1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6
Note that 2 ... Nc6 3 c3 Nf6 4 Bd3?! is an inferior version of the Kopec system for White, since he is a tempo short when compared to the notes below (4 d3 is also too passive for White to hope for an edge and the simple 4 ... d5 offers Black equality at a minimum): 4 ... d5 5 e5 (after 5 exd5 Qxd5 Black is a full move up over the version we look at later, since he played ... d5 in one go) 5 ... c4! (this move cuts out White’s ability to later protect his e5-pawn with d4) 6 Bc2 Ng4 7 Qe2 Qc7 8 Ba4 Bd7 9 Bxc6 was P.Bontempi-A.Rotstein, Porto San Giorgio 2007. I prefer Black’s position after 9 ... Qxc6 since he rules the light squares.
3 c3
Polgar nearly always plays the Open Sicilian. She understands that if we play only one version all our lives, we fall into the danger of regressing into an insular rut, and may play our opening phase by mindless habit. So she surprises Karjakin with a rare
offshoot, the Kopec line. This is the 2 ... d6 Sicilian player’s version of White’s delayed-c3-Sicilian systems. So all the lines we looked at in Chapter One don’t apply here.
3 ... Nf6
Our most natural developing move. It’s important to note that we are not threatening ... Nxe4 just yet, since this hangs our knight to Qa4+ ideas.
4 Be2
Question: Why would White play his bishop to this passive square, rather than c4.
Answer: Some reasons why White often prefers e2:
1. After 4 Bc4, 4 ... Nxe4! is possible, since this no longer hangs a piece for Black.
2. White’s bishop on e2 nullifies any coming ... Bg4 ideas from Black.
Instead:
a) 4 h3 has the idea is to eliminate ... Bg4. The trouble is h3 is not a developing move, so after 4 ... Nc6 now ... Nxe4 is a real threat, since White lacks the Qa4+ trick:
a1) The odd looking move 5 Bd3 is a specialty of my old friend IM Danny Kopec.
Question: The move looks amateurish. Doesn’t the bishop clog White’s development?
Answer: The line is fully playable for White, who simply plans to continue with a future Bc2 and d4, continuing in Ruy Lopez fashion. Black’s next move is an attempt to disrupt the smooth flow of this plan: 5 ... d5!. This forces the game into Advance French lines, where White’s d3-bishop really is awkwardly placed on d3, where it
blocks the d-pawn.
Question: Didn’t Black lose a tempo with ... d6 and then ... d5?
Answer: True, but White’s d3-bishop clearly needs to move as well, so this nullifies Black’s tempo loss. Now:
(White was threatening to resolve queenside tension with b4, so Black does it first, gaining considerable queenside space in the process) 12 Bc2 a5 13 Re1 Bb7 14 Qd2 b4 15 Qf4 g6 16 Nbd2 was L.Aronian-A.Grischuk, Monaco (rapid) 2006. At this point, my French instincts tell me to close the queenside with 16 ... b3 17 Bd1 and then transfer Black’s king to the queenside, with a sharp coming struggle on the kingside. If the game reaches an ending, White is in trouble since Black may be able to set up a very promising piece sacrifice for two deeply entrenched passers by transferring knights to a4 and b5, after which White must be on constant alert for sacrifices on a3, b2 and c3.
a2) 5 d4? is an inferior version of a sacrifice we look at in the notes below, where White replaces the useful developing move Be2, with h3, which makes his coming pawn sacrifices unsound: 5 ... cxd4 6 cxd4 Nxe4! (now this pawn grab favours Black) 7 d5 Qa5+ 8 Nc3 Nxc3 9 bxc3 Ne5 10 Nxe5 (10 Be2 g6 11 Nxe5 Bg7! also favours Black, who is up a pawn, and well developed) 10 ... Qxc3+ 11 Bd2 Qxe5+ 12 Be2.
White is down a full tempo over a line we look at later in the notes, and his pawn sacrifices fail to compensate, D.Kaforos-H.Banikas, Athens 2010.
a3) With 5 Qc2 White stabilizes the e-pawn and prepares for a future d4. The trouble is the queen isn’t well placed on the c-file, since if White does manage to achieve d4, then ... cxd4 opens the c-file and the queen is vulnerable to ... Rc8: 5 ... g6 6 d4 cxd4 7 cxd4 d5! 8 e5 Ne4 9 Nc3 Bg7! 10 Bd3 (or 10 Nxe4 dxe4 11 Qxe4 Bf5 12 Qf4 Qb6 13 Be2 Rd8 and White is unable to hang on to his extra pawn) 10 ... 0-0 11 a3 Nxc3 12 Qxc3 (12 bxc3 f6 also looks slightly better for Black) 12 ... Be6 13 b4 Rc8 14 Qb2 f6 when White lags in development and stands slightly worse, N.Managadze-I.Nikolaidis, Korinthos 1998.
b) 4 Bd3 Nc6 5 h3 transposes back to variation ‘a’.
c) 4 Bc4?! is strategically suspect: 4 ... Nxe4 5 Qa4+ Nc6 6 Bxf7+ Kxf7 7 Qxe4 (White regained the piece at the cost of handing over his best piece, his light-squared
bishop; Black’s king is in no real danger due to this fact) 7 ... Qd7! (principle: operate on your strong colour) 8 0-0 Qf5 9 Qe2 e6 10 d4 cxd4 11 cxd4 Be7 12 Na3 Rf8 13 Bd2 Kg8 and now it is just as if Black castled. Black stands better due to his bishop-pair, control over the light squares and open f-file, J.Rusche-S.Bromberger, Munich 2009.
Returning to Polgar’s 4 Be2:
4 ... Bg4
The bishop picks up his cue and enters the scene. Black’s safest move. It avoids White’s berserker triple pawn sacrifice line 4 ... Nc6 5 d4 cxd4 6 cxd4 Nxe4 7 d5 Qa5+ 8 Nc3 Nxc3 9 bxc3 Ne5 10 Nxe5 Qxc3+ 11 Bd2 Qxe5 12 0-0 Qxd5 13 Rb1 f6.
White is down a whopping three pawns, but as you may have noticed, Black is just a tad behind in development! Now just because your reckless writer risked such a line as Black, doesn’t mean that you must as well. It’s a very bad sign for Black when my normally material-loving comp rates this position slightly in White’s favour, V.Salespurens-C.Lakdawala, San Diego 2000.
5 0-0 e6
Planning for a future ... d5.
6 h3
After 6 Re1 Be7 7 d4 cxd4 8 cxd4 d5 9 exd5 (9 e5 Ne4 is fine for Black) 9 ... Nxd5 10 Qb3, as in V.Akopian-S.Karjakin, Turin Olympiad 2006, Black seems to have excellent compensation if he offers his b-pawn: 10 ... Nc6 11 Qxb7 Ndb4 (threatening to trap the queen with ... Rb8) 12 Bf4 0-0 13 Nc3 Na5 14 Qb5 Nc2 15 d5 Nxa1 16 Rxa1 Qb6. White gets compensation for the exchange, but Black certainly doesn’t stand worse.
6 ... Bh5 7 d4!?
It’s so easy and so much fun to declare war on the chessboard, yet so worrying to realize its mounting expense. Polgar offers her e-pawn for a development lead. Instead, 7 Re1 Be7 8 d4 0-0! (there is no reason to open the c3-square for White’s knight after 8 ... cxd4 9 cxd4) 9 Qb3 Qb6 saw Black equalize in A.Minasian-A.Khalifman, Moscow 2008.
7 ... Nxe4!?
Karjakin accepts the challenge. Safer is to decline the gift with 7 ... cxd4 8 cxd4 d5 9 Bb5+ (after 9 Qb3 Qb6 10 Qxb6 axb6 11 Bb5+ Nc6 12 Ne5 Rc8 13 exd5 Nxd5 14 Nc3 Nxc3 15 bxc3 Kd8 16 Re1 Nxe5 17 Rxe5 Bg6 18 Re3 Be7 19 Bb2 Kc7 Black looks okay in the ending) 9 ... Nc6 10 Qa4 Bxf3 11 Bxc6+?! (correct was 11 gxf3 Qd7) 11 ... bxc6 12 Qxc6+?? Nd7 13 gxf3 Rc8! 14 Qa4.
Exercise: (combination alert): Black to play and win material.
Answer: Attraction/double attack. With 14 ... Rxc1! the rook places aside the decencies of debate and decides to let the c1-bishop have it, with a right hook. Black wins a piece, since recapture is met with ... Qg5+ and ... Qxc1, C.Lupulescu-S.Bogner, Dubai 2014.
8 d5
An important adjunct to the sacrifice, which prevents ... d5.
8 ... Nd7
After this natural response, White gets dangerous compensation for the pawn. 8 ...
Qd7! is Black’s most accurate move: 9 Re1 Be7 10 dxe6 (or 10 c4 Na6 when the knight heads for c7, where it offers extra coverage to e6; I wouldn’t mind taking on Black here, with the extra pawn) 10 ... fxe6 11 Qb3 Nc6 12 Ne5 Nxe5 13 Bxh5+ g6 14 Rxe4
gxh5 15 Qd1 0-0-0, H.Hofstetter-G.Deschamp, correspondence 1998. Black stands better, due to his strong central control and open lines against White’s king.
9 Re1
9 ... Be7
Question: Black lags in development. Why doesn’t he take the opportunity to close lines with 9 ... e5?
Answer: Black would love to clog central lines, but your suggestion walks into the tactic 10 Nxe5! Bxe2 11 Qxe2 Nxc3 12 Nxc3 dxe5, which allows White to regain her sacrificed pawn with a clear advantage.
10 Bc4
With a double attack on e4 and e6, which forces Black’s response.
10 ... exd5 11 Bxd5 Nef6 12 Bxb7
White regained her pawn, but lost her initiative in the process, since Black caught up in development.
12 ... Rb8 13 Bc6 0-0
Houdini rates the game at dead even. I think this is a misassessment and prefer Black, who now leads in development.
14 g4
Oh, the things we endure for the initiative! This concession looks necessary, and is played with the philosophy: if we don’t go to the problem, then the problem will come to us. White’s trouble is that a quiet developing move like 14 Nbd2?! is met with 14 ...
Ne5 15 Ba4 Nd3 16 Re3 Nxc1 17 Qxc1 Nd5 18 Re4 f5 19 Re1 Nf4 (threat: ... Nd3) 20 Qc2 d5 with a strong initiative and potential kingside attack for Black.
14 ... Bg6 15 c4
Clearing room for her b1-knight on c3. The comp suggests 15 g5 Nh5 16 c4, but White’s game looks rather loose to me after 16 ... f6.
15 ... Nb6!
This move makes it very awkward for White to cover c4.
16 Nc3
Alternatively:
a) 16 b3? is met with the shot 16 ... Nxg4! when the threat of ... Bf6 allows Black’s knight to escape.
b) 16 Bb5 h5 17 Nh4 Bh7 and I don’t much like White, who looks slightly overextended.
16 ... Nxc4 17 Qe2
This double attack regains the lost pawn, yet White’s game looks looser and looser.
17 ... Ne5 18 Nxe5 dxe5 19 g5
19 Qxe5 Bd6 20 Qe2 Bd3! 21 Qf3 c4 is annoying for White.
19 ... Ne8
After 19 ... Nd7 20 Qg4 Nb6 21 Rxe5 f6 White’s king may later get exposed.
20 h4?!
The fact that White is overextended isn’t exactly front page headline news. The middlegame is fraught with danger for White’s king. Polgar probably should head for a slightly inferior ending with the continuation 20 Qxe5! Bd6 21 Qxe8! Rxe8 22 Rxe8+
Qxe8 23 Bxe8 Rxe8 24 Be3. White has good chances to hold the ending, since c5 is weak.
20 ... f6
White is in serious trouble if Black found the line 20 ... Bd6! 21 h5 Bf5 22 Qf3 Qc8
23 Ne4 Rb6 24 Ba4 f6 when White’s king is in serious trouble.
21 Rd1 Nd6 22 Be3 Kh8
Karjakin probably didn’t like White’s activity in the line 22 ... Qc8! 23 gxf6 gxf6 24 Bg2 Nf5 25 Nd5 Bd8 26 Rac1 Nxe3 27 fxe3 where White achieved some degree of activity. Still, I would take Black any day here, with the extra pawn, bishop-pair and safer king.
23 Bxc5 Qc7
After 23 ... Rc8 24 Qa6 Qc7 25 Nd5! Qxc6 26 Qxc6 Rxc6 27 Nxe7 Rxc5 28 Rxd6 Bh5 29 Rc6 White should hold the game.
24 Bxd6?
This leads to an overextended position. Black had two superior alternatives:
a) 24 Qa6! Rbc8 25 Nd5! Qxc6 26 Qxc6 Rxc6 27 Nxe7 Rxc5 28 Rxd6 Bh5 29 Rc6 transposes to the above variation to Black’s 23rd, where White shouldn’t lose.
b) 24 Rac1! Qxc6 25 Nd5 Qe8 26 Nxe7 Bh5 27 f3 Nb7 28 Ba3 fxg5 29 Rf1 e4 30 Qxe4 Qb5 31 Qd5 Qxd5 32 Nxd5 Rxf3 33 hxg5 Rg3+ 34 Kh2 Rxg5 35 Rc7 (threat:
Rxb7) 35 ... h6 and White’s activity is enough to hold the game.
24 ... Bxd6 25 Be4
Polgar agrees to a tempo loss to eliminate Black’s threat to take on g5. 25 Nb5 Qxc6 26 Nxd6 Rb4 27 Rac1 Qd7 looks lost for White, whose king is open to the winds.
25 ... f5 26 h5
If we reach for too much territory too quickly, our overstretched resources may turn scattershot and ineffective. This further loosens White’s pawns. White had better survival chances in the line 26 Rac1 Qd7 27 Bg2 e4.
26 ... Be8 27 Bg2 e4
Black’s kingside initiative threatens to grow out of control. No single factor is
enough to defeat White, yet the sum total begins to take its toll.
28 Nd5 Qf7 29 g6
Resentment heightens to saturation levels. White must hand over a pawn, which coupled with her overextended position, leaves her busted. 29 h6 opens the g-file with harmful consequences after 29 ... gxh6.
29 ... hxg6 30 hxg6 Qxg6 31 Qe3
Not 31 Rac1? Qh6 and Black has too many threats.
31 ... Rxb2 32 Rac1 Qh7
Black’s queen seeks to enter h2.
33 Nf4 Qh6 34 Qd4 Bxf4 35 Qxb2
Exercise (combination alert): Black is winning whichever way he plays it.
However, one path is far stronger than another. Black can play 35 ... Bxc1, or first toss in 35 ... Qh2+, and then take on c1. What is Black’s best continuation?
35 ... Bxc1
Answer: Karjakin missed 35 ... Qh2+! (sending White’s king to the tactically unfavourable square, f1) 36 Kf1 (the king doodles a caricature of his sister, with enormous buck teeth, oversized nose, a scar, and a pirate’s eye patch; unfortunately she is standing right next to him and recognizes herself in the drawing) 36 ... Bxc1 37 Rxc1 and now Black has the crushing move 37 ... a6!, the punch line to a cruel joke, which clears the way for a deadly check on b5. This is the move Karjakin probably missed in his calculations.
36 Rxc1 Bh5!
“You are an inhuman monster without a shred of compassion,” Black’s queen tells
her bishop, adding: “But never forget: you are my monster.” Now ... Bf3 becomes a serious concern for White.
37 Qa3!
Covering f3, while threatening Qxf8+.
37 ... Rd8 38 Rb1 Qg5 Threat: ... Bf3.
39 Kh2 Qf4+ 40 Qg3
The ending is lost. White had no choice since 40 Kg1?? Bf3 41 Qe7 Rd6 leads to immediate collapse.
40 ... Qxg3+ 41 Kxg3 g5
Cutting off both f4 and h4 from White’s king, who now feels as if an elephant sits on his chest.
42 Rb5 Bg6 43 Ra5 Rd7 44 Bh3 Rf7
Everything is covered and White can only wait while Black improves his king’s position.
45 Bf1 Kg7 46 Bc4 Rc7 47 Bb3 Kf6 48 Ra6+ Kg7 49 Ra5 Bh7 50 Ra6 Re7 51 Be6 Bg6 52 Bc4 Bh5!
Black wants to implement ... f4, but doesn’t want to allow the white king access to g4.
53 Ra5 f4+ 54 Kg2
In a futile gesture, the king raises his fist and vows to retake lost lands.
54 ... Kf6 55 Ra6+ Ke5 56 Kf1 56 Ra5+ Kd4 57 Bb3 Bf3+ wins.
56 ... Bf3
Black consolidates and the game is over.
57 Ra5+ 0-1
The rook’s lectures have this odd quality of seeming a lot longer than they actually are.
Summary: The perfect face of a criminal is one with no distinguishing marks. This plain, every man (or every woman) look is not so easy to identify in a police line up.
The systems covered in this game fit this description. If you play the 2 ... d6 move order, then be aware of all the 3 c3 sidelines, which can be quite dangerous, unless we fully understand the theory.
Game 17