Mats) bishop's . opening Sy dol El ned fer Tava lal)The Bishop’s Opening Explained Gary Lane BALSFORDFirst published 2004 Copyright © Gary Lane 2004 The right of Gary Lane to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Parents Act 1988 ISBN 07134 89170 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved, No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher. Printed in Great Britain by Creative Print and Design (Wales), Ebbw Vale for the publishers B.T. Batsford Led, The Chrysalis Building Bramley Road, London, WI0 6SP www.chrysalisbooks.co.uk An imprint of Chrysalis Books Group ple Distributed in the United States and Canada by Sterling Publishing Co., 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, USA For Frangots Mertens A BATSFORD CHESS BOOKContents Introduction | Paulsen Defence 2 Urusoff Gambit 3 Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit 4 Two Knights Defence 5 Closed Giuoco Piano 6 Vienna Copycat 7 Vierma 3.016 & Vienna Options 9 Evans Gambit Accepted 10 Evans Gambit Declined 11 Unusual Replies Index of Hlustrative Games Index of Main Variations Page 28 42 49 60 7 77 ol 1o7 130 laa \S7Introduction The Bishop's alter 1 04 @3 2 Bed Opening occurs So White gets his opening on the board afier just No moves and will be rewarded with shup, attacking chances which Black to defend accurately require History The opening has a lony wadition, being mentioned by Luis Ramirez Lucena in a manuscript dated 1497. It then enjoyed popularity amongst the strongest players until they then moved on to other fashionoble openings such as the King’s Gambit and the Ruy Lopez, The modern treatment of the opening was shaped by Danish Grandmaster Bent Larsen who popularised the line in the 1960s and inspired a aumber of other leading players to adopts it And even to this day White continues 10 have success with the Bishop's Opening at all levels How The Games Were Selected The intial idea was to update my 1993 book Winning with tite Bishop's Opewng bur | realised this was not going to be so easy, not least of all because I originally wrote the book on an Amstrad word processor — which is now already a musewm piece! - and lost the disks years ago, Therefore ] decided to write a completely new book using my own experience of the Ime which § have played off and on since the age of 10. Though | have a bias towards White's chances I do believe the best way to learn the opening is to see what ta do when the opponent goes wrong. Thete are many books which don’t even mention — slardard — tricks because they assume — everyone knows them already but f will endeavour lo point these out at every opportunity to make if easier for you lo win quickly! soon What to Play J think one of most annoying things to have to cope with when6 Introduction playing your favourile 1 ed ¢5 opening is the opponent becomes a copycat and just imitates: the same maves as you! However, in the Bishop’s Opening this can rapidly lead to a crisis for Black wher For example: Nguyen Hoang Hiep ~ Hooi Ming Yew Asian Junior Championsmps 2002 Le4e5 2 Bed e533 Ded Deo 4 Wea! This certainly looks odd but here we have a special case where an early queen development 1s justified 4. HO?! XE DUES ee AOR ER A classic mistake. Though Black defends the g? pawn and threatens to start his own attack with .WSF24, any well prepared player with the white pieces will now be able to force victory 5 Bas! The start of a brilliant attack that has been known for years but still continues (0 catch people out s...Wxt+ 6 dl £8 7 ny Wadd 8 d3 d69 WH Sxh3 10 Sri! The rook comes across to the Ffile and it finally dawns on Black that he ts lost! The threat now os wnate on [7 as well as the sly ¢2-¢3 Wapping the black queen im the middle of the beard. 10...2g4 HL Wxgd &b6 12 ¢3 We5 13 Se3 Was 14 Axbo Afo 15 Axt6 1-0 There are more details in the Vienna Copyeat chapter I rather like the idea of using the Bishop's Opening to transpose to favouvable lines of the Vienna which have brought me. frequent suceessLane — Jackson British Championship 1989 1 e4 5 2 Qed Dl 3 a3 Dcé 4 Qye3 2c5 5 t4 dé 6 DM Bed 7 ad Bx13 8 Wxt3 Dd4 9 Wal bs Armed with prior knowledge you will find many chances to attack. 10 Qxt74! ext? 11 DxcS ext 12 Db3 Deb 13 0-0 g5 14 g3 txg3 Introduction 7 Opening to avoid the dull, boring Powoff which occurs after 1 e4 5 2 3 D6 — which is why the game Karjakin-Bologan Mainz 2004 started with: 1 ed 05 2 Bcd Até 3 a3 Dc 4 Ded Entering a position which is discussed in the chapter ‘Vienna Options’ and avoiding the necessity of having to leam all that tedious analysis associated with the Petroff. Su remember (o play 2 Bcd! Phe chapter on the Closed Giuoco Pinno Teulures a good selection of steady and reliable lines for those who prefer not to steer the battle into a sharp middteyame. However, even in these nies there are ways to catch people out 15 &xg5! Black is busted 15..gxh2+ 16 @hl Dvgs 17 Wh5+ de7 18 Wxg5 Bre 19 Add We8 20 e5 dxeS 21 WxeS+ wd7 22 Wi5+ &d6 23 Hael 1-6 A recent players is trend among strong to use the Bishop’s In this position from the game Tishin-Geller, Samara 2002, White played the fantastic 14 DS! which forces a posilive exchange of pieces greatly in White’s favour. This is because 14..Axh5? allows 15 &g5 trapping the black queen while after 14..We7 15 Qxf4 Dxta 16 Axia exf4 17 Wd2 White remains with the superior chances. If you can8 Introduction remember such little niceties you can use them fo your advantage. In the next position, with the Black pieces, we have grandmaster Shabalov one of the most successful tournament players in the USA, Lsuspect it didn't take you long (0 sec how he came under considerable pressure in this game, against Flores in Buenos Aires 2003, when While unleashed 14 @hS! on the board. In this book J will cover all sorts of Black replies in order to convince you that 2 &c4 is indeed a viable weapon. 1 have even bowed to popular demand and added a couple of chapters on the romantic Evans Gambit which can be reached via the Bishop’s Opening move-order 1 24 e5 2 Qc4 Dc6 3 DB Bcd 4 bd Also included is a chapter on various odd moves that Black might try for surprise value. I point out that 2...2e7 actually loses a pawn after 3 Wh5 and even offer some respectful comments about the extraordinary 2..b5, which just seems to lose a pawn for nothing. The best of the bunch occurs after 1 e4 e5 2 Bcd c6 which occurred in Fedorov-Mamedyarov, | Moscow 2004 when White replied 3 d4! with the better chances. The point is that 3..exd4 4 Wxdd is fie for While since, compared to other lines, here there is no prospect of the queen being chased away by a knight emerging on c6, since that square is now occupied by a pawn! Conclusion The Bishop’s Opening has a natural attraction for those with limited time to study. It avoids the fashionable Petroff Defence and the various transpositions can lure Black into unfamiliar territory. 2 cd offers a solid basis to conduct an attack and, with plenty of chances of a quick kill, It should appeal to everyone who aspires to play I e4 and win in style.Paulsen Defence 1 e4 05 2 Qed Df6 3 d3 c6 Black prepares to create a pawn centre with ..d7-d5, which will also reduce the effectiveness of the white bishop on c4, White’s task is to contain the pawns and then seek to undermine them, 3...c6 is one of the most direct lines available for Black against the Bishop’s Opening and has a reputation of being a sound defence although White usually enjoys some space advantage History The name is borrowed from the German Louis Paulsen (1833-91) who was one of the world’s best players in the 1860s and contributed much to the development of chess openings. In that era attention tended to focus on how White could win quickly with a sparkling attack. He took a different view and proposed a number of defensive improvements for Black and indeed whole new systems, including the ..€6 Sicilian, which still bears his name to this day, and the Dragon variation. His recommendation against the Bishop’s Opening should be equally respected — especially as it is still being played today at the highest level, for example by grandmasters Bacrot, Fressinet and Motyley who keep their faith in Paulsen’s set-up. White wins Sikora Lerch — Klimus Moravia Championship 1994 Led eS 2 Rcd Dfo 3 d3 06 4 DL d55 2b3!?10 Paulsen Defence A neat little move which is far fram obvious and demonstrates true understanding and knowledge of the line. Not quite so accurate is to release the tension in the centre by 5 exd5 when play might continue 5..0xd5 6 £b3 &b4+ 7 c3 Bd6 § £85 Be6 with equal chances 5...8p4 Black pins the king’s knight and now threatens to win a pawn with 6..dxed. Alternatively 5...dxe4 would be met by 6 Ags! hitting the fpawn when play might continue 6,,.Le6 7 Dxe6 feeb 8 Axed Dred 9 dxed Wxdi+ 10 fxd1 and which favours White in the long-term due to Black’s doubted e-pawns. 6 We2 6 Dbd? also seems reasonable. 6... 2x13 7 Yxf3 dxed!? Black releases the tension in the centre because he wishes to develop the queen’s knight to d7. 8 dxed Dbd7 9 0-0 Ac5 10 Ac3 bS 11 Be3 White sensibly just gets on with the job of developing and hopes to create tactical chances before Black has time to castle. Ih.,a5 12 Qxe5 AxeS 13 ad 13...2d4? It is necessary to try 13...b4 when 14 Bad] We? 15 Be2 is roughly equal 14 axbS Whe It is not possible for Klimus to regain his pawn with 14.,.2xc3 15 Wxo3 cxbS because then 16 Wxed+ wins for White 15 bxcé 0-0 After 15...Wxe6 Black would be embarrassed by 16 &a4 pinning the queen 16 Dd5! Ards Or 16...Wx06 17 Be7+ winning, 17 exd5 &xb2 18 Hab] Qd4 19 dé The two connected passed pawns are devastating for Black. 19...Wd8 20 Wd5 ad 21 07 Wh 22 2e4 1-0 I have faced the Paulsen Defence a few times and with some success: Lane — Henris Brussels 1995 1 ed 05 2 Rcd D6 3 d3 c6 4 DD d5 5 2b3 a5Black decides to expand his pawns on the queenside — the initial threat is to trap the bishop with Sead 603 | like this move, which gives the bishop a little more room and rules oul a future ..&b4 by Black. Instead 6 Dc3 Bb4 (6...d47! seems to win a piece but is exposed as a mistake by 7 @xe5! with a terrific attack after 7...dxe3 8 @xf7 and White well on top) 7 a3 &xc3+ 8 bxc3 Abd7 9 exdS Axd5 10 0-0 0-0 I] Hel He8 12 c4 e7 13 Dgs hé 14 Ded ad 15 Ba2 c5 (Black is aiming to block in White’s lght- squared bishop) 16 Qd6 Hf8 17 c3 led to a slight edge in Kasparov- Bareev, Linares 1993. 6...a4 Black nudges the bishop into the corner. The main alternative, 6...2d6, to secure the e5 pawn, is similar to the main game after 7 De3: a) 7...d4 8 Be2 a4 9 Qa2 0-0 10 h3 (or 10 0-0 2d7 11 Dexdai? exd4 12 e5 with roughly equal play) 10...Abd7 11 0-0 eS 12 Bd2 Se 13 Ded Qc7 14 £4 ext4 15 Axt4 bs 16 @eS led to equal chances in Lendwai-Benda, Hartberg 2004. b) 7..2e6 8 exdS &xd5 9 AxdS @xdS 10 0-0 0-0 11 Hel Bd7 12 d4 He8 13 B95 We7 14 cd Df4 15 05 Qe7 and now, instead of 16 We2, played in the game Zhelin-Raetsky, Smolensk 2000 which is quoted in many sources, White can spring a surprise with the startling 16 2xf7+ Paulsen Defence 11 when 16...xf7 17 AxeS+ Dxe5 18 &xf4 achieves a winning advantage. c) 7...dxe4 8 Ags (an echo of the main game) 8...0-0 9 Boxed Dxe4 10 Dxe4 QS 11 WEB with a slight edge. 7 Qa 2d6 8 De3 dred This has the merit of preventing White from constantly trying to undermine the pawn centre but it does increase the influence of the bishop on a2. Or 8...206 9 0-0 dxed 10 dxe4 @xa2 11 Bxa2 (the rook is temporarily misplaced here but will later simply be moved back to al in order to co-ordinate with the rest of the pieces) 11...0-0 12 &g5 We7 13 Dh4 Web 14 WH DAbd7 15 DLS with a slight edge due to the influential king’s knight, Moreno Ruiz - Mellado Trivino, Torrevieja 1997. 9 Ags This is a direct way of causing Black some problems in the opening. | tried 9 dxe4 in a game against English grandmaster Sadler in London 1994, but was unable to make an impact against a stout defence. The continuation was 9. We7 10 0-0 &c6 I Abd g6 (a22 Paulsen Defence good move to block out the knight, though at the time I felt this was a concession because it weakens his kingside dark-squares — but they are not easy to exploit) 12 h3 (12 2h6 is met by 12... Ded! 13 Qxe6 Axho 14 a2 0-0 with equal chances) 12...2xa2 13 Bxa2 Abd7 14 Bal De$ 15 Hel 0-0 16 Bes &g7 with roughly equal chances — a draw was agreed afler 44 moves. 9...0-0 10 Dpxed Dxed If Black dawdles by retreating the bishop from the central knight’s reach with 10..8c7 then 11 2e5 @Dbd7 12 WES gives White a degree of pressure duc to the pin, 11 Axed Be7 A defensive measure which is not in keeping with the nual aggressive style of Henrs but he has little choice because Black has no obvious counterplay. If 11.,.Qc7 then 12 WhS and the queen is handily placed for the attack. Then 12...h6? would be a disaster due to 13 Bxh6 gxho 14 We6+ Shs 15 Wexh6+ @g8 16 DlG+ and Black can make his way home. 12 Whs Dd7 13 0-0 I wanted 10 get the king into safety and at the same time bring the king's rook into the game by means of f2-f4. 13... Wes After the game the Belgian international indicated that his aim was to add some weight to the defence of the f7 pawn and prepare .£7-f5 to exchange queens. 14 f4 Bas 15 2d2 Bhs 16 Scat I wanted to deflect the rook away from the fifth rank so I could take on eS without having to contend with ..Hxes, 16...Eixb2 17 txe5 Bxe2 qa t et u ‘ara ne ‘SAG 8 E y ae 4. ne 18 Exf7! The breakthrough sacrifice which spells doom and gloom for Black. 18...Exe4 Probably 18..Hxf7? is the best chance although 19 e6 Bxc4 20 exf?+ xt? 21 Wxft+ exf7 22 dxed gives White a good ending, 19 Exf3+ WxtB 20 dxe4 A quick look at the position indicates that White is the exchange up and the attack is still raging.20...g6 21 We2 Axe5 22 2c3 Black has grabbed a pawn back but at the cost of rewarding White with strong play on the al-h8 diagonal. 22...2.g4 Or 22...Ad7 23 Hel Wes 24 Ddo winning, 23 We3 WF5? 24 Dg3 1-0 One of my main inspirations for playing the Bishop’s Opening was the fact that English grandmaster John Nunn frequently used it with success. Nunn - Murey Luzern Olympiad 1982 1 e4 5 2 Bcd Df6 3 d3 06 4 DEB d55 231? 2d6 6 De3 If White is looking for an alternative then a pawn exchange in the centre comes to mind: 6 exd5 exd5 (or 6...Axd5 7 0-0 0-0 8 Hel Ad7 9 d4 [White tries to create complications] 9..exd4 10 2xd5 exdS 11 Wxdd 2c5 12 Wxd5 Woe 13 He2 Ale 14 Wh3 Wa6 gave Black sufficient compensation for Paulsen Defence 13 the pawn in Tiviakov-Stefanova, Wijk aan Zee 2004) 7 BgS Acé 8B 0-0 (8 S&xd5? is well met by 8..WaS+ 9 Dc3 AxdS winning) 4.9 Hel 0-0 10 Abd2 Be8 with equal chances, Hamdouchi-Bacrot, Paris 2002 6... 26 Black maintains his centre by lending support to the d5 pawn. Also possible is 6...d4 7 De2 Aa6 & c3 (White wants to undermine the pawn chain and make room for his lightsquared bishop) 8...dxe3 9 bxe3 0-0 10 0-0 Acs 11 Ve2 Vga 12 By3 Dns 13 h3 Dxg3 14 fxg3 HS with roughly equal chances, as in Nunn-Korchnoi, Johannesburg 1981. 6...dxe4 is examined in the main game Depraeve-Meijers. 7 RyS Was 80-0 A patient approach with Nunn removing the pin on the queen’s knight by whisking the king to safely. Instead 8 &xf6 doubles the f-pawns bul, with Black planning to castle quecnside, it means that the open e-file can be used for attack. For instance: 8...gxf6 9 0-0 Eg8 (9..Ad7 10 d4 is equal) 10 @h4 ed! is slightly better for Black. 8...Dbd7 9 exd5 Ihave tried 9 Hel and it proved to be a good idea in the game Lane- Pergericht, Brussels 1990: 9...0-0-0 10 d4 exd4 1] Axd4 Bed 12 War dxe4?! (this grants White an attacking initiative) (3 @xed Bc7 (13...2b4!? is better but after 14 3 @e7 15 Wid White is on top) 14 Dd6+! Sb8 15 Axi7 h6 16 Sts 1-0.14 Paulsen Defence 9...0xd5 If 9...2)xd57! Black no longer has a decent pawn centre and 10 Se4 Rc7 11 Bd2 Was 12 Afps is terrific for White. 10 Hei 16...0-0 An important alternative — is 10...0-0-0 which used to be praised in older sources but was shown to be weak in a number of corres- pondence games. After 11 Wd2 we have: a) 1h.b4 12 a3 Bxc3 13 Wxc3+ Wxe3 14 bxc3 h6 15 Bhd g5 16 2g3 e4 17 Dd4 with a slight edge, Koch-Mohaupt, — Corres- pondence 1964. b) 1E..Wb6 12 xf Axfe 13 DxeS d4 14 Qxe6+ fxe6 15 Bod Rxh2+ 16 Sxh2 We7t 17 gl dxc3 18 Wxc3 with a clear advantage, Koch-Llorens, Corres- pondence 1964. c) 11..Gb8 12 2xf6 gxf6 13 ®xd5 is simply good for White thanks to the extra pawn, Koch~ Krajkowski, Correspondence 1964. d) U1. Bc7 12 Qxf6 gxf6 13 Sxd5! Bxd5 14 b4 Wxb4 15 Dxd5 Wad2 16 Dxd2 Bas 17 He2 gave White an edge due to his superior pawn formation in Koch-Muller, Correspondence 1964. 11 Wd2 b6?! It seems to make sense to support the qusen so that any ticks that White may have by moving the qucen’s knight are made redundant. However I prefer 11..d4!? 12 @b1 (12 ed? has been played but Black should pounce with 12...2b4! when 13 c3 Axed 14 exb4 Axd2 15 bxa5 AxB+ 16 gxf3 2xb3 17 axb3 £6 leaves White's pawns looking silly) 12. Wxd2 13 Dbxd2 with equal play. 12 Qxf6 Axo 13 DxeS a4 14 Dbt 14...Qb4 On the chessboard Murey is a street-fighter and so, far from exchanging queens, here he heads for complications. If 14...&xe5 15 Wxa5 bxaS 16 Hxe5 leaves While a pawn up, while 14..WeS 15 DB Wh?! 16 Sxe6 fxe6 17 Exe6 is good for White.15 ¢3 &xb3 16 exb4 Wa6 17 bs Wud 18 Da3 Qd5 19 Hecl Bac8 Black has to be wary of 19. Bfe8? because 20 @ecd means that Black has to worry about his yucen being trapped: 20,..8xe4 21 Mxc4 WaS 22 Wxad bxaS 23 Exd4 with a winning ending, 20 Hxc8 Exe8 21 Decd Qxed 22 xed Ha® Of course 22... Wxb5? is just daft in view of 23 Qd6 winning. 13 Da3 Dd5 24 Sfl h6 25 Bet Whe 25...8ef8 allows the decisive 26 Kicd! Was 27 Wxas bxad 28 Hxdd. 26 Wxb4 Axb4 27 e2 Axa2 28 Bea Nunn has allowed Black to steal a pawn but the fact that his knight is now cut off from the game leads to swift punishment Admittedly, 28 Ec7 also looks good. 28...Hd5 29 dz Hf8 30 Bad Egs If 30...8d7 then 31 @c2 reminds Black that the knight has no safe squares. 31 g3 BPs 32 £4 95 33 Acd gxfa Paulsen Defence 15 A desperate situation but Black is obviously a believer in the old dictum that no one ever won a game of chess by resigning. Then again, against the English grandmaster it might just have saved him a little time: 34 Mxa2 BnS 35 gxf4 Hxh2+ 36 el h5 37 Axa7 hd 38 fl gs 39 Mu7 Hh3 40 Bxd4 Bg3 44 bf2 1-0 IL is worth knowing what to do when Black decides to exchange pawns in the centre. The key move 7 @gs should be a familiar idea from the game Lane-Henris where 9 gs also kept queens on the board for the middlegame so an attack could be launched, Degraeve - Meijers St Afrique 2003 Ted e5 2 Red ANG 3 d3 6 4 DE d55 Qh3 Lado 6 Ded dxed Black wishes lv simplify matters. 7 ag5 This is the sight way to strive for the advantage because White attacks 7 and will keep tactical possibilities alive by recapturing the pawn on e416. Paulsen Defence with a knight. 7 dxed is the obvious move but Black has instant equality by 7...Da6 8 £g5 h6 9 Axto Wxf6 10 h3 DoS 11 0-0 g5 12 Ad? hd 13 W13 Wg6 as in Heinemann-Raetsky, Erfurt 1993 7..0-0 8 Dexed Duod 9 Axes 9 dxed is fine for Black. After 9..Rb4+ 10 3 (10 £d2? would bring a smile to Black’s face upon 10..WexgS) 10..Wxdl+ Ii @xdt S&c5 the position is level 9, Qe7?! Meijers retreats the bishop to forestall any intentions of a white knight hopping to the g5 square. Others: a) 9 Gb4+ has the idea of forcing White into a concession before retuming the bishop to e7 but it not clear that it is significant. 10 c3 Qe7 1) f4 exf4 12 Bxf4 Dd? 13 W3 Dt6 (perhaps 13...a5!? should be considered) 14 0-0 Axed 15 Wxe4 2f6 16 ReS We7? 17 2xf6 Wed 18 dxed gxf6 19 Bxt6 gave White a clear advantage in Stefansson-Krush, Reykjavik 2004; b) 9...2£5!? looks to be the best try and now: b1) 10 0-0 Aa6 11 Axd6 Wxdo 12 f4 (12 WF3 is also possible) 12..Ac5 13 fees Wdd+ 14 Shi @Dxb3 15 axb3 Wxed 16 Whs Hes 17 &d2 when a draw was soon agreed, Al Sayed-Dutreeuw, Bled Olympiad 2002 b2) 10 WH Mxed (10...226 is met by 11 h4 with decent attacking chances) 11 dxe4 ®d7 12 c3 a5 13 a3 (or 13 a4 Ac5 14 Bc2 b5!? 15 0-0 We7 16 Hdl with roughly equal chances, Adams-Kramnik, Tilburg 1998) 13...a4 14 @a2 We7 15 0-0 Rcd 16 Qd2 Had8 17 Had] when White is hoping to exploit the pair of bishops but with accurate play the position is level, Jaracz-Bacrot, Istanbul 2003. 10 0-0 A sensible choice. White makes sure his king is safe before contemplating an attack. Instead 10 Wh5! immediately looks promising because it stops Black from developing a bishop to (5. For example: 10...2d7 (10...h8 11 0-0 transposes to the main game) 11 0-0 We7 12 e5 Bxes 13 Wxes Doo 14 f4 exf4 15 Hxf4 Ads (15...2d7? walks into 16 Df6+ @h8 17 Bh4 he 18 Hxh6+ gxh6 19 Wxh6 mate) 16 Sxd5 oxdS 17 D+ Wh8 18 Dxd5 Wxe2 19 Bxf7! Bes (19...Rxt7 20 Wad8+ Hf8 21 WxtB mate) 20 Ae7 1-0 Vorobiov-Belukhin, Pardubice 2002 10...2h8 11 Wh £6 12 £4 A standard idea for White in this line which enables the king's rook to join in the battle.12.26 13 Whe exf4 14 Qxf4 Hab 15 Des! a The Frenchman is renowned for his attacking flair so it is no surprise he spots a dangerous continuation. 15...fxg5 If Black tries to cover the eS square with 15..Wd4+ it fails to impress after 16 @hI fxg5 17 Be5+ WeeS 18 Hxf8+ BxfB 19 Wxf8 mate. 16 BeS+ Ef If 16,.,.@f6 then 17 Hxf6 Ext6 18 EI is decisive. 17 Bxf6 Qxfo 18 Wxgs! Lg7 18..Wb6+ 19 Ghl 7 allows a pretty finish by 20 W#6 We7 21 Wes mate. 19 Eft hé 19..Wb6+ looks desperate and does not alter the final result upon 20 @hl BxeS 21 Bt7+ dys 22 Hd7+ bf8 23 We7 mate. 20 &xt6+ &h7 21 We3 1-0 A refined approach by Black is to insert 5...2b4+ as an annoying check so that it disrupts White’s usual set-up. Paulsen Defence 17 Vogt — Romanishin Riga 1981 led eS 2 Sed D6 3.3 06 4 AB 055 2b3 Qh4+ ALG ot _ he Z mie Be 6 Ad2 White offers an exchange of bishops in the name of quick development and so that he can undermine Black's pawn centre. Blocking with the c-pawn leaves Black happy in the knowledge that he has at least temporarily prevented @c3, eg. 6 c3 Bd6 7 gS dxe4 8 dxed and now: a) 8...Da6 9 Dbd2 Bc7 10 Bc2 ¥c5 11 0-0 0-0 12 h3 with roughly equal chances, Magem Badals - Koch, French Team Championship 2000. b) 8..We7 9 Dbd2 Bc7 10 0-0 Aa6 11 Bed Bos 12 Bc2 0-0 13 Bel again with equality, Bauer- Koch, Narbonne 1997. c) 8..h6 9 Sh4 We7 10 DBbd2 Rc7 11 We2 Bab 12 b3 Ac5 13 g4?! (ambitious because 13 0-0 is a superior choice offering equal chances) 13...a5 14 &c2 a4 15 Dtt a3 16 b4 Deo 17 Vg3 Aft 18 Qxf4 exf4 19 Dld2 Le5 gave Black the18 Paulsen Defence initiative in Hendriks-Bosboom, Leeuwarden 2004 6..Bxd2+ 7 Abxdd We7 Instead 7... 2g4, encouraging exchanges, is one way to avoid complications, for example: 8 h3 2x3 (8..2h57 9 g4 Veo 10 Axes dxed 11 @xg6 hxg6 12 dxed gives White an extra pawn) 9 Wxf3 0-0 10 0-0 Wad UI c3 @bd? 12 Efel with level chances. The point is that Black has relieved the pressure on. the central pawas although White would argue that the bishop is still doing @ good job of maintaining the tension, 80-00-09 Bel Se4 10 h3 2x3 Romanishin is obliged to take the knight because 10...2h5? allows White to win a pawn by Il exd5 oxdd (118x312 Wxt3 cxd5 13 &xd5 is good for White) 12 24 Bp6 13 Des ete 11 Wxf3 dxe4 12 DBxed Dyed 13 xed Dd7 14 dat White increases the pressure by challenging the e5 pawn and at the same time cutling out the prospect of ..Ac5 14,..exd4 If Black chooses lo resist the pressure on the f7 pawn by tucking the king away into the corner with 14.,.@h8 then 15 Bael £5 16 Hh4! is tricky for Black because of the threat 17 S&xh7+ dxh7 18 Whs mate. 15 Ee7 Wd6 16 Zac] @h8 16,26 then 17 Bxb? main- tains the pressure against {7 afler which the plan will be to bring the other rook to the seventh rank, 17 Qxi7 Had8 18 Ug4 The idea is to try to create mating threats against 7 after removing the bishep from [7. 18...2f6 19 Wh4 Wh4 20 S96 Instead 20 Bie6 is worth considering. For instance: 20...4d6 21 ¢3! (this precise move tips the scales in favour of White) 21...WeS (21..dxe3?? allows 22 Wxb4 winning) 22 BeS Wo6 23 2b3 dxc3 24 bxc3 with excellent attacking chances for White, 20...2d7 Instead 20..Yxb2 is the obvious move but walks into the superb sacrifice 21 Hxg7! which allowsWhite to win after 21...@xg7 22 He7+ soxg6 23 We3+ Gh6 24 Wy7+ Yh5 25 BeS+ Bh4 26 Wes mate. 21 Be8 La8 22 c3 Edxe’ Black keeps on finding accurate nioves to stay in the game. it 22, Wxb2 then 23 Hxd8 Hxd8 24 @xh7! (a nice little trick which leaves the black king exposed) 24... Wd2 25 25+ Wh6o 26 Wxh6+ exh 27 cxd4 Bxd4 28 Heé Ags 29 Me8 Wg7 30 Be6 Ake 31 Be7+ way6 32 Exb7 gives White a winning ending. 23 Bxe8 Wd6 24 Bxf8+ Al first glance 24 Wxd4??, to ucflect the black queen away from the defence of the rooks, seems a xood idea — until you see 24...Axe8 leaving White looking silly. 24..8Wxf8 25 exdd Wb4 26 b3 Wd2 27 B15 Or 27 £717 Wxa2 28 WE4 when White has all the chances. 27..Wxa2?! This allows White to gain the initiative. Perhaps Black should prefer 27.05 28 Wg3 (28 dxc5 Wel+ 29 dh2 Wes+ 30 Wg3 Wits 1s better for Black) 28..cxd4d 29 Wo8+ 4g8 and now 30 Ph2! gives White decent chances because he has avoided a perpetual check. 28 Wg3 We2 29 Wh8+ Wes 30 Wxb7 g6 31 d3 aS 32 Sf Wd8?! Black is in trouble but should hang on to his c-pawn which obliges White to take great care in realising the win. Paulsen Defence 19 33 Wxe6 Wxd4 34 Wa8+ Sg7 35 Wras This position is a standard win for a top player because he can usher the b-pawn forward. If Black does set up a blockade then White will advance his pawns on the kingside to create a mating net. 35...Ded 36 Wel h5 37 We3 Wh4 38 Bed D6 39 Wes Wh6 40 g3 @h6 41 We3+ 1-0 Garry Kasparov has to deal with a passive version of the Paulsen Defence where Black protects his e-pawn with ..d7-d6 and intends to carefully develop his pieces. The space advantage White consequent- ly enjoys is then accurately exploited by the Russian superstar. Kasparov - Georgadze USSR Championship, Minsk 1979 Led eS 2 Sc4 Al 3 d3 6 4 DS Re7 Se treat Le 50-0 Yes, 5 Dxe5?? is seen sometimes whereupon 5...Wa5+ wins a piece.20 Paulsen Defence 5...06 6 ¢3 0-0 The original move-order was | ¢4 25 2 AP d63 Bcd Re? 4 43 fo 5 3 0-0 6 0-0 cb, 7 £03 Le6!? Black wants to eliminate the pressure on the a2-g8 diagonal by offering to exchange pieces. The pin on the queen’s knight with 7.224 is also popular. 8 &bd2 h6?! (the prelude to an interesting retreat of the king’s knight in order to then play ...&g5 and exchange bishops) 9 Wel &h? (The point of the previous move: Black is fighting for the dark squares) 10 h3 &xf3 11 Axf3 Des (if 11...Ad7 then 12 d4 is good for White) 12 Bh2!? (White has no intention of allowing Black to simplify matters by exchanging on £3 and playing ...295) 12..Dh7 13 f4 offers some attacking chances 8 Re2 The bishop retreats. White is treating the position like a Ruy Lopez and wants to retain his influential light-squared bishop. 8...h6 Georgadze makes sure that bishop cannot be exchanged after Dg5. At the moment 8...Abd7 9 Ags Lgd! is fine for Black but after 9 Hel We7 10 d4 Be8 11 h3 it is likely that 11...h6 is the best choice, 9 Hel Abd7 10 Abd2 We7 11 dd Bfe8 12 h3! Kasparov felt this was a star move because it emphasised his contain- ment of Black’s chances on the kingside. 12.218 13 ¢4 Deo t4 dS Qd7 at er 15 Dbl! In his book The Test of Tinw Kasparov was full of praise for this ingenious move. He wrote “less was promised by the transfer of the knight via f1, since this would have weakened White’s fighting potential on the queenside.” Well, it makes sense when you hear it from the world number one and now the plan is Ac3, 2d? and b2-b4, 15...818 16 Ac3 5?! Black is happy to block the position and go for a draw. 17 Sad A far-sighted idea because White wants to exchange this bishop which has now served its purpose After the trade Black’s dark-squared bishop is somewhat restricted whilst White’s is comparatively active. 17...a6 18 &xd7 Dxd7 Upon the recapture 18...Wxd7 Kasparov suggests 19 a3 bS 20 &e3 and the opening of the position will favour White's more active pieces. 19 g3 Bc7 20 hd ALG 21 D2 Wd7 22 a4 Wh3 This move was followed by a draw offer but Kasparov always plays to win — especially when hissyyument is. already heading for fine trouble. 33.3 Wd7 Mack should really look to miprove his pieces with 23.,.2d8 but afier 24 aS bS 25 axb6 &xb6 White is still slightly better. 14 aS BiB 25 Qd2 Bec’ 26 AN os Though it, looks aggressive, Kasparov thought this move was weak because there are not enough fileves (0 create an attack, Now the queen on d7 is obliged to protect the kmght so Black can’t: manoeuvre (he king’s knight via d7 to add weight to the defence on the auvenside. This is a key reason for Kasparov to strive for a rapid opening up of attacking lines. 27 Dad 2d8 28 Hecl Habs 29 bat White has been building up to this inoment for some time because he wants to crack open the queenside. ‘This will be to his advantage because, with more room to manoeuvre, he can quickly create attacking opportunities. 29...0xb4 30 &xb4 hS Paulsen Defence 21 It has been suggested that Black should seize his chance to advance the b-pawn so as to avoid being smothered. After 30,.b5 a sample line is 31 axb6 &xb6 32 c5 dxc5 (or 32.807 33 c6 We? 34 Qxd6! Wxd6 35 Wxe4 and White is winning) 33 &xeS QxcS 34 Axes BxcS 35 ExcS Hb2 36 Ae3 Axf2 37 Sc2 when I think White is much better, 31 Abo Qxb6 32 axb6 We? 33 Was White is applying constant pressure by making sure that Black is on the defensive and confined to manoeuvring in cramped quarters. 33...Hd8 34 (3 Dn6 35 ¢5 Afler marshalling the game with great force Kasparov breaks through with a pawn thrust 35...dxe5 36 2xe5 Wh6 37 Sp2 37 &e7? is not so strong in view of 37. Wxb6~ 37...Hle8 38 2e3 Ad7 39 Eabl We7 40 Wxe7 Exe7 1-0 Black decided to resign rather then wait for 41 e7 pinning the knight and threatening 42 d5-d6.22 Paulsen Defence In the following game White decides to contest the centre with 5 c3 and is then inspired to launch a risky kingside attack. Meszaros ~ Husek Sarospatak 1995 Led e5 2 G4 Dib 3 d3 06 4 DHS &e7 5 De3 5.06 Black simply defends the e-pawn. Or 5..,0-0 6 2b3 (6 33% is a ploy to allow the bishop to retreat immediately to a2 but it fails to impress upon 6...d5! 7 @a2 dxed 8 dxe4 Wxdl+ 9 dxd) Abd? with a comfortable position where White’s king is awkwardly placed, I-Rogers- J.Rogers, British Team Champion- ship 2001; on the other hand 6 @xe5 allows 6...d5 7 &b3 d4 when if the queen’s knight moves then .Wa5+ wins) 6..Wc7 7 0-0 Dab 8 a3 Ac5 9 Ba2 do 10 b4 Ae6 It Be2 a5 12 Sb2 He8 13 Wa2 with equal chances although Black’s position is cramped, Kupreichik- Yusupov, Minsk 1982. 6a4 Meszaros wishes to curtail the possibility of Black playing ...b7-b5 6 h3 is possible to stop the bishop pinning the king’s knight. The game Shah-Stefanova, Moscow 2001, continued 6...Dbd7 7 0-0 bS 8 &b3 cS (Black prepares to exchange the light-squared bishop which is usually a key attacking piece) 9 De2 0-0 10 3 Dxb3 11 axb3 Hes 12 @e3 a5 13 b4 Bd? 14 brad Exa5 with an equal position where a draw was soon agreed, Shah- Stefanova, Moscow 2001. 6.284 The idea of a queenside fianchetio with 6.,,b6 is rather slow but proved reasonable in Voiska-Levier, St Chely d’Aubrac 2002. That game went 7 0-0 0-0 8 h3 We7 9 Ba? a6 10 d4 with equal play. 7h3 Shs 8 gd This advance is classed as an attacking option because advance White intends fo further the kingside pawns. 8...286White adds extra support to the e4 pavn in case of ..d6-d5 and piepures possible queenside vasiling, El Hamdaoui-Akhrouf, 2001, saw instead 9 Hgl!? (lesigned to support the g4 pawn wnd follow up with an advance of the h-pawn although a look at the main game reveals that the h-pawn cau be advanced anyway because of the threat to trap the bishop on g6) 9 G6 10 hd hS LL gS Bd? 12 We2 Dc7 13 a4 with equal chances. »...AbdT 10 h4 With this kingside pawn charge, White makes it clear that his priority i. attack, 10.45 10... Axg4? is no good because 11 1:4 Iraps the bishop. 11 gS Dn7 12 Le3 Dhfs?! Ihis looks rather passive because ibe black king is entombed. Perhaps 12. Wa5!? should be considered. 13 dd Be6 14 dxeS dxeS 15 dixe6 fxe6 16 Wed Ey wey ian QAGAG A 16...987? Black is keen to defend the c-pawn but this is a serious mistake lor tactical reasons. The alternative Puulsen Defence 23 16.218 is met by 17 Hh3 but at least Black would still be in the game after 17,.WaS 18 0-0-0 even if White does retain the upper hand. 17 0-0-0 Ye7 18 Bxd7! 1-0 A more restrained set-up for Black is examined in the next game Vogt - Chekhov Halle 1981 1e4 eS 2 Bed Af6 3 d3 c6 4 DEB £.e7 5 0-0 d6 6 h3 0-0 6..bd7 7 a4 DLS 8 Bc3 Ago (an interesting idea by Black who is trying to save time compared to lines where he castles and then has. to move the rook to ¢8 in order to make room on f8 for his knight) 9 d4 We7 10 &b3 0-0 11 Be3 h6 12 a5 247 13 Hel led to equal chances in Mikuev-Studnicka, Karlovy Vary 2004. 7 Hel Also possible is 7 &b3 Dbd7 8 c3 d5 9 We2 dxed 10 dxed We? 11 8c2!? (I prefer 11 Dbd2 to keep the bishop active on the a2-g824 Paulsen Defence diagonal, especially after 11.408? which allows 12 Des ER 13 Sxt7+ Bat? 14 Wea winning) 1]...a5 12 Dbd2 DhS 13 Ded bS 14 Des Als 15 Wa2 DeS 16 DlS Ad8 17 We3 16 18 @h2 Vxf5 19 exfS @d5 0-1 Jasim-Safin, Dubai 2001. 7.2007 8 ad VOIR Lae 2 HOR: BR ROWE & White decides to eliminate the possibility of ..b?7-bS and make room for a bishop retreat if need be. 8...a5 Chekov wishes to stop White’s expansion on the queenside. Instead 8...d5 is worth considering although Black has to be careful that his opponent doesn’t gleefully then attack his pawn centre. The game Vogt-Magerramov, Baku 1980 continued 9 exd$ cxd5 10 &a2 e491 1] dxed dxed 12 Bgs BS 13 Be3 Wh6 14 Dgxed (White wins a pawn whilst defending his own one on f2) 14..Axed 15 Axed Le7 16 Ac3 eS 17 Bed gave White an extra pawn. 9 D3 h6 Perhaps 9...@c5 should be tested when 10 d4 exd4 1] @xd4_ is slightly better for White. 10 @a2 He8 11 d4 28 12 2e3 We7 13 Dh! The knight heads for the influential £5 square. 13 dxeS is less impressive because it releases the tension in the centre, thereby making it easier for Black to activate his cramped _ pieces: I3..dxeS 14 @h4 @c5 15 DPS Qxe3 16 Bxe3 DB 17 WR Oxts 18 ext Had8 led to roughly equal chances and a quickly agreed draw in Emms-Balogh, Batumi 1999. 13...b6?! Even at this early stage an indication that Chekhov is concen- tating on (he queen’s flank - a sure sign that the potential crisis on the kingside is being underestimated. Instead 13..exd4!? 14 &xd4 Qe7 15 DFS!? Aes looks passive but is probably Black’s best chance to stem the onslaught. 14 dxe5 dxe5 15 Wi! The queen transfers to the kingside in preparation for an attack, 15...205 16 OS Qxe3 17 Hxe3 osNot 17..Ac5 due to 18 Dxh6+ yxh6 19 Wxf6é with a clear alvantage. 18 Bal 2a6 19 Axh6! A delightful sacrifice which sauses Black (ertific problems 19..He7 Afier 19...gxh6 White storms to victory with 20 Bxd7! Wxd7 (or 20. Dxd7 21 Wet? mate) 21 Wxt6 she8 22 Hd3 We? 23 Wxh6+ and it is lime for Black to give up. 20 AfS Hees 21 g4 AcS 22 gs with equal chances, Gayson-Yeo, 4NCL British Team Championship 2003. 11...Wes Urusoff Gambit 39 At first glance it looks like White is in trouble because of the loose bishop on ¢4. On 11...dxc3 White is doing well after 12 @xc3 Wxdl 13 Haxdl &f5 14 Dds He8 153 Dh6 16 &bS5 since Black’s pieces lack co-ordination. 12 @xaat Pirrot ignores the attack on his bishop as he has spotted a tactical trick, 12.247 The point of White’s tactical idea is revealed upon 12..Wxe4!? 13 Dxc6 Wxc677? 14 Wd8+ We8 15 Wrxe8 mate. 13 Ba2 A reasonable move to get another pices into action and to defend the bishop. However I prefer the sharp 13. Se6!, which puts instant pressure on Black as 13...&xe6 14 Axe6+ fxe6 15 Wega is good for White due the weak pawn on e6 and the misplaced black king. 13...0xd4 14 xd Wxd4 15 WHS The threats of 16 Wxf7 mate and 16 Wxb? force Black to take evasive action. 15..WA6 16 Was Waé 17 Wxd6+ exd6 18 Ded40 Urusoff Gambit White was content to enter the ending in the knowledge that he will recover his pawn whilst leaving the black king impeding the king’s rook on h8. 18...Ae5 19 Bb3 Ads 19..Ge7 20 Axd6 Yxdo 21 Hadi+ Ye? 22 Bxe5+ is better for White. 20 Hed! &c6 21 Axd6 Axb2 22 Hdbl White is spoilt for choice because his more active pieces offer fots of tactical opportunities. 22 Ed? seems to win a piece for nothing but Black can fight back with 22..4d8! 23 Boi &e7 24 Belt! B66 (or 24...88f8 25 Hee?! intending Had followed by Hxe2 wins) 25 Bd4 with a view to harassing the black king is very positive for White. 22..2d3 23 Dxt? BgB 24 Ded 28 25 Deo+ The knight dominates while the hapless black king is chased around the board. 25...8e7 26 Hdl Ded 27 [4 Des 28 g3 clear has a because the exposed black king will come under attack from the white tooks. Pirrot advantage 28...a5 29 ad hS 30 Dgs hd 31 Had hxg3 32 Belt ds OF course, 32..f6 is hardly worth playing because White still triumphs atter 33 Be6+ @f5 34 Qc2+ Sed 35 h3+ Hh4 36 15+ Sxg5 37 Bxgot GhS 38 Qdl+ 2 39 Qxf3 mate. 33 h3 Ae8 1-0 Black Jost on time in a difficult position because 34 De6+ Be? 35 DEB+ GB 36 Dxc6 bxe6 37 Bd7 gives White a clear advantage. Conclusion The strength of the Urusoff Gambit is revealed in Neishtadt- Gipstis — a swashbuckling attacking game with a brilliant finish. IPs not always ike this but the main lines do offer complications for both White and Black. Avrukh - Skripchenko-Lautier secs. a grandmaster trying his luck with this sharp line and it worked spectacularly. Admittedly, Blackcould have salvaged a draw but the defence for Black needs careful handling. The old main line with 9 Bhel is explored in Barnard- Steadman which is complicated but I think the reality is that in practice such positions favour White. In this correspondence encounter Black soon goes wrong. The reason why this opening is not always seen in the books is that it tends to transpose into the Two Knights which becomes clear in Nurkiewicz-Socko. Here White Urusoff Gambit 41 certainly cannot force victory but 5 5 causes instant problems for Black and these could catch out a poorly prepared opponent. Indeed, Socko is an experienced grandmaster which goes to show that anyone can come under pressure. 4..2c5, with the idea of transposing into the Max Lange Attack, is examined in Pirrot- Thinius. Once again White should be reminded to take note of Black’s sixth move which shows how to avoid the Max Lange.Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit 1 e4 eS 2 Sic4 Df6 3 DB Axed 4 Ac3 ack b> fi a Ss piss 2 White sacrifices a pawn in the name of rapid development and in order to create an attack. It is worth noting that this position can also be reached via the Petroff/Russian Game: | e4 eS 2 Df3 Df 3 Lcd Dxed 4 Ac3. History The move 4 c3 can be traced back to Polerio in 1584 but the modern treatment stems from an analysis by Samuel Boden in his Popular Introduction to the Study and Practice of Chess in 1851. A few years earlier Lionel Kiescritzky (1806-1853) had played = and popularised the line so his name was also attached to the opening. It has fluctuated in popularity but some top players have tried it with success. Even so, | suspect White is left struggling to justify the pawn. sacrifice although scope _ still remains for finding improvements in old lines. White wins Dohr — Thalmeier Graz 1993 Led 05 2 Qc4 D6 3 DB Dred 4 Be3 Axc3 § dxe3 d6? A classic mistake which gives White a winning position after just a handful of moves. Though it defends the e~pawn the text allows a nice combination. 6 Ags The threat to the £7 pawn requires. Black to take defensive action. 6...206 7 Lxeb fxe68 Wes! This is the killer move, which Black tends to miss when playing 5...d6. The twin threats of 6 W{7 mate and 6 Wxb7 leave Black busted. 8...Wd7 9 Wxb7 Wee The only way to save the rook but now it is mate in 3. 10 We8+ Be7 11 Wxeb+ 1-0 A standard attacking scheme is to play 6 0-0 and then try to unlock Black’s wall of pawns Moody -- Ippolito Chicago 1994 1e4e5 2 2c4 Af 3 DB Axed 4 De3 Dxc3 § dxcd £6 6 0-017 x Sas oe LLP tL AL 7 zee gy e fy "i ie BR zee Aw This has been the accepted way to continue the attack — endeavouring to get the king’s rook into the game. The alternative 6 f4 is discussed in the next main game. 6..,We7 Black puts the brakes on the threat of 7 Axes dxeS 8 Whs+ g6 9 WxeSs+, oe Boden-Kieseriteky Gambit 43 7@h4 As usual in this line White prepares to play Wh5+. it might seem a good idea to try to exploit the king and queen on the e-file with 7 Hel but in the game Sedgwick-Goodger, Port Erin 2000, Black set up a solid pawn shield with 7...d6 and afler 8 Ah4 Leb 9 Lxe6 Wxe6 10 H Acé 11 b4 0-0-0 had the better chances. 7.96 8 Bh The king moves off the gl-a7 diagonal in preparation for f2-f4 which if played at once loses a piece to 8..,WeS+, 8...d6 Black is lining up the pawn in a solid formation, which is a familiar idea in this line. 9 f4 £5 An important defensive move to stop the advance f4-f5 and reveal an attack against the knight on h4. 10 DB ed 1 Dgs hé 12 SE7+ If 12 @f?7 then [2...Bh7 followed by ...Hxf7 will give Black a clear advantage. 12.248 13 Wad Tt seems that the opening has worked well but crucially Black has calculated a couple of moves further than White. 13...hxg5 14 Wxh8 Wxt7 15 fixes We7 16 Who Reb There is no need for 16...Wxh6 17 gxh6, which gives White some slim hopes due to the passed pawn 17 ha?44 Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit White is desperate to engineer some play by creating a passed pawn with h4-hS bul it is seriously flawed. 17. Mig8! The queen is trapped. 0-1 I think While has to react quickly to justify the pawn sacrifice and the best continuation seems to be Beden’s original suggestion 6 Dns. Rublevsky ~ Scetinin Pardubice 1992 Led 52 Bc4 DG 3 DMG Axed 4 D3 Dxe3 Black can decline to join in the main lines with 4...2d6 when White should preserve the bishop by 5 2b3 Deb (or 5...c4 6 We2 We7 7 @d5! Wd8 8 d3 with the better chances) 6 0-0 e4 7 Axed Axed 8 Bei Be7 9 Bxed d5 10 Bel 0-0 11 d4 2g4 12 3 with a slight edge, Andrenko-Kovtoniuk, Alushta 2004. 5 dxc3 £6 6 @h4! T think this is the best continuation because it requires Black to defend accurately, ‘The initial threat is 7 WhsS+ 26 8 Gxeo hxgo 9 Wxh8 winning. The tempting looking 6 BxeS is not much good after 6...fxe5 (6... We7 is mentioned in the older sources when 7 QF7+ Gd8 8 0-0 fxeS 9 Wh5 h6 is good for Biack) 7 Wh5+ v6 8 Wxes+ We7 when the white queen is pinned so the attack evaporates, 6.4.66 Or 6..We7 7 Whit bd8 8 ALS (perhaps 8 e3 should be considered so that White can develop smoothly while Black is beset with the worry of the king getting in the way of the rest of his pieces.) 8...g6 9 @xe7 gxhd 10 ®xc8 xc 11 h4 with roughly equal chances because the material balance can be restored wilh 2f7 7 £4 We7 The queen is needed to avoid a calamity. For instance: a) 7...06 8 £5! d5 (or 8...AXx£5 9 ®xf> exfS 10 Was Be7 11 WET+ Gd7 12 Ae6+ Ge6 13 Be3 whenthe black king is cruelly exposed) 9 Bxd5 c6 10 BAT Se7 11 Wxd8+ PxdS 12 fego Vc5? 13 g7? 1-0 Vatter-Dieterle, Triberg 1991. b) 7.04 8 FS! c6 9 fxgé d5 10 Wh5! 1-0 Berrang-Scheuermann, St Ingbert 2001. 8 £5 We? The queen looks a bit silly on g7 Dut this is the only way for Black to survive, It is certainly not a good idea to play 8...g5? and allow the white queen to infiltrate: 9 Whs+ Sd8 10 Dg6 Wes 1) Wh3 when the pin on the b-file wins. 9 fxg6 hxg6 10 Wes bag T don’t think it is a decent idea to take the annoying knight with 10...Hxh4?! because it loses the exchange and afler 1} Wxh4 c6 12 S03 d5 13 Be2 Reb 14 g4 Ma7 15 W2 Se7 16 0-0-0 White should win. 11 Wg3 This position is mentioned in the reference book Nunn’s Chess Openings and the analysis stops here with the comment that the position is unclear. This is fair enough but it needs more detai) Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit 45 because Black is a pawn up. In general I think White has sufficient compensation because the king on d§ is misplaced and upsets the harmony of the rest of the pieces. | f Dxg6 d5 12 We3 dxe4 13 DAxh8 Wxh8 would be better for Black 11..g5 12 DS Wh7 Or 12..Wg6 13° @d3 (White prepares a discovered attack on the black queen) 13...d5 (4 Ac? Wé7 15 Dgé Es 16 DxfB LxfB 17 0-0 (the threat is &xg5) 17... 2e8 18 c4 dxc4 19 Sed gives White adequate compensation for the pawns because the black king is horribly exposed. 13 0-0 13...c6 Black wishes to curb the power of the bishop on c4 by creating a pawn centre. This is a slow process when you have a lack of development so perhaps other moves need to be examined: a) 13..d5 14 Qxd5 SxfS 15 &xb7 Re4 16 Bxa8 BcS+ 17 Shi Sxa8 18 Hxf (Black has played accurately but as usual the exposed. nature of the black king gives White decent chances despite the material46 Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit deficit) 18...8c8 19 Bxgs Wxe2 20 b4 2b6 2) Wg4+ Ad7 22 Bafl with roughly equal chances. b) 13...2c5+ 14 e3 d6 15 Bxe5 xfS5 16 Se} Ac6 (16...Ad7!7 seems to be an improvement so that the f6 pawn is defended when the light-squared bishop is forced to move) 17 Hf2 intending to double rooks and giving White compensation for the pawn. 14 Qd3 a5?! 15 Ade Or 15...Wxh2+ 16 Wxh2 Bxh2 17 Oxh2 Qxd6 18 Axf6 with a winning ending. 16 Bxt6 At the cost of a piece the grandmaster grabs the opportunity to break up the pawn structure so he can target the black king. 16..exd3 17 &xg5 The threat of discovered check leaves Black’s position in ruins. 17...e7 18 QF7+ 1-0 One of the reasons why this opening is not often seen at tournaments is that Black can transpose to the Two Knights. [ have added a game so that White is prepared for such an eventuality. Belkhodja - Solleveld Cappelte 12 Grande 2002 Led e5 2 2c4 DG 3 DB Dxed 4 De3 Deo This quiet move may well be the best defensive idea available. The intention is to forestall an instant attack by transposing back into a version of the Four Knights Defence which normally occurs after 1 e4 e5 2 DB Deb 3 Dc3d Dfe 4 Pod @®xe4. 1 suspect Black might sometimes not even realise the transposition has occurred but it is best ta be prepared. 5 Dxe4 d5 6 243 This is the sensible choice to preserve the bishop pair and be ready to regain the pawn. The wild 6 &b5 has been tested when 6..dxe4 7 Dxes Wy5 8 dd Wxg2 9 Hfl 2a6 10 Axc6 has produced good results for White in the past but 10...a6! is an improvement. For instance: 11 @a4 2d7 12 Be3 bd 13 &b3 Qxc6 with the advantagedue to the extra pawn and safer king. G...dxe4 7 Qxed Qd6 8 0-0 Now that the initial flurry of activity is over White takes time to shelter his king and introduce the king’s rook into the action. 8...0-0 9 Bel The straightforward threat is 10 xc6 bxc6 11 Axes winning a pawn. 9... He8 In the game Mitkov-Berzinsh, Bled 2002, Black decided to pin the knight with 9...2g4. The contin- uation was 10 ¢3 £57! LL &xc6 bxe6 12 Wb3+! (the pin on the knight is broken which will allow White to win a pawn) 12..8h8 13 “Axe5 Qxe5 14 HxeS Wd3 15 We6 Bhs (15...ae8?? 16 Wxe8 Hxe8 17 Exe8 mate) 16 Be3 with the advantage. 10 c3 2g4 11 Wer The easiest way of breaking the pin on the king’s knight while also threatening the h7 pawn. 11...h6 12 h3 2d7 Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit 47 12...2b57! 13 g4 2e6 14 Bxg6 fxg6 15 Wxg6 favours White. 13 a3 Belkhodja is preparing to play d2-d4 and when that happens he wants to rule out the future possibility of ...Ab4 13...b8 14 d4 exd4 15 exd4 We Black at last has some counterplay by putting pressure on the isolated queen’s pawn, 16 £e3 a6 17 dS Bes 18 a2 In the middlegame both sides are busy manoeuvring their pieces to better squares. White is naturally reluctant to exchange pieces since 18 @Axe5 Wxed is irritating because of the threats .Wh2+ and ...Wxe4 and 19 &h7+ h8 20 £4 Wxds leaves White a pawn down for nothing 18...e7 19 2d4 Hbes 20 Ee3 White meets the challenge of Black doubling rooks on the e-file by following the same course of action. Basically, the chances are level.48 Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit 20...Wh4 21 Eael Ager? 21...WhS is the preferred choice to maintain the tension. 22 DI WhS 23 2xg6 Wxge 24 Wxg6 fxg6 25 Des The difference is that the endgame offers White slightly the brighter prospects due to the weakened doubled g-pawns. 25...8b5 26 Axg6 Well, it seems to be a free extra pawn but Black has the situation covered. I prefer 26 £41? to support the knight in the centre and leave Black with the job of defending. 26...2x€3 27 &xe3 2d3 28 Dh4 28 @f4 is just embarrassing because 28...2xf4 wins due to the pin on the e-file. 28...He5 29 As Exd5 Solleveld wins his pawn back and peace breaks out on the beard. 30 Qd4 c5 31 BeS S18 32 Vcd Re6 AY Conclusion A dream game has to be Dohr-Thalmeies where Black plays an obvious move and is promptly lost straight from the opening. The well known attack arising from 6 0-0 is not completely convincing and Moody-Ippolito is best avoided by White. An improved way to handle the position after the pawn sacrifice is revealed in Rublevsky- Scetinin where the grandmaster playing White wins in style. The problem of transposing to another line is resolved by the demon- stration of how to cope with 4...c6 in the game Belkhodja-Solleveld White has an edge but with careful play Btack should be able to equalise in the opening.Two Knights Defence 1 e4 e5 2 Qed Afo 3 d3 Deb 4 The Closed Two Knights is one way for White to steadily develop his pieces and contest the battle in the middlegame. History The Two Knights was mentioned in 1580 by Polerio and has been popular ever since. The Closed version is considered a positional response with lots of potential for aggressive play. The current world class stars who have tried this system include Adams, who often plays it, while occasionally Anand, Kasparov and Kramnik have also enjoyed success with it, Its popular- ity arises from the fact that it gives White an edge in the opening and takes the battle into the middle- game. White wins Lane - Paterson Sydney 2002 1 ed €5 2 Bed DG 3 d3 Deb 4 DB ds This advance in the centre is an aggressive reaction but the drawback is that it Seaves the eS pawn vulnerable. 5 exdS Dxd5 6 0-0 £67! Black wishes to support the e5 pawn in view of the prospect of White's future Bel. {have played this tine many times and usuaily enjoyed quick victories. In the game Lane-Zpiljic, Dubbo 2002, Black tried 6..2e6 when 7 Bel 2d6 850 Two Knights Defence d4! Sb4 (or 8..Axd4?7 9 Dada exdd 10 BxdS Sxh2+ 11 Yxh2 Wxd5 12 c3 winning) 9 c3 BaS 10 Dxe5 Axes 11 AxcS left Black a pawn down for nothing. Of course 6... 284 transposes to the game afler 7 Hel (6. 7 Mel 2ga? 8 Axes! I remember my opponent was momentarily shocked when I allowed my queen to be taken. However, White is in control of the position thanks to the threat of discovered check on the e-file. 8...fxe5 8...2xd1 9 Dxcé+ Be7 10 Axds Bxd8 11 Hxdl eaves Black a piece down. 9 Wxes D6 10 We6+ We7 11 Wre7+ The ending is favourable to White thanks to the extra pawn. 1L..2xe7 12 BS 0-0 13 Sxc6 bxe6 14 Ac3 A safe and steady response to limit Black’s options. Instead 14 Exe5 2d6 15 He2 Dg4 16 h3 Axé2 looks complicated so | did not take ‘the e-pawn. 14..2d6 15 h3 Ads 16 Ded ba 17 Ber 17...05 Black forlornly tries to do something about the doubled e-pawns but merely manages to present White with another target. 18 Se3 Da6 19 b3 Had8 20 ad g6? 21 2g5 Abs 22 Afo+ 1-0 It is assumed that an improvement is 6..&¢5 but recent analysis indicates that Black could be in tronble. Gwaze - Lyell British Championships 2004 1 e4 e5 2 Be4 Ate 3 d3 Dcd 4 M3 d5 5 exd5 AxdS 6 0-0 2c5!?This bishop move helped to revive the line in the 1980s, particularly in the correspondence world which thrives on some of the wild lines available. It is still popular for Black but I suspect this will change once the present game becomes well known. 7 Bel This has to be the best continuation as it exerts instant pressure on the e5 pawn. 7..0-0 8 Axes Wh4 Or 8...2xf2+ 9 Gxf2 DxeS 10 BixeS Wfo+ 11 Wr Wxed 12 Qxd5 when White’s two pieces for the rook give him the advantage. ure a ay 3 ca o Pa 4 oa yh ma oan Baw 9 BB! I think this poses a real problem for the entire line. In the 2004 book The Two Knights by Jan Pinski the move isn’t mentioned and only the next game is given where Black wins. This means White might pick up a few easy victories against bemused opponents who have no knowledge of 9 @f3. The old move 9 Wf invites wild complications which are best reserved for correspondence players who have Two Knights Defence 51 days to ponder the best move. I will try to demonstrate what all the fuss is about. For instance: 9...\f6 and now a) 10 h3?! is a passive response: 10...4\d4 11 Wdl bS 12 Sxf7+ xf? 13 Oxt7 Sxf7 14 c3 Ags! 15 cxd4? (15 5! Wxgs 16 hxgd is roughly equal) 15...&xd1 16 dxc5 &c2 ~ winning, —_ Douglas-Lyell, British Championship 2002. b) 10 Axc6 Bg4! 11 d4 Wxh2+ 12 $1 and now: bl) 12..2d6 13 Ae7+ Qxe7 14 Bxe7 Whit 15 Be2 Ato This is a wonderful position but for practical reasons it should probably be avoided because very accurate defence is needed when your king is strolling around. looking b12) 16 ded? .g4 17 Bel (or 17 Wea Wdl+ 18 &c3 bS 19 &b3 a5 20 £3 b4+ 21 cd ReGt 22 Bc5 Rxb3 23 c4 Sixcd 24 cexed We2+ 25 @c3 bxo3 26 bxc3 Wad+ 27 shd3 Dds 28 We5 Axe7 0-1 Nolan- Harding, corr 1989) 17...Wxel+ 18 xe] Kxf3 19 gxf3 Hfes+ 20 Be3 Had8 21 dd2 cS 22 c3 with the better ending, Alesi-Simonella, corr 1998.52. Two Knights Defence b13) 16 We3 Bpe4+ 17 Sd2 b5 18 &b3 c5 19 c3 Hae8! 20 Wel? (20 QxfP+t Ext? 21 Exeg+ Oxe8 22 Wrxe8+ Hf 23 Wet Whot+ is roughly equal} 20...Wxg2 21 @xf7+ Bxi7 22 Bxe8+ DxeB 23 @e2 Exf2+ 24 Qa2 OF54 25 Sb3 Wes 26 dxcS Sc2+ 27 Wh4 Wedt 28 aS Wad mate, Konicek-Rybak, corr 1999. b2) 12...bxe6 13 dxeS Aes 4 Exe5 Wxes 15 Ac3 Wxes 16 Qb3 247 17 Qc3 gave White the better chances, Rodrigucz-Pierrot, Mar del Plata 2001 9... Witt The logical move — anything else signals that Black has mishandled the opening: a) 9.Wd8 10 Les £6 11 Ded fags 12 Qxd5+ Wh8 13 Lxc6 bxeb 14 Ae4 Be7 15 Wd2 is good for White due to Black's weak pawn structure, b) 9..WhS 10 @xd5 Wxd5 11 4c3 Whs 12 Se3 and the extra pawn gives White all the chances. c) 9...Rxf2+ is met by 10 SFI which wins a piece once the black queen retreats. 10 Shi D6 10...22h32! has been suggested but giving away a piece just to inconvenience White is not the best way to conduct an attack. 11 gxh3 Bae8 (11..Ad4 12 Bxd5 Axc2 13 He2 when Black should resign) 12 Sixd5 wins. 11 He2 Agd 12 3 12.85 Black wants to bring the queen’s rook into the game but White should. emerge with the better position thanks to tactical niceties based on the threatened h2-h3. I have taken time to have a good look at the alternatives and to make sure White knows how to handle the situation: a) 12... 2e6 13 h3! Bxcd 14 hxed with a clear advantage. b) 12...b5 (1 think this is the best try for Black but White should be able to cope adequately) 13 2d5 &b7 14 Dbd2 and now: bl) 14..2d6 15 Bc4 Wh6 '6 h3 BgeS (or 16.66 17 Axfo+ gxl6 18 2e3 Wa6 19 Wel with a fantastic attack because the black king is too exposed) 17 @e3 Wa6 18 Ac5 VxcdS 19 Rxc5 BfeS 20 Wel Bad8 21 2b3 winning. b2) 14...Bae8 15 Ded traps the queen so Black is obliged to shed more material thereby leaving White with a clear advantage. ¢) 12...Da5 13 n3 Axed 14 dxe4 We3 15 hxgd Qxge4 16 Wel and White is better. 13 h3 Eae8 14 d4Now three black pieces are attacked so something must leave the board. 14..Qe4 15 hxgd Qxl3 16 Bxf2 Rxdl 17 dxcdS The position has cleared up and White is a clear piece ahead - a triumph for White’s strategy. The game concluded: 17...Ae5 18 Aad @xgd 19 Efl Se2 20 Sxe2 Hxe2 21 Dbs Di2+ 22 Sgi Ads 23 ba Hfe8 24 Sf4 Hb2 25 Ad4 c6 26 el Axel 27 Bfxel g6 28 Her Hxe2 29 Dxe2 He2 30 Add Ab? 31 ad Gg7 32 b5 a6 33 bxc6 bxe6 34 @®xco He2 35 La3 GSF6 36 a5 95 37 D4 Hd? 38 Dxab gd 39 Db4 3 40 Hal 1-0 There are various ways for White to handle the Closed Two Knights Defence but I think 6 a4, to gain space on the queenside and provide a retreat for the light-squared bishop, is the simplest plan to follow: Inkiov - Karadimov Borovec 2002 1 ed e5 2 Qc4 D6 3 d3 Deb 4 DB 2e7 5 0-0 0-0 6 a4 Two Knights Defence $3 A space-gaining move, which also provides White’s — light-squared bishop with a useful retreat at a2 if attacked by ..@aS, as indeed happens shortly. I think an early a2-a4 is an easy way to handle the position, The reason for this is that c2-c3 instead would encourage ...d7-d5, which in some lines can be awkward now that Black has castled and can use the king’s rook to defend the e5 pawn. 6..d6 7. ¢3 Bas Black seeks to exchange White’s traditionally aggressive bishop on 4, 8 Qa2 c5 9 Abd? Leb 10 b4! Inkiev strives to get some more room by chasing the knight.54. Two Knights Defence 10...cxb4 11 exb4 Ach 12 b5 Das The knight is now safe but the question is whether it serves any useful purpose on the edge of the board? I think the answer is it could do better! 13 Qxe6 fxe6 14 2a3 b6 15 Bb4 Inkiov introduces the threat @xa5 to double the a-pawns. 15...Db7 16 Bed The knight on c4 is influential and Black’s problem is that it ts not easily ousted since ...d6-d5 would allow the e5 pawn to be captured. 16...We8 17 Hb Hes 18 Wb3 Wa7? This move looks natural to defend the e6 pawn but it is fatally flawed, Instead 18...A\c5 is a better try although after 19 &xcS Hxc5 20 BDe3 White still has an edge. 19 Dfxes! A surprising move that in an instant wreaks havoc in the heart of the opponent’s position by obliging the black queen to abandon its defence of the e6 pawn 19..dxe5 20 DxeS We8 21 Wre6+ The position has become somewhat clearer and the point of the sacrifice is revealed - White regains his piece. 21...2h8 1-0 Black did not wait for 22 Wxe7 when he is three pawns down. If. 21...Hf7 then 22 &xe7 is a winner since 22...Wxe7 allows the decisive 23 Wre8+, It is also possible to pin the king's knight with 6...g4, Kogan — Sanahuja Palomo Manresa 1997 1 ef e5 2 Rcd DG 3.d3 Deo 4 DB Le7 5 0-0 d6 6 a4 Bes 73 The Israeli grandmaster makes sure the king’s knight cannot be put under further pressure by ruling out the possibility of ...\d4. 7..\dd7 8 Bod2 Bhs 9 h3 Aixh3?! There is always a temptation for Black to wreck White’s kingside with a piece sacrifice but this would really need to be timed accurately.10 gyh3 Qt4 If 10..Wkxh3 then White can defend against the mate threats by 11 @h2 D4 12 WH ensuring the advantage. 11 ®h2 h5 This looks rather slow because although it deprives White of the g4 square the other option of adding the black king’s rook to the attack is rather cumbersome. The attack disappears after 11..Wxh3 12 We4 when the ending would favour White. 12 Aadf3 Wxh3 13 2xf4 Jt makes sense for White to exchange off the attacking pieces, leaving Black with just a solitary queen for the onslaught. 13...exf4 14 Wb3 0-0 15 Wbs! The white knights safeguard the kingside so now there is time for this elaborate manoeuvre which brings the queen into the action. 15..25 16 Dxgs Aes?? I suspect this is equivalent to resignation but Black is struggling to justify his piece sacrifice. For Two Knights Defence 55 example: 16...2xg5 17 Wxps+ @h7 18 @h1 Bes 19 Wes+ Wxls 26 exfs would have given Kogan a winning advantage. 17 Dxh3 1-0 Black is always trying to wres! an edge from this opening but White’s position is very solid even after the provocative 7...We8, Najer — Odinokov Russian Team Championship 2004 1 e4 e5 2 Sc4 DiG 3 d3 Dc 4 DB Le7 5 0-0 0-0 6 a4 d6 7 c3 Wes Though it looks rather odd, the basic idea is to be ready to bring the queen into the action after ...@h8, ®d7 and ...f5. It is possible to play 7...8h8 at once, with the same idea as the text, and in Sakelsek- Rodman, Bled 2002, after 8 a5 a6 9 Wbh3 We8 White decided to continue aggressively with 10 Ags whereupon 10...Ad8 11 £4 exf4 12 2x h6 13 AB 2e6 14 Abd? gave White the better chances, Sakelsek-Rodman, Bled 2002.56 Two Knights Defence The motivation for Black’s queen shuffle can be traced to the game Dolonen-Rolvaag, Gausdal 1994, where White failed to exploit Black's set-np: 8 Abd2 2d7 9 Bel dB 10 b4 Be7 1] Dh4 Dgo 12 @Dxg6 hxg6 13 DM Le6 with roughly equal chances. 8ad White wants to play 8 Wb3 but this will be met by 8..a5 forking the queen and bishop. Therefore the pawn is advanced and if it is not blocked it will go to a6 to weaken the light squares on the queenside. 8...a6 9 Wb3 DAd7 10 Bed Najer is just concentrating on bringing his pieces into the game. 10...@7h8 U1 Dbd2 £16 Perhaps Black should be consistent and play 11..f5 to activate the king's rook when 12 exf) Exf5 13 Mfel gives White an edge. 12 Bfel Dd8 13 dd White has played the opening well because he has a space advantage bui all he really has done is to put his pieces on sensible squares and prepared the advance d3-d4. 13...Ae6 14 Df The manoeuvre Afl-g3-f5 is a typical idea in this line but the problem for Black is that there is little sign of counterplay whercas White will improve his position. 14...Eg8 15 De3 Ddt3 16 DES d8 17 dxeS dxe5 18 Zadl This is a model game for White who can now open lines and find better squares for his pieces. Black is playing a waiting game but the fact that most of his pieces are passively placed on the back rank is a sure sign that all is not going well. 18...2e6 19 2d5 Najer is still probing for weak- nesses. The obvious threat is 21 &xb7 although 21...Bb8 is enough to hold the position. 19, Dgé 20 g3 Eb8? 21 a7 This is better than just playing 20 Bc5 because it is a chance to dislodge the rook from its defence of the b7 pawn 21...Ha8 22 Sc5 Qd7 23 Rd2 23.007?Black cracks under the pressure and goes wrong. 24 Qxe7 Qxe7 25 Dxes White may wel) just be a pawn up but that pawn held together Black’s position which now collapses. 25.206 26 Rxeb fxe6 27 Axe7 Wxe7 28 Wed Ets 29 Hd? 1-0 In the following game White once again uses 6 a4 to good effect and Black tries a different idea with 7...h6. Sivokho — Yemelin St Petersburg 2001 Led e5 2 Bcd DG 3 d3 Aco 4 Of3 &e7 5 0-0 0-0 6 a4 d6 7 3 h6 The object of this move is net just to prevent White moving a piece to the g5 square. At international level it also serves another purpose — to facilitate the manoeuvre @f6-h7 which, with ...2h8, will enable ...f5 to create some counterplay. 8as [ think it is worth advancing the a-pawn in order to deny Black the option of Black playing ...a5. Two Knights Defence 57 Other lines: a) 8 @bd2 DBh7 9 a5 ab 10 a4 Sh8 it dxed Dees 12 Axes dxes 13 Wb3 gave White an edge in Inkiov-Boudre, Cannes 1992. b) 8 h3 Dh7 9 d4 Ay5 10 Dxgs Saxgs 11 f4 Qxf4 12 Bxfd exf4 13 Axfd De7?! (13..We5!? is an improvement because it secures equality due to the threat of -2xh3) 14 Wb3 gives good play against the f7 pawn, Beshukoy- Kuzmin, Voronezh 1991. c) 8 Bel Ah7 9 h3 PhS 10 dé cit seems to be a good idea to advance. in the centre just before Black is able to lunge his fpawn forward) 10...f5 11 dxeS fed 12 Bxe4 dxes 13 Wxd8 Bxd8 14 Hel £5 15 Dbd2 Lo 16 BbS and the pressure on the eS pawn gives White the superior chances, Van Mil-Szell, Berlin 1990. 8...a6 Instead 8...2g4 to pin the king's knight was tested in N.Rogers-Hess, Philadelphia 2002. That game continued 9 h3 &hS 10 Dbd2 Dh7 1ta6 We8 12 axb7 Wxb7 13 Bab (I like 13 Wad threatening 2d5 when58 Two Knights Defence 13...Dd8 14 d4 is better for White) 13..Wb8 14 Wad Dd8 15 24 (1S d4!? should be _—_ considered) 15..8g6 16 Wd? D6 and now, instead of 17 Wad as played in the game, I think White could win with 17 @xc5! which transforms the position to his favour after 17..Dxd7 18 Dxd7 and the black queen cannot escape. 9 Abd? Ghs Black is preparing to advance the f-pawn and the first job is to avoid the pin on the a2-g8 diagonal. 10 Hel Dh7 11 d4 It is worth noting that White makes a point of contesting the centre just before Black can advance his fpawn. The idea is that if Black plays ...{5 then White can exchange pawns with the better pawn structure. 1h...exd4 Or H...f5 12 dxeS Axes 13 Dxed dxeS 14 exfS &xf5 15 We2 with the advantage due to the weak eS pawn. 12 exd4 f5 13 05! White finds the perfect time to advance the d-pawn because a knight retreat would be poor while the continuation in the game finds another way to undermine Black’s pawns. 13...De5 14 Axes dxeS 15 DB fxed If 15,..2d6 to defend the e5 pawn then 16 exfS Exf5 17 2d3 is in White’s favour. 16 Dxes Vrs 17 Whs Was 18 Q\74+? It looks like White is about to beat a top grandmaster with — this stvaightforward fork but he has not calculated sufficiently. Instead, 18 Qf! might have prompted resignation because the threat of I7+ would involve a discovered attack on the black queen. [t also means that evasive action would at least rule out the game continuation of trapping the white queen on £7, For example: 18..%b4 19 b3 &g8 20 d6+ wins. 18...Exf7 19 Wxt7 Dt6 20 24 Sivokho is understandably not keen to wait for ..&f8 and finds a way to extract his queen, but the position is now roughly level. 20,,.Wxf4 21 Wxe7 03 22 Exes WrxedBlack has emerged with two pieces for the rook and an active position. 23 Be3 Wadd 24 Wxe7 Ec8 25 Wxb7 Exc3 26 bxe3 Wxe3 27 Hdl The game is level because Black has to contend with the passed d-pawn rather than try to attack the white king. The game concluded: 27..d0g4 28 Hbl Wxas 29 d6 247 30 h3 WES 31 Bal @b5 32 Hel Wd5 33 We7 &c6 34 £3 Sh7 35 Wb8 2d7 36 Be7 We5+ 37 ehI Welt 38 Sh2 Wra+ 39 Bhi Wel+ 40 Sh2 What 41 Shi Wegs 42 Whi+ Wp6 43 Wb7 2bs 4-14 Conclusion The game Lane-Paterson is a typical example of how Black can go wrong by playing too energetically against such a reliable opening. The trick with 8 @xe5 is certainly worth remembering and I myself have won a handful of Two Knights Defence 59 games with that star move. An attempted improvement on the line comes under pressure in Gwaze- Lyell. I think 9 @f3 might well be a big problem for Black and could easily present White with a gift of an easy victory. 6 a4 is introduced in the game Inkiov-Karadimov. The idea of gaining space on the queenside while providing the a2 square for the bishop, thus avoiding an exchange of pieces, is worth noting. Kogan - Sanahuja Palomo sees Black pinning the king's knight. I think this game is interesting because Black makes a speculative piece sacrifice on the kingside to strip away White’s defences. Kogan defends well and finds a clever way to activate his queen. Najer-Odinokov includes a good idea in the form of 8 a5 so as to follow up with Wb3 and avoid ..4a5 forking the queen and bishop. The idea of 8 a5 is once again seen in the game Sivokho- Yemelin where Black plays 7...h6. White plays well but misses a killer move.Closed Giuoco Piano 1 e4 e5 2 Bcd AFG 3 d3 Dc 4 AB ReS History The words Giuoco Piano mean “Quiet Game’ in Italian. This is why the present opening is widely known as the Italian Game in various sources. Indeed it has been around since the 15" century. The Closed version with the pawn on d3 exploded in popularity after Karpov played it in his 1981 world title match against Korchnoi. It has since become popular with players who want to play something reliable and yet like to create an attack in the middlegame White wins Lane — Erwich Antwerp 1996 1 e4 05 2 Red Deb 3 DM Ge54 «3 D6 5 d3 White resists entering the well known lines which occur after 5 d4. The emphasis instead is to develop rapidly and later advance the d-pawn to gain space. Of course this position can also be reached by | ed e5 2 204 Zf6 3 d3 De6 4 AB Bc5 $03. 5...d6 6 0-0 0-0 7 &b3 2b6 The back in bishop anticipation of being attacked by d3-d4. Now 8 d4 could be reason- ably met by 8...2g4. steps8 Bel a5 9 Qed In this line it is usually a good idca to preserve the light-squared bishop for future attacks. In this case the argument is that the knight on the edge of the board can no longer exert its influence upon the centre. 9..Ag4 10 dd The threat to the f2 pawn is eliminated and now White would like to play 11 h3 to loosen the knight’s protection of the e5 pawn. 10,..f5?! Erwich is understandably keen to play aggressively but it is to no avail because he does not have enough actively placed pieces. 113 fxed 12 Bxed dS 13 Qgs! This in-between Black’s ambitious plans. With the move ruins bishop thrust White strives to distract the black queen from its defence of the d5 pawn. 13...Dxf2 A bold attempt to complicate matters but careful analysis soon. indicates that White is on top. Closed Giuoco Piano 61 Other tries: a) 13..Wd6 14 Se7 Wxe7 15 Axds+ Be6 16 Rxe6+ Wxes 17 hxgd Wxg4 18 DxeS leaves White with an extra pawn. b) 13.,.Wd7 14 hxg4 dxe4d 15 xe5 1s good for White. c) 13..B06 14 Qxh7+ Bxh7 15 dxe5 wins back the piece, leaves Black's kingside in a mess and White a pawn up. 14 &xd8 Axdi 15 Bxd5+ Sh8 16 Re7 exd4d This is the start of a sneaky combination. The black pawn will be allowed to promote. AT Qxf8 dxe3+ 18 dh? cxb2 19 Hes! This is the reason why I allowed the black pawn to reach 62. I saw that the threat of back rank mate would save me. 19.826 20 Hxa8 Qxd5 21 Qa3+ 2g8 22 Qxb2 Axb2 23 Ac3 c6 24 Hel 1-0 Another way to handle the position is to block the a2-g8 diagonal with 8...2e6.62 Closed Giuoco Piano Zhang Pengxiang — Karpov Moscow 2001 1 e4 e5 2 Led Als 3 d3 Acé 4 AB 2c5 5 03 dé 6 0-0 0-6 Black follows suit and makes sure his king is safe and introduces his king’s rook into the action. The desire to trade pieces with 6...a5?! is flawed due to 7 Bxf7+! &xf7 8 b4 when White regains his piece and holds the advantage because Black has had to forfeit the right to castle, 7 Sb3 White retreats the bishop so that @aS can be met by S82. Moreover if ...d5 is played then there will now be an option of just defending the e4 pawn. 7.406 8 Nbd2 Le6 Black offers an exchange of the light-squared bishops to counter any exploitation of the a2-g8 diagonal by the 2b3. 9 Ded But White shields his bishop from exchange while activating his queen’s knight. 9 el is the main alternative: a) 9..&xb3 10 @xb3 Dd? (10...2a7 11 QeS intending d3-d4 with an edge) 11 DxcS dxeS 12 2g5 f6 13 Be3 HE7 14 W3 b6 15 dd exd4 16 cxdd exdd 17 Dxd4 @xd4 18 Qxd4 We7 19 Bad! with the better prospects thanks to his space advantage, Nunn-Doyle, Marbella 1982. b) 9..Dg4 10 He2 Wd7 tL h3 Df 12 BE Qxb3 13 Wxb3 Dhs 14 g4 (perhaps 14 Hel should be preferred so that 14...D£4?! can be well met by 15 dd! &b6 16 Qxf4 exf4 17 Bld2 intending Dc4 with the better chances) 14.16 15 @g2 d5 16 Dg3 dxe4 17 dxed Weo 18 We2 Ead8 19 bf &e7 20 a4 (White gains space on the queenside) 20...Wed 21 Wh2 b5 22 Be3 Des 23 axbS Wxb5S 24 @fS Bd77! 25 Wa2! Ab 26 c4 (the black queen is knocked off the fifth rank where it defends the eS pawn) 26...Wxb4? 27 a3 1-0 Lane-Vlahos, London 1987. 9,..Sa7 The desire to initiate an exchange of pieces with 9..2xc4?! is not clear while the dark-squared bishop remains on cS. For instance: 10&xc4 Bas 11 bd! (this is the difference compared to lines where the bishop has already retreated) 11..xc4 12 bxeS @a5 13 Hb with a slight advantage, 10 251? White wants to pin the king's knight. 10 a4 is the positional approach, then 10...h6 11 a5 @e7 12 Hel Dgo 13 Be3 Qxc4 14 Bxc4 Qxe3 15 Hxe3 c6 16 d4 with equal opportunities, © Benjamin- Kaidanoy, Salt Lake City 1999. 10...h6 11 &h4 deh7!? Black aims for ...g5 but wants to play ..2g8 first to avoid any sacrifices by White on g5. Instead Minasian-Mamedyarov, Dubai 2002, saw 11...g5. That game went 12 &g3 (12 Dxgs!? hxgs 13 Bxgs &g7 14 De3 is very tough to defend for Black but it is not that clear) 12... Axc4 13 Bx04 Das 14 Qd2 hs 15 h4 Axc4 16 dxed Ded 17 BB when the weakened black kingside gave White the advantage. 12 De3 Bg8 13 dd exd4 13...g5 allows 14 d5! gxh4 15 dxe6 fxe6 16 &xe6 when the black king is too exposed. Closed Giuoco Piano 63 14 exd4 Qxb3 15 Wxb3 Axd4? If a former World Champion can miss a tactic then it is highly likely that it will be repeated at club level. The correct way for Black to continue is to break the pin with 15..g5!? when play might continue: 16 2g3 (16 €5!? gxh4 17 Wxft+ Hg? 18 Wf Dxd4 19 Dxdd @xd4 20 DFS Wxf6 21 exf6 Bg4 22 3 BM with an equal ending) 16...¢4!? (16... Dxe4 17 Wxf7?+ Shs 18 Wes 4)f6 19 d5 favours White) 17 Ad2 Axd4 18 Wxf7+ Bg7 19 Wed Bhs with a double-edged game. 16 Dxd4 Qxd4 17 B15? Well, this is good but White misses the knockout blow 17 Wd3! which hits the bishop and threatens, a discovered check by e4-e5, Por instance: 17...&xe3 (or 17..g5 18 5+ Bg6 19 Wxd4 dxeS 20 Wxd8 Hxd8 2] &g3 wins) 18 e5+! Sh8 19 exf gS 20 Wxe3 when Black can resign because 20...gxh4 allows 21 Wxh6 mate. 17...2b6 18 Wxf7 18 Bad], threatening e4-e5 to take advantage of the pin on the d-file, is better for White.64 Closed Giuoco Piano 18.8418 ‘The position is now equal. 19 Wed He8 20 Kael g5 21 &3 Axed 22 Dx! 22...@xh6?! Perhaps 22...2xf2! is the best try when 23 Wxg8+ (23 Axgs Bxel 24 Exel Dd3+ 25 Shl Axel 26 Lxel Wxg8 and Black is a pawn up) 23. Wag8 24 Axg8 Bxel 25 Bxel Da3+ 26 Sfl Axel 27 Dfot Ss 28 Ads @d3 gives Black the superior ending. 23 Hxed WES 24 Hxe8 Bxe8 25 h4 White intends to go after the black king which is badly exposed. 25...94 26 2f4+ G7?! Though it looks daring, 26...@h5! is the safest place for the king and offers roughly equal chances after 27 Re3 27 2e3! Hed 28 Wb3 Qxe3? The problem with the exchange of pieces is that it allows the rook on fl to join in the hunt for the black king. 29 fxe3 We6 30 Wxb7 Hxe3? 31 WxeI+ Se6 32 We2+ Wed 33 Wr2 White lines up on the Ffile to target the king which is poorly defended. 33...Weo 34 Wid HeS 35 Gh? a5 36 Hdl d5 37 Bd4 Shs 38 Ws?! 38 b3 maintains the advantage. 38...Sxh4! 39 Whs+ 39.85? The final mistake in a difficult position. 39,.Bh5S is the best bet when 40 Wd8+ Egs 41 Bra Wes 42 3+ GhS 43 BY? is equal 40 Wg7+ hs 41 Higd! Wxgd 42 Wrest og6 43 Wes GS 44 Wxgat xg 45 Sel 1-0 Black resigned early because he can see the ending is lost. This is due to the fact that White can create a passed pawn on the queenside, which cannot be stopped unless the g-pawu is allowed to romp home to the eighth rank It is also possible for White W deal with 7...8b6 by developing the queen’s knight.Flores - Shabalov Buenos Aires 2003 4 e4 05 2 Bcd D6 3 3 Ac 4 DPS 2c5 5 ¢3 d6 6 0-0 0-0 7 2b3 2b6 Black's plan is to play ...De?-26, ..€7-c6 allowing the bishop ta support the central pawns with eT if required, 8 Abd? Ae7 9 n3 White is wary of moving the king’s rook first because that will allow ...Ag4 so he eradicates this possibility for Black. 9...06 10 Hel Ago 11 OA White’s plan is similar in most of these lines and is to transfer the queen’s knight to the kingside where it will usually emerge on ¢3 depending on how Black replies. Now if Black tries the obvious 1]...264 it is well met by 12 d4. 11.251? Instead: a) 11...h6 is the quiet approach, 12 d4 Be8 13 Ag3 Me6 14 Red with roughly equal chances. b) 11.206 12 Ag’ Be8 13 Axes fxe6 (13... Bxe6 is also possible but Closed Giuoco Piano 65 does not cover the £3 square, thus allowing White to gain space with 14 @f5) 14 Wb3 h6 15 Be3 Dd7 16 Bad] when White prepares d3-d4 with level chances, Jonkman- Sasikiran, Vlissingen 2004, 12 d4 The chance to attack the hS knight with 12 @xe5?! backfires. Upon 12...Dxe5, 13 Wehs is strongly met by 13...Axd3 14 He2 Wi6 with the better position. 12..Dhf4 13 Ags 13...Wi6? Shabalov is arguably the USA’s strongest player but he still walks into a classic trap, which is a feature of this line. Also possible: a) 13..h6? 14 Bxtd exf4 (14 Dxf4 15 dxe5S dxeS 16 Wxd8 Exd8 17 @®xe5 Hd? 18 Hfl when the threat to the £7 pawn gives White the initiative) 15 “hS with an edge. b) 13..We7! is probably the best idea to add support to the e5 pawn. Then the position is roughly equal after 14 Df5. 14 @h5! A clever idea which relies on the fact that the knight is taboo because66 Closed Giuoco Piano 14..Dxh5S allows 15 @g5 trapping the queen. Black is obliged to go on the defensive 14,..We7 15 Dxfd ext Now that the black pawn is no long challenging d4 White has a decent centre, which makes the bishop on bé6 less effective. 16 e5 &c7 If 16...d5, White can activate. the bishop with 17 &c2. Then the rook on £8 cannot move otherwise &xg6 will remove the defender of the f4 pawn. 17 exd6 Wxd6 18 Ags! White is poised to attack with Whs if given the chance. 18...h6 19 Ded Was 20 Whs Gh7 21 Aes? Flores lets the advantage slip with this careless move. It is better to step up the pressure with 21 2c? He 22 2d2 Be6 and only now that the queen’s bishop has moved play 23 @c5 so that the b7 pawn is attacked. 21...2h4!? 22 DBd3 Of course 22 &xf7?? allows 22...26. 22...26 23 We2 We5! Shabalov has seized the initiative by threatening mate in one. 24 g3 &xh3! There is nothing to be gained from meekly retreating with 24.485 25 Oxf4 Dxg3 26 tgs Sxf4 27 Oxia Wxgd+ 28 Ag? &xh3 29 WO when the danger is over and Black only has two pawns for the piece. 25 Dxfd? White underestimates the tactical possibilities and missés a trick. 25 Qxf4 is the best try because it co-ordinates the rooks = and consequently cuts out the tactics, Then 25..Wf5! 26 Wed (26 2xc? DSB+ 27 Chr HaeS 28 Wes ®xell wins due to the threat of ~ WWf3+) 26...Bae8 27 Wats Al3+ 28 hl Axl 29 Axe? Bxd3 30 Exe8 Hxe8 31 Yy2 with equal chances. 25...Efe8! 26 Ae6 In difficult circumstances 26 @xh3 offers the only hope but afler 26,.WES 27 Df Bxe2 28 Hxe2 &d6 Black is still favourite to win 26,..Wf6 27 gxh4 2xe6 If you count the material it is equal but the wrecked pawn structure and the exposed white king is a sure sign that Black is on top 28 2e3 Wrxn4 29 WH QF 30 Whi 2h3 31 2d) Hed O-1 The tricky knight move which Shabalov missed is something that should be remembered. Here is another example:Tishin — Geller Samara 2002 Led e5 2 Be4 Af6 3 d3 Acé 4 D3 2c5 5 c3 d6 6 0-0 0-0 7 &b3 a6 8 Abd2 Qa7 9 h3 Abs ree Bite ia a A The knight ventures to the side of the board in order to occupy the influential f4 square. At the British Championships in 1988, the future FIDE World Champion, Anand, tried 9..92h8 against me, which is usually an indication that Black is trying to advance the f-pawn. That game went 10 Hel @h5 11 Of (11 @Dxe5? is met by 11...Wh4 with a clear advantage) 11...Wf6 12 2e3 Did 13 d4 We7 14 Bh2 with equal chances although Black eventually won. 10 Bei White just carries on as usual and centralises the king’s rook. Instead 10 @xeS, to reveal a hidden attack on the hS knight, gives Black no worries: 10...DxeS 11 WxhS Axd3 12 AB Wh (12..Dxcl 13 Des! looks very aggressive but will end in a draw after 13...n6 14 @xf? Dxb3_ 15 Axh6+ gxh6 16 We6r Closed Giuoco Piano 67 with perpetual check) 13 @g5 Wg6 14 Wxg6 hxg6 15 Badl “oS 16 Bc2 Ke8 17 Efel f6 with equal chances, Macieja-Adams, Reykjavik 2003. 10...Af4 11 Atl We 12 dd 12 2e3 White is content to exchange dark-squared bishops because the one on a7 is usually an aggressive piece. 12..e7 13 Dg3 ®eg6? 14 Bh5! gives White an edge and is an echo of the main game, Lakos-Krupkova, Zanka 1995, If 12 Sxf4 Wxf4 then the bishop on a7 is a menace for White because it cannot be opposed by a white bishop. After 13 Be3 De7 14 Dh2 Beb the chances are roughly equal, Van Enk - Khachian, Agoura Hills 2004. 12...De7 13 Ags Degs 14 Ah5! A fantastic idea which promotes a positive exchange of pieces in White’s favour. This is because 14,..AxhS? allows 15 Bg5 trapping the black queen. Of course the idea was seen in the previous main game, thus emphasising the fact that it is a trick worth remembering.68 Closed Giuoco Piano 14.,.We7 15 Qxf4 Axia 16 Axf4 exfa The pawn on f4 is now a long-term weakness whereas the a7-bishop’s pressure on the d4 pawn is reduced to a minimum. 17 Wd2 Wie 18 eS dxe5 19 Hxes 2d7 20 Hael e521 d5?! White should accept the offer of the pawn with 21 dxcS which has the merit of shutting out the bishop on a7 when 21...2c6 22 Add gives White the advantage. 21...Bad8 22 &c2 Bb8 23 B5e2 26 24 b3 bS 25 c4 The chances are even because the passed d-pawn cannot advance without becoming a target. The game concluded: 25,..207 26 2d3 Hes 27 We2 BaS 28 Axe8+ Gxe8 29 He? Bcd 30 exbS axb5 31 a4 bxa4 32 bxad OMB 33 a5 Dxd5 34 a6 Hd8 35 Led Wxa6 35...@b4! is slightly better for Black. 36 Wxe3 Wxe2 37 Wh8+ Be7 38 Wes+ SB 4-14 It also possible to transfer the queen’s knight rapidly to the kingside by 9...Ac7. Lane — Sarfati Australian Open 1999 1 e4 e5 2 Red D6 3 d3 Ac6 4 ATS Be5 5 3 d6 6 0-0 0-07 Bb3 a6 8 Abd2 La7 9b3 De7 Black signals his intention to play De7-g6 with the aim of occupying the f4 square. 10 Bel As usual in this line White makes room for the queen’s knight to transfer to the kingside via fl-g3. The rook also plays a useful role in preventing ...d6-d5 because after capturing on dS with the pawn the rook would attack the e5 pawn. 10..Ag6 11 AA Le6 Also possible: a) 11.@hS 12 2g5 Wes (12.,.Qf6 13 Dh4 giyes White a slight edge) 13 Dh4 Abf4 14 Deg xp6 15 Ag3 B26 16 Dts Wd7 17 We4 gave White attacking chances in Lane-Zinina, Cappelle la Grande 1995 b) [1.ch6 12 Qg3 Bes 13 dé is roughly equal although the greater space makes it easier for White to manoeuvre. 12 Dg3 h6 13 d4 fam happy playing these sort of positions because White has a space advantage, allowing him to activate’ his pieces smoothly while Black is slightly cramped. 13...Wd7 14 2e3 &xb3 15 Wxb3The exchange of light-squared bishops means that that f5 square is available for a white knight and the queen’s rook can now be central- ised, However Black simply wanted to exchange pieces to relieve his passive position. 15...2fe8 16 Eadi We6 17 Wer b5 18 Wel With some ideas about sacrificing, the bishop h6 after I had played DES. 18..b7 19 DBS Des 20 War Wb7 Sarfati attacks the e-pawn but I took the view that the queen was further from the kingside where the main action will take place. 21 dxeS &ixe3 22 Hxe3 DxeS 23 Dxed Hxes 24 f4 He6 Or 24..Hxe4 25 We2 D6 (if 25. Eixe3 then 26 @xd6+ wins) 26 ®g3 favours White because the rook on e4 is pinned. 25 Waa It might be a mate in one threat but it indicates that White now has. the initiative. 25...Eg6 26 @h2 He8 27 Edel Web 28 b3 Closed Giuoco Piano 69 I didn’t want the tension to be relieved yet by ...Wc4, offering to trade queens. 28...Bf6 29 g4 Be6 30 Was! A golden rule for an attacker is not to be afraid to enter an ending should the position dictate. This is particularly true if it also offers the best prospects of victory. 30...Wd7 Or 30..Wxd5S 31 exdS Bxe3 32 Hxe3 with the key point that with the pawn now on d5 Black’s rook cannot occupy the e-file. 31 ¢5 Hgeb 32 Ada Dfo Black is in a difficult situation because 32...2g6 33 £5 Hgs 34 APs traps the rook, 33 WH dxe5 34 Dxe6 Exes 35 fxeS Ags 36 But White is clearly winning and now the road to victory is to increase the pressure. 36...We8 37 WdS c6 38 Wa7 Ws 39 Ha6 Who 40 S44 In time-trouble I wanted to avoid complications but the easiest way to win is 40 Exe6! when 40....¥4xe3 4170 Closed Giuaco Piano Wrxt7 Wels 42 &g3 We3+ 43 WB Welt 44 Gh4 avoids the checks and leaves Black struggting. 40..De7 41 Shi aS 42 Hees We5 43 Wd Wa3 44 Wd2 Dge 45 E83 Be7 46 06 fxe6 47 We2 e5 48 h4 Sg8 49 b5 De4 50 Wd2 Wes 51 Bixt4 1-0 Conclusion Lane-Erwich is a demonstration of how Black can go wrong by playing too energetically in the opening and prematurely advancing the fpawn. The idea of blocking White’s traditionally strong bishop is explored in Zhang Pengxiang - Karpov, White misses a nice tactic, which would have forced the former world champion to resign straight out of the opening. Flores-Shabalov explores how While usually develops in this line and also the surprising thrust 14 @h5, which gives White the initiative. Tishin- Geller is another sharp encounter and it is possible to spot the star move. The theme of Black transferring the queen’s knight to the kingside is examined in the game Lane-Sarfati. White strives for a space advantage out of the opening and gradually increases the pressure on Black.Vienna Copycat 1e4 eS 2 Sed BcS 3 Dc3 Acb 4 Wea! Giving the game an independent character, This is a chance for White to transpose into another opening especially as Black is just imitating White’s opening moves. This copy- cat strategy comes under pressure from the surprising queen move. History Hamppe’s Game was the name originally given to the sequence | e4 eS 2 ®c3. Carl Hamppe (1814-76) was a Swiss player who was a government official in Vienna and spent his spare time in chess cafes. The success of the opening prompted Emst Falkbeer to write an article on the opening in the magazine Wiener Schachzeitung which he started in 1857, with the title Hamppe’sche Spiel-Eroffhung. In those days this opening was often seen as a good excuse to play a delayed King’s Gambit after 2...@c6 3 4. Indeed, the Hamppe- Allgaier Gambit is a lasting tribute to one of the pioneers of the opening. The city of Vienna was renowned as a centre of chess excellence and this led to numerous. players taking up the Hamppe Game and finding some improvements. Documentation of this came in 1893 wehn Curt von Bardeleben’s booklet Die Wiener Partie was published in Leipzig. This consol- idated the name of the opening as the Vienna which has stuck ever since. The theory of the opening has steadily developed, helped along by a succession of famous names playing and writing about the opening. All of which has certainly had a lasting effect because nowadays the opening is played at the highest level as well as being a firm favourite with club players, White wins I think the copycat game mentioned in the introduction could well be repeated72° Vienna Copycat Nguyen Hoang Hiep — Hogi Ming Yew Asian hunior Championships, Singapore 2002 1e4 eS 2 Qe4 Rc5 3 Ae3 Acé 4 Wea! Though it looks odd, here we have a special case where a queen can be developed early in the game. 4... WE? £ ae AL itt ry, A classic mistake. Black defends the g7 pawn and threatens to stari his own attack with ...Wxf2+ but the only problem is that a well prepared player with the White pieces wilt be ready to strike, 5 Dd! ‘The start of a brilliant attack that has been known for years but still continues to catch people out. At this point White can happily start thinking about winning — the brilliancy prize. 5... Wxt2+ Black has to carry on attacking because defending the c? pawn with 5..Wa8 fails to 6 Wxg7 winning easily, 6 Sd ets The alternatives look bleak for Black: a) 6.0067 7 Wxe7 gs? (7..Bxd5 8 Wxh8! 28 9 exds Wxg2 10 dxc6 d6 11 cxb7 Bed+ 12 Sel is winning for White, Fidelity- Shirazi, Somerset 1986.) 8 Dxf6+ Sd8 9 Wrest Se7 10 Wxt7+ ed6 11 @e& mate, Swiercz-Guille, La Fere 2003. b) 6...g6 7 Ab3 Wad 8 d3 Bd6 9 c3 WeS 10 b4 when White is already winning, Milla de Marco — Rodriguez Alvarez, Orense 2002. 7 Dn3 Wad 8 a3 d6 Or 8...206 9 WE 16 10 03, As usual White gains time by chasing the queen around the board. For instance: 10...We5 11 b4 Wd6 12 a4 aS 13 Axb6 exb6 14 bxaS bxad 15 Ba} 1-0 Ip-Benassayag, Brie Comie 2002. 9 Wr3 2xh3 10 Afi! The roak comes across to the f-file and it finally dawns on Black that he is busted! The threat now is mate on f7 and also the sly ¢2-c3 trapping the black queen in the middle of the board. I think this is the move that is understandablyoverlooked when Black embarks on 4... Ht. 10...2.g4 A desperate attempt at survival There have been numerous games in this line and I added to the number with Lane-Lack, Brussels rapidplay 2000, which concluded 10...2e6 11 03 Wgl 12 Hxgl &xgl 13 Axc7 1-0. 11 Wxg4 &b6 12 03 We5 13 Be Was 14 Axh6 Dio Tf 14...axb6 then 15 Exf?+ @e8 16 Wd7 mate. 15 Bxfo 1-0 Once Black is stunned by 4 Wed he will need to find a way to deal with the threat to the g7 pawn. The next game shows another version of defence Kosteniuk — Bouchaud Oz.com Internet 2000 Led eS 2 24 cS 3 Ac3 Ac6 4 Wed 26 The immediate defending the g7 pawn is solved but the long-term problem is that the problem of Vienna Copycat 73 dark squares on the kingside will be weak because the protective bishop is far away on cS, 5 Wr Wie Black offers a trade of queens to relieve the pressure. Also possible: a) 5...f6 6 d3 Ad4 7 Wdl 06 8 Dge2 De7 9 Dxd4 Vxd4 10 Bho with slightly the better chances because Black will find it difficult to castle kingside, Kosteniuk- Aigner, Internet 2000. b) 5...2f6 6 Dged do 7 d3 (instead 7 h3 Dd4 8 Oxd4 Bxd4 9 Db5 gave White a slight edge in the game West-Levi, Melbourne 1993) 7.094 8 We3 Wd7 9 What Dns 10 £3 @e6 11 g4 xed 12 dxo4 De7 (or 12..Ab4 13 Wdl Dg? 14 a3 a6 15 Dds is good news for White) 13 Dds Si 14 Bh6 Abs 15 Qxp7+ wxg7 16 Wher Ses 17 De7+ and Black was busted in Ladegaard-Guldberg, Aalborg 1995. one PRM na ee 6 We3 The woman grandmaster decides to keep the queens on the board to increase her attacking options. The alternative 6 @d5 is perfectly acceptable. For instance: 6...Wxf3 774 Vienna Copycat Ax Bb 8 b4 db 9 a4 aS (9...ge7 is not good enough as 10 @Df6+ GIB il aS Dxb4 12 Had! gives White a clear advantage) 10 bS @d8 i1 a3 threatening 12 Axb6 exb6 13 2xb6 prompting Black to compromise his position. 11...2d7 12 Axb6+ cxb6 13 da! and the combination of superior development and tactical threats against the weak d6 pawn gives White a big advantage, Ganguly- Pohle, Shenyang 1999. 6...Dge7 7 Age? Add 8 Dxds pawn would be lost due to &xh6. The obvious 9...0-0? runs into the combination 10 &g5 Wd6 11 bs Wo4+ 12 c3 Wxb2 13 0-0! when Black must lose material. 10 0-0 c6 11 hI 8...2xd4!? Perhaps 8...exd4 needs to be tested when 9 b5 is met by 9..0-0! whereupon play might continue 10 d3! aiming to exploit the dark squares on g5 and h6 (10 Axc7? 2d6 or 10 0-0 a6 11 Bad bS; 10 Wxo7 d6 11 0-07 a6 12 a3 bS 13 2b3 Ha7 win for Black) 10.26? 11 Axc? Bd6 12 Wes Wxgs 13 &xg5 winning. 9d3 h6é Black stops the bishop coming to g5 but this means that now he can’t easily castle kingside because the White prepares f2-f4 to open the f-file for the benefit of her king's Took, 11...2xe3 12 bxe3 dS 13 exd5 Dxd5 14 Rd2 White gets the bishop into the action and co-ordinates the rooks. In fact 14 Hel, putting pressure on the epawn, is very strong. For example: 14..2e6 15 Sxd5 exd5 16 Exes 0-0-0 17 £3 with victory in sight. 14,.Db6 15 2b3 Le6 16 Bact &d7 17 ta! This is in keeping with the original plan of bringing the king’s rook into play, IT..Kxb3 18 fxeS Web 19 axb3 6-0-0 20 Wr Byeing up the a7 and £7 pawns - Black must now suffer. 20,..Haf8 21 Wxa7 g5 22 4 cS 23 bd DxeS 24 Wxe5+ 1-0There is another defence with 4.818 but it is regarded as a serious compromise because Black gives up the right to castle: Anand - Rayisekhar New Delhi 1986 Led e5 2 cd 2c5 3 Ac3 Deb 4 Wea ets The king defends the g-pawn. Incidentally 4...2f8 has even been played by someone who was honest enough to admit he'd made a mistake! IT would suggest in reply 5 We3 with similar play to the game. 5 We3 The queen must move because the threat is ..d7-d5 uncovering an attack on the queen. It is also possible to threaten mate with 5 WP when the game Chow-Rujevic, Melbourne 2003, continued 5... Af6 6 Dge2 d6 7 d3 Kgs 8 Wg3 h67! 9 £4 exf4 10 &xf4 Bd4? (10... Qxe2 is a better idea as after 11 “xe? a5 12 2b3 Dxb3 13 axb3 DhS 14 WR Axt4 15 Wxi4 Wes there is only a slight edge in it) 11 Dxd4 Dxd4 12 WE De6 13 Be3 with much the better position. Vienna Copycat 75 5..d6 Or 5.26 6 Age2 dé 7 d3 ho & Bad Qb6 9 Dxd6 axb6 10 £4 (a recurting theme in this line is to open the f-file for the king’s rook) 10...We7 11 0-0 with decent attacking chances, Rogers-Olarasu, Saint Vincent 2001. 6 Dge2 Baa 6...h5 has been tried in order to harass the white queen but 7 h4 puts an end to such ambitions. 7 Dxd4 exd4 Instead 7...&xd4 is met by 8 #e2 when 8...2c5 9 d3 Bf 10 0-0, intending @hl and f2-f4, offers good attacking chances because Black has trouble co-ordinating his pieces. 8 Dad Se 8..2b4 9 63 (9 Wh3 Bas 10 &xf? We7! is better for Black) 9..dxe3 10 dxc3 2a5 11 Wa3, threatening Wd5, gives White the brighter prospects. 9 Sxe6 fxe6 10 DxeS dxeS 11 Wh3 White has the initiative because he is attacking the b7 and e6 pawns. Of course, the fact that the black76 Vienna Copycat king cannot castle out of danger is also crucial. 11...e8 12 Wi3+ we? The king looks silly here but 12...@e8 walks into 13 Wh5+ when 13.87 14 Wxe5+ wins comfort- ably. 13 Wg3 G7 14 Wia+ &g6 15 Wyst @f6 16 d3 White now prepares to introduce the bishop into the attack. 16...b6 2 ot elie Paget 17 h4 E think White can step up the pressure with 17 e5+! xe5? (17.217 18 WBr Be8 19 Bg5 looks fun for White) 18 Wxg7+ Dfe 19 2p5 WHR 20 Sxfo+ Wxf6 21 4+ SiS 22 g4+ Sx 23 Wxfor winning. 17...@f7 18 We3+ Se8 19 Whst+ HB 20 Bes Wes Black is struggling but at least his queen is now back in the action and he can hope to trade pieces in order to weaken the onslaught 21 Wi3+ Wh7 22 Wg3 Ate 23 0-0-0 Anand has developed comfortably but Black is still in a difficult position because his pieces lack harmony. 23...h6 24 Qd2 Sg8 25 wb1 HB 26 Wh3 Eh7 27 hS Phs Or 27...g6? 28 hxg6 Wxg6 29 Wrxe6+ winning. 28 {4 Dp8 29 gd eS 30 g5 hxgs 30...exf4? is not possible due to 31 g6 forking the queen and rook. 31 fxg5 g6 32 Edfl We8 33 Ax WxfB 34 16 White is winning because his passed h-pawn is a constant reminder that endings favour him and that the black king is on the verge of a mating attack. The game concluded: 34,..We8 35 b3 a5 36 Bel We7 37 202 B17 38 Hm Exfi+ 39 Wxtl Gh7 40 Sb2 Web 41 a4 We7 42 Wis Gh8 43 Wea Ph7 44 Sel c6 45 2g3 b5 46 Sel brad 47 bxad cd 48 dxe4 c5 49 Gxa5 Wh7+ 50 kel De7 51 We Ach $2 Ld2 We7 53 Wie Wa7 54 aS We7 55 a6 DbB 56 Las Wd7 57 Vd8 1-0 Conclusion The games in this chapter show how awkward it is for Black, after copying White’s bishop develop- ment on move two, to defend the unprotected g7 pawn against an early attack by Wg4. In fact Black never recovers from the difficulties incurred by a subsequent enforced clumsy queen placement, exposed king in the centre and weakening of the kingside. In all three examples the opening of the ffile is a key factor in White’s brilliant exploit ation of these advantagesVienna with 3...26 Led e5 2 Qed Dio 3 Dc3 Axed On = At pasate ao 28. a a "aa om History A popular way to counter White's opening strategy is by this pseudo- sacrifice of the knight with a view to simplification. But in fact it invites wild complications that can lead to sharp variations and entertaining games. It was first extensively analysed in 1907 by Hamlisch, Marco and Wolf in the Wiener Schachzeitung and attracted a lot of attention. The variation featured in many international games and Spielmann exclaimed “That 3 Sc4 accomplishes nothing is shown in all textbooks. Black temporarily sacrifices a knight and obtains a sufficiently even game.” This statement is taken by some commentators as an absolute truth but things are not so easy for Black. White can look for wild complic- ations in the delightfully named Frankestein-Dracula Variation. Naturally, it is also possible to consider a more — restrained approach, which is also considered. White wins Kuipers — Janssen Dieren 2004 Led eS 2 2c4 DG 3 Ac3 Axed 4 Whs The first threat is mate in one! Another attacking move to be tested is 4 &xf7+ which looks good at first glance because Black is prevented from castling. However, practice has shown that the black king is quite safe and White gains nothing.78 Vienna with 2... (6 For instance: 5 Dxe4 d5 (5...Ac6 6 WE3+ eog87? 7 Ags is decisive due to the twin threats of Wd5 and WE7) 6 Whs+ Sg8 7 De3 Acé 8 d3 26 9 Wdl 2g7 10 AB hé with equal chances, C.Renner-J.Schwarz, Waldshut 1991. A spirited attempt to play for tactics is achieved by 4 4B which transposes to the Boden- Kieseritzky Gambit 4,,.Dd6 5 2b3 Deb Black invites a sharp tactical line. In the 1970s correspondence master Tim Harding dubbed this line the Frankenstein-Dracula Variation. He jokingly argued that if the Frankenstein monster and Count Dracula were to sit down to play a game such a wild line involving a rook sacrifice would appeal to them. 6 Abs The start of a forcing line which provides White with plenty of attacking chances and challenges Black to prove himself a master of defence, The first threat is mate in two by 7 Dxd6+ Bxd6 8 Wxi? mate. 6...26 Black has to be careful because the rook sacrifice proposed by 6...We7? is premature and good for White, e.g. 8 Oxc7+ Gd 9 Dxas b6 10 Axb6 axbé 11 d3 Bb7 12 $c3 winning. 7B £58 Was White retums to the theme of threatening mate in two. 8...WeT 9 Axc7+ Sd8 10 Dxas bé A crazy looking position which has been tested numerous times but it is still baffling players of both the white and black pieces! 11 d3 The d-pawn is advanced to allow the queen’s bishop to join the action because in this line White is constantly trying to catch up with his development. In the game Simmons-Hector, Jersey 2003, White tried 11 h4 intending an independent approach. ‘There. followed 11.,.2b7 12 WB (12 43 transposes to the main game) 12... 2xa8 13 De2 Bg7 14 Wh3 (as usual White has to indulge in a dance with the queen otherwise it will come under attack) 14...Hf8 15Ac3 Dd4 16 0-0 £4 17 d3 HFS! (the rook is ready to swing across to hS in order to target the h4-pawn) 18 Hel (perhaps 18 2d5!? needs to be considered) 18..Hh5 19 @xf47 (it seems good to take advantage of the pin on the e-file but Black has seen further) 19...Exh4 20 We3 D6es 21 Rxed Qxes 22 Wxes AB+ 23 gxf3 WrxeS 0-1 Simmons-Hector, Jersey 2003. 11...2b7 12 h4 The obvious threat is £g5 to pin the queen, 12...f4 Black blocks the white-squared bishop on cl. The alternative 12...h6 is seen in the next game. 13 W3, It is now assumed by some strong players that White is better off by refraining from grabbing a pawn with 13 @xb6 axbé 14 WR Dd4 15 Wed on the basis that the extra moye required by Black to take on a8 could prove to be crucial. 13..Dd4 14 Wes 14... 2x08 The old move 14...2h6 has been condemned by the experts afier Vienna with 2... Df6 79 John Nunn provided some analysis showing the strength of 15 2d2: 15...04 16 0-0-0 e3 17 fxe3 (J prefer 17 &b4! when play might continue 17..Dxb3+ 18 axb3 exf2 19 D3 &xa8 20 Ehfl with the better chances) 17...Axb3+ 18 axb3 fxe3 19 Bel e2+ 20 Hd2 Rxa8 (20...Be8! looks to me to be a brighter plan, aiming to hang on to the e-pawn) 21 @xe2 with the advantage. 15 &d2 DGS?! Black is rated about 2500 so one must respect his decision to bring the knight into the action — but it is nevertheless flawed, The main line seems to be 15...2g7, played on the internet or in correspondence games where there is plenty of time to ponder the wild complications after 16 0-0-0 @f5 17 Hel after which play might continue: a) 17..We7 18 SbI (a waiting move but correspondence player Tait suggests 18 hS g5 19 hol? when White is better.) 18..h5 19 Wh3 AGES 20 De2 Dxe2 21 Axe2 @xh4 22 g3!? (White is seeking even more complications otherwise he would have played the quieter 2280 Vienna with 2. .Dfo 63) 22..AB 23 &c3 Dgs 24 Wh2 Qxhl? 25 gxfal BF 26 fre WH 27 exf6 We5 28 Bes We7 29 Wa 1-0 Okkes-Timmerman, Dutch ‘Team Championship, 1993. b) 17, D6FS 18 AS gS (18..Ah4 19 Hxh4 Axb3+ 20 axb3 Bxh4 21 Qxf4 216 22 dd gxhS 23 WxhS e4 24 @t3 Bek 25 g3 gave White the superior chances, Simmelink- Hanison, e-mail 2002) 19 @e2 Ah6 20 Wh3 g4 21 Wh2 3 22 Wel! or (22 fxg3 Ded 23 Wel? £3! and White is worse) 22..Qg4 23 1 Dxb3+ 24 axb3 D2 25 Axis Wes 26 Se3 (maybe White should try 26 d4 to gain some room for his pieces after 26,..Wxd4 27 De2 Wes 28 @xg3 Dxhl 29 Wehl or 26..exd4 27 h6 Axh1 28 Wxhl offering equal chances) 26..We7 (26..We6 27 De2 Dxd3+ 28 MbI Axel 29 Wxel BgS 30 xg is roughly equal, Larsson-Peddie, e-mail 2001) 27 Be2 Dxd3+ 28 Lb1 Axel 29 Wxei Eg8 30 Hh3 dé 31 Exg3 Hxg3 32 Dxg3 Bh4 33 Wh4 Bxg3 34 Wed gave White a winning position in Larsson-Tait, corr 1998. 16 ¢3 hS I don’t really trust this position for Black and cannot recommend anything to counterplay. 17 Wxg6 Axb3 18 axb3 Axh4 19 Exhd! Wxhd 20 Hxa7 provide adequate White is a pawn up but more importantly he has a raging attack against an isolated black king. 20... 2.06 21 @f3 We7 Black is forced on the defensive but it is too late, 22 Des weB 23 DAT wh8 24 Wxc6! 1-0 In the next game Black plays the complicated main line and tries to halt White’s attack with 12...h6, Shabalov-Parker London 1994 Le4 e5 2 2c4 AG 3 Ac3 Dred 4 Whs Dd6 § 2b3 Ac6 6 DbS g6 7 WE £5 8 Wds We7 9 Dxc7+ Sas 10 Qxa8 b6 11 d3 2b7 12 h4 he Though it looks simple, this does effectively cut out the option of Sg5, In some cases Black may wish to advance the d or ¢ pawn, which means the text introduces more options.13 Dxb6 Shabalov takes the opportunity to add a pawn to his collection. There has been some debate whether White should in fact save time with the immediate 13 Wf3 which has had mixed results. After 13...d4 play might proceed a) 14 Wh} e4 15 2e3 Bg? 16 0-0-0 A6bS 17 dxed Axb3+ 18 axb3 (18 cxb3 is necessary although the white king is temporarily exposed) 18..2xb2+1 19 d2 Wb4+ 20 ¢e2 and now instead of 20...%26, as played in Posch- Brandner Hartberg 2004, Black can improve with 20...c3+ when Black is on top. b) 14 We3 e4 15 dxed Qxed 16 Re3 BxaB 17 0-0-0 (once White has time to castle then he can get on. with the job of trying to create mating threats) 17...xb3+ 18 axb3 Sc8 19 AB (19 Sxb6 axb6 20 Wc3+ also fooks good) 19.,.e4 20 Wed Hg8 21 Whs ds 22 Bxds Ade 23. Hxd6 1-0 Becker-Feher, Szekszard 1989. 13...axb6 14 W3 2p7 In the game —Laesson-Starr, Erevan Olympiad 1996, Black played 14..2d4. Then White found Vienna with 2...0f6 81 the safest square for the queen, 15 Wh3, and the obvious attack 15...e4 was thwarted after 16 23! exd3 17 0-0-0 Axb3+ 18 cxb3 Lab 19 fixb6+ d#c8 20 Exd3 and White had secured the safety of the king while keeping a material advantage. 15 Wh3 e4 16 Der it is important that the e-file is blocked to stop the black queen penetrating the king’s defence. This will mean protracted and tough resistance but it will be worth it if White can hang on to his extra material 16...exd3 17 exd3 He8 18 Sdl Looks basic but White needs to deal with the pressure oi the e-file. 18.64 If 18.,.d4 White soon wriggles out of the pin on the e-file after 19 B03 Dxe2 20 Bxe2 f4 21 Sxb6+ Sc8 22 Het+ Lb8 23 He2 and Black can resign. 19 Sxf4 ALS 20 0-0 White gets the king out of the way so he can go on the offensive. 20...Axh4 21 De DBd4 22 Ded Qxed 23 dxed g5 24 293 Wred 25 Bel82. Vienna with 2.. 6 The open position suits White who can now chase the black king. 25.,.He6 26 24 DBhlS 27 Bc7+ He7 28 &xb6 h5 29 Bxhs It is time Black started to count the pieces. 29,..WEd 30 Wa3+ Ad6 31 Heel Be5 32 g3 Wd2 33 Wa8 1-0 The key question with these dangervus lines is what to do when Black goes wrong? In the following game Black goes astray by 8...Wi6 and is quickly punished. Sikora Lerch — Biolek Moravia 1997 Led 05 2 Bed DIG 3 Ac3 Dxed 4 Whs Dd6 5 2.b3 Acé 6 Dbs go The rook sacrifice 6...We?? is premature and good for White after 7 DxcI+ BAB 8 DxaB v6 9 Axbs axb6 10 d3 &b7 11 Be3. 7 Ws £5 It is easy for Black to go wrong. 7...4f5 has been experimented with but upon 8 WdsS White emerges with the better game after 8... Ah6 9 d3 d6 10 2xh6 Be6 11 WH Bxh6 12 &xe6 fxe6 13 Wh3 when the pawn on e6 and the bishop on h6 are under attack. 8 Wad5 Wie?! The queen defends £7 and offers White a rook. This looks too good to be true from the White point of view, which turns out to be the case. The knight on a8 is trapped so it is only really an exchange sacrifice and Black will rely on his lead in RE development to chase the white queen. The implications of 8...Wf6 are discussed in the rest of the chapter but I believe it is inferior because in some crucial lines the queen is slightly misplaced and this costs time. 9 Dxe7+ Gd8 10 AxaB b6 Black wastes no time in preparing to take the knight. A much quoted game is Orev-Belchev, Bulgaria 1971, which saw a novel approach to dealing with the long-term threat of Scl-g5 by countering it with 10...@h6. After 11 d3 Sxcl 12 Excl He8 13 @a4 e4 Black had managed to conjure up promising play for his material. However some commentators who encourage players to adopt the same strategy seem to have missed Larsen’s recommendation of 13 Be2! when 13,..g5 14 @a4 is winning for White. Another interesting approach was seen in Capel-Cutter, Guemsey 1989, where Black tried 10...b5 to avoid losing a pawn on b6. The game continued: 11 d4 @xd4 12 We5! (the crucial difference in this line is that a7 can easily be attacked) 12...2b7 13 Wxa7 xg? 14 h4 h6 15 Hh2 D3+ 16 Dxf3 Lxf3 17 Eh3 &c6 18 &e3 Bg7 19 0-0-0 1-011 Axb6 There is an argument that although White picks up a pawn it does waste a valuable move for the defence. In this case Black’s weak eighth move allows White the time to gain material. H...axb6 12 dd! This is the reason why 8... should be welcomed by White. A pawn is given up to quickly release the bishop which in turn enables a clever tactical sequence to transform a complicated middlegame into a pleasant endgame. 12.,.4xd4 Biolek rejects the alternatives because they also lead to a clear advantage for White after 12...exd4 13 @f3 h6 14 0-0 or 12.64 13 RF Wxd4 14 Hdl Wxd5 15 &xd5, 13 3 &b7 A typical reaction in this line because the control of the hl-a8 diagonal is essential to Black’s strategy. If 13...Qxf3 then 14 Wxf3 Bb7 15 Bd5 (15 We3 Be7 16 a4 is also good) 15...e4 16 Wb3 is much better for White as Black has little counterplay. 14 Wad! Ne moe @s.0 @26) Vienna with 2..Qf6 83 A stunning blow which hands the advantage to White. The queen is given up to force a superior ending. It is worth noting that with a queen on ¢7, this whole line would be useless, as Black would be able to take back and uncover a check on the e-file. 14...exd4 15 2g5 Wxgs 16 Axgs Sxg? 17 Zgl Qed 18 0-0-0 It is time to count the pieces and we now realise that White has maintained a material advantage and should be able to convert it into victory. 18.2.7 19 63? A miscalculation by White so I would recommend 19 f maintain- ing the advantage 19...dxe3 20 bxe3 This pawn capture admits that the previous move was a blunder. The knight cannot be taken because 20 Exd6 fails to 20...cxb2+ 21 Sd2 b1l=W 22 Hxbl &xb) when it is Black who has the winning chances, The game concluded: 20...8c7 21 £3 eb 22 ke2 REE 23 Bxd6 Sxd6 24 DL7+ ded 2584 Vienna with 2... f6 Dxb8 LxhB 26 Qe Bxf3 27 Axh7 Bedt+ 28 Sd2 ded 29 Axes xc3+ 30 Be3 Bb1 31 Bg8+ cs 32 Ng? d5 33 hd Le5 34 Hes dd+ 35 G12 216 36 BhS edo 37 Bho eS 38 Ocd Led 39 hed Bd8 40 hS 216 41 243 2d5 42 Bh7 t4 43 Ea (3+ 44 Gfl Bg5 45 Has 23 “lb Black can avoid the potential nightmare of meeting Frankenstein by preferring 5... 2e7 Liiva - Skrebnevskis European Junior Championship 1993 1e4 e52 Red DI 3 Ac3 Axed 4 Whs Dd6 5 Bb3 Be7 6 DZ 0-07 TDC In Kononova-Solovieva, corr 1976, Black dispensed with the text in favour of 7...967! but it just gives away a pawn. That game went 8 WrxeS DS 9 Dds KeB 10 Sit cb 11 WS! d6 (11..cxd5? 12 bxg6 Ag? 13 gxf7+ &xf7 14 Wxd5+ leads to mate) 12 Dxe7+ Wxe7 13 Wxe7 Exe? 14 hxg6 hxg6 15 d3 2e6 16 Rxe6 Axe6 17 g4 Dg7 18 Ags Be7 19 Bed (the big threat is 20 Df6+ Wf 21 Bhs mate) 19..Ae8 20 3 Dd7 21 Bb2 f6 22 g5 He6 23 Hhé! hg] 24 Sg2 1-0. 8 Des ho 9 Weer A brilliant attacking idea. The queen enters the heart of Black’s position to threaten mate in one, forcing a sequence of favourable exchanges. 9. Axg5 Or 9 hxg5 10 hxgS He8 11 Wh7+ G8 12 Wh8 mate. 10 hxgs Wxg5 11 Wxg5 hxgS 12 Bas The most celebrated game in this line is Gufeld-Tarve, Tallinn 1969, which really impressed me when I first played it through. Indeed, I even saw Gufeld himself demon- strate the game to an adoring crowd at Hastings and the great showman repeated it in many of his books including the acclaimed Chess: The Search for Mona Lisa. The only thing he forgot to mention was that the spectacular sacrifice was wrong! I found that out when I wrote a book on the Vienna and faithfullyrepeated Gufeld’s assessment of the game. It is probably best explained by the following infamous moves: 12 d3 @fS (or 12...94 13 2g5 DES 14 Bd5 do 15 Axc7 Bbs 16 ged2 Ded4 17 BdS Bes 18 c3 Qxds 19 Axd5 26? [Black allows mate} 20 6+ 1-0 Lannaioli-Freire, e-mail 2001) 13 &xg5 edd 14 Ads @xb3 (if 14..a5 an analysis by Tseitlin and Glazkov runs 15 g4 Dxb3 16 axb3 £6 17 exfS fegs 18 ®xc7 with the better position) 15 DF6+? (15 axb3 £6 16 Axc? Bb8 17 2d2 a6 18 Bb4 dé 19 g4 Ada favours Black) 15..gxf6 16 &xf6 Dg7 17 axb3 He8 18 gd (18 Bad is well met by 18...e4! cutting off the queen’s rook from the befile) 18,..Be6 19 g5 b6? (the losing move because it is too slow — the top alternative is 19. a6! .which is much better for Black and has been pointed out both in a monograph by Konstantinopolsky and Lepeshkin and also by Keres) 20 He2 ef 21 d4 e3 22 13 d5 23 Bh4 2a6+ 24 04 dxo4 25 Hahi 1-0 12...Mf5 13 d3 Aida?! The established knight move is 13...Becd4, which at a glance seems odd because of 14 g4 when the Vienna with 2..2f6 85 knight on f5 cannot move due to the threat of White mating with De7+. But 14..c6! is the key resource when 15 207? Axb3 16 axb3 Ada 17 Sdl dé is an old analysis by Harding who rightly points out that Black will emerge with the better position because {8 “xa8 fixg4+ 19 ed? Hxa8 gives Black a material advantage. Therefore White should try 14 @xc7 when 14...Hb&8 15 ¢3 @®xb3 16 axb3 b6! 17 &xg5 offers equal chances, 14 Sxp5 Deo Rk Be it Yi A thi 14 La 15 Afo+! White borrows the mating idea from Gufeld-Tarve, Tallinn 1969, mentioned in the note to White’s 12" move. 15...gxf6 16 &xf6 Dg7 17 wd2 The king steps out of the way to allow the queen’s rook to join in the attack. 17.48 18 Bn6 DQe7 19 Bh8+ 1-0 Black resigned as on 19...@xh8 comes 20 &xf7 and 21 Bh mate Black can also add a twist with 6...Ac6 in an effort to delay castling so that White cannot embark on the usual energetic attack.86 Vienna with 2.2/6 Rogers — Raetsky Baden 1998 1 e4 e5 2 2c4 Df6 3 De3 Dred 4 Whs Dd6 5 Lb3 Le7 6 DL Zc6 7 DxeS White takes the opportunity to restore material equality. It has been known for some time that 7 d3 favours Black. For example 7...g6 8 Wh3 ALS 9 g4 Afd4 10 Lh6 VfB 11 Bxf8 Bxf8 12 Dxdd Dxdd 13 0-0-0 (13 Wxh7 sees White grab- bing a poisoned pawn as after 13...WegS I think Black is better) 13..d6 14 {4 h5 and the pinned g-pawn will soon fall to Black, Jaffe-Alckhine, Karlsbad 191] 7.86 The obvious exchange of pieces with 7..AxeS 8 Wxe5 is fine for White because it is difficult for Black to make progress by harassing the white queen. For instance: 8...0-0 (Black can hope to try to pin the queen on the e-file only if White is very careless) 9 d3 c6 10 h4!? Ae8 11 Vgs (of course Black’s f-pawn is pinned to the king so White need not worry about .f7-£6 when seeking to trade pieces) 11..2f6 (if 11..2xg5?! then 12 hxgS allows the rook on the h-file to bolster the attack) 12 Wg3 d5 13 0-0-0 with the aim of pursuing a kingside attack, Sulskis- Welling, Bad Wiessee 2003, In Wibe-Heggheim, corr 1990, Black opted for 7...0-0 leading to a White initiative. There followed 8 0-0 4 9 Ad5 @)xb3 10 axb3 De 11 We2! £6 12 d3 (it is worth investigating 12 Dg4!? to deprive Black of the bishops after 12..d6 13 @xf6+ Wxf6 14 De7+ wh8 15 Axc8 Wrc8 16 d3 and White has a slight advantage) 12...c6 13 Axf6+ Axf6 14 Bf4 d5 15 WE h6 16 Hel with equal play. 8 Wer ‘The queen retreats despite the fact that Black can continue to harass it. In the game Liiva-lvanchuk, Tallinn rapidplay 1996, White decided to double Black’s e-pawns with 8 A@xc6 before shielding the queen from unwanted advances: 8...dxc6 9 Wal Aes 10 6-0 Dd4 11 d3 0-0 12 fs a5 13 ed Vf5 14 Bel SS and the chances are roughly equal. 8...Ad4 9 Was!This is the right way to strive for an advantage. White volunteers to temporarily entomb his dark- squared bishop. The middlegame plan, based on the expectation that Black will take the light-squared bishop, is to make the most of the semi-open a-file. The game Buchnicek-Berezjuk, Pardubice 1999, illustrates what may happen if White refrains from playing the innovative text move. After 9 WdI 0-0 10 0-0 £16 11 AB. DOFS 12 d3 Dxf3+ 13 Wxfs Dds 14 Wdl @xb3 15 axb3 ds 16 WeS 6 17 &h6 He& Black’s chances are preferable thanks to the pair of bishops and solid set-up, 9... Axb3 10 axb3 DAS 11 0-0 dé 12 Af3 ¢6 13 b4 It makes sense to advance the pawns on the queenside so as to have the option of trading off the doubled b-pawns and making way for b2-b3 to free the bishop. 13...0-0 14 b5 d5 15 b3 An improvement on Anand- Ivanchuk, Roquebrune rapidplay 1992, which saw Black try 15 bxe6 when the exchange of pawns was revealed as premature because White needs to keep the position closed to give him time to catch up on his development. That game continued 15...oxc6 16 Eel a5 (the threat of ..2a6 is awkward for White) 17 We2 2b4 18 d3!? (White tries to create complications by sacrificing the exchange but 18 b3 is the safe option) 18..d4 19 Acd &xet 20 Wet f6 when Black is the exchange up and favourite to win, Vienna with 2...2f6 87 15...d4 If 15..cxb5 then White has a small plus after 16 WxbS We? 17 Wad3 Ad8 18 2b2. Also worth trying is 16 &b2 intending Dxd4 opening up the al-h8 diagonal for the bishop on b2. 16 Ded c5 17 Hel Reb 18 4 ho 19 Wbit A delightful idea to cement the queenside pawn structure by preparing to play d2-d3. Rogers is not content to allow the game to drift to a draw and manages to keep his options open. 19...4b6 20 d3 a6 21 bxa6 Hxaé 22 Hxa6 Wxa6 23 b3 g5?! An ambitious plan to attack on the kingside that just ends up with Black weakening his own position The centralised knight on e4 is well placed to help White both to defend and be on standby for an attack. 24 bd exb4 25 gd! Dg7 26 Dxds White is now better thanks to the dominating presence of the white knights. 26.5 27 Dgd fxgd 28 Axes Dxe6 29 d4 26 30 Wg6+ Dg? 31 Red Qd888. Vienna with 2.46 The exchange of queens is in White’s favour because his passed pawns are more — menacing. 31.,.gxh3 is the best try for Black. 32 Wxa6 bxa6 33 hxgd aS 34 Hb 2e7 35 c5 Deb?! 36 Als! ‘The position favours White now that he is able to establish a knight on the influential £5 square. 36...2f6 37 d5 Afs 38 dé Ae2+ 39 92 Ac3 40 Hb3 Ads 41 c6 a4 42 Hd3 b3 43 ExdS b2 44 Eb5 a3 45 c7 a2 46 Eb& 46...b1=4 Black has an extra queen on the board but the weakness of his king makes all the difference. 47 HxI8+ dxt8 48 c8=W+ h17 49 We4t+ SF8 50 d7 Wxf5 51 exfd al=W 52 Oc5+ 7 53 d8=W 1-0 If you thmk this wild attacking chess is not for you then there is a safer alternative available: Rogers - Shirov Spanish League 1998 1e4 e5 2 Qed AFG 3 De3 Dxes 4 Whs Dao 5 Wxed+ This peaceful particularly popular should have no worries. system is not and Black 5...We7 Not 5...2e7? when 6 Wxg7 2.167 Wed leaves White a pawn up for nothing. 6 Wxe7+ 2xe7 7 2b3 An alternative is 7 &e2, although this would hardly increase White’s activity. For example: 7AfS 8 DPB c6 9 d4 d5 10 Af Bd6 11 Bxd6 Axd6 12 0-0-0 Bg4 13 b3 Bxf3 14 Bxi3 Dd7 15 Hhel+ &a8 16 @a4_ with equal chances, Varavin-Tolstikh, Ekaterinburg 1997. 7.06 Shirov cuts out the option of “dS and prepares to play a future ..d7-dS which would lessen the influence of the bishop on b3. In the game Bartsch-Schmidt, Passau 1997, Black tried 7..f5 but it failed to impress after 8 DB Dcé > @d5 Bd8 (the bishop is temporarily passively placed 10 c3 “ce? 11 l4 Dgo 12 d4 with a slight edge because Black’s pieces lack harmony.8 d4 DFS 9 Afs as 10 Ber Instead 10 0-0 was tried in the game Depasquafe-Solomon, Australian Championship 2004, when 10..@d7!? 1] Hel A 12 Be2 Dd6 13 c3 £6 14 h3 hS (Black is just trying to rattle White into making a mistake) 15 Qg3 h4 16 El a5 17 Be3 gives White a slight edge. However White must remember that care needs to be taken even in a position like this which looks fairly safe, Bachofner- Timoschenko, Vienna 2003, saw the careless 10 &f47! when 10...g5! gave Black a slight initiative: 1} Sxb8 (or 11 Axgs Axd4 12 0-0-0 @®xb3+ 13 axb3 hé 14 A Bg is slightly better for Black) 11...Exb8 12 ®e2 h5 (Black is al liberty to advance his kingside pawns in order to provoke White into compromis- ing his kingside pawn structure) {3 3 h4 14 3 Ad6 15 Bc2 AES 16 Axf5 Dxf5 17 DeS £6 18 Bee Hh7 19 Dxe7 Hxe7 when the pin on the e-file proved awkward for White. 10...0-0 11 0-0 ®b4 Vienna with 2. 2f6 89 Shirov offers to exchange his king’s knight. This is a standard idea in the line to ease Black’s passive position. 12 ®xh4 Qxh4 13 Des Ves 14 «3 White safeguards the d-pawa while giving his bishop access to the c2 square. Basically, both players are waiting for a mistake because cach of them has a very solid position. 14..Dd7 15 &c2 g6 16 De2 Db 17 Di 2d7 18 b3 Hfes 19 Ve3 DcB 20 Bd3 20...Dd6 Rogers was up against another strong grandmaster in a game versus Yusupov, German Team Champion- ship, 1999 but Black failed to make much of an impression after 20...2£5 21 Bact d6 22 Hfel Be7 23 De5 Haes 24 gl? (White wishes to exchange bishops so that his queen’s rook can get back into the action) 24... &xc2 25 Hxc2 Heé 26 Hd! 216 27 c4 dxcd 28 bxed Hd8 29 4 YA, 21 Des RES90 Vienna with 2...Df6 Black has manoeuvred his pieces around the board without making much of an impact. The draw is still in sight. 22 Kacl Qd8 23 g4 Qxed 24 Exe2 f6 25 Ad3 2b6 26 h3 Badd 27 Het G7 28 wg? Ba5 29 a4 Ded 30 (3 Adé 31 BFA Hxel 4-4 A great way to confront a strong, player playing the Black pieces if you are content with a draw. Conclusion The reputation of 3...Axe4 as an easy equalising move is certainly not as straightforward as it first appears. Kuipers-Janssen is the perfect example of White playing the main line to win. Shabalov- Parker ceinforces the view that Black has to be careful amidst all the complications. It is understand- able that Black will want to avoid such a tactical main line but Sikora Lerch - Biolek is a demonstration of how such a strategy can go wrong. A relatively quieter line is examined in Liiva-Skrebnevskis but White stil manages to conjure up an impressive attack, The defence can be toughened up and Rogers- Raetsky sees White taking a long time to break down the barriers helped by a touch of luck. Finally, Rogers-Shirov introduces 5 Wxe5 which is regarded as a dull line where White plays safely and Black is usually obliged to agree an early drawVienna Options Led e5 2 Sc4 Dl6 3 Dc3 Acé 4 d3 The art of transposing into different openings is a feature of the Bishop’s Opening. In this case once again a preferred version of the Vienna is the result and in some cases the King’s Gambit Declined The beauty of playing the Bishop’s Opening is that you avoid the majority of awkward — Black defences and just have to know the attacking lines for White. This section will especially appeal to those who prefer the move-order | e4 05 2 Bcd ALG and now 3 d3 to avoid the 3 4c3 Bxe4 complic~ ations. The introduction of 3 d3 simply means White will transpose to the Jines discussed in this chapter after 3...c6 4 Ac3. White wins Lane — Jackson British Championship 1989 Led eS 2 Bcd Af6 3 Ac3 Ac6 4 d3 Sc5 5 f4 The most aggressive way to test Black’s handling of the opening. 5...d6 Black supports the eS pawn and opens a line for his light-squared bishop 6 AB Qo47 Dad! White aims to exchange Black’s dark-squared bishop, which for the present prevents kingside castling Ton SLXE3 In tournament practice 1 think this is the move that seems to be the most common reply.92 Vienna Options 8 Wxf3 Dd4 9 Wal bs 10 xf7+! This was a dig shock to Black who was expecting 10 @xcS. The idea is to draw the black king out into the open and exert terrific attacking pressure. 10...@xf7 1 Axes ext? I sensed that Jackson was unfamiliar with the position and she consequently fails to put up stubborn resistance. The best chance: is Il..dxeS when Balashov- Matanovic, Skopje 1970, continued 12 fxeS @d7 13 c3 Geb 14 0-0+ we8 (15.588 is also met by 15 d4) 15 d4! ecxd4 16 exd4 We7?! (16... Dxe5!? is supposed to be a big improvement but after 17 dxe5 Wrdl 18 Hxd] #7 19 2e3 Bads 20 Hd5 White is still better) 17 £e3 Hey 18 d5 Axfl+ 19 Wxfl Dds 20 6 D6 (20...Dxe6 does not stop the rot upon 21 dxe6 Wxe6 22 Wxbs Wxed 23 Hel! and White wins) 21 Be! (21 Wb5+ c6 22 Wd3 Wh! is not so clear) 21...Axe4 22 WxbSt+ c6 23 Bxc6 Sf8 24 Bel wes 25 Ec7! Wado 26 We8+ Wi8 27 Exg7t! 1-0. 12 Ab3 Deb 13 0-0 g5?! In such difficult circumstances Black should try to play it safe with 13...2f%, intending ...deg8. 14 g3! fxg3 15 Axg5! A fairly easy decision to make as it strips away the pawn barrier from the black king. 15..gxh2+ 16 Gh ADxgsS 17 Whs+ We7 18 Wxps 18 19 Dds Black has a hopeless position which should be proof enough that this line is worth exploring. The knight enters the fray leaving Black unable to cope with the multiple threats. 19...We8 20 e5! dxeS 21 Wxes+ Sd7 22 Wi5+ kd6 23 Hael 1-0 Black can put’ up _ sterner resistance with 6...2a5 in order to exchange the bishop on c4, which is usually an aggressive piece in this line. Mitkov — Rocha Porto 2000 Led 05 2 Bcd ALG 3 D3 Dcé 4 d3 2055 £45...d6 Also possible: a) 5.2xgl (Black gives up his bishop pair t© stop White from castling kingside) 6 Hxgl d6 7 f5 Da5 8 2b3 Dxb3 9 axb3 d5 10 &p5 c6 11 WEB, intending to castle queenside, gives White the better prospects. b) 5...exf4 6 Qxf4 dé 7 DB Qed 8 Wd2 We7 9 0-0-0 6-0-0 10 Qg5 e6 11 Dds Sxd5 12 Qxd5 h6 13 2xc6 bxgs 14 Bad g4 15 Ags Ads 16 Hdel Ae} 17 Exe3 Bxe3?! (17... Wxgs 18 d4 2b6 19 c3 gives White an edge) 18 Wxe3 Bb8 19 eS and White had a material advantage in Basman-Bigg, Sutton 1999. c) 5...d5?! (a gambit that has lest its shock value) 6 exdS Dga? 7 dxc6 Wh4+ 8 g3 22+ 9 Sf 2xp3 10 We @xh2+ 11 Bxh2 Wxh2 12 Bee2 Bh3+ 13 Dxh3 Wxh3+ 14 We2 when White had a clear advantage in Silva - De la Vega, Lima 1999. 6AR The game has now transposed to the King’s Gambit Declined. This position can also arise from the Vienna Options 93 move-order 1 e4 e5 2 f4 2c53 DB d6 4 Bo3 Deo 5 Red D5 6 d3 6..Da5 Rocha wants to exchange the light-squared bishop which is usually an important component of White's attack. A few other moves have been played here: a) 6...2g4 7 Ags! 0-0 (7...b6 is well met by 8 £5!) 8 £5 212+ 9 #fl De3+ 10 Bxe3 Vxe3 11 h4 Vxgs (after 11...6 Keres recommended 12 @xf? Exf? 13° WA with advantage to White) 12 hxgs Wxg5 13 EhS gave White good attacking chances in Schmied-Olafsson, Copenhagen 1998. b) 6..exf4 7 &xf4 Re6 8 &b5! d5 9 eS Ad? 10 dd Qe7 11 a3 0-0 12 0-0 £6 13 exf6 Sxf6 14 Wd2 a6 15 2xc6 bxc6 16 Hael and White intends to play eS with the better position as in Shabalov-Payen, Philadelphia 1999. ©) 6..h6 7 ad bb 8 Axd6 axb6 9 25 (Alekhine tried 9 0-0!7 with success) 9...We7 10 0-0 &d7 11 hI 0-0-0 12 Wel exf4 13 Bxi4 g5 14 2d2 Apa 15 Sxc6 bxc6 16 h394 Vienna Options with equal chances, Liiva-Gausel, Bern 1994_ 7 &b3 )xb3 If 7,..a6, to provide room for the dark-squared bishop to retreat, then White could reply with § We2 transposing to the main game. 8 axb3 a6 Black gives the bishop an escape square on a7. If 8...0-0 then White can exchange the useful dark- squared bishop by 9 Dad when 9..exf4 10 @xcS dxcS I] Qxf4 gives White the edge, Talla- Tichy, Czech Team Championship 2001. 9 We2 We7 Mitkov wishes to exchange the well placed bishop and keep the option of fxe5 to open the Efile. The decision to close the position with 10 f5 is popular when Black has castled kingside because White is handed a formidable attacking plan of advancing the kingside pawns. In the game Lemmers-Klip, Enschede 1995, Black wisely castled queenside and experienced few problems: 10..d7 li 2e3 xe} 12 Wxe3 0-0-0 13 0-0 g6 with equal chances, A better choice is 10...h6! to keep the options open. 10...2xe3 11 Wxe3 2d7 12 fred Bea Rocha is alert to the peculiarities of the position because the obvious 12...fxeS is well answered by 18 We5! which wins a pawn. 13 Wd2 Dxe5 14 Dds Dxf3+ 15 gxf3 Wa8 16 We3 0-0 This seems to be asking to be attacked but Black had little choice in the matter thanks to the pressure on g7. White has a simple attacking, methed of doubling rooks on the grfile to keep Rocha on the defensive. 17 0-0-0 c6 18 Ehgl {6 19 Ata We? 20 Ans White continues to probe the kingside pawn barrier for weaknesses and makes room for £3-f4-£5. 20...Hf7 21 £4 dS 22 Bg? Shs 23 £5? I think Mitkoy was a little careless here and should have preferred 23Hdgl and after 23..Hg8 24 Af4 iv transposes back into the game. 23,..dxe4 24 dxed Hp? Black should go for it with 24,,.Wxed! when 25 Hxg7 Exg7 25 Wet (25 Dxg7 is well met by 25...&xf5 because White cannot take on {6 due to the threat of mate on c2) 25..We3+ 26 dbl Bagg 27 Hxd7 Welt 28 da2 Wasi 29 Sb1 Welt leaves the result a draw by perpetual check. 25 Ata! Be8 After 25...Wxed then 26 Dgor hxg6 27 Wh3 mate. 26 Deo+ A fantastic tactical strike. The knight is given up in order to open up the h-file and secure a hold on 26. 26..hxg6 27 fxg6 gs Or 27.268 28 Wh3+ @p8 29 Wh7 mate. 28 We3 £5 29 Wh3 Wes 30 Wh7+ Sf8 31 gxf? Wxt7 32 Wh8+ Le7 33 Wxg7 1-0 The influence of the bishop on ¢4 can be annoying for Black so 6.,,Se6 has been tested. Vienna Options 95 Fedorov - Norri Pula 1997 Led 05 2 Bed Ato 3 Ac3 Acé 4 d3 2c5 5 [4 d6 6 A 2e6 Black wishes to relieve the pressure against {7 by offering the exchange of bishops. For those who are keen to spot transpositions, the actual move- order in the game was | e4 eS 2 4 BcS 3 DE db 4 Dc3 AG 5 Be4 Dc6 6 d3 Leb. 7 Sbs! The knight is pinned to good effect. The text is not a waste of a move because the bishop on 6 is rather badly positioned.96 Vienna Options Black can try 7...%d7 but in the game Van Beers-Antoniou, Plovdiv 2003, White continued 8 f5 when 8..Dd4?! 9 Bxd7+ Axd7 (9... Wxd? is met by 10 &g5 with an edge) 10 Bad c6 11 Dxe5 dxed (or 11AxcS 12 Dxd4 exd4 13 Wed with the better prospects) 12 0-0 Wb6? 13 Ad?! 0-0-0? 14 a4! (the threat is ¢2-c3 trapping the knight on d4) 14..cd 15 Axed Wed 16 Re3 b5 17 axb5 cxbS 18 Dads We7 19 ¢3 Bob 20 Axc6 Wxe6 21 Axa7 @c5 22 Wal 1-0 8 Qxebt bxc6 9 £5 2d7 10 We2 An improvement on the game Salmensuu-Nori, Helsinki 1994, where White played 10 &g5 to pin the knight. Black responded with 10...8b8, rightly ignoring the threat to double the fpawns which is not so critical without kingside castling. There followed 11 Aad BaF 12 Qxf6 gxf6 13 Wd2 Eps 14 0-0-0 Wh5 15 b3 a5 16 g3 Hb8 17 Bhel Wb4 18 Wxb4 axb4 with an equal ending. 10... b8 A distinct echo of the previous note on White’s 10th move where Norri was successful with a transfer of the queen to the b-file and an exchange of queens. In this case, the difference is that Fedorov has more options because he has not yet moved his dark-squared bishop. 11 Qdtt Fedorov considers that 11 63 &b4 12 Rd2 a5 gives Black decent chances. 11. Wb 12 ¢3 aS Black has to know what he is doing in such a position because there is little room for manoeuvre. In this case preparation is made to activate the light-squared bishop with ...Sc8-a6. 13 2e3 Qc8 14 0-0 Bab Upon 14...@xe4? White can break the pin with 15 c4 and win a piece. 15 c4 Wh6 16 Shi Bxe3 17 @xe3 17.072! Black is spending time on finding suitable squares for his pieces but it is a slow process. 17...0-0?! walks into a very strong attack after 18 g4. A better idea is 17...0-0-0 when | abl (18 247! dS! 19 exd5S exds 20 g5 e4 and the exposed white king is a cause for concern) 18...Ahe8 19b4! a4 20 Hfcl!? h6 21 b5 cxbS 22 oxbS &xb5 23 Wo2 Wxe3 24 WxbS with a good attack according to an analysis by Fedorov 18 g4 £6 19 g5! White continues to undermine the black kingside. 19...0-0-0 20 Bgl AcS 21 gxf6 gxf6 22 Hg7 d5 23 exdS Khe8?! 24 Edt Or 24 Bxh7 e4 25 dxed Dxed with counterplay for Black. 24...e4 25 dxed Axed 26 Add! The knight threatens both @xc6 and ®e6 which are too much to handle for the flimsy Black defence. 26...cxd5 27 Ae6 d4 28 Ads Exd5 29 Wxed 2xe4 30 Hel Qxad 31 Dxc7 1-0 Black can also try 6..,0-0 but must defend against a kingside pawn avalanche. Hebden - Martinovsky London 1986 1 e4 e5 2 Bcd Af 3 De3 Deo 4 d3 Lc5 § f4 d6 6 DE 0-0 Vienna Options 97 The choice of casting is doubled-edged because i: tends 0 invite White to attack. 7 £512 ‘Now that Black has castled early White is happy to close the position in anticipation of advancing the kingside pawns in an attack. 7.6 A precaution against the pin with &g5. Black has other tries here: a) 7..Ba5 8 Qg5 c6 9 ad Dxcd 10 dxe4 h6 Li Bhd a5 12 Wd2 a4 13 gd! (a strong attacking theme in this line when the knight is pinned) 13...Wb6 14 2xf6 gxf6 15 Wxh6 Wxb2 16 Sd2 @d4 17 De2 1-0 Nun-Lehner, Oberwart 1992, b) 7. Add 8 2g5 06 9 a3 h6 10 hd bS 11 Ma2 a5 12 g4! gs 13 fxg6 Gxgd i4 Bxf+ wg7 15 Bxd4 Qxd4 16 De2 Qxb2 17 Eb1 2c3+ 18 SA Axed+ 19 dxed Wxh4+ 20 dg? Wh3+ 21 Sel We3+ 0-1 Fischer-Puto, simul, Cicero 1964. This game is fairly well known and White can follow the legendary former world champ- ion’s play with confidence. Just98 Vienna Options remember to improve with 16 &xfo+ Wxfe 17 Wxe4 Wh+ 18 Sd) and pick up an easy point. 8 Ads! lt is imperative that White plays positively and here he seeks to ease his way forward by preparing g4. There is also the option of 8 We2 with the idea of &e3 and castling kingside, This is all very well but 8..Ad4! 9 Axd4 exd4 10 Dat &xf5 wins a pawn for Black due to the threat of ..2e8 pinning the queen. 8..Dd4 9 Axf6+ Wxl6 10 Ord Axdd 11 c3 Bb6 12 Whs c6 Martinovsky needs to open up the centre otherwise g2-g4-g5 is fatal. 13 Efi The immediate probably better. 13...d5 14 exd5 e4! 15 d4 If 15 dxe4 then 15...2e8 16 Wed hs! 17 Wed WefS! 18 Bxfs Bxed+ 19 fl Hxcd4 20 Bxh5 Bes intending E4e4 gives Black sufficient compensation for the pawn. 15...05 16 g4 €3 17 dxeS &xe5 13° g4!? is 18 e2 1 quite like 18 Hf3 intending h2-h4 and g4-g5 18...b5 19 £3 Or 19 &xbS when Black can try to go after the white king with 19... La6 19...He8 20 g5 hxg5 The ending arising ~— from 20...Wxg5 benefits only one person and it is not Black. For instance: 21 WrxgS hxg5 22 b4 &b6 23 &xb5 BeS 24 Qd3 Qb7 (24...Bxd5? 25 Sed) 25 c4 wins. 21 263 947 22 b4 It would make no sense to expose the white king with 22 &xe3 because it is Black who is better after 22...2xe3 23 Bxe3 Axf5 24 WE Axe3+ 25 Wxed Qxd3+ 26 bxd3 Bas 22.,.Wxe3 Or 22..,.2xb4? 23 oxb4 Wxal 24 £6 gxf6 25 Who! £5 26 Rxf5 Qxfs 27 Bxfs £6 28 Wg6+ whs 29 Bes g4 30 HES mates, 23 Hh3 8 24 bxcS Wxal 25 2xe3 Wxa2+ 26 Sf Wal+ 27 S12 Wa2+ 28 Be228.,.Wxd5 1-0 26 Wh8+ We? 30 225+ foliows. If Black is concerned about his dark-squared bishop being exchang- ed by “aS he might decide to create an escape square with 6.,.a6. Conquest — Smejkal Bundesliga 1996 1e4 eS 2 2c4 ALG 3 Ac3 Ac 4 d3 2c5 5 f4 dé 6 APS a6 7 £5 White close the chooses to position. This policy is particularly good when Black has already castled but in this case he has the choice of seeking sanctuary for the king on the queenside. 7.06 Vienna Options 99 It is almost a golden mule for Black to play this move after £5 in order to stop the knight being pinned with 8 2g5. 8 Dds 8..AaS Smejkal decides to exchange the white-squared bishop before it becomes involved in an attack. A popular continuation for Black is to play 8...d4 in preparation of ..cF-c6, Also possible: a) 8...2d4, preparing ...c7-c6, was tried in Tomescu-Bracaglia, Padova 1999, which continued 9 c3 Axf3+ 10 Wxf3 06 11 Axf6+ Wxf6 12 24 bS 13 &b3 Rb? 14 h4 0-0-0 15 95 We7 16 f6 gxf6 17 gxh6 and the passed pawn on h6 proved to be a long-term problem for Black. b) 8...2a7 9 a3 (9 c3 0-0 10 We2 intending &e3 to cut out the influence of the bishop on a7 and allow kingside castling) 9..Ad4 10 &e3? (a mistake which can be exploited by tactical means) 10...AxdS 11 BxdS A@xo2+ 12 Wrxe2 &xe3 with a clear advantage, Blanco Gutierrez - Korneev, Ferrol 2002. 9 b4 Dxd5S100. Vienna Options If 9...Axc4 then White is slightly better after 10 Dxf6+ Wxf6 11 bxe5 BaS 12 cxd6 cxd6 13 Hol. 10 bxe5 Ato?! An invitation to complicate matters when Black should prefer the clarity that comes with 10...xc4. For example: 11 exdS DaS 12 Ld? b6 13 cxb6 (Conquest suggests 13 c6 &xf5 14 0-0 0-0 15 Wel with unclear play) 13...cxb6 14 BxaS bxa5 15 0-0 Bxf5 16 Axes dxeS 17 BxfS Wxd5 18 d4! Wxd4+ 19 Wxd4 exd4 20 Bel+ with a draw the likely outcome. 1 Qb3 dxe5 12 Axes Axb3 13 axb3 Wd4 13..Qxf5 14 Rb2 (14 exf52! Wad regains the piece) 14...2e6 15 0-0 0-0 16 Wf gives White decent attacking chances for the sacrificed pawn. 14 B14 Axed 15 dxed Wrest 16 We2 Wxe2+ 17 Sxe2 Qxf5 18 Sd2 White has the advantage because the extra piece can help to create threats against the king and make sure the three extra black pawns do not easily advance. 18...16 19 @d3 0-0-0 20 Has: Hd7 Smejkal needs to advance his pawns to create a passed pawn that will force White to defend. The only snag is that patience is required because 20...g5? fails to 21 &xc7 Gxc7 22 ExcS+ Sb8 23 BxfS and White wins. 21 Het A calm approach. 21 Hxe5 would have allowed Black counterplay by 21...@e4 22 Bgl £5. 21...8xd3 22 exd3 Ehd8 23 ExeS Hxd3+ 24 Sc2 c6 25 He7 8347 The White initiative is difficult to resist and 25...28d7 is no improve- ment due to 26 Hxg7! Bxg7 27 exd3 Hxg2 28 Bhs winning. 26 He2 Hdl 27 2d? Hl 28 2a5 Hd6 29 He3 Bal 30 He8+ ed7 31 Heed! It is easy to offer the bishop as a sacrifice when you can deliver mate next move! Conquest has played very well to make sure Black has had no real chances to advance his pawns.31.05 32 B3e7+ Gc6 33 Hes+ was Or 33..82b5 34 Hxb7+ dxa5 35 Exc5 mate. 34 Rc7 Had+ 35 Sd3 Hxg? 36 Gxd6 Yxd6 37 Exb7 g5 38 Eb6+

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