A los particulares:

With this move White is trying not to assist Black's development and he continues to mobilize his own forces as quickly as possible. However, the subse quent altera­ tion to the pawn-structure is ad­ vantageous to Black. He obtains the excellent c5-s quare for his knight and then White's bishop on d3 is threatened with ex­ change. In addition, Black can set up a secure blockade on the e6- and f5- s quares.

6 •. .lL!xe5

We cannot recommend 6 ... id6?!, because after 7.c4 c6 8. cxd5 cxd5 9 .if4 the loose black bishop on d6 is a tactical weak­ ness.

7 .dxe5 tLlc5 8.i.e3

After 8.ie2 ie7 9.ie3, the game transposes to the variation 8.ie3 ie7 9.ie2.

The move 8.f4 presents Black with a choice:

after 8 ... g6, White can change his mind and avoid the exchange of his light-s quared bishop with. 9.ie2. After 9 ... if5 10.ie3 c6 11. liJd2 ie7 (it is not good for Black to play ll...d4 12.if2 d3 13.cxd3 liJxd3 14.ie3±) 12. liJf3 liJe6 13.id3 ixd3 14.cxd3 d4 15.id2 'Wd5oo, a complex strategical battle arises, with chances for both sides, Kar­ jakin - Topalov, Nice (rapid) 200 9;

8 ... liJxd3!? I like this move best. 9.'Wxd3 ic5 ( 9 ... g6 10.ie3 ie7 ll. liJc3 c6 12. liJe2 - see 8.ie3 ie7 9.f4 liJxd3 10.'Wxd3 g6 l l. liJc3

3.d4 {jjxe4 4. fld3 d5 5. {jjxe5 {jj d7 6. 0 - 0 {jjxe5 7.dxe5 {jj c5 c 6 1 2 .{jje 2) 10 .fle 3 flxe 3 l l .�xe 3

flfS= . Black has obtained a good position .

After 8 .{jjc 3, Black bolsters his dS-pawn with 8 . . . c 6

and then:

9 .�f 3 fle 6 10 .{jje 2 �d 7 l l .{jjf4 {jjxd 3 1 2.cxd 3, Ti viakov - Deviat­ kin, Moscow 200 9 . After 1 2 .. . flfS 1 3.fld 2 fle 7 (1 3 . . . 0-0-0 ! ?) 14 . {jjhS 0-0 1S.�g 3 flg 6 1 6.{jjf4 flfS= there is a possible repetition of moves . However, the only reason­ able possibility of avoiding this is for Black to castle queenside on his 1 31h move .

9 .f4 g 6 ( 9 .. . {jjxd 3! ? 10 .�xd 3 flcS l l .i>h l g 6=) 10 .{jje 2, lnarkiev - Akopian, Jermuk 200 9 . This was the right time to capture the bishop : 10 . . . {jjxd 3! l l .�xd 3 flfS=, with a fine position .

9 .{jje 2 - I believe that this is White's most logical move . His knigh t is restricted by the pawn­ chain c 6-dS and he wants to rede­ ploy it to a be tter location . 9 . . . fle 7 10 .f4 f 6 (for 10 . . . {jjxd 3 l l .�xd 3 g 6 1 2 .ie 3- see 8 .i.e 3 fle 7 9 .f4 {jjxd 3 10 .�xd 3 g 6 l l .{jjc 3 c 6 1 2.{jje 2) 11 . fle 3 {jjxd 3 1 2 .�xd 3 0-0 1 3.c4 fxeS 14 .fxeS

14 . . . i.e 6 (it was also good for Black to opt here for 14 . . . �c 7 ! ? lS.cxdS �xeS 1 6.dxc 6 bxc 6=) lS. (jjf4 i.fS 1 6.�d4 figS 1 7 .cxdS flxf4 18 .!'1xf4 �xdS 1 9 .�xdS cxdS 20 .

l"1afl ( 20 .!'1c l ie 6 21 .!'1xf8 l"1xf8 2 2 . E1c 7 E1f7 23.!'1xf7 i>xf7 24 .flxa 7 d4= . Black is a pawn down, but wi th bishops of opposite colour Black should easily dra w this position .) 20 . . . g 6 21 .g4 i.e 6 2 2 .

l"1xf8 l"1xf8 23.!'1xf8, draw, Mame­ dyarov - Kramnik, Wi jk aan Zee

2008 .

8 ... i.e7

9.f4

9 .ie 2 . W hite avoids the ex­ change, but is forced to move his bishop to a less active post . He loses a valuable tempo in doing so, and in the meantime Black 9 7

Chapter 12

succeeds in coordinating his own pieces. 9 ... 0-0 10.f4 c6 ! It is es­ sential for Black to bolster his d5- pawn. ( He should refrain from 10 ... f6 11.exf6 l'l:xf6 12.c4 !e6 13. cxd5 and here it would be a disas­ ter for Black to play 13 ... hd5 14. li:Jc3 ±, because with queens pre­ sent on the board White's advan­ tage is overwhelming , thanks to his great piece-activity in the cen­ tre and on the kingside , Tkachiev - Giri , France 2010. The correct way for Black is to play 13 ... ®'xd5 14. li:Jc3 ®'xd1 15. l'l:axd H and White's position is only slightly more active.). 11.c3 ( The reckless move 11.f5?! irrevocably weakens his e5-pawn and Black can exploit this immediately with 11... li:Jd7! 12.f6 gxf6 13.exf6 hf6 14. li:Jc3. White cannot develop his knight to any other reasonable s quare , but here it is restricted by the pawn-chain c6-d5 and thus Black easily parries his opponent's ini­ tiative. 14 ... l'l:e8 15. ®'d2 ®'e7 16. l'l:f3 li:Je5 17. l'l:g3 li:Jg6 18. l'l:f1 !e5 1 9. l'l:gf3 ®'d6+) 1 l...f6 ! (after 11 ... !f5 Black must reckon with the possibility of 12.g4!?) 12.exf6 l'l:xf6 13. li:Jd2 !f5 (another interesting try is 13 ... a5 !?, preventing b2-b4 and securing the safe c5-s quare for his knight) 14.g4 !d3 15.hd3 li:Jxd3 16. ®'c2 li:Jc5 17. l'l:ae1 l'l:f8=. White's position is seemingly more active , but all Black's piec­ es are well placed and his c6- and d5- pawns solidify his posi­ tion. The game is approximately e qual.

9 . . . d4! ?

This is a very interesting pos­ sibility for Black.

It is too risky to continue with 9 ... 0-0 10.f5 d4 11. !f4! t; with his last move White bolsters his pawn -centre.

It is quite sound for Black to continue with the popular line: 9 ... li:Jxd3 10. ®'xd3 g6 11. li:Jc3 c6 12. li:Je2 0 -0 ( After routine play by Black , White maintains a slight edge : 12 ... !f5 13. ®'d2 ®'d7 14. li:Jg3 0-0 15. l'l:ae H. It might be inter­ esting for Black to try to secure the blockading s quare f5 for his bishop: 12 ... h5 !? 13 J�ad1 h4 14.h3 !f5 f±; White has been deprived of the g3-s quare for his knight , while if he attacks the enemy bishop on f5 with his knight from d4 , Black

3.d4 liJxe4 4 .�d3 d5 5.liJxe5 liJd7 6 . 0 -0 liJxe5 7.dxe5 liJcS

13.liJg3 (it would be premature for White to play 13.f5?! hf5 14.E\xf5 gxf5 15.�h6 lbh8 16.�xf8 �xf8 17.E\f1 'l!!ib6 18.'ibh1 'l!!ixb2 19.liJd4 E\e8+; White does not have enough pieces left to organ­ ize an effective attack, while Black has already gobbled up a couple of pawns, Polgar - Gelfand, Khanty-Mansyisk 2009) 13 ... �h4 (Black cannot halt the enemy f­ pawn without exchanging his dark-squared bishop. After 13 .. . h 5 14.f5 h4, White's knight joins in the attack with 15.liJh5 ! ! +- and Black is in big trouble. It is not good either to continue with 13 ... f5 14.exf6 hf6 15.f5 gxf5 16.c3t and White has the initiative; and if 13 ... 1l!ic7 14.f5 1l!ixe5 15.�d4 1l!ic7 16.E\ae1-t White's attack is tre­ mendously dangerous.) 14.�c5 E\e8 15.\bh1

15 .. . b6! (Black does not yet need to defend against f4-f5 in radical fashion by playing 15 ... hg3. He would prefer to trade his dark-squared bishop for its white counterpart, or not ex­ change it at all. After 16.1l!ixg3 �f5 17.c3 h5 18.h3 lbh7 19.1bh2 b6, Adams - Gelfand, Plovdiv 2010,

White could maintain an edge with 20.�d6!±, penetrating into the enemy camp with his bishop.) 16.�d6 �e7! Black is reluctant to tolerate the enemy bishop on d6 for long, especially since after its exchange White will find it diffi­ cult to to advance with f4-f5. 17. he7 'l!!ixe7. Black has a good game, since f4-f5 is no longer a threat. For example, he can coun­ ter 18.E\ae1 with 18 ... a5 ! 19.1l!id2 �a6 20.E\f3 f5+. White's kingside play has been blocked, while Black is ready to gradually pre­ pare to advance with c6-c5 and d5-d4, seizing the initiative.

1 0 .i.f2 0 - 0

ll.f5

White's pawns look beautiful, but they are not supported effec­ tively by his pieces, so Black gains excellent counterplay.

An attempt by White to win the enemy d4-pawn by any means would not bring any benefit: 11. �c4 �f5 12 .g4 �d7 (another inter­ esting option is 12 ... �e4 ! ? 13.liJd2 b5 14.hb5 �b7� and Black has good compensation for the pawn, 99

Chapter 12

thanks to the weakened long di­ agonal in White's camp) 13.f5 tt:le4 14 . .bd4 .ic6 15.c3 .ih4i; Black plans to use the g5-square for his queen or knight, and he also has the undermining move h7-h5 in reserve. Even though­ White has an extra pawn his de­ fence is very problematic.

ll ... .tg5!

Black's bishop is activated, evading the possible threat of f5- f6 in the process.

12)i:la3

12 . . . b6! ?

Black could have played the even simpler 12 .. .\WdS 13.tt:lb5

�xeS 14 . .ig3 �e3 15.Wh1 tt:lxd3 16.cxd3 .id7 17.tt:lxc7 E1ad8 18. tt:ld5 �d2 19.�xd2 hd2 20 . .ic7 l"1a8 (another interesting option is 20 ... l"1de8 ! ? 2l..id6 l"1e2 22 . .bf8 Wxf8� and in this position Black's domination compensates for the exchange) 2l.f6 g5 ! = , and Black should be able to to hold the bal­ ance.

13.�f3 .tb7 14.�g4 ll:lxd3 15.cxd3 f6 !? 16.h4 i.h6 17.e6 c5oo

The position offers chances for both sides, since they both have their trumps for the coming strug­ gle.

Conclusio n

In this line, just as in the variatio ns in which White cap tures o n eS with his pawn, p reserving his knight o n f.3 fro m exchange, co mpli­ cated,fighting po sitio ns arise in which Black has goo d p ro spects. The mo ve 9 _{. . . d4!?, which I believe is a very interesting po ssibility , de­}

Chapter 13 l.e4 e5 2)ijf3 �f6 3.d4 �xe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.�xe5 �d7 6.�xd7 hd7 7. 0 - 0

7 ... .id6

This move is simple, natural and the best. Black only needs to castle to complete his develop­ ment. White's task is to exploit the somewhat exposed position of his opponent's knight on e4 and to try to attack something, or to provoke some weakening move (such as f7-f5). We shall try to an­ alyze all these possibilities, one by one.

I am not going to try to analyze all of Black's possibilities here, so I shall skip the famous theoretical line starting with 7 ... �h4, fol­ lowed by castling queenside, which is very risky for Black.

8.'tvh5

The position becomes com-

pletely equal if White plays in primitive fashion with 8.tt:Jd2 0-0 9.tt:Jxe4 dxe4 10.he4 hh2 11. 'tt>xh2 �h4 12.'tt>g1 �xe4 13.l"le1 �f5=

White's more popular options 8.tt:Jc3 and 8.c4 will be analyzed in the next two chapters.

8 ••• YU6 !

This i s the most precise and forcing way for Black to equalize.

It is weaker for him to play 8 ... tt:Jf6 9.l"le1 'tt>f8± and his position is uncomfortable, since he has lost his castling rights.

9)Lic3

The alternatives lead to a draw:

9.ie3 .if5 10.f3 g6 1l.�h6 .if8 101

Chapter 13

12.'Wf4 i.d6= lordachescu - Lan­ da, Reggio Emilia 2006;

9.'Wxd5 i.c6 10.'Wh5 (but not 10.'Wc4?! 0-0-0t and Black's ini­ tiative is tremendously powerful) 10 ... 'Wxd4 11.'Lld2 0-0 (capturing the pawn is too risky - after 11... tt:Jxd2 12.hd2 'Wxb2? ! 13.Elfe1 �f8 14.'Wh4t, although White has no direct threats, Black has lost his castling rights, and White's long-term initiative based on this is worth much more than a pawn) 12 .'Llxe4 he4 13.i.e3 'Wd5 14. 'Wxd5 hd5=. There will hardly be any fight left in this position.

9 . . . 'Wxd4

1 0 . .ie3

10.'Wxd5 'Wxd5 11.'Llxd5 'Llc5= 10.'Llxd5 i.c6 11.'Lle3 g6 12. 'Wh3

12 ... 0-0 ! Whenever you don't know what to do, develop your pieces! This principle is quite ap­ propriate in this position, because castling is Black's most reliable road to equality. 13.'Llc4 'Llc5 (a good alternative is 13 ... Elfe8 14. i.e3 'Wf6 15.tt:Jxd6 tt:Jxd6 16.c3 i.e4=. Black's knight is headed for the f5-square) 14.i.e3 'Wf6 15. tt:Jxd6 (15.i.e2 'Lle6 16.'Llxd6 cxd6 17.c3 'Llf4 18.hf4 'Wxf4=. Black will soon seize the open e-file and this will compensate for his vul­ nerable d6-pawn.) 15 ... tt:Jxd3 16. tt:Jxb7 'Llxb2 17.'Lla5 i.e4=

If Black chooses any move oth­ er than 12 ... 0-0, he fails to equal­ ize completely:

12 ... tt:Jg5 13.'Wg4 'Wf4 (or 13 ... 'Wxg4 14.tt:Jxg4 'Lle6 15.Ele1 0-0-0 16.'Lle5;t and White's bishop-pair will create long-term problems for Black) 14.'Wxf4 hf4 15.'Llc4;t and White maintains some pres­ sure, Deep Fritz - Kramnik, Bonn 2006;

12 ... 'Llc5 13.Eld1! (13.i.c4 i.d7 14.'Wf3 0-0-0 15.Eld1 'We5 16.g3 i.e6=) 13 .. . 'Llxd3 14.Elxd3 'We4 15.i.d2;t. ; White has a dangerous initiative on the dark squares.

10 ... 'We5 ll.�xe5 .ixe5

12.ll:l xd5 ltlf6

(diagram) 13J'�ael

This move is much trickier than 13.Elfe1 0-0=, when Black equalizes immediately, Tiviakov - Giri, Hoogeveen 2010.

13 ... ll:lxd5 14.i.d4

3.d4 CiJxe4 4 .1l.d3 d5 5.li'Jxe5 CiJd7 6 .CiJxd7 hd7 7.0 -0 1l.d6

16.1l.x:f4 0-0 17.1l.x:e5 fxe5 18.i.c4 �h8 19J''1xf8 �xf8 20.�xe5 �e8 2U'1xe8 1l.x:e8 22 .h4 h6 23.�f2 g5 24.hxg5 hxg5 25.�e3 �g7 26.�d4 �f6=, although White's king is more active he cannot achieve much.

14 . . . 0 - 0 - 0 15 . .ixe5 If 15.�xe5 CiJf4 16.�e7 CiJxd3 17.cxd3 i.c6=

15 . . . CiJb4!

It is essential for Black to elim­ inate White's advantage of the bishop-pair quickly, and he can achieve this by means of some in­ tricate tactics.

16.i.c4

Or 16.1l.x:g7 CiJxd3 17.cxd3 �hg8, followed by i.d7-c6=

16 . . . CiJxc2 17J"le2 f6 18.i.c3 .if5

19.g4

Black also equalizes convinc­ ingly after White's other options: 19.�e7 �d7 20.�xd7 �xd7 21. �dl �e7 22.�cl c5 23.g4 i.g6 24. i.b3 CiJd4 25.1l.x:d4 cxd4 26J'!c7 �d6 2 7.�xb7 �e8+. Black's d­ pawn is so powerful that White must worry about maintaining equality.

19.�cl CiJd4 20.�e7 g5! = ; White has some compensation for the pawn, but only enough to keep the balance.

19 . . . i.g6 2 0 .{4

If 2 0.�cl CiJd4 2 l.�e7 �he8 22.�xg7 �e4 23.h3 CiJf3 24.�g2 �xc4 25.�xf3 �d3 26.�g2 b5=

2 0 • . • CiJd4 2U!e7 ghe8 22.

gxg7 f5 23.g5 Or 23.1l.x:d4 �xd4 24.b3 a6 25.a4 �ee4= 23 .•. CiJe2 24.'it>g2 24.1l.x:e2 �xe2 25.�f2 �xf2 26. 'it>xf2 �d7 27.�g8 �d8= 24 ... CiJxc3 25.bxc3 ge4 26 . .ig8 gd2 27.gf2 gxf2 28.'it>xf2 gx{4 29.'it>g3 gg4 30 .'it>f3 103

Chap ter 13

side.

It is less precise for him to play 30 ... E:xg5 3l.�e6 �d8 32.E:d7 �e8 33J"lxc7±, and White has a slight edge, although the most probable result of the game is a draw.

31 . .ixh7 .ixh7 32. l1xh7

gxg5 33.h4 gg4 34.h5 gh4 35. �g3 gg4 36.�h3 ggl 37.h6 f4 38.@h4 fJ 39.gf7 ghl 4 0 .@g5 ggl 41.�h5 ghl 42.@g6 ggl=.

30 ... b5! White is forced to repeat moves,

In this way Black plans to ere- because if he moves his king to h7

ate a passed pawn on the queen- he might even lose.

Co nclusio n

The mo ve B.Wi h5 leads to simp lificatio n and co mp lete equality. Naturally, the mo st likely result will be a draw if both sides play co r­

Chapter 14 l.e4 e5 2 .!iJfJ !iJf6 3.d4 !iJxe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.!iJxe5 !iJd7 6.!iJxd7 hd7 7. 0 - 0 .id6 8.!iJc3

In this variation Black must play accurately to equalize.

8 .. .lLJXC3

It would be too risky for Black to play here 8 . . . �h4 9.g3 ti:lxc3 10.bxc3 �h3 (after10 .. �g4 11. :1'1el:t Black loses his castling rights and is thus faced with a long and rather unpleasant defence) 11. :1'1b1 ! 0-0-0 12.c4 dxc4 13.�f3 c6 14 . .b:c4t and White's initiative is very dangerous, Zhigalko - Li Chao, Puerto Madryn 2009.

9.bxc3 0 - 0 1 0 .�h5

This is the idea of the move 8.ti:lc3. White allows his c-pawns to be doubled, but provokes an important positional weakeness

in _{the enemy camp. Black's f5-pawn}

will not only restrict his bishop

but also weaken the e5-square, which might be very unpleasant for him if he is unable to prevent the disadvantageous exchange of the dark-squared bishops.

For 10.:1'1b1 b6 11.�h5 f5 - see 10.�h5.

1 0 ... f5

lU�bl

11.:1'1e1 c6 (Black is close to equality after 11...�f6 12.�f3 �f7! 13.i.f4 :1'1ae8, Korneev - Khenkin, Drezden 2007.) 12.i.g5 (White does not achieve much with 12 .c4 �f6 13.c3 :1'1fe8 14.i.g5 �f7 15. �xf7 lt>xf7= Rozentalis - Hari­ krishna, Germany 2008.) 12 .. . �c7 13.c4 (it i s a draw after 13.i.e7 :1'1fe8 14.i.xf5 .b:h2 15.�xh2 �xh2 105

Chapter 14

16.Wxh2 .b:f5= Balogh - Yusu­ pov, Bastia 2004) 13 ... .ie8

14.�h4 dxc4 15 . .b:c4 .ifl 16. .id3. Here it is imprecise for Black to play 16 ... .ig6, Dominguez - Gelfand, Bermuda 2005. White can continue with 17.c4 !±, keep­ ing a slight edge. It is much stronger for Black to bravely play 16 ... g6! , without being afraid of ghosts. His kingside pawn-struc­ ture is quite harmonious and after 17 . .if6 l"'fe8= White cannot ex­ ploit the slight weakening of the dark squares in Black's camp.

14.�h3 dxc4 15 . .b:c4 (The po­ sition is equal after 15 . .b:f5 h6 16 . .ie6 .ifl 17 . .b:h6 gxh6 18.�xh6 .b:h2 19.�xh2 �xh2 20.Wxh2 .b:e6 2l.l"\xe6 l"\xf2 2 2.l"\e7, draw, Vachi­ er Lagrave - Gelfand, Khanty­ Mansyisk 2009.) 15 . . . .if7 16 . .ie6

16 ... he6 (Here 16 ... g6 is less precise. Even though it is harm­ less for Black if White now plays 17.l"\e2 l"'fe8 18.l"\ae1l"'xe6 19.l"\xe6 he6 20.l"\xe6 �b6 2l.g4 �xd4 22.gxf5 .ic5= Mamedyarov - Gashimov, Kallithea 2008, after 17.c4!± instead, Black has to play very precisely to equalize, if in­ deed that is now possible.) 17. l"'xe6 l"'ae8 18.l"\ae1 l"\xe6 19.l"\xe6. In the game Zhigalko - Stupak, Minsk 2010, after 19 .. .'�d7 20. �b3± White gained an edge, but Black could have equalized con­ vincingly with the move 19 .. . �b6 ! = , exploiting the vulnera­ bility of his opponent's back rank. ll ... b6 12.ge1 If 12 . .ig5 �e8 13.�f3 �g6 14 . .if4 hf4 15.1�hf4 �d6 16.�xd6 cxd6 17.c4 .ie6 18.cxd5 hd5 19. c4 .ie4= Korneev - Landa, Casa­ blanca 2005.

12 ... c6 13 . .ig5 If 13.c4 �f6= 13 ... �c7 14.c4 .ie8

4 . .i d3 d5 5JiJxe5 {jj d7 6 .{/jxd7 hd7 7.0 -0 .id6 8.{/jc3

15.�h3

Black can counter 15.�f3 with 15 .. . dxc4! (Unnecessary compli­ cations arise after 15 .. . .if7 16. �xfS g6 17.�h3 dxc4 18 . .ie4±) 16.hc4 .if7 17.hf7 Ei:xf7 18.h3 �d7=, pre­ paring to move his rook to e8, af­ ter which the position will be fur­ ther simplified.

15 ... dxc4

Black can also repulse the en­ emy bishop first with 15 ... h6 16 . .id2 dxc4 17.hc4 .if7, not fearing the line 18 . .id3 ha2 ! 19.Ei:a1 .id5! 20.c4 .ie4 21.he4 fxe4 22.Ei:xe4 �f7= . Black's outside passed­ pawns on the queenside are po­ tentially very dangerous, so his prospects are not at all inferior.

16 . .ixf5

After 16.hc4 .if7 17 . .ie6 he6 18.Ei:xe6 Ei:ae8 19.�b3 (After 19. Ei:be1 Ei:xe6 20.Ei:xe6 �d7 2l.�b3

Ei:f7= Black's plans will include the pawn-advance b6-b5, advanta­ geously stabilizing the pawn­ structure. This should fully com­ pensate for White's piece-activi­ ty.) 19 .. . Ei:xe6 2 0.�xe6 Ei:f7 2l.�e8 Ei:f8 22.�e6 Ei:f7=, draw, Shirov - Kramnik, Casorla 1998.

16 ... h6!

It is weaker for Black to play 16 .. . g6 17 . .ig4± when the position is rather complicated but White's

chances are preferable, Vachier Lag­

rave - Gelfand, Khanty-Mansyisk. 17 . .ie6 .if7 18 . .ixh6 gxh6 19.�xh6 .ixh2 2 0 .�xh2 �xh2 2l.lt>xh2 .ixe6 22.l'�xe6 l'!xf2 23.l'!xc6 l'!xc2 24.l'!c7 l'!f8 25. l'!xa7 l'!f6 = . The material on the board has been almost annihilat­ ed, so the position should be a draw.

Conclusion

There were times when the move 8.{/jc3 was the cause of serious worries for devotees of the Petroff Defence. Nowadays I do not see any dif.ficultes for Black in achieving equality , but y ou can scarcely hop e for more than that, since most of the variations are quite drawish.

Chapter 15 l.e4 e5 2 . �£3 �f6 3.d4 �xe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.�xe5 �d7 6.�xd7 .ixd7 7. 0 - 0 .id6 8.c4

This is the most popular move for White in recent years and it creates the most problems for Black.

8 ... c6 9.cxd5

The variation 9.lt:lc3 0-0 10. cxd5 lt:lxc3 ll.bxc3 cxd5 transpos­ es to the main line.

9 ... cxd5 1 0 .lt:lc3

Previously White used to play 10.'1Wh5 0-0 11.'1Wxd5 i.c6 12.'1Wh5 g6 13. '1Wh3 (The move 13. '1Wh6 is senseless, because the queen is misplaced there and after 13 ... l"1e8 Black has the useful extra possi­ bility of moving his bishop to f8.) 13 ... lt:lg5 !

(diagram)

and Black has excellent com­ pensation for the pawn, for exam­ ple:

14.hg5 '1Wxg5 15.lt:lc3 l"1fe8 (It is slightly less precise for Black to play 15 ... l"1ae8 16.l"1ad1 l"1e7 17.d5 �d7 18.lt:le4 l"1xe4 19.'1Wxd7 '1We7 20.'1Wxe7 l"1xe7= and White's edge is only symbolic, Wedberg - Pe. H.Nielsen, Sweden 2000.) 16.d5 hd5 17.f4 '1Wd8 18.lt:lxd5 �c5 19. i>h1 '1Wxd5 20.l"1ac1, Shirov - Kram­ nik, Cazorla 1998. Black can con­ tinue here with 20 ... l"1e3 21.i.c4 '1Wd4=, solving all his problems.

After 14.'1Wg4 Black plays 14 ... lt:le6

3. d4 li:J xe4 4 . i.d3 d5 5 . li:J xe5 li:J d7 6 . li:J xd7 hd7 7. 0 -0 i.d6 8. c4 and now: 15.li:Jc3 h5+; 15.i.e3 h5 16.Wh3 li:Jf4 17.hf4 hf4 18.li:Jc3 Wxd4 19.li:Je2 Wf6 20.li:Jxf4 Wxf4+;

the move 15.i.h6 can be coun­ tered with the spectacular shot 15 ... i.f4! ! 16.hf8 (Or 16.hf4 Wxd4 17.li:Jc3, Holzke - Schau­ dorff, Germany 2001, and now after 17 ... h5 ! and White would have serious problems to solve, for example: 18.Wg3 li:Jxf4 19.!Ud1 Wf6 20.i.f1 Ei:ad8+ - Black's pieces are considerably more active.) 16 ... Wxd4+; all White's pieces are hanging and although Black has a material deficit, he has the advan­ tage.

15.d5! (This is the only move after which White may feel more or less confident.) 15 ... hd5 16. li:Jc3 i.c6 (Here 16 ... h5! ? is worth considering.) 17.i.h6 Ei:e8 18.Ei:ad1 Wb6 (after 18 ... Wc7, Black must reckon with 19.li:Jb5;t) 19.hg6 hh2 20.<j,Jxh2 hxg6 2l.Ei:d2 Ei:ad8=

1 0 .•• li:Jxc3 ll.bxc3 0 - 0 12.

Wh5 g6

The move 12 . . . f5 weakens the e5-square and after 13.Wf3 <j,Jh8 14.i.f4;t White maintains a stable advantage.

13.Wxd5 Wc7

We shall analyze now A)

14.c4 and B) 14 • .ih6.

For 14.h4 i.e6 15.Wf3 Wxc3 16.i.h6 Ei:fd8 - see 14.i.h6 Ei:fd8 15.h4 i.e6 16.Wf3 Wxc3.

If 14.Wf3 Wxc3 15.i.h6 (if 15. Wf6, then Black saves the day with 15 .. . Wc6 ! 16.i.g5 Ei:fe8 17.Ei:ac1 l'l:e6 18.Ei:xc6 Ei:xf6= Grigoriants - Mo­ tylev, Krasnojarsk 2007), Black can reply with 15 ... Ei:fd8 16.Wf6 i.f8 17.hf8 Ei:xf8 18.i.e4 i.c6, as well as with 15 ... Ei:fe8 16.Wf6 i.f8 17.hf8 Ei:xf8 18.i.e4 i.c6 and in both cases there is a transposition to the variation 14.i.h6 l'l:fd8 15. Wg5 Wxc3 16.Wf6 i.f8 17.M8 Ei:xf8 18.i.e4 i.c6.

White's kingside initiative af­ ter 14.h3 i.e6 15.Wf3 Wxc3 is un­ promising. He will have to seek active play on the queenside, but this will only be sufficient for equality and no more. After 16.Ei:b1 ha2 (it is a draw after 16 ... Wxd4 109

Chap ter 15

17.i.e4 Vfie5 18.g3 .bh3 19.i.b2 Vfffg5 20.Vfic3 f6 21.l=!fd1 i.e5 22.Vfic4 mh8 23 . .be5 Vfixe5 24.l=!xb7 l=!ac8 25.Vfffd5 Vfffxd5 26.l=!xd5=, but this is unnecessarily complicated) 17. l=!xb7 Vfffxd4 18 . .ib2 Vffff4=, and the draw is unavoidable.

It would be smarter for White to play 14.g3, to radically prevent the possible construction of his opponent's batteries .id6-Vfffe5, or .id6-Vffff4, but Black equalizes even then. 14 .. . .ie6 (here 14 ... .ih3 fails to 15.l=!dl .ig4 16 . .ih6 l=!fd8 17.l=!dcl and Black ends up a pawn down, since he cannot continue with 17 ... .bg3 owing to 18.Vfffg5 ! -

White is threatening Vffff6 and Black's bishop on g4 is hanging.) 15.Vffff3 Vfffxc3 16.l=!bl Vfffxd4 17.i.e4 Vfic4

and now:

18.l=!xb7 l=!ae8! (it is less pre­

In document Ficha Genealógica Nombre del ordenamiento (página 75-78)