2 Nc3 Nc6 (White's claim is that 2 ... d6 3 f4 gives him a good version of the Grand Prix Attack, since Black can't play ... d s in one go) 3 Nf3, but this just transposes to the main subject of this chapter. Thus it's not just Sveshnikov, Kalashnikov and
Lowenthal fans who may like to further explore 3 ... es!
2 ... Nc6 3 Nc3 es (Diagram 13) 4 Bc4
As Black has weakened the long diagonal, this is by far the most natural square for the bishop. Going to b5 makes less sense here and after 4 Bb5 d6 5 Bxc6+ (un
impressive, but 5 d3 can be met by 5 ... Nf6 and 6 ... Be7, or even 5 ... Nge7!? angling for a kingside fianchetto) 5 ... bxc6 6 d3 Ne7! (Black has an improved version of the Rossolimo variation 3 Bb5 e6 4 Bxc6 bxc6; he has played ... e5 in one move and now brings his knight to an excellent square on the kingside) 7 b3 Ng6 8 Ne2?!
Bg4 Black was already slightly for choice in G.Canfell-M.Sadler, Ostend 1991.
I suppose that White might also fianchetto and after 4 g3 g6 5 Bg2 Bg7 6 0-0 Nge7 7 d3 0-0 we've reached a position which usually comes about from either a Closed Sicilian or a 2 d3 move order. White often re-routes his knight here with 8 Nd2 when 8 ... d6 9 Nc4 Be6 reaches a roughly balanced position in which Black tends to expand with 10 ... Qd7 and 11.. .f5.
4 ... Be7
5 d3
BEWARE! Black must cover the gS-square if he wishes to play the Sveshnikov Gambit; 4 ... Nf6? 5 Ng5 echoes the Two Knights Defence and favours White somewhat after 5 ... d5 6 exd5 Nd4 7 d3.
White's invariable choice. He might prefer the committal S 0-0, but then he hasn't anything better than 5 ... Nf6 6 d3, transposing to Line A, below.
5 ... Nf6 (Diagram 14)
A more popular choice has been to prevent 6 Ng5 with5 ... d6, but then Black can't get embroiled in the fun world of the Sveshnikov Gambit! After the text White has three main approaches, and we will begin with the least impressive and end with the most critical of these:
A: 6 0-0
B: 6 Nd2
C: 6 Ng5
The Svesh n i kov Gambit
A) 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 e5 4 Bc4 Be7 5 d3 Nf6 6 o-o
This can suggest a lack of familiarity or ambition on White's part, unless he in
tends to follow up with a sharp Ng5.
6
. . .0-0 (Diagram 15)
Diagram 14 (W) Diagram 15 (W)
Black isn't going to get in ... d5 in this variation, but the text is still the most pre
cise; 6 ... d6 7 Ng5 0-0 8 f4 would transpose to a line which the Sveshnikov Gambit aims to avoid.
7 NgSI?
One might have thought that Black's last would have discouraged this move, but it is playable if followed up vigorously. White has also tried a number of more positional alternatives:
a) 7 Nd5 exploits the hole on d5 to free White's c-pawn for action, but Black should be okay after 7 ... d6 8 Nxe7+ (or 8 c3 Be6 9 Nxf6+ Bxf6 10 Be3 Qd7 when 1 1 Bxe6 fxe6 only helps Black, but in any case White has no advantage: for instance, 11 Ng5 Bxg5 12 Bxe6 Qxe6 13 Bxg5 £5 14 Qb3?! Qxb3 15 axb3 h6 16 Bd2 £4! 17 f3 Kf7 18 Kf2 g5 gave Black a handy initiative on the kingside in R.Yandarbiev
E.Sveshnikov, Krasnoyarsk 2003, and 11 a3 a6 12 Bxe6 Qxe6 13 c4 b5 14 Nd2 Rab8 was fine for Black in Y.Stisis-E.Schmittdiel, Groningen 1994) 8 ... Nxe7! (I prefer this recapture to 8 ... Qxe7 9 c3; the knight will be well placed on g6) 9 Bg5 Ng6 (now Black is set to push White back beginning with ... h6 and White must be careful that Black doesn't obtain an initiative on the kingside; note too how unimportant the weakness of d5 currently is) 10 Nh4 Nxh4 1 1 Bxh4 h6 12 Bxf6 Qx£6 13 Qd2 Be6 (Diagram 16)
D a n gerous Wea pon s : A n t i - S ic i l i a n s
Diagram 1 6 (W) Diagram 17 (W)
14 c3 Rad8! brought Black comfortable equality in }.Fernandez Garcia
E.Sveshnikov, Oviedo 1993.
b) 7 BgS h6!? (Black has more often preferred 7 ... d6, but Moiseenko is something of a connoisseur of 3 .. . e5) 8 Bxf6 Bxf6 9 NdS d6 10 c3 Bg4 (Diagram 17) 1 1 h3 BhS!?
(an unbalancing decision against his lower-rated opponent; 1l...Be6 followed by ... g6 and, if allowed, ... Bg7 also seems okay for Black) 12 g4 Bg6 13 Kg2 a6 14 a4 Rb8 15 Bb3 Be7 16 Qe2 Qd7 17 Rh1 Nd8! brought the knight to an excellent square on e6, although the position still remained roughly balanced in A.Zozulia
A.Moiseenko, Alushta 1999.
c) With the knight unable to quickly reach e3 via fl, unlike in Line B, White has tried 7 Ne1 too, but this is slow and 7 .. . d6 8 f4 exf4 9 Bxf4 Be6 10 NdS BxdS 1 1 BxdS NxdS 1 2 exdS Nb4 (12 .. . Nb8 also seems fine) 1 3 c4 BgS! 1 4 a3 Na6 saw Black equalize in K.Landa-I.Kumosov, Krasnoyarsk 2003.
d) 7 h3 d6 8 Nh2 is another version of the same plan, but by contesting the a2-g8 diagonal Black should usually be okay in this structure: 8 ... Be6 9 Ng4!? Nxg4 10 hxg4 Bg5! (trading off the potentially bad bishop) 11 NdS Rb8 12 a4 Kh8 13 BxgS QxgS 14 Ne3 g6 prepared kingside counterplay and was about equal in F.Corrales Jimenez-A.Moiseenko, Kitchener 2006.
7
. . .h6 (Diagram 18)
A logical prod.
8 f4!?
This bold thrust is the only real way to justify White's last; 8 Nh3?! d6 9 f4 Bg4!? 10 Qe1 Bxh3 1 1 gxh3 exf4 12 Bxf4 NhS! 13 Be3 BgS 14 Kh1 NeS gave Black good play in K.Landa-V.Kozlov, Vladivostok 1990.
The Sves h n i kov Ga mbit
8 ... exf4!
A key move for the purpose of our repertoire. Nobody has yet captured the piece no doubt because 8 ... hxg5?! 9 fxgS Ng4 10 g6 just looks rather precarious for the black king. It can survive after 10 ... d5! 1 1 gxf7+ Rx£7 12 BxdS Nf6 13 Bxf7+ Kxf7, but White should be better here after 14 NdS; compared to related positions with White having a rook and two pawns for the two pieces in Line C, here the centre isn't so open and the black king is less safe.
9 Nh3
Diagram 18 ( W ) Diagram 19 ( B )
TRICKY TRANSPOSITION: Black should avoid responding to White's sacrifice with the solid 8 ... d6 because 9 Nf3 exf4 10 Bxf4 would trick us into a line we are trying to avoid; i.e. play has transposed to the variation 6 NgS o-o 7 f4 exf4 8 Bxf4 d6 9 o-o h6 10 Nf3.
White's main try so far, preparing to recapture on f4 with the knight. I have to agree with Somkin that 9 Nxf7?! Rx£7 10 Bxf7+ Kx£7 11 Bxf4 d6 12 NdS Kg8 should favour Black, but 9 Nf3!?
(
Diagram 19)
doesn't seem so bad. Unless he wants once again to transpose with 9 ... d6 to a line we are trying to avoid, Black must hold on to the pawn: 9 ... g5 (critical, but now we reach quite an unclear version of the King's Gambit; 9 ... Nh5!? also deserves attention, since Black should be able to equalize after both 10 NdS d6 11 Nxf4 Nxf4 12 Bxf4 Be6 and 10 Nh4 Bxh4 11 QxhS QgS 12 Qd1 d6
13 Bxf4 Qg6) 10 h4 Nh7 (10 ... Ng4!? is possible but is rather risky, as was shown by the course of G.Guseinov-M.Richter, Istanbul 2007: 11 hxgS hxgS 12 g3! fxg3?! 13 NdS Nf2? 14 Rxf2! gxf2+ 15 Kxf2 g4 16 Qh1 ! and White had a decisive attack) 1 1 hxgS hxg5 12 g3 and now 1 2 .. . fxg3 13 Qe1 Kh8 14 Qxg3 fS remained rather murky
Da n ge rous Wea pon s : A n t i - S i c i l i a n s
with both kings far from well protected i n N.Mitkov-J.Lautier, Turin Olympiad 2006, and returning the pawn with 12 ... d6!? 13 gxf4 Bg4 also looks far from clear.
9
...f3 !
Sveshnikov's preference and probably the best move. Black is wise to avoid the dangers of 9 ... g5?! 10 Nxf4! gxf4 1 1 Bxf4 (P.Katzourakis-I.Katsiris, Ermioni 2006), but the solid 9 ... Ne5 10 Nxf4 Nxc4 1 1 dxc4 d6 is a reasonable alternative. White has a clamp on d5 and Black is a little passive here, but he is solidly placed and possesses the bishop pair. H.Nakamura-K.Arakhamia Grant, Gibraltar 2007, con
tinued 1 2 b3 Ng4 13 Nfd5 Bg5 14 Qel and now 14 ... Be6 would have kept White's advantage within manageable bounds.
10 Qxf3 Nd4 (Diagram 20)
Diagram 20 (W) Diagram 21 (W)
11 Qg3?
Too ambitious, but White may have missed or at least underestimated Black's next. Somkin later improved with 11 Qdl when it was Sveshnikov's tum to err:
ll...d5?! 12 Nxd5 Bxh3 13 gxh3 b5 (White is better too after 13 ... Nxd5 14 Bxd5 Bd6 15 Qh5 - Somkin) 14 Nxf6+ Bxf6 15 Bd5 Rc8 16 c3, which left him clearly worse in E.Somkin-E.Sveshnikov, Satka 2006. I'm not quite sure what Sveshnikov was thinking when he played his 11th move here; it's far too optimistic. Black does somewhat better with the solid l l ...d6 when 12 Nf4 Bg4 13 Qd2 Kh7! 14 h3 Be6 looks about equal; ... Nd7 preparing ... Bg5 and/or ... Ne5 may follow.
u ..