Opening Repertoire: The Fianchetto System Weapons for White against the King’s Indian and Grünfeld by Damian Lemos
Contents About this publication Bibliography Introduction 1. The Symmetrical English Transposition 2. The Grünfeld without ...c6 3. The Grünfeld with ...c6 4. The King’s Indian: ...Nc6 and the Panno Variation 5. The King’s Indian: ...d6 and ...c6 6. The King’s Indian: ...Nbd7 and ...e5
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Opening Repertoire: The Fianchetto System Grandmaster Damian Lemos presents a repertoire for White against both the King’s Indian and Grünfeld Defences. Many players struggle to find suitable lines to challenge these two popular and dynamic openings, or find the masses of theory in the main lines difficult to digest. Lemos solves this perennial problem by advocating a solid system of development based on the fianchetto system, where understanding ideas is more important than move memorization. By playing a very early g2-g3 and Bg2, White protects his kingside, denies Black much of the counterplay typically associated with the King’s Indian and Grünfeld, and creates long-term pressure on the queenside. Lemos’s choices in this book are largely based on his own repertoire he used on the way to becoming a Grandmaster. Using illustrative games, Lemos examines the typical tactics and strategies for both sides and highlights key move order issues. This book tells you everything you need to know about playing the Fianchetto System against the King’s Indian and Grünfeld. · A repertoire for White after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 · Includes the King’s Indian, Grünfeld and Symmetrical English · Examines the key tactical and positional ideas Damian Lemos is a Grandmaster from Argentina. He is a former Pan-American Junior Champion and was only 15 years old when he qualified for the International Master title. He became a Grandmaster at 18 years old. An active tournament player, GM Lemos also trains students at OnlineChessLessons.net.
Publisher Information Opening Repertoire: The Fianchetto System by Damian Lemos First published in 2014 by Gloucester Publishers Limited, Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0AT. Copyright © 2014 Damian Lemos The right of Damian Lemos to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. 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. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0AT tel: 020 7253 7887; fax: 020 7490 3708 email:
[email protected] website: www.everymanchess.com Everyman is the registered trade mark of Random House Inc. and is used in this work under licence from Random House Inc. EVERYMAN CHESS SERIES (formerly Cadogan Chess) Chief Advisor: Byron Jacobs Commissioning Editor: John Emms Assistant Editor: Richard Palliser Back to Contents Page
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Bibliography Books Grandmaster Repertoire - 1.d4, volume two, Boris Avrukh (Quality Chess 2010) Play the Grünfeld, Yelena Dembo (Everyman Chess 2012)
Other resources The Week in Chess Mega Database (ChessBase) Rybka 4 Stockfish 2.2.2 Back to Contents Page
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Introduction Dealing with dynamic and aggressive defences like the Grünfeld or King’s Indian is not an easy task for White players. Over the years, I’ve tried several variations against both openings, usually choosing lines in which White establishes a strong centre, although Black had lot of resources against those lines too. When I was fourteen years old, I analysed Karpov-Polgar, Las Palmas 1994 (see Chapter 4,Game 25), and was impressed with the former World Champion’s play with White. Then, I realized that the Fianchetto System works well for White for the following reasons: 1. After playing g2-g3 and Bg2, White is able to put pressure on Black’s queenside. What’s more, White’s kingside is fully protected by both pieces and pawns. 2. The Fianchetto System is playable against both the King’s Indian and Grünfeld Defences. 3. As a King’s Indian/Grünfeld player (from the Black side), I love the attacking possibilities that these defences offer. However, facing the Fianchetto System is always a problem to me, as the game goes into positional continuations where Black cannot generate much kingside activity, whereas White has a solid spatial edge. The purpose of this book is to offer the reader a solid system in order to face 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6, not only focusing on theory but also long-term plans for White. The subject of the first chapter is a transposition to the Symmetrical English: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 c5 4 Nf3. I recommend this variation so we can eliminate the Modern Benoni and Benko Gambit. In Chapters 2 and 3, we will look at neutralizing the Grünfeld Defence, while the King’s Indian Defence is covered in Chapters 4, 5 and 6. It is my fervent hope that you’ll find this book a useful weapon for White, and also improve your positional understanding in the process! Damian Lemos, Argentina April 2014 Back to Contents Page
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Chapter One
The Symmetrical English Transposition
Our transposition from an Indian opening to the Symmetrical English arises after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 c5!?, which is a tricky move order by Black. Instead of continuing with the natural 3...Bg7, he wants to enter the minefields of the Modern Benoni or Benko Gambit. Instead, 4 Nf3 leads to positional lines where White always has at least a small edge. If you think about it, Benoni/Benko players enjoy unbalanced positions, therefore the English variations with 4 Nf3 should be annoying for them. You should pay special attention to Adams-Wang Hao and Kramnik-Radjabov, as they are recent model examples of this line. Game 1 A.Karpov-A.Khalifman, Linares 1995 Game 2 E.Bareev-A.Shirov, Biel 1991 Game 3 V.Kramnik-D.Andreikin, World Blitz Championship, Moscow 2010 Game 4 J.Gustafsson-A.Labuckas, European Cup, Plovdiv 2010 Game 5 M.Adams-Wang Hao, Dortmund Sparkassen 2013 Game 6 V.Akopian-T.Luther, FIDE World Championship, Groningen 1997 Game 7 B.Gelfand-M.Krasenkow, European Team Championship, Leon 2001 Game 8 A.Khalifman-J.Yrjola, European Cup, Izmir 2004 Game 9 V.Kramnik-T.Radjabov, World Championship Candidates, London 2013
Index of Variations 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 c5 4 Nf3 Bg7 4...cxd4 5 Nxd4 d5 – Bareev-Shirov 5 Bg2 cxd4 5...Qa5+ – Karpov-Khalifman 5...0-0 6 0-0 d6 7 Nc3 Nc6 – Khalifman-Yrjola 6 Nxd4 Nc6 6...0-0 7 Nc3 Qc7 – Kramnik-Radjabov 7 Nc3 0-0 8 0-0 Nxd4 8...Qa5 – Adams-Wang Hao 8...d6 – Akopian-Luther
8...Ng4 – Gelfand-Krasenkow 9 Qxd4 d6 10 Qd3 10...a6 – Kramnik-Andreikin 10...Bf5 – Gustafsson-Labuckas Back to Contents Page
E60 Karpov,A Khalifman,A Linares (Game 1) [Damian Lemos]
1995
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5!? Definitely one of the main move orders we have to study carefully as White. Black tries playing into the Benko Gambit or Benoni set-ups. 4.f3 The advantage of 4 Nf3 is its flexibility. We keep a strong centre as we continue developing our pieces. [ What’s more, by not playing 4.d5 , both the Benko Gambit (after b5 ) ( and Benoni (after 4...e6 ) are circumvented. )] 4...g7 5.g2 a5+ This is an ambitious and aggressive move from Black. By delaying 5...0-0, he’s trying to break our pieces' coordination. Of course, as White, we are full of resources and will not let this happen. 6.c3 In my opinion, the best reply for us. [ 6.d2 is also possible, but I think Black gets good chances after the simple variation b6 7.dxc5 xc5 8.b3 c6 9.c3 0-0 10.0-0 a5 and Black is at least equal, as in B.Grachev-V.Bologan, Croatian Team Championship 2009. ] 6...e4 7.d2 Black has a number of dangerous possibilities in this position. Karpov’s move is solid and White is going to get a stronger centre. The only drawback I see is that we are letting Black get our bishop pair. [ After studying the position for a long time, I realized 7.d3 is a great alternative: cxd4 ( the key is to meet 7...xc3 with 8.d2! , followed by Bxc3, when we don't get a weak pawn structure with doubled c-pawns ) 8.xd4 c5 ( after 8...xc3 , once more 9.d2! keeps the pawn structure intact ) 9.d1 c6 10.e3 and now: A) after 10...xd4 11.exd4 e6 12.e3 b4 13.0-0 xc4 ( or similarly 13...xb2 14.d5 with a huge initiative for White ) 14.d5 , White’s developmental edge outweighs Black’s material gain.; B) 10...e6 11.0-0 and then: B1) 11...cxd4 12.exd4 xd4 ( or 12...xd4 13.d5 with ideas of Bh6; this manoeuvre puts a lot of pressure on the kingside, and Black will have a hard time getting castled ) 13.h6! xh6 14.xd4 0-0 15.d5 g7 16.xe7+ h8 17.d6 and Black’s queenside is
badly hemmed in.; B2) 11...exd4 12.exd4 xd4 13.h6! and Black cannot complete his development successfully.; B3) 11...0-0 12.xe6 fxe6 ( or 12...dxe6 13.d2 and I believe we have a small but stable advantage here; Black’s pawn structure has been altered to give White the chance of creating a queenside passed pawn ) 13.d2 d6 14.e2 d7 15.e4! – I really like this move, placing the bishop on a powerful square. White can increase his space advantage by playing f4 or the h4-h5 advance.; B4) 11...c5 12.db5 a6 13.a4 xc4 (a risky decision by Black, but probably the best) ( if 13...b4 14.a3 xc4 15.bc3 and White is still better; while after 13...e5 14.bc3 , we have a juicy hole on b6 available for our knight, not to mention the d5square ) 14.bc3 b8 15.b6 c5 16.cd5 (we will not leave Black’s queen alone!) 0-0 17.b4 xb4 18.a3 a5 19.c1 d6 20.a4 and White won in D.Bocharov-D.Kokarev, St Petersburg 2004. ] 7...xd2 [ Taking the c3-knight doesn’t make much sense as Black is shedding too many tempi. After 7...xc3 8.xc3 b6 9.0-0 cxd4 , I like 10.c5! xc5 11.xd4 xd4 12.c1 and Black should be losing in the long run. ] 8.xd2 0-0 9.e3 d6 10.0-0 c6 11.h3 [ Advancing the d4-pawn means the g7bishop is only going to become stronger; for example, after 11.d5 e5 12.xe5 xe5 , when Black is at least equal. ] 11...cxd4 12.xd4 d7 13.fd1 Here, I would like to share GM Ftacnik’s words: “White can hope for a small advantage only because his e-pawn is still on e3. Otherwise, the absence of the dark-squared bishop promises a small edge to his opponent. ” xd4 I don’t like this move much. After this, we’ll have a stronger centre. [ However, after 13...fc8 14.b3 , followed by Rac1, I still trust in White’s space advantage, although Black can also try improvising with ...a6, ...Rab8 and ...b5. ] 14.exd4 c6 15.d5! As can be easily seen, this move deserves an exclamation mark. Trading off the g2-bishop wouldn’t give us any advantage, whereas the resulting position
with opposite-coloured bishops is better for us. The reason is clear – our bishop is going to be better than the opponent’s. d8 [ Not 15...xd2? 16.xe7+ h8 17.xd2 and White has snagged a pawn. ] 16.ac1 c8 17.h4 White is winning space on both sides of the board. Certainly, the h3h4, b2-b3, a2-a4 space-annexing plan is worth considering. d7 18.b3 fd8 19.a4 xd5 [ Alternatively, after 19...b6 20.b4 xg2 21.xg2 , followed by d5, White gets a nice square on c6 for the knight. ] 20.xd5 b6 21.a5 White doesn’t seem to have a big advantage here. However, for a player of Karpov’s calibre, sometimes a small advantage suffices! e6 [ 21...b5 runs into 22.a6! . ] 22.f3 b5 23.d5! Once more, I defer to GM Ftacnik: “This is the main point as Black will have the inferior pawn structure in any variation.” bxc4 [ 23...e5 leads to a passive position after 24.cxb5 xb5 25.b4 , followed by Be2 or Rc6. ] 24.dxe6 A nice in-between move! [ 24.bxc4?! e5 is not so clear, as the c-file is now closed. ] 24...xe6 25.bxc4 f5 [ 25...xc4? is not playable in view of 26.d5 . ] 26.g2 f6 27.a6 h5 28.e1 Probably a slight inaccuracy by the former World Champion. Black is going to activate his rooks now. [ Instead, 28.e3 c5 29.b1 looks like a possible improvement – this variation isn't making lot of sense from the positional point of view, but with the help of Rybka, you can see that Black cannot resist the Rb7/Bd5 threats. The a6-pawn is quite dangerous too. ] 28...c5 29.d5 b8 30.c2 g7 31.e4 d7 32.b7 c7 33.d3 d8 34.d5! Stopping Black from freeing his position with ... d5. a5 35.b1 xa6 36.b7 f8 37.e2 This pawn sacrifice allows Karpov to get closer to the real target: Black’s king. a5? Making White’s job easier. However, finding the best defence for Black requires deep analysis. [ His survival chances increase after 37...a5 38.e6! c7 39.xd6 ( less accurate is 39.xf6 xf6 40.d4+ e7 and Black slips away ) 39...xb7
40.xb7 d8 41.c5 and White has a slight advantage. ] 38.e3 After this, White’s rook joins the party and Black is defenceless against the threats. a1 39.f3 e1 40.xf6 xf6 41.f3+ 1-0
A31 Bareev,E Shirov,A Biel (Game 2) [Damian Lemos]
1991
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.f3 cxd4 5.xd4 d5 An interesting try to free Black’s position. However, he has to be careful because the opening of lines in the centre was made without strong development. 6.g2 g7 [ Let’s take a look at Black’s alternatives in this position: 6...dxc4 is best met by 7.a4+ . White will continue with Qxc4 and obtain strong pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal. ] [ 6...e5 7.f3 d4 8.0-0 ( not 8.xe5?? as a5+ picks up the knight ) 8...c6 9.e3 g4 10.b3 gave White a clear advantage in V.Tukmakov-A.Beliavsky, Vilnius 1978, due to strong queenside pressure and the chance of opening lines in the centre where the black king is badly placed. ] 7.c2 Definitely an important move for White to make before castling. [ After 7.0-0 0-0 8.cxd5 xd5 9.c3 , White has his pieces posted actively for an attack on the queenside. However, from a theoretical viewpoint, Black has quite a few good equalizing possibilities; whereas after 7 Nc2, we immediately put pressure on the d5-pawn. ] 7...a5+ [ It seems that Black did not want to play the endgame resulting from 7...dxc4 8.xd8+ xd8 9.0-0 , since White enjoys a risk-free advantage. Black has lost his right to castle and needs to find a safe place for his king. On the other hand, White has a lot of pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal, coupled with attacking chances on the black king. ( Note that 9.e3 , winning the pawn back immediately, allows Black to reach equality by means of c6 10.xc4 e6 11.ba3 c8 12.e3 e8 as Black safeguards his king and I don’t see any advantage for
White. ) After 9...c6 10.d1+ e8 ( both 10...c7; and 10...d7 are met by 11.ba3 ) 11.c3 (White will regain the pawn sooner or later, while Black is going to have developmental problems as he has moved his king already) e6 12.e3 g4 13.xc6+ bxc6 14.d4 f6 15.a4 , the resulting endgame is much better for White because of Black’s weak pawn structure and the ‘holes’ in his position. ] 8.b4 The answer to Black’s aggression is to counter with more violence! [ If White shies away from fighting for the initiative, things could be complicated; for example, 8.c3 e4 ] [ or 8.d2 c5 , when Black has some tricks based on ...Ng4 and ...Bxb2. ] 8...c7 9.cxd5 g4 10.0-0 xa1 11.xa1 White is the exchange down but he has good compensation in return. The absence of the g7-bishop means that Black’s kingside is going to be quite weak. 0-0 Black castles anyway, which is correct. He cannot afford to play with his king in the centre. 12.b3 d7 13.d4 White launches a strong attack against the g4-knight and Black’s king. gf6 14.b2 b6 [ 14...b6 15.c1 d6 16.e4 also gives White a clear advantage, as there is no clear way to stop the e5 advance. ] 15.c3 [ As pointed out by GM Stohl, 15.c5 allows some counterplay after a5! 16.a3 axb4 17.axb4 a2 . ] 15...e5 Unable to find a way of getting his pieces out, Black tries blocking the a1-h8 diagonal instead. 16.dxe6 fxe6 [ Not 16...xe6? , as after 17.c5 xc5 18.bxc5 , the pressure on the a1-h8 diagonal is just too powerful. ] 17.1d2 e5 18.c4 e6 19.c5 e7 [ The premature 19...xc5 20.bxc5 allows the d6-square to become a nice outpost for our knight. ] 20.d1 [ Taking on e5 is probably an improvement; for example, 20.xe5 xe5 21.xe5 xe5 22.xe5 , and although Black can continue fighting, he should lose in the long run. ] 20...xc5 21.xe5 [ Here, taking on c5 looks like the natural move. All the same, White must be careful as after 21.bxc5 xc5 22.a3 xf2+ 23.xf2 e4+ , followed by ...Nxc3, Black
is fighting for the initiative. ] 21...cd7 [ Let’s take a look at Black’s alternatives here: 21...a4 is met by 22.b3+ , picking up the knight. ] [ Or 21...ce4 22.xe4 xe4 23.c4+ and the knight is once again nabbed. ] [ 21...e6 is the most accurate move for Black. Then 22.g4 seems to be winning for White, but this is just an illusion because after xg4 23.h8+ f7 24.xh7+ e8 25.xg6+ f7 26.xg4 xf2+ 27.h1 f4 , incredibly, White cannot give a single check and is therefore losing! ] 22.c4+ g7 23.c7 f7 [ If Black unpins his king by playing 23...g8 , White can increase the pressure with 24.d6! . ] 24.xf7 xf7 25.d6 f8 [ After 25...e8 26.c4+ f8 27.e6 f7 28.d5 , White is winning. ] 26.c1 [ The tempting 26.xf6 is not as good because, after xf6 27.d8+ e8 28.f4+ g7 , Black has some survival chances. ] 26...b6 27.c5 fd7 28.h6+ e8 29.d4 e5 30.f4? [ White misses a great chance here: 30.d8+! xd8 ( Black has no choice, as 30...f7 31.h8 wins for White ) 31.xe5+ f7 ( other ways to lose are 31...d7 32.h3+ c6 33.b5#; or 31...e7 32.h8+ d7 33.h4! and Black is completely paralysed ) 32.g7+ e6 33.h3+ d5 34.e4+ xe4 35.g2+ (Black’s king is an easy target in the middle of the board) d3 36.b2 and Black either gets mated or loses copious material after c4 37.f1+ d5 38.d2+ ] 30...f7 31.f6 d7?! [ If Black tries to complete his development with 31...e6 , White has 32.xb7! d8 33.c6+ , and if f8? ( 33...d7 is equal ) , then 34.h6+ g8 35.xg6+ and mates. ] [ However, 31...f5! looks good for Black. ] 32.c6 g5 [ Taking the rook was also possible: for example, 32...bxc6 33.xc6 xe2 34.xa8 and the position is unclear. ] 33.d6 xd6 34.xd6 f8 35.h4 gxh4 36.f3 f5 37.gxh4 d8 38.xd8+ xd8 39.e5+ White’s attack wasn’t successful, so
he now has to fight for a draw. e6 40.h5+ f7 41.e5+ e6 42.h5+ g6 Black avoids the repetition and goes for the win. Unfortunately for him, White has a lot of pawns for the piece. 43.xh7 f7 44.h6 [ It’s never too late to make a mistake: after 44.h5 g5+ 45.h1 e5 , Black gets a powerful attack ] 44...d1+ [ I guess 44...xh4 45.e3+ , followed by Qxa7, should also be a draw, but White has to play accurately. ] 45.g2 d4 46.g1 xb4 47.e3+ f8 48.h5 f4 49.xa7 xh5 50.b8+ e8 51.h2 White has to forestall ...Qe1+ somehow. d4 52.e3 h8+ 53.g1 g7+ 54.h2 h6+ 55.g1 g6+ 56.h2 d3 57.xb7 b6 58.g3 xb7 59.d6+ e7 60.xd3 h4+ 61.g1 g5+ ½-½
A39 Kramnik,V Andreikin,D World Blitz Ch., Moscow (Game 3) [Damian Lemos]
2010
1.d4 [ The actual moves in this game were 1.f3 f6 2.c4 c5 3.g3 g6 4.g2 g7 5.d4 cxd4 6.xd4 c6 7.c3 xd4 8.xd4 0-0 9.0-0 d6 . ] 1...f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.f3 g7 5.g2 cxd4 6.xd4 c6 7.c3 0-0 8.0-0 xd4 9.xd4 d6 The resulting position is one of the main lines in the Symmetrical English opening. I have used the 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 move order to show how we reach this position from our repertoire. White enjoys a plus due to his space advantage and queenside pressure. 10.d3 I really like this move, as getting off the long dark diagonal should be a good idea. If Black plays ...Bf5, we simply advance e2-e4, seizing more space in the centre. We will examine this in the next game. a6 [ 10...a5 is worth considering too. Black wants to play ...Qh5 followed by ...Bh3 and this manoeuvre would be definitely annoying for us if we allowed it. Hence: 11.h3! e6 ( if Black insists on 11...h5 , White has the strong 12.g4! ) 12.d2 a6 13.b3 (White is banking on his space advantage; what’s more, Black cannot try the ...a6 and ... b5 freeing manoeuvre as his queen is
already placed on a6) fd8 14.e4 d5 (this interesting move is suspect as White gets an advantage with accurate play) 15.exd5 xd5 ( 15...xd5 16.xd5 xd5 17.xd5 would reach the same position ) 16.xd5 xd5 17.xd5 e6 ( Black cannot accept the exchange with 17...xa1 , due to 18.xa1 e6 19.f6+ g7 20.c3 xd2 21.g4+ and White wins a piece ) 18.e7+ ( I like this check employed by Navara, but there is another continuation which hasn't been tried yet: 18.ad1 xd5 19.f3 d4 20.e3 dd8 21.a4 and, in my opinion, White’s advantage is clear due to the queenside pawn majority, plus the pressure on a7 and b7 ) 18...f8 19.xg6+ hxg6 20.e3 xa1 (taking the rook leaves Black’s king completely naked, though I understand his decision, as he does not want to play a pawn down) 21.xa1 d6 22.c3 e8 23.f6 and Black’s main problem is that his king will never find a safe place, D.Navara-A.Jakubiec, Czech League 2005. ] 11.g5 This is not the most popular move. I started paying attention to it after observing Kramnik’s handling of this game. In my opinion, the Bg5/Qd2 plan is accurate, since we can set up Bh6 to get rid of Black’s powerful g7-bishop. f5 12.d2 [ 12.e4 is possible too but, given the choice, I would leave the long light diagonal open for the g2-bishop. ] 12...b8 A standard move in this position, getting out of the Bg2’s reach and preparing ... b5. [ As Black, I would also consider 12...c8 13.xb7 ( 13.b3 is the solid way of treating the position, which deprives Black of counterplay ) 13...xc4 14.xa6 and here Black can just sacrifice the exchange, getting a nice initiative in return: xc3 15.bxc3 e4 16.e3 xg5 17.xg5 h3 and Black will follow up with ...Qa8 with at least equal chances. ] 13.ac1 b5 14.d5 e6 [ It is hard to suggest an improvement for Black, as after 14...xd5 15.cxd5 , White has full control of the c-file, not to mention the idea of Rc6. ] 15.xf6 Giving up the bishop pair is supposed to be a bad idea. However, in this position, we have a strong reason for doing so – the demolition of Black’s pawn structure. exf6 16.cxb5 axb5 17.b4 Black is unable to
create counterplay because he cannot activate his bishop pair. This is compounded by the weak c6-square and White’s ability to attack the d6-pawn with ease. a5 18.a3 f5 19.fd1 fc8 20.xc8+ xc8 21.xd6 f6 [ Taking the b2-pawn is out of the question because, after 21...xb2 , White can just reply 22.c6 , followed by Ne7+, winning the exchange. ] 22.c6 c7 23.d2 b6 24.c1 g7 25.e3 c7 26.d4 xc1+ 27.xc1 c4 28.f1 This simple move allows White to trade down to a winning endgame. xf1 29.xf1 b4 30.axb4 xb4 31.c3 b7 32.h4 h1+ 33.e2 b1 This endgame is not easy at all as, with queens on board, there is always the risk of perpetual check. Kramnik demonstrates excellent technique, even at the blitz time control. Here is the rest of the game: 34.b3 a2+ 35.c2 a3 36.f3 a6+ 37.d3 a1 38.d2 b2 39.d1 a1+ 40.b1 a8 41.e2 a6+ 42.c4 b5 43.d3 a6 44.f3 b7+ 45.e2 a6 46.f1 h5 47.e4 fxe4 48.xe4 b5 49.d3 b7 50.e3 h1+ 51.e2 a1 52.d5 b2+ 53.f3 e5 54.e3 f6 55.c2 a1 56.b4 a6 57.c4 b7+ 58.d5 e5 59.b5 d7 60.g2 f5 61.b6 b1 62.b4 d3 63.e3 d6 64.c4 d2 65.b7 b2 66.d5 b8 67.c4 f6 68.f3 e6 69.a5 c7 70.c6 d6 71.c3+ h7 72.c4 g7 73.b5 e6 74.b8 xb8 75.xb8 d6 76.c6 d1 77.e5+ h7 78.d4 a1 79.d5 g7 80.xf7+ xf7 81.f3 f6 82.f4 f7 83.g5 g7 84.f3 f7 85.h6 f6 86.g4 1-0
A39 Gustafsson,J Labuckas,A European Cup, Plovdiv (Game 4) [Damian Lemos]
2010
1.d4 [ Once again, we have altered the move order in the actual game, which went 1.f3 f6 2.c4 c5 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 c6 5.c3 g6 6.g3 g7 7.g2 0-0 8.0-0 xd4 9.xd4 d6 . ] 1...f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.f3 g7 5.g2 cxd4 6.xd4 c6 7.c3 0-0 8.0-0 xd4 9.xd4 d6 10.d3 f5 Black forces the e4-
advance with the idea of blocking the Bg2’s path on the long diagonal. Unfortunately for him, we are happy to play e2-e4 as we get the Maróczy Bind structure with pawns on e4 and c4. This formation traditionally offers White a strong centre. 11.e4 e6 12.d2 One of the advantages of this move-order is that we prevent ...Qa5. [ Theory also suggests 12.b3 , but I like the game move, which has been employed by strong GMs, such as Gustafsson, Ehlvest, Hort and Kovalyov. ] 12...c8 [ Some other possibilities for Black: 12...a5 13.d5 d8 14.c3 and Black has merely succeeded in losing a lot of tempi. ] [ 12...a6 13.b3 b8 14.ac1 d7 15.d5!? b5 ( less accurate is 15...xd5 16.cxd5 h3 17.xh3 xh3 18.c7 ) 16.fe1 b7 17.f1 g4 18.h3 xd5 19.cxd5 f6 20.c6 a8 21.ec1 was agreed drawn in J.Ehlvest-G.Kamsky, Reggio Emilia 1991. ( White can try improve with 21.a5 , as pointed out by GM Ribli. )] [ 12...d7 (trying to improve the knight’s placement and attack White’s queen in the process) 13.b3 c5 14.e2 a6 15.fd1 e8 16.ac1 b5 was J.Smejkal-N.Lakic, Banja Luka 1976. Here I believe White can play 17.d5 bxc4 18.xc4 a5 19.e3 with a powerful position and the culmination of White’s strategy – both c- and d-files are under his control, and his bishop on g2 rules the long light diagonal. ] [ 12...g4 13.b3 e5 14.e2 c6 15.ac1 c8 was played in A.MikhalchishinV.Srebrnic, Slovenian Team Championship 2011; and now the improvement 16.d5 ( rather than 16.fd1 ) 16...d4 17.d3 leaves White’s advantage beyond question. ] 13.b3 h3 14.ac1 We don’t mind trading bishops, since we can just place our pawns on light squares, making the dark-squared bishop a stronger piece. xg2 15.xg2 b6 16.d5 b7 17.fe1! A deep move: apart from defending e4, the rook is going to be useful when the e-file opens up. xd5 [ If 17...ac8 , then 18.f3 , followed by a4 – we keep placing our pawns on light squares and gaining space. ] 18.xd5 As long as we understand that the endgame is good for us, trading queens is fine.
[ 18.exd5?! would be a positional mistake, as after e5 , Black gets rid of his weak e7pawn. ] 18...ab8 [ After 18...xd5 19.exd5 , Black is going to have a hard time defending his e-pawn. ] 19.a4 fc8 20.f3 b2 21.cd1 xd5 Black is hard pressed to find any counterplay, so he trades the queens off. However, this opens the e-file and White is going to exploit it perfectly. 22.exd5 f6 23.g4 What I like about this game is White’s refined positional play. Almost every single white pawn is placed on a light square, making the dark-squared bishop a very strong piece. Moreover, White threatens g5 to win the e7-pawn. b7 Black was naturally worried about the e7-pawn, so the rook defends the 7th rank, but Black’s position is still passive. 24.e4 a6 25.g5 g7 26.e3 At first sight, White seems likely to play Bd4 to trade bishops off. However, analysing the position a bit deeper, we can see that 26 Be3 is actually preventing ...b5. e5 [ The rash 26...b5 would play into White’s hands after 27.cxb5 axb5 28.a5 , creating a dangerous passed pawn. ] 27.f4 g7 28.f1 White increases the advantage little by little; f4-f5 is coming. e8 29.f5 e5 30.f6 h5 [ 30...exf6 is strongly met by 31.xf6 , adding a new target to attack: the weak d6pawn. ] 31.e1 [ Here 31.xe5! is a very strong alternative – tactics flow easily when you have a much better position. The position is pretty closed, so Black cannot activate his rooks via dxe5 32.fxe7 exe7 , as 33.f6 leaves Black defenceless against Bxb6, followed by a pawn storm in the centre. ] 31...exf6 32.gxf6 c8 33.xe5 The exchange sacrifice works well here too. dxe5 34.f3 e4+ 35.f4! Taking the e4pawn was also playable, and I think White would win in the long run with accurate play. From the practical point of view, it is better not to open files for the black rooks, which is why 35 Kf4 deserves an exclamation mark. d8 36.d1 f8 37.d4 bd7 38.c1 g8 [ Black can’t free his position by playing 38...b5 , as after 39.a3+ g8 40.xe4 , White’s mobile pawns continue to advance with c5-c6. ]
39.a3 h7 40.xe4 The rest is a matter of technique. h6 41.e7 g5+ 42.f5 h4 43.c1 h5 44.h3 xd5+ 45.cxd5 xd5+ 46.e5 d3 47.xg5 b5 48.f4 d8 49.axb5 axb5 50.e7 f8 51.b7 b4 52.e5 1-0
A15 Adams,Mi Wang Hao Dortmund Sparkassen (Game 5) [Damian Lemos]
2013
1.d4 [ Once again, we have altered the original move order, which went 1.c4 f6 2.g3 c5 3.g2 g6 4.c3 g7 5.f3 0-0 6.d4 cxd4 7.xd4 c6 8.0-0 a5 . ] 1...f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.f3 g7 5.g2 cxd4 6.xd4 c6 7.c3 a5 This queen sally has been played a few times by GM Miso Cebalo at master level. [ The main line also can be reached with 7...0-0 8.0-0 a5 . ] 8.0-0 0-0 This line is one of the most critical tests of the English. This aggressive-looking plan with ...Qa5 has also been played by strong GMs like Korchnoi, Tukmakov and Larsen. [ If Black attempts 8...c5 , attacking the c4pawn instead, play can follow with the aggressive 9.db5! 0-0 10.c7 b8 11.7d5 xc4 12.f4 with good play for the pawn; for example, e5? ( 12...xd5 13.xd5 wins the exchange ) 13.xe5 xe5 14.xf6+ xf6 15.d6! and White hits the b8-rook and f6-bishop simultaneously. ] 9.b3 h5 10.d5 I really like the plan employed by Michael Adams in this game. [ Another option is to get rid of the Qh5 with 10.e4 and then: A) Trading queens with 10...xd1 11.xd1 gives White a slight and stable advantage; for example, d6 12.c5 dxc5 13.xc5 g4 ( attempting to anchor in ... Nd4 with 13...e5 looks like a better choice ) 14.f3 c8 15.e3 b6 16.d3 and White won handily after 35 moves in Kir.Georgiev-M.Pavlovic, Yugoslav Team Championship 1991.; B) 10...d6 11.xh5 xh5 12.c5 dxc5 13.xc5 , but I don’t think White’s slight pull is enough to fight for the win, A.
Hauchard-J.M.Degraeve, Parthenay 1992. ] 10...d6 [ Black should avoid 10...xd5 11.cxd5 e5 12.f4 c4 13.f3 h3 14.d4 , followed by b3, when he has merely wasted development tempi, whereas White has gained territory. ] 11.f4 e5 12.e1! Strong and simple; White prepares e2-e4 to build up a strong centre. [ Attacking the queen was also possible: 12.d3 e6 13.c5 d5 . However, I prefer Black’s chances here, especially if he moves the queen somewhere (say ...Qf5) and follows with ...e5. ] 12...a5 Black tries to create counterplay on the queenside, but his plan is halted in its tracks by White’s next move. 13.a4! It is worth mentioning that Black’s queen cannot be comfortable in the middle of the board. e6 14.d2 With this natural move, White gets a solid position, but Black will have a chance to equalize. [ I think we should try improving White’s play with 14.d5 and then: A) 14...h5 15.h3! (exploiting Black’s queen position again; Black has a few choices here but none of them are enough for equality) d7 ( 15...xh3? loses a piece to 16.f4; while after 15...xd5 16.cxd5 b4 17.g4 h4 18.f4 , Black’s queen is still out of play ) 16.g4 h4 17.d2 and the black queen is in serious trouble.; B) 14...xd5 15.cxd5 b4 16.e4 , when the position remains complicated, but I believe in White’s bishop pair.; C) 14...fd8 15.e4 and the precarious position of the queen will again be a serious concern for Black. ] 14...f5 15.d5 [ After 15.b3 , Black can consider repeating moves with e6 . ] 15...xd5 16.cxd5 b4 17.e4 d7 18.c4 White has made some progress, but Black should equalize with accurate play. d4 19.xd4 xd4 20.e3 fc8 21.f1 xc4 22.xc4 xb2 This is probably too ambitious. [ Black could equalize through simple means like 22...xe3 23.xe3 c2 and he regains the exchange with a likely draw soon. ] 23.ab1 f6 [ After 23...a3 24.e2 c8 25.b3
, White's advantage is clear ] 24.ec1 [ Instead, 24.b5!? may be an improvement for White. ] 24...xa4 25.b6 d7? [ Black misses a great chance to take the lead here with 25...c2! . This move is easy to see with the help of the computer, but over the board it’s a different story. The key to this tactical combination is seen after 26.xb4 axb4 27.xc2 a1+ 28.g2 b3! 29.xb3 ( or 29.d2 b2 ) 29...b1 and Black gets the piece back. ] 26.xa5 White takes the dangerous a5-pawn and Black’s position collapses. xa5 27.xb4 b5 28.d3 g7 29.g2 g5 30.c7 g4? 31.e5 1-0
A38 Akopian,V Luther,T FIDE World Ch., Groningen (Game 6) [Damian Lemos]
1997
1.d4 [ Once again, I have switched the move order to fit in with our repertoire. The actual moves leading to the game position (and more commonly seen in tournament praxis) is 1.c4 c5 2.f3 f6 3.c3 c6 4.g3 g6 5.g2 g7 6.d4 cxd4 7.xd4 0-0 8.0-0 d6 . ] 1...f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.f3 g7 5.g2 cxd4 6.xd4 c6 7.c3 0-0 8.0-0 d6 An interesting gambit of the b-pawn, for which Black gets the open b-file and pressure against c4. It is seen at all levels, and has been played by former FIDE World Champions Topalov, Khalifman and Tal. We can, of course, take up the challenge and accept the gambit pawn with 9 Nxc6 etc. However, I also like the solid 9 Nc2 (played by Garry Kasparov), trying to build up a strong centre in “Maróczy Bind” style. 9.c2 h5!? Black tries to create weaknesses on the kingside. [ Let’s take a look at Black’s main alternatives here: 9...e6 10.b3 d7 11.b2 h3 12.e3 xg2 13.xg2 and now: A) After 13...e6 , White builds up on the dfile with 14.d2 fd8 15.ad1 a6 16.c1 b6 17.a1 b7 18.g1
as in G.Mastrokouko-V.Kotronias, Greek Championship, Komotini 1992. I believe White is better here for several reasons: 1. We have strong pressure on the a1-h8 diagonal. 2. We can exert more force on the d-file by doubling rooks with Rd2 and Rfd1. 3. Black cannot free his position by playing b5 because 19.xb5! wins a pawn. ( 19.-- ); B) 13...e4 14.c2 xc3 15.xc3 xc3 16.xc3 e6 17.d5 ac8 18.ad1 fe8 19.fe1 e5 20.d2 g7 21.e4 was G.Kasparov-P.Leko, Horgen 1994. White has built up a strong centre and will annex more space with f2-f4, whereas Black is unable to find any counterplay. Leko eventually succumbed in 45 moves. ] [ 9...d7 10.d2! (I really like this move, protecting our pawn structure in case Black plays ...Bxc3) c5 11.b3 a5 12.e3 d7 13.b1 d4 14.a3 ( 14.cd5 , followed by Bc3, is worth considering too ) 14...c6 15.b4 was working very well for White, whose space advantage gave him the edge in A.Shcekachev-J.Hjartarson, Reykjavik 1994. ] 10.g5 The natural way of preventing Black from playing ...h4. e6 11.b3 [ White can also try 11.d5 h7 12.d2 h4 13.b1 , when his space advantage should again give him the better prospects. ] 11...h4 A nice attempt by Black to trap our bishop. 12.gxh4 [ Taking with the bishop would be a huge mistake after 12.xh4 h7! , when White has to deal with the dual threats of ...Bxc3 and ...g5. ] 12...h5 13.e1 The best way of defending our knight! [ The exchange sacrifice 13.e4 is worth a try, but I think Black has good defensive resources after xa1 14.xa1 f6 15.e3 g7 , when Black defended successfully and later won in I.Glek-T.Luther, Asti 1997. ] [ The safer-looking 13.d3 allows Black to equalize after a5 14.d2 e5 15.e3 g4 16.d3 e5 . ] 13...a5 This cannot be recommended. Black nets the exchange, but at the cost of the initiative and activity. [ Instead, after 13...d7 14.d1 (here we see the point of 13 Qe1!) h3 15.f3 xg2 16.xg2 , White just keeps a space
advantage. ] 14.d5! The most challenging continuation. [ After the insipid 14.d2 , Black seizes the initiative with f4 . ] 14...xd5 [ Grabbing the exchange immediately with 14...xa1 15.xe7+ h7 16.xa1 is clearly better for White due to his dark square control, as well as the weakened black king. ] 15.cxd5 xa1 16.xa1 This simple move is also the best. [ The alternative 16.dxc6 c3 is far from clear, and Black should be able to generate enough counterplay. ] 16...b8 17.e3 Looking for new horizons with our knight. [ 17.xe7 e8 18.xd6 xe2 is not as clear as the game. ] 17...f6 18.c4 d8 19.d2 d7 20.f4 f5 21.e4 White immediately takes the opportunity to develop an initiative in the centre. This makes a lot of sense because White has the bishop pair and should strive to open the position up. df6 [ After 21...fxe4 22.xe4 , White would open up the position even faster. ] 22.e5 dxe5 23.xe5 b5 24.a5 b6+ 25.h1 g4 26.e1 ae8 [ If 26...fe8 27.c6 g7 , White slots in 28.f3 , intending h3 or Rg1, and I believe White’s domination is clear with every single piece participating in the attack. ] 27.c6 h7 28.h3 gf6 29.h2 c7 30.a5? The bishop is not doing much on this diagonal. [ White could have played 30.e5 , followed by Nd4-e6, when his position looks promising. ] 30...d7 31.e5 c8 32.b4 e4 33.e3 c2 34.c1 xa2 35.c7 g8? Never be too careful! The position requires immediate aggressive action by Black. [ Instead, after 35...hf6! 36.d4 ( not 36.xe7? xd5 with a triple threat ) 36...xb3 37.xe7 g3+ 38.g1 c8 , the position is unclear but I would rather play Black here. ] 36.xa7 b1 37.d6 hg3 38.d7 a8 39.d8 gxd8 40.b6! The most accurate move. [ It is not too late to make a mistake with 40.xe7+? g8 41.b6 f1+ , when 42.xf1? a2+ 43.g2 ( or 43.g1 xf1+! ) 43...xg2+! 44.xg2 c2+ 45.f3
d1+ gives Black a winning attack. ] 40...g8 41.xe7+ [ And not 41.xa8? , since f1+ 42.xf1 xf1 43.xg8 e2+ leads to perpetual check. ] 41...h6 42.b7 h8 43.f7+ h5 44.xh8 f1+ 45.xf1 a2+ 46.g1 xh4 Unfortunately for Black, his advanced king is not useful in the attack. 47.xe4 xe4 48.h7+ g3 49.xg6+ xf4 50.d2+! [ Black resigned without waiting for 50.d2+ xd2 51.h6+ , winning the rook and the game. ] 1-0
A39 Gelfand,B Krasenkow,M European Team Ch., Leon (Game 7) [Damian Lemos]
2001
1.d4 [ Once again, we have illustrated the move order stemming from the King’s Indian Fianchetto System. The actual moves were 1.f3 c5 2.c4 c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 f6 5.g3 g6 6.g2 g7 7.0-0 0-0 8.c3 g4!? . ] 1...f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.f3 g7 5.g2 cxd4 6.xd4 c6 7.c3 0-0 8.0-0 g4!? This is the start of an important line which asks the question of White’s centralized knight immediately. The point of Black’s move is the ...Nh6-f5 manoeuvre, putting some pressure on White’s centre. 9.e3 d6 [ Black has two main alternatives in this position: 9...xd4 10.exd4 h6 11.d2 d6 ( if 11...f5 , simply 12.d5 gains space and we can probably continue by placing the rooks on e1 and c1 – even if Black can get his knight to d4, its stability there is problematic as the d4-square is not supported by pawns ) 12.e1 g4? (after this, Black loses a piece) 13.c1 f5 14.h3 and the forlorn light-squared bishop cannot escape, Y.Pelletier-H.Banikas, French Team Championship 2002. ] [ 9...ge5 is played from time to time, and here I like the following approach employed by White in a recent game: 10.b3 d6 11.de2 f5 ( after 11...d7 12.h3 , White keeps the same spatial plus ) 12.e4 d7 13.h3 , with the option of f2-f4,
annexing more space, A.Giri-P.Vandevoort, Dutch Team Championship 2011. ] 10.b3 h6 11.de2 As White, we need to be careful about the a1-h8 diagonal, but we can play Bb2 or Bd2, depending on the situation. g4 [ 11...a5 is met by 12.d2 f5 ( the queen swap after 12...h5 13.f4 xd1 14.axd1 leaves Black with a hard time stopping moves like Nd5 or Nb5 ) 13.d5 d8 14.c1 e6 15.df4 c7 16.c3 e5 17.d2 b8 18.fd1 was played in N.Weinstein-P.Cleghorn, Lone Pine 1976. White’s position is much better for the following reasons: 1. Black’s d6-pawn is quite weak. 2. The e4 advance is coming. 3. If we get rid of the g7-bishop, Black’s kingside is going to be quite weak too. ] 12.b2 d7 This does not solve Black’s problems. I would have played the queen to a more active square. [ Nevertheless, after 12...a5 13.c1 xe2 (Black must feel sad to lose his bishop pair, but the alternative is to allow White to play f3 and e4, gaining more space in the centre) ( also, 13...fd8 would be met by 14.f4 with a strong central grip ) 14.xe2 , White enjoys a comfortable advantage due to his powerful light-squared bishop and better queenside prospects. ] 13.d2 h3 14.d5 xg2 15.xg2 f5? The f5-square should be reserved for the knight. Black does not achieve much by advancing on the kingside. [ After 15...f5 16.xg7 xg7 ( or 16...xg7 17.e4 ) 17.ad1 , White still has a comfortable advantage. Black cannot push the d5-knight away, since ...e6 would weaken d6 and f6. ] 16.xg7 xg7 17.ad1 e6 As previously mentioned, this creates a weakness on d6. [ It was essential to play 17...f7 to bring the knight back into the fray. ] 18.b2+ f7 This is Black’s best chance. [ White is not troubled after 18...e5 19.ec3 , when doubling the rooks with Rd2 and Rfd1 looks powerful from a positional point of view. ] 19.dc3 [ 19.f6 is tempting, but loses a piece to e7 20.xh7 h8 . ] 19...ad8 20.b5 Now the d6-pawn becomes a real target. e7 21.a3 The pressure on d6 increases! d5 22.cxd5
exd5 [ The alternatives look gloomy too: 22...xa3 23.dxe6+ xe6 24.xa3 and the endgame with an extra pawn should be an easy win for White in the long run. ] [ 22...xd5 23.xd5 exd5 ( or 23...xa3 24.xf5+ ) 24.xe7+ xe7 25.d1 also wins a pawn for White. ] 23.xe7+ xe7 [ 23...xe7 is no better, as I don’t think Black can save the d5-pawn after Nf4, Rd2 and Rfd1. ] 24.f4 [ Stronger than 24.xa7 a8 25.b5 xa2 , when Black has an active rook. ] 24...g5 25.d3 c6 26.h4! gxh4 27.h1 The point of White’s previous move – Black’s position is hopeless because of his wrecked pawn structure. g4 28.xh4 f6 29.b4 With so many weak black pawns ripe for harvesting, trading pieces is a good idea for White. d4? Making White’s job easier. [ 29...xb4 30.xb4 a5 offers more resistance, though after 31.f4 , followed by Nd4 or Rh4 and Rdh1, Black will be unable to defend all his weaknesses. ] 30.xc6 This wins a pawn and the game. bxc6 31.hxd4 xd4 32.xd4 1-0
E65 Khalifman,A Yrjola,J European Cup, Izmir (Game 8) [Damian Lemos]
2004
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.f3 g7 5.g2 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.c3 c6 This system is a critical branch of the “English King’s Indian”, as Black intensifies the pressure against our centre with the Panno Variation (7...Nc6). It is decision time for White. 8.dxc5!? [ 8.d5 is the most popular try in this position and thousands of games have been played with a5 9.d2 a6 , followed by ...Rb8, ... b5, and probably ...e5. As an experienced King’s Indian player myself, I can vouch that this is the kind of battle Black is itching get into. Whereas, in my opinion, 8 dxc5!? leads to a position where White is in the driver’s seat. First of all, we have an extra tempo in a symmetrical position. More importantly, Black won’t have the attacking chances he
craves – and usually gets – in the King’s Indian. ] 8...dxc5 9.e3 I like this move, attacking c5 and seizing the initiative as soon as possible. [ 9.f4 , trying to play Ne5, is White’s main alternative, but after h5 10.e3 a5 , I think the position is unclear. ] 9...e6 Black keeps the symmetry. [ Others: 9...a5 can be met by 10.b3!? . ] [ 9...g4 10.xd8 xd8 11.xc5 e6 12.fd1! ( Aronian preferred 12.d5 xd5 13.cxd5 xd5 14.a3 ad8 15.ac1 and White is always a tinge better due to his bishop pair, L.Aronian-A.Morozevich, Monte Carlo blindfold rapid 2007 ) 12...xc4 ( the endgame after 12...xd1+ 13.xd1 xc4 14.d2 is clearly better for White; for example, e6 15.xc6 bxc6 16.xe7 xc3 17.bxc3 xa2 18.c4 and White’s advantage is close to decisive ) 13.d2 e6 ( White gets good play after 13...a6 14.xc6 bxc6 15.b3 , as Black has a weakened pawn structure: xc3 16.xd8+ xd8 17.bxc3 xe2? 18.d4! is a good example of Black’s problems in this endgame ) 14.xc6 bxc6 15.f3 e5 16.xe7 and White is a healthy pawn up. ] 10.a4 Definitely the best try. [ Taking the c5-pawn is risky. After 10.xc5 a5 11.a3 xc4 12.d4 xd4 13.xd4 ac8 , Black has a great position. White’s main problem is the queen on d4 is badly placed and in the line of fire of the g7-bishop. For instance, 14.xb7 is met by d5 and White is in serious trouble. ] 10...d4 [ 10...b6 11.b5! d7 12.g5 d4 13.xd4 cxd4 ( 13...xd4 14.xe6 xe6 15.d5 ) 14.xe6 dxc3 15.xg7 xb5 16.cxb5 cxb2 17.ab1 xg7 18.xb2 ] [ 10...a5 11.xa5 xa5 12.xc5 d7 ( 12...xc4 13.g5; 12...xc4 13.e5 ) 13.d4 xc4 14.xg7 xg7 15.b3 e6 16.d4 ac8 17.ac1 fd8 was played in A.Mandel-An.Wagner, German League 2000. Here 18.xe6+ fxe6 19.b5 doesn't look great for Black due to his damaged pawn structure, as well as the misplaced knight on a5. ] 11.ac1 The idea behind this move is to control the c2-square. [ 11.ad1 d7 12.a3 c2 would give Black good counterplay. ] 11...d7
[ Let us examine Black’s main alternatives in this position: 11...g4 12.f4 b6 13.b3 xf3+?! ( but 13...ac8 14.xd4!? cxd4 15.d5 xd5 16.xd5 still offers White a slight advantage, as pointed out by GM Stohl ) 14.xf3 e5 15.g2 ac8 16.d5 xd5 17.cxd5 b4? 18.xa7 c4 19.e3 g4 20.f3 cxb3 21.xb3 xb3 22.axb3 e5 23.fd1 fd8 24.xc8 xc8 25.d6 exd6 26.xd6 c6 27.d7 d4 28.xb7 and Black resigned in A.Baburin-D.Gormally, Isle of Man 2001. ] [ 11...b6? looks active but cannot be recommended. Here I like 12.xd4 cxd4 13.c5! xc5 ( if Black takes the plunge with 13...xb2 , then 14.xd4 d7 15.d1 ) 14.d5 d6 15.f4 d8 16.xf6+ xf6 17.xb7 h3 18.c7 e8 19.c6 c8 20.fd1 with a clear advantage to White, J. Borges Mateos-A.Sorin, Havana 1988. ] 12.b3 A solid move, defending the c4-pawn. [ After 12.fd1 b6 , followed by Nxc4, the position is unclear. ] 12...c8 [ Black has also tried: 12...a6 13.g5 c8 14.xd4 cxd4 15.xe6 b6 as in I.Fancsy-O.Loskutov, Budapest 1996. Here, after 16.a5 xe6 17.e4 d7 18.g5 , Black will lose the b7-pawn. ] [ 12...b6 13.a5 (the placement of the white queen encourages Black to try and trap it, but to no avail) c8 14.fd1 g4 15.xa7 a8 16.xb7 c8 17.e4 f5 18.h4 f6 19.g5 with a huge advantage for White, L.Spassov-Rieda, Berga 1993. ] [ 12...f5 13.f4 h6 , as in J.Szmetan-H. Filgueira, Buenos Aires 1992, can be met by 14.fd1 and White has a slight advantage, according to Stohl. ] 13.fd1 xf3+ 14.exf3 The purpose of this move is clear. White wants to play f4 to prevent the black knight from accessing the e5-square. a6 15.f4 b8 16.d5 e8 17.b4 White needs to open up the position as he has superior development and more space. xd5 [ After 17...cxb4 18.xb4 , Black is unable to activate his pieces. ] 18.xd5 cxb4 [ Not 18...b5? , as after 19.cxb5 axb5 20.a5 c4 21.a7 , Black loses the exchange. ] 19.c5! f6 20.f3 g4 21.c6 xe3 [ 21...bxc6 allows 22.a7 a8 23.xc6
and White wins the exchange. ] 22.cxb7 e6 [ 22...f5 23.fxe3 e6 24.xb4 xe3+ 25.g2 ] 23.e1 c3 [ 23...d4 24.xb4 ] 24.xe3 b6 25.c6 xc6 [ 25...a5 ] 26.xc6 d2 This tempting move loses immediately. [ 26...f8 offered more resistance, though White should win in the long run. ] 27.xe8 xc1 [ 27...xe3? is futile, since 28.fxe3 xe8 29.c8 is winning. ] 28.xe7 b2 [ 28...f8 29.c7 doesn’t change things much. ] 29.xf7+ g7 30.d5+ h6 31.c7 d4 32.g4 g5 33.e4! gxf4 34.h4 . The black king gets trapped in a corner. A fitting ending to a well-played game by Khalifman! 1-0
E60 Kramnik,V Radjabov,T London Candidates (Game 9) [Damian Lemos]
2013
We finish this chapter by analysing one of the latest high-level games in this line. 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.f3 g7 5.g2 cxd4 6.xd4 0-0 7.c3 c7 [ Radjabov deviates from 7...c6 . ] 8.b3 This is simple and clear. [ Instead, 8.d5 xd5 9.cxd5 a5+ 10.d2 ( 10.f1 was played in M.Bezold-R. Polzin, Austrian Team Championship 2011; naturally, playing with the king in the centre without castling rights cannot be a good idea ) 10...b6 11.c3 d6 was K.Urban-W.Moranda, Poznan 2011. This looks equal to me, as Black is poised to finish his queenside development. What’s more, the b8-knight can get back into the game via ...Na6-c5-d7-e5 or ...Nd7-f6. ] 8...d5 9.db5! The best reaction, winning an important tempo. [ 9.0-0 dxc4 10.cb5 d8 11.bxc4 a6 12.c3 g4 13.e3 c6 14.b1 A) 14...xe3!? 15.xe3 ( 15.fxe3!? xd4! 16.d5 ) 15...xd4 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 xd4 leads to an equal position,
L.Aronian-T.Radjabov, Morelia/Linares 2008.; B) 14...ge5 15.c5 g4 16.f3 c8 ] 9...a5 10.d2 dxc4 11.bxc4 d8 At first glance, we can see that White has a weak pawn on c4. However, the open b-file is useful and White’s strong pressure on the h1-a8 diagonal is quite telling. 12.0-0 a6 Pushing the knight back to the corner makes lot of sense for Black. [ 12...c6 is strongly met by 13.d5! a6 ( winning the exchange with 13...xd5 14.cxd5 xa1 15.xa1 cannot be recommended for Black, as his king is not protected at all and White has full control of the dark squares ) 14.bc3 and White has the better prospects due to his queenside activity. Moreover, Black has created a hole for a white knight at b6. ] 13.a3 f5 [ After the natural 13...c6 , White can reply 14.b1 . This is annoying for Black who now has to give his b7-pawn extra support if he wants to develop the c8-bishop; and as we pointed out before, Black has a hole on b6 which White can try exploiting by playing Nd5 or Na4. For instance, e6 15.a4 , planning Nb6/Nc5 or Bc3, ( though 15.xb7 a5 16.b4 is also worth considering. )] 14.c2 The knight looks for better horizons in the centre. [ Taking the b7-pawn is too risky: after 14.xb7? a7 15.g2 d7 , White suddenly loses material. ] 14...c6 15.e3 d7 I guess Black was not happy letting his bishop pair go, but it is not easy to suggest an alternative for him. [ 15...e6 16.b1! (now that the black bishop has left f5, we can play Rb1 to exert strong queenside pressure) d7 17.a4 and White will follow up with Nc5/Nb6, ensuring a plus. ] [ 15...d4 (this aggressive-looking move is not sufficient to equalize either) 16.xf5 gxf5 17.c1 fd8 ( not 17...xc4? , as 18.d5 xa2 19.a1 c4 20.b6 wins material ) 18.d5 e6 19.e3! , and I believe all the endgames are better for White because of the bishop pair. ] 16.xf5 xf5 Of course Black prefers to keep his pawn structure intact. [ After 16...gxf5 17.b1 , the only difference from the game is that Black’s kingside is weaker. ]
17.b1 ad8 Black chooses an active continuation, placing the rook on the same file as White’s queen. [ This is better than defending b7: after 17...ab8 18.d5 xd5 19.e4! , White gets the piece back and builds a strong centre. ] 18.c1!? The simplest answer for White. [ I also like 18.d5 e4 19.b4 e5 20.a4 and White has a slight advantage; ] [ 18.xb7 allows Black some counterplay after a5 19.b4 e6 . ] 18...e6 [ 18...d7 can be met by 19.d5 . ] 19.e1 xc4 20.xb7 e5 21.f4 e6 22.h3 c4 23.e4 Material is equal but White is slowly improving his position. The two active bishops, plus the powerful rook on the 7th rank, ensure White a big edge. e5 24.xe5!? [ White can also keep a solid advantage without offering his bishop pair: by playing 24.a3 fe8 25.eb1 c4 26.a4 , when Black’s knight doesn’t have any powerful squares to go to, whereas White has the chance of improving further with moves like e5 or Nd5. ] 24...xe5 25.d5 fe8 26.b4 d7 27.c6 e6 28.b6 xa2? The decisive mistake. White has a forced win based on Black’s weak back rank. [ Black does better to create counterplay with 28...c7 , pinning the knight against the queen, and forcing White to play e4-e5, as after 29.xa6 d7! 30.xe7+? xe7 31.xc7 xa6 32.d8+ f8 , Black gets to keep his extra piece. ] 29.e5 d5 [ Not 29...h5? , since 30.g4 sends the errant knight into oblivion. ] 30.b2 a4 31.xd5 xd5 32.b4 The correct move order. [ 32.xe7+? fails because Black is still controlling the e8-square; i.e. xe7 33.c8+ e8 . ] 32...a2 33.xe7+! h8 [ Now after 33...xe7 34.c8+ f8 35.b8 , mate is inevitable. ] 34.xd5 xd5 35.c4 Once White has more material, it becomes easier, as he can simply trade pieces to win the endgame. xc4 36.xc4 xe5 37.f1 . Black has no answer to f2-f4 or Rce4, and therefore he resigns. 1-0
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Chapter Two
The Grünfeld without ...c6
The Grünfeld is one of the sharpest defences Black can play against 1 d4. What I really like about the g3-system is its flexibility. In the main line, where Black plays a quick ...d5 (without first preparing the advance with ...c6), we push Black's knight back after e2-e4 and Ne2, therefore building up a strong centre for White. The advantage of playing Ne2 instead of Nf3 is clear: White avoids the annoying ...Bg4 pin. Game 10 V.Akopian-P.Svidler, Haifa 1995 Game 11 P.Tregubov-R.Kempinski, Koszalin 1999 Game 12 R.Wojtaszek-K.Piorun, Polish Championship, Warsaw 2011 Game 13 G.Kasparov-R.Kasimdzhanov, Wijk aan Zee 1999
Index of Variations 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Bg2 d5 5 cxd5 Nxd5 6 e4 Nb6 6...Nb4 – Akopian-Svidler 7 Ne2 Nc6 7...c5 – Wojtaszek-Piorun 7...0-0 – Kasparov-Kasimdzhanov 8 d5 – Tregubov-Kempinski Back to Contents Page
D72 Akopian,V Svidler,P Haifa (Game 10) [Damian Lemos]
1995
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 d5 So here we have the dynamic Grünfeld Defence. As Yelena Dembo pointed out in her excellent ‘Play the Grünfeld’, the opening is all about piece activity and being the first to create threats. In the following games, we’ll study how to deal with Black’s activity and obtain a strong centre as White. 5.cxd5 xd5 6.e4 The advantage of White’s move order is that he can choose to develop his knight via e2 instead of f3. b4 [ 6...b6 is the main line, and the subject of the other three games in this chapter. ] 7.a3 [ 7.d5 is also possible, but I like the text move because it curtails Black’s options and White seizes a lot of space. ] 7...4c6 8.d5 d4 9.e2 [ 9.f3 led to a quick draw in D.Sekulic-L. Janjgava, Belgrade 1988: xf3+ ( instead, Black might prefer 9...g4! , aiming to ease his position by trading pieces. ) 10.xf3 0-0 11.0-0 e6 12.b3 exd5 13.exd5 d7 14.e3 e5 ½-½, though White is still slightly better, in my opinion. ] 9...g4 Again, the most challenging move. [ Black can also try defending the knight with 9...c5 , but after 10.0-0 0-0 11.bc3 ( 11.xd4 cxd4 12.d2 a6 is not so clear, A.Shirov-V.Gavrikov, Klaipeda 1988 ) 11...d7 12.e3 (getting rid of the Nd4) e5 13.dxe6 xe6 14.f4 , White’s space advantage gives him the better prospects; ( 14.b4 looks good too. )] 10.bc3 f3+ White loses the right to castle, but Black loses a lot of development tempi. Moreover, White can castle ‘by hand’ with h3 and Kg1-h2. 11.f1 d4 [ 11...0-0? loses a piece after 12.h3 h5 13.g4 . ] 12.h3 xe2 13.xe2 c8 Black keeps his bishop. [ After 13...xe2+ 14.xe2 0-0 15.e3 , White will play Kg1-h2, Rhd1 and Rac1, when his bishop pair and strong development should be enough for an advantage. ] 14.b3 c6 15.e3 0-0 16.g1 Slow, but
good enough to connect the rooks and put the king in a safe place. b6 [ 16...cxd5 17.exd5 does not ease Black’s position. White’s d5-pawn, while isolated, is well protected by the queen and bishop, and Nc3 and Rhd1 if necessary, thus maintaining White’s space advantage. ] 17.h2 b7 18.hd1 e8 [ The alternative 18...cxd5?! is dubious, as after 19.exd5 d7 20.d4 , the knight jumps into the juicy hole at c6. ] 19.ac1 a6 20.d4! The knight is well placed on d4 and should be able to control events in the centre. Black faces a big decision now: whether to play 20...cxd5 and allow White access to c6, or close the position with 20...c5. cxd5 [ Closing lines with 20...c5 allows 21.c6 xc6 22.dxc6 e5 ( not 22...xc6? 23.e5 , winning the exchange ) 23.f1 , followed by Rd7, and White has a clear advantage due to his light square domination and passed pawn on c6. ] 21.exd5 c5 22.c2 e5 Black tries to free his game. [ Playing 22...e6 would just weaken his position after 23.b4 a6 24.dxe6 xg2 25.xg2 fxe6 26.c4 (Ftacnik). ] 23.c6 d7 24.e7+ White trades his knight for a bishop and, in the process, fashions a strong passed pawn on d6. xe7 [ Black cannot ignore the check, since if he plays 24...h8 , White should be able to win material after the simple 25.c7 , followed by d5-d6. ] 25.d6 f6 26.xb7 ad8 27.b4! Black has managed to bring his queen’s rook into the game, but now 27 b4 curtails the future of his knight. h6 28.d3 fe8 29.c7 This natural move prepares Bc6. e4 Logically, Black tries to create counterplay. Otherwise, he is going to lose without a fight. 30.xe4 e5 31.c2 xd6 32.xd6 xd6 33.xa7 The extra pawn, plus the bishop pair, should be enough for a win. e6 34.d1!? h5 [ 34...g4+ just helps White, who will gladly trade pieces off with 35.xg4 xe4 36.xe4 xe4 37.xb6 . ] 35.d5 f6 36.g2 h4 37.g4! Excellent defence by White, not allowing any counterplay, and the trade of queens will follow soon. After that, the game is over. h7 38.g5 e6 39.xe6 xe6 40.d5 . A very good example of how to play with the
bishop pair! 1-0
D72 Tregubov,P Kempinski,R Koszalin (Game 11) [Damian Lemos]
1999
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 xd5 5.g2 b6 6.e4 g7 7.e2 c6 8.d5 e5 From the e5-square, the black knight controls both sides of the board. [ Instead, 8...a5 is not very popular as it doesn’t put enough pressure on White’s centre. For example: 9.0-0 c6 10.bc3 cxd5 11.exd5 0-0 12.e1!? e6 ( the knight sally 12...ac4 doesn’t accomplish much: after 13.b3 d6 14.f4 , White is much better already and can follow up with Rc1; what’s more, White can try grabbing more space with a4-a5, while I would also aim for Nd4 and Be5 to get rid of Black’s strong, active g7-bishop ) 13.f4 e5 14.d3 ac4 15.b3 e4 16.xe4! xa1 17.bxc4 g7 18.b3 (White is the exchange down, but he has a powerful c4/ d5 pawn wedge, as well as a huge lead in development) f5 19.g5 f6 20.f4 g5 21.d2 h8 22.b4 e8 23.d6 xe1+ 24.xe1 d7 25.c5 a5 26.c3 a4 27.d4 e7 28.xf5 xe1+ 29.f1 b4 30.e3 and Black was unable to create any counterplay in V.Akopian-L.Shmuter, St Petersburg 1993. ] 9.0-0 e6 10.bc3 The natural move in this position. [ However, I believe White can also take the lead with 10.f4 ec4 11.e5 (this line isn’t easy to find without the help of an engine; analysing the position deeply, I realized White has strong compensation here) exd5 ( not 11...xd5? 12.a4+ , winning a piece ) 12.bc3 c6 13.b3 a5 14.a3 ( or perhaps 14.e1 , eyeing the errant Na5 ) 14...f8 15.xf8 and White has full control of the dark squares, whereas the black knights are out of play. ] 10...exd5 11.exd5 0-0 12.h3 This move is very useful for White (especially when you have fianchettoed) because it protects the kingside from the likes of ...Ng4 or ...Bg4. It also prepares the f2-f4 advance if needed. [ Having said that, White can also consider
12.f4 bc4 ( if 12...g4 13.h3 f3!? , then 14.xe5 xg2 15.xc7! wins a pawn ) 13.b3 d6 14.d2 e8 15.ac1 h3 16.fe1 xg2 17.xg2 d7 18.d4 , and after a6? 19.e6! fxe6 20.xe5 xe5 21.xe5 , White had a huge advantage in S.Begun-Ivanov, USSR Team Championship 1989. ] [ 12.b3 g4 13.f4 ec4 14.bxc4 xc3 was unclear in R.Bator-P.Schiller, Swedish Team Championship 1993. ] 12...f5 13.b3 e8 14.a3 I would like to share GM Ftacnik’s words here: “Both players have active light pieces, but Black’s freedom is restrained by the strong d5-pawn.” d3 15.c1 [ 15.f4 ec4! 16.xd3 ( 16.bxc4 xe2 17.xe2 xa1 ) 16...e3 ] 15...a6 16.c2 f6 [ 16...d3 17.d2 f5 18.d4 ] 17.f4 ed7 [ 17...d3? 18.f3! ] 18.e4 d8 [ 18...f5!? 19.g4 xd5 20.f6+ xf6 21.xd5 bxd5 ] 19.f2 White improves his position little by little. This time he places the rook on a better square, away from the glare of Black’s a6bishop. f6 [ The seemingly active 19...f5 20.g5 ] 20.xf6+ xf6 21.c3 e3? [ 21...g7 22.h2 ( 22.e4?! xd5; 22.fd2 e3! 23.e4?! e8 24.c5?? e1+ ) 22...c8 23.d6!? xd6 24.fd2 c8 ] 22.e4 g7 23.c5 d3 24.fd2 xd2 [ 24...xd5? 25.xb6 xd2 26.xd2 ] 25.xd2 c8 26.d6 xd6 [ 26...cxd6 27.f2 ( 27.xd6 xd6 28.xd6 c7 29.b4 b5 ) 27...e7 28.a4 ] 27.h2 e8 [ 27...c8? 28.xd6 cxd6 29.xd6 b8 ( 29...c7 30.b5 ) 30.xf7 ] [ 27...f8 ] 28.xd6 cxd6 29.xd6 e3 [ Here, 29...e7 30.xf7! xf7 ( 30...xf7 31.d7 ) 31.d5 ] 30.xf7! f8 [ 30...xf7 31.d7+ g8 32.d5+ h8 33.d8+ ] 31.g5 h8 32.d7 e8 33.d5 1-0
D72 Wojtaszek,R Piorun,K Polish Championship, Warsaw (Game 12) 2011 [Damian Lemos] 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 d5 5.cxd5 xd5 6.e4 b6 7.e2 c5 As usual, Black tries to put some pressure on White’s centre. [ The natural 7...0-0 8.0-0 is the subject of the next game. ] 8.d5 Annexing more space. [ Capturing on c5 is not effective: 8.dxc5 xd1+ 9.xd1 a4 and White has lost the right to castle, while Black is poised to get his pawn back soon. ] 8...e6 9.0-0 0-0 10.ec3!? A very deep move by White! So why does this knight go to c3 instead of the one on b1? White is reserving the queen’s knight for the subtle idea of a4, followed by Na3 or Nd2. [ What’s more, after 10.bc3 exd5 11.exd5 , Black could throw in the annoying ...Bg4 pin sooner or later. ] 10...a6 11.a4 exd5 12.exd5 White is not interested in trading pieces. The passed d5pawn is dangerous and offers White a nice spatial advantage. c4 Naturally, Black would like to blockade the d5-pawn with ... Nd6. 13.d2 xd2 [ Presumably Piorun realized that 13...d6 is futile here, as the knight would be challenged by 14.de4 . Here we see the point of White’s 10 Nec3: the Nd2-e4 manoeuvre to eliminate the blockade is a nice one. After f5 15.g5 d7 ( 15...f6 would render Black’s dark-squared bishop impotent, and 16.xd6 xd6 17.f4 , followed by d6, opens the diagonal for White’s own fianchettoed bishop; more importantly, Black lacks counterplay ) 16.xd6 xd6 and now 17.g4! , White gains control over e4 and can place a knight there to assist the passed d6pawn. ] 14.xd2 f5 15.e3 [ Here, I think 15.b3 also gives White a slight advantage; for example, b4 16.e4 xe4 ( 16...xd5 allows 17.xc5; and the howler 16...xd5?? loses the queen to 17.f6+ ) 17.xe4 . ] 15...d7 [ Alternatively, 15...b6 is met by 16.e2! ( 16.d2 looks interesting too, but 16 Qe2
creates the option of playing Qb5 ) 16...fd8 17.g4 d7 18.d6 and White is better for the following reasons: 1. Nc3-d5 becomes a big threat. 2. The passed d6-pawn is dangerous. ] 16.d6 ac8?! Black gets off the h1-a8 diagonal, but c8 is the wrong square for the rook. [ 16...ad8 is better, although 17.a5 shows that the d6-pawn need not be protected too much, as White can always win a pawn back on the queenside. For example, xd6 ( or 17...h3 18.xh3 xh3 19.d5 with a clear advantage, Ju Wenjun-Huang Qian, Jiangsu Wuxi 2012 ) 18.xd6 xd6 19.xb7 and White has a much better endgame, since Black’s queenside is full of weaknesses. ] 17.d5 The threat of Ne7+ is deadly. ce8 [ Black cannot now take the d6-pawn: after 17...xd6 18.g4! d7 ( 18...e6? loses instantly to 19.f6+ ) 19.f4 e6 20.e1 xg4 21.e7+ , White wins the exchange and the game. ] 18.e7+ xe7 [ 18...h8 19.xf5 leaves Black with a difficult decision: gxf5 ( or 19...xf5 , which loses a pawn at once to 20.xb7 ) 20.h3 and Black is unable to defend against the threat of Qh5 and Bxf5. ] 19.dxe7 xe7 20.e1 The rest should be easy for White. xb2 21.h6 f6 22.xf8 xf8 23.c1 b6 Black tries fighting with his minor pieces. [ Taking on c1 would not suffice: 23...xc1 24.xc1 , as then b6? fails to 25.h6+ g7 26.e8+! with a decisive deflection. ] 24.c4 b4 25.d2 g5 26.e3 g6 27.f3 e5 28.h4 gxh4 29.e3 h8 30.xb4! Good technique by White. [ Black loses more material after 30.xb4 cxb4 31.xb4+ g7 ( or 31...g8 32.e8+ ) 32.xb2+ . ] 1-0
D72 Kasparov,G Kasimdzhanov,R Wijk aan Zee (Game 13) [Damian Lemos]
1999
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 d5 5.cxd5 xd5 6.e4 b6 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0 c6
[ 8...e5 can’t be recommended. Black gains space but also blocks the g7-bishop’s diagonal. V.Akopian-M.Khachiyan, Armenian Championship, Yerevan 1995, continued 9.d5 c6 10.bc3 a6 11.b3! (this move is always useful, preventing ... Nc4) c7 12.a4 g4 13.a5 c8 14.a3 e8 and now: A) instead of 15.a2!? cxd5 16.exd5 d6 17.h3 xe2 18.xe2 ( or 18.xe2 e4 ) 18...cb5! , which was rather unclear; B) Akopian suggested 15.c1! , intending cxd5 16.exd5 d6 17.xd6 xd6 18.e4 with a nice advantage. ] 9.d5 a5 10.bc3 c6 11.b3! As previously explained, this is a key move in this variation. Limiting the a5-knight in its movements is an important part of our plan. cxd5 12.exd5 g4 Black introduces another pin; now both white knights are under attack. 13.d2 I feel this is White’s best option. [ Although 13.f3 unpins the knight, it has the disadvantage of blocking the g2-bishop’s diagonal as well. Black has no problems after this; for instance, d7 14.a3 e8 15.c1 e6 and Black eventually equalized in A.Obukhov-P.Kotsur, Kurgan 1994. ] 13...e6 [ 13...d7 14.h3 f5 15.e3 c8 16.g4 xc3 17.xc3 xc3 18.gxf5 f6 was played in J.Hirschhorn-V.Feldman, Australian Championship, Sydney 1995. Here White could have got a huge advantage with 19.d4 c8 20.fxg6 hxg6 21.ad1 , threatening both Qxa7 and d5-d6, opening lines to favour our bishop pair. ] 14.dxe6 xe6 15.e4 A strong move by the 13th World Champion. Black’s g7-bishop is more important than White’s a1-rook. [ White can also sacrifice the exchange in another way: 15.f4 f5 16.cd5 c6 17.c1 e8 , as in M.Mozny-R.Kalod, Czech Team Championship 1997, but this position looks equal to me, as Black doesn’t have any exploitable weaknesses. ] 15...c6 [ Grabbing the exchange is quite hazardous for Black’s health: 15...xa1 16.xa1 d7 ( 16...d5? loses to 17.f4! ) 17.h6 f6 18.xf8 xf8 19.d1 and while Black doesn’t lose material, his pieces, especially the Na5 and Qf8, are misplaced. Black’s kingside is weak too, and f6 becomes a target. White has a clear advantage here. ]
16.g5 Although the position is symmetrical, White’s pieces are better placed. [ Another good option is 16.c3 , eliminating Black’s strong g7-bishop: A) 16...xc3 17.2xc3 gives White a clear advantage; Nc5 is coming and Black has chronic dark square weaknesses. ( 17.-- ); B) 16...e8 17.d6 e7 18.xg7 xg7 19.xb7 simply wins a pawn for White.; C) I believe Black should try 16...g4 17.xg7 xg7 18.c2 , though White is still better due to Black’s weakened kingside. ] 16...xd1 [ The seemingly active 16...f6 17.e3 f5 can be met by the simple 18.c5 xa1 19.xe6 xd1 20.xd1 , when White has a clear advantage in all variations; for example, e5 ( after 20...f6 21.c7 c8 22.d5 e5 23.f4 b2 24.b1 , Black loses material ) 21.xf8 xf8 22.f4 and White’s bishop pair should have the final word in this open position. ] 17.axd1 h6 18.e3 [ White can also keep the pressure on with 18.f6 xf6 19.xf6+ g7 20.e4 , although Black, as the defending side, would be glad to have traded some pieces off. ] 18...ad8 19.d6 g4 [ The active defence 19...b4 is met strongly by 20.f4! (there is no rush to pick up the black pawns) ( the hasty 20.xb7 xd1 21.xd1 xa2 22.c5 allows Black some chances to resist ) 20...g4 21.f3 c8 22.b5 and White has a serious initiative. ] 20.f3 c8 21.c5 f6 22.f4! I concur with GM Ftacnik’s sentiments here that this is a logical continuation, with White’s advantage stemming from his strong pressure against the black position. g4 [ Not 22...e7? , which loses a pawn after 23.xb7 xb7 24.xe7 . ] 23.e4 xe2 24.xf6+ g7 25.xd8 [ White can also trade on f8, and after 25.xf8+ xf8 26.e4 ( rather than 26.xc6 bxc6 27.d6 xf1 28.xf1 c8 , when Black gets rid of his weak c6-pawn by playing c5-c4 and should equalize shortly ) 26...xd1 27.xd1 , as usual White has a better endgame due to his powerful fianchettoed bishop. ] 25...xd8 26.e1 d2
[ The alternatives aren’t exactly palatable: 26...xf6 27.xe2 and Black is going to have a hard time defending against the bishop pair. ] [ 26...d1 27.e8+ h7 28.xd1 xd1 29.d6 is even worse, as the knight is poised to go cherry-picking. ] 27.e8+ g8 28.d6 d7 29.e3 xa2 [ After 29...xd6 30.xe2 , White’s bishops make a much better team than Black’s knights. ] 30.d5 d8 31.b4 b2 32.f5! Opening up the position is the best way to enhance the bishops’ power. gxf5 [ Not 32...f6? 33.d4 and the diagonal fork wins. ] [ Black’s last chance was to try and close the position with 32...g5!? , but after 33.c1 f8 ( not 33...f6? 34.c8 xd5 35.xd8+ h7 36.d4 and Black is defenceless; 33...c6 34.xf7 is also crushing for White ) 34.h4! , White still has a clear advantage with his bishop pair and strong initiative. ] 33.xf5 e6 34.c1 b1 [ 34...c2 hardly helps either: White wins material after 35.xe6 fxe6 36.d4 . ] 35.e4 a1 36.e7+ . After the black king moves to a dark square, we’ll check him and pick up the rook. A great performance by Kasparov! 1-0
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Chapter Three
The Grünfeld with ...c6
Black can also try the Grünfeld with the solid ...c6 and ...d5. This formation is aimed at impeding White’s central advance and pressure after blunting the g2-bishop’s diagonal. However, the solidity of Black’s set-up makes it more inflexible; hence strategic concerns are more pertinent here than in the previous chapter. Please pay attention to the following move order explanation because we may lose all our advantage with a wrong step. The c6/d5 Neo-Grünfeld – explaining the move order (view in Game format) Before we start analysing the proposed repertoire against the c6/d5 Grünfeld (which is probably Black’s most solid try against the Fianchetto System), we have to be aware of some move order tricks and lines we want to avoid as White. The system we want to essay is 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Nf3 0-0 5 Bg2 c6 6 Nc3 d5 7 cxd5 cxd5 8 Ne5, which is the starting position of our analysis. As you’ll see, we have lot of ways of reaching this position and there are a few details we need to be aware of. 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 c6 4 Nf3 Bg7 Black can try playing ...d5 at once: 4...d5 5 cxd5 cxd5 6 Bg2 Bg7 7 Nc3!
It is imperative to develop our queenside knight first. The problem with the natural 7 0-0 is that, after 7...0-0 8 Ne5 Ng4, Black gets the kind of position we want to avoid as White – as practice has shown, Black has lot of equalizing chances here; for example, 9 Nxg4 Bxg4 10 Nc3 Nc6 11 h3 Bd7 12 e3 e6 with chances for both sides. With 7 Nc3! 0-0 8 Ne5!, we get to our desired system. If instead 8 0-0, Black can play 8...Ne4, reaching a playable line for both sides. I think Black’s chances are not worse here. 5 Bg2 0-0 Black can again try playing ...d5 before castling. Then 5...d5 6 cxd5 cxd5 7 Nc3 0-0 8 Ne5 gives us our desired position once more. 6 Nc3! After our previous analysis above, we can tell that White should delay castling for a couple of moves. Here 6 0-0 would be met by 6...d5 7 cxd5 cxd5 8 Ne5 (or 8 Nc3 Ne4!) 8...Ng4!, as we have already seen. 6...d5 7 cxd5 cxd5 8 Ne5!
White has successfully prevented the ...Ne4 and ...Ng4 ideas, and we are now ready to start discussing our main line. Game 14 U.Andersson-D.Roos, German League 1999 Game 15 O.Romanishin-A.Rombaldoni, Di Roseto 2010 Game 16 I.Stohl-L.Ftacnik, Vinkovci 1995 Game 17 Wang Hao-L.Aronian, World Team Championship, Ningbo 2011 Game 18 B.Grachev-N.Chadaev, Moscow 2011 Game 19 S.Mamedyarov-L.Van Wely, Bastia (rapid) 2010 Game 20 T.Radjabov-B.Gelfand, World Blitz Championship, Moscow 2010 Game 21 Wang Yue-Lou Yiping, Chinese Rapid Championship, Hefei 2011
Index of Variations 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 c6 4 Nf3 Bg7 4...d5 (delayed castling line) 5 cxd5 cxd5 6 Bg2 Nc6 7 Nc3 Ne4 – Wang Yue-Lou Yiping 5 Bg2 0-0 6 Nc3 d5 7 cxd5 cxd5 8 Ne5 e6 8...Nc6 9 0-0 9...Qb6 – Romanishin-Rombaldoni 9...e6 10 Nxc6 bxc6 11 Na4 Nd7 12 Be3 – Andersson-Roos 12 Bf4 – Stohl-Ftacnik 9 0-0 Nfd7 10 Nf3 Nf6 10...Nc6 11 e4 dxe4 12 Nxe4 12...h6 – Wang Hao-Aronian 12...Qb6 – Grachev-Chadaev 11 Bg5 h6 12 Bf4 Nc6 13 Ne5 – Mamedyarov-Van Wely 13 Rc1 – Radjabov-Gelfand Back to Contents Page
D73 neo-Grünfeld move order [Damian Lemos] Before we start analysing the proposed repertoire against the c6/d5 Grünfeld (which is probably Black’s most solid try against the Fianchetto System), we have to be aware of some move order tricks and lines we want to avoid as White. The system we want to essay is 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Nf3 0-0 5 Bg2 c6 6 Nc3 d5 7 cxd5 cxd5 8 Ne5, which is the starting position of our analysis. As you’ll see, we have lot of ways of reaching this position and there are a few details we need to be aware of. 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.f3 g7 [ Black can try playing 4...d5 at once: 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.g2 g7 7.c3! (it is imperative to develop our queenside knight first) ( the problem with the natural 7.0-0 is that, after 0-0 8.e5 g4 , Black gets the kind of position we want to avoid as White – as practice has shown, Black has lot of equalizing chances here; for example, 9.xg4 xg4 10.c3 c6 11.h3 d7 12.e3 e6 with chances for both sides ) 7...0-0 8.e5! and we get to our desired system. ( If instead, 8.0-0 , Black can play e4 , reaching a playable line for both sides. I think Black’s chances are not worse here. )] 5.g2 0-0 [ Black can again try playing 5...d5 before castling. Then 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.c3 0-0 8.e5 gives us our desired position once more. ] 6.c3! After our previous analysis above, we can tell that White should delay castling for a couple of moves. [ Here 6.0-0 would be met by d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 and then 8.e5 ( or 8.c3 e4! ) 8...g4! , as we have already seen. ] 6...d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.e5! . White has successfully prevented the ...Ne4 and ...Ng4 ideas, and we are now ready to start discussing our main line.
D79 Andersson,U Roos,D German League (Game 14) [Damian Lemos]
1999
1.d4 f6 2.f3 [ 2.c4 is our direct move order, but there is no harm in throwing in Nf3 first, especially if White prefers to avoid the Budapest Gambit after e5!? . ] 2...g6 3.c4 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 c6 6.c3 Once again, let me reiterate that this move order is vital for White. [ Playing something like 6.0-0 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.e5 ( or 8.c3 e4! ) 8...g4! gives Black good equalizing chances, according to theory. ] 6...d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.e5 Now the difference is clear: Black cannot play either ...Ne4 or ...Ng4. c6 This is the natural response by Black. [ The main line goes 8...e6 , with Black trying to undermine the e5-knight by playing ... Nfd7!?. We’ll examine this later in the chapter. ] 9.0-0 e6 [ Black has two main alternatives: 9...f5 10.xc6 bxc6 11.f4 d7 12.c1 e5 13.dxe5 xe5 14.b3 , when Black has some activity in the centre but White’s position is quite solid. Qd2 and Rfd1 followed by Na4 looks like a good plan for White – the c5-square is a nice hole for our knight. ] [ 9...b6 is the subject of the next game. ] 10.xc6 bxc6 11.a4 Now that the weakness on c6 has been created, we have a positional target to aim at. I should repeat that c5 is a juicy square for our knight. d7 12.e3 The point of Be3 is clear: White overprotects the d4-pawn in case Black plays ...e5, while the bishop also adds to White’s control of the c5-square. [ 12.f4 is another option and will be investigated in Game 16. ] 12...e8 [ With the d4-pawn well defended, White can meet 12...e5 with simply 13.c1 , maintaining strong pressure on the c-file. ] 13.c1 b7 14.d2 c8 Black delays the natural ...e5 break. In fact, he doesn’t get to play this move in the entire game! Usually in this variation, Black has a compromised queenside structure, so he has to create
counterplay in the centre. Therefore, in my opinion, playing ...e5 is a must for Black here. [ Nevertheless, after 14...e5 15.dxe5 xe5 ( or 15...xe5 16.b3 , followed by Nc5 and White is better – Black’s b7-bishop, in particular, is quite passive ) 16.fd1 , White’s position is much easier to play. We already have strong pressure on the cand d-files, whereas Black doesn’t have any clear targets to attack. ] 15.b3 White covers the c4-square, just in case, since a black knight could easily hop its way there with manoeuvres like ...Nb6-c4 or ...e5, dxe5 and ...Nxe5-c4. f8 16.c2 a5 17.c1!? [ Andersson was probably trying to prevent 17.fc1 a3!? , which is a bit annoying for White. ] 17...a8?! Apart from playing ...e5, I can’t find any other idea for Black. Moving the rook to the corner looks like a waiting move to me. [ I guess Black should play something like 17...d6 , when the bishop has some control on both sides of the board. ] 18.h6 d6 Black cannot afford to trade darksquared bishops, as this is his stronger bishop. [ After 18...xh6 19.xh6 , Black would have trouble defending the weakened dark squares. ] 19.e4! Andersson strikes out in the centre to gain space, while still retaining his queenside advantage. If you have gained the impression that Black is just defending and waiting to see what White can do, you aren’t mistaken. e7 20.e1 b4 21.d2 a3 22.d1 f8 [ 22...dxe4 is a positional mistake, as after 23.xe4 , White exerts a lot of pressure on the c6-pawn. ] 23.h4 ec8 24.h5 The most important factor in this position is Black’s lack of activity. Here, he tries belatedly to get some counterplay by advancing his c6-pawn. However, this only results in isolating his d5pawn, giving White an even larger advantage. c5 25.exd5 xd5 26.xd5 exd5 27.dxc5 xc5 Black was probably reluctant to part with his bishop. [ Unfortunately, taking with the knight is even worse, as after 27...xc5 28.b6 , White is absolutely winning. ] 28.xc5 xc5 29.xc5 xc5 White has the stronger remaining minor piece, as well as a clear target to aim at in Black’s isolated dpawn. These two factors are sufficient to give
White a decisive advantage, despite material currently being equal. 30.g5 e6 31.xd5 [ Keeping the strong bishop with 31.f6 should also be winning for White, since Black’s kingside is too weak. ] 31...xg5 32.xg5 a4 33.h6! After this simple move, Black’s back rank becomes a serious concern. axb3 34.axb3 d6 35.e3 c8 36.b1 b4 37.d1 g4 [ Trying to defend passively by 37...f8 is hopeless, as Black cannot cope with both his weak back rank and the advancing white b-pawn; for example, after 38.d7 e8 39.d2 . ] 38.d4 f5? A final mistake. [ 38...e6 was necessary, though Black should still lose in the long run. ] 39.e7 [ After 39.e7 , White threatens the decisive Rd8, and a5 40.d7 f8 41.f6 doesn’t help Black at all. Therefore, Roos resigned. ] 1-0
D79 Romanishin,O Rombaldoni,A Di Roseto (Game 15) [Damian Lemos]
2010
1.d4 f6 2.f3 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.c4 c6 6.0-0 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.e5 c6 9.c3 b6 This move has been seen quite a lot, although I do not understand its popularity. Playing Na4 is part of White’s plan and, sooner or later, he will gain a useful tempo by attacking Black’s queen on b6. 10.xc6 bxc6 This is the standard way of retaking on c6, supporting Black’s centre. On the other hand, the c6-pawn becomes weak and White has a nice hole on c5 for his knight. [ 10...xc6 is the alternative, but moving the queen so often cannot be a good idea for Black. After 11.g5 e6 , White has: A) 12.xf6 (the approach employed by Tahirov is interesting, but personally, I would complete White’s development before playing Bxf6 and e2-e4) xf6 13.e4 b6 14.exd5 xb2 15.c1 exd5? ( I don’t see a clear way to get an advantage for White after 15...d8! – in fact, I think Black has better chances in the long run due to his bishop pair ) 16.c2 b4 17.xd5 and White has a
clear advantage, F.Tahirov-Y.Krasnov, Tula 2007.; B) 12.b3 d7 13.ac1 a6 14.fd1 and now White can follow up with Bxf6 and e4, or maybe e3 and Bf1, putting pressure on Black’s queen. I think White can claim a slight edge with this solid continuation. ] 11.b3 What I like about this move is its flexibility. White will have the option of playing Bf4, Be3, or maybe Ba3, depending on how Black responds. g4 Black tries to free his position by playing ...e5. [ 11...d7 also deserves attention, fighting for control of the c5-square. Then I would opt for 12.e3! , which is the best square for the bishop even if it blocks the e-pawn. The c5-square is kept under control and the c-file will soon be cleared for the heavy pieces. ( 12.e3 a6 13.e1 e5 is not that clear to me: White has the superior pawn structure, but Black has two powerful bishops and activity. )] [ 11...a6 makes lot of sense as Black would like two active bishops. For example: 12.b2 ( here 12.e3 runs into g4! , which is pretty annoying for White as he has to relinquish his bishop pair ) 12...d7 13.a4 b4 14.c1 (White enjoys a plus, as it’s not easy for Black to get rid of the c6 weakness) ac8 15.c3 b7 16.e1 and Black’s position is solid, but after the e4 push, White annexes more space and also increases his initiative. What’s more, Black cannot play ...c5 just yet since his d5pawn is insufficiently defended. ] 12.e3 e5 [ Now Black can’t play the aggressive 12...a6 , as it would leave his knight en prise. ] 13.a4 c7 This move is playable but I think it will turn out badly for Black in the long run. White plans to place his rook on c1, and the queen on c7 is somewhat in the line of fire. [ I think Black can try improving his game with 13...b5 14.h3 h6 , though White can still take the lead with the simple 15.dxe5 xe5 16.a3 e8 ( as usual, the greedy 16...xa1 17.xa1 leaves Black in trouble on the dark squares; e.g. e8 18.f6! and wins ) 17.c1 and White’s positional advantage is undeniable. ] 14.h3 h6 15.dxe5 xe5 16.b2 I like the plan of trading dark-squared bishops. After this Black’s king will lack protection,
while his other bishop is restricted by the c6/ d5/f7/g6/h7 pawn structure. [ 16.a3!? was also possible. ] 16...xb2 [ 16...a6 17.xe5 xe5 18.e1 is much the same. White will continue with Rc1 and Nc5 with a clear advantage. ] 17.xb2 a6 18.e1 ad8 19.c1 c5? Black’s hanging pawns can be exploited easily. It would have been more prudent to get the black queen off the c-file. [ Nevertheless, 19...d6 20.a4 f5 21.c5 is still much very good for White due to Black’s weaknesses at a7, c6 and d5. ] 20.a4 c4 21.c3 Suddenly, Black is just lost, as there is no way of defending d5. b7 22.xd5 xd5 23.xd5 f5?! [ 23...d7 24.bxc4 xh3 would keep the deficit to a single pawn, but Black is still losing in the long run. ] 24.f3 a5 25.bxc4 xa2 26.a1 . Black loses a second pawn and therefore resigns. 1-0
D79 Stohl,I Ftacnik,L Vinkovci (Game 16) [Damian Lemos]
1995
1.f3 [ Obviously, our move order starts with the queen’s pawn: 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.f3 c6 6.c3 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.e5 c6 9.0-0 . ] 1...f6 2.d4 g6 3.c4 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 c6 6.0-0 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.c3 c6 [ I was checking whether you have been paying attention! With this move order, Ftacnik could have played 8...e4! , a move which Kasparov, Ivanchuk and Svidler have essayed against top-flight opposition. Thus, White should have played 6 Nc3! (instead of 6 0-0) if he had wanted to avoid this possibility. ] 9.e5 e6 10.xc6 bxc6 11.a4 d7 12.f4 f6 This does not look like the best square for the queen, as it is blocking the g7bishop’s diagonal. [ Let’s examine the alternatives for Black: 12...a6 13.d2 (as usual, White plays the standard Qd2/Rac1 manoeuvre; while, as you can see, Black’s main counterplay is
based on ...e5) e8 (giving extra support to the ...e5 advance) ( after 13...e5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.b3 , followed by Rac1 and Nc5, White has a solid positional plus ) 14.ac1 b5 15.c3 a6 16.fd1 c8 was Be.Larsen-N.Krogius, Le Havre 1966. If I were White, I would try 17.e4 , when it is not easy for Black to free his position. For instance, after c5 18.exd5 cxd4 19.dxe6 xe6 20.d5 , White has the superior piece coordination. ] [ 12...a5 is definitely more active: A) 13.a3 a6 14.b4 d8 was played in E.Akhmilovskaya-M.Chiburdanidze, Women’s World Championship (10th matchgame), Sofia/Borzomi 1986. The arising position is not clear to me, as the a3/b4 advances left a hole on c4 for Black to exploit, so ...Nb6-c4 is going to be annoying for White. After 15.c1 b5 ( 15...c8 16.c5 xc5 17.xc5 is better for White ) 16.c3 a6 17.e1 (planning e2-e4; while a4 and b5 is worth considering too) b6 18.e4 c4 , White is slightly better, according to the engines. However, I believe Black has good chances as well here.; B) 13.c1 a6 14.e1 ( of course White can’t take the c6-pawn: 14.xc6? b5 and Black wins material ) 14...fc8 15.e4 and this time I think White is a little better, as he can always protect the c4-square by playing b3 if necessary. ] 13.c2 White has a number of possibilities here. I believe 13 Qc2 is the best because it keeps the initiative. [ Other tries allow Black reasonable play: 13.e3 e5 14.dxe5 xe5 and Black threatens ...Ba6, eyeing the weak d3square. ] [ 13.d6 e8 14.c1 xd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.xc6 b6 and I think Black has good equalizing chances in the endgame, since the c6 weakness has been eliminated. ] 13...b7 Black opts for a solid move. [ Taking on d4 leads to a sharp position: 13...xd4 14.d6 ( at first sight 14.xc6 seems to be winning, but Black has a way out: b6 15.xb6 xb6 16.xa8 a6 17.e3 xa8 18.xb6 axb6 and Black has strong compensation for the exchange in the form of a potent bishop pair ) 14...b7 ( Black has to give up the exchange, since 14...d8 15.e3 , followed by Qxc6, is even worse ) 15.fd1 f6 16.xf8 xf8 17.e4
and Black has some compensation, but I think White will prevail in the long run with his extra material. ] 14.fd1 [ The immediate 14.d6 fe8 ( 14...xd4 transposes to the previous note ) 15.c5 gives White the advantage too. Take a look at Black’s bishop on b7 which resembles a ‘tall pawn’. ] 14...fc8? A mistake from the strategic point of view. [ Black should have prevented White’s next move with 14...e7 . ] 15.d6! The bishop now controls the whole board. e5 16.dxe5 xe5 17.c5 Simple and strong, White’s bishop goes to d4 in order to control the a1-h8 diagonal, while vacating the c5-square for the white knight. e8 18.d4 e7 19.c5 A slight inaccuracy by White, leaving the e2-pawn unprotected. Trading queens off is a good idea for White, because all endgames favour him, but this was not the best moment to do that. [ Instead, after the simple 19.ac1 , White has a clear edge. ] 19...a6! Black takes the chance to create some counterplay. 20.xe7 xe7 21.f1 White has to defend for a little while now. [ The aggressive 21.e4 would have been a mistake in view of e2 , followed by ...Nf3+, and Black gets the bishop pair. ] 21...g4 [ Defending the c5-square with 21...d7 was probably a better option. ] 22.xg7 xg7 23.h3 f6 24.e3 Trading pieces off is part of White’s strategy. All endgames are good for him due to his superior pawn structure. xf1 25.xf1 e4 26.ac1 e6 27.c5 Continuing the piecetrading policy. The resulting rook endgame is worth studying: White is going to apply a lot of pressure on Black’s weak pawns at a7, c6 and d5. xc5 28.xc5 b8 [ In the case of 28...a5 , I would like to share the variation from GM Stohl: 29.d4! a4 30.b4 a3 31.b3 a6 32.b7 and White has a clear advantage: his rooks are much more active than Black’s, and the c6- and a3-pawns are clear targets. ] 29.b3 b6 30.a5 A good move, preventing Black from activating his rook with ...Ra6. e7 31.d4 f6 32.e2 e5 Bringing the king to the centre is usually the right idea in endgames, but not here. White is going to play e3-e4, after which Black’s king will find itself
badly placed in the middle of the board. 33.d3 f5? Naturally, Black wants to stop the e4 advance, but White just plays it anyway! [ After other moves White would have to build up the pressure more slowly; for instance, 33...b5 34.da4!? xa5 35.xa5 d6 36.b4 ] [ or 33...d6 34.da4 bb7 35.g4 , followed by f3 and Kd4. ] 34.e4! The d5-pawn is pinned, so White is able to open the centre and create further weaknesses in Black’s camp. d7 [ The alternatives are equally gloomy: 34...fxe4+ 35.xe4+ d6 36.xe7 , followed by Rxa7+ and Rxh7, wins easily ] [ and 34...d6 35.exd5 c5 36.c4 looks very difficult for Black as well. ] 35.exd5 cxd5 Now White has two targets to attack now: the a7- and d5-pawns. 36.da4 h5 Black tries for active counterplay, since passive defence would be hopeless. [ For instance, 36...bb7 leaves the black king is in terrible danger after 37.a6 , threatening 38 f4 mate, while d4? fails to 38.f4+ d5 39.4a5+ and mate next move. ] 37.xa7 xa7 38.xa7 f4 39.e7+ [ Or just 39.gxf4+ xf4 40.d4 and the rest should be easy with the two connected passed pawns. ] 39...f6 40.e2 g5 41.d4 c6 The next variation analyzed by Stohl looks very convincing [ Stohl’s analysis of 41...f3 looks very convincing. After 42.e3 g4 43.hxg4 hxg4 44.a4 c6 45.c3 e6 46.c2 e2 47.d3 , White stops Black’s counterplay cold and wins with the queenside passed pawns. ] 42.xd5 c3 43.e6+ f5 [ Retreating with 43...f7 allows simply 44.gxf4 gxf4 45.e4 with an easy win. ] 44.e5+ g6 45.gxf4 gxf4 46.e4 c2 [ 46...xh3 47.xf4 is also hopeless. ] 47.f3 h2 [ Taking the a2-pawn looks slightly better, although Black is still losing after 47...xa2 48.xf4 . ] 48.xf4 The rest is a matter of technique. The remaining moves were: xh3 49.e6+ f7 50.b6 e7 51.a4 d7 52.a5 c7 53.b4 h1 54.g5 h4 55.h6 h3 56.f4 h2 57.f5 b1 58.xh2 xb4 59.c2+ . A wonderful performance by White! This is definitely a game worth studying if you are
looking for an alternative to 12 Be3. 1-0
E60 Wang Hao Aronian,L World Team Ch., Ningbo (Game 17) [Damian Lemos]
2011
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.f3 g7 5.g2 0-0 6.c3 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.e5 e6 9.0-0 fd7 So here we have one of the most solid tries against the Fianchetto System. In this variation, as opposed to the ...Nc6 line examined in the previous games, Black does not accrue any weaknesses so we cannot breach his pawn structure so easily. 10.f3!? I started paying attention to this move after analysing some of Mamedyarov’s games. White plans to open the centre by means of e2-e4. Despite getting an isolated pawn on d4, he will have plenty of activity in return. What’s more, 10 Nf3 is not as popular as 10 f4, so this is a good line with which to catch the unprepared opponent. [ Many games have been played with 10.f4 , the resulting positions being positional in nature, and I think chances are balanced. If you want to investigate this line more deeply, I strongly recommend studying the games A. Karpov-B.Gelfand, FIDE Candidates Final (4th matchgame), Sanghi Nagar 1995, and A.Karpov-J.Timman, FIDE World Championship (12th matchgame), Netherlands 1993. ] 10...c6 The natural response by Black. [ 10...f6 is also possible and you’ll find this move later in this chapter (see Games 19 and 20). ] 11.e4 dxe4 12.xe4 h6 I think this move is necessary for Black, otherwise the impending Bg5 will be quite troublesome for him. [ The sharp 12...b6 is the subject of our next game. ] 13.f4 [ The position is rich in possibilities and White has two alternatives. Let me share my analysis with you: 13.e3 seems like a strange choice for the bishop; however, it creates the possibility of playing Ne5 and Bc5 in the future: A) 13...b6 14.e5 d5 ( the mistaken 14...xe5?! 15.dxe5 just gives White two active bishops and the chance of playing
Bc5 and maybe Nd6, ensuring a risk-free advantage ) 15.xc6 bxc6 16.c1 and I think White has a slight advantage, although we should be careful not to let Black’s bishops become too active.; B) 13...f5?! merely weakens Black’s kingside. After 14.c3 , it’s clear that the ...f5 advance was not worth the trouble: now the e6-pawn and Black’s kingside are weak. ( Actually, 14.d6 b6 15.xc8 xc8 16.b3 is good for White too, as the bishop pair is a dangerous weapon to possess, especially in open positions. )] [ I like 13.b3!? for White as well. I know... it looks dangerous to open up the a1-h8 diagonal with the g7-bishop sitting on it, but I don’t see any way for Black to exploit this; meanwhile White prepares Ba3 to take control of the queenside dark squares. After f6 ( the simplistic 13...e7 walks into 14.a4 , when Ba3 is even more appealing b6 15.a5 ) 14.xf6+ xf6 15.b2 d8 16.e5 and, in my opinion, White has a solid advantage and nice queenside pressure. For example, xe5 ( or 16...d7 17.e2 ) 17.dxe5 e7 is met strongly by 18.c1! . Although White has several squares for the queen, I like c1 for the following reasons: 1. The queen controls the c-file . 2. We prepare Ba3 again. 3. We also attack the h6-pawn. 4. It is not easy for Black to complete his queenside development, as the c8-bishop has to stay put to defend the b7-pawn. ] 13...b6 Black's ...Nb6-d5 manoeuvre shows that the white bishop is not well placed on f4. 14.c3 [ 14.e1 looks like a slight improvement. After d5 15.d6 f5 , the position is unclear. ] 14...g5! Aronian takes over the initiative. At first glance, 14...g5 looks like a weakening move, but Black’s active play is going to give him equality. 15.e3 f5 16.d5 White has to be careful about an ...f4 advance, while Black can consider playing ...Nc4 as well. My sense is that White has lost his opening advantage. The pawn sacrifice is definitely interesting, but I don’t think it’s good enough for an edge. xd5 17.xd5 exd5 18.c5 e8 19.d4 xd4 20.xd4 e6 Black’s extra pawn is not relevant, as White has a good blockader on d4. There is also the issue of Black’s porous kingside. 21.c3 d4!? A wise decision by
Black, giving the extra pawn back in order to eliminate White’s bishop pair. 22.xc6 bxc6 23.xd4 [ Not 23.xd4? c4 24.e1? xe1+ 25.xe1 xd4 and Black wins. ] 23...xd4 24.xd4 The position now takes on a drawish nature, due to the oppositecoloured bishops. d5 25.fe1 f7 26.xe8 xe8 27.xa7 a8 28.e3 xa2 29.xa2 xa2 30.f4 . I expect to see more games with this line in the future. ½-½
D79 Grachev,B Chadaev,N Moscow (Game 18) [Damian Lemos]
2011
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 c6 6.c3 [ Once again, a reminder to develop our queenside knight before castling. After 6.0-0 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.e5 ( or 8.c3 e4 ) 8...g4 , Black has good chances to equalize. ] 6...d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.e5 e6 9.0-0 fd7 10.f3 c6 11.e4 dxe4 12.xe4 b6 I don’t like this move much. Black sacrifices piece development in order to go after material. [ I prefer Aronian’s 12...h6 , which we examined in the previous game. ] 13.e2!? [ The alternative gambit with 13.e3 xb2 is unclear, because White cannot trap Black’s queen: after 14.c1 xc1 15.fxc1 b6 16.ab1 , White has some compensation, but Black gets to keep his extra pawn with a solid position. ] 13...xd4 [ If Black declines the pawn with 13...f6 14.xf6+ xf6 15.e3 e7 , White increases the pressure by playing 16.e5 , when I think White is slightly better as it is not easy for Black to complete his queenside development. On the other hand, Black again has a solid position. ] 14.xd4 xd4 [ Taking with the bishop is quite risky. After 14...xd4 15.d1 , if Black tries f6?! ( rather than spending a precautionary tempo on something like 15...g7 ) , he could be in for a shock. White’s lead
development is going to have the final word here: 16.xd4! xd4 17.e3 e5 18.f4 f5 19.g4! xg4 20.xg4 xg4 21.f6+ g7 22.xg4 and in my opinion, White’s knight and bishop are clearly superior to the rook and pawns, not least because Black’s dark squares, as well as his king, are very weak. ] 15.d1 White accelerates his development, whereas Black has to move his queen yet again. It is going to take a while before Black manages to develop his queenside, and this is a key factor in the position. e5 [ White has a nice game after other moves too: 15...b4 16.b1! (White plays the same way in the main game) e5 17.e3 and Black will have a hard time stopping White’s threats. ] [ 15...a4 16.g5 (provoking ...h6, which will only weaken Black’s kingside) h6 17.e3 and White has a clear advantage. ] [ 15...b6 16.b1 ( 16.d6!? also deserves attention ) 16...e5 17.g5 and White is already homing in on the weakened dark squares, whereas Black is still trying to finish his development. ] 16.b1! Protecting b2 in order to develop the c1-bishop. a5 17.b4 a4 18.f4 The result of the opening is that White has managed to develop all his pieces, while Black has moved his queen... five times! What’s more, White has a lot of good ideas, such as Bd6, Nc5 or Nd6, all of which are uncomfortable for Black to meet. f6 After this, Black loses the exchange, though it’s not easy to suggest a significant improvement. [ If 18...e5 , then 19.c3! a3 ( or 19...a6 20.xa6 bxa6 21.xa8 ) 20.b3 and the queen is trapped. ] 19.c3 e8 20.d6 d5 21.xd5 This looks like the easiest option from a practical point of view. [ 21.xd5 exd5 22.xf8 xe2 23.xe2 xf8 24.f4 is winning as well, but Black can try to fight on with his bishop pair. ] 21...exd5 22.d2 d4 23.e1 d8 24.e7 b6 25.xf8 xf8 Black needs to cover his back rank somehow. [ 25...xf8? loses immediately to 26.e8 . ] 26.a4 d6 27.b5 b8 28.a5 b6 29.bc1 d7 30.c6 Trading pieces will make White’s task easier. e6 31.e4 d7 32.c6 e6 33.e4 d7 34.d3 f6 35.a6! This pawn
should emerge as a passer in good time. e7 36.c2 g7 37.c1 [ Here 37.xe7 xe7 38.c7 , followed by Rxa7, should be winning in the long run, but I understand if White didn’t wish to relinquish his material advantage. ] 37...d8 38.f4 e7? And now White gets even more material. [ Black had some chances of resistance after 38...xf4 39.gxf4 f8 40.e4 f5 41.xd4 f6 42.d5 e6 43.d6 , although White should still win with accurate play. ] 39.xe7 xe7 40.xb8 . There are no back rank swindles, so Black resigned. A key game for the assessment of the 10 Nf3!? variation. 1-0
D79 Mamedyarov,S Van Wely,L Bastia (rapid) (Game 19) [Damian Lemos]
2010
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 c6 6.c3 d5 7.cxd5 cxd5 8.e5 e6 9.0-0 fd7 10.f3 f6 This is the main alternative to 10...Nc6. Black’s idea is simple: he wants to stop White from playing e4. 11.g5! The natural developing move is 11 Bf4. However, 11 Bg5 has the added value of provoking ...h7-h6 which weakens Black’s kingside. Furthermore, White does not lose a tempo in getting his bishop kicked, since he will regain it by playing Qd2 or Qc1 to attack the h6-pawn. h6 12.f4 c6 13.e5 I like this move. If allowed, White will follow up with Nxc6, creating targets to attack on the queenside. [ Alternatively, 13.c1 was played by GM Radjabov and is the subject of our next game. ] 13...d7 Allowing the weakening of his pawn structure. [ Instead, Black has good equalizing chances after 13...xe5 and then: A) 14.dxe5 (an interesting try, especially if you don’t want to play a symmetrical position) d7 ( after 14...h5 15.d2 xe5 16.xh6 e8 17.d2 , White has a small advantage, in my opinion ) 15.e4 dxe4 reminds me of Grachev-Chadaev (Game 19). White is a pawn down but his
queenside pressure gives him ample compensation in return.; B) If you find the previous line too risky, you can try the safe-looking 14.xe5 with a slight but stable advantage. If White somehow manages to trade darksquared bishops, he will be left with the best bishop on the board, seeing as Black’s is restricted by his own pawn chain. ] 14.xc6 bxc6 15.d2 As intended, White regains the tempo by attacking the h6-pawn. h7 16.e4 I like White’s idea here. By advancing his e-pawn, he stops Black from playing ...c5 and also gains space in the centre. [ 16.ac1 is worth considering too, as c5? is not possible here either; i.e. 17.dxc5 xc5 18.xd5 and White wins a pawn. ] 16...b6 17.ad1 White needs to defend the d4-pawn before playing b3. [ The immediate 17.b3 allows dxe4 , followed by ...Qxd4, and Black can equalize by trading pieces. ] 17...a5 18.h4! I would like the reader to compare this position with Andersson-Roos from earlier in this chapter (Game 14). Both games are similar in nature, the only difference being Black’s weakened kingside pawn structure here. With 18 h4! White prevents ...g5 and can also consider playing h5 later. a4 Black needs to open lines on the queenside in order to get some counterplay. 19.fe1 Despite this being a rapid game, Mamedyarov plays powerful and logical moves. Every single white piece is in play now. a6 20.c2 g8 Black slides his king away from the white queen’s concealed gaze on the b1-h7 diagonal. 21.c1 h7 22.h3 a7 23.c2 c4 [ Again, 23...g8 was necessary, but Black was probably tired of continually shifting his king out of harm’s way, and he tries for the initiative on the queenside instead. ] 24.h5 g5 25.e5 We should remember that this is a rapid game,. which explains why White missed something here. Nevertheless, the move played is advantageous too, since White is about to eliminate Black’s best defender. [ The missed chance was to switch the darksquared bishop to the queenside with 25.d6! e8 ( of course, 25...xd6? loses the queen to 26.e5+ , thus showing why ...Kg8 was necessary! ) 26.c5
and White has a clear advantage with the a4pawn poised to fall shortly. ] 25...g8 [ Black cannot block the e5-h8 diagonal with 25...f6 , since 26.d6! then wins outright ( and even 26.xf6 xf6 27.e5+ should be winning ) ; e.g. 26...e8 27.exd5+! h8 28.c5 cxd5 29.g6 . ] 26.xg7 xg7 27.e5 b7 28.h2 I believe White’s idea was to play something like f4 and Rg1, but there was a faster way to enter Black’s kingside. [ ...which was 28.e3 , followed by Rf3-f6. If Black tries to defend with ...Nd7, the a4pawn will be left unprotected. ] 28...f5?! After this, Black’s kingside becomes even weaker – and ultimately untenable. 29.exf6+ xf6 30.g1 [ Or simply 30.d2!? , which defends f2 and leaves a4 and e6 ripe for the picking. ] 30...e7 31.e3 Preparing to double rooks and put excruciating pressure on the e6-pawn. fe8 32.de1 h8 [ Black can't free his position by playing 32...e5 , as after 33.dxe5 xe5 34.xe5 xe5 35.xe5 xe5 36.g6+ f8 37.h2! , he is left with too many weaknesses. ] 33.xa4 xa4 34.xa4 e5? Here again Black’s long-intended break loses quickly, but otherwise he is just a pawn down with a bad position. 35.dxe5 xe5 36.xe5 xe5 37.a8+ g7 38.b7+ f8 39.b8+ . And White picks up the rook, so Black resigned. Despite this being a rapid game, I really like the way White played and how he continually increased his positional advantage. Hopefully, we’ll see more games with this line in the near future. 1-0
D79 Radjabov,T Gelfand,B World Blitz Ch., Moscow (Game 20) [Damian Lemos]
2010
Even though this is a blitz game, I found a lot of value in it. White opens with a Réti, but soon we transpose into a c6/d5 Grünfeld. 1.f3 d5 2.g3 c6 3.g2 f6 4.c4 g6 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.d4 g7 7.c3 0-0 8.e5 e6 9.0-0 fd7 10.f3 f6 11.g5
As pointed out in previous games, White provokes ...h6, which weakens Black’s kingside slightly. h6 12.f4 c6 13.c1!? This is a good alternative to Mamedyarov’s 13 Ne5 in the previous game. The position is somewhat symmetrical, but Black’s lightsquared bishop is stuck behind the pawn chain, whereas both White’s bishops are breathing freely. d7 A logical developing move by Black. [ The engines suggest advancing on the kingside with 13...g5 , although from a positional point of view, this is not a good idea. As you know, pawns cannot move backwards! For instance, after 14.e3 g4 15.d2 xd4? 16.xd4 xd4 17.e3! xc3 18.xc3 , Black is unable to resist the power of White’s two bishops. ] 14.d6! We’ve seen this type of bishop foray before in Stohl-Ftacnik (Game 16). Trading dark-squared bishops is part of White’s strategy, as the Bg7 happens to be Black’s stronger bishop. If this strategy succeeds, Black will be left with the passive Bd7, which is on the same colour as his central pawn chain. e8 15.e3 f8 Black has to play this move sooner or later, since the presence of White’s bishop on d6 is pretty annoying for him. [ Instead, 15...c8 is met by 16.e5 , planning Nd3-c5, while xe5 17.dxe5! will be followed by e4 with a big advantage for White. ] 16.xf8 xf8 17.e5 Without the darksquared bishop, Black’s castled position is weakened, therefore White starts to make designs on the kingside. a5 If I were Black, I wouldn’t leave the f6-knight and h6-pawn unprotected for too long. [ 17...g7 was probably a better try. ] 18.a3 A strong and reasonable move, especially in a blitz game where you can’t calculate too much. [ However, opening up the position with 18.e4! looks great here as Black’s pieces are not well coordinated, and the careless dxe4? ( 18...ad8 is safer ) 19.xe4 xe4 20.xd7+ e7 21.xe4 xd7 allows White to prise open the centre with 22.d5 , after which Black’s king would be unlikely to survive. ] 18...ec8 19.h4 Notice how White places all his pawns on dark squares – a very good idea, as it makes the light-squared bishop a stronger piece! e8 20.d3 I like the fact
that 20 Nd3 keeps the pieces on, preventing Black from easing his way by means of liquidation. [ Another possibility is 20.g4 xg4 21.xg4 h5 22.f4 , when White dominates the dark squares, though Black’s position is pretty solid. ] 20...g7 21.g4! Although pushing the pawns in front of one’s king is usually a doubleedged strategy, I don’t see any counterplay for Black in this particular instance. The initiative is a big factor, and probably all the more so in a blitz game. [ Alternatively, White could take his time and play something like 21.f3 , followed by Kg2. ] 21...d8 22.f4 e4 Naturally, Black doesn’t want to sit and wait. He would rather fight for the initiative too. 23.xe4 dxe4 24.c5! [ The simple 24.xe4 xh4 25.g2 is also good for an advantage. White’s king is safe and he can look to attack on the hfile after Rh1. ] 24...xh4 25.xe4 [ Here White might have played 25.f5! , trying to punish Black’s lack of development. ] 25...e7 26.xc8 xc8 27.d6 b8? This is too passive. [ Instead, Black can get interesting counterplay with 27...d8 28.xb7 b8 29.d6 c6 , when his active pieces compensate for the pawn. ] 28.e4 [ Once more, White had the chance of playing 28.f5 , opening lines around Black’s king. ] 28...d7 29.f3 c8 30.c4 Apart from his queen, all Black’s pieces are quite passive. so White should be looking to attack. [ Here he could have broken into the kingside with 30.xf7! xf7 31.f5 gxf5 ( 31...exf5 32.exf5 gxf5 transposes ) 32.exf5 , when Black has various possibilities, but none of them seems to be good enough. For example: A) 32...exf5 33.d5+! e6 34.e5 a8 ( or 34...f6 35.xb8 xd4+ 36.f2 ) 35.gxf5 and White has a powerful attack.; B) 32...d6 33.fxe6+ e7 ( not 33...xe6? 34.e2+ and Black gets mated ) 34.exd7 regains the piece, leaving Black a pawn down. ] 30...b5 31.b3 b6 32.f5 White has to start an attack as soon as possible.
[ If he delays any longer, with something like 32.c1 c8 33.f1 a5 , then Black gets the initiative and it’s clear that his problems have been solved. ] 32...exf5 [ An interesting option was 32...xc4!? 33.bxc4 xc4 34.fxg6 and now f8! allows Black to defend successfully, though it’s not easy to see this over the board at the end of a blitz game. ] 33.gxf5 xc4 34.bxc4 xc4 35.f6+ g8 36.c1 b5 A doubled-edged position has arisen in which Black seems to have the advantage. However, White’s passed d-pawn shouldn’t be underestimated. 37.d5 g5 38.d1 e5 [ The best way to realize Black’s advantage was 38...b6! , since 39.d6 fails to xd6 40.xd6 c5+ . ] 39.f2 b6 40.d4 g5 [ The endgame after 40...xd4+ 41.xd4 f8 ( not 41...xf6? 42.d6 and Black has to give up his bishop ) 42.e5 is far from clear. Black has an extra pawn, but the dangerous opposing central pawn mass makes it difficult for him to undertake anything positive. For example, e8 43.h3 a6? 44.d6 xa3 45.e6! xe6 46.xe6 fxe6 47.f7+ xf7 48.d7 would win for White. ] 41.e5 e2 42.d2? xe5? [ It is easy to discover mistakes at the end of a blitz game. White should have moved his rook, whereas now Black was winning after the simple 42...xd1 43.xd1 ( or 43.xg5 hxg5 ) 43...xe5 . ] 43.e1 xf6 44.xe2 White has won a piece, and Black’s three pawns aren’t worth as much. The endgame isn’t easy, but I think White should prevail with accurate play. The remaining moves (which include a few more mistakes) were: d6 45.e5 b6+ 46.e3 c7 47.c1 d7 48.c6 f5 49.d6 g5 50.f3? e6 51.f2 a5 52.a6 b4 53.axb4 axb4 54.b6 b3? 55.d2 e5 56.xb3 a1+ 57.f2 a7+ 58.e3 f5+ 59.g1 e5 60.f2 f5+ 61.g1 e5 62.d7! xe3 63.d8+ h7 64.8d4 e1+ 65.h2 b8+ 66.4f4 1-0
E60 Wang Yue Lou Yiping Chinese Rapid Ch., Hefei (Game 21) [Damian Lemos]
2011
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.g2 [ It is important to point out that we can reach the position at move 9 by a different move order: 4.f3 d5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.g2 g7 7.c3 e4 ( 7...0-0 8.e5! is our familiar main line ) 8.b3 xc3 9.bxc3 c6 . ] 4...d5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.f3 c6 7.c3 e4 A nice attempt by Black to avoid the main lines. [ After 7...g7 8.e5! e6 ( or 8...0-0 9.0-0 ) 9.xc6 bxc6 10.0-0 0-0 11.a4 , we reach a well-known position for us (see Games 14 and 16). ] 8.b3 xc3 9.bxc3 g7 10.d2! This move, followed by Ba3, is key in order to prevent Black from castling. e6 11.a3 f5 12.0-0 [ Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov tried 12.e3 a5 13.b2 b6 14.b4 , which is very interesting too. A.Karpov-B. Gelfand, FIDE Candidates final (2nd matchgame), Sanghi Nagar 1995, continued c6 15.c4 xb4 16.xb4 b7 17.c1 d7 18.0-0 f7 , and here I think White might improve with 19.cxd5!? ( Karpov played 19.c3 ) 19...exd5 ( 19...xd5 20.xd5 exd5 21.c3 ac8 22.fc1 xc3 23.xc3 gives White a slight edge ) 20.f3 he8 21.fd1 . Even if the the position is objectively unclear, I would prefer to play White, with ideas like Bf1 or a4-a5. ] 12...a5 13.b2 f7 Black has to castle by hand. [ 13...f8 is not a good idea as Black’s king is still in the centre, which White can exploit by 14.c4! dxc4 ( 14...xc4 15.xc4 dxc4 16.xf8 xf8 17.fc1 gives White a clear advantage ) 15.d5 g8 16.ab1 and Black is going to have a hard time defending with his king in the middle. ] 14.ac1 [ Aiming for a central break with 14.f3 looks too slow, as after b6 15.c2 d7 16.e4 ac8 , Black seizes the initiative, intending 17.b2? ( or 17.b2? xd4+! ) 17...xc3! . ] 14...b6 15.c4 White has a lead in development and therefore opens up the
position. xd4 [ Trading queens immediately does not ease matters: 15...xb2?! 16.xb2 dxc4 17.xc4 xc4 18.xc4 and Black is unable to complete his queenside development. ] 16.xb6 xb6 17.cxd5 Logically speaking, with the queens off the board, there should be no attack for White. However, this is not the case here as Black’s king is still exposed, and White soon gets to launch a powerful onslaught. exd5 18.xd5+ e6 19.xe6+ xe6 20.f3 ad8 21.fe1 So far both sides have been playing natural moves and the position looks almost balanced... perhaps a trifle better for White. h6?! Black was probably concerned about possibilities of Bb2 and Ng5, but this gives White time for a more direct assault. [ Black should have preferred 21...he8 , when 22.e4 ( or 22.b2 f7; or if 22.g5+ f6 23.xh7+ g7 24.g5 , then d2 with counterplay ) 22...c6 23.exf5+ xf5 looks safe enough. ] 22.e4 c6 [ Instead, 22...f4 23.gxf4 d3 is insufficient in view of 24.b2 with a clear advantage to White ] [ while after 22...g5 23.exf5+ xf5 24.e5+ g6 25.e6+ f7 26.e7+ g8 27.e5 , White keeps the pressure on. ] 23.exf5+ xf5 24.b2 he8 25.h4+ g5? Black’s king is an obvious target on the kingside, but there’s a big difference between ...Kg5 and ...Kg4. [ Perhaps Black, in time trouble, wished to protect the g6-pawn, but after 25...g4! , A) White can’t take it anyway: 26.xg6? xe1+ 27.xe1 d2 and suddenly Black seems to be winning! ( 27...-- ); B) while after 26.g2 (threatening 27 Rc4+ Kh5 28 Kh3 and wins) g5 27.h3+ ( now 27.c4+ h5 28.h3 is only good enough for a draw: gxh4 29.xh4+ g6 30.g4+ with perpetual check ) 27...h5 28.f5 g6 , the black king finds his way to safety. ] 26.g2! Here Black cannot attack the white knight with ...g5 because his king is in the way. h5 Black is in bad shape. [ 26...xe1 27.xe1 d4 is no better, due to 28.f3+ f5 29.xd4+ xd4 30.g4+! and White wins; for example, g5 ( or 30...f4 31.h3 , threatening Bc1 mate ) 31.e4 c6 32.h4+! xh4 33.f6+ . ]
27.h3 xf2 [ It is now too late for 27...g5 since 28.g4# is mate at once ] [ while 27...xe1 28.xe1 xf2 29.g4+ g5 30.c1+ f6 31.f1 wins a piece for White. ] 28.f6 . Black can only prevent g4 mate by coughing up copious amounts of material, and he therefore resigned. 1-0
Back to Contents Page
Chapter Four
The King’s Indian: ...Nc6 and the Panno Variation
The Fianchetto System is an excellent choice against the dynamic King’s Indian Defence. It is one of the few lines where Black does not get an automatic kingside attack. For that matter, the fianchetto happens to be a good defensive set-up against Black’s typical kingside pawn storm! We intend to meet the Panno Variation (6...Nc6 followed by 7...a6) with 8 Bf4. Rather than to plunge into pawn chain warfare complications after 8 d5 Na5 9 Nd2 c5, White prefers to obtain an advantage by simple means with Rc1 and Qd2 or Nd5. Game 22 D.Lemos-R.Disconzi da Silva, Buenos Aires 2006 Game 23 N.Sedlak-Z.Plenkovic, Zadar 2010 Game 24 R.Wojtaszek-J.Zawadzka, Wroclaw 2010 Game 25 A.Karpov-J.Polgar, Las Palmas 1994 Game 26 E.L’Ami-M.Erdogdu, European Championship, Rijeka 2010 Game 27 G.Meier-D.Lemos, Buenos Aires 2011 Game 28 V.Neverov-M.Erdogdu, Dresden 2007 Game 29 A.Morozevich-A.Motylev, Russian Championship, Moscow 2004 Game 30 E.Alekseev-E.A.Levin, Russian Team Championship 2009
Index of Variations 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Nf3 0-0 5 Bg2 d6 6 0-0 Nc6 7 Nc3 Rb8 7...Bf5 8 Ne1 8...Qc8 – Lemos-Disconzi da Silva 8...Na5 – Sedlak-Plenkovic 7...Bg4 – Wojtaszek-Zawadzka 7...e5 – Karpov-Polgar 7...a6 8 Bf4 8...Rb8 – L’Ami-Erdogdu 8...Bd7 – Meier-Lemos 8 h3
8 Bf4 – Alekseev-Levin 8...a6 9 e4 9...e5 – Neverov-Erdogdu 9...b5 – Morozevich-Motylev Back to Contents Page
E62 Lemos,D Disconzi da Silva,R Buenos Aires (Game 22) [Damian Lemos]
2006
1.d4 f6 2.c4 d6 3.f3 g6 4.g3 g7 5.g2 0-0 6.c3 c6 7.0-0 f5 This set-up is attributed to Simagin and is one of the main options for Black. [ The Simagin Variation itself, 7...g4 , is considered in Game 24 ] [ and the direct 7...e5 in Game 25. ] [ The Panno Variation, 7...a6 is Black most popular system. We will look at this later on (in Games 26 and 27) ] [ while 7...b8 , which can often transpose, is examined in the final games of this chapter. ] 8.e1! Clearly the best. Black’s idea was to gain the central e4-square for his knight, and so our plan is to inhibit him from realizing this. We also want to play e4 in order to get a strong centre. [ 8.h4 would be another way of controlling e4. However, after d7 , our knight is rather misplaced on the edge. ] 8...c8 At first glance, playing ...Qc8 or ...Qd7 looks like the same thing. After further analysis, we can see that ...Qd7 should be better, because Black keeps his rooks connected. [ 8...d7 9.e4 h3 10.c2 (we’ll see this in the main game too; the Ne1-c2 manoeuvre works well for White, as the knight is supporting the d4-pawn) xg2 11.xg2 e5 12.d5 e7 13.f4 ( alternati vely, after 13.f3!? , White gets the desired set-up, placing the pawns on light squares – a good idea because our remaining bishop is the dark-squared one; whereas Black’s g7-bishop is now quite passive ) 13...exf4 14.xf4 g4 15.d2 h8 16.d4 e5 17.b3 was played in R.Hübner-E.Grivas, European Team Championship, Pula 1997. I believe White is slightly better here as, obviously, he has more space. For Black, the e5-knight is well placed, but I don’t like the placement of the one on e7; moreover, if he plays the freeing move ...f5, then the e6square becomes weak. ] [ Black’s main alternative, 8...a5 , is the subject of our next game. ] 9.e4 h3 [ 9...g4 10.f3 would simply give White an
extra tempo, as he wants to play f3 anyway. ] 10.c2 This knight is well positioned on c2, controlling d4 and therefore supporting our centre. Its placement may be useful for a queenside attack as well. xg2 11.xg2 a6 12.f3 Protecting the centre, and preventing any counterplay based on ...b5 breaks. [ For instance, after 12.h3 b5 13.cxb5 axb5 , White cannot take on b5 because the e4pawn is also hanging. ] 12...b8 Naturally, Black wants to create queenside counterplay. [ Playing ...e5 is possible too, but blocking the Indian bishop’s diagonal cannot be a good idea. 12...e5 13.d5 , followed by Be3 and c4-c5, looks much better for White. ] 13.e3 e6 [ This game was played several years ago, but I still remember I wasn’t worried about the ...b5 break. After 13...b5 14.cxb5 axb5 15.b4 , I believe Black lacks counterplay, whereas White can improve his position by means of ideas like d5 and Nd4, or Qd3 and Rfc1. ] 14.a4 a5 Black prevents the b4 advance, but now the b5-square becomes a weakness. 15.d2 a8 16.b3 I am gradually improving my position. White’s advantage is solid and risk-free because I don’t see any way for Black to create counterplay here. e7 17.ac1 d7 18.d5 The idea of h3 and f4 looks good too. But as I’ve pointed out before, I don’t mind placing my pawns on light squares, and d5 gains space too. fc8 [ 18...e5 would allow 19.c5 , when White has a strong queenside initiative. ] 19.fd1 e8 20.d4 e5 [ 20...d7 , trying to keep the g7-bishop’s diagonal open, is too passive, as after 21.db5 , Black is still unable to create counterplay. ] 21.de2 b6 22.g4 Now that the queenside has become ‘frozen’, White shifts attention on the kingside, where he has more space too. d7 23.g3 f8 24.g1 A 'deep' move. My idea was to place the rook on the same file as the Kg8. I know Black is a long way from playing ...f5 - but just in case! h8 25.h1 fg8 26.cf1 f6 [ Actually, Black might have tried 26...f5 here, aiming for some kingside activity; though after 27.gxf5 gxf5 28.h5 ( the immediate 28.f4 is interesting too ) 28...g6 29.xg7 xg7 , White can open
the position up with 30.f4 , usually a good idea if you have stronger development. ] 27.b5 f7 28.f4! Now that Black’s queen is busy defending c7, I decided to play this move anyway. If allowed, I will continue with the cramping f5, annexing more space. h6 [ Of course 28...xg4 fails to 29.xc7 . ] 29.f5 xe3 30.xe3 g5 This fails to keep the position closed, and just provides a hole for the white knight and a target for his h-pawn. But otherwise White will prepare g4-g5 himself, while Black has nothing at all to do. 31.h5 h6 32.h4 g8 33.xf6! The f6-pawn was the base of Black’s resistance, and once it is demolished, so is his game. xf6 34.hxg5 xg4 35.xg4 e8 A last trick by Black. 36.h3 Preventing ...Qh5+ is the easiest way to win. [ White still had the opportunity to scuttle his game: 36.xc7?? h5+ wins for Black. ] 36...f7 37.xc7 . This game was very important for me, since beating a strong International Master positionally was a major achievement. Black was unable to create any real counterplay, and I kept increasing my advantage in a solid way, before finally squashing him. 1-0
E62 Sedlak,N Plenkovic,Z Zadar (Game 23) [Damian Lemos]
2010
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.c3 d6 6.f3 c6 7.0-0 f5 8.e1 a5 This is probably the main move after 8 Ne1, and it requires accurate play by White. The good news is that, if he plays well, White gets to keep a strong centre with the better prospects. 9.e4 [ White should avoid 9.b3 , as c5! puts pressure on d4 and opens the long diagonal for the g7-bishop. If White now continues with 10.e4 , then cxd4 11.exf5 ( 11.xd4? is refuted by xe4 ) 11...dxc3 gives Black a clear advantage. ] 9...g4 [ 9...d7 has been tried in a couple of games. I think White can play 10.e2 c5 11.dxc5 dxc5 12.e5 g4 13.f4 and stands better with a powerful bishop on g2, much more space and a plethora of
ideas, such as Rd1, Ne4 and Nc2. ( 13.f4 is interesting too. )] 10.f3 d7 [ After 10...e6!? 11.b3 ( on 11.d5 d7 , Black can obtain counterplay with ...c6 and ...Rc8 ) 11...c5 12.c2 cxd4 13.xd4 d7 14.e3 , White gets a Maróczy bind position where his typical space advantage offers him the better chances. ] 11.e2 c6 [ If Black attacks with 11...c5 now, White can play for a clamp with 12.dxc5 dxc5 13.e5 e8 14.f4 , when the difference in activity between the two fiachettoed bishops is clear. After e6 15.b3 d4+ 16.e3 , White is much better. ] 12.e3 e5 13.dxe5! Simple and strong. [ Closing the centre with 13.d5 allows Black nice counterplay after d4 14.d2 c5 , since winning a pawn is not a good idea for White; i.e. 15.dxc6 bxc6 16.xd4 exd4 17.xd4 g4 , followed by ...Qb6+, and the weak dark squares will probably be decisive. ] 13...dxe5 [ 13...xe5 is always possible, but after 14.d1 e7 15.c2 , White can improve his position little by little, and kick the knight away with h3 and f4 at an appropriate moment. ] 14.c2 c8 [ 14...e7 connects the rooks, but invites a future Nd5, when Black has fewer options as the queen will be under attack. ] 15.fd1 h5 16.b4 d4 With his opponent gaining space relentlessly, Black sacrifices a pawn in order to get some activity. But White’s position is too solid to be fazed by any tactical trickery. 17.xd4 exd4 18.xd4 xd4+ 19.xd4 c5 20.bxc5 xc5 21.ad1 After this, White keeps his extra pawn. [ 21.f2 was also possible, breaking the pin on the rook. ] 21...e6 22.d5 f5 [ After 22...b6 , White can start to gain space on the kingside with 23.f4 g7 24.g4 . ] 23.exf5 xd5 24.cxd5 g7 [ 24...gxf5 can be met by 25.d6 ] [ or similarly, 24...xf5 25.d6 . ] 25.g4 gxf5 26.d6 fxg4 27.fxg4 f4 28.c4+! A nice tactic to trade pieces off. Without queens, Black has no attack. xc4 29.xc4 xc4 30.d5+ h8 31.xc4 d8 32.d7 Now the black knight can’t move at all. h5 33.h3 h7 34.d6 . Black resigned, in
advance of the approaching zugzwang. Neither his knight nor his king can move, and he will quickly run out of pawn moves too. Once more, White’s space advantage claims another victim. [ Note that 34.d6 h8 is met rudely by 35.h6# . ] 1-0
E62 Wojtaszek,R Zawadzka,J Wroclaw (Game 24) [Damian Lemos]
2010
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.c3 d6 5.g3 0-0 6.g2 c6 7.0-0 g4 This is the Simagin Variation. 8.e3!? Not the most natural move in this position. I like the fact that White protects d4 and prepares Qd2 to finish his development. [ The main alternative is 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 d7 10.e3 e5 11.d5 e7 , when White has the bishop pair, but the position is of a closed nature, which favours Black's knights. A.Pashikian-S.Iuldachev, Asian Club Championship, Al Ain 2008, continued 12.e4 f5 13.d2 f4 14.h4 (trying to open lines on the kingside) h5 with unclear play. ] 8...d7 This looks like the best response for Black. [ After the natural 8...e5 , White can play 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.b3 (here we see one of the points of Be3 – the c5-square is under control!) c8 11.ad1 , when White exerts strong pressure on the queenside. I would also consider ideas like Ng5 and Nd5. ] 9.d2 e5 10.dxe5 xf3 [ Let’s take a look at Black’s other options: 10...dxe5 11.ad1 b6 12.c1! (the reason for this square is seen next move) c8 13.b3 and White has a solid advantage with ideas such as Qa3, or Rd2 and Rfd1. ] [ 10...dxe5 11.xe5 xe5 ( after 11...dxe5 12.ad1 xd2 13.xd2 , Black is going to have a hard time defending this endgame ) 12.b3 c6 13.h6 – trading bishops off is a good idea. White is slightly better here. ] [ 10...cxe5 11.b3 xf3+ 12.exf3! – the key move, which we will soon see in the main game too. ] 11.exf3 Despite getting doubled pawns, White
is still better as he can continue with f4, gaining both space and control of the e5square. [ Instead, after 11.xf3 cxe5 , Black equalizes easily, as he is going to get one of our bishops. ] 11...dxe5 [ 11...dxe5 would again be answered by 12.ad1 , when White has the bishop pair to go with his other advantages. ] 12.e2 e7 This move feels a bit passive. [ I would have tried 12...a5 13.c5 ec4 14.cxd6 xd6 15.f4 , when Black has an active position, though I prefer White’s bishop pair. ] 13.f4 5c6 14.g4!? [ Another option is 14.ad1 f5 15.c5 xe3 16.fxe3 xc3 17.bxc3 e7 , when White is still better due to his strong light-squared bishop. Wojtaszek probably preferred to keep his bishop pair. Meanwhile 14 g4 prevents ...Nf5 and claims more space on the kingside. ] 14...e8 15.ad1 c8 Black gets his queen off the d-file. [ If instead 15...d7 16.c5 , Black is going to have a weakness on d6. For instance, xc3 ( or 16...ad8 17.cxd6 cxd6 18.d2 and Black will either have to take on c3 sooner or later, or else give up the d-pawn ) 17.cxd6 cxd6 18.bxc3 and White is clearly better as his bishop pair is much stronger than the black knights. What’s more, Black’s kingside is full of weaknesses with his g7-bishop now missing. ] 16.h3 e6 17.e4 White is waiting for Black to weaken his kingside with ...h6 before carrying out his plan of Nd5. h6 18.c3 ad8 19.d5 d7 20.d2 White has two active bishops plus a strong kingside initiative, whereas Black’s position is solid but without prospects. h7 21.b4 xd5 22.cxd5 e7 23.c1 Applying pressure down the open cfile. [ Taking the a7-pawn would be a mistake: 23.xa7?? b6 and White’s bishop gets trapped. ] 23...a6 [ If 23...c6 , White now can play 24.xa7 . ] 24.c4! An excellent move by White which defends the 4th rank and prepares to double rooks on the c-file. c6 25.fc1 c8 As usual, Black’s main problem is his passivity. [ To avoid getting boxed in, he might
consider 25...xd5 26.xd5 cxd5 27.xd5 e7 28.g2 , when White’s advantage is undeniable, but at least Black has more chances here than after the game continuation. ] 26.dxc6 bxc6 27.d4! Simple and strong. White wants to get rid of the g7-bishop, which is Black’s most active piece. d5 28.xg7 xg7 29.d4+ g8 30.4c3 b8 31.e3 c8 [ Black could still play for activity: 31...d6 32.a3 a8 , aiming for ...a5. Unfortunately for him, White’s attack on the kingside arrives first: 33.f5! gxf5 34.gxf5 xf5 35.g4+ g7 36.g3 e5 37.xc6 e6 38.xd5! with a decisive advantage. ] 32.xe8+ xe8 33.f5 Black’s kingside lacks defenders, so his position is lost. g5? [ 33...gxf5 34.f4! , Black is in serious trouble, but he has more chances than with the text, which just loses immediately. ] 34.f6 xb4 35.xh6 c4 36.xg5+ f8 37.b1 e7 38.f6 e6 39.b7 . White’s mating threats are unstoppable, so Black resigned here. This is definitely a game worth studying against the 7...Bg4 variation! 1-0
E62 Karpov,A Polgar,J Las Palmas (Game 25) [Damian Lemos]
1994
1.d4 f6 2.f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 d6 6.0-0 c6 7.c3 e5 The most direct continuation, staking an immediate claim in the centre. 8.d5 e7 9.e4 d7 10.e1 This line reminds me of the Classical King’s Indian, where White often plays Ne1-d3 as well. The ideas behind the knight manoeuvre here are: 1. Clearing the g2-bishop’s diagonal. 2. Freeing the f-pawn to advance. 3. On d3 the knight will prove very useful, supporting a queenside attack (b4-c5), as well as a possible f2-f4. f5 11.d3 f6 12.g5 I really like this move by the 12th World Champion. Usually, giving up a bishop for a knight is not a good idea, especially in open positions. However, here Black’s knight is a key controller of the centre. fxe4 [ Karpov’s bishop sally is directed against
12...h6 , which weakens Black’s kingside. After 13.xf6 xf6 14.f4 exf4 15.xf4 e5 16.exf5 xf5 17.d2 c6 18.h1 b6 19.ae1 , White had a slight advantage in A.Karpov-B.Gelfand, Dos Hermanas 1994. ] 13.xe4 f5 14.e1 Overprotecting the e4square. By blockading on e4, White makes the g7-bishop into a bad bishop as it lacks good diagonals. [ I believe Karpov's move is best, although GM Epishin tried both 14 Qd2 and 14 Kh1 here: 14.d2 xe4 15.xe4 e8 16.ae1 d4 with counterplay, as moves like ...Nf3+, ...Bh3 or ...b5!? are annoying for White, V. Epishin-J.Polgar, Dos Hermanas 1994. ] [ 14.h1 h6 15.xf6+ xf6 16.d2 d7 17.c3 ( 17.f4 e4 18.xe4 xg3+ 19.hxg3 h3+ leads to perpetual check, showing that 14 Kh1 wasn’t very useful ) 17...g7 18.b3 b6 , when Black attained equality and eventually won in V.Epishin-J. Polgar, Las Palmas 1994. (This was six rounds earlier in the same tournament as the main game.) ] 14...h6 15.xf6+ [ I’ve been analysing 15.xf6 xf6 16.f4 exf4 17.xf4 d4+ 18.h1 h7 19.e6 xe6 20.dxe6 . The position is unclear but, given the choice, I would take White because the e6-pawn is dangerous. ] 15...xf6 16.d2! Of course White is not interested in trading bishops off! As we pointed out earlier, Black’s dark-squared bishop is ‘bad’ because it lacks good diagonals. h7 [ Here 16...g5!? was a more ambitious way to cover the h6-pawn. A) Then 17.h5 d7 , followed by ...Qf7, looks okay for Black ( rather than 17...e8?! 18.xe8 xe8 19.f4 d4 20.fxe5 dxe5 21.e4 , which just gives White a new target: the isolated e5-pawn ) , since 18.g4? would be disastrous for White after h4 19.xh6? xg4 .; B) However, after 17.c3 d7 18.c5 (as in the game), White’s positional advantage is still clear; for example, e7?! 19.b3! b6 20.cxd6 cxd6 21.xe5! dxe5 22.d6+ f7 23.d5 and wins. It was perhaps because of this sort of thing that Black moved her king off the a2-g8 diagonal. Unfortunately, it proves ultimately to be no safer on the b1-h7
diagonal. ] 17.c3 d7 A logical developing move. [ Nevertheless, given her next, Black might have done better to hamper c4-c5 by playing 17...b6 at once, even if 18.d2 maintains White's advantage, with ideas like f4 and b4/ c5. ] 18.c5! b6? Now White gains even more space. [ 18...b5 seems more consistent, though after 19.f4 ( I also like 19.e4 here ) 19...xd3 20.fxe5 xe5 21.xe5 dxe5 22.xd3 , White’s bishop looks stronger than Black’s knight. ] 19.c6 e8 20.f4! The right moment to open the position. Black’s pieces lack coordination and she can't bring the a8-rook into the game. exf4 21.xf4 f7 The only real way to defend the hole on e6. [ After 21...g7? 22.d3 , followed by Be4, White’s pressure on g6 is decisive. ] 22.d3 xc3 23.bxc3 g5 [ 23...f6 , trying to play ...Rae8, was a reasonable alternative. I think White should continue 24.e4 ae8 25.f1! xe4 26.xe4 with a clear advantage. ] 24.h4! f6 [ Taking on g3 or h4 is no better: 24...xh4 25.gxh4 xf4 26.e4! f6 ( or similarly 26...f5 27.f1 h5 28.e7 ) 27.f1 d8 28.e3 g7 29.e7 wins for White. ] [ 24...xg3 25.xg3 xg3 26.e7 and Black’s position is hopeless in the long run. ] 25.e6 xe6 26.xe6 g7 27.h5 Despite material equality, White already has a winning game due to his space advantage and superb piece activity. e7 [ 27...gxh5 loses a piece to 28.e4 . ] 28.ae1 [ Black resigned, since resistance is futile; for example 28.ae1 f7 ( or 28...ae8 29.hxg6+ h8 30.e4 ) 29.hxg6+ xg6 30.xg6! xg6 31.e4 and wins. ] 1-0
E63 L'Ami,E Erdogdu,M European Championship, Rijeka (Game 26) [Damian Lemos] 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 d6 6.0-0 c6 7.c3 a6 So here we have the famous Panno Variation of the King’s Indian. It is named after one of the strongest Grandmasters in Argentinian history. Black usually tries to get a queenside initiative by playing ...Rb8 and ...b5; the rook both supports the pawn thrust and safeguards itself from attack by the g2-bishop on the long diagonal. White has various possibilities here such as 8 d5, 8 Qd3 or 8 h3, which are White’s most popular tries. However, we are going to focus on 8 Bf4!?. I would like to share a little story about this move. Towards the end of 2011, I played a strong round-robin tournament (Magistral Panno) together with GMs G.Meier, N.Delgado Ramirez, D.Flores, A.Rodriguez Vila, and S. Mareco. There was an interesting rule too: we had to play the Panno Variation in every game. I played 8 Qd3 in all my games as White, with good results. However, as Black, I had a hard time facing 8 Bf4, which was used against me by Rodriguez Vila in the first round and Meier in the seventh. Before these games, I was quite unfamiliar with this move, as it is less popular than the usual main lines. Now, from practical experience, I can vouch that 8 Bf4 deserves more attention! 8.f4!? This weird-looking move prevents ... e5 and prepares Rc1. In some variations, White can try for Qd2 and Bh6. Compared with the main lines, White usually keeps his central pawns mobile on c4 and d4, instead of advancing with d4-d5. b8 [ I tried 8...d7 in the Panno tournament, but despite drawing against Georg Meier, I feel I got a dubious position as Black. This is the subject of the next game. ] 9.c1 I like the simple way White conducts the middlegame here. We know Black is planning ...b5, so preparing to put pressure on the c-file is a good idea. d7 10.d2 b5 Black finally makes his intended pawn break. However, this allows White to carry out his plan. 11.d5! e4 Black’s decision was not easy at all.
[ Let’s take a look at the alternatives: 11...xd5 12.cxd5 a7 13.h6 and White has a clear advantage, as the subsequent doubling of rooks on the c-file is going to be annoying for Black. ] [ 11...bxc4 12.xf6+ exf6 ( after 12...xf6 13.xc4 e5 14.h6 e8 15.dxe5 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.b3 , White has the edge due to his superior pawn structure ) 13.xc4 (Black’s position is playable but, again, his pawn structure is quite suspect) g5 14.e3 d5 15.c3 , followed by Ne1-d3, when White has a definite positional advantage. ] [ 11...e6 12.xf6+ xf6 ( not 12...xf6? 13.g5 f5 14.e4! xe4 15.fe1 f5 16.h4 g4 17.e4 h5 18.f3 and the queen is trapped ) 13.c5 (not a standard move in this kind of position, but I believe it gives White the better prospects) e5 ( 13...d5 leaves Black without counterplay and makes the Bd7 a bad bishop; while 13...e7 14.cxd6 cxd6 15.d5 exd5 16.xd5 gives White a clear target: the isolated d6-pawn ) 14.h6 e8 15.d5 d4 16.xd4 exd4 and here, White can consider seizing space on the queenside with 17.b4 ( or opening lines in the centre with 17.e3 . )] 12.c2 f5 13.cxb5 xb5 14.c3 xc3 15.xc3 e5? As a King’s Indian player, I understand the urge to play ...e5 and create immediate counterplay, but in this case, despite appearances, Black doesn't have sufficient control of the centre. [ 15...b6 16.fd1 Improving White's position little by little. Black has a difficult game at queenside ] 16.dxe5 h8 [ Unfortunately, 16...dxe5 runs into 17.a4! b6 ( or 17...exf4 18.c4+ ) 18.xe5 and White is virtually winning already. ] 17.a4 a5 18.fd1 dxe5?! 19.xe5! xe5 20.xc6 d5 A last, desperate, and futile try. 21.xd5! [ 21.xg7+! xg7 22.xd5 was equally good. ] 21...xc3 22.xc3 f7 23.cd3 1-0
E63 Meier,G Lemos,D Buenos Aires (Game 27) [Damian Lemos]
2011
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 d6 6.0-0 c6 7.c3 a6 8.f4 As I’ve already said, during this tournament, I was quite unfamiliar with this move. In fact, after facing 8 Bf4 in the first round against GM Rodriguez Vila, I was worried about facing it again. For this game, I had worked out a new idea, but as we will soon see, it’s insufficient for equality. d7 9.c1 b5 I thought that Black could perhaps do without ...Rb8 but, as my opponent’s play proves, this idea is mistaken and Black has to move the rook sooner or later. [ 9...b8 would transpose to the previous game. ] 10.d5! I found this move very annoying. After thinking for a long time, I decided to put my rook on b8 after all. b8 [ Let’s have a look at the alternatives: 10...xd5 11.cxd5 b4 12.b3 a5 13.a3 a6 14.e4 sees the black knight out of play, and White, as he usually does, controls the c-file. Rc2 and Rfc1 looks like a good followup. ] [ 10...e6 11.xf6+ xf6 ( 11...xf6? loses material after 12.g5 f5 13.e4 xe4 14.e5 ) 12.d2 and White is much better, in my opinion. I don’t see any good ideas for Black, and taking on c4 just saddles him with a weak queenside pawn structure. ] [ 10...bxc4 is met by 11.xf6+ xf6 ( or similarly 11...exf6 12.xc4 b8 13.b3 ) 12.xc4 b8 13.b3 . Once this solid move is played, Black’s counterplay on the b-file is nullified, whereas White has good chances on the c-file. ] 11.xf6+ exf6 I decided to take with the pawn in order to create the possibility of playing ...g5. [ Black needs to find some counterplay as soon as possible, which I feel is lacking after 11...xf6 12.c5 ( or 12.cxb5 axb5 13.d2 . )] 12.d2 This natural move offers White an edge; [ but I think White can play more strongly with 12.d5 e5 13.c5 e8 14.d4
and, again, Black lacks counterplay. He is unable to open the b-file, while ...Nc4 can be easily prevented by b2-b3. ] 12...e7?! This is just too passive, though I don’t see big improvements for Black. [ 12...bxc4 13.xc4 , followed by b3, again gives White a solid plus. ] [ 12...e8 , simply developing, is probably Black’s best try in the position. Note that 13.d5 e5 14.c5?! could now be met by c4! . ] 13.d5! Gaining more space and limiting the mobility of the black knight. g5 14.e3 f5 15.d4 xe3 Now Black is going to have some holes on the kingside, but taking on d4 is no better. [ After 15...xd4 16.xd4 , White’s bishops are more active, and he keeps the better prospects on the queenside and in the centre. ] 16.fxe3 e8 17.f5 [ 17.c5 dxc5 18.xc5 f8 19.c2 feels like it should be good for White as well. I think my opponent didn’t want to allow my dark-squared bishop any activity. ] 17...e5 18.e4 xf5 19.exf5 b4! Now I can breathe again, as closing the position (especially the c-file!) gives Black equalizing chances. White should have thrown in cxb5 earlier on (e.g. on move 17), to ensure that the c-file remained open. 20.g4 [ After 20.c5 dxc5 21.xc5 f8 , Black’s dark-squared bishop suddenly becomes a powerful piece. ] 20...e8 21.f3 f8 White’s chances of opening things up have dwindled, and the opposite-coloured bishops give the position a drawish nature. 22.d4 b6 23.a1 g7 24.f2 [ After 24.a3 , I intended to drum up counterplay with e3 25.axb4 b3 and Black is not worse. 24 Kf2 prevents that idea. ] 24...a4 25.fc1 a5 26.a3 c5 . Black trades queens off and there is not much play left. Taking into account my dubious opening, I think a draw was a good result. ½-½
E63 Neverov,V Erdogdu,M Dresden (Game 28) [Damian Lemos]
2007
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 d6 6.0-0 c6 7.c3 b8 An interesting alternative to the main line 7... a6. This rook move has been essayed by strong GMs like Judit Polgar and Ernesto Inarkiev. 8.h3 The move h2-h3 is always useful in the Fianchetto Systems. It safeguards our king, and restricts Black’s lightsquared bishop. [ Alternatively, White can again try 8.f4!? , which is examined in Game 30. ] 8...a6 [ Let’s look at the alternatives: 8...f5 9.g4 d7 10.e4 – playing h3 and g4 looks weak, but I believe this actually strengthens White’s kingside. Here, I would like to share GM Boris Avrukh’s analysis from his excellent book ‘Grandmaster Repertoire - 1.d4, volume two’: e5 11.e3 a6 12.c1 b5 ( after 12...exd4 13.xd4 e5 14.b3 , followed by f4, White applies a lot of pressure ) 13.dxe5 xe5 14.xe5 dxe5 15.cxb5 axb5 16.c2 c6 17.fd1 and White’s position is better, with an aggressive pawn formation, while Black has weaknesses on d6 and c5. ] [ 8...e5 9.d5 e7 ( 9...a5 makes little sense when the g7-bishop’s diagonal is closed; White can continue 10.d2 c5 11.a3 , followed by Rb1 and b4, with a strong queenside initiative ) 10.e4 (comparing this position with Game 25, Karpov-Polgar, we can see that White’s h2h3 is more useful than Black’s ...Rb8) e8 11.e3 a6 12.d2 f5 13.g5 fxe4 14.gxe4 f5 15.g5 and White got a nice advantage in M.Najdorf-H.Ardiansyah, Manila 1973. ] 9.e4 e5 [ The immediate 9...b5 is the subject of the next game. ] 10.e3 [ Obviously, 10.d5 is possible here too. ] 10...d7 [ If Black lashes out with 10...b5 now, White can simply reply 11.dxe5 dxe5 ( or 11...xe5 12.xe5 dxe5 13.xd8 xd8 14.d5 xd5 15.cxd5 and Black will suffer ) 12.cxb5 axb5 13.c2 , followed by
Rfd1 and Rac1, with strong positional pressure. ] 11.c1 exd4 12.xd4 e8 13.de2 A slight mistake by White, which gives Black the chance to create some counterplay. [ The straightforward 13.e1 xd4 ( not 13...b5? due to 14.xc6 xc6 15.e5 and wins ) 14.xd4 c6 15.d2 was better. ] 13...h5 A missed opportunity. [ At this precise moment, after the white knight has withdrawn from the centre, Black has could have played 13...b5! , threatening ...b4 and ...Nxe4; while after 14.cxb5 axb5 15.c2 , Black has more space and thus more freedom than in the game. ] 14.c5! Now White seizes the initiative again. dxc5 15.xc5 c8 16.h2 b6 17.e3 e5 18.g5 A good idea, deflecting the f6knight away from the centre, before moving the bishop to the useful f4-square. h7 19.f4 c5?! This just cedes the d5-square to White’s knight. [ Instead, something like 19...h4 , trying for some kingside counterplay, was probably better. ] 20.d5 [ White could also have played 20.xe5!? xe5 21.f4 g7 22.e5 , followed by Ne4 or Nd5, with a clear advantage. ] 20...g5?! [ Here too 20...h4 would have been better. The text gains the bishop pair but gives White a clear target for his attack. ] 21.xe5 xe5 22.f4 gxf4 [ 22...g7 23.fxg5 xg5 24.ef4 is also very good for White. ] 23.gxf4 h8 24.ec3 [ Another possibility was 24.e5 , shutting Black’s knight and dark-squared bishop out of the game. ] 24...d4 There is no way to defend the h5pawn. [ If 24...f6 , then simply 25.e5 ( or 25.xf6+ xf6 26.e5 ) 25...xd5 26.xd5 , followed by Qxh5 and Rg1+, gives White an unstoppable attack. ] 25.xh5 c6 26.e5 g6 27.xg6+ fxg6 28.e2 White has a winning position and the rest should be a matter of technique. b5 29.c2 g5 30.d1 xe2 31.xe2 gxf4 32.e6 bd8 33.xf4 e5!? Nevertheless, the game isn’t over just yet, so White still has to exercise some caution. 34.f1 [ Not 34.xd8? xf4+ ]
[ or 34.xe5 xd1 , and Black is back in the game. ] 34...xe6 35.h1! ee8 So Black has regained the pawn. Unfortunately for him, his king is now too exposed. 36.d5+ h8 [ Moving the king forwards is equally futile; for example, 36...g7 37.g1+ f6 38.g6+ f5 39.e4+ xf4 40.g4# . ] 37.fe1 f8 38.g6+ g7 39.xf8 . Black cannot prevent material losses and hence resigns. Definitely an interesting game for the assessment of this line. 1-0
E63 Morozevich,A Motylev,A Russian Championship, Moscow (Game 29) [Damian Lemos] 1.c4 f6 2.f3 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 c6 7.d4 b8 8.h3 a6 9.e4 b5 Taking the initiative on the queenside makes a lot of sense, and this thematic Panno advance is Black’s main alternative to 9...e5. 10.cxb5 axb5 11.e1!? I really like the calm approach employed by Morozevich in this game. [ The aggressive 11.e5 is also possible, though after dxe5 12.dxe5 d7 13.e6!? , the position is quite unclear. ] 11...d7 I agree with Black’s plan to leave the h8-a1 diagonal open. [ After 11...e5 12.d5 e7 13.b4 d7 14.b1 c8 ( attacking the centre with 14...c6 would be met by 15.dxc6 xc6 16.d3! , intending a2-a4 to create a passed pawn ) 15.h2 d8 16.a4! bxa4 17.b5 b7 18.xa4 a8 19.b4 c8 20.e3 , White has a comfortable edge, A. Fominyh-V.Ravikumar, Commonwealth Championship, Sangli 2000. ] [ All the same, it’s not completely clear how Black should equalize. His best options seem to be the text move or else 11...e6 and then: A) 12.d5 b4! 13.e2 ( after 13.dxc6 bxc3 14.bxc3 e5 , White’s pawn structure is quite weak, P.Tregubov-F.Nijboer, European Championship, Istanbul 2003 ) 13...exd5 14.exd5 e7 and White’s d5pawn has become a clear target.; B) 12.e5 dxe5 13.xe5 xd4! 14.e3
c5 15.xd4 cxd4 16.c6 b6 gives Black interesting counterplay.; C) 12.c2!? is the best try for White, in my opinion. For example, after b4 13.e2 b7 14.f4 e5 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.d3 , White has a nice hole on c5 for his knight, and the b4-pawn is weak too. ] [ Instead, 11...b4 can be met by 12.d5!? d7 13.g5! (once again, White provokes ...h7-h6 to weaken Black’s kingside) h6 14.c1! hxg5 15.xc6 with strong pressure on the c-file. If b7 , then 16.xb4! a8 17.c4 wins a pawn, R.Leitao-D.Pulvett, San Cristobal 2012. ] 12.e3 I am a big fan of playing the bishop to g5 first to provoke the weakening ...h7-h6. Then White wins a tempo by attacking the h6pawn with Qd2 or Qc1 later. [ For instance, after 12.g5 h6 13.e3 a5 14.b3 c5 15.c1 , White has a slight advantage, T.Nyback-S.Conquest, European Championship, Aix-les-Bains 2011. ] 12...a5 13.b3 Simple and clear; White prevents ...Nc4. c5 I have the feeling Black is not sufficiently developed to open up the position just yet. [ It was better to try something like 13...b4 14.a4 a6 15.c1 b5 , when I prefer White’s position, but Black has chances as well. ] 14.c1 c4 This looks like a positional mistake for Black. The c4-pawn will be weak (when White plays the undermining move a2-a4 sooner or later), while keeping an open centre should be part of Black’s strategy. [ Simply 14...c6 , as in R.Vaganian-Z.Ribli, World Junior Championships, Athens 1971, looks preferable, although White is still slightly better after 15.dxc5 , followed by 16 Nd5. ] [ If instead 14...a6 15.f1 c6 , as in P. Bachmayr-U.Dirr, German League 1991, I think White can improve his play with 16.dxc5 dxc5 17.a4 b4 18.b5 , when he has a clear advantage. ] 15.b4 c6 16.a3 e5 Black was probably not happy to close the long dark diagonal, but it is hard to suggest a better move. 17.d5 e7 18.a4 Creating the anticipated queenside target by undermining the c4-pawn. bxa4 19.xa4 f5 Here we see a concept which can often be found in the King’s Indian: Black creates counterplay on the kingside with ...f7f5 but, in doing so, the e6-square becomes
weak. How important that factor is depends on each individual circumstance. [ In any case, trying to prepare ...f5 with 19...h6? is just too slow, because after 20.d2 , the c4-pawn is going to be taken very soon. ] 20.g5 [ Actually, White might have played 20.d2! anyway. After f4 21.a7 b7 22.xc4 , the a7-bishop is in some danger, but it seems White can solve this problem tactically: fxg3 ( or similarly 22...c7 23.b5 ) 23.fxg3 c7 24.b5 xb5 25.xd6! xb4 26.xb4 xa7+ 27.h2 and I believe White is much better, as his rooks are far more active than Black’s minor pieces. ] 20...b6? It seems both sides misjudged the significance of e6 in this position. [ Here Motylev missed a good opportunity to create kingside counterplay with 20...f4! . A) Then 21.e6? can be met by fxe3 22.xd8 exf2+ 23.h2 fxe1 24.xe1 xd8 , when Black has the advantage with rook, bishop and knight for the queen; ( 24...-- ); B) while after 21.a7 b6 22.a5 b7 , the position is unclear. Ironically, leaving e6 unprotected would have prevented White from playing Ne6, whereas Black’s attempt to cover this square actually makes the knight move possible. ] 21.a7 b7?! 22.xb6? This time Morozevich misses his opportunity. [ He could have played 22.e6! xa7 ( 22...e8 23.a5 xe6 24.dxe6 d8 25.exf5 is no better ) 23.xd8 xd8 24.xb6 , when White wins the exchange and almost certainly the game, since the c4and d6-pawns remain weaknesses. After the text, material remains equal, so White has to rely on the initiative in order to achieve anything. ] 22...xb6 23.xb6 xb6 24.b5 h6 25.h4 d7 26.a1! Activity is more important than material! [ The obvious plan was 26.b1 , followed by Rb4, Reb1 and Bf1, but Morozevich probably judged that Black would obtain sufficient counterplay by throwing in ...fxe4 at an opportune moment. ] 26...xg5 27.hxg5 xb5 28.a7 c8 [ 28...f7? would be a fatal self-pin, due to 29.f4! , with the threat of -- 30.fxe5 dxe5
31.xb5 xb5 32.d6 . ] 29.c7 a6 30.a1 f7 [ The active 30...b3? fails to 31.xa6 xc3 32.ac6 and the knight is trapped. ] 31.c6 b7 [ 31...xc6? leads to another self-pin after 32.dxc6 a7 , which White can exploit by 33.exf5 gxf5 34.d5+ g7 35.e6 b5 36.xa7+ xa7 37.c7 a6 38.xf5 , when the untouchable passed pawn gives White a winning endgame. ] 32.xc4 b2 33.d1 b3 34.e3 Black has defended well so far and material remains equal, although White still has the better prospects due to his space advantage and superior piece coordination. b6 35.cc1 g7? The decisive mistake. [ Black had to insert 35...fxe4 before 36.xe4 g7 , when his defence with 37.ab1 ( White would have to resort to 37.g2 , keeping up the pressure ) 37...xb1 38.xb1 a4 39.c4 c3! would work. ] 36.ab1 xb1 37.xb1 a4 38.c4 Now the weakness on d6 is going to be enough for White to win, since Black has no counterplay. c3 [ If Black tries to defend the pawn with 38...d7 , White has the forcing variation 39.xd6 xd5 40.e8+ f7 41.f6 a2 42.a1 d2 43.c1! and suddenly Black’s kingside is in trouble. ] 39.b6 a4 [ Taking on e4 loses the exchange after 39...xe4 40.xe4 fxe4 41.xd6 ] [ or 39...fxe4 40.xd6 xd5 41.xf7 . ] 40.b4 c5 41.xd6 d7 42.e8+ [ 42.e8+ f7 43.f6 d8 44.b5 c8 45.h3 is hopeless for Black, so he resigned. ] 1-0
E62 Alekseev,E Levin,EA Russian Team Championship (Game 30) [Damian Lemos] 1.f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.0-0 d6 6.d4 c6 7.c3 b8 8.f4!? White can also try the Bf4 idea against the ... Rb8 system. If Black plays 8...a6, he transposes into the main line analysed in Games 26 and 27. I haven’t been able to find many practical
examples of this precise position (8 Bf4 is kind of new), although White’s ideas are similar those after 7...a6 8 Bf4. f5 [ As I just mentioned, 8...a6 transposes to our main line Panno Variation. ] [ Let’s take a look at Black’s alternatives in this position: 8...d7 aims for ...e5, but I think White gets an advantage by simple means: 9.c1 e5 10.g5! (an excellent move to disrupt Black’s coordination) f6 ( both 10...e8 11.d5; and 10...f6 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.a4! are pretty annoying for Black ) 11.xf6 xf6 ( 11...xf6 allows 12.d5 ) 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.a4 and White has a comfortable advantage for the following reasons: 1. The queenside pressure is definitely troublesome for Black. 2. White can also try increasing his central presence with Rfd1 and Nd5, thereby gaining more space. ] [ 8...d7 looks playable, though I think Black has to play ...a6 sooner or later. Otherwise, his whole plan with ...Rb8 and ...Bd7 doesn’t make sense. For example, 9.c1 ( building a strong centre with 9.e4!? also deserves attention ) 9...a6 10.d2 transposes back to Game 26, which continued b5 ( while 10...e8 can be met by 11.e4 b5 12.e5 and I think White is well placed to face the upcoming tactics with his superior development ) 11.d5! . ] 9.c1 e8 [ Moving the knight to e4 is the logical followup to ...Bf5. After 9...e4 , trading some pieces off should help Black by relieving his slightly cramped position. Nevertheless, White can fight for the advantage with 10.xe4 xe4 11.d5 xf3 12.xf3 e5 13.g2 and if c5 then 14.dxc6 . As usual, White keeps a slight edge, thanks to his bishop pair. ] 10.d5 a5 This natural move is a clear mistake in the position. As we’ll see, Black’s misplaced knight can easily get trapped on the side of the board. [ Black should prefer 10...e5 , when we have some interesting variations: 11.e3 ( not 11.dxc6 exf4 , since the b7-pawn is well protected and Black gets the bishop pair ) 11...a5 12.d2 c5 ( Black has no time for 12...g4 because 13.b4 wins a piece ) 13.a3 and White has the better queenside
prospects. He might also consider increasing his central presence by means of f2-f3 and Nde4 at some point. ] 11.e4! g4 [ Black cannot take the e4-pawn, as after 11...xe4 12.xe4 xe4 , White again wins a piece with 13.b4 . ] 12.b3 c5 13.h3 xf3 Black has to trade some pieces off because he lacks space. [ 13...d7 runs into 14.e1! and White is poised to push e5 sooner or later. ] 14.xf3 d7 15.e2! A subtle positional concept by White. Instead of returning the bishop to g2, Alekseev tries a different tack. From e2, the bishop is well placed to prevent Black’s queenside counterplay (with ...a6 and ...b5), and also provides good support for a kingside attack with h4-h5. a6 16.g2 When I play the Fianchetto System, I dream about a position like this. Material is equal but White can keep improving his set-up little by little, whereas Black is unable to create counterplay. f8 [ If Black plays 16...e5 , White can just push it away again by playing 17.e3 , followed by f4. ] 17.d2 f6 18.e3 [ I don’t mind playing carefully as White, even if the immediate 18.e5 was also possible. After dxe5 19.xe5 c8 20.e3 , White enjoys a clear plus. ] 18...e8 19.h4 d4 20.d2 e5 21.h6 [ I think White has an advantage after 21.dxe6 fxe6 22.g4 as well. The only problem with this line is that the a5-knight can return to the game via ...Nc6 and ...Ne5, which I why I prefer leaving the pawn on d5. ] 21...g7 22.d3 There’s no hurry for White because, as I said before, Black is lacking in counterplay. Meanwhile White has the bishop pair and needs to open the position in order to increase his advantage. The bishop makes way for the knight to retreat, in preparation for f2-f4. b6 [ If Black lashes out with 22...f5 , then 23.e2 fxe4 24.xe4 makes White’s bishops even stronger. ] 23.e2 b7 24.f4 f6 25.h5!? An interesting way to prise open the kingside. [ An alternative was 25.f5 gxf5 26.exf5 and, from a positional perspective, White has a winning position already. ] 25...gxh5 26.h1 e8 27.h4 White builds up his attack methodically, and Black has to
try and organize a defence while restricted to the back two ranks. d8 28.ch1 b7 29.g4 [ White is not interesting in giving his bishop away with 29.xg7 . The text move is stronger, as Black cannot take the g-pawn anyway. ] 29...h8 [ Of course, 29...hxg4 would be asking for trouble after 30.xg4 . ] 30.g3 exf4 31.xf4 e5 32.gxh5 xf4 33.xf4 e5 34.f1 e7 35.e2 White wants to attack f6 and therefore prepares h5-h6 and Bh5 to eliminate the main defender: a knight on e8. e8 36.h6 f7 37.h5 [ The endgame after 37.xe5 xe5 38.f5 g8+ 39.f2 d7 40.hh1 should be won as well, as White can always open up the queenside and Black’s position is full of weaknesses. ] 37...g5 38.xe5 dxe5 39.xe8! As intended, White removes the defensive lynchpin and the rest is easy. exe8 40.h5 f5 41.xf5 xf5 42.exf5 e4 43.f6 e5 44.d6 xf5 45.d7 [ The pawn cannot be stopped, but if Black tries, he allows White a nice finish: 45.d7 e6 46.d8+! ( of course 46.xe4 wins too ) 46...xd8 47.xe4 and mates; for example, g5+ 48.f2 g8 49.e7 etc. A great positional performance by White! ] 1-0
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Chapter Five
The King’s Indian: ...d6 and ...c6
The ...d6, ...c6 and ...Qa5 motif is an active choice for Black. Known as the Kavalek System, Black’s main motif, if unimpeded, is to swing in ...Qh5, followed by ...Bh3 and ...Ng4, with an automatic attack on the kingside. Instead, as analysed in Khismatullin-Gabdrakhmanov, White trades queens off with 8 e4 and 9 Ng5, and the resulting endgame is much better for him because of his space advantage. To compound matters, Black does not have much counterplay without the queens. Black can also chose to counter in the centre immediately with 7...Qa5 8 e4 e5 (instead of 8...Qh5), when the game will transpose to Chapter Six after 9 h3 Nbd7 10 Re1. I recommend that you study this line carefully, since I consider it to be the main line in the Kavalek System. Alternatively, Black might opt for ...Bg4 as inRoiz-Srebrnic to trade off a minor piece. Although Black gets a solid position, he is far away from equality, as White’s bishop pair will become a telling factor in the long run. Game 31 M.Roiz-V.Srebrnic, Trieste 2010 Game 32 D.Khismatullin-R.Gabdrakhmanov, Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2007 Game 33 R.Dautov-J.Moreno Carnero, German League 2005 Game 34 B.Grachev-M.Manolache, European Championship, Aix-les-Bains 2011 Game 35 A.Wojtkiewicz-M.Mrva, FIDE World Championship Zonal, Krynica 1998 Game 36 O.Romanishin-Ri.Forster, Elista Olympiad 1998
Index of Variations 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Bg2 0-0 5 Nf3 d6 6 0-0 c6 6...Bg4 – Wojtkiewicz-Mrva 7 Nc3 Qa5 7...Qb6 – Dautov-Moreno Carnero 7...Bf5 – Grachev-Manolache 7...Bg4 – Romanishin-Forster 8 e4 8...e5 9 h3 Nbd7 – Chapter Six 8...Bg4 – Roiz-Srebrnic 8...Qh5 – Khismatullin-Gabdrakhmanov Back to Contents Page
E62 Roiz,M Srebrnic,V Trieste (Game 31) [Damian Lemos]
2010
1.d4 f6 2.f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4.c3 d6 5.g3 0-0 6.g2 c6 So here we have one of the most popular lines against the Fianchetto System. One of the advantages of 6...c6 is its flexibility, while blunting White’s fianchettoed bishop on the long light diagonal. From this position, Black has the following possibilities: 1. Playing 7...Qa5, followed by ...Qh5 in an attempt to attack the fianchettoed kingside structure. 2. Developing the queen to b6 to put pressure on the centre and b2. Black often continues with ...Qa6 to attack the c4-pawn (which is possible after 7...Qa5 too, of course). 3. Fighting in the centre with 7...Bf5. Black prevents White from playing e4 and also gives himself the option of playing ...Ne4 to trade some pieces off. We will examine all these lines in this chapter, as well as the methods of dealing with Black’s counterplay. 7.0-0 a5 [ 7...fd7 is not a popular choice, as White gets a comfortable advantage by simple means. After 8.e4 e5 9.e3 a6 10.h3 exd4 11.xd4 , White has the better prospects due to his space advantage. ] 8.e4 There’s no need to be afraid of ...Qh5. By playing e4, we build up a strong centre. [ The main alternative is 8.h3 , A) planning to answer 8...h5 with 9.g5! , followed by g3-g4, and Black’s queen is in trouble. ( 9.-- ); B) Instead, 8...e5 9.e4 bd7 transposes to Chapter Six (as with 8 e4 e5 below); C) but Black can also try 8...a6!?; D) or 8...e6!? , and if 9.d5 cxd5 10.d4 then dxc4 11.xe6 fxe6 12.xb7 bd7 13.xa8 xa8 with an unclear position: White is the exchange up, but Black has a massive pawn centre and good piece play. ] 8...g4 Black is usually unable to find a good square for his c8-bishop, so he aims to solve the problem by trading it for the f3-knight. Obviously, the drawback of this manoeuvre is that he then has to play without the bishop pair. [ If Black instead plays 8...e5
, he transposes to the main line of Chapter Six after 9.h3 bd7 (see Games 46-49), and Games 48-49 did in fact take this route. ] [ Alternatively, he can try 8...h5 , which is the subject of the next game. ] 9.h3 xf3 10.xf3 e5 11.d5 A good choice by White, gaining more space in the centre. [ I think taking on e5 is a positional mistake: after 11.dxe5 dxe5 , White has gifted Black the d4-square for his knights. A possible manoeuvre would be ...Nbd7-c5-e6-d4 or ... Nbd7-f8 (after ...Re8) and ...Ne6-d4. ] 11...cxd5 12.cxd5 bd7 13.e2 White has a slight positional advantage, due to his bishop pair, and can improve his kingside with h3-h4. a6 14.d2 fc8 15.h4 h5 [ Black can also try playing for the queenside initiative with 15...b5 . The problem is that White’s queenside is just too solid and, after a move like 16.a3! , I don’t see many prospects for Black. Furthermore, White can consider playing Na2-b4, aiming for the hole at c6, with a nice advantage. ] 16.g2! The bishop is useless on f3. so White reroutes it to the h3-c8 diagonal, which is going to be annoying for Black. h7 17.h3 b4 18.f3!? [ Defending the b2-pawn with 18.ab1!? is possible too. However, as we’ll see in the next note, Black can’t capture on b2 anyway, so White takes the chance to overprotect his centre, while creating the option of a later g3-g4. ] 18...c4 [ After 18...xb2 19.ab1 a3 20.xb7 d8 21.g4! , White’s advantage is close to decisive, as Black’s position is very passive. The text move is a better try for Black, though the resulting endgame is ultimately hopeless. White has the bishop pair and the pleasant choice of opening the position on either side of the board. The technique employed by GM Roiz is worth studying. ] 19.ac1 c7 20.xc4 xc4 21.b3 c7 22.a4 Simple and clear. Trading rooks off is an important part of White’s strategy to win this endgame, as it is then harder for Black to defend his queenside weaknesses as well as the vulnerable d6-pawn. ac8 23.xc7 xc7 24.c1 xc1+ 25.xc1 So the first step is completed: rooks are off the board. b5?! This probably makes things easier for White.
Black will find it difficult to defend his queenside as he is unable to contest the light squares. The other key factor is the bishop on g7, which is out of play. 26.b2 h6 Black tries to improve his bishop, but... 27.g5! A nice move by White! Black’s bishop is still out of play and he can’t take on g5. g7 [ After 27...xg5? 28.hxg5 , Black would lose one of his knights. ] 28.d3 a5?! Black tries to stop White from playing Nb4, but every time he advances a pawn, his queenside position becomes weaker. 29.b4 a4 [ Taking on b4 is not an improvement for Black: 29...axb4 30.xb4 b6 31.f1! c4 32.xh6+ ( or 32.a4 ) 32...xh6 33.xc4 bxc4 34.a4 and White is winning. ] 30.c1 Now the b5-pawn becomes the main target and this is going to fall sooner or later (after Ne2-c3, Bf1), so White is basically winning already. b6 31.xh6+ xh6 32.e2 c4 33.c3 a3 34.f1 c2 35.xb5 e8 [ 35...xb4 36.xd6 wins as well. ] 36.a3 g7 37.f2 f8 38.d3 a1 39.c3 Black loses a second pawn and therefore resigns. This is definitely a game worth studying, because White attained a solid advantage without taking any risks. A nice positional performance by GM Roiz! 1-0
E62 Khismatullin,D Gabdrakhmanov,R Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan (Game 32) [Damian Lemos] 1.d4 f6 2.c4 d6 3.f3 g6 4.g3 g7 5.g2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.c3 a5 8.e4 h5 This is Black’s consistent follow-up to ...Qa5, intending to attack on the kingside and play ... Bh3, if given the chance. Unfortunately... 9.g5! After this move, proposing the exchange of queens, there is simply no attack for Black. The resulting queenless middlegame is much better for White, as he has a strong centre and a clear space advantage. By now, you should know that this is my favourite type of position in the Fianchetto System: one in which White plays for an advantage without any risks. xd1 Black has nothing better.
[ If he avoids the queen trade with 9...g4 , White gets a big advantage after the simple 10.f3! c8 11.g4 h4 12.h3 and Black’s queen is in trouble as it can easily get trapped on the kingside. ] [ Alternatively, 9...h6 is, I think, a rather useless response for Black, because his knight on h5 is now going to be out of play, and the pawn move weakens his kingside slightly. After 10.xh5 xh5 11.f3 e6 12.d5 d7 13.e1!? (as we are used to seeing, White’s position keeps improving little by little, and now the advance e4-e5 becomes a possibility) a6 , I like how White slowly choked his opponent into submission in V.Burmakin-H.Westerinen, Sort 2006: 14.d2 b4 15.ab1 h7 16.a3 d3 17.e3 e5 18.xe5 xe5 19.e2 cxd5 20.f4 d4 (changing the game into a Maróczy Bind pawn structure) 21.d3 g7 22.xd4 ac8 23.b3 a6 24.a4 fe8 25.e1 (now that any counterplay on the queenside has been stifled, White turns his full attention to the e5 break) b6 26.e5 dxe5 27.fxe5 ed8 28.b4! (homing in on Black’s weak e7-pawn) f8 29.ed1 g4 30.1d2 a5 31.a3 g7 32.c6 xd3 33.xd3 f5 34.d2 e6 35.xe7 c5 36.xf8 xf8 37.d6 xb3 38.e7 e6 39.d5 (and now Black loses a pawn) c5 40.xb6 b8 41.d5 g7 42.xe6 xe6 43.f2 c5 44.e3 b7 45.d4 e6+ 46.d5 e7 47.d7 e8 48.c5 b8 49.c4 f8 50.b5 e8 51.c6 e7 52.xe7 xe7 53.d5+ d8 54.xa5 c5 55.b5 d3 56.b6 xe5 57.c7+ d7 58.b7 and Black resigned. GM Burmakin sure made this look easy. ] 10.xd1 e5 11.d5 c5 Closing the position seems like the best choice for Black. [ The alternatives offer less chance of equality: 11...h6 12.f3 cxd5 13.cxd5 d7 14.d2 (the c4-square is key in this variation as it functions like a hole for our knight) c8 15.f1 f8 16.f3 a6 17.c4 b4 18.e3 h7 19.h4 e7 20.d2 f5 21.a3 a6 22.exf5 gxf5 23.b5 xb5 24.xb5 f8 25.g4 fxg4 26.fxg4 and White has more space on both sides of the board, P. Leko-S.Mamedyarov, Dortmund 2010. ] [ 11...cxd5 12.cxd5 a6 13.a4 bd7 ( after 13...a5?! 14.f3 a6 15.d2 c5 16.c4 d8 17.e3 , Black’s position is full of holes ) 14.a5 gives White a clear
advantage, with better prospects on the queenside. ] 12.a3 I like this natural-looking move. White prepares Rb1 and b2-b4. e8 13.b4 White continues his queenside expansion. d7 14.b1 b6 15.b5! Black’s position is not easy to play. All his pieces are passive and it is difficult to find a clear plan, whereas White has more space and, as usual, a riskfree advantage. df6 16.e1 Defending the e4-pawn so that the g5-knight can return to f3. h6 17.f3 d7 18.d2 h7 19.a4! Preparing to create extra targets to attack on the queenside with a4-a5. h5 20.b3 Giving himself the option of either doubling rooks on the b-file or swinging the king’s rook across to a1. f6 21.a1 g7 22.a5 xb5 Black goes for an active defence instead of playing a passive position after [ Black tries for some activity (albeit in vain), rather than defend a passive position after 22...d8 ; for example, 23.axb6 ( or first 23.e3 ) 23...xb6 24.bxc5 xc5 25.e1 , followed by Nd3, and White has a big edge. ] 23.cxb5 c7 24.bxc5 dxc5 [ After 24...bxc5 25.ab1 , the white b-pawn is going to be unstoppable. ] 25.c3 fe8 26.d2! White calls the shots and gradually improves his position, while Black has failed to obtain any counterplay. h4 27.c4 hxg3 28.hxg3 g5 29.f4 [ 29.d6 ce6 30.axb6 axb6 31.xa8 xa8 32.f4 , and if exf4 then 33.xf6+! xf6 34.e5+ , was another, perhaps slightly faster, way to win. ] 29...exf4 30.xf6+ xf6 31.axb6 [ Or again 31.e5+ , followed by 32 gxf4 and 33 d6. ] 31...axb6 32.xa8 xa8 33.gxf4 The rest is quite easy for White. a1+ 34.h2 h7 35.xb6 c1 36.d6 e6 37.d5+ g7 38.b6 c4 39.b7 cxb3 40.b8 1-0
E62 Dautov,R Moreno Carnero,J German League (Game 33) [Damian Lemos] 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 c6 6.0-0 d6 7.c3 b6 As GM Stohl says: "This queen sortie still
2005
remains a rare guest in tournament practice, although it’s not quite clear what is White’s best reaction." This move is similar to 7...Qa5, in that Black has the option of playing ...Qa6 there too. One of the main differences I can see is that Black puts extra pressure on White’s d4- and b2-pawns. 8.e3 Probably not the main move in this position, but I still like it. White overprotects his centre and keeps the long diagonal open for the g2-bishop. [ Instead, 8.h3 a6 leads to a position briefly mentioned in Game 31, but against 7...Qa5 we are playing 8 e4, rather than 8 h3. ] [ The trouble after 7...Qb6 is that 8.e4 can be met by g4! , and if 9.h3 (as in Game 31), then xf3 10.xf3 fd7 , when the pressure on d4 disrupts White’s smooth development, given that 11.e3!? xb2 would involve a slightly speculative pawn sacrifice. The text move takes a lot of the tactics out of the position, enabling White to build up slowly and play e3-e4 at a more convenient moment, albeit at the cost of a tempo. ] 8...e8 A flexible response by Black, retaining his available options. He can decide later on whether to hit back with ...d5, ...e5, or maybe ...Qa6. [ Let us take a look at Black’s alternatives: 8...f5 (with the now familiar idea of playing ...Ne4 in order to trade off some pieces) 9.h4! e6 10.b3 a5 11.d2 d7 12.c1 gave White a slight advantage in J.Gomez Esteban-J.Moreno Carnero, Suances 1997. ] [ 8...e6 9.b3 d5 (this looks like a freeing manoeuvre for Black; on the other hand, the a3-f8 diagonal is now open, which White can try and exploit) 10.e5 a6 11.a3 a5 12.c1 and White has the better prospects, especially on the queenside, A.Y.KharitonovS.Iskusnyh, Russian Cup 1997. ] [ 8...bd7 9.e1 e5 10.a4 (driving Black’s queen from b6 is a good idea as it allows White to build a strong centre with e4 after all) c7 11.e4 b5 ( alternatively, 11...exd4 12.xd4 e5 13.b3 is similar to positions examined in Chapter Six; in particular, compare 11...Re8 in the notes to Game 45 ) 12.cxb5 cxb5 13.c3 a6 14.d2 b7 15.c1 and White has a slight plus, H.Stock-H.Bergman, World Seniors Championship, Rowy 2000. ]
9.d2! A deep move by White. First of all, he stops Black from playing ...d5; and secondly, the c4-square will be useful for the knight in a lot of variations; [ for instance, after a later c4-c5, or following 9.d2 e5 10.d5 cxd5 11.cxd5 . ] 9...a6 [ If I were Black, I would develop my bishop first: 9...f5 10.b3 ( 10.h3 was played in Z.Izoria-D.G.Petrosian, Yerevan 2004, but I think White can improve on this ) 10...a6 11.e4 g4 12.e1 ( 12.f3 is less accurate, as after e6 13.e2 b4 , the threat of ... Nxa2 is a bit unpleasant ) , and I believe White has a slight advantage; note that 12...b4?? loses material after 13.a4! . ] 10.a3 Preparing a queenside expansion with b2-b4. e5 [ Black had already played this position before. Here he tries to improve on K.AseevJ.Moreno Carnero, European Championship, Ohrid 2001, which continued 10...c5 11.d5 a5 12.e1 d7 13.b1 ab8 14.h3 e6 15.dxe6 xe6 16.c2 h5 17.d1 bd8 18.e4 , when White achieved a solid and stable spatial edge, which was further enhanced by Black’s weak pawn on d6. ] 11.d5 Dautov increases his space advantage. [ He could also try 11.c5 d8 ( or 11...dxc5 12.dxe5! , followed by Nc4 ) 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.b4 , when White is slightly better. He can look to plonk a knight on d6 via c4 or e4, while Black’s knight on a6 is now rather misplaced. ] 11...cxd5 12.cxd5 White does not want to trade pieces. [ The text is much stronger than taking with the knight, when 12.xd5 xd5 13.xd5 c7 14.g2 e6 gives Black a comfortable position. ] 12...g4 13.c2 ac8 14.e4 d7 15.b3 h5 16.e3 d8 17.h3 As we have seen before, h2-h3 is often useful in the Fianchetto System. It consolidates the kingside (White can always play Kh2 if required) and secures the dark-squared bishop by preventing any ... Ng4 ideas. a4?! This active-looking move is actually misguided; Black shouldn’t give up his bishop pair. 18.d1! xc3 Once again, I would like to share GM Stohl words: "Hardly sufficient or fully correct, but this is the logical consequence of Black’s previous move. " [ But otherwise 18...xb3 19.xb3 ] [ or 18...c5 19.xa4 xa4 20.e2
gives White a clear advantage, with the bishop pair and strong pressure on the queenside. ] 19.bxc3 d7 20.b1 h4 21.d2 White is now the exchange up with a solid position, and his advantage should be decisive in the long run. ac5 22.f3 f6 23.c4 e7 24.h2 g7 [ 24...hxg3+ 25.fxg3 just helps White by opening the f-file his rook. ] 25.gxh4!? Here White takes unnecessary risks. [ Simply 25.g4 keeps the kingside closed, and White’s material advantage should have the final word. ] 25...xh4 26.xh4 xh4 27.f4 h8 28.fxe5 xe5 29.xc5 dxc5 30.xb7 d7 31.b2 [ The careless 31.c7? would allow Black to save himself with g5! 32.a2 xh3! 33.xh3 xh3+! 34.xh3 g4+ 35.h2 h4+ and despite his two extra rooks, White cannot avoid perpetual check. ] 31...f6 32.c3 g5 33.xf6? This time, perhaps in time trouble, White just miscalculates. [ After 33.ab1 , and if g4 then 34.g3 , he could expect to consolidate. ] 33...g4+! [ White’s idea was 33...xf6? 34.f1+ and wins, but Black doesn’t have to take the rook. ] 34.g1 xf6 35.e5 e4? Black returns the favour with a final, fatal mistake. [ He could have hoped to survive after 35...xh3! 36.exf6+ f7 37.xh3 ( or 37.e5 xg2 38.e6+ g6 39.f7+ g7 40.e5+ xf7 41.f5+ with perpetual check ) 37...xh3 38.xh3 xh3 and the rook endgame should be drawn. ] 36.xe4 Now Black is devoid of counterplay. xh3 [ Also futile is 36...xe4 37.e6+ g6 38.e1 and all Black’s pieces are en prise at once. ] 37.e6+ g8 38.f3 f5 A last ditch try. [ Otherwise 38...g4+ 39.xg4 xg4 40.f1 , followed by 41 e7, wins quickly. ] 39.xf5 g3+ 40.f1 . Black cannot create any more threats and therefore resigns. 1-0
E62 Grachev,B Manolache,M European Ch., Aix-les-Bains (Game 34) [Damian Lemos]
2011
1.d4 f6 2.f3 g6 3.c4 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 c6 6.c3 d6 7.0-0 f5 This move has been played by strong GMs like Michael Adams, Gata Kamsky and Dmitry Andreikin. It’s reminiscent of Games 22 and 23 at the start of the previous chapter, where Black played 6...Nc6 and 7...Bf5, intending to follow up with ...Ne4 and trade some pieces off, while stopping White from playing e4 straight away. White does best to react in the same way as in the earlier line: 8.e1! c8 [ Black can also try playing the standard King’s Indian’s counter with 8...e5 , but White will be pleased to see the g7bishop’s diagonal closed. G.Kasparov-M. Adams, New York (rapid) 1995, continued 9.d5 cxd5 10.cxd5 a6 11.e4 (White builds up a strong centre and a big space advantage; his e1-knight is ideally placed, able to go to either d3 or c2; for example, after Nd3, it aids in the control of both queenside and kingside) d7 12.d3 e7 13.a4! (restricting the d7-bishop and contesting the b5-square; a future Nb5 will be annoying for Black) fc8 14.d2 c5 15.xc5 xc5 16.a5 , followed by Qb3 with a solid advantage, which Kasparov duly converted. ] 9.e4 h3 10.f3 If you recall, I adopted the same formation in my game with Disconzi da Silva (see Game 22 in the previous chapter). xg2 11.xg2 bd7 12.e3 a6 Playing ...c6, ...a6 and ...b5 is a standard plan in the King’s Indian Defence, particularly in the Sämisch Variation with f2-f3. In this precise position, however, White is able to pre-empt that idea with his next move, creating a hole on the b6-square, after which ... b5 won’t be as good anymore. [ Instead, after 12...e5 13.d5 , Black has blocked his King’s Indian bishop’s diagonal once more, making it harder for him to create counterplay. ] 13.c5! White pounces on the b6 weakness and defuses the ...b5 advance. dxc5 [ Now 13...b5?! would just hand White a strong positional advantage after 14.cxb6 xb6 15.e2 ]
14.dxc5 d8 15.e2 I like this move; from e2 the white queen oversees control of both the kingside and queenside. c7 16.c2!? Slightly committal, as it’s not clear which square is best for this knight just at the moment. [ Instead, White could seize space on the kingside at once with 16.f4 f8 ( or 16...e5 17.f5 ) 17.h3! , followed by Nf3 with the better prospects. ] 16...h5 17.f4 xc3 It seems wrong to trade a bishop for a knight in an open position – especially the Indian bishop – but Black has to obtain some counterplay somewhere, and this move at least wrecks White’s queenside pawn structure. 18.bxc3 a5 19.f5 White can’t slow down here. If he defends c3, he will lose the initiative. [ For example, 19.c4?! would be met by b5! , and the exchange of queens gives Black a favourable endgame due to his superior pawn structure. ] 19...hf6? [ Having said “a”, Black should say “b” and take the pawn. Although it is clearly risky to give tempi away (i.e. 19...xc3 20.d4 a5 ) when the king is in danger, there is no obvious forced loss, and Black might yet defend with ...Qb5-c4 or even take on c5 as well. ] 20.e5! White keeps the pressure on. As just mentioned, it is important to maintain the initiative here, rather than worry about material parity. xe5?! This exchange of epawns only weakens the dark squares further. [ Black should probably resort to 20...h5 21.d4 e6 , when he has at least managed to close the long diagonal, although 22.e3 and Nc4 shows that his position is full of other dark-squared holes. ] [ 20...d5 would run into 21.e6! . ] 21.d4 The opening of the long diagonal allows the bishop to show its strength. ed7 22.xe7 e8 23.d6 e2+ 24.h1 Black’s brief activity comes to nothing. The white king is perfectly safe, whereas Black’s own is in terrible danger. g5 Trying to keep the f-file closed. [ 24...xc2 would lose at once to 25.fxg6 hxg6 26.xf6 ] [ while bringing the queen back with 24...d8 doesn’t help, as after 25.fxg6 e8 26.g1! , White has an irresistible attack ( but not 26.xf6?? e4+ and Black mates! )] 25.xf6 xf6 26.xf6 xc2 Material is still
roughly equal and, given a free move, Black might even defend. As it is, the weakness of his king is of course the decisive factor. 27.xg5+ h8 28.f6+ g8 29.f4 h5 [ Or 29...f8 30.d6+ g8 31.g4+ and mates. ] 30.g5+ f8 31.h6+ g8 32.f6 . Checkmate is inevitable, so Black resigns. 1-0
E62 Wojtkiewicz,A Mrva,M FIDE Zonal, Krynica (Game 35) [Damian Lemos]
1998
1.f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.d4 d6 6.0-0 g4 I am a King's Indian player and I don't like offering the lightsquared bishop. My reason is simple: the position is going to be open sooner or later therefore White's bishop pair will make the difference 7.c3 c8 The plan of ...Qc8 and ...Bh3 looks a bit slow to me, and in fact Black soon elects not to pursue it further. [ Note that 7...Qc8 represents a deviation in this chapter, in which Black supposedly plays ...d6 and ...c6. Here 7...c6 returns to that theme and is the subject of the next game ] [ while 7...c6 transposes to the Simagin Variation, covered in Chapter Four (see Game 24). ] 8.e1!? Of course we have seen this knight manoeuvre before: in the previous game and in Chapter Four. (I played it myself in Game 22.) If you think about it, we don’t need the g2bishop if Black is going to play ...Bh3xg2 anyway. So, Ne1-c2, and possibly f3 and e4, looks like a good idea, building up a strong centre. c6 9.c2 From c2, the knight defends d4 and prepares a queenside expansion. e5 10.d5 a5?! Black’s knight is going to be misplaced on the edge. [ 10...e7 was better. ] 11.b3 b6 12.f3 d7 [ Black refrains from trading bishops after all, as 12...h3 13.e4 xg2 14.xg2 doesn’t change the fundamental issues: White has a large space advantage and the best bishop. ] 13.e4 h5 If Black wants to get some counterplay, he should look on the kingside. [ Otherwise, if he tries something like 13...c6
now, White just takes with 14.dxc6 and the d6-pawn becomes a chronic weakness. ] 14.d2 a6 [ The immediate and natural 14...f5 could be simply met by 15.exf5 gxf5 ( after 15...xf5 16.e4 , Black’s g7-bishop remains shut in ) 16.e2 and White has numerous possibilities, such b4 or f4, or the centralizing Rae1, bringing all his pieces into the game. ] 15.e2 b7 16.b4 Played to restrict Black’s b7-knight, while gaining more space on the queenside. e8 17.a3! [ White has to be careful with his pawn advances. One more step, 17.a4 , and Black would obtain the c5-square his knight after a5! . ] 17...f5 18.e1 The closed nature of the position and White’s spatial plus means that he can afford to “waste” some tempi improving his pieces. From d3, the knight will control the centre and prepare c5 to prise open Black’s queenside. f6 19.h3 A change of plans! White frees the g2-square for the knight to support f4 instead. g7 [ Taking on e4 cannot be recommended: after 19...fxe4?! 20.xd7 xd7 ( or 20...exf3 21.xe8 fxe2 22.xf6! xf6 23.c6 with two strong bishops ) 21.xe4 , White has a nice positional edge. ] 20.g2 e7 21.f4 White has more space and superior development, so opening up the position makes a lot of sense. g5? This move creates a lot of action, but I don’t think Black has the coordination to pull it off successfully, especially as his b7-knight is still out of the game. [ Mobilizing his forces with 21...exf4 22.xf4 ae8 23.ae1 d8 looks like a better plan, when Black has good defensive chances. ] [ Note that, after 21...exf4 22.xf4 ae8 23.ae1 , trying to win a pawn by xc3? 24.xc3 fxe4 would be a mistake on all grounds due to 25.e6+! and Black actually loses a pawn (on e4), since xe6 ( or 25...xe6 26.dxe6 c6 27.b5 ) 26.dxe6 xe6 fails to 27.xe4 bd8 28.d5 d7 29.h4 . ] 22.fxg5 It is imperative for White to keep the a1-h8 diagonal closed. Besides, after 22 fxg5, the f5-pawn becomes a target. xg5 23.xg5 xg5 24.h4! At first sight, the position might seem fairly balanced, but more careful inspection reveals that White’s pin on the h3-
d7 diagonal is too much for Black to bear; exf5 followed by Ne4 is the key threat. a5 [ 24...f7 doesn’t look like an major improvement, as after 25.exf5 xf5 ( or 25...xf5 26.e4 ) 26.xf5 xf5 27.xf5! ( not yet 27.e4?! due to e3+ ) 27...xf5 28.e4 g6 29.xf5 xf5 30.f1 , White has a decisive attack. ] 25.exf5 xf5 [ 25...xf5 26.xf5 xf5 27.xf5! comes to the same thing. ] 26.xf5 xf5 27.xf5! xf5 28.e4 After this simple tactic, White wins material and the rest is easy. axb4 [ Or if 28...h5 , then 29.f6+ . ] 29.xg5 xg5 30.d2 g4 31.f5 h8 32.d1 xc4 33.axb4 f8 34.h5 xb4 35.g5 1-0
E62 Romanishin,O Forster,Ri Elista Olympiad (Game 36) [Damian Lemos]
1998
1.f3 f6 2.g3 g6 3.g2 g7 4.d4 0-0 5.c4 c6 6.c3 d6 7.0-0 g4 As I mentioned in the previous game, I don’t like giving up the bishop pair as Black in the King’s Indian. Playing ...e5 is part of Black’s strategy, and if White closes the position with d4-d5, the Bg7 will become a bad bishop. 8.h3 xf3 9.xf3 bd7 10.g2 The bishop retreats again to defend the kingside. One important concept we have to remember here is that White’s plans are flexible with his pawn on e2; there’s no pressing need to play e4, blocking the g2-bishop’s diagonal. a5 [ The natural 10...e5 11.d5 c5 ( after 11...cxd5 12.xd5 c8 13.b3 e4 14.b1 , White has a big positional advantage with the bishop pair, not to mention the weakness on d6 ) 12.b1 favours White, who has greater mobility and more concrete options. White is able to play on both sides of the board with a3 and b4, or e4 and f4. Another good idea involves e4, Bf3 and h4h5 to claim more space on the kingside. Yes, I know the bishop has just returned to g2 from f3; this is a long-term plan for the middlegame. ] 11.d2 a6 12.b3 Here we can appreciate a key advantage of the Fianchetto System:
White gets the edge with natural moves. d5!? Opening lines in the centre favours White because he has the bishop pair. Nevertheless, I think this is a good try for Black. [ If he goes instead for 12...e5 13.d5 , he'll hardly find any counterplay, whereas White will keep on seizing space. ] 13.cxd5 xd5 [ 13...cxd5 14.a4!? leaves the black queen on a6 misplaced. A long-term plan is Re1, e3 and Bf1, increasing the queenside pressure. ] 14.e3 xc3 Black wants to trade some pieces off in order to equalize. [ If instead 14...7b6 , White can keep more pieces on board with 15.e4 and, as usual, the bishop pair counts. ] 15.xc3 b6 [ 15...c5 is an interesting alternative, although it makes the g2-bishop stronger. After 16.f3 , I think White has the edge. ] [ Not 15...e5?! 16.d5 cxd5 17.xd5 and White wins a healthy pawn. ] 16.d2 a5 17.ab1! When you have the bishop pair, you should open the position up. With 17 Rab1, White prepares a queenside expansion. This position reminds me of the “minority attack” White often plays in the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation. fd8 18.b4 a4 [ 18...axb4? 19.xb4 ] 19.fc1 [ 19.e2 looks like a slight improvement, getting the queen off the d-file where Black’s rook is placed. Then e5 can be met by 20.b5 and White has a serious queenside initiative. ] 19...e5 Now Black creates some counterplay on the half-open file. 20.d5 f6 21.xe5 xd5 22.xg7 xg7 23.b2+ g8 [ Black would prefer to play 23...f6 , A) so as to meet 24.b5 with xb5 25.xb5 cxb5 26.xb5 d2 27.xb7 xa2 , when the passed a-pawn shouldn’t be underestimated. ( 27...-- ); B) Unfortunately, White switches the play with 24.g4! and Black has fatal problems with his pinned knight; for example, after g5 ( or 24...a3 25.a1! ) 25.h4 h6 26.hxg5 hxg5 27.c5 . ] 24.b5 c5 [ Other ways of meeting the minority attack are worse: 24...cxb5 25.xb5 xb5 26.xb5 and Black can’t avoid losing a pawn. ]
[ 24...ac8 25.bxc6 xb2 26.xb2 bxc6 27.c5 and White has a clear advantage, as a4 and c6 are clear targets. ] 25.a3!? White plays it the safe way and I like it. [ Rybka prefers 25.e5 b4 26.e7 xa2 27.xc5 , but after e8 28.c7 xc7 29.xc7 ac8! , all the queenside pawns will be exchanged (for example, 30.xb7 c3 31.a1 b8 32.a3 xb7 33.xb7 xb5 34.xa4 ), making White’s task of converting his extra pawn very difficult. ] 25...d7 26.c4 c7? [ Black should prefer 26...c7 with a still defensible position, though White maintains the initiative after 27.e5 e6 28.d5 . ] 27.b6 d6 28.b5 It is instructive to see how White keeps making progress, while Black is simply unable to generate counterplay. Now the c5-pawn falls, together with Black’s resistance. ad8 29.xc5 With an extra pawn and a strong bishop, the rest is easy for White. f6 30.d4 e7 31.xb7! The plan begun with 17 Rab1! has been successful and the passed b6-pawn is now decisive. xd4 32.exd4 f5 33.g2 xd4 34.b7 g7 35.b8 e2+ 36.h2 . A fine technical display by Romanishin. 1-0
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Chapter Six
The King’s Indian: ...Nbd7 and ...e5
The ...Nbd7 and ...e7-e5 system represents the King’s Indian in its purest form. In contrast to White’s desire to keep the game positional, Black wants to play dynamically and tactically.Lemos-Bitalzadeh and Akopian-Avrukh are good examples of this theme. In my opinion, Black has a short-term initiative by initiating early central tension. On the other hand, White has the long-term positional advantage, enhanced by his solid structure. Black can also try playing the Gallagher Variation with ...a6/...Rb8/...c5 in order to obtain counterplay on the queenside with ...b5, as in Tregubov-Mamedov. If he plays in the Old Indian Defence fashion with ...c6/...a6/...b5, as in Dautov-Sutovsky, I think that 11 c5! confers White a big edge, as it triggers the collapse of Black’s centre. You should study the game motifs carefully, as it is much easier to play when you know the ideas beforehand, rather than find the moves over the board with time constraints. Finally, in the remaining four games (L’Ami-Hendricks, Bradford-Bonin, etc), the ...Qa5/...exd4/...Ne5 line is discussed. This system requires some accuracy by White, since we have to play Bf1, usually leaving the f3-square unprotected. Nevertheless, White has a lot of resources to handle Black’s threats and I believe that, once again, White’s bishop pair is good enough for an advantage. Game 37 D.Lemos A.Bitalzadeh, Palau 2009 Game 38 V.Akopian-B.Avrukh, Amsterdam 2005 Game 39 R.Vaganian-R.Polzin, German League 2003 Game 40 Kir.Georgiev-Z.Ilincic, Boskovic Memorial, Belgrade 2000 Game 41 V.Topalov-M.Apicella, Yerevan Olympiad 1996 Game 42 P.Tregubov-R.Mamedov, Dubai 2002 Game 43 S.Lputian-M.Krasenkow, FIDE World Championship, Moscow 2001 Game 44 R.Dautov-E.Sutovsky, Bad Homburg 1997 Game 45 A.Karpov-J.Lautier, Biel 1990 Game 46 E.L’Ami-W.Hendriks, Hoogeveen 2010 Game 47 J.Bradford-J.Bonin, US Championship, Stillwater 2007 Game 48 V.Ivanchuk-T.Radjabov, Nice (blindfold rapid) 2009
V.Ivanchuk-T.Radjabov, Nice (blindfold rapid) 2009 Game 49 R.Dautov-V.Georgiev, European Team Championship, Batumi 1999
Index of Variations 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 Bg7 4 Bg2 0-0 5 Nf3 d6 6 0-0 Nbd7 7 Nc3 e5 8 h3 c6 8...a6 9 dxe5 – Vaganian-Polzin 8...exd4 9 Nxd4 Nb6 10 b3 10...c5 – Lemos-Bitalzadeh 10...d5 – Akopian-Avrukh 8...Re8 9 e4 exd4 10 Nxd4 10...c6 – 8...c6 10...a6 – Tregubov-Mamedov 10...Nc5 11 Re1 11...a5 – Georgiev-Ilincic 11...Bd7 – Topalov-Apicella 9 e4 Qa5 9...exd4 10 Nxd4 Re8 – Lputian-Krasenkow 9...a6 – Dautov-Sutovsky 9...Qb6 – Karpov-Lautier 10 Re1 exd4 11 Nxd4 Ne5 12 Bf1 Re8 12...Be6 13 Nxe6 fxe6 14 Kg2 – L’Ami-Hendriks 14 Be3 – Bradford-Bonin 13 Be3 13...Be6 – Ivanchuk-Radjabov 13...c5 – Dautov-Georgiev Back to Contents Page
E67 Lemos,D Bitalzadeh,A Palau (Game 37) [Damian Lemos]
2009
In this game, my opponent had prepared the whole opening through to the middlegame, but the Fianchetto System proved to be extremely sturdy. 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.c3 d6 6.f3 bd7 7.0-0 e5 So here we have the King’s Indian in its purest form, where Black plays ...Nbd7 followed by ... e5. If you compare Fianchetto System with other King’s Indian variations, you will see that Black doesn’t get his usual kingside attacking chances. 8.h3 As previously mentioned, h2-h3 is very often useful with our fianchetto formation, as it protects the kingside and prevents moves like ...Ng4 or ... Bg4. [ White can also try 8.e4 here, but 8 h3 is more flexible as it leaves the g2-bishop’s diagonal open for the time being. This enables us to avoids lines such as a6 , followed by ...b5. ] 8...exd4 [ Black can delay 8...exd4 too, having several other possibilities – 8...a6 ] [ 8...c6 ] [ 8...e8 – which we’ll examine later in this chapter. ] 9.xd4 b6!? Black intends to free his position by playing ...c5 and probably ...d5. Then White has to be careful about tactics on the a1-h8 diagonal, although the Ra1 will be protected after White plays Nc2. [ Here 9...e8 10.e4 would transpose to 8... Re8 lines. ] 10.b3 c5 [ The main alternative is 10...d5 , which is the subject of the next game. ] 11.c2 e6 Black has to prepare ...d5 as he cannot play it immediately. [ After 11...d5? 12.cxd5 bxd5 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 , as just indicated, the a1-rook is now protected by the knight. ] 12.b2 d7 13.h2 d5 So far both sides have played natural moves and Black managed to achieve the ...d5 break. All the same, he hasn’t equalized yet. 14.xd5 bxd5 15.cxd5 xd5 16.xg7 xg7 Now, after a couple of trades, the position does seem to be equal. Nevertheless, White
has a slight advantage, in my opinion; he will have the stronger centre after playing e4, as well as the ability to attack on the kingside with f4-f5. 17.d2 This move prepares the e4 advance and guards the c3- and b4-squares. [ The immediate 17.e4 is also worth considering, and if e7 then 18.f3 , followed by Qc3 and f4-f5. The resulting position is better for White, who has good attacking chances on the kingside. ] 17...fd8 18.ad1 I just wanted to make sure all my pieces were in play before advancing the e-pawn. [ After analysing the position further, I think White can play this move without further preparation: 18.e4 f6 19.f4 and, given the chance, I would choose White. ] 18...b5 [ 18...e7 looks like a solid alternative for Black, but after 19.e4 c7 20.c3+ g8 21.f4 , I still prefer White’s position, as the subsequent kingside expansion will be annoying for Black. ] 19.e4 b4 Black opts for an active continuation. [ After 19...e7 20.c3+ , followed by Ne3 and f4, White again has good play on the kingside. ] 20.c3+ g8 21.xb4 cxb4 [ The endgame after 21...xb4 22.xb4 cxb4 23.e5 is difficult for Black. ] 22.f6 xd1 23.xd1 a5 Black presses on on the queenside, even though his king is very vulnerable. Therefore, I decided to open lines on the kingside with f4-f5. 24.f4 a4 25.f5 It is very important to remember that, very often, material is not as relevant as the initiative. Here Black’s king is going to be extremely exposed. gxf5 26.g5+ This check looks great, but it's actually inaccurate. [ It was better to insert 26.bxa4! , hoping to deflect Black’s queen or rook from kingside defence. A) 26...xa4?? 27.d8+ mates straight away; B) while after 26...xa4? 27.d8+ xd8 28.xd8+ g7 29.g5+ f8 ( or 29...h8 30.exf5 xa2 31.f6 and it’s mate in one ) 30.exf5 xa2 31.f6 , threatening Qc5+ or Qg7+, Black’s position is hopeless.; C) Black would have to abandon the pawn with 26...c5 , though after 27.d4 , he would have find a succession of “only
moves” in order just to survive: f4! 28.gxf4 h6! 29.d3 h7 and yet is still somewhat worse; for example, 30.b2 c4 31.g3 g8 32.xg8 xg8 33.f2 , since xa2? loses to 34.g3+ f8 (or anywhere) 35.f5 c4 36.f6 and mate follows. ] 26...f8 [ 26...h8 27.f6+ g8 repeats the position, when we can return to 28.bxa4! as in the previous note. ] 27.h6+ g8 28.bxa4?! [ Now I probably should have played 28.exf5 xf5 29.bxa4 , since xa2? loses to 30.d4! followed by Rg4, but I didn’t want Black’s queen to come to the rescue of the king. ] 28...xa4 29.g5+ White always has the perpetual check in hand, but winning is a different story as there are only a few attacking pieces left. f8 30.h6+ g8 31.d2 b5 32.g5+ f8 33.exf5 Now Black should equalize with accurate play, but I was unable to see any other way to improve my position. xf5 34.h4 xa2 35.xb4+ g7?? Just as Black was getting close to a draw, he blunders a piece. [ Going to g8 was the only option. After 35...g8 36.d8+ ( 36.xa2 xa2 37.xb7 e6 is clearly drawish ) 36...g7 , White appears to have a strong attack, but I was unable to find a winning variation here, while Black threatens to win himself with ... Qxh3+; for instance, 37.f8+ f6 38.h8+ e7 39.f8+ f6 is just perpetual check. ] 36.xa2 xa2 37.b2+ Now White is a piece up and the win should be a matter of technique. The main plan is to trade queens off, after which it's all over. f6 38.xa2 b6 39.a4 b2 40.g4+ f8 41.f5 h6 42.h4 g7 43.h3 a1 44.d5 a7 45.e5+ g8 46.h2 d7 47.b8+ g7 48.b7 f5 49.g2 f2 50.e7 d4 51.e4 c5 52.d5 e3 53.h3 c3 54.f5 c7 55.e4 d6 56.f3 c7 57.g4+ f8 58.d4 c8+ 59.h2 e6 60.b4+ e8 61.e4 e7 62.g2 . I’m happy with how the opening went. since the resulting position after 13...d5 looks better for White, who will always have good prospects on the kingside. As this game shows, getting full equality is not easy for Black. 1-0
E67 Akopian,V Avrukh,B Amsterdam (Game 38) [Damian Lemos]
2005
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 d6 5.c3 0-0 6.f3 bd7 7.0-0 e5 8.h3 exd4 9.xd4 b6 10.b3 d5 11.a3 [ Taking on d5 is not enough for an advantage after 11.cxd5 fxd5 12.xd5 xd5 . In fact, it’s not easy for White to stop a move like ...c5 or deal with the g7bishop’s control over the long dark diagonal. ] [ Instead, 11.c5 usually leads to the main line after bd7 ( but Black has another option here in 11...e4 with an unclear position, as played in L.Aronian-V.Ivanchuk, World Team Championship, Beersheva 2005; with 11 Ba3, White avoids this possibility ) 12.c6 e5 13.cxb7 xb7 14.a3 e8 . ] 11...e8 12.c5 [ Once again, White should not take on d5 as this frees Black’s position. After 12.cxd5 fxd5 13.xd5 xd5 , Black is close to equality. ] 12...bd7 13.c6 The key to White’s strategy – creating weaknesses in Black’s queenside. e5 [ It’s never too late to make a big mistake: after 13...bxc6?? 14.xc6 , Black loses the queen! ] 14.cxb7 xb7 15.c1 An interesting middlegame position has arisen. As a result of his opening, Black has a dynamic position, but he has some weaknesses on the queenside, so his pawn structure is not ideal. On the other hand, White has a solid pawn structure and the better prospects on the queenside. The c5-square is a key hole, so a manoeuvre like Na4-c5 looks strong. c8 Black needs to activate his pieces as soon as possible. Otherwise he’s going to be frustrated positionally. [ The immediate 15...e4 is a bad idea in view of 16.xe4 dxe4 17.b5 and Black is likely to lose a pawn. ] 16.a4 Natural and strong; White heads straight for the hole on c5. e4 As pointed out already, Black has to play actively, and this is the best way to contest the c5-square. [ Instead, after 16...ed7 17.c6! xc6 18.xc6 , White keeps his positional
advantage plus the bishop pair. ] [ And not 16...fd7? 17.f4 c5 18.b5 , when Black is going to lose material. ] 17.c5 This is the logical follow-up. [ The main alternative is 17.c2 , when White gradually improves his position; but Black has good chances after the logical h5 , planning ...h4 to create some targets on the kingside: A) 18.f3 and now: A1) 18...d7 19.d2 df6 20.xe4 xe4 21.c5 xc5 22.xc5 was good for White in M.Manolache-R. Dragomirescu, European Championship, Aix-les-Bains 2011. In general, White wants to trade pieces, since the endgame is much better for him due to Black’s weaknesses on the queenside. ( 22.-- ); A2) 18...xf3+!? is more interesting, with a complex position after 19.exf3 ( or 19.xf3 h4 ) 19...d6 20.c5 h4 .; B) 18.b5 is also possible, though it requires giving up the bishop pair: a6 ( or similarly 18...c6 19.xa7 a8 20.xe4 etc ) 19.xa7 a8 20.xe4 dxe4 21.xd8 exd8 22.c5 and White has won a pawn, but his knight is out on a limb and we shouldn’t underestimate Black’s two powerful bishops. ] 17...xc5 18.xc5 d7 19.e3 White shouldn’t move his bishop away, as that would allow Black to push ...c5. [ For instance, 19.a3 c5 and Black suddenly gets a strong centre. ] [ 19.xa7 is pointless, as after a8 20.c5 xc5 21.xc5 xa2 , Black regains the pawn and stands much better due to his bishop pair. ] 19...xc5 20.xc5 f8 21.c2 c6!? Black decides to reinforce his centre. [ It was possible to advance with 21...c5 here too, but perhaps Black didn’t want to play with the hanging pawns, since White can now organize his forces more effectively after 22.e2 ; for example, d6 23.d2 and White has a slight advantage, in my opinion. ] 22.c1 b6 23.d1 h6 Black wants to keep a solid position. If he advances the cpawn, he will have hanging pawns in the centre (c5/d5) again, thereby giving White some targets to attack. [ After 23...c5 24.e2 cd8 25.cd2
( 25.d3!? , to stop Black’s following trick, is worth considering ) 25...d4 26.exd4 h6 27.dxc5 xd2 28.xd2 a5 , the position is unclear. The text move, on the other hand, seems a little passive and Akopian takes the chance to increase his advantage on the queenside. ] 24.b4! f8 [ Of course Black cannot capture the b4pawn, as after 24...xb4? 25.xc6 ( not 25.b2? e7 and everything is under control ) 25...xc6 26.xc6 xc6 27.xc6 , White has a huge advantage. ] 25.b2 [ Here 25.a3!? is suggested by GM Mikhalevski, A) intending to meet 25...a5 with 26.bxa5! a6 ( 26...xa5 27.xc6 xc6 28.xc6 xc6 29.xc6 wins a pawn ) 27.b3 , when White has prevented ...c5 and can play Bf1 with a clear edge.; B) Instead, Black might just play 25...c5 at once, as after 26.bxc5 xc5 , the bishop pair compensates for the slightly weak isolated d-pawn. Nevertheless, this might have been a better try for White than the text, which only deters the ...c5-advance temporarily. ] 25...a6 As the c6-pawn doesn’t need protecting anymore, Black takes the chance to activate his bishop. 26.c3 c4 27.f1 Now Black has the more powerful lightsquared bishop, so White hurries to exchange it. c5 28.bxc5 xc5 29.xc4 dxc4 Black managed to create a passed pawn supported by his queen and rook. On the other hand, White has a solid position and a stable knight on d4. The position looks equal to me. 30.b5 d6 31.d2 g7 32.b4 d5 33.c2 xd4 34.xd4 f3!? Black decides to play for a win. [ Otherwise, trading queens with 34...xd4 35.exd4 was a simple route to a draw; for example, c3 36.b3 ed8 37.cxc3 xc3 38.xc3 xd4 39.a3 d7 . ] 35.g4 White has to be careful, as his back rank is weak, and so insists on the queen exchange. xg4 36.hxg4 e4!? [ Here again 36...c3 should draw; for example, 37.b3 e4 38.bxc3 xc3 39.xc3 a4! (a nice in-between move) ( not 39...xg4 40.a3 and White wins a pawn ) 40.a3 xg4 and the position is completely equal. ]
37.g2 xg4 38.f4!? Now the rook is misplaced on g4, so White has a few chances again. h5 39.f3 c3 40.b3 g5 Black obviously needs to free his g4-rook. 41.bxc3 xc3 42.xc3 gxf4 43.exf4 g6 44.a3 a6 45.a5! Maintaining active play is a key concept in endgames. Here White has a slight pull because his rook is more active than Black’s. All the same, Black should be able to hold this without too much difficulty. h6 46.a4 f8 47.c5 g7 48.a5 h4 49.gxh4 xh4 50.c6 h6 51.b6!? The position is risk-free for White, whereas Black still has to play accurately. e6! A nice move to restrict White’s king. 52.g4 f8 53.f5 e5 54.xa6 [ 54.f6 g8 55.xa6 h7 , followed by ... Kg6, leads to a similar position. ] 54...g7 55.f6+ [ White gets nowhere after 55.g5 f6+! 56.f4 ( or 56.xf6 xa5 ) 56...b5 57.a8 h7 58.a6 ( or 58.e4 e5+ ) 58...a5 59.a7 a1 . ] 55...g6 56.f4 Although White is up a pawn, his winning chances are small, as his rook is too passively placed in front of the passed a-pawn. f5+ 57.e4 g5 [ Of course not 57...xf6?? 58.xf6+ xf6 59.a6 and White wins. ] 58.d4 f4+ 59.c5 f5+ 60.b6 White has to place his king on the 6th rank or Black will just check him forever. xf6+ 61.b7 f5! It is prudent to prevent Rb6, followed by a6, as Black thereby gains a move or two; [ even though, in this precise position, 61...f1 62.b6 f5 63.a6 a1 64.a7 xa7+ 65.xa7 f4! would also draw. ] 62.a8 f1 63.a6 b1+ 64.a7 f5 Black advances his pawn and we reach a theoretical draw. 65.b8 a1 66.b5 g4 67.b6 f4 68.a7 xa7 69.xa7 f3 . An interesting game for the assessment of this variation and definitely worth studying. ½-½
E67 Vaganian,R Polzin,R German League (Game 39) [Damian Lemos]
2003
1.d4 f6 2.f3 d6 3.g3 g6 4.g2 g7 5.c4 0-0 6.0-0 bd7 7.c3 e5 8.h3 a6
This is a tricky line that requires careful study. With the flexible 8...a6, Black delays ...exd4 and plans a tactical ...b5. [ For instance, 8...a6 9.e4 runs into b5! , and if 10.cxb5 axb5 11.xb5? then a6 will pick up material. ] 9.dxe5!? I became a big fan of this move after analysing this game a long time ago. Why should we play 9 e4 and get embroiled in Black’s intended quagmire? Why not play a positional line instead? After 9 dxe5, White is going to have a solid and stable advantage, while the g2-bishop’s diagonal is left open. dxe5 [ 9...xe5 can't be considered an improvement, as after 10.xe5 dxe5 11.b3 , Black is going to have a hard time developing his queenside. If he plays ...c6, then the b6-square becomes a hole for our knight or bishop. ] 10.e3! The position is of a symmetrical nature and yet White has quite a few pluses here: 1. The g2-bishop’s diagonal is still open, as there is no white pawn on e4 to block it. 2. The e4-square can be a good square for our knight - especially if Black plays ...c6, when the d6-square becomes a hole (likewise, the b6-square). 3. White can keep improving on the queenside and in the centre with moves like Qb3 and Rfd1; whereas Black doesn’t have the annoying counterplay that he usually attains in the King’s Indian. c6 Black needs to block the white bishop’s diagonal. [ Instead: 10...e8 11.b3 c6 12.g5 f8 13.ad1 e7 14.a4 saw White achieve a big positional advantage in V.Akopian-Z. Efimenko, Moscow 2002; the b6 and d6 weaknesses are just waiting to be exploited. ] [ 10...e7 11.b3 , intending to meet c5 with 12.a3! , gives White a big edge too. ] 11.b3 e7 12.fd1 [ 12.ad1 is also possible, but I prefer the text. White’s a1-rook may become useful on the queenside. ] 12...b8 [ The natural 12...e8 is met by 13.g5! (manoeuvring the knight to e4 is a key part of White’s strategy) f8 14.a4 e6 15.xe6 xe6 16.b6 and White was clearly better in A.Y.Kharitonov-I.Lukianov, Leningrad 1989. ]
[ Black can prevent Ng5 with 12...h6 , but the knight has more than one route to e4. After 13.d2 e8 14.de4 xe4 15.xe4 , Black's position is not comfortable at all. ] 13.d2 e8 It is hard to suggest a better move for Black, as he needs to control the d6square. 14.de4 h6 [ The immediate 14...f5 would be met by 15.c5+ h8 16.g5! ef6 ( or 16...f7 17.xf7 xf7 18.d6 xd6 19.cxd6 ) 17.xf6 xf6 18.xf6+ xf6 19.a4 and White has a slight advantage, in my opinion. ] 15.a4 f5 16.c5+ h7 [ After 16...f7 ] [ or 16...f7 , White simply plonks in 17.d6 xd6 18.cxd6 and his passed pawn on d6 is going to be annoying. ] 17.d6 f4 Black tries to create some kingside counterplay, but the attack won’t be successful without his bishop pair, since White’s position is quite solid. 18.xc8 xc8 19.d2 fxg3 20.fxg3 df6 21.ac1 h5 22.e1! A nice dual purpose move by White, freeing the d-file and protecting the g3-pawn. c7 23.e3 e6 24.c3 cf7 25.b3 Little by little, White improves his position. His bishop pair will soon exert its power, whereas Black has no strong squares for his knights. hf6 26.g4! Gaining more space on the kingside and giving the dark-squared bishop more scope. c7 27.d6 e8 28.g3 e4 29.cd1 cd5 30.xd5 cxd5 Although the g2-bishop is now obstructed, White is still much better due to his pressure on d5, while Black’s position is quite passive. 31.h4 g5 Necessary, despite weakening his position, as otherwise Black loses the d-pawn. 32.e1 e5 33.c3 xg4 Black has to try this, since moving the queen would just lose a pawn straight away to Bxf6 and Rxd5. 34.hxg4 xc3 35.xc3 xc3 36.1xd5 f4 37.e6 White has a clear advantage because of his well-coordinated pieces, and he can attack even without the queens on the board. e3 38.d7+ 8f7 39.xb7 xb7 40.xb7 xg4+ 41.g2 d4 42.e4+ [ The endgame is doubled-edged and it’s not easy to calculate every variation, but I think White might have done better with 42.c6 a5 43.e5! , when Black's bishop is in trouble; for example, d8 44.c7! d1+ 45.f1 xc7 46.e7+ etc. ] 42...g7 43.c6 a5 44.f5 d8
[ Here 44...f4 45.d3 f6 would have offered more resistance. ] 45.g4 d4 46.h5 h4 47.e5! b6 48.e7+ f6 49.b7 White will find it easier to make progress with the opposite-coloured bishops off the board. xh5 50.xb6 e6 51.xa6 h4 52.a3 g4+ 53.h2 f4 54.b4 f2+ 55.g3 xe2? A serious misjudgement. [ Things are not so clear after 55...d6 56.b5 xe2 57.a8 b2 58.a4 h5 . White may still be winning but it would require an engine’s accuracy. ] 56.b5? [ Missing a direct win with 56.c7+! d7 57.c6 c8 58.b5 etc. After the text, Black could return to the previous note with 56... Kd6, but instead he returns the favour. ] 56...b2? 57.c7+ d7 58.b6 Material is equal, but White’s pawns are closer to promotion and this enables him to force the win. e2 59.f2 g4 60.a8 g3+ 61.e1 1-0
E68 Georgiev,Kir Ilincic,Z Boskovic Memorial, Belgrade (Game 40) [Damian Lemos] 1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 d6 6.0-0 bd7 7.c3 e5 8.h3 e8 We are now going to study positions where Black plays ...Re8 and ...exd4. More often, he waits for e2-e4 before taking on d4, though if Black wants the position in the game, the move order makes little difference in practice. 9.e4 exd4 10.xd4 c5 [ The Gallagher Variation, 10...a6 , is a major alternative here; Black plans to seize the initiative on the queenside by means of ...Rb8, ...c5, ...Ne5 and ...b5. This is the subject of Game 42. ] 11.e1 a5 Black stops b4 to maintain his knight on c5. [ However, 11...c6 is more accurate, as it prevents White’s next move. This is covered (by transposition from 8...c6) in Game 43 ] [ while 11...d7 is examined in the next game. ] 12.db5!? The advantage of this move is clear. Black can’t play ...c6 now to get rid of our knight, as the d6-pawn would be en prise. d7
[ Others: 12...e6 (this natural-looking move is erroneous here) 13.e5! dxe5 14.xd8 exd8 15.xc7 (the resulting endgame is much better for White) ac8 16.xe6 fxe6 17.b3 e4 18.b1 and White had a clear advantage in Kir.Georgiev-Jo.Ivanov, Bulgarian Team Championship 1991. ] [ 12...fd7 13.e3 e5 14.b3 ed3 15.e2 (planning Rd2 to push the black knight back) c6 (this weakens the d6-pawn) 16.d4 b4 17.a3 ba6 18.b1 e6 19.xe6 xe6 20.d4 with a useful space advantage for White in N.Gaprindashvili-E. Kovalevskaya, Tallinn (rapid) 1999. ] [ 12...a4 13.g5 (provoking ...h6 to weaken Black’s kingside) h6 14.xf6 xf6 15.d5 e6 16.xf6+ xf6 17.d2 and White has a slight advantage here too. ] 13.f4 White prepares the e5 advance. [ The immediate 13.e5?! is premature, as after dxe5 14.e3 xb5 15.xd8 axd8 16.xb5 d3 17.xc7 xe1 18.xe8 c2 19.xf6+ xf6 20.b1 xe3 21.fxe3 g5 , Black attained equality in R. Hernandez Onna-G.Möhring, Kecskemét 1975. ] 13...xb5?! I don’t like this exchange much as it gives up Black’s bishop pair. [ Let’s take a look at the alternatives: 13...c8 led to an unclear position after 14.xc7 ( instead, 14.h2 is good enough for an edge, in my opinion ) 14...xc7 15.xd6 c8 16.e5 h5 17.d5 e6 18.b6 d8 19.xa8 xa8 , in A.PayenT.Seeman, Helsinki 2000. ] [ 13...h6 14.c2 e6 15.e3 g5 was A.Y.Kharitonov-S.Klimov, St Petersburg 1998, and here Stohl suggests 16.h2 c6 17.f3 , when White has a solid centre and a space advantage. ] 14.cxb5 fd7 15.c2 [ I also like the following idea employed by (future GM) Daniel Fridman: 15.e3 b6 16.d4 (trading Black’s active bishop looks good) xd4 17.xd4 g5 18.ad1 occurred in D.Fridman-A.Finkel, World Junior Championships, Bratislava 1993. White will eventually advance f2-f4 and e4e5 with a clear advantage. ] 15...e6 16.e3 d4 17.ad1 xe3 18.xe3 ec5 19.a3 a4 Black still wants to prevent White from playing b4, but now the a4pawn is going to be a target. 20.d4! f6 21.b4 White’s rook cannot be pushed back
and, as we just pointed out, the a4-pawn is quite weak. b6 22.d1 White is clearly better, with the long-term plan of playing f2-f4 and e4-e5 to undermine the c5-knight. ad8 23.e2 d7 24.h2 de7 25.d2 e6 26.h4 h5 27.f4 g7 28.f2 Now apart from the e5 advance, Black has to be worried about f4-f5 as well. 6e7 29.d2 h6 30.c2 g7 31.d1 h8 32.f2 There’s no rush, since Black has no counterplay. cd7 [ After 32...f6 33.f3 , White is going to open lines on the kingside sooner or later with Rg1, g3-g4, and possibly f4-f5. ] 33.f3 [ There is no point in taking on a4 just yet, as 33.xa4 xa4 34.xa4 c5 , followed by ...Nxe4, would regain the pawn straightaway. ] 33...h7 34.d2 f6 35.e5! Now Black’s queenside becomes very weak and full of holes, such as the juicy c6-square. [ This is even stronger than 35.xa4 xa4 36.xa4 c5 37.e5! , though White has a powerful initiative here too. ] 35...dxe5 36.xb7 exf4 37.xf4 g7 38.c6 f5 39.xa4 xa4 40.xa4 f8 41.xd7 The bishop was very strong, but White is already material up and trading pieces off is a good idea to prevent any counterplay. [ Instead, after 41.ad4 f6 , Black has some chances based on ...Ng4 or ...Ne4. ] 41...xd7 42.xd7 xd7 43.a7?! [ Rook activity is of utmost importance in the endgame, but here 43.c4 , keeping control of the 4th rank, would have been more accurate. Then xb5 44.xc7+ transposes to the game, as otherwise the advance of the queenside pawns would be decisive. ] 43...xb5?! [ Here 43...f7 was more tenacious, intending to meet 44.b6 with d6! , when 45.b7 fails to f4! 46.g2 ( not 46.b8?? fxg3+ 47.xg3 f2+ and Black mates ) 46...d5+ 47.f3 d2+ with perpetual check. ] 44.xc7+ g8 45.b4! e5 [ White threatened 45...-- 46.a2+ h8 47.b2+ and mates. ] 46.c2 d8 47.h3 e6 48.c6 Trading queens off makes things easier for White, who has two connected passed pawns. xc6 49.xc6 d3 50.a4 [ 50.xg6+ f7 51.g5 is also good enough for a win. ]
50...f7 51.b5 a3 [ After 51...f4 52.b6 xg3+ ( or 52...f3 53.c1! a3 54.b1 ) 53.h2 a3 54.b7 b3 55.c7+ e6 56.a5 , Black is unable to prevent one of the white pawns promoting. ] 52.c4 b3 53.g2 e7 54.c6 b4 55.a6 g4 56.f3 g5 57.hxg5 xg5 58.h6 The rest is a matter of technique. d7 59.h7+ c8 60.b6 g4 61.xh5 xa4 62.xf5 b4 63.f8+ d7 [ 63...b7 64.g4 is no better. ] 64.b7! [ After 64.b7 , White forces the exchange of rooks and wins easily: xb7 65.f7+ c6 66.xb7 xb7 67.e4 c7 68.e5 d7 69.f6 e8 70.g7 , followed by g4-g5-g6 etc. ] 1-0
E68 Topalov,V Apicella,M Yerevan Olympiad (Game 41) [Damian Lemos]
1996
1.f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3.d4 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 d6 6.0-0 bd7 7.c3 e5 8.e4 [ Our move order would be 8.h3 e8 9.e4 exd4 10.xd4 , transposing to the game. ] 8...exd4 9.xd4 e8 10.h3 c5 11.e1 d7 [ This looks like an improvement over 11...a5 12.db5!? , analysed in the previous game. ] 12.f4!? I like this natural developing move for White. The threat of e4-e5 is always there, and against a move like ...Nh5, we can simply retreat the bishop to e3 and Black’s knight will be misplaced on the edge of the board. a6 [ Black has also tried 12...c8 13.h2 h6 ( after 13...a6 14.c1 h5 15.b4 e6 16.xe6 xe6 17.c5 dxc5 18.d5! xd5 19.exd5 , White had a serious initiative on the queenside in A.Ginsburg-A.Ryskin, Pinsk 1993 ) 14.f3 a5 15.d2 h7 16.ad1 a4 17.db5! (this is reminiscent of Game 40; White gains space, and Black is unable to drive the knight away) c6 18.e3 and White had the better position in G.Zaichik-Kir.Georgiev, Katerini 1992. ] 13.d2 [ White has to be careful not to lose a pawn after 13.c2 fxe4! . ]
13...b8 You’ll find this idea in the Panno Variation as well (see Games 26, 27 and 29). Black plans to open lines on the queenside with ...b5 but first gets the rook off the g2bishop’s diagonal. 14.ad1 c8 [ I don’t think Black is ready to play ...b5 quite yet. After 14...b5 15.b4 ( the aggressive 15.e5 is also worth considering ) 15...e6 ( 15...a4 16.xa4 bxa4 17.e5 isn’t great for Black, structurally speaking ) 16.xe6 xe6 17.cxb5 axb5 18.e5 (Black has some weaknesses on the queenside, which White is going to exploit) dxe5 ( 18...h5? runs into 19.g5 f6 20.exd6! fxg5 21.xe6 xe6 22.d5 xd6 23.e4 , followed by Nxg5 with a huge advantage ) 19.xd8 exd8 20.xd8+ xd8 21.xe5 and the resulting endgame looks good for White. ] 15.h2 b5 16.b4! e6 17.xe6 xe6 18.c5 Gaining some space on the queenside and planning Nd5. [ Here 18.cxb5 axb5 19.e5 (as in the previous note) is not so clear, in view of h5 20.e3 ( or 20.exd6 xf4 ) 20...xe5 , when winning the exchange leads to obscure complications: 21.a7 a8 22.xa8 ( or 22.xb5 d7 23.xa8 xa8 24.xc7 f3 , threatening ...Bxg3+ ) 22...xa8 23.d4 xh3! collects a second pawn for the exchange, since if 24.xh3? then f4+! 25.gxf4? f3+ wins. ] 18...dxc5 19.bxc5 d7 [ The forcing 19...b4?! is no improvement: 20.d5 xd5 21.exd5 reaches a similar structure to the game, where White has two dangerous pawns and is poised to play d6; for example, xe1 22.xe1 a5 23.d6 c6 24.e7 and Black is already in difficulties. ] 20.d5! e5 [ Not 20...xd5?! 21.exd5 xe1 22.xe1 xc5 23.c1 and Black is in trouble on the c-file. ] 21.g5! Targeting the weak squares e7 and f6 in Black's kingside. xd5 22.exd5 Now Black is going to have a hard time dealing with White’s pawns in the centre. f5 Trying to fight for the dark squares. [ After 22...c4 23.xe8+ xe8 24.f4 e5 25.e4 , as usual White’s two active bishops call the shots. ] 23.d6 cxd6 24.cxd6 f6 [ 24...c4? loses straight away to 25.xe8+ xe8 26.d7 f8 27.d5 . ] 25.xf6 xf6 26.f4! Trading off Black's
most active piece is a good idea, as well as enabling White to continue advancing the passed pawn. xf4 27.gxf4 c4 Black tries to play actively, but passive defence might have been more tenacious; [ for example, 27...d7 28.e7! f6 29.a7 f8 30.xa6 ed8 , with ideas of ... Ne8-g7, and while White is clearly better, Black might yet resist for a long time. ] 28.xe8+ xe8 29.d7 d8 30.b7 b6 [ After 30...a5 31.c6 , White wins a pawn anyway, since b4? fails to 32.e1 , followed by Re8+. ] 31.xa6 xd7 [ Or 31...b4 32.b5 f8 33.d6 a8 34.d4 c7 35.c6 , when the powerful bishop dominates and all Black's pieces are tied down. ] 32.xd7 xd7 33.xb5 c5 [ 33...b6 34.a4 f8 35.a5 c8 doesn’t change much; White’s extra, outside passed pawn is a decisive advantage. ] 34.a4 b3 35.c4 a5 36.d5 With the black knight now corralled by White’s powerful bishop, the rest is a matter of technique. f8 37.g3 e7 38.f3 f6 39.e4 d6 40.d4 g5 41.fxg5 fxg5 42.e4 c5 43.f3 h6 44.e5 Black’s knight is still trapped! b4 45.f6 xa4 46.g6 b4 47.xh6 c5 48.a2 c6 49.xg5 d6 50.h4 . The plan of 11...Bd7, followed by ...a6 and ...Rb8, looks a bit slow. Black’s position may be playable, but as this game shows, White should get a solid plus out of the opening. 1-0
E68 Tregubov,P Mamedov,R Dubai (Game 42) [Damian Lemos]
2002
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.c3 d6 6.f3 bd7 7.0-0 e5 8.e4 [ Again, 8.h3 e8 9.e4 exd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1 would be our move order. ] 8...exd4 9.xd4 a6 10.h3 e8 11.e1 b8 This is the Gallagher Variation. Instead of playing in a positional style with ...Nc5 and ... a5, Black aims to develop a strong initiative on the queenside and will sacrifice a pawn if necessary. 12.b1! I like this move, getting
the rook off the g7-bishop’s diagonal. Then playing b3 won’t be dangerous for us. c5 [ Another option is 12...e5 13.b3 c5 , when 14.c2 transposes to the game. ] 13.c2 e5 [ 13...b5 14.xd6 b6 ( 14...b4 15.d5 ) 15.d1 bxc4 was played in P.Kekki-Si. Bjornsson, Internet 2002, but in my opinion, White gets a winning advantage after 16.e5 h5 17.d5 . ] 14.b3 c7 [ Black can’t advance on the queenside here either, as after 14...b5 15.f4 ed7 ( 15...c6? 16.e5 just wins a piece; and 15...h5 16.fxe5 xe5 17.d5 doesn't look much better for Black ) 16.xd6 , I don't see much compensation for the pawn. ] [ Instead, 14...e6 15.f4 c6 16.b2 h5 17.d5 (as usual White’s space advantage is relevant; moreover, Black has a weakness on d6 and White can increase the pressure by Qd2 and Rd1) h7 18.xg7 xg7 19.d2 b5 was played in A.Delchev-J. Gallagher, European Team Championship, Heraklio 2007. Here, White can try 20.cxb5 axb5 21.de3!? , intending Rbd1 to attack d6. He can also consider f5 to open lines on the kingside. ] 15.a4! It is a good idea to stop your opponent’s plans. Apart from the ...b5 advance, I don’t see any plausible ideas for Black, so his queenside initiative has been quashed. d7 16.f4 Gaining more space in the centre. [ Instead, 16.e3 c6 17.cd5 xd5 18.xd5 d8 looks quite good for White, but Black gets his knight to d4 too, so chances are balanced. ] 16...c6 17.b2 bd8 18.d3 [ I don’t see anything wrong with 18.g4 , when White’s space advantage is getting even bigger. ] 18...b6 19.h2 b4 [ Black can’t take on b3 as he loses the queen: 19...xb3?? 20.a1 b4 21.xb4 ] [ while after 19...a5 20.a1 , White maintains a solid plus. ] 20.xb4 cxb4?! Black gives himself a new weakness – now both b4 and d6 are vulnerable. [ 20...xb4 was better, in my opinion, when Black’s pawn structure is more healthy with just the single weakness on d6.
Nevertheless, White retains the advantage after 21.c2 c6 22.bd1 , with the clear plan of attacking on the d-file. ] 21.e2 c6 22.d4 d7 23.xc6 bxc6 24.xg7 xg7 25.bd1 White adds a new advantage to his arsenal: the bishop is going to be superior to Black’s knight, especially if the position opens up. c5 26.e3 g8 27.h4!? [ 27.e5 is a good alternative but there’s no rush. Black lacks kingside defenders and, after h4-h5, his king’s cover is further weakened. ] 27...c7?! [ Perhaps 27...f6 offered stronger resistance, though it doesn’t prevent e4-e5. For instance, after 28.g1 ( alternatively, White could elect to open lines on the kingside via 28.g4 and 29 g5 ) 28...c7 29.e5 fxe5 30.fxe5 b7 31.a5! dxe5 32.xd8 xd8 33.b6 , White has a clear advantage. ] 28.e5 e6 29.exd6 xd6 30.xd6 xd6 Material is balanced, but Black has lot of queenside weaknesses. That factor will be key in deciding the outcome of the game. 31.b6 d2 [ 31...d8!? would be met by 32.a5! , when Black is under a lot of pressure. ( Not 32.xc6?! xc6 33.xc6 , since d3 then gives Black strong counterplay. )] 32.xc6 d8 33.xe6! fxe6 34.xe6+ g7 35.c5? Too hasty – objectively speaking, that is. [ Here 35.e7+ g8 36.h5! d6 37.d5+ h8 38.xd6 xd6 39.hxg6 hxg6 40.g2 looks like an easy win for White, who will bring his king to the centre and push the pawns. ] [ After 35.c5? , Black might again have found counterplay with d3! . Instead, the database gives the conclusion as... ] 35...a5?? and 1-0. So Black either realized that he couldn’t now stop the c-pawn, or else his flag fell. 1-0
E69 Lputian,S Krasenkow,M FIDE World Ch., Moscow (Game 43) [Damian Lemos]
2001
1.d4 f6 2.f3 g6 3.c4 d6 4.g3 g7 5.g2 0-0 6.0-0 bd7 7.c3 e5 8.h3 c6
This set-up, which is covered in the remaining seven games of the book, might be regarded as the "main line" of the Fianchetto System. It combines elements of both Chapter Five (...d6 and ...c6) and Chapter Six (...Nbd7 and ...e5) and can arise from either. [ The particular variation seen in this game can also be reached via 8...e8 9.e4 exd4 10.xd4 c6 ( or 10...c5 11.e1 c6 . )] 9.e4 exd4 [ Black has several choices here. 9...a6 ] [ and 9...b6 are examined in the next two games ] [ while 9...a5 (which is often played earlier) is the subject of Games 46-49. ] 10.xd4 e8 As usual, we get a solid centre and space advantage for White, while Black’s d6-pawn is a clear target. I should also say that there’s an important (albeit simple) concept to be noted here: White has more space and therefore should keep as many pieces as possible on the board. In contrast, Black (who has less space) should trade pieces off in order to attain equality. 11.e1 c5 12.b1!? As we’ve seen in many positions already - for both sides - the queen’s rook moves off the opposing fianchettoed bishop’s diagonal. The rook can be useful for queenside expansion as well, if Black leaves him the option of b2-b4. Otherwise, White he may just play solidly with b2-b3. [ I also like developing the bishop straight away: 12.f4 (actually the most popular move here) e6 ( 12...h5 13.e3 is similar to the main game; White has a slight advantage as the black knight is now misplaced ) 13.xe6 xe6 ( 13...xe6 is met by 14.c5! , exploiting the now pinned d6-pawn ) 14.xd6 ( although the endgame is good for White, I think that taking with the bishop is even better: 14.xd6 xc4 15.e5 d7 16.e4! and White's advantage looks clear to me ) 14...xc4 15.ad1 a5 16.b4 a3 17.e3 b2 18.e5 h5 19.d4 xf4 20.xc4 xg2 21.xg2 (Black has been struggling to find counterplay but now loses the plot completely) xe5?? 22.a4! and the queen has nowhere to go but back in the box, U.Adianto-V.Syrtlanov, Koszalin 1998. ] [ 12.c2 a5 13.e3 e7 14.ad1 ] 12...a5 Black wants to maintain his knight on c5. 13.f4 I find this move simple and strong. Basically, White claims that the inclusion of
Rb1 and ...a5 (on 12 Bf4 lines above) is in his favour. [ The main option here is 13.b3 ] [ but there’s another interesting alternative which involves a pawn sacrifice: 13.c2 , and if fxe4 14.xe4 xd4 , then 15.g5 d7 ( 15...f6?? loses to 16.xf6 xf6 17.xf6+ ) 16.f6+ xf6 17.xf6 gives White good compensation, since Black’s kingside is full of weaknesses. Nevertheless, I like the fact that 13 Bf4 is risk-free and puts strong pressure on Black’s d-pawn. ] 13...h5 After this we just move our bishop back to e3 again to leave the black knight misplaced on the edge. [ If instead 13...e6 (to trade some pieces off) 14.xe6 xe6 ( as before, 14...xe6 15.c5! gives White a big edge ) 15.xd6 xc4 16.e5 d7 17.b3 ( 17.e4 is less effective here due to e6 , threatening to skewer the rook with ...Bf5 ) 17...e6 18.b2!? , White brings the rook into the game with tempo and has the usual space advantage, while the bishop on d6 is quite annoying for Black. ] 14.e3 e7 [ Alternatively, Black can retreat the knight again with 14...f6 . Then play might continue 15.c2 e7 16.bd1! and, although the “wasted” tempi are now equal (...Nf6-h5-f6 vs. Ra1-b1-d1 and Bc1-f4e3), all White’s pieces are harmoniously placed, while taking the e4-pawn is too risky: fxe4? 17.xe4 xe4 18.xe4 xe4 19.d2! and Black has to give up his queen for insufficient material, leaving White clearly better. Note that the position after 16 Rbd1 might also arrive via 12 Qc2 a5 13 Be3 Qe7 14 Rad1. However, Black has other, more promising options by that move order. ] 15.b3 [ There is another interesting move here: 15.f5!? gxf5 16.xh5 , when Black’s kingside looks pretty weak, but after f6 ( not 16...fxe4? 17.xc5 dxc5 18.xe4 and White is clearly better ) 17.xc5 dxc5 18.exf5 xf5 19.e4 e5 , Black is still very much in the game. ] 15...d7 [ Other knight moves don’t alleviate the pressure either: 15...xb3 16.xb3 and White has a slight but stable advantage; we can already see
some weaknesses on the queenside, such as the weak b6-square (due to Black’s ... a5). ] [ 15...e6 16.a4 and once again, the b6square is quite weak for Black. There’s no danger on the kingside as g5 fails to 17.g4! and White wins a piece. ] 16.a4 hf6 17.d2 Now Black is going to have a hard time defending the a5-pawn. a6 18.c1 White can’t take the a-pawn yet, so he improves his position with a useful move. [ 18.xa5?? loses a piece to b6 ] [ while 18.xa5?! b5! 19.cxb5 cxb5 20.b4 bxa4 21.b5 isn’t fully sufficient either. ] 18...e5 19.c5! Winning space on the queenside as well as opening the f1-a6 diagonal, so that Bf1 becomes a serious possibility. d3 After this move, White gets a powerful pawn chain and a big initiative. On the other hand, it is not easy to suggest an improvement for Black. [ For example, after 19...fd7 20.cxd6 xd6 21.f4 d3 22.c3 , followed by e5, White’s position looks much better. ] 20.cxd6 d8 21.bc5 xe1 22.xe1 White is the exchange down but is well compensated by his space advantage and strong piece play. a7 23.e5! d5 [ Taking the e5-pawn is losing for Black. After 23...xe5? 24.c3 d5 ( or 24...e8 25.xf6 , followed by 26 d7 ) 25.xd5 cxd5 26.xf6 xf6 27.xd5 , I don’t think Black has enough counterplay. ] 24.f4 White now has an awesome pawn chain! In contrast, Black is unable to find open files for his rooks and therefore can’t activate his position. b6 25.xd5 cxd5 26.b3 f6 27.f2!? Nevertheless, the position is double-edged and it’s not easy to find the best option from the practical point of view. [ Here White might try 27.d4 d7 28.c6 xc6 29.xc6 fxe5 30.xd5+ f7 31.f5! (making sure the e-file remains closed), and if gxf5 then 32.xb6 with a clear advantage. ] 27...f7? The position requires immediate action and the text move is too passive. [ Black should have played 27...fxe5 28.xb6 xd6! 29.xa7 d7 , regaining the piece, when the position is far from clear. For instance, after 30.bc5 xa7 31.xd5+ e6 32.c6 f7 , Black’s bishop pair shouldn’t be underestimated. ] 28.xb6 xh3 29.g4! Perhaps Black
overlooked this move. His bishop on h3 is now cut off, and White also threatens Rc8, trapping the queen. fxe5 [ There is no time for 29...h5 , because of 30.e6! and wins ( which is even stronger than 30.c8 here. )] 30.c8 xc8 31.xc8 xc8 32.f3 This was more or less forced after 29 g4 and White is going to be a piece up. The rest should be a matter of technique, though Black still has some counterplay with his rooks. f8 33.xh3 xd6 34.d3 a4 35.d2 [ 35.a6 d8 36.h4! would probably have ended things more quickly. ] 35...d8 36.fxe5 xe5 37.d4 e8 38.xe5 xe5 39.f3 e4 40.g5 [ And here 40.xd5! was more accurate; for example, xg4+ 41.h2 (threatening Ne5) g7 42.h3 gf4 43.g5 and wins. ] 40...g4+ [ 40...f5! would have been more tenacious. ] 41.h2 f5 42.e3 e4 [ Or 42...gf4 43.d4 e4 44.xf5! . ] 43.c3 c4 44.a5 c8 45.a6 cf8 46.e6+ h8 47.e5 d4 48.d6 f4 49.g4 8f5 50.h6 [ The resulting position after 50.h6 f2+ 51.g3 2f3+ 52.g4 5f4+ 53.xf4 xf4+ 54.xf4 is absolutely winning for White, and therefore Black resigns. ] 1-0
E69 Dautov,R Sutovsky,E Bad Homburg (Game 44) [Damian Lemos]
1997
1.d4 g6 2.f3 g7 3.c4 d6 4.g3 f6 5.g2 0-0 6.0-0 bd7 7.c3 e5 8.h3 c6 9.e4 a6!? This is a less usual but playable alternative to the more popular lines. The concept is similar to the Old Indian Defence, where Black prepares ...b5 to get some queenside space. 10.e3 I like this simple developing move. There’s no need for White to prevent ...b5. [ Instead, after 10.a4 a5! , Black takes control of the c5- and b4-squares. D. Reizniece-Xie Jun, Elista Olympiad 1998, continued 11.e1 e8 12.e3 exd4 13.xd4 c5 14.c2 c7 15.ad1 fd7 16.f4 a6 and White’s space is
counterbalanced by Black’s positional advantage on the queenside. ] 10...b5?! Black should have delayed this for a while and opted for a solid move; [ such as 10...e8 and then: A) 11.e1 b5 ( or 11...exd4!? 12.xd4 c5 13.c2 e7 ; this can be compared with the previous game ) 12.c5! exd4 ( not 12...b4?! 13.a4 xe4 14.cxd6 xd6 15.xe5 xe5 16.dxe5 xe5 17.b6 and White was clearly better in J.SmejkalTh.Casper, German League 1992 ) 13.xd4 b7 14.cxd6 c5 15.b3 xe4 16.xe4 ( White might try 16.xe4!? xe4 17.xc5 , winning a pawn at the cost of the bishop pair ) 16...xe4 17.xe4 xe4 18.xc5 xe3 19.xe3 xc5 20.d5 e6 was fine for Black in P.H. Nielsen-V.Nithander, Swedish Team Championship 2012.; B) 11.a4 , restraining the queenside advance, B1) should again be met by 11...a5! , as in the previous note (in fact 12.e1 would transpose to that directly ( and 12.c2 is much the same. ); B2) Instead, I don’t like 11...b8?! much, as ...b5 looks impossible for Black: 12.d5! (White is going to develop a big queenside initiative) cxd5 13.cxd5 c5 14.d2 b5 (okay, he plays it anyway) 15.axb5 axb5 16.b4 a4 17.xa4 bxa4 18.xa4 d7 19.b3 and White has an extra pawn, not to mention his space advantage, P. Kalisvaart-L.Brummelaar, Haarlem 1997.; C) 11.c2 (a natural move; White plays simply to complete his development) b5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.fd1 e7 14.e1! (heading for d3 where it will control key squares in the centre) b8 15.cxb5 axb5 16.d3 b6 17.b3 fd7 18.e2 b7 19.c5 gave White a slight advantage in H.Kubikova-J.Schauer, Klatovy 1997. ] 11.c5! A very strong breakthrough. White has the superior development and Black’s centre is collapsing. White has a plethora of other possibilities here, though the text move looks best. [ 11.dxe5 (this seems premature) xe5 12.xe5 dxe5 13.cxb5 axb5 14.c2 e6 15.a3 d7 16.fd1 b8 17.a2 c8 18.b4 f8 19.f1 c5 20.d5 c4 21.g5 e8 22.h2 h6 23.e3 c8 24.ab1
gave rise to a highly complex position in V. Lukov-B.Dena, St Ingbert 1989. ] [ 11.cxb5 axb5 12.b4!? (a standard idea to seize space on the queenside) b8 13.c1 e8 14.b3 b7 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.fd1 e7 17.e1 (a key manoeuvre in this line – the knight heads for the hole on c5) f8 18.d3 e6 19.c2 c4 20.b1 e6 21.d2 a8 22.cd1 a3 23.e2 ea8 24.ec1 3a4 25.b3 and White has a slight advantage, although Black’s position is pretty solid, J.Plachetka-J.Franzen, Czechoslovakian Championship, Trinec 1972. ] [ 11.c2 and now: A) 11...bxc4?! is inferior as White is going to take on e5 sooner or later and Black’s pawn structure (e5, c4, c6, a6) will become weak: 12.fd1 ( the immediate 12.dxe5 xe5 13.xe5 dxe5 14.fd1 c7 15.a4 e6 16.c5 c8 17.h2 was good enough for an advantage too in H.Barez Menendez-J.Vazquez, Madrid 1995 ) 12...e7 13.dxe5 xe5 14.xe5 dxe5 15.a4 e6 16.c5 c7 17.b6 ab8 18.xf8 xf8 19.xc4 and White was clearly better in A.Garcia-M.Sion Castro, Seville 1992.; B) 11...b7 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.c5 (White closes the queenside and creates a weakness on d6; what is more, Black’s bishop on b7 is now a passive piece) e7 14.b4! and White had more space in H. Gruenberg-Th.Casper, East German Championship, Fuerstenwalde 1981. ] [ 11.b3!? is also worth considering. After c7 12.cxb5 axb5 13.fc1 , I think White has the better prospects on the queenside. ] 11...dxc5? A serious tactical oversight – which was not punished by White. [ Black should have inserted 11...b4 12.a4 , although his position is already worse: A) 12...d5 13.g5! ( 13.xe5 xe5 14.dxe5 xe4 is less clear ) 13...dxe4 14.xe5 and White has a slight advantage which seems set to increase, E.Kengis-A. Vitolinsh, Latvian Championship, Riga 1989.; B) 12...xe4 13.cxd6 xd6 14.xe5 xe5 15.dxe5 also gave White the better prospects, especially on the queenside, L. Kavalek-J.Marsalek, Czechoslovakian Championship, Jablonec 1962. ] [ 11...exd4 12.xd4 dxc5 13.xc6 followed by e5 and Bg2 diagonal is deadly ]
12.xe5?! [ Here White could have won material with 12.dxe5! e8 ( 12...h5 13.g4 traps the knight ) 13.xc5 , since the d7-knight is pinned. Strangely, this continuation was also overlooked by GM Goldin in another game the same year. ] 12...xe5 [ Black can’t complete his development with 12...b7 yet, as 13.xd7 and 14 dxc5 leaves White a healthy pawn up. ] 13.dxe5 d7 14.f4 e8 15.d6 This activelooking move doesn’t achieve much, as the pawns are easily defended, and Black can drive the queen back whenever he likes. [ White might have preferred 15.b3 to limit the c5-pawn’s advance, and then target it with moves like Rc1 and Ne2-c1-d3, when I think his advantage is obvious. ] 15...b6 [ There is no need for 15...e6 , which would be answered by 16.d2 and Black’s rook is just misplaced on e6. ] 16.ac1 h5!? 17.h1 a5 [ Not 17...b7?? 18.xd7 ad8 , since White can escape the trap by 19.xc5! and wins. ] 18.a4 White plays to fix the black queenside pawns, though things don’t quite work out as he planned. [ Alternatively, he could reorganize with 18.fd1 f8 19.d2 a4 20.f2 , when he keeps the initiative and a space advantage. ] 18...b4 19.b1 f8 20.d1 a6 Black takes the chance to finish his development. 21.f2 [ White cannot capture the knight, as after 21.xd7?? , Black traps the queen with ad8! . ] 21...ad8 With Black having brought his pieces into play, the battle now revolves around whether he can activate his queenside pawns. If not, then they will remain as permanent weaknesses. 22.d2 Fighting for the c4-square. [ After the natural 22.d2 c7 23.f1 xf1 24.xf1 b6 , the position is far from clear. ] 22...b7 23.f1 The exchange of lightsquared bishops increases White’s control of c4. [ 23.b3?! would fail in this objective, as Black can play c4! anyway due to the tension on the d-file; for example, 24.bxc4 ( or 24.xc4
xe5! ) 24...c5 (threatening ...Nd3) 25.b1 d3 with good play. ] 23...b6! [ Not 23...xf1? 24.xf1 b6 25.b3 , when White gets a dream position. Black’s queenside pawns are immobilized and the one on c5 is already ripe for the picking. ] 24.c2! [ Black gets dangerous counterplay after 24.xa6 xa6 25.xc5 xc5 26.xc5 d3 with multiple threats; ] [ and 24.xc5 xc5 25.xc5? xf1 26.xf1 ( or 26.xf1? d7 ) 26...xa4 27.xa5 xb2 is even worse for White. ] 24...xf1 25.fxf1 d7 26.g2 d3 27.xd3 xd3 28.f2 ed8 [ 28...xa4 is risky at best, as after 29.c4 , both the a4-knight and d3-rook can be trapped; for instance, b3 30.c2 , followed by Ra1. ] 29.e2 c4?! An ambitious attempt by Black to activate his rooks, but other moves were probably better. [ 29...xa4!? is again met by 30.c4 b3 31.c2 , threatening Ra1, but here Black can try dd3 32.f2 xb2! with unclear play; for example, 33.xb2 ( or 33.xb2 a4 ) 33...dc3 34.d2 a3 and the queenside pawns are quite dangerous. ] [ Alternatively, 29...e7 was a more cautious option, although I prefer White’s position here after 30.c2 . ] 30.xc4 xc4 31.xc4 b3 32.c2 c5 33.h4!? c4 34.fc1 c8 Black doesn’t have a more useful move. [ For instance, after 34...e7 35.xc4 xb2+ 36.1c2 xc2+ 37.xc2 , White has to be careful about the passed bpawn but he should be winning in the long run. ] 35.d4 [ Not now 35.xc4? xb2+ 36.f3 xc4 37.xc4 b1 , as the b-pawn is then very fast. Best play might be 38.c8 b3 39.b8 b2 (threatening ...Rf1+) 40.f2 g7 (threatening ...Bb4) 41.e6 (threatening Bd4+) f6 42.b7+ g8 43.b8 g7 44.b7+ with a draw by repetition. ] 35...xg3 36.xc4 d8 [ Similarly, Black must avoid 36...xc4? 37.xc4 , as his remaining rook is comparatively ineffective. After g4 38.c8 , White threatens to win a piece with Bc5,
and g7 doesn't solve the problem due to 39.e6+ f6 ( or 39...g8 40.e7 ) 40.e5! f5 41.e7! xe7 42.e6+ f6 43.c7+ etc. ] 37.b6 g2+ 38.f3?! There was no need to allow the black rooks into his position. [ Simply 38.f2 e7 39.c8 would have been strong, but it is hard to be accurate when approaching the time control and Black soon makes mistakes too. ] 38...dd2 39.g1!? This looks like a funny move, but White wants to prevent ...Rh2; [ as after 39.c8 h2! , Black has at least a draw. ] 39...xb2? Taking this pawn gives White a crucial tempo. [ Black should have continued to target the king with 39...g4! , coming round to the hfile another way. After 40.c8 ( not 40.f2? h6! 41.e3 dg2 42.f2 h2 ) 40...xh4 , a draw would be the logical result; i.e. 41.g3 g4+ 42.f3 h4 43.g3 etc. ] 40.c8 b3?! [ 40...gd2 would have put White to the test. A) Then 41.e8 d3+ 42.e3 bb3 43.cc8 xe3+ 44.f2 f3+ is just a draw. ( 44...-- ); B) Instead, 41.f5! d3+ 42.f4 g2 seems to be winning for Black, but White has a brilliant way (if he can find it) of saving his king to win the game: 43.e6 g7 44.xf8! (otherwise Black plays ... Rg4+ and ...f6 mate) xf8 45.f6! g5+ ( or 45...fxe6 46.c8+ f7 47.c7+ g8 48.f7+ g7 49.c5 etc ) 46.e5! fxe6 47.xe6 (threatening Rc8 mate) d8 48.c5+ g8 49.f7+ g7 50.f1 and the pawn promotes. ] 41.d1 [ Maybe White wanted to avoid 41.c5 gc2!? 42.xf8+ g7 A) as after 43.xc2 bxc2 44.c8 c1 45.f8+ g8 46.xc1 xf8 , I'm not sure whether White can win. ( 46...-- ); B) But the computer comes up with 43.e6! xc1 ( or 43...fxe6 44.b8 xc1 45.d4+ ) 44.xf7+ g8 ( not 44...h6? 45.f8# ) 45.f8+ g7 46.e7 xc5 47.f5! e5 48.f6+ h7 49.f7! xe7 50.h8+ xh8 51.f8+ and wins. ] 41...g7 42.f5! Sometimes we can attack without queens! [ Instead, 42.dd8 xg1 43.xf8 f1+ leads to a draw with 44.e3 e1+ 45.d3 d1+ etc, since 46.c3 c2+ 47.xb3 xc8 48.xc8 h1 gets White nowhere. ]
42...gxf5 43.exf5 gd2 44.e1 bc2 [ 44...b4 is no better, since 45.e3 g2 46.d1 bc2 47.b8 b2 48.dd8 b1 49.g8+ is mate in two. ] 45.f6+! g6 [ 45...g8 fails to 46.c5! xc5 47.g1+ h7 48.xf8 and White has a decisive attack. ] 46.xf8 b2 47.e3 c1 48.g1+! [ It is not too late to bungle it with 48.b8?? xe1 49.xd2 b1 and Black is winning. ] 48...f5 [ 48...xg1 49.g8+ f5 50.xg1 is the key point, when White controls the first rank and wins. ] 49.g5+ e6 50.e8+ d7 51.e6+! fxe6 Other moves are equally futile. [ Black gets mated after 51...xe8 52.g8# ] [ or 51...c7 52.f4+ b7 53.b5+ a7 54.e3+ a6 55.a8# ] [ while 51...c6 fails to 52.b5 b1 53.xb1 xb1 54.e7 , followed by Rc8+ etc. ] 52.b8 f1+ 53.e4 c7 54.gb5 h2 55.f4+ . After a long resistance, Black finally has to lay down his arms. 1-0
E69 Karpov,A Lautier,J Biel (Game 45) [Damian Lemos]
1990
1.f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.0-0 d6 6.d4 bd7 7.c3 e5 8.h3 c6 9.e4 b6 Putting more pressure on White’s centre. 10.e1 I like this solid move for White because it is flexible. [ Alternatively, 10.c5!? dxc5 11.dxe5 e8 12.e6 has been played a lot. If you want to study this ultra-sharp line, I recommend starting with the game A.Shirov-G.Kasparov, Linares 1993. ] 10...exd4 The most consistent continuation, opening lines for piece-play. [ If Black delays further with 10...e8 , White can close the centre and gain space with 11.d5!? , since the thematic response ... f5 (backed up by a rook on f8) would now take Black a long time. Instead, after c5 12.b1! a5 13.e3 c7 14.d2 d7 15.f1! (a useful manoeuvre in the Fianchetto System; from f1 the bishop
exerts controls over both the kingside and queenside) eb8 16.dxc6 bxc6 17.xc5 dxc5 18.b3 f8 19.a4! White had a clear positional advantage in Z.Ribli-H. Olafsson, Buenos Aires Olympiad 1978. ] 11.xd4 e8 [ Black has two main alternatives here: 11...e8 12.c2 e5 13.b3 was seen in another of Karpov’s games, which continued e6 14.a4 c7 15.d4 ad8 16.xe6 xe6 (White has obtained the bishop pair and still has much more space) 17.c2 e7 18.a3 c5 19.c3 c6 20.ad1 d4 21.d3 and White had a slight advantage, A.Karpov-G.Kamsky, Monte Carlo (blindfold rapid) 1995. ] [ 11...g4 12.ce2! ( after 12.xg4 xd4 , White would have a hard time defending the c4-pawn ) 12...ge5 13.b3 c5 14.e3 (here White has everything under control and will eventually push Black’s knights back): A) 14...e8 15.b1 a5 16.a3 (White now has the option of both b3-b4 and f2-f4) c7 17.c2 e7 18.b4 ( but I believe White can improve his game with 18.bd1 , ensuring a slight advantage ) 18...axb4 19.axb4 cd3 20.ed1 c5 was unclear in R.Dive-F. Rayner, Newcastle 1995.; B) 14...a5 15.b1 e8 16.f1! (pre-empting any tricks based on ...Nd3, and preparing f2-f4 to evict the centralized knight) d8 17.c2 e7 18.bd1 ( White does not need to play extravagantly to keep the edge; for example, after 18.c3 ed7 19.fe1 f6 20.bd1 fd7 21.f4 d8 22.f2 b6 23.b1 c7 24.e2 b6 25.d1 , White was clearly better in S.Furman-R. Nezhmetdinov, Tbilisi 1959 ) 18...h5 (Black doesn’t have much counterplay in the centre and if he does nothing, his position will slowly deteriorate as in Furman-Nezhmetdinov; so he tries attacking on the kingside instead) 19.fe1 h4 20.g4 xg4?! (sacrificing a piece offers Black only short-term compensation) 21.hxg4 xg4 22.f4 h3 was played in A.Rustemov-A.Motylev, Russian Championship, St Petersburg 1998. Here GM Huzman gives the best defence as 23.xh3 h4 24.xg4 xg4+ 25.g3 xe4 26.f3 xd4+ 27.g2! , when Black attack has been
repulsed. ] 12.f3 e5 Black lacks space and therefore tries to swap pieces off. [ The active-looking 12...b4 is answered simply with 13.f1 , followed by a3 , pushing the queen back. ] 13.xe5 dxe5 14.a4 [ I would also consider playing 14.c2 c7 15.e3 a6 16.e2 White looks better although Black's position is pretty solid ] 14...a5?! This move creates a hole on the b6square, virtually ruling out any quiet continuation by Black, as he would just stand worse. [ Instead: 14...f5?! 15.e3 c7 ( after 15...xb2 16.ac1! f4 17.c2 xc2 18.xc2 fxe3 19.xe3 , Black doesn't have enough for the queen ) 16.exf5 gxf5 has only been tried once (in V.Bagirov-A.Yuneev, Leningrad 1989), because White could have played 17.c5 d6 ( or 17...f7 18.d5! ) 18.ad1 d8 19.xd6! xd6 20.d5! with a clear advantage, since cxd5? loses to 21.e8+ f8 22.xd5+ e6 23.xe6+ h8 24.xd6 . ] [ The safest continuation is 14...c7 15.e3 a6 ( not 15...xb2?? as 16.ec1 and Rab1 traps the queen, or if b5 then 17.a5! b4 18.a4 e2 19.xc7 wins a piece ) 16.b4 ( after 16.ad1 xa4 17.xa4 e6 , Black is pretty close to equality ) 16...e6 17.c5 d4 ( or 17...b6!? 18.cxb6 d4 ) 18.xd4 exd4 19.f1 b5 20.e2 d8 and Black was fine in M.MarinJoh.Eriksson, Stockholm 2002. ] 15.a3! A useful move, controlling the b4square. [ 15.e3 is not possible yet, since xb2 shows the point of 14...a5: after 16.ec1 b4 , the black queen runs away safely. ] 15...c7 16.e3 xb2 A risky enterprise for Black, but the alternatives were not greatlooking anyway. [ For instance, after 16...a6 17.f1 , the black queen can't be comfortable on a6, and e6 runs into 18.d5! cxd5 ( or 18...c5 19.b4 ) 19.cxd5 d6 20.dxe6 xe6 21.ed1 e7 22.ac1 with a definite edge for White, since the a5-pawn is permanent weakness. ] 17.ec1 b5 The only move to save the queen. 18.d1! Obviously Qa5 is not possible here, but after this simple retreat, White wins material. bxc4 19.c5
[ 19.a4 b3 20.b6 e6 is less clear. ] 19...e6 There is no time to save the f8-rook because of the threat of Rab1. 20.a4 [ White could still play 20.ab1 , but after xb1 21.xb1 xc5 , Black seems to have some counterplay. He can protect the c4pawn with ...Be6 and centralize the knight on the d4-outpost after ...Nb3. ] 20...b3 21.xf8 xf8 22.f1 Black has some activity although White is an exchange up. I believe the material advantage is more relevant in the long run d4 23.xc4 Although Black has a pawn and some activity for the exchange, I believe White's material advantage is more relevant in the long run. xd1 [ 23...e6 24.c3 xd1 25.xd1 comes to the same thing. ] 24.xd1 e6 Lautier elects to keep his two bishops. [ The alternative was to take the a-pawn: 24...xa3 25.b6 b8 26.xc8 ( 26.a4 b4 27.c4 c5! is not clear either ) 26...xc8 27.a4 b4 28.c4 reaches a complex endgame, where it would be interesting to observe Karpov's technique. ] 25.c3 d8? This just wastes a tempo, since Black changes his mind with the rook next move. [ Therefore, Black’s best try is 25...b8 to control the open file, when Karpov's intended 26.c5 allows xh3! . ] [ Note that the attempted fork 25...b3? just loses a piece to 26.xd4! . ] 26.g2 b8 27.c5 White gradually improves his position; whereas Black doesn't have as much counterplay now and he's still down on material. b2 28.d3 a2 Safeguarding the bishop, and preventing White from playing Rb1 to trade pieces off. 29.a4 b3 30.a1! White forces exchanges anyway, which makes things easier for him. xc3 31.xc3 b3 32.e2 a4 33.f4 In Informator, Karpov stops annotating at this point – presumably because, to him, the game was of no further interest. For us, it's great to learn from the former world champion. As we pointed out before, White is interested in trading pieces (when appropriate), but we shouldn’t underestimate Black’s powerful bishop pair. b5 34.fxe5 g7!? [ Taking the a-pawn with 34...xa3 would allow 35.d4! c5 36.xc6 c2 37.c1 e3+ 38.f3 and White should be
winning, although the position still requires accurate play. ] 35.c1 xe5 36.xc6 [ Giving up the bishop with 36.xb5 cxb5 37.c3 would have won a pawn, but after h5 ( 37...c4? fails to 38.xb5 xb5 39.c5 ) 38.xb5 f8 and ...Ke7, it is not so easy for White to make progress against Black's strong bishops. ] 36...xa3 Black still has a pawn for the exchange and it seems as if he has some chances of resistance. However, Karpov finds a subtle way to play for the win. 37.g1! White is ready to push the e5-bishop back! Note too that Black’s knight is shut out of the game on a3. f8 38.f3 b2 39.d2 d1 [ 39...e6 40.a6 d7 is too passive to survive in the long run. ] 40.c7 e5 41.c5 [ With the black bishops where they are now, White could win with the switchback 41.c1 b3 42.xb3 axb3 43.c6 b2 44.b6 , followed by Rb3, when Black has to give up the b-pawn to save the knight; but Karpov probably wanted to avoid any long-winded rook vs. bishop endgame if at all possible. ] 41...d4 42.c8+ e7 43.c7+ e6?! It is understandable that Black wants to bring his king into the centre, but it can't advance any further and will just be an easy target on e6. [ Instead, 43...d6!? was a more interesting try, A) as after 44.xf7 c2! , the black apawn becomes quite dangerous ( 44...-- ); B) but 44.c1! b3 45.xb3 axb3 46.c8 and Rb8 still wins, in spite of Black's more active king. For example, b2 47.d8+! ( not now 47.b8? c5 48.b3 c4 ) 47...c5 48.d5+ b4 49.xd4+ c3 50.d7 c2 51.xc2 ( and not 51.b7?? e1+! ) 51...xc2 52.c7+! (gaining a crucial tempo) d2 53.b7 c2 54.f3 b1 55.xb1 xb1 56.f4 c2 57.g5 d3 58.e5! (gaining more time) e4 59.f6 d5 60.xf7 xe5 61.g7 and White wins. ] 44.f3 b2 45.b7! [ The tempting 45.g5+ would allow Black to activate his forces by d6! , with annoying counterplay after 46.b7 ( or 46.xf7 c2 ) 46...b3 47.xf7+ c5 .] 45...c1 46.f2 h5 47.e2! b3 48.d4+ e5 49.xb3 axb3 50.xb3 xe4
51.d3+ . Black is defenceless against Ke2d1, chasing away the protector of the errant knight. Therefore, he resigns here. Excellent technique by Karpov! 1-0
E69 L'Ami,E Hendriks,W Hoogeveen (Game 46) [Damian Lemos]
2010
1.d4 f6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 g7 4.g3 0-0 5.g2 d6 6.0-0 bd7 7.c3 e5 8.e4 [ From this position, our move order would be 8.h3 c6 9.e4 a5 . But note that Black sometimes plays ...c6 and ...Qa5 before ... e5 and ...Nbd7, transposing here from Chapter Five (in which we play e2-e4 first). As it happens, the final three games did take that route. ] 8...c6 9.h3 a5 10.e1 [ White's main alternative is 10.e3 . ] 10...exd4 Again, this is the most consistent way for Black to carry out his plan. [ 10...e8 would transpose to the main line (with 12..Re8) A) after 11.e3 exd4 12.xd4 e5 13.f1 , but White has other options ( such as 13.e2!? ); B) or 11.d2!? b6 12.a4 d8 (having pushed the black queen back, White now completes his development) 13.c2 h5 14.e3 exd4 15.xd4 (the e4/c4 vs. d6/c6 pawn structure has finally appeared, and White enjoys a plus due to his space advantage) e5 16.ad1 c7 17.b3 f6 18.c3 ed7 19.f4 (White has built up a strong position, while Black has achieved nothing at all) a5 20.f2 f8 21.d2 d7? 22.f3 and White won the d6-pawn and soon the game, A.Wojtkiewicz-G.Souleidis, Duisburg 1999. ] 11.xd4 e5 12.f1 e6 Not the main try in the position, but definitely worth studying. As White, we now get the bishop pair but must be careful, because Black has some tricks and most of our pieces are still on the back rank. [ The usual move, 12...e8 , is the subject of Games 48 and 49 at the end of the chapter. ] 13.xe6 fxe6 14.g2 Preparing the advance of the f-pawn to drive away the
centralized knight. [ The immediate 14.f4?! runs into xc4! and Black wins a pawn due to 15.xc4 c5+ and ...Qxc4. ] [ I also like the natural 14.e3 for White, again preparing f2-f4. This is the subject of the next game. ] 14...ad8 15.f4 f7 16.a4! White has the bishop pair, so the endgame should be favourable for him. Thus he aims for a riskfree advantage with queens off the board. [ Another idea is 16.d2 b6 17.b3 c7 (Black wants to play with queens on!) 18.ad1 e5 19.e3 h5 ( but personally, I would play 19...exf4! 20.gxf4 e7 21.c2 h5 , when the position is unclear ) 20.f5 e7 21.e2 and White was clearly better in L.Pantsulaia-T.Luukkonen, European Cup, Saint Vincent 2005. ] 16...xa4 I don’t like this move at all; trading queens is part of White’s strategy. [ 16...c7? is clearly wrong, in view of 17.xa7 and White wins a pawn. ] [ Black should play something like 16...b6 17.c2 ( 17.b3!? is also worth considering ) 17...e5 18.e3 c7 , although White still has a slight edge after 19.e2 , preventing ...Nh5; while if Black pushes ...d5, he opens up the position, which will favour our bishop pair. ] 17.xa4 e5 18.f5 gxf5 19.exf5 h5 Stopping White from playing g3-g4. [ If instead 19...h6 20.xh6 xh6 21.g4 , White has a clear edge due to his powerful bishop and strong kingside pawn majority. ] 20.e2 h7?! Beginning a faulty plan of attacking down the g-file. [ Here I think Black should trade bishops with 20...h6 and then concentrate on his centre. For example, 21.d3 ( or 21.c3 d5 ) 21...g7 22.c3 d5 23.cxd5 cxd5 , and if 24.b5 d7 25.xa7?! , then e4! and the pawns are getting going. ] 21.e3 After this, White keeps his bishop pair as he can retreat down the g1-a7 diagonal if necessary. b6 22.c3 h6 23.f2! g8 [ 23...d5 24.cxd5 cxd5 25.ad1 g8 comes to the same thing. ] 24.ad1 d5 25.cxd5 cxd5 The position is still unclear, but given the chance I would take White's bishop pair. 26.b5 Heading for b3 to increase the pressure on the d5-pawn. g5 27.a4 e4? Black is losing thread of the game. This allows White to blockade on d4
and the once proud centre will soon be demolished. [ Perhaps Black wanted to take on f5 and was worried about something like 27...xf5 28.xd5 xd5 29.xd5 xd5? ( but 29...xf2+! 30.xf2 xd5 31.b3 b4 would save him here ) 30.c2 . ] [ Alternatively, he could switch his own bishop to the queenside with 27...f8 28.b3 ( or 28.a3 c5 ) 28...b4 , when the game remains unclear. ] 28.d4! dg8 [ Unfortunately, 28...xf5? now loses to 29.f1 and White picks up a hapless knight. ] 29.e2 g7 30.xf6 xf6 31.xd5 Finally cashing in on the booty. e5 32.c2 f3 33.ed1 e5? The final error. [ 33...e8 was necessary. ] 34.xe4 h4+ 35.f2 xg3+ 36.xg3 xg3 37.d7+ h8 38.f6 1-0
E69 Bradford,J Bonin,J US Championship, Stillwater (Game 47) [Damian Lemos]
2007
1.f3 f6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.0-0 c6 6.d4 d6 7.c3 a5 8.h3 [ In Chapter Five, I give 8.e4 as being more accurate, when e5 9.h3 bd7 transposes below. ] 8...e5 9.e4 bd7 By a completely different route, we arrive at the same position as in the previous game. 10.e1 exd4 11.xd4 e5 12.f1 e6 13.xe6 fxe6 14.e3 [ An aggressive alternative to White's 14.g2 in the previous game. ] 14...ad8 This is the most natural move, simply defending the d-pawn. although Black has other possibilities too. [ 14...d5 (I don’t think Black is ready for this, although accurate play is required by White) 15.cxd5 cxd5 ( if 15...exd5 , as in S.BrynellPo.Carlsson, Swedish Championship, Orebro 2013, then 16.f4 c4 17.xc4 dxc4 18.e5 d5 19.d4 leaves White with the superior pawn structure, while Black’s g7-bishop doesn’t have much influence on the game ) 16.g2! ( this time 16.f4 allows Black some counterplay after c4 17.xc4 dxc4 , since his pawn is more
useful on e6 ) 16...ad8 ( or 16...xe4 17.xe4 dxe4 18.xe4 c4 19.b3 ) 17.exd5 xd5 18.xd5 exd5 19.f4 and, as usual, White’s two active bishops give him the upper hand. ] [ 14...h5 15.e2 ad8 was played in B. Bester-A.Copar, correspondence 2007, and here 16.g2! is simple and strong. White protects g3 before playing f2-f4 and thereby halts Black’s counterplay on the kingside. ] 15.f4 [ One of Black’s ideas is, if given time, to play 15.-- c5! 16.f4 c6 and a later ...Nd4, so White should hit the knight straight away. ] 15...f7 16.g2 Its task on f1 completed, the bishop returns to the long diagonal. d7 17.c1 b6 [ 17...xc3?! 18.xc3 xa2 can't be a good choice for Black. Yes, he's nabbed a pawn, but his kingside is now defenceless, and White's bishops are going to be much better than the knights in this open position. Anyway, White can win the pawn straight back with 19.e2! a5 20.a3 and Rxa7. ] [ 17...b4 18.e2 b6 is also ineffective. After 19.d1 , as pointed out by GM Boris Avrukh in his excellent book 'Grandmaster Repertoire - 1.d4, volume two', White comfortably defends all his pawns and is ready to transfer his knight to f2. ] 18.b3 fe8 19.ed1 [ Here I think 19.c2 might be an improvement, maintaining flexibility with the rooks. White’s position is very solid, so d5 shouldn’t be a problem for us. After 20.xb6 axb6 ( or 20...xb6+ 21.xb6 axb6 22.exd5 exd5 23.xe8+ xe8 24.cxd5 ) 21.exd5 exd5 ( or 21...d6!? 22.h2 f5 23.cc1! d4 24.a4 ) 22.xe8+ xe8 23.cxd5 , White has an extra pawn and no weaknesses. ] 19...e5 20.f5 gxf5?! Black misses his chance to trade pieces off. [ After 20...h6 21.xh6 c5+ ( 21...xh6?? loses a piece to 22.c5+ ) 22.h2 xh6 , I think White is still better, but the position is not as clear. ] 21.exf5 e4 This is too ambitious, though I can't suggest a better move for Black. [ For instance, after 21...a6 22.f1! (back again), Black's queen is misplaced in its little corner of the board. ] 22.xe4 xf5 The queen arrives on the kingside to aid the defence. However, White’s
bishop pair is too strong in this open position. 23.f1 [ 23.c5!? also came into consideration. ] 23...g6 24.f4! White increases his initiative, preparing to double rooks on the f-file and setting up the threat of Rg4. d5 [ Moving the king out of the way with 24...h8 is weak in view of 25.c5 (attacking both knights) d5 26.g4 h5 27.f2 and White has a clear advantage ] 25.xb6 axb6 26.cxd5 cxd5 [ Black has no choice but to wreck his own pawn structure, as 26...xd5? loses immediately to 27.cf1 h6 28.f6+ .] 27.c7!? White has much better piece coordination and so is ready to attack. However, Black has more resources than it might appear. [ Instead, 27.f2 was a safe option for a slight advantage. ] 27...dxe4! 28.fxf7 [ 28.cxf7 is met by e6 (the only move) 29.xb7 xb3 30.axb3 d1+ 31.h2 e3! 32.g4 h8 33.gxg7 e2 and White has to take the draw. ] 28...d4+! 29.h2 e6 Again, the only move. [ Black loses after 29...h8? 30.xh7+ xh7 31.xh7+ xh7 32.f7+ h8 ( or 32...g7 33.xe4+ xe4 34.f5+ ) 33.xe4! xe4 34.h5+ g7 35.g5+ f7 36.xd8 e2+ 37.h1 and the checks will soon run out. ] 30.xe6 [ White could win a pawn by 30.xe4 xb3 ( not 30...xe4?? 31.f8+ xf8 32.f7# ) 31.xh7+ h8 32.axb3 , but then e2+ 33.h1 e5! 34.cd7 xd7 35.xd7 xg3 should draw, especially as White has the wrong bishop for his rook's pawn. ] 30...xe6 31.f1 e3?? After finding a series of correct moves, Black makes a fatal blunder. [ He should have inserted 31...c6! 32.xh7 ( not 32.xb7 c2+ 33.g2 e3 34.xh7? f6! 35.h6 d6 and the passed pawn is suddenly decisive ) 32...e3 , when the position is still far from clear. ] 32.c4 e5 [ Black cant move the rook, because of 32...e5 33.g7+ f8 ( or 33...h8 34.xh7# ) 34.g8# . ] 33.xe6 xc7 34.xc7+ h8 35.c2 . White is now a piece up and the e-pawn is
going nowhere, so Black resigns. 1-0
E69 Ivanchuk,V Radjabov,T Nice (blindfold rapid) (Game 48) [Damian Lemos]
2009
1.c4 f6 2.c3 g6 3.g3 g7 4.g2 0-0 5.d4 d6 6.f3 c6 7.0-0 a5 8.e4 e5 9.h3 bd7 10.e1 exd4 11.xd4 e5 12.f1 e8 This is Black’s main move here. Rather than playing ...Be6 at once (as in the previous two games), Black prepares it, in order to meet Nxe6 with ...Rxe6, keeping the e-file open. 13.e3 e6 [ Black has a tricky alternative here in 13...c5 , which is examined in the final game of the book. ] 14.xe6 xe6 15.g2! [ White defends the f3-square in order to prevent ideas like 15.-- xe4! 16.xe4 xe1! 17.xe1 f3+ and wins. ] 15...ae8 [ After 15...a6 , White gets good play with 16.c5! (a strong pawn sacrifice in order to obtain a kingside majority; and following f4 and e5, White will have the e4-square available for his knight) dxc5 ( 16...d8 17.cxd6 exd6 18.a4 is good for White, as pointed out by GM Avrukh ) 17.f4 d8 ( the piece sacrifice with 17...b4?! doesn’t work here: 18.fxe5 xb2+ 19.f2 xc3 20.exf6 xf6 21.b1 b5 22.xc5 and White is winning ) 18.c2 ed7 19.ad1 b5 20.e5 ( the preparatory 20.f2! looks even better ) 20...d5 , as in M. Schachinger-A.Albadri, Austrian Championship, Vienna 2010, and now 21.f2 xc3 22.xc3 xc3 23.bxc3 gives White a clear advantage, due to his bishop pair and the ability to double rooks on the d-file. ] 16.b1! White prepares an expansion on the queenside. I started paying attention to this move when Ivanchuk played it. a6 [ Another advantageous line for White goes: 16...ed7 17.f3 a6 18.b4 d8 ( or 18...c7 19.c1 a5 20.a3 axb4 21.axb4 a8 22.b3 h5 23.f4 h7 24.c5! e5 25.cxd6 xd6 26.cd1 c7 27.xe5 xe5 28.f4 e7 29.e5 and White has a clear space advantage, S.Vidit-P.Thipsay,
Indian Championship, Aurangabad 2011 ) 19.d2 h5 was seen in O.Cvitan-A. Volokitin, Slovenian Team Championship 2004. Here White can improve his play with 20.c5! e7 21.cxd6 xd6 ( trading queens with 21...xd6 22.ed1 xd2+ 23.xd2 makes things easier for White ) 22.c2 h4 (Black tries to create weaknesses on the kingside, but White has a powerful rejoinder) 23.e5! xe5 24.f4 eg4!? ( or 24...ed7 25.c5 f8 26.xd6 xd6 27.xe8+ xe8 28.e4 ) 25.c5 ( 25.hxg4?! d7! 26.bd1 xg4 gives Black strong play for the piece ) 25...d8 26.xe8+ xe8 27.e4! (winning the exchange) gf6 28.xd6 xd6 29.xf6+ xf6 30.d1 and White has a clear advantage, in my opinion. ] 17.b4 c7 18.c1 b8 19.c5! It's the right moment to advance on the queenside. [ Instead, 19.a4 a5 20.b5 ed7 21.f3 c5 22.e2 fd7 23.f2 c7 was unclear in J. Maherramzade-G.Bagaturov, Tbilisi 2001; although White has the two bishops, Black’s dangerous knights shouldn’t be underestimated. ] 19...d8 20.cxd6?! [ Here I think White can improve by moving the queen off the d-file, with either 20.c2 ] [ or 20.b3 . If Black responds by playing d5 , then after 21.exd5 cxd5 ( not 21...xd5 22.xd5 xd5? due to 23.f4 followed by 24 Bc4, skewering the rooks ) 22.cd1 , he is left with a vulnerable isolated dpawn. ] 20...exd6 21.c2 b5?! I don’t like this move much, as it just creates weaknesses on the queenside. [ Trading pieces off with 21...d3 22.xd3 xd3 is a better idea, when Black gets rid of White’s bishop pair. After 23.cd1 ( 23.d5? fails to xd5! 24.xd3 xb4 and 25...Nb3, regaining the exchange ) 23...xd1 24.xd1 xd1 25.xd1 , I think White may have a slight initiative, but Black has no weaknesses and so should be able to equalize soon. ] 22.ed1 xd1 23.xd1 xd1 24.xd1 Despite the exchange of all the rooks, White has the advantage again, due to his kingside pawn majority and bishop pair, not to mention Black's backward c-pawn. d6 25.f4 [ Another possibility was 25.c5 e6 26.f3 f8 27.xf8 xf8 28.e2 and White improves his position little by little. ]
25...d4 26.f3 fd7 27.d2 c4?! This weakens Black's pawns even further. [ But 27...xd2+ doesn't solve his problems, as after 28.xd2 b6 29.f4 ec4 30.e1 , White keeps the better prospects due to his bishop pair. ] 28.xc4 bxc4 29.xd4 xd4 30.e3 b6 [ If 30...c3 , then 31.c2 , followed by Kf1-e2-d3, and the c3-pawn will quickly fall. ] 31.f1 f6 32.e2 c5 [ Black loses the c4 pawn after 32...c3 33.a3 b2 34.c7! . ] 33.bxc5 xc5 34.c7 a4 35.a5! Despite being a blindfold game, Ivanchuk shows excellent technique. The white bishop retreats to prevent the black knight from using the c3-square. c3 [ 35...xe3 36.xe3 c5 37.d4 e6+ 38.xc4 g5 is equally hopeless, as after 39.c5 , followed by Kb6 and Kxa6, White's a-pawn is much faster than any passed pawn Black might obtain on the kingside. ] 36.d5 f7 37.d3 d6 38.g4 e6 39.xc3 xc3 40.xc3 f5 41.d4 fxg4 42.hxg4 e5+ [ 42...h5 43.gxh5 gxh5 44.f4 also wins for White ] 43.e3 g5 44.d3 d6 45.d4 h2 46.a4 g1+ 47.c4 e5 48.b4 f4 49.xa6 xf3 50.e5 h2 51.e6 d6 52.d5 [ 52.c5! would have been more accurate, as after h5 53.a5 hxg4 54.a6 g3 55.a7 , the a-pawn promotes with check. ] 52...f8 53.b8 h5 This is Black's last chance. [ After 53...xg4? 54.a5 , White's pawn is again much faster. ] 54.d7 [ 54.a5? hxg4 55.a6 doesn't work now, since the white king blocks the check on a8. ] 54...hxg4 [ If 54...e7 , then 55.e5+ f4 56.gxh5 g4 57.xg4 xg4 58.h6 wins. ] 55.xf8 g3 56.e7 g2 57.e8 g1 58.e4+ g3 59.e6 So Black has managed to get a new queen as well. All the same, White is a piece up and – very importantly – still has a pawn on the board and is therefore winning. The computer indicates more precise moves for each side in the rest of the game, but the result is never in doubt and so requires no commentary. d1+ 60.d4 b3+ 61.e5 g4 62.f5 h2
63.f2+ h1 64.h4+ g1 65.xg4+ h1 66.e4+ h2 67.f6 a3 68.e5 c3+ 69.d4 a5+ 70.d6 a6+ 71.d7 b7+ 72.c7 f3 73.h8+ g1 74.d4+ h2 75.e5+ g1 76.a5 d3+ 77.c8 h3+ 78.b8 b3+ 79.a7 a3 80.a6 h1 81.b6 g3 82.d5+ h2 83.a7 1-0
E69 Dautov,R Georgiev,V European Team Ch., Batumi (Game 49) [Damian Lemos]
1999
1.d4 f6 2.c4 d6 3.f3 g6 4.g3 g7 5.g2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.c3 a5 8.e4 e5 9.h3 bd7 10.e1 exd4 11.xd4 e5 12.f1 As we have seen from previous games, Black’s activity is temporary. White has good resources to keep the strong centre and will eventually push the black pieces back. e8 13.e3 c5 The main alternative to 13...Be6. Black plays this aggressive-looking move in order to drive the white knight away from the centre, and with a trick in mind (see the next note). On the other hand, the drawbacks are obvious: it leaves some weaknesses in the centre, such as the d5-square and the backward d6-pawn. 14.b3 [ 14.db5? is dubious in view of the trick referred to above (and in the notes to the previous game). When the white bishop went to f1 a couple of moves ago, it left the f3-square underprotected, which means Black can now play xe4! 15.xe4 xe1! 16.xe1 f3+ 17.h1 xe1 and then: 18.bxd6 ( not 18.xe1? xe4; while 18.exd6 is met by xe3! 19.fxe3 c2 20.c1 xe3 21.e1 h6 22.g2 e6 23.xb7 d8 and Black was clearly better in S.Bekker Jensen-Ax.Smith, Borup 2012. ) 18...f5! ( here 18...c2 19.xe8 xa1 20.xg7 xg7 21.xc5 is not as clear, since White has the bishop pair and dominates the dark squares ) 19.xc5 c2 20.xe8 xe8 and Black has the upper hand in the resulting endgame, as this time he will get the bishop pair after ...Nxe3. ] 14...b4 Black has to continue playing aggressively. If he retreats the queen to c7 or d8, he will just be left with a strategically poor position. 15.d2 This is by far White’s most natural reply. 15 Bd2 opposes the black queen
on b4 and overprotects the e4-pawn. [ Nevertheless, I believe White has the better prospects after the ambitious 15.xd6!? f3+ 16.h1 ( not 16.g2? xe1+ , since Black takes the rook with check! ) 16...xe1 17.xc5 xc3!? ( after 17...f8 18.xf8+ xf8 19.xb4 c2 20.xf8 xa1 21.e7 xb3 22.xf6 , White has a clear advantage in my opinion ) 18.bxc3 xe4 19.f4 . The position is double-edged but, given the opportunity, I would choose White's queen over Black's minor pieces. ] 15...b6 [ Taking the c4-pawn would be a mistake. After 15...xc4? 16.a3 xb3 17.xb3 xd2 18.d1 xf1 19.g4! , White prevents ...Bxh3 and the knight on f1 is doomed, so Black doesn’t get enough for the queen. ] 16.f4 c6 17.g2 White’s bishop is more relevant on the f1-a6 diagonal as it controls important squares there; whereas after 17 Bg2, the c4-pawn and d3-square are weakened. [ Instead, 17.h2 would have been a better option, A) when 17...e6 18.d5 xd5 19.cxd5 b4 ( 19...d4?? loses the queen to 20.a5 ) can be answered by 20.a3; B) or if 17...d4 , then 18.d3 and White retains the stronger centre, although Black has a dynamic position. Chances are probably level. ] 17...e6 [ Black might consider the aggressive 17...d4!? , but then 18.e3 xb3 19.xb3 xb3 20.axb3 gives White the better endgame; for example, d7 21.ad1 c6 22.f2 ad8 23.d2 with good prospects for White, since the d6-pawn is a permanent weakness. ] 18.d5 xd5 19.cxd5 Now the game reminds me of a Modern Benoni. After 19 cxd5, White gets a central/kingside majority. On the other hand, Black should find some counterplay on the queenside. b4 [ The immediate 19...c4+? fails to 20.e3 b5 (or anywhere) 21.dxc6 cxb3 22.e5! dxe5 23.cxb7 ab8 24.fxe5 xe5 25.xb3 and White is winning ] [ while 19...d4 again cedes the better prospects to White, this time following 20.xd4 cxd4 21.b3 xb3 22.axb3 , when White has two active bishops and the chance to open the position with e5, or if
d7 then 23.b4 (Dautov). ] 20.c3 c4+ [ Taking into consideration that White has the bishop pair, Black might play 20...fxd5!? 21.xg7 ( or 21.exd5 c4+ 22.h2 cxb3 23.xb3 xc3 ) 21...xg7 22.exd5 xe1+ 23.xe1 c4+ 24.h2 cxb3 25.c3+ g8 26.xb3 e8 27.a3 a6 (Dautov) and White has only a nominal advantage due to his bishop. ] 21.d4 [ White has to be careful. The natural 21.d4? runs into fxd5! ( or 21...d3! , followed by ...Nxd5, which may be even better ) 22.exd5 xe1+ 23.xe1 xd4+ and Black wins a pawn at least. ] 21...b5 22.c1 h5? The knight is going to be misplaced on the edge of the board. Black had two stronger alternatives here. [ Dautov recommends 22...d7 (with the idea of ...Nc5-d3) 23.xg7 xg7 24.a3 d3! ( after 24...a6 25.b4 cxb3 26.xb3 , White has a slight edge ) 25.xd3 cxd3 26.d2 , when the d3-pawn is weak, but Black has a lot of activity in return: ac8 27.ac1 xc1 28.xc1 f6 29.c3 b6+ 30.h2 e3 31.d1 and now xe4! equalizes, according to Dautov; for example, 32.xd3 ( not 32.xe4? e2+ 33.g2 xd1 and the d-pawn will promote ) 32...f2 33.d2 e2 34.xe2 xe2 . ] [ In similar spirit, GM Stohl suggests an immediate 22...d3!? 23.xd3 ( 23.e2?! runs into g4! and if 24.xg7?? then c5+ wins; or if 23.a4? then xd5! 24.exd5 xe1+ 25.xe1 xe1 and Black has a clear advantage ) 23...cxd3 , and then: A) 24.d2? loses to xe4! 25.xe4 xe4 26.xg7 e2! ; for example, 27.c3 d2 28.h8 ( or 28.h6 c5+ ) 28...f6! 29.xf6 e1+ 30.h2 d7 .; B) Trading queens with 24.b3?! xb3 25.axb3 also favours Black this time, who has d2 26.e2 xe4! 27.xg7 ac8! 28.d1 ( White can't take the knight due to ...Rc1+, while if 28.c3 xc3 29.xd2 then e2! is strong ) 28...xg7 (Stohl) 29.xe4 xe4 30.dxd2 ( still not 30.xe4? c1 ) 30...c1+ 31.f2 b4 with the better prospects in the rook endgame; C) White should probably limit himself to 24.e3 , when xd5! 25.xd3 xd4+ 26.xd4 e3 (Stohl) 27.d2 xg2 28.xg2 ac8 is just equal. ]
23.xg7 xg7 24.h2 c5 [ 24...d3 is still possible, as in Dautov's line with 22...Nd7 above, but here White has swapped a2-a3 for the more useful Kh2. For instance, after 25.xd3 cxd3 26.d2 ac8 27.ac1 xc1 28.xc1 f6 29.c3 , Black no longer has a queen check and so must resort to d2 30.xd2 xe4 31.d4+ f6 32.g4 b6 (forced) 33.xb6 axb6 34.g5 h5 35.c4 e2 36.b4 and White is slightly better (Stohl). ] 25.d2 f6 26.a3 a6 27.b4 [ White could have played 27.c3 first in order to stop Black’s next move, when c7 28.b4 b6 29.xc4 cxd5 30.d3 just leaves Black with his weak d-pawn. ] 27...c3! A worthwhile try; [ since White is just clearly better after 27...b6 28.a2 ] [ or 27...cxb3 28.xb3 b6 29.ab1 . The open position doesn't favour Black's knight pair, whereas White threatens both Na5 and e4-e5. ] 28.d3 c7 29.b3 [ 29.b5 wins a pawn but allows Black's pieces to become more active after c5 30.xc3 ac8 , and if 31.e5 then dxe5 32.d6 b6 33.fxe5 fd7 . ] 29...ac8 30.a5?! [ 30.ac1 first was more accurate, and if c2 ( or 30...c4 31.xc4 xc4 32.a5 c7 33.e5 ) , then 31.d4 c3 32.xc3 xc3 33.b5 d3 34.xc2 xd5 35.f1! e3 36.d1 f6 37.xd6 e7 38.e5 and White should win easily. ] 30...c2 31.ac1 e7? Black has no chance if he defends passively. [ I'd have tried 31...c3 32.xc3 xc3 33.xb7 xd5 and, even if White's advantage is beyond question, at least Black can still resist; for example, after 34.xd6 e7 35.e5 ( or 35.b5 e3! ) 35...e3 36.b5 d3 . ] 32.e3!? Preventing any counterplay based on ...Qc3. [ Alternatively, I think White is already prepared to play 32.e5! , and if e8 ( not 32...dxe5? 33.d6 d7 34.fxe5 ) 33.e2 c3 , then simply 34.xc2! xc2 35.exc2 xc2 36.xc2 dxe5 37.fxe5 xe5 38.xb7 with a winning endgame. ] 32...b6 Dautov criticizes this move, but it's hard to suggest a significant improvement for Black, as he's lacking activity. 33.e2 xb4 A desperate last-ditch effort; otherwise White
just takes the c2-pawn while retaining all his pluses. 34.axb4 xb4 35.d2 Trading pieces off is usually a good idea if you have more material, and Black's desire to avoid them just makes things easier for White. b5 36.e5 e8?! 37.f1 c5?! 38.exd6 xe2+ 39.xe2 a4 40.d7 [ White wins the rook after 40.d7 xd7 41.d4+ , so Black resigns. ] 1-0
