediately so there is no reason to panic - although the sacrifice is now constantly in the air. White has occasionally tried some even more direct moves, but they have all failed to impress. 1 5.1M.fg4 tll 5f6 1 6.1M.fg3 a6! 1 7.ic6 .ixc6 1 8.tll xc6 Wc8 19.tll d4 Wb7 doesn't yield White enough compensation for a pawn. 1 5.tll c6 1M.fc7

16.tll xe6 1 6.We2 a6 is excellent for Black. 1 6 ... tll x h5 1 7.tll xd8 E!:xd8 1 8.Ei:e l t .ie7 19.tll c 5 ic8 20.ig5 f6! 20 ... tll hf6 2 1 .Ei:adl a6 22 ..ia4 left Black completely tied up in Radjabov - Shirov, Wijk aan Zee 2003. 2 1 ..icl 2 1 ..id2 \f;>f7 22 . .ic4t \f;>g6 23.E!:xe7 lll e 5 24.E!:xe5 fxe5 25 ..ixb4 E!:d4 26.b3 E!:hd8+ 2 1 ...g5 22.tll e6 \f;>f7 23.ic4 \f;>g6 24 ..id3t This was Vasquez Schroder - Vallejo Pons, Tripoli 2004, and now best would have been:

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Me ran CU) 1 6.'WhS has been the most popular move, but C12) 16.b3 is the modern try and is also recommended by the engines.

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24 . . .fS!N 25.g4 lt:Jg7 26.lt:Jxg7 'it>xg7 27.E!:xe7t 'it>f6 28.E!:e2 lt:JeS Black is clearly for preference. 29.�xfS �xfS 30.gxfS lt:J f3t 3 l .'it>g2 lt:Jd4 32.E!:d2 i>xfS+

1 5 .. J'k8 As already mentioned, Black has to be careful here and watch out for sacrifices on e6. These sacrifices will gain strength when Black develops his bishop to e7 as then a knight on e6 will attack the queen and the g7-pawn simultaneously. So Black is better off developing his rook and threatening to play ... a6 next. Please notice that the immediate . . . a6 would have been met by lt:ic6 when - compared to the 1 5.lt:Jc6 given above the white rook already stands on e l with devastating effect.

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1 6.'\Wg4 lt:JSf6 l 7.'1We2 �e7 1 8.�gS �dS! A key move that supports e6. 1 8 ... 0-0 is met by l 9.lt:Jxe6. 1 9.E!:adl 0-0 20.lt:JfS Otherwise White cannot continue the attack. 20 ... h6 2 1 .lt:Jxh6t?! 2 1 .lt:Jxe7t '1Wxe7 22.E!:xdS hxgS 23.E!:xgS is fine for Black, for example after 23 ... E!:fd8!N. 2 1 ...gxh6 22.�xh6 �d6!+ Norri - Dreev, Arnhem 1 989. If 23.�xf8 lt:ixf8 then it will soon be Black with the big attack! CU) 16.'WhS White tries to send his queen to the front line in the hope of creating some irresistible threats. The potential danger lurking on e6 has to be respected, but it turns out Black's position is solid enough.

17.'We2 1 7.'IWeS '\Wf6 1 8.lt:Jf3 exploits the fact that

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Chapter 1 1 - 9.e4 Black can't exchange on e5. 18 ...ig7 1 9.ixd7t ( 1 9.W!'g3 Wfd8+; 19.Wfe2!? could be the most tricky. Sakaev suggests 1 9 ... h6!? covering g5 with a wild game.) 1 9 ...'kt>xd7 20.Wfe2 This has been seen several times in practice and Black has been doing well. Maybe the simplest solution is 20 ...Wfd8 with the idea of bringing the king to e7. 1 7.W!'g4 ie7 1 8.ih6 a6 1 9.id3 lll 7 f6 and White is kicked back. The following variation is given by Sakaev: 20.Wfe2 W!'d6 2 1 .:B:adl if8 22.ig5 ig7+ Black is ready to bring his king to safety next. 17.W!'h3 This is at least as dangerous as the more popular move given as the main line.

1 8 ...fxe6 1 9.Wfxe6t ie7 20.ixa6 ixa6 2 l .W!'xa6 lll c 5! 2 1 ... tt:l b8 also seems fine for Black. 22.lll xc5 :B:xc5 23.ih6 Wfd7!+ Next Black plays ... 'kt>f7. The immediate 23 ... @f7? is met by 24.Wfe6t. 17 ... a6 1 7 ...W!'e7 is another solid option. 18.ixa6 After 1 8.ic4 Black can sacrifice an exchange with 1 8 ... :B:xc4!? 1 9.Wfxc4 Wfh4 giving good practical compensation. The stem game was a quick draw: 20.b3 id6 2 1 .lll f3 Wfxc4 22.bxc4 lll 5f6 23.lll d4 @e7 24.ib2 :B:c8 25.:B:acl tt:le4 Y1-Y1 Illescas Cordoba - Dreev, Dos Hermanas 2005. Black can also just play solidly with 1 8 ... :B:c7N. 1 8...ixa6 19.�xa6

8 7 6

1 7 ... a6! 17 ...ie7 1 8.ih6 followed by :B:adl is very dangerous for Black. 17 ...ig7 and 1 7 ...W!'e7 are both met by 1 8.tt:lxe6. 1 8.lll xe6? The critical move, but it doesn't work. l 8.id3!? e5 l 9.ih6 is a safer way for White, who definitely has compensation for the pawn. After the precise 1 9 ...Wff6 20.ie4 :B:c7 2 1 .:B:ad l ixh6 22.Wfxh6 Wff4 Black gets out of the bind: 23.Wfxf4 (23.W!'g7 Wf f6) 23 ... lll xf4 24.ixb7 :B:xb7 2 5.g3 0-0! 26.tt:lc6 tt:le6 27.tt:lxe5 lll xe5 28.:B:xe5 :B:c8=

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19 ...ig7 This variation must be learned by heart as nothing else really works for Black, so we shouldn't bother looking for alternatives. Here is one example of how things can go wrong: 1 9 ... lll c 5? 20.tt:lxc5 ixc5 2 1 .lll xe6 fxe6 22.Wf xe6t tt:le7 23.ih6 Black is unlikely to survive.

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Meran

20.ig5 llic7! The only move. White's initiative is repelled and, although material equality has been restored, Black will have some positional advantage in most lines. 21.'1Wa5 2 1 .1M'b7 E!:b8 22.ixd8 E!:xb7 23.ixc7 E!:xc7 24.lll b 5 :§:c2 25.E!:acl E!:xcl 26.:§:xcl We7 (26 ... 0-0 has also been played and is probably simpler) 27.b3 E!:d8 Y2-Y2 Timar - Wikman, corr. 1 992.

the position after l 5.b3 and just thought "now I play ... a6 and am better!" As soon as he took the a-pawn I instantly knew it was curtains. So, dear reader, I tell you this so you don't worry too much about losing a game or two when you start playing the Semi-Slav. After all, it is a complicated opening and chess is a difficult game; crying to memorize everything is impossible.

2 1 .lll xe6 fxe6 22.E!:xe6t @f7 23.1Wd3 lll xe6 24.ixd8 E!:hxd8 leaves Black with plenty for the queen.

17.E:xe6! A nice blow; otherwise White could easily risk being worse. In fact, even after the impressive rook sacrifice Black is absolutely fine if he declines it! White is in big trouble after l 7.1Wg4 lll 5f6, l 7.1Wh5 lll 5f6 or l 7.ib2 0-0. 17 0-0! Saving the day! .••

C12) 16.b3 ie7 Black should be careful. In this position the often necessary little move 1 6 . . . a6? would lead to a disaster: l 7.ixa6! ixa6 l 8.llixe6! fxe6 1 9.1Wh5t g6 20.1Wxd5± This was already horrible to defend in Malaniuk - Dastan, Legnica 2013. I also fell for this trap in a recent team game. After a three-hour train journey and expecting to face a l .e4 player I suddenly had

l 7 . . . fxe6? l 8.lll xe6 1Wa5 l 9.lll xg7t would not be a pleasant end to the game. 1 8.llic6 ixc6 19.E:xc6 lli c7 20.ifl llie5 21.\WxdS E:f:xd8 The ending is equal. 22.E:c2 lli d5= As in Riazantsev - Ragger, Plovdiv 20 1 2.

143

Chapter 1 1 - 9.e4 22 ...if6 23.ib2 lt:J e6 was also fine for Black in Jaulneau - Hedlund, corr. 20 14. C2) 13.:Bel

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l 5 ...Wa5N as in our main line makes sense too. 1 6.:!'l:cl h6 17.id2 ig7 1 8.We2 0-0 1 9.h5 g5 20.We4 lt:J5f6 2 1 .Wxd4 This was played in Korobov - Dreev, Warsaw (blitz) 20 1 3, and now Black could have tried a surprising piece sacrifice:

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White protects the important e5-pawn and is ready to take on d4 with the knight next move. As soon as the knight moves away a path is also cleared for the white queen to infiltrate on the kingside, so Black should really be on his guard. 13 g6! Black wants to increase the pressure on e5. ...

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14.igS 1 4.lt:Jxd4 ig7 1 5.Wg4 is now met by l 5 ... lLixe5. White has also tried an ultra-sharp but somewhat extravagant move: 1 4.h4!? a6 1 4 ... h6!? is worth mentioning and is a typical way to deal with such h4-h5 ideas. After 1 5.h5N then simply 1 5 ... g5 leads to a complicated game. 1 5 .ig5 Wb8

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2 l ... :!'l:d8!N 22.exf6 lt:Jxf6 23.Wc4 id5 24.Wc2 b3 25.Wdl lt:Jg4 With a strong initiative. The following truly wonderful line is one way play could continue: 26.ie4 id4! 27.ixd5 ixf2t 28.Wh l :!'l:xd5+ Black is extremely active. 14. .WfaS 15.tlJxd4 l 5.lt:Jd2 This is met by Yevseev's powerful idea of: 1 5 ... :!'l:c8 1 6.lt:Jc4 :!'l:xc4! 1 7.ixc4 ig7� With great play for the exchange, which has been confirmed in some top-level encounters. 1 8.:!'l:cl lt:Jxe5 19.ifl lt:J d7 20.a3 0-0 2 1 .id2 :!'l:b8 Black is probably already slightly better: 22.Wb3 ia8 23.:!'l:c4 lt:Je5 24.:!'l:c5 Wd8 25.axb4 d3! 26.Wdl lt:Jd7 Boris Gelfand is going for a repetition, but he didn't need to - it was possible to play a move like 26 ...Wd6 with excellent chances. 27.l'!c4 lt:Je5 28.l'!c5 lLi d7 29.l'!c4 lt:Je5 Y2-Y2 Mamedyarov - Gelfand, Moscow 2007. .

1 3 ...ie7 1 4.lt:Jxd4 0-0 1 5.Wg4 and 13 ... a6 1 4.lt:Jxd4 g6 1 5.Wg4 are considered to be slightly in White's favour.

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Meran 20 ... B:xb7 21 .!xa6 B:c7 22.!aS 22.lll b 5 0-0! is a slightly better version of the same exchange sacrifice for Black.

Now we reach another branching point. C21) 16.a3 is more popular here, but GM Alexei Kornev recommended C22) 16.!d2!? in his book A Practical White Repertoire with 1.d4 and 2. c4.

C21) 16.a3 bxa3 17.bxa3 !g7 1s.B:b1 B:bs 19.!d2 V*fds

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20.B:xb7!? The only way to break Black's solid and flexible position. In a practical game it is a good try for White, but in a theoretical sense the move doesn't threaten Black at all.

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22...V*fbS! An idea first played by the correspondence IM Torben Erik Carlsen, who no, is not a relative of Magnus, and no, is not from Scandinavia - he is from Brazil! This line solves all of Black problems in an otherwise slightly troublesome variation where 22 ... 0-0 has traditionally been the main line in several sources, including Vigorito's Semi-Slav book. The queen move forces White to take the exchange back immediately and offers Black easy play for a slight material deficit. 23.!xc7 V*fxc7 Black remains a pawn down but his pieces are incredibly active and White has some weaknesses on the dark squares, for instance the e5- and a3-pawns. 24.!b5 0-0 25.!xd7 V*fxd7 26.lll b2 B:c8 27.lll f3 V*fb5 27 ...!fS was a later attempt at an improvement in Reinecke - Haumann, email 2009. It is nothing serious though, White still remains equal!

145

Chapter 1 1 - 9.e4

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With a positional grip on the queenside. This was Kornev's idea, but the following games show a clear way for Black to at least equalize. 21...i!ac8 22.tlidb3 Or 22.'®e2 �a8 23.tlidb3 (23.'®xa6 tlid7 and the black pieces wake up) 23 ... tlid7 24.�xd5 �xd5 25.�c3 tlixc5 26.tlixc5 �xc3 27.bxc3 a5 with equality in Magallanes Corti, corr. 201 1 . White will end up with a passed pawn, but the bishop is so strong that White can't improve his position.

C22) 16.id2!? ig7 17.a3

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White shifts his attention to the queenside. l 7.f4?! protects e5, but is too weakening. After l 7 . . . tli7b6! White is already in deep trouble.

17... tlixe5 18.ie4 0-0 19.axb4 Wfc7 20.i!cl '®e7 21.tlic5

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22 ...ic6! The bishop is ready to go to b5, so White is forced to show his hand a little earlier than he had hoped for.

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23.tll a5 23.lll xa6 Wh4 with active play for the pawn. The move .. .f5 is in the air with a strong initiative. 23 ...iaS 24.�e2 tll d7 Solving all problems. The simplifications lead to clear equality.

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Conclusion

12.lll xc5 leads to exchanges and doesn't promise any advantage. After 1 2 ... lll xc5 1 3.dxc5 .ixc5 if White gives a check then the black king will be perfectly safe in the centre on e7, and after 1 4.0-0 h6 the regrouping move l 5 .lll d2 is well met by the aggressive l 5 ... lll c 3! which leads to fine play for Black. After 12.0-0 cxd4 the direct 1 3.lll xd4 leads to sharp play where White has a strong initiative for the pawn. However, the black structure is so firm that the second player doesn't have too much to worry about if he knows his stuff. The line with 1 3.E!:el is more positionally founded than 1 3.lll xd4, but also less threatening for Black. After the precise l 3 ... g6! the upcoming attack on e5 gives Black adequate chances in all lines.

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25.tll xa6 ixb2 26.ixd5 ixcl 27.ixaS ixd2 28.�xd2 �xa8 29.tll c7 �xa5! 30.bxa5 tll c5 31.tll b 5 �a8 Y2-Y2 Gleichmann - Noble, corr. 20 1 3. The passed pawn is under control.

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1 3 .�d4 and others Variation Index 1 .d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 �f6 4.�c3 e6 5.e3 � bd7 6.id3 dxc4 7.ixc4 bS s.id3 ih7 9.0-0 a6 10.e4 cS 1 1 .dS! c4 12.ic2 12 ...Wfc7 A) 13.Wfe2 B) 13.� d4 �cs Bl) 14.W/f3 B2) 14.W/e2 B3) 14.igS B4) 14.b4 cxb3 1 5.axh3 b4 16.�a4 � cxe4! B41) 17.dxe6 B42) 17.ixe4

note to move

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1 .d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.lll £3 tll f6 4.lll c3 e6 5.e3 lll bd7 6.!d3 dxc4 7.!xc4 bS 8.!d3 !b7 9.0-0 The modern playground, since White is not achieving anything in the 9.e4 lines. 9 ... a6 Preparing ... c5 with an easy game. 10.e4 cS 8

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l l ...c4 Played with tempo and gaining important c5-square for a piece.

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It is possible to do without the text move and instead continue 1 1 ...Wc7!? 1 2.dxe6 fxe6 1 3.ic2 id6 1 4.tlig5 tli f8 1 5.f4 0-0-0 with a complicated game. This line has been advocated by the big Meran expert Dreev, so it is worth examining if you want an alternative to our main line. But to be honest, you don't really need it! 12.!c2 1 2.dxe6 fxe6 transposes to the next chapter after 1 3.ic2 Wc7. Black can also try 1 2 ... cxd3 1 3.exd?t Wxd7 but I don't really trust it. 12 ...'.Wc?

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Black has carried out his plan, bur he is behind in development so White can - and should - strike in the centre. 1 1 .dS! This is the way to do it. 1 1 .e5 cxd4 Black destroys the white centre. Of course he could also have made use of the enticing d5-square with . . . tlid5, but I like the text move more: it leads to forcing play that ends with a nice position for Black! 1 2.tlixb5 ixf3 1 3.Wxf3 tlid5 (not 13 ...tlixe5? 1 4.Wxa8) 1 4.tlixd4 tlixe5 1 5.Wg3 tlixd3 1 6.Wxd3 ic5 and Black has good play. Objectively it is probably equal, but from a practical standpoint the strong knight on d5 - we can almost call it the Semi-Slav knight, because it appears in a lot of variations - makes Black's position easier to play.

A flexible move. The queen is excellent on c7, both overlooking the important d6- and e5-squares and preparing long castling. Black will develop the rest of his army accordingly after noting what White is up to; the bishop can go to c5 or d6 or even stay on f8! Maybe the d7-knight will need the c5-square to defend e6 or attack e4. And the king? Well, it can also castle short!

149

Chapter 1 2 - 1 3 .lt:l d4 and others Now the big main line starts after 1 3.dxe6 and we will come to that in the next chapter. For the sake of completeness, this chapter provides an overview of the alternatives, the main ones being A) 13.°1We2 and B) 13.�d4. The latter, in particular, has to be taken seriously. 1 3 .lll g 5?! is premature. It is one of the main lines after White has exchanged on e6 but here it is simply inaccurate for the following reason: 1 3 ... h6! 14.dxe6 hxg5 1 5.exd7t lt:lxd7 1 6.h3 Now in Pogromsky - Tretyakov, Nizhny Tagil 2007, best would have been 16 ... ic5!N with the big threat of . . . E!:xh3!. If White defends against that, Black plays ... 0-0-0 with a big initiative. 1 3.ig5?! Putting a different piece on g5 is also inaccurate: 1 3 ...id6! Black is simply threatening to play ... h6 and ... g5! 1 4.dxe6 fxe6 1 5.ti:ld4 ti:lc5 16.f4 1 6.ixf6 gxf6 1 7.b4 ( l 7.�h5tN �f7+) l 7 ... cxb3 l 8.ixb3 0-0-0 was much better for Black in Kozul - Ribli, Bled 2000. 16 . . . 0-0-0! l 7.e5 This was Moskalenko - Goloshchapov, Alushta 1 998, and now I recommend a powerful piece sacrifice:

Black will emerge with a strong attack. 1 8.exf6 Any other move can be met by ... E!:hg8, which threatens ... ti:le4 at some point. 18 ... gxf6 19.ih4 E!:hg8+ A) 13.°1We2 id6 This will almost certainly transpose to 14.�e2 in our main line, on page 1 60 in Chapter 1 3, as now White has nothing better than to exchange on e6. We will follow a high-level game to demonstrate the dangers of failing to do so:

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14.J.g5 0-0-0 15,gfdl 1 5 .E!:adl h6 1 6.ixf6 gxf6 1 7.a4 was not much better for White in the following game: 17 ... b4 1 8.E!:d4 ic5 1 9.dxe6 fxe6 20.E!:xc4 tiJ b6 In Karpov - Illescas Cordoba, Linares 1 995, White had to give away an exchange to survive the worst, but of course he is worse. 15 ... h6 1 6.J.h4 g5 17.J.g3 ixg3 1 8.hxg3 exd5 19.�xd5 �xd5 20.exd5 �f6 21.d6 gxd6 22,gxd6 °1Wxd6 23.gdl °1Wc5 24.b4 °1Wc7 25.a4 ge8 26.°1Wd2 'it>b8 Black now displayed fine technique to bring the point home.

1 50

Meran well-known game Kasparov - Kramnik, Dos Hermanas 1 996, which was one of Kasparov's most famous losses to his young rival - and a truly extraordinary game it was! However, the knight move was adopted again by Carlsen against Shirov at Biel 201 1 , so maybe it is about to see a resurgence in popularity? Certainly the old analysis needs a bit of refreshing. 13 ... c!ll c5 This is theory's main recommendation.

30.i.xb7 c;tixb7 31 .°Wf6 ge6 32.°Wf5 gd6 33.gel c3 34.gcl We have been following Avrukh - Gelfand, Tel Aviv 1 999. Now, in his notes to the game, Gelfand proposed an improvement: 34, .. gd5N White is in deep trouble. B) 13.c!ll d4

1 3 ... e5?! 1 4.llif5 g6 IM Bartholomew's suggestion from ChessPublishing, 14 ... h5N, which also happens to be the engines' top choice, is far from good. White's main idea is to smash Black's pawn structure on the queenside with b2-b3 or a2-a4, so l 5 .j,d2! g6 l 6.llie3 and White prepares to do j ust that. Black can delay this with l 6 ... j,c5 with the idea to take first on e3 after b2-b3, forcing a recapture with the f-pawn, but White has all the time in the world to prepare his break: 17.°Wf3 j,d4 1 8.E!:fc l !± 1 5.llih6 llih5 1 6.g3! This was the official improvement suggested after the game Gelfand - Dreev, Tilburg 1 993, and tested later in the aforementioned Carlsen - Shirov game in 20 1 1 .

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1 6 ... j,c5 l 7.°Wf3 E!:f8 Dreev has suggested 1 7 ... fG instead, but

151

Chapter 1 2 - 1 3.ltJd4 and others this doesn't seem to change a lot. White can continue as in the Carlsen game with 1 8.!d2. 1 8.!d2!± Carlsen's assessment at chis point was chat "Black is in bad shape". Indeed b2-b4! came next with the idea of a2-a4.

Along with the rare Bl) 14.'Wf3 White has three major options: B2) 14.'We2 is analysed next; B3) 14.J.g5 is also critical, but if Black knows what to do he'll have an amazing game; and B4) 14.b4 was seen in the Kasparov Kramnik game. Bl) 14.'Wf3

1 3 . . . 0-0-0!? This might actually be a strong choice for those who don't mind living a life with a bit of risk. As GM Stohl correctly points out in his book Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces (where he analysed both the Gelfand - Dreev and Kasparov - Kramnik games played in this line), the reply 14.dxe6?! fails to 14 ... tll e 5!. The only serious game in my database continued: 14.!g5 !c5! 1 5.a3 This was Chemin - Horvath, Austria 1 993, but it feels a bit slow (b2-b4 is not a major concern), so Black should play:

15.1Wh3 b4 16.tlJa4

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1 5 ... h6!N l 5 ... tlie5!? 1 6.b4 !b6N also looks promising for Black to me. 1 6.!h4 Exchanging on f6 is clearly worse. 1 6 ... g5!? l 7.!g3 1Wb6 To be followed by ... tll h 5 when Black is simply better!

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16 ..0-0N Vigorito's proposal looks fine for Black. .

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Meran

l 6 ...exd5 17 .exd5 ixd5 is also playable, but is more complex and less safe. 17.e5 1 7.dxeG ixe4 is nothing for White either. 17 ... ixe5 1 8.lLlxc5 ixd4 Vigorito puts emphasis on this move, but it is possible that Black has also other strong alternatives at this point. 19.lLlxh7 '1Wxh7 20.dxe6 fxe6 21 .'1Wxe6t '\Wf7 Here Vigorito's analysis stops. Black seems better to me despite White's bishop pair. The bishop on d4 is extremely strong and the far­ advanced pawn majority on the queenside is a constant nuisance for White. B2) 14.'1We2 0-0-0 15.h4 Nothing else seems critical at this point as White has to open the position. Clearly he is expecting l 5 ... cxb3 or maybe l 5 . . . lLid3.

16.bxc5 ixc5 A harmonious, active and fully developed army is what Black got for his piece. Plus two strong pawns of course!

17.ie3 l 7.lLidxb5 is perhaps not critical from a theoretical standpoint, but in practice you always need to check standard sacrifices such as these. Best play seems to be: l 7 . . . axb5 l 8.lLixb5 WcG 1 9.l'!b l l'!he8 All the black pieces are going to the party! It is time for White to try to chicken out with a draw if it is possible - and unfortunately it seems it is! 20.ia3 lLixe4 2 1 .ixc5 Wxc5 22.Wg4t l'!e6 23.Wxg7 (23.Wf5 l'!d7 24.Wxh7 d4 forces White to seek a perpetual with 25.WgSt l'!d8 26.Wxf7 l'!f6 27.Wxg7 l'!d7 28.Wgst l'!fs 29.lLia7t iids 30.lLicGt Wc8) 23 ... d4 24.Wxf7 l'!e7 25.lLia7t Wc7 26.Wf4t We5 This was eventually drawn in Gor Petrosyan - Neapus, Internet 20 1 1 , though the two passers look scary for White. l 7 ...'1We5 18.lLldxb5 Again we see chis counter-sacrifice. The seemingly strong l 8.f4 allows l 8 ...Wxd4! 1 9.ixd4 ixd4t 20.Whl ixc3. Black has amazing compensation for the queen as now the a l -rook is threatened, as is the strong advance ... d4.

1 53

Chapter 1 2 - 1 3 .tt::l d 4 and others been tested in an email game, so let's follow it until the end. The position is coo tense right now co leave anyway!

37.�d4 \Wxg2t 38.'it>e3 �d5! leads co another draw: 39.\WeSt fl ixf2 29.b8 28.lll x b5 :B:xe2 29.lll xc3 :B:d2=

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19... lDdf6 20.lDgS 20.lll xe5 ? We6 wins a knight: 2 1 .lll xc4 Wxc4 (2 1 . ..Wxf5 is clearly weaker due to 22.lll a 5±) 22.Wxc4t bxc4-+ 20... lDxgS 21 .ixg5 h6 22.ie3 ic5 23.hc5 23.lll xg7?? :B:dg8 24.J.xc5 Wxc5-+ 23...'1Wxc5

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Meran

Accepting the bait immediately is too dangerous: 26 ... bxa4? 27.E:xa4 The problem is that c4 hangs. 27 ... E:d2 28.E:xc4t Wb8 29.E:xc3 E:xe2 30.E:cb3 and the attack continues into the ending. The best Black can get is 30 ... Wa8 3 1 .E:xb7 E:e l t 32.E:xel Wxb7 33.E:xe5± which isn't much fun.

Conclusion

In the Classical Meran main line after 1 3.dxe6 fxe6, White shouldn't play 14.e5?! because 14 ... llixe5 1 5.llixe5 Wxe5 1 6.E:el Wd6! leads to a good ending for Black. After 14.We2 .id6 1 5.tlid4 llic5 1 6.f4 e5 we meet Karpov's spectacular and surprising piece sacrifice l 7.llidxb5!?. Still, it should only lead to equality.

27.'IWel bxa4 This time we are forced to capture. 28.llid6t d? 29.llixc4 29.llixb7 '\Wd4+ 29.. J:k2 30.!l:xb?t c6 31.lliaSt dS The king runs around and enjoys himself as the centre of attention.

l 4.tlig5 lli c5 l 5.e5! brings us more or less by force to an interesting endgame, where Black's chances in no way inferior. The sequence 1 5 ...Wxe5 1 6.E:el Wd6 1 7.Wxd6 .ixd6 1 8 ..ie3 0-0 1 9.:B:ad l .ie7 20 ..ixc5 .ixc5 2 1 .llixe6 E:fc8 takes us to the starting point, where Karpov's deep 22.h3 is met by the similarly clever 22 ... E:ab8 with a complex, but objectively equal, game. The line l 4.tlid4 tlic5 l 5 ..ie3 has fallen on hard times after Kasparov's strong exchange sacrifice l 5 ... e5 1 6.llif3 .ie7 l 7.tlig5 0-0! 1 8 ..ixc5 .ixc5 1 9.tlie6 Wb6 20.tlixf8 E:xf8 with good play on the dark squares.

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32.!l:dlt 32.Wdl t We6 33.E:b6t Wf7= 32...e6 33.\Wfl f5 34.!l:xg? !l:g8 With a draw in Percze - Pfiffner, corr. 2012.

The interesting l 4.tlie2!? is well met by 14 ... 0-0-0! and Black has his share of the chances. Meran Conclusion

The Meran Variation has always been at the heart of Semi-Slav theory. It is a flexible system for both colours and often leads to lively and forcing play. At the end of the day though and this is what counts - White hasn't been able to come up with something that can really shake the black set-up. It seems that his initiative is of a temporary nature and as soon as it evaporates Black is okay, because he hasn't given any positional concessions along the way.

Anti-Meran Various 7th Moves Variation Index 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 �f6 4.�c3 e6 5.e3 � bd7 6.%\'c2 6 ...i.d6 176 177 179

A) 7.a3 B) 7.i.d2 C) 7.e4

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176

Anci-Meran

Don't let me hear you say life's takingyou nowhere, angel

- David Bowie l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tiJf3 tlJf6 4.tlJc3 e6 5.e3 tiJbd7 6.'ffc2 The so-called Anti-Meran Variation; White avoids the forcing play of a pure Meran and simply develops his queen to a good square. Now it is less attractive for Black to take on c4 because the white bishop will only use one move to recapture. The good thing about 'Wc2 - from Black's perspective that is! - is that it is not particularly threatening. White is not ready to castle short and launch e3-e4 in the centre like in the Meran, which means that Black can go on with his own development. In general 6.'Wc2 leads to a quieter, more positional game than 6.i.d3, but there are exceptions as we will soon see. By the way, the Anti-Meran was also a favourite of the legendary Anatoly Karpov he could really excel in its positional subtleties. But so can we!

realized that it wasn't easy to find anything tangible with White. The game proved that - it was a pretty clean draw - so I can recommend delving deeper into the favourite line of the Russian expert if you need an alternative to the main line. After 6 ...id6 play can branch out in very different directions. In this chapter I will examine the rare tries A) 7.a3, B) 7.id2 and C) 7.e4. In the next chapter I will move on to one of the most important sidelines, the flexible 7.b3. After that in Chapter 16 we will go berserk with 7.g4!?, a crazy but dangerous move that was extremely popular at a time when it seemed White could play g2-g4 at an early stage in virtually all openings! Finally in Chapters 1 7 and 1 8, I come to the absolute main lines that arise after 7.ie2 or 7.id3. It will be quite a journey, so let's go! A) 7.a3

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6 ...id6 The standard move. If Black wants to leave more theoretically trodden paths he can try 6 . . . b6!?, which is a pet move of the big Semi­ Slav connoisseur Alexei Dreev. I had the honour of facing him in it - I was White! - and already in the pre-game preparation, I

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A continuation which is sporadically used by reasonably strong grandmasters. There is nothing really wrong with it, except the fact that Black has two continuations leading to dynamically equal positions.

1 77

Chapter 1 4 - Various 7th Moves 7.. 0-0 8.b4 e5! The most direct and thematic way, but not the only solution. .

8 . . . a5 9.b5 c5! should also be fine for Black. For example:

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12.ib2 1 2.lt'ixe5N ixe5 gives Black the initiative, based on the face char 1 3.�b2 is met by 1 3 ...�f5! 1 4.Wlxf5 �xb2 1 5.:B:b l g6 1 6.Wld3 �e5.

h

1 0.cxd5 exd5 l l .ie2 b6 12.ib2 ib7 1 3.0-0 :B:c8 1 4.:B:fd l Wle7= Black had her fair share of the chances in Dao Thien Hai - Zso. Polgar, Muenster 1 994. 9.cxd5 9.c5?! ic7 10.ie2 :B:e8+ is the wrong way forward for White. His offensive on the queenside has come to a halt while Black's pleasant space advantage on the kingside begins to count. 9... cxd5 10.tlib5 !b8 1 1.dxe5 tlixe5

13.gxf3 a5!?f! White's king is still in the centre, thus he is the one who must be careful in chis position. B) 7.id2

178

Anti-Meran

White plans 0-0-0 which is an interesting idea. The move is often associated with Mark Taimanov, who played this way with White on several occasions.

worth studying 1 2.h4!

after

1 l ...c4!)

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1 l ...h6

7... 0-0 8 .0-0-0 Now, with castling on opposite sides, recommend a gambit to grab the initiative!

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8 bS! ...

Of course there are calmer alternatives:

8 ... e5 is also adequate it seems. The main line continues 9.cxd5 cxd5 1 0.llib5 ib8 l l .dxe5 llixe5 1 2.llixe5 ixe5 1 3.ic3 ixc3 1 4.4Jxc3 ie6 and Black is equal according to Dreev, although it is not everybody's cup of tea to play this IQP position. For example, after 1 5.:B:d4 :B:c8 16.id3 White went on to win in McNab - Radovanovic, Coulsdon 2005. 8 ... c5 has the idea of ... a6 and ... b5 with a counterattack, while the tension in the centre doesn't allow White to build his flank attack so easily. At least this is what seemed to be the case, bur the following line changed my opinion: 9.cxd5 exd5 1 0.i;t>b1 a6 l 1 .llig5! (Probably the most well known game played in this position was Taimanov - Botvinnik, Moscow 1 952, where the much softer 1 1 .i.cl was seen. Botvinnik won a masterpiece

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This was seen in Cossin - Gustafsson, Rogaska Slatina 20 1 0. I analysed this position for quite some time and after 1 2 ... cxd4N I am pretty sure that White doesn't have an objective advantage, but the lines are quite sharp. Ultimately I don't like having such a knight thrown in my face, so there is no need to go down that road in a relatively rare continuation. 9.cxb5 The most popular choice. 9.c5 is best statistically for White according to my database bur, after 9 ...ic7 1 0.i.d3, which was seen in Istratescu - Kasimdzhanov, Kerner 2007, I like 1 0 ... a5!N best, followed by ...ia6 with a good game for Black. 9.e4 b4 1 0.e5 bxc3 l l .ixc3 ie7 1 2.exf6 tt:lxf6 1 3.llie5 dxc4! ( 1 3 ...ib7 1 4.c5 llid7 1 5.id3 h6 1 6.f4 gave White serious attacking chances in Vyzmanavin - Kramnik, Moscow 1 994.) 1 4.llixc6 'i!Jic7 1 5.llixe7t 'i!Jixe7 1 6.ixc4 i.b7� 1 7.d5 tUxd5 1 8.ixd5 ixd5 1 9.:B:hel 'i!Jib7 20.:B:e3 :B:ac8 2 1 .Wbl f6+ Saric - Brkic, Pula 2008. 9.cxd5 exd5 1 0.e4 1 O.i.d3 b4 1 1 .llia4 allows Black to protect

1 79

Chapter 1 4 - Various 7th Moves his pawn with ...ib7 bur more ambitious is l 1 ...!l:b8!?, the following game being a nice example: 1 2.'®xc6 '®e7 1 3.bl :!':!:b8 and Black was more than fine in Yakimenko - Goganov, St Petersburg 2009. 13 ... bS!? The standard break. 1 3 ... eS is another good move. 14.c5

14 ...e5! 1 5.dxe5 �g4 With at least equality. Conclusion

White's advance on the queenside with a2-a3 and b2-b4 is well answered by a break in the centre with ... eS. 7.id2 followed by castling long leads to sharp play. Black is more than fine if he fights for the initiative with the promising pawn sacrifice 8 ... bS!. White's attempt to play in the centre with 7.e4 doesn't give anything. After 7 ... tt:lxe4 8.lt:ixe4 dxe4 9.Wi'xe4 the precise 9 ... ib4t solves all problems. Later the interesting pawn sacrifice ... bS even gives Black chances to take the full point.

Anti-Meran a

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7.b3 Variation Index l .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tiJf3 lll f6 4.lll c3 e6 5.e3 lll bd7 6.�c2 i.d6 7.b3 7... 0-0 1 83 1 85 1 86 1 87 1 88 1 89 1 89 191 192 192

A) 8.i.d3 B) 8.i.b2 C) 8.i.e2! b6! 9.0-0 i.b7 1 0.i.b2 �e7 Cl) 1 1.e4 C2) 1 1 .gadl gad8 12.gfel gfe8 C21) 13.�d3 C22) 13.�fl C3) 1 1 ,gacl gac8 12,gfdl gfd8 C31) 13.�bl C32) 13.g3

A)

noce co

1 O. li:l b5

1 3 �xd4!N ...

A)

noce co

1 5 .0-0

C22)

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noce co

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1 4.cxd5

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1 6 . 1/9c5!N ..

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1 83

Chapter 1 5 - 7.b3 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tlia tlif6 4.tlic3 e6 5.e3 tlibd7 6.�c2 id6 7.b3 A positional approach: White protects the c4-pawn so he can always answer ... dxc4 with bxc4, thereby preventing the usual Black queenside play with ... b5 and so on. Furthermore the move prepares j,b2, which will be a good square for the bishop. 7 ...0-0 As we are going to see, playing ... e5 is a basic plan for Black in the 7.b3 variation, but doing it now is not optimal due to the following line: 7 ... e5 8.cxd5 cxd5 9.liJbS j,b8 10.j,a3! Now White has three bishop moves. A) 8.id3 and B) s.ib2 are harmless, but C) 8.ie2! is the critical test. A) 8.id3 This looks much more active than 8.j,e2, but the bishop is also more vulnerable on d3 and that matters if Black strikes immediately in the centre - which is exactly what he does!

to win a piece with ... e4. That is why the bishop is better off on e2 co begin with. 1 O.dxe5 liJxe5 1 1 .liJxeS (otherwise White faces problems, for example l l .j,e2 j,g4+ as given by Dreev) 1 1 ...j,xeS 1 2.j,b2 d4 13.exd4 Now in Rychagov -Timofeev, Moscow 2009, White was in charge after 1 3 ... '\Wxd4?! 1 4.0-0-0 '\Wf4t 1 5 .'tt> b l j,g4?! 1 6.f3 j,hS 1 7.liJdS!, so Black should prefer 1 3 ...j,xd4!N followed by ...j,e6 and ... l:!ac8.

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10...ib4t 1 0 ...j,b8!? is also possible. 1 1 .dxeS liJxe5 1 2.liJxeS j,xe5 l 3.j,b2 is maybe nothing special for White, but if he likes to play against an IQP as I do - it is a pleasant position! -

I l .id2 ixd2t 12.tlixd2 e4 13.ie2

8 ... e5!

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Threatening ... e4.

9.cxd5 cxd5 IO.tlib5 White should probably keep the position dosed, but it is annoying that Black threatens

1 84

Anti-Meran

13 ... a6 1 3 ... ttJ b6= and 1 3 ... ttJe8 1 4.:gcl ttJdf6N= are both fine for Black as well. 14.tll c7 Initially the computer favours this, but it is just as dangerous for White as for Black. l 4.Cll c3 is safer, but after l 4 ... tli b8!?N followed by ... ttJc6 Black is fine. It is not difficult to imagine this knight arriving at the d3-square via b4! Another way to regroup the knight is 1 4 ... :ge8 1 5.0-0 tlif8 which also seems okay for Black. 15 .. tll bs 16.:gfcl tll c6 17.1Wc5? The wrong way to free the knight. .

14... �a7

1 7.'ll xa6 ig4 1 8.ixg4 ttJxg4 1 9.ttJc5 was better. Now 1 9 ... ttJ b4 20.1Wb2 b6 2 1 .a3 bxc5 22.axb4 :gxal 23.:gxa l cxd4 24.exd4 1Wb8= was Achermann - Hauser, email 2009. Black regains the pawn and has no problems.

1 5.0-0 1 5.:gcl 'll b 8 16.1Wc5 'll c6 1 7.'ll xa6 looks attractive, but the cool l 7 ...id7! neatly restores material. 1 8.ttJb4 :ga5 1 9.1Wc3 was seen in Feldborg - Van Den Haak, corr. 2003, but after:

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17... tll d7! l 7 ... 1Wxc7? 1 8.1Wxa7 tlid7 might seem excellent for Black at first, as the queen seems to have been crapped, but White has 1 9.b4 1Wd6 20.:gxc6! 1Wxc6 2 1 .ttJb3;!;. 18.1Wd6 tll db8

Chapter 1 5 - 7.b3

..

185

8 e5!

The cleanest equalizer. Instead 8 .. .'�e7 is slow and flexible, but why not play actively?

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9.cxd5 Otherwise Black will play .. ,e4 next. For example: 9.ie2 e4 1 0.'Lid2 'Lib8!? A plan recommended by Dreev. A recent game continued: l 1 .h3 'Lia6 1 2.a3 Cjj c7 13.b4 Cjj fe8 l 4.g3 f5 l 5.h4 Cjj f6 Black had easy play in Ruck - Bluebaum, Germany 20 1 5. h

White will lose material. 19.'l!:!i'xd5 Wxc7 20.lll xe4 �d8 21 .Wi'hS Wl'e7 22.id3 h6 23.�d lll b4 24.lt:\g3 lll xd3 25.�xd3 lt:\c6:+ Graf- Potkin, Munich 20 13.

9... cxd5 10.ltJb5 Again 10.dxe5 Cjj xe5 is dangerous. The black pieces are coming to life while the white king is still stuck in the centre. 1 l .Cjj d4 ( 1 Lie2 'Lixf3t 1 2.ixf3 d4 1 3.exd4 :B:e8t 14.'Lie2 ig4!+ Kovacs - Swinkels, Rogaska Slatina 20 1 1 ) l l ...id7!+ The rooks will come to c8 and e8.

B) 8.ib2

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1

,

��""'�m �=�u"� a

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White starts by putting his bishop on the dream square. This is a flexible move and White can even consider castling long in some lines. The drawback is chat it neglects the development of the kingside and, just as in the previous line, Black obtains excellent counterplay with a thematic strike in the centre.

1 1 .id ixc3t 12.lll xc3 12.Wi'xc3?! is met by 1 2 . . . Cjj e4+ when Black has a nice initiative. 1 3.Wi'b2 ( 1 3.Wi'c7 is met by Wi'e7 followed by ... a6) 1 3 ... a6 l 4.Cjj c3 'Lixc3 l 5 .Wi'xc3 e4 1 6.Cjj g l Cjj f6 1 7.'Lie2 id7 l 8,Cjj f4 :B:c8+ Markos - Braun, Pulvermuehle 2004. 12 ... e4 13.lll d2

1 86

Anri-Meran C) s.ie2!

a

Black could also play 13 ... tll b 6= (with the idea ...ig4) 1 4.h3 tll e 8 followed by . . . 1lt/g5 as suggested by Dreev. 14.b4 tlJ c6 15.°1Wb3 °1Wd6 16.�bl id7 Black has solved all his opening problems. If anyone is better it is him.

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The best move. The bishop is not ideally placed on e2 but, as we saw earlier, Black obtains good play with the standard ... e5 break if it moves to its preferred d3-square.

8 ... b6!

With the white bishop on the modest e2-square, Black is not in a hurry to obtain active counterplay. Instead he completes his development by playing ... b6 and ...ib7. Later he can free his position with ... c5. But what is the big difference with the bishop on e2? Couldn't Black go ... e5 anyway? Yes, he could! Let's see: 8 ... e5 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.tll b 5 ib4t ( I O ...ib8 I l .ia3) l 1 .id2 ixd2t 12.lll xd2 a6 ( 1 2 ... e4 doesn't come with tempo: 1 3 .�c l;!;) 1 3.dxe5 lll xe5 I 4.lll d4 ig4 I 5.ixg4 tll fxg4 16.0-0 �c8 I 7.1lt/f5 g6 1 8.1lt/f4 Vlie7 1 9.lll 2 f3= Dreev says the position is equal - and whenever he says something about the Semi-Slav you tend to listen. The computers also claim it is equal, and I think so too. That said, I would take White anytime as he is the only one who can win. Black has an IQP in a defendable position, but he will have to sit rather passively and protect d5 instead of searching for active operations. I don't like to just defend if l have a choice.

1 87

Chapter 1 5 - 7.b3 9.0-0 9.e4 is premature with the king still in the centre: 9 ... tt'lxe4 10.tt'lxe4 dxe4 l 1 .\Wxe4 ib4t! 12.id2 ixd2t 1 3.tt'lxd2 ib7= Hoang Thanh Trang - Kadimova, Halle 1 995. Black can put her queen on c7 and play ... c5.

.

9. .i.b7 10.i.b2 1 0.e4 isn't dangerous here either: 1 0 ... tt'lxe4 1 l .tt'lxe4 dxe4 1 2.\Wxe4 Although the black queen isn't on e7 yet - meaning he cannot play .. .f5 like in line C 1 below - he still solves all problems with 1 2 ... tt'l f6 1 3.\Wh4 c5. Black is fine and even went on to win in Seirawan Dreev, Wijk an Zee 1 996.

CI) 1 1.e4 Here we go again. This time Black is really prepared. 1 1. .. tlixe4 1 l ...dxe4 allows the extra option of 1 2.tt'lgS. 12.tlixe4 dxe4 13.Wfxe4

1

6 5

4 3

2

� �'-,,.,,!�� � J it,,� 1. 1. -'Sl r� .i. � , , , %� ,0 %%::::�f¥""'%%'"//,/,' " " %%% � /, , , , .r� ,,, , % • �� • � � ,, � � !I !o !lo !Ill � //,/,'""\�r 0 �%% ;/, N � 8 � r��8�vwm�D8� ,, ,�, , �� %Rfm"" a

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White would love to have his e2-bishop on d3! This means that he is often willing to lose a tempo to get it there simply because this is the best position for it. White has three main plans to choose from and we will first cover the immediate Cl) 1 1.e4. Next are two rook moves: C2) 1 IJ�adl sees White place the rooks on dl and el before committing to e3-e4, or any other plan, while C3) 1 1.�acl places the rooks on dl and c l .

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7

'!I !1 ' '�"!I!d1' !I "!I ll !I : �!I� !olfll� llll "

6

IO...Wfe7 8

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2

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13.. fS! An important and thematic move. The white queen is brutally chased away from e4 and has to abandon the pin on the c-pawn. As soon as Black gets in ... c5 his pieces spring to life and coordinate excellently. 14.Wfc2 14.\Wh4 \Wxh4 1 5.tt'lxh4 ie7 1 6.tt'lf3 c5 ( 1 6 ... gS!?N is an interesting idea if you want to go for a win at all costs) 17.tt'le5 tt'lxe5 ( l 7 ... �ad8 cannot be bad either) 1 8.dxeS �fd8 1 9.�adl �xdl 20.�xdl �dB= Miroshnichenko T.L. Petrosian, Dubai 20 1 2.

-

1 4.\We3 c5 1 5.�adl �ad8 ( 1 5 ... h6!?N may be worth considering) 1 6.\Wg5 tt'l f6 l 7.\Wh4 ixf3 1 8.ixf3 cxd4 1 9.ixd4 e5 20.ib2 e4 saw Black take the initiative in Balashov - Sjugirov, Moscow 20 1 2.

Ami-Meran

188

14 ...c5 Black can be happy with the outcome of the opening. 15.gfel gads 16.gadl

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16...ie4! With this active move Black takes the initiative. Of course White can't respond with l 7.Xld3 because of ...ixf3. 17.'h l lll xf2t-+ 1 9 ... lll xe3 20.b4 20.fxe3 Wxe3t 2 1 .'it>h l (2 1 .Wf2 i.h2t) 2 1 . . .Wfg3+ 20 ... lll xc2 2 1 .bxc5 ixc6 22.cxb6 axb6= I4...e4! An important intermediate move. l 4 ... cxd5 l 5.dxe5 lll xe5 l 6.lll d4! is comfortable for White: l 6 ... g6 1 7 .ib5 lll ed7 1 8.Wd2t

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1 5.dxc6?! White accepts the challenge. 1 5.lll e 5 cxd5 1 6.lll b 5 :gc8 1 7.Wb l i.b8 1 8.g3 a6 l 9.lll a3 h5!+ left Black with substantially more space in Duzhakov - Bukavshin, St Petersburg 2014. 1 5.lll h4 ixh2t! 16.'it>xh2 lll g4t is obviously great for Black as well. Computer analysis runs 1 7.'it>h3 lll df6 1 8 .g3 cxd5 1 9.ib5 g5 20.i.xe8 :gxe8 and White's weak king is a problem chat won't go away. The knight is about to drop so

Chapter 1 5 - 7.b3

191

White is only a n exchange up, meaning that Black is having all his fun more or less for free. Even if the position is dynamically balanced it is very difficult for White to hold it together over the board. 15 exf3 16.cxb7 At first sight this looks good for White, but Black has a devastating attack up his sleeve. ..•

16 ..hh2t! 17.@xh2 1 7.©h l llig4 1 8.gxf3 Wi'h4 1 9.fxg4 i.f4t 20.©g2 Wi'xg4t 2 1 .c;t>hl Wi'h5t 22.©g2 Ele6 and wins. .

21. .. Whst 22.@g3 Wg4t 23.@h2 Wh4t 24.@gl tlJg4 With mate to follow. 0-1 Nguyen - Sadorra, Ho Chi Minh City 20 1 5. C3) 1 1 .gacl gac8 12.gfdl gfd8

17...Wi'd6t! This move was a novelty when I first began my analysis, but it has recently been played over the board. 1 7 ... llig4t 1 8.©g3 Wi'g5 1 9.©xf3 and Black has nothing! 1 9 ... Wi'h5 20.e4 Ele6 2 1 .©e2+­ Simantsev - Yagupov, Police 20 1 4. 18.@h3 1 8.c;t>gl llig4 leads to mate. 1 8 .g3 lll g4t 1 9.c;t>h3 Wi'e6 20.Wi'e4 lll xf2t loses the queen. 1 8...geS! A fantastic blow. 1 8 ...Wi'e6t 1 9.©h2 Wi'd6t is just a draw.

It is a good rule of thumb to remember to put your rooks on the same files as White. Moving the queen out of the way with C31) 13.Wbl is a natural and popular move, while C32) 13.g3 is the main alternative. White has also tried other moves:

192

Anti-Meran

1 3 ..!d3 e5! Of course! And now that our rook "salutes" White's queen this is even more favourable for Black. 1 3 ..!fl c5 14.cxdS cxd4N is a novelty suggested by the Slav expert Ragger in his Chess24 lectures: 1 5.l'l:xd4 exd5 1 6.l"\ddl li:le5 1 7.l&e2 ( 1 7.li:lxeS .!xe5 with the idea ... d4) l 7 ... li:lxf3t l 8.gxf3 l&e6 The position is unclear, but the weakened position of the white king gives Black his share of the chances.

Black takes the initiative; he is slightly better on the queenside. 17.a4 cxb3 18.tlJd2 h5 And on the kingside! 19.tDxb3 h4 20.i.g2 hxg3 21 .hxg3 ixg3! White had to play on a pawn down in Chuchelov - Shirov, Germany 2009. C32) 13.g3

C31) 13.'!Wbl a6 Always a useful move as preparation for the ... c5 break. 1 3 ... h6 and 13 . . . .!b8 are two other plausible choices. 14 ..tfl 1 4 ..!d3 has also been tried and here 1 4 ... cSN doesn't look bad. Waiting moves like ... h6 and ....!b8N also have their merits, as does the Kramnik plan (see below) with . . . b5.

13 .. cS The most straightforward reply. .

There is an interesting alternative though: 1 3 ....!b4!?

15.cxdS exd5 1 6.g3 c4!

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193

Chapter 1 5 - 7.b3 This idea is also applicable in the :!l:e 1 and :!l:d 1 lines. We want to provoke the weakening a2-a3 move. 1 4.ifl 14.a3N id6! ( 1 4 ...ixa3?! 1 S.ixa3 '1Wxa3 1 6.:!'fal and White wins the pawn back) l S.ifl a6 1 6.a4 cS 1 7.cxdS exdS 1 8.dxcS bxcS is given by Ragger. White will probably go 1 9.ig2 and after something like 1 9 ... :!l:b8, eying the b3-pawn, the position will be unclear. 1 4 ... cS Now that we can take on c3 at will, this move is a bit safer. l S.cxdS cxd4 1 6.ltJxd4 ixc3 1 7.d6 17.ixc3 ltJxdS 17 ... '1Wxd6 1 8.ixc3 lUdS 1 9.lUe2 '1Wb8 20.ig2 lUxc3 2 1 .lUxc3 ltJf6 22.:!l:xd8t Y2-Y2 Buhmann - Erdos, Deizisau 20 1 0. 14.cxd5 exd5 15.ifl tll f8 16 ..ig2 1 6.'IWb l N with the idea 1 6 ... ltJe6 17.ih3! looks like a more critical continuation to me. I'd advise Black to play 17 ... :!l:e8 followed by the unpinning ... :!l:cd8 as nothing really dangerous has happened. The position is still pretty closed, so Black can take his time to improve his coordination.

17.dxc5 Otherwise White constantly had to reckon with ... cxd4. Of course White could move his queen away from the range of the black rook with 1 7.'1We2N, but it wouldn't change the verdict: the position is balanced. 17....ixc5 Black was ready to play ... d4 in Buhmann Miron, Haguenau 20 1 3. Conclusion

7.b3 is met by 7 ... 0-0, when White has three main tries. 8.id3 is well answered by 8 ... e5! with good counterplay. 8.ib2 is also met strongly by the same central thrust 8 ... eS!. After the main move of 8.ie2! my preference is to finish development with 8 ... b6! 9.0-0 ib7 10.ib2 "!fie7, after which White chooses from three plans. Playing for an early e3-e4 often backfires for White. Black drives the white queen away from e4 with ... ltJf6 or even ... fS and then liberates his position with the typical break ... cS. If White centralizes his rooks on dl and el and then suddenly shifts gear by playing ifl (with the idea of g2-g3 and ig2) Black still strikes in the centre with . . . eS and solves all his problems. If White plays more positionally with his rooks on cl and d l then Black puts his rooks opposite on c8 and d8. The game is pretty calm and Black can free his position with a well-timed ... cS.

Anti-Meran a

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7. g4!? Variation Index 1 .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.�f3 �f6 4.� c3 e6 5.e3 � bd7 6.�c2 .id6 7.g4!? 7... h6! A) 8 ..id2 dxc4 9 ..ixc4 b5 Al) lO ..id3 A2) 10 ..ie2 .ib7 l l .e4 .ie7! A21) 12.g5 A22) 12.e5 B) 8.�gl e5! 9.cxd5 cxd5 Bl) 10.h4 B2) 10.�b5 .ib8 1 1.g5 hxg5 1 2.�xg5 e4 13 .id2 �b6 B21) 14.�cl B22) 14.�c5 C) 8.h3 •

B l ) after 1 5 .Wd!

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1 5 . ig4!N ..

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C)

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note r o

9.c5

C) after ! 6.Cll c 5

1 95 1 95 1 96 1 97 1 98 1 99 200 20 1 20 1 202 202

h

1 95

Chapter 1 6 - 7.g4!? 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.lll f3 lll f6 4.lll c3 e6 5.e3 lll bd7 6.'!Wc2 .id6 7.g4!?

of extra importance if White proceeds to castle long. Now he can try Al) 10 .id3 or the more popular A2) 10 .ie2. •

•

Al) 10 .id3 •

A sharp and courageous move. So much for all these positional considerations - now entertaining play is guaranteed! If Black takes on g4 White plays :E!gl with active play, while we also see another virtue of the Anti-Meran move 1Wc2: it prepares long casrling! 7 . .h6! I prefer to decline the gambit. The litrle move ... h6 prevents White's intended g4-g5, if only for a brief moment. White has three continuations, all of which lead to a complicated game: A) 8 ..id2, planning to castle long, B) 8.E:gl , which not so much protects the g4-pawn but rather prepares to advance it further, and finally the subtle C) 8.h3. .

A) 8 ..id2

1 1.E:gl E:c8 12.gS This is the usual continuation. A high-level game continued 1 2.a3, but after 1 2 ... c5! Black opens the position in his favour: 1 3.ctJxb5 .tb8 (now the knight is hanging) 1 4.\Wd l cxd4 1 5.exd4 llic5!? 1 6 ..te2 .txf3 1 7 ..txf3 ctJd3t 1 8.'tti e2 llixb2 1 9.1Wb3 llic4 Black has restored material equality and stands better. It is entertaining to see a bit more:

A logical move which has been employed occasionally by all the big names that have employed 7.g4. Today it is considered relatively harmless due to the typical Semi-Slav continuation: 8 ...dxc4 9..ixc4 b5 With counterplay on the queenside - this is a

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20 ..ib4 '1Wd7 2 1 .ttJc3 .ixh2! Either ....id6 or ... lt:l d6 will come next, after which Black will be able to castle, so Aronian tried: 22.g5 hxg5 23.E:xg5 ttJd2!? 24.'1Wa4 lt:lxf3 25.'1Wxd7t �xd7 26.�xf3 .id6! Black was definitely better at this stage although White managed to hold in Aronian - Vallejo Pons, Khanty-Mansiysk 2005 . 1 2...hxg5 13Jlxg5 1 3 .lt:lxg5 '1We7 followed by ... a6 with the idea . . . c5 was seen in Krasenkow - Vallejo Pons, Sanxenxo 2004, where Black was more than comfortably placed.

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1 1 . e4 By far White's most popular move. 1 l .g5?! hxg5 1 2.lt:lxg5 looks threatening, but in fact 12 ... b4 followed by ... c5 is great for Black. A practical game continued 1 3.lt:la4 c5 1 4.E:gl when Black could have taken on h2, but preferred the calmer:

14.lt:lxb5 .tbs+ Black had a crushing position in Bulushev Smirnov, Novokuznetsk 2007. A2) IO.ie2 ib7 This is the real starting position of the 8 ..id2 line. Black has a flexible and harmonious position while it is still unclear what White's grand offensive on the kingside will lead to.

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1 4 ...'1We7 1 5.dxc5 lt:lxc5 1 6.lt:lxc5 .ixc5 1 7.if3 id6 Black retained some advancage and eventually won in Romanov - Sjugirov, Sc Petersburg 2008. 1 1 .E:gl ?! E:c8! White cannot stop ... c5, so Black has a great position as the following examples clearly demonstrate: 1 2.g5 12.e4 c5! looks excellent for Black.

Chapter 1 6 - 7.g4!?

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l 2 ... hxg5 1 3.:gxg5 1 3.tlixg5, with the typical threat of taking on f7 and playing 'IWgGt, is met by the solid 1 3 ...'1We7. 1 3 ... b4 1 4.tlia4 1 4.tlie4 llixe4 1 5.'1Wxe4 gG 1 6.:gcl '1Wb6 l 7.h4 c5 was a bit better for Black in Nasybullin - Lafarga Santorroman, email 2007, a high-level correspondence game where Black prevailed. l 4 ... c5! l 5 .tlixc5 ixc5!? l 6.dxc5 tlie4 l 7.:gxg7 Wf6 1 8.:gg4 :gxc5 1 9.'1Wa4 tlixd2 20.tlixd2 :gxh2 2 1 .:gf4 :gh I t 22.ifl '1Wxb2-+ All this looked like a demolition job in Rajlich - Kaidanov, Gibraltar 2007. 8

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15.llixcS llixc:S 16.dxc:S gc8 17.Wfa4t l 7.ixb4 tlid7! gives Black excellent compensation for his two pawns. He is going to casde next and most probably win a pawn back, while the white king is hopelessly stationed in the centre of the board. 17 !c6 18.!bS !xb5 19.WfxbSt Wfd7 .•.

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1 1 ...!e7! I like this move best for practical reasons; it cuts the number of lines we need to remember as ... b4 and ... c5 simply come next. l l ... c5 is also possible but a bit more complicated. With g2-g4 White burned his bridges and now there is clearly no way back. He has to advance with A21) 12.gS or A22) 12.eS. A21) 12.gS hxg5 13.llixgS This allows Black to obtain active counterplay.

20 ... llixd7 21.i>e2 l:'!:h4! 22.l:'!:acl l:'!:xc5 23.gxcS !xc5

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Anti-Meran

Black has retained his material and has the better structure; he simply stands better.

14.fxe7 White has chosen chopping!

24.f4 Now Black came up with a brilliant move:

The quieter 1 4.bxc3 is no problem for Black after 1 4 ...i.xf6 (planning ... c5). 1 5.:gb l '1Mfc8 16.'\We4 8

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25 exf4 26.lll f3 :gh6!+ Black won this endgame in Carlsen Aronian, Linares 2009. .•.

A22) 12.eS h4! 13.exf6 bxc3

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l 6 ... :gb8!?N A novelty suggested by GM Ragger in his online lectures at Chess24 ( 1 6 ... lll b 6 planning ... c5 as in Borisova - Ovod, Dagomys 2008, isn't bad either). 1 7.i.f4 c5! This is the nice tactical point of Ragger's line. 1 8 .'IM!e3 cxd4 1 9.cxd4 i.xf3 20.:gxb8 (20.i.xb8? i.xh l ) 20 ... tt:lxb8 and Black follows up with castling, leaving him with the better structure, while White wishes his g-pawn was back on g2. 14...cxd2t 15.lll xd2 1 5.'IM!xd2 'IM!xe7 1 6.0-0 0-0 1 7.:gacl c5 was equal in Baranowski - Andriuschenko, email 2009. This is probably White's best course, as in our main line he faces some problems. 1 5 .. JWxe7 16 .if3 gbs It is all about the freeing move . . . c5. •

17.lll b3 0-0! 1 7 ...'IM!b4 t 1 8. '\Mld2 'IM!b5 was also fine for Black in Dreev - T.L. Petrosian, Moscow 2006, but we want more! 18.0-0-0

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Chapter 1 6 - 7.g4!? 1 8.0-0N is probably a better move, but aside from the ... c5 break with at least equality for Black, we might also try 1 8 ... W'fG 1 9.ig2 e5!i.

Now g4-g5 is always in the air, either directly or after being prepared by h2-h4. 8 ... e5! Black needs to find some counterplay and opening the centre with the white monarch at least two moves away from castling seems like the most principled approach. 9.cxd5 Other tries are clearly weaker: 9.id2 e4 1 0.lll h 4 was Lenic - Pavasovic, Ljubljana 2006, and finally we have a position where it is safe to take the pawn: 1 0 . . .ixh2! l l .l'!g2 ib8 1 2.0-0-0 lll b6 1 3.cxdS cxd5 14.ie2 id?+ 9.b3 0-0! 1 0.ib2 e4 l l .lll d2 lll b 8! 1 2.h3 lll a6 A clever regrouping. 1 3 .a3 l'!e8 14.ie2 lll c7 1 5.0-0-0 b5 1 6.c5 if8+± Black can often play ... a5 and . . . b4.

19.ixb7 :!hb7 20.dxc5 gc?!:j: Black is better.

9.h4?! exd4 1 0.lll xd4 lll e 5! 1 1 .gS hxg5 1 2.hxgS lll fg4 1 3.cxd5 c5!

21.@bl tlixc5 22.gcl gfc8 23.tlixc5 gxc5 24.W'd2 �f6 25.gxc5 gxc5 26.ggl gd5 27.�e2 �f4:+ Harika - Nakamura, Gibraltar 2008. B) 8.ggl

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There are two key ideas to remember after 9.h4: 1 0 ... lll e 5 and meeting cxd5 with ... c5!. 1 4.ie2 1 4.W'e4 cxd4 1 5.exd4 f5 1 6.W'e2 ( 1 6.gxf6 W'xf6 17.ie3 0-0 1 8.dxe5 ixe5 1 9.0-0-0 lll xe3 20.fxe3 if5-+ !stain - Suanol, corr. 2008) 1 6 ... 0-0 1 7.dxeS ixe5-+ Carroll Zielinski, email 20 1 1 .

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14 ... cxd4 1 5.exd4 �b6 1 6.tt:le4 This was Aleksandrov - Himanshu, Nagpur 20 1 2. Black had obtained an excellent position against his highly rated opponent but failed to find the best continuation: 16 ...ib4tN l 7.id2 ixd2t 1 8.�xd2 tt:lg6-+

1 2 ... hxgS 1 3.lll b 3 a6 1 4.id2 tt:lb6 1 5.a4 ie6 Black has a great position, with more space and harmonious pieces.

9 ...cxd5

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1 6.a5 tt:lbd7 1 7.ie2 E:c8 1 8.0-0-0 tt:l b8+ Bocharov - Sjugirov, Budva 2009.

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Now Bl) 10.h4 should not concern us at all, but B2) 10.t!JbS is more dangerous. Bl) 10.h4 This is too slow. 10 ...e4 1 1 .gS This aggressive attempt complications backfires.

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1 1...hxgS 1 2.hxgS ex£3 13.gxf6 t!Jxf6 14.id2 �fS Defending the g7-pawn. Black has control of the h-file and a pleasant position. 15.Wfdl 1 5.0-0-0 tt:lg4 1 6.iel ie6 17.�bl E:h2 (threatening ... tt:lxe3) 1 8.E:d2+ White's pieces are all tangled up.

creating

l 1 .lll d2 g5! Fixing the white pawn on g4. l 1 .. .tt:lb6 1 2.g5 hxg5 1 3.hxg5 lll h 7 1 4.f4 tll f8 was also reasonable for Black in Pauwels - Bubir, email 2009. 1 2.hxg5 1 2.Ei:h l 0-0 13.hxg5 hxg5 1 4.ic4! dxc4 1 5.lll dxe4 lll xe4 16.lll xe4 ib4t 1 7.id2 ixd2t 1 8.'ttixd2 'tti g7 1 9.E:h5 E:h8 gave White enough compensation to draw in Noire - Lafarga, email 2009, but no more than chat.

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1 5 ...ig4!N Black protects the important f3-pawn.

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Chapter 1 6 - 7.g4!? 1 5 ...ih2 1 6.E!:g5 ig4 was also fine for Black in Cornelisse - Hillarp Persson, Guernsey 2006. 16.tiJxd5? This combination is nicely refuted. The only real alternative was to sacrifice an exchange on g4, but that seems pretty desperate. 16... tiJxd5 17Jl:xg4

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White now has a choice between B21) 14.�cl or B22) 14.Wfc5. 1 4.h3 a6 1 5.ia5 if5 1 6.lll c3 ih2 1 7.E!:g2 ic7 1 8.Wb3 E!:c8+ Ji. Houska - Efremov, email 20 1 1 . B21) 14.�cl i.d7 8

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18 .. Wi'Mt! 19.E!:xh4 i.g3# .

B2) lO.tiJb5 It makes sense to chase the black bishop away. 10...i.bs 1 1.g5 l l .id2 e4 1 2.g5 ( 1 2.lll h4 was tried by Aronian in a rapid game against Topalov, but after 1 2 ... lll b 6 Black is already better) l 2 ... hxg5 l 3.lll xg5 transposes to the main line. Both sides can try to deviate of course, but to no avail. 1 1. .. hxg5 12.tlJxg5 e4 13.i.d2 White's idea is to play E!:cl . 13 ... tiJb6

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15.Wfc5 1 5.lll c?t is not dangerous: 1 5 ...ixc? 1 6.Wxc? Wxc7 1 7.E!:xc? E!:c8 1 8.E!:xb? E!:c2+ 1 5 ...i.c6 16.i.b4 1 6.ia5 E!:h6 covers d6. (The "simple" 1 6 ... lll fd?N 1 7.lll d6t ixd6 1 8.Wxd6 We? is also okay for Black.) 1 7.h3 lll fd7= Castro Salguero - De la Calle, corr. 20 1 3 .

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Anti-Meran

16 a6 l 6 ... tt:lc8 l 7.�h3 llie7 1 8.llidGt �xd6 1 9.1Wxd6 1Wxd6 20.�xd6 lt:J fg8 as in Velilla Velasco - Bokar, email 2010, also seems fine for Black and is maybe a rad more ambitious. .•.

14...i.fS! An important move that prepares ... tt:J fd7. 1 5.:!3cl c!ll fd7 16.c!ll d6t i.xd6 17.Wfxd6 Wfe7 Black repels the white initiative.

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17.c!ll d6t i.xd6 1 8.Wfxd6 Wfxd6 19.i.xd6 :!3c8 20.b3 i.d? 21 .:!3c7 :!3xc7 22.i.xc? c!ll a8 23.i.eS Black had equalized comfortably in Jonckheere - Goncharenko, email 20 1 1 , where a draw was agreed at this point. 23 . . . llih5 would be one way to play on - the chances are balanced. B22) 14.WfcS

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18.Wff4g6 19.h4 :!3c8 20.:!3xc8t c!llxc8 21.Wfc? lll db6 22.Wfg3 Wfd6 23.a3 f6 24.lll h3 Wfxg3 2s.fxg3 iif7 26.i.b4 lll e7 27.lll fl i.d7 Black has everything under control. 28.b3 lll c6 29.i.c3 lll c8 30.i.e2 lll d6 3 1 .'it>d2 a6 32.:!3cl lll fS 33.:!3gl lll d6 34.:!3cl lll fS Y2-Y2 Prohaszka - Banusz, Heviz 20 1 2. C) 8.h3

White prevents Black from castling.

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Chapter 1 6 - 7 .g4!?

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A surpnsmg but quite clever move. After having played g2-g4 you would expect White to keep throwing aggressive moves at us - as we have seen in the previous lines. But instead we face 8.h3, with White simply protecting g4 and securing his structure. We should appreciate that White actually stays flexible and can react according to our next move. So what should we do? 8 ...a6!

We answer with a flexible move of our own! Black has a plethora of ideas, such as ... e5 or ... c5 or ... b5, but again we wait and see what White does. The straightforward 8 ... e5 is the alternative, and isn't bad, but White can create complications in many lines. An example is GM Ivanisevic's proposal in Chess Informant Labs: 9 .i.d2 0-0 1 0.0-0-0 e4 l 1 .lt:l h4 �e8 1 2.lt:lf5 i.f8 l 3.lt:lg3. The analysis continues 13 ... lt:lb6 1 4.c5 lt:lbd7 1 5.ie2 b6 1 6.h4 with unclear play, which is a fair assessment.

9 . .ie7 I prefer this square. Next we can attack the white centre with ... b6, and if cxb6 then ... c5. .

9 ... ic7 1 0.i.d2 e5 l l .dxe5 lt:lxe5 12.lt:lxe5 i.xe5 1 3.0-0-0 We? seems just about okay for Black as well.

9.c5 The expected reply. After 9.�gl Black can keep playing rhe waiting game with: 9 ...We7 (9 ... dxc4 1 0.i.xc4N b5 l 1 .i.e2 c5 is not bad either) . After 1 0.i.d2 dxc4 1 l .i.xc4 b5 l 2.i.e2 c5 Black has excellent play, for instance: 1 3.dxc5 lt:lxc5 1 4.b4 lt:lcd7 1 5.lt:ld4 ib7 1 6.a4 0-0 1 7.g5 hxg5 1 8.�xg5 �fc8 1 9.Wb2 bxa4 20.�xa4 lt:le5 2 1 .b5 lt:l fd7 22.f4 lt:lc5 White was already in trouble in Sakhabeev - Alderisio, corr. 20 1 2. 9.b3 e5! We have met this quite a few times throughout this part of the book: 1 O.i.b2 ( 1 0.cxd5N cxd5 and the a6-pawn prevents lt:lb5. l 1 .dxe5 lt:lxe5 12.lt:lxe5 i.xe5 13.ib2 i.e600 and Black is fin e.) 10 ... e4 l 1 .lt:ld2 We? 12.i.e2 b5 1 3.h4

12.lll a4 Otherwise Black is very comfortable. 12 ... lll e4 Of course nor 1 2 ... lt:lxb6? 1 3.ia5.

204

Ami-Meran

13.ia5 White protects the pawn. Obviously this is a critical move but my engine flagged up another option, at least initially: 1 3.dxc5N lt:ldxc5 14.ib4 lt:ld7! Black has his share of the chances. l 5.ia5 ( l 5 .ixe7 "h8 1 4.�xf7 ltJ b6 1 5 .ib3 was Swapnil - Borovikov, Rethymno 20 1 4, and now Ragger on

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209

Chapter 1 7 - 7.id3 - Introduction another route. l 7.ic4 ie6! Neutralizing the white pressure. l 8.lll xe6 lll xe6 l 9.b3 :gad8 20.i.b2 ih2t 2 1 .@hl ie5f± Selyanchin - Mrazik, corr. 2005. If 22.f4 then simply 22 ... i.d6, when the annoying ...i.b4 is always in the air.

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13... a6! A strong prophylactic move. I once chose to take immediately on d4 upon reaching this position, which wasn't that bad, but afterwards I began to prefer the more subrle approach of the text move. It is worth checking 1 3 ... exd4 1 4.exd4 lll f8, when White has a) 1 5.ie3 or b) 1 5.d5!.

I think this is best. 16 ... :gad8 1 7.d5! cxd5 1 8.ixa7 happened in Jumabayev - Schandorff, Istanbul (ol) 20 1 2, when I should have continued 1 8 . . . :gc8N, but White is somewhat better. 1 6 ...\Mf a5 is another improvement: 1 7.ixe6 lll xe6 1 8 .\Mfb3 \Mi'a6 1 9.d5 Again this break. Here it makes sure that Black can never play for a win - but fortunately neither can White! 1 9 ... lll xd5 20.lll xd5 cxd5 2 1 .l:'!:xd5 :gad8 22.:gcd 1 ic7 23.:gxd8 :gxd8 l/2-1/z Murdzia - Su.B. Hansen, Schwetzingen 20 1 3. 1 7.Wxb3 a6 1 8.d5 c5 1 9.a4 E1ac8 The chances are equal. b) 1 5.d5! gives White some initiative according to Ragger after 1 5 ... c5 1 6.lll b 5t. 14.�a2 White doesn't have any really useful moves. l 4...exd4 l 5.exd4 1 5.lll xd4 lll c5 and Black gets his pieces our: 1 6.b4 lll ce4 1 7.lll xe4 lll xe4 1 8.f3N lll f6 1 9.e4 lll h 5f± 15... tll fS

a) 1 5.ie3 i.e6 1 6.:gacl

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Anti-Meran

16.ie3 l 6.d5 c5+ Here we can really appreciate the inclusion of ... a6: there is no lll b 5.

Bl) 1 1.e4 eS

16...ie6 17.he6 tDxe6= Borsari - M. Brunello, Porto Rio 20 1 4. B) 9 .. bS IO.ie2 .

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This bishop retreat is flexible and sound. Next White will play :1l:dl , with potential pressure along the cl-file and against the black queen. Often White will then advance in the centre with e3-e4 which Black will be more or less obliged to meet with ... e5 - thus creating dynamic tension. It turns out that Black's pieces are well placed for tactical infighting though, so the harder White pushes, the more dangerous he makes it for himself! The popular 1 0.id3 is the subject of the next chapter. 10....tb7 Now Bl) l 1 .e4 is the most direct. As mentioned above, starting with B2) 1 1 .gdl is perhaps even more logical and definitely more common.

12... tlJxeS 13.tlJd4 An important alternative is: l 3.lll h 4 This demands a different response than the main move. 1 3 ...icS! In this case Black needs to be ready to chop on f5. 1 3 ... b4 14.lll f5 bxc3 1 5.:1l:d l led to complications that favoured White slightly in Aronian - Shirov, Germany 20 1 2. Instead 1 3 . . . tll eg4? achieves nothing after l 4.h3 as, unlike the main line, there is no loose knight on d4. Now typical play would be: 14.tll f5 ixf5 1 5.exf5 :1l:e8 16.ig5 h6 17.ih4 tll ed7 l 8.if3 So far this is Heinke - Schubert, email 2007, and here Black can play: 1 8 .. .'IWc?N Followed by ... :1l:ac8, with balanced play. 13 ... tlJeg4! Black has to fight for the initiative.

21 1

Chapter 1 7 - 7.id3 - Introduction 14.g3 ic5! I also analysed 14 ...ixg3 1 5.hxg3 '1Wxd4 1 6.'\Wdl '\Wxdl 1 7.i:'i:xdl as well as 1 4 ...'1Wb6, but nothing appealed to me. 15.ttif5 �es After a pretty quiet opening, the position is already extremely complicated. 1 6.if4 White makes an active developing move. He should think twice before exchanging his light­ squared bishop for the annoying knight on g4: 1 6.ixg4 lll xg4 1 7.if4 '1Wb6 1 8.'1We2 1 8 .i:'i:adl i:'i:ad8 doesn't represent any kind of problem for Black, as has been shown in a few correspondence games in my database. 1 8 ... lll f6 1 9.e5 if8 20.ie3 c5 2 1 .exf6 '1Wxf6 s

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Despite being a full piece down, Black is fine! His bishop on the long diagonal pointing towards the white king is a monster. 22.g4 22.'1Wxb5 ia6 23.'1Wd7 ixfl 24.lll d 5 '1Wd8 25.'1Wxd8 i:'i:axd8 26.lll h 6t and White escaped with a draw in Johansson - Klochan, corr. 20 1 3. 22 ... b4 23.lll d l g6 24.lll g3 '1Wc6 25.f3 ia6 26.'1Wf2 ixfl 27.lll xfl c4 Black had the initiative and went on to win in Sebenik - Oiermair, Bad Gleichenberg 20 1 3.

1 6...'?Mb6 17.c;t>g2 g6! An excellent proposal by Markus Ragger. 1 7 ... lll xf2 1 8.e5 lll d7 1 9.b4 ixb4 20.�xf2 lll xe5 2 1 .lll e4 (2 1 .lll xg7 c5t was fine for Black in Wagner - Shirov, Germany 20 1 4) 2 1 ...c5 22.'tt> fl ixe4 23.'1Wxe4 lll g6 24.'1Wd5 lt:lxf4 25.lll e?t 'tt> h 8 26.�xf4 c4 27.lll c6 White went on to win in Giri - Shirov, Hoogeveen 20 1 4.

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18.h3 Black is fine after 1 8 .lll h 6tN lll xh6 19.ixh6 id4 planning ... a6 and ... c5, as he is after 1 8.ixg4N lll xg4 1 9.h3 gxf5 20.hxg4 fxe4 when the bishop will go to d4. 18 ...gxfSN 1 8 ... lll e S was played in two correspondence games, but I think Black is more comfortable after the text move. 19.hxg4 !d4 This is the simplest way to play the position. Black makes sure he will get the important freeing move ... c5 in. 20.gxfS .ixc3 21.bxc3 2 1 .'1Wxc3 lll xe4 22.'1Wc2 c5 23.if3 c4 24.ie3 Wa6� 21. ..cS 22.f3

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1 1 ...Wfc7 12.e4 1 2.id2 mes Preparing to strike with ... e5. 12 ... b4 1 3.lLia4 c5 1 4.:1'1acl :1'1fc8 was played by Shirov recently and seems like a clear-cut equalizer. 1 3.b4 1 3.:gacl threatens lt:Jxb5. 1 3 ...:1'1ac8 1 4.b4 e5 1 5.id3 h6 1 6.h3 exd4 1 7.exd4 lt:Jb6 1 8.Wfb3 a6 1 9.:1'1el :1'1cd8 20.a4 :1'1xel t 2 1 .:1'1xel ic8 and Black was at least equal in Sechuraman - Le Quang, Subic 20 1 0.

22... tllxe4 Black has interesting compensation for the exchange after 22 ... :!':'i:xe4 23.:!':'i:ael :!':'i:xf4! 24.gxf4 lt:Jd5 or even 24 ... c4, but it is not easy for me to tell if chis is totally adequate or not. 23.:gael c4 24.Lc4 A counter-combination. Now the game quickly fizzles out. White could try 24.id l but after 24 ... lt:J f6 or 24 ... lt:Jc5 the game is unclear. 24...bxc4 25.fxe4 Wfc6 26.iih3 :gxe4 27.Wfxe4 Wfxe4 28.:gxe4 ixe4 Black has nothing to worry about in chis rook and opposite-coloured bishop endgame. B2) 1 1 .:gdl

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1 3 ... e5 1 3 ...ixb4 1 4.lt:Jxb5± 1 4.h3 a6 1 5.a3 h6 1 6.id3 :gad8 1 7.:1'1acl exd4 1 8.exd4 lt:Jb6 Black is positionally fine. He can relocate the bad bishop on b7 via c8 to the excellent square e6. 1 9.:1'1el ic8 20.:1'1xe8t 20.lt:Je2 Wfb8 2 l .Wfxc6?! ixh3! and Black is threatening ... :1'1c8. 20 ...:1'1xe8 2 1 .:1'1el :1'1xe l t 22.ixel ie6 As seen in Timoscenko - Pavasovic, Sc Valentin 2004. Black is slightly better. 12 e5 We have reached another critical position, with White now choosing between B21) 13.ig5, B22) 13.dxe5 and B23) 13.g3. •..

Chapter 1 7 - 7.id3 - Introduction B21) 13 ..igS exd4 A typical exchange that secures the important e5-square for a piece.

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17.llidl ib4 18,gd4 iaS Black is fine. The following game is a nice example of how he can develop a long-term initiative:

14,gxd4 White cannot recapture with 1 4.lll xd4?! due to 1 4 ... b4.

B22) 13.dxe5 llixe5 1 5.g3 Defending against ... lll xf3t followed by . . .ixh2t. l 5.ixf6 gxf6 The doubled pawns are not really weak and the black king is perfectly safe - at least for the moment - so this is a double­ edged strategy. 1 6.g3 b4 1 7.lll d l ( l 7.lll a4 c5 was fine for Black in Manso Gil - Williamson, email 2008) 17 ... c5 1 8.:!:'i:d2 f5 19.lll e3 ixe4 20.lll d 5 '1Wd8 was equal in Ballow - Efremov, email 201 1 . 1 5 ...icS! 16,gd2 llifg4! Black's tricky piece play nicely keeps the balance. White has to tread carefully so as not to stumble. 14...icS

214

Anti-Meran B23) 13.g3 E:fe8

Black removes the bishop in advance and eyes the tempting f2-square. Dangerous moves like ... lll eg4 and ... '1Wb6 are already on the map of potential attacking ideas.

Black improves his position before the tension in the centre is released.

15.if4 1 5.h3 '1Wb6 1 6.ie3 l'l:ad8 17.lll f5 ixe3 1 8.lt:lxe3 g6 1 9.l'l:acl Yi-Y2 Adorjan J. Horvath, Budapest 1 99 1 .

14.dxe5 1 4.ig5 exd4 1 5.lll xd4 b4 starts a forcing combination: 1 6.lll f5 ic5 1 7.if4 Wa5 l 8.lll a4

15 ...hd4 A small liquidation. 16.E:xd4 tlif.3t 17.ix£3 '1Nxf4 Black is fine. 18.E:cl 1 8.lll e2 °1We5 1 9.l'l:cl l'l:fe8 20.b4 (20.Wc5N Wxc5 2 l .l'l:xc5 l'l:ad8 22.l'l:cl l'l:xd4 23.lll xd4 lll xe4 is equal according to Ragger on Chess24) 20 ... a5 2 1 .a3 axb4 22.axb4 l'l:ac8 23.Wc5 Wxc5 24.l'l:xc5 l:'!c7 25.l:'!cl ©f8 26.lll g 3 g6 27.h4 l:'!d7 28.lll e2 Y2-Y2 Figura - D. Fischer, corr. 2009.

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1 8 ...ixf2t! 1 9.©g2 (not 1 9.©xf2 lll xe4t and the knight on f5 hangs) Now simplest would probably have been 1 9 ... cSN 20.lll d6 ic6 with interesting play.

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16 ...ixg3! 17.hxg4 ltixg4 With a strong attack for the piece. This has been tested in email and computer games and the position somehow seems to be in balance. Over the board though it is much more fun to attack than defend! 1 8.ie3 ltixe3 19.fxe3 �e6 Getting ready to transfer the rook to the kingside.

24.ltixe5 Wfxe5 25.e4 b4 26.ltia4 Wfg3t 27.Wfg2 Wf e3t White can escape the checks, but only temporarily. 28.Wffl Wfg5t 29.'it>hl c5 30.ltixc5 �xe4 3 1..ixe4 ixe4t 32.'it>h2 Wfh5t 33.'it>g3 W/g5t 34.'it>h2 Wfh5t= Conclusion

The old move 9 ... e5 can be a good alternative to the modern main line 9 ... b5 if Black follows up with 1 0.i.b3 h6!. The idea is to play ...Vffc7, ...E\e8, ... tt:l f8 and finally ...i.e6. I haven't seen White demonstrate any advantage whatsoever against this simple plan. The line with i.e2 instead of i.d3 is perhaps more positional by nature, but still play tends to become quite sharp, because White's only chance for an advantage is connected with advancing his e-pawn - and Black will always meet e4 with ... e5, when already there is tension. Extensive analysis shows that the game is balanced.

Anti-Meran 7.id3 Main Line -

Variation Index 1.d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.tlJf3 tlJ f6 4.tlJc3 e6 5.e3 tlJ bd7 6.�c2 i.d6 7.i.d3 dxc4 8.i.xc4 0-0 9.0-0 bS 10.i.d3 1 0...ib7 A) 1 1 .e4 B) 1 1 .a3 �c8 Bl) 12.tlJgS c5! Bl 1) 13.tlJxh7 B12) 13.i.xh7t B2) 12.�dl cS! B21) 13.ixbS B22) 13.tlJxbS B3) 1 2.b4 c5! 13.bxcS ixf3 B3 1) 14.gxf3 B32) 14.cxd6 tlJdS 1 5.gxf3 �gSt! 16.@hl �h5 B32 1) 17.ixh7t B322) 17.ie2 B2) afcer 1 2.:Sd 1

1 2 . . c5! .

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B32) nore ro move 1 7

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Chapter 1 8 - 7 .!d3 - Main Line I .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tll f3 tll f6 4.tll c3 e6 5.e3 tll bd7 6.'!Wc2 id6 7.id3 dxc4 8.ixc4 0-0 8 ... b5 9.id3 ib7 1 0.0-0 0-0 is an alcernative move order to reach the lines in this chapter. 9.0-0 h5 10.id3 ih7

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1 1...e5 12.h3 Now the simplest is: 12...a6 13.dxe5 tllxe5 14.tll xe5 ixe5 15.ie3 ge8! Shirov's move l 5 ... c5 is interesting, but it probably doesn't completely equalize after 1 6.ixc5 Ei:e8 1 7.Ei:adl '1Wc7 1 8.llid5 llixd5 1 9.exd5 g6 20.ie4. 1 6.�fdl 1 6.Ei:ae l ? c5 1 7.ixcS l:l:c8+

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White can play the direct A) 1 1 .e4, but B) 1 l .a3 is much more popular. l

1 .llig5 conquers the e4-square, but l l ...h6 1 2.llige4 llixe4 1 3.llixe4 ie7 is fine for Black nevertheless. For example, 1 4.Ei:d 1 '\Wb6 and Black went . . . c5 next in Eljanov - Aronian, Moscow 20 10. A) 1 1 .e4 17.tll e2 c5! 18.ixc5 '1Wc7 19.f3 ixh2 20.'\Wxh2 '1Wxc5t 21 .'\Wd4 This position was seen in Topalov - Aronian, Nanjing 2008, which is the only game Black has lost in my database; all che ochers after that were draws! In all che games White preserved a very small edge by putting the bishop on b3 after 2 1 ...'\We7 22.ic2 and alchough this is nothing critical, I still think that Black could benefit from seeking a new move at chis point - ac lease in a practical game.

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Anti-Meran White's chree options ac this point are Bl) 12.tlig5, B2) 12.E:dl and B3) 1 2.b4. Bl) 12.tlig5 A natural move. White attacks h7 and expects to win a tempo to transfer the knight to e4, from where it contributes to the fight for the important c5-square. Sometimes your good intentions are not in complete sync with reality, and here Whice is in for a rude awakening.

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22.ic2 E:adS 23.\Wb6 E:bS 24.\Wa7 E:e7! 25.\We3 E:d7 Black gees ready to double rooks on the d-file; che position seems equal to me. B) l l.a3 Aimed against Black's chreat of ... b4 followed by ... c5. 1 1 ... E:cS

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12...c5! Blasting the board open! Black simply ignores the attack on h7 and makes this freeing move which, by che way, also leaves b5 en prise. Such a pawn sacrifice typifies all that dynamic chess is about. Compare the position before and after the move ... c5 and norice che big difference in che black army. After this surprising move the slumbering bishop on b7 has awoken and, rogecher with its colleague on d6, exerts some mighty firepower cowards che enemy king. Also, the rook on c8 can suddenly be felt by the white queen. The baccle is already extremely intense and ic will only increase during che following moves. Theoretically speaking we are jusc abouc co begin. Everything has been known since che amazing victory by Anand over Aronian cwo years ago. Back chen ic was impossible for White to work

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Chapter 1 8 - 7.!d3 - Main Line out all the complications at the board, but these days we know that the position is still in balance! Of course we must examine both captures on h7: Bl I) 13.i!lixh? and B12) 13.hl?t. BU) 13.i!lixh7 Again this is met by a counter-attacking move. 13... llig4!

14.£4 Aronian's choice. 1 4.h3 !h2t 1 5.�h l '®h4 Black has a lot more play than White would like. 1 6.!e4 1 6.d5 Trying to block the bishop on b7 has been analysed by Scherbakov and Aagaard as leading to approximately equal play, but I'd like to propose a move neither considered: 1 6 ...ie5!?N The idea is to next play ... llidf6 with an excellent game. If White grabs the exchange with l 7.llixf8 2"1:xf8 then dark clouds will soon gather above the white king after ...llidf6, when Black's pieces are extremely active and threatening!

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1 6 ...ixe4 1 7.'®xe4 f5 1 8.'®xe6t 'tt>xh7 1 9.'®xd7 This was Iljin - Shaginjan, Astrakhan 20 1 3 . At the minimum, Black has the idea of ...ib8 , forcing the king to g l , and then drawing whenever he likes with ... ih2t again. 14 ...cxd4 1 5.exd4 Grabbing the exchange must also be critical: 1 5.llixf8N ixf8 1 6.h3 1 6.exd4 llidf6 followed by ... '®xd4t is fantastic for Black. 1 6 ... dxc3 1 7.hxg4 '®h4! You can find 17 ... lli f6 analysed in Aagaard's Attack and Defence. His main line runs l 8.2"1:d 1 g6 1 9.bxc3 llixg4 20.ie4 '®h4 2 1 .ixb7 ic5 22.ixc8 ixe3t 23.'tt> fl Wfh lt 24.'tt> e2 1,Wxg2t 25.'it>d3 1Mfd5t with perpetual.

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1 8.g5 White must prevent ... lli f6, or else the knight coming to g4 with the queen already at h4 will spell trouble for him.

220

Anti-Meran

1 8 ... lLicS! 19.ie2 cxb2 l 9 ... lLie4 20.if3 cxb2 also gives Black adequate councerplay. 20.'Wxb2 g6 2 l .id2 ig7 22.'Wb 1 ixal 22 ... lLie4!? 23.iel lLig3 24.ixg3 'Wxg3 25.if3 ixal 26.ixb7 'Wxe3t 27.\t>h2 E'.c7 (27 ...ie5!? draws as well) 28.'Wxal E:xb7 29.E'.f3 'Wc5 30.E'.c3 '\Wf8 3 1 .E'.h3 'Wg7 32.'Wcl E:b8 33.'Wc7 E:a8 34.'Wb7 and with precise play White has managed to save the endgame. 23.'Wxa 1 lLie4 24.iel lLig3 25.ixg3 'Wxg3 26.if3 ie4 The chances seem to be equal, although I'd like to be Black in a practical game.

17.ixg4 ixd4t 1 8.�hl tll xg4 19.tlixfS f5 20.tlig6 Wff6 2 1.h3 Wfxg6 22.Wfe2 'WhS 23.Wfd3 ie3 0-1 Aronian - Anand, Wijk aan Zee 20 1 3 . Bl2) 13.ixh?t This must be the critical continuation. 13 ... �hS 14.£4! White allows his bishop to be trapped on h7. The alternative l 4.ie4 lll xe4 l 5.lll gxe4 ib8 is risky. Black is threatening ...'\Wh4, and if 1 6.g3 then 1 6 ... b4 gives Black the advantage.

1 5 ...ic5! The start of some truly amazing attacking chess. 16.ie2 White could avoid disaster with 1 6.dxc5 lll xc5 1 7.lll xf8 lll xd3 1 8.h3 '\Wd4t 1 9.mhl lll d f2t 20.E:xf2 although Black is of course better: 20 ... lll xf2t 21 .mh2 lll d 3!?+ Aagaard.

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1 6... tll de5!! Wow! Another stunning move. This really shows what deep computer analysis is capable of Aronian wasn't given a chance to get back in the game.

15.Lgxg7 25.tll e6t ©f7 26.lll xf8 lll xf8 27.g5 d4 28.lll d l lll d 5=

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1 9.We2 'tt>g7 20.d5 White gives a pawn back to fight for the initiative. It quickly turns our that the position is balanced despite the unusual material. (20.dxc5N E!:xc5 2 l .a4 tll e6 22.'tt>h l Vfic6 and Black's counterplay is evident. A sample line is 23.id2 a6 24.tll a3 tll e4 25.iel Wxa4; 20.b4N cxb4 2 1 .axb4 id5=) 20 ... lll xd5 2 1 ..id2 E!:e8 22.E!:adl lll h7 23.e4 lll hf6 24.tll c3 ia6 25.Wf3 ixfl 26.©xfl lll xc3 27.ixc3 Wc6 28.©gl E!:xe4 29.E!:dS ixf4 30.ixf6t Wxf6 3 1 .l:l:d7t l:l:e7 32.E!:xe7t Wxe7 33.Wxf4 Wel t 34.Wfl Wd2 35.Wb l c4 36.h3 Y1-Y1 Helbich - Rodriguez Amezqueta, corr. 20 1 3. 17 ...�eS 18.�h6t @gs 19.liJc3 a6

20 ..id2N cxd4 2 1 .exd4 With the rook coming to e l the move 2 1 ...WhS is not as good as in the main line, although it may still be playable. Anyway Black has a nice way to activate his dark­ squared bishop. 2 1 . ..ia7 22.l::i:a el e5! 23.fxeS ixd4t 24.©h l ixe5 25.Wh3

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25 ... E!:c4! This is simplest. 25 ... Wg6 leads to a draw: 26.We6t 'kt>g7 27.l:l:xf6 (27.l:l:xe5 l:l:ce8 28.E!:xf6 lll xf6 29.Wd6 l:l:d8 30.We7t 'tt>g8 3 1 .lll f3 i.xf3 32.l'l:gS Wxg5 33.i.xg5 l'l:de8 34.ixf6 E!:xe7 35.ixe7 l'l:e8 36.i.h4 i.c6=) 27 ... lll xf6 28.Wxe5 l'l:fe8 29.Wg3 lll h 5 30.Wh4 l::i:xe l t 3 1 .Wxel l'l:e8 32.Wf2 Wf6

222

Anti-Meran

33.'tt> g l Wxf2t 34.'tt> xf2 tt'i f6= 26.if4 lll h 5 27.ixe5 Ei:xfl t 28.Ei:xfl lll xe5 29.Wf5 We7= 20 ... cxd4 21.exd4 Wfh5! Black solves all his problems. We will follow the correspondence game until the end:

B2) 1 2.l:!dl Computers like this move at first, but today it has been established that White has nothing after the thematic:

22.Wfxh5 After 22.Wxe6t 'it>h8 White has a lot of pawns, but his king is nervous. 22 ... ctJxh5 23.ctJxe6 l:!feS 24.f5 ctJg7 25.ctJxg? 'it>xg7 Now White has no fewer than five pawns for the piece! Still, the pawns are under control and the pieces are very strong. 26..igS l2Jf6 27.l:!adl �f7 28.d5 lll g4 29.g3 l:!xc3! 30.bxc3 l:!e2=

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12 ...cS! Here there are no problems on h7, but b5 hangs! White can take it with either his bishop or knight - and he has to take it, otherwise Black just has great play for free: B21) 13.hb5 or B22) 13.ctJxbS. B21) 13 ..ixb5 i.xf.3 This is the justification. The white pawn structure is weakened.

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31 .h3 .ia7t 32JM4 .ixd4t A draw was agreed here in Boege - Eckert, corr. 2014. Play might have continued: 33.cxd4 ctJe3 34..ixe3 l:!xe3 35.�f2 l:!xa3 36.l:!cl .ixd5 37.l:!c5 .ie4 38.g4 l:!f.3t 39.'it>e2 l:!xh3 40.gS l:!g3 41.f6 The white king keeps an eye on the a-pawn, so Black doesn't have any realistic chances to win.

14.gxf.3 cxd4 15.l:!xd4 l 5.exd4 tll d 5 is positionally terrible for White. 1 5 ....ie5 16.l:!dl After 1 6 .Ei:d3 Ei:c5 1 7.ixd? tt'ixd7 (planning ...Wg5t) 1 8.e4 f5 Black has the initiative. 1 9.f4 ixc3 20.Wdl (if 20.Ei:xc3N then 20 ...Wh4 forces the draw, but Black could also play on with 20 . . . Ei:xc3 2 1 .Wxc3 tt'if6) 20 ... Ei:c? 2 1 .exf5 Ei:xf5 22.bxc3 We? 23.l:!b l tt'ib6 Black was fine in Bronnikov - Eshuis, corr. 20 1 3, despite being a pawn down.

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Chapter 1 8 - 7 .id3 - Main Line 16.. Jk5 17.'1Ne2 1 7 .a4N tlid5 and once again Black can follow up with ... 'Wh4, for example 1 8.f4 'Wh4 1 9.fxe5 'Wg4t 20.©fl 'Wh3t 2 1 .iie2 tlixe5 with an attack for the piece.

1 5 ... tlie5 Another key move. White can keep an extra pawn, but Black will have tremendous activity. 16.f4 1 6.tlixd4 tlixd3 1 7.'Wxd3 tlid5 1 8.f4 'Wh4� gave Black dangerous counrerplay in Cusicanqui - Alzola, email 2009. 1 6 ... tlixd3 17.�xd3 White should keep control of the g4-square.

l 7.'Wxd3N tlig4 Threatening ...'Wh4. 1 7 ...'Wd? planning to put the rook on e8 or d8 is another sound idea. 1 8.h3 'Wh4! 1 9.hxg4 'Wxg4t 20.iifl 20.iih l ?? �c5 mates quickly. 8 7 6

1 8.f4 ixc3 19.bxc3 tlid5 Black's compensation is at least enough for equality. B22) 13.tlixb5 ixf3 14.gxf3 1 4.tlixd6 i.xdl+ 14... cxd4 15.\!Ne2

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20 ... Elc5 2 1 .'We2 If 2 1 . iie 1 then Black can choose to give a perpetual check with 2 1 ...'Wgl t (and if the king goes to e2 check on g4 etc.) or play the endgame arising after 2 1 ...Elh5 22.'We2 'Wxe2t 23.©xe2 Ei:xb5 24.Ei:xd4 Ei:b6 followed by ... Ei:c8 next, which seems equal and arises in the main line as well. 2 1 .. .'Wxe2t 22.©xe2 Elxb5 Transposing to the line mentioned above. 17... tlid5 A nice centralization. Black could also complicate even more with: l 7 ... e5!?

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Ami-Meran White has a pretty bad bishop and a weak king. These elements give Black adequate compensation for his pawn. An example continued:

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1 8.llixa? l 8.fxe5 i.xe5 1 9 .f4 i.b8 with ... !l:e8 coming up seems risky for White with such a weak king. Black is at least equal. l 8 ... Ei:c4 Threatening . . . 'i!ffc7. 1 9.b3 !'!:c3 20.llib5 20.exd4?! !l:xd3 2 1 .'i!ffxd3 exf4+ 20 ... !l:xd3 2 1 .'i!ffxd3 exf4 22.exf4 22.llixd6 'i!ffxd6 23.'i!ffxd4 'i!ffe6 24.'i/ffxf4 'i!ffxb3 and due to the weak white king, Black has adequate compensation for the pawn. 22 . . . E':e8 23.i.d2 llie4 24.!'!:el llixd2 25.E':xe8t 'i!ffxe8 26.llixd6 'i!ff el t Y2-Y2 Scheiba - Podvoysky, corr. 2014. 27.Wg2 'i!ffe6 28.'i!ffxd2 'i!ffxd6 White's king is so weak that he cannot take advantage of his extra pawn. 1 8.l£ixd6 "i!ffxd6 19.!'!:xd4 "i!ffe7

20."i!ff dl "i/fff6 21.id2 h6 22.h3 "i!ffg6t 23.@h2 :gc2 24.b4 :gfcg 25."i!ffgl "i!fff5 26.e4 "i!fff6 27.e5 "i!ffh4 28."i!ffg3 "i!ffxg3t 29.@xg3 g6 30.@f3 @g7 3 l.:gd3 a6 32.ie3 :gsc4 Y2-Y1 Schuster - Haugen, corr. 20 1 3. B3) 12.b4 This obvious move stops ... c5 once and for all and renders Black's last rook move a complete waste of time; or does it?

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12... cS! No, Black plays it anyway. The rook stands well on c8 opposite the white queen. This factor is the deep tactical justification of the surprising pawn thrust. Now play can become very forcing, which is perhaps not to everybody's liking, but this is modern opening theory. 13.bxcS ixf3 White has his pick of bishops to capture: B31) 14.gxf3 or B32) 14.cxd6.

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Chapter 1 8 - 7.�d3 - Main Line B31) 14.gxf3 tlixc5! 15.dxc5 :Sxc5

19.�xh7t!?N 1 9.Ei:fcl Ei:c8 20.ib4 Ei:xc2 2 1 .Ei:xc2 Wxc2 22.ixc2 ixb4 23.axb4 El:xc2 24.Ei:xa7 g5 25.fXg5 (25.Ei:b7 gxf4 26.exf4 Ei:c4 and Black holds quite easily as in Miron - Czarnota, Katowice 20 1 2.) 25 . . . Ei:c4 26.f4 Ei:xb4 Black is safe. A nice example was:

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16.f4 On 1 6.ib2 Black can draw immediately with a second piece sacrifice: 1 6 . . .ixh2t! 1 7.'it>xh2 Ei:h5t 1 8.'it>g2 Ei:g5t 1 9.'if1h3 Ei:h5t 20.'it>g2 Ei:g5t 2 1 .'it>h3 Ei:h5t 22.'if1g2 Ei:g5t V2-V2 Malakhatko - Khismatullin, St Petersburg 20 1 2. 16 ... tlid5 17.�b2 tlixc3 1 8.�xc3 Wic? Now White has the choice to enter some slightly better rook endgames, but in all cases Black has sufficient resources to draw the game without too much trouble.

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27.'if1g2 Ei:b2t 28.'it>g3 Ei:e2 29.Ei:a3 h6! 30.h4 h5 3 l .Ei:b3 'it>g7 32. 'it>f3 Ei:h2 33. ©g3 Ei:e2 34.©f3 Ei:h2 35.©g3 Ei:e2 Yz-V2 Erdos Banusz, Heviz 20 12. 19...i>hs 20.Ei:acl Ei:c8 21 .Ei:fdl Ei:xc3 22.Wixc3 Wffxc3 23.Ei:xc3 Ei:xc3 24.Ei:xd6 i>xh7 25.:Sa6 :Sc7 This endgame is slightly annoying for Black as he has to stay passive for some time, bur don't worry - "all rook endgames are drawn!" 26.'it>g2 'it>g6 27.i>f.3 :Sb7 28.:Sa5 28.h4 'it>h5 29.©g3 Ei:e7 30.Ei:a5 Ei:b7 3 1 .f3 is another plan, but after 3 1 ... ©g6 32.e4 (32.©g4 f5t 33.©g3 and now it is time to get active: 33 ... b4 34.axb4 Ei:xb4 35.Ei:xa7 Ei:b3=) 32 ... 'it>h6 33.©g4 f5t 34.©g3 'it>h5 35.©h3 ©h6 36.©g2 'it>g6 37.©f2 b4 38.axb4 Ei:xb4 39.exf5t exf5 40.©g3 Ei:b7 The position is drawn. 28 ..f5 29.:Sa6 i>f6 30.h4 :Sd7 31 .:Sa5 :Sb7 White can't make any real progress. .

226

Ami-Meran B32) 14.cxd6

The latest try. Since 1 4.gxf3 leads more or less to a forced draw, it is worth investigating.

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17 ... Wd?N Proposed by Scherbakov. 1 7 ... a6 1 8.id2 tt:la4 1 9.Wb l tt:lc3 20.Wb2 tt:la4 2 1 .Wb l tt:lc3 22.Wb3 tt:lfe4 23.iel Wf6 24.hl ± Ganguly - Zherebukh, Fujairah City 20 1 2. 1 8.id2 e5 The point of Black's 1 7th move: he is threatening a check on g4. 1 9.f3 exd4 1 9 ... e4 20.ixc3 exd3 2 1 .Ei:f2;!; 20.e4 a6 2 1 .Ei:ae l ;!; The position i s difficult t o judge, never mind to play, but I think the bishops and the dynamic pawn centre count for more. 1 6.'tt>h l '1Wh5

14... �d5 The tempting 14 ... tt:lg4?!N turns out to be too speculative and is practically refuted by: 1 5.h3! ( 1 5.gxf3 Wh4 1 6.1Xg4 Wxg4t 1 7.h l Wf3t 1 8.@g l =) 1 5 ...ixg2 1 6.ci>xg2 Wg5 17.We2 tt:lgf6t ( 1 7 ... tt:lxe3t 1 8.@f3) 1 8.h2 Ei:xc3 1 9.e4 Wh4 20.f4± 1 5.gxB '\Wg5t! 1 5 ... tt:lxc3?! This has been played by some strong grand­ masters, but it seems inferior to the main line. 1 6.f4 tt:lf6 l 7.Wb2 1 7.i,b2 tt:la4 1 8.We2 a6 1 9.e4 tt:lxb2 20.Wxb2 tt:lh5 2 1 .e5 tt:lxf4 22.ie400 Sasikiran - Najer, Bilbao 2014.

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We have reached a complex position which is critical for the whole variation. White can continue with either B321) 17.ixh?tN or B322) 17.ie2. 1 7.Ei:g l ? Ei:xc3 1 8 .We2 Ei:xd3! 1 9.Wxd3 Wxf3t 20.Ei:g2 tt:lf4 2 1 .Wfl was seen in Schreiner Wallner, Hohenems 20 1 3, and now Black should have played: 2 1 ...tt:lxg2!N 22.Wxg2 Wdl t 23.Wgl We2-+White is completely tied up! B321) 17.ixh7tN

227

Chapter 1 8 - 7 .!d3 - Main Line This hasn't been tried in practice yet, but it is a natural move, netting a pawn. 17 ... 'it>hs 18.!e4 ltixc3 Black's activity combined with the weak white kingside should secure at least a draw. Still, there are some interesting complications and anything can happen in a real game. 19.!b2 l 9.!b7?! !l:c4! followed by ... !l:b8 and/or ... tlif6 gives Black a nice initiative to work with. 1 9.!d2 tlie5!? 20.dxe5 tlixe4 2 1 .Wxe4 !l:c4 22.!a5 !l:xe4 23.fxe4 Wf3t 24.c;tigl Wg4t= is a draw given by Aagaard in Attack and Defence. A fine tactical sequence of course, but Black has something a bit simpler: 1 9 .. .f5! 20.!xc3 will transpose to our main line. 1 9.Wd3 f5 20.!b?

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giving Black a huge initiative. 2 1 ...tlic3 22.Wel tlie4! Here we go again! 23.!xe4 fxe4 24.!l:gl exf3 It is only White who risks being worse here. 19 ... f5! 20.!xc3 fxe4 21 .�gl 2 1 .fxe4? Wf3t 22.'it>gl !l:f6 23.e5 !l:xc3-+ 21. ..Wxat 22.ggz White cannot really hope to be better with such a rook on g2, and Black emphasizes that with his next move:

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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22 ... ltib6! If Black could centralize his knight and win the pawn back on d6 he would have a fantastic position. A sample line continues:

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20 ... tlie4!! A stunning resource! If White takes the knight he allows . . . Wf3t with a perpetual, while leaving the knight seems extremely risky. 2 1 .Wdl 2 1 .fxe4 Wf3t 22.c;tigl Wg4t is a perpetual. 2 1 .We2?! self-pins the queen and allows 2 1 ...!l:c4 followed by ... tlixd6. 2 1 .!xe4? fxe4 22.Wxe4 !l:xf3 will be followed by the other rook arriving on f8,

23.dS! Opening the position up for the bishop. Otherwise the black knight just settles on d5. 23...eS 24.Wfb3 �f6! 25.!xe5 25.Wgl Wf5!= Black first protects e5 and then takes on d6 with the rook. 25 ... gf5 26.!g3 gxd5 27.h3 ltic4= Black's counterplay is at least adequate in this highly unclear position, with ideas like . . . !l:f8-f5 or ... !l:cc5.

228

Ami-Meran B322) 17 ..ie2

Protecting f3 seems important. 17 ... ctJxc3

19 ...eS 20..ie3 ClJxe2 2 1.Y:!.fxe2 exd4 22.gg5!? White tries to keep some initiative going. 22.�xd4N tll e 5= 22 ...Y:!.fh6 23 ..if4 Y:!.ff6 24.gfS We have been following a correspondence game where Black saved himself with a smart little sequence:

1 8.�b2N is met by 1 8 ... tll xe2 1 9.1Mfxe2 E!:c2! and White cannot avoid the draw. l 8.e4N e5 1 9 .�e3 E!:c4!? puts some extra pressure on d4. Black has several options and can still keep the draw in reserve. For example, after 20.E!:ad l he can put his other rook to c8 or play the by-now-familiar 20 ... tll xe2 2 l .1Mfxe2 E!:c2=. 1 8 ... gfdS One of the ideas of this move is to regroup the knight to g6 via f8 and hit the d6-pawn in the process. Another jungle of variations starts after 1 8 ... tll b6N 1 9.e4 f5 20.e5 tll bd5 2 1 .E!:g2 and so on. Black may be okay, bur the main line represents a safer and more solid approach. 19.e4 White threatens e4-e5.

28 ... ctJd7 Black decides to regroup. 29.B:d2 f6 30.B:xd3 @f7

Chapter 1 8

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229

7 .id3 - Main Line

White is a pawn up but he has several weaknesses co look after and his d6-pawn is well blocked. Black, on the ocher hand, has a healthy structure and an actively-placed king chat watches out for the d6-pawn. White might be a bit better, bur Black should be able to hold without much difficulty. 31..ie3 ltie5 32.E:d5 ltix£3 33.ixa? @e6 34..ic5 g6 35.E:d3 ltixh4 36.f4 g5 37.f5t @d? 38.ib4 l:l:cS 39.l:l:d5 l:l:clt 40.@h2 ltiat 4L@g2 ltie5

Conclusion

After l l .a3 E!'.c8 1 2.ttJgS Black gees active play with the spectacular pawn sacrifice 1 2 ... cS!. The game is still in the balance, but suddenly White muse navigate with great care so as not to be busted. A world-class player like Aronian failed to do just char. 1 2.E!'.d ! is also strongly met by ... c5!. If White takes on b5 Black ruins his pawn structure with ...ixf3 and gees adequate compensation for the pawn. Even l 2.b4 is met by ... cS!. After 1 3.bxcS ixf3 1 4.gxf3 llixc5! 1 5.dxcS l'l:xcS Black regains the piece and draws comfortably. Perhaps l 4.cxd6 is White's best bee. Still after 1 4 ... llidS 1 5.gxf3 'WgSt 1 6.@h l 'Wh5 Black has adequate counterplay. Anti-Meran Conclusion

Black stands fine and indeed easily held the draw in Glowatzky - Alexeyenko, corr. 20 1 3. On 42.E:xbS Black answers 42 ... E!'.c2t followed by ... h5 with strong counterplay.

So the Anci-Meran comes to an end. It has been a hugely theoretical section and remains a popular choice by White over the board: he aims to maintain constant pressure without burning any bridges. However, as the analyses have shown, Black has no reason to complain if he knows his scuff.

Minor Lines 5 . g3 Variation Index 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.t!Jf3 t!J f6 4.t!Jc3 e6 5.g3 5 ... dxc4! 232 233 233 235 235 235

A) 6.t!Je5 B) 6.�g2 b5! Bl) 7.0-0 B2) 7.t!Je5! "1Mb6! B21} 8.a4 B22) 8.0-0

A) afrer l 3.i.xe4

822) afrer l l .d5

B2 l ) afrer I I .i.e3

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1 3 ... i.b?!N

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23 1

Chapter 1 9 - 5 .g3 Ifyou don't like what's being said, change the conversation

- Don Draper, Mad Men White has some interesting ways to rake the game from the most theoretical and well­ trodden paths. They are especially popular at club level, but also the professional player needs to know them, because he will face these set-ups often in open tournaments. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.llif3 tlif6 4.tlic3 e6

5.cxd5 tries to transpose to the excellent Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. Black could of course answer 5 ... cxd5, but that would give him a pretty passive version of the Exchange Slav. Instead we opt for the fighting move 5 ... exd5. Compared to a normal Exchange Variation che difference is once again the early development of a white knight - this time it is the one on f3 that has come our a bit prematurely. Black can use that little derail to get his light-squared bishop out - something that is normally impossible. This is covered in the next chapter. 5.'1Mfd3 protects c4 and plans either a Catalan with g2-g3 or maybe a strike in the centre with e2-e4. Equally popular is 5.'!Mfb3 and che difference is pretty academic, because in both cases we answer with s .. dxc4. After 6.'!Mfxc4 Black can expand on the queenside in typical Semi-Slav fashion with 6 ... b5, leading to complex play - see Chapter 2 1 . .

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Here we are again! So far I have focused on the sharp 5.ig5 and the more sophisticated 5 .e3. However, there are other sensible moves available to the White player. In this final section of the book we will end our Semi-Slav journey by having a look at 5.g3, 5.cxd5 and 5.'1Mf d3 (or 5.'1Mfb3) . First, lee me give you a short introduction to che relevance of these variations. 5.g3 is an inspired try to reach a Catalan. The major difference is the early placement of the knight on c3; in a normal Catalan, White stays more flexible. But this is not so easy to exploit. The critical idea is to cake the c4-pawn and protect it wich ... b5 which leads to sharp play. Lately 5 .g3 has been popular even at the cop level, but do not fear - I have an antidote ready.

5.g3 A fashionable move that mixes the Catalan with the Semi-Slav.

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s dxc4! Of course we accept the challenge. ...

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232

Minor Lines

The alternative 5 . . . 'll bd7 might transpose co the main line below if Black is allowed to take on c4 next, bur White can avoid chis with che interesting move 6.Wd3!?. Ir is hardly critical, bur there is no need co give White extra opportunities, especially since ...dxc4 is in the spirit of the book. Now White can try A) 6.lll e5 immediately or the more common B) 6.ig2. A) 6.lll e5 Cll bd7 7.tll xc4 b5

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13...ib7!N If White wanes to get anything out of this position he should try: 14.Wfa4t Wfd7 1 5.Wfxa7 id6 However, this seems to be more comfortable for Black - at least in a practical game. I will provide some more evidence just to make sure.

8.lll d2 After 8.Cll e3 ib7 (8 ... c5?! is met by 9.d5) 9.ig2 a sensible set-up for Black is: 9 ... Wb6 10.0-0 Yle7 l l .b3 0-0 1 2.Ylb2 l'%fd8 1 3.Wc2 1'l:ac8 1 4.l'!acl Cll d 5 Black was perfectly fine in Petkov - Andersen, Can Picaforc 20 13.

16.ixb7 !!xb7 17.WfaBt �b8 18.Wfe4 f5 19.Wfd3 The only way for White co keep the d4-pawn, but it allows the following sequence: 19 Wfc6 20.0-0 c4 21.Wfc2 Now Black can simply castle and claim excellent positional compensation for his pawn, but he can also consider: ..•

8 .. c5!? 9.ig2 9.Cll xb5 ib7 is very dangerous for White. .

9 !!b8 10.lll de4 b4 1 1 .lll xf6t lll xf6 12.lll e4 'll xe4 13.ixe4 Now in Caruana - Shirov, Arvier 20 1 0, Black missed a nice idea: ...

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233

Chapter 1 9 - 5.g3 2 1...�dS!? Gaining a tempo by hitting d4. If White protects it, say with E!:dl , then Black can continue his original plan by putting his king on f7 and playing ... h5 in order to force h2-h4 - or else ... h4 would be extremely dangerous - thus forcing White to put another pawn on the same colour as his bishop. Black can then play something like . . . E!:hc8, when the far-advanced queenside pawns give him an excellent game. Instead of trying this passive defence, White should probably try to play a quick e2-e4 and not concern himself with material. After all, he is a pawn up and can give it back!

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

We immediately reach another branching point: Bl) 7.0-0 or B2) 7.�eS!. Bl) 7.0-0 i.b7 8.e4 8.Cll e 5 Wi'b6 transposes to line B22 below. 8 �bd7 9.e5 Quiet play gives some compensation for the pawn, but not really enough. The text move is a more forcing way to continue. .•.

9 ... llidS 10.lligS!

B) 6.ig2 bS!

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True to the spirit of our repertoire! 6 ... Cll b d7!? is a less forcing way for Black to play. 7.0-0 (7.e4 might be slightly inaccurate since Black can play 7 ...ib4 8.Wi'e2 b5 as in Morrow - Oreopoulos, corr. 20 14. Black can transpose to the main line of course if he wants.) 7 ...ie7 8.e4 0-0 9.if4! (9.a4 allows the well known equalizer 9 ... e5!) In this position I think that White maintains a small advantage after 9 ... E!:e8 1 0.a4 a5 l l .�e2 b6 1 2.:i:!fd l ia6 1 3 .Cll d 2!.

1 1 .�xe6 There is no way back. 1 1 .Wi'hS g6 1 2.Wi'h3 ie7 1 3 .Cll ge4 Wi'b6 14.j,e3 iif8 1 5.b3 cxb3 1 6.axb3 ciig7 did not give White enough for the pawn in Harikrishna Gelfand, Beijing (rapid) 20 1 4. l l .Cll ge4 j,e7 1 2.Wfg4 b l j,xe4! and Black wins. 1 1...tll d7 12.�dl '1Wc7 Another idea is 1 2 ... c4+± intending . . . lll c 5. 13.ie2 0-0-0 14.0-0

B21) 9.ixf6 gxf6

This is known to be good for Black, but some recent results have given White hope!

Minor Lines

252

14 ...id6 1 5.dxe6 li:l b6 as in Le Quang Jumabayev, Zaozhuang 20 1 2, should have led to problems for Black after: 1 6.'l.Wc2N fxe6 1 7.ixb5! axb5 1 8.li:lxb5 'l.Wb8 1 9.�xd6 �xd6 20.'l.Wxc5t White has a strong attack after 20 ... �c6 2 1 .We7 or 20 ... 'i!?d7 2 1 .Wh5.

13 ...ie7 I4.Wf3

B22) 9.a4 cxd4 9 ... b4 I O.li:le4 cxd4 1 l .li:lxd4 is the same. IO.tll xd4

15.tll c6 White wants to see what Black's idea is. 1 5.e3 'I.Wast 1 6.©e2 ©f8 was played in the game and produced a highly unclear position: 1 7.'l.Wf4 We5 1 8.f3 Wxf4 1 9.exf4 ©g7 20.f5 li:lc6 2 1 .fxe6 li:lxd4t 22.�xd4 1 1 .tll e4 ih7 Black doesn't need to worry about doubled pawns on the f-file. What matters is good piece play. 12.ixf6 1 2.li:lxf6t gxf6 1 3 .ih4 Yz-Yz Sjugirov Pridorozhni, St Petersburg 20 1 3. You don't get much information from a result like that. The bottom line is that Black is fine in an unclear game after, for instance, 1 3 ... li:ld7. 12...gxf6 13.�dl White has some pressure, but Black is solid and even has some trumps of his own up his sleeve.

22 ... �hd8! (22 ... fxe6 23.�d7) 23.�d7 �xd7 24.exd7 �d8 25 .©e3 Now the simplest for Black would have been 25 ... �xd7N+.

Chapter 2 1 - 5 .'\Wd3 & 5 .'\Wb3 15 ... tlixc6 16.�xdSt �xd8

253 Conclusion

After 5 .Wb3 dxc4 6.Wxc4 b5 7.Wb3 Black goes 7 ... a6!? planning to follow up with ... c5. After 8.�g5 li:J bd7 9.E:d l Black moves his queen away to c7 or a5 and prepares ... c5 with fine play. 7.Wd3 is a trickier move to face. Still, after 7 ... a6 followed by . . . c5 Black gets a good game. Minor Lines Conclusion

17.e3 i.b4t 1 8.tlic3 i.xc3t 19.bxc3 b2 20.Wfe4 f5 21.'!Wbl tlie5

22.E:g 1 �f3-+ was Perez - Winckel, email 1 999. 22...tlif3t 23.gxf3 Lf3 24.'\Wxb2 �dl t 25.�f2 i.xhim 26.'\Wb3 �d7 27.i.xa6 0-0 28.!e2 �c8 The white pawns are under control.

None of the minor lines can threaten the Semi-Slav, which is perhaps not so surprising. However, having examined them in detail I believe that they deserve some respect. Black shouldn't think he is better already, bur he has every right to play for the full point from an early stage.

Variation Index Chapter 1 l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.lll f3 lll f6 4.lll c3 e6 5.ig5 dxc4 A) 6.g3?! 13 B) 6.e3 14 C) 6.a4 ib4! 7.e4 'W'aS 8.id2 c5 15 Cl) 9.dxc5 16 C2) 9.ixc4 cxd4 1 0.ttJxd4 0-0 17 C2 1 ) l 1 .ttJb3 17 C22) l l .°W'e2 18 C23) l 1 .tll c 2! 19 Chapter 2 I.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.lll f3 tll f6 4.lll c3 e6 5.ig5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 s.ih4 g5 A) 9.exfG!? gxh4 1 0.tt:leS °W'xfG 24 A l ) l l .a4 24 A2) l l .g3 25 B) 9.ig3!? 26 Chapter 3 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.tll f3 lll f6 4.tll c3 e6 5.ig5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.ih4 g5 9.lll xg5 hxg5 10.ixg5 lll bd7 l l.g3 ib7 12.ig2 Wfb6 13.exf6 0-0-0 14.0-0 c5 15.d5 b4 16.E:bl!? 'ffa6! 17.dxe6 ixg2 1 8.e7 ixfl A) 19.°W'd5 34 B) 19.'iixfl ixe7! 20.fxe7 E:dg8 2 1 .tll e4 E:xgS! 22.tll xgS E:e8 35 B l ) 23.°W'e2 1Wg6 36 Bl 1) 24.1We4!? 36 B 1 2) 24.tt:le4 38 B2) 23.1Mf d5 39 Chapter 4 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.lll f3 lll f6 4.tll c3 e6 5.ig5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.ih4 g5 9.lll xg5 hxg5 10.ixg5 lll bd7 l l .g3 ib7 12.ig2 'ffb6 13.exf6 0-0-0 14.0-0 c5 15.d5 b4 16.lll a4 Wfb5! A) 1 7.dxeG 43 B) 1 7.a3 tt:lb8! 1 8.axb4 cxb4 45 B 1 ) l 9.ie3 45 B2) 1 9.°W'd4 47 B3) 19.1Mfg4 50

Variation I ndex

255

Chapter 5 l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.llJf3 l;Jf6 4.llJc3 e6 5.ig5 h6 6.ih4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 s.ig3 b5 9.llJe5 llJbd7! A) 1 0.lt:ixcG WbG 59 A l ) l 1 .lt:ie5 59 A2) l l .d5 60 B) 1 O.lt:ixd7 61 B l ) 1 0 ...Wxd7 61 B2) 1 0 . . . lt:ixd7 64 Chap ter 6 l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.llJf3 llJf6 4.llJc3 e6 5.ig5 h6 6.ih4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 s.ig3 b5 9.ie2 ib7 A) 10.Wc2 lt:ibd7! 67 A l ) l 1 .lt:id2!? 67 A2) 1 1 .i"i:dl 69 B) 1 0.h4 g4 l 1 .lt:ie5 lt:i bd7! 72 B l ) 1 2.ixg4 73 B2) 1 2.lt:ixg4 74 B3) 1 2.lt:ixd7 76 C) 1 0.e5 lt:id5 1 1 .0-0 78 Chapter ? l.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.llJf3 llJf6 4.llJc3 e6 5.ig5 h6 6.ih4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 s.ig3 b5 9.ie2 ib7 10.0-0 llJbd7 1 1.llJe5 h5! 12.llJxd7 ¥Mxd7 A) 1 3.ie5 1"i:h6 1 4.Wc l 83 A l ) 1 4 ... lt:ig4 83 A2) 1 4 ... lt:i h7 84 A2 1 ) 1 5. f4 84 A22) 1 5 .h3 85 A3) 1 4 ... i"i:gG! 86 B) 1 3.Wcl 89 Chapter 8 l .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.llJf3 llJf6 4.llJc3 e6 5.ig5 h6! 6.ixf6 ¥Nxf6 A) 7.e4 97 B) 7.a3!? 98 C) 7.Wb3 JOO D) 7.Wc2 103 E) 7.g3 lt:id7 8.ig2 dxc4 9.0-0 ie7 105 E l ) 10.e3 105 £2) 1 0.lt:ie4 106

256

Grandmaster Repertoire - The Semi-Slav

Chapter 9 I .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.lll f'3 lll f6 4.lll c3 e6 5.ig5 h6 6.ixf6 'Wxf6 7.e3 lll d7 8.id3 dxc4 9.ixc4 A) 9 ...idG! 1 0.0-0 iWe7 1 10 A l ) l l .e4 1 1 0 A2) l l .'We2 1 1 1 A3) l l .'Wc2 1 1 1 A4) 1 Uk l 1 12 A5) l 1 .lll e4 1 13 B) 9 ... g6 1 0.0-0 ig7 1 14 B l ) l l .'Wc2 1 15 B2) 1 1 .E'.el 1 1 6 B3) l l .e4 1 16 B4) l l .b4 1 1 7 B 5 ) 1 1 .E'.cl 0-0 1 18 B5 1 ) 1 2.e4 118 B52) 12.i,b3 1 19 Chapter 10 I .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.lll f'3 lll f6 4.lll c3 e6 5.e3 lll bd7 6.id3 dxc4! 7.ixc4 b5 A) 8.ib3 122 B) 8.ie2 i,b7 124 B l ) 9.e4 124 B2) 9.0-0 125 C) 8.id3 ib7 9.a3 id6!? 1 0.0-0 0-0 128 C l ) l 1 .lll g 5 129 C2) l l .b4 129 C3) l l .e4 130 C4) l l .id2 132 Chapter 1 1 I .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.lll f'3 lll f6 4.lll c3 e6 5.e3 lll bd7 6.id3 dxc4 7.ixc4 b5 8.id3 ib7 9.e4 b4 IO.lll a4 c5! 1 1.e5 lll d5 A) 1 2.lll g 5?! 135 B) 12.lll xc5 136 C) 12.0-0 cxd4 138 C l ) 1 3 .lll xd4 lt:lxe5 1 4.ib5t lll d7 1 5.E'.el E'.c8 139 C l 1 ) 1 6.'Wh5 140 C l 2) 1 6.b3 142 C2) 1 3.Ei:el gG! 1 4.ig5 'Wa5 1 5.lll xd4 aG 143 C2 1 ) 1 6.a3 144 C22) 1 6.id2!? 145

Variation Index

257

Chapter 12 l.d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.liJf3 tiJf6 4.liJc3 e6 S.e3 liJbd7 6.id3 dxc4 7.ixc4 bS 8.id3 ih7 9.0-0 a6 10.e4 cS 1 1.dS! c4 12.ic2 Vf!c7 A) 1 3.'1We2 149 B) l 3.l2Jd4 l2Jc5 150 B l ) 1 4.'\Wf3 151 B2) 14.'\We2 152 B3) 1 4.ig5 153 B4) 1 4.b4 cxb3 1 5.axb3 b4 16.l2Ja4 l2J cxe4! 155 B4 1 ) 1 7.dxe6 155 B42) l 7.ixe4 156 Chapter 13 l.d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.liJf3 liJf6 4.liJc3 e6 5.e3 liJbd7 6.id3 dxc4 7.ixc4 bS 8.id3 ih7 9.0-0 a6 10.e4 cS 1 1.dS c4 12.ic2 Vf!c7 13.dxe6 fxe6 A) 1 4.e5?! 160 B) 14.'\We2 id6 1 5 .ltJd4 ltJc5 1 6.f4 e5 160 B l ) 1 7.l2Jf5 1 61 B2) l 7.l2Jdxb5!? 162 C) 1 4.l2Jg5 l2Jc5 1 5 .e5! 163 C l ) 1 5 . . .'\Wc6?! 164 C2) l 5 ... '\Wxe5 166 0) l 4.l2Jd4 l2Jc5 l 5 .ie3! e5! 169 0 1 ) 1 6.l2Jf5 1 69 02) 16.l2Jf3 170 E) 1 4.l2Je2!? 171 Chapter 14 l.d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.liJf3 liJf6 4.liJc3 e6 S.e3 liJbd7 6.Vf!c2 id6 A) 7.a3 176 B) 7.id2 1 77 C) 7.e4 179

258

Grandmaster Repertoire - The Semi-Slav

Chapter 1 5 1 .d4 d 5 2.c:4 c:6 3.llif3 .!li f6 4. .!lic:3 e6 5.e3 .!libd7 6.Wfc:2 !d6 7.b3 0-0 A) 8.�d3 183 B) 8.�b2 185 C) 8.ie2! bG! 9.0-0 ib7 10.ib2 Wie7 186 C l ) l l .e4 187 C2) 1 1 .:gad l :gad8 12.me l mes 188 C2 1 ) 1 3.�d3 189 C22) 1 3 .ifl 189 C3) 1 U =lacl l§:ac8 1 2.l§:fd l l§:fd8 191 C3 1 ) 1 3 .Wib l 192 C32) 1 3.g3 192 Chapter 16 1 .d4 d5 2.c:4 c:6 3.llif3 .!lif6 4 ..!li c:3 e6 5.e3 .!libd7 6.Wfc:2 !d6 7.g4!? h6! A) 8.id2 dxc4 9.ixc4 b5 195 A l ) 1 0.id3 195 A2) 1 0.ie2 ib7 l l .e4 ie7! 196 A2 1 ) 1 2.gS 197 A22) 1 2.eS 198 B) 8.Ei:gl e5! 9.cxd5 cxd5 199 B l ) 1 0.h4 200 B2) 1 0.tLlb5 ib8 1 1 .gS hxg5 12.lLixg5 e4 1 3.id2 tLlb6 201 B2 1 ) 1 4.Ei:c l 201 B22) 1 4.WicS 202 C) 8.h3 202 Chapter 17 1 .d4 d5 2.c:4 c:6 3.llif3 .!lif6 4 ..!li c:3 e6 5.e3 .!libd7 6.Wfc:2 !d6 7.J.d3 dxc:4 8.J.xc4 0-0 9.0-0 A) 9 . . . e5 1 0.ib3! h6! 206 A l ) l 1 .h3 201 A2) 1 1 .Ei:d 1 ! 208 B) 9 ... b5 1 0.ie2 ib7 210 B l ) l l .e4 210 B2) 1 1 .Ei:dl Wic7 1 2.e4 e5 212 B2 1 ) 1 3.igS 213 B22) 1 3.dxeS 213 B23) 1 3.g3 214

Variation Index

259

Chapter 1 8 l.d4 d 5 2.c4 c6 3.l£if3 c!£if6 4.l£ic3 e6 5.e3 c!£ibd7 6.Wfc2 id6 7.id3 dxc4 8.ixc4 0-0 9.0-0 b5 10.id3 ib7 A) l l .e4217 B) l l .a3 :gc8 218 B l ) 1 2.lLig5 c5! 218 Bl 1) 1 3.lLixh7 219 B l 2) 1 3.ixh7t 220 B2) 1 2.:gdl c5! 222 B2 1 ) 1 3.ixb5 222 B22) 1 3.lLixb5 223 B3) 1 2.b4 c5! 1 3.bxc5 ixf3 224 B3 1 ) 14.gxf3 225 B32) 14.cxd6 lLid5 1 5.gxf3 '1Wg5t! 1 6.iii h l '\Wh5 226 B32 1 ) 1 7.ixh7t 226 B322) l 7.ie2 228 Chapter 19 l .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.l£if3 c!£if6 4.l£ic3 e6 5.g3 dxc4! A) 6.lLie5 232 B) 6.ig2 b5! 233 B l ) 7.0-0 233 B2) 7.lLie5! '\Wb6! 235 B2 1 ) 8.a4 235 B22) 8.0-0 235 Chapter 20 l .d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.l£if3 c!£if6 4.l£ic3 e6 5.cxd5 exd5 A) 6.if4 239 B) 6.ig5 240 C) 6.'\Wc2 g6! 7.ig5 ie7 241 C l ) 8.ixf6 242 C2) 8.e3 242 C3) 8.e4 244

260

Grandmaster Repertoire - The Semi-Slav

Chapter 21 I.d4 dS 2.c4 c6 3.c!lif3 c!Lif6 4.c!lic3 e6 S.1Mfd3!? dxc4 6.Wl'xc4 bS A) 7.Wl'b3 248 B) 7.�d3 a6 249 B l ) 8.e4 250 B2) 8.�g5 c5 251 B2 1) 9.ixf6 251 B22) 9.a4 252

Grandmaster Preparation

GRANDMASTER PREPARATION

POSITIONAL PLAY

GRANDMASTER PREPARATION

STRATEGIC PLAY

GRANDMASTER PREPARATION

The Grandmaster Preparation series

Jacob Aagaard offers a comprehensive uaining program Scoctish/Danish Grandmasrer and rrainer of Champions,

towards rhe highesr ride in chess.

Negi on 1 .e4

Parimarjan Negi

1 .e4 vs The nch, Caro­ & Philidor

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POSITIOD A L D EC I S I O n m R H l n G 1 n C H ES S

BORIS GELFADD .. I QUAJ../1)' CHESS

Boris Gelfand Positional Decision Making in Chess

20 1 2 World Championship Challenger Boris Gelfand describes his approach to positional chess, based on his

own games and those of his great hero Akiba Rubinstein.

La rs Sc h a n d o rff

The Semi-Slav La rs S c h a n d o rff's two vo l u m es o n 1 .d4 were c e l e b rated by revi ewers a n d g ra n d masters. G M S i m e n Agd estei n sa i d : "I

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