AULAS Y ESPACIOS DE USO ESPECÍFICO
IX. 4.- USO DEL PATIO
W h it e Pl ays 9 N d s
I ntroduction
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 s Nc3 es 6 Ndbs d6 7 Bgs a6 8 Na3 bs 9 Nds (Diagram 1)
Diagram 1 (B)
White maintains the pin
Diagram 2 (W)
Forcing White into an excha nge White's other main option, 9 Bxf6, will be considered in Chapters 5-7, while after 9 Nab1 Black equalizes with natural play; for example, 9 ... Be7 10 Bxf6 (the immedi ate 10 a4 b4 1 1 Nd5 loses a pawn to 1l...Nxe4) 10 ... Bxf6 11 a4 b4 12 Nd5 0-0 13 Bc4 (White could do with bringing his knight here, but then he doesn't keep control of d5) 13 ... Bb7 (13 ... Be6 is also possible) 14 0-0 Bg5 (a typical move in these positions which we'll see much more of shortly) 15 c3 ReS 16 Qd3 Qa5 17 Nd2 bxc3 18 bxc3 Bxd2 19 Qxd2 Qc5, and the weaknesses balanced each other in E.Najer-P.Eljanov, Ashdod 2004.
g ... Be7 (Diagram 2)
This natural move is really the only one worth considering, forcing White by the positional threat of 10 ... Nxd5 into making the exchange on f6. A move like 9 ... Be6 allows White to continue with 10 Bxf6 gxf6 1 1 c3 followed by capturing on f5 when the move ... g6-f5 is played. As we'll see later, this is a main line of the 9 Bxf6 system with an extra tempo for White due to the ... Be6 and ... Bxf5 two-step. The only real alternative is the craven draw offer 9 ... Qa5+ 10 Bd2 (10 c3 Nxe4 is supposed to lead to a draw) 10 ... Qd8. I'm not going to spend much time on this: White has various complicated alternatives but Rogozenko's main line is 11 c4
Nxe4 12 cxb5 Be6 13 Bc4 Ne7 14 Be3 (Diagram 3) 14 ... Rc8 (14 ... Qa5+ 15 Kfl Rb8 16
Rcl Nxd5 17 Bxd5 Nf6 18 Bc6+ Nd7 is also very dangerous for Black: I'm not com pletely sure that White is winning as Rogozenko implies after 19 Nc4 Qc7 20 Nxe5
dxe5 21 bxa6 Rxb2 22 a7 Rxa2 23 a8Q+ Rxa8 24 Bxa8 and now 24 ... Bc5, but evi dently he has many other dangerous ideas) 15 Bb6 Qd7 16 bxa6 Rxc4 17 a7 Bxd5 18 Nxc4 Ba8 19 f3 d5 20 Nxe5 Qe6 21 Bc7 Nc5 22 Qe2 and I agree with Rogozenko (and before him da Costa Junior) that White is better here. I've spent some time with the computer trying to improve Black's play earlier and I haven't succeeded, so rather than do so much work to try and achieve a draw by repetition on move ten I'm going to move on. I've only given this line in case any reader wants to spend time immersing themselves in the (quite interesting) complications.
10 Nxe7
Diagram 3 (B)
White has some initiative
Diagram 4 (B)
Wh ite's main continuation
10 Bxf6 is the main move, carrying on the fight for d5, and we'll see that in the rest of this chapter and the next. The text is a rather unprincipled, yet still quite natural move which abandons the fight for d5, but has nonetheless had periods of popular ity. It's a bit of a chameleon: once upon a time it was associated with wild tactical lines; nowadays White probably wants to play one of two quiet position types. These are the only two moves White should consider; defending the e-pawn with
anything like 10 Bd3 Nxd5 11 exd5 Bxg5 12 dxc6 d5 or 10 f3 Nxd5 11 Qxd5 Bb7 loses
any hope of controlling d5 and gives Black a very comfortable game.
As well as by far and away the main continuation 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 c3 (Diagram 4),
the 1 1 c4 of Game 11 is fashionable just now, partly following the lead of Moro zevich in San Luis, and partly because it leads to quiet simple positions which are not too hard for White to play.
10 ... Nxe7 (Diagram 5)
0
NOTE: Any Sveshnikov player should find this move the instinctive reaction, aiming at the dS-square.W h it e P l ays 9 N d S Instead 1 0 ... Qxe7 1 1 c4 tends to lead to slightly worse and prospectless positions; for example, 1l...Nd4 (or 1 l ...b4 12 Nc2) 12 Nc2 and the pin on the f6-knight is really quite annoying: 12 .. .Nxc2+ 13 Qxc2 bxc4 14 Bxc4 0-0 15 0-0 Be6 16 Racl Rfc8 17 Qd3 Bxc4 18 Rxc4 Rxc4 19 Qxc4 with a tiresome struggle for a draw in prospect.
Diagram 5 (W) Diagram 6 (B)
Black fights for the d S-sq uare A positional a pproach from White
11 Bxf6
1 1 Bd3 is the alternative; see Game 12.
11 . . . gxf6
Now White can either play quietly or va banque.
12 C4 (Diagram 6)
A typical method for White in the Sveshnikov: of course what he's doing to his dark squares doesn't look very nice, but he wants to give his knight a way back into the game, and also after ... b4 he aims to play on the queenside with a2-a3 later. Also seen are:
a) 12 Qf3 is the violent alternative, characteristically recommended by Dr Nunn in
the first edition of Beating the Sicilian: 12 ... f5 13 exf5 Bxf5 14 Bd3 Be6 (Black should
preserve these bishops; the d3 one is something of a target) 15 0-0, and now Black can choose between the simple method 15 ... 0-0 16 c4 f5 17 Rfd1 e4 18 Qe3 bxc4 19 Bxc4 d5 20 Nc2 Qd6, and a plan based on 15 ... d5 followed by ... Qc7 and ... 0-0-0 (White's original success in this line was based on Black going both ... d5 and ... f5 too quickly).
b) 12 Bd3 Bb7 13 Qh5 (13 Qe2 d5 was known and considered equal) was a fresh idea at this level in A.Naiditsch-E.Sutovsky, Dortmund 2005. After 13 ... d5 14 0-0-0 commentators were united in suggesting 14 ... Qb6 (and certainly not 14 ... b4 15
will prove more reliable than Sutovsky's 14 ... d4 15 Nb1 Qa5 16 a3 b4 17 Qh6 Ng6, when 18 Qg7, for example, would pose new questions (18 ... Rc8 19 axb4 Qxb4 20 f4! is the idea).
Diagram 7 (W) Diagram 8 (W)
Who has the happier king? Black hasn't any problems
12 . . . Bb7
A much wilder and controversial continuation is 12 ... 0-0 13 cxb5 f5 14 exf5 Nxf5 and now:
a) 15 Bd3 runs into a series of shots: 15 ... e4! 16 Bxe4 Qe7 17 f3 d5! 18 Qxd5 Rd8 19 Qxd8+ (or 19 Qxa8 Qb4+ and so on, while 19 Qc6 Bb7 20 Qxb7 Qb4+ 21 K£1 Ne3+ 22 K£2 Qxb2+ 23 Nc2 Nxc2 leaves Black with a strong attack) 19 ... Qxd8 20 Bxa8 Qe7+ when Black is better (F.Volkmann-T.Nedev, European Club Cup, Fuegen 2006). b) 15 bxa6 (this sort of pawn sacrifice is quite common in the Sveshnikov; it al ways gives Black at least some play based on the new strong square for a knight at d4, the gain of time, the strong central pawns and the open queenside files, but of course it depends on the specific situation whether this is enough) and Black can now go all in with 15 ... Qh4 (or play the objectively probably more advisable
15 ... Bxa6 16 Bxa6 Qa5+ {Diagram 8) which was Radjabov's choice and is about
equal, although Black can hardly avoid a perpetual check) 16 Nc2 d5 17 Qxd5 Be6 and now in A.Volokitin-A.Shabalov, Calvia Olympiad 2004, White played the un
believably cheeky 18 Qxe5 and was in some trouble after 18 ... Rad8 (Diagram 9).
Instead 18 Qf3 e4 19 g3! was good for White according to Volokitin, although Rogozenko believes Black retains at least adequate compensation (and without attempting a detailed analysis, I expect he's right; it's certainly difficult for White to untangle in practice).
Since 12 ... b4? 13 Qa4+ loses a pawn, if Black wants to keep the queenside dosed he has first to exchange queens with 12 ... Qa5+ 13 Qd2 Qxd2+ 14 Kxd2 b4, but then
W h it e P l ays 9 N d S White's ideas tend to start to show well: his knight on c2 keeps Black's out of d4; his centralized king is useful; he can unload his rather poor bishop after ... f5, exf5; and he has the a3-break in reserve, for example, 15 Nc2 Rb8 16 Bd3 f5 17 ex£5 Bxf5 18 Bxf5 Nx£5 19 b3 Rg8 20 g3 Ke7 21 Rhd1 Rgc8 22 a3 as in K.Asrian-T.Nedev, European Championship, Antalya 2004, although at this exact moment Black could perhaps have made a satisfactory bid for freedom with 22 ... d5.
13 Bd3
Diagram 9 {W)
Punishing White's greed
Diagram 10 {W)
Black has good activity
13 cxb5 Bxe4 14 Qa4 d5 15 bxa6+ K£8 is better for Black.
13 ... Rg8
13 ... bxc4 14 Nxc4 d5 15 exd5 Qxd5 was the old recipe, but Anand's 16 Qa4+ Kf8 17 0-0-0 revived White's prospects, although probably Black is fine here.
After 13 ... Rg8, 14 0-0 bxc4 15 Nxc4 d5 16 exd5 Qxd5 17 £3 Rd8 18 R£2 e4 saw White crushed in the stem game V.Kupreichik-A.Chekhov, Minsk 1976. Better is 14 cxb5
when 14 ... Rxg2 15 bxa6 Bxa6 16 Bxa6 Rxa6 (Diagram 10) leads to a sharp, irrational
position, typical of the Sveshnikov, in which Black has nothing particular to fear with his very active pieces and centre pawns ( ... f5 should be high on his agenda) against White's two passed pawns on the queenside.
Illustrative Games