Compensación de potencia reactiva

Question: What is the purpose of placing the bishop on g5

when there is no black knight yet on f6?

Answer: This is the line I suggested for White in my Veresov book, since it suits the super aggressive,

Type-A chess personality who always plays for mate. The line is quite similar to White’s plans in Chapters Two and Three: White normally plays Qd2 which keeps his f-pawn flexible: f4, and sometimes Nf3, often follow. The bishop on g5 inhibits Black from playing either ... e6 Hippo lines, or ... e5.

Question: Is there a downside to White’s plan?

Answer: The downside: White’s grip on d4 is less firm than in the Be3 lines, and we often base our

counterplay on this fact. 4 ... a6

We still play our ... a6 plan, statistically the highest scoring, despite the alteration from White. Another interpretation is to strike at d4 immediately with the Sniper-like 4 ... c5.

Question: If you play 4 ... c5 yourself, then why cover 4 ... a6 in the book?

Answer: My 4 ... c5 was an experiment which I may or may not repeat! 5 Bb5+ (this move gives

Black a nice position; White scores heavily after 5 dxc5! Qa5 6 Qd2 Qxc5 7 Nd5! so I’m not likely to repeat the experiment!) 5 ... Bd7 6 Bxd7+ Nxd7 7 Nge2 cxd4 8 Nxd4 Qb6 9 Nb3?! Bxc3+! 10 bxc3 Ngf6 11 0-0!? Nxe4 12 Bh6 f5 and White didn’t get enough attack or activity for the pawn plus damaged structure in J.Humphrey-C.Lakdawala, San Diego (rapid) 2012.

The most flexible of White’s options. In this chapter we also look at 5 f4.

Question: What if White plays 5 a4? Now we can’t

play the Hippopotamus set-up, since ... e6 is not possible.

Answer: If White plays that way we should hit back at his weakest point, d4. A good example is the

following game: 5 ... Nc6! 6 Nge2 Nf6 7 f3 e5 8 d5 (8 dxe5 Nxe5 also looks fine for Black) 8 ... Ne7 9 Qd2 h6 10 Be3 c6! 11 dxc6 bxc6 12 a5 d5 13 Bc5 Be6; Black already looks better due to his strong central control, M.Ulibin-P.Svidler, St Petersburg 1998.

5 ... b5

Next game we look at the move order 5 ... Nd7 6 Nf3 b5 7 a4. 6 Nf3

White prefers to play in Chapter Two style.

Answer: The f3 plans don’t work so well for White since his bishop sits on g5. When White later

pushes g4, his own piece on g5 impedes the path of his pawn storm. Also, when Black responds with ... h5, White lacks the bypass move g5, again, due to the unfortunate placement of his bishop.

It probably makes more sense to loosen Black immediately with 6 a4, after which 6 ... b4 7 Nd5 a5 8 c3 c6 9 Ne3 bxc3 10 bxc3 Nf6 11 Bd3 Ba6 12 f4!? turned into a strange Austrian Attack hybrid, not unfavourable to Black in M.Feygin-M.Roobol, Dutch League 2007.

6 ... Bb7

6 ... Nd7 transposes to my game against Graves, which is next up. 7 Bd3?!

I suggest 7 Bc4 in my book A Ferocious Opening Repertoire . I feel this is the point where White begins to drift. If White hopes to get anything at all in this line, it must be based on an early disturbance of Black’s equilibrium. Perhaps even better than 7 Bc4 is a quick 7 a4! b4 8 Nd5: for example, 8 ... a5 9 Bd3!? (this is actually a pawn sac by White) 9 ... h6 10 Bh4 g5 11 Bg3 g4 12 Ng1 c6 (12 ... Bxd4? drops a piece to the check) 13 Ne3 Bxd4 14 0-0-0 and White’s development lead compensates for the pawn.

7 ... c5!

Now we begin to see one of White’s problems in the line: Black achieves ... c5 without preparation since White’s bishop, normally on e3, finds itself off on an adventure on g5.

8 dxc5

White, relying on his development lead, doesn’t mind opening the position. 8 ... dxc5 9 0-0-0!?

I told you these Bg5 guys are aggressive. In this case the accommodations on the queenside are not up to the king’s usual five-star standard. Perhaps the time has arrived for a radical pawn sac with 9 Nd5!? c4 10 Be2 Bxb2 11 Rd1 Bxd5 12 exd5.

9 ... c4!

If queens come off the board, this partially negates the ill-effects of White’s development lead. 10 Be2 Qxd2+ 11 Nxd2

Question: Why not recapture with the bishop to avoid ... Bxc3 ideas?

Answer: He would like to, but that recapture would leave his e-pawn weak after 11 Bxd2?! Nf6 12

11 ... Nd7

A structure lover like me would jump at the chance to take immediately on c3. 12 a4?!

Question: You just gave White a dubious mark, yet he follows the principle: open the position when

ahead in development. Why?

Answer: You attempt to divide a number by zero. An overwhelming will to succeed isn’t enough if

your position lacks the essential requirements to implement your plan. The principle isn’t: open your own king’s position when ahead in development, which is exactly what White just initiated.

Question: But queens are off the board. Isn’t this

justification for White’s move?

Answer: Players also get mated in endings, just as White did this game!

Instead 12 Nd5 Rc8 13 f3 e6 14 Nc3 (14 Ne3?! c3 favours Black) 14 ... Bxc3! 15 bxc3 is similar to the game continuation.

Excellent judgment. Black tacks down the c-pawns firmly, as if to a bulletin board at the grocery store.

Question: Really? Give up control over the

dark squares to damage White’s pawns?

Answer: This is where strategic intuition comes into play. As we soon see, the permanent damage to

White’s pawn structure outweighs dark-square issues since a secondary factor takes birth: White’s king safety.

13 bxc3 Nc5!

Forcing resolution and opening the a-file for Black’s rook. 14 axb5 axb5 15 f3 Nf6 16 Be3

Somehow, the bishop doesn’t appear nearly as scary as he used to be. 16 ... Nfd7

Covering c5 and preparing to meet any Bd4 with ... e5. 17 Nb1 0-0 18 Rd4 Ra2

Entering the premises without a warrant. Black seeds the queenside, fertile soil with his attackers. 19 Rhd1 Bc6!

White’s rooks have no entry down the d-file, while Black’s queenside build up is very real. 20 Bf1 Rfa8 21 g3??

White plans Bh3 next, probing connection points and hoping for the spark which smashes Black’s blockade. However, he overlooks a dire threat. The fact that queens are off the board doesn’t give White license to relax. He had to try 21 R4d2 and pray.

Exercise (combination alert): White’s king looks out of place, like

some politician who doles out soup to the homeless (his other pieces!) as a photo opportunity. Carpenters understand: measure twice,

then cut. Black to play and force checkmate!

Answer: 21 ... Rxc2+!

This shot qualifies under the in-case-you-hadn’t-noticed category! 22 Kxc2

The effects of the king’s antidepressant soon begin to wear off. 22 ... Ra2+ 0-1

It’s mate next move. Summary

In my opinion White’s best shot at an edge in the Bg5 lines is to meet ... a6 with a quick a4. Game 25

C.Lakdawala-P.Graves