Chess Publishing ECO : C00-C99

Volume 3

Second Edition

CBV to PDF

by Scorpionchess

Thanks to

Echai the master Uploader

& his invaluable
successor bandidobk

All friends who made the All in one Cbv

Dedicated to

Dearanna
She inspired the idea
Introduction to the second Edition
If the first edition had no introduction, the second need one !

The publication of the first edition of this series in 2013 represented an innovation in chess
books shared at forums : It is part of a new trend that migrates from simple sharing to the
creativity .

This publication mainly benefited of the work made in the background by many forums
members (Sharers, collectors, Cbv & pgn makers) and as I'm unable to name All, I just want
to thank All of Them .

Special thanks must go to the master sharer & Uploader Echai & his successor bandidobk :
without their invaluable work & perseverance to update the chess publishing thread, this
second edition would never have been released .

This second edition has an updated material & also some improvements, especially to
enhance readability ...and I will let you discover the rest .

All your suggestions are welcome and will be as far as possible taken into account in the next
editions.

S.C

06/10/2014
 Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
1 C00
Adams,Mi 2725
Meier,Geo 2640
1st GRENKE Chess Classic (10.2) 17.02.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 f6
[ I n P T F 4 I b r i e f l y a n a l y s e 3...c5!?
, and old suggestion of mine, with the idea
4.f3 ( 4.exd5 f6! 5.dxe6 xe6
is awfully risky) 4...e7!? intending 5.d4
b6 ]
4.f3 c6 A straightforward solution. Black
contemplates ...e5, or ...dxe4 followed by ...
e5.
[ 4...e7 is normal. ]
5.e5
[ 5.g3 e5 6.exd5 xd5 7.c3 b4 8.d2
xc3 9.xc3 0-0 10.g2 d4 11.xd4
exd4 12.0-0 g4 13.h3 ae8 14.d1
d7 (space) ]
[ 5.c3 allows e5 , because after ( 5...dxe4
6.dxe4 e5 ) 6.exd5? ( 6.bd2 e7= )
6...xd5 , White can no longer play Nc3. ]
5...d7 6.g3 Most everything is answered by
...f6. f6 7.exf6 xf6
[ 7...xf6 is another good choice, with the
standard French setup ...Bd6 and ...0-0.
This may even give some chances for a
small advantage, based upon Black's
central majority. ]
8.g2 d6 9.0-0 0-0 10.c4 c5
[ 10...de5! is the natural move: 11.bd2
( 11.xe5 xe5 12.d1! d4 13.c3
c6= ) 11...xf3+ 12.xf3 h6= ]
11.c3 dxc4!?
[ 11...d4 12.e4 ( 12.b5 e5 ) 12...xe4
13.xe4 e5= ]
12.dxc4 e5 Black has superior activity, but an
isolated e-pawn. 13.e4
[ 13.d5! , for example, f7 14.g5 g6
15.e3 h6 16.b4! with a modest edge ]
13...xe4 14.xe4 h8
[ Or 14...f5 15.d5+ h8 ]
15.g5 f7
[ 15...f5 ]
16.e3 f5 17.d5 xd5 18.cxd5 b4
19.d2? A miscalculation?
[ 19.g5! ]
19...d3 This looks strong, and isn't bad, but
allows a remarkable resource.
[ 19...c2! 20.ac1 d3 21.fd1 ( 21.e4
xe3 ) 21...e2 is arguably a more
accurate order. ]
20.e4! An ingenious defence!
[ 20.fc1 c2 ]
[ 20.fd1 c2 21.ac1 e2 ]
20...xe4?!
[ 20...xf1 21.xf1 gives White some
compensation for the exchange, but Black
still has all the winning chances, e.g., a6
22.c1 b6 23.a3 c5 24.xc5 bxc5 ]
21.xe4 xd5 22.xd6 cxd6 23.ad1
xe3 24.fxe3 xf1+ 25.xf1 d8 26.c1
g8 27.c7 f8+ 28.e2 f7 29.c8+ f8
30.c7 f7 31.c8+ f8 32.c7 A narrow
escape for White.
½-½
2 C00
Arakhamia Grant,Ketevan 2437
Hagarova,Zuzana 2335
EuTChw Leon ESP (9) 15.11.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.e2 c5 3.g3!? White delays Nf3
so that f2-f4 is possible. c6 Black responds
with the most solid system versus the KIA,
though she might have tried the more active
[ 3...d5!? ]
4.c3 ge7 5.g2 g6 6.f4 g7 7.f3 0-0
8.0-0 d6 9.a3! b8 With the White pawn
already on f4 the usual
[ 9...e5 is less attractive for Black. ]
10.h1 a6 Whilst there is nothing wrong with
this move I find it annoying that Black has to
spend time in this way preparing b7-b5: if she
had a decent waiting move then White might
have played 11.d2-d3 when she could play b7-
b5 'in one go'. 11.d1 b5 12.d4 b4?
Starting a tactical sequence that backfires.
Solid enough was
[ 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 b7 14.c2 d7
when White keeps a space advantage but
all Black's pieces are well positioned on
safe squares. ]
13.dxc5! Very well played. It turns out the
knight on e7 is short of squares. bxc3
[ U n s a t i s f a c t o r y f o r B l a c k i s 13...bxa3
14.cxd6 axb2 15.xb2 b6?! 16.dxe7
xe7 17.a3 etc. ]
14.c4 d5 15.b6! The knight is excellently
1
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
placed here choking Black's queenside. c7
16.bxc3 dxe4 17.xe4 xc3 18.b1 d5
19.e3 g7 Black offers a pawn to be rid of
White's dominant knight. If instead
[ 19...xe3 20.xe3 g7 21.d6!
keeps strong pressure on the queenside. ]
20.xd5 exd5 21.xd5 Now White
gradually neutralises Black's initiative after
which the extra pawn proves decisive. e6
22.d2 fd8 23.e2 xd1+ 24.xd1 a5
25.g5 b2 26.f3 a4 27.xe6 fxe6
28.c1 e7 29.c6 c2 30.d1 xc1
31.xc1 d4 32.xd4 xd4 33.c7 d7
34.b7 f7 35.g2 d3 36.a3 a5 37.c8
xc8 38.xc8 d5+ 39.f2 a2+ 40.g1
b3
1-0
3 C00
Areshchenko,Alexander 2673
Rychagov,Andrey 2515
Open A Moscow RUS (8) 07.02.2009
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.d2
[ You might like to compare the note to 18.
Nh4 in the main game with the following
quick draw: 3.e2 c6 4.f3 e5 5.c3
f6 6.c2 a5 7.e2 e7 8.0-0 0-0
9.bd2 e8 10.b3 g4 11.e1 f8 12.a3
h6 13.b2 d7 14.b4 axb4 15.cxb4 d6
16.b3 h5 17.h4 xe2 18.xe2 dxe4
19.dxe4 d4 20.xd4 exd4 21.f3 e5
22.ad1 b6 23.d3 - Popovic, D-Hoang
Thanh Trang/Budapest HUN 2008. ]
3...f6 4.gf3 c6 5.c3 a5 Restraining
White's b2-b4 move. 6.e2 e7 7.0-0 0-0
[ Even in a quiet position, move order can be
important. For example 7...e5 8.b3 0-0
A) Preferable was 9.c2 so th at if h5
10.xe5 xe5 ( or 10...f4 11.df3 )
11.xh5 favours White.;
B) 9.a3?! h5! 10.exd5?! ( Black is
alarmingly active after 10.c2 f4 or;
10.e1 f4 11.f1 g4; So White
should play 10.xe5! xe5 11.d4! f6
12.dxe5 xe4 13.c2 f5
with a balanced position.) 10...xd5
11.c4? a senseless weakening of the
centre. ( More consistent was 11.c4 )
11...d8 12.g3 Perhaps White intended
( 12.xe5 but then realised it is rotten for
him after xe5 13.xh5 xd3 ) 12...g6
13.b2 f6 14.e4 g7 In this English
versus King's Indian Attack style position,
White's light squared bishop needs to be
sitting on g2. 15.b4? Disappointed at his
in e f f e ct ive o p e n in g, W h it e m a k e s a n
unsound pawn sacrifice. f5 16.c3 axb4
17.axb4 xa1 18.xa1 xb4 19.e1
c6 20.b5 f4 21.d4? This attempt to
activate his game brings down a kingside
attack on his head. e4 22.e5 e3!
23.fxe3 fxg3 24.xh5 h4! 25.e2
xe5 26.dxe5 xh5 27.hxg3 c6 28.e6
xe6 29.xg7 xg7 30.c7 g4
31.d4+ g8 32.f2 xf2 33.xf2
h2+ 34.f1 h1+ 35.f2 f3+
36.g1 xg3+ 37.f1 h3+ 38.e2
h2+ 39.d3 xc7 0-1 Koch, J-Jedynak,
R/Clichy FRA 2007. ]
8.c2 e5 9.e1 e8
[ P e r h a p s B l a c k s h o u l d t r y 9...a4!?
here to obstruct White's next move. ]
10.b3! More accurate than
[ 10.f1 after which Indian GM Ganguly
g r a d u a l l y o u t p l a y e d h i s o p p o n e n t : h6
11.g3 e6 12.f1 d7 13.h3 a4
d e t e r r i n g b 2 - b 3 . 14.e3 The bishop is
centralised here, but it attacks nothing. In
contrast, stationed on b2 it would have had
the chance to put pressure on e5 in the
future. ed8 15.a3 f8 16.ac1 g6
17.d4? White loses patience in his sterile
position and drops a pawn. xe4 18.xe4
dxe4 19.xe5 xe5 20.dxe5 d5
21.cd1 e6 22.c4 c6 23.f4 g7
24.c3 xd1 25.xd1 e8 26.c1 g5
27.e3 xe5 28.h4 f6 29.c5 g7
30.hxg5 hxg5 31.g3 g4 32.e1 h8
33.g2 b5 34.d1 xd1 35.xd1 c6
36.b1 g6 37.b4 axb3 38.xb3 f5
39.b4 d8 40.f1 f4 41.gxf4 gxf4
42.xe4+ xe4 43.xe4 f5 44.b4 fxe3
45.fxe3 d3 46.a4 xe3 47.xb7 e4
0-1 Hatanbaatar, B-Ganguly, S/Turin ITA
2006. ]
10...f8 11.a3 g4 12.b2 d7 13.f1!
This is the kind of inconspicuous move that
pla ys a vit a l ro le in close d ma n o e uvrin g
games- see the note to 18.Nh4 below. ad8
2
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

14.b4 axb4 15.cxb4 A recapture 'away from on a7.

the centre'. On the other hand, it opens the c- [ Actually 38.fxf7 is objectively stronger as
file for the queen and rooks to put pressure on it's mate in four more moves, but we can't
c7, aided by a possible b4-b5 advance. And at object to the bishop having the last word. ]
the same time the bishop on b2 sees daylight. 1-0
It is true that Black's reply 15...d4 shuts its
diagonal, but as we shall see the black centre
is a rather lifeless mass and can be 4 C00
eventually undermined by f2-f4, when White's Berg,Emanuel 2573
b i s h o p o n b 2 c o m e s a l i v e a f t e r a l l . d4 Tikkanen,Hans 2573
16.ac1 c8 17.h3 h5 18.h4! ch-SWE Playoff 2012 blitz (2) 15.07.2012
In contrast to the Popovic- Hoang game given [John Watson]
above at move three, Areshchenko doesn't
give Black the chance to exchange off light 1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 The Wing
squared bishops- he has sensibly tucked his Gambit! And played by French Defence expert
own bishop away on f1. The upshot is that the Berg, no less. Of course, it's a blitz game.
black bishop becomes a target on h5. a7 cxb4 5.d4
19.b3 c5 20.bxc5 xc5 21.c2 c6? [ 5.a3 is much more common. ]
One of Black's main problems is that his 5...f5!? I'm not thrilled with this idea, because I
knight on a7 isn't helping to defend his centre. like retaining the possibility of ...f6. In my
He could have partially remedied this with book I give two alternatives. Skipping a few
[ 21...b5! 22.ec1 b6 ( The pawn details:
sacrifice 22...c3 23.xc3 dxc3 24.xc3 [ (a) 5...d7 6.a3 a5 ( or 6...c6
b6 is interesting, but perhaps not quite with the idea 7.d3 b6 ) 7.d3 b5
sound for Black. )] 8.0-0 xd3 9.xd3 a6 ( or 9...c6 )
22.ec1 ec8 23.a4 f8 24.c4 c7 10.b3 c6 11.b2 b6
25.f4! White has combined play on both sides Vedder-Poulton, Gausdal 1990 ]
of the board. On the queenside, his pressure [ (b) 5...c6 6.a3 f6 7.axb4 , and 7...
along the c-file has sidetracked the black Bxb4+ 8.c3 Ba5 intending ...Bc7 or fxe5
rooks and queens from defending their centre, 8.xe5 ( 8.b5 xd4 9.xe5 h4 )
and ensured that the knight on a7 remains 8...xe5 ( or 8...xb4+ 9.c3 d6
shut out of the action. Meanwhile, on the with the idea 10.h5+ g6 11.xg6 f6
kingside, the pawn stab f2-f4 both undermines 12.h6 g8 13.f4 e7 ) 9.dxe5 xb4+
e5 and puts the bishop on h5 in jeopardy. 10.c3 c5 11.g4 e7 ]
d7 Black tries to complicate matters at the 6.exf6? Strange that Berg would choose a
cost of a bishop, as pawn structure giving Black such easy and
[ 25...exf4 26.xd4 is pretty gruesome for active play (along with his extra pawn)! Since
him, not least because a7 is hanging. ] Black has played both . ..cxb4 and ...f5, both
26.g4 exf4 27.gxh5 f3 28.h1 c5 his ways of attacking White's powerful centre
29.a2 f4 30.f5 f2 31.xd4 have disappeared, so I think White has more
Black's attack is faltering, so he makes one than enough for his pawn following
last effort to bamboozle his opponent. xd3 [ 6.a3 ]
32.xd3 f3+ 33.h2 xd3 34.xf2! [ or simply 6.d3 c6 7.0-0 ]
W hite returns the piece in order to gain a 6...xf6 7.d3 c6 8.0-0 d6 9.e1 0-0
decisive attack of his own. xc4 35.h6+! Black has developed smoothly and is still a
gxh6 36.g1+ g7 37.xg7+ h8 38.f6! pawn to the good. 10.bd2 c7
Material is equal in the final position, and [ 10...d7 11.b2 c8 is a good
Black's queen and rooks are as active as sequence. ]
W hite's but Areshchenko has carefully 11.b2 d7 12.e5 ae8!?
nurtured the career of his dark squared bishop, [ 12...e8! with the idea ...Bh5 is good. ]
while the black knight has remained neglected 13.e3!?

3
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 13.df3 ] 5 C00
13...e7! 14.e2 e8 15.e1 h5 16.f3 Beshukov,Sergei 2465
[ 16.g4? xe5 ] Volkov,Sergey 2567
16...xe5!? Closing the e-file is safe for Black, Open Antalya TUR (3) 24.02.2002
but since W hite apparently has no way to [Neil McDonald]
make progress,
[ 16...a5 ] 1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 f6 4.f3 c5 5.g3
[ or 16...d7 is worth considering. ] e7 6.g2 b5 7.g5? A poor idea which
17.dxe5 d7 18.b3 a5?! practically amounts to a loss of a tempo.
[ 18...a5! and ] White provokes h7-h6 which is a useful move
[ 18...b6 are good alternatives. ] for Black.
19.f2 [ 7.e5 fd7 8.h4 would transpose to
[ This is Blitz, so none of this should be Rabiega-Enders on ChessPub. ]
criticized, but for the record, 19.xa5 xa5 7...h6 8.f4
20.c3! was a good try. ] [ Not 8.xf6?! xf6 9.exd5? xb2 ]
19...ef7?! Now White wins back his pawn. 8...c6 9.c3 a5! Black is in no hurry to castle.
[ 19...c4 20.h4 db6! (again, not W ith his pawn advances on the queenside
r e a l i s t i c i n a b l i t z g a m e ) 21.xh5 Volkov makes his opponent feel obliged to
( 21.xh7+ xh7 22.xh5+ g8 play actively on the kingside- and then White
and b2 and e3 hang.) 21...g6 22.xg6 really has problems! 10.h4 b7 11.0-0 b4
xb2 23.d3 is unclear. ] 12.c4
20.h4 g6 21.xb4 c4 [ This turns out badly, but even so White's
[ 21...xd3 22.cxd3 xb3 23.axb3 b6= ] opening has been a failure, for if 12.bd2
22.xc4 xc4 23.xc4 dxc4 24.d4 h5 is awkward. ]
S u d d e n ly B la c k is o n t h e d e f e n sive . e8 12...dxc4 13.dxc4 d7!! Here it would be so
25.a3 easy for Black to play the thoughtless
[ 25.b5!? ] [ 13...0-0 when White could quietly
25...b6 26.d6 d7 27.a3 c o n s o l i d a t e h i s s p a c e a d va n t a g e wi t h
[ 27.c3 ties Black down. ] 14.d1 etc. Instead Volkov prepares to
27...c8 28.b5 ed8 counterattack with g7-g5 and seize control of
[ 28...a6! ] the dark squares. ]
29.c3 a6 30.c7 xd6 31.exd6 xd6 14.d1 g5 15.hxg5 hxg5 16.e3 e5!
32.xc4 c8 33.b5!? initiating some Black creates a massive outpost square on d4
forcing play. xc4 34.xd6 xc2 35.xb7 for his knight. In contrast no white knight can
xa2 36.xe6 a5 37.a6 a4 Obviously easily ge t t o th e d5 squa re . if Blac k ha d
Black has the winning chances here. 38.a8+ delayed this for a move White might have tried
f7 39.a7 17.e5 himself to gain some freedom for his
[ 39.d6+ e7 40.b5 ] p i e c e s , e v e n i f i t m e a n t l o s i n g a p a wn .
39...a3 40.d6+ f6 41.b5?! a1+ 17.bd2 d4 18.d3 a6! A wonderful
42.f2 a2 43.c3 f7 44.a6+ e7 reminder that a rook can enter the game
[ 44...e5! 45.a7 g5! ] vertically as well as horizontally! 19.e1 g4
45.a7+ f8 46.a8+ e7 47.a7+ f8 20.xd4 The black knight was intolerable on
[ 47...d8 48.g3 threatens Rxf7. d4, but af ter this the c5 square becomes
( 48.xf7?? f1+ wins. )] available to Black's other knight which will add
48.a8+ e7 pressure to e4. cxd4 21.e2 g6 22.d3
½-½ a8 23.a3 bxa3 24.bxa3 f5! Volkov is
playing brilliantly energetic chess. with all his
pieces on dynamic squares it is time for a
p a w n a s s a u l t . 25.ab1 c6 26.b5
The noble rook makes a desperate attempt to
d i s t r a c t B l a c k f r o m t h e k i n g s i d e . xb5

4
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

27.cxb5 f4! Black bludgeons his way through the pawn. ]

the dark squares. 28.gxf4 g3 29.f3 exf4 6...exd5 7.exd5 d6 8.c3 e7 9.h4 e5
30.xf4 d3! 31.xd3 a7+ 32.f1 gh6 10.ge2 d6 11.e4 g4 12.h5
33.b6 xb6 34.c4 h1+! 35.xh1 xh1+ [ Or 12.g1 h5 ]
36.g2 h2+ 37.f1 12...f5 13.xg4?
[ 37.xg3 c7+ then 38...Rxe2. ] [ The way to keep the tension was 13.g2! ]
37...h6 38.e3 h3+ 39.e1 g2 13...xe4 14.h4? f5! winning a piece. 15.f3
White resigned as Rh1 will be unanswerable. a4 16.h6 g6 17.g5 fxg4 18.xg4 d7
A great game by Black. 19.e4 f5 20.d2 xf3 21.xe5 h1+
0-1 [ The finish might be 21...h1+ 22.f2 0-0+
23.f4 h2+ 24.e1 g1+ 25.e2
g4+ 26.e1 dxe5 27.d6 exf4 28.dxe7
6 C00 g1+ 29.e2 f3+ 30.d3 d4# ]
Bettman,Jan 0-1
Barsov,Alexei 2465
AKN op Haarlem (1) 1998
[Neil McDonald] 7 C00
Bielczyk,Jacek 2346
1.e4 e6 2.b5 g5 The critical test of Socko,Bartosz 2615
White's weird bishop move. 3.e2!? TCh-POL Ekstraliga (8) 10.09.2005
[ Perhaps 3.f1!? as the black queen can be [Neil McDonald]
attacked with a tempo gaining move. d5
( O f c o u r s e , 3...d8 might be a draw by 1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 d4 4.e2 c5
repetition, but Black wouldn't always be 5.c3
happy with that. ) 4.f3 [ W e s a w t h e l e s s a m b i t i o u s 5.d3
A) after 4...d8 5.e5 ( or 5.c3!? ) 5...c5 in the game Guseinov-Filippov on
6.b4 and White has sidestepped 1.e4 e6 2. ChessPub. ]
Nf3 c5 lines.; 5...c6 6.cxd4 f6!? An interesting
B) 4...g6?! 5.exd5 exd5 6.d4 f6 temporary pawn offer. Another gambit line is
7.e5 e4+ 8.e3 g4 9.xg4 xg4 [ 6...cxd4 7.a4 c5 8.b4 b6!?
10.d2 e6 Fleissig loses bags of time ( Black looks OK after 8...xb4 9.exd4
with his queen. 11.d3 d6 12.0-0 0-0 a5! as for example in Andersson,J-Ziegler,
13.c3 c6 14.ae1 d7 15.f4 h5 A/Sweden SW E 2005, but it's not a very
16.xd6 xd6 17.f4! threatening to cut good winning a tte mpt .) 9.b5 ce7
off the bishop on h5 with 18.f5, with ideas 10.exd4 ( Or 10.b2!? f6 11.e5 fd5
of both 19.f6 and 19.Qg5. f5 18.e5 g6 12.exd4 d7 White is a pawn up and
19.g4! fxg4 20.f5 f7 21.f6 g6 ( or facing no concrete threats, but his rickety
21...gxf6 22.h6 ) 22.xg6 hxg6 23.f7+! pawn structure and the well entrenched
1-0 Bird, H-Fleissig, M/Wien 1873. ] black pieces make it dif f icult f or him to
3...xg2 4.f3 g6 5.d4 c5 organise his game properly. Thus if 13.e2
[ Black could return the pawn with 5...d5 f4 is awkward for White.) 10...f6 11.d3
6.e5!? intending Ne2 and Nf4 to harass the 0-0 12.e3 g4! and Black proceeded to
black queen further. ( whereas comfortable o u t p l a y h i s o p p o n e n t : 13.c2 xe3
for Black is 6.exd5 exd5 7.xd5 f6 ) 14.xe3 d7 15.b3 ( if 15.c4 a6 )
6...f6?? 7.h5 ] 15...a5+ 16.d2 xd2+ 17.xd2 a5+
6.d5? 18.c3 xb5 19.d4 a4 20.c4 fd8
[ Too slow. Bettman should have played in 21.d3 a5+ 22.e2 ac8 23.b3 c3
d yn a m ic s t yle wit h 6.c3! cxd4 ( If 24.c4? ( Black has an enduring initiative
6...c6? 7.b5! or; 6...a6? 7.a4! ) 7.b5 after 24.b2 g6 ) 24...h5+
a6 8.f4 f6 9.xd4 c5 10.d6+ f8 0-1 Buchkremer,F-Rozentalis,E/
11.d2 and White has a strong initiative for Copenhagen DEN 2004. ]

5
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
7.e5 d7 8.dxc5 dxe5 9.xe5 xe5
10.d4 xc5! A neat way to regain the pawn.
Black forks two of his own pieces, but White
can't take advantage of it. 11.e3 Two ways
to commit suicide are:
[ 11.dxc5? d3+ and ]
[ 11.dxe5? xf2+ ]
11...b4+ 12.c3 c6 13.e2 a5
14.b3
[ Or 14.0-0 0-0 ( Black got away with a
double pawn grab after 14...xc3 15.bxc3
xc3 16.d5 exd5 17.c1 a5 18.c5
e6 19.b3 0-0-0 and eventually won in
Shivaji, S-Shulman,Y/ Lindsborg USA 2004
but this looks rather risky to me.) 15.c1
d8 ]
14...e5! Black clears the way for his bishop to
enter the game on e6, after which the game
becomes equal. 15.dxe5 e6 16.c2 f5
17.b3 e6 18.c2 xe5 19.0-0 0-0
20.ac1 d4 21.xd4 xd4 22.a3 e7
23.f3 ab8 Black, the much higher rated
player, hopes to turn his bishop pair to
advantage, and then, later on, tries to exploit
the fact that he has a bishop versus knight
but with no centre pawns and no weak points
in the white camp, it really should be a draw.
24.cd1 c5 25.e4 h8 26.d5 xd5
27.xd5 c6 28.fd1 bd8 29.e4 xd5
30.xd5? The good player is always lucky!
White simply gives away a pawn. Instead
[ 30.xd5 is equal. ]
30...xa3! 31.bxa3 xc3 32.d1 c7
33.h3 g8 34.a4 a6 35.d7 c8 36.d4
b5 37.d6 h6 38.f4? White wants to add to
his initiative by using the f-pawn, but it just
weakens his own king's defences. He had to
keep harassing Black with
[ 38.c7 etc. ]
38...e8 39.h2 c4 40.f5 e4 41.a7
e5 42.d2 d5
[ White's weak back rank will soon cost him
dearly, for example 42...d5 43.c3 ( Or
43.c1 e5+ 44.h1 d6! and the rook
check on d1 decides the issue.) 43...d1
44.xa6? it's hopeless anyway, of course
f4+ 45.g3 ( or 45.g3 f2# ) 45...h1+
46.xh1 xg3 ]
0-1
8 C00
Bosboom,Manuel 2375
Willemze,Thomas 2393
Corus C Wijk aan Zee NED (13) 28.01.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 f6 4.gf3 b6
5.g3 dxe4 6.dxe4 c5!? An active more
with the threat of 7...Ng4, winning at once.
7.b5+!? White decides to keep his bishop on
an open diagonal rather than play the
humdrum
[ 7.g2 when Black might respond a6
forcing W hite to weaken himself with 8.c4
in order to be able to castle. ]
7...c6 8.d3 e5! Black frees his bishop on c8
and prevents W hite ever gaining a space
a d v a n t a g e w i t h e 4 - e 5 . 9.e2!
Bosboom elects to castle queenside, which is
just a well.
[ Naturally if 9.xe5 d4 and Black wins a
piece while White is also losing after ]
[ 9.0-0? h3 10.e1?! g4 ]
9...c7 10.b3 h3 11.b2 bd7
[ Very risky for Black is 11...g4? 12.g5!
A) Or 12...xf2 13.xh3 xh3
( 13...xh1 14.f3 ) 14.g4 f2
15.xg7;
B) 12...xf2+ 13.d1 g2 14.xg4
xh1 15.c4! f8 16.xh7 and White's
attack is winning. ]
12.0-0-0 b5 13.g5 g4 14.f3 e6
[ This allows the black centre to be fractured,
but I suppose Black was afraid of 14...h5
15.g4 ( Or 15.h4 g6 ) 15...g6 16.f4!
( 16.h4 h5 etc. ) 16...h6 ( 16...exf4 17.e5 )
17.f5 ( or maybe even 17.h4!? and White
has the initiative. )]
15.xe6 fxe6 16.f4 0-0 17.g4 a5 18.g5
e8 19.f5!? Very bold play! xa2 20.b1
A precaution against 20...Ba3. d4 21.xd4
exd4 22.e5 c5? For once the cavalry will
prove too slow in coming to the rescue. He
had to break up White's attacking formation
with
[ 22...exf5 23.df1 ( 23.e6!? ) 23...g6 24.h4
g7 25.h5 ae8! ]
23.f6! Now the white attack looks lethal. g6
24.h4 c7 25.h5 d5 26.hxg6 c3
[ There was no joy for Black in 26...xb1+
27.xb1 c3+ 28.a1 xe2 29.xh7
6
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
with a quick mate. ]
27.h5!
[ After 27.xc3? dxc3 28.f7+ Black has
only one way to stop himself being mated
next move by 29.Rxh7, but that wins the
g a m e f o r h i m : xf7 29.gxf7+ f8
and it is the white king who gets mated on
a1! ( and not 29...xf7? 30.f2+ e8
31.g6+! hxg6 32.h8+ e7 33.f6# )]
27...xd3+
[ Or 27...xb1+ 28.d2 5e4+ 29.xe4
xe4+ 30.e1 ]
28.d2 e4+ 29.xd3! Not falling for a
knight fork after
[ 29.e2? ]
29...c5+ 30.xd4?? But here the white
king becomes too greedy.
[ Simply 30.d2! when Black must resign
after xb3+ ( 30...a5+ 31.c1 ) 31.e1
a5+ 32.f2 ]
30...xb3+??
[ 30...b2+! 31.e3! ( 31.xc5? xe5+
32.b4 a5+ 33.a3 a1#; 31.c3 f2#;
31.c3? ad8+ 32.e3 xc3+ 33.f4
d4+ 34.xd4 xd4+ 35.f3 e4+
and wins with Qxg6 after rounding up some
pawns. ) 31...xe5+ 32.f3 f5+ 33.g2
e4+ with a draw by repetition as 34.f3?
xg6 favours Black. ]
31.e3
1-0
9 C00 11.e2 a5!? 12.0-0 0-0 13.e1 a4 14.d1
Broekmeulen,Ja 2424 cxd4!?
Hovhanisian,M 2491
7th IBC Limburg Open (7.6) 20.05.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 f6 4.gf3 b6
5.c3
[ A game from this month's batch: 5.e5 fd7 fc8 22.e3
6.g3 c5 7.g2 ( 7.e2 c6 8.b3 c7
9.f4 a5! is a suggestion from my book)
7...c6 and:
A) 8.e2 g5! ( 8...c7 9.0-0 dxe5 xa6
10.xe5 xe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.e1 ) a convincing plan. 26.c2 aa8
9.h3 g7 leads to the win of White's e-
pawn for dubious compensation;
B) 8.c4?! dxe5 9.xe5 xe5 10.e2?
c6 11.xd5 ( 11.cxd5 d4 12.d1 27.ac1 a7 28.c7 xc7 29.xc7 b8
b7!; 11.f3 e7 12.0-0 0-0 ) 11...d4
12.e4 b8 ( 12...f5! 13.c6+ f7
14.g2 b8 threatening both ... Nc2+ and
...Nxc6 followed by ...Bb7, so 15.a4 b7
16.f3 h5-+ ) 13.0-0 e7 ( 13...d7!
14.a8 c7 ) 14.e5 exd5 15.xb8 0-0
16.xa7 dxc4 17.dxc4 d7 ( or 17...e8
, e.g., 18.a4 f6 19.d1 e2+-+ )
18.b4 ( 18.e1 f6 19.e3 c6-+ )
18...f6 19.b1 e2+ 0-1 Bonafede, A
(2353)-Rombaldoni, A (2484) Porto Mannu
ITA 2013. ( 19...e2+ 20.g2 c6+
21.f3 xc1 )]
5...c5 6.a4+!?
[ Another example from this month: 6.e5
fd7 7.d4 e7 8.h4 c7 9.h5 h6 10.b5
a6!? ( 10...c6 ) 11.a4 b7 12.e2
xb5 13.axb5 a6 14.0-0 axb5 15.xa8
xa8 16.e1?! ( 16.xb5 0-0 ) 16...c6
17.g4 g8!? ( 17...0-0 18.df3 h8 )
18.df3 cxd4 19.cxd4 a4! Burovic, I
(2351)-Sebenik, M (2519) Sarajevo 2013. ]
6...d7
[ Or 6...d7 , e.g., 7.c2 c7 8.e2 e7
9.0-0 0-0 10.e1 c6 11.f1 ac8
Van Delft-Hertneck, Tegernsee 2003. ]
7.b3
[ 7.c2 c7! 8.e2 c6 9.0-0 d6
10.e1 0-0 C.Bauer-Bareev, Cannes rapid
2001 ]
7...c7 8.e5 fd7 9.d4 e7 10.b5 a6
[ 10...c6 is also good, since White's bishop
isn't particularly well placed on b5. ]
[ 14...c6! is more flexible, with the idea ...f6.
I prefer Black's position. ]
15.cxd4 a6 16.f1 c6 17.xa6 xa6
18.g5
[ 18.d2 b5 19.e2 b6= ]
18...b4 19.d3 aa8 20.ec1 a3 21.b3
[ 22.d2 xd2 23.xd2 looks correct,
when rooks will be traded on the c-file. ]
22...b7 23.g4 f8 24.d2 a6 25.xa6
This should be equal. Neither side has
[ 26...a7! 27.ac1 db8 28.e3 ac7
29.f1 a6 followed by putting a bishop
and/or knight on b4. ]
7
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
30.b7 c8 Odd-looking, but sufficient for
equality. 31.f1 c6 32.c7 8a7 33.e3
b4
[ 33...e7 34.c2 d8 35.d7 b5= ]
34.c2 e7 35.e2?! Allowing his rook to
be trapped.
[ 35.g5 ]
35...d8 36.b7
[ 36.d7! f8 37.g5! xg5 38.xg5 b5
39.b7 bxd4+ 40.xd4 xd4+ 41.e3
xb3 42.e7+ e8 ]
36...b5 37.d3?
[ 37.b4 c7 38.xa3 bxd4+ 39.xd4
xd4+ 40.d3 xe5 41.xb6 f5
(center) ]
37...c7 38.b4 d8 39.xc7 xc7
40.xa3 c6 This is easily won. 41.c3 f6
42.exf6 gxf6 43.e1 e5 44.dxe5 fxe5
45.ec2 xb4 46.xb4 f7 47.c3 e6
48.b2 g8 49.e1 e4 50.ac2 e5
51.a4 e6 52.f3 f4 53.fxe4 xe4 54.g3
d3+ 55.c3 xe1 56.xe1 f8 57.b4
d4+ 58.c4 c8+ 59.b5 c1
0-1
10 C00
Carlsen,Magnus 2843
Caruana,Fabiano 2773
5th Final Masters (6) 08.10.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 f6 4.gf3 c6
5.c3 d6 6.e2 0-0 7.0-0 a5
[ Having considered it more closely, I don't
think that b4 is a threat or problem, and I
like the sequence 7...e8 8.e1 ( 8.b4 a6
9.b2 b6 10.a3 e5= ) 8...h6 9.f1 e5
10.exd5 xd5 11.c4 f5! , when the
bishop has a nice retreat square on h7. ]
8.e1 e5 A straightforward way to play Black
will give up the bishop pair but have space
and the better pawn structure.
[ 8...h6 9.h3 a4!? is also possible. ]
[ In PTF4, I cite 8...e8 9.h3 h6 ( 9...a4! )
10.b3 (a basic Philidor setup, but it's really
designed for defensive purposes) b6 11.f1
e5 12.a3 Baklan-Gdanski, Magdeburg 2000
and as an alternative to 12...d4=, Black
could keep the tension by e6 13.b2 d7
, also about equal. ]
9.exd5 xd5 10.c4 e8 11.f1 g4
[ Or 11...h6 ]
12.h3 h5 13.g3!? Continuing the do-
nothing philosophy, although any trace of
advantage disappears. The ambitious line is
[ 13.g4 g6 14.b3!? , even though Black
has the dangerous h5 ( 14...a4 15.xb7
ce7 16.fxe5; 14...b8 15.b5! )
15.xb7 hxg4 ( 15...d7 16.b5 hxg4
17.xd5 ) 16.xc6 e7 17.b5 gxf3
18.xe5 ]
13...b6
[ 13...a4! 14.g2 f6 is a good sequence,
possibly favouring Black. ]
14.xb6 cxb6 15.g2 b5!? This proves
weakening. Simply
[ 15...c7 or ]
[ 15...a4 should be fine. ]
16.a4! b4 17.e3 c7
[ 17...f6= ]
18.b3! h6
[ 18...xd3? 19.ad1 with the idea a6
( 19...g6 20.g4 ) 20.g4 g6 21.f1+- ]
19.c4 bxc3 20.bxc3 e4!? A little
desperate-looking
[ 20...g6 21.ad1 d7 22.d4 e4
23.d2 ]
21.dxe4
[ 21.d4! ]
21...xf3 22.xf3 e5 23.e2 xf3+
24.xf3 d3 25.g2 xe4 26.d4
[ 26.eb1!? ]
26...xf3+ 27.xf3 b6 28.ab1 Only White
has chances here. The position is probably
drawn, but at this point in Carlsen's career it
seems that any edge is enough to exploit,
even against the world's best players. I won't
analyse this ending (for want of time and
insight), but I suspect it will appear in many
books over the years. Play it over and see
what you can pick up. I believe that Caruana
stated that he shouldn't have allowed h5:
ac8 29.e4 g6 30.g4 f8 31.h4 xe4
32.xe4 e8+ 33.d3 e6 34.e3 g7
35.b5 d8 36.h5 d6+ 37.c4 c6+
38.d5 e6 39.d4+ f8 40.f4 c7 41.f5
d6+ 42.e4 c6 43.b1 e8 44.hxg6
fxg6 45.h1 f7 46.d5 d6+ 47.c4
gxf5 48.gxf5 d8 49.f6 xf6 50.xh6 e7
51.xd6 xd6 52.b5 e6 53.xb6 d7
54.c4 c8 55.xa5 b7 56.b4 f4
8
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
57.c5 a7 58.c6 b8 59.a5 a7 60.a6
a8 61.c5 b8 62.c4 c7 63.d5
d8 64.e6 c7 65.d7 a5 66.e7
1-0
11 C00
Creatchy 2617
Bladezii 2649
www.chessworld.net / ICS 25.08.2013
[Bladezii - Noel Jose Blades Aldebol]
Here's a fun game of some theoretical
in t e r e s t s u b m i t t e d b y N o e l Jo s e B la d e s
Ald eb o l. I've u se d h is n ot e s wit h ou t a n y
editing except to shorten some extremely long
analyses: 1.e4 e6 2.e2 f6 3.e5 d5
4.d4 c5 5.c4 b4 6.d5 b5
[ 6...exd5 7.cxd5 xd5 8.e4
This is the path you [i.e. jw] suggest for
Black in your book, 4th Edition. ]
7.dxe6
[ 7.d6 8c6 8.f3 bxc4 9.xc4 f6
10.exf6 xf6 ]
7...dxe6 8.a3 4c6 9.cxb5 d4 10.d1
d5
[ 10...d7 This seems like a very ambitious,
or at least, a very active way for black to
continue. 11.f3 b7 12.xd4 cxd4
13.xd4 c5 14.f4
A) 14...0-0 15.e3 c7 This seems like
the best. 16.xc5 xc5
17.c3 xe5 18.e3 c7 19.f3 fd8
20.f2 g6 21.c1 ) 17.c3 ( 17.f3
b3 ) 17...xg2 18.g1 xf1 19.xg7+
h8 20.xf1 xg7 With a forced draw.;
B) 14...c7 15.e2 d4 16.0-0 xe5
17.h4 c2 18.c4 g6 19.g4 c5
20.d2 ]
11.e3 b7 12.f3
[ 12.c3 xe5 13.ge2 f5 ]
[ 12.e2 This can also lead to a very messy
but unique game with chances f or both
sides.
A) 12...xe2
A1) 13.xe2 xe5 14.c3
15.g4 ( 15.f3 d7; 15.d1 d7
16.g4 b6 ) 15...d7 16.e2 f6
( 16...f5 17.h5+ g6 18.h3
19.d2 f6 20.f3 h4+ 21.xh4
xh4+ 22.d1 0-0 23.c2 b6
24.a4 d5 ) 17.f4 xf4 18.xf4 d5
19.xd5 xd5 20.0-0 f6 ( 20...0-0
21.fd1 f5 22.a4 ) 21.ac1 g5
( 21...0-0 22.xc5 xb2 23.a4 d4 )
22.e3 xb2 23.xc5 xa3 24.c2
d6;
A2) 13.xd5 exd5 14.xe2 d4 15.f4
xg2 16.g1 d5 17.d2 d7
18.c4 g6 19.c1 g7;
B) 12...f5 13.xd5 exd5 14.d2
xe3 15.fxe3 g6 16.e4 d7 17.exd5
xe5 18.c3 0-0-0= ]
12...xf3+ 13.xf3 xf3 14.gxf3 d7
[ 14...xf3 15.g1 d7 16.g3 ]
15.e2 xe5 16.d2 f5 Central occupation
wi t h p a w n s w i l l b e t h e k e y f o r B l a c k i n
surviving, yes, just surviving in this line. It
will also be vital for Black to play for a win by
b6 seeking play or control of the center to rival
White's Q-side majority.
[ 16...e7 17.0-0 0-0 18.fd1 ac8
A) 19.ac1 fd8 ( 19...d5 20.c2 fd8
21.dc1 b7 22.f4 d3 23.d1 e5
24.fxe5 xe5 25.f4 g6 26.c4 xd1+
27.xd1 h4 28.e5 f5 29.f2 d8
30.f3 xf3 31.xf3 d1+ 32.g2 g6
33.d2 b1 34.e5 ) 20.f4 g6 21.c4
d5 22.a4 f5;
B) 19.f4 g6 20.a4 h4 21.a5 f5 ]
17.c1
[ 17.g1 g6 18.f4 d7 19.c4 d5
( 16...xc5 20.0-0-0 e7 21.a5 0-0 22.c6 f6
23.f3 xf3 24.xd7 a6 25.e7+ xe7
26.xe7 axb5 27.g3 d5 28.h3 h5
29.g3 f7 30.xg6+ h7 31.xf7+ xg6
32.c7 c4 ]
17...c8
[ 17...d7 18.b3 ( 18.0-0 c8 19.fd1
d5 20.f4 e7 21.f3 0-0 22.c4 f6
23.e5 c7 24.xd5 xd5 25.c6 f6
26.xc5 a8 ) 18...c8 19.0-0 g5
( 19...d6 20.a5 a8 ) 20.fd1 g8
21.a5 d5 22.c4 b6 23.xd5 xd5 ]
18.b4
[ 18.0-0 g5 19.c4 xf3+ 20.xf3 xf3
e7 21.b4 ( 21.fe1 f4 22.d4 cxd4 23.d6+
d7 24.xc8 d3 25.xa7 e5 26.c6
d6 27.cd1 xd1 28.xd1 e4 ) 21...d8
f4 22.e5 e2 23.fe1 xb5 24.xc5 xc5
25.xc5 a6 ]
18...cxb4
9
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 18...d7 19.0-0 cxb4 20.xc8+ xc8
21.c1 d8 22.a4 ]
19.xc8+ xc8 20.a4 d6
[ 20...e7 21.xa7 b7 22.a5 d7
23.d4 f6 24.0-0 d5 25.b1 c8
26.a6 c2 27.e3 ]
[ 20...b7 21.xa7 d5 22.a5 d6 23.a6 ]
21.xa7 b7
[ 21...d7
A) 22.d4 b7 ( 22...c7 23.a5 b7
24.a6 d5 25.g1 g8 26.b6+ b8
27.f4 ) 23.g1 g8 24.a5 d5 25.a6 g6
26.f4;
B) 22.a5 b7 23.g1 g6 24.f4 f7
25.a6 d5 26.e3 c8 27.d1 c5
28.b6 d6 29.b7 xb7 30.axb7 xb7
31.xc5 xc5 32.c4 d5 33.xd5
exd5 34.g3 d6 35.b3 b5 ]
22.a5
[ 22.d4 d5 23.a5
A) 23...d7 24.g1 g6
A1) 25.h4 c8 26.h5 ( 26.d1 e5 )
26...c1+ 27.d1 f4 28.xg7+ e8;
A2) 25.xg7 c8 26.d1 ( 26.d1
b3 ) 26...b3 27.b6 c5 28.a6 e5
29.d3 c6 30.h6 b2 31.c2;
B) 23...e7 24.a6 c8 25.0-0
This is the best option. c2 ]
22...e7 This is the only move. Everything
else possible by black loses according to my
analysis.
[ 22...d5 23.a6 d7 24.g1 g6 25.d1
( 25.h4 h2 26.h1 e5 27.d1 c8
28.b6 c5 ) 25...xh2 ( 25...c8 26.b6
c5 27.b5+ ) 26.h1 e5 27.c4
( 27.c4 xc4 28.xc4 c8 29.a2 c3 )
27...f4 28.e3 ( 28.c2 c8 29.b3
d3 ) 28...h5
A) 29.c2 h4 ( 29...c8 30.b3 d3 )
30.xd5 exd5 31.b3 e6 32.b6 d4
33.d2 d6 34.e1 h3 35.a7 a8
36.a5 h2 37.h1 d8 38.g5 e6
39.h4 c7 40.c4 c6 41.bxc7 xc7
42.e7 a6 43.d3 xa7 44.d6 d7
45.xd4 xd6+ 46.xd6 xd6 47.xh2
c7;
B) 29.xd5 xd5 30.c4 f6 31.b6 b3
( 31...h4 32.a5 xb6 33.xb6 b3
34.a7 a8 35.xb3 ) 32.c5
B1) 32...b2 33.d2 ( 33.c2 )
33...xb6 34.xb6 c6 35.a7 g5
36.c2;
B2) 32...c3+ 33.e1 b5 ( 33...a4
34.e3 xb6 35.xb6+ c6 36.f4 e5
37.e2 ) 34.b7 c6 35.e3 c7
36.f1 b2 37.g2 b8 38.b1 ]
23.e3
[ 23.a6 c8 Transposes to line below.
24.0-0 d5 25.e3 d7 ]
23...c8 24.0-0 d5
[ 24...c2 25.b1 d7 26.a6 d5 27.d1
c3 ]
25.a6 d7 26.d1
[ 26.a1 f4 27.d4 This transposes back to
the game. ]
26...f4 27.d4 e5 The f-pawn and e-pawn
d u o r e a l ly p u t t h e ir s t a m p in t h is ga m e .
White's pieces are lacking the strong reach
and control of both sides of the board, and
now they are also lacking coordination for
White's q-side majority to be able to promise
white a possible win. 28.a1
[ 28.a7 b3 29.b1 e6 30.b6 c2
31.d3 c5 ]
28...c2 29.d3 a2 30.e4?!
[ 30.xh7 This was, according to my
analysis, White's chance to secure a safe
and clear draw. c5
A) 31.e4 e6 32.c6 b8 33.h4
( 33.e4 b3 34.g5 c4 35.b2
xb2 36.b6 a2 37.a7 xa7 38.d7+
f8 39.bxa7 a1+; 33.a7 xa7 );
B) 31.g2 e6
B1) 32.h4 b8 33.h5 f7 34.c1
( 34.g6 e6 35.c1 ) 34...d7
35.e4 ( 35.c2 b6 36.b3 d7
37.d2 b6 38.e4 c4 39.c5
xb5 40.d3 xd3 41.xd3 xa6 )
35...xh5 36.g5 ( 36.g8 f7 )
36...a7;
B2) 32.h3 g5 ]
30...b8 31.f1
[ 31.b1 e6 ]
31...a7 32.h4 h6 33.c1 b6 34.e1
[ 34.h5 xe4 35.xe4 xf2+ ]
34...a5
[ 34...f6 35.xe5 ( 35.f1 d7 )
35...xe4 36.fxe4 xf2+ 37.f1 e6
38.c7+ d8 39.c2 xc2 40.xc2 a7
41.g2 c4 42.a4 g5 43.hxg5 hxg5
44.f6+ c7 45.xg5 b3 46.xf4+ b6
47.d2 b2 48.c2 a2 49.e3+ xb5
10
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
50.xa7 b1 51.xb1 xb1 52.e5 xa6
53.e6 xa7 54.e7 g6 ]
35.b1
[ 35.f1 e6 36.h5 b6 37.e1 f6
( 37...b3 38.c3 d4 39.b1 b2 40.d1
a1 ) 38.b1 xh5 39.b2 f6 40.c1
b3 41.d2 h5 42.c3 h4 ]
35...b3+ 36.f1 e6 37.b2
[ 37.h5 b4 38.e2 c5 ]
37...b4 38.g1 b6
[ 38...c5! 39.b6 xa6 40.f1
A) 40...xe4 41.fxe4 c5 42.c4+ f6
43.xb3 a6 44.b7 xb7 45.d5 c5;
B) 40...a5 41.h5 c5 ( 41...d6
42.xd6 xd6 43.c3 a2 44.d1 b2
45.b1 ) 42.h3+ f7 43.xe5 e6
44.c7 d4 45.g2 e7 ( 45...b7
46.g4 e7 47.c8 xe4 48.fxe4
g5+ ) 46.d1;
C) 40...g5 41.hxg5 hxg5 42.h3+ f7 ]
39.f1
[ 39.a1 a4 ( 39...g6 40.f1 xe4
41.fxe4 c5 42.h1 f6 43.c3 xf2
44.d3 f3 45.xb3 xd3 46.xe5+
xe5 47.xd3 d4 ) 40.f1 b2 41.xb2
xb2 42.xb2 xb2 43.b6 d7 44.a7
a4 45.b5+ e7 46.xa4 a5 47.g2
xb6 48.c3 a8 49.b5 d7 50.c2
c6 51.c3 d4 52.e4+ b6 53.xa8
xa7 54.b5+ xa8 55.h5 b7
56.d6+ c6 57.f5 d7 58.xg7 e7
59.f5+ f6 60.xh6 g5 61.g4
xh5 ]
39...xe4
[ 39...c4 40.c3 ]
40.fxe4 c5 41.h1 f6 and here White
sent his resignation. I will leave my notes for
possible continuations. 42.c3
[ 42.f3 a4 ]
42...xf2
[ 42...g5 43.xb3 xf2 44.hxg5+ hxg5
45.h3 ]
43.d3 g5 44.hxg5+ hxg5 45.xb3 f3
0-1
12 C00
Davies,Nigel R 2493
Kortschnoj,Viktor 2561
7th Staunton Memorial GM (3) 10.08.2009
[Nigel Davies]
Black's 6th move surprised me a lot at the
time but Korchnoi explained his reasoning
after the game: "In 1962 I almost did Leonid
Stein in the same pawn structure. The games
of Stein and Geller all showed that White is
better, but W hite is not better." I've had my
suspicions for some time that these
'exchange King's Indian' positions are well
playable despite the apparent hole on d5 so it
was interesting to hear it confirmed by the
great man. And naturally this prompted some
research into the Stein game plus another
look at one of Stein's victories (against Zinn).
1.f3 c5 2.e4 e6 3.d3 d5 4.e2 f6 5.g3
c6 6.g2 dxe4 7.dxe4 e5 8.g5
This is a standard strategy when trying to
occupy a 'hole', you exchange off the pieces
that protect it so as to try and establish one of
your own guys there. There is of course a
large gulf between the theory behind this plan
and the practical application. Because when
one actually tries to put a piece on d5 Black is
often ready to exchange it off. e7 9.xf6
If W hite doesn't do this straight away then
Black might move his knight from f6 so as to
keep an extra minor piece that covers d5.
xf6 10.c3 a6 Expanding on the queenside
is a logical plan for Black. And by doing this
no w (p lu s d e laying ca stlin g sho rt) Bla c k
discourages White from castling queenside.
This was an option I was considering until this
moment. 11.bd2 b5 12.f1 It makes
sense to use the f1 square bef ore a rook
goes there via castling. 0-0 13.e3 e7
14.h4 Not so much an attacking gesture as
preparation for a later Bg2-h3 (exchanging
Black's better bishop) and prophylaxis against
...Be7-g5. It also frees the h2 square for use
by a White knight. a7 15.h2 g6 16.0-0
d7 17.fd1 xd1+ 18.xd1 a5 19.a3?
I played this kneejerk move very quickly, a
symptom of teaching too much and playing
too little?
[ Instead of this I should have occupied the d-
file with 19.d2 when xa2 is met by
11
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

( 19...b6 may be the best, though White go after the e4 pawn is a risky business e.g.
can claim an edge after 20.d6 xd6
6...f6 7.f3 e7 8.d2 b7 9.0-0-0
21.xd6 ) 20.d6 g7 21.hg4 xg4 xe4 10.h6 c8 11.xg7 g8 12.h6
22.xg4 g8 23.h5! e6 24.xf6 xf6 d7 13.fe5 and White had attacking
( 24...xd6 25.xd6 xf6 26.h6+
chances in Spraggett,K-Pert,N/Birmingham
wi n s a p i e c e) 25.h6+ g8 ENG 2001. ) 7.f3 f6 8.e5 ( Preparing a
26.xc5
with the better game for White. ] dubious looking pawn sacrifice. Instead 8.c3
19...d8 Now Black is simply better because wa s p l a ye d i n M o r o ze v i c h - L p u t i a n o n
of his bishop pair. 20.hf1 c4 21.h2 c7 ChessPub. ) 8...d7 9.c3 xc4 10.xc4
22.h3 b7 23.f3 g7 24.g1 c8 25.a4 cxe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.b5+ d7
Taking the opportunity to exchange a pair of 13.a4 d6 14.b5 a5 15.f4 e7
queenside pawns before Black's knight lands 16.xd6 cxd6 17.d1 d5 18.0-0 d8
on b6. b6 26.axb5 axb5 27.xd8+ xd8 19.fe1 d6 20.c4 0-0 21.cxd5 exd5
28.d2 xd2 29.xd2 h6 30.f2 a4 22.d4 f6 and White didn't have enough
31.d7 xb2 32.b1 for the pawn in Svetushkin,D-Murariu,A/
[ And not 32.xb5 b e c a u s e o f xe3+
Bucharest ROM 2002. ]
33.xe3 d1+ 34.e2 xc3+ winning a 5...a6 6.c2 xf1 7.xf1 d7
piece. ] [ Int eresting is 7...c8 which anticipates
32...d3+ 33.e2 xe3 Played after
White's next move when the black queen will
prolonged thought it's probably the only way be well placed on b7. 8.g3 Not an ideal
to keep an edge. 34.xe3 a6 35.a3 b4 move, but how else is W hite going to
36.cxb4 xb4 37.d2 d3 38.b5?! complete his kingside development? f6
[ In retrospect I should probably have played 9.g5 b7 10.d2 bd7 11.gf3 g4
38.a4 c5 39.d1 , protecting f3 and 12.h3 ge5 13.g2 h6 14.xe5 xe5
preparing Kd2-c3. ] 15.f4 d6 16.a4+ c6 17.xc6+ xc6
38...xb5 39.xb5 c5 40.c3 b3 41.f4 18.xd6 cxd6 19.c4 e7 20.hd1 hd8
[ I also considered 41.xc4 d2+ 42.d5 21.f4 and Black looked comfortable in
but after xf3 43.d6 g7 Black has all Svetushkin,D-Khetsuriani, B/Glyfada GRE
the chances. ] 2 0 0 1 . H e r e I t h i n k h e s h o u l d p l a y b5
41...c5 42.d6 exf4 43.gxf4 d3 44.f5 chasing away the knight. ]
e5 45.xc4 f3 46.h5 gxh5 47.d3 h4 8.f3 gf6
48.e3 e1 49.f2 h3? Allowing an [ Instead 8...c5 9.b4 with some advantage
immediate draw. to W h ite is given in t he no t es to Le k o -
[ B u t e v e n a f t e r t h e s u p e r i o r 49...d3+
Bunzmann onChessPub. ]
50.f3 f6 51.d2 h5 52.g2 f4+ 9.f4?! This seems to be the beginning of
53.h2 White intends 54.Nf3 and holds the White's problems. I would suggest
game. ] [ 9.e5 d5 10.a3!? preparing to evict the
50.g3 knight with c3-c4 without allowing Nb4 in
½-½ reply. Then Black can try to mess things up
with b5!? 11.c4 bxc4 12.xc4
( 12.bd2!? )
13 C00 A) I c a n ' t r e s i s t m e n t i o n i n g 12...xe5
Fedorov,Alexei 2589 13.xe5 e3+ 14.fxe3 wins but not
Ghane Gardeh,Shojaat 2419 ( 14.xe3 d1# );
Open Dubai UAE (4) 18.04.2002 B) 12...e7 13.g4 g5! ]
[Neil McDonald] 9...c5 10.e5 d3+! Black exploits the
bishop on f4 to at least equalise. 11.e2
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 dxe4 4.dxe4 b6 [ Very pleasant for Black is 11.xd3 xd3
5.c3 12.exf6 xf4 13.fxg7 xg7 ]
[ Alternatively 5.d2 a6 6.c4 c6 11...d5 12.g3 0-0-0! Black plays
( Delaying the development of this knight to vigorously to take advantage of his lead in

12
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

development. 13.b4? Too ambitious. He had planning 8 0-0-0 as the way for W hite to
to play carefully with develop an initiative. ]
[ 13.bd2 just to hold the game. ] 3.f3 d5 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 This looks
13...xe2+ 14.xe2 e4 15.c1 g5! unnatural, as having played e5 it would be
Threatening to increase the pressure with h7- logical to support the advanced pawn with 5
h5 or g5-g4. White's reply loses a pawn but he d4. However 5 d4 b6!? planning 6... Ba6
w a s a l r e a d y i n d e e p t r o u b l e . 16.fd2 would be awkward for White. Another good
dxc3+! A neat combination which wins two reply for Black would be 5...c5, immediately
pawns. 17.xc3 xd2+ 18.xd2 xc3+ attacking d4. This is one of the drawbacks of
19.d3 xb4 20.a3 d8+ 21.c2 c5 2 Qe2: White has created a strongpoint on e5
22.h4 g4 23.e1 b5 24.e4 xa3+ b u t h a s we a k e n e d h i s c o n t r o l o f t h e d 4
White could easily resign here but he plays square-there is no longer a queen on d1 to
on until the grim end. 25.b3 e7 26.g5 defend a pawn on d4! Therefore, he has to be
d2 27.c3 d7 28.e4 xg5 29.hxg5 c5 satisfied with the more modest 5 d3. This of
30.xg4 c4 31.b2 d3 32.f4 b3+ course does nothing to fight for control of the
33.a2 b5 34.f3 c2 d4 square, but at least it clears the way to
0-1 reinforce his control of e5 with Bf4. c5 6.g3
c6 7.g2 e7 8.h4 It isn't a good idea to
commit the W hite pieces too early. Thus 8
14 C00 Bf4? g5! 9 Bc1 g4 would lose the e5 pawn.
Fedorov,Alexei 2580 Also dubious for White would be 8 0-0, when
Rustemov,Alexander 2550 Black can play the enterprising 8...g5!? e.g. 9
Vilnius 1997 h3 h5! again planning to overrun W hite's
[Neil McDonald] centre with ..g4. A counterattack with ...g5 is
always on the cards in this type of position
1.e4 e6 2.e2 until Black has castled, so White does well to
[ After 2.d3 Black can if he wishes avoid rule out the possibility with 8 h4. h6 9.c4
playing a line with ...c5. My own favourite dxc4 10.dxc4 d4!? 11.xd4?!
has been d5 3.d2 f6 4.gf3 c6!? The black pawn that now appears on d4 will
which has been advocated by IM Kinsman. either prove a weakling or a strong passed
After pawn, depending on whether White is able to
A) 5.c3 e5!? or ( 5...a5 6.e5 d7 7.d4 attack and win it. As White is ill prepared to
f6 8.b5 fxe5 9.dxe5 e7 10.0-0 0-0 carry out Nimzowitsch's recipe of 'restraining,
as in Filipovic-Langeweg, Lugano 1989 blockading and destroying' the enemy pawn, it
are also possible] ); was better to prefer 11 Qe4! with a slight
B) 5.g3 dxe4 6.dxe4 c5 7.g2 e5 advantage to White according to Rustemov.
8.0-0 0-0 9.c3 a5! [ it is essential to cxd4 12.f4?! This is too slow. Much better
prevent b4] W hite has only a miniscule wa s 1 2 0 -0 o r 1 2 Nd 2 a n d 1 3 Nf 3 t o p u t
advantage. ] pressure on d4. b6! Black plays much more
2...f6 A natural developing move which purposefully than White. He defends d4 and
hopes for 3 e5 Nd5 4 c4 Nb6 5 d4 d6, with a aims to play ...Nc5 without having the knight
form of Alekhine's Defence in which Black's ... chased back by b4. 13.d2 c5 Black isn't
e6 move is more valuable than White's Qe2. It sidetracked by the possibility of 13...Qxb2!?,
a l s o p la n s . . . d 5 wit h o u t b e in g f o rc e d t o though 14 Rb1 Qxa2 leaves White with very
recapture with the queen as occurs after 2...d5 dubious compensation for his pawns as 15
3 exd5 Qxd5. 0-0? still runs into 15...g5 picking up the
[ White's second move is designed to deter bishop. 14.b1 a5! Black stops White
2...d5 but it isn't so clear that White can chasing away his knight with 15 b4. Now
exp lo it B la c k's lo ss of tim e a f t e r 3.exd5 White would like to continue 15 0-0, but this
xd5 4.c3 d8 Morozevich has runs into 15...g5 winning the bishop. Therefore,
suggested 5.f3 c5 6.b3 c6 7.b2 White must spend another move safeguarding

13
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
the kingside before he can think about
attacking the d pawn. This gives Black time to
increase his control of the centre. W hite's
planless 12th move has a lot to answer for!
15.h5 d7 16.0-0 0-0 17.b3?! White plans
to oust the knight from c5 with b4, but it is a
painstaking business as 17 a3? a4 leaves
White's pawns crippled. In fact the whole idea
of evicting the knight seems flawed, as it only
drives the beast to a more dangerous square.
Instead White could try to bail out with 17 Ne4
wit h f a irly equ a l ch an ce s. fd8 18.a3
White continues his ambitious plan, but 18
N e 4 l o o k s b e t t e r . c6 19.b4 xg2
Black is almost always doing well in this type
of position if he can exchange these bishops.
White's light squares are weakened and what
exactly is his dark square bishop doing on f4?
20.xg2 a4 21.c5 c6+ 22.f3 c3
So this is where the knight ends up once it is
chased from c5-a much better square!
White's opening strategy has proved totally
incorrect. He has done nothing to put pressure
on d4 and his aggressive pawn advance has
created weaknesses on the queenside.
23.b2 Instead 23 Qxc6 bxc6 would open the
way for a frontal assault on the b4 pawn along
the b file. Nevertheless, this was preferable
as W hite could fight on with 24 Rb2 and 25
Nc4. As played, the white queenside comes
u n d e r i n t o l e r a b l e p r e s s u r e . b5
Black increases the pressure on W hite's
queenside. The immediate threat is 24.. .Bxc5.
24.g4 This is almost the only try, which hopes
after 24...Bxc5 to create some counterplay
with 25 g5. But Black can play more patiently,
after which 24 g4 proves a further weakening
of W hite's pawn structure. d5! 25.e4
This knight should have challenged its
a d v e r s a r y w a y b a c k o n m o v e 1 7 . xe4
26.xe4 c6 27.f3 axb4 28.axb4 a4
29.c1 b5 30.b3 White's pieces are
reduced to complete passivity. The passed
pawn now provides the winning breakthrough.
d3 31.c4 d7! Now White has no defence
against the threat of 32...Bxc5, after which his
position collapses. 32.b3 xc5 33.xc5
xc5 34.bxc5 xf4 35.xb7 xg4+ 36.f1
a4 37.e1 Not a happy homecoming for
the king. a5+
0-1
15 C00
Fenner,M 1996
Lueckner,Andreas 1844
8th Lippe Cup (4.12) 30.10.2011
[John Watson]
A game between two low-rated players shows
wh a t t h e W in g G a m b it lo o ks like f o r t h e
average player. They play it well (to a point),
and given the blunders we see from GMs all
the time, I don't think that many readers could
guess either player's rating. 1.e4 e6 2.f3
d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 cxb4 5.a3 c6 6.axb4
xb4 7.c3 e7 8.d4 h6!? 9.d3
[ 9.xh6 gxh6 10.c1 g8!? ( 10...f8
11.d3 f6 ) 11.xh6 b6 aiming for ...
Qb2, and with the idea 12.xh7?! ( 12.d2
a5 with chances for both sides ) 12...g6 ]
9...f5 10.0-0 0-0 11.a3! Now the idea of
Nb5-d6 hangs over Black. Blindly exchanging
by
[ 11.a3 b6 12.xe7 xe7
may be thematic, to win some dark squares,
but ruins W hite's attacking chances, or
indeed his positional ones. ]
11...d7 12.g4! Again, somewhat
counterintuitive, but White has a point: h4
13.xh4 xh4 14.g5! '!' for bravery, even if
rather speculative.
[ 14.b5! is objectively better and double-
edged. ]
14...xg5 15.h5 h6 16.f4
[ 16.h1 with the idea Rg1 is a tempo too
slow due to xc1 17.axc1 g5 ]
16...h4?!
[ 16...e7! is safer, when White might try
17.f5 ( 17.a2 f5! 18.exf6 xf6 ) 17...exf5
18.h1 g5 19.g1 xc1 20.axc1 e7!
21.xh6 g6 22.d2 c8?! ( or 22...h4
I didn't say that 14 g5 was sound!) 23.g5
a5 24.b1 and on the computer
suggestio n c4 , 25.cg1 a4 26.h4!
looks extremely good for White. ]
17.b5 f5 18.exf6 xf6! 19.a3 fd8?
[ 19...e7 20.d6 e8 ]
20.a2!?
[ 20.d6 also gives White good
compensation for the two pawns. ]
20...e8 21.g4 g5?? Up to now both sides
have found good moves, but this is a blunder,
illustrating how an opening like the W ing
14
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Gambit can wear the defender down. b6 looks attractive for Black- probably
[ 21...e7! was correct, with complications combined with Bc5. ]
after 22.c7 ac8 23.xe6!? xc3 4...c6 5.c3 ge7 6.a3
24.xe7 xe7 25.xd8 xd8 26.f5 ] [ After 6.g3 f5 7.d3 h5 8.h3 Black took
22.g2 h8 23.fxg5 xg5 24.f8+ charge in Hilton-Wade, Plymouth 1957 with
[ M a t e f o l l o ws 24.f8+ g7 25.xe6 b5 ]
xg2+ 26.xg2 e7 27.xe7 ] 6...f5 7.c2 f6!? I get the impression that
1-0 aficionados of this line as White don't like to
play d2-d4, so it is probably a good idea to
force them into it.
16 C00 [ Black held the draw after 7...h5 8.g3 d7
Fogarasi,Tibor 2477 9.d3 b5 10.h3 g6 11.0-0 b6
Porat,Shi 2386 etc. in Bologan, V-Burmakin,V/4th IECC,
FSGM February (4) 10.02.2004 Istanbul TUR 2003. ]
[Neil McDonald] [ Instead 7...d4 blocks the move d2-d4, but it
opens the way for White's bishop to get to
1.e4 e6 2.f4 the e4 square: 8.d3 b6 9.e2 e7
[ After 2.f3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 you can find 10.e4 with some pressure for White in
two games on ChessPub with 4...cxb4 . Komliakov, V-Barua,D/Calcutta 1998. ]
I n t e r e s t i n g i s c4 though as someone 8.d4 fxe5 9.fxe5 h4
remarked, if Black gives up control of d4, he [ B l a c k c o u l d j u s t d e v e l o p w i t h 9...e7
might as well get a pawn for his trouble. The 10.d3 0-0 11.0-0 d7
best response for White seems to be 5.c3! He is understandably nervous about being
a5 6.b5 d7 7.d3 cxd3 8.xd3 e7!? killed by a g2-g4 move with a combo to
( Or 8...c5 9.0-0 c7 10.f4 e7 follow against h7, but I don't see it.
11.g3 h6 12.bd2 b6 13.b3 b7 Meanwhile he can continue Be8 and Bh5,
14.bd4 0-0-0 15.a4 b8 16.h4 etc. ]
with some advantage to White as Black is 10.g5 g6 11.g3
rather tied up in Felgaer,R-Albarran, G/ [ Perhaps 11.g4 would have set Black
B u e n o s A i r e s A R G 2 0 0 5 .) 9.0-0?! more problems. ]
( White should probably put his bishop on f4 11...f5 12.d3 e7 13.f3 0-0 14.0-0
straightaway before Black has the chance to cxd4 15.cxd4 d7 16.g4 At last White
play Ng6: 9.f4 g6 10.g3 with a small carries out his natural plan of attack, but it
edge to W hite.) 9...g6 10.e2 c7 just leads to simplification. h4 17.h6 xf3
11.e1 e7 12.g3 c5 13.c2 0-0 18.xf3 xf3+ 19.xf3 g5 20.xg5
Black has sensibly delayed castling until he xg5 21.f1 e7 22.g2 f8 23.xf8+
is ready to meet the wing attack with play in xf8 24.xf8+ xf8 25.f3 g7 26.f4
the centre. 14.h4 f5 15.exf6 xf6 16.h5 a6 27.h3 a7 28.a3 c6 29.c2 a7
h8 17.f4 e7 18.e5 d7 and Black 30.a3 c6 31.c2 Not a very exciting
went on to outplay his lower rated opponent game, but it shows that Black is OK in the
in Vandenbussche,T-Saiboulatov,D/Aalst unusual variation.
BEL 2005. ] ½-½
2...d5 3.e5 c5 4.f3
[ After 4.b4 I can't see anything at all wrong
with 4... cxb4, apart from the fact that you
are giving your opponent the type of game
he wants! Instead c4 makes more sense
here than in the 2. Nf3 line, as White has
weakened himself along the a7-g1 diagonal.
For example, if White follows the usual anti-
2.Nf3/4.b4 recipe with 5.c3 a5 6.b5 then

15
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
17 C00
Furdzik,Rafal 2188
Shabalov,Alexander 2592
World Open Philadelphia USA (1) 28.07.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.e2 c5 This scheme of
development seems particularly effective
against the move order 2 Qe2 rather than 2 d3-
see the end of the note to move eight. 3.f3
c6 4.g3 g6 5.g2 g7 6.0-0 ge7 7.d3
0-0 8.bd2 Can such a natural move be
described as a mistake? Well, listen to this: I
think White's best plan is to advance on the
queenside. If he leaves this knight on b1, then
he can play the space gaining moves c3, a3
and b4 without leaving the c3 pawn en prise to
the bishop on g7 at the end of the sequence.
This plan becomes much harder to carry out
once the c3 pawn is left undefended by the
knight. That's one side of the argument. The
other is that Black may decide that he needs
to play e6-e5 as part of his own piece
deployment, so if White had played c2-c3 on
his next move, maybe Black would have shut
in his own bis h op wit h e6 -e 5, t akin g t h e
pressure of f c3 and so allowing W hite to
complete his expansion with a3 and b4 after
all. However, as will be seen in the note to
White's next move, Black wouldn't necessarily
have to respond with a quick e6-e5.
[ Therefore 8.c3 looks more precise.
Nevertheless, compared to the game Leko-
Fritz, for example, White is a tempo down on
his queenside expansion as he 'wasted' a
move with 2 Qe2. ]
8...d6 9.a4 So White gives up on the idea of
c3 and a3 to prepare b4. If
[ 9.c3 Black doesn't have to respond by
s h u t t i n g i n h i s k i n g ' s b i s h o p w i t h e5
Instead ( 9...b6!? 10.a3 b7 looks like an
efficient development which makes it hard
for White to play b2-b4 as the c3 pawn will
hang. )]
9...e5 Black asserts his rights to an equal
share in the centre. 10.c3 h6 This prepares
11...Be6. If
[ 10...e6 11.g5 would be irritating, as
under virtually no circumstances does Black
eve r wan t t o a llow the e xch ange of his
light squared bishop for a knight. ]
11.c4?! This appears to be a decent, natural
move, but it marks the beginning of a poor
plan. W hite prepares the advance of his f
pawn, but it only leads to a serious loosening
of his central and kingside pawn structure. It
was better to keep things static in the centre
and instead aim to gain space on the
queenside with
[ 11.b1 and b2-b4. Alternatively, he could
have chosen a quieter plan with ]
[ 11.b3 followed by Bb2 and the preparation
of an eventual d3-d4. ]
11...e6 12.fd2?! Here he might have tried
[ 12.b1 though a5!? looks like a good
response. ]
12...d7 13.f4 exf4 14.gxf4 f5! 15.f3
White is in a hurry to develop but he weakens
his hold on the e4 square.
[ More solid was 15.e3 but it doesn't solve
the problem of how to bring out his queen's
bishop. ]
15...ae8 16.d2 h7 17.ae1 g8!
This fine move plans to redeploy the knight to
f6, where it will add to the pressure on e4,
and already threatens to win the pawn
immediately with 18... Bxc4 19 dxc4 Rxe4.
18.e5? This loses the e pawn. The only way to
try to hold on was with
[ 18.b3 though f6 would leave White's
centre very close to collapse. ]
18...xc4 19.dxc4 dxe5 20.xe5 xe5
21.fxe5 xe5 22.f2 xe1 23.xe1 f6
24.f4 b6 25.a5 g5 26.e5? This begins a
tactical sequence which leads to disaster, but
White was already a pawn down for nothing.
g4 27.xg7 xf2 28.xf8 e4!
W hen he played his 26th move W hite may
have overlooked this resource, which retrieves
the knight from danger and also deals with
the threatened check on e7. 29.axb6 axb6
30.xe4 This is desperation as the bishop is
trapped on f8. fxe4 31.xe4+ h8 32.d5
d8 White resigned, as the bishop is lost after
33.xh6 f6
0-1
16
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

18 C00 17.f5! xf5 18.xf5 exf5 19.xd5+ h8

Glek,Igor V 2531 20.xf5 ]
Bunzmann,Dimitrij 2525 17.c5 b7 18.g5! It's obvious that the
TCh-FRA Top 16 (8) 31.05.2007 opening has gone completely awry for Black.
[Neil McDonald] All W hite's minor pieces and his queen are
excellent ly p lace d either to atta ck in th e
1.e4 e6 2.f4 d5 3.e5 h6 An experiment centre or on the kingside. In contrast, one of
that meets with a nasty end. Black's knights is still slumbering on b8 while
[ The natural move 3...c5 fighting for control the other has wandered via h6 and f5 to d6
o f t h e d 4 s qu a r e , wa s a n a l yse d i n t h e when it would have done better to go to f6
archive game Fogarasi-Porat. ] straightaway where it would help defend the
4.f3 e7 5.c3 0-0 6.d4 b6 king. Meanwhile Black's light squared bishop
[ The alternative was 6...c5 and then Nc6 has ended up entirely passive and his queen
and Qb6 etc. But would Black be able to is out of things. xg5 19.fxg5 d7 20.xd7
justify his third move? ] xd7 21.xh7+! A sacrifice to set up a well
7.e3 f6 the weakness created on e6 will kn o wn a t t a c k in g m o t i f : t h e wh i t e q u e e n
hound Black for the rest of the game. The s u p p o r t e d b y a p a w n o n g 6 w i l l c r e a t e
immediate insuperable threats against the black king.
[ I t s e e m s t h a t 7...c5 should have been xh7 22.h5+ g8 23.g6 e5
preferred. ] [ B l a c k i s h e l p l e s s f o r e xa m p l e 23...f5
8.exf6 xf6 9.d3 a6 10.0-0 24.h7+ f8 25.c5+ d6 ( 25...e7
A pawn centre typical of the Tarrasch 3... Nf6 26.h8# ) 26.f1+ e7 27.h4# or ]
variation has arisen, with a white pawn on d4 [ 23...ac8 24.h7+ f8 25.h8+ e7
o p p o s e d b y b l a c k p a wn s o n d 5 a n d e 6 . 26.h4# ]
However, in the Tarrasch, the white pawn on 24.h4 f7 25.h7+ f8 26.f1!
d4 is isolated, whereas here it is soundly Even more terrible than Black's woes on f7 is
defended by the pawn on c3. Furthermore, the threat of 27.Qh8 mate.
Black's manoeuvre Ba6 has removed the 1-0
support of the bishop from e6. It is easy to
conclude that Black has been tricked by 2.f4
i n t o a n i n f e r i o r p a w n c o n f i g u r a t i o n . f5 19 C00
11.f2 c8 An awkward looking move that Guseinov,Kadir 2527
shows Black's discomfort. He would like to Filippov,Valerij 2625
play Aeroflot Open (4) 07.02.2002
[ 11...d6? followed by Bxd3 and Nd7 and [Neil McDonald]
R a e 8 , b u t t h e n 12.g4! e7 13.g5
wins a piece. ] 1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 d4 4.e2 c5
12.e1 d6? 5.d3
[ A very serious strategic mistake. It is hard [ More aggressive is 5.c3 when one solid
to like Black's position much, but he should approach for Black is dxc3!? 6.bxc3 f6 ]
have exchanged on d3: 12...xd3 13.xd3 5...c6 6.g3 d6! An efficient form of
c5 etc. ] development. Black delays committing himself
13.c2! Black's bishop is left staring into to setting up a centre with e6-e5, so that as
space on a6, while White's bishop will play a yet White doesn't have anything to undermine
key role in an attack on the black king. c5 with f2-f4.
This makes matters worse. He should develop [ Instead 6...e5 7.g2 d6 8.0-0 ge7
with 9.h4 g4 10.h3 e6 11.f4 f6 12.fxe5
[ 13...c6 ] xe5 13.f4 f7 14.f5 xf5 15.exf5
14.bd2 e8 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.b3 c4 d7 16.e4 0-0-0 17.f3 c7 18.a3
Giving the c5 square to the white knight, but was unclear in Hartoch,R-Witt,R/Wijk aan
[ 16...d7 meets with the hammer blow Zee 1977. In fact a draw was agreed here. ]

17
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
7.g2 ge7 8.0-0 0-0 9.h4? A worthless
attacking gesture that neglects the centre and
loses time.
[ Correct was 9.d2 with play in the centre
similar to the game but with the crucial
difference that W hite has an extra tempo
and hasn't weakened his kingside with h2-
h4. ]
9...e5 10.d2 e6 11.f4 Put the white pawn
back on h2 and give White an extra move and
you will see that Black wouldn't have been
able to adopt the plan of Be6 here because of
the pawn advance f 4-f 5 . f5 Black takes
control of the centre. He exploits the hole on
e3 to win the bishop pair and create a passed
pawn. 12.exf5 xf5 13.e4 e3 14.xe3
dxe3 15.fxe5 xe5 16.g5? After this the
g3 pawn becomes weak. If instead
[ 16.xc5 g4! With the double threat of
1 7 . . . N d 4 a n d 1 7 . . . B xg 3 , b u t t h e m o s t
resilient defence was ]
[ 16.xf8+ xf8 17.c3 ]
16...d6 17.c3
[ If 17.xe6 xe6 followed by Qg4 etc. is
horrible for White. ]
17...xf1+ 18.xf1 f8 19.e2 xc3!
[ Simple and winning- there is no need to
i n v e s t i g a t e 19...xg3 20.xe6 f2+
( 20...xe6? 21.d5 )]
20.h5 f5 21.bxc3 h6 22.f3 xg3
23.f1 and White resigned in disgust here.
0-1
20 C00
Hersvik,Anita
Buckley,Melanie 2118
WJun Women Athens GRE (8) 24.08.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 f6 4.gf3 c6
5.c3! White is sensible to wait. If instead
[ 5.g3 Black might consider dxe4 6.dxe4 e5
when 7.b5 would look a bit odd. ]
5...a5 A restraining move as Black doesn't
want White to gain space on the queenside
after b2-b4. 6.e5
[ If 6.e2 e5 so White decides to seize
space in the centre. ]
6...d7 7.d4 f6 8.exf6?!
[ Instead 8.b5! is very annoying. The point
is that after fxe5 9.dxe5 e7 10.0-0 0-0
now the e5 pawn is threatened with capture.
11.e1 c5 12.d4! White has a grip on
the centre. Black cannot easily arrange c7-
c5, the move he would like to play, and this
means he must either tolerate the white
knight sitting on the excellent d4 outpost or
e xch a n ge it o f f , wh ich will co n so lid a t e
White's position in the centre. A possible
sequence is xd4 ( 12...d7 13.f1 e8
14.2f3 h5 15.xc6 xc6 16.d4 f7
17.e3 d7 18.e2 a4 19.b3 b6
20.a4 and Black couldn't free his game in Kr.
Georgiev-Porfiriadis, Iraklio Schev 1994.)
13.cxd4 d7 14.f1 a6 15.d3 b4
16.b1 e8 17.e3! and with the black
knight so f ar f rom the kingside and the
white bishop pointing at h7 White had the
makings of a big attack on Black's king in
Todorcevic-Garcia-Carbo, La Coruna op
1996. ]
8...xf6 9.b5 too late: the restricting pawn
on e5 has vanished and therefore not only
Black's queen but also her king's bishop can
be effectively deployed to the third rank. d6
10.0-0 0-0 11.b1?
[ White probably should have tried 11.e2
e5 12.xc6 bxc6 13.dxe5 xe5 14.xe5
xe5 15.f3 t h o u g h a f t e r d6
Black undoubtedly has the better of it. ]
11...e5! The French player's dream advance!
12.g5 g6 13.dxe5
[ Another way to lose is 13.xc6 bxc6
14.dxe5 xe5 15.xe5 xg5 16.f3 h5
17.bd2 g4 18.h3 xh3 19.gxh3 f6
with a quick mate. ]
13...dxe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.f4 g4
16.d4
[ Or 16.xd5+ e6 17.xb7 ( 17.d4
xh2! ) 17...c5+ 18.h1 e3!
threatening both the rook and Bd5. 19.g1
d5 20.xc7 xg2 21.c4 ( 21.xg2
e4 22.f1 e3! aiming to mate on g1.)
21...xf4+ 22.xd5+ xd5 23.e5 f5
and Black wins. ]
16...xh2! 17.e1
[ W hite's position is ruined as if 17.xh2
xg5 ]
17...c6 18.d3 f5 19.xf5 xf5 20.e3
g4 21.e6+ xe6 22.xe6 c5+ 23.h1
f7 24.e1 h6 25.h4 h5 26.g3 g5
18
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

27.fxg5 hxg5 28.f1+ g6 29.d2 gxh4 18.ac1 d8 leaves a modest edge for the
30.f3 hxg3+ A forceful y by Melanie first player. ]
Buckley, but theoretically speaking W hite's 15...e7
possible improvement on move eight makes [ 15...d8 is risky following 16.g5 h6
this variation look dubious for Black. 17.h5! c7 ( 17...hxg5 18.h7+ f8
0-1 19.a3 d6 20.b4 c7 21.h8+ e7
22.xg5+ d7 23.xg7 ) 18.ac1 d6
19.h7+ f8 20.f4! with the idea hxg5?
21 C00 ( 20...e7! 21.f3 ) 21.fxg5 and Black will
Juan,J 2151 not be able to defend. ]
Xie,George 2470 16.d2!? A little artificial. White is trying to
Sydney Int Open (2) 07.04.2010 limit Black's possibilities, but a knight on b3 or
[John Watson] c4 isn't really better than one on f3.
[ 16.c5 is more logical, when d8 17.c2
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 d4 h6 is more or less equal. ]
[ 3...f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 c6 16...d8
is much more common, when 7.f4 xc5 [ W hite's point is 16...e5 17.c4 d5
8.d3 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.e2 0-0 18.dxe5 d8 19.e2 with an edge: xe5
11.0-0-0 is the most dynamic line for White, 20.xd5 xd5 21.xe5 xe5 22.f3 ]
analysed in depth by Moskalenko in 'The 17.b3 d5 18.e2
Flexible French'. ] [ 18.c1 b6! 19.xh7+ xh7 20.c2+
4.e2 c5 5.c3 c6 g8 21.xc6 b7 22.xd5 xd5
[ 5...f6 6.e5 fd7 7.cxd4 cxd4 8.exd4 with a powerful pair of bishops and more
xe5 is solider, and roughly equal. ] than enough for a pawn. Notice W hite's
6.cxd4 f6 Black has chosen a fairly restricted minor pieces. ]
common defence once 3...d4 is in. 18...b6 19.c4 d7 20.ad1 b4 21.a3
[ 6...cxd4 7.a4 favours White. ] d5 22.d2 Back to a reasonable square.
7.e5 d7 8.dxc5 dxe5 9.xe5 xe5 b7 23.f3 d6 24.g5 f8
10.d4 xc5 11.e3 b4+ 12.c3 c6 [ 24...f4 25.xf4 xf4 26.e5 xe5
13.d3 27.dxe5 c6 gives Black a little pressure,
[ 13.e2 a5 ( 13...0-0 14.0-0 e7 15.a3 although not much. ]
xc3 16.bxc3 b6 , about equal, is the [ 24...f6 keeps White out of e5. ]
product of joint analysis by Neil and Jose 25.a2?
Blades ) 14.0-0 is Shivaji-Shulman, Linsbor [ 25.e5! ]
2004, when Neil recommends ( 14.0-0 e5! ) 25...h6 26.e3 ac8 27.d2 c7 28.c1
14...0-0 15.b3 e5 16.a3 exd4 17.axb4 b8 29.h3 f4 30.xc8 xc8 31.xf4
e5 ] xf4 32.d3 a8! 33.b1 xf3 34.gxf3
13...a5 An innovation? g6 35.a2 c6
[ Neil quotes Shivaji as assessing White to [ Or 35...c7 36.d5 d8 ]
s t a n d b e t t e r h e re . H e a p p e n d s t h e t r y 36.d5 exd5 37.xd5 f6 38.h1?!
13...e5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.b5+ P l a y i n g f o r c h e a p o s o n t h e g - f i l e . e5
( 15.e4!? ) 15...d7 16.d5!? , with White 39.g1? g7 40.b3 f4 41.g3 c3
better. ] 42.b5 d4
14.0-0 [ Or 42...c1+ 43.g2 c2 ]
[ 14.d2 e5! equalizes immediately. ] 43.f4 xf4 44.d7 xg3 45.fxg3 f1+
14...0-0 15.e4!? 46.h2 f2+ 47.h1 xg3
[ 15.c2! h5 ( 15...g6 16.a3 e7 0-1
17.fd1 d8 18.b4 c7 probably favours
White because of his extra space) 16.e2
( 16.ac1 ) 16...g6 ( 16...h4 17.fd1
d6 18.g3 e7 19.e4 ) 17.xg6 hxg6

19
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
22 C00
Kaidanov,Gregory S 2625
Nijboer,Friso 2525
ol (men) Elista (5) 1998
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 c5 2.f3 e6 3.d3 c6 4.g3 d5
5.bd2 f6 This is the correct square for the
knight because Black plans to play...Be7. If,
on the other hand, he intended a fianchetto,
then this knight should go to e7. Another solid
idea is
[ 5...d6 which keeps e7 for the knight and
fights for the e5 square. 6.g2 ge7 7.0-0
0-0 8.c3 ( John Watson likes Black's
p o s it io n a f t e r 8.e1 c7 9.c3 d7
10.e2 f6! ) 8...b8 9.e2 c7
Also 9...f6 was worth considering 10.a3 a5
Black prevents 11 b4 and plans to answer
11 a4 with 11...b6. Black had equalised in
Yermolinsky-Luther, New York 1998. ]
6.g2 e7 7.0-0 b5
[ White can carry out the same plan of attack
against 7...b6 e.g. 8.e1 b7 9.c3 c7
10.f1 dxe4 11.dxe4 d8 12.e2 0-0
13.e5 d7 14.f4 a6 Morozevich criticises
this move and suggests either ( 14...fe8
or; 14...c8 or; 14...db8 But in any case it
is not easy to discern much counterplay for
Black. There are simply no weaknesses for
him to attack. This whole line looks good for
White. ) 15.e3 b5 16.g4 c8 17.h4
fe8 18.g5 gave White attacking chances
in Morozevic-Mitenkov, Moscow 1998. ]
8.e1
[ In Glek-Nijboer, Groningen 1997, White
tried an entirely different plan with 8.a4!?
His aim was to give Black an isolated pawn
after bxa4 9.xa4 0-0 10.exd5 exd5
11.d4 However, Black had ]
8...0-0 9.e5 d7 10.f1 a5 This position
has been reached many times in the K.I.A.
The plan for both sides is clearly defined.
Black expands rapidly on the queenside and
hopes that his pawn storm will distract White
f rom h is b uild up o n th e kin gsid e. W hit e
meanwhile is hoping to mate! 11.h4 b4
12.f4 a4 13.a3 Normally moving pawns on
yo ur wea k er s id e d urin g a race b et we e n
attac ks is f rowned upon. But here W hit e
hopes to maintain some control of the dark
squares by preventing ... a3 by Black. a6
14.1h2 c4 15.d4 c3 16.bxc3 bxc3
17.g5 White's build up seems to have been
slow, but once the attack starts it can gain
incredible momentum very quickly, as will be
seen. b6? The knight s a beautiful square
on c4 where it will be safe from attack and
threatening the a3 pawn. But it never has time
to get there because disaster strikes on the
kingside. It was vital to chase back the white
k n i g h t w i t h 1 7 . . . h 6 . 18.h5! xg5
If Black attacks the knight with
[ 18...h6 it now refuses to retreat. The piece
sacrifice 19.g4! would be overwhelming.
Kaidanov gives the variation hxg5 20.hxg5
g6 or ( 20...xd4 21.f6+! gxf6 22.gxf6
xf6 23.exf6 xf6 24.e5 when the
queen cannot move because of mate on
h8 ) 21.h6 xd4 22.f6+ xf6 23.gxf6
f5 24.h3! when Black is defenceless
against the threat of 25 g4 chasing away
the knight followed by Qh6. These attacking
ideas involving sacrifices on g5 and f6 are
typical of this variation. They are made
possible because of the absence of
defenders from the kingside and the strong
pawn on e5 which deprives black of the f6
square for his knight. ]
19.xg5 e8 This plans to answer 20 Ng4
with 20...f5! which is a common defensive idea
in such positions. It exploits the fact that you
can only capture en passant immediately after
a pawn moves two squares forward: W hite
would like to reply 21 Qxe8 and then 22 exf6,
but of course that way round it is illegal!
Nevertheless, White has a killer move ready.
20.f6! This blocks the path of the pawn.
xd4? According to Kaidanov Black's last
chance was the stoical
[ 20...gxf6 though White has a clear
advantage after 21.g4 d7 22.xd5!
exd5 23.exf6 h8 -the only way to avert
mate- 24.xe8 axe8 25.xd5 cb8
But this was much preferable to the game
move, which leads to rapid destruction. ]
21.g4 f5 22.g5 h8 23.xg7+!
A 'mating' combination to win the queen.
xg7 24.f6 d8 25.h6 xf6 26.xf6
ae8 27.g4 d7 28.f4 c4 29.h5 c8
30.ab1 f5 31.exf6
1-0
20
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

23 W hite once Black puts a knight ond4.

C00
Kandic,Milan 12.xe7+ xe7 13.d1 e8 14.b3 f8
2265
Vaganian,Rafael A The preparations for an eventual Nd4
2664
Ordix Open Mainz GER (2) continue. 15.b2 f6 16.h4 g6 17.d2?
17.08.2002
[Neil McDonald] [ He had to complicate at all costs with
17.f4!? ]
1.e4 e6 2.e2 17...c5 18.d3 e6 19.ad1 d4
[ If 2.d3 d5 3.e2 Black could head for the The triumph of Black's text book strategy. The
set up reached at move five with f6 ( Here knight can only be eliminated at the cost of
3...e7 gives W hite the option of 4.f4 conceding a protected passed pawn, after
though this isn't necessarily to be feared.) w h i c h h i s g a m e q u i c k l y g o e s d o w n h i l l .
4.f3 dxe4 5.dxe4 e7 ] 20.xd4 cxd4 21.f4 d7 The other knight
2...e7 Black wants to play d7-d5 without finds a brilliant outpost on c5. 22.f5 b7
being obliged to recapture with the queen after 23.f3 a5 24.e1 g5 25.g4 a4 26.h3
[ 2...d5 3.exd5 xd5 etc. The worth of the axb3 27.axb3 c5 White resigned or lost on
system depen ds on wheth er W hite ca n t i m e . I f h e d e f e n d s e 4 w i t h 28.e2
exploit a space advantage after a future e4- he would soon lose material after a3 etc.
e5. ] 0-1
3.f3 d5 4.d3 dxe4 5.dxe4 f6 6.g3
A modest development that doesn't set Black
any problems. 24 C00
[ Sharper is 6.e5 d5 7.e4 ( Or 7.c4 Kunte,Abhijit 2547
-probably the best move- b6 8.g3 0-0 Hoang Thanh Trang 2445
9.g2 c5 10.b3 c6 11.b2 c7 12.0-0 Asian Championships (2) 10.08.2001
d7 13.e1 b6 14.bd2 b7 and having [Neil McDonald]
solved the problem of the development of
the bishop on c8 Black looked OK in Mitchell, 1.e4 e6 2.e2 c5 3.f3 c6 4.g3 g6
G-Habibi,A/England 1999.) 7...c5 8.a3 5.g2 g7 6.c3 ge7 7.h4 h5?
a5+! Obstructing White's plan of c2-c4 and After this Black's kingside pawns lose their
then Nc3. 9.bd2 c6 10.c3 c7 11.d3 flexibility and there is a big hole on g5 which
b6 12.0-0 d7 13.c4?! ( Safer was can be exploited by either a white knight or
13.e1 ) 13...xc4 14.xc4 a5! 15.a2 bishop.
c6 16.e2 xf3 17.xf3 xe5 [ Correct was 7...h6! when if 8.h5?! g5
and W hite had lost a pawn for not much and there is nothing for Black to fear. ]
after 18.b4 c6 19.f4 f6 20.e3 cxb4 8.0-0 d5 Whereas White plans to utilise the
21.axb4 a6 22.fe1 0-0 etc. in Mainka,R- hole on g5 to the utmost, Black doesn't make
Mueller,H/Duisburg 2000. White eventually a n y e f f o r t t o e x p l o i t W h i t e ' s o w n s l i g h t
won as he was the GM- Herbert Mueller is weakness on g4. Instead
rated 2125 ] [ 8...d6 followed by e6-e5 and Bg4 would be
6...0-0 7.g2 b6 8.0-0 a6 Vaganian forces a better deployment for Black. ]
White to concede a hole on d4. 9.c4 fd7! 9.d3 0-0 10.g5! The bishop can only be
and here he prepares e6-e5 to get a grip on cha se d f rom t his squ are at th e co st o f a
d4. 10.c3? A natural developing move, but loosening of Black's kingside with 10...f6. Still,
much too modest. It was vital to obstruct this might well have been Black's best idea as
Black's plan with in the game W hite gets a clamp on the f6
[ 10.e5! when b7 followed by c7-c5 etc. square after e4-e5. c7 11.a3 b6 12.fe1
would lead to a set up similar to that in the a6 Here was the last chance for
Mitchell-Habibi extract above. ] [ 12...f6 ]
10...e5 11.d5 c6 Black can force the knight 13.e5 b5?! Black strives for counterplay but
from its good centre square with a pawn prod. with the black bishop shut in on g7 it is no
In contrast, there will be no such option for wo n d e r t h a t t h e o p e n in g o f l in e s o n t h e

21
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

qu e e n s i d e f a vo u rs W h it e 's m o re m o b il e 17.e5! e7 18.d4 c5 19.f3 f5

pieces. 14.d4 cxd4 15.cxd4 Now a fresh 20.f2 xd4 21.xd4 d8 22.g4!
hole has appeared in Black's position on c5. W ith all Black's pieces bunched on the
f5 16.c2 ac8 17.ac1 b6 18.d2 qu e e n sid e , h is kin g will p rove a n e a s y
b4 19.b3 b5 20.f1 a5 21.e3 xe3 target. d7 23.h4 h8 24.c1 f8
22.fxe3 c7 23.c5 b6 24.xa6 xa6 25.e3 a4 26.h1 c5 27.f4 g8
25.f6 h6 26.g4! With Black tied down on 28.d1 c3 A witty attempt to escape from
bo th sid es of th e b o ard it is t ime f o r t h e the bind , b ut th e joke will b e o n Bla ck .
decisive attack. fc8 29.xd7! xe2 30.xh6+! and Black
[ 26...hxg4 27.g5 could well transpose to resigned as he will be mated with check
the game. ] after gxh6 31.f6+ g7 32.d8+ etc. ]
27.ec1 b6 28.g5 hxg4 29.c2 f8 5...a6 6.c2 xf1 7.xf1 c6?!
30.h5! Black is only allowed to break free on A routine move, after which Black soon finds
the queenside once her kingside has become himself reduced to passivity. True, it wasn't
indefensible. xd4 31.exd4 xc5 32.h6! easy to find a plan for Black here. One try is
f8 If [ 7...d7 8.f3 c5!? aiming at the hole
[ 32...xd4+ 33.h1 xc2 34.h7+ on d3. Nevertheless 9.b4 [Maybe ( 9.e2!?
and mate follows. ] is even better, e.g. f6 10.d1 c8 11.e5
33.h7 e8 34.h8+ f8 35.h7 xd4+ d5 12.c4 ) 9...d3+ 10.xd3 xd3
36.h1 xc2 37.xf8+ d7 38.d6+ 11.e3 f6 12.e2 b2 13.bd2 a4
It is mate next move. A spectacular attacking 14.hc1 c5 15.b5 a6 16.ab1 axb5
finish, but it took a lot of positional blunders 17.xb5 was slightly better for White in
by Black to make it possible. Fedorov-Ulybin, Calcutta 1999 because the
1-0 knight is misplaced on a4. ]
8.f3 d7 9.e3 f6 10.h3! e5 11.bd2
e7 Black would like to prevent White's space
25 C00 gaining reply with
Leko,Peter 2701 [ 11...a5 but no doubt he didn't like the
Bunzmann,Dimitrij 2596 variation 12.c4 e6 13.a4! when 0-0-0
Match Hamburg GER (4) 19.10.1999 ( 13...d7 14.d1 with the threat of 15
[Neil McDonald] Nxe5! ) 14.g5 ( 14.e2 also looks good
f o r W h i t e - xe4 15.xb6+ cxb6
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 dxe4 4.dxe4 b6 16.xe4 ) 14...d7 15.xf7 and White
5.c3 Another noteworthy move is wins. ]
[ 5.f3 as played in Morozevich-Kiriakov, St. 12.b4 a6 13.e2! 0-0 14.hd1 ad8 15.a4
Petersburg 1997. As so often happens to N o w W h i t e h a s a v e r y n i c e p o s i t i o n a l
t h e o p p o n e n t s o f c re a t ive p l a ye r s li k e advantage. h5 16.f1 f6 17.ab1 c8
Morozevich, Black reacted badly to the 18.b5 axb5 19.axb5 a5 20.g4!
u n u s u a l s i t u a t io n a n d wa s so o n i n b i g W h i t e c o n v e r t s h i s a d v a n t a g e i n p i e c e
trouble: c5?! ( 5...a6 6.c4 shuts out the coordination into something more concrete-
bishop; but 5...b7 looks natural.) 6.c3 a5?! Black will be left with a weak pawn on f4 which
( 6...f6 ) 7.c2! f6 8.g5 h6 9.h4 is ultimately indefensible. f4 21.xf4 exf4
e7 [Black has in effect lost two tempi, as 22.e5 e7 23.e1 e6 24.e4 b7
his moves five and six are both irrelevant if 25.b3 h6 26.g2 c5 27.xc5 xc5
he can't keep the bishop on c5. It is no 28.be1 fe8 29.e2 a8 30.d1 a3
wonder things become unpleasant for him 31.d3 e6 32.xf4 The weak pawn finally
very quickly. ] 10.a3! fd7?! ( 10...b7 ) d r o p s . B l a c k ' s a t t e m p t s t o g e n e r a t e
11.g3! xa3 This avoids the immediate counterplay now speeds up his downfall. h6
danger, but White's dark square bishop will 33.c4 a4 34.d2 c6 35.bxc6 xc6
now have no rival. 12.bxa3 a6 13.c4! 36.d1 a3 37.d8 a2 38.d5!
b7 14.d1 c8 15.e2 0-0 16.0-0 c6 Hitting both the queen and the f7 square.

22
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Black loses at least a rook. xf2+ 39.g3
xd8 40.xc6 e2 41.e4 a2 42.e6 g5
43.h4
1-0
26
Leko,Peter
Timman,Jan H
Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (5) 20.01.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 c5 2.f3 e6 3.d3 c6 4.g3 d5
5.e2 ge7 6.g2 g6 7.0-0 g7 8.e5 h6
9.h4 b6 10.e1 b7 11.c3 f5 12.a3
d7 Timman's piece deployment should be
compared to that with Ba6 and Qc7 followed
b y t h e ill f a t e d g5 o r b 5 in t h e a rch ive s .
13.c2 d4 This is the idea, but it doesn't
seem to equalise. 14.c4 0-0-0 Black's pieces
are well entrenched and he has neutralised
W h i t e ' s s p a c e a d va n t a g e i n t h e c e n t r e .
However, in what follows it becomes clear
that White's attack based on a breakthrough
on the queenside is more potent than Black's
counter with ...g5 on the kingside. 15.b1
[ A more direct way to pursue the attack was
15.a3 for example f8 16.b4
A) but not 16...cxb4? 17.axb4
18.xb4 xb4 19.d2 xd2 ( instead
19...c5 20.xa7 xf3 21.xd7 xe2
22.xd8+ xd8 23.xe2
endgame for White) 20.xd2 b8 21.c5
with a very strong attack;
B) 16...e7 17.bxc5 xc5 18.d2 a5!?
stopping BB4 and Black looks OK.
Therefore, Leko's more gradual build up
seems correct. In the game he achieves
fine attacking chances. ]
15...f8 16.d2 b8 17.a3
[ If 17.b4 cxb4 18.xb4 ( Or 18.xb4
xb4 19.xb4 c5 ) 18...c5 looks super
solid for Black. In the game White doesn't let
the bishop sit on c5 unchallenged. ]
17...e7 18.b4 dg8 19.bxc5
20.b4! xb4 21.xb4 g5 22.h5 g4
23.d2 xb4 24.xb4 xg2 25.xg2
e7 26.e4 c7 27.f6?
[ Here 27.a4! c6 ( or 27...xe5 28.b5
c7 29.a5 ) 28.b5 xe5 29.a5 d7
30.axb6 axb6 31.a1 would give White a
t r e m e n d o u s a t t a c k - i f b7 32.g1!
etc. In the game White loses time by playing
the knight to f6 and back again and also
cedes the important d5 square by advancing
the c pawn. ]
27...g5 28.c5 b7+ 29.e4 d5 30.xd4
C00 xe5 31.b2 c8 32.cxb6 xb6 33.d8
2725 xh5 34.xc8+ White still has attacking
2655 chances for the pawn, but things have grown
unclear.
½-½
27 C00
Loewenthal,Johann Jacob
Williams,Elijah
m5 London (12) 1851
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.f4 White plays the King's Gambit
versus the French! d5 3.exd5 After this
exchange a similar query arises to that in the
King's Gambit Falkbeer Variation: 1.e4 e5 2.f4
d5 3.exd5 e4: what is the pawn doing on f4?
[ A better try to justify his second move is
3.c3 ]
3...exd5 4.f3
[ Or 4.d4 c5 In 1839 Black would be happy
xb4 to play a form of Queen's Gambit reversed.
5.dxc5 xc5 6.b5+ c6 7.e2+ ge7
8.f3 e6 9.e3 b6 10.xc5 xc5
is a good 11.c3 0-0 12.0-0-0 ad8 and Black's
pieces were better organised in Kieseritzky,
L-Saint Amant,P/Paris 1839. ]
4...f6
[ Another old game went 4...c5?! 5.d4?!
( White should have taken the chance to
play 5.b5+ followed by kingside castling.)
5...f6 6.d3 c6 7.c3 e7 8.h3 0-0
9.0-0 b6 10.h2 e8 11.a3 d7 12.b4
cxd4 13.cxd4 ac8 14.e3?
( Back in 1845 a fianchetto development
was frowned upon as an eccentricity, but
14.b2 defending d4 again followed by Nd2
xc5 w a s b e t t e r t h a n t h i s c r a s s b l u n d e r .)
14...xb4 15.e5 d6 and Black was a
pa wn u p a nd wo n e a sily in S ta n le y, C-
Rousseau,E/New Orleans 1845. ]
5.d4 d6 6.d3 0-0 7.0-0 c5! An essential
part of Black's strategy. He puts pawn
pressure on d4 8.c3 c6 9.h1
23
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ It is understandable that White didn't want (down to an ave rage of 249 5)! The mos t
to weaken his kingside further with 9.h3 e.g. common moves are
e4 ]
9...g4! Now White has to give up the fight for
the d4 square. 10.dxc5 xc5 Black now has
every minor piece developed on squares
where they control the centre. Under these
circumstances it is impossible to describe the
i s o l a t e d d 5 p a w n a s w e a k . 11.b4
White begins a queenside diversion but it only
weakens his c3 pawn. b6 12.a4 a6 13.a5
a7 14.h3 xf3 15.xf3 e8 16.d2 e4
17.e1 c8 18.a3 f6 A slight hiccup in
an otherwise excellent positional build up. He
sh ou ld p la y his ne xt m ove st ra ight away.
19.d1 e7
[ I g u e s s h e m i s s e d t h a t i f 19...xc3? 12.bxa6?! xa6 13.h4 c6 with more than
20.xc3 xc3 21.xh7+ ]
20.c2 f5! Black supports the knight on e4
again. This overprotection strategy is all the
more impressive as it was played long before
t h e b irt h o f Ni m zo wi t s ch . 21.c4
22.xc4+ h8 23.b5 Loewenthal continues
with his strategy of queenside expansion, but
it just loses a pawn. Still, his position was
already distinctly uncomfortable thanks to
Black's fine centralisation. xa5!
c4 25.bxa6 bxa6 26.xc4 xc4 27.e3
xe3 28.xe3 c2 29.d3 c6 30.b3
f6 31.a4 ec8 32.h2 c2 33.f3 b2
34.f2 xf2 35.g1 b5 36.d4 e4
37.d3 h6 38.a3 c5 39.a1 f2
0-1
28
Lorenzo de la Riva,L
Moskalenko,V1
Catalan Championship 2013 (1.3) 05.05.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 c5 4.f3 c6
5.g3 f6 6.g2 e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e5 d7
9.c4 A safe but relatively innocuous approach
to this famous position. White prevents ...b5
and puts a little pressure on d5. Some
alternatives are
[ 9.h4 and ]
[ 9.bd2 c7 10.e1 ]
9...dxc4!? Remarkably, this isn't played in the
highest-rated 36 games with this position
[ 9...d4 ]
[ and 9...b6 , with ]
[ 9...f6 having a respectable score. The most
interesting move is ]
[ 9...b5!? , which has been tried at least five
times by strong players, the point being
10.cxb5 ( 10.cxd5 exd5 11.c3
hasn't been played, but wins a pawn another
way, e.g., b6 12.xb5 a6 13.c3 g4
a n d B l a c k h a s n i c e a c t i v i t y . 14.h3
can be answered by d4 15.d1 xf3+
16.xf3 xh3= ) 10...a5! ( 10...cb8!?
could be answered by 11 a4 a6 12 Na3!.
I n s t e a d , o n e g a m e we n t 11.c3 a6
enough compensation, Hasangatin, R
(2480)-Sapunov, E (2480)/Tula 2002 )
A) and now: 11.c3 a6 12.f4 axb5
13.xb5 a6 14.c3 c6 15.fd1 g5!
dxc4 16.c1 g4 17.e1 dxe5 and Black had
the advantage in Svetushkin, D (2597)-
Zhigalko, A (2582)/Eilat ISR 2012;
B) 11.d4 a6! 12.dxc5 xc5 13.c3
axb5 14.g5 b6 15.xb5 xb5
24.d3 16.xb5 a6 17.a4 b3 18.ad1 xb5
19.axb5 fb8 20.d3 xb5 and White
doesn't even have a pawn in return for his
weaknesses. The game continued 21.c3
h6 ( 21...d4!-+ ) 22.e3 a2 23.xc5
dxc5 24.b1 b4 25.f1 g5 26.h3
g7 27.h2 e4 28.c2 bc5 29.e1
b3 30.f3 c3 31.bc1 bxb2 32.g1
xc2 33.xc2 b3 0-1 Paragua, M
C00 (2526)-Korobov, A (2605), Beijing 2008.;
2423 C) 11.h4 a6 12.bxa6 xa6 13.g5 c4!?
2539 ( 13...xg5! 14.xg5 c6 15.f4 b4
16.d1 b6 is very good for Black)
14.xe7 xe7 15.d2 c6!? 16.d4! c3
17.xc3 xf1 18.xf1 fb8 ( 18...f6= )
19.c1 b4 20.c2 b6 21.b5 c4
22.xc4 dxc4 ( 22...xc4! ) 23.a3 b3
24.g2 ( 24.e2! d8 25.e4 )
24...d8 25.e2 ab8 26.c1 e7
27.h5 h6 28.f4 d5 ( 28...b7!
29.xc4 xb2 ) 29.xd5 xd5 30.xc4
xb2 31.c8+ h7 32.xb2 xb2
33.c7 g8 34.c8+ h7 35.c7 g8
36.c8+ 1/2-1/2 (36) Bologan, V (2665)-
Korobov, A (2660)/Warsaw POL 2011. ]
24
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
10.dxc4 d4
[ A precursor: 10...c7 11.f4 d8 12.c3
d4 13.xd4 cxd4 14.b5 c5 15.a3
( 15.fd1! f8 16.ab1 a5 17.b3 )
15...d3?! 16.e4 a5 17.b4 b6 18.e3
c6 19.xd3 xe5 20.xd8+ xd8
21.xc6 bxc6 22.d6 a6 23.b5 e7
24.bxa6 xd6 25.fd1 f8 26.a7 c5
27.ab1 xa7 28.d8 d7 1-0 (28)
Strikovic, A (2495)-Gonzalez Lopez, J/Naron
199404 ]
11.xd4 cxd4 12.d2 d3 13.xd3 xe5
14.e2 d3 15.e4 xc1 16.axc1 d7
17.fd1 c7 18.c5 c6 19.d6 fd8
20.xc6 xc6 21.b4 a6 22.a3 d7
23.c4 ad8 24.xd7 xd7 25.e5 c7
26.c4 g6 27.d1 xd1+ 28.xd1 c6
29.d3 b5 30.d4 a4 31.h4 h5
32.d3
[ 32.e4 ]
[ 32.a5 xa3 ( 32...b5 33.a4 xa4
34.xb7 ) 33.xb7 f3 34.d6 f6
35.f4 ]
32...b5 33.e4 d7 34.g2
[ 34.a5 ]
34...f6
[ 34...d8 35.d6 b6 36.a8+- ]
35.a5 d2 36.xb7 d4 37.f3 e5
38.d6 a2 39.c6 b6 40.c8 f5
41.xb6
1-0
29 C00
McDonald,Neil R
Bigg,Andrew J
Challengers Hastings 2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 e7 4.f3 f6 19...c6 20.f3 fd8 21.g6! A very strong
5.g3 0-0
[ Instead 5...b5!? as in Timman-Korchnoi control of the d file. hxg6
was a more dynamic move order. ]
6.e5 fd7 7.h4 Cherniaev, a Russian IM,
walked past and gave me a strange look when
I played this move. Was I really expecting to
m a t e t h e b l a c k k i n g s o e a s i l y ? c5
In Morozevich-Itkis, Kishinev 1998,
[ 7...f6!? 8.exf6 xf6 9.g2 c6 10.d4 24.f4 a4 25.d6 a6
d6 11.0-0 gave White a small advantage. ]
8.h3 I was keen to restrain Black from
playing ...f6 and had visions of a kingside
attack in which Ng5 and a piece sacrifice on
e 6 w o u l d j u s t i f y B h 3 . c6 9.f4
More accurate was the immediate
[ 9.0-0 ]
9...b5?!
[ . . . b e c a u s e t h e p a w n s a c r i f i c e 9...f6!?
is highly interesting here, as after 10.exf6
( 10.xe6+ h8 11.0-0 fxe5 looks risky for
White ) 10...xf6 b2 is hanging. That's why
W hite's last move was incorrect. A
subsequent 11.xe6+?? h8 12.c3 e8
would almost certainly cost White a piece. ]
10.0-0 a5 11.bd2?!
[ Again I play an inaccurate move order.
B e t t e r f i r s t w a s 11.c3 so that b4
can be answered with 12.c4 ]
11...a6?
[ B l a c k m i s s e s h i s c h a n c e . 11...b4!
looks better as if White ever wants to attack
with Ng5 he would first have to play c3 to
safeguard d4 against the riposte ...Nd4. But
then Black can respond ...bxc3, when the
opening of the b file would aid his efforts
at counterplay on the queenside. ]
12.c3 Now W hite can keep it blocked. b4
13.c4 dxc4 14.dxc4 d4 15.e4!
Giving Black a passed pawn and the
wonderful c5 square for his knight with
[ 15.xd4? cxd4 would be strategically
disastrous. ]
15...xf3+
[ Here 15...f5 16.exf6 xf6 17.e3
is bad for Black. ]
16.xf3 c7 17.g5 xg5 18.hxg5 b7
19.e3! Avoiding
[ 19.e2 b8! when the black knight heads
for d4 via c6. In the game if Black tries Nb8
and Nc6 White has Qxc5. ]
pawn sacrifice which aims to gain absolute
22.g5 e8
23.ad1 b6
[ After 23...f6 24.exf6 gxf6 White intended
to give up the exchange with 25.xd7 xd7
26.xf6 with strong pressure. Nevertheless,
Black should have tried his luck in this
variation. ]
[ Hopeless for Black is 25...c8 26.b3 xa2
27.d7 attacking both b7 and f7. ]
25
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

26.b3 Not falling for the trap W hite in view of Black's difficulty in
[ 26.fd1 d5! ] mobilising his king's rook. However, this is
26...xa2 27.d8! d5 This generates more how Black should have played, as things
counterplay than Black would have after become dangerous for him now. ]
[ 27...c8 28.d7 f8 29.xb7 ] 12.h6! b5 13.e3 dxe5 14.xe5 xe5
28.cxd5 xd6 29.exd6 xb3 30.dxe6 fxe6 15.xb5+ c6 16.e4? This is a serious
31.e7 d5 32.e4! This forces the mistake. He should have tried
exchange of queens, after which the white [ 16.e2! when cxb5 17.xb5+ d7
rook is able to deal with the black passed ( 17...d7 18.xb7 b8 19.xa7
pawns before they can become dangerous. g i v e s W h i t e g o o d w i n n i n g c h a n c e s .)
xe4 33.fxe4 c8 34.c1 b3 35.xc5 a4 18.xe5 f6 19.a5 looks good for him. ]
36.xc8! xc8 37.d7! But not 16...c7 17.e2?
[ 37.xe6+?? h7 38.xc8 b2 and Black [ White also loses a piece after 17.a4 f5
wins! ] 18.c2 f7 19.g7 g8 20.d4 f4
1-0 21.g4 e5 so he should bail out with ]
[ 17.f4 when Black looks to have a slight
a d v a n t a g e i n t h e e n d g a m e a f t e r cxb5
30 C00 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 f6 ]
Morozevich,Alexander 2748 17...f5! 18.a4 f7 19.f4
Lputian,Smbat G 2605 [ It's difficult to say if this is a better fighting
Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (11) 28.01.2000 chance than 19.g7 as g8 20.d4 f8
[Neil McDonald] 21.c4 f4 22.c2 c5 23.c3 xg2 24.g1
c6 must be ultimately hopeless for White. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 dxe4 4.dxe4 b6 19...e5 20.g3 f4 21.d5 d6 22.0-0-0
5.d2!? This is Morozevich's latest try. We fxg3 23.f4 f6 24.d5 d6 25.f4 b8
have already seen 26.e6 g5 27.c4 xe6 28.xe6 gxh2?
[ 5.c3 and ] Black would be winning comfortably after
[ 5.f3 in Leko-Bunzmann. ] [ 28...gxf2 29.hf1 f8 ]
5...a6 6.c4 Normally the attack on his 29.xh2 d6 30.f4 e4? Now Black is lost as
queen forces White to block with c2-c4, which vita l f ile s a nd d ia go na ls are op en ed . He
gains space but leaves the d4 square should have tried
weakened. The idea of blocking with th e [ 30...c7 ]
knight is therefore attractive. The question of 31.g3! A quiet but devilish move. It denies
course is whether Black can exploit the pin. Black the f4 and e5 squares and so leaves
f6 7.f3 c6 8.c3 e7 Black makes do him unable to resist an attack along the e file.
with a simple development, but this leaves c7 32.d4! This forces Black to weaken the
White with a free hand to gain space in the h7 square by removing his rook. f8 33.xe4
centre. Nevertheless, sharper play doesn't e7
seem to allow Black to escape the positional [ Or 33...f6 34.d7+! f8 35.xh7
pressure, e.g. winning. ]
[ 8...a5 9.c2! xc4 ( or 9...xc4 34.xh7! xh7 35.xd6 c7 Despite his
10.a4+ d7 11.xa6 looks worse for extra rook Black is defenceless. If
Black. ) 10.xc4 xc4 11.a4+ d7 [ 35...f6 36.f7+! xf7 ( 36...f8
12.xc4 and White has a slight and 37.xf6 ) 37.d7+ g8 38.xh7 xh7
pleasant advantage. Too loosening is ] 39.e7+ or ]
[ 8...e5?! 9.c2! while ] [ 35...e7 36.xg6+ f7 37.xf7+ xf7
[ 8...c5 9.b4 e7 10.a4!? again looks 38.e6+ f8 39.f6 and in both cases the
good for White. ] loss of the queen is decisive. ]
9.e5 d7 10.e4 b7 11.g4 g6 36.f7+! xf7 37.xg6+ It's mate next
The only alternative was move. A remarkable game.
[ 11...f8 when 12.f4 looks a solid plus for 1-0

26
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

31 C00 into a win. ]

Morozevich,Alexander 2748 29.a5! This begins an accurately calculated
Nikolic,Predrag 2659 sequence to create an irresistible passed
Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (13) 30.01.2000 pawn. c7 30.dd1 xe4 31.f7!
[Neil McDonald] The key move of W hite's combination. e6
32.axb6 xb4 33.b1 a4 34.b7 ab8
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 dxe4 4.dxe4 e5 35.d7 c6 Black's pieces are tied down by
I don't regard this as a great opening choice t h e p a s s e d p a w n w h i c h a l l o w s a v e r y
b y B l a c k . H e r e m o v e s W h i t e ' s s p a c e attractive finish. 36.h6! g8 37.bd1 bf8
a d v a n t a g e , b u t h e f i n d s h i m s e l f u n d e r 38.xg7+! xg7
continuous niggling pressure. 5.f3 d7 [ Or 38...xg7 39.xf8+ xf8 40.b8
6.bd2! c6 7.b3! The best method of xd7 41.xf8# ]
development. W hite aims to force Black to 39.xf8!! xf8 40.d8 e6 41.xf8+ xf8
defend e5 with .. .f6, when his light squares 42.b8 g7 43.a7+ h6 44.f7
will become vulnera ble af ter Bh3 and a n If 44...Ng6 45 Rd7 decides at once. A great
exchange of bishops. c7 8.b2 a5 9.g3 c o m b i n a t i o n o f p o s i t i o n a l p r e s s u r e a n d
h6 10.h3! f6 11.a4 b4 12.0-0 0-0 tactical aplomb from Morozevich.
13.c4 f7 14.e1! e8 1-0
[ Black doesn't quite equalise after 14...b6
15.xc8 axc8 16.xb6 xb6 17.d3 ]
15.d3 f8 16.c3 b6 17.d2 d6 32 C00
18.xd6 xd6 19.e3 f8 20.xc8 axc8 Moser,Eva 2406
21.c3 e6 22.fd1 b8? A careless move, Srienz,Christian 2256
which sets up White's coming break through. Austrian Championship (7) 30.07.2004
Much better was [Gary Lane]
[ 22...h8 just waiting. ]
23.b4 axb4 24.xb4!! Black may have 1.e4 c5 2.d3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d2 dxe4
m i s s e d t h e s t r e n g t h o f t h i s r e c a p t u r e , 5.dxe4 c6 Other possibilities:
expecting only [ 5...b6 Black wishes to contest the h1-a8
[ 24.cxb4 d4 with counterplay. ] diagonal with a queenside fianchetto 6.gf3
24...xb4 This gives White a clear positional b7 7.b5+ ( 7.g2 c6 8.0-0
advantage as his bishop is superior to the with equal chances) 7...c6 8.e2 a6
knight and he has the potential to create an 9.xc6+ xc6 10.0-0 e7 11.d1 e5
o u t s id e p a s s e d p a wn . B u t t h e re wa s n o 12.c3 f6 13.c4 c7 14.e3 0-0
equalising alternative, e.g. 15.d5 gave White the better chances in
[ 24...c5? 25.xc5 xc5 26.a6 Arnott,J-Havenaar,J/Les Dicqs 2002. ]
-this variation shows why Black's 22nd move [ 5...h5!? looks wild but must be treated with
was so careless- or ] resp ect be cau se Bla ck can eithe r t ry a
[ 24...a8? 25.xb6 and again Black loses kingside fianchetto or go for it by advancing
material, while ] the pawn. 6.gf3 c6 7.g2 e7 8.h4
[ 24...bd8 25.c4 c5 26.d5 is horrible. ] ( 8.h3 intending h4 9.g4 is worth
25.cxb4 c5 26.ac1 c6 27.a2 h8 considering) 8...f6 9.0-0 g4 10.c4
28.d5 a8? xd1 11.xd1 e5 12.c3 with a level ending,
[ White can give up the exchange after Biti,O-Kristovic,M/Pula 2001. ]
28...c7? 29.bxc5! xd5 30.exd5 6.gf3 e7
when the connected passed pawns are [ 6...f6 7.g2 with the kingside fianchetto
unstoppable. ] Black has to watch out for tactics on the
[ The best fighting chance appears to be h1-a8 diagonal d6 8.0-0 0-0 9.b3 c7
28...d4! 29.bxc5 bxc5 30.cxc5 e6! 10.b2 b6? 11.e5 1-0 Miethke,E-Preusse,
when White has great technical problems to G/ corr 1990. ]
solve if he is to convert his pawn advantage [ 6...e5 7.c3 f6 8.e2 e7 9.g2 a6

27
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

10.a4 0-0 11.0-0 c7 12.c4 g4 33 C00

led to equality in Muhren,W-Algera,S/Dieren
2001. ]
7.g2 f6 8.0-0 0-0 9.e5 d7 10.e1
Now that the e-pawn is advanced, W hite
needs to lend support to its defence with the
plan of then cutting off Black from the defence
of the kingside. c7 11.e2 d8 12.c3
The pawn usually comes to c3 in order to
keep a knight out of the b4 and d4 squares. a5
13.c4
[ Or 13.a4 is possible to keep the knight on
c4. For example: b6 14.c4 a6 15.e4
with a slight edge. ]
13...h6?! Srienz is playing a little casual by
taking cautious defensive measures.
[ A more energetic response is 13...b5 when
14.e3 a6 is roughly equal. ]
14.a4 White seizes the chance to install the
k n i g h t o n c 4 b y r u l i n g o u t . . . b 7 - b 5 . b8
15.e4 a7? An admission that Black is
bankrupt of positive ideas! The big problem is
that it gives White a clear signal to accelerate
the kingside attack.
[ Admittedly, 15...c7 16.g4 f8 17.h5
is still better for White with similar play to
the main game. ]
16.g4 f8 17.h5 g8 18.xh6!
Moser plays a stylish sacrifice in the
knowledge that exposing the black king will
bring attacking rewards. gxh6 19.xh6 f8
20.g5! It now becomes clear the root of
Black's problems. White intends to continue
with Be4 but Black will have difficulty
transferring his pieces to the kingside. xg5
[ 20...c7 21.e4 xg5 22.xg5+ g6
23.h4 e7 24.g4 h8
and the attack continues in earnest. ]
21.xg5+ White is happy to attack but if there
is an opportunity to gain material it should be
taken. A pretty win is fine but creating a large
advantage is good news. g6
The rook on d8 is hanging.
1-0
Onischuk,V 2518
Tovmasian,V 2417
Femida Cup Men (7) 26.11.2011
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.d2 f6 4.gf3 c5
5.c3!? A flexible move.
[ 5.e5 fd7 6.d4 is normal, when Black has
the choice between b6 intending ...c5,
which I think is fine ( or 6...e7 7.d3 c5
8.c3 c6 , which is the familiar ...Be7
defence to the Tarrasch, in good shape
theoretically at the moment )]
5...dxe4 I'm not thrilled with this move, to
which Onischuk finds an excellent solution.
Let me show a couple of my updated ideas
since Play the French 3:
[ (a) 5...b6 6.e5 fd7 7.d4 c5 8.b3
( 8.d3 c6 ) 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 c6
10.d3 f6 11.exf6 xf6 12.0-0 0-0
with interesting Tarrasch-style play 13.e3
d6 ( 13...d7 '!?' 14.c1 e8 15.c5
xc5 '!' 16.xc5 h5 '=' 'here 13...Qd6 with
the idea ...a5-a4 is also interesting') 14.e1
a5 15.c1 a4 16.c5 a3 17.b4 ( 17.b3
a5 18.f1 b6 ) 17...xb4 18.b1 c6 ]
[ (b) 5...a5 can lead to 6.e5 fd7 7.d4 e7
8.d3 c5 9.0-0 c6 is another
transposition to the 3 Nd2 Be7 Tarrasch.
W i l l K i n g ' s I n d i a n A t t a c k p l a ye r s f e e l
comfortable with that? ]
[ (c) 5...0-0 6.e5 fd7 7.d4 e7 8.d3 c5
( 8...b6 with the idea ...Ba6 is logical: the
sooner Black can get ...Ba6 in, the better)
9.0-0 c6 is a transposition to a 3...Be7
25.f4 T a r ra s ch wit h a n e a rl y . . . 0 -0 , wh ic h i s
unusual but certainly playable. ]
6.xe4! A clever idea which makes Black's
pawn structure look suspicious. xe4
[ 6...e7 7.xf6+ xf6 8.d4 is a standard
22.xc6 position, but one in which theory prefers
White. ]
7.a4+! The point
[ 7.dxe4? xf2+ 8.xf2 xd1 9.b5+
d7 10.xd7+ xd7 leaves Black a pawn
ahead. ]
7...d7
[ 7...d7 8.xe4 f6 9.h4 0-0 10.d4 ]
8.xe4 c6
[ Black can't equalise after 8...0-0 : 9.d4

28
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

( 9.xb7 c6 10.b3 xf3 11.gxf3 d7 xa8 55.xa8 xf4= ]

12.d4; 9.e5!? c6 10.xd7 xd7 49.a5 f7?! 50.a8
11.d4 d6 12.e2 e5 13.d5 e7 [ 50.a6! e7+ 51.a4 d6 52.a8 ]
is un c le a r) 9...d6 10.d3 f5 11.e2 50...e7+ 51.c4 c5+ 52.d4 c6 53.c4
( 11.xb7 c6 12.b3 xf3 13.gxf3 f6 [ 53.a6! ]
wit h lim it e d c o m p e n sa t io n) 11...c6 53...d6+ 54.e3 c6 55.d4 f6 56.e4
12.0-0 ] c6
9.d4 d6 10.d3 f5 11.e2 0-0 12.g5!? [ 56...h6 57.a6 h3 58.a7 h2 59.f3
[ 12.0-0 ] a6 ]
12...e8 13.0-0-0 A daring decision, 57.d5 d6+ 58.e5 f6?
considering that it's unnecessary. h6 14.d2 [ 58...h6! ]
e5! 59.f5
[ 14...a6 ] [ 59.a6 d6+ 60.d5 xf4 61.c5! ]
15.c4+ 59...d6!?
[ 15.dxe5 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.xe5 [ Simpler is 59...c6 60.f3 d6+ 61.d4
xe5 18.xh6! a4 19.de1 ( 19.c4+ c5! ]
h8 20.d5 xc3 is the next note) 60.f3 f6+ 61.f4 e7 62.d5 c6
19...xc3 20.bxc3 gxh6 21.e5! [ 62...h3 63.g3 c6 ]
, but this may not be sufficient to win. ] 63.a7+!?
15...h8 16.dxe5 xe5 17.xe5 xe5 [ 63.e4 d4 ]
18.xe5 xe5 19.xh6 gxh6? 63...d7
[ 19...a4 20.d5!? xc3 21.bxc3 gxh6 [ 63...d8 64.e4 d4 65.f7! ]
22.e1 c6 23.de5 fe8 ( 23...xg2? 64.xd7+ xd7 65.g2 c3?
24.e6! ) 24.f3 and White has very little. ] [ 65...c7! still draws, I think, because the
20.xd7 ad8 21.xd8 xd8 22.c2 king isn't tra pped a s in th e game : 66.c5
Black has given up a pawn for insufficient ( 66.f1 b7 67.c5 a7 68.a6 e7
reasons. As long as the rooks are on the 69.g4 f6 70.h5 h3= ) 66...b7
b o a r d , W h it e wi ll h a ve go o d ch a n ce s o f 67.f1 e7 68.a6+ a7 69.g4 f6
winning this opposite-coloured bishops ending. 70.h5 h3 ]
Black's pawns are weak. d6 23.b4 e8 66.a6 c7 67.c5 Now the king can't go
24.a4 a5?! 25.bxa5 a8 26.a6 bxa6 anywhere. f6 68.g4 e7 69.h5 b8
27.d3 f4 28.e1 70.xc6 h3 71.g4
[ 28.g4! is a c l e ve r m o ve , s i n c e fxg3 1-0
29.hxg3 g7 30.h5 establishes a passed
f-pawn, with superior activity. ]
28...g8 29.g3 g5? 30.xa6 h5 31.gxf4 34 C00
xh2 32.e2 xf4 33.d3 Two separated Papp,T1 2291
passed pawns will win the bishop ending, but Galyas,M 2458
now Black wants the rooks on! White has a lot TCh-HUN 2011-12 (3) 13.11.2011
of work to do. h5 34.b3 d6 35.a2?! [John Watson]
Passive.
[ 35.e8+ g7 36.a8 ] 1.e4 e6 2.e2 f6 3.f3 d5 4.e5 fd7
35...a5 36.b5 h5 37.d2 Admitting his 5.h4 This odd-looking move is actually logical,
mistake, but Black is more active now. g7 just to be sure that Black doesn't get ideas
38.d5 h4 39.g5+ f8 40.g4 e7 about ...g5.
41.c4 f6 42.b5 e7 43.f4 f7 [ 5.d3 is normal, with the follow-up c5 6.g3
44.c4+ e8 45.e6 f6 46.b4 h5 c6 7.g2 e7 ( 7...b5!? ) 8.0-0 ( 8.h4
47.g8+ Now White hasn't a chance of has been played in numerous games,
winning, right? e7 48.g4 d5? preventing ...g5, including the recent h6
[ 48...h6! 49.a5 h3 50.xh3 xh3 51.a6 9.f4!? b5 10.h5 a6 of Kernazhitsky-
xc3+ 52.c4 d2 53.a7 a3 54.a8 Jasny, Tatranske Zruby 2011) 8...g5!

29
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

(Now ...g4 threatens to win the e-pawn, and 35 C00

Bf4 is prevented. Consequently:) 9.h3 h5 Rabiega,Robert 2487
10.g4 hxg4 11.hxg4 , a n d I l i k e f6! Enders,Peter 2468
, wh e n B la c k st a n d s we ll in d e e d , e . g. , 72nd ch Seebad Heringsdorf GER (8)
12.exf6 xf6 and it's suicidal to grab the g- [Neil McDonald]
pawn because of Black's attack along the h-
file. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 f6 4.f3 e7
[ 5.d4?! c5 6.c3 b6 is suggested by 5.g3 b5 I got excited by this move when I saw
Rustemov. ] Timman-Korchnoi but now alas it only seems
[ 5.g3 b6 6.g2 c5!? 7.d3 c6 8.c3 a5 to be a transposition to the mainlines after
9.0-0 a6 10.e1 e7 11.d1 c5 White's accurate reply which rules out 6.. .
12.f1 d4! 13.c4 b7 Troianescu- dxe4 ideas. 6.e5 fd7 7.g2 The bishop
Cappello, Bari 1971. ] looks better on this square than on h3- see
5...c5 6.d3 c6 7.g3 b5 8.g2 e7 9.0-0 McDonald-Bigg. c5 8.h4 c6 9.0-0 0-0
h6! 10.h5 a5 11.a4 b4 12.c4 bxc3 10.f4 a5 11.bd2 b4 12.h5 h8 13.h2
13.bxc3 0-0?! This is actually a known type d4 White has made attacking gestures on
of position that Neil McDonald discusses in the kingside but even so Black has
his book Black should play counterplay on the queenside and once the
[ 13...a6 , when 14.a3 ( 14.c4? knight gets to d4 he shouldn't have too many
dxe5! ) 14...b6! hits a4 and discourages problems. 14.d1 a6 15.df3 xf3+?
c4. Then 15.b5? xa4 is good. ] This exchanges off his most active piece
14.c4?! without forcing any concession such as c2-c3.
[ 14.a3! a6 15.b5 b6 16.c4 Instead
is more-or-less equal. ] [ 15...a4! would keep the tension, when if
14...dxe5! 15.xe5 xe5 16.cxd5 16.xd4 ( Or 16.c3 xf3+ 17.xf3 a3! )
[ 16.xe5? f6 ] 16...cxd4 Black can attack along the c file. ]
16...f6 16.xf3 c4? This gives away his remaining
[ 16...exd5? 17.xe5 f6 18.xd5 ] control of the d4 square.
17.b2 xd3! [ 16...a4 was much more sensible. ]
[ White may have been hoping for something 17.dxc4 xc4 18.e1 c8 19.d2 a6
along the lines of 17...d6 18.e1 ] 20.h6 g6 21.g5 xg5 22.xg5 c7
18.xf6 xf6 19.a3 b4 20.dxe6 a6 23.a3! White's strategy in the KIA is by no
21.b5 ae8 22.c4?! means only to mate the black king.
[ 22.exf7+ xf7 and Black is very active. Sometimes he can transpose to a favourable
Still, this wasn't so bad. ] endgame. Here for example the strong pawn
22...xe6 23.ae1 e5 24.f4? on h6 and his control of the dark squares
[ But 24.xe5 xe5 25.f3 d8 mean that White will have excellent winning
is depressing ] chances once the queens are exchanged.
24...xh5 25.f3 g6! 26.g2 c8 xc2?
27.xh5 xh5 28.d6 [ A better way to fight on was with 23...b6 ]
[ 28.h1 b7+ ] 24.xc2 xc2 25.axb4 xb2 26.xa5 b8
28...h3+ 29.g1 xf1 30.xf1 d8 27.ea1 d3 28.a7 g8 29.h3 c6
and there isn't much more to see, although 30.xf7! A thematic game in the King's Indian
W hite fights it out: 31.e4 d1 32.xd1 Attack.
xd1+ 33.h2 xa4 34.xc5 c2+ 1-0
35.xc2 xc2 36.g2 d4 37.f2 h5
38.e3 f5+ 39.f3 f6 40.g4 hxg4+
41.xg4 d4 42.f5 f7 43.f4 b5
44.e4 d6+ 45.f4 e7 46.g4 c4
47.h5 e5 48.h4 d7
0-1

30
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

36 C00 28.gxf3 xf3 29.xf3 xf3 30.e4 c3

Rotov,Igor 31.xb7 xc5 32.xd4 a5 will likely be
Short,Nigel D 2692 drawn. ) 27.xh4 xh4 28.xh4 f8
12th Puhajarve Rapid 2012 (26.1) 25.11.2012 29.ec1 e7 30.f3 f4 ]
[John Watson] 0-1

1.e4 Interesting to see what someone of Nigel

Short's calibre does when meeting the Wing 37 C00
Gambit. e6 2.f3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 cxb4 Rzaev,Bahruz 2230
5.d4 Tran Tuan Minh 2295
[ 5.a3 is the other main branch. ] FSIM March Budapest HUN (8) 12.03.2011
5...d7 6.a3 b6!? I'm not sure that the [John Watson]
queen belongs here.
[ 6...a5 7.d3 b5 ] 1.e4 e6 2.b3 d5 3.b2 A gambit that has
[ and 6...c6 with the idea 7.d3 b6 been around seemingly forever. It seems
are lines given in my PTF4 book. ] rat he r a wa st e of th e W h it e pieces . dxe4
7.axb4 xb4+ 8.c3 e7 9.a3 a6 10.d3 4.c3 f6 5.e2
h6?! [ 5.g4 has often been suggested, but I think
[ Risky, since Black doesn't seem to get that c6! 6.g5 d5 7.xe4 h6!
m u c h a c t iv it y in re t u rn f o r h is d o u b le d leaves Black better:
pawns (which is usually why ...Nh6 is a good A) 8.g6 f5;
move). 10...c6 11.0-0 a5 B) 8.h5 e5 ( or 8...f4 9.h4 e5 )
is more logical and safer, but Short wants to 9.0-0-0 f5 10.e1 f4 11.h4 xe4
mix things up. ] 12.xe4 xg5 13.xg5 hxg5 14.xe5
11.0-0 xe5 15.xe5+ e7;
[ 11.xh6 gxh6 12.d2 c6 13.0-0 a5 C) 8.gxh6 xh6 with the better pawn
14.fb1 c7 is double-edged, but White structure, e.g. 9.e2 f5! 10.g3 e7 ]
has better long-term prospects. ] 5...e7 6.0-0-0
11...c7 12.xh6 gxh6 13.d2 f8?! [ And here 6.g4 c6 7.xe4 runs into
14.fc1 c6 15.f4 b4! ]
[ 15.c4! is extremely strong d8 ( 15...xa3 6...0-0 7.g4
16.xa3 dxc4 17.xc4+- with the idea d5.) [ White should settle for 7.xe4 , although
16.c5! g7 17.b5 xb5 18.xb5+ c6 he stands a bit passively after a5 ( 7...c6
19.a4 0-0 20.cb1 c7 21.b6 ] 8.f3 a5 with the idea 9.a4 d5 ) 8.a4
15...d7 16.c4! d8 17.c5!? d5 ( 8...bd7 9.f3 xe4 10.xe4
[ 17.cxd5 xd5 18.c4 ] f6 ) 9.f3 b6!? ( 9...c6 )]
17...g7 18.c2 0-0 19.e3? This allows a 7...a5!?
t h e m a t i c c o u n t e r a t t a c k wh i c h t u r n s t h e [ A good solution is 7...c6! 8.xe4 ( 8.g5
assessment around. Best was d5 9.xe4 xg5 ) 8...d4 ( 8...a5!? )
[ 19.g4! ] 9.d3 e5 10.h3 e6 ]
19...f6 20.exf6 xf6 21.g3 8.a4 b6 9.g5 a6!? Allowing White the
[ 21.d6!? e5! ] following nice idea. Arguably better was
21...f4 22.g4 h5 [ 9...d5 10.h4 c6 with the idea 11.xe4
[ 22...xg3! 23.hxg3 xf3! 24.gxf3 xd4 e5 ]
favours Black, e.g., 25.a5 h5 26.e3 f8 10.gxf6! xe2 11.fxe7 xe7 12.gxe2
27.f4 h4 ] f5?!
23.ge5 xe5 24.dxe5 h4 25.h3 ae8 [ 12...e5 13.g1 c6 14.xe4 gives White
[ A very odd place to resign, considering that decent chances. ]
the worst has been averted. Black has a [ Another option is 12...d7 13.xe4 h4 ]
significant advantage following 25...ae8 13.g1
26.e1 f7! ( 26...d4 27.ad1! xf3 [ 13.f4! e5 14.c4+ h8 15.hg1! ]

31
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13...d7
[ 13...f7 14.f4 d6 ]
14.f4! e5? his leads to huge trouble.
[ 14...c5! ]
15.e6 f7 16.c4 h8 17.d3 Not bad.
W hite would also have a considerable
advantage after the simple
[ 17.xc7 , e.g., c8 18.3b5! ]
17...f6?
[ 17...c6 ]
18.dxe4 fxe4 19.b5 c6??
[ But 19...d7 20.exc7 is pretty bad. ]
20.d6
[ Also winning is 20.a3 c5 21.d6 . ]
20...d5 21.xf7+ xf7 22.xg7 f4+
23.b1 g8 24.h5 White has a choice of
wins, the simplest being
[ 24.xd5 xg7 25.xc6 ]
24...xg1 25.xf4??
[ 25.xg1 and Black can't defend at all, e.g.,
xh2 ( 25...f5 26.f4! - among others -
exf3 27.e1! ) 26.g5 h1+ 27.c1
and Bxd5 with Nf6 is threatened, as well as
Rxe5. h2 28.xd5 cxd5 29.f6 ]
25...xd1+ 26.a2 b4+ 27.a3
[ Black should play on: 27.a3 xc2+
28.a2 d4 29.e2 g7 30.g3 g6 ]
½-½
38 C00
Schulz
McDonald,Neil R
Challengers Hastings 2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.f3
[ White can play an extreme form of his
Gambit idea with 2.a3 d5 Naturally other
moves are possible for Black- for example
( 2...c5 is a promising looking Sicilian
Defence! ) 3.e5 c5 4.b4 cxb4 5.axb4
c6!? ( By attacking e5 Black wants to rule
out an early queen foray as occurs after
5...xb4 6.g4 ) 6.f3 xb4 So after all
we end up back in the 2.Nf3 mainline of the
Gambit. 7.c3 f8?! ( Here I would
rec omm end t ran spo sing to th e S chu lz-
Kindermann game in the notes at move five
below after 7...e7 8.d4 f5 ) 8.d4 f5 9.d3
ge7 This knight manoeuvre leads to
trouble 10.a3 g6 11.g4! White plays in
vigorous style to open lines against the black
king. e7 12.gxf5 exf5 13.h4! e6
14.g5 d7 15.b5 xg5 16.xg5 0-0
17.h5 ge7 18.f4 a6 19.d6 d8
20.f3 f7 21.g3 h8 22.d2 g8
23.h4 af8 24.h6 g6 25.hxg7+ xg7
26.h2 xf4 27.xf4 fg8 28.xf5 xf5
29.xf5 and White had a decisive attack in
Kleinschroth,R-Schmidt,W /Ladenburg
1992. ]
2...d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4?! An annoying gambit.
Black wins a healthy pawn but is deprived of
the pressure on d4 which is central to all his
plans in the French mainline. cxb4 5.d4
[ The other method for White is 5.a3 c6
6.axb4 xb4 7.c3 e7 8.d4 f5 9.exf6
This makes things very easy for the black
knight on g8, but how else is White going to
open lines for his pieces? ( Here 9.d3
h6 10.xh6 gxh6 would transpose to the
Bosch game in the note to move 10 below.)
9...xf6 10.d3 0-0 11.a3 d7
12.e5? ( N e c e s s a r y w a s 12.0-0
wi t h s o m e f a i n t c o m p e n s a t i o n f o r t h e
pawn. ) 12...xe5 13.dxe5 e4 14.e3
c7 15.d4 xf2! 16.xh7+ ( Black has
many ways to win after 16.xf2 e.g. xc3+
17.f1 xf2+ 18.xf2 f8+ 19.e2
xe5+ 20.d2 b4+ 21.c2 f2+
22.b3 b2# ) 16...xh7 17.h5+ g8
18.xf2 xc3+ 19.e2 b2+ 0-1 Schulz,
H-Kindermann,S/Hamburg 1995. ]
5...c6 6.a3 h6 7.axb4 xb4+ 8.c3 e7
9.d3 f5? If I had never seen the position
before, I'm sure I would never have played 9...
f5- its drawbacks are obvious. But
unfortunately I had prepared for the game with
my computer, and that had put a bad idea in
my head! I had been impressed by the
strength of f7-f5! both in the Kindermann
game in the n otes a bove an d also in th e
Bosch game below. So when I had the chance
to play the move I took it! This shows clearly
the danger in thinking a move is good in itself,
without understanding the plan behind it. In
the Kindermann game Black only played f7-f5
when he could recapture on f6 with his knight
that was still on g8 in the Bosch game Black
d i d n ' t ve n t u r e N h 6 u n t i l t h e e n p a s s a n t
capture was no longer legal. In contrast, I let
32
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
White play both e5xf6 and Bxh6, opening up
all the lines on the kingside for his attack.
[ The correct move was 9...f5! keeping the
kingside blocked and avoiding any damage
to the pawn structure. Then 10.g4 ( Or
10.0-0 h5 11.a3 f8 12.c2 a5
13.e3 b6 14.c2 g6 15.d2 g7
and W hite was running out of play for the
pawn in Schulz,M-Barsov,A/ Untergrombach
1995. ) 10...h4 11.xh4 xh4 12.0-0
e7 13.f4 g6! Taking measures against
White's kingside pawn advance. It would be
a big mistake to castle kingside: Black wants
to castle queenside to sidestep the pawn
storm. 14.f5 exf5 15.gxf5 xf5 16.xf5
gxf5 17.h5 d7 18.a2 0-0-0 19.xf5
dg8+ 20.h1 g7 21.af2 d8
22.xd7+ xd7 23.a2 c6 and Black
succeeded in exploiting the extra pawn in
Terrac, J-Komarov,D/Hyeres 1992. ]
10.exf6
[ In another game by transposition- i.e. White
ne ve r ha d th e ch an ce to p la y e5 xf 6 e n
passant except when Nxf6 was possible-the
capture on h6 failed: 10.xh6 gxh6 11.g4?!
fxg4 12.fd2 g8 13.g1 h5 14.h3 d7!
15.hxg4 c7 16.f1 d7 17.g5 e8
18.xh7 xg5 19.xg5 xg5 20.a3 a6
and Black won in Bosch,J-Van der Tuuk,J/
Eindhoven 1989. ]
10...xf6 11.xh6 gxh6 12.d2!? e7!?
[ Interesting was 12...g7 13.c2!? 0-0
14.xh7+ h8 ]
13.xh6 g7 14.xg7 xg7 15.a2!
White aims to forestall the freeing move e6-e5.
Despite Black's inaccuracy at move 9 the
position is by no means bad for him. I guess
that says something about the inferiority of
the gambit 4.b4. d7 16.0-0 e7
[ Planning to use the king actively, but
16...0-0 had its merits as well. ]
17.e1 f6 18.bd2 d6 19.b3 b6
20.a6 ab8 21.h4 h6 22.g3 b5?
This is too ambitious, as the pressure on d4
that follows doesn't compensate for handing
the beautiful c5 square to the white knight.
Also ill advised is the other attempt to play
actively with
[ 22...e5?! 23.dxe5+ xe5 24.xe5 xe5
25.c4! hg8 26.d2 and the black king is a
target as in the game. So Black should have
made do with a modest waiting move such
as ]
[ 22...he8!? ]
23.c5 b4 24.b7 bxc3 It looks as if the
passed pawn gives Black an excellent game,
but alas... 25.xc6!
[ I was hoping for 25.xd7? xb7 26.xf6
f8 when Black regains the piece or if ]
[ 25.a6 xb7 26.xb7+ c7 27.c5
xd4! ]
25...xc6 26.xd7?
[ Now the game ends sharply with a draw by
repetition. Black has more problems after
26.c1! c8!? ( White wins after 26...b4?
27.xc3 xd4 28.xd4+ xd4 29.b3+
c4 30.a5+ ) 27.xc3 b1+ 28.g2 b6
etc. ]
26...xd7 27.xa7+ d8 28.xe6 b1+
29.g2 c2 The passed pawn saves Black.
30.d6+ e8 31.e6+ d8 32.d6+ e8
½-½
39 C00
Sedlak,Nikola 2570
Dvirnyy,Daniyl 2450
11th EICC Men (11) 17.03.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 It's not
often that you see two strong players
contesting the French Wing Gambit! I couldn't
resist showing this wild game, even if I won't
analyse it in any depth. You might refer to
Schulz-McDonald in the Archives for some
notes on this system. cxb4
[ Moskalenko devotes a few pages to the
solution 4...d4 5.bxc5 xc5 , which he
considers fine for Black, a main line going
6.a3 a5 7.xc5 xc5 8.c3 c6
9.cxd4 xd4 10.a4+ d7!! 11.xd4
c1+ 12.e2 b5+ with a terrific attack for
the piece. ]
5.a3
[ Meixner-Tran, Budapest 2010 saw 5.d4
c6 6.a3 bxa3 ( 6...f6 ) 7.c3 ( 7.xa3!? )
7...d7 ( 7...f6! ) 8.xa3 ge7 ( 8...f6 )
9.d3 c8 (a good idea, to cover d6 and
then perhaps move to b6 and cover the light
squares, but it takes a defender away from
the kingside) 10.0-0 ( 10.g5; 10.g5! )
33
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

10...e7 11.e1 b6?! 12.b5! c8 40 C00

( 12...0-0 13.d6 ) 13.g5 ( 13.g5! ) Seps,M 2198
13...a6 14.xe7 6xe7 and here 15.a3 Zatonskih,A 2508
wo u l d r e t a i n c o m p e n s a t i o n i n vi e w o f Frauenbundesliga 2011-12 (6.1) 21.01.2012
White's extra space. ] [John Watson]
5...c6 6.axb4 xb4 7.c3 e7 8.d4 h6
[ In my book, I suggest 8...f6 , with this is a 1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 cxb4
note. ] [ I should mention 4...c4 , a line with a good
[ A ga m e wit h 8...f5 is cited by Neil in the reputation which Simon Williams' gives as
Archives. ] his recommendation in his French book,
9.d3 which has really grown on me. I think there
[ 9.xh6 is critical, when gxh6 10.d3 f6 are improvements for Black in even the lines
can follow ] which have been considered equal. ]
9...f5 10.h4 h5!? 5.a3 d4 Recommended by Moskalenko and a
[ 10...d7 is a good alternative, to prepare ... number of other French Defence advocates.
Rc8 and ...Na5. ] 6.b2 c6 7.b5!? This is quite reasonable,
11.a3 a6 12.g5 d7 simply developing quickly with pressure on the
[ 12...f6! ] d-pawn.
13.c2 White has some compensation now. [ 7.axb4 has been played a good deal. ]
c8 14.e3!? 7...d7 8.0-0 bxa3?! A little greedy. White
[ 14.xf5 exf5 15.0-0 e6 16.d3 ] will get a significant lead in development and
14...g6 his knight can aim for d6.
[ Or 14...xe3 15.fxe3 a7 and ...Bb5 ] [ 8...ge7! 9.axb4 f5! is active, protects
15.xf5 gxf5 16.c4!? b4 17.cxd5? b5! d4, and attacks b4. This is double-edged, e.
White doubtless underestimated this. 18.xe7 g., the computer recommends 10.d3 xb4
xe7 19.d6 d8 unfortunately, without the 11.c3 dxc3 12.dxc3 e7 13.e2
ability to castle, White's monster pawn on d6 with compensation. ]
and dark-square control can't be exploited. 9.xa3 c5
20.b3 d3+ 21.d2 xf2 22.g5 [ 9...ge7 10.xd4 ( 10.d3!? g6
A bluff. 11.c4 ) 10...f5 ( 10...xd4 11.xd4 a6
[ 22.hc1 ] 12.c4! d5 13.xd7+ xd7 14.g4
22...0-0? with distinct attacking chances ) 11.b2 ]
[ 22...xh1! 23.xe6 xh4 24.c7+ 10.c4 ge7 11.d6+! xd6 12.exd6 f5
d8 ] 13.d3! xd6 14.xd4 White's bishops and
23.hc1 activity give him good compensation, rather
[ 23.h3 b6 ] more than enough. 0-0!? 15.xc6 xc6
23...b6 24.c2 c4? Perhaps in time 16.g4 e8 17.h3!?
trouble, Black is acting with an excess of [ 17.fe1 leaves Black a little stuck, and
caution, foregoing several shots. prepares Re5 or Re3 with a rook lift to the
[ 24...xc2+! 25.xc2 c8+ 26.b1 xc1+ kingside. This is not easy to counter. f5!
27.xc1 xd4 is not hard to assess! ] 18.g3 d7 19.e3 c7 20.xa7
25.e3 g4 26.f4 a4?? might follow, with the idea d5 21.c5 ]
[ 26...fc8 protects against 27.xe6 fxe6 17...f5 18.fe1! c7 19.e5!?
28.g5+ h7 ] [ 19.e3! with the idea Rg3 and a serious
27.xe6! fxe6 28.g5+ h8 attack. Note that all of White's pieces are
[ 28...h7?? 29.e7+ g8 30.xe6+ h8 active and have good scope. ]
31.xc4 ] 19...d5 20.c4 f6! 21.ad1?!
29.xh5+ g8 30.g5+ h8 31.h5+ [ 21.c3 ]
g8 A silly escape. 21...d7 22.b1?!
½-½ [ 22.c2 a5 23.d4 a4 24.xa4 xa4
25.d5! is unclear, e.g., xc4? 26.dxe6

34
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xe6 27.d6 ]
22...a4 23.d4?? Panic. Simply
[ 23.c1 xd2 24.a3 holds on, although
Black stands better following c6 ]
23...xd1 24.xd1 g4 25.g3 ac8
26.a2
[ 26.c5 xc5 ]
26...a4 Winning. 27.d2 a3 28.c2 d3
29.c1 d2
0-1
41 C00
Sergeev,Vladimir 2438
Vysochin,Spartak 2579
3rd Platonov Mem (2) 05.01.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.e2 d5!? The most radical
response to W hite's second move. Black
ignores the potential pin on the e6 pawn.
3.exd5
[ Of course White can play 3.d3 but then
Black has achieved d7-d5 with impunity. ]
3...xd5 4.f3
[ Perhaps slightly more precise is 4.c3
d8 5.g3 as in Vovk-Yysochin in the
ChessPub archives it took Black one move
longer to station his bishop on b7:5. ..Bd7,
then ...Bc6, ...b7-b6 and ...Bb7. ]
4...f6 5.c3 d8 6.g3 White develops in
quiet and methodical style. There is nothing
wrong with this approach to the position, as
long as it is followed by active play at the
correct moment. b6 7.g2 b7 8.b3 e7
9.b2 0-0 10.0-0 bd7 11.ad1 c6
Making a hole on c7 for his queen, after which
h e c a n c o n n e ct h i s r o o k s wi t h a n e q u a l
position. 12.fe1 c7 13.g5?! White has
fully centralised all his pieces, but now he has
no idea what he is meant to do. A position
can't go on forever without pawn moves, so it
wo uld m ak e s e nse t o seize sp a ce in t h e
centre with
[ 13.d4 ]
13...ad8 14.h4?! A useless weakening of
his kingside pawn structure. If he had to push
a pawn, then
[ 14.f4 would have the point that it controlled
the e5 square. ]
[ In such a position, Black should always
spend time looking at 14.xe6? even when
it seems perfectly clear that it doesn't work.
After all, it is the weakest square in his
centre. It doesn't take long to convince us
that W hite is just material down after fxe6
15.xe6+ f7 ]
14...fe8 15.d3 h6 16.ge4 a6!
Black intends to gain space in the centre, but
avoids the immediate
[ 16...c5 when White can force an
unwelcome simplification with 17.b5 b8
18.xf6+ xf6 19.xf6 xf6 20.e5
etc. ]
17.b1?! So much for the time gained with 5.
Nc3: White feels obliged to retreat the knight
again in order to clear the way for c2-c4. Life
would be so much easier of he was prepared
to play
[ 17.d4 ]
17...c5 18.bd2 d5 19.c4? Now White
generously presents his opponent with the d4
square and a target on d3. b4 20.f3 f5!
21.c3 f6 22.a3 c6 23.b1 xb2
24.xb2 e5! White's planless play has
allowed his opponent to gain a space
advantage in the centre. In what follows, the
senseless weakening moves 14.h4 and 19.c4
will come to haunt him. 25.c3 f6 26.b4
d4 27.xd4 cxd4 The weak square on d4
has vanished, but only at the cost of
in c r e a si n g t h e s i ze o f t h e b l a c k c e n t r e .
28.b1 xg2 29.xg2 d6 30.d2 e4!
The culmination of Vysochin's fine positional
play. White has to use desperate measures
to prevent his kingside being ripped apart
after 31... e3 and 32...f4 etc. 31.c5 bxc5
32.bxc5 xc5 33.dxe4 fxe4 34.b3 b6
It turns out that White can't recapture on d4,
which means that Black has a deadly passed
pawn. 35.a2 h8 36.b1 e3 37.fxe3
dxe3 38.e2 d5 39.ec1 f8 40.c5
g6 41.h3 f2 42.d3 f4+ If losing his
queen wasn't the worst of White's troubles, he
is mated next move on g2.
0-1
35
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
42 C00
Shivaji,Shivkuma 2257
Shulman,Yuri 2549
Open Lindsborg USA (8) 21.12.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 My thanks to Shivkumar Shivaji, Jose
Blades and Taljeching for their input into the
analysis that follows. 2.c3 d5 3.f3 d4
4.e2 c5 5.c3 c6 6.cxd4 f6!?
You can find analysis to these curious
opening moves in the notes to Bielczyk-Socko
on ChessPub. 7.e5 d7 8.dxc5 dxe5
9.xe5 xe5 10.d4 xc5 11.e3 b4+
12.c3 c6 13.e2
[ According to Shivkumar Shivaji, the player
o f W h i t e , it wa s c o n clu d e d in t h e p o s t
m o r t e m w i t h S h u l m a n t h a t 13.d3!?
offered White better chances. I would like to
be able to make e5 work here, rather than
submit to being slightly worse after However,
( 13...0-0 14.0-0 ) 14.dxe5 xe5 15.b5+
( 15.e4!? ) 15...d7 16.d5!?
looks awkward for Black. He can try the
heroic 0-0!? but it seems to fail: 17.xd7
( Instead 17.xe5 a5 leaves the p on b5
pinned. If necessary, Black could play a7-a6
to win back the piece.) 17...xd7 18.xb7
and W hite looks to be a fairly safe pawn
up. ]
13...a5
[ Jose Blades gives the variation 13...0-0
14.0-0 e7 15.a3 d6 ( I think 15...xc3
16.bxc3 b6 followed by Bb7 and then
attacking the hanging pawns with Rfd8 and
Rac8 should be fully OK for Black. He is
solid enough not to be bothered by the
white bishop pair.) 16.d3 d8 17.ad1
with some advantage to White. ]
14.0-0
[ Instead 14.b3 e5! equalised for Black in
Bielczyk,J-Socko,B/Lubniewice POL 2005
as given on ChessPub. ]
14...xc3
[ Safer and better is 14...0-0! Then
A) Black is at least fine after 15.d3 d8
16.a3 xc3 17.xc3 xc3 ( rather than
17...f5!? 18.ac1 ) 18.bxc3 b6
compare this with the note to 13...0-0 after
13...Qa5 above. The exchange of queens
is also helpful for Black.;
B) 15.b3 is critical- Blades. e5!? 16.a3
( White has nothing after 16.d5 d4 or;
16.dxe5 e6 17.c2 xe5 ) 16...exd4!?
( 16...xc3 17.bxc3 and White has a
small plus.) 17.axb4 e5 Black is a piece
down, but he is getting it back without any
damage to his pawn structure, unless I'm
missing something. If 18.b5 e7 etc. ]
15.bxc3 xc3 16.d5
[ White should probably play 16.c1! a3
( Black could try 16...a5 so that he can
castle without allowing the d4-d5 and Bc5
trick that wins the exchange with the queen
on a3.But 17.c5!? gives White a
dangerous attack, e.g. xa2?! 18.c4 a3
19.g4 0-0? 20.h6 ) 17.f3 d7
( the problem is 17...0-0? 18.d5 e5
19.c5 xf3+ 20.gxf3 xa2 21.xf8
xf8 22.d6 and White should win.) 18.d5
e5 19.e4 and White has a formidable
attack- Blades and Taljeching. ]
16...exd5 17.c1 a5 18.c5 e6 19.b3
0-0-0 20.b1 b6 There follows an exciting
battle, with Black looking to be on the brink of
defeat but White has no way to break through
and eventually the extra pawns make the
difference. 21.b5 b7 22.xc6+ xc6
23.b4 a6 24.a4 b7 25.a5 b5 26.g3
g6 27.fc1 c8 28.h4 h5 29.h3 he8
30.f6 a8 31.c5 c6 32.c3 ec8
33.bc1 xa5 34.b4 b6 35.a1 c4
36.ca3 c1+ 37.h2 xa1 38.xa1 c4
39.d2 b4 40.f4 b3 41.e5 xf4
42.xf4 b2 43.b1 f5 44.e1 b1
45.e8+ b8
0-1
43 C00
Stein,Leonid
Kortschnoj,Viktor
Stockholm Interzonal (4) 31.01.1962
[Nigel Davies]
Here's the Stein game which Korchnoi told me
about after our rather similar encounter. The
exchange of pawns on e4 is supposed to be
'bad', but Stein doesn't get very far here. 1.e4
c5 2.f3 e6 3.d3 c6 4.g3 d5 5.bd2
f6 6.g2 e7 7.0-0 0-0 8.e1
It's interesting that Stein is in no great hurry
36
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
to push his e-pawn on to e5. Actually I think
there's been a lot of propaganda about
W hite's kingside attack after Fischer -
Miagmasuren plus various well-chosen losses
by Wolfgang Uhlmann before he worked out
how to play the thing. In reality White's attack
lacks power because of his lack of pawn
levers. So waiting for a while with flexible
developing m ove s makes p erf ect sen se ,
keeping open options such as capturing on
d5. c7 9.f1 Stein STILL waits, even after
Black's queen has gone to the supposedly
dubious c7 square (8...b5 would later become
the accepted move). I think there's a stronger
case for 9.e5 after Black's 8...Qc7, but I do
understand why W hite delays still further.
dxe4!? 10.dxe4 d8 11.e2 e5 12.c3
S t o p p in g 1 2 . . . Nd 4 b u t a llo win g B la ck t o
prevent Bc1-g5 with his 12...h6. This allows
Black to keep an extra defender of the d5
square. h6 13.h4 g4 14.f3
[ I think there's a case for leaving White's f-
pawn unblocked with 14.c2 . This would
also pave the way for ejecting a Black rook
from d3 with a later Bg2-f1. ]
14...e6 15.f5 f8 16.g2
[ A later game, Rubinetti, J-Schweber, S,
Bu en o s A ire s 1 96 5 varied wit h 16.1e3
t h o u g h B l a c k st i l l s t o o d we ll a f t e r h7
17.g2 g6 , driving White's knight away
from f5. ]
16...d7 17.f3 d8 White was threatening
18.Nxh6+. 18.h4 d3 19.e2 c4 20.h5
c8 21.1e3 b5 22.f3
[ Another possibility was 22.d5 but then
xf5 23.xf6+ xf6 24.exf5 xf5 25.e4
d7 26.xd3 cxd3 gives Black more than
enough for the exchange. ]
22...a5 A critical moment at which Korchnoi
might have done better perhaps he wanted to
keep his dangerous opponent at arms length
by playing quietly.
[ Black can also play 22...g6 when 23.hxg6
fxg6 24.h4 g4 wins White's queen,
though admittedly he gets an assortment of
material and positional compensation after
25.xg4 xf3 26.xf3 . ]
[ Another possibility was 22...b4!? when
23.f1 bxc3 24.bxc3 xc3 25.b2
win s t h e e x c h a n g e , t h o u gh f o r a lo t o f
compensation after xf5 26.exf5 d4
27.g2 d3 . ]
23.f1 d7 24.g4 xg4 25.xg4 h7
26.f3 b7 Black's knight is en route for c5
and d3, but now W hite can rustle up
counterplay along the a-file. 27.b4 cxb3
28.axb3 b4 29.c4 c5 30.b1?!
[ White should probably have played the
more active 30.b2 . ]
30...f6 31.h4 xf3 32.xf3 f6
Th is e nd gam e is clea rly b et te r f or B la c k
though Stein manages to scramble a draw.
33.h4 cd8 34.g6 d6 35.f3 c7
36.e3 b6 37.f4 d3 38.xb6 axb6
39.e3 g4 40.e2 xe2 41.xe2 d4
42.e3 a8 43.f1 e8 44.a1 c5
45.fxe5 fxe5 46.ae1 d7 47.f1 f6
48.f5 xe4 49.xe4 xe4 50.g2 c5
51.xe5 xb3 52.d7 d4 53.d5 e2+
54.h3 e6
[ It was probably very difficult to choose
between this and 54...e4 . ]
55.b5 g5+ 56.g4 e4+ 57.f5 xc4
58.xb6 f3 59.xc4 d4+ 60.e4
xb5 61.d2 g8 62.d5 a3 63.e6
c2 64.b3 e3 65.e5 g4+ 66.f5
f6 67.g4 f7 68.d4 d7 69.b3 g5
70.hxg6+ g7 71.e6 f8+ 72.d5 xg6
73.c4 g5 74.xb4 xg4 75.c3 e6
76.d3 g3 77.e2 g2 78.d2 h5
79.f3 f4+ 80.e3 d5+ 81.e2 f4+
82.e3 e6 83.e2 g7 84.e1+ g3
85.f1 h4 86.g1 h3 87.d3 e6 88.f2
½-½
44 C00
Steinitz,William
Golmayo Zupide,Celso
Havana 1883
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.e5 d6 The obvious response to
White's second move. Black doesn't have this
op tion in t h e no rma l Fre nch A dva nc e a s
pawns can't move backwards!
[ After 2...c5 Steinitz's preferred treatment
was to f ianch etto h is king's bishop. He
enjoyed success with this method as no one
in the 1880s knew how to play such
positions as Black. However, if you want to
m a ke B la ck u n co m f o r t a b l e i n t h e 2 1 s t
37
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
century, I would suggest you try to find a
way to trick him into the unfamiliar territory
of the 2.c3 Sicilian. This can be done with
3.f3 ( Or similarly 3.c3 d6 4.exd6 xd6
5.f3 f6 6.d4 cxd4 7.cxd4 c6 8.c3 )
3...c6 4.c3!? d6 5.exd6 xd6 6.d4 cxd4
7.cxd4 f6 8.c3 We have a position, in
which the black bishop is slightly misplaced
on d6. If Black only plays the French, this
might upset him! ]
3.exd6 cxd6
[ I think White has a slight edge after
3...xd6 4.d4 f o r e xa m p l e c6 5.f3
ge7 6.d3 e5 7.dxe5 xe5 8.xe5
xe5 9.0-0 when Black cannot castle: 0-0?
10.xh7+ xh7 11.h5+ ]
4.d4 f6 5.f4?! An ugly move, but in 1883 it
was the best move! According to the opening
knowledge of the day, Black had to play d6-d5
at some point, when 5.f4 supports Ne5.
[ Here 5.f3!? is nothing special for White,
but he can still play for advantage. ]
5...d5? Golmayo wasn't a bad player-indeed,
he is mentioned by Capablanca as being the
top player at the very strong Havana Chess
Club in the 1890s. But he lived and played his
chess in an age before the strength of the
restrained centre-or hedgehog- was
understood. These days we all know about
the durability of the black centre that occurs
after say 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4
Nf6 5.Nc3 d6. However, this is only general
k n o wle d ge b e ca u se o f lo t s o f g a m e s b y
pioneers of the Sicilian Defence. In Golmayo's
day no one knew about the Sicilian Kan or
Taimanov: they hadn't been invented!
Therefore Golmayo rushes to play 5...d5 and
put his b is hop on d 6. How co uld h e p la y
otherwise in an age when opening theory
demanded a quick ...d5 or ...e5 by Black?
Furthermore, a fianchetto of a bishop would
have been regarded as an eccentricity, so to
fianchetto both bishops would have made
Black a laughing stock. Here is the way I think
Black should have played:
[ 5...g6! 6.f3 g7 7.d3 0-0 8.0-0 a6
9.c4 b6 10.c3 b7 followed by Nbd7 and
Black has a very good piece deployment. ]
6.d3 c6 7.f3 d6 8.c3 c7 9.g3
d7? It becomes clear that Black has no real
grasp of how to handle the semi-closed centre
that has arisen. Instead of this routine
developing move, he should have fought back
in the centre with
[ 9...e4! followed by f7-f5. ]
10.bd2 h6?! Here a diversion with 10...Rb8
and b7-b5 was necessary. 11.e5 xe5?!
12.fxe5 g8 13.0-0 ge7 14.h5 g6
15.h4 h7 16.f3 0-0-0 17.g5 g7
18.xh6 dg8 19.xf7 f5 20.xf5 xf7
21.xf7 gxf5 22.h7 g4 23.h8+ d8
24.g5
1-0
45 C00
Steinitz,William
Winawer,Szymon
playoff Vienna (1) 1882
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.e5 As Black has avoided blocking
the pawn with 1...e5-almost compulsory in
those far off days-Steinitz takes the chance to
seize more space. This isn't surprising when
you consider that in the King's Gambit White
is willing to give up a pawn with 2.f4 to clear
the way for the e pawn! f6!? An odd looking
move, but Winawer had faced 2.e5 before so
it wasn't just a spur of the moment decision.
Besides it was also used by Tarrasch in the
game given below. 3.d4 The only consistent
move. If
[ 3.exf6?! xf6 when Black has eliminated
White's space advantage, gained a lead in
development and has the potential to attack
down the f file. ]
[ If in stea d 3.f4? fxe5 4.fxe5?? h4+
and White can happily resign. ]
3...c5 Black attacks the support of the e5
pawn. 4.dxc5
[ Another attempt for a quick kill is 4.d3!?
f5 Critical is ( 4...g6 5.h4!? cxd4 6.h5 g5
7.exf6 xf6 8.f3 h6 9.xd4 etc. )
5.g4!? ( A less wild approach is 5.d5!? )
5...cxd4 6.gxf5 a5+ 7.c3! White avoids
t h e t e m p t i n g ( 7.f1 xe5 8.f3
as he realises he can start a speedier attack
by castling.) 7...xe5+ 8.e2 c6 9.0-0!
c5 10.e1 Now Pollock rapidly develops
an overwhe lming at ta ck. S eld om co uld
Tarrasch have been crushed in such a style!
38
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
The lesser lights of the 19th century could
also pla y gre at ch e ss on o cca sio n . f6
11.d2 exf5 12.cxd4 e7 13.f3 d8
14.g5 f7 15.xe7+ gxe7 16.d2 h6
17.e5 xe5 18.dxe5 b6 19.f4 b7
20.b5 c6 21.e6 e7 22.g6 g5+
23.xg5+ hxg5 24.xh8 d4 25.e7+
1-0 Pollock,W-Tarrasch,S/Hastings 1895. ]
[ Note that White can't keep a fixed centre,
for if 4.c3 cxd4 5.cxd4 fxe5 6.dxe5?
( 6.h5+ g6 7.xe5 f6 ) 6...a5+
and White loses a pawn. ]
4...xc5 5.c3 c7 An ambitious move. Not
[ 5...fxe5 6.h5+ g6? ( 6...f8! ) 7.xe5
hitting both c5 and h8. Perhaps best was ]
[ 5...c6!? when if 6.e4? xe5 7.xc5
a5+ regains the piece a pawn up. ]
6.f4 b6 Steinitz once said of Winawer that
he had a 'kill or cure style'. I guess this is
what he meant: Black grabs a lot of material
b u t u n d e r g o e s a m a s s i v e a t t a c k . 7.d2
xf2+!? I'm sure the complications that follow
have been analysed somewhere by the top
players of the 19th century, but alas I don't
have the right book: Informator doesn't go
back to 1882! In my opinion White's attack is
g o o d e n o u g h f o r a t l e a s t a d r a w . 8.xf2
xb2 9.d2 xa1 10.b5 a6 11.d6+
f8 12.xa6 bxa6 13.c5 e7 14.e2!
In the best style of Adolf Anderssen. Still, I
guess it was better to be attacked in a wild
melee by Steinitz 'the Father of Positional
Chess' rather than be defending passively!
xh1 15.exf6 gxf6 16.h6+ g8 17.d4?
[ Instead 17.e4!? hits both e7 and f6. If
then f7 ( 17...xh2 18.f4! followed by
Q xe 7 a n d Nxf 6 wit h m a t e .) 18.d6+
is a draw by repetition. I can't see a better
move for White, e.g. ]
[ 17.f5 g6! 18.e7+ f7! or if ]
[ 17.xc8 xc8 18.xe7 xg2 etc. ]
17...xh2 Now White's attack begins to run
out of steam. 18.f4 h5 19.xf6 d5
20.d8+ g7 21.a5 xf4 22.c3+ e5
23.xf4 g5 24.g3 f8 25.e4 e7
26.d5 e6 27.c7 h6+ A sad end to
W hite's inspired attack. Black won without
developing either his queen's rook or bishop!
0-1
46 C00
Strikovic,Aleksa 2557
Fernandez Romero,Ernesto 2434
X Open Campillos ESP (7) 01.03.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 In the style of Philidor: White gets in f2-f4
before putting a knight on f3. Now he has a
grip o n t h e e 5 squ a re in t he st yle o f t h e
Classical Variation. c5 6.f3 c6 7.g3 h6?
Black very kindly gives his opponent an extra
tempo, after which the game ceases to be of
theoretical interest. On the other hand, it
shows how White's strategic plan unfolds.
[ More sensible is 7...b6 when White built up
some pressure in the following game: 8.g2
b7 9.c4! the key move as usual. d4
10.0-0 g6 a precaution against the f4-f5
advance. 11.bd2 c7 12.e4 e7
13.d2 h6 14.a3 a5 15.b3 0-0-0 16.h4
de8 17.fe1 hf8 18.f2 Here Black
should sit tight: it's difficult to see how his
opponent can arrange a b3-b4 breakthrough,
whilst if White started pushing pawns on the
k i n g s i d e i t wo u l d i n e vi t a b l y a l l o w h i m
counterplay. Instead Black went active with
f6? and had an unpleasant endgame after
19.g4 fxe5 20.fxe5 cxe5 21.xe5
xe5 22.xe5 xe5 23.xe5 xg2
24.xg2 f6 25.e4 though he managed
to hold the draw in Leon Hoyos, M-
Nakhapetiane, P/Kemer TUR 2007. ]
8.g2 c7 9.c4! And now comes a powerful
ce n t r e b lo w. I t c o m b in e s we l l wi t h B g 2 -
whether Black pushes forwards with d5-d4 or
exchanges with d5xc4, White's light squared
bishop enjoys the open diagonal. At the same
time, White's knight will acquire the e4 square,
a nice centre outpost. Black's prospective
queenside counterplay with ...b7-b5 is also
nipped in the bud. d4 10.bd2 e7 11.0-0
b6 12.e4 b7 13.f5! White has built up his
game in smooth style and now the storm
breaks. 0-0-0
[ Black can't capture either of the white
c e n t r e p a wn s wi t h i m p u n i t y : 13...dxe5
14.fxe6 fxe6 15.xe5 xe5 16.xc5!
bxc5 ( after 16...xg2 17.xg2 the rook on
a8 is hanging.) 17.xb7 xb7 18.xe5
and Black loses a pawn without even getting
39
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
to shelter his king. Or ]
[ 13...exf5 14.d6+ f8 15.xb7 xb7
16.e6 fxe6 17.xe6 when the gruesome
pin on the long diagonal and the attack on f5
mean that Black is lost. ]
14.fxe6 fxe6 15.h3 dxe5
[ Walking into a pin, but if 15...f8 16.f4
g5 17.d6+ b8 18.xb7 xb7 19.d2
and no doubt White's light squared bishop
will re t u rn t o g2 in t riu m p h in t h e n e a r
future. ]
16.xe5 xe5 17.f4 b8 18.ae1 g5
Black has to break the pin, but now he is
forced into an endgame a pawn down.
19.xg5 xg5 20.xe5 e3+ 21.xe3
dxe3 22.xc7+ xc7 23.xe3 e5 24.f7+
b8 25.d7 hf8 26.xf8 xf8 27.xe5
f3 28.f5 c7 29.e7+
1-0
47 C00
Strikovic,Aleksa 2533
Timman,Jan H 2580
World Open Leon ESP rapid (7) 27.12.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 f6 4.e5
Something of a Strikovic speciality rather than
the 'normal'
[ 4.f3 ]
4...fd7 5.f4 White has broken the law of
rapid development by moving his queen and
four pawns in the first five moves. On the
o t h e r h a n d h e h a s a ch ie ve d a d e s ira b l e
objective: the spear head on e5 is already
supported by the f4 pawn. Now the further
advance f4-f5 is always on the cards.
Jumping ahead, it will come in the game in
decisive fashion. c5 6.f3 c6 7.g3 b6
8.g2 a6? A very serious mistake after
wh ich B lac k f alls in t o a b in d . W h ite wa s
intending to play his next move anyway, and
so putting the bishop on a6 is just a waste of
time. Black should play
[ 8...b7 opposing the white bishop on g2.
You might like to consult the notes to the
Strikovic-Fernandez Romero game in the
archives. ]
9.c4! c7 10.0-0 dxc4 11.dxc4 b7
12.c3 a6 Already Timman feels he must
take a precaution against the idea of Nb5
combined with Rd1 and Nd6+. 13.e3 e7
14.ad1 Now Strikovic is ready to increase
the pressure down the d-file with 15. Ne4 and
16.Nd6. Note that the idea of a Nd5 sacrifice
would miss the mark, as Black could escape
by capturing the knight with exd5 and after
the recapture c4xd5 simply castle kingside,
returning the piece. f5? Timman knows the
importance of counterplay, and so
immediately fights for the e4 square. If White
now captures on f6, he will have exchanged
off the pawn that would support the knight on
the d6 square. Clever, clever Timman- far
cleverer than the rest of us: but because of
this he loses in 21 moves! A top player is on
the whole defeated less often than the rest of
us, but when he or she does lose it is often in
more drastic fashion. Here's such a case:
most of us would just play a solid move like
[ 14...0-0 and submit to the unpleasant
p o s i t i o n a l p r e s s u r e a f t e r 15.e4
Nothing fatal would happen to us for the
moment, but over time we'd most likely be
slowly ground down by the 2533 Elo player.
Timman knows it's best to gamble with 14...
f 5 , b u t a la s f o r h im h e h a s o ve rlo o k e d
White's powerful 16th move. ]
15.exf6 gxf6 He recaptures with the pawn to
control g5 as well as e5, as
[ 15...xf6 16.g5 leaves the e6 pawn
horribly weak. ]
16.f5! Splintering the black centre. e5 17.d5
A gruesome situation for Black. The white
knight has found a far stronger square than
d6. d6
[ Giving up the queen is hopeless, but there's
no joy in 17...b8 18.h4 h5 to stop a
queen check on h5. If Black castled instead
then 19. Nxe7+ would win the knight on d7.
19.f3 planning 20.Bxh5+ etc. ]
[ Or 17...c8 18.g5!
A) It's a massacre after 18...fxg5 e.g.
19.h5+ f8 ( Or 19...d8 20.xb6 )
20.f6 d6 21.h6+ f7 22.g7+ e8
23.f7+ d8 24.xg5+ e7 25.xe7+
xe7 26.f8+ xf8 27.xf8+ xf8
28.e7#;
B) 18...0-0 19.e6 and White h as
achieved absolute positional domination
with his knights. Here's a spectacular
40
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

finish: f7 20.g4+ h8 21.h5! g8 xf3 18.xf3 xf3+ 19.xf3 g5 20.xg5
( If 21...g8 22.dc7 when a8 and d7 xg5 21.f1 e7 with approximate
both hang.) 22.h6! threatening 23.Qg4+ equality. ]
and then 24.Bg7+ f8 23.xf8 xf8 8.d4 White establishes what used to be called
24.xf6+! xf6 25.d5+ h8 26.g5! 'the Big Clamp' by Canadian master Lawrence
a n d t h e m a t e t h re a t s o n g 8 , g7 o r f 6 Day. cxd4
cannot all be adequately contained. ] [ 8...b6 would be more flexible White is
18.xb6 xb6 19.xd6 xd6 20.d2 unlikely to play dxc5. ]
d7 21.e4 A startlingly easy victory for 3. 9.cxd4
Qe2. [ 9.cxd4!? ]
1-0 9...b6 10.d3 e7 11.xf5!? Generally
t h i s i s a h a r m l e ss e xc h a n g e , a n d B l a c k
should stand well enough, but with a pawn
48 C00 committed to h5, one of his typical sources of
Stripunsky,Alexander 2570 counterplay - ...h6 and ...g5 - is missing. exf5
Macak,Stefan 2411 12.0-0 e6 13.e3!?
38th World Open (4) 02.07.2010 [ 13.d3 ]
[John Watson] 13...a5!?
[ 13...xb2!? isn't at all clear, since 14.d3
1.e4 e6 2.f4 It's always interesting when a ( 14.b1 xa2 15.xb7 0-0 ) 14...b6
grandmaster essays upon an irregular move. 15.ab1 c7 leaves White looking for full
d5 compensation. ( or 15...a6 )]
[ 2...c5 3.f3 is a 2 f4 Grand Prix-style 14.b1 b5
Sicilian without allowing 1 e4 c5 2 f4 d5! ] [ 14...g6 and 15...0-0 looks safe enough. ]
3.e5 c5 4.f3 c6 5.c3 ge7 Black has 15.f2 b4
alternatives that also counter W hite's big [ 15...h4!? ]
central buildup: 16.a3 xc2 17.xc2 d7!? A typical
[ 5...f6 6.d4 b6 7.a3 ( 7.d3!? fxe5 French move maybe it would be more
8.fxe5 h6 ) 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 fxe5 appropriate with fewer pieces on the board.
(This is a bit inf lexible. B lack might try [ 17...0-0 18.h4 xh4 19.xh4 fc8
( 8...h6 9.c2 e7 10.d3 0-0 11.0-0 20.d1 g6 ]
d7 instead ) 9.fxe5 b4+ 10.d2 xd2+ 18.a4 b6 19.d1
11.xd2 h6 12.c2 0-0 ( 12...xb2?! [ 19.g5!? ]
13.d3 b6 14.0-0 0-0 15.ab1 19...ac8 20.e1! c6 21.c3 Now White's
a n d Ng5 wit h a t t a ck .) 13.d3 d7 centre is rock solid and, as indicated, Black
this looks level. ] has no way to organise a kingside break. Still,
[ 5...h6 6.a3 e7 ( 6...f5 transposes W h i t e wi ll h a ve t o wo rk h a rd t o a c h i e v e
t o t h e g a m e) 7.c2 0-0 8.d4 b6 anything. a6 22.h3
is also possible, refusing to commit to ... [ 22.e1! a8 23.b4! ]
Nf5 until he sees where the f1 bishop is 22...g6 23.d2
heading. ] [ 23.e1! a8 24.b4 d3!? ]
6.a3 f5 7.c2 h5!? Fine, but not really 23...hc8! 24.a1
necessary, since g4 can be answered by ... [ 24.g5 xg5 25.fxg5 e8 ]
Nh6. [ 24.xa5 c2 25.e1 e2 26.d1 cc2 ]
[ Neil presented the game Fogarasi, T (2477)- 24...8c7 25.fc1 b6 26.h2 c8
Porat, S (2386), Budapest 2004, which went [ 26...e8 27.e1 f8 28.c2 c4
7...f6 8.d4 fxe5 9.fxe5 h4!? 29.e3 b3 ]
( Neil suggests simply 9...e7 10.d3 0-0 27.g1 h4 28.d3 e8 29.e2 d7
11.0-0 d7 ) 10.g5!? ( 10.e3 ) 10...g6 30.b3 a8 31.e1 xc1 32.xc1 xc1
11.g3 f5 12.d3 e7 13.f3 0-0 14.0-0 33.xc1 c6 The opening is well over and
cxd4 15.cxd4 d7 16.g4 h4 17.h6 the game stands even. It's not clear to me how

41
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

or if W hite won the game, since the f inal doesn't have a lead in development! Instead
position gives no indication. Perhaps Black he tries a slower, positional approach which
lo s t o n t i m e . 34.d2 d8 35.e2 b5 opens the d file and guards the d4 square
36.c3 e7 with gain of time. ]
[ 36...b4= ] 11...c5 12.e2 g6 13.d1?
37.e1 e6 38.d2 b4 39.b5 c8 [ With the advantage of hindsight I would
40.a7 c7 41.xc8 xc8 42.d3 c6 r e c o m m e n d t h e i m m e d i a t e 13.bd2
43.d2 e7 44.g1 d7 45.f2 c7 followed if necessary by bolstering the e5
46.e1 d7 47.d1 d8 48.e1 e7 pawn with Rfe1: overprotection of the key e5
49.f2 d8 50.e2 e7 51.f3 e6 point in good Nimzowitschian style. ]
52.d3 d8 53.g3 hxg3 54.xg3 e7 13...c7 14.c4 0-0 15.bd2 a6 16.a4
55.e1 d8 56.h4 e7 57.e2 b6 fd8 17.e4 e7 18.d6
58.d3 c6 59.f2 d8 60.f1 e7 [ The culmination of White's strategy: he has
61.e2 f8 62.e1 b6 63.d3 c6 no time to wait as if for example 18.e3
64.e2 e7 65.f2 f8 66.f3 e7 t h e n h i s c e n t r e c o l l a p s e s a f t e r gxe5!
67.g2 d8 68.e2 d7 69.f3 e7 19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 xe5 21.xd7
70.d3 f8 xd7! 22.xd7?! xa1+ and mates. A
[ 70...e6 71.h5 gxh5 ] critical moment has now been reached.
71.h5 h6 Black has to come up with a feat of
[ 71...e6 72.hxg6 fxg6 73.g3 f7 calculation to prove he can capture on e5 or
74.h3 e7 75.h7+ f8 ] else W hite's strong knight on d6 will give
72.f3 e6 73.hxg6 fxg6 74.e3 f8 him strong play for the pawn. ]
75.f1 f7 76.d3 e6 77.e2 e7 18...cxe5!! Kiriakov produces the goods. I
78.d1 f8 79.f2 wonder if he had already seen his killer 23rd
1-0 move or whether he was relying on intuition? It
is possible he calculated it all in view of the
forcing nature of the play- a series of captures.
49 C00 19.xe5 xa4 20.exf7 xd6!
Tate,Emory 2353 [ It would be disastrous to let White exploit
Kiriakov,Petr 2553 the black king after 20...xd1? 21.xe6
CCA Vermont Open (5) 06.06.2003 when there is the famous smothered mate
[Neil McDonald] after xd6?! 22.h6+ h8 23.g8+ xg8
24.f7# ]
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 It's that 21.xd8 f4! Another highly important move.
annoying wing gambit again! cxb4 5.a3 Black guards the e6 square against Qxe6+
[ The alternative is 5.d4 which is examined with gain of time. 22.e4 xd1 23.xb7
in one of my own games, Schulz-McDonald, N o w i t a p p e a r s t h a t B l a c k i s i n s e r i o u s
on ChessPub. ] trou ble : h e is te mpo rarily a p iece up bu t
5...d4! Eminently logical as it prevents White W hite has threats of both 24.Rxd1 and 24.
establishing his centre with d2-d4. 6.b2 c6 Nxd6 uncovering an attack on the rook on a8,
7.b5 d7 8.axb4 xb4 9.0-0 ge7 10.c3 w h e n B e 5 w o u l d b e t h e o f f i n g a s w e l l .
[ This makes the gambit permanent but However, Kiriakov has prepared a sting in the
White didn't offer a pawn just to end up in a tail. c2! White resigned as he is left a piece
loose position after 10.xc6 xc6 11.xd4 down after 24.xc2 xb7 Again, I can't help
( 11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4 b5 ) 11...xd4 wondering whether the Russian GM saw this
12.xd4 0-0 when Black has the two saving- and winning!- move when he took the
bishops and a lead in development. ] e5 pawn. Kiriakov either calculates very well
10...dxc3 11.dxc3 A strange looking or has marvellous intuition!
recapture, but White can't play for a knockout 0-1
blow based on rapid development with
[ 11.xc3 for the simple reason that he

42
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
50 C00
Timman,Jan H 2655
Kortschnoj,Viktor 2659
Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (8) 24.01.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.e2 f6 4.f3 e7
5.g3 b5!? I like this idea a lot. Black seizes
space on the queenside without playing the
immediate ...c5. 6.g2?!
[ Instead 6.e5!? fd7 7.h4 c5 8.h3 c6
9.f4 ( 9.0-0! ) 9...0-0 transposes
McDonald-Bigg. White should certainly give
this a try as in the present game he soon
stands worse. ]
6...dxe4 7.dxe4 b4! 8.a3 a6 9.d2 c6
10.e5 d5 This already looks very
comfortable for Black. His minor pieces are all
on excellent squares. W hite has to thin k
about equality now with the lame retreat of his
bishop. 11.f1 xf1 12.xf1 a5 13.g2
0-0 14.e2 d7 15.e1 fd8 16.axb4
axb4 17.xa8 xa8 18.bd2 b6 19.c4
xc4 20.xc4 a5 21.e4 d5!
Black has the edge due to his space
advantage on the queenside and W hite's
weakness on e5. 22.c3 bxc3 23.bxc3 h5
24.d2 xe4 25.xe4 c5 26.f1?!
[ W h i t e b e g i n s t o d r i f t . H e r e 26.c4!
looks safer. ]
26...e7 27.e1 a2 28.b1 b6 29.c4?
c6 30.e1 c2 31.a1
[ White has to give up the c pawn
immediately as 31.c1 xc1+ 32.xc1
a5 33.d2 d4 34.f4 e3 would be
even worse. ]
31...xc4 32.a8+ h7 33.f8 xe5!
Perhaps W hite missed this move when he
chose to sacrifice his c pawn to activate the
rook. Now he faces a hard struggle to draw.
He e ve n t u a ll y a ch ie ve s it , b u t I s u sp e c t
Korchnoi could have won somehow. 34.xe5
e4+ 35.d1 xe5 36.xf7 d5 37.c1
g6 38.e7 f6 39.e8 f7 40.c8 e5
41.e3 xe3+ 42.fxe3 d7 43.e4 f6
44.c2 d4 45.xc7 xe4 46.d2 g6
47.h3 g5 48.h7 g6 49.e7 f5 50.f7+
e6 51.g7 f6 52.h7 h4 53.g4 a4
54.h6+ f7 55.e3 a3+ 56.e4 xh3
57.a6 g3 58.f5 f3+ 59.xg5 h3
60.a2 e4 61.e2 e3 62.h4 g6 63.g5
f5 64.g6 xg6 65.g4
½-½
51 C00
Vovk,Yuri 2441
Vysochin,Spartak 2555
2nd Geller Mem Open-A (5) 23.09.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.e2 d5
[ Another offbeat line is 2...f6!? 3.e5
( White can refuse to be provoked with
3.f3 when there could follow d5 etc. )
3...d5 We now have an odd Alekhine
Defence in which Black wishes to prove that
the move e7-e6 is of more value than Qe2.
In the following extract he succeeded in
doing so, but it required the assistance of
some impetuous pawn moves by W hite:
4.f3 d6 5.d4 c5! A logical pawn stab, as
the white queen is no longer guarding the d4
pawn. 6.c4 b4 7.exd6 cxd4 8.xd4
xd6 9.f5 0-0 10.xd6 xd6 11.a3
4c6 12.e3 e5 13.c3 d4
and W hite's king ended up stuck in the
centre and facing a big attack in Wieczorek,
Z-Gdanski, J/Ustron POL 2006. ]
3.exd5 xd5 4.c3 d8
[ Also reasonable is 4...a5!? for example
5.g3 d7 6.g2 c6 7.f3 f6 8.0-0
e7 9.d3 bd7 10.a3 xf3 11.xf3 c6
12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 f6 14.g2 0-0
15.d2 c7 with approximate equality in
Stripunsky, A-Ibragimov, I/New York USA
2006 as the white bishop pair aren't very
impressive. ]
5.g3 d7 As in the note above, Black uses a
ma n o e u vre in t h e st yle o f t h e Fo rt K n o x
Defence to activate his bishop. 6.g2 c6
7.f3 f6 8.0-0 e7 9.b3 0-0 10.b2 b6
11.fe1 b7 12.d4! Anyone who has played
t h r o u gh t h e S e r ge e v- V ys o c h in g a m e o n
ChessPub will be aware of the dangers White
faces in this type of position if he just sits
back and shuffles his pieces around looking
for a draw. It is much better to seize space in
t h e c e n t r e , e ve n i f t h e wh it e p o s it i o n i s
loosened in the process. e8 13.ad1 a6??
Perhaps two question marks is rather harsh in
view of the somewhat surprising strength of
43
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
the breakthrough that follows. On the other
hand, virtually the only danger Black faces in
this Scandinavian-type set up is from the d4-
d5 advance so you would expect a strong
Grandmaster like Vysochin to be more vigilant.
[ If instead 13...bd7?! White can seize the
advantage with 14.e5! xg2 15.xg2
with Qf3 or Nc6 to follow as appropriate.
However, ]
[ 13...c6 as in the style of Vysochin's game
with Sergeev is quite good enough while
another possibility was ]
[ 13...c8!? to defend b7 and get the queen
out o f th e f irin g line o n the que en side ,
followed by Nbd7. ]
14.d5!! A tremendously powerful move that
makes a startling contrast to the quiet
developing play that has preceded it. exd5
[ After 14...xd5 15.xd5 exd5 16.e5
the pin along the e-file prevents Black from
defending g7 with Bf8. A possible finish is f6
17.e6+ f8 ( after 17...h8 18.g5!
fxg5 19.f7 g8 20.xe7 disaster follows
on g7. ) 18.g5! fxg5 19.xd5! xd5
20.xd5 when Black has to give up his
queen to prevent mate on f7 or g8. ]
15.xd5! Even at the cost of a piece White
hacks a way through to the g7 square. xd5
16.e5 f6 Unfortunately for Black, neither the
black knight nor the black bishop can
intervene on the f6 square as they are both
paralysed by pins. 17.e6+ h8 18.g5!
Now a second knight is offered in order to get
at the g7 pawn. fxg5 19.f7 g8 20.xd5
xd5 21.xd5 d6 22.xg5!! Only thus:
Black would survive after
[ 22.xg7+ xg7 23.e8+ xe8 24.xe8+
g8 ]
22...f8
[ If 22...xg5 23.e8 and Black can only
delay mate with f8 24.xf8 ]
23.h5! d6
[ If 23...d7 24.xh7+ xh7 25.h5# ]
24.f5 h6 25.e6 d1+ 26.g2
The bishop sitting quietly on b2 has the last
word as there is no way to prevent a rook
taking on h6 with checkmate. A stunning
attack!
1-0
52 C00
Walter,Alain
Duffau,Pascal 2038
10th Open Creon FRA (3) 02.08.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.b5!? Well, that is one way to stop
the French! a6
[ Alte rnat ively 2...c5 3.c4!? White has
stopped Black expanding on the queenside.
A strange Maroczy- type position will arise
if White manages to get in Nf3 and d2-d4. ]
3.a4 b5 4.b3 b7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6
[ Or 6...d5 7.e2 dxe4 8.dxe4 d7 9.f3
gf6 10.c2 c7 11.0-0 c4?
( He should fight for the e5 square with
11...d6! though White keeps a small plus
after 12.e1 g4 13.h3 ge5 14.xe5
xe5 15.d2 ) 12.e5! Now Vltavsky has a
space advantage that justifies 2.Bb5! d5
13.e1 h6 14.h4 e7 15.h5 0-0-0 16.b3
W hite builds up a winning attack in
i m p r e s s i v e s t y l e . cxb3 ( Safer was
16...7b6 ) 17.xb3 xc3 18.xc3 xc3
19.d2 xf3 20.gxf3 xe5 21.e3 f6
22.a4 d5 ( or 22...d6 23.c2+ b7
24.axb5 ) 23.ec1+ b7 24.xd5+ xd5
25.axb5 xh5 26.c4 g6+ 27.f1
d3+ 28.xd3 xd3 29.bxa6+ a8
30.c7 xe3 31.fxe3 g5 32.f4 f6
33.d1 e5 34.dd7 1-0 Vltavsky, V-Vrana,
F/ CZE 1997. ]
7.f3 e7 8.0-0 d6 9.e1 f6 10.c2?!
[ A very languid move. More aggressive was
10.d4 with a slight edge e.g. cxd4 11.cxd4
d5 12.e5 ( 12.exd5!? ) 12...e4 13.bd2 ]
10...c7 11.bd2 0-0 12.f1 fe8 13.g3
ad8 14.f4 e5
[ Perhaps 14...e5!? ]
15.g5 d5 16.xf6 xf6 17.exd5 xd5
18.e4 e7 19.e3 c4?
[ Duffau should have fearlessly gained space
with 19...f5! ]
20.fg5 xg5
[ Not 20...h6? 21.xf7! xf7 22.h5+ g6
( or 22...f8 23.f3+ ) 23.xh6 d6
24.h7+ e6 25.c5+ d5 26.xb7
xb7 27.f7+ c5 28.xe8 and White
has a huge material advantage. ]
21.xg5 f6?
[ White has a tremendous attack after
44
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

21...dd8 22.h5 h6 23.dxc4 hxg5 ( or like ...0-0 and ...Nf7. ]

23...bxc4 24.xf7! xf7 25.h7+ f8 6...f6!? I like this move, which threatens to at
26.f3 and Black loses his queen.) 24.h3 least equalise by breaking up White's centre.
f6 ( 24...f8 25.xg5 ) 25.g6 f8 Objectively, it should lead to a level game, but
26.h8+ e7 27.xg7+ and wins. ] creates immediate problems with which a
[ However, 21...h6! looks a sound defence. ] player of 2 Qe2 may not be comfortable.
22.xh7! Walter seizes his chance. e4 [ Another way to get the pieces out would be
[ If 22...xh7 23.h5+ and the rook on e8 6...h6 7.d3 f5 ( 7...f6!? 8.xh6 gxh6
goes with check, followed by a quick mate. ] - compare the game ) 8.c3 0-0 ]
23.g4 7.0-0 In retrospect, White might consider
[ Also very strong is 23.d4!? ] discouraging Black's next move. Not by
23...xh7 24.dxe4 [ 7.exf6?! xf6 8.0-0 0-0 , which leaves
[ Here 24.xe4! looks decisive, as if de5 Black better developed. But ]
( or 24...xe4 25.xe4+ ) 25.xe5 xe5 [ 7.d3! is more careful. Then
26.d4+ etc. ] A) or 7...fxe5 8.xe5 d4! ( 8...xe5
24...d2? 9.xe5 f6 10.0-0 0-0 is roughly equal)
[ Necessary was 24...g5! ] 9.h5+ g6 10.xg6?! ( 10.d1! f6
25.h5+ 11.f4 h6 12.c3 c6 13.xc6 bxc6
1-0 14.d2 is double-edged) 10...f6 11.h4
xc2+ 12.d1 xa1 13.xh8 b6;
B) 7...c7 8.f4 b6 9.c3 d7
53 C00 is u n cle a r ( or 9...h6 10.xh6 gxh6
Willemze,Thomas 2405 11.0-0 0-0 with dynamic equality )]
Peng,Zhaoqin 2403 7...h6! This combination of ...f6 and ...Nh6 is
BDO Premier Haarlem NED (3) 23.08.2010 unusual in a King's Indian attack structure.
[John Watson] 8.d4!? This tries to seize the initiative, but
comes at the cost of the loss of the centre.
1.e4 e6 2.e2 An old move, often associated cxd4 9.xh6 gxh6 10.h3
with Morozevich' s name because he is the [ 10.bd2 c7 11.exf6 xf6 is no better. ]
highest-ranked modern player to experiment 10...0-0 11.bd2
with it. Since then, 2 Qe2 has been used on [ 11.exf6 xf6 12.bd2 c7 aims for ...e5
an infrequent but regular basis in tournament next, and 13.ae1 h8 14.b3 b4
play. Usually, White want to set up a King's 15.d1 e5! achieves the key break. ]
Indian Attack structure while discouraging ... 11...h8 12.b3 fxe5 13.xe5 xe5
d5 for a while. He has few pretensions of 14.xe5+ f6 15.h5 e5 The centre is
gaining an advantage, yet achieves a playable more important than the h-pawn. 16.g2
game with mutual chances. e7 [ 16.xh6 g7 17.h5 xh3 18.xh3
[ I've always thought that 2...f6 was one of c8 grabs the initiative ( or 18...a5 19.a4
the more interesting replies. In the Archives, a6 )]
an example is Federov-Rustemov. ] 16...a5 17.ae1
[ 2...d5 3.exd5 xd5 with the idea of [ 17.a4 g7 18.ae1 f5 ]
retreating the queen to d8 and fighting for 17...a4 18.c1 a5?!
control of the d4 square appears in 2 games [ 18...e4 keeps the centre intact. Now White
in the Archive by Vyoschin. ] misses an opportunity: ]
3.g3 d5 4.e5 19.d3?!
[ Now, of course, 4.exd5 can be answered [ 19.xe5! xe5 20.xe5+ f6 21.e2
by exd5 ] f5 22.d3 gives White some structural
4...c5 5.g2 c6 6.f3 Here we are in a compensation for the pawn Black has two
King's Indian Attack in which Black has not sets of doubled, isolated pawns, albeit
played ...Nf6-d7. retaining some advantage. ]
[ After 6.c3 , f6 7.f4 h6 intends moves 19...e4 Now Black's centre and bishop pair

45
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

take over. The rest is easily comprehensible: on. ]

20.b4 g7 21.h4 d7 22.d1 f5 20...c8 21.a2 a7 22.b1??
23.e2 b5 24.g4 f8! 25.fe1 h5 [ Losing, but 22.c1 b5 is awful. ]
26.h3 d7 27.a3 Black was threatening ... 22...b5 Strangely, this is immediately
Qxb4. f7 28.h1 xf2 29.f1 e3 30.d3 decisive because of back-rank threats. 23.a3
xf1+ 31.xf1 e7 32.f3 f5 33.e1 d3 [ 23.xb5 xb5 24.bd2 c2 ]
34.cxd3 e2 35.f2 d4 36.xh5 xf2+ 23...a4 There's no defence to major loss of
37.xf2 d4 38.xe2 e3+ 39.f1 e6 material. 24.e2
40.xb7 h3+ 41.g2 f5+ 42.e1 f2+ [ 24.xe7 c1+ ]
0-1 [ 24.d2 b4 25.xb4 xa1 26.c2
c6 ]
24...xa3 25.h3
54 C00 [ 25.xa3 c3 ]
Zvjaginsev,Vadim 2688 25...c1+
Rodshtein,M 2634 0-1
11th Aeroflot Open A (9) 15.02.2012
[John Watson]
55 C00
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 The French not2deep 2078
W i n g G a m b it b y a n e a r- 2 7 0 0 p l a ye r ! O f Sleipner 1931
course Zviaginsev is ever the experimenter, ICC 5 0 u Internet Chess Club 16.01.2001
and always a breath of fresh air. cxb4 5.a3 [Neil McDonald]
c6 6.axb4 xb4 7.c3 e7 One of Black's
best systems, and my Play the French T h e c o m m e n t s t o t h e g a m e a re b y N o e l
suggestion. 8.d4 d7!? Aldebol 1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 b4
[ I like 8...f6 , and ] 4.e5! The most critical move in the position.
[ 8...h6 is a common alternative, the latter This treatment of the Four Knights was first
f e at u re d in Se d la k-Dvirny a n d Fe n ne r- worked out by IM Chris Baker. c5
Lueckner in the Archives. ] [ 4...xc3 5.bxc3 c5 6.d4 White has a
9.d3 c8 10.0-0 a6 Black's point is to favourable version of the Winawer, right? ]
weaken nothing on the kingside and challenge 5.e2 e7 6.c3 a5 7.d4 d7
W hite to make progress. In the meantime, [ if 7...0-0? 8.a3 c7 9.g3 cxd4 10.cxd4
Black initiates queenside action. 11.bd2 bc6 11.d3 White has better piece
This seems slow. Either going for the dark placement and more space. ]
squares with 8.a3 f6?!
[ 11.a3 ] [ to be preferred was 8...0-0 9.g3 cxd4
[ or clearing the way for Qg4 or Qh5 by 10.b4 c7 11.cxd4 ]
11.e1 seems appropriate. ] 9.f4 f8 10.h5 f7 11.dxc5 g8
11...a5 12.c2 c7 13.xh7? Strange. 12.exf6 xf6 13.e5+ g8 14.g5 8d7
Why not 15.xd7 xd7 16.xf6 gxf6 17.g4+ f8
[ 13.b2 and see how Black defends h7? ] 18.g7+ e8 19.xh8+ Black resigns
13...xc3 14.b1 b4 15.b2 1-0
[ 15.xg8 xb1 16.xf7+ xf7 17.xb1
only gets one pawn back. ]
15...h6
[ 15...c4 16.xc4 dxc4 is also attractive. ]
16.c2 0-0 17.c1 c6 18.h7+
White can't untangle and get to the kingside.
h8 19.xc6 xc6 20.d3? Not White's
day. But things were already bad. At least
[ 20.c2 c8 21.b3 keeps some pieces

46
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

56 C01 games by my students (who often encounter

Battey,Alexander 2403 the Exchange Variation) have, I think,
Lalic,Bogdan 2507 confirmed this.
Budapest (20 minutes) (5) 01.06.2012 [ 4...f6 5.c3 b4 will transpose to the
[Lalic and Watson] game. ( 5...e7 is a fair option. )]
5.c3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5 [ 5.d2?! xd2+ 6.xd2 f6 unnecessa
5.d3 c6 'Victor Moskalenko' (Lalic). In fact, rily trades of f W hite's attacking bishop,
this is an increasingly common and solid way and makes it easier for Black to attack the d-
for Black to set up. Simon Williams pawn. ]
recommends this structure in his book. 5...f6 This move, controlling e4, is
[ 5...c6 6.a3 (Lalic), which is a main line. ] nevertheless fully playable. On the negative
6.a3 d6 7.f3 side, it might allow White to pin the knight by
[ 7.ge2 is the obvious alternative, imitating Bg5 (although that seldom arises), and it
a p o p u la r p la n f o r B la ck wit h re ve rse d forfeits the idea of attacking d4 by ...Ne7-f5.
colours. ] 6.d3 An interesting order of moves. White
7...g4 8.h3 h5 9.e2+ e7 apparently fears one of the following orders:
[ 9...e7 is safe, but Black prefers to keep [ 6.f3
more play on the board. ] A) 6...e4 7.b3 e7 8.e3;
10.g4 g6 11.g5 xd3 B) 6...g4 may be the best potentially
[ Or 11...f6 12.e3 0-0 ] independent try, e.g., 7.d3 ( 7.e2!
[ But 11...0-0 is dangerous in view of dxc4 8.0-0 likely transposes to the main
12.xg6 hxg6 13.0-0-0 with the idea h4- line ) 7...dxc4 8.xc4 xf3!? ( 8...c6
h5. ] 9.0-0 xf3 10.xf3 xd4 11.xb7 )
12.xd3 f6 13.e3 d7 14.e2 f8!? 9.xf3 xd4 , which is risky but
The '!?' is Lalic's. Black covers the weakness apparently playable after 10.0-0! 0-0!
on e6. 15.d2 d7 16.0-0-0 0-0-0 17.f4 ( 10...xc4 11.e1+ and Qxb7 ) 11.xb7
h5 'with counterplay' (Lalic) 18.f5 g6 xc4 12.xa8 d6! , threatening ...
[ 18...hxg4! 19.hxg4 xh1 20.xh1 g6! B xh 2 +, a n d p la n n in g 13.e3?? c6
21.fxg6 xg4 gives Black chances for 14.b7 b8;
advantage. ] C) 6...0-0 7.d3 e8+ 8.e3 g4?!
19.fxg6 ( 8...g4 9.0-0 ) 9.0-0
[ Or 19.f4 xf4 20.xf4 hxg4 21.fxg6 C1) 9...xe3? 10.fxe3 xc3 11.bxc3
with mutual chances. ] xe3 12.e5 is undesirable ( or 12.d2
19...fxg6 20.g5 df8= 21.df1 fxg5 e7 13.cxd5 xd5 14.g5 h6
[ 21...fxg5 22.xg5 f5= ] 15.ae1! );
½-½ C2) 9...xe3 10.fxe3 xc3 ( 10...xe3
11.xh7+ xh7 12.d3+ f5
13.xd5 follow by Nxb4 or g4) 11.bxc3
57 C01 xe3 12.xh7+ xh7 13.d3+ f5
Berg,Emanuel 2296 14.g4 g6 15.gxf5 xf5 16.d2 c6
Baciu,Diana 2146 17.g5+ g8 18.xf5! gxf5 19.g2 ]
11th EICC Women (9) 15.03.2010 6...0-0
[John Watson] [ 6...e7+!? 7.ge2 dxc4 8.xc4 c6
9.0-0 e6 maybe be satisfactory, since
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 10.b5 0-0 11.xc6!? ( 11.a3 xc3
Recently this has become a popular 12.bxc3 a5 i s u n c l e a r) 11...bxc6
sequence. b4+ This is the move that I've gives Black the bishops and central control
always recommended, because I find that in return for his pawn structure, e.g., 12.g5
Black's knight serves an effective defensive h6 13.xf6 xf6 14.a4 d6 15.xc6
and offensive role on e7. Over the years, xa2! . ]

47
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

7.f3 dxc4 8.xc4 c6 9.0-0 g4 10.e3 [ 13...xc3!? aims to control light squares, e.
d7 At least 10 moves have been employed g., 14.bxc3 d5 15.d2 xf3
here in master play! This includes the ( 15...d6!? ) 16.xf3 a5 17.c2
frequently-seen ( 17.b1 b5 ) 17...c4 18.fe1 c6 19.e2
[ 10...b8 , hitting d4 by means of ...Bxf3 xd2 ( 19...b5!? ) 20.xd2 d6 21.c4 f4
and planning to take the light squares by ... 22.f3 ad8 ]
b 5 i n s o m e l i n e s , f o r e x a m p l e , 11.e2 14.d5! e5
(almost always played) d5 [ 14...xf3 15.xf3 e5 16.e2
A) 12.xd5 xd5 13.c1!? wins the bishop pair without concession. ]
A1) 13...xa2!? 14.h3 ( 14.c4! xb2 15.xe5 xe5 16.g4 g6 17.b5
15.c2 xf3 16.gxf3 a3 17.a2 [ 17.f4 e7 18.c1 is slightly better for
c3 18.c2= ) 14...e6!? ( 14...f5! ) White ]
15.g5 1-0 Miezis, N (2496)-Dobias, R 17...d8 18.d4
( 2 2 4 6 ) / M e t z 2 0 0 6 a n d h e r e d5! [ Better 18.d4 e7 19.ad1 ]
was best; 18...e7 19.f4! a6 20.c4 e4
A2) 13...bd8 14.a3 e7 15.h3 h5 [ 20...d6 21.f3 e4 22.f2 ]
16.e5!? xe2 ( 16...xd4!? ) 17.xc6 21.e5? We're probably already in some time
xc6 1/2-1/2 Khalukov, Y (2276)- trouble, which very clearly shows up later.
Didenko, S (2123)/Gagarin 2009.; [ 21.e1! seems to win material for
B) 12.c2 e7 ( 12...xc3 13.bxc3 insufficient compensation: xd5 22.xf6
e7 with the idea 14.g5 g6 ) 13.ad1 xe1+ 23.xe1 c5+ 24.h2 xf6
cb4 14.b1 h5 15.d2 f6 16.a3 25.xd5 d6 26.e4 ]
xc3 17.bxc3 d5 and Black stands 21...h6?
better, W ehmeier, S (2405)-Claesen, P [ 21...xe5! 22.fxe5 c5+ with the idea
(2430)/Lippstadt 1998. ] 23.h2 e7! ]
11.e2 fe8 This has scored very well for 22.e1
Black, but I think [ 22.d6! is strong, intending cxd6 23.xf6
[ 11...ad8! is quite as good: 12.a3 a5! gxf6 24.xe4 xe4 25.xf7+! ]
( 12...xc3 13.bxc3 d5 14.d2 xf3 22...h7 23.f3 d7 24.b4!? e8
15.xf3 a5 16.b1 b5 17.a4 a6 [ 24...a5 ]
18.xd5 xd5 19.f4 d7= ) 13.h3 25.e2 b6
( 13.a4 b6 14.xb6 axb6 15.c1 [ 25...a5! ]
fe8 ) 13...xf3 14.xf3 b6 ( or 26.b3 d6
14...xd4! ) 15.d5 e5 ] [ 26...a5! ]
12.h3!? 27.ae1 d7 28.e4 xe4 29.xe4 c8?!
[ 12.b3 ad8 13.ad1 xc3 14.bxc3 [ T h e g a m e i s s t i l l l e v e l a f t e r 29...xe5
d5 15.c4 f4 16.xf4 xe2 is at least 30.xe5 ( 30.fxe5 xd5 31.d4 c6 )
equal. ] 30...ad8 ]
[ 12.c1 ad8 ] 30.c3 White stands better now. f5? 31.gxf5
12...h5!? xf5 32.c2 Keeping a winning edge,
[ 12...xh3!? may well lead to a forced draw although clearer is
following 13.gxh3 ( 13.d5 xg2 14.xg2 [ 32.4e2! and Black can't defend g7
g4+ 15.h1 h3+ 16.g1 xe3 b e c a u s e o f f7 ( 32...xe5 33.fxe5 )
17.fxe3 g4 ) 13...xh3 14.d3 ( 14.f4 33.xg7! xe2 34.xe2 xg7+ 35.g2 ]
xc3 15.bxc3 d5 ) 14...g4+ ( 14...d6 32...f7 33.d3 e7?
15.b5 =g4+=; 14...xc3 15.bxc3 d5 [ But 33...f8 34.4e3! is also winning for
16.h2! ) 15.h1 h3+ 16.g1 White. ]
, repeating. Thus 12 h3 has the drawback 34.xd6 cxd6 35.xe7 xe7 36.h7+
of allowing this equalizer, although it may A tough battle. The opening of fers W hite
be best anyway. ] nothing, but might be worth a try versus a
13.a3 f8

48
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
booked-up player.
1-0
58 C01
Bluvshtein,Mark 2462
Efimenko,Zahar 2572
It A Montreal CAN (4) 07.08.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
5.d3 e7 6.h5 The natural reply as it
prevents the freeing bishop exchange with Bf5
and also, of course, stops Black castling for
the moment. Nevertheless, despite having
committed himself to Ne7, Efimenko finds
another way of attacking the white queen with
the Nf6 move.
[ An interesting alternative which also hinders
Bf5 was 6.f3!? It has the good point that
the queen can't be harassed by Bg4, as
would be the case if Black had played 5...
Nf6.Examplesare e6 ( A very interesting
reply is 6...c5!?; Meanwhile Black equalised
fairly comfortably after 6...bc6 7.ge2
e6 8.h3 d7 9.e3 f5 10.0-0-0 0-0-0
11.g3 xd3 12.xd3 f6 13.h4 a5
14.b1 c4 in Hickl,J-Mohr,S/Dortmund
1989. ) 7.ge2 d7 8.a3 a5 9.0-0 0-0
10.f4 For some reason Black has been
determined not to play Nbc6. Now he pays
the price as White exploits the freedom of
action of his king's knight- no worries about
Nxd4-to start a sudden attack. g4 11.g3
bc6 Much too late! 12.h3 f5 13.h5
g6 14.h6! Ouch! xd4 15.xg7 ef5
16.xd4 1-0 Labollita,M-Esquivel,L/Santa
C l a r a C U B 2 0 0 4 . ( White has two extra
pieces after 16.xd4 xg3 17.f6+ g7
18.xd7+ f6 19.fxg3 )]
6...d6!?
[ I'm not particularly convinced by the
following line for Black: 6...c6 7.ge2 d7
8.g5 f8 a characteristic knight retreat for
Black in this variation, but the horse
normally emerges at e6 rather than h7. 9.0-0
h6 10.h4 d7 11.a3 d6 12.g3 h7
13.xh7 xh7 14.ae1 f8 and Black
held t he dra w in De la Riva Aguad o,O -
Gallego Eraso,F/Andorra la Vella AND 2004.
Call me dogmatic if you wish, but I believe
that Black's off side rook on h7 and his
uncast led king sho uld ca use him som e
worries. ]
[ If instead 6...d7 7.g5 and Black can't
challenge the white queen without having his
pawns smashed up after 7...Nf6? 8.Bxf6.
Therefore Efimenko puts his queen on d6 so
that after Nd7 and Nf6 he can recapture with
the queen if White plays Bg5 and Bxf6. ]
7.a3 xc3+ 8.bxc3 d7 9.e2 g6
10.0-0 f6 11.g5 0-0 Black has emerged
from the opening with a safe and solid position.
White has to try to dent it with his bishop pair.
12.a4
[ If 12.g3 c6!? looks rather awkward for
White. ]
12...e8 13.a3?!
[ 13.f3! followed by the retreat of the queen
to d2 if necessary looks the way to keep the
black knights restrained. ]
13...d7 14.a5
[ If 14.f3 Black might just nab the pawn with
xa4 Therefore White has no time to
prevent Ne4. ]
14...e4 15.c1 b6 16.a6 c6 17.f3 d6
The black knight is much better on d6 than f6
a s i t e ye s t h e c 4 a n d f 5 s q u a r e s . 18.f4?
A p ositio na l b lun d er th a t surren d ers t h e
important e4 square. f5! 19.g3?
[ The only chance was to eliminate the black
kn igh t b e f o re it ge t s t o e 4 wit h 19.xd6
when xd6 20.h1 intending the knight
manoeuvre Ng1-f3-e5, combined if
necessary with g2-g3 to defend f4. ]
19...e4 Now White's dark squared bishop is
a useless piece and can only watch as the
black knights seize control of the light squares.
20.b4 f7 21.xe4 dxe4 22.e2 d8
23.a3 e6 24.h5 c4 25.fe1 e6
26.xg6 xg6 27.e3 d7 28.ae1 h6
29.g3 c5! As always, once a player is
dominant on squares of a certain colour, the
winning breakthrough occurs on a square of
the opposite colour. 30.dxc5 h3 31.c1
ad8 32.g4 There was no good defence
against 32...Rd2. h4 33.g3 d2 34.g2
e3! 35.gxf5 xg2+ 36.xg2 d5+
Efimenko gave us a good lesson in how to
e xp l o i t a s c e n d a n c y o ve r a s a m e c o l o u r
square complex.
0-1
49
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

59 C01 with the king two moves from castling! Black

Bluvshtein,Mark 2463 had to develop with
Hoang Thanh Trang 2463 [ 10...e7 but an awkward reply is 11.d1
FSGM November (7) 07.11.2003 for if a5 12.c6! ]
[Neil McDonald] 11.b5 Now Black has no answer to White's
initiative. a6 12.d1! White has to keep up
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d3 dxe4 the attack as Black will have a good game with
As I've already indicated on ChessPub, the the two bishops and a good centre pawn if
best reply is allowed to develop quietly. d7 13.d6+
[ 3...c5! as if you compare the position to the xd6 14.xd6 c7
French Tarrasch with 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 [ If 14...0-0 15.g5 when the threats include
you will see that W hite has already 16.Rxf6 gxf6 17.Bxf6. ]
committed his bishop to d3 and so doesn't 15.xf6! gxf6 16.xf6 Now the black king
have the option of Bb5- his main attacking will never get to escape from the centre. g8
thrust. Still, not everyone who plays the 17.g5 The presence of opposite coloured
French as Black wants to end up in an IQP bishops gives a crucial zest to White's attack:
position, so it is easier to tell people that on g5 th e white b ish op sto ps Blac k eve r
3...c5 is the best move than play it myself! ] playing Rd8. c6 18.c3 With the threat of
4.xe4 f6 5.f3 The bishop has been 1 9 . R e 1 a n d 2 0 . R x e 5 + . h6 19.xh6
pushed around, but from a strategical point of Black has earned some respite from the attack,
view it is now well placed in Queen's Gambit/ but how is she ever going to develop her
Catalan style It aims at the b7 square and so queen's rook or bring her king to safety? b5
stops Black f rom developing the queen's 20.d1 b8 21.f6 f8!? Black tries for a
bis ho p . W h it e h a s a chie ved th is with o u t clever swindle by luring the white bishop away
having to weaken his kingside with g2-g3 and f ro m g5 so t h a t g2 b e c o m e s e xp o s e d t o
Bg2. On the negative side the white knight attack. 22.h6+ e8 23.d5 xg2+!?
has been deprived of f3 and the white bishop 24.f1!!
is a potential target. c5 6.e2 c6 [ The pin on d5 would be awkward after
[ More energetic was 6...cxd4 7.xd4 c5! 24.xg2 d8 whereas the calm king move
-as given in the analysis on ChessPub. ] leaves W hite attacking the black queen,
7.e3 cxd4! rook and king- in the last case as 25. Qh8+
[ Black has to avoid the plausible 7...d5? is now threatened. ]
a s W h i t e h a s 8.xd5 xd5 9.bc3! 24...xd5 25.xd5 c4+ 26.d3!
winning the pawn on c5 as if xg2 10.g1 The only move to win rather than lose, as if
xh2 11.f4 h5 12.b5! Black has no [ 26.xg2 xd5+ or ]
answer to the threat of 13.Nc7+. You can [ 26.e1 g1+ 27.d2 xd5+ both win for
find out more details by checking out De Black. ]
Jong-Archangelsky on ChessPub. ] 26...e4
8.xd4 e5 Black is keen to eliminate the [ White picks up the rook on b8 with check
white bishop and so take the pressure off the followed by checkmate after either 26...e4
b7 square, which will allow her to develop the 27.e5+ or ]
bishop from c8 but this leads to a fatal loss of [ 26...g6 27.xe5+ ]
time. Instead Black should settle for the safe 27.h8+ e7 28.xb8 g6 29.g5+!
and rather inferior A nice finishing touch as it is forced mate.
[ 8...xd4 e.g. 9.xd4 e7 10.0-0 0-0 [ 29.g5+ xg5 30.d6+ e8 31.d8# ]
11.c4 when White has a very slight but 1-0
pleasant advantage. ]
9.0-0 xf3+?
[ It wasn't too late for the safe and sound
9...e7! ]
10.xf3 e5?! This is unbelievably ambitious

50
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

60 C01 24.xh6 xd4 25.g5

Bologan,Viktor 2678 [ Or 25.g5 ]
Socko,Bartosz 2631 25...d6 26.5e2 c5 27.f4!?
FIDE World Cup 2011 (1.2) 29.08.2011 [ 27.b3 ]
[John Watson] 27...h5! 28.xd6? An unusual mistake from
such a strong player. Now we reach equality
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 d6 by force. Better
5.c4 f6 6.c3 [ 28.g5 xg5 29.xg5 ]
[ For 6.c5 and ] 28...xg3 29.xc5 xe2+ 30.xe2 xc5
[ 6.g5 , see Zatonskih-Savchenko in the 31.d2 e8 32.f1 b4 33.d1 g6 34.a3
Archives. ] a5 35.b4 b6 36.d7 d8 37.xd8+
6...0-0 I also discussed this pawn sacrifice in xd8 38.g3 f6
the Archives within Zatonskih-Savchenko ½-½
(briefly), and within Roitzsch-Graf (at length).
Although the game before you is from late
September, it still bears notice, and I'll review 61 C01
earlier comments to put everything in context. Brendel,Oliver 2378
7.cxd5 Jussupow,Artur 2622
[ 7.c5 e7 8.e2 b6 9.cxb6 axb6 10.0-0 32nd Rilton Cup (5) 31.12.2002
c5 ] [Neil McDonald]
7...bd7 8.e2
[ I mentioned 8.c4 e8+ 9.e3 g4!? 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 Even though the
, as well as ] line in this game is normally reached through
[ 8.g5 h6 9.h4 b6 10.e2 e7 the W inawer move order, don't forget that
11.0-0 fxd5 , which could also come from when you check it up in the roadmap it is
the next note. ] classified as a French Exchange with the code
8...h6 Without ...Re8, Black gets to the d- C01:
pawn in time and can afford this tempo to [ 3.exd5 exd5 4.c3 b4 etc. ]
prevent Bg5. 3...b4 4.exd5 exd5 5.d3 c6 6.a3
[ 8...b6 is also fine: 9.g5 h6 10.h4 g5 xc3+ 7.bxc3 ge7 8.h5 e6 9.f3
( 10...e7 11.0-0 fxd5 is the previous d7 10.g5 0-0-0! Previously I gave this
note ) 11.g3 bxd5 12.0-0 f4= variation as promising for White, but it seems
( 12...e6= )] that Black can escape from the positional
[ But 8...e8 9.0-0 h6?! is a bit slow, as pressure in tactical style. 11.0-0
indicated in Roitzsch-Graf. ] [ Not 11.xf7? e8 winning a piece, but
9.0-0 b6 10.e5 fxd5 11.xd5 White might have considered ]
[ 11.d3 has ideas of Bb1 and Qd3. ] [ 11.xe6 xe6+ 12.e3!? ]
11...xd5 12.c4 b6 11...g4!
[ 12...c6= ] [ Here is what could happen to him if he
13.b3 f6 14.e1 e6 15.c2 f5 plays passively and gives White time to build
16.g4! xg4!? up his game and utilise the two bishops:
[ 16...g6! 17.xf5 xf5 18.xh6! ae8 11...h6 12.xe6 xe6 13.d2 g6 14.f3
yields some compensation, perhaps a tad f5 15.fe1 f7 16.e2 g5 17.ae1 d6
less than enough following 19.h3 xe1+ 18.e3 hd8 19.a4! The only passive
20.xe1 d5 21.e3! c4 22.c3 e8 White piece is the bishop on d2. Once this
23.e3 xe3 24.xe3 c6 ] is brought into play on a3 Black's position
17.xg4 fe8 18.d2 f8 19.e4 c6 will collapse. b8 20.e2 c8 21.c1!
20.h4! d5 21.ae1 ed8 22.e5 b6 22.a3 f6 23.e7 xe7 24.xe7
[ 22.e2 c5!? ] f8 25.e5 c6 26.e8 d6 27.b5!
22...d6 23.g3 f6?! c4 ( If 27...xc3 28.xd6 cxd6
[ 23...ab8 24.d3 f6 ] 29.xd8+ ) 28.h8 1-0 Lau, R-Tibensky,R/

51
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Austria 1997. ] powerful than any counterplay W hite can

12.xf7 h6 The usual move order is generate on the kingside. a5 25.e6 a4
[ 12...df8 13.xg7 h6 14.f3 which is the 26.ee1 c5 27.a1 b5 28.e3 xe3
way the Miles and Mueller games of the next 29.xb5 c6 30.fb1 cxb5 31.xb5 c6
no t e s t art e d. Bre n de l de cid e s t o avo id 32.xa4+ a7 33.ba5 xe6
transposing to these games by sacrificing 0-1
his queen. ]
13.f3 df8 14.fxg4?! Very enterprising but
unfortunately it doesn't seem sufficient. 62 C01
[ After 14.xg7 the key move is the as yet Bruedigam 2324
untested Wintzer,J
A) 14...h5? 15.h7! fg8 16.xh6 Bundesliga 2014
g6 17.xg6 xg6 ( Also inadequate for [John Watson & Joachim Wintzer]
Black is 17...xg6 18.f8! gxh6
19.xd7 xh2 20.c5 f5 21.f4 There are many ways for Black to equalize in
2h4 22.g4 as in Miles,A-Nogueiras,J/ the Exchange Variation, and the trick for Black
Cienfuegos 1997.) 18.f6 d6 19.xg8! is to find positions that are difficult to handle.
xh6 20.xh6 and White had a decisive The variation in this game is an example.
material advantage in Mueller,K-Krause, U/ Notes by Joachim Wintzer and John Watson.
Altenkirchen 1999.; 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d3 c6
B) 14...f5! as retreating the bishop to h5 5.c3 d6 6.f3 f6 This is an older move
h a s l e d t o d i s a s t e r f o r B l a c k : 15.f7 which for some reason fell out of favour. The
The following line of play was main alternatives are
recommended in CBM: hg8 16.e5 [ 6...e6 ]
xg7 17.xd7 fg8! ( 17...xd7? [ 6...ge7 ]
18.xh6 ) 18.xf5 xg2+ 19.h1 xf5 [ and 6...ce7 ]
20.f6 8g7 21.xd5 xc2 7.h3
wit h an u nclea r po sit io n according t o [ 7.g5 g4 8.e3+ ( 8.xg4 xg4
Knaak. The fact that Yusupov was willing 9.xd8 xd8= ) 8...e6 ( or 8...d7
to go into this line suggests that Black is -Wintzer '~~!?' )]
at least equal! ] [ 7.f4 0-0 8.e2?! g4 9.g3 xe2
14...xf7 15.xf7 e8 16.g5 hxg5 ( 9...e8! ) 10.xe2 xf4 11.xf4 e8
17.xg5 b8 18.ab1 a8 19.be1 S Lerner-Cherniack, Parsippany USA
White has a rook and bishop and pawn for the 2013. ]
queen and at the moment Black's pieces are 7...0-0
tied down. Perhaps here White should have [ 7...e4! is also fine as in the notes to
played the quiet Fridman-Vedder in the Archives. The point is
[ 19.h1 rather than trying to force matters 8.xe4 e7 9.d2 f5 ]
by creating a passed pawn. ] 8.e2
19...a6 20.e5 xe5 21.dxe5 [ 8.g5 e8+ 9.e2 e4 -Wintzer ]
[ Ineffective for W hite is 21.xe5 c6 8...e7
22.f5 f7 23.d3 ( Not 23.e6? xf1+! [ 8...e8 9.g5 e7 (intending ...Ne4)
24.xf1 xe5 25.dxe5 xe6 ) 23...g8 10.e3 e4! 11.xe4 ( 11.d2!?= )
etc. ( Better than 23...xe5 24.xf7 xf7 11...dxe4 12.xe4 b4! threatens ...Bh4!.
25.g6 f8 26.e7 )] Black stood better in Malaniuk, V-Psakhis, L/
21...c6! 22.e3 USSR (ch) 1983. ]
[ If 22.e6 xc3 looks at least equal for 9.g5
Black: the attack on e1 is annoying as it [ 9.0-0 e8 ( jw: 9...e6 with the idea
prevents Rf7. ] 10.f4 d7= ) 10.g3 g6 11.g5 e7
22...c5 23.h1 xa3 24.h4 12.f5 xf5 13.xf5 e4= (Wintzer) ]
Black's queenside pawn advances prove more 9...e4! 10.xe4 dxe4 11.xe4 e8

52
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

12.d2 ( 33.xg3 xb2+ 34.e1 c1+

[ 12.0-0 f5 won quickly in another Wintzer 35.e2 c2+ 36.e1 e4+
Bundesliga game., which continued 37.d2 e7 );
13.xd8? ( If 13.xf5 xf5 14.xd8 , B2a2) 27...g6=;
xe2 is strong.) 13...xe4 14.g3 xg3 B2b) 24...g5 25.f2 d5+ 26.h2
15.fxg3 f6-+ ] g8 27.g1 d6+= ]
12...f6 13.e3 15...c6 "Black has more compensation than
[ 13.f4?? g6 ] he gets in the normal Marshall Gambit in the
13...f5 Spanish" (Wintzer). Other possibilities are
[ (a) 13...d7 14.0-0 f5 15.d3 [ 15...e7 16.d5 f7 ]
(Wintzer) ] [ 15...b6!? ]
[ (b) 13...f5 14.f3 ( 14.xb7? b8 16.g3 f5 17.c4+ e6 18.d3 d5
15.xa7 d5 or 15...Rxb2)) 14...d7 19.h2 f3 20.xf3 xf3 21.g1 e4
(W intzer) then 15.c4 f5 16.0-0 xe3 22.d2 d5
17.fxe3 e7 18.e4 c5 is complex and [ 22...e7 23.f3 xg3 24.g2 (Wintzer)
satisfactory for Black. ] then d5 25.xg3 xe3 26.xe3 xe3
14.d3 h4 "The most difficult decision, still clearly favours Black. ]
because Black can no longer play ...Nxe3." 23.b3 b5 24.e2 d7 25.f4 f8! 26.g4
(Wintzer) [ 26.h4 a5 27.h5 a4 28.b4 g4! ]
[ 14...e7 14...De7 15.Sc4 Ld7 16.g4 14... 26...a5 27.g3 a4 28.b4 f7 29.g1 g6
c 6 1 5 . 0 - 0 L c 7 1 6 . T a e 1 15.c4 d7 [ 29...e6! ]
( j w : I l i k e 15...h4! with the initial idea 30.f1 ad8 31.a3 f3 32.e3 e4
16.0-0?? f5 17.d1 e4 18.f3 d3-+ ) 33.g3 de8 34.h4 f5?!
16.g4 (Wintzer) h4 is unclear ] [ 34...h6!-+ ]
15.f1 35.gxf5 gxf5 36.g2
[ After 15.0-0 , Black has two replies that [ White could hang on for a while with
lead to full equality (and draws in several 36.e5! f4 37.g2 g6 ]
lines). My analysis: (b) 36...g7
A) (a) 15...d7 16.f4 f7 ( 16...b6 ) [ In view of 36...g7 37.d6 f4 , winning ]
17.c4 b6 ( 17...g5 18.xf7+ xf7 0-1
19.d3 f5 20.e1 ) 18.xf7+ xf7
19.c4 b7 20.xd6+ cxd6 21.d5 g5
( 21...ac8 ) 22.e6 xd5 23.c7 xg2 63 C01
24.fd1 xh3=; Carlsen,Magnus 2843
B) 15...xh3! and: Vallejo Pons,Francisco 2697
B1) 16.c4+? h8! ( 16...e6 17.d5 5th Final Masters (7) 09.10.2012
hits h4 ); [John Watson]
B2) 16.gxh3 d7 17.f4 ( 17.f3 xh3
18.f2 g5 ) 17...g5 18.e4 xe4! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
( 18...f8 19.c4+ h8 20.e6 ) 5.d3 f6 6.ge2 g4 7.0-0 0-0 8.f3
19.xe4 gxf4 20.xf4 ( 20.xb7 e8 h5 9.f4 g6 10.xg6 hxg6 11.e2
21.d5+ h8 22.xf4 g8+ ) [ 11.g5 ]
20...xh3 21.g3 xg3 22.fxg3 xg3+ 11...e8 12.g5 e7 13.g3 bd7 14.f4
23.h1 h8 ( 23...h3+= 24.g1 h7 15.f3 c6 Black has more than
h8!? 25.f2 g8 26.e1 g4 e q u a l i s e d . 16.h4!? An ambitious pawn
27.e8+ g8 28.e4= ) 24.e2 sacrifice.
B2a) 24...g8 25.f2 g6 26.e8+ [ 16.xe7 xe7 17.f5 g5 is rather
g8 27.e2 depressing. ]
B2a1) 27...f5 28.g2 h3+ 16...df8?!
29.g1 g3 30.f3 h1+ 31.f2 [ Safe. Nevertheless, Black should call
xa1 32.xf6+ g7 33.f8+= White's bluff by 16...b6! 17.c3 ( 17.f2

53
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

d6! and White's bishop is stranded, and [ 42...f4+ 43.g4 and mate in two more
something like 18.h1 xg5!? 19.fxg5 moves. ]
e7 20.ae1 ae8 21.xe7 xe7 1-0
f a v o u r s B la c k's b e t t e r p a wn st ru c t u r e)
17...xb2 18.ab1 ( 18.fc1 a3! )
18...xc3 19.e2 d2 20.fd1 xa2 64 C01
21.a1 b2 ] Castaldo,Folco 2283
17.ae1 c7 18.xe7 Rogers,Ian 2529
[ 18.h1 d6! ] 9th Valley Saint Vincent ITA (3) 05.02.2001
18...xe7 19.e5 f6? [Neil McDonald]
[ 19...ae8 ]
20.xe7 xe7 21.h5! gxh5 22.xh5 f7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 f6
23.g4 5.c4 e7 6.c3 0-0 7.e3
[ Even 23.xf7+ xf7 24.c4 keeps Black [ Instead 7.h3 could well transpose to the
on the defensive. ] game while also possible was ]
23...g6 24.f5!? [ 7.d3 dxc4 ( Black deflects the white
[ 24.f5 g5 25.b3 and c4 is a legitimate bishop as after 7...c6 8.cxd5 xd5 9.0-0
option. ] g4 10.h3 h5 11.xh7+! xh7 12.g5+
24...h8 25.h4 f5 26.h3 e6 27.f2! g8 13.xh5 f6 14.h4 xd4
[ Avoiding 27.f3 e3+ ] 15.ce4 d3! 16.f4 was very
27...e8 28.f3 e7 uncomfortable for Black in Miezis-Shirov,
[ 28...e3+ 29.g3 and this time f4 is K e r e s m e m . r a p i d 2 0 0 0 .) 8.xc4
defended, but after e7! 30.h1 g7 now W hite is a tempo down on the main
, Black is still hanging in there. ] game as he has wasted a move with Bd3
29.e5 d7 30.h1 before Bxc4. Black achieved a good position
[ The engines love 30.g4! , a move for which after g4 9.e3 bd7 10.h3 h5 11.0-0
Carlsen probably wanted to prepare a bit c6 12.b3 a5 13.e1 b4 14.c1 ae8
more. ] 15.a3 xc3 16.xc3 d5 17.c1 b5
30...xe5? 18.g4 g6 in Miezis-Papaioannou, Istanbul
[ 30...g7 ] 2000. ]
31.dxe5 c5 A good idea, but it should have 7...dxc4
been too slow. 32.b3? [ Or 7...e6 8.cxd5 xd5 9.d3 c5!?
[ 32.g4! fxg4 33.h4 d7 34.g5 10.0-0 cxd4 11.xd4 xe3 12.fxe3 d7
is decisive, since g8 35.xh7! xh7 wi t h u n c le a r p l a y i n Ma r ce l in -I p p o l it o ,
( 35...xh7 36.f5! ) 36.xg6 is too strong. ] Argenteuil 1997. ]
32...c4! 33.bxc4 dxc4 34.e2 g5! 35.g3 8.xc4 bd7
b6+ 36.g2 e3? Natural but weak. It [ Now 8...g4 is the note to White's 7th
turns out that move but with the white bishop on e3 rather
[ 36...c6+! 37.f1 ( 37.f3 xf3+! ) than c1. Instead Rogers aims to put his
37...gxf4 38.gxf4 e4 was a better version queen's knight on the blockade square d5,
of the centralising theme. ] af ter which it isn't clear that W hite has
37.f1 f7 Losing, but gained much by having his bishop on e3-
[ 37...gxf4?? 38.xf5 loses, and ] the bishop would be better on g5. ]
[ 37...e4 ultimately does so after 38.h6! 9.h3 b6 10.b3 bd5 11.0-0 c6 12.c2
g7 39.fxg5 xc2! 40.g6 b1+ 41.g2 [ Maybe he should give back the tempo with
e4+ 42.f2 d4+ 43.f1 a1+ 44.g2 12.g5! to begin putting pressure on Black's
xa2 45.e3 ] centre after e6 13.e1 etc. ]
38.h5! xg3 12...b6 13.d2 e8 14.ae1
[ 38...e7 39.fxg5 ] [ H e r e a g a i n 14.g5 should have been
39.xf7 xf4+ 40.g2 e4+ 41.f3 considered. ]
xc2+ 42.g3 f4+ 14...f8 15.e5 e6 16.f4? This is just too

54
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

loosening though it takes some fine tactical 13.c5 c7 14.b4 (eventually drawn)
play by Rogers to prove it. Still Salgado Lopez, I (2624)-Rapport, R (2676),
[ 16.g5! ] Camarinas ESP 2013.8...Ng6 eliminates the
16...xe3 17.xe3 ad8 18.f5 xa2! Bg5 idea. ]
[ Black steers clear of variations like 9.h5 d7 10.g5 f6
18...xd4 19.fxe6 xd2 20.exf7+ h8 [ 10...e7 is a good move, keeping the play
21.fxe8 xe3+ 22.h1 xe8? level, e.g., b)
23.xf8# ] A) a) 11.xe7 xe7 12.f5 d8 13.g3
19.xa2 xd4 20.f2 c5! Now the white ( 13.ae1 f6= ) 13...f6 14.f3 e7
rook will be speared against either the king or ( 14...b6! ) 15.xe7+ xe7 16.fe1?!
queen. 21.h1 dd8 22.c4 xe3 23.f3 b4 17.e3 d7?! ( 17...g4 18.d2
b5 W h i t e r e s i g n s a s 24.xe3 xe3 xb2 ) 18.a3 d6 19.e5! A Sokolov
would be the last straw. (2580)-Brustman, A (2320)/op, Geneva
0-1 1996.;
B) 11.f4 f6 12.f3 b6 13.f5?
( 13.ce2 g4 14.f2 xe2 15.xe2
65 C01 e4 16.xe4 dxe4= ) 13...e5 14.f4
Cheparinov,Ivan 2672 xd3 15.cxd3 h6 16.h4 xb2 17.ae1
Rapport,Richard 2676 b4 Naiditsch, A (2390)-Hertneck, G
Camarinas Entrefaros (5) 09.10.2013 (2555)/Bad Wiessee 1998. ]
[John Watson] 11.f3 e7 12.f5
[ 12.fe1 h6 13.d2 g4 14.e3 d6 ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5 12...xf5 13.xf5 e8
5.d3 c6 In PTF4 my main recommendations [ Or 13...e8= ]
were 5...Nf6 and 5...Nc6, both of which I've [ Or 13...b6 14.e2 e4 15.xe4 xg5
played. 5...c6 is, as I pointed out, 16.xd5! cxd5 17.xg5 xb2 18.xd5
recommended in the recent books by both ac8= ]
W illiam s and Vitugo v and was played b y 14.e3 d6 15.h5 e8 16.b3 f6 17.a4
U h l m a n n . M y f e e l i n g i s t h a t i t ' s l e s s f8
interesting and less ambitious than the other [ Probably 17...a5 18.e2 e4=
moves, but very safe. 6.ge2 is more accurate. White's opening doesn't
[ 6.f3 is the most important line in other seem sharp enough to give Black many
sources, and is the most challenging move, difficulties, in part because White has no
so I concentrated most of my energy there. ] effective pawn breaks. In the rest of the
6...e7 7.g3 game the play remains fairly close to
[ In PTF4, I cited 7.0-0 f5 , a common line, equality until Black pulls away in the late
and Keano took me to task for not giving 7 middlegame stages. ]
Ng3, which he says "is much more logical 18.a5 g6 19.g4 e6 20.e2 g5
and critical, and can lead to a niggly edge 21.xg5 xg5 22.f4 e6 23.g3 g5
f o r W h it e ". W ell, th is is h ardly a m ajo r 24.f4 de4 25.f3 e6 26.e3 d6
va ri a t i o n i n a n y ca s e , b u t I d o u b t t h a t 27.d2 h4 28.c3 e7 29.ae1 ae8
there's any real advantage here. In any case, 30.c1 b6 31.axb6 axb6 32.c2 c5
let me show a few games for the sake of 33.dxc5 bxc5 34.e5 c7 35.xe7 xe7
completeness. ] 36.d3 e6 37.e1 a7 38.b1 b7
7...0-0 8.0-0 g6 39.c2 d4 40.cxd4 xd4+ 41.f2 f5
[ This seems to be a good setup. A few days 42.c1 a7 43.xf5 gxf5 44.f1 a1
e a r l i e r R a p p o r t h a d p l a y e d 8...d7!? 45.c2 f4 46.c3 a8 47.g3 d4
in a ga m e m e n t i o n e d b y K e a n o o n t h e 48.c2 d5 49.c3 f4 50.e5 d1+
Forum that game went 9.g5! f6 10.d2 51.e1 d5 52.e5 d1+ 53.e1 d4
f7 ( 10...f5 ) 11.ce2 d6 12.c4!? f8!? 54.xd4 xd4 55.gxf4 a1 56.f2 g7
( 12...dxc4 13.xc4 d5 14.f5 7b6 ) 57.d1 b1 58.b4 b2+ 59.e3 xb4

55
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

60.d3 f5+ 61.d2 d4 62.c3 c4 34.e7+= ]

63.g1+ f6 64.f2 xf4 65.g4+ e6 31...axb4 32.xb4 a4 33.c5
66.e1+ d5 67.f6+ c6 68.xh7 xf3+ [ 33.cxd5 cxd5 34.b6! d1+ 35.b2
69.b4 d6 70.g5 b3+ 71.a4 b7 d2+ 36.c2 g4 37.b8+= ]
72.e4 f5 73.c1 fxe4 74.xc4+ d5 33...b5 34.b2 g4 35.b3 f7 36.a4
0-1 b7??
[ 36...b8! ]
37.a3?
66 C01 [ 37.h8 wins, in view of d7 ( 37...e6
Chernyshov,Konstantin 2564 38.e8+ ) 38.xh7+ f6 39.a5 etc. ]
Kosic,Dragan 2485 37...e6? But Black is in big trouble anyway.
FSGM May Budapest HUN (11.1) 16.05.2011 38.h8! d7 39.c2 f5 40.d4+!?
[John Watson] [ 40.f8+! g5 41.f4+ h5 42.h3
wins a piece and then more. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d3 c5 4.exd5 exd5 40...g5 41.h4+ h5 42.f6 h6 43.xc6
Now we've transposed to 3 exd5 exd5 4 Bd3 c8 44.d6 f5 45.e5 e6 46.c6 d4
c 5 , a s t a n d a r d s o l u t i o n . 5.e2+?! 47.b2 d3 48.c3 Zugzwang. g5 49.hxg5
A very common idea at lower levels but it is at xg5 50.d4
best unimpressive, exposing White's queen [ 50.e7+ ]
for a temporary pawn capture. e7 6.dxc5 50...e8 51.xe4 f5+ 52.d4 h5
f6 7.e3 0-0 8.d2 g4 and resigns, in view of
[ 8...e8 already yields Black a small [ 52...h5 53.f3+ g4 54.f4+ h3
advantage following 9.e2 c6 10.0-0 55.xf5+ ]
g4 ] 1-0
9.e2 xe3 10.fxe3 xc5 11.bc3
Intending Nxd5. g6!? Alternatives:
[ 11...e6 12.0-0-0 c6 13.f4 a5 67 C01
14.a3 d4 15.exd4 xd4 16.xe6 fxe6 Cruz Ravina,Francisco Javier 2361
17.c4 is complex. ] Barsov,Alexei 2521
[ 11...d7 12.0-0-0 f6 13.f4 e6 ] XIX Open Vilna de Roquetas ESP (3) 03.01.08
12.0-0-0 c6 13.b5!? [Neil McDonald]
[ 13.f4! d4 14.exd4 xd4 15.b1= ]
13...b6 14.b1 e6 15.xc6 bxc6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d3 c5 4.exd5 xd5
16.a4 b4 17.xc5 xc5 18.d4 ae8 [ Safer was 4...cxd4 ]
[ 18...ab8 is a bit more forceful. Still, the 5.c3! A vigorous reply which is White's best
position is only slightly in Black's favour. ] chance for advantage from a practical
19.hf1 d7 20.f4 f5 21.c3 e5 22.c2 s t a n d p o i n t . d8 After this cautious retreat,
e4 23.g3 fe8 24.xe4 xe4 25.e2 W hite is guaranteed a persistent, if slight,
c8! Now ...Qb6 and ... Ba6 is an idea. advantage. Still, it isn't surprising that Barsov
26.d4 a5?! had no wish to enter into a theoretical dispute
[ 26...e8 ] in an offbeat variation. The critical test is
27.d3 [ 5...xd4 as examined in Loeffler-
[ 27.xe4! fxe4 28.f1! and I prefer Schebler. ]
White. ] [ One pawn Black shouldn't take is on g2:
27...b6?! 5...xg2?? 6.e4! ]
[ 27...e8 ] 6.dxc5 xc5 7.f3 f6 8.0-0 c6?!
28.xe4 fxe4 29.d4 a6 A routine development of the knight. Black
[ 29...xd4? 30.xd4 wins a pawn, e.g., should have thought about supporting the
d7 31.b3 ] knight on f6 against a future pin by Bg5, and
30.c4!? e6 31.b4 also blocking the d-file, so that his queen
[ 31.f6 f7 32.cxd5 xd5 33.d8+ g7 won't be embarrassed by Rd1. This could

56
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
have been achieved with
[ 8...0-0 9.e2 bd7 when Black would be
ready to develop his bishop on c8 with b7-b6
and Bb7. ]
9.e2
[ The direct 9.g5!? also looked good. ]
9...h6
[ Perhaps he should make do with 9...0-0
10.g5 e7 ]
10.a3 Rather a slow move.
[ Here 10.f4 intending 11.Rad1 gives White
a nice advantage. ]
10...d7? This proves an unfortunate square
for the black bishop. Solid enough was
[ 10...0-0 11.d1 e7 ]
11.d1 a6 12.e4 e7 13.f4!
Black suddenly finds himself in serious trouble
as a big check is looming on d6 and he can't
s a f e l y c a s t l e - s e e t h e n e x t n o t e . d5
Barsov tries to fish in troubled waters. He
leaves his king in the centre and hopes that
h i s o p p o n e n t wi l l o ve r s t e p t h e m a r k i n
pursuing his attack.
[ Not 13...0-0 14.xf6+ xf6 15.e4 g6
16.xh6 and White has won a pawn. ]
14.d6+ f8 15.g3 c8 16.c4!
[ Even better for White than the positional
approach 16.xc8 xc8 17.c4 ]
16...xd6 17.xd5 xg3 18.xc6 d6
19.e5!? This leads to a double edged attack
that eventually proves victorious. Call me a
spoil sort, but I would prefer the risk free
[ 19.d3! when Black would be in danger of
perishing before he could activate his rooks
after bxc6?! 20.ad1 etc. ]
19...e7 Now Black is fighting again.
20.xd6! Admirable fighting spirit!
[ White spurns the draw after 20.xg7 g8
( not 20...bxc6 21.xd6! ) 21.h7 h8
22.g7 g8 etc. with a repetition. ]
20...xd6 21.xg7 d8 White has no time
to save his bishop in view of the terrible threat
of 22... Qd1+. 22.h3
[ Instead 22.e1 bxc6 23.e5 f8 24.h3
transposes to the game ]
22...bxc6 23.e5 f8 24.e1 e8 25.e3!
Heading for d3. Black has a massive material
advantage, but it is by no means easy to co-
ordinate his rooks or shake off W hite's
pressure on the dark squares. In fact, even
consulting with computers hasn't shown me a
convincing way for Black to escape the bind
perhaps he is simply losing. d1+ 26.h2
xc2 27.d3 c5 28.f4 a5 29.g4 f5
Making some air for the black king before 30.
Nf6+ Ke7 31.Nh7 occurs, when f8 is hanging
and there is a big queen check on f6.
30.g6+?
[ C o r r e c t w a s 30.f6+ xf6 31.xf6
when, besides 32.Rd8 mate, there is the
deadly threat of 32.Rg3. For example e7
32.h8+ f7 33.g3 f6 34.h7+ e8
35.g8+ and wins the black queen. ]
30...e7 31.e5 a6?
[ Black had to walk a tight rope with 31...a7
32.xh6 e8! ]
32.g7+
[ 32.d7+! xd7 33.g7+ was quicker. ]
32...e8 33.d7! Threatening a killer check
by the queen on g6. xe5 Perhaps White will
take the queen? 34.e7# No: an impressive
attacking game by Cruz Ravina, who kept his
co o l d e sp i t e b e i n g a r o o k d o wn wi t h n o
obvious winning line in sight.
1-0
68 C01
Cumbers,Paul
Marsh,Sean
Nottingham 04.03.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
[ If you compare the opening in the game
with the well known Tarrasch line 3.d2 c5
4.exd5 exd5 5.b5+ c6 6.gf3
it is clear that W hite has a much superior
version here- the fact that he hasn't blocked
in his queen's bishop with Nd2 means that
he can play for an immediate attack. ]
3...exd5 4.f3 c5? if White had played 4
Bd3 this would make sense as White wouldn't
be able to check on b5 without losing time.
Naturally Black has lots of solid alternatives
here such as
[ 4...f6 or the more ambitious ]
[ 4...g4 ]
5.b5+ c6 6.0-0 Already Black looks to be
in trouble. cxd4 7.xd4 d7 8.e1+ e7
9.g5! The bishop seldom enjoys such
freedom in the Tarrasch. h6 10.h4 f8
57
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

11.xe7+ gxe7 12.c3 b6 This loses 5...c6

material but it was already horrible for black. [ 5...b4 is the most popular move here.
13.xe7! xe7 Then the main line is 6.f3 0-0 7.d3
[ Naturally not 13...xe7? 14.xd5+ while ] dxc4 8.xc4 , and a popular continuation is
[ 13...xd4 14.xd7 xb5 15.xd5 c6 9.0-0 ( 9.h3 e4 ) 9...g4 10.e3
hitting both b5 and f7 also loses at once. ] , which was the actual order of the game in
14.xd7 d8 15.b5 h5 16.d3 h6 the next note. The recent game Gleizerov, E
17.e1 f6 18.e3 d6 19.xd5! (2590)-Weber, T (2324), Biel SUI 2011 saw
Another spectacular attacking move. xd5 the much lower-rated player draw W hite,
[ Or 19...xd5 20.e8+ xe8 21.xe8# ] which is one reason leading players are a
20.xe7+ g8 21.xd8+! This simplifies to little reluctant to use the Exchange except
a winning endgame. xd8 22.e8+ xe8 when a draw is acceptable: d6 11.h3 h5
23.xe8 f8 24.a4 and White won the 12.a3 a6 13.e2 e8 14.b3 b5
endgame without too much difficulty. This 15.ad1 a5 16.a2 c4! 17.xc4 bxc4
powerful attacking game shows that Black 18.xc4 xf3 19.gxf3 h5 20.d5
underestimates the exchange Variation at his (versus ...Qh4) f5?! ( 20...b8! 21.d2
peril. f6 22.g2 f4! ) 21.fe1 f6 22.f1?!
1-0 h6 ( 22...ab8 ) 23.h1 f7 24.c4
( 24.e2 wi t h t h e i d e a xb2 25.d4 )
24...e5! 25.f4 xf4 26.xf4 xf4
69 C01 27.xf4 xf4 and Black actually got
De Dovitiis,Alejo 2348 win n in g ch a n ce s b e f o re t h e ga m e wa s
Rodriguez Vila,Andres 2507 drawn. ]
XV Magistral de la Republica (6) 06.08.2011 6.cxd5
[John Watson] [ The game Artamonov-J Geller, Samara
RUS 2011 continued 6.f3 b4 7.d3 0-0
Some recent 4 c4 games 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 8.0-0 dxc4 9.xc4 g4 10.e3
3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 f6 (this transposes to the previous note) . d6
[ 4...b4+ 5.c3 e7 is my recommended 11.a3 a5 ( 11...xc3 12.bxc3 d5
solution from Play the French editions. Then 13.d2 a5 14.a2 b5 15.h3 xf3
Kalod, R (2500)-Andre, G (2368), Pardubice 16.xf3 c4 unclear ) 12.e2 ad8
CZE 2011 went 6.f3 0-0 7.e2 dxc4 13.a4 b6 14.fd1 ( 14.ad1 d5
8.xc4 g4 9.0-0 bc6 10.a3 a5 15.xd5 xd5 16.fe1 ) 14...d5
( 10...xc3 11.bxc3 d5 ) 11.e1 f5 15.xd5 xd5 16.d2 e7 ( 16...a5 )
12.e3 f6!? ( 12...d6= ) 13.d5 ( 13.h3 17.g5 xf3 18.xe7 xe2 19.xe2 fe8
xf3 14.xf3 cxd4 15.xd4 xd4 20.ae1 xd4 21.b5 d7 22.b4 xe2
16.xf6 gxf6= ) 13...g6 14.b4 b6 15.h3 23.xe2 h6 24.d2 xd2 25.xd2 xd2
xh3?? ( 15...xf3! 16.xf3 xd4 with a considerable advantage. ]
17.ad1!? xe3 18.xe3 d6 ) 16.f4 6...xd5 7.b5 e7 8.ge2 0-0 9.0-0 f5
and White won a piece. ] 10.g3 g6!?
5.c3 [ 10...e6! with the idea 11.f4!? a6 12.xc6
[ 5.f3 b4+ 6 Nc3 transposes to the main bxc6 13.f5 c8 ]
line. The alternative 6.d2!? ( 6.c3 ) 11.f4 xc3?!
6...xd2+ 7.bxd2 gives White an isolated [ 11...h6!? 12.f5 h7 is unclear the bishop
pawn after an undesirable simplification of looks bad on h7, but W hite has central
d2: 0-0 8.e2 ( 8.c5 e8+ 9.e2 e7 ) weaknesses in addition to d4. ]
8...c6 ( 8...dxc4 9.xc4 e8 10.0-0 c6 12.bxc3 f5 13.f3 e8 14.e3
is easier for Black to play) 9.0-0 g4 10.c5 White begins to dawdle.
Cruz, Cr (2470)-Cruz, Jon (2406), Sitges [ 14.b1 b8 15.e1 activates. ]
ESP 2011 and e4 11.e1 f5 12.h3 h5 14...g6 15.ab1!?
is already better for Black. ] [ 15.c4+ f7 ( 15...g7 16.f2 ) 16.xf7+

58
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xf7 17.e2 a5! 18.c1! c4 19.d3 11.xd1 d7 12.b5 0-0-0 13.c3 e5
, about equal. ] 14.0-0 e7 15.d6+ xd6 16.cxd6 e6
15...a5! 16.xe8 17.b3 b6 18.d2 d7 19.c4
[ 16.d3 f7 ] [ Correct was 19.f4! opening lines for if e4?
16...xe8 17.d5?! 20.f5 wins the bishop. ]
[ 17.fe1 ] 19...b7 20.c3
17...c4 18.d4 f6 19.f2 b6 20.fd1 [ 20.f4! ]
d6 21.f1 20...c8 21.fd1 f5 22.f4? A useful
[ 21.xf6 xf6 22.d4 d6 is nice for reminder that chess is all about timing as
Black. ] here this move is bad! W hite should have
21...e4! Black sits on two central outposts. settled for
22.xf6 xf6 23.g3?! [ 22.f3 when he still should win. ]
[ But 23.d2 xd2 24.xd2 d6 ] 22...e4 White's last move has presented Black
23...e3 24.b4 xc3 25.e2 a5! with a protected passed pawn and a beautiful
26.xc3 axb4 27.b5 e7 28.c1 xa2 square on d3 for his knight. 23.b5?
29.d6 cxd6 30.xa2 e3+ [ He should play 23.e2! b4 24.c1
0-1 intending a2-a3. ]
23...b4 24.c7 g8 25.c5 Returning the
extra pawn, but in any case d6 would have
70 C01 been impossible to defend after 25... Nd3
De Jong,Migchiel 2276 bxc5 26.xc5 d3 27.b4 xf4 28.f1
Archangelsky,Mikhail 2430 e6! 29.xe6 xe6 Now it looks as if Black
Essent op Hoogeveen (2) 14.10.2000 should hold the draw, but he eventually got
[Neil McDonald] ground down. 30.g4 g6 31.g5 f8 32.f4
c8 33.f2 c6 34.e3 a6 35.ff2 a3+
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d3 dxe4 4.xe4 f6 36.f4 c4 37.b5 d3 38.xd3 xd3
5.f3 c5 6.e2 c6 7.e3 d5 8.xd5 39.b2 d8 40.b6 a6 41.e5 b5 42.e3
xd5 9.bc3! De Jong managed to catch c6 43.c2 e8+ 44.f6 d8 45.d2 b5
two players in this line at the Essent Open. It 46.h4 d7 47.e6 f4 48.xf4 xb6
v i r t u a l l y w i n s a p a w n b y f o r c e . d8 49.b2 c6 50.c2+ b7 51.c5 c6
Black has played a series of natural moves 52.c3 b5 53.e5 b6 54.e3 c6
but is suddenly in trouble! 55.b3+ c5 56.c3+ b6 57.d4+ b7
[ Paul Morphy used to play 3.Bd3 back in the 58.f6 b5 59.c5 c6 60.e7 b6
1850s. I could imagine a game Morphy-AN 61.e5 b7 62.a3 b6 63.f7 b7
O t h e r g o i n g 9...xg2? 10.g1 xh2 64.g7 d7 65.xe4 c5 66.xh7 f5
11.f4 h5 12.b5 d7 13.dxc5+ d5 67.d7+
14.ec3! ( 14.c7 wins a rook, but this is 1-0
pre tt ie r. .. .) 14...xd1+ 15.xd1+ e7
16.d6+ f6 17.e4+ f5 18.g5+
xe4 19.c3+ f3 20.d3# ] 71 C01
[ Instead some rounds later in the same Doluhanova,E 2227
tournament 9...d7 10.dxc5 e5 11.d4! Paehtz,Elisabeth 2463
to stop Nc4 ideas. f6 12.e4 ( 12.0-0-0! ZMDI GER-UKR Rapid rapid (2) 11.08.2011
looks even stronger.) 12...e7 13.0-0 [John Watson]
left W hite a useful pawn up in De Jong-
Peng Zhaoquin, Hoogeveen Essent op 2000. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
However, perhaps De Jong couldn't believe Of the 7 highest-ranked games, this system
his luck as he later blundered and lost! ] s c o r e d 6 - 1 . . . f o r B l a c k ! 5.d3 c6
10.dxc5 xd1+ I'll concentrate upon this move, easily the
[ Black cannot regain his pawn for if 10...a5 most popular, although of late
11.a3 etc. ] [ 5...c6 has attracted more attention. ]

59
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
6.ge2 This fashionable move was tried in
one game between two GMs averaging 2650
and another two averaging 2727! The French
must be getting hard to play against.
[ One interesting development with 6.a3
is that Black sometimes keeps more pieces
on the board with 6...Ba5 rather than the
traditional 6...Bxc3. This month there was
only such game, from the venerable
Uhlmann, but this is an idea to keep an eye
on, and it appears in several of the 6 Nge2
games below. In the meantime 6 a3 finished
with an even score: (b)
A) (a) 6...xc3+ 7.bxc3 e6
( It's generally more accurate to keep open
the option of putting the g8 knight on e7 or
f6 7...ge7 8.f3 e6 9.e2 d7
10.h3 f5!? is less ambitious but fine:
11.0-0 0-0 12.g3 xd3 13.cxd3 g6
14.g5 ae8 15.ae1= Vishnu, P (2340)-
Adrian, C (2291), Figueres ESP 2011;
7...f6 8.g5 d6 9.e2 g4!? 10.f3
h5 11.0-0 g6 12.g3 0-0-0!?
- a little strange, but it's hard to attack
Black's king - 13.a4 h6 14.e3 a5!
15.b1 he8 16.c1 Wandzik, W (2239)-
Dowgird, F (2110), Rewal 2011 and here
simply c4 17.f4 c6 or 17...Qc6
would give Black a comfortable game)
8.b1 b6 9.f3 ge7 ( 9...d7 ) 10.e2
d7 11.g3 0-0 12.h3 a5 13.0-0
ae8 14.h5 f5!? ( 14...f6= ) 15.g3
g6 16.f4 d6 17.h4 f7 18.a4 d7
19.a1 with a minor edge, Malloni, M
(2293) -Andersen, H (2211), Kaunas LTU
2011.;
B) 6...a5!? 7.ge2 ge7 8.0-0 f5
( 8...g4!?; 8...0-0 ) 9.g3 xd3 10.xd3
0-0 ( 10...xc3!? 11.xc3 0-0
leaves White with his bad bishop, so that
may be considered equal (but still
unbalanced).) 11.ce2 d7 12.f4 d8
13.d2 xd2 14.xd2 g6 15.xg6
hxg6 16.e2 e8= and eventually drawn
b e t we e n t wo o ld lio n s: B ykh o vs k y, A
(2354)-Uhlmann, W (2379), Suzdal RUS
2011. ]
6...g4 This pin is typical of the Exchange
Variation.
[ 6...e6 7.0-0 f6?! 8.a3 ( 8.b5! 0-0-0
9.f4 d7 10.c3 f8 11.d2 ) 8...a5
9.e3 ge7 10.a4 f5 11.g3 xd3
12.xd3 h5 13.e2 h4 14.h3 Motylev, A
(2 6 8 5 ) -Dro zd o vsk ij, Y (2 6 1 4 ), K h a n t y -
Ma nsiysk RUS 2 01 1 a nd B la ck c as tle d
queenside, a daring move which eventually
led to a win, but something calmer like f5
was objectively better. ]
7.a3
[ 7.f3 e6 8.0-0 ge7 9.f4 f5 10.b5
a5 11.c3 ce7?! ( 11...a6= ) 12.g4 h4
13.g3 hg6!? Zhigalko, S (2689)-
Mamedyarov, S (2765), Baku AZE 2011
White is better, but White probably had his
eye on a draw from move 4. ]
7...a5 8.h3 h5 9.e3 ge7 10.d2
g6 11.g3 d7 12.0-0-0 0-0-0 13.xg6?!
hxg6 14.d3 xc3! 15.xc3 de8
A nice transformation. White has a bad bishop
and his knight has no forward squares. That's
not a winning advantage for Black, of course,
but she can build up some pressure. 16.he1
d8 17.g5 f6 18.f4 g5 19.d2 e6
20.d3 f4!? Looking for a small structural
advantage. 21.xf4
[ 21.f3 eg6 22.xf4 xf4 is still not
easy. ]
21...gxf4 22.e2 g5 23.c3 f5 24.b3 c6
25.xe8+ xe8 26.d2?! Trying to
challenge the f ile, but that doesn't prove
possible. e6 27.a4 e4!?
[ 27...d6! was also quite strong. ]
28.xe4 dxe4 29.e2 h4
[ Or 29...e3 ]
30.g3?!
[ 30.f1 f3 31.gxf3 xf3 32.c3 f5 ]
30...f3+ 31.e1?
[ 31.f1 f5 32.g1 h8! 33.g4 d6
34.h2 f5! with a very large advantage ]
31...g2+ 32.d2
[ 32.f1 e3 ]
32...e3+ 33.fxe3 xe3 ...f2-f1 can follow.
0-1
60
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
72 C01
Dvoirys,Semen I 2591
Bauer,Christian 2517
Open New York USA (7) 09.05.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
5.d3 c6
[ 5...e7 6.h5! is similar to the game. ]
6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 ge7 8.h5!
The idea of this move is to prevent Black
offering the exchange of bishops with 8...Bf5,
wh e n h e wo u ld co m f o rt a b ly e qu a lise . g6
Black aims to make Bf5 possible after all, but
of course this move weakens the dark squares
on his kingside- not a happy state of affairs
when you r o ppon ent has a d ark squ are d
bishop and you don't!
[ More solid was 8...e6 though White then
has some advantage after 9.f3 d7
10.g5! ]
9.f3 0-0 10.e2 f5 11.h4?! This is the
natural way to try to exploit the weaknesses in
his opponent's kingside, but it proves
ineffective as Black can generate counterplay
on the light squares in the centre. A more
modest approach with
[ 11.g3 e8 12.0-0 looks more promising,
with a slight but definite edge to White. ]
11...e8 12.h5 d7 13.f1 e4!
This pawn sacrifice allows Black to seize a
pair of outpost squares for his knights.
14.xe4 dxe4 15.xe4 d5 16.d3 e6
17.d2
[ If 17.c4 xd4! 18.cxd5 xe2+ 19.xe2
xe2 is bad for White. ]
17...a5 18.f4 c6 19.xd5 xd5
20.f4 c4?
[ This second pawn sacrifice isn't necessary.
H e c o u l d p l a y 20...c5 with a comfortable
position after 21.h3 e7 ]
21.xc7! This isn't just greed: it takes the
pres su re o f f W hite 's cen tre by rem ovin g
Black's option of . ..c5. Now Black becomes
very active, but he can't find a decisive blow.
In fact it is his own king that is eventually
driven across the board by the white pieces.
e7 22.f4 ae8 23.h3 e4 24.h6 b5
25.hxg6 hxg6 26.g1 f5 27.g3 f7
28.g5 h8 29.f3 d6 30.h3 he8
31.f1 g7 32.h6 f7 33.h7+ e6
34.xa7 d5 35.g3 b6 36.d7+ c6
37.g7 8e6 38.e1 a5 39.xe4 fxe4
40.f7 d5 41.xg6 b6 42.f5+
1-0
73 C01
Dzhakaev,Dzhakay 2424
Psakhis,Lev 2572
Petrov Mem Open (9) 20.02.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 c6
5.c3 Ugh. How can Black hope to make it
interesting after this move? Psakhis shows
that what Black needs is tremendous
patience. d6 6.b5 This doesn't fit in well
with 5.c3 as in the 5.Bb5 variation the way for
White to set Black problems is with a quick c2-
c4. Here of course if he decided on that plan
he would just be a tempo down. Not that
necessarily White was trying to cause Black
any problems- he probably just wanted a
balanced position and a draw against his
strong opponent.
[ Nevertheless more precise was 6.d3 e.g.
g4 7.0-0 d7 8.e1+ ge7 9.a3?
Assuming he was looking for a peaceful
draw W hite makes the cardinal sin of
making the position interesting! Instead of
allowing his pawn structure to be loosened
on the queenside he should have continued
in the style of Blatny- rated 2505 versus
Karpov 2725 which went ( 9.g5 f6 10.h4
0-0 11.g3 ae8 12.bd2 d8 13.c2
g6 14.h3 f5 15.f1 c6 16.e3 xd3
17.xd3 xg3 18.fxg3 f7 19.g4 c8
20.f1 cd6 21.g3 xe1+ 22.xe1
e8 23.e2 and Black gave up his winning
attempt in Blatny,P-Karpov,A/Austria 1993.)
9...xa3 10.bxa3 0-0 11.b5 a6 12.xc6
xc6 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 fe8 15.f4
e7 16.h4 f6 17.h5 ad8 18.g3 f7
19.e2 g8 Preparing an instructive pawn
sa crif ice . 20.ae1 xe2 21.xe2 e8!
22.xe8+ xe8 23.xe8 xe8 24.xc7
d7 25.a5 f5 26.f3 f6 27.h6 g5!
28.b4 e6 29.a4 g8 30.f8 f7
31.g7 g6 32.f2 f4 33.e2 xh6
and Black won the endgame in Sion Castro,
M-De la Villa Garcia,J/Leon 1989. ]
61
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
6...ge7 7.0-0 0-0 8.g5 f6 9.h4 f5
10.g3 xg3 11.hxg3 e7 Black has the
two bishops but W hite's pawn structure is
compact. Psakhis doesn't hurry step by step
he centralises his pieces and waits for his
opponent to choose the wrong plan. 12.bd2
e6 13.d3 c6 14.e1 d7 15.a4 a5
16.c2 g6 17.e2 f7 18.ae1 ae8
19.b3 White has run out of solid developing
moves and is now tempted into an adventure
o n t h e q u e e n sid e . g7 20.b6
This is a passive square for the rook, but on
the other hand the white queen is a much
more important piece than the rook and she is
out on a limb on b6. 21.f1 g8 Black finds
a constructive manoeuvre- he will put the
knight on h6 and perhaps play Ng4. This isn't
dangerous for W hite, but he reacts badly.
22.e3 h6 23.g4? White is the first to tire
of the shadow boxing and makes a pseudo
active move which seriously loosens his pawn
structure. Any waiting move, even
[ 23.b3 would have left him with a
defensive formation which could only be
attacked at great risk to Black. ]
23...f4
[ Not 23...xg4 24.xg4 xg4 25.xb7 ]
24.g5 The pawn will drop sooner or later, so
White sacrifices it to cause some disruption to
Black's kingside. xg5!
[ White has a strong passed pawn after
24...fxg5 25.e5!? xe5 26.dxe5 ]
25.xg5 fxg5 26.c4 fb8! Black frees his
queen from the need to defend b7. Whether
or not White has enough dynamic play for the
pawn isn't the real question: after all, Psakhis
is an excellent defender and rated almost 150
points above his opponent, so it is no surprise
that he comes out on top in the struggle that
follows. The French Exchange as a drawing
weapon has already missed its mark. 27.cxd5
cxd5 28.c2 xa4 29.c7 d8 30.xb7
ac8 31.c2 c6 Not
[ 31...xc2 as d8 hangs. ]
32.ee7 xb6 33.xb6 b8 34.bb7 xb7
35.xb7 g4 36.f3 f6 37.a3 g4!
38.b5 g3 39.f1 h5 Here White
resigned or lost on time. His position is poor,
f o r e x a m p l e 40.a7 f4 41.c2
42.xa5 h4 and Black will create a passed
pawn with a timely h4-h3.
0-1
74 C01
Ernst,Sipke 2440
Bachofner,Andreas 2261
Lost Boys Open (6) 16.08.2001
[Neil McDonald]
a8! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d3 dxe4 4.xe4 f6
5.f3 c5 6.e2 cxd4 7.xd4
[ After 7.xd4 bd7! 8.0-0 c5
Black already looks at least equal as if
9.h4? e5! exploits the bishop on f3. ]
7...c5 8.b3 xd1+ 9.xd1 b6?!
[ I think 9...e7 was better as the bishop
becomes a target on b6. Then White has a
very slight edge after 10.f3 bd7 11.g3
e5 12.g2 ]
10.a4! White provokes Black's reply which
leaves a hole on b6. a6?!
[ M o r e s o l i d w a s 10...d5 11.a5
( 11.a3!? ) 11...c7 ]
11.a3! 0-0 12.c4 a7 13.0-0 c6
14.f3 d8 15.f4 d5 16.g3
The opening has been a success for White.
All his minor pieces have f ound safe and
s t r o n g s q u a r e s , wh e r e a s B l a c k h a s t h e
problem of the inactive bishop on c8. d4
17.xd4 xd4 18.ad1 c5?! 19.b4!
W hite utilises his pawns with gain of time
thanks to Black's last move. a7
[ If 19...xb4 20.b6 a7 and White has
the pleasant choice between 21.b8 and
( 21.c4 )]
20.b5 axb5 21.axb5 c5 22.fe1 h6
23.e3! White gains the bishop pair and
clears the way to dislodge the knight from d5
with c2-c4 or after the capture next move e3-
e4. xe3 24.fxe3 e8 25.d4! White keeps
up the pressure. He isn't willing to free Black's
bishop for a mere pawn after
[ 25.xd5? exd5 26.xd5 e6 However,
this is exactly what happens in the game
later on! ]
25...f6 26.e5 d7 27.c7?
[ Much more convincing was 27.xb7! xb7
h5 28.xd7 e4 29.b6 winning. ]
27...f6 Suddenly Black threatens 28...e5
freeing his position. 28.ed1 To answer 28. ..
62
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

e5 with 29.Rd8. However after Black's reply 12.d3

White has nothing better than to free Black's [ 12.h3 h5! ]
qu e e n 's b is ho p f o r a p a wn a f t er a ll. d5 12...de8
29.xd5 exd5 30.xd5 e6 [ 12...xe3 13.fxe3 he8 14.e1 e7
[ 30...xe3!? ] will result in an edge when White plays e4,
31.c5 g4 Black now makes a series of but it's not much. ]
poor moves and loses quickly. If he sat tight 13.e1 g5! More enterprising than
he might have held the draw. 32.d3 g6? concentrating upon the e-file and e3. 14.c2
33.f2 f5 34.d2 h5 35.b6 a3 36.e5 ce7 15.b4 h5
a6 37.d4 c8 38.xc8+ xc8 39.f6 [ 15...h5 threatens ...g4, winning a piece,
1-0 when 16.h3 (almost forced) presents a
t a r g e t w h i c h c a n b e e x p l o i t e d b y xf3!
17.xf3 h5! . You can see why I like the
75 C01 rook on g8. ]
Fataliyeva,Ulviyya Hasil Qizi 1880 16.b5!? An interesting way to set up a target
Sengupta,Deep 2572 for b4-b5, although it does cost valuable time.
4th Mumbai Mayors Cup (1) 16.09.2011 [ 16.b5 h4 ( 16...b8 17.a5 xe3 18.fxe3
[John Watson] h4 19.b6 a6 20.bxc7+ a8! ) 17.a5
White plays 18 b6 even after b8 ]
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d4 c6 16...c6 17.d3 b8 18.b5 c8 19.ab1!
5.b5 d6 6.0-0 ge7 7.g5 f6 8.e3 [ 19.bxc6?! xc6 20.ec1 c7! 21.c4
[ 8.h4 isn't as bad as it might seem, even xe3 22.fxe3 xf3 23.xf3 g4 ]
though it tempts Black's pawns forward, e.g., 19...c5! 20.a2!?
0-0 ( of course, Black should reserve the [ 20.dxc5! xe3 21.xe3 xc5 22.ee1
idea of ... 0-0-0, e.g., 8...g4 9.g3 xg3 is better, but you would still want to have
10.hxg3 d6; 8...f5!? ) 9.c4 dxc4 the Black pieces. ]
10.xc4+ h8 11.c3 f5 creates threats 20...c4 21.f1
on d4 which are hard to meet, and 12.d5 [ 21.c2!? ]
( 12.d3! is a better try, when Black can 21...g6! 22.a5 fe7!? This has a subtle
improve his position with e8 ) 12...e5 threat.
13.xe5 xe5 14.g3 xg3 15.hxg3 d6 [ 22...ce8 was a good option, or ]
or 15...a6 leaves W hite nothing to brag [ 22...h4 ]
about that compares with Black's bishops. ] 23.e2? f5! Suddenly Black threatens not
8...g4 only the rook on b1, but ...g4, winning the
[ 8...a6 9.d3 f5 is an option, probably trapped knight! Since Black's attack only gets
equal. ] stronger after this, the game is over: 24.f1
9.c3 Slow and not yet necessary. d7 xb1 25.xb1 g4 26.3d2 f5 27.d1
10.bd2 ge7 28.g3 cg8 29.c2 h4 30.a6 b6
[ 10.c4 dxc4 11.d5? xd5 ] 31.f4 xf4 32.gxf4 g3 33.fxg3 hxg3
10...0-0-0!? 11.a4!? I'm already starting to 34.hxg3 xg3 35.f2 h1+ 36.e2 g4+
like Black because of White's bad bishop on 37.f3 g2+ 38.e3 f2#
e3. It will soon need some room, so the idea 0-1
o f b 4 a n d N b 3 i s m o r e a p p e a l i n g . f5
Going after the bishop. This is a good move,
although there are options of direct attacks.
[ I like 11...de8 in these positions, freeing
d8 in some lines for a knight retreat. ]
[ , or even 11...dg8!? preparing a pawn
storm. You may not need ...Nf5, and the
knight might go to some other square like
g6. ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

76 C01 1-0 Jakic, I-Martino vic, S /Za dar CRO

Fernandez Aguado,Enrique 2356 2004. ]
Fernandez Romero,Ernesto 2442 12.0-0 xb4 13.b5+ bc6 14.fxd4 0-0
ch-Abierto Leon ESP (7) 28.11.2006 [ If 14...d7 15.b3 b1 16.d3 b4
[Neil McDonald] 17.c3 traps the black queen. ]
[ 14...a5 15.xc6+ xc6 ( If 15...bxc6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5 16.e5! with the threat of 16. Nxc6 or 16.
5.d3 e7 6.h5! c5? This counter attack Qxe7+ followed by a fork with 17.Nxc6+, to
looks plausible- hasn't White weakened his say nothing of 16.Qxg7.) 16.xc6 bxc6
c o n t ro l o f d 4 wi t h h i s la st m o ve ? - b u t i t 17.e5+ e6 18.d4 0-0 and now there is
rebounds horribly in the present game. a truly beautiful win with 19.h6!! gxh6
Instead 20.xc6 when to stop 21.Ne7 mate Black
[ 6...d6 was analysed in Bluvshstein- h a s t o g i v e u p h i s q u e e n w i t h d8
Efimenko on ChessPub, where ] 21.xd8 ]
[ 6...c6 was also assessed. ] 15.b3! Preventing the black queen escaping
7.dxc5 d4 via a5 and so introducing the terrible threat of
[ Here Black does best to bail out with 16.Nc3. g6
7...d7 8.ge2 xc5 9.b5+ d7 10.0-0 [ After 15...e6 16.c3 xb3 17.xa2
0-0 as in Pozo Vera, S-Nogueiras, J/Santa xa2 18.b3 Black would have insufficient
Clara CUB 2006, and now 11.xd7 xd7 compensation for the queen, even if
12.d1 looks quite pleasant for White in somehow the bishop could escape from
view of the target on d5. ] a2. ]
8.a3! Preparing a powerful exchange sacrifice. 16.f3 b1 17.xc6 bxc6 18.c3 xc2
a5 19.d4 The black queen is trapped by the
[ Or 8...dxc3 9.axb4 d4 10.b3 bc6 white knights and can only be saved at the
11.e2 d5 12.h4 f5 13.c4 xg2 co st o f a p iece , a f t e r which t he ma t eria l
14.g1 e4 15.xe4 xe4 16.xc3 g6 balance turns decisively in W hite's favour.
17.b5 0-0 18.b2 xb4 19.0-0-0 f5 g4 20.xg4 d3 21.g5 fe8 22.h3 h5
( O f c o u r s e i f 19...xc2 20.xg6 or; 23.e4 xe4 24.xe4 d5 25.d6 eb8
19...xc2 20.xg7+ ) 20.d6 xd6 26.xc6 xb2 27.d1 c7 28.c1 a2
21.cxd6 a6 White has emerged from the 29.d8 e6 30.a5 g5 31.b7 g4
melee with the two bishops and a strong 32.hxg4 hxg4 33.b4 b2 34.c6 d4
passed pawn. 22.d7 fd8 23.f4 b5 24.e2 35.c4 g3 36.fxg3 e8 37.xd4 ee2
f6 25.f5 xf5 26.xf6 g6 27.f3 ab8 38.h2 f5 39.h3 g7 40.d3 b1
28.e5 b6 29.c7 c6 30.xc6 41.h2 e6 42.d6 e8 43.c3+ f7
1-0 Xie, G-Depasquale, C/Auckland NZL 44.d7+
2005. ] 1-0
9.axb4 xa1 10.ce2 bc6 11.f3 a2
[ A b e t t e r f i g h t i n g c h a n c e i s 11...xb4
but Black still comes to grief: 77 C01
A) I quite like 12.b5+!? here for example Forster,Ri 2452
bc6 13.0-0 a5 14.exd4 0-0 15.d3 Carlsson,P 2499
g6 ( Or 15...h6 16.xh6! ) 16.h6 19th European Teams (4.16) 11.11.2013
threatening 17.Ng5.; [John Watson]
B) 12.0-0 xd3 13.g5 xb2 14.xe7
xe7 15.g5+ e8 16.xg7 f8 1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4
17.cxd3 xe2 18.e1 xe1+ 19.xe1 A good practical line with no pretensions to
a5 20.c2 a4 21.a3 e6 22.xd4 f6 advantage but easy-to-understand themes
23.e4 f7 24.xh7+ e8 25.xb7 and manoeuvres. b4+
c8 26.b5 xc5 27.d6+ d8 [ The main option is 4...f6 5.c3 b4
28.b6+ c7 29.b5 ff7 30.d6+ ( 5...e7 is a safe and sound move) 6.f3

64
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

0-0 7.e2 dxc4 8.0-0 g4 9.xc4 c6 [ 11.a3 e7 12.h3 xf3 13.xf3 cxd4
with two typical non-GM examples, one from 14.e4 c5 is unbalanced but equal. ]
late last year and one from this month: b) 11...d6 12.d5 e7 13.g5 h6 14.xe7
A) a) Nukin-Pushkov, Opatija 2013 xe7 15.fe1 f6 This is equal, and
illustrates how White's space and activity remains so for a while. 16.e5 f5 17.f3
can cause Black problems after 10.e3 c6 18.b3 ad8 19.e3 a5 20.d1 b6
a6!? ( 10...b8 is one good move that 21.h3 g5!?
equalises, intending ...Bxf3 and ...Nxd4.) [ 21...fe8= is more accurate. ]
11.h3 h5 ( 11...xf3 12.xf3 xd4?! 22.e2
13.xb7 ) 12.g4 g6 13.e5 xc3 [ 22.a4 ]
( 13...d6! 14.xg6 hxg6 , about = ) 22...e6? Losing a pawn.
14.bxc3 e4 15.f3 d5 16.d3 e7 [ 22...c7 ]
17.f4 xe5 18.xe5 b5 19.c2 h6 23.f3 f4 24.xe6 fxe6 25.xe6 f5?
20.ae1 d8 21.h2 c6 22.e3 e6 26.c4 h8 27.e2 c7 28.e5 d6
23.b1 d5 24.c2 g6 25.e2 b4? 29.g6+ h7 30.d3 fe8 31.e7+ h8
( 25...b6! ) 26.cxb4 xb4 27.d2 32.f4 xe7 33.xe7 d7 34.g6+ g8
(double attack) f6 ( 27...d5 28.xh6 35.b3+ h7 36.xd7
f6 29.g5 ) 28.xb4 ( or 28.xh6 a7 [ 36.xd7 xd7 37.f8+ ]
29.d5 xd5 30.g3 ) 28...fxe5 29.dxe5 1-0
c5 30.e4+- e8 31.d2 g7 32.f4
b8 33.a3 ( 33.f5 b4 34.e3 )
33...h7 34.c2 b2? 35.xg6+ 1-0.; 78 C01
B) 10.a3?! xf3 11.xf3 xd4 12.axb4 Fressinet,Laurent 2625
xc4 13.b5 d4 14.xb7 ab8! Pieroni,Guillaume 2158
15.xa7 xb5 16.xb5 xb5 17.e3! TCh-Top 16 Gp A (7) 02.04.2006
xb2 18.fc1= Fernandez Aguado, E [Neil McDonald]
(2351)-Hernando Rodrigo, J (2348),
Terrassa ESP 2014 ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
5.c3 e7 5.d3 c5 6.dxc5 c6
[ 5...f6 transposes into the previous note. ] [ White gets to build up an initiative after
6.f3 0-0 7.d3 dxc4 8.xc4 g4 9.0-0 6...d4 7.a3 a5 ( Black is lost after
bc6 10.e3 f5 7...a5? 8.axb4! xa1 9.d5!
[ 10...b8 seems to equalise, e.g., -much stronger than 9.Nb5 which permits
A) 11.a3 xc3 ( 11...d6 12.b5 a6 the defence 9...Na6- as there is no good
13.xd6 xd6= ) 12.bxc3 d5 13.d2 way to prevent a killer check on c7.) 8.b4
b5 14.d3 a5 15.b1 c4 ( 15...c6 dxc3 9.bxa5 xa5 10.e3 c6 11.f3
16.h3 h5= ) 16.xc4 bxc4 17.xb8 ge7 12.0-0 g4 13.b1 c7 14.h3 h5
xb8= 18.h3 xf3 19.xf3 c6=; 15.g4 g6 16.xg6 hxg6 17.d6!
B) 11.h3!? xf3 ( 11...h5 12.a3 xc3 A very fine queen manoeuvre. c8 18.g3!
13.bxc3 d5 14.d2 e8= ) 12.xf3 f6 ( Or 18...0-0 19.g5 threatening 20.Ng5
xd4 13.e4! ( 13.h5 xc3 14.bxc3 f6 20.e4 and the white knight lands on the
df5 15.xa7 a8 16.c5 b6 17.xe7 d6 square.) 19.d4! Ragger intends to go
xe7 18.ad1 c8 19.fe1 g6 after the c3 pawn. xd4 20.xd4 c6
with the idea ...Ra5, about =) 13...xc3 ( Black could safeguard his king with 20...0-0
14.bxc3 df5 15.xa7 d6 16.g4 but then after 21.xc3 he is a pawn down
a8 17.c5 ef5 18.fe1 f6 for negligible compensation.) 21.fe1 d8
, a n d b e c a u s e o f t h e p a wn s t r u ct u r e 22.xc3 f7 23.b4 g5 24.b3+ d5?
W hite's bishops don't ensure any ( Allowing a pretty tactical finish. Necessary
advantage. ] was 24...d5 ) 25.xe7+! xe7 26.c6+
[ 10...a6 ] f7 27.c7 d7 ( If 27...xb3 28.cxd8+! )
11.d3!? 28.d1! 1-0 Ragger, M-Sebenik, M/ Aschach

65
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
GER 2003. ( Black resigns as if 28.d1
xb3 29.xd7+ e6 30.d6+ f7
31.cxb3 )]
7.ge2!?
[ According to your taste, you might be
delighted or horrified to be in a more or less
standard IQP position after 7.f3 xc5
8.0-0 ge7 9.f4 0-0 10.h3
as for example in Pedersen, S-Sorensen, J/
Koge DEN 2004. By putting the knight on e2,
Fressinet gives the position a more distinct
flavour. ]
7...d4 Accepting the challenge. In principle,
the white knight being on e2 rather than f3
should mean that this line is less dangerous
for Black than that in the Ragger game above
but nonetheless Fressinet succeeds in
building up a positional advantage.
[ Other lines aren't very attractive for Black e.
g. 7...f6 8.0-0 xc5 ( after 8...0-0
W hite can hold into his extra pawn with
9.a4! ) 9.f4 with an initiative for White-
he threatens the disruptive 10.Re1+ and 0-0
drops a pawn to 10.fxd5 etc. ]
[ Or similarly 7...ge7 8.0-0 xc5 9.f4
and again Black has a problem completing
his development. ]
8.a3 a5 9.b4 dxc3 10.bxa5 xa5 11.0-0
ge7 12.b1 a6 13.b3 xc5 14.xc3
0-0 15.e4 a5 16.d2 d5 17.e1 g6
18.c3 f4? A crass blunder but White
already enjoys a serious advantage due to his
more active rooks and strong dark squared
bishop. 19.f3
[ After 19.f3 xd3 ( Instead 19...h5
20.g4 wins a piece as the knight dare not
move due to the check on f6.; Relatively best
is 19...f5 20.xf4 fxe4 21.xe4 xf4
22.xd5+ f8 but there is no hope in such
a position against a player rated almost
500 points above you.) 20.f6+ gxf6
W h i t e c a n w i n t h e q u e e n w i t h 21.xd5
or even go after the king with ( 21.xf6 )]
1-0
79 C01
Fridman,Rafael 2482
Vedder,Henk 2372
TCh-BEL 2010-11 (3.3) 07.11.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d3 c6
5.c3 d6 6.f3 ce7!?
[ 6...f6 7.h3 ( 7.g5 g4= ) 7...e4
8.e2 f5 9.f4 0-0 10.xd6 Fridman, R
(2482) -Meessen, R (2320), Eupen 2010,
and here xd6 was completely equal
instead, 10...cxd6 gave obscure prospects,
yet White's knight on f4 had considerable
effect. ]
[ In the Archives, the game Semeniuk-Volkov,
Ekaterinburg 2002 showed one way forward
for Black: 6...e6 7.e2 d7 and: (b) the
Semeniuk-Volkov game continued
A) (a) 8.h3 0-0-0 9.f4 f6 10.d2
e7 11.0-0-0 a4 12.b1 e4 13.c2
a5 14.g4 he8 15.he1 g6 16.xd6
h4 17.h1 cxd6 18.f1 f5 19.f3
xd2+ 20.xd2 d7 21.d3?
( 21.g1! ) 21...e3 22.f4 de8
Now Black has a nice positional edge
apart from the e-file, f4 is weak. 23.c1
b5! 24.fd1 xd3+ 25.xd3 3e4
26.f1 b5 27.f2? ( 27.b3 g6
28.gxf5 xf4 29.f3 ) 27...g6 28.gxf5
xf4 29.3d2 d7! 30.c2 xf5
31.a1 b8 ( 31...xh3! ) 32.h4 e6
33.a3 g6 34.g1 xh4 35.f1 e4
36.b5 c8 37.b3 c7 38.a2 f4
0-1 Jiang (2327)-Sambuev (2528),
Montreal 2011.;
B) 8.f4 f6 9.xd6 cxd6!? ( 9...xd6
10.g3= ) 10.d2 0-0-0 11.h3 b8
Neil: "Another moment that is interesting
from a psychological standpoint. Castling
o n t h e o t h e r s id e o f t h e b o a r d t o h i s
opponent isn't appealing to White - that's
not why he played the French Exchange
against the sharp tactician Volkov! Yet
after 12 0-0!? it wouldn't be easy for Black
to get a pawn storm going against the
black king, as ...g5 would of course leave
the knight on f6 hanging. Meanwhile White
could play positionally with moves like
Rfe1 and Ng3 or Nf4, perhaps followed by
doubling rooks along the e-file. But
66
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Semeniuk prefers to 'keep it simple' and
castle on the same side as his opponent."
12.0-0-0?! (Neil doesn't like this it'sThere might follow 11.0-0 d7 12.c1
probably okay, but difficult in practice
because of Black's next:) e4! 13.g4?!
( 13.xe4 dxe4 14.xe4 xa2; 13.f4!
f5 14.h4 followed by Nf1-e3 should be
fully equal if not more) 13...f5! 14.gxf5
xf5 15.xe4 dxe4 ( 15...xe4! 16.xe4
hf8 was still better) 16.xe4 hf8
17.df1? ( 17.de1 ) 17...xe4 18.xe4
de8 19.d3 e6! . ]
7.e2 e6 8.f4 d7 9.xe6 xe6+
10.e3 f6 11.d2 g6 12.g3 g4 13.h3
xf3 14.xf3 0-0 15.0-0 fe8 16.ae1
e4 17.d2 xd2 18.xd2 Now we have a
straightforward ending with bishop pair versus
bishop-and-knight, no weaknesses and pawns
on both sides of the board. W hen playing
against a strong player, you really should
avoid this, because the torture can last for
hours and you are sometimes even
theoretically lost to begin with. Here's an
example: xe1 19.xe1 f8 20.h4 h6
21.h5 e7 22.g4 c6 23.g2 e8 24.g1
d8 25.f4 e6 26.f3 f6 27.f5 e7
28.e3 c6 29.b3 e8 30.c1 d8 31.g1
c7 32.g2 b6 33.d2 c5 34.e2 d8
35.e3 c6 36.d2 c4 37.bxc4 dxc4
38.b2 a5 39.e4 a3 40.g2 b7
41.xb7 xb7 42.g5 fxg5 43.fxg5 hxg5
44.xg5 f7+ 45.e4 b5 46.f4 a5
47.e5 f8 48.d5 a4 49.g4 b6 50.g6+
a5 51.d6 b4 52.cxb4+ xb4 53.d5 c3
54.g4+ a3 55.e6 a7 56.d7 a8
57.xc3
1-0
80 C01
Galego,L 2482 9.e3?
McDonald,N 2457
4NCL 2011-12 (5.82) 11.02.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3
[ A ve ry go o d e xa m p le o f 4.c4 b4+ xd3 16.xd3 0-0-0?!
is Miezis-D Wagner, Schwaebisch Gmuend
2012: 5.c3 e7 6.d3 bc6 7.ge2 17.e2! xd5 18.xa1 hd8?!
dxc4 8.xc4 0-0 9.a3 ( 9.e3 e6!?
10.xe6 fxe6 is an idea which applies in 19.b1!?
va rio u s p o sit io n s. B la ck' s ligh t -s qu a re
control makes up for the weakness on e6.
xc3 13.bxc3 d5 14.d2 e5!= ) 9...d6
( 9...xc3+!? 10.bxc3 a5 11.d3 f5= )
10.g5 h6 11.h4 d7!? ( 11...e8
12.0-0 f5 13.g3 xg3 14.xg3 d8= )
12.f3 f5 ( 12...f5! 13.f2 h5= )
13.f2 e7!? 14.0-0 f6 ( 14...h4 15.g3
f6 ) 15.d5 g5 16.d3 ce7 17.dc3
d6 18.a2 f5 19.d1 c6 20.e1 a5
21.g3 h4 22.d5! White has a moderate
but definite advantage. He slowly increased
i t i n t h e g a m e : xd5 23.xd5 cxd5
24.xd5 f6 25.b4 d8 26.c1 e8
27.b3 d7? 28.c5 xe1+ 29.xe1 e8
30.d1 e5 31.xb7 b8 32.d5 h4
33.xa7 c8 34.f2?! ( 34.c5+- )
34...c3 35.b2 ( 35.xc3! xc3 36.e4
e7 37.xc3 ) 35...a4 ( 35...f4! )
36.e1 f6?? 37.e4 xe4 38.xh4
d4+ 39.h1 1-0. ]
4...c6 5.h3!? This is rather slow, preventing
...Bg4. White declines to enter the modern line
with
[ 5.b5 d6 6.c4 dxc4! , etc., discussed in
the Archives as well as in Neil McDonald's
own French Defence book. ]
5...f6 6.c4?!
[ 6.d3 d6 7.0-0 0-0= ]
6...b4+ 7.c3 e4 Direct and perhaps a
little greedy. Black can also take over light
squares with advantage by
[ 7...0-0 8.d3 dxc4 9.xc4 e8+ 10.e3
a5! 11.d3 d5 ]
8.c2 e7!?
[ 8...0-0! 9.e3 a5! 10.a3!= , e.g., e8
11.cxd5 xd5 12.d3 xc3 13.bxc3
xd4! 14.xd4 xd4 15.xh7+ h8
16.0-0 xc3 17.a4! ]
[ 9.d1! attacks d5 and provides
counterplay, e.g., xc3 10.bxc3 e6
11.d3 f5 12.e1= ]
9...f5 10.c1 xc3 11.bxc3 a3 12.d2
b4! 13.cxd5 c2+ 14.d1 xa1 15.d3
[ 16...0-0! with the idea 17.e2 f5-+ ]
[ 18...f5 ]
67
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 19.f1 ] [ Black still stands a touch better, but here a

19...f6 slow move such as 17.g2 was called for. ]
[ 19...e6! ] 17...xe2 18.xe2 e8 19.e1
20.xh7!? f5?! 21.c4 [ 19.c3 f5 20.g2 g5 21.h3 h5!
[ 21.f1! ] 22.xg5 xd4 ]
21...a5 22.d5 f4? After outplaying his 19...c4 20.b3?
opponent thoroughly, Neil seems to have [ 20.f1 e4 ]
fallen asleep in this game. 20...a3 A n d c 2 f a l l s . 21.c3 xc2
[ 22...e4! 23.d2 c2 24.xg7 c1 ] 22.xe8+ xe8 23.d1 d6 Black has an
23.f5+ b8 24.d4? extra pawn and better-placed knights the rest
[ 24.xf4! ] is technique. 24.e3 a3 25.g4 db5
24...b4! Back to a winning position! 25.xf4 26.ge5 c2 27.d3 bxd4 28.xd4
xa2+ 26.f1 xd4 29.f1 f8 30.h3 e7 31.e1 d6
[ 26.d3 ] 32.f4 f6 33.g4 c5 34.f5 c4 35.bxc4 dxc4
26...f8 27.g3 e4?? 36.d2 cxd3 37.xd3 d5
[ 27...d6! w i n s , e . g . , 28.c6+ a8 0-1
29.xe7 xg3 30.f3 f7 ]
28.xb4 a1+ 29.e2 a2+ 30.f1 a1+
31.e2 a2+ 82 C01
½-½ Gonzalez,Ren 2456
Nakamura,Hikaru 2647
Open Miami USA (8) 30.09.2007
81 C01 [Neil McDonald]
Gerbaux,Regis
Lalic,Bogdan 2469 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 xd5
Bogdan vs Skype 12.03.2012 The Scandinavian-French! 4.f3 f6 5.e3
[John Watson] [ The game Bevilacqua-Drazic in the archives
went 5.c4 d8 6.c3 b6 7.e2 b7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 d6 8.h3 bd7 9.e3 a6 10.0-0 d6
5.c3 etc. wit h Bla ck even tua lly m an aging t o
[ 5.c4 and ] outsmart his opponent. ]
[ 5.d3 are more commonly played. ] [ I gave the sequence 5.e2 d8 6.0-0 b6
5...c6 The popular setup also used in Battey- 7.e5 b7 8.f3 c8 9.g5 e7 10.d2
Lalic. The main difference there is that Black 0-0 11.xb7 xb7 12.f3 as perhaps the
played ...Bb4-d6 and White made the extra most irritating approach by W hite against
move a3. 6.d3 e7 an ambitious opponent. The queens come
[ 6...g4 would be Battey-Lalic without the off with White keeping a slight edge. ]
move a3. ] 5...e7 6.e2 0-0 7.0-0 d8 This sensible
7.0-0 0-0 8.d2 Slow. f5 9.xf5 xf5 retreat is the prelude to the plan of
10.g3?! Unnecessarily weakening. d7 development with ...b7-b6 and .. .Bb7, as
Black already stands better. This game shows [ 7...b6 8.e5 b7?? 9.f3 e4 10.c3
how small imbalances can make the xc3 11.bxc3 would be a very
Exchange Variation less drawish than its embarrassing skewer. ]
r e p u t a t i o n . 11.c1 e8 12.f4 f6! 8.c4 b6 9.e5 b7 10.f3 c8 11.c3
13.d2 h6 bd7 Now Black is all set to equalise or more
[ 13...f8! threatens ...Bxf4 and after Qxf4, ... with ...c7-c5, and so- 12.c6 The white
Ne6. ] knight looks fantastic sitting in the hole on c6-
14.fe1 xf4?! f o r a n e xa m p le o f wh a t it c a n d o o n t h e
[ 14...g5! 15.xd6 xd6 threatens both ... square take a look at Karpov-Stojanovic in the
Qxf3 and ...Nc4. ] archives. But with all respect to Gonzalez, he
15.xf4 d6 16.xf6 xf6 17.e2?! isn't a former W orld Champion, and

68
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Na k a m u r a m a n a g e s t o o u t p l a y h i m . e8 32.xh5? White misses his chance. After

13.b4?! [ 32.e3! Black can't prevent 33.Nxf5 with a
[ Objectively speaking this might be a d e c i s i v e a t t a c k , s e e i n g t h a t xe3
reasonable good decision but it does loosen loses the queen to 33.c4+ f7 34.h8+
White's queenside pawns. It was possible xh8 35.xf7 etc. ]
to achieve a pleasant edge with little danger 32...e4 33.d2? Looks very strong, as 34.
by grabbing the bishop pair with 13.xe7+! Qh6 is threatened. However, he should have
xe7 14.e1 and then build up with Bg5 or settled for
Bf4 introducing the idea of d4-d5. Black [ 33.a4 with unclear play, as Black can't
can't counterattack in the centre as if e5 advance his centre pawns immediately: f4?
15.g5 e4 16.d5! leaves the e4 pawn in 34.g4 f3 ( Or 34...e3 35.h7+ ) 35.d2!
grave danger. ] f7 36.gh4 and White wins. ]
13...f8! Black keeps the two bishops and 33...f4! Now Nakamura shows his tactical
rightly avoids the unpleasantness of mettle. 34.xf4 xf2+!! 35.xf2
[ 13...xc6? 14.xc6 xb4 15.b5! b8 [ Or 35.xf2 f8 ]
16.xa7 ] 35...d1+ 36.h2 xh5 37.f6
14.c5 Despite dropping the exchange White is still
[ White could strengthen his hold on c6 with far from lost. f7 38.c6 ad8 39.e3
14.b5 though Black has counterplay after a6 d6 40.c5 d3 41.a4 f4 42.a5 e6
( 14...b8? 15.e4! ) 15.a4 e5 ] 43.c4?
14...a5! 15.a3 bxc5 16.dxc5 [ W h i t e c a n p r o b a b l y d r a w w i t h 43.b6!
[ If 16.bxc5 a6! ] f o r e x a m p l e g6 ( White holds on after
16...e5! Nakamura uses his tactical prowess 43...cxb6 44.c8+ f7 45.b7+ e7
to break free from the bind. 17.xa5 xf3 46.xb6 ) 44.xc7 defends g3 in an X-ray
18.xf3 xc5! 19.xc5?! There was no through the black queen. xc7 ( White wins
need to give up the strong bishop. Simply after 44...xg3+? 45.xg3 xg3 46.b7 )
[ 19.d5 keeps a slight edge for White. ] 45.bxc7 c6 46.g4 xg3 ( or similarly
19...xc5 20.e4 46...xc7 47.f6+ f7 48.xe4 ) 47.xg3
[ Of course White has weak queenside xc7 48.f4 with a draw. ]
pawns after 20.bxc5 xa5 ] 43...e5! The threat of 44... Rxe3 is now
20...xe4 21.xe4 e6 22.ac1 b6 lethal. 44.h1 h7 45.f1 f6 46.e3
23.c6 d7 24.c4 d4 25.b5 h5? xg3 47.xe4+ g6 48.h4+ g8
The odds giving style. Like World Champion 49.c4+ f7 Whatever the merits of 2...
E m a n u e l L a s k e r, Na ka m u r a is wi llin g t o Qxd5, that was much more exciting than your
ra t c h e t u p t h e t e n sio n , e ve n i f i t m e a n s average 2...exd5 game!
walking very close to a precipice himself. 0-1
Instead his centre pawn majority and strong
bishop would give him sufficient activity after
[ 25...f5 26.c2 f7 ] 83 C01
26.h3 e7 27.b1! Rather than engineering Gorsek,Gregor 2129
the advance of his queenside passed pawn, Drasko,Milan 2478
Gonzalev is tempted by 25...h5 into launching 11th Josipa Ipavca Mem (4.2) 17.09.2011
a direct attack on the black king. The strategy [John Watson]
is correct, but Nakamura has gambled that
the tactical implementation will prove too Some fun games where the opponents castle
much for White. a7 28.b3 a4 on opposite wings. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
[ Objectively speaking, 28...h4! looks right, to exd5 4.d3 c6 5.c3
prevent White's next move. However, with [ Another variation with opposite-side castling
the blac k queen tied to def ending h4 it is this: 5.f3 g4 6.c3 d7 7.0-0 0-0-0
wouldn't be a pleasant position for Black. ] 8.c2 b8 and now White gave up his
29.g3 d7 30.h6! f5 31.c2 aa8 development and centre at the same time

69
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

with 9.e5? xe5 10.dxe5 f6! 11.f4 g5 [ 30.g1 e6+ 31.d1 xf3 32.h1 h6
12.g3 h5 13.exf6? ( 13.f3 c5+ 33.h3 e6 was very bad. ]
14.f2 ) 13...xf6? ( 13...h4! 14.e5 30...f6 31.f1 e6 32.e1 h6 33.g2??
d6! ) 14.e5? ( 14.a3 ) 14...e6 Suicide. xg2 34.xg2 f5 35.f1 e6
and: The game Dudzinski, P (2310)- 36.a4 g6
Bednarek, S (2333), Mrzezyno 2011 went 0-1
A) Black gets a powerful attack after
15.d4 c5 16.e3 d6 17.xg5?
( 17.e1 ) 17...dg8 with a powerful 84 C01
attack.; Gurevich,Mikhail 2640
B) 15.f4 gxf4 16.xf4 e4 ( 16...h4 Short,Nigel D 2610
17.d2?? c5+ 18.h1 h5! (izt) Manila 1990
wins, threatening ...Ng3+) 17.h1? h4! [Neil McDonald]
The same idea 18.d2 g3+! 19.hxg3
hxg3+ 20.h7 d6 ( 20...d7 ) 21.ae1 1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 This game
g8 22.g1 xh7 0-1 . ] was played in the last round of the Manila
5...d6 6.f3 ge7 7.0-0 g4 Interzonal. The sporting situation was nicely
A time-tested setup. 8.e1 d7 9.bd2 poised, as Mikhail Gurevich needed a draw to
0-0-0 There's the opposite-side castling, and qualify for the Candidates, whereas Nigel
both sides will unsurprisingly attack the other Short needed a win to qualify! Therefore the
wing. Sometimes Black wants to wait for Bg5/ Fr e n c h E xc h a n g e wo u l d a p p e a r t o b e a
...f6 before he makes this decision, so as to sensible opening choice by Gurevich.
cover e5 and get his kingside pawns rolling However, as the game proves it's easy to get
faster. Here deciding upon ...0-0 wasn't bad. into hot water if your only plan is to exchange
10.b4 g6 11.b3!? To prevent ...Nf4, but pieces and try to keep the pawn structure
that wasn't much of a threat, and in any case symmetrical. Perhaps in a tense situation an
11 b5 could be played first. de8 12.e3 active plan is the best cure for nerves! 4.f3
h4 13.e2 xf3+ g4 5.h3 h5 6.e2
[ An old trick is 13...f5 with the idea 14.d2 [ L a t e r K a s p a r o v p l a y e d 6.e2+!?
xe2! 15.xe2 ( 15.xe2 xf3 16.gxf3 against Short and achieved a big advantage
h4 ) 15...h4 with a strong attack that after e7 7.e3 c6 8.c3 0-0-0 9.g4
can only be stopped by 16.b5 and 17 Ne5, g6 10.0-0-0 f6?! 11.a3 d7 12.d2!
which comes out about equal, e.g., b4!? f5?! ( developing with 12...d6 13.b3
17.e5 xe2 18.xd7 c2 19.xe2 ge7 with a small advantage to White was
xa1 20.dc5! xb3 21.axb3 xc5 better-Kasparov) 13.b3 f6 14.f3
22.dxc5 d7 ] Kasparov-Short, Tilburg 1991. However, in
14.xf3 xf3 15.xf3 f6 16.f4? f5! Gipslis-Mohrlock, corr.1997, with a slight
Weakening White's kingside. 17.xd6 xf3 transposition, Black equalised with 10...Qe8!
18.gxf3 cxd6 This set of doubled pawns 11 Ne5-a violent attempt, but it is neutralised
covers key central squares and, importantly, by Black's accurate play-11... Bb4 12 Nxg6
keeps a knight from c5. 19.f1 d7 20.e3 hxg6 13 Nb1 Nf6 14 Bg2 Na5 15 c3 Bd6. ]
e7 21.ae1 hf8 22.e2?! 6...d6 7.e5?! Gurevich is in too much of a
[ 22.c1 c8 23.d3 b6 24.b2! hurry to exchange off pieces and get the draw.
and it's hard for Black to get anywhere. ] [ Much more sensible was 7.0-0 ]
22...f5 23.xe8 xe8+ 24.d2 g8 7...xe2 8.xe2 e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.f4 e8
25.g1 g5 26.c1 h4 27.g3 f5!? White has fallen slightly behind in
[ 27...h5 28.e2 g6 29.h3 ] development which allows Black to seize
28.d3 g6 29.e2? c o n t r o l o f t h e e f i l e . 11.g4 xe5!
[ 29.h3 h6 30.e1 ] This is a wise exchange which leaves White
29...f4! 30.h3 An awful place for the rook, with an ineffective bishop. 12.xe5 g6
but 13.g3 d7 After

70
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 13...c6 I daresay White would have played
14.xb8 to get rid of his inert bishop. ]
14.d2 f6 15.f3 c6 16... Qb6 17. Nb3
Ne4 This threatens 16...Qb6. W hite stands
worse due to the weakness of the e4 square
and the fact that his bishop has nothing to
attack. 16.b3 b6 17.xb6 axb6 18.a3?
In such positions it's vital to use your pawns
to create space and potential counterplay.
Here Short recommends
[ 18.a4! in order to fix the black pawn on b6.
Then a positional attack by Black on the
queenside beginning with ...b5, as occurs in
the game, would be ruled out, or at least
made much harder to implement. Black's
alternative plan-an attack along the e file-
would also be hindered to some extent by
White's perpetual idea of Bc7, winning the
b6 pawn if the black pieces are engaged in
action away from the queenside. ]
18...e4 Now everything runs smoothly for
Black. W hite is soon reduced to complete
p a s s i v i t y . 19.xe4 xe4 20.fd1 b5!
Not giving White a second chance to play a4.
21.f1 f6 22.f3 e6 23.e1 f7 24.xe6
xe6 25.e1+ d7 26.e2? A much better
defensive idea was
[ 26.h2! to answer h5 with 27.g4
which prevents the white pawns being fixed
on the kingside [Short] ]
26...h5! 27.d3 h4 28.h2 White now has
a vulnerable pawn structure on both wings.
Short's play is now a model of how to win
such positions. e7 29.f4 f5 30.d2 b6
31.e2 c5 32.e3 b4! An excellent
clearance sacrifice. 33.axb4 c4+ 34.c3
d6 35.e1 a4 36.d2 xb4 37.a1?
White can't stand the slow death any longer.
He had to try
[ 37.c1 or ]
[ 37.b1 ]
37...xb2 38.a7+ e6 39.xg7
This counterplay is much too late. b5 40.f2
b4 41.c1 c3 42.xh4 f5 White resigned,
as 43 Rg4 Ne3 is ghastly.
0-1
85 C01
Harikrishna,P 2706
Edouard,R 2658
Gibraltar Masters (4.2) 31.01.2014
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
5.d3 c6 6.a3 a5 This move has been
played by strong GMs. It isn't as critical as
[ 6...xc3+ , and the play tends to be slow
going into the middlegame. ]
7.e3
[ In the recent Gibraltar tournament, Black
drew a player 400 points above him without
h a vi n g t o d o m u c h , wh i c h b r i n g s u p a
possible drawback to deploying it as White.
The initial stage went 7.ge2 ge7 8.0-0
g4 9.f3 f5 10.a4 0-0 11.e3 e8
12.g3 xd3 13.xd3 c8 14.b3 d6
15.f2 e7 16.c4 c6 17.c5 b5 18.b4
c7 19.b2 f4 20.e2 h6 21.a4
c7= Dubov, D (2614)-Spence, D (2218),
Caleta ENG 2014, drawn in 51 moves. ]
7...ge7 8.f3 Stopping ...Bf5. e6 9.ge2
d7 10.0-0
[ 10.g3? g4 11.f4 g6 12.xg6
xc3+! 13.bxc3 hxg6 creates weaknesses
in White's camp at no cost. ]
10...g4 Perhaps not best, because Black
won't achieve an early ..Bf5, which tends to
equalize.
[ 10...f5? 11.xf5 loses the pawn on d5. ]
[ But 10...xc3 11.xc3 ( 11.bxc3!? )
11...f5 looks about equal. This whole 6...
Ba5 variation can be a bit dull. ]
11.g3 0-0
[ 11...xc3 12.bxc3 0-0-0 ]
12.f4! xc3 13.bxc3 h8 14.c4!?
[ Or 14.ab1 ab8 15.c4! f5 16.cxd5
xd5 17.xf5 xf5 18.xd5 xd5
19.xc7 xd4 20.xd4 xd4 21.xb7
wit h a n e xt ra p awn th a t will b e h a rd t o
convert. ]
14...f5 15.cxd5 xd5 16.xf5 xf5
17.xd5 xd5 18.c4!?
[ Again, 18.xc7 xd4 19.xd4 xd4
20.xb7 is a better try, but Black has good
drawing chances in spite of his pawn minus.
c5 ]
18...xc4 19.xc7 ab8 20.fc1 e6
21.c5 fd8?!
71
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 21...b3! w i t h t h e i d e a 22.d5 bc8
23.f4 cd8! keeps things level. ]
22.d5 e5 23.xe5 xe5 24.d6! f6
[ 24...c6 25.b1 ]
25.d1 d7 26.c7 bd8 27.xd7?!
[ 27.f4 c6 28.b1 ]
27...xd7 28.c1
[ 28.xa7 a8 29.e1 g8 30.d4 xa3
31.f1 a8 32.f4 ]
28...f8 29.xa7 xd6 30.f1 e6
W hite's theo retical bishop-versus-knigh t
advantage isn't worth much with only one
qu e e n s id e p a wn a p i e ce . 31.c8+ d8
32.xd8+ xd8 33.e2 c6 34.e3 g8
35.d3 f7 36.c4 e6 37.c5 d7
38.f4 e7 39.d2 g6 40.h3 e5 41.f4
c6 42.b4 c7 43.g4 e7 44.d4
c6+ 45.d5 d7 46.f8 g6 47.b4
d8?!
[ Black could have saved himself the agony
by 47...xb4+ 48.axb4 g5! ]
48.f5! gxf5 49.gxf5 f7 50.c3 d6
51.xf6 xf5 52.g5 d6
[ 52...b6! ]
53.a4 c8 54.e3 d6 55.c5 f7 56.h4
h5 57.d4 h6?!
[ 57...d6! is s i m p l e r : 58.c5 ( 58.e5
b5! ) 58...f5 59.f6 c7 60.a5 c8
and Black will hold with less effort. ]
58.e5 g4+ 59.f4 e6 60.g5 h2
61.f4
[ Or 61.xh5 f3 62.b6 d7 63.a5 c8
64.a7 b6 65.axb6 xh4 66.xh4 b7 ]
61...g4 62.a5 h6 63.g5 f5 64.a7
To keep Black's king away from a8.
[ 64.b6 g3 65.g6 e7 ]
64...xh4! 65.xh4 d7 66.xh5
[ 66.b6 c8 67.xh5 b8 68.g6 a8
69.f5 b8 70.e6 a8 71.d6 b8
72.c5 a8 73.b5 b8 ]
66...b6! The saving trick.
[ 66...c6 67.g6 b5 68.b6 a6
69.f6 b5 70.e6 a6 71.d5 b5
72.d6 a6 73.c7 ]
67.axb6
[ 67.xb6 c6= (wrong-colored rook
pawn) ]
67...c6 68.g5 b7 69.f5 a8 70.e5
b7 71.d5 a8 72.e4
½-½
86 C01
Hayrapetian,Arman 2360
Minasian,Ara 2452
72nd ch-ARM 1st League (5) 22.08.2011
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 c6
5.b5 d6 6.c4 This move (NOT played in
the reverse W inawer position) is the most
forcing and tactical. dxc4
[ A game this month between amateurs Just-
Qadimbayli, Golden Sands (Bulgaria) 2011
saw the similar but probably not as effective
6...b4+!? 7.c3 dxc4 ( 7...ge7! ) 8.0-0
xc3? 9.bxc3 ge7 10.xc4 ( 10.e1!
0-0 11.a3 wins material) 10...0-0 11.g5
( 11.e1! ) 11...h6 12.e4 d5?!
13.xh6!? ( 13.f3! ) 13...xc3 14.xc3
gxh6 15.d5 e5 16.b3 g4?! , when
17.d2! would have been very strong. ]
7.d5 a6 8.a4 b5 9.dxc6 bxa4 10.0-0
e7 11.xa4
[ 11.bd2 0-0 ( 11...xc6!? 12.xa4 d7
13.e1+ e7= - from Moskalenko, I think)
12.xc4 xc6 13.xa4 b7 14.xd6
( 14.g5 is from Gonzalez Perez, A (2403)-
Moskalenko, V (2565), Sitges 2010, and
seems unclear) 14...cxd6 15.g5 e8=
L Webb-Pert, Hinkley Island 2011. ]
11...0-0
[ 11...e6 12.bd2 d5 13.xc4 xc6
14.d1 0-0 15.xd6 cxd6 16.d4 d7
17.b3 b7 18.b2 g6 1/2-1/2 Iglesias
Jorge (2280)-Moskalenko V. (2471)/ Spain
1999 ]
[ 11...b8 is probably the main line, and has
been played in several games to good effect.
I'll simply quote Neil McDonald's excellent
book here: (c)
A) (a) 12.xc4 0-0 13.c3 b4 14.e2
xc6 "saw Black regain the pawn with an
a ct ive g a m e in E . Dj in ga r o va -V . B h a t ,
Andorra la Vella 2006. There followed
15.g5 and here Black missed the sharp
riposte d4! when 16.xd4 ( while
16.xd8 xe2+ 17.xe2 xb2! 18.xc7
(selling one of the two hanging pieces to
re g a i n a p a wn ) xc7 is an unpleasant
e n d g a m e f o r W h i t e) 16...xg5
gives him the initiative.";
B) ( b ) " A f t e r t h e a l t e r n a t i v e 12.bd2
72
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
, aiming to pick up the c4-pawn with Nxc4,
the white queen gets pushed around by
the black pieces and finally ends up in an
awkward pin: b4 13.c2 f5 14.c3
0-0 15.xc4 d5 16.d4 b6 17.b3
xc4 18.bxc4 e6 19.b2 f6 20.fc1
a4 21.a3 e8 22.e4 (to defend c6
but...) xc4! 23.c2 ( 23.xc4 xe4
drops the exchange for White) 23...b5
and Black had regained the pawn whilst
keeping the bishop-pair and a target on c6
in S. Vajda-J.Glud, Obro 2006.";
C) 12.a3 0-0 13.bd2 b5 14.xc4
xc6 15.g5 d7! 16.ad1 g4! 17.h3
xf3!!
Neil: "The kind of move that you
would rather have expected to see in one
o f Mo r p h y ' s g a m e s " . 18.gxf3
19.h1 xh3 20.xd6? ( Neil: "White
might still have defended with 20.xd6
when the game could have continued cxd6
21.d1 g2+ 22.h2 xf3 23.xd6
e7 24.e3 g6 25.xa6 b7 26.a7
e5 27.xb7 f3+ 28.h3 g1+
29.h2 f3+ with a draw by repetition as,
of course, if 30.h1? , t h e r e i s g1# )
20...g2+ 21.g1 e5!! and Black was
winning in Slavina-I Rajlich, Budapest
2005. ]
12.bd2 c3
[ Or of course 12...b8! again, with the idea
13.xc4 b4 14.c2 f5 ]
13.bxc3 e6 14.d4 d5 15.c4 xc6
16.xc6
[ 16.f5!? ]
16...xh2+ 17.xh2 h4+ 18.g1 xg2!
T h e o ld L a s k e r- B a u e r sa cr if i ce ! 19.xg2
g4+ 20.h2 h4+ 21.g2 g4+
½-½
87 C01 21.ge2
Ivanisevic,Ivan 2636 building up an advantage and could play, e.g.,
Vallejo Pons,Francisco 2705
18th European Teams (2.7) 04.11.2011
[John Watson]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5 22...d4
5.d3 f6 The most popular and arguably
safest choice. 6.g5 0-0 7.ge2 e8
[ This looks like a good time for 7...h6 8.f4 23.xd4
( 8.h4 , but then Ng3 can be met by ...g5,
and with the bishop decentralised on h4, ...
c5 becomes more attractive) 8...c5!? 9.a3
xc3+ 10.xc3 e8+ 11.e2 cxd4
with the idea 12.b5 c6 13.c7? h5 ]
8.0-0 c6 9.g3 h6 10.f4 g4 11.d2
[ 11.c1!? ]
11...bd7
[ 11...c5 would try to exploit the pin, when
the sacrificial 12.dxc5 d4 13.xh6!? gxh6
14.xh6 looks tempting but perhaps only
equal after dxc3 15.ad1 bd7 16.f5
xf5 17.xf5 xc5!! 18.d3 xf2+!
19.h1 e3 20.xe3 xe3 and perhaps
it's time for White to take the perpetual. ]
12.a3 f8 13.h3 e6 14.b3 Apparently
worried about ...Nb6-c4.
xg5+
[ 14.fe1 b6 15.b3 a5! is interesting
because ...a4 is a positional threat. ]
14...a6 15.e3
[ 15.f5 is a natural way to try to win the
bish op pa ir. W hit e ha s a no t he r ide a in
mind. ]
15...c8!?
[ Black could get a nice IQP setup from
15...c5 16.dxc5 xc5 ( or 16...xc5 )]
16.f4!? Or '!' for courage? Objectively White
doesn't seem to have enough threats to cause
t o o m u c h t r o u b l e . b8!? Apparently in
preparation for ...c5.
[ 16...d6! , f or exa mple , 17.ce2 f8
18.f5 d7 19.f4 c7 20.xd6 xd6
21.f4 e7= ]
17.f5!?
[ 17.ce2 with the idea c5 18.dxc5 xc5
19.xc5 xc5 20.d4 ]
17...d7 18.h1
[ Now 18.ce2 c5 19.dxc5 runs into xe3!
20.xe3 xc5 21.d4 b6 22.c3 xb3
with more than enough compensation. ]
18...c5! 19.dxc5 xc5 20.xc5 xc5
c8 A little strange. Black is just
[ 21...b6 ]
[ or 21...c8 22.d4 c6 23.ce2 e4 ]
22.f4
[ Or 22.b4 c6 23.ad1 ]
[ Or 22...d8!? 23.d1 c8 24.d4 c7
25.ce2 c6 ]
[ Or 23.e4 xe4 24.xe4 xf5 25.xf5
73
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xf5 26.xd4= ] had to sit tight with

23...xf5 24.xf5 xf5 25.f4 xf4 [ 20.f3 or ]
26.xf4 f5 27.fd5 bd7 28.d1 c5 [ 20.g1 ]
29.xf6+ xf6 30.b4 e6 20...xf4 21.xf4 xf4 22.d3 f6
½-½ 23.g1? f4
0-1

88 C01
Karteri,Dimitra
Volkov,Sergey 2554
4th Open Korinthos GRE (1) 25.07.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 f6
[ After 4...b4+ 5.c3 the alternative knight
d e v e l o p m e n t e7 as recommended by
John Watson is a solid option. ]
5.c3 b4 6.d3
[ M o r e n a t u r a l a n d d i r e c t w a s 6.f3
but Black's minor pieces all come to
effective squares: 0-0 7.e2 dxc4 8.xc4
c6! 9.0-0 g4 10.e3 d6 ( Or 10...d7
11.h3 h5 12.e2 fe8 as in Claesen-
Van der Sterren, Lost Boys Open 1999.)
11.h3 h5 12.g4 g6 13.h4 d7!
14.xg6 hxg6 15.d5 b6 16.g2 f5!
and Black had the initiative on the kingside
in Fritz6-Morozevich, Frankfurt-W est
Masters 1999. ]
6...0-0 7.ge2 This rather passive
deployment of the knight provokes an
ambitious response from Black.
[ Instead 7.f3 dxc4 is similar to lines in the
l a s t n o t e , w h i l e ( 7...e8+!? might be
awkward. )]
7...dxc4 8.xc4 e6!? A very direct move.
Black is willing to concede an isolated pawn
in return for the chance to make d5 into a
centre strong point. 9.xe6 fxe6 10.0-0 d7
11.b3? This just helps Black. Instead
[ 11.g5 was a straightforward developing
move that fights for control of the d5 square.
Then d5 ( If 11...c6 12.xf6 xf6
13.d5! ) 12.d3 with balanced chances-
W hite now has the e4 square as his own
strong point. ]
11...c6 12.a3 xc3 13.bxc3 a5
14.b4?! b6 15.b1 d5 16.c2 c6
Now Black has control of the strategically vital
c4/d5 squares. 17.h1 f6 18.d3 c4
19.e4 af8 20.f4? A simple blunder. He
89 C01
Kashtanov,R 2338
Yandemirov,V 2422
Alushta Summer-2013-3 (6) 18.06.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 c6
[ An instructive example of creating
asymmetry while playing actively is 4...f6
5.d3 e7 6.0-0 0-0 7.f4 g4 8.bd2
c5! ('!' for ambition) 9.dxc5 xc5 10.c3
c6 11.b3 b6!? ( 11...h5! 12.g5
d7 looks equal) 12.e5?! ( 12.h3 e6= )
12...h5 ( 12...h5! 13.xc6 bxc6 )
13.a4 xe5 14.xe5 e8 15.d4 c7!?
16.b4 e4 17.xe4 dxe4 18.xb7 b8
19.c6? e6 20.c5? ( but 20.c4 f4
is also horrible for White.) 20...e2 21.fe1
xh2+! 22.xh2 h4+ 23.g1 h6 24.f3
exf3 25.e5 f2+ 0-1 Nestorovic, L (2394)-
Gleizerov, E (2553), Paracin SRB 2013. ]
5.b5 d6 6.0-0
[ 6.c4 dxc4 7.d5 a6 and 8 Ba4 b5 is the
normal main line (see, for example, the
A rch ive s o r m y P T F4 b o o k), b u t 8.xc4
is unconvincing in this position ( 8.a4?
axb5! 9.xa8 b4 , with both 10...
Nc2+and 10...Nd3+ threatened.) 8...e7+!
9.e2 ( 9.e3 e5 gives Black superior
activity; 9.e2! is best, when e5 10.0-0
f6 11.e1 0-0 12.f4 xf3+ 13.xf3
d8 14.xd6 xd6 is equal ) 9...b4! ]
6...ge7 7.c4 This is usually played a move
earlier (see the last note), but isn't bad dxc4
8.xc4
[ 8.d5? allows xd5 9.e1+ ( 9.xd5??
xh2+ ) 9...e6 10.g5 0-0 11.xc4 c5
12.c2 g6 ]
8...0-0
[ Not 8...g4? 9.xf7+ xf7 10.g5+ ]
9.h3 Preventing ...Bg4, for example,
[ 9.c3 g4 10.h3 xf3 ( 10...h5 11.g4
g6 is balanced) 11.xf3 xd4 12.xb7

74
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

ec6 ( or 12...e8 13.e4 ec6 ) 13.a6 38.h6 g6 39.f3 bxc3

( 13.a3?? a5 ) 13...b4 ( 13...h4 ) 14.a5 0-1
h4 ]
[ Or 9.e3 g4 ( 9...e6!? 10.xe6 fxe6
with the idea 11.g5 d7 12.b3 d5 ) 90 C01
10.h3 h5 11.g4 g6 is also double- Kasparov,Garry 2785
edged ] Sheransky,N
9...f5 Simul Jerusalem 1996
[ 9...f5 threatens ...Ncxd4 and equalises, e. [Neil McDonald]
g., 10.d5 e5 11.xe5 xe5 12.d2
d4 13.f3 xf3+ 14.xf3 d6= ] Are you thinking about playing the French as
[ 9...e6!? is also interesting. Perhaps White Black, but depressed at the thought of having
has an edge following 10.xe6 fxe6 11.e1 to face the boring French Exchange? Wouldn't
d7 , but that's not clear, e.g., 12.b3 fancy your chances of winning if Kasparov
( 12.c3 d5 13.e4 h6 ) 12...d5 played it against you in a simul'? Well, let's
13.bd2 ] see what happened when the W orld
10.a3 A useful move, although Champion did play it in a simul... 1.e4 e6
[ 10.c3 b4?! ( 10...d7 11.e1 b4 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 f6 5.d3
12.e4 c6!? 13.xd6 cxd6= ) 11.a3 e7 6.h3 Instead
c2 12.a2 is nothing to be afraid of ] [ 6.0-0 c6 7.c3 is safer, for which you are
10...d7 11.e1 g6 referred to the notes on the 4 Nf3 Nf6 Bd3
[ 11...ae8 12.c3 c8 13.e3 b6 Be7 variation on the main page. ]
14.a2 ] 6...c6 7.a3?! e4! 8.c4 f5 9.0-0 dxc4
12.c3 ae8 13.e3 10.xc4 0-0 11.d5?!
[ 13.xe8 xe8 14.e3 f4 15.f1 [ 11.c3 was less committal. The pawn
is roughly equal ] proves weak on d5. ]
13...a6 14.f1 d8!? 11...a5 12.a2 c5!! 13.e1?
[ 14...ce7 15.b3 c6 16.ad1 d5= ] This weakens f2 and leaves the d5 pawn
15.c1 h4 16.d5!? vulnerable, but
[ 16.xh4! xh4 17.f3 g6 18.g3 d8 [ 13.dxc6 xc6 is very nice for Black. ]
19.h4 ] 13...c4 14.bd2? This is a natural
16...e5 17.d4 f6! developing move, but for once Kasparov's
[ 17...g6= ] tactical radar has let him down. He had to try
18.g3? [ 14.c3 though xc3 15.bxc3 f6
[ 18.h5! g6 19.g5 xg5 20.xg5 looks horrible for him. ]
f5= ] 14...xf2!! 15.xf2 c5+ 16.e3 xe3+
[ 18.xf5?! xf5 19.h1 ( 19.e2 g6! ) 17.xe3 e8+ 18.f2 xd5 19.g1 ad8
19...ef3! 20.e2 h2 ] There is no mate in sight, but the white pieces
18...g6 19.f4?! on the queenside are entombed. This is a
[ 19.b4 d3 ] terrible position to have in a simul! 20.h1 b5
19...ef3+ 20.xf3 xe1 21.xe1 xf4 21.f1 d3 22.g1 c6 23.b1 d4
Hitting c1 and g3 White loses material 22.e2 24.xd4 xd4 25.c3 xg1+ 26.xg1
xc1 23.xc1 c8 24.xc7 b1 e1+ 27.f2 de8 28.xb5 and White
[ 24...f5 ] resigned before Black could play 28...Rf1+ 29
25.gxh4? Kg3 Ree1.
[ 25.c1! e4 26.cd3 ] 0-1
25...xe1 and Black went on to win easily:
26.g3 d2 27.b3 d8 28.c3 b5
29.b4 e1 30.g2 xh3+ 31.xh3
xf1+ 32.g3 d3+ 33.g2 e8 34.f4
c4 35.g3 a5 36.h5 b4 37.axb4 axb4

75
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
91 C01
Kennedy,Craig 2077
Pert,Nicholas 2396
Southend op (1) 2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d3 c5! Objectively this
is Black's best response- the White bishop is
committed to d3 and so compared to lines
after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5
Black can't be bothered by a quick Bb5+. Also
on d3 the bishop can be a target for a time
gaining c5-c4 move- see the next note. 4.exd5
[ White might also consider 4.c3!? e.g. cxd4
( Or he can play 4...f6 when if 5.e5 fd7
6.e2 c6 we have the 3.Nd2 Nf6
Tarrasch. ) 5.exd5 xd5 6.f3 c6 7.0-0
f6 8.cxd4 e7 9.c3 d8 with the 2.c3
Qxd5 Sicilian. ]
4...xd5?! This is unpromising to say the
least.
[ The usual move is 4...exd5 when we have
a variation of the French Exchange- 1.e4 e6
2.d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Bd3 c5. For
example 5.f3 c4 6.e2 d6 7.0-0
( Here 7.c3 seems to me a waste of time
as the knight gets in the way of the vital c2-
c4 advance, e.g. e7 8.0-0 bc6 9.b3
cxb3 10.axb3 0-0 11.b5 b8 12.c4 g4
13.c5 a6 and Black looked better as d4 is
potentially weak in Uritzky-Zifroni, ISR-chT.
Israel 1999) 7...e7 8.b3 cxb3 9.axb3
bc6 10.c4 0-0 11.c3 f5!
Black refuses to concede the centre with
11...dxc4. If White now captures on d5 he
will regain the pawn with Nb4, etc. 12.g5
f6 13.e3 a6 with equal s in Uritzky-
Huzman, ISR-chT Israel 1999. Nevertheless,
Uritzky was rated about 155 points below
his opponents in both these games, but held
the draw- so it can't be that bad for White. ]
5.f3 cxd4 An extremely rare position-
in c l u d i n g t h i s g a m e I ca n o n l y f i n d f o u r
examples on BigBase 2001. Temporarily at
least Black has an extra pawn. The problem is
that he may end up in a Sicilian 2.c3 d5 3.
exd5 Qxd5 type of position in which he has
played c5xd4 prematurely. 6.0-0 c6
[ If 6...f6 7.xd4 regains the pawn at once
with a pleasant edge for White. ]
7.e2
[ Way back in 1881 W emmers tried 7.c4!?
h5 ( 7...dxc3 8.xc3 is risky as White has
ideas of Bf4 and Nb5, etc.; Or if 7...a5
8.e4!? ) 8.e2 d6 9.h3 c5 10.a3 b6
11.b4 and White, with threats of b4-b5 and
c4-c5 had a great position in W emmers-
S ch wa r z, DS B -0 2 K o n g re ss 1 8 8 1 . No t
wanting to speak ill of the dead I won't say
anything about the manoeuvre Qh5-c5-b6. ]
7...c5
[ Or 7...f6 8.c3 ( After the slower 8.d1
e7 9.c3 perhaps Black should accept the
pawn with dxc3!? 10.xc3 h5
as the Nb5 idea isn't so great for White now
th a t h e ca n cast le in rep ly.) 8...e7
( in contrast to the previous note after
8...dxc3 9.xc3 h5?! 10.b5
the check on c7 looks highly threatening.)
9.cxd4 0-0 10.d1 b6 11.c3 d8?!
( 11...h5 ) 12.g5 b7 13.xf6 xf6
14.d5 exd5 15.xd5 and Black is very
uncomfortable. ]
8.d1 ge7
[ If 8...f6 9.c3?! ( Quite possibly 9.g5!
is the strongest response planning Bxf6
followed by Be4 in combination with c2-c3.
Then White appears to have a good game.)
9...dxc3 Black has to reckon with some
s h a r p g a m b i t r e s p o n s e s : 10.g6!?
when the black queen looks trapped but it
is n ' t so si m p le a s B la ck h a s t h e s a m e
resource with 10...Bxf2+ given in the note to
t h e n e x t m o v e . ( Or White has the simple
10.xc3 or finally the Danish Gambit style;
10.b5 cxb2 11.xb2 true, this looks a
little far fetched! )]
9.c3 e5
[ This works out badly, but if 9...dxc3?
A) I w a n t e d t o s u g g e s t 10.g6?!
but unfortunately I can't quite make it work,
e.g. xf2+! 11.xf2 cxb2 12.xb2 c5+
13.f1 hxg6 14.xg7 g8 15.f6 f5
( 15...d5 16.xd5! xd5 17.c3 f5?!
18.e4 ) 16.c3 e3+ 17.e1 xd1
18.xd1 Here White is the exchange and
two pawns down, though he obviously has
attacking chances.;
B) 10.xc3! keeps up the pressure h5
11.e4 0-0? 12.g3! g4 13.xh7+! ]
10.b4! b6 11.b5 a5 12.xe5
Black drops the e pawn and is still left with a
76
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
weak pawn on d4. e6 13.c4 d8 14.d2
c7 15.df3 f6 Here Black offered a draw.
As he out-rated his opponent by more than
300 points I guess he wasn't very happy with
his position! W hite accepted. Instead he
could have played on with 16.g6! hxg6
17.xe6 with good winning chances- Black's
knight is awful on a5 and there is the threat of
Bxg6+, to say nothing about Ba3 and Re1.
½-½
92 C01
Kichinski,Robert
Conrad
34th Stamer Memorial SF 2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e3 Bill Conrad writes: 'I
had looked at the Alapin and was aware of
what 'GM opinion' said about it- that it was
possibly OK against a totally unprepared but
th a t it wa s p osit io n ally a n d t he o ret ica lly
suspect. So I dug in and tried to f ind the
antidote to what several players of the white
pieces liked so much about it. My travels took
me to a] Do not take the pawn on f3 b] get
your king's knight out as soon as possible and
trade it off for the white queen's bishop. This
will leave White with airy dark squares. Then
play an early ...c5, which either dissolves
White's center or leaves him with an isolated
pawn on e4. Black will often fall behind in
development early on, but the above
considerations will show that White cannot
take advantage of it using 'my plan'. The net
result is that White, who plays the Alapin for a
free and open attacking position will find him/
herself in a position which is closed, boring,
dry, or even disadvantageous. My plan was
borne out by how I came out of the opening.'
f6 'Also played is
[ 3...dxe4 4.f3 f6 which is in this case
merely a transposition.' ]
4.f3 dxe4 5.d2 'White also plays
[ 5.c3 but this has the disadvantage of
blocking the pawn on c2 and allowing a pin
with Bb4.' ]
5...d5! 'The first key move- Black disdains
the free pawn that would be offered by
[ 5...exf3 6.gxf3 because it would give
White a tremendous lead in development.
The white queen's bishop is a key piece in
the Alapin- that's why W hite goes to the
trouble of developing it before the queen's
knight. After 5.. .Nd5, W hite has to lose
time retreating or defending it. Since the
only real way of def ending it is with the
queen, which blocks in the king's bishop, it
isn't a protection that develops at the same
time.' ]
6.e2 xe3 'I may have been able to delay
this move, as White's king's bishop is freed
after the recapture by the queen however, I
had decided o n my p lan. Now I h ave th e
advantage of the two bishops.' 7.xe3 c5!
'The second key move. I am interfering with
White's plan of building an imposing centre
which he could use to initiate an attack. And
this is not a Gambit of the c pawn because of
my next move.' 8.dxc5 a5 9.0-0-0 xc5
10.xe4 e7 The remaining comments on
the game are by Neil McDonald. Black has
played the opening excellently- White's centre
has vanished and the black bishop pair could
become strong in the future. The only danger
is that W hite will find a combination before
Bla ck is f u lly d e ve lo p e d . 11.d3 c6
12.b3 e5 This isn't ambitious enough!
[ 12...b6 followed by Bd7, Bf6, 0-0-0 etc.
looks nice for Black. ]
13.xe5 xe5 14.b5+ d7 15.xd7+
xd7 16.e2 c5 Here I think Black should
castle queenside to oppose any White build
up on the d file. At some point in the future
Black could utilise his kingside pawns with e5,
f5 etc. supported by Bf6. 17.xc5 xc5
18.d3 e7 19.hd1 hd8 20.d4 xd4
Black's bishop is better than the white knight,
so it is a pity to exchange it off.
[ 20...a6 looks solid enough. ]
21.xd4 xd4 22.xd4 d8 23.a4?!
White's outside pawn majority gives him fair
winning chances after
[ 23.xd8 xd8 ]
23...a6 24.b4 d7 As Bill points out,
[ 24...b5 was better, not allowing the rook to
be pinned down to b7, for example 25.a4
d5! ]
25.b6 h5! Black's kingside counterplay
seems good enough to hold the draw, even if
his queenside crumbles. 26.c4 g5 27.c5 f5
77
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
28.c2 f6 29.b4 e5 30.a4 d5
31.d3 e5+ 32.c4 d4+ 33.c3 d7
34.c6 c7 35.xb7 xc6+ 36.d3 d6+
37.e2 h4 38.a5 d5 39.b6 d6 40.b8
d5 41.h3 f4 42.b6 g3 43.xa6
xg2 44.xe6 xh3?
[ Bill points out the drawing variation 44...b5
45.g6 ( 45.b6 e5+ ) 45...f4 46.a6 xb4
47.xg5+ xh3 48.a7 a4 49.g7 ]
45.a6 g2 46.a7 d8 47.g6 e8+
48.d3 h3 49.xg5+ xf3 50.h5 g2
51.b5 f4 52.b6 h2 53.b7 h1 54.xh1
xh1 55.b8 xb8 56.axb8 f3 57.b7
1-0
93 C01
Kotz,Heinz Peter 2349
Gonda,Laszlo 2520
TCh-AUT 2 Mitte 2011-12 (3) 23.10.2011
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
5.f3 Larsen's old weapon, with which he won
some nice games but which fell into relative
disuse because of Black's next move. e7+
This has been the key move for decades. A
couple of alternatives:
[ (a) a game this month went 5...e7 6.d3
(a2) ( This is my main line in Dangerous
Weapons: The French, but I also analyze
6.a3!?; and 6.f4 followed by 0-0-0, with
double-edged play resulting )
A) a n d n o w a n o v e r v i e w : ( a 1 ) 6...c5
is the move I spend most of my time on in
Dangerous Weapons, which I'll quote just
a few moves of a key variation: 7.dxc5 d4
8.a3 a5 This is Black's whole point.
9.b1! dxc3 10.axb4! ( The game
eve ryone quot ed up t o t his p oint wa s
always 10.b3 xc5 11.b4 b6
0-1 G Makarov-R Jakhin, Rostov on Don
1972. ) 10...a2 11.e2! xb1 12.b3!
and Black's best option is a5 13.0-0 axb4
14.g5! with an ongoing attack which I
analyse to a probable draw.;
B) 6...bc6 7.ge2 e6 and: Larino
Nieto, D (2455)-Moreno Trujillo, A (2473),
Madrid ESP 2011 continued
B1) 8.0-0 d7 9.a3 a5 10.e3
( Larsen suggests 10.e1 b6 11.e3
0-0-0 12.b4 ) 10...0-0-0 11.b4 b6
12.a4 , Muslimova-Kolovskaya, Riga
1968, and White has the better attack.;
B2) 8.g3 g6 9.h4?! d6 10.f4
b4 11.h5 e7 12.b5 xd3+
13.xd3 and Black should play f5
. But simply 9 0-0 was better ]
[ (b) 5...c6 6.b5 ge7 7.f4 ( 7.ge2
f5; 7.g5!? f6 8.f4 0-0 9.0-0-0 a6
10.xc6! bxc6 11.ge2 is unclear - DWF)
7...0-0 . 8.0-0-0!? a5 9.ge2 c6 10.d3
b5 ( Simon Williams analyses 10...g6!? )
11.h4 was Larsen-Portisch, Amsterdam
1964. ]
6.ge2
[ 6.e3 f6 7.d3?! c5! 8.f1 xc3
9.bxc3 c4 10.f5 xf5 11.xf5 0-0
Mestrovic-Maric, Kraljevo 1967. ]
6...c6 7.d3 The move that I suggested in
Dangerous Weapons: The French, attempting
to revive White's game, as opposed to
[ 7.xd5 f6 with a huge lead in
development. I analysed 8.b5! ( 8.c4
e6 9.d3 0-0-0 10.e3 he8
will end in Bla ck a dvan tage) 8...d7
( W illiams gives 8...a6!? 9.d3 c5!?
10.dxc5? b4 11.d1 f5 when Black is
winning, although here he should note that
11 Qd1?? is a blunder, and 11 Qf3! Nxc2+
12 Kd1 Nxa2 13 Bg5 complicates matters
nevertheless his seems a good alternative)
9.d3 0-0-0 10.e3 xc3+ ( 10...he8
11.0-0-0 xc3 12.xc3 b4 13.c4 g4
leads to an unclear position - Williams then
14.d5! xe3 15.fxe3 seems to favour
W hite but his idea is still sound if Black
plays 13...Be6! instead, with counterplay)
11.xc3 ( 11.xc3 d5; 11.bxc3 he8
with compensation) 11...g4 ( In DWF, I
give 11...b4 12.d2 f5 13.c1 he8
14.c4 , although here 13...Be4 should be
about equal) 12.e2 xe2 13.xe2 b4
14.0-0-0 xd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.e5
hd8= ]
7...f6 Ghonda plays a natural move which
Williams also recommends, but I neglected to
analyse in DWF, thinking that Black shouldn't
allow Bg5. However, 7...Nf6 seems to
equalise efficiently. I analysed
[ 7...e6 ]
[ 7...xc3+ ]
78
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 7...g6 , and ] ac8

[ 7...g4 ] [ 14...c4 15.g3 d6 ]
8.f3 To keep Black's knight out of e4. 15.d1 a4!? 16.b3 d8 17.g3 c5
Otherwise White has: 18.b5 b6 19.he1
[ (a) Williams gives 8.a3 xc3+ 9.xc3 [ 19.f5! xf5 20.gxf5 ( 20.xe8 c4 )
e4 ( jw: 9...0-0 10.f3 ) 10.e3 f5 20...c6 21.de1= ]
"when White has the two bishops, but his c- 19...e6 20.f5 d8 21.xd7 xd7
pawn could become weak." He analyses 22.e5 f6 23.g3 xd4 24.xd4 cxd4
11.f3 d6 12.xe7+ xe7 ( 12...xe7! [ 24...xe1! 25.xe1 cxd4 26.xd4 c4 ]
is best, I (jw) think, when 13.c3 a5 25.xe8+ xe8 26.xd4 e6 27.g2 c4
targe ts W hite quee nside light square s) 28.f2
13.f4 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 g6 "when White [ 28.xb7!? e2+ 29.f2 e3+ 30.g3
will find it hard to hold on to his bishops, as f1+ 31.g2 e3+= ]
15.g3 runs into h5 . " B u t a f t e r 16.h4 28...e2 29.d3 e3+ 30.g3 f1+
with the idea c4 17.f2 , White may have 31.g2 e3+ 32.g3 f1+
very slightly the better of it, so 12...Kxe7 ½-½
looks critical. ]
[ (b) 8.g5 h6 9.h4 ( 9.xf6 xf6
10.0-0-0 e6 accomplishes little; 9.e3 0-0 94 C01
10.0-0-0 a5! 11.a3 d6 and Black's Kramnik,Vladimir 2765
development is freer than White's) 9...g5 Polgar,Judit 2665
10.g3 xc3+ 11.xc3 e4 ] It Novgorod (4) 1996
8...d7!? Black reroutes the knight to b6 in [Neil McDonald]
anticipation of 0-0-0. He doesn't like the idea
of allowing Bg5, but he can equalize with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 d6
natural moves, for example, 5.c4 f6
[ (a) 8...0-0 9.a3 ( 9.g5 h6 10.h4 [ John Watson suggests 5...c6!? when the
a5! ) 9...d6 ( 9...xc3+ 10.xc3 e8 ) sequence 6.c3 e7 7.d3 dxc4 8.xc4
10.g5 e6 11.b5 a5= ] 0-0 9.0-0 d7 planning ...Nb6 is solid
[ (b) 8...a5 (with the idea of ...Nb4 and ... enough for Black. ]
Bf5) 9.a3 e6 10.d2 ( 10.g5 0-0-0 6.c3 c6 7.g5 A very interesting move.
11.0-0-0 h6 12.h4 g5 13.f2 e8!? The pin sets Black problems by indirectly
with the idea ...Nd6) 10...0-0-0 11.0-0-0 threatening d5. Polgar has no wish to concede
b8 12.b1 a6 ] the centre directly with 7...dxc4 8 Bxc4: she
9.a3 b6?! A bit of a bluff. Objectively, Black would like White to waste a move with Bd3 or
should play Be2 first and only then play ... dxc4 when
[ 9...xc3+ 10.xc3 b6 11.d2! ( 11.f4 after Bxc4 she has gained a tempo. Instead
0-0 12.0-0-0 c4 , when Black can follow Polgar comes up with a fine response. She
up with ...b5/...a5, etc.) 11...d7!? 12.0-0-0 simply ignores the threat to d5! In view of his
0-0-0 , lightly +=. ] lack of success in the opening, Kramnik was
10.f2? later critical of his bishop move and in
[ White should force Black to prove it: Informator 67 recommended
10.axb4! xb4 11.d2 ( or 11.d1 f5 [ 7.c5 or ]
12.f2! xc2 13.d2 c4 14.g5! f6 [ 7.cxd5 as preferable. ]
15.g3 and Nf4 ) 11...c4 12.f4 xc2+ 7...0-0! This pawn sacrifice should solve
13.f2 c6 14.b1 ] Bla ck' s o p e n in g p ro b le m s. 8.cxd5 h6
10...xc3 9.h4?! White should try
[ 10...d6! is a good alternative. ] [ 9.xf6 xf6 10.e2 d8 11.dxc6 xc6
11.xc3 12.0-0 -Kramnik ]
[ 11.xc3 ] 9...b6 10.d2 xd5 11.g3 xg3
11...0-0 12.h4 d7 13.f4 fe8 14.g4!? 12.hxg3 g4 13.d3 e8+ 14.f1 d7

79
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
15.xd5 cxd5 16.h4 xf3? Black gives up
bishop for knight and strengthens W hite's
kingside. Better was
[ 16...e6! 17.e1 f8
Kramnik. ]
17.gxf3 f8 18.g2 g6 19.h5 xd4?
Black understandably thinks that the
liquidation of the centre pawns will reduce the
danger. Indeed it seems incredible that Black
can be in serious trouble here, when White
no longer has any pawn advances to increase
the pressure. But Kramnik has looked very
deeply into the position. Here he points out
that Black should be satisfied with the
defensive
[ 19...ad8 ]
20.d1! ad8? This leads to a gruesome
endgame.
[ B e t t e r w a s 20...b6 though
leaves White with several small advantages-
more active pieces, safer king and better
minor piece, which all build into a
dangerous initiative. ]
21.xg6 xd2 22.xf7+! xf7 23.xd2
The dust has settled, and Black's d5 pawn is
doo med . A n e xtreme ly in struct ive ph ase
begins as Kramnik tries to exploit the
advantage of the extra doubled pawn. d4
24.h4 d3 25.f4+ g6 26.e4! h5
[ If 26...xe4 27.fxe4 when White puts his
king on e3 and wins the d pawn anyway. ]
27.xe8 xe8 28.xd3 e2 29.b3 b6
30.b5 h6 31.g4 g6?! Black has no wish
to undouble White's pawns with
[ 31...hxg4 32.fxg4 but according to
Kramnik this was the best fighting chance.
As played, W hite is able to create
connected passed pawns. ]
32.g5+ g7 33.f4 c2 34.g3 d2 35.f3
c2 36.b3 f7 37.a3 xb2 38.xa7+
g8 39.f5! The winning breakthrough. Now
Black cannot prevent W hite gaining
connected passed pawns as 39...gxf5 40 Kf4
Rb5 41 g6 planning Kg5 and Kf6 would soon
b e f a t a l f o r t h e b l a c k k i n g ' s h e a l t h . b5
A clever riposte, but White can make sure that
the pawn leaves f5 with check. 40.a8+ f7
or
[ 40...g7 41.f6+ ]
41.fxg6+ xg6 42.f4 The white pawns are
no w u ns t op p ab le. It ju st requ ire s a litt le
accuracy from Kramnik. b1 43.g8+ f5
44.f8+ e4 45.e8+ f5 46.e5+ g6
47.e6+ f5 48.f6+ e4 49.g6 b5
with equality- 50.h4 h1+ 51.g5 h4 52.e6+ f3
53.g7 g1+ 54.f6 h3 55.e8 as if 55...h2
56 Rh8 wins. An excellent example of
Kramnik's relentless technique. Polgar was
slowly ground down after her initial opening
activity.
1-0
95 C01
Lo,Dominic 2156
Goh Wei Ming 2396
36th Queenstown Open 26.08.2007
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
21.xd5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
5.exd5 exd5 6.g5 e7 7.e2 7.Bb5 was
analyzed in Modwal Sankalp-Goh W eiming
K e c s k e m e t 2 0 0 7 . h6 8.f4 My young
opp on en t on ly ne ed ed a d raw t o win th e
tournament and his cautious approach was
therefore understandable. e4
[ 8...d6 would have equalized easily but I
naturally preferred to keep more pieces on
the board. ]
9.b5 b4+ 10.c3 a5 11.0-0 0-0 12.a4
b6 13.h3 f5 14.d2 a6 15.a3 e7
Embarking on a mistaken plan. Instead
[ 15...e8 16.xe4 xe4 17.e1 f6
18.g3 e7 with the idea of doubling rooks
on the e-file was more ambitious. ]
16.c2 d7 17.e3 h7 18.xe4 dxe4
19.c4! This knight has come a long way and
now occupies a good square. White probably
has a slight plus now. a7 20.e5 c8
21.c4 f5! Black had no choice but to
reroute his knight to d6 and dig in. 22.e2
d6 23.b3 h8 24.h5 e8! 25.ae1 f6
26.xe8 fxe8 27.g4 ad8 28.e3 g5
29.h2 g6 30.c2? A significant mistake. I
was afraid of the following forced variation:
[ 30.d5! f7 31.xc7 xb3 32.xd6
xd6 33.xe8 e6 34.xf6 ( 34.c7
e7 ) 34...xf6 35.xe4 xa4 36.e7 ]
30...c5! Finally, Black achieved the desirable ..
c5 pawn break on the 30th move. Now, why
on earth did I put that pesky knight on c6?
31.d5 f5 Black proceeded to outplay his
80
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

opponent in the time scramble that follows. xd7 13.b5? xb5 14.xd8 xe2
32.xd6 xd6 33.d1 b5 34.axb5 axb5 15.xf8+ xf8 16.xe2 etc. ) 11...a6!
35.c4 f4 36.g4 h5 37.h2 bxc4 38.a4 12.a4 none of the captures on d7 lead to
b8 39.c1 xd5 40.xc4 xb2 41.c6 anything f or W hite. b5 13.c6 c7!
d4 ....and Black won in the blitz scramble. ( not getting involved in 13...e8 14.xe7+
0-1 xe7 15.d5 ) 14.xe7+ h8 and White
will lose back his piece when Black is fine-
15.b3 c4 ]
96 C01 11.xe5 d7 12.xe7 xe5 13.xd8
Loeffler,Stefan 2409 xd8 14.xh7+ d7 15.e4 c7 16.he1
Schebler,Gerhard 2458 [ W h it e co u ld gra b a p a wn wit h 16.xb7
Bundesliga 2007-8 (4) 25.11.2007 xb7 ( or 16...ad8!? ) 17.f4 c6 18.fxe5
[Neil McDonald] but his flimsy kingside pawns would make it
almost impossible to exploit. ]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d3 c5 16...c6 17.f4 g4 18.xc6 xc6
[ In the following game, a computer fell for a the dust has settled, and it looks as if Black
trap pointed out in the archives: 3...dxe4 might even have the better game in view of
4.xe4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.e2 c6 7.e3 his well centralised king. 19.f5?! The only way
d5? a plausible looking move, but... to keep W hite's game active. Nonetheless,
8.xd5! xd5 9.bc3! h5?! perhaps the passive
( E v e n w o r s e t h a n 9...d8 10.dxc5 [ 19.h3 was the best way to play it. ]
w h e n B l a c k i s s i m p l y a p a w n d o w n .) 19...ae8? After this Black is lumbered with a
10.b5! cxd4 11.c7+ e7 12.f4 b8 couple of weak kingside pawns.
13.xd4 c5 14.c3 e5 15.f3 c6 [ Best was 19...exf5! 20.e7 ( 20.h3!? )
16.d3 f6 17.b5 f7 18.b4 xb4 20...ae8!? ( not getting involved in
19.cxb4 xb4+ 20.d2 a4 21.c1 20...xh2 21.dd7 xg2 22.c7+ ) 21.xf7
and Black was being annihilated in e3 22.dd7 xh2 23.c7+ d6
S HR E D DE R-P A R S O S / P a d e r b o r n G E R 24.b5+ e5 25.xc5+ f4 and Black's
2007. ] king is a menace to the white kingside rather
4.exd5 xd5 than a target. ]
[ Black should prefer 4...exd5 ] 20.h3 f6 21.fxe6 xe6 22.xe6+ fxe6
5.c3 xd4 The critical test of White's 23.d3! Loeffler now plays the endgame in
opening is acceptance of the pawn of fer. exemplary style. First he ties down the black
6.f3?! It might seem strange to criticise such rook to the weak g-pawn then he clarifies
a natural move, but W hite is spurning the matters by exchanging knights and finally he
opportunity for uses his rook's greater mobility to win a pawn.
[ 6.b5!? d8 7.f4 a6 8.e2 h5 24.g3 g5 25.d2 d6 26.d3 e7
intending 9.0-0-0, followed in time by Bc4 27.e4 xe4 28.xe4 f6 29.f3+ e7
and Nd6+, which on the face of it looks a 30.b3 b6 31.a3 f6 32.xa7 h4+
great deal of fun for White. ] 33.e3 b4 34.b3 c4 35.a4 xa4
6...d8 7.e2 f6 8.g5 bd7 9.0-0-0 36.bxa4 e5 37.g3 f5 38.c3
W hatever the objective merits of W hite's 1-0
sacrifice, his position is very easy to play-
smooth development building up towards
a ggre s s io n o n t h e d -f ile . e7 10.e5
xe5!? A sensible move that forces
simplification before White can exploit the pin
on the d-file with 11.Bb5. But as a matter of
fact
[ 10...0-0!? seems OK for Black: 11.b5
( Bad for White is 11.xf6? xf6 12.xd7

81
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
97 C01
Luther,Thomas 2568
Vallejo Pons,Francisco 2559
XXXVI Mem Elite (8) 14.05.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 c6
5.b5
[ The most challenging move as 5.d3 b4
6.e2 f5 is good for Black while if ]
[ 5.c4 b4+ 6.c3 f6 7.g5 dxc4
8.xc4 e7+! is an annoying check- either
White has to retreat one of his well placed
b is h o p s o r m o ve h i s kin g o r e xch a n g e
queens with 9 Qe2. ]
5...d6 6.c4 The consistent follow up: White
attacks the undefended d5 point. He mustn't
delay as
[ 6.0-0 ge7 7.c4 is harmless in view of
dxc4 8.d5? xd5 9.xd5?? xh2+ ]
6...dxc4 7.d5 a6 The only way to save the
knight is to allow the break up of his
queenside pawns. 8.a4 b5 9.dxc6 bxa4
10.0-0 e7 11.xa4 0-0 12.bd2 c3!
[ The c4 pawn is doomed so Black sells it as
dearly as possible by breaking up White's
queenside. Instead 12...b8 13.a3 c3
14.bxc3 b6 15.e1 was better for White in
Chandler-Bareev, Hastings 1991, as
capturing on c6 costs material after xc6?
( 15...xc6? 16.xe7 ) 16.c4 ]
13.bxc3 e8! Only thus! Black begins what
Capablanca would call 'une petite
combination' to equalise the game. 14.d4
b7! The point: Black exploits the pin to
regain the pawn. 15.c4 xc6 16.xd6
W hite hu rries t o kill o f f th e gam e bef ore
Black's light square control makes things
unpleasant for him. cxd6 17.xc6 xc6
18.xc6 The variation with 4.. .Nc6 lives!
½-½
98 C01
Mamedov,Nidjat 2583
Martinovic,Sasa 2504
12th ch-EUR Aix les Bains FRA (9.71) 31.3.11
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d3 White plays this just
often enough that it pays Black to study it.
From White's point of view, he might use this
against a higher-rated player against whom a
s a f e p o s i t i o n m i g h t b e d e s i r a b l e . dxe4
4.xe4 f6 5.f3 c5 6.e2 c6 7.c3
[ 7.e3 is the old main line: White may have
wanted to avoid
A) after 7...e5 , 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.dxe5
xd1+ 10.xd1 g4 11.d2
is worth a try, perhaps retaining a small
advant age f o llowin g xe5 ( 11...a6
12.c3 0-0-0 13.e1 ) 12.e1 g4
13.f4 d7 14.d3 xe3+ 15.xe3
c7 , but it isn't much.;
B) 7...d5 , when a remarkable sequence
c a n f o l l o w : 8.xd5!? ( 8.bc3 xe3
9.fxe3 e7 ) 8...xd5
B1) 9.f4 f5;
B2) 9.0-0 cxd4 10.xd4 xd4 ( or
10...e7 11.c3 c4= ) 11.xd4 d7
12.c3 f5 and .. .Bc6 with good
prospects.;
B3) 9.bc3! is seen in the Archives
game De Jong-Archangelsky. Neil was
perhaps too optimistic about this being a
virtual refutation, as can be seen by
xg2 10.g1 xh2 11.f4
B3a) 11...h3! 12.b5!? ( 12.g3
h1+= 13.g1 f3 14.g3 h5!?
15.b5 cxd4! ) 12...f6! 13.c7+
( 13.d5 d4! i s u n c l e a r) 13...f7
14.xa8 ( 14.d5!? d4 ) 14...cxd4
15.xd4 b4+! 16.c3 xc3+ 17.bxc3
xc3+ 18.f1 xd4 and Black is
temporarily a rook down, but has 4
pawns and good attacking chances, so
best is 19.e3! c4+ 20.g2 e2
21.e1 g4+=;
B3b) 11...h5!? 12.b5! e7?!
( 12...f6! 13.c7+ f7 14.xa8 cxd4
15.d3 g5 16.g3 e5 is messy;
12...d7?? 13.dxc5+
was the Archives game) 13.c7 b8
14.d2 f6 15.d5! ]
7...cxd4
[ I've never seen anything to convince me
that 7...e5 doesn't equalise, e.g.,
A) 8.d5 e4! 9.xe4! xe4 10.0-0 d7
( 10...e7 11.a4+ d7 12.xe4 xd5
i s u n c l e a r , m a yb e s l i g h t l y i n B l a c k ' s
favour ) 11.dxc6 xc6;
B) 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.0-0 is the main line
82
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

( 9.dxe5?! xd1+ 10.xd1 g4 ) 9...d6 40.c2 d5 41.e4 c6? There is
10.dxe5 xe5 11.xd8+ xd8 something wrong with the notation
and Black has bishops and activity to hereabouts.
compensate for his structure, e.g., 12.a3 [ 41...f5 42.e5 c6 may well have been
( 12.f4 e8 ) 12...e8 13.g3 a6 played, when Black shouldn't take a draw. ]
14.d1+ c7 15.e3 b6! 16.b4 xc3 42.e2 a5
17.xc5+ b7 ] ½-½
8.cxd4 e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.bc3 d7
[ 10...b6 with the idea is more natural,
when 11.e3 d8 ( 11...xb2?! 12.a3! 99 C01
d5 13.xd5 exd5 14.d3 b6 Manole,Vasile 2392
15.c3 ) 12.a3 is about equal. ] Gurevich,Mikhail 2667
11.a4 d8 12.f4!? 22nd Open Andorra la Vella AND (2) 04.07.04
[ 12.e3 ] [Neil McDonald]
12...b4
[ It's not clear what White's idea was on 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.exd5 exd5
12...xd4 . Perhaps 13.xd4 xd4 5.g5 e7 6.d3 c6
14.xd4 xd4 15.e5 d8 ( 15...c4!? ) [ You can find an example of 6...0-0 7.ge2
16.fd1 , although this is likely only equal c6 on ChessPub. ]
after f8 ( 16...h6!? ) 17.xd8+ xd8 7.ge2 e6 8.a4?!
18.d1 e7 19.b5 e8 20.d4! a6 [ Alekhine won the San Remo tournament of
21.a7 d6 22.c5 e8 23.d4= ] 1930 with 13 wins and 2 draws, his best
13.b3 bd5 14.e5 b6 15.xd5 xd5 e ve r t o u r n a m e n t re s u l t . T h e r e f o re t h e
Black has developed smoothly and stands following bore-draw represents quite an
well. 16.f4 xf4 achievement for the Exchange Variation:
[ 16...b7 17.ac1 ac8 keeps an edge. ] 8.0-0 h6 9.xf6 xf6 10.b5 d6
17.xa8 a6 18.f3 xf1 19.xf1 g6 11.xc6+ xc6 12.f4 0-0-0 13.xe6
Eliminating the bishops. 20.d1 d6!? xe6 14.e2 de8 15.e1 f5 16.c3 h5
[ 20...xe5 21.dxe5 c7 22.xd8+ xd8 17.a4 a6 18.g3 xe1+ 19.xe1 d7
will doubtless be drawn due to the 20.xd7+ xd7 and draw agreed in
opposite-coloured bishops. ] Spielmann,R-Alekhine,A/San Remo 1930. In
21.xd6 xd6 22.g3 e7 23.e4 g6 fact, I'm a little surprised Alekhine didn't try
24.f4? Perhaps to prevent ...e5, but it's to grind out a win here with his superior
weakening. Better minor piece. W hen he was a young man
[ 24.f3 ] Alekhine had reached the position after 7. ..
24...h5?! Be6 himself with the white pieces and in
[ 24...c6! 25.xc6 ( 25.d5 e7 ) typical style had began a forthright attack
25...xc6 and Black has excellent with ]
chances. ] [ 8.f4?! However, this seems inconsistent
25.d3 with White's previously solid play. h6 9.f5
[ 25.b5! ] hxg5 10.fxe6 fxe6 11.g6+ d7
25...c8 The black king proves to be very safe here.
[ 25...c6! ] 12.d2 h6! 13.d3 h8 14.h3 g4
26.d1 g7 27.a3 h4 28.b5 f6?! 29.d3 15.f4 gxh3 16.gxh3 d6 17.b5 g5
d8 30.g2 d7 31.d2 h8 32.e2 b5 18.xd6 cxd6 19.g6 g7 20.xg5 g8
33.g1 a6 34.g2 d6 35.d3 c8 21.g1 Alekhine,A-Olland,A/Stockholm
36.e3 hxg3 37.hxg3 c4 38.f2 f7 1912 and here c7! leaves Whit e facing
39.b1?! the threat of 22...Ne7 winning or piece or
[ 39.d3 f5 40.d5! d4 41.e2 ] 22...Ne4 which has much the same effect.
39...c1 Instead Black played 21...Kc8 and was
[ 39...f5! 40.xf5 gxf5 ] eventually bamboozled by the future World

83
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Champion. ]
8...h6 9.xf6 xf6 10.c5 c8 Gurevich
holds onto his bishop pair. 11.c3?!
[ If White wants to simplify the position then
he should continue in 'Spielmann mode' with
11.b5 e.g. d6 12.0-0 0-0 13.xc6
xc6 14.c3 At the same time the white
knight on c5 is presented with a centre
square to retreat to on d3. ]
11...d6 12.0-0 b6 13.b3 e7 14.g3
g6 15.e1 It's too late for White to become
active as
[ 15.c4 g7! 16.cxd5 0-0 followed by
capturing on d5 with the knight is good for
Black. ]
15...0-0 16.d2 g7 17.ad1 g4 18.f3
d7 19.c1 g5 20.e2 c6 21.c2
White has run out of ideas and can only wait
as Black slowly encroaches on his position. As
we can see, this is NOT the best way to play
against a much higher rated opponent. The
chances of getting a result are better if you
come out fighting and try to keep the
advantage that the first move confers. fe8
22.f1 e7 23.xe7 xe7 24.e2 e8
25.f4 h4 26.eg3 a5 27.d2 c5!
White's pawn structure is gradually worn down
o n b o t h s id e s o f t h e b o a rd u n t i l a b l a c k
p a s s e d p a wn su d d e n ly a p p e a rs a s if b y
magic. 28.e2 d8 29.xe8 xe8 30.f2
e7 31.h1 c6 32.dxc5 bxc5 33.a3 h5
34.d2 d6 35.e2 c4 36.c2 b8 37.b4
cxb3 38.xb3 xa3 39.xd5 d6 40.c4
b2 41.e4 a3 42.g3 e7 43.a8 f5
44.h3 d3 45.d5 a5 46.h2 a4 47.c5
c2 48.e4 xc4 49.xf5 gxf5 50.g4 h4
51.gxf5 a3 52.g1 c6
0-1
100 C01
Mikkelsen,Nikolaj 2416
Brynell,Stellan 2492
49th TCh-DEN XtraCon 2010-11 (7.2) 20.02.11
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 d6
5.d3
[ A simple solution to 5.c4 is c6 (the main
option is 5. ..Nf 6): 6.c3 ( 6.c5 c7
is analysed in Thesing-Sulskis in the
Archives. ) 6...e7 7.h3 0-0 8.d3 f5
( 8...dxc4 9.xc4 d7 10.0-0 b6 11.b3
f5 ) 9.c5 c7 10.0-0 1/2-1/2 Rozum, I
(2470) -Levin, E (2481), St Petersburg RUS
2011. White looks a shade better, because
Black's pieces don't coordinate well but
this certainly isn't much. ]
5...g4
[ 5...c6 6.0-0 ge7 is a safe alternative,
intending ...Bg4 or ...Bf5, as permitted. ]
6.0-0 c6 7.c3 ge7 8.h3 h5 9.g5?!
I've never liked this move, since ...f6 is a
desirable move to both cover e5 and support
a kingside advance. d7 10.bd2 f6
11.h4 0-0-0
[ 11...g6! is good now, because White
would like to defend the bishop by b4 and
Nb3, but has no time to do so. ]
12.g3 xg3 13.fxg3 g6 14.b3 d6
15.c5?!
[ 15.g4 de8 ( 15...h5 16.xg6 xg6
17.gxh5 xh5 has the idea 18.e5 xe5
19.dxe5 cxe5 , but this may still favour
White ) 16.h4 xd3 17.xd3 b6= ]
15...de8
[ There seems nothing wrong with 15...xg3!
, e.g., 16.b3 b6 17.a6+ b8 ]
16.e1 d8!?
[ 16...b6 17.e6 xg3 looks safe. ]
17.a4 b8 18.xg6 hxg6 19.f2 b6
20.d3 g5 21.e2 ec6 22.ae1 xe2+
23.xe2 e7 24.g4!? This exposes f4. g6
[ Or 24...e6 25.b4 d7 26.c5 xc5
27.dxc5 g6 with what kooks like equal
play. ]
25.e8 c6 26.e3 d7 27.b4 b7 28.c4
dxc4 29.xc4 e8 30.xe8+ xe8 31.d5?
A misjudgement the pawn will become weak.
Better is the forcing line
[ 31.b4 c7 32.xc6! d6 33.c2
xc6 34.xg6 e4+ 35.g1 c1+
36.h2 f4+ ]
31...c5! Black has a ready-made ideal
blockade on d6. 32.b4?
[ 32.d2 d6 33.b3 e4+ 34.xe4
xe4 keeps the pressure up, but at least the
d-pawn hasn't fallen yet. ]
32...d6 33.c2 c4 34.b2 b5
[ Or 34...e5 ]
35.d4 f4 36.d1? Collapsing but
[ 36.f5 xd5 37.xd6 e3+ 38.f1
84
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
f4+ 39.g1 xd6 was miserable. ]
36...xd5?
[ 36...d3+ wins instantly: 37.g1 e1+
38.h2 e5+ ]
37.h7?
[ 37.a3 ]
37...xb4 38.xg7 d3+ 39.g1 e1+
40.h2 e5+
0-1
101 C01
Mitkov,Nikola 2509
Shirov,Alexei 2734
Eu Team Ch Batumi GEO (7) 05.12.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 g4
5.h3 h5 6.e2+!? This move, the choice of
Kasparov, is much stronger than the insipid
[ for 6.e2 see Leko, P-Farago,I ]
6...e7 7.e3 c6 8.g4 g6 9.c3 0-0-0
10.0-0-0 f6 An important moment In Gipslis-
Mohrlock, corr. 1997, with a slight
transposition , Black equalised after
[ 10...e8!? 11.e5 -a violent attempt, but
it is neutralised by Black's active play- b4
12.xg6 hxg6 13.b1 f6 14.g2 a5
15.c3 d6 ]
11.g2?!
[ In Kasparov-Short, Tilburg 1991, the World
Champion brought his king's knight over to
the queenside: 11.a3 d7 12.d2! f5?!
[developing with ( 12...d6 13.b3 ge7
with a small advantage to W hite was
preferable-Kasparov]) 13.b3 f6 14.f3
and W hite had distinctly the better
chances. ]
11...d7 12.a3 ge7 13.f4?!
[ Here 13.d2!? a5!? 14.f4
was interesting. ]
13...b8 14.a4 c8 15.h4?! f7
16.f5 b6 17.c3 8e7 18.e3 g5
19.g3 g7 White's pieces appear nicely
centralised, but they have gradually
abandoned the defence of d4. Now Black is
looking to play ...f5 unleashing the bishop
against d4. It is clear that W hite has been
positionally outplayed- in contrast, Kasparov
knew that he needed a knight on b3 to
safeguard d4! Mitkov therefore decides on an
adventure with his queen to distract Black, but
it only leads to other trouble. 20.a6 c8
21.a4 b7 22.he1 a6! 23.f1 b5
24.xb5
[ White would be worse after 24.b3
A) 24...a5!? 25.a2 ( 25.b4?? ec6
26.c5 f8 ) 25...c4 so he allows
himself to be tempted by the piece
sacrifice. Unfortunately for him it doesn't
seem quite sound.;
B) 24...f5! or ]
24...axb5 25.xb5 d7 26.d3 c8
27.a7 Or else 27...Nb6 ends the attack.
8xa7 28.b3 White wins the queen, but at
too great a cost. A hard tactical tussle now
takes place in which White is gradually worn
down. e8 29.d1 g6 30.f5 xf5
31.gxf5 xb3 32.xb3+ a8 33.a4
de7 34.c4 dxc4 35.xc4 h5 36.d5 e5
37.xe5 xe5 38.b1 c8 39.a6 b8
40.c1 e7 41.c6 f8 42.b4 e1+
43.b2 d6 44.xd6 cxd6 45.xd6 e2+
46.b3 xf2 47.xf6 f3+ 48.a4 c8
49.d6 cc3 50.d8+ b7 51.d7+ b6
52.d8+ b7 53.d7+ b6 54.d8+ c6
55.b5+ d5 56.a8+ c6 Shirov is a
renowned tactical player, but it was his clever
opening play that laid the foundations of this
victory. W hen the complications started he
already held most of the aces.
0-1
102 C01
Moskovic,David M 2250
Short,Nigel D 2663
4NCL Birmingham ENG (10) 05.05.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d3 c5
This leads to a position akin to the Tarrasch
3...c5 IQP variation, but compared to that line
White cannot respond Bb5+ without wasting
time. I had played this same move against the
same opponent as Black in another match, but
I had become frustrated in the search for
winning chances, launched forward all the
pawns in front of my king and lost! In other
words I had lacked the key ingredient when
playing against the French Exchange:
patience. 5.f3
85
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ Here is an all too typical example in which
Black pushed too hard in trying to create
winning chances against a much lower rated
opponent: 5.dxc5 xc5 6.f3 f6 7.0-0
0-0 8.bd2 g4 It's quite possible that this
isn't the best square for the bishop. Simply
( 8...c6 keeping the option of Be6 might be
more precise.) 9.b3 b6 10.g5 h6
11.h4 g5 Energetic but loosening. 12.g3
e4 13.c4 xg3 14.hxg3 dxc4 15.xc4
f6 16.a4 c6 17.a5 ad8 18.c2 c7
19.c3 e5 He doesn't want an equal
endgame but the weaknesses in his
kingside will soon make him regret this
decision. 20.h2! f5 21.f4! gxf4 22.gxf4
d7 23.d4 c5 24.xf5 xf5 25.e2!
d6 ( Perhaps he had to play 25...h5
to keep the white knight out of g4.) 26.g4
g6 27.f6+ h8 28.b4 a6 29.d7+
g7 30.xg7+ xg7 31.xf8 and for all
his efforts Black had lost the exchange in
Shushpanov,R-Kruppa,Y/St Petersburg RUS
2002. ]
[ Here on the other hand is an example of
patience being rewarded: 5.e2+ e6
6.f3 c6 7.0-0 c4 8.f5 f6 9.xe6
xe6 10.xe6+ fxe6 11.e1 d7 12.b3
cxb3 13.axb3 ge7 14.c4 g6 15.d2
b4 16.xb4 xb4 17.a4 a5 18.bd2
a6 19.g3 f8 20.g2 h6 21.h4 d6
22.h5 e7 23.g4 ec6 24.g3 b6
A fairly equal endgame has been reached,
but W hite now came up with a bad idea
which gave his opponent mobile pawns in
the centre. 25.c5+? bxc5 26.dxc5+ d7!
Not ( 26...xc5 27.xe6 ) 27.c1 e5
28.h4 d4 29.e1 e4 30.xe4? e8
31.f3 c6! White hoped that the pin would
h a v e c h a n g e d h a n d s a f t e r ( 31...dxe4?
32.d1 bc6 33.f5 ) 32.d1 xb3
33.d6 f8 34.b1 xc5
0-1 Sarakauskas,G-Bunzmann,D/ Bethune
FRA 2001. ]
5...c6 6.dxc5 xc5 7.0-0 f6 8.c3
A rather unusual development of the knight.
Instead
[ 8.g5 h6 9.h4 e6 10.bd2 g5!
Black judges the moment is ripe to begin
playing actively. This move reminds me of
the old adage in the Ruy Lopez that you
shouldn't pin a knight on f6 with Bg5 until
your opponent has castled. 11.g3 h5
12.b3 xg3 13.hxg3 b6 14.c3 f6
15.fd4 xd4 16.xd4 0-0-0 17.xe6
fxe6 18.f3 df8 19.xf6 xf6 20.ae1
hf8 21.e2 g4 and although he held the
draw it wasn't very comfortable for W hite
in Janjgava,L-Sturua,Z/Panormo 1998. ]
8...0-0 9.g5 e6
[ Or 9...h6 10.h4 g4 11.h3 e6 12.a3
a6 13.d2 e7 14.fe1 d7 15.e2 d4?
this advance is often a positional mistake in
th e I Q P cen t re as it gives awa y t he e 4
square 16.e4 d5 17.xe7 xe7
18.g3 d6 19.f5! ad8 20.ae1
and Black was under pressure in Meijers-
So lo mu n o vic, G riesh e im Mala me m o p
2000. ]
10.d2 e8 11.ad1 h6 12.h4 a6
13.e2 e7 14.fd4
[ More natural was 14.ed4 ]
14...d7 A simple retreat which leaves the
knight on e2 doing nothing rather than nicely
centralised after
[ 14...xd4 15.xd4 ]
15.f5 xf5 16.xf5 e4! A well known
freeing device which at least equalises by
ge t t i n g ri d o f t h e i so l a t e d p a wn . 17.xe4
dxe4 18.f4 b6 19.xe7 xe7 20.b3
ae8 21.g3 c5 22.d2? White cannot
escape from his passive attitude. Here safe
enough was
[ 22.c4 but active play was even better: ]
[ 22.f5! e5 ( If 22...e6 23.c4!? f6?!
24.d5! a3 25.c7 with the initiative.)
23.d6 8e7 and White can choose
between 24.c4 and ( 24.c4 with some
plus. )]
22...e5! Short is confident that he can win
the endgame and even welcomes the
e x c h a n g e o f q u e e n s . 23.xe5 xe5
24.d7? Short's patience pays off. This is the
first game endangering mistake by his
opponent: it looks good to seize the seventh
rank, but after Black's reply the c2 pawn is left
backward and weak. He should have played
[ 24.c4 when with White in possession of the
d file it would have been hard for Short to
outplay him. Maybe he would have started
using his kingside pawns with f5 25.fd1 f4
26.e2 g5 ]
24...b5 25.c3 c5 26.e2 e5 27.d6 a5
86
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

28.c1 d3 29.c2 f5 30.f1 a4 31.c1 The key moment. Black puts his bishop on a
b4! Winning a pawn and the game. On the vulnerable square, after which he is soon in
TWIC database this move is given as trouble. It seems to me that
[ 31...f4 when 32.b2 a3 33.bd2 xc3 [ 9...e7! would have allowed Black to
34.e2 d3 left me puzzling why White equalise. For example, if White adopts the
didn't win a piece with 35.xf4!! ] s a m e p l a n a s i n t h e g a m e , 10.h3
32.b2 a3 33.bd2 xc3 34.e2 d3 ( 10.ge2 d7 ) 10...xh3! 11.xh3 d7
35.6xd3 xd3 36.d4 c8! 37.d1 looks very comfortable for Black. ]
and White resigned or more likely lost on time. 10.h3! d7 11.g5 The knight is
One way to win is f4 38.xb5 c2 39.xa3 immensely strong on this square as it attacks
xf2+ 40.g1 xa2 41.c4 e3! 42.xd3 both e6 and f7. It is unlikely that Black will be
o r e l s e t h e p a w n j u s t r u n s t o e 1 . a1+ able to avoid a structural weakness on e6.
and mates. gf6 12.de1 0-0-0 13.e2! de8
0-1 [ If 13...g4 14.f4! ( 14.xf7 f8! )
14...xf4+ 15.xf4 is highly unpleasant
for Black as W hite threatens 16 Nxf7, 16
103 C01 Re7 or 16 h3. ]
Mueller,Karsten 2527 14.f4 e7 15.g3! This quiet but deadly
Farago,Ivan 2467 move threatens to win a pawn with 16 Nfxe6.
IHEM Hamburg GER (4) 13.06.2000 g4 16.xe7 xe7 17.f3 h6 This loses, but
[Neil McDonald] [ 17...h5 18.e1 f8 ( If 18...d6
19.xh5 wins a piece .) 19.fe6 fxe6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5 20.xe6 wins the queen or mates on c7. ]
5.d3 c6! This is the most cunning move as it 18.e1 f8 19.xf7! xf7 20.g6 f8
reduces W hite's options, for example the 21.fxg4 d6 The only defence against 22
variations Ne6. 22.e6 f8 Or
[ 5...f6 6.g5 or ] [ 22...c7 23.e7 ]
[ 5...c6 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 ge7 8.h5! 23.f5 f7 24.xf6! Black resigned here, for
both of which seem to give White the edge, if gxf6
are avoided-compare Dvoirys-Bauer. ] [ 24...xf6 25.e6 ]
6.f3! This is White's best try for advantage. 25.e6 b6 26.g5+ and wins Black's
Note that if he had put his queen here a move queen. A very nice game by W hite, but the
earlier with 5 Qf3 Black could have disrupted theoretical dispute isn't over yet!
his development with 5... Qe7+! but with the 1-0
bishop already developed to d3, 6...Qe7+?
can be comfortably answered with 7 Nge2,
when it doesn't shut in the bishop on f1. f6 104 C01
7.f4! d6 Farago wants to equalise at once. Mueller,Karsten 2521
He falls behind in development, but hopes that Kindermann,Stefan 2542
the quiet situation in the centre will mean that TCh-2003-4 Graz AUT (3) 30.11.2003
White will be unable to strike a quick blow. [Neil McDonald]
The alternative was the quiet
[ 7...e7 when 8.g3 d7 9.a3 xc3+ 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 g4
10.bxc3 0-0 11.g5 e6+ 12.f1 f6 This is Black's most energetic response to the
13.c7? ( Instead 13.e1 looks more French Exchange. 5.h3
sensible. ) 13...g6 14.e1 e4 15.f3 f5! [ Here is another reminder that Black
16.h3 d7 17.xd7 xd7 was good for underestimates the French Exchange at his
Black in Lejlic-Raicevic, Yugoslavia 1989. peril: 5.c3!? b4 6.h3 e7+ A pointless
I ' m s u r e M u e l l e r h a d a n i m p r o ve m e n t check. Better was ( 6...h5 ) 7.e3! But not
waiting somewhere in that sequence! ] ( 7.e2 xf3 forcing 8.gxf3 ) 7...xf3?!
8.xd6 xd6 9.0-0-0 e6? ( It is very s to give up the bishop and allow

87
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
the white queen to f3. Best was still 7...h5 )
8.xf3 f6 9.d3 e4? Much too greedy.
He should develop with ( 9...c6 ) 10.0-0
xc3 11.bxc3 xc3 12.ab1 c6 13.f5!
An excellent move- the queen threatens a
winning check on c8 and at the same time
aims at h7 to stop Black castling kingside.
a6 This turns out horribly, but if ( 13...d7
14.xb7 is very strong.) 14.b3! a5
15.xa6 g6 ( Here is a nice winning
v a r i a t i o n a f t e r 15...bxa6 : 16.g5!
threatening 17.Re3, winning the queen. g6
17.f4 c7 18.h4 d6 19.e1+ d7
20.e7+ c8 21.f6!! A lovely quiet move
which attacks the rook and also introduces
the deadly threat of 22.Qg4+- if 21. Qg4+
immediately then Black has the defence 21...
f5. h2+ 22.f1 h1+ 23.e2
and Black can resign.) 16.d3 bxa6
17.xa6 d8 18.xc6+ f8
A) The black queen is overworked as she
must stay defending the rook on a8, but if
19.g5 c8 20.h6+ e7 ( It will be
m a t e a f t e r 20...g8 21.f6 ) 21.e3+
d8 22.g5+ and mate follows.;
B) 19.g5! 1-0 Galego,L-Del Barrio
Gomez,J/Sanxenxo ESP 2003. ]
5...h5 6.e2+ The sequence of moves that
follows is well known and you can find
analysis on ChessPub. However, Mueller
avoids playing g2-g4, to break the pin on his
knight, which White normally throws in about
move 8. Is this important? We'll investigate on
move nine. e7 7.e3 c6 8.c3 0-0-0
9.0-0-0 b4 Subsequent events make this
look like a bad move, but I'm not sure.
[ After the natural 9...f6 White can transpose
to familiar lines with 10.g4, but he could be
o r i g i n a l wi t h 10.g3!? planning Bg2 to put
po t en t ia l p res sure o n d 5 . W hit e h asn 't
lo o se n e d h is p a wn s wit h g2 -g4 a nd h e
h o p e s t h a t t h e b l a ck b ish o p will p ro ve
poorly placed on h5 and have to move away
at some point, when the pin on f3
disappears. ]
[ Similarly after 9...e8 clearing the way for
Bb4, White could try 10.b5!? when if xf3
11.gxf3 White's bishop pair and initiative
give him mote than enough compensation
for his weakened pawns. ]
10.g4 g6 11.a3 a5 12.b5! White deals
with the threat of 12... Bxa3 with this
unwelcome offer to exchange queens. xb5?
Much too compliant. Black should get control
of e5 with
[ 12...f6! ]
13.xb5 b8? Another poor decision. He
might have tried
[ 13...ge7 ]
14.e5 f6 15.xg6 hxg6 16.d3 e7
I assume that Black had underestimated the
danger in this position. At first glance he looks
solid enough, but White can put fatal pressure
o n t h e g6 p a wn . 17.h4! First of all Mueller
stops the pawn from escaping with 17...g5.
d7 18.e2! and now the knight heads for f4
wh e r e it wil l n o t o n l y a t t a ck g 6 b u t a l s o
t h r e a t e n t o i n v a d e o n e 6 . f5 19.g5!
A strong positional move which f ixes the
weakling on g6 and ensures that f4 will be a
wonderful outpost for the white knight. b6
20.f4 b8
[ If 20...c4 21.xd5! xb2 ( Or 21...xd5
22.xc4 ) 22.xe7+ and White wins a piece
because the black king is in check- xe7
23.xb2 Therefore Black plays 20...Kb8, so
that he can try 21...Nc4 next move, and in
the same sequence he won't be in check
after Nxe7 and so can escape with Nxd3+
giving a check of his own. ]
21.b3! But this little move kills off Black's
hopes of activating the knight. bc8 22.de1
d6 23.f3! Another little pawn stops the black
knight getting to e4. c8 24.f2 White clears
the e file to make way for an attack with the
rooks. d7 25.b2 c6 26.g3 Resignation
may look premature, but what can Black do?
Th e th rea t is Re 6 , Rh e 1 an d t he n Nxg6 .
Black's knights are paralysed, e.g. 26... Nce8
27.Nxg6, which in turn means that the black
bishop is entombed and the rook on h8 has
little scope. Here's a checkmating finish:
[ 26.g3 b5?! 27.xg6 xg6 28.xf5# ]
1-0
88
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

105 C01 17...c5 18.c3 cxd4 19.cxd4 ac8 20.b3

Nestorovic,N 2434 c6 21.f5 c7!?
Ganguly,S 2623 [ Or 21...d8 . Black has a meaningful
Cappelle-la-Grande Open 2014 (2.6) 02.03.14 a d va n t a g e h e re d u e t o W h it e ' s b i s h o p
[John Watson] placement and awkward structure. ]
22.g5!?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5 [ 22.b2 ]
5.d3 c6 6.ge2 e7 7.g3 22...b5! The attacks on d4 and e2 force the
[ A n o t h e r g a m e t h i s m o n t h w e n t 7.g5 pace. 23.xb5 xb5 24.xf6 xe2
c7!? ( 7...d6 ) 8.d2 h6!? ( 8...d6 25.xg7?
9.0-0-0 0-0 ) 9.f4 d6 10.0-0-0 e6 ( or [ 25.a4! c3 26.xg7 e4! ]
10...0-0 White is only a tad better) 11.xd6 25...cc2 26.f6
xd6 12.f4 d7 13.he1 0-0-0 [ 26.e5 a3! 27.g4 b2 ]
14.xe6 fxe6 15.e3 f8? ( 15...f5! 26...xh2 27.ac1 c3
16.xe6 f4+ ) 16.h3!? f4+ 17.d2 g5 [ 27...xg3! ]
18.e3 g4 19.h5 and again, White has an 28.xc2?!
optica l edge, although g8 is close to [ 28.h4 e4 29.xc2 xc2 30.g2 ]
level. ] 28...xc2 29.g4
7...0-0 8.0-0 g6 9.ce2 [ 29.h4? e2+ ]
[ 9.h5 is seen in last month's game 29...xg3 30.e5 e4
Cheparinov-Rapport. ] [ 30...h4 31.f6 g5 32.f3 h6 ]
9...d6 10.f5 31.f6 f2+ 32.h1 e3
[ 10.f4!? is interesting, especially if Black [ 32...b5 ]
g e t s a m b i t i o u s w i t h c5!? ( 10...f5 33.f5 h5?! 34.xe4?
is solider, and if 11.c4 , dxc4 12.xc4+ [ 34.e1 f2+ 35.g1! ]
h8 lo o ks equ a l, e. g. , 13.c2 h4 34...dxe4 35.e1 c1 36.xc1 xc1 37.d5
followed by ...Nd7) 11.f5! c4 12.fxg6 hxg6 f8 38.g2 e8 39.g3 d7 40.h4
13.xg6 fxg6 , which at first might look d2
good for the bishops, but White gets a lead [ Or 40...e3 41.xh5 e2 42.c3 ( 42.g3
in development after 14.f4 , when e7! d2 ) 42...b2 43.e1 d6 ]
is unclear (to me, anyway!). ] 41.xh5 e3 42.f4 c1 43.g3 e2 44.e1
10...xf5 11.xf5 d7 12.g3 e8 d6 Black is winning. 45.g4 xd5 46.f3
Covering f 4 and h4 against intrusions by b2 47.xe2 e4! 48.h4 f4 49.d3
Black's knight, and thinking about h4. An a6 50.c4 g4 51.e1 xf6 52.c5 h4
interesting position in which the fairly static 53.d2 g5 54.c3 e3+ 55.d6 f5
pa wn s tru ct ure m ea ns t h at B la ck's go o d 56.c7 b6 57.b7 a5 58.b4 axb4
bishop and knights are fair value against the 59.xb4 f4 60.a4 f3 61.e1 h3 62.c6
bishop pair. Long-term, bishop-versus-knight g2 63.h4 g5
with nothing else on would be good for White, 0-1
but other piece combinations like queen-and-
knight versus queen-and-bishop are unclear. I
think this is roughly equal, 13.c3 gf8 106 C01
14.f4?! This doesn't accomplish anything Nikolayev,Igor 2344
unless f5-f6 can be effected, and the bishop Prasca Sosa,Raphael 2429
on c1 is restricted. Black now strikes in the 133rd ch-New York State (5) 05.09.2011
center. f6 15.d3 b6 16.h3 e6 [John Watson]
[ 16...c5 17.a4 c6 18.xc5 xc5
19.dxc5 xc5+ is less clear ] What happens when Black, as in those old
17.e2 copycat games, tries to imitate his opponent
[ 17.xe6 xe6 18.f5 ee8 19.g5 e4 for as long as possible? 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5
favours Black. ] 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 f6 5.d3 d6 6.0-0

89
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 6.e2+ e7!? ( I'd prefer 6...e6 , since
7.g5 d7 8.xe6 xe6 is actually an
easier position than in the game, in spite of
the bishop pair. Still, the move played can't
be too bad) 7.xe7+ xe7 ( or 7...xe7!? )
8.f4 c6 9.0-0 h6 10.e1 e6 11.e5
( 11.bd2 ) 11...bd7 12.g6!
13.xe6 f7 14.e2 he8 15.d2 h5?!
( 15...c5 ) 16.e3 d6 17.g3 e7 18.f3
g5 19.ae1 ae8 20.f1 hf6 21.c1
xe2 22.xe2 xe2 23.xe2
Finegold, B (2489)-Zatonskih, A (2508),
Saint Louis 2011 W hite is only nominally
better because Black has her good bishop
and enough space and centralization to
compensate for the bishop pair. ]
6...0-0 7.g5 g4 8.bd2 bd7 9.c3
[ 9.c4 c6 ( 9...c5!? is still possible, but
White can eventually break symmetry with, e.
g., 10.cxd5 cxd4 11.e4 e5 12.xf6
xf3? 13.xd8 xd1 14.xd6 xd3
15.axd1 axd8 16.xb7 xb2 17.b1 )
10.c5 c7 11.c2 b8 12.fe1 h5
13.e7 g6 14.ae1 e8 15.xe8+ xe8
16.h4 ef6 17.g3 ( 17.xg6 hxg6
18.xf6 xf6 19.g3 keeps an imbalance)
17...xg3 18.hxg3 c7 ( 18...xd3
19.xd3 b6= ) 19.xg6 hxg6 20.a4
g4! 21.b4 a6 22.a3 df6 23.d1 e8
24.xe8+ xe8 and nothing much was
happening in Munguntuul, B (2465)-
Za t o n s k i h , A ( 2 5 0 8 ) , R o g a s k a S l a t i n a
2011. ]
9...c6 10.c2 c7 11.fe1 h5
[ Or 11...fe8 12.h3 h5 13.g4 g6 ]
12.h4 g6 13.g3 xg3 14.hxg3 xd3
15.xd3 fe8 16.f5 h6 17.f4?!
[ 17.ac1 b6 18.b3 a5
is messy and unclear. ]
17...b6! 18.b4
[ 18.b3 a5 19.c4 ad8 ]
18...a6
[ 18...a5! 19.a3 a6 20.e5
21.xd7 xd7 22.xe8+ xe8 23.cxb4
b6 24.f3 e4 25.d6 f8 with the
idea ..Ne6 this is defensible, of course. ]
19.e5! xe5 20.dxe5 d7 21.d4
[ 21.b3 ]
21...b6
[ 21...e7 ]
22.b3 c7 23.f4 f6?!
[ 23...b6 ]
24.e6! f8 25.f5 xg3 26.e3 c7 27.a4
h7! 28.a5
[ 28.c5! ]
28...g5 29.c5 ad8 30.d7 a6 31.c4
xd7! 32.exd7 xe3 33.xe3 xd7
fxg6 34.cxd5 cxd5 35.d1 h7 White has
trouble making progress because Black's
kn igh t is so we ll-p l a ce d , W h it e 's k in g i s
e xp o s e d , a n d t h e p a wn o n f 5 h a s t o b e
e6 watched over. 36.d4 e7! 37.f1
[ 37.xd5 e3+ 38.h1? e4! 39.d4
g3+ 40.h2 e2 41.c4 g1+ 42.h3
h5! and wins! ]
37...d6 38.g1 g3 39.f1 b3
[ 39...e4 40.xd5 e3+= . From here on
out W hite can't do anything positive
without allowing a perpetual. ]
40.h2 a4 41.c1 d7 42.g4 d6+
43.g1 e5 44.f1 e3+ 45.h2 d4
46.f4 e2 47.f2 c4 48.d2 xb4
49.xd4 e7 50.c4 d8 51.d4 e7
52.c4 f7 53.c7 h5+ 54.g3 e2
55.xb7 e4+ 56.h2 h5+ 57.g1
d1+ 58.h2 h5+ 59.g1 d1+
½-½
107 C01
Onischuk,Vladimir 2584
Lugovskoy,Maxim 2396
Nezhmetdinov Memorial 35th (2) 01.06.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
5.d3 c6 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 ge7
8.f3 e6 9.e2 d7 10.g3
19.e5! [ 10.0-0 h5! -Berg ]
10...g4!?
[ B e r g l i k e s 10...0-0 in the position that
includes Rb1 and ...b6, and why not? This
has been played many times, and TalJechin
axb4 in the Forum gives examples in his notes to
this game. ]
[ Also, 10...0-0-0 looks quite playable when
Black hasn't weakened his kingside. ...h5
might follow. ]
11.f4 g6 12.e3+ ce7 13.0-0 0-0
14.h3 f5?! Perhaps not so bad, but it's risky
ceding the bishops when they have pretty
good scope.
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ Simply 14...e6 is logical and I think fully [ 4.f3 and ]

equal. ...Nf5 can follow, or perhaps ...Nc8-d6, [ 4.e5 on ChessPub. ]
for example, 15.f3 c8 16.a4 ( 16.h5 4...exd5 5.b5 A strong looking move, but
f6 17.f4 xf4 18.xf4 d6 ) 16...d6 there is no good f ollow up. a6!? 6.a4
17.a3 fe8 ] In contrast to the French Exchange line given
15.xf5 xf5 16.f3 fe7 17.a4 ad8 at move three above, White has a knight on
18.a3 fe8 19.fe1 c8 20.a5 c6 c3 rather than f3. This means that he can't
21.xe8+ xe8 22.a6 readily put pressure on the black centre with
[ TalJechin mentions 22.h4 , which has the the pawn advance c2-c4. Hence Black doesn't
idea xh4 23.g3 g6 24.xc7 ] have to be afraid of Bxc6+ breaking up his
22...b6 23.b4 e6 24.f1 c6? queenside pawns, and W hite declines the
But White stands considerably better, I think. chance to play it.
25.e1 d7 26.f5 c7 27.g3! f4 [ If 6.xc6+ bxc6 7.ge2 d6 8.f4 f6
The bishops win any endgame easily. 9.0-0 0-0 10.d2 b8 11.ab1 f5
28.xc8?! and White was already on the defensive in
[ 28.c4! dxc4 29.xc8 xc8 30.e7 wins. ] the old game Van Geet, D-Hecht, H/
28...c5! 29.dxc5 bxc5 30.g4 Amsterdam 1971. ]
[ 30.xc5! gives much better chances. Now 6...b5!? Rozentalis hopes to prove that the
it's almost equal, but Black makes more bishop will be shut out of the game on b3. His
mistakes than White: ] idea is not without a certain positional risk as
30...cxb4 31.cxb4 c4+ 32.g1 h5 33.f3 Black's queenside pawns are loosened and he
xb4 34.d1 e8 35.c3 a4 36.g5 g6 is soon obliged to hand over the a-file to his
37.f6 c4? opponent's rook. 7.b3 b4 8.ge2 ge7
[ 37...e6 38.g5 e2+= ] 9.0-0 0-0 10.a4 b8 11.axb5 axb5
38.d4? 12.d3? A serious mistake as Black gains
[ 38.b1 e2+ 39.xe2 xe2 40.b7+- ] time by attacking the reckless queen.
38...e2+ 39.xe2 xe2 40.xd5 e1+ [ Critical was 12.f4 e6!? ( The most
41.h2 e6 42.d4 xa6 43.d7 b6 p r i n c i p l e d m o v e i s 12...xc3 as after
44.xa7 b8+ 45.f4 d8 13.bxc3 the bishop on b3 is boxed in. But it
[ 45...g5! ] isn't clear that the cords binding him are
46.f6 f8 47.d7 e8 48.d6 c8 strong enough once White puts direct and
49.d4 h7 50.c4 The passed pawn indirect pressure on the d5 square with
decides. e8 51.f5 b8 52.f6 e8 53.c5 moves like Ba3, Re1 and Qf3. Indeed, why
g8 54.c6 g7 55.c7 c8 56.c6 h6 should Black allow the bishop on c1 access
57.d8 to the a3 square?) 13.xe6 fxe6 14.d3
1-0 ( If 14.e2 hurrying to get the bishop on b3
back into the game f5 15.c3 d6 16.c2
h4 and Black has the initiative.) 14...xc3
108 C01 15.xc3 d6 with fairly equal chances. ]
Orndahl,Markus 2026 12...a5! 13.a2
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2591 [ White loses a knight after 13.xb5 f5 ]
Rilton Cup 2006-7 (1) 27.12.2006 13...f5 14.f3 c4 15.f4 c6
[Neil McDonald] W hite's attempt to put pressure on d5 has
co m e t o a st an d st ill, a n d t he c2 pa wn is
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 hanging. 16.d3 d6 17.e1 g6 18.g3
[ The position at move five should be He h a d t o t r y t o r e l i e ve t h e b i n d o n t h e
co m pa red to th e we ll kn o wn lin e 3.exd5 queenside with
exd5 4.f3 c6 5.b5 a6 ] [ 18.b3 Instead White keeps on trying to play
3...c6 4.exd5 White directs play into a actively, but he ends up in a fatal pin on the
French Exchange Centre. Previously we have a-file. ]
looked at 18...a8 19.h4 b4 20.e2 e4 21.g4

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

f5 22.f3 d7 23.ef4 e4 24.d1 Trang in the Archives, which Neil analysed
g6 25.xg6 hxg6 26.f4 f5 27.c3 in depth ]
W h it e is u n d e r so m u ch p re ss u re t h a t a 6.e2 e5
collapse is inevitable. If instead [ A very similar opening was seen in Pruja
[ 27.g4 xc2 is the most incisive move, Ramirez de Cartagena-Adrian, Figueres
though I suspect that Rozentalis would have 2011: 6...d6 7.bc3 0-0 8.0-0 e5
played the simple ( 27...f6!? and let White ( 8...c6 9.e1 c7 would further prepare ...
sweat over his hanging knight and h-pawn.) e5 ) 9.g5!? h6 10.xf6 xf6 11.d5 d7
28.gxf5 xd1 29.xd1 b3 30.fxg6 xa2 ] 12.e4 f5 13.xd6 cxd6 and Black's
27...xf4 Another way to win material was majority is further advanced than W hites.
with the immediate T h e g a m e c o n t i n u e d 14.c3 e4!?
[ 27...b3 as the white queen ends up trapped ( 14...f6 ) 15.e2 e5 16.d4 f6
after 28.xb3?! : c2 29.b7 a5! 17.ad1 g6?! 18.h1 a6 19.a4
30.b6 fb8 ] ( 19.f3!= ) 19...d7 20.f3 exf3 21.gxf3
28.xf4 c2 29.e2 ae8 22.de1 ( 22.f2 ) 22...f6 23.f4?!
[ No better is 29.c1 b3 ] g4 ( or 23...h4 ) 24.xf6 xf6
29...b3 The bishop is lost. (White's pawns are weaker than Black's but
0-1 it's going to be hard to make much out of it)
25.d3 f7 26.h3? ( 26.g2 ) 26...h5?!
( careless 26...xe1! 27.xe1 h5
109 C01 attacks f4 and g3, while 28.e2 e8!
Pardo Simon,D 2388 29.g1 xa4 loses a pawn for nothing.)
Delgado Ramos,H 2488 27.xe8 xe8 28.g2 g6 29.f3 ( 29.b3
13th Sants Open (7) 25.08.2011 f6 30.f3 c8 31.c4 c5 ) 29...g5!
[John Watson] The game went
A) N o w b e s t w a s 30.e2! f6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d3 It's remarkable how ( 30...xa4 31.fxg5 hxg5 32.d4 f4
much has been written about this move that 33.g4 g3 34.a1= ) 31.g3 g4+
almost no one plays! Instead of rehashing all 32.hxg4 fxg4+ 33.f2 h5;
the well-known theory, Black plays differently B) 30.fxg5? hxg5 31.e2 f4 32.g2
in this game and the one in the notes: dxe4 e3 33.g1 ( t o p r o t e c t h 3 ) xa4
4.xe4 f6 5.f3 bd7 Introducing a plan 34.f5? g3! 35.e6+ f6 36.f3 xf3
to enforce ...e5 rather than the usual ... c5. 37.xf3 xc2 38.c8 e4 39.xb7 a5
This is not without drawbacks, but does solve 40.f2 f5 ( 40...xf3 41.xf3 e5
the problem of blocking off the bishop on f3 if finishes it immediately) 41.d2 d3
ne e d b e a f t e r . . . c5 , t h e lo n g d ia go n a l is 42.b3 a4 43.a5 d4 44.c6 c2
permanently vulnerable. 45.c4 f5 46.xd6 xh3 47.xa4 g4
[ What's in the Archives: 5...c5 6.e2 48.d1 g3+ 49.g1 e5 50.f7+ xd5
A) 6...cxd4 7.xd4 ( Neil likes 7.xd4 51.g5 f5 52.f3+ xf3+ 53.xf3
bd7 8.0-0 c5 for Black, but I imagine e4 54.d2+ d3 55.f1 h3 0-1 ]
that White retains a little something after 7.bc3 d6 8.d5!? Before Black releases
9.f4 ) 7...c5 8.b3 xd1+ 9.xd1 the tension. 0-0 9.g3 b4!? 10.0-0
is Ernst-Bachofner, Amsterdam NED 2001, [ 10.d2 e8 11.0-0 b6 ( 11...xc3
analysed by Neil.; 12.xc3 e4 13.e2 e5 14.e1 ) 12.e1
B) 6...c6 7.e3 ( In Mamedov- c4 is about equal ]
Martinovic, Aix-les-Bains FRA 2011, I 10...xc3 11.bxc3 e8 Black heads for the
looked at 7.c3 cxd4 8.cxd4 e7 ) blockading square d6.
7...cxd4 ( 7...e5 is also analysed in [ 11...b6 looks good, but 12.c4! xc4
Mamedov-Martinovic) 8.xd4 e5 9.0-0 13.e2 is very complex, e.g., b6 14.b2
xf3+? 10.xf3 with superior e8 15.fe1 bxd5?! 16.ad1 f4
development is Bluvshtein-Hoang Thanh 17.f1 ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
12.a3 d6 13.c4 h4
[ 13...f5!= ]
14.g4
[ 14.e4!? xe4 15.xf8 xf8 16.g3
xg3 17.hxg3 xc4 with two pawns for the
exchange, although Black will have trouble
untangling the queenside. ]
14...b6 15.f5 f6 16.e3 g6 17.xd7!?
not illogical but a little impatient. xd7 18.c5
bxc5 19.xc5 b5?!
[ The problem was 19...f5! 20.f4 fe8
with the ideas of ...exf4 and ...Ne4. ]
20.e1 f5 21.f1
[ 21.c4 ]
21...ae8 22.d2 f4!? 23.f3 f5 T h e re f o re I t h i n k B la c k sh o u ld k e e p h i s
A primitive attacking idea, doubtless
insufficient but just the kind we hate to face!
24.e4
[ 24.c4 d7 25.b1 ]
24...h5 25.b1? Strange timing.
[ 25.xd6 cxd6 and the knight on e4 serves
both defensive and offensive purposes.
There might follow 26.b1 d7 27.b7 f5
28.e2 ]
25...xe4 26.xe4 d7 Suddenly we have a
case of opposite-coloured bishops helping the
attacker, perfectly illustrated in what follows:
27.h1 f5 28.e2 e4 29.fxe4? g3
30.g1 f3 31.f2 g4 32.e3 fxg2+
33.xg2 xe4 34.xe4 xe4
0-1
110 C01 confuse White. 22.bxa4 xa4 23.a2
Pastpawn 2066
Bladez 2282
Chess Club Internet 2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.d4 f6 2.c3 e6 3.e4 d5 4.exd5
This simplifies the central position, but White
is b y n o m ea ns pe ace ab ly in cline d . exd5
5.g5 e7 6.d3 0-0 Perhaps this should
wait-
[ 6...c6 7.ge2 ( instead 7.d2 b6 23...xf5
reaches a completely unknown position. I 26.b1 fc8 27.b3 b6 28.g4 a4+
assume that Black can safely grab the pawn 29.b1 c4 30.c1 b6 31.d1 b4
after 8.0-0-0 xd4 ) 7...b6 and White is 32.dd3 e5 33.e3 xb3+ 34.cxb3??
deterred from castling queenside. ]
7.ge2 c6 8.d2 a6
[ Black could free his game with 8...e4!?
9.xe7 xe7 10.xe4 dxe4 ]
9.a3 c7 10.f3 e6 11.h4 h6 12.e3 c5
Black concedes a weak d pawn and hole on
d4, but he has to create counterplay before
White wipes him out with g4 and g5. 13.dxc5
xc5 14.xc5 xc5 15.0-0-0 e6 16.d4
c8 17.b1 fd7 18.f5?
[ White would have a promising attack after
18.g4! ]
18...b6 19.b3?
[ It's embarrassing to play it, but I think
19.d3! was the right move. ]
19...a5? This looks strong, but after White's
reply there is no convincing follow up.
queenside pawns flexible- he shouldn't give
himself a hole on b5. Instead
[ 19...e8 20.g4 or ]
[ 19...a6 20.g4 c7 21.b2 don't seem to
give Black much counterplay, so I think he
should prefer the calm ]
[ 19...f6!? 20.g4 xf5 21.gxf5 ( 21.xf5?
xb3 ) 21...fe8 OK, White has the g file,
but how can he exploit it? Meanwhile Black's
queen is excellently placed on f6 and free
from danger. Black could play slowly with
Re7 and Rce8 or a7-a6, Rc7 and Rec8. If
W hite's rook wandered away from h1 in
some cases Black could just take the pawn
on h4. ]
20.a4 e7 21.cb5 bxa4? The only way
forwards, but I don't believe in the sacrifice.
Still it creates a lot of complications which
[ Now Black is able to utilise the c file for the
attack. I think White should simply bring up
his reinforcements: 23.xe6 fxe6 24.he1
( 24.xa5!? ) 24...c3+!? ( also bad are
24...f6 25.xa5 or; 24...e5 25.b3 fd8
26.d4! c4 27.xe5 ) 25.xc3 b4+
26.b3 xc3 27.xe6 xb3+ ( if 27...a4
28.xd5 axb3 29.e4+ ) 28.cxb3 xb3+
29.a1 a3+ 30.a2 c3+ 31.b2
and Black's attack has ended. ]
24.xf5 f6 25.fd4 c4
[ I don't understand this- a fingerslip with the
mouse? In any case White is facing a very
d a n g e r o u s a t t a c k , e . g . 34.xb3 a4
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

( 34...c4 ) 35.e3 ( 35.b4 c6! [ 19...g3! , winning material, unless they

36.xc6? bxc6 wins the knight.) 35...c4 assessed 20.xe7 xh4 21.xh4
36.e7 c5! ] as satisfactory for White I doubt that, since
34...xc1+ 35.xc1 c6 36.d3 c5+ e v e n t h e s i m p l e d8 22.e2 a5
37.b2 f8 38.d2 e7 39.h5 e1 ( 22...c5!? ) 23.a3 a4 favours Black. The
40.e2 d1 41.c3 a1+ 42.d3 a4 bishop pair isn't a major force here. ]
43.bxa4 xd4 44.xd4 a3+ 45.d2 20.xe1 Besides, White stands a little better
b4+ 46.e3 c3+ A very interesting now. f4 21.h4 f7 22.f2 a6 23.g3
tussle. d6 24.d2
0-1 [ 24.c4!? dxc4 25.xc4+ d5 26.e3
7b6 ]
24...g5 25.f5 f8 26.b3 g6 27.h3?!
111 C01 h5! 28.e2 g4! 29.fxg4 d7 30.g2 hxg4
Perez Candelario,Manuel 2556 [ 30...xg4= ]
De la Villa Garcia,Jesus Maria 2486 31.c1 f5 32.d3 e6
76th ch-ESP Arenal d'en Castell ESP (5.3) ½-½
[John Watson]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5 112 C01

5.d3 f6 6.ge2 We see the more direct Piroth,Attila 2324
[ 6.g5 in Ivanisevic-Pons in this month's Apicella,Manuel 2501
column. ] National I Sautron FRA (2) 01.02.2003
6...0-0 7.0-0 g4 An active move which is [Neil McDonald]
often appropriate versus Nge2. The trip of this
bishop to g6 via h5 is also typical. 8.f3 h5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f4
9.g5 c6 10.f4 g6 11.xg6 fxg6!? Not a very exciting variation. White tries to
[ 11...hxg6 is solid and probably equal Black simplify the position as quickly as possible.
can think about the move ...c5 to expose Not surprisingly, a huge number of games
White's weakness on e3, but was probably have been drawn in this line. d6 5.xd6
worried about a kingside attack based upon xd6 6.c3
f4-f5 and perhaps a rook lift. ] [ Here is how GM Kindermann managed to
12.e2 d6 13.e1 grind down a decent opponent as Black.
[ I think White should get a pull from 13.c4! W atch out for some fabulous use of the
dxc4 ( 13...bd7 14.c5 c7 15.b4 pawns: 6.d3 f6 ( Black isn't interested in
- Black has no counterplay.) 14.xc4+ h8 6...Ne7 preparing Bf5. He wants to preserve
15.e1 bd7 16.f4 xf4 17.xf4 b6 the tension in the position. Note that the wild
18.b3 bd5 19.e5 ] 6...b4+? just leads to trouble after 7.c3
13...c7 e7 8.d2 etc. ) 7.c3 0-0 8.e2 b6
[ 13...bd7 14.c4 b6!? 15.d1 ( 15.c5?! Preparing to put pawn pressure on d4. 9.0-0
xc5 16.dxc5 xc5 17.e3! xd3 c5 10.d2 g4 Provoking a slight
18.xb6 xe1 19.c5 d3 20.xf8 weakness in the white centre. 11.f3 d7
xf8 ) 15...dxc4 16.xc4+ h8 12.e1 e8 13.f2 c6 14.ae1 e7
favours White slightly. ] 15.g3 xg3 16.hxg3 ae8 17.f2 h5!
14.h4 bd7 15.c3 ae8 16.ae1 f7 Black encroaches with his pawns on both
17.g3 sides of the board. 18.c2 c4 19.f4 g5!
[ 17.f4 fe7 18.xe7 xe7 19.d1= ] This leads to the exchange of Black's bishop
17...xe1 for a knight, but Kindermann has judged that
[ 17...fe7! 18.xe7 xe7 leaves more play in this semi blocked position the horse can
on the board. ] o u t j u m p t h e b i s h o p . 20.xe7 xe7
18.xe1 e7 19.f1?! xe1?! White and 21.h3 xh3 22.gxh3 c8 23.b4?
Black, strong players both, apparently missed White runs out of patience and exposes her

94
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
queenside pawns to attack. Perhaps best
was ( 23.h1 aiming for h3-h4.) 23...cxb3
24.axb3 d6 25.d3 c8 26.c4 a5
27.e1 a4! 28.c5 bxc5 29.dxc5 xc5
30.bxa4 c3 31.b1 a3 32.e5 g4
33.g5+ The a4 pawn is doomed for if
( 33.c2 a2 win s a p ie ce .) 33...f8
34.fxg4 hxg4 35.hxg4 xa4 Despite the
paucity of material things remain extremely
difficult for White. 36.f3 b5! The black
knights now cause the white king a lot of
distress-presumably there was time trouble
around here. 37.e5 d4+ 38.g2 b4
Suddenly Black is winning material for if the
bishop moves 39...Rb2 wins the knight.
White battled on grimly but couldn't escape
defeat. 39.h3 b2 40.g5 e8 41.g6
c7 42.gxf7 xd2 43.g6 de6 44.g4
g7 45.h5 d3 46.f5 f8 47.g6 e3
48.f1 d4 49.b1 g7 50.h5 d5
51.f5 e7+ 52.g4 e4+ 53.f3 g5+
54.f2 xf7 55.b7 g5 56.d7 f6
57.f3 e6 58.d8 xf3 59.xf3 e3+
60.f2 d5 61.e8+ f5 0-1 Stefanova,
A-Kindermann,S/Vienna 1996. ]
6...f5 7.d3 xd3 8.xd3 d7!
Black makes the position slightly imbalanced
by avoiding the mirror image move
[ 8...c6 ]
9.f3?!
[ Already a slight inaccuracy. More flexible
was 9.ge2 to control the f4 square and if
necessary keep a black knight out of e4 with
f2-f3. Then gf6 10.0-0-0 is very drawish. ]
9...0-0-0 10.0-0-0 If he had known the
disaster that is about to befall him W hite
would gladly have played a fighting game with
[ 10.0-0 ]
10...gf6 11.h3
[ The tactical device that wins the game for
Apicella is already lurking in the position.
Thus W hite would drop material after
11.he1 he8 12.b1 e4! 13.xe4?!
dxe4 14.xe4 c5! 15.dxc5 xd3
16.cxd3 xe4 ]
11...he8 12.de1
[ A n d h e r e i t i s a g a i n : 12.he1 e4
13.xe4?! dxe4 14.xe4 c5 15.dxc5
h6+ 16.e3 xe4 wins. ]
12...e4! Apicella gets the chance to
demonstrate his superior awareness of the
tactics concealed in the position. 13.xe4?
[ White collapses after the first blow. He had
t o m a k e d o w i t h 13.hf1 with a slightly
worse position. ]
13...dxe4 14.xe4 c5! 15.dxc5 h6+
16.b1
[ The queen sacrifice proves insufficient to
hold the game, but if 16.e3 xe4 ]
16...xd3 17.xe8+ d8 18.xd8+ xd8
19.e5 f4 20.d1+ c8 21.d3 h2
22.e1 g1 23.f3 xc5 24.a3 f2 25.b3
h5 26.a4 e2 27.c1 h4 28.b2 d2
29.b1 d7 30.b2 e7 31.b1 f5
32.b2 f6 33.b1 g5 34.d3 xg2
35.f4+ f6 36.e1 xh3 37.e8 g2
0-1
113 C01
Plachetka,Jan 2455
Herbold,Manfred 2129
Open Lilie Litomysl CZE (1) 26.12.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 b5!? Defending the black
pieces against a player rated more than 300
points higher is an onerous task. If the
stronger player plays quietly and solidly they
are very likely to win without too much trouble.
Here Herbold is shrewd enough to tempt
Plachetka into a very messy position. It is fun,
but also has an element of risk- which is
exactly what gives the lower ranked player a
chance. 3.xb5 b7 4.d3 f5 5.exf5!
W hite tries f or an outright ref utation and
objectively it is the correct decision.
[ After 5.d2 g5 Black has the chance to
confuse the position, e.g. 6.f3 f6 7.e2
e7 intending 0-0 etc. Alternatively if ]
[ 5.e2 f6 ( 5...h4!? 6.f3 g4 )
6.d2 e7 7.gf3 0-0 8.exf5 d5 9.b3
( 9.fxe6 f4 ) 9...exf5 gives a semblance of
counterplay. Of course, I'm not claiming
Black isn't a pawn down for next to nothing,
but at least he is dynamic. ]
5...xg2 6.h5+ g6
[ T h e o n ly m o ve a s if 6...e7 7.g5+
picks up the bishop. ]
7.fxg6 g7 8.gxh7+ f8 9.hxg8+?
Already W hite is a queen, a knight and two
pawns up- not bad for move 9! As a matter of
95
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
fact, White should have eschewed the win of
more material in favour of
[ 9.e2!! Remarkably, Herbold had had this
line in a correspondence game with the
white pieces before sitting down to play his
game with Plachetka. It takes a lot of nerve
to play a line you know is busted. Here he
has judged correctly as his opponent is
surprised and goes astray. I don't think he
would have been so successful against
Shirov! The game Herbold-Elburg, corr.
2002 went
A) 9...xh1 hoping that White would play
10.hxg8+? ( 10.g5! transposes after
f6 11.h4 ) 10...xg8;
B) 9...f6 Personally, I would try the
move order 10.h4 xh1 11.g5 c6
12.d2 b4 13.g6 b7 14.f4 e7
15.h5 f8 16.d5! bxd5 17.e4
etc. and Black will be splattered on the f6
square. ]
9...xg8 10.g4 xh1 11.g5 e8
12.d2 h5! The exchange of queens
ensures that Black has the better chances.
13.xh5 xh5 14.gf3 c6 15.h4
[ If 15.c3 f8 is highly awkward for White as
f3 is attacked twice and g5 is hanging. ]
15...f8?
[ Black begins treating his opponent with too
much respect, and almost ends up losing
t h e g a m e . H e r e 15...xd4 scoops up a
centre pawn. ]
16.e2 h8 17.0-0-0 xf3 18.xf3 h6
19.d5 xg5+ 20.hxg5 exd5 21.xd5 h1+
22.d2 d6 23.d3 h3 24.e5 xd3+
25.xd3 d4 26.f4 c5 27.b3 c4 28.bxc4
xe2 29.xe2 f5 30.c5 dxc5 31.e3
d5 32.e4 d4+ 33.e5 c4 34.f5 xc2
35.f6 c4 36.f4 f2 37.g6 c3 38.d5
e2+ 39.f5 f2+ 40.e4 g2 41.xc3
xg6 42.b5 a6 43.c7 xf6 44.d5 f8
45.c5 f2 46.xa6 xa2 47.b4
½-½
114 C01
Postny,Evgeny 2537
Khenkin,Igor 2611
Aeroflot Open (2) 18.02.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d4 d6
[ More aggressive is the immediate 4...g4 ]
5.d3
[ Now that Black has committed his bishop to
d 6 W h i t e c o u l d h a v e p l a y e d 5.c4
without being bothered by a pin with Bb4.
See for example Kramnik-Polgar on
ChessPub. ]
5...c6 6.c3 ge7 7.0-0 g4 8.a4
[ White wants to put his knight on a3 without
allowing his pawns to be doubled by Bxa3.
A l t e r n a t i v e l y 8.e1 d7 9.a3?!
Assuming he was looking for a peaceful
draw W hite makes the cardinal sin of
making the position interesting! Instead of
allowing his pawn structure to be loosened
on the queenside he should have continued
in the style of Blatny- rated 2505 versus
Karpov 2725 which went ( 9.g5 f6 10.h4
0-0 11.g3 ae8 12.bd2 d8 13.c2
g6 14.h3 f5 15.f1 c6 16.e3 xd3
17.xd3 xg3 18.fxg3 f7 19.g4 c8
20.f1 cd6 21.g3 xe1+ 22.xe1
e8 23.e2 and Black gave up his winning
a t t e m p t i n B la t n y, P - K a r p o v, A / A u s t r i a
1993. ) 9...xa3 10.bxa3 0-0 11.b5 a6
12.xc6 xc6 13.h3 xf3 14.xf3 fe8
15.f4 e7 16.h4 f6 17.h5 ad8 18.g3
f7 19.e2 g8 Preparing an instructive
pawn sacrifice. 20.ae1 xe2 21.xe2
e8! 22.xe8+ xe8 23.xe8 xe8
24.xc7 d7 25.a5 f5 26.f3 f6 27.h6
g5! The pawn on h6 is now doomed. 28.b4
e6 29.a4 g8 30.f8 f7 31.g7 g6
32.f2 f4 33.e2 xh6 and Black won
the endgame in Sion Castro,M-De la Villa
Garcia,J/Leon 1989. ]
8...d7 9.a3 a6 This prevents White from
a c q u i r i n g t h e t wo b i s h o p s wi t h 1 0 . N b 5 .
10.c2 f5 Assuming White is trying to kill
off the dynamism in the position the plan of a2-
a4 and Na3 has served its purpose, as Black
is deterred from castling queenside-
[ 10...0-0-0? 11.b4 leaves him facing an
immediate attack. ]
96
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
11.g5 xd3 12.xd3 0-0 Black has
developed in sensible style and equalised
c o m f o r t a b l y . 13.e3 fe8 14.fe1 f6
Khenkin decides on the plan of exchanging
his bishop for the knight on e3, in order to
introduce some imbalance into the struggle.
15.h4 f4 16.g3 xe3 17.xe3 g6
18.ae1 f7 19.e2 a5 20.e6
W hite's build up down the e file looks
impressive, but there is no way to exploit it,
for example if
[ 20.h4 h5 just leaves the white kingside
less compact. ]
20...c6 21.d6
[ White also has nothing after 21.h4 g8 ]
21...c8 22.e6+? It turns out that Black has
given his opponent enough rope to hang
himself. Postny becomes excited about his
chances down the e file and so avoids the
draw he was surely aiming for at the start of
the game:
[ 22.e6 d7 ( Not 22...g8? 23.g5+!
fxg5 24.f3+ g7 25.e5+ h6
26.h3# ) 23.d6 c8 24.e6
with a repetition. ]
22...xe6 23.exe6 g8 24.xe8 xe8
25.d2 White must have thought he was
doing well here as he can play 26.b4 when
26... Nc4 27.Nxc4 dxc4 28.d5! leaves him with
an excellent endgame- his bishop will be
stronger than the knight and Black's pawns
are loose. However, he has missed a tactic.
e7 26.b4 h6! This is the idea: Black can
leave the knight on a5 en prise as the white
rook is trapped on d6. No matter how White
plays he loses the exchange. 27.bxa5 f5
28.xf6 xf6 29.e5+ e7 Now Khenkin
grinds out the win with his strong technique.
30.b3 d6 31.c5 e4 32.f3 xc3
33.f2 d1+ 34.g3 e3 35.f2 c4
36.c7 c8 37.b6 d6 38.g4 h5 39.h3
f8 40.g2 c4 41.g3 d2 42.f4 hxg4
43.hxg4 h8 44.d3 h1 45.e5 f6
46.d8+ g7 47.f5 gxf5 48.gxf5 e4+
49.g4 g1+ 50.f4 f1+ 51.g4 c5
52.dxc5 d4 53.h4 xc5 54.f6+ h7
55.f7 d3 56.e7 d2 57.f3 xf3
0-1
115 C01
Pripis,Felixs L
Bareev,Evgeny
Tal mem[active 1992
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 f6
5.d3
[ Another try is 5.g5 but after h6 6.h4
e7 7.d3 h5! 8.xe7 xe7+ 9.e5
f4 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 g5 12.g3 xd3
13.xd3 a6! 14.c4 f5! 15.b3 dxc4
16.xc4 c6 17.c3 e6 Black was slightly
better in Ulibin-Bareev, Elista 1995. ]
5...e7 This is a solid development, but it has
the d ra wba ck t hat it ne gle ct s the k ey e 5
square. The question is whether White can
e x p l o i t t h i s . 6.0-0 c6 This natural
developing move contains the positional threat
of ...Nb4, planning to exchange the knight for
White's good bishop. White would therefore
have to move his bishop from d3, but then ...
Bf 5 wo uld equ alise ea sily f o r Blac k . 7.c3
This appears a small victory for Black as in
preventing ... Nb4 White has renounced ideas
of c4. However, White can still play to exploit
the underdefended e5 square. Also, on c6 the
knight is obstructing ...c6, which would be a
useful way for Black to stabilise his central
position. 0-0 8.e1 g4 9.bd2 d7
10.f1 ae8 11.h3 f5?!
[ 11...h5 was safer, though 12.g3 g6
13.b5!? looks promising for White. ]
12.xf5? White falls in meekly with his
opponent's plans. More accurate was
[ 12.e5 e.g. c8 ( The tactical solution
12...xe5 13.dxe5 c5!? fails after
14.e3! xe3 15.xe3 xd3 16.exf6! )
13.xf5 xf5 14.g3 c8 15.xc6 bxc6
16.f3 and White, with ideas of Nf5 and
Bg5, has a dangerous initiative. ]
12...xf5 13.g3 c8 14.f4 d8!
W hite has missed his chance and is now
gradually outplayed by Bareev's fantastic
technique. The first step for Black is to put his
knight on the excellent e6 square. 15.d3
e6 16.e5 g6 17.e3 d7 18.ae1
It is visually impressive to double rooks on the
e file, but no breakthrough can be found.
xe5 19.xe5 d6! 20.5e3
[ Not 20.xd5 f4 ]
97
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
20...c6 21.f1 g7 22.g3 c7 23.xe8
xe8! Bareev is playing to win and so avoids
the exchange of rooks after 24.g2 f6
25.1d2 b6 26.b4? c7 27.a4 c8!
See how clever Bareev was in avoiding the
exchange of both rooks. W hite's rook has
proved useless on the e file, while the black
rook has a potential target on c3. 28.e2 c5
29.dxc5?
[ He had to try to dissolve the tension on the
queenside with 29.bxc5 bxc5 30.c4! ]
29...bxc5 30.b5 c4 31.d4 h6 32.e5
b6! 33.xb6? axb6 34.c6 a8 35.a5
bxa5 36.b1 d7 37.a2 a4 38.a3 e5
39.c2 xc6 40.bxc6 f6 41.d4 a5
42.f4 e7 43.f3 d8 44.g4 c5
0-1
116 C01
Rabiega,R 2501
Vallejo Pons,Francisco 2716
Schachbundesliga 2011-12 (10) 25.02.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 The most popular move.
[ Sometimes 5.f3 is played. ]
5...xc5 6.f3 f6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c3
[ 8.bd2 was discussed in the note to 5 Nf3
in Moskovic-Short in the Archives. ]
8...h6 Perhaps wary of Bg5.
[ 8...c6 would transpose exactly into the
Moskovic-Short game, where 9.g5 e6
10.d2 e8 followed, with Black doing
well. ]
9.f4
[ Another recent game went 9.a3 g4!?
( 9...c6 ) 10.h3 h5 ( 10...xf3 11.xf3
and I like the bishop pair.) 11.g4! g6
12.xg6 fxg6 13.d3 d6?! ( 13...g5
is approximately equal, maybe slightly better
for White ) 14.h4 c6? ( 14...g5 15.f5
a6 16.e3! xd3 17.cxd3 xe3 18.fxe3
c6 19.b5! ) 15.xg6 xg4? 16.hxg4
f6 17.f4 xf4 18.xf4 xf4 19.xd5+
h8 20.xc5?? ( 20.e4 g3+ 21.g2
s h o u l d wi n) 20...xg4+ 21.h1 h3+
22.g1 1/2-1/2 Grib-Stupak, Minsk 2012. ]
9...g4 10.d2!? A slightly strange but
interesting move. W hite both unpins and
targets h6 for a sacrifice. b4?!
[ 10...xf3 11.gxf3 opens up the ideas of
Kh1 and Rh1 in conjunction with Bxh6. The
safest move is ]
[ 10...c6 ]
11.xh6!
[ 11.e5 is a calmer move, also good. ]
11...e8
[ 11...xc3 12.g5! e4 13.xg4 ]
[ 11...gxh6? 12.xh6 e8 13.g5 e6
14.h7+ h8 15.g6+ g8 16.ae1
and wins ]
12.xg7!? A playable move and at least good
enough to draw, but the simpler
[ 12.ae1! was safe and still
advantageous. ]
12...xg7 13.g5+ f8 14.ae1
[ 14.fe1! e6 15.d4 xc3 16.h6+
e7 17.bxc3 c6 , all just like the game,
but now 18.ab1! . Of course this is
extremely difficult to see clearly. ]
14...e6 15.d4 xc3 16.h6+ e7
17.bxc3 c6 18.b5? It's hard to switch
gears a f te r you've had such a wo nde rf u l
position and admit that you're struggling.
Better was
[ 18.b1 (e ve n a t lo ss o f te m p o ) d7
19.xe6 h8 20.g5 h5 21.g3 xe6
22.fe1 e5 23.xb7+ f8 24.xe5 xe5
25.h3 and Black still has the superior game,
but not by much. ]
18...xd4?
[ 18...h8! is practically winning already, e. g.
, 19.f5+ ( 19.f4 xd4 20.cxd4 d6 )
19...d7 20.xc6+ xc6 21.d4+ d7 ]
19.xe8 f5 20.g5
[ 20.f4 d6 21.a4 c8 ]
20...d6 21.a4 h8!?
[ 21...c7 ]
22.f3! g8 23.e5 h5 24.d4 h8 25.h3
h4 26.xa7?!
[ 26.xh4 xh4 27.b3 looks better for
Black but is playable for White. ]
26...h5 27.d4?
[ 27.f4! g3! 28.f3 ge4 ]
27...f4 With too many threats. 28.f2
[ 28.g7 xg2 29.xg2 f8!-+ ]
28...g8 29.f1 f5 30.b4+ f6 31.c4
g3+ 32.g1 xh3+ 33.gxh3 e4+
Mate in 2 follows.
0-1
98
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

117 C01 118 C01

Radjabov,Teimour 2663 Rakhmanov,Ale 2602
Lehtivaara,Petri 2335 Frolyanov,D 2570
20th ECC Izmir TUR (1) 03.10.2004 FIDE World Rapid 2013 rapid (3.18) 06.06.13
[Neil McDonald] [John Watson]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5 1.c4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d4 f6
5.d3 c6 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 ge7 5.c3 e7 6.d3 0-0 7.ge2 c6 8.a3
8.f3 e6 9.e2 d7 10.0-0 f5 11.g3 dxc4 9.xc4 f5 This move develops, but
xd3 12.cxd3 Black has eliminated White's doesn't coordinate well with the rest of Black's
strong bishop, though at the cost of pieces and doesn't challenge d5.
strengthening his pawns. 0-0 It looks more or [ 9...e6!? is an interesting alternative, when
less equal, but step by step Radjabov 10.xe6 ( 10.d3 a5 ) 10...fxe6
increases the pressure on his opponent . is balanced, for example, 11.b3 ( 11.0-0
13.h4! The advance of the h-pawn will prevent d7 12.e3 ad8 13.c2 d5= )
Black building up on the kingside with f7-f5 11...xd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.xe6+ f7
a n d N g 6 e t c . d8 14.h5 h6 15.a2! 14.0-0 d6 ]
More impressive positional play- the rook 10.0-0 d7 11.a2 ad8 12.d5!
swings over to the e-file. e6 16.e2 ae8 The typical isolated pawn advance, enhancing
17.fe1 h8 18.g4 c6 19.e5 d8 the range of W hite's pieces (except for the
20.d1 c7 21.a4! Now the way is cleared bishop on a2). White should gain a small edge,
for the bishop to join in the battle along the e- since Black has no targets. e5 13.g3
file. f6 22.5e3 c8 23.a3 xe3 c5?!
Avoiding losing the fight for the open file, but [ 13...h6 14.d4 d6 15.f4 fe8 16.fe1
now the white pawns are strengthened even with a nice edge. ]
further. 24.fxe3! f7 25.e4 Now sooner or 14.g5! g4
later W hite will be able to create a passed [ Perhaps Black intended 14...d3 , but then
pawn with e4-e5. Being a top class player, 15.xf6 gxf6 ( 15...xf1 16.xe5 ) 16.e1
Radjabov refuses to hurry. d6 26.e2 g6 17.ge4 e7 18.d6! cxd6 19.d5
dxe4 27.dxe4 ce8 28.e3 d7 29.f1 is very strong, e.g., xe4 20.xe4 f5
f7 30.f5 ed6 31.xd6 xd6 32.e1 21.e3 (threatening f4) g6 22.xe7! ]
f7 33.f3 g5 34.f5 e8 35.a5! d8 15.d2 g6 16.xf6 gxf6 17.ce4 e7
36.e5 At last comes the centre breakthrough. 18.c3
d5 37.g6! xg6 38.hxg6 The pawn on [ 18.f3! f5 ( 18...f5 19.h5! threatens
g6 entombs the black king and so introduces Qh6, and h8 20.h6 g8 21.hxf6
mating threats. fxe5 39.f1! e6 40.f7 wins ) 19.fxg4 fxe4 20.ae1 ]
d8 18...f5 19.c5!?
[ Or 40...exd4 41.e7 d8 42.xe6 ] [ 19.f3! fxe4 20.fxg4+- is decisive. ]
41.dxe5 b6 42.a6 a8 43.d6 g8 19...xc5
44.b7 f4 45.c4 xg6 46.b8+ xb8 [ 19...b5 20.b4 ]
47.xb8 b5 48.xa7 e7 49.c5 c8 20.xc5 f4 21.e4 f5 22.g5 d6
50.cxb5 cxb5 51.a7 xa7 52.xa7 f7 23.xd6 xd6 24.f3 h5 25.ac1 e5
53.d4 e6 54.g4 g6 55.f2 d5 56.b2 26.e6 f7 27.xf4 g6 28.fe1 d7
1-0 29.xc7 b6 30.ee7
1-0

99
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

119 C01 . W hite might try 10.b3 b6 11.e5

Roitzsch,Philippe 2036 , when fxd5!? ( 11...xe5 12.dxe5
Graf,Alexander 2593 xe5 13.f4 f5 14.g3 fxd5
Porzellancup rapid (2) 16.01.2010 15.ad1 c6 16.fe1 and White has the
[John Watson] more fluent piece play )
B1) 12.xd5! e6 13.g3 xd5
Some thoughts on c4 versus the Exchange 14.xh6 f6 15.e3! ( 15.f4 d7! )
Variation, and an example of what a strong 15...xe5 16.dxe5 xe5 17.xe5
player does against it. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 xe5 18.fd1 and White has two
3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 bishops, which is enough to keep some
[ NIC Yearbook 93 has an article on 4.c4 pressure, although c6 19.f1 d5
with a strong emphasis on lines with ... Nf6 20.d4 ee8 isn't so bad;
rather than ...Ne7. The most interesting B2) 12.xf7!? xf7 13.xd5 xh2+
'irregular' try for Black (now fairly common, 14.xh2 xd5 15.h5+ g6 16.f3
h o w e v e r ) i s b4+ 5.c3 e7+ xb3 17.axb3 c6 with equality. ]
, for example, ( I prefer 5...e7 to; 5...f6 6.c3 e7 7.d3 dxc4 8.xc4 0-0 9.0-0
, but this check also seems like a good d7 I always had good results from this
solution ) 6.e2 g4 7.cxd5 ( Fritz likes the position as Black, which I think can fairly be
odd 7.f1 ) 7...f6 8.g5 bd7 9.a3?! assessed as equal. 10.e4
xc3+ 10.bxc3 0-0 11.f3 f5 12.g4 g6 [ 10.h3 b6 11.b3 is a standard
with advantage, Okhotnik, V (2484)-Caruana, reorganization, preventing ...Bg4. ]
F (2523), Arvier ITA 2007. ] 10...b6 11.b3
4...d6 5.c4 c6 [ 11.d3 bd5 12.b3 a5!? with the idea
[ On the Forum, 'Keano' suggests (and Fritz 13.a4 b4 ]
approves I haven't checked with Rybka) 11...f5
5...f6 , not wasting time on ...c6. I like this [ 11...g4 12.h3 h5 ]
idea. He continues 6.c3 ( 6.c5 e7 12.g3
-see the next note Fritz insists upon 7.b5+ [ White gets nothing out of 12.xd6 xd6
c6 8.d3 , but b6 is one equaliser. The 13.e1 ae8!? 14.g5 ed5 ]
p o i n t , o f c o u r s e , i s t h a t 9.b4 12...g6 13.g5 c7
c a n b e a n s we re d wit h a5 and White's [ 13...e8 ]
pawns are liquidated) 6...0-0 7.cxd5 ( 7.c5 14.e1
e7 releases the pressure on d5, and White [ White's dark-squared bishop is worth less
doesn't have a convenient way of answering than a knight, so it's logical to play 14.xe7
...b6 without playing cxb6 and allowing xe7 ( 14...xe7 15.h4 h6 16.e5 )
easy equality ) 15.e1 Things look balanced after c7
A) I'm not convinced that the ...Re8/Be2 16.e4 xe4 17.xe4 d5 ]
tradeoff helps Black for one thing, Bb5 can 14...ed5 15.e5 ae8 16.c4?
come with tempo. Maybe that's not so [ 16.xg6 fxg6!? ]
important, but 7...bd7! with the idea ... 16...xc4 17.xc4 b6! Black stands very
Nb6 looks fine and avoids some issues actively. 18.xe8
t h a t n o w a r i s e , f o r e x a m p l e , 8.g5 [ 18.b3 xb3 19.axb3 xe1+ 20.xe1 f6
( 8.e2 b6 and there's no time for the 21.d2 b5 ( or 21...e8 ) 22.xd5+ cxd5
Q b 3 / N e 5 c o m b i n a t i o n o f m o ve s t h a t and Black's bishops give him some
follows ) 8...h6 9.h4 b6 10.e2 e7 advantage. ]
11.0-0 fxd5; 18...xe8 19.xd5 Ceding the bishop pair,
B) 7...e8+!? 8.e2 h6 ( again, Bg5 but
doesn't look like anything to fear. Still, [ 19.b3 h6 20.xd5 hxg5 21.f3 b4
8...bd7 9.0-0 b6 10.g5 h6 11.h4 puts Black in control. ]
g5 12.g3 fxd5 13.e5 may give 19...cxd5 20.b3 h6 21.e3 a3!
White just a little pressure) 9.0-0 bd7 With White's bad bishop and restricted knight,

100
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
this should be a winning position for Black.
He plays some of the next moves inaccurately,
but you can see how helpless White is. 22.f3
a5 23.d1 b4 24.e2 c8 25.c1
xc1+ 26.xc1 c3?!
[ 26...d6 ]
27.e3 b1 28.a4 b4
[ 28...b4 ]
29.d1! a2? 30.g4! b1 31.d1
[ 31.h4! ]
31...g6 32.e2
[ 32.h4 ]
32...b2 33.f4? c2! Now things are back
on track and Black wins material. 34.xd5
[ 34.e2 xb3 ]
34...xd1 35.xb4 xb3 36.d3 c3
37.c5 d5 38.f3 b6 39.e4 b2 40.d6
b3 41.c8 xa4 42.xa7 b5 43.c6
c3 44.e7+ f8 45.f4 [notation mistake:
45 Nd5 Ba5 46 Bf4 was played] a5 46.d5
e8 47.d6 d7 48.c5 b3 49.b4
c4 50.f2 e6 51.e3 g5 52.c6 c7
53.g3 h5 54.f4 gxf4+ 55.gxf4 f5
56.e7+ g4 57.f5 xh2 58.d5 g1+
0-1
120
Rotstein,E
Uhlmann,Wolfgang
7th ch-Euro Senior (9) 10.06.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 You don't get an
e a s y d r a w a ga i n s t a p o si t io n a l m a e s t r o
playing like this! exd5 4.d3 d6 5.c3
Of course
[ 5.f3 is the most natural alternative. ]
5...f6 6.g5?!
[ If 6.f3 e7+!? is slightly annoying for
White. ]
[ Having delayed the development of his
king's knight with 5.c3, the logical
continuation for White is 6.h3!? 0-0 7.f3
gett ing his quee n ou t b ef o re Ne2 . e8+
8.e2 c6 9.f4 xf4
with a rather sterile position and - Okhotnik,
V-Gouliev, N/Nancy FRA 2004. ]
6...0-0 7.e2 e8 One of Black's rooks
a l r e a d y e n j o y s a n o p e n f i l e . 8.c2
As W hite has no intention of castling
queenside, it isn't clear what he hopes to
achieve with this move. The threat of 9.Bxh7+
is easily dealt with, and meanwhile the bishop
on d3 is deprived of a retreat square on c2.
However, if
[ 8.0-0? there is the trick xh2+ 9.xh2
g4+ ]
[ S e n s i b l e w a s 8.d2 bd7 9.f3
and 10.0-0. ]
8...h6 9.h4 bd7 10.d2? It was high
time for
[ 10.0-0 ]
10...c5! The superior deployment of the black
pieces allows Uhlmann to try f or a space
advantage. 11.f3
[ After 11.dxc5 xc5 Black is excellently
active. ]
11...c4 12.h7+ h8 13.f5 e7!
Suddenly White is in trouble as the attack on
e2 prevents him from castling. 14.g3 xg3
15.hxg3 c5!! A great freeing/attacking
move from the veteran Francophile. 16.xc8
[ Obviously if 16.dxc5 xf5 17.xf5? ( Or
17.d2 d3 ) 17...xe2# ]
16...d3+ Now the white king is denied the
right to castle. He won't get mated, but the
fact that the rook on h1 will be shut out of the
C01 game amounts to a disastrous lack of co-
2371 ordination among the white pieces. 17.f1
2419 axc8 A very economical exchange for Black:
he swaps a bishop that has moved not once
for a piece that has moved four times. 18.f4
e4! the power of centralisation will destroy
any hopes Rotstein has of using the rook on
h1 for an attack on the black king. 19.xd3
[ A s t r o n g r e s p o n s e w o u l d b e 19.g5
hitting the black queen and f7, but for the
killer reply e1+! 20.xe1 xe1# ]
19...cxd3 20.d2 e2+! White is allowed no
time to consolidate when the black pawn on
d3 would become a liability. 21.xe2 xe2
The entry of the black rook is decisive. 22.e5
[ There is no time for 22.b1 due to e4
when f2 drops. ]
22...xb2 23.xd3 c2 24.e5 8xc3
10.xf4 25.xf7+ g8 26.d6 g4 27.h4
White can no longer avoid material loss as if
[ 27.f3 e3+ 28.e1 ( or 28.g1 xg2# )
28...d3 and the threat of 29...Rdd2
followed by 30...Re2 mate wins the game. ]
27...xf2 28.e1 xg3 29.e8+ Rotstein
101
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
gains counterplay, but it can't be enough for
the two missing pawns. h7 30.f4 d3
31.f3 xf3+ 32.gxf3 xa2 33.e7 f2+
34.g1 xf3 35.xb7 f6 36.c8 a6
37.d7 b4 38.g2 f4 39.b7 xd4
Now it's a four pawn deficit and White might
as well give up. 40.g3 h5 41.d6 g4+
42.h3 d3 43.a7 f4+ 44.h2 g2+
45.h1 g6 46.f5 h4 47.h2 g2+
48.h1 g5 49.d4 g6 50.f5 h3
51.h2 g2+ 52.h1 h5 53.xa6 g3+
54.xg3 xg3
0-1
121 C01 7.e3 b6?!
Rudolf,Henrik 2346
Rausch,Stephan 2343
Bundesliga 2005-6 (14) 01.04.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d3 dxe4
[ O b j e c t i v e l y t h e b e s t r e p l y i s 3...c5
a s i f y o u c o m p a r e t h e p o s i t i o n t o t h e 8.bc3 cxd4
French Tarrasch with 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5
you will see that W hite has already
committed his bishop to d3 and so doesn't
have the option of Bb5- his main attacking
thrust. Still, not everyone who plays the
French as Black wants to end up in an IQP
position, so it is easier to tell people that
3...c5 is the best move than play it myself! ]
4.xe4 f6
[ After 4...c5 a little mad but perhaps good
f o r W h i t e i s 5.f3!? cxd4 ( a ruinous
response for Black is 5...c6? 6.xc6+
bxc6 7.dxc5 d7 8.b4 f6 9.g5
and Black was already busted in Knol, G-
Ahlers, B/Hoogeveen NED 2004.) 6.xb7
xb7 7.xb7 d7 8.f3 c5 9.0-0 10.xc6+! bxc6 11.0-0 Now there is no good
etc. when the d4 pawn is potentially weak. ]
5.f3 The bishop has been pushed around,
but from a strategic point of view it is now well
placed in Queen's Gambit/Catalan style It 12.a4
aims at the b7 square and so stops Black hitting both c5 and f7. g6 15.xc5 xa4
from developing the queen's bishop. W hite 16.xc6
has achieved this without having to weaken
his k in gs ide wit h g2-g3 a nd Bg2. O n th e
ne ga t ive s id e t h e whit e knigh t ha s b e e n
de p rive d o f f 3 a n d t h e wh ite b ish o p is a 1-0
potential target. c5
[ Black got in a mess after 5...c6 6.e2
d6 7.bc3 d7 a very awkward
development, but the move he is geared up
t o p l a y l e a d s t o m i s e r y a f t e r ( 7...e5
8.xc6+ bxc6 9.dxe5 xe5 10.xd8+
xd8 11.e3 when Black's king is
misplaced and his queenside pawns broken
up. ) 8.g5 h6 9.h4 g5 10.g3 e7
11.d2 e5 12.xc6 xc6 13.dxe5 xe5
14.xe5 xe5 15.0-0-0 0-0 16.d4 e4
17.he1 and Black was in deep trouble in
Polzin, R-Richter, M/Kreuzberg GER 2006. ]
6.e2 c6
[ To be preferred was 6...cxd4 7.xd4 c5
as already given on ChessPub. ]
[ Another unsuccessful queen excursion
would be 7...d5? 8.xd5! xd5 9.bc3!
xg2 10.g1 xh2 11.f4 h5 12.b5!
and Black has no answer to the check on
c7. ]
[ I n s t e a d B l a c k s h o u l d p l a y 7...cxd4!
as already indicated on ChessPub. ]
[ 8...xb2 9.b1 a3 10.dxc5 and White
ha s pre ssure n ot o n ly a lo n g th e b -f ile ,
stopping Black from developing with Bd7,
but also in the centre with the idea of 11.
Nb5 followed by a check on c7 or d6.
Black's problem is that taking on c5 is fatal:
xc5? 11.b3 a5 12.b5 and the black
bishop is lost. ]
9.xd4 c5?
[ This time 9...xb2 10.cb5! is too much
to bear. ]
[ B l a c k h a d t o b a i l o u t w i t h 9...xd4
10.xd4 ( if 10.xd4 c5 ) 10...xd4
11.xd4 though White has serious pressure
on the queenside in the endgame. ]
way to prevent White's next move. d5?
[ He had to make the gruesome exchange
11...xd4 ]
xe3 13.fxe3 a5 14.h5
[ After 16.xc6 h4 it just takes a little
pawn move to deflect the black queen from
the defence of e7: 17.g3! ]
102
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
122 C01
Safarli,E 2660
Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son 2625
FIDE World Blitz 2013 blitz (3.11) 09.06.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 f6
5.c3 e7 6.d3 c6 7.cxd5
[ 7.f3 is normal, when g4 8.e3 dxc4
9.xc4 0-0 10.0-0 is a main line that can
be arrived at by various orders. It's about
equal. ]
7...xd5 8.ge2!? I'm not a fan of this
placement once you have captured on d5 to
produce the isolated queen's pawn, although
it's certainly a playable position.
[ 8.f3 is normal. ]
8...e6 9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 e8 11.c2 f8
12.d3!? g6 With this Black has dual ideas
of ...Bg7 and ..Bf5. The opening has not gone
well for White. 13.g3?!
[ 13.xd5 xd5 14.e3 f5 15.d2 ]
13...g7 14.ce2 ce7?!
[ 14...b6! 15.e3 c4 16.d1 d5
establishes light square domination, and
17.d3? xe3 18.fxe3 e5! 19.xc4
xc4 20.b3 xe3 works out in Black's
f a v o u r r e g a r d l e s s o f wh i c h wa y W h i t e
captures on f7. ]
15.g5 h6 16.d2 f5 17.ad1 c6
[ 17...b6! ]
18.f3 h4 19.d3 f5 20.fe1 xg3
[ 20...b6! hits d4 and prepares ...Rad8. ]
21.xg3 b6 The d-pawn is become
precariously weak. 22.c1 ad8 23.e4
f5 24.d2 xe4
[ 24...c7! ]
25.xe4 xe4 26.xe4 c7 27.c2 xd4
28.e3 xd1+ 29.xd1 xb2 30.d8+
h7 31.g3 a1+ 32.g2 e5 33.f3 d5
34.xa7 e7 35.a5 d6 36.a4 b5
37.c2 c3 38.b3 g8 39.h4?? h5?
[ 39...c5! threatens ...Qc7 and wins on the
spot. Several of the past 10 moves have
looked a bit like time pressure inventions,
and that is certainly understandable in a
Blitz game!. ]
40.e3 d5
[ 40...c5! ]
41.g5 f6?! 42.c1?
[ 42.xd5! cxd5 43.xf6 xf6 44.xd5= ]
42...g7 43.c2 d4 44.d2 c5 45.h6+
g8 46.g5 f6 Black has an extra pawn
and better position. 47.f4 e6 48.d2 e4
49.d8+ g7 50.e1 xf2 51.xf2 a2
52.d5 xf2+ 53.h3 e5
[ In view of 53...e5 54.g5 f6 ]
0-1
123 C01
Safarli,E 2660
Vitiugov,N 2734
FIDE World Blitz 2013 blitz (19.13) 10.06.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 f6
5.c3 b4 6.d3 0-0 7.ge2 dxc4
8.xc4 a6 9.0-0
[ 9.a3 gives White's bishop an escape
square on a2 and may be objectively better.
While 9...Be7 is natural, d6 is a bit more
active and should be equal. ]
9...b5 10.b3 b7 11.g5 h6 12.e3
[ 12.xf6 xf6 13.d5 xd5 14.xd5 c6
15.f3 a7 , roughly equal. ]
12...bd7
[ 12...d6! aims at the kingside and creates
some positive chances, for example, 13.g3
c6 14.a3 e8 15.d3 a5 16.a2
xg3! 17.hxg3 c5 ]
13.g3 b6 14.c2 bd5
[ 14...d6 15.xh6! gxh6 16.g6+ h8
17.xh6+ h7 18.c2 f5 19.xf5 e7
is unclear. ]
15.a3 xc3 16.bxc3 e8 17.ae1 d7
18.c4!?
[ 18.d2 c5 is double-edged. ]
18...bxc4 19.xc4 c6! 20.c1 b5
21.c4 c6 22.e2 xc1 23.xc1 xe2
24.xe2 xe2 25.xe2 b8 The second
player has the advantage in view of White's
bad bishop versus Black's well-placed knights
on ligh t squ a re s. T h is pe rsist s f o r m a n y
moves. 26.h3 b3 27.e1 a5 28.g3 b1
29.d2 xe1+ 30.xe1 a4 31.f1 b6
32.b4 fd5 33.c5 d7 34.e4 f5
35.d2 f7 36.e2 e6 37.g3 xc5
38.dxc5 c3+ 39.d3 b5 40.c4
xa3+ 41.b4 c2+ 42.xa4 e1?
[ 42...d5 43.b5 d4+ 44.b4 c6+
45.b5 e5 ]
103
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

43.b5 d3?! 17.g3 g7 18.f1 Now it's about equal.

[ 43...d5 ] e7!? 19.b3! c6 20.e1 f7 21.d2 h5
44.c6 g5 45.f3 h5 22.f3
[ 45...e5+ 46.xc7 d5= ] [ 22.h4! ]
46.g4 hxg4 47.hxg4 fxg4 48.fxg4 e5+ 22...d3 23.e4 xe4
49.xc7 xg4 50.f3 f6 [ 23...xe4 24.fxe4 g6 can certainly be
[ 50...e5! 51.xg5+ d5= ] played on by both sides if they wanted to. ]
51.xg5+ d5?! Making the draw more ½-½
difficult.
[ 51...f5! 52.f3 e4= ]
52.c6 e8+ 53.b6 d6 54.e4+ e7 125 C01
55.b7 d8 56.f6 Sandu,Mihaela 2325
[ 56.c5 e7 ] Foisor,Mihaela Veronica 2088
56...d6+ IX EICC w Plovdiv BUL (1) 21.04.2008
[ 56...c7! ] [Neil McDonald]
57.b8 b5?? 58.d5 and White wins!
Well, this was a Blitz game, and rather well- 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
p l a y e d i f y o u l o o k a t i t a s a wh o l e . d6 5.d3 c6 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 ge7
59.c7+ d7 60.b6+ c6 61.c4 d5 8.f3 Sandu puts her queen on f3
1-0 straightaway in order to prevent Black from
playing Bf5- see the comment in the archive
game Senff-Poldauf.
124 C01 [ The alternative analysed in the archives is
Safarli,Eltaj 2622 8.h5!? ]
Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar 2765 8...0-0 9.e2 e6 10.0-0 d7 11.h3
Baku Open A Baku AZE (5) 10.08.2011 A little move but an important one, as White
[John Watson] doesn't want her queen pushed around by 11...
Bg4. But if you play this system as W hite,
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 c6 remember that sometimes the Bg4 move isn't
5.b5 d6 6.0-0 Eschewing 6 c4, which I to be feared, in which case h2-h3 might be a
a n a l y s e i n H a y r a p e t i a n - M i n a s i a n . ge7 waste of time. You have to judge every case
7.e1 There's still time for separately.
[ 7.c4 , but dxc4 should not be answered by [ T h u s h e r e i f 11.g3? things clearly go
8.d5?! ( 8.xc4 ) 8...xd5! having in mind awry for White after g4 12.f4 ( 12.e3
9.xd5?? xh2+ ] ae8 ) 12...g6 13.d2 ae8 ]
7...0-0 8.h3 Versu s .. .Bg4 . f5 9.c3?! 11...a5?! As in the aforementioned Senff
Slow Black's development is somewhat faster game, Black looks for counterplay on the
than White's. d7 queenside, but the situation soon becomes
[ 9...a6 may be more accurate first. ] critical on the other wing.
10.e5!? [ Instead Black should try to lessen the
[ 10.bd2 a6 11.a4 h6 12.c2 potential pressure on the kingside with
, about equal. ] 11...f5 and then 12...Rae8 etc. ]
10...xe5! 11.xe5 a6 12.xc6 xc6 12.g3 c5?! Black breaks up the white
13.e1 ae8 White isn't is big trouble, but pawns further, as 13...c4 driving away the
look how he hasn't developed his queenside. bishop from d3 can't be tolerated on the other
14.xe8 xe8 15.f4 f6!? hand W hite's dark squared bishop is
[ I like 15...d8! (improve the position of presented with a post on d4 where it proves a
your worst piece!) followed by ...Ne6, and ... menace to the black king. 13.dxc5! c6
Qb5 becomes an idea as well. ] Black should at least recentralise the knight
16.d2 g5!? with
[ 16...d8 ] [ 13...c4 ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
14.h5! f6 15.e1!? A pawn up with a
strong initiative, why should White take any
risks?
[ Nonetheless a tactical solution was possible
with 15.h6!
A) T h e b e s t d e f e n c e w a s 15...f7
though after 16.xg7! xg7 17.xf6 f7
18.g5+ h8 ( or 18...f8 19.h6+ )
19.e5+ g8 20.f6+ xf6 21.xf6
the black king is wide open and the white
rooks ca n quickly be b rought into th e
attack via the e-file.;
B) 15...gxh6 16.g3+ f7 ( it is mate
after 16...h8 17.g7# or; 16...g6
17.xg6 h8 18.e8! xe8 19.g7# )
17.g7+ e8 18.fe1 f7 ( once again
th e b lac k k ing is ma t ed up o n 18...d7
19.f5! xf5 20.xe7+ d8 21.xf8+ )
19.h8+ f8 20.xh7 f7 21.h8+ f8
22.xh6 d7 23.xf6+ xf6 24.xf6
a6 ( 24...e8 25.ab1 and the threat 26.
Bb5 is decisive as if a6 26.b6 ) 25.ab1
and 26.Rb6 is a decisive threat. ]
15...g6
[ Foisor had to try 15...f7 ]
16.e3
[ Or 16.h6! gxh6 17.e3 and Black will
have to jettison the bishop on e6 with a
l o s i n g e n d g a m e a s ae8 18.xh6
gives White a deadly onslaught. ]
16...ae8 17.g3 f7 18.d4 c4 19.f4!
W ith all her pieces on optimum squares,
Sandu uses her f-pawn to break through: a
characteristic move in this type of position.
c7 20.g4 xe1+ 21.xe1 e8
22.xf6+?
[ Stronger was 22.f5 e.g. ge5 23.xf6+
xf6 ( 23...h8? 24.xd5; 23...f7?
24.xc4 xg4 25.xd5# ) 24.g3 ]
[ 22.xc4! dxc4 23.f5 e5 24.xf6+ xf6
25.xe5 ]
22...gxf6 23.f5 g7
[ 23...h5! 24.xh5 ge5 is unclear. ]
24.fxg6 xg6 25.f5 f7 26.xg7+ xg7
27.e7 The rest of the ending is easy for
White. a5 28.e6 g6 29.g4 e8
30.d7 g8 31.d6 f8 32.f3 c4
33.d7 a5 34.e2 e8 35.d3+ f5
36.g7+ h6 37.xf5 f8 38.g4 c6
39.g5+
1-0
126 C01
Sankalp,Modwal 2164
Goh Wei Ming 2375
Caissa IM Tournament (4) 23.05.2007
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
5.exd5 exd5 6.g5 e7 7.b5 0-0 8.0-0
h6 9.h4 e4 Black had equalized
comfortably but it was hard to see how Black
can win if White plays carefully. The text tries
to create some form of imbalance. 10.xc6
xc3?!
[ 10...xh4 was possible to create an
i m b a l a n c e i n t h e g a m e . A f t e r 11.xe4!
( 11.xd5 xc3 12.bxc3 xf2+ 13.xf2
xd5 14.d2 I prefer Black.) 11...bxc6
12.c5 e7 13.e1 b8 14.d3 d6
it is h ard to de termine wh eth er Bla ck's
bishops are enough to compensate for his
compromised pawn structure. ]
11.xe7 xe7 12.bxc3 bxc6 13.e5
This could well be a slight plus for White but I
don't believe it is anything much. The main
problem here is how to generate enough
winning chances in such a dull and easy
position. c5 14.e1 e6 15.d3
[ 15.b1! d6 16.b7 would have
prevented any activity down the b-file and
White can work on luring Black to sleep... ]
15...c4 16.c5 ab8 17.e2 b6 18.a4
c6 19.c5 offering a draw which Black has
to d e clin e . . . b8 20.ab1 bb6 21.f4
W hite suddenly decided to play more
aggressively which was good news! After a
move like
[ 21.a4 it would have been difficult to
generate ample winning chances. ]
21...d8
[ 21...f6 saves a tempo as compared to the
game but it doesn't hurt to sit around and
see if White would self destruct. ]
22.f3 f6 23.bc1 b2 24.e5 g6
25.g4? The first real, and possibly decisive
mistake by my young opponent. After the
simple
[ 25.a4 a hard fight would still be on the
cards. ]
25...g5! An easy move to overlook and now,
Black seizes the initiative. 26.xe6 xe6
27.f5?! The alternative
105
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 27.xd5 was probably better but after xf4 king's cover. ]

28.xf4 gxf4 29.c5 e2 30.xc7 f3 13...f5! Nevertheless! Black is willing to make
, I wouldn't dare to give a definite the pawn offer permanent in order to get an
conclusion but I prefer Black's chances ] enduring initiative. 14.gxf5 xf5 15.xe4
27...e7 28.e5 xe5 29.fxe5 e6! dxe4 16.xe4 hf8! 17.df1
The decision not to contest the b-file would [ If 17.xc6 bxc6 and the threat of 18...Bc2
prove to haunt White and he would soon lose winning the exchange is difficult to meet e.g.
his a-pawn and with it, the game. 30.h3 xa2 18.g3? e6! hitting both e2 and a2 when
31.f2 g6 32.e6 xe6 33.e1 g6 19.f4 xa2 is disastrous for White. This
34.e8+ g7 35.e1 f6 36.e5 xc2 double attack on the knight and a2 also
37.f5 d6 38.e5 f6 39.b1 fxe5 occurs in a milder form in the game. ]
40.xc2 exd4 41.f2 f4! 17...xe4 18.xe4 de8 19.d3 e6!
0-1 20.g3 xa2 Black regains his pawn with a
serious advantage thanks to his much more
active rooks and aggressively placed queen.
127 C01 21.e4
Semeniuk,Alexander A 2464 [ White's king is fatally exposed after
Volkov,Sergey 2609 21.xh7 xd4! 22.cxd4 c8+ ]
9th chT Ekaterinburg RUS (6) 22.05.2002 21...d5 22.e1 e5! 23.c2 f3 24.e3
[Neil McDonald] a2 25.d1 d5 26.c5 xe3 27.fxe3
a1+ 28.b1 xb1+ 29.xb1 e8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d3 c6 After all his energetic play Black has emerged
5.c3 d6 6.f3 One of White's most solid with a clear advantage in the endgame thanks
responses to the French: he doesn't even let t o h i s k i n g s i d e p a w n m a j o r i t y a n d t h e
Black create some tension by pinning the weakness on e3. 30.d3 c7 but not
knight after [ 30...xe3 31.f4 winning the d pawn. ]
[ 6.f3 g4 when he could aim for 31.f4 d6 Now Black can add the more
queenside castling. The game move intends active kin g to his p ositional advantages .
to exchange dark squared bishops with Bf4 V o l k o v n o w s l o w l y g r i n d s o u t a w i n - a
to reduce even f urther Black's dynamic deserved punishment for W hite's cowardly
chances. ] play. 32.g2 e6 33.c2 g6 34.f4 g3
6...e6 7.e2 d7 8.f4 White intends to 35.h1 h4 36.d2 f5 37.e1 h4
wait until Black castles bef ore he castles 38.h1 g5 39.e2 f3 40.b3 f5 41.a1
himself, so that he can go to the same side: if xe3 42.xa7 c6 43.g1 g3 44.a1
there were kings on opposite wings the game d6 45.c1 b5 46.e2 h6 47.f1 d7
m i g h t g e t d a n g e r o u s l y i n t e r e s t i n g ! f6 48.c2 e4 49.c4 b4 50.cxd5 xb3
9.xd6 cxd6!! Black gives himself doubled 51.c6 h5 52.e6 e3 53.g2 b3 54.b6
isolated pawns but on the other hand he g3+ 55.f1 c7 56.b4 h4 57.e2
strengthens his control of the e5 square and xh3 58.g2 d3 59.c1 d2+ 60.f3
makes the position much more interesting b2 61.a2 h3
than after say 0-1
[ 9...xd6 10.g3!? more or less forcing the
exchange of queens. ]
10.d2 0-0-0 11.h3 b8 12.0-0-0 e4! 128 C01
The sign that White hasn't managed to kill off Senff,Martin 2471
a l l t h e d y n a m i s m i n t h e p o s i t i o n . 13.g4 Poldauf,Dirk 2417
Played to stop Black cementing the knight in Bundesliga 2006-7 (2) 29.10.2006
place with 13...f5. If instead [Neil McDonald]
[ 13.xe4 dxe4 14.xe4 xa2 and Black
re g a i n s h i s p a wn h a vi n g go t rid o f t h e 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
doubled pawn and weakened the W hite 5.d3 c6 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 f6

106
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ I f B l a c k p l a y s 7...ge7 then 8.f3 28.f7# ]

-to rule out 8...Bf5- and only then 9. Ne2 25...xe1 26.xe1 xf5
seems the correct move order. Of course [ The only chance was 26...d8 ]
this assumes that White doesn't want to try 27.f1! Now Black will be undone by a pin,
th e a lt ern at ive ( 8.h5!? which also has whether along the f-file or the d3-h7 diagonal.
merit- see the examples in the archives. )] c8 28.xc8 xc8 29.xf6
8.e2! The best way to develop the knight is [ The bishop is lost after 29.xf6 gxf6
to p u t it o n g3 via e 2 . a5 Positionally 30.e7+ ]
speaking it looks an attractive idea to put the 1-0
k n i gh t o n a 5 , wh e r e it r e s t ra in s a c3 -c 4
advance whilst clearing the way for c7-c5. On
the other hand, there is a lot of dynamism in 129 C01
W hite's set up due to his bishop pair, and Skripchenko,Almira 2443
once his kingside attack gets rolling the knight Mkrtchian,Lilit 2413
on a5 will be absent from the defence. 9.0-0 IX EICC w T/B Medals (1.1) 03.05.2008
0-0 10.g3 d6 Black avoids being pinned [Neil McDonald]
by Bg5 and also denies the white bishop the
f4 square, but it only proves temporary. 11.h3! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
A key move. White prepares to put his queen 5.d3 c6 6.a3 xc3+
on the excellent f3 square without being hit by [ Black can delay/avoid the capture on c3
Bg4. e8 12.f3 e6 13.f4 c6 14.e5 with 6...a5 which leaves the white pawn
Already W hite has achieved a dangerous o n d 4 h a n g i n g . 7.e3! Assuming Black
attacking set up. d7 Naturally replies 7...Nge7, W hite wants to have the
[ 14...xc3 drops the queen to 15.Bxh7+. ] option of 8.Qf3, and so keeps the way open
15.h5 xe5 16.dxe5 h8 17.g3! for his queen rather than block her in with 7.
The threat of mate on g7 wins time to bring Nge2.
the f-pawn into the battle. g8 18.f4 xc3 A) B l a c k s i d e s t e p s t h e l i n e 7...ge7
19.f5 d7 20.ae1 Black's queenside 8.f3 ( or 8.h5 );
counterplay has won him a pawn, but B) 7...f6 8.ge2!? ( I would like to
meanwhile the entire white army- queen, two recommend 8.f3 here, but e7!
rooks, bishop and knight- are supporting an threat 9...Nxd4- seems an awkward reply,
advanced guard of pawns on e5 and f5. It's as of 10.Nge2 Bg4 etc.) 8...0-0 9.0-0 h6
no wonder that the black defences quickly 10.g3 e7 11.b4 b6 12.a4 c6
collapse. ae8 21.h2 f6 13.xb6 axb6 14.e1 g6 15.c3 e8
[ It is too late to bring the knight back into 16.c2 and having hunted down the dark
the game: 21...c4 22.e6! fxe6 23.fxe6 squared bishop White enjoyed a small but
xe6 ( Black would drop a whole piece after pleasant edge in Schneider, I-Bunzmann,
the alternative 23...xe6 24.xe6 xe6 D/Bindlach GER 2007. ]
25.f4 f7 26.e2 ) 24.f4 threatening 25. [ Meanwhile after 6...d6 the simple 7.b5
Ng6+ and mate next move as well as , going after the bishop pair, promises White
a t t a c k i n g t h e b i s h o p . f7 25.e2 a small but enduring advantage. ]
with a double attack on c3 and f 7. xe2 7.bxc3 f6 8.e2 a5 9.0-0 0-0 10.g3
26.xe2 and White has regained his g4 Skripchenko is prevented from playing
material with his rooks dominating the centre- her favourite attacking move Qf3. 11.f3 d7
a crushing advantage in fact. ] 12.f4 Putting the bishop on f4 will interfere
22.f4 Threatening 23.Ng6+ hxg6 24.Qh4 with the black queen's ability to fight for the e-
mate. h6 23.exf6 xf6 24.g6+ h7 file, as c7 would be left hanging if she moves
25.xc7 Good enough, but from d8. c4 13.e1 e8 14.xe8+ xe8
[ 25.e5! was more thematic, so that if c8 It's not at all easy for Black to maintain the
( He has to give up the exchange with balance down the e-file. For example if
25...xe5 ) 26.g6+ xg6 27.fxg6+ h8 [ 14...xe8 15.c1! is awkward to meet, as

107
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

White has ideas of Bg5 as well as a capture 130 C01

o n c 7 . B u t n o t i m m e d i a t e l y ( 15.xc7? Smeets,J 2618
which hands over the initiative to Black in a Van Haastert,E 2421
big way after e3+ 16.h1 c8 )] TCh-NED Meesterklasse 2013-14 (5.2) 8.2.14
15.e2 d6 16.e1 One of the rules of [John Watson]
positional chess is that in a battle between
rooks the player with the superior minor piece 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
tends to win the fight for an open file. Here 5.d3 c6 6.a3 xc3+
acting as a unit, White's three minor pieces [ [jw:] The safer 6...a5 has been played
outstrip their opponents. Note the role of the and held its own. ]
pawn on f3, stopping any plan of Ne4 by Black- 7.bxc3 ge7 8.f3
if you shuffle the pieces so that the white [ 8.h5 is this month's Tullius game/
knight is on f3 and the white pawn on f2, Black analysis. ]
is suddenly OK or more as the black knights 8...e6 9.e2
have the e4 square. This shows the strength [ [jw] 9.h3 is analysed in this month's game
of W hite's Ne2 and Ng3 manoeuvre in the Smeets-van Haastert. ]
opening. d7 17.d2 f8 18.g5 de8 9...d7 10.g3 0-0-0
19.f4? [ [jw:] 10...0-0 is Berg's idea in the situation
[ The correct way to continue the attack was where Rb1 and ...b6 is in, and it looks all
19.h5! d6 ( The queen is trapped after right here as well:
19...xh5 20.e7 ) 20.xf6+ xf6 21.e5! A) 11.0-0 g4 12.e3 ( 12.f4 g6
when Black can't afford the capture on a3 as 13.d2 e6! , versus ...f5-f4, is Berg's
Bxf6 then smashes things up. ] main line in the same position with Rb1
19...h6? and ...b6 included.) 12...f5 ( 12...ae8
[ In effect this is a loss of a tempo. The 13.f3 e6 14.g5 f6 15.h4 g6
W GM should have played the immediate 16.h5 f5 17.e2 ce7= ) 13.f4
19...xa3 20.xf6 ( White's attacking xg3
f o u n d e r s a f t e r 20.f5 xf5 21.xf5 A1) 14.hxg3 e7! 15.b1 ( 15.c4
xc3 ) 20...xf6 21.xc7 and we have the f5 );
game position but with Black to move. It A2) 14.xg3! e7 ( Berg has 14...Bf5
lo o ks at le a st equ a l f or Bla ck af t e r c8 equal with Rb1/..b6 in but maybe very
22.xb7 xc3 23.f1 assuming she light += without? W ell, maybe =
doesn't fall for the trick xd4?! 24.h5! anyway... 14...f5 15.xf5 xf5
xh5?? 25.xc8+ xc8 26.e8# ] 16.xc7 xc2 17.xb7 xc3 18.b2
20.xf6 xf6 21.xc7 xa3 22.xb7 d8 c4 19.fc1 a5 20.xc4 xb7
23.b4 xb4? Complete surrender. Black 21.c7 d6 22.e1 ab8 23.c3
should at least have tried to fight it out with b5 24.c5 xc3 25.xc3 fc8 )
[ 23...a2 ] 15.f4 f5=;
24.cxb4 b8 25.c3 c8 26.e2 Now White B) 11.h3 ae8 ( or 11...f5 12.0-0 g6
is simply a pawn up in the endgame. e8 13.b1 a5 14.h5 c6 ) 12.0-0 a5
27.a1 c7 28.a6 c8 29.a5 e6 is Berg's setup with Rb1/...b6 in ( 12...f5!?
30.c5 b7 31.f4 c7 32.c2 g5 looks all right, 13.f4 g6 14.ab1 a5
33.d3 b5 34.a4 a3 35.b3 d7 15.fe1 c6= ) 13.a4 c6 14.h5 ( 14.a3
36.e5 d6 37.c6 a6 38.xd5 b5 c4 15.xc4 dxc4 16.fe1 f5 17.h5
39.xe6 fxe6 40.e5 g7 41.f2 f6 f7 18.f4 d5 ) 14...f5 15.f4 f6
42.c8 h5 43.e3 g7 44.d3 f6 16.e1 c4 ]
45.g8 c7 46.g6+ e7 47.xg5 d5 11.h3 g6 12.0-0 f5
48.g3 f6 49.g7+ [ 12...h6 13.e1 b8 ]
1-0 13.e2
[ 13.g5 de8 14.f6 hg8 may be +=, at
least optically, but it's hard to see what

108
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

White's plan is. ] 14.c3 is perhaps best, but uninspiring for

13...d6?! Black. ) 12.b5 0-0-0 13.0-0-0! ( 13.xc7
[ Or 13...de8 ] e8; 13.xc7 e4 14.b5 g6 ) 13...f6
[ Or 13...h4 (Keano) 14.g3 ( 14.e3 h6 14.c3 ( 14.xc7 e8 )]
15.b1 g5! 16.f4 f6 ) 14...f5 15.g5 8...d7?! Black continues to put his pieces on
hg8! 16.f4 ( 16.g3 d6 ) 16...h6 passive squares. Better was
17.f6 de8 18.e1 g5 19.xe6 fxe6 [ 8...bc6 ]
20.a4 gf8 21.g6 g8 22.h5 e5! ] [ or 8...c6 ]
14.f4 e7 15.a4 c6? Loosening and to 9.xg6 hxg6 10.c3 c6 11.f4
some extent weakening. White has a healthy advantage. b6 12.0-0-0
[ 15...ef5 is solid, with the ideas ...Rde8, .. 0-0-0 13.g2!?
Qc6 and in some cases ...Nc4. White has a [ A reasonable move. There are several ways
flexible position and a small practical edge, to reorganise. One effective one is to play
but nothing that should achieve notable Rd3 and swing the rook to the queenside,
results. 16.xe6 fxe6 17.e1 de8 and another is 13.d2 , with the aggressive
18.a3 ] id ea of B g3 an d in som e case s Qf 4 , in
16.xe6! fxe6 17.e1 de8 18.e2 ef5 others simply Re1. ]
19.f4 This is looking like an ideal White bind 13...f6?!
in the French. Where is Black's counterplay? [ 13...g8 ]
f7 20.ab1 5d6 21.c4! dxc4 22.xc4 14.d3
xc4 23.xc4 e7 24.c5 b6 25.a5! e5? [ 14.e5 d7 15.e3 is also good. ]
[ But 25...b7 26.axb6 a6 27.a1 14...eg8? 15.g5! h5?
is hopeless. ] [ But 15...e8 16.e3! xe3 17.xe3 h5
26.axb6 axb6 27.xb6 18.h2 threatens Qe5. ]
1-0 16.h2?
[ 16.xd5! is already decisive, because the
black queen is threatened, as well as Qg4+.
131 C01 If xd5 17.xd5 xf4 , ( 17...e7
Szablowski,Pawel 2404 18.g4+ f5 19.xf7 ) 18.g4+ f5
Mirzoev,Azer 2571 19.gxf6+ c7 20.xf4+ d6 21.g5
FSGM March Budapest HUN (7) 11.03.2011 leaves White much material ahead. ]
[John Watson] 16...d6 17.xd6 xd6 18.g4+ f5!?
[ 18...d7 19.e1 d8 20.de3 f5!
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 g4 21.gxf6 gxf6 22.xg6 f4 gives Black
5.h3 h5 6.e2+ This is Kasparov's method some counterplay, although naturally White
of trying to make something of the position. It stands better. ]
h a s s c o r e d r a t h e r we l l f o r W h i t e . e7?! 19.gxf6+ b8 20.fxg7?
This is a clever move designed to lure White [ 20.xg6! ]
into grabbing a pawn. Unfortunately, if White 20...xg7 21.h4 Black has active play
simply develops, Black has to figure out a way regardless, e.g.,
to get his pieces out. [ 21.e1 h6 22.g5 hf5 ]
[ The normal line, seen in the archives, is 21...h6 22.f4 d8 23.h3 f6 24.g3?
6...e7 7.e3 c6 8.c3 0-0-0 9.0-0-0 ] [ 24.f3 hf5 ]
7.g4 g6 8.e5!? 24...hf5 25.xf5 xf5 26.e5 xh4
[ 8.b5+ bc6 9.xb7 b8 10.a6 27.xh4 xh4 28.f4 a6
xc2 ] [ 28...b5! ]
[ 8.c3! bc6 9.f4! h5 10.g1 hxg4 29.a4! a7 30.c5 b6 31.e6
11.hxg4 and White has some extra space. White is back in the game. d7 32.f8 g7
Black can try to develop at the loss of a 33.d1
pawn, but White doesn't have to bite, e.g., [ 33.b3 ]
d7 ( 11...a6 12.0-0-0 d7 13.a4 b6 33...a5 34.xg6? g4 35.f8 e7 36.f6

109
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xf4+ 37.b1 f3
[ 37...e4! ]
38.c1 e4 39.xc6 xd4 40.c8 f5
41.xf5 xf5 42.g6 e4 43.c3 d4
44.cxd4 xd4 45.d1 f3 46.d3 e1+
47.c2 f1 48.d7+ a6 49.a4 f2+
50.c3 White has fully equalised, but it's not
to endure. g5 51.e7 f6 52.e5 e4+
53.c4 c5 54.d3? xa4 55.b3? c6+
56.d5 c3 57.bxa4 xd3+ 58.c6 d4
59.e8 c4+ 60.d5 xa4
0-1
132 C01
Taylor,Timothy 2279
Altounian,Levon 2431
1st Metropolitan International (2) 18.08.2011
[John Watson]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 f6
5.c3 e7 This has become a favourite
setup versus 4 c4. 6.f3 0-0 7.d3 c6
Black is also playing this more often than
playing ...dxc4 and putting the knight on d7
and then b6. Perhaps it's just a matter of taste.
I think that the immediate
[ 7...g4 is interesting, for example, 8.cxd5
( 8.0-0?! dxc4 9.xc4 xf3 10.xf3 xd4
11.xb7 xc4 12.xa8 d6! threatens
13...Nc6 14 Qb7 Rb8, but a queen move like
13.f3 allows xh2+! 14.xh2 xf1;
8.e3 c6 9.0-0 dxc4 10.xc4 b8!?
threatens ...Bxf3 and ...Nxd4 by protecting
b7, so 11.e2 might f o llow, an d d5
12.c1 e6= ) 8...xd5 9.0-0 c6
and: (b)
A) (a) 10.h3 e6 ( 10...xf3 11.xf3
db4 12.d5 xd3 13.xd3 e5
with an unclear position that looks roughly
equal in any case );
B) 10.e4 f6 11.h3 ( 11.xc6 bxc6
12.e1 e8= ) 11...xf3 12.xf3 xd4
13.xb7 b8 14.a6!? ( 14.f3 e8
15.b3 b4 16.b2 b6! ) 14...d6!
15.c4 c5 and Black's outpost and activity
are worth as much as White's possession
of the bishop pair. ]
8.0-0 b4!? This is the blockading method
(going to d5). The alternative is to
concentrate upon attacking d4, for example,
[ 8...dxc4 9.xc4 g4 10.e3 ( 10.d5?!
e5 11.e2 xf3!? 12.xf3 b4!
and W hite needs to get compensation for
the d-pawn, even after 13.d6 c6! ) 10...b8!
t h re a t e n s . . . B xf 3 , s o t h e b e s t m o v e i s
presumably 11.e2 d5= . ]
[ 8...g4 and:
A) 9.cxd5 xd4!? ( we've seen 9...xd5 )
10.xh7+ xh7 11.xd4 xf3 12.gxf3
e8!? ( 12...d6 ) 13.e3 ( 13.f4?!
g5! 14.g2 e6 ) 13...f6 ( 13...d6
14.ad1 e5 15.c4 f6 16.g2 a6
17.fe1 ) 14.c4 e5 15.ad1 a6
16.fe1 b5 17.g4 f6 18.g5 d6
19.f4 xc3 20.bxc3 e4;
B) 9.e3 dxc4 10.xc4 b8 11.e2
d5 transposes. ]
9.e2 dxc4 10.xc4 h6!? Among other
issues, this move always has the problem that
a battery of queen and bishop might threaten
mate, regardless of the material distribution,
and that might upset the balance. Instead,
[ 10...g4 still threatens ...Bxf3 and ...Nc2
and Qxf3, so the logical continuation is
11.e3 ( 11.e2 c6 ) 11...c6 ( or 11...bd5
12.h3 e6 13.b3 d6 ) 12.h3 h5
13.a3 bd5= ]
11.e5! c6 12.e3
[ 12.f4?! f5 13.f2 bd5 ]
[ But an illustration of what I said in the note
to 10...h6!? is this line: 12.e1! f5 13.e2
A) 13...d6 14.b3 fd5 15.xd5;
B) 13...fd5 14.b3 f6 15.f3 f7
16.a3 b5 17.xd5 xd5 ( 17...bxc4?!
18.xe7+ xe7 19.xc4+ d5
20.xd5+ xd5 21.xe7 xe7 22.f4;
17...cxd5 18.xb5 b8 19.axb4 xb5
20.xa7 ) 18.d3 xd3 19.xd3 d7
20.h4 (although this doesn't seem like
much);
C) 13...b5 14.b3!? c8 15.a3 bd5
16.e1 xc3 17.bxc3 e4 (intending ...
Bd5) 18.xe4! xe4 19.h5 d6
20.xh6 f6 21.c2+- ]
12...bd5 13.f3
[ 13.b3 prevents ... Be6 and may therefore
be better. Still, Black can then arrange to
develop his bishop by a5 14.ae1 a7
15.a3 e6 , which is at any rate not much
worse for the second player, and may be
ef f e ct ive ly e qu al, f o r in st a n ce , 16.xd5
110
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xd5 17.e2 a4 18.d3 b5 19.xd5
xd5 20.c1 c7 21.d2 ]
13...e6 This is a lot easier than it was in the
preceding note! 14.ad1?!
[ 14.fe1= ]
14...xc3 15.bxc3 xc4 16.xc4 d5
17.e2 e4
[ 17...b5 18.e5 d6! asks White what he
wan ts to do , a nd since 19.f4 ( 19.f3
fe8; 19.c4 bxc4 20.xc4 fe8 ) 19...e4!
with the idea ...Nd5 is unpleasant, that
leaves W hite with a slightly less
comfortable position. ]
18.d3!? b5 19.e5 d6 20.f3 f6
21.f5?!
[ 21.fe1 with the idea xe5!? ( 21...fe8= )
22.dxe5 xe5 23.xh6 d5 24.c2
c4= ]
21...fe8 22.f4 e6
[ 22...xe5! 23.dxe5 ( 23.xe5
23...c5+ 24.h1 d5 ]
23.xe6 xe6 24.fe1?!
[ 24.d3! almost equalises, although not
quite: xf4 25.xf4 e3 26.d3 d5
27.f2 ae8 28.d2 xc3 ( 28...b6!;
28...3e7 29.c1 b6 ) 29.c1 a4
30.e5 c3 31.xc3 xc3 32.c2= ]
24...d5
[ 24...ae8! 25.g3 d5 ]
25.d2! f6 26.d3 ae8 27.xe6 xe6
28.f2
[ 28.a4 e8 ]
28...b6! 29.f4 a3 30.c1 d6 31.f4
f8! 32.e1 f7 33.e4 d5 34.d2 d6
35.h3 f5 36.e1 xe1 37.xe1 h5
[ 37...a5! ]
38.e2 e6 39.g4 Black is obviously better,
so W hite wants to reduce material and
reduce targets in his position. hxg4 40.fxg4
[ 40.hxg4 fxg4 41.fxg4 f6 ]
40...f6
[ 40...fxg4 41.hxg4 f6 ]
41.gxf5+ xf5 42.c1 e4 43.b3 d5
44.d3 e4 45.e3 g3 46.c1?!
[ 46.d2!? ]
[ 46.a5! d6 47.g5 ]
46...e1! 47.e2 g5 48.g1 xc3 49.f3
[ 49.h4! was a better chance, although Black
has an extra pawn, because White gets an
o u t s i d e p a s s e d p a w n f o l l o w i n g c5
( 49...g4?? 50.e2 ) 50.e2
51.xd4 cxd4 52.xg5 ]
49...a5
[ 49...a1! 50.c2 ( 50.xg5 xg5
51.xg5 xd4 ) 50...a5 51.a3 g3
52.xg5 a4 53.h4 xd4 ]
50.xg5 xg5 51.xg5?? Probably time
pressure, or a total hallucination. White has a
good chance to draw (in practice, at any rate)
with.
[ 51.xc3 xh3 52.a4 bxa4 53.b2 e4
54.d2 d3 55.h6 ( 55.xa5 c4
56.a3 b5 57.d2 )]
51...xd4 Now Black is winning easily. 52.h4
b4 53.h5 a4 54.c2 c5 55.h6 c4 56.d2
c3 57.g5 c4 58.h7 b3+ 59.axb3+
axb3+ 60.b1 d3
0-1
d7 ) 133 C01
Taylor,Timothy 2314
Stopa,Jacek 2451
3rd Metro Chess FIDE Invitational (4) 25.2.11
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 There are
always a lot of games with this move,
presumably because it's safe and produces
unbalanced positions. Nevertheless, White
sacrifices hopes for any advantage versus
accurate play, and several Black setups are
sufficient to equalise. 4.c4 f6
[ Another good method is 4...b4+ 5.c3
e7 6.d3 bc6 7.ge2 ( 7.f3 g4 )
7...f5 ( 7...dxc4 8.xc4 0-0 9.0-0 f5 )
8.0-0 ( 8.cxd5! xd5 9.0-0 ) 8...xc3
9.bxc3 xd3 10.xd3 dxc4 11.xc4 0-0
12.a3 e8 13.f4 Potapov, P (2470)-
Bagrationi, A (2459), Moscow 2011 and
here a5! 14.a4 d5! 15.xd5 xd5
controls the light squares and keeps the
game level, e.g. 16.fe1 c6 ( or 16...e6
17.xe6 fxe6 18.e1 c4 ) 17.b4 c4
18.xa7! b6! 19.xe8+ xe8 20.h3 h6
21.c7 e6 with enough attack for the
pawn, e.g., 22.h2 e2 23.b8+ h7
24.f4 e3! 25.g1 g5 26.f6 f5
27.xf5+ xf5 28.f1 xa2 and Black has
the chances. ]
5.c3 b4 6.f3 0-0 7.d3
xd4 [ 7.e2 dxc4 ( 7...e8 8.0-0 e6 ) 8.0-0!?
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

( 8.xc4 c6 is the next note) 8...e6 23.xc7 xd5 24.e3 xb2?!
9.g5 d7 is unclear. ] [ 24...ac8 ]
7...e8+ Good enough. The only issue with 25.xd4 xd4 26.b3 f8 27.g3! d3
this move is that it leaves f7 undefended. 28.xb7 xa3 29.xf7! xg3 30.fxg3 xf7
Some sound options are 31.xf7+ h8
[ 7...e7+ 8.e3 e6 and ] [ 31...f8!? ]
[ 7...dxc4 8.xc4 c6 9.0-0 g4 10.e3 32.b1 a4 33.e8
h5 (covering f7 and intending ... Bg6 in [ 33.g4! ]
some cases) ] 33...g6!? Perhaps sufficient, but
[ 7...c6 8.0-0 g4 9.e3 dxc4 10.xc4 [ 33...c3! 34.xb6 e2+ 35.f2 xg3
h5 transposes ( 10...b8!? with the idea 36.b8 g5 should lead to an easy draw with
11.a3 xc3 12.bxc3 d5 13.d2 b5 pawns on one side of the board favouring
is also playable. All these lines look equal the knight. ]
and thus possible courses for both players )] 34.xa4
8.e3 g4 9.0-0 c6 10.h3 h5 11.c1 [ 34.g4! g7 35.h2 ]
[ 11.c5 xc3 12.bxc3 e4 13.c1 f6 34...xa4 35.xb6 g7 36.b7+ g8
14.e1 is unclear b6 might follow. ] 37.f2
11...dxc4 12.xc4 d7 13.a3 a5 [ 37.g4 ]
[ 13...xc3 14.bxc3 a5! 15.a2 b5 37...a3 38.g4 c3 39.e7
16.g5 d5 with light-square control. White [ 39.g5! is the most direct chance, intending
risks disadvantage by ( or 16...e4 17.e3 a3 40.h4 c3 41.g3 a3 42.g2 c3
d6 ) 17.g4 xg4 18.hxg4 xg4+ 19.h2 43.e7 a3 44.f2 ]
( 19.h1 h5+ 20.g1 e4 ) 19...h5+ 39...a3 40.e3 a4 41.g3?
20.h4 ( 20.g1 e4 ) 20...f4! ( 20...e4 [ 41.g5! ]
21.xd5 ) 21.g1 e2 (hitting f2) 22.g3 41...g5! 42.f3 g7 43.g3 h6 44.h4 b4
g6+ 23.h2 f5 ] 45.a3 gxh4 46.gxh4 h5 47.a7+
14.a4 b6 15.xb6?! ½-½
[ 15.c5 xc5 16.dxc5 maintains a
balance: e7 ( White's bishops are
dangerous after 16...xd1 17.fxd1 xf3 134 C01
18.gxf3 e5 19.e2 c6 20.f4 g6 Thesing,Matthias 2425
, although this may be only equal because of Sulskis,Sarunas 2554
the pawn structure) 17.e1 ad8 18.e2 Open Eforie Nord ROU (11) 27.06.2010
f8 ] [John Watson]
[ 15.b5 is also equal: d5 ( 15...ad8
16.c5 xc5 17.xc5 d5 18.e1 f6= ) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 g4
16.c5 ( 16.e1 d6 ) 16...xc5 17.xc5 Unbalancing the play. 4...Nf6 has gained in
ad8 18.e1 d6 ] popularity lately, but that's another story.
15...axb6 16.d5? leaving d5 exposed. [ A fun Exchange Variation game went
[ 16.e1 ad8 17.b4 ( 17.e2 d5 ) 4...d6 5.c4 c6
17...d5!? ( 17...h6 ) 18.b5 a5 19.xd5 A) this is played in most games, the
xd5 20.g4 g6 21.xc7 xb5 22.e5 a l t e r n a t i v e 6.c3 e7 ( or 6...f6
c6 ] 7.cxd5 xd5 ) 7.cxd5 xd5 8.d3 e7+
16...xf3 17.xf3 e5 18.g3 e4?! 9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 being rather
[ Simply 18...xc4 19.xc4 xd5 uninspiring;
is s tron g, s ince 20.d1 ( 20.h6 g6 ) B) 6.c5 c7 ( 6...e7 7.d3 f6 8.0-0
20...e6 is harmless. ] b6 is a reasonable option) 7.d3 f6
19.h2 d6 ( 7...e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.e1 h6 ) 8.0-0 0-0
[ 19...xc4 20.xc4 d6 21.c2 b5! 9.g5 ( 9.c3 e8 ) 9...g4 ( 9...b6
and ...Nc4 looks better. ] might be played at some point) 10.bd2
20.e2 f5 21.f4 d4 22.d1 d3 bd7 ( 10...h6 11.h4 bd7 ) 11.c2

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
b8!? 12.fe1 f4?! 13.xf4 ( 13.h3
e6 14.xf4 xf4 15.e3; 13.e7 )
13...xf4 14.g3 h6 15.e5!? xe5
16.dxe5 d7 17.f3 h3 ( 17...h5!? )
18.f4 ae8 19.f3 f6 20.exf6 xf6
21.e5?! d7 ( 21...g5! ) 22.c3 h5
23.e2 f5 24.d3 h5= Zeberski, J
( 2 4 0 3 ) - K a l va i t i s , S ( 2 2 9 0 ) , W r o c l a w
2010. ]
5.h3 h5 6.e2+ e7!? Black avoids the
exchange of queens, but ties up his pieces.
The standard solution
[ 6...e7 7.e3 c6 8.c3 0-0-0 9.g4
( 9.0-0-0 without g4 is investigated by Neil in
Mueller-Kindermann, Austrian Team Ch
2003 ) 9...g6 10.0-0-0
investigated a few times in this column. ]
7.c3
[ 7.b5+ bc6 8.xb7? b8 9.a6 xf3
10.gxf3 xd4 is clearly unsatisfactory for
White but ]
[ 7.g4 g6 8.c3 would prepare Bf4 and
0-0-0. ( 8.b5+ bc6 9.xb7 is still
inferior after b8 10.a6 xc2 )]
[ An actual game went 7.f4 xf3 8.xf3
g6 ( 8...bc6! ) 9.g3 c6 10.c3 e7
11.d2 0-0 12.d3 h4 13.xh4 xh4
14.0-0 g6 15.ae1 d6 16.e2 ae8
17.fe1 xe2 18.xe2 d8 19.e5 xe5
20.xe5 c6 1/2-1/2 Petrova, L (2335)-
Boissel, B, corr ICCF 1995. ]
7...xf3?!
[ 7...bc6 8.g4 g6 is the previous note ]
8.xf3 c6
[ 8...bc6 is more natural, but it's still not
clear how Black untangles. ]
9.d3 g6 10.h4! White has two bishops
and space Black's opening strategy has been
a complete failure. e7 11.g3
[ 11.h5 f8 ( 11...h4 12.g4 ) 12.f5!
a6! 13.e3 c7 14.0-0-0
isn't so bad for Black but of course White
has the edge. ]
11...f8 12.e2 e6 13.c3 d7
[ 13...d6 ]
14.f4 d6?
[ 14...xf4 15.xf4 0-0
and White can either double on the e-file or
throw his kingside pawns forward. ]
15.xe6 fxe6 16.h5+ f8
To prevent ...e5, which may not be necessary.
[ 17.e3 e8 18.e2 e5 19.0-0-0 ]
17...f6
[ 17...c5 18.e3 f6 19.f3 ]
18.e2 h5 19.d2 f7 20.0-0-0 g6
21.de1 e8 22.b1 g4 Black really has
nothing constructive to do. 23.hf1 f6
24.d1 g7 25.e5! A classic piece attack
and pawn breakthrough follow. f7
[ 25...xe5 26.fxe5 e7 27.g5 d7
28.f6! would be pretty, with the two bishops
do m in a tin g a f t e r xf6 29.exf6+ g8
( 29...f7 30.xg6+! xg6 31.c2+ f7
32.h7+ f8 33.h6+ ) 30.xg6 f8
31.xh5 ]
26.g5 g8 27.f5! It's o ve r n ow. gxf5
has been 28.xf5 xg5 29.xe6+ xe6 30.xf6+
xf6 31.xg5+ g7 32.b3 b8 33.f4
xf4 34.gxf4 and White wins rather easily:
f7 35.b4 f6 36.d6 e8 37.f5 a6
38.a4 e7 39.a5 e2 40.a2 e7 41.a3
d7 42.g3 f8 43.e5 f7 44.e6+
g7 45.b4 f7 46.b3 f8 47.c4 g7
48.c5 d7+ 49.d6 f6 50.cxd5 cxd5
51.c5 c7+ 52.b6 c6+ 53.xb7 xe6
54.fxe6 e4 55.xa6 d2 56.b4 f3
57.b6
1-0
135 C01
Timman,Jan H 2616
Van Haastert,Edwin 2417
NED-chT playoff (1.3) 09.05.2002
[Psakhis, L and John Watson]
An older, instructive game, with notes by
Psakhis. My notes are indicated by "[jw]"
(including a Forum suggestion by Keano).
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
5.d3 c6 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 ge7
fe6 [ [ j w : ] P s a k h i s t h i n k s t h a t 7...f6
is also playable, "with the possible
co n t in u a t io n " 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 a5
, [which] "gives more chances for
equalization". ]
8.f3 e6 9.h3
16.0-0-0! [ [jw:] 9.e2 is this month's game Smeets-
van Haastert. ]
9...d7 10.f4
17.f4!? [ After 10.g5 f5 11.g4 g6 12.h4 f6
13.h3 h5! 14.gxh5 xh5 (0-1 Shirazi, K-
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Varreille/FRA t-ch2 1999) "Black [is] doing 27.f3 b6

very well." ] [ 27...c6 28.f4!? ]
10...0-0-0 11.0-0 28.d3! d5 29.h3
[ White could try 11.xe6 xe6+ 12.e3 [ 29.e2!? ]
g6 13.0-0 f5 14.d2 de8 ( jw 29...e6
14...he8 15.fe1 d7 ) 15.fe1 [ 29...c6 30.c3 ]
( 15.ab1 d6= Tereladze, S-Kononenko, 30.e5 ff8 31.c4! xc4
T/EUR-chW Warsaw 2001. )] [ 31...e4 32.fe1 xd4 33.xd4 xd4
11...f5 12.a4 xd3N 34.a3+- ]
[ B l a c k f a i l e d t o e q u a l i z e a f t e r 12...g5 32.xc4 xc4 33.f3+- It seems that
13.e2 h6 ( [jw:] Here, in the ChessPub Black's position can no longer be saved -
Forum, Keano suggests 13...g4! followed by there are too many White pieces pointed at
...h5. I agree this is not only at least equal, the black king, wh o is a lmost alone . d8
but more fun for Black to play.) 14.a3 34.fc1 e6 35.f4 c6 36.d5 e4
xd3 15.cxd3 g6 16.g3 h4 17.f6! Fritz gives now as a best option for Black 36...
Short, N-Timman, J/Tilburg 1990 ] Qd6 - quite a sad evaluation! 37.dxc6 xf3
13.xd3 An interesting solution, 38.b8#
[ 13.cxd3 also doesn't look bad. ] 1-0
13...f5 14.e2 de8
[ 14...e4 15.e3 ]
15.c5 d8 136 C01
[ Worth considering is 15...a5 16.b5 b6 Tregubov,Vitaly
with a tough position ] Belov,Mikhail
16.b1 ec6 I think that this is a critical 10th Chigorin Mem B (9) 03.11.2002
moment of the game. Black decided for some [Neil McDonald]
reasons to play passively and lost the game
without [a] big fight. 1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d4 f6
[ Deserves attention 16...g6!? for example 5.e2 An uninspiring opening to say the least.
17.e3 ( 17.b5 h4 18.xb7 e4 19.f3 d6 6.0-0 0-0 7.g5 h6 8.h4 f5
e2 ) 17...h4 18.xb7?? g6!-+ ] [ It seems that Black was already becoming a
17.e3 b8?! Another passive move. little bored, as more precise was 8...c6 ]
18.a5!? 9.e5 g5? Black's sense of danger has been
[ 18.xb7 xb7 19.b5 looks winning, but blunted by his opponent's dull opening and he
af t e r t he f o rce d d6 20.xb8+ d7 begins a series of aggressive looking move
21.xa7 a8 22.c5 xa4 that do irreparable harm to his kingside.
White's advantage is minimal. ] [ Once response to White's last move was
18...e7 19.c4! d7 20.cxd5 xd5 9...c5 to undermine the knight, though this
21.g4 might also prove to be a little too weakening
[ 21.xd7!? xd7 22.a6 b6 23.c4!? xd4 after 10.c3!? ]
24.c5 doesn't look bad [either]. ] [ A solid alternative was 9...c6 ]
21...f5 22.h4 f7 23.d3!? 10.g3 e4 11.d2 xg3?
[ 23.a6!? xc5 24.dxc5 ] [ He should play 11...d7 ]
23...e6 12.fxg3! White comes to life: there is nothing
[ 23...e4 24.g3 ] insipid about this method of recapturing.
24.a6! bxa6 Suddenly Black finds himself facing an attack
[ After 24...b6 25.b4 Black will get many with his queen's knight still undeveloped.
troubles with c6 square. ] xe5 13.dxe5 h7 14.d3! xd3 15.cxd3
25.b4 c4 e7 16.f6! White is unrecognisable as the
[ 25...e4 26.h5 ] dullard who played 5.Be2. He conducts the
26.h5 d8 attack with great energy. xe5 17.xh6 d7
[ 26...ff8 27.d5 ] 18.h5 ae8 19.f3 xb2 20.f1 g7

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

21.xg5 e5 22.xf7! xf7 least satisfactory play, for example, 27.g4
[ Or 22...xf7 23.h8+ g7 24.h6# ] xf1+ 28.g2 g1+ 29.h3 de1
23.h8+ It is mate next move. A pleasant 30.xg6 e7 31.h7 d7 , but this
gamelet. wh o l e l i n e i s a g o o d p l a c e f o r f u r t h e r
1-0 i n v e s t i g a t i o n) 24...ee1 ( 24...a5!?
25.e7! ac4 ) 25.g8+ b7!? ( 25...e8
26.xg6 ee1= ) 26.dxc6+ xc6 27.g3
137 C01 xf1+ 28.g2 g1+ 29.f3 xa3 30.f6
Tullius e1 31.xg6 a4 32.h4 e6= with the
Winawer 4 exd5 (Forum) idea 33.h5?? g4 This is fairly
[John Watson] impressionistic and computer-guided
analysis, so both sides will probably be able
A very interesting challenge to a line which to find improvements and get closer to the
ha s b e e n a d voca t e d b y b o th B e rg in h is truth. ]
recent Winawer series and myself in PTF4. 20.xf7 xg5 21.f6 e4 22.xh8+ b7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5 23.g3 d2 24.xh7 xf1 25.g2 d2
5.d3 c6 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 ge7 [ jw 25...e7 26.h6 ]
8.h5 26.xg6 e4 27.g4 [jw:] Tullius stops
[ The other main line is 8.f3 , illustrated here, as the game is continuing. As he says,
this month in the older game Timman van White is certainly better and probably winning.
Haastert and the recent Smeets-van I did find some tricky lines but it wouldn't be
Haastert. ] fair to show them here.
8...e6 9.b1 b6 10.f3 d7 11.g5
0-0-0 12.xe6 xe6+ 13.e3 g6 14.f3
f5 15.0-0 d6 "I followed Berg blindly (this 138 C01
is my fault of course)", say Tullius in the Uritzky,Maxim 2412
Forum. Perhaps that needn't have been such Rozentalis,Eduardas 2577
a bad thing. 16.g5 de8 17.fe1 xe1+ chT Israel (6) 02.04.1999
Tullius thinks that Black is lost after this, but [Neil McDonald]
j u s t i n t u i t i v e l y, i t ' s h a r d t o b e l i e ve t h a t
Black's material and counterattack aren't 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d3 c6 A logical
enough to compensate for his weaknesses response as W hite has left d4 undefended
and the bishop pair. Although White indeed and cannot play Bb5 without loss of time. 4.c3
builds up a nu mber of threa ts, I think h e e5!? The most ambitious move. Instead
underrates Black's activity. [ 4...dxe4 5.xe4 f6 6.g5 e7 7.xf6
[ 17...e4 18.xe4! dxe4 19.e2 xf6 8.f3 0-0 9.0-0 ( I would suggest that
is a little depressing for Black, although 9.c2!? g6 10.xc6 bxc6 11.0-0
naturally it's still a game. ] followed by Nd2 and Ne4 would be a
18.xe1 xe1+ 19.f1 e4 Very tempting, pleasant little advantage for White.) 9...e7
with some nice tactical ideas, but it is 10.a4 b8 11.bd2 b6 12.a5 c5
apparently a little too fancy. led to equality or more for Black in Uritzky-
[ The obvious attacking move is 19...he8! I.Botvinnik, Tel Aviv SAS 1999. ]
, f o r e x a m p l e , 20.xd5 d7 21.f3! 5.f3 exd4 6.exd5! Black would have an
( 21.c4?? d1 and ...Ree1; 21.f3 d1 easy game after
22.f2 e5! 23.xe5 xe5 24.dxe5 f5 [ 6.cxd4 b4+ 7.c3 dxe4 8.xe4 f6 ]
25.d3 a1 26.a4 g7 27.c4 e6 6...xd5 7.0-0 d6!
28.e3 e7-+ ) 21...a1 ( 21...f5 [ E x t r e m e l y r i s k y i s 7...dxc3? 8.xc3
is also quite playable and I think yields in view of White's attacking options based
equal chances) 22.h3+ f5 23.xh7+ c8 on Nb5, etc. White would have four tempi for
24.d5 ( 24.e3 f4 25.d2! d1 26.xf4 the pawn. ]
ee1 is very messy. Black seems to have at 8.cxd4 ge7 9.c3 h5 10.e4

115
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
White picks up the bishop pair. 0-0 11.xd6
cxd6 12.h3! An essential move to stop 12...
Bg4. Also it rules out 12.. .Bf5 because of 13.
g4. White has a definite advantage-his dark
s q u a r e d b i s h o p r u l e s t h e r o o s t . b4?!
The idea of putting the knight on d5 is
attractive. However, next move Black feels
compelled to move his queen as a
preparatory measure which means that the
manoeuvre it wastes too much time. Black
should have settled for the modest
[ 12...e6 ]
13.b1 b5
[ If 13...bd5 14.e1 leaves the black
queen dangerously boxed in on h5. ]
14.e1 bd5 15.d3 b6 16.g5! c6
[ 16...f6!? ]
17.e2 db4? White threatened 18.Qe4
hitting d5 and h7. perhaps Black should have
tried
[ 17...e6 18.e4 g6 when his light square
blockade in the centre holds firm. ]
18.d5! Removing the safe d5 square destroys
the coordination of Black's pieces. xd3
[ If 18...xd5 19.e4 wins. ]
19.xd3 b4 20.e4! f5
weakening move, but if
[ 20...d7? 21.e3 b5 22.a4 a5
23.d2 wins a piece. ]
21.c4 d7 22.e7
[ The invasion of the seventh rank proves
decisive. If instead 22.e3 b5 holds on. ]
22...f7 23.ae1 c8 24.b3 cf8 25.d2!
a6 26.xb6 axb6 27.g5 c7
[ Absolutely gruesome is 27...xe7 28.xe7
c8 29.c3 ]
28.xf7 xf7 29.xf7 xf7 30.f4 xd5
31.xd6 c6 32.f3 f6 33.f2 h5 34.h4
g6 35.a3 b5 36.e2 f7 37.e1 f6
38.d2 f4 39.e5+ f7 40.e4
1-0
139
Wang,Cheng
Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son
Asian Continental 2012 (1.4) 05.05.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.d3 c6
5.c3 f6
[ Straightforward in most lines, Black will
castle kingside. 5...d6 can become sharp
if Black plays . ..Ne7, moves the c8 bishop
and queen, then castles queenside. That is
a traditional and fascinating line. ]
6.f4 d6 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0
[ 8.xd6 xd6 9.0-0 g4!? ( 9...e8
transposes to the game.) 10.g3 f5 11.h3
f4! 12.f5 Mann-Arkhipov, Kecskemet 1990
( 12.e2! f3 13.hxg4 xg4! 14.g3 fxg2
15.xg4 gxf1+ 16.xf1 f4!
and if anyone, Black is for choice) 12...xf2!
13.xd6 xd1 14.xd1 cxd6 ]
8...e8 9.xd6 Conceding a lead in
development to Black, but
[ 9.g3 g4! is worse. Of course, Black's
edge after 9 Bxd6 is quite minor, but this
illustrates how the Exchange Variation so
often becomes unbalanced. ]
9...xd6 10.g3 e7!? Stopping White
from placing a piece on f5, but knights are at
least a match for bishops in this static position,
and Black can play
[ 10...d7 11.f5 ( 11.d2 e7 12.f3
ae8 intends ...Ne4) 11...xf5 12.xf5 g6
A horrible ( or 12...f4 13.d3 e6 and ...Rae8)
13.d3 e7 ( 13...d8!? 14.d2 e6 )
14.d2 ae8 ]
[ 10...g6 is also logical. ]
11.e1 g4 12.b3!?
[ 12.c2! g6 13.d2 f4 14.h3=
w i t h t h e i d e a xh3 15.gxh3 xh3+
16.g2! f4+ 17.g1 h3+= ]
12...g6! 13.d2 f4 14.c2 h5!? 15.f5
xf5 16.xf5 g6 17.d3 xd3 This makes
it easy for White.
[ 17...d7 with the idea ...Qg4 is a better try,
although in the end White shouldn't have too
many problems. ]
18.xd3 b6
[ 18...e7 19.f3 ( 19.xe7 xe7 20.f3
e8 21.f1 e4 ) 19...ae8 20.e5= ]
19.b3 xe1+ 20.xe1 e8 21.xe8+ xe8
C01 22.e3 f6
2482 [ 22...d6 with the idea 23.e7? ( 23.h3 )
2656 23...a5! ]
23.h3 c6 24.a4 e8 25.xe8+ xe8
26.g4 hxg4 27.hxg4 f8 28.g2 e7
29.f3 g5 30.e3
½-½
116
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

140 C01 leaves W hite with broken pawns on both

Wang,Maria
Soyunlu,Narmin Asat Qizi 1834
EYg12 Herceg Novi MNE (6) 21.09.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.exd5 exd5
5.d3 c6 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 ge7
8.f3 e6 9.b1 White throws in this rook
move in order to make castling queenside a
l e s s a t t r a c t i v e o p t i o n f o r B l a c k . b8?!
A passive reply after which White's rook move
is undoubtedly justified. Here's what might
happen after
[ 9...b6 : 10.e2 d7 11.f4 f5 12.0-0
0-0-0 13.a6+ b8 14.d3 Now that its
'prey' has gone to b8, the white knight heads
over to the queenside. At the same time the
way is cleared for the development of the
bishop to f4. e4 15.d1 d6 16.a4 h5
17.f3 f5 18.f4 g6 19.d2 h4 20.fe1
f6? ( A terrible move that cuts off his queen's
co n t a c t wit h t h e qu e e n side a n d a llo ws
White's strong reply. He should centralise
a n d d e f e n d e 7 wi t h 20...he8 ) 21.a5!
Taking advantage of the undefended knight
on e7 to get in this attacking blow, as 21...
Nxa5 loses to 22.Rxe7. c8 22.axb6 axb6
23.c5 f7 24.d3! Threatening 25.Na6+
when c7 drops, and if 25... Bxd3 26.Qxd3
will bring the queen to the lethal h6 square.
d6 25.xf5 xf5 26.xb6+ 1-0 Moreno
Carnero, J-Martin, J/Sauzal ESP 2004. ]
10.e2 0-0 11.0-0 d7 12.h3 f5 13.g3
xd3 14.cxd3 fe8 15.h5! If you have
played through the Sandhu-Foisor game in
the archives you will have some idea of the
strength of this move. On the other hand, if
you have been studying the Radjabov-
Lehtivaara game you might prefer
[ 15.h4! ]
15...d6?
[ Black should challenge the white queen
with 15...f5 16.f4 b6
( White should always think twice before
capturing the pawn on c7 in this type of
position. Here 17.xc7? not only gives the
black rook the open c-file but also allows
the exchange of queens and so forfeits any
attacking chances against the black king.
A n d e ve n wo rse , xf3 18.gxf3
sides of the board.) 17...g6 ( 17...d7
18.h6! ) 18.xc7 A much better time to
grab the pawn than with 17.Bxc7 above.
bc8 19.f4 f5 20.fe1 and White is
undoubtedly better, though it will still be a
hard fight. ]
16.f4 xa3 It looks as if White might take
the pawn on c7, but the bishop can move in
two directions... 17.h6! gxh6 18.f6 f5
19.xf5 It appears the game will only last a
few more moves, but somehow Soyunlu holds
on. e6! 20.f6+ g7 21.xd5 d6
[ She had to get rid of the white knight with
21...e7! ]
22.f4 e7 23.h5+ f8 24.xh7 e6
25.g7
[ Here White has many ways to win. The
simplest might be 25.d5 xd5 26.f4
just pocketing the exchange whilst keeping
the attack. ]
25...g6 26.h8+ e7 27.f5+ d7
28.xb8?
[ White has missed her chance for an instant
win, but more than adequate was 28.xd6
xh8 29.xb7 leaving her two pawns up in
the endgame. ]
28...d5! A zwischenzug that turns the tables.
The mate threat on g2 costs White her queen.
29.e3 xg2+ 30.xg2
[ Here 30.h1 doesn't help White after f3 ]
30...xb8 31.fe1 The position is more or
less equal, but the unfortunate turnabout had
af f ected W hite's con centration and af te r
some reckless play she came within an ace of
losing. b6 32.e5 d6 33.f4 f6 34.d5
g6+ 35.h2 xd3 36.be1 c5 37.dxc5
bxc5 38.1e3 c2 39.f6+ c6 40.e4
d7 41.h5 a5 42.xh6+ c7 43.g3 f5
44.d6 f4+ 45.xf4 xf2+ 46.f3 h2+
47.g3 d2+ 48.e3 b6 49.b5+ b7
50.d6+ b8 51.f3 d5
½-½
17.g4
bc8

117
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
141
Wang Chen
Ganguly,Surya Shekhar
1st Qinhuangdao Open (9) 07.10.2011
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
[ I'll mention this below it's a main line of the
W inawer Exchange: 3.c3 b4 4.exd5
exd5 5.d3 f6 ( or 5...e7 ) 6.f3 0-0
7.0-0 ( 7.g5 e8+ ) 7...g4 ( or 7...h6 )
8.g5 c6= ]
3...exd5 4.f3 c6 I have to admit that I've
been skeptical of this move, but it's been
around for a long time, and both examples
and my analysis indicate that it's satisfactory,
as well as being a nice way to avoid
symmetry.
[ Of course, 4...d6 has always been okay.
The aggressive 5.c4 and be answered by
5... c6, and more popular of late has been
f6 6.c3 ( 6.c5 e7 and ...b6 will follow
with equality) 6...0-0!? 7.cxd5 ( 7.xd5
xd5 8.cxd5 b4+ 9.d2
10.xd2 xd5 in general, White doesn't
want to exchange pieces, especially his c1
b i s h o p , i n a n i s o l a t e d p a w n p o s i t i o n)
7...bd7 8.e2 b6 9.g5 h6 10.h4
( 10.xf6 xf6 11.0-0 stays a pawn ahead,
but it's an isolated doubled d-pawn and
Black has the bishops, so maybe this is
about equal. There might follow f5 12.e1
ae8 13.d2 g6!? 14.d3
with the idea 15.e4? xf3 16.xf3 c4 )
10...e7 ( 10...g5!? 11.g3 bxd5 12.0-0
xg3 13.hxg3 e6 is roughly equal.)
11.0-0 bxd5 ]
5.b5 Notice the Winawer Exchange above -
White is a tempo ahead! But it seems that this
is a typical symmetrical variation
phenomenon: that because White has had to
commit his pieces first (Nf3 instead of Ne2),
Black can adjust his play accordingly. d6
6.h3 To stop ...Bg4, but this is slow and
concedes equality. The variation
[ 6.c4 dxc4 ]
6...ge7 7.0-0 0-0 8.c3 A little slow - no big
deal. a6 Also slow.
[ 8...e8 with a slight advantage. ]
9.d3 f5 10.e1 d7 11.c2 ae8
12.bd2 xd3 13.xd3 f5!? Trying to
C01 play it safe and still maintain good bishop
2454 versus bad. But the more aggressive
2631 [ 13...g6! poses at least a few problems,
and the text simplifies a bit too much to
expect anything. ]
14.xf5 xf5 15.xe8 xe8 16.f1
[ 16.f1! f6 17.d2 g5 18.e1 ce7
19.e3 is effectively equal. ]
16...b8!?
[ 16...h5 ]
[ or 16...f6 would retain some advantage:
W hite has no counterplay and Black can
claim some space. Naturally it's not much. ]
[ 16...d8 with ...f6 and ...Ne6 was another
try to complicate. ]
17.e1 d7 18.d3 f6 19.b3 g5
20.a5 b6 21.c6 b8 22.xb8 xb8
23.g4! h4 24.f4 h6 25.e3 e8 26.e1=
gxf4 27.f2 xe1+ 28.xe1 f3+ 29.e2
g5 30.h4 e6 31.f3 c5 32.dxc5 bxc5
33.b3 f7 34.c4 dxc4 35.bxc4 h5
36.gxh5 f5 37.g1 Routine-looking but with
a few fine points. Neither side looked too
xd2+ eager to try for a win.
½-½
142 C01
Zatonskih,Anna 2522
Savchenko,Boris 2615
Politiken Cup (5.6) 02.08.2011
[John Watson]
h5
A solid way to play against 4 Nf3. Inside the
main game I have put this games from this
month by Ulibin (who is a good player to
follow for French repertoire ideas). 1.d4 e6
2.e4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.f3 d6 5.c4
[ A recent game Savic (2520)-Ulibin, M
(2538), Paracin SRB 2011 went 5.d3 e7
6.0-0 g4 (Its always nice to take
advantage of Nf3 with ...Bg4 otherwise you
feel that White has gotten in this good move
for free) 7.e1 bc6 This is equivalent to a
line I recommend in Play the French, i.e., 4
Bd3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Bd6 6 0-0 Bg4 7 Re1 Nge7.
8.c3 d7 9.bd2 0-0-0 10.f1 f6 11.h3
( 11.b4 ) 11...f5 ( 11...h5 ) 12.e3 xd3
13.xd3 g5 14.g4 ( 14.b4!?
- It's awkward to stop Black on the kingside
so perhaps a pawn race will reward White
118
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
better ) 14...g8 15.e3 ge7 16.g4
(Is this the old 'I'm-playing-the-Exchange-
Variation-to-draw-as-W hite' syndrome?)
g8 17.e3 ce7! (trying to win) 18.c4
dxc4 19.xc4 Now Black played 19...Nh6,
but 19..h5 was also interesting: [the game
continuation:]
A) 19...h5 20.d5 ( 20.b4?! g4 21.h4
gxh3 22.g3 h6; 20.h4 g4 21.d2 f5
22.b3 f4 23.f1 f6 24.c5 f5 '='
25.e6 d7 26.c5 dd8= ) 20...g4
21.hxg4 hxg4 22.xg4 xg4 23.xg4
xd5= , with chances to play for a win.;
B) 19...h6!? To mix things up. One path
to equality was
B1) 20.d2 hg8!? ( 20...hf5 )
21.b3 g4 22.hxg4 xg4 23.c4
f5;
B2) 20.d5 hf5 21.f1 b8
and: (b) the game went
B2a) (a) 22.xf5 xf5 23.d1 e5!?
24.xe5 xe5 25.f4 d6
( 25...f5!? ) 26.fxg5 fxg5
( 26...hg8!? 27.f4 xd5! 28.xd6
e3+ 29.g1 xc4 30.f4=;
26...xd5 27.g1 c6 ) 27.xg5 hg8
28.xe7 xe7 29.d6 cxd6 30.g1=;
B2b) 22.d2?! h5! 23.xf5 xf5
24.ad1 g4 25.d4 xd5 26.xd5
xd5 27.f5 e5 and Black went
on to win. ]
5...f6 In Play the French I have
recommended simply 5...c6, but this move is
now the main way to meet 4 Nf3 Bd6 5 c4,
and has been used by several top GMs. 6.c5
[ 6.c3
A) T h e o p t i o n i s 6...0-0 , allowing c5
(compare the main game), for example:
A1) 7.cxd5 bd7 8.e2 ( 8.c4 e8+
9.e3 g4!? ) 8...b6 9.g5 h6
10.h4 g5 ( 10...e7 ) 11.g3 bxd5
12.0-0 f4= ( 12...e6= );
A2) 7.c5 e7 8.e2 b6 9.cxb6 axb6
10.0-0 c5;
B) 6...dxc4 7.xc4 0-0 8.0-0 c6 9.h3
(versus ...Bg4) h6 10.a3 f5 11.b4 a6
12.b2 e8= Andrijevic, M (2365)-Ulibin,
M (2538), Paracin SRB 2011. ]
[ Yet another Ulibin game from this month:
6.g5 dxc4 ( I'd prefer ...0-0, since 6...0-0
7.c5 e7 really doesn't look very good for
White ) 7.xc4 0-0 8.0-0 h6 9.h4 c6
10.c3 g4 11.h3 xf3 ( 11...h5? 12.g4
g6 13.d5 ) 12.xf3 g5! 13.e4!? xe4
14.xe4 g7 ( 14...gxh4?? 15.g6+ h8
16.xh6+ g8 17.d3 f5 18.c4+ f7
19.g6+ ) 15.d5 f5 16.c2 d4! 17.d3
f6 18.ad1 c5 ( 18...b5! forces 19.g3
bxc4 20.xd4 xd4 21.xd4 f4 22.h2
ab8 with an obvious advantage) 19.g3 f4
20.h2 a5 21.h1 ae8 22.g3!? f3 23.g4
e7 24.de1 e2 Perman, E (2149) -
Ulibin, M (2538), Biel SUI 2011. ]
6...e7 7.d3 b6! 8.cxb6
[ 8.b4? a5 9.cxb6 axb4 ( 9...xb4+
10.d2 cxb6 11.0-0 ) 10.bxc7 xc7 ]
8...axb6 9.0-0 0-0 10.g5
[ 10.c3= ]
10...c5
[ 10...a6 11.c3 xd3 12.xd3
only gives White a nice lead in
development. ]
11.b3? This ends up hurting White because
the dark squares on the queenside are
weakened.
[ 11.c3 c6!? ( 11...b7= ) 12.dxc5
( 12.b5 b7 13.dxc5 bxc5 14.xf6 xf6
15.xd5 b6! ) 12...bxc5 13.xf6 xf6
14.xd5 xb2 15.b1 d4 ]
11...h6 12.h4 g5
[ 12...c6 is also good ]
13.g3 e4! 14.xb8!? It's hard to find a
good move. Zatonskih, a brilliant French
player, seems to have fallen into the typically
negative mode that White often does in the
Exchange Variation.
[ The long diagonal attack with ...Bf6 hurts
White in several variations: 14.e1 xg3
15.hxg3 c6 16.c3 f6 ]
[ 14.e5 cxd4 15.h5 g7 ]
[ 14.bd2 xg3 15.hxg3 c6 16.dxc5
bxc5 17.e1 b4 and ...Bf6 ]
14...xb8 15.c2 f5
[ or 15...f6 ]
16.c3 b7 17.dxc5 f6!?
[ Or 17...xc5 ]
18.c6 xc6 19.xe4 fxe4 20.ad1 xc3
21.xc3 b5 22.fe1? Desperate. White
could still try
[ 22.e5 exf3 23.xd5 xf1!? ( 23...d7
24.d4 f7 25.d6 e7 26.xh6 g7
27.gxf3 ) 24.e6+ f7 25.g6+ g7
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
26.e6+ h7 27.f5+ h8 28.xd8+
xd8 29.xf3 ( 29.f6 d1! and there's
no perpetual. ) 29...a6 30.h4 ]
22...exf3 23.e6 d7 24.e5 be8
25.g6+ h7 26.d6 xd6 27.xd6 e2
28.1xd5 c8 29.d7+ g8 30.h4 c1+
31.h2 fxg2
0-1
143 C02
Aagaard,Jacob 2370
McDonald,Neil R 2500
FSGM Aug Budapeste (13) 1996
[Neil McDonald]
This game was played in the first round of the
tournament. The day before, Jacob Aagaard
had had his computer confiscated by customs
at Budapest Airport, and his only credit card
had been eaten by a Hungarian cash machine.
In his state of mind it's not surprising that
beating him was like taking candy from a child.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.f3 cxd4
5.d3 c6 6.0-0 f6! 7.f4
[ It would be inconsistent to try to regain the
pawn at once. In Hmadi-McDonald,
Budapest 1996, Black gained a clear
advantage after 7.b5?! d7 8.xc6 bxc6
9.xd4 c5 10.h4 f5! 11.g5 e7
12.c3 h6! 13.f4 f7 14.xe7 xe7
15.h4 0-0 16.ab1 ab8 17.a3 a5
18.fe1 c6 19.e2 d4 due to his strong
centre, powerful bishop and pressure along
the b file. ]
7...fxe5 8.xe5 f6 9.d2 d6 10.e2
0-0 11.df3 c7 12.ae1?
[ This is too routine. White had to play
12.g3 first to remove the bishop from the
d a n ge r o n t h e f f i le . T h e n h is o p e n in g
scheme could still prove a success. ]
12...e4! 13.xc6?
[ This leads to disaster, but even after the
correct sequence 13.xe4 xf4 14.d3
xe5 15.xe5 xe5 16.xe5 xe5
17.xe5 d7 White remains a pawn down. ]
13...xf4 14.cxd4 e5! The black centre
breaks free from all restraint and quite
overwhelms W hite's pieces. 15.b3 g4
16.h1
[ Instead 16.xe4 dxe4 17.xe4 xf3
18.gxf3 e7! planning 19...Qh4 gives Black
a winning attack. ]
16...g5! This is a gruesome final position.
There is no answer to the threat of 17...e4.
0-1
144 C02
Abrahamian,Tatev 2326
Zatonskih,Anna 2499
ch-USA KO Women (2.5) (2.5) 28.04.2011
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.b2 d7 10.g4 fe7 11.c3 a5
12.c2 c4 13.xc4 dxc4 14.d2 c6
15.ce4 c3 16.xc3 In the previous game
we saw 16 Bxc3?!. d5
[ 16...g6 similarly eyes f4, and also h4, but
isn't as centralizing. Probably it's a wash. ]
17.b3 On most other moves, ...Qc2 and/or ...
Nf4 is a problem.
[ 17.xc6 xc6 provides obvious
compensation, when a plausible line is
18.g1 f4 19.g3 e7 20.c1 d8
and White lacks a plan, e.g., 21.h4!? g6!
( 21...xh4 22.f3 g6 23.d5! xd5
24.d6+ xd6 25.exd6 xf3 26.xf3 )]
17...c8 18.0-0 c2 The safe move. Black
could also try the ambitious
[ 18...b5 , e.g., 19.fc1 xc1+ 20.xc1
e2 21.f3 xf3 22.xf3 e7 ( 22...h5
23.g5 h4 ) 23.fd2 ( 23.h4 0-0 24.g5
c6 ) 23...h5 24.g5 h4 25.c4 h5
26.cd6+?! xd6 27.xd6+ ( 27.exd6 f5
28.gxf6 gxf6 ) 27...e7= with comp for the
pawn 28.e4 c6 ]
19.ac1 xb3 20.xc8+ xc8 21.xb3 b6
22.bd2 a6 23.c1 d7 An instructive
position. Black has no threats, but White can't
u n d e r t a k e m u c h wit h o u t u n l e a s h in g t h e
bishops and knights. 24.c4!? f6
[ Or 24...h5 25.g5 f4 26.c2 b5!
27.cd6 d3! 28.d2 xd6 ( 28...e7
29.f3 xe4 30.xe4 h4 a n d . . . R h 5)
29.xd6 h4= ]
25.exf6 gxf6 26.e3! e7?!
A tough decision, and not bad but ceding f5 is
a little risky. Probably
[ 26...xe3 27.fxe3 e7 was easier,
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

because the liquidation by 28.d5 g8 xd4! ) 13...g6 ( 13...c4!? 14.xc4

29.dxe6+ xe6 30.c6+ d5 31.xf6+ dxc4 15.ce4 d5 with the idea 16.xc4
xf6 32.xf6 xg4+ 33.f2 d3 xc4 17.xc4 is a known exchange
should draw without many problems. ] sacrifice where Black's far superior pieces
27.xd5 exd5 28.g3 d6 29.h5 f8 may provide compensation, but that's not
[ 29...f5 30.gxf5 g8+ 31.h1 f8 ] guaranteed and of course W hite has
30.e1 options ) 14.h4 ( 14.g5 is S Collins-Filippov
[ 30.f4! ] in the Archives) 14...e7 15.g5!? h6
30...d3! The bishops coordinate nicely and was discussed in Grischuk (2712)-Radjabov,
compensate for the pawn less. 31.c1 g6 T (2624), Wijk aan Zee 2003. ]
32.h6 f7 33.f4 Allowing opposite- [ 12.a4 c6 13.c5 c4 14.b3 g6
coloured bishops. xf4 was played this month in Pokazanjev (2423)
[ 33...e4 would be the way to avoid a draw, -Vysochin (2526), Olginka here instead of
and about equal. ] 15Nd2? Bxc5 16 bxc5 b6!, W hite should
34.xf4 f8 35.g2 e8 36.e3 c8 have played 15.xd7 xd7 16.xc4 dxc4
37.h6 17.xc4 , with at least a pawn to
[ 37.g3 c3 38.a1 c6 ] compensate for Black's play with e7 ( or
37...c3 38.f3 17...f4 18.c1 c8 19.b3 d5 )]
[ 38.e3 xe3 is dead drawn. ] 12...c4 13.xc4 dxc4 14.d2 c6
38...xa3 39.g7 f5 40.g3 fxg4 41.xg4 15.ce4 c3! A brilliant innovation (I think it is
a2 The rest is routine. Abrahamyan had to new, although you never know).
win, which explains her continuing to play. [ Perhaps 15...c8!? is also satisfactory:
42.h4 g2+ 43.f4 d3 44.f6 e2 16.xc4 ( 16.xc4 b6 is a reasonable
45.d1 g6 46.a1 e6 47.e5 b2 option, with what seems enough
48.xa7 xb4 49.g5 b2 50.h5 g2+ compensation for the pawn, although that
51.h6 d3 52.b7 b2 53.b8 b1 should be investigated. I was slightly more
54.f8 b5 55.f4 f1 56.f6+ e7 57.b6 pessimistic in an earlier update) 16...b5
h1 58.g5 g1+ 59.h4 h1+ 60.g5 17.e3 xc2 18.xc2 b6 similarly gives
g1+ 61.h6 h1 62.d6+ f7 63.c5 compensation in the form of Black's two
g6 64.g5 xh5+ 65.g4 h1 66.xb5 bishops and light-square control, combined
e4 67.b7+ g6 68.b6+ f7 69.d6 with White's bad bishop on b2. ]
g1+ 70.h4 h1+ 71.g3 g1+ 72.f2 [ 15...b5? 16.d6+ d8 17.xf7+ c7
b1 73.a6 b3 74.e5 f3+ 75.e2 e7 18.0-0! was already decisively better for
76.f6 d7 77.d6 e8 78.e5 White in the Archives game Brandenburg-
½-½ Werle. ]
16.xc3?!
[ For 16.xc3 , see the second game
145 C02 between these players. I'd normally place it
Abrahamian,Tatev 2326 here, but the middle- and endgame are
Zatonskih,Anna 2499 worth considering separately. ]
ch-USA KO Women (2.3) 28.04.2011 [ The main point is that 16.d6+ d8
[John Watson] 17.xf7+ e8 18.d6+ d8 19.0-0 cxd2
20.xc6?! ( 20.f7+ e8= ) 20...xc6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 21.f7+ e8 22.xh8 f3!
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 favours Black ]
9.b2 d7 10.g4 fe7 The main move. 16...d5 17.0-0
[ 10...h6 is seen in this month's game [ 17.b3 c8 18.c1 ( 18.b2 c2= )
Makarkin-Ar Petrov. ] 18...f4! wins material, since d3 can't be
11.c3 a5 12.c2 covered except by 19.b1?? a6 ]
[ 12.d2 c8 13.c1 ( see I Schneider- 17...h5?!
N a k a m u r a , S a n D i e g o 2 0 0 6 f o r 13.c2 [ Here Black had a chance to keep the

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
p r e s s u r e o n b y 17...f5! 18.exf6
19.c5 b6 20.xd7 xd7! 21.ac1 c8
and again White's light squares are a real
p r o b l e m , e . g . , 22.e4 h6!
23.gxf5 exf5 24.g3 xc3 25.xf5+
e6 ) 23.f4 xf4 24.xf6+ d8 25.xd5
xc1 ]
18.g5 c8 19.ac1
[ 19.d3! looks somewhat better for White,
b a s e d m a i n l y u p o n xc3
20.fc1 0-0 21.b2 b5 22.f3! ) 20.fc1
e2+ 21.xe2 xc1+ 22.xc1 xc1+
23.g2 e7 ( 23...h4 24.d5! h3+ 25.f3
e7 26.b3; 23...c6 24.b3 c3
25.a5+- ) 24.d5! exd5 25.d6+ f8
26.f3 ]
19...f4 20.h1?!
[ 20.fe1 b5 ]
20...e2 21.d3 xc1 22.xc1 e7 23.f3
d5 Black has a material edge and good
position. 24.g1 g6?
[ 24...b5 25.e3 b6 ]
25.e3
[ 25.d6+! xd6 26.exd6 f8 27.e4
is unclear ]
25...a2?
[ 25...a4! ]
26.d5! xd5 27.d6+ f8
[ 27...xd6 28.exd6 g8 29.e4 f8
30.f6 ]
28.xc8 xc8 29.e4 d7 30.d6
[ 30.f6 xf6 31.exf6 c6 32.f1= ]
30...c6 31.f1 g7 32.f2?!
[ 32.d4= ]
32...b3! 33.f4
[ 33.d4 ]
33...f8 34.d4? b6?
[ Missing 34...xg5! 35.xg5
36.xf3 xf3+ ]
35.g2 xa3 36.c2? xg5! 37.g3 h4
38.g4 d5 39.b5 d3 40.f2 e7
Opting for safety at time control. The rest
goes fairly naturally: 41.h3 a6!? 42.bxa6
xa6 43.f4 d3 44.e3 g5 45.d4
xd4 46.xd4 b8 47.b2 g6 48.xb6
xb6 49.xb6 f5 50.f2 c6 51.e3 d5
52.d4 d8 53.e8 a5 54.f6 c6
55.b2 d2 56.d4 f4 57.b2 g3+
58.e2 b5+ 59.e3 f1 60.d4 xh3
61.e2
0-1
gxf6 146 C02
Acs,Peter 2538
Hausner,Ivan 2460
( 22...f5 TCh-AUT 2009-10 (9) 28.03.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
d7 This is still a popular way to meet the
Advance Variation, appealing for those who
( 19...e7 like to simplify and clarify the position. It is
one of McDonald's recommendations in his
How to Play Against 1 e4. 6.a3 6 Be2 and 6
Nbd2 are also played.
[ 6.d3 has done well in the Archives
following cxd4 ( many games have seen
6...b5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.b4 ) 7.xd4
(Sveshnikov ignores this line) , although
after ( 7.cxd4 b5 8.0-0 xd3 9.xd3
a6! 10.b3 c6 11.c3 b4 12.a4
, and while McDonald claims that 12...Bxc3
is forced to prevent 13 Nb5, it is pointed out
in the Forum that simply ge7 13.b5
b6! is fine for Black )
A) 7...c5 8.0-0 ( 8.g4 e7
is probably okay for Black) 8...xd4!?
( 8...e7 9.b3 ) 9.cxd4 xd4 10.c3
is a promising form of Milner-Barry Gambit
f o r W h it e in vie w o f t h e we a k n e s s o f
Black's dark squares;
B) 7...c6 ( t h e o l d e r m o v e ) 8.xc6
, the main line in ECO C (5th edition) and
Co llin 's Fre n ch A d va n ce b o o k is bxc6
and I'm not sure where that stands
theoretically, for example, (I've
a b b r e vi a t e d t h e c o v e r a g e f r o m b o t h
sources), ( in the Archives we see only the
move 8...xc6 ) 9.0-0
xf3+ B1) 9...f5 is an important option:
10.d2 ( 10.c4 e7 11.c3 g6
12.e3 d4 13.a4 a5 14.d2 xe5
15.e1 f6 16.c5 e7 17.b3
Shabalov-Akobian, Stratton Mountain
2003 and Black could play 0-0 18.c4
ab8! 19.xe6+ xe6 20.xe6+
xe6 21.xe6 f6 with a small edge)
10...e7 11.f3 c5 unclear, Shabalov -
Akobian, Denver 2003;
B2) 9...e7 10.d2 g6 11.f3 e7
12.e1 ( 12.e2 c5! 13.c4 dxc4
14.e4! c6 15.xc4 0-0= Potkin -
Lastin, Silivri 2003) 12...0-0 13.g5
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xg5 14.xg5 xb2 15.xg6 fxg6
16.d4 a3 17.e3 fc8 18.c5
xc5 19.xc5= - Ehlvest, cited in ECO
C. ]
6...b5
[ a) Valet, R (2074)-Stewart, N (2327), Bad
W o e r i s h o f e n G E R 2 0 1 0 s a w 6...cxd4
7.cxd4 b5 8.xb5+ xb5 9.c3 a6
, a position that has arisen repeatedly, for
example, 10.b4 : ( the game went
10.a4+!? xa4 11.xa4 , and either 11...
Ne7 or c6 12.b4 ge7 is fine ) 10...d7
( 10...xb4?! 11.axb4 xa1 12.b5 )
A) 11.d2 is the normal move, probably
slightly better for W hite. Then Motylev-
Anastsian, Dubai 2005 is cited by
Sveshnikov:
A1) M c D o n a l d p r o p o s e s 11...d3
, when he says that 12.e2 ( 12.e2!?
seems to yield a small edge) 12...xe2+
13.xe2 a6 followed by ...Ne7-c6 is all
right but 13...Nb6 and ...Kd7 may be
better.;
A2) 11...e7 12.a4 b6 (forced)
13.0-0 a6 14.a5 d8 15.b5 axb5
, and here 16.b3 c6 17.xb5 c8
18.fc1 is strong;
B) 11.a4!? b6! . This aims at c4, and
12.c5 xc5 13.dxc5 ( 13.bxc5 c4
14.0-0 e7 ) 13...d7 or 13.. .Nc4 seems
to favour Black, if anyone. White's bishop
is worse than Black's knights ]
[ b) 6...a5 is the subject of some fighting
games in the Archives. It seems to be in
good standing. One of the most dynamic
tries is 7.d3 :
A) 7...b5 8.xb5+ xb5 9.a4! b6!?
( 9...d7 10.0-0 c6 of Degraeve- 7...xc4
Eingorn, Cappelle la Grande 2000 looks
better ) 10.0-0 c6 11.a3 cxd4 12.b5
dxc3 13.bxc3 h6 14.b1 d8
Minasian-Galstian, Erevan 2005 I think
White retains a moderate advantage after
15.f4!;
B) 7...c6!? 8.0-0 cxd4 ( 8...a4
h a s b e e n p l a y e d , w h e n I t h i n k 9.c2
poses the most problems) 9.cxd4 xd4
10.xd4 xd4 11.c3 is an improved
version of the Milner-Barry Gambit for
White. ]
7.c4!?
[ Sveshnikov prefers 7.b4 , when theory
considers Black's play to be satisfactory.
Relying on Sam Collins outline, I'll
summarize just a part of older theory: cxd4
8.xb5+ xb5 9.cxd4 d7 ( 9...e7
10.c3 c4!? ) 10.c3 c6 ( 10...c4 )
11.a4!
A) Sveshnikov-Grosar, Slovenian Team
C h . 2 0 0 3 s a w 11...a5 12.d2 axb4
13.axb4 a6 14.b5!? ( 14.c3 )
14...xb5 15.c3 xa1 16.xb5 xd1+
17.xd1 , and here b6! 18.e2 c4
19.a1 d7 20.a8 e7 may hold, but
in general White has the initiative in this
line;
B) 11...e7 12.e3 b6 13.xb6 xb6
14.0-0 c6 ( 14...f5 15.c1 d8
16.a4+ d7 17.a5 e7 18.c7 b6
19.xd7 bxa5 20.b7 axb4 21.axb4 0-0
22.g4 xe3 was drawn in M Carlsen-
Rustemov, Moscow 2004) 15.e1 e7
16.g4 (Collins is quite enamoured of
W h it e 's po sit io n , b ut I d on 't th ink it 's
anything special) g6 17.d3
B1) 17...a5! w i t h t h e i d e a 18.c5
( 18.bxa5 xa5 19.fb1 a6 )
18...axb4 19.axb4 xa1 20.xa1 xb4
21.a8+ d8;
B2) 17...0-0?! 18.c5 c7?!
( 18...fc8 ) 19.ac1 fc8 20.h4!? b6
21.d3 d7 ( 21...h5! ) 22.h5 f8
23.f4 g7 24.h6! xh6 25.h5 g7
26.xg7 xg7 27.h4 g8 28.g5
f5? ( 28...h5! ) 29.exf6 d8 30.h6
c4 31.xc4 dxc4 32.d5! a5 33.e1
a7 34.f7+ 1-0 Grischuk-M Gurevich,
French Team Championships 2003. ]
[ 7...dxc4 led to the wild sequence 8.c3
( 8.d5 exd5 9.xd5 e7 10.e4 c6!
11.c3 xe4+ 12.xe4 g6 13.c3
c6 14.e6 fxe6 15.xc4 xf3 16.gxf3
c6 is equal, Ehlvest - Rustemov, Tallinn
(rapid) 2001.) 8...c6 ( 8...cxd4 9.xb5
xb5 10.xd4 has favoured White in a
couple of games) 9.d5 0-0-0!? 10.d6 f6
11.b4!! xe5 12.xe5 fxe5 13.bxc5 xc5
14.e3 c6 15.xb5 xb5 16.xc4!
in Lambert, A - Epiney, F, corr 2002. ]
8.xc4 dxc4 9.d5
[ 9.bd2 is a well-known option, also
123
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

unclear. ] 147 C02

9...e7!? Acs,Peter 2215
[ White seems slightly better after 9...exd5 Williams,Simon Kim 2185
10.xd5 e7 11.xc4 a6 12.xa6 ( or Budapest FS07 IM (10) 1994
12.bd2!?; 12.e4 bc6 ) 12...xa6 [Neil McDonald]
13.c3 c7 14.e3!? ( 14.0-0 ) 14...f5
15.0-0-0 ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
[ 9...b3 has also been played and results b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
in equality. ] 9.e3 f6 After this White can more or less
10.dxe6 xe6 11.c3 d7!? force a draw if he wishes.
[ 11...bc6?? 12.b5 d5 13.xd5 ] [ A n i n t e r e s t i n g a l t e r n a t i v e i s 9...xe3
[ 11...ec6!? with the idea ...Nd7 appears 10.fxe3 g6 11.d3 h6 ( more natural is
satisfactory, since 12.b5 a6 achieves 11...g7 ) 12.e2 0-0 13.0-0 f6
nothing. ] and Black achieved counterplay in Berg
12.g5!? Jensen-Potkin, Eu-ch U:18 2000. OK, this
[ 12.0-0 can lead almost anywhere, e.g., was only a junior game but Black's rating
g6 13.d2!? c6 14.xc4 0-0-0 was a not so junior 2420! ]
15.xd7+ xd7 16.f4 d4 17.b3 d3 [ The standard developing move would be
18.e4 b8 ] 9...d7 for example 10.d3 c8 11.0-0
12...h6 e7 12.bd2 d8 13.b3 b5 14.c5
[ 12...g6 ] xd3 15.xd3 xc5 16.bxc5 c7
13.xe7 xe7 14.e2 e6?! With balanced chances- White has achieved
[ 14...c6 15.xc4 0-0-0 with the idea a superior pawn structure after getting his
16.xf7 hf8 17.xg7 xf3! ] knight to c5 while Black has got rid of his
15.d1 bad bishop. 17.g4 e7 18.d2 h5 19.h3
[ 15.b5! a6 16.0-0 0-0 17.ac1 ] hxg4 20.hxg4 f5 21.f3 dc6 22.f2 d7
15...0-0?! with an unclear position in Langner-Neverov,
[ Black loses this game, but he stands fine at Odessa 1990. Black eventually won
this point, for example, 15...c6! 16.b5 because he was the stronger player. ]
c8 17.d6+ xd6 18.xd6 e7 ] 10.b5
16.d5 d8 17.0-0 c6 18.e4 e8 [ The alternative 10.d3 is analysed in Otero-
[ 18...a5 ] Nogueiras, with a suggested line based on
19.f4 c8!? the game Hurley-Clarke xe3 11.fxe3 fxe5
[ 19...e7 20.d5 e6 ] 12.b5 xd4! 13.exd4 e4 14.xe4! dxe4
20.fe1 f6 21.d5 d8? 22.xc4 e7 15.e5 g6 16.0-0 g7 17.h1 xe5
23.ed1 18.dxe5 xb5 19.c3 xe5 20.b3
[ 23.g6! ] Now subscriber Paul Cumbers has analysed
23...e6 24.d7 b5 25.e4 xf4 26.xf4 this position and considers that 'Black can
c6?? 27.1d6! c8 28.e6 fxe6 29.e5 w a l k t h e t i g h t r o p e t o s a f e t y ' e . g . b6
f6 30.g4 f8 31.xh6+ gxh6 32.g4+ 21.ad1 b7 22.b5 ( 22.a4+ b5
g5 33.xe6+ 23.xb5 c6 ) 22...d8 23.xd8+ xd8
1-0 24.xa7 c5 ( 24...d6 25.c8!?
exploits a possible check on c3 or pin on d1
if the knight is taken.) 25.xe6 c7 26.f6
e8 27.f4+ e5 28.c1+ b8 29.c6+
xc6 30.xc6 e6 and Black has survived
a pawn up. Hair raising stuff but the onus is
on White to find an improvement- after all
Black begins the line three pawns up- that's
worse than ]
[ 10.exf6 ]

124
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
10...xe5! Theoretically speaking this
deserves an exclamation mark as it forces a
draw and so demonstrates that Black has
neutralised White's opening initiative. On the
other hand in the real world we often don't
want a draw even with Black.
[ One way to keep the tension was 10...a5
though White then has a definite edge after
11.bd2 which makes sure the knight
remains shut out of the game on a5. So if
Black wants to play to win he should play
one of the alternatives to 9...f6 given above.
One final curiosity is the game Rybak- rated
2174- against GM Vysochin [2494] in a
game in Poland in 2000. Rybak played 10
exf6, but I wonder what would have
happened if he had played 10 b5- would the
GM have given him a draw? ]
11.dxe5 xe3 12.fxe3 xe3+ 13.e2
c1+ 14.d1 e3+
[ Instead 14...b2 has been suggested as a
winning attempt by Paul Cumbers, who
gives the following analysis: 15.bd2 fxe5
16.b1 xa3 ( if 16...c3 17.b3 c7
18.b6 axb6 19.b5+ d7 20.xd7+ xd7
21.c4! looks unpleasant f or Black.)
17.xe5 e3+ 18.e2 xe2+ ( I think
18...c5 might be better, not developing
White's bishop for him, though I still prefer
W h i t e - N . M .) 19.xe2 d6 20.df3
and Paul conclude s it may be difficult for
Black to activate his position. I think
White's bind on the e5 square and the bad
bishop on c8 will make it hard for Black to
escape from this alive. ]
15.e2? It was too late to dream of winning.
He had to play
[ 15.e2 with a draw by repetition. A lot of
games have finished this way among top
players. ]
15...c5 16.f1
[ If 16.d2 f2+ 17.d1 xg2 18.f1 0-0
looks very pleasant for Black but would have
been White's best try. ]
16...fxe5 Now Black has an invincible centre
and a strong dark squared bishop for the
piece. it is no wonder that W hite is soon
overwhelmed by a deluge of pawns. 17.d2
e4 18.xe3 xe3 19.fd2 e5 20.c3 e6
21.0-0-0 e7 22.b2 d4 23.c1 hc8
24.db1 White is gradually pushed back. He
has no answer to the passed pawns. c5
25.h3 ac8 26.g4 e3 27.c2 xg4
28.hxg4 e6 29.e1 f4 30.ce2 e3
31.a4 d4 Personally I would have made one
more preparatory move with
[ 31...c4 when if 32.b3 d4 33.e4 d5
wins very cleanly. ]
32.e4 c4 33.g3 d3! This is when chess is
fun. 34.xe3 xe3 35.xe3 c2+ 36.b3
e2 37.g5+ f6 38.xe2 dxe2 39.f3
c1 A very vigorous game by a future IM.
0-1
148 C02
Adams,Michael 2732
Levitt,Jonathan 2431
4th Staunton Mem (10) 24.08.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
b6 6.e2 h6
[ The other Nh6 line runs 6...cxd4 7.cxd4
h6 8.c3 etc. as seen in Minasian-
Petrosian and Nunn-Schmittdiel on
ChessPub. Note in that case that if ( 8.xh6
Black can get away with xb2! )]
7.xh6 White takes the opportunity to wreck
his opponent's kingside before he has the
chance to play . ..Nf5. gxh6
[ It is curious that Black has achieved some
successes with 7...xb2? despite the fact
that it loses! 8.e3! xa1 9.c2 cxd4 ( or
9...d7 10.0-0! when the black queen is
doomed. ) 10.xd4 xd4 ( or 10...xe5
11.b3 ) 11.xd4 a3 12.b5+ ( but not
12.0-0? b2 13.a4+ d7 14.xa3
xe2 ) 12...f8 13.0-0 b2 14.c5+! g8
15.xa3 xc2 16.xc2 and White should
win the endgame. ]
8.d2 g7 9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 d7 11.c2
cxd4 12.cxd4 f6 Black's only logical plan is
to eliminate the e5 pawn. As a consequence,
White's space advantage is lessened and the
scope of Black's dark square bishop increased
as it can add to the pressure on d4. The semi
o p e n f f il e is a b o n u s f o r B l a c k' s r o o k s .
13.exf6 xf6 14.b4 a6
[ According to ChessPub, White keeps the
edge after 14...af8 15.b5 e7 16.e5
e8 17.g3! as in Topalov-Bareev.
125
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Nonetheless, ] 35.g2 xc6+ 36.f3

[ 14...e8 15.b5 d8 is worth a try for 1-0
which see Fernando-Gdanski. ]
15.a4 xf3? I have a lot of sympathy for this
'French Tarrasch' sacrifice which dismantles 149 C02
the white centre and leaves Black looking Adams,Michael 2682
strong on the dark squares. However, as a Polzin,Rainer 2491
rule of thumb, if this type of offer is going to Bundesliga 2009-10 (8) 06.02.2010
succeed it needs to inflict some sort of [John Watson]
damage on the white kingside- for example, if
W hite had to play 16. gxf3? now then the 1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.e5 c6 5.f3
sacrifice would be 100% correct. d7 6.e2 c8 I'm not impressed by this
[ Not that the alternatives are particularly move order. In general, it seems to me that ...
attractive for Black. Thus he was gradually Rc8 works best when W hite has weakened
ground down after 15...ff8 16.a3! e8 his queenside light squares by a3 and perhaps
17.e1 e7 18.a5 d6 19.e5! g6 ( If b4. 7.0-0 cxd4
19...xe5 20.dxe5 xe5 21.g4 [ 7...ge7 8.dxc5 g6 9.e3 cxe5
and 22.Bxe6+.) 20.g3 h8 21.d3 f4 10.xe5 xe5 11.b4 has the idea f4,
( or 21...xe5 22.dxe5 xe5 23.xh6 f7 perhaps after Nd2, or even 11.f4, gives
24.h3 and 25.Bxh7 is a winning threat.) White attacking chances. But 7...cxd4 has
22.f3 xd3 23.xf8+ xf8 24.xd3 the drawback of opening up the c3 square
intending 25.Nc5 etc. to win the e6 or b7 for White's knight. ]
pawn. g6 25.xe6 f5 26.e3 8.cxd4 ge7 This standard positioning of the
and White managed to consolidate his extra knight raises the question of why ...Rc8 had to
pawn and win in McShane, L-Gdanski, J/ 4th b e in c lu d e d so e a r ly o n . P e rh a p s B l a c k
IECC, Istanbul TUR 2003. ] wanted to discourage a3 and b4, but that
16.a5! a7 17.xf3 xd4 18.a3! wasn't really a problem after 6 Be2. 9.a3!?
Adams has no desire to exchange queens, as [ 9.c3! takes advantage of Black's ...cxd4.
in that case the e6 pawn could be defended Then, f or example, f5 10.g5 b6
as necessary with Kf 7, etc. Theref ore he 11.a4 a5 12.c1 solidifies White's
won't allow the black queen to become active centre. The problem with 9.a3 is that it
on d4 as occurs after exposes those light squares I referred to. ]
[ 18.xd4 xd4 ] 9...f5 10.b4 b6 Now we're back to a
18...c8 19.xd4 xd4 20.d3! normal-looking position. 11.b2
The trouble with making an exchange [ 11.e3 e7 makes White's development
sacrifice against Michael Adams is that he is slightly awkward. Best play may be 12.d3
an expert at restraining counterplay. A lesser , b u t e i t h e r 1 2 . . . f 6 o r t h e w i l d e r g5!?
player might have allowed the black centre put pressure on White's centre. ]
pawns to advance, but the W orld No. 9 is 11...h5
having none of it. f6 21.e1 c6? [ Black has in mind that 11...e7 12.d3
[ Black would drop the e6-pawn after cxd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.g4! attacks g7
21...b5? 22.xe6! as if xe6? 23.xd5 and d4, so he stops Qg4. ]
However, the game move also loses the 12.h1 e7
pawn, so Black should investigate ] [ 12...a5 can be answered by 13.bd2 ]
[ 21...g5!? 22.d1!? ] 13.c3 Black was ready for ...g5-g4. g5?!
22.de3 e8 23.h5! Beginning an [ But now 13...a5! looks quite promising,
unexpected tactical sequence e7 24.f3 because White's light squares are weak, for
h4 25.xe6! xe6 26.f7+ h8 27.xe6 example, 14.a4! ( 14.b1 c4 15.xc4
d4 28.f4 The rest is child's play for Adams. xc4 ) 14...c6 ( 14...xa4 15.xa4+ c6
g5 29.g3 e5 30.c4 h5 31.e2 d6 looks playable) 15.c1 ( 15.c5 c4
32.b5 axb5 33.xb5 c5 34.xc6 c1+ 16.c3 b6 ) 15...c4 16.xc4 dxc4

126
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
17.c3 0-0 wit h the ide a 18.d5 exd5
19.xd5 fd8 20.xe7+ xe7 and Black
has the better minor pieces, for example,
21.d4 ( 21.e2 g4 ) 21...g6 22.h3
f5 23.c2 xd4 24.xg6 fxg6 25.xd4
xh3 ]
14.a4 d8 15.c5 g4 16.e1 xc5
This is not what Black wanted when he played
...h5 and ...g5.
[ 16...b6 17.xd7 xd7 looks better,
a lt h o u g h W h it e 's ce n t re is se c u re a n d
Black's prospects are reduced. ]
17.dxc5 ce7?!
[ 17...g5 keeps Black a bit more active, but
White has bishops and no serious defensive
problems. ]
18.a4!? A clever decision. White gains the
dark squares for a pawn, and ties up Black's
pieces (especially his light-squared bishop),
but this is unnecessary, since he is clearly
better following
[ 18.c1! g6 19.d2 , or other slow
moves. ]
18...a5 19.b5 xc5 20.c2! b6 Over the
next few moves, Black should play ...Rc8 and
...Rg8, covering squares and contemplating
kingside action if W hite commits too many
forces to the other side. 21.d4 c8?!
[ 21...g8 has the idea 22.d3 ( 22.d2
h4 ) 22...h4 ]
22.d3 xd4? Collapse. Instead,
[ 22...b7 was called for, but White can
build up slowly. ]
23.xd4 c4 24.xc4 dxc4 25.b2?!
Adams seems a little off this game, although
eve n a n o f f pe rf o rma n ce by h im is go o d
enough to beat most players. Here
[ 25.e3! will soon win a pawn. White goes
on to convert anyway, but it's much more
difficult I'll skip the details. ]
25...b7 26.xd8+ xd8 27.ac1 d5
28.fd1 c7 29.g1 f5 30.a3 b7
31.c3 c8 32.g3 h4 33.c1 h8 34.g5
h3 35.f1 c8 36.e1 g8 37.f6 b8
38.d2 b7 39.d1 b8 40.c1 b7
41.b2 c8 42.c1 c7 43.c3 d7
44.e1 c7 45.g5 c8 46.ed1 c7
47.f3 gxf3 48.g4 e7 49.xe7 xe7
50.d4 d7 51.f4 d8 52.f6 e7
53.d4 f8? 54.xf3
1-0
150 C02
Afek,Yochanan 2349
McDonald,Neil R 2438
Millennium Masters (4) 14.04.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.a3 c4 7.f4!? This natural developing
move is a speciality of IM Afek. His idea is
that after the usual 7 Nbd2, the bishop ends
up boxed in on c1, so why not develop it
immediately? After the game it was suggested
that 7 Be3 would have saved a tempo.
However, Graham Lee pointed out that Black
doesn't have to follow the game continuation:
7 Be 3 f 6! wo uld lea ve W h ite wish in g h is
bishop was on f4. a5 Black carries out the
standard plan of restraint on the queenside.
8.bd2 c6 9.h4! d7 10.h5 a4
11.c1? A loss of time can be vital even in
fairly blocked positions. Instead
[ 11.b1! would leave White a tempo up on
the game after h6 12.g4 e7 13.e3 c8
14.h4 b6 15.f4 etc. when I imagine that
the move saved must swing the game in
White's favour, though it's all pretty murky. ]
11...h6 12.g4 e7 13.e3 c8 Note that
Black didn't hurry to castle queenside. Instead
he saved a tempo by keeping the c8 square
free for this knight's journey to b6. 14.h4
b6 15.f4 e7 16.b1 b3 17.xb3
cxb3! It's essential for Black to open the c4
square and the diagonal a6-f1, or else he will
just be crushed on the kingside. 18.f5 0-0-0
19.d3 xh4+ A very difficult decision. The
bishop was an excellent defensive piece and
it's exchange means that h6 has the potential
to become fatally weak in an endgame. For
example, White could double rooks on the f
f ile and th en p lay f 6, whe n .. .g7 xf 6 Rxf 6
would win the h6 pawn. However, the white
knight had the potential to be very annoying
af te r f 5 xe 6, whe n .. .f 7xe6 Ng6 wou ld b e
highly unpleasant for Black. So Black
exchanged, hoping that his counterplay on
the queenside would compensate f or his
collapsing kingside. Post mortem analysis
seems to suggest Black already has a
promising position, but this was by no means
obvious during the game. In fact Afek and I
both thought Black was struggling. 20.xh4
127
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
b5 21.h2 xd3 22.xd3 c4 23.f4
b8 24.0-0-0 c8 25.b1 a8 26.f1 b5!
Black's counterattack soon becomes very
da n ge rou s . T he re a so n is t h e e no rmo u s
disparity in strength between the minor pieces.
27.c1 a5 28.fxe6 fxe6 29.hf2 b4
30.cxb4 axb4 31.xb3 bxa3 32.f7 c6
33.1f3 a5!
[ White was hoping for 33...b8? 34.xa3+
xa3+ 35.xa3+ and mates. ]
34.d1
[ Fritz later came up with the super human
defence 34.c3 a6!? 35.e1! a2+
36.xa2! ]
34...axb2 35.xb2 c4 36.d3 xb2
37.d2
[ Or 37.xb2 c1+ 38.b3 b8+ 39.a4
a1+ 40.a3 xd4+ 41.a5 b6+
42.a4 b5# ]
37...a4 38.b3 c4 39.a2 d2+
0-1
151 C02
Afek,Yochanan 2365
Vaganian,Rafael A 2641
TCh-Playoffs (2) 25.05.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
h6 6.xh6 gxh6 7.d3 f6
[ This allows White to get away with the
optimum development of his bishop. The
critical move is 7...b6! when the best reply
f o r W h i t e l o o k s t o b e 8.d2!
( Instead losing a rook is 8.e2?? c4
9.c2 xb2; passive is 8.b3?! c4 9.xb6
axb6 10.c2 b5 and Black already looks
better; 8.0-0? while completely unsound is
t h e g a m b i t l i n e xb2 9.bd2 xc3
10.b5 c4! )
A) Or 8...c4 9.e2 d7 10.c2!
followed by Nd2, 0-0 and then either the
preparation of the f2-f4-f5 advance or
perhaps b2-b3 if Black has castled
queenside.;
B) 8...d7!? this may be Black's best
idea. 9.dxc5 xc5 10.0-0 ( not 10.b4?
xb4! 11.cxb4 xb4 12.c3 d4 )
10...a5! with unclear play, though I suspect
White has the better chances.;
C) 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 d7 10.e2! b4
11.c3 White has played his bishop back
to e2, but don't forget that the black queen
and bishop on b4 are both misplaced.
White definitely has the better of it after
he castles kingside and plays a2-a3. The
verdict seems to be that Black should
have tried 7...Qb6 8 Qd2 and then 8... Bd7
given above. ]
8.0-0 fxe5 9.xe5 xe5 10.dxe5 c4
11.c2
[ Instead 11.h5+ d7 12.c2 g5
( 12...e8?? 13.a4+ ) 13.f7+ e7
14.h5 g5 15.e2 g8 is unclear. ]
11...g5 12.f4 c5+ 13.h1 g7
Black hopes that his useful dark squared
bishop and potential counterplay down the g
file will give him a good game, but White has
other ideas. 14.b4! A great positional move.
White realises he must utilise his pawns both
to clear lines for his own pieces and restrict
the black pieces. cxb3
[ Also m ise ra b le is 14...b6 White has
various direct attacking ideas, but I like the
relatively calm 15.a4+ d7 16.xd7+
xd7 ( 16...xd7 17.a4 hg8 18.a2!
with ideas of f4-f5 or a4-a5 is overwhelming
for White.) 17.a4 ( Not being sidetracked by
t h e win o f a p a wn wit h 17.h5+ f7
18.xh6 when Black has ample
compensation: full development, a strong
bishop, the g f ile t o attack along and a
potential break in the centre with d5-d4.
0-0-0 ) 17...0-0-0 18.a5 c7 19.d2
and White can play Nf3 and Nd4 putting his
knight on an invincible outpost square and
then build up for f4-f5. Black's bishop has
no scope and the doubled h pawns mean he
is virtually a pawn down. ]
[ Finally if 14...e7 15.a4+ would stop
Black from castling. ]
15.axb3 0-0 After the exchange on b3 the
queenside has become inhospitable for the
king, but the kingside will also prove unsafe.
Note however that if it came to an endgame
Black's king is on the correct side of the board
to oppose W hite's plan of creating passed
pawns with f4 and f5. 16.e2 d7 17.b4
b6 18.c4! Another excellent stroke with his
pawns. This clears the third rank for the rook
a n d t h e e 4 s q u a r e f o r h i s k n i g h t . dxc4
128
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

19.a3! h8 20.d2 f7 21.e4 af8 with an unclear position in Gara, A-
22.f6 Suddenly White is threatening to win Andersson, C/Reykjavik ISL 2006. ]
the queen with Rg3. Black therefore has to 9...0-0-0 10.d3 h6! the knight is
give up the exchange. xf6 23.exf6 xf6 developed to an active square where it doesn't
24.xc4 d4 Black seeks salvation in theget in the way of the bishop on f8, as would
endgame as his ragged kingside structure be the case after 10... Nge7. 11.f4 e7!
makes a middlegame unpleasant for him. [ After 11...c4? the pawn on c4 presents a
However, White keeps his nerve and shows target f or W hite's b2-b4 advance, af ter
good technique to force the win. 25.xd4+ which we get to see the sort of attack that
xd4 26.e4 b5 27.d1 xf4 28.xb7 IM Afek is trying for: 12.c2 c5 13.b4
b6 29.b1 f7 30.a6 xa6 31.xa6 e5 cxb3?! 14.axb3 df8 15.g3 f5 16.xf5
32.a2 e4 33.g3 h5 34.g2 h4 35.gxh4 xf5 17.b4 b6 18.a3! threatening to
f4 36.f1 xh4 37.f7 g8 38.e7 f8 invade on b5 and then d6. e7 19.c4 dxc4
39.g3 xh2 40.exa7! xa7 41.xh2 20.xc4 xc4 21.c1 xc1 22.xc1+
b8+ 42.g2 e7 43.d2! Keeping the and W hite won in Afek, Y-Van Rij, G/
king cut of f from the passed b pawn. d6 Vlissingen NED 2006. ]
44.b5 d7 45.f2 h5 46.d5 h4 47.h5 12.a3? This proves too slow.
c7 48.e3 h3 49.xh3 f8 50.xe4 [ A much better try is 12.d2 df8 13.a3
b6 51.b3 c5 52.b6 d6 53.b7 b8 a6 14.c4 d4 15.c2 and now very
54.d3 c6 55.c4 c7 56.b5 attractive for Black is g4! ( rather than the
White puts his king on a6 and then plays Rc5+ far too ambitious exchange sacrifice
and Rc8. A convincing display by White, but 15...xf4? 16.xf4 f8 17.g3
what if 7... Qb6 in the opening? when W hite won in Gara, A-Zielinska, M/
1-0 Szeged HUN 2004.) 16.b4 ( Or 16.h3 g5!
17.g3 xf3 18.gxf3 gxe5 ) 16...g5!
17.xg5 ( If 17.xg5 xf2! ) 17...xf3
152 C02 18.gxf3 ( not 18.xe7 xf2 ) 18...cxe5
Afek,Yochanan 2349 hitting f3 with lots of tactical chances. ]
Williams,Simon Kim 2475 12...c4 13.c2 df8 14.g3 b6 15.a2
Premier Hastings ENG (6) 02.01.2008 [ It is already too late for White to save
[Neil McDonald] himself. For example, 15.b4 cxb3 16.xb3
f5 17.bd2 c5 18.f1 g5 19.b1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 xg3 20.hxg3 c7 and there is no good
d7 6.e2 f6 7.0-0 fxe5 8.dxe5 answer to 21...g4 when e5 drops. ]
More usual, and it seems a better try f or 15...g5 16.b4 cxb3 17.xb3 f5 18.c2
advantage, is [ Also hopeless is 18.a4 h5 when not
[ 8.xe5 as you can see in the archives. ] much can be done about 19...h4. ]
8...c7 9.e1 18...xg3 19.hxg3 g4 20.d4 c5
[ White should challenge the centre with 9.c4 Now the d4 point is doomed to drop, and f2
d4 and now he won't suffer any disaster of not long after... 21.a4 xd4 22.a5 f3+
the kind that occurs in the main game along 23.gxf3 xf2+
the a7-f2 diagonal. And if Black is careless, 0-1
who knows, White might eventually be able
to get in Ne4 and Nd6! One fairly recent
e x a m p l e i s 10.e1 g6!? ( An interesting
alte rna tive to the mo re u sua l 10...0-0-0 )
11.f4 g7 12.bd2 ge7 13.d3 0-0
14.g5 f5 15.e2 ac8 16.a3 h6
17.f4 g5 18.g3 g4 19.h4 xg3
20.hxg3 xe5 21.b1 d8 22.e4 d3
23.xd3 xd3 24.xd3 c6 25.e2 f6

129
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
153 C02
Agdestein,Simen 2590
Bunzmann,Dimitrij 2484
Bundesliga 2000-1 (1) 14.10.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
ge7 6.d3
[ A solid alternative is 6.a3 cxd4 7.cxd4
f5 8.c2 etc- see Movsesian-Lyrberg. ]
6...cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 By delaying Bd7 White
makes sure that if W hite captures on f5 he
can play Be6 'in one go'. 8.xf5
[ Or 8.c2 b6 9.xf5!? White reasons the
black queen is worse on b6 than d8, where
it defended d5 and in some lines after Be7
would help to deter either the space gaining
h2-h4 or W hite's favourable bishop
exchange Bg5. exf5 10.c3 e6 11.0-0
h6 12.a4 etc. with a slight edge to White
in Timman-Andersson, Malmo 2000. ]
8...exf5 9.0-0?!
[ A better approach for W hite was 9.c3
e6 10.h4! h6 11.e2 g6 12.e3 b6
13.0-0 as in Minasian-Gaprindashvili,
Linares 1999. ]
9...e6 10.c3 e7! It's a good idea to stop
h2-h4. 11.e1 0-0 12.f4? This is a poor
idea. White should wait for Black to weaken
himself with g7-g5 before playing this move,
for example
[ 12.e3 g5 ( Or 12...b6 13.d3!
xd4?? 14.a4 ) 13.f4 g4 14.d3 ]
12...f6! 13.e2 fxe5 14.dxe5?!
[ If 14.fxe5 g5!? gives Black the initiative,
but this was a better try for White. ]
14...d4! Now Black has clearly won the
opening battle. His light squared bishop is
free and the passed pawn is strong. 15.d3
d5 16.b3 a5 17.f3 fd8 18.d2 b5
19.h3 a4 20.b1 axb3 21.axb3 g6
22.e1 a3 23.ec1 da8 24.c2 a1
25.xa1 xa1 26.b2 a6 27.b4 b6
28.f3 d5 29.f2 c4 30.b1 d5
31.b2 e4 32.c2 e6 33.b5 a3!
34.h4 White sacrifices material for
counterplay as
[ 34.b1 xc1 35.xc1 xb5 is hopeless. ]
34...xb2 35.xb2 c4 36.c2 xb5
37.b3+ f8 38.a3+ e8 39.a8+ d7
40.g8 e7! This refutes White's attack.
41.c5+ c7 42.xe4
[ W hite might as well resign as if 42.xe7
e1# ]
42...xg8 43.d2 c6 44.cb3 b4
45.f2 d3 46.c5 b2 47.e3 e4
48.cxe4 fxe4 49.xe4 e2 50.c3 d2
0-1
154 C02
Ambartsumova,K 2294
Ulibin,M 2521
29th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (1.51)
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 A simple defence which
appears perfectly reasonable, although White
seems to get a minor positional edge with
accurate play. 7.0-0 f5 A straightforward
plan, attacking d4. 8.dxc5 This introduces the
idea of capture on f5 and control of d4.
[ 8.a3 cxd4 9.cxd4 xa3!? 10.bxa3 b6
11.e3 xe3 12.fxe3 d8 , about equal,
was Shirov-Topalov, Dos Hermanas 1997. ]
[ 8.d3 is the main option, when cxd4
9.xf5 exf5 10.cxd4 and 10 Nxd4 have
been played in numerous game with
equality. ]
8...xc5 9.d3
[ 9.bd2 b6 10.d3 h4 11.xh4 xh4
12.f3 h5 13.e1 was Negi, P (2664)-
S h o r t , N ( 2 6 9 8 ) , I s t a n b u l 2 0 1 2 , wh i c h
continued 0-0-0!? 14.g5 dg8 15.b5
f6?! ( 15...c7 ) 16.xc6 ( or 16.e3! c7
17.d4 ) 16...xc6 17.e3 c7 18.d4
e8 19.e2 ( 19.c1! ) 19...a6 ( 19...g6
20.c4 e4 ) 20.ac1 ( 20.exf6 gxf6
21.xf6 xg2+ 22.xg2 g8+ 23.h1
f8 24.e5! ) 20...b8 21.e3 a8
and here White has a large advantage, e.g.,
22.c4! would have been strong, e.g., dxc4
23.xc4 c6 24.xc6 bxc6 25.d3 b7
26.b3+ a8 27.c4 b7 28.c1
and wins. ]
9...h4
[ 9...fe7 10.bd2 g6 11.b3 b6
wa s t h e a c t u a l o r d e r o f t h e G r i s c h u k -
Ivanchuk game below. ]
10.bd2 g6 11.b3 b6 12.e1 c7!?
[ a) 12...c7 13.bd4 ( 13.e2 0-0
130
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

14.bd4 a6 15.h4!? ) 13...0-0 14.xc6 37.c2+ d7 38.e1 a4 39.d2 c7
bxc6 ( 14...xc6 ) 15.h4 f6 16.xg6 hxg6 40.d3 a6 41.b2 g4!? 42.hxg4 xg4
17.f4 ] 43.e3 a4 44.c5 g5 45.e2 b6
[ b) 12...b8 13.e2 c7 14.xg6 hxg6 46.xb6 a3+ 47.d4 xb6 48.e1
15.h4 h5?! ( 15...0-0 ) 16.g5 xe5 [ 48.b2! intending d5 ( 48...a4+ )
17.xe5 xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 f6 49.d2! ]
20.e3 fxg5 21.hxg5 xg5 22.c5 0-0-0 48...d5 49.b2 a4+ 50.c5??
23.xe6 xe6 24.xe6 d4! 25.cxd4 xd4 [ 50.d3 ]
26.ae1 and White stood better in Grischuk, 50...c7 51.d3 b6 Threatening ...Rc4
A ( 2 7 4 6 ) - I v a n c h u k , V ( 2 7 6 8 ) , K h a n t y- or ...Nd7, both mates. 52.b4
Mansiysk RUS 2011. ] [ 52.c2 d7# ]
13.g5 c8 14.xg6 fxg6 15.c4 [ 52.xb6 a5+ ]
[ 15.c1 prepares c4 without having to 52...xa2 53.d4 c6 54.b3 d5
temporarily lose the c-pawn h6 16.e3 0-0 [ 54...a4+ 55.b4+ b7 ]
( 16...xe5 17.c5! xf3+ 18.xf3 ) 55.c5? d2+ 56.d3 a5 57.e4 a4
17.c4 dxc4 18.xc4 g5! 19.c5 ( 19.c2 58.b8 a3 59.a8 a2 60.f4 d1
e8 20.e4 c8 ) 19...xf3! ( 19...d8 0-1
20.c2 e8 21.h4 ) 20.gxf3 xe5 21.c3
g6 and: b)
A) a) 22.d6 c6 23.xc7 xc7 155 C02
24.d4 d8 25.c2! xd4 26.xg6 f7 Ancheyta,Miguel 2326
27.xe6 xe6 28.xe6 d2 Nogueiras Santiago,Jesus 2557
, but Black has counterchances in view of IX Guillermo Mem Alfil (7) 31.05.2001
29.b3 ( 29.b4! f7 30.e5 d1+ [Neil McDonald]
31.g2 g4 32.xc6 gxf3+ 33.xf3 bxc6
34.a5 d7 35.a6 ) 29...d5 30.e8+ 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
h7 31.be3 xb2; c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
B) 22.d4 e8 23.b3 f4 24.xb7 9.b2 d7 10.g4 fe7 This is the
d5 25.b3 c8 with the idea ...Qh5 or ... alternative to
Bxh2+. Black has sufficient counterplay, e. [ 10...h6 which would leave the knight on a
g., 26.f5 f7 27.d6 f4 28.e4 worse square but force W hite to spend a
c1+ 29.g2 f8 30.c4 b1 ] tempo defending g4. ]
15...dxc4 16.c5 b4!? 11.d3? A poor move as it blocks the defence
[ 16...h6 17.e3 b6 18.xd7 xd7 of d4 by his queen. This means that a future
19.c2 0-0 , about equal ] Nc3 can be answered by Nxd4. Critical is the
17.xd7?! immediate
[ 17.c1! b5 18.a3 d5 19.b3 b6 [ 11.c3! h5 ( Black can also fight for the c4
20.xd7 xd7 21.bxc4 bxc4 22.xc4 s q u a r e w i t h 11...a5 with complex play
0-0= ] after 12.d2 c8 13.c1 g6 14.h4 e7
17...xd7 18.xd7+ xd7 19.e4 b5 15.h5 f4 16.f3 g5 in Grischuk-Kruppa,
20.b3 d5 21.bxc4 bxc4 22.xc4 hb8 RUS Cu p Fin al 20 00 .) 12.g5 g6!?
23.ac1 b2 24.4c2 ab8 25.f1 8b4 ( Instead 12...f5 13.a4 d8 14.d3 h4
26.d2! xc2 27.xc2 a4 28.g3 h6 15.c1 led to an eventual win for White in
29.e1 Shirov-Kramnik, Melody Amber Blind 1997.)
[ 29.h4! with close to equality. ] 13.a4 d8 14.c1 e7 15.g1 0-0
29...g5 30.h3 e4 31.e2 c4 32.b2 b6 16.h4 a5 17.b5 a7 18.b3 c8 19.c3
33.e2 c6 xh4! This seems to free Black from the
[ 33...g4! ] bind, though I imagine that if Shirov had
34.d2 been White he would probably have found a
[ 34.d2! ] way to keep the tension and avoid the quick
34...e4+ 35.d3 a4 36.e2 a3 draw. 20.xh4 xg5 21.d1! xc1

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
22.xh5! e8 23.d3 f5 and a draw was
agreed in Peng Xiaomin-Korchnoi,
G o o d r i c k e 2 0 0 0 , a s 24.exf6! xh5
25.xg7+ h8 26.h7+ g8 27.g7+
forces a draw by repetition. ]
11...h5 12.g5 g6 13.h4
[ Alas for White if 13.c3 xd4 14.xd4
xd4 15.b5 ( Transposing is 15.e4
xb2 16.d6+ ) 15...xb2 16.d6+ d8
17.xf7+
A) If 17...e8 18.d6+ draws, but not
( 18.xh8? xe5+ );
B) 17...c7 18.c1+ ( 18.xh8 xe5+ )
18...xc1+ 19.xc1+ b8 20.xh8 e8!
and Black will pick up the trapped knight
with Bg7 with very good winning chances. ]
13...f5 14.xf5 This looks ugly but the
attack on d4 had to be met. gxf5 15.c3
e7! The knight heads for g6 where it has
influence over the f4 square and is completely
free from any danger of being attacked- this is
wh a t e v e r y k n i g h t d r e a m s a b o u t ! 16.0-0!
Black's previous move has also taken the
sting out of Na4 and Nc5 as
[ 16.a4 b5 ( 16...xa4!? ) 17.c5 g6
is at least equal for Black. ]
16...g6 17.d2? Nevertheless the only
active plan was
[ 17.a4 ]
17...e7 18.h2 a5 19.a2 0-0 20.c3
a4! Now watch as with every move until the
end of the game Black strengthens his grip on
the light squares. 21.b2 b5 22.fc1 a6
23.c3 fc8 24.h3 d3! 25.h2 f4
26.f3 f5+ 27.g2 c4 28.h1 ac8
A premature resignation to say the least, but
it is very depressing for White. A
straightforward plan for Black is b7-b5, Qb6
and Be4 going after the d4 pawn, when Nxe4
in reply leads to a quick collapse after d5xe4
and then Rc2.
0-1
156 C02
Baklan,Vladimir 2639
Gleizerov,Evgeny 2552
TCh-ROU Superliga (6) 18.11.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3
[ Black has enjoyed good success in the
ChessPub archives after 7.0-0 g6 ]
7...cxd4 8.cxd4 g6 The idea of Ng6 looks
riskier against 7.Na3 than against 7.0-0 as
White can avoid castling and aim for a quick
wipe out with h4-h5. 9.h4! b4+
[ Instead 9...xa3? turned out poorly in
Grischuk-Graf- as you can see in the
archives. ]
10.f1 h6 Because the knight is planning to
retreat to the f8 square, Black makes a hole
for it on h7 from where it can re-enter the
ga m e a n d a lso ru le s o u t t h e a d va n c e o f
White's h pawn to h6. If Black wanted to try
[ 10...xa3 11.bxa3 it makes more sense
he re whe n it is h a rde r f o r W hit e t o c o -
ordinate his pieces with the king on f1. ]
11.h5!? Baklan wants to use his knight in an
aggressive manner and so avoids the routine
[ 11.c2 An earlier game Movsesian-Nikolic
then went e7 12.h5 f8 13.h3 h7!
14.d3 0-0 15.g3 h8 16.f4 f5!
and Black went on to win as you can see in
the archives. White doesn't want his attack
blocked but taking on f6 will free Black's
game and give him counterplay along the f
file. ]
11...f8 12.h3 Now Black doesn't have time
to achieve the 'Nikolic' set up with the moves
Nh7, 0-0, Kh8 [in reply to Rg3 threatening
Bxh6] Be7 and f7-f5. f5
[ Or 12...b6 13.b1? This looks rather
silly. ( Instead Black is obliged to weaken his
kingside after 13.g3 as h7? fails to
14.d3 Incidentally this is one reason why
Black tries to get in f7-f5 early so that he
ca n d e f e n d g7 wi t h R h 7 wi t h o u t b e i n g
molested by Bd3.; 13.c2 ) 13...h7
14.c3 0-0 15.g3 h8 16.a3 e7 17.b4
f6 and Black had everything he could hope
for in Zhigalko, S-Esen, B/Instanbul TUR
2005. ]
[ O b v i o u s l y i f 12...h7 13.g3 0-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

loses trivially to 14.xh6 ] Black! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6

13.b5 b6 14.d2! A vital gain of time- 5.f3 b6 6.a3 h6 This has emerged as
Black can't allow the exchange of bishops as the most uncompromising response to the
then the white knight lands on d6 unopposed. Advance variation. 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
e7 15.a4 h7 16.g3 f8 9.b2 The best try for an advantage.
[ 16...f7 17.c1 hg8 ( In depth defence [ 9.e3 has been known to be innocuous:
with 17...ag8 rules out the sac on h6, but d7 ( I prefer 9...f6!? , analyzed in the
how can Black function properly with two Archives, but this is ok as well.) 10.d3 c8
rooks shut in the corner?) 18.xh6! gxh6 11.0-0 xe3 12.fxe3 e7 13.b3?
19.d6+! xd6 20.xh6! and despite T h is a llo we d a f a vo u ra b le m a n o e u vre .
being two pieces up Black can't save himself ( 13.bd2 a5 14.b5 a7 15.a4 0-0
e.g. xg3 21.xh7+ g7 ( 21...f8is a logical continuation. Black's knight is
22.fxg3 ) 22.g5+ f8 23.h8+ g8 misplaced on the a7 square but Black would
24.f6+ e8 25.f7+ d8 26.xg8+ re gr o u p a n d W h it e is d e n ie d o f t h e c 5
and wins. ] square for his knight.) 13...a5! This should
17.c1! Increasing the pressure on the weak almo st a lwa ys be pla ye d wh en given a
structure on g7 and h6. f7 Black already chance. 14.b2 0-0 15.e2?! ( 15.bd2
seems to be lost. c4 16.xc4 dxc4 17.ac1 a6 )
[ If 17...c8 18.xh6! gxh6 19.xh6+ e8 15...c4 16.c3 ( 16.bd2 b2! )
20.g7 and wins. ] 16...g6 17.xc4 xc4 18.b2 fc8
[ Equally if 17...g8 18.xh6 ] Black is much better here. The following is
18.a5 d8 19.xh6 g8 20.g5+ xg5 a convincing technical demonstration and is
21.xg5 xg5 22.xg5 xa5 23.d6+ worth going through: 19.fc1 a5 20.d2
White must have been very glad he left his 4c7 21.b5 a4! 22.xa4 xc1+ 23.xc1
knight on a3 rather than played the automatic xc1+ 24.xc1 xb5 25.c3 d3
11. Nc2. f8 24.a3! The white rook is26.db1 g5! 27.f2 xd4 28.exd4
attracted like a magnet to the weak square on xc1 29.a2 g5 30.bc3 f8 31.b4
g7. c6 25.ag3 e7 e8 32.e2 d8 33.d3 c7 34.c5
[ If 25...e7 26.h6 when White will soon c6 35.d3 b6 36.c2 e7 37.5a4+
force through the h-pawn or mate the black a5 38.b3 g5 39.c5 e3 40.c2
king. For example g6 27.f4! ( It would be g5 41.b3 b6 42.d3 e3 43.b4 b7
a moral victory for Black to threaten mate in 44.c2 g1 45.h3 a6 46.d1 c4+
one after 27.xg6 xg6 28.xg6 h4 ) 47.c3 e2 48.b2 f1 49.e1 f2
27...e8 28.h5! exploiting the pin on along 50.bd3 h4! Picturesque, knights tied up
the g-file. h7 29.xe8 xe8 30.xg6 in knots! 51.b3 g3 52.c3 a4
xh6 31.xf5+ and Black loses his queen. ] 53.b2 h4 54.a2 g5 55.b2+ b5
26.xg7! 56.b3 e3 57.c3 c1 58.a4+ a5
[ It is forced mate: 26.xg7 xg7 27.h6 59.bd3 e3 60.b2 f2 61.bd3
g6 28.xg6 e7 29.h8+ etc. ] xe1+ 0-1 Ritscher,J (2295) -Berg,K (2440)/
1-0 Hamburg GER 2009 ]
9...d7 10.g4 h6 This has assumed
mainline status although the alternative is
157 C02 also known to be perfectly sound.
Barbeau,Sylvain 2357 [ 10...fe7 11.c3 g6!? a solid option
Bhat,Vinay S 2475 a n d we ca n t a ke co m f o rt t h a t t h is wa s
CIQ Montreal CAN (5) 23.06.2009 played by a 6..Nh6 specialist. ( 11...a5
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin] is probably the mainline and was analyzed
on ChessPub.) 12.h4 h5! 13.a4 d8
Not much has changed in the 6..Nh6 line in 14.g5 Now the f5 square is a tempting
the Advance variation. It continues to do well prospect for a Black knight. c8 15.c1 a5
and this month's games show a 4-1 result to 16.b5 ce7 17.c5 f5! Black had no

133
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
problems at this stage and he proceeded to
outplay his much lower rated opponent:
18.xd7 xd7 19.b6? ( 19.xc8+ xc8
20.b6! is the correct move order. e7
21.a4+ f8 22.xa5 g8 23.d3 f4!
with compensation for the pawn.) 19...xc1
20.xc1 e7 21.c3 0-0 22.xa5 c8
The difference in the pieces is obvious.
23.b5 d8 24.d3 a8 25.c3 xb6
26.xf5 exf5 27.0-0 f4 28.h2 e6
29.b3 c8 30.xb7 c2 31.b3 e2
32.b5 g4 33.g1 0-1 Dahl,M (2088)-
Kraai,J (2498)/Indianapolis USA 2009 ]
11.g1 Commonest.
[ 11.h3!? also has it's supporters ever since
Shirov won that fascinating game against
Sa d va k a s o v in 2 0 0 1 . (S e e a rch ive s) f6
T h i s i s a r e l i a b l e e q u a l i z e r . ( 11...c8 playing on even though I already knew the
- See archives ) 12.exf6 gxf6 13.d3 f7
A) 14.bd2?! d6 ( 14...a5! is thematic,
an d s tro n g: 15.b5 e7 16.a4 g6
Black is well placed to exploit W hite's
(reckless?) pawn pushes on the
Kingside. ) 15.e2 0-0-0 16.c1 b8
17.e3 e7 18.b3 g6 Black is better
and went on to win in Zvara,P (2409)- 16...xc5 17.xc5
Zpevak,P (2423)/Zdar nad Sazavou CZE
2008/0-1 (40).;
B) 14.c3 Surprisingly, this position has
o n l y a p p e a r e d o n c e i n p r a c t i c e . d6 gained an advantage after 18.xe5 xe5
( T h e g r e e d y 14...xd4 allows an 19.g3
enterprising sacrifice: 15.xd5!
16.xf3 exd5 17.xf6 Play can continue
e7 18.xh8 e6+ 19.e2 xe2+
20.xe2 xh8 21.xh7 when White's
connected passers on the Kingside are
scary.; 14...c8 15.a4 c7 16.c5
xc5 17.dxc5 f4 following the footsteps
of the stem game, could be best.) 15.a4
d8 Dahl,M (2075)-Kaufman,L (2391)/
Washington DC USA 2008. Here, I think
White can gain a stable plus with 16.c5!
For example, xc5 17.dxc5 e5 18.c2
e6 19.e2 Black has an impressive
center but it would be difficult for him to
control it. ]
11...f6 12.exf6 gxf6 13.c3 f7 14.a4
c7 15.c1 f4 16.c5
[ I had to face this variation against the
Chinese GM Li Shilong a few years back. He
tried 16.c3!? which was not known to me
at the time of play. Incidentally, Lputian first
tried this move in 2002, 3 years after his
g a m e w i t h S h o r t . xb4!? ( 16...b6!? )
17.axb4 xb4 18.c5 c8 19.e2 e5?
An extravagant move but one that
immediately cost me the game. ( After the
game, my opponent told me that he was
quit e a f raid o f 19...b6! 20.d3 xc3+
21.xc3 c7! followed by 22..Qc2, offering
an exchange of queens. He explained that
his pieces were not well co-ordinated and
might not be able to cope with the
connected passed pawns on the
Q u e e n s i d e .) 20.f1! I overlooked this
simple reply which threatened to trap my
queen with 21.Bc1. As there was no
effective retort, I played on for the sake of
position was lost: xc3 21.c1 xc1
22.xc1 xf3 23.xd7 d2+ 24.g2
xd7 25.b5+ e7 26.a3+ f7 27.d7
xd4 28.xc8 xc8 29.d3 c3 30.e1
d4 31.xh7+ e8 32.xb7 1-0 Li Shilong
(2524)-Goh W ei Ming (2408)/Singapore
Masters 2006 ]
[ 17.dxc5 fe5 This is possibly an
i m p r o v e m e n t o ve r 1 7 . . N c e 5 ( 17...ce5
was covered in Short-Lputian where Short
though I think the situation is not
xf3+ c o m p l e t e l y c l e a r h e r e .) 18.xe5?!
( 18.g3!? xg4 19.h3 ge5 20.b5 e4+
21.e2 ) 18...fxe5
A) 19.g3? gave Black a huge initiative:
0-0 20.c2 d4! 21.xd4 exd4 22.c1
xc1+ ( I l i k e t h e lo o k o f 22...e5+
23.e2 g7! ) 23.xc1 e5 and Black had
a cle ar ad vanta ge in Hazn edaro glu, K
(2444)-Malakhatko,V (2612)/Panevezys
LTU 2008/0-1 in (67);
B) 19.d2 xd2+ 20.xd2 0-0 21.e1
f4 ( 21...d4! 22.xd4 exd4 23.b5 e5
24.c6? ac8! ) 22.b5 d4 23.xd4
exd4? This was the decisive mistake.
( 23...xd4! 24.c6 bxc6 25.bxc6 c8
26.cxd7 xc1+ 27.e2 c2+ 28.e3
c3+ was a forced draw.) 24.c6 bxc6
25.bxc6 The passed pawn proved to be a
decisive factor and the Advance variation
specialist converted the win: c8 26.c7
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
a5 27.g3 a4 28.d3 a7 29.d2 f3
30.d3 e5 31.b2 e4 32.b8 f8
33.b5 g7 34.f4 d3 35.c5 xg4
36.xd5 xc7 37.g5+ f7 38.xf8+
xf8 39.xg4 c3 40.d2 xa3 41.c4
a1 42.f5 a3 43.f6 e8 44.f7+ e7
45.xe4+ 1-0 Sveshnikov,E (2524)-Berend,
F (2368)/ Turin 2006 ]
17...g5! This was clearly Black's best move
at this stage. Since White has recaptured on
c5 with the rook, Black has to give up any
hope of playing the thematic ..e6-e5 advance
as the presence of the d-pawn does not allow
it. 17..Ng5! attacks the f3 knight and in the
event of an exchange on g5, opens the f-file
f o r B la c k t o c r e a t e a t t a c kin g t h r e a t s. I n
addition, the exchange weakens the d-pawn,
which means the W hite queen and the b2-
bishops would be tied down to it's defence.
18.xg5 White has to exchange or allow 18..
Ne4 which looks frightening. fxg5 19.c1?
This has been played both times in the 2
games I've found with this position. Giving up
the d-pawn for the g-pawn doesn't make much
sense to me as it would give Black greater
presence in the centre. In any case, I think
the onus was already on W hite to obtain
equality.
[ The manoeuvre 19.d3!?N 0-0 20.e3
seems to do just that. The queen is ideally
placed on e3 where it covers a number of
important squares. Following that, W hite
would complete his development with moves
like Rg3 and Bd3. However, Black would
also be comfortably placed and the position
should be roughly equal. ]
19...xd4 20.xd4 xd4 21.g3 f8!N
This is a refinement over the natural 21..0-0
which was played in the earlier game,
Sveshnikov-Malakhatko. My hunch is that this
was all home cooked by Bhat.
[ 21...0-0 22.g2 a4 ( 22...h6 as played
in the main game can now be met by
23.b2 and coupled with a subsequent Rc7,
White can actually create some threats on
Black's King.) 23.xg5 b6 24.c7 b5
25.e7 ae8 26.xe8 xe8 27.f4 g7
28.h3 d6 29.c3 c4 30.h3 d6
31.c3 c4 32.h3 1/2-1/2 Sveshnikov,E
(2504)-Malakhatko,V (2604)/Moscow 2007 ]
22.g2 h6 The point. Black's King is much
s a f e r w h e r e i t i s t h a n c a s t l e d . 23.h4?
Losing the plot.
[ W h i t e h a s t o f i n d t h e p r e c i s e 23.h3!
to maintain equality. b6 24.c7 A logical
continuation would be d8 25.cc3 c8
26.xc8+ xc8 27.xh6 b5 28.f3 xf3+
29.xf3 xf3 30.xe6 and the position is
just equal. ]
23...gxh4 24.h3 h5! 25.g5
[ 25.xh4 b3! 26.c3 xc1 27.xc1
hxg4 28.xg4 e7 is easy for Black to
play. For example, 29.c7? d6! ]
[ 25.gxh5 g8! ( 25...b6 ) 26.b2 b6
27.c1 g4! ]
25...f5 Both White bishops were arguably
bad and with the better minor pieces and an
extra pawn, the American GM wrapped up the
game efficiently: 26.b2 e7 27.f3 b6
28.c1 d6! 29.xh5 e5 30.g4 ae8
31.xf5 xf5 32.xh4 xg5 33.h6+ e6
34.e2 d4 35.b5 d5 36.c6 g4+
37.d2 f8 38.hf6 f5 39.xf8 xf8
40.e1 h8
0-1
158 C02
Bjarnason,Oskar 2261
Del Rio Angelis,Salvador Gabriel 2479
12th Monarch Assurance (4) 30.09.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.c2 b6 10.0-0
[ Instead 10.g4 fe7 11.0-0 h5 12.h3
hxg4 13.hxg4 f6? ( 13...g6! ) 14.d3!
is Shirov-Van Wely on ChessPub. ]
10...a5!? I like this idea as it prepares to
exchange off light squared bishops with Bb5
and in contrast to 10...Be7 keeps the e 7
square free for the knight if it is driven back
from f5. As well as this the c file is opened for
possible counterplay with Rc8, etc. 11.g4
e7 Now we have the Shirov-Van Wely game,
except that Black has played Na5 rather than
h7-h5. Whilst a player such as Shirov is likely
to play with sufficient tactical energy and
precision to hold together W hite's position
and even gain an advantage, I think at less
exalted levels of play Black has good chances:
135
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
he can attack along the h file or on the
queenside- or both- and the white position
can easily lose its cohesion. That is exactly
what happens in both the present game and
my game with Shaw on ChessPub. 12.b3?!
[ After 12.b4?! c4 Black was already doing
nicely in Shaw-McDonald. In my notes to
that game I suggest ]
[ 12.fe1!? planning to gain space with f2-f4
as White's best idea. ]
12...h5! The h file will yield Black very useful
counte rplay. 13.h3 hxg4 14.hxg4 g6
15.g5? This is played to stop Nh4 as well as
queenside castling, but it rebounds as Black
is able to exploit the bishop on g5 to strength
his attack. Better ideas were
[ 15.g2 clearing the way for Rh1 if
necessary or the developing ]
[ 15.e3 or perhaps even still ]
[ 15.fe1!? fearlessly preparing f2-f4.
Though in any case I think Black has
emerged well from the opening. ]
15...b5 The exchange of bishops will
undermine White's light squares. 16.c1 c6
17.fe1 e7 An awkward moment for White.
He doesn't want to retreat his bishop, but after
18.xe7 xe7! ...the recapture with the king
clears the way for the queen's rook to join in
the assault down the h file. 19.xb5 xb5
20.g2 White finally realises he should be
preparing f 4-f5, but it is too late: Black's
attack will be much faster. h3 21.f4 b6!
This stops 22.f5 as 22. .Ngxe5 would follow.
22.d2 ah8 23.cd1 h4! The move
W hite tried to prevent with 15.Bg5 proves
decisive. 24.e2 xg2 25.xg2 a5!
As well as attacking a2 the queen intends to
join in the kingside attack with 26...Qc3, when
27...Rg3 would be an unstoppable threat.
26.f3 xf3 27.xf3 xa2 Now White is
already a pawn down and everything else is
falling apart.
0-1
159 C02
Blees,Albert 2450
Gurevich,Mikhail 2620
20th Open Gent (8) 1997
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
ge7 This is Gurevich's preferred move order
which aims to activate the knight immediately.
Instead
[ 5...d7 would probably transpose to the
game, while ]
[ 5...b6 is an independent system. ]
6.a3 Maybe
[ 6.d3 is more accurate, so that after cxd4
7.cxd4 f5 8.xf5 exf5 White has the
option of developing the knight to c3. This
wi l l a l lo w i t t o d r o p b a c k t o e 2 a n d s o
strengthen W hite's planned dark square
bind on the kingside. Nevertheless, Black is
still able to achieve counterplay by
advancing his kingside pawns, e.g. 9.c3
e6 10.e2 h6! 11.h4 g6 12.d2 b6
13.b1 a5 14.f1 e7 15.g1 d7!
16.a3 a6 17.e3 a4 18.f4 g5!
B l a c k b r e a k s f r e e o f t h e b i n d wi t h a n
excellent pawn sacrifice. 19.hxg5 hxg5
20.xh8 xh8 21.xe6 fxe6 22.xg5
xg5 23.xg5 h4 24.f3 g4
The pressure on d4 prevents W hite from
exploiting his extra pawn. 25.b3 axb3
26.xb3 c8 27.c1 e2 28.e3 b5
29.c2 b6 30.b3 draw agreed was
Adams-Vaganian, Lucerne 1997. You will
see that there are many common themes
between this excerpt and our main game. ]
6...cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 8.c2 d7 9.d3
[ A p o p u l a r c o n t i n u a t i o n i s 9.e2
wh e n B l a c k c a n c h o o s e b e t we e n a5+
( 9...b6; 9...b4 )]
9...b6 10.xf5 The critical move. Instead
White could simply play
[ 10.0-0 as after cxd4?? 11.fxd4! xd4
12.e3 c5 13.b4! he would win a piece.
However, Black can respond with 10...a5,
when the d pawn is really under threat. Then
11 Bxf5 exf5 12 Be3 Nd8! 13 Rb1 h6 14 h4
Be7 15 h5 Ne6 16 g3 g5 17 hxg6 fxg6 18
Nh2 Bb5 looked very pleasant for Black in
Jonkman-M.Gurevich, Vlissingen 1997. ]
10...exf5 11.0-0 h6! This is a useful move
136
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

which gains control of the g5 square and, as Variation. d7

occurs in the game, can be the prelude to a [ 9...e7 seems to have become a little
wing assault with ...g5. 12.a3 a5 13.e1? more popular, but both moves are
This is a planless move which shows that playable. ]
White underestimates the potential danger 10.g4 fe7
facing him on the kingside. Instead, Gurevich [ 10...h6!? 11.h3 f6 isn't well-
suggests investigated. ]
[ 13.b1 preparing 14 b4, when a4 14.e3 11.c3 a5 A familiar trick. Two alternatives
e6 15.b4 is unclear. ] are
13...e6 14.h4?! e7 15.g3 Blees aims a [ 11...h5 12.a4 c7 13.g5 g6 ]
dark square blockade on the kingside in order [ 11...g6 ]
to make the light square weaknesses in his 12.c2!
position impenetrable. However, this plan is [ A 12.c1 c8 has been played in several
flawed as W hite is unable to prevent Black games ]
carrying out the two key advances ...g5 and ... [ B The original idea was seen in this month's
f4. Nevertheless, it takes some f antastic game Soumya, S (2332)-Sharma, D (2371),
positional chess from Gurevich to prove the New Delhi 2010: 12.d2 c8
i n s u f f i c i e n c y o f W h i t e ' s p l a n . d8! A) 13.a4 introduces a lengthy forcing
This flexible move immediately forces through line c6 14.c5 c4 15.xc4 dxc4
the ...g5 advance. 16.h5 g5 17.hxg6 fxg6 16.0-0 d5 17.xc4 f4 18.f3 b6
18.g2 g5 19.h1 d7! 20.d3 b6! , and now 19.xd7 ( 19.d2 bxc5
First the king and then the queen get out of 20.xf4 cxb4 21.fc1 d5 ) 19...xc4
the way so that the queen's rook can join in 20.xf8 c2! 21.xc2 xc2 22.xe6
the attack. 21.d2 f4! At last all preparations fxe6 23.c1 e2+ 24.h1 h5 25.g5
are complete and Black makes this powerful f7 with good play;
clearance sacrifice. 22.gxf4 af8 23.xg5 B) 13.c1!? g6 14.h4! e7 ( 14...h5
This is desperation, as 15.gxh5 f4 ) 15.g5 0-0 16.e2!? c4
[ 23.fxg5 loses material after f5 24.c3 ( 16...fd8 17.h5 f8 ) 17.xc4 dxc4
xc2 25.xc2 xf3 in view of the fork on 18.h5 h8 ( 18...c6! 19.h3 h8 )
d4. ] 19.d2 fd8 20.g1 c6? ( 20...b5 )
23...hxg5 24.xh8 f5! Not allowing any 21.xc4 b5 22.xc8 xc8 23.c3
counterplay after xf1 24.xf1 and White has a pawn,
[ 24...xh8 25.f5 etc. ] While Black's knight on h8 is a cause for
25.e6+ d6! Black plays with great accuracy. concern. ]
Here he avoids any complications after 12...c4 13.xc4 dxc4 14.d2! c6
[ 25...c7 26.e3! ] [ 14...d5 15.xc4 c6 16.e4 f4
26.g3 xh8 27.fxg5+ xe6 28.e1+ d7 is a strange gambit probably 17.c1 d5
29.e3 e6 An inspired performance by 18.f3 is safe enough. ]
Mikhail Gurevich. 15.ce4 b5?
0-1 [ 15...c8 16.xc4 b6 17.b3!?
( 17.xc6 xc6 18.e2 gives Black some
compensation, perhaps not quite a whole
160 C02 pawns worth ) 17...a4 18.b1 e7 ]
Brandenburg,Daan 2515 16.d6+ d8 17.xf7+ c7 18.0-0! g8
Werle,Jan 2578 19.a4 a6 20.axb5!? Slightly complicated.
Schaakfestival Open A (5) 26.12.2010 [ 20.xh7 ]
[John Watson] [ or 20.d6! looks practically winning. ]
20...axb5 21.xh7!? xa1 22.xa1 c3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 23.xc3?
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 [ 23.c1! cxd2 24.xc6+ xc6 25.c2
9.b2 One of the main lines of the Advance xb4 26.d6 ]

137
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

23...xc3 24.a7+ b6!? ( 15.d3 ) 15...xg4 16.g1 h5 17.h3

[ 24...c8 also fall short after 25.d6+ d8 h6 18.xg7 f5 19.g1 a7 20.xa7
26.a8+ c7 27.b1! c6 28.2e4! ] xa7 and Black had a large advantage in
25.xd7 xd2 26.h3 c1+ 27.h2 d5? Pokazanjev (2423)-Nakhapetiane (2495),
[ 27...f1! 28.c2 c4 ] Olginka 2011. ]
28.xd5! 5.f3 c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4
[ Or 28.d8 ] f5 9.e3 A move that has never gone away,
28...f4+ 29.g1 xf7 30.d8 c7 although 9 Bb2 is seen far more often. f6
Black has a piece for three pawns, but can [ 9...d7 10.d3 c8 is less pointed, but
hardly move. playable, as in the recent game Benderac
[ 30...c7 31.a8 ] (2305)-L Miladinovic (2086), Belgrade 2011:
31.a8 11.0-0 e7 12.bd2 0-0 ( 12...a5 13.b5
[ 31.e8! c1+ 32.h2 f4+ 33.g2 f7 xe3 14.fxe3 a7 , for example, 15.a4
34.b8+ c7 35.xb5 ] 0-0 16.e2 c3 17.ac1 fc8 18.xc3
31...h8 xc3 19.b1 c7 20.e4 c8 21.f2
[ 31...c1+ 32.h2 f4+ 33.g2 xd4 e8= ) 13.b3 d8 14.d2 b8!?
34.b8+ a6 35.b1 ] 15.c5! b6 16.xd7 xd7
32.b1! A) 17.g4! h6 ( 17...h4?? 18.xh4
[ 32.xh8 c1+ ] xh4 19.g5 ) 18.h3;
32...xh3 33.a1 b7 34.a5+ c6 B) 17.b5 g6 18.g4 g7 19.g5
35.xf8 d5 36.a2+ xd4 37.d2+ ( 19.b3 ) 19...f5 20.h4 h5? 21.gxh6
[ 37.d8+! xe5 38.b2+ f4 39.d2+ xh4 22.xh4 xh4 23.g4 d8
xg4 40.d4+ ] , a n d h e r e 24.f4 followed by f5 would be
37...c4 38.f4+ overwhelming. ]
[ 38.f3! ] 10.d3
38...b3 39.d1+ b2 40.f3! a7+? [ Superior to 10.b5 xe5 11.dxe5 xe3
[ 40...d5 ] 12.fxe3 xe3+ 13.e2 c1+ 14.d1
41.g2 e3 42.e4 h6 43.d4+ b3 and 14...Qe3+ with a draw or 14...Qb2!. See
44.e3+ a4 45.a1+ Acs-Williams in the Archives, in which the
1-0 analysis can be improved for Black. ]
[ 10.exf6 is the best way to keep things
flexible, although after gxf6 11.c3 xe3
161 C02 12.fxe3 h6 , Black has done well.
Burchert,Wolfgang 2164 Nevertheless, this line is probably about
Becker,Marcel 2387 balanced and worth looking into as White. ]
Oberhausen Easter Open (3.6) 23.04.2011 10...xe3 11.fxe3 fxe5
[John Watson] [ 11...d7 is also played, notably in a game
Morozevich-Bareev in which Black held his
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 own in the opening. ]
[ Another recent game with a Be3 setup went 12.b5 e4!? This is generally considered a
4...c6 5.f3 h6 6.a3 f5 7.b4 cxd4 mistake. Some time ago
8.cxd4 d7 ( 8...b6 would transpose to [ 12...xd4! 13.exd4 e4 became the main
our main line ) 9.e3!? b5!? line, as explained in detail in my Play the
A) 10.xb5 xe5! ( 10...xe3 11.fxe3 French, with the idea 14.xe4 ( 14.e5
a5! ) 11.xe5 ( 11.xd7+ xd7 ) xd4 ) 14...dxe4 15.e5 d7 ( or 15...g6 )]
11...xb5 12.c3 b8 and White has to 13.bxc6 bxc6?!
prove compensation; [ 13...exf3!? might salvage this line for Black,
B) 10.c3 a5 ( 10...xe3 11.fxe3 a5 ) since 14.xf3 ( 14.cxb7 xb7 15.0-0!?
11.xb5 ( 11.g5!? ) 11...axb4 12.g5 fxg2 16.f2 e7 17.d2!? ) 14...bxc6
a5 ( or 12...b6 13.g4 h6 14.xh6 15.d2 ( 15.0-0? b2! ) 15...a6 16.xa6
gxh6 ) 13.d2 e7 14.g4 h6 15.a4?! xa6 17.f1 0-0-0 appears to be playable,

138
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

although complex. ] he emerges with a good game, for example

[ 13...exd3 14.e5 ] g6
14.e5 exd3 15.h5+ g6 16.xg6 hxg6 A) 11.d3 b4+ ( 11...xh4? 12.h5+ )
17.xh8 d2+?! Preventing castling but 12.f1 g8 13.h5 e7 14.xg6 hxg6
developing White. More interesting but still 15.xg6+ d8 when besides the attack
somewhat better for White is on d4 White has to reckon with 16.. .Qg7
[ 17...c7! 18.c3! ( 18.0-0 g7! 19.h4 aiming through the white bishop at g2.;
c5 ) 18...g7 19.xg7 xg7 20.d2 e5 B) 11.xg6 hxg6 12.d3 f5!? 13.c2
21.dxe5 xe5 22.ac1 f5 23.hf1 ] g7 with a strange pawn structure that
18.xd2 a6 19.b1!? rather favours Black.;
[ 19.g8 is a good solution: b5 ( 19...d7 C) 11.h5 g8 12.g4 b4+ 13.f1
20.f2 ) 20.xe6+ d8 21.f6+ e7 b6! 14.xg6 0-0-0! and Black will
22.f3 ] regain the piece with pressure along the g
[ or 19.f2 0-0-0 20.f6 ] file and against d4. Another wild try with ]
19...a5 20.f6?! White is losing the thread. [ 9.b5 also seems a little over the top, e.g.
[ 20.e5! wi l l wi n , e . g . , d7 21.f1! g6 10.h4 fxe5 11.h5 f4 12.dxe5 b4+
with the idea xf1?? 22.b7+ c8 23.f7 ] 13.d2 0-0 with an excellent game for
20...d7 21.b3? Black. ]
[ 21.xg6 xa3 22.c2 b4 23.d1 ] 9...fxe5 10.xe5 xe5 11.dxe5 c6
21...xa3 22.xg6 b4 23.g7+ e7 12.b5 a6
[ 23...d6! 24.e5+ d7= ] [ Black would be pushing his luck too far with
24.h7 f8 25.c2? 12...xe5 13.f4 ]
[ 25.b1! ] 13.d3!?
25...b4! 26.h7+ [ White is committed to playing actively as e5
[ 26.xb4! xb4 27.c5= ] is h anging a nd t he p awn on d 6 lo oks a
26...c8 27.xb4 xb4 28.h6 e8 liability after 13.d6+ xd6 14.exd6 0-0 ]
[ 28...b5! ] 13...g6
29.g6! d7 30.d1? a3 [ Of cou rse no t 13...axb5 14.h5+ g6
[ 30...a4+! 31.e1 f8 ] 15.xg6+ hxg6 16.xg6+ e7 17.g5# ]
31.e1?? 14.g4 xe5 15.g3 axb5 16.xe5 g8
[ Not 31.h7+ e7 32.c2 d3 33.c1 17.xb5?! Carlsen decid es to snatch back
a4+ 34.e1 e5 ] the pawn with the big threat of 18.Qxe6+,
[ But 31.f3! is the last chance. ] picking up the rook on g8. Still, the quiet
31...d3 [ 17.e1!? would have been interesting, with
0-1 the idea of 18.Qxd5. If then e7 the black
bishop has been kept off the g7 square
where it will prove so well placed in the
162 C02 actual game continuation. White could keep
Carlsen,Magnus 2552 up the pressure with say 18.h6 ]
Agdestein,Simen 2595 17...b6 18.d3?!
ch Molde NOR (3) 05.07.2004 [ A better way to pursue the attack was
[Neil McDonald] 18.xd7+ xd7 19.f4!? ]
18...g7 19.g3 e5 20.e3 e6 21.ac1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 T h i s d o u b le p a wn s a cr i f i c e i s t e m p t i n g ,
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 especially for an ambitious young attacking
Rather amazingly, I can find no other games p l a y e r . H o w e v e r I c a n ' t s e e a s t r o n g
with this move. 9.0-0! b re a k t h ro u gh f o r W h it e in wh a t f o l lo ws ,
[ If White is looking to punish Black for his d e s p i t e ch e ck in g t h i n g s o n Fri t z 8 . xa2
previous move with an instant wipe out then 22.h4 e4 23.e2 xb2 There goes the
9.exf6 gxf6 10.h4 suggests itself, but as pawn. Carlsen now feels obliged to throw in a
long as Black neutralizes the check on h5 piece as well to keep up his initiative, but

139
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Agde ste in d ef e nds coo lly. 24.b1 f6
25.xh7 g7 26.h8+ g8 27.h7 xe2
28.xb7 c2 29.fb1 g7 30.h8+ g8
31.h7 g7 32.h8+ g8 33.h6 c8
34.7b6 d8 35.b8 gc7 36.1b6?
Now Black is able to use the threat of mate on
the back rank to force the exchange of queens,
after which he wins easily. Instead after
[ 36.h3 White is a whole piece down but a
lot of practical difficulties remain for Black
to solve. ]
36...g7! 37.f4 Nominally a blunder, but
there was no point in playing the endgame
after say
[ 37.b1 xh6 ]
37...g5 38.d6 c1+
0-1
163 C02
Carlsen,Magnus 2552
Hansen,Curt 2635
12th Sigeman & Co (2) 01.04.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.c2 a5+!? An interesting alternative to
the heavily analysed lines after
[ 9...b6 ]
10.d2 b6 11.c3 Black's idea has been
to entice the white bishop to c3 in the hope
t h a t i t wi l l p r o ve p a s s i ve l y p l a c e d . T h e
a b s e n c e o f t h e b i s h o p f r o m t h e c 1 - h 6 13...0-0 14.b5
diagonal should facilitate the advance f7-f6,
attacking White's centre- Black doesn't have
to wo rry a b ou t be in g h it b y B g5 a f t er h e
recaptures on f6. Also in a general sense the
black king should be safer with the bishop not
aiming directly at him. On the other hand, the
bishop is performing a worthy strategical role
in defending the d4 point, which is the main
bone of contention in the Advance Variation.
This means that W hite's other pieces have
more freedom- for example Ne3 or Na3 and
Nb5 become ideas, as does Bd3. Furthermore,
the bishop on c3 is a serious obstacle to any
counterplay based on Rc8 and activity down
the c file. a5 The most active move which not
only deters b2-b4 but also makes possible
Nb4 , in particular as a re spo nse t o B d3 .
12.0-0 e7 13.a4 White makes b5 a strong
point for a minor piece and anticipates any
attempt by Black to utilise the square with
Na7 and Nb5 or Bb5- see the Sokolov extract
at the end of this note.
[ Or 13.e3 g6 ( I would be tempted to take
the bull by the horns and allow the opening
o f t h e f f i l e w i t h 13...xe3 14.fxe3
for example 0-0 15.d3 f5 16.exf6 xf6
17.c2 h6 intending Nb4 or Ne7 and Nf5,
when Black looks solid enough.) 14.d2 h5
The type of pawn barrier Black has set up
on the light squares on the kingside has
been favoured by strong players in similar
scenarios, but I have never warmed to it.
Black is ultra solid, but where is the
counterplay? 15.g3 c8 16.fd1 b4
17.a3 f8 18.xf5 exf5 19.h4 g7
20.e1 e6 21.g2 c6 22.f4 a4
23.f3 hd8 24.dc1 a8 25.c2 d7
26.ac1 and Black was eventually ground
down in Lein,A-Dizdar,G/Berlin-West 1987. ]
[ 13.a3 stopping Nb4 before playing Bd3.
0-0 14.d3 h8 15.e1 a7 planning
B b 5 o r N b 5 - o r b o t h ! 16.a4 c6!
The way to b4 is open again, so the knight
returns to c6. 17.b5 e8 18.d2 f6
Black achieves f7-f6 in a favourable manner,
a f t e r wh ic h h e h a s a t le a st e q u a l i s e d .
19.exf6 xf6 20.e3 xe3 21.xe3 d6
22.g3 b4 23.f1 g6 and Black had an
active game in Timman,J-Sokolov,I/
Amsterdam 1996. ]
[ Too loosening is 14.g4? h6 15.e3 f6!
16.exf6 xf6 17.g5 xf3! 18.xf3 xg5
19.e2 f8 and Black already had more
than enough play for the exchange in view
of the potential targets on d4, f2 and h2 in
Ward, C-King,D/Gausdal 1993. ]
[ Very interesting is 14.a3!? with the clever
positional idea of putting the knight on b5
where it defends d4, blocks the b file and
makes things in general uncomfortable for
the black pieces. f6 15.exf6 xf6 16.b5
af8 17.d2 d6 ( 17...e8!? ) 18.ac1
e4 19.e3 e8 20.d2 xc3?
( This looks like the wrong piece to
exchange- 20...xd2!? ) 21.bxc3 e5
22.b1 exd4 23.xd4 a7 24.f3 f7
25.b5 c5 26.2b3 e8 27.xc6 xc6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

28.d2 d8 29.b1 b6 30.xc5 bxc5 164 C02

31.b7 a6 32.g5 cc8 33.1b6 d3 Caruana,Fabiano 2773
34.xf7 xf7 35.b7+ e6 36.e7+ d6 Vallejo Pons,Francisco 2697
37.e5+ 1-0 Rozentalis,E-King,D/Mondorf 5th Final Masters (4) 28.09.2012
1991. ] [John Watson]
14...f6! It soon becomes clear that the
'Rozentalis treatment'- putting a knight rather 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
than the bishop on b5- would have allowed b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
White to keep more control of the position. 9.e3 d7 This is rather slow, which is not to
15.g4? Much too ambitious- it fails to hurt say bad. I like to break up White's centre as
Black and so just leaves the white kingside quickly as possible, so I use the well-
ripped up. A cautious approach was established
necessary, say with [ 9...f6 as the main line in my book. I also
[ 15.exf6 xf6 16.e2 intending Rad1. ] analyse ]
15...h6 16.exf6 xf6! Curt Hansen became [ 9...xe3 and ]
a top player twenty years ago when there [ 9...e7 . ]
were no mean spirited computer programs 10.d3 xe3 11.fxe3 g6 12.c3 xb4?
telling us not to make positional sacrifices. Maybe this doesn't deserve a full -blown '?',
17.e5 but it goes against every French Defence
[ This leads to disintegration but after 17.g5 instinct I have. Black abandons his weakened
g6!? White is looking seriously over kingside utterly and takes all the pressure off
extended on the kingside. Also promising for of White's centre.
B l a c k w o u l d b e ( 17...xf3!? 18.xf3 [ 12...h6 is probably best, intending ...Ne7-
xg5 )] f5 and/or castling. ]
17...xe5 18.dxe5 g6! 19.d4 13.axb4 xb4 14.0-0 Of course.
[ Disastrous f or W hite would b e 19.xd7 [ 14.c1 a5 15.0-0 xc3 16.g5
xg4 20.h1 xf2+ 21.xf2 xf2 ] is similar but not as straightforward. ]
19...c5! 20.xd7 xd4 21.xd4 xg4+ 14...xc3 Now Black has two pawns, but
22.xg4 given all his weaknesses, it's hard to believe
[ A desperate attempt to generate activity as his king will survive on the kingside. 15.c1
if 22.h1 xd4 leaves him a pawn down It will be extremely hard to defend this, if at
f o r n o t h i n g a s 23.xe6+? h8 all possible.
costs a piece. ] [ 15.b1 d8 16.h4! with the idea of Ng5
22...xg4 23.xe6+ h8 24.ad1 xe5 and Rxb7 is also good, but not as forcing. ]
25.xd5 f8 With an unsafe king, weak 15...c8
pawns and no protected posts for his minor [ 15...b4 16.g5 0-0 17.g4 e7
pieces it is no surprise that W hite's queen ( 17...d2 18.h3 h5 19.c2 is a winning
sacrifice fails. 26.e6 f6 27.c1 c6 t e m p o u p o n t h e g a m e) 18.xh7!
28.b3 e7 29.c7 h6 30.e4 f8 31.b5 wins, with the idea xh7 19.xf7+ xf7
e6 32.c4 g6 33.c7 g4+ 34.h1 20.xg6+ h8 21.xf7 ]
e2 35.g2 xf2 36.g1 xg2 37.xg2 16.g5 0-0 17.g4? A strange move, since
f1+ 38.g1 f3+ 39.g2 f4 40.xf4 m o st o f wh a t f o llo ws ca n b e wo rk e d o u t
xf4 41.xg7 c1+ concretely.
0-1 [ 17.b1! i s v e r y s t r o n g , e . g . , d8
( 17...a5 18.g4 d2 19.xh7! ) 18.f6!
threatening Qf3 among other things.
Black's position is hopeless. ]
17...d2 18.h3
[ 18.xc8 xe3+ 19.h1 xc8 apparently
h o l d s W h i t e t o a d r a w , e . g . , 20.xh7
( 20.xf7 xd4; 20.f3 xg5 21.xf7+

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

h8 22.xg6 hxg6 23.xg6 d8 9.b2 d7 10.g4 fe7 This variation is
24.h5+= ) 20...xd4 21.h3 xd3 discussed in ChessPub based on the games
22.f6+ f8 23.h8+ e7 24.xd5+ Jonkman-Vysochin and Grischuk-Radjabov.
xd5 25.f6+ e8 26.h8+= ] 11.c3 a5 12.c1 c8 13.d2 g6
18...h5! 14.g5? Did White forget his theory, or was this
[ 18...h6 is met by 19.xc8! ( 19.b1 hxg5! an unfortunate novelty? It was essential to
20.xb6 axb6 i s n ' t c l e a r) 19...xc8 play
20.xh6! xe3+ 21.h1 xg5 22.xg5 [ 14.h4! first, as in Grischuk-Radjabov. White
and Bxg6 threatens, but b4 ( 22...d8 maintained the tension with e7 15.g5
23.f6 doesn't help.) 23.h4 d7 ( 23...c3 and here you might like to investigate 0-0!?
24.xg6 ) 24.h5 e8 25.f6 is decisive, e. Black castles into the pawn storm as he
g., d2 26.xg6 h6 27.xf7+ h7 hopes to drum up counterplay against the
28.g6+ xg6 29.xg6+ g7 30.h6+ white king, who is certainly an inviting target.
xh6 31.xf8 xg6 32.a8 ] ( Radjabov preferred 15...h6 with a hard
19.xc8 f i g h t a f t e r 16.gxh6 xh6 17.h5 h4
[ 19.b1 a5! h a s t h e i d e a 20.xb7 18.g4 f5 19.d3 etc. ) 16.g4 xb4!
( 20.xf7 c3 ) 20...c3! ] No time to lose! 17.axb4 xb4 18.b1 ( or
19...xc8 18.a1 xe5!? ) 18...xc3 19.xc3 xc3
[ 19...xc8?? 20.f3 e8 21.xg6! ] 20.h3 c7 21.d3 ( White's pawns may
20.f3 d8?? be visually impressive after 21.h5 e7
[ The obvious second-rank defence with 22.h6 g6 but as long as Black answers
20...c7! may not give White more than a 23.f4 with f5 he is unlikely ever to be
perpetual, although there may be something mated. ) 21...e7 22.h5 f5 23.f4 c6
more: 21.xg6 ( 21.h1 e7 22.h4 d7 24.xf5 exf5 25.g6 fxg6 26.hxg6 h6
23.e2 a5; 21.h4! may be the best try, the position is probably unclear, but from
when b4 22.h3! e7 23.f4 d7!? force of habit I prefer to be on the black side.
24.xh5 c3 25.f4 is not yet clear) Black won a hard fought struggle in Fluvia,
21...xe3+ 22.xe3 fxg6 23.f6 c2 J-Gonzalez Garcia,J/ Badalona ESP 2005. ]
24.xf8+ xf8 25.f4+ f5 26.c1 d7 14...h6! 15.gxh6 xh6 In contrast to the
27.h4 g4 28.f1+ f5 29.c1= ] Grischuk game, with the white pawn still on h2,
21.xf7 xe3+ 22.h1! Apparently Black it is too late to disrupt Black's position with h4-
missed this h4 h5. Another difference favourable to Black is
[ 22...e7 23.xg6 g7 24.xh5 ] th a t h is b ish o p is st ill on f 8 , rat h e r t h a n
23.xg6 g5 developed on e7 therefore the g7 square is
[ 23...g7 24.xe3 xg6 25.h6# ] covered against any f uture attack. 16.a1
24.h7+! White has run out of constructive ideas and is
[ 24.h7+ g7 ( 24...xh7 25.xg5+ already on the defensive. c4 17.xc4
xg5 26.xf8 ) 25.d3 and the threat of It's easy to be critical about such a decision,
Qg6+ either mates or wins the queen. ] which gives up t he f amo us light square d
[ 24.d3 is also good ] bishop, but I wouldn't want to defend White's
1-0 position after
[ 17.xc4 dxc4 ]
17...dxc4 18.ce4 a6 19.f3 h4
165 C02 The black knight heads for f5 where it can
Collins,Sam 2413 take part in an attack on the weak d4 pawn.
Filippov,Valerij 2621 20.g3 f5 21.f3 b5 Now Black's next
21st ECC Saint Vincent ITA (2) 19.09.2005 three moves- Bc6, Rd8 and Nxd4-are
[Neil McDonald] u n s t o p p a b l e . 22.c3 c6 23.h4 d8
24.f4 xd4 25.h3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 [ If 25.xd4 xd4 26.f6+ gxf6 27.xd4
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 xh1 and Black is a piece up. ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
25...xa3! Black decides to fall for the 'trap'
as he gets three passed pawns for the
exc ha n ge b e sid e s a h u ge a t ta ck. 26.b1
a2 27.xd4 xd4 28.f6+ xf6 29.xd4
g6 30.g3 xb4+ 31.c3 xg3 32.fxg3
b2 33.d2 a3 34.e2 a5! The bishop
leaves the way for ... b5-b4 and prevents any
swindles based on Rd1 and Qd8 mate.
35.e3 b6 36.d2 b4 37.b1 f3+ 7...cxd4
38.e1 h1+ The passed pawns aren't The main line under consideration. Black also
needed after all as it is mate:
[ 38...h1+ 39.e2 f3# ]
0-1
166 C02
Cori,J 2500
Gleizerov,Evgeny 2565
IV Open La Laguna ESP (6) 09.04.2010
[John Watson]
This is becoming an increasingly important
line in the Advance, so in spite of covering it
recently I should fill in some spots. While both
sid e s s h ou ld h a ve ch an ce s, it se em s a s
though Black's are never worse than White's. 10...c8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7
[ 5...ge7 6.a3 cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 8.c2
b6 9.e2 d7 transposes, although
here ( 9...e7 is also played. )]
6.e2 ge7 7.a3
[ As I mentioned in the notes to Saltaev-
Me is t e r (m o st n o t e s h e re a re f ro m t h e
Archives, since in that game I give a good
d e a l o f b a c k g ro u n d a n d o ld e r t h e o r y) ,
7.dxc5 g6 8.e3 gxe5 9.xe5 xe5
10.f4 is more dynamic. c6 Now I didn't
mention the move
A) I quoted 11.0-0 g6!? ( 11...b6!
12.cxb6 axb6 ) 12.d2 g7 13.f3 0-0
with a double-edged position, Kharlov, A
(2 4 5 0 )-K r a m n i k, V (2 4 8 0 )/ S a o P a u l o
1991.;
B) 11.d2!? , which is perhaps the best order (a) to clear lines f or his queenside
wa y t o c o u n t e r . . . b 6 : e7 ( 11...b6 pieces and (b) to discourage White's potential
m a y s t i l l b e b e s t : 12.b3 bxc5 kingside attack which might follow Ne3 and
, and here 13 Bxc5, is only slightly better an eventual f4-f5. 13.xb4
at best, but seems to give more chances
than 13.xc5 b6 14.xd7 xe3
15.xf8 xf8 16.d2 xd2+ 17.xd2 13...xb4 14.g5 h6
e7 = Velimirovic, D (2535)-Zueger, B
(2435)/Luzern 1989.) 12.c2 h4+ 13.g3
f6 14.f3 0-0 15.d1 c7 16.0-0
e7 17.d4 f5 18.f2 g6 19.d3
g7 20.d4 e7 21.f2 fc8 22.e5
e8 23.b4 b6 24.cxb6 axb6 25.g4
a7 26.e3 xa2 27.f5 1-0 Sorensen,
A-Holst, P/Horsens 197899 ]
8.cxd4 f5 9.c2 b6
plays
[ 9...b4 ]
[ 9...e7 ]
[ and 9...c8 ]
10.0-0
[ Neil in the Archive's annotates a game with
Shirov's typically sharp 10.g4!? fe7
11.0-0 h5! 12.h3 hxg4 13.hxg4
Shirov, A (2718)-Van Wely, L (2700), Wijk
aan Zee NED 2001 and here instead of 13...
f6? 14 Bd3!, Neil suggests simply ' g6
with ideas of Be7 or Nh4.' 14.d3 h4
etc. ]
[ 10.h4 was played in Movsesian-Gurevich in
the Archives. ]
[ With 10...a5!? Black's idea is to get ...
Bb5 in and in some cases occupy c4. This
has a good record and I analysed it
extensively in Saltaev-Meister. ]
11.g4 fe7 12.b1!? This prepares b4, but
allows Black a new option.
[ As I noted before, 12.h4 b4 13.xb4
xb4 14.f4 c6 15.e3 e7 16.g2
Sveshnikov, E-Gleizerov, E/ RUS/ 1992 is
assessed as slightly better for W hite by
Sveshnikov, but Black will at least equalize
after h5 ( 16...xb2 is probably objectively
fine as well, when the attempt at repetition
by 17.b1 xa2 18.a1 b2 19.b1
allows c3!? 20.b3 a5 21.xb7 b8
, which is unclear) 17.gxh5 d8!? 18.b1
e7 with the idea ...Nf5 and/or ...Bb5. ]
12...b4 A standard idea. Black simplifies in
[ Notice th at t he d esirable move 13.e3
loses the a-pawn, a consequence of Rb1. ]
143
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 14...h5 is a possibility on this and on
several of the next few moves. Compare the
note to move 10. ]
15.e3 b5 Black gets rid of his bad bishop.
This can be either an advantage or
disadvantage, but here none of White's pieces
are on the queenside ready to take advantage
o f a n y l o o s e n e s s t h e r e . 16.d2 a4
17.bc1
[ 17.b3 a6 18.xb5+ xb5 doesn't really
h e l p W h i t e m u c h , f o r e xa m p l e , 19.a4!?
( 19.fc1 White would have a bad bishop,
but fewer queenside weaknesses) 19...a6
20.e1 h5 21.f3 c6 22.d3 (to cover
b4) e7 with a small edge. ]
17...xc1 18.xb5+ xb5 19.xc1 c6
20.a3 e7 21.g2 a5!? 22.c8+ d8
23.c5
[ 23.c2 d7 24.c3 , to control the c-file,
is logical. This should be about equal. ]
23...a6 24.c2?! But now the rook gets
stuck.
[ 24.c2 or ]
[ 24.c3 would avoid most of the troubles
which follow, although a combination of ...h5
and ...Nc4 still maintains some pressure. ]
24...c4 25.a4
[ 25.d2 b6 26.c6 b7 27.a4 0-0
28.c3 is the best shot, but a5 29.b5
e7 has the idea of ...f5 with ongoing
initiative. ]
25...b6 26.b5 c8 27.g1 d7 28.d2?!
xe3?
[ 28...a5! ]
[ or 28...a6 29.b4 ( 29.b3 xa4 )
29...a5 with the idea ...Qb7 and ... Be7 this
is simply winning. ]
29.fxe3 0-0 30.d3
[ 30.f3 is solider: e7 ( 30...f5 31.exf6
xf6 32.e2 ) 31.d3 c8 ]
30...f5! 31.exf6 xf6 32.a5 c6 33.f1
c1 34.e2 c7 With the idea ...Bxh2+.
35.g2 a6 36.b3! xf1 37.c3
[ 37.xf1 c2+ ]
37...e1 38.xc1 xe2+ 39.f3 xb2
40.xc7 bxa5 Only Black can win this
obviously, but it's not clear that he should
have against perfect play. This would be a
good endgame to study. 41.c6?
[ 41.c5! ]
41...f7 42.h4
[ 42.xa6 a2 43.f4 f6 44.e4 g5+
45.e3 a3+ 46.e2 dxe4 47.d5 e5
48.dxe6 f6 49.e7+ xe7 50.xh6 a4
51.a6 a1 will win. ]
42...f6 43.xa6 a2 44.h5 a4 45.e4
dxe4+ 46.f4 a3 47.d5 a1 48.xe6+ f7
49.a6 a2 50.a7+ g8 51.a8+ h7
52.g5 hxg5+
0-1
167 C02
Crouch,Colin S 2425
Bareev,Evgeny 2670
9293 Hastings (3) 1992
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.dxc5 c6
[ Here 4...xc5 gives White exactly what he
wants after 5.g4 g6 6.d3!? ( A finesse
rather than 6.f3 ) 6...c6 ( By playing Bd3
before Nf3 White gives himself the option of
answering 6...b6 with 7.h3 ) 7.f3
and White has a promising position. ]
5.f3 ge7!? Bareev makes a beeline to
at ta ck t he e 5 p a wn so t h at W h it e h a s t o
defend it with Qe2 rather than more
economically with Re1. Compare this with
[ 5...xc5
A) Colin Crouch, who has clearly studied
this line in some detail, prefers 6.a3 b6
( very wild was 6...f6 7.b4 e7 8.b2
h6 9.c4 White looks suspiciously lacking
in development, but he plays coolly in the
complications that follow and holds on for
a draw against a much higher rated
opponent. 0-0 10.c3 fxe5 11.cxd5 e4
12.dxc6 exf3 13.xd8 xd8 14.e4
bxc6 15.gxf3 a5 16.0-0-0 axb4 17.axb4
e7 18.g1 g6 19.c4 a4 20.d6
xb4 21.a2 xd6 22.xd6 f7
23.xc6 d7 24.c7 c8 25.xc8+
xc8 26.d1 b6 27.f4 c6+ 28.d2
d6+ 29.e1 xd1+ 30.xd1
and soon a draw was agreed in Crouch,C-
Speelman,J/England 1999.) 7.e2 a5
8.c3 a4! Stopping Na4. I think Black is
already better, but Crouch succeeds in
bamboozling him. 9.g3 d7 10.h4 ge7
11.h5 h6 12.h4 d4 13.xd4 xd4
14.b5 f5 15.f4 c5 16.g4 d4
144
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

17.xd4 xd4 18.c3 c5 19.f3 f8 some recognition.

20.d3 0-0-0 21.xf7 xf7 22.xf7 f8 0-1
23.xg7 xf2 24.xh6 b5 This looks
hair raising for White, but Crouch not only
saved his king but even won in Crouch, C- 168 C02
Arkell,K/Oxford 1998.; Das,Arg 2469
B) 6.d3 Bluebaum,M 2513
B1) Or 6...f6!? which may be the best 22nd ZMDI Open 2013 (7.7) 16.08.2013
move: 7.e2 ( A complete brainstorm [John Watson]
by a strong player was 7.0-0? fxe5
8.xe5?? xe5 9.h5+ f7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
0-1 Treybal,K-Foltys,J/Podebrady b6 6.a3 f6 I've recommended this in every
1936. ) 7...fxe5 8.xe5 Play the French, but only as a third option in a
B1a) instead 8...xe5 9.xe5 f6 note in this last edition. 7.d3
10.b5+ d7 ( 10...f7 11.e2 ) [ Recently 7.b4 fxe5 8.bxc5 a5 9.xe5
11.h5+ g6 12.xd7+ xd7 13.e2 was recommended in a blog by Jeff Young .
and contrary to 'Play the French' I He continues ( 9.dxe5 xc5 is analysed in
rather prefer White here.; PTF4 ) 9...xe5 10.dxe5 xc5 11.g4
B1b) 8...f6 9.0-0 xe5 10.xe5 , when e7! ( Young gives 11...g6 12.d3
0-0 and Black looks at least equal.; e7 13.0-0 0-0 14.g5 'followed by Bf6
B2) 6...ge7 7.0-0 ( John Watson a n d Ra 2 ' a l t h o u g h f5 15.f6 e7
points out that Black can afford to be looks promising for Black) 12.xg7 f8
greedy after 7.f4 b6 8.0-0 g6 13.a2 . Thus far Young's analysis. He gives
9.g3 xb2 10.bd2 gxe5! ) 7...g6 13...Rf7 but Black should have a typical
8.e1 and having deployed his pieces F r e n c h a d v a n t a g e f o l l o w i n g d7
well I assume White is a shade better. ] , f o r e x a m p l e , 14.g3 ( 14.d3 g8
6.c4?! 15.xh7 xg2 ) 14...0-0-0 15.d3 f7
[ This turns out poorly but I think Black is 16.0-0 g8 with much more active
also comfortable after the natural sequence development which along with good
6.d3 g6 7.e2 c7 8.xg6 hxg6 attacking prospects outweigh a pawn. ]
9.0-0 xc5 etc. ] [ 7.exf6 is analysed in the notes to Yilmaz-
6...d4! 7.a3?! Perhaps he should think about Sutovsky in the Archives. ]
bailing out with 7...fxe5 8.dxe5
[ 7.d3 ] [ 8.xe5 f6 9.0-0 d6 is Yilmaz-
7...g6 8.b4 a5 9.b2 axb4 10.axb4 xa1 Sutovsky itself) ]
11.xa1 xb4 12.a4+ c6 13.xd4 8...c4 9.c2 h6 10.0-0 f7 11.b3 cxb3
White's time wasting queenside adventure will 12.xb3 g6!? Probably not best.
prove a disaster. Now Bareev plays very [ A s n o t e d i n Y il m a z-S u t o vsk y: 12...e7
vigorously to completely wreck W hite's 13.a2 Dvoirys, S (2562)-Murey, J (2509),
position before he has time to consolidate. Dieren 2 0 00 a nd n o w fxe5! 14.xe5
d7 14.b5 cxe5 15.a3 xb5 16.cxb5 xe5 15.e1 c6 and White has
b6! 17.xe5 xe5 18.c3 d5! 19.d2 insufficient compensation ]
[ Black wins a piece with check after 19.cxb6 [ or 12...c5! ]
e4+ for if 20.d2 b4 ] 13.f4 This makes life easy for Black.
19...xc5 20.f4 g6 21.xg7 d4 22.h6 [ 13.e3 a5 14.c4! ]
e3 23.c4 d4 24.g3 c3+ 25.e2 c5 [ and 13.bd2 should both favour White
26.d2 e3+ 27.d1 b4 A terrible defeat slightly. ]
for W hite, but as you will see in the notes 13...g7 14.bd2 0-0 15.e2 d7
Crouch has beaten GM Arkell and drawn with 16.ab1 c7
GM Speelman in this variation, so it deserves [ 16...a5! is more accurate and fully
equal. ]

145
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
17.c4! d4 18.fe1 a5
[ 18...ad8! looks sounder. ]
19.c2 b6 20.b3 xa3 21.bxd4 xd4
22.xd4 c5 23.b3
[ Or 23.bd1 ]
23...e7 24.e3?!
[ 24.g3 is the computer's choice,
maintaining the bind based upon e5 and
preparing f4 when needed. ]
24...ac8 25.d3 a4 26.d4 fd8?!
[ 26...c5= ]
27.f1 White takes a draw with this passive
move. More ambitious is
[ 27.a1 , but it isn't much after e8 ]
½-½
169 C02
De Barberis,Massimo
Jurkovic,Ante
2000 Torino 2000
[Paul Motwani]
2) B22:"Pawn chain under strain" French
Defence, Advance Variation, Code C02. 1.e4
e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 d7
6.e2
[ If 6.d3 t h e n a f t e r cxd4 7.cxd4 b6
White must either retreat his light-squared
bishop so that his queen defends the d4-
pawn, or alternat ively he ca n pla y 8.0-0
: the (not wholly convincing) Milner-Barry
Gambit which allows xd4 ]
[ White should avoid 6.b5? xe5! ]
6...h6 7.xh6 This capture is not forced,
but clearly White decided not to let the black
knight reach the f5-square, from where it
would add to the existing pressure on the d4-
pawn. gxh6 8.a3 b6 9.b4 cxd4 10.cxd4
c8! 11.0-0
[ White could not play 11.c3 because then
Black's knight captures at b4 or d4,
thereby uncovering an attack from the c8-
rook towards c3. ]
11...g7 12.d3?!
[ 12.d2 is better, but Black still did well in
the game given on page 93 of my 1997
Batsford book, "C. O.O.L. Chess". ]
12...f6!
[ Black undermines White's central pawn
chain most effectively, but another
noteworthy idea is 12...0-0 13.c3? xd4!!
14.xd4 ( 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 xc3
is even easier for Black) 14...xe5 intending
15.ad1 xd4 16.xd4 xd4
with a double-attack against the loose c3-
knight. ]
13.b5? This loses, although I must honestly
say that I've much preferred Black's position
anyway since move eight. xe5!! 14.xe5
[ After 14.dxe5 fxe5 White has no good way
to meet the threat of ...e4. ]
14...fxe5 15.h5+ e7 White has no true
compensation for his one-pawn deficit, and
now his units at b5 and d4 are under attack
simultaneously. 16.a4 xd4 There goes
another pawn. 17.a3+ c5 18.g3 f6
19.d2 hg8 White resigned, two pawns
down in a hopeless situation.
0-1
170 C02
Delchev,Aleksander 2550
Gurevich,Mikhail 2641
3rd IECC Batumi GEO (2) 13.06.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.c2 b6 10.0-0 Whilst this standard
developing move cannot be criticised it is
symptomatic of White's inertia in the rest of
the game. Far more vigorous was
[ 10.g4 as in Shirov versus Van Wely or ]
[ 10.h4 - Movsesian-Gurevich. Both of these
games are on ChessPub. ]
10...a5!? Black prepares Nb4 to exchange
knights and ease his space disadvantage
without having the bishop pushed back after
Nxb4 Bxb4 by the expanding a2-a3 and b2-b4.
[ I m a n a g e d t o w i n w i t h 10...a5
in Shaw-McDonald while ]
[ 10...c8 is another typical move. ]
11.b3 The passive development of the bishop
on b2 will prove White's undoing, as how can
he fit it into any constructive plan?
[ Here is another model game by Gurevich:
11.h1 b4 12.e3 c8! 13.xf5 exf5
14.d2 e7 15.a3 c6 16.c3 0-0
17.d2 a8!! Starting a highly original
manoeuvre with the rooks. Black hasn't
146
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
wasted time with Rc8 and then Ra8, as
White has spent two moves playing Bd2 and
Qd2. 18.e1 fb8! With ideas of a future
b7-b5-b4, gaining space and trapping the
bishop on c3 if White doesn't do something
about it. 19.c2 g6 20.e3 e6 21.f4 h5
22.d1 g7 23.xh5?! This fails, but
otherwise he is being gradually outplayed on
the queenside with no counterplay. gxh5
24.xh5 h8 25.xf5+ xf5 26.xf5
xd4 27.d3 xh2+! A nice finish to a
great positional game . 28.xh2 h8+
29.g3 h4+ 30.g4 h6! 0-1 Grischuk,
A-Gurevich,M/Esbjerg 2000 for if 31.xd4
h5+ 32.h3 f2# ]
11...b4 12.e3
[ If 12.xb4 xb4 looks very comfortable
for Black or maybe ( 12...axb4!? )]
12...e7 13.xf5 exf5 Black isn't afraid of
doubled pawns as they help to rule out g2-g4
and therefore strengthen his kingside. 14.a3
c6 15.b2 0-0 16.e1 fc8 17.f4 c7
18.g3 g6 19.g2 e6 20.e3 h5!
Forcing White to loosen himself some more if
he wants to get in g3-g4. 21.h3
[ After 21.h4 White would have no
counterplay and could only defend against a
well prepared queenside attack. ]
21...g7 22.g4 As in the Grischuk game
above W hite feels obliged to do something
active on the kingside to of fset Black's
potential pressure on the other wing. However,
the black pieces will prove much more flexible
than White's in exploiting the newly opened
lines. hxg4 23.hxg4 fxg4 24.xg4 h8!
25.f3 d8! Clearing t he way for the knight
to fight for the strategically crucial f5 square.
26.g3 f8 27.d3 e7 28.f1 a4 29.b4
xg4 30.xg4 e6 31.f5 The outcome of
the game after this advance is decided by two
factors: W hite's king is less well defended
because it has no pawn cover while Black's
king still has the f7 pawn and secondly- and
much more critically- White's bishop on b2 is
a spectator while its counterpart on d8 can
actually get involved in the game in a decisive
way. gxf5 32.xf5 xf5 33.xf5 h5!
A nice tactic as taking on h5 will lose two
rooks. 34.ff4 g5! Winning the exchange.
35.g3 xf4 36.g8+ e7 37.xf4 h6
0-1
171 C02
Delchev,Aleksander 2550
Volkov,Sergey 2609
3rd IECC Batumi GEO (8) 20.06.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
d7 6.a3 a5 7.b3 This prevents Black
getting a grip on the light squares after a5-a4,
for if 7...a4? 8.b4! is excellent for White as he
wins undisputed control of the c5 square. e7
Black is unafraid of d4xc5. More cautious was
[ 7...a6 8.d3 e7 9.0-0 c8
a n d B l a ck e ve n t u a l l y wo n i n V a t t e r, H -
Eingorn,V/Bad Woerishofen 1999, but the
knight doesn't look well placed on a6 at the
moment. ]
8.dxc5?! This capture is anti-positional and so
will only turn out well if W hite manages to
open lines and destroy Black on the
queenside bef ore he can mobilise all his
pieces. But Black isn't actually behind in
development so there is no reason why he
should suffer such a fate. The solid alternative
was
[ 8.e2 though Black held on comfortably
against a 2650+ opponent with cxd4 9.cxd4
b5 10.xb5+ xb5 11.c3 a6 12.a4
ec6 13.b5 b6 14.0-0 h6 15.a3
xa3 16.xa3 0-0 17.a1 a6 18.c1
c7 19.c3 ac8 20.e2 - Zvjaginsev,V-
Volkov,S/St Petersburg 1999. ]
8...xc5 9.c4 c7! An inspired retreat that
refutes W hite's strategy as he isn't able to
conquer the d5 point. In fact with his couple of
mo ves B la ck m a ke s d5 a st ro n g o u tp o s t
square for his minor pieces. 10.c3 c6!
11.b2 d7 12.cxd5 Not the move he
wanted to play as it frees the black knight
from e7 and so aids Black's development, but
with the e5 pawn hanging he had to
undertake something active. xd5 13.b5
As he is positionally worse Delchev decides to
m ix t h in gs u p , b u t V o lk o v is a n in s p ire d
tactician. b6 14.bd4 a4! A sharp fight
ensues 15.c4
[ After this White is overwhelmed on the
queenside but if 15.b4 xb4! looks very
dangerous for White e.g. 16.axb4 xb4+
17.d2 a3!? ]
15...axb3 16.0-0 c5 17.xb3 a4
147
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

18.fd2 xb3 19.xb3 c8 20.xd5 the pawn, but Black's bishops and pawn
exd5 21.e6 A last desperate lunge as the centre might come to life if W hite tries to
knight is fatally pinned. xb3 22.g4 fxe6 cash in his advantages. ]
23.ab1 d4! Once again the d5 square 16.xc6 bxc6 17.g3 g4?!
proves a good friend to Black. 24.xd4 d5 [ Trying to avoid 17...f7 18.fd4 c8
25.fe1 d7 26.e5 c4 27.be1 c6 19.c5 with a total bind. ]
28.5e4 d5 29.e5 d6 30.h4 f7 18.fd4 h5 19.xc6
31.a1 h6 32.h5 xa3 33.5e3 b4 [ Or 19.c5! with a winning position. ]
34.g6+ g8 35.d1 e5 36.d3 d6 19...f7 20.cd4 a4 21.h3 xb3 22.axb3
37.e2 b5 38.f3 f4 39.xd6 xf3 g5 23.f3
0-1 [ 23.c6! f8 24.c2 ]
23...g6 24.c6 f8
[ 24...e8 25.h4! xe5 26.xe5 xe5
172 C02 27.xe6! ]
Ding Liren 2711 25.g2
Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son 2614 [ 25.xe6! wins f ollowin g xf3 26.xg6
Chinese Teams 2013 (15.5) 11.11.2013 fxg3+ 27.fxg3 hxg6 28.f3! xg3+
[John Watson] 29.f2 xh3 30.e6 f6 31.g2 ]
25...xe5 26.xe5 xe5 27.xe6 g8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 28.h4
h6 6.d3 cxd4 7.xh6 gxh6 8.cxd4 [ Or 28.xd5 xg3 29.fxg3 xg3+
g7 30.f1 ]
[ For 8...b6 , a promising alternative, see 28...b1+ 29.f1 g6 30.e1 White is
this month's game Dzhumaev-Kotsur. ] winning. e4
9.0-0 f6 10.e1 0-0 11.bd2 h8? [ 30...xb2 31.d2 f6 32.xd5 ]
Too slow. 31.xe4 dxe4 32.g5 e8 33.xe4 xb2
[ 11...fxe5 12.dxe5 d7 is preferable, when 34.g5 g7 35.c7 a5 36.c5 e1+
...Rc8, ...Qe7, and ...Be8 are typical moves 37.g2 f6 38.xa5 g7 39.h3 b1
to follow. ] 40.f4 xb3 41.xh5+ g6 42.xf6 xf6
12.c1 Fine, but White has other more direct 43.g4 h6 44.a6+ g7 45.f3 b4 46.g3
routes to at least a small advantage: b5 47.h5 b4 48.a7+ g8 49.e7 a4
[ 12.b1 fxe5 13.dxe5 d7 14.b3! 50.e4 a3 51.d4 a7 52.f4 a1
( 14.c2 f5 15.g4 b4 16.b3 f4 ) 53.d8+ g7 54.d7+ g8 55.g5 hxg5
14...e8 15.bd4 ] 56.fxg5 a4 57.h6 h8 58.g6 a3+
[ Or 12.exf6! xf6 13.b3 d7 14.b5! ] 59.f4 a4+ 60.e5 a5+ 61.d5 a8
[ 12.b5 is also thematic, although in that 62.e4
case xd4!? 13.xd4 fxe5 followed by ... 1-0
Qb6 is unclear. ]
12...fxe5 13.dxe5 d7 14.b3 e7
Black is a little short of time for the desirable 173 C02
. . . B e 8 a n d . . . B h 5 o r . . . B g 6 . 15.b5!? Dvoirys,Semen I 2552
Sacrificing a pawn for a positional advantage Lputian,Smbat G 2638
and initiative. 4th IECC Istanbul TUR (4) 02.06.2003
[ 15.c5 e8 with the idea ...Bh5 is fine for [Neil McDonald]
Black, but ]
[ 15.e2 or ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
[ 15.b1 e8 16.fd4! xe5 17.g3 b6 6.a3 h6 7.d3 Dvoirys decides to
intending 18 f4 keeps White on top. ] play the position in the style of the Milner-
15...f4? Barry Gambit.
[ 15...xe5! 16.xe5 xb5 17.d4 e8! [ The usual continuation is 7.b4 cxd4
leaves White with obvious compensation for 8.cxd4 ]

148
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

7...cxd4 8.cxd4 d7 9.0-0 xd4 10.xd4 analysed in Lyell-Lehtivaara. The conclusion
xd4 11.c3 a6! As in the Milner-Barry there was that Black should play
mainline, this is the key move. It prevents Nb5 [ 10...0-0-0! with unclear play. ]
and also Bb5 [after say Qe2]. 11.c3 xe5?!
[ Much inferior, though not necessarily bad [ Capturing this pawn turns out to be too
f o r B l a c k i s 11...xe5?! I don't think it d a n g e r o u s . H e s h o u l d p r e f e r 11...d4
makes sense to open the centre when Black even though White is better- see the game
has played Nh6. For example 12.e1 d6 mentioned in the note above. ]
( After 12...b8 White can build up an 12.e1 0-0-0 13.g4 f6?
attack with 13.xd5 d6 14.xh6 gxh6 [ He had to play 13...c7! ]
15.f6+ etc. ) 13.b5 ( or 13.f3 14.b5! a6
intending Bf4. )] [ If 14...xb5 15.xe6 destroys him. ]
12.e2? 15.d6+ c7 16.b3! Now Black's king is
[ If White wants to justify his opening play he forced into the open. xd6
h a s t o t r y 12.xh6 gxh6 13.e2 [ Again if 16...c6 17.xe6 wins. ]
wh en a f t e r g7 14.ae1 he can build up 17.b6+ c6 18.cxd5 xd5
with Kh1, f2-f4 etc. ] [ Or 18...exd5 19.b4!! cxb4 ( 19...xg4
12...g4! Lputian keeps the queen active and 20.bxc5+ d7 21.xb7# ) 20.e3 d4
whisks her away from attack by Be3 with gain ( 20...xg4 21.c5+ d7 22.xb7# )
of time. W ith this move he proves that the 21.xd4 xd4 22.ad1 with a decisive
addition of the moves a2-a3 and Nh6 has attack. ]
worked in Black's favour. 13.f3 c5+ 14.h1 19.g5! xg5 20.ad1+ d4 21.xe6+
h4 15.g3 B l a c k r e s i g n e d a s i f xe6 22.xe6#
[ The unambitious 15.d2 looks safer. ] A brilliant attacking game.
15...h3 16.e1 c6 17.f4 0-0 18.c1 1-0
f5! Black boldly enters the complications in
the knowledge that he can exploit W hite's
we a ke n ed kin gside a nd in pa rticula r t h e 175 C02
pressure on f3. 19.xh6 xh6 20.xd5 Dvoirys,Semen I 2568
xa3! 21.f6+ Vallin,Guillaume 2396
[ If 21.b6 ad8 ] Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (7) 01.03.2001
21...gxf6 22.bxa3 fxe5 23.xe5 xf3+! [Neil McDonald]
The point. Black wins a second pawn and
soon wraps things up. 24.g1 d5 25.b1 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
ad8 26.f4 Here the game score on my c6 6.a3 c4 7.bd2 f6?! This allows White
database ends with 0-1. I imagine that this is to strengthen his centre. Instead
incomplete and that Dvoirys played on for a [ 7...a5 keeping the position blocked was
while. Still, against a f ine technician like played in Rytshagov-Socko ]
Lputian there isn't much hope. 8.h4! White seizes his chance. g6 9.f4
0-1 fxe5? The lesser evil was
[ 9...f5 keeping the kingside closed. ]
10.fxe5 g7 This allows the coming sacrifice,
174 C02 but if Black didn't develop he would soon
Dvoirys,Semen I 2568 have problems along the open f file. 11.hf3
Naumkin,Igor 2446 h6 12.xc4! dxc4 13.xc4 a6
Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (5) 27.02.2001 14.d6+ d7 15.xh6! An excellent
[Neil McDonald] decision- White eliminates the knight before it
can aid the defence of the light squares. xh6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 16.d5 Black is a piece up but his queen's
d7 6.e2 f6 7.0-0 fxe5 8.xe5 xe5 bishop and rook are shut in so White has the
9.dxe5 c7 10.c4 e7?! This line has been advantage in firepower. exd5 17.xd5 e7

149
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
18.e6+ An exciting king hunt begins which
lasts until the end of the game. c7 19.b5+
b6 20.d6+ c6 21.a4 d8 22.c7+
c5 23.e7 e8 24.d6+ b6 25.a5+!
This wins the queen. xa5 26.xa5 xe7+
27.f2 e3+ 28.g3 c5 29.f6 e6
30.f4 xa5 31.b4 e3 32.bxa5+ xb5
33.b1+ c6 34.e5+ d6 35.c4+
A fine game in the old style.
1-0
176 C02
Dzhumaev,M 2565
Kostenko,P 2500
3rd Central Asia Cup (4.3) 15.10.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
h6 6.a3 f5 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 d7
[ 8...b6 9.b2 d7 is a main Advance
Variation line in which Black has been faring
well. ]
9.b2 c8
[ 9...b6! transposes to the last note and
prevents 10.d3? due to cxd4 11.xd4 7.xh6 gxh6 8.cxd4 b6! A rare but
xd4 and if 12.xh7? , c6 13.c2 promising move order.
( 13.d3 c5! 14.0-0 d4! ) 13...a5! ]
10.d3! e7
[ 10...b6 11.xf5 exf5 12.c3 e6
13.0-0 e7 transposes to the game. ]
11.0-0 b6
[ 11...g5!? is an exciting alternative, with the
idea ...g4, for example, 12.g4 ( 12.h3 h5 )
12...h4 13.xh4 gxh4 14.d2 b6
15.f3 ( 15.b3 a5! 16.b5 a4 17.c5 9.d2 d7 Threatening d4.
xd4 18.xd7 xd7 19.xa4 ) 15...a5!
16.c1 c4 , which is hard to assess. ]
12.xf5 exf5 13.c3 e6 14.a4
[ 14.d3 a6 15.ac1 ( 15.a4 b5 ) A big decision Black has two alternatives:
15...0-0 16.a4 b5 17.xb5 axb5
18.c5 b6 19.d3 h6 ( 19...g5 ) 20.h4 g5
21.g3 g7 looks about equal. ]
14...b5 15.c3 b6 16.a4 b5 17.c3
b6
½-½
177 C02
Dzhumaev,M 2565
Kotsur,P 2559
3rd Central Asia Cup (6.4) 17.10.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
h6 This is now a well-established alternative
t o 5 . . . Q b 6 , 5 . . . Ng e 7 , a n d 5 . . . B d 7 . 6.d3
One of White's more ambitious tries. cxd4
[ 6...f5 is the safe move, well-tested and
perfectly playable, but Black is looking for
something more double-edged. ]
[ 6...b6 is similar, but Black tries not to
cede c3 to White's knight. This gives White
the opportunity to play dxc5 at some point,
which is un cle ar, e. g. , 7.0-0 ( 7.xh6
xb2!? 8.d2! xa1 9.0-0 gxh6 10.a3
xf1+ 11.xf1 is unclear, but Black looks
okay after 11...a6 or cxd4 12.b5 dxc3
13.xc3 d7 ) 7...d7 ( 7...cxd4 8.cxd4
d7 9.c3! xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.e3
w i t h t h e i d e a xe5?! 12.e1 d6
13.b5 ) 8.dxc5! xc5 9.b4 e7 10.xh6
gxh6 11.d2 f8 ]
[ This month's game Ding Liren-Nguyen has
Black playing 8...g7 Kotsur's move may be
better, gaining a tempo and driving the
bishop off the dangerous b1-h7 diagonal.
The negative side is that the queen isn't
well-placed on b6 and will lose time. ]
[ 8...d7 is Grischuk-Bareev in the
Archives. ]
[ 9...xd4?? 10.xd4 xd4 11.b5+ ]
10.e2 Forced, if White still wants to save his
p a w n a n d s t i l l d e v e l o p n o r m a l l y . g7!?
[ a) He can and should consider the standard
tactic 10...xd4! 11.xd4 ( Black has an
excellent attack following 11.xd4 c5
12.c2 xf2+ 13.f1 c5 14.c3 0-0!=
w i t h t h e i d e a 15.xh6 f6! ) 11...c5
12.d1! xf2+ 13.f1 xb2 ( 13...f6
14.b3 ) 14.bd2 b6 with the idea of ...f6
and ...0-0. ]
[ b) 10...0-0-0 is also possible, intending ...
Rg8 and possibly ...Rg4, or ...Kb8 and ...
Rc8. ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

11.c3 0-0 12.0-0 f6 [ 26...xh3 looks like a better try. White's

[ 12...e7 prevents Na4 and prepares ... weaknesses give Black more chances than
Bb5, but is rather passive. One of the very he gets in the game, even if accurate play
few games with 8...Qb6 went 13.d3 h8 by White will win, e.g., 27.gxh3 f6 28.fc1
( 13...g6; 13...f6 ) 14.e2 b5 15.xb5 d4 29.b4! (versus ...c5) e3 30.f1! f7
xb5 16.f4 g6 17.h5 ac8 18.ac1 31.f3! f4 32.e2 ]
d7 19.h4 xc1 20.xc1 c8 21.g3! c6 27.fc1 f6 28.b4! d4
22.xc6 xc6 23.h2 e7 24.f4! [ 28...d4 29.b5! ]
( 24.g4 g8 ) 24...f5? ( 24...e8 29.d1 e5
25.xg7 xg7 26.f6+ g8 27.xh6 ) [ 29...b6 30.b5 ]
25.g4 c2 ( 25...xh4 26.xf7+- ) 26.f3 30.g3+ xg3 31.hxg3 b6 32.f1 d4
( 26.gxf5 d1+ ) 26...e7 27.xf7 g6 33.c4 d6 34.f3 exf3
28.xe7 xg4+ 29.h2 1-0 Svidler, P [ 34...e3 35.e2 and a4. ]
(2739)-Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (2637), 35.gxf3 f7 36.dc1 d3 37.d1 a5 38.a3
Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2011. ] axb4 39.axb4
13.a4! Now White should maintain an edge. 1-0
[ 13.exf6 xf6 gives Black good counterplay,
e.g., 14.ac1 ( 14.a4 c7 15.ac1
f4!?; 14.b5?! xf3! 15.xc6 xc3 178 C02
16.xd7 c7 ) 14...af8 15.fe1 e8 ( or Fandino Reyes,Roquelina 2147
15...f4 )] De Francesco,Klaus 2312
13...d8 46th Capablanca Memorial Open A (2.45)
[ 13...c7 14.ac1 fxe5 15.xe5 xe5 [John Watson]
16.dxe5 xe5 17.c5 gives White an
initiative for the pawn. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
14.c5 fxe5 15.xe5 xe5 16.dxe5 xe5 c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
17.xh6 g7!? 9.b2 d7 10.e2
[ 17...f4! 18.h5 e7 is fine for Black, [ 10.g4 is the normal choice see the Skliarov-
since he can soon mobilize the centre. ] Vorontsov game this month. ]
18.e3! e5?! An ambitious advance. White 10...e7
stands better after [ A much older game on ChessPub, Grosar
[ 18...e7 19.xd7 xd7 20.g4 ae8 (2442)-Tukmakov, (2572), Bled SLO 2001,
21.ae1 h8 , but Black has good chances went 10...c8 11.0-0 (Neil queries both 10
to hold. ] Be2 and 11 0-0 f or pe rmit tin g .. .h5 (a s
19.b3 c6? opposed to hitting the knight by g4) but I
[ 19...h8! 20.xd5 ( 20.xb7 f5; think the game remains level) e7 12.d2
20.xb7 b6! ) 20...c6 21.xd8 fxd8 ( 12.d3 h5 13.bd2 looks better for
22.ad1 e4 23.b3 e8 gives some White's development, but he was probably
compensation, and is likely the best worried about 12...Na5) 12...h5 13.d1?!
course. ] ( 13.c1 g5 14.xg5 cxd4 15.xc8+
20.e6 e7 xc8 16.d1 d7 is about even, although
[ 20...d6 21.xf8 xf8 22.b5 e4 p e rh a p s a b i t e a si e r f o r B la ck t o p l a y)
23.ad1 e5 24.g3 f3 25.a4 13...g5! 14.c3 ( If 14.xg5 cxd4
isn't much better. ] 15.xd4 xd4 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4
21.xf8 xf8 22.b5! Simplification xg5 18.f4 d8! threatening Bb6 when
cements W hite's advantage. e4 23.ac1 Black has the two bishops and control of the
d7 24.xc6 bxc6 25.c2 e5 26.h3!? c file. ) 14...g4 15.e1 d8! with the idea ...
Strange. Almost any slow move is good, e.g., Bg5. Black stood better and went on to win.
[ 26.e3 ] ( 15...cxd4 16.xd5 xe2+ 17.xe2
[ or 26.g3 ] exd5 18.e6! )]
26...e8 Practically speaking, 11.0-0 0-0 12.d3!? f6?!

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[ 12...g6! is correct, so as to recapture with has compensation for the exchange,

the g-pawn in case of Bxf5. The move ...f6 probably adequate. ]
can follow. ] 7...xf6 7 exf6 seems cooperative of White,
13.xf5 exf5 14.c3 e6 15.a4 d8 but since there's no knight on d2, as in the 3...
16.c5 xc5 17.dxc5 xe5 18.xe5 fxe5 Nf6 Tarrasch Variation, White has free play.
19.xe5 f4 Ho we ve r, B la ck' s k n i gh t h a s c o m e t o f 6
[ 19...d7 20.d4 fe8 21.a4 gives White dire ct ly, a s o p p o se d t o t h e t h re e m o ve s
a clear advantage. ] involved in the line 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7, in
20.f3 which Black later plays ...f6 and after exf6, ...
[ Or 20.e1 ] Nxf6. So maybe it's about equal. 8.0-0 d6
20...g5 21.d4 [ A game with a high-profile advocate of
[ 21.e1 ae8 ( 21...fe8 22.d2 ) 22.d6 Black's position went 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 d6
f6 23.a2! and Rae2 ] 10.c3 0-0 11.b3 d7 12.b5 e7
21...ae8 22.d6 h3 23.f2!? 13.f4 ac8 14.d6 cd8 15.b5 e8!
[ 23.a2! f6 24.d2 ] 16.g3? f6 17.e5 xe5 18.dxe5 xb5
23...f6 24.d1 e6 25.a4?! 19.xb5 xb5 20.d4 b6 21.exf6
[ 25.e1! gives White a large advantage. xf6 22.f4? e4 23.h1 e5
B e t we e n h i s b e t t e r b i sh o p , e - f i le , a n d
0-1 T Johansson-Beliavsky, Copenhagen
queenside majority, he has enough to win. ] 2003. ]
25...a6 26.b5?! 9.a3!?
[ 26.e2! ] [ 9.dxc5 xc5 10.b4 e7 11.e3 c7= ]
26...axb5 27.axb5 f7 28.c7 f5 29.b6? 9...a6 This is about equal, or if anything, very
[ 29.b2! with the idea h5 30.c6 bxc6 slightly better for Black. 10.c2 0-0 11.b1
31.b6 . It's too bad that White, who has a5
outplayed her opponent, collapses at the [ 11...cxd4! 12.cxd4 ( 12.cxd4 e5 )
end: ] 12...d7 with freer play and some
29...h5 30.c1 ee6 31.b2 e8 32.h4 advantage. ]
c6 33.b4 e2 34.xf4?? g6 35.g5 12.e3 cxd4
xg5 36.hxg5 xg5 [ 12...d7!= ]
0-1 13.cxd4?!
[ 13.fxd4! with the idea e5? ( 13...xd4
14.xd4 c7 15.g3 d7= ) 14.e6! ]
179 C02 13...d7 14.a3 a4 15.d3 a5 16.d2
Farran Martos,J 2221 c6?!
Gonzalez Rodriguez,JA 2385 [ The natural 16...b3 is advantageous, e.g.
TCh-CAT 2012 (2.2) 04.02.2012 , 17.b4! xb4 18.xb4 e8! 19.c2
[John Watson] h5 ]
17.e3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 [ 17.c3!= ]
b6 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 17...c7
[ 7.0-0 fxe5 8.dxe5 ( I analyse 8.xe5 f6 [ 17...e8!? ]
a t s o m e l e n g t h - i t ' s f i n e f o r B l a c k) [ 17...b3!? ]
8...ge7!? ( I recommend 8...h6 ) 9.a3 18.h3 ac8 19.e1 h6 20.c1 b6
( m y p r o b l e m w i t h 8 . . . N g e 7 i s 9.c4 21.b1!?
but that's another story) 9...a6 10.c2 d7 [ 21.e5 ]
11.e1 0-0-0?! ( 11...c7!; 11...g6 ) 12.b4! 21...b3 22.a1 xd1 23.exd1 a5
g6 13.d3 ( 13.e3! ) 13...c7 14.g5 24.d2?!
gxe5 15.xd8 xd8 16.f1 ( 16.xe5 [ 24.e5= ]
xe5 17.b1! with a small but definite 24...c4 25.c2 xd2
advantage ) 16...d6 1/2-1/2 Savic- [ 25...e8! ]
Dudukovic, Pozarevac SRB 2012 Black 26.xd2 c7 27.e5! c6 28.g6 ff7

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29.e1 d7 30.e5 e7 31.xd7 xd7
32.e3 b6 33.c2 xc2 34.xc2 f7
35.d3 c7 36.f1 f4 37.e2 e5 38.g3
xe3 39.fxe3? A typical error right near time
control. e4 40.b1 e6 41.d1 f7
42.c2 f3 43.g1 c4 Black is simply
winning. 44.c1 b5 45.b3 xa3 46.bxa4
xc2 47.xc2 bxa4 48.b2 xe3 49.a2
d3 50.b1 d2+ 51.a1 e3
0-1
180 C02
Fernando,Diogo 2360
Gdanski,Jacek 2530
XVIII Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (8)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
c6 6.e2 h6 7.xh6 gxh6 8.d2 g7
9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 d7 11.c2 cxd4
12.cxd4 f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.b4
This position has been reached many times in
international chess-for example have a look at
the analysis in Topalov-Bareev. Now, however,
Black comes up with a fresh deployment of
his pieces. e8 Normally before retreating the
bishop Black gets his rook to the f file:
[ 14...af8 15.b5 e7 16.e5 e8 17.g3
is the Topalov game mentioned above. ]
15.b5 d8!? This is the new idea- usually the
knight goes to e7. Instead if allowed Gdanski
aims to put it on e4 via f7. 16.a4
[ If 16.e5 f7 challenges the knight.
( Not of course 16...xb5? 17.ab1 a6
18.a4 and wins. ) 17.f4? the move White
wants to play, but it just seems to drop a
pawn. xe5 18.fxe5 xf1+ 19.xf1
( 19.xf1 xb5 wins a pawn as if 20.b1??
xe2+ ) 19...xe5 ( 19...g6!? ) 20.xh6
g6 and Black looks much better. ]
16...f7 17.e3 h5! Stopping Ng4 when the
rook on f6 becomes embarrassed for squares
and both white knights control e5. 18.ac1
[ If 18.d3 Black can consider the exchange
sacrifice xf3 19.gxf3 xd4 ]
18...d6 19.b4 e4
Mission accomplished: the knight has reached
e4 and Black has an active game. 20.a5 d8
21.b6 White presses forwards on the
qu e e n s id e , b u t i t p ro ve s t o o l o o s e n i n g .
Black's idea of leaving the rook on a8 rather
than 'developing' it to f8 is made to look very
farsighted! In any case, I think Black was
already better. f8! 22.b2 d6 23.e5?
[ He should try to confuse matters with
23.a6!? ]
23...axb6 24.xb6
[ If 24.axb6 a3 wins the exchange. ]
24...xb6 25.axb6 d2! Now whatever
W hite does Nb3 and then Nxd4 will win a
pawn. 26.a1 b8! 27.fd1 b3 28.a7
xd4 29.xd4 xe5 30.d1 f4 31.c2
g6 32.d3 xd3 33.xd3 c4 34.e3
c1+ 35.f1 xh2+ 36.xh2 xf1 37.e3
[ If 37.c3 xf2 38.c7 f7 defends b7. ]
37...f7 38.c3 xf2 39.c7+ f6
40.axb7 xb7 41.xb7 b2 42.b8 e5
43.g3 e4 44.b7 e5 A very impressive
game by Black.
0-1
181 C02
Gelfenboim,Jaroslaw 2168
Schlosser,Philipp 2493
6th Open Ditzingen GER (2) 24.05.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.g4 c6
5.f3 cxd4
[ Here I recommend that Black disrupt
White's build up with 5...a5+! see Jimenez-
Shabalov. ]
6.d3 ge7 7.0-0 g6 8.e1 e7 9.c3
dxc3 10.xc3 d7 11.a3!?
[ St o p pin g Nb 4 . I n st e a d 11.d2 b4
12.b1 c8 13.a3 c6 was Sveshnikov,E-
Komarov,D ]
11...0-0 12.g5? Against proper defence it
won't be enough just to attack with the pieces.
Much more natural was
[ 12.h4 using the pawns as well, when if
xh4 W hite has at least 13.xh4 xh4
14.h6 winning the exchange to regain his
material. Perhaps Black's best response to
12 h4 would be 12...f5!? ]
12...h8 13.h5 d4! An excellent counter
stroke. Black f orces the excha nge of his
passive knight for the knight in f3 which had
potentially an important attacking role. 14.h4
Naturally not
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 14.xd4 xg5 ]
14...xf3+ 15.gxf3 e8! Another strong
defensive move. Black overprotects g6 to
make possible f7-f5. 16.e2! White finds the
only way to keep his attack alive. f5! 17.exf6
gxf6 18.f4 g8 19.xe6 d6 Now it all
seems over as the bishop dare not move from
g5 as Nf4+ would then win the queen. But
W hite refuses to give up. 20.g4!? e5
21.xe5 xe5 22.f4 xb2?
[ Black finally goes wrong. There was no
need to let White's rook join in the attack.
Much simpler was 22...d6! for example
23.f5 g6 24.h5 fxg5 25.hxg6 xg6
when W hite loses a piece and the attack
has been completely repelled. ]
23.b1 c3 24.xh7! It may be that Black
still has a way to safety after this move, but it
has suddenly become very dangerous for him.
xh7 25.xb7 xa3 26.f5+ h8
27.h2!! A nasty quiet move which breaks the
pin on the bishop and so threatens a quick
wi n w i t h 2 8 B xf 6 + g6 28.h5! xg5
29.xg5 fxg5 30.e5+ g8 31.xe7 f7
32.xg5+?
[ This smacks of time pressure. Much simpler
was 32.h6! f8 33.h7 xe7 34.h8+
g8 35.hxg8# ]
32...f8 33.xf7+ xf7 34.xd5+ g7
35.xa8 c5 36.g2+ h8 37.f3 a5
38.f5 a4 39.f6 a3?
[ 39...c7+ was a slim hope. ]
40.a8+ h7 41.e4+ Black resigned for if
g8 42.g6+ f8 43.g7+ e8 44.f7+
1-0
182 C02
Ginzburg,Mikhail 2274
Firman,Nazar 2511
Stork YM Hengelo NED (7) 10.08.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 d7!? Black plans to
exc ha nge o f f h is 'p ro blem' light squa re d
b i s h o p w i t h 4 . . . a 6 a n d 5 . . . B b 5 . 4.f3
Against moves such as
[ 4.a4 or ]
[ 4.c3 Black can happily give up on the a7-
a6 plan and play 4... c5! Here is an
interesting line versus ]
[ 4.d3 : c5 5.c3 a5!? 6.f3 b5 ]
4...a6 5.c3 White makes no effort to obstruct
Black's plan with this rather lazy move- after
all, why does he need to defend d4 when it
isn't even attacked by c7-c5 yet?
[ Instead 5.c4 dxc4 6.xc4 c6?!
was played in Lau,R-Benjamin,J/New York
1985, but I think ( 6...b5!? was better as
the exchange of bishops eases the slight
cramp in Black's position. )]
[ Or 5.c3!? b4 ( An important alternative
is 5...c5!? ) 6.a3 xc3+ 7.bxc3 b5
8.d3! d7 9.b1 White wants to force
Black to strengthen his pawn structure with
9...Bxd3 10.cxd3. e7 10.0-0 bc6!
Black quite rightly offers a pawn rather than
acquiesce in ( 10...xd3 11.cxd3 ) 11.g5!
( If 11.xb5 axb5 12.xb5 xe5 13.xb7
c6 14.b3 c4 is good for Black- sooner
or later he will win the a3 pawn and have
the better pawn structure and good light
square control.) 11...h6 12.h3 g6
13.e1 ce7 14.f4 xf4 15.xf4 g6
16.d2 c8 17.g4 xd3
Now the pressure on g6 obliges Black to
exchange on d3, but he is ready for action
on the kingside with f7-f5. 18.cxd3 b6
19.d1 Evidently he was worried about 19...
Qa4. 0-0 20.e3 f5 with unclear play in
Masserey,Y-Bauer,C/Vejen 1993. ]
[ Insipid is 5.a4?! for example c5 6.c3 c6
7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 b6 9.0-0 ge7 ]
[ Finally 5.g5!? was used by David
Bronstein to win in impressive style in one of
the first games with 3... Bd7. But Black
seems fine after e7!? 6.c3 c5 7.d3
( Or 7.dxc5 a5 8.a3 xc5 9.d3 g6
10.0-0 c7 11.e1 c6 12.e2 c5
13.ad1 0-0 14.h4 h6 15.c1 d4!
turned out excellently for Black in
Borngaesser,R-Basman,M/ Birmingham
1972. ) 7...cxd4 8.xd4 b6 9.b3 bc6
10.e2 g6 11.0-0-0 d4 12.xg6 hxg6
13.e4 and in this double edged position a
draw was agreed in Kavalek,L-Benjamin, J/
Estes Park 1985. ]
5...b5 6.bd2
[ He might as well give up on the queenside
with 6.xb5+ axb5 7.0-0 and try to attack
down the f file with a future Ng5 and f2-f4
etc. ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

6...c6 7.a4 xf1 8.xf1 f6! Already Black and Nc6. c6 13.f4 c5 The alternative is
can think about seizing the initiative which [ 13...b4 immediately. ]
shows the opening has been a great success 14.d2
for the surprise 3. ..Bd7. 9.g3 d7 10.h4 [ Or 14.a3 a7 15.d2 g6! ( Instead
White has moved two rook pawns too many. 15...b6 16.b4 d8 17.h5! e7
Safer was 18.ae1 g6 19.h6 gave White some
[ 10.0-0 ] attacking chances in Stets-Kuzmin, Alushta
10...fxe5 11.dxe5 d8! A masterly move- 1999. ) 16.b4 b5! 17.xb5?!
Black clears the way for c7-c5 to control d4 This is enterprising but Black can withstand
and prepares Nf7 to put pressure on the e5 the attack. axb5 18.xb5 b6 19.d6+
pawn. 12.d4 f7 13.g5 c5 14.g4 f8 20.f5 exf5 21.h6+ g8 22.g5
gh6 15.f4 e7 16.h5 0-0 17.f6+ b8! 23.f6 xe5! 24.xe5 xd6 25.f6
This attacking attempt is powerfully refuted. h5 and Black was winning in German-
xf6 18.exf6 e5! 19.d2 e4 20.fxg7 fe8 Rodriguez, Buenos Aires 1996. ]
21.h2 g4 22.xg4 xg4 23.xd5 h6 14...b4 15.b1 a7! Black makes way for
24.e3 ad8 25.c4 xg2 Now the d3 and the queen to retreat to b6. 16.a3 c6
f 3 s qu ares a re o pe n to t he b la ck knigh t .
17.d3
26.f1 f3 27.h3 f5 28.g3 e5 [ 17.b4 b6 ( Perhaps 17...b5!?
29.e2 d3 30.f1 e6 31.h5 f3 as in the Rodriguez game of the last note.)
32.c2 c4 Complete light square domination- 18.d3 ( 18.h5!? ) 18...g6 19.ae1 h5
which all began with 5...Bb5! 33.a5 xh5 20.xd5 Again an all out attack by White,
34.a4 xe3! 35.fxe3 h2! 36.g2 d2+ but he eventually runs out of pieces: exd5
37.e1 xg2 38.d7 f3+ 39.d1 f1+ 21.e6 xe6 22.f5 gxf5 23.g5 d7
40.c2 d3+ 24.xf5 ae8 25.xf7+ c8! 26.f4 d7!
0-1 27.f5 xf5 28.xe8+ xe8 29.xe8+
d8 and White resigned in Stets-Burlai,
Sevastopol 2000. ]
183 C02 17...g6! An important move which rules out f4-
Golod,Vitali 2535 f5 except as a sacrifice and also prevents Qh5.
Barsov,Alexei 2465 It is necessary as the black queen is going to
op Dieren (9) 1998 vacate d4 and so won't be able to answer
[Neil McDonald] Qh5? with Qxd3 or f4-f5 with Qxe5. 18.ac1
b6 19.b4 d4! Black finds a way to
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 strengthen further his grip on the centre dark
d7 6.d3 The natural square for the bishop, squares. On f5 the knight will be ready to
though after Black's reply W hite is more or jump into e3. 20.d1 f5 21.a4 d8
less committed to sacrificing his d pawn. That 22.c5 c6 23.xa6 e3 24.xe3 xe3
is why many players prefer 25.c2 0-0 Now it's clear the opening has
[ 6.e2 ] been a disaster for W hite. Black has a
6...cxd4 7.cxd4 b6 8.0-0 The famous dominant dark squared bishop, a perfectly
Milner-Barry Gambit. xd4 9.xd4 safe king and nasty tactical threats on the a
[ Other ideas include 9.bd2 which Joszef file. The pressure soon restores the pawn
Nun has used to beat several GMs and ] advantage and despite W hite's stubborn
[ 9.g5!? ] resistance the end is inevitable. 26.a1 a4
9...xd4 10.c3 a6! A far sighted move. 27.e2 b6 28.c5 xc5 29.bxc5 xc5
Black rules out Nb5 and clears the a7 square 30.c1 e7 31.c3 c6 32.c1 d4
for the dark squared bishop. Instead 33.b3 d5 34.b4 fc8 35.g1 c3
[ 10...xe5 is the move popularised by John 36.xd4 xa3 37.e4 c1 38.e1 xe1
Watson. ] 39.xe1 xe4 40.xe4 d3 41.h3 a1
11.e2 e7 12.h1 White prepares to 42.xa1 xe4 43.f1 h5 44.h4 b5
defend e5 with f2-f4 before Black plays Ne7 45.h2 b4 46.f2 b3 47.d2 g7

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

48.g3 c2 49.d8 b2 50.f6+ g8 pawn in Mircov, N-Munteanu,A/Bucharest

51.d8+ h7 52.e7 f5 1992. ]
0-1 11.e5 The white knight is delighted with its
powerful centre post. In contrast, the black
knight on a5 is looking rather silly: it has
184 C02 moved to the edge to stop a breakthrough with
Grischuk,Alexander 2701 b2-b3, when in reality all the action is going to
Apicella,Manuel 2501 b e i n t h e c e n t r e . d6 12.h3 xe5
National I Bordeaux FRA (6) 06.04.2003 A horrible necessity if Black is to complete his
[Neil McDonald] development as if
[ 12...0-0-0 13.f7 or ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 [ 12...0-0 13.xd7 xd7 14.xe6+ ]
b6 6.a3 c4 7.bd2 a5 8.g3 Previously 13.dxe5 g8 14.g4 g6 15.0-0 e7
on ChessPub we have concentrated on 16.f3 At last White reveals his trump: the
[ 8.e2 ] marvellous dark square bishop. b3 17.e3
8...d7 9.h4 White aims for a more active c7 18.ad1 h6 19.h5 g5 20.d4! xd4
development of his bishop than to g2. f5 [ If 20...xe5 21.xb3 cxb3 22.d4 ]
[ Here is a model example of how to play this 21.cxd4 0-0-0 22.d2! Good psychology: by
line as Black: 9...0-0-0 10.h3 f5 11.0-0 indicating he might play Bb4 Grischuk cajoles
( I guess Grischuk intended to play the black knight into going to c6, after which
11.exf6!? ) 11...h6! preparing Nf7 and then he no longer has to worry about Nf5. c6?!
g7 -g5 wi t h c o u n t e rp la y. 12.e1 f7 [ Even so 22...f5 would have put a
13.g2 g5 14.hxg5 xg5 15.f4 xh3+! formidable barrier against White's kingside
Knights are better than bishops in blocked pawn advance. ]
positions, but the position won't be forever 23.h2 b5 24.f4! gxf4?
blocked. 16.xh3 e7 17.b1 dg8 [ He had to enter the complications with
18.f3 h6! depriving White's pieces of the 24...xd4 25.fxg5 f5 ( not 25...xe5?
g 5 s q u a r e . 19.e3 b3 20.g2 d8 26.c3 ) 26.e2 though White has a clear
21.h1 h5 22.e2 h4 and Black had quite edge thanks to his dark square bishop. ]
outplayed his opponent in Klinger,J-Portisch, 25.xf4 b6 26.f6 b4
L/ Dubai 1986. ] [ After 26...xd4 27.xd4 xd4
[ Black can also make do without the f7-f5 White can choose between 28.xh6 and
advance. For example 9...e7 10.h3 ( 28.a5 )]
ec6 11.0-0 e7 12.e1 In order to deter 27.axb4 xb4 28.xh6 d3 29.d2 xb2
12...f5 with an x ray attack on e6. h6 13.b1 30.g7 he8 31.h6 a5 The black pawns are
0-0-0 14.b4 cxb3 15.xb3 xb3 16.xb3 much too slow. 32.h7 a4 33.f3 b4
c7 17.b1 a5 18.b2 b8 19.d2 34.f2 c3 35.f8 b3
c6 20.g4 dg8 21.f3 d8 22.c1 1-0
a4 23.b4 c6 24.b3 e7 and Black
held the draw in Gobet,F-Farago,I/Luzern
1985. ] 185 C02
10.exf6 xf6? Grischuk,Alexander 2669
[ Better wa s 10...gxf6! to keep up the fight Bareev,Evgeny 2719
f o r t h e e 5 s q u a r e . F o r e xa m p l e 11.h3 ECC Panormo GRE (3) 25.09.2001
0-0-0 12.0-0 h5!? preparing the knight [Neil McDonald]
m a n o e u v r e t h a t f o l l o w s 13.e2
( The im mediat e 13.b1 planning b2-b3 Black had better find an improvement on this
looks the correct way to play it.) 13...h6 game if he still wants to play 5. ..Nh6! 1.e4 e6
14.b1 g4 15.h2 d6! 16.xg4 hxg4 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 h6
17.xg4 f5 18.h5 c7 19.f4 dg8 6.d3 cxd4
and Black had a strong initiative for the [ I f B l a c k p l a y s i m m e d i a t e l y 6...f5

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
then White can leave him with a pawn on d5
that can be attacked from the front after
7.xf5 exf5 8.dxc5 Therefore h e takes first
on d4 so that after the recapture on d4 the
pawn is shielded. However, White crosses
this plan. ]
7.xh6!? Highly significant- all the top class
games have previously continued
[ 7.cxd4 when Black has the chance to play
f5 ]
7...gxh6 8.cxd4 d7
[ Here the attack on White's centre with 8...f6
seems even riskier than a move earlier in
t h e g a m e A f e k - V a g a n i a n wh e r e B l a c k
hadn't exchanged pawns on d4. For
example 9.0-0 fxe5 10.xe5 xe5
11.dxe5 and White has the extra option of
Nc3. ]
9.c3 b6 The key moment in the opening.
It appears that Black is doing fine as both b2
and d4 are hanging. Has Grischuk messed
t h i n g s u p ? 10.b5! No! He has prepared a
very interesting pawn sacrifice. This is much
better than
[ 10.e2 xb2 11.b5 b4+ ]
10...g8
[ If 10...xe5 11.xe5 xb5 12.h5
and Black has no way to defend f7 as c7
drops a bish op. So Baree v prepares t o
defend f7 with Rg7. ]
[ With the advantage of hindsight, perhaps
Black should play 10...g7 but I still like
White's position e.g. 11.xc6 xc6 12.e2
( 12.d2 a6!? ) 12...0-0 13.0-0
when if Black frees himself with f6 14.exf6
xf6 he leaves a big hole on e5. ]
11.0-0 xe5 12.xe5 xb5 13.h5 g7
14.fe1! Suddenly White has some big
threats, including 15.Nxd5! d8
[ Unfortunately for Black he cannot escape
with 14...0-0-0 as White has a forced
sequence to win the exchange: 15.xb5
xb5 16.ac1+ b8 17.xf7 e8
Black is mated after ( 17...d7 18.e5+
a8 19.c8# ) 18.e5+ a8 19.d6
xd6 20.xg7 ]
15.xb5 xb5 16.xf7! xf7 17.xe6+
Bareev resigned as he will be two pawns
down: e7 18.xe7+! xe7 19.e1+ f8
20.xh6+ g8
[ Or 20...g7 21.f6+ g8 22.xd8+ ]
21.g5+ f8 22.xd8+ etc.
1-0
186 C02
Grischuk,Alexander 2702
Graf,Alexander 2635
Olympiad Bled SLO (11) 06.11.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 g6 8.h4 cxd4
9.cxd4 xa3? Superficially it looks good to
give White doubled pawns and the exchange
on a3 also reduces the number of pieces that
have to be housed in Black's cramped
quarters. However, Grischuk is able to show
that this was an unpromising decision: Black
should have kept his bishop to fight for the
dark squares.
[ B e t t e r w a s 9...b4+ 10.f1 h6
If Black wanted to try ( 10...xa3 11.bxa3
it makes more sense here when it is harder
for White to co-ordinate his pieces with the
king on f1.) 11.c2 e7 with unclear play
in Movsesian-Nikolic: you can find this game
on ChessPub. ]
10.bxa3 h6 11.h5 ge7 12.0-0 White now
has a pleasant position with no risk. If Black
castles kingside he can begin a direct attack
with the bishop on c1 the star of the show. So
Black keeps his king in the centre, but this
also has serious drawbacks. a5 13.b1
c6 14.d3 c4 15.h4 a5 16.g4
d7 17.b4! Keeping control is much better
than
[ 17.xg7 ag8 18.f6 ( The queen can't
escape so it is a draw by repetition after
18.xf7 f8 19.g7 fg8 ) 18...d2
19.xd2 xd2 Black has disposed of
White's dark squared bishop, brought his
rook to a semi-open file and activated his
queen, who is now attacking the bishop. And
all that for a pawn! ]
17...ag8 18.f4! Grischuk's plan is to make
the black queen and bishop on c6 irrelevant
by staging a break through on the kingside. A
strong player would never consider a move
like 18.Bxc4?? even if it won a pawn, as then
the bishop on c6 comes to life on the long
diagonal and the black knight and queen can
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
squabble over the wonderful square on d5. f5
19.exf6 gxf6 20.e2 d6 21.f5!
Now op portu nities appe ar f or the bisho p
waiting patiently on c1. exf5 22.xf5 exf5
23.xf5+ xf5 24.xf5 d8 25.b3 h7
26.f3 e8 27.xf6 c8 28.xc6+! bxc6
29.g4+ d7 30.g3 d8 31.xh6!
The bishop may have spent the whole game
up till now sitting quietly on c1, but his
influence on the play of both sides has been
enormous. Now at last he makes a move and
it is s p e c t a c u la r! xh6 32.b8+ e7
33.g7+ d6 34.xh6+
1-0
187 C02
Grischuk,Alexander 2701
Gurevich,Mikhail 2635
National I Bordeaux FRA (5) 05.04.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 d7 5.f3
b6 6.a3
[ In their previous encounter Grischuk had
tried to bamboozle his opponent with 6.d3
cxd4 7.xd4!? ]
[ Note that as the game goes compared to
the line 6.e2 cxd4 7.cxd4 b5 8.c3
xe2 9.xe2 e7 as played in Grischuk-
Vaganian on ChessPub White has gained
the move a2-a3 to begin a queenside
exp an s ion 'f o r f ree '. T h is d id n 't b ot h e r
Black players much as in the Alekseev-
Rustemov game quoted below White didn't
achieve anything. However, in the present
game Grischuk finds a much better role for
his queen's knight than sitting on the e2
square. ]
6...b5
[ I prefer 6...a5 which prevents White gaining
space on the queenside. It has been used
many times by former Russian Champion
Alexander Volkov- see the games Delchev-
Volkov and Sveshnikov-Volkov as well as
Illijin-Vakhidov- by transposition. ]
7.b4
[ A sharp alternative is 7.c4!? ]
7...cxd4
[ Black has no time for 7...xf1 because of
the zwischenzu g 8.bxc5! when the pawn
gambit looks very dubious after a6 9.xf1
b6 10.cxb6 axb6 11.e2 ]
8.xb5+ xb5 9.cxd4 d7 10.c3 c6
11.a4! This is an important improvement on
the quiet
[ 11.b2 when Black is able to bring his
knight into the attack on the hole on c4 with
b6 He succeeded in achieving a good
deployment after 12.d2 e7 13.0-0 f5
14.c1 d7 15.e2 e7 in Alekseev-
Rustemov, Tomsk 2001. ]
11...e7
[ A possible continuation after 11...b6 is
12.xb6 ( Instead 12.c5 c4 13.0-0 b6
looks fine for Black.) 12...axb6 13.0-0 e7
14.g5 h6 15.h3 when White is ready to
begin a kingside pawn advance with f2-f4
and g2-g4. Or perhaps Grischuk intended to
play more quietly with Be3 and Re1. In any
case, Black hasn't managed to equalise:
there is no immediate danger but he is short
of space. ]
[ A l t e r n a t i v e l y i f 11...a6 12.b1
prepares to snuff out the queen with 13. b5
then castle. ]
12.e3 b6 13.xb6 xb6 14.0-0 c6
[ If 14...f5 15.a4+ could prove
awkward. ]
15.e1! Just when Black seems about to
equalise with 15...Be7 Grischuk comes up with
this excellent retreat. The knight begins a
jo urne y t o c5 t o p re ssurise B la ck on t h e
queenside and just as importantly the way is
cleared for Qg4 to terrorise the kingside.
Black was only one tempo from comfort! e7
16.g4 White forces a dark square weakness
on the kingside. g6 17.d3 0-0 18.c5
Because of the weak squares on f6, g7 and h6
Black is reluctant to play Bxc5 to get rid of the
dominant knight. c7 19.ac1 fc8 20.h4!
The pieces are all on excellent squares, so
now it is time to use the pawns. b6 21.d3
[ Not 21.xe6? d7 ]
21...d7 22.h5 f8 23.f4 g7 24.h6!
xh6 If allowed to live the pawn on h6 would
terrorise Black in both the middlegame and
the endgame. However the forced exchange
of bishop for knight that follows proves fatal.
25.h5! g7 26.xg7 xg7 27.h4 g8
28.g5 f5 The only move or else Bf6 and
Qh6 will mate. 29.exf6 d8 30.h6 c4
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

31.xc4 dxc4 32.d5! The first of two c o m p l e t e f o r a k i n g s i d e a s s a u l t . c5!

powerful pawn breakthroughs. a5 Black finds an active plan before White can
[ If 32...exd5 33.e1 e6 or else Re7 wins mow him down with f4 and f5. 16.h5 xd4
34.xe6 ] 17.cxd4 f5! This frees Black's game with a
33.e1 a7 34.f7+! Black resign ed. A fine temporary pawn sacrifice. 18.exf6 xf6
end to an excellently played game by Grischuk. 19.g5 f7 20.xg6 hxg6 21.xg6 b6
W hite is a piece up after xf7 35.dxe6 22.d1
xh6 [ If 22.e3 xd4 23.h3 e4! defends. ]
[ Or 35...xe6 36.xe6 xh6 37.xh6 ] 22...xb2 If White could get a rook to h3 he
36.exd7 xd7 37.xh6 would have a winning attack against Black's
1-0 weakened kingside, so Gurevich has to tread
carefully. 23.d2 c3 24.h4
[ White cannot bring his rook into the game
188 C02 as 24.d3? c2 would be a terrible pin. ]
Grischuk,Alexander 2671 24...af8 25.b1 b6 26.b3 a1+ 27.b1
Gurevich,Mikhail 2641 c3 28.b3 a1+ 29.h2 e1!
Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (5) 17.01.2002 Once again a white rook is prevented from
[Neil McDonald] joining in the attack on Black's king as f2 is
hanging and if White plays f2-f3 the gateway
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 d7 5.f3 for the rook to swing over to g3 is blocked.
b6 6.d3 cxd4 7.xd4!? An interesting 30.b1 e4 Black succeeds in exchanging
idea that prevents Bb5. White hopes that in queens after which the presence of opposite
the middlegame Black's light squared bishop coloured bishops frustrates Grischuk's attempt
will prove a bystander whilst he seizes control to grind out a win. 31.xe4 dxe4 32.g3
of the dark squares. c6 8.xc6 c8 33.b3 c4 34.f4 c6 35.e5 d5
[ Fans of the Milner-Barry Gambit might like 36.a3 b5 37.b2 b4 38.a4 c3+
to note the transposition 8.e2 xd4 39.g4 e3 40.fxe3 xe3 41.axb4 h7
9.cxd4 xd4 10.0-0 when we are in the 42.b8 e4+ and here White gave up his
territory of games mostly beginning 4...Nc6 5. winning attempt. Against a strong defender
Nf3 Bd7 6.Bd3 Qb6 7.0-0 etc. on ChessPub. like G urevich th ere wo uld be n o ho pe o f
In this line I consider e7 11.c3 a6 exploiting the extra pawn.
as promising for Black. ] ½-½
8...xc6 The natural move, though
[ 8...bxc6 was worth considering as it would
allow Black to fight for control of d4 with c6- 189 C02
c5. ] Grischuk,Alexander 2702
9.e2 e7 10.d2 Lputian,Smbat G 2627
[ Or 10.0-0 g6 11.e3 c5? ( he should Olympiad Bled SLO (5) 30.10.2002
keep his bishop to contest the dark squares [Neil McDonald]
e.g. 11...c7 12.f4 e7 ) 12.xc5 xc5
13.d1! to deter d5-d4. d8 14.xg6 hxg6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
15.d4! h5 16.d2 e7 17.f3 dh8 b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
18.e1 and Black's bishop was a feeble 9.b2 e7 10.h4 What follows should be
piece in Beikert,G-Hillermann,V/Germany clo s e ly co m p a re d t o a ga m e o f S h ir o v' s
1995. ] without the moves 10.h4 and 10...h5 thrown in.
10...g6 11.f3 e7 This went
[ Black would fall into a dark squared bind [ 10.d3 a5 11.xf5 exf5 12.c3 e6
after 11...c5 12.b4 e7 13.e3 c7 13.b5 a4 14.bxc6 xb2
14.xg6! hxg6 15.d4 ] A) If instead 15.xa4? xa4 16.cxb7
12.0-0 c7 13.d2 d7 14.ae1 0-0 which on the face of it looks very strong
15.d4 Now all White's preparations are for W hite as there are threats of Qxa4+

159
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
a n d R b 1 , B l a c k c a n w i n b y c3+
ga in in g t im e to d e f e n d t h e ro o k a f t e r
17.f1 ( or 17.d2 0-0 18.b1 b4
19.axb4 a2 and the pin on d2 is very
strong. ) 17...c4+ 18.g1 and wins.
Check this line carefully before playing it
as Black! 0-0!;
B) 15.0-0!
B1) 15...xc3 16.cxb7 b8 17.xa4+
d7 18.a7 when Ian Rogers in the
British Chess Magazine gives the
variation c7 ( Instead Salov-who was
Shirov's trainer at Linares- analyses
18...0-0 19.fc1 b2 20.cb1 c2
21.a4 c6 22.c1 b2 23.ab1 a2
24.a5 a3 25.a1 b2 26.a6
and the pawns roll forwards.) 19.e6!
This move is anti Bc6. xe6 20.ab1
0-0 21.fc1 d6 22.a4 and White can
begin to advance the pawn to a6.;
B2) 15...bxc6 Khalifman prefers to play
it safe rather than take the knight which
is riskier though not necessarily bad:
16.xa4 b5 17.c3 c4 18.e2
0-0 19.c1 a6 20.c3 fc8
- Shirov, A-Khalifman,A/Linares 2000.
Ro ge rs give s 21.f4 h6 as at least
e q u a l f o r B l a c k , b u t n o t ( 21...xa3?
22.xe6 fxe6 23.g5 )]
10...h5 11.d3 a5 12.xf5 exf5 13.c3
e6!
[ Natural and much better than 13...axb4?!
14.xd5 a5 15.xe7 b3+ 16.d2 xe7
17.xb3 when White an extra pawn- see the
note on Sveshnikov-Bareev which is given
in Rytshagov-Pedersen on ChessPub. ]
14.b5 a4!
[ Here's what might happen if Black doesn't
stake a claim for space on the queenside:
14...a7? 15.a4 Now the pawn on b5 is
solidly defended and the knight is terribly
placed on a7. c8 16.0-0 d8 17.g3 b6
18.a3 The exchange of bishops wins
complete control of g5 and f4 for W hite's
knights- this is something else that 14...a4
would have prevented. c8 19.e2 c4
20.xe7 xe7 21.f4 g6 22.g5
With the threat of 23.Ngxf6 fxe6 24.Nxg6.
g8 23.h7 d8 24.f6+ f8 25.f3
d2 26.a3+ g7 27.fc1 c4 28.f3
d2 29.e3 Black resigned in Shirov,A-
Taddei,B/Neuilly-Sur-Seine FRA 2001. ]
15.d3 Grischuk dreams of a grand attack
after getting control of the g5 square, but the
outcome isn't very inspiring.
[ Here 15.bxc6 would be similar to the note
to the Shirov-Khalifman game given at move
10 above, e.g. xb2 16.xa4? ( 16.0-0 )
16...xa4 17.cxb7 ( 17.0-0 b5 ) 17...c3+
and Black should win. But again I urge you
to examine this all carefully before playing it
as Black. ]
15...a7 16.0-0 c8 17.c1? Grischuk
continues his attacking scheme, but
development with
[ 17.ac1 made more sense. ]
17...c4! 18.d1 xb5 Lputian wins a pawn,
after which W hite fails to break through on
the kingside and is eventually ground down in
the endgame. 19.e2 c6 20.g5 xg5
21.xg5 c3 22.xc3 xc3 23.e2 g6
24.d3 0-0 25.ad1 c8 26.xc3 xc3
27.b5 b3 28.b1 c1+ 29.h2 xb5
30.xb5 c4 31.xb7 xd4 32.xe6 fxe6
33.e7 xh4+ 34.g3 e4 35.xe6 f7
36.f6+ e7 37.xg6 g4+ 38.xg4 fxg4
39.f4 f7 40.f3 gxf3 41.xf3 e6
42.f4 h4 43.g4 xe5 44.xh4 f4
45.g3+ e4
0-1
190 C02
Grischuk,Alexander 2712
Radjabov,Teimour 2624
Wijk aan Zee NED (12) 25.01.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.b2 d7 How do you find out more
information on this variation? Well, you go to
ChessPub, put in C02 in the box on the top
left hand corner, then click on 'fetch like'. It
brings up more than 60 games. You look
through those until you get to a 'game'
entitled 'Advance-6.a3 and early Qb6' On my
screen only the first half of this title appears,
but it is enough! Th is is the roadmap f o r
finding what's on ChessPub in this variation.
Then you play through this 'game' and read
the comments and the game references. Thus
160
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
at move 10, there is the choice between 10...
Nh6 [the main game] or 10... Nfe7 [in the
notes]. 10.g4 fe7
[ If you checked out the roadmap you will
discover the importance of the alternative
10...h6 ]
11.c3 a5 12.d2 c8 13.c1 g6
[ The solid move. Vysochin's wild alternative
is 13...c4 ]
14.h4 e7 Note in all this that Qxd4? drops
the knight on a5 as the black queen must
keep the pin on b4. 15.g5!? Earlier Grischuk
played 15.h5 against Kruppa, but this lost
control of the dark squares g5 and f4, which
Black managed to exploit:
[ 15.h5 f4 16.f3 g5 17.e2 xc1+
18.xc1 0-0 19.h6 g6 20.d3 xd3+
21.xd3 c6 22.g3 xd4 23.f4 e7
24.f2 c6 25.xb6 axb6 26.g5 a7
27.e2 c8 28.c1 xc1 - Grischuk,A-
Kruppa,Y/Elista 2000. ]
15...h6 Every white pawn is now on a dark
square! This doesn't only mess up the white
bishop on b2: the so-called 'good' bishop on
e7 also finds itself pegged in by the white
pawns. Therefore Radjabov aims to increase
the scope of the bishop, but in doing so lines
become open on the kingside. 16.gxh6 xh6
Maybe
[ 16...gxh6!? 17.h5!? ( Or 17.h5 h4
18.g4 f5 when if 19.d3
and compared to the game White doesn't
have the crushing response Qxg7. )]
17.h5 h4 18.g4 f5 19.d3 f8
This is necessary to stop 20.Bxf5 and 21.
Qxg7. 20.e2 c4 21.xc4 dxc4 22.xf5
exf5 23.g2 Black has the two bishops but
W hite has pawns with the potential to roll
forwards in the centre after d4-d5, etc. The
question is whether Black's counterplay on
the queenside will outweigh the pawn roller. If
so, the bishop on d7 will dominate the position.
Radjabov starts by battering the b4 pawn. a5
24.c3 axb4 25.axb4 a8 26.d5 a2
27.f1 a6 28.e1 d8 29.h3 f4 30.h4
a3 31.e6! Now a sharp tactical clash proves
the su periority of the mobile centre ove r
Black's piece activity- but it is a close run
t h i n g . I n f a c t p r o b a b l y o n l y t h e p l a ye r s
themselves could tell you if Black missed a
good chance in what follows. xe2 32.xe2
xc3 33.h3!
[ Black wins after 33.exd7? f3 ]
33...c1+ 34.e1 d2 35.exd7 xb4
36.a1 a6 It looks like White is busted, as if
he takes on a6 there is mate on d1. 37.xg7!!
Grischuk understands the geometry of the
chess board. This move not only defends the
ro o k b u t a ls o cl e a rs g2 f o r t h e k in g a n d
creates an outside passed pawn. c5 38.f3
xa1+ 39.xa1 xd5 40.h8+ xd7
41.xf4 c3 42.xc3 h1+ 43.e2 xh5+
44.f3 b6 45.f6 After all the excitement of
the middlegame there is a long gritty endgame
in which W hite finally utilises his material
advantage. You need very strong nerves and
a lot of energy to play like Grischuk! e8
46.c6+ e7 47.b7+ e8 48.e4+ f8
49.d3 d6 50.c2 c5+ 51.d1 h5
52.d3 e7 53.e2+ f8 54.d3 e7
55.e4+ f8 56.c6 c5 57.c2 h7+
58.d2 h5 59.a8+ e7 60.b7+ f8
61.c8+ e7 62.c7+ e8 63.c6+ f8
64.a8+ e7 65.f4 g6 66.e4+ d7
67.b7+ d6 68.f4 e6 69.c6+ e5
70.c7+ e6 71.f3 f5 72.c6+ f7
73.d5+ f6 74.d3 g5 75.e4 g6
76.c4 f7+ 77.d5 xd5+ 78.xd5 e3
79.c4 f4 80.c6+ f5 81.c8 f6
82.f8+ e7 83.f5 d2 84.e5+ d7
85.h5 e3 86.h7+ d8 87.e6 c5
xd4 88.d7+ c8 89.f7 e3 90.d6 b8
91.c6 b5 92.xb5 c8 93.c6 d8
94.d6 e8 95.e6 d2 96.c7 f8
97.f6 e8 98.e7+ d8 99.e4
1-0
191 C02
Grischuk,Alexander 2581
Short,Nigel D 2683
19th Open Reykjavik ISL (6) 10.04.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.a3 f6 Since White has played a slow
move on the wing, it is entirely logical for
Black to respond with an attack on W hite's
centre. 7.d3 c7 8.0-0 0-0-0 9.e2?!
[ Here is a beautiful example of the vigorous
demolition of White's centre: 9.f4?! c4
10.c2 h6 11.h4 ( 11.g3 f5! is better for
161
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Black, as 12.xf5? exf5
14.exd7+ xd7 15.h4 g5 loses a piece
for White.) 11...e8! 12.b3 cxb3 13.xb3
h5 14.bd2 fxe5 15.dxe5 c5 16.b1
ge7 17.c4 hf8 18.h2 xf3 19.xf3
xf3! 20.gxf3 d4 21.g2 ef5 22.g3
f7 23.f4 g5! 24.cxd5 gxf4 25.dxe6 h5
26.e7 xh4+ and White resigned in Adams-
Epishin, Ter Apel 1992 as mate follows:
27.xh4 g4+ 28.g3 f3+ 29.h2 h5+
30.g1 e2# ]
[ The most natural move is 9.e1 when c4
( 9...h6!? ) 10.f1 ge7 11.bd2 g6
12.exf6 gxf6 13.b3 cxb3
was unclear in Afek-Schaefer, Budapest
1993. ]
9...h6! A very useful move, which not only
s u p p o r t s a n e v e n t u a l g5 t h r u s t b u t a l s o
makes possible f6-f5 without allowing Ng5.
10.b4 c4 11.c2 f5! Now what is White
supposed to do? He doesn't have any obvious
plan, while Black can strengthen his game
with the manoeuvre Be8-h5 then g7-g5, etc.
Grischuk decides to sacrif ice a knight t o
create some passed pawns, but it seems
doomed. 12.h4 e8! 13.f4 e7 14.xf5?
[ This is just bad, though 14.f3
followed by g5, etc. gives Black a
gradually increasing initiative. ]
14...exf5 15.xf5+ b8 16.g4 g5 17.fxg5
hxg5 18.xg5 h5 19.g3 xg5 20.xg5
ge7 21.d2 dg8 None of the passed
pawns is dangerous, while Black has an extra
piece and open lines along which to attack.
Against a player of Short's calibre there can
only be one outcome. 22.e3 xf5 23.xf5
h7 24.f6 e2! 25.h3 d3 26.h2 e7
27.f3 f5 28.f4 a8 29.g1 h5
30.e6 e4 31.f1 g3 32.xf5 xh3+!
A pretty finish to a perfectly played game by
Black.
0-1
13.e6 f4 192 C02
Grischuk,Alexander 2705
Vaganian,Rafael A 2642
CCM4 Ordix Open rapid (10) 08.08.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
d7 6.d3
[ You may recall the 13 move disaster that
overtook Svidler versus Shirov after 6.e2
b5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.b4? xf2+! ]
[ Another line you can find on ChessPub
which is all the rage is 6.a3 a5!? ]
14.xb3 6...b5
[ Af ter the preliminary exchange 6...cxd4
White has the chance to cross Black's plan
of Bb5 with 7.xd4!? as played by Grischuk
versus Gurevich. ]
7.dxc5 xc5 8.b4 f8
[ In contrast to the Svidler game, after
8...xf2+? 9.e2 the white king has the e2
square which means that Rf1 will soon pick
up the rash bishop. ]
9.0-0
[ Here 9.a3 xd3 10.xd3 c6 11.0-0
led to a quick win for White in Pap-Buljovcic.
h5 Vaganian comes up with an alternative plan
of putting the king's knight, rather than the
queen's knight, on c6 and then attacking the
e5 pawn a second time with Nb8-d7. ]
9...xd3 10.xd3 e7 11.a3!
The key move for White in this system. ec6
12.b5 d7 13.f4 h6? A key moment. If
Vaganian had guessed that White intended
Nd6+ I think he would have
[ 13...a6! f i r s t . E . g . 14.bd4 ( Far less
powerful than in the game would be
14.d6+ as after xd6 15.exd6 0-0
Black is ready to push back the white pieces
w i t h 1 6 . . . e 5 a n d 1 7 . . . e 4 , a n d 16.c4?
just drops material to xb4 ) 14...xd4
15.xd4 ( 15.cxd4 h6!? ) 15...g6!?
and Black is ready to play Bg7 with a sound
game. ]
14.a3! A crucial little move. It defends b4
again and so makes the whole plan of attack
with Nd6+ and c3-c4 viable. a6 15.d6+!
xd6 16.exd6 0-0 17.c4! Grischuk just has
enough time to consolidate his queenside
pawn mass before the black pawns get rolling
in the centre. e5 18.e3 d4 19.d2 ae8
162
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
20.fe1 e6
[ The white juggernaut of pawns is the more
powerful after 20...f5 21.c5 d8 22.c4+
h7 23.a4 when 24.b5 looms with crushing
effect. ]
21.c5 d8 22.a4 f6 23.e4! The queen
heads for d5 where she not only keeps the
b l a c k e 5 p a wn u n d e r r e s t r a i n t b u t a l s o
supports the c5 pawn, which facilitates the
advance b4-b5. c8 24.ac1 d8 25.d5
g5 26.h3 g6 27.b5 axb5 28.axb5 e4
The only chance for counterplay before the
q u e e n s i d e i s o v e r r u n . 29.xd4?
An unnecessary sacrifice. Instead
[ 29.xd4 e5 30.a2 exc5 31.xc5
xc5 ( 31...xc5 32.a8 f6 33.xe4 )
32.d5! looks crushing whilst keeping equal
material. ]
29...f5?
[ Black had to accept the gift and try to hold
on after 29...exf3 30.c3 h7! ]
30.h2 xc5 31.c3 f6 32.g4!
The knight returns to the centre with a
vengeance. f7 33.e3 g6 34.b4 xc1
35.xc1 fe5 36.c7 f5 37.d5
W hite is now winning easily thanks to the
strong passed pawn, rook on the seventh rank
and not least the wide open state of the black
king. But in a rapid game anything can happen
and Vaganian battles on grimly. f7 38.b6
[ Black's pieces would be paralysed after
38.e7+ h7 39.c3 threatening 40.Rxd7
then mate on h8 if Black recaptures- f6
40.xb7 ]
38...h7 39.c3 g6 40.xb7 e8 41.c7
b8 42.xd7 xd7 43.b6
[ Here 43.g4 xb5 44.xd7 xd7 45.f6+
h7 46.h8+ g6 47.g8+ and mate
next move would do the trick. ]
43...xb6 44.h2 b5 45.a4 b3
46.a8 b8 47.c6 d8 48.b7 c2
49.c4 xf2 50.e6+ h5 51.e1?
[ The last couple of moves indicate fierce
time pressure. It was, after all, a rapid play
g a m e . H e r e 51.b2 clinches matters, e.g.
e3 52.d2 d3 ( 52...e2 53.f7+
h4 and White can choose between
winning the queen with 54. Bxg5+ or mating
quick ly with 54 .Qg6 .) 53.f7+ h4
54.e1+ and mate next move. ]
51...xe1
[ I assume Black lost on time as he had the
defensive resource 51...xe1 52.xf5 f6!
53.xf6 d2! and the double threat of 54...
Qxd6+ and 54...Qf4+ exchanging queens
saves Black. ]
1-0
193 C02
Grischuk,Alexander 2666
Vaganian,Rafael A 2650
World Teams Yerevan ARM (4) 15.10.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 cxd4
[ This exchange avoids the sharp line 6...b5
7.c4!? a s w e l l a s ( 7.dxc5 On the other
hand it f ree s th e c3 square f or W hite's
knight. )]
7.cxd4 b5 8.c3
[ Grischuk wants to recapture on e2 with his
knight as Black was very comfortable after
8.0-0 xe2 9.xe2 a6!? ( The same
knight manoeuvre as in the main game was
possible: 9...e7 10.c3 ec6 11.d1
e7 12.f4 0-0 13.d3 a6 14.d2
a5 15.d1 c4 16.e2 d7
with balanced chances in Zude, A-Almasi,I/
V i e n n a 1 9 9 6 .) 10.xa6 xa6 11.a3
Not a very inspired plan f or W hite. e7
12.c3 c6 13.b4 c7 14.d2 a6
15.fc1 e7 16.f1 0-0 etc. and Black
eventually won in Campora,D-Hodgson,J/
Dos Hermanas 1992. ]
8...xe2
[ Black might have tried 8...b4 9.0-0 xc3
10.bxc3 xe2 11.xe2 but this is double
edged- W hite is weak down the c file but
his bishop will be the top minor piece. One
example was Szieberth,A-Totsky,L/Harkany
1994. ]
9.xe2 e7! Black has been rather
disrespectful to his queen's knight- not only
has its development been postponed in favour
of bringing out the queen's bishop, but now it
will have its c6 square usurped by the king's
kn ight ! V aga n ian 's re a so nin g is t h at t h e
queen's knight has a decent square on d7 so
the other knight should have preference when
it comes to c6. This is the first important
163
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
game with this idea and it looks good! 10.0-0
ec6 11.b1 a5 12.d2! A good player is
Grischuk! He realises that the disappearance
of Black's king's knight from the kingside has
left him vulnerable on the f file. Therefore he
prepares to dispatch his queen to f4.
[ In contrast 12.d3?! a6 was exactly
what Black was hoping for. ]
12...h6 13.h4 d7 14.d1 a6
Black increases his grip on the queenside light
squares. 15.a3 a4 16.c3 a5 17.f4
b3 18.d2 xc1 19.bxc1 e7 20.g4
g5! Rather than allow White to impose solid
control on the kingside Vaganian takes the
bull by the horns. He accepts the disruption of
h i s p a wn s t r u c t u r e i n o r d e r t o g e n e r a t e
attacking chances against the white king.
[ Not 20...0-0 21.xd5! ]
21.f3 b6 22.b1 c8 23.h5 d7!
The black pieces now demonstrate amazing
f l e x i b i l i t y . 24.xf7 cf8 25.h5 f5
26.hxg5 a8!! a great move to bolster the
attack. 27.b3! White gets counterplay just in
time before Black's attack gets really
dangerous. hxg5 28.g4 f8 29.bxa4 f4
30.g3 d8 Threatening 31... g4, so White
f o r c e s a d r a w . 31.e2 e4 If the rook
retreats then 32.a5 is strong. 32.c3 f4
33.e2 e4 34.c3 f4 A great fighting
draw.
½-½
194 C02
Grosar,Aljosa 2442
Tukmakov,Vladimir B 2572
TCh Bled SLO (3) 20.10.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.b2 d7 10.e2?! Many players would be
a f ra id t o a d v a n ce 1 0 . g4 h e re . T h i s i sn ' t
s u rp ri s in g- a f t e r a ll , a n y b o o k o n c h e s s
strategy will quite rightly hammer home the
message that you should look after your king.
Moving the g pawn up two squares appears to
be ripping open the protective shell of pawns
around the castled position. However, it is
vital to have a constructive plan. The closed
nature of the French Advance centre dictates
that White must gain space on the kingside
and dislodge the black knight from f5.
Therefore even though it loosens the kingside,
10.g4! is the right move. You can find several
games featuring it on ChessPub, including
Short- Lputian. The present game shows
what ha ppe ns if W hite avo ids 10 .g4 an d
makes do with a routine development of his
pieces. This does more damage to his king
than g2- g4 ever could, as it gives Black a
free hand to gain space himself on the
kingside and launch a deadly attack. If you
need a reminder that a good plan is the best
protection for your king, not a perfect row of
pawns, have a close look at what follows. c8
11.0-0?! Continuing to ignore the chance of
[ 11.g4 ]
11...e7 12.d2 h5! Now the moment for g2-
g4 is gone forever. W ith the centre blocked
and no meaningful action possible by White
on the queenside, Black has a freehand to
begin his own assault on the kingside. 13.d1
g5! 14.c3
[ If 14.xg5 cxd4 15.xd4 xd4
16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 xg5 18.f4 d8!
threatening Bb6 when Black has the two
bishops and control of the c file. ]
14...g4 15.e1 d8! A fine move- it allows
the bishop to go to g5, which in turn clears
the way f or th e knight on c6 to en ter th e
attack via e6 and g6. Black has the makings of
a big onslaught on the kingside and so
doesn't allow himself to be sidetracked into
the variation
[ 15...cxd4 16.xd5 xe2+ 17.xe2
exd5 18.e6! ]
16.c2 g5 17.e1 ce7! 18.d3 h4
19.e3 eg6 20.b5 White is desperate for
counterplay but this allows Black to exchange
off his only piece that can't join in the kingside
attack- the bishop on d7. xb5 21.xb5+
f8 22.ac1 xc1 23.xc1 g7 24.f1
f5! 25.c3
[ White's dilemma is that if he eliminates the
strong f pawn it will bring Black's queen to a
strong square after 25.exf6+ xf6 ]
25...f4 26.c2 f5 27.e1 f8 28.d3 b6
29.e1 f3! At last the break through comes.
30.gxf3 fh4 31.fxg4 hxg4 32.g3 xc1
33.xc1 g5 34.c7+ h6 35.h3 f4
36.e2
164
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ If 36.d3 f3+ 37.xf3? xf3
wins a piece. ]
36...f5 37.h2 g3 38.fxg3 xg3 39.g4
f1+ 40.g2 d2+ White resigned as it's 16.xd5 c6 17.g4+
mate after 41.xg3 xe1+ This game was a
drastic example of the punishment Black can
mete out against planless play in the French
Advance.
0-1
195 C02
Gruskovnjak,Tomislav 2370
Zorko,Jure 2381
TCh-SLO Murska Sobota SLO (1) 06.12.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 17...c7?
d7 6.e2 f6!? A counter at tacking line that
leads to more violent play than is usual in the
early stages of the Advance Variation. 7.0-0
fxe5 8.xe5 xe5 9.dxe5 c7 There are
three or four games in the Chess Pub archives
to which you should refer for more details of
the play hereabouts. 10.e1
[ Black is OK after 10.c4 0-0-0! ]
10...0-0-0 11.c4
[ Perhaps a better try for advantage is the
steady 11.g4 in Peng Xiaomin-Reefat. ]
11...xe5!? As I remark in the game
Jonkman-Cheparinov this is a risky pawn
snatch, but computers have taught us that a
resourceful defence can often beat off the 21.e5
most dangerous looking attacks. 12.f3 d6 Zorko finds a clever way to stay alive. h6!
13.cxd5 exd5 14.b4!? f6 Not just a greedy 22.xg7?
move: indeed the queen aims at the rook on
a1, but by guarding c3 she is also deterring
an attacking build up with Nc3 and Nxd5. At
the same t ime the wa y is cleared f or th e
bishop on f8 to get into the game.
[ Not 14...cxb4? 15.e3 followed by a2-a3,
when White is opening all the lines against
the black king. ]
15.d2?! By feinting to play 16.Bb2 or 16.Nc3 22...he8!!
White persuades his opponent to snatch the 23.h5 e6
booty on a1.
[ The aforementioned Jonkman-Cheparinov
game went 15.a3 e7! ]
15...xa1? Now White has at least a forced
d ra w wh ic h h e c a n s p u rn t o st a rt a ve r y
dangerous attack.
[ Safer was 15...c6! when 16.b2 d4
blots out the bishop on b2. This casts doubt
on the value of 15.Qd2. ]
[ If 17.e6+
A) Running to the corner doesn't help:
17...b8 18.f4+ a8 19.xc6!;
B) nor does running up the board:
17...c7 18.f4+ b6 ( Or 18...d6
19.f7+ c8 20.xd6 xd6 21.g4+
d7 22.bxc5! d4 23.xg7 ) 19.f7
threatening mate on c7- c8 20.e5
and the black queen is lost.;
C) 17...d7! and White has no better than
a repetition, whereas he wins in all other
lines: 18.d5 c6 19.e6+ d7 20.d5
with a draw. ]
[ B l a c k o u g h t t o t r y 17...d7 18.f4!
a lovely nonchalant move that leaves the
white queen hanging. However, after f6!
-threatening the white queen for real- it is
doubtful that White has more than a draw.
( but not 18...xd5 19.e8# ) 19.f7 e7
20.xd7+ xd7 21.xe7 f6 etc. ]
18.f4+ d6 19.f7+! b8
[ Black's king dies in the open after 19...b6
20.bxc5+ ]
20.xd6+ a8
[ No choice as if 20...xd6 21.e8+ xe8
22.xe8+ c7 23.c8+ b6 24.xc5+
a6 25.a5# ]
The black queen is now trapped, but
[ F a l l i n g f o r a s wi n d l e wh e r e a s 22.e6!
would win: xg4 ( transposing is 22...he8
23.xa1 xg4 ) 23.xa1 he8 24.xe8
xe8 25.xg7 and to Black's misfortune he
c a n ' t c a p t u r e cxb4 because 26.h3
traps the knight. Therefore Black will be at
least two pawns down in the endgame, even
if he manages to extricate the knight. ]
The pin on e1 turns the tables.
0-1
165
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
196
Gwaze,Robert
Goh Wei Ming
Emanuel Lasker Arena (2) 28.05.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
W h e n 2 e xp e r t s o n t h e F r e n ch De f e n c e
advocate the same system in 2 highly
regarded Opening books, one cannot help but
take notice. In "Dangerous W eapons - The
Fren ch " a nd " Th e Fle xib le Fre n ch " Jo h n
Watson and Viktor Moskalenko both highly
recommended 5...Nh6 as a surprise (and
dangerous) weapon against the Advance
Variation and I foresee a surge in the
popularity of this line soon. In fact, I had an
opportunity to test this variation in a huge
online tournament... 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5
c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 h6!? This has actually
been played since the 1980s but was never
analyzed seriously. There are a number of
ideas behind this Knight sortie, the most
obvious being the possibility of ...Nf5, putting
pressure on the d4 pawn. In fact, one draws
immediate comparison with the sister
variation with The main difference between
these 2 lines is that White has the option of
immediately capturing on h6 when all kinds of
t a c t ic a l p o s s i b i li t i e s c a n a ri s e . I f W h i t e
declines, Black can choose to make use of the
h6 knight by playing ...f6, and . ..Nf7,
attacking the head of the pawn chain.
[ 5...b6 6.a3 h6 which is currently the
topical variation against the Advance. ]
6.d3
[ 6.dxc5!? is probably the principled reply,
exploiting the fact that Black has not
developed his Queen to b6 yet. For
example, xc5 7.b4 b6 The Bishop on
b6 is a great tactical weapon. Now the threat
is Ng4. 8.xh6 gxh6 9.b5
An unexpected move. Black normally plays
9..Ne7 here with the intention of buffing up
the Kingside with Ng6. Moskalenko had the
id e a o f c a s t lin g Q ue e n sid e a n d t h e a 5
Knight will prove to be an immense
defensive weapon. 10.d3 e7 11.0-0
d7 12.c1 f8 13.f4 0-0-0 14.bd2
b8 15.d4 g7 The position is complex
and difficult to assess but I would prefer
Black as there is a straightforward plan
C02 available in simply doubling Rooks on the c-
2878 file. The rest of the game is instructive:
2852 16.fd1 c8 17.ac1 c7 18.c2 hc8
19.e2 g5 20.dc1 xf4 21.xf4 c5
22.b1 e7 23.e2 f6 24.exf6 xf6
25.bc1 e5 26.f3 g5 27.b1 e6
28.cb2 e3+ 29.f1 f8 30.e1 h5
31.b4 g7 32.g3 f4 33.df1 h4
34.e2 xg2 35.xh7 c4 36.d3 xh2
37.xc4 dxc4 38.e3 g5 39.xc4 h3
40.b6 a6 41.d2 f4 42.xf4 exf4
43.e4 g2 44.f2 h2 45.d1 f5
46.xf4 e8+ 0-1 Nikolaidis, K (2290)-
Moskalenko, V (2525)/Agios Nikolaos
199598 ]
[ 6.xh6 gxh6 7.e2 ( 7.d3 was analyzed
i n A f e k - V a g a n i a n w h i l e; 7.dxc5
was investigated in the game Wall - Lalic.
(Archives)) 7...b6 8.d2 g7 9.0-0 d7
10.a3 cxd4 11.cxd4 0-0 12.c2 f6
13.exf6 xf6 was already comfortable
forBlack in Areshchenko, A (2638) -Volkov,
S (2648)/Kemer 2007/CBM 1/2-1/2 (42). ]
6...f6 7.xh6 5 White shouldn't allow ...Nf7,
af t er which B la ck is ve ry com f o rt a b le . A
recent game went
[ 7.0-0?! f7 8.e1 fxe5 9.xe5 cxd4?
This is a serious positional concession that
every French player should be aware of.
( 9...fxe5! 10.dxe5 g6 11.d2 g7
12.f3 0-0 is more then ok for Black.;
9...cxe5 10.dxe5 c4 11.c2 g6 12.e3
g7 13.d4 0-0 was also possible.)
10.cxd4? Missing an opportunity. ( 10.xc6
bxc6 11.cxd4 d6 12.d2 0-0 13.f3
c7 14.d2 is a pleasant bind for White,
e s p e c i a l l y w h e n t h e f r e e i n g e5?
doesn't work because of 15.dxe5 xe5
16.xe5 xe5 17.h5 ) 10...f6? ( Again,
10...fxe5 11.dxe5 g6 is the way to go.)
a5!? 11.c3! fxe5 12.dxe5 f7 13.f4
wi t h a p le a sa n t e d g e f o r W h it e d u e t o
Black's extremely cramped position.
However, Black eventually won in Gaehwiler
- Michalik Mitropa Cup 2009. ]
7...gxh6 8.0-0 g7!? sacrificing the c5-pawn
is typical in this variation. In return, I was
hoping that my central pawns can provide
additional threats.
[ In hindsight, 8...c4 9.c2 f5 blunting
W hite's light-squared bishop could be a
166
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

better option. ] xf6 11.a4 ( 11.0-0 c4!? 12.c2 xb5 )

9.exf6 xf6 10.dxc5 0-0 11.c2 e7 11...e5! 12.dxe5 xe5 and Black has the
12.d3 g6 13.bd2 d7 14.ae1 c6 initiative. ]
15.d4 e5 16.xc6 bxc6 8.0-0 0-0-0 9.e2 ge7 Two other moves:
with an undeniable advantage for W hite. I [ A) 9...fxe5 10.xe5 xe5 11.f4
eventually went down in flames, unfortunately. ( 11.dxe5 h6 12.d2 f7 13.f3 e7
1-0 14.b4 g5 15.bxc5 xc5 16.a4 ) 11...c4
12.c2 d6 13.dxe5 c5 14.d2 e7
15.b4! cxb3 16.xb3 b6 17.a4 c6
197 C02 18.a5! xa5 19.xa5 xa5 20.e3
Haba,Petr 2517 with a nice attack. ]
Ponkratov,Pavel 2592 [ B) 9...c4 10.c2 fxe5 11.xe5 xe5
26th European Club Cup (3.6) 19.10.2010 12.dxe5 e7 13.d2 c6 14.f3 h6
[John Watson] 15.d2 g5 16.h3 g8= ]
10.e1
A wide variety of Advance Variation ideas [ or 10.b4 fxe5 11.dxe5 ]
appear in this game and the notes to it. 1.e4 10...g6
e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 d7 [ 10...c4 11.c2 g6 ]
6.a3 f6 I think I was one of the first 11.h4
commentators to suggest this move, which is [ 11.b4! fxe5 12.dxe5 ]
now played and recommended nearly 11...e7 12.g3 b6!?
everywhere. One way to look at it is that Black [ 12...fxe5 13.dxe5 c4 14.c2 c5 ]
is responding to a flank attack with a central 13.h5
one. That has proven very effective, but this [ 13.dxc5! xc5 14.b4 e7 15.exf6 xf6
game shows that White has resources as well. 16.e3 c7 17.h5 ge5 18.xe5
7.d3 c7 A position with fascinating choices, with the advantage regardless of the
for example, recapture. ]
[ A) 7...c4 8.c2 g6 ( 8...fxe5 9.xe5 13...fxe5 14.dxe5
xe5 10.dxe5 g6 11.e3 g7 12.f4 h6 [ 14.dxc5 xc5 15.b4 d6 16.e3 ]
13.0-0 with an edge) 9.0-0 ( 9.exf6 xf6 14...f8! 15.b4 e8! 16.g5 h6 17.h3
10.0-0 g7 11.e1 0-0= ) 9...g7 10.e2 g5 18.hxg6 xg6 19.f4 gxe5?
( 10.f4 fxe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.xe5 [ 19...xf4! 20.xf4 h5 21.d2 h4 22.g4
xe5 13.dxe5 e7 14.d2 0-0 15.f3 c4 23.c2 g8 is unclear, but Black stands
c6 16.e2 b6 17.ab1 ae8 18.g5 no worse. Rybka gives him a clear
e7 ) 10...fxe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.dxe5 advantage, which seems exaggerated. ]
c7 13.f4 e7 14.e3 0-0 15.d2 20.xe6 d7?
, with slightly better prospects. The moral is [ 20...xd3 21.xd3 d7 22.f5
not to clear the way for f4 too quickly. ] favours White, but not by so much. ]
[ B) 7...g6 8.0-0 fxe5 9.xe5 xe5 21.xd8 xd8
10.dxe5 c4 11.c2 c5 12.d2 ] [ 21...xd8 22.f4 ]
[ C) 7...h6!? seems to work out rather well, 22.d1! c4 23.f1 d4 24.cxd4 g4
with the idea ...Nf7: 8.b4 ( 8.xh6?! gxh6 25.e2 xe2 26.xe2
9.h4 fxe5 10.h5+ e7 11.dxe5 e8 [ 26.xe2! f3+ 27.g2 xd4 28.c3 ]
and you have to like Black's game) 8...f7! 26...xd4 27.d1 c8?
( also 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 f7 10.b5 cxe5!? [ 27...d3 28.e4 ]
11.dxe5 fxe5 12.e2 d6 28.xd4 xd4 29.b2 f3+ 30.g2 h4+
is very interesting. Black may well have 31.f1 d5 32.g4+ f5 33.xh8 h5
enough for a piece.) 9.b5 ( 9.exf6 cxd4 34.c3
10.cxd4 xf6 11.b2 d6 with smooth 1-0
d e v e l o p m e n t) 9...a5 ( or 9...cxe5
10.dxe5 fxe5 , as in the note above) 10.exf6

167
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

198 C02 199 C02

Hamdani,R 2322 Handke,Florian 2474
Goh Weiming 2426 Poldauf,Dirk 2417
Asian Nations Chess Cup (3.2) 19.05.2012 Bundesliga 2005-6 (10) 18.02.2006
[John Watson] [Neil McDonald]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
h6 6.xh6
[ If White wants to play the idea he employs
in this game, then 6.dxc5 xc5 7.b4 b6
8.xh6 is a better order. ]
6...gxh6 7.dxc5 Badly timed. xc5
[ Moskalenko likes 7...c7 and gives it '!'. ]
8.d3 f6 9.b4
[ In my book, I quote 9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0
0-0 11.c2 f7! 12.bd2 d7 13.b3
b6 14.e2 e5 and Black already had a
clear advantage in Short-Glek, Cap d'Agde
1996. ]
9...b6 10.0-0?!
[ 10.b5 xe5 11.xe5 fxe5 12.h5+ d7
13.xe5 f8 14.0-0 f6 ( 14...h4!?
15.h1! f7 16.g3 f6 17.xf6 xf6
18.g2= ) 15.xf6 xf6 with the idea
16.d2 e7 17.f3 d7 . Black has the
bishop pair and better centre. ]
10...0-0 11.bd2
[ 11.exf6 xf6 ]
11...xe5 12.c2 d7 13.e2 g6
[ Or 13...c8 ]
14.xg6?!
[ 14.g3 ]
14...hxg6 15.c4 g7 16.ac1 c8
Black is obviously on top here, with a pawn
and apart from that at least an equal position .
17.fe1 e8
[ 17...dxc4 is a simple path: 18.xc4 b5
19.e4 xc4 20.xc4 xc4 21.xc4 e5 ]
18.d1 a6 19.h4 e7 20.h5 g5 21.b3?
e8 22.b2 xh5 23.cd1 e5 Black is
simply winning, and W hite sacrifices to no
avail: 24.xe5 xe5 25.f3 xe1+
26.xe1 f7 27.cxd5 e8 28.d1 a4
29.d2 d7 30.c3 h5 31.d1 g4
32.d4 xd5 33.d2 e1+ 34.h2 e5+
0-1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
ge7 6.a3 cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 8.c2 d7
9.e2 c8 10.0-0 b6 11.g4 fe7
12.b3?! A half hearted move that loses the
initiative. He should play
[ 12.h4! ruling out h7-h5 when if g6
13.g2 prepares f4-f4. ]
12...g6! Black seizes the chance to stop 13.
Nh4. 13.h4? After a slow move on the
queenside, White is over aggressive on the
kingside. He had to prevent the next move
with the careful
[ 13.fe1 ]
13...h5! 14.gxh5 White still wants to attack,
but it is too late to dream of the advantage.
He should have blocked up the kingside with
[ 14.g5 ]
14...xh5 15.g5 e7 16.h2 h8 17.h5
Otherwise White loses the h-pawn for nothing.
However, it is his own king who is in the most
danger after the kingside becomes open.
xg5 18.hxg6 f4! 19.gxf7+ xf7
Now the rook on c8 can also join in an attack
against the white king. 20.g4 h4 21.d3
ch8 22.g2 h3! Just in time before White
can challenge control of the h-file with 23.Rh1.
23.f3
[ White faces a difficult defence after
23.xh3 xh3 24.xh3 xd4 25.xd4
xd4 ]
23...d8! A nice regrouping of the queen with
the other pieces. 24.g1
[ 24.h1 h4 25.xh3 xh3+ 26.g1
h5! and Rg5 will win material. ]
24...h4 25.f1 e7 26.e2 f5 27.h1
g5 28.xh3 xh3 29.ge3
[ Losing at once but it was already hopeless
e.g. 29.g1 h4 30.e1 f5! 31.xf5+
xf5 and there is no good way of defending
d4 as 32.d3 b5+ 33.c3 e2
costs White a piece. ]
29...xe3 30.xe3
[ Or 30.fxe3 h2+ ]
30...b5! If the bishop is captured, the queen

168
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
goes to a fork on d4.
0-1
200 C02
Harikrishna,Penteala 2668
Meier,Georg 2558
XX Torre Wimbledon (2.1) 20.12.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
b6
[ Some of the themes in the main game can
be seen in this extract from the archives:
5...ge7 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 8.xf5
exf5 This will allow it to drop back to e2 and
so strengthen White's planned dark square
bind on the kingside. Nevertheless, Black is
still able to achieve counterplay by
advancing his kingside pawns. 9.c3 e6
10.e2 h6! 11.h4 g6 12.d2 b6 13.b1
a5 14.f1 e7 15.g1 d7! 16.a3 a6
17.e3 a4 18.f4 g5! Black breaks free of
the bind with an excellent pawn sacrifice.
19.hxg5 hxg5 20.xh8 xh8 21.xe6
fxe6 22.xg5 xg5 23.xg5 h4 24.f3
g4 The pressure on d4 prevents White
from exploiting his extra pawn. 25.b3 axb3
26.xb3 c8 27.c1 e2 28.e3 b5
29.c2 b6 30.b3 and draw agreed in
Adams-Vaganian, Lucerne 1997. ]
6.e2 cxd4 7.cxd4 h6 8.d3!?
The alternative is
[ 8.c3 f5 9.a4 a5+ 10.d2 b4
etc. examples of which you can find in the
archives. ]
8...f5 9.xf5 exf5 10.0-0 Here is a critical
d if f e re n c e in a p p r o a ch wit h t h e A d a m s -
Vaganian extract above: Harikrishna simply
castles, whereas Adams edged his king along
the back rank to g1. Evidently the English GM
wanted to keep his rook on h1 to help deter a
future g7-g5 break out by Black. Of course,
compared to the Adams game, here Black has
an extra tempo because White played 6.Be2
and only then 8. Bd3 but if you consider the
'energy saving' with 10.0-0 compared to the
'creeping' Kf1 and Kg1, White is at least as
well developed. But the question remains:
can W hite get away with castling, or can
Black burst out with his kingside pawns? e7
11.c3 e6 12.e2 h6 This is a useful
move which gains control of the g5 square and
can be the prelude to a wing assault with ... g7-
g5. 13.h4 The standard method of restraint.
d7 A move familiar from the extract above:
t h e b la ck k in g st e p s o f f t h e f i rst ra n k t o
connect the rooks. 14.e3 Offering the b-
pawn makes sense, if only because it
distracts Black f rom his logical plan of a
kingside break out. xb2? Black may be OK
after this pawn grab, but it's not really in the
spirit of his play so far.
[ Call we a caveman, but I wouldn't be able to
resist 14...ag8 here, with of g7-g5 at all
costs. Here is an example of things going
wrong for White: 15.h5 ( Or 15.d2 d8
and Black is ready to bludgeon forwards with
16...g5. ) 15...g5 16.hxg6 fxg6 17.f4 g5
18.xe6 xe6 and the Black king is
beautifully centralised and safe. ]
15.b1 xa2 16.xb7+ c8 17.c3 a6
18.xe7! A very clever follow up to his first
sacrifice. By giving up the exchange,
Harikrishna wins the c5 square for his knight,
after which the black king becomes a serious
target. xe7 19.a4 c6 20.c5 b5
21.a1 b8 22.d2! White's attack is
flowing smoothly: the knight retreat prepares
to wrest the b-file from the black queen with
23. Rb1. b2 23.a6+ c7 24.b1 xb1+
Nonetheless, thanks to his sizeable material
advantage, Meier is able to kill off the
immediate danger with a counter sacrifice.
25.xb1 xb1+ 26.h2 b6 27.a3 d8
28.d2 b8 29.h5!! Harikrishna shows why
he is such a highly rated player. W ith his
attack on the black king thwarted, the Indian
GM looks to the kingside. The threat is 30.Qg3
and 31.Qxg7 to win the h6 pawn and create a
passed pawn. If Black replied to 30.Qg3 with
30...Rg8, 31.Bxh6 happens anyway. xd4?
G o in g u n d e r t o o e a s ily, b u t t h in gs we r e
already uncomfortable for Black. For example
if
[ 29...f4 30.xf4 xd4?! 31.a6+ a8
32.e3 b5 33.e7 and Black's position
would be collapsing. ]
30.a5 Now White gains a material advantage
and his attack reignites. c6 31.xb6 axb6
32.a4 b5 33.c5 c7 34.a6+ b7
35.c5 a7 Now Black can't let 36.Qxb5+
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
happen, so another exchange goes. 36.c7+
xa6 37.xd8 c6 38.c7 a5 39.d6+
b7 40.f8 c4 41.xg7 d4 42.xh6 d3
43.f4 d2 44.f3+ b8 45.h6 xe5
46.e2 g4+ 47.g1 xh6 48.xd2
1-0
201 C02
Harikrishna,Penteala 2664
Short,Nigel D 2645
Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED (1) 12.01.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 d7
[ Similar and often transposing is 3...b6
A) Or 4.f3 d7 ( I assume that 4...a6
is never played here because of 5.xa6
xa6 6.c4! ) 5.c4 and we are back in our
main game again.;
B) 4.c3 In giving up on the idea of a quick
c2-c4, White is losing the chance to play
actively. d7 ( one of the oldest blunders
in the book is 4...a6?? 5.xa6 xa6
6.a4+ ) 5.f3 e7 6.h4 c5 7.h5 h6
8.b3 So White decides he wants to play c3-
c4 after all. a6 9.xa6 xa6 10.e2
c7 11.dxc5 bxc5 12.c4 c6 13.h4
d4 14.bd2 0-0-0 15.f1 e7 16.g4
dg8 17.a3 g6 and Short outplayed his
opponent in Schmitt, A-Short, N/
Montpellier FRA 2004. ]
4.f3 b6 5.c4! The most energetic and best
way for W hite to meet 3...Qd7/3...b6. b4+
This doesn't turn out too well as Harikrishna
makes fine use of the bishop pair he soon
acquires.
[ Putting the bishop on b7 seems too
passive: 5...e7 6.c3 b7 7.e3 h6
8.c1 bc6 9.a3 dxc4 10.xc4 f5
11.e2! xe3 ( Not a pleasant exchange
for Black as it strengthens White's centre
and clears the way for an attack on the
kingside. But Black is already in a bind, as
11...fxd4 runs into 12.xd4 xd4
13.xd4 xd4 14.b5 d7 15.xc7+!
xc7 16.b5+ ) 12.fxe3 a5 13.b5 c6
14.a4 b5 15.c2 c4 16.d3 e7
17.0-0 0-0 18.e4 a5 19.f2 a6 20.h3
a4 21.h2 f5 Falling apart quickly, but
White's attack already looked irresistible-
notice how all three white minor pieces are
ready to join in the assault, whereas Black
ha s a kn igh t on c4 an d a b ish o p o n a 6
unable to help the defence. 22.exf6 xf6
23.xf6+ xf6 24.xf6 gxf6 25.g4
1-0 Volkov, S-Vaganian, R/Moscow RUS
2005. ]
[ P e r h a p s t h e b e s t a p p r o a c h i s 5...dxc4
6.xc4 a6 7.xa6 xa6 8.0-0 b4
9.c3 e7 10.e3 bd5 11.c2 h6
12.ac1 g6 13.d2 g7 14.de4 0-0
15.xd5 xd5 16.c6 fd8 and Black
managed to hold the b alance in Hoan g
Thanh Trang -Chernyshov, K/Budapest HUN
2005. ]
6.bd2 e7 7.a3 xd2+ 8.xd2 a6?!
[ He should get some space for his pieces
with 8...dxc4 ]
9.b3! An important moment. Black is unable to
break up the white centre or exchange off
light squared bishops. As a consequence, he
remains forever cramped: for example, the
black knight is denied the d5 outpost which is
o f t e n h i s p r e r o g a t i ve i n t h i s s e t u p . f5
10.c3 c6 11.d2 dxc4 12.bxc4 d7
13.c2
[ A simple way for White to increase his
advantage is 13.g4 b7 ( Or 13...0-0
14.e2 threatening 15.Bf3) 14.d5 c5
15.b3 e7 16.d3 menacing 17. Bxf5
and then 18.Qxf5 or 18.Qxg7. ]
13...0-0-0 14.d5 a8! 15.e2
[ Simply 15.a4 planning 16.a5 etc. looks
crushing for White. Black cannot break the
power o f th e white cen tre a s 15 .. .e xd 5
leaves the knight on f5 hanging. ]
15...h4 Nigel Short is a great fighter. Rather
than retreat the knight and be slowly
strangled after
[ 15...e7 16.a4 etc. he plunges into
complications, even though it means
sacrificing a piece. ]
16.e4 g5 17.dxe6 xg2+ 18.f1 b7
19.exd7+ xd7 20.f3!?
[ Another queen sacrifice might have been
m o r e e f f e ct i ve : 20.g4!? hd8 ( not
20...e3+? 21.fxe3 xh1 22.e6 fxe6
23.xh8 ) 21.g1 f4 22.xg5 h3
23.xd8+ xd8 ( of course if 23...xd8
24.g8+ ) 24.g4+ b8 25.xh3
White then has a rook and two pieces for
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

the queen, and the black queen is play ...Rf4 to good effect in some positions.
'stalemated'. ] The game is roughly equal. ]
20...xe4 21.xe4 b8 22.xg2 hd8 8.xf5
23.b3 White's bishop pair give him a [ 8.c2 is possible, when after b6 9.xf5
tremendous initiative, especially as the black exf5 , it's not clear whether Black has gained
queen is boxed in. c5 24.he1 c7 25.e6 or lost by the addition of ...Qb6. This
fxe6 26.e5 d6 27.a4 a5 28.ab1 f7 variation also arises from 5...Qb6 6 Be2 Nh6
29.xc5!? Perhaps Harikrishna should have 7 Bd3!? (recommended in older books) 7...
cashed in the bishop pair to win the exchange cxd4 8 cxd4 Nf5 9 Bxf5 exf5. ]
at some point. Instead India's No. 2 player 8...exf5 9.0-0 The Archives game Harikrishna-
pref ers to pursue his attack with a piece Meier, Merida 2007, including the notes, has
sacrifice. It causes Black a lot of problems, similar themes to this one.
but somehow Short survives. bxc5 30.b5 [ A typical alternative setup is 9.c3 e6
h5 31.xc5+ d7 32.g3 e7 33.f3 ( 9...e7 10.b3 ) 10.h4 , clamping down
g6 34.e4 h5 35.f3 g6 36.xa5 g4 o n B l a c k ' s a m b i t i o n s t o p l a y . . . g 5 : h6
37.d5 h5 38.b5 f6 39.e4 ( rather than 10...e7 11.g5 ) 11.b3
[ P e r h a p s h e s h o u l d h a v e 39.e5+ b8 12.d2 e7 13.e2 with the idea
hoping to get a promising endgame after Nf4. ]
xe5 not forced 40.xe5 xe5 41.b7+ 9...e6 This move order allows Black to
d4 42.c5 etc. ] neutralise White's Qb3, which can be mildly
39...h3+ 40.g1 d1 41.b1 xb1 irritating after 9...Be7. A recent game went
42.xb1 c8 43.d3 h5 44.e4 g5 [ 9...e7 10.c3 ( 10.b3 g5!? 11.d1 )
45.f4+ g7 46.h4 gxh3 47.h2 d8 10...e6 11.a3 g5!? (a standard idea,
48.e2 a5 49.xh3 xa4 50.g4+ f7 played more to disturb White's centre and
51.f4+ g7 gain space than to attack W hite's king)
½-½ 12.e1 b6 13.c2 f4! 14.b4 h5!?
( 14...c8 15.d3 c7! 16.b2 d7!
prepares ...0-0 and ...Bf5) 15.d3 ( 15.h4!?
202 C02 gxh4 16.xf4 0-0-0 17.d3 b8
Huebner,Robert 2605 followed by ...Rhg8 and/or ...Rc8 is
Van De Griendt,J W 2352 dynamically balanced) 15...d8!? 16.g3?!
25th ECC Ohrid MKD (2) 05.10.2009 ( 16.h4 ) 16...d7 17.b5 a5 18.f3?
[John Watson] ( 18.b4 h4 ) 18...c8 19.b4?
A) 19...g4! is a forced win: 20.d3 f5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 21.d2 ( 21.f3 g4 ) 21...b3;
h6 As far as I can tell, this newly popular B) 19...b3 20.b1 xd4 21.d3 c4
move continues to be an ideal solution to the 22.b2 xb4 23.xb4 f5 24.xd5
Advance Variation: aggressive and sound. Of xd3 25.f6+ e7 26.xd7 xf1
course, players of White will be working hard 27.xf1 xb4 0-1 Kalashnikov, A-
to uncover some defects in it. 6.d3 cxd4 Manukyan, S (2199)/St Petersburg RUS
[ 6...f6 is analysed in Gwaze-Wei Ming, 2009 ]
E m a n u e l L a s k e r A r e n a 2 0 0 9 i n t h e 10.b3?! White's idea is to exchange his 'bad'
Archives. ] bishop for White's 'good' one. However, as in
7.cxd4 f5 Black invites transposition to a many fianchetto openings, that exchange
standard structure with which players on both takes away the best defender of the holes
sides of the Advance Variation should be around the b3 pawn. In any case, the 'bad'
familiar. versus 'good' principle isn't consistently useful
[ I r e c o m m e n d 7...f6 in my Dangerous in th e Fre nch Def en ce. W hite also lose s
W eapons book, and after 8.xh6 gxh6 considerable time, another typical problem
9.exf6 ( 9.0-0 ) 9...xf6 10.b5 , d6 with Ba3 and ...Ba6 plans. h6 11.a3 xa3
11.0-0 0-0 12.c3 g7 , when Black will 12.xa3 a5 13.c2 c8 14.ce1!?

171
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

This knight heads for d3, but it should the cost of holes in his pawn structure with
probably stay in touch with d4. However, it's 12.a4 c6 ( risky for Black is 12...0-0-0
h a rd t o f in d a p la n f o r W h it e , a n d B la c k 13.b4 cxb3 14.xb3 when xa4? fails to
already stands better. g5!? An awkward 15.xa4! ) 13.b4 cxb3 14.xb3 ac4
move to meet. Black has a safer edge after 15.a5 a4 16.c2 d7 when Black is
[ 14...0-0 15.d3 b6 16.f4 c7 doing well but there is dynamic tension in
17.d2 fc8 with the idea 18.fc1? xd4 ] the position. After the game move, Short
15.d3?! has it all his own way as he wears down
[ 15.h3! g4 16.hxg4 fxg4 17.h4! White's pawn structure.;
is unclear, in view of c3 18.c2 xe5? B) 12.e1? 0-0-0 13.f4 f5 14.exf6 gxf6
19.e3! c6 20.hf5 with attack. ] 15.h3 e5 16.xd7+ xd7 17.h2
15...g4 16.fe1 c3 exd4 18.cxd4 g8 19.g2 e8 20.e1
[ 16...xd4! 17.f4 c3 is stronger. ] d6 21.xe8+ xe8 22.f1 b3
17.c5! xd4 18.xb7 xd1 23.b1 e4 24.e3 a4 Brilliant light
[ 18...xe5 19.d3 c7 20.bc5 s q u a r e d o m i n a t i o n ! 25.d2 xd2
g i ve s s o m e c o m p e n s a t i o n b e c a u s e o f 26.xd2 xd4 27.xa4 xd2 28.d1
pressure on the dark squares. ] f2 0-1 Pace, C-Short, N/Dresden GER
19.xd1 2008. ]
[ 19.d6+ d7 20.xd1 b8 ] 8...c6 9.0-0 d7 Black thematically
19...0-0?! prepares Ba4, when his light squared bishop
[ 19...b8 20.d6+ d7 21.f4 gxf3 will be at least as powerful as White's. 10.e1
22.xf3 f6! ] [ Now Hussein should 10.g5 aiming to gain
20.d3 b8 21.bc5 fc8 22.f4 b4? space with f2-f4. If the knight is kicked back
Black has gone from confused to panicky. He with h6 then 11.h3 keeps the way clear
should defend by for the advance of the f-pawn. ]
[ 22...d8 ] 10...a4 11.d1? Very lacklustre play by
23.cxe6 fxe6 24.xe6 e8 25.d4 xa2 W hite, who can find nothing better than to
26.a1 b4?? 27.c2 xb3 28.xa2 xe5 switch to defensive mode.
29.xa7 c3 30.d4 c4 31.f4 gxf3 [ He should still seek activity with 11.g5
32.xf3 even though Black looks very comfortable
1-0 after c2 ]
11...e7 12.xa4 xa4 13.d1 xd1
14.xd1 ec6 15.b1 f6 16.f1?
203 C02 [ Better to avoid being left with a weak pawn
Hussein,HA 2354 on e5 by exchanging with 16.exf6 gxf6 ]
Buhmann,Rainer 2541 16...fxe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.dxe5 e7
38th Olympiad (8) 21.11.2008 19.e3 0-0 20.d2 c6 21.f3 f5
[Neil McDonald] 22.e1 c8
[ But not 22...xe5? when to his delight
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 White gets to exchange off his weakling on
d7 6.a3 c4! 7.bd2 a5 8.e2 e5 for the healthy pawn on e6 after 23.d4
[ The alternative was 8.g3 but the following f7 ( not 23...f6 24.g5 ) 24.xe6 ]
game is hardly an advertisement for it: e7 23.d4 g5! Very instructive: Buhmann
9.h4 c8 10.g2? ( As in the main game I undermines the knight on f3 as a prelude to a
w o u l d r e c o m m e n d 10.g5 to strive for strong exchange on d4. 24.h3 h5 25.bd1
activity on the kingside. b6 ) 10...b6 f7 26.e3 g6 27.h2 The knight retreats
11.0-0 e7!? Short doesn't rush to play 11... before being hit by h5-g4. xd4 28.cxd4
Ba4 as he plans to expand with f7-f5: the [ Fo r c e d , a s i f 28.xd4 c5 wins the
bishop will prove of more worth on d7, where exchange. ]
it guards e6, once the centre opens up. 28...b5 White has a 5-4 majority of pawns in
A) White should seek counterplay even at the centre and on the kingside, but it is well

172
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

restrained by the black pieces. In contrast, xb5 11.c3 a6 12.a4 ec6! 13.b5
there are no obstacles to stop the advance of b6 14.0-0 h6! in Zvjaginsev-Volkov,
Black's 3-2 queenside majority, which also Russian Teams 1999. ]
enjoys the support of the strong bishop. As 7...b5
we shall see, Buhmann doesn't rush to exploit [ A similar approach to the first variation in
his advantage. Instead he aims first of all to the note above was possible with 7...c6
tie down the white rooks to the defence of the 8.0-0 a4 This worked splendidly in Dowden-
d4 pawn. 29.f1 cf8 30.e2 d8 31.e3 Beliavsky, Lucerne 1982, which continued
5f7 32.c2 a5 33.e3 b6 34.c2 f4 9.dxc5 xc5 10.bd2 f6! 11.e2 ge7
35.cd2 b4 36.g3 e4 37.axb4 axb4 12.b4 axb3 13.b1 fxe5 14.xe5 xe5
White is in zugzwang. 38.b3 15.xe5 0-0 16.e2 e5! 17.xe5 g6
[ If 38.g2 c3! 39.bxc3 bxc3 40.d3 c2! 18.xd5+ e6 19.h5 xf2 and Black's
41.xc2 e2 42.e3 fxf2+ 43.g1 attack won the game. ]
( 43.h1 xd4 ) 43...f3 44.f1 xd3 8.0-0 xd3 9.xd3 c6 10.bd2 cxd4
45.xd3 e4 46.g2 xd4 etc. ] 11.cxd4 ge7 12.b3 f5 13.b2 h5
38...cxb3 39.g2 a8 40.f1 xd4! 14.b4?! This only weakens the queenside.
41.b2 White should probably begin the plan outlined
[ If 41.xd4 xd4 42.xd4 b2 43.xb4 ( or o n t h e n e x t m o v e i m m e d i a t e l y . a4!
43.d1 a1 ) 43...a1+ 44.e2 b1 Sensibly Black doesn't open lines on the
45.xb1 xb1 and wins. ] queenside with
41...xd1+ 42.xd1 a3 43.e2 d4 [ 14...axb4? ]
44.b1 b2 15.fd1? White has run out of constructive
0-1 ideas. The standard plan would be
[ 15.g3 intending moves like Kg2, h2-h3 and
th e n g3 -g4 . T rue , it d oe sn't se e m ve ry
204 C02 dangerous for Black, but W hite has to do
Illijin,Neboisa 2258 something active or his position will
Vakhidov,Tahir 2458 gradually deteriorate. Note that White has
Open Abudhabi UAE (1) 26.08.2000 tostartg2-g3as ]
[Neil McDonald] [ 15.h3?! h4! favours Black by restraining g2-
g4. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.a3 15...e7 16.f1 a7 17.e3 g6 18.ac1
A rather unusual move order. Normally White d7! The king is safe here and as will be
plays seen is well placed for the endgame. 19.c2
[ 5.f3 d7 6.a3 a5 to reach the game ac8 20.dc1 a6 21.d2 xc2 22.xc2
position. ] xe3 23.xe3 c8 24.d2?
5...a5!? Black restrains b2-b4. 6.f3 d7 [ As Capablanca once observed, in this type
7.d3 of position the more pieces that are
[ After 7.e2 Black can speculate with a4!? exchanged the better chance the defender
for example 8.0-0 c6 9.d3 ( Or 9.e1 ha s o f e sca p in g. 24.xc8 was therefore
h6! 10.f1 cxd4 11.xd4 xd4 necessary. ]
12.xd4 c5 and Black was better in 24...c4 25.h4 a2! This completes an
Midoux-Legky, France 1999.) 9...a5!? elegant manoeuvre by Black's queen to exploit
10.c2 c4 11.bd2 xb2 12.xb2 the light square holes on White's queenside.
xb2 13.c4 cxd4 14.cxd5 exd5 26.d3 c4 27.g3 c8! One by one Black
a n d B l a c k s u c c e e d e d i n b e a t i n g o f f improves the layout of his pieces. He avoids
White's attacking aspirations and winning the automatic 27...Nb5 and instead sends the
in Jonkman-Volkov, Corinth 2000. ] knight on a journey to an excellent outpost
[ Meanwhile Black equalised comfortably square. 28.g2 b6 29.e2 c6 30.e1
against a very strong opponent after 7.b3 c4 31.c1 b3 32.xb3
e7 8.e2 cxd4 9.cxd4 b5 10.xb5+ [ Giving Black a passed pawn loses, but if

173
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

32.f3 then xe5 33.dxe5 xf3+ 34.xf3 win. How many times has that happened in
xc1 leaves him a pawn down for nothing. ] our own games?
32...axb3 33.d3 a6 34.f3 c6 [ White has a winning position after the
Here W hite resigned. He is completely simple 17.xc4! dxc4 ( The d5 pawn drops
paralysed and can only watch as Black puts after 17...xc4 18.d2 c8 -Black should
his king on a4 and then captures on a3. t r y a n e x c h a n g e s a c - 19.b3 b4
0-1 20.xd5 ) 18.d5!? and there is no way to
oppose W hite's centre juggernaut.
( Or if you must sacrifice something, 18.e6!?
205 C02 fxe6 19.e5 and the black king is in
Iuldachev,Saidali 2511 desperate danger. )]
Kosic,Dragan 2511 17...xb4 18.g5 g4!?
38th Olympiad (11) 25.11.2008 [ You would have to be cold blooded or a
[Neil McDonald] computer not be afraid of the white attack
after 18...xc3 though objectively speaking
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 this might have been the best path for Black
d7 6.e2 h6 7.0-0 e., g. 19.e6 ( Also very murky is 19.xc4
[ A popular alternative is 7.xh6 gxh6 8.0-0 xa1 20.xf7 ) 19...fxe6 20.xe6 xe6
as discussed in the archives. ] 21.xe6+ d8 22.f5 c7 23.b1 b8
7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 9.c3 c8 10.h1 24.xd5 a4 ]
A useful preparatory move that is directed 19.f2 0-0 20.xc4?
against Nh4 by Black. If immediately [ White misses his chance, though by now he
[ 10.g4 then h4 gives Black counterplay e. is looking for dynamic equality rather than a
g. 11.xh4 xh4 12.e3 ( 12.f4? xd4! ) win: 20.h7+! h8 21.f5! f6! ( If
12...a5 13.b5 a6 14.d6+ xd6 21...xc3 22.xg4 c6 23.e6! ) 22.xc8
15.exd6 c4 By moving his king to h1, fxg5 23.xf8+ xf8 24.xf8+ h7
White plans 11.g4 when 11...Nh4?? loses a 25.xg4 hxg4 26.c1 with an unclear
piece to 12.Bg5. ] position. ]
10...h5?? Why entrench the knight on f5 only 20...xc3 21.h3
to exchange it off on e3 two moves later? If [ If 21.e2 xa1 22.xg4 xd4!!
Kosic feels that he has to play like this then winning time both to take on g4 and then get
10... h5 is just a bad move that weakens the the Queen to a6, where she performs a vital
black kingside and wastes a tempo. defensive role on the third rank. If instead
[ Sensible are 10...e7 or ] ( 22...hxg4? 23.h4! ) 23.xd4 a6!
[ 10...b6 as I played myself against Peng 24.g1 hxg4 25.xg4 g6 and the black
Xiaomin in the archives. ] king is perfectly safe. ]
11.e3 a5 12.d3 xe3 21...xa1 22.hxg4
[ T h e t a c t i c a l a p p r o a c h w i t h 12...c4 [ White's attack also falters after 22.d3 f6
permits White to make a strong exchange 23.h7 c3 ]
s a c r i f i c e : 13.xf5 exf5 14.xd5! b5 22...dxc4 23.c2 g6 24.xa1 d8 25.d2
15.f4 xe3 16.fxe3 xf1 17.xf1 c3 26.f4 c2 27.gxh5 c1+ 28.xc1
the white pawn centre is then invincible. ] xc1+ 29.xc1 xd4 30.f3 g4
13.fxe3 I'm sure you'll agree that Black would 31.hxg6 xg6 32.c7 c6 33.e7 e8
be in a much healthier state if the pawn were 34.h4 g6 35.a4 c8 36.d7 h7+
back on h7 rather than on h5. He could then 37.g1 c1+ 38.f2 c2+ 39.g1 g6
d e v e lo p wit h B e 7 , 0 -0 a n d f 7 -f 5 wit h o u t 40.d8+ g7 41.h4 b6+
making his kingside too flimsy. c4 14.e2 0-1
e7 15.e4! a5 16.exd5 exd5 17.b4?
I u l d a c h e v h a s c o m p le t e l y o u t p l a ye d h i s
opponent, but now he becomes enticed by
attacking lines and misses a straightforward

174
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

206 C02 c6 23.g7 f8 24.xd5 xd5 25.b2

Jimenez Villena,Francisco Jose 2251 xd6+
Shabalov,Alexander 2566 0-1
VII Anibal Open (1) 07.01.2000
[Neil McDonald]
207 C02
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.g4 c6 Johannessen,Leif Erlend 2514
5.f3 a5+! A very clever idea. It frustrates Hammerstad,Aasmund 2207
W hite's hopes of a smooth build up of his TCh-NOR Attack-serien 2010-11 (2) 06.11.10
pieces as occurs after [John Watson]
[ 5...cxd4 6.d3 ge7 7.0-0 ]
6.c3 White has no convincing reply to the 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
check, for example if h6 6.a3 f6 Striking at the head of the pawn
[ 6.d2 b6 attacks b2 or ] chain immediately. Black can revert to main
[ 6.bd2 b4 7.d1 ( 7.d3? c4 ) 7...d7 lines by
and Black will be the one to attack! [ 6...b6 or ]
Therefore White blocks with the pawn, but it [ 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 ]
means that his pawn sacrifice will be 7.d3 f7 Trying to keep the tension. Black
permanent. ] can reach a satisfactory setup by
6...cxd4 7.d3 [ 7...fxe5 8.xe5 xe5 9.dxe5 f7 , e.g.,
[ Instead 7.xd4 was played in Hector- 10.e2 ( 10.f4 c4 11.c2 c5 ) 10...c4
Dokhoian, Copenhagen 1991, when Black 11.c2 d7 12.0-0 c7 13.f4 c5+
declined t he pawn sa crif ice with 7...f 5 , 14.e3 b6 15.xc5 xc5+ 16.f2 b5
butwhynot xe5 e.g. 8.h5?! 17.a2 0-0= ]
( White should try 8.g3 but then c4! 8.e2
looks great for Black.) 8...d7! 9.d3 ( Not [ 8.exf6 xf6 9.0-0 c4 10.c2 d6
9.xe6? gf6 winning a piece) 9...gf6 is unclear. At first sight, Black's four-way
and White has nothing for the pawn. ] control of e5 should guarantee an equal
7...dxc3 8.bxc3 game. ]
[ This is an ugly move, but 8.xc3 b4! 8...b6!? There are two other thematic
would force the queens off in view of the treatments:
threat of 9...d4, when all White's attacking [ A 8...fxe5 9.xe5 fxe5 10.dxe5 c7
chances would evaporate. ] 11.f4 ( 11.f4 c4 12.c2 c5 13.0-0 0-0
8...d4 9.0-0 dxc3 10.a3 This is a clever 14.g3 e7 ) 11...c4 12.c2 c5 13.e3
way to bring the knight into the game, as xe3 14.xe3 g5 15.fxg5 0-0 16.d2
Black cannot capture on a3 in view of the xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.f1 d7
attack on g7.However, Shabalov finds a way 19.0-0-0 ]
to beat off the attack whilst keeping his extra [ B 8...cxd4!? 9.exf6 ( 9.cxd4 fxe5 10.dxe5
pawns. h6! 11.xh6 gxh6 12.c4 c5 g5! has ideas of ...g4 and ..Bg7.) 9...xf6
13.ab1 b4! 14.fd1 d7 Not 10.cxd4 g5!? 11.h3 h5 12.c3 g4!
[ 14...c2? 15.xc2 xc2 16.bc1! b4?! 13.xd5 d8 14.hxg4 ( 14.g6 xd5
17.d6+ winning the queen. ] 15.hxg4 h4 ) 14...hxg4 ( 14...xd5
15.d6+ xd6 16.exd6 d5 17.xb7 15.g6! ) 15.xh8 xh8 16.g5! xd5
This loses a piece, but in any case if W hite 17.xg4 with a promising attack in return for
plays slowly Black will castle queenside with the piece. ]
an easy win. c2 18.c1 9.0-0
[ The best fighting chance, though surely [ 9.exf6! gxf6 10.dxc5 is critical here: xc5
hopeless, was 18.xc2 xc2 19.e5 ] 11.b4 d6!? ( 11...e7 is safer, closing off
18...a3 This wins a piece, after which the e-f ile .) 12.0-0 a5 ( 12...e5 13.c4!;
W h i t e ' s a t t a c k s o o n f i z zl e s o u t . 19.xc2 12...d7 13.c4 dxc4 14.xc4 ce5
xd3 20.d2 c3 21.h3 c1+ 22.h2 15.xe5 xe5 16.a2 c8 17.c2;

175
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
12...c7 13.c4 fe5 14.cxd5 xf3+
15.xf3 xh2+ 16.h1 e5 17.dxc6
xa1 18.e4! ) 13.e3 c7 14.b5 ce5
15.b6 e7 16.xe5 fxe5 17.d2 d7
. White probably has some edge here, but
the game is wide-open. ]
9...cxd4 10.cxd4 fxe5 11.dxe5 e7 12.b4
a5? Things go downhill after this as White19.ac1! d8 20.cxd5 exd5 21.g3 e6
consolidates his space advantage. The best
move was simply
[ 12...0-0 ]
13.b5 b8?!
[ 13...d4 14.xd4 xd4 15.b2 h4
16.d2 and Nf3. ]
14.xh7!? d7
[ 14...xh7 15.c2 ]
15.g6 f8 16.d3 a4 17.b2 d7
18.c1 c5 19.c2
[ 19.c2 leaves White a simple pawnextra pawn, especially a centre pawn, has
ahead. ]
19...xb5 20.xb5+ xb5 21.c3 b6
[ 21...c4!? stays active. ]
22.xa4 xf2+ 23.h1
[ Or 23.xf2 xf2+ 24.xf2 xa4 25.c7 ]
23...a7 24.c3! c8 25.e2 c6 26.b5
b6 27.d4 xd4 28.fxd4 c5 29.xc5
xc5 30.e3 h5 31.c1 xe5 32.d2
b6 33.b4 With the idea Rc8+. White and Black was f ine in Romero Holmes -
controls too may squares and the battle is
over. d7 34.f3 e4 35.c8+ d8
36.d6+ e7 37.f5+ f6 38.e7+ xf5
39.g5#
1-0
208 C02
Jonkman,Harmen 2454
Cheparinov,Ivan 2634
ACT Open Amsterdam NED (3) 18.07.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 f6 7.0-0 c7!? Black delays the
capture on e5 as he wants White to commit
his rook to e1. Instead after
[ 7...fxe5 8.xe5 xe5 9.dxe5 c7 10.c4
xe5?! ( 10...0-0-0! ) 11.h5+! g6 12.f3
White has a promising initiative- see Lyell-
Lehtivaara on ChessPub. ]
8.e1 fxe5 A good time to exchange, as in an
earlier game the Dutch GM got to bring his
queen's bishop into the game after
[ 8...0-0-0 9.f4 ge7 10.d2 g6
11.g3 f5 12.h4! f4? This pawn sacrifice
turns out poorly. 13.xf4 xf4 14.xf4
e7 15.bd2 df8 16.g4 b6 17.c4!
returning the pawn in order to break up the
b l a c k c e n t r e . xd4 18.xd4 cxd4
22.g4 hg8 23.xe6 xe6 24.f3 d3
25.d4 f7 26.ed1 Black's position is
smashed and he resigned here in Jonkman,
H-Michielsen,J/Hoogeveen NED 2004. ]
9.xe5 xe5 10.dxe5 0-0-0 11.c4
[ White can continue in non-gambit mode
with 11.g4 as in Peng Xiaomin-Reefat ]
11...xe5 A risky pawn snatch, but the 19
year old Bulgarian Champion wants to win his
games as both White and Black. Having an
a l wa ys b e e n s ig n if ic a n t a n d t h e s e d a y s
computers have taught us that a resourceful
defence can often beat off the most
dangerous looking attacks. 12.f3 d6
13.cxd5 exd5 14.b4!?
[ White cannot hope for any advantage if he
just grabs the pawn back: 14.xd5 xd5
15.xd5 f6 16.f3 d6 17.c3 he8
Speelman. More enterprising is ]
[ 14.c3 but firm defending seems OK for
Black: f6 15.b4 c6 16.bxc5 xc5
17.d2 b8 18.c1 a3 19.b1 d6
20.b5 xb5 21.xb5 xa2 22.g5 a6
23.b3 he8 24.f1 Not the type of move
you want to make if you dream of attack.
a5 Here White has pressure, but it is
doubtful that it is enough for the material.
After some adventures the game J.Timman-
P.Nikolic, Rotterd am 1997, ended as a
draw. ]
14...f6!?
[ If Black plays in the style of the Timman
game above with 14...f6 15.bxc5 xc5
then it is helpful for White that he doesn't
have a knight hanging on c3. Nevertheless,
I'm still not sure that Black has much to fear.
For example 16.e3 a5 17.d2 b8
18.b3 a4 19.b1 f5 20.b2 a3
21.d2 d7 22.d4 he8 and White won
a very sharp encounter in Movsesian, S-
Jedynak,R/ECC, Panormo GRE 2001. Once
176
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Black gets in Rhe8 with full development
and a complete centralisation I don't see
why he should lose. W hite's much higher
rating, and therefore greater skill, was the
deciding factor. ]
[ Not 14...cxb4? 15.e3 followed by a2-a3,
when White is opening all the lines against
the black king. ]
15.a3 e7! Putting the queen on f6 has
forced the white knight to an inferior square-
no Nc3 and Nxd5 to worry about- and also
cleared the way for a future Bxc5, developing
the bishop. What it doesn't do is win a rook
for nothing:
[ 15...xa1? 16.xd5 c6
A) Besides this killing check, White could
force a draw by repetition with 17.e6+?!
d7 ( 17...b8? 18.f4+ ) 18.d5
wh ic h wou ldn 't ple ase t he yo un g a n d
am bitiou s Ch ep arin ov, as h e is rat e d
almost 200 points above his opponent.;
B) 17.g4+ d7 ( after 17...c7
it is simplest for W hite to win the black
queen: 18.f4+ d6 19.xd6+ xd6
20.f7+ d7 21.f4+ and 22.Rxa1.)
18.b3!? and White's threats include 19.
b5, attacking the bishop which has no safe
squares, and if f6 19.c2 and the black
queen is suddenly trapped. ]
16.b1 c6 17.bxc5 xc5 18.b3 b6
19.b5 intending Nxa7+. a5 20.b4 xb5
21.xb5 c4 22.h1! Just when it seems
that Black is outplaying his opponent,
Jonkman finds a clever way to invigorate his
attack. The removal of a check on f2 frees the
bishop on f3 to demolish d5. b8 23.xd5
xf2 24.b2! e3 Black's problem is the
weakness of the b7 square, for example
[ 24...xb2 25.e7 c2 26.be1!
and Black's king is about to be battered, or ]
[ 24...xd5 25.xd5 xb2 26.e7! c7
27.d7 c8? 28.e8 and White wins. ]
25.e5+ a8 26.f3? This gives Black the
chance of an inspired sacrifice to get rid of
the pressure on b7. Instead
[ 26.e4! keeps White very much in the hunt,
e.g. he8 27.a4 intending 28.a5. ]
26...hf8! Letting White carry out his threat.
27.e2 xf3 Only this queen sacrifice is good
enough, as Black can resign after
[ 27...h4 28.xe3 ]
28.xf2 xf2 Black has a rook, knight and
pawn for the queen, an excellent co-ordination
of his pieces and a ready target on g2.
White's back rank is also shaky, as will soon
be seen. 29.c7!?
[ Instead 29.a4? drops the bishop to fd2
30.h3 to stop mate 2d5 31.b2 c4
Also uncomfortable for White is ]
[ 29.h3 fd2 etc. ]
29...df8 30.xb6 Forced as
[ 30.h3 f1+ will drop the bishop on c7 with
check. ]
30...f1+ 31.xf1 xf1+ 32.xf1 xf1
33.d4 g6 White is a pawn down, but the
superiority of his bishop to the knight and his
ability to activate his king quickly suggests he
should be able to save the endgame. 34.g1
d2 35.f2 b5 36.e3 f1+ 37.f4
xh2 38.g5 b7 39.h6 c6
Here the score of the game ends. In fact score
of the game is probably imperfect- why does
Black just let White play
[ 39...c6 40.xa7 picking up a pawn? I
gu e s s m a t t e r s we r e d e c i d e d i n a t i m e
scramble. An anti-climatic end to the game,
but an exciting struggle nonetheless. ]
0-1
209 C02
Jonkman,Harmen 2446
Hertneck,Gerald 2571
1st ch-Europe (3) 05.07.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.0-0 g6 Rather than
put extra pressure on d4 with Nf5, Black aims
to un d erm ine th e e5 pa wn with f 7-f 6. O f
course, Nimzowitsch asserted that you
shouldn't attack a pawn centre directly from
the front, but in this game Hertneck makes
amends by launching a futureassaultonc3!
8.d3 After 7...Nf5 this move proved very
effective in Timman-Gurevich. Here, however,
it seems harmless. It was more testing to try
to exploit the position of the knight on g6 in a
direct manner with
[ 8.g3!? planning h4 and h5. This was
Timman's choice in a couple of games at the
same tournament last year. Thus Timman-
177
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Nikolic, Lost Boys Amsterdam 1999,
continued e7 9.h4 0-0 10.h5 h8 11.h6
( A couple of rounds later versus Ljubojevic,
T i m m a n t r i e d t o i m p r o v e w i t h 11.dxc5
but after xc5 12.c4 f6! 13.h6 g6 14.cxd5
xe5 15.b3 this is dubious according to
Ljubojevic- xf3+ 16.xf3 e5 17.c3 f7
18.d6 h8 19.xb7 Ljubojevic in
Informator 76 gives c8! as slightly better
for Black.) 11...g6 12.dxc5 f6!? ( Instead
12...xc5 13.c4 f6 would transpose to the
Ljubojevic game.) 13.exf6 xc5 14.g5
f7 15.h4 c7 16.d2 ce5 17.xe5
xe5 18.h2 with unclear play and an
eventual draw. ]
8...e7 9.e3 b6 10.d2 The queen
takes away the d2 square from the knight on
b1, but if
[ 10.e2 c4 forces the unwelcome
exchange 11.xg6 hxg6 ]
10...c4!? With the knight on g6 rather than f5,
Black cannot exert enough pressure on d4 to
win the pawn, or at least cause W hite
prob le m s with it s d ef en ce . T he re f ore h e
adopts an alternative plan of blocking the
centre and then advancing on the queenside.
11.e2 0-0 12.g3?! Much too late! I think
White should play modestly with
[ 12.c2 preparing 13 Nbd2, when if f5?!
( 12...d8! ) 13.exf6 xf6 14.e5!
looks nice for him. ]
12...d8! 13.e1 Safer was
[ 13.c2 ]
13...f5 14.f4 Perhaps White planned a future
attack with g3-g4 etc, but Black's counterplay
on the queenside proves too fast.
[ Instead 14.exf6 xf6 is also slightly better
for Black. ]
14...b5 15.g2 b8 16.b4?!
[ White consistently ignores his knight on b1.
Instead 16.c2 b4 17.d2 would be solid
enough. ]
16...a5 17.a3 a8 18.a2 axb4 19.cxb4??
A horrible move.
[ 19.axb4 xa2 ( 19...xb4 20.xa8 xa8
21.cxb4 a4 22.c3 ) 20.xa2 a8
21.b2 would leave White in an inferior but
defensible position. ]
19...b6 20.c2 a6 21.b2 a7 22.c3
a8 23.h3 xa3! This breakthrough can't
really be described as a sacrifice since sooner
or later Black will pick up the b4 pawn as well.
Then the passed pawns on the queenside will
be completely overwhelming. 24.xa3 xa3
25.d2 d8! The bishop manoeuvre to b6
will force White to give up either the b4 or d4
pawn. 26.d1 b6 27.e1 xc3 28.xc3
a3 29.c2 b3 30.a1 xb4 31.b2
a3! 32.h2 Equally hopeless is
[ 32.xb4 xa1 33.xa1 xd4+ 34.f1
xa1 ]
32...a6 33.c2 e7 Black has no need to
hurry to advance his passed pawns. The rest
is agony for White. 34.b2 b3 35.a1 b4
36.g4 a3 37.xc4 dxc4 38.xc4 b5
39.cc1 c7 40.d5 cxd5 41.d4 xd4
42.xd4 d3
0-1
210 C02
Jonkman,Harmen 2425
Nepomniachtchi,Ian 2587
Corus C Wijk aan Zee NED (5) 18.01.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
d7 6.a3 a5 7.e2
[ The alternatives 7.b3 and ]
[ 7.d3 are examined in the archives. ]
7...c6
[ The most ambitious move, which is also
d i s c u s s e d o n C h e s s P u b , i s 7...a4!?
looking for a quick Nc6, Na5 and Nb3. ]
8.0-0 h6!? 9.dxc5 xc5 10.xh6 gxh6
11.d2
[ A year earlier Nepomniachtchi had replied
to 11.c1 with
A) 11...a4!? 12.c4 ( Not advisable for
White is 12.xh6 xb2 13.bd2 xc3 )
12...a5 13.bd2 c8 when the white
queen is rather awkwardly placed on c1.;
B) 11...f8 The idea is to use the bishop
to guard the h6 pawn and shelter the king
once he has castled kingside. It is similar
to the well known line 1. e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.
e5 c5 4.c3 Bd7 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Be2 Nh6 7.
Bxh6 gxh6 8.0-0 Qb6 9.Qd2 Bg7 10.Na3
0-0. However, I think more in the spirit of
6...a5 is a vigorous bid for counterplay on
the queenside with 12.c4 d4 13.bd2
g7 14.e4! exposing the drawback to
178
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
the idea of Bf8: the white knight gets to the
h o le o n d 6 . xe5 ( Black is slaughtered
after 14...0-0?? 15.f6+ xf6
or d7 drops. 16.exf6 h8 17.xh6 g8
18.d3 g6 19.xg6 fxg6 20.g7# )
15.c5 c7 16.d6+ e7 17.xe5 xe5
18.xh6 ag8 ( Maybe he should try
18...xc5!? eve n t ho u gh 19.e4 d5
20.f3 is very dangerous for Black.)
19.h4+ f6 20.h5 g7 21.f3 c6
22.b4 f8 23.b5 xf3 24.xf3 e5
25.b6 e7 26.ae1 xd6 27.cxd6 xd6
28.c1 hg8 29.c8+ e7 30.xb7+
f6 31.f3+ g5 32.b7 e5 33.xg8
xg8 34.g3+ 1-0 Krapivin, A-
Nepomniachtchi, I/Moscow RUS 2006. ]
11...a4!? Nepo chooses a more energetic plan
than
[ 11...f8 ]
12.c4
[ As in the extract above, Black is a pawn up
for insufficient pressure after 12.xh6 xb2
13.bd2 xc3 when if 14.fc1 a5
Incidentally, here we see that the pawn on
a4 is performing a vital role in preventing
Nb3. ]
12...dxc4 13.c3
[ Very u gly f o r W hit e is 13.xc4 a5
14.a2 forced. c6 when White's bishop is
out of the game whilst the black bishop pair
can aid an attack whether in the centre with
Rd8 or on the kingside with Rg8. ]
13...a5 14.e4 0-0-0!
[ Not falling for the sucker punch 14...b3??
15.f6+ ]
15.f4 c6 16.ac1 b8 17.xc4 xe4
18.xe4 c8 19.c2 hd8! 20.e2
[ White drops a rook after 20.xh7? xc4
21.xc4 xf2+ 22.h1 ( 22.xf2 d1+
and mate next move. ) 22...xc4 ]
20...b3 21.xh7 c7 22.c4?
Jonkman moves his rook to a square where it
is defended by the bishop, so that two black
pawns, on a4 and h6 are now hanging
[whereas if 22.Qxh6? Bxf2+] However, Black
was waiting for just such an opportunity to
invade on the second rank. He should have
recentralised his queen with
[ 22.e4! when Black's well centralised
pieces compensate for the pawn minus, but
no more. ]
22...d2! 23.xd2 xd2 24.e4 xb2
25.xa4 b3 Both players now miss a
tactical trick. Or did Nepo prefer to keep the
tension, trusting that his opponent wouldn't
find the difficult path to safety?
[ 25...xf2+! was objectively stronger, so
that if 26.xf2? ( Black looks just a little
b e t t e r a f t e r 26.h1 ) 26...c1+ 27.f1
xf2+ and mates. ]
26.a5?
[ W hite could ha ve he ld on wit h 26.g4!
f o r e x a m p l e c2 27.h3 h5 ( not
27...xe2? 28.g8+ c8 29.a8+ xa8
30.xc8+ a7 31.xc5+ ) 28.g8+ c8
29.a8+ xa8 30.xc8+ a7 31.h1!
( 31.d8? b6 ) 31...b1 32.c7 xf1+
33.xf1 xf2 34.a5+ b8 35.d8+
a7 36.a5+ with a draw. ]
26...xf2+! 27.h1
[ If 27.xf2 c1+ 28.f1 ( or 28.f1 xf2
29.xf2 b6+ 30.e3? xf1+ ) 28...b6+
29.h1 xf1+ 30.xf1 xa5 ]
27...b6 28.b5 xa3 Black wins a pawn,
and then quickly a second, and finally wraps
up the game in a gritty endgame. 29.xb2
xb2 30.h3 d4 31.d1 c1 32.xc1
xc1+ 33.h2 b2 34.h4 xe5+ 35.h3
a1 36.f3 e1 37.f1 c8 38.g3 xg3
39.g2 c7 40.xb7+ d8 41.a8+ e7
42.a3+ d6 43.a7+
[ He had to play 43.f3 keeping g3 guarded
and then Bf1 followed by Qg2. It's no great
surprise that W hite avoids such a
miserable waiting to lose scenario. Instead
he gives some checks and then finds he
can't prevent his king being mated on the
dark squares. ]
43...f8 44.a8+ g7 45.f3 e5 46.f1
h2+ 47.g4 h5+! 48.xh5 e5+ 49.g4
f5+
[ For if 49...f5+ 50.h5 f4+ 51.g4 f5# ]
0-1
179
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

211 C02 though it works brilliantly. The usual move is

Jonkman,Harmen 2520 [ 13...g6! e.g. 14.h4 ( Or 14.b5?! c6
Vysochin,Spartak 2545 15.f3 e7 16.h4?! cxe5! Black had to
Open Tanta City EGY (8) 21.05.2002 calculate carefully that he could survive the
[Neil McDonald] opening of the c file before he grabbed this
pawn. 17.dxe5 xb5 18.h5 f8 19.xb5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.a3 xc1 20.xc1 xb5 21.c8+ d8
c6 6.f3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 22.d2 d7 23.d4 a6 24.b5 a5+
9.b2 d7 10.g4 fe7 A major alternative 25.e2 xe5 26.h6 0-0! 27.c3 c7
is and having survived the storm Black won
[ 10...h6 ] in Alekseev, E-Ivanov,S/St Petersburg RUS
11.c3 a5 2001. ) 14...e7 15.h5 f4 16.f3 g5
[ I n s t e a d t h e m o r e c a u t i o u s 11...h5 17.e2 xc1+ 18.xc1 0-0 Black seems
was mentioned in the notes to Ancheyta- to h a ve go od ch an ce s h e re a s W hit e 's
Nogueiras on ChessPub, while also pieces are disorganised, but Grischuk held
interesting is ] things together tactically: 19.h6! g6 20.d3
[ 11...g6 which lead to what might be xd3+ 21.xd3 c6 22.g3 xd4 23.f4
des crib ed a s a violent struggle in slo w e7 24.f2 c6 25.xb6 axb6 26.g5
motion in the following game: 12.a4 d8 a7 27.e2 c8 28.c1 xc1
13.h4 h5! 14.g5 b6 15.d3 f4 16.a6 the extra pawn cannot be exploited so -
e7 17.c3 f5 18.e2 g2+ Grischuk,A-Kruppa,Y/Elista 2000. ]
This leads to both sides getting piece s 14.xc4! dxc4 15.ce4 Black's next two
trapped. 19.d2 The board is so blocked moves are forced as otherwise White will land
t h a t t h e k i n g i s e n t i r e l y s a f e h e r e . b5 a killing knight check on d6. d5 16.xc4
20.g1 g6 21.xg2 b6 22.g3 xc4 17.xc4 e7 18.0-0 0-0
( W inning a pawn with 22.xb5? xb5 [ If 18...b5 19.c8+ ]
would be foolish as Black's bishop becomes 19.c5? I don't see why White should give
ve ry s t r o n g .) 22...e7! avoiding having back the material. Black has strong light
w e a k e n e d p a w n s a f t e r ( 22...xa6 square pressure but it is hard to believe it is
23.xf5 ) 23.e1! heading for the hole on worth the exchange and a pawn after say
c5. xa6 24.d3 c8! And likewise [ 19.c3!? to get rid of the knight on d5. ]
Black's knight heads for the hole on c4. 19...xc5 20.dxc5 d8! Now Black has
25.c5 c6 26.hc1 b6 27.e1 c4 more than ample compensation for a pawn-
28.c3 e7 29.f1 0-0 30.d2 xc5 just compare the difference in strength
31.dxc5 xd2 32.xd2 Both knights on between the bishops. It is no wonder that
dre am squ are s on the c f ile have b ee n W hite's light squares eventually collapse.
eliminated and a draw becomes inevitable. 21.d6 g5! 22.b5
d4 33.xc6 xc6 34.e2 fd8 35.d3 [ If 22.xb7 c6 23.d6 f4 24.f3
f8 36.f4 d7 - Nevednichy,V-Lputian,S/ xg4+!! 25.fxg4 h3# ]
Ohrid MKD 2001 ] 22...h5 23.f4 h4 24.f3 a6!
12.d2 c8 13.c1 Wearing down the light square resistance on
[ If 13.a4 c6 and Black found a strong b o t h s i d e s o f t h e b o a r d . 25.g5 axb5
pawn sacrifice to gain control over the light 26.xb7 b8 27.d6 b4 28.a4 xa4
squares in this example: 14.b5 c7 15.c1 29.g3 g4 30.f5 g6 31.xg4 hxg4
d8 16.d3 xc1 17.xc1 g6 18.f3 32.fxe6 fxe6 33.e4 c6 34.f6+ g7
c4! 19.xc4 dxc4 20.xc4 a6! 21.c3 35.a1 f4 36.a6 h3+ White's bishop on
( If 21.bxa6? b5 ) 21...axb5 22.b3 f4 b 2 wa s a s p e c t a t o r f o r t h e wh o l e o f t h e
23.c1 d3+ 24.e2 xc1+ 25.xc1 middlegame.
e7 26.xb5 0-0 and Black won in 0-1
Relange,E-Antic,D/Sabac 1998. ]
13...c4? I think this is way too ambitious,

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

212 C02 e4 and Black was at least equal in

Juglard,Eric 2185 Depasquale, C-Steadman, M/Auckland NZL
Barsov,Alexei 2530 2005. ]
11th Open Tarbes (4) 2003 7...d6 Black has a lead in development and
[Neil McDonald] can easily achieve the freeing advance e6-e5.
8.d3 0-0 9.g5 White should admit he has
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.a3 lost the opening battle and try to defend with
Contrary to the drastic outcome of the game, [ 9.0-0 ]
this move doesn't lose by force. As a strategic 9...b6 10.b4 cxd4 11.cxd4 h8!
idea, a2-a3 proves valuable in many Advance Now 12...Nxd4 is a threat as the Bxh7+ trick is
lines. However, since the sound, non- no longer 'on'. 12.c2 e5! Whenever Black
committal developing move 5.Nf3 is valuable achieves this advance in goo d style, th e
in 100% of cases, why not play that first, and moves a3 and b4 look at best like a waste of
hold back on a2-a3 until you see whether it is time. 13.dxe5 xe5 14.e3
needed? The move 5.a3 only has independent [ The only chance was stoical development
value if White can profit from delaying Nf3: for with 14.bd2 though Black has a great
example if he intends f2-f4. But this central initiative after g4 ]
expansion doesn't really fit in with the slow 14...xf3+ 15.gxf3
move a2-a3: so if that's White's intention, he [ White is overwhelmed after 15.xf3 d4
had b et te r play 5 .f 4 st ra ight away [ wh ich intending 16...Bg4, etc. ]
incidentally can be met by 5...Nh6 and 6...Qb6, 15...c7 16.d2 a5! White's pawns prove to
putting a lot of pressure on d4, so I don't be targets all over the board. 17.b5 h3
recommend that either]. I guess that 5. a3 18.b3 g2 Barsov finds a neat way to
has surprise value: but then, how exactly can disru pt W h ite's position . 19.g1 xf3!
Black go wrong in reply? All his normal moves the win of a pawn is only the start. 20.xf3
and ideas, such as 5...Qb6, 5...Bd7 and 5... xc2 21.d4 ae8+ 22.f1 c4+ 23.g2
Nge7 are all equally valid here and if he wants a4 A piece is lost.
an excuse to block the queenside with 5... c4, 0-1
you have given it to him. Furthermore, if Black
is provoked into avoiding his usual plan with
5...f6! he has made the best move on the 213 C02
board! f6! Why not? White's slow pawn move Kabanov,Nikolai 2482
on the wing invites a counter thrust in the Poghosyan,Suren 2317
centre. 6.exf6 Aeroflot Open B (2) 09.02.2011
[ After 6.f3 d7 would transpose to [John Watson]
Grischuk-Short, won by Black, which is given
o n C h e s s P u b . ( Black can also try for 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
immediate pressure on e5 with 6...c7!? h6
when 7.f4 is similar to Adams-Epishin [ 5...ge7 6.d3 ( 6.a3 i s p o p u l a r)
given in the notes to the Grischuk game. 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 transposes. ]
Results aren't everything, but it's hard to 6.d3 cxd4
trust a line in which Grischuk and Adams [ 6...f5 7.xf5 ( 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0 0-0
both lose with White! )] 9.b4 b6 ) 7...exf5 8.0-0 cxd4 9.cxd4
[ It would be nice if 6.d3 worked for White, ( 9.xd4 e7 ) 9...e7 transposes to the
but he looks in trouble after cxd4 7.h5+ game. ]
d7 ] [ 6...f6!? is the main line in my Dangerous
6...xf6 7.f3?! Weapons: The French book. ]
[ Having come this far, White has to play in 7.cxd4
the style of Philidor with 7.f4 Then the e6-e5 [ After 7.xh6 gxh6 8.cxd4 , I give g7
advance is restrained. b6 8.f3 d6 9.c3 f6 10.0-0 0-0 in my Dangerous
9.b4 cxd4 10.cxd4 0-0 11.g3 d7 12.c3 W eapons book, with further analysis

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
indicating a satisfactory game for Black. ]
7...f5
[ 7...f6 8.xh6 gxh6 9.exf6 xf6 10.b5
is featured in my book, in which I
recommend d6 11.0-0 0-0 ]
8.xf5
[ 8.c2!? b6 9.xf5 exf5 is a paradoxical
solution, losing a tempo with the idea that
Black's queen on b6 is worse-placed than on
d8. Then 10.c3 e6 11.e2 h6 12.h4
0-0-0!? 13.f1 b8 14.g1
can follow. ]
8...exf5 9.0-0 e7 10.c3 e6 This type of
po s itio n ha s a rise n qu it e a b it a n d b e e n
debated the bulk of the practical evidence
indicates fully equal play with chances for
b o t h s i d e s . 11.e1!? This is often played,
albeit slow. It and 11 Ne2 are probably the
most logical moves.
[ 11.b3 d7 ( 11...a6!? )
intending Nf4 is a standard reorganization.
With Black's queen on d7, the move ...g5
a p p e a r s t o b e l o o s e r n e ve r t h e l e s s , h6
is fine:
A) 13.f4 g5 14.xe6 ( 14.h5 g4
15.e1 xd4 ) 14...fxe6 is solid and
probably favourable for Black.;
B) 13.h4 a5!? ( 13...0-0 ) 14.f4 a4
15.d3 0-0 with the idea of ...Nb4 and ...
a3. ]
[ 11.a3 has scored poorly over the years, the
most dramatic response being g5 ]
[ 11.e2 can be answered slowly, or by g5!?
, e.g., 12.b3 b8 13.d1 f4 14.e1
b6 15.xb6 axb6 16.d2
wit h a p le a s a n t ga m e a n d so m e e d ge ,
Degraeve, J (2450)-Ulibin, M (2565),
Mamaia 1991. ]
11...b6!? Now the position is one which
could have arisen from an early ..Qb6. 12.c2
c8 13.f4 Maybe this is too restrictive, as f5
will be needed to free W hite's pieces, and
that's not easy to achieve. g6 14.h1 h5
Black prevents g4, and then turns his attention
to t he queen side it's no t clear what pla n
White has available. 15.d3 a5 16.a4!?
[ 16.b5 would not allow Black's next. ]
16...a6! 17.xa6 bxa6 18.c3 0-0 19.a3
b8 20.d1 fd8
[ 20...f6!? ]
21.e3 a7!?
[ 21...f6! 22.exf6 ( 22.g3? fxe5 23.fxe5
xe5 24.dxe5 d4; 22.e2 b3 ) 22...xf6
23.c2 e8 with a nice advantage. ]
22.g1 f8 23.f1 b5
[ 23...f6 is still good. ]
24.e2 a7 25.a2
[ 25.c3! . White would love a repetition. ]
25...b3 26.d2 db8 27.c3 b5
28.d2?!
[ 28.d2 is safer, challenging Black to break
e7 through. ]
28...c8
[ 28...f6! ]
29.c2 g7 30.a1 a7 31.c1 bb8
32.d3 Equalizing.
[ 32.xa5 xc2 33.xc2 xb2 ]
32...f8? 33.ac1?
[ 33.xa5! ]
33...c6 34.d1 e8 35.cd2 b5
12.e2 Both sides are looking for a plan, but there's
nothing much there. 36.f2 h4+ 37.e2
e7 38.f3
[ 38.a4 bb8 39.c1 doesn't really threaten
anything, as Nc5 is always questionable. ]
38...b3 39.g3 b5 40.f2 d8 41.c2
c8 42.c1 b7 43.e2 d8 44.g1 a7
45.e2 b6 46.e1 c6 It isn't often that
so l i t t l e h a p p e n s f o r so l o n g , b u t W h i t e
eventually gets something and ends
peacefully after complications. 47.cd2 a7
48.c3 d8 49.g2 bb8 50.f2 b3
51.a4 b5 52.d3 b7 53.1d2 c8
54.d1 e7?! 55.dc3
[ 55.c3 was worth a try. ]
f6 55...c6 56.f1 d7 57.e1 b7 58.e2
cb8 59.d1 d7 60.ec3 e6 61.c1
c7 62.b1 cb7 63.e2 e7?! 64.c3!
c8 65.c1
[ 65.c5! ]
65...d8?!
[ 65...d7 66.c5 xc5 67.dxc5 b5 ]
66.dc2 b5 67.a2 d7 68.d3 a8
69.ac5 Finally, but it's hard to make
progress. White should probably have gotten
his king out of the way. c8 70.b3 d7
71.dc5 a4 72.d2 xc5 73.dxc5 c6
74.d3 e8 75.b1 d4= 76.d2 e6+
77.b1? d5! 78.xd4 d8 79.f2 a2+
80.xa2 xd3 81.c4 e7
[ 81...b8 ]
82.b6! d4? 83.xd4 xd4 84.c6 xb6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

85.c7 d8 86.cxd8+ xd8 87.c4 f6 16.xd7?!

88.exf6 xf6 89.xa4 White should convert [ 16.xb7 b8 17.c5 xc5 18.xc5
this, but Black defends well at a critical point. fxe5 19.h5 f4 20.xe5 xe5 21.dxe5
c7 90.d4 e6 91.h4 e3 92.c4+ b6 looks better for White, but d4! counteratt
93.c3 e2 94.d3 c5 95.c3+ b5 acks on the light squares with ...Qb7
96.b3 g2 97.a4+ b6 98.e3 c5 coming. ]
99.c3 a5 100.e5+ d6 101.xa5 xg3+ [ 16.h5! f4 17.h6 g6 18.xb7
102.d4 c7 103.e5 b6 104.d5 c6 is a better version: b8 19.exf6 xf6
105.d4 20.c5 with an extra pawn. ]
[ 105.d2! wins easily. ] 16...xd7 17.b5 a5 18.g5?
105...e3+ 106.f6 e4! 107.d3 xf4 Anti-positional.
108.xg6 xh4 109.b3 f4 110.f3 h1 [ 18.h5! h8! ( 18...f4 19.d2 ) 19.exf6
111.f5 h4 112.xf4 c5! 113.g4 b4 ( 19.h6 g6 20.exf6 xf6 21.g5 d8!
114.h5 g1 115.xh4 g8 116.g3 22.e5 d6 ) 19...gxf6 20.d3 ]
h8+ 117.g4 f8 118.f3 g8+ 119.f4 18...fxe5?
e8 120.e3 f8+ 121.e4 d8 122.h3 [ 18...fxg5! 19.hxg5 c4! leaves White
d7 123.f3 d8 124.e5 d1 125.e6 trying to defend too many squares and is
d2 126.e7 d1 127.e3 d2 128.e1 practically winning already. ]
a2 129.b1 d2 130.a1 d5 131.e6 19.xe5?!
h5 132.b1 h6+ 133.d5 h5+ [ 19.dxe5 ]
134.d4 h4+ 135.e3 h3+ 136.f2 19...xe5 20.dxe5 f5
h2+ 137.g3 e2 138.f3 e8 139.f2 [ 20...d8! ]
f8+ 140.e2 h8 141.f3 f8+ 142.e4 21.d3 af8! Enterprising. Black wants every
h8 143.a1 h4+ 144.d5 h5+ light square and kingside pressure. 22.h2
145.d4 h4+ 146.e3 h3+ 147.f2 [ 22.xf5 xf5 23.a4 b6 24.0-0 c4
xb3 148.a5 h7 149.a6 a7 150.e3 25.xc4 dxc4 26.xc4 c5 27.g2
c4 151.e4 c5 152.e5 b6 153.d6 grovels, but keeps a rough balance. ]
xa6 154.xa6+ xa6 22...b6 23.a4 c4
½-½ [ 23...f3! and ...Bc5 is strong ]
24.xc4 dxc4 25.xf5 xf5 26.xc4 c5
27.a4?
214 C02 [ 27.f4! e3 28.c6! e7 29.c1 xf4
Kacakovski,Dimitar 2150 30.xf4 xf4 31.f2= ]
Smith,Bry 2466 27...f7! 28.e2 f4 29.d1?
Karposh Open (7) 07.04.2011 [ 29.c2 g4 30.f1 f3! ]
[John Watson] 29...xf2+ 30.xf2 xf2 31.d8+ f8
0-1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.b2 d7 10.g4 fe7 11.c3 g6 215 C02
Watching over f4 and h4. Kharchenko,Da 2006
[ 11...a5 is seen in the two Abrahamyan- Arslanov,S 2416
Zatonshih games. ] Botvinnik Memorial 2012 (1.56) 25.08.2012
12.c1 e7 13.h4 0-0 14.a4 d8 [John Watson]
15.c5! White has space, and the h-pawn is
immune. f6?! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
[ 15...xc5 16.xc5 f6! is worth a try, c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.xh6
although White stays somewhat better after Sveshnikov's favourite, especially now that
17.b5 a5 18.h5 f4 19.h6! g6 20.d2 everything else is looking good for Black!
fxe5 21.xe5 ] gxh6 9.cxd4 d7 10.a2 Again Sveshnikov
[ 15...xh4?? 16.xh4 xh4 17.xd7 ] is enthusiastic about this move. The option

183
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 10.e2 was played successfully in a couple [ 22...a4!? ]

of games this month, as seen in Sandipan- 23.c3 b6!?
Siedentopf. ] [ 23...b8!= ]
10...g8 24.d3 a5 25.e3? b4 26.c1 e7
[ In PTF4, I suggest this move, and this is 27.d2 b8 28.b1 a4 29.a1 gg8
the first test of it that I've seen. In addition, [ 29...h6 ]
10...c8 and 10...a6 lead to equality by my 30.db1
analysis. The former has at least received [ 30.xh7 gc8 31.db1 ]
practical tests. ] 30...gc8 31.a3 h6 32.d2 d8
[ But 10...g7 isn't quite as convincing, in my [ 32...xa3 33.xa3 b4 ]
opinion, because Black needs to be more 33.xb4 xb4 34.e3 c7 35.e2 b6
active. This month's game Smerdon-Jere, 36.d2 a5
I s t a n b u l 2 0 1 2 co n t in u e d 11.c3 0-0 [ 36...b2 37.a2 b5 ]
12.a4 d8 13.c5 c8 14.b5! 37.b1 b6 38.d2 b4 39.h7 bc6
(preventing ...b6) e7 15.0-0 a6 ( 15...b6 40.d3 c2+ 41.e3 a2
16.d3 d7 ) 16.e2 b6 17.d3 g6 0-1
18.d2 d7 19.a4! a5 20.b5!? ( 20.bxa5
xa5 21.b1 xa4 22.ab2! is also good,
with the idea b5? 23.c5 ) 20...c8 21.g3 216 C02
f6 22.exf6 xf6 23.fe5 e7 24.f4 ( Or King,Daniel J 2528
24.e3! ) 24...xe5 25.fxe5 xf1+ 26.xf1 Buckley,Graeme 2390
g5 27.f4 with space, better minor pieces, 4NCL Sunningdale ENG (2) 16.11.2007
and a superior pawn structure. ] [Neil McDonald]
11.h3 To prevent ...Rg4, winning the d-pawn
h5 12.g3 To be able to castle. h4!? 1.e4 c5 2.f3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.e5 c6 5.d4
[ I also give 12...a6 13.e2 h4 14.g4 h5 d7 6.e2 ge7 7.0-0 c8 8.a3
15.g5 d8! 16.c3 e7 17.g1 xg5 [ A standard idea, but it turns out poorly. I
18.b1 g7 with unclear complications ] believe that 8.a3 is a more promising way
13.g4 to play it, but Black has the simple plan of
[ PTF4: 13.gxh4 h5 14.e2 e7 a rra n gin g f 7 -f 6 wh ich m a ke s h is ga m e
, e.g., 15 Nc3 Nf5 16 Na4 Bxa4! 17 Qxa4+ easier to play than White's, at least among
Kd8 or 15.d3 a5 16.b5 a4! 17.c3 ordinary players. For example
g6 ] A) Or 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 g6 10.c2 e7
13...e7 11.fe1 ( Black had the advantage after
[ Here the game diverges from my analysis, 11.d3 0-0 12.b1 f6 13.e1 fxe5
w h i c h g o e s 13...h5 14.gxh5 h6!? 14.xg6 hxg6 15.xe5 xe5 16.dxe5
( 14...e7 ) 15.d3! e7 ( or 15...g7 a5 in Zhigalko, S-Jussupow, A/Warsaw
16.c3 e7= ) 16.h7 f8 17.c3 a5= ] POL 2005. ) 11...f6 12.f4 0-0 13.d3
14.d3 fxe5 14.fxe5 b6 15.e3 h4 16.h1
[ 14.c2!? xb4 15.axb4 xb4+ 16.bd2 xf1+ 17.xf1 f5 18.g1 a5
a4 is unclear. White's better pieces (after and Black had an active position in
untangling) will be balanced by Black's Movsesian, S-Jussupow, A/Warsaw POL
connected passed pawns. ] 2005.;
14...g7 B) 8...g6 The alternative strategy for
[ 14...h5! 15.gxh5 ( 15.h7? 0-0-0 ) White is to prepare the advance of the h-
15...h8= ] pawn: 9.g3 cxd4 10.cxd4 e7 11.h4
15.c3?! 0-0 12.h5 h8 13.h6 g6 14.c2 f6
[ 15.bd2! with a slight edge. ] 15.exf6 and here I'm interested in the
15...c8 16.c2 xb4! 17.axb4 xb4 capture xf6 f o r e xa m p le ( rather than
18.d2 xc2+ 19.xc2 a5 20.d2 b5 15...xf6 16.e3 f7 17.g4 e7
21.b2 b4 22.a2 b3+ etc. as in Fressinet, L-Drasko, M/Paris

184
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
FRA 2006. ) 16.e3 f7 17.g4 f5
when the active black rook on f5 gives
Black counterplay. ]
8...f5
[ Black has also done OK here with 8...g6
intending to build up for the f7-f6 break out:
9.d3 e7 10.e1 cxd4 11.cxd4 f6
12.c3 fxe5 13.dxe5 0-0 14.xg6 hxg6
15.d3 g5 16.h3 e8 17.b5 b6
with unclear play and a chicken draw in
Savic, M-Drasko, M/ Herceg No vi MNE
2006. ]
9.dxc5
[ White's problem is that after 9.b4 cxd4
10.cxd4 b6 11.b2 he has been tricked
by the move order 7...Rc8 into an inferior
version of the a2-a3 and b2-b4 plan namely
he has been deprived of the most potent
kingside activity based on g2-g4 because he
has already castled. If you check out the
game Grosar-Tukmakov in the archives this
will become clearer. ]
[ If 9.d3 Black can try h4!? in the style of
the game. ]
9...xc5 10.d3 h4! Not letting White
smash up his pawns with 11. Bxf5. 11.bd2
b6 12.e2 0-0 13.xh4 Inviting the black
queen to a good attacking square hardly helps,
but it is already difficult to find a convincing
plan for White. xh4 14.g3? White will pay a
high price for this weakening move. Instead
he might set about over protecting e5 in good
Nimzowitschian style with
[ 14.f3 h5 15.e1 but I think we would
all prefer to play Black here after f6 ]
14...h3 15.b3 f6 16.exf6 e5!!
A very energetic riposte rather than the routine
[ 16...xf6 ]
17.e3
[ Or 17.fxg7 g4! ( Also pretty crushing is
17...xg7 intending Bg4 and Bf3 etc.)
18.gxf8+ xf8 and White must part with
his queen for insufficient compensation after
19.Qxg4+ Qxg4 or else be mated on g2:
19.c2 f3 ]
17...e4 18.b5 g4 the weakness of the f3
square is nevertheless fatal as W hite can't
allow 19...Bf3. 19.f3 exf3 20.xf3 e5
21.d2 xf3+ 22.xf3 xf6
0-1
217 C02
Korkmaz,Necmettin 2071
Atalik,Suat 2618
ch Istanbul TUR (10) 20.03.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 b6 8.0-0
T h e f a m o u s M i l n e r - B a r r y G a m b i t . xd4
9.xd4 xd4 10.c3 a6! A great little
move that has really taken the sting out of
White's pawn sacrifice. Its main purpose is to
prevent Nb5, while the a7 square might prove
to be a useful haven for the black queen or
bishop in some variations. 11.e2 c8!?
Once again Atalik delays the development of
his kingside. Usually Black hurries to put his
kn i g h t o n c 6 wi t h N e 7 a n d N c 6 , b u t t h e
Turkish GM has another route in mind for the
horse. 12.h1 White breaks the pin on f2 so
t h a t h e c a n d e f e n d e 5 w i t h f 2 - f 4 . c5
Here we see a reason for Rc8- it defends the
bishop, so that 13.Be3 can be answered by
13...Qxe5 without dropping a piece. 13.f4
this lets the knight go to h6 without being met
by Bxh6, breaking up Black's kingside.
However, W hite was short of constructive
alternatives. h6! The knight heads for the
hole on e3. 14.d2 f5 15.ad1
[ White is falling apart after 15.xf5 exf5
16.ad1 c4! 17.f3 d4 etc. ]
15...e3 16.xe3 xe3 Black has carried
out his plan. He now has the two bishops as
well as an extra, protected passed pawn in
the centre. Nevertheless, he has to meet
White's next move with care. 17.g4 f8!
[ After 17...g6? 18.xg6! hxg6 19.f3
the black queen is suddenly trapped! ]
18.xd5?
[ This attempt to blast open the e-file fails.
Perhaps he should have tried his luck with
18.f3 b6 19.f5! even though Black has
xb2 ]
18...exd5 19.e6 xe6 20.f5 h5! The white
queen has no good square, as if 21.Qh4 Be7
etc.
[ Of course not 20...d7? 21.fe1 ]
21.a4+ d7 22.h4 e7 23.f6 xf6
24.b4 e7
[ It's all over, for if 24...e7 25.fe1 e6
185
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

etc. ] 11...fxe5 12.xc6

0-1 A) 12...bxc6 13.xe5 ( 13.dxe5 c5 )
13...b6! 14.b3 f4 is unclear;
B) 12...e4!= , f o r e x a m p l e , 13.xe4!?
218 C02 bxc6 14.e2 ( 14.g4 e5 15.xg7+
Korneev,Oleg 2582 xg7 16.xe5 f6 17.f3 c5 ) 14...xf3!
Larino Nieto,David 2451 15.gxf3 h4 ]
XX GM Elgoibar ESP (4.2) 17.12.2010 9...f6?!
[John Watson] [ 9...b6! 10.b3! cxd4 11.xb6 axb6
12.cxd4 f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.b3 f4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 15.fd1 d7 with unclear and I think
h6 This move is standing Black in good dynamically balanced play. ]
stead. I recommended it in my Dangerous 10.exf6 xf6 11.dxc5! e7!? White has the
W eapons: French, as does Moskalenko in upper hand here alternatives:
T h e Fle xib le Fre n ch . 6.xh6 The direct [ 11...e5 12.b3 e7 13.c4 e4 ( 13...d4
solution, not often tried because it gives Black 14.d3 ) 14.cxd5 exf3 15.d6+ e6 16.c4
th e b ish o p p a ir. B u t b o th sid e s get th e ir xc4 17.xc4+ f7 18.xf3 c6
chances. 19.ae1! xb2 20.d7 and Black will have
[ 6.d3 cxd4 ( 6...f6!?; 6...f5 ) 7.cxd4 f5 to defend for a long time. ]
8.xf5 exf5 is a position which can arise by [ 11...d8!? ]
various orders, and is arguably equal. See [ 11...d7 12.b3 e8 13.fd4! ]
the Archives. A game this month, 12.b3 d8
Hartikainen-Soffer, Cracow 2011, went 9.0-0 [ 12...a6 is a better try, in view of the next
e6 10.c3 e7 11.a3 c8 ( 11...0-0 note: ]
12.d3 led to the trick g5? 13.xg5! xg5 13.e1
14.g3 in Abrahamyan, T (2327)-Yang, D [ 13.fd4! threatens to immobilise Black's
(2421), Berkeley 2011: f4 15.xf4 h6 pawns: e5 ( 13...d7 14.f4 ) 14.b5 b6
16.h4 xd4 17.hxg5 f5 18.g4 g7 15.cxb6 axb6 16.f4 ]
19.h4 ) 12.a4 ( 12.d3 0-0 13.b4 13...e5!? 14.c4! e4 15.cxd5! exf3 16.c4
g5!? 14.h4! gxh4 15.h6 e8 16.e2 h4 Desperation. 17.dxc6+ h8 18.xf3
h8 is double-edged) 12...b6 13.b4 g5! bxc6
14.d3 f4 15.b2 d7 16.ac1 0-0 [ 18...xc4 19.cxb7 ]
17.c3 h8 ( 17...g4 18.d2 f5 ) 19.xc6 f5 20.e6 g6 21.f3 f8
18.fd1 g8 19.b5 ( 19.h3 h5 20.d2 22.g3 a4 23.ad1 ae8 24.d6!?
g7! ) 19...g4 20.d2 f5 with a clear [ 24.e2 xa2 25.d4 ]
advantage. ] 24...xa2 25.c6
6...gxh6 7.e2 g7 8.0-0 0-0 9.bd2!? [ 25.d4 xb2 26.e2 ]
[A 9.a3 is more challenging: cxd4 25...xb2 26.f3 c3 27.d4 f6?
10.cxd4 d7 ( 10...b6 11.d2 f6 28.e2?? The beginning of a catastrophe.
12.exf6 xf6 13.c2 a5; 10...f6 11.exf6 [ 28.e5 and Black can resign: g7 29.c7 ]
xf6 12.c2 ) 11.c2 f6 12.exf6 xf6 28...b6 29.f1??
13.b4 e8! 14.b5 e7 and now White [ 29.e3 ]
might try 15 Rb1 with the idea Rb3, ready to 29...d3! 30.xd3?
swing over on the kingside, because the [ But 30.d7 xe2+ 31.xe2 fxe6
n o r m a l i d e a 15.e3 isn't impressive 32.xc3 e3 will also lose. ]
following g6 16.c1 f4 with the idea .. 30...b1+ 31.f2 xd3 32.e4 xe4
Bh5 or ...Bg6, and if 17.e5 , g5 18.g3 0-1
xe5 19.dxe5 h5! ]
[B 9.e1 strengthens e5, but doesn't
prevent the manoeuvre cxd4 10.cxd4 f6
11.b5! ( 11.exf6? xf6 and ... Nxd4)

186
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
219 C02
Lell,Marianela
McDonald,Neil R
English Counties Match. 29.01.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
ge7 6.a3 cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 8.c2 e7
The analysis in Blees-Gurevich seems to
have proven the viability of the alternative
[ 8...d7 9.d3 b6 system, which delays
Be7 for some time. Here I wanted to see
whether the immediate development of both
bishops was also satisfactory for Black. ]
9.d3 d7
[ T h i s i s m o r e a c c u r a t e t h a n 9...0-0?!
when Black faced a dangerous attack after
10.g4 h4 11.xh4 xh4 12.g5! xg5
13.h5 h6 14.g1 xc1 15.xc1
in Sveshnikov-Farago, Hastings 1984. The
f i n i s h o f t h e g a m e w a s b r u t a l : f5
( Also bad is 15...h8 16.e2! -threat 17
Rxg7! Kxg7 18 Rg1+ mating- g8 17.xf7 )
16.xh6 f7 17.e2! b6 18.h4! d7
19.g5 xb2 20.d2 e7 21.h5 g6
22.g3 f8 23.h3 e7 24.h8+ f7
25.g1 a4 26.h5+ g6 27.xg6!
1-0 Sveshnikov,E-Farago, Hastings 1984 ]
[ I also preferred developing the bishop to
the immediate 9...b6 as 10.g4!? h4
11.xh4 xh4 12.0-0 e7 ( 12...f6 13.g5!
looks dangerous for Black.) 13.e3 d7
14.b4 a5 15.bxa5 xa5 16.f4 c8 17.b1
a7 18.f5 appeared to give White the
better chances in this sharp position in
Plaskett-Mestel, Hastings 1986. ]
10.h4!? If White had continued
[ 10.g4 h4 11.xh4 xh4 12.0-0
as in the Plaskett game of the last note, I
hoped the black queen would prove better
placed remaining on d8. ]
10...b6
[ The h pawn is immune as neither
10...xh4? 11.xf5 nor ]
[ 10...xh4?! 11.xh4 xh4 12.g4
is playable for Black. ]
11.xf5 exf5 12.g5? An ambitious move
which offers a pawn to achieve the desired
exchange of dark squared bishops. However,
it doesn't seem to give sufficient
compensation for the material. Instead the
calm
[ 12.b3 b4?! 13.xb4 xb4+ 14.d2
xd2+ 15.xd2 b5 16.b4! c8 17.a4
d3 18.xb6 axb6 19.d2 e4 20.hc1
turned out rather well for White in S.Lalic-
Plaskett, Hastings 1996. Probably Black
should try 12...h6!? which looks perfectly OK
for him. ]
12...xg5 13.xg5 h6 14.f3 xb2!
Black accepts the pawn offer. An interesting
alternative was
[ 14...f4!? aiming to activate the bishop on f5
or g4, and also keeping the white knight out
of e3. But why not be a pawn up? ]
15.0-0 b6 Black takes his booty and runs.
16.d2
[ The plan of attack on the kingside heralded
by this move is surely doomed, but playing
for pressure on the queenside also seems
inadequate, e.g. 16.b1 c7 17.e3 e7
18.b3 c6 19.fc1 d7 and Black is
solid enough. ]
16...0-0 17.f4 ac8 18.ab1 c7 19.e3
e7 20.h5 h7! An important defensive
move which refutes White's strategy. 21.fc1
[ A desperate move, but if 21.h4 g5!
22.hxg6+ fxg6 is winning. Playing the king
to h7 made this possible by ruling out 23
Qxh6. ]
21...xc1+ 22.xc1 xc1+ 23.h2 c6!
Not falling for
[ 23...g5? 24.xg5+! hxg5 25.xg5
when White has enormous counterplay. ]
24.h4 e8 25.e1 a6 26.d3 xa2
Black is now winning, but White manages to
generate some annoying counterplay. 27.c5
c8 28.d3 a5 29.f4 e6 30.g4!? fxg4
31.xe6 fxe6 32.xg4 xf2+ 33.g1 b2
34.xe6 a4! 35.f7
[ If 35.xd5 c8 ]
35...c8 36.xe7 c1+ 37.f1 bb1 38.e6
xf1+ 39.g2 f6! This ensures Black picks
up the passed e pawn, when the win
become s stra igh tf o rwa rd . 40.a3 b3
41.xa4 b2+ 42.g3 xe6 43.d7 e3+
44.f4 e4+ 45.g3 b3+ 46.g2 f4
47.xd5 b4 48.g3 bxd4 49.xb7
g4+ 50.f3 df4+ 51.e3 f5 52.b1
gg5 53.b8 xh5 54.c7 hg5 55.d6
h5 56.e4 h4 57.h2 h5
0-1
187
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

220 C02 24.h1 f3+ 25.g1 g4+ with a draw.)

Lie,Kjetil A 2529 19...f6 20.dxe6 0-0! ]
Ostenstad,Berge 2497 17.dxe6! dxe5
TCh-NOR 2006-7 (6) 14.01.2007 [ After 17...fxe6 18.xc1 There is no
[Neil McDonald] immediate death blow, but Black is helpless,
as his king can't escape without dropping
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3 t h e kn igh t o n d 7 . Me a n wh il e t h e re a r e
d7 6.d3 b5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.b4 xd3 moves such as Rc7, Nc4 and Nd6+, and
[ As is well known, the bishop is trapped on Qd6 all lurking. If 18...Rd8 19.Bg5 looks a
f2 after 8...xf2+? 9.e2 and will be lost to killer. The game might a6 19.c4! axb5
10.Rf1. ] 20.d6+ e7 21.g5+ f8 22.f7! xf7
9.xd3 f8 10.0-0 e7 11.e3!? 23.xd7+ f8 24.d6+ f7 25.c7+
[ Instead 11.a3!? has been investigated at g8 26.xe6+ and mates. ]
the highest level- see Grischuk-Vaganian in 18.xe5 xe5 19.exf7+ xf7
the archives. ] [ If 19...xf7 20.d5+ f6 21.e4+ f5
11...a6?! Now the black queen becomes 22.g4+! xg4 23.e6+ f3 ( 23...h4
shut out of the action on the a-file, where she 24.e7+ h3 25.xe5 and mate on g3 or
can't help defend her king. Much more natural h5. ) 24.f5+ e2 25.g3# ]
was 20.c5!! This quiet move is the whole point of
[ 11...c7 though White also built up a White's play. Despite his extra rook, Black is
st ro ng init ia tive in th e f ollo win g ga m e : in grave trouble because his king is trapped in
12.a3 a6 13.c4 bc6 14.c5 xe5 a wide open centre. b2 21.c4 e5
15.xe5 xe5 16.fe1 h5 17.ad1 d8 22.xe5 d8
18.b3 d4 19.a4+? ( here 19.c2! [ If 22...xe5 t h e n s i m p l y 23.e1
was the way to play it, for example c6 when the black king is trapped and quickly
20.xf8 xf8 21.b5 axb5 22.cxb5 e7 executed. ]
23.xd4 xd4 24.xd4 d5 25.a3! ) 23.f5 xe5 24.e6# A fine attacking game
19...c6 20.xf8 xf8 21.b5 e7 by White.
22.bxa6 bxa6 23.b4 g6 24.c2 d3 1-0
25.c3 g8 26.xd3 xd3 27.xd3 c5
28.d4 a5 29.d1 g7 30.b3 e5
and Black had escaped and even went on to 221 C02
win in Hansen, T-Djurhuus, R/Moss NOR Llorens,M 2418
2006. ] Rojas,Luis 2379
[ Perhaps Black does best to curl up in a ball II Copa ENTEL (10) 19.03.2005
with 11...d8 and then 12...Nd7. ] [Neil McDonald]
12.b5 a4 13.bd2 d7 14.ac1 g6
15.c4 a3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6
[ White also has pressure for a pawn after If Black wishes to prevent White's next move
15...gxe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.d4 xc4 he could try
( White gets a good endgame after 17...d7 [ 4...b6 when after 5.f3 c6 transposes
18.cxd5 xd4 19.xd4 exd5 20.b1!? back to the mainline. Though of course not
intending Nc3 and Nxd5.) 18.xc4 dxc4 every French player wants to play Qb6 so
19.xc4 xb5 20.d1 ] early, if at all. ]
16.cxd5! xc1? 5.e3 Kupreichik's idea. h6!?
[ Black doesn't even have any material for [ The other method is 5...b6 6.d2 etc. ]
his suffering after 16...exd5 17.c7 ] 6.f3
[ M u c h m o r e r e s i l i e n t w a s 16...dxe5! [ White could and probably should rule out
17.xe5 xe5 18.c3 xc1 19.xc1 ( or Black's next move with 6.d3 e.g. b6
19.xe5 xd2 20.xg7 c3 21.xc3 ( Unattractive for Black is 6...f5 7.xf5
g8 22.dxe6 xg2+! 23.xg2 g4+ exf5 ) 7.d2 g4 8.f3 xe3 9.fxe3 e7

188
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
10.0-0 c4 A committal move which takes
the pressure off W hite's centre. ( 10...d7
with ideas of f7-f6 keeps the tension, e.g.
11.h1 f5 ) 11.e2 0-0 12.h1 f6
13.exf6 xf6 14.a3! d8 15.b3! cxb3
16.axb3 d7 17.c2 e8 18.d3
and White had the edge in Shaked-Watson,
USA 1995, though the French guru John
Watson eventually outplayed him and won. ]
6...f5!?
[ The most direct approach. Instead the
game Sengupta-Barua on ChessPub went
6...b6 7.d2 d7 8.e2 ( 8.d3! )
8...f5 9.0-0 xe3 10.fxe3 e7 11.h1
0-0 12.c1 f6! and Black was better. ]
7.d2 The logical move, but the obvious
question is how will White develop his knight
on b1 to a good square now that he can't play
it to d2? xe3 8.fxe3 e7 9.d3 0-0
10.0-0 c4 11.c2? A natural retreat, but the
bishop proves surprisingly ineffective here.
Instead
[ 11.e2 with the plan of Qc2 and then Nbd2
followed by e3-e4 was the correct
approach. ]
11...f6! 12.exf6 xf6 13.e4 d7 14.e5
[ More flexible was 14.e2
A) not 14...e8?! when White can
suddenly justify his bishop being on c2:
15.bd2 h5 ( or 15...h8 16.g5! )
16.exd5 exd5 17.e6+ h8 18.h3!
with a strong initiative.;
B) 14...e8! 15.bd2 h5 and Black
looks comfortable. ]
14...e7 15.b3 This just opens up opening
the b-file to Black's benefit. He might develop
with
[ 15.e2 b5 16.bd2 a5 but then it might
be asked: Black's plan is to gain space on
the queenside: what is White doing? ]
15...b5 16.bxc4 bxc4 17.e3 b8
18.bd2 b2 19.a4 c8 At last Whit e is
allowed to play an attacking move on the
kingside as Black sees that after a series of
exchanges the a2 pawn will become highly
vulnerable. 20.g5 xf1+ 21.xf1 xg5
22.xg5 h6 23.f4 e8 24.d1
White jettisons the pawn as if
[ 24.a3 there is the well known French trick
xe5! ]
24...xa2 25.g4 Now White develops a
useful initiative which forces Black to defend
carefully. Nevertheless, the outside passed
pawn is destined to win the day. g6 26.h3
h7 27.f3 a5 28.f8 b2 29.d6 b8
30.h4 e4 31.f3 a4 32.e7 g6
33.f8 b1 34.xb1 xb1+ 35.f2 b2+
36.g3 a3
0-1
222 C02
Lyell,Mark 2221
Lehtivaara,Petri 2365
4NCL-9899A BCM-BA1 (6.3) 24.01.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 f6 7.0-0 fxe5 8.xe5 xe5
9.dxe5 c7 10.c4!? This is the sharpest
continuation which has been a battleground
for players and theoreticians for about 15
years. White gambits the e pawn, hoping to
exploit his lead in development. The
alternative
[ 10.e1 is the subject of Peng-Reefat. ]
10...xe5? An extremely important error in
move order. Black should castle queenside
before capturing this pawn, when he won't be
forced to weaken his kingside by the
interpolation Bh5+.
[ Here 10...e7?! 11.c3 d4 12.e4
xe5 13.e1! c6 was played in Benjamin-
Eade, Parsippany 1999, and now instead of
14.f4?! ( 14.h5+! g6 15.g5 looks very
strong. )]
[ So as stated above the strongest move is
10...0-0-0! when 11.cxd5 xe5 12.f3
exd5! 13.e1 d6 was unclear in
Sveshnikov-Vaiser, Sochi 1984. ]
11.h5+! It is this check which renders
dubious Black's move order in the game. g6
12.f3 0-0-0 13.cxd5
[ P e r h a p s m o r e a c c u r a t e w a s 13.e1!?
when the most famous game in this line
went d6 14.c3 dxc4 ( Or 14...f6
15.g5 Of course this would be much less
effective if the black pawn were still on g7!
g7 16.xf6 xf6 17.e4 f8 18.cxd5
c6 19.c2 exd5 20.xc5 and White had
a wi n n i n g a t t a c k i n C h e r n i a e v- V i t i n i k ,
V l a d i v o s t o k 1 9 9 5 .) 15.e2 f6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Here we see another decisive benefit of the choice of masters it is the one recommended
bishop check at move 11. If Black's pawn in my Play the French, and has the advantage
were still on g7, Black could defend with ... of keeping e7 open as a retreat square for the
Qd3! and if Qe5 Bd6. With the pawn on g6, f5 knight.
15... Qd3 just loses to 16 Qe5, winning a [ 9...e7 doesn't do that but it is the other
piece. 16.xc4 e7 17.f4 d4?! main move, one point of which is that 10.g4
18.b5!! xb5 ( 18...xc4 19.xa7# ) can be met by h4 , for example, 11.bd2
19.xb7+! and Black resigned in ( 11.xh4 - see this month's Saleh-Al Razi)
Romanishin-Ivanchuk, Irkutsk 1986 because 11...h5 12.g5 f5! . For 9...Be7 10 Be2
of xb7 20.xb5+ c8 21.c6# ] (one variation by transposition anyway), see
13...exd5 14.c3 c6 He had to try this month's game Saleh-Al Razi. ]
[ 14...f6 though 15.e1 d6 16.g5 10.g4
is uncomfortable. ] [ 10.h4 and ]
15.e1 d6 [ 10.e2 are reasonable alternatives, but of
[ The only chance is 15...c7 ] late 10 g4, always the most popular move,
16.g4+ b8 17.e4!! A brilliant move. c7 has appeared in almost every important
If game. It is also featured in 8 games in the
[ If 17...dxe4 18.f4! xf4 19.xd8# ] Archives. ]
18.g5 d6 19.e6 b6 20.b4! f6 10...h6
21.bxc5 xc5 22.f4+ d6 23.b1 a5 [ The other games this month go 10...fe7
24.d4! e4 25.xe4 dxe4 26.xd6+ a8 at this point. Both moves are fully playable. ]
27.xd8 xd8 28.f6?! White has played a 11.h3
great game and won a piece, but now he [ For 11.g1 , see Short-Lputian in the
begins to go wrong. After Archives. ]
[ 28.e6! Black could just resign. ] 11...f6!
28...e8 29.e6? [ 11...c8 12.c3 a5! 13.a4 c6
[ 29.g3 e3 30.b2 defends against 14.c5 ( 14.c1 c4 15.xc4?! dxc4
everything. ] gives away key light squares, and Black
29...e3! Suddenly Black is alive again! 30.b4 has qu ee nside play involvin g . .. a5 an d
This returns the extra piece, but what else sometimes ..c3.) 14...c4 15.c3 b6
was there? If 16.xd7 xd7 is roughly equal. ]
[ 30.fxe3? d2! attacks both d6 and g2. ] 12.exf6
30...b6 31.c4 a5 32.f7? [ Black has no difficulties after 12.d3 fxe5
[ He should settle for a draw with 32.fxe3 13.xe5 ( 13.dxe5 f7 ) 13...xe5
xe3+ 33.f2 xf2+ 34.xf2 axb4 14.dxe5 f7 ]
35.xb4 e4 36.a3 ] [ 12.c3 fxe5 13.dxe5 f7 is similar. ]
32...xb4!! 33.xb4 e2 34.h3 e1+ 12...gxf6 13.c3 f7 14.a4 c7
35.h2 axb4 36.xe8 xe8 37.d6 b8 Black would like to control the weak square f4
A remarkable game. in conjunction with ...Bd6. 15.c5 xc5
0-1 16.dxc5
[ 16.bxc5 leaves White's bishop on b2
restricted. Black would probably play 0-0-0
223 C02 with the idea ...e5 to utilise h is ce ntra l
Makarkin,Zhan 2146 majority. ]
Petrov,Anton 2382 16...f4 17.e2 Now Black a 2-0 central
ch-Southern FR Men (4) 15.03.2011 majority, but White has the bishops and would
[John Watson] like to exchange queens. fe5
[ 17...0-0-0 18.d2! xd2+ 19.xd2 e5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3 20.f4 de8 21.f3 hf8 22.d1 d4
c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 23.f2 ]
9.b2 d7 For now this move is the main 18.g1

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 18.xe5 leads to characteristic ideas: [ 31.f3! b6 32.c1 would leave the first
A) 18...xe5 19.d4 f3+ 20.xf3 player better in every important respect. ]
xf3 21.xf6 e4+ 22.d2 f8 23.d4 31...c6! 32.c3 f6 33.e2 a6 34.d3!
( 23.ae1 xf6 24.xe4 xf2+ 25.e2 f5 35.d6 h3?! Of course White is still a
f3= ) 23...g2 24.af1 b5 25.hg1 pawn up, but
f3= ( or 25...xh3 26.e1 0-0-0 ); [ 35...h1+ 36.d2 h2 would limit Black's
B) 18...fxe5 19.c1 f6 ( 19...d4 problems. ]
20.h6! c3+ 21.f1 is absolutely 36.xa6?! Time trouble.
unclear the bishops-versus centre battle [ 36.d3+! e4 ( 36...e4 37.e2 ) 37.xa6
continues ) 20.0-0!? (risky-looking, but xa3 38.b5! is simply winning, since bxa6
B l a c k h a s n o wa y t o o p e n l i n e s ) d4 ( 38...e8 39.xb7 xb5 40.c6
( 20...0-0= 21.b2 f4 22.c1 d4 threatens c7 and Rd5+ xc6 41.xc6 e3
23.d1 xc1 24.xc1 f3+ 25.xf3 42.f3 ) 39.bxc6 c3 40.c7 xc5 41.d5+!
xf3 26.xe5 xa3 ) 21.f4 e4! 22.e3 promotes. ]
xe2+ 23.xe2 0-0= ] 36...xa3 37.c4!
[ 18.b3 a5!? 19.b5 a4 20.c3 xf3+ [ Now 37.b5 e4 is a different matter:
21.xf3 xf3 22.xf3 a5 with the idea 38.xb7 xb7 39.c6 xc6! 40.bxc6 c3 ]
23.xf6 f8 24.g5 xb5 ] 37...a4 38.b5 This makes it easy
18...g8!? Black should keep things moving [ Apparently Black survives after 38.d3+!
before the bishops assert themselves. To that e4 39.b5 e8 ( 39...exd3 40.bxc6 bxc6
end, 41.d2! ) 40.e2 e5 41.d8 f7 ]
[ 18...a5! 19.b5 xf3+ 20.xf3 e5 38...xc4 39.bxc6 bxc6 40.xc6 e4
is appropriate: 21.e2 e4 22.f1 c4 41.c8 d5
23.xc4 ( 23.xf6 0-0 24.g5 xb5 ) ½-½
23...xc4+ 24.g2 xb5 ( or 24...e5 )
25.xf6 0-0 26.d4 f7 27.ge1 af8
28.ac1 ( 28.xe6?? xf6 29.xc4 224 C02
xf2+ ) 28...xd4 29.xd4 f3 effectively Markgraf,Alexander 2412
=] Jussupow,Artur 2605
19.g3! h5 20.xe5 ch-GER Osterburg GER (6) 08.02.2006
[ 20.b5! begins to grab space and keeps this [Neil McDonald]
k n i g h t f r o m t h e k e y e 5 s q u a r e : a5
( 20...e7 21.xe5 fxe5 22.c1! hxg4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
23.xf4 exf4 24.xg4 and the power of the d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4
bishops begins to prevail.) 21.xe5 fxe5 c8!? 9.c2 a6 A very interesting idea.
22.c2 e4 ( 22...c4 23.f3 ) 23.g5! Normally in this variation Black sticks a knight
(hitting h5) h4 24.g4 h2 25.c3 c4 on f5, when it can be driven back by g2-g4-
26.xc4 dxc4 27.0-0-0 xf2 28.xc4 ] you can find plenty of examples on ChessPub.
20...xe5?! Or, a rather less popular choice, Black plays
[ 20...fxe5 ] Ng6, whereupon W hite can set about
21.d4! xd4 22.xd4 hxg4 23.hxg4 a4 attacking the poor beast in a different manner
24.e3! xg4 25.xe6+ f7 26.d6 with h4-h5. In contrast, Jussupow presents no
White is winning. As so often, things begin to target on either f5 or g6 so what is W hite
slip.... e5 27.xd5!? meant to do? Unable to call on any opening
[ 27.f4! c4 28.xd5 ae8 29.f2 theory, he plays passively and Black soon
and the knight is trapped! ] seizes the initiative. 10.0-0
27...ad8 28.xd8 xd8 29.xe5 fxe5 [ Perhaps White should have played 10.h4
30.d1 anyway to gain space on the kingside. After
[ or 30.f3 ] all, the knight on e7 is probably going to
30...h8 31.c1?! White's first serious h a ve t o go t o f 5 o r g6 a t so m e p o in t i f
mistake of the game, probably in time trouble. B la c k wi sh e s t o co m p le t e h is kin gs id e

191
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

development. ] [ In Topalov-Bareev Black played 14...af8

10...g6 Only now, but what a difference! while ]
Jussupow has waited until White has castled [ Gdanski has successfully experimented
before putting the knight on g6, so that the with 14...e8 15.b5 d8!? here. You can
plan of h4-h5 has lost its power. 11.d2 e7 find all the details on ChessPub. ]
12.a4?! As a queenside pawn advance never 15.a4 ff8
materialises, he should save a move with [ Black could also try an exchange sacrifice
[ 12.d3! ] with 15...xf3 but this seems ineffective if
12...f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.d3 0-0 15.xg6 White plays precisely: 16.a5! ( Black gets a
[ After 15.b4 e5!? the thematic freeing move lot of play after 16.xf3 xd4 17.xd4
16.b5 e4!? 17.bxc6 xc6 Black regains his xd4 18.xd4 xd4 19.a3 c8
piece with good chances. ] as in Adamson,R-Levitt,J/New York 1994.)
15...hxg6 16.c3 e7!! A superb manoeuvre 16...a7 17.xf3 xd4 18.a3!
in v o l vi n g t h e sa cr if ic e o f t h e e xch a n ge . W hite wants to keep the queens on the
17.d3 d6 The bishop takes up its best board and so avoids activating Blacks queen
diagonal aiming at the h2 square. 18.xg6 by taking on d4. He isn't afraid of 18...Nxf3+
[ If 18.b4 e7 with ideas of Qc7 and Nf5, as his knight on c2 is just as valuable as his
Black undoubtedly has the better of it. ] bishop. c6 19.g4 e8 20.e3
18...xf3! 19.gxf3 h4 20.fe1 and now Black sacrificed his queen but it
[ If 20.g2 f4! intending 21...e5 and 22.. rebounded: xc2 21.xa7 xa3 22.e3
Bh3 looks lethal. ] c2 23.xe6+ h8 24.d2 d4 25.g4
20...f8 21.g4 xh2+ 22.f1 f4 23.g3 e4 26.h3 and White was winning in Seul,
h7 There is no immediate knock out blow G-Masserey,Y/Biel 1997. ]
against the white king, but neither is there any 16.a3! The rook es capes the potential
need for Black to hurry. Markgraf's rooks are attentions of the bishop on g7 and prepares
inactive and he has no counterplay, so for active operations on the kingside. A frontal
Ju ss up ow c an wea r d own his re sist an ce attack with Rg3 along the open file is the
gradually on the kingside. 24.e3 b8! underlying theme. Therefore Gdanski hurries
Breaking the pin on the rook. 25.g4 f5 to get his bishop to g6. e8 17.e1!
26.g2 g5 27.ad1 f4 28.g1 c2 [ Much better than 17.e3? when the rook
29.f1? White's bid to exchange queens becomes a target after e7! 18.a5 d6
makes it easy for Black, but otherwise he is 19.d3 f5 Black took control and
completely paralysed. e5! With deadly threats eventually won after 20.xf5 xf5 21.fe1
a g a i n s t g 4 . 30.d3 xd3 31.xd3 e4 f6 22.e5 a4 23.g3 af8 24.d3
32.d2 xd2 33.xd2 exf3 h8 25.e3 h5! in Antonio, R-Lputian,S/
0-1 Shenzhen 1992. ]
17...e7 18.a5 d6 19.e5 g6 20.g3
White has gained a lot of time compared to
225 C02 the Antonio game of the last note. h8
McShane,Luke J 2592 [ If 20...xe5 21.dxe5 xe5 22.g4
Gdanski,Jacek 2506 when e6 drops leaving Black in trouble. ]
4th IECC Istanbul TUR (5) 03.06.2003 21.d3 f4
[Neil McDonald] [ Not 21...xe5? 22.dxe5 when White gains
t h e d 4 squ a re f o r h is kn igh t f o r i f xe5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 23.xh6 xg3? 24.xh7# ]
b6 6.e2 h6 7.xh6 gxh6 8.d2 g7 22.f3 xd3 23.xf8+ xf8 24.xd3 g6
9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 cxd4 11.cxd4 f6 12.exf6 Black hopes to activate his game at the cost of
xf6 13.c2 d7 14.b4 a6 This is a natural a pawn. In any case it is clear that passive
p re c a u t io n a g a in st b 4 -b 5 , b u t it h a s t h e defence would be inadequate as White could
drawback that it doesn't do anything to further put his knight on e5 with a tremendous bind.
Black's counterplay on the kingside. 25.xe6! A brave move as White will have to

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

defend carefully for some moves to neutralise 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 b4 11.e2
Black's counterplay. f5 26.e3 c8
[ Understandably, White recoils at the idea
27.de1 c4 of giving up his prize bishop with 11.xg6+
[ Not 27...xc2 28.xc2 xc2 29.e8+ ] hxg6 ]
28.e2 g5 29.d1 h5 30.f3 g8 11...fxe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.dxe5 c5
31.d2 f7 32.e2 h5 33.f2 g6 34.h4 14.a3? White seals the fate of his e5 pawn.
White uses his pawns to force back the black He had to develop with
pieces. f4 35.g3 c7 36.h2 c3 [ 14.d2 and then Nf3 if necessary. ]
37.e3 d6 38.1g2 h6 39.e2 b3 14...c6 15.h5+ This begins a clever
40.b2 d3 41.d2 b3 42.b2 d3 at t a ckin g se qu e n ce b ut it is t o t a lly a n t i-
43.b5! At last White takes over the initiative positional. g6 16.h6 e7
and plays to exploit the underdefended black [ Naturally not 16...gxh5?? 17.xh5+ e7
king. axb5 44.f4 Threatening 45.f5 cutting off 18.g5+ ]
the defence of the rook. Therefore Black feels 17.c1
obliged to give up the h5 pawn after which his [ The retreating 17.e2 xe5 is entirely
k i n g ' s c o v e r b e g i n s t o d i s i n t e g r a t e . e4
hopeless, so W hite tries to stay alive by
45.xh5 b4 46.f5 Now White wraps things targeting the bishop on c5. ]
up on the light squares. xf5 47.xf5 c3 17...gxh5 18.g5 f8 19.h6 This is the
48.e2 c6 49.e5 g7 50.xd5 f8 idea: the bishop keeps up a perpetual attack
51.d7 c8 52.b5 c2 53.xb7 f6 on the queen and if she moves away then
54.d5+ h8 55.xb4 f8 56.b8 g7 Qxc5 follows. However, Black's next move
57.b7 ruins everything for W hite. d4! 20.xf8
1-0 e2+ 21.g2 xc1 22.g7
[ Or 22.xc5 b3 wins. ]
22...b3 23.xh8 xa1 24.d2 c2
226 C02 25.c1 e3+ 26.fxe3 xe3 White has
Meessen,Rudolf 2323 played some ingenious moves and rather
Gurevich,Mikhail 2633 surprisingly has arrived at an endgame 'only'
ch Charleroi BEL (7) 13.07.2001 one pawn down. Still, the passive state of the
[Neil McDonald] bishop on h8 rules out any serious resistance.
27.c2 c8 28.xc8+ xc8 29.f1 c1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 White will lose both his queenside pawns and
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.0-0 g6 8.g3 f6!? so decided to call it a day.
When this game was played Gurevich had 6/6 0-1
in the tournament and was on his way to 9/9.
I guess when you are on a roll like that and it
f e e l s l i k e n o t h i n g c a n g o w r o n g i t ' s n o 227 C02
surprise that you play directly for an attack Minasian,Ara 2478
down the f file. The alternative Petrosian,Davit Gevorgi 2284
[ 8...e7 is considered in the notes to the Open Batumi GEO (4) 29.06.2001
game Jonkman-Hertneck. ] [Neil McDonald]
9.d3?!
[ Logically White should try to attack the 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
knight on g6 with h4 and h5. The immediate b6 6.e2 cxd4 7.cxd4 h6 8.c3 f5
9.h4 seems to fail after fxe5 10.h5 e4! 9.f1
11.hxg6 exf3 12.xf3 hxg6 but maybe [ The rather sterile position that results from
White should try ] the long sequence 9.a4 a5+ 10.d2
[ 9.exf6 gxf6 10.h4 Now g8 11.h5 h8 b4 11.c3 b5 12.a3 etc. evidently didn't
was played in Balenovic-Jostes, Biel 1998, suit an attacking player like Minasian, but
and White eventually won. This line needs to objectively it is W hite's best chance for
be tested in a top class game. ] advantage- see Nunn-Schmittdiel. ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
9...cxd4?
[ Black should simply develop with 9...d7
wh e n t h e t h re a t o f 1 0 . . . Ncxd 4 is m u ch
stronger as the bishop on d7 is now ready
to oppose White's response Na4. Therefore
White normally replies 10.a4 when d8
( 10...a5!? ) 11.h4 ( Safer for White but
harmless is 11.g5 e7 12.xe7 xe7
13.c1 0-0 ) 11...f6 12.exf6 ( 12.g4!? )
12...xf6 13.g5 f7 14.g4 d6 15.c5
e4! 16.xd7 xd7 17.e3 d6 18.g2
0-0 and Black had an excellent position in
Pablo Marin-Gomez, Barcelona 1996. ]
10.a4! There begins a forcing sequence
which lasts until move 16. b4 11.d2
[ If 11.a3 b3 sa ve s B l a c k - 12.xd4
xd1+ 13.xd1 xd4 ]
11...e7 12.g5 f6 Here Black has no
choice as compared to the note above.
[ 12...b4 13.a3 b3 14.xd4 just drops
a piece as White's queen is now defended. ]
13.exf6 gxf6 14.xd4 fxg5 15.xf5 exf5
16.xd5 At last Black has a choice, but the
threat of 17 Bh5+ is killing. There is no way
he can adequately defend his king against
W hite's attack- note that the rook on a1 is
poised to enter the game. d6 17.h5+ d8
18.a5+ c7 19.d1+
[ 19.d2+ and then 20 Qxg5+ was also very
strong. ]
19...d7 20.xf5 c8 21.xg5
Black's position is in ruins- he is two pawns
down and the attack on his king isn't over yet.
Minasian uses the threat of a further assault
to persuade Black to simplify, after which the
endgame is an easy win for him. e7 22.g7
f8 23.c3 c6 24.f3 c5 If Black
captures on f3 then after g2xf3 W hite will
crush him with Nd5. 25.g5 b6 26.e5
b5+ 27.xb5 xb5+ 28.e2 xe2+
29.xe2 e8+ 30.f1 c7 31.g3 ad8
32.g2 b6 33.h5 e4 34.xd8 xd8
35.d1+ e7 36.b3 a5 37.f3 e5 38.d5
A little impatient- simply
[ 38.d2 and then h2-h4 etc. would give
Black no play at all. ]
38...e1 39.h5 a1 40.xh7+ f6 41.d5
xa2 42.f7+ e5 43.c4 c2 44.f4
d4 45.f5+ e4 46.g4 xc4 47.bxc4
d3 48.g5 a4 49.g6 c2 50.c5
1-0
228 C02
Molander,Riku 2324
Del Rio Angelis,Salvador Gabriel 2479
12th Monarch Assurance (6) 02.09.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.0-0 g6 8.a3
This is a slower approach than
[ 8.d3 or ]
[ 8.g3 planning h2-h4 etc. You can find
examples of both these moves on
ChessPub. ]
8...cxd4
[ This immediate exchange on d4 gives
W hite the option of Nc3. French expert
Predrag Nikolic chose a slightly different
deployment for Black when he faced this line
a decade ago: 8...e7 9.b4 cxd4 10.cxd4
c8 This is designed to deter 11.Nc3
because of 11...Ncxe5, winning a pawn by
discovered attack. However, in the main
game Del Rio Angelis lets White play Nc3
and it doesn't prove particularly effective, so
perhaps Black doesn't need to spend a
m o ve o n 1 0 . . . R c 8 - h e c o u l d b e g i n h i s
kingside action straightaway with 10...0-0
a n d 1 1 . . . f 6 . 11.e3 0-0 12.d2 f6
13.exf6 xf6 14.c3 ce7 15.d3 e8!
The bishop will eventually emerge on g6.
The black kingside is rock solid. 16.g5 h6
17.xf6 xf6 18.e5 xe5 19.dxe5 f8
20.e2 g6 and Black, o gets rid of his bad
bishop and has both rooks on open lines
a n d a st ro n g ce n t re , wa s d o in g we ll in
Romero Holmes-P.Nikolic, W ijk aan Zee
1992. ]
9.cxd4 e7 10.c3
[ The development of the bishop on b2
seems inappropriate here as after for
example 10.b4 0-0 11.b2 White has to
reckon with Nf4 at some point, depriving him
of his good bishop-perhaps immediately f4
when there is a well known trick winning a
pawn after 12.b5? xe5 ]
10...0-0 11.d3 f6 An essential move in
Black's strategy: he gets rid of the strong
white pawn on e5 and activates his rook on f8.
12.e1? It is a bad idea to weaken the f2
square when Black is poised to break open
the f file.
194
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ Chances look balanced after 12.exf6 xf6 played it have all lost! These include the
13.e3!? ( Or perhaps White should
young Paul Keres back in 1935. I think it is
e x c h a n g e wi t h 13.xg6 hxg6 14.e3
John Watson who remarked that Keres always
though the g light square bishop seems of had a rather contemptuous attitude towards
more significance than the doubled pawns. )] the French. e6 I think it is much too generous
12...fxe5 13.xe5? to W hite to let him transpose back into the
[ He had to keep f2 shielded by the knightmainline Advance Variation! Perhaps Black
with 13.xg6 hxg6 14.dxe5 ] should take the chance to develop his
13...cxe5 14.dxe5 c5! Out of the blue queen's bishop, when after
Black gets an overwhelming attack against the [ 2...f5 3.d4 e6 4.f3 c5 it could be
f2 pawn. 15.e2 h4! 16.g3 g4 17.xg6 argued that he has saved a move on the
He has to prevent 17...Nh4 intending Nf3+ etc. Caro-Kann line given at move one above.
but the loss of his light squared bishop is a Another idea would be to make it hard for
disaster for White. hxg6 White to support the e5 pawn by blocking
[ White isn't allowed any tricks after
the d4 square after say ]
17...xg6 18.xd5!? ] [ 2...c5 3.c3 ( Perhaps the best move is
18.e3 This loses in tactical fashion, but
3.f4 ) 3...d4! etc. ]
otherwise Black can double rooks along the f 3.d4 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f4 White avoids the
file when the f2 pawn will fall sooner or later. normal mainline with
d4 19.d2 f5! Black has calculated the [ 5.f3 ]
tactics to a finish as White gets off lightly after5...h5 In the long term this move, designed to
[ 19...xd1+ 20.axd1 dxe3 21.xd7
prevent g2-g4 can be positionally desirable,
exf2+ 22.f1 ] but the way to punish White for avoiding 5.Nf3
[ and not of course 19...dxe3?? 20.xg4 ] was to go after the d4 pawn with
20.g4 [ 5...h6! 6.f3 b6 7.d3 ( If White
[ Fatal is 20.xd4 xd4 21.xd4 xf2+ plays in the style of the Monsen game with
22.h1 c6+ or ] 7.b3 then cxd4 8.xb6 axb6 9.cxd4
[ 20.xd4 xd4 21.xd4 c6 when Qf3 f5 10.b5 or else d4 drops d7 11.xc6
will win quickly. ] bxc6 and Black has the two bishops, an
20...f7 21.e4 dxe3 22.xd7 exf2+ excellent pawn structure and the open a
23.f1 f4! 24.xc5 xh2 Now White file. ) 7...d7 8.dxc5 ( 8.c2 cxd4 9.cxd4
even has an extra piece, but the f pawn is too b4 10.a4 xa4 11.xa4+ c6
powerful. 25.d6 h1+ 12.xc6+ bxc6 and the light squares will
0-1 cause White problems.) 8...xc5 9.e2
( 9.b4 e3 ) 9...g4!? and Black has a lead
in development and pressure on e3 and f2. ]
229 C02 [ I prefer Nh6 to Nge7 just in case White can
Monsen,Magnus 1758 get away with 5...ge7 6.dxc5 ]
Lambrechts,Tore 1541 6.f3 b6 7.b3 Now a heavyweight
ICC 2 12 Internet Chess Club 30.01.2003 p o s i t i o n a l b a t t l e b e g i n s i n a q u e e n l e s s
[Neil McDonald] m id d le g a m e . d7 8.xb6 axb6 9.d3
cxd4 10.xd4 c5 11.e3 h6 12.h3
1.e4 d5 Don't worry about being on the wrong f5 13.xf5 exf5 14.d2 g6 15.f2?
website: the French is a state of mind, not an White should have strengthened his grip on d4
opening move. with
[ The comment to 2...e6 that follows should [ 15.2b3! threatening to exchange on c5
be compared to the line in the Caro-Kann and then c6 when Bxc5 would win a pawn. ]
1...c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 f5 4.f3 e6 5.e2 15...0-0 16.a4 Of course in a blitz game on
d7 when Black aims for c6-c5. ] the ICC it's hard to do nothing, but the
2.e5 Not a lucky variation for White: the five loosening of his queenside pawns leads to
strongest players on ChessBase who have W h it e ' s d o wn f a l l . fc8 17.b5 a5!

195
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Black begins to outplay his opponent on the 8...xc6 ) 9.0-0

qu e e n s i d e . 18.xc5 bxc5 19.d6 c7
20.b3 c4! 21.b4 b3 22.xb3 cxb3
Suddenly White has no way to defend both a4
and c3. 23.b5 xb5 24.axb5 xa1
25.xa1 xc3 26.b1 c2+ 27.e3 b2
28.d4 d2+ 29.c5 d4 30.c4 f8
31.c5 e8 32.b6 d3 33.xb7 c2
34.b6 d2 35.a7 c1 36.xb2 d1 37.b7
a1+ White resigns
0-1
230 C02
Motylev,A 2677
Kovalev,De 2512
Amplico ch-EUR Rapid rapid (8.19) 16.12.12
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 d7
[ 4...b6 5.f3 d7 transposes. ]
5.f3 b6 6.d3 cxd4
[ 6...b5 7.dxc5!? xc5 8.b4! yields some
advantage, since xf2+ ( 8...e7 9.e3;
8...xd3 9.xd3 f8 10.0-0 ) 9.e2
xd3+ 10.xd3 traps the bishop on f2, and
d7 11.f1 c5 12.bxc5 xc5 13.d4
gives insufficient compensation. ]
[ 6...c6 7.dxc5! xc5 8.0-0 ]
7.xd4 As mentioned before, Sveshnikov
ignores this move, which may well be best.
[ After 7.cxd4 , c6 is a standard Milner-
Barry Gambit. ( and 7...b5 is sometimes
played to exchange Black's bad bishop )]
7...e7 A good solid move. Here I'll simply
quote the lines in my notes to Acs-Hauser in
the Archives, to save you the trouble of going
there:
[ a) 7...c5 8.0-0 ( 8.g4 e7 is probably
o k a y f o r B l a c k) 8...xd4!? ( 8...e7
9.b3 ) 9.cxd4 xd4 10.c3
is a promising form of Milner-Barry Gambit
for White in view of the weakness of Black's
dark squares ]
[ b) More popular is 7...c6 (the older move)
8.xc6 , the main line in ECO C (5th edition)
and Collin's French Advance book is or bxc6
and I'm not sure where that stands
theoretically, for example, (I've abbreviated
the coverage from both sources),
( in the Archives we see only the move
A) 9...f5 is an important option: 10.d2
( 10.c4 e7 11.c3 g6 12.e3 d4
13.a4 a5 14.d2 xe5 15.e1 f6
16.c5 e7 17.b3 Shabalov-Akobian,
Stratton Mountain 2003 and Black could
play 0-0 18.c4 ab8! 19.xe6+ xe6
20.xe6+ xe6 21.xe6 f6
with a small edge) 10...e7 11.f3 c5
un cle a r, Sh a ba lov - A ko b ia n , Den ve r
2003;
B) 9...e7 10.d2 g6 11.f3 e7
12.e1 ( 12.e2 c5! 13.c4 dxc4
14.e4! c6 15.xc4 0-0= Potkin -
Lastin, Silivri 2003) 12...0-0 13.g5 xg5
14.xg5 xb2 15.xg6 fxg6 16.d4
a3 17.e3 fc8 18.c5 xc5
19.xc5= - Ehlvest, cited in ECO C. ]
8.0-0!?
[ I prefer 8.d2 , e.g. , bc6 9.xc6 xc6
10.e2 ( 10.f3 h6 11.h4 d4 12.0-0 dxc3
13.bxc3 was unclear in Nakamura-Volkov,
Tripoli 2004) 10...c7 11.f3 h6 12.0-0
e7 ( 12...g5 13.h3 g7 14.e1 0-0-0
15.e3 b8 16.d4!? xd4 17.xd4?!
h5! Nakamura, H (2580)-Volkov, S (2629),
T r i p o l i 2 0 0 4) 13.e1 a5 14.f4
V a l l e jo P o n s( 2 6 3 5 )- R u s t e m o v (2 5 9 7 ) ,
Mondariz 2002. ]
8...bc6
[ Another good course is 8...g6 9.e2
c6 ]
9.f3
[ Psakhis says that 9.xc6 xc6 10.e2
gives W hite "a small advantage in a safe
position", but this is very small at best, e.g.,
h6 ( 10...c7 11.f4 c5+ 12.h1 0-0= )
11.b4 g6!? ( 11...c7! 12.e1 a6 ) 12.d2
g7 13.f3 c7 14.e1 Shabalov, A
(2608) -Zatonskih, A (2440), San Diego
2004. ]
9...h6
[ 9...g6 10.e2 e7 is a natural option,
and should be equal. ]
10.h4 g5 11.hxg5 hxg5 12.xg5
[ 12.g4 g7 13.e1 g6! 14.xg6 fxg6
15.d3 0-0 and Black's attack is stronger
than White's. ]
12...xb2 13.f6
[ 13.b3 xb3 14.axb3 g7 ]
13...xa1

196
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 13...h5 ] xb2 23.f3 c2 24.e5!? ( 24.e3!

14.b3 a5 c6! 25.xe6 f5 26.xf5 xf5 27.b1
[ 14...d4!? 15.xh8 d5 ] f4 28.fd1 e8 29.f1 e7 30.b5
15.c2 c4? 16.xc4 dxc4 17.xh8 d5 d7 is only slightly better for White) 24...g7
18.g5 b5 19.e4 b4 20.bd2 b3 and it's hard for W hite to show any
21.xb3 cxb3 22.xb3 , winning: xf1+ advantage. ]
23.xf1 c8 24.c4 16.e5 e8 17.f4 xe5 18.dxe5
1-0 [ 18.fxe5 xf1+ 19.xf1 b4! ]
18...f8 19.h1 h6!
[ W hite has some edge following 19...b4
231 C02 20.c2! xd2 21.xd2 g6 22.d4 ]
Movsesian,Sergei 2723 20.g3 g6
Berg,Emanuel 2616 [ Probably 20...h4 is better, in view of
39th Olympiad Men (6.11) 27.09.2010 21.g2 hxg3 22.hxg3 b4! and Black has
[John Watson] no problems. ]
21.d3! ac8 22.e2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3 [ White has a risk-free course of action in
c6 6.e2 h6 7.xh6 gxh6 8.d2 g7 22.xg6 hxg6 23.g2 , but it's unlikely to
9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 d7 lead to very much, e. g., a6!? (preventing
[ Another very recent Movsesian game went Qd3) ( 23...b4 24.d3 h7 25.h4
10...cxd4 11.cxd4 f6!? ( 11...d7 g8 ) 24.h4 h7 25.f3 f7 26.c1
will generally transpose to the main line) fc7 27.xc7+ xc7 28.g1 b6+
12.exf6 xf6 13.c2 a5 14.a4! d7 29.g2 a6 30.e1 ( 30.d4 b6
15.b5 af8 16.xc6 ( 16.a3!? e8 ) 31.d1 f8 ) 30...f8 31.g5+ g8 ]
16...xc6 17.e5 f4 18.d3! xd4?! 22...c7
( 18...4f7 ) 19.e3! e8 20.xd4 xd4 [ 22...c6!? is a reasonable option. ]
21.xh6 g7 22.e3 xe3? ( 22...d6 23.g2 fc8?
, but White has a winning position) 23.fxe3 [ 23...b4 24.f5 exf5 25.h4 g5
d4 24.xf8+ xf8 25.f2 c6 26.g4 e7 26.xf5 g4 27.xg4 hxg4 28.e6 e8
27.e2 dxe3 28.xe3 f6 29.h3 d6 favours W hite, but it's nothing too
30.f1 e7 31.b3 h6 32.c5 d5 dangerous. ]
33.d3 e5 34.b1 d6 1-0 Movsesian, 24.f5! exf5
S (2723)-W erle, J (2574), Baden-Baden [ 24...xf5 25.xf5 exf5 26.xh5
2010. ] is strong. ]
11.c2 a5 I think I introduced this into 25.h4 e3 26.xe3
practice (with ...cxd4/cxd4 included). Another [ 26.xf5! xf5 27.xf5 xe2 28.xe2
way to continue is f8 and Black can only hope that the
[ 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.b4 opposite-coloured bishops save him, which
e8!? ( 14...af8 is played more often) is unlikely in practice. ]
15.b5 d8!? is another rerouting, with the 26...xe3 27.xf5
idea of .. .Nf7 and in some cases ...Nd6 or ... [ Now 27.xf5 d4! is unclear. ]
Ng5, but 16.a4 f7 17.a5 d6 18.e3! 27...xf5 28.xf5 d4 29.e6! e8 30.e7 h6
centralises the knights efficiently. ] [ 30...b5!? ]
12.e3 h5! It was this answer to Ne3 which 31.f3
revived the line for Black otherwise Ng4 is [ 31.a4! with the idea Rd3-b3 keeps some
very effective. 13.ad1 cxd4 14.cxd4 f6 pressure on Black. ]
15.exf6 xf6!? 31...h7 32.h4 g6 33.g2 c2+ 34.f1
[ 15...xf6 16.c2 ( 16.fe1 e8! [ 34.h3 f2! ]
and ... Bg6) 16...e8 17.d3 g6 18.xg6 34...xb2 35.a3 b6
hxg6 19.h6 e7 20.g5! xg5 21.xg5 [ 35...b5! ]
f7 isn't completely clear, e.g., 22.e1! 36.e2?!

197
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ White keeps the edge after 36.xe3 dxe3 appropriate. ]

37.xe3 f7 38.d5 xe7 39.xe7+ 25...d4! Black intends to strip the white king of
xe7 40.xa5 b3 41.f2 ] i t s p a w n c o ve r . 26.e4 h8 27.gxf6?
36...e6 37.d3 e5 38.df1 b5! 39.d6 This looks suicidal. A better fighting chance
8xe7 40.f8 5e6? was
[ 40...c7! 41.e4 b4 and i's Black who is [ 27.f5 ]
getting winning chances. ] 27...gxf6 The open g and h files spell doom
41.xb5 a4 42.g8+ h7 43.ff8 b7 for the white king. 28.f3 df8 29.exd4 h3
44.h8+ g6 45.hg8+ h7 46.h8+ g6 30.d1 f5! Gurevich plays the final attack
47.hg8+ with great energy. 31.d2 fh8 32.f4
½-½ fxe4! 33.xh3 xh3 34.h2 xd4+
35.h1 e3
0-1
232 C02
Movsesian,Sergei 2668
Gurevich,Mikhail 2694 233 C02
Bosna SuperGM (5) 21.05.2000 Movsesian,Sergei 2723
[Neil McDonald] Kosic,Dragan 2481
TCh-CRO Gp1A (3) 06.09.2010
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 [John Watson]
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.c2 b6 10.h4 White immediately seizes The moral of this game is that White's opening
space on the kingside. Instead may not yield much, but it allows the better
[ 10.0-0 was played in Shaw-McDonald. ] positional player to outplay his opponent
10...f6! Movsesian is a fine positional player without much risk. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5
who likes to impose control on his opponent. 4.c3 c6 5.f3 b6
Hence Gurevich makes the very astute [ 5...h6 6.d3!? cxd4!? ( 6...b6 7.0-0
decision to mix things up with a piece sacrifice. cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 9.xf5 exf5 10.c3 e6
A quieter continuation was transposes to the main game.) 7.xh6 gxh6
[ 10...b4 11.xb4 xb4+ 12.f1 b5 8.cxd4
13.g4 xe2+ 14.xe2 c4+ 15.d3 e7 A) 8...b6 9.d2 d7 10.e2 g7
16.h5 h6 17.d2 c8 18.a3 d7 19.ac1 11.c3 f6 ( 11...0-0 12.a4 ) 12.exf6
xd3+ 20.xd3 and White gradually ( 12.a4 b4 ) 12...xf6 13.d1 0-0
ground down his opponent in Movsesian- 14.0-0 g7 15.a4 is unclear, but
Ulibin, Croatia 1999. ] probably favours White.;
11.g4 fxd4!? 12.cxd4 xe5 13.g5 c5 B) 8...f6!? 9.0-0 g7 10.e1 0-0
Now Black has two pawns for the piece, a 11.bd2 fxe5 12.dxe5 d7 13.f1 e8!
st ro ng c en t re a n d ch a nce s t o at t a ck t h e 14.g3 g6 equalised in Finegold, B
unsafe white king. 14.0-0 xf3+ 15.xf3 (2530)-Bercys, S (2418), ICC INT 2010.
b4! 16.e1 I guess this is a winning 15.c1 f4 16.c3 e7 17.b5 af8
attempt. Instead 18.xc6 bxc6 19.xc6 xf3 20.gxf3 h5
[ 16.e3 g4+ 17.h1 ( 17.h2 d6+ ) 21.f4 xf4 22.c8+ f8 23.c1 g5
17...h3+ 18.g1 g4+ is a draw by 24.e3 g4 25.b3 h4 26.h3 g5
perpetual. ] 27.f3 f5 28.xg5 xg5 29.fxf8+
16...xh4 Now with three pawns for the piece g7 30.f6 hxg3 31.c7+ h6 32.f4
Black cannot be worse. 17.g2 b4 18.d3 h5 33.g2 d4 34.xg3 d3 35.d7 ]
0-0-0 19.a3 b6 20.b4 d4 21.e3 b8 6.a3 h6 7.d3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
22.f3 xe3 23.fxe3 hf8 24.g3+ e5 [ 8...d7 9.c2 ( 9.0-0!? xd4 10.xd4
25.xh7? This is much too ambitious. Instead xd4 11.c3 a6 is an interesting gambit
[ 25.ac1 planning to curb the black queen's which has been played several times with
influence with 26 Rc5 would be more mixed results. See Dvoirys, S (2550)-Lputian,

198
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

S (2635), 4th IECC, Istanbul 2003 in the [ 22.b3 or ]

Archives. ) 9...g5!? ( 9...f5 10.xf5 exf5 [ 22.a4 prepares Rfc2. ]
11.c3 e6 transposes to the game) 10.h3 22...b8?! Black misses his chance. He
f5 11.xf5 exf5 12.c3 g4 13.hxg4 should play
fxg4 14.g5 xd4 15.e3! xd1+ [ 22...h4! , because 23.fc2 allows ( 23.e2
16.xd1 would be eccentric and double- h3 24.g3 a6! with the idea ...Qb7 and ...
e d ge d . I t ' s p ro b a b ly le ve l, b u t I p re f e r Na7 creates counterplay) 23...h3! 24.g3
White's activity. ] xb4! 25.axb4 xb4 26.d2 xc2
9.xf5 exf5 10.c3 e6 11.0-0 with play on the c-file and passed queenside
A w e l l - k n o w n t y p e o f p o s i t i o n . h6 pawns. ]
Black almost always plays this at some point. 23.fc2 c6 24.d2 hc8 25.bd1
It prevents White from placing a piece on g5, [ T h e a l t e r n a t i ve 25.b5 6c7 26.a4
and at the same time prepares ... g5. restricts Black's pieces. ]
[ 11...e7 12.b4 ( 12.a4 d8!? 13.b4 b6 25...a5!? 26.b5 c4 27.e3! xa3
14.d2 c8 15.b2 was Benjamin, J 28.xc4 dxc4 29.e3 d8
(2566)-Sharavdorj, D (2441), Philadelphia [ 29...xc1 30.xc1 d5 31.e1! d8
2004, and instead of the normal, 15...0-0, 32.a3! has the idea of Bd6 followed by d5
g5!? would have been interesting) 12...h6 wh e n B la c k' s b ish o p m o ve s. S u d d e n l y
13.d3 c8 14.d2 g5!? is a typical Black's kingside is defensive problem. ]
position. ] 30.b1 e7 31.f2 b7 32.e3 d5?!
12.a4 d8 [ Ne ve rt h e le ss , 32...c8 33.d1 d5
[ 12...c7 13.d2 ( 13.e3 ) 13...b5!? 34.dc1 e6 35.d2 b4 36.d5 xc3
14.c5? xc5 15.dxc5 d4 16.e1 0-0 37.xc3 ( alternatively, 37.xc3 xd5
17.b4 fd8 gave Black a strong passed 38.f2! d7 39.h4! wins the h- or f-
pawn and better bishop in Orr, M (2360)- pawn. ) 37...xd5 38.e6+ g6 39.exf7
Speelman, J (2610), Bunratty 1997. ] d7 40.d1 f6 41.e5! threatens Bd4. ]
[ 12...b5 13.c3 a6 ( 13...b6 14 33.bc1 c8 34.xd5 xd5 35.e2 xb5
challenges W hite to find better than Na4 36.xc4 The central pawns will decide. An
14.b4 is the normal alternative) 14.e3 e7 excellent technical performance by
15.b4 c4!? 16.c1 should favour White. ] Movsesian. a6 37.d5! a3 38.1c3 c5
13.e3 b6!? To prevent Nc5. White is 39.xc5 xc5 40.d6 d5 41.c2 g6
perhaps a shade better after 42.h3 c5
[ 13...e7 14.b4 ( 14.c5 b6 15.b4 ) [ 42...b4 43.f2 with the idea Qh4. ]
14...0-0 15.c1 ( or 15.c5 )] 43.hxg4 hxg4 44.g3! e4 45.xe4 c5
14.e1 e7 15.b4 c8 16.d3! g5!? 46.d1
For once this seems shaky, in view of White's 1-0
reply. 17.f4 g4?! But here's the real culprit,
giving White a free hand on the queenside.
[ 17...f6 drums up some counterplay, e.g., 234 C02
18.h5+! ( 18.g3 fxe5 19.fxe5 h5! ) Movsesian,Sergei 2666
18...f7 19.h3 d7 20.exf6 g4 21.h4 Lyrberg,Patrik 2413
e6 22.f2! xf6 23.fe1 gives White a XVI ECC Neum BIH (5) 28.09.2000
pull because he can get to e5 and Black [Neil McDonald]
can't exploit e4 ]
18.c1 f8 19.c3 h5 These pawns can't 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
c a u s e m u c h d a m a ge if W h it e is ca re f u l . cxd4 After
20.f2 g7 21.b2?! This could wait. [ 5...d7 W hite often 'waits' with 6.e2
[ 21.a4! h4 22.fc2 is more consistent, s o t h a t a f t e r ( Not to everyone's taste is
when Ne2 or Nd1 is looming. h3 23.gxh3 ] having to gambit a pawn after 6.d3 cxd4
21...d7 22.d3 Arguably White only 7.cxd4 b6 ) 6...ge7 he can play 7.a3
mistake of the game. wit h o u t wo rryi n g a b o u t cxd 4 a n d B xa 3

199
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

cutting across his plan of supporting his
centre with Nc2. Black's move order in the
game means White doesn't have to wait to
play Na3. This means he can put his bishop
on d3 where it is generally more useful than
on e2. ]
6.cxd4 ge7 7.a3 f5 8.c2 d7
9.d3 e7
[ If you don't like this for Black I suggest
9...b6 as played in Blees-Gurevich. ]
10.h4 Movsesian has played in this style
before, but normally with his bishop on e2-
see for example Movsesian-Gurevich. b6
11.f1
[ Instead 11.xf5 didn't prove very effective
in Lyell-McDonald. The game move keeps
the tension. ]
11...a5 Every French player needs to know the
common trap
[ 11...cxd4? 12.fxd4 xd4 13.e3 c5
14.b4! and White wins. The reason White
played 11 Kf1 was to stop Black saving
himself with Nxc2 CHECK. ]
12.xf5 exf5 13.h5 f4!? I like this idea
which frees his light squared bishop. It's a
much more dynamic response to the
positional threat of 14.h6 [which can now be
answered by 14...g5!] than 13...h6. 14.xf4
xb2?!
[ Making his last move a pawn sacrifice with
14...g4 would have been interesting. Or
maybe ]
[ 14...f5!? 15.e3 not necessarily best!
e4 with clear compensation for the pawn. ]
15.e3 b4 16.g1 c8 The assessment
of such positions is often tricky because Black
seems to be making a lot of active moves
while White just moves his king. However, it
doesn't necessarily follow from this that Black
must be doing well. The position is f airly
closed and W hite has the better pawn
structure. Therefore if 'nothing happens' then
after a lot of quiet moves White can emerge
wi t h t h e b e t t e r ch a n c e s . 17.h2 h6?
White sees a clever combination, but it meets
with an ingenious refutation.
[ Safer was 17...a3 when 18.h6 g8!?
k e e p s B l a c k a c t i v e , b u t n o t ( 18...g6
19.g5! which looks good for White. )]
18.a3 g5 There's no going back as moving
the knight drops the d5 pawn. 19.g3!!
[ This unexpected move refutes his
opponent's combination. Instead 19.xg5?
hxg5 20.axb4? xf2! threatening 21...
Rxh5+ mating would be the stuff of dreams
for Black. ]
19...xf4+ 20.xf4 0-0!? 21.g3!
[ Black was hoping for a swindle such as
21.axb4 xf2 22.f1 g5+! 23.hxg6 fxg6+
and mates! ]
21...c6 22.d3 Now with the d5 pawn
h a n g i n g a n d h i s q u e e n t h r e a t e n e d wi t h
capture by 23.Rhb1, Black tries to escape with
a final combination, but it fails to Movsesian's
precise defence. f5 23.exf6 xf6 24.hb1
xf3+ 25.gxf3 xd4 26.xd4 xd4
27.xb7 c6 28.b6 f8 29.d1! e2+
30.h2 a8 31.xd5 xd5 32.xd5 xf3
33.d8+ h7 34.bb8 Once his checks end
Black will mated on h8 or the seventh rank if
he plays g7-g6. An enthralling battle.
1-0
235 C02
Movsesian,Sergei 2668
Morozevich,Alexander 2748
Bosna SuperGM (9) 26.05.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 d7 5.f3
c6 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.c2 b4 Instead
[ 9...b6 would be Movsesian-Gurevich from
the same tournament. ]
10.0-0
[ Instead 10.xb4 xb4+ 11.d2 a5
12.xb4 xb4+ 13.d2 xd2+ 14.xd2
e7 followed by ...f6 was perfectly OK for
Black in Sieiro Gonzalev-Gurevich, Havana
1986. ]
10...xc2 11.xc2 c8 12.d3 a6!
[ Another possibility is 12...b6 when
13.d1 h6 14.h4 a6 15.a4 b4
was Campora-Dreev, Biel 1995. I like the
way Morozevich delays putting his queen on
b6- see the note to move 14. ]
13.a4 b4 14.g5 White doesn't seem to
have any better move than this. However, you
will notice in the Dreev game mentioned in
the previous note, Black played Qb6 and h7-
h6 without any prompting. Therefore he must

200
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
be very happy that with Bg5 White is spending
a tempo to provoke two moves he wants to
play anyway! b6 15.h4 h6 16.d2 a5
W h i t e t h r e a t e n e d 1 7 a 5 . 17.f4 g8
Black prepares to steamroller down the g file,
but things aren't so simple. 18.g3 d8!
The black monarch is evacuated to the
queenside where after a perilous looking
journ ey he will f ind a qu iet h aven on a8 .
19.d1 White cannot cut off the black king
from the c file with
[ 19.fc1 in view of xc1+ 20.xc1 xa4
when Black has won a pawn and, more
critically, gained control of the b5 square. ]
19...c7 20.d3 b6 But not
[ 20...b8? 21.xf5 exf5 22.e6+ ]
21.e1 g5 22.hxg5 hxg5 23.c1 a7
24.c2 a8 25.g2 White's pieces appear
to have been driven back, but Black still needs
to find a way to breakthrough. This can only
be achieved with an exchange sacrifice. c4!
26.b3 If
[ 26.xc4? dxc4 followed by Bc6, Qd5,
would give Black a decisive control of all
the light squares. ]
26...xd4!?
[ Also interesting was the alternative
exchange sacrifice 26...c3!? for example
27.xf5?! ( Not 27.d2? xd3 28.xb4
xd1 29.xa5 d3! but perhaps stronger
was; 27.xb4! e.g. xb4 28.d2 xd4
29.xc3 xc3 30.e1 c6 31.c1 )
27...exf5 28.xb4 ( 28.d2 xc2 29.xb4
c7 ) 28...xb4 29.d2 xd4 30.xc3
xc3 and Black will have more than enough
play for the exchange after ....Bc6, etc. ]
27.xd4 xd4 28.h7 c8 29.xg5 c6
30.c1 d4 31.f4 f5? This turns out to be
too ambitious. Black should play
[ 31...c3! keeping the tension. Although he
r e m a i n s t h e e x c h a n g e d o wn h e h a s a
powerful passed pawn whose advance can
be supported with ...Nb4, etc. White's king
and the e5 pawn are both potential targets
and the white rooks will find it difficult to
attack anything. If White responds 32.h5?
then f5! looks good for Black. So White
wo u l d d o b e s t t o r e p l y 3 3 B e 4 wit h a n
unclear position. ]
32.exf6 e5 33.h6 d5+ 34.f3 e6
35.h1 xf6 36.d3 White has held on, and
now the open lines on the kingside- lines
opened by Black!-will greatly benefit his pieces.
A long and hard struggle ensues, but
Morozevich eventually runs out of tricks. h8
37.g6 d8 38.g7 e8 39.d3 a3
40.a1 b2 41.ab1 b4 42.e2 c3
43.e4 c6 44.xc6 xc6 45.e4 g8
46.h6 b4 47.h5 d6 48.bh1 e6
49.xe5 xb3 50.hh5 a2+ 51.h3
xa4 52.f4 c6 53.xc6 xc6 54.d5
g7 55.h6 a5 56.c1 e7 57.a3 e1
58.g6 a7 59.c5+ a6 60.gd6 d1
61.g4 a4 62.g5 b2 63.g6 a3 64.xd4!
Just in time to save and win the day! xd4
65.xd4 xd4 66.xd4 b5
[ If 66...xd4 67.g7 a2 68.g8 a1
69.a8+ wins. ]
67.g7 xd4 68.g8 b4 69.f4 b5 70.a2
a4 71.d2 b3 72.c2 b4 73.f5 d4
74.d2+ c4 75.f6 b4 76.f7 e6 77.e2+
1-0
236 C02
Movsesian,Sergei 2666
Nikolic,Predrag 2657
34th Olympiad (8) 05.11.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3
[ A similar line to the game is 7.0-0 g6
8.g3 ( for 8.d3 see Jonkman-Hertneck.)
8...e7 9.h4 0-0 10.h5 h8 11.h6 g6
12.dxc5 f6 with unclear play in Timman-
Hertneck, Lost Boys 1999. ]
7...g6 Compared to 7.0-0 Ng6, it appears
that the version here should favour White, as
he hasn't yet castled so he can advance h4-
h5 without having to support the pawn first
with g2-g3. However, Nikolic finds a way to
take advantage of the fact that Black hasn't
castled either- he will retreat his knight to f8
rather than h8! 8.h4 cxd4 9.cxd4 b4+
10.f1 h6 Because the knight is planning to
retreat to the f8 square, Black makes a hole
for it on h7 from where it can re-enter the
ga m e a n d a lso ru le s o u t t h e a d va n c e o f
White's h pawn to h6. 11.c2 e7 12.h5?!
This is very committal. Maybe he should have
played
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 12.g3 followed by 13.Kg2. After all, if Black Vaganian,R/Montpellier 1985.) 11...d7

castled in reply then he loses the chance to ( perhaps he should play 11...h5 ) 12.g4
play Nf8. ] h6 13.g1 g8 14.b1 with pressure for
12...f8 13.h3 h7! 14.d3 0-0 15.g3 White in Rohde,M-Spraggett,K/ New York
h8 16.f4 f5! An excellent move. White 1986. ]
doesn't want his attack blocked but taking on 9...b4+ 10.f1 e7 11.g3
f6 will f ree Black's game and give him [ Black had enough activity after 11.h4 h5!
counterplay along the f file. 17.exf6 Instead 12.b4 d7 13.a3 c8 14.g3 d8 15.e3
[ 17.d2 e8 18.h3 g5 looks better for b5 16.xb5+ xb5+ 17.g2 c3
Black. ] in Benjamin,J-Bareev,E/Munich 1994. ]
17...xf6 18.e5 xe5 19.xe5 e8 11...d7 12.d2?! A strange move that is
20.h3 d6 21.e1 xe5 22.dxe5 e4! difficult to explain. Logical alternatives were
Now that this knight has emerged strongly into [ 12.h4 or ]
the centre all Black's problems are behind [ 12.g2 ]
him. 23.f3 f5 24.e2 xh5 25.xh5 12...0-0
xh5 26.xe4 dxe4 27.xe4 b6 [ Naturally not 12...fxd4? 13.fxd4 xd4
White's attack has failed and the position is 14.e3 winning a piece. ]
now unpleasant for him in view of Black's 13.h4 f6 Black reacts to White's hesitant play
potential pressure along the f file. He now by preparing a promising piece sacrifice.
makes another lunge at his opponent but in 14.g4 fxd4! 15.cxd4 fxe5! This is the
the end it all just falls apart. 28.g4 e8 point. If
29.f4 xb2 30.e1 g8 31.g5 h5 [ 15...xd4 16.e3 fxe5 17.xe5
32.h4 xa2 33.g1 a4 34.e4 d1+ would leave Black with two pieces hanging
35.h2 c6 36.g6 e8 37.d4 c2 and inadequate compensation. ]
38.h8 xh8 39.f7 f5 16.xc6 bxc6 It is fair to say that the
0-1 opening has been a disaster for W hite.
French expert Mikhail Gurevich has made a
similar piece for pawns sacrifice in far less
237 C02 favourable circumstances. 17.c3 d6
Nakamura,Hikaru 2620 18.h3 Naturally he cannot capture on e5
Ibragimov,Ildar 2585 because of mate on f2. Nakamura strives his
ch-USA San Diego USA (9) 04.12.2004 hardest to create a direct assault on the black
[Neil McDonald] king to offset the massive black centre. ab8
19.d3 c7 20.g5 h6 21.h7+ h8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 22.c2 f4 23.g6
ge7 Black chooses to delay [ Black's attack comes out on top after
[ 5...d7 ] 23.g8 e4! 24.xe6 bf8 ]
6.a3 23...f6 24.f7+ xf7 25.xf7 xh7 26.g5
[ Alternatives discussed in ChessPub are e8 Black achieves an excellent, perhaps
6.a3 and ] winning endgame, after this move but it was
[ 6.d3 ] also tempting to play for a middlegame attack
6...cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 8.c2 b6 with
Black avoids [ 26...f8 27.h5 the only move as the
[ 8...d7 I guess he wanted to take his queen is trapped after ( 27.g6+? h8 )
young opponent out of familiar openings 27...e8 28.e2 e4 followed by moves like
lines. ] Bc5 or e6-e5, when the pawn mass rolls
9.e2 forwards. ]
[ More energetic was 9.d3 e.g. b4+ 27.g6+ h8 28.xc7 xc7 29.h5 d4
10.f1 e7 11.h4 ( or 11.g3 d7 12.g2 30.f3 g8 31.e1 c5 32.c1 d6 33.b3
c8 13.xf5 exf5 14.b3 0-0 15.g5 xb3 34.axb3 b5+ 35.g2 f8
an d W h it e ha d so me e dge in S ho rt , N- [ Black could keep an impenetrable wall of

202
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

p a w n s w i t h 35...e4 when there is no 18.d3 ) 16.a4 ( 16.e5 g6 ) 16...c8

breakthrough point: 36.b4 c4 37.d1 e5 17.e3 ]
38.a1 ( not good enough for White is 15...a6 16.e5 a5?! The wrong pawn
38.c3 f8 39.xd4 exd4 40.xd4 e7 ) structure.
38...a6 ] [ 16...h5! , versus Ng4 and supporting ...Bh6,
36.f3 d3 37.g3 e7 38.b4 cxb4 holds the balance. ]
Because the black bishop is on d3 rather than 17.bxa5 xa5 18.e3 g6 19.xc6 bxc6
b5 as it was at move 35, if 20.d3?!
[ 38...c4 White is able to gain counterplay [ 20.e1 c7 21.d3 ]
with 39.a1 b8 40.a5 ] 20...c5! 21.h3 cxd4
39.c8 e4 40.g8 xg3 41.xg7+ f8 [ 21...c4! 22.xg6 hxg6 Black's passed
42.f7+ g8 43.xg3 e3 44.d7 e5 45.f4 pawn will eventually be a factor ]
exf4+ 46.xf4 e2 47.e7 f8 48.e5 a5? 22.xd4 e5 23.b5 e4!?
[ It seems that Black still had an astonishing [ 23...d8 ]
wi n n in g s e q u e n ce a s f o ll o ws : 48...b5!! 24.c2 h8 25.ac1 f7 26.fd1 h5!
clearing the way for the d pawn and also 27.b3? d8?!
guarding the key e8 square to ward of f [ 27...d4! 28.xd4 ( 28.xd4 h6 )
mating ideas. 49.f5 ( the white king is one 28...h6 29.xe4 e8 30.c2 xc1
move too slow after 49.f3 d3 50.f2 d2 ) 31.xc1 xb3 32.xb3 xa4 and this is
49...d3 50.f6 a4!! ( White mates after probably drawn. ]
50...d2 51.xb5 e1 52.g7+ g8 28.c5 b6? 29.d2?? Not only losing
53.b8+ ) 51.e7 e1! ( and not 51...d2 material, but missing the tactic
52.g7+ g8 53.f7 e1 54.f8+ ) [ 29.xb6 xb6 30.xd5! xd5
52.xe1 d2 53.a1 d1 54.xd1 xd1 ( 30...xd5?? 31.c8+ f8 32.xf8+ g7
and wins. ] 33.xf7+ ) 31.c5 a6 32.cxd5 ]
49.f3 a4 50.f2 a3 51.bxa3 b3 52.g7+ 29...h6 30.xb6 xb6 31.cd1 xd2
xg7 53.e7+ f6 54.b7 c4 55.b4 32.xd2 Black should be winning now. g8
f7 56.a4 d3 57.a5 xh5 58.e1 e5 [ 32...g7! 33.f1 f6 ]
59.a6 f3 60.a7 h5 61.xb3 d4 62.b8 33.f1 bb8
h4 63.d8+ c3 64.c8+ d4 65.d2 h3 [ 33...g7 ]
66.a8 A very determined performance by 34.f3 Uncharacteristic.
Na ka mu ra o n th e wa y to win ning t he US [ 34.e2 ]
Championship. 34...exf3 35.gxf3 a8
1-0 [ 35...d4! 36.xg8 xg8 37.e2 ( 37.xd4
xd4 38.xd4 b4 ) 37...a8 38.xd4
xa4 39.e3 f7 ]
238 C02 36.d4 db8 37.e2 b4 38.d3 b6
Negi,P 2638 39.e2 f8 40.e5 h4
Stella,A 2477 [ 40...b4! 41.c3 fb8 ]
29th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (3.9) 41.xd5!?
[John Watson] [ 41.c3 is also possible, keeping Black's
bishop bad. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 41...xd5 42.xd5 b1
h6 6.xh6 gxh6 7.e2 b6 8.d2 g7 [ Possibly a time issue, or respect for
9.0-0 0-0 10.a3 cxd4 11.cxd4 f6 12.exf6 White's rating. Black can certainly play on
xf6 without risk. He has the idea ...Rh1xh3, e.g.,
[ 12...xf6 13.c2 ] 42...b1 43.a5 h1 44.a6 xh3 45.a5
13.c2 d7 14.b4 e8 15.a4 Perhaps a a8 ]
tad slow ½-½
[ 15.b5 is the more direct book move: e7
( 15...d8 16.a4 f7 17.ac1 d6

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
239 C02
Niccoli,Paolo
Naumkin,Igor 2436
1st Open Bergamo ITA (1) 26.07.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 b6 8.0-0 xd4
9.xd4 Maybe White should investigate
[ 9.g5 here. ]
9...xd4 10.c3 a6! I wish I'd known about
this move when I was young. It would have
saved a lo t of aggravat ion t ha t o ccurre d
regularly after
[ 10...xe5 11.e1 b8 12.xd5 etc. ]
11.e2 e7 12.h1 c6 13.f4 c5 14.a3
The idea is to rule out Nb4 and also take the
b4 square away from the black queen. a5!
In the analysis to Golod-Barsov on ChessPub
I give
[ 14...a7 here which is also pretty good
though White gets some initiative. If Black
can get away with the game move then he
prevents W hite building up even a
semblance of an attack. ]
15.d2
[ Instead 15.b4 has been played a couple of
times, but the following line of play amounts
to a refutation: xc3! ( Better than 15...a7
16.b2 )
A) If 16.b2 b3 17.bxc5 ( Similarly
17.bxa5 b5 ) 17...b5 and White has
nothing for the pawn.;
B) 16.d2 d4 17.bxc5 ( A better
chance was 17.bxa5 ) 17...b3 18.e3
c3 19.ab1 d4! White was rated 2360
but h e is still t aken apart- a very ba d
advertisement for the Milner-Barry. 20.g1
xc5 21.fd1 a4 22.d2 xd3
23.xd3 c2 24.f1 b5 25.xb5 axb5
26.xd4 0-0 27.h3 fd8 28.c3 a4
0-1 Kristensen,L-Jorgensen, M/Esbjerg
1996. ]
15...b3 16.ae1 a7 17.f3 xd2
18.xd2 g6! Ruling out any immediate f4-f5
breakthrough. Now W hite has absolutely
nothing for his pawn: in fact the two bishops
give Black a positional plus as well. W hite
presses forwards on the kingside but it just
leads to destruction. 19.e2 b6 20.c1
c8 21.xc8+ xc8 22.g4 d7 23.f5 gxf5
24.gxf5 g8 25.g3 Or else it is mate on g1.
xg3 26.hxg3 exf5 There goes pawn
number two. Three more will vanish before
W hite decides enough is enough . 27.g5
g6 28.h4 h6 29.f4 b6 30.h2 e3
31.e6 e1+ 32.g2 f2+ 33.h3 xh2+
34.xh2 fxe6 35.h3 d4 36.h4 xb2
37.h5 f7 38.xh6 xa3
0-1
240 C02
Nunn,John DM 2620
King,Daniel J 2530
Iona Tech Masters (3) 1997
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.a3 c4 7.e2 Here we shall look at two
other moves for White. The main alternative is
to fianchetto the bishop, but Black seems
very comfortable. A good example is
[ 7.h4 a5 8.bd2 c6 9.g3 d7 10.h3
a4 11.e2 c2 12.e3 ( 12.xc4
b3! ) 12...h6 13.0-0 e7 14.e1 h7
15.f4 h5! 16.ef3 f5 and Black was free
of any danger in Anglada-Psakhis,
Benasque 1996. ]
[ Instead, in Minasian-Speelman, Batumi
1999, play went much more sharply after
7.bd2 f6!? ( 7...a5 would rule out
White's next move in view of 8.b4? cxb3
9.xb3 a4 but Speelman has a different
plan. ) 8.b4!? h6 9.e2 f7 10.g3 c7
11.h3!? White gambits a pawn rather than
dissolve his centre with ( 11.exf6 when gxf6
12.h3 0-0-0! looks very good for Black.)
11...fxe5 12.b5 cd8 13.xe5 xe5
14.dxe5 a5 15.b2 xb5 16.f3 c5
17.a4 a5 18.0-0 and White had enough
pressure for the pawn. ]
7...a5! This begins Black's standard piece
deployment in this variation which aims to at
least tie down a white knight to the defence of
the b3 square, or even better infiltrate with the
bishop via a4 and c2. 8.bd2 c6 9.0-0
d7 10.g3? This doesn't fit in with the bishop
on e2-it should be on g2 or h3. Instead
[ 10.g5 planning the manoeuvre Nh3-f4-h5,
combined with the advance of the f pawn
looks like the correct plan. ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

10...a4 11.e1 e7! This rules out 11 Ng5. 21...fc8 22.ac5 xc5 23.dxc5
12.h4 This works out badly, but White has no and White has a dangerous passed pawn. ]
g o o d o p t i o n s l e f t . 0-0-0 13.g2 f5! 22.c2 h6 23.ac5 b7 24.g4!
Now W hite has no decent way to meet the Nunn decides it is the right moment to
positional threat of 14...f4 which will mobilise his pawns. Either they will break
un d e rmin e h is kingsid e . 14.g5 xg5 open lines of attack or help to create a mating
15.hxg5 e7 16.h1 Here net around the black king. e7 25.h4 fb8
[ 16.f4 looks the lesser evil. ] 26.h5 d8 27.c1 f8 28.g5 h7 29.f4
16...f4! 17.gxf4 df8 18.f1 b3 19.e3 f5 He should keep the knight guarding the
[ Now 19.b1 xc1 ( 19...g6!? ) 20.xc1 vital c8 square. 30.c7 d8 31.c1! b3
g6 looks horrible for White after f4 drops. 32.c8 xc8 33.xc8 a5 34.c6
Therefore he elects to give up the exchange, Now there is no answer to the threat of 35
but it proves forlorn. ] Qe8. a1+ 35.g2 h4+ 36.xh4
19...xa1 20.xa1 c2 21.g3 f5 1-0
22.c1 a4! 23.h3 h6! The decisive
o p e n in g o f li n e s o n t h e k in gs id e . 24.g4
hxg5 25.fxg5 xh3 26.xh3 h8 27.d2 242 C02
h4+ 28.f1 d3+ 29.e2 f3 Olafsson,David 2319
0-1 Sanchez Castillo,Sarai 2177
XXII Open Reykjavik ISL (8) 13.03.2006
[Neil McDonald]
241 C02
Nunn,John DM 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
2600
Schmittdiel,Eckhard d7 6.e2 f6 This is one of Black's most
2485
A Dortmund (2) 1991
aggressive, but also risky, ways of handling
[Neil McDonald] the French Advance. 7.0-0 fxe5 8.xe5
xe5 9.dxe5 g6? I don't understand this
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 move. After all, White sometimes plays Bh5+
b6 6.e2 cxd4 Black intends to simplify, to provoke g7-g6, and here Black is playing it
whereas of his own accord. Perhaps Black is planning
[ 6...d7 would keep the tension. ] Bg7, but that would be a foolish idea as the
7.cxd4 h6 8.c3 bishop is needed in the centre to def end
[ Neither 8.xh6? xb2 nor ] squares like d6 and e7. On ChessPub we
[ 8.a3 xa3 9.bxa3 look good for White. ] have looked at
8...f5 9.a4 White has to adopt some [ 9...c7 and ]
awkward looking manoeuvres to prevent the [ 9...c6 ]
loss of the d pawn, but it appears he emerges 10.f4?!
with a slight advantage. a5+ 10.d2 b4 [ Instead 10.c4! would take a hack at d5,
11.c3 Again this looks odd but in fact it is the when if d4 11.d2 heading for e4 g7
only way to hold onto the d pawn. b5 12.a3! ( 11...c6 12.f3 ) 12.e4 xe5 13.f4
xc3+ 13.xc3 b4 14.axb4 xb4 15.b5 g7 14.xc5 leaves Black with ragged
d7 16.xc6 xc6 17.d2 b5 pawns in the centre. ]
Getting rid of his bad bishop. 18.xb5 xb5 10...e7 11.d2?
19.a5 b6 20.0-0 0-0 The forcing [ Just one or two inaccuracies can ruin a
variations are over. Has Black equalised? He position: or we could say that White plays
gets into trouble fairly quickly, so I suspect the with a lack of energy. Here was the last
answer is 'no'. In the game White is the first to chance to put Black under pressure with
exploit the c file- the only open file on the 11.c4! ]
board- and so manages to set Black some 11...f5! 12.f3 c4! Previously White could
problems. 21.c1 ab8 have been answered this move with Be3 and
[ Black cannot contest the open file as if B f 2 , c o n s o l i d a t i n g h i s h o l d o n t h e d a r k

205
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

squares in the centre. But with the black 15.g5! h6 16.xf8+ xf8 17.xe4! dxe4
knight controlling e3, the vital diagonal falls 18.xe4 bxc6 19.d2 White had a big
into the hands of his opponent. 13.h1 c5 positional advantage in LB Hansen-
14.a4 h5! Beginning an advance the point of Antonsen, Farum 1991. ]
wh i c h h i s o p p o n e n t c o m p l e t e l y m i s s e s . 13.exd4 e4 14.0-0?? Since d4 is hanging
15.b3? At last Olafsson gets his act together after Black captures on f3, this just leads to
and fights for the c4 square, but something the collapse of his centre. The key variation is
terrible is about to happen on the kingside. [ 14.xe4! dxe4 15.e5 g6 ( Stopping 16
He had to try Qh5+. Instead 15...a5+ 16.d2 xd2+
[ 15.g5 h4 16.h3! ( but not 16.f3 17.xd2 f avo urs W h ite .) 16.0-0 g7
g3+! 17.hxg3 xg5! 18.fxg5 hxg3# )] 17.h1 xe5 18.dxe5 xb5 19.c3
15...h4 16.bxc4 Losing at once, but there xe5 20.b3 as played in Hurley-Clarke,
was no way to avoid disaster. Ireland [ch] 1996. What do you think of this
[ It's too late for 16.d4 because of g3+! position? Nogueiras in Informator 76
17.hxg3 hxg3+ 18.g1 h1+! 19.xh1 assesses it as unclear. Black is no less than
h4+ and mate next move or ] three pawns up, but he is way behind in
[ 16.g5 cxb3 17.xb3?! xg5! 18.fxg5 development and the dark squares around
g3+ 19.hxg3 hxg3+ and mate follows his king are inviting for White's knight, if he
again. ] can conquer the e4 square.... I think White
16...g3+! has good practical chances, for example
0-1 d7?! ( 20...e3!? ) 21.xb7 b8 22.xa7
looks nice for him- now he is only one pawn
down and the black king is still in trouble. ]
243 C02 14...exf3 15.xf3 xd4+ 16.h1 d7
Otero,Diasmany 2403 White's attacking chances are soon reduced
Nogueiras Santiago,Jesus 2540 to zero. Black doesn't take any risks, but in
Guillermo Premier I (9) 03.05.1999 fact
[Neil McDonald] [ 16...xa1 probably just wins. ]
17.c3 d6 18.b6 a6 19.ae1 0-0-0
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3 20.e2 b8 21.c1 hf8 22.xa6
c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 Sheer desperation! xf1+ 23.xf1 f8
9.e3 This leads to some highly obscure 24.d3 f4 hitting c1 and h2.
variations. More sedate is the main alternative 0-1
[ 9.b2 ]
9...f6! Undoubtedly the most challenging
response. 10.d3 244 C02
[ Giving up the centre promises White Palkovich,Denis 2240
nothing, for example 10.exf6 gxf6 11.c3 Bosman,Michiel 2330
xe3 12.fxe3 h6 13.d2 0-0 14.d3 26th European Club Cup (7.16) 23.10.2010
h8 15.d1 ( 15.0-0 xd4! ) 15...d7 [John Watson]
16.0-0 e8 17.h1 as in Webb-Anderton,
4 N C L B i r m i n g h a m 1 9 9 9 , a n d n o w e7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
planning Bg6 looks very slightly better for d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 g6 A sharp move,
Black. ] intending ...f6 with the destruction of White's
10...xe3 11.fxe3 fxe5 12.b5 xd4! centre.
Prior to the discovery of this desperado move [ These days, more people are playing
it was t ho u gh t t h at B la ck wa s in serio u s 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 9.c2 , and now a
trouble here . variety of moves are possible. The simple
[ T h u s a f t e r 12...e4 13.bxc6 d6 ( if b6 10.0-0 c8 11.d3 a5 12.h1 e7
13...exf3 14.0-0! or; 13...exd3 14.e5! 13.a3 a4 14.d2 g6 1/2-1/2 was recently
give White a dangerous attack.) 14.0-0 0-0 played in Petrov, M (2550) -Lysyj, I (2638),

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Plovdiv BUL 2010. ] 60.h1 b4 61.a1 d3 62.h8 b3

8.h4 cxd4 9.cxd4 e7!? 0-1
[ 9...b4+ is normal, and even ]
[ 9...xa3 10.bxa3 h6 11.h5 ge7
has been played. ] 245 C02
10.g3 Pap,Misa 2422
[ After 10.h5 , a plausible continuation is Buljovcic,Ivan 2374
h4 11.xh4 xh4 12.b5!? 0-0 13.h6 VII Sreiber Mem (10) 15.11.2001
g6 14.e3 a6 15.c3 g5 16.d2 xe3 [Neil McDonald]
17.xe3 f6 and Black has no problems. ]
10...0-0 11.h5 h8 With the idea ...f6 and ... 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
Nf7 - this is a standard theme. 12.e3 f6 d7 6.d3
13.c2 [ M o r e u s u a l i s 6.e2 when if b5
[ 13.h6 g6 14.exf6 xf6 15.0-0 f7 W h i t e h a s t h e s h a r p o p t i o n o f 7.c4!?
is balanced. ] Naturally with the bishop on d3 rather than
13...f7 14.f4?! e2 this isn't good for White as the reply 7...
[ Better 14.exf6 xf6 15.0-0 ] dxc4 would attack the bishop and force it to
14...fxe5 15.xe5 move again. Therefore in the game Black
[ 15.dxe5 a5+ ] can carry out his plan of Bb5 without
15...fxe5 16.xe5? needing to exchange f irst on d4, whic h
[ But 16.dxe5 c8 is nice for Black gives White's knight the c3 square. ]
( 16...a5+!? )] 6...b5
16...xe5 17.dxe5 a5+ 18.f1 c7 [ If Black knows the theory, then best was
19.g2 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 c6 when White has to
[ 19.f4 xe5 ] of f er the Milner-Barry Gambit with 8.0-0
19...xe5 20.d3 c5 21.f4 f6 22.b4 xd4 etc. Remember then that the most
b6 23.e2 e5! This should end the game, promising line for Black is 9.xd4 xd4
but Black plays very inaccurately and lets his 10.c3 a6! -see ChessPub. ]
opponent recover: 24.ad1 ae8 7.dxc5 xc5 8.b4 f8
[ 24...exf4! 25.df1 ae8 26.f3 g5 [ If 8...xf2+ 9.e2 and there is no way to
and wins. ] rescue the bishop before Rf1 wins it. ]
25.hf1 e6 26.f5 f7 [ Meanwhile similar to the game is 8...xd3
[ 26...c6! ] 9.xd3 ( 9.bxc5? a6 ) 9...f8 10.a3! ]
27.e3 xe3 28.xe3 e4? 9.a3! White should avoid a careless Be3- it
[ 28...xh5 ] might be chasing the black queen to a better
29.c2? square and interfere with the defence of the
[ 29.e2 ] e5 point. xd3 10.xd3 c6
29...h8? [ Perhaps Black should try 10...d7 11.0-0
[ 29...xf5! ] e7 12.e3 d8 followed by Ng6. ]
30.g4 Now it's not easy. Black prevails in the 11.0-0 a6
end: a6 31.h6 c6 32.b3 e5 33.f4 [ White has pressure after 11...ge7 12.e3
fe8 34.hxg7+ xg7 35.g3 e3 36.d4 d8 ( 12...c7? 13.b5 ) 13.c5! ]
e2 37.e1 e4 38.f6 f8 39.xe4 xe4 12.e1 c7
40.g5 d7 41.g7+ xg7 42.fxg7+ [ H e r e d e v e l o p m e n t w i t h 12...ge7
xg7 43.xd5 xg4+ 44.f2 xb4 was imperative. ]
45.xe2 f6 46.e3 h5 47.c2 e5 13.b5! The whole of Black's kingside is asleep
48.xb7 xb7 49.c5+ d6 50.xh5 b5 which is a bit casual even for such a blocked
51.h4 a5 52.a4 xa4 53.h6+ c7 posit ion. Pap u ses t he f e w ope n lin es t o
54.d4 c6 55.c3 b6 56.b2 g5 maximum effect. a5 14.d4 c5 15.bxa6
57.f6 c5 58.f4 b5 59.h4 c4 bxa6 16.b3 xa3?
[ Losing control of the dark squares. The

207
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

lesser evil was 16...xb3 17.axb3 e7 ] column will remember that this was the very
17.xa3 c4 18.g3 g6 19.d6 d8 same line which GM Joey used in his world
20.ab1 f6 A nice try, but it is energetically championship bid in Las Vegas (Chess Piece
refuted. 21.c5 h5 22.g4 xd6 of August 20, 1999). To repeat, the idea is to
23.xe6! fxe6 24.xe6+ f8 put immediate pressure on d4 by playing his
[ A l a s f o r B l a c k i f 24...e7 25.xd5 king's knight to f5 via h6. If White responds to
leaves a8 and d6 both hanging. ] this pressure by defending his d4-pawn with
25.exd6 a7 26.xd5 d7 27.e7 Be3, Black can capture this. Of course, White
Black resigned for if xe7 28.dxe7+ xe7 could take the knight on h6 and double the
[ 28...xe7 29.b7+ f6 30.f7# ] black pawns, but Black possesses
29.b8+ g7 30.b7 wins the queen. compensation in the form of the bishop pair.
1-0 7.b4 cxd4 8.xh6
[ Psakhis, a noted expert in the French, in
his annotations to the game Bosch vs
246 C02 Lputian from the 1999 Hoogovens-B
Peng Xiaomin 2624 Tournament comments that this rather rare
Reefat,Bin Sattar 2379 move doesn't promise real chances f or
ch Udaipur IND (3) 12.01.2000 advantage. A better attempt would have
[Neil McDonald] been 8.cxd4 f5 9.b2 with the possible
continuation e7 10.d3 0-0 11.0-0 f6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 12.xf5 exf5 13.c3 e6 14.a4 d8
d7 6.e2 f6 This is one of Black's most 15.c5 xc5 16.dxc5! fxe5 17.b5 a5
aggressive, but also risky, ways of handling 18.xe5 with an initiative for White.
the French Advance. 7.0-0 fxe5 8.xe5 Sveshnikov,E-Paramos,R/ Oviedo 1993 1-0
xe5 9.dxe5 c7 Also possible is (36) ]
[ 9...c6!? when 10.c4 [If instead ( 10.d2 8...gxh6 9.cxd4 g8! A very strong
d7 11.f3 h6 12.g5 0-0-0 improvement on this line. I knew Bong was
was OK for Black in Lyell-Levitt, Birmingham going to play this - the previous knight he had
1999. ) 10...e7 11.g5!? gives White gone on a trance-like state for a few hours
some advantage. ] studying John W atson's "Play the French",
10.e1 This quiet move, indirectly defending and this was IM Watson's suggestion with the
the e pawn, proves surprisingly dangerous. remark - "A key improvement upon earlier
The main theoretical debate has been over games. Black's pawn structure looks bad, but
[ 10.c4!? for which see Lyell-Lehtivaara. ] he is ahead in development and may gain
10...0-0-0 11.g4 White immediately ties more time with the threat of ...Rg4." 10.h3
down Black to the defence of the e6 pawn. [ Guarding against the above-mentioned
[ He could instead revert to the idea of threat of ...Rg4, but more accurate would
sacrificing the e pawn with 11.c4!? when have been 10.b5 e7 ( 10...a5 11.c3
xe5 12.f3 d6 13.cxd5 exd5 c4 12.a4 d7 13.xc4 dxc4 14.0-0
14.xd5 ] a6 15.ab1 doesn't look too good for
1-0 Black. )]
10...d7 11.g3 c8 12.e2 Bong told me
after the game that White's position looked
247 C02 very fishy to him, and so he started looking for
Peng Xiaomin 2574 a combination. a5! 13.b5 xd4!! Peng had
Villamayor,Bong 2447 been playing at blitz pace so far, but now he
ASIA-ChT Shenyang (4.2) 12.10.1999 starts frowning and thinks over this position
[Neil McDonald] for one hour - but there is no way out.
14.xd4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 [ This loses, but nothing works now: 14.0-0
b6 6.a3 h6 Faithful readers of this xe2+ 15.xe2 xb5 16.e3 xg3+

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

17.h2 c5 18.xh6 ( 18.xc5 xh3+ e7 23.e1 f8 24.xg6+ d7?
19.xh3 xf1+ i s t o o g o r y) 18...xf3 [ 24...f7 25.xe7+ xe7 26.xe7 xe7
etc ... ] and White is better but Black can fight on. ]
[ 14.d3 b3! 15.xb3 c1+ 16.e2 25.xe7+ c8 26.e6+ b8 27.e5+
xh1 ] 1-0
[ 14.xd4 c1+ 15.d1 c5 16.d2
xf2+ 17.xf2 xd1+ ]
14...c5 15.c2 xf2+ 16.d2 xg3 249 C02
[ After the game we discovered that there is Petranovich,James 2213
a correspondence game which featured the Conrad,Vincent 1670
same sacrifice, and which ended 16...xg3 US Amateur Team- West 16.02.2002
17.a2 e3+ 18.e1 f4 19.f1 g1 [Neil McDonald]
20.d3 xe5 21.xh7 g3+ 22.d1
xf1+ 23.xf1 f2 24.d2 e5 25.d3 1.e4 e6 The notes to this game are by Bill
xh3 26.b6 g1+ Dehmelt,B-DeMauro,J/ Conrad, except for four brief notes marked
corr 1991 0-1 (26) ] NM. 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.e3
17.f1 xe5 18.a2 xb5 19.xb5+ xb5 Kupreichik's Variation. The intention here is to
Obviously, Black is lost. 20.e2 b3 21.f3 fortify d4, but other than that, it doesn't do
f4+! Precise to the end. 22.xf4 g2+ much. There is often a psychological reason
23.f2 xf2+ 24.xf2 xb1 for playing this move, especially by a stronger
0-1 player against a weaker one, in that W hite
banks on Black trying to "refute" the line. But
how can this move be bad or even
248 C02 questionable? It develops, in a logical manner,
Perez Mitjans,Orelvis 2445 and supports the center. d7 After giving it
Merino Araguas,Jose Javier 1834 some thought, I decided not to try to "refute"
I Memorial Oliver Gonzalez (2) 10.10.2010 or "take advantage" of this move. White really
[John Watson] can't do much with the Kupreichik move that
he can't do in the main lines, so it doesn't give
A 2400+ player plays the Milner-Barry! (and him any additional themes. The bishop most
gets lucky). 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 often comes to e3 in the usual lines, and the
c6 5.f3 d7 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 b6 pieces normally come out to their normal
8.c3 xd4 9.xd4 xd4 10.0-0 a6 squares (hence the "normal" position...). The
11.f3!? only "wrinkle" is that W hite may have the
[ 11.e2 is normal. ] option of dxc5 in some lines. This is not a
11...e7! 12.d1 xe5! 13.f4 f6 14.e1 concern here since White's e5-pawn hangs.
[ 14.g3 g6! 15.g5 e5 16.f4 d6 ] 6.f3 b6 Transposing directly to a normal
14...c6!? line. 7.d2 This doesn't seem to be the kind
[ Or simply 14...g5 15.e5 xf3 16.gxf3 o f p o s i t i o n w h e r e W h i t e c a n a f f o r d t o
g8 17.xh7 g7! 18.d3 f5 19.xg7 cavalierly part with his b2-pawn. cxd4
xg7 and Black is well on top. ] [ 7...c8 8.d3 cxd4 9.cxd4? b4
[ 14...h5 with the idea ...g5 is another way to 10.b3?? Intended as an answer to ...Nxd3
preserve the advantage. ] so that the b2-pawn doesn't hang... but in
15.g3 g6 16.g5 d4 17.ad1 c5 this case the cure is worse than the
18.h3 e7?! disease... c1+! and White can resign. . Of
[ 18...d4! 19.xg6 hxg6 20.xh8 xg5 course, I didn't know about this particular
21.e4 d5 clearly favours Black. ] analysis if I did, I would have played this
19.g4 g6? A blunder. way instead of the way I did play. However, I
[ 19...h5! 20.h4 b6 is still felt the text was best, because I was starting
advantageous. ] to develop my pieces. .. And, besides, with
20.xg6 hxg6 21.xe6+! fxe6 22.xe6+ a r a t i n g o f 2 2 1 3 o r s o , yo u c a n p r e t t y

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
much believe that White knew about it and
would not have allowed it and played the
possibly questionable ninth or the definitely
bad tenth moves. 7...f6 - 58/(301)] ]
8.cxd4 b4
[ Transposing is 8...c8 9.c3 b4!?
but NM adds: Black should seriously
consider ( 9...a5 10.d3 c4!?
when the attack on b2 is very real. Then
11.xc4 xc4 deprives White of his
important light squared bishop. Black could
have reached this position if he wanted in
the Kupreichik-Kaminski game mentioned
below. I wonder what the inventor of the line
had in mind against this, as W hite's
position looks very dull without the light
squared bishop. )]
9.c3 c8 10.d3 a5!? Here I was
completely on my own, with no "theoretical
database" to serve as a guide. W hat I DID
have, however, is a measure of
understanding gleaned from years and years
of playing the French (badly, perhaps, but
experience nonetheless...). Here I was trying
to decide between ...f5, ...f6, and the text. I
also considered ...Ne7, to develop, but felt
that I didn't want to unnecessarily cut off a
bishop retreat should that be the best move in
the event of a3. I also considered ...Nh6,
feeling that if White exchanges on h6, his d4-
pawn would have lost its most natural
protector. If W hite would then take the h6-
pawn, I would take twice on c3, FIRST with
the rook, which would win material. However, I
did not feel that White would necessarily take
on h6 rather, he would let the knight get to f5
and then hit it with g4 (immediately or soon
thereafter). I would not have a good retreat
square and the often-available h4 square
would not be available because my dark-
squared bishop is not on e7.Jim thought this
move was "double-edged" and he seemed to
think it was more or less a novelty. As it turns
out, however, this position is NOT new (see
the notes to Black's eighth move, to which
this line would have transposed had W hite
played one of the eleventh move alternatives
noted there). 11.0-0 c4
[ More energetic than 11...e7 12.ab1!?
c4 13.e2! a5 14.fc1 h6 15.a3 xc3
16.xc3 0-0? and White now began some
f i r e w o r k s : ( Here 16...xe3 17.xc8+
is slight ly b etter f or W hite-Ku preichik .)
17.xh6!? gxh6 18.g5 xb2 19.h7+
h8 20.h3 b5 21.f3 f6 22.xh6 c3
23.f5+ g7 24.h7+ g8 25.xe6+ f7
26.xf7+ f8 27.e6# 1-0 Kupreichik,V-
Kaminski,M/Bad Endbach 1995. ]
12.e2 [Although I had to analyze this move, I
was pretty sure that White wouldn't give up
his good bishop just to avoid retreating his
queen:
[ 12.xc4 xc4 13.ac1 this looks like the
kind of position that the computer cannot
judge properly. There are no brilliant tactical
sh ot s, a nd th e e sse nce o f t h e p os itio n
appears to play out on a more positional
basis. W hite will try to use his space
advantage on the center and the kingside,
and Black will use the queenside in general,
and the c-file in particular. Also, it should be
noted that in the absence of the White KB,
Black's QB has no counterpart, and if I can
successf ully bring it out to, say, b5, my
game will be no worse, and possibly even
slightly better due to both bishops being
active. ( The following game confirms how
prospectless are White's chances: 13.fc1
e7 14.d1 xc3 15.bxc3 0-0 16.d2
a4 17.b3 c7 18.g5 b5 19.h4 b6
20.g4 f5 21.h3 f6 22.f4 fxe5
23.xe5 f7 24.e1 h5 25.d2 xh4
26.xh4 xh4 27.g3 f5 28.xe6
xg3 29.fxg3 a3 30.e3 c8 31.b1
a4 32.a3 c4 33.d2 a5 34.f3 b5
35.g5 h6 36.f3 b4 37.cxb4 axb4
38.d2 ca8 39.b1 b3 40.d2 xa3
41.b1 a1 42.ee1 b2 0-1 Trygstad,K-
Hanley,C/Gausdal NOR 2001.) 13...b5
( Here 13...e7 as in the Hanley game
looks better as the bishop doesn't do much
on b5 once the rook moves to e1.[NM])
14.fe1 c6 Fritz calls the position equal,
and I agree. In fact as long as Black
develops without any accidents the pressure
along the c file must give him a promising
game [NM]. ]
12...xb2!? This was my intention when
embarking upon the knight manoeuvre. If
White takes the knight, I win the exchange. If
h e d o e s n ' t , I ca n r e t re a t t h e k n i g h t a n d
snagged a pawn. But now comes the first
210
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
indication of the difference in ratings:
13.xd5! I didn't even begin to consider this
move. It's not so much to keep the material
equal, but this move shows how
underdeveloped I am and if I don't follow up
correctly, my position would be clearly worse.
NM adds: White gets at least some advantage
here, so again I think the critical moment was
back on move eight when Black could have
gone 8...Rc8 and 9...Na5. exd5 Forced, of
course. 14.xb2 e7 I had to get my pieces
out. 15.ab1 a5 Again the only move.
16.a3? Jim said afterwards that this move
was a blunder. My opponent thought
[ 16.e2 got White a clear advantage,
maybe even a winning one, although he'd
still have to win it: c7 17.fc1 c6
18.g5 h6 19.h5 0-0 20.h7!?
( 20.h7+ h8 and the follow-up might not
be all that significantly better for W hite.)
20...fe8 21.xh6+- ]
16...c3! White didn't see this move, and after
I played it, I could tell he was upset at himself
for missing it. 17.xb6
[ 17.xc3 xc3 ( 17...xb1 18.xb1 xc3
19.xb7+- And I will have a great deal of
difficulty getting my pieces out.) 18.xb6
axb6 19.b1 a5 While Fritz assesses
this position as clearly better f or W hite
(which it may be), I'm not convinced. I feel
it's more of a slight advantage, contained
mostly by his greater space and the
potential weakness of the b-pawns. But if I
can get my pieces out, I can counterbalance
the weakness of my b-pawns by threatening
back-rank things, buying time to develop and
take the c-file.] ]
17...xa3 18.b3 xb3
[ Or 18...xa2 19.xb7 b6 (Fritz calls the
position after 19... Bd8 slightly better for
W hite. Material is even I have a passed
pawn and White has more space. If I can
trade off my light-squared bishop, I should
have equalized.)] ]
19.axb3 0-0 20.c1 c8 21.xc8+
Here Jim offered a draw, which I accepted.
His offer was justified because there is not
much play left in the position. Also, this was a
team tournament, and his team was already
guaranteed of a win.
½-½
250 C02
Polovnikova,Ekaterina 2383
Radziewicz->Rajlich,Iweta 2428
IEWCC Istanbul TUR (7) 10.06.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
c6 6.a3 d7 The variation that occurs in
the game should be compared to the
fashionable line
[ 6...h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 9.b2
d7 10.g4 fe7 11.c3 a5 12.d2
as in Jonkman-Vysochin and Grischuk-
Radjabov on ChessPub. ( Note that 12.a4
c6 isn't anything special for White here as
even if he gets a slight plus on the
queenside he has compromised his
kingside structure with g2-g4. )]
7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 c8 9.b2 ge7
10.c3 a5 11.d2? White confuses this
variation with the line in the Jonkman game
mentioned above.
[ Instead 11.a4! would give White a
comfortable edge as she has queenside
pressure without needing to play g2-g4. For
example c6 ( Or 11...xa4 12.xa4+
ac6 13.c1 ) 12.c5 c4 13.b3 b5
14.d3 b8 15.0-0 and Black never
managed to shake off the pressure of the
knight on c5 in Roeder,F-Hertneck,G/
Marktredwitz 1984. ]
11...c4 Now Black is a tempo up on the
Jonkman game mentioned above as she has
played Ne7 and Rc8 rather than Nh6-f5-e7. In
such a double edged position this is of vital
importance. 12.xc4 dxc4 13.e4 d5
14.c1 a6 Over the next few moves Black
manages to maintain the strong pawn on c4
after which a sudden advance c4-c3 becomes
a constant threat. 15.c5 xc5 16.dxc5 b5!
17.cxb6 axb6 18.g4 This looks strong as it
hits both c4 and g7, but the white queen on
her own cannot compete with the excellent
deployment of the black pieces. b5 19.xg7
f8 Now Black is ready for the destructive
advance 20...c3, so White has to clear c1 for
the bishop. 20.c2 a4! 21.xh7
[ An interesting defensive resource was
21.c1!? xc2 22.h6 when Black might
not have had more than a draw in view of
the attack on f8. ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
21...c6 22.e2?!
[ White had to try 22.h4 planning Rh3. ]
22...f4 23.0-0? A classic case of 'castling
into it' but the g2 square was dropping
anyway leaving W hite in big trouble. xg2
24.e1 xc2! A simple but pretty
combination to deflect the white queen from
gu a rd in g t h e g8 squ a re . 25.xc2 g8
White resigned as there is no answer to the
double threat of mate on h3 or a check on e4
winning the queen.
0-1
251 C02
Radulski,Julian 2577
Bratanov,Zsivko 2463
Georgi Tringov Mem (6) 03.02.2010
[John Watson]
One of the main lines of the Advance
Variation arises after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5
c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 ge7 6.a3 cxd4
7.cxd4 f5 8.b4 b6 9.b2 , and now 9...
Bd7 (10 games in the Archives) and 9...Be7
( 2 g a m e s i n t h e A r c h i ve s ) a r e t h e m o s t
common moves. The idea a5!? 10.b5 a4!?
hasn't been as popular, but good players have
u s e d i t w i t h r e a s o n a b l e s u c c e s s : 11.g4
These seem to be the two most important
options:
[ a) 11.a2 forces the knight to retreat: ce7
( 11...a5? 12.xa4; 11...b8 and even;
11...d8!? have bee n playe d) 12.c3
( 12.g4 h6 13.h3 d7 14.c3 a5
15.d3 c8 16.0-0 b6 17.a1 c8
was unclear in Real de Azua, E-Della Morte,
P/Esperanza 2002 the ...Nc8-b6 manoeuvre
is worth noting. here 17...h5 has also been
played. ) 12...a5 defending the a4 pawn,
a n d p in n in g wh i t e ' s q u e e n s i d e kn i gh t .
13.d3 d7 14.0-0 c8! There's that key
i d e a a g a i n . 15.e2 b6 Erenburg, S
(2513)-Kortschnoj, V (2579), Beersheba
2004 and Psakhis says 'White got nothing
from the opening: Black's pieces are well-
developed and co-ordinated.' I think that
White should try the radical solution 16.xf5
exf5 17.e6! fxe6 18.e5! with unclear
prospects. ]
[ b) 11.c3 ce7 12.g4 ( 12.b4
is most easily answered by 12...Ng6 13 Bxf8
Nxf 8, which is hard to assess. Instead,
d7?! 13.c3 a7 14.b1 c8 15.xf8
xf8 16.b4 b6 17.d3 was Volovikov,
A (2248)-Aliferenko, A (2253), Odessa 2008,
when 17...Ke7? left the king exposed to a
serious attack. But White has space on both
wings and the better prospects regardless.)
12...h6 13.h3 d7 14.d3 g6
of Cherniaev, A-Pushkov, N/Sochi 1993 is
undoubtedly all right for Black, but he needs
to exploit his chance to break up W hite's
centre by ...f6 next. ]
11...h6
[ 11...fe7 is also playable, but doesn't gain
a move by attacking g4. The best-known
e x a m p l e i s 12.c3 b8 ( 12...d8 )
13.d3 ( Perhaps White should simply grab
a pawn by 13.xa4 and suffer a structural
disadvantage after a5+ 14.c3 h5!
15.g5 . I suspect that favours him slightly, in
spite of the weaknesses on c4, f5, and f4)
13...d7 14.0-0 g6 15.c1 ( 15.xa4!
a5 16.c3 b6 17.d2!? f4 18.c2 )
15...e7 16.xa4 a5 17.c5 0-0
18.xg6 hxg6 19.d3 b6!? ( 19...xc5
20.dxc5 d7 21.d4 fc8 22.c6 bxc6
23.bxc6 e8 and Black will recover his
material ) 20.a4 Sveshnikov, E-Bareev, E,
Moscow 1995 and xc5 21.dxc5 xc5
looks about even. ]
12.c3
[ 12.h3 e7?! ( 12...f6! 13.c1!? a5
14.xh6 gxh6 15.exf6 b3 16.a2 a5+
17.bd2 d6 with the idea ...0-0 and ..Rxf6.
Black has good pressure) 13.c3 a5
14.xa4 d8 15.c1 c4!? (a clever idea
to gain the initiative for two pawns otherwise
he hasn't much play) 16.xc4 dxc4 17.0-0
0-0 18.xc4 b6 Johnsen, S (2211)-Kallio, H
(2360), Budapest 1999, and here giving
back one pawn by 19.d5! exd5 20.c3
and Nd4 keeps White in charge. ]
12...e7
[ 12...xg4 13.h3! h6 14.bxc6 xb2
15.b5 seems to favour White unless bxc6
16.b1 xb5 17.xb5 cxb5 18.d3 d7
holds. ]
13.g1 g6 The f4 square again. 14.d2 f6
[ Or 14...e7 15.d3 0-0 ]
15.d3 f7 16.exf6 gxf6 17.g5!?
212
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

A bold idea, to disrupt the equilibrium before White will lamely defend his e5 pawn when
Black consolidates his development. fxg5 he will have time to castle queenside, with
18.xg5 h6 19.f4 xg5 reasonable chances. ]
[ 19...f8!? ] 15.xd5! This sacrifice cuts across Black's
20.fxg5 g7 21.f1 xd4 22.0-0-0 c5 plans. exd5 16.e6 c8
[ White gets a moderate edge after [ Also hopeless is 16...xe6 17.xe6 xe6
22...e5!? 23.e2! g4 24.xg4 xg4 18.e1 e5 19.g7 xf2+ 20.xf2 f7+
25.xd5 xb2+ 26.xb2 exd5 27.de1+ 21.g1 xg7 22.xd5 followed by 23
followed by 28 h3, recovering the piece. ] Rxd5+ with a crushing attack. ]
23.b1 e5 24.e2 xd3 25.xd3 17.xd5 Now Black is unable to develop his
c4?? 26.xd5 xb2 27.f6+ queenside or remove his king from the centre.
[ 27.c7+ xc7 28.h5+ ] If he just waits then W hite plans 18 Rad1
27...e7 com bin ed with 19 B g5. Th en th e e p awn
[ 27...xf6 28.h5+ ] advances to e7, or even a mate with Qd8+ will
28.d7+! xd7 29.xc4 xf6 30.gxf6+ be on the cards. h4 Black's only chance is
1-0 to eliminate the bishop on h6.
[ If 17...d4 18.ac1! and the threat of 19
Rxc6 is decisive. ]
252 C02 18.xc5 xh6 19.fe1 g7 20.ad1 e7
Rayner,Francis 2218 It seems that Black has avoided disaster, as
Williams,Simon Kim 2421 he is ready to castle. However, White's next
Challengers Hastings ENG (7) 04.01.2000 move destroys his hopes. 21.d6! b8
[Neil McDonald] Black is helpless, for if he castles 22 Rxc6
wins. Other attempts to counter the threat of
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 22 Rxc6 also fail, e.g.
d7 6.e2 f6 7.0-0 cxd4?! The standard [ 21...c7 22.f3! 0-0 23.e7 e8 24.d5+
[ 7...fxe5 is discussed in Peng-Reefat. ] g7 25.xc6 bxc6 26.e5+ h6
8.cxd4 fxe5 9.xe5 xe5 10.dxe5 c5 27.xg6+ winning the black queen or ]
Black has exchanged twice in the centre in [ 21...d8 22.b5+ f8 ( 22...c6
order to bring his bishop to this active square. 23.xc6 ) 23.xd8+ xd8 24.e7+ wins. ]
If he is left in peace he will continue Ne7 and 22.xc6! bxc6 23.e5 Winning a whole
0-0 and Qb6, putting strong pressure on the f2. rook. 0-0 24.xb8 h5 25.h3 g5 26.f5
T h e id e a s o u n d s f in e , b u t t h e re is a b i g d8 27.e5 d5 28.e4 b7 29.g6 f8
problem. W hite can force a weakening of 30.f7 A convincing display by White.
Black's dark squares on the kingside, which 1-0
will become acute because of the absence of
the king's bishop from defensive duty. 11.c3
[ Also possible was 11.d3 threatening 12 253 C02
Bh5+, when h4 ( 11...e7 12.h5+ g6 Rozentalis,Eduardas 2551
13.h6 ) 12.d2 followed by 13 Nf3 gives Perez Garcia,Rodney Oscar 2420
White the better game. ] Open Montreal CAN (4) 23.07.2007
[ Also, the immediate 11.h5+!? deserves [Neil McDonald]
attention. ]
11...e7 12.h5+! g6 13.g4 c6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
Black avoids d7 6.d3 cxd4
[ 13...0-0 14.g5 c8 15.f6 when the [ Black hasn't had much f un with 6...b5
wh i t e b i s h o p d o m i n a t e s t h e k i n g s i d e . in the games given in the archives. ]
However, as things turn out this would have 7.xd4! A strong recapture that frustrates the
been the lesser evil. ] plan of Bb5 by Black and aims to keep the
14.h6 e7 Not of course centre fluid.
[ 14...xe5? 15.g7 Now Black hopes that [ After 7.cxd4 Black can choose between

213
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
b5 or playing in Milner-Barry style with
( 7...c6!? going after the d4 pawn. )]
7...c6 8.xc6 xc6 9.a4!? We saw the
usual move
[ 9.e2 in Grischuk- Gurevich in the
archives. Rozentalis prefers to rule out 9...
Bb5 in a different way. It makes a lot of
sens e a s an ad vance o f th e queen sid e
pawns is an integral part of White's strategy
in this variation [you might like to examine
some of the games given in the archives
with 6...Bb5 to see the general scheme of
White's queenside pressure]. ]
9...e7
[ I've tried to make 9...d4 work, based on the
principle that a wing move should be met by
a counter thrust in the centre. Unfortunately
Black can't quite shake off the pressure and
his queen could get into trouble if he is
careless: 10.0-0
A) Or 10...e7 11.a3 planning Nc4 and
Nd6+ so Black must hurry to guard the d6
square. g6 12.c4 c5 13.e2 e7
14.d1 dxc3 ( The black queen remains
in trouble after 14...d5 15.f3 ) 15.bxc3
and Ba3 or Be3 will be highly
embarrassing for Black.;
B) 10...d8 11.e2 e7 12.d2 g6
13.c4 c5 14.g5! d7 ( After
14...e7 15.xe7 the d6 square opens up
for the white knight, though that was the
lesser evil for Black.) 15.b4 d5 16.f3
dxc3 17.e4 d4+ 18.e3 f4 19.a2
and the black queen finds herself trapped
in the centre of the board. ]
10.0-0 c7?! This turns out to be a waste of
time. He should play
[ 10...g6 ]
11.e1 d7 Vacating the c6 square. So much
effort to put the black knight on a square
where it is badly placed! 12.d2 c6?!
[ The knight goes to the wrong side of the
b o a r d . A f t e r 12...g6 13.f3 e7
Black remains somewhat worse because of
W hite's space advantage, but he would
avoid all the grief he suffers in the game
through having his knight harassed by the
white queenside pawns. ]
13.f3 e7 14.b4! c8 15.a3 d8
Unfortunately for Black he loses a piece after
[ 15...0-0 16.b5 xa3 17.bxc6 etc. ]
16.a2! An excellent little move to activate the
queen's rook. Even on d8 the black queen
won't be safe from attack. Thanks to the white
pawn on b4, which rules out Na5 and Nc4 by
Black, Rozentalis can prepare the advance c3-
c4 to break open the d-file and pin the bishop
on d7. 0-0 17.b1 f5 18.exf6 xf6 19.c4!
dxc4?!
[ Horrible would be 19...d4 20.d3 g6
21.b5 e7 22.xd4 ]
[ The best chance was 19...e7! ]
20.b5 e7 21.d2 All as planned. d5
22.xf8 xf8 23.xd5!
[ Black is a piece down after 23.xd5 exd5
24.xd5+ f7 or else d7 drops at once.
25.xh7+! f8 26.d6+ e7 27.xd7 ]
1-0
254 C02
Rytshagov,Mikhail 2539
Pedersen,Steffen 2427
Troll Masters (6) 13.01.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
ge7 6.a3 f5 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 e7
9.b2 b6 10.h4 This is a common idea:
White plans to chase back the knight with 11
g4 without allowing the reply ...Nh4.
[ An interesting alternative for White was
10.d3 e.g.
A) T h e n a t u r a l 10...d7 11.0-0
is awkward for Black as fxd4 ( both
11...0-0 12.c3 cxd4 13.xd4 xd4
14.xd5 exd5! 15.xd4 and; 11...g5
12.xf5 exf5 13.c3 e6 14.a4 b5
15.c5 the second line being Fedorowicz-
Dokhoian, W ijk aan Zee 1989, are
unpleasant for Black.) 12.xd4 xd4
13.g4 gives White an attack.;
B) 10...a5!? 11.xf5 exf5 12.c3 e6
13.b5 a4! 14.0-0 b8 15.c1 d7
as in Campora-Dokhoian, W ijk aan Zee
1989, and now Informator recommends
16.g5 with unclear play. ]
10...h5 Black prevents g4. Now the main
question is: who has benefited most from the
inclusion of the moves h4 and h5, White or
Black? Read on... 11.d3 d7 This is safer
than
214
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 11...a5 12.xf5 exf5 13.c3 axb4? 27...xf3?

( 13...e6 ) 14.xd5 a5 15.xe7 b3+ [ Black misses h is cha nce wit h 27...h3!
16.d2 xe7 17.xb3 when White had a 28.xf6 c6! when he wins the exchange
f airly usef ul extra pawn in Sveshnikov- whilst keeping his king fairly safe. ]
Bareev, Elista 1996. ] 28.xf6 h5?
12.xf5 exf5 13.c3 e6 14.d3 c8 [ Here Black could maintain the balance with
15.0-0 d8! A strong retreat which appears 28...e4 when after
to win the opening battle. White's h4 pawn will A) 29.xe4 dxe4 30.f5 ( 30.d5??
prove more troublesome to its owner than the b6+ ) 30...xf5 31.xf5 c2 32.g5+
h5 pawn. There is something illogical about h7 33.h5+ g7 34.g5+
White's opening plan when his natural space with a draw.;
gaining idea of Na4 and Nc5 would have gone B) 29.g5+ g6 30.h5 c6!
as far as provoking ...Qd8! 16.ac1 0-0 Black defends successfully with unclear
[ B l a c k d o e s w e l l t o a v o i d 16...xh4 play. ]
17.xh4 xh4 18.b5 0-0 19.d6 etc. ] 29.f5! White regains his piece and remains
17.g3 This invites Black's strong reply, but a so u n d p a wn u p . e6 30.xh5 g7
how else can the h pawn be defended? f4! 31.f3 c2 32.c1 d7 33.h6 h3
This is a standard clearance move in this type 34.f2 xf2 35.xf2 c8 36.c1 xc1+
of position indeed, it is often played as a 37.xc1 h5 38.f4 f6 39.e5 g4
p a wn s a c ri f ic e . B la c k a ct iva t e s h is ligh t 40.e2 xe5 41.xe5 Black is obviously in
squ are d b ish op an d u nde rm ine s W hit e's a very bad way, but I would still play on here.
kingside. 18.e2 fxg3 19.fxg3 d7 20.f4 1-0
g4?
[ This is a serious positional mistake which
leads to the destruction of a perfectly good 255 C02
p o s i t io n . B la c k p u t s t h e b i sh o p o n t h e Rytshagov,Mikhail 2525
wr o n g s qu a r e . H e s h o u l d h a ve p la ye d Socko,Monika 2348
20...f5! e.g. 21.e3 ( 21.d2 e4 22.b5 9th Valley Saint Vincent ITA (7) 09.02.2001
b8 is un cle ar.) 21...e4! when the d5 [Neil McDonald]
pawn is safeguarded and the queen has
access to the g4 and h3 squares. Then 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
22.xh5? g4 would be bad for White, so c6 6.a3 c4 7.bd2 a5 In view of the
Black would have emerged from the opening close d sta t e of th e ce nt re Bla ck is mo re
with good play. ] concerned with restraining a b2-b3
21.ce1 d8?! Maybe he should change his breakthrough by W hite than with rapid
mind with development. Also he avoids
[ 21...f5 ] [ 7...ge7 when White has the tempting
22.b3 e6 23.xh5 The last couple of option of 8.xc4 dxc4 9.xc4 a6
moves have been catastrophic for Black. His 10.d6+ though I once saw Kasparov turn
knight and bishop have become passive and down the chance of sacrificing a piece in this
he h a s lo st a p a wn . T h e a t t e mp t t o p la y way in a simul, so maybe it isn't so clear. ]
actively on the queenside rebounds as his 8.e2 d7 9.0-0 f6 This appears to be an
k i n g s i d e h a s b e c o m e v u l n e r a b l e . b5 attack on white's centre but in fact the main
24.e3 g4 25.f6+! As usual, positional intention is to stop W hite carrying out the
dominance is followed by a combination. gxf6 standard manoeuvre Ng5-h3-f4-h5 when the
26.exf6 xf6 27.f4? A very big mistake, knight puts pressure on g7 and the f pawn is
which might have thrown away the win [and ready to advance. Nevertheless, Bareev, an
the draw as well!] expert on the French, allowed White to carry
[ The quiet 27.h2! was much stronger, out this plan but managed to at least equalise
when after g7 28.xg4 White is a pawn as follows:
up with a strong attack. ] [ 9...e7 10.g5 h6 11.h3 0-0-0 12.f4

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

f5! 13.exf6 gxf6 14.f3 d6 15.h5 e5 move instead of 10...Bd7. 11.g4?!
16.e1 e4 17.e2 f5 18.a4 e8 19.b4 [ 11.h4! with the idea g4 has been common,
xh5! In blocked positions knights are more when h5 is a popular answer ( while
valuable than bishops. 20.xh5 ac6 11...c8 12.g4 h6 is also playable;
21.b5 a5 22.g3 g8! 23.a3 d7 11...a5!? )]
24.f4! f6 25.xf8 dxf8 26.f1! hg8 11...h4 12.xh4
27.e3 c7 here Black has more space [ 12.bd2? g2+ 13.f1 f4 is ideal for
but the position is so blocked that he wasn't Black. ]
able to make any progress and a draw was 12...xh4 13.0-0 0-0 14.b5
soon agreed in Grosar-Bareev, Bled 1991. ] [ 14.f4 f6 ]
10.a4 0-0-0 11.b4! White gives up a pawn to 14...a6
break the bind on the queenside and so open [ 14...f6!? ]
the way for a direct attack on Black's king. 15.a4 axb5 16.axb5 xa1 17.xa1 a7
cxb3 [ 17...a5! threatens ...Nc4 in many lines. ]
[ Instead 11...c6? keeps it temporarily 18.c3 a5 19.b3 e7 20.b1 c8
closed, but leaves the black pieces very 21.b6? c6 With direct pressure on the d-
co n ge s t e d . W h it e cou ld p re p are a lin e pawn. White should never have allowed this.
opening piece sacrif ice on c4 to exploit 22.b5
this. ] [ 22.d1 xd4! ]
12.b2 e7 13.c4 The second wave of [ 22.d1 b4! with the idea ...Qxb6 ]
W h i t e ' s a t t a c k . ec6! Much better than 22...d2
capturing on c4. Black keeps a pawn on d5 to [ 22...xb6 ]
control the c4 and e4 squares. 14.c1 e7 23.d3 xd3 24.xd3 b4
15.c3 b8 16.c5 c7 17.b5 g5! [ or 24...a5! ]
The signal f or counterplay. 18.e1 f5! 25.f1 c6 26.a7
One of the good things about Black playing [ 26.c3! ]
the intermediate f7-f6 is that W hite cannot 26...a8 27.xc6 xc6 28.c3 f6 29.b5?
n o w t a k e e n p a ssa n t a n d c o n t ro l t h e e 5 [ 29.f4 fxe5 30.fxe5 a2 ]
square. 19.xb3 xb3 20.xb3 29...xb5 30.xb5 fxe5 31.dxe5 a4
W hite has regained his pawn but Black's 32.a5 xa5! Simple.
p o s i t i o n i s v e r y so l i d . T h e p o si t i o n n o w [ Or 32...xg4+ 33.f1 c4 ]
becomes increasingly blocked until atrophy 33.xa5 c5 Black wins a pawn. 34.f1
sets in and a draw is agreed. a8 21.a1 g4 [ 34.g2 g5! 35.g3 h6 36.f4 e3
22.d2 g5 23.b2 xd2 24.xd2 df8 37.fxg5 hxg5 ]
25.xc6 xc6 26.f4 h5 27.e3 h4 34...d4 35.f4 e3 36.f5 f7 37.h3 d4
28.b3 f7 29.a5 a6 30.b6 a7 31.a3 Now it will be two pawns. 38.fxe6+ xe6
g8 32.ab3 fg7 33.a3 c8 34.b2 39.e2 xe5 40.f3 c5 41.e2 e4
f7 35.e2 42.g5 g6 43.h4 f4 44.d3 g4 45.e1
½-½ xb6 46.e2 c5 47.d1 f3 48.c2
e2 49.d2 d4 50.f4 d3+ 51.c1 e3+
52.xe3 xe3 53.d1 d2
256 C02 0-1
Saleh,Anis Fariha
Al Razi,Naji Mohd Saeed 2209
17th Asian Cities (9.11) 28.04.2011
[John Watson]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3

d7 6.a3 b6 7.b4 cxb4 8.cxb4 ge7
9.b2 f5 10.e2 Not regarded highly. e7
According to theory, Black can still play this

216
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

257 C02 11...e7 12.fe1

Saltaev,Mihail
Meister,Peter
Bundesliga 2009-10 (10) 27.02.2010
[John Watson]
This game tests a well-known line of the
Advance Variation, fully playable for both
sides. Black has done satisfactorily in the
past with the idea of countering g4 by ...h5,
and this game shows some of the ideas on
both sides. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3
c6 5.f3 d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3
[ 7.dxc5 g6 8.e3 gxe5 9.xe5 xe5
10.f4 is more dynamic. One of Kramnik's
lesser-known games went c6 11.0-0 g6!?
( 11...b6! 12.cxb6 axb6 ) 12.d2 g7
13.f3 0-0 with a double-edged position,
Kharlov, A (2450)-Kramnik, V (2480)/Sao
Paulo 1991. ]
7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 9.c2
Other less forcing moves are
[ 9...b4 ]
[ 9...e7 and ]
[ 9...c8 ]
10.0-0 a5!? Black's idea is to get ...Bb5 in
and in some cases occupy c4. Among other
moves are 10... Nb4, 10...a5, and
[ 10...c8 , f o r e x a m p l e , 11.g4
12.h4 b4 13.xb4 xb4 14.f4 c6
15.e3 e7 16.g2 Sveshnikov, E-
Gleizerov, E/RUS/1992 this is assessed as
slightly better for White by Sveshnikov, but
B l a c k w i l l a t l e a s t e q u a l i z e a f t e r h5
( 16...xb2 is probably objectively fine as
we ll, wh en t he a tt e mp t at rep et it io n b y
17.b1 xa2 18.a1 b2 19.b1 allows
c3!? 20.b3 a5 21.xb7
, which is unclear) 17.gxh5 d8!? 18.b1
e7 with the idea ...Nf5 and/or ...Bb5. ]
11.g4 White generally resorts to this sooner or
later, both to gain space and set up a
kingside advance, and because no other
convincing plan presents itself. The drawback
is that he can lose key squares in the process.
[ 11.b3 stops ...Nc4. Then b5 12.g4 e7
13.a3 h5 14.g5 g6 is about equal, e.g.,
15.xf8 xf8 16.xb5+ ( 16.c1 f4 )
16...xb5 17.ce1 0-0-0
18.d2 e2+ 19.g2 c8 is unclear)
18.c1+ b8 19.d3 c8 ]
2492 [ White aims for f4-f5 and has a nice square
2396 for his knight on d3. Now 12.b3 h5 13.g5
g6! discourages White's intended Ba3:
( 13...f5 14.e3 g6!? ) 14.a3 xa3
15.xa3 f4! 16.d2 xe2+ 17.xe2
0-0 ]
12...b5 13.d3 This has ben played several
tim es, bu t with h in dsigh t, W hite 's t im in g
seems wrong. Another try is
[ 13.b3 xe2 14.xe2 ac6 ( 14...h5
15.gxh5 f5 16.b2 c6 17.g4 0-0-0 )
15.e3 h5 16.h3 0-0-0 ( 16...hxg4
17.hxg4 g6 ) 17.f4?! ( 17.f3! ) 17...hxg4
18.hxg4 g6!? ( 18...f5 ) 19.d3 b8 20.b4
c8 21.a4 c7 22.a5 with attacking
chances, Gajic, M-Arsenault, N, Marianske
Lazne 2009. ]
13...h5! 14.gxh5
[ 14.b4 ac6 15.a4 c4 16.a5 c7
b6 17.gxh5 f5 18.e3 b3!? ( 18...a6
Fo r a l l W h i t e ' s s p a c e , B l a c k wi l l h a v e
active pieces and two forward outposts)
19.b1 xc2 20.xc2 d8 with equality,
Van der Werf, M-Hansen, L.B, Wijk aan Zee/
1993. ]
14...f5
[ Or 14...ac6 15.g4 g6! 16.hxg6 xg6
fe7 with serious attacking chances. ]
15.e3
[ 15.g4 h6! ( and not 15...xd4?!
16.e3 ac6 17.xd4 xd4 18.f4 xf1
19.xd4 c5 20.xc5 xc5 21.xf1 )]
[ Or 15.h1 c6 16.e3 d8 ( 16...0-0-0
is more than adequate. White is passively
placed ) 17.f4 ( 17.d2 ) 17...xe2
18.xe2 e7 19.g1 Vovk, I (2235) -
b8 Tereick, B (2382), Pardubice 2008 and b6
preserves some advantage for Black. ]
15...c6 There are two good options here:
[ Sveshnikov, E (2585) -Kiriakov, P (2470)/
Elista 1994 went 15...c8 16.a4 c4 17.b4
c6 ( 17...b3!? ) 18.b1
A) 18...a5! 19.b5 ( 19.bxa5 c7 )
19...xe3 20.fxe3 e7;
B) 18...d8 19.d2! ( 19.f4 xe2
20.xe2 h4 21.h3 e7 favoured Black
in one game ) 19...e7 with equality. ]
( 17...f4 [ At least two sources cite 15...c4 16.a4
cxe3 17.fxe3 c4 18.f4 of Sveshnikov,
E-Dolmatov, S/URS/1992, but instead of

217
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
18... Bb3? 19 Bb5+ with advantage, Black
could retain the better game by c8 ]
16.f4 e7 17.d3 xd3 18.xd3 0-0-0
Black's pieces are much better-placed, but his
advantage is limited by his lack of space.
19.b4!? g5
[ Black could also call White's bluff by
19...xb4! 20.xb4 xb4 21.fb1 a4
22.b5 b8 wi t h t h e i d e a ( 22...xe3
23.fxe3 b8 ) 23.xd5 ( 23.ab1 b6 )
23...xd5 24.xd5 xh5 ]
20.b5 a5 21.fc1?
[ 21.xe6! fxe6 22.xg5 df8 is unclear,
although Black has definite compensation. ]
21...b8!?
[ Black stands clearly better after. 21...xf4!
22.xf4 xh5 ( or 22...b8 ) 23.e3+ b8
. White has serious light square weaknesses
and a weakened pawn structure. ]
22.xd5
[ 22.xe6 is still a better try, e.g., fxe6
23.xg5 df8 24.d1 xb5 25.ab1 ]
22...xd5 23.xg5 xh5 24.d2 d8!?
[ 24...h4! ]
25.f3 g6 26.xa5 xa5 27.e3 xd4
W ith an extra pawn and better game. But
things go downhill quickly: 28.c4 g5+
[ 28...xb5! ]
29.h1 xb5 30.ac1 xc4 31.xc4
d4?
[ 31...h5 ]
32.d6 d7??
[ 32...f1+ 33.xf1 xf3 34.c1 a5
35.xf7 f5 with some advantage. ]
33.xf7 Mate will follow shortly.
1-0
258 C02
Sandipan,C 2611
Siedentopf,D 2301
ZMDI Open A 2012 (8) 25.08.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.xh6 gxh6
9.cxd4 d7 10.e2 g8 11.0-0 g4 12.h3
[ 12.bd2 xd4 13.d3 c8! 14.h3 f4
-Sveshnikov ]
12...f4 Black plays this to provoke an
additional weakness while still threatening ...
Nxd4 . A no th e r ga me th is mo nt h s aw t h e
somewhat less convincing
[ 12...xd4!? 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4
xd4 , which is almost equal but not as
easy: 15.d3 a5 16.bxa5 xa5 17.a2!
c6 18.e2 xa3!? ( 18...c5!? 19.xh7
e7 20.h2! ) 19.xa3 xa3 20.xh7
b5 21.b1 a5 22.ee1 c6?!
( 22...c4 ) 23.h4? ( 23.a1! ) 23...c4
24.h5?! f8 25.b4 c3 26.b1 g7
27.a2 f6?! ( 27...c2 28.b1 d2= )
28.b3 xb3 29.exf6+ xf6 30.xb3 e8
31.g4 e5 32.g2 d3 ( 32...xg4
33.xd5 e5 ) 33.e3 f4+ 34.g3 d4
35.e1 e5 36.f3 ( 36.a1! ) 36...d3?
37.f2 d7 38.c1 and White is winning,
Du d a , J (2 4 11 )-Ch e rn ysh ov, K (2 5 3 4 ),
Olomouc CZE 2012. ]
13.g3 xf3 14.xf3 xd4 15.xd4 xd4
16.h5 a5 Sveshnikov stops here and says
'with compensation'. I try to demonstrate that.
17.c3 c8 18.e2 ( ' ! ' - j w ) c2
This is probably okay. In my book, I give
[ 18...c6 '!' 19.fc1 axb4 20.axb4 b8
21.f4! xe5 22.xd5 exd5 23.e1 d6
24.f4 e6 25.fxe5 xb4= and say: 'If Black
is worried, he always has ...d4 and ...Bc3.' ]
19.a2 axb4 20.axb4 xb4 21.a7 c6
22.xb7 xe5 23.d4 c5
[ 23...c4 is an option. ]
24.b3 d6 25.f4 g6
[ 25...d3? 26.xf7+ e7 27.f5! ]
26.c1
[ 26.a1! appears better, although d8
27.aa7 b8 28.a8 c7 should be
adequate to draw. ]
26...xc1+ 27.xc1 e5 28.fxe5 xe5
With Black's bishop pair and so few pawns on
the same side of the board, this should be
drawn. But strange things happen: 29.h2
[ T h e c o m p u t e r p r e f e r s 29.e2 xh3
30.d3= ]
29...c5?
[ 29...d4! ]
30.e2 e3 31.d3 xd3 32.xd3 d4?
[ 32...d8! 33.g4 d4 34.f5 xf5 35.gxf5
c8! has the idea 36.xf7?! ( 36.a7 d3
37.a3 d2 38.d3 , but perhaps Black can
draw this ) 36...d3 37.f8+ d7 38.a8
c1 39.a4 b2! 40.g4 e5+ 41.h1
d6 42.f6 d2 43.g1 xf6= ]
218
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

33.b5! xb5 34.xb5 f8 I'm not sure if despite White's extra flexibility compared to
Black can find a drawn position anyway, but the 3.Nd2 Be7 4.e5 line as he doesn't have
this is awfully slow. Getting the move ...f5 in his knight stuck on d2. ( W h erea s if 4...g5
might be useful. 35.g2 g7 36.f3 g6 we could borrow a move from the 3.Nd2 Be7
37.g4 g5 38.g3 d3?! 4 . e 5 l i n e : 5.h5!? blocking out 5...h5 and
[ 38...d2 39.d5 e3 40.h4 ] preventing 5...Nh6. )]
39.d5 h5? 40.h4? 4...c5 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 cxd4
[ 40.gxh5+ h6 ( 40...xh5 41.h4 ) [ Here 7...h5 is probably a bit too
41.g4 d2 42.d6+ f6 43.h4 ] enthusiastic. 8.dxc5 xc5? ( He might as
40...e7 41.xh5 d2 42.d5 b4 43.f3 w e l l g o t h e w h o l e h o g w i t h 8...g5!?
h5 44.g5+ f6 45.e2 hxg4 46.g8 threatening 9...g4 and then 10...Nxe5.)
f5? 9.bd2 g5 10.b3 e7 11.e2 a6
[ 46...d6! 47.xg4 f5 48.g7 f4 12.fd4 xd4 13.xd4 b6
49.xf7+ g4 seems to draw. ] Jonkman now plans to break open lines on
47.h5 f4 48.h6 f5 49.h7 c3 50.h8 the queenside to exploit his lead in
xh8 51.xh8 g3 52.xd2 f4 53.g8 d e ve lo p m e n t . 14.a4 a5 15.e3 c5
f3 54.e1 16.b4! axb4 17.a5 c7 18.cxb4 xb4
1-0 19.b5 xb5 20.xb5+ f8 21.fc1 e7
22.b6 No good way to stop 23.Rc7.1-0
Jonkman, H-Pieters, M/Zwolle 2001. ]
259 C02 8.cxd4 b6 Suddenly whether he likes it or
Sandipan,Chanda 2563 not Sandipan is obliged to make a Milner-
Nouri,Hamed 2426 Barry style sacrifice to keep his initiative.
6th ch-Asia Cebu City PHI (1) 19.09.2007 9.c3 This position has been reached
[Neil McDonald] through the years in some low key games, but
not via 3...Be7- see the note to 3...Be7 above
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 for two typical transpositions.
[ Compare the game with the similar 3.d2 [ Unappealing for W hite is 9.c2 b4
e7 4.e5 c5 when White can cause a 10.a4 xa4 11.xa4+ c6 etc. when the
nuisance with 5.g4 ] exchange of queens is forced. ]
3...e7 A move straight out of Kindergarten. It 9...xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.e1
has been played 15 times: once in an Under [ White eventually won after 11.b5 xe5
8 championship, three times in an under 10, 12.e3 f6 13.xa7 0-0 14.d4 h5
once in an under 12 and once in an under 14 15.e2 h6 16.a4 in Staroszczyk, M-
tournament. Wrzesinski, P/Chojnice 2006 but I don't find
[ The position at move nine in the present his compensation for the pawn very thrilling
game can be reached by a couple of at this point in the game. ]
transpositions: 3...c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 b6 11...a6 12.f3 h6 13.h3 c6 14.xh6
( Or 5...e7 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 b6 8.0-0 gxh6 15.ad1 b4! A clever zwischenzug.
d7 9.c3 ) 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 d7 8.0-0 Nouri intends to put his queen on h4, but first
e7 9.c3 In this move order, I would say of all he attacks b2. 16.e2 The reaction that
that playing 8...Be7 is wrong because of Black was hoping for. It is very speculative,
the missed opportunity for 8...Nxd4! which is but I would recommend
at least equal for Black but this doesn't [ 16.e2!? here gambiting more pawns. If
necessarily mean that the whole thing is bad then xb2 17.f4 xa2 18.h5
for Black if he has already committed intending 19.Ng7+ or possibly 19. Nf6+ with
himself with 3...Be7. ] a strong initiative to White- who is however
4.c3 three [passed] pawns down! ]
[ In the space of 15 games, it is rather 16...h4 Nouri's opening has been a great
as t o u n din g t ha t n o o n e h as t rie d 4.g4 success. His highly rated opponent is going
However g6 looks a tough nut to crack, no where fast, whereas Black has a solid

219
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

c e n t r e a n d t h e b i s h o p p a i r . 17.e4!? years,
W hen I saw his move I thought it couldn't [ 10.g4 has been used more often, as you
possibly work! I would like to give Sandipan's ca n se e f ro m t h e m a n y re p re s e n t a t iv e
sacrifice two exclamation marks for sheer games in the Archives. ]
bravery and inventiveness. However, it should 10...e7 In PTF4 I give this move with notes
lead to a loss against correct play, so I've on
settled for the '!?' sign. dxe4 18.xe4 c8? [ 10...h5 and ]
Nouri collapses out of shock. [ 10...c8 ]
[ The cold blooded 18...xe4 19.xe4 g5 11.0-0 c8
wins. For example if [ 11...0-0 12.d2 ( 12.g4?! h4; 12.d3
A) Or 20.b3 h5!? a useful move if White may be best, when g6 intends to recapture
tries to play slowly, as it prevents Rg4. on f5 with the g-pawn) 12...f6 has in mind
( Also good enough is 20...b8 ) 21.xb7 the exchange sacrifice 13.exf6 xf6 14.g4
0-0 22.f4 f5 etc.; h6 15.g5 xf3! 16.xf3 ( 16.gxh6 f7 )
B) 20.g4 xe5 21.xb7 b8 22.xa6 16...f5 with more than enough
xb2 and White hasn't enough for the compensation (from PTF4) ]
piece. Of course it is much easier to refute 12.d2 0-0
17.Ne4 in a post mortem than in a real [ 12...h5! stops g4 and has the move ...g5 in
game, with the clock running. ] mind in some cases, e.g., 13.d1 ( 13.c3
19.c1 xe4? a6 14.d3 a7 with the idea ...Bb5; 13.c1
[ Black can still win, but he needs to find a g5!? 14.xg5 cxd4 15.xc8+ xc8 )
c o u p l e o f c o m p u t e r m o v e s : 19...0-0! 13...g5! 14.c3 g4 15.e1
20.xc6 d4! ( Black loses his queen after Grosar-Tukmakov, Bled 2001 and here I
20...bxc6? 21.e4 g5 22.g4 ) 21.e4 give cxd4 16.xd5 xe2+ 17.xe2
xb2 and the pin on the c-file dooms the exd5 18.e6 xe6 19.xe6 xe6 20.xh8
white bishop. ] f6 21.ac1 b8! followed by ...Kf7 trapping
20.xc8+ d7 21.xe4 xe4 The only way the bishop ]
to fight on, but futile. 13.d3 g6?!
[ If 21...g5 22.xh8 or ] [ 13...h6 covers the dark squares better:
[ 21...xc8 22.d1+! a neat zwischenzug 14.xf5 exf5 15.c3 e6 is a standard
though taking the queen wins easily enough. type of position which usually is equal. ]
e8 23.xh4 xh4 24.a4+ and Black 14.xf5 gxf5 15.c3 d8
loses the bishop as well. ] [ 15...h8 16.a4 a6?! ( 16...d8!
22.xe4 xc8 23.f4 f8 24.xh6 f6 17.c5 xc5 18.bxc5 g8 ) 17.c5 xc5
25.xh7 d7 26.exf6 xf6 27.g4 e8 18.dxc5 intends Ng5 ]
28.g5 f7 29.g8+ f8 30.g6 A dramatic 16.fc1 h8 17.e2 g8 18.c3?!
defeat, but this was far from being a [ 18.f4! ]
refutation of 3...Be7. 18...a6 19.e1 a7! 20.h3 a4
1-0 [ 20...b5! 21.f4 c4= ]
21.c1 xc1 22.xc1 c8?? Oops. After a
well-played game by both sides, Black falls
260 C02 asleep.
Savic,Miod1 2534 [ 22...g7= ]
Dudukovic,N 2299 23.xh7+
ch-Central Serbia 2013 (9.1) 24.02.2013 1-0
[John Watson]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3

b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.b2 d7 We've seen this main line many
times. 10.e2 The solid approach. Over the

220
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
261 C02
Schneider,Igor 2376
Nakamura,Hikaru 2644
ch-GpA San Diego USA (5) 07.03.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.b2 d7 10.g4 fe7 11.c3 a5
12.d2 c8 13.c2? An attempt to improve
on the usual
[ 13.c1 which we have seen several times
on ChessPub. Schneider defends his bishop
on b2 and so makes the threat of 14. bxa5
seem real- or at least until his opponent
makes his reply! ]
13...xd4! Of course there was little chance
that Nakamura would avoid this fighting move,
as the alternative
[ Instead 13...ac6 14.a4 d8 15.c5
a llo ws W h it e t o im p o se h im se lf o n t h e
queenside, when b6?? 16.b7 threatening
the queen and also mate would be highly
embarrassing. ]
14.b5
[ A p l a u s i b l e c o n t i n u a t i o n w a s 14.bxa5
xe5+ 15.e2 ( not 15.e2 xe2+! )
15...g6 ( White untangles his pieces after
15...d4 16.e4! f6 17.g5! xg5
18.xd4 ) 16.f3 f4 17.d2 xg4
Blac k ha s th ree pawns f or the piece, a
compact pawn structure and a ready target
in the white king, which is forever bereft of a
solid pawn covering. An important variation
is now 18.e5 g2! not giving White time
t o t a k e o n d 7 19.f3 h3 20.g4
( 20.xd7? xf3 ) 20...xe5! 21.xh3
f3+ 22.d1 xd2 23.xd2 and Black
has three fine pawns for a knight. ]
14...b6 15.bxa5?!
[ If 15.d6+ xd6 16.xc8+ xc8
17.exd6 c6 and Black will take on d6 next
move, with full material compensation for
the exchange. Still, this was the way White
should play, as in the game he ends up with
the worse chances. ]
15...xb5 16.xc8+ xc8 17.xb5 xb5
The dust has settled. Black's light squared
bishop is a powerful piece that can exploit the
wide open spaces in the enemy camp.
Imagine if the black knight got to d3! However,
for the moment the priority for Nakamura is to
complete his development without allowing
anything unpleasant to happen on the c-file.
18.c1 e7 19.b3 c4! A clever move
that obliges the white knight to retreat to the
less active d2 square in order to unblock the c-
file. 20.d2 a6 Now the bishop is safely
ensconced here without being bothered by 21.
Nc5. 21.f4? Schneider intends to use the bait
of the f-pawn to entice the black knight away
from the queenside. He hopes that in the
horse's absence, his rook will be able to
deliver the goods down the c-file. Alas for him,
the pawn vanishes, but the breakthrough
never materialises. Perhaps
[ 21.b3! was the best idea, reintroducing
Nc5 as a threat. c6 Now the black knight
is no longer on the Ng6 and Nf4 circuit, so
White is much safer. ( Of course, 21...c4
22.d2 a6 is a draw, but would Nakamura
want it? ) 22.h4 ( not 22.c5 xc5 23.xc5
c4 and the rook is trapped on c5.) 22...h5
23.g5 and White has stabilised his position-
if c4 24.h3! ]
21...g6 22.d4 xf4 23.c7 e7 24.b3
d8 25.c2 h5! 26.f2?
[ He had to play 26.g5! keeping the black
ro o k o u t o f t h e g a m e , wh e n a f t e r xg5
27.g1 h4+ 28.d2 White at least has all
his pieces mobilised. ]
26...d3+ 27.g2 hxg4 28.c5 f4+!
White may have missed the strength of this
move, which lets him take on a6. 29.f2 h3!
The entrance of the rook into the game is
decisive. The white king is forced back to g1,
where he shuts in his own rook in the corner.
30.xa6 h4+ 31.g1 bxa6 32.f2 xa3
33.xh4 a1+ 34.f2 xh1 After the flurry
of tactics, White is suddenly four pawns down.
Just how did Nakamura do it? 35.g3 c1
36.a2 g5 37.a3 f8 38.e3 c4 39.b3
e4+ 40.d2 xe5 Evidently, five pawns is
too much. An enthralling game.
0-1
221
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

262 C02 17.dxc5

Sengupta,Deep 2292 [ Safer was 17.ae1 ]
Barua,Dibyendu 2515 17...xc5 18.e4 c7 19.ae1 e5 20.b4?
13th Goodricke (1) 17.03.2002 [ White should hold on after 20.xe5 xe5
[Neil McDonald] 21.xf8+ xf8 22.f3 ]
20...g4! With this move Black gains an
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 unstoppable attack. 21.bxc5 xh2+ 22.g1
If Black wishes to prevent White's next move g3 23.e2 f6! Simple but deadly: White
he could try can't prevent Rfh6. 24.exd5 fh6 25.xh7+
[ 4...b6 when after 5.f3 c6 transposes h8 26.h4 h1+! Not falling for
back to the mainline. Though of course not [ 26...6xh4?? 27.f8# ]
every French player wants to play Qb6 so 0-1
early, if at all. ]
5.e3 Kupreichik's idea. h6!? Black aims to
attack the bishop on e3 straightaway with Nf5. 263 C02
This move also makes sense as if White plays Sevillano,Enrico 2490
Bxh6 the 'interlude' Be3 would look slightly Clawitter,C 2082
ridiculous. 15th Metropolitan IM (9) 29.01.2012
[ Also p os sib le is th e imm ed ia t e 5...b6 [John Watson]
6.d2 etc. ]
6.f3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
[ Or 6.d3 b6 7.d2 g4 8.f3 xe3 c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
( 8...d7!? ) 9.fxe3 e7 10.0-0 9.b2 d7 10.e2 c8 11.0-0 e7
A) A committal move which takes the 12.d2 h5 13.d1 g5! 14.c3
p r e s s u r e o f f W h i t e ' s c e n t r e . 10...d7 This prevents ...Na5 ideas. White has other
with ideas of f7-f6 keeps the tension, e.g. moves, for example:
11.h1 f5 or maybe ( 11...f6!? ); [ After 14.c3 g4 15.e1 , we are
B) 10...c4 11.e2 0-0 12.h1 f6 following Grosar-Tukmakov, Bled 2001.
13.exf6 xf6 14.a3! d8 15.b3! cxb3 W h it e d id we ll, b u t at th is po int s imp ly
16.axb3 d7 17.c2 e8 18.d3 cxd4! 16.xd5 xe2+ 17.xe2 exd5
and W hite had the edge in Shaked, T- was strong, since White nearly has to enter
Watson,J/USA 1995, though the French the variation 18.e6 xe6 19.xe6 xe6
guru eventually outplayed him and won. ] 20.xh8 f6 21.ac1 b8! followed by ...Kf7
6...b6 7.d2 The logical move, but the trapping the bishop ]
obvious question is how will W hite develop [ 14.xg5 isn't attractive either after cxd4
his knight on b1 to a good square now that 15.xd4 xd4 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4
hecan'tplayNbd2? d7 8.e2 A more active xg5 18.f4 d8! threatening Bb6 when
deployment was Black has the two bishops and control of the
[ 8.d3 t h o u g h B l a c k r e p l i e s g4 c file. ]
f o llo we d b y Nxe 3 a ll t h e sa m e . ( but not [ 14.e1 g4 15.c2 ( 15.c3 a6
8...f5?! 9.xf5 exf5 10.dxc5 xc5 is the note on 15...g4 below) 15...a5!
11.xc5 xc5 12.0-0 when the weak d4 16.a2 c4 17.xc4 xc4 Gruzmann-
square could cause Black problems. )] Goczo, Budapest 1998. ]
8...f5 9.0-0 xe3 10.fxe3 e7 11.h1 14...a6!
0-0 12.c1 White clears d2 for his knight on [ 14...g4 15.e1 g8! is also good,
b1, but this awkward manoeuvre shows that t r a n sp o s in g a f t e r 16.c2 a6 17.a4
he has gained no opening advantage. f6! to the note on 15...g4; but I like Black's
Black neutralises White's space advantage. plan better. ]
W ith the two bishops and active pieces he 15.e1! ordinary moves are slow, e.g.,
no w ha s n ot h ing t o f e a r. 13.exf6 xf6 [ 15.f1 g4 16.e1 h4 17.c2 g8
14.bd2 af8 15.c2 e8 16.d3 h6 with the idea ...Bg5 and ...g3. ]

222
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
15...f6!? Bold
[ 15...g4 may be better, e.g., 16.c2 g8
17.a4 h4?! ( 17...g5! Savic-Kosic, Vrsac
2000 ) 18.b5 g5 19.e1 axb5 20.axb5
xe5 21.dxe5 g3 Miqueu-Duquesnoy,
P o r n i c 2 0 0 8 ; a n d h e r e 22.d3!
keeps a definite advantage. ]
16.c2 f7!? Thus far Black has at least
held his own with his opponent (who outranks
him by over 400 points). But now
[ 16...fxe5 17.dxe5 g4 seems best, when
it 's m e s s y, b u t B la ck p ro b a b ly h a s t h e
better practical chances. ]
17.d3 cg8?! Logical, but a move too slow.
[ 17...h4!? 18.a4 fxe5 19.dxe5 g6!
is a clever reorganisation that might
equalise. ]
18.a4! d8 19.ba3! Now things go downhill
fast for Black. g4 20.b5 ce7 21.a5! a7
22.exf6 xf6 23.e2 g6 24.xf5!? exf5
25.b4 e6 26.c4! axb5 27.e1 e8
28.d6 e7 29.xb5 c7 30.xe6+ xe6
31.xd5+ g5 32.f7+ h4 33.g3+ h3
34.g5#
1-0
264 C02
Shabalov,Alexander 2606
Kraai,Jesse 2477
9th Open Foxwoods USA (8) 08.04.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.b2 d7 10.h4?! Perhaps I'm missing a
trick, but I don't see why 2600 Elo players
Najer and Shabalov have been playing this
move- see the note to move 14.
[ The main battle centres around 10.g4 fe7
11.c3 etc. as you can see in the archives. ]
10...c8
[ Black might also try 10...h5 which blocks
White's kingside expansion at once. Then
11.e2 c8 12.d2 e7 13.f1 a6
14.g1 a7 15.c3 a5 16.bxa5 xa5
17.d3 c6 18.c2 a7 19.d3 c6
20.c2 a7 21.d3 draw agreed was
Cherniaev, A-Sedina, E/Davos SUI 2004. ]
11.h5 e7! Simple and good.
[ Kraai had played in less solid style a couple
of years earlier: 11...xb4 12.axb4 xb4+
13.d2 c2! 14.a3! xd2+ 15.fxd2
xd4 16.h4 xd2 17.xd2 b3+
18.c3 xa1 19.b2 f6 20.exf6 gxf6
( H e m i g h t a l s o h a v e t r i e d 20...xa3+!?
21.xa3 0-0 22.xa1 e5 ) 21.xf8 xf8
22.xa1 It's hard to believe that Black
should be in any danger of losing with three
healthy pawns for the piece but Russian
technique eventually triumphed: g8 23.h6
f7 24.c3 f5 25.b2 f6 26.c2 g4
27.xg4 fxg4 28.d3 g5 29.xh7 xh6
30.d3 g5 31.g3 c6 32.b5 a6
33.d4 a4+ 34.c3 e5 35.b4 d7
36.b3 f5 37.e2 c2 38.c3 e4
39.c5 d4+ 40.d2 d5 41.d3 f3
42.c2 f6 43.b3 e7 44.f5 a5
45.c4 e2+ 46.d5 f6 47.e4 b5
48.xb7 a4 49.d6 d7 50.c4 e7
51.b7 b5+ 52.xb5 a3 53.a5
1-0 Najer, E-Kraai, J/Las Vegas USA 2004. ]
12.g4 h6 13.g1 f6! the archetypal attack
o n t h e w h i t e c e n t r e . 14.exf6 gxf6
Here we might ask ourselves: what exactly
has White gained through spending two tempi
on h4-h5- wouldn't the pawn be just as good
on h2? 15.c3 f7 16.a4 d8 17.c5
a5! Relying on his 'French' pawns on d5 and
e6 to shelter his king, Kraai now undermines
the white queenside. 18.g5 With his p awn
chain breaking up, Shabalov has to put all his
trust in his initiative. On the other hand, there
is no logical reason why the black king should
be less secure on e8 than the white king on
e1.
[ If 18.b5? xd4 19.xd4 xc5 etc. or ]
[ 18.xb7 c7 19.c5 axb4 with better
chances for Black. ]
18...fxg5 19.h3 axb4 20.xe6 a5!
Taking the f ight to the white king. 21.d2
bxa3 22.g7+ d8 23.xd7 xd7
24.g4+ c7 25.xa3 c3 26.d1 b4!
Stronger than
[ 26...xa3 w h i c h a l l o w s 27.g3 b4
28.gxa3 ]
27.xb4 The pin on d2 has to be broken but
now the black knight enters the fray. xb4
28.f1
[ If 28.c1 d3+ ]
28...c2 29.a4 b8 Unexpectedly the
b la ck ki n g e n d s u p 'ca st le d q u e e n s id e ' .
223
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Besides being a pawn down, White's king is Black h as no ch oice bu t t o try t o get h is
the more exposed and his pieces are in a pieces out, even though this is doing White's
tangle, for example 30.Ne6 or 30.Nf5 lose the work for him by creating targets. g6 14.fe1!
knight to a check on h3 or d3 respectively. In Again White waits patiently. h6
fact it is hard to find any decent move for [ After 14...g7 15.g5 is highly awkward.
W hite. No wonder Shabalov now blunders. Black is theref ore obliged to weaken
30.g3?! xg3! himself further in order to get the bishop to
[ For if 30...xg3 31.fxg3 e3+ etc. ] g7. ]
0-1 15.ac1 g7 16.cxd5 exd5
[ Naturally 16...xd5 17.c4 aiming at d6 is
intolerable. ]
265 C02 17.e3! xb4 18.d2 g4
Shabalov,Alexander 2605 [ With both rooks already in the game, White
Privman,Boris 2275 has a tremendous initiative after either
35th Atlantic Open (2) 27.08.2004 18...a4 19.e6 fxe6 20.xe6 or ]
[Neil McDonald] [ 18...b6 19.b1 d8 20.e6 ( but not
20.xb7 c5 ) 20...fxe6 21.xe6 0-0
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3 22.b4 etc. ]
d7 6.d3 b5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.b4 xd3 19.c7 0-0? 20.e6! Black loses a piece
9.xd3 f8 10.0-0 d7 however he plays. Instead
[ B l a c k c a m e t o g r i e f a f t e r 10...e7!? [ 20.h3 e6 21.d4 lets Black turn the
11.a3 ec6 12.b5 etc. in Grischuk- tables with xe5! ]
Vaganian, as given in last month's update. 1-0
Still, analysis show that Black should have
been OK, so I would recommend this
method of development. Instead Privman 266 C02
decides to rule out Nb5 but it leads to even Shaw,John K
worse trouble. ] McDonald,Neil R
11.a3 a6? The French pawn centre can Challengers Hastings 1994
t o l e r a t e a h i g h l e ve l o f a b u s e a s f a r a s [Neil McDonald]
delayed development goes, but this is asking
a little too much. It is nice to prevent Nb5, but 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
so me time s yo u ha ve t o f o rget p osit io na l d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
subtleties and just put men in the field as 9.c2 b6 10.0-0 a5!? An interesting
quickly as possible. Here idea as now 11 Bd3 can be answered by 11...
[ 11...e7 was called for. ] Bb5! when 12 Bxf5? loses material after 12...
12.c4! e7 Bxf1. Therefore, White's standard plan of Bd3
[ If White manages to land a knight on d6 and Bxf5 is obstructed. 11.g4! The obvious
without opposition the game will be over. a l t e r n a t i v e s t r a t e g y i s a k i n g s i d e p a w n
T h e r e f o r e B l a c k h a s t o a v o i d 12...dxc4 advance, but White follows it up incorrectly.
13.xc4 xb4 14.a3 etc. ] e7 12.b4? This simply plays into Black's
13.d2! If White jus t throws his pieces hands by giving his knight the excellent c4
forwards it might all go wrong. Therefore, square.
Shabalov simply builds up his position and [ He might have tried 12.fe1!? clearing the
leaves his opponent in a dilemma: if Black way for a further kingside expansion with 13
tries to mobilise his pieces he will leave holes f4. ]
which the better developed White pieces can 12...c4 13.e3 c8 The threat of 14 Bxc4
exploit but if he keeps everything blocked dxc4 15 d5 is easily dealt with. 14.d2 b5
then sooner or later White will have such an 15.xc4 xc4 16.f4 White finally carries out
a d v a n t a g e i n f i r e p o w e r t h a t a w i n n i n g the thematic advance, but in the meantime
breakthrough will be inevitable. In reality, t h e b l a c k p i e c e s h a v e b e e n a l l o w e d t o

224
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

become very active on the queenside. Instead, 9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.c3
if White had immediately prepared f4 at move Now we have a version of the Milner-Barry
12, then Black would have been left with a Gambit but with pawns on a3 and a5. This
s t ra n d e d k n igh t o n a 5 . h5! This further appears to favour White as the most popular
activates Black's game. 17.h3?! response to the gambit is to play a7-a6 in
[ Instead 17.gxh5!? f5 18.f2 order to prevent Nb5, but pawns cannot of
would restrict the activity of Black's rook on course move backwards! b6 This adds to
h8. ] the defence of the b5 square. Instead
17...hxg4 18.hxg4 h3! 19.c1 a6! [ 11...xe5 12.e1 b8 doesn't look
Black increases his grip on the light squares playable as the inclusion of the rook pawn
with every move. 20.xc4 xc4 21.g2 moves mean that after 13.xd5 White has
h8 Not of course the extra option of 14 Nb6 which looks too
[ 21...xc2+ 22.xh3 ] strong. ]
22.a3 g6 23.d2 e7 24.f2?! 12.g4!? More energetic than
[ B e t t e r w a s 24.h1 though Black keeps [ 12.h1 e7 13.f4 d4! 14.b5 d5 ( If
some pressure after xh1 25.xh1 a4 14...xb5? 15.b3 regains the piece with
or ( 25...c6 )] advantage but Korchnoi has calculated that
24...c3! Threatening to win the f4 pawn with the white knight will become trapped on b5.)
25...Rd3 25.e1 15.a4 c5! 16.b4 e7 17.d2 c3
[ White loses his queen after 25.xc3 xf4+ 18.xc3 dxc3 19.fb1 c2 20.c1 0-0
26.f3 ( 26.g1 e2+ ) 26...h3+ 27.g3 and White was in deep trouble in Grosar-
( 27.xf4 g5# ) 27...xg3+! 28.xg3 Korchnoi, Bratto 1998. ]
e2+ ] 12...g6 13.e3 c5 14.a4?! This leads to
25...e2! Here White resigned as 26.xc3 simplification, whereas
xf4+ 27.g3 [ 14.f4!? keeps up the pressure as d4?
[ After 27.g1 xg4+ White loses his gives W hite a winning attack after 15.b4!
queen to 28...Ne2+ ] dxe3 16.bxc5 xc5 17.e4 etc. ]
27...h3+ 28.xf4 g5# is mate. 14...xa4 15.xa4+ f8 16.xc5+ xc5
0-1 17.ac1 b6 18.d7 d8 19.c7 xc7
20.xc7 b8 21.fc1 This appears strong
for White but Anand defends carefully. It turns
267 C02 out White's pressure is only good enough to
Shirov,Alexei 2746 regain the pawn and no more. e7 22.f4
Anand,Viswanathan 2762 c6 23.c5 g7 24.b5 g5! A typical
FIDE WCh KO Tehran IRI (7.1) 20.12.2000 thrust to gain co unt erpla y in t his t ype o f
[Neil McDonald] centre. 25.g3 h5 26.bxb7 xb7 27.xb7
h4 28.g2 hxg3 29.hxg3 gxf4 30.gxf4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 h4 31.g3 h1 32.g2 h4 33.g3 h1
b6 6.a3 a5 7.d3 d7 8.0-0 cxd4 34.g2 Here a draw was agreed. If
Anand decides to grab the pawn. This was a [ 34.b5 d4 35.e8 f8! is equal as if
brave decision in a W orld Championship 36.xf7?? h7 etc wins a piece. ]
Match! Instead after ½-½
[ 8...a4 9.dxc5 xc5 10.bd2 ( Maybe
10.c4!? ) 10...f6! White was quickly
overwhelmed in Dowden-Beliavsky, Lucerne
1982: 11.e2 ge7 12.b4 axb3 13.b1
fxe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.xe5 0-0 16.e2
e5! 17.xe5 g6 18.xd5+ e6 19.h5
xf2 etc. with a winning attack. Naturally
Shirov would have come armed with an
improvement upon this. ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
268 C02
Shirov,Alexei 2713
Ivanchuk,Vassily 2711
Amber Blindfold rapid (3) 21.03.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
c6 6.e2 cxd4 As a preliminary to his next
move it is best to exchange on d4 as
[ 6...h6 7.xh6 xb2? 8.e3 xa1
9.c2 cxd4 10.xd4! leaves the black
queen trapped. ]
7.cxd4 h6 8.c3 White takes the
opportunity to develop his knight to the centre
square that has suddenly become available to
it. Note that if
[ 8.xh6 Black can safely respond xb2
as his queen won't be shut in. ]
8...f5 9.a4 Shirov follows a well
established and rather convoluted manoeuvre
to prevent the d4 pawn dropping. The
alternative
[ 9.f1 is not very convincing, as long as
Black resists the urge to gobble at d4- see
Minasian-Petrosian in the archives. ]
9...a5+ 10.d2 b4 11.c3 b5 12.a3!
xc3+ 13.xc3 b4 14.axb4 xb4 15.b5
d7 16.xc6
[ A g a m b i t w a s p o s s i b l e w i t h 16.0-0
but this fails to xe5! ( whereas White got a
clear plus af te r 16...0-0 17.d3 fb8
18.g4 h6 19.a4 e7 20.h3 e8
21.fa1 etc. due to the bad knight on h6 in Z.
Run ic -M. Me dic, Bizo va c 2 00 8, t ho ugh
Black actually won the game. ) 17.a4 xb2
A) White ends up a lot of material down
after 18.xd5 xf3+ 19.xf3 xb5
20.b4 ( or 20.c7+ e7 ) 20...e2
21.c7+ d7 etc.;
B) 18.xd7+ xd7 19.xd5!?
r e f u t i n g t h e w h i t e a t t a c k . ( But not
19...exd5 20.d3! with the double threat
of 21.Rb1, trapping the queen, and 21.
Qxf5. )]
16...xc6 17.d2 0-0! Up until this point the
game has followed Nunn-Schmittdiel, also
given in the archives, where
[ 17...b5 was played, which I describe
approvingly in the analysis to that game as
'getting rid of his bad bishop'. However, I
have unfairly maligned Black's bishop- as
we shall see, in Ivanchuk's hands it proves
a potent piece in the queenside battle. By
the way, the Nunn game continued 18.xb5
xb5 19.a5 b6 20.0-0 with a small
edge for White. ]
18.0-0 fb8 Black already looks at least
equal. 19.ab1 b6
[ Another example is 19...a5 20.g4 e7
21.e1 b5 22.c2 b3 23.fe1 d7
24.e3 b6 25.h3 White has ideas of
Q g 5 a n d Q h 5 . f8! A shrewd defensive
move. 26.d3 ( If 26.g5 f6 27.h4 h6 )
26...g6 27.g5 fb8 Back again: the
immediate danger on the kingside is over
and besides he wants the option of Nf8 if
W hite manages to arrange a future Qh5.
28.e3?! White will soon regret removing a
defender from the d4 square. h6! 29.g3
( Alas if 29.gxh6 f4 ) 29...hxg5
A) White's position is collapsing as if
30.xg5 f4 31.f1 ( or 31.d1 h3+ )
31...xd4 etc.;
B) 30.h1 d8 31.bg1 xb2 32.cd1
b4 33.xg5 f8 34.h4 e7 35.h5
h8! 36.1g4 a4? Black has played well
up to here but this is a howler. 37.g1?
( W h i t e c o u l d wi n a r o o k wi t h 37.a3
ab8 38.c2 ) 37...f8? ( He can profit
f ro m his b lu n d e r o n th e last m ove b y
pushing the pawn with 37...a3 ) 38.c3?
b3 39.xg7 xh5 40.g8 c6 41.c2
d7 42.8g7 h8 43.f1 h1+ 44.e2
f8 45.h7 a1 46.ed1 b7 47.gg7
a6+ 48.f3 e8 49.g2 a3 50.e2
b4 51.f4 b7 52.xe6 d3 53.c7
xc7 54.xc7+ d8 55.e6+ fxe6
56.xd7+ c8 57.hg7 e4+ 58.f1
b1 59.e2 f3+ 60.e3 xd1
0-1 Rojas Keim, L-Prasca, R/ Villa Martelli
0-0! ARG 2006. ]
20.fc1 ab8 21.c2 h6 22.g3 Shirov's
plan is to maintain a solid defensive posture
on the queenside whilst edging f orwards
gradually on the other wing with his pawns.
Once lines are opened on the kingside, the
white knight should prove superior to the
black bishop. But that's not the way things
work out in the game- Ivanchuk is able to
breakthrough on the queenside and make any
white attack on the kingside impractical. a5
23.g2 a4 24.a1 e8 The light squared
226
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

bishop defends the a4 pawn and so helps to Korchnoi knows far more about the French
maintain Black's bind on the queenside. 25.h3 than I will ever do. ]
d7 26.ac1 c6 27.g4 e7 28.a1 c4 11.b3 a5! There are very few openings in
29.a2 b6 30.c1 b4 31.ca1 g6 wh ich B lack ge ts to ut ilise bo t h h is ro o k
32.d1 pawns. 12.b2 e7 Now White has to act
[ After 32.g3 Black has an interesting
fast or Black might even begin a wing attack
s a c ri f i c e a va il a b le wit h xb2!? with 13... g5!? 13.e3 xe3
( not
32...b5? 33.xd5 ) 33.xb2 xb2 34.b1 [ Here 13...g5 looks attractive, but White can
xb1 forced 35.xb1 xb1
r e s p o n d e n e r g e t i c a l l y w i t h 14.d3!
and the passed a-pawn will be difficult to when the tactics all seem to favour him: g4
stop. ] ( not 14...cxd4? 15.xf5 xf5 16.xf5
32...b5! Seizing the chance to activate the
exf5 17.e6 while if; 14...fxd4 15.xd5
bishop. 33.c3 exd5 16.e6! Now if Black takes on f3 or e6
[ The tactical justification that Ivanchuk had with his knight his rook will be hanging on
to see blindfold is 33.xb4? f1+ ] h8 while if he captures on e6 he will be open
33...d8 34.g3 c4 35.xa4 xb2 t o a b i s h o p c h e c k o n g 6 o r b 5 - xe6
Now Black has a cle ar advantage due t o 17.xd4 xd4 18.xd4 xd4 19.b5+ )
White's fragile pawn structure. 36.e3 2b3 15.xf5 gxf3 16.xd5 exd5 17.xd7+
37.1a3 e7 38.xb3 xb3 39.a1 b4 xd7 18.xf3 White will shortly have three
40.c1 e7 41.d2 a3 42.f3 c6 pawns for the piece and a mobile centre,
43.xc4 dxc4 u n l e s s B l a c k c a n g e t a w a y w i t h e6
Black's pressure has been
converted into a passed pawn. 44.d2 a5 which looks more mad than heroic. ]
45.h4 b3 46.h5 d8 14.fxe3 a4 15.b1 axb3 16.axb3 a2
[ More precise is 46...a3! threatening 47... Black has managed to make more out of the a-
Nxd4. ] file than White has achieved on the kingside.
47.d1 b4 48.a1 17.h1 b4 18.c3 0-0 19.g1 h4!
[ The only chance to hold on was 48.e2 ] [ We shouldn't underestimate White's
48...d3 49.e2 xe5 50.a5 xa5 attackin g chances. Here f or example if
51.xa5 xf3 52.c1 b1 19...g6? 20.xh5! breaks open the
0-1 defences. ]
20.h3 c2 21.d2 White is being pushed
around on the queenside, but on the other
269 C02 hand assuming Black finds no crushing blow
Shirov,Alexei 2726 he will always have chances on the other wing,
Kortschnoj,Viktor 2601 as so many black pieces are too far off to
Smartfish Masters (4) 30.12.2004 help their king. a3 22.c1 b2 23.b4
[Neil McDonald] xb4?? Korchnoi was renowned at the start
of his career for always taking material on
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3 offer, but here he snatches one pawn too
d7 6.e2 c6 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 ge7 many.
9.a3 f5 10.c2 h5 White's star move in [ The logical move was 23...b5 getting rid
this variation is g2-g4, for example of White's important light squared bishop.
[ 10...a5 11.g4 or ] Then W hite can throw his pieces at the
[ 10...a5 11.g4 Therefore, Korchnoi black king but it all seems to end in
decides to stop it straightaway. To be honest, perpetual check: 24.xb5 xb5 25.f4
I've always had an aversion to the idea of h7- c4 ( not 25...g5 26.h5! xf4? 27.xf4
h5 in these type of positions, based on the xd2 28.xh4 and mates.) 26.g4! xd2
old adage that the cure can be worse than 27.h5 g6 ( or 27...g5 28.f6+ xf6
the disease. Playing through a 24 move win 29.xf6 e4 30.h5! e2! 31.g6+ fxg6
by White reinforces this impression. Quite 32.xg6+ h8 33.h6+ with a draw.)
wron gly in f act an d I sh ou ld a dm it t ha t 28.xf7! xf7 ( the only move, as if

227
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
28...xf7 29.xg6+ f8 30.c8+ wins. )
29.f4 g8 30.xg6+ h8 31.h6+ g8
32.xe6+ f7 33.c8+ f8 34.g6+ g7
35.e6+ f7 36.g6+ g7 37.e6+ f7
with a draw by perpetual. ]
24.d3!
[ A player with the imagination of Shirov isn't
going to miss such an opportunity. I assume
Black had only seen 24.xb4 xb4 25.d3
when he has the winning simplification d2
threatening mate on g2. ]
24...g6
[ 24...xd2 25.h5 ( even more precise is
25.h7+ xh7 26.h5+ ) 25...xd3
26.g5 and mate follows. ]
25.g4 Black resigned because he will be
smashed up with 25.Bxg6 next move- or if 24..
.Kg7 then 25.Nf4 prepares a piece sacrifice on
g6.
1-0
270 C02
Shirov,Alexei 2699
Roiz,Michael 2605
TCh Sochi RUS (2) 03.05.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4 b6
9.0-0 b4!? Roiz anticipates Nc2 and so
prepares to lop off the white knight.
Strategically speaking this would be a good
exchange for Black who welcomes exchanges
t h a t e a s e h i s c r a m p e d p o s i t i o n . 10.h4
W ith no immediate pressure on his centre,
Shirov takes the chance to seize space on
the kingside. a6 Roiz lays the groundwork for
an interesting knight manoeuvre to a7 in order
to be able to force exchanges with Nb5 or Bb5
a n d t h e r e b y f r e e h i s g a m e . 11.f4
White continues to ignore the queenside. He
can develop his bishop with impunity, as the
k n i g h t o n b 4 b l o c k s Q x b 2 i n r e p l y . c8
12.d2 a7 13.fc1 h6
[ If 13...e7 14.g5 is rather awkward. ]
14.c3 e7 15.h5 a4 The bishop prevents
any pin with Rb3 and is happy to retreat once
it has provoked a loosening of White's pawns.
[ Naturally Black avoids castling as Shirov is
hardly going to miss the chance for 15...0-0?
16.xh6! gxh6 17.xh6 etc. ]
16.b3 d7 17.c2 b5?
[ Black appears to have adequate chances
after 17...b5! when he avoids being left
with a dead bishop on c6. ]
18.xb5 axb5? The plan of exerting pressure
along the a-file is too ambitious, as it leads to
a serious weakening of Black's dark squares
and the incarceration of the light squared
bishop on c6. He had to make do with
[ 18...xb5 ]
19.e3 a3 20.cc1 a5 21.c2 xc2
22.xc2 c6 23.d1 a7 24.d2 d7
25.db1 a8 26.b2 Visually speaking
Black's position is now at its highest point: his
tripled pieces bearing down on a2 have forced
the white rooks into passive defence. But from
n o w o n i t s a l l d o wn h i l l a s h e c a n ' t e v e r
capture on a2. This means that in the long run
he has no good way to meet White's slow but
inexorable plan of exploiting the dark squares
with moves like Ne1, Nd3, Bd2 [once the
white queen moves somewhere] and Bb4.
After the exchange of Black's dark squared
bishop, his remaining 'big pawn' stuck on c6
will be no match for the white knight. a5
27.d3 d8 28.e1 3a6 29.g3 h8
Quite a clever defensive idea, actually: the
price White will have to pay to get in Nd3 is to
allow the black queen to reach e4. 30.d3
For the moment Shirov stops the black queen
going to h7. 8a7 31.d2 a3 32.c2 e7
33.f3 e8 34.d3! At last the Latvian/
Spanish Grandmaster lets Qh7 happen as he
has seen he can defeat the Qe4 idea with a
sacrifice. h7 35.b4 The move that Black
has long dreaded. e4 36.xe7! xd4
[ He might as well take the material as
horrible to defend 36...xe7 37.xe4 dxe4
38.b4 ]
37.c5! xa1+ 38.c1 xa2 So Black does
get to capture on a2 after all. Unfortunately
his que e n a nd ro o ks are t o o f ar awa y t o
preven t a brea kt hro ugh on t he kin gs id e .
39.g4! b6 40.d6 d2 41.xg7 g5
42.f8+ d7 43.f4! A neat end to a
masterclass in combining tactical and
positional play.
[ If 43.xf7+ d8 and there is no
immediate death blow, whereas after the
game move W hite has Nxe6+ forcing
228
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
resignation. ]
1-0
271 C02
Shirov,Alexei 2722
Sadvakasov,Darmen 2585
It Astana KAZ (10) 01.06.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
h6 6.a3 f5 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 d7
9.b2 b6 10.g4 h6 11.h3
[ White keeps the option of castling kingside.
Instead 11.g1 f6 12.exf6 gxf6 13.c3
f7 was seen in Short,N-Lputian,S. ]
11...c8
[ Black looks for activity on the queenside: he
will use the pin on the bishop on b2 to try to
get his queen's knight to the important c4
square. The alternative was to regroup his
other knight immediately with 11...f6 12.d3
f7 as in Sveshnikov-Lputian, Tilburg 1992
with an unclear position. ]
12.c3 a5 13.a4! c6 14.c1!?
True to his style Shirov prepares an
imaginative and outrageous sacrifice. The
logical move would be
[ 14.c5 when c4 15.c1 e7 16.d3
b6 17.xd7 xd7 18.0-0 perhaps gave
White a slight edge in Vysochin-Smikovski,
Chigorin Mem 1996. The knight on c4 is of
course beautiful, but there is still the ugly
duckling on h6. ]
14...c4 15.xc4
[ T h e o n l y m o v e a s 15.xc4 dxc4
gives away all the light squares. ]
15...dxc4 16.c3 In return for the exchange
W hite has the potential to advance in the
centre with d4-d5. Meanwhile the problem
piece remains on h6. If Black is ever going to
bring this knight back into the game he will
have to play f7-f6 or f7-f5 at some point which
compromises his pawn structure. Therefore
White has reasonable practical chances. b6!
Sadvakasov prepares to strike a counterblow
before W hite is able to complete his
development. 17.g2 a5 18.b5 Shirov has
to give up a pawn as well to maintain his
initiative. xb5 19.d5 c5 20.0-0 d8
This allows White a protected passed pawn,
but
[ 20...exd5 21.xd5 when White has ideas
of e5-e6 was risky. Perhaps a computer
would fearlessly choose this line, but a
mere mortal against Shirov?! ]
21.d6 c6 22.e2 a6 23.b1 Not only is
Shirov a fine calculator he also shows
extraordinary patience in positions where he
is material down. As long as the bad knight
remains on h6 there is no need for White to
rush. Therefore he quietly strengthens his
position on the queenside and is by no means
afraid of exchanging pieces. a7 24.c1
c8 25.e3 xe3 26.xe3 b5 27.g5
The exchange that follows will ensure that
White wins the b5 pawn when he has enough
positional compensation for his material in the
endgame. xg2 28.xg2 b7+ 29.e4
xe4+ 30.gxe4 0-0 31.xb5 f6!
Fin ally Bla ck f rees his knight . Bla ck ha s
slightly the better chances in the endgame,
but he eventually overpresses and loses.
32.xa5 fxe5 33.xe5 f7 34.xe6 ce8
35.xe8 xe8 36.f3 e6 37.b5 e5
38.a4 d5 39.e2 d8 40.f3 c6 41.e3
d3+ 42.f4 f7 43.g5+ f6 44.e4+
f7 45.g5+ g6 46.h4 h6 47.h5+ f6
48.e4+ f7 49.g5 d5 50.g6+ f8
51.g3 d1 52.f5 d5 53.e4 e5+
54.f4 d5 55.e4 e5+ 56.f4 c5?
Black puts his rook on a passive square. It
was better to call it a draw with
[ 56...d5 ]
57.c3 d8 58.e4 e6 59.f4 e8
60.g3 d7 61.f5 g5+ 62.d4 c6
63.ge4 xe4 64.xe4 c3 65.xc3 xd6
66.a5 Suddenly Black is in trouble because of
the potential f5-f6 advance. e7
[ If 66...a6 67.f6 gxf6 68.g7 a8 69.d5
g8 ( 69...e6 70.c7+ ) 70.xf6 xg7
71.e8+ and White wins. ]
67.d5+ f8 68.b4 c8 69.a6 a8
70.c5 e8 71.d5 d8 72.f6 An unlucky
defeat for Sadvakasov, but it's always nice to
see enterprising play rewarded.
1-0
229
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

272 C02 Korchnoi, Cannes 1996. ]

Shirov,Alexei 2718 8...f5 9.b2 d7!?
Van Wely,Loek 2700 [ Black can also play 9...e7 here so that
Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (6) 20.01.2001 A) 10.h4!? is a testing reply, e.g. h5 10
[Neil McDonald] or else he is kicked back by g4 11.d3 a5
12.xf5 exf5 13.c3 axb4? ( 13...e6 )
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 14.xd5 a5 15.xe7 b3+ 16.d2
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.a3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 xe7 17.xb3 and White had a fairly
9.c2 b6 10.g4 useful extra pawn in Sveshnikov-Bareev,
[ Instead 10.0-0 a5 11.g4 Elista 1996. Another good response for
is Shaw-McDonald, while ] White is the simple;
[ 10.h4 was played in Movsesian-Gurevich. ] B) 10.d3!? e.g. d7 11.0-0 and Black
10...fe7 11.0-0 h5! As in my game with is awkwardly placed as fxd4 ( both
Shaw, Black looks for counterplay through 11...0-0 12.c3 cxd4 13.xd4 xd4
opening the h file. 12.h3 hxg4 13.hxg4 f6? 14.xd5 exd5 15.xd4 and; 11...g5
It looks consistent to attack e5, but in fact this 12.xf5 exf5 13.c3 e6 14.a4 b5
is a serious inaccuracy. He had to play 15.c5 as in Fedorowicz-Dokhoian, Wijk
[ 13...g6 with ideas of Be7 or Nh4- if aan Zee 1989 are unpleasant for Black)
14.d3 h4 etc. ] 12.xd4 xd4 13.g4 gives White an
14.d3! Shirov pounces to exploit the error. attack. Therefore, Lputian's development
Now Black cannot untangle his pieces with of the other bishop in the game seems the
Ng6. 0-0-0 15.b4! xd4?! A desperate better way to handle the position.;
sacrifice. A better chance was C) 10.g4 c a n b e a n s w e r e d b y h4
[ 15...e8 intending Ng6 or Bg6. ] Therefore White normally replies 10 h4 or
16.cxd4 fxe5 17.e2! e4 10 Bd3. Analysis on these moves can be
[ If 17...exd4 18.f4 with ideas of Rac1, b4- found in Rytshagov-Pedersen. ]
b5 and Qe5 is decisive. ] 10.g4 h6
18.f4 g6 19.ac1+ c6 20.g3 d6 [ Or 10...fe7 11.c3 h5 12.g5 f5
21.b5 White will keep his extra piece with a 13.a4 d8 14.d3 h4 15.c1 e7
decisive attack to boot. The rest is a typical 16.g1 g6 17.xf5 exf5 18.c5
Shirov attack. xg3 22.fxg3 exf3 23.e3 and W hite had the advantage in Shirov-
c7 24.xf3 e5 25.bxc6 xf3+ 26.xf3 Kramnik, Melody Amber 1997. ]
e5 27.cxb7+ xb7 28.c6 A splendid 11.g1!? This attempts to improve on
exploitation of Black's strategical mistakes. [ 11.h3 when f6 12.d3 f7 proved OK for
1-0 Black in Sveshnikov-Lputian, Tilburg 1992. ]
11...f6! 12.exf6 gxf6 13.c3 f7
Black has achieved a lot: he has destroyed
273 C02 W hite's e5 pawn, brought his errant knight
Short,Nigel D 2675 back to a centre square and maintained a
Lputian,Smbat G 2625 compact centre. In return W hite has
Eu Team Ch Batumi GEO (6) 04.12.1999 maintained a space advantage, which means
[Neil McDonald] his pieces have the more active play.
Nevertheless, with accurate play Black should
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 have equal chances. 14.a4! The standard
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 plan in such positions. The knight heads for
[ The other way to play it was 8.xh6 gxh6 the strong c5 square with gain of time. c7
9.cxd4 but this seems fine for Black, e.g. 15.c1 f4! The black queen finally finds a
d7 10.e2 ( 10.c3 xb4! 11.axb4 sa f e a n d a ct i ve sq u a re . 16.c5 xc5
xb4 12.c1 c8 ) 10...c8 11.0-0 g7 17.dxc5 ce5 18.xe5 xe5?
12.d2 0-0 13.c3? xd4! 14.xd4 [ 18...fxe5! looks much stronger, when
xe5 and Black was winning in Fressinet- A) 19.g3?! g5 20.h4? ( 20.e2 f8

230
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

21.xe5?? xc1+ ) 20...f8! would be the win. He may or may not have known about
disastrous for White.; [ 15...c3 when White can avoid a draw by
B) 19.d2 0-0!? with unclear play looks 16.xc3 , but ( as opposed to the forced
like White's best continuation. ] draw by 16.d6+ d8 17.xf7+ e8
19.g3! Now Short takes control with some18.d6+ d8 19.f7+ e8 20.d6+
precise positional moves. a6 20.e2 b5 d8 21.f7+ e8 1/2-1/2 is another game
21.d4! The exchange of queens seriously from last month: Arslanov, S (2411)-Sychev,
undermines Black's centre. xd4 22.xd4 K (2258), Moscow RUS 2011; 16.xc3?!
f8 23.g5! xe2 24.xe2 d7 25.gxf6 e5 is also in the Archives) 16...d5 ( 16...g6
26.b2 xf6 27.g8+ f8 28.xf8+ xf8 is also possible) 17.b3 c8 18.0-0 c2
29.d1 d4 30.f4! White now wins a pawn, of A b ra h am ya n , T (23 2 6)-Za to n sk ih, A
but the endgame proves surprisingly difficult (2499), Saint Louis USA 2011 is fully equal -
to convert thanks to Lputian's dogged see the Archives ]
defence. a5! 31.fxe5 axb4 32.axb4 a2 16.xc4
33.d2 xe5 34.xd4 xd2+ 35.xd2 [ I gave 16.xc4 b5 17.e3 xc2
f3+ 36.c3 e7 18.xc2 b6 with 'compensation in the
[ 36...xh2 37.c4 looks dangerous. ] f o rm o f B la c k' s t wo b i sh o p s a n d li gh t -
37.h3 g5 38.h4 f3 39.h5 h4 40.d3 square control, combined with White's bad
f5 41.e5 e6 42.e4 e7 43.b5 c8 bishop on b2.' in my notes to the first
44.b8 e7 45.c6 This seems only to draw. Abrahamyan-Zatonskih game. ]
I imagine that White must have missed a way 16...b6 and here I said that this 'seems
to win it somehow. bxc6 46.b6 d5 47.b7 enough compensation for the pawn'. The
f6+ 48.f3 d7 49.c7 f5 50.f4 c5 game provides a test of that assessment:
51.d6 c4 52.e3 e6 53.g3 c3 54.e1 17.b3
c2 55.d2 d5 56.g3 c6 57.b8 [ 17.xc6 xc6 gives Black a terrific bishop
xb8 58.xb8 d5 59.xc2 e4 60.h6 on c6 (contrast White's on b2), an outpost
Unfortunately for White he cannot avoid this on d5, and the possibility of probing
advance, when a book draw is reached as the White's weaknesses on the queenside. ]
black king cannot be forced out of the corner. 17...d5!?
f5 61.a7 g6 62.e3 f7 63.d3 g8 [ 17...b5 is an attractive option, preventing
64.e4 f8 65.f5 f7 66.d4 g8 White from castling. ]
67.f6 f8 68.c5+ g8 69.e7 h8 18.e3?!
70.f8 [ 18.xd5! s h o u l d b e p l a y e d : exd5
½-½ ( 18...xd5 19.c4 ) 19.c5 ]
18...a4 19.b1 b5! 20.f3 e7 21.f2
c8 Black clearly has compensation in the
274 C02 form of outposts and activity. 22.a1 0-0
Skliarov,Dimitrij 2206 23.g5! A good try to discourage ...f6 and
Vorontsov,Pavel 2055 prepare an attack by Nf6+. a2 24.d5?!
ch-UKR semi-final (8.50) 10.05.2011 Trying to add his bishop to the attack by
[John Watson] giving the pawn back, but it would be better to
play solidly by
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 [ 24.hc1 c2 25.xc2 xc2 26.h4 ]
b6 6.a3 cxd4 7.cxd4 h6 8.b4 f5 24...xd5
9.b2 d7 10.g4 fe7 11.c3 [ 24...exd5! is still better, since 25.f6+
[ 11.d3 a5 ( 11...g6 ) 12.c3?! c4 h8! achieves nothing. ]
13.bd2 g6! with advantage was played 25.f6+! xf6
in the very recent game Kraus, T (2220) - [ 25...gxf6 26.gxf6 is too risky, since xf6
Seidl, S (2090), Hradec Kralove CZE 2011. ] 27.exf6 is forced. ]
11...a5 12.c2 c4 13.xc4 dxc4 26.gxf6 c2 27.bd1 d8 28.g5?
14.d2 c6 15.ce4 c8!? Black plays for Good idea, wrong order.

231
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 28.g3 xd2 transposes to the game ]
28...xd2+!? This will give Black a winning
position, but
[ 28...xd2+! 29.xd2 dxd2+ 30.e3
g2 wins, because 31.h5 g5! threatens
mate, and 32.f4 b6 is the end. ]
29.g3 Now White at least gets some attack
for his piece. f8 30.xg7+ e8 31.g8+
[ 31.xd2 xd2 32.g1 b6! ]
31...d7 32.xf7+ c8 33.xd2 xd2
34.xe6+!? White will lose in the long run
anyway, so taking this chance is worth it.
b8?? A blunder, perhaps in time trouble.
[ 34...d7! 35.c4+ b8 wins, because
36.f7 ( 36.e6 g8+ ) 36...g5+ 37.f2
e6! 38.xe6 d2+ is mate in two more
moves. ]
35.f7 g5+ 36.g4 ( t h e p o i n t ) xg4+
37.xg4 c4 38.f4! xf7 39.f5 The pawns
are very strong. b6?
[ 39...e8 with the idea 40.e6? ( 40.e1!
d5 41.e6 b6 hangs in there, although
Black is in trouble) 40...xe6 41.fxe6
xe6 ]
40.e6 g8 41.e5+ a8 42.g5
[ 42.c7 e8 43.xb6 axb6 44.e1
, winning ]
42...c8 43.c1 e8 44.f6? e7! 45.g1
d5+ 46.g7 e7 47.f6?
[ 47.g5 xf5+ 48.xf5 xe6 will draw. ]
47...f5+ 48.h8 xe6+ 49.xh7 f7!?
[ 49...b6 ]
50.f4 a6 51.g5 d4
[ 51...e6! 52.g3 xg3 53.hxg3 f8
54.g7 g8+ 55.h6 h8+ 56.g7
g8+= ]
52.g7 b3 53.f7 c2+ 54.g6?
[ 54.h6! f5+ 55.g6 d6+ 56.f6
e4+ 57.f5 d6+ 58.f6 xf7 59.xf7
may or may not end in a draw, but obviously
this isn't what Black wanted. ]
54...f8 55.g7 xg6 56.xf8 e6+
57.e7 xf7 58.e3?
[ 58.xf7 xf4 59.h4 b5 60.f6 b7
61.g5 e6+ 62.f6 f4 63.f5 h5
64.g5 g3 65.f4= ]
58...g8 59.h4 This pawn will pick up a piece,
but Black gts to the queenside. c7 60.f8
h7 61.h5 d5 62.f2 b8 63.g7 e4
64.h6 c7 65.h7 xh7 66.xh7 c6
67.g6 b5 68.c5? b6?
[ 68...a5! 69.f5 a4 should win. ]
69.f8
[ 69.f2! ]
69...e3 70.f6 c4 From now on it's easy.
71.a4+ xa4 72.e6 e3 73.d7 c2
74.c6 b5 75.c5 xb4 76.d4 a5
77.c3 c6 78.b2 b4 79.g7 b5
80.a2 a4 81.b2 a5 82.f6 c4
83.a1 b3+ 84.b1 a3 85.f6 a4
86.d4 a2+ 87.c1 a3
0-1
275 C02
Smerdon,David 2421
Zhao,Zong Yuan 2461
Classic Queenstown NZL (5) 19.01.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 There isn't too much theory
on 9.Nbd2. Therefore analysis to this game is
entirely my own, with the help of Fritz. So
please don't take anything on trust, especially
in the sharp lines given after 9... Bc5- watch
out for mistakes! 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 b6 8.0-0 xd4
9.bd2!? Certainly this is worth a try, as the
mainline Milner-Barry with 9.Nxd4 etc. is
looking grim for White. c5! The crucial test
of W hite's ninth move. Other continuations
seem to grant White easy compensation for
his pawn, for example
[ 9...c6 10.b3 c7?! Better to wait to
see if the queen is attacked with Be3 before
playing this retreat. 11.f4 ge7 12.g3
g6?! 13.f4 g7 14.c1 h6 15.e1 a6
16.h4! and White had a bind on both sides
of t he b oa rd in Sm e rd on , D-Va id ya , C/
Kochin IND 2004. ]
[ 9...xf3+ 10.xf3 c8 11.g5! h6
12.xh7 The manoeuvre Ng5 and Nxh7
m i g h t s e e m s o m e wh a t o d d , b u t i t i s a
fundamental idea f or W hite in this line.
Besides grabbing a pawn back, it also stops
Black castling kingside and introduces the
idea of Bxh6, winning the f6 square for the
white knight. b5 13.xh6 gxh6 14.xb5+
xb5 15.c1 c5 16.f6+ e7 17.f3
c6 and White had attacking chances which
he increased by opening lines with 18.b4
b6 19.e4! h7 ( If 19...dxe4 20.f6+
232
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
wins the rook) 20.d6 xb4 21.xb7
xc1 22.xc1 b2 23.e1 and White went
onto win in Smerdon, D-West, G/Melbourne
AUS 2004. ]
10.b4!? If this natural looking attempt to open
lines fails, then I believe W hite must be in
trouble. Nothing else is as forceful e.g.
[ 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3 e7 and Black
looks secure. ]
10...xf3+ 11.xf3 xb4 12.g5
[ Perhaps White should investigate 12.b1
a4 ( or 12...a5 13.g5 ) 13.c2 xa2
14.xb7 ]
12...a4 13.h5? An obvious attacking move
b u t i n wh a t f o l l o w s t h e q u e e n b e c o m e s
vulnerable to exchange by Nh6 and Qg4!- the
last thing White wants to happen. No better is
[ 13.f3? h6 14.xh7 g4 and there go
the queens again- but interesting was ]
[ 13.c2!?
A) 13...d4 14.f3! h6 and now ( not
14...xa1? 15.xf7+ d8 16.xg7
when h8 goes with a rampant attack for
White. ) 15.f4! gives White enough play
for the pawn, while fantasists might like to
try out ( 15.e3?! xe5 16.xc5 xg5
when the dark squares around the black
king are loose, but it will take something
major for White to break through the light
square barrier. );
B) 13...h4 14.g3! d4 15.f3 h6
and we have the 13... Qd4 line but with g2-
g3 added. The same comments as above
apply to 16.f4!? and ( 16.e3?! xe5
17.xc5 xg5 );
C) 13...c6!? Getting the queen back to
safety seems the best approach, though in
fact she might end up a target here for a
f u t u r e R c 1 . 14.xh7 ( White runs into
trouble after 14.h5 h6 15.xh7 d4!
16.xh6 xc2 but you might want to
delve deeper into other moves after 14.
Qh5. ) 14...0-0-0 ( or 14...e7 15.g5!? )
15.g5 intending Rc1 etc. and despite the
weird knight on h7 White has definite play
for the pawn. ]
13...h6 14.xh7 xh7!? This leads to a
highly promising endgame, but the greedy
[ 14...d4! attacking both d3 and a1 looks
very strong e.g. 15.e2 ( or 15.xh6 xd3
a n d B l a c k wi n s a p i e c e o n t h e h - f i l e .)
15...f5! ]
15.xh7 g4! Pouring cold water on White's
attacking aspirations. 16.h3
[ Or 16.xg4 xg4 when besides the threat
of taking on e5 or blocking in the bishop
with 17...g6, White has to reckon with 17...
Bb5. Still, perhaps 17.d3 xe5 18.e2
would have been the best way to fight on,
though Black undoubtedly has the better of it
due to his protected passed pawn. ]
16...xh3 17.gxh3 c6 Nominally speaking,
W hite is ahead on material, but his pawn
structure is riddled with holes and his rooks
have no open lines: the black pawns and
pieces form a barrier that stretches across the
whole bo ard . 18.b1 d7 19.b3 h8
20.d3 f5 21.xf5 exf5 22.g2 e6
An excellent post for the black king. 23.g3
d4+ 24.g1 g6 25.a3 b6! Declining the
exchange of bishops ensures that the white
r o o k s a r e h e l d a t b a y . 26.d6 h4
Now Black prepares the decisive advance of
the passed pawn. 27.d1 e4 28.f1 b5+
29.g2 e2 30.d2 a5 31.xe2 xe2
32.c5 c3 33.a3 a5 34.f3 e1
0-1
276 C02
Stevic,H 2601
Galic,I2 2356
21st CRO-Cup (4.12) 18.05.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
9.e3 f6
[ In my book, I analyse this as well as the
alternatives 9...xe3 10.fxe3 g6 and ]
[ 9...e7 ]
[ A game this month went 9...d7 10.d3
xe3 11.fxe3 c8 12.0-0 e7 ( 12...g6!? )
13.e1 f5 14.exf6 xf6 15.c3 0-0
16.a4 d8 17.c5 b6 18.xd7 xd7
19.a2 d6 . This position is more or less
equal. The game continued 20.b5 d8
21.g4 g6 22.g5 g7 23.h4 e5 24.dxe5
e6 25.h5 gxh5 26.g6 h6 27.g2 b7
28.h4 c3 29.d4 c5 30.h4 c3
31.d4 c5 32.h4 c3 1/2-1/2 Yu
Yangyi (2626)-Ding Liren (2679)/ Danzhou
233
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

CHN 2012. ] 26...xe7 27.c7 f4? 28.xa8 fxe3+

10.exf6 gxf6 11.b5!? New, as far as I know, 29.e1
and apparently not very good. 1-0
[ 11.d2? xb4! 12.axb4 xb4 13.c3
d7 and . ..Rc8 works out to Black's
a d v a n t a g e . I n P T F 4 I g i ve g a m e s a n d 277 C02
analysis with ] Stevic,Hrvoje 2624
[ 11.d3 and ] Kortschnoj,Viktor 2566
[ 11.c3 ] 17th TCh-Eur (6) 27.10.2009
11...xe3 12.fxe3 e7! Black now has [John Watson]
ideas of .. .e5, ...Nf 5, and ...Bh6 he may
already stand a bit better. 13.h4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
[ Neither 13.d3?! e5 ] b6 6.a3 d7 Bringing a rook to c8 at the
[ nor 13.e2? f5 14.d3 h6 earliest possible moment. I've never seen the
are desirable for White. ] need for this, but have to admit that it looks
13...a5+!? sound and theoretically satisfactory.
[ Or 13...d7 w i t h t h e i d e a 14.h5+?! [ The old line 6...h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4
( 14.d3 0-0-0 15.0-0 h6 16.e1 e5 ) f5 looked good in a few recent contests:
14...d8 ] 9.b2 ( 9.e3 d7 10.d3 xe3 11.fxe3
14.f2 g7!? e7 12.0-0 c8 isn't forced, but was the
[ 14...d7! 15.a4 c8 ] actual order in Arngrimsson-Johannesson in
15.h5+ f8 16.d3 d7 17.c1 xb5? the note on 9...Nh6! We've seen games with
[ 17...c8 and Black has an obvious the theoretical move 9...f6, which often leads
positional edge, although the position of his to an early repetition of moves. Check out
king limits his advantage. ] Acs-Williams and Otero-Nogueiras ) 9...d7
18.c5 a6 19.c3 White gets his pawn A) There are a series of high-level
back and is suddenly very active. f5? successes f or Black in the Archives
[ 19...c8 20.xb5 axb5 21.xb5 c3 following 10.g4 , when I think that both
22.d1 ] h6 is a fine move, and the better-known
20.xb5 axb5 21.xb5?! ( 10...fe7 are perfectly fine 11.c3 g6
[ 21.f3! threatens Ng5 and covers d2. will equalize );
White has an enormous advantage. ] B) 10.e2 h5!? ( 10...e7 is a good
21...c6? Strangely poor play for players with a l t e r n a t i v e) 11.h4?! e7 12.g3?!
such high ratings. Black now loses, he could (weakening f3 there have been numerous
have hung in there by g a m e s wi t h t h i s i d e a ) c8 13.d2
[ 21...d2+ 22.e2!? ( 22.f1 d3+; . This position was just played in Degraeve,
22.g1 xe3+ 23.h1 h6 ) 22...xe2+ J (2573)-Clery, N (2374)/Le Touquet 2009
23.xe2 f6 24.f3 c6 with the idea here the standard and thematic move f6!
25.c7 c8 26.xe6+?! e7 27.f4 wa s s t r o n g . I t ' s n o t c l e a r h o w W h i t e
xd4+ 28.exd4 xc5 29.b1 c2+ defends his centre, e.g., 14.d3 fxe5
30.d1 hc8 31.xb7+ d6= ] 15.xf5 0-0! ]
22.f3?! This will win, but 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 c8 9.e3
[ 22.d6 c7 23.hxf5 ends things more In Sveshnikov's Advance Variation book, he
quickly. ] likes both this move and 9 Bb2. His analysis
22...e7 23.b1 d8 is rather outdated, and most games that he
[ 23...ab8 ] cites are from the 1990s to 2001.
24.g5 d7 [ 9.b2 has loads of theory behind it. One
[ 24...e8 25.xe8+ axe8 26.c7 ] example is ge7 ( 9...h6 10.d3 a5
25.f7+ e7 26.xe7+ 11.0-0 c4 12.xc4 xc4 13.c3 a6
[ 26.xd5+! exd5 27.xd5+ c8 or 13..Be7 or 13...Nf5 is considered fine for
28.d6+ ] Black ) 10.c3 a5 was Polovnikova, E

234
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

(2383)-Radziewicz, I (2428)/Istanbul 2003, [ 17.c3! leaves Black looking for a plan,

when 11 Nd2? Nc4! 12 Bxc4 dxc4 13 Ne4 since f6 18.c2! fxe5 19.xe5 e8??
Nd5 came out very well Black, because he now loses to 20.xd5! ]
has taken over key light squares. Instead, 17...e7 18.e1 g6 Now Black's game is
Neil praises 11.a4 , giving c6 12.c5 back on track. It's about equal. 19.g2 g8
c4 13.b3 and now 13...b5(?) but why not 20.f4 f6 21.e3 e7!? This allows an
b6! 14.xd7 xd7 , or even 13...Ng6 ? I unclear trick.
think Black is at least equal in those cases. ] [ 21...6e7 ]
9...a5!? Sveshnikov neglects this move and 22.f5 Good, but played with the wrong idea.
concentrates upon exf5?
[ Two games from the past two months: [ 22...xe5! 23.dxe5 c5
9...h6 10.d3 g4 ( 10...f5 gains compensation in the form of three
is also playable ) 11.0-0 pawns, e.g., 24.f4 fxe5 25.xe5 exf5
A) 11...e7 might gain a tempo if White 26.xc5 xc5+ 27.e3 d4 ]
p la ys h 3 , a lt h o u gh h e n e e d n 't d o so : 23.gxf5?
12.bd2 a5!? ( 12...b8! is the main [ 23.e6! wi n s a p i e c e : xe6 ( 23...e8
line ) 13.b5 b8 14.a4 xe3 15.fxe3 24.gxf5 traps the knight ) 24.gxf5 ]
0-0 16.e2 c3 17.ac1 fc8 18.xc3 23...xe5! 24.dxe5 c5 25.f4 fxe5
xc3 gives balanced play Black seems to A much better version of the previous note for
have the initiative, but he will have to take Black. It's surprising that Korchnoi doesn't win
some time to bring his knight to d7 and this one. 26.xc5 xc5+ 27.e3 e4!
perhaps b6; 28.xc5 xc5 29.c2! xc2?!
B) 11...xe3 12.fxe3 e7 13.bd2 [ 29...fc8! is the obvious way to keep the
( 13.e2 0-0 14.bd2 f6 15.b5 d8 i n i t i a t i v e : 30.xc5 xc5 31.e2 f6
16.exf6 xf6 leads to equality, according 32.d2 c3 ]
to Sveshnikov, but 16...Na5! looks even 30.xc2 xb5?
better ) 13...b8! 14.e1 ( 14.b3 a4 [ 30...c8 ]
15.b1 xb3 16.xb3 0-0 31.d1 xf5 32.e3 Equalising. f3
1/2-1/2 Stevic, H (2624)-Socko, B (2637)/ [ 32...g5+ 33.h2 c6 34.b3 f6
Novi Sad 2009 14...Bb5 is another 35.c3 ]
method ) 14...0-0 15.f3 f5! 16.exf6 33.xd5 e3! 34.e4! xh3 35.bc3 e2
xf6!? ( go o d e n o u gh , b u t 16...xf6! 36.e1 c4 37.g2 h4 38.b6 a6
is safe and more thematic) 17.b3 a4 39.f3 h6 40.bd5 b5 41.xe2 b4
18.b1 xb3 19.xb3 Arngrimsson, D 42.a4
(2396)-Johannesson, I (2323), Reykjavik [ 42.axb4 axb4 43.xb4 xe2 44.xe2
2 0 0 9 a n d h e r e c7 is the easiest will be drawn. ]
equaliser. ] 42...b7 43.c1 c6 44.d4 xd5
10.b5 ce7 45.xd5 d6 46.xg8
[ 10...a7 11.a4 b4+ 12.d2 [ 46.f7 ]
leaves Black tied up. ] 46...xg8 47.c4 h5 48.f3 d5 49.e4
11.d3 f5 12.0-0 gh6 13.a2 e7 g5 50.c8+ f7 51.c7+ f6 52.c6+
14.h3?! Versus ...Ng4, but it's unnecessary. f7 53.e6 g1 54.f4 b3 55.b6 g5
0-0 56.b7+ e8 57.xh5 g4+ 58.d3 xa4
[ 14...xe3 15.fxe3 0-0 and ...f6 looks 59.xb3 f7 60.g3 b4 61.xb4
good. ] ½-½
15.d2 h8?
[ 15...f6! 16.a4 fxe5! 17.xe5 e8!
leaves d4 hanging after an exchange on a5
so, for example, ...Bf6 can follow, and/or ...
Nd6. ]
16.a4! d8 17.g4?!

235
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
278 C02
Sveshnikov,Evgeny 2524
Bareev,Evgeny 2701
37th Olympiad (2) 22.05.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
d7 6.e2 c8!? A noteworthy attempt to
escape from mainline theory. With his 6th and
7th moves, Black delays Nge7 so that he can
respond to Na3 with c5xd4 and then Bxa3. He
also avoids Nh6, so that White has no option
of Bxh6. 7.0-0 a6 Bareev keeps on waiting.
8.a3 This is somehow playing into his
opponent's hands. There were three
alternatives.
[ 8.bd2 cxd4 9.cxd4 ge7 10.b3 g6
11.d2 e7 12.c1 0-0 with complex play
in Jonkman, H-Zhukova, N/W ijk aan Zee
NED 2005. Black later managed to seize
the initiative with a5-a4 and Qb6. ]
[ 8.e3 b6?! I don't like this much as
W hite is able to ignore the threat to b2.
Maybe ( 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 ge7 is the way
to play it.) 9.dxc5 xc5 ( It would be risky to
take on b2 e.g. 9...xb2 10.bd2 xc3
11.b1 but perhaps this was the consistent
way for Black to play it.) 10.xc5 xc5
11.bd2 f6 12.b3 b6 13.c4!
and W hite had the initiative in Schlosser,
P-Motwani, P/ Mulhouse FRA 2005. ]
[ 8.a3 cxd4 9.cxd4 ge7 10.b4 f5
11.b2 h5 ( Much more ambitious than
11...b6 when after 12.d2 e7 13.d1
0-0 14.c3 d8 a draw was agreed in
Goloshchapov, A-Roiz, M/Saint Vincent ITA
2005. ) 12.c3 g5! Beginning a sudden and
unexpected attack which makes the white
b i s h o p l o o k s t u p i d o n b 2 . 13.a4?
( H e h a d t o m i x t h i n g s u p w i t h 13.b5 )
13...g4 14.e1 cxd4! 15.xd4 xd4
16.xd4 xa4 and Black won in Marechal,
A-Barsov, A/Metz FRA 2005. ]
8...cxd4 9.cxd4 xa3 10.bxa3 ge7
11.b1 a5 Black has given up his important
dark squared bishop with Bxa3, but in doing
so he has uncluttered his position and won a
splendid square on c4 for his knight, as White
c a n n o l o n g e r p l a y b 2 - b 3 . 12.a4?!
As the bishop on c1 never goes to a3, this
seems a loss of time. Furthermore, the pawn
becomes exposed to attack on a4. W hite
should have considered attacking options
such as
[ 12.g5 or ]
[ 12.h4 ]
12...c6 13.d3 h6 14.c2 c4 15.e1
a5 16.h4?!
[ A b e t t e r m e t h o d o f a t t a c k wa s 16.g4!?
intending Ng2, f2-f4 etc. But Black has at
least a draw with c7! 17.d3 ( or 17.g2
d7! threatening 18...Nxe5. 18.d3 c6 )
17...d7 18.c2 ( the defence of d4
confounds White after 18.f4 xa4 19.f3
c6 ) 18...c7 etc. ]
16...f5 17.g3 0-0 18.g2
[ Black gains a strong initiative after 18.g4
f6! 19.xf5?! ( he has to endure 19.exf6
xf6 20.f3 ) 19...exf5 20.xf5 fxe5
21.e6+ h8 22.dxe5 e8 23.h3
xe5 ]
18...e7 19.f4
[ Again if 19.g4 f6! ]
19...a3! Just in time before White can play
20. Qg4, when this time 20... f6 would fail to
21.Ng6. 20.xf5 exf5 21.xa3 xa3
22.h5 The exchange of pieces has
weakened White's attack and opened the way
for an attack on his fragile queenside pawns.
xa4 23.fd1 c2! Bareev wan ts to
exchange his f5 pawn for the white d4 pawn,
so that his bishop will come to life. At the
same time, his queen will remain active in the
centre. In contrast, after
[ 23...xa2? 24.xf5 Black has connected
passed pawns, but W hite has a potential
a t t a c k o n t h e b la c k k in g wh ic h h e c a n
strengthen with moves like Nh5 and Qg4. ]
24.e1 ce8 25.bc1 b2 26.cd1 a4!
27.c1
[ White's initiative runs out of steam if he
sacrifices the exchange: 27.xd5 xd1
28.xd1 xa2 29.e3 e6 30.xf5 g6
31.xh6+ g7 32.g5 f6 33.exf6+ xf6
and Black's passed pawns will decide the
endgame in his favour. ]
27...xd4 28.xf5 c6 29.cd1 b4
30.d3 c4 31.d2 a4 Bareev is
outplaying his opponent move by move with
tough positional chess. 32.c1 b5 33.d4
a3 34.c2 e7 35.c3 a8 36.b3 c4
37.d2 d4 Finally the black bishop comes to
236
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

life. 38.c1 a4 39.e6 fxe6 40.b4 a5 21.g3 so the question arises where did
41.xd4 d8 42.c4 f5 43.e1 g5! Black go wrong? Or is 9 c3 simply a good
44.xe6 move? Here is a last minute update. Just
[ Or 44.xe6 d5 winning the knight. ] before adding this game to the website I
44...xe6 showed the position to 13 year old Thomas
[ For if 44...xe6 45.xe6+ xe6 46.xe6 Rendle during a training session. He pointed
d1+ 47.h2 h1# ] out that instead of 20...Qf6, Black has the
0-1 strong exchange sacrifice 20...Rxf3! 21 gxf3
and now 21...Nd4!? or 21...Qxh4 both give
Black a dangerous attack. This looks
279 C02 clearly better for Black. ]
Sveshnikov,Evgeny 2541 18.xf3 xg5 19.xg6 xh4 20.f7+ h8
Komarov,Dimitri 2582 21.ad1 White's pressure on the centre will
chTeam Vrnjacka Banja YUG 18.08.1999 pick up the e6 pawn, which will open the way
[Neil McDonald] for a strong onslaught. b6 22.xe6 xe6
23.xe6 d4 24.xd4 xd4 25.g3 g5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.g4 cxd4 26.b5! Black has regained his material and
5.f3 c6 6.d3 ge7 John Watson more but now he comes under a winning
favours the immediate attack. xb2 27.d6 b8 28.e2?! Instead
[ 6...c7!? This attacks e5 before White has [ 28.f7+ g8 29.xd5! ( 29.xg5?
the option of defending it with Re1. c1+ ) 29...f8 30.e1! gives White a
Therefore, unless he wishes to gambit the decisive attack. ]
pawn, White would have to defend it with the 28...c1+ 29.h2 h6 30.e8 c5 31.f7
less thematic 7 Bf4 or 7 Qg3, which reduces d4 32.f4 d8 33.f8+ h7 34.f5+ h8
his options. After 7.0-0 xe5 8.xe5 35.f8+ h7 36.h3 b5 37.f5+ g8
xe5 9.f4 f6 10.g3 ( 10.xg7 xf4 38.e6+ h7 39.f5+ g8 40.g6 f6
11.xh8 e7 and the entombed White 41.e6 Black resigned as if d8 42.xg7!
queen will soon be trapped.) 10...h5 xg7 43.e8#
11.b5+ d7 Black is fine-J.Watson. ] 1-0
7.0-0 g6 8.e1 e7 9.c3!? An amazing
idea. W hite is happy to exchange of f the
sickly pawn on d4 and thus stay a healthy 280 C02
pawn down. In previous games W hite had Sveshnikov,Evgeny 2551
tried to undermine the support of the d4 pawn Volkov,Sergey 2634
with 9 a3 aiming for b4. Sveshnikov decides TCh Togliatti RUS (8) 23.05.2003
to make it a real Gambit. dxc3 10.xc3 d7 [Neil McDonald]
11.d2 b4 12.b1 c8 13.a3 c6
[ 13...c4?! 14.g3 c6? 15.d3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
traps the rook. ] d7 6.a3 a5 7.b3 White prevents 7...a4 as
14.d3 A bit of jockeying for position. 0-0 then 8.b4! would have achieve his aim of
15.h4 f5 16.exf6 xf6 17.g5 xf3? getting control of the c5 square. It also deters
The exchange sacrifice proves unsatisfactory. 7...Bb5 as 8.c4!? breaking up the centre looks
[ Perhaps Black had missed that the natural good for white. a6!?
f r e e i n g m o v e 17...e5? doesn't work here [ In a couple of earlier games Volkov has
b e c a u s e o f 18.h5! e4? 19.xf6 xf6 played 7...e7 here-see for example his
20.xd5+ ] ga m e wi t h De lc h e v o n Ch e ssP u b . T h e
[ Black should settle f or 17...f7! e.g. knight doesn't look well placed on a6, but it
18.xg6 hxg6 19.xe7 xe7! 20.xg6 clears the way for Rc8 and allows d4xc5 to
( 20.xd5? d o e s n ' t w o r k a f t e r exd5 ) be answered by Nxc5. Black also avoids
20...f6 with sufficient play. However, White being bullied into 7...Nc6, when the idea of
definitely has some advantage here after Bb5 is no longer possible. ]

237
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
8.e3?! A natural move, but it invites a
response with Nh6.
[ Perhaps better, but not particularly
dangerous for Black, was 8.d3 -see the
note to the Eingorn game in Delchev-Volkov
on ChessPub. ]
8...c8 9.d3 h6! So Black has developed
his knights to a6 and h6 and been awarded
two exclamation marks. I wonder what Dr
Tarrasch would have made of this? 10.xh6?
[ Black has no problems after this exchange.
I t w a s b e t t e r t o k e e p t h e t e n s i o n wi t h
10.0-0 ]
10...gxh6 11.0-0 g7 12.a2 cxd4 13.cxd4
b5 14.d2 0-0 15.xb5 xb5 16.d3
c1! 17.xc1 xd3 18.bd2 h5!
Black clears h6 for the bishop. He prefers this
to f7-f6 as it does less damage to his kingside.
Besides the rook can always be activated on
c8 once the white queen has moved away to
side-step the looming fork. 19.d1 h6
20.h4 b8! 21.a1
[ White cannot keep control of the c file and
deal with the threat of Nc6 attacking d4 for
example if 21.c7 c6 22.xb7 xd4
wins for Black in view of the pin on the d
file. ]
21...c8 22.f1 xb3 23.b1 d3 24.b2
d7 25.e1 b5 26.g3 c3 27.xh5
It looks as if W hite has the makings of a
strong attack on the kingside, but Volkov now
comes up with a five move combination to
force the exchange of queens.
[ A way to keep the battle going was 27.b1
when the sharp sequence c2 28.xb5
c1+ 29.h2 xb1 30.xd7 gives White
a lot of play for the exchange. ]
27...b3 28.a2 xa3 29.b2 b3 30.e2
c4 31.d1 d3 The white queen can no
longer escape from exchange after which the
queenside passed pawns are decisive.
32.xd3 xd3 33.f6+ xf6 34.exf6 b4
35.e5 c3 36.f1 b3 37.e2 a4 38.a1
b2 39.xa4 b1
0-1
281 C02
Sveshnikov,Evgeny 2565
Volkov,Sergey 2567
Open Dubai UAE (5) 19.04.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
d7 6.a3 a5 7.e2
[ Instead 7.d3 was played in Illijin-Vakhidov
on ChessPub. ]
7...a4!? An extremely provocative move that
has become trendy recently. 8.0-0 c6
9.d3 a5 10.c2 c4 11.g5!?
A new attacking move.
[ Initially White chose 11.bd2 here, but
Volkov successfully defended Black's
position after xb2 12.xb2 xb2 13.c4
cxd4 14.cxd5 exd5 in Cherniaev,A-Volkov,
S/Biel 1999 and Jonkman, H-Volkov,S /
Korinthos 2000. ]
[ However, Grischuk and Jonkman have
scored notab le su ccesse s wit h 11.a2!?
holding onto the b pawn. ]
[ 11.a2 e7 12.e1 c6 ( Later against
the same opponent Gurevich tried 12...b5
but still came under a strong attack:
13.bd2 xd2 14.xd2 c6 15.e3 c4
16.a1 xb2 17.b1 xc3 18.xb7 a6
19.c7 c8 20.xc6! xc6 21.xa4 b7
22.b1 a5 23.xc6+ xc6 24.dxc5 e7
25.d4 d7 26.xc6 xc6 27.c1
a n d W h i t e wa s wi n n in g i n G ris ch u k , A -
Gurevich,M/Cannes FRA 2001.) 13.xa4
6xe5 This is the idea- a standard trick to
regain the pawn. The problem is that White
can break open the position before Black
has time to castle kingside. 14.xd7+ xd7
15.b3! d6 ( Or 15...a5 16.b4! cxb4
17.axb4 a7 18.xa5 xa5 19.bxa5
xb1 20.a4 Threatening 21. Ne5. Black
had nothing better than to give up his queen
but he lost quickly: d6 21.f4 xe1+
22.xe1 xf4 23.b4 c7 24.d3 f6
25.g3 f8 26.f4 1-0 Jonkman,H-Peng
Zhaoqin/Wijk aan Zee NED 2002.) 16.c4!
dxc4 17.d5 xb3 18.dxe6 fxe6 19.xe6+
d8 20.c2! a6 21.c3 b5 22.g5+
c7 23.d5+ b8 24.xa6 bxa6 25.f4+
d6 26.xd6+ xd6 27.e3 c7 28.d2
d3 29.c1 b6 30.dxc4 bxc4
31.xc4 xc4 32.xc4 and White won a
238
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
pawn with a continuing attack in Grischuk,
A-Gurevich, M/Cannes FRA 2001. ]
11...cxd4 12.cxd4 xb2 13.f3 h6
14.c3 c4 15.d1! A quiet move
defending the important d4 pawn. Now White
has a lot of open lines for his pieces. c6
16.xh7! Not only regaining the pawn but
a ls o c l e a r in g lin e s f o r t h e d a rk sq u a re d
bishop. e7 17.xh6 gxh6 18.f6+ d8
Black's king has been displaced but he has
compensation in the fact that if White wants
to carry on attacking Nxa3 cannot really be
p r e v e n t e d . 19.d3 c8 20.xd7 xd7
21.xf7 f8 22.g6 xa3 The passed
pawn on a4 is the basis of all Black's hopes.
His king is uncomfortable but on the other
hand he has every piece on an active square.
23.e2 c4 24.db1 b5 25.c3 a3
26.xb5 a7! leaving the white rook on b1
a n d t h e k n i g h t h a n g i n g . 27.xe6
This sacrifice looks tremendously strong but it
turns out there is no clear cut follow up. xc3
28.xd5+ c8 29.e6+ d8 30.d5+
c8 31.c1 White could force a draw by
repetition with
[ 31.e6+ which was perhaps best. It all
depends if there is a win for him hidden
somewhere in the crazy struggle that
follows. ]
31...xc1+ 32.xc1+ b8 33.d7 a6
34.g3 e2! The first counterattack. 35.f1
c2 Threatening 36...Qxf1+! 37.Kxf1 Ne3+
winning a rook. 36.b5 f3 37.e6 b7
38.d1 The only move as both Qxb5 and
Nxd4 were threatened. xb5 39.xe7 e8
40.d6+ b7 41.d5 a3! Now the tide has
turned and Black is winning. An extraordinary
game! 42.xh6 c5 43.b1+ a7
44.g7+ e7 45.f8 a2 46.b8+ a6
47.c1 b7 48.a8+ a7 49.e8 a1
50.xa1+ xa1 51.d6 b3 52.e6 xd6
53.c8+ b6
0-1
282 C02
Svidler,Peter 2733
Shirov,Alexei 2713
Rapid KO Final rapid (1) 06.06.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
d7 6.e2
[ Instead 6.d3 b5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.b4
featured in the ChessPub game Pap,M-
Buljovcic,I a nd here xf2+? ( 8...f8! )
9.e2 leaves the bishop trapped on f2.
W hat happens in the present game is far
more double edged. ]
6...b5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.b4
[ Solid was 8.0-0 though Black has a
comfortable game e.g. xe2 9.xe2 a5
( 9...a6!? ) 10.a4 e7 11.a3 0-0
12.b5 d7 13.d2 c6 14.fb1 fc8
and Black already had the edge in
Lobzhanidze,D-Volkov,S/Bad Woerishofen
1999. ]
8...xf2+!? A move that has been a long time
coming. The future English GM Mestel played
8.b4 in the Olympiad at Haifa in 1976, but
until the game in 1998 between Kristjansson
and Thorsson, given in the next note, Black
had retreated his bishop or played 8...Bxe2. It
has therefore taken Black 23 years to pluck up
the courage to take this pawn. 9.f1 d7
[ Perhaps not the best. 9...c6!? 10.d3
( The move 10.c4? is much less effective
here than in the next note as Black can
defend with dxc4 11.a3 d5 with every
chance to win.) 10...a6 11.a4 e7 12.a2
f5 13.g4 h4 14.a5 a7 15.xh4
xh4 16.e3 b6 White regains his pawn
but that is all he has to be pleased about as
his pawn structure on the kingside is ragged
and his king an easy target. 17.xb6 b7
18.d4 f6 19.d2 0-0 20.exf6 d7
21.f3 xf6 22.g5 b5 23.e3 xd4
24.cxd4 xf3+! 25.xf3 f8 and White lost
his queen in Kristjansson,S-Thorsson,O/
Reykjavik 1998. ]
10.d2?!
[ Black cannot be allowed to extract his
bishop with Be3, but an interesting
alternative was 10.a4 so that if 10...Be3??
1 1 . a 5 w i n s t h e b i s h o p . A f t e r s a y a6
play could oceed as in the game, with the
239
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
good point for White that he has prevented
Bb5. But the crucial move was ]
[ 10.c4! threatening to shut out the queen
with 11.c5. Then a6 ( After 10...dxc4?
11.a3! the threat of 12.Nxc4, followed if
necessary by 13.Nd6+ looks overwhelming
f o r W h it e .) 11.c5 xc5 12.bxc5 xc5
gives Black three pawns and the initiative for
the knight. French expert Mikhail Gurevich
is always trying to get this sort of material
balance so I guess it should be enough for
B l a c k e . g . 13.c3 e7 14.a4 xa4
15.xa4+ c6 ]
10...h6! 11.d3?
[ Here 11.c4 is a little late, and Black gets a
superior version of the 10.c4 line after say
a6 ( 11...g4!? ) 12.c5 xc5 13.bxc5
xc5 Still this was how White should have 9.0-0
played. ]
11...g4 Now at the very least Black's bishop
will at escape to e3. Not wanting to be a pawn
down with a wrecked position, Svidler commits
hara-kiri. 12.g5 b5 13.c4
[ Or 13.xg4 xd3# ]
13...g3 The mate threat is decisive.
0-1
283 C02
Svidler,Peter 2749
Vitiugov,Nikita 2705
65th ch-RUS Moscow RUS (8) 11.08.2012
[John Watson]
I will borrow from Michael Golubev's notes in
Chess Today f or this game, adding some
background to the opening and some
variations. The computer engines flawlessly
describe the middlegame adventures in any
case. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6
5.f3 c6 6.a3 ge7!? There doesn't
seem to be a single example of this move
leading to unique positions in ChessPublishing,
and in spite of hundreds and hundreds of
games, 6...Nge7 has transposed much more
often than not in high-level practice (see the 8...d7
following note). But then it avoids the line
[ 6...h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.xh6 gxh6 9.cxd4
. For the record, I think that position is just
fine for Black, but why not cut down on
White's options? ]
7.dxc5!? When I was younger, this move was
often cited as a problem with Black's move
order, but this game very much challenges
that idea.
[ 7.b4 has been by far the most frequently-
played move, when cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
transposes to 6...Nh6 7 b4 cxd4 8 cxd4 Nf5,
a rgu a b ly t h e m a in lin e o f t h e A d va n c e
Variation. ]
7...c7!
[ 7...xc5 hasn't fared well over the years,
for example, : 8.d3!? ( or 8.b4 b6 9.c4!
and W hite is already slightly better, as in
Pospisil-Nosek, Czechia (correspondence)
2004 ) 8...d7 ( 8...g6 9.e2 a5
10.0-0 with the idea Re1 may give White
something, but Black is right in the game)
d4? ( 9...b6 ) 10.b4! b6
11.bd2! d5 ( 11...g6 12.cxd4 xd4
13.c4 xf3+ 14.xf3 c6 15.g3!
with a solid advantage) 12.c4 c7
13.cxd4 (a clear pawn up) a6 14.d2 b5
15.e3 xe3 16.fxe3 e7 17.g5 g6
18.xf7 g8 19.d6+ d8 20.f3 b8
21.xf8+ xf8 22.xf8+ e8 23.xe8
1-0 (23) Soloviov, S (2395) -Rojas Delgado,
A/ Cordoba 199197 ]
8.b5
[ 8.f4 g6 9.g3 xc5 ( or 9...h5 10.h4
xc5 ) 10.b4 e7 11.e2 b6?! ( 11...h5
12.h4 b5! 13.xb5 a5 ) 12.c2?! c7
13.e2 b6 14.c2 f6 15.exf6 xf6
16.d3 ce7 17.0-0 0-0 18.e1 f5
( 18...a5! ) 19.a2 d7 20.c4! dxc4
21.xc4 h8 22.bd2 a5 23.bxa5 xa5
24.xe6 xe6 25.xe6 ac8 26.b1 d5
27.e1 c3 28.c2 a5 29.xc8 xc8
30.c1 xc1+ 31.xc1 h6 32.c7 xc7
33.xc7 b5 34.c3 ( 34.c8+! h7
35.c2 ) 34...f4 35.e5 xe5 36.xe5
d4 37.f1 g8 38.b1 f8 39.c3
e7 40.g3 fe6 41.f4 c7 42.f2 e6
43.d3 c2 44.a4 bxa4 45.xa4 33
1/2-1/2 (45) Hertneck, G (2560)-Psakhis, L
(2570)/Baden-Baden 1992/CBM ]
[ 8...g6 9.d4 d7 ( 9...b6! 10.cxb6
axb6 11.b4 a6 with more than enough
compensation.) 10.xc6 xc6 11.e3
e7 ( 11...b6 ) 12.0-0 0-0 13.bd2 ( 13.c4
dxc4 14.bd2 ac8 15.e4 d5 ) 13...f6!
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

14.fe1 ac8 15.ad1 xc5 16.xc5 better. Now he has a very pretty win, which
xc5 17.xc5 xc5 18.b3 b5 19.fd4 he misses: f3+
xb3! 20.xb3 a4= 21.c5 xd1 [ The game would be completely over after
22.xd1 f7 23.exf6 gxf6 24.g3 e5 26...a5+! 27.b4 xb5! with the idea
25.f4 c4 26.f5 exf5 27.xd5 e8 28.xb5 c2+ 29.e2 f3# ]
28.xb7 e2 29.b3 e5 30.c4 b2 27.e2 d4+ 28.e1 f3+ 29.e2 d4+
31.a5 e6 32.d8 f3+ 33.f1 d2+ 30.e1
34.e1 xb3 35.xb3 xb3 36.h8 ½-½
xa3 37.xh7 a2 38.f1 a5 39.h4 a4
40.a7 f4 1/2-1/2 (40) Ballesteros Gonzalez,
D ( 2 1 6 5 ) - K o m a r o v, D ( 2 5 7 5 ) / C o r d o b a 284 C02
199598 ] Svidler,Peter 2723
9.e2 Volkov,Sergey 2620
[ 9.b4 b6! 10.cxb6 axb6 11.0-0 xe5 56th ch Krasnoyarsk RUS (8) 11.09.2003
12.xd7+ xd7= ] [Neil McDonald]
9...f6 '!' and novelty, according to Golubev. It
seems to me that 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
[ 9...g6 10.xc6 xc6 11.b4 e7 12.0-0 d7 6.a3 a5 7.b3 a6
0-0 13.bd2 b6! is at least equal. ] [ Volkov's other move is 7...e7 as he used
10.exf6 gxf6 11.bd2 successfully against Delchev. ]
[ 11.c4! 0-0-0 12.c3 may well leave White 8.e3 c8 9.d3 e7
with the better position. ] [ Volkov beat Sveshnikov in a hard fought
11...0-0-0 12.c4 g8! 13.g3 g a m e o n C h e s s P u b a f t e r 9...h6
[ A l s o a f t e r 13.0-0 goo d en ou gh is e5!? In f act th is m ight well ju st a mo un t to a
(Golubev) ] transposition, as instead of Sveshnikov 's
13...e5 14.cxd5 xd5 15.b3?! 10.xh6? best play for White looks to be
[ 15.b4 is consistent. ] ( 10.0-0 when f5 is back to our main
15...g4!? 16.c2? Golubev: 'In an already game. )]
inferior position Svidler makes a bad move 10.0-0 f5 11.xf5! exf5 12.e1
later he saved the game only by a miracle.' I don't know how much of this Svidler
f4 17.bd2 xd2! 18.xd2 d4 prepared before the game but it pretty well
19.a4 xc5 seems to annihilate the idea of 7...Na6. c4
[ Good, but even better is Golubev's If he doesn't block the centre then d4xc5 will
19...g2+! 20.f1 h3 and if 21.g1 sooner or later expose the d5 pawn to attack.
f4-+ ( Or 21...h4-+ )] 13.bxc4 xc4 14.e6! One of the finest
20.gxf4 exf4 21.e4 f3+? clearance moves I have ever seen. White wins
[ G o l u b e v g i v e s 21...e7! 22.d3 f5 the e5 square for his knight, opens the e file
23.c4 ( Or 23.xf4 fxe4 , etc. ) for his rook and ensures that his queen will
23...e8!-+ ] have a decisive entrance into the game which
22.f1 h3+ 23.e2 d4+ 24.e1 g2? prevents Black f rom castling. There isn't
[ Golubev and the computer like 24...e7! much more you could ask for from a little
25.d3 f5! 26.d1 ( alternatively, 26.c4 pawn move! xe6
xe4! 27.xg8+ d7! ) 26...xe4 27.e1 [ If 14...fxe6 15.e5 when Black must give
xd3! 28.xe7 c2+ 29.xc2 g1+ up the exchange or else face a devastating
30.d2 xc2 ] check on h5. ]
25.c4? 15.e5 c7 16.a4+ d8 17.c4!
[ 25.xc5! is complex and balanced, e.g., Svidler shows his superb feel for the initiative.
xc5 ( 25...e5+ 26.d2! xh1 This may be a natural move to undermine the
27.xa7 ) 26.xf4 f3+ 27.e2 d4+ d5 square but it commits W hite to a rook
28.e1= ] sacrif ice. f6 18.c5 There is no turning back
25...d8! 26.xc5? But Black is considerably as

241
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 18.d3 xc4 is winning for Black. ] White avoids recapturing on d4 with a pawn
18...b2 19.d3 xa1 20.xa5 a2 so that he use the square as a base for his
The threat was 21.Nc3, trapping the queen. It pieces. Furthermore, Black's d5 pawn is left as
is precisely in these situations that Volkov's a s i c k l y i s o l a t e d p a wn o n a n o p e n f i l e .
great resourcefulness wins a lot of games, Therefore W hite has a definite positional
but Svidler never lets up on the attack until he advantage. e7
sees a winning endgame. 21.f4 The bishop [ The e5 pawn is taboo as 10...xe5 11.e1
uncovers an attack on the bishop on e6 as d6 12.f4 wins a piece. ]
well as hitting c7. c4 22.b4! The hunted 11.e1 e6 12.e3 0-0 13.d2 xd4
becomes the hunter: the knight moves to Here, however, he might have tried
safety and is ready to remove the defender of [ 13...xe5!? as 14.xe6 fxe6 15.d4
the rook on c7 with Nxa6. e8 The king has c6 ( 15...d3!? ) 16.xe6 xd4 17.cxd4
to abandon the rook to its fate and run away f6 18.f3 only looks slightly better for
to the kingside. 23.xc7 f7 24.b6 c8 White. ]
25.xa6 xa6 26.xa6 bxa6 So Black has 14.xd4 It is obvious that White's dark
escaped to an endgame with equal material. squared bishop has much more scope than
Nevertheless, the weaknesses in his pawn usual in the French Advance as it isn't blocked
structure and W hite's far more active rook in by a pawn on d4. In contrast, Black's light
make it hopeless f or him . 27.c3 e6 squared bishop suffers from the customary
28.b1 e7 29.b7 e8 30.f3 g5 31.a7 French impediment of a pawn on d5. d7?!
f4 32.d6 White refuses to take any material Perhaps Black should have made a risky bid
into he has neutralised any possible to activate his queen's bishop with
counterplay. f8 33.xa6 xd6 34.xd6 [ 14...f4!? e.g. 15.f3 g5 ]
f7 35.xd5 Three passed pawns down, 15.f4! This cuts out the idea mentioned in the
Black could quite happily have resigned. e1+ note above. Now Black turns to the queenside
36.f2 c1 37.e2 c2+ 38.d1 xg2 in search of activity, but his light squared
39.c6 h5 40.c7 xf3+ 41.c1 g1+ bishop remains no more than a 'big pawn'.
42.d2 g2+ 43.e1 e2+ 44.f1 c2 fc8 16.f1 a5 17.a3 a6 18.e3 g6
45.d8+ f7 46.c8 xc8 47.xc8 xd5 19.e2 h5 20.ed1 b5? This makes
48.a4 e6 49.a5 d7 50.c3 b7 51.b3 matters worse. It was better to play
a6+ 52.f2 f5 53.b6 c8 54.d5 [ 20...aa8 and only then 21. ..b5. In
1-0 response White could double rooks on the d
file and try to put fatal pressure on d5, but
it would be f ar from clear that he had a
285 C02 certain win. ]
Timman,Jan H 2650 21.a4! White exploits the pin on b5 to prevent
Gurevich,Mikhail 2643 the 'passing' move 21...b4 and therefore open
Bundesliga 1999-2000 (4) 07.11.1999 up an attack on a5. The a pawn is a better
[Neil McDonald] target than d5 as it isn't defended by the
Black light squared bishop and besides White
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 can attack it frontally without needing to shift
d7 6.e2 ge7 7.0-0 f5?! This turns out his own bishop from the d4 outpost square.
badly. Either b8 22.a2 aa8 23.axb5 xb5 24.b4
[ 7...g6 or ] c6 25.da1 d8 26.h3 h4?! With his
[ 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 was a better pieces tied down on the queenside, Black is
approach. ] keen to rule out any sudden W hite
8.d3! Now White succeeds in resolving the breakthrough on the kingside with g2-g4 [after
c e n t r e s i t u a t i o n i n h i s f a v o u r . cxd4 preparatory moves such as Kh2 for example.]
He could keep more dynamic chances with However, the weakness of the pawn on h4 will
[ 8...h4!? ] allow White an elegant tactical finish. Black
9.xf5 exf5 10.xd4! This is the point. should have held tight with a solid move such

242
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

as If this holds up, then Jo hn W atson ha s

[ 26...a6 which puts the onus on White to rehabilitated Black's chances in this line. ]
find a win. ] 13.exf6 xf6 14.b4 The first step in White's
27.h2 c8 28.e1! Now the bishop on d8 plan of centre domination involves dislodging
cannot defend both a5 and h4. In tactical the black knight from c6. Then the pressure on
terminology it is 'overloaded'. b7 29.bxa5 d4 is eased and e5 becomes accessible to his
bxa5 30.xa5 xa5 31.xa5 xa5 own knight. As will be seen, the white
32.xh4! Timman has calculated the position queenside pawns become a force in their own
to a win. xc3 33.d8+ h7 34.e6! xd4 right once the endgame stage is reached.
35.exf7 xe3 af8 15.b5 e7 16.e5 e8 17.g3!
[ 35...g7 36.g8+ h6 37.f8 xf8 Having gained space on the queenside and in
38.h8# ] the centre, White now prepares to set up an
36.g8+ unbreakable barrier on f4 to thwart the black
1-0 rooks. h5 18.a4 h4 19.d3 hxg3 20.hxg3
h5 21.e3 h6 22.a5 d8 23.f4 h8
24.h2 d6 25.a6 b6 26.ab1 c7
286 C02 27.c2 c3 28.f3 c7 Black's pieces are
Topalov,Veselin 2725 well entrenched on the kingside, but they
Bareev,Evgeny 2665 cannot undertake anything constructive. The
It Novgorod (4) 1997 white pawn on f4 frustrates all attacking hopes.
[Neil McDonald] Of course, if Black still had a g pawn he could
p r e p a r e a b r e a k t h r o u g h i n vo l vi n g . . . g 5 .
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 d7 5.f3 However, the g pawn disappeared after 7
c6 6.e2 h6 Bxh6 gxh6. Hence Black is reduced to this
[ Here 6...ge7 is the reliable alternative, rather sad looking raid and retreat by the
but Bareev wants to test the more double queen. 29.bf1 g6? Under pressure Black
edged move. ] blunders a pawn.
7.xh6! White takes the opportunity to wreck [ He should wait patiently, say with 29...d6
his opponent's kingside before he has the but it would be unpleasant for him.
chance to play ...Nf5. gxh6 8.0-0 b6 Nevertheless, such positions are sometimes
9.d2 g7 10.a3 0-0 11.c2 cxd4 won or drawn by the def ender after the
12.cxd4 f6 Black's only logical plan is to aggressor overpresses. ]
eliminate the e5 pawn. As a consequence, 30.xh5 g7 Now White is able to simplify
White's space advantage is lessened and the when the endgame is completely hopeless for
scope of Black's dark square bishop increased Black. However,
as it can add to the pressure on d4. The semi [ 30...xf4 i s n o b e t t e r a s 31.h4!
o p e n f f il e is a b o n u s f o r B l a c k' s r o o ks . leaves Black in a fatal pin on the f file. ]
Ne v e r t h e l e s s , i n t h e ga m e c o n t in u a t i o n 31.xg6+ xg6 32.xg6 xg6 33.e5!
something nasty happens to Black. The pawn This kills off Black's attacking chances. c8
on e5 is replaced by a monstrous white knight 34.b4 c4 35.c6 h7 36.xg7+ xg7
and the two black rooks find that the f file is 37.g2
blocked by a 'wall of granite' on f4! We should 1-0
carefully examine how this comes about. But
first of all, it has been suggested that Black
should delay ...f6 e.g.
[ 12...a5 13.e3 ( 13.a4 b4 14.e3 h5 )
13...h5 [He has to stop 15 Ng4] 14.ad1 f6
when Black has good counterplay-Watson.
The move 13...h5 looks disgusting to a
chess purist, but it certainly gives a role to
the otherwise rather useless doubled pawn.

243
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

287 C02 13.c3? White thinks he's laying a pitfall for

Ulibin,Mikhail the opponent to capture the d4-pawn
Hanley,Craig because the d3-bishop can still check at g6
2001 Isle of Man 2001 instead of at b5 as in the previous variation,
[Paul Motwani] but there's a sting in the tail which reverses
the fortunes this time... xd4!! 14.xd4
W56: "Tremendous Trio" Thanks to Gambit xd4 15.g6+?? White plays his intended
Publications, there's a tremendous trio of check, but he should have checked things
brand new books now available to improve mo re ca re f u lly! hxg6 16.xd4 xh2+
your personal chess library. David Le Moir's Oops! W hite now resigned, in view of 17
"How to be Lucky in Chess" is an entertaining, Kh1 Be5+ 18 Kg1 Bxd4. ]
instructive, and beautifully illustrated 176- 3...c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 d7
page work, as is IM Jesper Hall's "Chess [ The major alternative is 5...b6 ]
Training for Budding Champions". IM Steffen [ W56.2: A rarer option is 5...ge7 . Then
Pedersen's "The Main Line French: 3 Nc3" is 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 f5 8.xf5 exf5 9.a3
more heavily theoretical, as its 256 pages are e6 10.c3 c8 11.e2 h6 12.h4 g6
packed with up-to-date analysis and ideas 13.b4 was pleasant for White in the high-
relating to the many paths which stem from level en counter J.Ehlve st-V.Bo rovikov,
the moves 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3. I find this Kramatorsk 2001. ]
topic especially interesting, because I recall 6.e2
GM Jonathan Rowson saying on 14 July this [ After 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 b6
year that he reckons W hite's only ways to , Black really does threaten the capture ...
really challenge the French Defence are 3 Nc3 Nxd4. ]
or 3 e5. The latter was the choice of Russian 6...ge7 7.0-0
GM Mikhail Ulibin en route to winning the [ After 7.dxc5 g6 , Black will win back a
recent Monarch Assurance Isle of Man Open pawn at c5 or e5. ]
tournament, and my notes below to his quick 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 9.c3 e7
third-round victory over Craig Hanley include [ 9...b6 would get hit by 10.a4 ]
a couple of sneaky traps which I picked up for 10.g4 A definite case of g for "go for it!". h4
Black against the 3 Nd2 Tarrasch Variation 11.xh4 xh4 12.f4 f6?!
when reading the first two aforementioned [ The safer 12...e7 has occurred before. ]
Gambit books by Le Moir and Hall. 1.e4 e6 13.g5!! The great g-pawn keeps going, and
2.d4 d5 3.e5 Black's bishop at h4 finds itself stranded there.
[ The Advance Variation is an aggressive b6
option, as is 3.c3 ] [ 13...fxg5 14.fxg5 xg5 15.d3!
[ W56.1: GM Jonathan Rowson feels that leaves Black facing a deadly check at h5,
3.d2 lacks punch. Black notched up a and 15... g6 fails to help because of 16.g4
quick win as follows in the game D.Tebble- xc1 17.xg6+ ]
N.Hathern, Bury St Edmunds 1995:3... f6 14.e3 fxe5
( a l t e r n a t i v e l y , t h e 3...c6!? [ 14...xb2 15.b5 is also perilous for
Guimard Variation also makes for interesting Black. ]
play, and after 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 d7 6.c3 15.a4! Echoing a point from the earlier notes
f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.b5 a6 , the plausible- a t m o v e 9 . a5 16.fxe5 xd4??
looking 9.a4? is actually a fatal error that A l o s in g b l u n d e r , a l b e it i n a n e x t r e m e l y
l o s e s t o 9 . . . axb5! 10.xa8 b6 difficult position for Black. 17.xd4 xa4
, trapping White's queen) 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 18.b4! Black resigned, seeing that all possible
c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 cxd4 8.cxd4 b6 protection of his h4-bishop has now been cut
9.e2 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 d6 12.a3 off.
( 12.c3 is more common, and of course 1-0
12... xd4?? would then lose on account of
13.xd4 xd4 14.b5+ ) 12...d7

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

288 C02 29.bxa4 xa4 30.b5! , forcing a1+

Van Assendelft,Floris 2356 31.e2 a2+ 32.d2 xd2+ 33.xd2
Heidel,Andre Nicolas 2170 , when the d-pawn isn't going anywhere, but
Oberhausen Easter Open (5.5) 24.04.2011 there would still be a lengthy technical task
[John Watson] ahead. Probably White should bring a rook
to a2 or c2 and combine Ke3 and Nd4. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 24...xb2 25.a6 f7 26.g3? f8?
h6 6.xh6 gxh6 7.e2 g7 8.0-0 0-0 [ Black misses the drawing combination
9.a3 cxd4 10.cxd4 f6 11.exf6 xf6 26...d4! 27.xd4 ( 27.xd4 xf3
Probably best. Alternatives: 28.g4+ h8 29.e1 fxf2 30.e6 f8
[ 11...xf6 gives White a little something and to prevent Black winning another pawn,
after 12.c2 b6 ( 12...d6!? , eyeing f4) 31.e7 xh2 32.gg7 might follow, with
13.d2 g7 14.b4 with space and a various draws including e8 33.xh7+
modest bind ] g8 34.hg7+ f8 , etc. ) 27...fxf2+
[ 11...xf6 is more dynamic following 12.c2 A) 28.g1 g2+ 29.f1 xh2
a6 ( 12...d7 13.b4 e8 14.b5 a5 ) ( 29...gf2+= 30.e1?? xh2 ) 30.g1=
13.b4 d6 14.b1 d7 , imbalanced and ( 30.f3 b1+ 31.e1 h1+ 32.g2
about equal. ] bxe1 );
12.c2 d7 B) 28.e1?? xh2 ]
[ 12...a6 is possible but not really 27.d2! xd2 28.xd2 c5 29.f4 b6
necessary ] Black's pieces are active enough to limit his
13.b5 disadvantage. 30.a3 c7 31.e2
[ 13.b4 a6 ( 13...ac8 14.b5 a5 15.e5 [ 31.d3! ]
e7 ) 14.a4 f4!? 15.b5 axb5 16.axb5 31...f7 32.d3 c2?!
e7 17.xa8 xa8 18.d3 g6 19.g3 [ Simply 32...e6 is as good as equal. ]
f6 20.e3 h5! 21.h4 h6 ( 21...a3!? ) 33.xd5 xa2 34.d3 Now White is well-
22.e2 a3 23.xg6 hxg6 24.e5 e8 ce n t ra l ize d a n d h a s s o m e c h a n c e s . g1
25.g2 a4 is unclear ] 35.g4?
13...e8 14.xc6 bxc6 15.d2 c5 16.fe1 [ 35.d7+! ]
g6 35...xh2 36.f5 a3+ 37.e4 a4+
[ Or 16...c4!? 17.e5 b8= 18.b3 c3 [ 37...g3! wins material. As always, time
19.e3 c8 ] trouble. ]
17.e5 xc2 18.xc2 f5?! 38.f3 a3+ 39.e4 a4+
[ 18...cxd4 19.f3 ( 19.ad1 ac8; 19.d3 [ 39...g3! ]
ac8 20.e2 fe8 21.f4 f5 40.f3 a3+ 41.g2! f4 42.e4 e3
wit h a me diocre e xt ra p awn (u se f u l f o r 43.d7+ f8 44.f6
covering kingside squares) and some [ 44.c5! ]
central advantage) 19...ac8 20.a4 44...g5!?
f5 ] [ 44...e5 45.xh7+?! ( 45.h5 ) 45...e8
19.xf5 xf5 20.f3 cxd4!? 46.xa7 g3+ ]
[ 20...f7 21.dxc5 c8 with the idea 45.xh7+ e8 46.xa7 h4 47.g7 e7!
22.ac1 xb2 23.b1 c3 24.b7+ f6 48.g8+ f7 49.a8 1-0?? Either there's a
25.eb1 ] mistake in the score or the result, or perhaps
21.xe6 d3 22.d1 c8 23.f1 c2 a time forfeit, because no one would resign
24.xd3 here. W hat's more, e3 should draw fairly
[ 24.b3 xa2 25.xd3 may be slightly more easily.
accurate, when Black can try to liquidate the 1-0
queenside with a5 , but White's rooks are
well-placed af ter ( 25...d4 26.d6 a5
27.d8+ f7 28.d2! a1+ 29.e2 )
26.e8+ f7 27.b8 a4 28.b7+ g8

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
289 C02
Volokitin,Andrei 2654
Volkov,Sergey 2640
8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (7) 09.04.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
d7 6.d3 cxd4 7.xd4 An ant-Bb5
measure. c5!? A new attempt by Black at
elite level.
[ The game Grischuk-Gurevich in the
archives went 7...c6 8.xc6 ( Fans of the
Milner-Barry Gambit might like to note the
transposition 8.e2 xd4 9.cxd4 xd4
10.0-0 when we are in the territory of games
mostly beginning 4...Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6.Bd3
Qb6 7.0-0 etc. on ChessPub. In this line I
consider e7 11.c3 a6 as promising for
Black. ) 8...xc6 9.e2 e7 10.d2 g6
11.f3 White has some edge but Gurevich
held on for a draw. ]
8.g4! Quite so: Vol okitin hits the g7 square
in Winawer Poisoned Pawn style. But as we
shall see, it is important that he avoids the
routine double capture on g7 and h7. e7
9.xg7 g8 10.f6! An excellent multi
purpose move. It defends f2, thus ruling out
Bxf 2+ as occurs in the 10.Qxh7 variation
g i v e n b e l o w. I t a l s o k e e p s t h e e 5 p a w n
guarded so that Black doesn't have Qxe5+
after the exchange on d4 in the game.
Volokitin wants to take on h7 with his bishop,
when he will gain time by hitting the black rook.
Thereafter the white queen will be well placed
to support the advance of the h-pawn to h8.
[ Inf e rior f or W hite is 10.xh7? bc6
11.xc6 xf2+ 12.e2 xc6 when Black
is very dynamic. ]
10...xg2 11.xh7 xd4 12.cxd4 xd4
13.c3!
[ Definitely not 13.h8+? g8 14.xg8?
( but if 14.e3 h4! and the bishop on h7
is pinned. ) 14...xf2+ 15.d1 e2# ]
13...g4! The black queen heads over to h5
in order to fight the passed pawn.
[ Rapid development doesn't help much:
13...bc6 14.b5 b4+ 15.f1 0-0-0
( White also has good winning chances after
15...xb5+ 16.xg2 0-0-0 17.g5 e2
18.h4 g4+ 19.h2 ) 16.d6+ ( but not
16.xg2? or indeed 17.Kxg2? because of
the perpetual check g4+ 17.f1 d1+
18.g2 g4+ 19.f1 d1+ ) 16...b8
17.h3! and White will win the exchange as
the rook on g2 has no safe squares. ]
14.h4 h5
[ If 14...g1+ 15.xg1 xg1+ 16.d2
and then White sets about getting a second
queen. ]
15.f1 xf2+ Tarek Riabi has analysed the
position and sent me the following comments
about the alternative 15...Rg4. 'As you explain,
White chooses a variation in which he doesn't
defend the e5 pawn with d4. An interesting
concept, but its drawback is obviously that
this pawn can be vulnerable in some
circumstances. A feature of the position that
Volkov didn't exploit, as, it seems, he had the
opportunity to do with
[ 15...g4 16.f3 g3 ( Not 16...c4?
17.h8+ ) 17.f2 xf3+ 18.xf3 xh7
19.g5 bc6 when we get the same
position as in the game, except that the
white queen is on f3 not on f6. And then the
e5 pawn is hanging. If white ignores this
and plays 20.Rac1 like in the game, then
20... Nxe5 attacking the queen, followed by
Nd3+ is devastating. This isn't an option. If
n o w W h i t e p l a y s 20.f6 Black gets the
same position in the game with an extra
tempo. In sharp positions like this, this is
of critical importance. Of course there are
ways to protect the pawn, but it all boils
down to the fact white is forced to spend a
tempo just for this, so black is a tempo up
compared with the game. Computer analysis
seems to confirm this: Rybka gives +0.35
af te r 1 9. . .Nbc6 inst ea d o f +0 . 93 in t h e
corresponding position in the game. So
perhaps Volkov missed a real opportunity to
hold on here.' My thanks to Tarek for
pointing out this option. So perhaps Black
is alive after all? ]
16.xf2 xh7 17.g5 bc6 18.ac1
Stopping Qc2+ and preparing a pin on the c-
file once Black castles. 0-0-0 19.b4! b8
[ An attempt to break out in the centre falters
after 19...g8 20.f4 f6 21.exf6 e5
22.f3 etc. ]
20.b5 g8 21.f4 ce7 22.a4 c8
23.e2 f5 24.xc8+ xc8 25.c1 g7
26.b4 White has a passed pawn, material
246
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

advantage and an attack. gh6 27.c5 against the threat of 20...Rf3! and then a
g4+ 28.e1 It will soon be mate down the c- sacrifice on h3.
file. 0-1
1-0

291 C02
290 C02 Williams,Si1 2481
Wall,Gavin 2353 Harvey,Marcus R 2202
Lalic,Bogdan 2550 100th ch-GBR 2013 (10.9) 08.08.2013
MSO Masters London ENG (3) 23.08.1999 [John Watson]
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3 b6 6.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 d7 8.0-0 xd4
h6 6.xh6 Probably not best as Black can 9.bd2 The most challenging of the irregular
put the white centre under immediate pressure. 9th moves. Normal is
It is surely significant that Michael Adams, [ 9.xd4 ]
who is perhaps the foremost player of the 9...a6 Not a bad alternative.
French Advance as White, prefers 6 Bd3 here. [ I recommend 9...c5! in PTF4. It's not the
gxh6 7.dxc5 This keeps ck bishop away from only move, but has done well, e.g.,
g7, but the black queen proves much stronger A) 10.a3 a5 11.xd4 xd4 12.f3;
there! xc5 8.d3?! This seems too slow. B) 10.b1 b5!;
White should try C) 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3 e7 12.xd4
[ 8.b4 though after f8! 9.b5 e7 10.d3 ( 12.xh7 b5! ) 12...xd4 13.e1
g7 11.0-0 g6 Black looked at least c6 Smerdon-V Akopian, Khanty-
equal in Sveshnikov-Glek, Moscow 1991. ] Mansiysk 2010;
8...f6 9.e2 Nigel Short once tried D) 10.b4 xf3+ 11.xf3 xb4
[ 9.exf6 against Igor Glek but was horribly was seen in Smerdon-Zhao Zong Yuan in
crushed: xf6 10.0-0 0-0 11.c2 f7 the Archives Black apparently has some
12.bd2 d7 13.b3 b6 14.e2 e5 a d v a n t a g e . 12.b1 a4
15.ad1 e4 16.e1 af8 17.xd5 xf2+! was Pap-Gleizerov, Predeal 2006. ]
18.xf2 xf2 19.xf2 xf2+ 20.f1 b6+ 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3 b6 12.b4
21.e2 g4+ 22.d2 f2+ 23.c1 e3+ Logical, gaining space and preventing ...Bc5.
24.d2 e2 25.b3 xe1+ 26.c2 d1+ [ 12.a3 c8 13.b4 e7 14.e3 d8
27.c1 xb3# Short-Glek, Places 1996. 15.e2 c6 looks solid White has some
Lalic carries out a similar plan of attack compensation, but likely insufficient. ]
against f2 in the present game. Another 12...e7 13.e3 d8 14.d4?! This allows
attempt was ] Black to simplify favourably. Perhaps
[ 9.b4 but W hite stood badly after f8!? [ 14.e2 was a better try. ]
10.b5 xe5 11.xe5 fxe5 12.h5+ d7 14...c6 15.f4!?
13.xe5 g8 14.g3 d6 15.e2 f6 [ 15.xc6 xc6 16.f4 g6 ]
in Khalifman-Kaidanov, Moscow 1987. I 15...g6
think all the evidence points to the fact that [ 15...xd4! 16.xd4 xb4 17.f5 exf5 ]
this line offers Black very good chances ] 16.a3 xd4 17.xd4 b5!? This gives
9...0-0 10.0-0 fxe5 11.xe5 f6 12.g4 White approximate equality. Better is
g7 Threatening 13.. .e5. White therefore has [ 17...c8 or ]
to retreat his knight when he has clearly lost [ 17...a5 with the idea 18.b5 c8 ]
t h e f i g h t f o r t h e c e n t r e . 13.e3 d7 18.xb5+ axb5 19.d3 d7 20.g4!?
Black's plan is simple. He will double his Threatening f5, although it's loosening.
rooks along the f f ile and 14.d2 e5 [ 20.ac1 e7 21.b6 d8! ]
15.b3 b6 16.h1 a6 17.a4 f4 18.c1 20...c8 21.f5 gxf5 22.gxf5 c4! 23.h1
af8 19.h3 h4 Now White had no defence [ 23.fxe6 fxe6 helps Black to play ...Qg7 at

247
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
some point ]
23...g8 24.g1 xg1+ 25.xg1 exf5
26.g8 b6 Versus Bc5 27.g2?!
[ 27.xb6 g4 28.xg4 fxg4 ]
27...e6 28.f3? This should lose. White
can't be happy, however, after
[ 28.g5 f6! or ]
[ 28.e3 f6 29.h8 fxe5 30.xe5 xe5
31.xe5 f7 ]
28...e7?
[ 28...f6! is winning, since the rook on g8 is
attacked, but ...fxe5 is deadly. ]
29.e3 f4 30.xf4 h3+ 31.f2 e8
32.e1? c2?
[ 32...xa3!-+ with the idea...Qc1+ ]
33.g5 c8?
[ 33...c8! 34.xb6 d7 ]
34.c5! The saving idea. xc5 Forced
[ 34...bxc5?? 35.h6 ]
35.bxc5 xc5 36.f5 b4 37.axb4 xb4+
38.f1 c4+ 39.g2 b5 40.h3
[ 40.g3 ]
40...c6 41.g2 b4= 42.g3 d4+!? 43.f2
h6 44.d3 e3+ 45.e2 h6 46.f3 d5
47.a6 b3 48.h4 b2 49.a4+ f8
50.b4+ g7 51.xb2 xe5 52.d3 f5
53.b7+ g6 54.f1 e4+
½-½
292 C02
Yap Kim,Steven 2410
Goh Wei Ming,Kevin 2441
64th National Championships (3) 23.12.2012
[Wei Ming]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
h6!? An interesting surprise weapon that is
slowly achieving mainline status. I also scored
an important win in this line against FM Rudin
Hamdani in the Asian Nations Cup earlier this
year. 6.a3!? I actually forgot about this move
during my preparation which is extremely
unprofessional as Steven generally likes set-
ups with a3 in the normal French lines with 5...
Qb6. c4?! This wasn't so bad but this reduces
Black's options in exchange of preventing
White's bishop from going to d3.
[ 6...f6 [jw: this is my main line in PTF4]
and ]
[ transposing into the mainlines with 6...f5
7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 b6 are sounder.
( jw: I also mention 8...d7 )]
7.e3?! This felt unnatural to me.
[ I was more worried of 7.xh6 gxh6 8.b3
, exploiting the fact that Black's queen isn't
on b6 in this instance. ]
7...f6
[ 7...f5 8.bd2 xe3 9.fxe3 f6 10.exf6
xf6 11.e4 is probably something that
Steven wanted and W hite's attacking
chances from this pawn structure generally
outweigh the bishop pair. ]
8.xh6 Wasting a tempo but Steven probably
didn't want to allow my knight to be tucked in
on f7. gxh6 9.bd2 fxe5 10.xe5 xe5
11.dxe5 c7 12.h5+ Surprisingly initiating
a queen exchange.
[ After the game, we looked at 12.f4 c5
13.g3 0-0 14.f3 b6 15.d2
which appears to be dynamically balanced.
[jw: Black appears to stand better after e3
16.c2 d7 then again, it would take some
doing to organize a break] ]
12...f7 13.xf7+ xf7 14.f4 c5 15.f3
d7 Despite the damaged pawn structure,
Black had comfortable play on the queenside
and had the initiative at this juncture. The
next few moves were pretty auto-pilot. 16.g3
b5 17.d4 a5 18.d2 hb8 19.h3 b4
20.axb4 xd4! Opening the b-file and
targeting the b2-pawn was my only chance to
make any progress.
[ 20...axb4 21.c2 was nothing special. ]
21.cxd4 xb4 22.hb1 I had a long think
here and eventually came up with the
standard French plan of re-routing the bad
bishop to g6. The problem is that White could
a l w a ys t h wa r t t h a t p l a n wi t h g 4 a n d f 5 ,
blocking off the critical diagonal, or as Junior
pointed out, getting his own bishop to the
same diagonal with Bg4-d1-c2. With this in
mind, it wasn't so difficult to find my next
move. h5! Taking a pause from the action on
the qu eenside and preventing the af ore -
mentioned plans. This was absolutely
necessary and the only move to preserve
Black's advantage. It is also nice to make use
of the "useless" doubled h-pawns although my
next move with one of these pawns nearly led
to my downfall....... 23.f1 e7 24.a3
[ After 24.e2 e8 25.d1 g6 26.c2
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
, Rico suggested f7! in order to recapture
the bishop with the king f ollowed by an
invasion via the f5 and g4/e4 squares. ]
24...ab8 25.c1 e8 26.f5! An important
resource, White temporarily blocked the long
diagonal and gained some counterplay down
the a-file.
[ Lines like 26.xa5 g6 27.a7+ e8
28.ba1 xb2 29.a8 c3 are simply
hopeless for White. ]
26...exf5 27.xa5 g6 28.a7+
[ 28.xd5 f4! ]
28...e8 29.a2
[ Again, 29.ba1 f4! 30.gxf4 xb2 31.a8
c3 is winning. ]
29...f4 30.ba1 f3! 31.h3 e4
[ I initially planned 31...d3 32.d2 xb2+
33.xb2 xb2+ 34.e3 but didn't consider
xh2! which is supposed to be easily
winning...in my defence, I am not really
Houdini although I would like to be. ]
32.e6 f2 33.d2 xb2+ 34.xb2 xb2+
35.e3 c3 36.a8+ e7 37.a7+ f6
[ 37...d6 38.a6+ c7 39.e7 b8
40.xf2 c2 41.a1 was less clear although
Black was probably winning here as well.
d6 ]
38.f7+ g5
[ 38...g6! was more accurate but I was
extremely reluctant to put my king on a
square where White could possibly promote
with check. 39.c7 c2 40.e7 f7 41.e6+
Here, I actually overlooked the fact that I
c o u l d s i m p l y r e t r e a t w i t h e8!
( and was instead calculating rubbish lines
like 41...f6 42.e8 f1+ 43.f4 c1+
44.xc1 f2# )]
39.g7+ g6 40.c7 b1 winning a piece
by force. 41.xc3 f1 42.xf1 xf1 43.c5
f5 Here, I started to relax, considering this to
be an easy win. Steven continued to f ind
tricks. 44.h3! h6?? An absolutely disgraceful
move. I ha d mo re th an suf f icie nt time t o
calculate here and this blunder is just
inexcusable.
[ \/The simple 44...f6 45.g4 hxg4 46.hxg4
g5 47.f4 h6 would have won easily. I
was greedy and wanted to gain a move with
...h6, thinking that White had nothing more
than moving the rook along the 5th rank but
of course he had... ]
45.a5?? and I was let off the hook, again.
[ The surprising 45.e7 would have incredibly
led to a draw. f6 46.c6+ xe7 47.xg6
g5 48.xg5 hxg5 49.h4 gxh4 50.gxh4
e6! and draw. ]
45...f6 46.g4 hxg4 47.hxg4 g5 48.f4
xe6 49.a6+ f7 50.a7+ f6 51.a6+
g7 52.a7+ f7 53.a8 f6 54.h8 g6
55.f8 e7 56.a8 e6 57.a7+ f6
0-1
293 C02
Yemelin,Vasily 2550
Dolmatov,Sergey 2605
56th ch Krasnoyarsk RUS (9) 12.09.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
b6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4
[ A completely different way of handling the
position is 8.xh6 gxh6 9.cxd4 -see the
examples on ChessPub. ]
8...f5 9.b2 e7 10.h4 This move is
played so that after g2-g4 the black knight
can't go to h4. a5! Psakhis described this an
a very important novelty in his annotations to
the game Sandipan-Dolmatov- see move 13
below. Black lets White push his knight back
t o h 6 a s h e h o p e s t h a t t h e lo o s e n i n g o f
White's kingside will be of more consequence
than the time factor.
[ Instead 10...h5 preserves the knight on f5
but hasn't brought Black much success. ]
11.b5 a4! It is essential to make a breathing
space for the knight on a5 as Black is being
crushed after
[ 11...a7 12.c3 ]
12.g4 The only testing idea is to try to isolate
t h e b l a c k k n i g h t o n h 6 . h6 13.g1
A logical move: White defends the g4 pawn.
[ Instead Black broke out in the Sandipan
game mentioned above after 13.c3 xg4!
14.xa4 a5+ 15.d2 and now, rather
than taking the knight on a4 which lead to a
quick draw in Sandipan,C-Dolmatov, S/
Moscow Aeroflot 2002, Psakhis points out
that cxe5! leads to an advantage for Black
e.g. 16.c1 ( Or 16.dxe5 xa4 ) 16...d7
17.xg4 xa4 18.xg7 f6 and Black's
more compact pawns give him the edge.
249
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Psakhis also analyses the interesting
alternative ]
[ 13.c1!? a5 ( Perhaps 13...a7!? )
14.xh6 b3! another great zwischenzug
15.xg7 g8 16.f6 xa1 17.xe7 xe7
with a muddled position according to
Psakhis: in fact I think this looks very good
for Black. ]
13...a5 14.c3? After this White loses
control of the centre. He had to grab a pawn
with
[ 14.xa4 though Black gets plenty of
activity: d7 15.c3 0-0 16.d1 fc8
17.a4 d8 18.c5 giving back the pawn
to stem the tide c4 19.xc4 dxc4 20.a4
xc5 21.dxc5 xc5 with an eventual draw
in Lavrov, Ma-Sambuev,B/ Tomsk 2003.
There are a lot of open spaces around the
white king but the blocked nature of the
centre and the bad knight on h6 prevent
Black from claiming a big advantage. ]
14...b3 15.a2
[ A lam e mo ve , b u t h o pe le ss is 15.xa4
a5+ 16.c3 xa1 ]
15...a5! This prevents 16.Nxa4 and puts the
knight on c3 in an awkward pin. 16.d3 d7
17.d2 White must break the pin on c3
before Black can play 17...Rc8, but it is at a
terrible cost: the opening of lines in the centre
wh e n h is p ie c e s a r e d is o r ga n is e d . xd4
18.xd5 A necessary capture or else he is
just a pawn down. xb5 19.c3
[ After 19.xb5+ xb5 20.xe7 xe7
Black would be ready to bring both rooks
into the attack on c8 and d8. ]
19...d8 Now there is a traffic jam of pieces
on the d file and one white one is going to go
careering off. 20.xe7
[ Or 20.xd4 xd3 ]
20...xd3 21.b4 g8!! The passive knight
on h6 suddenly plays a vital role in winning
the d5 square for the black queen. 22.xg8
How often do you see a white knight on g8 in
the middlegame? d5!! The point: as well as
hitting the rook on a2 this threatens 23...
Qxe5+ winning the house. 23.g3 h1+
W hite resigned as he has to part with his
queen after 24.f1 xf1+ 25.d2 b3+
0-1
294 C02
Yilmaz,Mustafa Enes 2478
Moskalenko,Viktor 2538
GM Schev Ankara TUR (4) 23.02.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3
c6 6.a3 c4 Viktor Moskalenko's 'The
Flexible French' devotes 32 pages to 6...c4,
which he calls the 'Old Blockade System'. So
when we see him losing with that move, it's
worth a look. I've merged in two other games
played last month as examples, and of course
there are more in the Archive. 7.bd2
[ 7.g3 ma y be t oo e a rly in vie w o f f6
, wh i c h i s m o r e e f f e c t i ve w i t h B l a c k ' s
knight still on a5. ]
7...a5 8.g3 This is a popular choice, putting
the bishop on a more useful square than e2.
[ 8.h4 d7 9.g3 transposes ]
8...d7 Moskalenko prefers this. He cites a
game Malaniuk-Kuzmin with
[ 8...h6 9.h4!? d7 10.g2 (awfully slow)
0-0-0 11.e3?! , and suggests f6! 12.f4
g5! . Development counts. ]
9.h4 h6 Here there are at least six other
legitimate moves. I'll start with two recent
ones:
[ a) 9...h6 10.h3 0-0-0 11.0-0 e7
12.e1 b8 ( 12...g8!? 13.b1 g5
14.hxg5 hxg5 15.g2! ) 13.b1 c8!?
( 13...c7 ) 14.c2 e7 15.f1
A) 15...g5 16.hxg5 hxg5 17.g2
( 17.g4 dg8 18.e3 d8 ) 17...dg8
and Black has ambitions on the kingside
with ..Qd8-f8-h6, or he may play ...f5 at
some point;
B) 15...a8 16.e3 c7 17.h5 dg8
18.1h2 d8 ( 18...f5 19.exf6 gxf6 )
19.d2 e8! 20.g4 f5 21.exf6 gxf6
He n ris, L (2 3 0 2 ) -Ma rzo l o , C (2 4 8 0 ) ,
Nancy 2010. Black has a central
advantage and White hasn't gotten started,
in part because ...Ba4 works against any
queenside break. ]
[ b) 9...f6 10.h3 h6!? 11.0-0 f7
12.e1 0-0-0 13.b1 e7 ( 13...f5!? 14.b4
cxb3 15.xb3 a4 16.fd2 ) 14.exf6 gxf6
( 14...xf6 15.b3 ) 15.b4 cxb3 16.xb3
de8 17.f4 xb3 18.xb3 c6
Idani, P (2227)-Minasian, A (2477),
250
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Mashhad IRI 2010 and although White won [ 26...d8 27.e5! (with the idea Bf6+)
l a t e r , h e c o u l d h a v e p l a y e d 19.c4! xe5 28.xe5 ]
with a terrific kingside attack. ] 27.xc4 gd8 28.c3 c5 29.d4 d6
[ c) In the Archives Neil mentions Klinger, J- 30.b3 A n d W h it e we n t o n t o wi n . f5
Portisch, L/Dubai 1986, given as a sample 31.xf5 gxf5 32.b4 d4 33.f3 e6
game by Moskalenko: 9...0-0-0 10.h3 f5 34.d2 d5 35.e1 8d6 36.d3 c6
11.0-0!? ( 11.exf6 gxf6 12.0-0 h6! 37.g2 b5 38.c1 a5 39.h5 a4 40.h6
with the idea ...e5) 11...h6! 12.e1 d7 41.e1 c7 42.g5 c4 43.dd1
( Moskalenko suggests 12.g5! ) 12...f7 h7 44.f3 dd7 45.f4 b5 46.xf5
13.g2 g5 with an attack well underway, in xa3 47.g6 c2 48.h1 a3 49.f6 a2
contrast to White's. ] 50.g7 xh6+ 51.xh6 a7 52.f4 xb4
[ d) 9...f5 10.exf6 gxf6 ( 10...xf6 11.e5 )] 53.f5 b5 54.f6 c4 55.d2 b4 56.xb4
[ e) 9...e7 10.g5 (Moskalenko covers xb4 57.f7 a8 58.g7 c3 59.f8 xf8
various other moves) h6 11.h3 0-0-0 60.xf8 d3 61.g4 e3 62.dg1 a1
12.f4 b8 13.e2?! c7 14.f1 63.xa1 xg4 64.a3+ c2 65.a2+
Ivanchuk-Bareev, Monaco 2000 (Blindfold), 1-0
and here Moskalenko likes f6! ]
[ f) 9...c6!? with the idea ...Qa4 is another
Moskalenko suggestion. ] 295 C02
10.h3 f5 11.exf6 Yilmaz,Mustafa Enes 2478
[ As above, 11.g5 should be considered, Sutovsky,Emil 2657
helping to block the kingside. ] 7th World Team Championship (7) 11.01.2010
11...gxf6 12.0-0 0-0-0 13.e1 e5!? [John Watson]
So far, so good, and this isn't a bad move but
it allows irrational play. It might have been 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 c6 5.f3
better to play a move like b6 6.a3 f6 I have suggested this move as a
[ 13...g8 , since White has no obvious good weapon in every edition of Play the
plan. ] French, and I'm continually surprised that so
14.xd7+ xd7 15.dxe5 c5 (the point ... few people have used it. For example, there's
Ng4 is also coming) 16.d4 fxe5 17.xe5 one fairly irrelevant gave in Informant, only
xd4 18.cxd4 f7! th e brie f est an d p ra ct ica lly me a ningle s s
[ 18...xd4 19.e2 f7 20.f3 ] treatment by Sveshnikov in his 2-volume
19.e1 xd4 20.h5! Advance Variation series, and it hasn't been
[ 20.e2 c6 ] in ChessPublishing until now! For those who
20...d3? don't like f acing 6 a 3, this could be you r
[ 20...g8! 21.g2 f6 ] solution. Sutovsky is always well-prepared,
[ and 20...f6 leave Black with a small and gets a good game here, but loses the
advantage. ] thread. 7.d3 The most popular response.
21.f3!? [ a) 7.b4 has also been played quite a bit,
[ 21.e4! has the ideas Nc5 and Nf6. then but without particular success: fxe5
e8 22.e3 ( 22.d6+ xd6 23.xe8+ A) 8.dxe5 h6 9.b5 ( 9.xh6 gxh6
xe8 24.xe8+ d8 25.e6+ d7 10.d3 g7 11.0-0 0-0 Guigonis-
26.g5 is obscure) 22...e5 23.d6+ xd6 Renaudin, Paris 2000) 9...a5 10.xh6
24.xe5 xe5 25.xe5 ] gxh6
21...b3 22.f4! g6 A1) 11.c4 xc4 ( 11...dxc4! ) 12.xc4
[ 22...xa1?? 23.e5! xe5 24.xe5 dxc4 13.fd2 ( 13.a4 ) 13...xb5
and mate follows ] 14.c3 d7 15.ce4 d3 16.h5+
23.xg6 hxg6 24.ad1 b6 25.e6! d8 17.d1 c7 18.d6 g6?!
White's pieces are extremely active. g8? ( 18...xd6 ) 19.f3 e7 20.b1 xd6
[ 25...c5 26.xg6 ] 21.exd6+ xd6 1/2-1/2 Herrera, A
26.c6+ b7 (2191)-Schakel, C (2383)/ICCF email

251
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
2006 but W hite stands clearly better
after 22.0-0;
A2) 11.bd2 d7 12.a4 g7 13.d3
c4 14.c2 c7 15.e2 Henris, L
(2283)-Claesen, P (2384)/Aalst 2005
a n d o n e g o o d l i n e i s b3
( 16.d1 a6! ) 16...xd2 17.xd2 0-0;
B) 8.dxc5 c7 9.b5 f6 10.0-0 e7
is better f or Black, e.g., 11.e1
12.d4 0-0 13.xc6 bxc6 14.e2 a5
with a very large advantage, Herrou, C
(2142)-Renaudin, M (2195), France
2005.;
C) 8.bxc5 a5! 9.dxe5 ( 9.d2 f6
10.e2 e4 ) 9...xc5 10.d3 h6!?
( 10...ge7! 11.0-0 0-0 with an obvious
positional advdantage) 11.xh6 gxh6
12.0-0 c7 ( 12...0-0 13.e1 d7= )
13.e2 g7?! 14.bd2 d7 15.b3
b6 16.ae1 ( 16.bd4! ) 16...g8 17.g3
e7 18.fd4 0-0-0 19.h5!? xa3
20.xh6?? b8? ( 20...xd4! 21.xd4
xd4 22.a1 f3+ 23.g2
wins a piece!) 21.a1 1/2-1/2 Sveshnikov,
E (2511)-Yashtylov, A (2414), Cheliabinsk
2005. ]
[ b) 7.exf6 xf6 8.b4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d6
10.b2 0-0 11.e2 ( 11.d3 e5! 12.dxe5
g4 13.e2 cxe5! ) 11...a6!? ( 11...d7!
12.0-0 a5 13.b5 e7 14.a4 f5 15.c3
ac8 , and Black is actively developed while
White is awkwardly placed.) 12.0-0 e4
with an unbalanced position, Mestel, J-
Comai, O/Tel Aviv 1977. ]
7...fxe5
[ I mention 7...g6!? in my book, and
analyse ]
[ 7...c4 8.c2 g6 and 8...Bd7 briefly. Both
of these moves appear to be satisfactory,
but the text is obviously more direct. ]
8.xe5 Sveshnikov calls this '+=' and stops.
The alternative is
[ 8.dxe5 c4 ( 8...h6 9.0-0 c4 10.c2
f7 transposes ) 9.c2 h6! 10.0-0 f7
A) 11.b3 cxb3 12.xb3 e7
12...c5! ) 13.a2 Dvoirys, S (2562)-
M u r e y , J ( 2 5 0 9 ) , D i e r e n 2 0 0 0 fxe5!
14.xe5 xe5 15.e1 c6 and White
has no visible compensation;
B) 11.bd2!? g6!? ( 11...g5 12.xc4!
dxc4 13.xg5 with attack; 11...e7! 12.b3
cxb3 13.xb3 fxe5 ) 12.b3 cxb3
13.xb3 ( 13.xb3! ) 13...g7
( 13...fxe5 ) 14.c4 Mokrys, C (2502)-
Turkov, V (2496)/ICCF email 2006 and d4
15.e4 0-0 16.c5 c7 is unclear;
16.b1 C) 11.e2 g6!? ( I like 11...d7 12.a4
e7 13.a3 a6 and .. . 0-0-0, followed by
a kingside pawn storm; or 11...e7 )
e4 12.a2! g7 13.f4 0-0 14.bd2 c7
15.e1 h6 ( 15...d7 ) 16.g3
was slightly better for W hite in Afek, Y
(2362)-Murey, J (2463)/St Quentin 1999. ]
8...f6
[ 8...xe5 9.dxe5 is le ss d e f in e d : g6
( 9...h6 10.c4!? dxc4 11.xc4 f5 )
10.c4 d4 11.0-0 g7 12.f4 e7 13.d2
and I prefer White. ]
9.0-0 d6
[ 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 d6 gives White c3 for
his knight but still looks very good for Black,
f o r e x a m p l e , 11.xc6 bxc6 12.c3
Collins, S (2413)-Claesen, P (2384) ,
f8 Gothenburg 2005 and now Black would
stand clearly better after ( 12.c2 0-0
13.e3 g4 14.g3 xe3 15.fxe3 xf1+
16.xf1 c5 17.c3 d7 18.d1 b8
with the bishop pair and better structure,
S c h a k e l , C - N o b l e , J , c o r r e s 2 0 0 3)
12...xd4! 13.b5 xh2+! 14.xh2 h4+
15.g1 0-0! with the idea 16.c3?? g4 ]
10.xc6 bxc6 11.dxc5 xc5 12.b4 d6
13.c4
[ 13.e3 c7 14.h3 0-0 ]
13...b8
[ Black also has the advantage after 13...c7
, e.g., 14.f4 dxc4! 15.xc4 a5 16.bxa5
d5 ]
14.h3 a5! 15.cxd5 cxd5?!
[ 15...e5! 16.a2 exd5 17.bxa5 ( 17.f4
d4+ 18.h1 0-0 19.xh7+ xh7
20.xd4 axb4 ) 17...0-0 with the superior
centre. ]
16.bxa5 0-0
[ 16...e5 17.a2 0-0 would prevent Nc3,
( or and 18.d2! f7 19.b4 c7 20.d2 f4
21.d1 c7 repeats. ]
17.c3 xa5 18.b1 b7 19.b5!? c5?!
Sutovsky seems out-of-form. He should play
[ 19...a6 ]
20.e1! g3?! Perhaps too fancy, but White
was better anyway.
252
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 20...a4 21.xe6+ h8 ] 24.h2 g6 is fairly equal, perhaps

21.xe6+ h8 22.e3 xe3 23.xe3 nominally better for White but unwinnable. ]
xe3 24.fxe3 a6 25.b3 h6 26.fb1 22.fa1 a6!?
d7 27.c7 c4 28.c3 e5 29.c2 a7 [ Or 22...c5 23.a8 xa8 24.xa8+ e7
30.e6 fa8 31.d4 d7 32.a4 25.f1 , but again Black should hold. ]
W hite has consolidated his pawn, and the 23.c1 e7
knight on d4 makes up for his slightly [ 23...c5 24.g2 d3 ]
awkward bishop. c5 33.a3 g8 34.b4 24.f4!?
f7 35.f3 af8 36.a1 e7 37.a3 [ 24.h4 d8 25.b1 c5 is solid. ]
[ 37.d2! ] 24...b4!?
37...ef7 38.d1 d3 39.b6 e7 40.a5 [ 24...d8! threatens ...Bb6, and 25.b1
and White went on to win in spite of excellent c5 is fully equal. ]
resistance. a8 41.d2 e5 42.b1 ea7 25.ca1 a6 26.b1 b4 27.h4!?
43.ba1 b8 44.xc4 dxc4 45.a6 b6 [ 27.g2 ]
46.c2 c6 47.e4 b4 48.c3 bxa6 27...c5 28.a5 b5 29.g2 e7 30.e2
49.xa6 xa6 50.xc4 b6 51.h4 f7 b6 31.a3 c2 32.a2 d4 33.g4!?
52.f2 b5 53.d4 e7 54.f3 b6 [ 33.f1= is safer ]
55.c4 a6 56.d5 d6 57.d4 c5 33...c6 34.d3
58.c4+ e7 59.g4 f6+ 60.e2 f8 [ 34.xb5 xe5 35.xd5+ exd5 36.xd7
61.d5 d7 62.b4 d6 63.e4 e7 xd7 37.xd5 f6 ]
64.f5 e5 65.c2 c6 66.e4 c4 34...d4 35.f4 b4 36.d1! c3 37.a6
67.b7+ f6 68.b6+ e7 69.d5 xh4 d4 38.c5 e8 39.a7+ f8 40.a4
70.e6+ d7 71.xe5 d6 72.e4 h2 b5! 41.xb5 xb5 42.c7 xc5?
73.d4 Completely unnecessary and probably based
1-0 up o n t he id e a t ha t qu e en ing a p awn will
restore the balance.
[ 42...a5 or ]
296 C02 [ 42...b6 are just fine. ]
Zherebukh,Yaroslav 2632 43.xc5 a4 44.c8+ g7 45.b8 c2
Bartel,Mateusz 2677 46.1xb4 xb4 47.xb4 d1 48.f5 h5
4th GM POL-UKR Match (1) 24.05.2012 [ 48...exf5 49.f2+- . Black has 5 isolated
[John Watson] pawns with two pairs of doubled ones. ]
49.f6+
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 b6 5.f3 [ 49.f2 might be easier. ]
c6 6.a3 h6 7.b4 cxd4 8.xh6 gxh6 49...g6 50.f4 g4 51.f2 d4 52.xd4
9.cxd4 d7 10.e2 f5 53.d7 xe5 54.xf7 h6 55.e3 f5
[ Sveshnikov prefers 10.a2 and is quite 56.h7! xf6 57.xh6+ g6 58.g4 g7
enthusiastic about it. In my book I show how 59.g5 e5 To prevent White's king advance,
Black can get promising play by various but the game has long been over. 60.xg6+
moves, especially 10...a6 and 10...Rg8. ] xg6 61.e4 g7 62.xe5 f7 63.d6
10...g8 11.0-0 g4 12.h3 f4 13.g3 xf3 g6 64.e6 g7 65.e7 g6 66.f8
14.xf3 xd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.h5 a5 1-0
'with compensation' - Sveshnikov. 17.c3
c8 18.e2! c2!?
[ In my book I analyse 18...c6 '!' 19.fc1
axb4 20.axb4 b8 21.f4! xe5 22.xd5
exd5 23.e1 d6 24.f4 e6 25.fxe5
xb4= and point out that 'If Black is worried,
he always has ...d4 and ...Bc3.' ]
19.a2 axb4 20.axb4 xb4 21.a7 b8
[ 21...c6 22.xb7 xe5 23.f4 c5+

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

297 C02 reversion to a main line by ]

Zhigalko,Sergei 2648 [ 6...b6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5 ]
Reinderman,Dimitri 2576 7.b4 cxd4
11th EICC Men (6) 11.03.2010 [ I also give the rather extravagant 7...f7!?
[John Watson] 8.exf6 xf6 9.dxc5 ( 9.bxc5 e5 ) 9...a5
10.b2 e7 . This is fun, but not so clearly
It's very easy for White to go wrong in this line, equal as the other two moves. ]
which (to me) is beginning to look like a real [ 7...fxe5 is also fine, for example, 8.xh6
threat to the Advance Variation as a whole (in ( 8.b5 xd4! 9.cxd4 exd4 with 3 pawns
terms of White being able to get any serious and a huge centre) 8...gxh6 9.dxe5 c7
positive chances). 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 10.b5 d7 11.0-0 0-0-0 ]
4.c3 c6 5.f3 h6 6.a3 8.cxd4 fxe5 9.xe5 xe5 10.dxe5 f7
[ Also from this month's batch, T Stevens- 11.b2 a5! At least equalizing.
Steadman, Canberra AUS 2010: 6.d3 [ In my book, I give 11...a6 ]
A) in m y b o o k I give 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 [ 'or even 11...g5 ', although the latter looks
( 7.xh6 gxh6 8.cxd4 g7 and ...f6 ) more like a 'Dangerous W eapons' move
7...f6 and here 7...Nf5; than a completely reliable suggestion. ]
B) 6...f6 7.0-0 ( 7.xh6 gxh6 8.0-0 [ 11...d7 is a good alternative. ]
cxd4 9.cxd4 g7 ) 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 fxe5!? 12.bxa5?!
( 8...f7 ) 9.dxe5 ( 9.xe5 ) 9...f7 [ a) 12.d4 may be best, although Black has
10.c3 fewer problems than his opponent, e.g. ,
B1) 10...fxe5? 11.xe5 xe5 e7!? ( 12...e7 13.d3 0-0 14.0-0 h6
12.h5+ f7 13.b5+ d7 14.e1!; 15.d2 f5 16.xf5 xf5 ) 13.bxa5
B2) but 10...g5!? is enterprising and fun, ( 13.b5 c7 ) 13...c7 14.b5+ d7
for example, 11.h3 g7 12.e1 e7 15.xd7+ xd7 16.d2 xa5 ]
13.c2 h6 14.g6 ( 14.e2 fxe5 [ b) 12.b5 allows c5 , with smooth
15.xe5 xe5 16.f4! c6! unclear ) development by ...0-0 and perhaps ...Qg5 or
14...0-0 ... Qh4, which is hardly fun for White. ]
B2a) 15.xf7+ weakens White's 12...xa5+ 13.d2!? But
kingside defences: xf7! [ 13.c3 c7 14.b5+ d7 15.xd7+
B2a1) 16.b3 h5 17.b2 xf3! xd7 16.0-0 e7 leaves White with a bad
18.b5 d7 ( even better looks bishop and weaknesses. ]
18...xh3! 19.gxh3 xh3 ) 19.xf3 13...c5! Threatening ..Qb6 or even ..Bxf2+.
xf3 20.gxf3 b4; 14.c2?
B2a2) 16.b5 h5; [ 14.b1 0-0 15.d3 xa3 16.a1 b4
B2b) 15.b1 fxe5 16.xe5 xe5 with an extra pawn ]
17.c2 f7 with the idea 18.h7+ 14...d7! 15.c3
f8; [ 15.d3 c8 ]
B3) 10...a6!? 11.e1 g5!? ( This time 15...a7!
11...g6 is safer ) 12.a4! g7 13.h4! [ 15...xf2+ is advantageous, if less so,
d7 ( 13...gxh4 ) 14.xg5 cxe5 following 16.xf2 c5+ 17.e1 c8 ( or
15.d1 , and here instead of 15...Qb6, 17...d4 )]
Black had ( 15.xe5 xa4 16.xf7! 16.f3 c8 17.d3
xf7 17.xd8 xc3 18.bxc3 axd8= ) [ 17.d2 xf2+ 18.xf2 xf2+ 19.xf2
15...xf3+ 16.xf3 xg5 17.hxg5 xc3 ]
xg5 18.xd5 0-0-0 with a double- 17...b6! 18.0-0 Setting a trap. d4
edged contest ahead. ] [ 18...a5? 19.d4! equalizes. ]
6...f6 My suggested system in Dangerous 19.xh7 xc3 20.g6 f8 21.ae1 c6
Weapons: The French. Otherwise, 22.h4 d8 23.f5 exf5 24.e6 b5
[ 6...f5 ] 25.xf5 c5 26.d3 g5 27.e4 e5
[ and even 6...c4!? can be considered, or 28.b3 xe4 29.xe4 a4 30.f4+ e8

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

31.b1 c4 32.h4 xh4 33.c1 d5 want to await passively for W hite's attack
0-1 beginning with 16 a4. Perhaps a better plan
was
[ 15...a5!? with the idea of ...a4, winning
298 C03 control of some queenside squares. ]
Aagaard,Jacob 2396 16.c5 xc5 17.dxc5 c8 18.d4 ce7
McDonald,Neil R 2438 19.xc6 xc6 20.b4 a6 21.b3 0-0-0
Millennium Masters (7) 17.04.2000 Black castles into an attack. However, the
[Neil McDonald] kingside was completely inhospitable while
staying in the centre, though safe in the short
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 term, would mean that Black would never be
5.e5 fd7 6.c4!? dxc4?! a b l e t o c o n n e c t h i s r o o k s . 22.e4!
[ After the game Aagaard scolded me for not White shows excellent judgment in offering
playing 6...c5!? This is the natural way to try the pawn. On the other hand,
to take advantage of White's over extended [ 22.a4 d4 23.c4 f4 would give Black
centre before his pieces arrive at squares a lot more counterchances. ]
where they can support it. However, White 22...xe5
can stabilise his centre after 7.cxd5 exd5 [ If 22...d4 23.c4 f4 24.xf4 gxf4
8.d3 0-0 ( 8...c6 9.0-0 ) 9.0-0 c6 25.ad1 with the threat of 26 c6. ]
10.e1 when he at least maintains the e5 23.a4! f6 24.c3 xe4 25.xe4?
spearhead. Here I think Black should play Played instantly, but he captures the wrong
10. ..cxd4 and 11...Nc5. Instead e8 11.a3 knight. Instead
f8 This is all a bit slow. 12.dxc5 xc5 [ 25.xe5! leaves Black with no way to avoid
13.b4 b6 14.b2 g4 15.a4 a fatal material loss, for example
wa s n i c e f o r W h i t e i n W a h l s - A m b r o z , A) 25...f6 26.b2 d2 ( 26...d5?
Lucerne 1989. ] 27.xd5 exd5 28.f3 ) 27.xe6
7.xc4! The correct recapture. The white p i c k s u p t h e f 6 p a wn w i t h a wi n n i n g
k n i g h t i s b e s t s a ve d f o r t h e e 4 s q u a r e . game.;
Significantly inferior is B) 25...d2 26.a2 hf8 27.f6
[ 7.xc4 for example b6 8.xb6 axb6 and the threats of 28 Bxd8 or 28 Rad1 are
9.d3 d7! 10.0-0 c6 11.e1 d5 decisive. ]
12.e3 c6 13.a3 0-0 14.d2 f5! 25...f6 26.xe5 fxe5 27.xe5 he8
a n d B la c k e qu a lise d in S vid le r-V isse r, 28.ae1 d3! This allows Black to fight on.
Groningen 1990. ] The endgame still looks difficult for him, but of
7...b6 Black cannot really hope to free his co urse all roo k an d p awn e nd ga m es a re
game unless he carries out the c5 advance, drawn! 29.xd3 xd3 30.h4 gxh4 31.xe6
but if xe6 32.xe6 d4 33.c6 bxc6 34.xc6
[ 7...c5 8.e4! eyes the weakened d6 b7 35.xh6 xb4 36.a5 c5 37.f1 e4
square. ( but not 8.d5 exd5 9.xd5 38.b6+ a7 39.c6 c4 40.e2 b7
xe5! )] 41.b6+ a7 42.h6 b7 43.b6+ a7
8.d3 c6 Black's opening has been 44.h6 b7 A rather fortunate escape after
unsuccessful as his pieces are short of space. Black's poor opening.
In particular, he has two knights but only one ½-½
of them can enjoy being on the d5 square.
[ This would remain a problem after the 'Fort
Knox' treatment 8...d7 9.0-0 c6 10.e4
xe4 11.xe4 c6 ]
9.e4 b4 10.b1 h6 11.0-0 d7 12.a3
4d5 13.e1 c6 14.d2 d7 15.b3 g5?!
A rash looking move, but Black had run out of
things to do with his heavy pieces and didn't

255
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

299 C03 the black king is pleased to be so helpfully

Abdelnabbi,Imed 2455 escorted out of the pin on d5. 19.ad1 e6
Lputian,Smbat G 2623 White doesn't have enough firepower to blast
ADCF Masters (6) 22.08.2003 through the clump of kingside pawns.
[Neil McDonald] Therefore he can only await passively Black's
build up. 20.b3 d7 The next step in
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 Lputian's winning plan is to gain control of the
5.d3 Evidently White doesn't want to plunge d file. 21.g3 ad8 22.d2 g7 23.a4
into the critical mainline with e7 24.b3 a6 25.f1 h5 Black gains more
[ 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 ] s p a c e a n d i n t e n d s t o p r o vo k e a f u r t h e r
5...c5 6.exd5?! This makes things very weakening of White's kingside with 26... Bg4
comfortable for Black. Instead 2 7 . f 3 B e 6 . 26.e3 xe3 27.xd8?
[ 6.c3 would maintain the tension with an White just can't resist the urge to exchange
IQP position emerging after dxe4 7.xe4 pieces, but this just hands over the d file
cxd4 8.cxd4 Alternatively White could still without a fight. Necessary was
enter the mainline with ] [ 27.xe3 ]
[ 6.e5 fd7 7.c3 etc. ] 27...xd8 28.xe6 xe6 29.xe3 d6
6...xd5 Black could have taken back with the 30.e4 d7 31.e2 White must give up
pawn or even the queen, but the knight is either the first rank or second rank: in both
n i c e l y p l a c e d o n d 5 . 7.dxc5 d7! cases Black is able to infiltrate his defences.
A typical trick in this line. Rather than move d1+ 32.g2 a1 33.b3 d1 34.g4 hxg4
the bishop a second time with 7. ..Bxc5 Black 35.xg4 f5 36.b4 h1+ White resigned
delays recapturing on c5 in order to develop as if 37.h3 f3+ 38.h4 h5+ 39.g3
his other knight. 8.b3?! g1#
[ Instead of this routine move he might have 0-1
weakened the black pawns with 8.c6 bxc6 ]
8...xc5 9.xc5 a5+ Another instructive
delayed recapture. Black takes the chance to 300 C03
activate his queen. 10.c3 xc5 11.0-0 0-0 Adam,Detlef 2180
12.e2 d8 13.e5?! White decides to play Rendle,Thomas 2258
for a direct attack on the kingside, but it just ch Scarborough ENG (7) 09.08.2004
proves a waste of time. He had to utilise his 3- [Neil McDonald]
2 pawn advantage on the queenside to evict
the black knight from its strong post on d5. 1.e4 e6 The notes to this game are by
For example Thomas Rendle unless marked by 'NM'. 2.d4
[ 13.c4 b4 14.e3 with unclear play. ] d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 5.dxc5 f6
13...g6 14.e1 c7 Safety first: before 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 b4 8.b3 xd3+
expanding on the kingside Black retreats his 9.cxd3 a5 10.g5 a4 NM: in the notes to
queen for defence along the second rank. earlier games on ChessPub I wrongly
15.h6 f6! Whereas White's queenside criticised this move as I thought it led to a
pawns remain inert Black uses his extra pawn positional dead end. It was subsequently
on the other wing to good effect. 16.f3 discovered that with his next move Black is
[ Black defends satisfactorily after 16.xg6 able to offer a second pawn to keep up his
hxg6 17.xg6 f8 -here the queen proves i n i t i a t i v e . 11.bd2 h6! 12.xf6 xf6
well placed on c7. ] 13.exd5!?
16...e5 17.c4 [ NM: the main battle front on ChessPub has
[ After 17.c4 Black has the nice little trick been 13.e5 e7 ]
f8! 18.xf8?! f4 when he captures on 13...a3
d3 with a clear advantage. ] [ 13...xd5 14.e4 e7 15.d4 0-0
17...f8 18.xf8 xf8 White hopes that 16.c3 d8 17.0-0 a5 18.e5
every exchange will bring a draw nearer, but was very comfortable for W hite in

256
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Kotronias-Ostenstad, Gausdal 2002. ]
14.d4
[ W hite does best to avoid 14.d6 axb2
15.b1 b6! 16.d4 bxc5 17.dxc5 xa2
as given by Psakhis. ]
14...0-0!?
[ 14...axb2 15.b5+ d7 16.xb2 xd5
17.b3 "White has the superior chances"
Psakhis ]
15.d6
[ 15.e4 is probably the critical test, e.g.
exd5 16.xf6+ xf6 17.0-0 ( 17.bxa3
b6! )
A) 17...b6!? 18.fc1! ( 18.b4 bxc5
19.dxc5 a6 20.b5 b2 21.e5 xb5
22.fb1 xe5 23.xe5 a5 );
B) 17...g4! 18.bxa3 ( 18.b4 fe8
19.d3 e4! 20.fd1 f4 )
B1) 18...xa3 19.e5 c6 20.d2
fa8 21.fe1 xa2 22.xa2 xa2
23.f1;
B2) NM: I think the best solution for
Black is the queen and rook endgame
after 18...xf3!? 19.xf3 xd4 e.g.
20.ac1 fd8 21.fd1 ( 21.b3 d7
22.fd1 f4!? ) 21...e4 22.xe4
dxe4;
B3) 18...fe8?! 19.d3 e4 ( 19...xf3
20.gxf3 ) 20.ab1 xf3 21.xf3 xf3
22.gxf3 xd4 23.xb7 NM: Thomas
stops his analysis here. It is almost a
draw, but White keeps a tiny edge that is
a n n o y i n g , e . g . c4 24.e1! xc5
( 24...xa3 25.e8+ h7 26.xf7 a6
to defend g7 with Rg6+ may hold, but
i s n ' t e a s y .) 25.ee7 f8 26.a7
and with the black rook tied down to f8
W hite can keep on playing to win by
advancing the front a-pawn. ]
15...axb2 16.b1 b6 17.e4 bxc5
18.xf6+ xf6 19.e5 cxd4 20.xb2
xe5+ 21.xe5 f6 22.c6 a6 23.xd4
xd6 24.b3
[ 24.b5 Is a more active try. ]
24...a6 25.f3 c4 26.f2 a8 27.c1
d5 28.g3 da6 29.cc2 a3 30.f2
g5 31.e3 g7 32.f2 g6 33.c1 h5
34.h3 8a4 35.d2 g4 36.hxg4 hxg4
37.b3 f5 38.c5 c4 39.d7 f4
40.g3 fa4 41.b6 gxf3 42.xa4 fxg2+
43.h2 xa4 44.xd5 exd5 45.xg2 f6
46.f3 e5 47.e2+ e4 48.b2 f4+
49.e3 a4 50.f3 a3+ 51.f2 e4
52.e2+ f4 53.d2 e4 54.e2+ d4
55.d2+ c4 56.c2+ d3 57.b2 d4
58.f3 c3 59.f2 d3 60.e3 a5
0-1
301 C03
Adams,Michael 2734
Caruana,Fabiano 2640
38th Olympiad (5) 17.11.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 b6 A very solid
way to meet the Universal System. Instead of
trying to grab a pawn, Black aims to exchange
off his 'bad' light squared bishop for White's
star piece on d3. 8.e2 a5 Black refuses to
b e d e n i e d t h e B a 6 m o ve . 9.a4!? a6
10.xa6!?
[ P r e v i o u s l y W h i t e h a s t r i e d 10.b5!?
here with the aim of making it hard for Black
to develop his knight on b8. 0-0 ( Instead
10...c8 11.c4!? looks rather to White's
a d v a n t a g e e . g . c6 12.cxd5 xb5
13.axb5 b4 14.c4 xd5 15.g5 etc. )
11.0-0 c8 and Black is ready for 12...
Nc6. ]
10...xa6 11.0-0 c7 12.e1 b8
The knight does very little on d7 in this type of
pawn structure. Hence it is redeployed to c6
where it puts pressure on d4 and may gain
access to the b4 square with the exchange
c 5 x d 4 c 3 x d 4 a n d t h e n N b 4 . 13.b3
Rather than preparing an active plan on the
kingside, White is first of all concerned with
reducing his opponent's possible queenside
counterplay. Therefore he tries to provoke c5-
c4, so that there is no longer pressure on the
d4 point or a possible open c-file after c5xd4.
Of course Black has also to beware W hite
advancing c3-c4 himself. c6 14.e3 c4
Black decides to advance the pawn, as it is
White who would benefit from the open c-file
after
[ 14...cxd4 15.cxd4 and then 16.Rac1 etc. ]
15.c1 b5 16.axb5 xb5 17.c2 ba7!
An instructive manoeuvre. The black knight
appeared to be well placed on b5, but
257
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Caruana spends three moves to get it to b6,
where it supports the a5-a4 advance. Once
the pawn advance is achieved, the queenside
will be fixed, as White won't be able to open
lines with b2-b3. This will mean that the black
king can be housed safely on the queenside-
a more desirable residence than the kingside
as Adams is planning to build up an attack
with f4-f5. 18.g3! A move typical of England's
Number One player. He has prevented Black
from building up an attack on the queenside
and now plans to edge forwards himself on
the kingside. c8 19.h4 h6 20.e2 b6
21.h5 a4 22.h2 d7! As indicated,
Caruana prefers to have his king away from
th e f irin g line o f t he wh ite p a wn s o n t h e
queenside. 23.f4 c7 24.f5? So far Michael
Adams has played in his usual impeccable
positional style. But here he seems in too
much of a hurry. After the quiet
[ 24.f1 or maybe ]
[ 24.g2 the black bishop on e7 remains
boxed in and White can build up towards f4-
f5 at his leisure. Of course Black can try f7-
f5 or f7-f6 ideas, but in either case W hite
can capture on f6 and keep his initiative. ]
24...g5! Suddenly Caruana's pieces are
energised as his bishop is at worst exchanged
for a white knight and his own knight gains
access to e7 and the f5 square beyond it.
25.f4 e7! 26.fxe6 xf4 27.xf4 fxe6
28.f1 d7 29.f2 af8 The black rooks
are in time to contest the f-file. In what follows
White hopes to tie Black down to the defence
of the g7 pawn with an eventual Qh7.
However, his own b2 pawn proves a greater
target. 30.af1 e8 31.e2 f5 32.g4 f7
33.c1 hf8 34.f3 d7
[ Black can't play 34...b5? because of the
shot 35.g5! xf2 36.xe6+ and Black
loses a key pawn as if d7? there is the
killing check 37.xf8+ ]
35.c2 b6 36.g2?
[ White does best to sue for peace with
36.e2 d7 37.c2 etc. ]
36...b5! Caruana seizes his chance to
activate his queen 37.h4
[ Here 37.g5 fails to xf2+ as Black now
captures with check. ]
37...b3! 38.h7
[ The endgame looks horrid for White after
38.xb3 xf2+ 39.xf2 xf2+ 40.xf2
cxb3 when Black plans 41...Nc4 and 42...
a3. ]
38...xf2+ 39.xf2 xf2+ 40.xf2 d7!
41.f3
[ It turns out that White has no time to take
on g7 as he drops a piece after 41.xg7
c2+ ]
41...a3! 42.bxa3 a4! 43.d2
[ Again the g7 pawn is taboo as after
43.xg7 xc3 intending 44.. .Ne4+ the
white king comes under an attack which in
combination with the black passed c-pawn
would prove fatal. ]
43...xc3 44.xc3 xc3 45.b1 c7!
Ruling out any checks along the b-file. 46.a4
c6 47.g6 As you'd expect, Adams battles
hard but he can't prevent the ultimate triumph
of the passed c-pawn. b2+ 48.g3 c3
49.e1 e2 50.c2 b6 51.a5+ xa5
52.xe6 d3+ 53.f4 e4+ 54.g3 d3+
55.f4 xc2 56.xd5+
[ Or 56.xc6 f2# ]
56...b4 57.c5+ b3 58.d5+ b2
59.b5+ b3 60.xc6 c2 61.g2 b4
62.f5 xd4 63.e2 c3 64.e1+ d2
[ There are no more good checks after
64...d2 65.a1+ ( or 65.g3+ d3+ )
65...b3 ]
0-1
302 C03
Adams,Michael 2744
Morozevich,Alexander 2749
Sparkassen Cat XXI (9) 21.07.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5
5.dxc5 This is Michael Adams' latest attempt
to beat Alexander Morozevich in the 3...Be7
Tarrasch. However, it doesn't seem very
promising- the 'non-French' nature of the
dxc5 capture seems more important than the
time Black has lost in playing Be7 before
Bxc5. c6 6.gf3 xc5 7.b3 b6 8.d3
f6! Already Black looks fine as he is
liquidating W hite's centre. 9.e2 fxe5
10.xe5 f6 11.0-0 xe5 12.xe5 0-0
13.g5 c7 14.d4 h6 15.h4 e5
Black carries out his freeing advance.
258
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Nevertheless he cannot afford to be careless [ 10...0-0! as better. The analysis I give there
as the pawns could become subject to attack. is still untested. ]
16.c5 e6 17.ad1 c8 18.e3 11.bd2 h6 This is Morozevich's attempted
This quiet move threatens 19 Nc5 or 19 Nd4 improvement on
exploiting the bishop on e6 to bring the knight [ 11...dxe4 which worked out badly for Black
back into the game. Therefore Morozevich has in Almasi-Timman. ]
to play actively. Instead it was possible to 12.xf6 xf6 13.e5 e7 Black remains a
grab a pawn with p a wn d o wn , b u t h e h o p e s t o e ve n t u a l l y
[ 18.xa7 but Black gets considerable capture White's c pawn, or at least force him
counterplay, e.g. e4 19.e2 ( 19.xe4!? to play the loosening d3-d4 to hold onto it. Of
g5! ) 19...b6 20.xb7 xc2 ] course, Adams is less than obliging. 14.c1!
18...e4! 19.xe4 xh2+ 20.h1 d6 Note that in what follows White avoids playing
[ Instead the game would burn out to a draw d3-d4 f or as long as possible as it would
after 20...g4 21.xd8 xe3 22.fxe3 weaken his light squares in the centre and so
xf1+ 23.xf1 dxe4 24.xh2 xb3 allow Black to generate counterplay with ...b6
25.axb3 xd8 ] and ...Ba6. He also wants to keep d4 as a
21.xf6 f4 22.f3? central post for a knight, so that it can support
[ White misses his chance to get the the pawn on c6 after the sequence ...b7-b6
advantage with 22.xa7! xf6 23.xb7 answered by c5-c6. Only when he has enticed
b8 24.xd5! ] all the black pieces away from the kingside
22...xf6 23.xd5 e5! 24.xb7? and the black bishop can no longer go to a6
[ And here he had to try 24.xe6+ xe6 is White content to play d4. a5 15.e3 0-0
25.xb7 though Black is at least equal after 16.0-0 d7 17.c2 a8 18.fc1 c8
xc2 ] 19.f1!! The quiet prelude to a devastating
24...e7 25.e4 f5! 26.fe1 attack on the kingside. White has spotted a
[ If 26.xc8 h5+ 27.g1 h2+ 28.h1 weakness on h5. a7 20.d4 a6 21.g3
f4+ 29.g1 h1+ 30.xh1 h4+ b6 22.c6 e8 23.h5 b5 24.g4!
31.g1 h2# ] The black pieces are too busy dealing with the
26...f4 27.e3 h4+ White resigned as he c6 pawn to resist this sudden attack. a7
will soon be a rook down after 28.g1 h2+ 25.g5 hxg5 26.xg5 ac7 27.h1 xc6
29.f1 c4+ 30.d3 xb7 28.xc6 xc6 29.g1 xb2 30.xg7! c3
0-1 31.xe8 A great attacking game which may
have put 7...Nb4 out of business.
1-0
303 C03
Adams,Michael 2715
Morozevich,Alexander 2748 304 C03
Bosna SuperGM (11) 29.05.2000 Adams,Michael 2715
[Neil McDonald] Morozevich,Alexander 2748
Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (7) 23.01.2000
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 Yet another [Neil McDonald]
tussle for these two superstars in the 3...Be7
variation. After the present game honours are 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
even at 1.5/3 each. 4.d3 c5 5.dxc5 f6 5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 The best try for
6.e2 This sequence seems to have become advantage by W hite. c6 7.gf3 b4
established as White's best response to 3... The alternative is
Be7. c6 7.gf3 b4 The major alternative [ 7...xc5 -see McDonald-Zagrebelny ]
[ 7...xc5 can be found in Zagrebelny- 8.b3 xd3+ 9.cxd3 a5 10.a4 In Almasi-
McDonald ] Timman, White played
8.b3 xd3+ 9.cxd3 a5 10.g5 a4? [ 10.g5 here. Michael Adams prefers to try
In my notes to Almasi-Timman, I recommend to constrict Black on the queenside. ]

259
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
10...b6!! A brilliant pawn sacrifice which
introduces a sharp tactical element to the
ga m e . I t t h e r e f o r e p r e ve n t s W h i t e f r o m
gaining a solid and permanent, albeit small,
positional advantage. 11.e5 d7 12.c6
[ After 12.cxb6 xb6 Black has massive
compensation for the pawn. For example,
13.bd4 ( 13.bd2 a6 then 14...Nc5 etc.
is rotten for W hite.) 13...b4+ 14.d2
xd2+ 15.xd2 xe5! would regain the
pawn and leave Black with the better pawn
structure ]
12...c5 13.bd4 a6 14.b5 b3
15.b1 b4+ 16.f1 0-0 17.d4 f6!
White has managed to hold things together on
the queenside for now, so Black opens a
second front on the kingside. 18.e3!
[ White's queen keeps guard over f2. Instead
18.d3 fxe5 ( after 18...xb5 19.axb5 a4
20.g3 White would be a tempo up on the
game if Black continued 20...Qe8.) 19.xe5
h4 20.f3 ( 20.e3? d2+ ) 20...e4!
looks great for Black. ]
18...xb5+ 19.axb5 a4 20.g3 e8! 21.d3
This is forced to prevent 21... Qg6 winning
the rook on b1. xc1 22.xc1 a3 23.b3
[ Instead 23.bxa3 xa3 24.e2 h5
gives Black a decisive attack e.g. 25.c7
( 25.h4 xe2+ 26.xe2 a2+ 27.d3
fxe5 28.dxe5 fxf2 29.c7 a3+ 30.d4
d2# ) 25...h3+ 26.g1 c8 threatening
27...Rxc7. ]
23...a2 24.g2 g6 25.xg6 hxg6
26.exf6 gxf6 27.hd1 f7 28.e1 a3
29.c2 b2! This is just in time before White
picks up the black passed pawn. Black wins
the exchange and has the better chances, but
Adams defends actively to hold the draw. The
key to his survival is the chance to create a
second passed pawn on the kingside.
30.xb2 a1 31.xa1 xa1 32.c2 a5!
33.b4 a4 Not
[ 33...xb5?? 34.a3 but Black was happy
to provoke White's pawn move as it denies
the knight the b4 square. ]
34.h4 e7 35.e3 d6 36.g4 a3
37.c2 c7 38.e2 d6 39.c2 e7
40.e2 c8 41.e3 f7 42.g4! White has
to create a distraction on the kingside as
otherwise Black's rooks would be able to eat
the ir way t hrough th e qu ee nside a t th eir
leisure. c7
[ Risky for Black is 42...b3?! e.g. 43.a2
xb4 ( 43...c7 44.a6 ) 44.a7+ ]
43.g5 d3 44.g4! xd4 Not of course
[ 44...fxg5?? 45.e5+ ]
45.h6+ e7 46.g8+ f7 47.h6+ e7
48.g8+ d6 49.xf6 c8 50.g3 xb4
This begins a more or less forced sequence
of moves which lead to a draw. 51.h5 gxh5
52.g6 h4+ 53.h3 f4 54.d7 g8
55.xb6 b4 56.c2 c7 57.d7 xb5
58.f6 b3+ 59.xh4 xg6 60.e8+ c8
61.c7 e5 62.a2! The rook will reach the
eighth rank just in time to save the day. c6
63.a8+ d7 64.d8+ Now after e7
65.c8 xc8 66.xc8 f3 White has to
surrender his last pawn, so a draw ended this
titanic struggle.
½-½
305 C03
Adams,Michael 2698
Nakamura,Hikaru 2715
Chess Classic (2) 09.12.2009
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 b6
A major decision, since Adams, the most
consistent advocate of 3 Nd2 amongst the
world's elite players, has already faced 7...b6
t wice o ve r t h e p a st ye a r , a n d o n c e ve r y
recently. Since the main lines with 7...Nc6 are
in good standing at the moment, it would have
been interesting to see Adams' reaction to that.
I guess you can only do one thing at a time.
8.e2 A number of other moves are covered
in the Archives. a5
[ As discussed last month, there have been
numerous games with 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 a5
.]
9.a4 Neil McDonald's How to Play Against 1
e4 features 7...b6, and at this point he doesn't
consider the text, concentrating upon the then-
critical lines 9 c4 and
[ 9.0-0 a6 10.c4 . After the latter, Adams
himself didn't achieve enough versus
Ye m e lin in O h rid 2 0 0 9 (d iscu sse d la s t
month) after c6 11.cxd5 xd3 12.xd3
exd5 ( McDonald cites a game with 12...b4
260
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.e2 xd5 14.c4 0-0 with equal play)
13.dxc5 xc5 14.b5 d7 and Black had
equalised. ]
9...a6 10.xa6
[ We looked at 10.b5 last month, and ]
[ 10.c4 transposes to Adams-Yemelin. ]
10...xa6 11.0-0 c8 Black wants to play ...
Qa6 another idea of this move, perhaps more
attractive, is that Black exerts pressure down
the c-file, with c2 and c4 as potential
destinations for the queen (see the next note).
[ In yet another Adams game, versus
Caruana in the 2008 Dresden Olympiad, the
play went 11...c7 12.e1 b8!? 13.b3
( given another chance, perhaps Adams
might have opted for a transfer such as
13.f1 c6 14.g3 ) 13...c6 14.e3 c4
(these days, Black often releases the
tension on d4 in order to open the b-file in
the past, this was considered a marginal
plan) 15.c1 b5 16.axb5
, a game annotated thoroughly on this site
by Neil. Black seems to have suf f icient
play. ]
12.e1 c7!? I wonder if holding off by
[ 12...0-0 , having in mind 13.f1 , cxd4
14.cxd4 ( 14.xd4 ac5 ) 14...b4
, mightn't have been more accurate. ]
13.f1 a6 14.e3
[ 14.c2 might be more accurate, with the
idea 0-0 ( 14...h6 15.g3 0-0 16.h5
with a modest edge, although Black can
probably ignore White's pressure and play
fb8 with the idea ...b5; 14...c8 15.g5 )
15.g5 . But Adams has the idea of drifting
towards the kingside. ]
14...0-0 15.g3 f5?! It takes a clever idea to
show why this is premature. Black's position
appears quite satisfactory after
[ 15...c4 , f o r e xa m p l e , 16.f4
17.cxd4 fc8 ( 17...d3!? 18.d2 a6 )
18.g4 g6 , and either ...b5 or ...Bb4 can
follow. ]
16.exf6 xf6
[ In retrospect, 16...xf6 was worth trying. ]
17.g5! A fine move! White's ideas include
Bf4, Nf5, and in some cases Nh5. From here
o n o u t , N a k a m u ra h a s t o s u f f e r u n d e r a
standard positional disadvantage, although it
appears to be within manageable bounds..
d6 18.f4 xf4 19.xf4 ac8! 20.g5
cxd4!? A very important and surprising
decision, allowing increased pressure on e6.
This is eith er a prof o un d ide a, o r s im ply
premature. Nakamura apparently felt that it
was incumbent to do something productive,
and Black plays tough defence in the
resulting position.
[ 20...b7 21.e5 ]
21.xd4 ce8 22.h5 xh5 23.xh5
c8 24.e5 Here we have a picture of
White's ideal setup in the French Defence, yet
the virtue of Black's pawn structure resides in
the fact that a third-rank pawn is difficult to
win, whereas between the f- and c-files, Black
has t he a bility to d ivert W hite in va riou s
c i r c u m s t a n c e s . a6! 25.ae1 c5
Finally a decent square for this piece! 26.d1
f6 27.f3 d7 28.b3 Now c3 and b3 are
slightly vulnerable, although for the time being
that's a non-factor. d6 White's advantage is
xb5 obvious, but Black's defensive structure is
hard to break down. 29.b5 How else to try
to make progress? f8!? Inviting White's next
move. 30.c7!? Initiating a tactical sequence
that results in some advantage, but it might
have been better to maintain the pressure for
a while. e7 31.xd5 d7 32.b4 axb4?
[ 32...ff7! 33.bxc5 xc5+ 34.f1 exd5
comes close to full equality. ]
33.cxb4 d8?!
[ 33...ff7 34.d4! increases the pressure.
Nakamura head for a poor ending which he
hopes will be difficult to win. Perhaps ]
[ 33...f7!? was a better alternative, also
conceding a pawn: 34.c2! xd5 35.bxc5
bxc5 36.xh7 xe5 37.xe5 d6
planning ...Qd4+ or ... c4. ]
34.xf6+ gxf6 35.c2! fxe5 36.bxc5
xc5+ 37.xc5 bxc5 38.xe5 a8
cxd4 39.xe6!? Adams goes for the passed pawn
but simplifies and rids Black of a weakness.
[ 39.e4 or ]
[ 39.xc5 xa4 40.c7 look better,
alth ough W h ite's ma jority is d if f icult t o
activate. ]
39...xa4 40.c6 c4 White still has a
substantial advantage, one which superficially
looks enough to win. But it gets very tricky,
and after some ups and downs the game is
eventually drawn. 41.f2 h5!? 42.g3
Not well-advised, but it's his next move that
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
he'll really regret: g7 43.d6? h4+!
44.h3 f4! I don't know if this is drawing,
but I suspect so. Suddenly it's hard to come
up with a convincing plan for White. 45.a6
c4 46.a3 f6 47.g3 hxg3 48.hxg3 f5
Now Black has the dual idea of ...Rc5/...c3
and ...Ke5-d4. 49.c3 c5 50.g4 e5
51.f4+ e4
[ The obvious 51...d4 also looks fine. ]
52.f5 c8 53.f6 e5 54.f7 f6 55.f4
xf7 56.e4 g6 57.d4 g5 58.xc4
xc4+ 59.xc4 g4 60.d4 xg3
½-½
306 C03
Adams,Michael 2682
Yemelin,Vasily 2570
25th ECC Ohrid MKD (6) 09.10.2009
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 Rightly or
wrongly, French authors are using this move
as a main line. 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3
c5 7.d3 b6 This simple fianchetto has had
a modest revival of late, stimulated by
Moskalenko's recommendation. Black wants
to exchange his light-squared bishop by ...Ba6.
I'm beginning to reconsider my longstanding
opinion that this trade is inappropriate in a
majority of instances in the French Defence.
In several variation s of the W inawer, f o r
example, as well as McDonald's 3...b6 in the
Advance, the exchange is working out, even
with the attendant loss of time (and potential
weaknesses). Here's one thing to consider
when you play ...Ba6: in a majority of
variations with d4 and e5, Black will
eventually break with .. .f6. A bishop on c8 or
d7 facilitates that break by protecting e6. 9...a6 10.c4 Again the most common move,
8.e2 By far the most common move, but in although
typical French fashion, White also has a row
of options, including 8 a3, 8 b3, 8 h4 (covered
by Kevin in the game Jones-Smerdon), and
[ 8.e4!? , when White uses tactics to give 10...c6 11.cxd5 xd3 12.xd3 exd5
himself the option of Ng5 as well as Ng3. 13.dxc5
This move and Nf1 were analysed in the
game Nikolova-Drasko, Cutro 2009. ]
8...a5
[ There have been numerous games with
8...cxd4 9.cxd4 a5 , e.g., 10.f1 a6
11.xa6
A) 11...xa6!? 12.g3 a7 13.h4 h6
( 13...0-0 ) 14.h5 g6 15.f4 Ehlvest, J
(2655)-Lputian, S (2575), Manila 1990,
and c7 16.e3 b4+ 17.d2 c6
is only a tad short of equality;
B) 11...xa6 12.g3 h5?! ( 12...c7
13.0-0 c4 ) 13.0-0! ( 13.h4 c8
intends ...Qc4 - Lputian) 13...c8 14.g5
b7 15.xe7 xe7 Hladik, O (2246) -
Borovicka, B (2086), Ostrava 2006 and
16.g5! is very strong. ]
9.0-0
[ a) 9.c4 is '!', according to Lputian, but it
h a s n ' t d o n e e x c e p t i o n a l l y w e l l : c6
( 9...a6 10.cxd5 exd5; 9...b7 has been
played and is fine, since the h1-a8 diagonal
will be open) 10.cxd5 exd5 11.0-0 f8!?
( 11...c7 ) 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.d1 e6
14.f1 ed4 ( 14...0-0! 15.g3 cd4 )
15.xd4 xd4 16.e3 g4!? 17.e1 h5
18.h3 g6 19.xg6 fxg6 20.d1 0-0
21.d3 c7 22.e3 xe5 23.xd4 cxd4
24.d2 f6 25.f3 e4 26.xd4
with equality, Caruana, F (2492)-Farago, I
(2531), Budapest 2007. ]
[ b) 9.a4 a6 10.b5 , on the other hand,
gums up the works somewhat (a similar line
appears in the main-line Winawers with 6...
Qc7 and 6...Ne7 7 Qg4 Kf8): c8! 11.f1
( 11.c4 b7 12.dxc5 0-0?! 13.cxb6 xb6
with some compensation but it looks
suspicious, Fedorchuk, S (2603)-Burlai, O
(2346), Evpatoria 2007.; 11.0-0 ) 11...c6
12.e3 0-0 13.0-0 cxd4 14.cxd4 b7
( 14...f6!? ) 15.d2 fc8 16.ac1 xb5
17.xb5 a7 18.d3 xc1 19.xc1
1/2-1/2 Plachetka, J (2414) -Farago, I (2501),
Gmunden 2007. ]
[ 10.xa6 xa6 11.c4 has had some
success in theory, it appears all right for
Black following c7 ]
[ 13.f5 f8 14.d1 e6 15.dxc5 bxc5
16.f1 0-0 17.g3 b8 18.b1 cd4
19.xd4 xd4 20.d3 f6 21.exf6 xf6
22.e3 d7 23.b3 1/2-1/2 Gallagher, J
(2503)-Sharif, M (2476)/France 200203 ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 13.d1 0-0 , and Black emerged a pawn alternative would be

up after 14.f1 cxd4 15.xd4 dxe5 [ 5...f8!? which was played in Adams-
16.xc6 xd3 17.xd8 xc1 18.axc1 Morozevich, also in the Sarajevo tournament.
fxd8 0-1 Landenbergue, C (2435)-Farago, I Then play continued sharply 6.dxc5 Instead
(2501) /Triesen 2007 ] ( 6.df3 c6 7.dxc5 xc5 8.d3 f6!
[ 13.b3 0-0 14.e1 b4 15.f1 cxd4 is at least equal for Black, e.g. see the
16.xd4 c5 17.g3 h4 18.g4 h5 game Armas-Knaak, Cienfuegos 1980.)
19.xh5 xf2+ 20.xf2 bd3+ 21.g1 6...c6 7.gf3 Adams now thinks ( 7.g3
xe1 22.g5 f6 23.exf6 e8 24.h4 w a s b e t t e r .) 7...h5! Black refuses to let
xg2 25.xg2 e4+ 26.xe4 xe4 White settle down peacefully with a slight
27.h4 g5 28.g3 xf6 29.e3 xg3 positional edge. Indeed, against Michael
30.hxg3 e8 31.g4 ff8 32.h1 e4 Adams in particular that can prove fatal, as
33.h6+ g7 34.hf5+ g8 35.h6 g4 the game against Short proves. The key to
36.xb6 a4 37.b7 h8 38.b6 e5 Black's counterplay is the utilisation of the
39.h4 1-0 Saltaev, M-Shtyrenkov, V/ kingside pawns. 8.g3 Here Morozevich
Sevastopol 1986 ] suggests ( 8.a4!? ) 8...h4 9.f4 g5!
13...xc5 14.b5 10.a4 d7 11.b5 a6 12.xc6 xc6
[ 14.e2 0-0 15.b3 d7 ( 15...xb3 13.d4 h6 14.b3 f5 15.d3 d4!
16.axb3 c5 1/2-1/2 Brinck Claussen, B 16.g1 c7 17.fxd4 xe5+ 18.e3
(2380)-Antonsen, M (2390)/Tastrup 1992) xh2 19.0-0-0 xd4 20.xd4 h6
16.bd4 fe8 17.xc6 xc6 18.e3 f6 21.g4 e5 and Black was at least equal in
19.d4 d7 20.exf6 xf6 21.fd1 e7 this messy position. ]
22.f3 f8 23.f5 b7 24.h5 e5 6.dxc5 f5? Adams makes this appear like a
25.g4 e4 26.h5 g6 27.e2 fe8 losing move! Black's pawn structure becomes
28.b5 d8 29.ab1 e6 30.c6 d7 rigid and inflexible on the kingside, which
31.xb6 a8 32.d4 xd4 33.xd4 e8 makes it vulnerable to attack by h4 , etc .
34.h3 f4 35.f6 e2+ 36.h1 xd4 Furthermore, the black king's bishop also
37.xd4 8e6 0-1 Stancak, A-Langrock, H proves unable to cover all the dark square
(2398)/ Liverpool 2008 ] holes on the kingside [g5, h6] and centre [d4].
14...d7 15.a4 0-0 16.d1 c7 17.f1 T h e rig h t wa y f o r B la ck wa s t o c o n t in u e
xe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.e3 fd8 20.d4 developing with 6...Nc6 or 6...Qc7 [Adams],
e6 21.e3 f8 22.ac1 a7 23.c2 keeping the option of a later strike at White's
ad7 24.h3 h5 25.b3 g6 26.e2 d6 ce n t r e wit h . . . f 6 . 7.g3 d7 8.b5!
27.ed2 e6 28.e2 d6 29.ed2 e6 From now on Adams plays brilliant positional
½-½ chess to exploit his advantage. The exchange
of bishop for knight allows him to impose
control over the centre dark squares. a5
307 C03 9.xd7+ xd7 10.c3 xc5 11.e2 d8
Adasm,Petr 2716 12.b3 e7 13.h4! Now that his centre is
Short,Nigel D 2697 untouchable, White begins the breakthrough
Sarajevo 1999 on the kingside. c7 14.h5 gxh5 15.g5
[Neil McDonald] g7 16.f4 h6 17.h4 h7 18.c5
An interesting decision. W hite pref ers to
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5 weaken the defence of e6 rather than occupy
5.g4 g6 Already there is a debatable the d4 square with his knight. b6 19.xd7
decision. Instead Black could try the slightly xg3+ 20.xg3 xd7 21.xh5
cheeky 5...Bf8!? which defends g7 without Adam's advantage has continued into the
creating any weaknesses and clears e7 for endgame. His minor pieces tie down Black on
the knight. The idea would be to prove that t h e k i n g s i d e , w h i c h m e a n s h e c a n n o w
the white queen is misplaced on g4. There is in f i lt ra t e a l o n g t h e g f i le wit h a r o o k . b5
very little analysis on this move. Another 22.h3! f7 23.g3 e7 24.xe7 xe7

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
25.g6 Attacking Black's two weaknesses on
e6 and h6. h8 26.d1 b6 27.d3 a5?
This is a blunder, but even after a solid move
Black would remain under intense pressure.
28.f6+ c7 29.xd5! e3 30.xb5 xf4
31.xa5 A nice carve up by the white rook.
b7 32.b5+ a7 33.h5 g5 34.g7
he8 35.xe7+ xe7 36.b4 c7 37.f4
c5 38.d3 d5 39.e2 A very nice display
by Adams, but overall Black remains live and
well in this variation.
1-0
308 C03
Almasi,Zoltan 2663
Timman,Jan H 2650
It Pamplona ESP (5) 31.12.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 This is becoming
established as the most critical variation in
the early days of 3...Be7. c6 7.gf3 b4
The most active move, but have a look at my
game with
[ 7...xc5 in Zagrebelny-McDonald ]
8.b3 This seems to be the most challenging
move. Instead
[ 8.0-0 xd3 9.cxd3 xc5 10.b3 e7
11.g5 h6 12.h4 b6 13.e5 g8
was played in Leko-Morozevich, Sarajevo
1999, and now Morozevich says that White
would have had a slight advantage after 14
Bg3! Bd8 15 Bf4 Ne7 16 Be3. Since
Morozevich was prepared to repeat 7...Nb4
as Black v. Adams-see next note- he can
hardly be afraid of this. Or does he have
an improvement lurking? ]
8...xd3+ 9.cxd3 a5 10.g5 The alternative
[ 10.a4 is examined in Adams-Morozevich ]
10...a4? After this Black never quite manages
to equalise. He eventually recovers the c5
pawn, but in return has to sacrifice control of
the c file. It was possible to play in a much
more enterprising style with
[ 10...0-0! Now White can apparently solidify
his extra pawn in the centre with
A) 11.xf6 xf6 12.e5 e7 13.a4
( 13.0-0 a4 14.bd4 xc5 ) 13...b6!
14.c6 b4+ 15.bd2 a6 16.0-0 c7
17.ac1 ( If 17.d4 xd2 18.xd2
xe5 ) 17...c5! and Black regains his
pawn with balanced chances.;
B) 11.exd5 xd5 12.xe7 xe7 13.c1
( 13.a4 b6! 14.c6 a6 15.d2 b4
with good chances for Black.) 13...b6
14.c6 a6 with unclear play.;
C) 11.0-0 b6 12.e5 ( 12.bd4 dxe4
13.dxe4 a6 14.b5 bxc5; 12.cxb6?!
dxe4 13.dxe4 a6 ) 12...dxe4 11
with messy play, but Black looks fine. So
returning to e5;
D) 11.e5 but other moves are also
interesting: d7 12.xe7 xe7 13.d4
looks like a secure centre, but then comes
the standard riposte: b6! and even more
than in the variations above Black has
e x c e l l e n t c o u n t e r p l a y e . g . 14.c6
( also good for Black is 14.cxb6 a6
15.d2 a4 16.c5 xc5 17.dxc5
xc5 ) 14...a6 15.d2 b8 16.c1
c8 and Black regains the pawn with a
clear advantage. If this analysis is sound-
it's all my own work, untested in
Grandmaster games- then Black doesn't
have to be afraid of 10 Bg5. ]
11.bd2 dxe4 12.dxe4 d7 13.xe7
xe7 14.c1 0-0 15.e3! This is a nice
move. W hite holds onto the c5 pawn long
enough to allow the queen to reach a strong
square on the queenside. a5 In contrast to
the dynamic variations given at move ten
above, here Black is reduced to grovelling to
regain his pawn. 16.0-0 xc5 17.a3! b5
18.e5! e8 19.xc5 xc5 20.xc5 xc5
21.c1 d7 22.d3 White's control of the c
file, the weakness of Black's queenside pawns
and the bad bishop give White good chances
to win. d8 23.f1 f5 24.f3 f6 25.e2
fxe4 26.fxe4 d7 27.h3 e8 28.e3 d7
29.c7 f7 30.a3 e8 31.f3 b8 32.d4
f8 33.e5 h6 34.e7 c8 35.g4 h7
36.xe6 At last White cashes in on his
positional advantage. There follows a
desperate attempt at counterplay by Black, but
it is to no avail. xe6 37.xe6 b4 38.axb4
b5 39.b6 f1 40.h4 c2 41.h5 e2+
42.f3 xb2 43.b8 Threatening 44 Ng6
and then mate. g5 44.hxg6+ g7 45.b7+
g8 46.d7 g7 47.c5+ xg6 48.xa4
g2+ 49.g3 e2 50.b6+ g7 51.c3
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

c2 52.b5 f1 53.c6 out and b6 23.f1 b4 24.axb4 axb4
1-0 25.fe3 a8 26.xa8 xa8 27.e1
b7 28.h4 bxc3 29.bxc3 g5
with unclear play in Timofeev, A-
309 C03 Nepomniachtchi, I/Dresden GER 2007.;
Andriasian,Zaven 2523 B) 11...c4 12.f1 c7 13.g3 a5 14.h4
Nepomniachtchi,Ian 2602 h6 15.3h2 b6 16.g4 h7 ( Not
World's Youth Stars (6) 21.05.2007 16...g8? 17.xh6 ) 17.h5 d7 18.e3
[Neil McDonald] g8 19.e2 h8 20.f3 e8 21.d2
h7 22.e1 g5 23.d2 e7 24.e1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 Evidently a tacit offer of a draw that Nepo
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 b6 refuses. f8 25.e3 d7 26.f4
Ivan Nepomniachtchi's favourite response to Black's next move is controversial to say
the Universal System. the least as he denies himself any future
[ 7...c6 8.0-0 ] queenside breakthrough based on Na4
8.0-0 and then b5-b4 once the white rook has
[ White might try to prevent the exchange of quitted a1. The up shot is that W hite is
l i g h t s q u a r e d b i s h o p s w i t h 8.e2 a b l e t o a c h i e ve t h e f 4 - f 5 a d va n c e i n
w h e n a n e a r l i e r N e p o g a m e w e n t a5! favourable circumstances, all the more so
not to be denied his next move. 9.0-0 a6 as Black's rook runs away from f8 to b8.
10.c4 c6 11.cxd5 xd3 12.xd3 b4 b4? 27.a4! Good judgment. Lastin
getting the knight to the fine d5 square. realises that even if Black manages to
13.e2 xd5 14.c4 0-0 15.b3 cxd4 arrange a future Nxa4 pawn grab, White's
16.xd4 c5 17.b2 a4 and Black was kingside activity with f4-f5 will be of more
taking over the initiative in Kalashian, D- consequence. b3 28.f3 fb8 29.e3
Nepomniachtchi, I/ Belfort FRA 2005. ] c8 30.f5 with good chances for White in
8...a6 9.xa6 xa6 10.e1 b5 Lastin, A-Nepomniachtchi, I/Sochi RUS
Bla c k h a s e xc ha n ge d o f f h is o p p o ne n t 's 2007. ]
st ro n g b i s h o p a n d ca n ga i n co u n t e rp la y 11...c4 12.a3 c7 13.f1 b6 14.g3 h6!
through a queenside pawn advance. On the Not only denying the white pieces the g5
other hand, White's space advantage in the square but also opening up h7 for the black
centre is set in stone. 11.e2?! A waste of queen. 15.h4 d7 The king gets out of the
time as Black intended to play his next move way of his queen. He is of course safer in the
anyway. centre than on the kingside where White has
[ After 11.a3!? Nepo has played in a similar a ready made attack. 16.3h2 g8 17.d2
style to the Andriasian encounter by putting h7 The black queen now enjoys an
his queen on h7: uncluttered diagonal where she is safe from
A) A n o t h e r a p p r o a c h i s 11...b6!? attack: a wonderful state of affairs in such a
as Nepo played in a later game. The black blocked position! 18.b3? White should leave
queen stays on the queenside to support a well alone on the queenside. As in the Lastin
pawn advance there whilst her king castles and Timofeev games above, he should
long. 12.f1 c4 13.h4 h6 14.h5 c7 man oe uvre f o r th e f 4-f 5 a dvance, wit h a
15.g3 a5 16.d2 c6 17.h2 0-0-0 preliminary h4-h5. cxb3 19.xb3 hc8
18.g4 hg8 19.h3 b7 20.g4 h8 Now White has weak pawns on a3 and c3 and
21.f4 g6! holes on a4 and c4. 20.d1 e8 The king
A1) 22.hxg6 fxg6 23.xh6? h7 returns home having let both his queen and
leaves the white knight in a fatal pin. But rook on h8 reach great squares with his foray
not ( 23...f8? 24.f7! xh3 to d7. 21.d3 ab8 22.f1 ca8!
25.xd8+ ); Impressive positional play. One of the black
A2) 22.e2 White's kingside plan is knight s will he ad f or c4 , t he oth er to a4 .
temporarily obstructed as f4-f5 is ruled 23.e3 a4 24.d1 8b6 25.f3 c7

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26.g2 bc8 27.d2 a6 Black has [ 10...g4 is extremely critical, when play
achieved a perfect set up on the queenside, might go 11.cxd5 ( 11.hxg4? hxg4 12.cxd5
with almost all the white pieces tied down to gxf3 13.xf3 exd5 14.e6 f6! ) 11...exd5
defensive duty guarding c3 and a3. 28.a2 12.e6 fxe6 13.g6+ e7 14.b3
g8 29.a1 c4 30.c1 h7 31.b3 ( 14.e1 gxf3 15.xf3 h6 16.dxc5 xc1
f8 After some uncertainty, Nepo finally 17.xc1 f6 and White obviously has play,
decides he needs to bring his queen over to but I don't think it's enough.) 14...gxf3
the queenside to add to the direct pressure on 15.g5+ f6 16.xf3 g7 17.xc5 xd4
c3. 32.h2 g8 33.a1 a5 34.d2 h8 ( 17...b6 18.d3 xd4 19.d1 f5
35.c2 c4 36.c1 g8 37.b4 a5 20.e5 f8 21.c1 with interesting
38.c2 e8 39.h3 cb6 40.d2 c6 c o u n t e r p l a y) 18.e3 c6 ( 18...b6
41.ce3 c4 42.f4? 19.d3! c2 20.f4 d6! 21.e5 xa1
[ Collapsing under the pressure. He should 22.d3 d8 23.c1! ) 19.ac1 d6
play 42.c1 and force his opponent to find and Black stands fairly solidly, e.g., 20.d3
to exploit his queenside bind, perhaps with a f8 21.f4 ( 21.f4 g8 22.e5 d7 )
well prepared b5-b4 advance. ] 21...e7 22.e5 xe5 23.xe5 d7
42...xa3 43.g4 b4 44.cxb4 axb4 45.f5 24.c7 e8 25.xb7 xe5 26.xe5
b5 46.f6 b3! Deciding the game on the f6! ]
queenside before White can get at the black 11.cxd5
king. 47.xa3 xa3 48.fxg7+ xg7 [ 11.e1!? is surprisingly vigorous. A sample
49.f5+ f8 line: g4 12.cxd5 exd5 13.e6 fxe6
[ Also good enough was 49...exf5 50.gxf5 14.g6+ f8 15.hxg4 hxg4 16.e5
h7 51.e3 f8 ] dxe5 17.dxe5 f6!? ( 17...c7 18.xg4
50.e3 exf5 51.xh6+ e8 52.f3 e2 d8 19.f4+ g8 is also interesting)
53.xf5 xd1 18.exf6 xf6 19.xg4 (pretty much forced)
[ If 53...xd1 54.e6 c3+ 55.e3 xe3+ g8 20.e4! xg6 21.f4+ f7 22.h6+
56.xe3 c3 57.exf7+ f8 and Black g7 23.f4+ f7= ]
wins. ] 11...exd5 12.e6
0-1 [ 12.e1 f8!? 13.e6 xe6 14.dxc5
is totally unclear ]
[ 12.e2!? f8 13.dxc5 g4 14.hxg4 hxg4
310 C03 15.h2 g3 16.fxg3 xc5+ 17.h1 e6
Antipov,M2 2515 is again unclear, e.g., 18.df3 d7 19.g5
Bauer,Ch 2622 d4! ]
TCh-ESP CECLUB Honor 2013 (3.4) 10.09.13 12...fxe6 13.g6+
[John Watson] [ 13.e1 11 is the note on Re1 ]
13...f8 14.e1 g7! 15.c2 g4!?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 In this game, [ 15...f6! is solid and wins the central
the odd 3...h6 will transpose to the Universal battle. ]
System. 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 16.hxg4 hxg4 17.e5 dxe5
7.c3 c6 This can arise by 3...Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 [ 17...f6!? ]
5 Bd3 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ngf3 h6 8.0-0 18.dxe5 g8 19.xg4+ f7 20.f4+ e8
[ 8.a3 is seen in Bauer-Hambleton in the 21.f3 d7 22.g3 This looks defeatist, but
Archives. ] a t le a st i t c u t s i n t o B la ck' s a t t a c k , e . g. ,
8...g5 9.h3 keeping pieces on the board with
[ I think that 9.dxc5 is probably White's best [ 22.d2 d8 23.ac1 c7 with the idea ...
try for advantage. See Mamedov-Nevidnichy Rf8 isn't good. ]
in the Archives. ] 22...xg3 23.fxg3 g8
9...h5 10.c4 e7 A bit slow-looking, but [ 23...f7! 24.f1 af8! ]
W h it e ha s to prove th at h is ce nt er won 't 24.f2 d8 25.h1 c4!?
simply collapse. [ 25...c7 26.h7 h8 ]

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26.f4 regain the c pawn.; Also deserving attention

[ 26.e3! ] is the retreat 12...b8 though after 13.b5
26...c7 27.ac1 af8 h e c a n ' t p l a y 8xc6? because 14.c3
[ 27...c5+ 28.e2 af8 ] wins a piece. )]
28.h7 c5+ 29.f1 c8 [ Finally, if W hite plays 8.e5 Black can
[ 29...h8 ] respond d7 9.0-0 xc5 when the knight
30.a4 e8! 31.b3 g6 32.h6 d3+ is excellently placed on c5. This would fully
33.e1 xf4! 34.gxf4 xg2 Resignation is justify the delay in playing Bxc5. ]
in order. 35.h2 b4+ 36.d1 e2+ 8...0-0 9.c4 This is the most forceful attempt
37.c2 d3+ 38.d1 e2+ to break up Black's centre. If
[ 38...xh2! 39.xh2 d4 wins outright ] [ 9.e5 d7 followed by Nxc5 is just fine for
39.c2 xf3+ 40.xg2 d4+ Black. ]
[ 40...e4+! 41.d1 xg2 ] 9...a4! This precise move prevents Nb3.
41.b2 xg2 42.bxc4 d2 43.g1 e4 10.d1 xc5 11.exd5 exd5 12.cxd5 b4!
44.g8+ Capturing on d5 at once looks highly risky
[ 44.cxd5 xd5 45.g4 e2 ] after say
44...c7 45.c5 b5! 46.cxb6+ xb6 47.f8 [ 12...xd5 13.e4 with a looming pin on
f5 48.d7 a5 49.a3 e2 50.a2 xf4 the d file. Black succeeds in neutralising
0-1 White's pressure with a pawn sacrifice. ]
13.e4 xd3 14.xf6+ Black also has
plenty of play after
311 C03 [ 14.xd3 xe4 15.xe4 e8 16.f4 b6
Asrian,Karen 2566 when White returned the pawn with 17.e3
Lputian,Smbat G 2598 with an unclear position which looks at least
ch Yerevan ARM (1) 30.08.2000 equal for Black after xb2 18.e1 b4
[Neil McDonald] 19.xb4 xb4 20.c1 f5 in Marinkovic-
Drasko, Vrnjacka Banja 1999. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 14...xf6 15.xd3 f5 The two bishops fully
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 a5!? compensate for the missing pawn. 16.b5 b6
Lputian has a narrow opening repertoire but 17.g5 g6 18.e3 White is afraid of the
he always keeps his opponents guessing by looming attack with Be4 etc. and so begins a
experimenting with new ideas. Here he avoids simplifying combination to force a draw. xe3
[ 7...b4 which is under a cloud at the 19.h4 f6 20.xf5 xf2+ 21.xf2 xf5+
moment and also the solid ] 22.g1 fd8 23.xb6 xd5 24.c6 da5!
[ 7...xc5 ] 25.f1 b5 26.ac1 h5 27.xb5 xb5
8.0-0 28.f2 ab8
[ T h e q u i e t l o o k i n g a l t e r n a t i v e 8.a4 ½-½
is surprisingly annoying. Not that Black is in
any danger, it's just that you would think the
inclusion of the rook pawn moves would 312 C03
favour him, as it makes his eventual Asrian,Karen 2646
counterplay with Ba6 easier to achieve. Prasca Sosa,Raphael 2448
Nevertheless, after b4 9.b3 0-0 10.0-0 36th Olympiad 2006
b6! 11.e5 d7 12.c6! it seems Black has [Neil McDonald]
to b e s a t is f ied wit h t h e so lid if sligh t ly
passive ( If 12.cxb6 xd3 13.cxd3 xb6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
14.bd4 a6 planning Nc5 etc. gives Black 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.0-0 c6 8.e1
ample counterplay for the pawn.) 12...xc6 So White really means to avoid c2-c3. g5?!
I f i n s t e a d ( 12...c5? 13.b5 c7 The most ambitious move, but it may be too
14.bd4 as in Biti-Bukal, Pula 2000, I don't risky as the centre isn't yet stabilised.
like Black's position as he cannot easily [ Alternatively 8...cxd4 9.b3 b6 10.f4

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

This looks too tame. More natural is ( 10.a4! d o e s n ' t h e l p : gxh3?! 14.e4 hxg2
a6 11.f4 c5 12.a5 c7 13.fxd4 15.cd6+ f8 16.f3 h7 17.g5! xg5
with some pressure for W hite.) 10...c5 18.xh7 and wins. ]
11.bxd4 xd4 12.xd4 d7 13.b3 11.b1 dxc4 12.xc4 g4 13.fd2!
xd3 - Czebe, A-Werner, D/Budapest HUN Heading for e4, when there will be a big check
2005. ] on d6 looming. Note that W hite avoids the
[ Perhaps Black should take the chance to exchange h3xg4 h5xg4, as he has no wish to
close the queenside with 8...c4!? 9.e2 b5 give th e b lack ro ok t h e o p e n h-f ile . cxd4
10.a4 b4 11.b3 c3 12.f1 h5 13.h3 b6 14.e4 c6 15.f4 b6 16.cd6+ f8
14.g4 Logically I know this is the best move, 17.d2 d5 18.h6+ g8 The opening
as White needs space on the kingside. But has been a fine success for W hite, as the
it speaks volumes for my 'classical' black king looks doomed. Nevertheless, the
upbringing as a player that I still can't quite hardest thing in chess is winning a 'won'
accept that this self rupturing of the kingside position. And here the winning method is well
is a good idea for White! hxg4 15.hxg4 f6 camouflaged. 19.f6+?
16.d3 fxe5 17.dxe5 b7 18.g6+ d8 [ Decisive appears to be 19.e8!! xe8
19.g3 c7 20.h5 c5 21.g2 ( 19...xe5 20.g7 h7 21.xe5 xe8
with a very weird position in Czebe, A-Kallio, 22.d6 ) 20.f6+ xf6 ( 20...xf6
H/Budapest HUN 2005. Nothing is 21.g5# ) 21.exf6 and Black has to resort to
happening on the queenside, which might de sp e ra t e me a su re s t o ke e p t h e wh it e
be good or bad from Black's point of view. queen out of g5 or h6: e3 22.xe3
It's certainly a drawback that he has no A) Or 22...xh6 23.xe6! fxe6
counterplay there, but on the other hand his ( 23...xe6 24.xh6 ) 24.g5+!
king is safe from a frontal attack. The same and wins.;
thing in reverse applies on the kingside: B) 22...dxe3 23.xe3 e5 24.g7!
White has the initiative there, but the open and Black runs out of defensive resources:
lines mean that his king is looking slightly g6 ( or 24...d7 25.xe5 ) 25.xh8
vulnerable. Suffice to say that the game xh8 26.h6 f8 27.h7# ]
ended in a draw after a lot of wild moves. 19...xf6 20.exf6 xf6 21.g5 g7
White has the initiative on the kingside ] 22.f5??
9.h3 h5 10.c4! Despite the unfortunate [ There was only a draw after 22.e8 f8
outcome of the game for White, this looks like 23.f6 h6! The only way to stop a killer
a powerful blow that justifies omitting c2-c3. check on g5, for if ( 23...xf6? 24.g5+
[ A slower approach leads to obscure and mates ) 24.g5 f8 25.f6
complications: 10.f1 cxd4 11.b5 g4 with a repetition. However, White could have
12.hxg4 hxg4 13.3h2 b6 14.a4 f8 kept up the pressure with ]
15.xg4 d7 16.f3 0-0-0 with a hard [ 22.e4!? f6 ( Perhaps Black should try
fight in Lalic, B-Williams, S/West Bromwich 22...d7!? 23.xd5 exd5 24.h4
ENG 2004. ] t h o u g h it lo o k s r a t h e r u n co m f o rt a b l e .)
10...b4 23.xd5 xg5 24.xg5+ fxg5 25.xc6
[ White also gets an excellent attack after bxc6 26.hxg4 hxg4 27.ad1 intending
10...g4 11.cxd5 b4 ( or 11...exd5 12.e6!? Rxd4 or Re5, when despite the temporary
fxe6 13.g6+ f8 14.hxg4 hxg4 15.e5 t wo p a wn d e f i cit , W h it e h a s t h e b e t t e r
intending Nf7 or Qxg4.) 12.c4 xd5 ( If endgame. Naturally, Asrian doesn't want to
12...gxf3 13.dxe6 looks crushing as if fxe6? play an endgame after his big attack, but
14.g6+ f8 15.xf3+ wins, or; 12...xd3 that is the price White has to pay for missing
13.xd3 gxf3 14.dxe6 and again Black 1 9 . Ne 8 . C e rt a in l y i t wa s p re f e ra b le t o
can't recapture as if fxe6? 15.g6+ f8 losing after the unsound sacrifice in the
16.e3! and wins. ) 13.fd2 and Black has game. ]
no good way to prevent Ne4 and Ncd6+ in 22...exf5 23.hxg4 I wonder what White
the style of the game, while taking pawns missed. Most likely it was that after

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 23.e8+ h7 24.xc8 Black can

iron grip on the d4 square, and the knight on
r e c a p t u r e w i t h t h e h 8 r o o k : hxc8!
a6 remains passive. ]
12.2f3 bxd3 13.cxd3 b6 14.e3 a6
( r a t h e r g o o d f o r W h i t e i s 24...axc8?
25.xf5+ g8 26.xc8 etc. ) 25.xf5+ Following in the foot steps of her knight, the
g8 26.xc8 xc8 and Black is a piece black queen finds a decent and safe post
up. ] where she has some influence on the centre.
23...hxg4 24.e8+ h7 25.h6
The only drawback is that she is a long way
A despairing attempt to keep up the from the defence of her king. 15.ad1 d7
semblance of an attack. g6 Of course he 16.g4! Baklan utilises his pawns as his pieces
isn't falling for can't do anything constructive by themselves.
[ 25...xh6? 26.xh8+ xh8 27.xh6+ ] ac8 17.h1 f6! A necessary counterattack
26.f8 f6 27.xc8 xf8 28.f4 e4 or else he would be steamrollered by the
29.c7 Here is an unnecessarily flash way for advance f4-f5-f6. 18.f5 exf5? But this is way
Black to win if White exchanges rooks: too panicky. There's no reason to open the g-
[ 29.xa8 xa8 30.f3 gxf3 31.xf3 e5 file or concede space in the centre.
32.f4 d3! 33.xe5 b6+ 34.h2 h6+ [ I don't see any particular reason why Black
35.g1 e3+ 36.h2 g6! 37.xd3 f6! should lose after 18...fe8! He would then
and the threat of 37...Rh8 mate wins the have all his pieces mobilised to face the
game. ] white onslaught, and no serious holes in
29...g7 30.xb7 h8 31.xe4 fxe4 his kingside defences. ]
32.c1 d8 33.b5 e6 34.e5+ f6 19.gxf5 fxe5 As a consequence of his
35.xe4 h6 The double threat to c1 and h1 previous move, Black is obliged to let the
ends the game. white knight jump into the attack, as otherwise
0-1 he would be smothered by 20.e6. 20.xe5
f6? Completing the collapse. He had to
maintain control of the e6 square say with
313 C03 [ 20...a4 21.b3 f6! ]
Baklan,Vladimir 2618 21.xd7 xd7 22.e6 There is an old
Cvek,Robert 2530 saying attributed to Adolf Andersen that when
Bundesliga 2006-7 (13) 18.03.2007 you have a knight on the sixth rank you can go
[Neil McDonald] to sleep, as the game will win itself . fe8
23.g2! Nevertheless, Baklan can't afford to
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 be too sleepy as otherwise his opponent will
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 0-0 7.gf3 a5 8.0-0 have time to eliminate the knight with Nf8, etc.
a6 9.e5 d7 10.d4!? Taking advantage f8 24.g5! xg5
of Black's avoidance of Nc6 in the most direct [ If 24...xe6 25.xf6 and wins. ]
manner. The white knight occupies the key 25.xg5 The white knight has been driven
centre square and clears the way f or the away, b ut no w t he re is no go o d de f en c e
advance of the f-pawn. dxc5 11.f4! against W hite's next move, as d5 is also
[ Much more promising than the slow hanging. ed8 26.f6! gxf6?! Falling apart at
11.2f3 for example d7 12.g3 c8 13.h4 once, but there was no resisting the pressure
xd3 14.cxd3 c5 15.f4 b6 16.h5 along the f-file and g-file. 27.xh7+!
b5 17.ad1 a6 18.e1 fe8 [ After 27.xh7+ xh7 28.g1
and W hite had been forced onto the mate follows on g7 or h3. ]
def ensive in Zaraga tski, I-Meessen, R/ 1-0
Belgium BEL 2006. ]
11...b4!?
[ Cvek decides to exchange his inactive
knight for White's important bishop. There
wa s n o j o y i n 11...xd3 12.cxd3 c5
13.2f3 b6 14.e3 when White has an

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

314 C03 attacking f4 and aiming at c2- 14.e2 c8

Balogh,Csaba 2616 15.c3 ( 15.gxf5 b4 ) 15...fxg4 16.xg4
Cvek,Robert 2530 e3+ and White can't move his king as d1 is
Bundesliga 2006-7 (8) 03.02.2007 hanging. ]
[Neil McDonald] 13...b5! White will be flattened on the
queenside before he can generate any
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5 counter chances against the black king. 14.g4
5.g4 f8 6.dxc5 c6 7.df3 b4 15.a4
[ On the face of it, the solid 7.g3 f6 8.gf3 [ If 15.gxf5 bxa3 16.bxa3 xa3+ 17.d2
looks a better way for W hite to handle it. b4+ and f4 drops. ]
The plan of castling queenside and then 15...b3! 16.cxb3 b4 17.gxf5 c8+
attacking the black king never gets off the 18.b1 xa4! 19.g5 d7 20.c4 a2+
ground. ] 21.c1 a1+
7...f6 8.f4 xc5 9.0-0-0 [ 21...a1+ 22.d2 xb2# ]
[ Or 9.d3 a5+!? ( In an earlier game 0-1
given in the archives, Matveeva beat
Pokorna with 9...b6!? However, GM Ivan
Farago always does his homework, and with 315 C03
his queen check weakens the white Bauer,Ch 2637
queenside as a prelude to grabbing a couple Hambleton,A 2461
of pawns. ) 10.c3 b6 11.h3 xb2 Geneva Open A 2013 (7.2) 29.06.2013
12.0-0 xc3 Black has two extra pawns, but [John Watson]
it's not an entirely free lunch, as White has
a sizeable lead in development. 13.fd1 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.gf3 f6
fxe5 14.ac1 b4 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.a3
A) White won't get enough for the piece. Logical, intending b4, even if a bit slow. The
Instead he could keep the pressure up normal 8 0-0 is seen in Mamedov-Nevednichy.
with 15.a3! xa3 ( Or 15...a4 16.c2 b6!? I'm not thrilled with this pawn grab.
xa3 17.xe5 ) 16.xe5 f6 17.h4 Black has various alternatives:
with the threat of 18.Ng6+.; [ a) In general, I don't like the plan 8...c4
B) 15.fg5? f6 16.xe6+ xe6 9.c2 b5 , but this is a case where a quick ...
17.xe6 e8 18.f5 d4 19.g5 exf4 a5, ...Rb8, and ...b4 might give adequate
20.xf4 e6 21.xe6+ xe6 22.f5 play, if only because the knights don't sit
e8 23.a3 b6 24.g4 g6 25.f4 d6 well on d2 and f3. I think the burden of proof
26.f3 g7 27.g5 hf8 28.gxf6+ xf6 is on Black, however, because this sort of
29.h3 xf2 30.h1 e3 31.h4 f8 attack is slow and often has little
0-1 Fe he r, G-Farago, I/ Hun ga ry HUN immediate impact. ]
2006. ] [ b) 8...e7 is natural, e.g., 9.0-0 ( 9.b4
9...xf2 10.h4? A rather useless move, after cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.0-0 d7 12.b2 a6
which the white queen ends up sitting is playable, perhaps better for White but I'm
passively on h3 whilst things fall apart for her n o t s o s u r e) 9...a5 ( 9...g5!? 10.b4 )
king on the queenside. 10.e1 b6 ]
[ More fighting was 10.h3 f5 ( Alternatively [ c) 8...a5 is the most flexible move. The
10...c5 11.c4 g5 12.hxg5 fxg5 tradeoffs after 9.0-0 ( 9.a4 cxd4 10.cxd4
13.xg5 a5 14.d3 intending 15.Rhf1 b6 11.0-0 xd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.f3
when W hite has an attack for the piece.) a7!? with the idea . ..Bc5 and ..b6 looks
11.h5 g6 12.h6+ f7 13.g5 reasonable for Black White has to work for
with unclear play. ] full compensation.; 9.f1 of Howell-Short in
[ Also worthy of attention is 10.c4!? ] the Archives can be met by slow moves, e.g.
10...f5 11.h3 a5 12.a3 d7 13.d3 , b6 10.g3 a6 11.xa6 xa6
[ It's too late for 13.g4 b e c a u s e o f a4! with a solid game) 9...g5 don't seem bad for

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Black at all. ( and 9...b6 is not obviously 35...d8??

bad either )] [ 35...g3 36.xg3 hxg3+ 37.xg3 xf5
9.0-0! cxd4?! This is consistent, but also 38.xf5 xg5+ 39.f3 d1 ]
greedy. 36.e2 e1 37.g6
[ 9...e7 should be considered. ] [ 37.h3! ]
10.cxd4 xd4 11.xd4 xd4 12.f3 b6 37...fxg6 38.e6+ h7 39.g4 g3
13.a4! White pins the knight, and also has 40.xg3 xe3 41.h5
ideas of Qg4. He seems to have more than 1-0
e n o u g h f o r a p a wn . A m a j o r d i f f e r e n c e
between this and the traditional Universal
Gambit is that Black normally has the move ... 316 C03
Qb4 at this point. d8 14.e3 e7 15.ac1 Belikov,V 2477
[ Or 15.g4 f8 16.ac1 ] Legky,N 2396
15...f8!? Alushta Summer-2013-2 (4) 06.06.2013
[ 15...0-0 is probably better, but 16.g4 f5 [John Watson]
( 16...h8 17.h3! f5 18.xh6 gxh6
19.xh6+ g8 20.d4! xe5 21.xe6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.gf3 f6
xe6 22.xe6+ f7 23.xf5+- ) 17.g6! 5.e5 e4!?
t h r e a t e n s B x h 6 a n d Q x e 6 . T h e n f7 [ 5...fd7 is more interesting and I think
18.xh6 f8 19.g3 wins Black's pawn better, as seen in Shtyrenkov-Legky. ...Ne4
back with ongoing pressure. ] works more effectively in the line 3 Nc3 h6 4
16.c3 Nf3 Nf6 5 e5 Ne4, when 6 Nc3 can be met
[ 16.c2! is slightly more accurate, in view of by 6...Bb4. ]
b6 17.b4! g5 18.b5! a5 19.fc1 6.d3 xd2 7.xd2 c5 8.dxc5 xc5
compare the next note. ] 9.e2
16...g5? [ 9.0-0 c6 10.c4 is also slightly better for
[ 16...b6! holds out better: 17.b4 ( 17.g4 ) White. ]
17...g5 18.b5?! a5! threatens ...axb4, 9...c6 10.c3 b6!?
since the rook on c3 hangs. ] [ 10...a5 ]
17.fc1 g7 18.c7 f8 19.h4 11.h4!?
[ 19.g4 is also decisive ] [ 11.0-0 d7 12.fe1 c8 ]
19...d7 20.d4!? White makes things more 11...d7 12.h3 c7
difficult. [ 12...f5 is worth a try, with the idea
[ 20.g4! ] 13.exf6?! ( 13.g3 e7 14.e3 c7;
20...c6 21.xe7 xe7 22.hxg5?! 13.h5 0-0 ) 13...xf6 14.g3 c7 15.g6
[ 22.xg5! ] f7 and ...0-0-0. ]
22...h5 23.f4 g8 24.c5 e8 25.d4 13.0-0-0 e7 14.h5!?
d7? 26.e1? [ 14.g3! f5 15.exf6 gxf6 16.g6+ f8
[ 26.xf8! and Rc7 is immediately decisive. ( 16...d8!? ) 17.h3 e5 18.hh1 b6
Time pressure clearly takes over now. ] 19.h5 g4 ]
26...c8 27.d6 h4 28.h2 g6 29.f6 14...0-0-0 15.f4 f6 16.b1
h7 [ 16.g3 hf8 ]
[ 29...d8! ] 16...f7
30.e3 g7 [ 16...hf8! 17.h4 e8 , about equal ]
[ 30...d8 ] 17.f1 hf8 18.g3 fxe5?!
31.f4 c1 32.f5 f4 [ 18...f5! ]
[ 32...exf5 33.e6 fxe6 34.xf5 ] 19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 xe5 21.xe5
33.fxe6 h5 34.exd7 xd7 35.f5?? f6?!
[ 35.h6 g3 36.h7+! h8 37.f5+ [ 21...f4! 22.e3 xe5 transposes ]
g8 38.xg3 hxg3+ 39.xg3+- a4 22.e3
40.e6 ] [ 22.e3! b8 23.f3 e7 24.e5+ a8

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

25.g3 ] 317 C03

22...xe5 23.xe5 c7 Berbatov,Kiprian 2392
[ 23...f4 ] Rusev,Krasimir 2546
24.f4 f6 25.g3 d6 26.c1 g8 27.d2 73rd ch Blagoevgrad BUL (11) 20.02.2009
White has the better game, but it remains to [Neil McDonald]
be seen if this should suffice for a win. e8
28.h1 e7 29.he1 d6 30.h1 e7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
31.he1 d6 32.c4 c6 33.b3 a6 34.c3 5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 0-0 7.gf3 a5 8.h4!?
b5 35.cxd5 xd5 36.b4 c8 37.a5 A move based on the principle that the threat
c5!? is stronger than the execution. Instead White
[ 37...c6 38.d1 c7 ] co u ld int ro du ce t h e id e a o f a G re e k G if t
38.d1 Sacrifice at once with
[ 38.xa6!? b4! 39.e4 c6 ] [ 8.e5 fd7 9.h4 However after
38...f8 39.e4 b8 40.xd5 b4+ A) Here's what might happen if Black fails
[ 40...xd5 41.de1 xe5 42.xe5 c8 t o r e s p e c t t h e G r e e k G i f t : 9...c6?
43.xa6 a8+ ( 43...b4 44.e2 ) 44.xb5 10.xh7+! xh7 11.g5+ g8 ( Or
xa2 ] 11...h6 12.df3 and havoc follows.)
41.a4 xd5 42.de1 xe5 43.xe5 12.h5 xg5 13.hxg5 f6 14.g6
W hite is probably winning here, but in the and mate next move.;
game Black gets sufficient counterplay b7 B) 9...h6! Black is in a position to attack
[ 43...b6 44.a5 is just as bad ] and eliminate the strong bishop on d3 with
44.a5 b8 45.a4 b7 46.e4 Nxc5 and Nxd3+. As will be seen,
[ 46.a5! ] Berbatov hopes to make better use of the
46...b5 47.xb4? e4-e5 move by keeping it hanging over
[ 47.g4! ] Black's head. ]
47...xh5 48.b6+ d5 49.xa6 h3 8...h6!
50.b4 xg3 51.b5 g5 [ Inadequate for Black is 8...dxe4 9.xe4
[ 51...h5!? 52.a4 h4 53.a5 e5 54.fxe5 h3 xe4 10.xe4 f5 11.c4 when he has
55.a8 g5 56.a6 g4 57.h8 a3 58.h4 centre weaknesses to worry about besides
g3 59.xh3 g2 60.xa3 g1 61.a7 the missing pawn. ]
f1+= ] 9.c3 a6 In this way Black succeeds in
52.fxg5 xg5 53.a4 generating enough counterplay. 10.e5 d7
[ 53.a8! ] 11.b3 f6? Black decides to open a second
53...d4+ 54.b6 e5 55.a8 e4 56.d8+ front in the centre. However, a more solid
d5 approach seems to offer Black good chances:
[ 56...c3! 57.a5 e3 is apparently a draw ] [ 11...axc5!? 12.c2 ( transposing is
57.xd5+ xd5 58.a5 e3 59.a6 e2 60.a7 12.xc5 xc5 13.c2 b6 ) 12...b6
e1 61.a8+ d4 62.b5 h5 63.d8+ c4 13.xc5 ( Or 13.bd4 a6 14.e3 c7
64.c7+ b3 65.a7 h4 66.b6 a5+? 15.g4 e4!? ) 13...xc5 14.d4 a6
[ 66...e3= ] 15.g4 c7! 16.xh6 xe5+
67.b8 h3 68.b7 a4?? with counterplay. Of course, White can also
[ 68...d5!= ] play quietly, but I think Black should be OK
69.d7+? against anything. ]
[ 69.c2+! a3 70.c8 wins ] 12.f4?
69...b4 70.g4+ b5 71.f5+ b6?? [ A problematical line for Black is 12.c6!?
[ 71...b4! is tough to crack. ] bxc6 13.bd4 hitting both c6 and e6. xe5
72.f6+ c5 73.c8 h2 74.b8 h1 14.xe5 fxe5 15.xc6 c7 16.xe7+
75.be5+ b4 76.ff4+ b3 77.xa5 xe7 17.xe5 c5 18.c2 a6
c1+! 78.fc7! l o o k s p r e t t y f o r B l a c k , b u t . . . 19.h3!
[ 78.xc1?? is stalemate! ] White's pieces appear disjointed but they
1-0 will pack a punch against the black kingside.

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Fo r e x a m p le i f f6? 20.g5! wins the which won't appeal to everyone. ]

exchange a s hxg5 21.hxg5 ff8 22.g6 6.exd5 xd5 7.b4! The critical move. White
leads to catastrophe for Black along the h- refuses to give back the extra pawn except at
file- the threat is 23.Rh8+! and then mate in the high positional price of a passed pawn on
a couple of moves. ] the queenside. c6!?
12...fxe5 13.xe5 xf3! When I was young a [ A very natural move, though it relies on
lot of these exchange sacrifices were made, Black generating enough counterplay on
but computer programs seemed to have killed the kingside to compensate for the missing
them off! One of the good things about this pawn. Instead GM Knaak has championed
offer is that it allows Black to eliminate the the immediate 7...e5!? while the immediate
white bishop on e5 without being menaced by attack on W hite's queenside pawns has
the white knight after been examined twice on ChessPub: ]
[ 13...xe5 14.xe5 ] [ 7...a5 8.gf3 0-0 ( Or 8...b6 9.c4 d8
[ Instead White keeps a compact attacking 10.0-0 bxc5 11.b5 in McShane-Mah.)
formation after 13...a4 14.bd4 axc5 9.c4 h5 10.0-0 d5 11.xd5 xd5
15.c2 ] 12.a3 b6 13.c4 h5 14.b2 ( 14.cxb6!? )
14.gxf3 xe5 15.xe5 a4 16.d2 xc5 14...bxc5 15.b5 with balanced chances in
17.e3 e5! He we see another good point to Emms-Hodgson. ]
the exchange sacrifice: Black's centre 8.gf3 a5 9.c4 h5 10.b1 e5!
becomes mobile and releases the light The queenside is a disaster area for Black but
squared bishop from passivity. 18.c4 d4
things are far rosier in the centre. The
19.e2 e6 20.f1 a6 21.e4 xd3 positional threat of e5-e4 followed by Bg4 is
22.xd3 c8 23.c1 Black's bishop pair highly annoying for White. 11.b5 d8 12.c6
and more compact pawns give him [ Black also has a lot of tactical chances
compensation for the exchange, especially as upon 12.e2 f5 13.b2 e4 14.d4
the white rooks are passive. What follows can g4 ]
only be described as a brainstorm. xh4?? 12...bxc6 13.bxc6 0-0!
A bizarre mistake. Did Black forget[!] that his [ White would have a strong initiative against
queen had moved from d8, or did he plan the black king af ter 13...xc6? 14.a4
[ 23...h3+ 24.e2 xh4 but find himself d7 15.b5 b8 16.a3 ]
taking with the bishop on h4 instead? ] 14.e2
[ Instead he could build up an initiative on
[ Things aren't at all easy despite the passed
the queenside with 23...c6 24.b3 b5p a w n a s i f 14.a4 e4 15.d4 g6
25.d2 b4 etc. ] White can't castle as 16...Bh3 would win the
24.xh4 exchange, while 16.g3 h3 keeps the white
1-0 king in the centre. ]
14...e4 15.d4 g6 16.g3 e3! Now White's
pawn structure is broken up and the king
318 C03 be co m es a d ire ct ta rge t . 17.fxe3 d5
Bojkovic,Natasa 2391 18.b3 The threat was 18...Nxc3. xe3
Richards,Heather 2236 19.b6?
5th ch-EURw Dresden GER (11) 01.04.2004 [ W h it e sh o u ld t r y 19.f3 though Black
[Neil McDonald] retains considerable dynamic chances for
the pawn after e6 ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.c3 19...d6! 20.f3 White has no time to
The plan behind this quiet move should by no prevent Black's next move as if
means be underestimated. c5 5.dxc5 f6 [ 20.c7 xg3+! Ni c e r t h a n ( 20...xg3+ )
[ Far safer and perhaps objectively to be 21.hxg3 xg3# ]
preferred is 5...xc5 regaining the pawn but 20...b8 21.xb8
after 6.b3 b6 7.exd5 exd5 8.f3 [ White decides to give up the queen as
Black has been forced into an IQP position horrible would be 21.xa5 xb1 22.xb1

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xb1 ] 11...e7 12.f4 0-0 13.e1 d7

21...xb8 22.xb8 e6 23.xe6 [ Or 13...g6 14.xc6 xc6 15.e3 ac8
[ If 23.a3 then simply e8 ] 16.c3 b5 ]
23...xe6 24.f2 Materially speaking White 14.d2 a5
has enough for the queen, especially when [ 14...g6 15.g3 a6= ]
her assets include a passed pawn, but Black 15.h4 b5?!
manages to gradually wear away the defences [ 15...g6 16.g3 h6 17.h5 e7 18.f4
around her king. d5 25.b5 e3+ 26.g2 h7 ]
xc3 27.xa5 e2 28.a3 e6 29.b2 16.h5 b6?! Away from the kingside
d8 30.e4 d4 31.c7 d5 32.e3 h3+ defence.
33.f2 xf3 34.xf3 f5+ 35.e2 g2+ [ An odd forcing line is 16...h6 17.xh6!?
36.d3 xh1 ( 17.c3 h7 ) 17...xd4 18.xd4 gxh6
0-1 19.xh6 f5 20.g5+ h7 21.xf5 exf5
22.h6 g8 23.e7 d8 24.xf7+ h8
25.e3! c6 26.g3 xg3 27.fxg3 g5
319 C03 28.f1 e3+ 29.f2 c1+ 30.f1 e3+= ]
Burg,Twan 2502 17.g5
Poetsch,Hagen 2466 [ 17.h6! g6 18.b3 fc8 19.e3
Bundesliga 2012-13 (1.7) 20.10.2012 ( 19.h2 ) 19...xe3 20.xe3 f5
[John Watson] 21.d3 ]
17...c6?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5 [ 17...h6!= ]
5.gf3 18.xc6 xc6 19.h6! g6 20.h2 d4
[ 5.dxc5 c6 6.gf3 transposes. ] 21.f4
[ 5.c3 is Huebner-Paehtz. ] [ 21.g4 f5 22.exf6 b7 23.f3 ]
5...c6 6.dxc5 This is relatively harmless, 21...f5 22.exf6 d5
but also quite safe for White in comparison [ 22...b7 23.e5 d5 24.ad1! ]
with 5 Qg4. c7!? 23.ad1 ac8 24.g4 c7 25.e5 d6
[ Or 6...xc5 7.b3 b6 8.d3 f6 9.e2 26.xd4 xe5 27.xe5 c4
fxe5 10.xe5 f6= Adams-Morozevic, [ 27...xc2? 28.dxd5 exd5 29.f7+ ]
Dortmund 2001 - see the Archives. ] 28.xc4 bxc4 29.b3 cxb3 30.axb3 c6
7.b5 d7 31.c4 xg2 32.e3
[ 7...xc5! 8.b3 b6 9.0-0 ge7= ] [ 32.b5! wins ]
8.xc6 Slightly better than 32...b7 33.g4
[ 8.b3 xe5 9.f4 xf3+ 10.xf3 d8 [ 33.d6!+- ]
11.d3 f6 12.0-0 0-0 13.e3 a4!= ] 33...c6 34.xe6+ f7 35.d3 d7
8...xc6?! 36.e5 a4 37.b4 c6 38.b8+
[ 8...xc6! 9.b3 xc5 10.xc5 xc5 [ 38.a5 ]
is only slightly better for White, e.g., 11.0-0 38...f8??
e7 12.b3 c8 13.d4 c6 14.xc6 [ 38...c8 39.f4 ]
xc6 15.a4 c3 ] 39.f7+! xf7 40.e5
9.0-0 1-0
[ 9.b3! xc5 ( 9...a4 10.d4 xb3
11.g4! ) 10.xc5 a5+ 11.d2 xc5
12.0-0 e7 13.b3 with the idea a4/Ba3. ]
9...xc5 10.b3 b6!?
[ 10...b6 ]
11.bd4
[ 11.d3 e7 12.e3 xe3 13.xe3 0-0
is nominally better for W hite, but poses
few problems. ]

274
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
320 C03
Burg,Twan 2359
Rodshtein,Maxim 2605
XXVI Open La Massana AND (6) 24.07.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 In this game
White tries to save a tempo on the standard 4.
Bd3 line by not playing his queen to e2. 4.d3
c5 5.dxc5 f6 6.gf3
[ The standard move that has been played
hundreds of times is 6.e2 ]
6...0-0!?
[ It seems Rodshtein wants to play a dynamic
game against his lower rated opponent.
Therefore he avoids what I regard as a very
comfortable endgame for Black with 6...dxe4
A) GM Stanojoski has experimented with
7.xe4!? here. xc5! ( After 7...xe4?
8.xe4 Black would struggle to get the
pawn back, if he can at all.) 8.e2 bd7!
Jacimovic intends to grab the bishop pair
if allowed, but doesn't want to let W hite
unwind his game un til he has h imself
developed a bit more, as the immediate
( 8...xe4 9.xe4 would give White an
in it iat ive .) 9.d3 White admits his idea
has misfired. The game continued c7
10.b3 b6! A noteworthy move in this
type of position. Black's bishop doesn't
have to run away from being exchanged.
11.xc5 xc5 12.b5+ d7 13.e5
xb5 14.xb5+ cd7 15.f4 c5
16.xc5 xc5 with equality in Z.
Stanojoski-D.Jacimovic, Struga 2008.;
B) 7.xe4 xe4 8.xe4 xd1+ 9.xd1
xc5 10.e2 d7 etc. Here Black can
chase the bishop away from e4 with 11...
Nf6 and then see about the development
of his bishop with b7-b6 etc. ]
[ Another possibility for Black was 6...c6
as played in Kosteniuk-Nepomniachtchi in
the archives. I believe it might be inferior to
6.. 0-0, as I explain in that game. ]
7.0-0 a5! This immediate advance is superior
to the routine
[ 7...c6?! when Hou Yifan consolidated her
ext ra pa wn and won rat he r e asily af te r
8.exd5 exd5 9.b3 a5 10.a4 g4 11.e2
e4 12.e3 f6 13.c3 in Hou Yifan-Gong
Qianyun/Beijing CHN 2005. ]
8.c3
[ If 8.a4 Black can try the active a6!?
intending to recapture on c5 with his knight. ]
8...c6 Having prevented his opponent from
supporting the c5 pawn with Nb3 [in view of a5-
a4] or b2-b4, Rodshtein had a safe and active
position. He outwitted his opponent as follows:
9.e5 d7 10.e2 xc5 11.b5 White has
been anxious to prevent his opponent freeing
his bishop with b7-b6 and Ba6, and so has
play Qe2 and Bb5. But after Black's reply, he
is deprived of his own 'good' bishop and is left
with a loose pawn on b5. a7 12.a4 xb5
13.axb5 d7 14.d4 a4 15.f4 b6
16.2f3 a5 17.h3 g6? Rodshtein feels
there is no need to rush the capture on b5 and
so, first of all, he sets up against W hite's
projected kingside attack. In fact there was a
tactical solution available with
[ 17...b3! 18.e3 ( White also loses the
exchange after 18.b1 xb5 ) 18...xa1
19.xa1 ( or 19.f5 c5 ) 19...xb5
and Black has a rook and pawn for a
knight. ]
18.e3 f5 19.c4 c8 20.cxd5 exd5 21.e6
xe6 22.xe6 xe6 23.xe6+ xe6
24.g4 f6
0-1
321 C03
Burg,Twan
Steenbekkers,Franck
hmc intern 2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.c3 c5 5.exd5
exd5 6.gf3 f6 7.b5+ d7 8.xd7+
bxd7 9.dxc5 xc5 10.0-0 e7 11.e1
0-0 . This is a standard setup used by many
French players over the years. Black is in one
sense a tempo down, in that ...h6 doesn't
appear to be very useful in comparison with
the old 3... c5 4 exd5 exd5 5 Ngf3 Nf6 6 Bb5+
Bd7 lines. In that case, a move such as ... Re8
or ...a5 might have been played instead of ...
h6. But this is a little deceptive, since the
move c3 isn't usually played early in those old
3...c5 lines. Also, ...h6 prevents Bg5 and
makes it easier to move the bishop off of e7.
Finally, in this sort of position Black isn't
275
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

significantly worse off if he waits to respond to The game is more or less level now. 29.d3
White's move. 12.f1 ce4 e6 30.e5 g5 31.g4?!
[ Perfectly fine, but the more interesting (A) [ 31.g2 ]
12...d6! activates the bishop, for example, [ 31.f4!? h3+ 32.e1 ]
A) 13.e3 e8 14.d4 xe1 15.xe1 31...h4 32.g3??
ce4 ( 15...e6!? ); [ 32.xb7 was best. ]
B) 13.e3 e8 14.g3 c7; 32...h5??
C) 13.d4 e8 14.xe8+ xe8 15.e3 [ 32...f6 wins on the spot. ]
e5 16.g3 e6 with easy play naturally 33.xb7 hxg4 34.a8+ h7 35.e4+
White is in no trouble, but he can't prevent h6 36.g2?
the type of simplification that reduces his [ 36.d5 ]
chances, f or example, 17.ec2 e4 36...f6 37.f4 gxf3+ 38.xf3 c4 39.d4
18.f3 g6 19.e3 ( 19.g2 xd4 e2+!?
20.xd4 e8 ) 19...xg3 20.hxg3 xg3+ [ 39...e2+ ]
21.f1 xd4 22.xd4 e8 23.d2 40.f2
h3+= ] [ Or 40.g1 ]
[ (B) 12...a5 is also played in this kind of 40...xb2 41.f5?
position, contemplating ...a4 or perhaps ...b5- [ 41.h3+ h4 42.g1 b1+ 43.g2
b4. Psakhis gives examples in his old 3 Nd2 b2= ]
book. ] 41...c6+ and Black is winning. A hard fight.
13.e3 e8 14.d4 c8!?
[ 14...d6 15.e3 f4 seems equal. ]
[ Rybka likes 14...c5 ] 322 C03
15.e3 White stands a bit better. d6 Can,Emre 2442
[ 15...c5 improves. ] Shulman,Yuri 2624
16.b3! c5?! 7th World Team Championship (1) 05.01.2010
[ 16...c5! 17.ad1 xd4 18.xd4 c5 [John Watson]
19.c2 with an edge. ]
17.c2 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
[ 17.xf6! xf6 18.xd5 cd8 19.h5 ] 5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 0-0 In the Archives you'll
17...ce4 18.ad1 see many games in the other main line with 6...
[ Or 18.xa7 b6 19.xd5 c5 20.xf6+ Nc6. 7.gf3 a5!? A plan which I promoted in
xf6 21.xe8+ xe8 22.a4 d7 23.b4 my Play the French book, and Neil McDonald
xb4 24.xb6 xc3 25.d1 ] s t i l l b e l i e ve d i n a s o f h i s b o o k i n 2 0 0 8 ,
18...b8? 19.xd5 whereas Moskalenko also supports it in 'The
[ Or 19.b3! ] Flexible French'. Now it has become
19...xd5 20.xf6 f5 21.d4 c6 commonplace, and in fact Shulman has used
22.e3 it previously. 8.0-0
[ 22.d2 ] [ 8.h4!? h6! 9.c3 a6 10.e5 d7 11.b3
22...f4 23.e2 g6 24.h4? was Berbatov, K (2392)-Rusev, K (2546)/
[ 24.d3! keeps a clear advantage. ] Blagoevgrad BUL 2009, when Neil thinks
24...h5 25.f1? White's position is that axc5 is sufficient, and I strongly
seriously declining. agree. ]
[ 25.g3 is necessary: xg3 26.hxg3 xh4 [ 8.e5 fd7 9.h4 h6! is Rozentalis-Vallejo
27.d3 ( or 27.xa7 )] Pons in the Archives. ]
25...xh4?! [ 8.a4 , too slow to cause trouble, is also in
[ Rybka finds the counter-intuitive 25...ge6! the Archives (Ashwin, J (2413)-Gomez, J
26.f3 g3+ ( 26...xh2! is even better) (2538)/Subic Bay PHI 2009). ]
27.fxg3 xe2 28.xe2 xe2 29.xe2 8...a6 9.e5 Options are:
b5+ 30.e1 g5 ] [ 9.xa6 xa6 10.exd5 exd5 11.d4 e8
26.xe4 xe4 27.xe4 xh2 28.g3 h5 and Black stands better. ]

276
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ As far as I can tell, my analysis of 9.exd5
in Play the French 3 has held up, with Black
having no problems, e.g., exd5 10.e1 e8
11.b3 xc5 . ]
9...d7 10.c4 Very logical, and still largely
uninvestigated. Options:
[ a) 10.c3 has been the mot common move
by f a r. Blac k h as b een d oin g f ine af te r
axc5 11.c2 b6 ( or 11...c7
, as in Holzke, F (2467)-Paehtz, E (2451)/
Solingen GER 2007 in the Archives) 12.e1
Jens-Papa, Deizisau 2003 and in my book I
give 12...f6, which is holding up well for a
recent example, see the Archives game
Ptacnikova, L (2249) -Shulman, Y (2639)/
Reykjavik ISL 2009. But Shulman himself
also played a6 13.e3 f6 in an earlier
game, and that 'traditional' move has been
satisfactory for Black as well. If you go to
the Archives, you'll find a nice mini-survey
of this line by Paddy through games in 2008,
his main line going 14.exf6 ( 14.b4 fxe5
15.xe5 xe5 16.bxc5 xc5 17.xe5
xf2+ of Kristjansson, S (2476) -Caruana, F
(2598)/Reykjavik ISL 2008, came out in
Black's favour) 14...xf6 15.b3 ( 15.d4
is also covered) 15...e5!? ( Paddy also
gives a line on 15...e8 , which looks safer
an d pe rf e ct ly sou n d) 16.xc5
17.g5! xg5 18.xg5 f6 ( two other
moves are 18...e8; and 18...xg5
19.xg5 b5 ) 19.xf6 ( 19.f3 ae8
20.g3 f7 was a game Shen-
Abrahamyan/WJGCC 2006) 19...gxf6 ( or
19...xf6 20.g5 f7 21.ad1 b7 )
20.f5 . Here Paddy disputes McDonald's
assessment in "How to Beat the French
Defence" that W hite can retain some
advantage with the two bishops: b6 21.b3
( 21.h6 fe8 22.e3 a7 is also critical)
21...c8 22.c2 b7 23.f5 c8 24.c2
b7 1/2-1/2 Wegener, O (2404)-Jackelen, T
(2454)/Germany GER 2006. He expands
upon all this and adds comments. Take a
look in the Forum! I'd prefer for Black to
choose one of his options, probably the one
on move 15 but in any case this is a
bala nce d an d inte rest ing line. You ca n
update this line with the use of TWIC and
ChessPublishing. ]
[ b) 10.d4 dxc5 11.f4?! ( 11.2f3 d7
12.e3 f5!? ) 11...b6 12.2f3 d7
Kotronias-Barsov, Montreal 2002 ]
10...dxc5
[ 10...axc5 is apparently safer. Then
11.c2 b6 is examined in the game Papp,
G (2509)-Vavrak, P (2478)/Szombathely
HUN 2009, with a note on Vachier Lagrave -
Sprenger, Bundesliga 07/08. Black is well
enough off in these lines, and there is plenty
to investigate for both sides. ]
11.b1 b4
[ a) 11...b6 is playable, for example, 12.cxd5
exd5 13.b3 b4 14.d1 xb3 15.axb3
a6 16.e3 c5 17.f4 e2 ( 17...e7 )
18.e1 d3 ( 18...d3 ) 19.d2 xb1
20.xb4 g6 ( 20...xb4 21.exb1 c8
22.d1 d7 23.d4 fe8 ) 21.c3 d7
22.d4 fe8 23.ad1 ac8= ]
[ b) 11...d4? has been queried due to a
ga m e t h a t we n t 12.d1 ( 12.b3! d3
13.e3 ) 12...d3 13.e3 b4?! 14.e4 ]
12.d1 b6?!
[ 12...c7 is a logical option, keeping an eye
on e5. After the text, Black runs into
trouble: ]
13.b3 dxc4
[ 13...xb3 14.axb3 d7? looks solid, but
White, who controls more space, can take
bxc5 advantage of the fact that Black's pieces are
cut off from defence of the kingside. I think
that White should play 15.g5!
A) 15...g6? 16.e3 c7 17.xh7! xh7
18.h5+ g8 19.xg6 fxg6 20.xg6+
h8 21.h6+ g8 22.d4;
B) 15...h6?! 16.h7 fc8 17.f6+! xf6
( 17...gxf6?? 18.g4+ h8 19.xh6
g8 20.h3 ) 18.exf6 gxf6 19.g4+ f8
20.xh6+ e7 21.cxd5 xd5 22.e4;
C) 15...xg5 (nor are the alternatives
attractive:) 16.xg5 fe8 17.h5 g6
18.h6 c5 ]
14.xc4 xb3 15.Be3 was threatened.
15.axb3
[ 15.xb3! looks better, because d1 is
covered and Black's kingside is still more
vulnerable, e.g., a4 ( 15...d8 16.e3
xd1+ 17.xd1 c6 18.g5! f8
19.e2 ) 16.c4 d5 17.g5 with attack.
c5 18.h4 g6 19.e4! xb2? 20.ac1
, etc. ]
15...d8! 16.d2!
277
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 16.xd8+ xd8 17.d2 d7 and ...Bc6 is
equal. ]
16...d7! This intends either ..Bc6 or ...Bb5
with good play on the light squares however,
Bla ck nee ds to use a de f en sive tactic t o
justify the move.
[ 16...c5?! 17.h4 h6 18.e4 ]
[ 16...d5!? heads back towards the
kingside, and limits the damage following
17.g5 xg5 18.xg5 h6 19.e4 d7 ]
17.g5!? A typical French Defence move,
exch a nging or divert in g t h e d ark-s qua re
defender.
[ 17.g5 h6 18.xf7!? xf7 19.h7 g5!
seems to hold, for example, 20.xb4 xb4
21.xb4 axb4 22.xa8 xa8 23.xd7+
e8 24.d1 f4 ]
17...xg5?
[ 17...c6! is the only good defence,
counterattacking on the 1st rank. Then
18.xh7+ xh7 19.xe7 xd1+ 20.xd1
xf3 21.gxf3 d5 is given by Rybka as
favouring White, but he has weaknesses all
over, and '=' seems fairer. ]
18.xh7+? Strange. The simple
[ 18.xg5! is terribly strong, in fact winning,
e.g., h6 ( 18...g6 19.h4 h5 20.xf7 )
19.d6 c6 20.h7+ f8 ( 20...h8
21.xf7+ xh7 22.ad1 ) 21.xf7 xf7
22.ad1! ]
18...xh7 19.xg5+ g8 20.d6
[ Perhaps White overestimated 20.h4 e8!
21.h7+ f8 22.h8+ e7 23.xg7
, when xd1+ 24.xd1 d5 defends, at
lea st f o r th e t im e being, a nd t hre at en s
counterattacks involving ...Qxb3 or ...a4.
White can try to go broke with his h-pawn,
but apparently Black has enough resources
and may stand better, for example, 25.h4?!
( 25.e4 b4 26.g5+ d7 27.f6+
c6 ) 25...xb3 26.f1 xb2 27.h5 c2!
28.g8 ( 28.h6 g6 ) 28...c3 29.h6
( 29.h7 c6! ) 29...g6 30.h7 c6 ]
20...b5 21.e4 f5?
[ 21...c6! attacks e5 and defends after
22.ad1 xe5 23.xe5 xe5 24.f4 dc8
25.fxe5 c6 ]
[ But not 21...e8?? 22.h7+ f8
23.xe6! ]
22.h4 xe5 23.f4!?
[ 23.h5! ]
23...xb2??
[ 23...f6 24.ad1 h6 25.e1 ]
[ 23...e3+! 24.h1 d3 25.h7+ f8
26.xd3 xd3 27.h8+ e7 28.xg7+
d6 29.f7+ c7 30.e5+ b6
31.xd8 d5 favours White, but it's still
uncertain by how much. ]
24.ad1 Now White is on track again, and if
he wins his piece back he will have an easy
time o f it. T hu s: d5 25.6xd5! exd5
26.e1 Possibly at an earlier stage of
calculation, Black missed this simple move,
th rea t en ing ma t e . d4+ 27.h1 e4
28.h7+ f8 29.h8+ e7 30.xg7+
d6 31.xe4+ fxe4 32.e5+ c6 33.b4
b6 34.d6+ a7 35.a1 c6 36.c5+
b8 37.b5 xb5 38.xb5 a4 39.b6 d7
40.e6 c7 41.e8+ c8 42.e5+ a7
43.xd5
1-0
323 C03
Cawdery,Daniel 2265
Shulman,Yuri 2616
38th Olympiad (3) 15.11.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 A game from the USA-South Africa
Match. 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.0-0 Cawdery avoids
bolstering the d4 pawn with c2-c3 in order to
retain the option of attacking d5 with c2-c4. In
the good old days this decision would have
raised eyebrows as Black can break up the
white centre with c5xd4. However, chess is
much more dynamic in the 21st century, and
so it is appropriate that W hite's Universal
System puts the emphasis on piece play and
the initiative rather than maintaining a neat
pawn structure.
[ And so the question is really at what point
should White go for the attack and give up
his pawn centre. Most players prefer to
defend d4 for the time being and only at a
la t e r p o in t re n o u n ce t h e b ro a d c e n t re ,
normally with d4xc5. The standard sequence
here is 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 after which
Shulman likes the plan of an immediate
queenside pawn advance with a5 9.e1 a4
He used this strategy to beat Schneider in a
278
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
sharp game given in the archives. ]
7...c6
[ An alternative is 7...cxd4 8.b3 c6
as in Jones-Pert, which you can also find in
the archives. That game continued 9.e1
and now in my recent book 'How to play
a g a i n s t 1 . e 4 ' I s u g g e s t t r y i n g h6
( sidestepping the sharp 9...c5 10.xc5
xc5 11.g5 of the Jones game) 10.bxd4
c5 etc. as in Z.Severiukhina-L.Mkrtchian,
Sochi 2006. ]
[ One of the most annoying things for Black
a b o u t t h e d e l a y e d c 2 - c 3 i s t h a t 7...b6?
a s olid op tio n f or B la ck ve rsu s 7.c3, is
unappealing because of 8.c4! ]
8.e1 a5?! Shulman doesn't want to give up
on his favourite plan, but it looks rather risky
with the centre not stabilised. I imagine that
h e wa n t e d t o t a k e h is m u ch lo we r ra t e d
opponent out of any home preparation and
make him play a difficult and double edged
game. In Asrian-Prasca we have looked at
[ 8...g5?! and ]
[ 8...c4 and ]
[ 8...cxd4 ]
9.c4! However, Cawdery rises to the challenge
and plays very vigorously.
[ Instead 9.c3 a4 would transpose to the
aforementioned Schneider game. ]
9...0-0 10.cxd5?!
[ It's a pity to let Black's bishop on c8 see
daylight. Instead 10.c2!? maintains the
tension whilst keeping the black queenside
pieces boxed in e.g.
A) The alternative is 10...f5!? 11.exf6
xf6 12.a3 dxc4 ( if 12...xd4 13.xd4
cxd4 14.f3 ) 13.xc4 xd4 14.xd4
cxd4 15.g5 with an attack.;
B) 10...g6 11.a3 a precaution against 11...
Nb4 as White has no wish to part with his
star bishop. dxc4 ( Or 11...cxd4 12.cxd5
exd5 13.b3 ) 12.xc4 cxd4 13.h6
e8 14.ad1 White is fully mobilised and
in due course should win the d4 pawn, say
with Be4 etc. or maybe start a kingside
attack with h4-h5- if Bxh4 in reply then
Nd6 is possible. ]
10...exd5 11.f1 cxd4 12.b1 f6 13.e6
c5 14.h4 xe6 15.g3 d3? It looks as
though the GM is taking control, but...
[ More solid was 15...d7 though Black was
understandably nervous about the white
attack after 16.hf5 ]
16.xe6! A sacrifice of the exchange in the
st yle of To pa lo v. Th ere is no co nc lu sive
winning line, but W hite gets a permanent
initiative thanks to his strong bishop pair, in
particular the light squared monster. xe6
17.xd3 g6 18.xg6! c5 Obviously it is
mate in two if Black takes the knight. 19.f5
f7 20.h6 Now the knight remains immune.
d7 21.h5 e5 22.xe5 fxe5 23.g6
f6 24.f5 e8 25.g4+ g6 Shulman is
obliged to give back the exchange. His open
king remains a source of anxiety, but if he
manages to exchange queens then his
passed pawn on d5 might have the last laugh.
26.xg6 xg6 27.h3 f6 28.f5 h8
29.c1 b6 30.c3 g8 31.g3 e8
32.d6 xg3 33.hxg3 e6 34.h5 g8
35.e8 d8 36.g7 g6 37.h3 f7
38.f5 e6?
[ He should guard the d5 pawn with 38...e4
39.g4 f6 ( White keeps up the pressure
after 39...d6 40.f4! )]
39.g4 f6 40.f3! Shulman praised this
move after the game. By forcing the advance
of the e-pawn, W hite takes away defensive
ideas based on Nd4 or Nf4. And as we shall
see, the pawn on e4 becomes a target. e4
41.b3! d4 42.d6+ e7 43.f5+
[ White could have crowned his attack with
43.d5! when the threat is 44. Nf5+ Kf7 45.
Qd7+ winning a piece. For example xg4
( 43...xh6? 44.f5+ ) 44.xe4
and Black has no good defence against 45.
Q b 7 + , w i n n i n g t h e b i s h o p , e . g . g7
45.xg7 xg7 46.d6+ f7 47.f6+
g8 48.xd4 when Black will lose the b6
pawn as well once he has dealt with the
threat of 49.Nf6+. ]
43...f7 44.d6+ e7 45.f5+? f7
A highly interesting fighting game.
½-½
279
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

324 C03 [ 32...xg2! 33.xg2 cg8 34.d2 xg2+

Codenotti,M 2334 35.xg2 xg2+ 36.xg2 e4 37.e1
Hainke,G 2318 h5 ( or 37...xe5 )]
3rd Livigno Open A (8.18) 16.09.2012 33.d2 cg8 34.ad1 b6?!
[John Watson] [ 34...xg2+?? 35.xg2 xg2+ 36.xg2
xg2 37.d7+ ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 [ 34...8g7 ]
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 0-0 7.gf3 a5 8.0-0 35.d6
a6 9.e5 d7 10.c4 dxc5 11.b1 c7 [ 35.d7+! h8 36.e7! xg2 37.h2! ]
12.d1 d7!? To enforce ...b5. In 35...c5?
W aramomski-Berger, Bundesliga 2009/10, [ 35...b5 36.xe6!? ( 36.d7+ h8
there followed 37.e7 ) 36...xg2+ 37.xg2 xg2+
[ 12...b6 13.b3 ( 13.e4 a6 14.b3 a4!? ) 38.xg2 xg2 39.dd6! f1+ 40.h2
13...f5!? ( 13...b7 ) 14.b2 ( 14.exf6! xf6 h1+ 41.g3 h3+ 42.f2= ]
15.e5 b7 16.b2 ) 14...a6 15.d4 36.d7+?
e8 16.a3 b5! ] [ 36.xe6! threatens Rdd6 and gives a
13.b3 winning position. White's attack
[ 13.b3 b6 ( 13...a4?? 14.xc5 xc5 neutralises Black's. ]
15.xh7+! ) 14.h4!? is unclear, but White 36...h8 37.d8 xe5 38.h4? A series of
has attacking chances. ] terrible mistakes follows, as so often in the
13...b5 14.cxd5 xd5 15.e4 time pressure after move 35.
[ 15.b2 allows f4 ( 15...c8 ) 16.e3 [ 38.1d6= ]
d5 17.d4 c6= ] 38...h7??
15...xe4 16.xe4!? [ 38...f6 ]
[ 16.xe4 g6 17.b2 b6 is double- 39.xg8??
edged ] [ 39.1d7+ 5g7 40.g3!+- ]
16...c3 17.d3 xe4 18.xe4 c6! 39...xg8 40.e7+??
19.c2?! [ 40.d7+ g7 41.d8 ]
[ 19.e2! d5 ( 19...c7 20.d4= ) 40...g7 Time control, too late for White.
20.xb5 a4! gives Black plenty of 41.d8 xg2 42.f2 e4 43.d4 e5
compensation. ] [ 43...f3+! 44.g1 ( 44.e1 f1! )
19...d5 20.d4 b6!? 44...e5 ]
[ Or 20...b8! the bishop pair now gives 44.xe4 xe4 45.e2 g2+ 46.f1 h5
Black the advantage. ] 47.d7+ g7 48.d2 h4 49.g1 h6
21.e2 b4 50.h3 g3
[ 21...b7 ] 0-1
[ 21...a4 ]
22.g4?!
[ Better 22.f5!? exf5 ( 22...c5 23.e3! ) 325 C03
23.xd5 e6 24.d3 fd8 ] Efimenko,Zahar 2680
22...f5! 23.g3 Morozevich,Alexander 2787
[ 23.exf6 xf6 threatens ...Rg6 and ...Raf8 ] 38th Olympiad (9) 22.11.2008
23...ac8 [Neil McDonald]
[ 23...a4! ]
24.e3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
[ 24.e2! ] 5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 xc5
24...c5 25.f4 h6 26.h4 b7 27.g3 [ Morozevich avoids the sharp line with
h7 28.e2 xe3 29.fxe3 g5! Just in time. 7...b4 but he will soon regret it. ]
Black's attack is serious. 30.hxg5 g8 8.0-0 c7 9.c4!? When a player gains a
31.f4 xg5 32.f2 e4?! This retains an crushing attack out of the opening it's easy to
advantage, but is timid. a s s u m e t h a t h e c a m e t o t h e b o a r d wi t h

280
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

aggressive intentions. In fact, Efimenko might drop one of his en prise pieces.;
have been merely trying to kill off the centre B) 12...cxe5 13.f4 xf2! 14.xe5
tension in order to gain a creditable draw ( Or 14.xf2 xf3+ 15.xf3 e5
a g a i n s t a wo r l d c l a s s p l a y e r wh o g a i n s and either f4 or c4 will drop, the latter
exceptional results with the black pieces. As after Bxf2+.) 14...xe4+ ( 14...d3+!? )
we shall see, W hite's attack came abou t 15.h1 d6 and Black escapes with his
b e c a u s e M o r o ze vi c h wa s o ve r e a g e r t o booty of pawns. ]
create winning chances. [ The safest way for Black to play is 10...e5!?
[ In the archives we have examined 9.c3 which must be at least as good as the 10.
and ] Nxc4 e5 version we saw above. For
[ 9.a3 here. ] example 11.b3 e7 12.g5 0-0
9...dxc4! with equality for Black, though the ambitious
[ Instead 9...dxe4 10.xe4 xe4 11.xe4 Morozevich could hardly hope for more than
( perhaps 11.xe4!? ) 11...d4 12.xd4 a draw after say 13.ac1 ]
was draw agreed in Klundt, K-Hausner, I/ 11.h3 h5? An attacking gesture that is
Augsburg 1987, but I don't believe Black is consistent with his previous move. But how
quite equal after xd4 13.d1 as he still can Black expect to have enough power to
hasn't solved the problem of developing mate the white king when he is playing minus
his queen's bishop. ] the services of hisbishoponc8?
10.xc4 A new move apparently. [ On the other hand, Black suffers a slight
[ Instead 10.xc4 looked harmless in the but ann oying disadvantage af ter eithe r
following encounter: e5 11.e3 ( Or 11...d4 12.d3 ( Of course not 12.xd4
11.g5 g4!? with ideas of Nd4.) 11...xe3 h2# )]
12.xe3 0-0 13.d5 d6 14.c4 g4 [ or 11...ge5 12.b3 ]
15.e3 xf3 16.xf3 xd5 17.xd5 d4 12.b4! An excellent pawn offer that clears the
18.d3 ac8 19.ac1 b4 20.b3 xc1 way f or the full development of the white
21.xc1 a3 22.e1 c8 23.h3 xa2 pieces. d4?
24.xb7 c2 25.e3 xb3 Black had [ Black had to accept the offer though he is
outplayed his opponent and won a pawn in u n d e r a l o t o f p r e s s u r e a f t e r 12...xb4
Es trad a Nie to , J-G orm ally, D/ Oa kh a m 13.b2 f8 14.e5 h6 15.ac1
2001. ] etc. die to his displaced king and
10...g4? backward development. ]
[ It's fair to assume that Morozevich wasn't 13.b1 d7?
expecting 9.c4. Therefore it would have [ The last chance was 13...f6 ]
been extremely difficult even for his super 14.b5 e7 15.e5! Cutting off the black
chess brain to work out the consequences queen's attack on h2 means that d4 and g4
over the board of 10...0-0!? I'm more lucky are both really hanging. b6
as the Hiarcs program tells me that Black [ Or 15...xe5 16.hxg4 ]
can nab the pawn on e5 without dropping a 16.a3 f5 Threatening 17...Ng3, but
piece. However, unless you are prepared to White's next move destroys that last hope.
b ro a d e n a n d re f in e t h e a n a lysis wh ic h 17.e4 f6
follows I would recommend you play the [ Black will be completely annihilated as his
s o l i d 1 0 . . . e 5 a s g i v e n b e l o w . 11.e5!? king is stuck in the centre after 17...gh6
( L e s s a m b i t i o u s f o r W h i t e i s 11.b3 18.fd1 and 19.Rbc1 etc. A winning
for example d6 12.g5 g4 ) 11...g4 sacrif ice f or W h ite is bou nd to app ear,
( It is necessary to put pressure on f2 as probably in the shape of Rxd7 at the
W hite consolidates his hold on e5 after appropriate moment. ]
11...d7 12.e1 ) 12.e4 18.d6+! Rightly avoiding the bait on g4.
A) Black can even get away with xd6 19.exd6 d8
12...gxe5!? 13.xc5 ( 13.f4 d4! ) [ There is no joy in 19...c8 20.bc1 ]
13...xf3+ 14.xf3 e5 and White will 20.xe6 f8 21.xd7 xd7 22.e7+

281
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xe7 23.dxe7+ f7 24.hxg4 hxg4 25.d2
g3
[ Or 25...h7 26.e4 ah8 27.g3 f5
( 27...c7 28.fe1 ) 28.d6 g5 29.e5
e8 30.xf5 ]
26.c4 h5 27.xb6 axb6 28.b3 gxf2+
29.xf2 d5 30.e1 e8 31.c3 f7
1-0
326
Emms,John M
Hodgson,Julian M
Smith & Williamson ch (7) 06.08.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 The notes to this game are by John
Emms with one or two additions by myself.
2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.c3 c5 5.dxc5 f6
[ A s e n s i b l e a l t e r n a t i v e w a s 5...xc5
thou gh a f te r 6.b3 b6 7.exd5 exd5
8.f3 Black has been forced into an IQP
position which won't appeal to everyone. ]
6.exd5 xd5
[ Also possible was 6...xd5 7.e4 0-0
8.f3 d7 9.c4 xc5 10.xc5 xc5
11.0-0 c7 12.e2 though Black hadn't
qu it e e qu a lise d in B a ru a -K u n te , P e n t e
Me d ia 2 00 0 , a s W h it e ca n give h im a n
isolated pawn at some point with Bxd5. ]
7.b4
[ Or 7.gf3 xc5 8.d3 0-0 9.e2 bd7
10.b3 c7 11.g5 b6 12.0-0 b7
Black looks to have easily equalised, but
there are still some dangers lurking in the
position for the careless... 13.ad1 fd8?
T h e w r o n g r o o k - s i m p l y ( 13...ad8
wo u l d a v o id t h e d is a st e r t h a t f o ll o ws .)
14.fe1 c5 15.xc5 xc5 16.e5 d6?
17.xf6 xf6 18.xh7+ xh7 19.h5+
g8 20.xf7+ h7 21.h5+
22.f7+ h7 23.xd6 xe5 24.h5+
g8 25.xe5 and Black resigned in
Ganguly-E.Berg, Yerevan 2000. ]
7...a5
[ Back in the 1980s the German GM Knaak
twice played 7...e5!? Although he held the
draw in both games with some inventive play
I [ Neil McDonald] think that he always had
slightly the worst of it: 8.b3 ( 8.gf3 e4
9.c4 h5 10.d4 g6 11.b5+ f8
12.f1 xg2 13.g3 g4 14.c2 e3
15.f3 xc2 16.xc2 e5 17.e2 bc6
18.xe3 h3 and Black held the draw in
Diaz-Knaak, Varna 1985.) 8...a5 9.b2
axb4 10.cxb4 c6 11.a3 d4 12.xd5
xd5 13.xd4 exd4 14.b5+ d7
15.xd7+ xd7 16.b3 f6 17.f3 a4
18.d2 ha8 19.d3 xa3 20.c4 d3
21.xa3 xa3 22.d1 b5+ 23.cxb6 xb6+
24.xd3 c6 25.fd2 b5 26.e4 a4
C03 27.f3 and a draw was agreed in
2532 Panchenko-Knaak, Sochi 1980. ]
2581 8.gf3 0-0
[ 8...b6 9.c4 d8 10.0-0 bxc5
-perhaps it was better to keep this as a
threat and just develop as in the Savon
game of the next note- 11.b5 a4 12.e2
b7 13.d3 bd7 14.c4 c7 15.e4 0-0
16.g5 and with the d5 square denied to the
black pieces W hite had the edge in
McShane-Mah, England 2000. ]
9.c4 h5
[ 9...d8 10.0-0 b6 11.cxb6 xb6 12.a3
bd7 13.b2 b7 14.e2 fd8
was unclear in Savon-Muller, Esbjerg 1980. ]
10.0-0 d5 11.xd5
[ W hite has some advantage after 11.b3
c6 12.b5 a4 13.c2 a5 ]
11...xd5 12.a3 b6
[ Very interesting was 12...axb4 13.cxb4 b6
14.cxb6 a6 15.e1 f6 16.b1 d3
17.b3 d8 when White is two passed
pawns to the good but how exactly can he
un t ie h im se lf f ro m t h e p re ssu re o n h is
centre? ]
13.c4 h5 14.b2
[ 14.cxb6 axb4 15.b1 c6 16.axb4 xb4
17.b2 b7 is slightly better for White due
to his extra pawn, but of course Black is
very active. ]
g8 14...bxc5 15.b5 f6 16.e4 d7
[ Black hurries to develop his knight as
16...b7 17.e1 d8 18.e2 e5 19.a4
d7 20.a3 would allow White to tie down
the knight to the defence of c5 before it
can reach the dream b6 square. ]
17.d6 b6 18.xc8 fxc8 19.e2 e5
Here a truce was called as chances would be
e q u a l a f t e r 20.ac1 f8 21.fd1 f7
22.d2 d8
½-½
282
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
327 C03
Erenburg,Sergey 2573
Timman,Jan H 2630
XXII Open Reykjavik ISL (7) 12.03.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7
[ Here we should consider 3...f6 4.e5
fd7 5.gf3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2
this seems less promising than 7.Be2 in the
3...Be7 line, as Black has better options
than putting his bishop on e7.
A) Alternatively, there seems to be nothing
wro n g wit h 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6
xf6 ( or perhaps 9...xf6!? as White
can't hit the queen with Bg5.) 10.0-0 d6
and Black's bishop is on its usual and best
square in the Tarrasch 3...Nf6- whereas
we can't say the same about the white
knight on d2.;
B) 7...b6 8.b3 cxd4 9.cxd4 b4+!
10.d2 0-0 11.0-0 f6 and Black had
active play in M.Khaniuchenko-S.
Kruchenenko, Kyiv 2004. ]
4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5 7.e2!?
[ We have seen the alternative 7.d3 c6
8.0-0 etc. many times. The game move is
less aggressive than 7.Bd3, not only
because the bishop doesn't point at h7, but
also because in key lines there is no option
of Qg4, attacking g7, as the white queen's
path is blocked. On the other hand, the
white queen can still help defend d4 after
a future Nb3, so W hite is no longer
committed to a pawn sacrifice. The result is
a wholly different type of game than that
which occurs after 7.Bd3. The question
arises whether 7.Be2 would work equally
well against lines in the Universal System
where Black hasn't committed his bishop to
e7. The answer appears to be no- see the
note to move three above. Therefore 7.Be2
has to be kept as a unique response to 3...
Be7. ]
7...c6 8.0-0 0-0
[ Or 8...a5 9.a4 0-0 10.b3 The point of
W h i t e ' s p l a y : h e is wil l i n g t o l e t B l a c k
apparently gain a move with 10...c4, pushing
the knight back to d2, as then all the
pressure will be off the d4 pawn:
unfortunately pawns can't move backwards
l i k e o t h e r p i e c e s ! cxd4 11.cxd4 f6
It looks as though Black will have enough
play, but Erenburg manoeuvres very
s k i l f u l l y : 12.exf6 xf6 13.g5 b6
( Perhaps he should just admit the bishop is
on the wrong square with 13...d6 ) 14.h4
b4 15.d3 d7 16.e5 e8 17.xc6
xc6 18.b1! winning time to get the rook
to the open file with the threat of Bxf6 and
then Bxh7+. h6 19.c1 b6 20.g3 h5
21.c7 a7 22.c5 and Black was
struggling in Erenburg, S-Rendle, T/Caleta
ENG 2005. ]
[ Alternatively, Black can play for an
immediate ...f7-f6 followed by the freeing
move e6-e5, but he is inevitably left with an
isolated pawn: 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6
xf6 11.b3 d6 12.g5 0-0 13.h4
carrying out the standard plan of exchanging
dark squared bishops to leave Black with
the inferior cleric on c8. e7 14.g3 xg3
15.hxg3 e5 16.dxe5 xe5 17.xe5 xe5
18.d2 f5 19.fe1 g6 20.f3 d6
21.ad1 and White went to win in Erenburg,
S-Porat, S/Ashdod ISR 2004. ]
9.e1 f6 10.exf6 xf6
[ Or 10...xf6 11.b3!? c4 12.bd2 e5
13.dxe5 dxe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.f3
and White can target the d5 pawn. ]
11.f1 cxd4 12.cxd4 There is nothing
seriously wrong with Black's position, but the
e6 pawn is vulnerable and he doesn't have
much in the way of counterplay. Nevertheless,
Timman tries to play actively. e4 13.d3
d6 14.e3 It's all very easy for White to
improve his position. Here the knight begins a
journey to the outpost square on e5. d7
15.g4 f5 16.ge5 c8 17.f4 fxd4?
A miscalculation. He had to endure his slight
worse position with patience. 18.xd4 xf4
19.dxc6 xc6 20.h5! I guess Timman
missed the strength of this move. g6
[ Or 20...h4 21.xh7+ and mate next
move while ]
[ 20...h6 21.g6 , threatening mate in two,
is also decisive. ]
21.xg6!
[ After 21.xg6 hxg6 22.xg6+ wherever
the king goes f4 is lost with check: h8
23.h6+ g8 24.xf4 and Black is the
exchange and a pawn down, to say nothing
283
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

of the quick mate looming on the kingside. ] 24.d3 b8 25.b3 xe5 26.d6 b6
1-0 27.f4 he8 28.h4 e4 29.xh5+!
T h e m o s t e f f i c ie n t wa y t o f i n is h o f f t h i s
win n in g po sitio n . gxh5 30.h6+ g8
328 C03 31.g5+ f8 32.h6 e1+ 33.h2
Glek,Igor V 2566 Mate follows on h8.
Farago,Ivan 2465 1-0
Open Porto San Giorgo ITA (9) 29.08.2003
[Neil McDonald]
329 C03
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 h6 Godena,Michele 2485
The aim is a noble one: W hite's strongest Morozevich,Alexander 2756
attacking move in the French is Qg4, so Black 34th Olympiad (2) 29.10.2000
prevents it straightaway rather than endure [Neil McDonald]
the perils of
[ 4...c5 5.g4 ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.df3! This however is awkward for Black as 5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 b4
he is going to have to lose time with his knight 8.b3 xd3+ 9.cxd3 a5 10.g5
to prevent his pawn structure being smashed [ Here 10.a4 b6! equalised in the first
up. f5 Of course he is reluctant to allow 6. Adams-Morozevich encounter. ]
Bxh6 gxh6. 6.d3 c5 7.dxc5 xc5 8.h3!! 10...a4 11.bd2 h6 12.xf6 xf6 13.e5
Much better than the routine 8.Ne2, when the e7 14.e3
k n i g h t wo u l d g e t i n t h e wa y o f b o t h t h e [ Instead Black suffered a crushing defeat in
defence of the e5 pawn by Qe2 or Re1, and the second Adams-Morozevich game given
also cut off the white queen's route to f3- why on the website after 14.c1 a5 15.e3
this is important becomes clear at move 10. e t c . W h it e i s t h e f i rst t o d i ve r ge , b u t I
c6 9.0-0 Black now has a problem with imagine that Morozevich was going to play
completing his development, for if he plays 9... 14 .. . Qa 5 a gain st th is as we ll, wh e n h e
Bd7 or 9... Qb6 White can play Bxf5 and win could transpose after 15 Qe3 b6! etc. ]
the d5 pawn. Nor is castling kingside attractive, 14...a5 15.c1 b6! This gambit is
as W hite could play for immediate attack, Morozevich's improvement on his disastrous
perhaps with 10.g4!? Therefore Farago elects g a m e a g a i n s t A d a m s . 16.cxb6 d8!
t o e x c h a n ge o f f kn i gh t s . h4 10.e1 Once he recaptures on b6 Black's two bishops
No w we s e e wh y 8 . Nh 3 wa s m u ch m o r e will be acting in unison to pressurise White's
ef f icient than 8.Ne2: rathe r than being a centre. This gives him plenty of compensation
nuisance the exchange on f3 will strengthen for the pawn. 17.c5 xc5 18.xc5 xb6
White's game. xf3+ 11.xf3 d7 12.c3 19.c2 0-0 20.f1 a6 21.e2 b5
e7 22.e3 f5! Having tied White down on the
[ It's our old friend the Greek Gift after qu e e n sid e a n d in t h e ce n t re , B la c k n o w
12...0-0? 13.xh7+ xh7 14.h5+ g8 prepares a general advance of his kingside
15.g5 and White wins. ] pawns to further pressurise the vulnerable
13.g3 Now Black will be prevented from white pieces. Eventually he hopes to surround
castling. g6 14.h6 f8 15.xf8 xf8 and pick off the e5 pawn. 23.hc1 ab8
16.e3 e7 The knight must rush back to 24.a3 g5 25.h3 g7 26.b1 g6 27.cc1
block the pressure on the f file. 17.f3 f5 h5 28.c2 g4 29.fd4 d7 30.b3 axb3
18.f4 h5 19.xf5 exf5 So all Black's 31.xb3 c7 32.xb8 xb8 33.b4 xe5
efforts to keep his pawn structure intact have The pawn has fallen after which Black has
failed. As his dark squares are also weak and e xc e l l e n t c h a n c e s t o w i n t h e e n d g a m e .
his bishop is a poor piece, it is no wonder that Morozevich's technique doesn't let him down.
he immediately drops material. 20.b4+ g7 34.dc6 xc6 35.xc6 f7 36.hxg4 hxg4
21.xb7 b8 22.xd5 b5 23.d2 c6 37.g3 h8 38.c2 a8 39.a2 a4 40.c2

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
e7 41.e3 d4+ 42.e2 d6 43.a1 e5
44.h1 a8 45.a1 c8 46.d2 c7
47.b4 a5 48.h1 b8 49.h7+ f6
50.h6+ f7 51.a6 xb4+ 52.axb4 xb4
53.a7+ e6 54.a6+ e7 55.a7+ d6
56.a6+ c5 57.e6 b2+ 58.e1 b4
59.xe5 c3 60.xf5 xd3 61.f1 b1+
62.g2 c4 63.f8 d3 64.c8+ b3
65.b8+ c2 66.c8+ d1 67.c4 d2
68.xg4 e2 69.d4 d1 70.xd1 xd1
71.g4 f1
0-1
330 C03
Hachatrian,Vahagn 2411
Minasian,Ara 2480
ch Yerevan ARM (10) 22.09.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2
[ The plausible 6.gf3? is inaccurate, as
Black can simplify with dxe4 7.xe4 xe4
8.xe4 xd1+ 9.xd1 xc5 and Black
can already think about getting the
advantage, e. g. 10.e2 d7 followed by
Nf6 driving away White's bishop from e4 and
then b7-b6 and Ba6+. ]
6...0-0 The first surprise. Castling here is
highly unusual- Black normally plays
[ 6...c6 as in numerous games on
Chesspub. ]
7.gf3 a5!? Now the game enters uncharted
territory. Black cuts off a possible support of
the c5 pawn with b2-b4 and also prepares to
counter Nb3 with a5-a4 chasing away the
knight.
[ Other moves seen here have been 7...c6
and the odd looking ]
[ 7...fd7 ]
8.0-0 a6!? So this is what Minasian had in
mind: there was a secret purpose behind 7...
a5. Black wants to capture on c5 with the
knight when it will be excellently placed.
9.exd5 White avoids the sharpest line, but he
gains no advantage at all and soon drifts into
a prospectless position.
[ If 9.xa6 bxa6!? clears b7 for the light
squared bishop. OK, Black won't win any
p r i z e s f o r a n e l e ga n t q u e e n s i d e p a wn
structure, but he has good dynamic chances.
Sooner or later he will capture on c5 and
then material will be equal and he will have
a great pair of bishops. ]
9...xd5 10.e4 xc5 11.xc5 xc5
12.g5? A natural move, but it turns out that
the bishop ends up passively placed on h4.
White should have gained control of the key
d5 square with
[ 12.c4 e.g. b6 13.b3 b7 14.e5!?
followed by Bb2 with an unclear position, but
not ( 14.b2 c6! stopping Ne5. )]
12...h6 13.h4 d8
[ Black has only to develop his queen's
bishop to be at least equal. Still I hope you
a r e n ' t t h i n k i n g a b o u t 13...b6 as then
14.xf6 xf6 15.e4 wins a rook. Tactics
before strategy! ]
14.ad1 b6 15.c3
[ Here after 15.xf6 xf6 16.e4 d7
the check on h7 is harmless whilst b2 is
hanging. ]
15...xd3! 16.xd3 a6 17.d4 xf1
18.xc5 xc5 19.xf1 d5 20.c4?
[ A ve ry serio u s m ist ake. In ste a d 20.a4!
and leaving the pawn on c3 should hold the
game, though it is slightly unpleasant for
White in view of the misplaced bishop. ]
20...b4 21.a4
[ If 21.a3 c6 followed by a5-a4 and Na5
etc. besieges c4. ]
21...f6 22.d7 e5 23.d2 d4 24.b3 a6!
The knight returns to a6 en route to c5 where
it will fork d7 and b3. White is now in serious
trouble. The main problem is that his bishop
on h4 is completely out of the game. 25.f4
[ White cannot fight for the c5 square as if
25.e4 f5 26.d6 g5 will trap the bishop. ]
25...c5 26.d6 c3 27.fxe5 xd2
28.xd2 xb3 The pawn drops, but it
appears that White has gained counterplay.
However, his hopes are dashed by a brilliant
display by the black knight which single-
handedly defeats the white pieces over the
next six moves. 29.d6 fxe5 30.g3 c5
31.xb6 xa4 32.b7 c5 33.c7 d3
34.e2 f4+ 35.f3 a4! Just in time- if
White captures twice on f4 the pawn queens.
It turns o ut that th e black ro ok has bee n
sitting on its best square since move one!
36.e1 a3 37.c3 a2 38.a1 e6 39.e7
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

d4+ 40.e4 f8 41.xe5 c2 42.f5+ [ Only a computer might try stealing a pawn
g8 43.f1 b8 44.c1 a3 45.d1 b1 with 12...axb4 13.axb4 xb4 when at the
46.d8+ h7 47.c3 c1 48.b2 e1+ least White can regain his pawn with a great
49.f3 game after 14.xf6 xd2 15.xg7 xg7
[ If 49.f4 xc4 wins easily enough, but 16.xd2 ]
with the white king on f 3 Black finds an 13.e2?! Too routine! The queen should be
elegant way to force an instant decision. ] brought to b3 to bolster the queenside, which
49...b1! 50.a8 xb2 White resigned as if can be done with
51.xa3 b3+ [ 13.c4 b7 14.b3 etc. ]
0-1 13...b7 14.fd1?? White misses out a move
which is essential in this type of pawn
structure:
331 C03 [ 14.c4! when he is contesting control of d5.
Handke,Florian 2476 Chances are then unclear, e.g. if h5?!
Sadler,Matthew 2626 15.g3! ]
Bundesliga 2003-4 (7) 12.12.2003 14...axb4 15.axb4 d5! Exactly: the knight
[Neil McDonald] should never have been allowed to sit
unchallenged on this crucial centre square.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 Now not only is b4 attacked but Black also
5.dxc5 f6 6.exd5 Not the most energetic h a s i d e a s o f N c 3 o r N f 4 . 16.e4
wa y to h a nd le th e p osit ion , b ut we ca n 't White stakes everything on the initiative, as
blame Handke for not having a strong line o t h e r wis e h e ju s t h a s a r o t t e n p o s i t i o n .
prepared- after all, he couldn't have guessed Needless to say Sadler makes sure that the
that Sadler, who 'always' plays the Sicilian, attack gets nowhere. g6 17.g4 xb4
was going to play the French against him! Th e re goe s a vita l p a wn . 18.c4 d5
The critical move of course is 19.b3 f6 20.xd5 xd5 21.xf6 xf6
[ 6.e2 ] 22.d4 d7 23.c4 F a r t o o l a t e ! c6
6...xd5 7.gf3 xc5 The no-nonsense 24.g5 ad8 25.h4 h5 26.de4 c5!
approach. More double edged was This gives W hite the choice between
[ 7...bd7 -needless to say the knight move exchanging to a lost endgame or breaking his
is a favourite of Morozevich's! ] own position in one last attacking attempt.
8.0-0 0-0 9.a3 White aims to gain space on 27.f6+ g7 28.gh7 xd1+ 29.xd1
t h e q u e e n s i d e . bd7! This keeps t to c7 h8 30.g5 e5! White drops a knight. A
o p e n f o r t h e q u e e n , wh o wo u l d b e l e s s very efficient kill by Sadler.
happily placed after 0-1
[ 9...c6? 10.b4 b6 11.c4 : not only is
she less effective on b6 than on c7 where
s h e h a s i n f l u e n c e o v e r t h e e 5 a n d f 4 332 C03
squares, but she also blocks the way for b7- Hector,Jonny 2509
b6 and Bb7 to develop the queen's bishop. ] Barsov,Alexei 2534
10.b4 c7 11.b2 2nd Viking York ENG (10) 22.12.2000
[ I would prefer the immediate 11.c4 when if [Neil McDonald]
a5 12.b1 etc. ]
11...a5! By targeting the b4 pawn Black tries 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
to prove that W hite's queenside advances 5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 xc5 8.0-0
have left him with liabilities rather than space [ Previously I gave 8.e5 g4 9.0-0 c7
controlling assets. As usual in an opening 10.b3 b6 11.f4 f6 as at least OK for
s t r u gg le , t h e r e a l t r u t h is so m e wh e r e i n Black. In the game W hite tries something
between: the pawn on b4 may be vulnerable, similar but with the moves c2-c3 and Bd7
but it is doing a great job keeping the black thrown in- this amounts to an even worse
minor pieces out of c5. 12.b1! b6 version. ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

8...c7 9.c3 d7 10.e5?! Much too exchanges and nimble queen moves,
ambitious. So f ar the game has f ollowed Kotronias is eventually able to calm things
Za g re b e ln y-M cDo n a l d , wh e re W h i t e go t down and exploit the weakness of the black
nothing much after centre. b6 14.xc5 xc5 Or else e6
[ 10.h3 Still, this was better than the game drops. 15.d1 a6 16.e3 e8 17.g5!
mo ve a f t e r wh ich t h e e p awn b eco m e s W e ll ca lcula t e d : B la ck' s co un t e ra t t a c k
vulnerable. ] against f2 can be defused, after which White
10...g4 11.b3 b6 12.fd4? w i l l d o m i n a t e t h e d a r k s q u a r e s . xg5
[ Perhaps best was 12.f4 which just about 18.xg5 e4 19.h4! c6 the f2 pawn is
holds the balance after f6 13.ae1 fxe5 immune due to the weakness of h7. 20.e3
etc. ] h6 21.g4 Threatening 22.Bxh6. f6
12...cxe5 13.f4 g5! 14.g3 22.g3 h8 23.d4 b5 24.e1
[ Dangerous is 14.xg5 xd3 15.xg4 g8 Kotronias has subdued Black's dynamism
but maybe it was White's best chance. ] and can now apply pressure against the e6
14...h5! Now the threat of 15...h4 means that pawn. As will be seen, this is a stepping
Black is a centre pawn up with just as good stone towards an all out attack against the
attacking chances as White. Hector tries to black king. e8 25.e5 f7 26.ae1 c8
confuse the issue but Barsov exploits his 27.h4 d7 28.1e3 b4 29.h3 bxc3
advantage in precise style. 15.ae1 f6 16.f4 30.bxc3 ab8 31.g3 The focus switches
xd3 17.xd3 0-0-0! 18.fxg5 e5 19.h4 to an attack on g7, the weakest point in the
[ Or 19.h3 h4! 20.hxg4 hxg3 wins a piece. ] black camp. b2 32.g6 e7 33.h5!
19...fxg5 20.f5!? xf5 21.xf5+ d7 g8 ( Of course if 33...xh5 34.xe7 )
22.xg5 hg8 23.d2 de8 24.c1 f6 34.xh6! gxh6 35.xh6 Now there's going
25.h2 e4 26.c2 h3 27.h1 xh4 to be a fatal discovered check. 1-0 Kotronias,
W h i t e r e s i g n e d a s i f A 28.f3 g3# V-Ni Hua/Khanty Mansyisk RUS 2005. ]
T h i s wa s a d r a s t i c re f u t a t i o n o f W h it e ' s
[ The following game shows us why I like the
reckless play. idea of Black getting the queen involved with
0-1 11...Qc7: 11...b6 12.e1 a6 13.e3 c8
14.d4 Black's pieces may look active, but
they can't do anything. Meanwhile White has
333 C03 a clear plan: consolidate his hold on d4,
Holzke,Frank 2467 probe on the kingside to provoke
Paehtz,Elisabeth 2451 weaknesses and prepare the f2-f4 advance.
Bundesliga 2006-7 (12) 17.03.2007 b8 15.h3 g6 16.f4 c6 17.2f3 xd4
[Neil McDonald] 18.xd4 e4 19.e3 c5 20.f3 e7
21.ad1 e8 22.h6 f5 23.exf6 xf6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 24.d4! As in his game with Ni Hua above,
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 0-0 7.gf3 a5 8.0-0 Kotronias seizes control of the dark squares.
a6 9.e5 Players of White have concluded b7 25.xf6 xf6 26.xe4 dxe4 27.e5
that this is the best response to the wing An even better square for the knight than d4.
development of the black knight. d7 10.c3 d8 28.g5 f8 29.h4 xd1 30.xd1 e3
White preserves his bishop. The alternative 31.d7 e2 32.f2 c8 33.d2 a4
was 34.d8 e4 35.xf8+ xf8 36.d8+ g7
[ 10.d4!? ] A) It's mate with 37.e7+ h6 ( 37...g8
10...axc5 11.c2 c7! The Greek 38.f7+ h8 39.f8# ) 38.g4+ h5
Grandmaster Kotronias has won some 39.g5#;
impressive positional battles in this variation. B) 37.e7+ 1-0 Kotronias, V-Lopez
[ Here 11...f6 is at least premature. 12.exf6 Martinez, J/Kusadasi TUR 2006. ]
xf6 13.b3 In what follows, the white 12.b3 b6 In contrast to the Lopez Martinez
p i e c e s a r e p u s h e d a r o u n d f o r a t i m e . game, Paehtz has activated her queen, which
H o w e v e r , t h a n k s t o s o m e j u d i c i o u s allows her to develop genuine counterplay.

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.e1 a6 14.d1
[ Black has a lot of compensation for the
pawn after 14.e3 e4!? 15.xe4 dxe4
16.xe4 a4 17.bd4 a3 ]
14...b7?!
[ I think Black should seize the chance for
14...a4 for example
A) Ineffective for White is 15.xc5 xc5
A1) Not 16.xa4? d3 17.e3 c5
18.xd3 ( Or 18.d4 xd4 19.cxd4
fc8 ) 18...xd3 19.xd3 xa4;
A2) 16.d4 a3 17.b3 e4
with an attack on c3.;
B) 15.bd4 a3 16.b3 ( The attempt to
play a Greek Gift fails after 16.g5 xg5
17.xh7+? xh7 18.xg5+ g8
19.h5 d3! ) 16...e4 etc. ]
15.bd4 e4 16.d2 dc5 17.xe4
dxe4 It looks at first glance that Black is
taking control, but now a tactic comes to
White's rescue: the black bishop on a6 has
no retreat square, and so... 18.b4! axb4
19.cxb4 d3 20.b5 d5
[ Black could also hold on with 20...xe1
21.xe1 d5 22.xe4 ( Or 22.c6 h4 )
22...xe4 23.xe4 ad8 24.e3 c5
25.c6 xb5 ]
21.xe4! Without this move Holzke would be
in trouble, whereas now it is Paehtz who has
to be careful. xe4 22.xd3 xd4?
[ The only path to safety was with 22...d5!
23.bxa6 ( Or 23.c6 c5 24.c2 f5
25.exf6 xf6 attacking f2. 26.e3 b7
with complications.) 23...fd8 24.e3 c5
25.b1 xd4 26.xh7+ h8 27.e4
xe5 28.xd4 xd4 29.xa8 xa8
30.f1 a4 and Black picks up a6 with a
draw. ]
23.xh7+ xh7 24.xd4 ad8 25.e4+!
A significant check that forces the black king
to g8 where it becomes a target for the Bh6
move. g8 26.g4 xb5 27.h6 g6
28.xf8 xf8 With only two bishops for a
queen and pawn, Black has little chance.
29.b1 d5 30.a4 d3 31.xb6 xe5
32.h3 c5 33.b8+ g7 34.d8 a6
35.g3 f5 36.c3+ h6 37.h8+ g5
38.h4+ g4 39.d4+ xd4 40.xd4+ f4
41.f3+
1-0
334 C03
Howell,David 2633
Short,Nigel D 2698
4NCL 2011-12 (4.11) 15.01.2012
[Gawain Jones]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6!? Black's been
dabbling with third move alternatives against
the Tarrasch recently. Of course 3...Nc6 is
the Guimard and 3...a6 is seen from time to
time (I've actually played it myself), but I don't
really trust this one. Nigel played this
successfully against Mickey Adams in London
and decided to repeat the line, with hindsight
a foolhardy decision. 4.gf3 David goes for a
Universal Style setup.
[ 4.d3 c5 5.dxc5 xc5 6.gf3 ( 6.exd5
Khamrakulov, D (2485)-Duong The Anh
(2420) Kuala Lumpur 2010.) 6...e7 7.0-0
bc6 8.e2 ( 8.c3 was looked at in Maslak,
K (2560) -Volkov, S (2597) Irkutsk 2010 by
John Watson.) 8...0-0 9.b3 b6 10.c3
dxe4 ( 10...e5 should also have been
considered.) 11.xe4 g6 12.c4 h8
13.c2 ce5 14.xe5 xe5 15.e2 h4
and Black certainly wasn't worse. Adams, M
(2734)-Short, N (2698) London 2011. ]
[ While White has also tried 4.c3 such as in
Burg, T-Steenbekkers, F hmc intern 2010
[John Watson] ]
4...f6 5.e5
[ Here too 5.d3 is possible. c5 6.exd5
( 6.e5 fd7 would simply transpose.)
6...exd5 7.0-0 c4 8.e1+ e7 9.e2 0-0
10.b3 cxb3 11.axb3 c6 is a position that
has been tested a couple of times recently.
I prefer White's better structure but Black
has active development and seems to have
a perfectly playable position. ]
5...fd7 6.d3
[ 6.c4!? is an interesting attempt to exploit
Black's third move. Another Englishman
reached this position recently and tried the
immediate
A) 6...e7 7.d3 ( John looked at
7.cxd5 ) 7...0-0 8.0-0 c5 9.cxd5 exd5
10.b1 e8 11.c2 f8 12.dxc5 c7
13.d3 xc5 14.b3 b6 15.f4 c6
16.xd5 e6 17.b5 ad8 18.g3 d5
19.bd2 d4 20.xd4 xd4 21.e4
1/2-1/2 Svidler, P (2739)-Nguyen Ngoc
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Truong Son (2637) Khanty-Mansiysk 2011
saw Peter get nowhere with White. If you
recall he did well with Black in the World
Cup and simply survived with White!;
B) 6...c5 is seen in the archives in Konnyu,
J ( 2 4 0 1 ) -H o a n g T h a n h T r a n g ( 2 5 0 1 )
Budapest 2010 annotated by John.;
C) 6...dxc4 Black loses further time and
gives away the e4 square but hopes that
control over d5 will give him a long term
a d v a n t a ge . 7.xc4 b6 8.d3 c6
9.0-0 b4 10.xb6 axb6 11.e4 e7
12.e1 d5 13.d3 b4 14.d2 xd2
15.xd2 d7 16.xd5 exd5 17.a3 0-0
18.ac1 c6 with a position that resembles
an e4 e5 structure to me when Black was
fine. Adhiban, B (2561)-Sadler, M (2660)
Wijk aan Zee 2012. ]
6...c5 7.c3
[ White has also done without defending the
p a w n a n d c a s t l e d i m m e d i a t e l y 7.0-0
Mestre Bellido, H (2404)-Bhat, V (2536)
Badalona 2010 [John Watson] ]
7...c6 8.a3!? David delays castling and
instead plays a useful move on the queenside.
[ T h e m a i n l i n e c o n t i n u e s w i t h 8.0-0
when Black shows one point behind the
early ...h6 with g5!? There have been a few
recent games in this position:
A) 9.dxc5 looks critical to me when I don't
like g4?! After this I don't really see the
point of h6. ( Instead 9...xc5 has been
played in the past.) 10.d4 dxe5
11.b5 ( In comparison with the mainline
(where Black has a bishop on e7 instead
o f a p a wn o n h 6 ) , W h i t e sh o u l d a l s o
consider 11.2b3 when I think White has
g o o d c h a n c e s .) 11...xc5 12.f4!
T h i s p l a n i s a l w a y s d a n g e r o u s . gxf3
13.2xf3 g6 14.e3 d7 15.e2
Over the next few moves White's initiative
d i s s ip a t e s . ( 15.h1 xd4 16.xd7+
xd7 17.xd4 xd4 18.xd4
l e a v e s W h i t e wi t h g o o d p l a y f o r t h e
pawn.; 15.d3!? is also interesting.)
15...e7 16.h1 d6 17.b4 e5 18.b3
a6 19.xc6 was seen in Balogh, C (2662)-
Hoang Thanh Trang (2446) Nagykanizsa
2011 when xc6 ( 19...bxc6 ) 20.a4 f5!
favours Black.;
B) 9.c4!? was investigated in Whissell, M-
Chung, K Ontario Closed, Kitchener 2010
in the archives when John W atson
recommended Black should investigate
g7;
C) 9.b1 didn't work very well in a recent
game: b6!? ( 9...g4 might be critical, i.e.
10.e1 h5 11.b3 b6 12.f4 a6
13.f2 e7 14.f5 0-0-0
with a complicated position. I quite like
White's setup but it isn't so clear.) 10.c4!?
This counter-thrust in the centre is always
critical, especially once Black has
weakened his queenside with ...b6. g4
11.cxd5 exd5 12.e6! White has to keep
p l a yi n g f o rc e f u l ly o r h i s p o s it i o n wi l l
collapse. fxe6 But here he erred with
13.e5?! Klein, D (2366)-Sadler, M (2625)
Haarlem 2011. ( Instead 13.g6+ e7
14.h4 cxd4 15.xg4 de5 16.h5
keeps the position very messy. )]
8...a5 Preventing White from expanding with
b 2 - b 4 . I t ' s n o t s o e a s y t o c o m e u p wi t h
dif ferent plans for Black. The ...g5 break
doesn't look logical before Whtie has castled,
while ...f6 is no longer on the cards as g6
would be such a big hole.
[ Meanwhile 8...b6 looks interesting. This
looks like Black is aiming to win the d4 pawn
but th e inclu sio n of a3 an d h6 lo oks t o
favour White. However it's now not so easy
for White to continue without castling and
following 9.0-0 a5 10.e1 e7 it's not
clear how White continues. Something like
11.dxc5 xc5 12.e2 a4 13.c4 0-0
looks roughly balanced. ]
9.f1 c4?! Generally closing the centre
favours White who can now proceed on the
kingside without having to worry about
counterplay in the centre. Nigel is trying to
exploit the early a3 but I think White's position
is now much easier to play.
[ Perhaps 9...b6 followed by ...Ba6 is
better. ]
10.c2 b5 11.g3 b6 Around here I think
Nigel would a dmit he plays rather badly.
However it's not so easy to come up with a
good plan.
[ 11...e7 12.h5 g6 13.f4 b7
14.xg6!? Of course White doesn't need to
p l a y s o q u i c k l y. fxg6 15.xg6+ f8
16.c2 looks quite dangerous. ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 11...b7 12.h5 b4 13.a4! also looks
better for White. ]
12.h5 d7?! Nigel gets ready to castle
queenside but that plan doesn't work very well.
[ Better was an attempt at counterplay with
12...b4 13.axb4 axb4 14.xa8 xa8
Although W hite is definitely better after
15.d2 ]
13.h4 A thematic move to activate the rook.
With a closed centre White has no fear about
his king being left in the centre.
[ There were two good alternatives: 13.d2
b4 14.f4 looks unpleasant but Black can
at least survive with b3 15.b1 e7
when White's advantage is definite as Black
has no counterplay but at least he can keep
going. ]
[ 13.g1!? followed by 14.Qg4 was also
worth considering. ]
13...e7 14.h3 0-0-0 15.g3 Forcing a
weakness out of Black. g6 Basically forced.
[ 15...f6 16.f4 looks terrible ]
16.f6 g7 17.h5 f8 18.f6 g7
19.h5! Of course White doesn't need to take
the draw. g5?!
[ 19...xf6 20.exf6 xf6 21.hxg6 b7
doesn't look great shakes but was much
better than the game. ]
20.h7?! Missing a strong sacrifice.
[ 20.xg5! would be extremely strong. hxg5
21.xg5 White has two pawns for the piece
so far and will pick up the exchange while
t h e h p a wn will p ro ve ve ry st ro n g. xf6
( 21...h6 22.xd5! ) 22.xf6 f8 23.xh8
xh8 24.g4 is probably just winning. ]
20...dg8
[ Maybe Black should try 20...f5 21.exf6
xf6 22.xf6 xf6 when White of course
is st ill o n to p a s Black m isse s h is d ark
squared bishop. ]
[ W h ile t he e xch an ge sa crif ice 20...xh7
should also have been considered 21.xh7
f5 22.exf6 xf6 23.g6 b7 when Black
at least doesn't have any weaknesses. ]
21.e2 b4?! This just weakens Black's
position further.
[ I t h i n k N i g e l s h o u l d h a v e t r i e d 21...f5
22.exf6 xf6 23.xf6 xf6 24.e5 xe5
25.dxe5 e7 26.e3 a4 with an ugly but
playable position. ]
22.axb4 axb4 23.fxg5! David successfully
finds the piece sacrifice second time round. b3
24.b1 hxg5 25.xg5 e8 26.f6 xf6
27.xf6 f8 Trying to plug some holes.
[ It isn't possible to hold on to the exchange
but maybe Nigel could set up some sort of
blockade with 27...h6 28.g7 ( 28.f3!? )
28...xg7 29.xg7 f8 followed by ...Ne7. ]
[ However 27...xg3?! isn't advisable:
28.fxg3 e7 29.g4 and the g and h pawns
are too strong. ]
28.xg8 David decides the bishop is worth
more than the rook here.
[ 28.xh8 xh8 would look similar to 27...
Rh6. ]
28...xg8 29.g4 A logical move and short on
time a sensible decision.
[ However 29.e3! just getting the h pawn
motoring was very good: xg2 30.h6 h2
31.h7 and the h pawn should prove
decisive. ]
29...e8 30.h7 h8!?
[ 30...g7 31.b1 ( 31.xg7 xg7 32.b1
g5 isn't so clear.) 31...g8 would just
transpose to the game but avoids White's
next option. ]
31.b1?! Knowing the White player I would
say he was in severe time trouble and so he
repeats before finding a way to play on.
[ 31.xh8! is another option that simply
looks winning. xh8 ( 31...h6!? 32.f6
xh7 33.f3 followed by 34.Qd2, 35.Kf2
etc. ) 32.b1 and Black can't prevent the
kingside pawns advancing g7 ( 32...h6
33.e3 ) 33.f4 ]
31...g8 32.f4 d7 33.g5 xf6 34.exf6
So Black's successfully got rid of the super
strong bishop but the pawn phalanx on the
kingside still promises him good chances. h8
35.f2 b7 36.g3 d7 37.h6 xh6!?
After having had no play for the entire game
it's understandable that Nigel tries to get
some activity but this doesn't work out.
[ Waiting with 37...a7 followed by rerouting
the knight round to c8 and either d6 or round
to a4 leaves Black with the best position he's
had for practically the whole game! ]
38.gxh6 xh6 39.h2 xf6 40.h7?!
[ 40.h7! would allow White to develop his
rook and prevents Black's next note. ]
40...e7
[ 40...e5! looks very tempting and must have
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
been strongly considered: 41.dxe5 xe5
42.h5 g7+! ( 42...b6 43.e4!
and White can stop the checks.) 43.f2
( 43.g5 h8 ) 43...g4+ 44.e2 f6
and Black has a pawn for the exchange and
White's king is bare. ]
[ Again waiting with something like 40...c7
was possible and forces White to come up
with a way in. ]
41.h5 Having reached the time control White
makes no mistakes and eventually converts
the full point. c6 42.h7 g7+ 43.f3
e8 44.h1 f8 45.g5 c7 46.f6 e7
Akin to resignation but White had retaken the
initiative and was already winning. 47.xe7+
xe7 48.f5! xf5 49.xf5 exf5 50.f4
d7 51.e5 e6 52.f1 d7 53.xf5
An interesting game but theoretically this
doesn't hurt Black too much.
1-0
335 C03
Hracek,Zbynek
Hertneck,Gerald
1994 Germany 1994
[Paul Motwani]
Quick Tricks and Traps 1) W20: "Tricky trio of
checks from a Czech!" Z. Hracek-G.Hertneck,
Germany 1994. French Defence, code C03. It
has seemed a very quick 27 years since I
learned the basics of chess from my brother
Joe, who is actually 15 months younger than
me. We were not the only ones celebrating as
Joe turned 37 on September 9th, because it
was also "Happy Birthday" to GM Zbynek
Hracek of the Czech Republic. For the
country's top grandmaster, born on 9
September 1970, his twenties have passed for
good, but I'm sure that he will still continue to
notch up some lightning-speed victories where
t h e m o ve -c o u n t i s o n l y in t h e t e e n s ! A n
attractive example is Hracek's crushing 17-
move win in 1994 against Germany's GM
Gerald Hertneck---who even had the
advantage of playing that game on home
territory. You will find that the moves include
t h r e e c h e c k s , a n d s i n c e we ' r e h a vi n g a
double party today, there is a special bonus in
my notes to the game: an extra impressive 22-
m o ve wi n f r o m 1 9 9 1 b y C o l o m b i a ' s G M
Alonso Zapata against America's GM Michael
Rohde. Coincidentally, the loser was again on
home ground, and exactly three of the moves
were checks, so this could have made an
alternative "Curiosity of the Month"! 1.e4 e6
2.d4 d5 3.d2 b6
[ W20.1: Another rare choice which has,
however, become quite fashionable recently
is 3...e7 Black had a very black day,
though, in the 1991 encounter A.Zapata-M.
Rohde at Las Vegas, where the continuation
was 4.gf3 f6 5.d3 c5 6.dxc5 dxe4
7.xe4 xe4 8.xe4 xd1+ 9.xd1
xc5 Although Black looks to be reasonably
comfortable, White's powerful centralised
bishop is applying pressure towards the
most sensitive spot at b7 10.e2 0-0
I n t h is m id d le ga m e sit u a t io n wh e re n o
queens are present to trouble the opposing
kings, Black could well consider keeping his
monarch nearer the centre of the board, as
White has done 11.d1 e7 Black would
naturally like to activate his other bishop,
but it's tied down to defending the b7-pawn
12.f4 a6 ( 12...d7 allows 13.xb7
xb7 14.xd7 ) 13.c3 c5 14.c2 d7
15.a4! 16 White stops 15...Bb5+ and
threatens to win material via b4 c6 16.e5
xg2 This lets White's rooks switch to the
freshly-opened g-file, with serious
consequences for Black's king 17.g1 c6?
( A m o r e t e n a c i o u s d e f e n c e i s 17...f6
18.xg2 fxe5 19.xe5 f6 intending
20.d6 fc8 ) 18.h6 f6? ( Black could
struggle on longer by giving up an exchange
with 18...g6 19.xf8 xf8 ) 19.xg7+!
xg7 20.g1 f5 21.xg7+ h8 22.g5!
( Black was hoping to fight on after 22.f7+
xf7 23.xf7 but White had other plans. 1-0
Black resigned facing the threat 23 Bg7+
Kg8 24 Bf6, since 22. ..Rg8 fails to help in
view of 23 Nf7. )]
4.gf3 f6 5.exd5 exd5 6.e5! b7
[ White's 6th made 7 Bb5+ an unpleasant
threat, and White's e5-knight could not be
c h a l l e n g e d b y 6...bd7 since 7.c6
is e xt re m e l y e m b a r ra s s i n g f o r B l a c k ' s
queen! ]
7.b5+ c6 8.e2 e7
[ B l a c k l o s e s h i s l a d y a f t e r 8...cxb5??
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
9.c6+ ]
9.d3 c5? This lets the top Czech GM deliver considered satisfactory here:
his second check out of a tricky trio occurring
in the entire game. 10.b5+ fd7 11.dxc5
bxc5 12.g4! Putting Black in double trouble
at d7 and g7. g6 13.0-0 a6 14.a4 f5
A desperate lunge forward, but White's calm
retreat now is really crushing. 15.e2 f8
[ White wins material after 15...0-0 16.xd7
xd7 17.e6+ ]
[ or 15...c8 16.c6 ( 16.e1
is very simple and strong too) 16...xc6
17.xc6 ]
16.df3 Menacing 17 Bh6+ Kg8 18 Nc6 Nxc6
19 Qe6. g7 17.h6+ Black resigned, in
view of 17...Kxh6 18 Nf7+.
1-0
336 C03
Huebner,Robert 2581
Paehtz,Elisabeth 2482
Trans Europa Schach Express rapid (7.7)
[John Watson]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5
Easily the most popular move.
[ I r e c o m m e n d e d a n d a n a l y s e d 4...h6
in PTF3 (as a note to 4...c5), and it has
done quite well in the past couple of years. ]
5.c3 We get a sort of Advance Variation.
[ 5.g4 is the old main line. ]
[ 5.dxc5 c6 6.gf3 or ]
[ 5.gf3 c6 6.dxc5 is Burg-Poetsch. ]
5...c6 6.df3
[ a) 6.gf3?! cxd4 7.cxd4 b6 8.b3 a5!
9.a4 b4+ 10.d2 xd2+ 11.xd2 7.d3 cxd4 8.cxd4 b4+
ge7 ]
[ b) 6.d3 is interesting and legitimate. A
g a m e i n t h i s m o n t h ' s b a t c h w e n t cxd4
( 6...b6 7.df3 cxd4 8.cxd4 ) 7.cxd4
A) 7...xd4?? 8.g4;
B) 7...h6!? with the idea 8.e2 f5 9.f1!
9.f3 0-0 ( 9...b6 10.0-0 h6!? ) 10.0-0
d7 , probably slightly better for White but
full of play.;
C) 7...b6!? 8.df3 b4+ 9.f1 d7
10.e2 Pogonina-Mkrtchian, Eilat ISR
2012, and in spite of White's king position,
W hite has decent prospects to unravel
with a space advantage. ]
6...b6 At least two other moves are
[ a) 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 b4+ 8.d2
is Korchnoi-Short, Wijk aan Zee NED 2000
in the Archives, to which I append Neil's
notes: a5 Also worth considering was
( 8...b6 a s t h e n a t u r a l 9.d3?
can be answered by xd4 which for once
doesn't lose a piece! After 10.xd4 xd4
11.a4+ d7 12.xb4 xd3 13.xb7
c8 Black has a big advantage. However,
White can play 9 Bxb4 Qxb4+ 10 Qd2 which
might promise him a tiny advantage in a
sterile position.) 9.e2 ( Or 9.d3 f6!?
with interesting play.) 9...xd2+ 10.xd2
xd2+ 11.xd2 f6 This seems to equalise.
12.exf6 gxf6 13.f4 ge7 14.e1 f7
15.d3 d7 16.g4 xd4 Black dissolves
the centre before White can undermine the
e5 square with 17 g5. 17.xd4 e5 18.xd5
H e r e a d r a w w a s a g r e e d . A f t e r xd5
19.c4 e6 20.xe6 xe6 21.f4! d6!
22.fxe5+ fxe5 23.hf1 hf8 or 23...Nf4
Black holds the draw comf ortably. This
wasn't very exciting but it's good to see it
confirmed in a top GM game that W hite
cannot refute 3...Be7 by adopting the
'natural' Tarrasch piece deployment. ]
[ b) 6...a5 forces White to respond to ...
cxd4, e.g.,
A) 7.d2 cxd4 ( 7...b6!? ) 8.cxd4
b4=;
B) 7.dxc5 c7 8.e3 f6 9.exf6
( 9.f4!? fxe5 10.xe5 xc5 is unclear)
9...xf6 10.d4 e5 11.b5 d8=
Ni Hua-Bartel, Beijing 2008. ]
[ 8...h6 deserves consideration: 9.xh6
( 9.e2 f5 ) 9...gxh6 10.e2 b4+!?
11.c3 xb2 12.b5 b4+ 13.f1 a5
14.g3 0-0 with the idea ...f6. Of course both
sides have numerous options. ]
[ 9.d2 xd4! 10.xd4 xd4 11.a4+
d7 12.xb4 xd3 ]
9...f6!?
[ A playable alternative is 9...d7 10.a3
( 10.e2 transposes to Pogonina-Mkrtchian
above, also played in Adams-Sarkar,
W h e e lin g 2 0 1 0) 10...e7 with the idea
11.e2 ( 11.c2 c8 ) 11...a5!? ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

10.e2 26.c2 b6 ]

[ 10.a3! is probably a better try for White, e.g. 24.b4 f5 25.b5 ce7?
, e7 ( 10...f8 11.b4 fxe5 12.dxe5 h6 [ 25...cd4 26.b4! ]
13.e3 d8 14.xh6 gxh6 15.b5 e7 26.a4
16.g3 ) 11.b4 a6 ( 11...fxe5 12.dxe5 h6 [ 26.b4! ]
13.e3; 11...h6!? 12.b5 d8 13.xh6! 26...c8? 27.c1?!
gxh6 14.h3 f7 15.a4 fxe5 16.dxe5 ) [ 27.g4! d4 28.b4+- ]
12.h3 h6 13.xh6 gxh6 14.g3 fxe5 27...d4 28.xc8+ xc8 29.e1 b3
15.dxe5 0-0 16.g2 d7 17.d2 xf3! 30.c3
18.xf3 xe5+ 19.g2 f8 [ 30.c2+- ]
with counterplay, probably still short of 30...a5! 31.xb3 xe1 32.a3 g5?
equality. ] [ 32...d1! ]
10...fxe5 11.dxe5 c5!? After White's reply, 33.hxg5?!
this appears to be too slow. Two alternatives: [ 33.c1! ]
[ 11...h6!? s e e m s t o c o m p e l 12.xh6 33...hxg5 34.xg5 xe5 35.f4 d4?
gxh6 , when 13.f4 d7 with the idea ... [ 35...g7! ]
0-0-0 is double-edged. ] 36.e3 f6 37.c5 b8 38.f4+ e5
[ 11...ge7 should be satisfactory, in view of 39.c3 d4 40.xd4 xf4 41.xd7 xa4
12.a3 ( 12.e3 c5 13.xc5 xc5= ) 42.f5 c4 43.g4
12...c5 13.c3 d4 14.a4 c7 15.f4 1-0
0-0 ]
12.c3! c7 13.f4
[ 13.b5!? b6 14.g5 ge7! 15.d6+ 337 C03
d7! is totally unclear. ] Jaracz,Pawel 2549
13...d7? Lputian,Smbat G 2638
[ 13...a6 14.g3 ( 14.c1 ge7! 15.g3 0-0 4th IECC Istanbul TUR (6) 05.06.2003
16.g2 a7= ) 14...ge7 15.g2 [Neil McDonald]
A) 15...0-0 16.d2! ( 16.xh7+ xh7
17.g5+ g8 18.h5 f5 19.e8+ f8 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5
20.h5 f5= ) 16...a7 17.ac1 d7 [ Instead Black could stop the queen going to
18.a4; g4 with 4...h6 though he would need to
B) 15...h6 16.c1 a7 17.a4 0-0 just if y the knight b eing on h6 a f ter sa y
18.d2 f5= ] 5.gf3 ]
14.c1! Threatening Nxd5. ge7 15.b5 5.g4 g6 6.dxc5 So far the game has
b6 16.xc5! xc5 17.c7+ d8 followed Adams-Short on ChessPub, in which
[ 17...f7! 18.g5+ g8 19.xa8 h6 B l a c k e n d e d u p wi t h a n i n f l e xi b l e p a wn
20.xe6!? xe6 21.c7 f5 ( 21...f7 structure after 6...f5?! d7! Lputian prepares
22.g3 ) 22.xf5 xf5 23.xd5+ xd5 to recapture on c5 with the knight. This seems
24.xd5 f7 25.g4 h4 26.g3 f3 an important improvement on the more natural
27.g2 fxe5 28.xe5 xe5 29.e1 ] [ 6...c6 7.gf3 xc5 when in the
18.xa8 f8 following example White built up a decisive
[ 18...c8 19.d2! b8 20.a4 xa8 attack by exploiting the time he gained
21.b4 b6 22.b5 d8 23.e2 and Rc1 or through harassing the black bishop: 8.b3
Be3 next. ] f8 9.g5 c7 10.0-0-0 d7 11.b5 c8
19.g3 12.b1 xe5 This turns out to be a fatal
[ 19.d2! ] pawn grab, but Black already has grave
19...h6 20.h4?! problems as there is no good way to
[ 20.g2! g5 21.c1! ] complete his development. 13.xd7+ xd7
20...c8 21.g2 b8 22.a3 xa8 23.d2 14.d4! f6 15.he1 f7 16.xe6!
b6 It's not a good sign for Black in the French
[ 23...d4! 24.e3 b3 25.xc5 xc5 when White can play such a move! xc2+

293
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

( If 16...xe6 17.xd5+ e7 18.e1+ 338 C03

d8 19.fd4 and a fatal check follows on Jones,Gawain C 2567
e6. ) 17.a1 f5 18.e3 b6 19.g4 c2 Pert,Nicholas 2539
20.ee1 c5 21.xc5 xc5 22.xf6! Premier Hastings ENG (10) 06.01.2008
xf6 23.g5+ g8 24.xf6 f8 25.e8 [Neil McDonald]
1-0 Conquest, S-Efimov,I/Albufeira Algarve
1999. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
7.gf3?! 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.0-0 cxd4
[ Perhaps the best reply is 7.b5 to obstruct A radical decision- White won't be allowed to
B l a c k ' s p l a n . P l a y c o u l d t h e n g o xc5 transpose to the Universal mainline after
8.gf3 b6 ( Not 8...xf2+? 9.xf2 b6+ [ 7...c6 8.c3 etc. ]
10.d4 ) 9.xd7+ xd7 10.0-0 and Black's 8.b3 c6 9.e1 c5!?
position feels loose on the dark squares for [ After 9...b6 I recommend in the archives
if b5 11.c4 etc. ] 10.a4 ( rather than 10.f4 c5 etc. when
7...xc5 8.e2 If this quiet developing move Black equalised in Czebe-Warner, which is a
is W hite's best option then he has clearly note to the Asrian-Prasca game.) 10...a6
missed his chance to set Black problems. h6 11.f4 c5 12.a5 c7 13.fxd4
A novel method of development: Black intends with some advantage to White. ]
to fianchetto his knight on g7! 9.h3 f5 10.xc5
10.g4 g7 11.h6 Or else Black can begin [ W h i t e m i g h t a l s o c o n s i d e r 10.fxd4
to undermine White's control of f5 with h7-h5. This is a better way to take on d4 than 10.
f8 12.h4 d7 13.h3 c7 14.f4 f5! Nbxd4, as the white queen now has access
Black's kingside has held firm and now with to the g-file, whether with Qg4 or, in the
this little trick borrowed from the McCutcheon event of a recapture on d3, with Qg3. xd3
Variation he breaks up the advancing pawns. ( Black should avoid 10...xb3 11.xc6!
15.d4?! bxc6 12.axb3 with a fairly weak pawn on a7,
[ He had to play the ugly 15.g5 even though or; 10...d7 11.g4! when castling loses
Black gets the h5 square for the knight and t h e e x c h a n g e : 0-0 12.h6 ) 11.xd3
can prepare h7-h6. Still, it would have held ( 11.xc6 xf2! ) 11...xd4 ( 11...0-0
things together. ] 12.xc6 bxc6 13.e3 and the c5 square
15...fxg4 16.c3 h5 17.e3 d8! looks good f or W hite.) 12.xd4 0-0
The queen side-steps the pin and attacks h4. and maybe 13.e3!? aiming for 14.Rh3
White has to do or die as his pawn structure might stir up some trouble. ]
is crumbling. 18.b5 xb5 19.xb5+ f7 10...xc5 11.g5!? b4!? An annoying
20.d4 Not move for White. Black has to play precisely
[ 20.xc5 d4 21.a3 b6 ] as White gets a winning attack upon
20...xh4! Lputian allows the capture on c5 [ 11...h6 12.h5 0-0 13.h7 e8
as he judges that the undeveloped state of 14.xh6! ]
W hite's queen's rook and bishop and his 12.f3
exposed king will give Black the initiative. [ White is deprived of the Qh5 move of the
21.xc5 xc5 22.xc5 hc8 23.d4 xc2 previous note after 12.d2 xd2 13.xd2
24.d3 c6 25.f1 h3 26.g5 g7! h6 ]
27.g3 f5 28.f4 h6 29.xf5 gxf5 [ Similarly the white queen is blocked in after
30.xh6 Here the game score ends with the 12.e2 while even worse is ]
terse '0-1'. Perhaps White lost on time, but in [ 12.f1? xe5 ]
any case he was in a bad way for example 12...e7?!
play could go h8 31.g5 c2 32.a4 [ The key test of W hite's play is 12...f6!?
h1+! 33.f1 e4+ 34.xe4 fxe4 f o r e xa m p l e 13.h5+ ( Instead 13.exf6
wh e n B l a c k i n t e n d s R h 1 o r R xb 2 wit h a xf6 looks good for Black- don't forget that
dominating position. e1 is hanging!) 13...g6 14.xg6+ d7
0-1 15.f7 ( or 15.xe6? hxg6! )

294
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
A) T h e b e s t c a p t u r e , a s i f 15...xe1
16.xe6 e7? ( eve n a f te r 16...a5!
17.exf6 the black king is in deep trouble.)
17.exf6 xf6 18.xd5+ e7 19.g5
and the black queen goes.;
B) 15...fxg5 16.xg5 b6 17.xe6+
c7 18.f7+ b8 19.xc8 xe1 20.e6
trying to keep his forward momentum. a6
( not 20...xc8 21.f4+ c7?! 22.f8+
and mates ) 21.d7 b4 22.e7 xe7
23.xe7 Qxe7 a7 and White's attack
has run out of steam. ]
13.e2 h6 14.h7 A precarious position for
the knight. On the other hand, there is the
strong threat of 15. Qg3, when in order to
save the g7 pawn Black has to play 15...g6,
when the f6 square becomes a strong base for
the white knight. h4! An alert response.
[ Black's position is unpleasant after 14...d7
15.g3 0-0-0 16.xg7 dg8 17.f6 ]
15.f4 f8 16.g3 e7 17.g4 b4
18.b5+?
[ White has a small but definite edge after
18.xf8 xf8 19.xd4 ]
18...d7 19.f6+ gxf6 20.exf6 xf6?
[ Missing the chance for 20...h5! clearing h6
for the black queen 21.h3 ( the endgame
is very bad for W hite after 21.fxe7 hxg4
22.exf8+ xf8 ) 21...xf6 22.e5 h6
23.xd7+ xd7 24.xh8 xh8 and Black
is winning. ]
[ One thing to avoid, however, is 20...c5?
21.xe6+ fxe6 22.xe6+ e7 23.xd7+
f8 24.fxe7+ and this time it is White who
wins. ]
21.e5 g5 22.xd7+ xd7 23.xg5
hxg5 24.xh8 c8 25.c3 dxc3 26.xc3
c6 Black's strong centre and extra pawn
give him enough for the exchange. 27.d1
c5 28.g3 b5 29.g2 d4 30.f4 gxf4
31.gxf4 f6 32.e1 d6 33.h4 f8
34.de1 d8 35.g3 d5 36.h4 d6
37.h5?
[ Safer was 37.f3!? ]
37...h8 38.h4 e7 39.h1 xh5
A f t e r s u c h a h e a vy f igh t t h e p la ye rs a re
entitled to call it a draw, but in fact Black
suddenly has the better chances: for example
[ 39...xh5 40.xf6 xh1 41.xe7 h8 ]
½-½
339 C03
Kaplan,Sasha 2428
Bartel,Mateusz 2588
IX EICC Plovdiv BUL (8) 29.04.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7
[ Compare the game with the Tarrasch 3...c5
line which runs 3...c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.gf3
c6 6.b5 d6 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0 ge7
9.b3 b6 ( 9...d6!? 10.e1 0-0
11.g5 ) 10.e1 followed by 11 Be3 gives
White a slight but enduring edge after the
exchange of dark squared bishops. ]
4.d3 c6!?
[ An interesting alternative to the much
analysed 4...c5 ]
5.gf3
[ More testing seems to be 5.c3!? dxe4
6.xe4! f6 7.f3 d5 when earlier I said
'planning ...e6-e5 looks comfortable for
Black.' But 8.c4 maintains White's edge. ]
5...b4 6.e2 c5 7.c3
[ Black was comfortable after 7.exd5 xd5
in Kotronias-Lputian, as given in the
archives. ]
7...c6 8.exd5
[ If 8.e5 Black might try f6!? ( or 8...cxd4
9.cxd4 h6!? )]
8...exd5 9.dxc5 xc5 10.b3 b6 11.0-0
f6 Let's pause and compare the position
with the Tarrasch 3...c5 line given at move
three above. We see that here Black has got
in Nf6 rather than Nge7, so his knight is a bit
more active but the crucial difference is that
White's bishop is on e2 rather than b5, so that
the plan of Re1 and Be3, to exchange off
dark squared bishops, is obstructed. We can't
claim Black has any objective advantage, but
he is able to keep dynamic tension in the
position, which is useful when you have an
IQP. 12.g5 e6 13.fd4 0-0 14.e1 h6
15.e3
[ Black is very active after 15.h4 g5
16.g3 e4 ]
15...d7?!
[ Bartel wastes time with his queen. The
immediate 15...c7! is OK for Black. ]
16.d3 c7 17.d2 e4 18.c2 fe8
19.ad1 c8 Avoiding a possible discovered
attack after 20.Bxe4. 20.xe6?!
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ White should consolidate a small

position ) 7.gf3 cxd4 8.cxd4 ( 8.c4
advantage with 20.f3 f6 21.xe6 xe6 h5 ) 8...c6 , etc.;
22.f2 d6 23.g3 ] B) 6.gf3 cxd4 ( or 6...c6 ) 7.cxd4
20...xe6 21.g3? Getting into hot water. The dxe4 8.xe4 b4+ ( or 8...c6 9.0-0
knight had to be evicted from e4 with e7; 8...xe4 9.xe4 b4+ 10.d2
[ 21.f3 ] xd2+ 11.xd2 t r a n s p o s e s) 9.d2
21...h3! Now the black queen's awkward xd2+ 10.xd2 xe4 11.xe4 d7
wanderings come to an end as she leads the 12.0-0 f6 13.c2 0-0 14.e5 b6
attack from the front. 22.f1 f5 23.d3 is given in my book as equal.;
[ Unfortunately for White if 23.g2 xg3! ] C) 6.e5 fd7 is the main line of the 3...h6
23...e5 24.d4 h5 25.e2 g6 26.g2 variation. ]
f6 27.f3 d6 28.f2 b6 29.b1 e7 5...xc5
30.f4 Inviting the black knight back into e4, but[ 5...f6 is another legitimate move order. ]
he had to do something about Black's build 6.exd5 exd5 7.gf3 f6 8.b3 e7
up along the e-file. e4 31.g1 c6 32.f3 [ Black may have dismissed the more active
ae8 33.b3 xg1 34.xg1 g5!
8...d6 becau se o f 9.e2+ , but then the
With all his pieces on optimum squares, Black queen on e2 is arguably misplaced, so he
uses his pawns to batter down the door on doesn't really lose time by e7 , e.g., 10.0-0
the kingside. 35.xe4 0-0 11.e3 ( 11.c3 e8 12.c2 d6
[ If 35.xd5 d2! 36.xe7 xf3+ 37.f2 with plenty of activity following ...Nc6, a
xe7 38.xf3 e2# ] move by the bishop on c8, and ...Rc8 (for
35...dxe4 The IQP becomes a strong passed example) ) 11...e8 12.h3 (versus ...Bg4)
pawn. 36.fxg5 hxg5 37.e3 e5 38.d4 c6 13.ad1 d6 14.d2 ( 14.c3 f4 )
f3+ 39.g2 h6 40.h1 14...e4 ( 14...d7 ) 15.xe4 dxe4
[ Hopeless is 40.xf3 exf3+ 41.xf3 e2+ 16.xd6 xd6 17.xd6 exf3= ]
42.f2 xf2+ 43.xf2 xh2+ 44.f1 9.0-0 c6 10.e1 0-0 11.fd4 d6
e2 ] Anyway. 12.f5 xf5!? Ceding the bishops
40...xd4 41.cxd4 f5! It's instructive how for activity.
Bartel has used his 3-2 advantage of pawns [ 12...e5 ]
o n t h e k i n g s id e t o c r e a t e a s e c o n d a n d
[ and 12...c7 were good alternatives. ]
decisive wa ve of the att ack. 42.h4 13.xf5 c7 14.h3?!
f4
43.hxg5 xg5 44.c3 f3+ 45.f1 e3 [ 14.g3 is solider, weakening the light
Black doesn't have any material advantage, squares, but they can't be pressured when
b u t I g u e s s I d o n ' t h a ve t o e x p l a i n t h i s
W hite has his light-squared bishop and
resignation. Black's is gone. Af ter h3, a bishop and
0-1 qu e e n b a t t e ry a lo n g h 2 -b 8 is a lwa ys a
possibility to be watched. ]
14...fe8 15.d2
340 C03 [ 15.e3 h2+ 16.h1 f4 also favours
Khamrakulov,Dzhurabek 2485 Black with his more active pieces. ]
Duong The Anh 2420 15...xe1+ 16.xe1 h2+
7th Malaysia Open (3) 02.09.2010 [ 16...e8 17.c3 e7! ]
[John Watson] 17.h1 e5 18.c3 d8
[ 18...e8 has the idea 19.c1?! ( 19.c2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.d3 c5 d6 20.d1 e7 21.g3 h5! ) 19...f4
The standard response to Bd3 in many 20.c2?? e5 ]
French variations, because the bishop on d3 19.c1 f4 20.c2 b6
is poorly placed in an isolated pawn position. [ 20...e7 21.e2 e4!? ]
5.dxc5 21.g3 d6 22.f4?
[ 5.c3 f6 [ 22.e2 is safe enough. ]
A) 6.exd5 xd5 ( 6...exd5 is a normal 22...a6! hitting f1 and a2. 23.f2 xa2

296
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

24.d4 a5?! play Ngf3, Bd3, c2-c3 etc. ]

[ 24...e4 and ] 9.f3 Only now does White develop the king's
[ 24...g6 25.d3 e4 maintain a nice knight as he now has g5 defended three ways
edge. ] so that after 9...h4 10. Qf4 the queen can
25.xc6 bxc6 26.d4 stand her ground. a5 10.c3 a4 11.bd4
[ 26.b4! b5 27.d3 ] xc5 12.d3 b6 13.0-0! It is almost
26...e4 27.b4 a6 always the case when playing a top level
[ Black can keep a substantial advantage opponent that the path to a smooth positional
with 27...a4! , e.g. 28.g2 c5! 29.bxc5 win depends at some point on being ready to
xc5 30.xc5 xc5 ] switch to a sharp tactical battle. Here White's
28.xe4 dxe4 29.e2? b u i l d u p wo u l d h a v e f a i l e d i f h e wa s n ' t
[ 29.g2 ] prepared to offer the pawn on d4. d7
29...e8? [ With this move Black admits his opening
[ 29...xb4! wit h the ide a 30.cxb4 xd4 strategy has been defective as he has failed
31.xd4 xe2 ] to overcome White's control of the vital d4
30.g2 c5!? square. 13...xd4 14.cxd4 xd4 15.xd4
[ 30...c4! ] ( 15.h4!? ) 15...xd4 16.e3 g4
31.bxc5 17.c5+ g8 18.e3 and having avoided
[ 31.xc5?! xc5 32.bxc5 c4 ] the exchange of queens W hite has a
[ 31.bxc5 f8 32.e3 c6 and Black can strong initiative for the pawn: he can build
play to win. ] up along the c file and kick the black queen
½-½ with h2-h3 when appropriate. ]
14.e3 xd4 15.cxd4 e7 Black is
struggling because he cannot activate his
341 C03 king's rook as it is shut in by his own king.
Kobalia,Mihail 2639 There is also the problem of the passive
Ivanov 2557 knight which can only be brought into the
TCh Togliatti RUS (9) 24.05.2003 game via f5. Kobalia exploits this to leave
[Neil McDonald] Black with the classic bad bishop versus good
knight. 16.g5! xg5 17.xg5 f5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5 18.xf5 exf5 19.ac1 d8 20.f4 h6
5.g4 f8 6.dxc5 c6 7.g3! 21.c5 a5 22.fc1 c6 23.d2 axc5
as recommended by Adams. White retreats 24.xc5 c7 25.b4 e8 26.h4!
his queen immediately before committing This fixes the black kingside on light squares.
himself to Ngf3. h5 It is precisely this kingside b6 27.c3 c4 28.xc4 xc4
demonstration that W hite's last move was [ If 28...dxc4 29.d5 is horrible for Black, but
meant to neutralise. Radjabov has played now the dreaded bad bishop versus good
[ 7...f6 here-as given on ChessPub in the knight endgame appears. ]
notes to Pokorna-Matveeva. Of course this 29.xc4 dxc4 30.d2 b5 31.a3
is highly double edged but at least it avoids White is winning as he has much the superior
the type of slow death that Black suffers in minor piece and pawn structure- already there
the present game. ] is a passed pawn on d4. f4 32.e4 e7
[ For some reason the top players aren't 33.f3 c6 34.c3 e6 35.f2 f6
interested in the simple 7...xc5 Perhaps it This allows an immediate breakthrough but if
is regarded as rather passive after 8.b3 Black just waited then White could manoeuvre
e7 9.f3 ] his king to b4 via c3 and win easily. 36.d5+!
8.b3! White avoids having his queen kicked xd5 37.exf6 gxf6 38.xb5 e5 39.c3
about after c6 40.e2 d7 41.d2 e8 42.e2
[ 8.gf3 h4 9.f4 g5 etc. ] g6 43.c3 e8 44.e4 d4 Or else 45.
8...h6 Kc3 etc. would win easily. Black makes a
[ If now 8...h4 9.e3 when White is ready to spirited attempt to trap the knight but it finally

297
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

wriggles out. 45.xf6 g6 46.d7 e8 Radjabov's idea 8...fd7 9.exd5 xc5!
47.f8 f7 48.h7 g6 49.f6 e5 , when 10.c2 exd5 11.0-0 b6 12.e1
50.d7+ d4 51.f6 e5 52.d7+ d4 c6 intending ...Ba6 is one possibility.;
53.b6 e8 54.a8! f7 55.c7 C) 8...c6!? 9.0-0 xc5 ( 9...d7
Now Black is in zugzwang. c3+ 56.bxc3+ is another standard idea which may grant
c5 57.c2 b6 58.a8+ c5 59.d2 White some edge following 10.c2 xc5
c4 60.b6+ b3 61.d3 xa3 62.e4 11.exd5 exd5 12.b3 e8 13.e1
b3 63.xa4! The black king will prove too g4!? 14.h3 h a s t h e i d e a h5?
far away to stop White's kingside pawns. This 15.xh7+! xh7 16.g5+ xg5
is an excellent technical display by Kobalia. 17.xh5+ h6 18.xh6 ) 10.e5 d7
xa4 64.xf4 b3 65.g4 xc3 66.e5 11.b3 e7 ( 11...b6?! 12.xh7+
c4 67.g5 c5 68.f4 c6 69.f5 d7 xh7 13.g5+ g6 14.d3+ f5
70.f6 e8 71.g7 c4 72.g6 15.xe6 e8 16.xf8+ xf8 17.e1
1-0 isn't fully clear, but W hite at least has
the practical chances) 12.f4 ( 12.a4!? )
12...a4 13.bd4 c5 14.c2 d7
342 C03 15.fe1 ( 15.b4! axb3 16.axb3
Kochetkova,Julia 2311 preserves a modest but promising
Bajarani,Ulvi 2393 advantage ) 15...a6!? ( 15...c7 )
Aeroflot Open B (8) 15.02.2011 16.d2?! ( 16.b4! axb3 17.axb3 )
[John Watson] 16...f5!? ( 16...b6 ) 17.exf6 xf6
18.e3 e7 ( 18...e5!? 19.b5 e7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 20.ad1 ) 19.f4 ( 19.xc6 xc6 20.d4 )
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 0-0 This move now 19...c8?! ( 19...e5 20.xc6 xc6
seems more popular than 21.fxe5 xe5 22.ad1 ) 20.a3 ( 20.f2! )
[ 6...c6 7.gf3 b4!? ( or 7...a5 )] 20...d7 21.f2 a5 22.2f3 xd4?
7.gf3 a5 Black's idea is ...Na6-Nxc5 in the 23.cxd4 b3 24.d3 g6 25.xb3 axb3
meantime, he expands on the queenside and 26.e3 a6 27.xb3 and White went on
can meet Nb3 with ...a4. 8.0-0 to win. ]
[ W h i t e p l a y e d t h e f l e x i b l e m o v e 8.c3 8...a6 9.e5 d7 10.c4!? This is a critical
in Alonso Moyano, J (2391)-Baron Isanta, J po sitio n. T his m on t h's ga m e Ra du lsk i, J
(2363), Barcelona 2011. This deserves a (2590)-Vernay, C (2446), Cappelle la Grande
closer look: The game continued FRA 2011 saw
A) a) Now if Black continues normally with [ 10.b5 c7 ( 10...dxc5 11.b3 d7 )
8...a6 , White's main independent idea 11.xd7 xd7 12.d4 a6! 13.c4 xc5
would be to get b4 in, e.g., 9.e5 d7 14.2f3 dxc4 15.xc4 c8 with two
10.xa6!? ( 10.0-0 axc5 11.c2 c7 bishops and excellent play ]
looks about equal) 10...xa6 ( 10...bxa6 [ 10.c3 axc5 11.c2 is seen in a number
11.b4 axb4 12.cxb4 , and Black can play of games in the Archives Black achieves
12...Qc7 or go all out with a5!? 13.c6 equal chances. ]
axb4 14.cxd7 a6 15.e3 xd7 [ 10.d4 dxc5 11.f4 is Baklan-Cvek in
16.d4 fc8 , when White's king is stuck the Archives. I suggest b6 ( or 11...d7 )
in the centre, but he has an extra piece 12.2f3 d7 with satisfactory play. ]
to compensate for the attack) 11.b4 c7 10...axc5
12.b2 axb4 13.cxb4 b6! 14.cxb6 [ 10...dxc5 has the idea of freeing the c8
( 14.c6 xc6 15.b5 c2 16.bxa6 xb2 b i s h o p , f o r e x a m p l e , 11.b1 b6!?
17.0-0 a3! ) 14...xb6 - with the idea ... ( possibly better is 11...b4 with the idea
Ba6 - 15.b5 c5 16.a4 a6! 12.a3?! c6 ) 12.cxd5 exd5 13.d4
, recovering the a-pawn in view of b4!? 14.d1 a6 15.e3 c7 16.2f3
17.bxa6? xa6; , and White's grip on d4 and e5 should give
B) In Play the French 3, I include him a small edge, although Black certainly

298
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
has play following fe8 ]
11.c2 f6!?
[ 11...b6 12.d4 b7 is an option. ]
12.cxd5 exd5 13.b3 fxe5 14.xe5
[ The game looks level after 14.xc5 xc5
( 14...xc5 15.xe5 f5 16.e3 ) 15.g5
( 15.xe5 e8 16.d3 xe5 17.xh7+
f7 18.g6+ g8= ) 15...c7 16.d3
f6 17.xf6 gxf6 18.xd5+ h8 ]
14...xe5 15.xe5 a6!?
[ 15...e6!? ]
16.xc5 xc5 17.g5 d6 18.xd6 xd6
19.ad1 Only White can stand better here, but
it would be surprising if he could achieve
anything significant. The game ended in a
draw: e6 20.e3 a4 21.h3 f7 22.d3
aa8 23.e2 a3 24.bxa3 xa3 25.f3 a5
[ 25...d8! ]
26.b1
[ 26.d3! keeps some edge. ]
26...b5 27.b6 xa2 28.xb5 b8 29.bb1
h6 30.d4
½-½
343 C03
Konnyu,Janos 2401
Hoang Thanh Trang 2501
FSGM August Budapest HUN (9) 15.08.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.c4 This move has been popping
up relatively frequently when good players
essay upon 3...h6. It tries to take advantage
of the fact that ...h6 doesn't attend to the
centre, and in the right position might
encourage a White attack along b1-h7. The
drawback is that White can no longer shore up
his centre with c3, and Black immediately tries
to exploit this: c5!? At least two other moves
deserve consideration:
[ a) 6...e7 asks White what he's up to if
Black develops before playing ... c5. The
answer is usually to exchange on d5 and
aim at the kingside: 7.cxd5 exd5
A) 8.b3 f8!? ( 8...c6 9.d3 0-0
10.a3; 8...b6 9.d3 c6 10.0-0 a5 )
9.d3 ( 9.e2 e6 10.0-0 0-0 with ..c5 )
9...e6 10.0-0 c5 with equality;
B) 8.d3 0-0 ( Also possible is 8...c5
9.e6 fxe6 10.g6+ f8 11.dxc5 c6
, when W hite probably has enough
compensation in the positions of Black's
king and king's rook but Black has an extra
pawn and good centre, so who knows? )
B1) 9.b1 tries to make threats on h7
b e f o r e B l a c k c a n r e o r g a n i z e : c5
( 9...e8 10.c2 f8 looks slow, but
White's pieces are oddly placed and ...
c5 is still a theme: 11.0-0 a5 12.e1
a6 13.a3 c5 ) 10.c2 f5! 11.exf6
( 11.e6 f6 12.xf5 b6! hits e6:
13.dxc5 xc5 14.0-0 xe6 is at least
equal ) 11...xf6 12.dxc5 a6
13.b3 e4 ( 13...xc5 14.xc5
a5+ 15.d2 xc5 16.0-0 ) 14.0-0
g4! ( or 14...axc5 );
B2) 9.0-0? e8 ( Again 9...c5
is possible, but this is safer.) 10.e1 c5
11.f5!? c6 12.e6 f6 13.exf7+
xf7 14.c2 cxd4 15.b3 g4 16.f4
d6 17.xe8 xe8= Jurkovic, H (2430)-
Bukal, V (2418)/Sibenik 2006. ]
[ b) 6...dxc4 is a bit passive, albeit solid:
A) or 7.xc4 c5 ( 7...b6 8.d3 c5
9.0-0 c6 10.e2! xd4 11.xd4 cxd4
12.b3 -White will round up the d-pawn
and stand somewhat better) 8.dxc5!? c6
9.e4 xc5 10.e2;
B) 7.xc4 b6 8.a3 e7 9.d3 xc4
10.xc4 d7 11.0-0 c6 12.e3
gives White a comfortable position, even if
his advantage is small. ]
7.cxd5 exd5 8.d3
[ 8.b3 is an attempted refutation of the 6...
c5 move order, but Black can play
A) 8...c6 9.xd5 cxd4 ( 9...e7! 10.e6
fxe6 11.xe6 f6 ) 10.b5!;
B) 8...b6 9.e2 c6 10.0-0 c4
( 10...cxd4 ) 11.e3 e7 12.b3 cxb3
13.axb3 f5 with equality. ]
8...c6
[ 8...e7 9.e6 transposes to the note on 6...
Be7 ]
9.0-0
[ 9.e6!? e7 10.0-0 fxe6 11.g6+ d8
12.dxc5 f6 13.c2 xc5 and White
definitely has some compensation for the
pawn, but how much isn't clear. Maybe
'dynamically equal' is fair. ]
9...e7 10.e6 fxe6 11.g6+ f8 12.e1
299
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

g8 13.dxc5 f8!? the 'natural' Tarrasch piece deployment.

[ 13...xc5 is also complex. ] ½-½
14.c2 xc5
[ 14...f6 15.b3 e5 ]
15.b3 d6 16.e3 f6 17.c5 xc5 345 C03
18.xc5 xb2 19.b1 f6 20.xb7?? Kosteniuk,Alexandra 2510
Quite a blunder for a 2400 so early in the Nepomniachtchi,Ian 2602
game. 15th Ordix Open rapid (7) 03.08.2008
[ 20.a4 a5!? 21.e5 b6 22.cd3 a6 [Neil McDonald]
is a possible continuation, roughly equal. ]
20...e7 The knight is trapped. 21.a4 xb7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
22.b3 d8 5.gf3
0-1 [ A more typical move order is 5.dxc5 f6
6.gf3 assuming White insists on avoiding
the normal ( 6.e2 )]
344 C03 5...f6 6.dxc5 c6?! This might be an
Kortschnoj,Viktor 2659 imprecise move.
Short,Nigel D 2683 [ Besides the simplifying 6...dxe4 Black can
Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (5) 20.01.2000 also try ]
[Neil McDonald] [ 6...0-0 -see the game Burg-Rodshtein in
the archives for details of both moves. ]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5 5.c3 7.0-0 b4 A plan that is common in the
cxd4 6.cxd4 c6 7.df3 b4+! Tarrasch 4.Bd3 mainline- Black plays Nb4 and
Only in this way can Black disrupt W hite's Nxd3, eliminating White's strong bishop. Here,
ga m e a n d s o p r e ve n t h im a ch ie vi n g t h e however, the fact that White hasn't committed
natural deployment of his pieces with Bd3, herself to Qe2 might prove of great benefit.
N e 2 a n d 0 - 0 . 8.d2 a5 Also worth 8.b5+ This check is an option unavailable for
considering was White with the moves Qe2 [for White] and 0-0
[ 8...b6 a s t h e n a t u r a l 9.d3? [for Black] already thrown in. d7 9.xd7+
can be answered by xd4 which for once xd7 10.e5?!
doesn't lose a piece! After 10.xd4 xd4 [ White should play 10.a3 c6 11.exd5
11.a4+ d7 12.xb4 xd3 13.xb7 xd5 ( Or 11...xd5 12.e4 with a nice
c8 Black has a big advantage. However, advantage to W hite.) 12.b4 and I think
White can play 9 Bxb4 Qxb4+ 10 Qd2 which Black is in trouble here as it's not at all
might promise him a tiny advantage in a easy to get the pawn back. ]
sterile position. ] 10...e4! In contrast to the note above,
9.e2 Nepomniachtchi is now able to extract
[ Or 9.d3 f6!? with interesting play. ] maximum advantage from White's avoidance
9...xd2+ 10.xd2 xd2+ 11.xd2 f6 of Qe2. 11.xe4 dxe4 12.xd7+ xd7
This seems to equalise. 12.exf6 gxf6 13.f4 13.d1+ e8 14.d4 xc5 15.e3 xd4
ge7 14.e1 f7 15.d3 d7 16.g4 16.xd4 xc2 17.ac1 b4 18.c4 d5
xd4 Black dissolves the centre before White 19.b3 d7 20.b2 hc8 21.d2 c6
can undermine the e5 square with 17 g5. 22.xe4 Kosteniuk has regained her pawn,
17.xd4 e5 18.xd5 Here a draw was but Black has a substantial positional
agreed. After xd5 19.c4 e6 20.xe6 advantage due to his control of the c-file,
xe6 21.f4! d6! 22.fxe5+ fxe5 23.hf1 vastly superior minor piece and more active
hf8 or 23...Nf4 Black holds the draw king. The beautifully centralised knight is in
comfortably. This wasn't very exciting but it's fact the key to all three advantages- by sitting
good to see it confirmed in a top GM game immovably on d5 it stops the white rooks
that White cannot refute 3...Be7 by adopting compensating for Black's pressure along the d-
file by doing something similar along the d-file.

300
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

And Black's king depends on the shelter of and a safer king for two minor pieces and
the knight, or else we might he describing him can be pleased to have avoided the
as 'a target' rather than 'actively placed'. ac8 exchange of queens. Though I must admit I
23.f1 a6 24.a3 b6 25.d3 e8! still pref er Black- but if I was playing a
A very clever idea- the black king is heading tournament game rather than sitting here
for f5, where it will add to the pressure on the consulting computer programs I might feel
white position. 26.g3 h6! making way for the less optimistic about his chances! ]
king. 27.e1 f8 28.d1 bc6 29.h4 h5 [ The key positional line is 11.b4 d4
30.dd4 b5 31.d2 g8 32.ed4 h7 ( White has a serious edge after 11...d4
33.4d3 g6 34.d4 f5 35.4d3 a6 12.d1 b6 13.b2! ) 12.xh7+ xh7
36.f3+ g6 37.fd3 a5 38.d4 f5 13.d3+ g8 14.xd4 ( After 14.g5
39.4d3 b4 40.axb4 axb4 41.f3+ g6 g o o d e n o u g h i s e8 ) 14...dxe5!?
42.fd3 8c7 43.d4 f5 44.4d3 g4 ( I think Black might be very slightly worse
45.e2 f5 46.d1 c5 47.f3+ g6 after 14...xd4 15.xd4 xe5 16.xe5
48.d4 a5 49.g4? White finally cracks xe5 17.b2 though in fact this may be the
under the relentless pressure. most reliable way to neutralise W hite's
[ A stubborn defence was still possible with pressure. ) 15.c3 g6 16.f4 ( better than
49.e2 when if c2+ 50.d2 etc. ] 16.b2 e5 or; 16.b5 a5! ) 16...b6
49...a2 50.gxh5+ xh5 51.c1? 17.2f3 xd4 18.xd4 d7
The only hope was with a balanced position. ]
[ 51.d2 ] 11...b6 12.e1
51...c3+ 52.e1 e2 [ The Greek Gift has fallen short again after
0-1 12.xh7+ xh7 13.g5+ g6 14.d3+
( Or 14.g4 cxe5 15.g3 f6 16.h7+
e7 17.xg7 e8 18.d2 a5 ) 14...f5
346 C03 15.g3 xe5 16.f4 e2! 17.xe6+ g4
Kotronias,Vasilios 2587 18.xf8+ xf8 19.ad1 xg3 20.xg3
Banikas,Hristos 2572 e6 and with queens exchanged I think
58th ch Rhodes GRE (7) 06.12.2008 Black can claim a safe and definite
[Neil McDonald] advantage. ]
12...f6! 13.exf6 xf6 14.e3 e5!
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 Having broken free of the bind that White has
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 xc5 8.0-0 t r i e d t o i m p o s e in t h e c e n t r e , i t i s n ' t a n
c7 9.a3 0-0! Fearless and best. exaggeration to say that Black is close to
[ Kotronias won in good style after 9...d7? winning, not merely 'better'. The white minor
10.e5! versus Barsov as given in the pieces are bunched in the centre with the
archives. ] horrid threat of 15...e4 looming. And there is
10.e5 d7!? also Bg4 to be reckoned with, which will add
[ Perhaps this retreat is what confused t o W h i t e 's wo e s a lo n g t h e f -f ile . 15.xb6
Kotronias, who might have focused his pre xb6 16.b5
game attention on the intricate line [ White loses material after 16.xe5 e8 ]
10...g4!? 11.b4 e7 12.b2 f6 13.exf6 16...e4 17.fd2 g4
xf6 14.xf6 gxf6 15.h3 as played in [ Another way to play is 17...g4!? 18.f1
Galdunts-Kritz, Griesheim 2003. ] d4 19.xd4 xd4 20.b3 xb2
11.b3 etc. but Banikas prefers to target the white
[ There us no knock out blow for White after king. ]
11.xh7+ but he gets a fair amount of 18.f1 ce5
activity e.g. xh7 12.g5+ g6 13.d3+ [ A violent solution was possible with
( if 13.g4 cxe5 14.g3 f6 ) 13...f5 18...xf2!
14.xe6 xe5 15.xf8+ xf8 16.f3 A) Or 19.xf2 g4 20.e1 ( if 20.xg4
e4 17.c3 White has a rook and pawn xf2! ) 20...xf2 21.xf2 e3 etc.;

301
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

B) 19.xc6 bxc6 20.xf2 a6 21.e1 wins the knight. ]

f6! intending 22..Raf8 when f2 will fall. ] 16.ac1 b8 17.h3 h6 18.d4
19.h3 h6 White has clearly won the opening battle as
[ The knight doesn't have to retreat, as the knight on h6 remains shut out of the game.
19...a6 20.a4 c7! is crushing: 21.hxg4 Kotronias now plays brilliant positional chess
xg4 22.g3 b5 and so on. ] to exploit this factor to the full. c8 19.h5!
20.c4 a6 21.a4 f3+!? 22.xf3 d7 20.g5 xd4 21.xd4 b5
[ There's no joy for White in 22.gxf3 xh3 It seems Black is about to carry out a
23.h1 g6 24.g1 h5 25.g2 xg2+ successful rescue mission of the knight after
26.xg2 f5 etc. ] Bxd3 and Nf5. He doesn't mind giving up the
22...exf3 23.d3 dxc4 24.xc4+ h8 g7 pawn as he will get counterplay on the
25.c5 f6 26.d2 xh3! 27.e4 h4 li gh t sq u a re s a n d d o wn t h e g f il e . 22.g4!
0-1 However, Kotronias ruins Black's plan and
leaves the knight hopelessly stranded on h6.
b6 23.fe1 xd3 24.cxd3 hg8 25.xc8+
347 C03 xc8 26.a4! White plays in classical style- for
Kotronias,Vasilios 2528 all purposes he will have an extra piece if he
Barsov,Alexei 2495 starts an attack as far as possible from the
3rd Open Patras GRE (5) 22.07.2001 black knight. b7 27.b5 d8 28.e3 d7
[Neil McDonald] 29.b1 a8 30.a5 bxa5 31.d2 d8
32.a1 g8 33.xa5 e7 34.c3 c7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 35.a3 c8 The knight has made it back but
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 xc5 8.0-0 m e a n w h i l e t h e q u e e n s i d e h a s g r o w n
c7 9.a3 indefensible. 36.a6 c2 37.g2 b1
[ You can find a discussion of 9.c3 0-0 38.b6 h5 39.g5 Black hasn't got even a whiff
10.e5 including Greek Gift ideas, in the July o f co u n t e rp la y a ga in st W h i t e 's k in g a n d
2001 Update. ] meanwhile his own king is about to be
9...d7? butchered after 40 bxa7. A very instructive
[ Black should boldly castle: 9...0-0 e.g. game.
10.b4 ( The Greek Gift now fails after 10.e5 1-0
d7! 11.xh7+ xh7 12.g5+ g6
for example 13.df3 dxe5 14.h4+ f6
and here when I showed this line to some 348 C03
chess players someone quipped 'it's a pity Kotronias,Vasilios 2539
the black bishop isn't still on e7 as then 15 Lputian,Smbat G 2605
Nh7 would be a pretty mate!') 10...d4! zt 1.5 Yerevan ARM (7) 13.06.2000
11.xd4 xd4 12.b1 d7 13.c4 ac8 [Neil McDonald]
14.b2 xb2 15.xb2 f4! with equal
chances in Howell-Hausner, Pardubice 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c6!?
1994. ] An interesting alternative to the usual
[ Alternatively 9...a6 10.b4 d4 11.xd4 [ 4...c5 which has been analysed in various
xd4 12.a2 draw agreed was Jaracz- games on this webpage. ]
Socko, Plock 2000. The good thing about 5.gf3
both 9...0-0 and 9...a6 is that Black has kept [ If 5.c3 dxe4 6.xe4 f6 7.f3 d5!?
the d7 square available for the knight if it is planning ...e6-e5 looks comf ortable f or
attacked with e4-e5. ] Black. ]
10.e5! g4 11.b4 Clearing the way for Bb2 5...b4 6.e2 c5!? A new idea. It seems
to defend e5 and so consolidate his grip on more accurate than conceding the centre with
t h e c e n t r e . d4 12.d1! b6 13.b2 [ 6...dxe4 when 7.xe4 f6 8.xf6+ xf6
xf3+ 14.xf3 a4 15.e2 0-0-0 9.c3 d5 10.0-0 ( 10.c2 b6 11.b5+
[ Now if 15...0-0 16.xh7+ xh7 17.g5+ d7 12.d3 c6 13.0-0 was a bit better

302
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
for W hite in Ye Jiangchuan-Myo Naing,
GM Scheveningen 1999.) 10...0-0 11.d3
b6 12.c2 g6 13.e1 b7 14.h6 g7
15.xg7 xg7 16.e4! c8 17.xd5
xd5 18.e5 f6 19.d3 d7 20.e3
ae8 21.ae1 gave White a very pleasant
position in Adams-Seirawan, Match
Bermuda 2000. ]
7.exd5 This doesn't promise White much
advantage.
[ Critical was 7.c3 but Black seems to have
adequate chances after say c6 8.e5
( 8.exd5 xd5!? ) 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 h6 ( or
9...b6!? )]
7...xd5 8.b3 cxd4 9.0-0 gf6
10.bxd4 0-0 11.c4 b4 12.b3 c7
13.b5 Many games- such as those arising
from the Meran Variation of the Slav- have
demonstrated that the pawn structure here is
fine for Black. Indeed, later in this game his
extra pawn on the kingside will prove more
valuable than W hite's queenside pawn
majority. Therefore, if White wants to claim a
plus it can only be through exploiting his lead
in development- namely the undeveloped
state of Black's queen's bishop. He must act
quickly and give Black no time to mobilise his
queenside. b8 14.b2 c6 15.bd4 d7
16.xc6 xc6 17.e5 Black has freed his
bishop, but his queen is somewhat awkwardly
placed. If W hite had wanted to force dull
equality then
[ 17.e5 e4 18.f3 d8 ( or 18...d6
19.xe4 xe4 20.d4 ) 19.e2
et c . wo u ld h a ve b e en t h e wa y t o d o it .
Kotronias prefers to play for attack but
only succeeds in revealing the dynamic
potential of Black's set up. ]
17...c8 18.c2 e4 19.b2 b6 20.g5
b7 21.c2 g6 22.ad1?!
[ 22.f3 would keep the balance. ]
22...d7! Now the tide suddenly turns against
White. His pieces are pushed backwards in
disarray. 23.f4 e5 24.c1 c5 25.f4?
White persists in playing aggressively, but this
only leads to disaster. c6! 26.d5 c7!
27.xe5 d6 28.b2 xe5 29.fxe5 e7
30.h4 e6 Now White's attack has been
stymied and Lputian can gradually exploit his
material advantage. 31.c1 ad8 32.g4
xg5 33.hxg5 d3 34.f4 c8 35.e2
dd8 36.h2 f5 37.f3 e6 38.g3 d3
39.h2 fd8 40.f2 c5 41.e4 d1
42.c2 1d7 43.a4 a6 44.e4 b4
45.e3 d1 46.c2 e1 47.xe1 xe1
48.g3 f5 49.xf5 gxf5 50.f4 dd1
51.xf5 f1 52.xf1 xf1+ 53.e4 b1
54.a3 xb3 55.d6 a5 56.d5 g7
57.c5 bxc5 58.xc5 g6 59.e4 b2
0-1
349 C03
Kotronias,Vasilios 2572
Nepomniachtchi,Ian 2587
Aeroflot Open (8) 21.02.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 b4
8.b3 xd3+ 9.cxd3 a5 10.g5 a4
11.bd2 h6 12.xf6 xf6 13.exd5
[ We have al ready looked at several of
Morozevich's games in this variation as
Black with 13.e5 ]
13...xd5
[ And here with the help of IM Thomas
Rendle, chesspublishing.com has tried to
make 13...a3!? work for Black- see the
game D.Adams-Rendle in the archives. ]
14.e4 d7! A very important novelty from
Nepomniachtchi. His Greek Grandmaster
opponent had previously faced theobvious
[ 14...e7 which stops both 15.Nxf6+ and a
kn igh t ch e ck o n d 6 . T h e n 15.d4 0-0
16.c3 d8 17.0-0 a5 18.e5
gave Black no where near enough for the
pawn in K ot ron ias-O ste nst ad , G aus da l
2002. ]
15.0-0
[ After 15.xf6+ gxf6 Black has kept the
white knight out of e5 [compare this with the
Ostenstad extract above] and the white king
has no where safe to castle: castling
queenside drops a2, while if 16.0-0 c6
and Black can build up threats against the
g2 square with 17...Rg8 etc., and maybe
even 0-0-0 if required to bring the rook on
a8 into the attack. ]
15...c6 Contrary to its traditional role in the
French as a problem piece, here Black's light
squared bishop is superbly placed. 16.ac1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ If 16.d6+ e7 ( Or 16...f8 ) 17.d4
Black could try for an attack on the kingside
with his pawns: g5!? 18.b4? ( or 18.h3 h5 )
18...axb3 19.axb3 g4 etc. ]
16...d8
[ Also possible was 16...xa2 17.d6+ f8
18.e5 xe5 19.xe5 d5 but Nepo
prefers to keep the tension in the centre. ]
17.d6+ f8 18.b4 Kotronias decides to
play actively on the queenside, as he was
probably anxious about Black's potential
attack on the kingside if he played passively.
For example
[ After 18.a3 g5!? ( the simple 18...e7
also looks good for Black.) 19.e4 g4!
Black has the initiative e.g. 20.e1 g7
21.xg4?! f5 22.f3 e5 etc. ]
18...axb3 19.axb3 xb3 20.e5 xe5
21.xe5 xd3 Why not? Black grabs a
second hanging pawn. 22.f4? A disastrous
oversight. White forgets about the g2 square.
[ He had to curb Black's bishop with 22.f3
when White's active pieces give him some
compensation for the pawn. ]
22...d2! Suddenly it's all over.
[ The endgame a pawn down is too repulsive
for Kotronias after 22...d2 23.e4 e3+
24.f2 xe5 25.fxe5 e7 ]
0-1
350 C03
Kryvoruchko,Yuriy 2604
Shulman,Yuri 2639
Open Reykjavik ISL (7) 30.03.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
Yuri Shulman is probably one of the most in "Play the French 3" and the line is now
p o p u l a r G M s a m o n g F r e n c h l o ve r s . H i s blooming with Shulman as the role model.
French repertoire comprises 3...Be7 against 8.0-0
the Tarrasch and the Poisoned Pawn against
3.Nc3, probably the most aggressive lines
possible in the French. What is also amazing
is that he hardly plays anything else besides
these variations and does not seem to be
afraid of facing home preparation. Needless to
say, he has an excellent score with 1...e6.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
[ 4...c6!? and ]
[ 4...dxe4?! are alternatives previously
investigated in ChessPub but the text is
undoubtedly the main move. ]
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2! In my opinion, the best
chance for an opening advantage. The slip
[ 6.gf3?! allows dxe4 7.xe4 xe4
8.xe4 xd1+ 9.xd1 xc5 when things
are equal. ]
6...0-0 This might turn out to be the mainline in
this variation in the future.
[ Hannes Langrock recently made a case for
6...c6 7.gf3 b4 in a 4 series articles
on 3...Be7 on ChessBase Magazine which
might resurrect the line's fading popularity.
Here is one of the two games which were
played in the whole (!) of 2009 according to
my database (with light comments): 8.0-0
( 8.b3 was the choice of Tzermiadianos in
"Ho w to b ea t th e Fre nch De f e nc e" . I'm
tempted to do a Tzermiadianos vs Langrock/
W atson here but decided to leave this to
future updates!) 8...xd3 9.cxd3 xc5
10.b3 e7 11.g5 h6 12.xf6!?
In general, White tries to exchange his dark
square bishop for Black's counterpart to
have the standard Knight vs Bad French
Bishop middlegame/endgame. Exchanging
the Bishop for a knight seems to be
positionally misconstrued somewhat. xf6
13.e5 e7 14.ac1 0-0 White can press a
little by doubling rooks but Black's position
is very solid. It's hard to see how either
colour can lose in this position. 15.c2 a5
16.fc1 d7 17.c5 xc5 18.xc5 b6
19.1c3 ac8 was equal although Black
somehow managed to win. 0-1 Gu Xiaobing
(2336)-Le Thanh Tu (2326)/Subic Bay PHI
2009 ]
7.gf3 a5!? Watson recommended this idea
[ 8.a4 Played to prevent any future
harassment of the incoming b3 knight but it
has proven to be harmless in practice. a6
9.e5 d7 10.b3 ( 10.d4?! dxc5
11.xa6 xa6 was already better for Black
according to Moskalenko in Navara-Pelletier,
Plovdiv Ech-tt 2003) 10...dxc5 11.xc5
xc5 Black has already comfortably
equalized and started playing for more.
12.b5 d7 13.0-0 xb5 14.xb5 d7
Black had the better bishop which would
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
give him good squeezing chances in the
endgame. 15.d2 c7 16.fd1 e4
17.e3 fc8 and Black had the initiative in
Ashwin, J (2413)-Gomez, J (2538)/Subic
Bay PHI 2009/0-1 (34) ]
8...a6 9.e5
[ W a t s o n c o v e r e d 9.exd5!? in Play the
French 3 in some detail and concluded that
after exd5 ( 9...xd5 10.c4 xc5 11.a3!
leaves Black's pieces awkwardly placed.)
10.e1 e8 11.b3 xc5 Black has
nothing to worry about. ]
9...d7 10.c3 The main move in this
variation.
[ Challenging the centre with the typical
10.c4!? is always playable.
A) 10...dxc5!? doesn't seem too logical
b u t c o u l d b e p la ya b le a s we ll : 11.b1
b4 ( 11...b6 ) 12.d1 c7 13.a3
c6=;
B) 10...axc5 11.c2 b6 12.b3
B1) 12...b7 is also playable. For
example, 13.b2 f5! 14.d4 b8
15.ad1 ( 15.f4!? ) 15...xe5 16.xe5
xe5 17.xf5 Vachier Lagrave -
Sprenger, Bundesliga 07/08 and here,
Moskalenko suggested f6! with good
p l a y . F o r e x a m p l e , 18.d6 a6 (A r ch i ve s ) dxc5 11.f4 and here, b6
19.fe1 ed3! 20.xd3 xb2 could be an improvement. For e.g. 12.2f3
with a plus for Black. I see no reason to
disagree.;
B2) 12...a6 13.b2 dxc4 14.bxc4 10...axc5
c7 15.fe1 b8 This is a perfectly W e have reached the tabiya of this entire
logical move, getting rid of one of the variation. f6
superfluous Knights and re-routing it to
the c6-square. The problem is that the
semi-closed nature of the position might
give Black a false sense of security and
indee d, af ter t his n oncha lant move ,
White came up with a menacing attack
which ultimately confused Black.
( Black can also try 15...ac8 16.d4
fd8 17.ad1 f8 which is slightly
pa s s ive b u t saf e , a nd c4 rem a in s a
target. ) 16.e4 xe4 The only move.
( 16...c6? 17.f6+! gxf6 18.exf6 14...fxe5!
now, Black must play the computer-like
xf6 to survive. For e.g. 19.xf6 f4
20.e5 xf6 21.xc6 ) 17.xe4 g6
18.d4!? A strong practical choice,
sacrificing the c4 pawn in exchange for a
huge Kingside attack. Objectively, Black
should be able to fend off the attack.
( O f c o u r s e n o t 18.xa8?? b7
19.a7 c6-+; 18.d3 c6 19.e2
re t a in s m a t e ri a l p a rit y b u t W h it e i s
d e f i n i t e l y o n t h e d e f e n s i v e h e r e .)
18...xc4 19.e3 d5 20.f4
White has definite compensation for the
pawn but is it enough? c5 ( 20...c6?
21.b5 d7 22.h3 h5 23.h6 h4
24.d1 with a winning attack.; 20...d7!
seems soundest. 21.h6 fe8 22.h3
f8 ) 21.h6 xd4? This gives White
g o o d p l a y f o r t h e p i e c e . ( 21...c6
22.h3 f5! would have held the position
easily. ) 22.xd4 xc2 23.h3 g5
24.g3 e4 25.e3 g6 26.xg5 b2
27.e1 d7 28.h4 This must have
been a nightmare position for Black to
handle and not surprisingly, he went
down in flames in less then 10 moves: f6
29.h5 xe5 30.xe5! fxe5 31.hxg6
xf2+ 32.h2 a7 33.f6! xf6
34.gxh7+ h8 35.g8+ xg8
36.hxg8+ 1-0 Papp, G (2509)-Vavrak,
P (2478)/Szombathely HUN 2009 ]
[ 10.d4 was analyzed in Baklan-Cvek
d7 13.h1 b4 14.e3 ac8
with nice queenside counterplay. ]
11.c2 b6 12.e1
[ The natural 12...a6 was also played by
o u r h e r o , Y u r i S h u l m a n . 13.e3 f6
( Tzermiadianos only analyzed 13...c8?!
which he rightly pointed to a W hite
advantage after 14.d4 b8 15.h3!
The text is far more active and prepares a
s u r p r i s i n g p i e c e s a c r i f i c e .) 14.b4
Logical, to get rid of the c5 knight in order to
get at the e6 pawn. But Black has come
prepared. ( The alternative 14.exf6 xf6
15.d4 e8 is comfortable for Black.)
A) 15.xe5 xe5 16.bxc5 xc5!
( 16...f7 would have been taking it too far
as after 17.cxb6 e5 18.b1 d7
19.b3 the centre pawns are not ample
c o m p e n s a t i o n f o r t h e p a w n d e f i c i t .)
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
17.xe5 xf2+ 18.h1 xe1 19.xe6+
h8 20.xe1 e8! ( 20...f6 21.f3
ae8 22.e3 and now, Black can play d4!
23.cxd4 c6! 24.f2 xe3 25.xe3
xc2 which is probably equal) 21.g3
f6 This imbalanced position is virtually
forced after 15.Nxe5. White has 2 minor
pieces for pawn and rook which would
normally count for a material advantage. In
this particular situation however, White's
queenside is completely undeveloped and
t h e re i s a ce rt a i n l a c k o f h a r m o n y i n
White's pieces. Add to that the weak pawn
on c3 and we can conclude that Black is at
least equal in this position. I will further my
analysis with a few more natural moves:
22.h3 ac8 23.b2 e2 24.f1 ( 24.d1
d4 is surprisingly hard to meet) 24...xf1+!
25.xf1 xc2 26.e3 xb2 27.f5
Now the position is drawn: g8 28.h6!
f8 ( 28...gxh6 29.e5+ g7
30.e8+= ) 29.f7+! g8 30.h6+=;
B) 15.bxc5? This loses by force. White
has to hunker down with xc5 16.d4
f6! 17.2f3 ae8 18.b1 e4!
Black should make use of both of his e-
pawns! 19.xe4 dxe4 20.xe4 c4!
Black increases the pressure on White's
position with virtually every move. 21.g5
f7 22.b2 e5 23.b3 d5 24.g4 e4
The 2nd e-pawn reaches e4 with
devastating effect. 25.fd4 e5! 26.e2
d3 27.xc5 bxc5 28.b3 e3! 29.xe3
g6 30.f4 xf4 31.d2 h3+ 32.h1
f2+ 33.xf2 xf2 34.xf2 xe3
0-1 Pta cnikova, L (224 9)-Shu lma n, Y
(2639)/Reykjavik ISL 2009/ This was a
flawless display of aggressive attacking
chess by Shulman. White could perhaps
have salvaged something with 15.Nxe5
but his task to maintain equality remains
a difficult one. ]
13.exf6 xf6 14.b3 a6 15.d1 b7
With the idea of a future ...Ne4. Also possible
was
[ 15...c7 with ....Rae8 coming next, with
comfortable equality. ]
16.xc5 xc5 17.e3 e4 The position is
just equal here and the game soon peters out
to a draw. 18.xe4 dxe4 19.xd8 fxd8
20.d4 xd4 21.xd4 b5 22.ed1 d5
23.e3 a4 24.d4 dc8 25.c1
I am convinced that Black has absolutely
nothing to fear against this particular variation
and Watson is vindicated in his
recommendation of the line. Both 12...Ba6
and 12...f6 seem to be perfectly playable and
for now at least, the ball is in White's court.
½-½
351 C03
Kudrin,Sergey 2525
Short,Nigel D 2675
Monarch Assuarance Open (2) 07.11.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3
Apart from 4 e5, the other move worth
considering was
[ 4.gf3 when f6 5.d3 c5 6.e5 ( 6.exd5
xd5 7.dxc5 bd7 transposes to the
game. ) 6...fd7 7.c3 sets up the standard
Tarrasch pawn centre. However, W hite
doesn't have the piece configuration he
wants, which is his king's knight on e2 and
the f3 square reserved for the queen's knight.
Black should be fine, e.g. c6 8.0-0 a5!?
( 8...b6 ) 9.e1 a4 10.dxc5 xc5 11.c2
f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.f1 0-0 14.e3 a3
ga ve B la ck p le n t y o f a ct ivit y in Uli b in -
Shulman, Calcutta 1999. ]
4...c5 5.dxc5 f6 6.exd5
[ After this Black never seems to have any
problems. A better attempt to keep some
p r e s s u r e w a s 6.e2 w h e n a f t e r c6
7.gf3 the response b4!? is examined in
the games Almasi-Timman and Adams-
Morozevich, while the more solid 7...Bxc5 is
seen in Zagrebelny-McDonald. ]
6...xd5 7.gf3 bd7! The knight wants
the c5 square, not the queen! 8.b3 a5!?
This is a fighting move. Instead the
straightforward
[ 8...xc5 equalises easily, e.g. 9.xc5
xc5 10.0-0 0-0 11.e3 c7 12.d4 b6
13.e2 b7 was very comfortable for Black
in Bellia-Drasko, Italy 1999. ]
9.c4? More sensible was
[ 9.a4 when the hole in Black's position on
b5 is a s im p ort a nt a s a n y we ak n e ss in
White's queenside. ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
9...h5 10.e2 This is White's idea-he hopes
to embarrass the black queen with a
d i s c o v e r e d a t t a ck . B u t it a l l a m o u n t s t o
nothing, and meanwhile Black takes control of
the centre. e5! 11.0-0?! He might have tried
[ 11.fd4 g6 12.b5 just to get a little
s p a c e , t h o u g h 0-0 13.0-0
s t il l f a vo u r s B l a ck . A s p la ye d , W h i t e ' s
pieces soon find themselves tripping over
each other. ]
11...a4! 12.bd2 xc5 13.e1 0-0 14.f1
d8 15.c2 e4 16.g3 g4 17.g5?
[ The last chance was 17.e5 e6 18.f4
as d3? would fail after 19.xd3 exd3
20.xd3 though 18...Bd6! keeps the
advantage for Black. ]
17...h4 18.e3 d3 19.ed1 g4!
Suddenly W hite is losing material. 20.xg4
xg4 21.5xe4 xd1 22.xd1
23.xd8+ xd8 24.xa4 f5 25.c5 d3
A drastic lesson in the perils of passive play.
0-1
352 C03
Kurmann,Oliver 2450
Kindermann,Stefan 2493
Trans Europa Schach Express rapid (1.5)
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 0-0 7.gf3 a5 8.0-0
a6 9.e5 d7 10.c3 axc5 11.c2 b5!
With ideas of ...Ba6 and ...b4.
[ 11...b6 has been the most common move
over the years, but I prefer this, which is at
any rate more pointed, and not as risky as
11...f 6, although those moves are both
playable. ]
[ 11...f6 ]
12.d4 A&M call this '?!', but it's probably
about as good as the alternative
[ 12.a3 ]
12...c7 13.f4
[ 13.e1 ]
13...b4 14.c4 b7 15.b3 a4 16.b2 b6
17.ab1 axb3 18.axb3 a2 19.h1 f5
20.exf6 xf6 21.e3 g6 22.cxd5 xd5
23.c4 xc4 24.bxc4 b3 25.d1 a4
26.xb3 xb2 27.xa2 xd4 28.c5 xc5
29.g4 bd3 30.xe6+ h8 31.g4 e4
32.f3 df2+ 33.g1 h3+ 34.h1
ef2+ 35.xf2 xf2+ 36.g1 d3+
37.h1 xf4 38.a3 g7 39.d1 f6
This exact game was supposedly repeated in
Swiercz-Kurmann from the same tournament,
except that in this obviously winning position,
xc5 a d ra w was a gre ed ! W ell, th at 's ho w th e
TW IC database received the information.
Since both sides missed the stereotyped
checkmate, you feel that these game were
somehow rigged, or jokes, or both. Still, Black
appears to have good play in this variation.
0-1
353 C03
Lakos,Nikoletta 2292
Rudolf,Anna 2293
b4 II Genset Cup (2) 27.03.2010
[John Watson]
An incomplete survey based upon a question
from the Francophile Franz Steenbekkers.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.c3 c5
[ 4...f6 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.e2 c6
has been played, but ...h6 is a poor
substitute for the normal moves such as ...f6
and ...Qb6. ]
5.gf3 f6
[ 5...c6 is the other common choice,
resembling the 3...c5 Tarrasch but with
fewer positive chances, for example, 6.exd5
exd5 7.b5 ( 7.dxc5 xc5 8.b3 b6
gives Black free play, with equality )
A) 7...d6 8.dxc5 xc5 9.b3 b6!?
( 9...e7+ 10.e2 xe2+ 11.xe2 b6
12.bd4 f6 13.e3 0-0 is objectively
better ) 10.0-0 ge7 ( 10...f6
11.e2+ ) 11.e1 0-0 12.e3
, and with the exchange of bishops White
has a small advantage.;
B) 7...e7+! is probably the soundest
solution, intending 8.e2 ( 8.e2 c7
9.0-0 f6 10.e1 e6 is playable, e. g.,
11.a4 a6 12.e5 cxd4 13.cxd4 d6 )
8...xe2+ 9.xe2 ( 9.xe2 cxd4
10.xd4 xd4 11.cxd4 d6= ) 9...a6
10.xc6+!? bxc6 11.b3 cxd4 12.cxd4
f6 13.e3 d6 14.hc1 e7 15.c5
f7 , at least equal for Black with his piece
activity and bishop pair.;
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

C) 7...b6?! 8.e2+ e6 9.0-0 f6 gxf3+ 39.h3 , and I'm not sure if White
10.dxc5 ( or 10.e1 ) 10...xc5 11.b3 is winning, e.g., f7 40.c6 bxc6 41.b6
a6? ( 11...0-0 12.xc5 xc5 13.e3 e6+ 42.h2 c8 43.a5 e6 )]
d6 ) 12.xc5 xc5 13.xc6+ xc6 11...a6 12.xd7 bxd7 13.fd4 xc5
( 13...bxc6 14.d4 0-0 15.e5! h7 [ 13...xc5 14.e3 b6 with the idea ...Ne5
16.e3 ) 14.d4 d7 Roberson, P also looks satisfactory, and probably better
(2209)-Huerga Leache (2370), Sibenik than the text. ]
CRO 2007 and here 15.e5! and Bf4 is 14.f3 e6!?
clearly advantageous. ] [ 14...ce4! ]
6.exd5 15.xe6!? This gives Black a 2:0 majority in
[ 6.b5+ c6 ( or 6...d7! 7.xd7+ the centre, in order that White may attack it.
bxd7!? 8.e5 e4 9.xe4 dxe4 10.d2 Black seems able to handle any resulting
cxd4 11.cxd4 b6! 12.xe4 b4+ pressure.
13.c3 c8 with the idea 14.d3 c4 ) [ 15.e3 d6 is also equal: 16.fe1 xd4
7.exd5 ( 7.e5! ) 7...xd5! 8.0-0 cxd4 ( 16...c7 ) 17.xd4 e4 18.f5 e5 ]
9.xd4 d7 10.2f3 xd4 11.xd7+ 15...fxe6 16.h3 d6 17.d4 e5!?
xd7 12.xd4 1/2-1/2 Wittmann, W (2272)- [ 17...d7 18.e1 e7 ]
Galyas, M (2458), Budapest HUN 2009. ] 18.f5 d7 19.d1 ad8 20.d3?!
6...exd5 7.b5+ d7 8.e2+ [ 20.e3= ]
[ For 8.xd7+ bxd7 , see T Burg- 20...e4 Black's pawns are strong now.
Steenbekkers in this month's column. ] 21.xd6!?
8...e7 9.dxc5 0-0 10.b3 e8 11.0-0 [ 21.d1 b8 22.e3 e5! ]
[ Another Steenbekkers game: 11.e3 21...exd3 22.xe8 xe8 23.e3 g4
A) 11...a6! is the move in similar 24.d1 f5 25.g3 e4?!
s i t u a t i o n s : 12.d3 ( 12.xd7 bxd7 [ 25...e6! ]
a n d . . . N x c 5) 12...a4! (an old idea, [ 25...xe3 26.fxe3 e4 ]
p e r h a p s U h l m a n n ' s ) 13.fd4 bd7 26.h3 xe3 27.xe3 xe3 28.fxe3 xe3
with ...Nxc5 to come; 29.d2 W hite is out of trouble now. e1+
B) 11...a5!? 12.a4 a6 13.xa6 xa6 30.f2 a1 31.a3 f7 32.xd3 e6
( 13...bxa6!? , to get b-file pressure, could 33.d2 b5 34.e3 e5 35.f2 b1
be tried ) 14.0-0 ( 14.e5! f5 15.0-0 36.d3 h5 37.c2 g1 38.d3 h4
c7 16.f4 ) 14...g4 ( 14...g4! ) 15.fd1 39.e3 a5 40.f3
( 15.h3 ) 15...c8 16.ac1 e4 [ 40.d3 ]
( 16...f8= ) 17.xd5 g6 18.e5 h4?! 40...e1 41.e2+?? Presumably right around
19.xe8+ ( 19.b5 ) 19...xe8 20.bd4 time control!
f6 21.f4 xd4 22.cxd4 c6 23.e3 [ 41.g4 e4+ 42.g5 ]
h3 24.g3 g5 25.d3 ( 25.h4! 41...xe2 42.xe2 e4 43.d2 d4!
xg2 26.xg2 f3+ 27.h1 h4 44.cxd4 xd4 45.e2 c4 46.d2 b3
28.g1 ) 25...xf3+ 26.xf3 xf3 47.c1 a2 48.c2 b4 49.a4
27.gxf3 h5 28.h1 e6 29.h4 d5 0-1
30.c3 f6 ( 30...g4! 31.d3 e4!
with t h e id e a 32.fxe4 xe4+ 33.h2
xd3 34.c7 c2 35.xa5 xa4 36.d5 354 C03
f8 37.g3 b3 38.d6 e8 ) 31.g2 Ledger,Andrew
f5 32.c7 f6 33.xa5 f4 34.d3 g5 Rendle,Thomas
35.c7 xh4 36.g3? 1-0 [??] Kasparov, England 06.2000
S (2458)-Steenbekkers, F (2217)/Cappelle [Neil McDonald]
La Grand e FRA 2 00 8. Is th is an ot he r
premature resignation? ( Maybe 36.c6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
is b et t e r.; Black should definitely play on 5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 xc5
after 36.g3? : e4! 37.b4! g4 38.b5 This is a more solid approach than

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Morozevich's 7...Nb4. 8.0-0 b6 xf2 28.xf2 c8 29.e1 c2+ 30.e2
[ More accurate is 8...c7 as in Zagrebelny- xe2+ 31.xe2 f8 32.g4 e7 33.e3
McDonald. ] d6 34.e4 g6 35.b3 f6 36.g3 b5 37.a3
9.exd5 xd5 a5 38.a4 b4 39.f4 d5 40.e3 e6
[ Instead 9...xd5!? was worth considering. ] 41.f4 f5 42.gxf5+ gxf5 43.e3 d6
10.c4?! This turns out to be a waste of time, 44.e2 c6 45.e3 d5 46.d3 e6
as the knight is eventually rerouted to e4. He 47.e3 h5 48.f4 d5 49.e3 e6
should have played 50.f4 d6 51.f3 c6 52.f4 d5
[ 10.e4! with some advantage- Black won't 1/2-1/2 Karthikeyan, M (2225)-Hoang Thanh
find it easy to activate his queen's bishop. ] Trang (2435)/New Delhi IND 2012. ]
10...c7 11.b3 0-0 12.b2 h5 13.a3 4...f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c4 This has been
[ A well known trick White has to avoid in this played a fair amount, but hasn't much clout.
type of position is 13.xf6 gxf6 14.e4?? dxc4 I'm not happy with this move and prefer
d4! when Black exploits the weakness on White's pawn structure in what follows. In the
h2 to win White's queen. ] Archives I looked at Konnyu-Hoang Thanh
13...a6 14.fe1 b5 15.cd2? Trang with 6...c5, including a note on 6...Be7,
[ T h e o n l y c o n s i s t e n t m o v e i s 15.ce5!
both good moves in my opinion.
with unclear play. ] [ 6...c5 ]
15...d5 16.g3 b7 17.e4 fd8 18.ac1 [ 6...e7 ]
b4 19.c4? 7.xc4 b6 8.e2 d7 9.0-0 c6 10.b3
[ 19.a4! ] [ 10.a5!? d5 11.a3 8d7 and White
19...bxc3 20.xc3? has more space but Black stands solidly. ]
[ Essential was 20.xc3 ] 10...e7 11.b2 e4 12.fd2 h7 13.a5
20...f4!! 21.xh7+ A spite check, for if c8 14.f3 d5 15.e2 b6 16.ac4 d7
[ 21.gxf4 g4+ 22.f1 h3+ 23.g1 d4 17.g3 c6 18.a3 d8 19.fc1 g5
24.xd4 g2# ] Black stands equal here, with a good outpost
21...xh7 22.e4+ f5 and active pieces to counteract White's space
0-1 advantage. 20.e3 de7 21.e4 0-0
[ 21...xd4!? 22.xd4 xd4 23.d1 xe3!
24.xd4 xd4 is very complicated. ]
355 C03 22.d1
Liou,Y 2283 [ 22.xg5 hxg5 23.d1 ]
Shulman,Yuri 2598 22...a5
Northern California International (1) 02.01.12 [ 22...xe3! 23.fxe3 ( 23.xe3 f5 )
[John Watson] 23...a5! 24.b4 b3 25.ab1 a5= ]
23.c2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.gf3 [ 23.xg5 hxg5 24.b4 b3 25.a2 ]
[ 4.d3 c5 5.dxc5 f6 6.exd5 exd5 23...xe3 24.fxe3 d5= 25.e1?
7.gf3 xc5 8.0-0 0-0 gives Black active [ 25.d3 ]
play in return for his isolated pawn. After 25...f5! 26.exf6 xf6 27.b4 xe4 28.xe4
9.b3 b6= 10.h3?! c6 11.c3 e4 ( or xe4 29.xe4 c4 30.c2 b5 Good knight
11...d6! ) 12.bd4 f6 13.c2 e8 ve rsu s ba d b ish op , co m bin e d with ligh t -
( 13...xd4 14.xd4 d6 with the idea ... squa re pressure, give s Black a p lea san t
Bc7 ) 14.e3 d7 , Black has a nice a d v a n t a g e . 31.ad1 f3 32.c1 df8
advantage, although 15.b3 Ne7! was best, 33.e2 e5!? Black stands better after this,
r a t h e r t h a n g6= 16.xd5 xh3 but
( 16...ad8! ) 17.h4 f6 18.f3 [ 33...c6! 34.e4 b6 improves. ]
which is roughly equal, the game continuing 34.dxe5 h3 35.f1 xe5 36.xf3 xf3+
d7 19.xe4 xh4 20.d5 e5 21.g3 37.h1 g4 38.d4 e6 39.d1 e4
xg3 22.fxg3 c6 23.xc6 xc6 24.f2 40.g2 f7 41.g4?? c4 42.g5 h4
xd4 25.xd4 xd4+ 26.cxd4 e2 27.f2 0-1

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

356 C03 20.e3 h6

Lkhamsuren,U 2098 [ 20...b7 21.g4 ( 21.h7 h6 22.g8
Khulan,Enkhsaikhan 1889 g6 23.h7 g4!? ) 21...0-0-0 is, as usual,
46th ch-MGL w 2014 (2.6) 05.04.2014 complex and unclear ]
[John Watson] 21.g8 g6 22.h8
[ 22.h7 h6 23.c2 is possible, when
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.gf3 f6 o n e i d e a i s f5 , to protect the weak f7
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 This has pawn ]
turned into a Universal System with 7...h6, by 22...h6 23.g8 g6 24.h7 g7?
transposition. 8.0-0 g5 A basic position in the Black bravely tries to avoid repetition, but
early ...h6 lines. 9.dxc5 ends up losing material in a passive position.
[ 9.c4 makes sense. I think that Black should 25.h5 b7 26.g4 0-0-0 27.xg5 e7
ign o re it b y g7! , f or example, 10.cxd5 28.xe7 xe7 29.f6
exd5 11.e6 fxe6 12.g6+ f8 13.dxc5 [ 29.h3 ]
xc5 14.b3 xb3 ( 14...f6 15.h5 29...dg8
e4?! 16.fd2! ) 15.xb3 g4!? [ 29...d4! ]
( 15...g8 16.h3 d6 17.d1 b6 ) 30.h3 e8 31.af1 h8 32.h6 f8
16.e1 h5 ] 33.h7 xh7 34.xh7 d4 35.cxd4 cxd4
9...xc5!? 36.c2+ b8 37.c5 c8 38.f6?
[ I analyse 9...xc5 in some depth in PTF4. Fancy for no reason.
A sample line is 10.b3 b6 ( 10...f8 [ 38.xd4 gives White two pawns for
11.c2 g7 12.e1 dxe5 13.xe5 nothing. ]
xe5 14.h5 c4 is unclear) 11.e1 g4 38...d8?!
12.fd4! cxe5 13.f4 ( 13.b5 f6 [ 38...xc5! 39.d7+ a7 40.xc5 d5
14.e2 f8 and White has some pressure, gives counterplay ]
but I prefer Black's pawn.) 13...f6 14.g3 39.b6
h5 15.b5 g6 , and White has to prove [ 39.c1 xc5 40.xc5 d3 41.c1 ]
that he has enough for his pawn. ] 39...d3 40.e4? Time control?
10.b5 [ 40.d1! a8 41.h2 ]
[ Or 10.b3 xd3 11.xd3 g7 12.e1 40...g8 41.f2 c7?!
c7 13.e2 0-0= ] [ 41...c1+! 42.h2 ( 42.f1 d2 ) 42...e1
[ Or 10.c2!? g7 11.e1 ( 11.b3 d7! 43.c5 xe5+ 44.g1 e1+ 45.h2
12.fd4 dxe5 13.f4 xd4 14.xd4 c6 e5+= ]
is unclear and probably dynamically equal) 42.xc7+ xc7 43.c3 b6 44.g4 g5
11...d7 12.f1! dxe5 13.g3 45.d2 xe5 46.xd3 This should be a
unclear, with the idea Nh5. ] matter of technique. c6 47.f2 c5?
10...a6 11.xc6+ bxc6 12.b3 c7 [ 47...g5 48.g3 g8 49.h4 ]
Allowing White to simplify and then open lines. 48.h4 f6 49.e3 d4 50.e2+ d5
[ B e t t e r w a s 12...d7! , for example, 51.f4+ d6 52.xe5 xe5 53.e3 e8
13.fd4 b6 14.h5 c5 15.f3 g8 ] 54.h5 f7 55.h6 g8 56.h5 h7 57.b4
13.xc5 xc5 14.d4!? f5 58.g5 f4+ 59.xf4 f5 60.g6
[ 14.a4! ] 1-0
14...e7
[ 14...xe5 i f u n c l e a r , e . g . , 15.xc6
( 15.f4!? g7 ) 15...d6 16.d4 e5
17.b3 a7 ]
15.f4
[ 15.h5 c5 16.f3 is also interesting. ]
15...c5 16.c2 g8
[ 16...b7!? ]
17.h5 g6 18.fxg5 hxg5 19.h8+ f8

310
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
357 C03
Losev,Dmitry 2396
Radjabov,Teimour 2483
Spring Alushta UKR 08.03.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 b4
8.b3 xd3+ 9.cxd3 a5 10.g5 a4
11.bd2 h6 12.xf6 xf6 13.e5 e7
14.d4? White weakens his light squares in the
centre and also deprives his knight of the d4
centre outpost. It was much better to support
the c pawn with either
[ 14.e3 or ]
[ 14.c1 though then in either case a5!
followed by b7-b6 appears to give Black
e n o u g h p l a y - h a ve a l o o k a t G o d e n a -
Morozevich ]
14...a5 15.0-0 0-0 16.fc1 b6!
Now we see a big drawback to 14 d4. If the
pawn was still on d3 White could play c5-c6
a n d s u p p o rt t h e p a sse d p a wn wit h Nd 4 .
17.e3
[ If 17.cxb6 a6 followed by Qxb6 or Rfb8
and Rxb6 gives Black strong pressure for
the pawn. ]
17...b8 18.c2 a6 19.ac1 fc8 20.h3
[ If 20.c6 c7 and Black can close his eyes
and play Rbc8 and Bb5. W hen he opens
them he will get his pawn back with a good
position. ]
20...bxc5 21.dxc5 b5 White still has his
extra pawn but it is very vulnerable. If it drops
then the superiority of the bishops over the
k n i g h t s wi l l g i ve B l a c k a c l e a r e d g e . I n
p a r t ic u la r t h e kn ig h t o n d 2 h a s n o g o o d
squares. 22.c6 b6! An excellent move.
Radjabov realises that after the exchange of
queens he will be able to disrupt White with
Bd3. 23.d4 b4 24.xb6 xb6 25.d4
d3! The bishop denies White's rook the c2
s q u a r e a f t e r wh ic h b 2 c a n n o l o n g e r b e
adequately defended. 26.c3 g6 27.b3
White collapses, but
[ 27.2f3 xb2 was also horrible. ]
27...b4 W inning the exchange. 28.bxa4
xc3 29.xc3 f6! Black clears the way for
his bishop to attack c6. 30.f4 e8 31.a5 b4
32.2b3 fxe5 33.fxe5 c4 34.g3 xc6
35.xe6 g5 36.bd4 d7 37.f3 xe6
38.xe6 d4 39.d3 e8 40.xd4 c1+
41.h2 xe6 A very instructive game.
0-1
358 C03
Malysheva,Polina 2364
Riazantsev,Alexander 2573
MTO Biel SUI (3) 21.07.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5
5.g4 f8!? A lackadaisical move that loses
time, but in contrast to other moves here it
doesn't forfeit castling or weaken the kingside.
[ Previously we have looked in some detail at
5...g6 and ]
[ 5...f8 while the weird ]
[ 5...g5?! is also possible. ]
6.df3
[ As Black has wasted time with his bishop,
the critical response is the line opening
6.dxc5 f o r e x a m p l e c7 ( I wonder if
Riazantsev's recipe of 6...h5 could work
here as well. Here's a wild line: 7.g3 h4
8.c3 d4 9.c4 c6 10.gf3 h5!
and t he b la ck roo k joins in th e ac tion .)
7.gf3 c6 8.b5 f6 9.0-0 xc5 10.c4!
White plays as actively as possible to exploit
his lead in development. fxe5 11.h5+ g6
12.xe5 xe5 13.xe5 ge7 14.df3
0-0 15.xc6 xc6 16.xc6 bxc6 17.h6
f5 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.ac1 b6 20.e3!
Now Black is forced into a rather unpleasant
good knight versus bad bishop scenario.
xe3 21.fxe3 a6 22.f2 d3 23.g4! ff8
24.e5 e4 25.c7 g5 26.b4 and White
was in total control in Nevednichy,V-Antic,
D Yugoslavia 2001. ]
6...h5!?
[ Or 6...c6 7.dxc5 ge7 8.d2 g6
9.g3 xc5 10.h4 now Black must play
actively to meet the threat of 11.h5, when g7
will drop. b6 11.b1 ( If 11.h5? xb2
hitting a1 and e5, or; 11.0-0-0? xf2 )
11...b4 12.d3 xd3+ 13.cxd3 h5
14.e2 a6 15.g5 e7 16.d4 f5
17.f4 xd4!? ( A way to keep the tension
was 17...e7!? ) 18.xd4 d3 19.c1
xd4 ( Evidently White's pressure is worth
more than a pawn after 19...xd4 20.xd4
311
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xd4 21.c7 ) 20.xf7+ and a draw was f6 favours Black. ]

agreed here in Brondhuhn, C-Bednarski, J 11...a6!?
Hannover 1976. Black threatens mate on e2 [ 11...g4 is direct and equal: 12.fd4 cxe5
so White forces perpetual by checking on c7 13.b5 f6 14.e1 c7 ( 14...f8!?
and then f7 with his queen. ] may be more accurate) 15.c5 0-0
7.g3?! ( 15...a6 ) 16.xd7 xd7 17.xd7 ( 17.h3
[ The white queen is more in the action after fc8!? 18.hxg4 e8 19.xb7 g6! )
7.f4 ] 17...xd7 18.xg4+ h7 is equal ]
7...e7 8.d3 b6 9.c4? White's centre 12.c2 c7
fragments with alarming speed after this over [ 12...c7!? 13.fd4 dxe5 14.f4! ]
aggressive move. It was best to develop with [ 12...g4 13.fd4 cxe5 is best ]
[ 9.h3! though Black looks comfortable 13.e1 a7 14.g3 b5 15.a4
after a6 Not of course ] [ 15.e3! ]
[ 9.e2?? c4 ] 15...b4 16.d2 bxc3
9...a6 10.g5 d7! [ 16...g4 17.h4 bxc3 18.xc3 g8= ]
[ After 10...xc4? 11.xc4 dxc4 12.f3 17.bxc3
there is a double attack on a8 and f7. ] [ 17.xc3 ]
11.f3?! ec6 Now either d4 or e5 will drop. 17...c5?! After this White stands better and
Against such a strong opponent W hite is increases his advantage.
already lost. The rest is sheer murder: [ 17...g4 ]
12.1h3 xd4 13.g3 xc4 14.b1 18.xc5 xc5 19.e3 a5 20.d3 xe3
bc6 15.e3 0-0-0 16.f4 f6 17.exf6 d6 21.xe3 d7 22.d4 c6 23.b3! e7
18.h4 gxf6 19.f3 xf3+ 20.gxf3 e5 24.c5 c8 25.a5 h5 26.ab1 g4 27.b6
21.xf6 df8 c6 28.g5 xa5 29.d6 e7 30.g7
0-1 f8 31.a1 c7 32.xe6 xe6 33.xe6+
d7 34.d6+ e8 35.f5 c4 36.e6+
fxe6 37.xc7 exf5 38.e6
359 C03 1-0
Mamedov,Rau 2637
Nevednichy,V 2580
IsBank TCh-TUR 2013 (7.3) 04.07.2013 360 C03
[John Watson] Maslak,Konstantin 2560
Volkov,Sergey 2597
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.gf3 f6 ch-RUS Higher League (5) 30.08.2010
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 [John Watson]
[ 8.a3 is seen in this month's game Bauer-
Hambleton. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.d3 c5
8...g5 The main point of ...h6: This is the 5.dxc5 xc5 6.gf3 e7!? An interesting
normal universal system with ...h6 substituted deviation from the normal
for ... Be7 or ...g6 or ...Qb6. The move has [ 6...f6 . Black avoids losing a tempo to e5.
advantages and disadvantages, but appears On the other hand, the move ...h6 goes well
to be wholly sound. 9.dxc5 There are two with ...Nf6, since it prevents Bg5. ]
other logical moves: 7.0-0 bc6 8.c3 An important decision.
[ a) 9.h3 h5! turns out well for Black. ] Perhaps
[ b) 9.c4 is Whissell-Chung in the Archives. ] [ 8.b3 b6 9.e2 0-0 10.d1
9...xc5 10.b3 b6 is worth a try, reserving the idea of c4. ]
[ In Dangerous Weapons: French, I analyse 8...a5
10...f8 with the idea ..Bg7 at some length, [ 8...0-0 is safe enough. ]
leading to equal play. ] 9.e2
11.e2! An improvement over older lines with [ 9.b3 b6 10.e2 with the idea a4
[ 11.e1 , when g4 12.fd4 cxe5 13.f4 ( 10...0-0 ) 11.bd4 ]

312
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
9...a4 10.b1!?
[ 10.b4 axb3 11.xb3 b6 12.c4 ]
10...0-0 11.b4 axb3 12.axb3?!
[ 12.xb3 b6 13.bd4 ]
12...g6! 13.c2
[ Preventing . ..Nf4 by 13.g3 allows Black
into central squares: ge5 14.c2 d4
15.cxd4 xd4 16.xd4 xd4 ]
13...f4 14.e1 c7
[ 14...d4 ]
15.b4 e7 16.b3 a2?!
[ 16...f6! ties White to defence. ]
17.bd4 xd4 18.xd4 f6 19.xf4 xf4
20.b3 a6 21.exd5 xd4!?
[ 21...exd5 22.g3 d6 23.d2= ]
22.cxd4 xd4 23.dxe6 xe6 24.xe6
xe6 25.d1 d8 Black is just a bit more
active, but White should hold. After lengthy
manoeuvering, Black exchanges queens and
wins a pawn but it's not enough to win. 26.f3
e4 27.xe4 xe4 28.g3 dd4 29.b5 b4
30.bc1 e7 31.c8+ h7 32.c5 d7
33.e1 b6 34.f5 g6 35.fe5 g7
36.1e2 d1+ 37.g2 db1 38.5e3 4b2
39.h4 xe2 40.xe2 xb5 41.e7 h5
42.b7 f6 43.f1 e6 44.g2 b3
45.f1 b5 46.e2 f6 47.b6+ f5 48.f1
b2 49.g2 b1 50.f3 b3+ 51.g2
e5 52.h3 b4 53.g2 f5 54.f1 b2
55.g2 b1 56.f3 b3+ 57.e2 e5
58.d2 b1 59.e3 f5 60.f3 b3+
61.e2 g5 62.hxg5 fxg5 63.h6 g4
64.d6 h4 65.d4+ h3 66.gxh4 gxh4
67.f4 b1 68.f3 b2 69.c4 b3 70.b4
h2 71.xh4+ g1 72.e3 xf2 73.b4
b2 74.d3 f1 75.c3 e1 76.xb2
xb2 77.xb2
½-½
361 C03
McShane,Luke J 2438
Mah,Karl 2412
4NCL Birmingham ENG (7) 25.03.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.c3 c5
[ Instead 4...dxe4 5.xe4 f6
would transpose to a variation of the
Rubinstein in which White has played the
rather innocuous c2-c3. ]
5.dxc5 f6? This idea is fine if White has
played 4 Bd3 instead of 4 c3, as we saw in
Kudrin-Short. Here, however, it is f atally
flawed.
[ Black should play 5...xc5 Then 6.b3
( Here 6.d3 f6 7.e2 c6 8.gf3
c7 would transpose to my game against
Zagrebelny.) 6...b6 7.exd5 exd5 8.f3
c6 9.b5 ge7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 f5!
fighting for control of the d4 square turned
out well for Black in Salmensuu-Gdanski,
Etvas Vantaa 1999. ]
6.exd5 xd5 7.b4! White refuses to give
back the pawn except at a high positional
price: the cost is a protected passed pawn on
the queenside. a5 8.gf3 b6 9.c4 d8
10.0-0 bxc5 11.b5! a4! This stops White
pla yin g a 4 , B b 3 a n d Nc4 , wit h co m p le t e
strategical domination on the queenside.
12.e2 b7 13.d3 bd7 14.c4
White correctly judges that it is vital to deprive
Black's pieces of d5, even though he loses c4
as an outpost square.
[ 14.c4 may have been better. ]
14...c7 15.e4 0-0 16.g5 fe8 17.fd1
h6 18.xf6+ xf6 19.h4 h5 20.xe7
f4?! 21.e5? This loses control of the
position. Instead the crafty
[ 21.h7+! ensures a big positional
advantage, e.g.
A) 21...xh7 22.c2+ g6 ( 22...g8
23.d6 ) 23.d6 b6 24.e5
is overwhelming;
B) 21...h8!? 22.e3 xe7 23.e4
and Black has no compensation for his
queenside weaknesses. ]
21...xe7 22.xc7 xc7 23.e1 e5!
Black clears the e6 square for his knight's
journey to d4 and utilises his kingside majority
for counterplay. 24.f1 e6 25.d6 f8
26.g3 e7 27.b6 d8 28.g2 e4 29.c2
d4 30.e3 d6 31.xd6 xd6 32.f1 f5
33.d1 c8 Instead
[ 33...g5 34.c3 e5 ( 34...a3!? ) 35.xa4
( 35.g4!? f3! ) 35...f4 would give Black
tremendous play for the pawn. Perhaps in
time pressure, Black completely falls apart
in what follows. ]
34.c1 e6 35.e1 e5 36.c3 a7
37.a3 b3?
[ Black forgets about the passed pawn and is
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

duly punished. 37...g5! ] 17.e7+ h8 18.g6+ g8

38.b2 d4? 39.c2 a1? 40.d2+ c3 19.e7+= ]
41.b6! e7 42.xa4+ b3 43.b7! 9...g5! 10.h3 The alternatives don't look
1-0 better:
[ 10.b4 g7 11.b5 c7 ]
[ 10.b3 g7 11.fxd4 xd4 12.xd4
362 C03 xe5 13.f4 xd3 14.xd3 0-0 15.fxg5
Mestre Bellido,Hector 2404 hxg5 16.c3 e5 ]
Bhat,Vinay S 2536 10...g7 11.b4 dxe5 12.b2
36th Open Badalona ESP (4) 05.08.2010 [ Or 12.b5 xd3 13.cxd3 e7 14.b2 f5
[John Watson] 15.g4 d6 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 f6
with a large positional advantage. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.gf3 f6 12...xd3 13.cxd3 b6 14.b1 0-0
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.0-0 White decides 15.h2!? White is two pawns down has done
not to protect d4, but rather bolster e5. c6 nothing about the advance of Black's centre,
8.e1 cxd4 so he tries a desperate counterattack. e5
[ Presumably an advantage to delaying c3 is 16.h4 gxh4 17.h5 b5 Good alternatives
that White can play 8...g5 9.c4 ] are
9.a3?! White wants to expand with b4 (-b5?) [ 17...d8 18.hf3 f6 19.xh4 d7 ]
an d Bb 2, b ut th is is to o slo w. He sh ou ld [ and even 17...f5 ]
recover his d-pawn by 18.df3 xd3 19.xh4 a6!?
[ 9.b3! . This is extremely complicated and [ 19...f6! keeps the queen in play, e.g.,
unclear. Here's some hopefully relevant 20.ed1 c2 21.dc1 d2 with the idea ...
analysis: Qg5. ]
A) 9...g5 10.bxd4 g7 11.xc6! bxc6 20.bd1 h7
12.h3 0-0 13.b3 f6 ( 13...f5!? [ Now 20...c2 21.c1! isn't as easy, e.g.,
is interesting) 14.b2 xe5 15.xe5 e6 22.f4 f6 23.g4 xg4 24.xg4 f5
fxe5 16.xe5! xe5?! ( 16...c7 25.h5 e4 26.d2 ]
17.e2! ) 17.xe5 e8 18.f4! 21.f4
with a strong attack and clear advantage; [ 21.2f3 h8! holds the kingside and
B) 9...b6 10.a4! ( 10.f4 g5! 11.g3 centre ( 21...e6 22.xe5! xe5 23.xe5
b4 12.e2 e7 with the idea ...h5 ) xe5 24.xe5 g7 25.e1 retains real
B1) 10...g5 11.a5 c7 12.bxd4 g4 attacking chances. )]
13.b5 b8 14.fd4 dxe5 21...f6 Black ends up a little cramped.
with the idea 15.f4!? ( 15.a4 d7 [ Or 21...c2 22.c1 e4 ]
is u n c le a r) 15...f3+! 16.xf3 gxf3 22.f5 e7 23.f1 d7 24.g6 xg6??
17.xb8 xb8 18.xf3 a6 19.bd4 A disastrous move, entombing his queen and
d6 and Black can be happy.; letting White back into the game.
B2) 10...b4!? 11.d2 ( 11.a5 xa5 ) [ 24...f7! , e. g., 25.g4 xf5! 26.xf5
11...xd2 12.xd2 0-0 xf5 27.xf5 h5 28.h2 h6 with four
B2a) 13.a5 c7 14.e2 a6 pawns and a rook for two pieces, as well as
intending ..b5; the centre. ]
B2b) 13.h1 a6 ( 13...c7 14.e2 25.fxg6 h8 26.xd4 e6 27.c5 fe8
a6 ) 14.a5 c7 15.f4 b8; 28.g4 ad8 29.d2
B2c) 13.bxd4! dxe5 14.xe5! [ 29.e3! with the idea Nf5 gives White as
( 14.xe5 xd4 15.a5 d6 16.g4 many chances as Black. ]
f6!? 17.xh6+ gxh6 18.xh6 f7 29...d4!? 30.f2?
and White's attack is real, but Black [ 30.df2! ]
ha s a p iece : u n cle a r!) 14...xe5 30...f5! 31.g4! f4!?
15.xe5 f6! 16.g6 ( 16.ef3 e5 [ 31...fxg4 32.xg4 e4 ]
17.f5 xb2; 16.g4 f5 ) 16...xd4 32.e4 d5?! 33.d6 xd6 34.xd6

314
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

c6?? Obviously severe time trouble for both g5 will prove significant, either directly after
sides. Nb3 and Nxg5 or by allowing a discovered
[ 34...f6 35.xf4 g7 ] attack once the queen drops back to e2- see
35.h3?? Playing for Qb3+, but the note to 11...Nb4 below.
[ 35.f5 wins on the spot: f6 ( 35...d5 [ This diverges from 10.a4 as played in the
36.d7 a8 37.c1 ) 36.g5! hxg5 37.h2 aforementioned Morozevich game. ]
g7 38.h7 ] 10...h6 The natural reply, threatening Nf5
35...d5 with more woe for the white queen. 11.d3
[ 35...f3! 36.xf3 e6 ] b4?!
36.h5 [ Instead Black could go after the e5 pawn
[ 36.c2 ] with 11...g4 12.e2 c7 13.b3?!
36...c6?? 37.h3 f3! 38.c2 e6 ( Critical is 13.xg5! uncovering an attack
39.xf3 xg6 40.f7+? Time control? on g4 and so remaining a pawn up. Black
[ 40.xc6 bxc6 41.xe5 was the best try, can capture on e5 in a variety of ways. As
approximately =. ] far as his king's safety is concerned xe5!?
40...h7 41.xe5 c8! 42.f4 d3 is a t t ra ct ive t o e xch a n ge q u e e n s . T h e
43.h2?? question then is how easy will it be for Black
[ 43.xc6! bxc6 ( 43...xc6 44.xg7 ) t o r e g a i n h i s p a w n a f t e r s a y 14.b3 )
44.xg7 xg4+! 45.xg4 xg4+ 46.h2 13...g8! defending g5 again. 14.0-0 gxe5
xg7 47.f5+ g6 48.d7+ h8 Black finally regains his pawn. 15.d2 xd3
49.d4+ and Black won't escape the checks 16.xd3 g6 17.fe1 g4 18.fd4 xd4
without losing d3. ] 19.xd4 xc5 ( 19...xc5!? -Kosic. )
43...e8 Finally the game is over, because too 20.f4 d7 21.e2 g8 22.ae1
much is hanging. 44.c7 was played in Popovic-Kosic, Yugoslavia
[ 44.e7 c1+ 45.f2 d2+ 46.g1 2002, and here in Informator Kosic gives
e1+ 47.f1 e3+ ] c4! as a clear advantage for Black. White's
44...xc7 45.xc7 c6 46.b8 c1+ pa wn cen t re h as d isint egra t ed a nd t h e
47.f2 exchange of queens rules out any threats to
[ 47.f1 d4+ 48.g2 c6+ ] the black king. I guess all W hite's pieces
47...d2 are dressed up with no where to go as they
0-1 are staring at a brickwall on e6. ]
12.0-0 xd3
[ No t h e l p f u l i s 12...g4 13.d4 xc5
363 C03 14.xe6+! ]
Morovic Fernandez,Ivan 2549 13.xd3! f5
Hamdouchi,Hicham 2593 [ Black can't regain his pawn for if 13...xc5
Gp A Cap d'Agde FRA (7) 26.10.2002 14.e4! e7 15.exg5 ]
[Neil McDonald] 14.d4 xd4
[ P e r h a p s B l a c k s h o u l d t r y 14...xc5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5 15.xf5 exf5 16.b3 e7 e.g. 17.d1!?
5.g4 f8 h3!? with counterplay. ]
[ The jury is still out on 5...g5 ] 15.xd4 b6 Black decides to make the pawn
6.dxc5 c6 7.gf3 h5! You can find sacrifice that I eulogised in games such as
coverage of the opening moves in the notes to Rublevsky-Radjabov in the 5. Bd3 variation
the Adams-Short game on ChessPub, based on ChessPub. But here W hite has already
on the game Adams-Morozevich. 8.g3 h4 castled and so the two bishops don't cause
9.f4 g5 10.e3!? White decides to try to him as much trouble. Furthermore, Black has
h o ld o n t o h is e xt ra p a wn d e sp it e a ll t h e to worry about his loose pawn structure on
inconvenience for his queen. As Steinitz once the kingside. Morovic succeeds in quelling
remarked 'a pawn is worth a little trouble'. In Black's temporary initiative. 16.cxb6 axb6
particular White hopes that the weakness of 17.f3 a6 18.e1 c8 19.e3! c6

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ If 19...xc2 20.a4! c8 21.ac1 xc1 be regarded as completely satisfactory for

22.xc1 b7 23.xg5 etc. ] Black. White still has a space advantage due
20.d2 g4 21.d4 c4 22.c3 g8 23.d3 to the pawn on e5, but it is hard to see how
Now Black begins a desperate attack that he can build upon it. Black will have to make
merely leaves his queen's rook hopelessly a serious positional or tactical mistake to end
misplaced. g5 24.b3 xe3 25.xe3 a4 up in trouble. Unfortunately, that is exactly
26.d2 a3 27.b2 e7 28.c6 c5 what happens at move 25. 20.d4 fd8
29.b8 e7 30.d7+ g7 31.f6 d8 21.2f3
32.b4 d4 33.e4 xc3 34.xg4+ h8 [ Not 21.b5? xe5 ]
35.d2 Black resigned as mate soon follows: 21...f5! 22.b2
f8 36.xh4+ g7 37.h6# [ After 22.xf5 gxf5 Black has the e4
1-0 square as a possible base for his knight, and
the chance to attack the e5 pawn. ]
[ while if 22.b5 e7 23.xa7?? xf3
364 C03 and Black wins a piece. ]
Naiditsch,Arkadij 2657 22...xd4 23.xd4 a6 24.f3 bc8 25.ac1
Pelletier,Yannick 2579 b8?? Pelletier buries his most important
7th ch-Euro Kusadasi TUR (8) 12.04.2006 piece on the queenside. Instead
[Neil McDonald] [ 25...e7! is fine for Black, e.g. 26.e3
h4! ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5 26.e3 c7 27.c2 dc8 28.ec1 d7
5.g4 g6 29.f4 f8 30.f5! There is nothing at all
[ On the whole, 5...f8 is the more popular m a g i c a l o r e ve n u n e xp e c t e d a b o u t t h i s
move. However, Pelletier lost with the king winning break through. In the absence of the
move versus Nevednichy, as you can see on black queen such sacrificial possibilities are
ChessPub, and so decides to give the other bound to arise. gxf5
move a go. ] [ Or 30...exf5 31.xf7+! xf7 ( 31...h8
6.dxc5 d7! The idea is to recapture on c5 32.xc7 xc7 33.xc7 xc7 34.e6 f6
with the knight, not the bishop. This plan 35.xf5 gxf5 36.xf6+ g7 37.e7
worked out well in Jaracz-Lputian on and the pawn queens.) 32.e6+ g8
Che ss Pu b, as W hite re sp on de d wit h th e 33.exd7 xd7 34.e6+ f7 35.xc8
imprecise 7.Ngf3?! Naiditsch has come armed and wins. ]
with a better move. 7.b5! Obstructing the 31.xf5 c5
plan of Nxc5. c7! So Pelletier finds a third [ If 31...exf5 32.g5+ g7 ( 32...h8
way to capture on c5: with the queen! 33.e6+ f6 34.exd7 ) 33.e6 threatening mate
[ In the Jaracz game I gave the sample line on g7 f6 34.exd7+ etc. ]
7...xc5 8.gf3 b6 9.xd7+ xd7 32.d4 xd4 33.xd4 xc4
10.0-0 when Black is vulnerable on the dark [ The only way to resist was 33...exf5 34.e6
squares as the bishop belongs on g7, not c5. xc4 35.xc4 c5 but after 36.e7
Black hasn't succeeded in disrupting White's White can combine threats to queen with an
build up, as if b5 11.c4 breaks open the attack on the black king: e8 37.f6 e4
centre to White's advantage. ] 38.1c3 f4 39.d4 then 40.Rd8 wins. ]
8.gf3 xc5 9.d3 f8 The bishop heads 34.bxc4
for its ideal square on g7. 10.0-0 g7 11.c4 [ If 34.bxc4 exf5 35.xd7 ]
Naiditsch tries to do something fast to exploit 1-0
his lead in development, but the 'French' pawn
on e6 holds him at bay. e7 12.e1 0-0
13.cxd5 xd5 14.c4 a5 15.e4 b8
16.a4 c7 17.b3 b6 18.a3 c5 19.e2
b7 With all his pieces developed to useful
squares, the outcome of the opening has to

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

365 C03 [ The only chance to tough it out was

Nevednichy,Vladislav 2583 28...e8 ]
Pelletier,Yannick 260329.xc6 bxc6
15th ETC Gothenburg SWE (2) 31.07.2005 [ I assume Black missed that after 29...xc6
[Neil McDonald] 30.b4+ picks up his knight- otherwise the
threat of mate on g2 would have allowed
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5 Black to staunch up his centre. ]
5.g4 f8 30.d7
[ Theory hasn't yet decided if this move [ It's suddenly all over as 30.d7 d5
should be preferred to 5...g6 ] 31.b7 will be mate in three beginning 32.
6.dxc5 c6 7.g3 f6 Rf7+ if Black saves the rook on a8. ]
[ After 7...h5 8.b3! White keeps the 1-0
advantage- see Kobalia-Ivanov on
ChessPub. ]
8.gf3 h6!? An interesting plan: Black will 366 C03
put his knight on f7 and force W hite to Nikolova,Adriana 2304
concede the centre with e5xf6. Then after the Drasko,Milan 2527
recapture g7xf6 he will have an impressive XV Leonardo di Bona Magistrale (2) 19.04.09
mass of centre pawns. [Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
[ 8...fxe5 9.xe5 xe5 10.xe5 xc5
11.d3 f6 12.0-0 d6 13.e2 c7 The Universal system has been by far the
14.f4! xf4 15.f3 d6 16.c4 and White most popular variation against 3.. Be7. Theory
had an attack in Kotsur-Radjabov, Bled has been growing relentlessly in the main
2002. ] lines and as such, there has been an
9.d3 f7 10.exf6 gxf6 11.0-0 e5 increasing interest in the 7..b6 system. This is
It loo k s lik e B la ck's o p e n in g ha s be e n a r e l a t i ve l y n e w a n d c e r t a i n l y a p p e a l s t o
wonderful success, as 12.. .e4 is a big threat. "system players" who neither has the time or
Also the white queen could find herself in interest to study some hard core theory. Again,
trouble after 12...Rg8. Nevednichy comes up I would like to add that Moskalenko, Hangrock
with an inspired sacrifice. 12.h4!? e4 a n d o u r v e r y o w n N e i l M c D o n a l d h a v e
13.xe4 White hasn't much choice as recommended this system in their respective
[ 13.e2 f5 traps the knight on h4. ] works in the French defence. The positions
13...dxe4 14.xe4 There is no crushing are often blocked in nature and "it is more
attack in sight, but it is difficult for Black to i m p o r t a n t t o k n o w c o n c r e t e i d e a s t h e n
organise his pieces. In contrast White has the memorizing long variations". (As a side note,
clear plan of bringing his rooks to the centre I'm quite amused at seeing this quote over
files. d4 15.d3 e6 and over again, especially when the author
[ Or 15...e5 16.d2!? aiming at the h6 g o e s o n t o a n a l y z e s o m e l o n g f o r c i n g
square. ] variations!) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7
16.e2 c7 17.e1 xc5 18.d5 g7? 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 b6
[ Critical seems to me 18...e5! to force of f There are no pretences to Black's intentions
the exchange of queens and so reduce here. Black is not in the mood for a face to
White's initiative. In that case the plan of 8... f a c e c o n f r o n t a t i o n a n d c h o o s e s a s l o w
Nh6 might have been justified, for example p o s i t i o n a l b a t t l e i n s t e a d . 8.e4!?
19.d1 ( or 19.xe5 xe5 20.f5 g7 ) White makes use of a tactic to manoeuvre the
19...d4 20.xd4 xd4 21.e3 b6 ] Queen's knight to the g3 square. The Knight
19.c4 d6 20.b3 e5 21.h3! is arguably better placed on g3 where it can
White has no need to hurry despite being a participate in a Kingside attack.
piece down. g6 22.f3 h5 23.d4 b6 [ 8.f1 is another way to bring the knight to
24.b5 c5 25.e3 d7 26.xc5+ xc5 the g3 square. a6 9.g3 xd3 10.xd3
27.c3 c6 28.ad1 f4? c6 11.0-0

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
A) F o r e x a m p l e , I t h i n k 11...0-0
followed by ..Rc8, and perhaps .. cxd4 is
perfectly playable. A sample line: 12.e3
( 12.h5 is not particularly threatening
yet.; The manoeuvre with 12.e3 b5
13.f4 b4 14.g4 is painfully slow and
Black has a number of ways to defend,
a m o n g w h i c h I l i k e t h e s i m p l e g6 )
12...b8 13.d2 (Going for f4-f5. I don't
quite see any other constructive plans at
the moment) ( 13.h5 g6 14.f4 b5!? )
13...b5 14.f4 b4 15.f5 b6!
Whoops, White's attack is getting hot so
it's time to propose a Queen exchange.
( 15...g5 16.f3 looks a little bit scary
now. ) 16.f3 ( White's position is not
ready for 16.f6 : gxf6 17.h5 f5! 18.h6
cxe5! 19.g3+ g6 20.xf8 xf8
and I prefer Black.) 16...bxc3 17.bxc3
b5! and Black is certainly more then ok
here. ( 17...c4!? );
B) 11...c4?! There is nothing really wrong
with this but I think this is the prelude to a
mistaken plan. Popov was a bit fixated on
the standard plan on assaulting the
Queenside and did not consider other
plans that could be more appropriate in
concrete situations. This is probably one of
those games that would be included in
every French defence book had Popov
won but criticized if he lost (which he did).
12.e3 b5 13.f4 h5 14.e2 b6
15.g3 g6 16.g5! An instructive
moment. On the Queenside, Black was
following the footsteps of Adams-Caruana
and Andriasian-Nepomniachtchi so we
know he was in good company. However,
Black's pawn structure on the Kingside
wa s a r g u a b l y m u c h we a k e r t h a n t h e
structures we saw in those games. As a
result, White found it easier and quicker
to formulate the standard f4-f5
breakthrough. a5 17.f4 xg5 18.xg5
e7 19.h3 b4 20.g4 b3 21.g3 hxg4
22.hxg4 bxa2 23.xa2 0-0-0 24.g2
The game had continued logically and
White's position was certainly the easier to
play. d7 25.aa1 b7 26.h1 xh1
27.xh1 a4 28.g2 d8 29.e2 b8
30.g1 c8 31.d2 e8 32.e2 b5
33.a2 a7 34.c1 ac6 35.c2
It had been a lot of pussyfooting around
(typical in these positions) but White has
all the time in the world to prepare the f2-
f4-f5 break while keeping an eye on the a4
and f7 pawns. a7 36.g3 c8 37.f3
b6 38.g3 b8 39.f4 b7??
And Black finally cracked. ( Black has to
stand firm with 39...b7 when White can
choose to break immediately with 40.f5!?
gxf5 41.gxf5 e7 42.f6 f5+ 43.f4
when again, Black has an unpleasant
defensive task awaiting him.) 40.xa4
xb2 41.xf7! xa2 42.xa2 b3
43.a6+ d7 44.d6 c7 45.h4!
b8 46.g5+- d7 47.xg6 e7
48.c8 b6 1-0 Hracek,Z (2613)-Popov,
V (2525)/ Plovdiv BUL 2008. ]
8...a5? This is quite a strange move, given
that it is not a necessary step in preparing ..
Ba6 and that Drasko was not worried about
giving up his e7 bishop!
[ I thought the natural 8...c7 9.g3 a6
was more logical and more in the spirit of
this variation. ]
9.g3?
[ White should take the plunge and risk
losing a pawn with 9.d6+! xd6 10.exd6
when the d6 pawn is more of a nuisance for
Black then a weakness for White. A logical
continuation could then be 0-0 11.0-0 a6
12.g5! f6 ( 12...f6 looks risky: 13.e5!
xd6 14.xf6 gxf6 15.g4+ h8 16.h4
xd3 17.xf6+ g8 18.xd3 ) 13.f4
with an obvious edge to White. ]
9...a6 Now things are back to normal.
10.h5 g6 11.f4 xd3 12.xd3 c8
Drasko prepares to offer a Queen exchange
where he hopes he can outplay his lower-
rated opponent in an endgame. 13.h4 a6
14.d2 White probably didn't want to change
queens but he had no reasonable way to
avoid the exchange.
[ For example, 14.c2 c6 15.h5? g5! ]
14...xd3 15.xd3 h5 16.e2 c6
This position has to be equal though Black
can claim to have the slightest of advantage
due to his better bishop. The position does
offer a lot of scope for a fight though, and it
seems to me that Black risks less than White
i f h e t r i e s t o g o f o r a w i n . 17.b3?!
This created a hook which Drasko latched on
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
and never let go. W e already saw how
detrimental the effect could be when White
played this move in the stem game Andriasan-
Nepomniachtchi (archives). It was less so here,
but was still a reason for Black to be hopeful.
a4 18.b4 White can't be happy to give up the
c4 square like this but he had reasonable
chances of setting up a blockade of some sort.
cxb4 19.cxb4 b5! 20.ac1 c8 21.c3
b6 22.d2 c4 Black was slightly better
at this stage though it was always going to be
dif f icult to win f rom this position. Af ter a
series of inaccuracies, Drasko managed to:
23.f4 f8 24.g3 e7 25.c5 f5
26.xc4?
[ 26.hg1 ]
26...dxc4! The d4 pawn is a weakness now.
27.e4 e7 28.cd1 d8 29.a3
White had an extra pawn all of a sudden! How
did that happen? Oh wait, that's a bishop...
0-0 30.d2 d5 31.hd1 fd8 32.f3 f8
33.b2 e8 34.a1 8d7 35.b2 d8
36.a1 c8 37.b2 b7 38.a1
White could only wait while Black masterfully
prepares the breakthrough. c6 39.b2 d8
40.f2 f6! 41.h3 f8 42.exf6 xf6
43.g1 fd8 44.e2 e5! 45.fxe5 xe5
46.c3 c7 47.e1 e8 48.c2 f8
49.f4 xh4+ 50.gxh4 xf4+ 51.e3
xh4 52.f2 h3+ 53.d2 h2 54.e6+
d7 Summary: This was a fine display by
Drasko but to be fair, White did make it easy
for him by allowing the exchange of Queens
early in the game. The game Hracek-Popov,
embedded in the notes, is instructive for a
number of reasons, one of which is that it is
always important to remember to keep our
options open and not be fixated on a pre-
conceived notion on how the game should be
carried out. This error is committed by a lot of
players and I have to say I'm one of them. For
example, after reading Neil's comments in the
fantastic Nepomiachitchi game, I started
putting my King on d7 and playing the
"ingenious" ..h6, ..Qg8, ..Qh7 manoeuvre
while playing blitz on the playchess. com
server whenever I could. Of course, I was
crushed unceremoniously. I suppose one of
the arts in Chess is the ability to consider and
evaluate correctly as many ideas as possible
in concrete positions, and this is perhaps,
most valid in positional lines like this.
0-1
367 C03
Pavlov,Sergey1 2368
Vysochin,Spartak 2579
3rd Platonov Mem (6) 09.01.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 d7?! The idea behind this move is
to direct play into typical Isolated Queen's
P a wn c h a n n e l s b u t wi t h W h i t e ' s b i s h o p
somewhat misplaced on d3 and the black
knight already in touch with the important e4
square after Nd7xc5. It has been used with
success by Lputian and others, but what
occurs in the present game makes me
doubtful about its value. 6.exd5
[ White has also tried carrying out the plan in
the main game but without capturing on d5. I
don't recommend this approach, as leaving
Black with an isolated pawn on d5 must be
useful in quelling his counterplay: 6.b4? a5
7.a3 axb4 8.b2 bxa3 9.xg7 f6
10.xh8 xh8 11.a2 xc5 12.gf3
dxe4 13.xe4 xe4! ( Instead
13...xd3+? was an error of judgment after
wh ich B la ck lo st th e en d ga m e : 14.xd3
xd3 15.cxd3 b2 16.d2 e7 17.c3
b5 18.d4 b7 19.dxb5 xg2 20.g1
c6 21.xa3 xa3 22.ga1 a5
23.xa3 and White soon won in Parligras,M-
Rocha,S/Calvia ESP 2004.) 14.xe4 c3+
15.e2 xd1+ 16.xd1 f6 17.d3 ( Or
17.d3 d5 aiming at b4, f4 or even c3 as
n e c e s s a r y .) 17...xe4 18.xe4 b5
and Black has a splendid initiative for the
exchange. ]
6...exd5 7.b4! This is the way that White can
cross Black's plans. Instead
[ 7.b3 leads to the aforementioned IQP
position: xc5 8.f3! A great strategist like
Michael Adams is aware that there is no
need to run away from an exchange with 8...
Nxd3, as it will clarify White's pressure on
d5. ( White was quickly outplayed after
8.b5+?! d7 9.xd7+ xd7 10.e3
a4! 11.e2 f6 12.0-0-0 0-0 13.h3
fc8 14.f4 c7 15.f3 ac8
319
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
etc. in Kacheishvili,G-Lputian, S/Yerevan
2000. ) 8...f6 9.0-0 0-0 10.e3 ce4
11.e2 d6 12.e1 e8 13.d4
with a typical heavy weight positional battle
in the centre in Adams, M-Lputian,S/Manila
1990. ]
7...a5 8.a3 axb4 9.b2! bxa3
[ It looks breathtakingly bad to give up the g7
pawn, but there is no choice. The point is
that after 9...f6 10.axb4! Black doesn't win
a piece as the rook on a8 is attacked. If it
wasn't for this simple move Black would
h a v e a c l e a r a d v a n t a g e a f t e r ( 10.xf6
xf6 ) 10...xa1 11.xa1 and White has a
healthy extra pawn. A strong player will
always choose to imbalance the position as
in the game rather than tamely submit to
being a pawn down for nothing. ]
10.xg7 f6 11.xh8 xh8 12.a2 xc5
Players of the Grünfeld will be aware of the
potential of an outside passed pawn
supported by the dark squared bishop. Here,
however, there is a pawn missing from g6,
which leaves the bla ck king with no saf e
shelter. 13.e2 e7
[ Black held the draw in a blitz game after
13...e6 14.f4 g5 15.xe6 fxe6
16.0-0 e7 17.f3 g4 18.b5+ f8
19.c4 e4 20.b3 b2 21.xb2 axb2
22.xb2 g7 23.c1 g8 24.d7 c5
25.b5 b6 26.cxd5 xd5 27.c6
in Baklan,V- Bartel,M/playchess.com INT
2004 but even here his scattered pawns give
him trouble. ]
14.0-0 b2 15.b5+
[ Another approach was to leave things fixed
on the queenside and play for an attack with
15.f4 and then Qf3, Re1 etc. ]
[ Sheer greed wit h 15.xh7 also has its
virtues. ]
15...f8 16.c4! d7 17.xb2
[ Black would be playing for a win after
17.xd7? dxc4 ]
17...xb5 18.d3
[ Now after 18.d3 c4 19.a1 e4
Black has enough activity to bluff his lower
rated opponent into agreeing to a draw. ]
½-½
368 C03
Plaskett,Jim 2515
Short,Nigel D 2683
4NCL Birmingham ENG (10) 30.04.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.d3 c5 6.c3!? Short isn't going to be
allowed his beloved French Defence structure.
I n s t e a d P l a s k e t t d i r e c t s p l a y t o wa r d s a
standard IQP position. W hite's attacking
system should be compared closely with that
in Plaskett-Knott after 3...Nf6. c6 7.0-0
dxe4 8.xe4 cxd4 9.cxd4 0-0 10.c3
b4 11.b1 b6 12.e1 b7 13.e5
bd5?! Black has been able to develop all his
pieces to the approved squares in the
Queen's Gambit and this seems to make him
complacent. The rather stereotyped game
move allows White to reroute his queen to an
excellent attacking square. Instead
[ 13...c8 looks more sensible, keeping
control of the d3 square. However, White
then has an alternative attacking scheme
with 14.e3!? as used in a similar position
in t h e P l a sk e t t K n o t t g a m e m e n t io n e d
above. ]
14.d3! c8 Perhaps the risky
[ 14...b4 15.h3!? xd4 should have
been tried. ]
15.h3 xc3 16.bxc3 d5? White easily
deals with the threat of 17...Rxc3, after which
the black queen proves a target on d5. How
about
[ 16...b5!? e.g. 17.g5 g6 18.h6?!
A) 18...e8 19.xf7 d5 ( 19...xf7??
20.xe6# ) 20.g5 looks good for White.;
B) 18...b4! 19.xf8 xf8 when Black has
excellent play for the exchange. ]
17.d2 g6 18.c2! White plans to
embarrass the black queen with ideas of Bb3
and Nxf7. a5 19.h4 xc3 This puts
Black into a fatal pin, but already he is facing
a big attack. For example
[ 19...fe8 -to answer Qh6 with Bf8- fails to
20.g5 d5 21.xf7! ]
20.b3! d5 21.h6 b4 With all the black
pieces dragged away from the defence of the
kin gsid e , it is no surp rise th a t t h e ga m e
features a sacrificial finale. 22.d7 d8
23.xd5 xd7 24.xe6! fxe6
320
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ Or 24...f8 25.xf8+ xf8 26.h6+ g8
27.e8# ]
25.xe6+ h8 26.xc3 d8 27.f4!
There is no good answer to the threat of 28
Qf6 mate, as if 19... Rf8 20 Qxf8+! wins at
once. A pretty game.
1-0
369 C03
Pokorna,Regina 2362
Matveeva,Svetlana 2465
Olympiad w Bled SLO (14) 10.11.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5
5.g4 f8 6.df3
[ Or 6.dxc5 c6 7.g3!? Immediately
g e t t i n g t h e q u e e n o u t o f t h e wa y o f a
possible attack by h7-h5. This was
recommended by Adams after his game
with Morozevich on ChessPub which went
( 7.gf3 h5 though in fact it isn't clear what
is the best move as White won using 7.Ngf3
in t h e l a t e r g a m e M o r o vi c Fe r n a n d e z-
Hamdouchi which is also on ChessPub.)
7...f6 ( Safer was 7...xc5 ) 8.gf3 fxe5
9.xe5 xe5 10.xe5 xc5 11.d3 f6
12.0-0 d6 13.e2 c7 14.f4! xf4
It's always nice to have an extra centre pawn,
but this is a risky pawn snatch. Still, if Black
doesn't take the pawn he doesn't have any
compensation for his rook being shut in on
h8. 15.f3 d6 16.c4 e5 Black feels
obliged to give back the pawn to activate his
position. 17.cxd5 g4 18.h3 h5 19.g5
e8 20.xf6 gxf6 21.e4 g7 22.e1
hf8 23.g3+ h8 24.h4 f7 25.g5!
fxg5 26.xf7 gxh4 27.xh7+ g8 28.xh5
f4 29.g5+ f7 30.g4 c8 31.xf4+
exf4 32.f2 and White was a pawn up in
the endgame but the opposite coloured
bishops enabled Black to hold the draw in
Kotsur, P-Radjabov, T/Bled SLO 2002. ]
6...c6 7.dxc5 f6
[ On the website I give 7...xc5 8.d3 f6
as in Armas-Knaak, Cienfuegos 1980, as at
least equal for Black. Naturally a lot can
happen in 23 years and maybe Black feared
an improvement- or maybe she thought that
the game continuation was even better for
Black? At any rate it is White who is the first
to improve with her next move. ]
8.f4!? White is prepared to offer a couple of
pawns in return f or a big at tack. If Blac k
doesn't enter the sharp line in the game then
she will worse in view of her poorly placed
king and the consequent difficulty in activating
the rook on h8. The only other game in this
line I can find went
[ 8.g3 fxe5 9.xe5 xe5 10.xe5 xc5
11.f3 f6 12.d3 xf2+ 13.d1
( 13.xf2? g4+ ) 13...c5 14.f1 d6
15.e2 c7 16.d4 e5 17.b5 e7
18.f5 h6 19.g4 with a wild tactical fight in
Akopian,V-Pelletier,Y/Aubervilliers FRA
2002. ]
8...xc5
[ Unattractive for Black is 8...fxe5 9.xe5
f6 10.xc6 bxc6 11.f3 a5+ 12.c3
xc5 13.d3 etc. ]
9.d3 b6! Ambitious and necessarily so:
Black grabs a couple of pawns but at
enormous risk. 10.h3! b4+ 11.c3 xb2
12.0-0 xc3 13.b5 fxe5 White is now
three pawns down but as a consolation she is
playing with two extra rooks. 14.fc1 b4
15.ab1 f6! Gaining time to develop.
Black's position is very resilient despite her
lack of development. 16.h4 e4 17.xc6
bxc6 18.xe5 h6!
[ If 18...a3 19.e1 c2 20.g5
looks horrible for Black. ]
19.h1
[ Of course if 19.xc5? xb1+ ]
19...g8 20.b3 f8 21.g3 f5 22.g6
h7 23.g4! White's pres sure wins a piece as
the queen can no longer keep the knight
defended against Qxf6. On the other hand,
Black has three pawns and counterplay on the
light squares. xg4 24.xg4 c5 25.cg1
b7 26.g3 d4+ 27.f3 c8 28.g6 c7
29.f2?
[ Perhaps the best winning try was 29.xh6!
xh6 30.xh6 ]
29...h5 The game continues on its chaotic
course until finally Black's counterattack wins
the day 30.h3 h4 31.g2 h5 32.g4
d5 33.g6 d3 34.f1 b7 35.xf8
xf8 36.d6+ e8 37.f4 h3 38.f2 f5
39.xd5 xd5 40.g3 f5 41.f4 bf7
42.e1 g5 43.xg5 xf3 44.b8+ d7
321
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
45.xa7+ c8 46.a6+ b7 47.xe6+ 51.g1 d1+ 52.g2 f3+ 53.g1 g3
xe6 48.xe6 b1+ 49.g1 ff1 50.e8+ 54.fxg3 xg3+ 55.f1 h3+ 56.g1
b7 51.e7+ c6 ½-½
0-1
370 C03
Ponomariov,Ruslan 2630
Morozevich,Alexander 2756
34th Olympiad (11) 08.11.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 b4 8.0-0
True to his style, Ponomariov is content to
aim for a positional advantage rather than
enter the sharp variations with
[ 8.b3 ]
8...xd3 9.cxd3 xc5 Now White has a lead
in development which means he will be the
first to get his rooks involved in the struggle
for the centre. He also has the chance to try
for a bind on the centre dark squares. On the
other hand it is no small achievement for
Bla c k to e lim in a t e W h it e 's ligh t squ a re d
bishop and regain his pawn. 10.b3 e7
11.g5 h6 12.h4 d7 13.ac1 dxe4!
This appears a risky decision but Black has
calculated that White won't be able to exploit
the newly opened d file. If instead
[ 13...0-0 14.e5 when White has the strong
outpost square on d4 for his knights. ]
14.dxe4 b6 15.fd1 a4 16.c4 xb3
17.axb3 0-0 18.xf6 xf6 19.e5 g5!
Morozevich has no illusions about his bishop
being more valuable than the knight. The
important thing is to challenge the rook on c1.
20.d6 a5 21.b4 a4 22.xg5 hxg5
23.g3 ac8! As White has loose pawns the
two rook versus queen endgame will be OK
for Black. A long grim struggle ensues which
ends rather predictably in Black giving
perpetual check. 24.xc8 xc8 25.xc8+
h7 26.c4 a5 27.d2 a1+ 28.g2 e1
29.cd4 a4 30.b5 b6 31.h4 g4 32.c2
xe5 33.xa4 f5 34.h2 xb5 35.a1
d3 36.ac1 e5 37.c3 d4 38.3c2
e4 39.c4 d5 40.g1 b5 41.c5 d2
42.b4 f4 43.gxf4 exf4 44.h5+ g8
45.c8+ f7 46.c7+ f6 47.c6+ e7
48.e5+ d7 49.cc5 d1+ 50.g2 f3+
371 C03
Ripari,Marcelo 2301
Drasko,Milan 2510
9th Valley Saint Vincent ITA (8) 10.02.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 a5 8.a4
b4 9.0-0?! This makes things much easier
for Black. He should have held onto the pawn
with
[ 9.b3 when Black could try
A) Safer is 9...0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.e5 d7
12.c6! ( If 12.cxb6 xd3 13.cxd3 xb6
14.bd4 a6 gives Black plenty of play.)
12...xc6 which looks OK for Black but
not very exciting.;
B) 9...xd3+ 10.cxd3 b6 11.e5 d7
12.c6 b8 and when- or perhaps I should
say 'if'- Black regains the pawn in contrast
to the last variation above he has
already eliminated W hite's useful light
squared bishop. Still this looks risky and
so I will recommend you play the solid line
with 9...0-0. ]
9...xd3 10.cxd3 xc5 Now chances are
balanced- Black has the two bishops but
White has the chance to gain control of the
d4 square. 11.b3 e7 12.g5?!
[ More nat ural wa s 12.bd4 putting the
knight on a strong central square followed by
e4-e5 etc. ]
12...h6 13.h4 b6! 14.c2 This leads to a
loss of time but if
[ 14.bd4? g5 15.g3 g4 drops a piece. ]
14...d7! 15.xf6 xf6 16.exd5 c8
17.d1 exd5 18.e1+ e6 19.d4 0-0
20.e5 f5 21.e2? This deals with the
threat of 21...Bc2 but falls for another tactic.
Still White was already in trouble as Black's
bishops are superior to the knights and if
[ 21.c5 xb2 just loses a pawn. ]
21...xe5 22.dxe5 g4
0-1
322
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
372 C03
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2564
Ivanov 2561
ECC Halkidiki GRE (2) 23.09.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5 7.a3 White borrows a
plan from the Advance Variation- expansion
o n t h e qu e e n si d e wi t h b 2 - b 4 f o llo we d i f
necessary by Bb2 to secure the d4 point
against attack by Qb6. W ith his reply Black
frustrates this idea. a5! Preventing White from
gaining space. After the routine
[ 7...c6 White achieves his aim e.g. 8.b4
cxd4 9.cxd4 b6 10.b2 ( or perhaps
10.b3 )]
8.b5?!
[ Perhaps he should play the modest 8.b3!?
to support d4 with Bb2 after all. The game
move proves ineffective as the bishop ends
up going back to d3 with evident loss of
time. ]
8...b6 9.a4 0-0 10.0-0 c6 11.e1 f6!
This break in the centre is fully justified as
W hite's queen and bishop are far from the
action on the queenside. 12.exf6 xf6
13.d3 d7 The threat to take on d4 with the
knight or play Nb4! forces the white queen to
retreat backwards as well and leave the d
p a w n t o i t s f a t e . 14.c2 cxd4
W hite's strategy has suffered a fiasco: his
unusual opening moves were designed to
strengthen the d4 point, and it has collapsed
after only14moves! 15.c4 h6 16.b3 ac8
17.b2 d6 18.ac1 b8 19.d1
White is unable to get his pawn back. Even
worse, the pawn on d4 dominates the centre
and allows Black to build up a strong initiative.
g4! 20.h3 ge5 21.b1 dxc4 22.xe5
A d oo m ed at t em p t t o m ud d y t he wa t ers.
Ivanov makes no mistakes in what follows.
xe5 23.xe5 xe5 24.xc4 xc4
25.xc4 b5 26.c1 d6 27.e1 c6
28.e4 d5 29.d3 h2+ 30.h1 f4
31.d1 xb3 32.b1 d5 33.xd4 e5
34.e3 xg2+ 35.xg2 xd3 36.xf4
xf4 37.d1 f3+
0-1
373 C03
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2595
Vallejo Pons,Francisco 2678
36th Olympiad (3) 17.10.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 It is worth repeating that
the natural
[ 6.gf3? is inaccurate, as Black can
simplify with dxe4 7.xe4 xe4 8.xe4
xd1+ 9.xd1 xc5 when he already has
t h e b e t t e r g a m e , e . g . 10.e2 d7
followed by Nf6 driving away White's bishop
from e4 and then b7-b6 and Ba6+. ]
6...0-0 This shows Black has a specific idea in
mind as
[ 6...c6 is the usual move here. ]
7.gf3 a5!? 8.e5?!
[ Instead 8.0-0 a6!? turned out well for
Black in Hachatrian-Minasian on ChessPub.
So Rozentalis tries to exploit Black's early
kingsid e castling b y lau n ch in g a d ire c t
attack. ]
8...fd7 9.h4 h6! A vital precaution against
the Greek Gift as if
[ 9...c6? 10.xh7+! xh7 11.g5+ g8
( Or 11...h6 12.df3 and havoc follows.)
12.h5 xg5 13.hxg5 f6 14.g6
and mate follows next move. ]
[ Nor does Black stem the tide with 9...f6?
10.xh7+! xh7 11.g5+ fxg5 12.hxg5+
g8 ( The black king is soon mated after
12...g6 13.h5+ f5 e.g. 14.f3 xe5
15.d4+ e4 16.h4+ g4 17.xg4+
e5 18.e2# ) 13.h8+! xh8 14.h5+
g8 15.g6 and the white queen and pawn
on g6 defeat all the black defenders. ]
10.c3 Rozentalis loses confidence in his
attacking plan. Consistent was
[ 10.g4 with a possible line xc5 11.g5
xd3+ 12.xd3 ( After 12.cxd3 h5! 13.f1
c6 14.g3 g6 Black has blocked the
pawn storm with excellent chances: he has
a straightforward plan of b7-b6, Ba6 and
Rc8, when White will have problems down
the c file and also in defending d3.) 12...h5
13.g6 c6!? and Black looks very healthy
to me. ]
10...xc5 11.c2 f5! Now White h as an
unenviable choice between leaving Black with
323
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

a strong point on e4 for his knight or Black's position with 12.b5+! ]

exchanging on f6, when Black gains the upper 12.0-0 b6! Only now, when the threat of Ba6
hand in the centre. 12.exf6 xf6 13.e5 rules out c5-c6. 13.d1 c7 14.g5
xe5! 14.xe5 c6 15.g3 e5 16.b3 [ If 14.cxb6 xb6 followed by Ba6, when the
xb3 17.xb3 f6 18.a4 e6 19.0-0 two bishops combined with pressure along
The position is now balanced apart from the the b file make it hard to imagine how White
fact that W hite is lumbered with the could ever win. ]
weakening move h2-h4. Vallejo Pons exploits 14...bxc5 15.ac1 a6 16.c2 fc8
it in splendid style to build up a winning attack 17.h4 Here a draw was agreed. This was a
on the kingside. b6 20.c2 af8 21.d3 short and not very interesting encounter, but it
h8 22.b5? Beginning a very bad plan that affirms that Black is still OK in this variation.
leaves his light squares indefensible. He [ Note that White loses a piece after
should have plunged into complications with 17.xf6?! xf6 18.xc5? e7 ]
[ 22.e3 xb2 23.c5!? ] ½-½
22...f5 23.xc6 g6 24.xe5 e4!
[ White is given no time to block the g file
with his bishop as occurs af ter 24...bxc6 375 C03
25.f4 e4 26.g3 ] Shtyrenkov,V 2329
25.g3 bxc6 26.f4 g4 27.c7 xb2 Legky,N 2396
28.d6 xc3! 29.ae1 Alushta Summer-2013-2 (10) 11.06.2013
[ If 29.xf8 f3 and mate follows. ] [John Watson]
29...xf2! 30.c8+ h7 31.xg4 g2+
32.h1 e2+ 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 h6 4.gf3 f6
[ W hite gave up as if 32...e2+ 33.g1 5.e5 fd7 6.b3 A unique try, as far as I
e3+ ] know. It looks harmless. c5 Sound, but a little
0-1 dull.
[ 6...e7 is a good waiting move, and ]
[ 6...b6 7.d3 a6 ( 7...c5!? ) 8.xa6
374 C03 xa6 9.e2 c8 10.0-0 c5 is also of
Rublevsky,Sergei 2664 interest. ]
Radjabov,Teimour 2628 7.dxc5 c6 8.b5 xc5
FIDE World Cup Gp B (3) 12.10.2002 [ 8...xc5!? 9.xc5 a5+ 10.d2 xb5
[Neil McDonald] is about equal, e.g., 11.d3 c5 12.xc5
xc5 13.0-0 b5!? 14.d3 a5 15.e3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 ( 15.b3 a6 16.e3 e7= ) 15...c4
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 b4 16.xc4 bxc4 17.c5 f5!? ( or 17...f6
8.b3 xd3+ 9.cxd3 a5 10.a4 dxe4!? 18.fe1 f7 )]
[ I n A d a m s - M o r o z e v i c h I g a v e 10...b6 9.e3 xb3 In order not to lose time. But
two exclamations marks here. However, Black might do better to continue to target
this generosity was less in praise of the White's centre by
move itself than in recognition of [ 9...d7!? 10.0-0 c7 11.e1 e7= ]
Morozevich's great idea that lie behind it. He 10.axb3 d7 11.e2 a6 12.xc6 xc6
had realised that Black didn't have to win 13.d4 c8
back the pawn on c5 to achieve equality or [ Or 13...d7 14.0-0 c7 15.f4 c8
more: his queenside pressure would give . White stands slightly better. ]
him ample play a f ter c5xb6 Q xb6. No w 14.0-0 g6!?
Radjabov comes up with a more refined [ 14...c7 ]
version of the same plan: by delaying b7-b6 15.fe1 g7 16.d2 e7 17.c3 0-0
he prevents White responding c5-c6. ] 18.d2 fe8 19.e3 f8 20.h3 d7
11.dxe4 0-0 21.e1 b5
[ And not 11...b6? when White can disrupt [ 21...h5 ]

324
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
22.c1
[ Or 22.a5 ]
22...c5?! White stands better in any case,
but somewhat better are
[ 22...h5 23.d2! c5 24.c3 b4 25.g5 ]
[ and 22...g7 23.d2!? g5 with the idea
24.f4 f6 ]
23.b4 a7
[ 23...e7 24.d2 g5 25.g3 f5 26.h4 ]
24.xh6! a5 25.f3?!
[ 25.h3! axb4 26.xb4! ]
25...axb4??
[ 25...c4! 26.h3! still favours White, but
Black survives and it's a game. ]
26.d4 a4
[ 26...a5 27.f4 d8 28.g5! ]
27.f4 xc2 28.g5 f5 29.h8+ xh8
30.h4+ h6 31.xh6+ g8 32.h7
1-0
376 C03
So,Wesley 2627
Gomez,John Paul 2539
Battle of the GMs (2) 25.03.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
I tend to take a keen interest in tournaments
around the region and in March, the
Philippines held a closed tournament with all
its top players participating. It is very easy to
assume that the top seed Wesley So will win
the tournament easily but the tournament also
featured experienced veterans such as GMs
E u ge n i o T o rr e a n d Ro ge li o A n t o n io a n d
Olympians GMs John Paul Gomez,
Buenaventura Villamayor, Jayson Gonzalez &
Laylo Darwin. As it turned out, W esley not
only won the tournament but won it in
fascinating style with a score of 9/11,
steamrolling all opposition and finishing 2
points ahead of 2nd place Rogelio Antonio.
Like all super GMs, a key feature of Wesley's
success story, besides his natural talent and
incredible work ethic, is his opening
preparation. W e will now look at one of his
ga m e s wh e r e h e we n t f o r a n i n n o c u o u s
looking variation which actually contains a fair
bit of venom. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2
Wesley surprisingly deviates from his normal 3.
Nc3. e7 4.c3!? Harmless - not! As Neil
rightly pointed out in his previous annotations,
"The plan behind this quiet move should by
no means be underestimated." c5
[ 4...f6? would be a mistake due to 5.e5
fd7 6.d3 c5 7.e2 when Black have
played the unfavourable ...Be7 instead of
the mainlines in a 3..Nf6 variation. ]
5.dxc5 xc5 6.d3
[ 6.b3 b6 7.exd5 exd5 tends to lead to
a version of the typical IQP position where
Black gets a fair bit of activity. ]
6...f6 7.e2 dxe4?! This transposes into a
form of Rubenstein where White essential got
2 moves free - Black has played 3...Be7, 5...
Bxc5, and 8...Be7. The position might look
harmless but W hite soon obtained a huge
attack.
[ 7...a5?! Preventing 8.b4 was somewhat
missing the point here. White's subsequent
manoeuvre with 8.Nb3 and 11.Nd4 is typical
in this variation and assures White a safe
and stable edge. 8.b3 e7 9.e5 fd7
10.a4 b6 11.d4! a6 12.b5!
Black might be solid but it is going to be
difficult to find counterplay from this position.
xb5 13.axb5 c7 14.gf3 g5?
This just looks plain bad, if you compare
this with the 3..Be7 variation against the
Un ive r s a l . H e r e , W h it e i s m u ch b e t t e r
developed and is well placed to contain
Black's fleeting activity. 15.h3 h5 16.xg5!
xe5 17.e3 xg5 18.f3 f5 19.xg5
e5 20.0-0 bd7 21.f4 c4 22.d4 h6
23.f3 e7 24.h4! e4 ( 24...h7
25.g7! cleverly wins the exchange.) 25.f2
g8 26.fe1 d3 27.h2 d6 28.ad1!
xb5 29.f5! I must say this had been
flawless, powerful play by Tiviakov so far.
One only had to take a look to know that
White had a winning attack. e4 30.f4
h7
A) 31.xe4! would have been the icing on
the cake. dxe4 32.f6+!! xf6
( 32...xf6 33.d6+; 32...e8 33.b8+! )
33.fxe6+ e7 34.exd7+-;
B) 31.c4 Quite strong, but c6 32.cxd5
exd5 33.c1 d6 34.f6+! e6
B1) 35.e5!! is an amazingly beautiful
mo ve which win s im me d ia t ely: xe5
( 35...xe5 36.f5# ) 36.c6+ d6
37.xe5+ xe5 38.f5#;
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

B2) 35.xd6+ This was good enough to with Black a tempo less because of 3...
win but xd6 36.f5+ e6 37.e7 Be7 - Bxe7. Not all French players might
dxf6 38.xg8 xg8 39.c6+ d7 be aware of this line of the Colle! 9.0-0
40.xb6 e7 41.b5 h6 42.f1 f5 b6
43.xa5 c6 44.fa1 c4 45.5a4 B1) W a t s o n a n a l y z e d 10.e5 d7
xa4 46.xa4 c6 47.g1 f4 48.f1 11.b3 f6 12.exf6 xf6
e6 49.e2 f5 50.f2 e5 51.e1 and now instead of 13.g5 which is
c5 52.d4 f3+ 53.gxf3 e6 54.d1 h a rm le ss a f t e r 1 3 . . . Q d 6 , ( 13.bd4!?
f4+ 55.f1 xf3 56.g3 xh3 has been played in 2 games and seems
57.xd5+ g4 58.d6 hg5 59.b4 to offer a slight edge after d6 14.h3
e4 60.b5 fd2+ 61.g1 f3+ d7 15.e3 ae8 16.ae1 );
62.f1 fd2+ 63.g2 c4 64.c5 h4 B2) 10.b4!? White ambitiously plans a3,
65.b6 xc5 66.d4+ f5 67.xc4 Bb2 & c4, increasing the pressure on
b7 68.c7 1-0 Tiviakov, S (2686)- Black's position all over the board. d7
Feygin, M (2569)/Eppingen GER 2009. 11.b2 de5 12.c2 c7 ( 12...d4!?
A very convincing and powerful display 13.cxd4 xd4 14.xd4 xd4 15.d1
by the Tarrasch maestro! ] b6 seems equal.) 13.ae1 g6 14.a3
[ 7...c6 is commonest. 8.gf3 d7 15.c4 1-0 Godena, Kanovsky/
A) 8...c7 to avoid the transposition was Rogaska Slatina Slo 2009 (30) W hite
advisable. 9.0-0 d7 10.e5! The best try achieves his plan with a plus. ]
f o r a n o p e n i n g a d v a n t a g e . ( Langrock 8.xe4 e7 9.f3 bd7 10.0-0 c7
opined that 10.h3 dxe4 11.xe4 e7 11.d1 0-0 12.g5 d5 13.c2
12.e1 d5= is fine for Black and I see With simple moves, White has slowly built a
n o r e a s o n t o d i s a g r e e .) 10...g4!? strong attacking position which might not be
11.b3 b6 12.f4 f6 apparent at first glance. xg5 14.exg5
A1) L a n g r o c k l o o k e d a t 13.ae1 7f6 15.e5! The difference in activity
i n d e t a i l wh e n 0-0 should be fine for b e t we e n t h e 2 se t s o f m i n o r p ie c e s a n d
Black. 14.bd4 gxe5 ( 14...cxe5 ) White's Queenside majority means White has
15.xe5 xe5 16.h5 a b ig a d va n t a ge . c5 Alternatives are no
A1a) 16...g6! 17.xe5 fxe5 18.xg6 better.
c8!! 19.xe5 xd4 ( 19...hxg6 [ 15...xe5 16.xe5 h6 17.gf3 b6
20.xg6+ g7 21.h5 xd4 18.d4 b7 19.ad1 ]
22.g5 f6 23.xg7+ xg7 24.f4 [ 15...h6 16.xc7 xc7 17.e4 cd5
is unclear.) 20.cxd4 hxg6 21.g5 f6 18.d4 ]
22.xg6+ xg6 23.xg6+ g7 16.d4 b6 17.e4 e7 18.c4! b4
24.e8+ is a perpetual.; 19.xf6+ xf6 20.e4 xe5 21.xe5 b8
A1b) 16...h6? 17.xe5! fxe5 18.xe5 22.a3 a6 23.b4 f6 24.d7 xd7 25.xd7
e8 19.e2 e7 20.e1 f7 26.ad1 as after
White's exchange sacrifice has yielded [ 26.ad1 bf8 27.xf7 xf7 28.d8+ f8
him great compensation. In fact, he 29.xh7+ was hopeless, Black resigned.
w o n i n j u s t 8 m o r e m o v e s : xd4 After analyzing this game, and the others
21.xd4 g5 22.g3 f7 23.f4 d8? embedded in the notes, I generally feel that
24.g4 g5 25.xe6! xe6 26.xe6+ W hite would do well to take up this
f7 27.h7+! f8 28.c5+ variation against 3...Be7. Not only does
1 - 0 K u t u z o vi c , B ( 2 4 3 2 ) - W i l e y, T W hite gets a risk free advantage half the
(2294)/Bled 2000; time, 4.c3!? just seems too feeble that it
A2) 13.bd4!?N This seems to be a might give Black a false sense of security.
strong novelty. 0-0 14.xc6 xc6 As we have seen f rom So - Gomez and
15.exf6 xf6 16.ae1 seems to be a Tiviakov - Feygin above, W hite won
safe edge for White.; ultimately through very simple but powerful
B) 8...0-0?! This transposes into a Colle moves. It is surely enough reason to be well

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
a wa re o f t h is va ria t i o n . I n it ia lly, I a ls o
thought that Langrock's recommendation 7...
Nc6 8.Ngf3 Qc7!? would suffice for equality
but having f ound the strong novelty 13.
Nbd4!, I no longer feel so confident. Perhaps,
Bla ck ca n do be tte r to f o llo w W at so n's
recommendation with 8..0-0 9.0-0 Bb6 but
W hite seems to be able to retain a slight
edge with 10.e5 as seen in my notes. Unlike
B la c k f in d s o m e t h in g so o n , 4 . c3 ! ? wil l
soon takeover as the mainline in the 3...
Be7 Tarrasch. ]
1-0
377 C03
Stefansson,Hannes 2557
Antonsen,Mikkel 2377
Nordic Net Club Cup (2) 16.09.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.d3 c5 6.exd5
[ The alternative 6.e5 fd7 7.c3 c6
didn't appeal to W hite, and no wonder in
view of his string of disasters in this line-
see for example Nisipeanu-Lputian.
Meanwhile ]
[ 6.dxc5 dxe4 7.xe4 xe4 8.xe4
xd1+ 9.xd1 xc5 looks harmless. ]
6...xd5 7.dxc5 xc5
[ Instead 7...bd7 is more dynamic as in
Kudrin-Short. If White then tries to hold onto
h i s p a wn w i t h 8.b4 Black looks OK after
b6!? 9.cxb6 xb4 ]
8.0-0 0-0
[ White had some advantage after 8...bd7
9.e2 0-0 10.e4 c7 11.g5 b6
12.h4 b7 13.ad1 in Yegiazarian-
Lputian, Yerevan 1999. ]
9.e2 Perhaps
[ 9.b3 was a better try to keep an edge, for
example bd7!? ( 9...c6 10.b2 b4?!
11.e4! xe4 12.xe4 ) 10.b2 c7
11.c4 b6 12.e2 b7 and here Black is
safe but a bit worse. ]
9...c6 10.e4 xe4 11.xe4 g6 12.d1
e5! Black frees his queen's bishop and claims
a big share of the centre. I think he is already
at least equal. 13.e3 a5 14.d2 c7
15.c3 f6 16.c4+ g7 17.e3 f5
18.b3 ad8 19.d2 g5! The black pawns
f r u s t ra t e a l l W h it e ' s a t t e m p t s t o a t t a c k .
20.h4?! This futile move just leads White into
trouble on the h file later on. h6 21.hxg5
hxg5 22.c3 b6 23.e2? He should
content himself with a worse endgame after
[ 23.xb6 axb6 ]
23...b4! 24.xb4 xb4 25.c3 f4
Suddenly Black has dangerous threats. White
should offer the exchange of queens with 26.
Qe3. 26.d5? White still persists in trying to
attack, but now everything falls apart. e4
27.h2 h8 28.g3 e5 29.b5?
[ Here 29.xc6 was essential. ]
29...e7! 30.xb7 d7 31.a6 xd5
32.c4 e3! 33.cxd5 exf2+ 34.g2 e4+
White paid a high price for his reckless play.
0-1
378 C03
Svidler,Peter 2750
Nepomniachtchi,Ian 2545
ch-Superfinal (7) 10.12.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5
5.g4 f8 6.dxc5 c6 7.g3 h6
[ Black has usually preferred 7...f6 here. ]
8.d3 More precise than
[ 8.gf3?! f5 when the white queen gets
kicked around by the knight. ]
8...h4!? An interesting idea. Because he is
unable to harass the white queen with the
kn igh t - 8 . .. Nf 5 ? 9. B xf 5 lo b s it o f f - Bla c k
instead uses the bishop to drive away Her
Majesty from the kingside.
[ Here 8...f6 9.gf3 -not necessarily forced-
f7 would transpose to Nevednichy-Pelletier
as given in the archives. ]
9.f4 g5 10.g3 Svidler repeats the
position both to gain literal time on his clock
and mental time to familiarise himself with the
new situation. Of course, if you decide to play
8...Bh4 as Black you must remember that
White can kill any ambitions you have to win
by forcing an instant draw if he pleases. Your
opponents won't all be rated fifth in the world!
h4 11.f4 g5 12.a4 So, no draw: the
white queen gives up her defence of e5 and
seeks her fortune on the other wing. xe5
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.gf3 xd3+ 14.cxd3 e7?! After his
next move, White's queen will be well placed
on b3 to support an advance of the queenside
pawns, and the queen's bishop also finds a
good post on b2. So perhaps Black should
play
[ 14...d7 immediately, for example 15.c2
( instead 15.b3 e7 16.xb7 xc5
looks fine for Black.) 15...f6 intending 16...
Nf5. ]
15.b4! White expands on the queenside and
solidifies the c5 point. f6 16.0-0 f5?!
[ I would much prefer 16...f7 when the
knight supports a future e6-e5 advance, or
even a g7-g5 advance. ]
17.b2 h5 18.ac1 d7 19.b3 c8
20.d4! xd4 21.xd4 h4 22.h3 e8
[ Black could try the heroic 22...e5 23.b2
g5 offering the d5 pawn for counterplay. But
24.d4! looks like it wrecks that idea.
Whereas ( 24.xd5?! c6 looks like real
counterplay for Black. )]
23.f4! After some imprecise moves, Black has
fallen into a bind, and against a player of
Svidler's class there is little hope of escape.
g6 24.h1 h5 25.f3 a6 26.ce1
Methodical play: the white pieces gang up
against the e5 square to restrain the black
centre. d8 27.g1! Now the way is cleared
for a direct assault on e6. g8 28.d4 f7
29.d1 g6 30.h2 c7 This allows a
dramatic breakthrough, but in any case Black
was suffering because of the weakness on e6.
31.f5!! exf5
[ In the event of 31...e5 32.fxg6 xg6
which appears at first glance to be excellent
f or Black, Svidler h ad prepare d 33.xf6!
xf6 34.xh5 exd4 35.xd5+ f7
36.g5+ f8 ( If 36...g7 37.xg7+
xg7 38.e7+ f6 39.xd7 or; 36...h8
37.e7 f1+ 38.g1 and mate follows.)
37.xc7 xc7 38.e4 and Black has no
good answer to 39.Rf4. ]
32.xc7 xc7 33.e3 The upshot of the
pawn sacrifice is that White has the open e-
file for his rooks and he has got rid of Black's
'good' dark squared bishop. The two white
pawns on the kingside easily balance the four
black pawns, which cannot advance too far
without endangering their own king.
Meanwhile White can try to exploit his extra
pawn on the queenside. In the game Svidler
soon utilises his pressure to make his pawn
a d v a n t a g e 4 - 2 o n t h e q u e e n s i d e . h8
34.fe1 c8 35.f3 h7 36.b5 f8
37.b6! g7
[ If 37...xc5 38.e7+ h6 39.f2!
threatening mate on h4 g5 40.xf5+ xf5
41.xc5 and wins. ]
38.xd5 Now Black is defeated by the white
passed pawn on d3 in very instructive style.
d8 39.c4 g5 40.e6 xe6 41.xe6 f8
42.d6 b8 43.d5 g6 44.f1 c8
45.e6 f4 46.e4+ h6 47.d4 d7 48.e1
g7 49.a3 d8 50.d5 df7 51.d6 c8
52.d5 f3 53.gxf3 d7 54.g2 a4
55.e7 f4 56.f1 h2 57.f5 h1+
58.f2 h2+ 59.f1 h1+ 60.e2 h2+
61.d1 b2 62.1e3 d4+ 63.e2 b2+
64.f1 c1+ 65.g2 d2+ 66.e2 d1
67.c2 d4 68.d7 g4 69.e4 gxf3+
70.xf3 f5 71.xf5 h8 72.h5+ g7
73.xf7+ One of Svidler's best games- he
showed great positional judgment and tactical
flair.
[ If 73.xf7+ xf7 74.g5+ h7 75.d8 ]
1-0
379 C03
Svidler,Peter 2688
Radjabov,Teimour 2610
FIDE GP Moscow RUS (1.2) 01.06.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 b4 8.0-0
xd3 9.cxd3 xc5 10.b3 e7 11.e5
So far the game has followed Ponomariov-
Morozevich given on ChessPub where Black
equalised after
[ 11.g5 h6 12.h4 d7 13.ac1 dxe4
etc. as White wasn't able to exploit the open
d file. Instead Svidler immediately blocks
the centre to take away the option of the
d5xe4 exchange and hopes to gain a dark
square bind. ]
11...d7 12.fd4 0-0 13.f4 The white
minor pieces aren't in total harmony. Thus the
knights like the d4 square but unfortunately
only one of them can go there at a time so the
other knight on b3 is left looking rather forlorn.
328
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Furthermore, having missed the chance to
play Bg5, White's bishop isn't quite sure what
to do with itself. c5 14.g4 h8 15.xc5
xc5 White has got rid of his frustrated knight,
but every exchange loosens his grip on the
centre and makes the freeing f7-f6 ever more
likely. 16.f3 Giving up the centre post to
reinforce his grip on e5 and deter f7-f6. e7
17.fe1 d7 18.h5 f6! At last. Black is
now slightly better as the light squared bishop
h a s m o r e p o t e n t ia l t h a n W h it e ' s kn ig h t .
19.ac1
[ If 19.exf6 gxf6! and Black has a broad and
compact centre. ]
19...e8 20.h3 f5 The correct decision:
Black closes the centre again having gained
space and threatens to overwhelm White with
21...g5 and 22. ..g4. 21.e3 d7 22.c5
c8 23.d6 c6!
[ To be avoided was 23...xd6? 24.exd6
xc1 25.xc1 c6 26.e5 threatening 27.
Ng6+. It would be crazy for Black to give
the white knight the e5 square. ]
24.d4 e8 25.xc6 xc6 26.g3 h6!
Preparing to expand on the kingside with g7-
g5. 27.h4
[ Or 27.xe7 xe7 28.h4
planning g7-g5 etc. and if 29.g6+ xg6
30.xg6 simplest is c8 with possession of
the only open file. ]
27...h7 28.f4 g8 29.c1
An explosive advance. It leads to a tactical
battle in which Black's positional trumps- the
two b is ho p, s ou nd er p awn st ru ct ure an d
possession of the h file prove to be too much.
30.hxg5 hxg5 31.h2+ g6 32.g3 h8
33.e1 Retreating before he is pushed back
by 33...g4 etc. h4! threatening the d pawn
and also 34...Qh8. 34.d3 Svidler battles
hard. Hopeless is
[ 34.f3 h5 followed by g5-g4 or Qh8
etc. ]
34...xd4 35.c5 g4 36.e3
B la ck ' s ligh t s qu a re d b ish o p b e co m e s a
monster. 37.b3 d5 38.xe6 losing the
knight, but otherwise with g2 dropping it would
be a massacre anyway. a5! 39.d3 xd6
40.exd6 xe6 41.f3 h4 42.g3 h8
43.xd4 b6 44.c5 d8
0-1
380 C03
Tischbierek,Raj 2493
Hertneck,Gerald 2570
ch Altenkirchen GER (2) 01.12.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 b6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5! Black's opening justifies itself after
[ 5.e5 fd7 followed by Ba6- the white
pawns are fixed on dark squares and his
'good' light squared bishop is exchanged.
Also ]
[ 5.d3 a6 6.xa6 xa6 is a favourable
exch a n ge f o r B la ck t h o u gh a f t e r 7.exd5
xd5 8.c4 b7 9.0-0 White kept some
edge in Adams,M-Hertneck,G/Garmisch
1994 as the black knight is badly placed on
a6. ]
[ Also worth attention is the immediate
5.exd5 but this gives Black the option of
A) More enterprising than 5...exd5 6.e5
b7 7.b5+ c6 8.e2 e7 9.d3 c5?
10.b5+ fd7?! 11.dxc5 bxc5 12.g4!
leaves Black in an awkward pin on d7. He
suffered a disaster after g6 13.0-0 a6
14.a4 f5 15.e2 f8 ( Black loses a
e8 p i e c e a f t e r 15...0-0 16.xd7 xd7
17.e6+ ) 16.df3 g7 17.h6+
1-0 Hracek, Z-Hertneck,G/Germany 1995
for if xh6 18.f7+;
g5! B) 5...xd5!? 6.e5 b7 7.df3 f6
8.c4 d7 9.c3 c6 10.e2 0-0-0
11.0-0 g5 and although Black later lost in
a hard struggle I quite like his solidly
entrenched centre and kingside expansion
here in Kindermann,S-Hertneck,G/Erfurt
GER 2001. ]
5...b7
[ After 5...dxe4 6.b5+ d7
( Plain embarrassing is 6...bd7?? 7.c6 )
7.xd7 bxd7 8.c6 c8 9.0-0 d6
10.xe4 xe4 11.xe4 White with the two
d4! bishops has a small but definite advantage. ]
[ If instead 5...a6 6.xa6 xa6 7.c4
threatening Qa4+ looks awkward for Black. ]
6.b5+! A very useful check- once Black plays
c7-c6 his bishop on b7 is shut in, Ba6 is ruled
out because the c6 pawn would hang after
the exchange on a6 and Nc6 is no longer an
option. c6 7.d3 bd7
[ Also unsuccessful was 7...e7 8.exd5
329
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
exd5 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1 bd7?
( but ghastly for Black was 10...c5 11.c3
bd7 12.df3 d6 13.g5 h6 14.xd7
xd7 15.xf6 gxf6 16.d2 in Zaitsev,I-
Totsky,L/Moscow 1996.) 11.a6! c7 ( If
11...xa6 12.xc6 and e7 drops.) 12.xb7
xb7 13.xc6 xc6 14.xe7 and Black
didn't have enough for the pawn in Belikov,
V-Alekseev,V/Alushta 1999. ]
8.xd7 xd7 9.e5 Now we see another of
the benefits of avoiding an immediate
exchange on d5 with 5.exd5. White is after all
able to establish a cramping pawn centre
wit h ou t givin g B lack th e cha n ce a t le a st
immediately of exchanging bishops with Ba6.
c5 10.c3 a5 11.e2 c8 12.0-0 e7
The consistent move was
[ 12...a6 but perhaps Black was afraid of
13.f4 xd3 14.xd3 g6 ( 14...a6!? )
15.g4 when the f4-f5 breakthrough looks
very threatening-if h5 16.f5! ]
13.g4 f8
[ Also uncomfortable is 13...g6 14.e1
intending Nf3 and Bg5 or Bh6. ]
14.e1! White takes the chance to preserve
his good bishop from exchange. a6 15.b1
cxd4 16.cxd4 a7 17.f3 h6 18.d2 c7
19.a3 It doesn't look too bad for Black until
you ask yourself the question: how is he going
to bring his king's rook into the game?
Hertneck's attempted answer is to tear his
k i n g s i d e w i d e o p e n . e8 20.h4!
This is directed against the plan of g7-g6 and
Kg7 which would free the rook. c6 21.f4
g8 22.h5 g5 23.g3 g7 24.h2! f5
This looks suicidal, but otherwise White will
break open the kingside himself with f2-f4 etc.
25.exf6+ xf6 26.g6 b8 27.h3 d6
28.c3 Planning Ng4 and the doubling of the
r o o k s a g a i n s t e 6 . e5 29.dxe5 xe5
30.xe5 xe5 31.xe5 Black resigned for if
xe5 32.d7+ f6 33.g4#
1-0
381 C03
Todorovic,Goran M 2485
Anic,Darko 2481
56th ch Herceg Novi YUG (10) 02.04.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7
[ Let's see if the Bd7 and Bc6 idea is also
playable after 3...f6 4.d3 c5 5.c3 cxd4
( If Black tries 5...e7 White can revert to
t h e s t a n d a r d l i n e 6.e5 fd7 7.e2
etc. as he hasn't already committed his
king's knight to f3. In that case having the
bishop on e7 wouldn't be great for Black- he
would rather have it on d6 as occurs in the
mainline after he dissolves White's centre
with f7-f6, etc.) 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.xe4 d7!?
This looks a bit risky here, but.... 8.xf6+
A) B l a c k d o e s b e s t t o a v o i d 8...xf6
9.f3 c6? 10.g5 xf3 11.c1!
( 11.d2 b4! ) 11...xd4 12.c8+
and mate follows.;
B) 8...gxf6 If White does nothing sharp
here then Black has time for Bc6 with a
secure and active position. However, if
9.d5 a5+ 10.d2 xd5 just looks good
f o r B la c k . T h e r e f o r e t h e id e a o f B c 6
seems OK after 3...Nf6. ]
4.gf3 f6 5.d3 c5 6.c3 cxd4 7.cxd4
dxe4 8.xe4 d7!? I like this idea which is
in the spirit of the Fort Knox. Rather than the
automatic
[ 8...c6 Black adopts a manoeuvre aimed
at activating his queen's bishop and
putting pressure on e4. ]
9.0-0 xe4 10.xe4 c6 11.c2 d5
This clears the way for the knight to enter the
game on its optimum square. Already I think
Black is very comfortable. 12.e3 c6
13.e5 0-0 14.e2 c8 15.fd1 d6
16.ac1?
[ He had to prevent Black's next move with
16.a3 when Black can keep the tension or
h e a d f o r a d r a w i s h p o s i t i o n w i t h xe5
17.dxe5 xe5 18.xh7+ ( 18.h5 f5 )
18...xh7 19.h5+ g8 20.xe5 ]
16...b4! 17.a4?
[ White should have resigned himself to the
exchange of his good bishop wit h 17.a3
xc2 18.xc2 The attempt to play sharply
in the game just leaves him a pawn down. ]
330
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

17...xc1 18.xc1 xa2 19.a1 c7 15.e5 xe2 16.xe2 ) 15.e4! g6 16.c4
20.d2 a6 21.h4 b5 22.d1 b4 23.h5 b4 17.xb7 xd3 it looks as if Black is
c6 24.xc6 doing well, but he suddenly loses the
[ If 24.xa6 xd4 wins. ] e x c h a n g e a f t e r 18.d4! This is a useful
24...xc6 25.c1 b7 26.h6 g6 27.g4 reminder that tactics always come before
b4 28.h4 f6 29.h3 b6 30.e3 f5 strategy when you decide the value of a
31.f3?! Here this can be considered a mercy move. ]
killing rather than a blunder. f4! 14...d5! Black forces a weakness in White's
0-1 kingside and clears the way with gain of time
for a favourable exchange of bishops. 15.f4?
Naturally W hite still wants to attack. The
382 C03 alternative
Wang,H 2226 [ 15.f3 was passive but definitely to be
Arencibia Rodriguez,Walter 2522 pre f e rre d a s it ke ep s t h e b ish op on b 7
IV CMA Futurity (4) 27.07.2003 inactive. For example c5+ 16.h1 d4
[Neil McDonald] 17.xd4 ( Or 17.c4 a5!? 18.xd4 xd4
but not; 17.ad1? xb2 18.xh7+ xh7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5 19.xd5 xd5 and Black has too much for
5.dxc5 f6 6.exd5 t h e q u e e n .) 17...xd4 18.c4!?
[ The mainline with 6.e2 is much more the positional move White wants to make,
challenging for Black. ] as long as it doesn't leave him exposed to a
6...xd5 7.gf3 bd7! Already Black is tactical shot. Here he seems OK for if h5?!
looking to seize the initiative, though he also 19.ad1 f4? White has 20.xh7+! xh7
won after 21.c2+ winning. ]
[ 7...xc5 as given in Stefansson-Antonsen 15...c5+ 16.h1 d4! Now the dark
on ChessPub. ] squares in W hite's queenside can be
8.b3 xc5 exploited. 17.xd4
[ Instead 8...a5!? was played in Kudrin-Short [ White would drop a lot of material after
back in 1999, which was one of the first 17.c3 xe5 18.fxe5 xd3 19.xd3 xd3
games given on 3...Be7 on ChessPub. It 20.exf6 d2 ]
was a great success for Black and helped to 17...xd4 18.ad1 c3! White is denied the
spark the revival of the variation. ] option of c2-c4 and so cannot fight for the d5
9.xc5 xc5 10.0-0 0-0 11.e2 square. 19.de1 g6 20.f2
[ Or 11.e3 c7 12.d4 b6 13.e2 b7 W hite's attacking foray has little chance of
with equal chances in Bellia-Drasko, Italy success as Black is so well entrenched in the
1999. ] centre. g7 21.h4 d4 22.e3 d2!
11...b6 12.b3 b7 If Black had develop his 23.e2 xd3! A superb positional sacrifice.
queen's bishop in this type of pawn structure 24.xd2 xd2 25.f3 xc2 When deciding
without suffering any weaknesses then he is o n t h e q u e e n s a c A r e n c i b i a m u s t h a v e
a t le a s t e qu a l . 13.b2 ad8 14.e5?! weighed up the following factors: Black has
In view of his passive opening it is a bit late to the full material equivalent for a queen he has
be trying to attack like crazy. If pressure along the seventh rank and against
[ 14.c4 to get control of the important d5 g2 and most importantly there are no weak
s q u a r e t h e n h5 is rather awkward for points in the black kingside f or the white
White, as if 15.e5? xe2 16.xe2 d2 queen to attack. 26.a4 xf3! A good swap.
and he loses a piece. However, ] W hite is compelled to recapture with the
[ 14.ad1 was solid enough when Black is pawn after which his kingside is wide open.
c o m f o rt a b le b u t h e c a n 't s p e a k o f a n y 27.gxf3 d8 28.f2 d1+ 29.g2 cc1!
advantage. In fact if he over presses he Black needs both rooks to finish off the attack.
might suffer the following embarrassment: 30.f5 A desperate attempt to free the queen.
d5? ( Chances are equal after 14...h5 g1+ 31.h3 c5! 32.g2

331
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ If 32.fxe6 h5 ]
32...f1 33.f2 d1 34.g2 xf5 35.f4?
A blunder that has the merit of releasing
W h it e f ro m t h e t o rt ure o f d e f en d in g t h is
position. In fact he resigned straightaway as
Black will win the exchange after h5 36.g3
e4
0-1
383 C03
Wang Yu 2396
Lputian,Smbat G 2614
World Team Ch (7) 08.11.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5
5.g4 f8 6.dxc5 c6 7.g3 f6!
[ for the moment at least the plan involving f7-
f6 and Nh6 seems to be Black's best
re s p o n s e t o 5 . Q g 4 . I n st e a d a f t e r 7...h5
8.b3! White keeps the advantage- see
Kobalia-Ivanov on ChessPub. ]
8.gf3 h6 Black's basic plan is to put his
knight on f7 and force White to concede the
centre with e5xf6. Then after the recapture
g7xf6 he will have an impressive mass of
centre pawns. Imprecise is
[ 8...fxe5 9.xe5 xe5 10.xe5 xc5
11.d3 f6 12.0-0 d6 13.e2 c7
14.f4! xf4 15.f3 d6 16.c4 and White
had an attack in Kotsur-Radjabov, Bled
2002. ]
9.b3? A move with good intentions, but it
just ends up dropping the e5 point.
[ Previously on ChessPub we have looked at
the sharp line 9.d3 f7 10.exf6 gxf6
11.0-0 e5 12.h4!? e4 13.xe4 dxe4
14.xe4 d4 15.d3 e6 16.e2 c7
17.e1 xc5 18.d5 as played in
Nevednichy,V-Pelletier,Y/Gothenburg SWE
2005 and now I suggest e5! to force off
the queens and so reduce White's initiative.
In that case the plan of 8...Nh6 might have
been justified. For example 19.d1 ( or
19.xe5 xe5 20.f5 g7 ) 19...d4
20.xd4 xd4 21.e3 b6 ]
9...f5! Lputian adapts his plan to the new
circumstances. As Wang Yu has avoided Bd3,
there is no potential fork on e4 of the type
that caused W hite discomfort in the
Nevednichy game but on the other hand the
black knight can jump to the f5 square, as
there is no Bd3xf5 response. Instead after the
routine
[ 9...f7?! White might have played 10.exf6
( 10.f4!? ) 10...gxf6 11.b5 when she has
saved time on the Nevednichy game. ]
10.f4 g5 Black cannot afford to be
squeamish about advancing his kingside
pawns. If he establishes a strong pawn centre,
his king's safety will take care of itself. 11.d2
xe5 12.xe5 fxe5 13.e2? Wang Yu's
problem is that it is hard to make a dent in the
black pawn centre, as she has no centre
p a wn s a n d t h e f 2 - f 4 a d v a n c e i s a l m o s t
impossible to carry out. The only plausible
pawn stab is c2-c4. Therefore the plan of
putting the bishop on g2 seems inappropriate,
as W hite becomes weak on the a6-f1
d i a g o n a l : a f a ct t h a t L p u t i a n e xp lo it s i n
efficient style. Therefore
[ 13.e2 looks the best chance, e.g. f6
( 13...g7!? ) 14.0-0 h5!? ( 14...e4!? ) 15.c4
and W hite is at least probing the wall of
pawns. ]
13...f6 14.d2 g7 15.g3 h6 16.g2 b6!
Before W hite has time to organise c2-c4,
Lputian opens lines to decisive effect on the
queenside. 17.0-0 Alas if
[ 17.c4 a6 ]
17...a5 18.cxb6 xb6! Black has such a big
a d va n t a g e t h a t h e e s ch e ws win n in g t h e
exchange with
[ 18...a6 which allows White to mix things
with 19.h5 xf1 20.b7 a7 21.xf1 ]
19.fb1 a4 20.c1 a6 21.d1 e4
It looks like W hite has set up the pieces on
the queenside for a game of Fischer Random.
Th e A rm e nia n GM th e re f ore f ocu se s h is
attention on the under defended White centre.
22.c3 e3 23.e1 ad8 24.xa4 d4 25.c4
[ If 25.cxd4 exf2+! 26.xf2 xd4 27.xd4+
( or 27.c2 xf2+ 28.xf2 d1+
and wins. ) 27...xd4 28.c2 d1# ]
25...d3 The diagram position represents a
fantastic triumph for the Tarrasch 3...Be7.
26.xd3 White has to submit to a loss of a
piece. Her queenside pawns would confer
enough counterplay if her king were safe, but
such is not the case. xd3 27.c5 a7
28.d1 d4 29.b4 hd8 30.xd4 xd4
332
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

31.d1 exf2+ 32.xf2 xf2+ 33.xf2 a l t e r n a t i v e 9...g7 , which is attractive

xd1 34.xd1 b5 35.a4 because it catches up some in development
[ If 35.d2 f7 36.g1 f6 37.c6 d4 (a problem in this line) as well as
38.c7 e2+ 39.xe2 ( or 39.h1 a1+ intensifying the onslaught against White's
and mates ) 39...xe2 40.c8 d4+ doomed pawn chain. This may be the most
41.h1 d1+ and mate next move. ] direct solution to 9 c4, although naturally
35...xa4 36.xa4 xa4 37.c6 f6 38.c7 play is very complicated a plausible variation
d6 39.b7 d7 40.a6 c8 41.b5 e5 is 10.cxd5 ( White doesn't seem to get
The black king heads for b6, and if the white much compensation after 10.b3 dxc4
king targets the h6 pawn, then the e-pawn 11.xc4 cxd4 , e.g., 12.bxd4 dxe5
can advance. 13.xe5 xe5 14.b5+ d7 15.e2 0-0
0-1 16.d1 a6 17.xd7 xd7 ) 10...exd5
A) 11.b1?! cxd4 12.b3 dxe5
13.xe5 xe5 14.xd4 0-0;
384 C03 B) 11.e1 0-0 ( 11...g4 12.e6! )
Whissell,Mavros 12.b1!? ( 12.dxc5? g4 ) 12...cxd4;
Chung,Kevin C) 11.dxc5 xc5 12.b3 xb3
Closed, Kitchener 02.08.2010 13.xb3 g4 14.e1 xe5;
[John Watson, Mavros Whissell] D) 11.e6!? (losing in the centre, White
wants to expose Black's king. Some other
Mavros Whissell submits a game in the 3...h6 possibilities, all of which can be analysed
line with an interesting twist: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 further, are fxe6 12.g6+ f8 13.dxc5
3.d2 h6 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5 xc5 14.b3 (otherwise ...e5 makes life
7.d3 c6 8.0-0 g5 The obvious and most too easy for Black) xb3
important response. If Black doesn't like this D1) 15.axb3 is too slow following e5
line, he could play ( 15...f6 16.h5 anticipates ...Kg7, but
[ (a) 8...b6 , which transposes to the does nothing to discourage e5! ) 16.e3
normal line with 3... Nf6 4 e5, etc., with the f6 17.c2 e6 18.h5 e4 ( 18...d4!
slightly unusual 7...Qb6 8 0-0 h6!?. By this 19.ad1 c8 20.c1 d7 is perhaps
means, Black avoids White's lines with an easier ) 19.ad1 g7 ( 19...exf3?
early h4 on the flip side, Black may not want 20.c5+ e7 21.g6! threatens both
to have ...Qb6 in this early. 9.dxc5 xc5 Qf6+ and Qxe6) 20.d4 xd4 21.xd4
10.c2 g5 ( 10...d7 11.c4 d4 12.e1 ) xd4 22.xd4 f8;
11.b3 g4 12.fd4 xe5 13.xc5 xc5 D2) 15.xb3 g4!? ( 15...b6!? )
14.f4 d6 15.a4+ f8 16.e3 16.e1 h5!? 17.f3 g3!? ( or 17...d4+
( 16.e2 f3+! ) 16...d8 17.e2 ] 18.h1 g7 19.d3 e5 , when I like
[ (b) 8...e7 is of course playable, but less Black's centre, although White can try
logical than 8...Qb6 that is, in the main 3... various ways to exploit the looseness
Be7 lines ... h6 is unusual and not very around Black's king) 18.hxg3 b6+
useful. But, again, White's 0-0 eliminates 19.xb6 axb6 with a small but definite
some of his most dangerous options. ] edge for the second player. ]
9.c4!? This is Mavros' new idea: in spite of 10.cxd5 exd5 11.e6!
u s i n g t wo m o v e s t o p l a y c 3 - c 4 , B l a c k ' s [ 11.e1?! i s t o o s l o w : xd4 12.c2
kingside has arguably been weakened by his ( 12.xg4? xe5 ) 12...c6! ( 12...e6
extra move ...g5. You might compare last 13.f4 c4 14.e2 is less clear) 13.f4 c4
m o n t h ' s g a m e s i n w h i c h c 4 w a s p l a ye d 14.e2 h5 followed by ...Nc5. ]
straightaway, and Black was able to castle 11...fxe6 12.g6+ This time Black's king
kingside because he had only played ...h6 won't settle on f8, so W hite's attack has a
there. g4 much better chance of succeeding.
[ It's true that ..g5 has weakened Black's Nevertheless, Black's central advantages
kingside, but it has also made room for the keep him in the game. e7 13.h4 xd4!?

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
The position is difficult to defend, even if
Black maintains his central pawns. It may be
best (at least in practical terms) to flee with
the king while getting out of the way of Black's
pieces, either by
[ 13...cxd4 14.xg4 ( 14.b3!? ) 14...de5
15.h5 d6 ]
[ or 13...d6 14.dxc5+ ( 14.xg4 xd4 )
14...c7 , in either case with an unclear
position with mutual chances. Fun stuff! ]
14.b3!
[ The only other game that I could find with 9
c4 (it seems that everything has been played
at least once!) went 14.b4!? g7! 15.bxc5
xc5 16.a3?! ( 16.xg4 d6 17.b1
improves, with near equality) 16...b6
17.xg4 d6! 18.ac1?? ( 18.ad1 e5
19.f5 is better, but Black's centre and
activity are still large assets af te r g8 )
18...g5! (winning material, and thus the
game) 19.xg5 hxg5 20.hf3 e2+
21.h1 xc1 22.xc1 e7 23.b1 g4
24.e1 e5 25.g3 d6 26.b2 f8 27.f4
a6 28.g2 ac8 29.d1 a4 30.g7
g8 31.d4 e2 0-1 R Gruettner-H
Kummerow, Bad Wiessee 2009. ]
14...xb3
[ 14...c6! is the last chance to fight for full
equality. It's a common idea in these sorts
of positions, retaining more central control
and thus helping to defend the king. There
might follow, for example 15.f4 ( 15.xg4
de5 16.h5 d6 17.f4 f6
i s u n c l e a r) 15...de5!? 16.xc5 f6
, which is probably acceptable for Black, but
obviously precarious. The most likely
continuation is 17.e4+ ( 17.xe5+ xe5
18.e4+ g7 t r a n s p o s e s) 17...g7
18.xe5+ xe5 19.d4 xh4 20.xe5+
xg6 21.xh8 e7 22.c3 g7
with the pawn and bishop pair compensating
for the exchange. ]
15.axb3 b6?!
[ A more serious mistake. It's hard to
u n t a n g l e m a y b e 15...d6 , but then
16.f4+ c6 17.xg4 should favour White
somewhat. ]
16.e1!
[ Or 16.h5 d8 17.g6 g8 18.xf8
xf8 19.xh6 ]
16...d8 17.f4!?
[ 17.f7! f6 18.g6 h7 19.xe6 xe6
20.xf8 e7 21.g6 and Black's king is
very exposed. ]
17...e7 18.g3
[ Again, 18.f7! is strong, in view of xh4
19.xe6 ]
18...f8?
[ 18...h5 would be tougher. Now the g-pawn
falls in circumstances favourable to White. ]
19.h5 d6
[ Or 19...f6 20.f5! d7 21.d6 ]
20.xg4 xg3 21.hxg3 c7 22.f3
Securing e5. Alternatively,
[ 22.f5! threatening Qh4 was winning. ]
22...e7 23.e5 c7 24.f7 h7 25.f4+
b6 26.b4! a6 27.bxc5+ a7 28.d6
The stage is set for a cute finish: d7 29.b4
c6 30.xa6+!
[ 30.xa6+ b8 ( 30...xa6 31.b6# )
31.xc6 wins the house. ]
1-0
385 C03
Yemelin,Y 2540
McDonald,Neil R 2438
Cappelle la Grande 2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.e5 c5 5.c3
c6 6.gf3 So White decides after all that
he wants the king's knight on f3, though this
le a ve s t h e N o n d 2 wit h o u t a cle a r ro le .
Instead
[ 6.df3 cxd4 7.cxd4 b4+! transposes to
Korchnoi-Short, which is fine for Black. ]
6...b6? Obviously I don't read the things I
write, as it was more accurate to play
[ 6...cxd4 7.cxd4 b6 which would cut out
some of White's dynamic possibilities. ]
7.a4?
[ Black's last move gave White the chance
t o f a vo u r a b l y d i s s o l ve t h e ce n t r e wi t h
7.dxc5! xc5 8.e2 when he is ready to
play 9 Nb3, chasing the B from c5 followed
by Be3. In that case W hite would have a
small advantage based on his piece control
of the d4 square. ]
7...d7!
[ I didn't like the variation 7...cxd4 8.xd4
d7 9.xc6 bxc6 10.g4 when White
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

m i g h t b e s l i g h t l y b e t t e r a f t e r s a y f8 37.b4 a8

T h e g a m e m o ve p r e p a re s t o se ize t h e [ 37...e7 was better, with fair drawing
in i t i a t i v e . W h i t e ' s n e xt t wo m o ve s a r e chances. There was a hectic time
forced. ] scramble hereabouts. ]
8.dxc5 xc5 9.h4 g5! It is essential to 38.b7+ g8 39.ff7 f8 40.a3 g5
disrupt White's game before he has time for 41.d5! c3 42.fc7 xd5 43.g7+ h8
10 Nb3. Of course, if 44.xf8 c2 Or
[ 9...ge7? 10.b4 wins a piece. ] [ 44...xf8 45.xh7+ g8 46.bg7# ]
10.xg5 45.a3 c1+ 46.xc1 d1+ 47.g2 xc1
[ If 10.g3 g4 11.h4 c7 ( Or 11...h5!? 48.xh7+ g8 49.bg7+ f8 50.f3?
12.b3 e7 ) 12.f4 f5 13.h3 h6 W h i t e d o e s n ' t w a n t t o g i ve u p h i s t o t a l
looks slightly better for Black. ] domination of the seventh rank, but there was
10...xe5 Now Black has conquered the an easy win with
c e n t r e a n d h a s a p o s i t i o n a l a d va n t a g e . [ 50.a7! xa7 51.xa7 c4 52.h3
11.b3 g6 12.g3 d6 13.e3 f6? followed by advancing the passed pawns. ]
14.f3 Naturally 50...c3+ 51.e4 e8+ 52.d4 ee3
[ 14.xe6? xe3+ loses a piece . However, 53.f7+ g8 54.hg7+ h8 55.g4 cd3+
Black should have taken the chance t o 56.c5 a3 57.f5 e7 58.h5+ h7
exchange queens with 13... Qxe3+ as the 59.xh7+ xh7 Black will pick up one of
doubled b pawns will prove a weakness White's pawns for the a pawn, with a trivial
rather than a strength. Of course this means draw.
White himself should play Qxb6 at the first ½-½
opportunity. ]
14...e5 15.g3
[ 15.xb6! ] 386 C03
15...8e7 Zagrebelny,Sergey
[ Again Black should have taken the chance McDonald,Neil R
to exchange queens with 15...xe3+ when Challengers Hastings 2000
16.xe3 8e7 gives him some advantage. ] [Neil McDonald]
16.xb6 axb6 17.e3 c6 18.g2 If
[ 18.xb6 d4 is nasty for White. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 I decided to
18...c7 19.0-0 f7 20.h6!? f5 21.d2 practice what I preach. 4.d3 c5 5.dxc5
d6 22.e1 c4 23.c1 hd8 24.f4 g7 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 xc5 The trendy
25.c2 a4? All this manoeuvring, combined [ 7...b4 can be found in Almasi-Timman
with the belief that I had a solid and better and Adams-Morozevich. ]
position, had switched off my tactical radar. I 8.c3 White preserves his bishop against a
should have played later ...Nb4. Another way to do it was with
[ 25...b5 followed b y Bb6 when Black can [ 8.a3 which also aims for pressure with b4
still claim a s light e dge b eca use o f his and Bb2. I was planning to continue 0-0
impressive centre. ] 9.0-0 ( 9.b4 d4 ) 9...c7 10.b4 d4!
26.fxe5 fxe5?! 27.bd4!! A brilliant move, 11.xd4 xd4 12.b1 d7 13.c4 ac8
and completely unexpected. Black's proud 14.b2 xb2 15.xb2 f4! as in Howell-
centre is dismantled. exd4 28.xd4! Not Hausner, Pardubice 1994, which looks fine
[ 28.b3 d3! ] f o r B l a ck-I f 16.e5? g4 17.g3 xe5
28...e8 There is no way to escape material attacks b2. ]
loss in view of the double threat of 29 b3 or [ Alternatively, 8.e5 g4 9.0-0 c7
29 Ne6+ 29.b3 a5 30.bxc4 dxc4 31.xc6 10.b3 b6 ( 10...gxe5?? 11.xe5
bxc6 32.xc6 d5 33.d4 b5 34.b1 xe5 12.xc5 xc5 13.xe5
[ This gives Black a chance. Much stronger drops a piece.) 11.f4 f6!? appears good
was 34.f5+ ] for Black. ]
34...b6 35.a4 xd4+ 36.cxd4 bxa4 8...c7 Black avoids

335
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 8...0-0 in order to begin an immediate fight 40...xe5 41.c2

for the dark squares in the centre. ] [ If 41.b6 axb6!? 42.xb6 g7! ( 42...f7?
9.0-0 d7 10.h3 h5!? Again, Black opts 43.xf6+! xf6 44.d7+ e6 45.xe5
for some active play before W hite can xe5 46.xg5 draws. ) 43.e6+ h6
consolidate his space advantage with 11 e5. is highly unpleasant for White. ]
11.b3! 41...g7 42.f4 g6! The point. Now taking
[ White wisely avoids variations like 11.exd5? the rook allows 43...f5 mate. 43.fxg5 fxg5
f4 12.e4? f5! 13.a4 ( 13.c4 a5 ) 44.d2 White has to give up a piece as there
13...xh3+! 14.gxh3 g3+ 15.h1 xh3+ is no other defence against the threat of 44...
16.g1 ( 16.h2 xd3 ) 16...e5 17.b5 Re3 followed by 45...Rg3 or 45...Bf3 mate.
xf3+ 18.xf3 g3+ 19.h1 xf3+ xc5 45.d6+ f7 46.a6 d5 47.xa7+
and Black wins. ] f6 48.a4 c4+ 49.h5 f7+ 50.h6 c8
11...g3 12.c2 dxe4 13.xe4 xe4 51.a6+ e6 52.h7 g4 53.hxg4 h3
[ Instead 13...xf1 14.xc5 just loses 54.g5+ e5
material. ] 0-1
14.xe4 d6 15.e3? A careless
developing move after which Black seizes the
initiative. He should try 387 C03
[ 15.d1! putting pressure along the d file e. Zagrebelny,Sergey 2540
g. e7! ( also possible is 15...d8!? Morozevich,Alexander 2678
with the unclear line 16.g4 e5 17.xg7 Aeroflot Open (6) 16.02.2003
xf3+ 18.gxf3 e5 19.f4! xg7 20.xc7 [Neil McDonald]
c8 21.g3 c6 22.d3 and Black seems
to have another play for the pawn.; finally 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.d3 c5
15...0-0-0 16.c4 looks better for White.) 5.dxc5 f6 6.e2 c6 7.gf3 b4 8.e5
16.c4 angling for c5, but not ( 16.d4?! f5 [ A committal move, but White has prepared
etc. ) 16...c6 17.e2! with fairly equal a new idea: the recapture on d3 with queen
chances. ( not 17.g4 h5! )] rather than pawn. This would have been
15...e7! Now the black bishop gets to the impossible after the usual move order 8.b3
excellent a8-h1 diagonal. 16.d4 If xd3+ wh e n W h i t e m u s t p l a y 9.cxd3
[ 16.bd4? e5 17.b3 f5 pushes White to stop e4 dropping. ]
backwards. ] 8...d7 9.b3 xd3+ 10.xd3
16...c6 17.e2 g6 18.fe1 W hite keeps a pawn on c2 so that he can
[ If 18.xg7? g8 19.f6 f4 is fatal. ] begin an attack on d5 later on with c2-c4. The
18...f4 19.e3 0-0 20.c4 b6 21.ac1 e5! usual- and better-recapture was
T h i s b r e a k s u p W h it e ' s ki n g si d e a n d s o [ 10.cxd3 ]
en s u re s Bla c k t h e b e t te r ch a n ce s in t h e 10...a5!
endgame. 22.xe5 xe5 23.xe5 xe5 [ If 10...xc5 11.xc5 when to save himself
24.xe5 xg2 25.c3 fe8 26.h2 f6 from losing a piece Black must play the
27.d3 xe1 28.xe1 b7 29.c5 e8 awkward a5+ 12.d2 xc5 ]
30.d3 e2 31.c2 bxc5 32.bxc5? 11.e3
[ In time pressure White's king ends up in a [ Critical is 11.a4 b6! 12.cxb6 ( Or 12.c6?!
mating net. He should keep control of the c5 13.xc5?! bxc5 and Black has
d5 square with 32.dxc5 ] excellent chances- he will regain the c6
32...d5 33.b4 d4 34.b2 f3+ 35.g3 pawn sooner or later and meantime Ba6 will
g5! 36.b5 h5 37.b4 h4+ 38.g4 s t o p W h i t e f r o m c a s t l i n g .) 12...a6
[ Instead 38.g2 a8 39.c6 d4 and Black has ample compensation for the
loses a pawn. ] p a w n , e . g . 13.e3 ( 13.d1 xb6 )
38...a8 39.c6 e5+ 40.xe5 13...0-0 14.xa5 c5 ]
[ After 40.f5 f7! White's king remains in 11...a4 12.bd2 0-0 13.0-0 xc5 14.d4
great danger. ] d7 15.g4 White methodically prepares c2-

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
c4. However, after the opening of the centre
Black's bishops become extremely strong.
h8 16.ad1 c8 17.c4 f5! An excellent
move that unleashes the dynamic energy in
the black pieces. 18.exf6 xf6 19.cxd5
exd5 20.b4 d3 21.xb7 g4 22.h3
h5 23.b1 A horrible move, but how else is
W hite to counter the threat of 23...d4,
trapping the bishopone3?If
[ 23.g4 g6 leaves Black in total control of
the centre. ]
23...xf3 24.gxf3 b8 25.c6 b4
26.xa4 c8 27.f4 b6 28.fe1 h4
29.g2 f5 30.d4 c2 31.e8 xd4
32.xf8+ xf8 33.xd4 b4
0-1
388 C04
Adhiban,Baskaran 2481
Zaragatski,Ilja 2472
HZ Open Vlissingen NED (6) 05.08.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.d3 f6 7.g5!? I analyzed this
line in the May update and concluded that
Black has nothing to fear if he knows his
theory well. Since then, a couple of
theoretically important games have appeared.
dxe5! 8.dxe5 fxg5 9.h5+ g6 10.xg6+
d7 11.d3
[ 11.c4!? xe5 12.c2 f6 13.0-0 c6!
This natural move bolsters Black's centre. I
previously analyzed ( 13...h6 14.cxd5 exd5
15.b3 d8; 13...d6 Babaev-Zuniga,
(see notes to Plaskett-Berczes)) 14.cxd5
exd5 15.b3 f7! Making use of a tactical
n u a n c e t o d e f e n d t h e g - p a w n . 16.e2
( 16.xg5?? f3+! would have been a
disaster. ) 16...d6 It is easy to see what
attracted the American sensation to this
dream, easy to play position. 17.f4
18.xf4 g7 19.ae1 e8 20.h5
This is an extremely attractive looking move
as it appears to put Black's centre under
immense pressure. My guess is that Robson
had already seen this in advance and had
p r e p a r e d a f i n e r e p l y . ( Thus, the
c o n s e r v a t i v e 20.g3 c7 21.d2
m i g h t h a v e b e e n a b e t t e r o p t i o n e ve n
though I still prefer Black after a normal
move like b6!? ) 20...c7! Black made
u s e ( ! ) o f h i s l a c k o f d e ve l o p m e n t a n d
suddenly, everything seemed to be falling in
place for him. 21.e3 ( 21.xe8?? h3
was of course Black's main idea.; 21.d4
d7! also looks good for Black. For e.g.
22.xh7 xh7 23.xh7 would be met by
t h e t a c t i c a l r e t o r t f3+ when Black's
bishops are surely more than a match for
White's minor pieces. 24.xf3 xf4 )
A) I prefer 21...d7 22.g3 ( 22.xh7
xh7 23.xh7 e7! 24.c2 f8
is good for Black.) 22...h8 when White
has nothing to show for his pawn deficit.;
B) 21...g4 This develops with tempo but
give s W hit e a ch ance t o o bta in som e
much needed play.
B1) 22.g3! would force Black to
m i s p l a c e h i s p i e c e s w i t h d7
occupying the natural square for Black's
l i g h t s q u a r e b i s h o p . 23.h4 g8
( 23...h5 24.h3 e2 25.e1 c4
26.ge3!; 23...e2 24.e1 c4
25.ge3! xb3 26.xe5!! xc2
27.e7! is a lovely double pin that wins
f o r W h i t e .) 24.h3 e6 25.d4
with reasonable compensation for the
pawn.;
B2) 22.h4? c4? Why exchange the
dark square bishop when it's doing a
g r e a t j o b a t t h e m o m e n t ? ( Again, I
p re f e r B la c k a f t e r 22...d7 23.g3
h8 ) 23.xd6+ xd6 24.g3 h5
25.h3! ( White could still have obtained
connected passed pawns with 25.xh5
xh5 26.xg7+ b6 but his pawns
wo u l d n o t b e a s a d va n c e d a s wh a t
hap pe ned in t he ga me .) 25...xb2
26.hxg4 xc2 27.gxh5 White's passed
pawns are a force to reckon with. Black
eventually played well to salvage a draw:
gxf4 ad8 28.g7+ c8 29.h6 c3 30.f4
( R y b k a i n d i c a t e d 30.g4+ b8
31.d4 with promising chances for
White. ) 30...e4 31.g5 e5 32.g4+
b8 33.d4 xd4+ 34.xd4 c5
35.h7 cxd4 36.g8 ee8 37.h8
xg8 38.xd4 c4 39.e1 d7
40.f4+ a8 41.g4 dd8 42.d4
d7 43.f6 a6 44.e7 xe7 45.xe7
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
c8 46.g4 d4 47.d7 g8 48.xd4
e3 49.xe3 xg4+ 50.f2 c4
51.b3 c6 52.e3 a5 53.b5 a4
54.xa4+ b8 55.d4 a6 56.e8+
a7 57.a4 c6 58.d5 a6 59.e3+
a8 60.c5 c6+ 61.b5 a6 62.a5
c6 63.e4 1/2-1/2 Antal, G (2486)-
Robson, R (2527) /Lubbock USA 2009 ]
11...xe5 12.h4!?N I analyzed this a little in
May's update and thought it was a promising
improvement. xd3+ 13.cxd3 g4
[ 13...g7 was another way to return the
pawn and obtain a comfortable position.
14.hxg5 b6 An idea revealed by Rybka and
refreshing to the eye. Black would develop
his Bishop on the active a6 square with his
K i n g s a f e l y p l a c e d o n b 7 . ( 14...c6
with the typical French idea of playing for ...
e6-e5 is ill-advised due to 15.f3 e5 16.0-0
c7 17.e1 when Black cannot hold his
centre for long.) 15.f3 a6! 16.f4
( 16.f7+ e7 17.xe7+ xe7 18.d4
d3 is comfortable for Black.) 16...xb2
17.d1 c8 18.e5 xe5 19.xe5 f8
followed by ...Kb7 is just a sample variation
to illustrate how things might work out in
the next few moves. ]
14.xg4 f6 15.f3 d6 16.e3 f8
17.c1 c6 Black must be close to equality in
this position but his King is not as saf ely
placed as the variation analyzed in the note to
Black's 13. 18.0-0 b6 This was a bit slow and
this move eventually became the source of
Black's woes.
[ I thought 18...c7 was more natural and
safer. Perhaps, Black was afraid of ending
up with a bad bishop after 19.c5 but xc5
20.xc5 d7 21.g3+ ( 21.d4 g8
22.h5 af8 with good counterplay on the
Kingside. ) 21...f4 22.d4 xg3 23.fxg3
d6 24.c3 e8! was not much to shout
about for White. ]
19.g5 g6 20.a4 b7 21.d4 fc8
Black's pieces were unpleasantly tangled up
b u t h i s p o s i t i o n r e m a i n e d s o l i d . 22.f4?!
Going for dark square play and making
Black's light square bishop wretched but
Black's position was resourceful enough.
[ 22.fe1 e5 23.f3 e8 with mutual
chances was another logical continuation. ]
22...xd3
[ 22...h6! 23.f5 was White's idea but it
doesn't quite work out due to exf5 24.f4
g8! 25.c2 c5 with Black seizing the
initiative. ]
23.f5 Natural but if this was the best that
White could find, Black could be very satisfied
with the outcome of the opening. e5 24.e6
d4! White managed to plant an annoying
knight on e6 but Black's central pawns were
more than a match for it. 25.cd1 b5
26.c2 d5! 27.f6!? Very tempting,
especially when one realizes that the knight
cannot be taken. It's certainly a strong
practical move and confused Black
straightaway. c5
[ The cool 27...h8! , defending the
important h-pawn, would have kept a stable
edge to Black. 28.g7 h6 29.c1 c7 ]
28.xh7+ c6 29.g7 White's passed
pawns on the Kingside gave White excellent
practical chances and not surprisingly, Black
was the last to err and lost the whole point. I'll
present the rest of the game with some light
comments and analysis: b5
[ 29...c4!? ]
30.d2 e4 31.f5 c7? The Rook had to
stay on the 8th rank to guard the crucial f8
square. Moreover, the Rook on c7 could allow
a devastating Bf4! skewer.
[ S a f e g u a r d i n g t h e K i n g w i t h 31...a6!?
was a sensible alternative: 32.xd6 xd6
33.f7 h8 34.g7 e3 35.d3 was unclear
when anything can happen in this irrational
but exciting position. ( 35.xe3? xh4! )]
32.f7?
[ 32.xd6+! xd6 33.f7 was very strong
and d if f icult t o mee t. Fo r exa mp le , d5
34.a4+! a6 35.f4 xf7 36.xf7 xf7
37.xd6 when despite the dangerous
looking central pawns, W hite had to be
winning this position. ]
32...e5? It is no wonder that in this erratic
p o sit io n , t h e p la ye rs a re m a kin g c rit ic a l
mistakes. Surely, it cannot be good to give up
additional control over the promotion square.
[ The logical 32...f8! would have preserved
an unclear position when all bets are off. ]
33.e7! xe7 34.xe7 e3 35.a4+?
This should have thrown the win.
[ The immediate 35.d3+! leads to a forced
win: c4 36.xe3 dxe3 37.xd5+ xd5
338
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
38.f5! xf7 39.xe5+ c6 40.xe3
and W hite's passed pawns will carry the
day. ]
35...a6 From here onwards, both players
would play impressively accurately for the next
10 moves or so. 36.d3+ c4 37.xe3 dxe3
38.xd5 xd5 39.f8 xf8 40.xf8 xb2
[ 40...c3 leads to a draw, maybe Black was
going for a win? 41.bxc3 xc3 42.c1 e2
43.f2 e1+ 44.xe1 xe1+ 45.xe1
xg2= ]
41.h6! d4 42.e1 I won't be surprised if
both players calculated this far as everything
was forced since 35.a4+. c3! 43.e2 a5!
44.xe3 xa4 45.a2+ b3 46.xa7 b5
47.h5 b4 After a series of forced, normal
looking moves, Black somehow ended up with
2 extremely dangerous passed pawns on the
Queenside. In fact, if Rybka 3 was to believe,
Black was already winning in this position!
48.h6 c2! 49.d7 e4 50.c5 b3 51.a3
f6 52.f2 c3 53.e3 c6?
[ 53...xg2-+ ]
54.d6 b2?? This painfully threw the whole
point away.
[ 54...g5+! 55.e2 e4-+ ]
55.xb2 xb2 Making it easy for White. Like
it or not, Black had to try
[ 55...g5+ 56.f2 cxb2 57.xc6+ d3
58.h7 b1 59.h8 ]
56.xc6 c2 57.d3 c1 58.xc1 xc1
59.g4 g5 60.h7 f6 61.g5 h8 62.e4
d2 63.g6 e2 64.f5 f3 65.e6 g4
66.f7
1-0
389 C04
Amonatov,F 2610
Cori,J 2487 8.b5 a7 9.e2 c5 10.c3 c6 11.0-0
40th Olympiad Open (10.23) 07.09.2012 e7 12.e1
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.b3 a5
[ D Howell-C Bauer, Istanbul 2012 saw Black
delay castling to get the desirable moves ...
c5 and ...Ba6 in: 6...e7 7.f4 a5 8.a4 b6
9.h4 h6 10.h5 b7 11.c3 c8 12.h4
a6 13.g4! h7 (This is awkward, but
asks W hit e ab out all those pieces he's
committed to the kingside) 14.g6 xf1
15.xf1 ( 15.xf1 a6+ 16.g1 0-0-0
17.xe7+ xe7= ) 15...a6 16.xe7
xe7 17.e2 , and here easiest was
xe2+ 18.xe2 0-0-0= . The game was
eventually drawn. ]
7.a4 b6
[ 7...e7 8.b5 0-0 ( 8...a7 9.e2 b6
and ...c5 might transpose to the main
game. ) 9.0-0 cb8?! ( 9...a7! ) 10.e1
b6 11.g3!? ( 11.c3 ) 11...c6 12.f1 a6
13.xa6 xa6 14.h4 h6?!
( This is weakening. 14...c5 should be fine
W hite isn't threatening to put a piece on
g5. ) 15.c3 c5 16.h2 e8 17.g4 h7!?
( 17...h8 ) 18.h5 ( 18.f4! c6 19.f5 )
18...g8 19.e3 f8 20.f3 g6
( 20...e7= ) 21.g4 e7 22.h3 g7?!
( 22...c6 23.g4 h5 24.h6+ xh6
25.xh6 c8 is optically nice for White, but
I'm not sure that he can do sufficient
damage ) 23.g4 h7 ( 23...h5!? 24.h6+
xh6 25.xh6 c8 26.g4! hxg4 27.xg4
c6 28.g3 ) 24.g5 f8 25.g2 h5
26.e3 c6 27.g4 dxe5?! (a little
d e s p e r a t e ) 28.dxe5 xe5 29.gxh5
( 29.g3 ) 29...gxh5 30.g1 ( 30.g3! f5
31.f4 g4 ) 30...f5 31.h1 a7 32.c1?
( 32.f4 ) 32...d4! 33.cxd4 cxd4 34.g2
g4?! ( 34...xf3 35.xf3 e5 36.xh5+
g8 is unclear in view of Black's central
pawn mass ) 35.f4 f7 36.ce2 e5
37.xh5 e4 38.f4 ( 38.f6+! xf6
39.xf5+- ) 38...e3 39.gxg4! fxg4 40.xf7
xf7 ( 40...gxh3 41.xa7 exf2 42.xg7+
h8 43.eg3 d3 44.f6 ) 41.xg4 exf2
42.eg3 e1+ 43.h2 e5 44.f4 d3
45.xe5 xe5 46.c4 1-0 Topalov, V
(2752)-Cori, J (2487), Istanbul TUR 2012. ]
[ 12.e3 0-0 transposes to Tiviakov-
V y s o c h i n , C a i r o 2 0 0 2 : 13.e1 a6
14.xa6 xa6 15.f4 f5 16.exf6 xf6
17.e2 a8 18.f3 In Dangerous
Weapons: The French, I suggest that this is
equal, and say: "Although White has a nice
outpost on e5, it can't be occupied without
exchanges, and Black's e-pawn is relatively
easy to defend. As we will see, the weak e4
square can become a factor. More
339
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

importan tly, Black has much th e bette r b7 34.a1 ]

bishop and can attack on the queenside." 28...f5?
After c7 19.ac1 , Tiviakov-Vysochin [ 28...e7 29.a1 ]
continued c4!? ( 19...af8 is fine, as shown [ 28...xb5 29.xd8 xd8 30.g5 ]
i n D a n g e r o u s W e a p o n s) 20.bd2 29.exf6 xf6 30.xf6
, and instead of 20...b5, af8! was good, [ Or 30.xe6+ xe6 31.xe6+ f7
one critical example going 21.g5 d6 ( or 32.a6 ]
21...h6 22.h3 d6! 23.g3 e7 ) 22.df3 30...xf6 31.xe6+
h6 23.h3 e7! , with twin ideas of ...Nf5 [ 31.a1! is very strong. ]
and clearing c6 for Black's queen. I analyse 31...xe6 32.xe6+ f7 33.a6 xb5
this in more depth in DWF. ] 34.e3!? xb2+ 35.g1
12...a6 13.xa6 xa6 14.g3 g5?! [ Or 35.h3 ]
This move is generally good only if it leads to 35...e7 36.f1 g7 37.a7 g6??
a weakening of d4 (after ...g4) or a kingside 38.e5+ xe5 39.dxe5 e8 40.f6+ h7
attack. Here neither is the case. Since Black 41.xd5 a3 42.xe7 a2 43.f5+
has achieved his positional goals (he is in a 1-0
sense ahead of the similar position in the
Topalov game), he needn't do anything drastic
and can secure an equal position by 390 C04
[ 14...0-0 , e.g., 15.e2 a8 16.e3 Antal,Gergely 2467
( 16.h4 h6 ) 16...c7 17.ac1 ac8 18.c4 Bauer,Christian 2614
dxc4 19.xc4 cxd4 20.xd4 xd4 Festival des Jeux (4) 13.02.2008
21.xd4 c6= ] [Neil McDonald]
15.e3 a7 16.h3
[ 16.c1 wit h t h e id e a h5!? ( 16...c7 ) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
17.c4! ] 5.e5 d7 6.e2 e7 7.f1 f6 Personally I
16...c7 17.c1 h6 Slow. Black remains a think Black should delay this pawn stab for a
little passive after this. He might press ahead move with
with [ 7...0-0 so that he can recapture on f6 with
[ 17...h5 , although I prefer White slightly his knight or bishop according to which
with his space advantage. ] deployment White chooses for his knight on
18.e2 c8 19.h2 h5 20.f4 gxf4 f1: 8.g3 ( or 8.e3 f6 9.exf6 xf6
21.xf4 d8!? as in our main game.) 8...f6 9.exf6 xf6!?
[ 21...f8 22.f3 g6 ] For more discussion on this theme, see
22.f3 e7 23.h2 c4!? Saibulatov-Zaragatski on ChessPub. ]
[ 23...b7 intending ...c4 and ...b5 or ...Qc6 8.exf6 xf6 9.e3
should be met by 24.c4! ] [ White should have taken the chance for
24.bd2 b5!? 9.g3! which seems a better lay out of his
[ 24...b7 ] pieces. ]
25.axb5 a4? This fails to regain the pawn on 9...0-0 10.0-0 d6 11.c4 b6 12.b3 b7
b5 and exposes his own a-pawn. Better is [ A fearless move. In earlier games Black
[ 25...b8 ] had tend ed to cover the f 5 squ are wit h
26.f1?! 12...e7 as now White has the possibility of
[ 26.b1! and 27 Na3 secures a large an exchange on d5 followed by Nf5- see the
advantage. ] next note. ]
26...g6 27.g5 b7?! 13.b2? Antal is happy to copy his opponent,
[ 27...h4! is the best try. ] but in fact this is a serious mistake, after
28.h4 which it is downhill all the way for White.
[ 28.xd8! xd8 29.h4 and White has good [ C r i t i c a l i s 13.cxd5 exd5 14.f5
chances on both wings, e.g., xb5 30.c2 when White will keep the bishop on b7 shut
e7 31.g5 df8 32.e3 h7 33.h3! in and eliminate the one on d6. Nonetheless,

340
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
it is far from clear: e4 15.xd6 xd6
Black's strong knight on e4 and command of
the f-file give him counterplay. 16.b2
A) an alternative plan was to prepare c7-
c5 with hanging pawns in the style of the
Queen's Gambit, but it led to the
fragmentation of the black centre in the
following game: 16...d8 17.e5 e6
18.f3 4g5 19.c1 c5 20.dxc5 bxc5
21.d3 ac8 22.h1 d4 23.e1 f5
24.b4
A1) Black had to delve into the
complications after 24...c4 25.c5 c3
( or 25...xc5 26.bxc5 fxc5 27.a3 )
26.xb7 xb4 etc.;
A2) 24...cxb4? 25.xb4 xb4
26.xb4 f4 27.c4+ h8 28.xd4
h5 29.h4 a5 30.hxg5 axb4 31.e3
d5 32.d2 f4 33.fe1 fc5
34.xf4 xc4 35.xc4 xc4 36.g6
c6 37.d1 1-0 Vachier Lagrave, M-
Bauer, C/Aix-les-Bains FRA 2007.;
B) 16...f7 17.e5 xe5 18.dxe5 h6
19.g4 af8 20.c1 c6 21.e6 f6
22.b2? ( Unclear was 22.a3 when
xf2? comes a cropper after 23.e7 xd1
24.exf8+ xf8 25.xf8# ) 22...d4
( Drasko misses his chance for 22...xf2!
e.g. 23.xf2 xf2 24.e7 xg2+ 25.xg2
d4+ 26.f3 xf3 and Black wins.) 23.f3
c3 24.d2 h5 25.h3 c5 26.ac1
c8 and the players called it a draw in
Cornette, M-Drasko, M/Kemer TUR
2007. ]
13...f4! The bishop is overjoyed at being
spared from exchange with Nf5 and Nxd6
instead it is excellently placed on f4, not only
pu t t in g p re s s u re o n h 2 b u t a lso ca u sin g
d i s c o m f o r t t o t h e k n i g h t o n e 3 . 14.c1
It is a bad sign for the white position that this
natural developing move permits a pin on e3.
e4 15.d3?
[ It was essential to keep the bishop on b7
shut in with 15.cxd5 exd5 ]
15...b4 16.b1 g5! Suddenly Black gains
a rampant attack on the white king. 17.e5
[ Too late to take on d5: 17.cxd5 xf3+
18.gxf3 h4 etc. is crushing. ]
17...dxc4! At last the bishop on b7 is
unmasked. 18.bxc4 xe5 19.dxe5 f3+!
20.h1
[ White has to resign after 20.gxf3 g5+
21.g2 xf3 ]
20...h4 21.h3 ad8 22.b3 d2!
23.xb4 xh3+ 24.g1 f3+!
A nice conclusion to an impressive attacking
game. Black's light squared bishop was the
star of the show.
[ The mate threat on h1 decides after
24...f3+ 25.gxf3 xf3 ]
0-1
391 C04
Arkell,Keith C 2531
Plaskett,Jim 2483
4NCL West Bromwich ENG (6) 21.03.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.c4 This is logical as putting a
pawn on c4 almost always goes nicely with a
p a w n o n d 4 . e7!? An interesting way to
avoid the mainline. Few players could resist
creating an outpost square for a knight on
d5with
[ 6...dxc4 when White's d4 pawn is also
slightly vulnerable. But things are by no
means as simple as that: in return, W hite
gets a lot of activity f or h is p ieces tha t
combine well with his pawn spearhead on e5.
In pa rt icular, t he white knight t ha t wa s
looking slightly dumb on d2 finds itself well
p la ce d a f t e r 7.xc4 ( And not 7.xc4?!
which just loses time- b6 8.b5 d5
9.xc6+ xc6 and White h ad handed over
his strong light squared bishop for no good
reason in Jones, G-Williams,S/Scarborough
ENG 2004. ) 7...b4+ Black has less space
than his opponent, so exchanging bishops
should help ease his cramp. Also possible
was ( 7...b6 8.a3 A preventive move,
though Kramnik's main aim is to discourage
the manoeuvre Nb4 heading for the plum d5
square, rather than a bishop check. d7
9.g5!? e7 10.e3 Wisely avoiding the
exchange on e7, as now Black's own bishop
blocks the consolidation of his pieces with
N c 6 - e 7 - d 5 , c o m b i n e d w i t h B c 6 . d5
11.d3 f5 12.exf6 xf6 13.c2 g6 14.0-0
e7 15.b4 a6 16.ae1 0-0 17.ce5
and the future World Champion ground out
341
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
a win in Kramnik, V-Grabuzov,S/Moscow
1991. As with the Rublevsky game extract
that follows, it is difficult to know how good
W hite's position really was, as there was
such an enormous advantage in Elo points
on White's side of the board!) 8.d2 b6
9.e3!? White keeps up the pressure rather
than exchanging with ( 9.xb6 ) 9...e7
10.a3 xd2+ 11.xd2 d7 12.e2 0-0
13.0-0 fd8 14.d3 e8 15.fd1 f8
16.ac1 Here White's efficient development
and space advantage at least compensate
for the hole on d5 and the slight weakness
of d4.He can prepare an attack with Bb1 and
Qc2 or sometimes Ng5 to provoke a
weakness in Black's rather under defended
kingside. This is Rublevsky,S-
Pobedonostzeff,F/ Bastia FRA 2004. ]
7.cxd5
[ White got nowhere after 7.e2 f6 8.exf6
xf6 9.0-0 0-0 10.b3 a5! a characteristic
pawn stab in this variation. 11.e3 a4
12.bd2 b6 13.b1 d7 14.c5 c8
15.b5 b4 16.xd7 and White was
astute enough to offer a draw her in Spasov,
V-Drasko,M/Belgrade 1994. ]
[ 7.d3 b4 8.b1 dxc4 9.xc4 b6
10.e3 c5?! ( Maybe I've played the Fort
Knox too much, but I would prefer 10...d7
11.a3 4d5 and then 12...Bc6 when Black
is very well entrenched.) 11.0-0 c6
12.dxc5 xd1 13.xd1 xc5 14.e4!
W hite's bishop on e4 reminds me of the
Catalan bishop on g2 that causes Black a lot
of discomfort if he plays the freeing move c7-
c5 at the wrong time. d7 15.d2 a5
16.ac1 b4 17.a3 xd2 18.xd2 e7
19.xc6 Nd4 Bd7 Rc7 ab8 Nb3 and Black
was suffering due to the threat of 23.Nc5
in Petronic,J-Drasko,M/Novi Sad 1995. ]
7...exd5 8.b5 The only consistent move, as
otherwise by exchanging on d5 W hite has
opened the diagonal of the bishop on c8 for
no good reason. 0-0 9.0-0 a5 10.e1 e8?
[ I think Black should have tried 10...a7
11.d3 c5 with a counterattack against d4.
Then his kingside seems solid enough to
beat off a direct attack, for example 12.c2
( Or 12.b1 c6 13.c2 g6 when Black
takes over the initiative after 14.e6 fxe6
15.xe6 f6!?; meanwhile a positional
approach with 12.b3 and then Bb2, etc. was
also possible.) 12...h6 13.f5 c6 14.e6
( White can't go after the c5 pawn as if
14.xd7?! b4! 15.c3?! cxd4 16.xd4
xd7 is good for Black.) 14...fxe6 15.xe6+
h8 and again Black seems safe. If a direct
attack of this type fails then White is likely
to end up in deep trouble as he is
outnumbered by the black pieces already in
play. ]
11.f1 f8 12.h3?
[ H e s h o u l d h a v e p l a y e d 12.e3!
i m m e d i a t e l y, w i t h a d e f i n i t e p l u s . F o r
example f6 ( Unfortunately for Black if
12...d7? 13.xd5 xe5 a standard trick
in the French, intending 14. Bxd7 Nxd7, but
here it just drops a piece to 14.xe5 xb5
15.xe7+ xe7 16.xb5 ) 13.d2! e6
( The weakness on c6 is serious after
13...fxe5 14.xc6 bxc6 15.xe5 ) 14.a4
and Black is in trouble. ]
12...d7 13.d3 Now there is no time for
[ 13.e3 because xe5! works. Hence
White has lost an important tempo with 12.
h3. ]
13...f6 Black's pieces are at least as well
centralised as his opponent's, and now he
proceeds to undermine the white centre. 14.a3
fxe5 15.dxe5 e6 16.g3 d7 17.b5
[ If White had realised the strength of Black's
coming attack maybe he would have forced
simplification with 17.g5 ]
17...g6 This black knight will cause havoc on
the kingside. Note that if the white bishop
were still on d3 he could have eliminated it
with 18. Bxg6. 18.d4 f8 19.a4 c5
20.e3 xd4 21.xd4 White is ready to play
22.Rac1 with fatal pressure on c6, but
Plaskett had prepared a strong tactic. xh3!!
22.e6 It is no surprise that White tries to buy
off the attack by giving up material. Whatever
the verdict of computer programs, a human
player would have little chance of finding a
series of 'only moves' to stay alive after say
[ 22.ac1! xg2!?
A) Black's attack is even more powerful
after 23.xc6 bxc6 ( White turns the
tables af ter 23...h3? 24.d7! ) 24.e6
e7 25.xg2 f4+ 26.g1 h4;
B) 23.e6 e7 24.c5! so that 24...Qh4
a l l o w s t h e e x c h a n g e o f q u e e n s . f6
342
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

25.xg2 f4+ 26.g1 ( if 26.f1 h4 0-0 17.fe1 d8 with strong centre
planning a killer check on h3.) 26...h3+ pawns ) 15...f5 16.e1 d7 17.a5 0-0
27.h2 ( Not 27.f1? xf2+ 28.xf2 18.b3 c4! 19.c5 c6 Op-Engelhart,
xf2# ) 27...xf2 28.c3 h6+ 29.g2 Salzburg 2013. ]
f4 30.b3 g4 31.f1 ce5 8...c5 9.c4 b7! 10.a4
and the black onslaught continues. ] [ 10.cxd5 xd5 gives Black a beautiful
[ If instead 22.gxh3 xh3 with the terrible presence on the long diagonal. ]
threat of 23...Nh4 and mate on g2 or f3 is 10...cxd4 11.xd4 c5 12.c6 c7
too much for flesh to bear. ] 13.cxd5?!
22...xe6 23.ac1 White is two pawns down [ 13.a5 d4 14.xb7 xb7 15.f4 e7
and so needs to capture on c6, but the gives Black space and easy play. ]
disappearance of his light squared bishop will 13...b6!? Not bad - in fact, advantageous -
make a defence of the kingside well nigh but
impossible: the g2 square will be fatally weak. [ 13...a5! 'traps' the knight and threatens to
f7 24.xc6 bxc6 25.xc6 f4 26.c3 win it by ...exd5. Fortunately for White, he
ac8 27.c5 h5! 28.f3 g6 29.c6 has 14.e7! ( 14.c2 exd5 15.d4 b6
An unfortunate square for the queen, but with 16.f5 g6 ) 14...xe7 15.d6 , but Black
29...h4 looming it was already looking grim. can still play c6! ( 15...xd6 16.exd6
ce8 30.e3? xg2! Now the idea of a xd6 ) 16.xc6 xc6 17.dxe7 xe5
discovered attack on the white queen with with a nice advantage. ]
Bh3+ is decisive. 31.xf8+ xf8 32.xg2 14.a3 exd5 15.a5 e7?!
There was no good way to f ight on. h3+ [ 15...c8! 16.f3 b8 ( 16...g4 )]
33.xh3 xc6 34.xh5 d4! GM Plaskett 16.g3! 0-0 17.f3
played the whole attack with great flair. [ 17.db3! h8 18.f4 d7 19.ac1
0-1 ac8 ]
17...fe8 18.f4 a4 19.xb7 xb7
20.fe1= f8 21.b3 b6
392 C04 [ 21...c3! 22.g5 d4 23.e6 fxe6 24.h3
Bacallao Alonso,Y 2543 h6 25.xe6 c6= ]
Hernandez Carmenates,Hold 2541 22.h4
ch-CUB Men Final 2013 (3.2) 09.02.2013 [ 22.ac1 ac8 23.g4 ( 23.e6 xe6
[John Watson] 24.xe6 fxe6 25.g5 e8 26.e1 e5! )
23...d7= ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 22...d7
5.e5 d7 6.b5 a6 Black has other ways to [ 22...d4= ]
me e t 6 Bb 5 , b u t t h is h as p ro ve n t o b e a 23.ad1 f5 24.g5 e6 25.b4! h6!
r e l i a b l e o p t i o n . 7.xc6 bxc6 8.0-0 26.bxc5 xc5 27.e3 xe3 28.xe3 g6
Slow Once Black gets ...c5 in with no tactical 29.d4 h5 30.f3 xh4 31.c3 e4!?
problems, he probably stands at least equal. [ 31...e8! ]
Another game this month saw the critical line 32.xe4
[ 8.b3 c5 9.g5 e7 10.a5 xe5 [ 32.c7! xf3 33.xf3 d8= ]
11.xe5 xg5 12.ac6 f6!? 32...dxe4 33.f5?! g5 34.e7+ f8
( In 'Dangerous Weapons', I site D. 35.c6 c8 36.d6? g6! 37.xg6 fxg6
Salinnikov-S.Lavrov, Tomsk 2003: 12...d6 38.f1 f7 39.c5 a4 40.c2 b6
13.h5 0-0 14.dxc5 xc5 15.xg5 f6 41.c5 e8 42.e6 c7 43.e2 c8
16.d2 fxe5 17.xe5 , and say "After the 44.c2
best move b8 Black has activity but White [ 44.c4 g5! 45.e3 e7 46.a5 f5+
has the powerful outpost on e5. This adds 47.d2 xc4 48.xc4 e7-+ ]
up to some sort of dynamic equality.") 13.0-0 44...e7 45.d4 xc2+ 46.xc2 d5
( 13.dxc5 b7 is unclear) 13...f4 14.g3 47.d4 e7 with the idea . ..Kd6-e5. 48.b3
xe5 15.dxe5 ( 15.xe5 cxd4 16.xd4 d6 49.g3 c3+ 50.e3 xa2 51.c5

343
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

b4 52.e7 xe7 53.xe4 d6 and Black's 21.e3 Antal, G (2486)-Robson, R (2527),
technique brought the point home: 54.b7+ Lubbock 2009 and here Wei Ming suggests
c6 55.d8+ c5 56.f4 a5 57.b7+ b6 ( 21.xe8?? h3; 21.d4 d7! ) 21...d7
58.d6 c6 59.c4 a4 60.d4 d5 with an extra pawn and the better game. ]
61.a5+ b5 62.c4 b6 63.e5 b4 14...c7 15.b1
64.d3+ b3 65.c5+ c2 [ 15.b2 f3+! 16.xf3 xb2 ]
0-1 15...d6?
[ 15...b4! 16.e2 c3 prevents Bb2 and
leaves White searching for another way to
393 C04 make progress. The play is double-edged
Bojkovic,N 2405 after 17.e3 g6 ( or 17...f7 18.g3+
Paehtz,E 2449 e5 19.b2! f8 20.xe5+ xe5
10th European Teams w (8.8) 16.11.2013 21.xe5+ xe5 22.xh7 d7= ) 18.f3
[John Watson] g4 ( 18...f4 19.cxd5 exd5 20.xg5! f8
21.xf4+ xf4 22.xf4+ xf4 23.xh7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 f8= ) 19.g5 d4 20.g3+ e5 21.cxd5
5.e5 d7 6.d3 A dangerous try which cxd5 22.xg6 hxg6= ]
we've seen before. f6 It leads to some critical [ 15...g7 16.b2 f4 is an option, but
forcing lines. probably favors White somewhat after, for
[ 6...b4 7.e2 c5 8.c3 c6 is playable, example, 17.e2 g4 18.fe1 d4 19.e4 ]
but Black shouldn't close the queenside: 16.b2 f4 17.bd1
9.0-0 b6 10.b3 c4?! 11.bd2 a5 [ 17.c5! xc5 18.g3 xd2!? 19.xe5+
12.e1?! ( 12.b4!?; 12.a4 b5 13.b4! ) d6 20.xh8 xc2 21.xg5 f5 22.xf5
12...b5 13.b4 a4!? ( 13...b6 14.a4 exf5 23.fe1 favours White, although this
a5 ) 14.xa4 bxa4 15.d1 b6 16.b1 won't be easy to convert. ]
Vysochin, S (2525)-Vovk, Y (2588), Lviv 17...f8 18.e2 g6 19.g3 f7 20.xg6!?
2013. ] hxg6
7.g5! [ 20...xg6! 21.e5 d7 ]
[ 7.exf6 xf6 8.b3 d6 9.0-0 0-0= ] 21.e5 f5?!
7...dxe5! [ 21...e7 ]
[ 7...fxg5? is a mistake in view of the forcing 22.xd6+
sequence 8.h5+ g6 9.xg6+ hxg6 [ 22.f4! ]
10.xg6+ e7 11.e4! dxe5 12.xg5+ 22...xd6 23.cxd5
d7 13.f6+ d6 14.dxe5+ xe5 [ 23.f4 g4 24.e4+ c7 25.f2 ]
15.f4 ] 23...exd5 24.c4+ c7 25.e7+ d7=
8.dxe5 fxg5 9.h5+ g6! 10.xg6+ d7 26.e3 h3?
11.c4 [ 26...e6= ]
[ 11.d3 is seen in Adhiban-Zaragatski and 27.xd5+! cxd5 28.c1+ b6 29.c5+
Plaskett-Berczes in the Archives. ] a6 30.a3+ b6 31.c5+
[ 11.f4 was played in Ristic-Elbilia in the [ 31.b4! wins more easily, in view of a5
Archives, but also analysed in other games 32.bxa5+ a6 33.d6+ xa5 34.b1 ]
with this line. ] 31...a6 32.a3+ b6 33.b4+ a6
11...xe5 12.c2 f6 13.0-0 c6 34.c5! b5 35.c7 f6 36.a3+ b6
Probably best. 37.c5+ a6 38.a3+? White doesn't see
[ 13...d6 and ] it.
[ 13...h6 are analysed by Wei Ming in [ 38.b4! threatens Qe3-a3+-a5 mate, and
Plaskett-Berczes. ] the 'only' move g4 allows simply 39.xd5 ]
14.b3 [ 38.xd5? h8 39.b7+ a5 40.b4+
[ 14.cxd5 exd5 15.b3 f7 16.e2 xb4 41.e4+ a5 will only draw. ]
( 16.xg5?? f3+! ) 16...d6 17.f4 gxf4 [ But 38.a4 bxa4 ( 38...b4 39.xd5 )
18.xf4 g7 19.ae1 e8 20.h5 c7! 39.xd5 also wins ]

344
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

38...b6 39.c5+ a6 40.a3+ unclear, e.g., 17.f4 gxf4 18.xf4 g7
½-½ 19.ae1 e8 ]
14...xb4? Risky at best and probably just
mistaken.
394 C04 [ Better 14...g6 15.b1 ( 15.b3 c3!? )
Castellanos Rodriguez,R 2491 15...f4 16.d1 h6 17.g3 Babaev-Barria
Naumkin,Igor 2473 Zuniga, Collado Villalba 2007-08 and Wei
XVI BCC Open (3) 03.09.2012 Ming analyses. h3+ 18.g2 f8 19.g4
[John Watson] xf2 20.xf2 xf2+ 21.xf2 xh2+
22.e3 g1+ 23.d3 xg3+ 24.xg3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 xg3 25.b3 , which he describes as an
5.e5 d7 6.d3 f6 More radical than "imbalanced endgame with Black having 4
[ 6...b4 7.e2 c5 8.c3 c6 ] pawns for a piece. I prefer W hite but
7.g5!? The refutation try. anything can happen from here!" ]
[ 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1 is a well-know try for 15.cxd5!
White, when d6 9.e3 b4 10.e2 c5 [ 15.b1 is an option, when xd2!? 16.xd2
gives reasonable counterplay. ] f7 17.e2 xc4 wins a good deal of
7...dxe5 8.dxe5 fxg5 9.h5+ g6 material, but in return for great
10.xg6+ d7 This has been seen many development. ]
times before. 11.c4! Probably the most critical 15...exd5 16.b2! d6
move. I dealt with the options in Dangerous [ 16...xd2 17.ad1 c5 18.xd2 d4
Weapons: The French, and we've seen in this 19.f4! ]
column that Black can withstand the pressure 17.ae1 e8?
against other moves. xe5 12.c2 f6 [ 17...c6 , but White still has a nice attack
13.0-0 d6!? This has been tried before, but after 18.c3! ( 18.f4 f3+ ) 18...c7
turns out to be a bit shaky. 19.f4 ]
[ 13...c6! is featured in the notes to the 18.f4! gxf4 19.h1! And wins, because Nf3
Archives game Adhiban-Zaragatski. There follows. The rest is easy: b6 20.f3 a6
Wei Ming analyses the game Antal (2486)- 21.g1
Robson, R (2527), Lubbock 2009, which [ 21.xe5+! xe5 22.a4+ c6 23.xe5 ]
continued 14.cxd5 exd5 15.b3 f7! 21...xf3 22.xf6 xe1 23.a4+ b5
16.e2 ( 16.xg5?? f3+! ) 16...d6 24.f7+?
(a 'dream, easy to play position', according [ 24.b3 ]
to W e i Ming) 17.f4 gxf4 18.xf4 g7 24...c6 25.b3 b6 26.xd5 d3
19.ae1 e8 20.h5 ( 20.g3 c7 27.h4?!
21.d2 b6!? -Wei Ming ) 20...c7! [ 27.d4+ c5 28.xa8 xa8 29.e6 ]
("Black made use(!) of his lack of 27...ac8
develop men t an d sud de nly, everyth in g [ 27...ab8! ]
se em e d t o b e f allin g in p lace f o r h im " ) 28.d1 b4? Just when Black is back in the
21.e3 , and both Wei Ming and the game, he falters.
c o m p u t e r p re f e r B la ck 's p o si t i o n a f t e r [ 28...e3! is complex and not clearly in
( 21.xe8?? h3; 21.d4 d7! 22.xh7 White's favour any more. ]
xh7 23.xh7 f3+ 24.xf3 xf4 ) 29.c4 e5??
21...d7 ( 21...g4 wa s p laye d) 22.g3 [ But 29...c5 30.xa6 xa6 31.c4+
( 22.xh7 xh7 23.xh7 e7! 24.c2 b7 32.xb4+ a8 33.c4 with the idea
f8 ) 22...h8 "when White has nothing to Bf2 is very good for White. ]
show for his pawn deficit." ] 30.f2+ b7 31.d5+ c6 32.xa6+ xa6
14.b4! A dangerous thrust which puts a 33.xd6
defensive burden on Black. 1-0
[ 14.cxd5 exd5 15.b3! f7! ( 15...h6
16.f4 - W e i Min g) 16.e2 c6 is rather

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
395 C04
Caveman,A
Mania,Agnieszka
Guimard Analysis 2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1
e5!? A very brave move. It is so rare these
days that I felt obliged to invent a game to
illustrate the mainline. The safe alternative is
[ 8...d6 ]
9.e3!
[ The foolhardy 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.xd5
is analysed in Kharchenko-Fingerov. ]
9...e4 There is no way back for either player.
Black will face a fierce attack, while White is
committed to a piece sacrifice. 10.xd5 d6
11.c4!
[ More dangerous than 11.c4 exf3
A) after 12.xf3 f6 13.f4?! ( instead
13.0-0!? gives more play for the piece.)
13...e6+ intending 14...Bd6 and Black is
gradually escaping with his booty.;
B) 12.f4 fxg2! 13.g1 xf4 14.h5+
( White played 14.xf4? b4+ 15.d2
xd2+ 16.xd2 xd4 and then resigned
in Schellingerhout-De Vries corr. 1981.
How can you miss the bishop check on h5
in a correspondence game?) 14...g6
15.e2+ f7 16.xf4 f6 17.d5 ( not
17.0-0-0? h6 ) 17...xh5 18.xh5 f5
19.xg2 ( not 19.dxc6 b4+ 20.d1
ad8+ 21.c1 he8 ) 19...e8
20.xe8+ xe8 21.dxc6 gxh5 22.cxb7
b4+ 23.f1 f7 and Black stops the
passed pawn with unclear play. ]
11...exf3 12.f4 fxg2 Black has tried this
move in two games on my database and been
totally destroyed in both cases. Nevertheless,
I think it is worth a punt.
[ By the way, it is by no means clear that
12...g6 is so bad for Black, but it looks
d e c i d e d l y r i s k y a f t e r 13.xc7+ d8
14.xf3 xd4 ( instead 14...f6 15.xa8
b4+ 16.c3 e8+ 17.e3 g4
is given as unclear in some old analysis by
McCambridge, but after 18.g3 threatening
mate on c7 I have my doubts.; or 14...b6
15.d3 g4 16.g3 f5 17.xg6 hxg6
18.xa8 xa8 19.0-0-0 and White had a
clear edge in Dolmatov-Sisniega Graz 1978,
as a rook and three pawns is too much for
two minor pieces in the endgame.) 15.d5
and W hite will have at least a draw with
Ne6+ if Black goes after the rook by taking
on c2. ]
13.g1 e6+ 14.d2 b4+!? This has
never been played as far as I'm aware. It
clears the f8 square for the king with gain of
time. Previously Black has tried
[ 14...d6 ]
15.c3
[ L e s s f o r c e f u l f o r W h i t e i s 15.c1
a t h e r o o k o n a 1 i s s h u t i n . T h e n f8
16.f3 f6 17.xg2 e8 is risky for Black,
but a piece is a piece! ]
15...f8
[ I wanted to play 15...f5 here, but then
16.f3! looks strong, for example xd4
( It's an ominous sign if White can bring his
queen's rook into the attack after 16...f6
17.ae1+ ) 17.e3+ e5 18.xc7+ e7
19.xg2! A super cool move to which I'm
indebted to Fritz 8. Of course there's hardly
any chance of your opponent f inding it.
c2+ 20.e1 df3+ 21.f1 d2+
22.xd2 xd2 23.xd2 xc4 24.g5+
f7 25.cxb4 h3 26.c1 b5 27.xa8
xa8 28.b3 and after he takes on g2 at
some point all Black will have to show for
his bold play is an endgame a pawn down. ]
16.f3! f7 17.xb4 de5!!
[ It is White who has all the fun after
17...xc4? 18.xg2 f7 19.xg7!! xg7
( or 19...xg7 20.h6+ ) 20.h6+ xh6
21.xf7 ]
18.dxe5 xe5 19.g3 xc4+ 20.c1 a5
21.d3 a6! 22.g5 g6 23.d8+ e8
24.d4 b5 and we have a wildly imbalanced
position which no doubt suits both Messrs
Caveman and Maniac.
396 C04
Caveman2,A
Maniac2,A
Guimard Analysis 2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1
346
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

e5!? 9.e3! e4 10.xd5 d6 11.c4 2 0 . . . B c 2 ! b u t a l a s . . . 20.c1! g4

[ We saw 11.c4 in the first game of the 21.xg4 xg4 22.xg2 and the Black
Caveman-Maniac match. ] attack has run out of energy. ]
11...exf3 12.f4 13.xe2+
[ after 12.xf3 f6 13.f4?! ( instead [ After 13.d3? g6! 14.xg6+ hxg6
13.0-0!? gives more play for the piece.) 15.xc7+ d8 16.xa8 xd4 Black has a
13...e6+ intending 14...Bd6 and Black is winning attack. ]
gradually escaping with his booty. ] 13...de5 14.dxe5 g6! 15.xc7+
12...fxe2! [ Black has strong counterplay after 15.0-0-0
[ I'm relieved that Black has this move, as f7!? 16.xc7 ( or 16.he1 b4 )
12...fxg2 may be losing due to 13.g1 xf4 16...b4! ]
14.h5+ ( W hite played 14.xf4? b4+ 15...f7 16.0-0-0 Now there is a beautiful
15.d2 xd2+ 16.xd2 xd4 and then drawing variation:
resigned in Schellingerhout-De Vries corr. [ 16.xa8 d4 17.d1 xg2 and Black
1981. How can you miss the bishop check has a winning attack. ]
on h5 in a correspondence game? ) 14...g6 16...b4 17.b3 a6!! 18.xa8 a3+
A) Instead after 15.e2+ f7 16.xf4 19.d2 b4+ 20.e3 c5+ 21.d2 b4+
f6 17.d5 ( not 17.0-0-0? h6 ) 22.c1 a3+ and Maniac and Caveman
17...xh5 18.xh5 f5 19.xg2 ( not agreed a draw.
19.dxc6 b4+ 20.d1 ad8+ 21.c1 ½-½
he8 ) 19...e8 20.xe8+ xe8 21.dxc6
gxh5 22.cxb7 b4+ 23.f1 f7
and Black stops the passed pawn with 397 C04
unclear play.; Caveman3,A
B) 15.xf4! As pointed out by subscriber Maniac3,A
Zeno Kupper. b4+ 16.e2 Game Three- end of story? 2005
B1) U n f o r t u n a t e l y a f t e r 16...gxh5? [Neil McDonald]
17.xg2 b6 18.f1! g4 19.xg4
hxg4 20.xg4 White has a winning 1.e4 e6 The analysis in this game was
attack or; supplied by Zeno Kupper. It supersedes the
B2) 16...d6 17.d5 gxh5 18.d3!? a n a lysi s in t h e e a r lie r C a ve m a n -Ma n ia c
( Not 18.c5? e7! 19.e3 xh2 games given on ChessPub. 2.d4 d5 3.d2
20.xg2 f4 ) 18...0-0 19.f1! c6 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6
and the queen heads for g2 in front of 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1 e5 9.e3 e4 10.xd5
the rook on the open file with a strong, d6 11.c4 exf3 12.0-0! This seems to
probably winning, attack.; take out all the fun out of this variation for
B3) 16...0-0 White's 15.Qe2 is destined black, who is just losing. 12.Bf4 was the old
to stop Black castling, so this might be main variation which is examined on
t h e b e s t re sp o n se . Ho we ve r, it st il l ChessPub. The move has a simple logic. It
s e e m s i n s u f f i c i e n t . 17.d5 f6 brings a rook into the game, while the white
Above all I think Black should strive to king is ready to calmly stop a berserk pawn on
get his rook on a8 into the game. ( if g2 . No w wh it e h a s ju st t o o m a n y p ie c e s
17...gxh5? 18.xg2+ h8 19.xc7 developed against a trapped black king. The
b8 20.d5 ce5 21.e6 f6 22.b3 situation seems to be quite simple, and I see
d6 23.ag1 g6 24.c5! and White is no way for black to confuse matters- Zeno
wi n n in g a s i f xc5 25.xc5 xc5 Kupper b6
26.c3 e7 27.xg6 hxg6 28.e5 [ If 12...g6 13.e1+ d8 14.f4!
attack s b8 a nd e7 .) 18.f3! ( not and 15.Ne6+ will be a killer. Also hopeless
18.xc7? xh5; 18.xf6+ nor xf6 for Black is ]
19.xg2 h3 ) 18...f5 19.e3 ae8 [ 12...f6 13.e1+ e7 14.f4 xd5
Now Black has the unexpected threat of 15.xd5 xd5 16.xf3 ]

347
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ Transposing to the line in the game is An unfortunate placement.

12...e7 13.e1 ( 13.f4 g6 14.xc7+ [ 13.e2 or ]
f8 15.xf3 b6 ) 13...b6 14.xe7 [ 13.c1 are better. ]
xe7 15.g5 xc4 etc. ] 13...h6!?
13.e1+! [ 13...c6! has the double idea of ...Nb4 and
[ More precise than 13.f4 g6 14.xc7+ the capture on d4. The main point is that
d8 15.xf3 g4 ] after 14.xh7+ h8 , there's no good way
13...e7 t o r e t r e a t t h e b i s h o p , s i n c e 15.d3
[ 13...d7 did not really help in another ( 15.cxd5 b4 16.b1 xd5 17.bd2 g5!
game: 14.f4 g6 15.xf3 xd5 18.e3 g4 19.e1 cxd4 20.xd4 c5! )
16.xd5+ d6 17.e6 e7 18.b5+ c6 15...b4 16.e2 xd3 17.xd3 dxc4
19.xg6 hxg6 20.g5 h5 21.g3 xf4 18.xc4 a6 wins material ]
22.xf4 f5 23.e4 d5 24.e1 c7 14.cxd5 xd5 15.e4 c6! 16.xd5 b4
25.xd5 cxd5 26.e7+ d7 27.c5+ 17.e4 xd5
d8 28.e7 1-0 Bednarski,J-Doney,R/ [ 17...exd5!? 18.f5 c4 ]
Manchester 1982 ] 18.fd1?
14.xe7 [ 18.d2 c8 ]
[ Less convincing is 14.f4 g6 15.xc7+ 18...c4 19.c1
d8 ( 15...f8!? ) 16.xf3 ] [ 19.bd2? c3 wins material. ]
14...xe7 15.g5 xc4 16.xe7+ xe7 19...c3 20.b3 b5! 21.axb5 b6 22.e1?!
17.xe7 xe7 18.xf3 d6 19.e1+ d7 f5! 23.exf6
20.g4+ c6 21.d5+ b5 22.a4+ b6 [ 23.f3 g5 traps the bishop, but after 23
23.d4+ a6 24.d3+ b6 25.a5+ c5 exf6 the bishop on f4 is too vulnerable: ]
26.b4+ xb4 27.d4+ It's a massacre 23...7xf6 24.f3 h7 25.g3? The last
ending in mate: mistake, and a rather obvious one. W hite
[ 27.d4+ b5 28.b1+ a6 29.d3+ b5 would stand much worse but at least get
30.axb6+ b7 31.bxa7+ b5 32.xb5+ some counterchances with
xa7 33.c5+ a6 34.a3# ] [ 25.ed3 g5 26.e1 xf4 ( 26...gxf4
27.g4+ h8 28.xe6 ) 27.xf4 gxf4
28.g4+ h8 29.xe6 xd4 30.e2 ]
398 C04 25...g5 26.ed3 gxf4 27.g4+ g5
Daulyte,D 2262 28.gxf4 xf4 29.h4 c2 30.e1 h5 31.g3
Stella,A 2477 fh3+ 32.h1 d6 33.f4 b7+ 34.g2
29th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (1.69) xg2+ 35.xg2 xf4+ 36.xf4 xf4
[John Watson] 37.hxg5 af8 38.e2 g4+ 39.h1 h4+
40.g1 g4+ 41.h1 f2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 0-1
5.e5 d7 6.b3 a5 7.a4 e7 8.b5 a7
9.d3 Even though I had it written, I
carelessly neglected to put my analysis of this 399 C04
move in 'Dangerous Weapons: The French'. Fierro Baquero,Martha Lorena 2403
The two main lines are Hou,Yifan 2571
[ 9.e2 b6 10.0-0 0-0 11.e3 c5 12.c3 FIDE Women's Grand Prix (6) 13.03.2009
c6 ] [Neil McDonald]
[ 9.xd7+ xd7 10.xa5 b6 with the idea
...Ba6 Black gets plenty of compensation. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
9...b6 10.0-0 c5 11.c4 On of the first things 5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1
to note is that 9 Bd3 has a drawback Baquero transfers her knight from the 'dead'
compared to 9 Be2: the move ...c4 forks two d2 square towards e3 or g3. It makes sense to
pieces, so White can't simply play 11 c3 or 11 do so before castling, as then the manoeuvre
Be3. b7 12.f4 0-0 13.c2?! would take one more move: Re1, Nf1 and

348
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Ne3. d6 18...xc6 19.e5 e8 20.e3 c5

[ If you are in a risk taking mood, you might Now Black has a small but definite advantage
l i k e t o e x p l o r e 8...e5? in the archives, due to he r m obile pawns. 21.b3 b8
though 9.e3 looks very awkward to 22.f4? White's positional demise is swiftly
meet. ] followed by a tactical disaster.
9.e3 0-0 10.0-0 g6 11.c4 f6 12.c5 [ She had to stabilise her centre say with
White wants to control the e5 square, but this 22.f4!? ]
plan is doubled edged as it takes the pressure 22...e4 23.d3?
off Black's d5 pawn. e7 [ The last chance was to retreat with 23.e3 ]
[ Instead 12...f4!? was seen in Rublevsky- 23...c4 24.d1 c8!
Vaganian, which can be found in the notes [ Hou Yifan plays the most incisive moves.
to Kharchenko-Fingerov on Chess Pub. ] White would still be resisting after 24...cxd3
13.b5 The logical follow up: White eliminates 25.xb8 xb8 26.xd3 ]
the last defender of the e5 square. d7 25.f3 The only way to avoid losing a piece, but
[ My computer program has more of a it concedes centre passed pawns to Black.
conscience than Hou Yifan, and so wants to cxd3 26.fxe4 dxe4 27.g4 g6 28.xg6
staunch up the e5 square with the hxg6 29.ae1 xf4! 30.xf4 e3! 31.xe3
outlandish 13...d7?! Nonetheless, Black's g5 The passed pawn will cost White at least
pieces are in a bit of a jumble after 14.h1 a piece in view of the idea of Rc1+ and d3-d2.
a6 ( Surreal is 14...db8 when the knight is 0-1
deemed to have a move useful role on b8
than f6. ) 15.a4 f6 16.e1 etc. and
Black's bishop on c8 hasn't a single move. ] 400 C04
14.xc6 xc6 15.e5 e8 White has Fossan,Erik 2389
played impeccably according to text books on Fyllingen,Roy Harald 2395
positional play, which no doubt would accuse ch Sandnes NOR (5) 06.07.2005
Hou Yifan of treachery towards the e5 square. [Neil McDonald]
However, there are many openings in which
Black is willing to endure a centre weak point 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
in return for an otherwise solid structure and 5.e5 d7 6.c3
healthy development. Furthermore, the pawn [ A top Armenian GM tried out the Guimard
on e6 is safe from frontal attack as long as at the 2005 European Team
White keeps a knight on e5. White also has Championships: 6.b5 a6 7.xc6 bxc6
the classic problem of possessing two knights 8.c4 This direct attacking proves harmless.
but only having one ideal centre base for them. ( White had no luck after 8.b3 c5 9.g5
Therefore Baquero elects to exchange off one e7 10.a5 xe5!? in Gallagher-
knight for the bishop on c6, but this frees the Vaganian on ChessPub.) 8...c5 9.cxd5
black game. 16.3g4? exd5 10.0-0 e7 11.b3 0-0 12.a5
[ White might still have kept a slight edge e8 13.c6 b7 14.xe7+ xe7 15.g5
with 16.e1 or perhaps ] e6 16.c1 c4 with a quick draw in
[ 16.a4!? conquering a bit more space and Lupulescu,C-Lputian,S/ Gothenburg SW E
ruling out Bb5. ] 2005. ]
16...b6! 17.cxb6 A strategic concession as 6...f6 7.b5
Black gains a preponderance of pawns in the [ W e h a v e s e e n w i l d p l a y a f t e r 7.h4
centre. in Jones-Visser whilst ]
[ However, White's pawns come under attack [ 7.exf6 xf6!? was dynamic for Black in
if they try to maint ain their ground e.g. Karapanos-Nikolaidis. ]
17.xc6 xc6 18.e5 e8 19.b4 a5 ] 7...fxe5 8.dxe5 e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1
17...axb6 18.xc6 He has to defend e5, but White will miss the
[ If 18.e1 b5 and Black is ready to d e f e n d e r o f f 2 . e8 11.f1 d8
expand with c7-c5. ] Black decides he wants to play c7-c5 after all.

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
It looks rather passive, but thanks to his
opponent's poor response everything works
o u t e xc e ll e n t ly f o r h im . T h e e st a b lish e d
treatment is
[ 11...c5 12.g3 a6 13.f1 a5
-see the notes to Moiseev-Galinsky. ]
12.c2 f7 13.h4! If followed up correctly,
this is a strong attacking move. Alas for White
he goes wrong next move after which the h4
pawn eventually proves a liability. c5 14.g5?
White misses his chance. Instead
[ 14.g5! xg5 15.hxg5 c4 ( After 15...g6?
White can manoeuvre his knight to the hole
on f6 via h2 and g4, or e3 and g4.) 16.g6
hxg6 17.xg6 and White keeps up the
initiative. ]
14...c4! Not letting the bishop on b5 rejoin the
fray with 15.Bd3. 15.g3 h6 16.xe7 xe7
17.xd7 White can't keep his opponent
bottled up as there was the threat of 17... Nc5,
when White has to worry about not only losing
his bishop to 18...a6 and 19...b5 but also a
knight invasion on d3. xd7 18.h5 c6
19.ad1 af8 White's attack has spent itself.
Now Black has a dream Tarrasch position: an
impregnable centre, pressure down the f file
for his rooks and a weakling on h5 to target.
20.b4 a6 21.a4 f4 22.d2 e8 23.b2
xf3! A standard exchange sacrifice after
which the white kingside crumbles. 24.gxf3
g5 25.de2 xh5 26.b5 axb5 27.axb5
e7 28.d2 f4 29.e3 f5 30.g2
xf3+! White now perishes due to multiple
forks on f3. 31.xf3 h4+ 32.f1 xf3
33.a2 xe1 34.xe1 xe5+ 35.f1
xc3
0-1
401 C04
Gallagher,Joseph G 2543
Vaganian,Rafael A 2640
36th Olympiad (11) 26.10.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.b5 a6 7.xc6 bxc6 8.b3
c5 9.g5
[ Here 9.a5?! can be answered by the little
trick c6! when White has nothing better than
to lose time with 10.b3 as ( 10.xc6??
b6 drops a piece.) 10...cxd4 11.bxd4 c5
12.b3 e7 13.0-0 0-0 and Black had the
two bishops and a strong centre in Kotrotsos,
V-Nikolaidis,I/ Aghia Pelagia GRE 2004. ]
9...e7 10.a5 xe5!?
[ The alternative 10...b8!? also has some
merit- the knight returns home, but on the
other hand the white knight is precariously
placed on a5. Play could go 11.xe7 xe7
12.c3 0-0 13.0-0 d7 preparing Nc6. Note
that Black shouldn't be in a hurry to
exchange with c5xd4, even if he is in a
position to answer c3xd4 with an immediate
c7-c5: in doing so he will be handing over a
lot of dark squares to his opponent. ]
11.dxe5
[ An important variation is 11.xe5 xg5
12.ac6 d6! ( A tactical solution, as White
has a positional advantage after 12...f6
13.dxc5 ) 13.h5 0-0 the only move- Black
stays alive because of the fork f7-f6 if White
c a p t u r e s t h e b i s h o p . 14.dxc5 xc5
15.xg5 f6 16.d2 fxe5 17.xe5
so far this is Salinnikov-Lavrov, Tomsk 2003,
and now b8 looks quite pleasant for Black,
e.g. 18.c3 b5 stopping castling kingside. ]
11...xg5 12.c6 d7 13.xg5 h6!?
A finesse. After
[ 13...xc6 14.h5 There was an intriguing
p o s s i b i l i t y d7 ( if 14...g6 15.f3
and Black has become loose on the kingside
dark squares.) 15.xh7 it looks as though
Black is in trouble because of 16.Nf6+, but
d8!? with a curious position in which
16.f6+? can be met by e7 ]
14.h5?
[ The critical line is 14.xf7 xf7 15.0-0
Depending on your point of view, Black
either has a fragile centre and a bad bishop,
or a big centre and potentially the better
minor piece. It all depends on whether White
gets a grip on the dark squares and s o
manages to control, the dynamism of the
b l a c k p i e c e s . O n e s a m p l e l i n e i s a5
Black tries to trap the knight 16.d2 a4
17.c3 f8 18.d4 b8 ( 18...cxd4?
19.c6+ ) 19.f3 e7 and Black suddenly
has a good position. ]
14...0-0 15.a5
[ It's too late for 15.xf7 as White's centre
crumbles after xf7 16.a5 b5 17.b3
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
c4 18.d2 xb2 ]
15...a4! 16.b3 hxg5 17.0-0
[ Alas White has no time to capture on g5 as
if 17.xg5 c4 18.d4 c5 19.f3 xc2 ]
17...f4 18.xc5 xe5 19.d3 d4
20.xg5 f6 21.g6 e5 Black hasn't won any
material but he has emerged with a fine pawn
centre and definitely the more useful minor
piece. W hite's pawn structure is gradually
w o r n d o w n . 22.fe1 a5 23.h3 a6!
An excellent manoeuvre to put pressure on
c2. 24.h5 c6 25.ac1 e6 26.ed1 f7
27.f5 d8 28.b3 h4 29.c3 h6 30.b2
e4 31.g3 The only way to meet the threat of
31...Be6, trapping the white queen, but it costs
a couple of pawns. e6 32.f4 xh3
33.h4 xh4 34.gxh4 f7 35.c4 h8
36.e3 xh4 37.d4 f5 38.xd5 xd5
39.xd5 g6+
0-1
402 C04
Giri,A 2720
Nakamura,Hi 2760
SportAccord Blitz Men 2012 blitz (12.2)
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.b3 a5 7.a4 b6
[ In Dangerous Weapons The French I
recommend 7...e7 , which is the main
move in the Archives. Upon Bb5, the idea of
...Na7 f ollowed by ...b6 and ...c5 gives
Black more active play than he does in the
game. ]
8.b5 cb8!? One of the traditional moves,
but I prefer
[ 8...a7 , which is seen in Amontav-Cori in
the Archives. ]
9.0-0 Other interesting moves are
[ 9.h4!? and ]
[ 9.g5!? , the latter including the critical line
h6 10.xe6!? ( 10.h5 g6 11.h3 e7
12.0-0 g7 13.f3 c6 14.d3 a6 )
10...fxe6 11.h5+ e7 12.g5+ hxg5
13.xh8 e8 ( 13...a6? 14.h5
Volkmann - Spice, Plovdiv 2003) 14.h7
( 14.e2 g6; 14.0-0; 14.h3 ) 14...f7
15.0-0 ( 15.h4 g4 ) 15...c6 16.d3 g6!? ]
9...e7 10.c3 This hasn't been considered
critical, but may keep a small edge. The same
can be said for
[ 10.e1 and ]
[ 10.e1!? , as in Portisch - Thorbergsson,
M u e n c h e n ( o l ) 1 9 5 8 , w h i c h w e n t h5!?
( 10...c6 11.d3 0-0 12.c3 c5 ) 11.e3
a6 12.c1 c6 13.xa6 xa6 14.d3 ]
10...c5
[ 10...0-0 11.e3 c6 12.d3 a6
of Ostojic - Vaganian, Rome 1977 is called
equal in Informant. White still has space,
so perhaps he's slightly better in spite of
his inferior remaining bishop. At any rate,
Black has come out of the opening with a
reasonable game, although I prefer the lines
with ...Be7 and ...Na7, which I think are
completely equal. ]
11.e1 0-0 12.f4 a6!? Usually this isn't
played unless Black can force the exchange
of bishops. Others:
[ 12...c7 13.d2 c6 is normal. ]
[ 12...a6!? wit h t h e id e a 13.d2 c7
14.c6?! ( 14.e2 ) 14...a7! and ...Nb8 ]
13.d2
[ 13.c1 has the idea Ne2-g3 White seems
slightly better. ]
13...c7
[ 13...xb5 14.axb5 prevents Black's
knights from becoming active. ]
14.g5 d8 15.h4!?
[ 15.xe7 xe7 16.e3 . In all these lines
W h it e 's e d ge is b a se d u p o n h is s p a c e
advantage. I never recommend playing this
way as Black, but it's not that bad. ]
15...cxd4!?
[ 15...h6 16.xe7 xe7 is possible ...Rc8
and ...Nc6 could follow. ]
16.bxd4!?
[ White should probably prefer 16.cxd4 h6
17.xe7 xe7 ]
16...c5 17.xe7 xe7 18.g5!?
[ 18.h5 h6 19.e3 ]
18...a7
[ 18...xg5 19.hxg5 xb5 20.axb5 c8 ]
19.g3 c8 20.ed1 h6 21.e3 ac7?!
[ 21...b7 22.e2 c6 23.b5 aa8
24.d6 f8 and ...f6 is preferable. ]
22.xa6 bxa6 23.b5 d7 24.d6
A bit hurried.
[ 24.fd4 ]
24...f8
351
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 24...xd6!? 25.exd6 xd6 gives Black [ 58.f3! d3 59.e5+ e7 60.xd3 xg6
considerable compensation, although White 61.h5= ]
ought to have the advantage in theory. ] 58...d3 59.g7 f6 60.e3 d2 61.hf5
[ 24...a8 would prevent White's next. ] g8?
25.b4! axb4 26.cxb4 xb4 [ 61...e6! is decisive, since 62.h6 a7!
[ 26...b7 27.xb6 xd6 28.exd6 xd6 63.g8+ xg8 64.xg8 a3 65.d1 a1
29.d4 and White's passed pawns are the 66.f2 f1 chases the knight down. ]
more impressive ones. ] 62.d1 Now White can hold, and he
27.ab1 ca6 28.xb6 f6! 29.b5! b7 eventually does. A crazy game. e6 63.fe3
30.e3 a1 64.g4 f6+ 65.f3 f7 66.e2
[ Or 30.d6 f7 31.exf6 xf6 32.bd4 e4 67.d3 a4 68.c4 c5+ 69.c3
e7 33.e5 ] e4+ 70.d3 a1 71.xe4 xd1 72.d3
30...c6 31.bd4 cb4?! g1 73.xd2 xg3+ 74.d4 xg7 75.e4
[ 31...ab4 32.dc1! ] e6 76.c5+ f5 77.d5 g1 78.d4
32.exf6! xf6 33.e1? White's first mistake. d1+ 79.c4 d8 80.d3 e4 81.c5+
He could grab a very large advantage with e3 82.b5 c8 83.c4 d8 84.b5
[ 33.dc1! , preventing ...Nc5 and preparing h8 85.c4 h4+ 86.d5 h5+ 87.c4
N e 5 , e . g . , e8 34.e5 d8 35.h5 h4+ 88.d5 d4+ 89.e5 d8 90.e6
with a winning bind. ] a8 91.d5 a5+ 92.c5 f4 93.d4
[ 33.e5 c5 34.f4 is also good, but not as a8 94.d5 d8+ 95.c4 e5 96.d3+
clear. ] d6 97.d4 h8 98.e4 h5 99.f4
33...c5! 34.a5 cd3? Black returns the e5+ 100.d4 a5 101.e4 a4+ 102.f5
favour. Simply d4 103.e2 d5+ 104.f4 c5 105.e4
[ 34...a8 was best. ] c4 106.f4 a5 107.e6 a1 108.e5
35.xe6+ xe6 36.xe6 a7 37.a1?! d1 109.f4 e1+ 110.f5 c5 111.e6+
[ 37.b6!+- traps the knight, since a2 xe6
38.1b3 dc1 39.a3 is winning. ] ½-½
37...fa8 38.f5?
[ 38.b3! ]
38...xa5 39.xa5 xa5 40.e7 a1+ 403 C04
41.g2 a2 42.xg7+ h8 43.3d4 Godena,Michele 2522
xf2+ 44.h3 c6 Contin,Daniel 2386
[ 44...d2! ] 66th ch Cremona ITA (10) 02.12.2006
45.g6 ce5? [Neil McDonald]
[ 45...xd4 46.xd4 h7 ]
46.xh6+ g8 47.f6? 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
[ 47.g4!+- ] 5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.b3!?
47...a2 48.h5 f2+ 49.h4 e4 d6 9.0-0
Threatening ...Rh2 mate! 50.g6+ f8 [ Instead 9.g5 was played in Mogranzini-
51.e6+ e8 52.eg7+?? After this, Berkes on ChessPub. ]
suddenly Black is winning 9...0-0
[ 52.h3! f2+ 53.g2 is at least equal, [ Perhaps Black should mirror his opponent's
since fd3+ 54.h3 xg6 55.hxg6 p re vio u s m o ve wit h 9...b6 in order to
eliminates Black's last pawn following f2+ prevent his opponent's next move. ]
56.h4 e4 57.c7+ d7 58.xd5 ] 10.c4! White often settles for quiet
52...d7 53.h3 f2+ 54.g2 e4+? ma n o e u vre s wit h t h e p ie ce s a ga in s t t h e
[ 54...fd3+! 55.h3 xg6 56.hxg6 Guimard, but I think it is a good idea to put
e5-+ and the pawn will fall, because immediate pawn pressure on the black centre.
57.h4 d4 wins. ] b6?! I still have serious doubts about the idea
55.h3 xg6 56.hxg6 a6 57.h4 d4 of b7-b6 and Bb7 in the Guimard, as it
58.gf5? seriously undermines the solidity of the black

352
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
queenside.
[ A mo re f igh tin g ap pro ach is 10...dxc4!?
11.xc4 ( or 11.bd2 xd4 ) 11...b6
12.d3 e5!? ]
11.g5 f7
[ Perhaps 11...g6 should be preferred as
the black queen becomes a potential target
for Ng5 after White's next move. ]
12.h4 f6 As will be seen, the knight was
needed on d7 to help deter White's next move.
However, I can't see a satisfactory line for
Black, for example the weakness of the e6
pawn is shown up after
[ 12...b7 13.g5 with the basic idea of 14.
Bg4. ]
13.c5! Now White has an undoubted
positional advantage as he conquers the key
e5 square. bxc5 14.dxc5 f4 15.g3 h6
16.b5! b8
[ Horrible for Black is 16...b7
xc6 18.e5 e8 19.xf6
( He had to play 19...xf6 even though it
surrenders all the centre dark squares after
20.d4 ) 20.xc6 xc6 21.d4 e8
22.g4+ f7 23.fe1 e5 24.f5 g5
25.h4 and there is no way to save the
bishop in view of mate on g7. ]
17.e5 e7 18.g4 This crafty retreat wins
the exchange as the bishop on h6 has no
where to run. c6 19.a4 e5 20.xf6 xf6
21.xf6+ xf6 22.a5 e6
[ If 22...h8 t h e n t h e s i m p l e 23.b4
will win in the end, but the sharp ( 23.xc6
xc6 24.xd5 xa5
looks crushing. )]
23.b3 d7 24.e2 g6 25.fe1 g7
There are some nice features about the black
position: a broad centre and an unopposed
'Indian' bishop on g7. However, the fact that
t wo o f h i s p i e c e s a r e s t i l l b u ri e d o n t h e
q u e e n s i d e r u i n s e v e r y t h i n g . 26.c4!
A s im p le b u t e l e ga n t e xa m p le o f t a ct ic s
supporting strategy. The off side knight is
rerouted to the d6 square, and Black dare not
impede its journey on pain of losing his queen.
The knight also forces Black to advance his e-
pawn one s quare, wh ere it su bsequently
becomes a victim of the pin on d5. e4 27.d6
a5 A desperate measure as White already
threatened 29.Nxe4. 28.c2 Now both 29.
Nxe 4 a n d 2 9 . R xe 4 a re o n t h e ca rd s . a4
29.xa4 h3
[ There isn't even time to develop as if
29...a6 30.xe4! dxe4? 31.b3 ]
30.b3 e6 31.xe4 Anyway! White
sacrifices a piece as he sees that his lead in
d e ve lo p m e n t wil l b e o ve r p o we r in g . dxe4
32.xe4 d5 33.xd5+ cxd5 34.e8+ f7
35.ae1 d7 36.c6! xc6 37.xa8 d4
38.d3 g4 39.a7+ f8 40.a3+
Mate in two wraps up a forceful display by
Godena.
1-0
404 C04
Handke,Florian 2498
Hofmann,Paul 2338
Bundesliga 2008-9 (12) 28.02.2009
[Neil McDonald]
17.xc6
gxf6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.b5 e7 7.0-0 a5 8.a4
One good point of this move is that Black's
re p ly 8 .. . Na7 can 't b e use d t o su p p ort a
queenside advance with b7-b5. However, as
we shall see, Hoffmann achieved a
satisfactory position before going astray. a7
[ I don't like 8...cb8!? for Black, when after
the sensible and good 9.d3!? he could
e a si ly f in d h im se l f a t e m p o d o wn o n a
standard Universal System position.
( An interesting alternative for White, which
I don't recommend for him, is 9.c4? c6
25.xa8 10.cxd5 cxb5 11.d6 f8 12.e4 h6!
with dubious compensation for the piece. )]
9.d3 c5 10.c3 b6 11.e1 c6 12.c4
b4 13.b1 b8? Black takes one liberty to
many with his knights. He would have a fully
acceptable position af ter straightf orward
development with
[ 13...b7 14.b3 ( White appears to be
overpressing after 14.cxd5 xd5 15.e4
cxd4 when Black is becoming very active in
the centre. ) 14...c8 etc. ]
14.cxd5 exd5 This pawn recapture is truly
miserable compared to Bxd5 if Black had
played the correct 13...Bb7 as in the note
above. Taking back with the pawn means that
the d5 square is a dead point in the centre
rather than a base of activity for the black
bishop. The transfer of the pawn from e6 to d5
353
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
not only loses control of the f5 square [Nf5
becomes a motif for White] but also allows a
possible e5-e6 advance. This persuades
Black to put his bishop on e6- but what a poor
piece it is on this square compared to
commanding an open diagonal on b7!
[ Note that 14...xd5 also has its problems
a s it yi e l d s t h e e 4 sq u a re t o t h e wh it e
knight. ]
15.f1! The knight heads for the kingside to
lead an attack which has good chances of
success due to the fact that Black has two
knights far off on the b-file. e6 16.g3
d7?
[ The last chance was to keep out the white
k n i g h t w i t h 16...g6 though 17.h6
was pretty wretched for Black. ]
17.h5! 0-0 18.xg7! This seems to be the
most accurate way to carry out the attack.
[ Another method was 18.h6!? based on
the consideration that the knight on h5 is a
more dangerous piece than the bishop, and
so shouldn't be sacrificed. gxh6 19.c1 f5
( If 19...f6? 20.xh6 f7 21.exf6 f8
22.g5+ h8 23.f4 there's no good
answer to the attack on e6. g4 24.e5
and wins. ) 20.exf6 xf6 ( Or 20...xf6
21.xh6 ) 21.xf6+ xf6 22.xh6 g7
23.xg7+ xg7 24.xe6 8c6 25.dxc5
bxc5 ( Or 25...xb2 26.a2! ) 26.e2
and W hite should win with his extra
exchange and pawn. ]
18...xg7 19.d2! An elegant attacking
method: the queen leads from the front. f5
[ Black is annihilated after 19...f5 20.exf6+
xf6 21.e5 d6 22.a3 h8 23.xh7!
xh7 24.g5 8c6 25.h5+ g7
26.g3+ with mate soon to follow or ]
[ 19...g8 20.h6 f5 21.e6! fxe6
22.e5 transposing to the game. ]
20.h6+ g8 21.e6! fxe6 22.e5 c8
23.a3!! So 8.a4! turns out to have been a
very far sighted move...The arrival of
re in f orc e m en t s is d e cisive an d so B la ck
resigned.
[ 23.a3 f6 24.g3+ h8 25.xf5 exf5
26.g6+ g8 27.xf8+ f7 28.xh7+
xf8 29.g8# ]
1-0
405 C04
Haslinger,Stewart 2511
Rendle,Thomas 2363
British Championships (1) 28.07.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 The notes from move 16 onwards
were kindly contributed by IM Tom Rendle.
2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 d7
6.e2 e7 7.f1 0-0 8.e3 f6 9.exf6
xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.c4 b6 12.a3?
This is a poor move as White doesn't really
gain anything by advancing b2-b4. Still, as
you can see in the archives, Black has good
results after 12.b3. e7 13.b4 dxc4
[ In view of time wasting play, it was possible
for Black to try to overrun the centre with
13...c5!? e.g. 14.bxc5 bxc5
A) White would run into trouble after
15.dxc5? xc5 16.b2 e4 due to the
weakness of e3 and f2.;
B) or if 15.cxd5 exd5 16.dxc5 ( or
16.xd5 exd5 17.dxc5 xc5 18.g5
d6 and I pref er Black.) 16...xc5
when Black's pawn on e6 looks ugly, but it
is do in g a go o d jo b in su pp o rt in g t h e
knight on d5.;
C) 15.b2 b8 and Black has good
counterplay. ]
14.xc4 ed5 15.b3 f4 16.ce5
[ 16.g3 was suggested by Stewart
afterwards as a possible improvement. ]
16...e8 17.g3 xe5 18.xe5 b7 19.f3
d7 20.g2 xe5 21.dxe5 d8 22.a4
h5 23.b2 a8 (=) I decided to offer a
draw here as I was getting short on time, and
was finding it difficult to come up with a plan.
Black should be ok because of the strong
knight on d5. 24.ac1 g6 25.h1 f7
26.b5 h5!? This move was played after some
thought, leaving me with only about 7 minutes
to reach the time-control. At least now Black
has a plan, and Stewart used up most of his
t i m e a d va n t a g e o ve r t h e n e xt c o u p l e o f
moves. 27.c4 df8
[ Other possibilities were 27...e3!? 28.fxe3
xg2+ 29.xg2 d2+ 30.g1 xb2
31.xf7 xf7 32.f4 d7 33.d4 and ]
[ 27...f4 28.b3 h4!? ( 28...f7 is solid. )
29.gxf4?? xg2+ 30.xg2 xf4+ 31.g1
e2# ]
354
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
28.d4 h4! 29.xh4 xf2 30.xf2 xf2
both players were now down to their last
couple of minutes, so the next few moves are
full of mistakes! 31.e4
[ 31.d8+! f8 32.d7 f2 33.d8+
f8= ]
31...h6 32.xh6 gxh6 33.d4 d2
34.c4??
[ Black is a bit better after 34.g1 e2
35.f3 xe5 36.d4 f5 37.e4 f8 ]
34...d1+??
[ 34...e2 wins a piece 35.f3 e3! ]
35.g2 f4+ 36.gxf4?
[ Better was 36.f3 e.g. xe4+ 37.xe4
d5 ]
36...xe4+ 37.f2 d5 38.e2?
[ If 38.b4 d2+! ( White holds on after
38...a5 39.bxa6 c5 40.xc5 bxc5 41.b8+
f7 42.a7 ) 39.g3 a5 40.bxa6 c5
41.xc5 bxc5 42.b8+ h7 43.a7 g2+
44.h3 g8 and Black wins. ]
38...xc4+ 39.xd1 b3+ 40.d2 xa4
41.c3 xb5 42.f2 f7 43.h4 e8
44.f5 exf5 45.e6 f4 46.d4 f3 47.e3
c4 48.g3 xe6 49.xc7 d5 50.b8 a6
51.a7 b5 52.d3 d7 53.c5 c6
54.e7 c4+ 55.e3 e2 56.h4 h5
57.d2 d5 58.d8 c4 59.b6 b4
0-1
406
Jones,Gawain C
Visser,JJ
Harmonie Groningen NED (1)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.c3 A rather slow move. So far on
ChessPub we have looked at
[ 6.b3 and ]
[ 6.b5 and ]
[ 6.e2 and ]
[ 6.d3 ]
6...f6 7.h4 More ambitious than
[ 7.exf6 as played in Karapanos-Nikolaidis
on ChessPub. ]
7...g6!? An intriguing decision. In view of W h i t e t h e c h a n c e t o r e f l e c t o n h i s
W h i t e ' s n e x t m o v e B l a c k h a s n o r m a l l y helplessness. 28.a4 xe2+ 29.xe2 e3
submitted to
[ 7...e7 here, defending the e6 pawn, when
8.h5+ probably gives White the edge in the
endgame after f7 ( or 8...g6 9.xg6 f7
10.f4 ) 9.xf7+ xf7 10.f4 as the black
king is a potential target if he challenges
White's centre with g7-g5. ]
8.g4 g7!
[ The most energetic, but 8...e7 9.f4 g5
wo u l d a l s o b e h i g h l y i n t e r e s t i n g , a s i f
10.exf6?? xf6 11.xg5 g8 wins the
white queen. ]
9.xe6+ e7 10.exf6 xf6 11.e2 0-0
12.d1
[ Black would have a strong initiative after
12.hf3 f5 13.e5 c5! ]
12...g4! 13.hf3 f5 14.b3
[ It looks silly to move the knight away from
the defence of the kingside when he could
d e v e l o p w i t h 14.e2 but White was
understandably afraid of fe3! 15.fxe3
xe3 e.g. 16.b3 xg2+ 17.f2? ( but if
17.d1 e3+ 18.e1 Black can force a
r e p e t i t i o n o r p l a y t o w i n w i t h f5! )
17...h4+! 18.xg2 h3+ 19.g1 g4+
20.f2 g2+ 21.e1 xh1+ 22.f2
and here Fritz recommends the ultra cool
c6! after which White is defenceless against
the plan of Rae8 followed by Qg2+ when e2
drops. ]
14...h4! 15.h3 xf3+ 16.gxf3 h4
17.e2 d7! 18.fxg4 ae8 19.e3 h6?
[ The obvious move, but far more decisive
C04 was 19...b5! 20.xb5 ( White loses his
2447 q u e e n a f t e r 20.d2 xf2! 21.xf2
2451 xe3+ ) 20...xe3+ 21.d1 c6 22.xb7
21.12.2004 xf2 23.d2 e1+ 24.c2 xa1
threatening 25...Bh6, etc. ]
20.d1 xe3 21.fxe3 f2 22.d3
[ Or 22.e1 g3 23.c1 xe3 24.e2
b5 ]
22...g3 23.e4 f3 24.d2 xe4 25.e2?
[ The only chance to turn the tables was
25.c5! f2 26.xe4 ]
25...f2 26.c1 b5! 27.e1
[ If 27.xb5 f3+! simplest 28.e2 exe2
29.xe2 xh1+ 30.c2 xa1 31.e3
f1 and Black wins. ]
27...xh3 A calm snatch of a pawn that gives
30.c1 f3 31.g1 xe1+ 32.xe1 f4+
355
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

33.b1 f1 34.a2 xe1 35.xe1 xg4 [ 17...d7 ]

0-1 [ or 17...cxd4 18.cxd4 d7 when the two
bad bishops and weaknesses on d4 and e6
balance each other out after, for example,
407 C04 19.g4 ( 19.e5 e7 20.f2 e8 )
Jurkovic,Ante 2330 19...h4 20.e5 e7 21.e3 e8
Pandurevic,Miro 2314 22.e1 ( 22.b3 g6 ) 22...a6 23.c1
Zagreb Open GpA (8) 03.03.2010 ( 23.a4 c8 ) 23...b5 24.f2 g6
[John Watson] 25.xg6 hxg6 with approximate equality. ]
18.g2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 [ 18.g4 h4 19.e5 e7 20.e3 d7
5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1 21.d2 e8 22.f2 may provide a tiny
d6 9.e3 0-0 10.0-0 One of the main lines edge. ]
of the Guimard Variation of the Tarrasch. g6 18...cxd4 19.cxd4 d7
[ Black also plays 10...b6 ] [ 19...b7 is also fine White lacks a good
11.g3 plan. ]
[ The traditional main line has been 11.c4 20.g4?! But White has some difficulty finding
(s e e t h e A rc h ive s, f o r e xa m p le , Fie rr o u s e f u l m o v e s . h4+ 21.xh4 xh4
Baquero-Hou Yifan), but 11 g3 is also well 22.e3!? Black stands better in any case, e.g.
known. ] ,
11...f6 12.h4 f7 [ 22.b3 ac8 23.d2 g5 ]
[ 12...e8 has been more common, for 22...g5! 23.d2 h6 24.f3 gxf4 25.f2
example, I cite D Popovic-J Todorovic, ac8 With a clear pawn the rest is a little
Obrenovac 2004 in my Dangerous Weapons s h a k y , a l t h o u g h B l a c k n e v e r l o s e s h i s
book: 13.f4 e7 14.d3 c5 15.c3 b6 a d v a n t a g e : 26.f1 g6 27.d1 c2
16.e2 e4 17.g4 b7 18.f2 28.d3 xb2 29.h3 f7 30.g5 f3+!?
(Now if Black has to capture on f2, e6 will [ 30...c3! ]
be exposed) f5! with at least equality and 31.xf3 cf8 32.xf7 xf7 33.h5 b5
probably a bit more, mainly because of [ 33...d2! 34.g6 g7 ]
White's horrid dark-square bishop. ] 34.xb5 xb5 35.e1 e8 36.h6 e7
13.f4 e7 37.c1?
[ 13...e4 is a lso pla yab le : 14.c3 b6 [ 37.g3! ]
( 14...e7 ) 15.d3 b7 16.g4 37...f4 38.c3 g7 39.h4 g6
looks better for White than usual, although [ White resigns in view of 39...g6 40.h5
Black has no serious problems following xg5+ ]
e7 , for example, 17.f5 h5! 18.d1 c5! 0-1
19.fxe6 xe6 20.xh5 xf1+ 21.xf1
cxd4 22.cxd4 c6 23.e3 b4 24.b1
c8 ] 408 C04
14.g4 Karapanos,Nikolaos 2248
[ 14.f3 c5 15.e5 e8 16.c3 b6 ] Nikolaidis,Ioannis 2516
14...f5!? TCh Aghia Pelagia GRE (2) 05.07.2004
[ 14...xg4 15.xg4 b6 16.e1 f5 [Neil McDonald]
17.f3 c5 is equal. ]
15.xf6+ 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
[ Black keeps matters in balance following 5.e5 d7 6.c3 f6 7.exf6
15.e5 e7 16.hf3 c5 17.c3 e4! [ The alternative was 7.h4 but it turned out
18.d3 cxd4 19.cxd4 b6 ] badly in the ChessPub game Jones-Visser. ]
15...xf6 16.f3 c5 17.c3 b6 7...xf6!? Now we have a type of Tarrasch 3...
Perhaps Black is shooting for ...a5 with ...Ba6 N f 6 v a r i a t i o n b u t w i t h o u t B l a c k h a v e
and/or ...Ra7. But a simpler course is committed himself to c7-c5. As he can

356
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

counterattack in the centre with e6-e5 it is 409 C04

good for him to have avoided this loosening Karjakin,Sergey 2775
pawn move. Grischuk,A 2764
[ Also not bad is 7...xf6 one example being Piterenka Blitz 2012 blitz (5) 29.12.2012
8.d3?! d6 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1 White will [John Watson]
on regret his systematic weakening of his
defences along the f file. e8 11.e5?! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.c3 e5
xe5 12.dxe5 d7 13.f3 h5 14.e2 T h e s t a n d a r d r e ci p e . 5.dxe5 This is an
h6 15.c4 xf3! 16.xf3 xf3 17.gxf3 obscure move, but as good as anything most
dxe5 18.e2 d4 threatening a fork on of the well-known games in this line have
both c2 and f3. 19.f4 exf3+ 20.xf3 begun with
xf3+ 21.f1 xe1 22.xe1 dxc4 [ 5.exd5 xd5 6.gf3 exd4 7.c4
23.xc7 d7 and Black was two pawns up , e.g., Vajda-Bauer in the Archives. ]
in B u rg, T -G e rva sio , R/ L e T o u qu e t FR A 5...dxe4
2004. ] [ 5...xe5 has been considered equal, but
8.b5 d6 9.0-0 0-0 10.b3 e5! W h i t e m a y h a ve a l i t t l e e d g e , e . g. , b y
It is a sure sign something has gone wrong 6.df3 ]
for White in the Tarrasch if Black can play this 6.e2 This keeps the position interesting.
advance without being punished. 11.dxe5 Here are my notes from PTF4:
[ White's bishop is left out on a limb on b5 as [ 6.xe4 xd1+ 7.xd1 f5!? 8.g3
he has no wish to strengthen the black 0-0-0+ 9.e1 g4 10.f3 d7 11.f4 f6!
centre or hand over the two bishops with and White's king is exposed. ]
11.xc6 bxc6 12.dxe5 xe5 ] [ 6.a4!? is most easily answered by f5 ( or
11...dxe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.f4 6...d5 7.xe4 xe5 ,; but it can also lead
[ The fact that the d5 pawn is taboo shows t o t h e p a w n s a c r i f i c e 6...e3!? 7.fxe3
that White has failed to keep any opening , af ter which among other moves Black
a d v a n t a ge . I f 13.xd5+ e6 14.xb7 could try d7 8.gf3 e7 9.f4 0-0-0
ab8 15.a6 f3+! and Black's attack is 10.c4 h6 11.0-0 e8 with equal
unstoppable: 16.gxf3 h4 17.e1 ( fatal is chances )]
17.f4 g4+ 18.h1 f3+ 19.g1 d5 ) 6...f5!? This is active, but also risks not
17...xb5 18.xb5 xh2+ 19.f1 c4+ recovering the pawn. A safe line is
and wins. ] [ 6...xe5 7.xe4 ( 7.xe4 e7= )
13...f7 14.e3 c6 15.d3 h6 7...e7 , e.g., 8.f4 g4!? ( 8...d7
W hite felt obliged to lessen the activity of 9.0-0-0 0-0-0 10.f3 g6
Black's dark squared bishop with f2-f4, but it 1/2-1/2 Wittmann, W (2385)-Hug, W, (2440),
has left a marked weakness in his centre. Beersheba 1985.) 9.f3 d7 10.0-0-0
16.d4 h4 17.g3 h3 18.e1 g4 0-0-0 ]
19.d2 f5 20.f1 h5 21.c5 ad8 [ 6...d5 7.xe4 ( 7.xe4 xe5= ) 7...e6
22.xa7? 8.f4 0-0-0 gives some compensation. ]
[ Despite White's inaccurate play there was 7.xe4 d5 8.g3 g6 9.h3
still hope if he went over to the defensive [ a) 9.f4 looks better, e.g., h5!? 10.b5
with 22.xd6 xd6 23.d4 ] ( 10.f5! h7 11.g5 xe5 12.0-0-0 )
22...g5! 23.fxg5 g4 24.c5 e4 25.d4 10...xb5 11.xb5 h4 12.f1 e4
xg3! 26.xe4 f2+! 27.xf2 with some compensation how much has to
[ Or 27.xf2 xh2# ] be demonstrated, e.g., 13.f2 h6 14.h3
27...xf2 ( 14.e2 ) 14...f5 15.f3 0-0-0 ]
0-1 [ b) The only example I see with 6...Bf5 went
9.f3 0-0-0 10.f4 c5 ( 10...f6! ) 11.b5
( 11.c4! ) 11...a6 12.a4 h6?! 13.c4
xf2+! 14.xf2 g4+ 15.e1 c5 16.f1
he8 17.e2 , although Black went on to

357
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

win in Baramidze, D (2338)-Tello Nunez, A 76.e6 e4 77.d7 d5 78.c7 c4
(2082), Oropesa del Mar 2001. ] 79.b7 b6 80.a6 c5 81.b7 b5
9...0-0-0 10.f4 xe5 11.xe5 xe5 82.b8 c6 83.a8 e3 84.b8 d5
This is roughly equal, with Black's better piece 85.a8 c7+ 86.b8 c5 87.c8 a7
placement compensating for his coming loss 88.d8 d5 89.c8 e7+ 90.d8 d6
of the bishop pair. This is a blitz game, so the 91.e8 e6 92.d8 b6+ 93.e8 f5
th eo ry o f 5 dxe5 p ro b ab ly isn 't very we ll 94.f8 c7 95.e8 g7+ 96.f8 f6
indicated by its course. 12.e2 f6 13.0-0 97.g8 g6 98.f8 d6+ 99.g8 f5
c5 14.xg6 hxg6 15.g5 b6 16.xf6?! 100.h8 e7 101.g8 h6+
gxf6 Black has a small positional advantage 0-1
here. 17.ad1 f5
[ 17...h4!? has the idea ..Rf4. ]
18.xd8+ xd8 19.d1? 410 C04
[ 19.b1 d2 20.f1 g4 21.e1 d8 Kharchenko,Boris 2140
22.xg4 fxg4 ] Fingerov,Dmitry 2360
19...xd1+ 20.xd1 d3 21.f1 d8! Open, Mariupol (8) 2003
[ 21...xb2 22.b3 f4 23.e2 g5 ] [Neil McDonald]
22.b4
[ 22.b3 e7 23.f3 xb2 24.e2 g1 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
25.f1 b5 ] 5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1
22...xf2 23.b3 e7 24.e2 g4 25.h3 One of the main lines against the Guimard.
e5 26.f1 f4?! W hite aims to manoeuvre his knight to the
[ 26...c6 27.d2 d7 28.f3 f6 excellent e3 square. He does so immediately
, although this will be difficult to win. ] in o rde r n ot to have to sp end a move o n
27.d2 f5 28.c4 d7 Black wants to clearing the f1 square as would be the case
avoid the pure oppo site-coloured bisho p after 8.0-0. e5!? The most ambitious move. It
ending. 29.h4 f6? can lead to glorious victory or heart wrenching
[ 29...f6 ] defeat.
30.e5 e4 31.xg6+ f6 32.xf4 [ 8...d6 9.e3 0-0 10.0-0 g6!?
xc3+ 33.d3 e4 34.a4 Vaganian decides he wants the knight on d7
[ 34.d5+ ] to go to the kingside. The alternative
34...c6 35.c4 This is all equal or at least ( 10...b6 worked out well in Pazos-Fandino
well within drawing range. In the end, the on ChessPub, though White didn't respond
game is decided randomly (or by exhaustion): with the critical 11.c4! ) 11.c4 f6 12.c5
c7 36.e2 d6 37.b5 c5+ 38.c2 f4 13.c2 e4 14.xf4 xf4 15.ce1
xa4 39.bxc6 bxc6 40.d4 c5 41.c6 W h i t e w o u l d l i k e t o p l a y ( 15.b5
b6 42.e2 d5 43.xa7? followed by 16.Bxc6 and 17.Ne5,
[ 43.f3 e3+ 44.d3 f4 45.g4! ( or establishing the knight on its idea square.
45.xa7 c4+ 46.c3 e5+ 47.d2 c3+ However, Black can prevent this with g5
48.c1 )] when if 16.ce1?! xd4! 17.xd4 h3+
43...e3+ 44.d2 xg2 45.h5 g5 18.h1 xf2+ 19.xf2 xf2 looks a good
46.b5 e5 47.a3 f4 48.f3 xh5 sacrifice for Black as he can expand with e6-
49.c4 d4 50.d6 f6 51.e2 f4 e5, etc. ) 15...g5 16.g3 xf3+ 17.xf3
52.b7 e5 53.c4 e4 54.c8 d4 d7 18.d3 g4 19.e2 g6 20.d3
55.d7 f6 56.c8 e4 57.d7 g3+ g4 21.e2 and draw agreed in Rublevsky-
58.d3 f3 59.d6 f4 60.c6+ f2 Vaganian, Poikovsky RUS 2005. ]
61.b7 f5 62.e4 e7 63.a4 g3 9.dxe5?!
64.d1 g6 65.d5 e7+ 66.c4 f5 [ Best by far is 9.e3! which is analysed on
67.h5 e3+ 68.d3 f3 69.d6 f2 ChessPub in the game Caveman-Maniac. ]
70.e2 g2 71.e4 f1 72.xf1+ xf1 9...dxe5 10.xd5? This pawn grab
73.b7 e2 74.xc5 xc5 75.e5 d3 inevitably leads to disaster. e6 11.b5

358
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
0-0-0
[ Alte rn a tive ly 11...a6!? 12.a4
13.xe5 xe5 14.c3 gives White the
chance to unleash an equally deadly attack:
b4!! 15.cxb4 c4 16.e3 xe2 17.xe2
d4+ 18.e1 he8 19.d2
A quiet but deadly move that W hite had
entirely missed. 20.d1 d3 21.e1 b3!
22.e2 xa1 23.e1 xe3! 24.fxe3 c2+
25.d1 xe3+ 26.e1 b1+ 27.f2
g4+ 0-1 Makarichev-Vaganian,Tbilisi 1973.
As you can see through comparing this with
the game at move eight above, Vaganian's
style has become more solid these days! ]
12.1d2
[ White has also been annihilated after
12.g5 b4+ 13.1d2 ( Instead 13.c3
runs into xc3+! 14.bxc3 xf3+ 15.xf3
xc3+ 16.d2 xa1+ ) 13...xg5?!
( More decisive-and artistic- was 13...xd2+
14.xd2 c4! 15.xc4 xf3+ 16.gxf3
d4 17.h5 xf3+ when d2 drops with a
quick win.) 14.xg5! xd2+ 15.f1 xg5
16.h4 f6 17.a4 ( The only move to out
up a fight was 17.c3 ) 17...d4 18.a3 e8
19.e1 c4 With the white rooks passively
placed, the three minor pieces easily
outweigh the queen. 20.g3 d7 21.g1
de4 22.d3 d4 23.f1
0-1 Chaves, J-Sega,C/Santos 2000 (23) ]
12...a6 13.a4 xf3+ 14.xf3
[ Or 14.xf3 b4+ 15.c3 xc3+
as above. ]
14...d4 15.c4 e5+ 16.f1 b4
[ After 16...b4 17.d1 ( 17.c2 xc4+
18.xc4 e1# ) 17...hd8 Black has every
pie ce invo lve d in t h e a t ta ck- a nd a ll in
return for one measly pawn. ]
0-1
411 C04
Kovacevic,A 2563
Stella,A 2477
29th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (9.22)
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.c3 f6 7.exf6
[ 7.b5 fxe5 8.dxe5 e7 9.b3 0-0
10.xc6 bxc6 is a familiar type of position.
11.bd4?! b8 just set Black's pawns
0-0-0 moving in Thorhallsson, G (2141)-
Mammadova, G (2369), Reykjavik ISL 2013:
12.0-0 c5 13.e2 e8 14.g3 d7
15.e1 g6 16.h3 b8 17.e2 c4
e4! 18.d4 h4 ]
7...xf6 8.d3
[ 8.b5 is more thematic, contesting e5.
Then in 'Dangerous W eapons', I cite d6
9.0-0 ( 9.f1 e5 ) 9...0-0 10.b3 ( or
10.a4 a6! 11.xc6 bxc6 with the idea
12.xc6? b6! ) 10...e5! 11.dxe5 dxe5
12.xe5 xe5 (N.Karapanos-I.Nikolaidis,
Aghia Pelagia 2004), "and Black has at
least equality in view of 13.xd5+ e6
14.e4 c6 15.e2 d5 , with a powerful
attack." ]
8...d6 9.c2 h6
[ 9...e5! 10.0-0! h6 ( 10...e4 11.xe4 dxe4
12.xe4 g6 13.xd6+ xd6 14.e1+
launches a serious attack) 11.g6+ d8
12.xe5 dxe5 13.dxe5 xe5 14.d3
h4! 15.g3 h5 with pressure on the
weakened kingside. ]
10.g6+ f8
[ 10...d8! gives Black more room to
manoeuvre once ...e5 is played. The loss of
castling will be compensated by an attack, e.
xb2 g., 11.0-0 e5 12.xe5 dxe5 13.dxe5
xe5 14.d3 ( 14.h5 h4 ) 14...h4
, transposing to the previous note. ]
11.b3?!
[ 11.0-0 e5 12.c4! ]
11...e5 12.f5
[ 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.xe5 xe5 14.d3
h3! is extremely strong, if 15.g1 , c5
16.gxh3 f3+ 17.f1 xh2+ 18.e1
f3+ 19.f1 e6! and the attack
continues ]
12...xf5 13.xf5 b6?!
[ 13...f7! 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.xe5+
xe5 16.xc8 axc8 17.0-0 hf8 ]
14.xc8 xc8 15.dxe5 xe5 16.xe5
xe5 17.c5!?
[ 17.e3= ]
17...b8
[ 17...f7 18.xb7?! he8 19.0-0 a4
20.a5 xc3! , etc. ]
18.e3 f7 19.0-0-0 he8 20.he1 d6
21.d3 bd8 22.c5 xe1 23.xe1 c4
24.xd6 xd6 25.e5+ f6 26.g4+ f7
359
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
27.e5+
½-½
412 C04
Lim Yee Weng 2307
Zhou Weiqi 2435
Masters Singapore SIN (8) 29.12.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.c3 f6 7.b5 a6 If Black wants
to nudge the bishop, he had better do it now
rather than after an exchange on e5:
[ 7...fxe5 8.dxe5 a6? ( 8...e7! ) 9.xc6
bxc6 10.0-0 c5 to rule out Nd4, which of
course wouldn't be an issue if Black had
a v o i d e d t h e e x c h a n g e o n e 5 - 11.a4
and Black is in terminal trouble as we saw
in Moiseev-Galinsky in the archives. ]
8.xc6 bxc6 9.0-0 f5!? It's worth recalling a
comment I made earlier on ChessPub: You
might think that 7.Bb5 would have less bite
than on the previous move, as W hite has
played the 'slow' 6.c3, while Black has got in
the 'purposeful' 6...f6. However, if you check
up the games on ChessPub you will find that
as a rule Black doesn't reply to 6. Bb5 with a
quick f7-f6: in fact he sometimes avoids it
altogether and plays on the queenside, say
wi t h 6 . B b 5 a 6 o r 6 . B b 5 B e 7 7 . N b 3 a 5 .
Furthermore, the move c2-c3 has cleared the
way for the white queen to join in the attack
with Qa4 at some point. W ith this in mind,
Zhou's 9...f5 makes a lot of sense: he blocks
the kingside and instead focuses on
achieving counterplay on the kingside: a style
of play that is normal after the earlier 6.Bb5.
[ In contrast, entirely senseless is Stupak's
play in the following game: 9...fxe5 10.dxe5
c5 11.a4 b7 12.b3 a5 13.g5 e7
14.xc5 1-0 Sudakova, I-Stupak, K/St
P e t e rs b u rg R US 2 0 0 7 . Yo u ca n f i n d a
commentary on these moves in the
aforementioned Moiseev-Galinsky game. It's
all the more surprising that IM Stupak should
play like this when he was surely aware of
the Moiseev game. ]
10.a4
[ As the queen's journey to a5 doesn't work
out particularly well, W hite should
investigate 10.c4!? when Black should reply
a5 as he gets into trouble after ( 10...e7
11.b3 a5 12.d2 a4 13.a5 )]
[ Also after 10.b3 a5 is the move. ]
10...b6! 11.a5
[ After 11.xc6+?? d7 12.b7 b5!
( Black can force an immediate draw with
12...c8 13.c6+ d7 ) 13.c4 b8
( 13...dxc4!? ) 14.a7 dxc4 White can't do
much to stop his queen being trapped with
15...Qc8 and 16...Ra8 or 16...Rb7. ]
11...e7 12.b3 0-0 13.a3 xa3 14.xa3
a5 15.c4 a6 16.fc1 dxc4 17.xc4
xc4! The correct way to exchange. The
blocked nature of the position means that it is
bett er t o ke ep t he knigh t ra ther tha n th e
bishop. 18.bxc4 g5! The beginning of a
splendid counterattack against the 19.c5 g4
20.d2 a4! A fine pawn offer. I love the way
the black pawns on a4, f5 and g4 restrain the
white knight. Note that W hite would have
a c h i e ve d a wi n n i n g b i n d i f h e h a d b e e n
allowed to play 21.a4 and 22.Nb3. 21.xc6
xd4 22.xc7
[ Black has more than enough counterplay
after 22.xe6+ h8 - he will at least regain
the pawn with pawn with Rae8 and Rxe5
etc. ]
22...d7 It transpires that White can't hold
onto his knight and the e5 pawn at the same
time, and so must submit to a worse
endgame. 23.d6 xd6 24.exd6 c5!
The white knight remains shut in by the black
pawns, whilst its opposite number sits on an
awesome blockade square. The difference in
power between the horses means that the d6
pawn is doomed in the long run. 25.ab1 a6
26.b5 c8 27.f3 xd6 28.c2 h5 29.f2
f7 30.e2 g6 31.a5 f6 32.b1
gxf3+ 33.gxf3 d4 34.a3 h4 35.d1
h3 36.b5 d8+ 37.d2 xd2+ 38.xd2
xf3 39.c3 d7 40.xa4 h3 41.a7
e5 42.c5 xh2+ 43.d1 f4 44.e4+
g6 45.a6 h1+ 46.d2 f3+ 47.e2
d4+ 48.d3 d1+ 49.d2 f3 50.a8 f2
51.f8 f5! A very well played game by
Zhou.
0-1
360
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
413 C04
Lupulescu,Constantin 2542
Riazantsev,Alexander 2599
Stork YM Hengelo NED (7) 11.08.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.b5 a6 7.xc6 bxc6 8.c4
It seems sensible to break open the c-file to
get at Black's fractured pawns, but
Riazantsev makes it seem like a positional
mistake. dxc4! Ugly looking play by Black,
but he wants to open the a8-h1 diagonal for
his light squared bishop and possibly utilise
the d5 square for his queen. Furthermore, he
doesn't want the c6 pawn to become a fixed
target after c4-c5 by White. It was either this
or
[ 8...c5!? which is mentioned in the notes to
Fossan-Fyllingen. ]
9.xc4
[ 9.0-0
A) 9...e7?! 10.xc4 b6 11.a5! d5
12.d2! defending the knight and planning
a bind with b2-b4. c4 ( Black's problem
is that the natural 12...c5 leaves him in
d a n g e r a f t e r 13.dxc5 xc5 14.c2
planning 15.Rfd1, etc.) 13.xc4 xc4
14.g5! xg5 15.xg5 h6 16.b3 d5
17.f3 c5 18.c1 cxd4 19.xd4 b7
20.xc7 and Black was a pawn down in
Najdorf,M-Guimard,C/Mar del Plata
1953.;
B) 9...b6!? 10.c2 d5 11.e4 c5
12.dxc5 b7 13.e1 d7 14.ed2
xc5 15.xc4 d3 16.xd3 xd3
17.d1 xf3 18.gxf3 d8 and White had
some advantage in Prusikhin, M-Pedersen,
J/It, Morso DEN 2002.;
C) 9...c5 If Black can get away with this
then he avoids a lot of hassle, for example
10.xc4 ( Or 10.a4 b7 ) 10...b7
11.g5 e7 12.xe7 xe7 and Black
has freed his game. The bishop on b7 is a
fine piece. ]
9...b6 10.c2
[ It is hard to believe that undoubling Black's
p a w n s w i t h 10.xb6 cxb6 11.0-0
can give White anything, but great players
like Smyslov and Gligoric have tried it, so
Black has to be careful: e7! ( Much better
than 11...d5?! when White is able to
reroute his knight to f4: 12.g5! h6 13.h3
b7 14.f4 d7 15.e3 e7 16.c1
and with c7- c5 restrained Black was worse
in Smyslov,V-Guimard,C/Groningen 1996.)
12.e3 0-0 13.d2 d5 14.b3 d7!
15.ac1 a5 16.a3 fc8 17.d1 ab8
and Black exploited his two bishops to grind
out a win in Gligoric,S-Szabo,L/
Saltsjobaden 1948. ]
10...xc4 11.xc4 d5 12.c2
[ Or 12.xd5 cxd5 13.e3
A) In a recent game Black got into trouble
after a useless check on b4: 13...b4+?
14.d2 e7 15.c1 White has been
given the chance to prevent the c7-c5
break with his rook rather than bishop and
the bishop will prove better on a5 than d2.
d7 16.a5! blocking the advance a6-a5,
and so ensuring that the bishop on c8
remains passive. c6 17.a3! now 17...Rb8
18.b4 maintains a bind on the queenside.
f6 18.h4 d8 19.xd8 xd8 20.h3
b7 ( If 20...a5 21.g3 g8 22.exf6
wins. ) 21.g3 g8 22.h5 e7 23.c3
f7 24.b3 a7 25.h6! An excellent
move that secures the e5 square for the
white knight. a8 26.hxg7 b7 27.xb7+
xb7 28.exf6 xf6 29.e5 xg7
30.xg7 xg7 Now we have the classic
e n d g a m e o f g o o d k n i g h t ve r s u s b a d
bishop. 31.d2 f6 32.e3 a5
33.d7+ e7 34.c5 c8 35.b3 d6
36.f4! ( Not giving Black any counterplay
as occu rs af te r 36.xa5 c5 ) 36...h5
37.g3 a6 38.c5 c8 39.f3 d7
40.b7+ c7 41.xa5 b6 42.b3
b5 43.c5 c4 44.xd7 xd4
45.f8 e5 1-0 Moradi,B-Doostkam,P/ch-
IRI, Mashad IRI 2003.;
B) 13...a5! 14.c1 d7
B1) Here 15.g5 achieves nothing after
f6 ( or even 15...h6 as 16.xf7? h7
and the knight will be trapped after 17...
g6. );
B2) 15.0-0 a6 16.fe1 a4
Black has the better game. He has the
t wo b i sh o p s a n d t h e p a wn o n b 2 i s
weaker than the c7 pawn, which is ably
defended by the black king. ]
12...c5 13.0-0
361
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ The white knight becomes a target on d4, 14.b3 a4 15.bd4 xc5 16.e3 d7
but after 13.dxc5 xc5! ( Better than
17.c4 a3 18.cxd5 axb2 19.b1 exd5
13...xc5?! 14.0-0 b7 15.d1 c6 20.xb2 a5 and Black held the draw in
16.g5 threatening 17.Rac1.) 14.xc5 Timofeev, A-Zhang Pengxiang/Taiyuan CHN
xc5 the two bishops are more important 2006. ]
than the weakness on c7. ] 6...e7 7.b5 a5 8.a4 a7! This pawn
13...cxd4 14.xd4 b7 offer is a much better way of handling the
[ Of course not 14...xd4? 15.c6+ ] position than
15.a4+ d7 16.c4 d5 17.a4+ d7 [ 8...cb8 for example 9.0-0 b6 10.d2
18.c4 0-0-0! Black rightly turns down the 0-0 11.e2 c6 12.d3 a6 13.c4 dxc4
draw by repetition. 19.f3 d3 20.a4 c5 14.xc4 xc4 15.xc4 e8 16.h4!
Black has a superbly active game. 21.g5? and Black was never able to shake off the
[ A better try was 21.e3 though after pressure in Tiviakov, S-Zhang Pengxiang/
A) instead 21...xf3 22.xc5 g6 23.g3 Turin ITA 2006. Note that if xh4? 17.d5!
isn't very clear, as an attempt to mate on is crushing. ]
g2 too quickly rebounds: f5 24.fc1
9.d3!?
h3 ( or 24...b7 25.d6! ) 25.xa6+ [ Not 9.xa5?? c6 winning a piece, while
b7 26.f1; after ]
B) 21...xe3 22.fxe3 xe3+ 23.h1 [ 9.xd7+ xd7 10.xa5 b6 11.b3 a6
Black has an extra pawn and the better Black has excellent compensation for his
minor piece. ] pawn as the white king is trapped in the
21...g6! Suddenly White is in grave danger centre. See for example the game Shaw-
as if 22.Bxd8 Bxf3 wins. 22.h4 d3 23.ac1 Kruppa on ChessPub. ]
b6 24.c6? 9...b6 10.d2 c5! In contrast to the Tiviakov
[ The only chance was 24.e1 ] extract above, Black is able to avoid being
24...xf3! 25.xb6 lumbered with a passive pawn on c6. 11.dxc5
[ Or 25.gxf3 h6 ] xc5 12.xc5 bxc5 13.b3 Malakhov is a
25...cxb6 26.d1 h6 27.c4+ b8 28.d7 top notch positional player and manages to
c8 29.xb7+ xb7 build up some pressure in what follows, but
0-1 we have to conclude that the opening has
been satisfactory for Black. c6 14.0-0 0-0
15.e1 b4 16.b5 a6 17.c4 b7
414 C04 18.c3 b6 19.e2 ad8 20.ed1 h6
Malakhov,Vladimir 2690 21.e1 c6 22.cxd5 exd5 23.d3 b4
Zhang Zhong 2639 24.f4 g5 25.e6 d6 26.xb4 cxb4
CHN-RUS Chess Summit (3) 12.08.2006 27.exf7+ xf7 28.e6 c8 29.xg5 hxg5
[Neil McDonald] 30.d3 e7 31.h5 h6 With all his heavy
pieces on active squares, Black can cope with
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 the ragged state of his kingside pawns. 32.f3
5.e5 d7 6.b3 f6 33.ad1 c2 34.h3 e4 35.g3 e5
[ Or 6.d3 b4 7.e2 c5 8.c3 c6 9.0-0 36.f3 xg3 37.xg3 e5 38.d4 c8
a5!? Black keeps the tension in the centre 39.f3 f5 40.g3 e6 41.e8 g4
and ensures that Nb3 can be answered by 42.hxg4 e1+ 43.h2 xf2 44.c6 e5
a5-a4, pushing away the white knight. ( After 45.gd3 b2 46.g3 f7 47.xd5 xd5
9...cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.b3 e7 12.f4 48.xd5 xd5 49.xd5 xb3+ 50.f4 a3
White ground out a win in Potkin-Vysochin, 51.xa5 b3 52.f5 b2 53.a7+ g8
as given on ChessPub.) 10.b5 e7 54.b7 xa4 55.xb2
11.e1 a7! He we see another use of the ½-½
a7-a5 move in the Guimard: the black knight
is able to use the a7 square to repel the
white bishop. 12.f1 0-0 13.dxc5 c6

362
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

415 C04 shallying.

Marciano,D 2514 [ 19...xg5 20.hxg5 a5 is the same idea,
Sermier,Guillaume 2413 but if 21.f3 bc4 , White hasn't the
TCh-SUI National A 2012 (5.3) 24.06.2012 sacrificial trick on g6 which follows: ]
[John Watson] 20.f3! xg5 21.xg6! hxg6
[ 21...fxg6 22.xg5 c7 23.xb6! xb6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 I haven't paid 24.f6 ]
much attention to the Guimard of late, but it 22.xg5 c7 23.xb6
continues to be used by strong players with [ 23.xb6 xb6 24.f6 wins ]
respectable results. Here's a thematic win by 1-0
White: 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 d7 6.d3 b4
In Dangerous Weapons, I give
[ 6...f6 as the main line. With 6...Nb4, Black 416 C04
tries to transpose to a standard Tarrasch Mogranzini,Roberto 2370
structure with an attack on the pawn chain Berkes,Ferenc 2597
via ...c5. ] It Frascati ITA (5) 29.03.2006
7.e2 c5 8.c3 c6 9.0-0 White tries to [Neil McDonald]
make use of his extra move by leaving his
bishop on e2. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
[ 9.d3 is a direct transposition to 3...Nf6 4 5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.b3!?
e5 Nfd7 5 Bd3 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ngf3! ] The usual move here is
9...b6?! A normal move to attack d4, but [ 8.f1 as seen in several games in the
with White so far ahead in development it's archives. ]
slow. 8...d6 9.g5
[ 9...e7 is natural, and ] [ B l a c k h a d a t o u g h e r t i m e a f t e r 9.0-0
[ 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 f6 is more ambitious. ] in the game Godena-Contin which is also on
10.b3! cxd4 11.cxd4 a5!? ChessPub. ]
[ 11...e7 12.e3 0-0 13.d3 a5 14.c2 9...f7 10.h4 0-0 11.0-0
h6 15.a3 ] [ Not 11.g5?! f4 12.g3? xf2+ ]
12.e3! 11...h8 12.g3
[ 12.a4 creates queenside weaknesses and [ Here also 12.g5 is less than harmless
is perhaps only slightly better for White after after f6 13.g3 h6 14.f4 xf4 15.gxf4
e7 ] ( 15.xf4 xf4 16.gxf4 xh4 17.xe6
12...a4 13.c1 xb2 Black's point with 11... f6 18.xc7 b8 19.d2 to defend f4
a5, but he's further and further behind in time. f5 and Black has ample play for the
14.d3 b6 15.b1 d8 16.g5! pawn. ) 15...xh4 16.xe6 f6 17.xc7
Threats quickly appear on the kingside. Whit ( Or 17.f5 b6 18.xc7 xf5! 19.xa8
can develop by Bh5/g4, Nf4, f4-f5 or other g6+ 20.h1 h6 ) 17...g6+ 18.h1
forays, depending upon what Black allows. h6 and the threat of mate on h2 decides
e7! the game. ]
[ 16...xd4 i s a s k i n g l o t , a n d 17.g4! 12...e5! 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.xe5 xe5
threatens 18 Nxf7, while c6? ( 17...e7 Having achieved his thematic centre advance,
18.xd4 xg5 19.f4 and f5 ) 18.xe6! from a strategic point of view Black has in
rips Black's position to shreds. ] effect an extra pawn, as his 4-3 majority on
17.h4! b6 18.f4 g6 the queenside can be converted into a passed
[ 18...xg5 19.hxg5 c4 20.xc4 dxc4 pawn, whereas White's pawn on f2 cannot be
21.c2! 0-0 22.fd1 e8 isn't too bad, in similarly dynamic. 15.d4 d7 16.d2
view of 23.xc4 xg5 24.xe6 xe6 ae8 17.ae1 c6 18.c3 f6 19.b3 g6
25.xe6 xg2+ 26.xg2 fxe6 27.xb7 20.xd6 xd6 21.h5 xe1 22.xe1 f4
e7= ] 23.d1 g6 24.f3 c5 25.c2 h3 26.g3
19.d3 a5? This is simply too much shilly- Berkes has expertly worn down his opponent's

363
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

pawn structure, leaving him with weak pawns with unclear play in Kotronias,V-Nikolaidis,I/
on c2 and f3. The next step in his plan is to Korinthos GRE 2004. ]
m a n o e u v r e h i s b i s h o p t o c 6 , w h e r e i n 9.xc6 bxc6 10.0-0 c5 11.a4! b7?
coordination with the other black pieces it can [ He had to try 11...a5! though White keeps
put pressure on f 3. d7 27.h1 h3 a strong initiative after 12.b3 ( of course
28.e3 c6 29.g2 f6 30.f1 g5 not 12.c6? a6 ) 12...a6 ( if 12...e7
31.f4 d4 At last it is time to utilise the 13.g4 hitting e6 and g7.) 13.g5 e7
passed pawn. 32.cxd4 cxd4 33.g2 f7 14.xc5 xg5 15.xa6 xa6 16.fe1!?
34.h4 d8 35.e1 e5 36.f2 d3 37.e3 ( Also tempting is 16.g4 xf1 17.xf1
d4 38.c3 A losing blunder, but White was h6 18.xe6+ e7 19.xd5 b6
unnerved by the prospect of a Rxf4 sacrifice. 20.xa5 with four pawns for the piece.)
g4+! A very smooth win for the Guimard. 16...b7 ( or 16...e7 17.d4 ) 17.g4
[ W h i t e d r o p s h is qu e e n a f t e r 38...g4+ h6 18.d4 f8 19.xe6 d7 20.h5+
39.fxg4 xf4+ ] etc. ]
0-1 12.b3 Now Black has to contend with the
threat of not only the obvious Na5 but also a
spectacular knight entrance on c5 as revealed
417 C04 in thev next note. b8 13.g5 c8
Moiseev,Igor 2349 [ Black cannot develop as he is ripped apart
Galinsky,Timofey 2416 after 13...e7 14.xc5! xg5 15.xg5
Stepchev Memorial (9) 29.12.2004 ( or 15.xe6 )]
[Neil McDonald] 14.g4 b6 15.e3 c4 It is positional
surrender to give up the c5 pawn, but if
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 [ 15...c4 16.bd4 e7 17.g5
5.e5 d7 6.c3 f6 7.b5 Previously we have soon decides. ]
looked at 7.exf6 [rather ineffective] and the 16.xc5 xb2 17.xf8 xf8 18.c5 g6
tricky 7.Nh4. You might think that Bb5 would 19.g5 e8 20.gxe6 g8 21.h4 h5
have less bite here than on the previous move, Black had understandably had enough and
as W hite has played the 'slow' 6.c3, while gave up without waiting for
Black has got in the 'purposeful' 6...f6. [ 21...h5 22.f6 when a knight check on g7
Ho we ve r, if y o u ch e ck u p t h e ga m e s o n wins the house. ]
ChessPub you will find that as a rule Black 1-0
doesn't reply to 6.Bb5 with a quick f7-f6: in
fact he sometimes avoids it altogether and
plays on the queenside, say with 6.Bb5 a6 or 418 C04
6.Bb5 Be7 7.Nb3 a5. Furthermore, the move Oleksienko,Michailo 2530
c2-c3 has cleared the way for the white queen Stupak,Kirill 2408
to join in the attack with Qa4 at some point. Vasylyshyn Mem (1) 07.10.2006
fxe5 8.dxe5 a6? Already a serious mistake. [Neil McDonald]
Black had to develop with
[ 8...e7! when it is difficult for White to 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
justif y his opening plan. Best play then 5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1
s e e m s t o b e 9.0-0 0-0 10.e1 d6 9.e3 b6?! Here are my instant
The e5 pawn was hanging. e8 11.f1 thoughts when I first saw 9.. .b6: 'what a
c5 12.g3 a6 13.f1 a5 cementing the horrible idea! Black not only removes the
knight on c5. 14.b3 ( Black was pressing for defender of his knight on c6 but also prepares
advantage after 14.d4 d7 15.g4 f7 to m ove his bish op o n c8 a wa y f rom t h e
16.f4 e8 17.e3 h5 18.h3 h4 19.h1 defence of the backward and vulnerable e6
xd4 20.cxd4 e4 Egin,V-Kruppa,Y/St pawn. And he is willing to pay a tempo for the
Petersburg 1997.) 14...b6 15.d4 a6 privilege of burying his bishop on b7! Can he
16.xa6 xd4 17.f1 f5 18.xf5 xf5 really afford to be this lackadaisical when the

364
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
situation in the centre and on the kingside has
by no means stabilised?' Actually, 9...b6 does
have long term value. Black has a clear plan
in mind, which he succeeds in carrying out in
the game- namely Bb7, Ne7 and e6-e5. Then
he has achieved the freeing advance
everyone strives for in this type of pawn centre,
after which the bishop is well placed, not
buried, on b7- and my other two concerns, a
weak knight on c6 and a weak pawn on e6,
have also vanished. However, as we shall see,
Black needed the cooperation of his opponent
in order for his idea to work.
[ A more solid approach was necessary, for
example a line already discussed in the
ChessPub archives: 9...0-0 10.0-0 b6 ]
10.0-0
[ Not 10.d3 b4 ]
10...b7 11.b3?
[ The right way was 11.c3! 0-0 ( With the
b l a c k k i n g n o t y e t c a s t l e d , 11...g6
aiming to answer 12.Bd3 with 12...Qh5, runs
into 12.e5! as if dxe5? 13.h5 wins.;
Meanwhile the drastic 11...h5 preventing
Ng4, and with the idea of queenside castling,
is defeated by 12.c2! 0-0-0? 13.g5 )
12.d3 h6 ( The move Black wants to play
is 12...e7 but he would have to resign
after 13.g4 f7 14.g5
when h7 drops.) 13.e1 and White has
serious pressure based on 14.Ng4- when
14...Qf7 in reply allows 15.Bxh6! or 14.
Bc2 intending 15.Qd3 and 16.Qh7+. ]
[ In passing, we should mention a tactical
motif that shows why White shouldn't play
11.d3? : xd4! 12.xd4 xd4 13.g6+
( Or 13.h5+ g6 and a sac on g6 won't
work as h8 is defended by the black
queen. ) 13...hxg6 14.xd4 xh2+ 15.h1
e5+ 16.g1 xd4 and Black has
emerged with an extra piece and two
pawns. ]
11...0-0 12.b2 e7 13.e5?
A g o o d p r a c t i c a l r e a s o n f o r p l a yi n g t h e
Guimard as Black is that players are more
likely to make tactical errors in an unfamiliar
setting. Here W hite simply blunders away
material. He should have made do with
[ 13.d3 though Black is active after g6
14.g4 f4 15.h3 ae8 etc. ]
13...xe5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.g4
It looks as though White is winning a piece,
but... xh2+! 16.xh2 xb2 Suddenly
Black has two extra pawns and should win
without much trouble. But now it seems it was
his turn to go to sleep, as he permits
Oleksienko to build up attacking chances.
17.f4 f5 18.d3 a3 19.f3 d6 20.e5
f6 21.h3 h6 22.xh6 xh6 23.h5
f8 24.g3 c5 25.e1 f5 26.g4 h6?
[ Black would still stand to win after 26...c4!
which would remove the pressure from the
h7 square or else expose the white king to a
lethal attack: 27.bxc4? ( The way to keep
f i g h t i n g i s 27.gxf5! ) 27...dxc4 28.xc4
d2+ 29.e2 xf4+ with a quick mate. ]
27.xh7+! An echo of 15...Bxh2+. White
breaks up the black kingside when in effect he
has an extra piece as the black bishop is
entirely useless on b7. xh7 28.g5 f5
29.g6+ g8 30.gxh6 e7 31.g3 f6
32.h7+ h8 33.h5
[ Perhaps Black lost on time, as here he can
put up staunch resistance with 33.h5 d4
34.g6+ xg6+ 35.xg6 d5 ]
1-0
419 C04
Pachman,Ludek
Guimard,Carlos Enrique
Treybal mem Prague (11) 1946
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3
[ The other main treatment of the Guimard is
with 4.c3 e5 when 5.dxe5 is interesting
a n d le s se r kn o wn t h a n t h e lin e ( 5.exd5
xd5 that can be found on ChessPub.)
5...dxe4 6.xe4 ( after 6.a4!? Black can
sacrifice a pawn with e3 7.fxe3 leading to
interesting play after say ge7!? ) 6...xd1+
7.xd1 xe5 8.f4 f6!? with reasonable
chances for Black. ]
4...f6 5.e5 d7 6.g3?! Ludek Pachman
was to become a great opening analyst later in
his career, but here he is unable to come up
with a good plan against Black's 'non-book'
third move. Jumping forward almost 60 years,
here is another example of White having his
kingside smashed up after playing too
passively:
365
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 6.c3 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.e2 e5! 420 C04

W hite has made no a ttempt to f ight f o r Pazos,Plinio 2366
space in the centre and so Black is able to Fandino,Roquelina 2187
carry out this important advance. 9.dxe5 mem Mixto Havana CUB (12) 20.05.1999
dxe5 10.xe5 xe5 11.f3 c6 [Neil McDonald]
12.xe5 xe5 13.0-0 d6 14.h5+ d8
15.g3 h3 16.e1 f5 Thanks to Black's 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
strong centre and initiative, his king proves 5.e5 d7 6.e2
safer on d8 than its opposite number on g1. [ Harmless is 6.c3 when f6! 7.exf6 xf6
17.e3 f8 18.f4 c7 19.f3 g5! 8.b5 d6 9.f1 0-0 turned out well for
The white kingside is systematically B l a c k i n F e r n a n d e z- P e r e z, B a r c e l o n a
demolished. 20.g4 f7 21.f5 h5! 22.xg5 2000. ]
hxg4 23.xg4 h7 24.f6 g8 25.d2 6...f6 The most direct response. For
xg5! 26.xg5 g8 Here White could quite [ 6...e7 see Vorobiov-Kruppa. ]
decently have resigned, but he played on 7.exf6
with 27.d2 xg4+ 28.h1 g2+ [ Or 7.b5 e7 which could well transpose
29.xg2 xg2 30.xg2 xh2+ 31.f3 to Vorobiov-Kruppa. ]
f4+ 32.e2 c4+ 33.f3 f4+ 34.e2 7...xf6 8.f1 d6 9.e3 0-0 10.0-0
e4+ 35.f2 c5+ 36.g3 g6+ b6!? 11.h3 More energetic was
0-1 Moliboga,V-Kruppa,Y/Kiev UKR 2005. ] [ 11.c4 ]
6...e7 7.h3?! This is White's idea: Black 11...d7 12.g4 e7 13.e1 ae8 14.d3
has obstructed his natural pawn break with c7- This allows Black's to free his game with a
c5 with his third move, and so Pachman elects sacrifice. The way to keep control was
to prevent the other pawn break with f7-f6. h5! [ 14.c3 with a slight advantage to White. ]
Unf ortunately f or W hite, Black has other 14...xf3! 15.xf3 xd4 16.d1 e5
pawn advances that he has forgotten about. Black's strong centre and dynamic play give
8.0-0 g5! A dangerous and logical attack. The him enough compensation for the exchange.
centre is blocked and White has no 17.e3 f8 18.c3 c6 19.xd5?
counterplay as Black has avoided c7-c5. 9.g4 This looks good as it breaks up Black's centre,
[ If 9.g2 g4 10.e1 xd4 ] but in fact it leads to disaster on the kingside.
9...hxg4 10.xg4 f5! 11.exf6 xf6 12.h3 f7! 20.xb6
xg4 13.hxg4 e5! The last in a powerful [ No better is 20.e3 f o r e xa m p l e xf2+
chain of pawn moves that give White no time 21.h1 e4! 22.xe4 g3 23.f1 xf1+ ]
to consolidate his kingside. 14.xe5 xe5 20...xf2+ 21.h1 xh3! 22.gxh3 e4
15.dxe5 e6 16.b3 d7 17.f3 0-0-0 23.e2 h4 24.c4+ h8 25.e3 g3
18.g2 d4 19.d2 d5 20.e1 xg4 26.f1 And here White resigned before Black
21.g3 h3+ 22.f2 xf1 23.xf1 df8 could play xf1+ 27.xf1 xh3+ 28.g1
24.d2 g4 25.d3 xf3+! A neat attacking h2#
finish. 26.xf3 f8 27.e2 xf3 28.h7 0-1
e3+ 29.f1 xg3 This was Carlos
Guimard's most convincing win in the opening
that now bears his name. 421 C04
0-1 Petrik,Tomas 2407
Vysochin,Spartak 2560
KB Czech Open (2) 19.07.2003
[Neil McDonald]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6

5.e5 d7 6.b3
[ I t w a s m o r e p r e c i s e t o p l a y 6.b5!?
straightaway or adopt the variation with ]

366
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 6.d3!? ]
[ Alternatively White could settle for the more
modest 6.e2 when I recommend the
immediate regrouping of the knight after e7
7.f1 If you wish you can check this up on
ChessPub: just put the code C04 in the box
at the top left hand side, press 'Enter' and
you will get all the Guimard games on your
screen. ]
6...e7 7.e2?
[ White muddles up two different opening
schemes: an easy thing to do when facing a
rare opening. The only way to justify his last
m o v e w a s w i t h 7.b5 when play has
transposed back to other Guimard games
given on ChessPub. ]
7...0-0 8.0-0 a5! 9.a4 f6! Due to White's
opening inaccuracies Black enjoys the luxury
of attacking White's centre without having to
worry about the e5 square and his queenside
being undermined by Bb5xc6. 10.exf6 xf6
11.c4? Having already taken one liberty in the
o p e n i n g W h i t e w o u l d d o we l l j u s t t o b e
satisfied with equality after
[ 11.e3 ]
11...b6! A very instructive manoeuvre. 12.c5
[ If 12.cxd5 exd5 when Black's light squared
bishop is freed. ]
12...d7 The knight retreats having provoked
the white centre into a rigid set up. Now the
counterpunch e6-e5 will be powerful. 13.e3
e5 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.xe5 xe5 16.f3
[ If 16.d4 f6 maintains the initiative. ]
16...e6 17.d4 At last White activates the
knight, but this meets with a brilliant refutation
h4!! Black had to judge the strength of his
sacrifice at this point as there is no going
back. 18.g3 xd4! 19.gxh4 xf3+ 20.g2
d4 Black only has two minor pieces for the
queen but one of them is his light squared
bishop, which proves irresistible in the assault
on White's kingside. 21.c1 xh4+ 22.g1
f3+ 23.g2 d5 24.a3 f6! 25.h3
[ White cannot even escape to a losing
endgame, for if 25.xf3 then simply af8
or ]
[ 25.xf3 xf3 26.xf3 f8 ]
25...af8 26.e1 There was nothing to be
done. e6+ 27.g2 g6+ 28.h1 xe1
White resigned for if 29.xe1 d5+ 30.f3
xf3 and mate follows.
0-1
422 C04
Petrik,Tomas 2515
Zhang Pengxiang 2623
36th Olympiad (3) 23.05.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1
The knight leaves d2, where it does nothing
but get in the way of the bishop on c1, and
heads for e3. Thereafter, if it is lucky, it might
get to e5 via g4. In eff ect, by playing the
knight manoeuvre bef ore castling, W hite
saves a tempo, as in contrast to the normal
development with 0-0, Re1 and Nf1, as he has
no need to spend a move on Re1. In fact, the
rook is better left on f1, where it defends f2.
d6
[ S o m e t i m e a g o w e l o o k e d a t 8...e5
but unfortunately 9.e3! is probably a lethal
reply. ]
9.e3 0-0 10.0-0 g6!? Black not only
prevents Ng4, but prepares a knight
manoeuvre of his own with Nf 6 and Ne4.
11.c4
[ Or 11.g3 f6 12.h4 e8 13.f4
Black's play with his knights is very
instructive in what follows. e7 14.d3 c5
Increasing the size of the black centre. 15.c3
b6 16.e2 e4 17.g4 b7 18.f2
It appears that Black is obliged to capture on
f 2 w h e n e 6 m i g h t d r o p b u t . . . f5!
a dynamic reply 19.xe4 dxe4 20.b5
e7 21.xf5 exf5 and Black had an
excellent pawn structure in Popovic, D-
Todorovic, J/Obrenovac SCG 2004. ]
11...f6 12.b3
[ Instead 12.h3 d7 13.b3 e4 14.b2
ad8! Nimzowitsch would have described
this as a 'mysterious rook move' As White
has announced his intention of Ng4 and
Nge5, it is worth putting the rook on the
blocked d-file. Here it will help defend the
d 5 p a wn , a n d m i g h t e ve n ca u s e s o m e
embarrassment to the white queen. 15.g4
h5 16.ge5 xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.dxe5
e8 defending both the d5 and e8 pawns. I
367
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
like Black's position here in Kalashian, D-
Asrian, K/Yerevan ARM 2006. ]
[ Instead 12.c5 f4 was seen in Rublevsky-
Vaganian, which can be found in the notes
to Kharchenko-Fingerov on Chess Pub. That
big name game ended in a fairly quick draw
after some sharp play. Petrik decides to
keep pressure on the d5 pawn, and in what
follows the black centre seems a bit flimsy. ]
12...f4 The bishop goes voluntarily to f4,
with o ut be ing pu she d b y 1 2 .c5 a s in t h e
Vaganian game above. Another approach was
[ 12...e4 f o r e x a m p l e 13.d3 h5
with threats against h2 based on Rxf3. 14.c5
f4 15.h3 b4 ( or 15...d7!? ) 16.xe4
dxe4 17.e5 xd1 18.xd1 xe5
19.dxe5 d3 with unclear play. ]
13.c2 e4 Eyeing the hole on c3. 14.d3
d7 15.xf4 xf4 16.e5 xe5 17.dxe5
f7 He had to deal with the threat of 18.f3.
Black is being pushed around for a couple of
moves, but, on the other hand, the white
centre has become loose. 18.f3 g5 19.e1
Now 20.h4, trapping the knight, is on the
cards. e7
[ Black could have called his opponent's bluff
with 19...f8 when he gets a useful initiative
f o r t h e p ie c e a f t e r 20.h4 not forced of
course. xf3+ 21.gxf3 xf3 22.d1 xf1+
23.xf1 h5 24.e2 xh4 etc. ]
20.e3
[ If now 20.h4? xh4 21.xh4? xf3+
22.xf3 xh4 ]
20...af8 21.c5
[ Or 21.xa7 h5!? 22.e3 The natural
move, but Black seems to have fine
compensation for the pawn. ( Definitely not
22.xb7? dxc4 23.xc4 c5+ 24.h1
xf3! 25.gxf3 c6 26.a6 xf3
and wins. ) 22...h4 23.e2?! ( or 23.h3!? c5
etc. ) 23...c5! and White has to be very
careful, as if 24.g3 hxg3 25.hxg3 d4
26.d3 c6! 27.gxf4? h3+ 28.h1 h4
and Black wins. ]
21...b6 Black wears down his opponent's
pawn structure. 22.b4 a4 The idea is to
eliminate the white knight before it can go to
d4, as 23.Nd4 bxc5 drops a pawn. 23.ab1
bxc5 24.bxc5 xc2 25.xc2 c4 26.fc1
d4
[ Not 26...xc5?? 27.xh7+ ]
27.d3 c3 28.xd4 cxf3! Black exploits
the potential fork on f3 to win back his pawn.
29.e4? Blundering a pawn. After
[ 29.c6 the chances remain balanced. ]
29...3f4 30.e1 xe4 31.xe4 xe4
32.xe4 xc5+ Now Zhang Pengxiang
exploits his pawn advantage in convincing
fashion. 33.h1 d5 34.e2 f5 35.e1
h6 36.h3 c5 37.d1?! xe5 There goes
a n o t h e r p a wn , a f t e r w h i c h B l a c k ' s t a s k
becomes easier. 38.f1 f5 39.e2 c6
40.c4 d5 41.e1 h8 42.e4 d6
43.g6 d7 44.c2 c6 45.d1 e7
46.e4 e8 47.b1 c4 48.e5 c3 49.b7
g6 50.b5 e4 51.f1 f5 52.c1 c2
53.b8+ h7 54.d8 g5
0-1
423 C04
Pla,V 2395
Drozdovskij,Yuri 2627
11th EICC Men (2) 07.03.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.c3 There have been a number of
new games with this important move. White
wants to play this anyway, but doesn't commit
his king's bishop until he sees what Black is
doing. f6
[ 6...e7 is also played. ]
7.exf6 A popular move. Both sides get play.
W hite has the better pawn structure, and
Black usually gets enough development and
control over e5 to equalise.
[ 7.b5 , recommended by Tzermiadanos, is
seen in Rooze-Simon Padros in this month's
column. ]
7...xf6 8.e2
[ White simply loses time after 8.d3?! e5
9.dxe5 dxe5 , and he was reduced to
10.e2 in Taheri-Doostkam, Mashhad IRI
2010. ]
8...d6 9.f1
[ The recent game M Thomas-Jaunooby,
Blackpool 2010 saw the slower move 9.0-0
, when after 9...0-0, Black will generally be
a b l e t o e n f o r c e . . . e 5 . I n t h e g a m e , e5
10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.f3
followed, and the simple c6 would set up a
368
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
solid position with good central control. ]
9...0-0 10.g3 b6 Black has two other
satisfactory continuations:
[ a) 10...h6 11.0-0 f7 (covering d5 so as
to play ...e5 without losing the d-pawn) 12.c4
b6 ( 12...dxc4 13.xc4 b6 14.b3 d7
15.e2 d5 ) 13.e3 b7
1/2-1/2 Matkovic, T (2355)-Jacimovic, D
(2415)/Kladovo 1991. ]
[ b) 10...e5
A) 11.b3?! b6 12.e4 g6 13.xd6
cxd6 14.e3 a5 ( 14...e4! 15.d2
xg2 16.0-0-0 xf2! ) 15.b5 ac4
16.dxe5?? d7 17.b4 a5 and wins,
Coppini, G (2255) -Vigh, B (2370)/
Budapest 1995.;
B) 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.0-0 ( 12.xd5+
e6 13.e4 g4! 14.d5+ h8! )
B1) weaker is 12...e6 13.g5 f7?!
14.f4 c4 15.xc4 ( 15.d3! g6
16.f5 ) 15...c5+? 16.h1 dxc4
17.3e4 ( 17.5e4 e7 ) 17...e7
18.f5 ( 18.xf7 xf7 19.d5 )
18...ad8 19.e1 d5 20.xc5 xc5
21.e6 xe6 22.xe6+ h8
with equal chances, Groetz, H (2347)-
Wiley, T (2318), Olomouc 2007.;
B2) 12...e7 13.xe5 xe5 14.e3
d6! ( 14...d6 ) 15.f3 c6 16.e2
g6 and Black's pieces seem a little
more efficient, Levushkina, E (2274) -
Hoolt, S (2200), Germany 2009. ]
11.g5 This drives Black's queen to a good
square. Perhaps
[ 11.e3 is better: d7 ( 11...e5 12.dxe5
xe5 13.0-0 c6 14.xe5 xe5
is double-edged) 12.c2 e8 ( 12...e5 )
13.0-0 g6 14.d3 xd3 15.xd3 h6
16.ae1 fe8 17.e2 e7 18.fe1 g6
19.c1 f7 Stillger, B (2310)-Borngaesser,
R (2365), Duesseldorf 1995. W hite has a
very small edge. ]
11...f7 12.e3 h6
[ Black should remain equal after 12...e5!
13.g5 ( 13.dxe5 xe5 14.xe5 xe5 )
13...e7 ]
13.0-0 d7 14.c2 e5 15.dxe5 xe5
16.xe5 xe5 17.ad1 xg3!
[ 17...c6 18.c5 e8 ( 18...fd8; 18...fe8
19.h5 )]
18.fxg3!? Weakening but opening lines with
tempo.
[ 18.hxg3 c4 19.b3 c6 20.d4 b6
is fully equal. ]
18...e7 19.d4?!
[ White can retain a slight edge after 19.d2
xf1+ ( 19...c6 20.de1 f5 21.b4! e4
22.xf8+ xf8 23.d4 d6 ) 20.xf1 e6
21.b3 e8 22.f2 ]
19...c5 20.f2 f5 21.d2 e4
A nice outpost when White lacks an f-pawn.
From here on things stay in order until the
end. 22.e3 ac8 23.f3 fe8 24.h5 f8
25.f3 fe8 26.h5 f8 27.f3 e6 28.b3
fe8 29.f4 f8 30.e3 c6 31.xe4
dxe4 32.fe1 fe8 33.c4 d7 34.d5 b6
35.ed1 f6 36.d6 c7 37.d2 f7
½-½
424 C04
Plaskett,Jim 2491
Berczes,David 2513
4NCL 2008-9 Staverton ENG (11) 04.05.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.d3 f6
[ 6...b4 7.e2 c5 8.c3 c6 9.d3
transposes to the Universal System but we
don't play the Guimard to get this position! ]
7.g5!? This hasn't really been played much
often but is one of the most dangerous
options against the Guimard. Again, it is a
good chance to refresh some memories as the
only annotated game with this variation was
played in 1997! dxe5! The only move, but
highly effective. 8.dxe5 fxg5 9.h5+ g6!
The only move. Neil analyzed
[ 9...d7 10.f3 h6 11.0-0 with a big plus
for White. ]
10.xg6+ d7 11.d3!?
[ 11.f4 has always been the most popular
move but perhaps is not as good as the
alternatives. gxf4 12.d3 e8 13.e2
( 13.g5 was analyzed in Ristic - Elbilia
(See Archives) )
A) 13...d4!? was briefly mentioned in
the notes to White's 12th move in Ristic -
Elbilia: 14.g4 ( 14.f2 c5 15.xf4
g8 ) 14...c5 15.xf4 c7 16.0-0
e7;
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
B) 13...b4 14.f3 xd3+ 15.xd3?
Now, this doesn't make any real sense.
Given how dangerous Black's light square
bishop could be in the later stages, it is
more natural to stake some claims on the
light squares with ( 15.cxd3 now, Black
can play b6 with the idea of ...Ba6 and ...
Qg6, attacking the d3 pawn with a
complicated middlegame.) 15...g6!
Spot on. The position was already
pleasant for Black and the added potential
of Black's bishops means that any
endgame will give good winning chances.
16.e2? Exchanging Queens was the
lesser evil. Black's initiative proved to be
t o o m u c h t o h a n d le wi t h Q u e e n s o n .
( 16.xg6 hxg6 17.xf4 b6 ) 16...g8
17.0-0 b6 18.h4 c5+ 19.h1 e4
20.xe4 dxe4 21.xf4 a6 22.fd1+
e7 23.g3 af8 24.g2 e2 25.d2
f3-+ 0-1 Mas, H (2386)-Bauer, C (2583)/
Biel SUI 2008/ (49) ]
[ I actually analyzed an interesting move for
quite some time while I was preparing the
G u i m a r d f o r m y r e p e r t o i r e : 11.c4!N
Attacking Black's centre makes perf ect
sense given the temporary vulnerability of
Black's King. After a search in the database,
I realized the move was played once, and
W hite convincingly won the game: xe5
12.c2 f6 13.0-0
A) 13...h6!?N 14.cxd5 exd5 15.b3
d8 16.h3 ( 16.f4?? g4! );
B) 13...d6 14.b4 Adventurous, but
W hite can obtain a safe plus with
( 14.cxd5 exd5 15.b3! h6
wi t h e x c e l l e n t a t t a c k i n g c h a n c e s f o r
White. ) 14...g6 15.b1 ( 15.b3 )
15...f4 16.d1 h6 17.g3 h3?
A p la i n c a s e o f o ve r c o n f id e n c e . T h e
prudent ( 17...h3+ 18.g2 f8 19.g4
xf2 20.xf2 xf2+ 21.xf2 xh2+
22.e3 g1+ 23.d3 xg3+ 24.xg3
xg3 25.b3 leads to a imbalanced
endgame with Black having 4 pawns for a
piece. I prefer W hite but anything can
happen from here!) 18.gxf4 xf4 19.f3
g4 Black was counting on this move and
probably overlooked White's devastating
reply 20.d4! gxf3 21.g7+
22.b5+ b6 23.c5+ xc5 24.a3+ b6
25.d4+ 1-0 Babaev, R (2488)-Barria
Zuniga, D (2427)/Collado Villalba 200708.
Clearly, Black has to be well prepared
against the dangerous 11. c4!. ]
11...xe5 12.f3
[ 12.e2 In 2007, Caruana mentioned that
W hite could have had real compensation
with this move but it hasn't really caught on
since. f6 13.0-0 d6 looks fine for Black
I must say. ]
[ 12.h4!?N is possible: xd3+ 13.cxd3 g7
( Black can't really delay development further
with 13...gxh4 as 14.f3 g7 15.e5+
xe5 16.xe5 gives White a nice attacking
position with the proverbial opposite colour
bishop. ) 14.hxg5 b6 15.f3 a6 16.f4
xd3 17.e5 with compensation for the
pawn. ]
12...b4+ 13.e2 xd3? Black normally
tries to capture W hite's light square bishop
wh e n e ve r p o s sib le b u t in t h is p a r t ic u la r
position, it is the wrong option. The Knight on
f3 is a dangerous piece and has to be gotten
rid of!
[ 13...xf3! 14.xf3 c6 15.h5 e7
16.e1 c7 17.f1 f6 ]
14.xg5! e8 15.h4! I reckon Black must
have missed this move and all of a sudden,
White has a ferocious initiative. d6 16.cxd3
g6 17.f4 g7 18.xd6?! A slight
inaccuracy.
[ 18.hc1! would have avoided the slight
in co n ve nie nce which Black cou ld ha ve
caused with his next move. ]
18...cxd6?
16.f4 [ 18...xb2+ is Black's best chance where
after 19.d2 cxd6 20.hc1 g7
and White will have to spend a tempo to get
his knight back into play. I must say White
still has a dangerous looking initiative in
this position. ]
19.hc1 The difference in development is
apparent and Black's task to salvage anything
from this position is hopeless. This is so often
the problem with the Guimard as compared to
other variations as just one slight inaccuracy
is enough to lose the game in such a
depressing manner. Black never really had a
chance. f8 20.c2 f6 21.b4 f4
c6 22.b5+ d8 23.ac1 d7 24.xb7 e7
25.c7 ad8 26.xa7 g4 27.e3 e5
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
28.f1 g8 29.g3 d4 30.e2 f6 31.d2
h3+ 32.g1 g7 33.e4 h6
34.xd7+? I bet White must have overlooked
the fact that the c1 rook was en prise but
fortunately, the position was so good that
e v e n b l u n d e r i n g t h e e xc h a n g e wa s s t i l l
e n o u g h t o w i n . xd7 35.g4+ h8
36.xd7 xc1+ 37.g2 f4 38.xd6
This line with 6.Bd3 f6 7.Ng5!? is the most
aggressive option against the Guimard and a
single misstep is enough for either side to
lose the game. I don't quite understand why it
isn't as popular as the other lines but maybe it
has something to do with the nature of the
entire variation. After all, why not 3.Nc3 if
White is looking out for such sharp lines? I've
tried to update the variations and establish
the key ideas in this line as much as I could
and nothing has convinced me that this is the
antidote to the Guimard. However, there is
still much room f or developments as I've
indicated certain junctures where both colours
can improve, of which 11. c4! seems to be the 10.cxd4 b6
most dangerous and promising.
1-0
425 C04
Potkin,Vladimir 2518
Vysochin,Spartak 2560
KB Czech Open (6) 23.07.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6
[ Black probably plays the Guimard to avoid
mainline theory, so it is worth pointing out
that the position in the note to move 9 after
10.Bd3 can be reached after 3...f6 4.e5
fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 b6
8.0-0 ]
4.gf3 f6 5.e5 d7 6.d3 b4
[ After 6...f6 Black has to reckon with the
sharp line 7.g5!? dxe5! 8.dxe5 fxg5
9.h5+ though he survived and won after g6
10.xg6+ d7 11.d3 xe5 in Brynell,S-
Prie,E/Haifa 1989. ]
7.e2 c5 8.c3 c6 9.0-0 cxd4
[ Here is a vintage demolition of Blacks l o o k s f a i r l y h a r m l e s s b u t p r o ve s h i g h l y
position by a great player: 9...b6 10.b3 effective in making Vysochin overestimate his
Also possible is the paradoxical ( 10.d3! position. c4 13.c1 6a5 14.c5 b6
which returns the bishop to d3 and gives us 15.d3 d7 16.g5 c8 17.f4 xb2?
the very well known variation mentioned at
move three above, but with the moves Nb4,
Nc6 and Bd3, Be2, Bd3 added!) 10...a5?
( Black should stabilise the centre with
10...cxd4 11.cxd4 when a5 12.a4
leaves White with a slight edge.) 11.dxc5!
c7 ( If 11...xc5 12.e3 is a lethal pin.)
12.f4 xc5 13.bd4! d7 14.b5 b6
15.e3! White continues to hound the black
queen. d8 ( Or 15...e7 16.d6+!?
xd6 17.exd6 is another nasty pin.) 16.c4!
White breaks open the centre before Black
is able to develop his pieces- this is
precisely what the French isn't supposed to
be about from Black's point of view! dxc4
17.xc4 b8 18.e2 a4 19.fd1 a5
20.b4! xc4 21.xc4 a6 22.xd7! xd7
23.d1+ e8 24.d6+ xd6 25.exd6
d8 26.g5! and Black resigned in E.
Geller-R.Vaganian,Yerevan 1975 as if d7
27.b5 b8 28.c1 leaves Black
defenceless against 29.Qc8+. ]
[ Instead 10...f6 11.exf6 xf6 12.b3
( Another deployment of the knight is with
12.e1 and Nf1, heading for g3.) 12...d6
13.g5 gives us a set up similar to the 3...
Nf6/5.Bd3 version of the Tarrasch, except
with the white bishop on e2 rather than d3-
which favours Black- and with the white
knight on b3 rather than e2- which is a plus
for White as the knight already eyes the c5
square. Black got into all sorts of trouble
after c7 14.h4 0-0 15.g3 h5?
( Necessary was 15...a6 ) 16.xd6 xd6
17.b5! A thematic exchange that wins
control of the key e5 square f4 18.xc6
bxc6 in Spasov, V-Johansen,D/Manila 1992
and now 19.e5 e7 20.g4! stopping
Qg5- looks crushing. ]
11.b3
[ Or 11.e1 d7 12.f1 e7 13.g3 h5!?
14.d3 a5 15.a4 g5 16.e3 g4
with sharp play in Chiburdanidze,M-
Kuligowski,A/Polanica Zdroj 1984. ]
11...e7 12.f4!? White comes up with a
slow plan to exchange bishops with Bg5. It
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Black loses his sense of danger and believes on b5 rather than d3 as after 6.b5 f6
that his initiative on the queenside justifies ( Instead 6...a6 or; 6...e7 are discussed on
grabbing a pawn. Solid was ChessPub. ) 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1!? etc. ]
[ 17...h6 18.xe7 xe7 with unclear play. ] 6...f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.0-0
18.xb2 c2 19.d3 xb2 20.fc1! [ Or 8.f1 e5 9.e3 b6 10.dxe5 xe5
The pressure along the c file combined with 11.xe5 xe5 12.0-0 d6 13.f4 f6
the vulnerable situation of the rook on b2 14.c4 d7 15.xd5 xd5 16.cxd5 c5+
gives White ample play for the pawn. c6 17.h1 0-0-0 with interesting play for the
[ Awkward is 20...h6 21.xe7 xe7 22.c7 pawn in Kveinys,A-Budnikov,A/Katowice
Perhaps the best chance for Black to slip out 1991. ]
of the bind was with ] 8...d6
[ 20...c6 when if 21.xc6 xc6 22.c1 [ Instead 8...xd4? is an extremely risky
b5! ( Not 22...xg5 23.xc6+ d7 pawn snatch, though it worked magically in
24.c3! ) 23.xe7 xe7 24.xb5+ xb5 the following game: 9.xd4 xd4 10.e1
25.c8+ d8 26.c6+ d7 27.a8+ f6 11.e4! with the threat of 12.Bb5+
d8 28.c6+ is a draw by repetition. ] winning the black queen. The alternative
21.xe7 xe7 discovered attack with Bg6+ is also a factor
[ Similarly 21...xe7 22.xc6! ] i n w h a t f o l l o w s . d7 12.d6+?
22.xc6! xc6 23.c1 The double attack ( Very tempting, but White should settle for
wins back a knight b4 12.xf6+ xf6 13.h5+ g6 14.xd5
[ Black also loses after 23...b4 24.b5!! and Black is in trouble, for example if 0-0-0
( th e p ro sa ic 24.xb2 xd3 25.a3+ 15.a5 with the double threat of 16.Qxa7
is also good enough) 24...c2?! the only a n d 1 6 . B g 5 .) 12...xd6! 13.xe6+
way not to lose the rook, but... 25.g5+ f6 ( The po int is 13.g6+ hxg6 14.xd4
26.xg7# ] xh2+ 15.f1 appears to be winning for
24.xc6 d7 25.c3! Of course White White, but... b5+ 16.e2 e5! 17.xe5
keeps the queens on the board as the two h1# ) 13...f8 14.xd6 cxd6 15.f3 g4
minor pieces will cause the black king a lot of 16.e3 d1+ 17.f1 b5 0-1 Zlatic, M-
distress in the middlegame. Black now puts up Sebestyen,B/Paks HUN 2003. ]
a s t u b b o r n f i g h t b u t h i s p a wn s t r u c t u r e 9.c4 0-0
gradually disintegrates. a4 26.b3 a6 [ Nabbing the d4 pawn doesn't always work:
27.xb6 c8 28.h4 c3 29.xh7 c7 9...xd4? 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3 f6
30.b2 g6 31.d2 ac4 32.h5 gxh5 12.g5 f7 13.cxd5
33.g5+ d7 34.xh5 c6 35.g8 c1+ A) instead 13...exd5 14.e1+ ( Perhaps
36.xc1 xc1+ 37.h2 c2 38.xf7 xa2 14.c2!? ) 14...f8 gives White a huge
39.xe6 xf2 40.e8+ b6 41.xd5 a5 initiative.;
42.g6+ a7 43.f7 xf7 44.xf7 a4 B) 13...0-0 14.dxe6 xe6 15.e1 f7
45.e6 e2 46.e5 16.c2 h5 17.e7 xe7 18.xe7 c6
1-0 19.ae1 b6 20.1e5 h6 21.g5
d7 22.xh7+ h8 23.g6 1-0 Dimitrov,
V-Prie,E/Sofia 1990. ]
426 C04 10.c5 e7 11.b3 h6 12.e3 e5!
Rasik,Vitezslav 2464 Once this breakout occurs Black is at least
Cernousek,Lukas 2352 equal. 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.xe5 xe5
GM Ostrava CZE (2) 01.05.2005 15.e2 c6 16.c1 g6 17.h5 h7
[Neil McDonald] 18.c3 f5 19.d4 g6 20.e2 ae8
21.e6? The knight deserts the fine blockade
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 square on d4 and heads for f4 where it proves
5.e5 d7 6.d3 a target. The plan of a kingside attack seems
[ Note that White's idea of 8.Nf1 of the next wrong as Black has a mighty army there: it
note would be more powerful with the bishop was better to probe away on the queenside

372
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
with
[ 21.b3 etc. though White can't claim any
advantage. ]
21...f7 22.f4 e4 23.h5 g6 24.e2
f6 25.d4 h8! The queen proves
excellently placed in the corner. 26.g3 h7
27.c3 f8! With the double threat of 28...
Qxc5 and 28...Bh4. 28.d3 xd3 29.xd3
xc5 30.g4? White is lost anyway but this
allows an abrupt finish. xd3
[ W hite gave up as if 30...xd3 31.xd3
xc3 32.xc3 xf2+ 33.xf2 e1+
and mate next move. ]
0-1
427 C04
Ristic,Nenad 2475
Elbilia,Jacques 2325
chT9697 final (9) 02.05.1997
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.d3 f6
[ The main alternative is 6...b4 as in Potkin-
Vysochin on ChessPub. ]
7.g5!? The sharpest response, but as long
as he knows his theory Black should be OK at
the very least. dxe5 8.dxe5 fxg5 9.h5+
g6!
[ W hite keeps more control after 9...d7
10.f3 h6 ( 10...g6 11.g4 ) 11.0-0 etc. ]
10.xg6+ d7 11.f4 If you are playing Black
here and your opponent doesn't know the
theory you might get a nice present from him.
[ The nat ura l 11.f3? i s a h o wl e r : hxg6
a n d W h i t e l o s e s a p i e c e a s i f 12.xh8
b4+ White fell for it in a game between two
2400s in Chekhov,V-Yurtaev, L, Vilnius 1978,
and had to make do with 12.Qxg6 but soon
lost. ]
[ Instead Black was gifted the important e5
pawn with 11.d3? xe5 12.f3 b4+
13.f1 xf3 14.gxf3 e7 in Brynell-Prie,
Haifa 1989. ]
11...gxf4 12.d3 White extracts his bishop
and also holds onto the e5 point. Given time,
he will develop with 0-0, Nf3 and Bxf4, when
he regains his pawn and leaves the black king
look ing very silly on d7. So B lack ha s t o
disturb him. e8!?
[ Here is an appealing piece of madness:
12...b4!?
A) Perhaps 13.0-0 is more troublesome
f o r B l a c k , a s i f xd3 ( or 13...e8
14.h3 ) 14.cxd3 b6 15.xf4 and White
can try to exploit the open file.;
B) 13.f3 xd3+ 14.cxd3 b6!? 15.xf4
a6 16.0-0-0 e8! 17.g4 c5
Already I like Black's position- he has the
two bishops and a strong centre, an d
W hite's king is potentially a big target.
White's bishop manoeuvre that follows is
v e r y u n i m p r e s s i v e . 18.g5 b5
Alert to the threat of 19.Qa4+. 19.f6 g8
20.h3 ( Of course if 20.xg8 h6+
Black now takes control of the game.)
20...g6 21.g5 e8 22.e3 h6
23.h3 d4 24.e1 h5! ( Not 24...xd3?
25.f4 but now with Bh6 available Black is
sure to win a pawn.) 25.g5 xd3 26.h4
c4 27.h3 c5 It looks like it's all over,
but W hite now wakes up and starts an
imaginative counter attack. 28.b4!! b8
( If 28...e7 29.f2 and d4 d rops .)
29.bxc5 bxc5 Black threatens mate in
two. 30.hxd3! cxd3 31.a5 f5
( Perpetual check also results from
31...d2+ 32.xd2 b2+ 33.e1 c2
34.xa7+ c6 35.a6+ c7 36.xe6+
b8 37.d6+ a8 38.d5+ b8
39.d6+ ) 32.xa7+ c6 33.a4+ d5
34.d7+ c4 35.a4+ d5 36.d7+
with a draw in Faibisovich,V-Monin,N/
USSR 1979. ]
13.g5
[ If 13.e2 d4 is a nuisance for White in
view of 14.f2 c5 ]
13...e7 Black gives back the pawn in order to
gain two useful developing moves. 14.xf4
f8 15.a4 h5 Hitting e5 again. White's
reply is more or less f orced, but it allows
Bla ck t o st a rt a se qu en ce o f mo ve s t h a t
seems to lead to a draw. 16.f3 b4+!
17.c3
[ White is forced to weaken the defence of
the bishop on d3. He can't develop as if
17.d2 xf3! 18.gxf3 xf3 19.g1 e3+
20.f1 xd2 and Black is material up and
threatening mate in one. ]
17...xf3! 18.gxf3 xf3 19.f1 xd3
20.cxb4 e4+ 21.d1 d3+ Black is wise
373
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
to force a draw as
[ 21...xe5 would be too risky without the
qu e e n 's roo k o r b ish o p in vo lve d in t h e
game. ]
22.e1 e4+
½-½
428 C04
Rooze,Jan 2271
Simon Padros,Emili 2229
TCh-Eur Seniors (8) 17.02.2010
[John Watson]
This game features the most dynamic and
critical line after 6 c3. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5
3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 d7 6.c3 f6
7.b5 fxe5 8.dxe5 e7 9.d4
This is recommended by Tzermiadanos in his
'How to Beat the French Defence' book.
[ 9.0-0 0-0 10.e2 e8! 11.e1 h5
was analysed in depth by Wei Ming in this
column via his own game Kostantine
Shanava-Goh Wei Ming, 1st Vietnam Open
2008. Black has excellent play. ]
9...xd4!?
[ I suggested 9...dxe5 ('!' - Tzermiadanos)
as the 'main line' in my French Dangerous
Weapons book. Let me update his
recommendations versus it and my analysis
since then, partly based upon my TW IC
column: 10.f4 a6! 11.h5+
A) I think that even the exchange sacrifice
11...g6!? 12.xc6 bxc6 13.xc6+ d7
14.xa8 xa8 isn't clear (Rybka 3
approves of it, which is a start). Here's a
le n gt hy a n alysis o f wh a t ma y well b e
White's best course: 15.f3 ( 15.0-0 0-0
16.f3 f5 17.g4 e5 ) 15...0-0 16.g5
h6! 17.xg6 hxg5 18.0-0
wi t h i d e a s o f . . . Q b 6 + o r . . . Q x b 2 , f o r
example, 19.b4! ( 19.e3 xb2 20.d4
f6 21.xf6 xf6 22.xg5 b5 23.fe1
d3 with the idea ...Be4 or ...Qxc3. This
position may favour W hite slightly, but
Black will have a monster bishop on e4
another pawn will fall soon) 19...b6+
20.h1 e8 21.c2 d6 22.e3 gxf4
23.c5 d8 24.d4 ( 24.c4!? xc5
25.bxc5 c6! . It's the light squares that
makes this all work. Black can meet the
aggressive 26.ae1 by d4! 27.xe6 d3
28.d2 d7 29.ee1 d4 ) 24...d6
25.ae1 e7 26.f2 b5 27.d2 f5
28.g3 f7 29.gxf4 xf4 30.d1 d7
intending ... e5 or ..Ba4;
B) 11...d7 12.xc6+! ( Tz's move. I
gave 12.xe5 axb5 13.xe6+ e8
14.e2 f7 with a good game) 12...xc6
13.2f3 . Here I think that f6! is best
( 13...d6 and; 13...e8 are the options)
14.e3
B1) or 14...b6 15.0-0 xd4 16.xd4
c6!? , for example, 17.g4 ( 17.xf6
gxf6 18.d4+ b7 19.ae1 e8
20.e2 e7 21.xe6 xe6 22.xe6
c5+ 23.e3 c6 a n d . . . R a e 8)
17...e8 18.xe8+ xe8 19.g5 xd4+
20.cxd4 d6 21.e5 f8 22.b4 d7;
B2) 14...e8 15.h3 b6! ( to secure
b7 for the king in some lines.
Tzermiadanos gives 15...xd4 16.xd4
b6 17.e5+ d8!? 18.b4! , although
Black can try d7 19.0-0 a5 ) 16.0-0
( 16.xc6 xc6 17.d4+? b7
18.f3 c5 19.e2 d7 with a clear
e x t r a p a w n a n d t h e b i s h o p p a i r)
16...xd4 17.xd4 c6 18.g3
( 18.ae1 e5 19.f5 e4 20.c4! d8
21.xf6 xf6 22.cxd5+ b7 23.d2
e8! 24.c3! xc3 25.bxc3 e5
26.xe4 xd5 27.f6 gxf6 28.xf6
a5! 29.e7 f5= ) 18...b7 19.ae1
f7 20.e5 xe5 21.xe5 g8
. White has dark-square domination, but
Black is a pawn ahead and White's light
squares are potentially exploitable if he
overreaches. The position is balanced. ]
10.cxd4 0-0 11.d3 f7!
[ Tzermiadanos doesn't mention this move,
b7 cit in g o n l y 11...c5 12.h5 of Kotronias-
Halkias, Kalamata 2005. Black played 12...
Rf5 and lost after 13 Bxf5, but the obvious
g6 13.xg6 hxg6 14.xg6+ h8 15.h4!
with the idea Rh3-g3 ultimately forces the
win, as Tzermiadanos shows. ]
12.h5 f8?!
[ Now 12...g6! is works better than in the
previous note because of the rook's second-
rank defence:
A) 13.e2 c5 14.f3 cxd4 ( 14...a5+
15.d2 b6 is also possible) 15.0-0 c5
374
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

16.xd4 xd3 17.xd3 c7 18.f4 d7 e4

19.b3 c8 20.b2 a5 gives equal [ 53...h3 54.f3 h2 55.h1 ]
chances. Rooks will probably be 54.xe4 h3 55.h1 h2 56.g2 d6
exchanged on the c-file; 57.b6 d7 58.b7
B) 13.xg6 hxg6 14.xg6+ g7 1-0
( 14...f8 is risky after 15.f3 c5 16.0-0
, but probably playable ) 15.xe6+
B1) Black is at least equal after 15...f7 429 C04
16.xd5 c6 17.b3 ( 17.e4 f8 Rublevsky,S 2688
and ..Bf5 ) 17...b6 18.f3 d5; Silvain,T 1973
B2) 15...h8 16.xd5 c6 Amplico ch-EUR Blitz blitz (1.2) 14.12.2012
and the piece easily outweighs the four [John Watson]
pawns, e.g., 17.e4 b6 18.g3 h3
19.b3 d7 20.b2 d5 ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
13.f3 5.e5 d7 6.d3 f6 Critical and I think good.
[ or 13.0-0 c5 14.dxc5 ] The safer option is
13...c5 14.dxc5 xc5?! [ 6...b4 7.e2 c5 8.c3 c6 , when White
[ B u t W h i t e s t a n d s b e t t e r a f t e r 14...g6 is in a sense a tempo ahead of the
15.g4 xc5 16.0-0 ] Universal System, but his bishop isn't on d3.
15.g5 b4+ 16.e2 It seems that he needs to put it there at
[ or 16.f1! g6 17.g4! ] some point to fight for any advantage, so
16...g6 17.xf7 xf7 18.h6 b6 19.h4 this line has proven satisfactory for Black
d7 20.f4+ g8 21.e3 a5 22.d2 thus far. The recent game Braun, C (2405)-
There are probably better ways to consolidate, Zaragatski, I (2471), Belgium 2012 went (I'll
but White is clearly winning in any case. xd2 skip any commentary) 9.0-0 a5 10.e1
23.xd2 c7 24.f4 c6 25.hc1 e7 cxd4 11.cxd4 b6 12.f1 e7 13.g3
26.g3 d8 27.c2 d7 28.a5 e8 h5 14.d3 d7 15.e2 b4 16.b1 b5
29.ac1 g5 30.hxg5 h5+ 31.d2 f8 17.c3 a6 18.a3 c6 19.d3 xd3
32.xa7? 20.xd3 a4 21.b5 c4 22.d2 a5
[ 32.e2! h2 33.c3 ] 23.c3 xd2 24.xd2 a6 25.g3 xd4
32...h2+ 33.e2 xg3 34.e3 xf4 26.xg7 d7 27.ed1 f5 28.xf7 af8
35.xf4 xf4 36.f1 29.g6 fg8 0-1. ]
[ 36.xc6! bxc6 37.xc6 xe5 38.xe6 ] 7.0-0?! Rublevsky is a leading theoretician,
36...xf1 but maybe he hasn't studied the Guimard
[ 36...d4+ ] thoroughly? At any rate, this doesn't seem to
37.xf1 xe5 38.h3 work. fxe5 8.xe5 cxe5 9.dxe5 xe5
[ 38.e2 ] 10.h5+ f7 11.f3?!
38...f3+ 39.e3 [ 11.c4 gives some positional
[ 39.d1! xg5 40.g2 h6 41.xe6+ ] compensation, although Black still stands
39...xg5 40.g2! White is lucky to have this, better. ]
which barely suffices. d4+ 41.xd4 xg2 11...f6??
42.xg2 b6 43.a4 After all that White is [ 11...g6! refutes White's idea. Black ends
apparently still winning, but it shouldn't have up with an extra pawn and mobile centre. ]
gotten this close. f7 12.g5
[ 43...f7 44.b4 f8 45.a5 bxa5 46.bxa5 [ 12.e1! threatening Qxd5 is even stronger.
d6 47.a6 ] Then c6 13.g5 xb2 14.e5 g6
44.b4 15.xg6 hxg6 16.xg6 will win shortly. ]
[ 44.c4 e5 45.b5 ] 12...xb2 13.ab1 g6! 14.xb2 gxh5
44...e7 45.a5 bxa5 46.bxa5 d6 47.a6 15.f6 g8 16.xh7 g4 17.g3 b6?
e5+ 48.c4 e6 49.a7 c7 50.b4 h5 [ 17...e7! ]
51.a5 c5 52.h1 h4 53.g2 Zugzwang. 18.h3 c4?

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 18...a4 19.g6 e7 ]
19.g6 b7?
[ 19...e7 20.xe7 xe7 21.xf7
22.e5+ ]
20.e5
1-0
430
Saiboulatov,Danial
Zaragatski,Ilja
TCh-2006-7 Belgium BEL (8) 11.02.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.e2 e7 7.f1
A significant inaccuracy. Black should wait and
see which square W hite puts his knight on
before playing f7-f6. Hence he should play
[ 7...0-0! first. Now after 8.g3 f6 9.exf6
w i t h t h e w h i t e k n i g h t o n g 3 , xf6!
is the prescribed response. ( Whereas Black
got into difficulty after 9...xf6? 10.0-0 d6
11.c4 b6 12.e1! for example h8 13.a3
b7 14.cxd5 exd5 15.d3 e7 16.c2
xg3 17.hxg3 e4 18.f4 g6 19.xc7
xf4 20.xd8 axd8 21.gxf4
22.ac1 df8 23.c7 c8 24.xa7 g4
25.xe4 dxe4 26.e5 e6 27.e7 b3
28.e3 c2 29.d7 d8 30.c3 d3
31.e5 df8 32.d7 d8 33.c7 e3
34.fxe3 f1+ 35.h2 h6
1-0 Van der Wiel, J-Visser, Y/Netherlands
NED 2006. ) 10.0-0 ( Instead
meets with the same response: e5! 11.dxe5
dxe5 12.0-0 e6 13.xf6+
14.g5 ad8 15.xe6 xe6 16.h3 g6
17.g3 f6 18.e3 d4 19.d2 ge7
20.c4+ h8 21.f4 d5 - Krivokapic, M-
D r a s k o , M / B a r S C G 2 0 0 6 .)
this break out is possible with the white
knight on g3. If it were on e3, then Nxd5
would be a killing reply. Hence Black needs
to adjust his reply according to whether
White goes 8.Ng3 or 8. Ne3. 11.c3
11.dxe5 dxe5 12.c3 xf3+ 13.xf3 e6
with equality in Managadze, N-Vysochin, S/
Korinthos GRE 2004.) 11...exd4 12.cxd4
b6 13.b3 g6 14.e3 g4 15.c1 d6
16.d2 ae8 17.fd1 g7 18.e1 d7
wit h d o u b l e e d g e d p l a y i n S o k o lo v, A -
Jacimovic, D/Turin ITA 2006. ]
8.exf6 xf6
xf7 [ If instead 8...xf6 9.e3! is the way for
White to play it, so that Nxd5 is always on
if Black tries for e6-e5. ]
9.e3? White is obliging enough to iron out
his opponent's mistake.
[ If you follow the logic of the argument in
C04 the note above, W hite can profit through
2413 playing 9.g3! and transposing to the Van
2445 der Wiel-Visser game after 0-0 10.0-0 d6
11.c4 b6 12.e1 etc. ]
9...0-0 10.0-0 d6 11.c4
[ Or 11.b3 e7 12.b2 f5 13.c4?
( He had to eliminate the black knight with
f6? 13.xf5 exf5 though White then has no
a d v a n t a g e .) 13...xe3 14.fxe3 g4!
Black suddenly gains a strong attack.
15.d3 xf3! 16.xf3 xh2+ 17.h1 ( or
17.f1 h4 intending 18...Bg3 and 19...
Qh1 mate. ) 17...g3! A nice tactical touch.
18.xg3 f2+ 19.g1 xd3 20.xd3
e7 21.f1 d7 22.gf3 c6 23.f4 a5
24.c5 b6 25.4f3 b7 26.1f2 a6
27.b1 b8 28.a3 b5 29.c1 e5
Despite Black's material advantage, it isn't
xf4 obvious how he is supposed to win. In the
end, White manages to slip out with a draw
by perpetual. 30.dxe5 xc5 31.b2 e8
32.e6 xe6 33.f7 f6 34.xf6 c1+
35.h2 gxf6 36.2xf6 xb1 37.f8+ g7
36.e5 38.8f7+ g8 39.f8+ - Zambrana, O-
Rodriguez, A/Calvia ESP 2004. ]
10.h5 11...b6 12.b3 e7 13.b2 b7 14.e5
[ Sounder for White was 14.c1 though c5
xf6 still looks attractive for Black. ( Or perhaps
14...f4!? )]
14...c5! 15.cxd5 xe5!
[ After 15...exd5 16.3c4 Black is left with
10...e5! a weak pawn on e6. ]
16.dxe5 fxd5 Black has the better game-
firstly, his rooks have the semi-open f-file,
which they can use to besiege the vulnerable
f2 pawn. Secondly, the bishop on b7 has an
( Or open diagonal and can potentially attack g2,
whereas White's bishop on b2 is only staring
at the e5 pawn. And thirdly, the black knights
have an outpost square on d5, from which
they can dominate the centre without any risk
of being driven away by a white pawn. 17.c4
h8 18.e1 White rushes to bolster the g2
376
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

pawn in view of the threat of Qe8, Qg6 and alternative. ]

Nf4, but the f2 pawn is left high and dry. e8 15.a4 b8 16.c3
19.f1 f7 20.c2 b4 21.e2 a6 [ 16.b3 b4! ]
22.c4 xc4 23.bxc4 d3! Finally Black is 16...d7!?
able to convert his pressure into an extra [ 16...xb2! 17.xb2 xe5 gives B lack
pawn. 24.ed1 interesting compensation for the exchange,
[ Or 24.xd3 xf2+ 25.h1 xb2 ] with an extra pawn, bishop pair, and central
24...xf2 25.d2 g6 The game s has to be majority. The n 18.c6! e7 ( 18...d6 )
won, but Zaragatski accomplishes the task in 19.fe1 f6 is double-edged. ]
smooth style. He never lets W hite's bishop 17.b3
pair escape from the semi-blocked pawn [ 17.c6 is more challenging, e.g., c8
chain. 26.e3 g4 27.h3 f5 28.e1 18.ad1 e7 19.fe1 ( 19.b4 f6 20.f3
ad8 29.d3 h6 30.xh6 gxh6 31.c1 f7 ) 19...b6 20.b4 f6 21.d3 f7 ]
d4 32.f1 fd8 33.xd4 xd4 34.g5 17...c6 18.b4 c8 19.ad1!?
d7 35.a4 hf5 36.a5 h6 37.f4 g5 [ 19.f4 e8 20.b3 d8 21.a5 f6 22.d3
38.d2 b3 39.c3 bxa5 40.b1 a4 g6= ]
41.f2 d2 42.b8+ g7 43.xd2 xd2+ 19...e8 20.b3 d8! All Black's pieces are
44.e1 a2 45.g4 d4 46.b7+ f8 on the back rank, but he is ready to expand in
47.xa7 a3 the center, when his bishop pair will exert
0-1 itself. 21.f4!?
[ 21.a5 f6 22.d3 e5 ]
21...a5 22.e1 a6!?
431 C04 [ 22...a8! gives Black the initiative,
Sanal,V 2419 threatening a4, e.g., 23.a1 f6 24.f3 g6
Ashiku,F 2253 25.bd4 e8 ]
52nd World Juniors 2013 (9.21) 22.09.2013 23.d4!
[John Watson] [ 23.xa5 xa5 24.bxa5 xa5 ]
23...axb4 24.cxb4 xa4 25.b1 Now Black
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 is a pawn up, but White has kingside chances,
5.e5 d7 6.b5 a6 7.xc6 bxc6 8.b3 and threatens f5. a6
c5 9.g5 e7 10.a5 xe5! 11.xe5! [ 25...e7 26.c3 ( 26.f5?? xc5! )
[ 11.dxe5 xg5 12.c6 d7 13.xg5 h6! 26...f6 27.b5! w i t h t h e i d e a cxb5??
is at least equal after 14.xf7 xf7 15.0-0 28.a1 ]
0-0 ] [ 25...g6 is critical. Then White should try
11...xg5 12.dxc5 26.f5! exf5 27.xf5! a6 ( 27...gxf5
[ 12.ac6 d6 13.h5 0-0! 14.xg5 f6 28.g3+ h8 29.xf7+ xf7 30.xb8 )
15.dxc5 xc5 transposes to a main line, e.g. 28.g3 ( 28.g4!? d3 29.h6+ g7
, 16.d2 fxe5 17.xe5 b8 18.b3 f5 30.e5+ f6 31.e6+ xh6 32.xb8
19.d3 b6 and Black has good play. ] xb1+ 33.f1 e4 34.d6 is unclear!)
12...0-0 13.0-0 f6!? Not the most accurate 28...c7 , and this is very messy, e.g.,
move, although it's still close to equal. 29.e6! c8! ( 29...fxe6 30.xf8+ xf8
[ 13...f6! 14.ec6 e8 15.f4 h6 31.f4+ g7 32.f1 ) 30.f6 xe5
with the idea ...Bd7 looks balanced and full 31.xe5 fxe6 32.xf8+ xf8 33.f1+ g8
of interest. ] 34.f6 d7 35.f7+ h8 36.f6+= ]
14.e2 26.a1?!
[ Probably White should try 14.e1! xe5!? [ 26.f5! exf5 27.g3 b7! 28.xf5 f6
15.xe5 f6 ( 15...d7!? ) 16.e1 d7 is unclear. ]
17.b4 e5 18.f4! with pressure ] 26...b7 27.a4 c8 28.g3 f6 29.d3
[ 14.f4 is also worth considering. ] d7
14...e8 [ 29...g6 ]
[ 14...xe5 15.xe5 f6= is a decent 30.e1 c7

377
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 30...e8! 31.a7 b7 ] pawn and generally stabilise the black

31.a7 e8 kingside. This seems of more significance
[ 31...e5 32.fxe5 b7 ] than the tempo White gains with Bg5. More
32.b5!? cxb5 33.c6? vigorous was
[ 33.b4 a8 ] [ 7.b5! By avoiding the exf6 Qxf6 exchange,
33...xc6 34.c1 b7 Suddenly Black is and instead keeping a pawn on e5, White is
three pawns ahead! 35.h1 d8?? d e n yin g t h e b l a c k b is h o p o n f 8 t h e d 6
[ 35...e7! 36.xb5 d8 37.c5 b6 square- it can go to e7, but then the black
is winning ] queen is shut in on d8 rather than seeing
36.c5! b6 37.cxe6?? Play hereabouts action on f6. Furthermore, White intends to
must be due to time trouble. take on c6 at some point to fight for the e5
[ 37.xb7 xb7 38.xb7 d7 39.c5 squ a re a n d m a ke t h e b la ck q u e e n s id e
is fine for White. ] pawns vulnerable to the white knights. For
37...d7 38.c5 xc5?! Sufficiently good, example fxe5 8.dxe5 e7 9.xc6 bxc6
but A) Instead 10.a5 White reserves the d4
[ 38...c8! is simply winning on the spot, square for his queen. I think a good reply
since 39.d3 xc1+ 40.xc1 xd4 for Black is b4+! exchanging the bishop
is too strong. ] f o r W h i t e ' s p e s k y k n i g h t . ( Extremely
39.xc5 bc8 40.xc8 xc8? embarrassing would be 10...c5 11.c6;
[ 40...xc8! and there's no good defence, e. while 10...b8 11.d4 0-0 12.g4 h8
g., 41.h3 c1+ 42.h2 e1 43.f3 f1 ] 13.0-0 c5 14.c4 c6 15.d2
41.h3 a8? looked rather good for White in Brkic, A-
[ 41...b4 ] P a n d u r e vi c , M / B o s n j a c i C R O 2 0 0 4 .)
42.xa8+ xa8 43.f5!? a7 11.d2 xa5 12.xa5 a6 stopping
[ 43...f7 ] White castling and preparing a
44.e3 counterattack after 13.d4? ( or 13.d4
[ 44.d6! ] 0-0 etc. ) 13...g5! when g2 and e5 are
44...h6 45.e8+ h7 46.g6+ g8 hanging.;
47.e8+ h7 48.g6+ B) 10.bd4!? b8 What follows should
½-½ be investigated carefully if you want to play
the Guimard. I think it is the critical line
after 6...f6. 11.g5 xg5 12.h5+ g6
432 C04 13.xg5 xg5 14.xg5 c5 It appears
Sandhu,Mario 2308 that Black has just enough time to
Buhmann,Rainer 2570 neutralise White's bid to exploit the dark
TCh-AUT 1st Bundesliga 2007-8 (6) 12.01.08 square holes on the kingside. 15.f3 d7
[Neil McDonald] 16.h6 ( Here 16.0-0-0 perhaps? )
16...b7 17.0-0 d4 18.g5 d5 19.fe1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 a5
5.e5 d7 6.b3 The question this game B1) White should force a draw with
poses is: can Black get away with the 20.g7 g8 21.h6 h8 etc. with a
thematic pawn stab 6...f6, which he normally repetition, as there is a neat tactic for
only plays against less active moves: W h it e a f t e r ( 21...a4? 22.xh7 h8
[ 6.e2 f6 or ] It looks like White has blundered a piece,
[ 6.c3 f6 ] but... 23.f6+ xf6 24.g7!
6...f6 As you can see in the archives, and White will capture the knight and be
generally Black prefers the safer a pawn up. );
[ 6...e7 or ] B2) 20.ad1? a4 and in Berrocal, J-
[ 6...a5 ] Ro j a s , L / T u r in I T A 2 0 0 6 B la c k h a d
7.exf6 A natural reply, but once the black survived the early pressure and went on
queen gets out she helps to defend the e6 to exploit White's vulnerable queenside

378
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
pawns. ]
7...xf6 8.g5 f7 9.b5 d6 10.0-0 0-0
I already like Black's position. In essence it is
the Tarrasch 3...Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3
variation without the open c-f ile to cause
Black pain. 11.h4
[ If 11.e1 h5 intending 12...Rxf3 is
awkward for White. ]
11...f6
[ It's too soon for the black centre to expand:
11...e5? 12.dxe5 cxe5 13.g5
nothing, but nothing, can stop White taking
on d5 next move... h5 Ah, I missed that
move. 14.xh5 1-0 Fernandez, J-Formanek,
E/Connecticut USA 2004. ]
12.g3 e4 13.e5 The exchanges that
follow leave W hite with inferior chances as
the pawn on e5 will be a liability. On the other
hand, Black is so dynamic that the natural
plan of seizing the e5 square would fail:
[ 13.xc6 bxc6 14.e5? xe5 15.xe5?!
a6! and either f2 will collapse or White will
lose the exchange. ]
13...xe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.dxe5 b6
16.c6 b8 Threatening 17...Ba6. 17.f3 c5
18.d4 d7 19.c3 e8 20.xd7 xd7
21.e2 b7! A nice retreat, clearing the way
for c7-c5 to evict the white knight from d4.
22.b5 xb5 23.xb5 c6! 24.d4
[ After 24.xa7 d8 the white knight is lost
to 25...Ra8. ]
24...d8! the black knight is forced to defend
c6 and e6, but it is only for the moment. 25.f4
b7! The rook will be needed on the kingside.
26.g4 c5 From now on Buhmann will exploit
the fragility of the white kingside pawns in
h i g h l y i n s t r u c t i ve s t yl e . 27.e2 c6
Threatening to decimate the white centre with
28...g5! 28.h4 h5! An excellent positional
pawn sac. The German GM finds another way
to break up the white pawns now that h2-h3 is
no longer an option for White. 29.gxh5 bf7
30.g2 h7 31.ae1 f5 32.g1 xh5
White's extra pawn drops, leaving him with
acute weaknesses on f4 and h4 which can be
targeted by the black rooks with the aid of the
knight which can go to the holes on f5 or g6.
33.h3 e7 34.g3 h6 35.ef1 g6
36.f5 xh4 37.g4 xf5 38.xf5 g6+
[ There's no hope for White in the endgame
after 38...g6+ 39.h3 xg1 40.xg1
xf5 ]
0-1
433 C04
Shanava,Konstantine 2522
Goh Wei Ming 2403
1st Open Vietnam (7) 31.08.2008
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6!? After Neil
Mcdonald published wins after wins after wins
on Chesspub, I naturally couldn't help but feel
inspired to try the French Guimard myself!
4.gf3 f6 5.e5 d7 6.c3 f6 7.b5 fxe5
8.dxe5
[ 8.xe5 could be met by cxe5 9.dxe5 c6
10.d3 xe5 11.h5+ f7 12.xh7 f6
where Black's central pawns should put him
in good stead. ]
8...e7 9.0-0 0-0 10.e2 e8 11.e1
I was unfamiliar with this position and was not
sure how to unravel my pieces on the
queenside. White has a simple and standard
plan to manoeuvre his knight to the g3 square,
via f1. I calculated a method to prevent this
plan temporarily. h5!?N With the idea 12.
Nf1 Rxf3! with unclear complications. As this
was one of the critical positions in this line, it
was vital that I calculate the consequences of
the exchange sacrifice clearly instead of just
p l a y i n g t h e m o v e f r i v o l o u s l y . 12.f1?!
S u rp ri sin gl y, S h a n a va p la ye d t h i s m o v e
quickly almost as if he had already seen the
exchange sacrifice and had duly dismissed it.
It was here where I was a little psyched out to
me, there was no way a Grandmaster could
have allowed a move like 12..Rxf3 if he had
viewed it as a threat. It was unfortunate that
at this stage, I allowed myself to show too
much respect for my opponent and mistakenly
l o s t c o n f i d e n c e i n m y o w n i d e a s . a5?
After the game, GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili
berated me for not playing the very strong
[ 12...xf3! 13.g3 ( 13.xc6 Both myself
and Shanava thought this was the refutation
of the exchange sacrifice but we missed the
simple and effective retort f5! where Black
is better af ter 14.xh5 xh5 15.xd7
xd7; 13.xf3 xf3 14.gxf3 cxe5
15.g2 c6 16.e2 g6 In these
379
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

positions, Black's active pieces, an extra [ 18...a6! 19.d1 ( 19.e3 xd4

pawn together with W hite's ragged pawn 20.cxd4 c5 ) 19...xd4 20.cxd4 c5
structure give Black wonderful compensation 21.e3 ac8 Black finally managed to
f o r t he exch a nge .) 13...f7! 14.xf3 develop all his pieces and should not be
( 14.xc6 xg3! 15.xd7 xg2+ 16.xg2 worse. ]
xd7 again, with fine compensation. The 19.xd4 After this, White managed to transfer
light square bishop is going to be a his queen to g4 and whipped up a fearsome
monster. ) 14...xf3 15.gxf3 cxe5 16.e2 attack on my kingside. h8 20.g4 b7
g6 and Black gets a lot of play. During the [ 20...xf2 21.e2 f7 22.e3
post-mortem, Zurab rightly pointed out that looks terribly scary. ]
White is simply better after any other move 21.h5 c5 22.e3 d4 23.h3
and I should have calculated more W it h n u m e ro u s t h re a t s, W h it e is s im p l y
thoroughly the consequences of the winning here and finishes me off cleanly. d3
exchange sacrifice before rejecting it. At 24.xd3 g6 25.xh6 xd3 26.xg7+
this point, I was kicking myself at believing h7 27.xd3 xf2 28.h3 h4 29.f4
my opponent so easily and, as mentioned Even though this game turned out to be a
above, showing my opponent too much tragedy, the novelty 11.. Qh5 with the
respect. If anything, I ought to have more exchange sacrifice 12..Rxf3 appears to be
faith and confidence in my judgement and promising and playable for Black.
calculation. ] 1-0
13.g3 f7 14.d3 This move doesn't make
a lot of sense as it allows a f uture tempo
gaining ...Nc5 but Shanava probably wanted 434 C04
to preserve his light square bishop. Shaw,John K 2392
[ 14.c2 c5 15.e3 d7 16.ad1 Kruppa,Yuri 2561
is very pleasant for W hite. Black is solid 16th open Cappelle la Grande FRA (6) 23.2.00
but passive and has no chances of obtaining [Neil McDonald]
any form of counterplay. ]
14...h6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
[ 14...c5 15.c2 b6 16.g5 a6 17.e3 5.e5 d7 6.b5
h6 could have been playable for Black. In [ Instead 6.d3 b4!? 7.e2 c5 8.c3 c6
any case, Black finally managed to get his 9.0-0 was played in Melnikov-Riazantsev, St.
pieces into play! ] Petersburg 2000. Now I think Black should
15.h1?! Shanava was clearly afraid of any continue
tact ics invo lvin g .. .Nxe 5 an d .. .Qxf 2 an d A) 9...cxd4?! 10.cxd4 f6 11.b3!? e7
wanted to eliminate the possibility once and ( Here 11...fxe5 12.dxe5 dxe5
for all. However, his fears were unfounded as 13.xe5 xe5 14.b5+ looks risky for
after Black. ) 12.exf6 xf6 13.g5 0-0 14.c1
[ 15.c2! with the idea of Bg6, Black is in e4 15.xe7 xe7 16.d3
deep trouble. ] with advantage to W hite. It wasn't
15...d8? necessary for Black to expose himself to
[ 15...c5 was more natural though White attack along the c file by exchanging on
remains better. ] d4.;
16.c2 b6 17.d3 f8 B) 9...e7 followed by castling with a
[ 17...g5!? is a natural move in the French reasonable position. Instead the game
Tarrasch and was an interesting possibility. went ]
18.h3 a6 19.d1 f8 20.d3! [ A second alternative for W hite is 6.b3
and I prefer White. ] but this doesn't appear very dangerous, e.g.
18.d4 xd4? This was a serious a5 7.a4 e7 8.c3 b6 9.d3 If ( 9.f4
misjudgement, and could even be the h o p i n g t o s a ve a t e m p o o n t h e b i s h o p
decisive mistake. exchange on a6, Black can simply castle

380
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
when W hite has to f ind another waiting
move. ) 9...a6 10.xa6 xa6 11.0-0 0-0
12.e1 cb8 13.e3 c5 14.bd2 c6
and Black gradually gained the advantage
in Saunders-Jacimovic, Pula 1997. ]
6...e7 We looked at
[ 6...a6 in Yemelin-Riazanstev. ]
7.b3
[ The straightforward 7.0-0 looks sensible,
though Black could still carry out a similar
plan with a5!? 8.a4 a7 ]
7...a5!? 8.a4 a7! This is an excellent pawn
offer. 9.xd7+?
[ B e t t e r w a s t h e c a u t i o u s 9.e2
though Black then has no problems after b6
intending c7-c5. Or maybe the immediate
( 9...c5 )]
9...xd7 10.xa5 b6 11.b3 a6
Now White's king has no safe refuge. 12.g5
0-0 13.xe7 xe7 14.d2 c6 15.c1 f6
Once lines are opened up Black will have
good tactical chances, as the game proves.
16.e2 fxe5 17.xe5
[ If 17.dxe5 xf3! 18.gxf3 xe5
looks very dangerous for White. ]
17...h4! 18.g3
[ If 18.xc6 xf2 19.g3 f6 wins. ]
18...xe5! 19.e3
[ White also has a bad endgame after
19.gxh4 f3+ 20.d1 xd2 21.xd2
xf2 ]
19...f3+ 20.xf3 xf3 21.gxh4 af8
22.f1 h3 23.a5 b8 24.h1 xh4 25.f4
bxa5 26.xa5 xb2 27.d2 xe2 28.xe2
xc2+ 29.d3 c4 A fine example of the
power of surprise in the opening.
0-1
435 C04
Shen,Yang 2459
Leconte,M 2304
MULTICOMS FRA-CHN Match w (4) 07.09.06
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.b3 a5!? A useful move once
White has put his knight on b3, as he now has
to reckon with a5-a4 chasing it back to d2.
Furthermore, after the subsequent Bb5, the
move Na7! has been made possible by the
pawn vacating a7.
[ More usual is 6...e7 first, but I don't see
how White can take advantage of the early
pawn move and in the game, it amounts to
a transposition. ]
7.a4 A sensible reply, though now the value of
an attack on the black centre with c2-c4 has
diminished, as a whooping hole would be left
on b4. e7 8.b5 a7! A familiar idea from
other games we have looked at in this
variation. The white bishop is kicked back
before it can do any damage with Bxc6. 9.e2
P u t t in g t h e b ish o p o n e 2 r a t h e r t h a n d 3
avoids being hit by a future c5-c4, but it looks
too passive to hurt Black.
[ Instead 9.d3 b6 was analysed in
Malakhov-Zhang Zhong ]
9...c5 Black can also prepare this move with
b7-b6, though since he intends to recapture
on c5 with the knight rather than the b6 pawn,
it might be unnecessary. However, consider
the following extract where Black equalised
without any trouble:
[ 9...b6 10.0-0 c5 11.e1 c6 12.c4 b4
13.cxd5 xd5 14.b5 0-0 15.dxc5 xc5
16.bd4 b4 17.d2 b7 18.xb4 axb4
19.e2 c7 20.ac1 d5 21.b3 b7
22.c4 e4 23.e3 and I'm rather inclined
to think that Black has the better chances. -
Pert, R-Thomas, N/Swansea WLS 2006. ]
10.dxc5 xc5 11.bd4 0-0 12.0-0 d7!
Here is another benefit of having the black
knight on a7- and also the reason why Black
didn't hurry to recentralise the knight with Nc6
at some point over the last couple of moves.
The attack on a4 means that White will have
to weaken his queenside pawn structure.
13.b3 e4 The knight immediately aims at
the freshly dug hole on c3. 14.d3 f5 15.c4
b6! 16.a3
[ Quite rightly Black has no fear of 16.cxd5
exd5 despite the apparent damage to his
pawn centre. The d5 pawn would be
almost impossible to attack, and the black
queen could swing over to g6 if required. ]
16...xa3 17.xa3 c6 18.cxd5?
[ White had to hold the centre together with
18.a1! with unclear play. ]
18...xd4 19.xe4 fxe4 20.xd4
[ Not 20.xd4 b4! ]
20...exd5 White's exchanging sequence has
381
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
granted the knight a superb post on d4, but
the e5 pawn is terminally weak and will soon
drop off after Rae8 etc. Therefore Shen Yang
has to seek complications, but it only makes
things worse. 21.b5 c5 22.a2 xb5
23.c2 c4! 24.bxc4 d4! All the same, e5
will fall, and in addition Black has a strong
pawn roller. 25.d2 ad8 26.b1 xe5
27.xb7 e3
[ White has seen enough. A possible finish is
27...e3 28.e2 d3 29.xe3 xe3! 30.fxe3
xf1+ 31.xf1 d2 and there will be a new
black queen. ]
0-1
436 C04
Sjugirov,Sanan 2610
Korobov,Anton 2648
9th Aeroflot Open A (6) 14.02.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.b3 e7
[ 6...a5 7.a4 e7 8.b5 transposes. ]
7.b5
[ 7.f4 is an optional approach. ]
7...a5 8.a4 a7! Black introduces the twin
ideas of ...c5 and, after ...b6, the move ...Ba6.
9.e2
[ 9.d3 b6 10.c3 c5 gains a move by
t h r e a t e n i n g . . . c 4 , a n d 11.c2?!
prevents castling. ]
9...b6 10.0-0
[ In my book Dangerous Weapons: French, I
analyse 10.h4!? c5
A) 11.g5 cxd4 12.f4 c5;
B) 11.h5!? c4!? 12.bd2 f6 13.h6! g6
14.exf6 xf6 15.0-0 c6 16.c3 0-0
17.e1 ( 17.b3 cxb3 18.xb3
19.b5 b7 ) 17...e5 18.dxe5 dxe5
with activity and equal prospects.;
C) 11.c3 c6 ( 11...c4 12.bd2 0-0;
11...c7!?; 11...f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.e5
d7 ) 12.g5 0-0 13.0-0
and Black exchanges his bad bishop for
White's good one, with equality. ]
10...c5 11.c3 c6 12.e3 0-0
[ Or 12...a6 ]
13.e1
[ 13.e1 a6 14.xa6 xa6 15.f4 f5!
is Tiviakov-Vysochin, Cairo 2002, still a
highly relevant game. ]
13...a6 14.xa6 xa6 15.c1 a8
Perfectly normal. Black intends ...Qc8-a6.
[ 15...a7 is attractive, because in many
lines the rook wants to go to c7 for
po t e nt ia l d o u blin g o n t h e c-f ile , an d in
other cases it serves as a second-rank
defender (all the more so if Black breaks
with ...f6, which is one of his major
themes). ]
16.e2 c8 17.f4 a6 18.c1 fc8
19.d2 cxd4 20.cxd4 b4 21.c3
[ 21.g4 f8! (the great thing about this is
that the knight on d7 was the one piece
restricted by White's pawn and now serves a
useful defensive function on the kingside)
22.h4 ( 22.h5 g6 ) 22...xc1 23.xc1
c8 with excellent play, e.g., 24.f1 c2
25.h5 h6 ]
21...xc3?!
[ 21...b5! 22.axb5 xb5 keeps more
p r e s s u r e o n , b u t B l a c k wa n t e d a s a f e
advantage. ]
22.bxc3 d3 23.xd3 xd3 24.b3 c8
25.c1 b5!? Why this? Simply
[ 25...h6 makes White defend. ]
26.xb5
[ 26.axb5 is also enough to hold. Black gets
good piece placement but has to waste time
recovering his pawn after
a6 A) 26...b6?! 27.c4 xb3 28.xb3 a3
29.a1 ( 29.c2 xc4 ) 29...dxc4
30.xa3 cxb3 31.xb3 a4 32.b1;
B) 26...b4 27.b1! xb1 28.xb1 f8
29.d2 b6 30.b3 a4 31.c5
. This also happens in the game. ]
26...xb5 27.axb5 b6 28.f1 a4 29.e2
a3 30.d3 a4 31.b3 b8 32.c5?!
e5 After this White may be within drawing range,
but the loss of two moves makes it much
harder.
[ 32.a1! xb5 33.c2 b2 34.c1 c4
35.a2 f8 36.d2= with the ideas of Nb1
a6= and/or Kb3. ]
32...b2+ 33.c2 xb5 34.a1 c4
35.b3 You can see the difference. Black
holds everything. h5!?
[ 35...f6 36.exf6 gxf6 looks more natural,
but White has time for 37.c1 f7 38.d2
a5 39.b1 d6 40.h3 a2 41.d2 a7
382
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
42.xc4 dxc4 43.b2 a3+ 44.c2 e7
45.b2= ]
36.c1 h7 37.a2 b8 38.d2 a8
39.a1
[ 39.b3 might be answered with g5 , so ]
[ 39.b1! g6 40.b3 is perhaps best. ]
39...g6 40.d3 a4
[ 40...b6! ]
41.c2 a7 42.d3 xd2
[ 42...b6! ]
43.xd2?!
[ 43.xd2! f6 44.exf6 gxf6 45.c2
and Kb3 isn't so easy for Black to win. ]
43...f6! 44.exf6 gxf6 45.c4?! The game is
hard to hold anyway, but this creates further
weaknesses. dxc4+ 46.xc4 f5 47.c1
d6 48.h3 c7+ 49.b3 g7 50.g3 b7+
51.c2 a7 52.d3 a2 53.b2 e5! 54.f3
exd4 55.g4+ f4 56.gxh5 e5 57.h6
xf3 58.f1+ g2 59.a1 f3 60.h4 g4
61.g1+ h5 62.g7 a3+ 63.xa3 a1
64.f8 c3+
0-1
437 C04
Timothy Chan 2660
Goh Wei Ming 2681
Rated game, 3m + 0s 12.07.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
Blitz 3m I've always like to play loads of
different things against the Tarrasch and one
of my f avourite op enings is th e G uim ard
Variation. One fine afternoon, I had an online
blitz match with one of the brightest talents in
the country, Timothy Chan. I tried 3...Nc6
against his Tarrasch and was
un c e rem o n iou s ly cru sh ed . I h a ve t o sa y
though, Tim's ideas are noteworthy and here
is the game, with my analysis. 1.e4 e6 2.d4
d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 d7 6.c3
f6 7.b5 fxe5 8.dxe5 e7 I previously
annotated this for ChessPub with Shanova-
W ei Ming (archives). Here, Tim tried a
d i f f e r e n t m o v e 9.d4! This was the
recommendation in Tzermiadianos's book
which I knew Timothy bought! A search on my
database only brough 2 results so this line is
still relatively untested. dxe5 10.h5+!?N
A novelty, and a dangerous one to boot.
[ Both Watson and Tzermiadiano prefer
10.f4!? although Watson ultimately
concluded that Black should be fine. Here is
the main line of his analysis on his book
r e v i e w o n T W I C : a6 11.h5+ d7
12.xc6+ xc6 13.2f3 f6 14.e3 e8
15.h3 b6 16.0-0 xd4 17.xd4 c6
18.g3 b7 19.ae1 f7 20.e5 e7
and Black is fine. ]
10...f8 11.f4! Forcing Black's reply and
keeping the initiative.
[ 11.0-0 was not as good: g6 12.h6+ g8
13.e3 d6 14.f4 xd4 15.cxd4 g4 ]
11...xd4 Taking up the gauntlet is best.
[ 11...f7 12.xc6 bxc6 13.xc6 g6
14.h3 d6 15.xe7 xe7 16.0-0
is a safe and stable edge to White. ]
12.fxe5! An excellent idea, opening up the f-
file and correctly judging that Black will not
h a v e t i m e t o g r a b t h e a 1 - R o o k . f5
This is probably best and the only move in
this position.
[ 12...c2+ amazingly, seems to be a losing
move. 13.e2! ( 13.d1 e3+ 14.e2
f5 15.g4 g6 16.h3 h4 ) 13...g6
14.h6+ g8 15.b1 g5 ( 15...d4
16.e4! gives White a dangerous looking
attack.; 15...c5 16.a4! g5 17.h3 e3
18.f3 d4 19.cxd4 cxd4 20.d1!
wins outright!) 16.h3 d4 17.f3 xc1
18.bxc1 e3 19.cxd4 seems to be a
clear plus for White. ]
13.0-0 g6 14.h3
[ 14.e2 was worthy of attention as well.
g7 15.b3 c6 16.d3 b6+ 17.h1
h5! and Black's position is solid and he has
an extra pawn. ]
14...g8? This was a ridiculous move that is
so typical in my blitz games.
[ 14...g7 is much more natural. 15.g4
Important, to maintain the initiative.
A) 15...h6 c a n b e m e t wi t h 16.e4!
xg4 17.f6! with some tough problems
f o r B l a c k t o s o l v e , f o r e x a m p l e , h5
( 17...xf6 18.exf6+ xf6 19.h6+ g8
20.f3 wins immediately.; 17...c5+
18.h1 h5 19.xg4 hxg4 20.xg4 h4
21.xh4 xh4 22.g5! and the attack
rages on. ) 18.xg4 hxg4 19.xg4 h4
20.g3 g5!? ( 20...d7? missing White's
devious idea on move 22. 21.d3 e8
383
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
22.f6!! is a lovely tactic that wins the
g a m e b y f o r c e : e4 23.xe4 dxe4
24.g5!+- ) 21.d3 with great
compensation for White.;
B) 15...h4 Th is is b e st . 16.f3 f8
17.xh4 xf1+ ( 17...xh4?? 18.xf8
xf8 19.h6+ g8 20.f1 e7
21.f3+- ) 18.xf1 xh4 19.d3 d7
20.e3! with some compensation for the
pawn, but the position remains complex
and its not easy to judge if the
compensation is sufficient for equality. ]
[ 14...c6 15.d3 e8 16.f3 d7
with a different idea of running for safety in
the Queenside seems too time consuming to
be sound. ]
15.f3 4
[ 15.g4! looks very dangerous:
A) 15...c5+ 16.h1 e3 and now,
White has 17.e4! dxe4 ( 17...xf1?
18.g5+- ) 18.xe3 with an undisputable
edge.;
B) 15...h4 16.f3! c6 17.d3
( 17.xh4!? cxb5 18.h6 d7 19.f3
with the idea of Nd4 seems good also.)
17...g7 18.d2 ]
15...h6?
[ 15...h5! might be able to hold the position
together but the game has already lost its
theoretical interest. Not surprisingly, I went
down soon after with nary a fight: ]
16.d3 e8 17.g4 g7 18.h4 xh4
19.xh4 h5 20.f6 hxg4 21.xg4 f5
22.xg6+ f8 23.xf5 exf5 24.f6+ e7
25.g7+ d8 26.g5 Timothy's idea 10.
Qh5+! deserves further practical test. As far as
I can see, Black can barely defend his
position but the road to survival is a narrow
one and I'm not quite sure anyone over the
board can find the defensive resources which
I discovered in the comfort of my room (with
the aid of the numerous engines I have of
course). 14...Kg7 and after 15.g4, 15...Nh4 is
probably critical but of course, we have to
await further developments to know what is
really going on in this line.
1-0
438 C04
Vajda,Levente 2445
Bauer,Christian 2525
World Juniors (10) 1997
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.c3 e5!
Black takes the opportunity to prevent White
from setting up a cramping pawn chain with e4-
e5. 5.exd5 xd5 6.gf3 exd4 7.c4 h5
[ Also reasonable is 7...f5 8.xd4 xd4
9.cxd4 d6! ( This is a better approach than
9...d7?! 10.0-0 0-0-0 11.b3! ) 10.0-0
e7 11.e1 0-0 12.e4 g6! 13.xd6
xd6 14.b3 g6 15.d2 a5 16.ac1
c5! and Black, having survived his queen
being buffeted about, seized the initiative
in Boudre-Hamdouchi, Cannes 1998. ]
8.0-0
[ After 8.cxd4 e6 ( The solid 8...f6
transposes to the main game after 9.0-0
e7 ) 9.xe6 fxe6 10.b3 0-0-0 11.0-0
f6 12.xe6+ b8 13.e4 xe4
14.xe4 e8 15.d3 d6 16.d2 g5!
Black had sufficient counterplay in Xie Jun-
Brunner, Shanghai 1995. ]
8...f6! Black ignores the gambit pawn and
just develops in natural style. 9.cxd4 e7
10.e1 0-0 11.f1?? It is a very bad idea to
weaken his control of the centre in this way.
[ Instead 11.h3 to rule out Black's next move
gives more or less equal chances. ]
11...g4 12.d5 ad8 13.g3 xf3 14.gxf3
h4 15.d3 c5 16.b3 This loses, but
things were already horrible as
[ 16.e3 would drop a piece to e5 ]
16...xf2+ 17.xf2 xh2+ 18.f1 xg3
A complete drubbing for White.
0-1
439 C04
Vorobiov,Evgeny E 2500
Kruppa,Yuri 2561
Cat XI Spring (5) 26.03.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.e2 e7 Black intends to
challenge the white centre with f7-f6 and if
e5xf6 he will recapture with the bishop. The
384
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
alternative plan of recapturing with the queen
c a n b e f o u n d i n P a z o s - F a n d i n o . 7.0-0?!
This makes things easier for Black. More
testing was
[ 7.f1 which immediately reroutes the
knight to a decent central square.
Nevertheless, Black achieved a good set up
after 0-0 8.e3 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0
d6 11.c4 b6 12.b3 b7 13.b2 f4!
in Ponomariov-Bauer, Enghien-Les-Bains
1999. ]
7...f6 8.b5
[ Black equalised after 8.exf6 xf6 9.b3
0-0 10.c4 h8 11.e3 dxc4 12.xc4 e5
in Brodsky-Kruppa, Ordzhonikidze 2000. ]
8...fxe5 9.dxe5 0-0 10.e1 e8 Already I
like Black's position. He is well entrenched in
the centre, has the f file and can think about
putting his queen on h5 to attack the e5 pawn.
11.c4 White looks for counterplay in the
centre, but things now turn out very nicely for
Black. a6! 12.cxd5 axb5 13.dxc6 c5!
This is much more dynamic than
[ 13...bxc6 ]
14.b3
[ After 14.cxb7 xb7 Black's strong light
squared bishop gives him fine compensation
for the pawn. ]
14...xb3 15.xb3 bxc6 16.c2 c5
17.g5?! xf3! 18.xe7 f4 19.g5 g4
20.f4 The bishop is eventually trapped after
this move, but
[ 20.e3 b7 would be murder. ]
20...b7 So the light squared bishop has
reached this beautiful diagonal after all. The
difference in strength between the bishops is
such that White's position is already hopeless.
21.e2 h5 22.d3 c4 23.e3 h6 24.h3
xg2+ 25.xg2 xg2 26.xg2 hxg5
27.f3 xf3+ 28.xf3 f8 29.a4 xf4+
30.g3 c3 31.b3 b4 32.a5 xb3 33.g4
b4+ 34.h5 c2 35.c1 b2 36.a6 a2
37.a7 xa7 38.xc2 h7
0-1
440 C04
Vrana,Jan 2298
Szablowski,Pawel 2230
Open Novy Bor CZE (5) 16.02.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.c4 e7! This is a simple solution
which leaves W hite looking to justify 6 c4.
The normal course of events has been
[ 6...dxc4 , when a game this month went
A) or 7.xc4 b6 , when 8.d3!?
( 8.b5 d5 ) 8...xd4 9.0-0 provides
some compensation, e.g., e7 ( 9...xf3+
10.xf3 e7 11.c2 h6 12.e3 )
10.xd4 xd4 11.f3 d5 12.c2 h6
13.e3;
B) 7.xc4 b4+?! ( 7...b6 ) 8.d2 e7
9.a3 xd2+ 10.xd2 Black's has traded
his good bishop for White's bad one with
no gain of time. This led to a nice
advantage for the first player after 0-0
11.d3 d8 12.e2 f8 13.e4 d7
14.d1 ab8 15.e3 b5 16.d5
in C a r s t e n s e n , J ( 2 3 1 7 )- B r o m a n n , T
(2434)/Bronshoj 2010. ]
7.cxd5 White frees Black's c8 bishop and
allows equality. The problem is that other
moves lose time or allow Black more breathing
room:
[ 7.d3 b4 8.b1 c5 ]
[ 7.e2 f6 8.exf6 xf6 ]
[ 7.c5 releases the tension on e5 and allows
f6! 8.exf6 ( 8.d3 fxe5 9.xe5 dxe5
10.dxe5 xe5 11.h5+ f7 12.0-0 g6 )
8...xf6 9.b3 0-0 with the idea ...e5.
White's development is too slow. ]
7...exd5 8.b5
[ 8.d3 is a decent alternative, activating but
to some extent exposing the bishop:
A) 8...f6!? 9.0-0 fxe5 10.xe5 dxe5
11.dxe5 xe5!? ( 11...0-0 ) 12.h5+ f7
13.e1 ( 13.xh7!? a5 14.f3 a6! )
13...g6 14.e2 f8 15.f3 f6;
B) 8...0-0 9.0-0 b4 10.b1 c5 11.dxc5
c6 12.e1 xc5 with free play around
the IQP. ]
8...f6!? A little odd, but there seems to be
nothing terribly wrong with forcing the pace.
[ Normal and equal is 8...0-0 9.0-0 b6 ]
9.a4 db8 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 fxe5
385
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
12.dxe5 e8!? Having in mind ...a6 and if the
bishop retreats, perhaps ... Nxe5.
[ 12...a6 13.d3 b4 14.b1 c5 15.a3
4c6 16.e6 ]
[ 12...d7!? 13.xc6 c5 14.c2 f5
15.c3 bxc6 16.d4 d7 17.b4!? a4
18.b3 c5= ]
13.f1
[ 13.a3 a6 14.d3 xe5 15.xe8 xf3+
16.xf3 xe8 17.g5 c6 18.ac1 f8
19.xh7 g4 is unclear ]
13...a6 14.e2 d7 15.d1 b6 16.e3
b4!? 17.xb6
[ 17.1d2 leads to rough equality following
c4 ( 17...e6 18.a3 xd2 19.xd2
c4 ) 18.xc4 dxc4 19.a3 xd2 20.xd2
e6 ]
17...cxb6 18.xd5+?!
[ Rather than giving away the exchange,
W hite should admit that he has no
advantage and play 18.1d2 . The problem
i s t h a t wh i l e h e c e n t r a l i ze s h e i s a l s o
activating Black's pieces. ]
18...e6 19.e4 xe1 20.xe1 e7!?
[ 20...xa2 is probably safe enough, for
example, 21.1d2 e6 22.c4 f7
23.d6 f4 ]
[ and 20...f7 21.b3 d5 22.e3 f4
is also promising. ]
21.a3 f5 22.c4+
[ A better try is 22.e3 b5 23.g3 g6 ]
22...h8 23.d3 ae8 24.xf5 xf5
25.e4?! xe5 26.h1 f8 27.xe5
fxe5 28.xe5 xe5 29.xe5 h6
Black goes on to convert his material
advantage: 30.g1 d6 31.e2 b5 32.g3
b4 33.axb4 xb4 34.f3 a5 35.e3 b5
36.f2 a4 37.g2 b3 38.f2 b4 39.h4
g8 40.g2 f7 41.f2 e8 42.d2 a2
43.e2 b1 44.d1 c1 45.g4 a3
46.bxa3 bxa3 47.e3 b1 48.h5 a2
49.c2 e7 50.a3 b3 51.c2 b5+
52.f2 c5+ 53.g2 c3 54.e2+ d7
55.f4 c6 56.f5 c5 57.f2 c4 58.g5
hxg5 59.h6 gxh6 60.f6 a1 61.xa1
xa1 62.f7 a8+ 63.g3 f8 64.f5 d4
0-1
441 C04
Wagener,Claude 2275
Bauer,Christian 2619
Kaupthing Open (4) 12.05.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.e2 e7 7.f1 0-0 8.e3 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.b3?!
This might be an inaccuracy. If White played
[ 11.c4 the reply e4 is much less attractive-
t h e r e i s n o h o l e o n t h e c3 s qu a r e a n d
already d5 is under siege [though W hite
wouldn't want to capture twice on d5
st raight a wa y, a s B lack wo u ld ha ve t h e
Bxh2+ trick to regain his pawn with an active
game]. ( So Bauer would probably have
replied to 11.c4 with 11...b6 12.b3 b7
as he did against Antal- you can see his
quick win in the archives. )]
11...e4! Bauer seizes his chance. 12.b2
[ Black is already fighting to overthrow the
white centre af ter 12.c4 c3 13.c2
xe2+ 14.xe2 e5!? ]
12...b6 13.c4 e7 14.c2 b7 15.e5?
[ If White intended to put a knight on e5 it
was better to exchange on d5 first: 15.cxd5!
exd5 16.e5 when Black would lose a
pawn if he continued as in the game: xe5
( Perhaps 16...c5!? is best with active play
for Black.) 17.dxe5 d4? 18.c4+ h8
19.xd4 ]
15...xe5! 16.dxe5 d4 17.ad1?
[ He had to counterattack against the black
k n i g h t w i t h 17.f3 though the protected
passed pawn gives Black the edge after
g5 ( I n t e r e s t i n g a r e 17...f2!? or;
17...dxe3 18.fxe4 g6 19.xf8+ xf8 )
18.ad1 c5 ]
17...dxe3! There is something appealing
about a queen sacrifice, even when it entails
no real risk. 18.xd8 axd8 19.d3
[ Alas he loses a bishop after 19.fxe3 d2 ]
19...exf2+ 20.h1 Black has gain ed a rook,
knight and a passed pawn on the seventh
rank for the queen. That sounds enough to
convince even the most miserly of players.
Nevertheless, Bauer has to continue to play
with energy or else the passed pawn might
drop off the board. f5! White's bishop pair is
outwitted by the pair of black knights. 21.c1
386
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ White's counterattack against the black king
is too slow after 21.xe4 e3 22.xh7+
( 22.xf2 xc2 ) 22...h8 23.g6 d1!
( not to mention a winning endgame for
Black after 23...xg2+ )]
21...d4 22.f4 h4! Not only uncovering
an attack on f4 but also aiming at the weakest
s q u a r e i n t h e w h i t e p o s i t i o n - g 2 . 23.e3
xd3! 24.xd3 c5! A neat finish. Bauer
has used his knights to tremendous effect in
this game. W hite can't save his queen and
deal with the threat of 25...Bxg2 mate.
0-1
442 C04
Wang Hao 2696
Goh Wei Ming 2420
1st World Mind Sports Games Blitz Team blitz (1)
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
I was part of the Singapore Team in Beijing,
and my very first game in the tournament was
against Wang Hao from the mighty Chinese
team. Needless to say, there was no pressure
on the Singapore team but we were all
determined to make a good showing and
prove that we were not there merely to make
up the numbers. Despite my losing the game,
the Singapore team managed to achieve a
remarkable 2-2 draw with the first seed, albeit
with the help of grandmasters Zhang Zhong
and Wu Shao Bin whom are chinese citizens
but playing under the Singapore flag. Had I
taken the chances that came my way during
this game, god f orbidden, we could even
have stolen a win! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2
c6! When better to test the Guimard then
against a 2700 Chinese GM in an important
blitz game? 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 d7 6.b3
This is a positional approach, much favoured
by the Dutch maestro Sergey Tiviakov who, in
my memory, has written a couple of articles on
the Guimard for NIC yearbook. a5 7.a4 e7
8.b5 a7 The only way to unravel Black's
pieces but a good one. Black has the natural
plan of playing for the typical pawn break with
...c7-c5 but one wonders why Black came to
all this trouble when he could have played ...
c7-c5 on the 3rd move? 9.d3 b6 10.d2
c5 11.dxc5 xc5 12.xc5 bxc5 13.b3
A l l t h e s e m o ve s h a v e b e e n p l a y e d a n d
covered in Chesspub in the game Malakhov-
Zh ang Zhong, China 2006. 0-0 In my opinion,
Black has emerged from the opening fairly
comfortably. He can manoeuvre his knight to
the b4 square and exchange his light square
b i sh o p o n t h e a 6 s qu a r e a m o n gs t o t h e r
possible plans. W ang Hao understood the
n e e d t o c re a t e s o m e c o m p li ca t i o n s a n d
started hurling his kingside pawns... 14.e2
c6 15.h4!? With the devilish idea of 16.
Bxh7+! However, Black could defend easily
even though I anticipated, and was a little
afraid of W hite's next move h6 16.g4!?
I doubt Wang Hao would play this riskily in a
standard time control but this is fairly playable
in blitz. If anything, this livens up the game
c o n s i d e r a b l y . c4!? Well, since things are
already in a mess, why not turn the board into
a riot? 16..c4 opens up the a8-h1 diagonal
which allows a certain degree of counterplay
and requires W hite to play cautiously.
However, the natural
[ 16...b7 would have posed difficult
problems for White to solve. For example,
17.g5 ( 17.c3 b6 18.g5 h5 19.g6 fxg6
20.xg6 a6! 21.e3 d4! ) 17...c4!
18.bxc4 dxc4 19.xc4 ( 19.e4 d4!
was the point of 16..Bb7. Black is not afraid
of the g5 move!) 19...c8 with an incredible
attack. 20.gxh6 d4 21.xd4 xd4-+ ]
17.bxc4 dxc4 18.e4 b7
[ 18...a6! was possibly stronger:
A) 19.xc6 c3 20.e3 ( 20.b5 cxd2+
21.xd2 b7 with wonderful bishops.)
20...cxd2+ 21.xd2 c8;
B) 19.c3 White cannot allow Black to
open the f1-a6 diagonal or allow ...Nd4
a n d t h e 1 9 . c 3 p r e v e n t s b o t h . c7
with a complicated position. ]
19.b1 c7 20.xc4 fc8!
[ 20...ac8 would have been a good case of
the wrong rook syndrome. The rooks are
ideally placed on c8 and b8, hence the
choice taken on move 20. ]
21.e2 ab8
[ 21...b4!
A) 22.xb7 xb7 23.0-0 ( 23.c3??
loses to c2+! ) 23...xc2 with great
play.;
B) 22.0-0 a6 23.d3 ( 23.e3 xf1
387
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

24.xa8 xa8 25.xf1 xc2 ) e7 with the idea ...b6 and ...c5 has proven
23...xd3 24.cxd3 d7! All lines point to be balanced. See Jurkovic-Pandurevic in
to a substantial Black advantage after 21.. the Archives. ]
Nb4! ] 11...f6 12.c5
22.0-0 b4 23.xb7 xb7 24.c3 d5 [ 12.b3 is analysed in Petrik-Zhang
Black's position was still much preferable but I Pengxiang in the Archives, and ]
allowed my time trouble to get the better of 12...e7
me and soon started playing consecutive sub [ For 12...f4 , see the notes to Kharchenko-
standard moves. To my opponent's credit, he Fingerov in the Archives. ]
was always composed and assured even 13.b5 d7 14.xc6 xc6 15.e5 e8
when he was down to his last seconds. I was 16.3g4!? This is the same move Neil
simply no match to his confident and fearless criticized in the same position in the game
approach and was comprehensively outplayed Fierro Baquero-Hou Yifan. He suggested
f r o m h e r e : 25.xb7 xb7 26.e4 a6 [ 16.e1 ]
27.b1 c4? [ or 16.a4 ]
[ 27...c4! 28.xc4 xc4 29.g5 hxg5 16...b6 17.xc6
30.xg5 xc3 ] [ 17.cxb6 axb6 18.xc6 xc6 19.e5
28.b8+ f8 29.d4 c8 e8 20.e3 c5 gave Black a small
[ 29...xc3 30.xc3 xc3 ] advantage in that game. ]
30.xc8 xc8 31.b5! My opponent finally 17...xc6 18.e5 e8 19.b4 a5 20.cxb6
managed to seize control of the game and cxb6
never relinquished it till the end. e7 32.g2 [ Or 20...axb4 21.bxc7 d6 22.d2 e4
g6 33.h5 e7 34.e3 d5 35.d2 c5 23.c1 e7= ]
36.d4 c6 37.e4 c5 38.g3 e7 21.bxa5 xa5 I left it at this in by book
39.d4 c6 40.e4 c5 41.e3 c8 'Dangerous Weapons: The French'. Maybe it's
42.c4 b4 43.d6 d8 44.c5 d7 equal or perhaps Black has a slight
45.a8+ h7 46.xa5 d5 47.b5 d8 advantage. 22.b3
48.xf7 f8 49.d6 g5 50.d3+ h8 [ 22.a3 b5 23.e2 a4 ( 23...b4 24.d3 )
51.xg5 hxg5 52.f3 f4 53.c6 e7 24.b2 d6 25.ac1 approaches
54.h2 c7 55.g1 b6 56.b5 c5 equality. ]
57.c7 d5 58.f7 c1+ 59.h2 f4 22...b5 23.b1 d6 24.e1 a4! 25.xb5
60.f8+ Despite the loss, I don't believe Black [ 25.e3 b4 ]
has any problems from the opening and has 25...xd4 26.f3 xb5 27.xb5 c4
more then adequate chances to fight for the Now Black has the centre and more active
initiative. p i e c e s . T h i s wo n ' t b e e a s y f o r W h it e t o
1-0 defend. 28.b6 e4 29.e3 fc8 30.g5
b4 31.xe4 xe1 32.d6 xf2+
[ or 32...d4! 33.xc4 xc4 34.f4 a5 ]
443 C04 33.xf2 f8+ 34.e2 c2+ 35.d2 xa2
Wegener,O 2423 36.c6 b8 37.d3 e5
Graf,F 2471 [ 37...h6! ]
TCh-AUT 2 West 2012-13 (9.1) 08.03.2013 38.f5??
[John Watson] [ 38.c5 e4+ 39.e2 ]
38...b3+ 39.c3 xc3+ 40.xc3 d4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6 41.e1 f7 42.g3 e6 43.e4 e2+
5.e5 d7 6.e2 f6 7.exf6 xf6 8.f1 44.d3 xg2 45.e4 e2+ 46.d3 a2
d6 9.e3 0-0 10.0-0 g6 47.e4 g6 48.g7+ f7 49.xe5 d2
[ 10...b6 is the main option, as in Panos- 50.xd4 xh2 51.a1 a2 52.c3 a8
Fandino in the Archives. ] [ 52...h5! ]
11.c4 53.f5 gxf5+ 54.xf5 g8 55.f6 g2
[ 11.g3 f6 12.h4 e8 ( 12...f7 ) 13.f4

388
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
56.g5 h5 57.d8 g4
0-1
444 C04
Yemelin,Vasily 2480
Riazantsev,Alexander 2275
Chigorin mem open (1) 1997
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c6 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 d7 6.b5 This is White's most
ambitious response to the Guimard Variation.
a6 Black has a wide choice of moves here.
For example, there is the laid back
[ 6...cb8 which avoids the break up of his
pawns and plans an eventual c7-c5 ,
probably after b7-b6 and Ba6. Secondly,
Black could play ]
[ 6...f6 which attacks e5 at once. Less direct
would be ]
[ 6...a5 aiming for Na7 and c7-c5. Probably
the most solid option is ]
[ 6...e7 which is analysed in Shaw-
Kruppa. ]
7.xc6 bxc6 8.b3 a5! If
[ 8...c5 9.g5 e7 10.a5! threatening to
trap the black queen with Nc6 gave White
the advantage in Krishilovsky-Doroshkievich,
Novgorod 1997. ]
9.d2 a4 10.a5 b8 11.c4 dxc4!
Black realises that dynamic play is more
important than a solid pawn structure. The
game move leads to a highly obscure position
with Black appearing to have equal chances.
If instead
[ 11...a3 12.b4 dxc4 13.0-0 would leave
him in a bind on the queenside. ]
12.xc4 d5! Black's strategy is to exploit
th e a b se n c e of W h it e's king's b ish o p b y
gaining a firm hold on some key light squares.
13.e3 b5 14.g5 e7 15.e4 a6
16.c3 b6 17.g4 d3 18.0-0-0
[ If 18.xg7 f8 and then Black captures on
b2 or d4 with plenty of play. ]
18...0-0 19.e4 h5 20.f4 a3 21.b3 f5!
This prevents the sacrifice Nf6+ and breaks
up White's centre. 22.exf6 xf6 23.xf6+
xf6 24.h4 a6 25.c3 h7 26.d5!?
W hite gambles on the complications as in
view of the threat of 26...Nb4 his position was
uncomfortable. c5 27.d2 ff8 28.dxe6
g5! This ensures that f2 will drop. 29.b4?
d6+?? The play around here smacks of
severe time trouble, as
[ 29...xc3+ 30.xc3 gxh4 would leave
Black a fairly safe piece up. ]
30.d4 xd4+ 31.xd4 xf2+ 32.c3
xa2 33.a1 xa1 34.xa1 b8 35.b3
f8 36.c5+ e8?! 37.xa3??
[ Here 37.f1 wins for White. ]
37...xa3+ 38.xa3 a6 39.c4 xc5
40.bxc5 e7 41.a5 e4 42.b4 xg2
A rather scrappy game, but the opening gave
Black a lot of dynamic options.
0-1
445 C05
Anand,Viswanathan 2803
Batchuluun,Tsegmed 2303
37th Olympiad (3) 23.05.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4
[ For Anand, this game must have brought
back happy memories of becoming FIDE
World Champion, as one of his wins versus
Shirov in their Tehran 2000 match went
5.ce2 c5 6.f4 c6 7.c3 b6 8.f3 f6
9.a3 e7 10.h4 etc. and the Spanish-
Latvian Grandmaster was eventually
tempted into a Nxe5 sacrifice of the kind
that occurs in the present game. You can
find the Shirov game and a lot of other
useful stuff on ChessPub. ]
5...c5 6.f3 c6 7.e2 f6
[ Instead Bologan-Gurevich, also on
ChessPub, went 7...e7 8.c3 0-0 9.a3 a5
10.g3 cxd4 11.cxd4 f6 12.h3 ( Or
12.g2 b6 13.b3! as in the main game.)
12...fxe5 13.dxe5 White doesn't choose to
recapture this way, but if 13.fxe5? then f3
drops. b6! 14.c3 dxe5! 15.fxe5
xe5 and Black had made the Nxe5
sacrifice under very favourable
circumstances, and went on to win quickly. ]
8.c3 e7 9.g3 cxd4 10.cxd4 0-0 11.g2!
White could play
[ 11.h3 but then fxe5 12.dxe5 b6
etc. is similar to the Gurevich note above,
389
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
but without the a2-a3 and a7-a5 moves
thrown in. ]
11...b6 12.a3 a5 13.b3! In my notes to the
Bologan-Gurevich game, I missed the strength
of this simple move. Left to his own devices,
W hite can now prepare to castle with
something like Qd3 and Be3, without dropping
the b2 pawn. If instead
[ 13.0-0? fxe5 14.fxe5 dxe5 and Black
wins a pawn due to the pin on d4. ]
13...fxe5
[ It would be interesting to know what Anand
had planned against 13...a7 One game
went 14.d3 b5 ( Maybe 14...b8
preparing 15...b5) 15.h3 ( Perhaps White
should just take the pawn: 15.xb5!? c7
threat 16...Ba6 17.Qa4 Nb6, trapping the
queen. 16.d3 a6 17.e3 and White is
in some discomfort, but I can't find a
convincing tactic for Black.) 15...h8
16.xb5 c7 17.xe6 b8 18.d3
dxe5! 19.xe5 xe6 20.xc6 xc6
21.0-0 c8 and Black had plenty of light
square counterplay in Marder, S-Kosmo, S/
Stockholm SWE 2006. ]
14.fxe5 dxe5!? This sacrifice might have
worked but for the 500 Elo point difference
between the players. 15.dxe5 xe5 16.f1
xf3+ 17.xf3 xf3 18.xf3 d7?
A serious mistake. Instead he should stop
White's next move with
[ 18...f6 when if 19.b1 d7 20.b2 f8
with ideas of Rxf3 or Qe3. ]
19.b2! c5
[ B l a c k w o u l d l i k e t o p l a y 19...f8
but then White can force the exchange of
q u e e n s w i t h 20.d4 xd4 21.xd4
without being punished e.g. f6 ( 21...e5?
22.xd5+ ) 22.e2! d e f e n d i n g f 3 h8
h o p i n g t o g e t i n e 6 - e 5 , b u t . . . 23.g4!
and White will win 'on points'. ]
20.f1 The black bishop is misplaced on c5,
as it blocks the Qe3 idea. f8 21.g2 c6
22.d4 d7 23.g4! The key move to
restrain the black centre. f7 24.c1 h6
25.h4 f8 Black has run out of constructive
moves and can only wait for White to build up
a winning attack. 26.d3 f7 27.e1 f6
28.f3 f7 29.a4 f8 30.e2 c8 31.g6
d4 32.xe6+ h8 33.g5! c6+
Of course,
[ 33...hxg5 34.h5# ]
34.h2 A rather sad game for fans of the
French, but there is still hope for the piece
sacrifice with 18... Bf6!
1-0
446 C05
Anand,Viswanathan
Gokhale,Jayant Suresh
Indian Nat Junior Championship 15.01.1986
[John Watson]
Nagesh Havanur sends this game excerpt as
a correction/improvement upon the PDF e-
book for the Tarrasch Variation. 1.e4 e6 2.d4
d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5 6.c3
c6 7.df3 b6 8.g3 As I say in my 2nd
edition of Play the French: "The main line for
many years, avoiding traffic jams (8 Ne2),
decen tralizat ion (8 Nh 3), and quee nsid e
weaknesses (8 a3). 8 g3 not only prepares
Bg2 or Bh3, but reserves the option of Bd3
while granting the White king a haven at g2
for Kf2-g2 or Kf1-g2." cxd4 I gave 8...Be7 as
an alternate solution. See the ChessPub
Archives for that, and for the old 8...f6 lines.
9.cxd4 b4+ 10.f2 f6!? The main move
here for years has been
[ 10...g5 , as I recommended in my old
books, but there's never been a definitive
conclusion about 10...f6, as far as I know. ]
11.e3?!
[ N a g e s h H a v a n u r m e n t i o n s 11.g2
as a better alternative, and it's the move that
I give in a brief analysis in my second edition
of PTF (1996). I'll quote from that and add
some lines: "
A) 11...g5 12.exf6 g4 13.f7+ f8?
14.g5! with the idea h3 - Kosikov 13...
Ke7 improves, but White should still keep
the advantage);
B) 11...fxe5 12.fxe5 0-0 13.d3!?
xd4!? ( 13...g6 ) 14.xd4 xe5 15.f4
( 15.gf3! xf3 16.xf3 e5 17.c2
or 17. Rf1 with the idea 17...e4 18.Ng5
has done well for White, although neither
is perfectly cear) 15...xd3 16.xd3 d6
17.xd6 xd6 . This has occurred in
several games and led to good results for
Black, who answers both 18 Ngf3 and 18
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Nge2 with .. .e5.; although d4 14.d2 xd2 15.xd2 g5!

C) 11...0-0 gives Black an initiative. ]
C1) 12.d3 has been answered in 12...0-0 13.e2??
multiple ways, the craziest being g5!? [ A blunder, but White is in trouble already.
13.exf6 xf6 wi t h t h e id e a 14.fxg5 N a g e s h H a v a n u r m e n t i o n s 13.d3
( 14.xg5 is safer and probably better) , a l t h o u g h t h e n h6 intends ...g5, and if
14...e4 followed by ...e5; 14.h4 , Black has either 14...Be7 or the
C2) 12.h4! crazier c5! 15.dxc5 xb2+ 16.e2
C2a) (In my book, I put in a note dxe5 with more than enough attack, for
suggesting 12...Rf7. Looking at it today, example, 17.g2 g4 18.d2 e5 19.b3
I doubt that is effective, and I think that xb3 20.axb3 e4 ]
B la c k s h o u ld t ry 12...e7 13.d3! 13...dxe5! 14.dxe5 xf3+! 15.xf3
( 13.e2 is solid, but then it's hard to xe5+ 16.g2
get the other pieces out, for example, [ 16.f2 g4+ ]
a6 14.h5 h6 15.b1 f7 16.b4 c7 [ 16.f4 d8! mates in a few moves! ]
17.a4 b6 ) 13...h8!? ( or 13...a6; 16...xe3 17.g1
13...f5 14.e2 a5 15.h2 a4 [ A precursor to this game (there have been
worked out well for Black in the game at least 7 following this course, not including
S r b a , M ( 2 2 3 7 ) -K o t e k , D ( 2 2 8 0 ) / c o r r e s p o n d e n c e ) we n t 17.d4 f3+
Czechia 2006 ) 14.e2 fxe5 18.g1 d3 19.d1 c5 20.xd3 xd4+
C2a1) 15.dxe5 is another problem, 21.xd4 e4 22.h4 d7 23.h2 f8
prob ab ly no t to o b ad . W hite h a s 24.f2 e5 25.b3 xf2 26.xf2 b5
funny ideas such as c5 16.e3!? 0-1 Richardson, K (2110)-W alker, R
xb2 17.xc5 xc5 18.c1 e3 (2180)/Edinburgh 1985/ EXT 1999 ]
( 18...b6!? ) 19.c2 b6 20.c3 17...e4+ 18.f3 g4 19.d3 e3+
Jurkovic, A (2348)-Plenca, J (2173)/ 20.f2 Here, in this ancient game featuring
B i z o v a c 2 0 0 7 a n d h e r e d7 Anand as a mere toddler, either 20...Nc2
looks necessary, to meet 21.g5 h6 ( A n a n d ) o r 2 0 . . . N x f 1 ( G o k h a l e ) , o r c5
22.h5 with e8 23.g6 xe5! would have won in very short order. I'm not
24.fxe5 c6!; sure what happened in the game, but Black
C2a2) 15.fxe5 xf3 16.xf3 certainly had the chance to win against a
xd4+ 17.g2! xe5 ( 17...c6 future World Champion. It seems to me that
18.f4 cxe5 19.h5 xd3 10...f6 may still end up just short of equality,
20.e8+ f8 21.xd3 d8 but that's not certain, and I wouldn't stop
22.xd8 xd8 is probably slightly in looking if it appeals to you.
White's favour Black has the centre
and two bishops, but awkward piece
p l a c e m e n t .) 18.xh7! xh7 447 C05
19.xd4 c4 20.xb6 axb6 Bauer,Christian
Black is close to equality in these Roos,Jean Luc
lines; Open 2000 Metz 2000
C2b) 12...fxe5?! 13.fxe5 dxe5 [Paul Motwani]
14.dxe5 xe5 15.xe5! f2+
16.h3 f5+ 17.h2 ". White should W13: "Bauer Power" C.Bauer-J-L.Roos, Metz
consolidate after xe5 18.h3 ] Open, France 2000. French Tarrasch with 3...
11...fxe5 Nf6. An enjoyable ongoing project that I have
[ 11...g5 is an old main line with the order been working on since last year is the building
10...g5 11 Be3 f6. I think that Black stands up of a select database comprising the chess
satisfactorily in that case. ] games which I regard as the cream of the crop
12.fxe5?! f r o m t h e n u m e r o u s t o u rn a m e n t s p la y e d
[ 12.xe5 dxe5 13.dxe5 is preferable, throughout the world every week. Only about

391
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

2% of the battles that I analyse are finally eventual g2-g4 to prise open the kingside. f6
chosen for inclusion in the special database, 12.d3! f5
which currently contains 207 games. One of [ White's twelfth was well-timed, since
my absolute favourites occurred in round 3 of 12...xd4?? loses to 13.xd4 xd4
this year's Metz Open, which was won by 14.g6+ hxg6 15.xd4 ]
France's GM Christian Bauer. His IM [ W13.1: 12...0-0 13.e2 h8 14.b1
opponent plays the French Defence, but gets d8 15.d3 f5 also left Black passively-
truly "French Fried" by a blistering display of placed in a 1998 encounter C.Bauer-A.
Bauer power! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 Kinsman. ]
[ This Tarrasch Variation is named after the 13.e2 d8
great late Dr Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934). [ Black had one chance to play the blocking
3.c3 is the most popular alternative, but move 13...h5 here, but White would still
then White might have to reckon with the pin stand better because of his spatial
b4 :the Winawer Variation, attributed to advantage, allowing him to manoeuvre much
Simon Winawer (1838-1920) who was born more easily than his opponent's cramped
exactly 24 years to-the-day before Tarrasch, army. ]
since both men had birthdays on March 14.h5 b6 15.g1! Preparing g2-g4. d7
5th! ] 16.g4 f8
3...f6 [ This example of g for "go for it!" invited
[ Personally, I prefer 3...c5 and curiously it 16...h4+? but then 17.f1 would leave
has a similar feel to the opening 1 d4 d5 2 Black facing the terrible twin threats of 18 g5
c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5 which is called the or 18 gxf5 followed by Rxg7. ]
Tarrasch Defence---yes, after the same 17.gxf5 exf5 18.e3 e6 19.b1!
man! ] White starts to gang up on Black's weak f5-
4.e5 fd7 5.f4 "f for forward!" is a favourite pawn. d7 20.h4
attacking motto of mine, and in this case it [ Even stronger for White than 20.g3 g6 ]
gains space for White while simultaneously 20...e7 21.a4! Threatening 22 Bb5, and
supporting his pawn-centre. c5 6.c3 c6 stopping Black from getting even a shred of
7.df3 counterplay with ...a4 himself. f7 22.g3
[ W h i t e p l a y s t h i s i n s t e a d o f 7.gf3 g6 23.b5 d8 24.f3 h6 25.a2! c6
because the g1-knight will be nicely-placed 26.h2 e7 27.gh1 g7 28.e2!
on e2 later. ] Defending the f4-pawn to free the e3-bishop
7...b6 8.a3! Holland's GM John van der for its forthcoming devastating manoeuvre Bf2-
Wiel first showed me this noteworthy move on h4. ac8 29.f1 d7 30.f2 f7 31.hxg6
5 July 1997. White threatens 9 b4, and if 8... hxg6 32.h4 e6 33.g5 A calm yet
cxd4 9 cxd4 then Black is denied any crushing finish to this beautiful positional
possibility of playing 9. ..Bb4+. Further details game by GM Christian Bauer. Black resigned
appear on pages 146-147 of my 1998 in view of 33.. .Bxg5 34 Nxg5 Qe7 35 Rh7+.
G A M B I T b o o k , " S . T . A . R . C h e s s " . cxd4 1-0
9.cxd4 a5 10.b3!?
[ A n i n t e r e s t i n g d e v i a t i o n f r o m 10.e2
which occurred in some other games. The 448 C05
benefits of b2-b3 include: a) Freeing the Cabrera Trujillo,Jorge Juan 2370
c1-bishop from defending b2---but watch out Barrio Pareja,Eduardo 2093
for tactical tricks involving . ..Bxa3 and ... IV Open La Laguna ESP (4) 07.04.2010
Qb4+ b) Making possible Ra2 and then a [John Watson]
lateral rook-swing to the kingside---see
White's moves 25-26 later. ] The old main Tarrasch lines with 5 f4 have
10...e7 11.h4! An aggressive space-gaining seen better days, but if White avoids letting
move, and White is ready to answer ...f5 with h i s d -p a wn b e c o m e a t a r ge t , s o m e n e w
the further advance h4-h5 followed by an possibilities arise. Here are two games in

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

which that happens: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 [ A crazy but playable idea is to decimate
f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5 6.gf3 the centre while getting two pawns for a
[ After the normal 6.df3 c6 7.c3 b6 piece: 12...dxe5!?
( 7...e7 is a good alternative, and the A) 13.dxe5 d4 14.f6! ( 14.g4 exf5
immediate; 7...cxd4 8.xd4!? c5 15.f2 e6 ) 14...b4+ 15.c3 dxc3
is more pleasant for Black without his queen 16.f2 cxb2 17.xb2 c5;
using a tempo to get to b6) 8.e2 cxd4 B) 13.xe5 xd4 14.fxe6 xe6
9.exd4!? (a safe move, sidestepping Black with real pressure. ]
attacks based upon targeting a pawn on d4) 13.fxe6 fxe6 14.c3 b4 15.0-0 bxc3
c5 ( 9...xd4 10.xd4 e7 11.e2 0-0 16.bxc3 a5 17.c2 b8 18.g3 f8
12.0-0 f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.b3!? ) 10.c2 19.g4! d7 20.g5 xg5 21.xg5 b7
e4 11.e3 ( 11.d3 ) 11...c5?! 12.d3 22.f2 a3 23.c1
f5 13.exf6 xf6 14.b4! e7 ( 14...xd4 [ 23.af1! keeps a solid advantage. ]
is better, but leaves W hite on top af ter 23...a5 24.h4
15.xd4 0-0 16.e2 ) 15.f5 ( 15.e2 ) [ 24.h6! and Raf1 is very strong. ]
15...d4!? ( 15...c7 16.xe7 xe7 17.0-0 24...eb8 25.h5 e8 26.h2
0-0 18.ae1 ) 16.5xd4 d5 17.f2 ( or [ 26.h6 g6 27.d2 ]
17.g6+ hxg6 18.xg6+ f8 19.xe6+ 26...h6 27.g4 h7 28.f3 e7 29.d1?
xe6 20.xb6 h6 21.d3 xb6 22.0-0 h8? It's easy to miss
c4 23.f5+ f6 24.g4 xf1 25.xf1 ) [ 29...a4! 30.xa4 xc3 , but the next few
17...xf4 18.e4? ( 18.xh7! ) 18...xd4? moves indicate time trouble. ]
( 18...xg2+! ) 19.xd4 a6 20.g3 d5 30.h4? g5??
21.d3 c6 22.0-0 f6 23.xh7 d7 [ 30...a4! ]
24.g6+ d8 25.e5 xe5 26.xe5 c8 31.f8+ g8 32.xe8 xe8 33.g6+ h7
27.xg7 d8 28.d4 c4 29.e5 a5 34.xg5
30.a3 a4 31.fd1 f8 32.d3 b3 [ Missing the much prettier 34.f8+ h8
33.db1 1-0 Paehtz, E (2486)-Ivkina, O 35.h7+! xh7 36.g6# ]
(2268), Dagomys 2010. ] 34...f6 35.exf6 hxg5 36.f8+ g8
6...c6 7.b3 A line which I recommend in 37.h7+
D a n g e r o u s W e a p o n s : T h e F r e n c h . c4 1-0
Very common. Although it releases the
pressure on White's centre, it gains time and
space, launching a queenside attack. 449 C05
[ 7...a5 ] Cobb,Charles 2310
[ 7...b6 ] McDonald,Neil R 2406
[ 7...f6 ] 4NCL Birmingham ENG (6) 20.01.2002
[ and 7...cxd4 are the main alternatives. ] [Neil McDonald]
8.bd2 b5 9.e2 b6 A sort of 'main line'.
[ In the Archives, both games from this 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
position continued 9...b6 ] 5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 cxd4 Another try
10.f1! e7 for W hite involves playing Nh3 rather than
[ 10...f6 is thematic, as given in the main Ne2. A recent example was
game in my book. Black needs some [ 7...f5 8.h3 ( The reason I like to
kingside room. But the text is fine, since ... exchange on d4 as Black on move seven is
f6 can be played later. ] t h a t it t a ke s a wa y t h e o p t io n o f W h i t e
11.f5!? recapturing with a knight as occurs after say
[ 11.e3 is more accurate: 0-0 12.0-0 f6 8.d3 e7 9.e2 cxd4 10.exd4!? )
13.c3 ] 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 e7 10.g1 b6 11.g4
11...0-0 12.e3!? 0-0 12.d3
[ 12.c3! b4 13.e3 ] A) 12...d7 13.gxf5 ( 13.hg5!? )
12...e8 13...exf5 14.e3 ( 14.hg5!? ) 14...e8

393
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
15.hg5 and White's knight reaches an
aggressive square with the threat of Ne6.
Note that if Black ever plays h7-h6 White
is quite happy to retreat the knight even
though it wastes time. Unfortunately for
Black he cannot then retreat his pawn
back to h7, so the damage to his kingside
caused by the loosening move h7-h6 is
serious- he can never set up a firm
blockade with g7-g6 or put the bishop on
g6 supported by a pawn on h7.;
B) 12...e8 Black renounces the bishop
manoeuvre from d7-e8-g6. Perhaps this
was because Ng5 could be awkward, for
example 13.a3 d7 14.b3 a5 15.a2
h8 16.gxf5 exf5 17.ag2 h5 18.f2
g8 19.e2 e8 20.g5 xg5 21.fxg5
g6 22.d3 a4 23.b4 d8 24.c5 e7
25.h4 e8 26.h5 e6 and although he is
under siege the blocked nature of the
position allowed Black to hold the balance
in Van der W iel,J-Werle,J/Wijk aan Zee
NED 2002. ]
8.cxd4 f5 9.d3 e7 10.e2 0-0 11.g1
Th e pa wn st ru ct ure d em an ds th at W hit e
prepare the g2-g4 advance. Instead
[ 11.0-0 followed by Kh1, Rg1 and g2-g4 is a
slower approach, though the white king is
less of a target. ]
11...b6 12.g4 d7 A vital ingredient in
Black's strategy is to put this bishop on g6 to
shield the king. 13.a3
[ The bishop manoeuvre is also seen after
13.c3 e8 14.h3 g6 now in a game
from the recent Indian Championship GM
Barua quickly gained a winning position as
Black: 15.a3 c8 16.c2 c4 17.g2
6a5 18.c2 xa3! Winning material. As
so often in this variation Black gets in first
on the queenside. White has some attacking
chances, but the bishop on g6 proves a
sturdy def ender. 19.xa3 xa3 20.h4
xc3! ( Better than 20...b4 21.gxf5 exf5
22.h5 when White should emerge with two
pieces for a rook.) 21.bxc3 xc1 22.gxf5
exf5 23.h5 xf4 24.hxg6 h6 White has
regained his piece but he is two pawns down
and the attack along the g file is blocked.
Ganguly redeploys his pieces to try to exploit
the fragility of the d5 and f5 pawns, but if
Black is careful he should win- af ter all
White's king is also a target. 25.d3 c8
26.c2 c4! 27.h4 e3 28.b3 h2!
29.h1 g3+ 30.e2 f4 31.f3 a6
32.e4 c6 33.b1 b5 34.a1 c4
35.d3 e6 Now Black appears to be
clearly winning. To White's credit, he builds
u p f o r o n e l a s t a t t e m p t t o s wi n d l e h i s
opponent in time pressure. 36.h1 b8
37.b1! a5 38.f5 e7 39.h5 b4
40.g5!? hxg5?? ( A tragedy for Black- as
so often the last move of the time control
produces a terrible blunder. Instead the calm
40...b6 threatening to take on c3 should
win e.g. 41.h1 e3 42.c4!? b3
and White has no good continuation for if
43.cxd5 xf5 ) 41.h1 I assume that Black
had missed that this move also attacks the
d5 square. h4 42.xd5+ Black resigned
as he will be mated in Ganguly,S-Barua,D/
Nagpur IND 2002. ]
13...e8 14.g5? A dangerous looking
attacking gesture but illogical as after Black's
reply the g file is blocked by a white pawn.
Perhaps W hite should try something slow
such as
[ 14.b3 planning Ra2 in the future to swing
the rook into the attack along the g file.
Nevertheless, I find W hite's whole
attacking scheme uninspiring. After all, I
don't believe Black has made any serious
mistake so far, so he doesn't deserve to be
mated along the g file and if he isn't mated
then his queenside counterplay is going to
prove important sooner or later. ]
14...xg5 15.fxg5 g6 16.h4
White's position begins to disintegrate after
this further loosening move but if
[ 16.f4 xd4 17.e3 hoping for Nxe6 if
the knight retreats from d4. fxg4! 18.xg6
( Or 18.xd4 xf4 ) 18...f3+! and Black
should win. ]
16...fxg4 17.xg6 hxg6 18.f4 e8
19.xg4 c8 Now all Black's pieces are
ready for action whilst the White queen's rook
and bishop are still asleep. It is no wonder
that a sacrificial combination follows. 20.d3
xd4! Black sacrifices to exploit his lead in
development before White has time for Be3.
21.xd4 c4 22.d3
[ Also bad is 22.d1 e4+ 23.f2 c4
while if ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 22.g1 a4 leaves White hopelessly tied develop with ...Nc6. In any case, I think
up. ] the position is still playable for Black based
22...e4+ 23.d1 c4 24.g2 xe5 on some concrete ideas in the following
25.b3 c6! It is important to stop the white position to come: ]
king escaping via c2. 26.d2 7...a6
[ If 26.c2 a6 aims at the f1 square. ] [ 7...e7 8.0-0 0-0 9.e1 a5 10.f1 a6
26...c4 27.d3 f1+ 28.e1 fxe1+ 11.a4! xb5? ( Black should probably play
W h i t e r e s i g n e d f o r i f 29.xe1 e3+ 11...c8 but White would have the better of
wins the rook and leaves Black two pawns up. it after 12.c4! wit h a n e d ge .) 12.axb5
0-1 Black's knights get into each other's ways
from now on. e8 13.g3 f8 14.h5
bd7 15.g3 g6 16.h4 df8 17.g2
450 C05 d7? Allowing a brilliant tactical resource by
Degraeve,Jean Marc 2559 the greatest player of all time (IMO) 18.h6!!
Demanghon,Jonathan 2211 gxh6 19.d2! f5 20.exf6 d8 21.xh6
8th Open La Fere FRA (4) 06.07.2009 a7 22.g5 xb5 23.f7+ xf7 24.xf7
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin] 1-0 Kasparov, G (2827)-Short,N (2676)/
Zuerich 2001 ]
I s o m e t i m e s wo n d e r wh e t h e r B l a c k c a n [ Following the same plan with ...a5, ... Ba6
employ the ...b6 system at an even earlier and ...Qc8 with 7...a5 wo u l d a l l o w 8.c4!
stage, perhaps, by playing the move sequence when W hite should have a plus. This is
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 possible in this situation as White has saved
6.Ngf3 b6. This is very similar to 7...b6 in the a move by playing 7.Bb5 in 1 move instead
3..Be7 Tarrasch which we just analyzed. of 2. ]
White's best response has been worked out a 8.a4 c8 9.e2 Now, Black would find it
l o n g t i m e a g o ( b y a c e r t a i n 2 8 2 7 r a t e d difficult to develop his Queen's knight but
Kasparov) and this sideline continues to live Black's position contains other resources. b7
in the doldrums. However, I think matters are 10.0-0 This allowed Black to unravel his
not so clear... 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 Queenside.
4.e5 fd7 5.c3 c5 6.gf3 b6!? [ T h e t yp ica l 10.c4 was a better try for an
It has always been thought that Black has to advantage. But Black would still be able to
wait for White to play Bd3 before playing ...b6 unravel his pieces with cxd4 11.xd4 xb5
b e c a u s e o f W h i t e ' s n e x t m o v e 7.b5! 12.axb5 a6 when it seems to me that
This is the reason why. White would be ready whatever edge W hite has at this stage is
to reply 7...Ba6 with 8.a4! when Black would probably very slight and definitely
have to live with a real pest of a pawn on the manageable. ]
b5 square if he chooses to exchange bishops. 10...xb5 11.axb5 a6! Arguably forced, but
It has been known that without exchanging on effective. Black must work (squirm) hard to
b5, it would be difficult for Black to develop g e t h i s Q u e e n ' s k n i g h t o u t ! 12.c4
the b8 knight. White should always be thinking of breaking
[ The situation can be better understood if up the center with this move against these ...
we consider the following transposition to 3... b6 systems but this move would be more
Be7 4.Ngf3 line which we analyzed in the ef f e ct ive o n mo ve 1 0 th a n at t his st a ge .
previous 2 games: 7.d3 e7 now, White W ithout this move, Black would have been
can choose 8.e2 a5 9.b5 a6 10.a4 ready to capture on b5 and complete his
arriving at a similar position to the main development smoothly. Therefore, 12.c4, with
game. W e can see that W hite saved an the idea to recapture on b5 with the pawn was
important tempo by playing 7.Bb5 at one the most logical move in the position. dxc4?
shot as co mpared to Bf 1-d3-b 5. In this [ Black should equalize, and possibly a bit
example, Black can now play 0-0 11.0-0 more with 12...axb5! 13.xa8 xa8
c8 when Black would have been ready to 14.cxb5 Ordinarily, this would be an

395
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

unpleasant position for Black to defend as b6 has been wrongly written off and could
his pieces are restricted by White's pawns potentially be an avenue for 3... Nf6 players
and his position is cramp to say the least. as an alternative approach against the
However, the precise a4! threatening to Universal System. This system would
capture on d4 and release much of the specially appeal to 7...b6 advocates as the
pressure on Black's position, would have positions can transpose quite easily.
been very difficult to meet. White would be 1-0
more or less obliged to play 15.dxc5 when
xc5 would give Black a comfortable
position. Given the existence of this 451 C05
possibility, White should be much better off Dzhumaev,M 2553
with 10.c4 as stated in the notes above. ] Vastrukhin,O 2349
13.bxa6 xa6 14.xa6 xa6 15.xc4 17th Voronezh Master Open (3.10) 14.06.2013
White certainly had a small plus at this stage. [John Watson]
b5 16.e3?!
[ 16.a5!? is an id ea : b6 17.d2 c4! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
( 17...cxd4? 18.c1! ) 18.e4 ] 5.c3 c5 6.df3 c6 7.h3!? An interesting
[ 16.d6+ xd6 17.exd6 0-0 is also a bit move which resembles
better for White but not by much. ] [ 7.d3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 xf6
16...c7 17.d2 e7 18.a5 0-0 19.xc7 10.h3!? ]
xc7 20.c1 b8 21.dxc5 xc5= 7...cxd4
Black equalized quite easily and the game has [ 7...h6!? with the primitive idea ...g5 is an
lost its theoretical interest. Nevertheless, option. ]
Degraeve outplayed his lower-rated opponent 8.cxd4 b6 9.e2!?
and somehow managed to win from here: [ 9.a3 is natural, preventing ...Bb4+ and
22.f1 b6 23.1d2 d8 24.b3 b4?! pla n n in g t o m e e t f6 with ( 9...a5!? )
It is easy to criticize this move as the b4 pawn 10.f4 ( 10.exf6 xf6 11.d3 d6 12.0-0
can potentially be a weakness and any knight 0-0= ) 10...fxe5 11.xe6 e4 12.fg5 f6
vs bishop ending would be unpleasant for 13.f4 xe6 14.xe6 f7! with the idea
Black. 15.c7 ( 15.g5+ g8 ) 15...d8
[ 24...h6!?= ] ( 15...c8 16.xd5!; 15...xd4 16.xa8
25.g3 h6 26.g2 e7 27.c2 c5 xb2 17.b1 c2+ 18.e2 d4+
28.xc5 c8 29.e4 xc5 30.xc5 xc5 19.e1 c2+= ) 16.b5 c8 17.e3
31.e2 b3 32.h4 d4 33.d2 c5 34.h5 e7 ]
b7 35.d8+ f8 36.d3 c5 37.g4!? 9...b4+ 10.f1 f8?!
Naturally, White wasn't content to draw. a7 [ 10...e7 is simple and sound. Then 11.b1
[ 37...e7 ] is well-answered by f6! 12.f4 fxe5
38.g5 b6 This was already beginning to 13.xe6 f6! 14.xg7+ f8 15.h6
look risky. g4! 16.d2 g8 ]
[ Surely, 38...hxg5! 39.d8+ ( 39.g3 [ 10...f6!? 11.f4! dxe5! ( 11...fxe5
b6! ) 39...h7 40.xg5 ( White should 12.xe6 e4 13.f4! ) 12.dxe5 fxe5
ta k e t h e d ra w wit h 40.d3+ ) 40...e4! 13.xd5! exd5 14.xd5 e7 15.g5
can only be good for Black. ] f8= ]
39.g6 xf2+ 40.h3 fxg6 41.hxg6 b6 [ 10...h6 11.e3 g5 12.g4 e7 13.b1
42.xb3 f1+? After some brave defending, f8 14.g2 g6 with good counterplay ]
Black finally collapsed. 11.f4 g6 12.d3! e7
[ According to Rybka, the only way to defend [ 12...xd4?? 13.e3 The advantage of Kf1
the position was 42...f8! ] is that ... Nxf3 is not check! ]
43.g3 e1+ 44.h2 g1+ 45.xg1 f2+ 13.h4 h5 14.e3 d7 15.c1
46.h1 h4+ 47.g2 g5+ 48.g3 d2+ [ Or 15.g3 c8 16.g2 ]
49.h3 xb2 50.f3 Summary: I think 6... 15...a5 16.g3

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 16.a3!? a4 17.g5! ]
16...b4 17.c5 b5 18.a3 xe2+
19.xe2 c6 20.g2!?
[ 20.a4 a6 21.xa6 xa6 22.g2
White's centre is intact. ]
20...a4 21.c3?!
[ 21.g5! xc5 22.f3! d8 23.xc5 ]
21...xc5! 22.xc5 a5 23.hc1 ge7=
24.xa5 xa5 25.c2?!
[ 25.d2 c4 ( 25...xb2 26.d3! )
26.b4 ]
25...c6 26.e2 c4 27.d2 b5
[ 27...f5! 28.c3 0-0 ]
28.g5
[ 28.c2= ]
28...f5 29.c2 d7 30.h2?!
[ 30.d1 c8 31.d2 g6 ]
30...c8 31.d2 g6 32.xc4 xd4
33.d1 xc4 34.xc4 xc4 and Black is
winning. 35.e3 c6 36.f4 b5 37.d2 d4
38.g5 xe5 39.a5 f3+ 40.g2 xg5
41.hxg5 d5+ 42.f3 d3 43.d2 b3
44.f4 xb2+ 45.h3 e7 46.b8 d4
0-1
452
Friedman,Aviv
Stellwagen,Daniel
9th It Sonnevanck NED (6) 04.12.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.f4 c6 7.df3 f5 8.d3 cxd4
9.cxd4 e7 10.e2 0-0 11.a3 a5 12.b3
b6 13.c3? This is just a waste of time- the
knight is no better and probably worse placed
on c3 than it was on e2. He had the choice
between
[ 13.0-0 planning Kh1, Rg1 and g2-g4 or the
immediate ]
[ 13.g1 and g2-g4. ]
13...d7 14.g1 e8! The correct strategy-
the bishop heads for g6 to bolster the
kingside against W hite's attack along the g
file. 15.h3 a4 This is also thematic- Black
uses his a pawn to force light squared holes
i n W h i t e ' s q u e e n s i d e . 16.b4
This clears the c file for counterplay and -
possibly after Nc4- the other knight will be
able to jump into b5. 17.g5? This is too
impetuous. He had to continue his attack with
[ 17.g4 for better or worse. ]
17...xg5 18.fxg5 c8 19.e2 b5!
Now that the g file is blocked by White's own
g5 pawn this bishop can be deployed much
more actively to help win control of the light
squares on the queenside. 20.f4 xd3
21.xd3 c4 22.c5 e7 23.h4 b5
24.b2 h6! 25.d2 hxg5 26.hxg5 xc5!
Whether or not this sacrifice wins by force, it
facilitates the entrance of Black's knight onto
c4 and so presents W hite with a horrible
defensive task. In the end this proves too
much for him. 27.bxc5 c4 28.f2 xg5
29.c1 g4 30.f4 g5 31.g3 f7 32.b1
c3 33.xb7+ g6 34.c2 Mate was
threatened on d1. gxf4 35.xc3 f3 36.c2
e4+! 37.xe4 fxe4 38.h1 e3 39.c6
xa3 40.bh7 c2+ 41.d1 e2+ 42.xc2
f2 43.7h6+ g5 44.1h5+ g4 45.h4+
f3 46.f6+ xf6 47.exf6 f1 48.c7 d1+
0-1
453 C05
Gufeld,Eduard 2443
C05 Hummel,Patrick 2344
2364 North American Open (6) 29.12.2000
2285 [Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 b6 8.g3 cxd4
9.cxd4 b4+ 10.f2 g5 11.e3 g4!
In Mastering the French and the analysis to
Slobodjan-De La Villa I concentrated on the
sharper
[ 11...f6 here, though in both cases I did at
least have the sense to give 11...g4 an
exclamation mark! ]
12.d2
[ Or 12.h4 e7! -attacking b2 so that 13
Qxg4 drops a rook- 13.b1 xh4 14.gxh4
h5 15.h3 f5! keeping the kingside blocked
is give n as u ncle a r b y Ya ko vich . I wa s
hoping to test this verdict against an
opponent who plays this line in an English
Club Match, but unfortunately White missed
a7! his train and lost by default! ]
12...f6! 13.xg4? A bad blunder- evidently
White was unfamiliar with the line. Instead
[ 13.b3 fxe5 14.dxe5 c5 15.xc5
397
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xc5 16.g2? ( Necessary was 16.xc5 wo r n d o wn i n He yke n , E -S a vc h e n k o , S /

xc5+ 17.g2 with unclear play.) 16...d4! Gausdal 1992. ]
17.c1 ( White loses the exchange after [ Alternatively if 8.a3
17.xd4? xd4 18.xd4 d3+ 19.e3 A) Not 8...b5? 9.dxc5 b4 because of
xd4+ 20.xd4 f2 ) 17...h5 was clearly 10.e3! ( B e t t e r t h a n 10.cxb4 xb4
better for Black in Yakovich-Machulsky, 11.d2?? d3# ) 10...bxc3 11.b4
USSR 1995. ] and White is already winning.;
13...xd2 14.xd2 xd4+ 15.e1 B) 8...cxd4 9.b4 b6 10.cxd4 a5
[ Here 15.e3 xb2+ loses at once. ] a n d B l a c k h a s g o o d p l a y a s i f 11.b5
15...e4+ 16.f2 dxe5! 17.g7 f8! then simply xb5 ]
18.e2 8...b5 9.d2 b6 10.f5!? A very bold
[ If 18.fxe5 fxe5+ wins at once, while ] attempt to slay Black before he can develop
[ 18.g2 c2! 19.e1 d3+ 20.e2 his kingside, but it needs to be good if it is
d4+ 21.e3 f5+ would be a going to work against Mikhail Gurevich!
tragicomedy. ] [ Instead 10.e3 b4 11.c4 after other
18...xh1 19.f3 g4+! Black plays very m o ve s B l a ck h a s a c t i ve p la y a s in t h e
clinically. Instead Savchenko game above. dxc4 12.d5 e7
[ 19...xa1 20.xe5 would give White draw agreed was Sokolov, A-Dreev, A, St.
attacking chances. ] Pe te rsb urg 1 99 3. It se em s like n eith e r
20.xg4 xa1 21.f5 exf5 22.f4 d7 player liked their position much! ]
23.d6 xb2 24.f4 f7 25.xd5 f8 10...e7!
0-1 [ White has a very useful initiative after
10...exf5 11.f4 e7 12.dxc5 xc5
( 12...xc5? 13.e6! ) 13.e3! ]
454 C05 11.f4 0-0!? Black boldly offers the e6 pawn.
Hamdouchi,Hicham 2588 12.d3? After this White is forced into an
Gurevich,Mikhail 2656 unfortunate variation. He had to accept the
6th Masters Belfort FRA (7) 21.12.2003 pawn even though it looks risky, e.g.
[Neil McDonald] [ 12.fxe6 fxe6 13.xe6 xf3 14.xf3
( Worse is 14.gxf3? h4+ 15.e2 dxe5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 16.dxe5 xe6 ) 14...cxe5 ( More natural is
5.ce2 c5 6.f4 c6 7.c3 a5!? 14...dxe5 b u t a w k w a r d i s 15.xd5 )
An unusual attempt by Black against the tricky 15.dxe5 ( Not 15.xd5 b7 ) 15...xe6
5.Nce2 system. Other ideas already discussed 16.0-0-0 xe5 and Black has a knight and
on ChessPub are pawn and the initiative for the exchange-
[ 7...b6 and ] ideas include d5-d4 opening an attack on a2-
[ 7...b5 and ] but it is by no me ans clear. O f r cou rs e
[ 7...e7 ] subscribers are welcome to point out
8.f3 anything that I've missed! ]
[ Black's queenside pawns start to roll after 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 xd4 14.f6 This looks
8.f2 : b5 ( This is more promising than very strong but it is refuted by Black's
action on the kingside based on f7-f6 e.g. excellent piece sacrifice. xf6!
8...e7 9.f3 0-0 10.e3 f6 11.g1 [ After 14...gxf6?? 15.xd4 xd4
cxd4 12.cxd4 b6 13.d2 fxe5 14.fxe5 the simplest way for White to win is 16.g4+
f7 15.h4! f8 16.h3 and White had a h8 17.g6+ picking up the queen. ]
healthy space advantage in Kasimdzhanov, 15.exf6 xf6 16.xd4 xd4 If White's king
R-Gurevich,I, Dordrecht 1998.) 9.e3 b4 was tucked away on h1 and the rook on f1
10.f3 b8 11.cxb4 xb4 12.b3 e7 then the extra piece would outweigh the three
13.g3 0-0 14.dxc5 xc5 15.ed4 xd4 pawns. But with the king stranded in th e
16.xd4 d7 17.g2 a5 18.e2 e4 centre the advance of Black's pawn mass will
19.c1 a4 and White's position was being prove decisive. 17.e2 b7 18.c3 xc3+

398
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

19.bxc3 e5 The pawns begin to take control. [ Also 18...xd4 looks very risky but might
20.h5 g6 21.g3 ac8 22.d2 b4! be OK for Black. ]
Gurevich returns a pawn to create mobile 19.e5! xe5 20.xe5 b5
passed pawns in the centre. 23.cxb4 e4 [ T h i s l o s e s , b u t 20...xc1 21.h5!
24.e2 d4 25.g4 wouldn't save Black either. ]
[ If 25.0-0 d3+ wins the bishop. ] 21.xh7+! xh7 22.h5+ g8 23.g6 fxg6
25...e3 26.b2 c4 27.0-0 White has been 24.xg6 B l a c k r e s i g n e d h e r e a s f7
allowed to castle, as now Black wins material 25.xc8+ mates.
by force. xb4 28.a3 d3 With a double 1-0
threat of capturing the bishop and 29... e2+.
29.h1
[ A pawn queens after 29.f3 e2+ 30.f2 456 C05
b1+ ] Howell,David 2471
29...xg4 30.xd3 a6 31.d7 c4 Wang Hao 2622
0-1 WJun Yerevan ARM (9) 12.10.2006
[Neil McDonald]

455 C05 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7

Harikrishna,Penteala 2500 5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5!
Berg,Emanuel 2456 The most solid way for Black to handle the
WJun Yerevan ARM (5) 23.09.2000 position, and in my opinion also the best.
[Neil McDonald] 9.d3 e7 10.e2 b6 11.g1 The most
direct way for W hite to prepare his attack.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 Slower, but safer, was
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 b6 8.g3 cxd4 [ 11.0-0 intending Kh1, Rg1 and g2-g4. The
9.cxd4 b4+ 10.f2 g5 The most direct game move means that the white king is
way to attack White's centre. 11.fxg5 dxe5 obliged to remain in the centre no matter
12.xe5 xe5 13.g2 c6 14.f3 f8 what happens. ]
This clever retreating manoeuvre is what 11...a5 12.g4 0-0 13.a3 d7 14.c3?!
makes this line playable for Black, though White is anxious to clear the way for his queen
according to John Watson to reach the kingside.
[ 14...d7 might be more precise as it deters [ Perhap s saf er wa s 14.b3 not allowing
15.b3? in view of c3 ] Black to consolidate his hold on the b3 and
15.b3 d7? Here Black should definitely play c4 squares. If then a4?! this advance is
[ 15...g7! to cut down on White's good and necessary at some point, but
aggressive options. Then 16.b2 d7 m i g h t b e p r e m a t u r e h e r e . 15.b4
17.d2 h6 is known to be Ok for Black. ] and in contrast to the game, W hite has a
16.f4! White takes the chance afforded by m o r e so l i d qu e e n s id e p a wn s t r u c t u r e ,
Black's last move to deploy his bishop to a despite the hole on c4, and Black doesn't
more active square. g7 17.c1 c8 have the a5 square for his knight ]
[ Not 17...xd4? 18.c7 b4 19.a3 14...a4! 15.e2 a5
and White wins a piece. ] [ Personally I would prefer to play 15...e8!?
18.d3 0-0? This is suicidal. I guess Black here in order to be able to put the bishop on
looked at capturing on d4, decided he didn't g6 if White played 16. gxf5 and 17.Qg2. ]
like it and so opted for the 'safe' move that 16.e3
loses on the spot! [ According to the logic of my previous
[ In fact, 18...xd4 isn't at all clear for comment, White should try 16.gxf5 exf5
example 19.xc8+ xc8 20.e3 ( 20.e5 17.g2 ]
c6! ) 20...e5 21.xd4 exd4 22.e1+ d8 16...c8 Black now has an impressive light
and despite Black's 'ruined' position I can't squared bind on the queenside, but how good
see anything particularly good for White. ] is White's attack on the kingside?

399
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ Again 16...e8!? ]
17.f2?
[ I think White should have seized the
c h a n c e f o r 17.gxf5 exf5 18.g2
with balanced chances after f7 19.g5
xg5 20.fxg5 ( or 20.xg5!? )]
17...e8 At last. Now the black bishop gets to
g6 where it thwarts W hite's attacking
ambitions along the g-file. Meanwhile, the
white king becomes an attractive target for
Black's active pieces. 18.c2 g6 19.g3
bc4 20.ag1 h4! Now the black queen
will enter the game with great effect. 21.xh4
xh4 22.gxf5 xf5! Normally in this type of
set up Black plays e6xf5 to keep the g-file
closed, but Wang Hao has judged correctly
that his attacking chances along the f-file are
f a r m o r e s i g n i f i c a n t . 23.xf5 xf5
24.xd5!? An inspired attempt to gain
counterplay before f4 drops. cf8! 25.e2
h5+ 26.e1?!
[ The only chance was 26.d3 g6! ( but not
26...exd5? 27.xg7+ h8 28.g2
and suddenly White is winning as mate with
29. Rg8+ etc. can't be prevented.) 27.g2!?
exd5 28.h3 xe3 29.xe3 It appears
that the black queen is trapped, but: xe5+!
30.dxe5 c4+ the white king is forced into a
frightful journey. 31.d4 xf4+ 32.c5
b6+! Black wants to be able to play Qxe5
without allowing an exchange of queens with
Qxd5+ therefore the white king has to be
forced away from contact with the d5
square. 33.c6 a5+ 34.d6 ( If
34.xb6 xe5 35.xa5 c7+ 36.b5
c4+ 37.a5 c5+ 38.a6 f6+
with a quick mate.) 34...b7+ 35.c6
d8+ 36.b5 xe5 and the white king is
defenceless against all the black pieces. ]
26...exd5 27.xg7+ h8 28.g2
It looks as though White is going to triumph
after all, as mate looms on g8, but the wily
Chinaman has a saving [and winning] tactic up
his sleeve: d1+! 29.f2
[ Of course Black simplifies and remains a
piece up after 29.xd1 xe3+ etc. ]
29...c2+ 30.f3 xf4+! The most efficient
way to end the game. 31.xf4 e4+ 32.g4
xf4+ 33.h5 h4+ It is mate next move.
0-1
457 C05
Jones,Gawain C 2540
Smerdon,David 2463
Queenstown Classic (10) 24.01.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 e7 7.d3 b6 8.h4!?
Only 2 games have been played with this
aggressive looking move. Apart from setting
the tone right away, this move can also have
a psychological impact on the second player
as instead of enjoying a slow, positional game,
Black suddenly has to defend! Of course, that
might not happen in reality as h4!? is a useful
move anyhow, whatever White's intentions are
but it does set Black thinking early in the
game. a6 9.xa6 xa6 10.a3
[ A n e a r l i e r g a m e w e n t 10.h5 b5?
( A rule of thumb in this line is that Black
s h o u l d a l w a y s r e s p o n d w i t h 10...h6
when the impudent h-pawn arrives at the h5
square. ) 11.h6 g6 12.f1 b4 13.e3 0-0
14.0-0 b6 15.g4 c8 16.f4
W h i t e ' s p o s i t i o n wa s e a s i e r t o p l a y i n
Parligras,M (2588)-Rakhmanov,A (2489)/
Athens GRE 2008/1-0 (43) ]
10...c8! Initially, I was not sure what Black
was trying to achieve here as there was no
Queen on e2 to propose a Queen swap. I
thought that Black could put his tempo to
better use and keep the options of the
placement of his Queen open. It turned out
that the Queen was very effective on the a6
square which we would soon see.
[ Again, I question White's attacking potential
on the Kingside after 10...0-0 It is easy to
understand why David didn't want to castle
into it though; I probably will do something
else also if I face this position for the first
time! But let's see: 11.f1
A) Regrouping with 11...ab8 would have
been ideal if not for 12.g5! when White
at least manage to make use of the h4
pawn. ( 12.h5 h6 13.f4 c6
a n d n o w , i d e a s l i k e 14.d2 c8
15.xh6? don't work due to cxd4 16.cxd4
gxh6 17.xh6 xd4!! ) 12...e8
( 12...h6? 13.d3! is already very good
for W hite.) 13.h5 xg5 14.hxg5 f8
Bla ck h a s d ef e n d e d t h e f irst wa ve o f
400
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
attack but now, W hite can bring the f1
knight into the picture. 15.h2 bd7
16.g4 White has obtained a dream
attacking position and even though Rybka
is not impressed, I would be terrified if I
have to face this over the board.;
B) 11...f6!? White's King is still mucking
around in the centre so it makes sense to
open up the position now. 12.exf6 xf6
13.g3 d6 and thanks to White's
(reckless) h4 lunge, the position promises
good counter-chances for Black. ]
[ 10...b5!? 11.e2 c4 would be similar to
the Nepomniachtchi game. (See archives) ]
11.g5!? An enthusiastic leap, something
which is typical of the British GM's
enterprising play but it's surely premature.
[ I guess Gawain Jones didn't like the look of
11.f1 h6 when the f3 knight has to remain
where it is. ]
11...h6 12.h3 ab8 Consistent but a bit
too obliging.
[ 12...0-0!? was playable though Black has
to be precise against W hite's impending
caveman attack. 13.f4! ( 13.g4? cxd4
14.cxd4 c2! (The weakest spot in White's
position) 15.f3 e4+ 16.xe4 dxe4
17.d2 e3! ) 13...c7 14.g4
A) 14...cxd4 15.cxd4 a6 is a bit risky
but Black should be f ine with some
creative defending: 16.h3 fc8 17.g3
f8 18.h5 e8! 19.f1 c2! 20.xh6
ac8 21.xg7 ( 21.d1 g6! ) 21...xg7
22.xg7 b4+ 23.c3 xc3+ 24.bxc3
d3!;
B) 14...h8 and having solidified the
Kingside, Black can start doing something
on the other side of the world. White can
probably come up with other attacking
schemes but Black's position should be
able to stand up to scrutiny. Let's continue
with a few logical moves: 15.f3 cxd4
16.cxd4 a6 17.h3 b4+!? 18.d2
xd2+ 19.xd2 ac8 and Black is ok. ]
13.g4 f8 14.f4 cxd4 15.cxd4 c6
16.e2 a6! 17.h3 c8 Black should be
at lea st e qua l he re . Just lo ok at W hite 's
queenside! 18.b1 a5? So far, Black has
not allowed White any time to play h4-h5 by
constantly creating threats. This move
however, gives White the important tempo to
do just that which is critical in formulating the
thematic f4-f5 break.
[ A s s u c h , t h e r e i s a c a s e f o r 18...h5!?
wh i c h s t o p s h 4 - h 5 f o r g o o d . P l a y c a n
continue 19.f3 where ( 19.f4 e7
20.f3 f5 ) 19...e7!? intending 20..Nf5
is a promising way to take advantage of
White's temporary lack of cohesion in his
position. There seems to be no good way to
prevent this idea. For example, 20.g3?
a4! (hitting d4, White's reply is more or
less forced) 21.d3 c2 ]
19.h5! This is almost always the first step to
preparing an effective f4-f5 break. c4 20.f4
xd2? I'm not convinced that Black should
spend 4 tempi (Na6-b8-c6-a5-c4) to swap one
of his most active pieces.
[ Black can try 20...b5 21.f5 exf5 22.xf5
e7 but White admittedly would still have
the better of it after 23.g4 ]
21.xd2 a4 22.c1! White masterfully
exchanged Black's active pieces one by one.
Once the c8 rook was swapped, White's h3
rook would be ready to swing to the
Queenside and wreck havoc. xc1+ 23.xc1
b5 24.c3 d8 25.f5+- Gawain Jones
wrapped up the game smoothly f rom this
position of strength: b4 26.g3
[ There were many routes to Rome but
26.axb4! xb4 27.xg7 f8 28.xh6
was even stronger. ]
26...c6 27.d2 c2 Giving up e6 hastened
the end but it was difficult to find a decent
alternative. 28.fxe6 fxe6 29.xe6 b6
30.axb4 b1+ 31.f2 xb2 32.c3 b3
33.f5 xb4 34.f4 e8 35.xb4 xb4
36.d3 b2+ 37.f3 c1 38.xg7 f8
39.g3 c4 40.xa7 d2+ 41.g2 xf4
42.a8+ e7 43.h7+! Summary: 8.h4!?
would surely be played more of ten and it
would be interesting to see if White can come
up with other attacking ideas. For now at least,
the 7..b6 system remains perfectly sound and
playable. Black has to treat the position with
care though, as I've highlighted in the notes.
1-0
401
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
458 C05
Kapnisis,Spyridon 2373
Pert,Nicholas 2475
WJun Athens GRE (11) 27.08.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.gf3 White avoids c2-c3, at least
temporarily. c6 7.d3!?
[ Other ideas that will be examined in due
c o u r s e a r e 7.c3 to answer cxd4 with
8.xd4!? and ]
[ 7.b3!? which is a favourite of GM
Smagin. ]
7...b6 8.dxc5
[ Also very interesting is 8.c4!? e.g. cxd4
9.cxd5 c5! 10.b1! ( not 10.c4? b4+
11.f1 xd3 12.xd3 exd5 13.a3 b6
and B lac k wa s m uch b et te r in Led erle -
Dgebuadze, Staufer Open 1999.) 10...exd5
11.0-0 d3 shutting in the bishop on b1. If
Black just develops with ( 11...e7 12.h1
intending f4-f5 gives W hite a dangerous
looking attack.) 12.h1 f5 13.b3!?
( 13.e1!? ) 13...xb3 14.axb3 b4
15.e1 e4! Black must defend actively- if
White is just allowed to take on d3 without
anything happening then he will have the
much superior pawn structure. 16.d2 g6!
17.xb4 xb4 18.xd3 xe1 19.xe4
xe4 20.xe1 ( The black king is an asset
i n t h e e n d g a m e a f t e r 20.xe1 xe1
21.fxe1 e7! intending Rfc8, Ke6, etc.)
20...xf4 21.e6 0-0 22.e7 fe8 23.xd5
c7 24.e4 ac8 It seems that the
position is equal- the passed pawn is tying
down the rook on e8 but there are no weak
points in Black's structure to use to exploit
White's superior mobility. 25.h3 ( 25.xa7?
xe7! ) 25...c6 26.f4 c7 27.ac1!
b8! 28.xc8 xc8 29.d4 a6 30.d6
c6 31.d8 f6 32.e6! White forces
equality as otherwise he would be in danger
of being worse after Kf7. c1+ 33.h2
f4+ and there was a three fold repetition in
Wahls-Xia Ju, Beijing Open 1993. ]
8...xc5 9.b3 b4
[ Black eliminates the knight to fight for
control of d4, but a radically different plan
was possible- capture the bishop on d3 and
then try to prove that his resulting slight
superiority on the light squares is as
important as the d4 square. For example
9...xd3+!? 10.xd3 b4 ( Black was
s o l i d , i f a l i t t l e p a s s i v e , a f t e r 10...e7
11.e3 c7 12.c3 d7 13.0-0 c8
14.h1 a6 in Wahls-Matamoros Franco,
B i e l 1 9 9 5 .) 11.e2 a6!? 12.f2?!
( White can hardly claim to have much
advantage after the exchange of queens,
but perhaps for safety's sake he should
s i m p l i f y wi t h 12.xa6 xa6 13.e3 )
12...d7 13.a3 c6 14.e3 e7 15.0-0-0
( Unfortunately for White if 15.c5 a5+
16.c3 d4! 17.xd4 xd4 18.xd7 xf3+
19.xf3 c7! 20.0-0-0 0-0-0
drops a piece.) 15...b6! 16.h4 h5 17.h3
g6 18.g5 c8 19.b1 c7 20.d2 d8!
A noteworthy knight manoeuvre. 21.d4
b7 22.c3 xc3 23.xc3 c5 24.b4
c8 and Black had a good minor piece
d e p l o ym e n t i n F o r s t e r - H e r t n e c k , P u l a
2000. ]
[ Instead of this Black could keep more
tension in the position with 9...d7 10.c3
a5!? e.g. 11.e3 a4 12.xc5 xc5
13.xc5 xc5 14.d2 0-0?! ( I prefer
14...a3!? when if 15.b4 b6 16.f2
or else White's king has nowhere safe to go-
xf2+ 17.xf2 e7 and Black can attack
c3 with Rfc8, perhaps combined with Na7-
intending Nb5 or Bb5- and sometimes f7-
f6. ) 15.a3 f6 16.exf6 xf6 17.0-0-0 a5
18.b1 b5 19.xb5 xb5 20.e5
and W hite came out on top in W ahls-
Sermek, Arco di Trento 1997. ]
10.e2 xb3 11.axb3 d4!?
[ Nick Pert had prepared this novelty as he
wanted to avoid wh at had happe ned t o
Black in one of his opponent's previous
games via a slight transposition: 11...c5
12.c3 c6 13.b4 f2+ 14.f1 e3 15.g3
xc1 16.xc1 0-0 17.g2 f6 18.exf6
xf6 19.d2 d7 20.ae1 a6 21.d3
af8 22.b1 g6 23.h4 h5 24.e2 a5
25.bxa5 xa5 26.e5 e8 27.he1
and W hite had a dream position in
Kapnisis-Antoniewski, Eu-ch U18 Murek
1998. Unfortunately for him later it turned
into a nightmare as he was swindled and
lost! ]
12.c4! d7 13.c3 dxc3 14.bxc3 d5!
402
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
15.xd5 exd5 16.d4!
[ Not 16.xd5? e6 when b3 drops. ]
16...c8 17.0-0? An enterprising gambit line
that sets Black some problems. However, it
doesn't seem sound so White should defend
c3.
[ Not 17.d3? xc3 18.xc3? b4
so necessary was ]
[ 17.b2!? when c5 18.0-0 f5 19.f2!
0-0 20.a3!? ( Black survives and should
win after 20.xf5? xf2+ 21.f1 c5
22.b4 fe8 while; 20.h1?! loses a vital
tempo: xd4 21.cxd4 c6 22.a3 fc8
23.c5 b5 and Black plays b7-b6 with
strong pressure.) 20...xd4 ( positionally
miserable is 20...xa3 21.xa3 ) 21.cxd4
fe8 22.g4 ( u n c le a r i s 22.c5 b5
23.xa7 b6 ) 22...e4 23.f5 and White
looks somewhat better, though there is a lot
of fight ahead. ]
17...xc3 18.b2 b4! 19.h1 0-0 20.f5
e3 21.f6
[ He could open the diagonal for the bishop
on b2 with 21.e6 but after fxe6 22.fxe6
A) 22...xf1+? 23.xf1 xe6 ( 23...e8
24.f4 ) 24.f4! which is tremendous for
W hite as he both attacks the rook and
threatens 25.Qb8+.;
B) 22...xe6! there doesn't seem to be a
good follow up. Not however ]
21...e8 This all looks highly double edged,
b u t t h e f a c t t h a t B la ck c a n i f n e ce ss a r y
defend with Bf8 should mean that he survives.
22.f3 b5 23.c1 e2 24.d4 h3!
This beats off the attack and just in time!
25.gxh3 xf3 26.g1 g6 27.g2 d3
28.c5 xc5 29.xc5 f1+ 30.xf1 xf1+
31.g1 f3+ 32.g2 e4 33.xa7 d4
34.c5 e1+ 35.g1 e4+ 36.g2 xe5
37.c8+ e8 38.g4 d3 39.xe4 xe4
40.d2 d4 41.g2 d6
0-1
459 C05
Kim,Alexey 2445
Ganguly,Surya Shekhar 2586
6th ch-Asia Cebu City PHI (5) 23.09.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.f4 c6 7.df3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5!
My favourite move in this position. There are
several important games in the archives you
may wish to consult before employing this
variation. 9.d3 e7 10.e2 b6 11.a3
d7 12.f2?! A strange move. White picks
up his king to castle- and puts it on f2. Actually
[ 12.0-0 is a perfectly reasonable way of
handling the position, as the white king
doesn't become exposed to a counterattack.
However, White wants to attack along the g-
file, and the immediate Rg1 and g2-g4 is a
couple of tempi faster than 0-0, Kh1, Rg1
and g2-g4. Still, this begs the question of
why White doesn't just leave his king on e1
and get on with it with ]
[ 12.g1 I suppose that Kim is looking a long
way into the future. By moving the king to f2,
he makes way for Qg1, or Rag1, to increase
the pressure along the g-file. ]
12...c8!?
[ If you are familiar with the archives games
you will know that I prize Black's bishop
manoeuvre to g6: 12...0-0 13.g1 e8
14.g4 g6! ( Black doesn't need to get
i n v o l v e d i n 14...h4+?! 15.f1
even though it forces the white king into a
little triangulation Ke1-f2-f1. The bishop is
threatened with 16.g5, and 15...fxg4 16.
Rxgh4 is a concession, while 15...Be7 has
o n l y c h a s e d t h e wh i t e k i n g t o a s a f e r
square. ) 15.gxf5 and now exf5!
is a decision I like, as the bishop on g6 is a
considerable barrier to a white attack down
the g-file. ( whereas Black may have his own
ch a n ce s a f t e r 15...xf5 16.g3 xd3
17.xd3 but White has the g-file and the
breakthrough f4-f5 in some cases. )]
[ Maybe I'm getting a bit dogmatic in my old
age- th ere are of co urse ma ny ways t o
handle a position. Ganguly's method in the
game is interesting. If you like action on the
queenside as Black, I would also
recommend you examine 12...a5!? ]
403
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.e3 a5 Going for immediate piece play.
[ A counterattack with 13...c4? fails after
14.xc4 dxc4 15.d5! a typical breakthrough
in the centre. exd5 16.xd5 stopping Black
castling and threatening 17.e6. The heroic
a5 just loses a pawn to 17.xa5 xa5
18.xa7 ]
[ Alternatives for Black are the 'normal' move
13...0-0 or else he could use a pawn to
further his queenside campaign with ]
[ 13...a5 followed by a5-a4 and then Na5
and N-c4. ]
14.b3! An important riposte. White's little
pawn move stops both Nc4 and Ba4. a8!
In the style of Nimzowitsch. The knight makes
way for the queen. 15.d2 Another careful
move. Kim intends to eliminate the knight on
a5 before it can do him any harm. 0-0 16.g1
b6 17.xa5 xa5 18.b4 b6 19.g4 b5
So Black achieves more active play for his
light squared bishop than if he had submitted
to the defensive Be8 and Bg6. The question
is whether W hite can do anything on the
kingside. 20.g3 c7 21.c1 a6 22.xb5
xb5 Suddenly the a3 pawn is attacked twice.
White needs to achieve something meaningful
with his kingside pressure or he will be in
trouble. 23.gxf5 exf5? A serious oversight
that ruins Ganguly's impeccable positional
build up.
[ 23...xc1
A) 24.xc1? c3 ( Even 24...xf5
is good for Black.) 25.b3 e4+ 26.g2
xg3 27.hxg3 xf5 and White lacks
compensation for the exchange.;
B) 24.xc1 F o r c e d a s i f exf5
( Very risky for Black is 24...xf5? 25.a4!
xa4 26.c8+ f7 or else e6 drops
27.xb7 ) 25.g1 f7 ( White has at
least a draw against 25...g6 if he wants it
with 26.a4 xa4 27.xg6+ hxg6
28.xg6+ h8 29.h6+ ) 26.c1
B1) 26...xa3? 27.c8+ f8 ( likewise
27...f8 28.g5 when a3 and f7 hang.)
28.e6+ f7 to d e f en d e 7 . 29.g5
uncovering an attack on the black queen
and so forcing resignation.;
B2) 26...f8 Preventing the invasion on
c8, as if 27.g1 with a draw by
repetition. ]
24.b3! xc1? Ganguly plans to play 25...
Qe6 after misplacing the white knight on c1,
but he is in for a surprise.
[ He sh o uld p la y 24...e6 at once when
Black has an inferior game due to the
pressure on d5, but is far from lost. ]
25.xd5+! Kim seizes his chance. Black wins
the exchange, but White's passed pawns in
t h e c e n t r e w i l l p r o v e o ve r wh e l m i n g . f7
26.xc1 c3 27.b3 e4+ 28.g2 g5
A d e sp e ra t e a t t e m p t t o b la st o p e n lin e s
against the white king bef ore the passed
pawns start to roll. 29.fxg5 xg3 30.hxg3
h6 31.g6! Not letting the black queen get to
the h-file with gain of time after
[ 31.gxh6 xh6 ]
31...xg6 32.e2 g5 33.d5 h7 34.d6
g7 35.d3! f4
[ If 35...f4 then 36.h4 g4 37.xf4
xh4 38.xf5+ g8 39.h5 and Black is
crushed. ]
36.xg6+ xg6 37.gxf4 xf4 38.xf4+
f5+ 39.f2 xf4 40.e6 g3 41.d4
A very inspired exchange sacrifice by White,
but from a theory stand point Black seems
fine.
1-0
460 C05
Konguvel,Ponnuswamy 2371
Vuckovic,Bojan 2497
MTO Biel SUI (9) 01.08.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 cxd4!? Black can also keep
the tension with
[ 6...c6 7.f4 b6 You should consult the
game Jamrich-Schneider if you need more
explanation of the moves that follow. 8.f3
e7 9.a3 0-0 ( 9...a5! ) 10.h4 ( 10.b4! )
10...f6 11.h3 but here if he wishes to play
the plan of Na5 he must exchange with 11...
c x d 4 , a s a f t e r a5? ( the alternative
strategy 11...a5 is OK ) 12.b4 cxb4 13.axb4
c4 14.g3 a5 15.d3 White had a
decisive attack in Anand-Shirov at Frankfurt.
The reason is that d4 is securely defended
by the c3 pawn. Note also in this line that
a quick 6...cxd4 means that White never has
the option of recapturing on d4 with Ne2xd4
404
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
at a later point in the game. ]
7.cxd4 c6 8.f4 b6 9.f3 f6 10.a3 e7
11.h4 0-0 12.h3 a5! 13.b4 c4 14.c3
If you compare the position with that in the
Anand-Shirov extract above after 13... Nc4
you will see that here W hite has a pawn on
a3 rather than c3. The difference is seen in
variations such as
[ 14.g3 a5 15.d3 f5 and if White had a
pawn on c3 then 16 Ng5 would be a strong
attacking move, whereas with no pawnonc3
16.g5? xd4 is just bad for White. ]
14...a5 15.b5 f7 16.d3 f8 17.h5 d7
18.c2 fxe5 19.fxe5 xf3! Black finds
another way to exploit the weakness on d4.
The exchange sacrifice destroys all White's
hopes of an attack and leaves him with a
crumbling centre. 20.xf3 xd4 21.xc4
xc4 22.e2 c8 23.xc4 xc4 24.d2
e8! The bishop not only attacks h5 but also
clears the way for Nd7 to attack e5. Of course
the knight has an even better option after
White's reply which concedes the g6 square.
25.h6 g6 26.hxg7 xe5 27.h3 xg7
28.a4 f6 29.e2 g6 The centre passed
pawns abetted by the two bishops give Black
every chance to win. 30.f1 g4 31.f4
xf4 32.xf4 d4 33.d1 e5 34.d2 c2
35.b2 e4 36.e1 b6 37.c4 e3 38.xb6
exd2+ 39.xd2 d3 40.c4 g5+ 41.c3
f2 42.f3 e4+ 43.d4 d2 44.xd2
xd2 45.g3 f6 46.b6 e4 47.c5 b7
48.b5 e4 49.h3 d6+ 50.c5 e6
51.g4 g2 52.b3 e4 53.d4 f6+
54.c5 h4 55.b2 e1 56.d4 b4
57.e2 d7 58.h2 c6
0-1
461
Kotrotsos,Vasilios
Moutousis,Konstantinos
Acropolis IM Open (9) 24.11.2004 f2+?
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 b6 8.h4 cxd4 34.f4 xh3+ 35.xe3 d4+
9.cxd4 b4+ 10.f2 f6 11.e3 fxe5
[ In the notes to Saltaev-Gurevich on
ChessPub, it is pointed out that Black can
p l a y t h e f l e x i b l e 11...0-0 and keep the 36.xd4 xg1 37.xg1 xf3 38.gxf3 c2
option of avoiding f6xe5- for example after
12.e2 a5 13.a3 e7 14.b3 f7 15.h5
d8 was unclear in Zagrebelny-Bagirov,
Abu Dhabi 2000. ]
12.fxe5 0-0 13.e2 a5
[ The ChessPub suggestion of 13...dxe5!?
is still untested here. For example 14.dxe5
d4 15.exd4 c5 ( 15...xe5!? ) 16.c2
( 16.g3?! d8 Black regains the piece
with advantage.) 16...xe5 17.xc5 xc5+
18.g3 xf3 19.gxf3 b6 and Black will
develop with Bb7 and Rad8 etc. with the
initiative. ]
14.f4?
[ White can rain on Black's parade with
14.h3! f o r e xa m p l e a4?! ( 14...e7!? )
15.g1 e7 ( very annoyingly the trick
15...dxe5? no longer works as after
16.xe5 xe5 17.dxe5 the white rook on
h3 is defending the bishop on e3. So White
is able to unwind his game, after which he
can think about a kingside attack:) 16.f4
a5? ( Vital was 16...f7 preparing Nf8.)
17.d3 f7 18.xh7+! xh7 19.g5+
xg5 20.hxg5+ g8 21.g6 f5 22.h8+
f7 23.h5 1-0 Drlje,J-Pecnik,L/ Porec
1998. ]
14...cxe5! 15.dxe5 c5 The sacrifice is
even stronger than after 13.Ne2 Ndxe5 above
as the white knight is a target on f4. 16.xc5
xc5 17.h3
[ If 17.g3 e4+ wins the knight on f4 as
18.g4 f2+ is a deadly fork. ]
17...e4+ 18.e1 b4+ 19.d2 g3
20.g1 xb2 21.c1 xe5+ 22.e2 f5
23.f3 g3+ 24.d2 d7 25.b3 d6
26.b6 e4+ 27.e3? Why does the king
choose to stay in the centre? The best chance
was to run away from the black pieces with
C05 [ 27.c2 ]
2291 27...c6 28.b2 e5 29.d3 ac8 30.xe5
2422 xf3+ 31.d4 xe5+ 32.xe5 e3 33.f3
[ A blunder either in time pressure or
through exhaustion. Black is easily winning
after 33...e8+ 34.d4 a3 ]
[ B l a c k o v e r l o o k e d t h a t a f t e r 35...xg1
W hite can fight on with 36.xd5+ h8
37.xc6 ]
405
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Black is still winning, but now he has to play a
laborious endgame. 39.b1 xa2 40.xb7
a4+ 41.e3 xh4 42.a7 a4 43.f2 h5
44.g3 h4+ 45.h3 h7 46.a6 g6
47.a8 h6 48.h8+ g5 49.a8 a3
50.g2 a4 51.a7 f6 52.a5 g5 53.a8
a2+ 54.h3 e5 55.g8 f6 56.a8 f2
57.a6+ f5 58.a5+ g6 59.xa4 xf3+
60.g2 b3 61.h2 h5 62.g2 b2+
63.g1 h3 64.h1 g4 65.a5+ h4
66.a4 e2 67.b4 g3 68.b3+ f4
69.a3 g3 70.a1 d2 71.b1 e3
72.e1+ d3 73.a1 e2 74.f1 g2+
0-1
462 C05
Mac
Bach,Rei
1999 England 1999 16...xf4 17.bxc4
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 19.f3
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 b6 8.g3 cxd4
9.cxd4 f6 This is a logical move which aims
to break White's stranglehold on the centre
and so free the black pieces for action. To
achieve this Black is virtually committed to
mak in g a p ie ce sa crif ice late r on . 10.h3 19...c7 20.f1 d2+ 21.e2 d7 22.f7+
fxe5 11.fxe5 b4+ 12.f1 0-0 13.g2 h8
dxe5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.f4!?
[ This is interesting, but the move which is very risky, e.g.
supposed to put the sacrifice out of business
is 15.e2!? But let's go straight down the
m a i n l i n e a n d s e e i f t h i s i s t r u e : xf3!
16.xf3 e5 17.xc8 axc8
A) In Mastering the French I casually
suggested 18.d1?! g6! 19.d2 c2
20.xe5?! as being perhaps even stronger
for W hite. I must admit this is entirely
wrong, as Black has the very strong move
d3! when White is in great difficulties.
( but not 20...e4? 21.xe4 dxe4
22.h3! );
B) 18.xe5 e6 19.f4 f5 20.ac1
Now Mohrlok gives xc1 21.xc1 g5
22.c7 d6 23.xb7 xe5 24.d2 24...g8 25.h6+ h8 White has at least a
as slightly better for W hite. In fact c6! draw after
causes White some awkward problems as
25.xa7? ( 25.b5 xb5 26.xb5 d4!
is slightly better for Black.) 25...d4!
both attacking the rook and threatening
26...Rf2+ 26.a6 c8! leaves White in
deep trouble as 27.e1 ( 27.b5 c2!
wins as White doesn't have any worthwhile
sequence of checks.) 27...e5 will win a
p i e c e o r g i ve a d e c i s i ve a t t a c k a f t e r
28.b5?! c2+ In fact my computer tells
me this is mate in seven! Therefore, 15
Qe2 doesn't appear to offer W hite any
advantage. He has to be careful just to
maintain equality. This means that the 9...
f6 variation is still alive! ]
15...c4
[ 15...g6 16.e2 looks good for White,
who is close to completing his kingside
development-always a bad sign for Black in
this variation. ]
16.b3! And not
[ 16.e2 xf4! aiming to fork on e3. ]
xc4 18.e5 d4
The rook heads for the seventh rank, but
[ 18...e4 was interesting as well. ]
[ Andrew Mack gives the analysis 19.h5!?
g6 20.xg6 ( 20.f3 c7!? ) 20...d2+
21.e2 e3 22.gf4 e4+ 23.f3 xf3+
24.xf3 e5 and in spite of the exchange of
queens Black has a tremendous initiative. ]
23.h5! White finds a way to defend
both hanging knights. Taking on d7 would be
[ 23.xd7 xe2+ 24.g1 ( 24.f3 c4! )
24...d8 25.xe6 xd7! 26.xd7 c5+
27.f2 xf2 and Black wins. ]
23...c2
[ Instead 23...e8 24.f3 b5
looks dangerous for White, but nevertheless
he holds th e draw af te r 25.f7+ g8
26.xe6 xe2+ ( but not 26...xe2
27.d8+ h8 28.f8+ xf8 29.xf8#
mate! ) 27.xe2 xe2 28.h6+ h8
29.f7+ g8 30.h6+ ]
24.f7+
[ W hite forces a draw as 24.g4 e4+
25.h3 e8! would be painful. ]
[ 25...gxh6 26.f7+ etc. Therefore this
sharp game ends peacefully. ]

406
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

26.f7+ g8 27.h6+ queenside closed enough to remain safe there

½-½ while trying to fight off White's standard attack
with f4-f5. Probably better was simply
[ 14...0-0 ]
463 C05 15.b3 a4 The point, forestalling a4. 16.b1
Malakhov,Vladimir 2716 a7
Shulman,Yuri 2624 [ 16...h6 17.bxc4 xc4 18.xc4!? bxc4
7th World Team Championship (3) 07.01.2010 19.f5 leaves Black short of counterplay.
[John Watson] Normally, W hite's kingside advances are
met with moves like ...f6, but here the open
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 queenside is a problem, e.g., f6 20.g3
5.f4 c5 6.gf3 c6 7.b3 An old system a5 21.exf6 xf6 22.c3 exf5 23.c2
wh i c h I r e c o m m e n d i n o r d e r t o p r o d u c e with the ideas Qb2 and Nxf5. ]
original play in Dangerous W eapons: The 17.bxc4 bxc4 18.f2 a5
French. Malakhov has used it in the past. c4 [ Maybe 18...f5 would be a better try, hoping
This is very committal, because it forfeits the to play for ...g5 at some point, but even
attack on d4 which characterises most French 19.exf6 gxf6 20.f5! is goo d , e. g, d6
Defence variations. In the book, I also 21.fxe6 xe6 22.h4 followed by Nhf5. ]
analyse and give examples of 19.f5! g6 20.f6 a3 21.g5 e8 22.g4
[ 7...cxd4 ] c6 Black rushes back to try to construct a
[ 7...b6 ] board-wide blockade. This isn't achievable in
[ 7...a5 ] any case, but W hite decide s not t o wait .
[ and 7...f6 . An example each with 7...Qb6 23.xe6! fxe6 24.xe6+ d7
and 7...a5 are given in the notes to [ 24...d7 25.xd5! xd5 26.xd5
Malakhov-Volkhov. ] threatens both Bxc4 and e6. ]
8.bd2 b5 9.e2 b6 25.xd5 xd5 26.f3! d8 27.xd5
[ 9...b6 10.f1 f6 11.e3 fxe5 12.fxe5 W hite 3 passed pawns are far too much to
e7 13.c3 0-0 14.0-0 b4 15.e1 handle. a6 28.e6 xd5 29.xd5 xe6
is the game S Smagin-M Gurevich, Essen 30.g3 c7 31.xc7 xc7 32.f7 d7
2001 from my book. White found the clever 33.e5+
idea of Bd1-c2 and went on to win, but the ... 1-0
f6 idea is reasonable. ]
10.f1 d7 11.e3
[ 11.c3 e7 12.h4!? c7!? 13.h5 h6 464 C05
14.c2 b4 15.e3 a5?! 16.f5! Malakhov,Vladimir
gave White some advantage in Smagin-De Volkov,Sergey
Francesco, Bad Wiessee 1999. ] European Team Ch. 2001
11...e7 12.0-0 [Neil McDonald]
[ 12.c3 c7 13.h4!? ]
12...c7 13.d2 a5!? Shulman doubtless 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
knew of his opponent's game (analysed in our 5.f4 c5 6.gf3 c6 7.b3 An intriguing
Archives) which went idea. White wants to block the centre so that
[ 13...f6 (queried by Neil) 14.e1 ( I like h e ca n st a rt a kin gs id e a t t a ck in p e a c e .
14.exf6 gxf6 15.e1 ) 14...0-0 ( 14...fxe5 Therefore he is willing to 'waste' time with this
w i t h t h e i d e a 15.fxe5 0-0 ) 15.h4! knight move. c4 Instead Black could stand his
with some advantage for White, Malakhov, ground and not be bullied into closing the
V-Volkov, S/Panormo 2001. He undertakes position. There are various alternatives. One
a unique queenside strategy which, however, sharp line is
fails to do what it's supposed to: ] [ 7...a5!? 8.a4 b6 9.b1!?
14.e1 0-0-0? Maybe this is too judgmental, ( This enterprising move leads to a hard
but I don't see how Black can keep the tactical fight. Not good is 9.dxc5 xc5

407
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
10.e3 b4+; but note that if White wants a
quieter life he could opt for 9.c3!? ) 9...cxd4
( 9...c4 10.a1! ) 10.bxd4
( a l s o d a n ge r o u s f o r B l a c k i s 10...xd4
11.xd4 b4+ 12.c3 xc3+ 13.bxc3
xb1 14.b5 0-0 15.d3 a2 16.0-0;
Instead 10...c5 11.e3 leaves White with
a slight edge.) 11.c3! xc3+ 12.bxc3 xb1
13.b5 0-0 14.d3 a2 15.xh7+!
The good old Greek Gift. Black's king is
driven from its defences. xh7
g6 ( If 16...g8 17.h5 d8 18.xf7+!
h8 19.h5+ g8 20.h7+
21.h8+ e7 22.xg7+ e8 23.f7# )
17.d3+ f5 18.g3 dxe5! The only way
to get counterplay. 19.fxe5 f4
b1+ 21.d2 a2+ ( If 21...xh1?
22.xe6+ f7 23.d6+ xe6 24.g4+
e7 25.xg7+ e6 26.g4+ e7
27.g5+ f6 28.xf6+ f8 29.g7# )
A) White could play for advantage with
22.e3!? d4+ 23.d3! b4+ 24.cxb4
b3+ 25.xd4 d8+ ( 25...xb4+
26.e3 b3+ 27.e2 c2+ 28.d2 )
26.d6;
B) 22.e1 xf4 23.h3+ h7 24.xf4
b1+ 25.d2 a2+ 26.e3 c2
27.d3 xa4 28.d4 xd4 29.h4+
g8 30.d8+ h7 31.h4+ g8
32.d8+ h7 33.h4+ g8 and draw
agreed in R.Bellin-Drasko, Montecatini
Terme 1997. ]
[ Much more peaceable is 7...b6 8.c3 a5
9.a4 e7 10.e2 f6 11.exf6 xf6 12.0-0
cxd4 13.bxd4 xd4 14.xd4
15.e3 e5 ( 15...xb2?
leaves the queen in big trouble.)
e6 17.g4 c6 18.f3! forcing Black to
accept a rigid centre pawn structure. e4
19.e2 b6 20.d4 c7 21.b5 c6
22.d4 c7 23.b5 c6
keeping the black knight out of c4. Here
White had some edge in Smagin-Schaefer,
Germany 1999 thanks to his control of d4. ]
8.bd2 Back again, and Black can't return the
compliment as pawns can't go backwards.
Therefore it becomes a battle of pawn fronts-
queenside versus kingside. b5 9.e2 b6
10.f1! The knight continues its leisurely
manoeuvres. Now it heads for e3 where it will
support the advance of the kingside pawns.
d7
[ White achieved the f4-f4 advance with the
b4+ better game after 10...e7 11.c3 d7
12.h4 c7 13.h5 h6 14.c2 b4 15.e3
a5 16.f5 in Smagin-De Francesco, Bad
Wiessee 1999. ]
11.e3 e7 12.0-0 c7 13.d2 f6?
A waste of time. He should play
[ 13...f5 immediately. ]
14.e1!
16.g5+ [ If 14.exf6 gxf6 gives Black counterplay. So
instead Malakhov keeps control- he will put
f8 his bishop on h4 so that Black can only play
the blockading f6-f5 at the cost of
e xch a n g i n g o f f h i s g o o d d a rk s q u a r e d
20.xf4 bishop. ]
14...0-0 15.h4 h8 16.h1 a5 17.d2
b4 18.b3! White has carefully avoided ever
pla yin g c2 -c3 so t h at B la ck' s qu e e n s id e
attack doesn't have its natural target to latch
onto. c3
[ Black gives away the d3 square, but if
18...a4 19.bxc4 dxc4 20.xc4 xc4
21.xc4 and Black cannot regain his pawn. ]
19.e1 a4 20.d3 e8 21.d1 f5 22.h3
xh4 23.xh4 e7 24.f2 h6?!
Giving W hite the chance to force matters.
However after
[ 24...axb3 25.axb3 Black hasn't much
constructive that he can do in the face of
White's build up with g2-g4. ]
25.g4! An 'impossible' move that breaks
through on the kingside. fxg4 26.xg4 h5
[ It turns out that if 26...xf4 27.e3 f8
0-0 ( Or 27...f8 28.xh6 gxh6 29.xh6+
16.b5 g8 30.g1+ ) 28.f6! g5 29.xg5 hxg5
16.f5 30.xf4 gxf4 31.xf4 leaves Black
d e f e n ce le ss a ga in st Q h 4 + f o llo we d b y
Rg1+. ]
27.g3 f7 28.b5! Chasing the knight a
24.b3! little further away before going to d3. a7
29.e2 af8 30.h4 axb3?
[ A c h a n c e t o m i x t h i n g s w a s 30...g5!?
but it isn't surprising that with the black
knights so far away from the kingside White
comes out on top: 31.fxg5 ( not 31.xh6?
gxh4 ) 31...xf1+ 32.xf1 xf1+ 33.xf1
xg5 ( if 33...hxg5 34.f6! ) 34.f2!
( B e t t e r t h a n 34.f3 c1 ) 34...xg4
( A better defence is 34...d7 though White
can play to win with 35.bxa4 xg4 36.hxg4
408
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xg4 37.b5!? xb5 38.axb5 ) 35.f8+
h7 36.d3+ f5 37.xf5 ]
31.xh6! Very well played- it would have
b e e n e a s y t o h a ve m a d e t h e a u t o m a t i c
recapture
[ 31.axb3? ]
31...xe2 There is no choice, but now White
has a forced win. 32.g6+ h7 33.xf7!
xf7 34.h4+ xg6 35.g1+ f5 36.g5+
e4 37.f5+ e3 38.g3+ f3+ 39.xf3+
xf3 40.f1+ e3 41.f4+ It is mate next
move after e2 42.f2#
1-0
465 C05
McShane,Luke J 2438
Bischoff,Klaus 2544
Premier Hastings ENG (4) 07.01.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f5
This is one of Black's most solid responses to
the 5 f4 Tarrasch. 9.d3 b6 10.e2 e7
11.0-0 This is a big decision and probably the
correct one. Instead, White could aim for an
immediate assault on the kingside with
[ 11.h3 0-0 12.g4 when Ye Jiangchuan-
Short, Lucerne 1989, continued a5 13.a4
b4 14.b1 d7 15.f2?! ( necessary
was 15.0-0! ) 15...c8 16.g1 h8
17.g2 e8! 18.h2 g6 19.c3 e8!
20.e1 f7 21.g2 fxg4 22.xg6 xg6
23.hxg4 h6+ 24.g1 g5! and Black had
excellent chances. Notice how Short
safeguarded his king with Be8 and Bg6
before attempting to seize the initiative. ]
11...d7 12.a3 0-0 13.h3 e8 14.g4 g6
15.h2 a5 So far Black has played
i m p e c c a b l y , b u t a f t e r 16.gxf5 xf5??
is a serious positional blunder. The bishop
was needed on g6 to solidify the kingside: i.e.
block the g file, add to the defence of f5 and
keep a white knight out of h5. Correct was
[ 16...exf5! The fact that this concedes White
a passed pawn in the centre has no
importance in a double edged middlegame. ]
17.xf5 exf5 18.g1 Now White's attack
almost plays itself. First of all he will double
rooks on the g file and try to force ...g6. d7
19.d3 d8 20.g2 a6 21.e3 c4
22.ag1 e6 This is a nice square for the
knight, but on the other hand it cuts off the
queen's defence of f5 and so makes a
subsequent ...g6 more or less obligatory.
23.c1 g6 Here it is. Black concedes that this
weakening move is necessary as White was
threatening Ng3 which both attacks f5 and
also plans Nh5. 24.h4! Chess at its simplest.
Having forced a weakness W hite begins to
a t t a c k i t . g7 25.g3 a4 26.h5 e6
27.h1 f7 28.g1! e8? Black's position
crumbles after this, but if
[ 28...g8 29.hxg6+ hxg6 30.h7
was unpleasant. ]
29.h6! h5 30.xh5 gxh5 31.xh5 f7
32.hh2 g8 33.b3 axb3 34.xb3 xg2+
35.xg2 f8 36.g5 h5 37.xh7 h4
38.g3 xg3 39.xg3 xh6 40.f6+ f7
41.xd5 a6 42.b3 A very smooth win by
White.
1-0
466 C05
McShane,Luke J 2480
Brynell,Stellan 2484
Bundesliga 2000-1 (3) 09.12.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 b6 8.a3
The analysis here should be compared with
that in Van der Wiel-Pliester. a5 Perhaps this
is already a mistake. Instead
[ 8...c4 would allow Black to adopt a strategy
similar to that in some lines of the
Advance Variation which includes moves
like Na5, Qc7, Nb6, Bd7 and Ba4.
Furthermore, Black's king would have the
option of going to the queenside away from
White's f4-f5 advance. ]
9.g3 e7 The inclusion of the rook pawn
moves helps W hite as in th e no rmal lin e
Black would have the option of entering the ...
cxd4 cxd4 Bb4+ Kf2 g7-g5! variation. But in
t h e p o si t i o n h e r e t h e r e is a p a wn o n a 3
preventing the bishop from checking. 10.h3
cxd4 11.cxd4 0-0
[ B l a c k c o u l d s p e c u l a t e w i t h 11...f6
though maybe 12.xe6 dxe5 13.xd5
409
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
is good for White- this time the pawn on a5
is a n u isa n c e a s it pre ven t s t h e qu e e n
winning the bishop on d5 with 13...Qa5+. ]
12.e2 f5 13.g4 d8 14.g3 b6
15.gxf5 exf5 16.c2! This forces Black to
play 16...g6 to defend f5. Positionally
speaking this is the move he wants to avoid at
all costs as it provides a 'hook' for W hite's
attack down the g file with h4-h5. It is clear
that to make this set up work Black needed to
have found time for Be6 before reaching this
position, so that here he could have defended
f5 a third time with Qd7. Better still the bishop
would have reached g6 via d7 and e8, but of
course there was never going to be time for
this. In fact I can't even see how Black could
even have found the extra tempo for Be6.
Therefore, it seems that Black made a
misjudgement in even entering this set up. g6
17.f1! Pawns are indeed the soul of chess
as the bishop makes way for the h pawn. e6
18.g2 a4 19.h4 c4 Black has played all
the right moves on the queenside to secure
his control of the light squares, and if only the
pawn were on g7 rather than g6 things
wouldn't be too bad for him! 20.h5 a5+
21.f2 b6 22.xc4! Very well calculated.
dxc4 23.hxg6 hxg6 24.e3 xb2+ 25.e2
Now g6 is attacked so Black has no time to
p a r r y t h e n e x t m o v e W h i t e p l a y s . f7
26.ab1 xa3 27.h7+ e8 28.xg6+
f7 29.xf7! xf7 30.e6 d8 31.e5
h4+ 32.f3 e7 33.b6 a6 34.xa6
bxa6 35.exf7+ xf7 36.g8+ f8
37.xf8+ xf8 38.g6+ e8 39.xh4 a3
40.c3 d6 41.c1 Another fine win by
Luke McShane against this type of centre.
1-0
467 C05
McShane,Luke J 2568
Zarnicki,Pablo 2536
IV Final Dos Hermanas (3.2) 22.03.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 b6 8.a3 a5
9.b3 White decides to take time out to stop
Black playing a5-a4 before developing with 9.
g3 or continuing the attack with 9.h4. Perhaps
it was the following game that was the most
influential:
[ 9.g3 a4 10.e2 e7 11.h3 cxd4
12.cxd4 b3! 13.xb3 axb3 14.d2 b6
15.c3 a4 16.c1 b5! 17.f2 0-0
18.d2 b4 19.axb4 xb4 20.xb4 xb4
21.xb3 xb2 and Black had the better of
the draw in Grischuk,A-Delchev,A/Linares
1999 ]
9...e7
[ Perhaps White does best to delay putting
h is b ish o p o n d 3 - h e re is h o w Mi c h a e l
Adams built up a winning attack in a recent
game: 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 e7 11.h4 f5
12.h5 h6? This just weakens his defences
down the g file. He had to play in the style
of McShane-Zarnicki with ( 12...0-0 ) 13.e2
0-0 14.g1 d8 15.c3 b6 16.a2!
d7 17.g4 fxg4 18.xg4 f7 19.d3 f8
20.g6 e8 21.ag2 and White had
crushing pressure along the g file in Adams,
Mi-Saiboulatov, D/2003. ]
10.h4 0-0 A courageous move as White now
gets a huge attack. Here is subscriber Franck
Steenbekkers in action- he gives up a piece
for two pawns and an attack:
[ 10...f6 11.d3 ( Maybe better is 11.h5
immediately.) 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 0-0 13.h5
xd4!? 14.xd4 fxe5 15.fxe5 xe5
16.b1 d7 17.gf3 d6 18.c2 xf3+
19.xf3 f5 20.d3 g3+ 21.d1 e5
22.g5 e4 23.e3 d6 24.h3 af8
25.a4 f1+ 26.xf1 xf1+ 27.c2 c6+
28.b2 e5+ 29.a2 xc1 0-1 Dumortier,
T-Steenbekkers,F/La Fere 2003. ]
11.d3 f5 Now the d4 pawn is hanging as
there is no Bxh7+ trick. 12.e3? Did White s
imply overlook the threat to the a3 pawn? At
any events this leads to a long and murky
tactical sequence. Assuming that White didn't
miss a win somewhere- always a big
assumption!- I would recommend the simple
[ 12.e2 as the better way to defend d4. ]
12...cxd4 13.cxd4 xa3! This wins a pawn
but much more importantly it gains the b4
square as a base for Black's pieces. 14.g4!
[ White has to do or die as if 14.xa3 b4+
picks up the rook. ]
14...b4+ 15.f1 fxg4 16.g5 dxe5!
Black exploits the double pin on d4 and f4 to
counterpunch in the centre. 17.xh7+ h8
410
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

18.g2 d7 The disappearance of the e5 ( 26.xc4 dxc4 27.xc4 c6 with ...Ba6
pawn means that Black can now utilise the f6 to come and serious pressure) 26...c6
square for the defence. 19.h5 f6 20.d3 ( 26...a2! ) 27.h3? xd3 28.xd3 a6-+
e7 21.h6 d7 A very calm move to say the D Howell- Robson, Puerto Madryn 2009. ]
least! McShane now throws everything he can 13...b6 14.e2 c4 Presto: Black already
at the black king but no mate appears. 22.f2 holds some advantage. 15.c2 h6 16.0-0
gxh6 23.xh6 b5 24.g8+ g7 25.h7+ 0-0 17.h5 a5! Black's most important idea.
xg8 26.c2 ac8 27.b1 f5 18.xc4 dxc4 19.bxa5 xa5 20.fb1 d7
Finally closing the door on the attack. 28.h1 [ 20...d7 with the idea ...Bb7 Black stands
c6 29.a2 c1 The exchange of queens is much better. ]
fatal for White. 21.b4 c6 22.d2 fd8 23.c3 dc8
0-1 24.g3 f5!? 25.gf1 d8 26.e3 f7
27.d1 b6 28.a4 bxa4 29.xa5 xa5
30.xc4?
468 C05 [ But 30.a3 b5 is pretty awful. ]
Nithander,Victor 2429 30...xd2
Richter,Michael 2488 [ 30...f3! ]
SS Manhem GM (7) 19.08.2011 31.xd2 xg2 32.e2 e4 33.da2 e7
[John Watson] 34.e1 e8 35.e2 d8 36.d2 a3
37.f2 c3 38.e1 e8 39.h2 a4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 40.d1 c1
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 b6 8.a3 e7 0-1
9.b4 cxd4 10.cxd4 a6 An effective way to
meet the a3 line. Black not only def ends
against b5 but prepares his own attack on the 469 C05
q u e e n s i d e . 11.h4!? This has been played Otte,Mari 2234
before but doesn't seem right. Picard,Ro 2353
[ W i l l i a m s a n a l y s e s 11.b2 I FirstSun Mallorca (2) 10.04.2012
h e r e , r e c o m m e n d i n g d8 , and after [John Watson]
( 11...c7 still seems to work, e.g., 12.c1
b5 13.c2 b7 14.f5!? exf5 15.xf5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
b6 ) 12.d3 , he mentions the consistent 5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 After almost a
b5 , which I think works well. But 12 Rc1 decade of popularity, this Universal System
stops ... b5, so I think 11...Qc7 is more has lost a little steam. Not that it isn't still
appropriate. ] important, and a few top players continue to
[ After 11.d3 , Black can safely grab by use it with fairly good results, but it seems
xd4 ] that there are several reliable solutions. g6
[ 11.e2 c7 12.d2 ( 12.c3 xb4! ) This move, for example, continues to do well.
12...b5 13.c1 b6 14.b3 c4 [ I haven't seen more tests of the remarkable
still looks satisfactory, although perhaps not 7...g5!? , but it deserves some. See my
as advantageous as the lines following 11 notes in Damaso-Agdestein in the
h4. ] Archives. ]
11...c7 12.d2 b5 The same plan what is 8.c2 A normal idea, but slightly odd order.
White to do? 13.d3 One idea of this move, used by Fedorchuk
[ 13.e2 b6 14.c1 c4 15.d3 a5 and Mamedov, is to play Nb3 without being
(Black already stands considerably better) forked by ...c4. White may also wait on 0-0 so
16.c5 0-0 17.d3 h6 18.c3 f6! 19.e2 that Black's ...0-0 can be met by h4-h5, but
b8 20.c2 f5 ( 20...xa3! ) 21.c1 xc5 that can be slow. b6!? An interesting attempt
22.bxc5?! ( 22.dxc5 d4! 23.xd4 xd4+ to e xp lo it t h e a b a n do n m e n t o f t h e f 1 -a 6
24.xd4 b7 ) 22...b4 23.axb4 axb4 diagonal. On the negative side, it prevents ...
24.b2 b3 25.d3 b4! 26.d2 Qb6 and means that an attack by ...b5 will

411
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
take an extra move.
[ Naturally 8...g7 is fine. If White plays too
slowly, he can lose the centre, e.g., 9.a3
( 9.0-0 transposes to normal lines; 9.h4 cxd4
10.cxd4 f6! 11.h5 fxe5 12.hxg6 hxg6!
13.xh8+ xh8 14.xg6+ e7; 9.b3
b6 10.g5 c7 11.0-0 a5 12.a3 a6
13.e1 Mamedov-Gupta, Dubai 2011 and
here 0-0 is simple and sound) 9...cxd4
10.cxd4 f6! 11.exf6 xf6 12.b3
( 12.e2 0-0 13.0-0 xd4 14.xd4 xd4
15.xe6+ h8 16.f3 c4 17.d1
b6 ) 12...e5! dares White to accept a
pawn by 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.xd5 e6
15.e4 , and 15...Bf5 or xf3+ 16.xf3
xf3 17.gxf3 c4! with advantage. ]
9.a3!? Slow.
[ 9.0-0 a6 ( 9...g7 10.e1 0-0 11.f1 )
10.e1 c7 11.f1 c8 12.b1 g7
is unclear, at least to me. ]
9...a6
[ Otte was also W hite in this game: 9...a5
10.f1 g7 11.h4 h6 12.e3 a6
13.g4 ( 13.h5 g5 14.g4 ) 13...c7
( 13...h5 14.g5 c7= ) 14.f4 0-0-0
15.d2 g5 16.hxg5? ( 16.g3! h5
17.e3 ) 16...hxg5 17.h2 cxd4 18.cxd4
xd4!? ( 18...dxe5! 19.dxe5 xe5 )
19.xd4 xe5 20.d3 xd3 21.xd3
c5 22.f3? xh2 23.b5 d7 24.c3
f4 Otte -Poobalasingam, Zurich 2010. ]
10.h4
[ 10.b4 c7 11.b1 e7!? ]
10...h6!? Fearing h5, but
[ 10...c7 11.h5 g5! is excellent for the
second player. ]
11.f1
[ Or 11.b4!? ]
11...c7 12.e3 Now White is well-poised to
meet a queenside attack by Black. c8 13.b4
cxd4 14.cxd4 e7
[ 14...g7 15.b1 ]
15.b2 f5 16.xf5? Positionally suspect,
ceding the light squares to Black's bishop.
White stands better after
[ 16.c1! ]
16...gxf5 17.a4 c4
[ Or 17...d3 ]
18.b5 a6!?
[ 18...g8 ]
[ 18...b7 ]
19.xa6
[ 19.xc4 axb5 20.d6+ xd6 21.b3
is complex. ]
19...g8
[ 19...b3!? 20.0-0 b8 21.a8 d7
22.a6= ]
20.g3 f6 21.c1? fxe5 22.dxe5?? c5
Ouch.
0-1
470 C05
Pearson,Michael 2187
Izoria,Zviad 2657
90th ch-Marshall CC (1) 01.12.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.ce2 c5 6.f4 cxd4
[ Alternatively Black could keep the tension
with 6...c6 etc. as we have seen in games
by Anand and others on ChessPub. ]
7.xd4 c6 8.gf3
[ This can hardly be called a mistake, but
8.c3 t o b e r e a d y t o a n s w e r xd4
at any point with 9.cxd4 keeping the pawn
centre, seems more appropriate. ]
8...e7 A more modest development than
[ 8...c5 but it has the virtue that it dulls
W hite's sense of danger and cajoles him
into choosing a rather reckless plan. ]
9.e3
[ The first step towards queenside castling.
T h e s i m p l e 9.c3 planning 10.Bd3 and 11.
0-0 would have given W hite a small edge
with little danger. ]
9...0-0 10.e2?! Now the queen makes way
for the king, but she blocks in the bishop on f1
and loses influence over the important d4
square. Safer was
[ 10.d3 ]
10...c5 11.0-0-0?!
[ Here was the last chance to change track
with 11.g3 intending 12.Bg2 and 13.0-0. ]
11...d7 12.b1 c8 13.g4 Having castled
queenside, White now begins a pawn storm.
Unfortunately for him, one of the black rooks
is already sitting on the semi open c-file, the
black queen has access to the a5 square, and
the black knights have attacking posts in easy
range on the a-file and b-file. It is no wonder
412
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
that things soon get very hot for the white king,
whilst the black king feels no rise in
temperature at all. a4! 14.f5?
[ This makes matters worse as it allows both
black bishops to enter the attack. However,
after 14.b3 a5 intending Nc4 15.xa5
xa5 things are also very uncomfortable for
the white king. ]
14...xd4 15.xd4 exf5! As a matter of
principle, Black normally avoids breaking up
his own centre in this fashion. Here, however,
his initiative is so strong that taking on f5
le a ds eit h er to his bisho p ga inin g t he f 5
square, or-if White prevents this as occurs in
the game- his rook benefits from an open f-file.
Thus the immediate
[ 15...a3 is less effective: 16.c1 b6
17.b3 exf5 18.g2! fxg4 19.xd5 f5
20.e4 and White is holding together his
position. ]
16.gxf5
[ Or 16.xf5 a3! and White doesn't even
have the move Nb3 to shelter the b2 pawn
from attack after Qb6. ]
16...a3! 17.e6
[ Instead 17.c1 b6 18.b3 xf5
is lethal, while obviously if ]
[ 17.bxa3 c3+ ]
17...fxe6 18.fxe6 e8 The bishop stays on
e8 until the end of the game, but the
possibility of Bg6, attacking c2, is a tactical
theme that plays an important role in over
stretching W hite's defence. 19.c1 b6
20.b3 f2! Now every black piece is
involved directly or indirectly in the attack.
21.e5 cxc2 22.e7 xb2 23.xd5+ h8
24.d2 cxd2 25.xd2 c3+ 26.xb2
xd5 A very nice game by Izoria.
0-1
471 C05
Plaskett,Jim 2513
Knott,Simon JB 2348
Challengers Hastings ENG (6) 03.01.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5
5.c3!? c6 Black again offers White the
chance of 'making it a French' with 6 e5, but
W hite steadfastly declines. 6.gf3 cxd4
7.cxd4 b4 8.b1 dxe4 9.xe4 e7
10.0-0 0-0 11.e1 d7 12.c3 c6
13.e5 c8 14.e3!? This begins an attack
which Black underestimates. Clearly he isn't
enjoying his Isolated Queen's Pawn
experience. bd5 15.h3 xc3 16.bxc3
e4? Black is too greedy. Control of all the
centre light squares is too much to ask for
here. Instead he should have satisfied himself
with
[ 16...d5 when 17.f3 is unclear. White still
has attacking chances, but if he is careless
the rook could easily find itself misplaced on
h3. ]
17.xe4 xe4 18.h5! Now the attack is
re a lly d a n ge ro u s. f6 19.h4 a5?!
Perhaps Black still thought the attack the
queenside gave him the initiative. Instead, the
defensively minded
[ 19...g6 20.g5 h5 would set more
p r o b l e m s . T h e b l a c k k in g si d e is m u c h
tougher than it looks. ]
20.d2 b5 21.g5 b2 22.c1 fd8
23.g4 f8 Black could fulfil his queenside
action with
[ 23...xd4 but unfortunately for him White
has the last laugh after 24.xf6+ xf6
25.xh7+ f8 26.b1!! when he wins
material in all lines. ]
24.e1 g8 It's all slaughter after this, but
the pressure on f6 had become intolerable.
25.xe7+ xe7 26.xh7 xc3 27.h8+
g8 28.h7 e7 29.xg7 f8 30.d5 d2
31.d6+
1-0
472 C05
Ponomariov,Ruslan 2743
Akopian,Vladimir 2678
FIDE GP Moscow RUS (4.1) 04.06.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e2 Very unusual at
this point in the game: we are much more
used to seeing 5.Nce2. cxd4? This is just the
response Ponomariov was hoping for: Black
doesn't want to play a Tarrasch pawn
st ru ct u re a n d so a vo id s t h e co n t e n t io u s
mainline with
413
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 7...b6 8.c3 Another plan was queenside [ a) 7...f6 is a good reply, as analysed in my
expansion with ] Play the French 4. Two other games from
[ 7...b5 but it was White who managed to get this month: ]
the pressure on the queenside after 8.a3!? [ b) 7...cxd4 8.bxd4 xd4 9.xd4 c5
b8 9.e3 b4 10.axb4 xb4 11.b3 a5 10.c3 a5 11.a4 b6 12.b5 0-0 13.0-0
12.c3 b8 13.dxc5 xc5 14.ed4 b6 f6 14.exf6 xf6= Longson, A (2328)-
15.d3 xd4 16.cxd4 e7 17.c2 a6 McPhillips, J (2199), Leeds 2013. ]
18.f2! f6 19.b1 f5 20.h3 b5 21.d2 [ c) 7...c4 8.bd2 b5 9.e2 e7
b4 22.xb4 axb4 23.a2 b6 24.hd1 ( Malakhov-Shulman in the Archives
etc. in Yudasin,L-Glek,I/Tilburg 1994. ] continued 9...b6 10.f1 d7 11.e3
8.exd4 Now you can just sit back and enjoy e7 12.0-0 c7 and I doubt that Black has
watching the FIDE W orld Champion's full equality; 9...b6 10.f1 f6 11.e3
t e c h n i q u e a t wo r k . T h e f i r s t s t a g e i s t o fxe5 12.fxe5 e7 13.c3 0-0 14.0-0 b4=
intensify his grip on d4. c5 9.e3 e7 was S Smagin-M Gurevich, Essen 2001)
10.c3 0-0 11.e2 xd4 12.xd4 e4 10.f1 f6 11.exf6!? ( 11.e3 0-0 12.0-0
13.0-0 d7 14.d3 a6 15.e2! Now White fxe5 13.fxe5 b4= ) 11...xf6 12.e3 0-0
wants to get rid of Black's knight, even at the 13.0-0 b6 14.c3 b4 15.e5 bxc3
cost of his own light squared bishop, as it is ( 15...xe5 16.fxe5 e4 ) 16.xc6 xc6
Black's best minor piece. Now admit it, would 17.bxc3 d7 18.g4 xg4 19.xg4
you have come to the same decision? c5 ab8= Bok, B (2520)-Saiboulatov, D (2388),
16.f2 xd3 17.xd3 c8 18.g4! Belgium 2013. ]
The third part of the plan is: threaten a pawn 8.c3 a5! 9.a4 cxd4
avalanche with f4-f5, which will make Black [ 9...e7 ]
react with f7-f5. Then the pawn exchange on 10.cxd4 db8 Unraveling his pieces, but a
e5 will o p e n up t h e d a rk squ a re s f o r h is better move order was
bishop and knight. f5 19.exf6 xf6 20.e1 [ 10...b4+! 11.f2 ( 11.d2 xd2+
c7 21.e3 xd4 22.xd4 Finally we have 12.xd2 0-0 ) 11...0-0 , e.g., 12.e3 e7
arrived at a classic good knight versus bad 13.b5 b8 14.c1 f5= ]
bishop situation. It all looks so easy when a 11.d3
player like Karpov or Ponomariov has the [ 11.b5! b4+ 12.d2 retains the option
white pieces. ce8 23.g5 c8 24.a3 f7 of castling. ]
25.g3 g6 26.e5 d7 27.h3 f7 11...d7
28.h2 ef8 29.e3 h5 30.xe6 [ 11...b4+! would keep the king in the
Cashing in the better minor piece chip to center. ]
emerge with an extra pawn. xe6 31.xe6 12.0-0 b4 13.b1 8a6 14.g5
f5 32.e5 g6 33.g3 h6 34.h4 hxg5 [ 14.e3 c8 ]
35.hxg5 5f7 36.xd5 c6 37.d4 c7 14...g6 15.h4 h5
38.d6 f5 39.d7! xg5+ 40.h4 c6 [ 15...h6 16.f3 e7= ]
41.xg5 An awesome game- White made his 16.g4!? Weakening, and perhaps not
2678 opponent look like a raw amateur. producing enough of an attack against proper
1-0 play. But in practice it's not easy to defend.
[ 16.e3 or ]
[ 16.f3 c8 17.g3 is better ]
473 C05 16...hxg4 17.xg4 h6? A bad spot for the
Safarli,E 2653 rook.
Tikkanen,H 2544 [ 17...g8! 18.h5 gxh5 19.xh5 g7 ]
19th European Teams (1.6) 08.11.2013 18.h5! gxh5
[John Watson] [ 18...xh5? 19.xf7! ]
19.h3 Now White has the dual ideas of f5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 an d Nxf 7 a n d it 's h ard t o se e ho w Bla c k
5.f4 c5 6.gf3 c6 7.b3 b6 should play. c6

414
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 19...e7 20.xf7! xf7
is similar. exf5 22.xh6 xh6 23.xf5
c6 ]
[ 19...g6!? 20.xg6 fxg6 may be the best
t r y t o d e f e n d a n e xc h a n g e d o wn f o r a
pawn. ]
20.xf7! xf7 21.f5 xd4 22.fxe6+ g8
23.xh6?! Having played so well, White
falters. He is winning immediately after
[ 23.exd7 xb3+ 24.h1 with the idea
xc1 25.g2+ h8 26.g1 e6 27.f5!
f7 28.axc1 ]
23...xb3+?!
[ Objectively, 23...xe6+ 24.e3 xe3+
25.xe3 g7 is better. ]
24.h1?? This is a more serious error.
[ 24.f2 xe6 25.xh5 xh6 ( 25...xh6
26.xf8+ ) 26.f5! is decisive. ]
24...xe6 25.g1+
[ 25.xb3 xh6 26.xd5+ e6 27.xb7
b8 28.g2+ g7 ]
25...h8 26.xb3 xh6 27.c2 c6
28.af1 g7?
[ 28...d4+! 29.h2 g7 ]
29.f3?
[ 29.g6! d4+ 30.g1 ]
29...c5 30.g3 e8 31.f5 h4?!
[ 31...d4+ 32.h2 d3 ]
32.g4 d4+?
[ 32...d7 33.h5 e4! ]
33.h2 d7 34.h5??
[ 34.e6! xe6 35.h5 ]
34...d3! 35.b1 xf5 36.xe8+ h7
37.xg7+ xg7 38.e7+ h8 39.e8+
g7 40.e7+ g8 41.a2+ e6 42.e8+
h7
0-1
474
Saltaev,Mihail
Gurevich,Mikhail
Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (7)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.f4 c6 7.df3 b6 8.h4 cxd4
9.cxd4 b4+ 10.f2 f6 11.e3 fxe5
[ T h i s i s m o r e e n e r g e t i c t h a n 11...e7
which gives White the chance to consolidate
his second rank with 12.d2 Then after a5
21.f5! 13.a4 0-0 14.e2 b4 15.xb4 xb4
16.c3 White had a pleasant advantage in
Zagrebelny-Williams, Hastings 1999. ]
[ However, it is worth noting that Bagirov,
an o t h e r e xp e rt in t his lin e , p re f e rs t h e
immediate 11...0-0 and only exchanges on
e5 next move if he thinks it appropriate.
Thus after 12.e2 he avoided it altogether
with a5 13.a3 e7 14.b3 f7 15.h5 d8
with an unclear position in Zagrebelny-
Bagirov, Abu Dhabi 2000. ]
12.fxe5 0-0 13.d3?
[ Another disaster for W hite was 13.c1?!
e7 14.d2 dxe5! 15.dxe5 d4 16.g5
b4! 17.d3 xe5 18.e4 d6 19.d3
xd3+ 20.xd3 e5 21.h5 f5 22.c4+
f7 23.e1 xb2 24.e2 a3 25.d1
e4! 26.xd4 g3+ and he resigned in
Zagre be ln y-Bagirov, Ab u Dab i 19 99 . A
very convincing display by Black. This game
was played a year before the encounter
between the same players given in the note
above- it seems Zagrebelny learnt to
overprotect d4 with 12 Ne2. Even so, I am
curious about the sacrifice ]
[ 13.e2 dxe5!? 14.dxe5 d4 for example
15.exd4 c5 16.c2 ( 16.g3 d8!? )
16...xe5 and despite White's extra piece it
isn't easy to see how he escapes the
pressure. ]
13...xd4! The thematic sacrifice proves
overwhelming here. 14.e2 xe5 15.xd4
g4+ 16.g3 d6+ 17.xg4 e5+ 18.g3
exd4+ 19.f2 g4 20.c1 ae8 21.exd4
This loses but in any case White has no way
to unwind his position. a5! This fine retreat
introduces the threat of Bb6 with a fatal pin on
d4. 22.b4 xb4 23.g3 h5 24.b1 c7+
White resigned as after 25 Kf2 the knight on
C05 d4 drops.
2526 0-1
2694
01.03.2001
475 C05
Slobodjan,Roman
Garcia,Denilson
Pamplona 1996
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 b6 8.g3 cxd4
415
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

9.cxd4 b4+ 10.f2 g5! The standard
move to break up White's centre. 11.fxg5
[ A n i m p o r t a n t a l t e r n a t i v e i s 11.e3
when Black can be ambitious with f6 e.g.
12.h3 fxe5 13.fxe5 0-0! In such positions
you have to be bold. White can now capture
on e 6 wit h c h e ck, bu t it h a s lo n g b e e n
known that this is highly risky. Af ter 14
Bxe6+ Kh8 Black would already be
threatening the riposte 15...Ndxe5!
A) 14.g4?! when c5! 15.xe6+ h8
16.dxc5 xb2+ 17.d2 g4! gave Black a
dangerous looking attack in Emms-Kosten,
British Championship 1985. In the French
Tarrasch, John Emms suggests W hite
should now bail out with 18.b1
( 18...d4+ 19.e3! ) 19.xd7 d4+
20.e3 xd1 21.xd1 xd7 22.xd5
e6 'with a roughly equal endgame' Of
course, it depends what you mean by
'roughly', but I think White still has some
problems here.;
B) 14.c1 [ T h i s i s s a f e r t h a n e7!
This move, first mentioned in Mastering
the French, is an attempted improvement
on the game Pyda-Likavsky,
Czechoslovakia 1991, which went instead
( 14...h8? 15.g4! e7 16.h4! gxh4
17.h3 hxg3+ 18.xg3 and White soon
had a decisive attack. By retreating the
bishop immediately Black saves a move
and immediately attacks b2. There are
many interesting variations, e.g.) 15.e2
and here ( 15.c2 dxe5 16.dxe5 d4;
15.g4 xb2+ 16.c2 a3; 15.b3!? )
15...xb2 looks unclear, while
( 15...xf3+!? 16.xf3 g4+ is worth
investigating. In Mastering the French
Andrew Harley and I gave the more
placid continuation 15 Qb3 Qxb3 16 axb3
Nb6 when Black can generate counterplay
wit h . . . a 5 a n d . . . a 4 . I f t h is a l l s e e m s
rather frightening, Black has a slightly
more solid alternative to 11...f6 in 11...g4!
when 12 Nd2 [12 Nh4 Be7!] 12...f6! proved
good for Black in Yakovich-Machulsky,
USSR 1985. More analysis can be found
in Mastering the French. )]
11...dxe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.e3
[ After 13.g2 c4 ( 13...c6 also has its
a d v o c a t e s .) 14.f3 d7 15.b3 d6
16.f4 e4 17.c1 d6 the position is
unclear. ]
13...c4 This seems to have become the
preferred choice over
[ 13...c6 Black attacks the bishop on e3
and pawn on b2 and so compels White to
give u p his 'goo d' kin g's bish op . Th en ,
despite a certain raggedness in his pawn
structure-a hole on f6 and a loose pawn on
c4-Black's superiority on the light squares
gives him sufficient play. ]
14.xc4 dxc4 15.f3 d6 16.c2 c6
17.he1 0-0 Black would like to play
[ 17...b5 aiming for an attack on the light
squares with 18...Bb7, but White gets in first
xe5 with 18.d5! xd5 19.ad1 c6 20.d4
a6 21.xb5 etc. ]
18.f4 b5 19.xd6 b7! 20.e4 xe4
21.xe4 xe4 Here a draw was agreed. This
was somewhat premature, but a possible
finish is 22.xf8 xf3 23.xf3 xf8 24.a4
b8 25.axb5 xb5 26.xa7 xb2
with an equal endgame.
½-½
476 C05
Sosna,Jan 2357
Matlak,Marek 2469
Czech Extra League 2000-1 (3) 17.12.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.c3 cxd4 7.cxd4 c6 8.df3 f5
9.d3 e7 10.h3? Not a good square for
the knight. Furthermore, as White is planning
Rg1 and g4, the fact that the knight is
blocking the h pawn from following up with h4
and h5 is also a big drawback. The natural
move was
[ 10.e2 when b6 transposes to
McShane-Bischoff. ]
10...b6 11.0-0 0-0 12.h1 d7 13.g1
W hite prepares the advance g2-g4 in
methodical style. e8! The golden rule in this
position is that Black is doing fine as long as
he isn't forced into weakening himself with g7-
g6. And there is no better way to ensure this
than by putting his bishop on g6 where it adds
to the defence of f5 and forms a shield on the
g file. 14.g4 g6 15.e3 c4!

416
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Black prepares a positional pawn sacrifice to opponent has a rook and bishop still asleep.
gain control of the light squares. 16.e2 b4 20.b3 xd4 21.xe7 e2+ 22.g2
17.gxf5 exf5! The correct recapture. The f2+ 23.h3 g1+ 24.h4 xh2+
bishop is an excellent blockader of the g file 0-1 Amiri,P-Gleizerov,E/Tehran IRI 2005. ]
so 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 e7 10.h4 White believes
[ 17...xf5?! was less good, though not as that he can afford the luxury of space gaining
fatal as in the Bischoff game mentioned pawn moves in view of the fixed centre, but he
above, since the knight is so badly placed is taking a risk.
on h3. Nevertheless, W hite could reply [ More sensible was rapid development with
18.hg5!? and try to exploit the loosening of 10.h3 0-0 11.e2 f6
Black's defences along the g file. ] A) Another line that deserves investigation
18.xc4 is th e gree d y 12.xe6+ h8 13.exf6
[ He should decline the offer with 18.b1! ] xf6 14.xc8 but then Black has b4+!
18...dxc4 19.xc4+ f7 20.e6 15.d2 xd2+ 16.xd2 e4 17.d3
[ Or 20.e2 h5! with ample play for the a5+? ( The way to cause maximum
pawn as if 21.c4+? d5! etc. ] disruption to White's position seems to be
20...h5 21.g3 c8 22.b3 d5 23.d2 17...b4+ a s i f t h e n 18.c3?! xb2!
c4 Now Black has assumed control of all the is possible.) 18.c3 b4 19.e2 axc8
important light squares. 24.e1 c6 25.g1 20.0-0 xc3 21.bxc3 xc3 22.e7!
xf3 26.xf3 xd4+ 27.e3 xb2 cc8 23.ab1 c6 24.xb7 xa2
28.h1 c2 29.f2 xa2 30.eg1 f6 25.bc1 a4 26.c5 and White's more
31.g2 b2 32.d5 e7 33.xg7+ secure p awns an d king f inally paid in
A mista ken co mbinat ion, b ut he was two Malakhov, V-Williams,S/Tallinn 1997.;
pawns down any way. xg7 34.d4 xd4 B) 12.f1!? White decides to castle by
35.xd4 g6 hand- a laborious process, but assuming
0-1 Black has no tactical means to break open
th e ce n t re h e sh o uld e m e rge wit h a n
enduring advantage. db8 ( If 12...h8
477 C05 13.f2!? might also be the best plan.)
Sulskis,Sarunas 2564 13.f2 d7 14.f1 a5 15.g2 a6
Saiboulatov,Danial 2359 16.c3 c7 17.e3 a7 18.a4 fxe5
21st Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (1) 19.fxe5 e8 20.c1 g6 21.c5 xc5
[Neil McDonald] 22.xc5 and White had all his pieces in
play with useful pressure in McShane,L-
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 Kinderman,S/Lippstadt 1998. ]
5.c3 c5 6.f4 c6 7.df3 b6 8.g3 10...f6 11.a3 0-0 12.b4? White's last three
[ Similar is 8.e2 e7 9.g3 0-0 10.h3 moves are an incredible act of provocation
cxd4 11.cxd4 f6 12.0-0? from the Grandmaster- does he really believe
Only an inexperienced player would ignore he can ge t a wa y wit ho u t de velop ing a n y
the dynamism in Black's set up and blithely pieces? fxe5 13.dxe5 a5! Black takes the
castle here. The more circumspect ( 12.f1 time to loosen up the white queenside before
would transpose to 12.Rf1 in McShane- making a sacrifice. 14.b5 cxe5! This is it: a
Kindermann- see the note to move 10 of the cla ssic ret ribut io n f o r W h ite 's n egle ct o f
m a i n g a m e .) 12...fxe5 13.xe6+ h8 development. 15.fxe5 xe5 16.a2 c5!
14.fxe5 dxe5 The standard breakout that 17.d3
exploits the pin on d4. 15.xd5 defending [ Not surprisingly White is pushed around
the knight on f3 again, but... h3! 16.xe5 after 17.xe5 f2+ 18.d2 ( or 18.e2
xf1 17.f7+ xf7 18.xf7 xe2 19.xe2 xg1 ) 18...d4+ 19.d3 e3+ 20.e1
f8 What follows is complete demolition. ( White loses his queen after both 20.e2
And no wonder: the centre is wide open and g4+ and; 20.c2 a4+ ) 20...xc1
Black is playing with all his pieces whilst his 21.xc1 ( 21.xc1? xf1+ ) 21...e4+

417
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
22.e2 ( 22.e2 xh1 ) 22...xd3!
Better than taking on h1 when W hite can
play 23.Qe3. Now Black keeps up a huge
attack as White has no good way to defend
g3 as if 23.e3 b1+ ]
17...g4 18.g5 f2+ 19.d2 e5
Black pays no heed to the h7 pawn as he will
be the first to deliver mate. 20.xh7+ h8
21.c2 xb5 22.a4 b4 23.xd5 e6!!
A beautiful conclusion to the line-clearing
strategy that Black has pursued since the
opening. 24.xe6 ac8+ 25.d3 c3+
[ The final position looks more like the
conclusion to a problem than a real game
after 25...c3+ 26.e2 ( 26.e4 c4+ )
26...e1+ 27.d3 c3# ]
0-1
478 C05
Van der Lende,I 2169
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2592
Cultural Village 2012 (7.2) 26.11.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5
5.c3 The move recommended by Yevseev in
his Fighting the French book. cxd4 6.cxd4
dxe4 7.xe4 b4+!?
[ In PTF4, I give two other moves which both
deny White the most stereotyped of isolated
pawn positions: a) 7...xe4 8.xe4 b4+
9.d2 xd2+ 10.xd2 d7 11.e2!
( 11.f3?! f6 12.c2 0-0 13.0-0 b6
is already better for Black the position is
too simplified for White to create threats or
become active )]
[ b) 7...d7 (with the idea ..Nxe4 and ...Bc6)
8.c3 ( if 8.xf6+ xf6 9.f3 , then b4+
10.d2 xd2+ 11.xd2 c6 is strong))
8...c6 ( or 8...c6 9.f3 b6
, threatening ...Nxd4 - see PTF4) 9.f3
bd7 is equal, for example, 10.0-0 e7
11.e2 ( 11.e1 0-0 12.c2 b6 13.d3
fd8 and Black has the pressure) 11...0-0
12.d2 b6 with good play. ]
8.c3 0-0 9.f3 b6 10.0-0 b7 11.g5
bd7 12.c1
[ 12.e1 would transpose into Yevseev's line
11 Re1 Nbd7 12 Bg5. Then he likes the
setup with Qe2 and Rac1, so the play is
similar to what follows . ]
12...c8!?
[ 12...e7 13.e1 e8 14.e2 g6
( Y e vs e e v p r e f e r s 14...d5 ) 15.a6!
Lalic-Hulak, Hrvatska 1995. ]
13.e2 xc3!? 14.bxc3 c7 15.fd1!?
[ 15.fe1! is more natural and more in tune
with Yeseev's recommended setup. Then h6
16.h4 ( 16.d2!? ) 16...h5! 17.b1 f4
18.d3 g6 19.g3 xg3 20.hxg3 d6
is unclear. ]
15...fe8 16.h4 f4?!
[ 16...h5!= , in view of 17.xh7+? xh7
18.g5+ g6 ]
17.g3 g4 18.a6! Well spotted. Black's
queen looks out of play on g4. xa6 19.xa6
e4 20.c4 c6 21.e5!?
[ 21.h3 e4 22.h2 leaves Black rather
cramped and without an obvious plan. ]
21...xe5 22.dxe5?! Now White's bishop will
be bad for a while.
[ T h e o b vi o u s 22.xe5 looks correct and
minimally better for W hite. Perhaps d7
23.f4 e5 is best, accepting a manageable
disadvantage after 24.dxe5 xe5 25.c5!
bxc5 26.xc6 xc6 27.xc5 b4 ]
22...e4 23.xa7!
[ 23.f4 c5 ( 23...c5 ) 24.f1 d4!
with the idea 25.xa7 c3 ]
23...a8 24.d7 xd7 25.xd7 xa2 26.f3
c5!?
[ 26...xg3 27.hxg3 h5 28.h2 c8
29.b7 c6 30.f4 is more-or-less equal. ]
27.d6 b2
[ 27...b8= ]
28.f2 h5 29.d4 b3 30.xc5!?
[ 30.c6 a8 31.xc5 bxc5 32.c2= ]
30...bxc5 31.c2 c8 32.d7
[ 32.h4 e3 33.f4 c7 34.f2 a3 ]
[ 32.f2 ]
32...h4! 33.f2 g5! Black's extra space on
the kingside is useful, and his pawns cramp
White. This may not be a winning advantage,
but when Black gets his rooks into play it
turns into one. 34.e2
[ 34.g3 a8 35.gxh4 gxh4 36.c7 aa3
37.xc5 xf3+ ]
34...g7 35.a2 g6 36.aa7? b2+
37.f1 f8 38.h3 c2 39.ac7 b8
40.g1?? Time pressure panic.
[ 40.b7 xb7 41.xb7 xc4 ]
418
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
40...b1+ 41.h2 cc1
0-1
479 C05
Van der Wiel,John TH 2459
Michiels,Bart 2501
InventiChess GM (9.1) 11.09.2011
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 b6 8.a3 a5
9.e2
[ 9.b3 is pretty much the main move, and
was played this month in two particularly
interesting games: e7 ( 9...cxd4 10.cxd4
e7 11.a2 isn't quite as flexible for Black)
10.a2!? (b) ( Also this month: 10.h4 f5!?
11.h5 h6 12.e2 f8?! - awkward -
13.f2!? d7 14.e3 a4 Bhatia, K (2108) -
Poobalasingam, P (2299), Sunningdale
ENG 2011 and 15.b4 should preserve some
advantage )
A) (a) 10...0-0 11.d3 f5!? ( 11...f6
should probably be met by 12 Bc2 instead,
Black can get some initiative after 12.e2
cxd4 13.cxd4 fxe5 14.fxe5 xf3! 15.gxf3
h4+ 16.f1 dxe5 ) 12.b1 ( 12.e2
d8!? 13.b1 b5 14.0-0 a6 15.e3
b4 16.c4 dxc4 17.d5 cxb3 18.xb3 a4
19.d1 dxe5 20.fxe5 xd5 ) 12...c7
13.h3 ( 13.e2 b5 14.dxc5 xc5 15.b4
axb4 16.axb4 xa2 17.xa2 e4 )
13...b5 14.g4;
B) 10...f6 11.d3 0-0 12.b1
B1) 12...c4!? 13.c2 f5 14.bxc4 dxc4
15.g4! b5! 16.a4 d5 17.g2 b6
18.e2 and White is faster, even if
Black can defend;
B2) 12...c7 13.e2 b6 14.c2! f5
15.g4 a6 16.gxf5 exf5 17.g3 g6
18.h4 with a serious attack;
B3) 12...g6 13.h4 c4 14.h5 ( 14.b4
axb4 15.axb4 xa2 16.xa2 fxe5
17.fxe5 dxe5 18.dxe5 xe5 19.b1
g4; 14.c2 may be best) 14...xb3
15.c2 xc2 16.xc2 g5! 17.exf6
xf6 18.fxg5 g4 19.e2 e5 20.dxe5
gxe5 21.f4 g4 22.xd5 ae8
23.xe7+ xe7 24.0-0 ( 24.xe5 d5
and W hite will lose considerable
material );
B4) 12...h8!? 13.h4 c4 ( 13...f5!? )
14.c2 f5 15.bxc4 dxc4 16.g4 c7
17.gxf5 exf5 18.g5 ( 18.d5 dxe5
19.fxe5 xe5 20.e2 g4 21.d4
d7 with compensation, but White is for
choice ) 18...b6 19.e2 g8 20.h5
xg5 21.hxg5 g6 22.h3 e6
Rudd, J (2278)-Madan, A (2326)
Coulsdon ENG 2011. ]
9...a4
[ 9...f5 is a different structure which has led
to equal play in many games, but Black has
to play accurately to avoid too dramatic a
kingside attack. ]
10.g4
[ A s a m p l e a n a l y s i s f o l l o w i n g 10.f5!?
would be exf5 11.f4 cxd4 12.cxd4 a5
13.d2 xd4 14.xd4 xd4 15.xa5
xf4 16.xd5 c5 17.b5 0-0 18.xd7
f2+ 19.d1 xd7 20.xd7 xb2 21.c1
b3+ 22.c2 b1+ 23.c1 b3+= ]
10...a5 11.f2 h5 12.gxh5 b6
[ 12...xh5 13.g3 h6 is likely better ]
13.h4?!
[ 13.f5! is thematic, and justified by exf5
14.f4 e6!? ( 14...d8; 14...d7 )
15.g5! h6 16.d2 a7 17.e3 ]
13...c4 14.h3 a6 15.c2 b6
[ 15...cxd4 16.cxd4 e7 has the idea ...Nf5
and perhaps ...Rc6. ]
16.g5 e7 17.dxc5 xc5+ 18.d4 d7
[ Or 18...c6 19.d1 e7 White's attack
isn't progressing. ]
19.g3 xh5 20.g4 h8 21.h5 c8
22.e1 g6 23.hxg6 fxg6 24.e2 f5+
25.xf5 gxf5 26.xf5??
[ 26.f3 ]
26...exf5 27.e6 xe6 28.xe6 xe6
29.xf5 h6 and wins 30.g4 f7 31.f5
xf5 32.xh6 xg4 33.f2+ f5 34.af1
xh6 35.xf5+ g8 36.h4 d7
0-1
419
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
480 C05
Van der Wiel,John TH 2555
Pliester,Leon 2365
HZ Open Vlissingen (3) 1997
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.f4 cxd4 This could wait. After
[ 6...c6 7.df3 b6 the plan White
adopts in our main game wouldn't be so
effective, as Black could answer 8.a3 with
c4 followed by ...Na5 and ...Nb3. ]
7.cxd4 c6 8.df3 b6 9.a3!?
Since Black 's ...Bb4+ can prove very
disruptive, White spends a tempo ruling it out.
a5?! It would be better to aim for immediate
counterplay on the kingside with
[ 9...e7 10.e2 f6! Then Black seized the
initiative in Tischbierek-Knaak, Zittau 1989,
after 11.g3 ( or 11.b4 a5! ) 11...0-0 12.exf6
xf6 13.g2 e4 14.0-0 e5!? 15.fxe5
g4 16.f4 g5! 17.e3 xf3 18.xf3
xf3 19.xf3 xe5 and went on to win
quickly. It is reasonable to suppose that Van
der W iel, a great opening analyst, would
have had an improvement ready for White.
However, it would hardly have been likely to
have caused as much damage as Black
inflicts on himself with this virtually
pointless move. ]
10.e2 e7 11.f5! Black's ti me wasting
ninth move has allowed White to carry out this
key advance with impunity. If 11...exf5 12 Nf4
is crushing. f6!?
[ After the solid 11...0-0 12.f4 still looks
good. Therefore Black decides to
counterattack, hoping that W hite has
overextended himself. ]
12.f4 fxe5 13.xe6 f6?
[ According to Van der Wiel in Informator 70,
B l a c k c o u l d h a v e t r i e d 13...f6!
with complications after 14.xg7+ f8
or 14 dxe5 Ne4! ]
14.fg5 g6? After this the White attack
becomes overwhelming. The only move was
[ 14...xd4! when, despite the apparent
s t r e n g t h o f 15.h5+ Van der Wiel in his
post game analysis was unable to find a
convincing way for W hite to conclude his
attack. I imagine, as is normal these days,
he fed the position to a strong computer
program and got an emotionless opinion.
Therefore, he gives as W hite's best
co n t in u a t io n ( 15.xd4 xd4 16.xd4
exd4 17.e6 with some advantage due to
Black's shattered pawn structure. I doubt if
Van der Wiel would have satisfied himself
with such a modest continuation if Pliester
had found 14...Nxd4. I suspect he would
have continued playing for the attack. At the
same time it is no surprise that Black was
terrified of the queen check on h5 and so
played the inferior 14...g6. If you feed this
game to a strong computer program it will
soon tell you that Black should play 14...
Nxd4. It isn't afraid of 15 Qh5+ because it
isn't afraid of anything! Any assessment of
a p osition h as to t ake into a ccoun t th e
human tendency to become afraid or
depressed during a game. Therefore, it is
reasonable to say that Black is facing a
dangerous attack after 14 Nfg5 and buckles
under the pressure with 14. ..g6? eve n
though a computer would regard the position
as simply equal. )]
15.fxg6 hxg6 16.d3! An excellent move.
White wins time to infiltrate down the c file by
forcing the black knight to move from c6 to
cover g6. e7 17.c2! b8 18.b5!
Both kings are in the centre, but Black's is in
grave danger whereas White's is sitting pretty.
The reason is that all White's pieces can be
readily brought into the battle, while Black is
unable to develop his queenside. The knight
on d 7, p in ne d an d th eref ore im mo va ble ,
paralyses the bishop on c8 who in turn shuts
in the rook on b8. It is no wonder that in the
final attack it feel as if White has got two or
three extra pieces! xg5 19.c7+ f7
20.xg5 f5 21.0-0-0 xd4 22.xd4!
This is pretty though straightforward. When
yo u r o p p o n e n t h a s a ro o k a n d a b is h o p
entombed and a wide open king, you can bet
i t ' s n o t b a d t o g i v e u p t h e e xc h a n g e t o
elimin a te t he b est d e f en sive p ie c e . exd4
23.f1+ g7 24.e1 xh2 25.d8! d3
This desperate counterattack is doomed to
failure. The finish is an impressive carve up.
26.xd3 f2 27.e6+ h7 28.f1 e5
29.g5+ g7 30.c3 xg2 31.xe5+
h6 32.h8# checkmate!
1-0
420
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
481 C05
Van der Wiel,John TH 2506
Ryan,Joseph 2289
Lost Boys Amsterdam (1) 27.07.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.f4 cxd4 7.cxd4 c6 8.df3 f5
9.h3 This is Van der Wiel's pet line at the
moment versus the Tarrasch 8. ..f5.
[ Instead 9.d3 e7 10.e2 b6 11.h3
a5 ( Here I would suggest 11...0-0 12.g4
d7 13.0-0 e8 followed by Bg6, in the
style of games given on ChessPub. If White
plays g4xf5, Black recaptures with the pawn,
e6xf5: it means nothing in the middlegame
that the pawn on e5 is a passed pawn. The
point of putting the bishop on g6 is to block
the g file.) 12.g4 a4 ( 12...0-0! ) 13.0-0 0-0
14.h1 a3 15.b3 b4 16.b1 c7
17.d2 d7 18.g1 ac8 19.gxf5 exf5
20.e1 and here subscriber Franck
Steenbekkers points out that W hite had a
big advantage in the game Ivanov-Kraai usa
ch.2002 inf.83 game 145. ]
9...e7 10.g1 0-0 11.g4 b6 12.a3!?
In the notes to the game Cobb-McDonald on
ChessPub [I'm pleased to get the chance to
mention a game I won!] there is given Van der
Wiel-Werle. In that game Black held the draw.
Van der W iel's attempted improvement is
avoid 'wasting' a move on 12.Bd3 and getting
on with the deployment of the rook to the
kingside straightaway with 12.a3, 13.b3, 14.
Ra2 and 15.Rag2. After 12.Bd3, Werle gave
up on the standard plan of 12...Bd7 and Be8
etc. in favour of 12...Qe8. The questions
arises whether Black also save a move so that
in the def en ce/at tack o n the kingside h e
doesn't fall behind the Werle game. it will be
seen that he can forgo a7-a5 in favour of a
constructive move on the kingside. a5?
[ Instead, in the style of Van der Wiel-Werle,
Black can play 12...e8 e.g. 13.b3 d7
14.a2 h8 15.gxf5 exf5 16.ag2 h5
etc. following in Werle's footsteps. There is
no n e e d t o p la y a 7 -a 5 , a s W hit e ga in s
nothing by playing b2-b4: in fact he weakens
the c4 square and allows Nc4. ]
13.b3 d7 14.a2 e8 15.ag2 g6
This ugly move is an admission that his plan
has failed, but the consistent move seems to
lead to disaster, e.g.
[ 15...g6 16.gxf5 exf5 17.fg5 d7
18.xh7! xh7 19.xg7+ h8 20.xh7+
xh7 21.h5# ]
16.hg5 d7 17.gxf5 exf5 18.h4!
Now W hite's attack looks irresistible. h8
19.b5 c8 20.h5 gxh5 21.e6 d6
22.xc6 bxc6 23.f7+ xf7 24.exf7 e6+
25.e5 d6 26.xh5 f6 27.xh7+!
A c o m b i n a t i o n t o g a i n m a t e r i a l . xh7
28.h1+ h4+ 29.xh4+ h6 30.xh6+
xh6 31.g6+ h7 32.xd6 ac8 33.d2
a4 34.bxa4 g7 35.b4 a8
1-0
482 C05
Wade,Robert Graham
Uhlmann,Wolfgang
Skopje/Ohrid (18) 1968
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 cxd4 8.cxd4 h5
Looking at old games helps us to understand
how modern theory has developed. Uhlmann
was one of the great pioneers of the French,
and inevitably his experiments led to the
occasional sharp defeat. Here the German
Grandmaster aims to put up a barrier against
W hite's natural plan of kingside expansion
with g2 -g4 . T he re a re , h owe ve r, se rio u s
problems with the idea. Black is in eff ect
renouncing the chance to castle kingside by
loosening his pawns in this fashion.
Furthermore, if he follows up with g7-g6, to
deter an f4-f5 advance, he has to reckon with
a possible Bxg6 sacrifice, after White plays
Bd3. This sacrifice might be combined with
the manoeuvre Ng5, putting the knight on an
ideal square, deep in enemy territory where it
can hardly be dislodged by f7-f6. If we imagine
a white knight on g5 and a bishop on d3, a
sacrifice of the kind Nxe6! f7xe6 Bxg6+ is on
the cards. Th ese co nsid era tio ns help u s
realise why
[ 8...f5! is a much better way to block the
kingside. First of all, it means that after
Bd3 White's bishop is staring at a brick wall
on f5- unless he plays e5xf6 en passant but
421
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
then after Nxf6 he has lost the spearhead of
his pawn structure on e5. Secondly,
kingside castling remains perfectly feasible
for Black, as there is no weakness on h5 or
g6 to provoke a white attack. And thirdly,
the long term manoeuvre Bc8-d7-e8-g6 or
h5 is made possible, which activates the
light squared bishop. And lastly, it may seem
that Ng5 is made stronger for White, as e6
is attacked. But that's not the case, as Black
has Nb6, when the bishop on c8 defends e6,
and can then if necessary eliminate the
knight by exchange with Be7 and Bxg5. With
the black pawn on f5, White can't do much
to attack along the f-file, whereas if Black
has adopted the alternative h5/g6 structure,
the f7 square becomes a target- all the more
so as the black king would most likely have
stayed in the centre. ]
9.a3 b6 10.d3 d7 11.e2 a5 12.0-0
a4 13.e1
[ Many years later a strong English player
ca rrie d o u t t h e sa m e p la n o f a t t a ck a s
Wade: 13.d2 a5? It doesn't help Black
at all that he gives his opponent a valuable
tempo to out his queen on e1. ( Though to
be fair 13...g6 14.b1! -aiming to sac on
g6- g8 15.e1 isn't exactly joyful for
Black either. Even if his king survives in
the centre, how is he going to get his rook
on g8 coordinated with his other pieces?)
14.xa5 xa5 15.e1! a8 16.f5! exf5
17.f4 h6 18.e6! fxe6 19.xf5 f6
20.xe6 xf4 21.xd7+ d8 22.b5 e7
23.e5 xd4+ 24.h1 d6 25.f7+ c7
26.c1+ c4 27.xh6 gxh6 28.xc4
dxc4 29.e6 b5 30.cd1 f8 31.f7+
1-0 Rudd, J-Cox, J/Torquay 2002 ]
13...a5 Uhlmann's queenside counterplay is
ga t h e ring p a c e , wit h t h e c4 a n d b 3 ligh t
squares beckoning the black knights. On the
other hand, they are a long way from the
defence of their king, a fact not lost on Wade.
[ Black might have tried 13...g6 but the white
queen can go to g3 introducing ideas of
Bxg6, or even Ng5 and Nxf7. ]
14.f5! A thematic breakthrough. exf5 15.e6!
Clearing the e5 square for the white knight.
fxe6
[ Black decides to keep the e-file blocked.
Instead White has a dangerous attack after
15...xe6 16.f4 with ideas of 17.Nxe6 or
17.Bxf5. ]
16.g3 f7 Covering the g6 square. 17.f4
g8 So Black has castled of sorts, but in the
absence of his own cavalry the attack of the
white knights is irresistible. 18.g6 b3
The black knight tries to make amends by
eliminating the dangerous bishop on c1.
[ Or 18...h7 19.g5 ( Also strong is
19.g5!? as Black unexpectedly loses a
piece after e8?! 20.xf8 xf8 21.c7! )
19...h6 Black should instead submit to
losing the exchange on h7. 20.xe6! xe6
21.xh6 gxh6?! 22.f4+ and White wins. ]
19.xh8 xc1 20.axc1 xh8 21.e5
e8 22.c7! Just when it appeared that the
white attack was flagging comes this strong
entrance by the rook. h4 Uhlmann tries to
hunt down the rook on c7 by driving the white
queen from the dark square diagonal, but
Wade has another surprise in store for him.
[ If 22...xc7 23.g6+ xg6 24.xc7 ]
23.f4 g5 24.g6+! g8
[ Transposing is 24...xg6 25.e5+ g8 ]
25.e5 Th rea t en ing ma t e o n h 8 . xg6
26.xe6+ h8 27.xb7 Now Black has two
pieces hanging, which means he will have to
suffer both an open king and heavy material
losses. e8 28.xb6 g7 29.xg6 e3+
30.h1 xd3 31.h5+! g8 32.d1
Saving the rook and hitting the black queen,
so t h a t t h e o t h e r r o o k c a n r e t u r n t o t h e
seventh rank. c2 33.b7 f8 34.xg7+!
xg7 35.xg5+ h7 36.c1 Now the black
queen dare not move as the rook check on c7
will le a d t o a q u ic k m a t e . e8 37.h3!
A quiet move to crown a fine attacking game.
I don't think we should criticise Bob Wade for
missing mate in 10 moves with
[ 37.xh4+ g6 38.xc2 etc! ]
1-0
483 C06
9.Nf4!? Tarrasch Analysis
N,Archana
[Kostas Oreopoulos, Wei Ming]
I was quite pessimistic in the August update
wh e n I a n a l yze d R u b l e s vk y- V o l k o v a n d
claimed that White can play for 2 results with
422
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
9.Nf4!? in the Classical Tarrasch. Along came
Kostas Oreopoulos with what might be the
antidote to this variation. I've added some
notes where I thought appropriate and let's 18...b6 Now, Black is threatening 19...Ne4.
see what Kostas has to share with the
ChessPub community: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5
3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6
7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.f4!? xd4
10.h5+ e7 11.exf6+ xf6 12.g6+
hxg6 13.xh8 f7 14.h4 e5 15.f3
This was the variation analyzed in the afore-
mentioned game. Now, Kostas recommends
b4+!? as an alternative to the more common
[ 15...xf3+ To my surprise, I could only find
a handf ul of games with this line which
means we are entering the unexplored! ]
[ Kostas nicely pointed out that the move
o r d e r w i t h 15...e4 allows an additional opined that this is maybe the best option for
o p t i o n f o r W h i t e : 16.xd4 b4+
and now White can play 17.d2 besides 17.
Kf1. ]
16.f1 Forced.
[ 16.d2?? xf3+ 17.gxf3 xd2+ 18.xd2
e4+!-+ ]
[ 16.d2? e4 17.0-0 g5! also wins material.
(Wei Ming) ]
16...e4 17.xd4 exd3 Threatening ...d2.
18.g5! This is probably best.
[ 18.f4?! a5!? Again threatening ...d2.
( 18...b6!? is also playable: 19.b3 d7
20.e3 and here, the game was agreed
drawn in Arzumanian, G (2433)-Cech, P
(2404)/Brno 2004 but Moskalenko correctly
pointed out that Black can continue playing
f o r t h e w i n a f t e r b5!? with a fine
in it iat ive .) 19.e3 d7 20.g1 g8
Now, Black is ready for ...Ne4. 21.b3 b5
22.d1 b6 23.g5 f5 and White is
struggling to find a constructive plan. ]
[ 18.e3 c5 19.e1 b6! This move
should be second nature by now. 20.f3
xe3 21.xe3 g8 22.d4 f5 22.b3
and again, Black has good compensation
after 23.h3 xd4 24.xd4 c8! ]
[ 18.f3 e7 19.e3 f5 Black has nicely
developed his pieces while White's are still
in complete disarray. 20.a3?! This just 22.d4 c2 23.h3 e8 24.g1 e2
encourages the bish op to relocate to a
b e t t e r s q u a r e . ( Moskalenko analyzed
20.c1 and convincingly demonstrated
Black's chances: e8 21.g1 g8 22.h3
b6 with the idea 23.h2 d6+! ) 20...d6
21.e1 c7 22.d4 g8 23.c1 d7
24.c3 e8 25.h3 b6 is fine for Black. ]
[ 18...d7 by comparison, is inferior. 19.d1!
( 19.g3?! g8 20.g2 b6 21.xf6 gxf6
22.hd1 g5 23.h6 xd4 24.g6+ f8
25.xd3 e5 26.h6+ g8 27.g6+
f8 28.h6+ g8 29.g6+
1/2-1/2 Luther, T (2520)-Matamoros Franco,
C (2480)/Cienfuegos 19978 ext) 19...g8
( 19...c8 20.g3 g8 21.g2 b6
22.xf6 gxf6 23.xd3 ) 20.xf6 gxf6
21.g3 e8 22.xd3 was slightly better for
White. ]
19.xf6
[ 19.f3 Radically preventing ...Ne4. Kostas
White at this stage with some impressively
d e e p a n a l ysi s : e7 20.b3 ( 20.d1
xb2 21.f2 a3 ) 20...b5!
A) 21.d1 f5! 22.g4 Not forced, but
very natural. xg4!!
A1) 23.xe7 d2+ 24.g1 ( 24.g2
e2+ 25.g3 f2 wins for Black)
24...e2 25.xd2 xf3 26.g3 xg3+
27.hxg3 xe7 is good for Black.;
A2) 23.fxg4 d2+ 24.g1 xg5
25.xg5 e2 26.xd2 xg4+ 27.f2
h4+ is a draw by perpetual.;
B) 21.f2 c5+ 22.e3 ( 22.xc5
xb2+ 23.e3 e5+ is another
p e r p e t u a l .) 22...xe3+ 23.xe3 a5!
Again targetting the b2 pawn. W hite is
denied any breathing space. 24.he1 f5
25.f2 a4 26.d2 xb2 when Black is
certainly not worse.;
C) 21.g1 d7 22.d4 e8 23.c1
d6 24.e3 e5 ]
[ 19.d1?! allows Black to demonstrate his
idea: e4! 20.e3 e7! 21.f4+ f6
( 22.xd3 xb2 ) 22...a6!
( T h e s i m p l e 22...c6 i s a l s o g o o d)
23.c7+ f8 24.a5 b6! 25.xa6 xa6
was a fine piece of analysis by Kostas. ]
[ 19.f3 f5! 20.e3 c5 21.xc5 xc5
25.xa7 xb2 with a fine position for Black.
Again, this is just a sample line to illustrate
how Black can optimize the potential in his
position with simple moves to exploit his
423
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

development advantage that is typical of A lovely tactic that regains the exchange.
this variation. ] 28.e1 ( 28.d1 xd3+ 29.xd3
[ Again, 19.b3 will be well met by e4! ] c1+ ) 28...e8+ 29.d1 xd2
19...xf6 20.xf6+ gxf6 21.d1 b6 30.xd2 e4 and Black's active pieces
and here, my database showed the result 0-1 more than compensate for his slightly
in the game Daberitz-Kosten (!) Avoine 1985. inferior pawn structure. ]
Maybe the boss can demonstrate the rest of 24...e8 The threat of Re2 should be familiar
the game's continuation? Kostas did present by now. 25.d2 f8! The 2 bishops will
some additional hypothetical lines: 22.a3 control the 2 most important diagonals in this
[ 22.h4 a6 23.a3 c5 24.b3 position on the a 6 and h6 squares . 26.h4
transposes ] Necessary, as otherwise Black would be able
22...c5 23.b3 to respond with ....g5 after 26...Bh6 27.f4. h6
[ A recent game went 23.b5 d7 24.c3 27.f4 c4 28.c1 f8! Another lovely
d4 25.e4 a4! 26.d2 c8 27.g3 e7 switch-back. Now, the dark square bishop will
28.f3 f5 29.f2 g5! 30.xd3 e3 cause more chaos from the e3 square.
Black has completely outplayed his higher 29.g2 c5 30.xd3 e3 31.dd1 d4!
rated opponent with simple yet f orcef ul 32.h3 b3 Kostas conclude that Black is at
moves. 31.d1 c2 ( 31...e6 32.e1 least equal with the following sample variation:
xd1 33.xd1 c2 must surely be 33.a1 c2 34.b4 e4 35.hd1 a5
winning. ) 32.d3 b5?! ( 32...f6! 36.d3 f3 37.e1 c8 38.g4 c2
and White is almost in zug) 33.e1 f6 I have checked each line thoroughly and have
34.h4 a5 35.g4 c6 36.h3 fxg4 37.fxg4 found no reason to disagree with him at any
e4 ( 37...g2! ) 38.h5 gxh5 39.gxh5 f5 point in time. Again, thanks a lot to Kostas for
40.h1 e4 41.h3 xd3? 42.xd3 g7 sending this inspiring piece of analysis!
43.b3 c6 44.e2 h6 45.d3 d6
46.b5 c1 47.g3 33:29 1-0 Vysochin, S
(2526) -Shchukin, D (2385)/St Petersburg 484 C06
RUS ] Aagaard,Jacob 2389
23...a6 24.g3 Gleizerov,Evgeny 2557
[ 24.h4 is another method to get some much Essent Open Hoogeveen NED (5) 17.10.2000
needed counterplay. e8 Essential. Black [Neil McDonald]
must create threats and not allow White to
c o n s o l id a t e t o o e a sily. ( Having said that, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
24...c8 might be worth considering as well 5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
as after the logical 25.h5 , Black can cause 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
so m e irrit a t io n s wit h d6! followed by 12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 For a discussion of
penetration down the c-file.) 25.d2 f5! this and the next couple of moves see
This indirectly prevents 26.g3. Volzhin-Johannessen. 14.c2 h6 15.g6
A) 26.h5 e7 27.g3 g5 28.f4 So White avoids the intermediate check on h7,
( 28.hxg6+ xg6 29.f4 f6 transposes) for which see Emms-Williams.
28...f6 29.hxg6+ xg6 30.c1 d4!; [ One question that will need to be asked is
B) 26.g3 f4! 27.g2 ( 27.h5 e3! whether giving the check changes things if
is a nice tactic with the idea 28.fxe3? fxe3 Black continues as in the game: 15.h7+
29.d1 e2+ winning.; 27.gxf4? h8 16.g6 xf3 17.gxf3 xh2+ 18.h1
allows Black to seize the 2nd rank with his f4 19.g3 b6 ]
re m a in in g ro o k . d6! 28.g2 xf4 15...xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4
29.dd1 e2 again with a promising 18.g3 b6!? The latest idea. As in the
position for Black.) 27...fxg3 28.xc5 Emms game above Black unpins the knight
bxc5 29.fxg3 c4 when Black is surely and so threatens to take on d4. 19.ad1?
the one pressing for the win.; [ Or 19.xh2 xd4 and according to how
C) 26.c1 c8! 27.xd3 b4!! W hite replies next move Black takes on

424
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

either f3 or g6 when he seems very close to the d4 point- the bishop retreat counters the
a win in view of White's exposed king and idea of Qb6 and an eventual Qxd4, as seen in
the trapped bishop on h4. One key idea for the aforementioned Perunovic game after
Bla ck wou ld b e e 6 -e 5 f o llo we d b y Q e 6 [ 9.a3 b6 10.0-0 g5 11.hxg5 hxg5
aiming at h3. ] 12.xg5 cxd4 13.cxd4 xd4 etc. ]
[ The strongest move may well be 19.ac1 9...b5 The Swedish GM gets his queenside
but my analysis- and watch out for mistakes!- pawns rolling.
suggests this is good for Black: d7 ( or[ If 9...b6 10.b3! c4?! 11.bd2
19...xd4!? 20.h7+ h8 21.xh2 g5! and Black is out of counterplay for a long
and Black looks much better.; but nottime. It is curious that W hite can expend
19...xd4? 20.xc8+; or 19...xg3? tempi with 6. Bd3 and 9.Bc2, and eve n
20.fxg3 xg6 21.xg6 xd4? 22.f6 ) more extravagantly with 3.Nd2, 10.Nb3 and
A) if 20.xh2 xg6 ( not 20...xd4? 11.Nd2, but it does him no harm at all- such
21.c7 xg6 22.xd7 xh4 23.c7! ) is the favourable effect on the white position
21.xg6 xd4 looks good for Black.; of securing the key d4 point. ]
B) 20.h7+ h8 21.xh2 g5! [ We need more examples of how to handle
and as in the game this move trapping the this position as Black, but for now I would
bishop seems to give Black every chance suggest 9...b6!? with ideas of 10...Ba6 to
to win. ( but not 21...xd4? 22.c7 xc7 se ize t h e d ia g o n a l va ca t e d b y W h it e ' s
23.xc7 b5 24.fc1 xh7 25.f6 )] bishop. If W hite castes in reply, 10...Ba6
19...xd4 20.xd4 White is handing back the anyway might be good, or perhaps Bb7
exchange, which means he won't even have f o llo we d b y Q c7 a n d 0 -0 -0 . O f c o u rs e ,
any material advantage to compensate for his surprised by 9.Bc2, Berg had no real chance
structural weaknesses. xd4 21.h7+ of judging the impact of a quick c3-c4 break
[ Or 21.xh2 xg6 22.xg6 xh4+ by White in the centre after various moves.
and wins. ] Hence it's no surprise he rushed to prevent
21...h8 22.xh2 g5! 23.c7 g7! this move with 9...b5. But in fact it is Black
Here the score of the game ends. I expect the who comes out on top after the impetuous
game carried on some moves but Black is 10.c4?! cxd4 11.cxd5 exd5 12.e6 a6!!
going to emerge with two extra pawns. 13.exd7+?! xd7 and White is facing a
0-1 killer check on the e-file. ]
10.0-0 a5 11.e1 cxd4 12.cxd4 g5!?
13.f1 g4?!
485 C06 [ Black should probably keep things fluid on
Adams,Michael 2729 the kingside with 13...gxh4 ]
Berg,Emanuel 2593 14.3h2 h5?! and this seems to be a
ETCC Crete GRE (4) 31.10.2007 continuation of an incorrect plan as Black's
[Neil McDonald] kingside pawns with become fixed targets.
Again activity with
1.e4 Should Michael Adams be praised for [ 14...xh4 looks the better way to handle
discovering the quiet but effective new move 9. it. ]
Bc2, or should it just be pointed out that the 15.g3! The pawn structure on the kingside has
sly bishop retreat is the first suggestion of the congealed. In what follows Berg will be unable
Fritz computer program? e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 to strike a meaningful blow in the centre or on
f6 4.e5 fd7 5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 th e qu ee nsid e th an ks t o Ad am s' p re cis e
g6 8.h4 h6 As used by Berg against c o n s o l i d a t i n g p l a y . T h e n , w h e n a l l
Perunovic- you can find that game in the preparations are complete, it will be time for
archives. Michael Adams comes armed with a White to begin the business of undermining
new method of attack. 9.c2!? Or perhaps I the black kingside with f2-f3. b6 16.e3
should say 'Adams comes armed with a new b4 17.e2 a6 18.c1 0-0-0 19.f3!
method of defence!' His idea is to hold onto Vintage Adams. The energy has been drained

425
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
from Berg's position and now the positional 14...g5 15.xg5 xg5 16.e2
attack begins. gxf3 20.xf3 e7 21.f2
b7 22.g5! Forcing an exchange that
le aves t he f 7 pa wn wit h no h op e of e ve r
dissolving itself with f7-f6. xg5 23.hxg5
df8 24.f4! Chess the easy way. Black has
been unable to gain any counterplay and so
can do little to prevent White from lopping off
th e h 5 p a wn . d8 25.h4 b6 26.b3!
No need to rush: White keeps the black knight
out of c4. b4 27.h2 c8 28.b1 8e7
29.xh5 xh5 30.xh5 b6 31.c5 b8
32.f3 d7 33.c1 c6 34.f2 c8
35.g4 c7 36.h2 a4 37.h6
Finally White is ready to capture on f7. The
strength of the passed pawn created on the g-
file means that he can ignore Black's
desperate attempts at counterplay on the
queenside. axb3 38.axb3 a5 39.xc7+
xc7 40.c2 c4 41.xf7!
[ No need to get involved in 41.bxc4 dxc4 ]
41...xb3 42.g6 b8 43.h6 h8 44.f7
xd4 45.g7 xg7 46.xg7 xc2 47.c1
e1 48.e7 A superb game. Black didn't
seem to do much wrong, but allowing his
pawns to be fixed on the kingside was asking
for trouble against a positional maestro.
1-0
486 C06
Adams,Michael 2720
Gurevich,Mikhail 2643
37th Olympiad (4) 24.05.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 16...f6 17.d2 d7
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 0-0
Now that
[ 11...c7 requires a ful memory rather than
any ingenuity, players may start to return to
this natural move. ]
12.f4 The only possible attempt to punish
Black for omitting to put his queen on c7. xf4
13.xf4 e4 14.c1!? If White wants a
quiet position with a small plus, this is the way
to go about it, as the alternatives
[ 14.e2 inviting a Rxf3 sacrifice, and ]
[ 14.g3 tend to lead to violence along the f- scenario. 26.xd7 xd7 27.b3 c6 28.h4!
file. ]
[ There was also the sharp option 16.xh7+
xh7 17.xe6 xc1 18.xf8+ g8
19.axc1 xf8 20.fd1 when White
emerges with a rook and two pawns for two
pieces. Despite his nominal material
advantage, I doubt that White has much of
an edge as one of his rooks is forced into
the passive defence of the d4 pawn. Black
should be able to mobilise all his pieces to
gain counterplay before White can arrange
the advance of his 3-1 majority of pawns on
the kingside. Nevertheless, Black has to be
c a r e f u l . A r e c e n t g a m e w e n t f5?
( It would seem that 20...e6 followed by
putting the king on d6 was a better way to
handle things.) 21.c5 d8 22.h4 e7
23.f3 d6 24.c3 f8 25.g4 White gains
tim e t o a dva nce his kingsid e p awn s b y
hitt in g th e bish op , wh ich no w go es t h e
wrong way- it should drop back to e6 to help
defend d5. h7?! 26.f2 d8?! 27.c8!
In su ch situ a tio ns, it is usu ally a gre a t
achievement for the player with two rooks to
exchange off his opponent's remaining rook.
If Black had played 25... Be6 this invasion
would have been impossible. e6 28.xf8
xf8 29.c1 e6 30.e3 and White
managed to win: d7 31.h5 b6 32.c3
c7 33.f4 e4 34.f5 b5 35.b3 a6
36.a4 d6 37.f4 b5 38.axb5 xb5
39.e5 d6 40.b8 f7+ 41.f4 d8
42.g5 Black has no counterplay or method
of defence to stop his opponent acquiring
passed pawns on the kingside, and so he
resigned. 1-0 Godena, M-Gasthofer, A/
Kusadasi TUR 2006. ]
[ White's next move could be prevented with
17...a6 18.ac1 d7 19.b1 White begins
an elaborate manoeuvre: first the bishop
clears the way for Rc3, then it returns to c2,
in order to go to a4. f7 20.c3 af8
21.c2 g6 22.f3 The exchange of rooks
diminishes Black's counter attacking
chances against f2. d8 23.xf7 xf7
24.d1 b6 25.a4 a5 Not wanting to
suffer 26.Bxc6 Bxc6, when we have the
cla ssic b a d b ish o p ve rsu s go o d k n igh t
d8 29.g3 f6 30.g2 f5 31.e3
426
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
and Black was distinctly uncomfortable in
Erenburg, S-Volkov, S/Warsaw POL 2005. ]
18.b5!? This looks more incisive than
[ 18.ac1 for example ac8 19.b5 b8
20.xc8 xc8 21.d3 c6 22.c1 f8
23.e3 a6 and I think Black is OK, though
White used his superior Elo rating to grind
o u t a wi n i n N a i d i t s c h , A - J e d y n a k , R /
Warsaw POL 2005. ]
18...b8 19.a4! A typical Adams move. It
doesn't appear very threatening, but it
ensures that Gurevich is kept in a bind. Let's
see what happened when Kobalia preferred
the retreat of his bishop:
[ 19.d3 e8! ( Instead, if both players are
willing, it would be a draw by repetition after
19...c6!? 20.b5 etc. Volkov is a fighting
player and spurns the draw offer but I don't
think Gurevich would have had many
qualms in taking the draw versus Adams.)
20.ac1 c6 21.b1 h5 Before going to
g6, the bishop takes a time out to provoke
White's loosening reply by threatening 22...
Bxe2 and 23...Nxd4. 22.f3 g6 So Black
s u c c e e d s a f t e r a l l i n e xc h a n g i n g d a r k
squared bishops, and this way he doesn't
suffer any queenside discomfort. 23.c3
ad8 24.h1 xb1 25.xb1 e5!
The classical freeing move in the French.
Here it comes with impressive force, as a
passed pawn is created that White struggles
to blockade. 26.dxe5 xe5 27.d3 d4
28.b4 fe8 29.g3 d5 30.f4
T o k e e p t h e b la ck kn igh t o u t o f e 5 . a5!
Just in time before White drives away the
black knight with 31.b5. 31.a3 ( If now 31.b5
b4 ) 31...axb4 32.axb4 a8
A) If 33.b5 a2 wins at once, e.g. 34.b2
( or 34.d1 xg2# ) 34...xb2 35.xb2
e1+ and mates.;
B) 33.h3 a2 34.b2 xb2 35.xb2
b5! Putting a stop to the 36.b5 idea once
and for all. 36.b1 d6 37.a2+ e6
38.a3 c4 39.d1 xb4 40.xb4
xb4 41.xd4 c6 42.d6 c8
and Black slowly ground out a win with the
new passed pawn. 43.e4 b4 44.d2
f8 45.g1 e7 46.d3 d8 47.e3+
d6 48.f2 c5 49.e1 a8 50.g3
a1+ 51.f2 a2 52.e1 g6 53.f5 gxf5
54.g5 d4 55.g7 b3 56.xh7 b2
57.c7+ d6 58.b7 c6 59.b8 c7
0-1 Kobalia, M-Volkov, S/Gibraltar ENG
2006. ( for if 59...c7 60.b4 c2+ )]
19...xb5 20.axb5 It is very instructive to
compare the situation here with that in the
Volkov extract above. Adams has agreed to
exchange off his 'attacking' light squared
bishop for the 'passive' bishop on d7 for three
reasons: firstly, the e6 pawn becomes more of
a target secondly, the white rook on a1 is
presented with a semi-open file and thirdly,
the black knight can't return to its best post on
c6. d7 21.g3! The white knight is provided
with a base on f4 from which to attack e6.
b6 22.f4 c4 23.e2 fe8 24.fd1
d6 25.a3! Now Black has to worry about
the rook swinging to e3 or f3. e7 26.h4
This cements the knight on the f4 square by
ruling out any idea of g7-g5. f5 27.e5!
b6??
[ After 27...xe5 28.dxe5 White's rook on
d1 is no longer tied to the defence of the d4
pawn therefore it can be utilised along the
open file after Rc1- or perhaps Adams would
first play Rda1 to force b7-b6, and then Rc1
and Rc6, putting more pressure on e6. In
contrast, both the black rooks would remain
tied down to the defence of pawns. Gurevich
is therefore keen to avoid the exchange of
queens, but it leads to immediate tactical
disaster. ]
28.xd5!
[ After 28.xd5 exd5 ( or 28...xe5
29.xe7+ xe7 30.dxe5 ) 29.xd5+
White wins the rook on a8 with check. ]
1-0
487 C06
Adams,Michael 2720
Karttunen,Mika 2445
28th European Club Cup (7.1) 17.10.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 g5
9.dxc5 xc5 Not in the main archives games,
where we have 14 examples (and many more
in notes) about 9...Ndxe5 (not looking that
good at the moment) and 9...g4 (see Adhiban-
Petrosian in this month's update). 10.b5
427
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

0-0!? Is this new? I don't see it in any 30.a5 xa5?!

database, but it may be as good as the [ 30...xd4 31.cxd4 c8 keeps White's
alternatives. advantage down. ]
[ 10...d7 is A&M's main line (neither they 31.xa5 d7 32.b5 c6 33.b1 c5
nor Vitiugov mention 10...0-0). They think it 34.xc5
will be played a lot in the future because of [ 34.c2 ]
the idea 11.e1 ( But after 11.b3 a6 34...xc5 35.d4 a8 36.h5 c7 37.f3
12.xc6 bxc6 13.bd4 b7 , they give a e7 38.h4 gxh4 39.xh4 c6 40.f3
side note with 14.xg5! xg5 15.xe6 c8 41.d4 a8 42.g2 g8
fxe6 16.h5+ with no alternative for Black, [ 42...g8 43.h1 ]
so I don't see what's so attractive about 10... 43.h1
Nd7. I'd prefer 13...Nb8!, when White may [ 43.b7! is a cute move pointed out by the
retain an edge after 14 b4, but this looks to computer, virtually winning on the spot. ]
be the best idea f or Black.) 11...b6 43...f5?!
, t o wh i c h t h e y a p p e n d so m e a n a l ys i s [ 43...g5 is tougher. ]
sh o win g t ha t Bla ck a ch ieve s su f f icie n t 44.exf6 xf6 45.f3 e5 46.h5 b8
counterplay. 11 Nb3 is critical. ] 47.h6
11.b4!? Chasing Black where he wants to go, [ Or 47.xe6 ]
but on the other hand helping to secure c5. 47...xd4 48.cxd4 e8 49.xh7 xh7
The obvious alternative is 50.f6+
[ 11.b3 , when e4 12.e2 1-0
might follow. ]
11...d7 12.e1 h8?!
[ 12...a5! 13.b3! axb4 14.cxb4 488 C06
with the idea xb4 15.xg5 xg5 16.g4 Adams,Michael 2723
, when h8 17.xg5 g8 18.h4 c2 Mullon,Jean Baptiste 2286
19.f4 xg5 20.hxg5 xe1 21.xe1 g8 National I Bordeaux FRA (4) 04.04.2003
22.d3 f8 23.e2 looks more pleasant [Neil McDonald]
for White, but should be objectively close to
equal. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
13.b3 g8 14.h3 c7 15.e2 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
White consolidates his space advantage and 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
Black needs a plan. b6?! 12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5! The key move to
[ 15...g7 16.d3 a6 ] s t o p B g 3 e x c h a n g i n g b i s h o p s . 14.c3!?
16.d3 The plan that follows has always been
[ Or 16.bd4 ] annoying for Black as it casts doubt on his
16...f8 17.bd4 standard plan of g7-g6 and Qg7. Recently
[ 17.b5 is also strong, or ] [ 14.c2 has received more attention. ]
[ 17.d2 a6 18.ac1 ] 14...a6 15.c1 g6 16.a4! g7?
17...b7 18.d2 d8 19.a4! g6 20.g3 Strategically speaking this is an excellent
g7 21.a5 bxa5 22.bxa5 Fine, although move: Black breaks the pin on his knight and
[ 22.xc6! xc6 23.xa5 with the idea attacks the d4 pawn. Unfortunately it doesn't
Rea1 is positionally winning. ] seem to be tactically sound. I spent a long
22...b8 23.a6 a8 24.ab1 f8 25.e3 time in the late 1980s playing 11.. .Qc7 but I
xb1 26.xb1 b8 27.a1 fd7 never found a way to make Qg7 work. It is
28.b3?! A slip. disappointing, but Black has to make do with
[ 28.b5! c6 29.xa7 ( or 29.xa7 ) the unexciting
29...cxe5 30.xe5 xe5 31.d4 f6 [ 16...d7 which gives White the chance to
32.c2 leaves Black in big trouble. ] ma in ta in p re ssure f o r exam ple 17.e1!?
28...c6! 29.d4 b6 ( Here 17.a3 ae8 18.e1 f4 19.c3
[ 29...h5!? ] is another way to play it as in Ye

428
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
J i a n g c h u a n - C a r u s o , D / G e n e v e 1 9 9 7 .;
Instead White shouldn't hurry to play 17.c5
a s t h i s gi ve s B l a c k t h e ch a n ce t o f r e e
himself with the sharp xf3! 18.xf3 xd4
19.g4 xc5 when if 20.xd4 xh2+
21.xh2 xd4 is at least OK for Black
according to John Emms' book on the
French Tarrasch.) 17...ae8 18.g5!?
an interesting redeployment of the bishop
which fights for control of f4 and prepares to
irritate Black with Bh6 in some lines. c8
19.e5 g7 20.xc6!? White makes an
enterprising exchange sacrifice to keep a
bind on the dark squares. bxc6 21.c1!
Threatening Bh6 as well as the c6 pawn. c5
22.xc5 c7 23.b4 xe5 24.dxe5 b7
25.g4 g7 26.f6 a5 27.h6 1-0 Mrva,M-
Hagara, E/SVK 1998. Black resigned in the
face of the manoeuvre Re3 and Rh3. For
example f7 28.e3 axb4 29.h3 f5
30.xg6+! f8 31.gxf5 From this analysis
it is clear that Black doesn't have an easy
game af ter 16...Bd7, but it was a much
better chance that the slaughter that occurs
after the game move. ]
17.b6 b8
[ Or 17...xd4 18.xa8 ]
18.xa6! xf3?! This sacrifice proves a total
failure.
[ Instead Black's position is on the point of
collapse after 18...xd4 19.xd4 bxa6
20.xc8 bxc8 21.xc8 xc8 22.g4! ]
19.xf3 xd4
[ Also inadequate is 19...xd4 20.g4 bxa6
21.xc8+ xc8 22.xc8 ]
20.xc8 xc8 21.xb7 f8
[ Another way to lose is 21...xh4 22.g3
d8 23.xc8 xc8 24.c3! ]
22.e3! The offer of the exchange of queens
kills off any Black counterplay. xh2+
[ Or 22...xh4 23.xe6+ f7 24.xd6 ]
23.xh2 xh4+ 24.h3 xh3+ 25.xh3!
Accurate to the end: Black isn't even given
the chance to check on f3 after
[ 25.gxh3 d4 ]
25...e5 26.c8 f4+ 27.h2 d4 28.a4
1-0
489 C06
Adams,Michael 2729
Navara,David 2672
FIDE GP Baku AZE (4) 24.04.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 g6
The Qc7 idea that occurs in the game should
be compared to
[ 7...b6 8.0-0 g6 9.dxc5 c7 as played
successfully by Navara versus Hracek- see
th e no te s in t he a rchive s to Nee lo tp al-
R a t h n a k a r a n ( L e s s g o o d i s 9...xc5
in Kasparov-Bareev when Black was ground
down after 10.b3 etc. )]
8.h4 b6 9.dxc5?! The usual move is
[ 9.h5 as featured in a couple of games on
ChessPub. ]
9...c7! White's position is less solid here
than after 7... Qb6 8.0-0 g6 9.dxc5 Qc7 as
given in the note above, as he has played h2-
h4 rather than castled kingside. Objectively
speaking, I think Black is doing fine here, as
he is bound to win the e5 pawn.
[ White gets the 'Kasparov-Bareev' edge- see
the note to 9...Qc7- after 9...xc5 10.b3
d7 11.e2 g7 12.f4 c7 13.b5!
indirectly saving the e5 pawn by putting a
potential pin on d7. a6 14.xc6 bxc6
15.0-0 a5 16.fe1 a4 17.c1 0-0 18.d2
e8 19.d3 and in contrast to the main
game, White has kept his spearhead on e5,
enabling him to exert dark square pressure
o n t h e k in gsi d e . a6 20.ab1 eb8
21.b4 b7 22.c2 e8 23.h5 c5
24.e3 b6 25.a3 c6 26.ee1 ad8
27.g5 d7 28.f4 d4 29.c4 d3 30.g3
c7 31.b5 c6 32.d6 xd6 33.exd6
xc4 34.hxg6 hxg6 35.e7 e5 36.h2
xd6 37.xe5 d5 38.xd6 d2 39.ed1
xd6 40.c4 d5 41.xd2 xa2 42.c7
d5 43.f3 d4 44.e1 xe1+ 45.xe1
xb2 46.e8+ g7 47.h2 h5 48.b8
d5 49.g8+ h6 50.d8 a3 51.xd5
xd5 52.e1 f6 1-0 Shaw, J-Dearing, E/
Perth 1998. ]
10.b3 dxe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.0-0
xd3 13.xd3 g7 14.h5 Michael Adams
is the World's leading expert at destroying an
enemy position with nibbling pawn advances
429
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
on the wings. Here, however, his centre is so
derelict that he will need the help of several
mistakes from his opponent. 0-0 15.g5?!
[ Perhaps White should go about restraining
the black centre with 15.e3 e.g. b6 16.h6
h8 17.f4 with ideas of 18.Bd4, etc. ]
15...b6!
[ A radical solution is 15...gxh5!? but Navara
might have feared a line such as 16.f4!?
( Stronger than 16.fe1 when Black is more
than OK af ter f6 17.h4 f7 ) 16...b6
17.f5 threatening 18.f6. exf5 18.f4 c6
19.d6 attacking f8 and with ideas of 20.
Nd4. ]
16.h6 h8 17.cxb6 axb6 18.fe1 b7
19.d4 e5 With a big centre and the bishop
pair, it is easy to conclude that Navara has a
more than satisfactory game. But it seems that
he lost his sense of danger and tried for too
much- something that often seems to happen
to happen against masters of prophylaxis such
as Adams. 20.b5 c6 21.a4 f6 22.d2
f5 23.f4 A necessary pawn stab, or else Black
will play 23. .. f4 himself, when White has no
way to undermine the black pawn centre. d4
24.f1 dxc3
[ Instead 24...exf4 25.xd4 xd4+ 26.cxd4
g5 has been recommended as good for
Black, but I believe that White has good play
due to the holes around the black king. For
example 27.ac1 d5 ( not 27...xh6
28.c4+ h8 29.d5! with a winning attack
f o r W h it e .) 28.c7 f7 29.ee7 xe7
30.xe7 xd4+?! 31.f2 xf2+ 32.xf2
and it is Black who has to try to draw the
endgame. ]
25.xc3 exf4 26.xh8 xh8 27.ac1 f6
28.xf4 xb2 Black might have felt rather
pleased with himself around here: he has an
extra pawn and is threatening mate in one.
However, White still has the biggest paw of
all: the monster lurking on h6. 29.e5+?
[ He might have gone for a curious repetition
o f m o v e s w i t h 29.e2!? f6 ( not
29...xa4? 30.c7 nor; 29...xe2??
30.d4+ g8 31.g7# ) 30.c7 ac8
31.e6 b2 32.e2 f6 33.e6 b2
etc. ]
29...xe5 30.xe5 xa4? A serious mistake.
Black should have organised the transfer of
his bishop to the g8 square at once with
[ 30...fd8 e.g. 31.e7 d5 when White
can't eliminate the bishop due to a pin after
32.c7?! ( or 32.cc7 g8 ) 32...ac8
33.xd5?! xc1+ 34.h2 c6 stopping 35.
Nf6, and Black is winning. ]
31.d6! Now despite Black's two extra pawns
it is doubtful that he can save his game. d4
32.c7 The resulting endgame illustrates the
power of a rook on the seventh rank combined
with a far advanced pawn. Not only are there
mating threats against the black king, but also
i d e a s o f q u e e n i n g t h e p a w n . d5
Black's bishop heads for g8, where it guards
the h7 pawn, blocks checks on the back rank
and rules out Nf7+. Of course, a great
positional player like Adams isn't going to let it
get there without a fight.
[ The power of the pawn on h6 is exemplified
by the variation 32...xd6 33.ee7 b8
34.xh7+ g8 35.cg7+ f8 36.h8# ]
33.d7! A powerful quiet move that sets up
the idea of 34.Nf7+ winning the exchange. If
instead
[ 33.ee7? g8 and Black defends
satisfactorily. Though even here the pawn
on h6 gives White enough to achieve a draw
after 34.f7+ xf7 35.xf7 xf7 36.xf7
d8 37.b7 b5 38.f2 b4 39.xb4 g8
40.b7 etc. ]
33...g8? Losing quickly, but Black's position
remained very unpleasant after either
[ 33...c6 34.f7+ g8 35.xd4 xf7
36.d6 e4 37.xb6 or ]
[ 33...d1+ 34.h2 g8 35.f7+ xf7
36.xd1 ]
34.e8!? The threat of 36.Rg7+ means that
the white knight gets to the ideal f6 square.
[ Even more incisive was 34.e8! b5?!
( B l a c k l o s e s a p i e c e a f t e r 34...h8
35.ee7 f7 36.xd4 xe8 37.d8 )
35.f6+ xf6 36.e8+ f8 37.g7+ h8
38.xf8+ g8 39.gxg8# ]
34...xe8 35.xe8 d1+ 36.h2 b3
37.f6+ f8
[ Of course if 37...h8 38.xh7# ]
38.xh7+ e8 39.f6+ f8 40.h7
1-0
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

490 C06 of h7 by the rook. Therefore Black could

Adams,Michael 2731 respond xh2+! 24.h1 ( 24.xh2? c7+
Rojo Gomez,Jorge 2313 25.g1 xc2 ) 24...b8 with a good
TCh Cala Galdana ESP (6) 18.10.2001 position. ]
[Neil McDonald] 23...c4 24.c1 a5 Now a sharp positional
battle begins. Black wants the main theatre of
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 action to be the queenside, where he has an
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 b6 8.f3 excellent piece deployment, whereas White
cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 d6 wants to land a blow on the kingside aided by
12.b3 0-0 13.b2 his two bishops. 25.bxa5 xa5 26.a4 b5
[ in the September Update I eulogised 27.h5! c7
13.f4!? here. ] [ Not 27...bxa4? 28.xf6 gxf6 29.xe6!
13...b4? when the latent threat of mate on h7 allows
[ Instead 13...d7 14.g3 f4 looks OK for White to smash up Black's kingside. ]
Black. I was wondering what happens if 28.xf6 gxf6 29.h3!
White now continues as in the game with [ Not 29.axb5 xh2+ 30.h1 f4! 31.xf4
Re1 and Ne5. Black comes out on top but xf4 32.xe6?? h4+ ]
t h e r e a r e s o m e p it f a ll s t o b e a vo i d e d : 29...d7
15.e1 ( 15.e5 e8! keeps the bishop.) [ 29...bxa4 30.xe6 ]
15...ae8 16.e5 xe5 17.dxe5 30.axb5 b8 31.h6! Adams has identified
A) Plausible is 17...g4? 18.xg4 xf2+ the f6 pawn as a target and so rules out its
19.h1 xb2 but this runs into trouble defence with Rf8. a3
after 20.h5! ( 20.h5!? ) 20...e7 [ If 31...xb5 32.a4 ]
21.f6+ xf6 ( 21...h8 22.xh7 ) 32.d1 xb5 It looks as if Black has escaped,
22.exf6 xf6 23.f1 etc.; but... 33.h4! Now the only way to prevent
B) 17...e4! 18.xe4 dxe4 19.xe4 the W hite queen's breakthrough on f6 is to
xf2+ ( not 19...xf2 20.xd7 f7+ give up the exchange. f7 34.h5 g8
21.d4 xd4+ 22.xd4 xd4 23.ad1 35.e3 e5 36.dxe5 xe5 37.xf7 xf7
w h e n W h i t e h a s t h e b e t t e r e n d i n g .) 38.f4 d4 39.xe5 fxe5 40.h3 e4
20.h1 xb2 21.xd7 xe5 22.xb7 41.h1 f5 42.ee1 A highly instructive
g4! 23.xh7+ h8! and the black game.
knight in combination with the queen will 1-0
be a potent attacking force after Nf2+ or
Q d 4 n e x t m o v e . ( but not 23...xh7
24.e4+ )] 491 C06
14.b1 d7 15.g3 ae8 Adams,Michael 2745
[ The only way to try to justify his 13th move Sebenik,Matej 2414
was 15...b5 16.e1 ae8 when the Olympiad Bled SLO (1) 26.10.2002
bishop is actively placed on b5. ] [Neil McDonald]
16.a3 c6 17.e5 e7 18.xd7!
It might seem that the bishop wasn't doing 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
much on d7, but after the exchange White's 5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
bishop on b1 rules the light squares. The rest b6 9.f3 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 d6
of the game is a fine lesson in how to exploit 12.b3 0-0 13.f4
the bishop pair in a middlegame attack. xd7 [ You may recall that 13.b2 was discussed
19.c2 f6 20.d2 a5 21.d3 c8 in a recent update. ]
22.ae1 h8 23.b4! Adams realises that it is 13...xf4
worth giving up the c4 square to Black's knight [ Black could dismantle the white pawn
in order to block the c file. centre with 13...xd4 14.fxd4 e5 15.e3
[ If 23.h5 there is no immediate threat as if exd4 16.xd4 d8 but I don't like this for
24 Nxf6 then 24. ..gxf6 uncovers a defence Black: his position is solid but rather

431
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
prospectless. Nevertheless, Black held the
d r a w a f t e r 17.g3 d7 18.c1 e8
19.e1 f7 20.f5 xf5 21.xf5 h8
in Estrada Nieto,J-Hoang Thanh Trang/
Budapest HUN 2001. ]
14.xf4 h8 The conclusion from this game
seems to be that the attacking idea of Ne4
doesn't combine well with the defensive Kh8.
So here are three other moves you might like
to consider:
[ Firstly 14...e4 15.e2 xf3!?
( You will have to ask the author of the d4
specials site what he thought about his
p o s i t i o n a f t e r t h i s e xc h a n g e sa cr if ic e !
P r e v i o u s l y I g a v e 15...d6 16.c3
which looked very nice for Black in Lalic-
Pert ) 16.gxf3 g5 17.h1 g6 ( If
17...xf3?! 18.xh7+ xh7 19.d3+ )
18.f4 f3 19.g3 cxd4 20.e2 h4
21.g4 d7 22.d2 f8 23.ad1 df5
when a draw was agreed in Hunt,H-
Summerscale,A/Birmingham ENG 2002. ]
[ A second alternative led to disaster for
Black after 14...d7 15.e1 ae8 16.d2
h8 17.c2 xd4?? in Vokarev-Prakken
on ChessPub ]
[ Finally, you might like to think about
14...g6!? blocking h7 and so making the
threat of Nxd4 real. Then 15.c2
16.g3 f6 17.e1 d6 18.d2 f5
19.xf5 ( Surely White keeps more pressure
with 19.ad1 ) 19...xf5 20.e3 d7
21.d3 xf3 22.xf3 xd4 23.d1 f8
and Black had a passed pawn and lots of
ac tivit y f or th e e xch an ge ba sed o n t h e
weakness of f3, but you will see that
White's final move of the game made things
rather easy for him: 24.e3 c6 25.c1
d4 26.f3 e8 27.c5 e5 28.f4 c6
29.h4 d8 30.e4 f8 31.xf8+ xf8
32.g5 d6 33.g4??
0-1 Hoffmann,M-Meessen,R/Castrop Rauxel
GER 2001. ]
15.c2 d7 16.e1 e4
[ Black has a risky looking alternative in
16...ae8 17.d2 g5!? ( Not 17...xd4??
transposing to the Prakken game mentioned
above. ) 18.e2 g4 19.e5 xe5 20.dxe5
h5 21.h6 It looks like the threat of mate
on h7 wins, but... xf2+ 22.h1
23.xh5 c6 24.f1 Or else d5-d4
a t t a c k i n g g 2 l o o k s u n p l e a s a n t xf1+
25.xf1 xf1+ 26.g1 d4 27.h4 ef7
28.d8+ f8 29.h4 8f7 30.d8+
with a draw in Haugli, P-Farago,I/
Copenhagen 1989. It wouldn't surprise me
t o l e a rn t h a t e i t h e r p l a ye r wa s b u s t e d
somewhere in that sequence. ]
17.g3! The knight stands its ground. If instead
[ 17.e2 e5!? looks good for Black. ]
17...g5 Black has to do or die as White was
threatening to take on e4 and if
[ 17...d6 18.g5 looks very dangerous for
the black king. ]
18.xe4 gxf4 19.g5! This refutes Black's
opening idea. f3
[ After 19...dxe4 20.h5 mate follows on
h7. ]
20.xh7 dxe4 21.xf8 xf8 22.xe4
Materially Black is OK but White's pressure on
his king proves to be worth another pawn.
a5 23.c1 b6 24.h4+ g7 25.g4+
h8 26.f1 f7 27.h3+ h7 28.h4
xh4 29.xh4+ g7 30.g4+ f7
31.xf3+ f5 32.xf5+ exf5 33.d5 b4
34.c7 e7 35.xa7 d6 36.h4 e8 37.f3
h5? Falling for a trap that makes things
easier for White. 38.g4! fxg4 39.fxg4 e8
[ If 39...xg4 40.a4 ]
e4 40.h5 xd5 41.h6
1-0
492 C06
Adhiban,Baskaran 2564
Petrosian,Davit Gevorgi 2459
Vizag GM Open 2012 (10.3) 02.11.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 g5
xg4 9.dxc5 g4 10.d4 dxe5 11.b5
[ The recent game Deepan, C (2523)-Ghosh,
D (2415), Visakhapatnam 2012 saw 11.e2
xc5 ( 11...h5 12.b4 ) 12.xc6?!
( 12.2b3 d6 13.xg4 h4 14.f3 h5!
is unclear) 12...bxc6 13.xg4 g8 14.e2
( 14.f3 a6 15.c4 f6 16.e2 f5 )
14...h4 15.f3? (Losing material for
insufficient compensation, but the
e7 a l t e r n a t i v e s d o n ' t e q u a l i s e : ( 15.g3??
xg3+; 15.b4 h3 16.f3 b6 17.h1
432
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

f5 ) 15...xf3+ 16.xf3 a6 , and Black is more or less equal, although Black has
w i n s t h e e x c h a n g e , s i n c e 17.e2?? to defend bit. ]
( 17.e3 xe3 18.fxe3 xf1 occurred ) 15.xc6
17...xe2 18.xe2 h3 19.g3 xg3+ [ 15.b4! immediately looks more accurate,
20.hxg3 xg3+ 21.h1 h3+ 22.g1 w h e n B l a c k c a n ' t t r a n s p o s e b y c7
d7 wins. ] ( 15...xd4 16.xd7+ xd7 17.xd4 g8
11...d7 12.2b3 18.f4 ) 16.a4 a6 17.xc6 bxc6
[ 12.f4 xd4 13.xd7+ xd7 14.cxd4 18.d4 with advantage. ]
c6= has been played, as well as ] 15...bxc6 16.b4 c7! 17.e2 f8 18.g3
[ 12.xc6 bxc6 13.f4 d3 -see Smirin- e5! A nice pawn sacrifice that may not fully
Akobian in the Archives. ] equalize, but gets Black out of an annoying
12...h5 13.e1 The most common move by bind. 19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 a5?!
far, but both Vitiugov and A&M seem to prefer [ 20...f6! 21.e2 a5 is the right order,
Erenburg's since 22.b5 cxb5 23.f4 c8 is about
[ 13.e2 : a6 14.xc6 ( A&M give 14.a4 equal. ]
and mysteriously stop Vitiugov continues 21.b5! cxb5
c7 15.f4 f3+ 16.xf3 gxf3 17.xc7 [ 21...f6? 22.f4! ]
xd4 , 'regaining the piece' then 18.xd7+ 22.xd5 e6 23.xe6+ fxe6 24.d7 xc5
xd7 19.cxd4 fxg2 20.xg2 xc7 25.e3? Black is stuck on the last rank and
follows ) 14...xc6 15.e1 c7 16.g3!? this cedes the initiative. Better was
'and W hite still has a chance to fight for [ 25.f4 , e.g., g8 26.e1 h7 27.xh7
th e in it iat ive ' (A &M). I f t ru e , 1 3 Q e2 is xh7 28.e5! ]
probably the easiest way to meet this 8.. .g5 25...xe3 26.fxe3 g8 27.b1 h7
main line, even if ultimately 13 Re1 yields 28.xh7 xh7 29.xb5 a4!?
some advantage. ] [ 29...g6! would be an almost certainly
13...xd4 drawn rook-and-pawn ending. ]
[ 13...g6!? is analysed at length in both 30.xh5+ g6 31.h4!?
Vitiugov and A&M the latter prefer W hite [ 31.b5 c8 ]
after 14.xc6 xc6 15.d3 g8 16.e2 31...f5 32.h3 e4?
c7 17.d4! ] [ 32...gxh3 33.h2 c8 34.c4 ]
14.xd4 c6 Apparently new, at least in my 33.xg4+?
main database. [ 33.f2! and White gets two connected
[ 14...xb5 is the only move considered in passed pawns without losing the e-pawn. ]
the two books, and: 33...xe3 34.h4 e5 35.g2 e4 36.h5 d3
A) 15.xb5 g6 16.c4 ( 16.b4!? ) 37.g7 f8!
16...xc5 17.c2! 0-0 18.h6 ( 18.xe6 [ 37...d8 38.h6 e3 39.g4 e2 40.e7 ]
d7! 19.f6 dxc4 ) 18...e8 19.cxd5 38.d7+ xc3 39.e7
b6 20.c3 d4 21.e3 exd5 22.xd5 [ 39.g4 is critical: e3 40.e7 d3 41.g3
xb2 23.xb2 xb2 24.ab1 e5 e2 42.g5 f1 43.g6 e1+ 44.xe1 xe1
25.xb7 eb8 'and Black has sufficient 45.f4 f1+ 46.g5 e4 47.g7 e5!
counterchances' (Vitiugov).; 48.g6 g1+ 49.h7 f6 50.g8 xg8
B) 15.xe5 c7 16.f4 xc5 51.xg8 g5 52.f7 xh5= ]
('one of the most important positions for 39...d3 40.g4 e3 41.h6 e2 42.g3 f1
e v a l u a t i n g . . . g 5 - g 4 ' - A & M ) 17.e3 43.g5 h1
( 17.c1! , according to them, although [ 43...e1+?? 44.xe1 xe1 45.h7 ]
they give f6 18.c4 xc4 19.b3 xe5 44.g2 h5 45.f3 h3+ 46.g4 e3
20.xe5 g8 21.bxc4 dxc4 22.e2 c8 47.xe3+ xe3 48.h7 e1 49.h8 d1+
23.f5! d8 24.g3 h4 as 'complex' 50.f5 b1+ 51.e6 xa2+ 52.e7 a3+
and 'closer to a draw'.) 17...c4 18.b3 53.e8 d6 54.h3+ e4 55.g4+ f4
d3 19.xb5 xb5 20.d4 d7 56.xf4+ xf4 57.g6
Kolar-Boukal, Czech Republic 2004. This ½-½

433
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
493 C06
Anarkulov,A 2222
De Gondo,Simplice Armel
41st Olympiad Open 2014 (10.49) 12.08.2014
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.f4 xd4 10.h5+ e7 11.g6+ hxg6
12.exf6+ xf6 13.xh8 f7 14.h4
For 14 0-0, see this month's game
Karthikeyan-Volkov. e5 15.f3 xf3+
[ Another good try analysed in my book is
15...e4 16.xd4 b4+ 17.f1 exd3 ]
16.gxf3 e4?!
[ 16...f5 is the main line here. A recent
game went 17.xf5 gxf5 18.0-0 f4!
19.g5 d6 with ideas of ...Qh8 or moving
the queen and .. .Rh8. Black won quickly
after 20.e1 c7 21.f5? h8 22.d2
h5 23.d3 c8 24.f1 h8 25.g2
h6 26.h1 g6+ 27.f1 d3+ 28.e2
e4 0-1 Rozycki, B (2128)-Musialkiewicz, P
(22 22)/P ozn an PO L 201 4/ The W eek in
Chess 1032 ]
17.fxe4 b4+ 18.f1 dxe4
[ 18...xe4 19.xd8 h3+ 20.e2 xd8
21.e3 ]
19.c4+ e7 20.g5 White has developed
quickly and stands somewhat better. d4
21.c1!?
[ Or 21.b3 ]
21...d2 22.xd2
[ 22.g2! xc1 23.xc1 gives back the
exchange, but gains strong play against
Black's king, which is stuck in the centre. ]
22...xd2 23.g2 g4 24.he1 f3+
25.g1
[ An earlier game went 25.f1 c8 26.cd1
c2 ( 26...b4 27.e2 ) 27.d3! c6
28.xe4 xe4 29.xe4+ f7 30.e5
with a winning game, Muhren, B (2241)-
Aginian, N (2319), Kusadasi 2006. ]
25...c8 A s go o d a s a n yt h in g . 26.cd1!
xd1
[ 26...xd1 27.xe4+ with Rd4+ to follow
wins the queen ]
[ 26...xb2 27.b1 c3 28.d5
threatens e4 and b7. ]
27.xd1 xd1 28.b3 Black's king is still too
exposed with moves like Qg5 and Qg3
coming. f3
[ 28...g4 29.g3 f5 30.e5+ f8
31.a5 wins a queenside pawn and
continues the attack. ]
29.g5 c7 30.h3 d7 31.e5+ d8
32.h2 d1 33.b8+ e7 34.xb7+ d6
35.b4+ e5 36.f1 f4 37.b5 g5
38.g2 g4 39.h4
1-0
494 C06
Andreikin,Dmitry 2472
Kosyrev,Vladimir 2539
Aeroflot Open B (6) 20.02.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 11.0-0 d6
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6
15.g6
[ Similar to the game would be the line
15.h7+ h8 16.g6 xf3 17.xh5
xh2+ 18.h1 f5 which as far as I know
is untested. ]
15...xf3 16.xh5 xh2+
[ A n a l t e r n a t i v e m o v e o r d e r i s 16...f5
17.g6 xh2+ which is the way the
P o l o vn iko v g a m e gi ve n b e lo w a c t u a ll y
began. ]
17.h1 f5!?
[ Also possible is 17...f8 but remember that
this only seems to work with the black king
on g8 as here- i.e. it fails in the other line
with 15.Bh7+ Kh8 16. Bg6. The good thing
about the game move 17...Rf5 is that it
seems equally plausible with the black king
on either g8 or h8. ]
18.g6
[ Or 18.g4
A) Better to try 18...xh5 19.gxh5 f7
20.g6 ( Rightly dodging 20.xh2 xh5
21.g3 e5 22.f3 g5 when the white king
is in big danger.) 20...xg6 21.hxg6 d6
and I'd be quite happy as Black here:
White no longer has an attack and the g6
pawn can be targeted with Bd7 and Be8.;
B) 18...f8?! 19.f4 xf4 20.g3!
B1) Highly risky for Black would be
20...xg3? 21.xf8+ xf8 22.f1+
434
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

g8 ( Black drops his queen after material compensation for the exchange. The
22...e7 23.f7+ ) 23.g6 e7 ( Not white bishop feels obliged to go to h2 to help
23...d6? 24.e8+ h7 25.g6# ) shelter the king, but it proves just as much
24.xg3 maintaining the threat of 25.Rf7 shut in by the black pawn on f4 as it was by
with a strong attack.; its own pawn on that square. 29.h2 f8
B2) 20...xd4 21.xc7 xc7 22.xc7 30.f2 e8 31.c3 f6 32.af1 e4
xf1+ 23.xf1 xe2 24.f7? ( Here 33.c5 xd4 34.xa7 h7 35.b8 h4
24.e5! might have caused Black more Once Black achieves d5-d4 the superiority of
problems as he has to watch out for 25. his bishop will prove decisive. 36.g1 g4
g5 or 25.Re1 trapping the knight. For 37.d6 e4 38.xf4 d4 39.h2 g5
example g5 25.f6! f4 26.xh6 40.c2 g4 41.ff2 e3 42.xc6 bxc6
xh5 27.gxh5 d4 28.h8+ f7 43.xc6 h4 44.g3 g6 45.d5 f6
29.h7+ e8 30.h6 d3 31.c3 0-1
and W hite's passed pawn will win the
day. ) 24...g5! 25.e5 f4 26.g7+
f8 27.f7+ g8 28.g7+ f8 495 C06
29.h7 xh5 30.gxh5 d4! excellent Bakalarz,A
defence by Black. 31.xd4 e5 32.h8+ Szymanski,Marcin
f7 33.xe5 e6 34.c3 f5 2001 Bydgoszcz 2001
35.xh6 g4 36.g1 f5 37.f6 d8 [Paul Motwani]
38.f2 and draw agreed in Gharamian,T-
Bhat,V/W YB18, Oropesa del Mar ESP B33: "The Pole gets his goal!" 1.e4 e6 2.d4
2001. ] d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3
18...d6 19.xf5 exf5 20.f4 f7 21.g3 c6 7.e2 b6!?
[ In the following excerpt White managed to [ 7...cxd4 is more common. ]
reroute his hemmed in bishop to the more 8.f3
useful d2 square, but it still wasn't plain [ 8.0-0!? offers Black the chance to grab a
sailing for him: 21.g1 d7 22.d3 e8 pawn via cxd4 9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4
23.c3 h5 24.e1 f7 25.d2 c7 xd4 transposing to what is known as the
26.e3 b6 Threatening 27...Rxe3! " N u n n G a m b i t " , i n w h i c h 11.f3
27.ad1 e7! beginning a highly gives White a dangerous lead in
noteworthy manoeuvre: the knight heads for development as compensation for his one
its dream square on e4. 28.f2 c8 29.f3 sacrificed unit. ]
c6 30.fe1 d6 31.e5 e4 32.xe4 8...f6 9.exf6
The black knight was intolerable on e4, but [ 9.f4 looks dangerous at first sight, but the
now Black acquires a protected passed calm response cxd4! causes some trouble
pawn. fxe4 33.xe8+ xe8 34.g3 e6 for White because recapturing at d4 with a
35.e3 f5 and Black was at least equal pawn would let Black's f8-bishop deliver
and eventually won in Kharkovsky,D- an annoying check at b4. ]
Polovnikov,G/ Novosibirsk 2001. The white 9...xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.e1 0-0 12.a3?
rook has no open line available to it and T h i s i s s i m p l y t o o s l o w, a n d B l a c k n o w
nothing to attack. ] immediately seizes the initiative in an
21...d7 22.fe1 e7 23.b3 c6 extremely energetic fashion. cxd4 13.cxd4
24.g1? Andreikin prepares to sacrifice the f4 e5! 14.dxe5 g4! Pouncing on the frail f2-
pawn in the hope of generating counterplay, pawn. 15.f1 cxe5 16.ed4 xf3+
but it leads to the collapse of his kingside. 17.xf3 xh2+! 18.xh2 xf2 19.xg4
Perhaps he should have tried the alternative [ 19.xf2 xf2+ 20.h1 h4 21.g1
knight manoeuvre f2+ is also "The End" for White. ]
[ 24.c1!? planning Nd3 and Ne5. ] 19...xg4 20.xh7+ h8! White is not even
24...g6 25.f3 xf4 26.e5 xe5 allowed a check on the next move. 21.d3
27.xe5 g6 28.e2 f4 Now Black has full [ 21.xg4 f4+ is again "curtains" for

435
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

White. ] that such punishment could be wreaked on

21...xf1+ 22.xf1 f8+ White resigned in Black's head just because of sa slight error
view of 23 Ke1 Qf2. in move order. ]
0-1 11.cxd4 b6! Also possible is
[ 11...f6 12.exf6 xf6!? but I like Gurevich's
way of playing it. Already White's centre is
496 C06 looking loose. Note that if the d pawn drops
Benjamin,Joel 2577 here White cannot claim much
Gurevich,Mikhail 2667 compensation as Black has already
KO Cap d'Agde FRA (1.1) 01.11.2000 mobilised his kingside pieces. ]
[Neil McDonald] 12.c2?! This turns out badly. Perhaps
[ 12.b1 f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.b3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 was the best way to handle things followed
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 g6 by moving his bishop to a3, b2 or e3 next
I n m y o p in i o n t h is is t h e b e s t a n swe r t o move, but Black can still play g4 15.b2
White's seventh move- Black just leaves him e5! which looks dangerous for White, e.g.
with a knight on d2 which has been denied its 16.h3 xf2! 17.xf2 e4 ]
natural post on f3. Instead 12...f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.b1
[ 7...b6 8.0-0 cxd4 ( Also possible is [ If 14.b3 g4 15.b2 e5 ]
8...g6 but Black does best not to commit the 14...d7 15.h3 b4 Already things have
queen to b6 straightaway as it gives White gone seriously wrong for White as he is about
the option of 9.dxc5 Then Black's best reply to have his highly prized bishop removed from
m a y we l l b e c7 going after the e5 pawn the board. Instead he tries to hold onto it but it
which is a clear loss of time as the queen leads to even worse trouble. 16.b3? b5!
could have gone straight from d8 to c7.) 17.e5 e4 18.e3 xf2!! After this
9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3 brilliant stroke White's position soon crumbles.
is the Korchnoi Gambit with a typical 19.xf2 xf2 20.xf2 xe5 21.g1
continuation being a kind of dance between [ Or 21.xe5 d3+ 22.g3 ( 22.e3
the queens after b6 12.a4 b4 13.c2 xe5 ) 22...xd4 and White is either mated
c5 14.e2 Now White evidently has on f4 or loses the rook and remains two
pressure for the pawn. ] pawns down. ]
8.0-0 g7 9.e1 0-0 10.f1 cxd4! 21...xd4+ 22.h2 d3 23.e2 g1+
This exchange is essential if Black intends to 24.h1 f2+ Now Black wins back the
play f7-f6. If Black immediately attacks exchange with two extra pawns. Gurevich now
White's centre he can run into a big attack as takes him time to force the win but the end
the following shows: isn't in any doubt. 25.xf2 xf2 26.h2
[ 10...f6? 11.exf6 xf6 12.e3! d4 27.c1 d3 28.a1 f5 29.c7 b6
This active move is only possible because 30.e7 c5 31.h4 d8 32.h6 f8
Black hasn't yet exchanged on d4-otherwise 33.d2 g7 34.c2 xc2 35.xc2 c8
he would be able to play Nxd4 in reply and 36.e2 d6 37.d1 a6 38.f3 f6
win. cxd4 13.g4! e7 14.cxd4 xd4 39.d2 c4 40.b3 c8 41.d3 g7
15.xd4 xd4 16.xg6! c5 17.xh7+! 42.d2 b5 43.f2 c5 44.e2 c2
xh7 18.d3+ h8 19.xe6 f6 45.d2 b1+ 46.h2 f5 47.d1 c3
20.e3!! xe6 21.xd4 e7 22.xf6 xf6 48.h1 f4 49.e1?! xf3! 50.gxf3 c3
23.g6 af8 24.e1! and Black was 0-1
defenceless in Agnos-Dittmar, Bad
W oerishof en 1993. I was staying in the
same hotel as Deme trios Agnos durin g
this tournament and I remember when he
showed me the game that I was very
impressed by his attack and also amazed

436
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
497 C06
Beshukov,Sergei 2428
Bischoff,Klaus 2556
Premier Hastings ENG (1) 29.12.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 e7
[ Normal of course is 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
but all those 3...Be7 Tarrasch games have
shown that this is a decent square for the
bishop! ]
8.0-0
[ Instead 8.f3 cxd4 9.cxd4 b6 10.h4 h6
11.a3 d7 12.b3 a5 13.b2 a4 14.b4
a7 15.c3 c8 16.d2 0-0 17.g3 f5
was unclear in Pirrot-Bischoff, Dudweiler
1996. ]
8...a5 9.f4 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6
[ Here Black could block White directly with
10...f5 when play would be similar to that in
the 5 f4 Tarrasch- see the games McShane
Bischoff and Sosna-Matlak. Bischoff adopts
the Leningrad System with g6 and h5, but
this strikes me as less reliable. ]
11.f3 h5 12.c3
[ This knight could have been rerouted to the
we a k e s t s q u a r e in B l a c k ' s p o s i t i o n a s
follows: 12.h1 g6 13.eg1 a4 14.h3
and 15 Ng5 next move. ]
12...g6 13.e2 d7 14.a3
[ Here 14.a4 would keep more space on the
queenside. ]
14...a4 15.b5 a5 16.d6+ White is
pre p a re d t o s a crif ice a p a wn in o rd e r t o
we a k e n B l a c k ' s d a r k s q u a r e d d e f e n c e s
before beginning the real attack with f4- f5.
xd6 17.exd6 bc4 18.f5! The thematic
breakthrough. gxf5 19.g5 b6 20.ab1?!
Too slow. Instead
[ 20.xf5 would keep up the momentum of
the attack. Taking on b2 would allow White
to go rook hunting with Bf6 combined with
Bh7, so Black would probably do best to
reply g8 with unclear play. ]
20...g8 21.xf5 xd6 22.h7 xg5!
A very logical sacrifice. 23.xg5 xd4+
24.h1?
[ Here 24.f2! keeps things unclear. ]
24...b5 25.e1?
[ 25.f2! ]
25...xf1 26.xe6 If White thought he was
now winning then the next move was a nasty
surprise. xg2+! 27.xg2 g4+ 28.h1
fxe6 29.e5 0-0-0!
0-1
498 C06
Biti,Ozren 2359
Gleizerov,Evgeny 2564
12th Open Zadar CRO (3) 13.12.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 At present, Black is having a far easier
ride after this move than 5.Ngf3 [or 5.c3 c5 6.
Ngf3]. In fact, I would advise anyone who
plays the Tarrasch as White to switch to the
Ngf3 line. I've even been playing it myself. c5
6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6
xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7 12.g5 0-0
13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6 15.g6
[ Sebastian Gueler has pointed out that
15.ac1 is possible here. Black should take
the chance to activate his game with g5!
There are three reasons why this is a good
move, assuming it is tactically water tight.
Firstly, it clears the g7 square for the black
queen. She is excellently placed there,
putting pressure on the d4 pawn and helping
to bolster the kingside. Once Qg7 is played,
the move Bd7 do esn't cu t o f f t he b lac k
queen from the defence of the kingside and
wi t h t h e p i n o n t h e c - f i l e b r o k e n , N b 4
becomes an option. White doesn't want to
part with his light squared bishop for the
knight. In fact, White doesn't want to part
with his dark squared bishop either for a
knight, but he is forced into this after 15...
g5 16.Bg3 Nxg3. And finally, Black's g pawn
can undermine the white knight on f3 with
g5-g4. Now we see the value of the 15.Bg6
move. W hite wasn't merely attacking the
black knight on h5 he was seriously
reducing Black's options by preventing the
advance of the black g-pawn. ( Note that it
wo u l d m a k e n o s e n s e t o s a c r i f i c e t h e
exchange with 15...xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+
etc. as W hite has played the healthy
d e ve l o p i n g m o ve 1 5 . R a c 1 r a t h e r t h a n
provoked the Rf3 sac. with the now 'time
437
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
wasting' 15.Bg6. )
A) The normal course of events would be
16.g3 xg3 17.xg3 ( or 17.hxg3
g7 ) 17...g7 18.h5 e7! intending
19...g4 or 19....Nb4 as appropriate, or just
19...Bd7 etc. with good chances for
Black. ( but not the greedy 18...xd4?
as W hite gets a decisive looking attack
after 19.xd4 xd4 20.h7+ h8
21.g6 );
B) 16.g6 An attempt to disrupt Black's
build up. f4 ( I also prefer Black after
16...gxh4 17.xh5 h3 18.g3 g7 )
17.xf4 xf4 ( or 17...gxf4!? leaving the
w h i t e b i s h o p w e i r d l y p l a c e d o n h 4 .)
18.g3 xg3 19.hxg3 ( 19.fxg3 g7 )
19...g7 and Black has all he could hope
for from the opening. ]
15...xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4
18.g3 e5!?
[ Evidently Black wants to sidestep the line
18...d6 19.ad1 e5 20.h7+ h8
21.dxe5 ( instead 21.xh2 g5 looks very
good for Black.) 21...xe5 22.fe1 h3
23.xe5 xe5 24.xh2 g5 25.f5
-see Hagarova-Rudolf on ChessPub. ]
19.fe1
[ 19.xh2 d6 20.h7+ h8 21.dxe5?!
( here 21.ad1 g5 would bring us back into
18...Qd6 territory, but White doesn't want to
go there as it is looking good for Black- cf.
the comment at move 18 above, where you
are directed to the Hagarova-Rudolf game.
Instead, Ulibin takes the chance to rescue
his bish op b ef ore it get s sh ut in by g5 .
Nevertheless, White is soon tottering on the
edge of defeat.) 21...xe5 22.f5 xf5!
The Swedish GM shows admirable restraint
it not touching the f3 pawn. 23.xf5 e6!
with an x-ray attack on h3, and also
preparing to get the rook into the game.
24.g3 c8 25.xc8+ ( It was either play
this or resign after 25.b1 xf3+ 26.h1
d2 ) 25...xc8 26.xf4 xf5 27.xe5
xe5+ 28.g2 xb2 29.ab1 xa2
30.xb7 I assume that Black has winning
chances here, but Ulibin managed to hold
on. a6 31.b4 h5 This might be a
mistake as the h5 pawn becomes liable to
drop with ch eck in wha t f ollows. 32.d1
g6+ 33.f1 f5 34.g2 g6+ 35.f1
a5 36.bd4 a6+ 37.g2 g6+ 38.f1
a6+ 39.g2 g6+ draw agreed in Ulibin,
M-Berg, E/Bajada de la Virgen ESP 2005. ]
19...h3!
[ Much stronger than 19...d7? for example
20.f5! ( A fundamental theme in this line is
20.xh2 h3+ 21.g1 g2# ) 20...xd4
21.xd7 ( but not 21.xc8+? xc8
22.xc8 xc8 23.ac1 e8!? and Black
has the killer threat of g7-g5 besides the
attack on f3 and the fork on d3.) 21...xc2
22.xc8 xc8 23.xh2 xa1 24.xa1 g5
25.f5! threatening a fork on e7. ]
20.ad1
[ 20.xh2? xd4! 21.d1 ( The point is
21.xc7 xf3+ 22.h1 g2# ) 21...xg6
22.xh3 d7+ 23.h2
a n d n o w c o m p l e t e l y w i n n i n g i s xh4!?
but most precise is ( 23...f4! and mate
follows after a check on h3. )]
20...xg3?
[ Black has decent winning chances after
20...xd4 21.xd4 ( There is another minor
piece mate after 21.xc7? g2+ 22.xh2
xf3# ) 21...xc2 22.xc2 exd4 23.xh2
d3 24.b1 g5 25.h5 the only way to stay
alive. xh5 26.xh3 gxh4 and the fork on
f4 preserves the passed pawn on d3. Play
might continue 27.g4 f6+ 28.xh4 d2
29.d1 f7 30.xd2 g8 and Black's d5
and h6 passed pawns far outweigh the dead
wood on f2 and f3. ]
21.xg3?
[ The position is unclear after 21.fxg3 g2+
22.g1 xg6 23.xg2 ]
21...g2+ 22.h2 xf3 23.d2 e4
24.xe4?!
[ Here is a long variation which convinces me
that Black is winning even against best play
by White: 24.b3 d7! eyeing the h3
s q u a r e , s o . . . 25.xf4 a5!! the white
queen is deflected from the attack on d5 so
that there is no defence based on Qxd5+
and Qf5, or sometimes Qh5. At the same
time, the knight begins an impressive
manoeuvre to the kingside, as will be seen.
26.b4 g4 27.g3 ( Otherwise it is mate
o n g 2 , o r i f 27.g1 h4# ) 27...xg6
28.e7 ( not 28.xa5 h5+ 29.g1
h1# ) 28...c4 29.c2 d6! the next step
in the knight's intrepid journey. It cannot be
438
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

captured either way as mate would follow f8 ) 27.a4+ d8 28.xa5+ c7
30.g1 ( If 30.h4 f5 31.h3 g4 29.d2 g7 30.b4 b6 31.a4 f8?
32.g2 xd4 33.c3 f3+ 34.xf3 xf3 The attack on f2 is defeated by White's reply,
a n d w i n s wi t h t h e t h r e e e xt r a p a wn s .) so it was better to keep the rook on the h-file.
30...f5! 31.xb7 h5! 32.xd5+ ( or Instead ( 31...d7! 32.a5 a7 and Rf8 has
32.xa8+ h7 ) 32...h7 33.h4 g4+ become a dangerous idea, intending Rxf2
34.g3 h3 35.xf5+ xf5 and White N xf 2 Q xg 3 i n s o m e c a s e s , a s i f 33.b5?
had better resign. ] xb5! 34.xb5 xg4 ) 32.e4! g6
[ Me a n wh ile if 24.e3 e7! now g6 is 33.ef6 b1+ 34.f1 c7 35.a5 a7
hanging 25.xf3 exf3 26.xf4 h4+ 36.c3+ b8 37.b5 a8 38.b6 b8
27.g1 g4+! ( White can fight on after With both bishops buried, Black is dead lost.
27...h3? 28.h7+ h8 29.g6 ) 28.g3 39.g3 d1 40.g2 h8 41.f4 d4 42.d3
h3 and the mate threat on g2 kills White a1 43.f2 d8 44.b5 c3 45.d3
again. ] With the terrible threat of 46.Be4 and 47.
24...dxe4 25.xe4 xe4 26.xe4 f8 Qa6+. c6+ 46.xc6 bxc6 47.a6
27.d5 e5! 1-0 Sebag, M-Berry, N/West Bromwich ENG
0-1 2004. ]
16...xg4 17.xg4 xd4 as soon often in
the Ngf3 System, I'm dumbfounded at the way
499 C06 W hite can give up his d4 pawn for a wing
Buckley,Simon T 2332 pawn an d st ill b e playin g f or a dvan ta ge .
Williams,Simon Kim 2487 18.fh2 c5
4NCL Nottingham ENG (8) 10.04.2005 [ Or 18...b6 19.f3 ( Instead after 19.h3!?
[Neil McDonald] xh3 20.gxh3 e7 Black has got in the
extra move b7-b6 compared to the Buckley-
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 W illiams game, though whether that is of
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 e7 8.0-0 a5 any particular help is doubtful. Play can
9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 g5!? 11.h3 h5 continue as in that game with 21.e3 etc. )
12.f1!? 19...c5 20.d2 g8 21.fh2 a6
[ Instead 12.g4!? was played in Erenburg- 22.xa6 xa6 23.h3 and White ground
Williams. ] out the win mainly thanks to his 222 extra
12...g4 13.hxg4 hxg4 14.3h2 b4! E lo p o in t s in Hra ce k, Z-K e kki , P / S a in t
an essential move that clears the way for the Vincent ITA 2005. ]
b l a c k qu e e n t o g o t o h 4 . 15.e3 h4 19.h3 the rook gets out of the way of a
16.xg4 discovered attack, say with 19...Nc6, and
[ White doesn't have to exchange queens: creates a passed pawn on h3 which isn't to
16.g3!? f5 ( Contrary to first impressions, be under estimated. xh3 20.gxh3 e7!
16...xd4!? i s p o s s i b l e : 17.xg4 h5 [ Stopping the passed pawn in its tracks. In
18.g8+!? f8 19.xh5 xh5 20.g4 contrast, it becomes a powerful asset after
c6 intending Ne7 as well as attacking the 20...b6 21.h4 a6 22.xa6 xa6 23.h5
e5 pawn. 21.g3 h4 22.f6+ xf6 etc. ]
23.exf6 d7 24.g5 d4 25.h6 0-0-0! 21.e3 f5 22.f4 c5 23.xf5 exf5
a n d W h i t e h a s o v e r p l a ye d h i s h a n d .) 24.f6+ xf6 25.exf6 d3 Both players
17.exf6 xf6 18.f4 ( 18.g6+ f8 have doubled and isolated pawns along the f-
19.f4 ) 18...h5 19.e2 f7 20.e5 file, forming a curious pattern. White has his
xe5 21.dxe5 e4 22.xg4 xg3 passed h-pawn, and his rook is the first to get
23.xg3 White has a useful initiative for the to the centre on the other hand, Black has a
exchange. d7 ( Dangerous for Black is passed d-pawn and a more active knight. The
23...e7 24.b5+ f8 25.c1 ) 24.c1 opposite coloured bishops are a drawing
c8 25.xc8+ xc8 26.a3 c5 factor, and that is the way it turns out: 26.h6
( Perhaps he should try 26...e7!? 27.a4+ f4 27.d1 f5 28.f3 0-0-0 29.d4 g6

439
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
30.g7 xb2 31.e1 d3 32.e7 b4
33.h6 d7 Now the players decide to call it
a draw. 34.e8+ d8 35.e7 d6 36.e8+
d8 37.e7
½-½
500 C06
Can,Emre 2281
Berg,Emanuel 2540
7th ch-Euro Kusadasi TUR (1) 04.04.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6
15.g6 xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4
18.g3 e5! This pawn thrust has taken the
place of
[ 18...d6 in recent duels with this sharp
variation. ]
19.h7+? White has entered a theoretical
dispute and so needs to play the right moves
in the right order. Alas, for him he
immediately forgets. The bishop should only
check on h7 if it is attacked by Qd6. In Biti-
Gleizerov, the alternatives
[ 19.xh2 and ]
[ 19.fe1 are considered. ]
19...h8 20.xh2 g5! A rather amazing
situation. White is a rook up for a pawn, but
nevertheless seems to be losing. 21.f5
[ The horrible truth for White is that after
21.e2 xh7 22.xh7+ xh7
he is doomed to lose a piece, as the bishop
is trapped upon 23.xf4 exf4 Nor is giving
the bishop up straightaway much good for
example ]
[ 21.xg5 hxg5 22.d3 h3 23.fe1?!
xd4! 24.xc7 xf3+ 25.h1 g2# ]
[ Fina lly, if 21.g6 gxh4 22.e2 e4!
clearing the way for a discovered check
whilst cutting of the defence of g6. 23.xf4
xf4+ 24.h1 xf3+ 25.h2 f4+
26.h1 h3 27.g1 g4! etc. with a
winning attack for Black. ]
21...gxh4 22.xc8 xc8 23.f5 d7!
A quiet but deadly riposte. Berg prepares the
capture on d4 without allowing the exchange
of queens. 24.h1
[ Or 24.dxe5 d4! 25.e6 xe6 26.ae1
( if 26.c3 xf5 27.xd4+ h7
with inevitable mate, unless White gives up
h i s q u e e n .) 26...g8 27.g1 xc2
28.xg8+ xg8 with an extra piece. ]
24...xd4
[ Of course, if 24...xd4 25.xd4 h3+
and mate next move. ]
0-1
501 C06
Caruso,Augusto 2210
Zak,Uriel 2375
op-B Vienna (6) 1996
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2
[ The note at move 9 should be compared to
the variatio n 7.gf3 b6 8.0-0 cxd4
9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3 b6 ]
7...b6
[ And the note at move 11 below should be
compared to the similar line 7...cxd4 8.cxd4
f6 9.f4 xd4 10.h5+ e7 11.g6+
hxg6 12.exf6+ xf6 13.xh8 f7 ]
8.0-0 White offers the d4 pawn as he hopes to
'trick' Black into a pawn sac. line that normally
occurs af te r 7. Ngf 3 . cxd4 9.cxd4 f6
As recommended by John W atson. Black
avoids transposing into the 7.Ngf3 line-see
move 7 above- after
[ 9...xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3 b6
This is a good idea, as the acceptance of
the pawn on d4 has a rather dubious
reputation these days. But can Black survive
after White's challenging reply? ]
10.f4!? xd4 11.h5+ e7? Black plays
the move that is forced after 10.Qh5+ in the
similar variation given at move 7 above. But
here it isn't forced: Black can take advantage
of the vacant square ond8with
[ 11...d8! If now 12.g6 xe5! 13.xh8
( 13.xe5!? fxe5 14.xe5 is messy )
13...xd3 and Black has two pawns and a
rampant knight in return for a rook. W hite
has to be very careful, for he loses after
14.xh7 ( Or 14.f7 e2+ 15.h1 e7
and there is an unstoppable threat to f2-
both 16...Nxf2+ and 16...Qxf2! are on the
440
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

cards- in the latter case it is a rare 14.xh7 xf3 ( 14...e7 is unclear and
checkmate with two knights if the queen is apparently level) 15.f6+ d8 16.xf3
captured by the rook.) 14...e2+ 15.h1 e7 17.g4?! ( 17.g5 xb2!? 18.b1
xf2+ 16.xf2 xf2 and Black has lethal xa2 , for example, 19.g3 a5 20.h6
threats. ] c3 21.c1 e5 22.xc6 xg3
12.g6+ hxg6 13.exf6+ xf6 14.xh8 e5 23.xc8+ xc8 24.fxg3 e5 ) 17...f5!
In contrast to the line given in the notes at 18.h6 f8 ( 18...e5 19.e2 f6 )
move 7, th e bla ck queen is no longer o n 19.h3 d7 20.a3 a4 21.b3?! d4
d8andso 22.b1 e5 23.e2 xd3 24.xd3 f6
[ 14...f7 doesn't work: 15.b3?! ( Simply ( 24...e4! ) 25.g3?! ( 25.d2 f4 26.g4
15.xg6+ xg6 16.xf8 is good enough to h4 ) 25...f4 26.g6 f3 27.gxf3 h4
win. ) 15...xb3 16.axb3 e5 ( The only 28.g8 e5 29.e1 h1+ 30.d2 h4
ch an ce wa s 16...d6!? ) 17.xg6+ xg6 31.h6 e4 32.g4 c8 33.d1 h3
18.xf8 d4 19.b4 c6 20.a3 h5 34.e1 xf3 35.g8+ c7 36.xd5
21.e7 1-0 Colias,B-Wallach,K/Illinois h1+ 37.e2 xf2+ 38.xf2 f3+
1987. ] 39.d2 e3+ 0-1 Sen, T-Tauber, H (2288)/
15.xg6 Black has so me initiative, but it ICCF server 2005 ]
proves insufficient. He has to do something 13...xb2 14.b1 xa2 This is arguably the
immediately or else White plays 16.b3 and 17. 'safe' move. It has been played much less
Ba3+. e2+ 16.h1 f4 17.b1 g4 often than 14...Qa3, but has performed better.
[ Instead 17...e4 threatens to trap the white 15.xh7
q u e e n w i t h 1 8 . . . N g 6 , b u t 18.h4 [ 15.xh7 removes a target on d3, but
is a winning reply. ] l e a v e s B l a c k s o m e l e e w a y , e . g . , e7
18.h4 f7 19.b3 a5 20.f3 d7 21.xf4 ( 15...a5!? ) 16.0-0 ( 16.h6 dxe5 17.xe5
exf4 22.g5 a4 23.g6+ e7 24.c1 xe5 18.c2 c4 ) 16...dxe5?!
xb2 25.d3 d4 26.xf4 d6 27.g3 ( 16...c4! ) 17.xe5 xe5 18.e1 f6
e7 28.fd1 c3 29.ac1 a5 30.g5 ( 18...c6 19.c3 f8 20.f3!
d4 31.c5 a7 , covering the critical central dark squares,
1-0 a lt h o u gh t h i s i s s t il l ve ry co m p l ic a t e d)
19.c3 xg5 20.xe5 c4 ( 20...f6
21.d3!; 20...xh7? 21.xg5 f5 22.e5+- )
502 C06 21.a1 ( 21.d4! ) 21...e7 22.d3 f4
Castellanos Rodriguez,R 2509 23.f5? ( 23.xd5! exd5 24.xh8 )
Perez Mitjans,O 2429 23...exf5 24.xh8 f8 25.e2 b6 26.b2
I Azuqueca Chess Classic 2013 (3.2) 16.09.13 h6 27.e5 e6 28.e1 g5?!
[John Watson] ( 28...c5! ) 29.f4 ( 29.a3+ e7 30.d6
xd6 31.xd6+ g7 ) 29...e7 30.g4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 c5+!? ( 30...fxg4! 31.f5 d7 32.g2
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 One again the f6!-+ ) 31.g2 fxg4? ( 31...d8 ) 32.f5
Universal System arises. g6 8.h4 b6 d7?? ( 32...e8 33.fxe6 xe6 is unclear)
[ 8...h6 is the main theoretical alternative. ] 33.f4! g7 34.f6 h8 35.g5!? ( 35.h6!
9.h5 g5 Black trades the g-pawn for White's d- d4 36.h7 xf6 37.e5 f3+ 38.g1 )
pawn and weakens his kingside. The question 35...d4 36.h6 e6 37.h7 e8 38.b5+
is whether the destruction of the center is d8 39.xe6 fxe6 40.c6 1-0 Ducarmon,
worth more than the kingside risk. 10.xg5 Q (2407)-Ganguly, S (2629), Vlissingen
cxd4 11.cxd4 xd4 This position has been NED 2012. ]
tested often over the years. For some time 15...e7 16.0-0 The alternatives are all
theory approved of White's position, but now noteworthy.
the play appears to be dynamically equal. [ a) 16.hg5 dxe5 17.xe5 xe5
12.df3 b4+ 13.d2 18.b5+ d7 19.0-0 xb5 20.xb5 c4
[ 13.f1 is seldom tried but not bad: dxe5 21.xb7 g4 22.xg4 xg4 23.c1 xh5

441
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
24.xf7 xf7 25.cc7 e8 26.b4 g6
27.xe7 xe7 28.xe7 e5 ( 28...e5!
29.xa7 d4 ) 29.f3 f6 30.c3 e3
31.d4 d3 32.xa7 f5 33.b8 b3
34.c7 b7 1/2-1/2 Degraeve, J (2530)-
Socko, B (2554)/Paris 2004 ]
[ b) My original analysis a few years back
went 16.h6 dxe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.c3
d4! 19.xd4 xd3+ ( 19...a5+ 20.e2!
d7 ) 20.xd3 d5 Then 21.b5! xg2
( 21...d6 22.g5 d7 23.e4 a6
24.b3 xd3 25.xd3 h7 26.g3! )
22.hh5! (remarkable) g1+ 23.e2 f5!
24.xh8 g4+ 25.f3 c4+ 26.d3
g4+ draws by repetition! ]
[ c) 16.a1 b2 17.b1 a3 isn't what
White is after, since Black has gained the
p a s s e d a - p a w n f o r f r e e . ( 17...dxe5?!
18.xb2 xd3+ 19.e2 xb2 20.a1
xh7 21.xb2 f6 22.b1 favours White )]
16...c5
[ 16...a3 17.c1 c3 18.h6 ]
17.c2 c4 18.e3?!
[ 18.h6 e4 19.f6+ xf6 20.exf6 c3
21.xc3 xc3 22.h7 xf6 is hard to
assess. ]
18...b6 19.fg5
[ 19.f6+ xf6 20.exf6 a6 21.e1 d4
22.xd4 xd4 23.xd4 xd4 24.xd4
xh5 ]
19...a6 20.e1 d3 21.b3?
[ 21.xd3 xd3 22.a4 c8 ]
21...c3 22.d2 c5?!
[ 22...d4! 23.e3 c3 24.d2 c5
25.e3 d4! ]
23.f3 dxe5?
[ 23...xg5 24.xg5 e7 ]
24.xe5!?
[ 24.f6+! d8 25.f4 d3 26.xf7+
c8 27.e3 b7!
complications ]
24...xe5 25.f4?
[ 25.f6+ d8 26.f4 d3 27.xf7+
c8 ]
25...xh7! 26.xh7 d3
winning. 27.a4+
[ 27.f3 xf2+! 28.xf2 xf2 29.xf2
d3 ]
27...b5 28.f6+ d8 29.a5+ c8 30.g3
bxa4 31.g8+ f8 32.g4 b8 33.xb8+
xb8 34.h6 xf2 35.xf2 c1+ 36.d1
xd1+ 37.f2 e2+ 38.g1 e3+
0-1
503 C06
Chandra,Akshat 2269
Ghosh,D 2415
Vizag GM Open 2012 (5.13) 29.10.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5
9.a4 cxd4 10.cxd4 b4 11.b5 0-0
[ 11...b6 12.b1 a6 13.c3 is Ni Hua-
Cvek in the Archives, where I also analyse
3 alternate 9th moves for Black. ]
12.b1 b6
[ 12...b8 with the idea ...N8c6 is seen in
Zojer-Lehner. ]
13.c3 d7 14.b3 Covering c4 and
preparing Ba3 in some lines.
[ Also from this month: 14.e2 c8 15.f4
c6 16.fc1 a8! 17.d2 c7
( 17...xb5 18.xb5 c7= ) 18.f1! b8
19.g3 ( 19.e1! b5 20.d3 ) 19...b5!?
20.axb5 ( 20.g5 ) 20...xb5 Castellanos
Rodriguez, R (2515)-Edouard, R (2688),
Leon 2012. ]
14...c8! Headed for a7 to contest b5. I like
this presumably Black will be on the verge of
equality if he can chase the bishop and then
contest the c-file. White has some space on
the kingside, but it's hard to bring his over
there.
[ 14...c8 15.d2 xb5!? ( 15...a8!?
with the ideas ...Nc7 and in some cases ...
Qb6 is absurd, moving the knight yet again,
but it may be satisfactory, because W hite
has little advantage if he can't dominate
with strange b5. ) 16.xb5 Adams-Caruana, Zaafra
2009. ]
15.f4 a7
[ Or 15...xb5 16.xb5 a7= , e.g.,
17.xa7 xa7 18.e2 a6 19.fc1
Now Black is c6= ]
16.e2 c8 17.d2 b6 18.fc1 c7!
Suddenly that slight weakness created by b3
is bothersome. 19.h4 Logically playing on the
s i d e w h e r e h e h a s t h e a d v a n t a g e . fc8
20.h5!?
[ I ' d p r e f e r 20.g5 , and if Black tries to
442
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

preserve his bishop with f8! , then 21.h5 504 C06

h6 22.f4 ] Congiu,M 2279
20...a6 21.b5? This ultimately gives up a Bruno,F 2427
pawn. Forni di Sopra (7) 19.06.2014
[ 21.h6?? b4 ] [Francesco Bentivegna]
[ 21.b2! with the idea b4 22.a2 ]
21...xb5 22.axb5 [jw: Thanks to Francesco Bentivegna f or
[ 22.xb5 xb5 23.axb5 xb5 ] passing along this game and his annotations,
22...xb5 23.xb5 xb5 24.xc7 xc7 originally published as part of an article on
25.xa5 xb3 26.h6 g6!? Chess.com. As far as I know, this is the first
[ 26...c2! 27.hxg7 xg7 ] game which follows this recommendation in
27.g5 f8 28.d2 my PTF4, and of course it's quite possible
[ 28.h2! with the idea Ng4 gives some that Black came up with it on his own. I've
counterplay. ] added a few notes, marked by '[jw:]'] 1.e4 e6
28...c2 29.f4 f5?! White has a 2.d4 d5 3.d2 The Tarrasch Variation
surprising counter to this. [ The other Main Line is: 3.c3 ]
[ 29...b2 30.f1 b5 is strong, and Black [ Or the French advance: 3.e5 ]
stands better in any case. ( 30...b4 )] 3...f6 A classic option here 4.e5 fd7
30.xf5 gxf5 31.g4! c3 5.d3 A classic scheme
[ 31...fxg4 32.h2 is surprisingly good. [ 5.f4!? is another different system. ]
W hite seems to achieve sufficient 5...c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 f6!? 8.g5!?
counterplay af ter c4 33.xg4 xd4 This sacrifice leads to wild complications but
34.f6+ h8 35.g2 , but maybe Black it can't be recommended after this game! [jw:
should try this. ] I simply give this a '?' in my book, but in fact
32.g2 c7 33.gxf5 exf5 34.g1 it's what makes the move 7...f6 playable]
[ 34.h4! e6 35.f6 , e.g., f4+ [ it's better to search an advantage in the
36.g1 h3+ ( 36...a3 37.xf5 b5 more cautious: 8.exf6 xf6 [jw: Bentivegna
38.a2 b4 39.e7 ) 37.f1 ] annotates an older game Ehlvest-Andersson,
34...e6 35.d2 c6 36.f1+ Reykjavik 1991, which begins:] 9.0-0 d6
[ 36.h4! ] ( 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 d6 is a main line in my
36...h8 37.e2 f4 38.h1 c4 book ) 10.dxc5 xc5 11.b4 ( 11.b3 d6
[ 38...b5 ] 12.c4 0-0= ) 11...d6 12.b5 e5 13.xe5
39.b1 c7 40.h1 xe5 14.b2 ( 14.f3 xc3 15.b1
[ 40.d3! xh6 41.b5 d7 42.b4 ] gives a dangerous initiative) 14...0-0 15.f3
40...b5! 41.d3 a7 d6 16.c4 ]
[ 41...b4 42.b1 b7 ] 8...fxg5! The right approach! Black wants to
42.b1 b7 43.h1 see the next hand.....
[ 43.b4 xh6 44.g1 ] [ It seems worse: 8...dxe5?! 9.dxe5
43...b4 44.b1 xh6 45.xb4 xb4 A) It's interesting: 9...fxg5! 10.h5+ d7
46.xb4 g5 The h-pawn is a big long-term 11.f3 e7 12.xg5 (idea 13. Ne6)
asset, and White's bishop is bad. 47.d2 h6 xe5 13.b5+ c6 ( Black can play the
48.g1 g7 49.f3 h4!? strong 13...c7! ) 14.f7 e8
[ 49...h5 ] 15.f4!? (idea: 16. Ne5+-) g6? 16.e5+
50.e2 g3 51.c3 h5 52.e2 d8 17.xc6+ bxc6 18.e5+-;
[ 52.xd5 h4 53.f6 h3 54.g4 h2 B) 9...xe5?! 10.b5+! c6 ( Or:
55.xh2 xh2 56.d5 g5-+ ] 10...d7 11.xe6 xb5 12.xd8 d3+
52...h4 53.g1 g5 54.c3 h3 55.xh3 13.f1 xb2+ 14.e2+ xe2+
xh3 56.b4 g5 57.c5 xf3 58.c1 15.xe2 ) 11.gf3 d6
xe5 59.xd5 f3 60.e3 g4 61.e4 f2 B1) 12.c4 d4 13.0-0 0-0 14.e4 e7
62.xf2 15.xc6 bxc6 16.b4 ( jw: 16.c2 e5
0-1 17.g3 ) 16...a6;

443
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
B2) 12.f1 0-0 13.g3 e7 14.0-0
c7 Ivanov, V (2410)- Kastanieda, G
(2305) (Mosca 1993). But after: 15.a4!
White is a piece up for two pawns. ]
9.h5+
[ It doesn't offer anything: 9.0-0 e7 10.f3
h6 ]
9...g6 10.xg6+ hxg6 11.xg6+!
[ Not: 11.xh8 cxd4 with a total destruction
of the centre ]
11...e7 12.f3
[ Or: 12.e4!? dxe5! with the same idea!
13.xg5+ d7 14.f6+ c7 And now:
15.e8+!? xe8! 16.xe8 g7
It's a very funny line: 17.d8+ ( 17.xh8
d3+ 18.e2 xh8 19.xd3 cxd4 )
17...b8-+ And white has to give back the
Queen... 18.e7 b5 19.d6+ b7
20.xh8 xh8 21.dxe5 xe5 22.0-0-0
c6 23.xe5 xe5 24.g3 f6 25.f4 e5
26.fxe5 xe5 27.h4 f5 28.h5 e4
29.hg1 h8 30.df1 xh5 31.g4 h2
32.g5 c2+ 33.d1 xb2 34.g6 c4
0-1 Rjabzev, K (2405)-Kosyrev, V (2535)
14th Chigorin Mem, St-Petersburg RUS
2006 ]
12...dxe5! This novelty changes the verdict
of the whole line. The king is ready to run to
the queenside and White's attack is over!
[ it improves an interesting game: 12...h6
13.xg5+ xg5 14.g7+! e8 15.xg5+-
xg5 16.xg5 cxd4 17.g6+ d8 18.f4
dxc3 19.bxc3 e8 20.0-0-0 b6 21.h4
d7 22.h5 c7 23.h6 g8 24.f6 gf8
25.h4 a4 26.d3 f7 27.dh3! h8
28.g5 hh7 29.g4 c5 30.f1 e4
31.h5 e7 32.g5 f5 33.e2? ( 33.g6!
[jw:] In fact, this fails to xh5 34.gxh7 xh3
35.h8 h2 36.f8 f5 ) 33...g6
34.e3 b5 35.ff3 b6 36.g1 d7
37.h2 c4 38.c2 c6 39.h2 a5
40.g2 d7 41.g4 c5 ( 41...xg5?
42.ff2 ) 42.d2 e7 43.b1 f7 44.b2
b5?! ( 44...d7!? 45.g1! ) 45.g1 d3
46.a7+ g8 47.b8+ f8 48.d6
gxf4 ( 48...e7 49.f5! ) 49.h2 f7??
( 49...d4? 50.g6! xg6 51.xf8+ xf8
52.g2++-; 49...e8! 50.g6!? xg6 51.f6
df4 52.f2 ) 50.g6+! xg6 51.xf8
1-0 Arita-Leow Siegen (ol) 1970. ]
13.dxe5
[ Or: 13.xg5+ d7 14.dxe5 e7
it's the same position of the game ]
13...d7 [jw: I stop here] 14.xg5 e7
15.xe7
[ If: 15.h4!? g8!-+ with a winning position
too ]
15...xe7 16.h4 c7 17.0-0-0 d7-+
Now everything is clear: Black has a winning
game . 18.g3 h7!?
[ Or: 18...af8!? ]
19.f4 af8 20.e3 b6 21.de1 f5
22.e2 e8! With the idea 23...-Be8-h5! The
rest is simple: 23.b3 h5 24.h3 hg8
25.f1 g6 26.b2 c2+ 27.a3 d3
28.d4 xd4 29.xd3 xd3
0-1
505 C06
Cruz Ravina,Francisco Javier 2399
Brynell,Stellan 2495
XXXIV Open Barbera del Valles ESP (9)
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 0-0 12.f4
h5 A simple way to deviate from the
standard 12...Bxf4. Moskalenko has played it
repeatedly. It gives an imbalance and, against
best play, Black has either no or a very small
disadvantage which is easily defended. Well,
until White comes up with a new weapon!
[ Moskalenko also sites a game with
12...h8 13.d2 xd4 14.exd4 e4
15.xe4 xf4 16.d3 ( I prefer 16.e2!
dxe4 17.xe4 ) 16...e5 17.xh7 exd4 ]
13.xd6 xd6 14.d2
[ (a) 14.c2 is featured in this month's game
Ponizil-De la Villa Garcia. ]
[ (b) 14.g3 is the move in Tzermiadanos'
Tarrasch book ('How to Beat the French..').
I don't see it as much of a problem: f4
and now Tzermiadanos gives 15 Bb5, but
let's see a few other moves too:
A) Moskalenko doesn't give 15 Bb5, but
cites his own game: 15.c2 a6 16.e1
d7 17.c1 g6 18.a3 ae8 19.d2?!
h3+ 20.h1 xf3!? ( 20...e5
looks satisfactory to me. The long forcing
line 21.b3 xf3 22.gxf3 xd4 23.e4
444
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xb3 24.xd6 xd2 25.xe8 xe8 h5 39.a4 xd4 40.e3 e5 41.a5

looks unclear, e.g., 26.c8 f7 27.xe8! g6 42.a7 f8 43.h4 b4 44.a5
xe8 28.xe5+ f8 29.xd5 c4 ) a4 45.a6 g8 46.d2
21.gxf3 f8 ( 21...f8!? ) 22.h6? 1-0 (46) Nisipeanu, L (2600)-Visser,
( 22.e3 ) 22...e5 23.h5? f7 24.dxe5 Y (2380)/Groningen 1997/ CBM 062
xe5-+ Kobalia-Moskalenko, playchess. ext;
com 2005; C3) 15...b4 may be easiest of all:
B) 15.e1 has a couple of solutions. 16.xc6 ( 16.b3 h3+ 17.gxh3
Another of Moskalenko's games went d7 xb3 18.axb3 xf3 19.xc6 bxc6
( or 15...a6 ) 16.a3 a6 17.c1 ae8 20.fc1 xb3 with good chances-at any
( 17...e8!? ) 18.f1 e5= ( 18...h6 rate, Black can't lose) 16...bxc6 17.b3
with the idea ...Rf7, ...Ref8 - Moskalenko) a6 18.e1 c5 with a small edge. ]
19.dxe5 xe5 20.xe5 xe5 21.d4 14...d7
xe1 22.xe1 f6= Lyrberg, P (2425)- [ 14...a6 15.e3 ( 15.ac1 xf3 16.gxf3
Moskalenko, V (2535), Helsinki 1992.; d7 17.g5 g6 18.h1 f8 19.g1?!
C) 15.b5! ('!' Tzermiadanos) and: (c) f4 20.g3 is a Moskalenko game in his
C1) (a) 15...e7 is probably satisfactory, 'Flexible French'; 15.g5 f4 16.xf4
but there are two other moves that look xf4 17.h5?! g6 18.xg6 hxg6
more reliable.; 19.xg6+ h8 20.ae1 f6 21.e8+
C2) (b) 15...d7= 16.xc6 xc6 g7 22.e5 h6 23.g3 f8 , eventually
17.b3 a5 18.e5 '+=' (Tz) Nisipeanu- won by Black, Perez Mitjans, O (2424)-
Visser, Gromingen 1997. But both the Moskalenko, V (2565) , San Marti 2010)
game continuation and 18...a4 look fine: 15...f4 16.xf4 xf4 17.ac1 d7
(b2) 18.a3 h6 19.c3 ad8 20.b4 c8 21.fc1
C2a) (b1) 18...a4 19.e3 ( 19.c2 xe3 1/2-1/2 Perez Mitjans, O (2452)-
a3 20.b3 b5 21.fe1 b4 Mo skale n ko, V (2 5 9 1 ), B a rce lo na E S P
, s i n c e t h e d - p a wn i s a wk w a r d t o 2011. ]
defend, e.g., 22.d1 ac8 23.e3 15.e3
c7 ) 19...b5 20.fc1 b6! [ 15.ad1 xf3 ( or 15...a6 ) 16.gxf3 f8
(versus Rc5) and I'll just give a sample 17.e3 e5 18.dxe5 xe5 19.f4 xd3
line my guess is that it's equal: 21.c3 20.xd3 xf4 21.xf4 xf4 (Moskalen
( 21.c3 h5! 22.h4 g5! ) 21...e7 ko's sassessment equal, I think), W olff-
22.ac1 h5! 23.c7 f6 24.b7 Moskalenko, Wijk aan Zee B 1992. ]
ab8 25.xb8 xb8 26.c7 f8 15...a6!?
wti ... h4; [ 15...f4 is recomended by Moskalenko
C2b) 18...b4 is the game: and does seem slightly better. One game
C2b1) 19.fd1 h5 ( 19...a4 we n t 1 6 R a e 1 , b u t t h e r e a re o t h e r s t o
20.xb4 axb4 21.b3 b5 consider:
, a t l e a s t e q u a l) 20.h4 xb3 A) 16.b5 xe2+ 17.xe2 f4 18.d3
21.axb3 g5 22.hxg5 h4 23.f1 af8 19.ad1 h6 20.d2 e8=;
e2+ 24.h2 xf2; B) 16.xf4 xf4 ( or 16...xf4 ) 17.ac1
C2b2) 19.e3 xb2 20.fb1 c2 a6 ( 17...ac8 ) 18.c2 xe3 19.fxe3
21.c1 b2 ( 21...a4!? ) 22.a3 ac8 20.fe1 h6=;
b6 23.ab1 d8 ( 23...a6! ) C) 16.ae1 xe2+ 17.xe2 a6 18.a3
24.e2 xe2+ 25.xe2 h4 f4 19.xf4 xf4 20.g3 ff8 21.d1
26.e3 e4 27.xe4 dxe4 ac8 22.fe1 f6 23.g2 cf8 24.f1
28.xc6 bxc6 29.xc6 ab8 e8 25.e5 xe5 26.dxe5 6f7 27.g4
( 29...ad8 30.d1 f6= ) 30.xb8 e7 28.h4 b5 29.fe1 c8=
xb8 31.f1 d8 32.c4 d5 Salgado Lopez, I (2592)-Dvirnyy, D (2450),
33.e2 h5 34.h3 g5 35.g3 f5 Rijeka 2010. ]
36.c5 f3 37.xa5 d3 38.a7 16.e5 b4!? 17.g3

445
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ White seems to have a very modest edge sets up the battery with Qd3, he can often
after 17.b1 ac8 18.a4 e8 ] achieve the move Nh5, an exploitation of
17...xd3 18.xd3 b5 19.d2 the weaknesses created if Black plays ...
[ Better looks 19.e3 ] g5. ]
19...f6 20.f3 d7 21.xd7 xd7= 22.f4 15...g5 There is nevertheless no attractive
ac8 23.fe1 xe2 24.xe2 c6 25.ae1 alternative here.
f7 [ 15...f7 16.d3 g5 17.g3 xg3
[ 25...fc8= ] 18.xg3 transposes, but here 18 fxg3! looks
26.e5 h6 27.e3 c2 28.e2 promising. ]
[ 28.xe6 xb2 29.f3 d7 ] 16.g3 xg3 17.xg3 Played in most of the
28...xe2 29.xe2 c8 30.d3 c6 limited number of examples. Others:
31.g2 f6 32.f5?! [ A) 17.hxg3 has few advantages, although
[ 32.h4 , very light += ] White might try to get g4 in: g7
32...exf5 33.xd5 f4 34.gxf4? A) 18.g4 d7 19.g3!? xf3!?
[ 34.f5 g6 35.e4 fxg3 36.hxg3 h7 ( 19...e8 20.e1 xg3 21.fxg3 f6
37.d5 f6 38.g4 g8 , about = ] 22.d2 g6 23.xg6 xg6 24.b4
34...xf4 35.d8+?? should favour White) 20.xf3 ( 20.gxf3
[ 35.f5 xf5 36.xf5 c2+ 37.f2 xf2+ xd4 f o ll o we d b y . . Rf 8) 20...xd4
38.xf2 f7 . Anyone want to assess this? 21.d1 f8 - it appears that Black has
I have a feeling that the outside passed sufficient compensation for the exchange,
pawn won't win and the game will be drawn although perhaps no more.;
because W hite's king gets to e4 first, but B) 18.d3 d7 19.cd1 f7 20.a3 b5!?
who knows? ] 21.c1 b4 22.axb4 xb4 ( 22...g4
[ 35.h3 e6 36.e5 xe5 37.dxe5 xe5 23.h4 xb4 24.d2 c8 ) 23.e3 b8
38.b3+ h7 39.xb7 e6+ 40.g3 24.e5 xe5 25.dxe5 b5 26.fe1 c6
xa2 ] wit h a f a irly b a la n ce d ga m e , Hu n t , H
35...f7 36.d7+ f8 37.a3+ g8 (2 3 8 5 )-T h o m p so n , I (2 2 3 5 ), G a u s d a l
38.b3+ h7 2004. ]
0-1 [ B) 17.fxg3 ended poorly in Bitalzadeh, A
(2270)-Brandenburg, D (2375), Netherlands
2006, but isn't so bad: g7 18.d3 d7
506 C06 19.a3 ( 19.g4 ) 19...e8 ( 19...f7 ) 20.e3
Cuenca Jimenez,Jose Francisco 2464 f7 21.h4? g4 22.h2? h5 ( 22...e5!
Johannessen,Leif Erlend 2522 23.dxe5 xe5 ) 23.b4 a6 24.d3 e7
Tch-POR 1st Div Final (4.6) 27.07.2010 25.f4 f5 26.cd1 ae8 27.xd5?
[John Watson] xg3 28.b6 g6 29.a4 c7 30.f3
gxf3 31.xf3 h2+ 32.h1 d6 33.a2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 h7 34.d2 e7 35.g1 g3 0-1 ]
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 17...f7
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 11.0-0 d6 [ It's surprising that, with Nh5 available,
12.g5 0-0 13.c1 h6 17...g7 isn't so different from ..Qf7, for
[ 13...b6 14.b3 g4 15.h3 xf3 16.hxg4 example, 18.h3 ( 18.h5 f7 19.xc6!
f8 17.e3 d7 is unclear. ] bxc6 20.c2 b8 21.f6+ h8 22.e5
14.h4 xe5 23.dxe5 a6 24.e1 c7
[ 14.d2 follows along the lines of the 12 is u n cle a r) 18...d7 19.d3 ( 19.e1 )
B d 2 ga m e s f ro m t h is m o n t h . A f t e r g4 19...xf3! 20.xf3 xd4 21.d1 f8
( 14...d7 ) 15.g3 , it's not clear whether ... 22.c3 c6 23.d3 f5?! ( 23...e5! )
h6 helps or hurts Black. ] 24.xf5 xf5 25.e3 f6 26.a3 f7
14...h5 15.b1 This isn't played as often as 27.b4 a6 28.d3 d7?! ( 28...e5; 28...c7
[ 15.g6 or ] 29.e2 e5 30.h5 f8 ) 29.e2 e5?
[ 15.g3 , but makes sense, in that if White ( 29...c6 ) 30.h5 e7 31.xd5+ e6

446
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
1-0 Dezan, P (2240)-Brugerie, S, Chanac
1989. ]
18.d3 d7 19.ce1
[ 19.a3 has been played a few times,
securing the position of the queen on d3. A
couple of examples: ae8
A) 20.fe1 e7 21.h1 e8 22.e2
Balogh, C (2567)-Moor, O (2377), Zuerich
2005, and here Black could have played
( 22.h3 ) 22...g4! 23.e5 f4 24.ce1
xe5 25.dxe5 c5;
B) 20.cd1 e7 21.d2 e8 22.e1
( 22.h3 ) 22...g7 ( or 22...g4 23.h4
f4 24.dd1 g5 ) 23.de2 ( 23.h3 )
23...g4 ( or 23...xf3 24.gxf3 xd4 )
24.e5 xe5 25.dxe5 c5 26.c1 b6
27.c8 Brady, S (2353)-Ulibin, M (2589),
Port Erin 2002 and now the easiest course
was ef7 with a clear advantage. ]
19...a6
[ 19...ae8 20.e5! xe5 21.dxe5 c5
22.h5 is what White is after: e7 23.f6+
h8 24.h3 g7 Le Diouron, A-Le Bail, C,
France 2003 and W hite could cash in by
25.xd7 xd7 26.xe6 ]
20.a4 b4?!
[ A) White seems to maintain some
advant age f ollowin g 20...ae8 21.e5
xe5 22.dxe5 b4 ( 22...c5 23.h5
xa4 24.f6+ h8 25.h3 g7 26.xe8
xe8 27.h1 b4 28.e2 ) 23.e3
( 23.h5 xe1 24.f6+ h8 ) 23...xa4
24.f3 g7 25.h5 xf3 26.gxf3
( 26.xf3 xe5 27.f6+ g7 ) 26...f7
27.f6+ f8 28.xe8 xe8 29.c1 ]
[ B) But 20...ac8! is a different story if
W h i t e p u r s u e s t h e s a m e p l a n : 21.e5
xe5 22.dxe5 b4 23.e3 ( 23.h5
xe1 24.f6+ h8 25.xe1 c7 )
23...xa4 24.f3 g7 25.h5 b5 ]
21.d1 e8?
[ 21...c6 ]
22.e2?!
[ 22.h4! ]
22...xa4? After this Black's game collapses.
[ 22...d7 23.h4! would have given White
some initiative. ]
23.xe6 xg3 24.fxg3 b5 25.xh6 xf1
26.e5
1-0
507 C06
Damaso,Rui 2460
Agdestein,Simen 2573
Internet Section 10A g/8'+2 blitz (7) 10.03.04
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 g5!?
This move is surprisingly rare. There are a
very limited number of games in Megabase,
TWIC, and correspondence databases and to
make matters worse, the move isn't even
mentioned in a ChessPublishing game, in
spite of the deep analysis of the 'Universal
System'. Reader Michael White asks what to
do about it, and I'm not sure! So we'll follow a
game between pretty strong players, and I'll
in clu d e m o st o f wh a t 's b e e n p la ye d a n d
talked about. A great question!
[ 7...e7 8.0-0 g5 is a more common order.
In the Forum, there's a lengthy discussion of
8...a5 9 Re1 cxd4 10 cxd4 g5. At some point
I'll try to organise and address the many ...
g5 ideas in this variation. ]
8.h3 This has been played most often, and
may well be best. Probably the main reason
that 7...g5 has been neglected has to do with
the idea that White, not having castled, is less
vulnerable to ...g5-g4, and 8 h3, which cannot
be immediately be answered by 8...h5 and 9...
g4 because of the rook on h1. The problem is
that when you start looking at actual moves,
nothing jumps out as a positional refutation,
and ...g5 still proves useful regardless of
White's plan. Alternatives are dreary:
[ a) 8.h4!? g4 9.g5 cxd4 10.cxd4 xd4!?
( 10...h6! 11.xe6 fxe6 12.xg4 b6
also looks safe enough) 11.xg4 c6
12.xf7?! ( 12.f4! ) 12...xf7 13.h5+
g8 14.f3 c5 15.b1 g7 16.h3
e7 17.g3 d7 18.h6 e8 19.g4
g6 20.xg7 xg7 21.h5 xe5 22.xe5
xe5+ 23.e2 d7 keeps an edge for
Black. ]
[ b) 8.0-0 is odd, walking into ...g4, but has
some point, in that it gives White a square
for the knight on e1 and supports f3 or f4
t h e r e a f t e r . g4 ( 8...cxd4 may be better,
since 9.cxd4 g4 10.e1 xd4 11.xg4
c6 12.f4 b6+ 13.h1 c5 14.b1
d7 d e v e l o p s n i c e l y) 9.e1 h5!?
447
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
( 9...cxd4! ) 10.c2! ( a recent disaster:
10.b5? cxd4 11.xc6 bxc6 12.cxd4 a6
Skoulakis, C (2132)-Homatidis, P (2123),
K a l l i t h e a 2 0 0 9) 10...cxd4 ( 10...b6!
, preventing Nb3) 11.cxd4 b6 12.b3
Buckley, S-Hanley, C, Torquay ENG 2002. ]
[ c) Michael White's instinct that Black is
g a i n i n g a t e m p o a f t e r 8.dxc5?! xc5
seems right, f or example, 9.b3 e7
( 9...g4!? )
A) 10.b5 a6 ( or 10...g4! 11.fd4
cxe5 ) 11.xc6 bxc6 12.bd4 b7
( 12...c7! ) 13.xg5!? xg5 14.xe6
fxe6 15.h5+ f8 16.xg5 e8
Albers, A (2009)-Kummerow, H (2308),
Dresden 2007 W hite can't even get a
perpetual, so he stands slightly worse,;
B) 10.0-0 dxe5 ( 10...g4! ) 11.xe5
xe5 12.b5+?! d7 13.xd7+ xd7
14.f4 gxf4 15.xf4 g6 and Black had
an extra pawn and powerful centre in Ilic,
V (2290)-Rasidovic, S (2365), Kladovo
1991. ]
8...h5 Consistent. Two alternatives are
[ 8...e7 and ]
[ 8...g7!? 9.b3 cxd4 10.cxd4 f6 11.exf6
xf6 12.b2 h5 ]
9.f1 Two correspondence games:
[ a) 9.e2 g8 10.g4!?
A) 10...h8! is logical, threatening ...hxg4
then 11.g1 hxg4 12.hxg4 cxd4
( 12...e7 13.f1 cxd4 14.cxd4 f8!?
15.g3 g6!? is hard to assess) 13.cxd4
b6 14.b3 a5! has the idea 15.xg5
a4 16.bd2 xb2;
B) 10...b6 11.dxc5 c7 ( 11...xc5
12.c2 hxg4 13.hxg4 c7 14.b3
d7 ) 12.b5 hxg4 13.hxg4 a6 14.xc6
bxc6 15.b3 a5 Miletic, A (2262)-
Edighoffer, H (2467), IECG email 2006
and here 16.xg5 a4 17.bd2
would have been unclear. ]
[ b) 9.c2 e7 ( 9...g8! 10.g4 cxd4
11.cxd4 h8 ) 10.b3 b6 11.e3 a6
12.c1!? c8 13.a3 b5 14.d2 g8
15.g1!? a5 16.d1 A Lopez-A Lo, corres
2004 and g4 ( 16...h8 17.e2 ) 17.hxg4
xg4 ( 17...a4!? ) 18.xh5 ( 18.g3 a4
19.a1 cxd4 20.cxd4 g5! ) 18...xg2
19.h3! seems to favour White. ]
9...g8 10.g4?! A logical answer that is used
in several of the ...g5 lines, but it seems to
fall short. But
[ 10.e3 cxd4 11.cxd4 b6 and ]
[ 10.e3!? cxd4 11.cxd4 g4 12.hxg4 hxg4
13.g1 b6! are not that encouraging. ]
10...hxg4
[ 10...cxd4! 11.cxd4 b4+?! ( 11...b6!
makes it hard to defend the d-pawn, for
example, 12.a4 b4+ 13.d1 f6!
14.exf6 xf6 with a nice advantage) 12.d2
b6 13.xb4 xb4 14.a3?! ( 14.g3!
hxg4 15.hxg4 xd3+ 16.xd3 xb2
17.0-0! with massive comp) 14...xd3+?
( 14...c6! ) 15.xd3 h4 16.0-0-0
with a clear advantage, Jimenez de la Torre,
J (2145)-Larino Nieto, D (2450), Seville
2007. ]
11.hxg4 cxd4 12.cxd4 b4+
[ 12...b6 13.h7 g7 14.g3 f6 15.h6!
f7 16.h5 g7 is more or less equal. ]
13.e2!?
[ 13.d2 b6 14.xb4 xb4+ 15.d2 ]
13...f6!?
[ 13...b6 14.h7! h8 15.g3 e7 ]
14.h6?!
[ 14.c2! fxe5 15.g6+ f8 16.h7 e4
17.f7+ e8 18.g7+ f8 19.f7+= ]
14...fxe5 15.xe6+?
[ But White is also in a bad way following
15.g6+ xg6 16.xg6 e4 17.g8+ f8
18.xg5 f6 19.h8 e7 , and ...e5
follows. ]
15...f7 16.dxe5
[ 16.xc6 bxc6 17.dxe5 e7 ]
16...xe6 17.f5+ e7 18.e3 b6
19.xc8 xc8 20.f5+ d7 21.e3 c7
22.a3 e7 23.b4 b8 24.b5 a5 25.3d4
ac4 26.a4 xe3 27.fxe3 c4 28.e6 h8
29.a5 h2+ 30.f3 h8 31.g1 e5+
32.g3 h3# What to say? 7...g5 looks like
a perfectly legitimate alternative to the main
lines!
0-1
448
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
508 C06
Degraeve,Jean Marc 2591
Lukov,Valentin 2478
XVIII Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (4) 12.2.02
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 b6 8.0-0
cxd4 Black decides to accept the pawn on
offer, but greed looks rather old fashioned
here. Alternatives being heavily analysed are
[ 8...g6 and ]
[ 8...e7 ]
9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3 b6
Black has an extra pawn and in view of the
closed centre he is unlikely to be mated in the
near future. White's compensation is therefore
of a more long term nature. Firstly he can
bring his rooks to bear on the open c file long
before Black can begin to challenge them with
his own rooks and secondly if Black castles
kingside then W hite has the makings of a
direct attack which will probably force Black to
play f7-f5 to shield the long diagonal against
the bishop on d3. This can be answered by
e5xf6, when the centre opens and White has
t h e c h a n c e t o t ry t o e xp lo it t h e su p e rio r
mobility of his pieces. That at least is White's
plan: in practice it by no means always works!
Ho we ve r , t h e f a ct t h a t t o p p la ye rs h a ve
tend ed in re cent ye ars to shy a way f ro m
capturing on d4 in favour of systems with g7-
g6 or Be7 indicates that they believe this isn't
the most promising way for Black to handle
the system, even if objectively he is OK.
12.a4 b4! Forcing back the white queen. If
instead
[ 12...e7 13.g4 and the attack on g7 is
awkward. ]
13.c2 c5 The usual move, though
[ 13...c5 or ]
[ 13...e7 seem reasonable in the second
c a s e w i t h t h e t r i c k 14.xh7? xe5!
15.xe5 h4 ]
14.e2 e7 At last having forced White's
queen to a less active square Black develops.
15.e3!? T h e m o s t d i r e c t m o v e . c7
A critical choice for Black as it commits him to
the plan of Qd8. However, Black has fared
little better after
[ 15...a5 e.g. 16.ac1 0-0
A) Or 17.c3!? f5? ( The defensive
17...e8 18.b1 f8 was necessary.)
18.exf6 xf6 ( White seems to be winning
after 18...xf6 19.d2! xc3 20.xe6+
h8 21.xc3 etc. ) 19.d4 d7 20.g5!
h6 21.xe6 fe8 22.f5 a6?
Blundering a pawn, but Black was already
f acin g a huge at ta ck. 23.xa6 bxa6
24.xg7! xf5 25.xf5 e4 26.c6
1-0 Emms,J-Giddins,S/Gausdal 1993.;
B) 17.g5!? d8 18.h4! h6 19.xe7
xe7 20.b1 e8 21.c7 d8 22.fc1
f8 23.d4 a6 24.g4 and White had
strong pressure in Deev,A-Proehl,H/Berlin
1993. ]
16.ac1 d8 17.c2! Good psychology.
W hite gives the impression that he is only
concerned with increasing the pressure on the
c file with Rfc1 etc. and so provokes Black's
next move which gives him a free hand to
attack on the kingside. If instead White had
played the more aggressive looking
[ 17.c3!? Black might have become afraid
of the rook suddenly swinging over to the
kingside, and so not have been so
complacent! An example of the alternative
rook move is ]
[ 17.c3 0-0 18.c2 ( By a transposition
18.fc1!? deserves attention as Black
doe sn't seem t o e qua lise af t er f 7-f 5 : f5
19.exf6 xf6 20.c7 e8 21.g5 e5
22.xf6 xf6 23.b5 e4 24.d4 a6
25.xd7 xd7 26.xb7 e5 27.e3 c8
28.bc7 g4 29.h3 and Black was
struggling as his bishop is much worse than
the white knight in Nedev,T-Mohr,G/Pula
2000. ) 18...f5 19.exf6 xf6 20.d4 d6
21.e5 Evidently White wasn't interested in
( 21.xf6 xf6 22.xh7+ h8 ) 21...d7
22.f4 c8? ( A blunder. Unclear was
22...e7! when White has a bind on the
c e n t r e b u t B l a c k r e m a i n s a p a w n u p .)
23.xd7 xd7 24.xf6 gxf6 25.xh7+!
h8 O f c o u rs e i f ( 25...xh7 26.xc8 )
26.ff3 d4 27.h3! and White was winning
in King,D-Kuijf,M/ Amsterdam 1982 for if
dxc3 28.f5+ g7 ( 28...g8 29.xe6+
xe6 30.h7# ) 29.h7+ g8 30.xe6+
xe6 31.g6# ]
17...b8? Black falls for the trap and is only
concerned with blocking up the c file with Bd7
449
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

and Nc6. He forgets that the only thing 15.h7+ h8 16.g6 xf3 17.xh5 xh2+
restraining W hite from launching an all out [ Black plunges into the complications as he
attack on the kingside was the pressure on e5. h a s n o wi s h t o b e s l i g h t l y wo r s e a f t e r
Therefore Black should castle. After 17...f8 18.g3 ]
[ 17...0-0 18.fc1 White keeps up the 18.h1 f8?
pressure but Black remains solid- now that [ This move has garnered 1.5/2 in
the rook is gone from f1 he no longer has to international chess, but it should lose by
b e a f r a i d o f a n y f 4 - f 5 a d v a n c e . ( not force. So Black has to try 18...f5! 19.g6
18.d4? xe5 )] d6 as in the Andreikin-Kosyrev game on
18.d4 d7 19.f4 c6 20.f5! This shows ChessPub- a game without the Bh7+/ Kh8
the failure of Black's opening strategy. Under moves thrown in. ]
no circumstances should W hite have been 19.f4!
allowed to make this breakthrough. c8 [ Instead 19.g3? misses the mark after g5
[ If 20...xe5 21.fxe6 fxe6 22.h5+ 20.g6 g7 21.xg7+ xg7 22.xh2
wins the knight, while ] ( Unpleasant for White is 22.xg5 hxg5
[ 20...0-0 21.f6 gxf6 22.exf6 xf6 23.h5 23.xh2 h8 24.g4 e5! attacking g4.)
leads to a quick mate. ] 22...d7 23.f4 gxh4 24.gxh4 e7 25.g4
[ A l s o b a d i s 20...xd4 21.xd4 exf5 ac8 and in Mul lon,J-Dourerassou,J/
22.e6 ] Guingamp 2004 Black had a slight edge as
21.g4! This leads to a nicely calculated his pawns are more compact than White's
winning sequence. xe5 22.xg7 f6 and so easier to defend: W hite's are split
23.h6 g4 24.h5 e5 into four pawn islands, Black's only three. ]
[ Black is massacred after 24...xe3 25.fxe6 19...xf4
xe6 26.xe6 ] [ Black is surely being slaughtered after
25.xg4 exd4 26.h6! 19...g5 20.fxg5 ]
[ Black can only dream of the exchange of 20.xf4 xf4 21.g3 xf1+ 22.xf1 d8
qu e e n s a f t e r 26.xd4 xd4+ 27.xd4 [ Of course if 22...xg3 23.f8# ]
b6 ] 23.f7 xd4
26...b6 27.g7 xc2 [ If 23...g8 24.g6 e5 25.h4!
[ Or 27...g8 28.e1+ d8 29.xf6+ The bishop aims for f6 with deadly effect.
and wins. ] exd4 26.xg7 xg7 27.f6 and wins. ]
28.xh8 c8 29.g8+ e7 30.e1+ d6 24.f2?
31.g3+ c5 32.c1+ b4 33.e1+ a4 [ White misses a quick win with 24.g6! f5
34.b3+ a3 A very unusual position: you 25.xg7! xg7 ( Also hopeless for Black is
don't often see a white bishop on h8 or a 25...xg3+ 26.g1 b6+ 27.h2 f1+
black king on a3 in the middlegame! 35.xf6 28.h1! g3+ 29.xg3 ) 26.xh6+ g8
Black resigned. It is mate after xf6 36.a5+ 27.g6 threatening 28.Qh7+. Fritz 7 tells me
b2 37.b1# it's mate in six moves. ]
1-0 24...f5 25.g6 xg3+
[ Despite the exchange of queens,
ho rren d ou s f o r B la ck wo uld b e 25...g8
509 C06 26.e5 h4+ 27.xh4 xh4 28.xg7+
Delgado Ramirez,Neuris 2557 f8 29.h5 ]
Rodrigue 2556 26.xg3 e5 27.xe5 g8 28.f4 d8
VI Comunic CXSP (5) 19.06.2004 29.f7 g8 30.xd5 a5 31.a3 a6?
[Neil McDonald] Black is understand ably anxious to gain
some activity and comes up with a far sighted
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 defensive scheme. Nonetheless, he should
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 have sat tight with
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 11.0-0 d6 [ 31...a4 or given back the pawn with ]
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6 [ 31...g4!? ]

450
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

32.f3 Now Black has to part with his queen. 17.de4 xd1 18.xd1 h6 19.f6+
xg6 33.f8 e6 34.xg8+ xg8 35.xb7 f8 20.ge4 e5 is unclear, with White
g5 36.a8 h7 37.e4+ h8 38.b4 having compensation, but only just enough,
axb4 39.axb4 d5 40.e8+ h7 41.e2 for the pawn.;
g8 42.b5 xg2+ 43.xg2 xb5 B) 11.b3 doesn't keep Black's centre in
The point of Black's play: he hopes to check: a6 ( 11...e5 12.e2 f6 13.d1
establish a fortress. 44.a8+ f7 45.a2+ with the idea 0-0? 14.xd5! ) 12.xc6+
f8 46.g2 ( 12.d3 e5; 12.a4 e5! 13.e2 f6
[ Perhaps 46.e6 would have won, as Black 14.d1 0-0! ) 12...bxc6 13.d4 f6
has no obvious way to bring his rook to the 14.e3 e5 15.a4 d7 ]
f6 square. After g5 47.h2 White can [ A game this month Vysochin-Tovmasian,
bring his king to h4 and try to put Black in Lviv UKR 2012 went 10...d7 11.b3 a6?!
zugzwang. ] ( 11...g6 ) 12.xe5 xe5 13.xd7+
46...g5+ 47.f3 f5+ 48.e4 f6 49.e5 xd7 14.f4 c7?! ( 14...0-0 15.e3 )
h5! Very instructive: Black clears a second 15.fxg5 xc5+ 16.xc5 xc5+ 17.h1
strong point on h6 for his rook. Now he can 0-0 18.f3 e7 19.f4 e5? 20.e3 e6
move it backwards and forwards between f6 21.ad1+- e4 22.g3 e5 23.d4 fe8
and h6 without a care in the world. The white 24.h3 c6? ( 24...g6 25.f6 e7
king has no way of breaking through. 50.c4 26.df1 ) 25.f6? ( 25.f6 e7 26.g6!
h6 51.c8+ f7 52.c4+ f8 53.h4 , winning ) 25...e3? ( 25...e7! ) 26.f4
f7 ( 26.fe1 ) 26...e2? ( 26...e7! ) 27.e1
½-½ e3 28.h4 d3 29.g6! fxg6 30.h6
e7 31.xe7 xe7 32.h4 d1
33.xh7+ f8 34.f4+ e8 35.h4 g5
510 C06 36.h5+ 1-0 ]
Dorfanis,Ilarion 2225 11.b3 a6?!
Antic,De 2518 [ 11...h6 ]
Paleros Open (9) 23.06.2012 12.xc6 bxc6 13.fd4 With ideas such as
[John Watson] Nxe6, f4, and Qh5. c7
[ The alternative 13...b7 doesn't equalize
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 either: 14.h5! ( 14.xe6 fxe6 15.h5+
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 g5 f8 16.f4 g8; or 14.f4! g4 15.xg4 h5
9.dxc5 dxe5 16.g3 ) 14...f6 15.xg5 g8 16.e5
[ Last month we saw two games and many with a bind. Still, this is arguably better for
no te s wit h 9...g4 . After 10.d4 dxe5 Black than the text. ]
11.b5 d7 , Black's game seemed to hold 14.h5
together still, whether he can fully equalize [ 1-0?? Resignation is definitely premature,
is an open question. ( The riskier 11...xc5 even if 14.h5 f6 15.xg5
12.f4 g6! favoured White, but only by a clearly favours W hite. Best would be h6!
small margin )] ( 15...g8 16.f4! ) 16.f4 hxg5 17.xc7
10.b5 d7?! d7 , when White keeps his pawn
[ 10...g6! looks quite playable, for advantage, but Black's central mass keeps
example, him in the game. ]
A) 11.e1 xc5 12.xg5! xf2+! 1-0
( 12...xg5 13.e4 e7 14.g5 )
13.xf2 b6+!? ( 13...xg5 14.g1
e7 15.c4 0-0 16.cxd5 c5+ 17.h1
exd5 18.xc6 xc6 19.f3 d7
, roughly equal W hite has enough for a
pawn and maybe a tiny pull) 14.f1
xb5+ 15.c4 c5 16.cxd5 xd5

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

511 C06 solid centre in return for the exchange. ]

Emms,John M 2532 20...xf4 21.h5 f7
Williams,Simon Kim 2369 [ Very bad for Black is 21...c4 22.f6+
Smith & Williamson ch (3) 01.08.2001 g7 23.d2 xc1 24.xc1 xe5
[Neil McDonald] 25.h5+ gxh5 26.xe5 ]
22.f6+ h8 23.xh7? Tempting, but
1.e4 The notes to this game are by John White should settle for a slight edge after
Emms. e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5 [ 23.c3 af8 ]
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 23...xh7?
f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7 [ 23...b4! 24.d2 ( 24.xg6? xf2+
12.g5 0-0 13.c1 h5!? Usual is 25.h1 g8 and the attack on g2 wins for
[ 13...g4 immediately attacking h2. ] Black. ) 24...xh7 25.c3 af8 26.h3+
14.g3 g8 27.g3 g7 28.xg6 ff7 and Black
[ The alternative knight deployment 14.c3!? is much better as W hite doesn't have
a6 15.e1 also deserves attention. ] enough for the piece. ]
14...f4 15.b1 d7 [ I n c o n t r a s t , 23...d4 24.xg6 f3+
[ White managed to prove the bishop is 25.h1 xe1 26.xf7 would be winning
better on g5 than h4 after 15...f7 16.c3 for White. ]
d7 17.c2 g6 18.h6! driving away the 24.xg6 g7 25.h6+ g8 26.c3! b4?
rook from f8 and depriving the black queen [ More resistant was 26...d8 but White's
of g7 in Murugan-Babu, India [ch] 1988. ] attack would still be decisive after 27.g3
[ Also nice for White was 15...h6 16.xf4 ( 27.h3 g5 ) 27...xg3 28.h7+ f8
xf4 17.d3 g5 18.c3 xg3 19.hxg3 29.hxg3! ( 29.fxg3 b6+ 30.h1 f2
g7 20.e1 d7 21.e5 in Maidla-Carton, is unclear. ) 29...e8 30.e3 ]
Debrecen 1992. ] 27.h7+ h8 28.g6+?
16.e1 f7 [ The way to win was 28.a3! e7 29.g6+
[ Or 16...b6 17.e3 a5 18.b3 a3 g8 30.h3 xg6 31.h8+ f7 32.h7+ ]
19.c2 with a slight plus for White. If Black 28...g8 29.h7+ h8 30.g6+ g8
tries to platy too actively he could get into 31.a3 g4 32.g3 xg6 33.xg4 xg4
trouble e.g. h6 20.xf4 ( 20.e5 e8 34.e3 e7?
21.xf4 xf4 22.e2 f6 23.d3 b5! ) [ Losing, but in any case very strong for
20...xf4 21.ce2 c8 22.d3 c1+ White was 34...d8 35.h3 f7 36.h7+
23.e1 xe1+ 24.xe1 when White is f8 37.f3 e8 38.h8+ g8 39.f6 ]
aiming at h7. ] 35.h3 f7 36.f6+ e8 37.h7
17.c2 Black resigned as if f5 38.f7+ d8
[ White gets nowhere after 17.e5 xe5 39.xd7#
18.dxe5 af8 19.c2 g6 ] 1-0
[ Perhaps his best deployment is 17.a3!?
b6 18.c3 af8 ( 18...xb2?? 19.b3 )
19.c2 ] 512 C06
17...g6 18.e5 xe5 Emms,John M 2573
[ 18...xe5!? 19.dxe5 ( 19.xc7? xc7 Williams,Simon Kim 2367
20.xc7 h3+! and White is in big trouble 4NCL Birmingham ENG (7) 20.03.1999
as if 21.gxh3 f3+ 22.f1?! b5+ [Neil McDonald]
wins for Black.) 19...xc2 20.xc2 e7
21.xe7 xe7 22.c7 b8 with balanced 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5
chances. ] 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
19.dxe5 b6 20.xf4 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
[ Or 20.d2 af8 21.f6 ( 21.f5 h3+ 12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6
22.gxh3 gxf5 ) 21...xf6 22.exf6 xf6 15.h7+
with unclear play- Black has a pawn and a [ After 15.g6 Black can play in similar style

452
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

to the game: xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 knight, which can be reached via f1 and g3.
f4 18.g3 d6!? ] On the other hand, a hole in the white camp
15...h8 16.g6 xf3 17.gxf3 xh2+ is created on f4, and his king will never feel
18.h1 secure in the middlegame.
[ Or 18.g2 f4+ 19.xf4 xf4 20.g3 [ A n i m p o r t a n t a l t e r n a t i v e i s 12.f1!?
xg3 21.fxg3 xd4 22.h1 d7
as played in Buckley-Williams. ]
with a slight plus to Black. ] 12...hxg4 13.hxg4 b6 14.a4 f8!?
18...f4 19.g3 d6!! Black clears the way The knight retreats to clear the way for the
for either Nxd4 or e6-e5 attacking the bishop
bishop to go to d7, and also has ideas of Ng6
on g6. This is a significant improvement on followed by Nf4 or Nh4. However, it will wait
[ 19...xg3? as played in the game Volzhin-
for a moment when it can't be lopped off with
Johannessen. ] Bxg6.
20.ad1! [ My own contribution here was the inferior
[ He should avoid 20.xh2 when Black has 14...a7? just gifting White a pawn after
a very dangerous attack after xd4 21.d1 15.b5 b6 16.xc6+ bxc6 17.xc6+
xg6 22.xd4 e5 ] d7 18.c2 in Gormally-McDonald. ]
20...e5 21.f5 xf5 22.xf5 f8 [ Something worth investigating is 14...f6!? ]
15.f1 d7 16.e3 b4
[ Black would be a bit better after 22...xd4!?
23.xd4 exd4 24.xh2 f8 25.g4 h5 [ Not 16...xe5? 17.dxe5 when Black loses
26.xh5 xh5+ 27.g3 f4 etc. ] a piece as his own queen is hanging. ]
23.g4 xg3 17.d1 xd3 18.xd3 b5 19.c2 g6
[ Here Black can play to win with 23...g5!?
Having eliminated his opponent's light
24.xh2 ( W hite is losing after 24.xg5
squared bishop, Simon W illiams seems to
hxg5 25.xh2 h6+ 26.g1 xd4 have good counterplay. 20.g3 d7
27.xd4 exd4 ) 24...gxh4 25.f5
[ It was also possible to begin an immediate
( 25.xh4 xd4 ) 25...f6 26.g1 xd4 attack with 20...f4!? for example: 21.xf4
27.xd4 exd4 gxf4 22.h5 g8 23.h1 ( 23.h7 xg4+
etc. with the better
chances. ] 24.h1 0-0-0 25.xf7 h8! ) 23...xg4
24.fxg3 e6 25.dxe5 xe5 26.h5 d4 24.g1 xg1+ 25.xg1 d7 ]
27.e7 xe7 28.xe5 d7 29.g4 d3 21.h5 ac8 22.d2 b4 23.f6+ e7?
In this unclear position a draw was agreed. [ Black has the edge after 23...d8! 24.d1
My thanks to John Emms for providing the ( not 24.xg5 xd2 25.xd5+ xg5
analysis to this important game. 26.xb6 f4 27.xc8 xc8 when Black
½-½ s h o u l d w i n b y a t t a c k a f t e r B c 6 , e t c .)
24...xe1 25.xe1 f4 26.xg5 d3
27.d2 c7 etc. ]
513 C06 24.d1?
Erenburg,Sergey 2582 [ After 24.xg5!
Williams,Simon Kim 2452 A) 24...xd2 25.xd5+ e8 26.xb6
Masters Hastings ENG (3) 30.12.2005 xg5 27.xg5 ( but not 27.xc8? c6!
[Neil McDonald] when the potential mate on h1 turns the
tables. );
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 B) 24...c6 25.e3 xe1 26.xe1
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 e7 8.0-0 a5 and most of Black's activity has been
9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 g5!? An attempt to q u e l l e d l e a v i n g h i m f a c i n g a wk w a r d
escape the mainline with problems with his king. ]
[ 10...b6 11.b1! ] 24...f4
11.h3 h5 12.g4 White blocks the further [ Black needed to play his moves in a
advance of Black's kingside pawns. In doing different order: 24...xe1 25.xe1 f4!
so, he fixes the pawn on g5 as a possible when White is in trouble. ]
target he also creates a base on h5 for his 25.xg5 h3+ 26.g2 xe1 27.xh3!

453
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

leaving Black with a rotten bishop on e1. f1+ 514 C06

28.xf1 xh3 29.g5? Fargere,Francois 2489
[ Erenburg misses his big chance: 29.a4!! Gleizerov,Evgeny 2578
c6 ( White should win the endgame after 1st Open Marrakesh MAR (6) 29.06.2010
29...c6 30.xc6 xc6 31.xe1 h1+ [John Watson]
32.e2 xe1+ 33.xe1 c2 34.d2
xb2 35.xa5 xa2 36.b4+ ) 30.xe1 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
h1+ 31.g2! xe1 32.g5 and despite 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
being two exchanges up, Black is 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 A funny order.
defenceless. xb2 ( 32...f8 33.d7+ ) Generally 10...Bd6 comes first. 11.0-0
33.xa5 c2 34.xd5+ d7 35.a4+ [ 11.f4 b4+ 12.d2 d6 resembles
c6 36.f6+ e7 ( 36...c7 37.a5+ normal lines the bishop on d2 isn't a
wins Rook on e1.) 37.a8 and mate on e8 significant addition to White's development. ]
decides. ] 11...d6 12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5
29...xb2! Now suddenly it is Black, who Introducing a sequence which has appeared
threatens mate on f2, who is winning. time and again in this column. 14.c2 h6
30.e4+ f8 31.b1 xa2 32.g2 dxe4 15.h7+ h8 16.g6 xf3 17.xh5 f8
33.xe1 cc3! 34.f4 cf3? [ The critical move is 17...f5 , attacking h5
[ Instead 34...e3! wins at once : 35.xc3 a n d h 2 , w h e n 18.g4 xh2+ 19.h1
xb1 36.xh3 o r m a t e o n h 1 - exf2 has two reasonable replies:
37.c8+ g7 38.h6+ h7 and the black A) 19...d6!? 20.xf5 exf5 yields the
pawn queens. ] pair and a pawn for the exchange and
35.a1 b3 36.b1 d5 37.e3 h4? threatens ...g5, with dynamically balanced
[ N o w wi n n i n g i s 37...a2 threat Rxe3- play, for example, 21.ae1 g8 22.c3!
38.d2 e3 39.fxe3 xe3 40.d1 d5+ f7 23.b3 e6 ( 23...g5!? 24.g3 f4
and mates soon. ] 25.h2 b4 ) 24.xe6!? xe6 25.xb7
38.c3 xg4+ 39.f1 b5 ( 25.xd5? xd5 26.xd5 g5 27.g3
[ Instead 39...g7 avoids checks and wins f4 28.h2 d8 ) 25...c8 26.xd5
easily. ] xd4! 27.f6! ( 27.f6+ h8 ) 27...gxf6
40.c5+ xc5 41.dxc5 b4 42.c6 xe3? 28.xf6+ xf6 29.xc8+ h7 30.d7+
[ 42...g8! ] h8 31.e8+ g7=;
43.fxe3 g8 44.a1 g7 45.xa5 B) 19...f8 20.g3 ( 20.f4 xf4 21.xf4
Somehow White has survived to the endgame, xf4 22.g3! e5 23.xf4 exf4 24.xc8
and just finds enough resources to hang on. xc8 25.f5 xd4 26.xf4 e2
b8 46.a7 g6 47.b7 c8 48.xb4 f5 27.xc7 xc7 about equal: 28.f8+ h7
49.b7 xe5 50.xf7 xc6 51.e2 29.d1 c4 30.g4 g3+ 31.g2 e4
Even if White loses the e3 pawn, it would still 32.f3 g5+ 33.e3 e4+ 34.f2
be a draw. c2+ 52.d1 h2 53.e1 h6 xg4 35.xd5 h5= ) 20...g5 21.xg5
54.a7 f5 55.f7+ g5 56.f8 e5 hxg5 22.xh2 e5 23.xc8 axc8
57.g8+ f5 58.f2 h2+ 59.f1 e6 24.d2 h7+ 25.g2 f5 and again
60.d8 a2 61.e1 a6 62.e2 d6 things are about even. ]
63.a8 f5 64.g8 g6 65.xg6 xg6 18.g3 d7 19.ac1 e8!? 20.xe8
½-½ [ 20.g4 is more interesting. ]
20...axe8 21.b3
[ 21.d2 ]
21...xg3 22.hxg3 f7 23.cd1 e7
24.d3 e8 25.f3 ef7 26.xf7 xf7
27.e3 e8 28.d1 e5 29.dxe5 xe5
30.d2 d4 31.a3 e8 32.f4 f5
A fair result.
½-½

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

515 C06 ( 17...xf3 18.gxf3 xh2 19.e3 xf3

Fataliyeva,Ulviyya Hasil Qizi 2107 20.xf3 xd4+ 21.g3 xb5 22.f4
Sithalatchumi,A 1939 d6 23.f3 ) 18.xc6 bxc6 19.b3
29th World Junior Girls (8.18) 10.08.2011 , although something like d7 20.e2 a5
[John Watson] 21.c5!? b5!? isn't terribly promising. ]
16...d7 17.h4
A G i r l' s W o rl d J u n i o r ga m e p ro ve s ve r y [ 17.h3= ]
instructive and relevant to theory. 1.e4 e6 17...ae8
2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 [ 17...g4! 18.h3 a6 , to prevent Bb5. ]
6.c3 c6 7.df3 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 18.e2 e7 19.ae1 e8!?
xf6 10.h3 A line I recommended in [ 19...g4! 20.b5! d8 21.xd7 xd7= ]
Da n ge r o u s W e a p o n s: T h e F r e n c h . b4+ 20.a3?
11.d2 a5! In my book I concentrated on [ 20.b5 f6= ]
[ 11...b6 . When analysing later, I realized 20...d6 21.b4 b5 22.h3 xf3! 23.gxf3
that the move played in the game is more xd4 24.e3 f7 25.g1
accurate. ] [ 25.f4 c4+ 26.xc4 bxc4 ]
12.xb4 25...f4
[ 12.a3 xd2+ 13.xd2 xd2+ 14.xd2 [ 25...c4+! 26.xc4 bxc4
0-0 is complex, but I think all right for Black, . Black threatens ...Nf5, as well as ...Ba4. ]
e.g., 15.b4 ( 15.b5 e5! is fully sound, e.g. 26.h5 c4+ 27.c3 h4 28.xc4 bxc4
, 16.xc6 e4+ 17.e3 exd4+ 18.xd4 29.e2 xe2+
bxc6 19.f3 xh3 20.gxh3 g5 ) 15...e5! [ 29...f5 30.e5 f7 ]
16.dxe5 xh3 17.gxh3 Soors-Gleizerov, 30.3xe2 f4
Biel 2009 and 17...Nh5 and 17...Ne4+ were [ The obvious 30...xh5 was good. The kids
strong, but the game's d7!? was also play it out in rather haphazard fashion, but
e f f e c t i v e f o l l o w i n g 18.e2!? dxe5 I find it remarkable that they have contribute
19.xe5 xe5 ] to theory! ]
12...xb4+ 13.d2 xd2+ 31.d1 xf3+ 32.e3 xf2 33.d4 a4
[ 13...0-0 14.xb4 xb4 15.b1!? 34.c1 f7 35.g1 d2+ 36.e5 d3
( 15.e5! d7 is fine for Black) 15...e5! 37.e2 f3 38.eg2 f5+ 39.d6 xh5??
16.xe5 xh3 17.gxh3 ae8 18.0-0 [ 39...g5 ]
h5 with the idea ...Nf4. ] 40.xg7+ f6 41.1g6+? f5 42.xe6 d4
14.xd2 0-0 15.he1 h6 43.c7 d3 44.c5+ g4 45.xc4+ f3
[ Black can play actively by two means: 46.f6+ e3 47.e6+ f3 48.d4 c2
15...e5! 16.xe5 ( 16.dxe5 xh3 17.exf6 49.c7 h2 50.b7 d2 51.ed6 d1
xg2 18.g5 h6 19.f7+ h8 ) 16...xh3 52.xd1 xd1 53.xd1 e4 54.xa7 h3
( 16...xd4?! 17.f4 ) 17.xc6 bxc6 55.a4 b3 56.h1 d5 57.b5 b4
( 17...xg2 18.e5 h5!? ) 18.gxh3 h5 58.h5+ d6 59.xh6+ c5 60.a6
19.e5 xf2+ ( 19...g6= ) 20.e3 ( 20.e1 1-0
xh2 21.xh5 h1+ 22.f1 f8 23.e2
h2+ 24.e3 h1= ) 20...af8 21.e2 g6
22.xh5 gxh5 23.g1+ h8= ] 516 C06
[ He can also simplify by 15...e4+ 16.xe4 Fedorchuk,Sergey A 2655
dxe4 17.e5 ( 17.xe4?! e5! ) 17...xe5 Carron,Julien 2416
18.dxe5 d7 19.ac1 c6= ] Jubilee Open (8) 14.08.2009
16.hg1?! [Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
[ I think White can improve and maybe keep
the smallest of edges by 16.ac1! g4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
( 16...g5 17.e5 xd4 18.f4! gxf4 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5 7.d3 c6 8.0-0 g5
19.xf4 e4+ 20.xe4 xf4 21.d3; This move has received great coverage in the
16...a6 17.e5! xd4 18.f3 ) 17.b5 b8 past, with Neil initially believing in it until

455
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

W hite found some antidotes to Black's Prikolica (2869)-Goh W ei Ming (2673)/

resources. In the past couple of years, the Main Playing Hall 2008/playchess. com
move hasn't found much followers but I've (0-1 in 72);
always liked it and took it upon myself to try B) 12.f4 opens up more lines for White to
and resurrect it in this month's column... With create an attack. gxf3 13.2xf3 d7
this move, Black is adopting radical means to 14.h1 ( 14.xc6 xc6 15.g5
destroy White's proud centre. Hence, there is and now, instead of 15... Rf8? as played
a tinge of irony that W hite's best response in Carlsson-Berg, Gothenburg 2005, Black
has been known to give it up altogether. must play b6! when he is fine after
[ 8...a5 is considered to be more solid and 16.xf7 xd4 17.cxd4 xd4+ 18.h1
reliable. ] Now, the surprising 0-0 19.e3! e5
9.dxc5 g4 appears to be ok for Black even though it
[ 9...dxe5 was analyzed extensively on l o o k s d e c i d e d l y r i s k y .) 14...b6
ChessPub. See Archives. ] ( 14...g4!? 15.g5 f6 16.f3 e7 )
10.d4 dxe5 11.b5 is the critical move 15.xe5 ( 15.a4!? a6 16.xc6 xc6
that ChessPub has covered quite thoroughly. 17.xc6 xc6 18.e5 might be
[ 11.e2?! i s d u b i o u s . xc5 ( 11...h5 s o m e t h i n g f o r W h i t e .) 15...xe5
12.2b3 f5 0-1 Sowray, P (2335)-Gavriel, T 16.xd7+ xd7 with a comfortable
(2138)/Torquay ENG 2009 ) 12.2b3 d6 ] position for Black. In fact, Black erred
11...d7 almost immediately with 17.h5?! 0-0-0!
[ 11...xc5!? For some reason, no one has 18.xf7?? hf8 0-1 Timothy Chan (2738)-
really paid much attention to this natural Goh W ei Ming (2698)/Main Playing Hall
recapture but I've not seen anything that 2008/playchess. com;
looks vaguely like a refutation. C) 12.e1! d7 13.xc6 xc6 14.xg4
A) 12.2b3 d6 13.e1 d7 ( 14.2b3 b6 15.xg4 f6 ) 14...f6
lo o k s go o d f o r B la ck a s h is ce n t re i s 15.2b3
securely fortified. 14.f4 c7 ( 14...f6 C1) 15...e7?! 16.xc6 bxc6 17.e3!
m i g h t b e a b e t t e r o p t i o n .) 15.g3 and White's control over c5 and superior
( 15.xc6 bxc6 16.f1 f3+ was close structure give him a slight edge. ( 17.f4
to winning for Black in Orbwalker (2508)- g6 18.f3 0-0= 1-0 Panchanathan, M
Goh Wei Ming (2925)/ Main Playing Hall (2482)-Harper, W (2195)/Philadelphia
2008/playchess.com (31); 15.xc6 bxc6 20079 ext (41) );
16.c5!? is an interesting idea to put C2) 15...b6 keeping tabs on the f2
pressure on Black's centre. As both pawn looks ok for Black. ]
B l a c k ' s K in g s id e a n d Q u e e n si d e a r e 12.2b3
compromised, Black has to be doubly [ 12.b4 has scored well for White in general
careful that his centre remains solid such but I believe Black does reasonably ok with
that his King can remain there. h5 17.b4 a5!? For example, 13.f4 xd4 14.xd7+
a5 with mutual chances in my opinion.) xd7 15.fxe5 f5 16.xg4 axb4 17.cxb4
15...f6 ( 15...h5!? Was also possible. An b6! undermines White's Queenside. ]
interesting variation arises after 16.xc6 12...h5
bxc6 17.c5!? f6! 18.dxe6 xe6 [ 12...g8?! Archives. ]
19.xe6 d7 20.d4 h4 21.f4 0-0-0 [ 12...g6!? w a s a l s o p l a y a b l e . 13.f3
with mutual hacking chances.) 16.e2 h5 ( 13.h6!? ce5 14.e2 g8 )
17.b5 b8 18.xd6+ xd6 A) 13...a5!?
is comfortable for Black. In fact, Black A1) 14.xc6 xc6 ( 14...bxc6 15.a4
ob t a in e d a go o d p o sit io n a f t e r 19.h4 h5 ) 15.xc6+ bxc6 16.fxg4 a4 17.d4
( 19.d4 e7! 20.b4 xd4 21.xd4 xc5 is ok for Black.;
c6 22.d3 h4 23.f4 g7 is again A2) 14.a4! e5 15.c2 gxf3 16.xf3
d o u b le - e d ge d .) 19...f7 20.c4 d4 e6 17.e3 0-0 18.f5
21.g3 d3 22.f1 h4 23.f4 h3! with unpleasant pressure.;

456
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

B) 13...e5 14.c2! a6 15.a4 e6 517 C06

16.fxg4 d7 17.b4! also looks good for
White.;
C) 13...h5 14.fxg4 hxg4 15.xg4 ce5
16.e2 c7 followed by 0-0-0 looks
promising for Black. ]
13.e1 xd4 14.xd4
[ Initially, I thought that 14.xd4
15.xb5 g6 16.b4 is an easy edge for
White. The c5 pawn is especially annoying
and it is clear that Black's King would not be
safe anywhere he goes. However, after d7
17.d3 e5 I realized that matters are not so
clear and that Black also has his trumps.
His advanced Kingside pawns could
realistically help in a potent Kingside attack
while for the time-being, his centre cannot
b e e a s i l y u n d e r m i n e d . 18.d1!
This is necessary to force Black's reply, in
turn compromising his strong centre. e4
19.e2 a6 20.d4 f6 21.c4 0-0
a n d B l a c k i s d o i n g w e l l . ( 21...dxc4
22.xe4+ e7 )]
14...xb5 15.xe5 Setting a sneaky trap
which Black fell headfirst into.
[ 15.xe5 f6 16.f4 e7 also looks
reasonable for Black though he might have
to defend a slightly worse position after
( 16...c8 ) 17.b4 c6 18.f4 e5 19.e2
h4! 20.ae1 h5 21.d4 ]
15...f6?
[ 15...d7 would have preserved a good
position: 16.xd5 xd5 17.xh8+ f8
18.d4 c6 19.xd5 xd5 and Black
c a n ' t b e wo r s e i n t h i s e n d g a m e a n d i f
anything, I prefer Black. ]
16.g5! winning the game by force! xg5
17.xg5 f6 18.g7 f8 19.xb7 c6
20.b4 f7 21.d3 e5 22.f1 d4 23.cxd4
d5 24.f3 ag8 25.d2 a5 26.b6 gxf3
27.xf3 e4 28.e5+ e8 29.b8+ e7
30.xc6+ xc6 31.b5 d5 32.b7+
d8 33.xa5+
1-0
Fedorchuk,Sergey A 2564
Ivanchuk,Vassily 2748
Casino Masters (5) 28.10.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
xb5 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 a5 8.0-0
[ B l o c k i n g t h e p a w n w i t h 8.a4
doesn't promise much: cxd4 9.cxd4 b4
10.b5 e7 11.0-0 0-0
A) after 12.e1
A1) Perhaps Black should play in
K o rch n o i st yle wit h 12...b8 13.f4
8c6 ( or maybe 13...d7!? );
A2) 12...f6?! 13.exf6 xf6 14.d3
xd3 15.xd3 d7 16.f3 d6
17.e5 White had a nice position in
Pavasovic,D-Jurkovic,A/Nova Gorica
1999.;
B) 12.b1 b8 13.e1 8c6 14.c3
d7 15.f4 h8 16.d2 f6 17.ac1
c8 18.f1 and with all his pieces actively
d e p l o ye d , B l a c k b e g a n t o t r y f o r t h e
initiative : g5! 19.exf6 gxf4 20.fxe7 xe7
21.h1 e8 etc. in Kalod,R-Korchnoi,V/
Mitropa Cup, Leipzig GER 2002. ]
8...a4!? It is this second advance of the a-
pawn that gives Ivanchuk's opening line its
distinct flavour. We have discussed
[ 8...g6 and ]
[ 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 b6 on ChessPub. ]
9.e1
[ Black has to be alert after 9.c4 dxc4?!
( I suggest 9...e7!? in the style of the
I v a n c h u k g a m e . T h e n 10.cxd5 exd5
11.e1 cxd4 and Black is ready to play Nc5
with an excellent game. The move that is
c r y i n g o u t t o b e p l a y e d i s 12.e6
but it doesn't work after fxe6 13.xe6
c5 ) 10.xc4 xd4 Continuing his
reckless policy of opening lines when he is
behind in development. 11.xd4 cxd4
12.g4! and White suddenly has a
dangerous initiative. He made short shrift of
his opponent af ter c5 13.g5 c7
14.xd4 xd3 15.xd3 d7 16.fd1 c6
17.g3 g8 18.ac1 e7 19.d6+ xd6
20.xd6 1-0 Agnos,D-Reefschlaeger,H/
Velden 1996. Despite the equal material,
Black is paralysed and can only wait while

457
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
White trains his guns on the d8 square. ]
[ Also in this line, I think the humble move
9.a3 should be investigated. ]
9...a3 10.c4
[ White does well to avoid the following lines:
10.b3? cxd4 11.cxd4 b6 12.b1 xd4
13.c3 b4 and ]
[ 10.bxa3?! c4 11.c2 xa3 12.xa3
xa3 13.b1 a8 ]
10...e7
[ If Gawain Jones is reading this, maybe he'll
email me and reveal what was going on in
the f ollowing game: 10...b6!? 11.dxc5
dxc4 12.e4 xc5 13.e2 d4!
A timely exchange that prevents White from
establishing a grip on the centre with 14.
Nxc4 etc. 14.xd4 xd4 15.xc4 xc4
16.xc4 0-0 17.b1 xe5 18.bxa3 d4!
an excellent positional move that ensures
the safe development of Black's position.
19.e3 e5 - Jones,G-King,D/Birmingham
ENG 2005. ]
11.bxa3
[ White has less than nothing after 11.cxd5
exd5 12.e6 fxe6 13.xe6 0-0 14.c2
f6 ]
11...cxd4 12.cxd5 c5! 13.c4
[ Black also seems to be doing OK after
13.dxc6 xd3 14.e4 c7 15.c2 ( if
15.xd4 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 and Black
is starting to get the better of it.) 15...c5
16.xd4 xc6 ]
13...exd5 14.d6+ xd6 15.exd6+ e6
16.f4 0-0 17.b5?
[ Fedorchuk should be satisfied with killing off
the tension with 17.c1 xd3 18.xd3
when he has equal chances. ]
17...e4!?
[ This looks more promising than 17...g4!?
18.xc6 ( or 18.h3 f6! 19.g5? xf3 )
18...bxc6 19.xd4 e6
A) Black looks better after the sacrificial
line 20.xe6 xe6 ( 20...fxe6 21.g5 )
21.e5 d7 22.c1 e8;
B) 20.e3 xf4 21.xf4 xf3 22.gxf3
and the pa d pawn on d6 gives W hite
counterplay despite his hopelessly
wrecked pawn structure. ( not 22.xf3?
xd6 )]
18.a4 f6 19.g3 g4 20.c1 xg3
21.hxg3 xd6 22.xc6 bxc6 23.xd4
xf3 24.gxf3 a6 Black now has a definite
advantage as the a-pawns are far sicker than
the c6 and d5 pawns. Ivanchuk uses his fine
technique to gradually achieve a winning
position. 25.e3 h6 26.ec3 fa8 27.a5
d7 28.g2 xa5 29.xc6 xa2 30.c7
e6 31.1c6 e2 32.c3 d2 33.e3
xe3?
[ Instead Ivanchuk could win with 33...aa2!
when f2 will drop without White winning the
f7 pawn as compensation. ]
34.xe3 aa2 35.e8+ h7 36.xf7 xf2+
37.h3 g6
[ Perhaps the best winning try was 37...h5
38.g4 ( not 38.h4? g6! with the double
t h r e a t o f m a t e o n h 2 a n d 3 9 . . . K f 7 .)
38...h2+ 39.g3 ag2+ 40.f4 hxg4
41.fxg4 f2+ 42.g3 xf7 43.xh2 d7 ]
38.ee7??
[ The obvious move, but it should have
proved fatal. W hite would probably have
held the draw after 38.ff8 e.g. h5?!
39.f5+ g5 40.g4+ g6 41.e6+ g7
42.e7+ g8 43.e8+ etc. with perpetual
check. ]
38...h2+ 39.g4 h5+??
[ Black could have won a rook with 39...a4+
40.f4 ( or 40.f4 h5# ) 40...h5+ 41.f3
a3+ 42.e3 xe3+ 43.xe3 xf7 ]
40.f4 a4+ 41.e3 a3+ 42.d4 d2+
43.c5 h6 44.xg7 xf3 45.h7+ g6
46.eg7+ f6 47.f7+ g6 48.hg7+ h6
49.h7+
½-½
518 C06
Fedorchuk,Sergey A 2564
Radziewicz->Rajlich,Iweta 2453
5th Amplico AIG Life rapid (12) 18.12.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 My thanks to Sebastian Gueler for
bringing this line to my attention. 2.d4 d5
3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.gf3 c5 6.c3
c6 7.d3 g6 8.h4 b6 9.h5 g5 10.xg5
cxd4 11.cxd4 xd4 This leads to a very
murky position, but W hite certainly has a
dangerous initiative. He gets a passed pawn
and a big lead in development. Remember in
what follows, Black is almost always playing
458
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
without the rook on a8, whereas White's rooks
are both performing important roles.
[ We investigated 11...xd4 in Hutchinson-
Bigg and Filipovic-Stojanovic on
ChessPub. ]
12.df3! The critical reply. White gains three
tempi for development by hitting the black
queen. b4+ 13.d2 xb2 14.b1 a3
[ Avoiding the capture on a2, and wisely so:
14...xa2 15.xh7 The bishop is going to
be a target after Ndxe5 anyway, so why not
use it to capture the h7 pawn? ( Taking with
the bishop looks much superior to 15.xh7
e7 or; 15.c3 c5 ) 15...dxe5 16.xe5
xe5 17.c3 g7 18.0-0!? ( not 18.h6?
xh7 19.xh7 d3+ 20.xd3 xc3+
21.f1 d4 22.f6+ xf6 23.h7 h8
etc. ) 18...c4 ( Or 18...a3 19.h6! xc3
20.hxg7 f3+ 21.xf3 xg7 22.h5 )
19.h6 f6 20.xe5 xe5 21.h5 xh7
22.xh7 and White should win. ]
15.b3 e7 16.xh7! dxe5
[ If 16...h6 17.c2!? dxe5 18.xe5
xe5 ( 18...xg5 19.c3!? ) 19.f4 c4
20.b4 f6 21.f3 intending Bc3, etc. ]
17.xe5 xe5 18.f4! An important part of
W hit e's plan is t he ope nin g of th e a 1-h 8
diagonal. c4 19.c3 e5 20.xd5!
Now it all falls apart for Black. xh7 21.b4!
A vital zwischenzug to let the rook on b3
defend e3. Instead Black is fighting hard after
[ 21.xh7 exf4+ 22.f2 e3+ 23.f1
c1+ ]
21...c7 22.xh7 xb4+ 23.xb4 e6
24.xb7 d8 25.c6+ d7 26.f6+ e7
27.xd7+ A decisive simplification. xd7
28.xd7 e3 29.b7 xg2+ 30.f2 xf4
31.b6+
1-0
519 C06
Fedorchuk,Sergey A 2652
Ulibin,Mikhail 2518
XXIV Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (7)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.gf3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.d3 a5 8.0-0 a4
I had great hopes for this line against the
Universal System, but Fe dorchu k come s
armed with an important improvement on his
recent game with Ivanchuk. 9.e1 a3 10.c4
e7 11.bxa3 cxd4 12.cxd5 c5 13.dxc6!
[ Here in Fedorchuk-Ivanchuk White played
13.c4 and Black was OK, as you can see
in the archives. ]
13...xd3 14.e4 c7 15.xd4 xc1
[ In my notes to the aforementioned Ivanchuk
game, I claimed that 15...xe5 16.xe5
xe5 was at least OK for Black. In fact, I
was wrong as W hite gets a strong attack
after 17.c4 c5 18.a4!? e5 ( or
18...xc6 19.a3 xa3? 20.d8+
and White wins.) 19.d6+ xd6 20.xd6
0-0 21.e3 and Black is in big trouble e.g.
a5 22.d5 xa4 23.c5 e8 24.xa4
xa4 25.ad1 f5 26.d8 f7 27.cxb7
xd8 28.xd8 xa2 29.h4 xb7 30.d7+
g6 31.xb7 and White is a piece up. ]
16.xc1 bxc6 17.e4 0-0
[ N o t i m e f o r 17...xa3 because of
18.d6+ ]
18.d6 White has a substantial positional
advantage due to his powerful knight on d6
and extra pawn. a5
[ He can't get the pawn back as if 18...xa3?
19.b5 ]
19.a4 Now Fedorchuk slowly grinds out the
win. a6 20.h4 b6 21.b3 xb3
22.axb3 c5 23.d2 b8 24.c3 f6 25.e3
c4 26.bxc4 fxe5 27.xe5 xe5 28.xe5
b1+ 29.h2 xh4 30.c5 g5 31.d4 f6
32.f4 f8 33.c6 c1 34.dc4 e8 35.c7
g5 36.d6 c8 37.c6 xe5 38.fxe5 d7
39.c5 e7 40.g4 h6 41.a5 f8 42.g3
g7 43.f2 h5 44.gxh5 h6 45.a6 xa6
46.c8 xc8 47.xc8 xh5 48.f3 g6
49.e4 e1+ 50.e3 a1 51.c6 f7
52.f3 a3 53.e4 a1 54.c2 c1
55.f3 f1+ 56.e2 f5 57.c5 f4
58.e3 f1 59.d4 e1+ 60.d2 a1
61.c7+ g6 62.c6 g4 63.xe6+ g5
64.e8 g3 65.e3 e1+ 66.f3 d1
67.g8+ h5 68.e2 h1
1-0
459
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

520 C06 29.d3 g7 30.g1 f5+ 31.xf5 xf5

Fedorowicz,J 2422 32.f4 with a winning position, Popovic, D
Wang,Richard 2365 (2363)-Sevo, D (2283)/Senta 2002.;
51st Canadian Open 2014 (4.7) 21.07.2014 B) 17.e1! ac8 18.e3 b4?!
[John Watson] ( 18...f5! ) 19.xe4 dxe4 20.g5?
( 20.e5! c2 21.xe4 ) 20...c2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 21.xe4 xa1 22.xa1 c6! 23.xe6+
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 xe6 24.gxe6 fe8 Ludbrook, M
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 0-0 12.f4 (2046)-Sathyanandha, S (1909),
xf4 13.xf4 e4 For 13... Qd6, see this Sunningdale 2007. ]
m o n t h ' s g a m e F e u e r s t a c k - B e n t e . 14.g3 16...dxe4 17.e5 xf4! The best practical
We've seen try. Otherwise W hite has a substantial
[ 14.e2 xf3 and ] positional edge in view of Black's bad bishop.
[ 14.c1 g5 many times. It's doubtful that 18.gxf4 xf4
White can achieve anything against these. [ I Stojanovic, D (2249)-Jeremic, V (2269),
Hence White has been playing 14 g3 more S u b o t ic a 2 0 0 0 , B l a c k t r i e d t h e lo g i c a l
often. ] 18...xh4 , but after 19.e1 xf4 20.g4!
14...f6 15.h4 h6!? A rare attempt, xg4+ 21.xg4 xd4 22.xe4
perhaps not objectively best but interesting. , White had the better game. ]
[ 15...h6 has been the normal move, for 19.h5
example, the Archives game Rublevsky, S [ Now 19.g4 xg4+ 20.xg4 d7
(2660)-Komarov, D (2582), Vrnjacka Banja should still favour White, but not by as much,
1999 continued 16.xe4 ( 16.g2 d7 e.g., 21.e5 ( 21.fe1! ) 21...e8 22.fe1
17.b5 b8 has equalized for Volkov is a xe5 23.dxe5 c6 24.ed1 f7 25.ac1
few games ) 16...dxe4 17.e5 d8 ( 25.d6 e8 26.ad1 g6! 27.d8 e7
18.xc6 bxc6 19.a4 ( 19.c2 g5! a n d B l a c k h a s g o o d c h a n c e s t o h o l d)
20.hxg5 hxg5 21.e2 f3 gave good play 25...e7 ( 25...g6! ) 26.d4 f8
in Kotronias-Ulibin, Chalkidiki 1992) 19...g5 27.xc6?! (releasing the pressure) ( 27.b4 )
20.g2 b8?! ( 20...xd4 is critical and 27...bxc6 28.xe4 b8 29.b3
likely best.) 21.b3 xd4 22.xa7 b7 1/2-1/2 Bannout, E (1752)-Ask, J (2158),
23.a8 d8 ( 23...c7! ) 24.ad1 ] Stockholm 2013. ]
16.xe4 [ By analogy with the 18... Qxh4 note, 19.e1
[ There aren't many examples compared to xh4 20.g4?? now fails to xe5! ]
the main lines, but 16.c1 is the computer's 19...d7! The point of Black's play, which had
preference and has been played in several t o b e a n t ici p a t e d (o r p re p a re d ) . 20.xd7
games: d7 xd4 Threatening to win immediately with ...
A) 17.e3 xf4!? ( 17...f5! Nf3+. 21.e5!?
is an alternative, since 18.xe4 dxe4 [ 21.f3? xf3+ 22.xf3 exf3 23.h1
19.xe4? af8 initiates a strong attack) d2!-+ ]
18.xf4 xf4 19.gxf4 f8 20.e5 e8 [ White's best alternative to the text is
( It is unlikely that Black has full 21.g2 f3 22.h1 g6 23.a5 c8!
compensation. 20...xe5 21.fxe5 d2 24.b4 xh4+ 25.xh4 xh4 26.b3
22.fc1! f3+ 23.g2 c6 24.g3 f7 27.h1 g4+ 28.g3 xg3+
xd4 25.f4 ) 21.xc6 xc6 22.f3 g3 29.xg3 .Then Black has three pawns for
23.fd1 h5 24.f2 ( 24.f5! exf5 the piece and can likely draw because of
25.e1 is obvious and good) 24...xf4 the reduced material, but will still have to
25.e3 g6 ( 25...xh4 26.h1 xh1 work. ]
27.xh1 f6 28.b4! with the idea a6 21...f8!
29.c1 and Bxa6 can't be met.) 26.e2 [ Much better than 21...xe5 22.xe5 f3+
( 26.ac1 ) 26...a6 ( 26...xh4 ) 27.ac1 23.g2 xe5 24.fe1 ]
f8 ( 27...xh4 28.xa6 ) 28.b4 g3 22.g5 White must return the piece.

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 22.ad1 xe5 23.xe5 f3+ 24.g2
xe5 is probably satisfactory for Black in
view of 25.d6 ( 25.d4 f3! ) 25...g6
26.fd1 xh4+ ]
[ 22.g2 f5! 23.e8+ f8 24.h5 f5= ]
22...xe5 23.xe5 f3+ 24.g2 xe5
25.ac1 f4!?
[ 25...h5 is a good alternative. ]
26.c8+ f7 27.fc1 d3 28.1c7+ g6
29.g8 xf2+ 30.g1 e3? After a perfectly-
played defence, Black errors.
[ 30...xb2! 31.gxg7+ f5 forces White
into something like 32.xb7 xa2 33.xa7
d2 with the idea ...e3 and a draw will
almost certainly result. ]
31.gxg7+ f5 32.cf7+ e4 33.xf2
The difference Black never picked up the
q u e e n s i d e p a w n s . exf2+? This makes it
easier.
[ Black can still hope for salvation, with luck,
after 33...xf2 , e.g., 34.xh7?! ( 34.f1!
d3 35.xh7 f3 36.f7+ f4 37.h5
will win, e.g., e2+ 38.e1 e5 39.f5! e4
40.xf4+ exf4 41.xe2 f5 42.b4 g5
43.f3 , etc. ) 34...d3 35.g7 ( 35.xb7?
d2! ) 35...d2! 36.g2 e5! ( 36...d1
37.xf2 ) 37.h5 d1 38.h6 ( 38.xf2 exf2+
39.xf2 d2= ) 38...e2 39.xf2 e1+
40.f1 xf1+ 41.xf1 e4= ]
34.f1 e3
[ 34...h5 35.xb7 e3 36.xa7 e5
37.e7! e4 38.b4! xb4 39.a4 and the a-
pawn is too strong. ]
35.xh7 e5 36.h5 e4 37.h6 e5 38.g7
f3 39.f7 h2+ 40.g2 f1+ 41.xf1
xf1 42.h7
1-0
521 C06
Ferguson,Mark 2374
Morris,Charles F 2238
4NCL Birmingham ENG (7) 17.03.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.f4 xd4 10.h5+ e7 11.exf6+ xf6
12.g6+ hxg6 13.xh8 f7 14.h4 e5
15.f3 e4!? Much sharper than
[ 15...xf3+ 16.gxf3 f5 as played in
Timman-Morozevich. ]
16.xd4 b4+ 17.d2
[ Instead 17.f1 led to a sharp draw after
exd3 18.g5 d7 19.g3 g8 20.g2
b6 21.xf6 gxf6 22.hd1 g5 23.h6
xd4 24.g6+ f8 25.xd3 e5
26.h6+ g8 27.g6+ f8 28.h6+
g8 29.g6+ in Luther-Matamoros, Cuba
1997. ]
17...xd2+ 18.xd2 a5+ 19.d1 exd3
20.b3
[ Not quite satisfactory is 20.f4 d7
21.b3 a4 22.c1 g8 23.f3 e8
24.d2 b5 and White was under some
pressure in Prandstetter-Haba, Prague
1986. ]
[ In view of what happens in the game, White
should probably play more circumspectly
with 20.f3 e.g. d7 21.f2 c8
with unclear play though here too I prefer
Black's attacking chances to the exchange. ]
20...c7 21.c1 e5 22.e1 g4+!
[ This check cuts off the white queen from
th e ce n t re. I n st e a d 22...xb2 23.d4!
allows White to gain control of the position
when xa2 24.c7+ d7 25.xd3 c8
26.xb7 g8 27.e7 f5 28.xg7+ h8
29.d4 b1+ 30.e2 e4+ 31.xe4
dxe4 32.gc7 gave White a winning
endgame in Agnos-Emms, Southampton
1986. ]
23.f3 e4! 24.fxg4
[ White loses at once after 24.xg4? f2+
25.d2 xb2+ and ]
[ 24.xe4!? xe4 25.xg4? ( Instead
25.f2 f4 keeps up Black's initiative)
25...e2# ]
24...xb2 This threatens a winning knight
check on f2, so W hite gives back the
exchange. However, Black's passed pawns
then become a decisive factor. 25.xe4 dxe4
26.e1 xg2 27.c7+ g8 28.d2 e8
29.e3 h1+ 30.e1 xh2 Even if Black
didn't have a decisive pawn roller it would be
lot of pawns for the piece. 31.c3 e5
32.c4 d4 33.d2 c8 A crushing win for
Black, but was it all tactically sound? This line
needs to be deeply analysed.
0-1
461
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

522 C06 xd5 23.f4 d2 with some

Feuerstack,A 2453 compensation, Yu Ruiyuan (2556)-Tran
Bente,B 2225 Tuan Minh (2310), Ho Chi Minh City 2013. ]
104 Jahre FC St. Pauli Op (6.5) 24.07.2014 17...xe2 18.xe2 d7 19.f3 ac8
[John Watson] 20.ac1 xc1!?
[ 20...f7 is very solid ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 21.xc1 e8 22.f2 f6 23.c5 d6
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 24.e3 f7 25.f4 d4+ 26.e2 b6?!
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 0-0 12.f4 [ 26...g6 ]
xf4 13.xf4 d6 For those dissatisfied 27.c4+ f8 28.e5 White has provoked
with (or tired of) the main line with 13...Ne4, s o m e w e a k n e s s e s a n d b e c o m e a c t i v e ,
this is a playable alternative, although Black although even here it's not clear that he has
accepts a slightly worse position. 14.g3! enough to expect a win. c7 29.d3 g6
[ 14.e2 can be answered in various ways, 30.g4?!
e.g., d7 ( 14...g4 15.h3 xf3 16.hxg4 [ 30.d5 e6 ( 30...xd5? 31.xd5 )
f8 17.f4 d7= ) 15.c1 ( 15.h3 e8 ) 31.h4 ]
15...e5 ( 15...e8 16.g3 )] 30...c6 31.h3! xf3 32.g5 d5
14...e5 33.xh7+ f7 34.g5+ f6 35.xd5
[ A n o t h e r r e c e n t g a m e w e n t 14...b4!? xd5 36.xd5 xg5 37.f7 f6!?
, which is enterprising, but a bit unlikely: [ 37...xg4 38.xg6 h3 39.xd4 xh2
15.e1!? ( 15.b1 prepares a3, which is a looks good for White, but it's hard to make
useful move in any case.; 15.b3 has been progress without too much simplification. ]
played in a couple of games but seems to 38.c4 e5?
justify Black's queen excursion) 15...xb2 [ 38...g5 ]
16.a3 (with a good deal of compensation) g6 39.h4! b5 40.f7 f6 41.b3
17.c2 b6 18.h4! c7 19.c1 g7 [ 41.g8! e5 42.h5 ]
20.g5! d8 21.b3 h6 22.gxe6 xe6 41...e5 42.h5 gxh5 43.gxh5 a6 44.e2
23.xe6 xe6 24.xe6 ad8 25.e2 c5 45.c2 a5 46.f3 b4 47.g4 f6
Brady, S (2338) -Jessel, S (2321), Dublin 48.f4 a4 49.b1 g7 50.f5 a3 51.bxa3
2014. ] bxa3 52.e5 b3 53.b1 c1 54.xd4
15.dxe5 xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.e2 xa2 55.xa2
White naturally wants to have the queens off, ½-½
but Black develops quickly in return.
[ 17.b3 has been the traditional solution:
d7 ( 17...b6 18.ad1 h8 19.fe1 d6 523 C06
20.e4 g4 21.f3 xf3 22.xf3 Filipovic,Branko 2376
with a nice edge, Madcap (2552) -Hanison, Stojanovic,Dalibor 2437
B (2594), Stans Net Chess 2003.; 17...h8 TCh Neum BIH (5) 02.06.2004
18.b4 d7 19.fe1 c7 20.ac1 b6 [Neil McDonald]
21.xb6 axb6 22.a3 favoured White in
Wertjanz, D (2268)-Kodric, T (1617), Graz 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
2013, but it's difficult to win such a position. 5.gf3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.d3 g6?!
Black defended well to draw.) 18.fe1 d6 [ This move is looking decidedly dubious.
19.ad1 c6 20.e6 c5 21.c2!? xc2 Black should try his luck with 7...b6 or ]
22.xc2 ae8 23.b3 xe6 24.xe6 e8 [ 7...e7 as discussed on ChessPub. ]
25.d4 Timman, J (2590)-Kuijf, M (2470), 8.h4 b6
Nederland (ch) 1987 eventually drawn. ] [ Mikhail Gurevich has tried the highly
[ 17.d2 should also gain a small advantage, unusual move 8...e7 Evidently t he idea is
a g a i n n o t o v e r w h e l m i n g , e . g . , g4!? to answer 9.h5 with 9...g5, keeping the h file
( 17...d6 ) 18.ae1 d6 19.c4! h8! closed. Also the h4 pawn will be hanging if
20.d4 b4 21.xd5 ad8 22.xg4 White castles. However, 9.0-0! h6 10.e1

462
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
cxd4 11.cxd4 xh4 12.xh4 xh4 13.f3
e7 14.e3 looks like an excellent pawn
sacrifice for W hite. The king's wing is too
loose to provide a safe haven for the black
king, but castling queenside is also fraught
with danger as W hite will have a read y
made attack. Only Gurevich's fine defensive
powers saved him from defeat after b6
15.c1 d7 16.a3 0-0-0 17.b4 b8
18.d2 a6 19.b5 axb5 20.xb5 c8
21.b3 in Navara,D-Gurevich,M/Antalya
TUR 2004. ]
[ Not recommended for Black is 8...g7 9.h5
f6? 10.hxg6 fxe5 11.xh7 xh7 12.gxh7
e4 13.xe4 dxe4 14.xe4 f6 15.g5
d5 16.xf6+ xf6 17.d3 1-0 Najer,E-
Visser,Y/Groningen 1999. ]
9.h5 g5
[ Another variation under stress for Black is
9...g7 10.h4! A remarkable move. In how
many opening systems is a rook used to
defend a centre pawn from the side? cxd4
11.cxd4 g5 12.xg5 xd4 13.h6 xe5
14.h5 c5 15.b1!? ( 15.xf7+ d8
16.xh7 d7 17.df3 was messier but
W hite also won in Ruck,R-Bunzmann,D/
Budapest 1998.) 15...f8 16.xh7 c7
17.xf8 cb3 18.xb3 xb3 19.axb3
xc1+ 20.d1 and White won in Zalkind, K-
Sarkar,J, Whitley 1999. ]
10.xg5 cxd4 11.cxd4 xd4 12.df3 c5
[ Instead 12...xf3+ 13.xf3 c5 14.0-0
xd3 15.xd3 turned out very well for
White in Degraeve,J-Bynell,S, Leon 2001. ]
13.0-0 h6?
[ The circumspect 13...c6 was necessary
with some advantage for White after 14.a4
h6 15.h3 ]
14.b4!
[ T h is lo o k s e ve n st r o n ge r t h a n 14.xf7
xf7 15.b4 xb4 16.b1
as recommended by Karsten Mueller,
though this line still looks pretty awful for
Black e.g. a5 ( Not 16...c3? 17.b2 )
17.xd4 xe5? ( Or 17...xd4 18.g6+
e7 19.xd4 ) 18.b3 c7 19.xc5
xc5 20.b2 ]
14...hxg5
[ After 14...xb4 15.xf7 xf7 16.e3
c5 17.b1 c7 18.xd4 xd4 19.g6+
g7 20.xd4 White has kept a crushing
advantage in a 'clean' way without needing
to sacrifice the pawn on e5. ]
15.bxc5 xc5 16.xg5 Black is now
defenceless against the passed h pawn. c6
17.h6 b4 18.e1 g4 19.c1 f8
20.f6 g8 21.g5 d4 22.c5
Threatening mate on e7. f3+ 23.h1 h5+
24.h3
1-0
524 C06
Galdunts,Sergey 2486
Bunzmann,Dimitrij 2542
Griesheim GER (5) 24.01.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3
[ Black's plan of advancing a5-a4 rapidly is
more often seen in the following variation:
5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 7.df3 e7 8.d3 f5
9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 a5 ]
5...c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 a5!? This pawn
thrust has become popular in the Advance
variation, so it is no wonder that it should be
'transferred' here. Of course it has long been
a known idea in the 5.f4 Tarrasch line
described above. However, in contrast to that
line White can still utilise the f4 square for his
knight, and his bishop on c1 isn't blocked in
by the pawn on f4. Therefore White has more
aggressive options for piece play.
Nevertheless, it is by no means easy for White
to f in d an ef f ective plan of at tack on th e
kingside or in the centre. After all, he is facing
the solid French centre and for once Black
isn't opening up lines of his own accord with
7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f6. 8.0-0
[ Or 8.f4 cxd4 9.cxd4 a4 10.f3 b6
11.g4 h5! Black disrupts the white pawns
before they can be supported by 12.Ng3.
12.gxh5 xh5 13.g3 h8 14.0-0 c4
15.e2 b6 16.f2 d7 and Black had
plenty of counterplay in Grischuk,A-
Bunzmann,D/Oropesa del Mar 1998. ]
8...a4
[ Bunzmann seems to have decided it makes
sense to leave the bishop at home on f8 as
putting it on d7 exposes the g7 pawn to
attack by Nf4 and Nh5, as follows: 8...e7
463
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
9.f3 a4 10.f4 cxd4 11.cxd4 b6
12.h5! g6 13.f6+ xf6 14.exf6 xf6
15.g5 g7 16.d2 f6 17.h6 c7
18.h4! and White had a strong initiative for
his pawn in view of his dark square control,
though things aren't totally clear in
Pon oma riov, R-B un zma nn, D/ La usa nn e
1999. ]
9.f3
[ Or 9.f4 cxd4 10.cxd4 g6! It is vital to stop
11.f5. 11.a3 ( If 11.g4? h4 is awkward as
12.g3 xd4 wins a healthy pawn.)
11...b6 12.f3 a5 13.c3 d7 14.c2
ac4 15.d3 c8 16.g5 b5 17.h3
b6 18.d1 e7 19.h1 h6 20.f3 f5
21.d3 h5 and Black had a solid blockade
on the light squares in Tiviakov,S-Bunzmann,
D/Saint Vincent 2000. ]
9...a3!
[ It is important that Black avoid any
unnecessary weakening of his kingside,
such as 9...h6? for example 10.e1 a3
11.b3 cxd4 12.exd4! Much more active
than 12.cxd4. b6 13.b5! g5 14.fd4
xd4 15.cxd4 d7 16.h5 c6 17.d2
e7 18.d6+ xd6 19.exd6 f6
20.xe6+! xe6 21.e1 and White won in
Go d e n a, M-Ra bin o vich , A / Sa in t Vin ce n t
2000. ]
10.b3
[ Or 10.bxa3 c4 11.c2 xa3 It was well
worth delaying the development of this
bishop! 12.g5 h6 13.h3 a5 14.f4 f5!
Now if White wants to open lines of attack
he must give up his excellent pawn on e5
and allow the black knight to gain freedom
on the f6 square. 15.exf6 xf6 16.g6+
d8 17.c2 ( If 17.f5 e7 is awkward for
the bishop on g6.) 17...e7! This stops a
breakthrough with 18.f 5. 18.d2 d7
19.g3 f5 20.xa3 xa3 21.f2 a6
22.fb1 c8 and White was gradually
outplayed in Ginsburg, G-Bunzmann,D/
Griesheim GER 2004. ]
10...cxd4 it is a good idea to make this
exchange when W hite can't successf ully
r e c a p t u r e w i t h a k n i g h t . 11.exd4?
An unsound sacrifice. He had to play
[ 11.cxd4 though Black has a pleasant game-
perhaps he should continue b4 12.b1
b6 followed by Bd7. ]
11...dxe5 12.xe5 xe5 13.b5+ d7
14.e1 g6 15.d3 It's difficult to determine
wh a t W h i t e m igh t h a ve m i sse d wh e n h e
p la ye d t h e s a cri f ice , b u t in a n y c a s e h e
remains a centre pawn down. c5 16.h5
0-0 17.e3 xd4 18.cxd4 f6 19.e5 e7
20.e3 f6 21.e5 h6 Naturally Black
declines the repetition. 22.xg6 fxg6 23.e2
g5 Not only does Black have an extra pawn
but he also has a strong advanced pawn on
a3 which makes the endgame untenable for
White. 24.d2 g6 25.b4 fc8 26.c5
c6 27.d1 b6 28.b4 c2 29.d2 c1+
30.d1 b1 31.xc1 xc1+ 32.e1 b2
33.c3 xa2! White had imagined this was
impossible as he can trap the black queen,
but Bunzmann has seen a strong positional
s a c r i f i c e . 34.d1 c8! 35.e2 xe2
36.xe2 xc3 Now the white queen cannot
prevent the advance of the passed pawn
i n d e f i n i t e l y . 37.h4 If his pawn had already
been on h3 or h4 he could have picked up the
passed pawn with 37.Qa2, but of course that
would allow 27...Rc1 mate. xb3 38.a6 g4
39.h2 h7 40.e2 g8 41.c2 b2
42.c7 a4 43.e7 xf2 44.xe6+ h7
45.xd5 e8 46.a8 a2 47.d5 g6 48.d6
d2 49.d7 b1 White is helpless. There are
no checks and if he advances his pawn to d8
the rook can just take it.
0-1
525 C06
Gavrilov,Alexei 2438
Zdrazil,Bohumir
Open Olomouc CZE (1) 02.08.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 0-0
12.g5 White avoids the trendy
[ 12.f4 ]
12...e8 A tempting move: the queen wants
to go h5 when the bishop on g5 with become
vulnerable to tactical ideas based on an attack
on h2. However, unfortunately for Black there
isn't going to be a bishop on g5!
[ Instead 12...c7 has transposed to a
common position normally reached via the
464
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
move order 11...Qc7 12.Bg5 0-0. ]
[ while 12...b6 is another major
alternative. ]
13.f4! A neat idea. Now that the black queen
has been enticed to e8 she is no longer in
touch with the dark squares. Therefore she
cannot go to d6 as in lines such as 12.Bf4
Bxf4 15.Nxf4 Qd6. Therefore White is happy
to change his mind after all and exchange
bishops! xf4 14.xf4 g4?! The plan
began with this move leads quickly to self
destruction. Still other moves weren't very
appetising. Looking at John Emms' book on
the Tarrasch, I see that he mentions
[ 14...e5 15.dxe5 xe5 16.e2!
when Black's isolated pawn is a concern,
or ]
[ 14...e4 15.c1! d7 16.e3 b4
as in Rozentalis-Hergott, Montreal 1995,
when Rozentalis gives 17.e5 ( instead
17.xe4 dxe4 18.xe4 c6! gave Black
counterplay in the actual game.) 17...xd3
18.fxd3 b5 19.fe1 xd3 20.xd3
as simplest with a definite plus for White- he
can evict the black knight from e4 with f2-f3
and then think about winning e6 or using the
e5 square. ]
15.d2 e5? 16.fe1! e4
[ B l a c k 's c e n t r e c ru m b l e s a s i f 16...xf4
17.xf4 ]
17.xd5 h5 The black queen reaches h5,
but it won't enjoy it for long. 18.c4! h8
[ If 18...exf3 19.f6+ or ]
[ 18...e6 19.f4 xf4 20.xe6+ h8
( 20...f7 21.xe4 ) 21.xf4 and White
wins. ]
19.g5! A highly annoying move for Black-
the exchange of queens wasn't part of his
plans. f7 20.xe4 e6 21.xg4
Now White just cleans up. xg4 22.e3 f4
23.xg4 xg4 24.xg4 f4 25.e3 xd4
26.e5 af8 27.d1 b5 28.f1 a6 29.d3
4f6 30.c5 f5 31.g4 c6 32.b4 h5
33.e5 d6 34.xd6 xd6 35.g6+
1-0
526 C06
Gomez,John Paul 2522
Ganguly,Surya Shekhar 2644
16th Asian Games Team Men (5) 22.11.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 11.0-0 d6 12.g3
0-0
[ A recent game went 12...h5?! 13.g5!
g6 Geske, J (2364)-Mammadov, A (2358),
B a t u m i G E O 2 0 1 0 a n d h e r e 14.c3!
is strong, e.g., a6 ( 14...g7 15.e1 0-0
16.xe6 e7 17.e1 xd4 18.xe7
xe7 19.xd5 ) 15.e1 0-0 16.xe6 xe6
17.xe6 f7 18.xf8 xf8 19.e3 ]
13.f4 d7
[ a) 13...xf4 14.xf4 b6 ( or 14...d7
15.c1 b6 ) 15.b3 was the order of the
Nanjo game in the next note. ]
[ b) 13...g4 has been the subject of two
ChessPublishing games with analyses:
Vachier LaGrave-E Berg and Vink-M
G u r e vi c h . T h o s e g a m e s i n d i c a t e t h a t ,
whether or not Black is fully equal against
perfect play, he is very close. I have found
slight improvements for White, but in every
case Black gets complicated play, usually
with attacking prospects. It will be
interesting to see how experienced masters
handle the White side in the future. ]
14.c1 e4
[ A) Other recent games beginning with
14...xf4 : 15.xf4 b6 16.b3 ae8
A) 17.e1 xd4!? 18.xd4 e5 19.xd5
xd5 20.c4 exd4 21.xd5+ h8
22.xe8 xe8 23.c4? ( 23.f3 )
23...a5 24.h5 e1+ 25.g2 f8
26.c2 0-1 Parker, J (2531)-Cobb, C
(2396), Newport Pagnell 2010;
B) 17.b1 h8 ( 17...xd4 18.xd4
xd4 19.xd4 e5 20.c7! c8 21.fe2
exd4 22.xd4 ) 18.e1 e5? 19.xe5
xd4 20.xd7 xe1+ 21.xe1 f3+
22.h1 ( 22.f1! xd7 23.e7! wins )
22...xd7 23.e3 ( 23.e7? xf2 )
23...xe3 24.fxe3 f6 25.g2 e5
Nanjo, R (2257)-Jere, D (2267), Khanty-
M a n s i ys k R U S 2 0 1 0 a n d h e r e 26.c7
will eventually win material, e.g., eg4
465
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

27.h3! xe3+ 28.f3 e8 29.xb7 ] because they have been found to work well
[ B) 14...g4!? could still be played here, [so far- players of tomorrow might have a
when 15.c3 is a good reply, indirectly different verdict. ] For an earlier discussion of
covering f 3 in the case of an exchange these moves, see principally the game Zhang
sacrifice on f4. ] Pengxiang-Gurevich in the Chesspub
15.e5 archives. 10.c4!?
[ Probably 15.xd6! i s b e t t e r : xd6 [ White ignores events on the queenside and
( 15...xd6 16.e5 ) 16.xe4 dxe4 goes for an immediate push in the centre to
17.g5! d5 18.c5 xa2 19.d5! catch the black pieces napping. This is
with the idea exd5? ( 19...d8 20.c7 h6 ) m o r e d i r e c t t h a n 10.h5 b6 11.c4
20.c3 ] wh i c h f e a t u r e d i n t h e a f o r e m e n t i o n e d
15...xe5 16.xe5!? Zhang Pengxiang game. ]
[ 16.dxe5 g5 17.e3 xe5 18.f4 10...g4! This has to be the critical test of
is unclear. ] White's last move. An earlier game went
16...b6 17.f4!? [ 10...b6? Very inconsistent to say the
[ 17.xe4 dxe4 18.d6 f5 19.b3 e8! ] lea st. Black h as gon e t o the en orm ou s
17...ad8 trouble of preparing g6-g5 only to decide
[ 17...f5= is safer. ] when it comes to the crunch that attacking
18.xe4?! the white knight with g5-g4 is futile. 11.cxd5
[ 18.xc6! bxc6 19.xe4 dxe4 20.g4 f7 exd5 12.dxc5 xc5 13.b3 e7 14.fd4
21.h5 g6 22.b3! is a nice exchange The white knight should have been kicked
sacrifice. Compare the bishops. ] back by g5-g4 before it could even dream of
18...dxe4 19.d6 f7 20.b4?! xd4 21.b5 reaching this brilliant centre square. Black's
e5! 22.xd4 f3+ 23.g2 xd4 24.fd1 kingside pawn advances have been made to
xb5 25.e5 a6 26.xe6? Turning a bad look like pointless weakening moves. xe5
position into a lost one. e8 27.g5 fe7 Black wins a pawn, but any fans of this line
28.b2 c6 29.a4 c7 30.a5 h6 31.h3 will know that White is more than happy to
e3+ 32.f3 g5 33.d4 b5 34.g4 d7 see the centre dissolving as it leaves the
35.xg5 d2+ black king open to attack. 15.f5 bc4
0-1 16.e1 b6 17.xc8 Not only clearing g
the f5 square for the knight but also
ensuring that the black king won't be able to
527 C06 ca stle qu ee n sid e . xc8 18.f5 b4
Gopal,Geetha Narayanan 2480 19.d2 f8 20.xb4+ xb4 21.xd5 e8
Ganguly,Surya Shekhar 2586 22.e4 Threatening 23.Rae1 when the pin
zt 3.2 Dhaka BAN (3) 24.08.2007 on the e-file decides matters. It will be seen
[Neil McDonald] that Black's rook on h8 being shut out of the
game is as big a factor in his demise as his
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 ill placed king. He is always going to be
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 g6 One of the hopelessly outgunned in a centre fight. b6
more promising lines for Black versus the so- 23.xc4 xc4 24.xc4 and Black was
called 'Universal System'. 8.h4! h6 9.0-0 g5! entirely lost in Caruana, F-Ziegler, A/Porto
Opening moves either work or they don't work- Mannu PAL 2007. ]
you couldn't find the last couple of moves just 11.cxd5 gxf3! Preparing a piece sacrifice. It
by relying on commonsense and general seems good enough for perpetual check,
principles. There is nothing intrinsically logical which f rom th e p oin t o f view of th eory is
in White playing 8. h4 and then castling next excellent f or Black. Nonetheless, if he is
move onto a weakened kingside nor does the looking to keep more winning chances, an
gradually inching forwards of the black interesting alternative was the recapture
kingside pawns look anything but odd. But [ 11...exd5 12.h2 ( I prefer Black after
these have become the established moves 12.e6 fxe6 13.g6+ e7 ) 12...xd4

466
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.xg4 xh4 14.b3 with complex play. ]
12.dxc6
[ Forced, as White is a piece down after
12.xf3 exd5 ]
12...fxg2
[ It is to late for Black to change his mind
about the piece offer, as he would have a
terrible position after 12...xe5 13.cxb7
xb7 14.b5+ c6 15.xf3 ]
13.cxd7+ xd7 14.xg2
[ The pawn can't be left on g2 as if 14.e1
xh4 threatens mate on h1. ]
14...xh4
[ Not 14...g8+ 15.h3 defending h4. ]
15.g1 g8+ 16.f1 xg1+ 17.xg1 c6
18.d5! An important defensive move. xd5
19.e4 0-0-0
[ The point behind 18.d5 is that if now
19...xe4 20.a4+ d8 there is no white
pawn on d4 to obstruct 21.xe4 winning the
bishop and the game. ]
20.f3 g7 21.xd5 xd5 If allowed to play
22...Bxe5 Black will have three pawns for the
piece plus an enduring initiative. Therefore
Gopal sensibly grabs a pawn at the cost of
allowing perpetual check. 22.xf7 g4+
23.f1 d1+ 24.g2 g4+ 25.f1 d3
Ganguly spurns the draw with
[ 25...d1+ etc. ]
26.f3 h3+ 27.e2 d7 28.f4 g2+
29.d1 h5
[ There was another perpetual with 29...f1+
30.c2 d3+ 31.d1 f1+ 32.c2
d3+ ]
30.c2 The white king has escaped to the
queenside, but it is by no means easy to
exploit his extra material. The pin on d2 is
highly awkward and the rook remains inert on
a1. e2 31.e4 f2 32.g6 to stop the pin
with 32...Bh6 and also eliminate the passed
pawn on h5 before it can become dangerous.
xe5 33.xh5 f4 34.h8+ d8 35.c3
Ready to play 36.a4 and 37.Ra3 if given the
ch an ce , s o Ga ngu ly t hro ws f orwards h is
queenside pawns. b5 36.a3 e2?
[ He should defend c5 with 36...d5! ]
37.a4! d7
[ There is a fatal exchange of queens after
37...b4 38.xc5+ b8 39.xb4+ a8
( 39...c8 40.c4+ ) 40.e4+ ( but not the
greedy 40.xf4? allowing a draw with d3+
41.d1 f1+ 42.c2 d3+ )]
38.axb5 Now White' s rook has an open file
and the pawn on b5 can ram the black
kingside. e5 39.a3 f4 40.c3!?
[ Good enough to win after a harmless
re pe t it ion , b u t mo st p re cise wa s 40.b6!!
leading to a difficult to calculate but forced
win for White after
A) After 40...xd2 41.xc5+ it is a forced
win for White with checks all the way: b8
( 41...d8 42.f8#; 41...b7 42.xa7+
b8 43.f8+ d8 44.xd8# ) 42.bxa7+
and Black has to give up his rook as if
a8 43.c8#;
B) 40...xd2+ 41.b1 axb6 42.a8+
d7 43.a7+ c7 44.b7 xb2+
45.xb2 d3+ 46.c1 e3+ 47.c2
e2+ 48.b3 d3+ ( 48...d1+
49.a2 ) 49.c3 b1+ 50.a3 c1+
51.b2 e3+ 52.a2 and the white king
has escaped the checks. Of course it was
by no means easy for White to ascertain
that his king would evade perpetual check,
even if saw the 40.b6!! move. ]
40...e5 41.a3 f4 42.a6+
[ The last chance for 42.b6!! ]
42...d8 43.b6! A bit late, but this move is
still full of magic. It uncovers an attack on the
black queen as well as threatening 44.bxa7
followed by queening. xd2+ 44.xd2?
[ He should play 44.b1! xb2+ 45.xb2
d1+ 46.a2 d5+ 47.a3 xf3+
48.a4 e4+
A) 49.b5 d3+ 50.c6 d5+ 51.b5
d3+ 52.c6 with a draw, unless White
p r e f e r s t o b e m a t e d a f t e r ( 52.xc5??
d6+ 53.c6 d5# );
B) 49.b3! f3+ 50.c3 d5+ 51.c4
and White wins. ]
44...xd2+ 45.b1 d1+ 46.a2 d5+
47.a3 axb6 48.xb6+ c7 49.a6 d6
There begins a highly laborious game of cat
and mouse with Ganguly defending grimly.
50.a5+ c7 51.a6 xf3+ 52.b3 c3
53.d1+ e7 54.a7 e5 55.a4 d6
56.c4 h8 57.a2 h2+ 58.b1 g3
59.d3 h2 60.e4 e5 61.b7+ c7
62.h1 g3 63.h7+ f6 64.f1+ f4
65.c2 e3 66.c4 e5 67.d5 c3
68.d1 White can still play to win, but after a
long and fruitless attempt to get at the black
467
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

king he was evidently too dispirited [or too attack on g5. a4 19.f1 c4 20.b1 c8
short of time] to continue the fight. An 21.d1 g8 22.g3 b6 23.b3 axb3
eventful game which appears to be of some 24.axb3 a5 25.h5 a4 An attempt to
theoretical importance. complicate as in any case W hite will
½-½ strengthen his game further with Qd3 and Qh7
etc. 26.d3! White isn't distracted from his
attack on the kingside. xb3 27.h7 f8
528 C06 28.xg5 xg5 29.xg5 xd4 I saw the
Gormally,Daniel 2481 combination that followed but decided the
McDonald,Neil R 2406 best chance was to hope that White wouldn't!
Ron Banwell Masters (8) 25.08.2001 30.f6+ e7 31.xe6! No such luck. xe6
[Neil McDonald] 32.f5+ e7 33.xb3 I resigned for if xb3
34.d7# A well played game by White, but a
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 double disappointment for me- not only did I
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 e7 8.0-0 a5 lose but I didn't find out the true value of the
9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 g5 It's curious but I line.
couldn't remember here which move I was 1-0
supposed to play first- the game move or
[ 10...b6 The latter e is more common, but
th e ga m e in f a ct t ra n spo se s t o a lin e I 529 C06
consider on the website. ] Gormally,Daniel 2472
11.g4! The best answer to Black's aggressive Quillan,Gary 2322
intentions. W hite stabilises the kingside by Gibraltar Masters (6) 30.01.2005
ruling out g5-g4. h5 12.h3 hxg4 13.hxg4 [Neil McDonald]
b6 14.a4 a7? Here I was feeling
ambitious and decided to sacrifice a pawn to 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
activate my position. It's an unsound offer and 5.c3 c5 6.gf3 c6 7.d3 e7 8.0-0 a5
so leaves unclear the assessment of this key 9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.b1 xd4
position. After the game Gormally suggested 12.xd4 xd4 13.c3 A very important
[ 14...f6!? to break open the centre. Then if I position that is on the cutting edge of Ngf3
r e m e m b e r c o r r e c t l y h e p l a n n e d 15.f1 theory. c5
as Black gets huge counterplay after [ Or 13...b6 14.e3 I was perhaps unfairly
( 15.exf6? xf6 16.xg5 g8 17.xe6 critical of this move in the notes to Nedev-
xg4+ etc. )] Bauer. ( Instead 14.g4 is deeply analysed
[ Another idea- which I had recommended on in Nedev-Bauer and Rublevsky-Lputian on
the website was 14...f8 e.g. 15.f1 d7 ChessPub. ) 14...d4 ( A typical scenario in
and White faces the awkward threat of 16... t h i s l i n e w a s r e a c h e d a f t e r 14...d8!?
Nxe5 or sometimes 16...Nxd4 17.Qxd4 Bc5, 15.a4 0-0 16.c2 g6 17.h6 b6!?
when after the queen moves f2 will drop. If 18.b5 c5 19.a3 d7 20.xd7 xd7
16.b5 Black has the standard response 21.xf8 xf8 22.c3 c8 23.e2 c4
xe5! ] in Hagarova,Z-Mkrtchian,L/Calvia ESP 2004.
15.b5 b6 16.xc6+ bxc6 17.xc6+ In return for the exchange, Black has a
d7 18.c2 Now I realised that my supposed strong bishop and a solid extra pawn in the
compensation for the pawn was a mirage- the centre. Chances are balanced.) 15.a4
light squared bishop has little scope and the a7 16.f4 More active than ( 16.d2 0-0
rook can take control of the c file with Rc8, 17.c1 d8 etc. ) 16...b8? ( I think Black
but so what? The white queen retreats to d1 s h o u l d s i m p l y c a s t l e . A f t e r 16...0-0
and there is no good follow up. Meanwhile White can build up an attack, but remember
besides having an extra pawn W hite can that the knight is badly placed on a4, and
improve his position with the manoeuvre if necessary Black can play b7-b5 to deflect
Nf1-h2-h5, which will also uncover a double the bishop from the attack on h7 with Bxb5,

468
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
which also opens up lines for the bishop on
c8. ) 17.g4 g5 18.d2 ( Of course not
18.xg5 g8 ) 18...d7 19.b3 c6 20.a3
h5 21.e2 Ramesh, R-Rendle,T/Port Erin
IOM 2004. White has been pushed around
by the black pawns, but where can Black
n o w s a f e l y c a s t l e ? N o wh e r e ! H i s k i n g
therefore has to stay in the centre, where it
not only gets in the way of coordinating his
rooks, but also isn't entirely secure. Here we
see that 14. Be3 had the effect of provoking
a useful loosening of Black's pawn structure
with 14...d4. ]
14.e3
[ In the Hansen-Schlecht game I try to make
a c a s e f o r 14.b5 xf2+ ( 14...h4 )
15.h1 here- as far as I know it has never
been tried as White. ]
14...h4 15.c2!? This quiet, retreating
move is surprisingly dangerous. In contrast,
[ 15.g3 e7 could be said to have just
driven the queen where she wants to go-
see Hansen-Schlecht for the details. ]
15...b6?
[ I suggest Black should play the bold
15...0-0 when there is no obviously strong
way for White to continue his attack, for if
16.xc5 xc5 17.e3 angling for Rh3
w h e n h 7 d r o p s . f5! 18.exf6 xf6
hitting f2. 19.e2 f4 seems solid enough
for Black. ]
16.xd5!! exd5
[ Instead 16...xe3 17.xe3 keeps up the
attack- exd5 ( 17...0-0? 18.h3 ) 18.xd5
b8 19.e6 etc. ]
17.xd5 a7 18.e6 0-0
[ The only chance was 18...fxe6 19.xe6+
d8 20.xc5 bxc5 21.ad1 though the
black king is in the firing line. ]
19.exf7+!! Black must have missed the
strength of this capture, reckoning only on
[ 19.exd7 xd7 when he has equality. ]
19...h8
[ After 19...xf7 20.b3 f8 21.xc5 bxc5
22.xc5 the threats include 23.Qxa7, 23.
Qxc8 and 23.Re8 planning mate with 24.
Qxf8 next move. ]
20.xc5 bxc5 21.e8 Black is helpless
against the threat of 22.Qxd7! exploiting the
back rank.
1-0
530 C06
Gormally,Daniel 2566
Rendle,Thomas 2332
Christmas International (4) 14.12.2005
[Tom Rendle]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5 7.d3 c6 8.0-0 a5
9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.b1
This paradoxical retreat- going back to square
o n e in o rd e r t o st a rt a ra p id a t t a c k - h a s
become the standard move here. The knight
no longer has a future on d2 as its natural
square on f3 has been usurped by the other
knight. Therefore it returns to b1 and heads
out via c3 for the weakest point in Black's
position- the b5 square. At the same time it
clears the way for the dark squared bishop to
enter the game which also deters Black from
the g7-g5 pawn lunge. xd4 12.xd4 xd4
13.c3 b6
[ Remember there is the interesting
a l t e r n a t i v e 13...c5 which we saw in
Nisipeanu-Crickmore and Gormally-Quillan. ]
14.e3!? See the game Gormally-Quillan for
more analysis of this move.
[ 14.g4 is the main alternative ]
14...d4 15.a4 a7 16.f4 0-0
A more natural l move than 16.. Nb8 which I
tested vs Ramesh at the Isle of Man, 2004 TR
Castling as recommended on ChessPub,
where it was pointed out that 'White can build
up an attack, but remember that the knight is
badly placed on a4, and if necessary Black
can play b7-b5 to deflect the bishop from the
attack on h7 with Bxb5, which also opens up
lines for the bishop on c8.'
[ White had an enduring initiative after
16...b8 17.g4 g5 18.d2 d7 19.b3
c6 20.a3 h5 21.e2 in Ramesh, R-
Rendle, T/Port Erin IOM 2004. ]
17.c1 d8
[ Being old and fearful, I [NM] would probably
give the pawn back as indicated above with
17...b5 18.xb5 b8 in order to get some
play. Now
A) Here 19.g4!? deserves attention, as
if xb5 ( 19...h8! ) 20.h6 g6 21.xf8
and c8 is dropping.;
B) 19.d3 d8 20.h5 f8 21.g5
xg5 22.xg5 a6 and Black is doing
469
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

well. ] 13...d7!? 14.h4 h5 15.c3 a6

18.h5 the most direct f8 The remaining 16.e5!?
notes are by Thomas Rendle. [ Instead there were hair raising
[ 18...g6 is also possible, but I did not want complications in a correspondence game
to commit to such a weakening move as back in 1986 after 16.c2 xf3!? ( Here
then W hite would always have long-term 16...h6 looks safe enough.) 17.xh7+ h8
compensation on the dark-squares. 18.gxf3 xh2+ 19.g2 xd4 20.d1 f4!
However it is not immediately obvious that it W hite is now hanging on by a thread.
is bad. ] 21.g6 ( Or 21.h1 xh4 22.xh2 f4+
19.g5 seeking to swap off a defender. xg5 23.h1 h3 24.f1 e5! ) 21...xh4
20.xg5 d7 21.c5 c6 Planning to meet 22.xh5 e5 23.g4! e4! 24.xd4 exf3+
Ne4 with Bxe4. Allowing the Knight to e4 25.xf3 xg4+ 26.e3 ( Not 26.xg4
unopposed felt very uncomfortable with the f8+ ) 26...f8 27.d2 f4+ 28.c2 h7+
Knight eying the d6 and f 6 squares. 22.f4 29.b3 xc1 30.xc1 e6
dc8 23.f5 exf5 24.e6 with an eventual draw in Girod-Baer, corr
[ 24.xf5 d8 seems OK for Black ] SWZ 1986, though this looks good for Black.
24...d5 25.e7 xc5 26.e8 xe8 27.xe8 Needless to say you should check all this
xc1+ 28.xc1 c6 allowing White's Queen carefully before playing it as Black! ]
to c8 would lead to trouble for Black. 29.e7 [ Alternatively the lunge 16.g5 falls short of
b8 30.c4 e6 31.xe6 fxe6 32.c4 the mark after
d5 33.b5 A) Not 16...g6 17.xh7! xh2+ ( For if
[ 33.xd4 might be the best winning try f8 17...xh7 18.xh5+ ) 18.h1 f4
34.c7 ] 19.g3!;
33...c6 34.e2 d6 35.xe6 c5 36.e5 B) 16...f6 17.c2?! ( If Black is
c1+ 37.f1 xb2 38.xf5 ambitious, he has to find something better
[ a n i c e i d e a h e r e i s . . 38.c4+ h8 than repeating after 17.f3 with h5 )
39.xc6?? However after b1+! 40.f2 17...h6! ( Too risky is 17...xd4 18.xh7+
xa2+ Black's Queen covers g8 and so the h8 19.g6 ) 18.f3 b4 and Black
back rank trick is avoided ] has a good game after eliminating
38...b4 39.a3 xa3 40.c4+ h8 White's important bishop. ]
41.xd4 h6 42.d8+ h7 43.xa5 e3+ 16...f4 17.xc6
44.f2 c1+ 45.f1 e3+ 46.f2 [ Or 17.xd7 xd7 18.b1 g6 19.g3?! g5!
A very exciting game. My thanks to Thomas ( Not 19...h5? 20.g4 f6?? 21.xf6
Rendle for the analysis. xf6 22.xd5! g7 23.xf6+ xf6
½-½ and W hite won easily in Vuckovic, A-
Widmann,V/Neuwied 1993/GER.) 20.g4
( Poor for W hite are 20.xg5 h3+ or;
531 C06 20.gxf4 gxh4 ) 20...g7 ( 20...h6!? )
Grigoriants,Sergey 2451 21.xg5 xd4 with plenty of activity for
Alavkin,Arseny 2397 Black. ]
Cup Bor (6) 2000 17...xc6 18.b1 d7 19.g3 ae8
[Neil McDonald] 20.e1 b8 21.d2 Here Black has at least
equal chances as all his pieces are on good
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 squares and White has made no impression
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 on the queenside.
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7 ½-½
12.g5 0-0 13.c1
[ A more familiar move order would be
13.h4 h5 14.c3 a6 15.c1
and now rather than 15... g6 Black can try
d7!? ]

470
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

532 C06 to win in Petr, M-Ganaus, H/Olomouc CZE

Hagarova,Zuzana 2386 2005. ]
Rudolf,Anna 2210 19...e5 20.h7+ h8 21.dxe5! White gets
6th ch-EURw Chisinau MDA (12) 23.06.2005 an exclamation mark not so much as this is so
[Neil McDonald] good for him, but because the alternatives are
so horrid.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ 21.xh2? g5 22.dxe5 ( Instead 22.f5?
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 failed in Hoffman-Stellwagen on ChessPub,
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7 or; 22.f5? gxh4! ) 22...xe5 23.e4 gxh4
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6 24.f5 xf5 25.xf5 xf3+ 26.h1 e2
15.g6 uncovering a mate threat on h2- a surprise,
[ From a practical point of view, perhaps the as normally White gets mated on g2 in this
best option for W hite is 15.h7+ h8 v a r i a t i o n ! 27.g2 f4 28.h1 fd4
16.g6 xf3 17.xh5 as seen in several 29.xd4 xd4 30.c3 g8+ 31.f1 f8
games on ChessPub. ] 0-1 Paaske, A-Kurmann, O/Barbera del
15...xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4 Valles ESP 2005. ]
18.g3 d6 [ 21.f5? xf5 22.xf5? ( It's a familiar
[ B l a c k a l s o h a s t h e n e w i d e a 18...e5 story after 22.xf5 xd4 23.xd4 exd4
-see Biti-Gleizerov. ] 24.xh2 g5 ) 22...g6 mate looms on g2,
19.ad1 and there is no going back as the knight on
[ Here 19.ac1?! is an odd choice , leaving f5 is pinned. 23.g1 xg1 24.xg1 e6
the d4 pawn hanging. But White got away 25.xg7 f8 26.dxe5 xf5 27.f6 xf6
with it in the following game: 0-1 Simonsen, O-Rodgaard, J/Tvoroyri FAI
A) not 19...xd4? 20.xc8+!; 2005. ]
B) A b i z a r r e l i n e w o u l d b e 19...f8?! [ Finally after 21.fe1 g5! was played in
defending c8 again and with intentions Potkin-Iljushin. Again, you can find this
against f3. 20.xh2 xd4 21.c3 b5 game on ChessPub. ]
22.c2 d4 23.c3 b5 draw!; 21...xe5 22.fe1 h3 23.xe5 xe5
C) 19...e5!? 24.xh2 g5 25.f5 gxh4?
C1) 20.dxe5?? xg6 21.xg6 ( or [ Instead 25...xf5! was recommended in
21.xh2 e6 and the h3 square once the notes to Pilgaard-Jakab game on
again proves W hite's undoing in this ChessPub. It is still apparently untested.
variation. ) 21...xg6 22.xh2 xh4; 26.xf5 xf5 27.xf5 f8! Here I stopped
C2) 20.h7+ saving the bishop, but in my previous analysis and said that Black
after the check there is no longer the was doing quite well as he regains his piece.
Q x c 8 + i d e a . h8 21.dxe5 xe5 In fact, it seems to be very drawish, e.g.
and Black is better.; 28.xg5 ( Black should grind out a win upon
C3) 20.f5 xf5 21.xf5 xd4 28.e7? gxh4 29.xd5 d8 30.e3
22.c8+ xc8 23.xc8+ h7 xd1 31.xd1 g7 etc. ) 28...hxg5
a n d B l a c k i s a t l e a s t O K . I f 24.f5? 29.e3 ( Bad for White is 29.d4? g7
g6 25.e7 g2#; 30.g3 h8 ) 29...d8 ( 29...g7?
D) 19...d7? Once again we see the 30.xd5 ) 30.g2 xg2 ( 30...e6
effect of a surprise in the opening, even if 31.g3 ) 31.xg2 g7 32.f4! and White
the new move isn't objectively that strong. l i q u i d a t e s h i s d o u b l e d p a w n a s i f gxf4
Black's slow developing move isn't 33.f3 f6 34.xf4 e6 with a dead
somehow in the spirit of the variation. draw. If a draw doesn't suit you as Black, I
20.xh2 xd4 21.c7 xf3+ 22.h1 suggest you try 18...e5!? mentioned above. ]
xc7 23.xc7 c6 ( 23...xh4 24.xd7 26.xh3 hxg3+ 27.fxg3 xh3 28.xh3
hxg6 25.c1 looks tremendous for Objectively speaking I imagine Black should
White. ) 24.f7+ f8? ( 24...h8 ) be fine here, but it is an unpleasant defensive
25.h5! and White stood well and went on task. If the queens are exchanged without

471
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

any alteration in the pawn structure, then the think W hite's piece and potential lead
weakness of the d5 pawn, plus the fact that in development f ar outweigh Black's
the white king is further up the board, would three pawns.;
cause Black problems. On the other hand, if B) 14...xf2+ 15.h1 0-0 16.g5
the queens stay on the board, then the black when the black queen is surrounded and
king is much more of a target than his in danger of being caught after the
opposite number, who is lucky enough to have immediate 17.Re2 or sometimes after Rf1.
two pawns to shelter behind. In the game, b4 ( Or 16...b6 17.h5 g6 18.h6
W hite quickly outplays her lower rated with the intention of Rf1 then Bf6, etc. to
opponent who soon sheds the d5 pawn. d8 mate on g7.) 17.e3 and White will have
29.d2 g7 30.e1 f5+ 31.g2 f8 a stro ng at tack wit h Q h5 an d Rh3, o r
32.c3+ g6 33.g4 f6 34.e5 d4 sometimes Bxh7+. ]
35.d3+ g7 36.e4 d3 37.b5 b6 14...h4 15.g3 e7 16.b5 0-0 17.h5?!
38.xd3 f4 39.d5 f7 40.d6 g5 This move and White's next are based on a
41.d4+ h7 42.d8 g7 43.e4+ g6 tactical oversight. Sensible alternatives that
44.xg6+ xg6 45.d6+ h7 46.h3 e7 keep up the initiative are
47.b3 e1 48.d7+ g6 49.xa7 g5 [ 17.c1 or ]
50.g7+ f4 51.f7+ g5 52.f4+ g6 [ 17.c2 but in either case I don't think Black
53.b7 has too much to fear. So I think if you plan
1-0 to play this as White or Black you should go
back and analyse 14.Nb5 a bit more. ]
17...g6 18.h6?
533 C06 [ It was imperative to retreat the queen with
Hansen,Sune Berg 2552 18.e2 ]
Schlecht,Daniel 2363 18...xe5! 19.xc5 f3+ Of course: Black
Politiken Cup (7) 29.07.2004 wins a second pawn as if 20.Kg2 the knight
[Neil McDonald] can take on e1 with check. 20.h1 xc5
21.e3 With his centre demolished, White's
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 only hope is to play for attack. With his calm
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5 7.d3 c6 8.0-0 a5 r e p l y B l a c k m a k e s s u r e t h i s f a i l s . d7!
9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.b1 xd4 22.xf3 xb5 23.c1 b6 24.g4 xd3
12.xd4 xd4 13.c3 c5!? The latest 25.h3 g5?
word in this line. Previously we have seen the [ Making things much harder than necessary.
more cautious Instead after 25...e4+ 26.f3 ( 26.g1 g5
[ 13...b6 in the games Rublevsky-Lputian 27.xg5+ g6 ) 26...xf3+ 27.xf3 xb2
and Nedev-Bauer. ] followed by Qg7 if required, Black is no less
14.e3 than four pawns up. ]
[ Interesting is 14.b5!? 26.xd3 f6 27.f3
A) Or 14...h4 15.c7+ [ White can fight on with 27.g2 hoping for
A1) M o r e o r l e s s f o r c e d a s 15...e7 xb2?? ( Instead 27...f7 would be good
16.f3! b8 17.g3 b4 ( 17...h3?! enough to grind out a win in the long term.)
18.xd5+! exd5 19.f5 traps the 28.c7 when he is suddenly winning. ]
queen very nicely.) 18.g5+ f8 27...xb2 28.e1
( 18...f6 19.exf6+ xf6 20.xd5+ ) [ If 28.c7 b1+ 29.g2 g6 defends. ]
19.xe6+ and White has a winning 28...ae8 29.h4 gxh4 30.g5 fxg5
attack.; 31.xg5+ g7 32.h5 xf3?
A2) 15...d8 16.xa8 xf2+ 17.f1 [ Instead 32...h8 33.g1 d4
xe1 18.xe1 -hitting a5 as well as the should win. ]
black queen- xe1+ 19.xe1 xe5 33.g1? One blunder provokes another.
20.e2 and the white knight will slip out White plays the move that he had prepared
with Nb6, aided if necessary by Be3. I after the 'forced' 32...Kh8, instead of

472
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 33.xe8+ f8 34.xe6+ with a definite 17.f5 0-0 18.fe1 e4 19.b3 ae8
fighting chance. ] 20.ad1 f7 21.f3 c5 22.c2 d3
33...h3# 23.e2 h5 24.g4 h3 25.xf6 f4
0-1 26.xe4 xf3 27.g2 dxe4 28.c4+ h8
0-1

534 C06
Haria,R 2160
McDonald,N 2418
5th Classic Open 2013 (2.34) 08.12.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 f5!?
This reminds me a little of the line 5 f4 c5 6
c3 Nc6 7 Ndf 3 cxd4 8 cxd4 f 5, played by
Short among others. The dif ference is of
course the pawn on f4. 8.exf6 Instead of
trying to find a unique weakness to 7...f5,
White transposes into 7...f6 8 exf6.
[ 8.0-0 is a natural option, when there might
follow e7 ( 8...b6 9.g5! db8
10.dxc5 xc5 11.h5+ g6 12.e2 )
9.h1 ( 9.e1 0-0; 9.b3!? ) 9...0-0 10.g1
b6 11.g4!? ( 11.f1 with the idea cxd4
12.cxd4 xd4 13.e3 c5 14.b4 xb4
15.b1 c3 16.c1 b2 17.b1= )
11...fxg4 ( 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 xd4
13.xd4 xd4 14.f3 with the idea xf2?
15.gxf5 exf5 16.h6 g6 17.e6 c5
18.g2 ) 12.xg4 f7 with an unclear
game ]
8...xf6 This position - more likely arising
from 7...f6 8 exf6 Nxf6 - is a terribly
underexplored defence against the Universal
System with Ngf3. I give it a whole section of
mostly analysis in PTF4.
[ 8...xf6 is featured in Kasparov-Rogaard in
the Archives. ]
9.e5!? But I don't even mention this move! It
seems illogical not to develop, but White gets
some room to manoeuvre.
[ 9.0-0 is normal, when I give a lot of detail in
PTF4. Here cxd4 10.xd4 e5 is examined
in the Archives game 'Tarrasch Universal
System-7... f6 - J N B Aldebol'. ]
9...cxd4 10.cxd4!? A speculative gambit.
[ 10.xc6 bxc6 11.cxd4 can be answered
by 11...c5 or d6 12.f3 0-0 13.0-0 c5= ]
10...xd4 11.0-0 c5 12.b4 d6 13.a4+
d7 14.xd7 xd7 15.b5 e5 16.b2 e6
535 C06
Hoffmann,Michael 2435
Stellwagen,Daniel 2467
TCh-Playoff Enschede NED (1) 21.06.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2!? h6
15.g6 xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4
18.g3 d6! At the time of writing this move
is looking much better than the alternative way
of unpinning with
[ 18...b6? ]
19.ad1 e5 20.h7+ h8 21.xh2!?
W hite as it were becomes tired of all this
counter attacking 'nonsense' and decides to
grab a piece.
[ Here 21.fe1 g5 22.dxe5 e7!
led to a sharp draw in Potkin-Iljushin on
ChessPub, but I think Black was doing very
well in the final position. ]
21...g5!?
[ Subscriber Thomas Rendle makes the very
i n t e r e s t i n g s u g g e s t i o n o f 21...g6!?
here in order to trap the other bishop and so
introduce an insidious threat of Qe6! in order
to mate with Qh3+. For example 22.dxe5?
e6 looks very dangerous for White. ]
22.f5?
[ If 22.f5 gxh4! ( 22...xd4? 23.xd4
exd4 24.xc8 ) 23.xc8 xc8 24.f5 e6
25.dxe5 e7! and Black wins. ]
[ However, I think White should investigate
22.xg5!? hxg5 23.h1 for example
A) Not 23...xd4 24.xd4 exd4 25.g1
g7 ( If 25...h3? 26.f5 ) 26.f5
and White has a dangerous initiative.;
B) 23...h6+ 24.g1 h3+ 25.g2
f4+ ( W hite is better after 25...xh7
26.xh7+ xh7 27.dxe5 ) 26.g1 h3+
wit h a d ra w b y rep et ition . S till, it is a
healthy state of affairs for Black if White

473
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

is scrambling for a draw! ] xf2+ 19.xf2 xf2 20.xf2 xd4+

22...xf5 23.xf5 gxh4 24.dxe5 xe5 21.e3 f6+ 22.g1 1-0 Sermek, D
25.fe1 d6 26.h1 f8 White is the (25 09 )-Zh an g Xiao we n (2 38 2), Ku ala
exchange up and has well centralised pieces, Lumpur 2008;
but nevertheless it seems he is losing. The B) 14...g6
k e y p ro b le m is t h a t t h e b ish o p n e e d s t o
B1) 15.e2 d7 16.b5 ae8
remain on the diagonal c8-h3, or else Black ( 16...e5 17.dxe5 gxe5 18.xe5
will play Qd7 and then mate W hite quickly xe5 should be fine for Black) 17.xc6!?
with Qh3: such is the power of the knight on f4. bxc6 ( 17...xc6! ) 18.c3?! ( 18.h3!
But as will be seen the bishop has no safe xf2 19.e5 ) 18...b8 19.e5 xe5
20.dxe5 c5 ( 20...e7! ) 21.d2 f7
wa y o f s t a y i n g o n t h e d i a g o n a l . 27.c3+
W h i t e c a n f i n d n o c o n s t r u c t i ve p l a n . d4
with roughly equal play, Saldano Dayer,
28.c2 d5 29.g4 H (2 4 1 5 )-Ro d rigu e z V il a , A ( 2 5 2 1 ) ,
[ Necessary as if 29.e4 e6 aiming at Campinas BRA 2010.;
h3. ] B2) 15.h4 e5 ( 15...f4 ) 16.xg6?
29...h5! It turns out that Black wins because of ( 16.h3 e4!? o r 1 6 . . . N f 6) 16...hxg6
the inconspicuous pawn on h6. The white 17.xg6 h7 , winning, Mascheroni, M
bishop has no where to run as f3 would drop. (2054) -Salami, M (2199), Bratto 2001.;
30.e4 hxg4 31.d2 f5 B3) 15.g5 hasn't been tried. The
0-1 obvious f4 leads to ( 15...e5 16.b3;
15...f6!? challenges White to improve
perhaps 16.e1 e7 17.f3 d7
536 C06 could f ollow) 16.h3 f6 ( 16...h6
Hou,Yifan 2591 17.f3 b6 18.e2 xd2 19.xd2
Muminova,Nafisa 2360 f5 20.b1! ) 17.f3 d7 18.e2!
16th Asian Games Team Women (6) 23.11.10 and White has some advantage.;
[John Watson] B4) 15.c3 A k e y j u n c t u r e : e7
( 15...f4 16.c2 d7 is now a
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 standard idea versus Bd2-c3 or b3/Bb2 it
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 is one that I played and pointed out
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7 many, many years ago) 16.e2 d7
12.d2 A relatively new idea, unexplored in ( 16...f4 ) 17.a3 ae8?! ( 17...e5
the Archives and rare in practice, but so far 18.dxe5 gxe5 19.xe5 xe5
rather successful. White decides to develop 20.xe5 xe5 21.fd1 ae8
simply and not allow Black the ideas and may be lightly +=; 17...f4! 18.cd1
tactics supported by ...h6. Compare in d6 ) 18.h3 h6 19.e5! xe5
particular ( 19...f7 ) 20.dxe5 c5 21.d2 f5
[ 12.g5 0-0 13.c1 h6 14.d2!? 22.g4 c8 23.h5 with a clear
of Persson, A (2127)-Berg, E (2582), advantage, Hou Yifan (2570) -Zhang
Stockholm 2006 in the Archives. ] Xiaowen (2437), Shenzhan 2010. ]
12...0-0 13.c1 d7 Since this is a relatively [ B) 13...a6 14.g3!? ( 14.c3 d7 15.h3
unexplored position we should look at all the g6 16.e1 h5 ) 14...d7 15.e1 b6
early natural options, for example, 16.g5 ( 16.c3 f4 17.b1 ac8= )
[ A) 13...g4 14.g3 ( 14.h3 xf3! 15.gxf3 16...g4!? 17.b1 g6 ( 17...xb2! ) 18.c2
h2 usually in these positions 15 hxg4 f7 19.f1 af8 20.h3? xf3! 21.hxg4
would be possible, but here Black has 15... 3f4 ( 21...xd4! ) 22.xf4 xf4 23.e3
Rxd3 ) xd4 and the centre and bishop pair give
A) 14...b6? 15.xh7+ xh7 16.g5+ Black a clear advantage, Castaneda, N
g8 17.xg4 xg3?? ( 17...e7 (2341)-Bhat, V (2404)/Budapest 2001. ]
is the only chance, but even 18.xe6 f7 14.g3 b6
19.e3 suffices for advantage) 18.h5 [ A) 14...h6 15.a3 b6 16.c3 xg3?!

474
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
( 16...ac8; 16...f4 17.c2 a5 ) 17.hxg3
ae8? 18.e5 e7 19.b4! b5 20.xe7
xe7 21.g6 and White was winning in
Pokorna, R (2370)-Sanchez Castillo, S
(2278), Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2010. ]
[ B) 14...ae8 15.e1 b6 16.c3 f4
17.c2
A) 17...g6 18.ce2 ( 18.e5 b4! )
18...c8;
B) 17...d8? 18.e2 ( 18.e5! b5
19.xb5 xb5 20.e2 )
( 18...c6 ) 19.e5 b5? 20.xb5 axb5
21.b4 xd4 22.xf8 xf8 23.d3 d6
24.c8 and this time Black lacks the
b is h o p p a ir wh i le W h i t e 's p ie ce s a r e
actively placed, Kobalia, M (2623)-Ozolin,
M (2387)/Moscow 2008. ]
15.c3 f4 16.a1 A strange-looking move,
but it avoids
[ 16.c2 b4 or ]
[ 16.b1 b4 ]
16...g6
[ After 16...ac8 , it would be interesting to
see what either side's plan is. ]
17.a3 ae8 18.e5 To prevent ...e5.
[ 18.e1 e5 19.dxe5 g4! hits f2 and e5. ]
18...xd4 Seemingly falling for a trick. Also
possible is
[ 18...d8 ]
[ or 18...e7 ]
19.xd7 xd7 20.xg6! hxg6 21.xd4
d6 This isn't so easy for the pawn, Black has
a mobile centre with active pieces and a
passed d-pawn. 22.c3 b6 23.d3 e5?
[ 23...h7 is patient and accurate. Black
needn't be in a hurry. ]
24.ad1 d4?
[ 24...xg3 25.xg3 f7 ]
25.b4
[ 25.e4! ]
25...c5 26.e4
[ 26.xc5 bxc5 27.c4+ g7 28.e4
clearly favours White, while the game isn't
so clear. ]
26...xd3 27.xd6 xb2 28.b1 c4
29.xf8 xf8?!
[ 29...xf8 30.b3 e7 ]
30.b3 f7? 31.g3 h6 32.b4! a5
33.f4! e6 34.e1 f5 35.f2 c6 36.b5
d6 37.g4 g7 38.fxe5+ xe5 39.xe5
xe5 40.exe5 xe5 41.b1
[ 41.f2 , but White is winning anyway. ]
41...c6
[ 41...d5 42.f2 d6 ]
42.f2 b5 43.e2 f6 44.f1 e7 45.f7
xa3 46.xa7 b4 47.d3 b2 48.e4
1-0
537 C06
Hracek,Zbynek 2588
18...a6 Stellwagen,Daniel 2532
Bundesliga 2004-5 (15) 10.04.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.gf3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.d3 e7 8.0-0 g5
9.dxc5! This is a main battle ground these
days and the results for Black haven't been
very encouraging. dxe5 10.xe5 xe5
11.b3 So far we have been following
analysis already given on ChessPub. At this
point Rublevsky-Morozevichwent
[ 11.b5+ d7 12.xd7+ and now xd7
planning 0-0- 0 at some point is the
obvious attempt to improve on the game
which turned distinctly ugly for Black after
( 12...xd7 13.b4 b6 14.c4! White's attack
kept on going until the black king couldn't
run any further. )]
[ In contrast, 11.f3 not previously given on
ChessPub, has worked out less well for
White: xf3+! very instructive: Black
chooses to eliminate the knight rather than
the bishop on d3 as it is the more
threatening piece. 12.xf3 d7 13.e3
c7 14.fe1 f8 15.d4 0-0-0 16.e5
c6 17.b4 f6 and here rather than be
pushed back by the black centre White tried
the speculative 18.b5 but it didn't generate
enough initiative: xc5 19.d4 a3
20.eb1 b8 21.b3 d6 22.d1 e5
23.e3 f5 24.b4 f4 25.xa7+
A desperate sacrifice as otherwise Black's
pawns just roll forwards. xa7 26.b6+ b8
27.b3 c5! 28.b1 and White resigned in
Deepan-Ganguly, Visakhapatnam 2004.
W ell, it's nice to see Black actually win a
game against the Universal System! ( If
28.a3 xb6! destroys the mating pattern,
while after the game move, 28...Qa5 blocks
the a-file and just leaves Black a piece up. )]
475
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

11...d7 Hracek's idea of 11.Nb3 looks far xf7 ) 21...xf8 and despite the pawn deficit
more dangerous than 11.Nf3 or 11.Bb5+ in I think Black is OK. ]
the notes above. It defends c5 and doesn't 19.f2 a5 20.e5 d7 21.g7 Now Black
give Black the chance to exchange off a knight d o e s n ' t g e t e n o u g h f o r h i s m a t e r i a l . a4
for a knight or a bishop for a bishop. The 22.xf8 xf8 23.g8! winning another pawn
knight f or bish op exch ange th at Black is but more importantly creating a passed pawn
permitted seems to favour White: again this on the h-file. e7 24.d4 xc5 25.xg5
variation has warped the classical model of c7 26.a3 d6 27.g3 b6 28.g2 b8
how to play the French, as Black is normally 29.h4 c8 30.h5 b5 31.xb5 xb5
d e l i g h t e d t o e xc h a n g e o f f W h i t e ' s l i g h t 32.h6
s q u a r e d b i s h o p f o r a k n i g h t . 12.f4! 1-0
W hite goes single-mindedly about his
business of exploiting the weakness created
by 8...g5. xd3 13.xd3 h6 538 C06
[ After 13...b6 a simple way to keep control Hutchinson,Norman A 2087
is Berescu,Alin 2514
A) 14.fxg5 bxc5 15.xf7 ( 15.f3 f8 ) 8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (1) 03.04.2007
15...xf7; [Neil McDonald]
B) 14.e3 when Black won't find a haven
for his king on the queenside and his dark 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
squares are getting even shakier. ] 5.c3 c5 6.gf3 c6 7.d3 e7 8.0-0 a5
[ Instead after 13...g4 14.f5 White's attack 9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.b1 xd4
looks very potent. ] 12.xd4 xd4 13.c3 c5 14.b5!?
14.e3 c7 15.d4 f8 I suggested this second pawn sacrifice in the
[ Black had even less luck after 15...0-0-0? analysis to Hansen-Schlecht in the archives,
16.e5 ( Clinical, but 16.xh8 also looks so it's nice to see it get a practical test. Instead
good enough to win.) 16...xc5+ 17.xc5 [ 14.e3 was played in Crickmore-
xc5+ 18.d4 b5 ( No better is 18...b5 Nisipeanu. ]
19.xb5 xb5 20.xh8 xf1 21.f6 14...xf2+ 15.h1 0-0 16.g5 b4
winning the exchange.) 19.e3 c6 17.e3? Not as strong as it appears at first
20.xh8 xf1 21.f6 a6 22.xd8 xd8 glance.
23.fxg5 1-0 Ramesh-Bigg, Port Erin IOM [ After 17.f1! the rook on f1 supports ideas
2004. ] of Bf6 [see below] as well as attacking f7
16.fxg5 hxg5 17.ae1 and defending the rook on a1, which makes
[ Not at once 17.h7 because of e5! ] f u rt he r h ara ssm e n t o f th e b la ck qu e e n
17...0-0-0 possible with moves like Rab1 or Rfc1.
[ perhaps Black should try the bold 17...f5!? A) After 17...b6 18.xh7+!?
which utilises his broad pawn centre and ( P e r h a p s t h e q u i e t 18.f6!
shuts out the white queen from h7, where is even stronger.) 18...xh7 19.h5+
she proves a terrible nuisance in the game. g8 20.f3 with a decisive attack, as if
You might like to investigate 18.g4!? f4 ] xb5? 21.f6! leaves the black king
18.h7! e8? defenceless.;
[ Black guards f7, but the rook on f8 is B) 17...xb2 The black queen goes to b2
entombed which leads to the loss of the where she attacks e5 in order to maintain
e x c h a n g e . I w o u l d s u g g e s t 18...b5! some influence on the kingside. Retreating
whic h allows Bla ck t o activa te h is ligh t to b6 allows White a freehand in his attack
squared bishop: 19.xf7 ( If 19.f2?! f6! on the black king:
20.xe6? h8 21.xe7 xh2# ) 19...d3 B1) Or 18.b1 xe5 19.f4 f6
20.h6 f5! ( not 20...xf7 21.xe6+ 20.c7 b8 ( 20...a7 21.e3 )
d7 22.xf7 ) 21.xf8 ( a blunder is 21.xd5 exd5 22.xb8 e7 23.f4
21.e5? b e c a u s e o f xc5+ 22.xc5 when despite Black's nominal material

476
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

advantage I like W hite's attacking have a passed pawn, the black king is
chances. If Black ever plays Nf6 the pin perfectly safe and there are no targets in the
with Bg5 is surely lethal.; bla ck p a wn st ru ct u re. T h e re f ore B la c k 's
B2) 18.a3!? c5 19.f4!? sacrifice is excellent- all the more so as it
this guarantees W hite a draw by isn't actually a sacrifice as he has a rook,
repetition. bishop and two pawns for the queen. 23.c2
B2a) Or 19...f6 20.b1 ( White could d7 24.d6 c6 25.h4 g7 26.b4
and should play for more with White tries to stir things up, but only ends up
20.h5!? ) 20...a2 21.a1 b2 losing his e5 pawn. However, he was already
22.b1 with a draw.; in a very bad way. axb4 27.axb4 e4 28.b5
B2b) 19...xe5?! xd6 29.bxc6 c4 30.cxb7 a7 31.e7
B2b1) A l s o t e m p t i n g i s 20.b1!? b8 32.b1 So White ha s a passed pawn
xd3 21.xd3 a2 22.bc1 xa3 a f t e r a l l. Un f o r t u n a t e ly t h e b 8 squ a re i s
( The queen is trapped after 22...b6 in vio la b le a it is B la ck wh o h a s t he da rk
23.c2 ) 23.xa3 etc.; squared bishop. xe5 33.c5 a5 34.c6
B2b2) 20.xh7+ xh7 21.h5+ a3 35.a4 c3 36.c8+ g7 37.d7
g8 22.xe5 c2 23.c7 a5 38.e1 xb7 A curious final position.
B2b21) H e h a s t o t r y 23...b8 You don't often see a queen boxed in by two
but even then White has the luxury black rooks.
of forcing a draw or playing to win: 0-1
B2b211) Or 24.xg7!?
B2b2111) Unclear is 24...h7!
25.xh7+ xh7 26.xf8 xf8 539 C06
27.xf7+ g8 28.f3 ( if Hutchinson,Norman A 2176
28.af1 xa3 29.e8 d7! ) Bigg,Andrew J 2275
28...d7 and Black is OK as ch Scarborough ENG (2) 03.08.2004
the knight is awkwardly placed [Neil McDonald]
on c7.;
B2b2112) 24...xg7? 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
25.e8+; 5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 g6 8.h4 b6
B2b212) 24.fc1 f2 25.f1 [ The natural move, but quite possibly not
c2 ( 25...d2 26.xg7! ) best. Instead 8...h6 9.a3!? ( 9.0-0 b6
26.fc1 etc. with a draw.; 10.c4 xd4 11.cxd5 exd5 12.xd4 cxd4
B2b22) 23...a7? 24.xg7! xg7 13.f3 g7 14.f4 0-0 15.d2 h7
( if 24...h7 25.xh7+ xh7 16.fe1 c5 17.xd4 xd3 18.xd3
26.xf8 xf8 27.xf7+ g8 g4 was unclear in Krupa,M-Socko, M/
28.af1 xa3 29.b5 and White Warsaw POL 2004.) 9...b6 10.0-0 cxd4
wins the bishop.) 25.e8+ xe8 11.cxd4 xd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.f3 g4
( 25...g8 26.f6 ) 26.xf7+ ( After 13...b6 we have the typical Qxd4
and Black will be mated. ] pa wn sa c. sce na rio , b u t wit h t h e p a wn
17...g6 18.a3 moves a3 and h4 added for White and g6
[ I don't see a way for White to breakthrough and h6 for Black. This must favour White as
after 18.g4 c5 19.h3 ( 19.f1?? the black kingside is more fragile than usual.
xd3 ) 19...xd3 20.xd3 xb2 21.f1 Besides, if Black intends to castle he has to
xe5 22.f6 e2 23.df3 h5 24.d4 play Bg7, which means the black bishop on
xa2 25.g3 d2 It all looks terribly risky f 8 ca n 't go t o e 7 t o c o n t e st t h e c e n t r e
for Black, but if there is no killer blow then squares. ) 14.d2 g5 An attempt to confuse
his five [!] extra pawns will decide matters. ] matters that quickly rebounds. 15.e2! gxh4
18...d2 19.f3 xf3! This positional queen 16.g5 d4 17.xe6!
sacrifice spoils all White's fun. 20.xf3 xg5 A) 17...fxe6 18.h5+ e7 19.b4+
21.g3 h6 22.e1 c5 White doesn't wins the queen but not ( 19.g5+? hxg5

477
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
20.xd4 xh5 );
B) 17...b6 18.xf8 xf8 and Black
was ruined in Boguszlavszkij, J-Simonsen,
H/Budapest HUN 2004. ]
[ Highly interesting is 8...e7!? as played by
Mikhail Gurevich. Then 9.0-0 h6 10.e1
g5!? is an untested attempt by Black to
seize the initiative- this is a welcome
change from the way he is usually pushed
a b o u t i n t h i s v a r i a t i o n ! N o w ( Instead
10...cxd4 11.cxd4 xh4 was a risky pawn
s n a t c h in N a va ra -G u re vich , wh ic h h a s
been considered in the game Filipovic-
Stojanovic on ChessPub.) 11.hxg5 hxg5
12.f1 g4 13.3h2 cxd4 14.cxd4 b6
is given as unclear by Gurevich in Informator.
I would certainly give this a punt myself as
Black. ]
9.h5 g5 10.xg5 cxd4 11.cxd4 xd4
12.df3 xf3+
[ Black has more chances for activity after
12...c5 13.0-0 c6 ]
13.xf3 c5 14.0-0
[ White can't preserve his bishop from
e x c h a n g e a s i f 14.c2 b4+
c a u s e s d i s r u p t i o n , f o r e x a m p l e 15.d2
( 15.f1 renounces castling but might be
best. ) 15...g4 16.0-0 g8 and Black has
strong counterplay. ]
14...d7?
[ Letting the white bishop live. Instead
14...xd3 15.xd3 d7 would be
somewhat better for White. ]
15.c2! Now Black has insufficient
counterplay to offset the holes on f6 and g5
and the potential targets on f7 and h7. b5
16.e1 a6 17.e3 d8 18.d4 d7
19.a4 c6 20.g4 c4 21.b3 g8
[ Desperation, as if 21...b4 22.a3 b6
23.xe6 ]
22.xg8 xd4 23.b1 xe5 24.a3
It is time for Gurevich's idea of 8...Be7 to be
tested in tournament games.
1-0
540 C06
Idani,Pouya 2448
Petrosian,Davit Gevorgi 2476
Andranik Margaryan Memorial 2012 (6)
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
One of the very main lines of the Tarrasch,
dealt with at length in my new book. 12.g3
This is a logical move, pursuing the plan of
getting rid of Black's dark-squared bishop by
Bf4. Of course, it weakens the light squares
n e a r W h i t e ' s k i n g . 0-0 13.f4 g4
The main, most ambitious move, creating
threats against White's king.
[ For 13...d7 , see Joh Gomez-Ganguly in
the Archives. ]
14.xd6
[ 14.d2 and ]
[ 14.c1 are analysed in Vink-M Gurevich in
the Archives. ]
14...xd6 15.c3 e5 This is the most fun,
and quite playable, although the complex
positions arising may be theoretically slightly
better for W hite. W hite may not be happy,
however, with Black's practical attacking
chances, which don't go away quickly. This
game is an example: Black deviates and may
still stand worse in a theoretical sense (not for
sure), but W hite has a lot of problems to
solve.
[ Objectively, I like the reorganization
15...e7! best, intending ...Qf6, e.g., 16.c1
( 16.h3 h6 17.g2 d7 18.e1 f6
19.b5 Wharrier-Corfield, ICCF email 2009
and here ae8 is a straightforward move, e.
g., 20.xc6 bxc6 21.e2 f7 22.ad1
e5!? 23.dxe5 xe5 24.xe5 xe5
25.xe5 xf2+ 26.h1 f3+
with a perpetual. Black can also play for a
win, but this line should discourage White.)
16...f6 17.e1 h6 18.e2 a6 ( or
18...d7 19.b5 ad8 ) 19.f4 g4 20.c2
( 20.d2 xd4 21.xh7+ xh7 22.xd4
e5= ) 20...h6 21.h4 f6 22.a3 d7
23.c3 h6= ]
16.dxe5 h6
[ 16...cxe5!? isn't bad, although somewhat
b e t t e r f o r W h i t e a f t e r 17.xe5 xe5
478
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

18.e2 ] 41.f3 xf3 42.xf3 xa5 43.b3 ]

17.h4 cxe5 This is an innovation as far as I 41...xc4 42.f3 f7 43.e4 xa5 44.d2
know. a2
[ 17...gxe5 has been the move, e.g., 0-1
18.g5! ( 18.xe5 xe5 gives plenty of
play against W hite's weakened kingside
squares: 19.e2 e6 20.b5 ad8 541 C06
21.d4 h3 22.e1 Meier-Navara, Mainz Illner,Achim 2345
(ra p id ) 2 0 0 9 a n d b6 23.d2 f5! Suez Panama,Gilles 2096
was best. ) 18...d4 Vachier Lagrave-E Berg, Gibraltar Masters (5.57) 29.01.2011
Liverpool 2008 and 19.xh7+ h8 20.f4 [John Watson]
may favour White slightly. ( 20.ce4 g4
was given by Neil Black has considerable A highly theoretical game in a line that won't
counterplay. )] go away. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5
18.e2 e6 19.g5 ad8 20.f4!? fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4
Risky but not bad. 8.cxd4 f6 9.f4 xd4 This and the next 14
[ 20.b3 is my engine's first suggestion. I moves are theory! That's a little unusual in the
don't doubt that W hite is better in some French as a whole, although the Tarrasch with
theoretical sense, but after h8 21.ad1 3...Nf6 line is often forcing. 10.h5+ e7
g8! , there isn't much, because 22.xb7 11.exf6+
g i v e s B l a c k e n o u g h p l a y f o l l o w i n g d4 [ 11.g6+?! hxg6 12.exf6+ xf6!?
23.xg4 xg4 24.e2 d3 25.f4 d2= ( Moskalenko's 12...gxf6 13.xh8 e5
( or 25...xf4!? 26.gxf4 xh4 27.g2 h6 is also highly unclear) 13.xh8 f7
28.f3 h5 with decent compensation, isn't worth is for W hite, since Black can
even if W hite should be able to def end transpose with 12...Nxf6 anyway. ]
against direct attack. )] 11...xf6
20...e3 21.d4 5g4 [ Now 11...gxf6 isn't played, perhaps due to
[ 21...xf1 22.xe5 wins material after h3 12.b3! xb3 13.axb3 e5 ( 13...e8
23.xf1! xf1 24.xf1 ] 14.g6!? hxg6 15.xh8 f7 16.d2 e5
22.xg4 xg4! 23.xe3 d4 24.f2? 17.b4+ ) 14.0-0 ]
[ 24.e4 dxc3 25.bxc3 the difference is 12.g6+ hxg6 13.xh8 f7 14.h4
that W hite's queen protects the light [ 14.0-0 e5 15.b3 is seen in Paehtz-
squares. ] Kipper with my rather extensive notes. ]
24...dxc3 25.bxc3 d3 Suddenly Black is 14...e5 15.f3 xf3+
better. 26.fe1 c6! 27.a4? [ 15...e4 (more accurately, 15...Bb4+! 16 Kf1
[ 27.e7! xc3 28.b1! , because xg3+? e4, which transposes and limits W hite's
( 28...b6 keeps the advantage) 29.h2 options) has been analysed extensively on
h3+ 30.g1! g3+ only draws. ] this website. See Ferguson-Morris and the 9
27...h6 28.e4 e8?! Nf 4 !? Ta rrasch ga mes in the A rch ives .
[ 28...fd8! is extremely strong. ] Moskalenko's The Flexible French is also a
[ and 28...f5 also gives a virtually winning good source. 16.xd4 b4+ 17.f1 exd3
position. ] 18.g5 b6 19.xf6 xf6 20.xf6+ gxf6
29.c2 b6+ 30.h2 ed8 31.a2! f5 21.d1 b6 with good prospects was
32.b2?! Daberitz-Kosten, Avoine 1985. Moskalenko
[ 32.g2! ] likes this line for Black and gives 22.a3 c5
32...g6 33.g2 xe4 34.xe4 xg3 23.b5 ( but 23.f3 a6 24.g3
35.xg3 xe4 36.g2 d7 37.a5 a6 is better, and perhaps equal. ) 23...d7 ]
38.g4 f7 39.f2 f5 40.c4 h5 16.gxf3 f5
[ 40...xa5 ] [ 16...b6 has been played a few times and
41.g3? I'm not sure if there's anything wrong with it,
[ White still has chances of holding after f o r e x a m p l e , 17.0-0 ( 17.g5 b4+ )

479
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

17...f5 18.xf5 gxf5 19.g5 and: 28...e4 ]

A) 19...e7!? 20.ac1 ( 20.fe1 e4 27.c8
21.fxe4 fxe4 22.ac1 ) 20...d4 21.fe1 [ Rybka's suggestion 27.c7+ g8 28.h3!
was Socko, M (2486)-Muminova, N (2319), threatens fxe4, both messing up W hite's
K h a n t y M a n s i y s k 2 0 1 0 . T h e n d6 pawn structure and swinging the queen to
is risky but probably best.; the queenside. ]
B) 19...d4! looks best. ] 27...exf3+ 28.xf3 xc8
17.xf5 gxf5 18.g5 a5+ The normal [ 28...d4 may a s well b e tried . 29.xe8
move. There are two other main ones: ( 29.g2 e4! ) 29...d5+ 30.e2 xe8
[ 18...c8 has been controversial. A game Black's play in this game was too slow. ]
played this month went 19.0-0 c4 20.h3 29.xc8 d4 30.g2 d5+ 31.f3 d6
d7 21.xf6 ( 21.ad1 e6 22.fe1 d7 32.e1
is Timman - Morozevich, Wijk Aan Zee 2000 [ 32.d8! ]
in the Archives.; 21.fc1 xc1+ 22.xc1 32...e5? 33.xe5 xe5 34.a8 d3
d4 ) 21...xf6 22.h1?! ( 22.ac1 ) [ 34...a6 35.a7 ]
22...g5! (with the idea . ..Rh4) 23.h8+ g7 35.f1 xb2 36.xa7 e6 37.xb7 e5
( 23...g7 looks quite good) 24.b8 d4 38.a4 d5 39.a5 c3 40.a6 c6 41.e3
( 24...c7 25.xa7 d4 ) 25.fc1 b5 26.a4 f4 42.f2 a5 43.b3
c6! 27.axb5! xc1+ 28.g2 xf3+! 1-0
( 28...c7 29.a6+ ) 29.xf3 xa1
30.d6+ f7 31.d7+ g6 ( 31...f6
32.c6+ f7 33.g2 g4 34.a8! 542 C06
t h r e a t e n s b 6) 32.e8+ f6 33.e2 Iordachescu,V 2637
( 33.c6+ f7 34.g2! , versus ....Rg1) Balaian,Ali 2180
33...e4 34.f3 exf3+ 35.xf3 g4+ 36.g3 Chigorin Memorial (3.61) 29.10.2012
g5! 37.d8+ g6 with seeming equality, [John Watson]
Kislinsky, A (2485)-Aguettaz, M (2414)/
Prague CZE 2011 ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
[ 18...c5 has also been played, e.g., by 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 e7 8.0-0 g5
Moskalenko. But that's for another update. ] 9.dxc5 g4 10.d4 dxe5 11.b5 xc5!?
19.f1 g6 20.h8 Considered a big mistake by theory, and
[ 20.xf6 a6+ is still considered equal if indeed it's probably not the best move, but
Black takes care. See, for example, Ni Hua- Black shows that it's playable.
Wang Ho. ] [ 11...d7 is the normal move, seen in this
20...a6+ 21.g2 e8 22.ac1 month's Adhiban-Petrosian game. ]
[ 22.hc1 is analysed in Rublevsky-Volkov in 12.f4 '!' (A&E). g6! A fighting try.
the Archives. ] [ A game Carlson-Berg, Gothenburg 2005
22...e7 23.h6 d6 saw 12...gxf3 13.2xf3 d7 14.xc6
[ 23...d6 is a logical option, although xc6 15.g5 , when Wei Ming gives b6
24.hg1! g8 25.xf6 xf6 26.h7 g7 16.xf7 xd4 17.cxd4 ( unfortunately,
27.h4+ f7 28.d8 may favour White 17.xh8 m a y s i m p l y f a v o u r W h i t e)
s o m e wh a t , e . g . , b6 29.xb6 axb6 17...xd4+ 18.h1 0-0 19.e3! e5 ]
30.gd1 e6 31.c8 ] 13.2b3! This looks best.
24.c2 f8!? 25.h4 h5 The novelty, [ 13.xg4 b6 is very messy, e.g.,
replacing 14.xc6+ bxc6 15.2b3 d6 16.f5 exf5
[ 25...g7 26.hc1 of Rublevsky-Volkov, 17.e1+ e7 ( 17...e6!? 18.xf5! 0-0-0
which is strong for White. ] 19.h5 b8 probably favours White, but
26.hc1 e4? This indicates that Black is it 's clo se , b e c a u se B l a ck h a s d yn a m i c
winging it. counterplay.) 18.h5! 0-0 19.xe7! xe7
[ 26...d4 is needed, to strike back quickly: 20.h6 c5! 21.xf8 xf8 22.f3 g7
27.c7+ g8 28.xb7 ( 28.h1 d5 ) 23.g5 g6 24.xg6+ xg6 25.e1 c6

480
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
26.f3 b8= ]
13...b6 14.h1
[ 14.xg4 i s a n o t h e r t r y . T h e n 0-0
( 14...d7 15.e2 xd4 16.xd4 xb5
17.xb5+ d7 ) 15.h5 h4!? 16.xh4
xh4 17.e3 d7 again concedes a minor
edge to White, but Black can probably keep
things within range. ]
14...d7!?
[ 14...0-0! 15.f5 ( 15.xg4 e5 16.f5 xf5
17.xf5 e4 ) 15...exf5 16.xf5 xf5
17.xf5 a6 18.xc6 bxc6 19.xg4 d7
with the idea 20.h6 fe8 21.af1 e5! ]
15.f5 e5 16.xg4
[ 16.e2!? e7! 17.fxg6 hxg6 18.e1 f6
( 18...xh2+ 19.xh2 h4+ 20.g1 g3
21.e3! ) 19.f4 gives Black some
compensation with two pawns and a central
pawn mass, although I seriously doubt that
it 's en o ugh . f7 20.g3 h5 21.c2
ah8 22.e3 e6 23.ad1 ]
[ 16.fxg6 hxg6! ]
16...h4?
[ 16...exd4 17.g5! ]
[ 16...0-0! , although 17.f3 f6 18.g5
g7 19.g3 f4 20.xf4 exf4 21.xf4
is still nice for White. ]
17.e2 e7?! Now White has the note to 16
Qe2 with an extra pawn!
[ 17...ge7 18.xc6 xc6 19.xc6 xc6
20.xe5+ d7 21.f4 e7 22.xe7+
xe7 23.fe1+ d7 24.e3! ]
18.f3?
[ 18.fxg6! hxg6 19.e1
with a piece for a pawn. ]
18...e4?!
[ 18...f4 ]
19.g5?
[ 19.fxg6! again must win. ]
19...ge5 Now it's not so easy. 20.f6 f8
21.f4 0-0-0 22.c4
[ 22.xc6 xc6 23.c4! h6 24.h7! g8
25.cxd5 g4! , but White remains better
placed. 26.xg4 xg4 27.dxc6 bxc6
28.ac1 ]
22...h6 23.h3?! White is losing the thread.
[ 23.xc6 hxg5 24.xe5 xc6 25.g4+
d7 26.g3 ]
23...g4
[ 23...xc4 ]
[ 23...dxc4! 24.xc4 xh3 25.gxh3 e3! ]
24.c2 xc4
[ 24...xh3 25.gxh3 xc4 ]
25.f2 f5
[ 25...e6 ]
26.ac1?!
[ 26.xc4 dxc4 27.d2 ]
26...b4! 27.xc6 bxc6 28.d2 b7
29.b3?? A blunder.
[ 29.fxe4! , but Black still has an edge after
xe4 30.xe4 he8 31.g3 xb2 ]
29...e3 30.xf5 xd2 31.c2
[ 31.fd1 exf2 32.xd2 e4! 33.f3 xf3
34.gxf3 dg8 ]
31...xf4 A win over a player rated 457 points
higher must feel good!
[ 31...xf4 32.xc6+ b8 33.d3 d6 ]
0-1
543 C06
Iordachescu,Viorel 2563
Volkov,Sergey 2636
Aeroflot Open (4) 17.02.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 e7 8.0-0 g5
9.dxc5 dxe5 Black would have a lovely
position if only the pawn on g5 could move
back to g7! 10.xe5 xe5 11.b3!
[ White has learnt that he doesn't have to
fear the Nxd3 exchange, which means that
he can target the knight on e5 with a quick
f6 20.f4 f2-f4. Therefore the game move is more
incisive than 11.b5+ when in the archives
we discussed d7 12.xd7+ xd7! etc. ]
11...c7
[ An attempt to improve on Hracek-
Stellwagen which went 11...d7 12.f4!
and White exploited the weakness on g5 to
the full- see the archives. ]
12.f4! Anyway. Iordachescu isn't at all
bothered by the loss of the c5 pawn- on the
contrary, he welcomes the opportunities that
appear for his dark squared bishop. xc5+
13.xc5 xc5+ 14.f2! More accurate than
[ 14.h1 when after xd3 15.xd3 d7
White has no time for 16.fxg5? because of
b5 ]
14...xd3 Normally in the French Black
rejoices at being able to exchange off White's
481
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
light squared bishop for a knight. But in this
specific case Black is solidly entrenched on
the light squares, and so other things being
equal Volkov might have held onto his knight
to fight for the dark squares. However, the
knight was hanging as well as the g5 pawn,
and so Black didn't really have much choice.
15.xd3 g4
[ The pressure on his dark squares and
against f7 would be intolerable for Black
after 15...gxf4 16.xf4 ]
16.b3! Preparing his next move without
allowing Qc4 in reply. The consequence is that
the white queen gets to sit on the strong d4
square with impunity. There is also a potential
lever with c3-c4 to break open the centre,
should Black try to block everything up with f7-
f5. d7 17.e3 b5 18.d4 If the black
pa wn were st ill on g7, V olko v co uld no w
castle kingside with a winning position. As
things stand, his king never manages to find a
sa f e ha ve n . g8 19.f5! The second pawn
sacrifice ensures the opening of lines for the
white bishop and rooks. exf5! At first glance
this seems rather compliant, but it is actually
a good decision that buys time for queenside
castling by deflecting the white queen from the
a7 pawn. 20.e5+ e6
[ White is winning after 20...d8 for example
21.c1!? preparing c3-c4 and anticipating
t h e f l i g h t o f t h e b l a c k k i n g t o c 8 . e8
22.f6+ c8 23.c4 dxc4 24.xc4+ c6
25.c5 b6 26.xf5+ e6 27.e5 d8
28.xe6 fxe6 29.xe6+ c7 30.f7+ d7
31.c4+ b8 32.f4+ and mate next
move. ]
21.xf5 0-0-0 Now the attack on f5 denies
White the chance to capture on a7. 22.f2 a6
Saving the a7 pawn and preventing an
immediate c3-c4 breakthrough by W hite as
the black queen is now defended. Though
after
[ 22...b6 White would have a better way of
playing it than 23.c4: 23.a4! intending a4-a5
when if xb3? ( Or 23...c6 24.a5 etc. )
24.f4!
A) 24...b7 25.c7+ a6 ( 25...a8
26.c6# ) 26.a5 b5 27.c6#;
B) 24...d7 25.c7+ e8 26.g5!!
xg5 27.e1 threatening 28.Qxf7 mate
and the black king can't of course run
because d8 drops and then the other rook
on g5. g7 ( Or 27...d7 28.xe6+ fxe6
29.c8+ with mate on f8 or e6 to follow.)
28.xf7 xf7 29.xe6+ f8 30.xd8+
g7 31.g5+ f8 32.h6+ g7
33.f6+ with mate next move on h8 or
e8. ]
23.f4 c6 24.d1 Planning 25.c4 when the
opening of the c-file would be lethal after 26.
cxd5, while 25...dxc4 allows instant mate on
b8. b5 25.c4! Another example of how
sickness on squares of one colour infects
squares of the other colour. The c4 point is
guarded by four black units if you include the
bishop on e6, but that still isn't enough to
prevent the breakthrough. b7 26.cxb5
xb5 27.a4 d7 28.d4 e7 29.e1 a8
30.e2 a7 31.e3 c8 32.d2 ge8
As always, Volkov has defended in brilliant
style. He has managed to centralise both
rooks and his king is far safer on a8 than in
the centre. Nevertheless, he remains with a
vastly inferior bishop and a white pawn storm
on the queenside will have far more impact
than a similar advance by Black on the other
wing. It is possible that Volkov might have
held on with best play, or if his opponent
hadn't played so skilfully, but it is an ugly
position to have to defend. 33.f1 b6
34.f2 e4 35.b4! A computer t show a
desire to grab the pawn on d5 either here or
at some other point, and a detailed
calculation might prove it right. For mere
humans with their capacity to make tactical
errors, it would be senseless to invite a future
attack on g2 after say
[ 35.xd5 xd5 36.xd5+ b7 etc. The
black bishop on c8 has been a useless
piece, so why bring it to life by removing
the deadwood on d5? ]
35...f5 36.b5 h5 37.d1 e6 38.xe4 fxe4
39.d4 e7 40.c1 e8 41.e3 d7
42.c6 h4 43.b6 b7 44.c5 b8
45.c7
[ Suddenly it's all over as if 45.c7 b7
46.bxa6 xa6 47.a7+ and mate next
move. ]
1-0
482
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

544 C06 is keen to exchange off dark squared

Ismagambetov,Anuar 2418 bishops as it removes dynamism from the
Kosyrev,Vladimir 2537 black set up. But here his opponent isn't
14th Chigorin Mem (4) 25.10.2006 obliging. 23.d1 d7 24.d3 f4!
[Neil McDonald] Black regains the exchange and is left with
the slightly more active pieces in a balanced
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 position. 25.xf4 f5 26.d1 g5 27.e2
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 xd3 28.xd3 e8 29.c3 f8 30.f3 a6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 11.0-0 d6 31.e1 xe1+ 32.xe1 g7 33.e2 g4
12.g5 0-0 13.c2 h6 14.h4 h5 34.c3 gxf3 35.xf3 xf3 36.gxf3
15.h7+ If White plays this check it may or with an eventual draw in Erenburg, S-Li
may not indicate that he intends to play the Shilong/Vlissingen NED 2006. ]
'quiet' Bxh5 line rather than the sharp gxf3 21...f7 22.g3 f4 23.h2 f5 24.d2 f3
[see move 17]. Whereas [ T e m p t i n g , b u t t h e s o l i d 24...g5!?
[ 15.g6 is a sure sign you are in for some leaves White in a bind that it is difficult to
heavy theory. ] escape. For example 25.ae1 ( If 25.f3
15...h8 16.g6 xf3 17.xh5 b4! 26.ac1 d3 27.c2 e8 or;
[ White avoids the over analysed line with 25.g1 h5 ) 25...h5 threatening 26...f3.
17.gxf3 xh2+ ] 26.f3 b4 etc. ]
17...xh2+!? 25.xd6 fxe2 26.xe2 xd4
[ Instead 17...f8!? is the solid approach. [ Black probably does best to bail out to a
18.g3 d7 19.ad1 e8 Ulibin Black draw by regaining the exchange: 26...g6!
wants to remove the light squared bishops 27.e5
from the board. ( Instead 19...f6 20.d2 A) If he is feeling lucky, Black could
ga ve W hit e a sligh t ed ge in K o tron ia s- s p e c u l a t e w i t h 27...e4?! 28.g1??
Thomas on ChessPub.) 20.g4 f6 21.b4 ( 28.f4! ) 28...xe5 29.dxe5 g5!
a6 22.a3 g6 23.c3 f5 Black activated and White is suddenly mated on the h-file-
his bishop with adequate counterplay in unless he moves his rook from g1 and
Kotronias , V-Ulibin, M/Stockholm SW E allows mate on g2.;
2006. ] B) 27...d3 28.f3 xf1 29.xf1
18.h1 f5! with equality. ]
[ It's too late for 18...f8 : 19.f4 xf4 27.d2
20.xf4 xf4 21.g3! xf1+ 22.xf1 d8 [ Interesting was 27.e5!? ]
( If 22...xg3 23.f8# which shows us why 27...c6
White checks on h7 to force the black king [ Perhaps when he played 24...f3 Kosyrev
to h8 at move 15.) 23.f7 xd4 24.g6 had missed that after 27...h5+ 28.h2
f5 25.xg7! xg7 26.xh6+ g8 ( 28.g1? e2+ ) 28...f3 White can save
27.g6 and it is forced mate- the immediate himself and gain a good game with 29.f4!
threat is 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Qxg7 ( but not 29.gxf3? xf3+ 30.g1 e4
mate. ] and mate follows. )]
19.g6 d6 Black is compelled to give up the 28.b4! White finally comes to life. Once the
exchange to extricate his bishop before it is black knight is driven from the c6 square he
shut in, but he gains useful counter chances. can claim a slight advantage. d8 29.g3 a6
20.xf5 exf5 21.d3 Not a very inspiring 30.a4 g6 31.b5 e7 32.fe1 e4?
improvement on theory. Disillusioned at f inding himself in a poor
[ If 21.ae1 f7!? ( Instead Black ended up p o si t i o n a f t e r a ll h i s e a rl y h o p e s , B la c k
a clean pawn down after 21...d7? 22.c3 blunders a piece. Miserable defence was in
b6 23.d2 f4 24.xd5 b5 25.xf4 order with
b4 26.d1 xe1 27.xe1 f5 28.g3 [ 32...g8 ]
in Navara, D-Stellwagen, D/ Wijk aan Zee 33.xe4!
NED 2006. ) 22.g3 b4! As always, White [ As if 33.xe4 xe4 34.e1 xa4

483
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

35.xe7 xb5 36.e5 g8 37.xh6# ] l o o k s r i s k y f o r W h i t e .) 31...a6!?

1-0 a l i t t l e j o k e c o u r t e s y o f F r i t z 8 . 32.e1
( and not 32.xg6+? h7 ) 32...d3
33.e3 b1 34.e1 c2 35.e2
545 C06 with a draw by repetition. ]
Jones,Gawain C 2445 22.xg6
O'Cinneide,Mel 2221 [ Here 22.xh2?? e6! leads to a
Irish Champs Ennis vs Rathmines (2) 06.2005 catastrophic queen check on h3, but highly
[Neil McDonald] intriguing is ]
[ 22.f1!? aiming to take on h2 with the
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 knight. One of many wild lines would be
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 A) Or 22...f5 23.b3!? with very unclear
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7 play. ( B u t p r o b a b l y n o t 23.dxe5
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 which seems to favour Black after xc2
[ IM Gawain Jones managed to grind out a 24.exd6 xd1 25.xd1 xh7 26.xh2
win after 13.c1 h6 14.h4 h5 15.g6 g5 27.g3 d4 );
f4 16.xf4 xf4 17.g3 b6 18.c2 B) 22...xh7 23.xh2 xd4 24.xd4
etc. in Jones,G-Thompson,I/EU Cork exd4 25.e7+ g8 26.e8+ f7
Championships 2005. Certainly this is a 27.e7+ ( White does best to avoid the
safer approach than the line he undertook in endgame after 27.xc8 xc8 28.xc8
the game. ] c6! 29.xc6 bxc6 ) 27...f8 28.a4
13...h5 14.c2 h6 15.g6 xf3 16.gxf3 c6 ( 28...e6 29.xd4 ) 29.b4! ( not
The mainline, but I don't trust it for White. In 29.xd4 c1+ when White gets mated.)
the May 2005 update we looked at 29...g8 ( Of course 29...c1+
[ 16.xh5 here. ] n o w l o s e s t h e q u e e n t o 30.e1+ )
16...xh2+ 17.h1 f4 18.g3 d6! 30.g7+! xg7 31.e7+ g8 32.d8+
An explanation for all these moves can be h7 33.e7+ with perpetual check. You
f o u n d i n p r e v io u s g a m e s o n C h e ss P u b . will notice that in virtually all these lines it
19.ad1 e5 20.h7+ h8 21.fe1 is W hite who is scrapping to save
[ In the notes to Hoffmann-Stellwagen, FM himself. ]
T h o m a s R e n d l e s u g g e s t e d a n s we r i n g 22...xg6 23.dxe5 The rest of the
21.xh2 with g6!? The idea is tested annotations is analysis sent in by IM Gawain
against 21.Rfe1 in the present game. ] Jones. cxe5
21...g6!? Probably a novelty. Black decides to [ 23...gxe5!? 24.e3 ( 24.f4 xg3
shut in the enemy bishop on h7 rather than 25.xg3 g6 26.xg6 xg6 27.e8+
chase after the other bishop on h4. g7 28.xd5 f5; 24.e4 g6 25.f6+
[ Earlier I gave the game Potkin-Iljushin g8 and Black wins.) 24...xg3 25.xg3
w h i c h w e n t 21...g5!? 22.dxe5 e7 unclear! f6 26.xe5 xe5 27.c3 h4+
N o w I t h i n k W h i t e s h o u l d t r y 23.xh2!? 28.g1 d4 29.xd4 ( 29.xd4 xd4
( Instead 23.e6? xh7 24.e7 draw agreed 30.xd4 c6 31.e8+ is slightly better for
was the end of the Potkin game, but instead White. ) 29...g5+ 30.h2 ( 30.f1 h3+
o f s h a k i n g h a n d s e6! looks good for 31.e2 c8 ) 30...h5+ 31.g1 g5+
Black. ) 23...xh7 ( I assume that 23...gxh4 with perpetual. ]
amounts to a transposition af ter 24.e2 24.c3
xe2 25.xe2 xh7 26.xh7+ xh7 ) [ 24.xe5 xe5 25.c3 h7 26.xh2 d4
24.xh7+ xh7 25.e2 xe2 26.xe2 is clearly good for Black due to the
gxh4 27.e6 e7 28.d4 with ideas of both potential fork on f3. ]
29.Rxh4 and, more importantly Rf4followed 24...d7
by Rf7+. Play could continue b6 29.f4 [ 24...h7 25.f4 c6 ( 25...f7 26.h5;
g6 30.f7+ g8 31.f6 ( Instead 25...xh4 26.xe5 xg3 27.dxd5 f8
31.c7?! f4 32.e7 e6 33.xa7 e8 28.c7+ and wins. ) 26.fxe5 xc3 27.bxc3

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xh4 28.xh2 f3+ 29.g2 xe1+ for his knight. For example f6 12.f1
30.xe1 with a slight plus for White. ] ( Black looks pretty active after 12.exf6 xf6
[ 24...e6 25.xe5 xe5 26.e1 xg3 13.f1 0-0 in Ulibin, M-Shulman, Y/Calcutta
27.fxg3 and again White is better. ] 1999. ) 12...f5 ( 12...0-0!? ) 13.d4 0-0
25.f4 xh4?! 14.e3 d7? Instead of this terrible blunder,
[ 25...d4 perhaps it was time for ( 14...a3!? ) 15.xf5!
A) 26.xd4 xf5 ( White has picked up two pawns after
A1) 26...c6+ 27.ee4 xe4+ 15...exf5 16.xc5 xc5 17.xd5+ h8
28.xe4 e6 29.f6+ g8 30.xe5 18.xc5 ) 16.xf5 and White was winning
xe5 31.xh2 g4+ 32.g2 as taking on f5 still loses to Bxc5 and Qxd5+
( 32.g3 g6 33.f5 xf5 34.d6 in W ells, P-Paehtz, T/ Bad W oerishofen
xf2+ 35.xg4 h7 ) 32...f8 1995. ]
with a slight edge for White.; 10...a3
A2) 26...c6+ 27.f3 ( Black wins after [ Or 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 b6 12.d2?
27.ee4 xg3 28.xc6 xc6 ) ( Instead 12.g3 h5 13.e2 d7 14.c3
27...xh4 28.xe5 xc3 29.bxc3 xf3 a5 15.b1 c8 was unclear in Sebag, M-
30.xd7 xe5 31.fxe5 xg3 P e r t , N / W e s t B r o m w i c h E N G 2 0 0 4 .)
and wins.; 12...c4 13.xc4? ( 13.c3!? ) 13...dxc4
B) 26.xe5 xe5 27.fxe5 dxc3 28.exd6 14.c3 b4 15.e2 b5 16.a3 d3
c2 29.c1 xg3 30.fxg3 c8 31.f6+ 17.ed1 b7 and Black had a beautiful
g8 32.c3 f5 and Black is on top.; position in Wang, H-Shulman, Y/2nd CMA
C) 26.fxe5 d5+ 27.e4 ( 27.xh2 Futurity, Toronto CAN 2002. ]
xh4 ) 27...dxc3 28.f6+ g8 ( 28...h7 11.b3 cxd4 12.cxd4 b4 13.b1
29.xd5 c6 30.xh2 ) 29.xd5 c6 [ Instead 13.g3!? would avoid all the
( 29...cxb2 30.xh2 b1 31.xd7 ) hassle of having a rook trapped on a1, but
30.xh2 xd5 31.e2 xa2 32.bxc3 few players would be willing to part with
e6 with equality. ] their lovely light squared bishop after xd3 ]
26.xe5 d4 27.xd4 c6+ 28.dd5 xc3 13...b8 14.g3 h5!
29.bxc3 c6 30.xh2 g6 31.d6 xe5 [ After 14...8c6 15.h5 White has an
32.xh6+ g7 33.f5+ f7 34.fxe5 d5 attack on the kingside with little to disturb
1-0 him either on the queenside or in the centre.
Theref ore Black introduces some more
dynamism into his set up. ]
546 C06 15.d2
Jones,Gawain C 2418 [ Perhaps the other knight should 'change its
Wallace,John Paul 2392 mind' in the style of the Sebag extract above
4NCL Sharks 1 vs 2 (7) 03.2006 with 15.e2!? ]
[Neil McDonald] 15...h4 16.h5 c7 17.f3?
[ Gawain Jones gives the following long
1.e4 e6 My thanks to IM Gawain Jones who variation that leads to equality: 17.xg7+
provided analysis for the critical stages of this f8 18.g4 c3 19.f3 xa1 20.h5
game. 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 e8 21.g5 g8 22.xh4 xg5 23.xg5
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5 c2 ( not 23...c3 24.f1 8c6 25.f6+
9.e1 a4 The forward rush of the a-pawn is xf6 26.exf6 xd4 27.h8+ d7
still quite a rare idea in the Universal System, 28.xf7 c7 29.d8+ b8 30.e5 c7
though it is seen more often after the 31.e8 xe5 32.f7 and W hite wins.)
preliminary c5xd4 exchange. 10.f1 24.d1 xd4 25.f6+ xf6 26.exf6 e2+
[ Perhaps White should take the opportunity 27.f1 xf6 ( again Black mustn't allow
to clear the centre with 10.dxc5 xc5 W h i t e t o g e t a p a s s e d p a w n : 27...c3?
11.c2 when he has the long diagonal for 28.xf7 xf7 29.h6 e8 30.g7 )
the light squared bishop, and the d4 square 28.xe2 c6 with balanced chances. ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

17...xh5! 18.xh5 c3 Now Black picks up game Anarkulov-De Gondo. e5 15.b3 f5
the rook on a1 and must surely be winning, An unusual move.
but White keeps his head and builds up an [ I a n a l y s e t h e a l s o - u n u s u a l 15...e6
initiative on the kingside. 19.f3 xa1 in my book it seems equal. ]
20.g5 8c6 21.g6 xe1+?! [ The best-known line is 15...xb3 16.axb3
[ Rather than give up the queen, 21...xa2 e6 , or here 16...e4. ]
looks decisive according to some more 16.g5 a5!? This looks a tad slow, but
analysis by Gawain: 22.xf7+ d7 23.h8 shouldn't work out too badly.
( 23.g4 d3 24.xe7 xf2+ 25.h1 [ 16...e6 with the idea ..Qb6 is more solid. ]
xe1+ 26.xe1 f2+ 27.g1 xg4; 17.ad1 a4 18.d2
23.xe6+ xe6 24.g4+ f7 25.h5+ [ 18.c5! has the idea b6 19.e4! e6
g8 26.xe7 e6 27.xb4 xb4 28.g5 20.xf6 gxf6 21.xf5 gxf5 ( 21...xf5
c2 29.xe6 a2 ) 23...d3 etc. ] 22.h7+ ) 22.h5+ e7 23.h4
22.xe1 fxg6 23.xg6+ d8 24.d3 , although Black is still very much in the
xa2 game. ]
[ T h e b e s t m o v e , t h o u g h 24...xd3 18...e6 19.c4
would leave White running out of pieces to [ Black has enough play after 19.fe1 d6
attack with. ] 20.xd8 xd8 , in view of his strong centre
25.xg7 b6 26.f4 d7? and extra pawn. ]
19...c7! 20.xf6 xf6 A good move.
[ B l a c k c o u l d h a v e w o n w i t h 26...xg5
27.fxg5 ( or 27.xg5+ c7 28.f5 c3 [ 20...gxf6 is also very close to equal
29.c1 e2+ 30.f1 xc1 ) 27...c3 following 21.xf5 gxf5 22.e3 d7 23.f4
28.f8+ c7 when the king finds shelter e4 ]
and the a-pawn is unstoppable. ] 21.d2 h6 White's queen won't be trapped,
27.f5! There follows some nice attacking play but its lack of mobility results in an even
by W hite, who never allows his opponent a game. 22.h7 f5!?
moment's peace to play Nc3 and a3-a2, when [ 22...f7!= intends .. .e4. ]
h e wo u l d q u e e n a n d wi n t h e g a m e . exf523.xf5 gxf5 24.h1!? A bit slow.
28.e6 e8 29.xe7+ xe7 30.e5 a7 [ 24.f3 hits d5 and doesn't give Black time
31.d6+ c8 32.xb6 c6 33.f2 c3 to attack, but it's still unclear e.g., e4 25.c1
34.e5 b7 35.a6 xe5 36.a8+ c7 f7 26.d4 d6 27.b5 d8 28.xd6
37.a5+ d6 38.dxe5+ xe5 39.xc3+ xd6 with the idea ...d4. ]
d4 40.a5+ b5 41.e7 f4 42.xa3 e8 24...e4! 25.b1 d8
43.d6+ [ 25...e5! ]
1-0 26.c3 c4!?
[ 26...d4! 27.xe4+! fxe4 28.xe4 e5!?
( 28...d7 29.d3 f7 30.fd1 c5
547 C06 31.h7 i s u n c l e a r; 28...b6
Karthikeyan,M2 2462 may be objectively best the minor pieces are
Volkov,Sergey1 2583 somewhat more valuable than the rook and
21st Abu Dhabi Masters 2014 (7.1) 26.08.2014 pawn. ) 29.xb7 g4!? is a position in
[John Watson] wh i c h s h o u l d b e a t l e a s t o k a y f o r t h e
second player, e.g., 30.f3+ ( 30.g3 h5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 31.h4 c5 ) 30...g5! 31.g3 f5 ]
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 27.h4?! There are several options, e.g.,
9.f4 This wild tactical line hasn't done too [ 27.f3 e3 28.g4!? ]
well over the years, but in this month's games 27...f7
W h it e m a na ges to ge t p la yab le, do u ble - [ 27...d4! 28.xe4+ fxe4 29.xe4 d5 ]
e d ge d p o s i t io n s . xd4 10.h5+ e7 28.h5
11.exf6+ xf6 12.g6+ hxg6 13.xh8 [ 28.c1 ]
f7 14.0-0 For 14 Qh4, see this month's 28...d4! 29.xe4 fxe4 30.xe4 d5

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

31.fe1 xh5+ 32.g1 d6 strategically very desirable- the problem is

[ 32...f5 ] that Black is losing time and this might give
33.xd4! f5?? A blunder after a well-played W hite the chance to launch a blitzkrieg
game by both sides. before he is able to develop all his pieces. A
[ 33...h2+ 34.f1 h1+ 35.e2 h5+ ] couple of examples: 10.b3 g7 ( or
[ or 33...h2+ 34.f1 b5+ are both 10...dxe5 11.xe5 xe5 12.f4 g7
level. ] 13.e1 0-0 14.c4 f6 15.c1 f7 16.cxd5
34.xd6! xd6 exd5 17.d4 d7 18.b5 xd3 19.xd3
[ 34...xd6 35.e8+ winning the queen is xb5 20.xb5 d4 21.b4 g5 22.d6 fe8
undoubtedly what Black missed. ] 23.a4 f5 24.f1 h8 and a draw was
35.e6+ f8 36.e7+ agreed in Tkachiev-Komarov, France 1996.)
1-0 11.fd4 cxe5 12.b5 d8 13.d6+
f8 14.e3 b6 15.cxb6 axb6 16.b5
c7 17.xc8 xc8 18.d2 h5
548 C06 with unclear play in Teran Alvarez-
Kasparov,Garry 2849 Moscalenko, Malaga 2000. ]
Bareev,Evgeny 2709 10.b3 xd3 11.xd3 g7 12.f4 0-0?
World Cup of Rapid Chess Gp A rapid (1) Th e o b vio u s m o ve , b ut it ju st le a d s t o a
[Neil McDonald] pro sp ect le ss po sit io n f or Black a f t er th e
forced exchange of dark squared bishops.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 [ More fighting was 12...d7 13.fe1 h6!
[ The position that arises at move seven 14.h4 0-0-0 15.bd4 xd4 16.xd4 g5
could equally have been reached via the 17.hxg5 hxg5 18.xg5 dg8 and here a
move order 3...f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 draw was agreed in Tkachiev-Kindermann,
6.c3 c6 7.gf3 b6 Note also the Biel 1995, which cut short an interesting
similar variation ] struggle. White has an extra pawn but the
[ 3...e7 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 open files on the kingside give him pause
7.c3 c6 when Black doesn't have the for thought. ]
option of g7-g6 and Bg7 as he has already 13.d2! Simple chess- White will eliminate
committed the bishop to e7. On the other B l a c k ' s v i t a l d a r k s q u a r e d b i s h o p . d7
hand, after 8.0-0 a5 has proved more than 14.fe1 a5 15.h6 a4 16.xg7 xg7
satisfactory for Black in for example and 17.bd4 a5 Now I don't see a good plan for
other games on the 3...Be7 sub-page. ] Black. He can put his knight on c4, but so
4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 what? There is no strong follow up. White's
b6 8.0-0 g6 superiority on the dark squares means that
[ Instead 8...e7 is very similar to the 3... the natural f7-f6 break would merely leave
Be7 line above- in fact it transposes to Black with a nasty hole on e5 which could be
Nisipeanu,L-Lputian,S after 9.e1 cxd4 exploited by White's knights. Black's bishop on
( 9...g5!? 10.f1 g4 11.g5 cxd4 12.cxd4 d7 is useless- there is nothing it can attack.
xd4 13.e3 xb2 14.c2 h6 Therefore the position already contains the
White resigns is supposedly Pope John Paul seeds of defeat for Black. He can only wait
t h e S e c o n d - O e t t l i n g e r , K r a k o w 1 9 3 8 .) and see how White increases his bind on the
10.cxd4 a5!? Also Black could accept the dark squares. 18.ab1 c4 19.f4 d8
gambit pawn with ] 20.h4! This begins a process which will end in
[ 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 Bareev losing control of all the dark squares
11.f3 b6 etc. though the lengthy on the kingside. h6 21.g3 e7 22.e2!!
defence then necessary doesn't seem to How many players would retreat the knight
appeal much to modern taste. ] from its excellent outpost? The W orld No1
9.dxc5 xc5 knows it is better to have it taking part in a
[ Black could also go after the e pawn with concerted action with all the other pieces
9...c7!? Naturally winning this key pawn is rather than sitting pretty on d4. h7 23.f4

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

g8 24.e2 Nimzowitsch would have been A) Also tempting is 12.e2!? f7 13.f1
proud of this plan of over protecting e5. The f8 ( Critical must be 13...e8 14.g3
priority is to dissuade Black from playing f7-f6. when Black will face a big attack if he
af8 25.be1 c8 26.h2 g5 Desperation captures on d4.) 14.e5+ g8 15.e3
as Black has no good answer to the threat of c7 16.d2 b6 17.g3 xd4 18.g4
Ng4 and Nf6. 27.h5 gxh4 28.h3 g5 f7 19.xh6+ xh6 20.xh6 and White
29.f6+ g7 30.f4 g6 31.hg4 had won the exchange in Sigurjonsson-
Black's brief interlude of counterplay is at an Garcia Gonzales, Capablanca mem
end and now he will be strangled by White's 1976.;
knights. Meanwhile Black's own minor pieces B) 12.f1!? 0-0 13.e3 f7 14.g4
are useless. h8 32.h5+ f8 33.gf6 With the idea of 15 Bxh6! h5? 15.fe5
c6 34.xh4 a3 35.b3 b2 36.h2 c5 threatening 16 Nxh6+ winning the queen.
37.e3! Once the rook reaches the g file all e8 16.xh6+ gxh6 17.g4+ h8
Black's resistance on the kingside will break 18.g6+ g7 19.xf8+ xf8 20.xh6+
down. d4 At last Black's bishop sees daylight e7 21.xe6+ and Black, rated 2335,
but it is too late to change anything. 38.g3 resigned in Gershon-Zugic, Oropesa del
dxc3 This allows a winning combination but it Mar 1998. ]
wa s a lr e a d y h o p e le ss f o r B la ck . 39.xg6 10.e1!
fxg6 40.d7+! xd7 41.f6+ A very fine [ The alternative was to attack the centre
display by the 13th World Champion. dire ctly wit h 10.c4 but Black held on after
1-0 0-0 11.b3 cxd4 12.cxd5 exd5 13.g5
f7 14.h4 h6 and a draw was agreed in
Paavilainen-Rodgaard, Pohja 1985. ]
549 C06 10...0-0?
Kasparov,Garry 2827 [ This is a clear blunder but even so
Rodgaard,John 2365 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 h6 12.f1 or ( 12.e2
Simul Torshavn FAI (1) 10.06.2001 would transpose to the games given in the
[Neil McDonald] notes above, neither of which were
satisfactory for Black. If we compare this
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 line with the similar set up in the Tarrasch
[ The game soon transposes to a variation after 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 Bd3 c5 6 c3
typical of 3...f6 ] Nc6 7 Ne2 cxd4 8 cxd4 f6 9 exf6 Qxf6 it
4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 f6 becomes clear that having the knight on d2
[ The World No 1 doesn't just play this rather than e2 greatly favours White- the e
system in simuls as 7...b6 8.0-0 g6 file isn't blocked so he can put pressure on
is his game with Bareev-see APR01/06. ] e6 immediately with Re1 and perhaps Qe2
[ M y c h o i c e h e r e w o u l d b e 7...e7 or he can play Nf1 and Ne3 aiming for Ng4
which transposes to a well known line after as Gershon did in the game given above in
3...Be7. As you will see from the 'W rong the notes. In contrast, a knight on e2 can
Knight on f3' section on the 3...Be7 sub- only go to the less powerful square on gt3. )]
page Black is doing very well there- I wonder 11.xh7+! xh7 12.xe6 xh2+
wh a t K a s p a ro v h a s in m in d a ga in st it ? A sad necessity as
Rodgaard's actual choice is rather unusual [ 12...xe6 13.g5+ and ]
and doesn't have a very good reputation. ] [ 12...f4 13.e4 are both hopeless. ]
[ Note that 7...f5 8.exf6 would be the 13.xh2 f4+ 14.g1 f5 15.f1! f6
same. ] 16.g3 Kasparov exploits a possible fork on
8.exf6 xf6 9.0-0 d6 g5 in very elegant fashion to increase his
[ Or 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 d6 ( pawn hunting a d va n t a g e . g4 17.e1 cxd4 18.xd4
with 10...xd4 11.xd4 xd4 is risky after I imagine Kasparov would have played more
12.h5+ but might have been worth a try.) aggressively in a tournament game but in a
11.e1 h6 simul he prefers to simplify knowing that it is

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

the surest way to win. xd4 19.xd4 xd4 analysis:

20.cxd4 d7 21.d2 ac8 22.c3 fe8 C2a) 16.c1 f6 17.e1 h6
23.f3 g6 24.e5 f7 25.e2 c4 26.f2 18.e2 a6 ( 18...d7= 19.b5 a6
g6 27.g4 b6 28.g3 a5 29.e1 b5 20.xc6 xc6 21.d3 b5 22.e5
30.f4 xe5 31.dxe5 d4 32.exf6 dxc3 f7 23.xf7 xf7 24.a4 c6
33.e7+ Unexpectedly the game ends with a and Black meets f4 by doubling on the
mating combination after all. xf6 34.d5+ c-file. ) 19.f4 g4 20.c2 ( 20.d2
g5 35.f4+ h6 36.g5+ h5 37.f6# e5! ) 20...h6 21.h4 f6 22.a3 d7
1-0 23.c3 h6 24.a4 e8 25.c5
f7 26.e1 e7 with the idea ...a5
and ...Bg6.;
550 C06 C2b) 16.h3 h6 17.g2 d7
Kasparov,Sergey 2493 18.e1 f6 19.b5 Wharrier, J
Lahiri,Atanu 2368 (2361)-Corfield, J (2399), ICCF email
3rd Orissa Open (4) 30.05.2011 2 0 0 9 a n d h e r e ae8
[John Watson] is a straightforward move, e.g.,
20.xc6 bxc6 21.e2 f7 22.ad1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 e5 ( or 22...c8 23.e5 xe5
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 24.dxe5 e7 ) 23.dxe5 xe5
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7 12.g3 24.xe5 xe5 25.xe5 xf2+
0-0 13.f4 d7 26.h1 f3+ with a perpetual.;
[ This is the most common move. Black has C3) 15...e5!? 16.dxe5 h6 17.h4
a number of options, one of the most gxe5 18.g5 d4! is Vachier Lagrave-
interesting being 13...g4 , which covers e5. Berg in the Archives. This appears to
Here's a partial summary: give enough counterplay.;
A) 14.d2 e5! 15.dxe5 gxe5 16.xe5 C4) 15...-- ]
xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.ac1 b6 14.c1 e4 Unusual.
19.c3 e6= 20.e2 ( 20.c2 ad8 [ One standard solution is 14...xf4 15.xf4
21.b3 d4! ) 20...xc3 ( 20...f6 21.a4 b6 16.b3 ae8 , when White has at least
d6 22.c5 ae8 23.h5 g6 24.xg6 two ways to get a small edge:
hxg6 25.xg6+= ) 21.bxc3 ae8 A) 17.e1 xd4!? 18.xd4 e5 19.xd5
( 21...f6 22.b1 c6 23.fe1 c8= ) xd5 20.c4 ( 20.f3! f6 (not the best
22.h5 g6 23.xg6 hxg6 24.xg6+=; move) 21.xe5 was condemned by
B) 14.c1 xf4 15.xf4 xf4! 16.gxf4 earlier analysts due to xe5 22.xe5
xf4 17.e2 f6! 18.h1 e4! g4 , but the computer reveals 23.ec5!
Azarov-Berescu, Djakovo 2005, and Black , essentially winning.) 20...h8 21.xd5
intends to bring his other pieces into play exd4 22.d2 with approximate equality;
by ...Bd7 and ...Rf8.; B) 17.b1 xd4!? 18.xd4 xd4
C) 14.xd6 xd6 threatening ...Rxf3 has 19.xd4 e5 20.c7 c8 21.fe2 exd4
the ideas of ...e5 or development. White 22.xd4 retains a small edge. ]
should probably play 15.c3! with the [ 14...g4!? is more interesting, although
idea Bxh7+, leading to several less promising than 13...Ng4: 15.d2 h6?!
p o s s i b i l i t i e s : ( 15.f4 xf4 16.gxf4 ( 15...h8; 15...ae8 may well be best)
xf4 ) 16.h3 ( 16.b1 ) 16...e5 17.dxe5 gxe5
C1) 15...h6 16.e1 f5 ( 16...a6 18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.f4
17.c1 d7 ) 17.b5 d7 and White d4 21.g2 f6 22.c7 ( 22.f3 c6 )
has a slight advantage due to his control 22...ad8 ]
of e5 but it isn't much; 15.e5
C2) 15...e7!? has only been played a [ 15.xe4 dxe4 16.xd6 xd6 17.g5
handful of times in my database, leading ad8 18.xe4 d5 is also possible. White
mo st ly to sho rt draws. He re 's so m e maintains a small edge in lines like 19.c5

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

b6! 20.xd7 xd7 21.f4 d6 [ 11.e3

( 21...xf4!? 22.gxf4 xd4 A) Not 11...c4? 12.xc4! g4
is also interesting. )] ( gruesome is 12...dxc4 13.d5 ) 13.b3
15...xe5 0-0 14.h3 xf3 15.hxg4 f8 16.d3
[ 15...ad8!? ] d8 17.g3 and White was a sound pawn
16.xe5 up in Zapata-Wallyn, St Martin op 1997.;
[ 16.dxe5 g5 17.e3 xe5 18.b3 B) 11...0-0 12.dxc5 xc5 13.xc5 xc5
is unclear. ] 14.b4 ( Maybe a better method was
16...a5?! 14.ed4!? ) 14...d6 15.b5 e7 16.g3
[ 16...b6! 17.xe4 dxe4 18.d6 f3!? ] e5?! ( 16...d7 looks slightly better for
17.f4! xa2 18.f3 f6 19.d6 fc8 White. ) 17.e1 g4 Black can't hold his
20.b4! Threatening Ra1. White's bishop pair cen tre in tact as if ( 17...e4 18.xe4 )
and space advantage more than make up for 18.h3 xf2 19.xf2 c5+ 20.f1 e4
his pawn minus. b5!? 21.xb5 d8 22.d3 21.xe4 dxe4 22.b3+ h8 23.xe4
xc1 23.xc1 a4 24.a1!? c6 25.c5 f5 24.xf5 xf5 25.c4 and again White
a6 26.a3 b7 27.c3 c8 28.a1 f7 had an extra pawn, but Black has some
29.e2 b7 30.d6 counterchances here- Marcelin-Salus,
[ 30.c3! ] FRA-chT 1999. ]
30...c6? 11...0-0 12.g3 cxd4 13.cxd4 d7 14.a3?!
[ But 30...d7 31.f4 is depressing. ] Not to be recommended- it still leaves b2
31.b5 axb5 32.xa8+ xa8 33.xa8+ e8 vu ln e ra b le a n d d e ve lo p s n o t h in g. W h it e
34.xb5 d7 35.c5 f7 36.a6 b7 should play
37.b6 [ 14.b3 ]
1-0 14...h8 15.b1 a5? It is highly tempting
to put the knight on c4, but this is the wrong
plan. Instead
551 C06 [ 15...g4! looks extremely attractive for
Kasturi,M 2115 Black, for example 16.d3 ( If 16.xh7?
Radziewicz->Rajlich,Iweta 2375 xf2! 17.xf2 xd4 18.e3 xb2+
WJun Women Athens GRE (8) 24.08.2001 19.g1 xf3+ 20.gxf3 xh7
[Neil McDonald] leaves White's position in ruins.; Instead
16.e2 e5 17.dxe5 cxe5 leaves f2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 lo o k i n g vu l n e r a b l e .) 16...g6 17.h3
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 b6 8.f3 f6 ( W hite is unlikely to hold on after 17.b4
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 An unusual move e5! ) 17...xf2! 18.xf2 xd4 19.e3
order, d elaying the capt ure on d 4. Black xb2+ 20.g1 xf3+ 21.gxf3 f6 22.d4
avoids some of the tricky lines after e5 23.c3 h4 24.f1 d4 and White will
[ 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 d6 such as 12.c3 soon be overrun after Bc6 or Qxh3, etc. ]
or ( 12.f4 but can White find a way to 16.b4 c4 17.g5 ae8 18.d3 g6
exploit it? )] [ Black could also try 18...e7!? when if
11.e1?! 19.xf6 gxf6 defends h7. ]
[ White should try to clear the d4 square in a 19.h6 g4? Giving away the exchange for
favourable way and then use it as a post for some attacking chances. It works in the game,
the knight to attack Black's centre. There but objectively the cold-blooded
we re t wo p o s sib ilit ie s : 11.dxc5 xc5 [ 19...f7 20.g5 fe7 was called for, with
12.ed4 0-0 13.a3 c7?! ( 13...a5!? ) unclear play. ]
14.e3 g4? 15.b5! xe3 16.xc7 20.xf8 xf8 21.h3?! White begins to play
xd1 17.axd1 b8 18.g5 f6 some poor moves which justify Black's offer.
19.xh7+ and White was winning in Asrian- Instead
Kurenkov, Petrosian mem 1992. [ 21.a2! e5 ( Black ends up a piece down
Alternatively ] after 21...ce5 22.dxe5 xf2+ 23.h1

490
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xe1+ 24.xe1 f2+ 25.g1 xd3 [ 16.exf6 xf6 17.d2 ]

26.xd3 ) 22.xc4 dxc4 23.xc4 16...e8
and Black's position is breaking up. ] [ 16...fxe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.dxe5 c8= ]
21...f6 22.a2 a5 23.bxa5 xa5 24.a4? 17.e2!?
e5! 25.dxe5 xe5 26.d1? [ The last try for an edge was 17.exf6 xf6
[ White should have simplified with 26.xe5 18.d2 h5 ( 18...g6 19.f4 ) 19.e2 ]
xe5 27.xe5 e1+ 28.h2 xe5 17...fxe5 18.xe5 xe5 19.dxe5 xb5
29.e2 f4 30.a5 ] 20.axb5 d7 21.d4 d8! 22.c3 b6
26...xf3+ 27.gxf3 xh3 28.h2 d7 23.g4 ae8 24.h4!? Weakening.
29.g2 d4 30.h1 e5 Suddenly Black has [ 24.d1 ]
masses of play for the exchange. 31.e2 f4 [ 24.h3 ]
32.d3 c6 33.e4 xe4 34.fxe4 g5+ 24...f7 25.e2 xd4! 26.xd4 f4
35.f1 e5 36.b3 h5 37.e1 d3! 27.b6 e4 28.e3 c4
38.d2 g2 39.f1 xe4+ 40.d1 f3+ [ 28...xh4 is a safe pawn grab, since
41.e1 e8 42.g1 d4+ 43.f1 h3+ 29.xa5 a8 30.xb4 xb4 picks up the b-
44.g2 h1+ White resigned rather than pawn. ]
endure 45.g1 e1+ 46.xe1 xg1# 29.b3 xh4 30.xa5 d4 31.g3 d5
0-1 Black has a definite initiative with his passed
pawn and moves like ...Nf4 in the air. 32.d2
f4?! Trading off the superior minor piece.
552 C06 [ 32...h6 ]
Kerigan,D 2205 33.xf4 xf4 34.c1 ef8 35.b6! xf2
Antic,De 2506 36.xf2 xf2 37.xf2 d3 Suddenly the
21st Kavala Open A (3) 27.07.2012 q u e e n h a s a l o t o f s c o p e . 38.c7?
[John Watson] White has to settle things now by
[ 38.xg7+! xg7 39.c8+ f7 40.c7+
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 g6 41.xg7+ xg7 42.e3 with a drawn
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5 ending. ]
9.a4 This is becoming one of the main lines of 38...d4+ 39.f1 a1+ 40.f2 d4+
the 3...Be7 variation. 41.f1 g6! 42.c8+ g7 43.c7+ h6
[ 9.e1 is seen in this month's game 44.h3+ g5 45.g3+ f5 46.f3+ xe5
Zubarev-Markidis. ] 47.c4 a1+ 48.f2 b2+ 49.g3 e2
9...cxd4 10.cxd4 b4 11.b5 0-0 12.b1 50.c5+ d4 51.c4+ d5 52.c8 e5
b8 53.f7 e1+ 54.h2 h4+ 55.g1 d4+
[ For 12...b6 , see Chandra-Ghosh from 56.f1 xb6 57.d7+ e4
last month (in the Archives). The seemingly 0-1
slow ...Bd7, ...Nc8!, and ...Na7 followed. ]
13.c3 8c6 14.e3 f6 15.c1!?
[ We saw 15.exf6 xf6 16.d2 last month 553 C06
in Zojer-Lehner. It gives White chances for Kerigan,D 2327
an edge. ] Danin,A 2595
15...d7 7th OGD Prinsenstad 2014 (2.1) 19.04.2014
[ White allowed 15...fxe5 16.xe5 xe5 [John Watson]
17.dxe5 c6 , presumably thinking that
18.f4 d4 doesn't quite equalise after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
19.xc6 dxe3 20.b5 . Nevertheless, 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 g6 8.h4 b6
xd1! 21.xd1 b6! 22.xe3 c5 [ 8...h6 is seen in this month's game Plaskett-
h o l d s a p r a c t i c a l b a l a n c e , e . g . , 23.c3 Mingarro Carceller. ]
( 23.xc5 bxc5 24.c4 b7= ) 23...d8 9.0-0!? Not terrible, but
24.f2 d4!= ] [ 9.h5 is more consistent, leading to g5
16.e1 10.xg5 cxd4 11.cxd4 xd4 , which is

491
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

very unclear and has been discussed [ 43.e5! d6 44.g5 ]

several times in this column. ] 43...d6 44.e5?!
9...g7 10.e1 Sacrificing a pawn. [ 44.g5 ]
[ 10.dxc5 xc5 11.b3 xd3 12.xd3 44...f6+ 45.f5 e6 46.e1??
xe5 13.xe5 xe5 14.h6 gives White [ 46.e5= ]
play for the pawn. Then d8!? hits h4, with 46...e2 47.c5 d3 48.c3 d2 49.d3+ d6
a sample line being 15.g3 f6 16.fe1 50.xd2 xd2 51.g5 xb2 52.g6 e7
d7! 17.xd5 c6 18.c4 d5 19.xd5 53.g1 f6
xd5= ] 0-1
10...cxd4 11.cxd4 xd4 12.xd4 xd4
13.f3 g4 This is a fairly typical pawn
sacrifice, but W hite's pawn on h4 doesn't 554 C06
contribute anything. 14.c2 0-0 15.g5 f6 Kharlov,A 2496
[ 15...b6!?= intending ...Nc5. ] Mikheev,S 2284
16.exf6 xf6 12th ch-Volga Region 2014 (2.4) 15.03.2014
[ 16...xf6! . This looks risky due to 17.e5 [John Watson]
, but d4 is fine, when 18.ad1 ( 18.f3
g4 19.e5 d4 ) 18...g4! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
favours Black. ] 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 cxd4
17.e3! xg5? [ I point out in my book Play the French 4
[ 17...g7 ] that the move order with 7...f6 has some
18.hxg5 xf3?! But the situation is dire advantages if you're trying to play this line.
anyway, for example, 19.xf3 e5 20.g3 Then 8.0-0 fxe5 9.xe5 dxe5 10.dxe5
f4 21.e1 xe5 11.h5+ f7 12.f3 ( 12.e1
[ 21.b5! d7 ( 21...a6 22.c3! ) 22.xd7 d6!; 12.xh7?? g6! 13.xg6 h4-+ )
xd7 23.e1 is very strong, especially 12...g6 13.g4 d6 is satisfactory for Black,
since f8 24.f3! xg5?! 25.c7 b6 since 14.b5+ f8 15.g5 f6 16.xf7
26.b7 d8 27.c1 is decisive ] xf7 favours Black compare the following
21...d7 22.c1 d4 note ( or 16...h5 )]
[ 22...xc1 23.xc1 c6 24.b5 ] 8.cxd4 f6 For a long time this simple idea
23.e3 c6 24.xd4 xd4 25.c1 c6 was neglected, even though it is consistent
26.c5 with Black's usual strategy versus the
[ 26.b5 is also good. ] Tarrasch. 9.exf6
26...f8 [ 9.0-0 is an interesting gambit (refer again
[ 26...a6 ] to PTF4): fxe5 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.xe5
27.b5 f4 28.e3 f7 29.xc6!? xe5 12.h5+ f7 13.e1 ( 13.f3 g6
[ 29.c1! ] 14.g4 d6 15.b5+ f8 16.d4! )
29...xc6 30.h3 e7 13...c5 is unclear ( 13...d6 14.f3 g6
[ 30...g7! ] 15.g4 e5? 16.d4! - compare 7...f6
31.xh7+ d6 32.c1 g4 33.f3 xg5 without the exchange on d4, when the pawn
34.f2 e5 35.g7 e4 36.g4!? on c5 prevents these Qd4 moves. )]
[ 36.fxe4 dxe4 37.c2 ] [ 9.g5? is flawed due to fxg5 10.h5+ g6!
36...d4 37.g3 e3 11.xg6+ hxg6 12.xg6+ e7
[ 37...exf3 38.f4 d5 39.xg6+ e7! wit h a win n in g a d va n t a ge , e . g. , 13.e4
40.xf3 f7 41.cxc6 bxc6 42.xc6 ( 13.f3 dxe5! 14.xg5+ d7 )
and W hite has good winning chances. A 13...dxe5 14.xg5+ d7 15.f6+ c7
possible line is d3 43.c1 d4 44.d1 d2 16.dxe5 xe5 ]
45.e3 xg4 46.xd2 ] 9...xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.b3 0-0 12.b2 d7
38.f4 d5 39.xg6+ c7 40.g7+ 13.e1 b6
[ 40.e6! ] [ Or 13...g4 14.h3 h6 ]
40...d6 41.g6+ c7 42.e6 d7 43.e4 14.f1 a5

492
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 14...f4! covers c1, but its main purpose is double edged strategy.
to answer Ne5 with ...Nxe5 to avoid a fork. [ Another approach was 13...h5 14.c3
There might follow 15.a3 a5 16.b1 ac8 ] a6 15.h4 g6 ]
15.a3 ae8 14.h4
[ Again, 15...f4 is a good move, e.g., 16.h3 [ The Swedish GM won an impressive game
(versus ...Ng4 ) ac8 17.e3 a4 18.b4 in the archives after 14.d2 a6 15.g3 g5
a5!= ] 16.e1 g7 -see Persson-Berg. ]
16.e2 14...h5 Black secures the exchange of
[ 16.c1 e5!? 17.dxe5 g4 18.e3 White's important dark squared bishop for a
cxe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 xe5= ] knight. 15.g3
16...h8 [ With the black pawn on h6 rather than h7,
[ 16...h5! followed by ...Nf4 is at least Black can answer 15.c2 with g5! ]
equal. ] 15...xg3 16.xg3 f7!? Breaking the pin
17.g3 f4! 18.c2 g6 19.c1 c7 immediately.
20.xf4 xf4 21.d2 xd2 22.xd2 e5! [ In the archives I praised the move 16...a6!?
23.dxe5 xe5 24.d4 b5 as it prevents White playing Bb5 and Bxc6.
[ Or 24...c8= ] However it may be an unnecessary luxury
25.f3 a4 26.ge2 c8 wh e n t h e re is a ch a n ce t o a ctiva te t h e
[ 26...g7 ] queen on the f-file immediately. ]
27.bxa4 bxa4 28.d3 b8 29.c1 fc8!? 17.e2
[ 29...g5 30.h3 fe8= ] [ Here 17.b5 d7 doesn't seem to cause
30.xc8+ xc8 31.h4!? h6 Black much discomfort. ]
[ 31...c5 ] 17...d7!
32.b5 xb5 [ White's plan is revealed if we give him a
[ 32...g7 33.xd7 fxd7 34.b2 c4 co u p le o f e xt r a t e m p o , a s o c cu r r e d t o
35.b7 cb6 ] Black's misfortune in the following game:
33.xb5 c4 17...f4? 18.b1
[ 33...c4! 34.d4 g8= ] A) It turns out that White can ignore the
34.ed4 c1+ 35.h2 c4? This is the threat to d4 as if 18...xd4? 19.xd4
real mistake. 36.e2 a1 37.e6 g7 xd4 20.xc8! axc8 21.xe6+ h8
38.e7+ g8 39.e6 e1 40.g7+ h8 Unfortunately for Black W hite wins with
41.bd4 g8 42.a7 e3? 43.f8 e5 22.g6! ( Perhaps the very talented Simon
44.h7# Williams had prepared the trap 22.xd6??
1-0 xf2! and Black wins as if 23.xf2 c1+
24.f1 xf1+! 25.xf1 d1# ) 22...g8
23.xd6 xf2 24.e6+ f7+ the only
555 C06 way not to drop a rook with check. 25.h1
Kotronias,Vasilios 2614 cf8 26.g6 and Black has to resign.;
Berg,Emanuel 2593 B) 18...g5 19.d3 f7 20.ce1
ETCC Crete GRE (3) 30.10.2007 due to Black's wasted moves with his
[Neil McDonald] queen, White has been able to defend d4
with his queen and put a rook on e1, so
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 that his preparations for Ne5 are already
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 complete. b6 21.e5 xe5 22.dxe5 a5
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 11.0-0 d6 23.h5! A base for the knight has been
12.g5 0-0 13.c1 created on f6, and thanks to the simple
[ Sidestepping the theory-fest 13.h4 h5 tactic 23...Qxh5?? 24.Qh7 it is able to land
14.c2 ] there. a6 But doesn't this win the
13...h6 Emanuel Berg wants to use his exchange? 24.f6+ h8 25.h3 g7
kingside pawns aggressively. Naturally he is 26.xe6!
stripping his own king of cover, so it is a B1) If 26...xf1 27.h5 ( Crowding the

493
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
black queen out of defending h6.
P e r h a p s e v e n b e t t e r i s 27.xc6
keeping Nh5 in reserve.) 27...d8
28.xg7 xe6 29.xe6 fe8 30.c7
and White has a winning endgame.;
B2) 26...d4 27.xb6 e2+ 28.xe2
xe2 29.e1 ab8 30.d4 b4
31.d2 a6 32.xd5 White has
emerged with a lot of p awns f or th e
exchange, including a passed pawn,
whilst his attacking chances against the
b l a c k k i n g h a v e n ' t g o n e a w a y . d8
33.e6 xb2 34.xa5 db8 35.e7 b5
36.xb5! Very nicely calculated. 2xb5
37.e8+ xe8 38.xe8+ g8
39.xg8+ xg8 40.c2! 1-0 Tiviakov, S-
Williams, S/Gausdal NOR 2005. ]
18.b1 g5 19.cd1 f4 20.e5 xe5
21.dxe5 e8! Black cuts off the intersection
of his rooks and puts his bishop on a passive
square- but in doing gives his position vital
energy. The bishop retreat deserves one
exclamation mark because it stops Nh5 and
Nf6+ a second because it supports the charge
h5-h4. 22.de1 h5 23.f3 h4 24.h1
Kotronias appears to be going backwards, but
he is now threatening to win a piece with 25.
g3. There is also the positional threat of Nf2
and Ng4. So has Black over extended
himself? g4! More or less forced to extricate
his bishop and block the plan of Nf2 and Ng4.
25.g3
[ If 25.fxg4 d4 , preparing 26...Be3+, leaves
White in trouble. For example 26.f3 ( Not
26.d3? e3+ 27.xe3 xf1+ 28.xf1
xf1+ 29.xf1 dxe3 and White is lost.)
26...c6 27.e4 e3+ 28.xe3 dxe3
29.xc6 bxc6 30.xe3 f4 with very good
chances for Black. ]
25...hxg3 26.hxg3 gxf3 27.xf3 g7
28.h2?
[ The position is unclear after 28.f1 h6
29.xf8+ xf8 30.h3 f7 31.f1 ]
28...h6 29.xf8+ xf8 30.h3 f7 31.f1
Compared to the position after 31.Rf1 in the
variation of the previous note, Black has his
king on f8 rather than the queen. This allows
his monarch to slip away to the relative safety
of the centre, after which the black rook can
be brought into action along the g-file. e3+
32.f2 e7 33.h4+ d7 34.g2 g8
35.g4 g5 36.h7 White feels obliged to
exchange queens due to the pressure on g3.
xh7 37.xh7 g7 38.d3 c6 39.f6
c5 The middlegame melee is over. Black
has reached an endgame in which his more
a c t i ve k i n g , b i s h o p p a i r a n d s o l i d p a wn
structure give him winning chances. 40.h7
e3 41.f8 d4 42.g6 g8 43.f3 g5
44.g4 e7 45.h5 xf8 46.xf8 h7
47.xh7 xh7+ 48.g6 h2 White has no
match for the passed pawn on d5 in the rook
and pawn endgame. 49.b8 xe5 50.xb7
d4 51.g4 f4 52.g5 e5 53.f7+ e3
54.xa7 d3 55.f5 e4 56.g6 xb2 57.g7
f2+ 58.e6 g2 59.f7 d2 60.d7 e2
61.a4 e3 62.a5 d1 63.xd1 xd1 64.a6
e2 65.a7 e1 66.a8 f2+
0-1
556 C06
Kotronias,Vasilios 2622
Gurevich,Mikhail 2633
7th ch-Euro Kusadasi TUR (6) 09.04.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 11.0-0 d6
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2
Kotronias is a great opening analyst, with a lot
of experience in this variation so the fact that
Black survives is a great validation for this line.
h6 15.g6 xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1
f4 18.g3 e5!
[ Note that at move 22, the game might have
transposed to Hagarova-Rudolf, as given on
C h e s s P u b . T h a t g a m e w e n t 18...d6
19.ad1 e5 20.h7+ h8 21.dxe5 xe5
22.fe1 etc. ]
19.ad1 d6 20.h7+ h8 21.dxe5 xe5
22.e4!? The latest try for White.
[ Here 22.fe1 is Hagarova-Rudolf as
mentioned above. ]
22...h3!
[ White seems to get a slightly better
endgame after 22...g5 23.xd5!?
A) or 23...gxh4 24.e4 ( not 24.g8?
e7 ) 24...e7 25.xh2 hxg3+ 26.fxg3
looks good for White as if g5? 27.c7!
with a double threat of mate on c7 and 28.
494
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Rd8+.;
B) 23...xd5 24.e4 ( if 24.f4 e6!? )
24...e6 25.fe1 gxh4 26.xe5+ xe5
27.xe5 c7 28.xh2 hxg3+ 29.fxg3
etc. ]
23.xh2!
[ Instead 23.fe1? looks bad for White after
dxe4 24.xe4 ( 24.xd6? g2+ 25.xh2
xf3# ) 24...xd1! 25.xd1 ( not 25.xe5
xf3+ 26.xh2 g2# ) 25...g2+ 26.xh2
xf3+ 27.xf3 xf3 etc. ]
23...e6
[ After 23...g5 24.b3 looks awkward for
Black as if gxh4?! 25.xb7 threatens mate
on h7 as well as the rook. ]
24.h5!
[ There is still a mate if f3 drops: 24.f5?
xf3+ 25.h1 g2# ]
24...dxe4
[ 24...xh5 25.xd5 d6 26.h1!
and it seems Black can't do anything
murderous with a discovered check, which
means White has the better chances. ]
25.xf4 xf3+ 26.h1 f5 27.g3 xf1
28.xf1 g5 Now White has nothing better
than to f orce a draw by perpetual check.
Naturally, the knight has to remain on f4 or
else Qh3+ will lead to mate.
[ Not 28...c8 29.d1 g5 30.d5! ]
29.c3+ h7 30.c7+ h8 31.c3+
[ If 31.xb7? f8 and there are no checks
for the white queen. ]
31...h7 32.c7+
½-½
557 C06
Kotronias,Vasilios 2602
Ni Hua 2281
ch Edinburgh SCO (3) 16.07.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6
15.h7+ h8 16.g6 xf3 17.xh5 f8
18.g3 d7 19.ad1
[ M o r e s o l i d t h a n 19.ac1 as played in
Seba g-Ko tron ias on ChessPub . Be f ore
undertaking anything active the Greek GM
strengthens his inf luence over the vital
squares d4 and e5. ]
19...f6 20.d2! Now the white queen heads
for e3 where she is in touch with the
a f o r e m e n t i o n e d d a r k s q u a r e s . af8?
A natural developing move but it allows White
to gain a bind on the centre. I would suggest
[ 20...xg3 21.hxg3 e8! to ease the
pressure by exchanging bishops unless
W h i t e p l a ys 22.f3 when Black can seize
the initiative with g5! ]
21.e3 e7?! This weakens Black's control
over e5 and also leads to problems along the
c file. He might still have eased the pressure
with
[ 21...e8!? ]
22.c1 b6 23.xd6 xd6 24.e5! a6
Exchanging queens would lead to disaster
down the c f ile. Theref ore Black tries f or
counterplay. 25.c7! Kotronias has correctly
judged that he can beat off Black's attack and
win on the queenside. b5 26.xe7 xe2
27.c7 g8 28.xe2 xe2 29.xb7 g4
30.xa7 xd4 31.b4 f4 32.g3 f3
33.c7 gf8 34.c2 e4 35.c5 h5
[ White will win the battle of the pawns after
35...d4 36.b5 e5 37.b6 ]
36.d2 8f6 37.d4 g6 38.b5 6f4
39.b2 h4 40.b6 hxg3 41.hxg3 xg3+
The only chance is to deliver perpetual check-
or preferably mate!- but the White king has
enough bodyguards. 42.fxg3 xg3+ 43.g2
e3+ 44.ff2 e1+ 45.h2 h4+ 46.g3
h6 47.h2 e3+ 48.g2 e4+ 49.g1
g4+
[ Or 49...e1+ 50.f1 g3+ 51.g2 ]
50.hg2
1-0
558 C06
Kotronias,Vasilios 2578
Williams,Simon Kim 2466
Weekender Cork IRL (4) 02.04.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 These days you
could argue that this move is imprecise and
should be replaced with
[ 7.gf3 ]
495
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3
d6 11.0-0 c7 The idea of this move order
is to rule out the exchange of bishops which
occurs after
[ 11...0-0 12.f4 As will be seen, pointing
the bishop at h2 is no idle threat. ]
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6
15.g6 xf3 16.xh5 It's very reassuring for
devotees of this variation as Black that a
brilliant theorist like Kotronias wants nothing
to do with
[ 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4 You can of
course find detailed commentary on this
position on ChessPub. I'd just like to say
here: if in doubt, Black should put the queen
on d6, not f6! ]
16...xh2+! As you would expect, a tactically
creative player like IM Simon Williams selects
the most confrontational move. He has no
time for a slight positional inferiority after
[ 16...f8 17.g3 for which- with the moves
Bh7+ and Kh8 thrown in- see the games
Se b a g-B e rg an d K o t ro n ias-T h o m a s o n
ChessPub. ]
17.h1 f8!? An interesting move which only
works with the black king on g8. For details of
why it fails in the Bh7+/Kh8 version of this
opening line, check out Delgado-Rodriguez
on ChessPub. 18.g3
[ Here 18.f4 is the obvious alternative. It
leads to double edged play, but I think Black
is at the very least OK, possibly doing better.
For example xf4
A) Or 19.xf4 xf4 20.g3 e5 21.xf4
exf4 22.g6 e7 23.xf4 xd4
( but not 23...h4+ 24.g1 xf4
25.e8+ f8 26.f7+! winning Black's
queen. ) 24.xd5 h4+ 25.g1 f5
and White's king is in the most danger as
he has one less pawn to defend it with.;
B) 19.xf4 xf4 20.g3 ( Here 20.g3?
xf1+ 21.xf1 xg3 just loses a piece- if
Black's king were on h8 it would be
completely different.) 20...f5 21.g4!?
( Black has a good version of a
characteristic exchange sacrifice after
21.g6 d6 22.xf5 exf5 ) 21...xh5
Giving up the exchange to weaken the
attack and open up the white king.
( Instead 21...f4 22.g2!? xd4
might be playable for Black, when the
three extra pawns should come in very
handy. ) 22.gxh5 e5 and if now 23.g6
d7 threatening a check on h3 looks
reasonable for Black. ]
18...g5! The only move, but it assures Black of
a good position. 19.g6+ g7 20.xh2
xg6 21.xg6 e5 Williams plays with great
energy and leaves his opponent struggling to
hold his position together. 22.f4 g4! 23.c3
xd4 24.fxg5 hxg5 25.xg5 g7 26.d3
f3+ 27.xf3 xf3 28.f1 h8+
[ More incisive was 28...af8 29.g2 f2
when if 30.xd5 f3 wins. ]
29.h4 d4 30.e4 e3
[ Perhaps stronger was an invasion of the
seventh rank with 30...c8 31.g2 c2 ]
31.d2 e2 32.g2 b5 33.g1 e2
34.e4 f8 35.e7 f7 Now it looks grim for
White in view of the threat of 36...Bc6, winning
a piece, but Kotronias just manages to hold
the endgame after eliminating the passed
pawns. 36.d6 c6 37.xe5+ g6
38.xd4 xe4 39.f1 d2 40.c3 dd7
41.e1 d3 42.e6+ h7 43.g2 f5
44.e8 fe7 45.h8+ g6 46.f3 d3
47.f2 e4 48.g8+ h6 49.h8+ g6
50.g8+ h6 51.e2 d6 52.g4 g6
53.f3 e8 54.xe8 xe8 55.xb7 g5
56.e5 The Greek Grandmaster is a serious
opening analyst and I'm sure will be looking to
do better next time.
½-½
559 C06
Kryvoruchko,Yuriy 2598
Apicella,Manuel 2518
26th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (7)
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 0-0
[ 11...c7! Knaak ]
12.f4 xf4 13.xf4 e4 14.c1
With both 14 Ne2 and 14 g3 looking less than
id e a l, t h is so lid m o ve is a t t ra ct in g m o r e
attention. Neil suggests that it gives White a
small plus, and Mickey Adams use of 14 Qc1
is a good advertisement.
[ 14.h5 g6 15.g3 xg3 16.hxg3 b6
496
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

17.a4 a6! 18.ab1 d7 19.e2 e5 f6 ) 24.f2 g6 25.e2 a6?!
20.d1 xf3+ 21.gxf3 ac8= Rublevsky- ( 25...f6 ) 26.e3 f6!? ( 26...e6
Ulybin/St.Peterburg zt/1993/ ] 27.d2 g6 ) 27.b3 g5 28.h4 h5
[ 14.g3 f6 15.h4 h6 16.xe4 dxe4 29.xb7 d6! 30.a8+ , Vachier
17.e5 d8 18.xc6 bxc6 19.c2 L a gra ve , M (2 6 3 2 ) -V o lko v, S (2 6 3 3 ) ,
Sorokin-Ulybin/ Borzhomi/1988/ g5! ] Plovdiv 2008 and apart from 30...Kf7 31
[ 14.e2 xf3! 15.gxf3 g5 ] Qxa6 Rxh4, which eventually led to a
14...g5 draw, h7! 31.xa6 f4!
[ 14...f6 15.e2 ] would guarantee a perpetual. ]
15.xg5 xg5 16.xh7+ Probably the best 18.xf8+ g8 19.axc1 xf8 20.fe1!
winning try, especially with White's approach W hite ref uses to tie down his rooks to
in this game. defending the d-pawn.
[ Also f rom this mo nth : 16.e2 f6!? [ A n e a r l i e r g a m e w e n t 20.fd1 f5
( Moskalenko gives games and analysis to ( McDonald gives this a '?' and suggests
support the idea that 16...xc1 17.axc1 20...e6 followed by putting the king on d6.
'+/=' a6! and ...Bd7 is equal. Whether or not It's unlikely that White has any advantage in
t h a t 's t e c h n ica lly s o , in p ra c t ice B la c k that case.) 21.c5 d8 22.h4 e7 23.f3
should hold easily) 17.c5 ( 17.d2 d6 24.c3 f8 25.g4 and White's pawns
i s a n a l y s e d i n A d a m s - G u r e vi c h i n t h e pro ve d quite da nge ro us in Go de na, M-
Archives. It appears to me that Black can Gasthofer, A, Kusadasi TUR 2006. You can
reach practical equality a bit too easily for find that game in the Archives. ]
White's taste, although it is true that White's [ 20.f4 is given as clearly advantageous for
losing chances are substantially reduced. White by Knaak but giving up an outpost on
One line goes a6 -versus Bb5, although that e4 doesn't seem right, for example, f5
really isn't so bad- 18.ac1 d7 19.b1 21.h3 e4 22.fd1 e7 ]
, and here 19...Rac8 is natural, but e8!? 20...f5
with the idea ...Bg6 is a useful idea.; 17.e3 [ Black should avoid 20...f7 21.e3 e6
d7 18.ad1 ac8 19.b1 e8 20.h3 22.b3! , forcing c8 , as well as ]
f7 21.f4 fe8 22.b3 e5= Dvoirys, S- [ 20...xd4? 21.cd1 c6 22.xd5 ]
Ul yb i n / C h e l y a b i n s k / 1 9 9 0 /) 17...d7 21.e3 Threatening Rf3. g8 22.ce1 f8
18.ad1 ac8 19.d6 ( 19.f3 e8 [ 22...f7 or ]
20.d6 d8 21.a3 g6 ) 19...e8 [ 22...g6 keeps White to a very small
20.d2 h5 21.g3 f7 22.e2 h5 advantage. ]
23.g3 f7 24.e2 h5 25.g3 f7 23.e8! xd4! 24.xf8+
1/2-1/2 Prakash, R (2285)-Lahiri, A (2379), [ 24.1e7! xe8 25.xe8+ f7 26.b8 b5
Gurgaon 2010. ] 27.b7+ f6 28.xa7 keeps some
16...xh7 17.xe6 xc1 advantage for White, but Black's king and
[ The fate of the line 17...f6 18.xf8+ pieces are actively placed, and he has a
xf8 seems to depend upon the passed pawn, so my f irst guess (only a
continuation 19.g5 f5 20.h4+ g8 guess) is that he should hold. ]
A) 21.ae1 d7 22.e3 e8 ( 22...g4 24...xf8 25.d1 e2+ 26.f1 f4 27.g3
may be just as good, but after 23.xg4 d3 28.b3 b6?
xg4 24.fe1 of Maslak, K (2521)-Volkov, [ 28...e7 29.e2 b4 30.a3 c2
S (2636), Novokuznetsk 2008, I think d7 31.xd5 b6! threatens ...Be6. ]
f o l l o we d b y . . . R f 8 i s a b e t t e r wa y t o 29.e2 b4 30.a3
equality than 24...Bh5?!) 23.xe8+ xe8 [ 30.d4! also picks up a pawn, but more
24.h3 Dvoirys, S (2565)-Gleizerov, E cleanly: c6 ( 30...xa2 31.f4 g6 32.g4
(2550), St Petersburg 1993 and here c2 c1+ 33.e3 d4+ 34.d2 xb3+
gives plenty of counterplay; 35.d1 ) 31.xd5 ]
B) 21.fe1 d7 22.f3 f8 23.ad1 30...c2 31.xd5 e6
f6!? ( or 23...g6 24.f2 d6! 25.e3 [ 31...e7! ]

497
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
32.d8+ e7 33.a8 a5 34.a7+ f8
35.b4 axb4 36.axb4 xb4 37.b7 b5
38.e3 c4 The endgame is set. Only White
has winning chances, but it's likely that Black
can draw with good defence. That's what
happens. 39.d4 c2+ 40.c3 e1 41.h4
d3 42.f3 e5 43.f4 c6 44.g4 b4+
45.d2 b3 46.c3 d5 47.b5 e7
48.d4 f3 49.g5 g6 50.f5 xh4
51.e5 c6 52.b4 f3+ 53.d6 e8
54.g6 b2 55.xb2 h4 56.e6 xg6
57.fxg6 xg6 58.b8+ e8 59.d8 g5
60.f6 g4 61.d4 b5 62.xg4 e8
63.b4 f1 64.f4 b5 65.e6 d7+
66.d6 h3 67.f2 g4 68.g2 h3
69.g3 f5 70.e5 b1 71.g7 a2
72.f6 d8 73.a7 b3 74.e5 e8
75.f6 d8 76.e7 a2 77.e2 b3
78.b2 c4 79.d2+ e8
½-½
560 C06
Kwiatkowski,Feliks J
Rendle,Thomas
Challengers Hastings 2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5
9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.a4?!
This doesn't work out well, but then Black
also seems fine after 11 a3-see Nisipeanu-
Lputian. g5! This is the standard move,
p r e p a r i n g t o u n d e r m i n e d 4 . 12.b3?
White panics. He had to play
[ 12.h3 h5 13.g4 though I like Black's
position after f8 planning... Bd7, ...Ng6,
etc. ]
12...g4 13.fd2 c7!! It is incredible that
such a quiet retreating move can be so lethal.
White finds no sensible way to deal with the
threat to trap his queen. 14.f1?
[ If 14.b1 b5! 15.xb5 a6 16.a4 b6
wins the queen, so White has to try either ]
[ 14.f1 b6 15.b5 a4 16.c5 a5
17.d3 xc5 18.dxc5 d7 when he loses
a pawn or ]
[ 14.e2 b6 15.b5 a4 16.c5 a5
17.d3 xc5 18.dxc5 d7 19.xg4
dxe5 20.h3 xc5 and again Black is a
pawn up with a good position. Nevertheless,
he would have counterplay in either case.
What happens in the game is an
immediate catastrophe. ]
14...b6 15.b5 a4 White loses a piece as
moving the knight allows 16...Ra5, trapping
the queen.
0-1
561 C06
Kwiatkowski,Feliks J
Rendle,Thomas
Challengers Hastings 1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3
[ After 10.0-0 it is extremely risky for Black to
capture the d pawn. After xd4? 11.xd4
xd4 12.f3 f6 13.g5 f7 14.c2
d6 15.ac1! Black had severe problems in
Rublevsky-Dyachkov, Russia 1998. He is
threatened with mate in two by 16 Qxc8+,
and 15...0-0 16 Bxh7+ is dreadful. Therefore,
h e h a d t o c o n c e d e m a t e r i a l w i t h h5
16.xc8+ xc8 17.xc8+ f7 18.xh8
xh2+ 19.xh2 xg5 20.f3 f6 21.c1
xb2 22.c7 e7 23.b8! and Black soon
resigned. Instead of taking on d4, 10...Bd6
11 Nf3 h6 transposes to the lines below. ]
10...h6 This is necessary sooner or later so
Black might as well play it immediately. It is
useful to deny White the g5 square, as after
for instance
[ 10...d6 11.g5 f7 12.h4 White is
ready to offer the exchange of dark square
bishops with 13 Bg3, which is well known to
favour him in this type of position. Black
would have to play 12...h6 anyway, as 0-0??
13.xh7+ is a disaster. ]
11.0-0 d6 12.b1 One of the beautiful
things about Black's system is that the same
strategic layout of pieces can be adopted
against virtually any sequence of white moves,
as the following three examples will
demonstrate:
[ 12.c3 0-0 13.a3 d8 14.e3 f8
15.c1 d7 16.h1 g6 17.b1 f8
18.e2 ce7 19.g3 f5 20.e1 gh4
498
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
21.xf5 xf5 Mann-Libeau, Germany
1999. ]
[ 12.g3 0-0 13.e3 d8 14.c1 f8
15.e1 d7 16.a3 e8 17.b4 a6 18.b3
g6 Brynell-Gleizerov, Stockholm 1994. ]
[ 12.a3 0-0 13.c2 d8 14.d3 f8
15.g3 d7 16.d2 e8 17.ac1 g6
K viria s h vili- G le ize ro v, B e rlin 1 9 9 5 . I n
every case Black has at least equality. White
has therefore tried to upset his opponent's
easy deployment with Bb5 ideas, e.g. ]
[ 12.e3 0-0 13.b5 Then db8!?
( 13...e7 14.c1 d8 15.d2 g6
was Stoica-Ionescu, Romania 1997, and
now Stoica claims that White is a little better
after 16.h3 df8 17.h2! d7 18.g4
h4 19.d3 ac8 20.f4 ) 14.c1 d7
15.d2 b4 16.xd7 xd7 17.f4!? xf4
18.xf4 xa2 19.c7 xf4 20.xf4 xf4
21.xd7 gave unclear play in Smagin-Volkov,
Russia 1998. ]
12...0-0 13.d3 d8 14.g3 Hoping to get in
15 Nf4. 'White always has a check on h7, but
with any luck it's never going to be mate!' was
the opinion of Mastering the French. Indeed,
[ 14.h7+ proves a pointless exercise after
f7 15.e3 f8 16.d3 g8
Simple development also fails to set Black
any problems, e.g. ]
[ 14.e3 f8 15.a3 d7 16.b4 e8
followed by 17...Bh5 or 17...Bg6. ]
14...e5! 15.b3?! So far the game has
followed some analysis by IM Andrew
Kinsman, who gives the continuation
[ 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.f4
e7!? which seems fine for Black.
( T h e m o r e e n t e r p r i s i n g 17...d4
also lead to equality after 18.h7+ f7
19.g6+ xg6 20.xg6+ f6 21.d3
f5 in Baron Rodriguez-Shaked, Cala
Galdana 1996. )]
15...f7 16.xe5 dxe5 17.dxe5 xe5
18.f4 b6!
[ Also very strong is 18...g5 when capturing
on d5 loses: 19.xd5 e6 20.e4 c5
21.c3 xd5! 22.xd5 xd5 23.xe5 f3
and W hite has to give up his queen-
Rendle. ]
19.f3 a6 20.d3 The only chance. xf3+
21.g2 f8 22.d1 d4!?
[ This is good enough, but much quicker was
22...h4+!! 23.gxh4 ( 23.g1 c5+
24.xc5 xf1+ 25.xf1 xf1# ) 23...g6+
24.g5 ( 24.h1 e4+ 25.g1 xd3
and 26... Bc5+ wins.) 24...e4+! 25.f3
g4+ 26.f2 hxg5 27.xf8+ xf8+
28.e1 b4+ 29.xb4 xb4+ 30.d2
f1# ]
23.xf3 b7 24.e1 h5?! Having reached
a winning position, Black has begun to falter.
[ H e r e m o r e l o g i c a l w a s 24...ae8!
t h r e a t e n i n g 2 5 . . . R x e 1 . T h e n 25.d3
( 25.f2 xe1! 26.xf7 xd1 27.xf8+
xf8 ) 25...g5! leaves White defenceless
against the twin threats of ...Rxe1 and ...g4,
e.g. 26.f2 xf3 27.xf3 g4 ]
25.d3 f6?
[ This should throw the win away, which was
still to be had with 25...xf3! 26.xf3 e8!
The t hrea t of 2 7. ..B xf 3+ 2 8 Qxf 3 Re2 +
would have been very strong, e.g. 27.f2
( 27.h7+ f8 28.f5+ xf5 29.xf5
e2+ 30.f1 xf3 ) 27...xf3 28.xf3
xh2+ 29.f1 xg3 and Black wins. ]
26.h7+ f8 27.e4! xe4 28.xe4 e8
29.xd4? Time pressure!
[ 29.xf6+ gxf6 30.xd4 wins for White. ]
29...e2+ 30.f1 xf3+ 31.xe2 f4+
0-1
562 C06
Lagerman,Robert 2315
Alaguzov,Maxat 2200
Agentura 64 Cup IMB (7) 05.08.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 e7 8.0-0 g5
9.dxc5 g4 10.d4 cxe5!? with the
general plan of Nxc5, Bd7, Qc7 and 0-0-0.
11.c2!? A quiet retreat that contains a lot of
poison. White keeps his bishop aiming to the
right at the black kingside, where it can hope
to do some damage after the f2-f4 advance.
[ Lame is 11.e2? If White manages to get
in Qxg4, as in the main game, he can hope
to build up a strong attack. But going after
the g4 pawn with the bishop isn't in the spirit
o f t h e o p e n in g. I t a llo ws B la ck t i m e t o
mobilise his game and then use the open g-
file for counterplay. xc5 12.xg4 d7
499
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.h3 c7 14.h5 g6 15.g3 0-0-0
16.2f3 dg8 17.g2 e4 and Black had
an excellent position in Loncar, R-Efimov, I/
Trieste ITA 2005. ]
[ 11.b5 xc5 Now White has to make an
important choice. A rapidplay game went
A) Too slow is 12.2b3?! d6 13.h1
a6 14.xd7+ xd7 15.f4 gxf3 16.xf3
h5 to stop Qh5. 17.xe5 xe5 18.f3
e7 19.e3 f6 20.ae1 0-0-0 21.g1
b5 22.f2 h4 23.d2 h3 and Black had
a winning attack in Kuehn, P-Pelling, T/
Dresden GER 2008.;
B) The obvious move and perhaps best.
12.f4 c6 13.xc6 bxc6 14.xg4 f6
15.2f3 a6?! ( A routine decision. Black
wo u ld g e t d yn a m i c p la y a f t e r 15...b7
16.e3 0-0-0 intending Rdg8 or maybe
Bb6 and c6-c5 in time.) 16.e1 0-0-0
17.g5 xg5 18.fxg5 c7 19.b4 d6
20.a4 b7 21.e3 with some pressure
for W hite in Veroci, Z-Gyorkos, L/
Budapest HUN 2007.;
C) 12.e1 d6 ( Perhaps he might try the
heroic 12...0-0!? e.g. 13.xd7 xd7
14.xg4+ h8 15.2b3 d6 ) 13.f4
gxf3 14.2xf3 xf3+ 15.xf3 xh2+!
16.f1 ( Not 16.xh2 h4+ ) 16...h4
17.e3 0-0 18.f2 h6 19.g3 f6
20.g2 e4 21.e3 g6 22.xh2 e5
23.b3 g4 24.g2 f5 Black has a big
initiative for the piece. 25.e2 h5+
26.g1 h8 27.h2 g6 28.h6 g8
29.xg4 xg4 30.h4 g6 31.h2 f4
32.c5 ( If 32.gxf4 f5 and 33...Rh5.)
32...fxg3+ 33.g1 f2 34.xe4 dxe4
35.e1 f4 36.e7 h5 intending mate
on h2. 37.xe5+ xe5 38.d4
'1-0' say the record books. Perhaps Black
lost on time in Hebden, M-Summerscale,
A/Bradford 2001. ]
11...xc5?
[ Correct was 11...xc5! 12.f4 c6
A) Black has a good game after 13.xc6
bxc6 14.xg4 a6 ( or 14...e5!? ) 15.e1
b6 16.h1 d3 17.xd3 xd3;
B) 13.xg4 e5 14.f5
B1) 14...h5 15.e2 ( not 15.g7 f6 )
15...xf5 16.xf5 b6 17.h1 e4;
B2) 14...e4 it seems better to keep
White's bishop out of f5 where it stops
queenside castling by Black, though
also interesting is 15.h5 xf5 16.xf5
d7 17.h5 0-0-0! with a strong centre
and safe king for Black- the two things
he desires in this variation. ]
12.f4 gxf3
[ Black's play is rather compliant, but also
unpleasant for him is 12...c6 13.2b3
xd4 14.cxd4 d6 15.xg4 etc. ]
13.2xf3 xf3+ ...and this allows the white
queen to enter the fray. But the situation for
Black was already unenviable, as not only is
he facing an attack but he also can't answer
the strategic question: how do you develop
y o u r q u e e n s i d e p i e c e s ? 14.xf3
Black played the French and ended up facing
the King's Gambit! e5?
[ The best chance was 14...e7 and gritty
defence. ]
15.h5 g6 16.h6 g8 17.g5
[ Already 17.xf7! works- xf7 18.g5!
and Black has to give up his queen as it's a
m a s s a c r e a f t e r d6 19.xh7+ f8
20.xg6 ( or 20.f1+ )]
17...c7 18.a4+
[ Another method is 18.xh7 h8 19.a4+
f8 20.h6+ e7 21.xf7+ ]
18...d7 19.xf7! xf7 20.f1+ e8
21.xh7 f8
[ If 21...e7 22.f7+ d8 23.xg8+
and mates. ]
22.f7#
1-0
563 C06
Lalic,Bogdan 2549
Pert,Nicholas 2443
Redbus KO Southend (1.1) 02.04.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 b6
12.b3 0-0 13.f4 xf4 14.xf4 e4
15.e2 d6 16.c3!?
[ Lalic rules out an exchange sacrifice on f3
as occurs after 16.c1 d7 17.b1 xf3
18.gxf3 f8 when John Watson says that
Black has lasting pressure for the exchange.
W hilst t his is t rue I th ink W hit e re tain s
500
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

somewhat better chances. ] 564 C06

[ Alternatively, 16.d2 d7 17.ad1 ac8 Lanzani,Mario 2359
( White's pieces are better poised for a Rxf3 Sengupta,Deep 2530
s a c r i f i c e h e r e , f o r e x a m p l e 17...xf3 36th Open Sevilla ESP (4) 10.01.2011
18.gxf3 f8 19.f4!? ) 18.fe1 b4 19.b1 [John Watson]
a5 20.e5 e8 21.c1 d8 22.f4
a n d W h i t e wa s we l l o n t o p i n B r y n e l l - 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
Akesson, SWE-ch Ronneby 1998. ] 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
16...d7 9.f4 fxe5?! This doesn't seem sufficient for
[ Black could make a thematic sacrifice with equality, but it's a possible way to throw the
16...xf3 17.xf3 but the fact that his opponent off.
queen's rook and bishop are still asleep [ 9...xd4 is normal, as we see in this
m e a n s t h a t i t i s i n s u f f i c i e n t : xd4 month's games. ]
( Black doesn't have enough for the 10.xe6 b6 11.0-0 f6
exchange after 17...xd4 18.b5 xb5 [ 11...xd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.f3
19.xb5 ) 18.h5! g6 ( 18...h6 19.g6 ) , a nd a sam ple line is g4 ( 13...b4
19.xg6 hxg6 20.xg6+ f8 21.ad1 14.xe5 xe5 15.e1 d6 16.xe5+
threatening Qf6+ and intending Rd3 etc. xe5 17.h5+ is promising, because the d-
looks dangerous for Black. ] pawn will also fall. ) 14.h3 h5 15.b5! ]
17.a4! d8 18.e1 b6 To prevent Nc5, 12.dxe5 xe5 13.b5+
but now that the b6 square has disappeared [ 13.xf8 xd3 14.e2+ f7 15.xd3
as a strategical point for Black's queen he xf8 16.f3 g8 is playable, although
finds it difficult to create any active play. White has a persistent edge. ]
19.c3 b4? 13...f7 14.g5+ g8 15.e2 d6
[ Giving up the fight for e5. Perhaps Black 16.gf3
should settle for gritty defence with 19...f6 [ 16.b3 is a simpler way to get White's
20.d2 h8 21.e5 ad8 as in the game pieces out. Then h6 17.f3 c4 18.bd4
the exchange of bishop for knight is very d7 19.b3 e5 20.xe5 xe5 21.e3
unfavourable for him. ] is pleasant for White. If Black were castled
20.e5 xd3 21.xd3 e8 22.d2 a5 and with his kingside pawns unmoved, this
23.f3 b5 24.e2 b4 25.f4 Black's bi shop would be equal, but as it stands White has
is useless, he has a big hole on e5 and a an initiative and weaknesses to play off of, e.
weak pawn on e6. Meanwhile White's knights g., a5 22.c1 f7 23.f4! d6 24.f3
are ideally placed. g5 26.g3 b5 27.ad1 hc8 25.e5+ g8 26.xd7 xd7
ae8 28.g4 d7 29.e5 f5 30.g2 27.g4 xc1 28.e6+ h8 29.xc1 f6
xe5 31.xe5 b5 32.c1 e7 33.c5 30.d4 ]
f8 34.c1 White's pieces have seized all 16...f5
the dark squares. e8 35.g4! Now is the [ 16...g6!? 17.b3 f4 18.e3 xe2+
m o m e n t f o r t h e in f a n t r y t o i n c re a s e t h e 19.xe2 b4 keeps White's advantage at
stranglehold on Black. f7 36.e3 a4 moderate levels. ]
37.g3 axb3 38.axb3 xe5 39.xe5 d7 17.b3
A text book bad bishop 40.c7 h6 41.h4 [ 17.xe5! xe5 18.f3 xb2!? 19.xb2
f7 42.b7 h7 43.h5 This rules out even xb2 20.d3 xd3 21.xd3 b6 22.fe1
the dream of a pawn break with g7-g5. e8 d6 ( v e r s u s R e 7 ) 23.ab1 ( 23.d4 )
44.g6 f7 45.c7 Black resigned. He is 23...b6 24.bc1 f8 25.e5 keeps Black
completely tied up and next move 46.Ne5 will at a loss for a plan. ]
put him out of his misery. 17...c7!?
1-0 [ He should prefer 17...e4 18.e3 b4 ]
18.bd4
[ 18.g5! e4 19.xf6 ( 19.c1 f7
20.xe5 xe5 21.f3 g6 22.d2 )

501
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

19...gxf6 20.c1 with a clear advantage. ] 565 C06

18...xf3+ 19.xf3 e4 20.g3 f7 21.e3 Lillo Castany,Victor 2312
e5?! Lalic,Bogdan 2470
[ 21...h6 22.xe4! dxe4 23.f3 h7 III Open Internacional LLucmajor (5) 14.05.14
( 23...e8 24.f5 ) 24.fxe4 he8 25.d3 [Bogdan Lalic]
h8 improves. These positions actually
require a lot of calculation. ] All notes to this game are by Bogdan Lalic
22.g2 (thank you!) except for those marked '[jw]',
[ Or 22.e2 h6 23.f3 g6 24.f4 xd4 which are mostly references. 1.e4 e6 2.d4
25.xd4 e4 ] d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7
22...h6? 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5 9.a4
[ 22...xg2 23.xg2 d7 ] [jw: The fashionable move. For others, please
23.f3! g6 24.f4! c7 consult the Archives. Lalic gives this line:]
[ 24...xd4 25.xd4 e4 26.c1 h7 [ 9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 g5!? 11.h3 h5
27.h3 ] 12.f1 ( 12.g4 hxg4 13.hxg4 b6
25.f5! Now Black is in big trouble and certainly 14.a4 f8 ) 12...g4 13.hxg4 hxg4
lost. h5 26.f3 14.3h2 b4 15.e3 h4 ( [jw]: A fairly
[ Or 26.d3! h7 27.e6 ] recent game went 15...f5 16.exf6 xf6
26...b6 27.xh5?! 17.xg4 xg4 18.xg4 f6 Studer, N
[ 27.g4! e7 28.e1 f7 29.e6! (2336) -Poetsch, H (2482), Deizisau 2014,
clearly favours White. ] and W hite was better after 20 Rf3, and
27...xh5 28.xh5 xh5 29.ad1 f7! might have been even more so following
30.c2 hc8 Black is hanging in there, 19.g6+ with the idea d7? 20.xe6! )
although of course White has the advantage. 16.g3 f5 ( 16...xd4? 17.xg4 h5
31.xb6 xc2 18.g8+ f8 19.xh5 xh5 20.g3!
[ Or 31...axb6 32.b4 f6 33.a3 c5 ] xe5 21.f4 ) 17.exf6 xf6 18.g6+ f8
32.d4 e8 ( jw: 18...e7 might connect rooks faster)
[ 32...a6! 33.f2 ac8 ] 19.f4 e7!? ]
33.f2 ee2? 34.xe2 xe2 35.c1 a6 9...cxd4 [jw: In Ni Hua-Cvek in the Archives, I
36.c7+ e7 37.xe7+ xe7 38.f2 f6 discu ss va rio us a lt e rn a t ive s I 'm s t ill n o t
39.f3 This should be won for White, with convinced that 9... cxd4 is necessary] 10.cxd4
bishop-versus knight and pawns on both sides b4
of the board. But it would take some analysis. [ [jw:] 10...b6 11.e1 ( 11.b3 ) 11...d7
f7 40.f4 d7 41.g4 f8 42.h4 f7 12.f1 b4 13.b1 c8 14.b3 c7 15.h4
43.g5 Fine. h6 16.h5 c8 17.f4 Saiboulatov, D
[ 43.c3 is a sort of zugzwang, e.g., b5 (2388)-Feygin, M (2512), Belgium 2014. ]
( 43...b6 44.e3; 43...f8 44.e3 f7 ) 11.b5
44.a3 b6 45.e5 c4+ 46.d4 ] [ 11.b1 b6 12.e1 a6 13.f1 c8
43...hxg5+ 44.hxg5 g6! Tricky. 45.a4 b6 14.g3 ( [jw:] 14.a3 - see Archives notes)
46.b4 b5! 47.axb5? 14...h5!? ( 14...c6 15.h5! )]
[ 47.a5! should win, e.g., b8 48.fxg6+ 11...0-0
xg6 49.e5 c6 50.c3 [ [jw:] For 11...b6 12.b1! a6 13.c3
and the queenside pawns will win. ] , see Ni Hua-Cvek. ]
47...axb5 It's a draw now. White can't 12.b1 b6
penetrate. 48.c3 b8 [ [jw:] For 12...b8 , see Zojer-Lehner and
½-½ Kerrigan-Antic in the Archives. ]
13.c3 d7 14.e1 [jw: We haven't seen
this move yet.]
[ [Lalic:] 14.f4 c8 ( jw: 14...c8
is to the point) 15.d2 a7 16.e2 b8
17.h4!? Adams Michael ]

502
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ [jw:] 14.b3 and a note on ]
[ 14.e2 can be found in Chandra-Ghosh in
the Archives. ]
14...c8
[ [jw:] It seems to me that Black has good
o p t i o n s h e r e i n 14...c8 15.f1
or, better still, ]
[ 14...xb5! 15.xb5 ( 15.axb5?! c7 )
15...c8 16.c3 c7 with the idea of ...
Qc4 or if the bishop moves, ... Nc4. ]
15.g3!?
[ 15.f4 a7 16.f1 b8 17.e3 b5! ]
15...a7 16.f1 b8 17.h4! with idea
Bc1-g5
[ 17.f4 b5 ]
17...h6
[ 17...b5?! 18.axb5 xb5 19.g5 xg5
20.hxg5! a7 21.g2 ac6 22.d2 b6
23.e2 e7 24.h1 g6 25.h2 ]
18.f4 b5 19.d2 h7
[ 19...bxa4 20.xh6! gxh6 21.xh6 ac6
22.xa4 ]
20.ec1
[ 20.h2! bxa4 21.g4 h5 22.e3
b6 ]
[ 20.axb5 xb5 21.h2 b6= ]
20...bxa4 21.xa4 b5! 22.xb5 xb5
23.e1
[ 23.h2!? ]
23...g8 24.d3
[ 24.xh6?! gxh6 25.xh6 bc6! 26.f3
b4 27.h5 ( [jw: White should bail out by
27.c5! xd4 28.xd4 xd4 29.xe6
fxe6 30.g6+= ) 27...g7 28.g4+ h6!
29.f4+ h7 ]
24...xd3 25.xd3 b8= 26.d2 b7
½-½
566 C06 allows an obvious attack.. Critical is
Lou Yiping 2484
Kamsky,G 2741
FIDE World Cup 2013 (1.3) 13.08.2013
[John Watson]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 a6 It's always
interesting to see what Kamsky comes up with,
as he has had some good ideas in the French. 12.axb5 axb5 13.xa8+ xa8 14.g4?!
This is rather slow, but prevents Bb5 and
prepares to expand with ...b5. There's
another promising idea which he, however,
doesn't opt for. 8.0-0 b5
[ In my French: Dangerous Weapons book, I
analyse 8...b5, but also recommend 8...g5
, with the usual ideas, which turns out to
f6
be perfectly playable and in my opinion
objectively stronger than 8...b5. But the
latter move has little theory attached to it,
and Kamsky may have his own thoughts. ]
9.e1 In my Dangerous Weapons book, I
analysed
[ a) 9.a3 b6 and ]
[ b) 9.dxc5 dxe5 , both satisfactory for
Black ]
[ c) But a promising alternative is 9.a4 , e.g.,
b8 ( 9...b4 10.c4! e7 11.cxd5 exd5
12.dxc5 xc5 13.b3 xd3 14.xd3 )
10.axb5 axb5 11.dxc5 xc5 12.b3
with a positional edge. ]
9...b6
[ I mention 9...b8 ]
10.a4
[ 10.dxc5 xc5 11.e2 may also give
some advantage. I mention the idea
dxe5?! ( 11...e7 is best ) 12.xe5 xe5
13.xe5 xf2+ 14.h1 xe1 15 Qxe1 f6,
but here 15.xg7! f8 16.f3 f2 17.g5
refutes this idea. ]
10...b7
[ I give 10...bxa4 11.xa4 cxd4 12.cxd4
b4 13.f1 b7 , although White still has
a limited advantage here. ]
11.g5!? A bold but risky move which cedes
the centre for attack.
[ 11.axb5 axb5 12.xa8+ xa8 13.c2
c4!? ( 13...h6 ) 14.xh7 e7 is unclear,
although the extra pawn counts for
something. ]
11...e7? Careless. This is too passive and
[ 11...cxd4! 12.cxd4 and here 12...Be7 is
perhaps best and equal (compare the game,
where White ignores the capture on d4), in
view of xd4 13.df3! ( 13.h5 g6
14.g4 e7 ) 13...c5 14.a5! a7
15.xd4 xd4 16.f3 f8 17.g3
, which seems to f avour W hite, e.g., h6
18.f3 g5 19.h4 g8 20.b1 ]
[ 14.xf7! was perhaps too obvious, or
W hite didn't trust himself because of his
503
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
opponent's rating: xf7 15.h5+
( 15...g6 16.xg6+ g7 17.f7!; 15...g8
16.e8+ f8 17.xa8 ) 16.e3 cxd4
17.f3+ f6 18.exf6 xf6 19.b3
. What an upset this might have been! ]
14...cxd4 15.df3! dxc3 16.xh7?!
[ 16.bxc3 gives White ample compensation,
with roughly equal chances. ]
16...g6 After this White gets good chances.
[ 16...b4! 17.g6 ( 17.xg7 xd3
18.xh8+ f8 19.f1 xc1 20.xc1 cxb2
and Black has all the fun.) 17...c5!?
18.xf7+ xf7 19.h5+ g8 20.f6+
xf6 21.e8+ h7 22.h5+= ]
17.f6+ d8
[ 17...xf6 18.exf6 c5 ( 18...xf6
19.xe6+ fxe6 20.xe6+ e7 21.e5 )
19.xg6 fxg6 20.xe6+ d8 21.f7!
with powerful threats. ]
18.xd7 xd7 19.bxc3 b4 20.e3 a5
21.c4! dxc4 22.xc4!?
[ 22.xc4 d8 23.f4 ]
22...c8
[ 22...d8 ]
23.d1 e8 24.xg6! d8
[ 24...fxg6 25.xe6 ]
25.xd8+?
[ 25.d3! and Black has little if any
compensation for the pawn, since his b-
pawn is easy to stop. ]
25...xd8 26.c2 d5 27.d3
But now this pawn more than makes up for
Black's material disadvantage. It's surprising
that Kamsky doesn't convert against his low-
rated opponent. 28.b1 c6 29.h4 xf3!?
Allowing his greatest trump to be neutralized.
[ 29...b4! retains Black's advantages and is
extremely dangerous for White. ]
30.gxf3 xe5 31.xb3 xf3+ 32.g2
xh4+ 33.f1 Black still has the chances,
but W hite has escaped the worst of it.
However, he plays sloppily in what follows
and should have paid for it: a8 34.b5+
f8 35.h5 a1 36.b5 f5 37.e2
d4+ 38.xd4 xd4 39.d3 b6 40.e4
c5 41.f3 b2+ 42.c2 c3 43.a8+
[ 43.f4! f5 44.d3 ]
43...g7 44.e4 b6 45.g4+?
[ 45.h7+! f8 46.h6+ e7 47.g5+= ]
45...f8 46.e4 c5 47.f4? f2+?
Kamsky was asleep this game.
f8 [ 47...f5! is very strong: 48.a4 ( 48.d3
f2+ 49.d1 xf4 ) 48...e7 49.b1
f2+ 50.d1 c7! and a second pawn
falls. ]
48.d3 c7 49.f5! exf5 50.c6 f1+
51.c3 e5+ 52.b3 g7 53.c4 f2
54.d5 b6+ 55.c4 a6+ 56.b3 b6+
57.c4 f6 58.a4 a6+ 59.b3 b6+
60.c4 e3 61.c6+ g5 62.g2+ g3
63.c6 f4+ 64.d3 e5 65.d5 f6
66.f3 f4 67.e4 xe4+
½-½
567 C06
Maeder,Marius 2161
Berczes,David 2453
8th TCh-Euro U18 (7) 21.06.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 g5
9.dxc5 g4 A question still not answered by
theory is whether Black does best to kick the
k n i g h t f r o m f 3 wi t h t h i s p a wn t h r u s t , o r
capture on e5 straightaway with
[ 9...dxe5 ]
10.d4 dxe5 11.xc6?! Not an inspired
decision. The pawn that appears on c6 will be
a bastion of the black centre, allowing him to
b3 expand with e6-e5. Instead
[ 11.b5! with the idea of b2-b4 has been
discusse d in t he a rchive s, whe n W h it e
keeps up the pressure. ]
11...bxc6 12.b3
[ Here's a morality play about what might
happen if W hite goes after the g4 pawn:
12.e2 xc5 13.xg4 g8 14.e2 h4!
15.f3 xf3+ 16.xf3 a6 17.e2 d7!
18.xa6 h3 19.g3 xg3+ 20.hxg3
xg3+ 21.h1 h3+ 22.g1 g8+
and mates. ]
12...xd3 13.xd3 e5 14.e1
[ Perhaps White should attack the black
centre without any more ado with 14.f4 e.g.
a5 15.e3 ( 15.fxe5?! a6 ) 15...e4 16.f5
a4 17.d4 xc5 18.h6
with complications. ]
14...f6 15.h6
[ If 15.f4 gxf3 16.xf3 h5! when the black
centre remains intact and there is no check
504
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

on h5. ] the main lines begin with 14...g6 and 14...

15...f7 16.ad1 White has every piece
Ne4. My current preference is for the former,
developed: his queen, two rooks, a bishop and wi t h t h e i d e a g6 15.c2 ( ...Nxd4 was
a knight. His king is safely castled. Meanwhile, threatened, and 15.e1 g4! hits f4 and
Black has only one piece d eveloped, his f2 ) 15...d7 , for example, 16.e1 ae8
bishop on e7, unless you count the king who 17.g3! f7!? 18.e5 xd4! 19.xf7 xf7
is floating on the f7 square. But the black and Black has sufficient counterplay. ]
cen tre is broa d a nd shu tting ou t W hit e's 14.e1 White has a lot of options, for
pieces. Mader faces the added difficulty that example,
once lines are opened, Black's light squared [ 14.g5 0-0 15.fxe6 may be more
will be the best minor piece on the board. a5! complicated than I indicated in my book
17.c4 a4 18.cxd5?! xe6 16.xe6 f7 17.f4! ( 17.f5 g6
Insufficient, though
White is struggling after 18.h3 e4; 17.e1 e8 18.e2 b4= )
[ 18.d2 xc5 or ] 17...e8 18.f5 fe7 19.f2 a3
[ 18.c1 e6 ] with an unclear position and plenty of play
18...axb3 19.d6 for both sides. ]
[ Or 19.xb3 g6! 20.d6 xh6 21.dxe7 14...0-0 15.xe6 xe6 16.xe6 ae8
xe7 ] 17.xe8 xe8 18.b1 xa2 19.xb7 e4
19...bxa2! Only thus is the sacrifice to be
20.xe4
refuted. White would still have his chances [ 20.f1!? is awkward-looking, but worth a
after try. Then h6 ( 20...a5!? ) 21.h3 a6!?
[ 19...f8 20.xf8 xf8 21.xb3 ] 22.xa6 d2! 23.d3 xf3+ 24.xf3 f8
20.c3 25.g3 a1+ 26.h2 xd4 is roughly
[ Us e l e s s f o r W h i t e i s 20.dxe7 xd3
even. ]
21.xd3 a1 ] 20...dxe4 21.e5?!
20...f8 21.d7 xh6 22.c4+ e7
[ 21.g5 h6 22.f7 d5 23.g4 e7!
23.dxc8+ xc8 24.d3 e6 24.xh6+ h7 25.f5! xb7 26.h5+
0-1 g8 27.e8+ draws ]
21...f8 22.b3+
[ In my book, I cited 22.f3 e3! 23.b3+
568 C06 xb3 24.xb3 e2 25.f2 xd4
Mamedov,Nidjat 2610 Jhunjhnuwala-Omuku, Dubai 1968 ]
Akobian,Varuzhan 2628 22...xb3 23.xb3 xd4 24.e3 a5
7th World Team Championship (9) 13.01.2010 25.xe4 e8?! Acceding to a draw. That may
[John Watson] be the result anyway, but he could make
White work with
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ 25...d8 , intending ...a4. ]
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 b6 This is the 26.xd4 xe5 27.g3 h5 28.d6 f7
first time that I've seen a leading GM use this 29.a6 g6 30.h4 b5 31.g2 f5 32.f1
for some time. These days b5
[ 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 is the main line. ] ½-½
8.f3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0
d6 12.f4!?
[ Franz Steenbekkers' question this month 569 C06
de a ls wit h 12.b3 0-0 13.f4 . I wonder Mamedov,Nidjat 2617
what Akobian had in mind? Perhaps the line Gaya Llodra,Juan 2259
that I mention in that game, beginning with IV Open Palmi ESP (3) 22.11.2009
12...Qc7 instead of 12... 0-0. ] [John Watson]
12...xf4 13.xf4 xb2
[ 13...0-0 is also possib le , whe n 14.b3 Once again, the most dramatic line of the 3...
transposes into 12 b3 0-0 13 Bf4 etc. Then Be7/Universal System hybrid is tested with 8...

505
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
g5!?. White gives it a stern test. 1.e4 e6 2.d4
d5 3.d2 f6
[ 3...e7 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5
7.d3 c6 transposes, and is arguable the
main line of the 3 Nd2 Be7 Tarrasch. ]
4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3
e7 8.0-0 g5
[ 8...a5 is a major alternative, waiting for
White to commit. Then I covered 9 a4 last
month in the game Ni Hua-Cvek. I frankly
prefer 8...a5, but 8...g5 has remained a
tough nut to crack. ]
9.dxc5 dxe5 10.xe5
[ 10.b5 d7 11.e2 c7 12.e1 g6
13.b3 g4 14.fd4 e5 was promising for
Black in Rublevsky (2657)-Volkov (2558),
Ohrid 2001, as covered in the Chesspub
archives. ]
10...xe5 11.b3 McDonald says that this
(Hracek's idea) 'looks far more dangerous
than 11.Nf3 or 11.Bb5+', which have been
more frequently chosen. Again, check out the
Archives. a5!?
[ a) Neil McDonald covered the game Hracek
(2588)-Stellwagen (2532), Solingen 2005 in
an earlier column, and it bears repeating
with a few comments: 11...d7 12.f4 xd3
13.xd3
A) Neil suggests that 13...b6 14.e3
f a v o u r s W h i t e t h e n gxf4 15.d4!
( 15.xf4 c7 ) 15...f8 16.xf4 b5
17.f2 c4 might follow, with White
somewhat better;
B) 13...h6 14.e3 c7 15.d4 f8 ( Or
15...0-0-0? 16.e5 xc5+ 17.xc5
xc5+ 18.d4 b5 19.e3 c6
20.xh8 xf1 21.f6 a6 22.xd8
xd8 23.fxg5 1-0 Ramesh-Bigg, Port Erin
2004 ) 16.fxg5 ( 16.f5! exf5 17.ae1 e6
18.xf5! launches a nice attack Black
should probably decline the rook by 0-0-0 )
16...hxg5 17.ae1
B1) h e r e N e i l s u g g e s t s 17...f5!?
, intending 18.g4 f4 , but then 19.g6+
d8 20.e5 will favour W hite: c6
( 20...xc5+ 21.g2 c6 22.xc5
xc5 23.xg5+ ) 21.f2 ( or 21.d6
xd6 22.cxd6 xd6 23.d4! ) 21...a5
22.d4 a6 23.d6! , etc.;
B2) 17...0-0-0 18.h7! e8? ( Neil's
18...b5! improves: 19.xf7 d3
20.h6 f5! 21.xf8 xf8
this is almost equal) 19.f2 a5 20.e5
d7 21.g7 and White won the
exchange. This variation with 11...Bd7
seems playable for Black, but only just
so. ]
[ b) 11...c7 12.f4! xc5+ 13.xc5 xc5+
14.f2! led to a nice win for White in
Iordachescu, V (2563) -Volkov, S (2636),
Moscow 2007 see the Archives for details.
( 14.h1 when after xd3 15.xd3 d7
White has no time for 16.fxg5? because of
b5 )]
[ c) 11...xd3 12.xd3 e5 has been given
several tests see, for example, Sidorenko, I
(2256) -Petr, M (2453), Pardubice 2007. In a
note there, Neil suggested Critical seems to
be 13.e2 ( 13.g3 f6! was the game)
13...f6!? 14.h5+ d7 ]
12.f4 gxf4
[ 12...xd3! 13.xd3 0-0! is much better, e.
g., 14.e3 ( 14.fxg5 a4 15.d4 e5
16.f5 xf5 17.xf5 xc5+ ) 14...a4!
15.d4 xc5 16.fxg5 e5 with counterplay
and material equality. White may still have a
tiny something after 17.f5 xf5 18.xf5
e4 19.d2 b6 20.e1 xe3+ 21.xe3
ad8 , but I doubt it. ]
13.xf4 g6
[ 13...xd3 14.xd3 is too late, e.g., a4
15.d4 xc5?? 16.b5+ ]
14.a4!?
[ 14.h5! is clearer in any case, Black is in
trouble. ]
14...d7?
[ Better is 14...xf4 15.xf4 c7 ( 15...g5
16.f1 0-0 17.h5 f5 18.ae1; 15...e5
16.b5+! f8 17.f1 f5 18.f3 ) 16.b5+
d7 17.xd7+ xd7 18.h5 0-0
, though Black's position is not enviable. ]
15.h5 0-0 16.h6 c7 17.xf8 xf8
18.h1 e5 19.f5 xf5 20.xf5 xc5
21.ad1 T h i s wi n s a n o t h e r p a wn . e7
22.d3
[ 22.xd5 c4 23.b5 ]
22...f4 23.b5 b6 24.g3 g6 25.xd5
The line with 11 Nb3 causes difficulties for 8...
g5. Black's 12th move seems his best chance
for full equality, although that's a very
preliminary judgment.
1-0
506
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

570 C06 [ Also hopeless are 29...g7 30.xc8 xc8

Mamedov,Rauf 2330 31.xe6+ or ]
Hanley,Craig 2375 [ 29...g7 30.c7+ h8 31.xc8 ]
WJun Nakhchivan AZE (13) 03.07.2003 30.g4 h5 31.xc8 xc8 32.f6+
[Neil McDonald] and wins.
1-0
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 c7 571 C06
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c3 Marciano,David 2522
[ Although 14.c2 gets the most attention Apicella,Manuel 2506
here the game move is also very ch-Basse Vichy FRA (11) 26.08.2000
challenging. ] [Neil McDonald]
14...a6 15.c1 g6 16.a4 d7!
Much better than 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5
[ 16...g7 17.b6 b8 18.xa6! 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
wh e n B l a c k w a s a l r e a d y c o l l a p s i n g i n f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 0-0
Adams-Mullon on ChessPub. ] 12.f4 xf4 13.xf4 e4 14.h5!?
17.g3 This is a new idea, or at least a rare The practical value of this move is that it
move. It proves an instant success here, but I avoids the long and complex lines after 14
don't particularly like it for White. Ne2 in which Black sacrifices on f3. However,
[ White's alternatives here are examined in according to theory it isn't supposed to cause
the Mullon game. I especially like 17.e1 Black any problems. In the present game
ae8 18.g5!? ] White sets out to challenge this verdict. g6!
17...ae8? This natural move turns out to be a It's important to drive the knight backwards.
very serious mistake. Black had to play Instead
[ 17...xg3 18.hxg3 when White has the f4 [ 14...g5? 15.e5! xe5 16.dxe5 f7
square guarded, but his grip on the more 17.g4 g5 18.xg5 xg5 19.ac1
important dark squares c5 and e5 is much was very bad for Black in Bjerring-Lilley,
less firm than in the game. Perhaps the Za ko p a n e 2 0 0 0 , a s t h e re is n o wa y t o
active a5!? would be good for Black. ] contest W hite's control of the c file. This
18.e5! Black isn't given a second chance to game ended abruptly after d7 ( 19...f7
exchange off the strong bishop. Now W hite 20.f4 e4 21.xe4 dxe4 22.fe1
quickly assumes control of c5 and e5 whilst wins a pawn fairly 'cleanly'.) 20.c7 c6??
the black knight remains out on a limb on h5. 21.xg7+ h8 22.xg5 and Black
b5 Things get gruesome after this further resigned. ]
weakening but it is hard to see how Black 15.g3 xg3 16.hxg3 b6 Black must
could have escaped from the bind. 19.c5 prevent the positional threat of 17 Bb5 and 18
c8 20.e1 xe5 21.xe5 xe5 22.xe5 Bxc6, establishing a bid on the dark squares.
f7 Things would be very different if Black 17.a4 a6 18.ab1! This simple move
had a dark squared bishop rather than the seems an improvement over
purely defensive cleric on c8. 23.c2 f4 [ 18.ad1 when in Henao-Sequera, Merida
24.f1 f5 25.g3 g5 26.h4 h6 27.d3 1992, White couldn't maintain a pawn on d4:
ef8 28.h3 Black resigned. The d7 19.a3 side stepping a discovered
disorganised black pieces cannot cope with attack xd4 20.xd4 xd4 21.xg6 f6
tactical ideas based on Rxc8! for example 22.b1 b5 23.d3 c6! and after Black
xe5 played e6-e5 he had a very nice centre. ]
[ The lesser evil, though also losing, is 18...d7 19.e2! In contrast to the line in the
28...5f6 29.xc8 xc8 30.xe6+ xe6 last note, White's queen doesn't have to run
31.xe6 ] from the threat of a discovered attack.
29.xe5 g7 Therefore it is possible to preserve the d4

507
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

pawn. This means that White can hope to put Steenbekkers writes: 'even Rac1 is good But
long term pressure on the e5 square and e6 also after this move white is clearly better in
pawn. e5 20.d1 xf3+ 21.gxf3 b5! my opinion.' Tiviakov made short work of
22.e1 xe2 23.xe2 f6 24.bd1 af8 his opponent in the following impressive
25.d3 Does White have any real advantage game: h5 18.e3 g4 19.h3! xe5
here? Certainly if his opponent did nothing 20.dxe5 gxe5 21.xh7+ xh7 22.xh5+
then he could slowly increase his control of g8 23.c5 ae8 24.ae1 b6 25.a6
the centre with moves like Kg2, Qe5 and Rde3. c8 26.xe5 xa6 27.g5 d4 28.c1
However, Apicella is an expert in the French xa2 29.e2 b4 30.e5 f7 31.xd4
a n d h e r e f u s e s t o d e f e n d p a s s i ve l y. g5! 1-0 Tiviakov-Hagen/Copenhagen. ]
This fixes the f3 pawn as a target. 26.g2 16.b1
c7 27.d2 h6 28.e5 f7 29.e2 c8 [ Black certainly has a lot of initiative for the
30.de3 c6 31.a4 c1! This threatens Qh5 pawn after 16.xe6+ f7 ( Perhaps better
and so forces White to reduce the flexibility of is 16...h8!? as Black keeps the option of
his kingside pawns. 32.g4 c6 33.b4 g6 Bh5 besides the attack on the bishop and
34.e1 f7 35.c3 xc3 36.xc3 g7 the threat of Bxh2+ winning the queen.)
37.e3 Here a draw was agreed. Perhaps 17.e2 ae8 18.d2 xd3 19.xd3 g6
White could still try for the advantage with etc. ]
[ 37.b5!? ] 16...h5! 17.a4! c7 18.xe6+ h8
½-½ 19.e5 ae8 20.h3 c6 The threat is
Nxd4 then Bxe5. 21.f4 It seems that White
has a strong grip on the centre, and if he had
572 C06 t i m e f o r B d 3 h e w o u l d w i n , b u t B l a c k ' s
Martinovic,Slobodan 2500 initiative won't go away. b5! 22.c1!
Dittmar,Peter 2390 [ Or 22.c5 xd4! ]
NBG Open Weilburg (3) 1996 22...bxa4 23.xc6 xe5 Again the only good
[Neil McDonald] move is the courageous one. 24.xc7 xc7
25.d3 and a draw was agreed! After xf4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 with the threat of 26...Re3 Black has a very
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 dangerous looking initiative.
b6 9.f3 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 d6 ½-½
12.b3 0-0 13.b2 d7 14.c3!?
One idea behind this move is to exploit the
position of the black queen to get control of 573 C06
c5 with a combination of Rc1, Na4 and Nc5. McDonald,Neil R 2384
This plan would be particularly effective if Anderton,Matthew 2237
Black responded with Bf4- the recommended ch Edinburgh SCO (8) 22.07.2003
recipe for dealing with Ng3-as then Na4 and [Neil McDonald]
Nc5 follows straightaway. e8 This is the
move that Black wants to play- the question is 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
whether it can be made to work! Subscriber 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
Franck Steenbekkers says that he thinks that [ The game position at move 13 is more often
[ 14...ae8 'is the best move for black but reached by the move order 8...b6 9.f3
even then I don't see counterplay at all!!!!!!' f6 etc. ]
Exactly: that's why Black gambles in the 9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0
game. ] [ A player rated 2259 suffered the following
15.e2! Hitting the e6 pawn before Black has accident: 10.f3 c7!? 11.f4
time for Bh5 when he would have an excellent A disruptive check that led to a complete
game. b4! aberration by White. ( White doesn't want to
[ It is positional surrender to play 15...f7?! s e t t l e f o r t h e l i n e wi t h 11.0-0 d6 )
w h e n a f t e r 16.a4 c7 17.e5 11...b4+ 12.c3?? ( If 12.d2 d6

508
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
when assuming that White will have to play
Bg5 at some point Black will have avoided
the Bf4 line without any actual loss of time.)
12...xf4 0-1 Marxen,P-Zimmat,T/Kiel GER
2003. ]
10...d6 11.f3 0-0 12.f4 xf4 13.xf4
b6
[ Black decides to enter the 'Watson'
Variation by transposition. Instead
13...e4!? 14.e2 xf3 is the theoretical
mainline. ]
14.b3 e4 15.e2 d6?!
[ I don't think Black can afford any half
measures here. It was better to seek
counterplay with 15...xf3 16.gxf3 g5
-see the reference in Adams-Sebenik on
ChessPub. However, I think Black would
have more resources after the exchange
s a c rif ic e in t h e p re vio u s n o t e , so if h e
hasn't chosen the 8...Qb6 move order he
should take the chance to play 13...Ne4 14.
Ne2 Rxf3 as above. ]
16.c3! d7 17.c1!? Only now does the
game diverge from Lalic-Pert on ChessPub.
This went
[ 17.a4 d8 18.e1 b6 19.c3
a n d h e r e I s u g g e s t f6 ( rather than
19...b4? ) 20.d2 h8 21.e5 ad8
when Black is worse but has all his pieces
more or less working together. ]
17...f6?
[ Here the rook takes away the natural
square for the queen. Perhaps Black should
regroup at once with 17...d8!? 18.e1
f6 19.d2 when White has only a slight
edge. ]
18.a4! The correct moment before Black
has the chance to play Raf8 co-ordinating his
rooks, when he will have serious pressure
down the f file based on Rxf3. d8 19.c5
c8
[ The knight can't be kicked back from c5 as
if 19...b6? 20.xd7 xd7 21.xh7+!
xh7 22.c2+ g8 23.xc6 ]
20.e1 h6
[ And now 20...b6 21.xd7 xd7 22.e5
e8 forced 23.a6! c7 24.c2
puts Black in a lethal pin along the c file. ]
21.e5 b8
[ The e6 pawn also drops after 21...e8
A) I n t e r e s t i n g i s 22.g4!? xd4
23.xb7! xc1 ( Just losing for Black is
23...xb7 24.xf6+ gxf6 25.g4+ f8
26.xc8 xc8 27.xd4 ) 24.xd8 xd1
25.xf6+ gxf6 26.xd1 when White is
the whole exchange up but the knight on
d8 is curiously cut off from its fellows.;
B) 22.xc6 xc6 23.xe6 etc. ]
22.exd7 xd7 23.xe6 The rest is fairly
straightforward as W hite is a pawn up and
maintains an attack as well. xc1 24.xc1
a5 25.e2 f7 26.c5 xc5 27.dxc5
b5 28.e3 c7 29.e7+ g8 30.d8+
[ Not 30.b4 a3! ]
30...f8 31.h7+
1-0
574 C06
Mellado Trivino,Juan 2462
Mas,SJ 2280
XXVIII Sevilla 2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.gf3 c6 7.d3 b6 8.0-0
cxd4 9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3
b6 12.a3!?
[ Normally there is a dance of the queens
after 12.a4 b4 13.c2 c5
-see for example Degraeve-Lukov on
ChessPub. Instead W hite spends a move
pre ve nt ing Q b4 , so th at he can pu t his
queen on a4 without being troubled. ]
12...e7
[ Or 12...c5?! 13.c2 a5 14.d4!
The queen finds another route of attack
along the fourth rank. The pin on the knight
will p rove highly awkwa rd f o r Blac k . a4
It is hazardous to waste time like this when
he is underdeveloped, but he must deal with
the threat of Be3 followed by b2-b4. 15.e3
d7 16.ac1 b5? ( This leads to disaster.
Instead of exposing the bishop to attack on
b 5 h e s h o u l d h a v e t r i e d 16...d8
or maybe; 16...a7 pre pa rin g b 7 -b 6 .)
17.fe1 d8 18.b4 b6 19.d4 a5
20.xb5 xb5 21.xa4 xa4 22.xa4
Iordachescu,V-Gendre,K/Vins du Medoc
2002 ]
13.a4 0-0 14.g5! f6
[ If 14...xg5 White can try the Greek Gift
509
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

with 15.xh7+! xh7 16.xg5+

Black has been experimenting with
which should be d ecisive af ter sa y g6
alternatives to the immediate
17.h4 ] [ 7...b6 as White got a slight edge after
15.h4! h6 8.0-0 g6 ( As you know I am a fan of
[ Not 15...fxg5 16.xh7+ f7 17.g6# ]8...e7!? here to transpose to lines normally
16.e3 d8 17.xh6! xe5 beginning 3...Be7, but then lots of players
[ Or 17...gxh6 18.g4+ h8 19.g6 f5 prefer to meet White's set up with a system
20.xh6+ g8 21.xe6+ followed by Qxd5based on g7-g6 and a fianchetto.) 9.dxc5
xc5
or Bxf5 with three pawns for the piece and 10.b3 in Kasparov-Bareev- see
the attack. ] ChessPub. Delaying or avoiding Qb6 means
18.xg7! xd3 19.h8+ f7 20.h7! that White's d4xc5 won't attack the queen
attacking the knight on d3 and planning a
and so can be met by Ndxe5, capturing the
discovered check on the king. c5 21.fe1
more important e5 pawn. ]
White has no need to hurry: it makes sense
[ Meanwhile if immediately 7...g6 White has
to bring reinforcements into the attack as the
the chance to launch a direct attack against
black king cannot escape- or so it seems! e8
the weakness on g6 with 8.h4!? for example
22.xf8 xf8 23.ad1 d7 24.h5+ d8 b6 9.h5 g5 10.xg5 cxd4 11.cxd4
25.b4 a6 26.h4! The passed pawn will add
xd4 12.df3 with a clear plus to White in
to Black's woes. c7 27.d4 e5 28.b3 Degraeve,J-Brynell,S/Leon ESP 2001 ]
b6 29.f4 g7 30.fxe5 fxe5 31.d4 d6 8.0-0 g6 9.e1
32.f7 f6 33.g8+? [ Even so, White has tried capturing on c5:
[ Up until here White has played a fantastic
9.dxc5? but he doesn't appear to have
attack and now he could decide matters with
enough compensation after the more or less
33.b5! when d5 drops after e.g. e7 ( Or
forced pawn sacrifice: dxe5 10.xe5
33...xb5 34.xd5 ) 34.g8+ e8
xe5 11.f3 xf3+! Eliminating the knight
35.xd5+ xd5 36.xd5+ d7 37.xa8 an d p re pa rin g to gra b a p awn . I n st e a d
xb5 38.d1+ c7 39.c1+ and Black ( 11...xd3 12.xd3 just gives White good
does best to resign. ] p l a y o n t h e d a r k s q u a r e s a s i f xc5??
33...d7 34.f5 e6 35.h7+ d8
13.b5+ ) 12.xf3 xc5 13.h6 f8
36.h6 d7 37.f7+ c8 38.g5 xg5 14.b5+ d7 15.xd7+ xd7 16.xf8
39.hxg5 b7 Black's king has slipped away
xf8 17.c4 g7 18.cxd5 exd5 19.ad1
hd8
to perfect safety. Now he can complete his 20.d4 ac8 21.fd1 c5
development and exploit his material and W hite was just a pawn down in
a d v a n t a g e . 40.g6 g8 41.xe5 xg6
Degraeve,J-Hertneck,G/Leon ESP 2001. ]
42.h2 g7 43.c1 f5 44.e2 e4 9...g7 10.f1 cxd4 11.cxd4 b6 12.c2!
45.e5 e6 46.c3 g4 47.ce3 g6 A i m i n g f o r a n a t t a c k wi t h h 4 a n d h 5 . I n
48.g3 f4 49.d2 h3+ 50.f1 e6 contrast the utterly planless
51.h8 f5+ 52.e1 f6 53.h2 f1+ [ 12.e2? soon leads to trouble: 0-0 13.b1
54.d2 f2+ 55.xf2 xf2+ 56.e2 xg3 f6 Because the bishop is on e2 this freeing
57.e8 d3+ This was a tragedy for White.
move can be made without worrying about
0-1 pressure on e6. 14.exf6 xf6 15.g3?
( He had to hold onto the d4 point with 15.h3
f o l l o w e d b y B e 3 .) 15...g4 16.h3
575 C06 ( 16.e3 ) 16...xf2! A thematic sacrifice
Minasian,Artashes which exploits the weakest point in White's
Luther,Thomas camp. 17.xf2 xd4+ 18.f1 e5
Yerevan 2001 Now there is no good answer to e4-e5.
[Neil McDonald] 19.h6 f6 20.g5 f7 21.d3 e6!
There is no rush! 22.e2 e4 23.xe4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6 dxe4 24.xe4 b5+ 25.d3 xg5!
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 a5!? and White resigned in Valenti,G-Luther,T/

510
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Torino 1998 as if 26.xg5 f2# ]
12...0-0 13.h4 f6! The same plan as in the
game given in the previous note, but here at
le a s t W h it e h a s p re ssu re o n g6 a n d e 6 .
Nevertheless, it still looks dubious for him
after some precise defensive moves by Black.
14.h5! fxe5 15.hxg6 e4 16.gxh7+ h8
17.h4 de5! This powerful entrance by the
knight seems to refute White's attack. 18.e3
d8 19.h5 f6! 20.dxe5 xh4 21.ad1
d7 22.g3 e7 23.h6 e8 He has to stop
Qg6. 24.xe8 xe8! With this inspired
exchange sacrifice Black wins the opening
battle.
[ In contrast 24...fxe8 25.xe4 when White
activates his bishop and keeps h7 defended
by exploiting the pin on the d file. ]
25.xf8 xf8 If White does nothing drastic he
will face a slow death after Nxe5 followed by
Nf 3+ or Bh5 etc. Therefore he breaks up
B l a c k ' s c e n t r e wi t h a c o u n t e r s a c r i f i c e .
26.xe4 dxe4 27.xe4 g6 28.e3 c5
29.c3 b4 30.e3 c5 31.c3 b6
Here Black ve good winning chances, but
Minasian fights hard and just manages to
escape. 32.h2 xe5 33.a3 f8 34.d2
xh7 35.f1 f7 36.f4 c6 37.f3 g7
38.b4 axb4 39.axb4 xb4 40.e5 a7
41.xg6 xg6 42.e2 f7 43.g2 d5
44.f3 e7 45.f1 f5 46.h1 a3
47.h7+ f6 48.h3 a1 49.b2 g1+
50.f3 f1+ 51.g2 e3+ 52.h2 f5
53.h5+ g4 54.g5+ f3 55.b3 a1
56.f5 a2+ 57.h3 a8 58.h5 e5 59.f6
g8 60.g4 xg4 61.xe5 f4 62.e6 d4
63.exb6 xb6 64.xb6 f5 65.b4 xf6
½-½
576
Murdzia,Piotr
Jakubiec,Artur
ch Warsaw POL (8)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 0-0 12.f4
xf4 13.xf4 e4 14.e2
[ T h e a l t e r n a t i v e 14.h5 seems to be
neutralised: g6 15.g3 xg3 16.hxg3
b6 17.a4 a6 18.b3?! ( 18.ab1
as in Marciano-Apicella on ChessPub was
the only decent try for advantage.) 18...xb3
19.axb3 d7 20.ad1 g7 21.fe1 ac8
22.b1 h6 23.e5 xe5 24.xe5 c6
25.f3 fc8 26.f2 b6 27.e3 a5
and W hite was already tied down to the
weak pawns in Mkrtchian,L-Socko,M/ Elista
RUS 2004. ]
[ Another line 'tested'- if you can use that
word about a quick draw-is 14.g3 f6
15.h4 h6 16.xe4 dxe4 17.e5 d8
18.xc6 bxc6 19.c1!? You can find
analysis of 19.Qa4 and 19.Qc2 in Rublevsky-
Ko ma ro v on Che ssP ub . W ith t he whit e
queen on c1 if Black now tries the plan of g7-
g5 and Qf3, then g5 will be left hanging. On
the downside c1 is a less effective square
for the queen and the rook on a1 is kept
shut in. Unfortunately, we don't have any
useful information as after b8 a draw was
agreed immediately in Jaracz,P-Jakubiec,A/
Warsaw POL 2004. ]
14...xf3 15.gxf3 g5 16.h1 e5
For additional analysis on this line check out
Savinov-Malakhatko and Tiviakov-Shaw on
ChessPub. 17.dxe5 xf3 18.xh7+ h8
19.g1 cd4 20.e1? The reappearance of
a move used once before in 1989. From the
evide nce W h ite sho uld pref e r th e qu ee n
sacrifice
[ 20.xf3 g4 21.xd4! xd1 22.axd1
xh7 as in the Savinov game. This would
be a tricky position for both players, though
the theoretical verdict is dynamic equality.
Apparently White is trying for more here, but
it just leads to trouble. ]
20...g4 21.e3 h4!
[ Superior to 21...f8 22.e4!! the only
C06 move to stay alive dxe4 23.xe4 d7
2455 ( 23...xg1 24.xg4! looks very good for
2532 White. ) 24.xd4 xd4 25.xd4 c6+
01.05.2004 26.f3 xf3+ 27.xf3 xf3+ 28.g1 f8
29.h4+ g8 30.c4+ h7 and a draw
was agreed in Kholmov,R-Ulibin,M/Sochi
1989. ]
22.xf3 xf2! 23.c3?
[ According to Chess Base Magazine notes
to the Kholmov game, White can draw with
23.xd4 xf3+ 24.xf3 xd4 25.h3 g5
26.g1 xe5 27.h5 e2 28.g6+ g7
511
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
29.hxg5 but f6!? is a possible winning
attempt. The onus is on White to prove he is
equal which shows that something has gone
wrong with his build up. ]
23...xb2! Unexpected and very strong. In
contrast Black would 'only' have some
winning chances after
[ 23...xf3+ 24.xf3 xf3 25.c2 xc2
26.xc2 xe5 ]
24.c1 xc3!! 25.xc3 xf3+ 26.xf3
[ The point is that White loses the queen to a
f o r k a f t e r 26.g1 e2+ and remains a
piece down. ]
26...xf3 27.c2 xe5 Now we have
exactly the same position as in the variation
at move 23 after 26...Nxe5, but without a
white pawn on b2. 28.d1 d8 29.e4 d4
30.xb7 g5 31.g1 g7 32.e4 f6
33.f2 g4+ 34.g3 e3 35.b1 d3
36.f3 d2 37.d1 White resigned without
waiting for Rc8 and Rc1.
0-1
577 C06
Naiditsch,Arkadij 2576
Braun,Arik 2429
8th Neckar Open (4) 10.04.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 b6 8.f3
cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 d6
12.b3 0-0 13.b2
[ A radically different approach is 13.f4!?
which is discussed in detail in other games
on ChessPub. ]
13...d7 14.g3 h8!? This is a sound
alternative to
[ 14...f4 Inferior would be ]
[ 14...ae8? 15.e5! when White gets his
knight to the key centre as xd4?? 16.xd4 15...ae8 16.a3 I assume the idea behind this
xd4 17.xh7+ costs Black his queen. With move is to play Bc2, followed by Ne5, without
the game move Braun puts his king on h8 b e i n g b o t h e r e d b y N b 4 . H o we ve r , a f t e r
and so is ready to answer 15.Ne5? with the Black's reply White soon loses control of the
safe 15...Nxd4. ]
15.e1
[ Very careless is 15.h1?! b4! 16.b1
b5 17.e1 g4 18.g1 admitting his
1 5 t h m o v e w a s a w a s t e o f t i m e . e5!
Black is able to activate his game as the x-
ray attack of the black queen against f2
prevents W hite from capturing on e5.
19.g5 d7 20.f5 ( 20.xh7 e4!
when besides 21...Nd3 and 21...Rxf2 Black's
id ea s in clu de 2 1 . . . B f 4 , e lim in a tin g o r
chasing away the white knight that defends
h7. ) 20...e4! 21.xg4 xf5 22.h5 g6
23.g4 f5 24.h5 g6 25.g4 f5
and in Rublevsky, S-Matlak,M/ Ostrava 1992,
White was no doubt pleased to be allowed
to escape with a draw in this decidedly
inferior position. Black's bishops are far
more active than White's and he has both
the c file and the f file for his rooks. ]
[ After 15.d2 Black can generate
c o u n t e r p l a y o n t h e q u e e n s i d e wi t h a5!
( Or alternatively 15...c7 16.ad1 a5!
17.e2 a4 18.e5 axb3 19.axb3 a2
20.b1 xb2! 21.xb2 xe5 22.dxe5
xe5 23.e2 f4 24.h1 g6 and Black h
as ample compensation for the exchange in
the form of a strong dark squared bishop
and a firm centre. Besides, White's knight
is passive, his bishop has little to attack
and his rooks are denied the use of the c file
as the c1 square is inaccessible. Black
eventually won in Rodriguez Lopez,R-De la
Villa Garcia,J/Torrevieja 1997.) 16.c3 c7
17.b2 g4 18.ac1 b6 19.a3 f6
20.e5? A tactical blunder that allows a
pretty combination, but otherwise Black can
build up along the f file with Raf8. cxe5
21.dxe5 xf2 22.xf2! xa3! Black shows
a keen awareness of the geometry of the
chess board. 23.d4 ( If 23.xa3 xf2
is fatal: 24.e2 h3+ 25.h1 g1+
26.xg1 f2# ) 23...xb2 24.xb6 xc1
25.e2 f4 26.d4 c8 and Black won
with his two extra pawns in Steingrimsson,
H-Ostenstad,B/Gausdal 1994. ]
[ 15.e5? xd4 ]
e5 point.
[ After 16.d2 Black could proceed in the
style of the Ostenstad game above with
g4!? ( or 16...a5!? but not; 16...c7?
17.e5! when White has achieved his
desired bind on the centre. )]
512
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
16...g4! 17.g5 e5! 18.f5!
[ The pawn snatch on h7 looks too risky: for
example 18.xh7 d8!? 19.h4 exd4 or ]
[ 18.xh7 xf2 19.c2 e4 when in both
ca s e s B la ck ' s su p e rio rity in t h e ce n t re
overwhelms any attempt by White to attack
the black king. ]
18...xf5 19.xf5 xf5 20.xg4 ef8
21.e6 8f7 22.e2
[ White chooses to jettison the b3 pawn in
order to hold onto f2. He can't force a draw
with 22.g5 7f6 23.e6 because of g6! ]
22...xb3
[ Objectively this might be best but it allows
White attacking chances. Instead the simple
22...e4! looks the safe way to a clear
positional advantage. ]
23.dxe5 xe5 24.xe5 xe5 25.c1
[ If 25.d4? c4! ( but not 25...xd4
26.xf5 xf5 27.e8+ )]
[ However, 25.ae1 deserved attention. ]
25...h6
[ The cold blooded 25...xa3!? pocketing a
second pawn might well have won as it is
White's back rank that collapses first after
26.c8+ f8 ]
26.g6 Now White manages to survive
thanks to the potency of his queen and knight
in generating counterplay. c3 27.g4 f3
28.e3 b2 29.xf3 xc1+ 30.g2 xf3
31.xf3 d1+ 32.g3 a4 33.f7 e5+
34.h4 f6+ 35.h5 d4 36.f4 c6 37.h4
d3 38.g5 hxg5 39.hxg5 h1+ 40.g4
[ H e r e W h i t e c o u l d w i n w i t h 40.g6
were it not for h7# ]
40...g2+ 41.f5 h3+
½-½
578 C06
Naiditsch,Arkadij 2540
Kalinitschew,Sergey 2487
ch Altenkirchen GER (5) 04.12.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 11.0-0 d6
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2
This is fast becoming a critical line in the 3...
Nf 6 Tarrasch. h6 15.g6 A key choice. If
White gives a preliminary bishop check on h7
the continuation he adopts in the game will
lead him towards disaster:
[ 15.h7+ h8 16.g6 xf3 17.gxf3
xh2+ 18.h1 f4 19.g3 b6 20.ac1
d7 ( What's more, Black still has
20...xd4!? if he wishes.) 21.xh2 xd4
22.c7 xf3+ 23.h1 xg6 24.xd7
d4! and as White can't play Qxe6 with
check he is in trouble as not only is the
bishop hanging on h4 but also there is the
threat of Qg4 and Qh3 mate. ]
15...xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4
18.g3 b6 19.ac1 d7? Perhaps this
natural move is fatally slow. At least I can't
see a convincing way for Black to play after it.
[ Here in the notes to Aagaard-Gleizerov I
suggest 19...xd4!? for example 20.h7+
h8 21.xh2 g5! and Black looks at least
equal. ]
20.xh2 xd4
[ Also in the notes to Aggaard-Gleizerov I
recommend 20...xg6? 21.xg6 xd4
as good for Black, but this is nonsense as
W h i t e c a n c o n s o l i d a t e a r o o k u p wi t h
22.g4! ]
21.c7! The opening of the c file proves
catastrophic for Black. xf3+ 22.h1 xg6
[ After 22...xc7 23.xc7 c6 24.f7+
h8 25.e7 if necessary White can give
back the exchange with Rxc6 when his extra
piece will outweigh Black's three pawns. ]
23.xd7 gxh4
[ If 23...d4 24.xe6+ Note that this is only
check because White avoided Bh7+ back at
move 15! ( 24.d8? g4 and the threat of
Qh3 mate wins for Black.) 24...h7 25.f6!
xf6 26.xf6 gxf6 27.c7+ and White has
a winning ending. ]
24.c7! d4 25.h5 h8 26.xg7+ xg7
27.xg7 The endgame proves very good for
White thanks to the rook's dominance of the
seventh rank and the continued danger to the
black king. g8 28.f7 Threatening Nf6. c8
[ Bla ck's a tt ack f izzle s ou t as if 28...g2
29.xf3 wins. ]
29.xb7 g8 30.f4! The knight gets back
to neutralise the passed d pawn and help win
control of the c file. d4 31.d3 e5 32.c1
The activation of the only passive White piece
is decisive. e8 33.cc7 f5 34.c5 g5
513
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

35.f3 a5 36.d7 f7 37.xe5+ e6 40.axb4 a4! and Black is right back in the
38.b5 e7 39.f4 e4 40.f3 d3 41.e5+ game ) 38.g1 ( 38.a2 e7 39.g2 xa3
d6 42.c4 g3+ 43.h2 g8 44.d4+ 40.f5 d1 41.g7 c8 42.ff7
c6 45.d2 e2 46.e6+ i s w i n n i n g .) 38...g5 39.af1 c7
1-0 40.xg5? hxg5 41.f5 b5 42.xg5 f3+
43.g1 b4 44.axb4 axb4 45.f2 e4
46.g3 b8 47.g7+? ( 47.h4! ) 47...b6
579 C06 48.e6 c6 49.e7? ( 49.g3 keeps drawing
Narayana,Samy S 2371 chances ) 49...xe7 50.xe7 b3 51.e8
Reinaldo Castineira,Roi 2492 b7 52.e7+ a6 53.e6+ a5 54.g1
31st Presolana Open (6.3) 25.08.2011 0-1 ]
[John Watson] 8...h6 The most flexible move
[ 8...e7 also intends 9.h5 g5 , but means
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 tha t th e b isho p can 't go t o g7 , o r to c 5
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 g6 Still one of without wasting a move. ]
the key lines in the Universal System. 8.h4 9.c2 b5!?
[ 8.c2 protects d4, but takes time and loses [ 9...g7 ]
sight of the f1-a6 diagonal. A game from my [ and 9...b6!? will equalise, in my opinion.
latest batch, Borisek, J (2543)-Sebenik, M The text is certainly playable, but tries for a
( 2 5 2 5 ) , L j u b l j a n a S L O 2 0 1 1 , w e n t . a5 lot. ]
( 8...g7 is, not surprisingly, normal. Black's 10.0-0 a6
idea with 8...a5 may be that the bishop can [ (a) 10...a5!? 11.e1 ( 11.dxc5! a4!?
be useful on c5 or e7 in some lines, so he 12.e2 ) 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 g5! 13.f1
doesn't want to commit yet.) 9.a3 c7 ( 13.hxg5 hxg5 14.g4 a6 15.f1 b6 )
10.h4 b6 11.f1! ( 11.h5 g5! 12.xg5 13...g4 14.3h2 Adams-E Berg,
cxd4 destroys White's centre and will win a Hersonissos 2007 and McDonald suggests
pawn. ) 11...h6 12.e3 a6 13.1h2 xh4 t h e n a f t e r 15.g3 , I think e7!
e7!? ( 13...c8 and; 13...h5 are solid is best, since either capture on g4 can be
moves ) 14.d2?! ( slow. 14.h5 g5 15.g4 met by ...h5 and at some point ...h4. ]
f5!? ) 14...f5 15.h5 g5 16.xf5 exf5 [ (b) But Black might do theoretically better
17.f4?! e7 ( 17...cxd4 18.cxd4 c8! with 10...cxd4! 11.cxd4 a5 ]
with the idea 19.fxg5 hxg5 20.xg5 f6!; 11.e1 b4?! It's not at all obvious what's
17...f6! also looks strong) 18.b1 c6 wrong with this move. 12.c4! Well-played.
( 18...cxd4 19.cxd4 c6! with the idea Once ... g6 is played, Black has to be on the
20.xf5 b5 ) 19.hf1? ( 19.xf5!? cxd4 outlook for this break. dxc4 13.d5!?
20.xd4 ) 19...g8 20.g3 cxd4 21.cxd4 [ 13.a4! xd4 14.xd4 cxd4 15.e4
gxf4 22.xf4 b5 ( 22...g4! e7 16.xd4 with a very strong attack for
is much stronger. Then 23.xf5 e6! only a pawn. ]
24.xe6 fxe6 suddenly leaves White's 13...exd5 14.e6! b6!
pieces hanging) 23.f2 g4! 24.xf5 [ 14...db8 15.h5! g5 16.e5! xe5
xf4+! 25.xf4 g5 26.g4 xb2 17.xe5 w i t h t h e i d e a f6 ( 17...fxe6
27.hd1 xd2 (with the bishop pair for a 18.g4!? c8 19.xe6+ ) 18.f3 ]
rook. But W hite still has activity on the 15.a4! xa4 16.xa4 b7
kingside) 28.g1 e3+? ( 28...g5! ) [ 16...b6 looks better, although 17.exf7+
29.h1 g5 30.f3 0-0-0 31.f5 b8 ( 17.e5 b5 18.exf7+ d8 19.d1
32.d6 e2 33.h3 e3? ( 33...f2 ma y b e so m ewh a t b e t t e r) 17...xf7!?
protects f7) 34.xf7 xh3+ 35.gxh3 e2 18.xc6! xc6 19.e5+ g7 20.xc6
( 35...e8 36.xg5 hxg5 37.g1 wins a piece however, Black has two pawns
with plenty of play.) 36.xd8 xd8 37.f1!? and the bishop pair for it and things are not
( 37.g1 should win easily.) 37...xh5? clear, e.g., c3 21.bxc3 bxc3 22.b3 d4
( 37...xf1! 38.xf1 b5!? 39.b1 b4 23.f4 h7! ]

514
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

17.e5 fxe6 18.xc6 d7 19.c2! xc6 12.xh7+! xh7 13.xe6 Forking f6 and d6.
20.xg6+ d8! Sacrificing a rook. xh2+!
[ 20...e7 21.f3! with a huge attack. ] [ 13...f5 14.xd6 xd4 15.h1!
21.f6+ c7 22.xh8 g7 23.h7 and Black lacks compensation ]
xb2?? [ 13...xe6?? 14.g5+ ]
[ 23...c3! has the idea 24.bxc3 ( 24.f3!? 14.xh2 f5 15.f1 g8 16.e2
cxb2 25.f4+ b6 26.ab1 c3 ) [ 16.e1 is more accurate. ]
24...xc3 25.xd7+ xd7 26.b1 d4 16...f6 17.g1 e4 18.g3?
27.f1 h5 and although 3 pawns doesn't [ 18.b3 ]
match a rook, White is surprisingly tied down, 18...xg3 19.fxg3 h5 20.f4 g4
while Black can activate his rook or push his W hite stands better, but it's still a game.
a-pawn down the board in conjunction with ... 21.d3? And this is wrong.
Bd5. ] [ 21.e3 ]
24.xd7+ xd7 25.xb2 c3 26.c1 cxd2 21...g5! 22.e5 xf3 23.gxf3 xf3 24.e3
27.xd2 Black can resign. The rest is af8 25.d6 8f6
meaningless. h5 28.ac1 b6 29.f4 d4 [ Or 25...xe3! 26.xe3 f6 ]
30.e5 c8 31.f5 exf5 32.d5 e6 26.xf3 xf3 27.d2?
33.d6+ c6 34.xc6+ xc6 35.xb4 c4 [ 27.b5 f7 28.e1 ]
36.d1 b5 37.e1 c3 38.xd4 c2 27...g6 28.c7 d3 29.g2 xd4?
39.d2 xa2 40.b4+ c5 41.a4 [ 29...e6! gives a winning advantage, and
1-0 even ]
[ 29...e4 30.xe4 dxe4 leaves Black a
pawn ahead. ]
580 C06 30.xd5+ e6
Navara,D 2700 [ 30...h7 31.h1+! g8 32.d5+ h7= ]
Ulibin,M 2491 31.xb7 xc7 32.xc7 b6+?!
Latvian Railway Open 2014 rapid (4.4) 28.3.14 [ 32...e4 will draw by perpetual. White
[John Watson] gains nothing by 33.b8+ g7 34.xa7+
g8 35.b8+ g7 36.f1 e3+ 37.h1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 e4+ etc. ]
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 cxd4 33.xb6 axb6 The score stops here (it's a
[ In this month's game Kharlov-Mikheev. I Rapids game). It's still a draw, of course,
discuss the arguably more accurate move because of Black's active rook, but White has
7...f6 ] a slight edge in view of Black's weaknesses
8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 and somehow managed to win.
[ For 9.0-0!? and ] 1-0
[ 9.g5? , see Kharlov-Mikheev ]
9...xf6?!
[ 9...xf6 is the only move that I give in 581 C06
PTF4 and is played in this month's game Navara,David 2620
Kharlov-Mikh eev. 9.. .Qxf 6 lo oks wron g Kortschnoj,Viktor 2601
because of the tactic which follows: ] 36th Olympiad (12) 27.10.2004
10.0-0 d6 11.e1 0-0!? Black can try to [Neil McDonald]
improve here, but it's not easy:
[ a) 11...h6 12.e2 b6 13.e5! 0-0 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5
14.df3 ] [ You can get the position at move nine from
[ b) 11...b6 12.b3 0-0 13.g5 f7 both other mainlines: 3...e7 4.gf3 f6
14.h4 (threatening Bxh7+) h5 15.g3 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5
xg3 16.fxg3! leaves Black passively 9.e1 c4 or ]
p l a c e d w i t h a b a d b i s h o p , w h i l e d7? [ 3...f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6
17.c5 makes matters worse. ] 7.gf3 e7 8.0-0 a5 9.e1 c4 ]

515
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
4.gf3 f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 a5
8.0-0 e7 9.e1 c4!? 10.c2
So this is how the great Korchnoi takes on the
modern Ngf3 System: he closes the position in
the centre and goes for a rapid queenside
pawn storm. His king will stay in the centre,
but instead of trying to seize the initiative with
g7-g5, he will block the kingside as necessary
with h7-h5 and g7-g6. This method might be
considered somewhat old fashioned, but as
you can see from the next note there are
strong young players who are following in
Korchnoi's footsteps. 11.f1 b6 12.3d2
[ A crucial position is reached after 12.g3
h5! H e r e a r e t w o e xa m p l e s : 13.d2
( 13.h4?! xh4 14.xh4 xh4 15.e3
d7! 16.d2 d8 17.g5 f8 18.e3
e7 19.f3 g6 20.e2 c6 21.f4 g8
22.e1 b7 23.b3 d7 24.b1 c8
and Black kept his booty and eventually won
in Smirin,I-Shabalov,A/Vilnius 1988.) 13...b4
14.f4 a4 15.a3 bxc3 16.bxc3 a5
17.e2 b5 18.g3 g6 19.g5 g8
20.h7 d7! a timely evacuation of the
b la c k k in g . 21.f3 g7 22.f6+ xf6
23.exf6 g8 24.h4 c7 with unclear play
in Bauer,C-Nielsen,P/Germany 2000. ]
12...h5! Stopping 13.Qg4 and preparing a
kingside blockade. 13.f4 b4 14.f3 g6!
Note that g7-g6 is only played after f2-f4,
when W hite's dark square bishop cannot
exploit the weakness created on f6 or g5.
15.g3 a4 16.a3! White concedes a hole on
b3, but this is better than letting his pawn
chain be broken up with a4-a3. bxa3 17.bxa3
a5 18.h3 b3 19.a2 b8 20.g4!
White presses forwards on the kingside, but
his king will start to feel draughty if he loses
control of the position. hxg4 21.hxg4 a8!
K o r c h n o i u n d e rs t a n d s e ve r yt h i n g a b o u t
strategy. He sees that his knight is doing
nothing on b6 and so reroutes it to b5, where
it will tie down some of White's resources to
t h e d e f e n c e o f a 3 a n d c 3 . 22.b1
Not the ideal location for a self respecting
knight, but Navara bolsters a3 and c3 and
prepares to bring his rook on a2 into the
game after an eventual Bd1 and Rf2 or Rg2.
c7 23.g3 b5 24.e3 d7 As in the
game extracts above, the black king heads
towards the queenside. This is not only for
reasons of personal safety but also to clear
b5 the decks for the black major pieces to
cooperate together along the first rank. 25.f5
gxf5 26.gxf5 h4 27.f6! White fixes the f7
pawn as a target. His plan is to gradually build
up pressure against it meanwhile Korchnoi
will counter attack against the a3 pawn. A long,
gritty struggle ensues. g8 28.f4 c6
29.g2 h8 30.h1 g8 31.h3 d7
32.e3 c7 33.f4 xg3 34.xg3 f8
35.g7 b6 36.d1 a6 37.g5 e8
38.c2 c6 39.h7 c7 40.h5 e8
Defending f7 and uncovering a threat of 41...
Nxd4! 42.cxd4 Rxb1 as h7 is pinned. 41.b2
b5 42.h6 Navara has manoeuvred
superbly. The black queen has become boxed
in by the need to defend f7, but the cavalry
arrives just in time on the queenside. xa3!
43.g5 xh7 44.xf8 xh5 45.xh5
W hite has won the exchange, but Black's
queenside passed pawn proves enough to
hold the game. b5 46.d6 xd6 47.exd6
b5 48.h8 c6 49.a2 a8 50.a3
xd6 51.f3 c1 52.b2 c7 53.g2
b8 54.gg8 d7 55.f8 d8 56.e3
d3 57.b5 e5 58.d6 exd4+ 59.xd4
xd6 60.xe8 xe8 61.xe8 f4 62.e7
a3 63.xf7 e6+ 64.e3 e5 65.a7
xf6 66.xa3 e5 67.a7 g5 68.e7+
e6 69.h7 d6 70.h5 c6 71.h1
d6 72.e1 e5 73.f3+ f5 74.d1
e5 75.e1+ f5 76.h1 d4 77.cxd4
xd4+
½-½
582 C06
Nedev,Trajce 2481
Bauer,Christian 2562
Olympiad Bled SLO (14) 10.11.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5 7.d3 c6 8.0-0 b6
9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 a5 11.b1!?
W hite seems to h ave de cided that goin g
backwards is the best way of going forwards.
The knight heads for c3 where it is aiming at
the b5 square and also gets out of the way of
the other white pieces. xd4 12.xd4 xd4
13.c3 b6 14.g4
516
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ The present game is between two strong
GMs, but at even a slightly less exalted level
yo u c a n e x p e c t b a d d e ci s io n s b y yo u r
opponent as he runs out of theory and has
to think f or himse lf . Ta ke the f o llo win g
example: 14.e3? d4 15.a4 a7
16.d2 0-0 and Black was well in control, in
Dembo,Y-Matveeva,S/Bled SLO 2002. ]
14...0-0 15.h6 g6 16.xf8!?
[ So far we have been following the game in
Rublevsky-Lputian on ChessPub which went
16.b5 c5 etc. and Black was OK. Nedev
decides to take the exchange straightaway. ]
16...xf8 17.b5 c5
[ Interesting was 17...d4 18.xd7 dxc3
but I suspect that good for White is 19.a4!
cxb2 20.ab1 when Black has problems
developing his queenside and the b2 pawn
should drop off soon. ]
[ M e a n w h i l e b a d f o r B l a c k i s 17...g7
18.xd7 xd7 19.xd5! xb2 20.ab1
etc. ]
18.a4 e7? Black only has one pawn for the
exchange, but his dark squared bishop is
strong, he has a solid centre- as long as he
avoids tricks with Nxd5! or Rxd5!-and the
knight has an excellent post on c5. But in the
game he wastes too much time and lets White
build up a powerful attack.
[ If 18...d7? 19.xd5 exd5 20.xd7
is bad for him, so I think he should prepare
to develop his queenside with ]
[ 18...d8!? for example 19.ad1 d7 ]
19.ad1 c7 20.h4! h5 21.f4 d7
22.e3 c6 23.e2 d7 24.b5 d8
25.xh5! Punishing Black for his passive play.
xb5 26.axb5 xh4
[ If 26...gxh5 one finish is 27.g3+ f8
28.f3! f5 ( It will be mate after 28...e8
29.h6+ ) 29.h6+ f7 30.xd5! exd5
31.e6+ e8 32.g6+ f8 33.f7# ]
27.h3 g5 28.h2 f8 29.f4 e7 30.f3
f5 31.g4 fxg4 32.xg4 b6+ 33.h1
Black has survived the immediate attack but
all th e f ea tu res t h at m ad e t he e xch an ge
sacrifice attractive have vanished: the knight
is passively placed on f8 and the white bishop
on g4 is just as strong as his own bishop on
e7. Furthermore, the White's rooks have open
lines. Nedev finally managed to win in the
endgame. f7 34.c1 e8 35.hc3 d8
36.c2 e8 37.g2 d8 38.c7 xb5
39.xe6 d3 40.g4 e3 41.f3 d2
42.e2 xe2 43.xe2 e6 44.xb7 d4
45.c4 xf4 46.b5+ f8 47.cc7 d5
48.d7 xd7 49.xd7 e3 50.xd4 f7
51.d7 c5 52.h4 g5 53.h6 g4 54.h2
g7 55.c6 d4 56.e6 f6 57.b3 f1+
58.g2 d2 59.c7 e5 60.a7 d6
61.xa5 xb3 62.f5+ e7 63.f7+ d8
64.c6 e7 65.g3 c5 66.d5 d3
67.g7 e5 68.f4 d6 69.f5 g3
70.f6 g2 71.xg2
1-0
583 C06
Neelotpal,Das 2490
Ganguly,Surya Shekhar 2573
44th National A ch-IND (13) 29.12.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 g6 For more
discussion of this move, see the notes to
other games in the archives, notably Sebag-
Popov. 8.h4
[ If 8.0-0 g7 so White delays castling until
Black puts the bishop on the 'wrong' e7
square. ]
8...e7
[ Another move we have looked at that has
had a recent outing is 8...h6!? 9.b1?!
( A rather defensive approach that isn't
consistent with the spirit of W hite's
a g g r e s s i ve s e t u p . 9.0-0 g5 10.h5
is discussed in Zhang Pengxiang-Gurevich:
suffice to say here that Black looks OK,
while; 9.a3 was unsuccessful for White in
Perunovic-Berg.) 9...g7 10.e3 a6!
Black doesn't hurry to castle kingside: first
of all, he sets up counterplay on the
queenside. 11.bd2 b5 12.h5 g5 13.h2
0-0 14.g4 f5! 15.exf6 xf6 16.xf6+
xf6 17.f3 cxd4 18.cxd4 e5! and Black
took over the initiative and went onto win
in Monroy, C-Moskalenko, V/Illes Medes
ESP 2006. ]
[ If Black knew that White was going to castle
next move he would play 8...g7?! but alas
9.h5! is very strong- see the archives. ]
9.0-0
517
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ Instead 9.f1!? was analysed in Sebag-
Popov. ]
9...h6 10.e1 g5
[ If 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 xh4 12.xh4 xh4
13.f3 e7 14.e3 is an excellent pawn
sacrifice for W hite. The king's wing is too
loose to provide a safe haven for the black
king, but castling queenside is also fraught
with danger as W hite will have a read y
made attack. Only Gurevich's fine defensive
powers saved him from defeat after b6
15.c1 d7 16.a3 0-0-0 17.b4 b8
18.d2 a6 19.b5 axb5 20.xb5 c8
21.b3 in Navara, D-Gurevich, M/Antalya
TUR 2004. ]
11.hxg5 hxg5 12.f1 b6?!
Ganguly prefers an immediate attack on d4 to
Mikhail Gurevich's recommendation of
[ 12...g4 13.3h2 cxd4 14.cxd4 b6 ]
13.xg5 In contrast to the Gurevich
suggestion above, White's knight gets to g5,
rather than being pushed back to h2 and the
e x c h a n ge o f d a r k s qu a re d b i sh o p s a l s o
favours the white attack. Therefore Ganguly's
move is at best very risky. xg5 14.xg5
cxd4 15.f3! It might seem strange that
White can give away his e5 pawn whilst at the
same time allowing a fork on his queen and
bishop. But what makes this whole variation
so double edged is that in destroying the
white pawn centre, Black opens up lines for
the white pieces to attack his king. cxe5
16.f4
[ Not 16.xe5? xe5 17.f6 f8 18.xe5
f6! when Black bags the knight on g5 with
good chances to win. ]
16...f8
[ Here, however, it is Black who has to
beware of unexpected 'gifts' as he loses his
q u e e n a f t e r 16...xd3 17.xf7+ d8
18.xe6+ ]
17.ad1! Now White has every piece in play,
whereas Black is playing without the help of
his rook on a8. Nevertheless, the black centre
is hard to shift, and W hite will need to play
wit h e n e rg y t o m a in t a i n t h e a t t a ck . dxc3
18.bxc3 f6 19.h7 f7 20.e3 Now Black
has to reckon with the idea of 21.Nxd5!? exd5
22.Bg6 which he prevents by defending d5
with his queen. c5 21.h6 xd3 22.xd3
e5 23.xd5!?
[ Spectacular, but more effective would be
the simplifying 23.xf6+ xf6 24.xf6
xd3 25.g6+ d8 26.xd3 d7 ( If
26...b5 27.c2 heading for d4.) 27.c4!
and White's attack continues. ]
23...xh7!
[ If 23...exd5 24.xf6+ xf6 ( Or 24...d8
25.exd5 when an attempt to simplify by
Black rebounds in a curious style: xf2+
26.xf2 g4+ 27.g3 xh6 Black is still
a rook up, but... 28.e8# ) 25.xf6 e7
26.h8+ d7 27.c2! ( Not 27.xd5?
f3+! ) 27...d6 28.d4 a6 to stop 29.
Nb5+ driving away the black king and then
30.Rxe5. 29.h6+ c5 30.h2 d6
31.f3 and e5 collapses. ]
24.xe5!
[ Not 24.xh7? exd5 25.f4? g4
when the pin on e3 destroys White. ]
24...e7 25.g6+ f7 26.xf7+ xf7
27.c5 b6 Black didn't move his queen's rook
or bishop throughout the whole game. It's no
wonder that White had so much dynamic play
to offset his material/ structural losses. It
seems that both players were exhausted after
their exciting struggle. After
[ 27...b6 28.c7+ g6 29.xh7 xh7
30.d1 speaking in the long term, Black has
the better minor piece and the more
compact pawns, but it is difficult for him to
develop without allowing the invasion of the
white rook on d8 or d7. ]
½-½
584 C06
Neelotpal,Das 2486
Rathnakaran,K 2437
Velammal 45th National (13) 15.02.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 b6 8.0-0 g6
9.dxc5 c7!?
[ The more natural 9...xc5 allowed the
much missed Kasparov to develop a dark
squared bind: 10.b3 xd3 11.xd3 g7
12.f4 0-0? The obvious move, but it just
leads to a prospectless position for Black
after the forced exchange of dark squared
bishops. ( M o r e f i g h t i n g wa s 12...d7
518
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.fe1 h6! 14.h4 0-0-0 15.bd4 xd4
16.xd4 g5 17.hxg5 hxg5 18.xg5 dg8
and here a draw was agreed in Tkachiev-
Kindermann, Biel 1995, which cut short an
interesting struggle. W hite has an extra
pawn but the open files on the kingside give
him pause for thought.) 13.d2! etc- see
Kasparov-Bareev in the ChessPub
archives. ]
10.e1 This prevents Black from taking back
on e5 with his queen, as in the line
[ 10.b3 dxe5 11.xe5 xe5!?
The black queen will be pushed around for a
while, but at least she won't be a target for
Nd4 and Nb5. There is also no Bf4 pin to
disconcert Black. 12.e1 f6 13.b5 e7
Note that Navara puts his bishop on e7 as if
( 13...g7 14.xd5 ) 14.e3 0-0 15.xc6
bxc6 16.d4 f4 17.a5 c7 The young
Czech GM has finally got his queen to a
safe haven and proceeds to outplay his
opponent, exploiting his bishop pair and the
expansiveness of his centre: 18.b4 f6 19.f4
d7 20.d2 ae8 21.e2 d8 22.ae1
b8 23.c4 c7 24.e3 f7 25.g3 e5!
26.cxd5 cxd5 27.fxe5 fxe5 28.xd5 xb4
29.b3 b5 30.d2 a4 31.f2 c4
32.e4 xf2 33.xf2 xb3 34.axb3 xb3
35.c1 a5 36.e2 b8 37.c4 d8
38.c2 xc2 39.xc2 f7 40.b2 e6
41.b7 c8 42.a7 d5 43.xa5 xa5
44.xa5 xc5 45.a2 d4 46.d2+ e4
47.a2 c4 48.f2 g5 49.e2+ f5
50.f3 h5 51.a2 c3+ 52.f2 c4
53.f3 h4 54.gxh4 xh4 55.g3 g4+
56.f3 b4 57.a3 e4+ 58.g3 b5
59.h3 d5 60.a8 d3+ 61.g2 f4
62.f8+ e3 63.f5 d2 64.a5 e3
65.a1 e2 66.g3 d1 67.a2+ f1
68.h2 d2 69.h1+ e2 70.a1 b2
71.g2 d3+ 72.f3 d2 73.g2 e2
74.g3 c2 75.g2 c3 76.g3 c4
77.g2 g4 78.a2+ d1 0-1 Hracek, Z-
Navara, D/Karlovy Vary CZE 2004. ]
10...cxe5 11.b3 g7 12.f4 0-0
13.xe5 xe5 Rathnakaran elects to be rid
of the pin on e5, even though he parts with
his important bishop.
[ White would have some initiative after
13...xe5 14.c4!? ( or 14.e2 f6 15.c4 )]
14.xe5 xe5 15.c2 c4 16.b1 d7
17.d4 Let's pause and take stock. The
'I n d ia n ' b i sh o p is m is si n g f r o m g7 . T h i s
encourages White to build up an attack with
h4-h5, all the more so as the black knight is a
long way from the kingside, and can always
be exchanged by Bd3 and Bxc4 at an
appropriate moment, which would f urther
increase W hite's dark squared grip. This
might sound like doom and gloom as far as
Black is concerned, but he is fully developed
and has the better pawn structure. In fact, the
white pawn on c5 soon drops off the board.
Furthermore, Black's king might be facing a
distance menace, but he is far safer here than
in many lines of the Universal System, where
he has to try to survive in the centre. ac8
18.d3 b5 19.f4 a5 20.f2 d7 21.bd1
fd8 22.h4 a4 23.d4 xc5 24.a3 f8
25.h5 e8 26.xc4 xc4 27.e3 g7
Both players have carried out their plans:
Black has won the loose pawn on c5 and
brought his queen to g7, where she staunches
up the dark squares. Meanwhile W hite has
exchanged his bishop for the black knight and
gained a bind on the dark squares. He has
also generated attacking chances by
advancing h4-h5. 28.de1 f6?!
[ Black should consider the exchange
sacrifice 28...xd4!? e.g. 29.cxd4 ( or
29.h6!? xh6 30.cxd4 c8 ) 29...xd4
30.f5 f6! ]
29.e5 f8 30.g3 c6 31.1e2 g7
32.e1 f6 33.f2 g7 Black repeats
move, but Neelotpal rightly decides to press
f o r t h e wi n . 34.e3 f6 35.h2 e7
36.hxg6 hxg6 37.f5?
[ The way to keep up the initiative was
37.h7! threatening 38.Rxe6+. ]
37...d6! The tables are suddenly turned-
Black breaks the pin and attacks e5. 38.e2
gxf5 39.xf5+ exf5 40.xe8 xe8
41.xe8 e4 42.xe4 fxe4 43.xa4 f3
W h i t e ' s d r e a m s o f a t t a c k h a ve l e d t o a
wretched endgame. 44.b4+ e6 45.b6+
f5 46.xb7 xg3+ 47.f1 d3+ 48.e1
f6 49.h7+ e6 50.g8+ e5 51.b8+
f5 52.b3 e3+ 53.d1 g1+ 54.e2
g2+ 55.e3 f3+ 56.d4 d3+ 57.c5
c4+ 58.xc4 dxc4 59.xc4 f4
0-1
519
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
585 C06
Nemcova,Katerina 2147
Sengupta,Deep 2416
Gibtelecom Masters (4) 26.01.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6
15.g6 xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4
18.g3 d6 19.ac1? The aim is to utilise
the c-file if Black ever plays Nxd4, either with
Qc 7 or a s pe ct acular Q xc8+! Ho we ve r, I
simply don't like this move, which leaves the
d4 pawn undefended. Standard is
[ 19.ad1 as seen many times in the
archives. ]
19...e5!
[ I n f e r i o r i s 19...d7? Black's slow
developing move isn't somehow in the spirit
of the variation. 20.xh2 xd4 21.c7
xf3+ 22.h1 xc7 23.xc7 c6
( 23...xh4 24.xd7 hxg6 25.c1
looks tremendous for White.) 24.f7+ f8?
25.h5! and White stood well and went on
to win in Petr, M-Ganaus, H/Olomouc CZE
2005. ]
[ Definitely not 19...xd4? 20.xc8+! ]
[ S i m i l a r t o t h e g a m e i s 19...f8?!
def endin g c8 again and with in tention s
against f3. 20.xh2 xd4 21.c3 b5
22.c2 d4 23.c3 b5 draw! However,
as will be seen, Black should be trying for
more t han a quick handsh ake af ter 19 .
Rac1. ]
20.h7+
[ White has various pitfalls to avoid e.g.
20.f5 xf5 21.xf5 xd4 22.c8+ xc8
23.xc8+ h7 and Black is at least OK. If
24.f5? g6 25.e7 g2# ]
[ Or 20.dxe5?? xg6 21.xg6
21.xh2 e6 and the h3 square once
again proves W hite's undoing in this
variation. ) 21...xg6 22.xh2 xh4 ]
20...h8 21.dxe5 f8!
[ Spurning the e5 pawn. When I first
a n a lys e d t h is va ri a t i o n in t h e n o t e s t o
Ha garo va -Rud o lf o n Che ssP u b , I ga ve
21...xe5 which isn't bad for Black, but it
allows White to stabilise things with 22.f5!
Sengupta's sly queen retreat sets his
opponent a lot more problems. ]
22.xh2
[ If 22.f5? xg3! wins material without any
fuss. ]
22...g5 23.f5
[ Black has great chances af ter 23.h5?
xh5 24.g3
A) I can't resist pointing out the following
intriguing display of chess board
gym n a st i cs : 24...xf3?! 25.g6 h3!
26.g1 ( 26.xh3? f4+ 27.h2
g2# ) 26...xg3 27.xg3 ( not 27.xh6
h5 28.xh5 xh5 ) 27...xf2+
28.xh3 xe5 29.xh6 g4+! 30.xg4
h2+ 31.xh2 xg4+ 32.g3 xh6
and it's all burnt out to a likely draw.;
B) 24...f4! with ideas of 25...Qf7 and
then either a check on h5 or Qxh7. ]
[ Another line is 23.g1!? xe5!? ( Not
23...gxh4? 24.e4 dxe4 25.g8+ xg8
26.xg8 xg8 27.xe4; also needing
i n v e s t i g a t i o n i s 23...h3!?;
perhaps strongest of all is the simple
23...f7!? then 24...Be6, just developing.)
24.c3 f6 25.b1 ( 25.ge1 d4! )
25...g4!? ( 25...d4? 26.c7 hitting h7.)
26.fxg4 xg4+ 27.h1 xf2+ 28.h2
g4+ with a perpetual check. ]
[ Finally, White could bail out to an endgame:
23.xg5 hxg5 24.h1 h6+ 25.g1
h3+ 26.g2 xh7 27.xh7+ xh7
28.xh3+ xh3+ 29.xh3 g6
Despite the [temporary] extra pawn, it is
difficult for White to equalise. ]
23...f7 24.g3
[ Hopeless is 24.e3 h5 25.g2 d4
etc. ]
24...xh7 25.h4
[ Also useless for W hite is 25.e6 xe6
26.c3+ g8 ]
( or 25...f7! Now Nemcova has to reckon with
Qe6 or Qh5, as well as g5xh4. 26.a4 e6
27.fd1
[ White's problem is that the kingside is too
flimsy. For example 27.g2 h5+ 28.g1
ed4 with a double threat of mate on e2 or
f3. ]
27...gxh4 28.xh4 d4?
[ He could have held onto the h6 pawn:
28...h7! 29.xd5 g5 30.d3 xf3+
520
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
31.xf3 xf3 32.f4 h5 33.c3 ( Or
33.xc6 xc6 34.xh5+ g7 ) 33...g4
34.f6 g6 35.g3 xf6 36.exf6 e6
37.g7+ h8 38.xb7 f8 and Black
wins. ]
29.g2?
[ White misses a chance of getting back into
the game with 29.xh6+ h7 30.xh7+
xh7 31.g2 d7 32.h1+ g6 33.h4
when the white rooks can cause problems
on the kingside. ]
29...h7 30.h1 g6 31.f1 d7 32.b4
a6 33.a4 e8 34.f4 e7 35.a5 f5
36.h5 g8 37.xg6+ xg6 38.g1 h5
Black has fantastic light square control that
re n d e r s W h i t e 's p a sse d p a wn s u s e le ss .
39.e2 b5+ 40.f3 c6+ 41.e2 g8
42.d3 g4 43.ce1 g6 44.h2 e7
45.c1 f5 46.xg4 hxg4 47.g3 d5
0-1
586 C06
Ni Hua 2692
Cvek,Robert 2518
25th ECC Ohrid MKD (3) 06.10.2009
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5
9.a4 This move has been played a fair amount,
but not quite on this level. White's idea is to
stop ...a4 and claim b5, usually for his bishop.
At the same time, a4 is rather slow and Black
should achieve adequate counterplay fairly
easily. cxd4!? This exchange is almost
always played, and has done rather poorly. I
find it an odd decision, forfeiting the chance
to pressure d-pawn because White will have
Nb3 without facing ...c4, and because White
gains the opportunity for Nb1-c3. The most
natural moves are
[ a) 9...b6 10.dxc5! ( It's probably easiest
to decline the gambit 10.e1 by castling,
wh i c h i s s a f e o r b y e x p l o i t i n g W h i t e ' s
awkward pieces with g5; Black can also
castle after the other standard idea 10.b1
, but acceptance by cxd4! 11.cxd4 xd4
12.xd4 xd4 13.c3 xe5 is essentially
a tempo ahead of normal lines) 10...xc5!?
( 10...xc5 11.e2 0-0 (or 11...h6) should
be okay, since 12.xh7+ xh7 13.g5+
g6 probably falls a bit short, e.g., 14.c4
b3! )
A) 11.b5!? 0-0 ( 11...d7 12.b3
a7!? ) 12.b3 e4 looks equal;
B) 11.c2!
B1) 11...c7 12.e1 d7 13.e2
g5!? ( 13...b6 ) 14.h3? ( 14.b3 g4
15.fd4 xe5 16.d1! ) 14...h5
15.f1 g4 16.hxg4 hxg4 17.3h2
Cioara, A (2353)-Vasiesiu, D
(2410)Bucharest 2000, and here xe5
is logical and good.;
B2) 11...0-0 12.b3 xb3 13.xb3
c7 14.e1 b6!? 15.c2 a6 16.f4
with unclear play. Every move of this line
can be debated! ]
[ b) 9...g5!? 10.dxc5 xc5 11.b5 d7
isn't clear, for example, 12.e2 h5 13.d4
c7 14.e1 g4 15.2b3 e4 Coimbra, M
(2061)-Rajlich, I (2428)/ Gibraltar 2007 and
here 16.f4 should keep an edge. ]
[ (c) 9...0-0! is unpretentious, e.g., 10.e2
( 10.h4 cxd4 11.cxd4 f6 12.exf6 xf6
le a ve s W h it e a l it t le we a k e n e d o n t h e
kingside ) 10...cxd4 ( the clearest other
ideas are: 10...f6!? 11.exf6 xf6 12.g5
cxd4 13.xe6 xe6 14.xe6+ h8
15.f3 dxc3 16.bxc3 c7; 10...c7 11.b3
cxd4 12.cxd4 f6 13.exf6 xf6 ) 11.cxd4
b6 12.e3 f6! 13.exf6 xf6 14.h3 h5!
with a pleasant position ]
10.cxd4 b4 Easily the main choice.
[ 10...b6 11.b3 f6 12.e3! gets White's
p i e c e s o u t q u i c k l y , w i t h t h e i d e a fxe5
13.xe5! 0-0 14.c1 ]
[ 10...b6 has been played a few times, with
poor results. W hite has good play on the
queenside after 11.b3 for example, d7
12.c5! xd4 13.xb7 xf3+ 14.xf3
c7 15.d6+ xd6 16.exd6 xd6 17.f4
( or 17.b3 , intending Ba3) 17...e7 18.g3
with more than enough play for a pawn,
K a r p a t c h e v, A ( 2 4 6 0 ) - S o n g , J (2 2 3 6 ) /
Cannes 2008. ]
11.b5 I like this because it prevents Black
from playing ...b6 and ...Ba6 with sole control
over the a6-f1 diagonal.
[ 11.b1!? followed by Nc3 looks interesting,
to prevent Black from developing
aggressively, for example, xd3 12.xd3
521
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
b6 13.c3 a6 14.b5 but this isn't so
bad for him. ]
[ 11.b1 has been the most common move.
Then b6 12.e1 a6 13.f1 c8
ha s b e e n p la ye d in se ve ra l gam e s, f o r
example, 14.a3 b5!? 15.axb5 xb5
16.h4 c6 17.g5 h6 18.xe7 xe7
19.g3 g5!? ( 19...0-0! ) 20.ae3 b4
21.hxg5 hxg5 22.c3 with rough equality,
Babaev, R (2449)-Gonzalez Menendez, I
(2381)/Balaguer 2005. ]
11...b6 12.b1! a6 13.c3 Both sides
have the same structure on the queenside. All
things being equal, W hite's central pawn
structure should give him a little something.
0-0 14.e2
[ Or 14.f4 ]
[ or 14.xa6 xa6 15.e2 ]
14...xb5 15.axb5!?
[ 15.xb5 looks best, and slightly
advantageous due to W hite's space
advantage in the uncontested centre. Still,
it's hard to make any progress. ]
15...c8 16.d2 c7 17.b3 b7 18.ac1
fe8
[ 18...c7! and ...Rfc8 is natural and
perfectly fine. ]
19.h4 f8?!
[ 19...c7 20.h5 h6 ]
20.h5 h6 21.h2 f6!? 22.f4!?
[ Or 22.exf6 xf6 23.g4 xg4 24.xg4 ]
22...e7
[ 22...f5 is safer. ]
23.g4
[ White can also target e5 by 23.exf6 xf6
24.f3 ]
23...h7 24.f3 f5 25.e3 d3?? 26.b1
[ 26.exd5! ]
26...b4? 27.exd5 xc3 28.xc3 xf3
29.xf3 The rest should be technique, but in
fact it's Black who gains a meaningf ul
advantage before giving it back: b4 30.g4?
fxg4 31.g3 c2 32.d5 exd5 33.xg4 d4
34.e4 a3 35.e1 xb5 36.e6 c5
37.f5 xe4 38.exe4 c5 39.ef4 d6?
40.f6 gxf6 41.xf6 f5 42.f7+ h8
43.g6 e5? 44.f4 d5 45.gf6 d3
46.xf5 xf5 47.xf5 xe6 48.f2 e4
49.xh6 b4 50.d2 xb3 51.h6 a4
52.f8+ h7 53.f7+ h8 54.c7
1-0
587 C06
Ni Hua 2705
Rodriguez Vila,Andres 2531
TCh-ESP Hon Gp2 (4) 06.09.2008
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
As if the previous game didn't cause enough
distress to the French fanatics, Ni Hua played
a beautiful game in September last year in
the same variation. I happened to be kibitzing
live online but I never dreamt that I would be
analyzing it for ChessPub almost a year later.
14.0-0!? has never been regarded highly but
Ni H u a , a 2 7 0 0 + p la ye r l ik e s it wh ic h i s
enough reason to give it a little more attention.
I can also reveal that I actually know Ni Hua
personally and besides being a very nice and
humble fellow, he is also an ardent
Manchester United fan, like myself! 1.e4 e6
2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5
6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.f4
xd4 10.h5+ e7 11.exf6+ xf6
12.g6+ hxg6 13.xh8 f7 14.0-0!?
W hite has a much safer King and a better
pawn structure as compared to the line with
14.Qh4. However, he is deprived of the active
play down the g-file and the tactics that might
arise from the advance of the h-pawn.
[ 14.h4 e5 was analyzed in the previous
game in Rublesvky-Volkov. ]
14...e5 15.b3 f5
[ 15...xb3 is probably best: 16.axb3
A) Moskalenko opined that after 16...e4
17.e2 c7 , Black has counterplay
which is just after right. For example,
18.h4 e7 19.g5 ( 19.f4 c2
20.d1 xb2 21.c1 e6 22.c7 d8
23.xb7 d7 and despite being material
down, Black's active pieces should play
him in good stead.) 19...c2 20.d1
xb2 21.c1 d6! is fine for Black.;
B) 16...f5 17.xf5 gxf5 18.g5
( 18.h3 d7 ) 18...c5! Black offers to
e xch a n ge qu e e n s a s t h e e n d ga m e i s
generally desirable for the second player.
19.h3 d7 20.b4!
B1) 20...xb4 21.xf6 was White's
id e a b e h i n d 2 0 . b 4 . T h i s f o r c e s gxf6
as after things are not that clear anyway.
F o r e xa m p l e , ( 21...xf6?? 22.h4+
wins. ) 22.ac1 e6! 23.c2 d8
522
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

24.fc1 b5!; with Be3-f4 and f2-f3.) 24.d4 d7 25.g3

B2) 20...b6 21.xf6 xf6 22.a3! xg3+ 26.hxg3 xe3 27.fxe3
Mo s k ale n ko d id n 't co mm e n t o n t h is W h it e 's su p e rb kn igh t give s ve ry go o d
move but I think it is creative and strong winning chances. ]
and the only move to create some sort of 21...exf3
p r e s s u r e o n B l a c k ' s p o s i t i o n . g6 [ 21...xh2+! 22.xh2 d6+ 23.g1 xh8
23.h4+ e6 24.g4 This was maybe a 24.fxe4 hxg4 would have also given Black
bit too reckless. ( 24.g5 g8 25.h3 good defensive chances. ]
was an idea but there are probably other 22.xf3 d8 This led to some stunning
ideas that can pose some problems.) tactics from Ni Hua which ultimately confused
24...f4 25.e1 g7 26.h3 e4 27.g5+ Black.
d6 Black was fairly comfortable at this [ 22...xh2+ would have led to a forced
stage and went on to win: 28.g4 f8 draw: 23.xh2 d6+ 24.g1 xh8 25.g5
29.c3 d7 30.xd7+ xd7 31.h3 f5 26.gxf6 xe3 27.fxg7 xg7 28.fe1
e6 32.h7 c8 33.g7 c2 34.f1 h2+! 29.f2 g4+ 30.xg4 xg4
f5 35.h4 f3 36.f7+ g4 37.f6 31.e7+ f6 32.xb7 e5 33.xa7 h2+
h5 38.d6 d2 39.b3 d4 40.b5 34.e3 h3+ 35.f2 h2+ and perpetual
c5 41.e6 b6 42.b4 e2 43.h2 check! This is not a bad calculation
xh4 0-1 Kengis, E (2445)-Moskalenko, exercise isn't it? ]
V/Sverdlovsk 198499 ] [ 22...e8! threatens to win immediately with
[ 15...c6 16.g5 f5 17.xf5 gxf5 ...Be7. 23.xh6 gxh6 24.g2 xh2+!
18.ac1 is just a slight but safe edge to 25.xh2 d6+ 26.h1 xh8 with good
White. ] chances for Black. ]
16.g5 b6 17.ac1 Black was an 23.xh6 gxh6 24.xd5! This must have
exchange down but in return, had immense come as a shock to Black. Black had 4 pieces
central pawns and activity to boot. However, defending the d5 pawn but W hite takes it
White had no weaknesses in his position and anyway! xd5 25.c7+! Nicely utilizing the
was probably slightly better. e4?! In view of themes of overloading, pins & skewers. e7?
how White managed to take full control of the Black falters in the midst of chaos.
im p o r t a n t e 3 , d 4 sq u a r e s , B l a c k s h o u l d [ Black can still hold the position after the
probably play something like f o r c i n g l i n e 25...xc7 26.xf6+ e8
[ 17...e6 or ] 27.xf8+ d7 28.g7+ c8 29.xc7+
[ 17...d7 ] xc7 30.xg6 xb3 31.axb3 d1+
18.e2 e6 The position seemed quiet but Ni 32.g2 d2+ 33.g3 xb2 34.xh6
Hua now unleashed the surprising 19.g4!! xb3+ 35.h4 a5 However, the practical
T h is g a i n s c o n t r o l o ve r t h e cr it ic a l d a r k difficulties of finding such a variation are
squares, e3 and d4 and also opens attacking huge and one really can't blame Rodriguez
possibilities with a future f2-f3 where the f1 for missing this. ]
rook can suddenly have a promising career. 26.xf6+! xf6 27.xd8 c4? Now Black
h6 was lost. He had to hang in grimly with
[ 19...d6? 20.e3! as advertised, [ 27...c6 when White's exposed King would
dominating the important central squares. have given some practical chances. ]
d8 21.d4! xg4 22.xg4 xg4 28.d2 xa2 29.e4! This Knight gives rise
23.h3 d7 24.f3 was very strong and to tactical possibilities everywhere. b6+
already close to winning. ] [ 29...e5? 30.d6+ f6 31.h8+ wins. ]
[ 19...d4? 20.xd4 xd4 21.c7++- ] 30.h1 e6 31.d6+ f6 32.g5+!
20.e3 d6 21.f3?! Ni Hua might have This lovely move is the final sting in the tail.
missed a surprising tactic. It is almost an art in itself to be able to every
[ 21.g5! was n at ural an d st ro ng: fg4 possible resource in a position. xg5
22.xg4 xg4 23.h4 g8 ( 23...e5 [ 32...hxg5 33.h8# is a nice study-like
24.d4 g8 25.g3 White will continue mate. ]

523
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

33.xe7+ White keeps the queens on the board.

1-0 [ For 22.xf6+ xf6 see again the notes to
Timman-Morozevich. ]
22...c6 23.b3 h6!? The traditional
588 C06 development of the bishop in this variation is
Ni Hua 2621 towards the centre- say to c5, where it blocks
Wang Hao 2622 the c-file- the only open file on the board for
Masters Singapore SIN (5) 28.12.2006 the white rooks. However, on h6 the bishop
[Neil McDonald] guards c1 and, as will be seen, supports the
advance of the black passed pawn to d2.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 24.ad1 d8 25.d3! The white rook finds a
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 way after all to get to the open c-file. f6
9.f4!? xd4 10.h5+ e7 11.exf6+ 26.c3 d7 A methodical build up by Black:
xf6 12.g6+ hxg6 13.xh8 f7 the rook and queen are doubled up behind
For further analysis, take a look at Timman- the passed pawn, and the black king has
Morozevich in the archives, which amongst moved to f6 to break the pin on d5, thereby
other ideas, discusses the sharp alternative allowing the pawn to advance. But the big
[ 13...e5 ] qu e s t io n re m a i n s: wil l W h it e m a n a g e t o
14.h4 achieve something meaningful with his control
[ If you give this variation a go as White, of t h e c-f ile ? 27.c2 d4 28.c7 d5
watch out f or the tra p 14.f3?? b4+ 29.d1 f4 30.c8 xc8 31.xc8 g7
winning the white queen- you can easily fall 32.c7+ h6 33.b8 g7 34.xa7
for it if you get the move order wrong! ] [ Instead White can force a draw by
14...e5 15.f3 xf3+ 16.gxf3 f5 17.xf5 repetition with 34.c7+ h6 35.b8 g7
gxf5 18.g5 a5+ 19.f1 g6!? ( and not 35...d3?? 36.h8+ g5 37.h4# )]
An old move that takes advantage of a tactical 34...d3 35.b8 d2 The strength of the pawn
trick to clarify matters, as if White avoids 20. on d2 saves the day for Black- and even leads
Bxf6 then Black is poised to play 20. ..Nh5! to unexpected victory. 36.c7+ h6 37.b3
keeping the useful knight. [ There is still a draw with 37.c8 h7
[ Instead 19...c5 20.g2 b5 21.ac1 38.c7+ h6 39.c8 etc. ]
b6 22.b3 e8 23.hg1 e6 24.xf6 xf6 37...b5 38.c3 g5 39.h3 g4 40.hxg4 fxg4
25.h1 d7 26.g5 Black has an 41.a4??
impressive wall of pawns in the centre, but [ The game finishes as a rather strange
W hite can probe along the g-file in positional draw after 41.b4 as the passed
Rublevsky, S-Asrian, K/Sochi RUS 2006. ] pawn balances White's extra exchange. For
[ 19...c8 20.g2 c6 21.h3! the attack example g5 42.b3 gxf3+ 43.xf3 e4
on f5 is very awkward for Black, as every 44.e2 f5 45.g1 f6 46.d1 g6+
way of countering it involves loosening his 47.f1 f5 48.g2 g6+ 49.f1 f5 ]
d e f e n s i v e s e t u p i n s o m e m a n n e r . g6 41...b4! The white queen is deflected from the
22.xf6 xf6 23.ac1 d4 24.h8+ f7 defence of f3 with lethal effect. 42.c2 gxf3+
25.h4! The threat of 26.h5 forces the black 43.h3
bishop into the wilderness on g7, where it [ Or 43.f1 e6 and mate soon follows a
does little to protect the black king, and, queen check on h3. ]
e v e n wo r s e , n o t h in g a t a l l t o b l o ck a n 43...e4 There is no good way to stop mate on
invasion on the queenside. g7 26.b8 h5.
b6 27.b4! d3 28.b5! Forcing Black to 0-1
allow a white rook to penetrate down either
the b-file or the c-file. xb5 29.b1 d5
30.xb7+ f6 31.e8 1-0 Tairova, E-
Bagirov, R/Moscow RUS 2006. ]
20.xf6 a6+ 21.g2 xf6 22.a4

524
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
589 C06
Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter 2679
Crickmore,Neil EG 2129
2nd Open Fincas Mediterranea (9) 25.08.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.0-0 c6 8.c3 a5
9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 After all the
exhaustive analysis that has gone into
devising a counter t o the Ngf 3 Universa l
System based on g7-g5, the best advice might
still be: grab the d4 pawn. 11.b1 xd4
12.xd4 xd4 13.c3 c5!?
[ T h e r e t r e a t 13...b6 has also been
examined in games on ChessPub. ]
14.e3
[ A s y e t , m y s u g g e s t i o n o f 14.b5
has never been tried here. You can find
analysis in the notes to Hansen-Schlecht.
Play might go xf2+ 15.h1 0-0 16.g5
and White is ready for 17.Qh5. ]
14...h4 15.xc5?!
[ Earlier I gave the game Gormally-Quillan,
wh ic h W h it e p la ye d in e n e rge t ic st yle :
15.c2 b6 ( Solid enough is 15...0-0 )
16.xd5 I may have exaggerated the
strength of this sacrifice. exd5 17.xd5
a7 18.e6 an d h e re crit ica l is fxe6
( In the game Quillan had to resign after
18...0-0 19.exf7+! h8 20.xc5 bxc5
21.e8 as there is no answer to 22.Qxd7!)
19.xe6+ d8 20.xc5 bxc5 21.ad1
This looks very dangerous for Black, but on
the other hand he is a piece up and can
consolidate with f6 ]
[ Meanwhile 15.g3?! e7 was discussed in
Hansen-Schlecht. ]
15...xc5 16.c1
[ P e r h a p s t h e c a u t i o u s 16.c2!?
was in order. ]
16...xd3 17.xd3 0-0 Does White really
have enough for the pawn here? In contrast to
the usual Universal System scenario, the
black king has found a fairly safe refuge: his
kingside hasn't been ravaged by an
intemperate g7-g5 advance. Furthermore,
there have been a lot of exchanges, which
means not only that White has few pieces to
attack with but also that there are no pieces
congesting Black's position. 18.b5 d7
19.d6 c6?!
[ A natural move, but 19...f6! was active and
excellent for Black e.g. 20.exf6 ( silly moves
for White include 20.f5 g5! and; 20.c7
fxe5 attacking f2 and; 20.g3 b4 21.c7??
xe1+ ) 20...xf6 and White is in trouble as
if 21.g3? then b4 picks up a whole
knight. ]
20.e3 h6 21.ce1 ad8 22.h3 g6
23.d2 f6 24.g3 h5 25.f4 a4?
[ Black could still get a great game with
25...fxe5 26.fxe5 ( not 26.xe5? h6
and the knight drops.) 26...h4! when if
27.xa5?! d4+ 28.h1 xb2
and Black is threatening 29...Qxe5! ]
26.h3 g6 27.g3 h6 28.h3 g6
29.g3 h6 30.h3 g6? Black might have
cla i m e d a d ra w b y re p e t it io n a ga in s t a n
opponent rated 550 Elo points above him. I
guess he was in time trouble at this point.
31.f5!! White finally shows his class by
spotting an ingenious breakthrough. exf5
32.g3 h5 33.e6 xd6 34.b4!
This is the point of Nisipeanu's combination:
there is no clean way for Black to deal with
the threat to the rook and restrain the passed
p a w n f r o m a d v a n c i n g . fd8 35.e7
The game score ends here. I assume that
Black lost on time trying to find a non-existent
winning move. If he had played
[ 35.e7 e8 th e n a f t e r 36.exd8 xd8
37.d4 Black still has a nominal material
advantage and there is plenty of fight left in
the position. However, I would expect the
Super GM to prove triumphant after 38.Rge3
etc. due to his control of the open file and
the passive black bishop. ]
1-0
590 C06
Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter 2584
Lputian,Smbat G 2625
Eu Team Ch Batumi GEO (3) 01.12.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5 7.d3 c6 8.0-0
White has set up the standard Tarrasch 3...
Nf6 pawn centre. However, he doesn't have
the piece configuration that he wants, which
525
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
is his king's knight on e2 and the queen's
knight on f3. Thus the knight on d2 has no
clear role at the moment and merely gets in
the way of the other pieces. In particular it
makes it harder to safeguard the d4 pawn.
a5!?
[ Here 8...b6 9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 xd4
11.xd4 xd4 12.f3 b6 is a well
known gambit line. However, Black has
been tricked by the move order in that after
the usual sequence 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2
Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 Bd3 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ngf3
Qb6 8 0-0 the guru John W atson and the
leading French practitioner Ivan Farago
both prefer 8... g6!? declining the pawn offer
and putting the bishop on the highly effective
g7 square. Of course, we can't do this here
as we put the bishop on e7 way back at
move three! In the game Black tries another
method. ]
9.e1 cxd4
[ The direct use of the a pawn gave Black
plenty of activity in Ulibin-Shulman, Calcutta
1999, after 9...a4!? 10.dxc5 xc5 11.c2
f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.f1 0-0 14.e3 a3! ]
10.cxd4 b6 Lputian has another plan in
mind. He keeps the a pawn in reserve, which
makes it difficult for White to strengthen the d
pawn, as Nb3 can be answered with a4. 11.a3
g5!
[ Of course 11...xd4 12.xd4 xd4
13.f3 b6 14.c2 would be a version of
the gambit line mentioned in the note after
8...a5. Lputian's idea is much better- the
advance of the g pawn disrupts W hite's
game and forces the win of the d pawn in
much more favourable circumstances. ]
12.h3 h5 13.f1 g4 14.hxg4 hxg4
15.3h2 xd4 16.xg4 c5 17.c2
Th is s ee ms a litt le p assive, b ut p erha p s
White didn't like
[ 17.b5 xd1 18.xd1 b3 ]
17...xd1 18.xd1 b6 19.e3 a6
20.f6+? This begins a disastrous
miscalculation. Instead
[ 20.g3 looks sensible, though Black looks
slightly better in view of his more compact
centre and better piece co-ordination. ]
20...d8 21.ab1?
[ A s h a m e f a c e d r e t r e a t w i t h 21.g4
was necessary. ]
21...xf1! Perhaps White missed the strength
of this move, after which Black can safely
c a p t u r e t h e e 5 p a w n . 22.xf1 xe5
23.xd5 The re is not hin g b ett er. h1+
24.e2 xd1 25.xd1 exd5 26.xd5+
ed7 27.b4 axb4 28.axb4 e6 29.xb6+
e8 So Black keeps his extra piece. However,
the endgame is dif f icult to win in view of
Black's lack of pawns. I don't know whether
W h it e co u ld h a ve sa ve d h im se lf in wh a t
follows but it is clear that the opening was a
great success for Black. 30.e3 a2 31.d1
xb4 32.f5 dc5 33.xe6 xe6 34.g3
e7 35.b5 c3 36.d5 b2 37.d3 a5
38.d5 a2 39.f5 e8 40.d5 c7
41.f5 a6 42.e5+ d7 43.g5 b4
44.f5 e8 45.e5+ f8 46.h6+ g8
47.e3 g7 48.b5 f6 49.g4 e6
50.b6+ e5 51.b7 e6 52.b6+ d7
53.b7+ e8 54.g5 c5 55.d2 d6
56.a7 f8 57.c3 b4 58.xb4 xa7
59.xd6+ g7 60.e2 g6 61.f4 f5
62.f3 a3+ 63.e3 b3 64.g3 e4
65.g2 c3 66.d2 d3 67.c1 f5
68.e3 g4 69.g6 fxg6 70.b6 b3
71.c5 f5 72.d6 e4 73.c5 b5
74.e3 b1 75.a7 d3 76.e3 e2
77.c5 b5 78.e3 d5 79.g3 d3
80.f3 f5+ 81.g3 e4 82.g2 b5
83.g3 f5 84.g2 b4 85.d2 g4+
86.f3 g1 87.f4 g5 88.h2 g4+ 89.e3
b1 90.c7 b3+ 91.d4 b1 92.e3
b7 93.h2 e7+ 94.d3 e1 95.d4
b1 96.c7 b4+ 97.e3 b3+ 98.d4
f3 99.g3 e6 100.e4 d7 101.d5
c8 102.c6 f6+ 103.c5 b7 104.c4
f3 105.b5 c3 106.b4 c1 107.b3
c6
0-1
591 C06
Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter 2592
Volkov,Sergey 2624
11th Open Saint Vincent ITA (7) 14.02.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 e7 8.0-0 g5
Not surprisingly Volkov chooses the wildest
move in the position. More restrained is
526
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 8...a5 ]
9.a3!? White pointedly ignores the threat of g5-
g4 with a little pawn move as far as possible
from the kingside! It would be strange if the
loud 8...g5 was refuted by the quiet 9.a3, but
then nothing is impossible in chess.
Nisipeanu wants to expand as quickly as
possible on the queenside. h5? The pawn
proves irrelevant on h5 in what follows.
[ Instead I think Black should be taking some
action in the centre: 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 g4
11.e1 f5!? Check this idea carefully
before you play it, unless you plan to use it
on t h e I CC! 12.exf6 ( Or 12.c2 f8 )
12...xf6 13.c2 d7 and Black can
complete his development and in some lines
even castle queenside, for if 14.f3 b6
etc. ]
10.b4 g4
[ Black also isn't quite comfortable after
10...cxd4 11.cxd4 g4 12.b5 gxf3 13.bxc6
bxc6 14.xf3 c5 With his king stuck in the
middle it would be difficult to get his rooks
working together. ]
11.b5! The only way to prevent his centre
collapsing for if
[ 11.e1? cxd4 12.b5? cxe5 ]
11...xd4
[ Perhaps there was more counterplay in
11...gxf3 12.bxc6 bxc6 13.xf3 c4 14.c2
c5 ]
[ Meanwhile if 11...a5 12.e1 when White
can attack with f2-f3 at some point, and what
is Black doing? ]
12.cxd4 gxf3 13.xf3 c4 14.c2
Black has a protected passed pawn that would
be very nice in the endgame but as Tarrasch
once said [or was it Tartakower?] 'before the
endgame the gods have placed the
middlegame'. Black is facing no immediate
onslaught, but what can he do with his king?
It can't go to the kingside and if it stays in the
centre then sooner or later White can arrange
an attack with f4 and f5. The queenside is
congested with black pieces which makes it
difficult to castle there without being run down
b y a n a t t a c k w i t h a 4 a n d a 5 , e t c . a6
Volkov attempts to solve his positional
problem by plunging the game into
c o m p li c a t io n s . 15.b1! An excellent pawn
sacrifice that speeds up White's attack. axb5
16.xb5 xa3
[ Giving away the dark squares proves fatal.
I f B l a c k c o u l d m o b i l i s e w i t h 16...b6
followed by Ba6, Qc7 and 0-0-0 he would
have dynamic play, but the problem is that
Qc7 can always be answered by Ng5! when
0-0-0 allows Nxf7. ]
17.g5! xc1
[ If 17...e7 18.xe6 fxe6 19.g6+ f8
20.f3+ f6 ( 20...g7 21.f7# ) 21.exf6
etc. ]
18.xc1 b8 19.h7! d7 This is refuted
by White's brilliant 21st move. Perhaps
[ 19...xh7 20.xh7 c6 offered some
hope, e.g. 21.f4 c7 -after all, he has two
passed pawns. ]
20.f6+ c7 Volkov often takes great risks in
his games and usually comes out on top. Here
he has only one piece developed- his king! As
long as his French pawn centre holds firm he
can consolidate and then win. With his next
move Nisipeanu destroys all these hopes.
21.e4!! d7
[ If 21...dxe4 22.xc4+ c6 23.d5 exd5
24.xd5+ b8 25.xc6 etc. ]
22.xd5+! exd5 23.xd5 h4
[ If 23...b5 24.c5+ wins material. ]
24.xc4+ c6 25.f3! White has no need to
hurry. a4 26.c3 d8 27.xd8 xd8
28.d5 b5 29.b1 c4 30.e3 d7
31.g5+ f6 32.g8+ c7 33.d6+ b6
34.xc4 xc4 35.e6 Now the passed pawns
win the day. e5 36.e2 c6 37.xc4
xc4 38.d7 xd7 39.exd7 xd7 40.xb7+
e8 41.f3 f8 42.f2 d5 43.a7 f7
44.g3
1-0
592 C06
Oleksienko,Michailo 2552
Gupta,Abhijeet 2590
9th Parsvnath Open (7) 12.01.2011
[John Watson]
I'm not going to do a real review of these ...
Qc7 lines (there's so much in the Archives,
but since it's Black's most popular line, I
thought I should present a few games from
this month. The main one is the ultra-critical
variation that Black has done well in this time
527
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

White comes out on top. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 A) Instead there were hair raising
3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 complications in a correspondence game
7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 back in 1986 after 16.c2 xf3!? ( Here
c7 Or of course 10...Bd6 11 0-0 Qc7. 11.0-0 16...h6 looks safe enough.) 17.xh7+
d6 12.g5 h8 18.gxf3 xh2+ 19.g2 xd4
[ 12.c3 a6 13.h3 has acquired a following, 20.d1 f4! White is now hanging on by
since it is more solid than the Bg5 lines. a thread.;
Two examples from this month: 0-0 14.e3 B) A l t e r n a t i v e l y t h e l u n g e 16.g5
d7 ( 14...b4 15.c1 xd3 16.xd5!? falls short of the mark after f6 17.c2?!
xf2 17.xf2 a5 18.xf6+ xf6 19.e5 ( If Black is ambitious, he has to find
with a pleasant advantage, Gaponenko, I something better than repeating af ter
(2466)-Vogel, J (2207), Caleta ENG 2011.) 17.f3 with h5 ) 17...h6! 18.f3 b4
15.c1 e8 16.g5 e7 17.f4 h6 18.f3 and Black has a good game after
h5 19.e5 g3 20.e1 f5 21.f2 eliminating White's important bishop.;
fxd4? ( 21...xe5 22.fxe5 b4 C) 16.e5!? f4
looks fie for Black) 22.xd5 d8 23.xc6 C1) 17.xd7 xd7 18.b1 g6
xc6 24.xe6 xf4 25.xf4 xf4 26.e3 ( jw: still better 18...g5! 19.xg5 g7
f6 27.xf6 xf6 28.b3+ h8 29.xb7 20.xf4 xf4 wi t h t h e i d e a 21.c2
with a pawn and better position, Radulski, xd4 ) 19.g3?! g5! 20.g4
J (2590)-Cioara, A (2427), Plovdiv BUL ( Poor for White are 20.xg5 h3+ or;
2011. ] 20.gxf4 gxh4 ) 20...g7 ( 20...h6!? )
12...0-0 13.c1 21.xg5 xd4 with plenty of activity for
[ Here's this month's game with the old Black.;
standby 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6 15.g6 C2) 17.xc6 xc6 18.b1 d7
, b u t n o w B l a c k d e v i a t e s w i t h f4!? 19.g3 ae8 20.e1 b8 21.d2
( I count 14 games in the Archives with Here Black has at least equal chances
15...xf3 ) 16.xf4 xf4?! ( 16...xf4 as all his pieces are on good squares
looks better. Black has a playable, if and White has made no impression on
slightly worse, game.) 17.g3 f8 18.b4! the queenside. 1/2-1/2 Grigoriants, S
e7?! ( 18...xf3 19.gxf3 e7 20.a3 (2451)-Alavkin, A (2397), Bor 2000. ]
xd4 21.d3 doesn't seem good enough.) 15...xf3!?
19.h7+ h8 20.xc7 xc7 21.xc7 [ 15...g6 isn't a bad move, but this is more
xh7 22.d6 e8 23.xe7 xe7 24.ac1 fun. ]
( 24.fc1! b6 25.e5 a6 26.a4 ) 24...b6 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.g2 f4+?!
25.fe1 ( 25.a4 b7 26.e5 d7 ) [ 17...f4! 18.c3! g6 19.g3 g7!
25...a6 26.e5 b5 27.e3 a5 28.a3 is unclear. ]
ea7 29.bxa5 xa5 30.b3 Urbina Perez, 18.xf4 xf4?!
J (2189)-Flores Chico, J (1999), Caleta ENG [ 18...xf4! 19.g3 xg3 20.fxg3 xd4
2 0 1 1 a n d h e r e c4 would have been 21.xd4 xd4 22.c7 c6 23.d1 b5
drawish. ] 24.e7 e8 25.xe8+ xe8 26.d3
13...d7!? Not the most dynamic move, and pro b ab ly f a vo u rs W h it e , b u t it 's no t b y
perhaps not the best, but it remains to be seen much. ]
if W hite can force an advantage out of the 19.h1 g6 20.g3 xg3? 21.fxg3 b6
position. We have seen a few games with 22.d2 xd4 23.h4!?
[ 13...h6 ] [ 23.b3! has the simple idea Qh6 this should
[ and the Archives has over 20 games with win, e.g., c6 24.h6 c7 25.xg6 ]
13...h5 ] 23...e5! Setting a clever trap.
14.h4 h5 15.b1?! [ Otherwise 23...f5 24.xf5 exf5
[ Just a short selection of note from the old 25.xd5+ e6 26.d4 only survives
Archive game Grigoriants-Alavkin, Bor 2000 temporarily. ]
almost all comments by Neil: 15.c3 a6 24.h6 xb2+ 25.h1 e2 26.xh7+

528
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

f8 27.h8+ e7 28.h7+ e6 on b5 proves useless in what follows. ]

I imagine that Black had his hopes up after 26 23.d4 xd4 24.xd4 d7 25.a4 c4
Qxh7+, but: 29.f5+! 26.a3! e8 27.g3 d7 28.f5! Now White
[ 29.f5+ gxf5 ( 29...xf5 30.f7+ ) has a decisive attack. exf5 29.xf5 c6
30.h6+ ] 30.xd7 xd7 31.f6 e6 32.xh6 d3
1-0 33.c5 d4 34.h5 xc5 35.bxc5 h7
36.xg7+! Black resigned as it's mate in two
after xg7 37.h6+ or 36... Qxg7 37 Qe8+
593 C06 1-0
Oral,Tomas 2541
Sakalauskas,Vaidas 2450
Eu Team Ch Batumi GEO (3) 01.12.1999 594 C06
[Neil McDonald] Oral,Tomas 2410
Tibensky,Robert 2415
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 ch Trencin (5) 1995
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 [Neil McDonald]
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 h6 11.0-0 d6 12.c2
0-0 13.d3 d8 14.a3 f8 15.b4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
White's plan is simple: he will play Bb2, Qe3, 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
Ne5 and f4, which will give him a stranglehold 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 0-0 12.f4
on the centre. The quality of Black's reply will xf4 13.xf4 e4 14.h5!? If White can
det ermine t he ou tcom e of th e ga me . a6? prove a slight advantage with this knight
A natural move, but the best response was move then he avoids all the aggro along the f
[ 15...d7 16.b2 b5!! as in Korneev- file that can occur after
K n a a k , B a d W o e ri sh o f e n 1 9 9 2 . I f n o w [ 14.e2 xf3!? 15.gxf3 g5 and ]
17.e3 ( the game actually continued [ 14.g3 f6!? ]
17.c3 e8 18.e3 g6 19.b3 d7 14...g6 15.g3 White's general plan is to
20.ae1 e8 21.g3 f4 22.e2 a6 deprive his opponent of the dynamism in his
23.e5 dxe5 24.dxe5 g5 25.b2 position. This entails keeping the bishop on
ad8 with a clear advantage to Black- e5 is c8 locked in and gradually build up against
weak and Black's bishops are f ar more th e st a tic we a kn e sse s on t h e e5 a n d e 6
active than W hite's.) 17...a5! 18.bxa5 squa res. The exchange of knights f it s in
( 18.e5 axb4 ) 18...xa5 19.e5 c4! p e r f e c t l y w i t h t h i s s c h e m e . g5!?
and Black has an excellent position. ] Black h o we ver re f use s to f a ll in wit h h is
16.b2 d7 17.e3 e7 The tempo lost opponent's plan. He wants to exchange his
with 15...a6 proves significant, as knight for the other white knight as it is far
[ 17...e8 18.e5! comes just in time better placed on f3 than the one on g3: it
b e f o r e B l a c k c a n s a f e l y p l a y t h e vi t a l controls e5 and defends d4, besides shielding
positional move... Bg6 to offer the exchange the f file. Nevertheless, Black is wasting a lot
of bishops, as here g6 19.xc6 bxc6 of time, and perhaps he does best to submit to
20.ac1!? looks good for White in view of [ 15...xg3!? 16.hxg3 b6 as in Marciano-
the weakness on c6. ] A p i ce l la o n Ch e ss P u b , a s t h i s wa y h e
18.e5 b5 19.f4 If White achieves this prevents White carrying out the
move without any immediate punishment he strategically strong exchange Bb5! and
can normally count on a definite advantage. Bxc6. ]
ac8 20.d2 xe5 This looks wrong. Maybe 16.e5
the best chance was [ Nevertheless I think White can get some
[ 20...d7 aiming for counterplay with 21... advantage with 16.xg5 xg5 17.b5 f6
Nb6 and 22...Nc4. ] Poor is ( 17...e7? giving up the fight for
21.dxe5 f7 22.f2 f5?? e5. ) 18.xc6 ( Black quickly equalised after
[ Here 22...xe2 was essential. The bishop 18.e2 d7 19.xc6 xc6 20.d3 ae8

529
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

21.f4 a6 22.c3 g5! in Berczes,C-Jakab, 595 C06

A, Budapest 2001.) 18...bxc6 and now a Paehtz Tarr,E 2467
new idea 19.d2!? ( More accurate than Kipper,Jens 2394
19.c1? a6 when White is reduced to the Schachbundesliga 2010-11 (1) 09.10.2010
awkward 20.e2 as otherwise f2 drops.) [John Watson]
19...h5?! A rather crazy move, but the aim is
to generate counterplay before White sits on Another set of 3...Nf6 Tarrasch main lines
the dark squares with Rfe1 and Rac1, etc. with the Ne2-f4 tactical melee appeared this
O b j e c t i v e l y B l a c k s h o u l d t r y ( 19...f4 mo n t h. W e ke ep t hin kin g th a t B la ck h a s
20.fd1! or; 19...a6 20.fe1 but in either solved any problems in this line, but notice
case W hite has a small but pleasant that Vallejo Pons (~2700) recently used this
advantage.) 20.fc1!? ( Perhaps White can as White versus a player 250 points below him,
play 20.fe1 h4 21.f1 h3 22.gxh3 ) so h e m u st t h in k it ' s p o s sib le t o g e t t h e
20...h4 21.f1 h3 ( If 21...d7 22.h3! ) advantage or at least retain winning chances
22.xc6 hxg2 23.e3! with a big in the resulting positions. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5
advantage to White. ] 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6
16...xd4!? 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.f4 xd4
[ Another method is 16...xe5 17.dxe5 10.h5+ e7 11.exf6+ xf6 12.g6+
f7 ] hxg6 13.xh8 f7 14.0-0
17.f4 [ Apparently the best try. Another game this
[ B l a c k h a s a g o o d g a m e a f t e r 17.xg6 m o n t h , S o c k o , M (2 4 8 6 ) -M u m i n o v a , N
df3+! ( Or possibly 17...c6!? 18.xc6 (2319), Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2010, went
bxc6 19.c2 e5 ) 18.gxf3 hxg6 19.d3 14.h4 e5 15.f3 We've seen this a lot.
f6 ] xf3+ ( 15...e4!? and; 15...b4+
17...b6! This leads to a sharp tactical (!) are analysed at length in the Archives
sequence. 18.fxg5 f3+ 19.h1 xe5 ga m e s, e s p e c ia ll y t h a t c a l l e d ' 9 N f 4 ! ?
20.xf8+ xf8 21.f1+ g8 22.h5! Tarrasch', which is based upon work by
Black will win if allowed to develop, so White Kostas Oreopoulos.) 16.gxf3 a5+?!
m u s t a c t f a s t . gxh5 23.f6 c7! (not usually played in this order) 17.d2
Black defends his second rank and the knight. b6 , and here Rybka shows 18.g5!
Very bad for him was w i t h d o u b l e a t t a c k , n e a r l y f o r c i n g f5
[ 23...xd3? 24.f1 d7 25.g6! 19.xf5 gxf5 20.xf5 xb2 21.b1 xa2
with a winning attack. ] 22.xb7+ g8 , and here 23.g1 a1+
24.f1 d7 25.e7! 24.b1 a2 25.e6+ h7 26.c1
[ Not 25.xh7+? xh7 26.h6+ g8 intending Rg3 is one way to cause trouble. ]
27.g6 b5 ] 14...e5 The basic position. 15.b3 xb3
25...xd3 Or else disaster follows on h7. [ (A) 15...e6 isn't bad, although it failed to
26.f7+ wo r k o u t i n t h i s g a m e : 16.e3!? b6
[ White has to force a draw as he is mated 17.ad1 b7 18.h4 d6 19.f3 ( 19.fe1
first after 26.f7? c1+ ] h8 20.g3 h5; 19.h3 h8 20.a4
26...h8 27.f6+ A sharp and interesting g5!? ) 19...a5 ( 19...h8! 20.g3 h5 )
draw. 20.a4 ( 20.fe1! ) 20...d4 21.g5 c6?
½-½ ( 21...h8 ) 22.c4 h8 23.f4 xh4
24.xh4 exf4 25.xd4 d5 26.xe6
xe6 27.xd6 1-0 Vallejo Pons, F (2697)-
La rino Nie t o , D (2 4 5 1), El S au za l E S P
2010. ( 27.xd6 xc4 28.xf4 e6
29.xb6 )]
[ (B) For 15...f5 see Ni Hua- Rodriguez
from the Archives. ]
16.axb3 e6 Not the most popular move.

530
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

There are big-time alternatives: , e.g., a3! 28.c6 xb7 29.xb7+ g6
[ (A) 16...f5 17.xf5 gxf5 18.g5 c5 30.c6! f5 31.f1 d4 ( 31...e3 32.a6
19.h3 gives some chances of advantage, exf2+ 33.xf2 ) 32.a6 c5 33.g4! xg4
e.g., g6 ( 19...d7!? 20.b4 b6 21.xf6 34.xe4+ f5 35.e8+ h6 36.b5
xf6 . For notes on this position, see again and White has good winning chances. ]
Ni Hua- Rodriguez from the Archives. I 22.c7
would add that 22.h4+ f7 23.a3 e6 [ Or 22.f4 d6 23.h3 with some
24.f3 f4 25.h5+ g8 26.h3 e8 advantage. ]
27.c1 keeps Black on the defensive, in 22...d7
addition to 20 22 Ra3 g6 23 Qh4+ of [ 22...d4 23.c4! xc4 24.bxc4 xb2
Kengis-Moskalenko, Lvov 1984, analysed by 25.f1 d3 26.e3 followed in most cases
Wei Ming in the Archives.) 20.b4! d4 by Bxf6. ]
( 20...xb4 21.b3 ) 21.b3 d6 23.xd7 xd7 24.c1 d6 25.f4 xf4
22.e3!? ( 22.fd1 c8 23.ac1 xc1 26.xf4 xb3 Black has lost thhe dark
24.xc1? xf2+ ) 22...xe3 23.fxe3 squares, and at the least needs a second
with the c-file and a modest pull. ] p a w n f o r t h e e x c h a n g e . 27.c7 e7
[ (B) Moskalenko gives 16...e4!? 17.e2 28.e5+ d8 29.c3! b4
c7 with counterplay. Since (after 17...Qc7) [ 29...xb2?? 30.c8+ ]
( 17...e6 18.g5 transposed in Docx- 30.f1 b6 31.h3 d4 32.c4?! Sufficient,
Michiels, given in the note to 21...a6 below) but
18.h4 is the most natural reply, you wish [ 32.c5! should win fairly easily, e.g., d3
he would have shown the idea. . Maybe 33.d4! ( w i t h t h e i d e a R c 8 + ) b3
( 18.e3 c2 regains some material) ( Where to go? 33...e6 34.g4! is a virtual
18...e7 ( 18...e6 19.g5 e5!? ) zugzwang ) 34.g4! a4 35.b4 with the idea
19.d2!? e5 , when ( 19...c2 20.f4 ) g5. ]
20.c3 d4 21.a5! c5 22.h8!? g5! 32...d3 33.d4
23.h5+ xh5 24.xh5+ g8 25.d1 [ 33.d4! ]
g4 (forced) 26.xg4 dxc3 27.xc5! xc5 33...b5 34.xb5 axb5 35.f3 exf3
28.e6+ h8 29.h3+ g8 30.bxc3 36.xd3 e7 37.g4
should f avour W hite slightly. Only an [ Or simply 37.xg6 fxg2 38.xg2 ]
example, folks! ] 37...g5 38.f2 c6 39.c2?
17.g5!? [ 39.f5! will still win. ]
[ Already a choice. 17.h4 e4!? ( 17...b6 ) 39...e6 40.g3 It's not easy to break
18.e2 e7 19.g5 b6 20.ac1 xb3 through the blockade. e5 41.d1
21.f3!? is an interesting way to try to open [ I t ' s n o t c l e a r w h e t h e r 41.d8
lines. Then g8 22.fxe4 xe4!? 23.xe7 makes enough progress: d5 ( 41...e4+
e3+ 24.h1 xe2 25.f4 f5 26.c5! 42.xf3 ) 42.b4 e6 43.c8 c6 44.c7
retains some initiative. ] d7 45.d1 e7! 46.c8 ( 46.xf3 d8
17...e4 18.e2 b6 19.fc1 47.xc6 bxc6 48.xc6 f6 ) 46...e5
[ 19.h4 e7 would transpose to the last 47.c2 g6 ]
note. ] 41...e4+!?
19...d8?! [ Maybe Black can hold with something like
[ 19...xb3 is apparently safe enough. ] 41...d7 42.e1+ f6 43.f2 e5 ]
20.h4 e7 21.g3 a6 42.xe4 xe4 43.f2 b4 44.d6 b3
[ Black doesn't want to allow 21...d4 22.c4 45.d8
, but he should get moving. ] [ 45.g6 d3 ]
[ A game this month went 21...d6!? 22.f4 45...d5
xf4 23.xf4 xb3 24.xa7 xb2 [ 45...e5 46.e3 e6 47.d4 e5
25.a6! g5! Docx, S (2342) -Michiels, B 48.b4 d5 49.b6 is a zugzwang! ]
(2459), Antwerp BEL 2010 and instead of 26 46.d7 c6 47.d6
Qxg5, W hite had 26.c7+! d7 27.xb7! [ 47.xg7?! d3 48.xg5 c2! ]

531
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

47...d5 48.d7 Draw?? It appears that d7 15.dxe5 b4+ 16.e2 g8 )
White can win, for example, 14...xe5 15.dxe5 d7 and White didn't
[ 48.g6! d3 ( 48...c4 49.xg7 b5 have any real attack in Carlsson, P-Olsson,
50.d7 ) 49.xg5 c4 50.xg7 c2 A/ Stockholm 2002. ]
( 50...b5 51.h4 c2 52.h5 xb2 53.h6 [ Similar is 13.c4 dxe5! etc. freeing d7
c2 54.h7 b2 55.h8 b1 56.h7+ for the black king e.g. 14.dxe5 d7! ]
d3 57.c7+ b3 58.f7+ and White will 13...dxe5!
win ) 51.xb7 xb2 52.g5 , etc. ] [ A gru esom e t rap t o a vo id is 13...h6??
½-½ 14.xg5+ xg5 15.g7+ e8 16.d6# ]
14.dxe5 d7 15.f6+ c7 Now there is no
good reason why the black king should be
596 C06 m a t e d - i n f a c t t h e wh i t e k i n g i s j u s t a s
Pavasovic,Dusko 2595 vulnerable to attack. W hite only gets two
Baklan,Vladimir 2647 pawns for the piece, and is fighting a losing
IX EICC Plovdiv BUL (8) 29.04.2008 battle. 16.xg5 e7 17.a3 d7 18.g3 b6
[Neil McDonald] 19.g5 g7 20.b4 b7 21.h4 e7 22.0-0
hd8 23.f4 ac8 24.d3 e8 25.b5 c5+
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 26.h1 d4 27.a4 g6 28.h3 h8
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 cxd4 8.cxd4 29.h5?! xh5
f6!? A move that has been neglected on [ T h e r e i s n o j o y f o r W h i t e i n 29...xh5
ChessPub. White's reply is definitely not the 30.xh5 xh5 31.xh5 h8 ]
refutation! 9.g5? 0-1
[ White should make do with 9.exf6 xf6
( 9...xf6!? ) 10.0-0 which will be
investigated in the future on ChessPub. But 597 C06
it seems to me that W hite has a slightly Pavasovic,Dusko 2595
better version of the Tarrasch 3...Nf6/5. Bd3 Gurevich,Mikhail 2611
line, because his knight is on d2 here rather IX EICC T/B WChQual rapid (1.2) 03.05.2008
than e2. Therefore it can be played to b3, [Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
where it doesn't get in the way of either of
the white rooks [if Re1 and Rc1 are their Gurevich is one of the leading experts of the
chosen squares] and can go to c5 to attack F r e n c h D e f e n s e a n d i n t h i s g a m e , h e
e6 in some cases. ] surprised Pavasovic with an old plan which
9...fxg5! was not commonly played these days.
[ Greed is best. White has some attack and Gurevich conducted the plan very purposefully
most importantly isn't a piece down after an d n e ve r a p p e a re d to b e in an y s o rt o f
9...dxe5? 10.dxe5 fxg5 11.h5+ d7 trouble. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5
12.f3 as in Kundin, A-Hernando Rodrigo, J/ fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 cxd4
Oropesa del Mar 1998. ] 8.cxd4 b6!? Believe it or not, this move is
10.h5+ g6! the prelude to a light square barricade on the
[ If 10...e7? 11.f3 h6 12.xg5+ ( Or whole board! I imagine such an approach
12.0-0!? keeping the tension.) 12...hxg5 would be particularly frustrating against an
13.xh8 with an imbalanced position. Why att acking p la yer. In t he n ext f ew m oves ,
give White back all his material? ] Gurevich would systematically carry out his
11.xg6+ hxg6 12.xg6+ plan. 9.0-0 d7 10.a3 commonest, but I'm
[ White has an insufficient initiative after not sure why this is necessary.
12.xh8 xd4 13.0-0 e7 14.b3 xb3 [ 10.e1 e7 11.f1 b4 12.b1 b5
15.axb3 g7 16.h3 xe5 17.d2 c5 13.g3 h5! is another possible continuation
18.fe1 f5 etc. ] where Black seems fine. ]
12...e7 13.e4 10...e7
[ 13.f3 dxe5! 14.xe5 ( or 14.xg5+ [ Another game went 10...a5 It is perhaps

532
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
ideal to wait for W hite to play b3 before
playing ...a5 but Black was probably afraid
of White upsetting his apple cart with 11.b4.
(See the note to White's next move) 11.b1
As it is so often in the Tarrasch, the move
Nd2-b1 was played after Black has
exchanged pawns on d4. It is almost as if
W hite has decided that d2 is the wrong
square for the knight after all! a4 12.c3
a5 13.c2 ac4 14.g5 g6!
Completing the light square fortress. Black
is very solid in these positions and it is
difficult for W hite to do something
constructive without compromising his pawn
structure. 15.f3 e7 16.g3 c6 17.h4
a5 18.h5 b3 19.xb3 axb3 20.h3
gxh5 21.f3 g8 22.xh5 h6 23.d2
( 23.xh6 xh6 24.xh6 c4 is risky for
White. ) 23...g5 24.xg5 hxg5 25.xb3
c4 26.d2 e7 and Black had a safe
position despite being a pawn down in Trent,
L (2470)-Dgebuadze, A (2562)/Liverpool
ENG 2008/The Week in Chess 723 1/2-1/2
(44) ]
11.b3
[ 11.b4 was, as far as I could never, never
played before but it throws a spanner in the
works by preventing ...a5 at the moment. For
e.g. a5? ( 11...0-0 12.b2 a6 13.b3 )
12.b5 a7 13.a4 would have been
extremely cramping. ]
[ 11.e1
A) 11...g5!? is an interesting change of
plans, switching to attacking mode.
12.b3 (virtually forced) g4 13.fd2 h5
14.f3 a5! Attacking with pawns on both
flanks seems to be 2nd nature nowadays
in t h e Fre n c h . 15.a4 ( 15.fxg4 c7!
16.gxh5 a4 17.c5 xd4 18.xd7
xd7 with excellent chances for Black.)
15...b4 16.b1 c7 17.fxg4 hxg4
18.xg4 c2 19.g7 0-0-0! 20.xc2
xc2 21.xf7 b4 with superb
compensation for Black.;
B) 11...a5 12.b3 a4 13.b4 a7 14.e2
0-0 15.h4
B1) 15...xh4 is risky. 16.e4!
( 16.xh7+ doesn't quite work out if
Black def ends well. xh7 17.xh4
xh4 18.f3 h5 19.g5+ g6
20.c2+ f5 21.exf6+ xf6 22.c7!
h8! 23.xe6+! xe6 24.e5+ e7
25.xe6+ f8 26.f5+ g8
27.e6+= ) 16...e7 ( 16...dxe4
17.xe4 xf2+ 18.xf2 g6 19.g5+- )
17.c5;
B2) 15...c4? was played 36 years ago
by a familiar name (to ChessPub
subscribers at least!) 16.g5 h6?!
( 16...g6? 17.xh7! xh7 18.xc4
dxc4 19.h5+ g8 20.xg6 fxg6
21.xg6+ h8 22.h5+ g8
23.h6+-; 16...xg5 17.hxg5 b5
could be a better defensive try.) 17.h7
b5 ( 17...e8 18.g4 h8 19.f3+-
Nunn ) 18.xf8 xf8 19.xc4 xc4
20.xc4 dxc4 21.xc4 xh4 22.e3
c6 23.b5 e7 24.ad1 d8 25.d5
exd5 26.b6 e8 27.xd5 h4 28.e6
1-0 Ghizdavu, D (2450)-Hecht, H (2505) /
Bath 1973/ EU-cht;
B3) 15...h6! 16.f1 c8 ]
11...a5 12.b2 a4 13.b4 a7 14.e2 0-0
15.e1 This allows Black to force the
desirable exchange of the light square
bishops.
[ 15.fe1 c8 16.ac1 xc1 17.xc1 b8
preparing ...Rc8 is again, very solid. ]
15...e8! 16.f4
[ 16.c1!? is an interesting move which
att em pts t o sacrif ice an e xch an ge . b5
( 16...c8 17.xc8 xc8 18.f4 f5 19.f3 )
17.c7 d8 18.xb7 c6 19.xe7 xe7
20.f4 ac8 with compensation for White.
The different engines all seem to prefer
Black, suggesting various moves here and
there but I can't get rid of the feeling that
W hite is about to punish Black for
transferring most of his pieces to the
queenside. In fact, I analyzed this position
in some detail (thinking it might be critical
for the entire concept) and had real
difficulties in holding up White's onslaught.
Fo r e xa m p le , 21.f3 f5 22.exf6 xf6
23.h3 h6 24.ef3 seems to give White
excellent compensation. Perhaps, Black
might find defensive resources along the
way but it is going to be an ardent task. ]
16...f5 17.exf6 xf6 18.g4?! Being a rapid
game, Pavasovic probably wanted to mix
things up a little but this was a bit too risky.
[ 18.g3 would have kept a small advantage. ]
533
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

18...d6 19.g2 b5 20.ae1 xd3 598 C06

21.xd3 b5 22.h3 d7 23.f3 c4 Perdek,M 2230
A triumph for Black's light square strategy. I Musialkiewicz,P 2253
already prefer Black's position. 24.c1 g6 TCh-POL 1st League 2014 (5.5) 03.09.2014
25.e5 b5? It is inevitable that there would [John Watson]
be mistakes in an important rapid game so
we shouldn't be too critical. I reckon both 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5
sides were in time trouble at this stage. 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
[ 25...xe5 26.dxe5 f7 27.f5 c6= ] f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
26.f5! 12.g3 With secures f4 and tries to exchange
[ 26.g5 wins an exchange though Black has Black's good bishop. W e've seen this line
2 very mobile knights in exchange after f5 quite a bit, and it remains critical. 0-0 13.f4
27.h4 xe5 28.xf5 gxf5 29.dxe5 e8 ] g4 Definitely the most important move. 13...
26...gxf5 27.gxf5 Bd7 is playable, but
[ The surprising 27.g5! wins immediately. [ 13...e5 14.dxe5 xe5 15.xe5 xe5
ff8 ( 27...xe5 28.gxf6 xf6 29.xe6+- ) 16.c1 is rather negative for Black. A game
28.g6 hxg6 29.xg6 and Black is this month, Vrana, J (2374)-Hoegener, C
crushed. ] (2 0 8 3 ), P a rd u b ice CZE 2 0 1 4 we n t d6
27...exf5 28.g5? Passing up another 17.d2 h3 18.fe1 g4 19.b1?!
glorious opportunity. ( 19.xe5 xe5 20.e4! ) 19...g5?
[ 28.xf5 xf5 29.g4+! (White possibly ( 19...ae8 ) 20.xe5 xe5 21.xg5+ h8
missed this) h8 30.xf5 would have left 22.d4 1-0 ]
Black equally helpless against the menacing 14.xd6 The alternative
White army. ] [ 14.d2 can be found in the Archives, and I
28...xe5 29.dxe5 g6 30.xf5 b6+ d i s c u s s 1 4 R c 1 B xf 4 1 5 N x f 4 R x f 4 ! i n
31.h1 e6 32.xe6+ xe6 33.f6 f8 PTF4. ]
34.f4 fxf6 35.exf6 xf6 36.xd5 xf1+ 14...xd6 15.c3!
37.xf1 b5 38.e7+ g7 39.f5+ g8 [ 15.f4 xf4! ]
40.e7+ h8 41.g1 h5 42.g6+ h7 15...e5!?
43.f8+ h8 44.g6+ h7 45.f8+ h8 [ I prefer 15...e7 , as in the notes to Idani-
46.g6+ Summary: Gurevich's plan was not DG Petrosian in the Archives. ]
played often these days but I like the 16.dxe5 cxe5!?
systematic manner by which he employed the [ 16...h6 17.h4 gxe5 18.g5 d4
light square strategy. I believe the key to the was Vachier-Legrave - E Berg, Liverpool
success of this strategy lies in whether White 2 0 0 8 , w h e n 19.xh7+ was best, with an
can ca rry o ut a succe ssf ul at tack on th e edge - see Idani-DG Petrosian and PTF4 ]
Kingside as the blocked nature of the other 17.xe5
parts of the board would mean that Black has [ 17.e2! is the Idani game in the Archives. ]
less avenues to counterattack. In particular, 17...xe5!?
subscribers might want to check, & further my [ 17...xe5 18.d2 h5 19.h4 ]
analysis with 16.Rc1!? which feel is critical to 18.e4! d4 19.b5 f6 20.xd4!?
the entire concept. [ 20.xd4 with the idea a6 21.f4 ]
½-½ [ 20.c7 b8 21.d5 and Qxd4 is also
better than 20 Nxd4. ]
20...g4 21.b3+
[ 21.f3 ]
21...h8 22.f4 d7 23.d5?
[ 23.b4 holds things together. ]
23...b6 24.f3?
[ 24.ad1 xd1 25.xd1 ad8 ]
24...f6 25.c4 ac8 26.d3 fd8

534
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

27.ad1 xf3 28.xf3 xd4! 29.xd4 The black queen finds a safe square away
d8! A cute finish. from the attentions of the white rook on the c-
0-1 file. On g7 she puts potential pressure on d4
a n d b o l s t e r s t h e sq u a r e s t h a t t h e b la c k
kingside pawns have left undefended in their
599 C06 advance. 17.b1 g4 18.c2 xg3!
Persson,Andreas 2127 This exchange may seem surprising in view of
Berg,Emanuel 2582 what we have said about the importance of
Rilton Cup 2006-7 (3) 29.12.2006 Black's dark squared bishop. However, it
[Neil McDonald] increases the overall efficiency of the black
pieces, while diminishing that of the white
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 pieces. After White recaptures 19.hxg3, he no
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 longer has an h-pawn to drive back the black
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 c7 knight from g4. The knight is thus cemented
12.g5 0-0 13.c1 Evidently White didn't on a post that over hangs the white king's
want to take part in a theoretical duel with his defences. Furthermore, the removal of the h2
opponent, but this move isn't as challenging pawn increases Black's attacking options- the
for Black to face as move Qh5 might be on the cards in the future.
[ 13.h4 h5 14.c2 or ( 14.c3 a6 More generally speaking, in the Bhat extract
15.c1 )] above, you may recall that Black avoided Qg7
13...h6 due to the reply Nh5. Here Berg has put the
[ Another approach was 13...h5 14.c3 queen on the ideal g7 square, but for her
a6 15.h4 g6 Instead the Swedish GM comfort it is good that the white knight is
takes the chance to activate his kingside eliminated before it can think about going to
pawns and secure the g7 square for his h5. 19.hxg3 d7 20.b4 f6 21.a4 b5!
queen. ] Here, as so often in the 3...Nf6 Tarrasch, the
14.d2 c6 square is a fine post for the black knight. It
[ After 14.h4 we will revert to the move should be jealou sly gu arded henc e Berg
h5! as it secures the exchange of White's prevents 22.b5. 22.axb5 axb5 23.c5 f7
important dark squared bishop for a knight. 24.b6 f8
15.g3 ( With the black pawn on h6 rather [ Much simpler was 24...h5! which exploits
than h7, Black can answer 15.c2 with the open h-file discussed at move 18. Black
g5! ) 15...xg3 16.xg3 a6! Not letting has no defence: 25.xc6 ( If 25.c3 af8
White gain control of the e5 square with a threatening 26...Rxf3.; a typical computer
general scheme of Bb5, Bxc6, Re1 and Ne5, move is 25.g6!? but after xg6 26.xc6
when the value of the bishop on d6 would xc6 27.xc6 e8 Black is the exchange
be diminished. 17.b1 g5! 18.d3 f7 up for nothing.) 25...xf3 26.gxf3 h2+
( The careless 18...g7 would allow White 27.f1 xf2# ]
to activate his knight on g3 with 19.h5 f7 25.e3 xf3 26.gxf3 xf3 27.c2?
20.f6+! h8 Of course, mate on h7 [ W h i t e m i s s e s h i s c h a n c e : 27.c7!
m a k e s t h e k n i g h t i m m u n e . 21.g4 defends g3 from afar, and introduces the
and the white knight is attacking h6 and in threat of 28.Qxd7- to be followed by 29.Qh7
touch with the key e5 square.) 19.ce1 d7 m a t e i f a ll o we d . xf2 ( or 27...xe3
20.a3 h8 21.e2 g8 22.fe1 g7 28.fxe3 ) 28.xf2 xf2+ 29.h1 ]
23.b4 f8 24.b2 b8 25.e3 f4 27...xe3 28.xe3 d1+ 29.g2 xd4
26.d3 g4 27.e5 xe5 28.dxe5 h5 30.c7 d2 31.h7+ xh7 32.xd7+ g8
29.d4 h6 30.d3 h4 and Black 33.f3?
gradually wore down his opponent's position [ The last real fighting chance was 33.e2!?
in Bruned, Y-Bhat, V/Andorra la Vella AND xe2 ( definitely not 33...xe2? 34.xe6+ )
2006. ] 34.xd4 f3+ 35.g1 f6 but Black will
14...a6 15.g3 g5! 16.e1 g7! win with his extra pawns. ]

535
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

33...xf3 34.d8+ f8 35.xf8+ xf8 b6 ( the best try is 17...b4!? 18.ac1 b6 )
36.d8+ f7 37.d7+ f6 38.d8+ f7 18.a4 xa4? ( but also insufficient is
39.d7+ f6 40.d8+ e5 41.h8+ e4 18...b4 19.xb6 b8 20.ac1 xb5
42.h7+ f5 43.g4 f4 44.gxf5 g4+ 21.xc5+ xc5 22.xc5 ) 19.c6!
45.f1 h3+ 46.e2 d3+ 47.e1 f3! hitting a8 and e8. ]
It's mate on e2. 17.xd5! 0-0!? When your opponent makes
0-1 a sacrifice which he has clearly prepared, it is
sensible to respond with a solid move. On the
other hand, whilst Black isn't losing after the
600 C06 g a m e m o v e , h e r e m a i n s a t a n i g g l i n g
Pert,Nicholas 2518 disadvantage, and eventually gets ground
Redmond,John 2226 down.
4NCL 2006-07 (7) 03.03.2007 [ Critical is the acceptance of the piece:
[Neil McDonald] 17...exd5 18.xd7+ ( not 18.xd5 xb5
19.xc5 b4! ) 18...xd7 19.xd5 e7
1.d4 e6 2.e4 Funny how English GM Nick ( no good is 19...a6 20.ac1 etc. ) 20.e6
Pert only plays 1.d4 as White but has a sharp ( White's attack comes to an abrupt end
sacrifice prepared on move 17 against the after 20.ad1? c5 ) 20...f6 21.exf7+
French! d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 5.e5 f8 22.xe7 ( if 22.b5 b4; or 22.c4
fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5 9.e1 xf7 23.c5+ g8 24.e7 d5
cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.b1 xd4 12.xd4 when Black is at least holding on.) 22...xd5
xd4 13.c3 c5 14.e3 h4 15.xc5 23.xb7 g6 24.d1 c8 25.h3 ruling out
xc5 16.b5+!? ba ck ra nk ma te s. e7 26.dd7 c6
[ Another recent try for White is 16.e3 : W h i t e h a s i m p r e ss ive r o o k s a n d t h re e
d7 pawns for the piece, and can hardly lose
A) Instead 17.b5 sets a rather amusing because he can always pick up the a5 pawn
trap: xb5 18.xb5+ e7 ( 18...f8!? ) in return for f7 if necessary. But Black is
19.c1 hc8 20.c4! h6 ( if 20...dxc4? ready to play 27...Kg7 followed by
21.d6#; 20...e4? 21.exe4! ) 21.g4 developing the rook on h8, so he shouldn't
g6 22.d4 and White has an attack for lose either- so a draw? ]
the pawn.; 18.xd7 xd7 19.g3 d8 20.f4 c5
B) 17.c1 c8 18.b1 b4 19.c2 0-0 21.g4 h8 22.ad1 b6 23.h5 g8
20.a3 f4 21.e2 g5 22.h4?! ( Maybe 24.h4 b4 25.e7 ac8 26.a3 xb2
22.d4!? ) 22...e7 The wandering of 27.xg7! White's pressure has finally led to a
Dyachkov's queen is at an end and he breakthrough. xg7
appears to have the better of it, but his [ Better 27...xg7! 28.f6+ f8 29.d8+
resourceful opponent found enough ( White can't build up along the d-file with
activity to gain a draw: 23.d4 f5 24.exf6 29.d6 because of e4! 30.xe4 b1+
xf6 25.f3 e7 26.e2 d6 27.d2 and wins a rook with check.) 29...xd8
b6 28.b4 axb4 29.axb4 a4 30.c2 30.xd8+ g7 31.f6+ f8 32.d1 d3
xf3 31.xf3 c3 32.e3 xb4 33.g5 33.d8+ g7 and White should agree to a
h6 34.d3 hxg5 35.h7+ f7 36.g6+ draw by repetition with a check on f6 as after
e7 37.xg7+ d8 38.h8+ e7 34.xd3 xe5 in contrast to the game
39.g7+ d8 40.h8+ e7 W hite isn't able to hit two pawns at once
with a repetition in Iordachescu, V- with his queen- see move 34. ]
Dyachkov, S/Moscow RUS 2008. ( here 28.d8+ xd8 29.xd8+ g8 30.f6+ g7
40...c7 runs into 41.xc3+ )] 31.d1 d3 32.d8+
16...d7 [ Of course not 32.xd3 b1+ ]
[ The sacrifice on d5 is even stronger after 32...g8 33.xd3 xe5 34.f3! White will
16...d7? 17.xd5 exd5 18.xd5 ] regain his pawn with a slight edge. f5?
[ Also awkward for Black is 16...f8 17.c2 [ Mo re so li d wa s 34...f8 Nick Pert now

536
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

demonstrates his refined technique to grind and W hite slowly ground out the win in
out a win in the endgame. ] Timof eev,A-Dizdar,G/Gothenburg SW E
[ Note also that if 34...c7 35.f6+ g7 2005. ]
36.d8+ wins. ] 10.0-0
35.xb7 b8 36.c6 f4 37.d7 fxg3 [ From the game in the notes above, we can
38.hxg3 f8 39.c2 h5 40.c3+ e5 perhaps infer that Timofeev would have
41.d5 f3 42.xe5+ f6 43.d8+ g7 played 10.a4!? here. ]
44.g5+ g6 45.d7+ g8 46.d8+ f8 10...g5! The Swedish GM prefers to play for
47.xa5 d6 48.g5+ h8 49.e5+ f6 the initiative rather than immediately gobble
50.d4 up the d4 pawn.
1-0 [ In the notes to Hutchinson-Bigg, the
a c ce p t a n ce o f t h e p a wn s a c r if i c e wi t h
10...cxd4 11.cxd4 xd4 12.xd4 xd4
601 C06 proved problematical for Black- as it usually
Perunovic,Milos 2559 does in this variation. ]
Berg,Emanuel 2539 11.hxg5 hxg5 12.xg5 cxd4 13.cxd4
15th ETC Gothenburg SWE (2) 31.07.2005 xd4 14.df3 g4 15.xf7 g8!
[Neil McDonald] [ Of course not 15...xf7 16.g5+ ]
16.7g5 dxe5 17.e2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ Perhaps White should have given up any
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 g6 8.h4 h6!? attempt at advantage with 17.xe5 xd1
As played by Mikhail Gurevich. Black intends 18.xd1 xe5 19.e2 ( but not 19.b5+?!
to bypass White's wing attack by answering 9. d7 20.xe6? hoping to win a pawn after
h5 with 9 . .. g5. T h is p rep a ra to ry mo ve is 20...Bxb5 21.Nc7+ as f3+! leads to mate
necessary as after in two. )]
[ 8...b6 9.h5 g5 10.xg5 cxd4 11.cxd4 17...xf3+ 18.xf3 h4 19.g3? White just
xd4 12.df3 White had a good game in collapses. Instead he could smother Black's
F i l i p o v i c - S t o j a n o v i c , a s g i v e n o n attack with
ChessPub. ] [ 19.h5+ d7 20.g4 xg4 21.xg4
9.a3!? even though Black can claim a tiny
[ T h e a l t e r n a t i v e 9.0-0 g5 10.h5 advantage after say d6!? ]
is discussed in Zhang Pengxiang-Gurevich: 19...xg5 Now Black gets two pieces for a
suffice to say here that Black looks OK. ] rook. He has only to develop judiciously to
9...b6 The Russian star Timofeev reached clinch the win. 20.xg5 xg5 21.b4 d7
this position as White at Gothenburg. As he 22.c1 d6 23.e1 f7 24.g2 h8
normally crushes the French, it's intriguing to 25.b3 h5 26.cd1 e5 27.a4 g4
speculate what he intended versus 9...Qb6. 28.d3 g7 29.c3+ f6 30.b5 h6
His opponent preferred 31.a5 e5 32.xa7 e4 33.c3
[ 9...a5 10.0-0 g5 This has less punch with [ A blunder, but all the same White is being
t h e b la c k qu e e n o n d 8 ra t h e r t h a n b 6 . mated after 33.de3 h3 34.xb7+ g6
11.hxg5 hxg5 12.g4! b6 13.a4! 35.h1 g4 36.g2 f3 ]
With his last two moves White stabilises his 33...b4
pawn centre. e7 14.e1 c7 15.f1 0-1
the g5 pawn is a fixed target. g8 16.g3
c4 17.h7! A clever move that will recoup
time by enticing the black rook into the
range of a knight on h5. g7 18.b1 f8
19.h5 g8 20.e3 d7 21.d1 0-0-0
22.d2 g6 23.xg6 xg6 24.xg5 dg8
25.xe7 xg4+ 26.f1 xe7 27.f6 f5
28.xg8 xg8 29.e2 a4 30.g1

537
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
602 C06
Pilgaard,Kim 2446
Jakab,Attila 2442
FSGM September (4) 09.09.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2
Here we go again: there is a huge amount of
analysis on this tricky move on ChessPub. h6
15.g6
[ An alternative for White that deserves
some attention is 15.h7+ It makes sense
to drive the black king to the h file as it will
be more vulnerable there in the sequence
that follows h8 16.g6 xf3 17.gxf3
xh2+ and now, rather than putting the king
on h1 as in several examples on ChessPub,
18.g2!? f4+ 19.xf4 xf4 ( After
19...xf4? 20.g3 d7 21.c5! xg3
22.fxg3 Black was losing as he had failed to
win the d4 pawn in Jenni,F-Kurmann,O/
2003. ) 20.g3 xg3 21.fxg3 xd4
After this more or less forced sequence
Black has two pawns and a knight for a rook,
but just how safe is his king on h8?
Furtherm ore, W h ite can try to mess u p
Black's development, say with 22. Be8!?
Objectively chances look balanced, but
there is scope for private analysis here.
22.h1 d7 ]
15...xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4
18.g3 d6 It seems like
[ 18...b6 is dead and buried here, so Black
stands or falls with this move. Fortunately
it still looks fine for him. ]
19.ad1 e5 20.h7+ h8 21.f5?
[ This just seems to leave one piece too
many hanging after Black's sneaky reply.
Much to be preferred, but still not great for
White is 21.dxe5?! xe5 22.fe1 h3!
23.xe5! ( If 23.xh2 xf3+ 24.h1
g2# ) 23...xe5 24.xh2 g5 25.f5
xf5! ( White had a slight edge after
25...gxh4 26.xh3 hxg3+ 27.fxg3
in Oral,T-O'Connor, Panormo 2001) 26.xf5
xf5 27.xf5 f8! and Black will regain his
piece with a good endgame. ]
[ On ChessPub the superior alternative
21.fe1! is analysed. ]
21...e6! A lethal little move.
[ I guess White was hoping for the more
natural 21...xf5 22.xf5 xd4
when it appears that he might be able to
c a p t u r e s a f e l y o n h 2 : 23.xd4 exd4
24.xh2 ]
22.g3
[ If 22.xh2 xh7 and the white knight will
drop off as otherwise there will be a lethal
queen check on h3. ]
22...xg3 23.fxg3 xh7 24.e3+ g6
Black has emerged from the tactical sequence
wi t h t w o p i e c e s a n d a p a wn f o r a r o o k .
25.dxe5 h3+ 26.h2 d4 27.c2 cxe5
28.g4 xh2+ 29.xh2 xf3+! The best
way to kill off White's counterchances. 30.g3
xg4! White resigned as if 31.xg4 h2+
32.h3 xf1 33.xf1 leaves him three
pawns down.
0-1
603 C06
Plaskett,J 2496
Mingarro Carceller,S 2249
41st La Roda Open 2014 (3.9) 17.04.2014
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 g6 8.h4 h6
9.0-0 g5 10.h5!? A strange move, doing
a n y t h i n g t o a v o i d o p e n i n g l i n e s . g7
Developing soundly, although
[ 10...g4 is consistent and probably best:
11.h2 ( 11.e1 cxd4 12.cxd4 xd4
13.xg4 c6 14.f4 b6+ 15.h1 c5
16.c2 d7 ) 11...g8 ( 11...cxd4 12.cxd4
xd4 13.xg4 h4!? 14.g3!? xh5
15.b3! c6! here 14 Nb3 is about equal)
12.g3 ( 12.xg4?! cxd4 13.cxd4 h4 )
12...cxd4 13.cxd4 xd4 14.xg4 g5
15.xh6! xh6 ( 15...xh6 16.b3 h4
17.xh6 xg3+= ) 16.b3 h8 17.xd4
c5 18.e3 xe5 19.c2 xg3+ 20.fxg3
xg3+ 21.h1 h3+ 22.g1 xe3+
23.xe3 xe3+ 24.f2 e5 25.e2
xe2 26.xe2 d7 27.h6 e7
, maybe a touch better for Black, but hard
to assess. ]
11.e1 0-0
538
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 11...g4 12.h2 g3! 13.g4! b6 position.

is very messy ] [ 14.d2 and ]
12.f1 cxd4 13.cxd4 f6 14.exf6 xf6 [ 14.g3 are examined in Cruz Ravina-
[ 14...xf6 (hitting h5) looks best, e.g., Brynell. ]
15.g6 e4! 16.xe4 dxe4 17.xe4 d5 14...f6
18.c2 xf3 19.gxf3 xd4 20.d1 e5 [ 14...h6!? strikes me as preferable. but that
21.e3 d7 with enough compensation. ] would take a lot of proving. You feel that
15.e3 e5 16.b3!? White has a tiny edge, but he won't succeed
[ 16.dxe5 dxe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.c5 by trying to force things: 15.h7+ h8
d8= ( 18...f7 19.g6! )] 16.h4 e7 17.ac1 f4 18.d3
16...exd4 17.xd5+ f7 18.xf7+ xf7 ( 18.xf4 xf4 19.f3 c6=; 18.g6+
19.d2 de5 exg6 19.xg6 xe2+ 20.xe2 e5= )
[ 19...b6= ] 18...xd3 19.xd3 d7 ( 19...g8;
20.xe5 xe5 21.c2 e6? 19...e5? 20.g3 ) 20.f3 c6 21.e3
[ 21...h8= ] g8 . White may have a nominal edge, but
22.xe5 xe5 23.e1 c8 24.xe5 xc2 Black usually does fine in such a position. ]
25.xe6 c6 15.a3 d7 16.b4 This isn't exactly an error,
[ 25...xb2 26.xh6 xa2 ] but it's a little loose and makes in easier for
26.xc6!? Black to target weaknesses.
[ 26.e8+! f8 ( 26...g7 27.d8 ) 27.e4 [ 16.fe1 ae8!? ( 16...ac8 ) 17.h3
d8 28.e7+- ] ( 17.ac1 e5 18.dxe5 xe5 19.xe5
26...bxc6 27.g3 e7 xe5 20.d2 g4 ) 17...e5!? 18.dxe5
[ 27...c5 28.b3 f6 29.f1 a6 30.e2 xe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.g3 fe8 ]
xa2 31.e4 ] 16...ac8
28.f1 e5 [ Or 16...e5 17.dxe5 xe5 18.xe5 xe5
[ 28...c5 29.b3 e6 30.f3 ] 19.h3 fe8= ]
29.e2 17.b2?! g4! 18.g3 e5 19.b5?
[ 29.f3 f7 ] [ 19.dxe5 h6 20.h3 xf3 21.gxf3 gxe5
29...d5 22.e2 f6 23.g2 f8 ]
[ 29...c5 ] 19...xd4 20.xd4 exd4 21.xd4 f4!
30.g4 c5 31.b3 d6 32.c1 d3? 33.f3 a5 22.xa7 b6! Cutting the queen off from
34.f2 a4 35.e3 axb3 36.axb3+- e6+ defence of the kingside - attack on f2 and h2
37.xd3 f6 38.e2 c6 39.e3 g7 combined with the passed d-pawn gives Black
40.d3 c4 41.e5 c7 42.xc4 b7 a meaningful advantage. 23.e2
43.d4+ f8 44.c5+ [ 23.a2 e5 ]
1-0 23...xf2! 24.f3 d3 25.ad1? xb5
26.h1 f7 27.xf7+ xf7 28.g4+ f4
29.xc8 xf1 30.xf1 g5 31.a4 c6
604 C06 32.f5 h6 33.h5 c4 34.g3 xa4
Ponizil,Cyril 2388 0-1
De la Villa Garcia,Jesus Maria 2490
Czech GM Open A (3.13) 24.07.2011
[John Watson] 605 C06
Popovic,Dusan 2553
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 Drmic,Tomislav 2280
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 Djakovacki vezovi Open A (5.4) 11.06.2011
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 0-0 12.f4 [John Watson]
h5 13.xd6 xd6 14.c2!? I think this is
new. It's a tricky and rather counterintuitive 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
move that might be slightly better than what 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 g6 8.h4 b6
other (stronger) players have chosen in this 9.h5 g5 10.xg5 cxd4 11.cxd4 xd4

539
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 11...xd4 is usually thought to be inferior, 606 C06

although in a game this month, Hausner
(2424)-Vavra, P (2363), Teplice CZE 2011,
Black didn't seem all that badly off at first:
12.df3 xf3+ 13.xf3 h6 ( 13...c5
14.c2 b5!? ) 14.a3 c5 15.c2 e4
( 15...d7 ) 16.0-0 c5 17.e1 ( 17.xe4
dxe4 18.d2 xf2+ 19.h1! ) 17...g5
( 17...d7 lo o k s e q u a l) 18.xg5 hxg5
19.e2 e7 20.a4+ d7 21.e3 a6
22.xd7+ xd7 23.f3 d3 24.fd1
f5?! ( but 24...h7 has to be good for
White ) 25.xd5+! e8 26.xf5 exf5
27.c1 d8 28.xd8+ xd8 29.xa7
and White converted his advantage. ]
12.df3 b4+ 13.d2 xb2 14.b1 a3
[ 14...xa2!? with the idea ...Nc5 should be
looked into. If 15.xh7 , then e7 16.h6
dxe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.c3 d4!
19.xd4 xd3+ 20.xd3 d5 may work
out. ]
15.xh7! c5 It's hard to find a good move.
[ 15...dxe5 appears to be too risky
following 16.xe5 xe5 17.b3 ( 17.h6!?
e7 is unclear) 17...a4 18.xf7! xh7
( 18...xf7? 19.xb7+; 18...xf7 19.g6!
with the dual idea Bxf7+ and Rf3) 19.xe5
e4+ 20.e3 ( 20.e2 xg2 ) 20...xg2
21.e2! d4 ( 21...d7 22.b1! e7
23.h6 ) 22.f3 ]
16.0-0
[ 16.c2! a4 ( 16...b6!? 17.h4!
is hard to meet.) 17.xa4 xa4 18.c2
c5 is not much for White. ]
16...b6 17.c2 a6?
[ 17...a4 ]
18.xf7! xh7
[ 18...xf7 19.g6+ e7 20.f6+ d7
21.xh8 xf1 22.xf1 leaves Black facing
both attack and the h-pawn. ]
19.xh7 d3 20.g8 e7
[ 20...xb1 21.xb1 d7 22.h6!+- ]
21.d6+ d7 22.f7 xb1 23.xb1 xa2
24.f1 c2 25.g5 e4 26.xe7 xe7
27.d4
1-0
Potkin,Vladimir 2485
Iljushin,Alexei 2526
ch Krasnodar RUS (4) 30.08.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6
15.g6
[ White avoids the intermediate check
15.h7+ h8 16.g6 as played in Emms-
Williams, etc. on ChessPub. ]
15...xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4
18.g3 d6!
[ The alternative way to unpin is 18...b6!
w h e n t h e l a t e s t w o r d i s 19.h5!?
( On ChessPub you can find games and
a n a l y s i s o n t w o o t h e r m o v e s : 19.ad1
is Aagaard,J-Gleizerov,E/Hoogeveen NED
2000.; and 19.ac1 is Naiditsch,A-
Kalinitschew,S/Altenkirchen GER 2001. )
A) White has set a great trap: after the
plausible 19...xd4? White has the
deadly 20.a4! and Black is lost for if
xg6 21.e8+ and it is mate in five! f8
( 21...h7 22.f6+ gxf6 23.f7+ h8
24.xf6# ) 22.f6+ gxf6 23.g1+ xg1
24.xg1+ h7 25.f7+ h8 26.xf6#;
B) 19...xh5 20.xh5 xd4 21.g6
d7 ( Not 21...xh4 22.e8+ h7
23.g6# ) 22.f7+ h8 23.g3 xg3
24.fxg3 e5 25.e7 c8 26.ae1 c2
27.f4 xb2 28.h4! c6 29.b1 c3
B1) Instead 30.xb7 also seems to lead
t o a d r a w e . g . d3! 31.h3 d4
32.xd7 e4+ 33.g1 ( 33.f3? xf3
and wins. ) 33...e3+ etc. with
perpetual.;
B2) 30.g6 b2 31.xb2 xb2
32.b1 a3 33.xb7 f3+ 34.g1
d1+ and it was perpetual check -
Iuldachev,S-Bagirov,R/Abu Dhabi UAE
2002. ]
19.ad1 e5 20.h7+ h8 21.fe1
[ In Emms-Williams [with the early Bh7+]
White played 21.f5 but seemed worse. ]
21...g5!
[ A very strong move that traps the bishop on
h4 and makes space for the black king. Not

540
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

21...xd4? 22.xd4 exd4 23.e8+ 21.g2 af8 22.f1 d4! Now the bishop
mating. ] joins in the attack. 23.e4 c6 24.xd4
22.dxe5 e7! h4! 25.d6 xf3 26.xf3 g4+ 27.g3
[ Attacking another white bishop and not xe4+ 28.h3 f5+ 29.h4 f6+
falling into a pin after 22...xe5 23.c3 ] 0-1 Gelashvili,T-Timman,J/Saint Vincent
23.e6 xh7 24.e7 And here the game ended 2000. ]
abruptly as a draw! Here is a sample variation [ Black can also continue with his plan of
that makes me think that Black should have activating the light squared bishop on h5:
played on: e6!? 13...e8 14.c3? ( Safer was 14.g3 )
[ It is best to avoid 24...d7 25.xh7+ xh7 14...h5 15.xe6? xf3 16.xf3 xd4
26.e4!? and ] 17.h3 xe6 18.xe6+ h8 19.h3
[ 24...xc2? 25.e8+ ] d7! 20.h4 h6 and White had lost the
25.xh7+ xh7 26.xh2 gxh4 27.h5 exchange for nothing in Gabriel,C-Dittmar,
xh5 28.xe6 e8 and as 29.xd5? f4 P/Germany 1990/GER-chT2. ]
is a fork I think White is in trouble. 14.c3
½-½ [ I wonder if Volkov would have switched
plans after 14.g3 with b6!? ]
14...h8 15.a3 c7 16.h4 g4
607 C06 Volkov is always looking for a hard tactical
Potkin,Vladimir 2485 fight. The solid alternative was
Volkov,Sergey 2636 [ 16...ae8 ]
ch Krasnodar RUS (7) 02.09.2002 17.h3
[Neil McDonald] [ If 17.g3 Black can play the typical
sacrifice xg3 18.hxg3 xd4! 19.xd4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 xf2 20.d2 ( 20.h5? xd3 ) 20...xg3
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 wh e n t h e t h r e a t o f N g 4 o r Nh 3 + l o o k s
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 0-0 decisive. ]
12.g5 This is regarded as old fashioned 17...h6 18.g5! Hitting both e6 and h7.
these days. Black now has to do or die with an exchange
[ 12.f4 holds centre stage. ] sacrifice. f4! 19.g3 xd4 20.xd6 xd6
12...d7 And here 21.e2 e5
[ 12...c7 is the standard response, which [ The rook is cornered after 21...h4 22.f3
transpose to 11...Qc7 12.Bg5 0-0. ] h5 23.g3 ]
13.e1 The natural move to put pressure on 22.xd4 xd4 23.c1 g6 Black has a pawn
e6 and dissuade Be8, but White has to watch and nice centre for the exchange, but after
out for a sudden sacrifice on f2. White's next move his king becomes a target.
[ Instead 13.h4 e8 14.g5 d7 15.b1 24.f4! exf4 25.xg6 b6! 26.h2?
h6 16.h7 xh7 17.xh7+ h8 [ Volkov's brinkmanship pays off. I think
was equal in the old game Belenkov- White is much better after 26.h1! e.g. f3
Petrienko, USSR 1987. ] ( 26...hxg6 27.e7 attacking the bishop and
13...a6 An unusual move: Black prepares Qc7 also with the idea of 28.Rh7+ winning the
without allowing Nb5 in reply. He also keeps knight. ) 27.e7 etc. ]
the option of Qb6. 26...f3! 27.xh7
[ Here's a game that reminds us why [ Good for Black is 27.e7 d6+ 28.g3
everyone is so keen to play 12.Bf4 as White xe7 29.xd4+ g7 30.xg7+ xg7 ]
these days to exchange off dark squared 27...f8! 28.gxf3 f7! Brilliant play by Black.
bishops: 13...c7 14.c3? Once the f3 square drops he will be winning.
( He must prepare to block on g3 with the 29.f4 xg5 30.fxg5 f3+ 31.h1 d6
b i s h o p w i t h 14.h4! ) 14...g4! 15.g3 32.e2 b5!
xf2! 16.xf2 xd4 17.e2 xf3 0-1
18.xf3 f5 19.f4 xf4 20.gxf4 xf4

541
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

608 C06 [ 27.g2! d8 28.f4! ]

Przybylski,W 2330 27...h6
Musialkiewicz,P 2090 [ 27...g6 is solid ]
27th Gniota Memorial (5.6) 15.07.2012 28.e4! b6 29.b1 g6?? A blunder.
[John Watson] [ 29...g5 30.g2 and Black is a bit
exposed. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 30.xh6+ g8 31.e4
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 [ 31.d2+- ]
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7 12.g3 31...xf2+ 32.g2 c5 33.b4! c4
Still a critical move. White enforces Bf4 at the To prevent Bd5+ 34.f3 d4 35.e7 xa2+
cost of some kingside weakening. 0-0 13.f4 36.h3 6f7 37.d5?! This wins, but
g4 14.d2!? Rare. [ 37.xg6+ h8 38.e4 is faster ]
[ 14.xd6 xd6 15.c3 is the main line, 37...xd5 38.fxf7 xf7 39.xf7 xf7
and subject of quite a few games. ] 40.f4+ f6 41.c7+ e7 42.b7 h8+
[ 14.c1 xf4 15.xf4 xf4 16.gxf4 xf4 43.g2 h5 44.xa6 e5 45.a2+ g7
is a typical exchange sacrifice, objectively 46.b2 f6 47.c2 h7 48.c7+ g7
e q u a l b u t g i v i n g B l a c k g o o d p r a c t i c a l 49.d7 h8 50.h4 h7 51.g4 g8
chances. ] 52.d6 h7 53.f3 h8 54.f4 g7
14...e5! 15.dxe5 gxe5 16.xe5 xe5 55.xe5
17.d4!? Blockading d4, but this isn't realistic 1-0
because it gives Black a tempo to increase
his activity.
[ In my book I give 17.xe5 xe5 18.ac1 609 C06
b6 19.c3 e6 20.e2 ( 20.c2 ad8 Rasik,Vitezslav 2472
21.b3 d4! ) 20...xc3 ( 20...f6 21.a4 Laznicka,Viktor 2429
d6 22.c5 ae8= ) 21.bxc3 ( 21.xc3 ch Karlovy Vary CZE (10) 26.02.2004
d4= ) 21...ae8= ] [Neil McDonald]
17...b6!?
[ 17...h3 18.fc1 b6 and ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
[ 17...f7! are good alternatives, with better 5.c3 c5 6.gf3 c6 7.d3 b6 8.0-0
chances of gaining an advantage. ] cxd4 9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3
18.xe5!? b6 12.a4 b4 13.c2 e7
[ 18.e2 h3 19.b3! d4!? is unclear, but [ W e h a v e s e e n 13...c5 in the game
at any rate Black has satisfactory play. ] Degraeve-Lukov on ChessPub. Here we
18...xe5 19.b5 a6?! look at an important alternative. ]
[ 19...h3 20.fe1 ae8 puts a lot of [ For 13...c5 Tyomkin, D-Tu Hoang
pressure on White this is difficult to defend, Thong. ]
and in many cases Black's passed d-pawn 14.d2!
becomes an asset. ( or 20...f6 )] [ Jose Soza has sent me one of his very
20.c3 d4? sharp games in this variation which features
[ 20...h3 21.fd1 xc3 22.bxc3 c6= ] 14.a3?! It seems to me that this is an inferior
21.xd5 c5 22.e7+ move, as Black has time to get his queen to
[ 22.f4! is good, and makes you wonder h5 before White can put sufficient pressure
what 20..Bd4? was about. ] on the c-file to prevent him castling. g4
22...h8 23.xc8 axc8 At least with 15.e3 stopping Nc5. h5 guarding h7 as if
opposite-coloured bishops, Black has ( 15...0-0? 16.xh7+ ) 16.ac1
considerable drawing chances. 24.ae1 f6 A) Black loses outright after 16...xe5?
[ 24...cd8 25.e2 h5 ] 17.xe5 xe5 18.b5+ d8
25.e2 cf8!? ( e ve n wo r s e a r e 18...d7 19.xd7+
[ 25...d8 ] xd7 20.a4+ d8 21.b6+ axb6
26.e4 b5 27.g2 22.xa8+ or; 18...f8 19.xc8+ xc8

542
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

20.xc8+ d8 21.c5+ g8 22.xd8# ) 37.g5+ xg5 38.xg5 d5

19.d4! disaster strikes from an 39.d7 e5;
unexpected direction. f4 ( or 19...xd4 B2b212) 25...xe5+ 26.xe5
20.c7# ) 20.xg7 g8 21.xh7 xh3 ( 26...ad8?? 27.c7 e6
and Black is shredded.; 28.xd5; 26...e6 27.g4
B) 16...0-0! 17.c7 The white queen h4+- ) 27.gxh3 e6 28.e2
defends c7 and sinks her teeth into f5 29.g4 f4+ 30.g1
Black's queenside. Meanwhile Black's xd4 31.xd5+ h8 32.f7+
most important piece is far away from the xf7 33.xf7 xc2;
def ence on h5. The resulting struggle B2b22) 25.xe5 xh3 26.xf6
generates a lot of remarkable variations as xe1 27.xe1 f5+ 28.g1
Black strives to prove the relevance of his xd3 29.xd3 d1+ 30.h2
queen's position by generating a counter xd3 31.c3 ( 31.xg7 xc2-+ )
attack in the centre and on the kingside. 31...f5=;
The following very detailed analysis is by B2b23) 25.xd5+ e6 26.a5
Jose Souza: a6 xh3;
B1) 18.d4 B2b24) 25.xe5
B1a) 18...f6 B2b241) 25...ad8 26.xd5+
B1a1) 19.fe1 fxe5 ( 19...f5 20.b4 e6 27.e4
f7 ) 20.xe5 g5 21.xd7 f4 B2b2411) 27...d5
22.e5 xh2+ 23.f1 xc1; B2b24111) 28.e2 xe2
B1a2) 19.exf6 gxf6 20.e3 e5 29.cxe2 b3;
21.e2 f7 22.fd1 h8 23.b4 B2b24112) 28.f5 xf5
g8 24.e1; 29.xf5 g6 30.d3 ( 30.g4
B1b) 18...e8!? 19.fd1 d8 h5 31.f3 b3 32.ce2
( 19...f8 20.b4 d8 21.c2 d7 ) xd4 33.d7 xe2
20.c3 f6 21.e1 f5 22.c2 f8 34.xf6+ f7-+ ) 30...e6;
23.ec1 d7; B2b24113) 28.e3
B2) 18.fe1 e8 19.h3 f8 20.c2 B2b241131) 28...b3
d8 21.d6 d7 29.c5 ( 29.ce2 xe5
B2a) 22.b4 c6 23.h2 ( 23.d4 30.xh7+ xh7 31.xe5
e7 24.d2 ec8 ) 23...f6 xe5+ 32.xe5 xe5+
24.cc1; 33.xe5 d2 34.1e2 )
B2b) 22.h2 f6 29...e6 30.e2 h4
B2b1) 23.d4 e7 ( 23...f5 31.xb3 xd4 32.g4
24.ec1 c6 25.b4 g6 xc5 33.xe6+ f8;
26.d2 ) 24.c7 d8; B2b241132) 28...e6
B2b2) 23.exf6 xf6 24.d4 e5 B2b2411321) 29.f4
( 24...xd4 25.xd4 ad8 26.e5 xg2 ( 29...xd4
xe5+ 27.xe5 c8 ) 30.xd4 xe5 )
B2b21) 25.xe5 30.xg2 xd4 31.g4
B2b211) 25...xe5!? h4 32.f5 h8
B2b2111) 26.xe5 xh3 33.xe6+-;
27.e2 ( 27.gxh3 d8 ) B2b2411322) 29.c3
27...h4 28.f3 e4; g5 30.e2 xe2
B2b2112) 26.xe5 xh3 31.cxe2 f4 32.d2
27.xf6 f5+ 28.h4 xd3 xd3 33.xg5 xe1
29.c7 gxf6 30.xf6 g4 34.xd8 xg2 35.g5
31.f3 d7 32.h6 e5 h6=;
33.e7 xf3+ 34.xf3 e4 B2b2412) 27...b3 28.f4
35.xb7 e8 36.a7 d4 ( 28.c3 xd4 29.xd4 xe5

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

30.c4+ xc4 31.xc4+ e6 34.b6 d7 35.g1

f7; 28.ce2 xe5+ 29.xe5 g5 36.h4 f3+;
xe5 30.xe5 xe5+ B2b24342) 30.d6 d8;
31.xe5 xd3 ) 28...xc2 B2b24343) 30.c3 d1
( 28...xe5 29.xe5 xc2 draw agreed in Dothan, Y-
30.xc2 f7 31.e3 h8 So za , J/ 1 5 a va O limp ia d a -
32.b3 ) 29.xc2 e6 preliminares 2003. My thanks
30.b3 f8; to Jose for his incredible
B2b242) 25...xh3 26.gxh3 analysis. ]
ad8 27.xf6 gxf6 28.g1++-; 14...g4 15.ac1 c5
B2b243) 25...c6!? 26.xc6 [ Here we see a vital difference with the
( 26.ce2 e7 27.c7 d8=; game above. Black has no time to arrange
26.f4 e7 27.c7 d8 28.g4 castling as if 15...h5? [15...0-0? 16.Bxh7+]
xc7 29.gxh5 e6 30.e3 16.a4! and suddenly Black is in terrible
g5 31.f1 f7 32.g4 d4 ) trouble: the threat is 17.Bb5, 18.Rxc8+ and
26...xe1 27.xf6 bxc6 1 9 . B x d 7 + . T h e r e i s n o w a y o u t : 0-0
( 27...gxf6? 28.e7+ xe7 ( h e c o u l d f o r g o c a s t l i n g w i t h 16...d8
29.xe7 e5+ 30.xe5 fxe5 but then simply 17.c2 intending 18.Rac1
31.c5+- ) 28.xc6 etc. looks dire for Black.; or 16...a6 17.b5
B2b2431) 28...gxf6? 29.xa8 anyway. ) 17.xc8 fxc8 18.xd7 f8
e5+ 30.g3+-; 19.g5 etc. ]
B2b2432) 28...a7 29.c3 16.h3 h5 The queen will spend the whole
e6 30.c5 f7 ( 30...d7 game stranded on h5 whilst a disaster is
31.f4 e8 ) 31.c4 taking place on the queenside.
B2b24321) 31...f5 32.b3 [ If 16...a4? 17.xa4+ xa4 18.xc8+!
d7 33.d2 ed6 xc8 19.b5+ d8 20.xa4 ]
B2b243211) 34.e3 d8 17.b4! b6
( 34...g6 35.e8+ f8 [ Or 17...xd3 18.xd3 ( Simple and good.
36.e5 f7 37.b4 e6 W h i t e d o e s n ' t n e e d t o g e t i n vo l v e d i n
38.d4 ) 35.g3 g6 18.xe7 xc1 19.a3 ) 18...xb4
36.a5 8d7 37.a4 19.b5+ d7 20.xb4 Black's king is now
d4; t r a p p e d i n t h e c e n t r e . c6 21.fe1!
B2b243212) 34.b4 e6 defending e5 as a prelude to the plan of 22.
35.xd6 xd6 36.xd6 Nd4 and 23.Nxc6 [or perhaps 23. Rxc6!?].
f4; Black has no hope of a successful defence
B2b24322) 31...d7; with his queen stuck idly on h5 and a rook
B2b2433) 28...d1 29.xd5+ passive on h8. ]
h8 30.xg7++-; 18.b5+ f8
B2b2434) 28...ae8 29.d4 [ Black has to give up castling as if 18...d7
( 29.c3 1e6 30.c7 8e7 19.xd7+
31.c5 d7 32.c8+ f8 ) A) he must endure 19...xd7 20.xc5
29...g5 ( 29...f7 30.d6 bxc5 ( 20...xc5 21.b4! wins ) 21.a4+
d8 31.g3 e6 32.e5= ) etc.;
B2b24341) 30.g3 h5 B) 19...xd7? 20.c6 d8 21.xe7
31.g2 xe7 22.d6+ e8 23.c7
B2b243411) 31...e6 and its gruesome for Black. The main
32.c3 d1 ( 32...a1 threat is 24.Rfc1 followed by 25. Rxd7
33.e2 ) 33.f5 f7 Rxd7 26.Rc8+ and mate next move. ]
34.g4; 19.xc5 bxc5 20.b4! g6
B2b243412) 31...h1 [ White has a powerful initiative on the
32.xe8 xe8 33.xh1 q u e e n s i d e a f t e r 20...c4 21.c6 b8

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22.a4 e.g. a6? ( similar to the note to 21... to handle here, for example, fxe5 11.dxe5
Bb7 below is 22...xb4 23.xa7 ) 23.b5! ( 11.xe6? e4 12.f4 de5! ) 11...b4+
b6 ( 23...axb5 24.a7 ) 24.a5 d8 12.f1 dxe5 13.xe5 xe5 14.h5+
25.bxa6 xa6 26.b1! and wins due to the f7 15.xh7 d4! ]
Qxd8 mate theme. ] [ 10.0-0!? and ]
21.a4! [ 10.c3!? are interesting gambits which are
[ White is right not to be satisfied with covered in my early PTF books. The main
21.bxc5 ] thing you need to know is that they are
21...b7 both satisfactory for Black. ]
[ Black cannot resist the pressure as his 10...xf6 11.0-0 d6 Now Steenbekkers
queen can offer no help to the queenside: inquires into 12.b3 , intending Bf4. This rather
21...c4 22.c6 b8 23.xa7 xb4 24.c7 dull approach is recommended in almost
a6 25.b1 xb1 26.xb1 c3 27.b8+ every book, and has been played often over
g7 28.xh8 c2 ( 28...xh8 29.xe7 c2 the last 10+ years. White is going for a risk-
30.f8# ) 29.a4 xh8 30.xc2 f8 free edge whether he gets anything real is
31.xf7 and wins. ] another matter. Akobian played Black up to
22.bxc5 Now the passed c-pawn will advance this point in our 7...Qb6 game this month, and
with gain of time. g7 23.c6 c8 24.c7 a6 faced 12 Bf4. I wonder what he had planned
25.c6 a7 26.d7 g5 27.c2 a8 versus 12 b3? One thought is that his mission
28.c6 xd7 29.xd7 hc8 30.d4! was to draw as Black, and after 12...0-0 13
Be gin n in g a n ea t kn igh t m a no e uvre . f8 Bf4, there are a variety of endings which can
31.c6 g7 32.a7 The black queen did doubtless be drawn by a 2600+ player, even
absolutely nothing on h5. against another 2600+ player. But it's also
1-0 possible that he had in mind a little move
finesse that I've wondered about for some
time, that is, to play c7!? . Back to 12...Qc7.
610 C06 Now we have the normal 7...cxd4 8 cxd4 f6 9
Reader Franck Steenbekkers,Q exf6 Nxf 6 line given above in the note to
Tarrasch 3...Nf6: 7...Qb6 lin Black's 7th move, where Black plays 11...Qc7.
[John Watson] But here he has lost a tempo (...Qb6-c7)
specifically, White's extra move is b3. Is that
Reader Franck Steenbekkers asked me about a useful, productive move, a worthless one,
the old French Defence anti-Tarrasch line that or even one that can have disadvantages?
I recommended in my first books: 1.e4 e6 Basically, you have to compare the normal
2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 11...Qc7 lines with a pawn on b3, and also
6.c3 c6 7.e2 b6 This formerly main think about whether Bb2, which truly makes b3
m o v e i s s e l d o m p l a y e d ( a l t h o u g h s e e a meaningful gain of tempo, is a setup that
Mamedov-Akobian this month), and has been Black should be worried about. My feeling is
largely replaced by 7...cxd4 8 cxd4 f6. In my that b3 doesn't do much good in the 'normal' ..
third edition, I would have loved to Qc7 lines where W hite plays some
recommend the latter sequence, which is co m b in a t io n o f B g5 , Nc 3 , a n d Rc 1 . A n d
theoretically in good shape, but the depth of pu tt in g th e bish op o n b2 inste ad a ss is t s
forcing analysis seemed intimidating. Instead, White's fight for e5, but even a tempo ahead
I used the lines 3... Be7 and 3...c5. it has known drawbacks in terms of activity
[ I'll make reference to 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 and kingside defence. Whether Black, a pawn
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7 down, can secure the equality he normally
as a point of comparison below. ] gets isn't clear, but he can't stand too badly.
8.f3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 There are other lines for White, although his
[ It's interesting that 10.f4 , a move which inability to bring his queen to b3 or a4 is a
c a n g i v e B l a c k s o m e p r o b l e m s i n t h e drawback to the inclusion of b3. However,
standard lines without ...Qb6, is fairly easy that same move saves White a tempo in lines

545
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

where Black returns to b6 and finds the b- m o ve i n t h e n o r m a l l i n e wi t h . . . Q c 7 )

pawn protected (i.e., not on b2). I'll throw 15.xd6 ( 15.c1 xf4 16.xf4 xf4!
around a few ideas and quote a game or two, 17.gxf4 xf4 , a known position with
but in general, I honestly don't know what the roughly equal chances) 15...xd6 16.f4
correct verdict is: ( 16.c3 e5?! 17.dxe5 h6 18.h4
[ I've also considered 12...0-0 13.f4 a3!? gxe5 19.g5 d4 20.xh7+ h8
, another way to keep play on the board is a main-line in the version without b3, but
there is no obvious way to prevent Black here 21.f4! dxc3? 22.fxe5
from developing, and 14.b1 can be met by doesn't contain the idea of ...cxb2, so 16...
a5 . I wouldn't claim equality here on the Qe7 and ...Qf6 should probably be
other hand, I don't know of a concrete way preferred ) 16...xf4! 17.gxf4 xf4
i n wh i c h W h i t e c a n p r o v e t h a t h e h a s 18.e2! e5! 19.dxe5 cxe5 20.xd5+
something ] e6! 21.xe6+ h8 22.fc1 xf3+
[ The old line 12...0-0 13.f4 xf4 14.xf4 23.f1 d8!? 24.c8 d2+ 25.e1
is given a mini-look in a note to this month's f3+ 26.f1 d2+ with perpetual check.
Mamedov-Akobian game. I consider the Most of this looks forced to me. ]
move g6 . ] [ 13.h3 0-0 14.e3 d7 15.c3 a6
13.b2 As indicated, this formation is the one 16.c1 e8 17.g5 e7 18.f4?! a3
in which White has indisputably won a tempo. 19.c2? b4 20.e2 c8 21.d2?
[ The critical alternative is to follow the main Miroslaw, M (2323)-Kumor, L (2105)/Krakow
line with 13.g5 0-0 14.h4 h5!? 2 0 0 8 a n d n o w xd3 22.xd3 b4
15.c2 h6 16.h7+ h8 17.g6 xf3 with the idea of ...Bxc3 and .. .Bb5 would
18.gxf3 xh2+ , whose assessment doesn't have won a lot of material and the game. ]
seem to change with the inclusion of b3, for 13...0-0 14.g3
example, one main line is 19.g2 ( 19.h1 [ 14.c1 g4
f4! 20.g3 b6! ) 19...f4+ 20.xf4 A) 15.h3 xf3! 16.hxg4 ( 16.gxf3? h2 )
xf4 ( 20...xf4 21.g3 d7 isn't as 16...f8 is fine for Black;
ambitious ) 21.g3 xg3 22.fxg3 f6! B) 15.g3 , and an interesting line is g6!?
23.ac1 d7 24.f4! xd4 25.c3 f8 ( 15...f4 is the usual move, so that after
26.fe1 c6 with balanced play. ] Ne5, Black can capture and not lose a
[ Also interesting is 13.g3 0-0 14.f4 t e m p o b e c a u s e h i s b i s h o p i s o n d 6)
A) 14...e5 has equalised a couple of times, 16.g5!? e7! 17.xg4 f4 18.d1
but I suspect that W hite has a little xg5 ]
s o m e t h i n g : 15.dxe5 xe5 16.xe5 14...d7
xe5 17.c1 d6 18.xe5 [ Or 14...g6 , for example, 15.e1 ( 15.d2
(In the normal ...Qc7 lines White has 18 g4 16.g5 f4!; 15.c1 f4 ) 15...g4!?
Q b 3 h e r e ! ) ( the best move may be 16.c1 d7 17.c2 f6! intending ...
18.d2 unless White is compelled to Raf8. ]
c a p t u r e o n e 5 , h e sh o u ld h a ve so m e 15.c1 f4 16.c3 ae8
advantage g4 19.f3 xf4 ) 18...xe5 [ 16...b6! is a good alternative. ]
(the tradeoff of W hite's light-square 17.b1
weaknesses on the kingside versus [ 17.a3 d6 18.xd6 xd6 19.h3
Black's IQP adds up to only a small edge ( 19.d2 e5 ) 19...b4 20.d2 e5= ]
for the first player) 19.f4 g4 20.f3 d7 17...d6 18.d1 e5 19.xc6!
21.e1 ( 21.e1 d6 22.d2 ) [ 19.dxe5 xe5 20.xe5 xe5 21.c2
21...d4+ 22.f2 xf2+ 23.xf2 b6 ]
Anka, E (2420)-Farago, I (2475)/Budapest 19...bxc6 20.dxe5 xe5 21.xe5 xe5
1998 and Black drew after 23...Rae8, but 22.xe5 xe5= Tzoumbas (2365)-Luther
g5 24.e2 ac8 followed by king (2520), Athens 1997
centralisation is an easier strategy.;
B) 14...g4 (this is the most aggressive

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
611 C06
Reeh,Oliver 2429
Man 2461
Bundesliga 2008-9 (5) 29.11.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.gf3 c5 6.c3 cxd4
[ The position reached after 12.Nc3 should
b e c o m p a r e d wi t h t h e we l l k n o wn l i n e
6...c6 7.d3 e7 8.0-0 b6 9.e1 cxd4
10.cxd4 a5 11.b1 xd4 12.xd4 xd4
13.c3 when c5?! ( Safer is 13...b6 )
14.b5! seems to have been established as
very good for White. ]
7.cxd4 c6 8.d3 a5 9.0-0 b6 10.b1!
xd4 11.xd4 xd4 12.c3 xe5?
Much too risky.
[ H e m i g h t r e t r e a t w i t h 12...b6
when compared to the line given above at
move six, 13...Qb6, White hasn't gone Re1
and Black hasn't played Be7. This seems to
favour White as he can get by without Re1
whereas Black needs to develop his bishop.
Fo r e xa m p l e 13.e3 d4 ( Or 13...d8
14.b5!? xe5? 15.f4 and the weakness
of c7 is fatal for Black.) 14.a4 a7 15.f4
and W hite can develop with Rc1, not
needing to invest in the Re1 move. ]
[ M o r e i n t e r e s t i n g i s 12...c5
Again comparing the situation with the line
at move six, we notice that Black hasn't
gone Be7 first and then Bc5, meaning that
he is actually a tempo up- in other words
W h it e h a s n 't go t in Re 1 d e f e n d in g e 5 .
Nonetheless, the fact that the rook is still on
f 1 means the f 2 pawn isn't hanging, so
White can gambit e5 for a promising looking
i n i t i a t i v e : 13.b5 xe5 14.e1 b8
15.h5 threatening 16.Rxe6+. f8 16.d2
and Black will have a lot of trouble
untangling his game. ]
13.e1 b8 14.xd5 d6 15.h5 f8
16.h4! Black's pieces are so buried that he
has no good way to prevent an invasion by
the white queen on d8. f6 17.xe6 f7
If Mann had relied on this move to drive away
t h e wh i t e r o o k t h e n h e i s i n f o r a n a s t y
surprise: 18.h5+! xe6
[ Or 18...g6 19.e2 aiming for a check on
e7. ]
19.f5+ xd5 20.f3+ c4 21.d3+ b4
22.e4+ It is mate in one. A painful journey
for the black king!
1-0
612 C06
Rendle,Thomas 2393
Karlsson,Lars 2488
Gibtelecom Masters (5) 26.01.2008
[Tom Rendle]
T h e co m m e n t s t o t h is ga m e we re k in d l y
s u p p l i e d b y I M T h o m a s R e n d l e . 1.d4
Although I'm usually a 1.e4 player I wanted to
avoid Karlsson's Sicilian. e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2
a6!? This move is similar to 3..Be7 but hopes
to be able to play Bxc5 in one move after ..c5
dxc5. 4.gf3 c5 I was slightly surprised by
this move as I had seen he had played 4..Nf6
in this position.
[ 4...f6 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6
8.0-0 ]
5.c3
[ 5.exd5 is probably the most accurate but I
was hoping to transpose back into 4..Nf6 ]
5...f6
[ I was more worried about 5...c6 ]
6.e5 fd7 7.d3 c6 8.0-0 This was the
position I was hoping for when I played 1.d4
e7
[ 8...g5 The pawn thrust is also possible
here and I intended 9.b1!? And White's
centre should stay intact. ]
9.a3!?N As far as I can tell this natural move
is a novelty. Re1 has been almost universally
played by players like Korneev and Lastin.
White prepares the space-gaining push b2-b4
a n d ke e p s t h e e 1 s qu a re f r e e f o r t h e f 3
Knight. g5!?
[ 9...b6 might be best here but after
10.e1 we have reached a position from the
mainline where White has a3 and Black has
a6. This must be advantageous to White. ]
10.b4 cxd4 11.cxd4 g4 12.e1 This is the
point. With a rook on e1 the Knight would've
been trapped. For g5 to make any sense
Black would have to be getting control of the
centre but here Lars decided it was too risky
to take on d4. f5?
[ 12...xd4! 13.xg4 ( 13.b2!? c6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
14.e2 looks like good comp.) 13...xe5!
( 13...c6 14.g7 f8 15.f4 looks horrible
for Black ) 14.xd4 f6 15.b3 f3+
16.xf3 xd4 17.bxd4 I think I prefer
White here. ]
13.exf6 xf6 14.b3 0-0 The opening has
b e e n a m a s s i ve su c ce s s f o r W h i t e . T h e
position would be normal if Black's pawn was
on g7 but here his King is vulnerable and the
g 4 p a w n i s p o t e n t i a l l y w e a k . 15.f3?
I was aiming for a winning attack with this
move but I underestimated Black's resources.
[ 15.h6 f7 16.f4 leaves White with an
excellent position. ]
15...e5! I was expecting this move but felt that
my Bishop would be strong on b2. 16.dxe5
xe5 17.b2 d6
[ 17...xd3? 18.xd3 looks crushing ]
18.d2 e7 19.fxg4 This was the position I
had seen when I played 15.f3 and I had felt it
should be doing well. xg4
[ 19...fxg4 might be playable as well
20.xf8+ xf8! ( 20...xf8? 21.h3+- )
21.h3 xd3 22.xd3 e3+ 23.xe3
xe3 24.e5 and I don't think White should
be worse ]
20.h3 e4! this seems to lead to a draw by
force
[ 20...d7 21.c5 and Black's King is the
more vulnerable. ]
21.xf8+ xf8 22.xe4 dxe4 23.hxg4
there doesn't seem to be anything better than
taking the draw as Black is starting to get
serious play. h4
[ 23...f7 24.xd6 f2+ 25.h1 f1+
26.h2 f4+ 27.h1= ]
[ It doesn't look like Black can play for the
w i n e i t h e r a s i f 23...xg4 24.g3!
s e e m s t o l e a d t o a d r a w a s w e l l ! xg3
25.d5+ f7 26.g2 e3! 27.c1 h2+
28.h1 c7 29.d4 ( 29.g1 it's not clear
Black has better than Bh2+ here though 29..
e2 is interesting) 29...f2+ 30.g1 h3+
31.h1 f2+ 32.g1 h3+ ]
24.xe5
[ 24.d4 forces e3 and then White must
take the draw with Qd5+ 25.d5+ f7
26.xe5= ]
[ 24.c1?? wo u l d b e a d i s a s t e r h1+
25.xh1 f1+ 26.h2 f3+ 27.h3
h1# ]
24...xe5 25.d5+ f7 26.xe5 f2+
27.h2 h4+ 28.g1
½-½
613 C06
Rizouk,Aimen 2467
Baron Rodriguez,Jesus 2400
Open Malaga ESP (4) 25.02.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
b6 9.f3 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 d6
12.b3 The recommended system after 8. ..
Qb6. 0-0 13.b2 d7 14.g3 ae8?
What could be more natural than centralising
t h e r o o k , wh i c h i s a f t e r a l l B l a c k ' s l a s t
undeveloped piece? In fact this obvious move
is a signif ican t po sit io n a l m ista ke wh ic h
highlights the need to avoid rote play in the
opening.
[ I n s t e a d h e s h o u l d p l a y 14...f4!
which is given in the notes to Adams-Rojo
on ChessPub.exe. This gets the bishop
away from d6, so that in the event of Ne5 by
W hite he can consider replying at some
p o i n t N xe 5 - n o t h o we ve r im m e d ia t e ly -
without losing a piece to a pawn fork after
d4xe5. Secondly, he blocks the f4 square,
so that after Ne5 White cannot support his
knight with f2-f4, as occurs in the game
and thirdly the white rook is temporarily at
least prevented from going to c1. If you add
to all these considerations the fact that the
bishop is in itself more active on f4, it is
clear that 14... Rae8 was a major mistake. ]
15.e5! Exactly. White takes his chance to
get a grip on the centre. The Black bishop
has missed its vocation on f4 and so can
neither prevent White building up with Rc1 or
f2-f4. e7 16.c1 e8 17.h1 Aiming to
play f2-f4. The immediate
[ 17.f4? walks into xe5 18.fxe5 xe5 ]
17...b4 Over the next few moves Black
makes a lot of active gestures on the
queenside, but they amount to one move
attacks on W hite pieces that can easily be
moved to safety. Eventually Black finds he is
st rikin g b lows in t o t h in a ir wh ile W h it e 's
supremacy in the centre is converted into a
548
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
strong initiative on the kingside. 18.b1 b5
A useless move as it merely forces the white
rook to e1 where it wants to go, but there was
no co nstru ctive plan available f or Black.
19.e1 a5 20.f4 xe5 This leads to a
speedy collapse.
[ Black should brace himself for the worst
with the defensive 20...e8 ]
21.dxe5 d7 22.f5 a6 23.e3!
White takes control of the d3 square and so
prevents any of the black pieces huddled on
the queenside from joining in the defence of
the king with Nd3 or Bd3. There is also the
tactical threat of a2-a3, when if Nc6 a3-a4
picks up the bishop on b5. d4 Desperation
24.xd4 d5 25.ee1 c6 26.h4
Threatening f5-f6. g6 27.a3 The simplest
way to win is to pile up more material. This
was a precisely played game by White, but it
was all downhill for Black after 14...Rae8.
1-0
614
Rozentalis,Eduardas
Rodrigue
3rd Open Malaga ESP (6) 01.03.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 The idea behind
this early queen move is to avoid the
exchange of bishops which occurs in the
mainline after
[ 10...d6 11.f4 ]
11.0-0 If
[ 11.f4 b4+ when White has to play
12.f1 or ( 12.d2 but neither promise any
advantage. Of course; 12.d2
just plays into Black's hands. )]
11...d6 12.c3 a6 13.g5 0-0 14.h4
g6?! This is inconsistent. Black has a rather
clever attacking plan in mind, but W hite is
able to defeat it with precise play. Having
go n e t o t h e t ro u b l e o f p re ve n t i n g W h it e
exchanging bishops at move 11, Black should
have continued
[ 14...h5! here to rule out Bg3. Then
15.c1 ( 15.xh7+? xh7 16.g5+ h6
is nothing for White.) 15...g6 16.a4 d7
17.c5 ae8 is fairly equal . According to
theory W hite has a slight advantage, but
all Black's pieces are in play and he has
attacking chances on the kingside. ]
15.c1 This gives Black a second chance...
g4?! ...which he doesn't take. In fact he
practically forces White to exchange bishops
by attacking h2!
[ The superior 15...h5! would transpose to
the variation discussed above. ]
16.g3 xg3 17.hxg3 g7 If all goes well,
Black's plan, which he has developed since
move 14, is to culminate with the moves Qh6,
Rxf3 and Qh2 mate. And it looks as if it might
just work, as the black queen is gaining time
t o g e t t o h 6 b y a t t a c k i n g d 4 . 18.e2!!
An excellent move which avoids the
stereotyped response
[ 18.b1? when 18...Qh6 really does give
Black an attack. After the game move the
bishop bolsters the knight on f3 against an
anticipated attack by the black rooks and
makes the knight on g4 vulnerable to a
C06 sudden attack. However, the main point is
2553 revealed in the variation given in the next
2492 note. ]
18...d7
[ If 18...h6 19.d2! ( but not 19.h4 g5! )
19...h5 ( If 19...xd2 20.xd2 h6
21.b3!? gives White the better endgame.)
20.h4 g5 21.xg4 xg4 22.f3 h6
( worse is 22...f5? 23.cd1 d7??
24.h2 h5 25.g4 and wins. ) 23.fe1
d7 24.e5 xe5 25.xe5 and White has
a very pleasant positional advantage. ]
19.d2 Stopping 19... Qh6. Note that if White
had played the careless 18 Bb1 then Black
could now respond with the exchange sacrifice
19...Rxf3! 20 gxf3 Nxd4, threatening a fork on
d6 f3. f6 20.a4 af8 21.c5 c8 22.d3
d7? He had to try
[ 22...h6 or ]
[ 22...h6 to ease some of the pressure on
the dark squares. ]
23.g5! h6 24.e5! xe5 25.dxe5 f5
26.f4 Clamping down on the dark squares.
Black has been completely outplayed. c8
[ T h e e x c h a n g e s a c r i f i c e 26...xg5
is hopeless after 27.fxg5 f7 28.c7 ]
27.xc8+ xc8 28.c1 f8 29.a5
Having gained a dark square bind on the
549
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

kingside, W hite now infiltrates on the dark 21.b3 xd4 22.xa7 b7 23.a8 d8
squares on the queenside. f5 30.c7 h6 24.ac1 In Tzermiadianos-Ulibin, Cappelle la
31.c3 d4 32.b3 g7 33.g4 Grande 1998, White preferred
Black resigned as his queen is entombed and [ 24.ad1!? f8 25.a4 g7 26.d4 e5
e6 about to drop. A beautiful positional 27.d6 f3 28.h5! h3 29.e3 xf1
display by Rozentalis. 30.xf1 f6 31.xe5 and White, with a
1-0 safer king and a passed pawn for the
exchange, eventually won. So
Tzermiadianos managed to avenge the
615 C06 defeat of his Greek team-mate by Ulibin! ]
Rublevsky,Sergei 2660 24...g7 25.h5! This is a key idea, already
Komarov,Dimitri 2582 seen in the note above. W hite is willing to
chTeam-playoff (1) 29.08.1999 give up his h pawn if necessary to block the
[Neil McDonald] attack. b7 26.a5 a8 27.d2 f3?
This wastes time. More in the spirit of the
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5 opening was
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 [ 27...c5 e.g. 28.xc5 ( 28.e3 d4! )
f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 0-0 28...e3 29.fxe3 ( 29.xe3 xa2;
12.f4 xf4 13.xf4 e4 14.g3 29.xe3?? f3 ) 29...e7 when despite
White bolsters his knight at the cost of a slight W hite's two extra pawns it would be very
weakening of his kingside squares. f6!? h a r d f o r h i m t o wi n i n vi e w o f B l a c k ' s
John Emms regards this as 'perhaps the most powerful bishop and his loose kingside. ]
testing response'. The sharp alternative 28.d6 xa2 29.xe6+ f7 30.xh6 c5
[ 14...g5?! leads to a better endgame for 31.cd1 e8 32.d6 e3 Finally Black
White after the dust has settled: 15.h5 e5 unleashes the bishop, but it is just too late.
[or else he is positionally busted after White The white attack gets in first. 33.g6 exf2+
plays 16 Bxe4 and 17 Ne5.] 16.xe5! xd4 34.xf2 a1+ 35.h2 e7 36.xg7+ xg7
17.a4! b6 18.ad1 xf2 19.xf2 37.e6+
e2+ 20.h1 xf2 21.c2! xg3+ 1-0
22.xg3 xc2 23.xc2 as in Stigkin-Basin,
St Petersburg 1992. ]
15.h4 Stopping 15...g5. Black's reply renews 616 C06
the threat. h6 16.xe4 dxe4 17.e5 d8 Rublevsky,Sergei 2670
18.xc6 bxc6 19.a4! The old move is Lputian,Smbat G 2598
[ 19.c2 after which Black had a FIDE WCh KO New Delhi IND (2.2) 01.12.2000
spectacular success in Kotronias-Ulibin, [Neil McDonald]
Chalkidiki 1992: g5! 20.hxg5 hxg5 21.e2
f3 22.d2? ( 22.c3 a6 23.fe1 d3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
24.d2 was the best defence-Ulibin.) 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5
22...f7! 23.xg5 h8 24.f4+ e7! 9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.b1!?
25.xf3 exf3 26.f4 h6 27.d3 This is the latest attempt by a 2650+ player to
and W hite gave up as he will shortly be re su scit at e t h is lin e f o r W h it e . It is ve ry
mated on the h file after 27...Ba6 and 28... logical as W hite accepts that the knight no
Rah8. The hole created by 14 g3 proved longer has a future on d2 as its natural square
his undoing! Judging from the present game, on f3 has been usurped by the other knight.
attacking a7 as well as c6 with the queen Therefore it returns to b1 and heads out via
seems a much more effective approach for c3 for the weakest point in Black's position-
White. ] the b5 square. At the same time it clears the
19...g5 20.g2! Keeping it as solid as way for the dark squared bishop to enter the
p o s s i b l e o n t h e k i n g s i d e . W h i t e a vo i d s game which also deters Black from the g7-g5
opening the h f ile with 20 hxg5 hxg5. b8 pawn lunge. Previous ideas include

550
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 11.a3 in Nisipeanu-Lputian or ]
[ 11.e2 in the previous Rublevsky-Lputian
encounter, when White was in trouble after
g5! 12.h3 h5 13.f1 xd4! etc. ]
11...xd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.c3 b6
14.g4 0-0 This seems the best response to
the attack on g7- Black is prepared to give
back his material advantage to free his game
a n d g a i n t h e b i s h o p p a i r . 15.h6 g6
16.b5!? White tries to keep up his initiative
rather than grab the exchange and lose his
dark squared bishop, but Lputian will accept
no refusal! c5 17.d4 d7! 18.xf8 xf8
19.a4 f6 20.exf6 xf6 21.e3 xb2
Bla c k re s to re s m a t e ria l e qu a lit y. A h a rd
tactical fight now begins which eventually
burns out to a drawn endgame. 22.a2 f6
23.c1 d4 24.g3 xd3 25.xd3 c6
26.e2 e5 27.d6 b4 28.e4 e7
29.h3 d5 30.ee1 xa4 31.c5 a2
32.g3 xc5 33.xc5 d3 34.c7 d2
35.f1 b2 36.h4 f7 37.d8+ g7
38.d7 xd7 39.xd7+ f7 40.d1 c1
41.xd2 xd2 42.xd2 a4 43.d7 a3
44.xb7 a2 45.a7 h5 46.f1 f6 47.e2
d5 48.g3 g5 49.a4 b3 50.a5 g4
51.h4 h3 52.e3 g2 53.a3 d5
54.a6 c4 55.a5 d5 56.a3 h2
57.a6 g2 58.a5 h2 59.e2 g2
60.a3 c4+ 61.e3 d5 62.a5 f1
½-½
617 C06
Rublevsky,Sergei 2670
Lputian,Smbat G 2598
GM Montecatini Terme ITA (3) 30.07.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5
9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.e2
Rather than
[ 11.a3 in Nisipeanu-Lputian or ]
[ 11.a4 in Kwiatkowski-Rendle, White
decid es h is p riority is to def e nd t he e 5
pawn. ]
11...g5! The standard attacking idea proves
as strong as ever. 12.h3 h5 13.f1 xd4!
A f in e de c isio n . L p ut ia n d e cid e s t h at a n
exchange of knights will favour Black, and so
avoids
[ 13...g4 14.hxg4 hxg4 15.3h2
( R i s k y f o r W h i t e i s 15.g5 xd4 )
15...xd4 ( 15...xd4 16.xg4 ) 16.xg4
Then we have the game position at move 17
but with a white knight on f1 and a black
knight on c6. This means that W hite can
answer g8 with 17.fh2! keeping control
on the kingside followed by moves such as
Be3, Bb5 etc to begin to put pressure on
Black along the c file. So Lputian exchanges
off a pair of knights to enable him to
disrupt W hite on the kingside. Of course,
the disappearance of the knight on c6 has
the downside that W hite might be able to
e xp l o i t t h e c f i l e i n a f a s t e r s t y l e , b u t
counterplay on the kingside is more
important to Black than the inconvenience
on the c file. ]
14.xd4 xd4 15.h2 g4! Black returns
the pawn for the initiative. 16.hxg4 hxg4
17.xg4 g8 18.h6 g7 19.b5 f8
20.d2 b4! After the exchange of bishops
the knight on h6 will suddenly find itself in
great danger. 21.xb4+ axb4 22.h5 f4
23.e3 The only way to meet the threat of 23...
Rh 7 , b u t n o w t h e e5 p awn will d ro p . g5
24.h3 xe5 Black is now winning. White's
only chance is a swindle based on the slightly
exposed black king. 25.ae1! xa2 26.c1
a8 27.g3 g6 Finally the knight is trapped.
28.f5!? xf5 29.h8+ g8 30.h6+
Naturally
[ 30.xe5 xe5 31.xe5 is a lost
endgame. ]
30...g7 31.h8+ g8 32.h6+ g7?
33.h8+ g8 34.h6+ and a draw was
agreed. This smacks of time pressure, as e7
35.h4+ f6 36.xb4+ f7 37.c7+ g6
38.e7 h3! threatening 39...Ra1+ or 39...
Rh8 should win.
½-½
551
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
618 C06
Rublevsky,Sergei 2672
Meessen,Rudolf 2279
ECC Rethymnon GRE (1) 28.09.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.e2 b6
[ The note to Black's 17th move should be
compared to the position reached after the
alternative variation 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 0-0
12.f4 xf4 13.xf4 e4 14.e2 xf3
15.gxf3 g5 16.h1 e5 17.dxe5 xf3
18.xh7+ h8 There are a couple of
examples of this line on ChessPub- see for
example Savinov-Malakhatko. ]
8.f3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0
d6 12.b1!? This is an unusual move, as it
looks rather passive to simply defend the b2
pawn. Nevertheless, any idea adopted by an
op e n in g e xp e rt like Ru b levsky d e se rve s
respect. 0-0 13.f4 Of course t his position is
well known, but with the white rook still on a1
and the black queen back on d8. You would
imagine that the dif f erence would f avour
Black here, but things aren't so simple. xf4
14.xf4 e4?!
[ John Watson suggests that the normal
14...d7 is good, but after 15.e1 ae8
I quite like the look of 16.d2!? for White,
rather than Watson's ( 16.a3 when xd4!
17.xd4 e5 18.xd5 xd4 19.xf6+
xf6 indeed looks good for Black. If White
can play 16. Qd2- a useful move for his
development, rather than the irrelevant 16.
a3- then he has defended f2 already, so
that Black's freeing combination can now
b e a n s we r e d a s f o l l o ws :) 16...xd4
17.xd4 e5 18.xd5 xd4 ( White has
s o m e e d g e a f t e r 18...xd5 19.c4 )
19.xf6+ xf6 20.e4! driving back the
black queen and so preparing to sort out his
game with Bc4+ next move. Black doesn't
look in serious trouble here but W hite is
keeping a safe plus. ]
[ A n o t h e r o p t i o n f o r B l a c k i s 14...xd4
but here Watson shows that White is better
after 15.xd4 e5 16.xd5 xd4
17.xf6+ xf6 18.c2 h6 19.e4 ]
[ Finally Black can go after the strong white
bishop with 14...b4 but handing over the
e5 square to the white knight looks risky
from a strategical point of view, e.g.
15.d2!? T h a t m o v e a g a i n ! xd3
( I assume that Black cannot afford to take
o n a 2 , e . g . 15...xa2? 16.b4 e4
17.xe4 dxe4 18.e5 c3 19.xc3 xf4
20.e3 f8 21.xe4 and White has a
s t r o n g b i n d .) 16.xd3 e4 17.e3
intending Nfe5 and then f2-f3 to drive away
the black knight from its outpost. ]
15.e2 xf3 The standard exchange
sacrif ice doesn't quite hit the mark here.
Instead Black could have developed with
[ 15...d7 though White then had an
interesting way to justify the position of the
rook on b1: 16.c3! xc3 17.bxc3 ]
16.gxf3 g5 17.h1 xf3
[ In the 11...0-0 mainline- see the note to
move seven above-with the black queen on
d8 and the white rook on a1- the
co nt inu a tio n af t er th e Rxf 3 sa crif ic e is
17...e5 18.dxe5 xf3 19.xh7+ h8
with unclear play. But here, with the queen
on b6, not d8, White has the strong move
20.xd5 or even ( 20.c2 with ideas of Qd3
or Nf4. If the black queen were on d8, this
would lose to Qh4, with unstoppable mate
on h2. )]
18.xh7+! xh7 19.d3+ g8 20.xf3
xd4 21.xd4 xd4 So Black has found a
way to justify the queen being on b6 as he has
wo n t h e i m p o rt a n t d 4 p a wn . I f h e c o u l d
mobilise his pieces quickly he would have
good counterplay. Unfortunately his bishop
and rook are still inactive and this gives White
just enough time to build up sufficient
pressure along the g file to force a decisive
change in the material balance. 22.g1 d7
23.g4 e5 24.bg1 f8 25.xg7+! xg7
26.xg7+ xg7 27.g3+ f6 There is no
great material advantage for White, but it is
well known that the queen is excellent at
shepherding home a passed pawn, especially
when she can gain time for her manoeuvres
b y a t t a c ki n g a n e xp o se d kin g. Me e s s e n
battles on but he can't resist his opponent's
precise play. 28.h4 e5 29.g5+ e6 30.h5
d4 31.h6 c6+ 32.g1 e4 33.h7! xh7
34.h6+ f6 35.xh7 f7 36.g6+ f6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

37.e8+ c5 20.g3 b6 21.e3 e7 22.ac1

1-0 d5 23.c5 d7 24.g7 0-0-0
It was either this move or Resigns. 25.f8+
b7 26.xh8 e8 27.xh7 xf8 28.fd1
619 C06 a5 29.h4 b6 30.d3 h8 31.g3 b2
Rublevsky,Sergei 2670 32.a4! Black resigned. A pretty finishing touch:
Morozevich,Alexander 2678 Black will be destroyed by a queen check on
TCh Togliatti RUS (8) 23.05.2003 b5 unless he plays bxa3 but then 33.b1
[Neil McDonald] wins the queen.
1-0
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.d3 c5 6.e5 fd7 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 g5
9.dxc5 620 C06
[ Instead 9.a3 was played successfully in Rublevsky,Sergei 2702
Nis ip e an u -V o lko v a s give n re cen t ly o n Volkov,Sergey 2594
ChessPub. ] 16th TCh-RUS Premier (7) 10.04.2009
9...dxe5 10.xe5!? Rublevsky diverges [Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
from his game with Volkov, also given on
ChessPub, which went I've seen some comments on the forum that
[ 10.b5 d7 11.e2 ( Here White has a are of the notion that 9.Nf4 is practically a
second chance to reach the Morozevich f orce d dra w which is why 3...Nf 6 te eters
game with 11.xe5 xe5 12.xd7+ ) between dry equality and +=. Since
11...c7 12.e1 g6 etc. and Black was C h e s s P u b ' s l a s t c o ve r a g e , a c o u p l e o f
doing very nicely. ] important theoretical games were played. Let's
10...xe5 11.b5+!? In this variation White try and see if 9.Nf4 is really a forced draw.
is willing to rip apart his own pawn centre: a 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.d3 c5
serious concession as Black's whole strategy 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
is built around conquering the d4 and e5 f6 9.f4!? This normally leads to wild
squares. On the other hand, after the complications. xd4 This dynamic exchange
resulting opening of lines in the centre the sac has always been thought to be forced but
pawn thrust g7-g5 by Black begins to look like good but I've changed my opinion after this
a pointless self inflicted wound on his game (although I hope I'm wrong!). 10.h5+
kingside. d7 12.xd7+ xd7? Rublevsky e7 11.exf6+
makes this look like a very bad decision. [ Moskalenko rightly pointed out that
Instead 11.g6+?! is an inaccurate move order due
[ 12...xd7 would prepare 0-0-0 and allow to hxg6 12.exf6+ xf6! 13.xh8 f7
the knight to retreat back to g6 if attacked by and in contrast to the game, the Queen
13.Qe2. ] would have to retreat to the less effective
13.b4 b6 14.c4! White correctly decides that h3 square instead of h4. ]
he has to keep the momentum of his attack 11...xf6 12.g6+ hxg6 13.xh8 f7
going rather than look for a static positional 14.h4
advantage after [ 14.0-0 This has recently been favoured by
[ 14.c6 as Black can undermine the passed Ni Hua and was analyzed in Ni Hua -
pawn with e5 15.b5 a6 ] Rodriguez in the next game. ]
14...dxc4 If Black had played 12...Qxd7 he 14...e5 This is the critical position of the entire
would have been able to answer 14...Nxc4 variation starting with 9.Nf4 in the Tarrasch.
here. 15.xc4 bxc5 16.d6+ xd6 15.f3 This is the main move, getting rid of
17.xd6 b6 18.g3! Black's king has no the giant d4 knight at the expense of White's
safe shelter and his dark squares are pawn structure. Alternatives are just bad. For
collapsing. Not even a great defender like example,
Morozevich can hold on here. cxb4 19.xg5 [ 15.b3 xb3 16.axb3 e4 17.e2 b4+

553
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

18.f1 e6 Black is definitely better here describe the practical difficulties one can
despite the material imbalance. His pieces face. 30.c8 e4 31.d8 This allowed Black
are fully developed while White's position is to activate his knight and make a nuisance
in complete disarray. ] o f h i m s e l f . ( 31.d2 was probably better.
[ 15.0-0 will be met with the strangely Certainly, White's rooks are very active after
d e v a s t a t i n g e7! when White's queen is a continuation like d4 32.fxe4 fxe4 33.e8
suddenly lacking of safe squares. ] f5 34.h5+ f4 35.e6 ) 31...f4
15...xf3+ 16.gxf3 f5 17.xf5 gxf5 32.d2 e5 33.h4 d3!
18.g5 a5+ Black eventually scrambled to a draw and I'll
[ 18...c8!? is an interesting suggestion by give the rest of the game with some light
m y f r i e n d J u n i o r T a y. A s e a r c h o n m y analysis: 34.fxe4 dxe4 35.f3 g2+
database revealed that this was played by ( 35...xb2 36.fxe4 c4+ 37.c3 d6 )
the great Alexander Morozevich way back in 36.c3 g3 37.e8+ d5 38.fxe4+ fxe4
2000 (and he lost the game). 19.0-0 c4 39.h5+ c6
20.h3 d7 21.ad1 ( 21.fc1 xc1+ A) 40.d4! xb2 41.h7 b6
22.xc1 d4 ) 21...e6 22.fe1 d7 ( 41...g6 42.c8+ b6 43.cc7!+-
was complex b ut I think ok f or Black in the a-pawn will carry the day for White.)
Timman - Morozevich, Wijk Aan Zee 2000. 42.xa7 White retains slight winning
The question is whether the compensation is chances.;
enough for Black to hold the position. ] B) 40.h6+ b5 41.a3 c5+
19.f1 g6!? Making use of some tactics. So with Black's queenside pawns intact, the
far, we have been following Ni Hua - Wang position is more or less drawn. 42.c2
Hao (Archives) which has been the model g2+ 43.b1 a5 44.h5 c4 45.b3+
game in this line for some time. xb3 46.xe4+ d4 47.hh4 g1+
[ Perhaps, Black should consider analyzing 48.b2 g2+ 49.c1 g1+ 50.d2
the move 19...e7!? in greater detail. g2+ 51.e1 g1+ 52.f2 d1 53.a4
20.g2 d4 with a complicated game c3 54.e3+ d3 55.h7 xe3
ahead. ] 56.xe3 c2+ 57.e4 b3 58.xb7+
20.h8!? This seems to be the latest try in xa4 59.d3 a3 60.d4 b5+
this fashionable line. 61.c5 c3 62.c4 e4 63.d7 a3
[ 20.xf6 a6+ 21.g2 xf6 22.a4 c6 64.d4 f6 65.f4 d7 66.f5 a4
23.b3 Ni Hua - Wang Hao ] 67.c3 b6 68.c5 a2 69.b4 b2
20...a6+ This appears to be best. 70.h5 c2 71.h2+ d3 72.c5 c4
[ 20...d7 was played in another recent 73.h4 e3 74.xa4 c3 75.a8 c4
game but I get the impression that White got 76.e8 1/2-1/2 Kobalia, M (2645)-
the better of it: 21.h4! e8 22.h7+ g7 Petrosian, D (2490)/Tbilisi GEO 2009/ ]
23.h6 g8 24.h5 a6+ 25.e1 21.g2 e8 22.ac1 It is not easy to say
This is most likely still home preparation. which rook is more suited on c1 though results
Black is definitely under pressure now. f8 for both moves have been pretty good.
26.hxg6+ xg6 27.xg6+ xg6 28.xg7 [ 22.hc1 e7 23.h4 d6 24.c2 h5
xg7 29.c1 ( 29.d2!? with the idea d4 25.ac1 xg5 26.xg5 f4+ 27.h1
30.ag1 is worth a thought.) 29...f6 e6 ( 27...d4! would have forced a draw
White had a definite plus in this endgame after 28.c7+ e6 29.g7 White has to
but it wasn't an easy one to convert at all. play this before Black's d-pawn gets too
After all, Black had an extra pawn and White d a n g e r o u s . d5! 30.xg6+ xg6
had a pair of doubled ones to boot. It is 31.xg6+ d7 32.xf5+ d6 when Black
certainly beyond my limited endgame should be fine. If anything, White is the one
capabilities to analyze the rest of this game that has to be careful as after 33.f6+?!
as confidently as I would like to be. The fact e6! 34.g7 e7 35.h8 f7!
that a 2645 GM couldn't convert this against The position might suddenly offer a little
a much lower rated player is enough to something for Black! ) 28.h6

554
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
A) 28...g8!? could possibly be the only
s a v i n g m o v e i n t h e p o s i t i o n : 29.c8
( 29.h4 d4! forces a draw: 30.h5 d3
31.c8 d2 32.hxg6+ xg6 33.h7+ f6
34.h8+ f7 35.h7+= )
A1) 29...g7 would not be good
enough: 30.h8 In this variation, Black
has to get used to having his privacy
invaded with White's major equipment!
d4 31.e8! f6 ( 31...d3? 32.xe6+- )
32.g8! d7 33.cc8 with possibly a
winning position.;
A2) 29...xc8! Black has to find the only
p a t h t o s u r vi v e i n t h i s t r e a c h e r o u s
position. 30.xc8 a6! Again, the only
move. Black's e6 knight is a brilliant
defender and holds a number of key
squares. 31.g2 e2 32.h7+ f6
33.h4+ ( 33.xb7 f4+ 34.g3
h5+ forces a draw immediately. )
A2a) 33...g5?? is su i cid a l : 34.h8+
e7 ( 34...f7 35.h7+ f6
36.e8+- ) 35.b8+-;
A2b) 33...f7 The position remains
uncertain. Both Hiarcs 12 and Rybka 3
gives the evaluation is between = and
+= but I would imagine a normal
human being would find it very difficult
to hold this position.;
B) 28...f6 was also possible: 29.c8!
n e e d le s s t o sa y, W h it e 's o p t io n s a r e
uncountable here but this forces a
t ra n s p o s it io n t o t h e a b o ve n o t e . xc8
30.xc8 a6 31.h8+ f7 32.g2
transposes to note a above.;
C) 28...f8?? The only mistake by Black
in the whole game but unfortunately for
him, this was a big one. Black was too
afraid of a queen check on h7 but giving
up the c7 square was even more costly.
29.c7+ e7 30.c8! Black probably
overlooked this little manoeuvre and now,
W hite's activity is too much for him to
handle: d7 31.h8 e4 32.h4 e7
33.h5 gxh5 34.xh5+ f6 35.h8+ f7
36.g1! e6 37.f4 d8 38.h7+ e8
39.g8+ d7 40.gxd8+ xd8 41.c7+!
1-0 Kanovsky, D (2473)-Macak, S (2494)/
Rogaska Slatina SLO 2009/ ]
22...e7 23.h6 d6
[ Black can try to grab a pawn with 23...xa2
as after all, if Black has to suffer, he might
as well snatch as much wood as he can.
However, after 24.c7 b3 25.xf6 xf6
26.h4! I have doubts on Black's chances to
survive. ]
24.c2!N This seems to be a powerful
improvement on Yandemirov's 24.Rhd1:
[ 24.hd1 d4 25.xf6 xf6 26.e3 e7
27.b3+ e6 28.c4 1-0 Yandemirov, V
(2481)-Iljushin, A (2530)/ Ishevsk 2005/CBM
105 ext (51) Here, both the natural a6 or
( 28...d7 would have been fully satisfactory
for Black. )]
24...f8 This is apparently best though
alternatives are aplenty:
[ 24...d4 25.hc1 d8 ( 25...d3 26.c7 e4
27.fxe4 fxe4 28.g1 ) 26.c7 d7
27.xd7 xd7 28.h8 d3 29.h6 e6
30.g7 keeps up the pressure on Black's
position. ]
[ 24...d8!? defends the c7 square. 25.hc1
d4 26.c8 d3 27.h4! the threat of Qc4+
maintains the pressure. e4 28.xf6 exf3+
29.xf3 d2 30.xd8 dxc1 31.xc1
d5+ 32.g3 d6+ 33.g2 d5+
34.g1 xd8 35.xd8 xd8 36.c7+ ]
25.h4 g7 26.hc1 e7 In my opinion, it
must be an absolute nightmare to handle this
position as Black. Especially when White has
doubled rooks on the only open file on the
board and W hite's queen's menacing
presence on the vulnerable Kingside.
[ 26...d4 actually loses by force, believe it or
not: 27.xf6 xf6 28.h7+ g7 29.c8!
xc8 30.xc8 f6 ( 30...d3 31.g8+ f6
32.d8! ) 31.h4+ f7 32.d8! xd8
33.xd8+- and White will soon win the rest
of Black's queenside. ]
[ 26...d8 27.a4! wins the a7 pawn as
after a6 28.xf6 xf6 29.c7+ wins. ]
27.xf6! xf6 28.h7+ g7 29.c8?!
This was a little slip.
[ 29.h4! f6 Here, Rybka came up with a
b e a u t i f u l a n d u n e xp e c t e d i d e a ( 29...e4
30.h5! f6 31.f4 gxh5 32.c7!; 29...d4
30.h5 f6 31.hxg6+ xg6+ 32.xg6+
xg6 33.c7 ) 30.h1!! with the idea of
Rg1. Black is simply not able to handle the
threats that are flying at him from all
directions. For e.g. f8 31.g8 g7
32.g1 e6 33.h7 f7 34.c8 d7
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
35.h5! g5 ( 35...gxh5?? 36.g8 ) 36.gc1
with a terrific attack. ]
29...e4
[ 29...d4 30.h4! is similar to the note to
White's 29th. ]
30.g8
[ 30.h4! still seems to be terribly effective.
A) 30...exf3+ 31.h3!! This lovely move
clears the g-file for a devastating rook
manoe uvre . b4 ( 31...f4 32.g1+- )
32.g1+-;
B) 30...f6 31.g1! This shouldn't come
as a surprise anymore. f4 32.f1! h6
33.xh6 xh6 34.fxe4 dxe4 35.e2
Black wou ld ha ve t o pla y like a world
champion to defend this precarious
position. ]
30...f6? Like I said, the position is simply too
tough for Black to handle and even a French
expert like Volkov was not up to it.
[ 30...f6! puts up great resilience when it is
not clear if White has anything better then a
draw. 31.fxe4 ( 31.h4+!? could be a
worth a try though I didn't f ind anything
special after g5 32.g3 exf3+ 33.xf3 d4
though White obviously has the better of it.)
31...dxe4 32.cc8
A) 32...d3 33.gf8+! g5 ( 33...xf8
34.xf8+ e6 35.xg6+ d7
36.xf5+ ) 34.h4+! f4 35.xg6 xf8
36.g5+ e5 37.xf8 f3+ 38.g1
d7 39.f6+! d5 40.xf5+ xf5
41.xf5+ e6 42.b5;
B) 32...e3! 33.cf8+! xf8 34.xg6+
e5 35.h8+ g7 36.xg7 d5+
37.h3 xg7 38.xg7+ e6 39.g8+
e5= ]
31.cc8?! This turned out well in the end but
[ 31.f4! cutting out any ideas with ... .Qg5+
and ...fe3 is close to winning. For e.g e6
32.cc8 f7 33.ce8! f6 ( 33...xe8??
34.xg7 ) 34.xf7+ xf7 35.ef8+ e6
36.xg6 f7 37.xf7 xf7 38.g3!+- ]
31...exf3+? This loses any form of counterplay
that Black can hope for.
[ 31...g5+! was better. Check out the
following analysis: 32.f1 f6 33.fxe4
( 33.xg7 was not enough, unfortunately:
xg7 34.f8+ e6 35.xg7 c1+
forces a perpetual) 33...dxe4 34.h3! e3!
Black must prevent the terrible threat of
Qc3+. 35.g3 e2+ 36.e1 d2+!
Bringing White's King out into the open will
give Black some counterchances. 37.xd2
e1+ 38.c2 e2+ 39.b3 d1+
40.a3 with a fascinating position but White
is still alive and should keep an edge. ]
32.xf3 White's threat of Rf8+ is devastating
in itself and Black's position soon collapsed.
d4
[ 32...e6 33.ce8 xe8 34.xe8+ d6
35.h4! and Black is in zugzwang! ]
33.cf8+ e6 34.xg6+ f6 35.h3!
Creating an escape route to h2 and thus
preventing perpetual check, this wonderfully
quiet move clinches the game. e4+ 36.g3
e5+ 37.g2 e4+ 38.h2 e5+ 39.g3
xb2 40.g6 f7 41.e8+
[ 41.e3+ wins immediately but there are
other ways to Rome. ]
41...d7 42.e3 e7 43.a8 d6+
44.g2 e7 45.d3 e5 46.b5+ c7
47.a5+ b6 48.xa7+ c6 49.c8+ b5
50.a4+ b4 51.xb6+ I think this is a very
convincing display by Rublevsky that could
very well be the last word in this variation.
Black had absolutely zero winning chances
and as I've analyzed in the notes, has to find
some incredible resources just to save the
game. Every Grandmaster should pick up this
variation with White simply because it is risk-
free and offers excellent good chances for
White. So, is 3...Nf6 refuted by this variation?
I really hope I am wrong in my conclusion but
I urge anyone who knows a solution to email
me immediately. Otherwise, I will recommend
3...Nf6 fanatics to analyze either 18...Rc8
(instead of 18...Qa5+), 19...Be7 (instead of
19...g6), 15...e4 (instead of 15...Nxf3) or even
9...Qe7. For now, the onus is on Black.
1-0
621 C06
Rublevsky,Sergei 2657
Volkov,Sergey 2558
2nd IECC Ohrid MKD (8) 09.06.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 g5!?
This idea has been known for a long time.
556
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Black plans to chase away the knight with g5-
g4 and then conquer the d4 square. However,
it is double edged as even if Black wins a
pawn he will be behind in development and
his king won't be particularly safe. Recently
the emphasis has been on
[ 8...a5!? followed by Qb6, which aims to
delay g7-g5 until a better moment. The
reasoning behind this is W hite can't do
much anyway except pla y sem i wa itin g
moves like Qe2 or Re1, so there is no point
in forcing things. ]
9.dxc5
[ The panicky reaction 9.g4? gives Black
excellent chances after h5 10.h3 b6
White has to give up the centre with 11.dxc5
as he does in other lines, but in this case
his king's shelter has been seriously
undermined. ]
[ Meanwhile the Latvian GM Gipslis has tried
the wing gambit 9.b4!? several times. After
cxb4 10.cxb4 xb4 11.e2 f8 12.b3
White has long term pressure for the pawn-
naturally if the pawn retreat g5-g7 were
possible then White's compensation would
vanish! ]
9...dxe5!
[ Black has al so been enticed by the idea of
eliminating White's light squared bishop but
this seems inferior, e.g. 9...xc5 10.b5!
( Interesting but less promising is the gambit
of the e pawn with 10.c2 g4 11.d4
xe5 12.f4 with attacking chances.) 10...a6
( Or 10...d7 11.e2 a6 12.xc6 xc6
13.d4 when White was ready to attack with
f2-f4 in Vogt-Feher, Eger 1987.) 11.xc6+
bxc6 12.b4! d7 13.b3 g4 This is the
consistent move, but now his dark squares
all fall apart. 14.fd4 xe5 15.f4 c7
16.xe5 xe5 17.xc6 f4 18.xe7
xe7 19.g3 g5 20.d4 f6 21.f4 gxf3
22.xf3 d7 23.c5+ e8 24.e1 f8
25.d6 e5 26.c5 h3 27.e6 d2
28.xf8+ and Black resigned in Smirin-
Poldauf, Groningen 1990, as it is mate in
six: d7 29.f7+ d6 30.c7+! xe6
31.xe5+ fxe5 32.f7+ d6 33.f6+ e6
34.xe6# ]
10.b5 d7
[ The English IM Simon Williams has played
10...g6 a couple of times, but the bishop
development seems to me more precise-
Black lets W hite waste time f orcing the
knight back to g6. ]
11.e2 c7 12.e1 g6 13.b3 g4
14.fd4 e5 The opening has proved a great
success for Black- W hite doesn't have
enough activity for his loss of pawn control in
the centre. 15.c2 a6 16.a4 h5 17.d1
0-0-0! Now Black's mass of mobile pawns
dominate the centre and kingside, so White
gives up the exchange to energise his own
pawns. However, Black finds an excellent way
to refute the attack. 18.xd5 d4! 19.xd7+
xd7 20.cxd4 xd5 21.b4 dd8 22.d5
W hite's pawns look very threatening, but
after..... a5!! 23.d6 xd6 24.cxd6 xd6
W hite pays the price for his backward
development. The only retreat for the knight is
25 Nc2, but then 25... Qd1+ 26 Qf1 Qxc2
picks it u p in any case. Th ere f o re W h it e
remains a pawn down and Black resumes the
attack. 25.g5 axb4 26.xd8 xd8 27.g3
b8 28.b5 h4 29.e2 f5 30.e1 d5
31.f1 f3 Now White is forced into a
gruesome endgame. 32.xf3 gxf3 33.e1
e4 34.f1 e5 35.gxh4 d3 36.d1 g8
37.d4 g2 38.d2 f4 39.c2 xh2
40.e1 d3+
0-1
622 C06
Sambuev,Bator 2528
Fiedler,Brian 2086
Pinnacle 48th COCC (1) 09.07.2011
[John Watson]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.gf3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.d3 g6 8.h4 h6
9.a3
[ For 9.c2 , see Adams-E-Berg in the
Archives. ]
[ The alternative 9.0-0 g5! is analysed in
G o p a l - G a n g u l y i n t h e A r c h i v e s . 10.h5
is discussed in Zhang Pengxiang-Gurevich:
suffice to say here that Black looks OK. ]
[ Likewise, 9.b3?! is Sethuraman-Ganguly, ]
[ and 9.f1 can be found in T Chan-Goh
Wei Ming! ]
9...cxd4
[ 9...b6 is natural. In the game Perunovic,
557
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

M (2559)-Berg, E (2539), Gothenburg SWE
2005, Neil does a good job of examining
t h e o p t i o n s . I will t r y t o u p d a t e t h a t a t
some future point, but at any rate I believe
9...Qb6 is still playable. Exchanging pawns
may not make much difference, but
sometimes it's nice to have more options
later. ]
10.cxd4 b6 11.a4!? g7 12.h3 f8?!
Passive.
[ 12...0-0! has ideas of ...f6, but first of all,
the central sacrifice ...Nxd4 has to be taken
seriously.
A) 13.g3 xd4!? ( 13...e7 is solid )
14.xd4 xd4 ( 14...xe5 is unclear. My
engine c alls 15.xe5! xe5 16.xe5
equal, presumably because it's hard to
stop the perpetual check with Bxg6
perhaps W hite can play for more,
however ) 15.xd4 xe5 16.2f3 xg3
17.fxg3 e5 18.xh6 c5 19.c2 exd4
20.xf8 xf8 21.xd4 d7 with equal
play.;
B) 13.b1 (with the idea h5 and upon ...
g5, Qc2) can be met by the thematic f6!
14.c2!? ( 14.exf6 xf6 ) 14...e7
15.b3 a5 16.g3 fxe5 17.dxe5 xf3!
18.gxf3 ( 18.xf3? a4 19.d2 xe5 )
18...a4 19.d2 xe5 , since ( 19...xe5
20.f4 5c6 21.f3 ) 20.xg6+ ( 20.g2!
g7 21.h5 d6! 22.hxg6 e5+ 23.f1
b6 ) 20...xg6 21.xg6+
and ...Nf8 begins to neutralise W hite's
attack. ]
13.b4 d7
[ 13...a6 14.b5 e7 ]
14.b5 a5
[ 14...e7 15.b4 with the idea a4. ]
15.b4 c8 16.b2
[ 16.a4! ]
16...d8 17.c3 b6 18.b2 b7?! 19.a4
h7 20.b4 f8 21.xf8 xf8 22.h5! g5
23.h2 White stands considerably better with
Ng4-f6+ in the air. c7 24.b3
[ 24.g4! c3 25.xc3 xc3 26.f3!
with the idea e7 27.e2 e8 28.f6! ]
24...c3+ 25.xc3 xc3 26.b1 c8
27.d2 c7 28.g4 d7
[ 28...f5!? 29.exf6 e5 30.xe5 xh3
31.gxh3 ]
29.f3 e7 30.a1 a5 31.xa5 bxa5
32.c1 xc1 33.xc1 Black is badly tied up,
particularly to defence of his h-pawn. b7
34.b2 c8 35.a3 b7 36.b3 c8
37.f1 b7 38.e2 a8 39.f6?!
[ White has a way through by using the move
Bg6, e.g., 39.c3 d8 40.d3 ( or 40.d1
, in view of b6? 41.f3 e7 42.f6 )
40...b7 41.g6! fxg6 42.hxg6 g8
43.xh6 xg6 44.f7+ e7 45.d6 a8
46.c8 b6 47.c7+ d8 48.xa7
and White wins with his queenside pawns. ]
39...xf6 40.xf6 b7 41.f4!
[ 41.g3 f8 42.f4 gxf4 43.gxf4 g7
won't be easy. ]
41...gxf4 42.xf4 c8
[ 42...f8 43.c2! g7 44.d2 c8
45.f6 has the long-term idea of g4, Bd3,
and g5, perhaps with the help of Ke3-f4 if
needed. c7 46.g4 c8 47.d3 c7
48.e3 c3 49.g5 hxg5 50.h6+ g8
51.h7+ ]
43.c3 d7 44.d2 e8 45.e3 d7
46.g4 e8 47.f6 d7 48.f4 and wins.
e8 49.f1 d7 50.d3 e8 51.g5 hxg5+
52.g4 d7 53.h6 e8 54.h7 f8
55.xg5 g7 56.f1 d7 57.c1 c8
58.c5
1-0
623 C06
g7 Sarthou,Gaetan 2349
Apicella,Manuel 2540
TCh-Nat1 GpB (7) 04.04.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 0-0
12.g5 The main theoretical fight these days
centres on
[ 12.f4 ]
12...d7 A very flexible response that keeps
White guessing where Black is going to put
his queen. 13.c1
[ Instead 13.e1 was analysed in Potkin-
Volkov on ChessPub. Not surprisingly the
Russian Grandmaster aimed his guns at the
f2 and h2 squares with a6 14.c3 h8
15.a3 c7 16.h4 g4 etc. ]
13...b6?

558
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ Black reveals his cards too soon. It was
better to delay the decision on the queen's
future with 13...h8!? This is a useful move-
if Black plays Be8 then any future Qxe6 by
W hite won't be with check, and it is even
more handy that Bxh7 doesn't come with
check in a number of scenarios. It also
keeps the option of Qc7, Qb6 or even Qe8
intending Qh5 according to W hite's
response. For example 14.c3 ( Or 14.b1
b6 The attack on b2 has more value with
the white bishop on b1 rather than d3, as
there is no response Nb5 available to trap
t h e b l a c k q u e e n . 15.c3 ae8
Even so Black decides that taking on b2 is
too risky for the moment. 16.h4 xb2!
...but now that White's dark squared bishop
can't join in the hunt of the black queen
after Na4 and Bd2 Black snatches the pawn.
17.g3 xg3 18.hxg3 e5! 19.dxe5 xe5
20.xe5 xe5 21.d4 fe8 and Black
had a fairly useful extra pawn in Sznapik,A-
Illescas Cordoba,M/Dubai 1986.) 14...a6
it makes sense to arrange Qc7, as the white
knight can't go to g3 to block an attack on
the h2 pawn. ThereforeBlackpreventsNb5
15.h4 ( Or 15.e1 c7 intending 16...
Ng4 with an attack.) 15...c7 16.g3 xg3
17.hxg3 e8 18.e1 h5 with an active
g a m e f o r B l a c k a s i f 19.xe6 xd4
is strong. ]
14.c3! Now that the black queen is
committed to b6 White doesn't have to think
about playing Ng3 to block an attack on h2 as
is the case after Qc7. Therefore he can utilise
the knight for active play on the queenside.
ae8
[ To o d a n ge ro u s is 14...xb2? 15.b5
when the black que en is surrounded in
hostile territory. Even if Black found a way
to avoid material loss, it would be
disheartening that White can force a draw if
he wants it with the sequence of moves Rb1
Qxa2 Ra1 Qb2 Rb1etc. with a repetition. ]
15.a3 e7 16.b4! White builds a strong
outpost for his knight on c5. h6 17.h4 f4
18.c2 a6 19.a4 d8 Black is forced to
admit that he has achieved nothing with his
queen foray on the queenside. 20.c5 e8
21.e1 White has built up an imposing
position on the queenside and in the centre. If
the pawn on e6 is defended with Bf7, then
Rce2 increases the pressure. But Apicella has
no intention of using his bishop in a passive
role. h5! This should fail but on the other
hand creating complications is a time
honoured means of saving a positionally
busted game. 22.xe6
[ Not 22.xb7 b6 23.c5 xd4 ]
22...xf3 23.gxf3!
[ Objectively speaking the best move, though
23.xf3!? would keep the advantage with
less muddle after xd4 24.xf4 xe6
( worse is 24...xc2 25.xc2 b6
26.f5 ) 25.e5! when White's bishops are
strong and his major pieces are very active. ]
23...d6 24.xf8 xe1+ 25.xe1 xd4
26.c8?
[ If you give the position to a strong
co m p u t e r p r o g r a m , i t wi l l t e ll y o u t h a t
26.c3! wins. If xf3+ ( The black knight on
c 2 i s t r a p p e d a n d l o s t a f t e r 26...xc2
27.g6! xh2+ 28.g2 when Black will be
a piece down.) 27.h1 xh4 28.c8!
and suddenly White has a mating attack, as
Black loses his queen after xf8 29.e6+
h8 30.c8 Of course, it would be
extraordinarily difficult for a human player
to see all these tactical finesses, especially
if he was in time pressure. ]
26...xf3+ 27.f1 xe1 28.g6+ f7
29.f5! White has enough for perpetual check,
but no more. f3 30.h8+ e7 31.g6+
½-½
624 C06
Savic,Miod1 2522
Sedlak,Nikola 2570
ch-SRB Kragujevac SRB (8) 26.04.2010
[John Watson]
I started this game with various notes from my
book, Megabase and TWIC games, and old
Ch essP ub lish in g Archive s ga me , wh en I
noticed a game from the end of March that
may really shake things up. See note 'f' to
move 9. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 a6 4.gf3
[ 4.e5 c5 5.c3 c6 6.df3 cxd4 7.cxd4
f6! (I suggest this in my book, as opposed to
the more customary 7...Bb4+ and 7... Nge7)
A) 8.d3 c7 9.f4 b4+ ( 9...b6!
559
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
10.b1 g5! 11.e3 g4 12.d2 b4 )
10.f1 f7?! ( 10...b6 ) 11.h4 ge7
12.h5 a5 13.e2 d7 14.c1
with an edge, Pardy, M (2051)-Tibensky, R
(2418)/Stare Mesto 2009;
B) 8.exf6 xf6 9.d3 h6 10.e2 d6
11.0-0 ge7 12.e3 Navara, D (2406)-
Tibensky, R (2432)/Olomouc 1999 and
instead of the game's 12...Bd7, I
recommended 0-0! with ideas of ...e5 and
...g5. ]
4...f6 This is a move that has recently
gained a modest following of grandmasters. I
recommended in my Dangerous W eapons:
French book. The traditional move is
[ 4...c5 ]
5.d3 c5 6.e5
[ The conservative approach 6.c3 c6 7.0-0
can be met by cxd4 8.cxd4 dxe4 9.xe4
e7 , equalising, as in Najer, E (2624)-Bartel,
M (2596), Dresden 2007. ]
6...fd7 7.c3 c6 This is the basic position.
White is playing the 'Universal System'. Black
has 4 versions of this defence, with a pawn on
a6 (as in this case), a pawn on h6 (from 3 Nd2
h6, the Eingorn variation), a bishop on e7
(from 3 Nd2 Be7), or a queen on b6 (from 3
Nd2 Nf6). 8.0-0 g5 The most critical move.
8...b5 is also playable, partly because White
has no obvious way to proceed. I cover that
move in my b ook in lim it ed de ta il. 9.dxc5
This is the most critical and in many ways the
most thematic move, clearing d4 for a knight
in case of ...g4. But W hite has tried many
other moves, as described in my book. Here
a r e s o m e e x a m p l e s , wi t h k e y g a m e s t o
represent the ideas. Note especially 'f' 9 Nb3,
a new try as far as I know.
[ a) 9.h3 h5 10.g4 hxg4 11.hxg4 b6
12.a4 ( 12.dxc5 c7 ) 12...a7 13.xg5
( 13.dxc5 xc5 14.b4 b5 15.d1 dxe5 )
13...cxd4 14.df3 b5 15.d1 dxc3
( 15...dxe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.cxd4
Dgebuadze, A (2555)-Legky, N (2477)/Metz
2 0 0 1 a n d B l a c k m i g h t h a ve t r i e d xd3
18.xd3 g7 19.f3 a5 ) 16.e2 d4
17.d1 xf3+ 18.xf3 b7 19.e1 c5
20.e2 d4 21.f4 0-0-0 22.ac1 h3
23.g3 xe5! 24.xe5 xf3
0-1 Perunovic, M (2580)-Sedlak, N (2572)/
Sombor 2009/ CBM 130 Extra ]
[ b) 9.c4 was analysed by King in the
Archives, following the game Dvoirys, S
(2580)-Dyachkov, S (2520), Elista 1995: g4
10.cxd5 exd5 11.e1 xd4 12.c2 xc2
13.xc2 b6 14.a4 e6 15.f4 f5 16.exf6
xf6 17.f5 f7 18.xg4 g8 19.e2+
d8 20.f3 d6 21.f2 c7 22.e3 d4
23.xd4 cxd4 24.xd4 xg2+ 0-1 ]
[ c) 9.h1 h5 10.dxc5 g4 11.d4 dxe5
12.2b3 g7 13.c2 d7 14.f4 gxf3
15.xf3 e7 16.g5 f6 17.h4 0-0-0
18.e1 g4 19.bd4 xd4 20.cxd4 b5
21.g1 h6 22.a4 d7 23.b4 g5
24.g3 e5 25.xg5 h4 26.xh4
0-1 Nevednichy, V (2585)-Antic, D (2513)/
Sunny Beach 20090 Extra ]
[ d) 9.g4 h5 10.h3 transposes to 9 h3. ]
[ e) 9.b1 g4 10.e1 cxd4 11.cxd4 xd4
12.xg4 c6! 13.f4 h5 14.d1 ( 14.h3
c5= ) 14...b6+ 15.h1
A) or 15...h4 , f o r e xa m p l e , 16.b3
( 16.h3 ) 16...h3 17.g3 a5 18.a4 c5
19.xc5 xc5;
B) 15...c5 16.df3 h4 17.g5 e7
18.ef3 d7 19.h3 a5 20.c2 b4
21.e3 a6 22.xf7 xf7 23.g5+
e8 24.g6+ d8 25.c1 b6 26.a3
c6 27.f7+ c7 28.f5 hg8 29.d6
xe5 30.fxe6 xd6 31.b4 axb4 32.axb4
xg6 33.exd7 d3 34.bxc5 bxc5
35.d8+ xd8 36.h5 d7 37.xc5
e4 38.f2 xc5 39.xc5 a1+ 40.h2
xg2+ 0-1 Fedorchuk, S (2641)-Gurevich,
M (2597)/ Cappelle la Grande FRA 2010 ]
[ f) This month saw a remarkable new idea
which may affect the fate of the variation.
I've given some preliminary notes, but this
needs a lot more investigation: 9.b3!?
A) 9...g4 10.g5 c4 11.xh7 ( or
11.xg4 cxd3 12.xe6! dxe5
13.g7+ xg7 14.xg7 g6 15.e1+
e6 16.c5 ce7 17.xb7 b6
18.c5 0-0-0 19.xd3 f5 20.f6
hg8 with an extremely double-edged
game. ) 11...cxb3 12.axb3 e7 13.xg4
f8 14.c2 g8 15.h4 d7 16.f3;
B) 9...c4 10.xg5 cxd3 ( 10...h6
11.h5 hxg5 12.xh8 cxd3 13.h5 )
11.xe6 b6 12.f4 e7 13.xd3;
C) 9...h6 10.xc5 xc5 11.dxc5 xc5
12.e2 c7 13.e1 f8!? ( 13...d7
560
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
14.h3 e7; 13...g4 14.d2 h5 15.b3
e7 16.f4 )
C1) 14.h3 d7;
C2) 14.h4 g4 ( 14...gxh4 15.xh4
d7 ) 15.d4 g8 16.f4;
C3) 14.c4!? dxc4 15.xc4 g7
16.d2 ( 16.h3 ) 16...d7 ( 16...g4
17.h4 xe5 18.xg4 xh2+!?
19.h1 e5 20.h5 and White looks
to have the better chances) 17.ac1
c8 ( 17...g4! 18.h4 xe5 19.xg4
xh2+ 20.h1 e5 ) 18.e4 b8
19.h4 e7 20.hxg5 c6 21.g4 xf3
22.xf3 ( 22.gxf3!? ) 22...hxg5 23.g3
c5 24.xe6 xe5 ( 24...xc1?
25.xf7+ xf7 26.e6+ ) 25.b3
( computer move: 25.c8! ) 25...xe1+
26.xe1 xg3 27.fxg3 xb2 28.c7
d4+ 29.f1 h1+ 30.e2 g1
31.xb7 c5 32.c7 b6 33.b7 c5
34.c7 b6 35.b7 c5
1/2-1/2 Mekhitarian, K (2490) -Sengupta,
D (2496)/Calvi FRA 2010. ]
9...g4 10.d4 dxe5
[ 10...cxe5 11.e2 xc5 12.xg4 xg4
13.xg4 e5! (my suggestion in Dangerous
W eapons previously ( 13...f6 had been
played ) 14.g3 f6 15.e1 ( 15.4b3 )
15...f7 16.f3!? exd4 17.h5+ g8
18.b3 e6 19.xd4 g7 20.f3 h5
21.f4 g4 22.g3 d7 23.h3 f5
and W hite's compensation proved
insufficient in Mas, H (2391) -Reinderman,
D (2565), Haarlem NED 2009. ]
11.2b3 xd3!
[ 11...d7 12.e2 g8 13.f4 gxf3 14.xf3
was somewhat better for White in Adams, M
(2746) -Legky, N (2477), French Teams
2001. ]
12.xd3 e5 13.e1 g7 14.f5
[ 14.f4 c7 ( or 14...f6 15.f5 xf5
16.xf5 0-0 17.e3 c8 ) 15.g3 0-0
( I gave 15...e7 here, to cover f5, which is
also equal Black can play ... f6 if needed )]
[ 14.xc6 bxc6 15.d4 f6 16.f4 gxf3
17.xf3 e7 18.xe5 xe5 19.f4 f6
20.g3 e6 21.xe5 fxe5 22.xe5 d7
23.e3 hf8 24.e1 ae8 25.b4 f6?!
( 25...f5! with a significant advantage)
26.e2 f7 27.xa6 xe5 28.b7+ d8
29.b8+ d7 30.b7+ d8
1 / 2 -1 / 2 Nisip e a n u , L (2 6 6 4 )-S e d la k , N
(2571)/Novi Sad 2009. ]
14...xf5 15.xf5 d7 At least equalising,
because Black's pawn centre is large (...f5)
and mobile. 16.h5 0-0-0 17.h6 xh6
18.xh6 f5
[ 18...e6 is also reasonable, with the better
game if White exchanges. ]
19.d2
[ Perhaps 19.ad1 f7 20.c1 is a better
reorganisation, but Black retains the
initiative following g6 21.d2 ( 21.h4
f4 ) 21...d4 ( 21...f4 22.d3 f5 23.b4 )
22.d3 f6 ]
19...f7!?
[ 19...e4! 20.b4 e5 ]
20.a4 g6 21.h4 e4 22.g3?
[ 22.b4! e5! 23.b5 d3 24.eb1 xc5
25.b3! xb3 26.xb3 a5 27.b6 f4
28.b5 ]
22...g5
[ 22...f6! is very strong, because there's no
way to prevent ...Ne5, and ... f4 is in the
air. ]
23.f4! f6 24.ad1 d4 25.c4 b8
[ 25...d3! ]
26.d6?
[ 26.cxd4! xd4 27.c3 ]
26...d3 27.e3 e7 Threatening ...Nd5.
[ 27...xd6! 28.cxd6 xd6 leaves White
totally tied to the defence of Black's passed
pawns. ]
28.xe4 Desperation.
[ 28.f2 d5 29.g3 h5 30.d4 xd6
31.cxd6 xd4+ 32.cxd4 d8 ]
28...fxe4 29.xe4 c6 30.xd3 xd3
31.xd3 xf4 White has only two pawns for
the piece and no particular compensating
advantages. 32.d6+ xd6 33.cxd6 c8
34.f2 d7 35.g3 h5 36.d1 e5
37.d4 f8 38.b3 f5 39.c4 c6 40.d2
a5 41.h4 e5 42.h3 gxh3 43.xh3 g6
44.g3 g5+ 45.h2 h4 46.d4 g3
47.b4 axb4 48.c5 b3 49.g4 e5
50.g7+ c6 51.c7+ d5 52.g1 c4
53.xb7 xc5 54.d7 d3 55.b5+ c4
56.xe5 xd7 57.h2 b3 58.e1 b4
59.e4+ a3 60.h3 a7 61.e1 xa4
62.a1+ b4
0-1
561
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
625 C06
Savinov,Viktor 2455
Malakhatko,Vadim 2435
Ukraine 1998
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4
Here John Watson has championed
[ 7...b6 which he calls 'the oldest and most
consistent move' with the mainline 8.f3
cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 d6
Watson's ideas and the games of
G r a n d m a s t e r F a r a g o h a ve p r o ve d t h e
validity of this line. And yet, despite
containing no defect, 7...Qb6 is less popular
than our game continuation. I guess this is
because most Black 3...Nf6 players aren't
looking towards the queenside! They want to
keep the queen in the centre where it can
join in an attack on the white king. If the
queen bides her time on d8, she may be
able to go to c7 [increasing the pressure on
h2] or to f6 after the knight vacates this
square, or to h5 via e8. Why commit her so
early to b6? ]
8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3
0-0 Black can also prevent White's next move
with
[ 11...c7 ]
12.f4 This move leads almost by force to a
hard fighting game, replete with sacrifices and
counter sacrifices.
[ Instead 12.c3 d7 13.e1 g4 14.b5
xh2+! 15.xh2 xf2 16.d2 h4
led to a hard fight in Novgorodskij-Ulybin,
Kstovo 1997. ]
12...xf4 13.xf4 e4
[ A major alternative is 13...g4 when 14.g3
g5!? 15.g2 f6 16.e2 h6! 17.d2
f5 18.ad1 h6 gave Black good
counterplay in Goloscapov-Seferjan, Azov
1997. ]
14.e2
[ After 14.h5 g6 15.g3 xg3 16.hxg3
b6! Black had enough activity in Rublevsky-
Ulybin, Russia 1998. Also possible is ]
[ 14.g3 e.g. f6 15.h4 h6 renewing the
threat of 16...g5 with complications. ]
14...xf3!? 15.gxf3 g5 16.h1 e5!
It is essential to get the bishop involved in the
attack. 17.dxe5 xf3
[ The alternative 17...xe5 is considered in
Tiviakov-Shaw. ]
18.xh7+! After
[ 18.g1 fxe5 Black has a pawn for the
exchange and a solid position. It would be
extremely difficult for W hite to prove any
advantage in view of his fractured kingside.
Theref ore W hite has to plunge into the
melee. ]
18...h8
[ If 18...xh7 19.d3+ picks up the knight
and leaves Black with no counterplay. ]
19.g1 cd4! Black must do or die. 20.xf3
g4 21.xd4!
[ Not 21.xd4?? xf3+ 22.g1 g5+
and mates. W hite sacrifices his queen to
break the attack. ]
21...xd1 22.axd1 xh7 White now has a
rook, a well centralised knight and a passed
pawn for the queen. If there wasn't a pawn
missing from g2 he would be winning. But as
things stand, it seems Black has just enough
counterplay by aiming at the white king. In
particular, after White has played f4 he would
like to get his queen to the e4 square. The
exchange of a pair of rooks would also be
welcome to him as it would become harder for
White to cover the holes in his position. 23.f4
[ Instead 23.d3 b6 24.b3 c8 25.f4
g6 26.e3 b6 27.d1 h6 28.f3
g6 29.e1 b6 30.d3 b4 31.dd1
c3 32.e6 was Timoshenko-Gleizerov,
Cheliabinsk 1989, when rather than the
game 32... Kg8? Gleizerov says that Black
should strive for activity with g6! 33.f5+
f6 34.g1 h8 ]
23...c8 Only here does the game diverge
from Kramnik-Ulybin, USSR Ch 1991, where
[ 23...b6 24.f5 xb2 25.d3 c8 26.f6
c1 27.h3+ g6 28.g3+ h5
was a sharp draw. Malakhatko keeps the
option of deploying the black queen on the
kingside. ]
24.f3
[ 24.d3 h4 25.g3 would be strong for
W h it e , as B la ck d o e sn 't h a ve th e . . . g5
riposte. Therefore, Savinov in Informator
74 recommends 24...Qb6! which after 25 b3
would transpose to the Timoshenko-
Gleizerov game mentioned in the second to
562
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
last note above. ]
24...h4!? 25.g1 g5!! Black's army is so
depleted that he has to use all his dynamic
resources. The audacious g pawn will prove
no mean obstacle to White's kingside attack.
26.e6
[ 26.xg5? e1+ 27.g1 e4! threatening
28...Rc4 would be bad for White. ]
26...g4 Preventing 27 Rh3! 27.fg3 c2!
Black's counterplay arrives just in time to
frustrate White's breakthrough on the g file.
28.g5+ h6 29.h3 c1! After this the
white king is too exposed to give him any
winning chances. 30.xg4 xg1+ 31.xg1
e1+ 32.g2 e2+ 33.g3 e1+ 34.g2
d4 The strength of this pawn obliges White to
force a draw by repetition. 35.f7+ h7
36.g5+ h6 37.f7+
½-½
626 C06
Schneider,Igor 2337
Shulman,Yuri 2600
35th World Open (3) 01.06.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.d3 c5 6.e5 fd7 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5
9.e1 a4 Shulman rushes his a-pawn
forwards. Black is side stepping a lot of highly
analysed variations, and also giving his king
the chance to seek shelter on the kingside-
something that becomes unfeasible once he
lashes out with the common move g7-g5. By
avoiding the preliminary exchange c5xd4
c3xd4, Black is also cutting out the Nb1! and
Nc3 redeployment of the white knight on d2
which has proved a nuisance. The drawback
to queenside action is that the white centre
isn't put under pressure as occurs after g7-g5.
White is therefore free to build up his game
without worrying about the loss of the d4
pawn. 10.dxc5!? Clearing the d4 square for
the knight. White is at it were trying to 'punish'
his opponent for avoiding the exchange c5xd4.
In Jones-Wallace in the archives you can find
analysis of the alternative
[ 10.f1 when Black can respond cxd4 or
( 10...a3 )]
10...xc5 11.c2 f6
[ Instead 11...a3? would be very poor after
12.b4 when the reckless a3 pawn is
doomed. ]
12.c4? This doesn't look right. White is
loosening his grip on the prize d4 square, and
besides after the exchange c4xd5 and
recapture e6xd5, the option of playing Bg4 or
activating the light-squared bishop in some
other way must at least compensate Black for
any supposed weakness of the d5 square.
And as we shall see, the black rook on a8 is
also going to benefit from the c4xd5
exchange.
[ Black looks pretty active after 12.exf6 xf6
13.f1 0-0 This was played in Ulibin, M-
Shulman, Y/Calcutta 1999, and Shulman
and Kapengut later analysed the game. In
s u m m a r y , t h e y d e c i d e d t h a t 14.e3!
was best 'but anyway Black has enough
counterplay': ( Ulibin actually played 14.e3
when a3 15.g4 axb2 16.xb2 d7
was double edged.) 14...e4!? 15.a3 ( Not
15.xa4? xc3! 16.bxc3 xc3
when Black regains the piece a couple of
p a wn s u p - I s a w o n t h e d a t a b a s e t h a t
someone actually fell for this disguised
trap.; Alternatively if 15.xe4 dxe4 16.d4
e5 and Black has counterplay.) 15...a5
16.d4 ( Or 16.g3 xg3 17.hxg3 e5 )
16...xd4 17.xd4 e5 18.b6 exploiting
the chance to play Qxd5+ and Qxe4 if the
black queen takes the bishop. b5 19.c4!?
dxc4 20.xe4 xb6 21.e3 with a murky
position. ]
12...0-0 13.a3 A feeble looking follow up to 12.
c4, but Schneider has no plan with any bite at
h i s d i s p o s a l . h6 A semi waiting move that
reinforces his control of the g5 square [so that
after a future f6xe5, tricks with Ng5 are ruled
out] and also cuts out any tactics based on
Bxh7 or Qh5 hitting h7. 14.cxd5
[ With his last move Black loosened his
def ences down the b1-h7 diagonal, but
Shulman has judged correctly that W hite
doesn't have time to exploit this, for
example: 14.b1 fxe5 15.xe5 xe5
16.xe5 dxc4 17.c2 f5! ( but not
17...d3? 18.xc4! xe5? 19.h7+ f7
20.xe5+ f6 21.g4+ f7 22.g6# )
18.xf5 exf5 19.xc4+ e6 with a serious
lead in development for Black. ]
563
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

14...exd5 15.h3 a6!! An unusual [ 13.h4 figures in many, many games

development of the queen's rook that takes previously analysed on ChessPub. ]
advantage of the opening of the third rank 13...h6 Some obvious options:
with 14....exd5. The rook will watch the action [ A) 13...d7!? 14.h4 ( 14.c3 a6
on the kingside from a distance, and always is also played ) 14...h5 15.c3
be ready to enter the fray if reinforcements A) 15...b6 can introduce the lengthy
are needed. 16.b4 axb3 17.xb3 e4! forcing sequence 16.a4 a5 17.c5
White's attempt to gain the initiative has run xc5 18.xc5 xa2 19.e5 xe5
out of steam with the result that it is the black 20.xh7+! xh7 21.xh5+ g8
pieces that prosper from the opening of lines 22.xe5 xb2 23.c7 f7 24.d6 e8!
i n t h e c e n t r e . 18.b2 Schneider offers a 25.xe6 b6!? ( 25...xd4 26.g3 d8
pawn to try to get at the black king. If instead 27.xb7 f6= ) 26.xb6 axb6
[ 18.xe4 dxe4 19.xd8 xd8 20.xe4 , which looks likely to be drawn.;
fxe5 intending Bf5 with a fine game for Black, B) 15...a6 16.e5!? ( In an earlier
as if 21.xe5? d1+ 22.h2 xe5 Che ssP ublish ing ga me Neil a nalyse d
23.xe5 d6 and Black wins. ] 16.c2 xf3!? 17.xh7+ h8 18.gxf3
18...fxe5 19.xe5 xf2 20.h5 xh2+ 19.g2 xd4 20.d1 f4! )
White's attack begins to look dangerous, but 16...f4 17.xc6 ( 17.xd7 xd7
Black has more than enough defensive 18.b1 g5! 19.xg5 g7 20.xf4
resources, not least because of the sturdy xf4 ) 17...xc6 ( 17...bxc6 strengthens
rook on a6. e4 21.xe4 Insufficient, but the the centre and opens the b-file, but keeps
white pieces are very shakily placed after the bishop on d7 less active. That's about
[ 21.xe4 dxe4 22.xc6 xc6 23.xe4 equal/ ) 18.b1!? d7 ( 18...ae8
f5 ] 19.c2 g6 ) 19.g3 ae8 20.e1 b8
21...dxe4 22.g6 f7 23.xe4 b6+ 21.d2 with equal chances, Grigoriants, S
24.h1 e6! A sensible decision. Black has (2451)-Alavkin, A (2397)/Bor 2000,
no reason to get involved in complications analysed in the Archives. ]
after [ B) 13...h5!? is analysed quite deeply by
[ 24...xb3 25.d5 xb2 26.f1 ] Neil in the game Emms, J (2532)-Williams,
25.d5 b5 26.d1 xd5 27.xd5 xd5 S (2369), Scarborough 2001 in the
28.xd5 b6 So the black rook has the last Archives. ]
laugh after waiting patiently on a6. White gave [ C) 13...g4 14.h3 xf3 15.hxg4 f8
up as the pain on the b-file is too much to is another unresolved line. ]
bear after 14.h4
[ 28...b6 29.d3 f1+ 30.h2 b1 ] [ 14.d2 resembles the games I'll analyse
0-1 with 12 Bd2. Whether the extra ...h6 favours
W hit e or Black is not cle ar, but it doe s
encourage Black to play his standard idea of
627 C06 ...g5 and ..Qg7. ]
Schoenberger,Peter 2174 14...h5
Pirrot,Dieter 2403 [ Now that White's bishop can't come back to
14th OIBM Bad Wiessee GER (9.31) 07.11.10 defend b2 or e3, Black should also consider
[John Watson] 14...b6 ]
15.g3 Two other lines, both dynamically
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 balanced, are
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 [ 15.g6 xf3 16.xh5 f5 and ]
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 c7 [ 15.c2 g5!? 16.g3 xg3 17.fxg3!?
12.g5 g7 18.g4 ]
[ W e'll also look at 12.d2 0-0 13.c1 15...xg3 16.hxg3
this month. ] [ 16.xg3 f7!? and 16...a6 are both
12...0-0 13.c1 analysed in the game Kotronias, V (2614)-

564
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Berg, E (2593), Crete 2007. ] 628 C06

16...a6 Sebag,Marie 2432
[ 16...f7 is relevant here as well. Not only Berg,Emanuel 2495
does it prepare ...Qh5, but ...e5 can be 1st Masters Malmö SWE (8) 05.08.2003
played with extra support given to d5. ] [Neil McDonald]
17.b1 g5! Since White now has the option
of Qd3, Black gets on with his most primitive 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
plan of targetting d4. 18.e1!? 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
[ 18.d3 f7 19.a3 d7 and White needs 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0 c7
a plan. ] 12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2 h6
[ 18.g4 with the idea of holding up Black's 15.h7+ h8 16.g6 xf3 17.xh5
kingside and at some point playing Ng3 is W hite guides play along quiet channels by
a plausible alternative. ] spurning the exchange sacrifice. You can find
18...g7 a lot of analysis on the sharp line
[ Or 18...f7! , indirectly hitting f2 and [ 17.gxf3 xh2+ on ChessPub. ]
considering ...e5. ] 17...f8 18.g3 The exchange of dark
19.c3 squared bishops is an integral part of White's
[ 19.g4 ] st r a t e gy in t h e T a r ra sch 3 . . . N f 6 / 5 . B d 3
19...g4!? variation. d7
[ 19...d7 is best, with the idea 20.a4! [ If 18...xg3 19.fxg3!? gives White an
( 20.e2 f7 21.f1 ae8 22.d3 e5 ) attack but it only appears enough for a draw:
20...g4 21.h2 xd4 22.xg4+ xg4 ( 19.hxg3!? ) 19...d7 20.f4 g8 21.g6
23.xg4 b4 24.b6!? ( 24.ed1 g7 ) f6 22.h7+ h8 23.g6+ xh7 24.xf6
24...xe1 25.xe1 ad8 26.xd7 xd7 gxf6 25.f8+ g7 26.g6+ xf8
27.xe6= ] 27.xf6+ e8 28.f1 d6 29.h8+
20.e5 xe5? Now Black stands seriously with a draw in Grigoriants,S-Kosyrev,V/Elista
worse. 2 0 0 0 . I f h e r e e7 White mustn't be
[ 20...xe5 21.dxe5 d7 is relatively solid. ] t e m p t e d b y 30.xa8? ( 30.f6+ e8
21.dxe5 xe5? 31.h8+ draws ) 30...b8! when the
[ 21...b8 has the idea ...Ba7, although exchange of queens leaves him in a lost
W h i t e c a n s t i l l p l a y 22.xd5! exd5 endgame. ]
23.xd5+ h8 24.e6 and Black is under 19.ac1 White will be punished for neglecting
great pressure. ] the important d4 square. Here
[ 21...e7 is probably best, when White [ 19.ad1 was more solid, for which you are
must stand better following 22.a4 ] referred to the game Kotronias-Thomas on
22.xd5! d8 ChessPub. ]
[ 22...exd5 23.xd5+ f7 24.xe5 xf2+ 19...f6 20.g6? The bishop will prove a
25.h2 and White's king is the more target here. Instead
exposed, e.g., f6 26.c7! f5 27.f1 [ 20.d2 would strengthen the dark squares
g6 28.c4+ h8 29.d4+ g8 as in the Kotronias game mentioned
30.d5+ winning material. ] above. ]
23.xe5! exd5 24.e1 d7 25.e7 f6 20...xg3 Black is pleased to be able to make
26.c7 the exchange here without having to worry
[ Everything is falling, e.g., 26.c7 d6 about a subsequent Nf4 and Ng6- the white
27.e3! threatening Bf5, among others. ] bishop is blocking the g6 square. 21.hxg3
1-0 af8 22.f4? A careless attacking gesture
that leads to ruin of W hite's centre. xf4!
In contrast to move 17, White can't refuse this
exchange sacrifice. 23.gxf4 xf4 24.fd1
f6!
[ Black wants to generate attacking ideas

565
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

against the white kingside. Therefore this [ 8...h6 9.0-0 ( More testing is 9.a3!? b6
quiet move is much stronger than etc. as in Perunovic-Berg.) 9...g5 10.h5
24...xd4? which allows White to exchange b6 and Black had sufficient chances in
queens: 25.d2 xd2 26.xd2 Zhang Pengxiang-Gurevich. ]
and Black is 'only' comfortable after c6 9.f1!? Marie Sebag leaves the rook on h1 to
( and not 26...e5? 27.c7 )] support an attack on the black kingside, whilst
25.d3 xd4 26.d2 e5 In return for the removing her own king from the dangers in
rook Black has two pawns, a strong centre the centre.
and a beautiful knight which can only ever be [ Instead 9.0-0 h6 10.e1 g5 11.hxg5
dislodged from its outpost by an exchange hxg5 12.f1 g4 13.3h2 cxd4 14.cxd4
s a c r i f i c e . 27.e3 c6 28.d2 e6! b6 is given as unclear by Mikhail
Black's knight looked wonderful on d4 but it Gurevich. ]
has spied an even better square on f4. Berg 9...0-0
aims to put fatal pressure on g2 with Nf4, Qg5 [ If 9...b6 10.g1 ( instead 10.h5?!
and d5-d4, which opens the diagonal of the achieves nothing after g5 but the solid;
bishop. 29.f3 f4 30.e1 g5 31.h2 10.a4 deserves attention.) 10...cxd4
[ If 31.xe5 h3+ wins. ] 11.cxd4 xd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.f3
31...h4+ 32.g1 g5 33.h2 e8 and White has a very nice initiative for the
34.b1 h4+ 35.g1 g3 36.h1 h4+ pawn with h4-h5 in mind. ]
37.g1 g5 38.h2 d4 39.f2 h5+ 10.g1 The king carries on his journey. Action
40.g1 g5 41.h2 xf3! The long on the kingside is still premature e.g.
awaited collapse. 42.g3 [ 10.h5 g5 11.c2 g4!? ( 11...h6 )
[ W hite loses after both 42.xf3 h4+ 12.xh7+ h8 13.h2 f5 14.exf6 xf6
43.g1 xe1+ and ] 15.g6 cxd4 and Black has the attack. ]
[ 42.gxf3 h5+ 43.g1 ( 43.g3 h3# ) 10...f6
43...h3+ ] [ Moving the queen away from the defence of
42...xg3+ 43.xg3 c6 White has the king would be asking for trouble:
survived the direct attack, but the passed 10...b6 11.h5 g5 12.xg5! xg5 13.g4
pawns are too much in the endgame. 44.e4 h6 14.f3 f5 15.exf6 xf6 16.g3 h8
xe4 45.xe4 h5+ 46.f2 f6 47.e1 ( 16...cxd4 17.xg5 ) 17.xg5 hxg5
h7 48.c2 e4 49.c7 d3 50.f1 e3+ 18.xg5 c7 19.h6+ g8 20.h3
51.e1 e2 52.g1 d5 53.d7 b4 and White wins. ]
54.f2 f8+ 55.e1 c2+ 56.d2 f1 11.exf6 xf6 12.g5! not only attacking e6,
0-1 but also intending 13.Nxh7! Kxh7 14.Qh5+.
xg5
[ White's attack flows naturally after 12...e7
629 C06 13.df3 for example: cxd4 14.h5 dxc3
Sebag,Marie 2415 15.bxc3 h6 16.hxg6! hxg5 17.xg5 xg5
Popov,Valerij 2592 18.h5 g7 to stop mate on h8 19.xg5
22nd Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (5) and then 20.Bh6 etc. with a rout. ]
[Neil McDonald] 13.hxg5 e7 14.f1! The knight begins a
journey to g4, where it eyes the dark square
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 weaknesses on e5, f6 and h6. e5
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 g6 8.h4 e7 [ a l s o u n p l e a s a n t f o r B l a c k i s 14...cxd4
It might seem paradoxical to put the bishop on 15.cxd4 xd4 16.xg6 hxg6 17.xd4 ]
e7 after playing g7-g6, but in reply to h4-h5, 15.e3 the knight reaches both e3 and g4
Black intends to block up the kingside with g6- with gain of time through tactical threats. Here
g5. He certainly doesn't want the bishop on g7, B l a c k m u s t d e f e n d d 5 . f7 16.g4
where it can then be attacked with h5-h6. With Both defending f2 and menacing a fork on h6.
t h e s a m e i d e a i n m i n d , B l a c k h a s a l s o g7 17.dxc5 xc5 18.f6 h5 19.e3
experimented with xd3 20.xd3 d8? Popov had no choice

566
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

but to jettison the d5 pawn with c5 ' ) 21...d7 22.fe1 c8 23.xd6
[ 20...f5! though White has good winning xd6 24.a4 a6 is equal. ]
c h a n c e s i n t h e e n d g a m e a f t e r 21.xd5 18.g6
xd5 22.xd5 fd8 23.f6 If instead ] [ I analyse 18.g4 in PTF4 it is a more
[ 20...e6 21.xh5 as in the game, but logical move, in that the bishop on g6 hangs
Black has more chances to fight on with along the third rank. ]
h8 ] 18...xh2+ Transposing to a main line.
21.xh5! h8 [ 18...f8! is my 'discovery' in PTF4 - I think
[ If 21...gxh5 22.h7+ f8 23.c5+ e7 that this is an excellent move order,
24.h8+ g8 25.xg8# ] probably superior to, or at least leaving
22.xh8 xh8 23.g4! An excellent move more positive prospects, than playing 17...
that clears g2 for the king and stops Bf5. g7 Rf8 immediately as in the note above. Then
24.g2 e4 25.e2 e6 26.h1 h8 19.g3 d7 ( 19...f6 is a lso e qu a l)
27.xh8 xh8 28.d1! There is no good 20.ac1 f6! exploits the position of the
way to stop a queen check on h1 followed by bishop on g6 to gain easy equality with
a killing one on h6. interesting play ahead. ]
1-0 19.h1 d6 20.xf5 exf5 This exchange
sacrifice is extremely well-known and has
b e e n a n a l y s e d a t g r e a t l e n g t h . 21.fe1
630 C06 In PTF4 I give five moves here, and 21 Rfe1
Seger,R 2378 isn't one of them!
Arun Prasad,S 2518 [ For purposes of comparison, see 21.ae1
23rd Czech Open A (5.30) 24.07.2012 f7! ( 21...g8?! 22.g3 f4 23.xf4!
[John Watson] xf4 24.c5! compare below) 22.g3 b4
and Black has enough compensation with
A main-line test turns into a lengthy and hard- his pawn and bishop pair. ]
fought game. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 21...g8 Perfectly good, but it's also possible
4.e5 fd7 5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 to imitate the way Black plays against 21 Rael,
cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 i.e.,
11.0-0 c7 12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 [ 21...f7 (threatening ...Qh5 as well as ...f4
14.c2 h6 15.h7+ h8 16.g6 xf3 and/or ...g5) 22.g3 b4! 23.ed1 d7
We've seen all this numerous times before. 24.a3 a5 25.b4 b6 with equal
17.xh5 Presently the main move. chances. ]
[ 17.gxf3 is well-established as sound for 22.g1
Black. ] [ Comparing the above note, 22.g3 f4
17...f5 23.xf4 xf4 24.c5?! ( 24.e8+ f7
[ A main-line occurred between two strong 25.xc8! xc8 26.xf4 e6= ) 24...xg3
and very theoretically oriented players, but it 25.xd5+ h7 26.fxg3 xg3
petered out too quickly. Still, this indicates . The difference here is that fxg3 doesn't
that W hite respects Black's position: a c t iva t e a r o o k o n f 1 a s i t wo u l d h a v e
17...f8!? 18.g3 d7 19.ad1 ( I analyse above. ]
19.ac1 at some length in PTF4) 19...e8 22...f7 23.f3 f4 24.f2 f5 Black's space
( As I show in PTF4, 19...f6 and; 19...ac8 and bishop pair are clearly enough to give full
a re a ls o f in e) 20.xe8 axe8 21.a3 compensation. 25.d2 d7
1/2-1/2 Ulibin, M (2531) -Gleizerov, E (2565), [ 25...b4! is primitive but good, eyeing both
Paracin SRB 2012 . After 21 a3, almost any c2 and d3, e.g., 26.f1! d3 27.a3 e7!
slow move is sufficient, and ( In PTF4, I say ' ( 27...c8 28.c1= ) 28.ad1 ( 28.c1
21.fe1 e5!? is ambitious - there was no xf2 29.xf2 h4! , the point of 27...
hurry - but results in active enough pieces Be7!. ) 28...c8 ]
to play with an isolated pawn after 22.dxe5 26.a3 f8 27.b4 e7 28.c3 a6
xe5 23.d2 b6 24.f4 xf4 25.xf4 [ 28...h5 ]

567
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 28...c8! intending ...Nb6-c4. ]
29.e5!? c6
[ 29...g5 ]
[ 29...xe5 30.dxe5 g6 31.e1 e8
32.xd5 xe5 33.xe5 xe5 34.xf4
c4 35.d3 xa3 ]
30.ae1 d8 31.e6 f5 32.d3 d7
33.6e5 xe5 34.xe5 c8
[ 34...c8! ]
35.b5 e7
[ 35...axb5 36.xb5 e7 ]
36.bxa6 bxa6 37.h4?! g5 38.f2 c6
39.e1 a5 40.b1 c4 41.b4 e6
42.a4 a5 43.c3 b8 44.e2 b1+
45.e1 b8
[ 45...g6! ]
46.e2 b1+ 47.e1 b8 48.e2 g4!
49.fxg4 xg4 50.e1 g6
[ 50...f3! ]
51.c5 f3 52.d3 f8?!
[ 52...a4! threatens ...Rb3 and there's
nothing good to be done, e.g., 53.c5 h5
54.g3 f5-+ ]
53.g3?
[ 53.e5 ]
53...h5 54.e7 h3 55.e1 h5??
[ 55...f5 and W hite can resign. 56.c2
( 56.b3 h5 57.b8+ c8 ) 56...f8
57.a7 h5 58.a8+ g7 59.a7+ d7
60.xd7+ xd7 61.xf3 f5-+ ]
56.d3 f5 57.xf5 xf5 58.a4 f7
59.xf7 xf7 60.d3 e6 61.e1! f5
62.c5+ f6 63.b3
[ 63.f2 ]
63...b2
[ 63...c2 64.c5 g5 65.f2 d1 ]
64.xa5?
[ 64.xa5! xa4 65.d8+ e6 66.f2
should be drawn. ]
64...d3
[ 64...d7! ]
65.f2 d7 66.b3 xa4 67.d2 d1
68.f1 g5 69.e3 b3 70.f1 h5
71.e1 f6 72.a5 c4 73.g1 e6
74.d8 d7 75.h4 e6 76.g4 hxg4
77.xg4 f5 78.e5 xe5 79.dxe5 xe5
80.f2 e4 81.e1 d4 82.d2 e2
83.f2 d3 84.b6 f4 85.e1 g3
86.c5 g2 87.b6
½-½
631 C06
Sek,Konstantin 2432
Volkov,Sergey 2615
64th ch-HL Taganrog RUS (1) 15.06.2011
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 0-0 12.f4
xf4 13.xf4 e4 This has been played for
decades, of course. As far as I can tell, theory
assesses it as completely sound, although
dif f icult to play for a win in certain lines.
14.c1 Very common when White is happy
w i t h a d r a w . g5 No other move has fully
equalised here. 15.xg5 xg5 16.e2
[ In view of the threats on d4 and f4, the only
real option is 16.xh7+!? xh7 17.xe6
and: f5! 18.xf8+ xf8 19.g5 f5
( 19...f5 20.fe1 f7 looks fine) 20.h4+
g8 21.ae1 d7 ( 21...g6!? ) 22.e3
g4 ( 22...e8 23.xe8+ xe8= ) 23.xg4
xg4 Maslak, K (2521)-Volkov, S (2636)/
Novokuznetsk 2008 this is equal, although
White went on to win. ]
16...f6! '!' for enterprise. Several games
have gone
[ 16...xc1 17.axc1 a6! followed by ...Bd7
and exchanges on the c-file, after which
Black has no problems. ( 17...d7 18.b5!
yields a slight pull due to the good knight
versus the bad bishop )]
17.c5 With the queens on, a lot can still
happen. This doesn't seem to improve upon
[ 17.d2 d7 18.b5 b8 ( played in
most games, but 18...ac8; and 18...a6
have done better, and in fact not lost a game
in my database) 19.a4 c6 ( 19...xb5
20.axb5 d7 21.g3 b6 22.f4 c4
23.e2 fe8 24.fd1 d6 25.a3 e7
26.h4 f5 27.e5 (about equal) b6??
28.xd5 1-0 (28) Adams, M (2720)-
Gurevich, M (2643), Turin 2006) 20.b4 a6!
21.d3 d7 22.f4 a5 23.d2 e7 24.b3
f6= Rublevsky, S (2688)-Volkov, S (2597),
Irkutsk 2010 ]
17...d7 18.f4 g6!?
[ 18...ac8 19.ae1 b6 20.c3 e8
is a good solution. ]
19.ae1 f7 20.b4 b6 21.c3 a5! 22.b5
b4 23.d2 xd3 24.xd3= a4 25.g3
568
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 25.b1 ]
25...a5 26.c3 f8 27.c1 aa8 28.d1
a5 29.c3 a3!? 30.h4 f5 31.f3
[ 31.xf5 gxf5= ]
31...xb5 32.xb5 xb5 33.xa3 h3
resigns?? Forfeits on time??
[ After 33...h3 34.f2 , things are in
order. ]
[ My guess is that this is a reconstruction,
and 33...a5 was played first, followed by ...
Rfa8 and a tactical mistake which resulted in
... Qh3 being fatal. At any rate, Black can
at least play on after 16 Ne2 in an equal
position, with enough pieces on the board
(including queens) that a draw is not
inevitable, i.e., both sides have chances. ]
0-1
632 C06
Sethuraman,SP 2424
Ganguly,Surya Shekhar 2579
Velammal 45th National (9) 11.02.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 g6 8.h4
[ T h e a l t e r n a t i ve 8.0-0 seems distinctly
unpromising for W hite. For example g7
9.e1 0-0 10.f1 cxd4 11.cxd4 b6
12.c2 f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.b3 d7
15.h3 e4 16.e3 a5 17.b1 b4
18.e5 e8 19.a4 c6 20.f3 d6 21.g4
f7 22.xc6 xc6 23.c2 c7 24.g2
e5 and Black took over the initiative big time
in Babaev, R-Gharamian, T/Cappelle La
Grande FRA 2008. ]
8...h6 9.b3?! The latest attempt against 7...g6,
b u t i t l o o k s h i g h l y s u s p i c i o u s . g7!
Ganguly just gets on with the business of
preparing f7-f6. Instead Black got enticed into
queenside action and got the worst of it after
[ 9...a5 10.a3 a4 11.b4 cxd4 12.cxd4
b6 13.b2 d7 14.e2 a7 15.h5 g5
16.h2 c8 17.g4 g7 18.0-0 e7
19.ac1 xc1 20.xc1 d8 21.c5
in Kersten, U-Luther, T/ Bad Zwesten GER
2006. ]
10.b2 0-0 11.e2 b6 12.a3 f6!
The fact that Black can leave the g6 pawn en
prise shows the weakness of White's strategy.
13.b5?! White refuses to admit that he has
l o s t t h e i n i t i a t i ve a n d c o n t i n u e s t o p l a y
attacking moves. Such a loss of objectivity
explains many a defeat by a top class player.
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h i n gs we r e a l re a d y
uncomfortable for White, as Black's pieces
will come to life after
[ 13.xg6 fxe5 or ]
[ 13.exf6 xf6 14.0-0 e5 ]
13...b7 14.c4?! fxe5 15.dxe5 d4 16.0-0-0
f5 17.e4 He should try to mess things up
with
[ 17.g4 ]
17...dxe5 18.g3 f7 19.xc6 xc6
20.xe6 f6 Black has emerged from the
opening with a protected passed pawn, the
two bishops and pawns he can target on b3,
f2 and g2. It's no wonder that W hite's
defences collapse over the next five or so
moves. 21.he1 a5 22.d3 xe6
23.xe6 xf3 24.gxf3 af8 25.xg6 h7
26.e6 xf3 27.xf3 xf3 28.h5 xf2
29.e7 xb3+ 30.b1 d2+ 31.c1 g6
32.xg7 xc4 33.h5+ f6 34.xa7 xb2
35.e8+ e5
0-1
633 C06
Sidorenko,Ilya 2256
Petr,Martin 2453
Czech Open Pardubice CZE (1) 20.07.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 e7 8.0-0 g5
9.dxc5 dxe5 10.xe5 xe5 11.b3
xd3 With this exchange, Petr shows that he
intends to utilise his centre pawns immediately.
It is risky, bu t the n eve ryth ing a bou t th e
Universal System is risky for both White and
Black! 12.xd3 e5 13.g3
[ Critical seems to be 13.e2!
A) You might like to investigate the crazy
looking 13...f6!? ensuring that the pawn
on e5 remains a formidable barrier to a
white attack. 14.h5+ d7 Black can put
his king on c7 and then develop with Be6,
etc. with the two bishops and an
impressive looking centre. White has to try
to puncture a way into the black fortress,
569
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
but it won't be easy. A possible line is
15.d1 c7 16.f7 g4 17.xd5
( Similarly 17.f3 f5 18.xd5 e8 )
17...e8 18.xe8 hxe8 and it is
doubtful that White will be able to make
any use of his extra pawn- most likely c5
will drop leaving Black with the better of
the endgame.;
B) U n f o r t u n a t e l y f o r B l a c k 13...f6?
fails to 14.xg5! xg5?! 15.xe5+
attacking h8 d7 16.ad1! and White
has a winning attack.;
C) 13...c7 14.e1 e4 Once Black is
obliged to make this advance his centre
lo s e s it s s o lid it y. 15.c4! Beginning to
undermine the black pawns in thematic
style. e6 16.d4 xc5 17.cxd5 xd5
18.b5+ f8 Bartel manages to survive
the c om plication s, a nd pe rh ap s he is
always OK but I must admit that the fragile
nature of the black position [loose pawns,
disconnected rooks, awkward king
position] gives me pause f or thought.
19.e3 a6 20.a4 b5 21.d1 d7
22.xg5 g8 23.h6+ e8 24.e3 d8
25.h5 xd4 26.xd4 g4 27.xg4
xg4 28.f6 d6 29.f3 g6 30.fxe4
b7 31.c3 de6 32.g3 xe4
- Pavasovic, D-Bartel, M/Portoroz SLO
2005. ]
13...f6! Keeping the black pawn front intact.
Thanks to their pincer grip on the f4 square,
W hite is denied the f2-f4 advance that has
proved strong for him in other games in the
c h e s s b a s e a r c h i v e s . 14.e1 f5
Now Sidorenko feels that he must do
something to disrupt Black's build up or else
he will continue with Qd7, 0-0-0, and then h7-
h5-h4 etc. with a great position. Unfortunately
for him the active move he seizes upon leads
t o d i s a s t e r . 15.xg5? g8! The correct
response is to pin the bishop.
[ White has a decisive attack after 15...fxg5?
16.xe5 f8 17.ad1! intending 18.Rxd5
with Nd4 coming as needed. ]
16.h4 d7!
[ White still has a fierce initiative after
16...fxg5 17.xe5 ]
17.xe5
[ White continues to speculate as he has no
w i s h t o s u b m i t t o 17.h2 0-0-0!?
( Not getting involved in 17...fxg5 18.xe5 )
18.e3 e4 19.g3 f5!? planning 20...f4
with a huge advantage for Black in view of
the badly placed white queen and vulnerable
white king. ]
17...fxe5 18.xe5 e6 19.e1 xg5
[ And not 19...xe5 20.xe5 when both
black bishops are hanging. ]
20.d4
[ Also inadequate for White is 20.hxg5 f7
21.c7+ d7 etc. ]
20...xe5 21.xe5+ f7 22.xf5 f6
23.xd5 e6 24.c4 f6 25.b4 ad8
The dust has settled. White has four pawns
for a rook, but only one passed pawn, and that
is a ll t h e wa y b a c k o n f 2 . I t i s t h e re f o r e
entirely hopeless for him. 26.d6 e5 27.f4
xf4 28.h5 xd6 29.cxd6 xd6 30.xh7
d2 31.xb7 gxg2+ 32.f1 df2+
0-1
634 C06
Simacek,Pavel 2469
Soucek,Miroslav 2185
10th Open A Prague CZE (1) 07.01.2011
[John Watson]
Black chooses a slightly unusual sideline in
the 'long' variation beginning with 11...0-0 12
Bf4. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5
fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4
8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 d6 11.0-0
0-0
[ S o m e r e c e n t g a m e s w i t h 11...c7
are covered in Oleksienko-Gupta. ]
12.f4 xf4 13.xf4 e4 14.e2
[ 14.c1 g5 15.xg5 xg5 16.e2
( 16.xh7+ xh7 17.xe6! is probably the
best try, as I analysed in the game
K ryvo ru ch ko -A p ice lla in t h e A rc h ive s .)
16...xc1 ( 16...f6 is more dynamic, and
analysed in that same game) 17.axc1 a6!
18.f4 d7 This is Moskalenko's suggested
reorganization, which should be good for
complete equality. Other ways of setting up
are less convincing. 19.a3 ac8 20.g3 e8
21.f2 h5 22.e3 xe2 23.xe2 f7
24.c3 e7 25.fc1 d6 26.h4 e7
27.g4 xc3+ 1/2-1/2 Gayson, P (2173)-
Churm, R (2 153 ), Hinckley Island ENG
570
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

2011. ] is easy enough, e.g., 26.e1 f8 27.h3

14...xf3 As always. 15.gxf3 g5 16.h1 d3 28.f1 xb2 ) 21...f4 22.f3
e5 17.dxe5 xe5!? A rare move. ( e l s e . . . N f 3 ) exf3 23.f2 f8 ( or
[ The alternative 17...xf3 is analysed in 23...xe5 ) 24.e1 h3 25.f1 c4
countless books and articles, and on and Black is winning. ]
ChessPub. I think it's still a draw with best 21.fxe5 xe5 22.h5! f4 23.e2!
play, but I haven't checked recently. ] White is finding only moves. f6 24.g1?!
18.e4 Reasonable, but not ambitious enough But there's still no really good defence:
to gain the advantage. In the game Tiviakov- [ 24.g1 e3 25.f3 f8 ]
Shaw in the Archives, we got to look at these [ 24.c3 f8 25.ad1 g6 26.e2 f4 ]
two moves: 24...h3 25.g3 g4!?
[ 18.g1 f6 19.e2 d7 20.e1 [ Still clearer was 25...xf2+ 26.g1 f8
( Neil: "Taking on d5 has been suggested, 27.f1 d7! 28.g2 ( 28.b3 h3+
but this seems very risky in view of the 29.xh3 b6+ ) 28...e3! with the idea ...
we a k n e s s o n f 3 , e . g . 20.xd5+ h8 Bc6+ or ... Qc6+ ]
21.ad1 c6 22.d6 e6 23.a3 f4 26.d5+ h8 27.xh3 xh3 28.g1
when the main threat is Qg5 mating on g2.") xf2?
20...c6 21.c1 d8 22.b3 h8 [ 28...e6 29.xb7 f8 is still extremely
and Black was clearly better, Tiviakov, S strong, intending 30.xe4 xb2 ]
(2611)-Shaw, J (2410), Groningen NED 29.xh3 f3+ Black should play on, for
1999. ] example,
[ 18.d4 '!' - Neil f6 ( 18...h3 19.b3 [ 29...f3+ 30.g1 g4+ 31.h1 xh3
f4 20.c2 f6 is speculative) 19.b3 32.xe4 f8 33.g1 b6 , a pawn up with
h3 20.g1 gxf3 21.xd5+ h8 Black's king exposed. ]
22.xf3 d8 Neil "Now Bareev claims that ½-½
Black has compensation for the sacrificed
m a t e r i a l , b u t t h e s i m p l i f y i n g 23.xd8+!
xd8 24.xe5 d5+ 25.f3 xe5 26.ae1 635 C06
l o o k s v e r y g o o d f o r W h i t e , e . g . h5 Smirin,Ilia 2649
27.e4!? ". But here, instead of Neil's 27... Akobian,Varuzhan 2556
b6 28 Bc6, with a winnin g game , Black HB Global CC (8) 22.05.2005
s h o u l d p l a y g6 28.xb7 b5 29.e4 [Neil McDonald]
xb2 30.g3 e6 with near equality. ]
18...e6 19.c3?! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
[ 19.f4 dxe4 20.xd8+ xd8 21.fxe5 c4 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 e7 8.0-0 g5
22.g1 ( 22.fd1 xd1+ 23.xd1 xe2 ) 9.dxc5! Black is given everything he could
22...f3 23.gd1 xd1+ 24.xd1 xe2 possibly want when he plays 8...g5- namely
25.d8+ f7 26.d7+ g6 27.xb7 xe5 both the d4 and e5 pawns vanish- yet he still
28.xa7 d3 with a hard ending to assess, has a rotten position! g4 10.d4 dxe5
perhaps equal because of the dangerous a- 11.b5 d7 12.2b3!?
pawn. ] [ Yet another move to plague Black with in
19...dxe4 Now Black stands better. 20.f4? this variation. Against the same opponent in
A blunder. He should play a game given on ChessPub, Smirin had
[ 20.xd8+ xd8 21.f4 h3! 22.fe1 gf3 played 12.xc6 bxc6 13.f4! Smirin had
23.fxe5 xe1 24.xe1 d2 25.e2 generated winning chances but Black had
with a small disadvantage ] slipped out with a draw. ]
20...b8? A move which keeps good winning [ Another dangerous move to meet here is
chances, but 12.b4 as played by Timofeev in a couple of
[ 20...f8! w o u l d h a v e w o n : 21.fxe5 games. ]
( 21.fxg5 d8 22.e2 g4 23.f3 xf3+ 12...g8
24.xf3 xf3+ 25.xf3 exf3 [ No more inspiring is 12...xd4 13.xd7+

571
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
A) 13...xd7 14.xd4!? ( or 14.cxd4
g8 15.f4 ) 14...g8 15.f4 etc.;
B) 13...xd7 14.cxd4 c6 15.xg4 f6
( If 15...0-0-0 16.f3!? stops 16...Bf6.)
16.f3! e7 17.f4! xd4 18.d6 g5
19.xd4 xd4 20.d3 g8 21.g3 f6
22.ad1 c6 23.b4! and it was dire for
B l a c k i n S a l t a e v, M - G h a n e , S / T e h r a n
1998. ]
13.e1 c4
[ White also gets a dangerous initiative upon
13...xd4 14.xd4!? xb5 15.xb5 ]
14.f4 xd4
[ Hopeless for Black is 14...e5 15.xc6 bxc6
16.xe5 ]
15.xd4 c8
[ After 15...xc5 16.xe6! fxe6 17.xd5!
xf2+ 18.h1 ( 18.xf2? b6+ 19.f1
xb5 ) 18...f7 ( 18...xe1 19.xe6+ f8
20.h6+ g7 21.xc4 and 22.Bd6+ next
move annihilates Black.) 19.h5+ g6
20.xh7+ g7 21.h5+ g8 22.xc4
xe1 23.xe1 White has huge pressure for
the exchange. ]
16.b3 a3 17.d3 xc5 18.xh7 g7
19.d3 xc3 As soon often in this variation,
Black's pawn centre doesn't prove resilient
enough to shield the king. Another problem is
t h a t t h e wh it e p i e c e s ca n in va d e o n t h e
kin gs ide b y u tilisin g t he lin e s t h at Bla ck
himself has opened up with 8...g5, etc. 20.e5
f6 21.d2 xe5 22.xe5 c7 23.h5!?
[ Another way to play it was 23.ae1!? d8
( or 23...g8 24.xd5 ) 24.h6
25.f6+ c8 26.xf7 and the e6 pawn will
drop. ]
23...g8 24.h7 e5 Losing, but Black has
run out of constructive moves. The knight is
stuck on a3, the king is trapped in the centre
and his rooks aren't working together. 25.f5
e4 26.g5!!
1-0
636 C06
Smirin,Ilia 2671
Akobian,Varuzhan 2526
32nd World Open (6) 04.07.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 e7 8.0-0
g5?! Nothing in the present game alleviates
my doubts about this move. 9.dxc5 g4
10.d4 dxe5 11.b5 d7 12.xc6!?
[ Instead 12.b4 was played in Timofeev-
Akobian on ChessPub and turned out very
well f or W hite maybe c7!? is the best
reply. Black could then castle queenside and
cast safety to the wind with h5-h4. ]
12...bxc6 13.f4! A typical attacking move in
this variation. The open centre means that
play is more akin to that in the Sicilian
Defence than a normal French. Generally
speaking, Black can rejoice in his bishop pair
a n d so l id p a wn st ru c t u r e , b u t wil l h e b e
mated? d3 14.b4 a5 15.2b3 xc1
16.xc1 axb4 17.cxb4 a4
[ An interesting alternative was 17...f6!?
which sidesteps the attack along the f file
that follows as 18.f5? e5 looks good for
Black. ]
18.f5 0-0 19.f4
[ White must act fast as after 19.a3 e5
Black dominates the centre. ]
19...e5! The only way to meet the threat of 19.
f 6 as g4 is also h anging. 20.xe5 f6
g8 21.e1 e8 22.c3 e4 23.ae1 xe1
24.xe1 xa2 25.g3 h5 26.d6 g7
27.b5! White has managed to keep his
initiative. cxb5 28.c6 b6 29.xd7
[ The subtle 29.h1!? might have won. The
point is after xd4 30.xd4 xd4 31.cxd7
in contrast to the game White has captured
on d7 with his pawn rather than the queen.
Then a1 32.e7! probably wins for
White. ]
29...xd4+ 30.h1 c3 31.f6+ g6 32.c7
xg2! Black finds the only way to save
himself. 33.c8 xh2+ 34.xh2 f2+
35.h1 xe1+ 36.g2 e2+ 37.g1
e3+ 38.g2 h3+ 39.g1 g3+ 40.f1
h3+ 41.g1 e3+ 42.g2 f3+ 43.g1
g3+ 44.f1
½-½
572
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

637 C06 [ 29.g5 h4 30.c8 h3 31.1c6! hxg2

Smirin,Ilia 2673 32.xd8+ xd8 33.d6 e7 ( 33...c7
Cheparinov,Ivan 2576 34.xd5 exd5 35.d8+ ) 34.d7 b4
36th Olympiad (4) 18.10.2004 35.d8+ e7 36.xd5# ]
[Neil McDonald] 1-0

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6

5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 h5? 638 C06
This move was recommended in the days Smirin,Ilia 2698
before it was realised that W hite can play Luther,Thomas 2604
d4xc5! and not worry about the loss of his FIDE WCh KO Moscow RUS (2.2) 30.11.2001
pawn centre. 9.e1 cxd4 [Neil McDonald]
[ This is Cheparinov's attempted
i m p r o v e m e n t o n 9...g5 10.dxc5! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
when White dissolves his own pawn centre 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 a5 8.0-0 g6
in order to open lines and exploit his 9.e1 g7 10.h4!? This is much sharper
advantage in development. You can see than
what happens by checking out Timofeev- [ 10.f1 cxd4 11.cxd4 b6 12.c2
Arencibia on ChessPub. ] as played in Minasian-Luther- see
10.cxd4 g5 11.b3 He we see the drawback ChessPub. ]
to Black's early exchange on d4: White is able 10...0-0
to deploy his knight to b3 and so clear the [ The critical test must be if Black goes
decks for the development of his other pieces hunting the d pawn. However if immediately
without being forked by c5-c4. g4 12.fd2 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 b6 White has a
a5 dangerous initiative e.g. 12.h5 xd4
[ Here 12...b6 does nothing to impede ( 12...0-0!? ) 13.xd4 xd4 14.f3 g4
White: 13.b1 xd4?? 14.e3 c5 15.h6 f8 16.e3 ]
15.xc5 xc5 16.a4 and the knight is 11.h5 cxd4 12.cxd4 gxh5?! A very ugly
lost. ] move. Maybe now was the time to go after the
13.a4 b6 d4 pawn with
[ Black has run out of constructive ideas as if [ 12...b6 e.g. 13.b3 a4 14.c5 xd4
13...b6 14.b1! xd4 15.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 xc5 16.f3 when White still has
16.c3 gives White an even greater attacking chances but Black has a sound
initiative than usual in this line as Black can extra pawn. ]
no longer fight the Nb5 idea with a7-a6. ] 13.b3! f6 White threatened a Greek Gift
14.b1 Left undisturbed, White can play Nc3 sacrifice, for example
and Nb5, then Bf4 and Rc1 and perhaps Nc5. [ 13...a4 14.xh7+ xh7 15.g5+ g8
It would be a very unpleasant defensive task 16.xh5 ]
for Black. Therefore, Cheparinov plays actively 14.exf6 xf6 15.g5 Now White seizes
on the queenside, even sacrificing a pawn but control of the e5 square. d6 16.e5 e4?
we are left wondering: why exactly did he push This leads to a bad queenless middlegame.
his kingside pawns so far down the board? Throughout the game Black shows no interest
c4 15.c3 b6 16.xc4 dxc4 17.d2 in grabbing the d4 pawn. Instead he had to
b4 18.xc4 c6 19.b3 b6 20.e4 a6 complicate things with
21.g5 Now Black's dark squares crumble [ 16...a4 17.c5 ( 17.xf6 xf6 18.c5
and the game is soon over. xc4 22.c1 xd4 ) 17...xd4 when White has 18.xf6
xb3 23.xb3 d5 24.e3 d7 25.xe7 xf6 19.xh7+ xh7 20.xd4 but this is
xe7 26.f6+ f8 27.c4 d8 28.ec1 by no means clear- and meanwhile Black is
d5 29.g5 Black cannot hope to resist the hanging on to an extra pawn. ]
attack on his king when he is playing without 17.xe4 dxe4 18.xe4 xe5 19.dxe5
the rook on h8. A possible finish is xd1+ 20.xd1 b6 21.e7! A very strong

573
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

manoeuvre- the bishop goes to d6 to defend 640 C06

the e pawn and keep the bishop on g7 shut in.
On d6 it will also block the d file, which frees
the white rooks to begin a direct attack on
Black's kingside. e8 22.d6 b7 23.h4
d5 24.xh5 ec8 25.d4! White gives
back the pawn as a prelude to the final assault.
What makes Black's position hopeless is his
dreadf ul bishop on g7 which is passively
placed but cannot leave g7 without exposing
the king to a fatal attack. xa2 26.f4
27.d3! c1+ 28.h2 b1 29.g3 e8
[ Or 29...g6 30.xe6! xh5 31.xg7+
h8 32.g5 g6 33.f5 f7 34.e7
and wins. ]
30.f5! Black resigned for if exf5 31.hg5
wins the bishop.
1-0
639
Sommerbauer,Norbert
Weiss,Christian
ch Vienna AUT (15)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 11...b6 12.b3
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
e7 This is inferior to
[ 8...f6 ]
9.0-0 b6?! This doesn't combine well with
8...Be7. A better approach, though still not
very satisfactory for Black was
[ 9...b6 as in Never2deep-JACKK. ]
10.f3 f6 This is the consistent move, but it
j u s t l e a d s t o t r o u b l e . 11.f4!
Black should try to defend by curling up into a 12...a4
ball with
[ 11...f8 ]
12.xe6 e4 13.f4! exf3 Black cannot
avoid material loss. If
[ 13...de5 14.xg7+ f8 15.xe5 or ]
[ 13...f7 14.c7 attacking both a8 and
d5. ]
14.c7+ f7 15.xa8 xd4 16.xf3 f6
17.c7 g5 18.xg5 e5
A drastic defeat for Black after he took too
many liberties in the opening.
1-0
Sorensen,Jan1 2422
Sorensen,B 2247
52nd TCh-DEN XtraCon 2013-14 (2.2) 3.11.13
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 g5
9.b4!? Remarkably, this rare but potentially
important move goes back to 1990. The idea
a4 is to reduce pressure on White's centre at the
cost of a pawn. cxb4 10.cxb4 xb4
[ 10...h5?! 11.b5 b4 12.e2 would seem
to favour White, and he held the advantage
into the middlegame after a6 13.bxa6 b6
14.a3 c6 15.b5 db8 16.c2
in Dgebuadze, A (2563)-Prasca Sosa, R
(2415), Erts-La Massana 2012. ]
11.b1
[ 11.e2 is also possible, although Black's
C06 results have been pretty good. One example
2401 is f8 ( 11...g4 12.e1 h5 is unclear, e. g.
2444 , 13.c2 xc2 14.xc2 b8 15.b3
21.08.1999 c6 ) 12.b3 g6 13.e1 d7 14.d3
c6 with complex play, B Hall-Abrahamyan,
(2343), Los Angeles 2011. ]
[ 12.e1 d7 13.f4 h5 ( 13...b5 14.f2
gxf4 15.b3 c8= 16.xf4 c4? 17.h6
a3 18.h5 xb1 19.xf7 d7 20.g5?
e8? 21.xb1 1-0 (Kislinsky, A (2529)-
Danada, T (2062), Martin 2011) 14.fxg5
xg5 15.df3 e7 16.a3 c6 17.a2
g8 18.af2 with some compensation,
B e c k e r , M ( 2 4 0 7 ) -Kipper, J (2253),
fxe5? Germany 2000. ]
[ 12...c4 13.bd2 1/2-1/2 Degraeve, J
(2586)-Barsov, A (2550), Montreal 2002.
W orth noting due to the strength of the
players. ]
13.d2 g4 14.e1 d7?!
[ 14...h5 is natural. Black was probably
afraid of 15.f3 , but then g3! 16.hxg3 b2
17.e2 c4 is dynamically balanced. ]
19.e3 15.xg4
[ 15.a3 a6 16.xg4 is more accurate. ]
15...b6?
[ 15...b5! 16.xb4 ( 16.g7 f8 17.xb4
xb4 18.d3 c4 ) 16...xb4 17.d3
c4 ]

574
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

16.f4 edge and modest advantage, but also a

[ 16.f3 ] slightly loose position af t er, e.g. , c5
16...0-0-0 17.f5 dg8 21.f2 f8 ]
[ 17...h5!? ] 11.0-0 d6 12.g3 This is an important
18.h5 c6 sideline, although not as popular as
[ 18...e8 19.f6 f8 20.d3 ] [ 12.g5 , for example. ]
19.d3 12...0-0 13.f4 d7
[ 19.xf7!? ] [ In my book, I analyse the main and most
19...exf5 20.xf7 d yn a m i c m o v e 13...g4 , which I think is
[ 20.f4! ] best. But in this general structure Black
20...xd4 21.h1 e6 22.h5 g4?? can almost always play slowly if necessary.
[ 22...c6 and Black is only slightly worse. ] Developing the bishop to d7 is perfectly
23.f4 xe5 24.xd4 xd4 25.xf5 g5 sound, although it denies both sides the fun
26.xd7+ xd7 27.f3? of some wild complications arising from 13...
[ 27.h3+! wins outright, e.g., c6 28.e6+ Ng4. ]
d6 29.ac1+ c5 30.e3 ] 14.c1 ae8!?
27...c6? [ Not bad, but I sometimes like to keep e8
[ 27...xd2 28.h3+ c6 29.ad1 xa2 open for a bishop. Another move is
30.h6+ ] 14...ac8 , when 15.e5 e8 16.e1 h5
28.ae1? This is probably a notation error for is at most very slightly better for White. ]
28 Rac1+ c5 29.c3 15.e1 b8
1-0 [ Black can also play the standard idea
15...xf4 16.xf4 b6 , when 17.b3!
xd4! 18.xd4 e5 19.xd5! xd5
641 C06 20.c4 exd4 21.xd5+ h8 may favour
Studer,N 2236 W hite slightly, but Black shouldn't have
Zhang Xiaowen 2385 much trouble holding. ]
Albena Masters Open 2012 (8.21) 02.06.2012 16.b5 Trying to win the e5 square, at the
[John Watson] cost of ceding his good bishop. This is one of
W hite's better strategies. e4 17.xc6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 bxc6!? Weakening but ambitious.
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 [ 17...xc6 18.e5 g5!? 19.e3 h6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 20.xc6 bxc6 21.c3 f6 ]
[ After 10...d6 11.0-0 0-0 12.f4 18.xd6!?
, a recent test of Mokalenko's favourite h5 [ 18.c2! ]
went 13.xd6 xd6 14.d2 d7 15.e3 18...xd6 Strange to say, Black now has
f4 16.xf4 and: The game Kasparov, S enough attacking potential to balance White's
(2503)-Reinderman, D (2589)/Delft NED positional grip. 19.c3
2012 went [ 19.f4 xf4! 20.gxf4 xf4 with the idea ...
A) 16...xf4 is dull but probably Rf8 gives adequate compensation. ]
objectively best. It can be met by 17.b5!? 19...xf2! 20.xf2 e5 White can't easily
, winning e5 , although ( 17.ad1 a6=; counter the threat of ...e4, and must give back
17.xf4 xf4 18.ad1 a6 19.fe1 the material. 21.dxe5
af8= ) 17...xe3 18.fxe3 b8! 19.d3 [ 21.g1 g4 22.dxe5! h6 transposes. ]
c6 is a standard, drawish, queenless [ 21.g2? g4 22.dxe5 h6 ]
middlegame.; 21...h6 22.g1! g4 23.d2 xf3
B) 16...xf4!? 17.g3 1/2-1/2. Black's most 24.xh6 gxh6 25.a4 d4!?
a m b i t i o u s l i n e i s xf3!? ( 17...ff8 [ 25...h3= with the idea 26.xc6 xe5!= ]
18.ac1 a6 is objectively better and fairly 26.c5 f5!?
easy to handle) 18.xf3 xd4 19.h5 [ 26...h5 27.e6 d3= ]
h6 20.f4 , when White has a material 27.e6 xc5??

575
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 27...d5 28.d3 d6 29.e7 e6= ] exch an ge t o ge ne ra te cou nt erplay. xe5

28.xc5 d3 29.f2?? Mutual blindness, and 23.b7 c8! 24.xe5 Virtually forced, as if
undoubtedly time trouble. the rook retreats then Nd3 leaves the
[ 29.e4 will win, because d2 30.xg4+ c2pawnimpossible to defend. xb7 25.d7
is with check. ] fd8 26.c5 c6 27.g4 With the black
29...d2 30.g1 xe6 queen so f ar f rom the kingside this looks
0-1 dangerous, but Lputian destroys W hite's
hopes with the classic recipe of counterattack
in the centre. e5! 28.g5 exd4 29.xd4
642 C06 hxg5 30.f3 d6 31.e5 b2 32.e1 e8
Sulskis,Sarunas 2573 Now Black appears to be winning easily but
Lputian,Smbat G 2608 perhaps due to some carelessness- time
Continental Open (5) 29.07.2001 pressure?- White is allowed to develop some
[Neil McDonald] serious threats. In any case Lputian finally
emerges on top. 33.e3 f6 34.f3 b8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 35.e1 f4 36.f2 xf2+ 37.xf2 b5
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c5 7.d3 c6 8.0-0 a5 38.a6 b2+ 39.g3 e8 40.c7 f6
9.b3 Rather than gambit the d pawn- a 41.g6 f7 42.xd5 xf3+ 43.xf3
strategy which has met with little success- xd5+ 44.g3 f7 45.e7 xa2 46.g4
W h it e d e c id e s t o b o lst e r it wit h B b 2 . a4! h2 White is in zugzwang. The knight can't
Lputian has p redict able op enings but h e move If the king moves h5 drops if the rook
always handles them in a very flexible style. retreats along the e file Black can free himself
Here a less inventive player might have just with Kh7 while if the rook leaves the e-file
lunged forward on the kingside with 9.. .g5. then Be6+ picks up the h5 pawn.
Instead the Armenian GM has noticed that 0-1
whilst 8...a5 has served its purpose in one way
in dissuading Nb3- after say 9 Re1 cxd4 10
cxd4 Qb6- it has another good point here in 643 C06
exploiting White's shaky queenside. 10.bxa4 Sutovsky,Emil 2630
[ This messes up White's pawns but if Vavrak,Peter 2466
10.b2 a3 ruins his plan. ] IX EICC Plovdiv BUL (1) 21.04.2008
10...c4 11.c2 a5 12.b1 h6! [Neil McDonald]
Before regaining the pawn with Nb6 and Nxa4
Black takes the precaution of ruling out Ng5. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
13.a3 b6 14.h4 d7 15.h5 xa4 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5
16.xe7 xe7 17.xa4 xa4 18.e2 c6 9.e1 cxd4 10.cxd4 b6 11.b1! xd4
19.bd2? 12.xd4 xd4 13.c3 c5? I think we
[ This routine developing move is a serious have to conclude that Black is busted after
p o s i t i o n a l e r r o r . H e h a d t o p l a y 19.a3! W h it e's rep ly, h e n ce t h e qu e st io n m a rk .
to prevent Black's next move and strengthen 14.b5! This second pawn sacrifice was
his control of the b4 square. Then I think originally suggested a couple of years ago on
that Black is comfortable but perhaps not ChessPub and has subsequently proved its
better- White has weak pawns on a3 and c3 power in tournament games. xf2+ 15.h1
but on the other hand b7 is also a target 0-0 16.g5! Taking away the h4 square from
and Black's bishop isn't that great. ] the black queen. b4
19...a3! Clamping down on the a3 square. [ In another recent game Black was defeated
No w W h i t e h a s n o g o o d wa y t o c o u n t e r abruptly after 16...f6? 17.h5
Black's plan of b7-b5-b4, creating a strong A) 17...fxg5 18.xh7+ h8 19.g6+
passed pawn on c4. 20.e3 b5 21.fb1 0-0! g8 20.h7#;
22.xb5 Rather than be tormented after Rfb8 B) 17...h6 18.e2 fxg5 19.xf2 xf2
and b5-b4 W hite opts to sacrifice the 20.c7 when e6 drops.;

576
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

C) 17...g6 18.xg6 hxg6 19.xg6+ h8 is a substant ial improvem ent on m y

20.f1 xf1+ ( or 20...xb2 21.exf6 2 0 0 5 r e c o m m e n d a t i o n o f ( 28.f3
when the mate threat on g7 decides the w h e n a f t e r d7 Black is OK as the
game. ) 21.xf1 fxg5 22.f6! xf6 k n i g h t i s a w k wa r d l y p l a c e d o n c 7 .)
23.exf6 g8 24.h6#; 28...xa3 29.1f3! ( 29.e8 d7! )
D) 17...f5 Complete surrender, but 29...d6 ( Black is also going to be
n o t h i n g w o r k s . F o r e x a m p l e 18.e2 mated by the two rooks after 29...b2
trapping the black queen. g6 19.h3 30.e8 a4 31.7f4 intending 32.Rg3+
xe5 20.xf2 xf2 21.c7 b8 22.e2 a n d 3 3 . R h 4 m a t e .) 30.e8 e5
b6 23.c1 Black only has a rook and 31.f8+ h7 32.e3 b2 33.h3+
three pawns for the queen, and so 1-0 g6 34.g3+ h7 35.f4 c1
W ang Pin-Gong Qianyun/W uxi CHN 36.g7+ h6 37.h4# ]
2006. ] 23.xg7 f5 24.e5 d8 25.f3 f8
17.f1! An improvement on 26.g3 The black king is defenceless e.g.
[ 17.e3? in Hutchinson-Berescu in the [ 26.g3 e8 27.h8+ e7 28.g7+ d8
archives, when Black blocked the attack and 29.c7# ]
won after g6 etc. ] 1-0
17...xb2 The black queen goes to b2 where
she attacks e5 in order to maintain some
influence on the kingside. Retreating to b6 644 C06
allows White a freehand in his assault on the Tarrasch 14.Bxf6
black king: 13... h6 line
[ 17...b6 18.xh7+!? xh7 19.h5+ [Noel Blades]
g8 20.f3 with a decisive attack, as if
xb5? 21.f6! leaves the black king Here we have a purely analytical contribution
defenceless. ] from Jose Blades in an important Tarrasch
18.a3 c5 19.f4 xe5 20.xh7+ main line. I'm not sure that 13...h6 deserves a
[ Also tempting is 20.b1?! xd3 21.xd3 '?!', in view of my suggestion on move 15 and
a2 22.bc1 xa3 ( The queen is trapped later. As usual, my notes are marked 'jw' and
after 22...b6 23.c2 ) 23.xa3 etc. ] all the rest are by Blades. In any case, there's
20...xh7 21.h5+ g8 22.xe5 xb5? much to be looked at here. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5
[ Critical is 22...c2 23.c7 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6
A) Or 23...a7 24.xg7 xg7 ( Or 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0
24...h7 25.xh7+ xh7 26.xf8 xf8 d6 11.f3 c7 12.g5
27.xf7+ g8 28.af1 xa3 29.b5 [ 12.g3 is one of the main moves, when I
and White wins the bishop. That's why to recommend 13...Ng4. A game this month
o f f e r m o re re si st a n c e t h e b l a c k r o o k went 0-0 13.f4 d7 14.c1 xf4
should go to b8 rather than a7.) 25.e8+ 15.xf4 b6 16.d2 ( 16.b3 ) 16...ae8
xe8 ( 25...g8 26.f6! ) 26.xf7+ 17.fe1 xd4!? 18.xd4 e5 19.de2?!
and Black is soon mated.; ( 19.xd5! xd5 20.f3! xf3 21.e4
B) 23...b8 gives White a comfortable edge because of
B1) Instead 24.fc1 gives Black the B l a c k ' s w e a k e 5 - p a w n .) 19...exf4
chance to give up the bishop to reach a ( 19...g4! ) 20.xf4 h8 21.h4 g4
more or less acceptable endgame: h7! 22.xe8 1/2-1/2 Wahlbom, M (2304)-Vogel,
( 24...f2 25.xg7 xg7 26.f1! c2 J (2191), Opatija CRO 2013. ]
27.e8+ and White wins as in the note 12...0-0 13.c1 h6?!
to 23...Ra7 above.) 25.xh7+ xh7 [ 13...d7 Just to illustrate my point, I will
26.xc5 b6 27.c3 d7; insert this line to show how much more
B2) 24.xg7! h7! ( 24...xg7? resourceful Black's position becomes after
25.e8+ ) 25.xh7+ xh7 26.xf8 developing the bishop immediately. 14.xf6
xf8 27.xf7+ g8 and now 28.af1! xf6 15.b1 af8 This is a whole different

577
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
issue now for black because the bishop
move cleared the way for the rooks to join
and now the light squared bishop is able to
join via ...Be8 ]
14.xf6 This might be a novelty. I don't know
of any book which takes this line into
c o n sid e ra t io n . I t h in k t h is l in e d e se rve s
serious consideration and practice. W hat
follows is just a sample line. I do not claim the
next 2-3 moves by black are f orced. xf6
15.b1 f7
[ 15...g6 Who would come up with a move
like this in OTB? This feels like a preparation
to buckle down and defend or play a bit
passive. 16.c3 g7 17.e3 With ideas of
Ne5 and Qd2, perhaps f4, Rg3, and h4 to
follow up. Again, not very comfortable for me,
as Black. ]
[ [jw:] 15...xf3!? looks sound and sufficient
for equality. If so, 13...h6 may not deserve
the '?!' Jose gives it. 16.gxf3 xh2+
A) 17.h1 f4 18.c3 d8! 19.xf4
h4+ 20.g1 xf4 21.c1 h4= ( or
21...f6 22.d1 d7 with the idea...
Rf8 );
B) 17.g2
B1) 17...f4 18.c3 ( 18.xf4 xf4
19.d3 xd4 20.e3 f6 ) 18...d8
( 18...f7 19.d3 e5 20.xf4 xf4
21.h7+ f8 22.g6 exd4 23.c5
maybe a bit better for White, but that's
not clear ) 19.g1! ( 19.d3 g5+
20.g3 e7! ) 19...g5 20.d3 f6
21.h7+ f7 22.d1 d7 ( 22...e7
23.f4! ) 23.f4! ( 23.f4 c8 24.g3
g8 25.g6+ e7 , with equal
chances ) 23...g8 24.g6+ e7
25.h5 f8 26.g3 g5 27.xf6 xf6
28.c7 c8 29.xc8 xc8=;
B2) 17...d6 18.d3 f7 19.h7+
f8 ]
16.d3 g5 17.c3 c7
[ [jw:] 17...g7 is the normal place for the
queen in this variation, when a wild but
hopefully relevant continuation might be
18.e5 ( 18.g3 f8 ) 18...xe5 19.dxe5
f7 20.f4 gxf4 21.xf4 ( 21.xf4 xe5
22.g3+ g5 ) 21...xf4 22.xf4 xe5
23.g3+ g7 24.f3! d7 25.h5 e5
26.e3 ( 26.e2 g5 ) 26...g4 27.d3
b5! 28.d1 ( 28.xb5?? d4+; 28.d2
e5 ) 28...e3 29.xg7 xd1 30.xe6
e8 31.xd1 ( 31.f5 e3; 31.f4 e1# )
31...xe6 32.xd5 e1+ 33.f2 e2+
34.f3 xb2 ]
18.g3 f8
[ 18...g4 19.h4 jw: Blades stops here, but
this strikes me as very unclear, with White's
weak d-pawn more-or-less balanced by
Black's exposed kingside. One example:
f7 20.f3 e5 21.fxg4 xg4 22.gf5
( 22.f5! ) 22...xd4 23.xd4 exd4
24.xd4 f4 25.g6 xd4 26.xf7+ g7
27.f5+ xf5 28.xf5 f8 ]
19.e5
[ 19.a3 This also seems like a serious option
to press for an advantage and a bit more.
g7 ( 19...f7 20.e5 xe5 21.dxe5
d7 22.f4 gxf4 23.ce1 ) 20.h5 f7
21.c2 This is not a position I would ever
want to be in as Black. W hite has a very
nice and dangerous initiative with pieces a
lot more dangerously placed. [jw: Black
would have to try e5 22.dxe5 ( 22.f6+
h8 )]
19...xe5 20.dxe5 xe5 21.c2 f7
22.ce1 h8
[ 22...d4! light += ]
23.h5 White has a strong initiative and black
is reduced to an uncomfortable role of
defense or passivity. This is not to my liking.
The issue of whether this position can be
defended or not is another subject. don't want
to have to reach that point. I wish to avoid it,
if possible.
645 C06
Tarrasch Universal System
7...f6 - J N B Aldebol
[John Watson & J NB Aldebol]
Josef N Blades Aldebol sends us the
following innovative idea in the Universal
System. I use primarily his notes with a few of
my own (normally marked 'jw'). 1.e4 e6 2.d4
d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.gf3 c5 6.c3
c6 7.d3 f6 This is a rather obscure move
that I recommend in PTF4 (along with 7... g6
a n d 7 . . . h 6 ) . 8.exf6 xf6 9.0-0 cxd4
10.xd4 e5 Aldebol: "This is not mentioned
in your book as an option right now (see page
578
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

98). In my opinion this is better if played at move ...Nd7, but I prefer 18...Kh8. Here's
once." some analysis: h8
[ [jw:] In my book I give only 10...d6 , when [ 18...d7!? might lead to something like
11.2f3 ( 11.e1 e5 12.f5 transposes to 19.g4 f6 ( 19...b6 20.b3 ) 20.h3
Aldebol's main line) 11...e5! 12.xc6 bxc6 ( 20.e2 d7 ) 20...ae8 21.e2 h5
13.xe5! xe5 14.e1 g4! 15.f4 0-0 22.ac1 g6 23.f1 g4 ]
16.xe5 xf2 17.c2 xd3 18.xd3 f5 19.c1 g8 , and here's a partial analysis
19.g3 d7= ] that might at least give you a feel for the play:
11.e1 d6 12.f5 xf5! Aldebol's novelty. 20.g4 e7 21.c2 f5 22.e2 ad8
I'll follow his notes in this line unless marked [ 22...f6 23.ec1 xd4 24.xd4 xd4
'jw'. 25.d1 e5 26.d2 b6 27.xd5 xd5
[ In PTF4, I give the following analysis: " 28.xd5 c5 29.g2 f7 about = (and
12...0-0 13.xd6 xd6 14.e4! opp-colours) ]
(upon slower moves, Black consolidates his 23.ec1 a6 24.a3 f6 25.d2 xe3
centre) xe4 15.xe4 e6 and Black's 26.fxe3
centre matches the bishop pair in worth. A [ 26.xe3 b8 intending ...Ba7 ]
radical continuation would be 16.c4!? d4!? 26...g5 27.e2 g6 28.c8 h5
17.cxd5 xd5 18.g4 xe4 19.xe4 [ 28...g7 29.xd8 xd8 30.c8 f8!
ac8 20.e3 c2 21.ad1 c6 22.xc6 intending ...Rf3 31.h3 f3 32.c3 h5
xc6 23.e2 xe3 24.fxe3 f7= ". ] 33.g2 f8 ]
13.xf5 0-0 14.f3 29.e6 h4 30.xd8 xd8 31.g2 hxg3
[ 14.b3 a5 15.b5 e4 16.e6+ 32.h4 h6 33.xd5 g7 34.g4
( 16.b3 c4 ) 16...h8 17.f1 ( 17.b3 [ 34.h5 g5 35.hxg6?? h8 36.h1
c4 ) 17...a6 18.e2 b6 ] h2+ ]
14...e4 15.d4 34...xe3 35.c2 f8=
[ 15.g5 e5
A) 16.e6 d7 17.d4 e7 18.g5
d3; 646 C06
B) 16.b3 c5 17.e6 d7 18.e3 Timman,Jan H 2655
xe3 19.xe3 ae8 jw: 20.f4 d3 Morozevich,Alexander 2748
21.xg7 d6! ( 21...xg7 22.g3 ); Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (12) 29.01.2000
C) 16.e3 c7 ( 16...d3 17.e6 e7 [Neil McDonald]
18.xf8 xh2+ 19.xh2 e5+
and Black gets a lot of play on W hite's 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 So Morozevich
exposed king and all the fun is his, in my forsakes his habitual 3...Be7. 4.e5 fd7
opinion. ) 17.b3 h8 18.e6 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
If this is not equal, then it is Black who is 9.f4!? I suspect Timman was hoping his
better. ( 18.ad1 ae8 ) 18...d7 ] opponent wouldn't have studied this double
15...xd4 e d g e d m o v e i n g r e a t d e t a i l . xd4
[ 15...e5 This is also good, simple, and More or less forced. 10.h5+ e7 11.exf6+!
may appeal more to other players. [jw:] A good zwischenzug before collecting the
16.e6 d7 17.h3 fe8 18.g5 fg4 exchange. xf6 12.g6+ hxg6 13.xh8
19.xg4 xg4 20.xg4 xe6 21.ad1 f7
f8 22.g3 h5 23.h3 f7 24.e3 e7= ] [ The most solid move. Extremely violent is
16.cxd4 c7 [jw: Aldebol stops here and 13...e5 with a long forcing variation 14.xg6
assesses this as slightly better for Black. This ( 14.f3 xf3+ 15.gxf3 f5 16.xf5 gxf5
is solid for Black, but I think only equal. Here's 17.g5 a5+ 18.f1 e4!? with a mess.)
some analysis:] 17.g3 14...e4 15.0-0 e2+ 16.h1 f4 17.h7
[ 17.e6+ h8 18.g3 ] d3 18.b3 d6 19.a4 xc1 20.axc1
17...f7 18.e3 . [jw:] At this point the f4 21.f3! and White appears to have a
computer gives a number of lines with the dangerous attack, for example xd2 ( If

579
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
21...e3 22.fe1 h6 23.f1 d4 24.c4
xh7 25.xh7 xh7 26.xd4 gives White
a good endga me accordin g to B areev.)
22.fxe4 h6 23.c7+ d7 24.e5 xh7
25.e6 xe6 26.g8+ d6 27.xd7+
xd7 28.xd5+ c8 29.f7!
and the onslaught continues. This is
analysis by Dzhandzhava based on his
game against Dreev, Lvov 1987 in
Informator 44. [If you want to find this game
in a database I guess it's best just to search
for Dreev at Lvov 1987, as W hite's name
can also be Janjgava, etc.!] Unless you have
a couple of weeks to spare to analyse the
French, I would advise you to avoid this and
play as Morozevich did. ]
14.h4 Probably best. Also possible is
[ 14.0-0 e5 15.f3 xf3+ 16.gxf3
when I cannot resist quoting one of my own
games: h5 [ o b j e c t i v e l y ( 16...e4!?
might be better]) 17.xg6+! xg6 18.h1
h4 [If ( 18...f6 19.g1+ f7 20.xg7+!
is strong.) 19.xf8 h7 20.a3 h3?
Better was ( 20...d7 planning Bc6 and d4,
with dynamic counterplay.) 21.g1 xf2
22.d3+? White could force the exchange
of queens with ( 22.e3! ) 22...h8 23.d2
f8 24.g5 f5 25.ag1 xg5 26.xg5
d4 27.e4? g2+! 28.xg2 f1+ 29.g1
g3+ 30.hxg3 h3# Stanton-McDonald,
London 1990. ]
14...e5 15.f3 xf3+ 16.gxf3 f5 17.xf5
gxf5 18.g5 c8? This move has been
s u g ge s t e d b y t h e a n a l ys t s, b u t T i m m a n
succeeds in making it look poor. The point is
that despite White's broken kingside, Black
shouldn't be going for an attack- instead he
should be consolidating his big centre, which
is actually quite vulnerable. The exchange of
queens would greatly assist him as it would
allow his king to carry out a useful defensive
function once it was freed from the attentions
of the white queen. Thus the main idea here is
[ 18...a5+ 19.f1 g6! as played by
Timman himself. Black exploits a tactical
trick to secure his kingside. After
A) The attempt to avoid exchanging on f6
with 20.c1 looks fine for Black after h5!
e.g. 21.f4 e4 22.h3 b5+ 23.g2
c5 ( Safer was 23...d6 ) 24.c3 b6
25.hd1 e8 26.c2 ( Here 26.xd5
n e e d s t o b e i n v e s t i g a t e d , b u t e3
looks highly dangerous for White.) 26...e3
27.b3 xb3 28.axb3 d4 and Black was
much better in Sanz Alonso-Ulibin,
Ibercaja 1992.;
B) 20.xf6 a6+ 21.g2 xf6
22.xf6+ ( Black was also fine after
22.a4 c6 23.b3 h6 24.hd1 d8
in B e lo v-S m i ko vs ki, B e rl in 1 9 9 8 . Hi s
bishop is much better on h6 than on d6.)
22...xf6 23.ac1 d6 24.hd1 e6
25.c3 g5 26.dc1 d7! He mustn't ow
White to exchange off a pair of rooks with
2 7 R c 8 , a s t h e b i s h o p wo u l d b e o u t
ranged by the remaining rook. 27.b3 b6
28.d3 and now instead of d4?! 29.h4!
when Black was worse [though he
eventually won]. Timman says he should
have played 28...Ke6 with equality. ]
19.0-0 c4 20.h3 d7 The broad centre
looks visually impressive for Black.
Nevertheless, the fact that W hite has been
allowed to keep both the queens and the last
minor pieces on the board, without having to
make any concessions in order to do so,
means that there is a lot of firepower with
which Timman can hit the centre pawns and
t h re a t e n t h e b la ck kin g . 21.ad1 e6
22.fe1 d7 This unnatural move shows that
Black is less than comfortable. 23.e2 a5
24.f4! a4
[ Black's centre begins to crumble, for if
24...e4 25.ed2 b6 26.d8!?
looks bad. ]
25.h5+ g8 26.ed2 b6 27.b3 axb3
28.axb3 b4 29.d3 exf4 30.d8! d7
31.xd5 Black's centre has collapsed, so he's
only chance is a swindle against W hite's
somewhat exposed king. e5 32.c7 g6
33.h3 f7 34.a5 e4 35.c3 f3
36.xf3 g5 37.d3 g4+ 38.f1 c6
39.e5 e4 40.d6 g7 41.c5 e8
42.c4 h7 43.f4! This accurate defensive
move kills off the counterattack. The rest is
sheer desperation by Black. xc4 44.bxc4
e6 45.e3 a4 46.e1 b5 47.cxb5 h4
48.d5 c7 49.c6 h3+ 50.g1 xb5
51.xb5 g4+ 52.f1 f4 53.d2
It's the end for Black after 53... f3 54 Qg5 or
53...Qh3+ 54 Ke2 Qg4+ 55 Kd3.
1-0
580
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
647 C06
Timofeev,Artyom 2578
Arencibia Rodriguez,Walter 2508
20th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (7) 4.3.04
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.d3 c5 6.e5 fd7 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 h5?
This move was recommended in the days
before it was realised that W hite can play
d4xc5! and not worry about the loss of his
pawn centre. If Black wants to advance pawns
on the kingside he has to try
[ 8...g5 first, with the following examples on
ChessPub: 9.dxc5 ( Dangerous is 9.a3!?
as in Nisipeanu-Volkov.) 9...dxe5 10.b5
( 10.xe5!? xe5 11.b5+ d7 12.xd7+
Rublevsky-Morozevich, looks OK for Black
as long as he plays xd7! now. ) 10...d7
11.e2 c7 12.e1 g6 13.b3 g4
14.fd4 e5! and Black had active play in
Rublevsky-Volkov. If you compare this line
to that in the main game, it becomes clear
that Black has wasted an important temp on
8...h5. ]
9.e1 g5 10.dxc5! White dissolves his own
pawn centre in order to open lines and exploit
his advantage in development. He has to keep
the momentum of his attack going as
strategically speaking he is doing Black's
work for him by conceding the e5 square.
Nevertheless, once the centre opens the
m o ve 8 . . . h 5 lo o ks like a n irre le va n t se l f
we a k e n i n g m o v e . g4 11.d4 dxe5
12.b5 d7 13.2b3 g6 14.c4!
The extra tempo White has because of 8...h5
is used to great effect to undermine the black
centre. a6 15.xc6 bxc6 16.d2!
Beginning an instructive deployment of the
bishop. e5 Black has no choice but to expand
in the centre and hope for the best, as
[ 16...dxc4 17.a5 attacking c4 and c6, is
horrible for him. ]
17.a5 b8 18.cxd5! cxd5
[ Black is annihilated after 18...exd4 19.d6
e6 20.dxe7 followed by 21. Nxd4 or 21.
Qxd4 etc. ]
19.c6 c8 20.c7 b7 21.c1! d7
[ If 21...exd4 22.xd4 0-0 ( Or 22...f8
23.xe7! xe7 24.b4+ e8 25.c5
c6 26.e1+ e6 27.f6 with a winning
attack. ) 23.xe7! xe7 24.f6!
and the threat of 25.Bc3 followed by mate
on g7 or h8 will cost Black his knight to
begin with. ]
22.c5 xc5 23.xc5 0-0 24.b3!?
[ The safest approach. White could have
kept a strong initiative with 24.b3 for if d4
-with ideas of Nf4 and mate on g2-
25.exe5! xe5 26.xe5 f6 27.xh5
leaves the Black king a target after 28.Qxd4,
etc. ]
24...xb3 25.xb3 e6 Black has survived
to the endgame but the strong passed pawn
will prove his undoing. 26.c6 fe8 27.c5
e4 28.xe6 fxe6 29.ec1 ec8 30.d6
e5 31.xe6 c4 32.xc4! There goes
Black's only active piece. dxc4 33.xe4 c3!?
34.b4! A clever move as if 34.Bxc3? Rxc7
while
[ 34.bxc3? e8! forces an unwelcome
exchange of rooks as the white bishop no
longer defends e1 against Re1 mate if the
white rook moves away. ]
34...e8 35.f1 cxb2 36.xb2 f7 37.g3
e6 38.d2 f5 39.g2 ac8 40.d5+
e5 41.d8 e8 42.b6 a8 43.a4
Now Black's rook are tied up and White can
gradually increase the pressure. c8 44.a5
a8 45.f3 gxf3+ 46.xf3 c8
The remaining of the game are somewhat odd,
perhaps due to time pressure or mis-recording,
so I'll stop here and say that White managed
to grind out the win.
1-0
648 C06
Timofeev,Artyom 2591
Moreno Carnero,Javier 2525
ACP Blitz Prelim1 blitz (9) 12.04.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 g5?!
This idea has been known for a long time.
Black plans to chase away the knight with g5-
g4 and then conquer the d4 square. However,
it is double edged as even if Black wins a
pawn he will be behind in development and
his king won't be particularly safe.
[ A reliable alternative is 8...a5!? 9.e1 cxd4
581
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
10.cxd4 b6 11.e2 ( Far too defensive is
11.a4? b4! when the exchange of
queens favours Black as there is no longer
any big attack to be feared: 12.b5 xa4
13.xa4 b6 14.b5 d7 15.xc6 xc6
16.b3 a4 17.b2 d7 18.ac1 axb3
19.axb3 a2 20.c3 b5 and Black had a
clear plus in Berry,J-Matveeva,S/playchess.
com INT 2004.) 11...g5 12.h3 h5 13.f1
xd4 14.xd4 xd4 15.g3 an attempt
to improve on ( 15.h2 g4! which turned
out very successfully for Black in
Rublevsky-Lputian on ChessPub.) 15...g4!
here also Black returns the pawn
immediately to gain the initiative. 16.hxg4
xg4 17.c2 h4 18.e2 g6 19.xg6
fxg6 20.f1 xe5 21.b5+ c6 22.e3
d7 I imagine Black is doing nicely here- the
pressure might be worth one pawn, but not
two. However, a blitz game is a blitz game
an d it e ve n t u a lly f in ish e d a s a d ra w in
Timofeev,A-Matveeva,S/playchess.com INT
2004. ]
9.dxc5 g4
[ Black can also snatch the pawn
imm ed iat ely wit h 9...dxe5 for example
10.xe5 xe5 11.b5+ d7 12.xd7+
and here on ChessPub I have
r e c o m m e n d e d xd7 with the idea of
castling queenside. Still, even here White
has the chance to build up an attack
w i t h o u t s a c r i f i c i n g a p a w n . ( If instead
12...xd7? 13.b4 b6 14.c4! and White
went on to win in Rublevsky-Morozevich-
see ChessPub. )]
10.d4 dxe5 11.b5 d7 12.b4 xd4
This allows W hite a 'clean' advantage with
healthy pawns and a far safer king. However
the attempt to keep things complicated with
[ 12...h5 led to a vicious attack in the
following game: 13.e1 xd4 14.xd7+
xd7 15.xe5! c6 16.e1 f6?! 17.b5!
e5 18.b3 xb5 19.d4 xc5 20.b1
b6 21.f4 g6 22.a4+ e7 ( 22...f8
23.xe6! ) 23.f5+ d8 24.e3 c7
25.xb6! axb6 26.xa8+ d7 27.a4+
c6 28.xc6+ xc6 29.d4+ c7
30.xe6+! fxe6 31.xe6 xc3 32.xg6
and White was winning in Timofeev,A-Bartel,
M/playchess.com INT 2004. ]
13.xd7+ xd7 14.cxd4 c6 15.xg4
xb4 16.f3 The dust has settled and White
has a clear advantage, mainly because the
black rooks cannot cooperate with each other
as they are split by the black king stuck in the
middle. f6 17.f4 h5 18.g3 c6
19.e5 xe5 20.xe5 xe5 21.xe5 e7
[ T h e o n l y c h a n c e w a s 21...0-0-0
even t ho ugh it loo ks pe rilo us a f t er s a y
22.fc1 ( not 22.c6? bxc6 23.ab1 c7
24.e2 d7! would hold on for Black.)
22...c6 23.f6! when having to defend f7
is awkward. ]
22.ab1 f6 23.f4 f7 24.b3 ac8
25.fb1 b6 26.cxb6 axb6 27.xb6 c7
28.e1 c6 29.xc6 xc6 30.c1 a4
31.c7+ g6 32.g3+ f5 33.d3+ f4
34.f3+ g5 35.g7+
1-0
649 C06
Timothy Chan 2322
Goh Wei Ming 2413
61st Singapore National Chess (3.1) 04.01.09
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
The past few updates feature some
depressing results for Black in the Universal
System. Hopefully, this game can set the
record straight. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2
f6! 3..Nc6 might be my favourite but there is
always room for the fascinating mainlines in
my repertoire. I have now played 3..h6, 3..
Be7, 3..Nc6 and 3..Nf6 against the Tarrasch.
4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3
This move is all the rage at the moment and
understandably so. The universal system is
economical, more aggressive then 7.Ne2, and
has a fine pedigree with many GMs willing to
lea d th e line . g6! For some reason, I really
like this move. At first sight, it seems to be
just weakening the dark squares around the
kingside and especially so when Black
develops his bishop on the e7 square (not so
typical but still played in this line). I like to
t h in k o f t h i s m o ve a s a r e st ra in in g o n e ,
frustrating White's intentions on the kingside.
In general, White plays the Universal to attack
and the little pawn move is critical in building
a f ortress o n th e kingsid e (t his m ight b e
clearer in the notes to the game's
582
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
continuation). At the same time, Black is also
preparing his own attacking plans with ...Bg7
and ...f6 in the offing which are so typical in
the French's arsenal. Allow me a slight
digression at this stage. I always thought that
[ 7...b6 was the refutation of 7.Ngf3 when I
was 13 years old as it seems to win a pawn
by force. However, I soon realized how
dangerous the pawn sacrifice 8.0-0 cxd4
9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3
really is and I started playing 7.Ngf3 myself.
Of course, theory was not much developed
then (about 12 years ago) and moves like
the sophisticated 7.. Be7 and 7...g6 were
almost unheard of. Incidentally, one of my
favourite opening traps arises after b6
12.a4 c5?! 13.d2 0-0?? 14.h4 g6
15.b4! and White wins a piece! ]
8.h4 Given an exclaim by Moskalenko in "The
Flexible French". This makes more sense then
the alternative 8.0-0. h6!? A typical response
to a potential pawn storm. If White ever plays
h5, Black is able to respond safely with ...g5,
locking up the kingside.
[ Contrastingly, 8...b6 is a move looking for
a big fight. After 9.h5 cxd4 10.cxd4 g5
11.xg5 xd4 12.df3 b4+ 13.d2
xb2 14.b1 a3 15.b3 xa2
Black is a couple of pawns up but
potentially facing an extremely dangerous
attack. I suppose this position is tenable
with some preparation but it is not
everyone's cup of tea to spend their time
defending. ( 15...e7 was analyzed by Neil
in F e d o r c h u k - R a d zi e wic z, 2 0 0 5 . S e e
archives. )]
[ 8...e7 is also possible and would likely be
featured in the next update. ]
9.f1 Surprisingly, this natural move appears
to be a mistake and allows equality almost
immediately!
[ 9.c2 was played in Adams - Berg, Crete
2007 and seems to be the critical variation.
A n d n o w I r e c o m m e n d b6!? as a little
known alternative ( 9...b5 is the main move
and was played in the actual game and
heavily analyzed by Neil. See Archives.)
10.0-0 ( I couldn't resist demonstrating a fine
piece of analysis in one of the previous
updates: 10.c4?! cxd4 11.cxd5 exd5
12.e6 a6!! 13.exd7+? xd7 and "White
is facing a killer check on the e file".) 10...g5!
11.hxg5 hxg5 12.g4 a6 13.e1 cxd4
14.cxd4 b4 15.b1 c8 16.f1 e7
with mutual chances. ]
9...g7N Getting on with business. Initially, I
thought that
[ 9...a5 would have posed considerable
problems for White. How is White going to
hold his central pawns without disrupting
the harmony in his position? I then realized
that W hite can play the atypical 10.e2!
ALA Karpov. This move was actually played
in a GM clash: b5 11.a3 b4 12.cxb4 cxb4
13.e3 a6 14.xa6 xa6+ 15.d3
xd3+ 16.xd3 bxa3 17.bxa3 b6
18.1d2 and here, the players agreed to a
draw in Smirin, I (2637)-Gleizerov, E (2549)/
Biel SUI 2008. I'm not sure why Black didn't
play on as he had the better bishop and
would have been playing without any risks. I
have foresee similar positions had I played
9..Qa5 and wanted something else. I need
my queen if I want to force complications! ]
10.e3 b6 Timothy has consumed a huge
chunk of his time at this stage. 11.c2 a5
12.g4?! Weakening.
[ 12.h5 would have been a logical move,
considering the e3 knight was ready to hop
onto the ideal g4 square. g5 13.0-0 c7
14.g4 b5 15.d3 c4 16.c2 b4
with a messy game. ]
12...c7 Black has played all the automatic
moves so far and had an easy plan of
attacking W hite's queenside. Meanwhile,
W hite has not started anything really
constructive on the kingside. His next move
t o o k m e b y s u r p r i s e . 13.g1?
Timothy overlooked Black's effective retort. It
is clear what he was trying: to do a regrouping
with Nge2, f4 followed by a subsequent h5.
He probably though that such a slow
regrouping manoeuvre was possible as the
game had undertaken a positional, strategic
nature so far, with the position seemingly
resolutely blocked. I immediately noticed the
da nge r in m y p ositio n if I a llo w W hit e t o
conduct his plans and wondered how I can
open up the position and force him to defend.
cxd4 14.cxd4 xd4!! So natural once its
considered. In one move, Black wipes out
White's proud centre with this piece sacrifice
583
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
bu t th e c 6 k n igh t was ge tt in g in t he wa y
anyway! More importantly, W hite's pieces
were almost randomly placed and quite a
number of tempi was required before White
can complete his development. Considering
all these factors, it can be said that the piece
sacrifice was really promising or just winning.
15.xd4 xe5 The threat of 16..Nf3 was
obvious but not easy to handle. 16.f1
[ During our analysis, I thought that 16.a4+
was more nat ural, re moving o ne o f th e
pieces under attack. Rybka seems to think
B l a c k h a s a h u g e a d va n t a g e a f t e r d7
17.xd7+ xd7 18.f1 0-0 19.g2 ac8
Again, W hite's problems boil down to his
lack of development, the badly placed King
& Q u e e n , a n d t h e we a k e n e d k i n g s i d e
caused by White's imprudent 12th move. ]
16...0-0 17.g2? Timothy was unable to
react to the change in the circumstances.
Both Rybka 3 & Hiarcs 12 suggested moves
like
[ 17.f4 and ]
[ 17.e2 as better defensive options but the
position was already very difficult to handle
from a practical POV. ]
17...b6 Of course! What better square for the
l i g h t s q u a r e b i s h o p b u t b 7 ? 18.d2
This loses a third pawn and Black wrapped up
the game without any problems: c4 19.d3
xb2 20.b3 a4 21.b4 d4 22.c1 dxe3
23.e4 exd2 There was an elegant win in
[ 23...f4! 24.xa8 xf2+ 25.h3 exd2
which is absolutely crushing. ]
24.xc7 d1 25.xa8 a6
[ 25...d3 26.e4 e5 27.h3 xg4+
28.xg4 xg4-+ was another route to
Rome. ]
26.h3 d8 27.a7 c4 28.f3 d4
29.a3 b5 30.c7 e5 31.c5 xc5
32.xc5 d6 33.c6 xa3 34.e4 d8
35.h5 d4
0-1
650 C06
Tiviakov,Sergei 2599
Hertneck,Gerald 2570
EuTCh Leon ESP (4) 09.11.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 h6 11.0-0 d6 12.g3
0-0 13.c2 d8 14.e1 f8 15.e5!
This move seems to guarantee White a safe
edge. The point is if Black captures on e5
with 15...Nxe5 16.dxe5 Bxe5 17.Nh5 he loses
a piece. On the other hand he can't tolerate
the white knight sitting indefinitely on e5 so he
is m ore o r less com pe lle d to give up h is
strong dark squared bishop for it. xe5?
[ An inaccuracy in move order. He should
play 15...h4 first attacking d4. Then after
16.f4 xe5 17.dxe5 d7! Black is in time
to meet the attacking move Nh5 with Be8. In
the main game this idea is one move too
slow- see below. Still, Black doesn't have an
easy life even here: 18.e3!? e8 ( If
18...d4? 19.d2 when the e4 square is
opened to the white pieces and e6 may
become a target in the future.) 19.d2 g6
20.f5! exf5 21.xf5 h5 22.f2 xf5
23.xf5 e8 24.c5 f7 25.d6 g6
26.e2 h8 27.ae1 ad8 Radjabov
succeeded in holding the draw but the two
bishops must be worth more than the two
knights and besides White's passed pawn
is stronger. Navara,D-Radjabov,T/Aviles
2000. ]
16.dxe5 h4 17.h5! White develops a
dangerous attack in just a couple of moves.
d7
[ Black's problem is that the natural 17...d7
allows a winning combination: 18.e3 e8
19.xg7! xg7 20.h3 d4 21.xh6+
f7 ( 21...g8 22.g3+ ) 22.f3+ e7
23.xf8+ and White wins. ]
18.e3 f7 19.f4 d8 20.g3 e7??
[ Imperative was 20...h8 when White still
has to find a way to break through. ]
21.f6+ Black resigned as if h8 22.h5
there is no good way to defend the rook.
1-0
584
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
651
Tiviakov,Sergei
Reinderman,Dimitri
74th Tata Steel GMB (9) 24.01.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 0-0 12.f4
h5 A favourite of Moskalenko's. It's good for
approximate equality, although Black may
have to live with some very slightly worse
positions. 13.xd6 xd6 14.c2
[ 14.b5 d7 ( 14...b4 15.xc6 bxc6
16.c2 ) 15.e1 f6 ( 15...xf3!? 16.gxf3
f8 17.xc6 bxc6 18.d3 e5 19.dxe5
xe5 20.e3 f5 with definite but
probably not full compensation)
ac8 17.xc6 xc6 18.e5
19.xd7 xd7 , roughly equal. ]
14...h6
[ 14...f6 may be better it gives White a
couple of choices, neither giving more than
a slight edge:
A) 15.h3 d7 16.a3 ae8 ( 16...e5!?;
16...ac8 17.d2 e8 18.e3 h5
19.e5 xe2 20.xe2 e4 21.xc6
xc6 22.d3 f6 and White has only a
no m in a l e d ge) 17.ac1 e5 18.dxe5
xe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.c3 g5!?;
B) 15.b5 d7 16.xc6 xc6 17.e5
B1) 17...d7 18.xd7 ( 18.f4 b5
19.ae1 ) 18...xd7;
B2) 17...d7 ]
15.b5 e7?! After this White's advantage is
significant. Much better is
[ 15...d7 16.xc6 xc6 17.e5 b5
18.fe1 ac8 ]
16.e5
[ Or 16.ac1 a6 17.a4 b5 18.c7!
with a comfortable advantage. ]
16...f4
[ 16...a6 17.a4 b5 18.b3
19.c5! ]
17.ad1 b4? 18.xf4 xf4?
[ 18...xb5 19.g3 ]
19.d3 xd4 20.c7! g6
and wins. c4 22.d6 f7 23.g3
[ 23.xf7+ xf7 24.d8 ]
23...h8 24.e5 b4 25.xf7+ xf7
26.c1 d6 27.c7 e8 28.f7 b6
C06 29.g6 d6 30.g4
2677 1-0
2581
652 C06
Tiviakov,Sergei 2611
Shaw,John K 2410
Young Masters (3) 21.12.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 0-0 12.f4
xf4 13.xf4 e4 14.e2 xf3 15.gxf3
g5 16.h1 e5 17.dxe5 xe5
[ The alternative 17...xf3 is analysed in
Savinov-Malakhatko. ]
16.c1 18.g1?! The critical move here is
d7 [ 18.d4! A key variation is f6 19.b3
h3 20.g1 gxf3 21.xd5+ h8
22.xf3 d8 Now Bareev claims that Black
has compensation for the sacrificed material,
b u t t h e s i m p l i f y i n g 23.xd8+! xd8
24.xe5 d5+ 25.f3 xe5 26.ae1
l o o k s v e r y g o o d f o r W h i t e , e . g . h5
27.e4!? b6 28.c6 ]
[ Note that White should avoid 18.f4? g4!
19.f3 xf3+ 20.xf3 gxf3 21.fxe5 h4
22.g2 f8 23.h3 g5+ 24.h1 xe5
and White had no good defence to mate on
h2 in Donovan-Kinsman, London 1994. ]
18...f6 19.e2 d7 20.e1
[ Taking on d5 has been suggested, but this
seems very risky in view of the weakness on
f3, e.g. 20.xd5+ h8 21.ad1 c6
22.d6 e6 23.a3 f4 when the main
threat is Qg5 mating on g2. ]
20...c6 21.c1 d8 22.b3 h8 23.f4
xf4 24.g3 d4+?
[ This allows White to escape into an
endgame which he manages to save.
Instead he should keep up the pressure with
b7 24...f6! when 25.f3 d4 looks highly
unpleasant for White. ]
25.xc6 xg3 26.hxg3 xc6 27.c4 h6
28.f4 h7 29.f3 Suddenly White's pieces
21.e8! have all sprung to life. f6 30.e5 xe5
31.fxe5 g4 32.e6 d3 33.g1 d2 34.d1
d4 35.b5 f6 36.e7 e4 37.e8+ xe8
38.xd2 a6 39.xe8 xe8 40.d7 b5
41.d6 e2 42.xa6 xb2 43.a4 bxa4
585
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

44.xa4 h7 45.a6 h5 46.c6 g6 25.g1! and again Black collapses along
47.c7+ h6 48.c5 a2 49.b5 a6 the g file. ]
50.g2 g5 51.b2 g4 52.b5 g6 53.c5 21.f7+! White wins vital time to get his queen
f6 54.a5 f5 55.a6+ g5 56.a4 d5 aiming at the weakest point in Black's position-
57.b4 f5 58.f4+ e5 59.a4 d2+ the g7 square. xf7 22.xd7+ g8 23.f6!
60.g1 d4 61.a5+ e4 62.xh5 f3 As the aim of a game of chess is to mate the
63.a5 d1+ opponent's king W hite doesn't begrudge a
½-½ second bishop sacrifice. It doesn't matter if
Black has a huge material advantage if he
ca n 't ke e p a gr ip o n t h e g7 sq u a re . gxf6
653 C06 24.g1! No material expense is spared to
Todorovic,Goran M 2459 conquer the vital square. xg1 25.xg1 h8
Kraai,Jesse 2454 [ Black is also mated after 25...f8 26.e4
FSGM June Budapest HUN (7) 13.06.2003 dxe4 27.g7 ]
[Neil McDonald] 26.e4 g8 The prettiest mate is saved for
the game itself: 27.h7+!! Black resigned as
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 if xh7 28.xf6+ h8 29.xg8#
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 1-0
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 c7
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 14.c2!?
It may appear that the white queen and bishop 654 C06
are the wrong way round to do Black any real Tyomkin,Dimitri 2505
harm, but this move begins one of the most Tu Hoang Thong 2499
hotly contested lines after 3...Nf6. h6 15.g6 36th Olympiad (14) 29.10.2004
[ The similar line 15.h7+ h8 16.g6 [Neil McDonald]
is also analysed on ChessPub. ]
15...xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+ 17.h1 f4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
18.g3 b6? The verdict on this move 5.gf3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.d3 b6 8.0-0
keeps changing. Previously I have given it an cxd4 9.cxd4 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.f3
exclamation mark: now I'm thinking it might b6 12.a4 b4 13.c2 c5
lose by force! 19.ad1 [ The alternatives 13...c5 and ]
[ After 19.ac1 I r e c o m m e n d xd4!? [ 13...e7 are examined in games on
see the analysis to Naiditsch-Kalinitschew ChessPub. ]
on ChessPub. ] 14.d2 a4 15.b3
19...xd4 20.a4!! This appears to be a [ The alternative is to play an endgame:
tremendous improvement on 15.xh7
[ 20.xd4 when White lost quickly in A) I have some sympathy with the pawn
A a g a a r d - G l e i z e r o v- a n o t h e r g a m e o n sac 15...g6 16.xg6 g4 ( 16...fxg6?
ChessPub. ] 17.xg6+ d7 18.f6 and Black could
20...d7 resign as he will drop the bishop on f8 in
[ Black also loses after 20...xg6 21.e8+! view of g8 19.f7+ ) 17.d3 g8
( Not 21.xd4 d7! ) 21...h7 as his king 18.e1 d7 followed by 19...Rc8 with a
ends up mated in all lines after ( If 21...f8 lot of tactical chances.;
22.e7 ) 22.h5!! f o r e xa m p l e ( but not B) 15...xc2 16.xc2 d7 One of the
22.f6 e5! ) things I don't understand about chess is
A) 22...c7 23.g1 xg1 24.xg1 f8 why exchanging the centre d-pawn for the
25.f6+ gxf6 26.xf8; h-pawn should give W hite a small
B) 22...xh4 23.g1 df5 24.f6+ ( Or positional advantage. But it does! I guess
24.xg7+ xg7 25.f6# ) 24...gxf6 the fact that the knight has the lovely d4
25.g8#; square overrides questions of who has the
C) 22...f5 23.f6+ gxf6 24.xf6 g7 superior pawn centre. 17.e3 b6 18.ac1

586
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
a5 19.d4 e7 20.f4 and White had
some edge in Vachier Lagrave, M-Ismail,
S/Belfort FRA 2005. ]
15...d7 16.e2!? d4?? A highly reckless
move. One of the things we all love about the
French Defence is the solid centre which lets
Black get away with a delayed development.
Here, with only a knight and queen in play,
the last thing Black should be thinking about
is opening lines.
[ Critical is 16...b6 17.b4 ( More vigorous
than 17.e3?! e7 18.b4 a4! 19.b2
e4 20.a3 a6 21.xa6 xa6 22.d4
0-0 and Black went on to win in Vajda, L-
Czebe, A/Budapest HUN 2004.) 17...a6
18.xa6 xa6 19.a3 c8 20.d3 c4
21.e3! threatening 22.Nd2 winning
material. b8 22.ac1 xc1 23.xc1 e7
24.c3 0-0 25.c2 a6 26.d4
This is Hossain, E-W ebb, L/ch-GBR,
Edinburgh SCO 2003. There are two
compensatory factors for W hite's missing
pawn: control of the c-file and a far superior
knight. Still, Black's position is a tough nut
to crack, and Lawrence Webb almost won in
the endgame after White lost control. a8
27.c6 ( It makes more sense to begin an
attack on the kingside to exploit the absence
of the black knight and rook from the
defence: 27.f4 g6 28.g4!? ) 27...f8 28.h4
h8 29.h5 c8 30.g5 h6 31.e3 b7
32.d4 b8 33.xb8 xc3 34.xc3
xb8 35.c6 and White had begun drifting
towards defeat, though here he still has
enough pressure for the pawn. ]
17.e1?
[ White had the chance to refute Black's last
m o v e i n d i r e c t s t y l e w i t h 17.fd1!
as there is a famous checkmating device
after
A) Black also gets annihilated after 17...b6
18.g5 b7 19.xd4 d5 20.xd5!!
exd5 21.e6 xe6 ( 21...fxe6 22.e5
b7 23.h5+ g6 24.xg6+; 21...xe6
22.b5+ d7 23.d4 e4 24.xd7+
xd7 25.c6# ) 22.e5 b7 23.b5+;
B) 17...d3 18.xd3! xd3 ( If 18...xd3
19.g5! xc2 20.d8# ) 19.g5 c6
20.xd3 d7 21.ac1 b5 22.d4 h6
23.xa7 xa7 24.c8+ xc8 25.d8# ]
17...b6 18.d1 a6 19.e3! Despite his
imprecise 17th move, White still develops a
strong initiative once the d-file is opened. c8
20.xd4 b7 21.xa6 xa6 22.e2 c7
23.f3 d5 24.g5! h6
[ Black can't quite shake off the pressure, for
example 24...e7 25.g4 xe3
( 25...0-0? 26.xe6! fxe6 27.xe6+ h8
28.xd5 ) 26.fxe3 xg5 27.xg5 0-0
28.g4 g6 29.h4! ]
25.e4 e7 26.g4 f8 27.f3 b8
28.f4 b7 29.fd1 g8 30.g3 f8
31.h4 h5 I like the way Tyomkin now moves
his bishop backwards and forwards, no doubt
wa n t in g t o e sca p e t im e p re ssu re b e f o r e
committing himself to any concrete plan. The
t o r t u r e p r o ve s t o o m u c h f o r B l a c k , wh o
quickly collapses. 32.f4 b8 33.h2 a8
34.g3 b5? This exposes both the b5 and a7
pawns to future attack. 35.f4 b8 36.g3
b6 37.f4 b8 38.g3 b6 39.g5
At last White offers an exchange of bishops to
win control of d6 for his knight. f6
[ Black is also in deep trouble after both
39...b7 40.xe7+ xe7 41.d6 c3
42.1d3 and ]
[ 39...xg5 40.hxg5 g6?! 41.f6 ]
40.f3 f5? 41.xd5!
[ It's not even worth thinking about playing on
as if 41.xd5 exd5 42.xf5+ g8
43.xc8+ ]
1-0
655 C06
Vachier Lagrave,Maxime 2681
Berg,Emanuel 2592
4th ch-EU Liverpool ENG (7) 15.09.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 c7 12.g3
0-0 13.f4 g4!? This is one of the sharpest
responses to the plan of 12.g3 and 13.Bf4 as
it prepares a pawn sacrifice. 14.xd6 xd6
15.c3 e5 16.dxe5 h6 Threatening 17...
Rxf3. 17.h4 gxe5 18.g5 d4!
[ In an earlier game Emanuel Berg had fallen
p r e y t o a s t r o n g n o ve l t y a f t e r 18...g4?
19.e2! This simple retreat looks very
strong. ( Instead 19.xh7+ h8 20.xd5
587
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
ad8 21.c5 g6 shutting in the white
bishop, led to a quick victory for Black in the
following game, though it must be rated as
' u n c l e a r ' : 22.ce4 g7 23.f4 d3
24.c3 f5 25.xg7+ xg7 26.ad1
h8 27.f2 xf2 28.xf2 g4 29.xd8
xd8 30.e3 e8+ 31.d2 e2+
32.c1 b4 0-1 Losev, D-Moskalenko, V/
M o s c o w 1 9 9 5 .) 19...xe2 20.xd5+!
This is Stewart Haslinger's idea: Black is
deprived of the passed d-pawn which in our
main game will be the source of his
counterplay. h8 21.xe2 ad8 22.e4
You would imagine that with both rooks in
play Black would have dynamic
compensation for the pawn. But it seems
there is nothing for him, and Berg only drew
by a miracle: f7 23.f4 d6 24.d5
xf4 25.gxf4 xh4 26.h1 g4+ 27.g2
xf4 28.e6 f6 29.xd8 xd8 30.fe1
h6 31.ad1 Two rooks sitting on open files
versus two knights which have no centre
supports- time for Black to resign, right?
8f7 32.d3 h7 33.d5 f5 34.e6
g5+ 35.f1 h5 36.e4 b6 37.c1
g6 38.g2 g5 39.c6 f7 40.b3 e7
41.c4 f5 42.d1 g6 43.g4 f6
44.g3 e5 45.f4 e6 46.c3 g6
47.d4 f5 48.d3 e4 49.f3 a5
50.cd3 g5 51.d5 xa2 52.f5 c2
53.g1 a5 54.1d2 c1+ 55.h2 e1
56.d6 e4 57.xg6+ xg6 58.xg6
xg6 59.d6+ f5 60.xb6 f3+ 61.g3
d4 62.f3 h5 63.f2 f4 64.g6 xf3
65.xg7 d2 66.b7 e4+ 67.g2 d2
68.f2 e4+ 69.g2 d2 70.b5 e4
71.f2 d3 72.e1 c3 73.xa5 xb3
74.xh5 d3 75.h3+ c4 76.e2 d4+
77.e3 f5+ 78.e4 d6+ 79.e5 b5
80.h4+ c5 81.h1 c4 82.h8 c3
83.c8+ d3 84.c7 b5 85.h7 c4
86.h4+ A great escape! ]
19.d5
[ Black is far happier to have gambitted the h-
pawn rather than the d-pawn after 19.xh7+
h8 20.ce4 g4 with unclear play. ]
19...g4 20.f3
[ After 20.b3 xd3?? White has a choice
of mates with his knights: ( So Black should
choose between 20...a5!? and; 20...h8
wi t h a n u n c l e a r p o s i t i o n .) 21.e7+
( 21.f6+ h8 22.g8+ xg8 23.f7# )
21...h8 22.g8+ xg8 23.f7# ]
20...xd3 21.xd3 f5 22.b3 h8
23.xb7 d6 24.f4 e5 25.ae1 ab8
26.d5 xd5 27.xd5 d3 28.e7 h6
29.f7+ xf7 30.xf7 e6 31.f4 xf4
32.xf4 xa2 33.f2 b1 Now White gets
a tiny edge, though it's still a draw. More
precise for Black was
[ 33...g5 34.hxg5 hxg5 35.h3 b5 ]
34.d2 d3 35.f2 a5 36.e3 e8+ 37.f2
b8 38.g6+ h7 39.e5 a4 40.e3 b3
41.d4 c2 White has done everything he
can to try to win with his active king, but now
he gives up the game for a draw. 42.xd3
[ It all burns out e.g. 42.xd3 xd3 43.xd3
xb2 44.a3 g2 Black can't maintain a
defence of a4 after ( 44...b4+ 45.c3 )
45.g4 h5! 46.gxh5 h2 47.f4 xh4
48.e4 xh5 49.xa4 ]
½-½
656 C06
Van den Doel,Erik 2599
Visser,JJ 2445
ch Leeuwarden NED (6) 06.07.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.gf3 Whereas in
nature evolution can take millions of years, in
chess things move much faster. In the last
five years this system has emerged from the
'Other Moves' swamp of French books to
being one of Black's chief bugbears. a5 8.0-0
e7 9.e1 In the preamble to the July 2004
update I have listed the various permutations
of mo ve s in t h e Ngf 3 syste m . I t is wo rt h
checking through it- as we see here, even a
strong player like Visser can become muddled
and miss out a vital move. g5? I recall
Capablanca writing to the ef f ect that the
general principles of chess always stay the
same, but that the tactical application of these
principles changes according to the given
situation. Here Black is emphasising play on
the wings with his pawn moves a7-a5 and g7-
g5- which means he wants the situation to
stay blocked or at least quiet in the centre.
This can be achieved with the stabilising
588
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
exchange
[ 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 a f t e r w h i c h g5
has more disruptive effect. Though I should
point out that even here I think it is more
consistent of Black to pursue queenside
action with ( 10...b6 or even; 10...a4 )]
10.dxc5! Rather than being driven back by the
b la c k g p a wn t h e wh it e kn igh t ga i n s t h e
beautiful d4 square. It wasn't a hard choice
for Van den Doel to make this capture as it is
a prerequisite of the Ngf3 variation that White
must be willing to break up his neat Tarrasch
pawn centre in the interests of active play. g4
[ This blunder is the natural consequence of
Black's play. Instead 10...xc5 would keep
things far more solid, though White is doing
well after 11.b5 ]
11.d4 cxe5
[ Instead 11...dxe5 12.b5 is identical to
games such as Timofeev-Moreno on
ChessPub, but with the extra moves a7-a5
b y B l a c k a n d R e 1 b y W h i t e t h r o wn i n .
Obviously this favours White, who already
th re a t e ns 1 3 . Rxe 5 . I n f a ct e ven if t h e
weakening effect of a7-a5 is discounted it
can be said that Black is at best a tempo
down in a sharp position, which in most
cases is sure to lead to disaster. ]
12.b5 f6 13.f4! White is wise to act with
direct threats and not give his opponent time
to breath. c6
[ Giving away a passed pawn doesn't help
much, but W hite has an easy attack after
13...gxf3 14.2xf3 xf3+ 15.xf3
with ideas of Qxd5 and Nxe6. ]
14.xc6 bxc6 15.xc6 b8 16.b3 f8
17.e3 c7 18.a4 An unusual post for the
b i s h o p b u t i t i s q u i t e s e c u r e h e r e . g8
19.d2 h4 Black clears f6 in the hope of
bringing his knight to an excellent attacking
s q u a r e a f t e r N f 6 a n d t h e n N e 4 . 20.f5!
This confounds Black's plan as if 20...Nf6 21.
Bf4 is highly awkward. xb3 Black gives up
the exchange rather than grabbing one with
[ 20...xe1 as after 21.xe1 his dark
squares are severely weak which leaves his
king little chance of survival. ]
21.axb3 xc5 22.g3 f6 23.fxe6 fxe6
24.f1 e4 25.d3 Black is now the
e xc h a n g e d o wn wit h a kin g t h a t is m o r e
exposed than White's. He struggles on, but
there can only be one result. e7 26.b5
e5 27.b6 b8 28.xa5 xg3 29.b4+
d8 30.xb8 xb8 31.f7 g5 32.a5+
1-0
657 C06
Varavin,Viktor 2445
Vshivkov,Konstantin 2285
Perm 1998
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 h6 11.e3 d6
12.c1 0-0 13.c3 d8 14.b1 f8 15.a3
d7?! Black has completed his standard
deployment of pieces and is now ready to put
pressure on the knight on f3 after 16 0-0 Be8
an d . . .B h 5 . Ho we ve r, W h ite h a s a n a s t y
surprise for him. Instead, Black should start a
tactical battle on his own terms with
[ 15...e5! offering up the d pawn. Then
16.xd5 f7 ['unclear' suggests Varavin]
17.dxe5 xe5 18.e4 e6! is risky for
White who could easily end up in a fatal pin
along the d file. ]
16.g4! This begins a highly original plan of
attack in the Tarrasch. It is made possible by
the fact that Black's strategy has required his
r o o k t o l e a v e f 8 . f4 It is too late to
counterattack with an immediate
[ 16...e5 as 17.g5 hxg5 18.xd5 f7
19.a2 e6 20.xg5 gives White a clear
advantage-Varavin. ]
17.h4! e5 18.g5 f7 19.gxh6 exd4 20.g1
White plays with a refreshing directness. g6
21.h7+! h8 If
[ 21...xh7 22.h5 or ]
[ 21...xh7 22.xd5 ]
22.xd4+ xh7 23.g5+ xg5 24.xg5
e8+ 25.f1 g8 Black dodges the threat of
26 Qh5+ Kg8 27 Qh8+ mate, but falls under
another blow. 26.xg6! xg6 27.h5 xd4
28.xg6+ f8 29.h6+ e7 30.xd5+!
d8 It would be mate after
[ 30...xd5 31.g7+ d8 32.f6+ ]
31.g5+ e7 32.g8+ e8 33.xe7 xe7
34.a5+ b6 35.d5+ d7 36.xa8+ e7
37.xe8+ xe8 38.e1+ A wonderful
589
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
attacking play.
1-0
658 C06
Vink,Nico 2335
Gurevich,Mikhail 2694
Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED (7) 23.01.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6
9.exf6 xf6 10.f3 c7 11.0-0 d6 12.g3
White persists with the idea of playing Bf4 to
e x c h a n g e b i s h o p s . 0-0 13.f4 g4
The most aggressive response. 14.d2
[ White has two important alternatives here,
but Black has more than held his own for
example 14.c1 xf4 ( here 14...d7
15.h3 e5 led to huge complications in
Nijboer-Brenninkmeijer NLD 1987.) 15.xf4
xf4! Black gets a pawn and attacking
chances for the exchange. 16.gxf4 xf4
17.h3 ( Unclear was 17.e2 d7 18.d2
d6 in Rozentalis-Lputian, Kharkov 1985.)
17...h6 18.g2 e5 19.dxe5 e6 20.h1
( Not 20.d2? xh3+ ) 20...f8 21.e2
f5 22.h2 h4+ 23.xh4 xf2+
24.h1 xh4 25.g4 e7 26.c2 d4
27.xe6+ xe6 28.e4 xa2 29.e6 b3
30.e1 a5 31.g2 and a draw was agreed
in Dervishi-Zifroni, Eu ch U18 Haifa 1994. ]
[ After the alternative 14.xd6 xd6 15.c3
have a look at the following line: e5!? ( Or
15...g6 16.c1 d7 17.b5 f6
was dynamically balanced in Hjartarson-
Gurevich, Madrid Rapid 1988.) 16.dxe5
gxe5!? 17.xe5 xe5 18.xd5 d4!
( 18...xd5? 19.xh7+ ) 19.f4 b5!
20.h5 xh5 21.xh5 f3+ 22.g2 b7
and Black was winning in Lakos-Gleizerov,
Oberwart 1999. ]
14...e5 15.dxe5 gxe5 16.xe5 xe5
17.c2?!
[ This looks feeble, but even after the correct
17.xe5 xe5 18.ac1 b6 19.c3 h3
20.xd5 xb2 21.c2 a3 22.e1 ae8
Black had better coordinated pieces and the
bishop pair in Kaiszauri-Lindgren, Stockholm
1988. ]
17...g5 18.e3??
[ After 18.xe5 xc2 19.xc2 xe5
Black's dark squared bishop is strong, but
that is better than the disaster that follows. ]
18...f3+ 19.h1 f7! 20.a4 A desperate
attempt to answer 21...Qh4 with 22 h4. e5
A drastic end as if the bishop retreats mate
follows with Qf3 and Bh3.
0-1
659 C06
Vokarev,Sergey 2452
Prakken,Gerrit 2272
op 5th Ubeda (3) 21.01.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
b6 9.f3 f6 10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 d6
12.b3!? 0-0 13.f4 Logical play by White- he
rules out Qxb2 and then forces the exchange
of dark squared bishops. He hopes that the
black queen will be sidelined on b6. xf4
[ Instead 13...xd4 14.fxd4 e5 15.e3
exd4 16.xd4 d8 is given as equal by
John Watson. Objectively this may be true,
bu t I t hin k t h a t W h it e ca n p u sh f o r t h e
advantage: after all, Black has the worse
pawn structure and his bishop on c8 is hard
to deploy as effectively as W hite's on d3.
One game went 17.g3 Besides aiming at
f5 this prevents Ne4 and also rules out any
Greek Gift ideas with Bxh2+ and Ng4+. d7
18.c1 e8 19.c2 c8 20.b1 xc1
21.xc1 b6 22.e1 f7 23.f3 e8
24.xe8+ xe8 25.f5 f8 26.c2 e6
27.f2 g6 28.g4 d7 29.c7 c5
30.c2 d7 31.xd7 xd7 32.h4 c5
and B lack held the e ndgam e in W ahls -
Zhang Zhong, Beijing 1993, though I think
33.h5 would make him suffer. ]
14.xf4 d7
[ Bad is 14...xd4? 15.xd4 e5 16.xd5!
xd5 ( 16...xd4 17.c4! ) 17.h5
Meanwhile ]
[ 14...h8 15.c2 d7 16.e1 ae8
17.d2 would transpose to the game. ]
15.e1 ae8 16.d2 h8 17.c2 xd4?
Until this game was played this was regarded
as a freeing move! 18.xd4 xd4 19.xd4
e5 20.g6! Black resigned straightaway.
590
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Black cannot avoid a big material loss e.g. of Black's key defensive resources a couple
[ Instead Black had held the draw after of moves later.
20.fe6 xe6 21.xe5 d7 in Vallejo [ Instead 15.g6 xf3 16.gxf3 xh2+
Pons-I.Farago, St. Vincent 1998. ] 17.h1 f4 18.g3 xg6 19.xg6 xg3
20...e7 20.xg3 ( If 20.fxg3 f7! 21.xf7+ xf7
[ Or 20...hxg6 21.xg6+ g8 22.xf8 with the twin threat of 22...g5 trapping the
exd4 23.xd7 xe1+ 24.xe1 xd7 b ish o p o r 2 2 . . . Nxd 4 wo u l d b e f in e f o r
25.d1 ] Black. ) 20...f7 21.xf7+ xf7
21.f5 xf5 22.xf5 g8 23.xd5 xf5 is given by Akopian as just very slightly
24.xe7 xe7 25.ac1 and wins easily. better for White. Black looks very solid. ]
1-0 15...h8 16.g6 xf3 This sacrifice- with the
king normally on g8- has become the
accepted move because Black remains
660 C06 uncomfortable after
Volzhin,Alexander 2556 [ 16...f4 17.xf4 xf4 18.ad1
Johannessen,Leif Erlend 2422 etc, when John Emms remarks that it is
Open Bergen NOR (5) 25.07.2000 diff icult for Black to counter the plan of
[Neil McDonald] W h i t e swa p p i n g h i s b ish o p a n d qu e e n
around on the long diagonal and playing for
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 mate, e.g. d7 19.e2! ]
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 17.gxf3 xh2+ 18.h1 f4 19.g3 xg3
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 d6 11.f3 c7 C o m p a r e d t o t h e l a s t n o t e a b o ve B l a c k
12.g5 0-0 13.h4 h5 This is the d o e s n ' t h a ve t h e o p t i o n o f e n t e r i n g t h e
s t a n d a r d m o v e t o r u l e o u t t h e b i s h o p endgame with
exchange White was planning with Bg3 next [ 19...xg6 20.xg6 xg3 21.xg3 f7??
move. It also clears the f file for a possible as with his king on h8 rather than g8 the
exchange sacrifice on f3 and in some lines queen just hangs! ]
the kn igh t will bo und ef f ectively on to f 4 , 20.fxg3! Volzhin straightens out his pawns.
es p e c ially if W h it e h a s p la ye d Nc3 . T h e xg6 21.xg6 xd4 Here with the King on
d r a w b a c k h o w e v e r i s t h a t i t l e a v e s h 7 g8, Black could follow the bracketed variation
undefended, and White's next move tries to after 20 fxg3 in the note to 15 Bh7+, namely
take immediate advantage of this. Instead [ 21...f7 when after the exchange of
[ 13...e5 is a solid option, but not much fun queens Black wins the d4 pawn because of
for Black 14.dxe5 xe5 15.xe5 xe5 the threat of g7-g5 winning a piece. Again,
16.g3 xg3 17.xg3 - a bishop without a with the king on h8 this simply loses to
secure post and an isolated pawn mean that 22.xf7 So with his astute zwischenzug on
he faces a tedious task in proving he is move 15 Volzhin has improved his pawn
equal. ] structure without being obliged to enter an
14.c2!? equal endgame. With the queens still on the
[ Instead 14.c3 a6 would transpose to board White enjoys a strong initiative that
Rozentalis-Rodriguez, note to move 14. As leads to the win of material. This seems to
John Emms points out in his Tarrasch book, have rendered Black's exchange sacrifice
if now 15.c2 g6 16.xg6? White just unsound. ]
drops a piece after f4! 17.d3 b4 22.ac1 d7 23.f2 c6 24.g4! e5
- a very nice trap. ] Black activates his game before White plays
14...h6 g4-g5- which can now be answered by Qh3+-
[ The basis for White's idea is that unlike in but the e pawn proves to be fatally weak.
t h e n o t e a b o v e 14...g6 now loses to 25.f6! g8 26.e1 f7 27.xf7+ xf7
15.xg6 hxg6 16.xg6+ g7 17.g5 ] 28.xe5 This version of the endgame is a
15.h7+!! A very powerful zwischenzug. By trivial win for White. b6 29.d2 b7 30.g2
displacing the black king White rules out two d8 31.d4 d7 32.f4 a6 33.g3 b4

591
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

34.b3 d8 35.c1 c8 36.xc8 xc8 given above W hite's knight is on f4 which
37.c3 gives him a vital tactical resource. 20.d3!
1-0 This attack on the black queen changes the
whole nature of the game as it allows White to
go on the offensive. xa2 21.e5 xc1
661 C06 [ Black is annihilated after 21...f8 22.g6
Vysochin,Spartak 2551 xc1 23.xf7+ d8 24.h4+ c8
Hassan,Sayed Barakat 2325 25.xe6+ b8 26.g3 ]
Golden Cleopatra (6) 07.06.2003 22.xf7+ d8 23.xe6! a3
[Neil McDonald] [ B l a c k i s m a t e d a f t e r e i t h e r 23...xe3
24.f7+ c7 25.d6+ c8 26.f5+ d7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 27.xd7# or ]
5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.e2 b6 8.f3 [ 23...xh7 24.f7+ c7 25.d6+ c8
cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.f4!? A scary alternative 26.d8# ]
to the universal 24.xd5+ c7 25.c4+ c6 26.xc1
[ 10.exf6 ] ad8? A blunder in a much worse position. If
10...fxe5 11.dxe5 for example
[ Here 11.xe6 looks harmless as long as [ 26...d6 then White can consolidate with
after e4 12.f4 Black finds the strong 27.d3! xe5? 28.f4 ]
response de5! when 13.xe5 xe6 27.xa3 d1+ 28.f1 xf1+ 29.xf1
14.h5+? White is in trouble anyway with b5+?! 30.d3
both d4 and d3 hanging. g6 15.xg6 f7 1-0
wins for Black, as given by John Watson. ]
11...b4+ 12.f1 dxe5 13.xe5 xe5
14.h5+ f7 15.xh7 Threatening to 662 C06
smother the rook with 16.Ng6. d4! 16.e3 Zhai Mo 2266
[ Blac k wa s ho ping f o r 16.g6? xh7 Zhang Xiaowen 2397
17.xh7 d1# ] ch-CHN w 2014 (5.2) 15.03.2014
16...xb2 So far after 10.Nf4 the play has [John Watson]
been of a fairly forced nature but now White
has a choice of squares for his rook. 17.d1!? 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
T h i s m i g h t b e a n e w m o v e . I n h i s b o o k 5.c3 c5 6.d3 c6 7.gf3 cxd4
Watson gives In conjunction with the particular setup Black
[ 17.c1 d7! with the threat of 18...d4, chooses, this is an inaccuracy.
when 18.g6 d2! 19.xd2 xd2 20.a1 [ 7...g6 is seen in this month's games
c8 21.g3 c2 1-0 was Schuler-Meier 1967. Kerigan-Danin and Plaskett-Mingarro
Vysochin's move rules out both 18...Bd2 or Carceller, as well as in numerous Archives
18...d4 ideas. ] games. ]
17...d7 8.cxd4 g6
[ If 17...e5 White could exploit the [ For 8...f6 , see the first two games for this
geometry of the chessboard to keep up his month. ]
initiative: 18.e2!? xh7 19.b5+ d7 9.h4 Again, this most critical move. h6
20.xb4 ] 10.b1!?
18.g1 a4? Black over aches with this very [ 10.b3! may be more accurate, since the
tempting plan of attack. He still has to deal bishop doesn't need to retreat. Regardless,
with the threat of 19. Ng6: perhaps this was W hite has a comfortable advantage here
best done with compared to main lines. That's because
[ 18...e5!? when a curious draw by Black played the exchange on d4 too early
repetition is 19.h3!? b2 threatening 20... (...cxd4 and cxd4), allowing White to put a
e5. 20.h5 e5 etc. ] knight on b3 without getting hit by ...c4. ]
19.c1 d2? In contrast to the Schuler game 10...b6 11.b3 a5 The best try. Black

592
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
prevents White from castling. 12.a4 b4+
13.f1 c7 The problem for Black is that he
has no more central attack and has to simply
suffer with a lack of space. What saves him in
this game is that his position is still solid and
White needs to play vary accurately to make
progress without allowing counterplay. 14.g3
b6 15.g2 e7
[ 15...c4!? ]
16.f4 d7 17.c1! c6 18.h2?!
A little careless.
[ 18.d3 f8 19.b3 ]
18...c4 19.e2
[ 19.d3 b6 hits d4, which was
abandoned by 18 Nh2. ]
19...xb2 20.c1 c4 21.g4
[ 21.xh6 get the pawn back in a slightly
more efficient manner, but perhaps it's not
so important. ]
21...0-0-0 22.xh6 df8 23.d3 b8?!
[ 23...e7 24.g4 b8 ]
24.g4 c6 25.c3!?
[ One way for White to break down barriers
is. 25.h6 e8 26.f6! ( 26.h5!? gxh5
27.f6 e7 28.g5 ) 26...e7 27.g4
and the passed h-pawn will cause Black no
end of troubles. ]
25...b6 26.e2 d7 27.g5 c7 28.d1
db6 29.c2 e7 30.f4
[ A simply way to maintain the edge is
30.h6 d8 31.g7 hg8 32.f6 ]
30...b8 31.d3 c8 32.f4
[ 32.xe7! xe7 33.c5 ]
32...a3! 33.c5?! e8 34.f6 h7
35.xg6? Panic. True, Black had some
threats, but
[ 35.xa3 xa3 36.b3 followed by Rb1
would give White dark-square domination for
the exchange. ]
35...fxg6 36.xe6 c6 37.d8 xa4
38.g5 c2 39.e1 a7 40.e6 b4
Black is simply winning now. I suspect that
only time pressure prevented an earlier finish.
41.ed1 d6 42.f3 e7 43.xe7 xe7
44.f8 cc7 45.e1 b5 46.f4 c8
47.g5 cc7 48.f6 a4 49.ac1 d3
50.cd1 c2 51.c1 d3 52.cd1 a3
53.xg6 b2 54.a1 b4 55.h5 xd4
56.h6 d3 57.g5 e4+ 58.h3 d3
59.xe4 dxe4 60.eb1 xf2+ 61.g2 e3
[ 61...d3 is simplest, e.g., 62.a5+ b8
63.xb6 xd8 ]
62.a5+ b8 63.xb6 xd8 64.xa4
d5+ 65.f1 h1+ 66.e2 c2+ 67.xe3
xh6+ 68.f3 h5+ 69.f4 g4+ 70.e5
xe6+
0-1
663 C06
Zhang Pengxiang 2519
Gurevich,Mikhail 2644
Essent Open Hoogeveen NED (4) 18.10.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
5.e5 fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 g6 8.h4 h6!?
Mikhail Gurevich refines an idea he discussed
in Informator, namely
[ 8...e7 9.0-0 h6 10.e1 g5!?
( Instead Gurevich grabbed a hot pawn with
10...cxd4 11.cxd4 xh4 versus Navara-see
the game Filipovic-Stojanovic on Chess
Pub. ) 11.hxg5 hxg5 12.f1 g4 13.3h2
cxd4 14.cxd4 b6 which he considers
unclear. ]
9.0-0 g5 This is the point: Black gets in g6-g5
witho ut sp endin g a move on Be 7. It als o
means that his queen can join the attack along
the h-file with Qh4 in a key variation which is
given in the next note. 10.h5! White elects the
block the h file. If
[ 10.hxg5 hxg5 11.e1 g4 12.h2 cxd4
13.cxd4 ( 13.xg4 h4 ) 13...h4
( Possibly even better is 13...g3 14.fxg3
xd4 aiming for Qb6 or Bc5.) 14.df1 g3!
15.fxg3 xd4+ 16.e3 xb2 when I don't
believe White has enough attacking energy
to compensate f or his wrecked pawn
structure. ]
10...b6 11.c4! White is obliged to do
something immediate, or else his centre will
collapse without leaving any of the usual
targets on the kingside to give him dynamic
chances. cxd4 12.cxd5 exd5 13.b3 g7
14.fxd4! Beginning an excellent combination
to keep up the pressure. xd4 15.e3 xe5
16.e1! 0-0
[ Black cannot keep his extra piece e.g.
16...f8 17.f1!? regains it forthwith. ]
17.xd4 f6
[ If 17...xd4 18.xd4 xd4 19.h7+
593
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

is one of the oldest tricks in the French 27.f5

book. ] [ 27.e2 xa4 ]
18.c1 White has played with sufficient power [ 27.f2 b6! ]
to maintain his initiative. A hard fight in the 27...xd4 28.xd4 xd4+ 29.h1 exf5
middlegame eventually leads to burn out and [ 29...e5! ]
a draw. d8 19.d2 f8 20.f3 f4 30.b5?!
21.xf4 gxf4 22.b4 g4 23.e5 xh5 [ 30.d3 ]
24.xb7 f3 25.c6 fxg2 26.e3 e8 30...e5 31.b3 e4 32.d3 h4 33.xd5
27.e7+ h8 28.xd5 g4 g3 34.g1 h2+ 35.f2 f4+
[ Black might have tried for advantage with 0-1
28...e6!? 29.xh5 xe7 ]
29.g3 ad8 30.xg4 xe7 31.xd8 e1+
32.xe1 xd8 33.c4 g6 34.xf7 e5 665 C06
35.g8+ xg8 36.xg8 f3+ 37.xg2 Zubarev,Al1 2596
xe1+ 38.f1 d3 39.b3 g7 40.c2 Markidis,K 2291
xb2 41.g2 f6 42.b3 4th Rethymno Open (7.14) 12.07.2012
½-½ [John Watson]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6

664 C06 5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5
Zojer,S 2087 9.e1!? In Kerigan-Antic, we see the normal
Lehner,O 2446 move
TCh-AUT 2012-13 (3.6) 04.11.2012 [ 9.a4 , which we analysed in two games last
[John Watson] month. ]
9...cxd4 10.cxd4 a4!? Trying to exploit the
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 4.gf3 f6 omission of a4.
5.e5 fd7 6.d3 c5 7.c3 c6 8.0-0 a5 [ 10...g5 is the other well-known strategy.
9.a4 cxd4 10.cxd4 b4 11.b5 0-0 With accurate play I think it equalises. ]
12.b1 b8 To reinforce b4. 11.f1
[ 12...b6 equalised in two games this [ 11.b1! is a move that White very much
month, as analysed in Chandra-Ghosh. ] wants to make anyway after ...cxd4/cxd4,
13.c3 8c6 14.e3 f6!? A very interesting and here it prevents an effective ...a3 as well.
idea, to break up the centre and gain a little P l a y m i g h t c o n t i n u e b6 ( 11...a3?
activity at the cost of slight weaknesses. 12.xa3 xa3 13.bxa3 h6 14.b1;
White may retain a tiny edge, but it isn't much. 11...0-0 12.c3 a5 13.a3; 11...b6
15.exf6 xf6 16.d2 d7 17.ad1 12.c3! xd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.b5!
[ 17.fe1! looks better, in view of e8 b6 15.e3 d8 16.c2! ) 12.c3 d7
( 17...e7 ) 18.f4 ] ( 12...a3 13.bxa3 a5 14.b1 ac4
17...e8! 18.e1 15.d2 ) 13.f4 0-0 14.a3 a5 15.b1
[ 18.fe1 h5 19.e2 g6= ] ac4 16.c2 h6 17.e2 with the idea Bc2/
18...h8 19.f4 g6 20.f3 h5 Qd3 and White has the better prospects. ]
[ 20...c8 21.c1 f5 22.e5 xe5 11...a3
23.dxe5 e7= ] [ 11...0-0 12.c2 f5 followed by queenside
21.e2 a7! 22.c3 xb5 23.xb5 c8 activity is double-edged. ]
24.c3?! 12.g3
[ 24.c1= ] [ 12.bxa3 xa3 ( 12...b6 13.b1 d7
24...c4 14.g3 ) 13.xa3 xa3 14.e3 0-0
[ 24...g6 ] 15.c2 a8 probably favours White lightly
25.h3? because of his superior bishop, but Black
[ 25.b3 ] h a s so m e sq u a r e s t o wo rk wi t h o n t h e
25...xf3! 26.xf3 c6 Winning a pawn. kingside. ]

594
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
12...axb2 13.xb2 b4!?
[ 13...b6 eyes both a4 and c4. There might
follow 14.a4 b4 ( 14...d7 ) 15.b5+
d7 16.b3 0-0 with the idea 17.xd7
xd7 18.c3! xa4 19.xa4
20.xa4 xa4 21.xb4 xb4 22.b1 a5
23.xb7 a8!= with the idea 24.g5?! h6!
25.xf7 b6 etc. ]
14.b5 0-0 15.a3
[ 15.a4 b6 16.b3 d7 transposes into
the previous note. ]
15...c6 16.c2 Trying to create a weakness.
Other moves were
[ 16.a4 or ]
[ 16.h5!? b6 ( 16...g6 17.f4 b6 )
17.d3 (about equal). ]
16...b6 17.d3 g6
[ 17...h6 18.h5! ]
18.d2!? White probably can't achieve
anything on the kingside. Maybe
[ 18.eb1 is better, e.g., a5 19.c3 bc4
20.b4 , but this certainly isn't much. ]
18...f5!
[ Or 18...f6 ]
19.exf6 xf6 20.e2!?
[ 20.ac1 a4 21.a1= ]
20...a4! 21.f4?? So far the play has
been relatively uneventful, with Black
achieving an edge but this drops material and
there isn't much more to say. g5 22.xg5
[ 22.g3 xf4 23.gxf4 xb2 24.xb2 xf4
and White will lose a second pawn: 25.e3
f6 26.e2 xd4 27.xd4 xd4-+ ]
22...xg5 23.g3
[ 23.c1 xd4 and moves such as ... Nf3+
and ...Nb3 threaten. ]
23...xb2 24.h4 f6
[ 24...xd4! is also strong ]
25.xb2 xd4 26.eb1 e5 The end.
27.xd5 f3+ 28.f1
[ 28.g2 e6 ]
28...h3+ 29.e2 d4+ 30.e1 f3
31.e3 ad8 32.a2 h1+ 33.f1 xf1
34.xf1 e4+
0-1
666 C06
not2deep 1892
Jack,Michael 1911
ICC 5 1 Internet Chess Club 03.07.2000
xa4 [Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4
e7 This simple developing move is in fact
highly unusual. The point of the analysis that
f ollo ws is to discover why. 9.0-0 b6
Black has two plans here. Either he can keep
the centre blocked as in the present game or
he can attack the white centre with f7-f6. This
latter move is a standard idea in the 5 Bd3
Tarrasch, but it has the drawback in this
specific position that after
[ 9...f6 10.exf6 xf6 the black bishop would
be better placed on d6, as it is in the
standard 8...f6 9 exf6 Nxf6 10 Nf3 Bd6 line.
This is because on d6 the bishop would
have influence on the f4 square and be
ready to attack h2, perhaps in combination
with Qc7. An even worse approach for Black
would be ( T h e r e c a p t u r e 10...xf6
attacks d4, but it leaves the knight on d7
deprived of its natural square. After 11.f3
t h e m o ve 1 2 Nf 4 wo u ld b e a wk wa rd t o
meet. )]
[ 9...b6?! 10.f3 f6 -see the game
Sommerbauer-Weiss. ]
10.f3 If White played
[ 10.f4 then f5 11.f3 0-0 would transpose
to the solid line against the 5 f4 system
which is examined on the Tarrasch 5 f4 sub-
page. That line has been adopted by Nigel
Short and others [including yours truly!] so
it could hardly be the refutation of 8...Be7. ]
10...d7 11.d2?! This allows Black too
much freedom on the queenside. Instead
[ 11.a3! would severely constrict Black's
pieces by denying them the b4 square. I
think W hite then has good chances, for
example 0-0 ( Or 11...a5 12.f4
when the possibility of Nh5 would probably
persuade Black to play the loosening g6 )
12.c2 g6 ( Safer is 12...h6 but White
must surely be better. He could even
contemplate launching a direct attack with
Kh1, g4 and Rg1.) 13.h6 e8 14.f4
c8 15.b1 and already there are ideas of
595
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
a sacrif ice on g6. It will be seen in this
analysis that White's avoidance of the f2-f4
pawn advance helps him considerably. His
pieces are much freer: the f4 square is an
attacking base for the white knight and the
dark square bishop has influence over the
long diagonal pointing at h6. So this seems
to be the reason why the Be7 idea is popular
among top players after W hite has
committed himself to 5 f4, but in the 5 Bd3
line they avoid it as W hite's pieces have
much greater activity. ]
11...b4! 12.xb4 xb4 13.a3 e7 14.c1
a6 15.c3 c8
[ Instead 15...b5! looks at least equal for
Black, as 16.xb5+ axb5 17.b3?! d7
18.fc1?! c4 would give him a very nice
position on the queenside. ]
16.c2 xc3 17.xc3 g6 18.c1 0-0
19.e2 c6 20.d2 d7?
[ This just drops a pawn. Instead 20...a5
is unclear or perhaps slightly better f or
White. ]
21.xa6 c8 22.d3 b5 23.b3 xc1+
24.xc1 xd3 25.xd3 c6 26.h3 c4
27.c3 xd2 28.xd2 b5 29.c5 xc5
30.c3 b7 31.xc5 White now has good
winn in g c ha nc e s, b u t he a llo ws B lack t o [ a) 11...f5 12.c2 e6 13.d3 g6
es c ap e a n d e ve n tu a lly lo ses on tim e . h614.g5
32.h4 g7 33.b3 g5 34.h5 a6 35.b4
c6 36.g4 c1+ 37.g2 f4 38.f3 e3
39.xb5 xd4 40.e2 c3 41.a4 xb3
42.a5 d4 43.a6 d3 44.f2 c2 45.a7
White forfeited on time. After d2 46.a8 d1
it must be a draw.
0-1
667 C07
Adams,Michael 2697
Akobian,Varuzhan 2599
14th Chicago Open (9) 31.05.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 a6 4.gf3 c5
[ My 'Dangerous Weapons' suggestion
4...f6 hasn't started a new fashion but
some strong players including Topalov have
played it previously. ]
5.dxc5
[ 5.exd5 exd5 6.d3!? is an unimpressive 12.xf5 xf5 13.g3 (threatening d5) fe7
move order, because Black, who sometimes
plays 6.Be2 c4, here gets to play ...c4 with a
gain of tempo. Thus c4 7.e2 c6 8.f1?!
( 8.0-0 ) 8...d6 9.g5 f6 10.h4 b6
11.e3 ( Black has the better development
after 11.c1 ge7 12.c3 f5 ) 11...ge7
( 11...xb2? 12.xd5 ) 12.b1 a5+ ( or
12...0-0 13.0-0 a5 14.b3 b5 ) 13.c3
xa2 ( 13...f4!? 14.a3 0-0; 13...f5
14.xf5 xf5 15.a1 0-0 with an edge)
14.d2 ( 14.g3! xg3 15.hxg3 e6
16.d2 gives White some compensation)
14...f5 15.h5+ g6 16.c1 0-0 17.f3
d3 18.e2 xe2 ( or 18...xb2 ) 19.xe2
ae8 20.g4 f5 and Black was already
win n in g i n He s s-S h u lm a n , S a in t L o u i s
2010. ]
5...xc5 6.d3 c6 7.0-0 ge7 8.exd5
exd5 9.b3 d6 10.e1 0-0 11.c3
Adams has an excellent record with these
isolated queen's pawn (IQP) positions. The
inclusion of ...a6 may slightly favour White by
comparison with the direct 3 Nd2 c5 4 exd5
exd5 lines, but can also transpose. In any
case, Black is saddled with only a very minor
disadvantage. f5 This makes things easier
for White. Usually Black plays otherwise:
e8 15.d2 , and now an
interesting continuation is ( 15.xe6 fxe6
gives Black a nice 2:0 central majority to
compensate for the bishops.) 15...g7!?
( 15...e5 16.h3 h5 ) 16.xe6 xe6
with the idea of ...Qc7/... Rad8, so there
might follow 17.g3 c7 ]
[ b) Not 11...g4? 12.xh7+ ! ]
[ c) 11...h6 has been a common move, when
i n v i e w o f . . . B g 4 W h i t e p l a y s 12.h3
(this actually transposes to more
conventional 3 Nd2 c5 4 exd5 exd5 lines, in
which Black loses a move by ...Bxc5-Bd6,
but W hite loses a move by Bb5-d3), for
example, f5!? ( 12...e8; 12...c7;
12...c7 are all played, the first two being
the most reliable) 13.e3 xd3 14.xd3
c7 15.a4 ( 15.ad1 ) 15...ad8 16.a5
c8!? 17.b6 c7 18.xc7 xc7
Tseshkovsky, V (2575) -Dolmatov, S (2545)/
Frunze 1981 and here 19.c5 or 19 Qe3
would keep a modest advantage. ]
596
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

14.g5 [ Very natural is 15.he1? but this allows

[ 14.e3! ] Black to escape from his problems with the
14...h6 'impossible' xd4! when 16.xh7+ xh7
[ 14...f6! 15.e3 e5 with the idea ...Nc4 17.xd4 xg5 leaves Black with three minor
and/or ... Rc8 is a st andard idea Black pieces for the queen. After 18.f4 f6
should stand satisfactorily, although White 19.dd1 g6 20.g4 ac8 21.f5 White has
can still claim a very limited edge. ] to do something active. exf5 22.gxf5 gxf5
15.xe7 xe7 16.d3 c7 17.e2 23.d3 e4 24.xe4 fxe4 25.xe4 h8
W hite is obviously somewhat better. Black 26.a3 a draw was agreed in Sermek,D-
has allowed simplification without gaining Naumkin,I/Porto San Giorgio 1999. W hite
anything in return. His position is probably has exposed the black king somewhat by
tenable, but his next move creates irreversible giving up the exchange, but Black is surely
weaknesses: b5?! 18.ae1 c4 19.d1 better here. ]
a7 20.a3 a5 21.bd4 15...d5?!
[ Or 21.e5 ] [ Black plays too passively in the face of
21...b7 22.e5 c7 23.d3 b6 24.b4! W hite 's lo oming at ta ck. Here 15...fd8!?
axb4 25.axb4 a6 26.h4! White's lovely really would threaten to capture on d4. ]
dark-square bind on the queenside allows him 16.he1 a7?! 17.g4 c7 18.e3 b7
to expand on the other wing. b6 27.h5 What has Black achieved on the queenside
c8? 28.xf7! xf7 29.xe7+ xe7 whilst White has been building up his kingside
30.f5+ f6 31.xc8 With an extra pawn, attack? He has merely moved his rook from
positional bind, and exposed Black king. e7 a8 to a7 and b7 and the queen has retreated
32.xe7+ xe7 33.f5+ f7 34.d7+ t o c7 . T h e se p la ci d m a n o e u vre s c a n n o t
g8 35.e8+ h7 36.g6+ h8 37.xg7 compete with White's ferocious pawn storm on
a6 38.f5 a1+ 39.g2 xc3 40.e8+ the other wing. 19.g5 e4 20.xe4 xe4
h7 41.f7+ A very nice win by one of the 21.g4 d5 22.h5 c4 23.b3 c8
great technicians of our time. 24.c1! Everything flows very nicely for White.
1-0 Here he plans to put his bishop on b2 where it
sa f e gu a r d s t h e k i n g a n d a i m s a t t h e g 7
square. f5 This seriously weakens the centre
668 C07 but Black had to do something to oppose
Adams,Michael 2734 White's kingside attack. Now Adams changes
Buhmann,Rainer 2525 his plan as a target has appeared on e6.
Bundesliga 2002-3 (13) 09.03.2003 25.e2 Now Black tries to confuse matters by
[Neil McDonald] giving up the e6 pawn. b4 26.d2 c5
27.c3 e7 28.xe6 e4 29.xg7 e8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 It looks as if White has over-pressed as the
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.e2 f6 8.b3 knight is hanging, but Adams now wins the
c6 9.g5 a6 10.0-0-0 b5 11.d3 e7?! tactical battle. 30.f3! b4 31.fxe4 xe6
[ In my opinion the critical variation is [ White pawns roll forwards after 31...xe1
11...b7 12.bxd4 xd4 13.xd4 d5!? 32.exf5! ]
when Black launches a double attack on a2 32.c3 xg7 33.cxb4 fxe4 34.e3
and g5. This is discussed in ChessPub. ] Now White has an extra pawn and the safer
12.b1! Now it is too late for Black to exploit king. f5 35.h6 f7
an attack on a2. b7 Giving back the pawn [ If 35...xg5 36.g1! and White utilises the
but things look ugly for Black after g file. ]
[ 12...e5 13.xf6 gxf6 14.h4! as given on 36.d4 g6 37.b2 f3 38.e2 f4
ChessPub. ] 39.c2 f5 40.e2 c8 41.d2 e5
13.bxd4 xd4 14.xd4 0-0 15.h4! 42.a3 a5 A desperate attempt to get
Adams defends the bishop as the first step in counterplay against the white king but it fails
a kingside attack. against White's precise play. 43.bxa5 e3

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
44.d8+ xd8 45.xd8+ f8 46.b6 e8
47.f6 c7 48.b2 b4 49.a6 d7 50.f4
e7 51.c4+ h8 52.d4+ Black resigned
for if g8 53.xe3! xe3 54.g7#
1-0
669 C07
Adams,Michael 2724
Fridman,Daniel 2660
Gibraltar Open (3.2) 26.01.2012
[Gawain Jones]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d7!? This queen
retreat was almost unheard of until Vallejo
used it to draw comfortably last year and
since then a few strong players have picked it
up and Black has actually scored pretty well.
[ 6...d6 is of course the mainline. White
can't continue as in the game as 7.0-0 f6
8.b3 c6 9.e2 And here ( 9.bxd4
is of c ou rs e th e ove rwhe lm in g ch oice .)
9...e7 is fine as 10.d1 e5 keeps the d
pawn. ]
[ While 6...d8 is also seen from time to
time. ]
7.0-0 c6 8.b3 f6 9.e2
[ Most games have continued with 9.bxd4
as in the mainline but here Black can claim
to have gained something as the f8 bishop
isn't blocked in by the queen.
A) The immediate 9...c5 is also playable
and has been the German GM Thomas
Luther's choice on a couple of occasions.
In fact Fridman himself repeated this line
m o re re c e n t ly a n d c h o s e t h i s wa y o f
playing. 10.xc6 xc6 11.e5 b6
12.e2 0-0
A1) 13.c3 d6 14.d3 c7 15.f4 b6
16.ad1 b7 17.fe1 ad8
didn't worry Black either. Kuljasevic, D
(2560)-Sedlak, N (2592) Zadar 2011.;
A2) 13.g5 didn't get White anywhere:
d7 ( 13...d5 also looks playable)
14.d3 d4 ( 14...d6 followed by ...
Qc7 looks quite logical to me.) 15.ad1
c6 16.b3 b5 17.e7 e8 18.b4
b6
A2a) 19.c3 is the computer's choice
but it looks like White's initiative can be
s a f e l y d e f u s e d . f6 ( 19...xc3?
20.bxc3 xe7 allows 21.d5! )
20.xf6 ( 20.d6 b7 21.g3 c5
also looks fine for Black who is well
coordinated.) 20...xf6 21.e5 b7
22.d6 c7=;
A2b) 19.e4 b7 20.xd4 xe7
Here the position looks roughly level
b u t W h it e b lu n d e r e d a t o n c e wi t h
21.d6? w h e n f o l l o w i n g xd6
22.xd6 a5 White was losing a piece.
Antoms, G (2395)-Fridman, D (2660)
Jurmala 2012.;
A3) 13.d3 d5 14.e4 f5 15.e2
c7 16.c4 d6 17.f3 d7 18.xd5
exd5 19.e3 f4 20.d4 f5 21.c3
ae8 22.d2 e4 and Black was on
top and went on to win in Caruana, F
(2 7 1 1 ) - S h ir o v, A ( 2 7 1 4 ) B i e l 2 0 1 1 .
Another Black success at elite level in
this interesting line.;
B) 9...xd4 10.xd4 a6 Here White has
tried many different moves but the
consensus is still out on the most
p r o m i s i n g c o n t i n u a t i o n . 11.f4
The continuation of Fridman's last round
game from Gibraltar- evidently the loss to
Adams hasn't disillusioned him. ( 11.b3
c5 12.c3 0-0 13.g5 e4 14.h4
e7 15.xe7 xe7 16.e1 f6 17.f3
c7 And here in Tischbierek, R (2436)-Ni
Hua (2662) Biel 2011 W hite chose the
r a t h e r n e g a t i v e 18.g3?!
and was eventually ground down.) 11...b5
12.b3 b7 13.c3 e7 14.e2 0-0
15.ad1 This feels like the wrong rook to
me. I'd prefer to keep the rook on a1 to
facilitate the a4 break. d5 16.e5 fe8
17.d3 b7 18.xd5 xd5 19.f3
ad8 20.fd1 with a roughly level position
W omacka, M (2455)-Fridman, D (2660)
Caleta 2012. ]
[ Upon being surprised by this Movsesian
attempted 9.f4 but following d6 10.xd6
xd6 11.bxd4 xd4 12.xd4 xd4
13.xd4 d7 14.fd1 c8 15.b3 e7
16.c3 c5 17.d2 b8 and Black scored
an easy draw with his new ideas. Movsesian,
S (2723)-Vallejo Pons, F (2697) Reggio
Emilia 2011. ]
9...a6 Black takes control of the b5 square and
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
threatens to force the bishop back to block the
d file.
[ 9...e7 10.d1 is very comfortable for
White. ]
10.a4 d6 11.g5 And this is the latest word
in the line. Before reclaiming the d4 pawn
Mickey wants to damage Black's kingside
structure.
[ 11.d1 was played in the only other game
to reach this position. That continued: e5
12.bxd4 xd4 13.xd4 e7 14.b3 e4
15.g5 e5 16.f4 ( 16.g3 should be
preferred when xg5 17.xd6 0-0 18.e3
c o u l d b e a f r a c t i o n b e t t e r f o r W h i t e .)
16...exf3 17.xe5+ xe5 18.e1 f2+!
19.xf2 0-0 The tactics have worked out for
Blac k who no w h as a ve ry co mf o rt ab le
position. 20.h3?! ( 20.xf6 xf6 21.c3
should have been preferred but the bishop
pair must favour Black.) 20...xb2 21.ab1
c3 and White had insufficient play for the
pawn. Abergel, T (2504)-Cornette, M (2568)
Caen 2011. ]
11...0-0 Fridman allows his structure to be
compromised. Of course there are
alternatives:
[ 11...e7 protecting the knight looks
sensible when 12.bxd4 xd4 13.xd4
h6 14.h4 0-0 looks respectable for Black
but the pin might be a little awkward and
thus W hite keeps a small something.
( 14...e5?! is Rybka's initial suggestion but
15.ae1! i s v e r y u n p l e a s a n t a s exd4
16.xf6! gxf6 17.h5 e5
would reclaim the piece with a great
position. )]
[ 11...g4 doesn't seem to equalise either:
12.ad1 c7 13.fxd4! as xh2?!
14.fe1 leaves Black's knight hopelessly
offside. ]
[ Perhaps Black should consider keeping his
k i n g i n t h e c e n t r e a wh i l e l o n g e r w i t h
11...c7!? 12.ad1 d7 13.bxd4
when Black can consider castling either
short or long. ]
12.xf6 gxf6 13.bxd4 xd4 14.xd4
xh2+ Fridman decides to go a pawn up
permanently but he'll have to suffer for the
rest of the game.
[ 14...c7 was the alternative but I feel
White has the better chances. ]
15.xh2 xd4 16.a3! I always like
developing the rook in this manner! h8
[ 16...e5+?! doesn't immediately exchange
q u e e n s a s W h i t e h a s 17.g3+! h8
18.g4 g5 19.f3 with a very pleasant
position. ]
17.g3 h4+ Trying to disturb Adams from
his kingside intentions.
[ 17...g8 18.xg8+ xg8 19.d1 h4+
( 19...e5+ exchanges queens too but
leaves Black with useless rook and bishop
after 20.xe5 fxe5 21.d8+ g7 22.a5
I feel this position is probably just lost.)
20.g1 and Black's position is unpleasant:
f5 21.e5! ]
[ Both 17...f4 18.h5 ]
[ and 17...b5 should be met with 18.h5!
e.g. f4 19.d3 f5 20.h1 when Black is
obliged to continue playing accurately to
dampen White's initiative. ]
18.h3 f4+ 19.g3 e5 20.d2 g5
Fridman continues to offer the exchange of
queens.
[ 20...f5 21.h1! followed by Kg2 looks very
strong. ]
21.f4!?
[ It was also possible to keep queens on and
start targeting the b7 pawn: 21.b4 d7
( 21...g8 22.xh7 xh7 23.xf8 h6+
24.xh6+ xh6 25.d1 again looks very
pleasant. ) 22.xb7 xa4 23.d3 f5
24.h4 b5 25.c4 ab8 26.c7 a4
27.c5 b5 28.xb5 xb5 29.b4
18.f4 and the c5 pawn looks pretty dangerous. ]
[ However the line 21.d6 g8 22.xh7
d7! 23.h4 c6 doesn't look so clear to
me. ]
21...g7
[ 21...g6 was the alternative when I quite
like the look of 22.g4! ( Instead 22.f5!?
is tempting but exf5 23.f4 e6 24.d3
g8 25.fh4 g7 seems to allow Black to
hold on. ) 22...e5 23.d3 e4 24.f5 xg4
25.h6 g7 26.xg7+ xg7 27.xe4
a n d d e s p i t e B l a ck ' s e xt r a p a wn W h i t e
continues to have a very pleasant position. ]
22.a5! Adams ties Fridman down on both
sides of the board. The c8 bishop is a real
problem for Black. e5
[ I think 22...f5 should instead have been
chosen so that White's next isn't possible.
599
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Following 23.c3 ( 23.d6 b5!? ) 23...e5
24.fxe5 f4 allows Black some counterplay. ]
23.f5 g5 24.xg5! Black's suffering only
increases in the endgame. fxg5 25.g4!
Very deep play by Adams. He's happy to go
into the endgame a pawn down but his
p o s it io n a l a d va n t a ge s give h im t h e o n l y
winning chances going. His immediate threat
is doubling on the h file and so Black must
control the h1 square. d7 26.g3 c6
27.f6! So Fridman has stopped the first threat
but must now deal with his weak e5, f7 and
g5 pawns while his king is still not secure. e4
28.d3!? Exchanging bishops in order to be
able to double on the h file.
[ It was also possible to go after the pawns
i m m e d i a t e l y : 28.h5 xc2 29.xg5
( 29.fh1 ac8 30.xh7+ xh7 31.d3
c6 32.xh7+ g8 looks only to be
enough for a draw.) 29...ac8 30.d5 c5
31.xe5 b3 32.ff5 and White has great
winning chances. ]
28...xd3 29.cxd3 ad8 30.f2 d4
[ 30...d6 31.e2 g8 32.h5 c8
33.xg5+ f8 34.h5 is much better for
White but may be Black's best chance. ]
31.fh1 f4+ 32.e3 xf6 33.xh7+ g8
34.h8+ g7 35.1h7+ g6 36.h6+ g7
37.8h7+ g8 38.h8+ g7 39.8h7+
g8 40.xf6! Of course White isn't happy
with the draw. xh7 41.e4 Going through
the game it's instructive to see how W hite
keeps the advantage despite never rushing to
regain material equality. g7 42.d6
[ 42.b6 was the alternative but I presume
Adams didn't fancy allowing counterplay
after d8 43.xb7 d4+ 44.f5 xd3
45.xe5 f3 ]
42...e8 It probably wasn't actually necessary
to defend the e5 pawn but it doesn't change
matters so much.
[ I think 42...c8 was the better option
43.b6 ( 43.xe5?! c5+ 44.d5 c2
gi ve s B l a c k d e c e n t d r a wi n g c h a n c e s .)
43...c7 44.b4 and White keeps Black in a
bind. Black's extra pawn actually gets in the
way. ]
[ 42...f6?! 43.f5 f7 44.b4 f8 45.e6
f7 46.b6! would leave zugzwang Black. ]
43.f5 e7 44.b4 e8 45.d7 b8 46.d6
e8 47.d7 b8 48.d5! b6?!
Fridman misses an instructive trick.
[ 48...e8 was better when White still has to
show how to win the position. ]
49.b5! Winning a pawn. a8
[ 49...axb5 50.xb5 ]
[ and 49...bxa5 50.bxa6 are totally
hopeless. ]
50.axb6 a5 51.xe5 a4 52.d6 a3
53.xg5+ A beautiful game from England's
number one. 11.Bg5 is an interesting method
against 6...Qd7 but I don't think it has put the
nail in its coffin quite yet.
1-0
670 C07
Adams,Michael 2734
Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter 2693
MTel Sofia BUL (3) 12.05.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
d7
[ R a t h e r l e s s p o p u l a r t h a n 11...c7
with the idea of kingside castling. ]
12.g5!?
[ T h e u s u a l p r o c e d u re i s 12.c3 c7
etc. With the game move Adams provokes
a surprising reaction. ]
12...c5? I would be intrigued to know the
genesis of this blunder. Was Nisipeanu simply
out of his theory here, having been confused
by the unusual 12.Bg5, or had he analysed
the sacrifice that follows at home and
concluded that Black was OK? Having played
11...Bd7, the consistent move was
[ 12...0-0-0! though White can try for an
attack with 13.e3!? ( The rather lacklustre
13.f3 allowed Black to equalise after c7
14.e2 h6 15.h4 d6 16.g3 xg3
17.hxg3 c6 18.e5 e4 19.f4 d6
etc. in Rajlich, V-Kosic, D/Budapest 2006. )
A) We have to wait for further news on
13...c7!?
A1) Not 14.c3? b4 and Black wins
material.;
A2) T h e s a c r i f i c e 14.xa6
lo o ks da n ge rou s f o r B la ck, e . g. c5
( not 14...bxa6? 15.c3 c5 16.xf6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
gxf6 17.b4 ) 15.c3 e8 16.d3 xd4
17.e3 d5 18.b4 e4 19.xe4
xd1+ 20.xd1 c6 21.xc5 d8
22.d3 White has a useful initiative for
the positional queen sac, but perhaps
Black is OK after d5;
A3) 14.f3 e5 Here the players called it
a draw in this critical position in Asrian,
K-Anastasian, A/ Yerevan ARM 2007.
( Of course if 14...xc4 15.d3 );
B) 13...b8?! 14.b3 c8 15.f3 c6
16.xc6+ xc6 17.xf6 gxf6 18.xf6
g8 19.f1 and Black didn't have enough
for the missing pawn in Asrian, K-W ang
Hao/ Taiyuan CHN 2006. ]
[ Finally, if 12...c7 White is able to make a
similar sacrifice to that in the main game:
13.xe6! xe6 14.xf6 gxf6 15.xe6
fxe6 16.xe6+ f7 17.d5 g7 18.f5
f7 19.d1 e7 20.d7 he8 21.g3!
ruling out any back rank tricks and
emphasising that he has no need to hurry.
ab8 22.h4 h5 23.c4 b6 24.b4 bc8
Losing material, but what otherwise is to be
done about the advance of White's c-pawn?
25.exe7 xe7 26.xe7 xe7 27.xc8
xb4 28.xa6 e1+ 29.g2 e4+
30.h2 d4 31.g1 h6 32.a4 g7
33.b3 g6 34.a3 g7 35.g2 d6
36.b5 h6 37.a4 d4 38.d5 c3
39.d6 1-0 Andriasian, Z-Rodshtein, M/
Yerevan ARM 2006. ]
13.xe6! White will gain two pawns, an attack
on the black king and a massive pin on the
bla ck bis hop in retu rn f o r t he pie ce . fxe6
14.xf6 gxf6 15.xe6 xe6 16.xe6+ e7
17.b4! Michael Adams always makes
impressive use of his pawns to strengthen his
initiative, even though in this case he might
be s aid t o ha ve bo rrowe d 17 .b 4 f ro m a n
earlier analysis by Vaisser. The black queen
is displaced from c5, which means she can't
continue to defend e7 and rule out a check by
the white queen on h5. c3
[ Vaisser gives 17...xb4 18.h5+ f8
19.ae1 e8 20.g3 a clear advantage for
White. The game move tries to slow down
the white attack by hitting the rook on a1,
but if Nisipeanu thought this was enough to
change the verdict on the sacrifice he is
soon left disillusioned. ]
18.e3! c7 19.h5+ f8 20.ae1 e8
[ Useless for Black is 20...xb4 21.e8+
xe8 22.xe8+ g7 23.g4+ f7
24.xh8 ]
21.h6+ f7 22.h5+ f8 23.h6+ f7
24.c3! I love this little pawn move-it is pure
Adams! White calmly rules out 24...Qxc2 and
asks his opponent: it is your move: what can
you do? hg8 25.xh7+ g7 26.h5+ f8
27.g3! Another patient move. Any tricks
a g a i n s t g 2 o r o n t h e b a c k r a n k a r e d7
28.e6 g5 29.h8+ f7 30.h7+ g7
31.h5+ g6 32.c4!? The advance of the
queenside pawns turns the screw even tighter
on Black, but in f act there was already a
tactical win possible with
[ 32.f4!! c5+ ( Waiting does no good:
32...g7 33.f5 g5 34.xe8! the point of
advancing the pawn to f5. xe8 35.xe7+
xe7 36.xe7+ f8 37.xb7 and wins. )
33.bxc5 xe6 34.xe6 xe6 ( 34...xe6
35.f5+! ) 35.f5 e1+ 36.g2 e4+
37.h3 and Black has run of good checks
after which g6 drops. ]
32...g7 33.d5 c7 34.e4 f7 35.c5
d7 36.f5 g7 37.e4 f7 38.f5 g7
39.h5! I don't know whether Nisipeanu lost
on time here or resigned out of exasperation
with his thankless defensive task. In any case,
White is ready for the decisive f4-f5 which he
could have carried out at move 32 above:
[ 39.h5 d8 ( Or 39...c7 40.f4 etc. )
40.f4 d4+ 41.g2 d7 ( 41...d5+
42.xd5 ) 42.f5 d5+ 43.h3 h8
( 43...h6 44.xe7+ xe7 45.xe7+ f8
46.xh6+ xe7 47.g7+ e8 48.xf6 )
44.xe7+ g8 45.e8+ and wins. ]
1-0
671 C07
Azarov,Sergei 2615
Vitiugov,Nikita 2720
12th ch-EUR Aix les Bains FRA (5) 26.03.2011
[John Watson]
French exponent Vitiugov shows faith in the
3...c5 Tarrasch. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5
4.exd5 xd5 5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6
7.0-0 f6 8.b3 c6 9.bxd4 xd4
10.xd4
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 10.xd4 has been considered drawish for
many years, as in this month's d7 11.f4
xd4 12.xd4 c8 13.b3 c5 14.ad1
0-0 15.fe1 fd8 1/2-1/2 Peptan, C (2415)-
Repkova, E (2446), Bucharest ROU 2011. ]
10...a6
[ 10...d7 is still theoretically sound: 11.c3
c7 12.b3 d6 13.h3 0-0 14.e1 h2+
15.h1 f4 16.f3 xc1 17.axc1 ad8
18.cd1 c8 1/2- 1/2 (18) Alsina Leal, D
(2538)-Fridman, D (2661), Aix-les-Bains
FRA 2011. ]
11.e1 Recently-played alternatives:
[ 11.b3 c7 12.f3 d6 13.h3 h2+
( 13...d7 14.e1 0-0-0 15.g5 c5!
is another main line in Vitiugov's book. I
f i r s t s a w t h e . . . Q c5 id e a i n a g a m e b y
Kramnik, who might do well to spice up his
repertoire by playing the French again.)
14.h1 e5 15.c3 d7 16.e1 0-0
17.e3 ad8 with equality, Velicka, P
(2 4 9 0 )-P e t rik, T ( 2 5 3 6 ) , S l o va ki a S V K
2011. ]
[ 11.d3 d7 12.f3 ( 12.c3 ) 12...0-0-0
( Vitiugov prefers 12...c7 ) 13.e2 c7
14.e5 e8 15.e1 (This gives a pleasant
impression, even if W hite's advantage is
small) d6 16.g3!? d5 17.a3 ( 17.c4
e7 18.a4! ) 17...h5 18.c4!? ( 18.h4 )
18...e7 ( 18...h4! 19.xd6+
20.e5! hxg3 21.hxg3 c6 22.xd6
xd6 23.f3 , about equal.) 19.e5 ( 19.h4 )
19...h4 20.xc7+ xc7 21.e4 hxg3
22.hxg3 g5 ( 22...f6! ) 23.g2
24.d2 b6 ( 24...b5 25.e5 f4!? )
25.e5 f4 26.xf4 gxf4 27.gxf4 d4
( 27...g7 ) 28.e3 xf4 29.c3+ b8
30.d1 g7 31.b4?! f5 ( 31...f6! ) 32.g3
f6 33.d8+ c7?? ( 33...xd8 34.xg7
d4 ) 34.xe8 1-0 (34) Baratosi, D (2390) -
Thesing, M (2423)/Bucharest ROU 2011/
The W eek in Chess 856 ( 34.xe8
35.xg7+ xg7 36.e7+ )]
[ We saw 11.b3 in Movsesian-Sirov in the
Archives. An interesting note there went c7
( Shirov played 11...e5!? ) 12.b2
13.f3 b5 14.d3 b7 15.c4 Tiviakov, S-
Prusikin, M/Dresden GER 2007 and now
Black could have tried 0-0!? 16.cxb5 axb5
17.xf6 ( 17.xb5 fd8 ) 17...gxf6 18.xb5
a3! with ample compensation. ]
11...c7
[ I n h i s b o o k , V i t i u g o v c a l l s 11...d7
'a very attractive alternative' and analyses it
at length. ]
12.e2
[ T h e o l d m a in li n e wa s 12.b3 d6
13.f5!? ]
12...c5
[ In the same tournament, Azarov faced
12...d6 13.g5 0-0 14.f3 b5 15.d3
b7 16.xf6 gxf6 17.e4 fd8 18.ad1
ac8 19.c3!? ( 19.xb7 xb7 20.d3!
is more consistent, and probably about
equal ) 19...xe4 20.xe4 f5 21.h4 f8
(once the bishop reaches g7, Black is at
l e a s t e q u a l ) 22.a4 e7 ( 22...bxa4
23.xa4 b6 ) 23.xd8 xd8 24.h5 f6
(versus Ng5) 25.axb5 axb5 26.e5 g7
27.h3 ( 27.d3! ) 27...e7 28.f3 c7
( 28...d6! 29.d3 d8 ) 29.d3! d6
30.a1 d8 31.a8 xa8 32.xa8+ f8
33.f3 c7 34.g3 d6 35.e3
with a small advantage which he slowly
co nverte d : d8 36.h4 ( 36.b3! and c4 )
36...c7 37.g2 h6 38.f3 g7 39.b3
d7 40.c5 d6 41.b4 d8 ( 41...b6 )
42.b7 c7 43.xd8 xd8 44.c4! bxc4
45.c3+ e5 46.xc4 d2 47.b5 e4
48.c5 e3 49.e5+ h7 50.xf5+ g7
xd6 51.e5+ g8 52.xe3 d5+ 53.h2
xb5 54.xh6 e2 55.g5+ h8
56.f6+ g8 57.g2 e4+ 58.f3 c4
59.h5 c6+ 60.h2 1-0 Azarov, S (2615)-
h7 Dubov, D (2489), Aix-les-Bains 2011. ]
13.f3 This looks right, to control d5, but
White loses a lot of time.
[ 13.c3 b5 14.d3 0-0 ( 14...xd4!?
15.cxd4 b7 ) 15.g5 is a another try. ]
13...b5 14.d3 b7
[ 14...g4 15.f1 b7 16.e4 f6
17.f4! b6 18.xb7 xb7 19.e5 0-0
xe5 20.xf6 gxf6 gives balanced chances. ]
15.e5 0-0 16.f4 d5!?
[ 16...ad8 ]
17.g3 b4 18.xh7+!? White goes for
d6 broke.
[ 18.e4 is solid. ]
18...xh7 19.g6 fxg6!
[ Or 19...xf2+ 20.xf2 fxg6 21.xc7 xf2
22.xf2 xc2 transposes. ]
20.xc7 xf2 21.xf2 xf2+ 22.xf2
602
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xc2 23.ac1 xe1 24.xe1 d5 15.c2 e5

And the game is drawn. 25.a3 g5 26.e5
c8 27.c3 g6 28.e2 c4 29.g3 f4
30.e1 h5 31.h3 g6 32.e5 c4
33.e2 f4 34.e5 f1 35.e1 f7 36.e5
c7 37.e2 d7 38.e1 c4 39.f2 g4
40.hxg4 g5 41.f3 d3+ 42.e3 xe3+
½-½
[ 15...f6= ]
16.d2 f6 17.e4 xe4 18.xe4 e6
19.e3 xe3 20.xe3 ad8 21.a7 c8
22.e3 e6 23.a7 c8 24.e3 e6
A tedious game and notes, but illustrating
how Black should equalise.
½-½

672 C07 673 C07

Balogh,Csaba 2664 Barua,Dibyendu 2555
Le Quang,Liem 2703 Harikrishna,Penteala 2354
6th SPICE Cup GM (4) 15.10.2012 ch Udaipur IND (6) 16.01.2000
[John Watson] [Neil McDonald]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.dxc5 For some reason this has become
popular at high levels. It strikes me as
harmless. For a raft of games with
[ 5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 , see the Archives. ]
5...xc5 6.gf3 f6 7.c4 c6 8.e2 a6
9.0-0 0-0 10.d3 Alternatives are also
uninspiring:
[ 10.e5 goes way back to Kudryashov-
Petrosian, Moscow 1967, as cited in PTF3:
c7 11.df3 b5 12.d3 b7= ]
[ 10.a3 b6 11.b4 e7 12.e5 c7
13.b2 c6= Oleksienko, M (2535)-Meier,
G (2648), Dresden 2012. ]
10...bd7 11.c3
[ a) White achieved little with 11.c4 c7
12.g5 b5 13.ce5 b7 14.ad1 h6
15.h4 d6 ( 15...xe5 16.xe5 fd8
17.xf6 gxf6 18.g4 f4= ) 16.g3 xf3
17.xf3 xg3 18.hxg3 c5 19.c3 xd3=
Svidler, P-Danielian, O, Voroshilovgrad
1989. ]
[ b) 11.e4 xe4 12.xe4 c7 13.e3
xe3 ( 13...d6 ) 14.xe3 c5 15.fd1
xe4 16.xe4 f6 17.d2 Godena, M
(2530)-Meier, G (2664), Novi Sad 2009 e5
18.ad1 e6= ]
11...h6!?
[ 11...b6! 12.e4 b7 13.xc5 xc5
14.c2 fd8 and Black's activity fully
compensates for the bishop pair. ]
12.d1
[ 12.e4 xe4 13.xe4 c7 14.e3
xe3 15.xe3 f6 ]
12...e8 13.e4 xe4 14.xe4 c7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.b3
c7 12.e1 d6 13.f5 xh2+ 14.h1
0-0 15.xg7 d8 16.f3 xg7 17.h6+
g6 18.c3 h5 19.e3 This is the major
alternative to
[ 19.c1 which is analysed in Thiruchelvam-
Levitt. Retreating the bishop to e3 is
certainly more natural than going all the way
back to c1 and shutting in the queen's rook.
On the other hand, Black can now exploit
the fact that the e file is blocked. ]
19...f5!? If White's bishop were on c1 then this
could be answered by 20 Bxe6. Although this
defensive pawn thrust proves OK in the game,
[ 19...f4!? should also be investigated. ]
20.g4 f6 21.gxf5+ exf5 22.g2+ g4
23.f3 b5 Michael Adams claims this gives
Black a clear advantage, but dynamic equality
seems a better assessment. Another
possibility is
[ 23...d7 24.d4 g3 25.fxg4 So far this
is Rublevsky-S.Ivanov, Russia [ch] 1997,
and now Rublevsky recommends xg2+
26.xg2 d6 27.ad1 when White is
slightly better. ]
24.d4 Also interesting was
[ 24.c2!? ]
24...h5! Instead
[ 24...b7 25.e6+ looks overwhelming,
but ]
[ 24...g3 is unclear after 25.fxg4 b7
26.gxf5+ g5 27.e4 However, Black
achieves what seems a better version of this

603
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

in the game. ] 17.d3?

25.fxg4 b7 26.gxf5+ h6 27.e4 g8! [ And he duly obliges. Correct was 17.b3!
A wonderful counterstroke. If White captures h6 ( But not 17...d5? 18.xd5 exd5
twice on g8 then Bxe4+ will win his queen. 19.e3 which looks better for White in view
28.f3 g3 29.e3+ g7 30.d4+ o f h is we ll p la ce d kn igh t a n d p o t e n t ia l
White has to force a draw as pressure along the g1-a7 diagonal.) 18.e3
[ 30.f6+ g6 is losing. ] h2+ 19.h1 f4 with similar play to
30...f8 31.e3 Here a draw was agreed. If Breyther-Glek. ]
xf3 17...d5 White has neglected this key centre
[ The position is full of wonderful variations, square. 18.f3 This doesn't help, as the
f o r e x a m p l e 31...d6 32.f6!! xf3?! queen will become a target for Black's pawn
33.h6# ] storm. f4 19.f1 g5! Black's attack
[ 31...c6 32.f6 xe4 33.c5+ e8 becomes overwhelming with great rapidity.
34.xe4+ xe4+ 35.xh2 g2+ 36.h3 20.g3 e5! Black now handles the assault in a
and the f pawn wins the game for White. ] sp le nd id ly e n e rge t ic wa y. 21.c2 g4!
32.h6+ g7 33.xg7+ xg7 34.e7+ 22.hxg4 cg8 23.e3 c6 24.d1 h5!
f6 35.xb7 with equality. White was in as 25.gxf4 exf4 26.f5 hxg4 Threatening
much danger of losing this as Black, so the mate on h1 . 27.g2 xg2 28.xg2 f3+
variation seems well and truly alive again! 29.g1 c5! White resigned, for if 30.g3
½-½ xg3+ That was a very impressive example of
what can happen if White loses control in this
variation.
674 C07 0-1
Belov,Vladimir 2280
Danielian,Oganes 2450
Russian Cup Stade 1998 675 C07
[Neil McDonald] Berg,Emanuel 2539
Warner,Delisle 2250
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 37th Olympiad (3) 23.05.2006
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3 [Neil McDonald]
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
[ Instead 11.b3 d7 would transpose to the 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
game Slobodjan-Lamprecht. ] 5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.b3!?
11...d7 12.c3 c7 13.e2 John Emms An interesting way to avoid the mainline. The
describes this as 'less flexible' than basic idea is to clear c4 for the white knight in
[ 13.b3 which can be found in the game order to harass the black queen and make
Breyther-Glek. ] the freeing move e6-e5 more problematical.
13...0-0-0 This is the most ambitious move. [ 7.0-0 f6 8.b3 etc. ]
[ 13...d6 14.h3 ( 14.g5 0-0-0! ) 14...0-0 7...c6
15.g5 h2+ 16.h1 f4 17.xf4 [ Instead 7...f6 8.0-0 ( Also possible is
( 17.xf6 is more of a fighting move,) 8.c4 followed by 9.Qxd4 or 9.Nxd4.)
17...xf4 with equality in Palac-Savchenko, 8...c6 9.c4 transposes. ]
Yerevan 1996. ] 8.0-0!
14.a4 d6 15.h3 b8 More accurate is [ It is important that White aims for the Nc4/
[ 15...h6 first. ] Ne5 manoeuvre rather than Ne4 in order to
16.a5 c8 circumvent Black's plan of e6-e5. Thus
[ Instead 16...h6 is a standard move in this 8.e4 rather misses the mark:
type of position. However, with the game A) but not 8...c7 which allows White to
move Black gives his considerably lower build up an attack: 9.0-0 e7 10.xd4
rated opponent the chance to make a xd4 11.xd4 f6 12.a4+ d7
positional blunder! ] 13.f4! c8 ( A nice move, the point

604
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
being if 13...xf4 14.xf6+
15.xd7+ f8 16.xb7 and White wins
some pawns.) 14.d6+ xd6 15.xd6
etc. Hansen, S-Farago, I/IHEM, Hamburg
GER 2002.;
B) 8...d8 9.0-0 e7 10.e2 f6
11.d1 0-0 12.c3 e5! All Black's worries
are over. 13.h3 f5 14.g3 d3 15.e1
d7 16.xe5 xe5 17.xe5 g6
and Black's passed pawn gave him
excellent dynamic chances in Hansen, S-
Akopian, V/Turin ITA 2006. ]
8...f6 9.c4 d8
[ Or 9...c5 10.c3 e7 ( Uncomfortable for
Black is 10...dxc3 11.bxc3 with Ba3 and
the n Nd6 + loo ming.) 11.xd4
12.cxd4 c7 13.f3 0-0 14.f4 d8
15.ad1 and White had a promising IQP
position in Carlsson, P-Backelin, R/
Stockholm SWE 2005. ]
10.ce5! xe5 11.xe5 c5 12.a4+!
e7
[ White has a very useful initiative for a pawn
upon 12...d7 13.c3! ( The only way, as
13.xd7? xd7 14.g4 leads to nothing
after 0-0 15.h6 f6 16.xg7 xg7
17.xg7+ xg7 18.xd7 ) 13...dxc3 ( or
13...xa4 14.xa4+ e7
14.g5!? ( more f orceful than 14.xd7
xd7 15.bxc3 ) 14...b5 15.f3! bxa4 ( or
15...0-0 16.c2!? ) 16.xd7
17.ad1+ d6 18.b7+ e8
18...c7? 19.xd6+ xd6 20.f4+ e5
21.d1+ e6 22.xc7 )
and White's attack continues. ]
13.g5 a5 14.h5! If it wasn't for this
po we rf u l m o ve, W h it e 's a tt a ck wo u ld b e
floundering. f8
[ B l a c k i s a n n i h i l a t e d a f t e r 14...xa4
15.xf7+ d6 16.xg7 etc. ]
15.xh7 d6
[ There is still no time for 15...xa4
16.xg7 crashes through on f6. ]
16.g6+! d8
[ Or 16...fxg6 17.xg7+ d8 ( 17...f7
18.xf6# ) 18.xf6+ etc. ]
17.xf6+ gxf6 18.xf8 xa4 19.xf7
The dust has settled and Black is the
exchange down with a wretched king. e8
20.xf6+ c7 21.g6 d7 22.ad1 e5
23.fe1 g8 24.xe5! c6 25.xd4 xe5
xf6 26.xe5+ b6 27.b4+ a6 28.b3 b5
29.c7 xb3 30.xc6+ a5 31.cxb3 b8
Yes, White really does have a queen, knight
and four pawns for a rook. 32.b4+
[ In case you have any lingering doubts, after
32.b4+ a4 33.c3 it is mate on a3. ]
1-0
676 C07
Bijaoui,Manuel 2404
Braun,Arik 2558
25th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (8) 6.3.09
[Neil McDonald]
xd4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.b3
c7 12.e1 d6 13.h3 Needless to say
th e re are o t h er ga m e s in t his lin e in t h e
archives. 0-0 14.g5 e5 Not necessarily a
mistake, but the line of play that Black intends
to adopt in the game requires the intermediate
move
[ 14...h2+! enticing the white king to the
inferior h1 square. Play might continue
A) Actually White might also choose
15.g5 ) 15.f1 e5 16.c3 d8 17.f3 h6
18.h4 d7 19.g1 xd4? ( Better is
19...a5!? with unclear play. Black must
xd7 have underestimated White's 21st move.)
( not 20.cxd4 c6 21.d5! Black has four units
guarding d5, but this breakthrough is still
19.xd6 very strong. xd5 22.xd5 xd5 23.xf6
gxf6 ( Perhaps Black had missed in his
e a r l i e r c a l c u l a t i o n s t h a t 23...f5?
can be answered decisively with 24.c3! )
24.xf6 g5 25.ac1 d8 26.xh6
d5 27.g3 d2 28.h4 f5 29.g4+
f8 30.e2 xe2 31.xe2
someh ow Black drew the endga me in
as Nguyen Van Huy-Villamayor, B/Manila PHI
2008.;
B) 15.h1 e5 16.c3 h6 17.f3 d8
18.c1 hxg5 19.xe5 d5 20.c4 f4
21.g3 d3 22.xd3 xd3 23.c2
White has a slight edge but a draw was
agreed at this point in Pavasovic-
Nevednichy, Slovenia 2006. ( If instead
23.xg5 b6! and in view of the idea of
24...Bb7+ combined with 25...Qc6 Black
605
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
has dangerous play for the pawn. Note
that if the white king were at g1 rather than
h1 this plan of counterattack would be
much less effective. )]
15.c3 h6? Playing with fire. The developing
move
[ 15...d7 was more appropriate. ]
16.f3 d8 17.c1! hxg5 18.xe5 h7
An u gly d ec en t ra lisin g mo ve ra th e r th a n
activating the knight on d5 in the style of the
Pavasovic-Nevednichy game given above.
However, the problem is that after
[ 18...d5 19.c4 f4 20.g3 d3
( The knight's in trouble after 20...xh3+
21.g2 ) 21.xd3 xd3 22.xg5! b6
W hite has an important extra tempo
compared to the Pavasovic game as his king
is on g1 rather than h1. For example he has
time to reroute his bishop with Bc2 and Be4
if he wishes, or to kick the rook with Bc2
and then attack with Qh5, or even play Rad1.
Braun therefore puts his knight on h7, but is
soon outgunned in the centre battle. ]
19.e3 f6
[ If 19...b6 20.ad1 b7? ( He should try
20...xd1 21.xd1 f8 but 22.c4!
leaves him with dropping pawns on b6 and
g5. ) 21.xd8+ xd8 22.xf7! xf7 ( Or
22...xf7 23.xe6 ) 23.xe6+ f8
24.g8# ]
[ Meanwhile White increases the pressure
after 19...f8 20.ad1 ]
20.c4! The knight aims at b6 to eliminate the
defender of e6. e8 21.b6 b8 22.xc8
bxc8 23.xe6+ h8 24.f3 Not only has
Black lost a pawn, he will also be menaced by
mating threats. cd8 25.h5 f4 26.g3
d2 27.e2?
[ It may seem harsh to criticise a move that
makes the opponent resign, but White can
force the win with 27.e3! xb2 28.f5
xa1+ 29.h2 g6 30.xg6 when Black
has no good way to defend h7. ]
[ After the game move 27.e2 Black could
fight on in an albeit losing position with g6!
( not 27...d3? 28.f5! ) 28.f3 d3
29.e3 b5 etc. ]
1-0
677 C07
Bok,B 2520
Giri,A 2737
TCh-NED Meesterklasse 2013-14 (2.1) 2.11.13
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 e7
This move has gained in popularity over the
past few years, and is played here by the
rising star Giri. There's certainly no refutation,
but I'm inclined to be skeptical about the
practical value of something so passive. In
practice, at any rate, the main line 10...a6
with ideas of ...Qc7 and ...Bd6 combined with
...b5 and ...Bb7 is much more dynamic and
makes W hite's life more difficult. The same
idea appeared in this game:
[ 10...a6 11.e1 e7!? 12.c3 0-0 13.f3!
(with a small advantage) d7 14.b3 c5
15.xb7 ( 15.e3! ) 15...e5 16.c2 fb8
17.f3 a5 18.g5 a4 19.xf6 xf6
20.d5 Godena, M (2501)-Cocchi, A
(2322), Rome 2013. ]
11.b3 There are other ways to develop:
[ 11.c3 0-0 12.e1 is a sound alternative
( or 12.f3 )]
[ 11.b5 c6 12.e2 might also yield a
small edge, for example, a6 13.f4 0-0
14.d4 b6 15.c3 d7 16.ad1 ac8
17.e5 ]
11...0-0 12.b2 f4
[ 12...c7 might leaves more play on for the
higher-rated player. ]
13.f3 xf3 14.xf3 b6 15.a4!?
[ 15.e5 b7 16.e2 fd8 17.fd1 ac8
18.xd8+ xd8 19.d1= ]
15...a5
[ 15...b7 16.a5!? ( 16.e5 ) 16...xf3
17.gxf3 fd8 18.axb6 axb6 19.xa8 xa8
20.d1 a2 21.d4= ]
16.e5 b7 17.d4 c5 18.xc5 bxc5
Now W hit e even has a slight ad vantage ,
although hardly enough to achieve anything.
19.fd1 fd8 20.e2 d5 21.f4 f8
22.xd5 xd5 23.d1 e4 24.d3 b7
25.b5 e4 26.d3 b7 27.b5 e4
½-½
606
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

678 C07 [ 25.d4! to activate the rook and prevent

Breyther,Ruediger Black's next move. Chances would then be
Glek,Igor V about equal. ]
op Hamburg (6) 1995 25...e4! With this knight manoeuvre Black
[Neil McDonald] seizes the advantage. If White had played 25
Rd4 last move it would have been impossible
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 because 25...Ne4?? 26 Nxc6 wins a piece.
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3 26.e1 c5 27.c4 a4 28.b3 e8
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1 29.xa4?!
d7 This can lead to a highly interesting battle. [ It was better to keep the bishop with
It is a slightly more solid line than the hyper 29.e2 ]
theoretical 29...xa4 30.e4 b5 31.d4 f6 32.g6?!
[ 11...c7 ] e8 33.d2 d8! 34.xd8 xd8
12.c3 c7 13.b3 0-0-0 14.e2 d6 Now Black has the superior minor piece, much
15.h3 h6 The experts in this line seem to more active king and more compact pawns.
regard this as a slightly more accurate move R o z e n t a l i s m a n a g e s t o w e a v e t h e s e
order than advantages into a win. 35.f4 e7 36.g4
[ 15...b8 which however could well g5 37.h5 f5 38.gxf5 exf5 39.f4 f7
transpose after 16.a4 h6 etc. ] 40.g2 g6 41.g3 gxf4 42.f1 c6+
16.a4 b8 17.e3 h2+ 43.f2 g5 44.d2 h4 45.f3+ xh3
[ Black aims to exchange off White's 46.c4 e4 47.b4 g4 48.e5+ g5
dangerous da rk squ ared b ishop bef ore 49.d7 h5
White can carry out the threat of a4-a5, Nf3! 0-1
and Bb6. But first of all, he gives a check to
force the white king into the corner. This is
a common zwischenzug in this variation: 679 C07
sometimes the fact that f2 is left undefended Emms,John M 2505
by the king reduces W hite's options. And Kelly,Brian 2497
looking a long way ahead to the endgame, 4NCL 2005-06 (4) 20.11.2005
the kin g is o ne squ are f urther f rom th e [Neil McDonald]
centre. However, an interesting alternative
was 17...he8 when 18.f3!? c6 19.a5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
d7 20.d4 c5! ( This is superior to the 5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
t i m e w a s t i n g 20...e4? which led to a c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
d ra s t ic d e f e a t f o r t h e o p e n in g syst e m : c7 12.e2!? A dangerous line for Black to
21.a4 e5 22.c2 c6 23.xc6 xc6 face. c5
24.b4! xb4 25.cxb4 f6 26.ac1 a4 [ Black immediately challenges the well
27.c4 d5 28.b6 xb6 29.c7+ a8 p l a c e d w h i t e k n i g h t . I n s t e a d 12...d6
30.axb6 d7 31.xe5 f8 32.b5 is examined in Wittmann-Pap. ]
B l a c k r e s i g n e d i n A d a m s - S p e e l m a n , 13.c3 0-0?!
England 1991.) 21.xc6+ xc6 22.c2 f5! [ Since White's Bg5 move proves so strong in
Black utilises his pawn majority. 23.c4 this variation, it could be worth investing a
d7 24.xc6 bxc6 25.ed1 f6 26.d4 tempo to prevent it with 13...h6!? e.g.
c5 27.xf6 and a draw was agreed in 14.b3 ( The monster computer that
Marciano-Rozentalis, Belfort 1997. W hite brutalised Michael Adams in his match was
was rather unambitious in this game, but I slowly outplayed and beaten in a
still think Black is at least OK ] correspondence game after 14.d3 d7
18.h1 f4 19.xf4 xf4 20.f3 c6 15.e3 d6 16.g3 0-0 17.d2 g4
21.e5+ xe5 22.xe5 hf8 23.ad1 18.ad1 fe8 19.b3 xe3 20.xe3
xd1 24.xd1 c7 25.a5? This loosens his ad8 and eventually 0-1 HYDRA CHIMERA-
pawns. Much stronger was Nickel, A/ Abu Dhabi/Berlin 2004.) 14...d7

607
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
15.e3 d6 16.h3 h2+ 17.h1 f4
18.xf4 xf4 19.xe6 For once this
standard sacrifice doesn't bring home the
bacon. fxe6 20.xe6 xe6 21.xe6+ f8
22.e5 introducing the threat of 23.Qd6+
followed by a discovered check to win the
black queen. d2! the queen prevents 23.
Rd1 and will also stop Re1 in a couple of
moves time. 23.b3 e8 24.xe8+ xe8
25.xb7 f8 26.xg7 f7 27.g6 f8
28.c4 xf2 White has picked up bags of
pawns for the piece, but Black's compact
army holds the balance with counter threats
a g a i n s t t h e wh i t e k i n g . 29.d1 g7
30.d8+ e7 31.xg7+ xd8 32.xh6
e4 33.h2 draw agreed in Kotronias, V-
Glek, I/4th IECC, Istanbul TUR 2003. ]
14.g5 d5
[ Other moves don't escape the pressure.
Firstly, 14...xd4 15.cxd4 d5 16.ac1
b6 17.g4! Beginning an instructive plan
that involves the offer of a pawn to gain
control of the dark squares. f5 18.f3
xd4 19.xd5 exd5 20.c7 f4 21.ee7
f5 22.c3! xc3 23.bxc3 ae8
24.xg7+ h8 and here, rather than
25.h4?! which eventually won for White in
Speelman, J-Nogueiras, J/Barcelona 1989,
Seirawan recommended 25.h3, followed by
f2-f 3, and then Bg5-h4-f2-d4. Once the
bishop gets to d4, it is all over. ]
[ Secondly, 14...e7 15.ad1 b5 16.b3
a7 17.f3! b7 to stop 18.Nc6, but
after... 18.h3 the e6 point is ripe for a
sacrifice, and there is also the threat of Bc2
and then Bxf6 to conquer the h7 square.
e4 19.xe7 xe7 20.c2 g5?
( The only move was 20...f6 ) 21.e3
setting up a winning double threat to the
knight and rook on a7. h6 ( or 21...d5
22.h4 ) 22.h4 h7 23.f5 c7 24.xh6+
gxh6 25.xa7 1-0 Kotronias, V-Sprenger, J/
XVIII Open, Cappelle la Grande FRA 2002. ]
15.ad1 e7? It's no surprise that Black was
nervous about the potential threat to his king.
For example
[ 15...b5 16.d3 ( White doesn't have much
after 16.xd5 exd5 17.b3 e6; or
16.b3 b7 ) 16...h6 ( 16...f4 17.xf4
xf4 18.xh7+! xh7 19.h5+ g8
20.xc5 ) 17.h5! and White is ready for a
Bxh6 sacrifice. ]
[ Finally after 15...d7 16.h5 White again
has an ominous attack. ]
16.xe7 xe7 17.xe6! As so often in this
variation, Black suffers a disaster on e6. xe6
18.xe6 fxe6 19.xe6+ f7 20.d7 f4
21.xe7 xf2+ 22.h1 af8 23.h3
[ Not 23.xb7?? xe1+ 24.xe1 f1+
and mates. ]
23...h6 24.xf7 xf7 25.d1 h7 26.e4+
f5 27.xf5+ xf5 Now Black is slowly
ground down in the endgame. 28.d6 b5
29.b4 e5 30.b6 e1+ 31.h2 c1
32.xb7 xc3 33.a4 b3 34.b6 g8
35.g4 f7 36.h4 g6 37.a5 h5 38.g5 g7
39.b7+ f8 40.b5!
[ the a-pawn runs through after 40.b5 axb5
41.a6 a3 42.a7 followed by a check on
b8. ]
1-0
680 C07
Faibisovich,Vadim Z 2421
Johannesson,Ingvar Thor 2344
Kaupthing Open (6) 14.05.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.b3?!
I'm sure m ost p la ye rs of Black wou ld b e
relieved to see this move appear on the board,
as White avoids the sharp theoretical lines in
favour of a quiet fianchetto on b2. It seems
far too slow to trouble Black, which is
probably why in the present game he loses
his queen after 21 moves.
[ The usual moves are 11.e1 or ]
[ 11.b3 ]
11...d7? How many times have we seen a
player react badly to an opening surprise,
even one that has no great intrinsic merit?
Black responds in typical 5...Qxd5 fashion by
developing his bishop to d7, when in fact the
cleric should have gone to b7.
[ 11...c7! 12.b2 ( Or 12.e2 b5 13.d3
b7 14.b2 c5 15.f3 0-0 16.xf6
gxf6 17.a4 b4 18.e4 - Holzke, F-Prusikin,
M/Dresden GER 2007.) 12...d6 13.f3 b5
14.d3 b7 15.c4 g4 16.h3 h2+
608
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
17.h1 g1! A g r e a t m o v e . 18.e5
( 18.xg1 xf2#; 18.xg1 h2#; 18.xg1
xf3 19.xf3 h2# ) 18...xe5 19.xe5
xe5 - Tiviakov, S-Prusikin, M/Dresden
GER 2007. Black has a slight edge after
20.xg1 d8 ]
12.b2 c7 Black is too late in beginning the
fight for the e5 square. 13.e2 0-0-0 14.f3!
The knight heads f or e5 without being
prompted. c6 15.e5 Once he gets a
knight securely placed on e5 in this type of
pawn structure W hite is assured of a good
game. He already has a tactical threat in the
s h a p e o f 1 6 . N x f 7 ! Q x f 7 1 7 . B x e 6 + . d5
Th is m ak es m a tt ers wo rse a s th e wa y is
cleared for the white c-pawn, but Black was
a l r e a d y s t r u g g l i n g . 16.xd5 xd5
White's plan is now to capture the black queen
in five moves time: [a] advance the c-pawn to
c6 in t hree s tep s [b ] op en th e c-f ile wit h
c6xb7+ [c] play Rc1 and Rxc7, pocketing the
black queen It seems ridiculous to imagine
this will happen, but play on... 17.c4 d8
18.c5! d5
[ The pin costs Black a piece upon 18...xc5
19.ac1 intending 20.b4. If a5 20.xc5
xc5 21.c1 ]
19.c6 d6
[ W h i t e w i n s a t o n c e a f t e r 19...bxc6
20.xa6+ b7 ( 20...b8 21.xc6+ )
21.xb7+ xb7 22.xf7 ]
20.cxb7+ xb7 21.ac1 xe5 Alas the
black queen can't move without allowing a
fatal knight fork:
[ 21...e7 22.c6 or ]
[ 21...b6 22.xf7 ]
22.xc7+ xc7 23.xg7 White rather
cheekily grabs everything. The rest is easy.
hg8 24.e5 b6 25.h5 f6 26.xh7+
a8 27.g3 c3 28.c2 d4 29.e1 e5
30.f1
1-0
681 C07
Ganguly,Surya Shekhar 2603
Petrik,Tomas 2487
38th Olympiad (11) 25.11.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.e2 f6 8.b3
c6 9.g5 a6 10.0-0-0 b5 11.d3 e7
12.he1!?
[ Alternatives examined in the archives are
12.b1 and ]
[ 12.fxd4 xd4 13.xd4 d5! ]
12...b7
[ A n u n t r i e d r e s o u r c e i s 12...a7!?
aiming to bring the rook to the centre. If then
13.fxd4 ( Or 13.b1 d7!? ) 13...xd4
14.xd4 d5 15.f4 xa2 16.c6 d7
17.xe7 a1+ ( 17...xe7?! 18.e5!;
17...xe7!? ) 18.d2 a5+ 19.c3 xe7
intending 20...Rhe8 when Black looks at
least OK. ]
13.fxd4
[ Alternatively 13.b1 d5? ( Instead
13...0-0 14.bxd4 xd4 15.xd4 fe8
-to rule out 16.Nf5 ideas- seems OK for
Black. ) 14.xf6 xf6 15.e4 h5??
16.g4! xg4 17.c5 c8 18.xb7
and Black had lost a piece in Barua, D-
Pogorelov, R/Mumbai 2003. ]
13...xd4 14.xd4 d5? In the note to
White's 12th move we saw that 13...Qd5! was
good f or Black. Here the insertion of the
moves 12.Rhe1 and 12...Bb7 are seen to
change the verdict on the Qd5 move, as White
has a powerful reply. Perhaps
[ 14...d5!? should be preferred. ]
15.f5! xa2 16.e5 a1+ 17.d2 a5+
18.c3 e4+
[ The unfortunate situation of the black king
trapped in the centre means that White is
going to emerge at least the exchange up.
Here are some variations: 18...f8 19.xe7
xe7 20.e2 ac8 ( After 20...xg2
21.c5+ e8 22.f3! the bishop on g2 can
no longer guard the c6 square against the
white queen.) 21.e4 c7 ( Or 21...xe4
22.xf6+ gxf6 23.d6+ e8 24.d7+
f8 25.xc8+ g7 26.a1! ) 22.xc7+
xc7 23.f4 xe4 24.xc7 and White has
good chances in the endgame. ]
609
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

19.xe4! 682 C07

[ Also strong but less precise was 19.xe4?! Giaccio,Alfredo Gustavo 2475
xg5+ 20.e2 0-0-0 ( If 20...xe4 Pogorelov,Ruslan 2411
21.xe4 and wins or; 20...f6 21.d6+ f8 I Joan Casals (3) 27.10.2007
22.xb7 ) 21.c4+! bxc4 22.xa5 cxd3+ [Neil McDonald]
23.xd3 xd3 24.xd3 d8+ 25.e2 d5
( or 25...exf5 26.xf5+ b8 27.xg5 ) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
26.d6+! d7 27.b6 and White should 5.xd4 c6 6.b5 d7 7.xc6 xc6
win. ] 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.c4 dxe4!? Black has tried
19...xg5+ 20.e2 xe4 21.xg7+ f8 various other moves here such as
[ Ho p e l e s s i s 21...e7 22.xg5+ f8 [ 9...a5 and ]
23.xe6+ fxe6 24.d7 ] [ 9...f6 and ]
22.xg5 [ 9...c5 but Pogorelov's move appears to
[ Ganguly goes for the sure win. There was a be the pick of the bunch. ]
pretty way to finish off resistance but it 10.a4? Some recent games have made this
belongs in the realms of computer analysis natural move appear to be a positional
ra t h e r t h a n a p ra c t i c a l o ve r t h e b o a r d mistake.
struggle: 22.d7! [ Black has to be prepared the defend the
A) I t ' s a q u i c k m a t e a f t e r 22...d5 endgame after 10.xe4 xd1+ 11.xd1
23.xe6+ e8 ( or 23...xe6 24.xh8# ) f6 12.xf6+ gxf6 13.e3 g8 14.g3 c5!
24.c5+ f8 25.xh8#; a very important move. Black clears the way
B) 22...e7 23.f5 g8 24.xe7 c2 for the king to sit on the c6 square where it
25.c5 g7 26.g5+ g6 27.xg6 defends c5, keeps a white rook out of d7
hxg6 28.e5+ f8 29.f6 g7 30.a1! and, by removing itself from e8, allows the
b6 ( If 30...xa1 31.d8+ ) 31.xa6!! rook on g8 to help neutralise W hite's
xa6 32.d8+ xd8 33.xd8# ] potential pressure along the open d-file.
22...c7 23.h6 c4+?! 15.h3?! ( More sensible is 15.c2 d7
[ To be fair there wasn't much joy for Black 16.ad1+ c6 17.d3 e7 18.hd1
after 23...e7 24.h4+ f8 25.xe6+ gd8 19.g4! stopping Black gaining space
fxe6 26.xe4 ] on the kingside. xd3 20.xd3 d6 21.h3
24.e3 e7 25.d4 c5 26.xe6! e5 22.a3 a5 23.b3 a4 24.b5 d6
[ More elegant than the simple 26.xe4 ] 25.d3 f5 and with the white rook trapped
26...b6 on the b5 square, and the black rook not
[ If 26...fxe6 27.g7+ e8 28.d2! wanting to leave the a-file as then Ra5 frees
( White could fall for a ghastly swindle with it, a draw was shortly agreed in Delchev, A-
28.xh8+?? f7! when his queen is De la Riva Aguado, O/ Andorra la Vella AND
trapped! ) 28...f8?! it's all collapsing 2006. ) 15...d7 16.c2 c6 17.ad1
anyway. 29.d7# ] e7 18.d3 gd8 19.hd1 xd3 20.xd3
27.g5+ xe6 28.xe4 A curious f5 21.a3 a6 22.a5 h5 23.d3 d6
opposition of the kings, but with the white 24.e2 f6 25.d3 c7 26.a4 h4!
monarch having two rooks to support him. f6 Now we see why the strong Grandmaster
[ Time to resign as if 28...f6 29.f3+ f7 Delchev arranged g2-g4 before Black could
30.d7+ f8 31.g7# ] fix the pawns on the kingside and ram the
1-0 g3 pawn with h5-h4. 27.gxh4 f4 and Luther
t on to prove that his mass of centre pawns
outweighs anything White can achieve on
the queenside: 28.c1 f5 29.e2 e5
30.b3 b7 31.a3 h8 32.xc5 xh4
33.b4 xh3 34.b5 axb5 35.cxb5 c3
36.a7 c2+ 37.d3 b2 38.c4 f3
39.a6 f4 40.a4 e4 41.d4 e3 42.h6

610
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xf2 43.b6 c2+ 44.d3 d2+ 45.e4 f2 30.xe2 xb2 31.e5+ e8 32.d6 xe5
46.h1 xd4+ 0-1 White, M-Luther, T/ 33.xe5 c2+
Barcelona ESP 2007. ] 0-1
10...f5! A very interesting way to handle the
position. Black jettisons the c6 pawn and
trusts in his big pawn centre. 683 C07
[ Pogorelov was unable to defend the Glek,Igor V 2555
a l t e r n a t i v e e n d g a m e a f t e r 10...b6 Rustemov,Alexander 2604
11.xe4 b4+ 12.xb4 xb4+ 13.d2 Bundesliga 2003-4 (2) 02.11.2003
xd2+ 14.xd2 f6 15.c5 and White [Neil McDonald]
eventually won in Bruned, Y-Pogorelov, R/
Balaguer ESP 2007. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
11.xc6+ f7 12.b7+ 5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.e2 f6
[ Or 12.0-0 f6 13.b3 d6! 14.h3 8.b3 c6 9.g5 a6 10.0-0-0 b5 11.d3
To stop Ng4 ideas. Obviously if ( 14.d1? e7 12.b1 b7 13.bxd4 xd4
xh2+ wins. ) 14...c8 15.b7+ c7 14.xd4 d5!?
- Erenburg, S-Hug, W /Gothenburg SW E [ After 14...0-0 15.h4! White built up a
20 0 5 . E vide n t ly t h e m u ch h igh e r ra t e d winning kingside attack in Adams-Buhmann,
Erenburg was relieved to escape from this as given on ChessPub. Therefore Rustemov
position with a draw. ] trie s a ne w m ove with a cle ve r t ac t ic a l
12...e7 13.b3 point. ]
[ Also uninspiring for White is 13.0-0 f6 15.f3!?
14.a6 c8! here also Whit e is obliged to [ Glek is a strong Grandmaster and sees
enter an endgame where his queenside deeply into the position. He realises that If
pawns can be subjected to pressure. W hite continues in routine fashion with
15.xc8 axc8 16.b1 a5 17.b3 hd8 15.h4? he will be hit by xa2+!! 16.xa2
18.b2 g4 19.b1 c5 20.h3 e5 xd4 wi n n i n g a p a wn a s i f 17.xb5+
21.e2 d3 22.d2 c6 23.c3 b4 Black has axb5+ also giving check!
24.d2 A desperate move as White can't Therefore he reroutes his knight to the e5
stand the queenside paralysis any longer. square where it can play a major part in a
xc3 25.xc3 xc3 26.d7+ f6 27.fd1 kingside attack. ]
b4 28.a3 d3 29.b7 a4 30.b4 xc4 15...0-0 16.e5 b4 17.he1 fd8??
31.b5 d4 0-1 Ramiro Ovejero, J-Halkias, S/ This turns out to be a fatal blunder due to a
Kavala GRE 2005. ] sacrifice that White can make in seven moves
13...c8! The key move. Once the queens time! W ho said chess was easy? Instead
are exchanged, Black has many positional Black would be very much alive after say
trumps: a big pawn centre, targets on b2 and [ 17...a5 continuing his queenside pawn
c4, the chance to get a knight to d3, and first advance. ]
option on the d-f ile f or his rooks. 14.xc8 18.xf6 xf6 19.xh7+! f8 It must have
xc8 15.e3 xc4 16.xa7 f6 17.b1 seemed to Rustemov in his earlier
White has connected passed pawns, but they calculations that he would achieve an equal
are still on th eir starting square s an d so game, as if White retreats his bishop to d3 to
targets for the black pieces rather than any avoid being trapped with 20...g6 then he can
source of strength. e7 18.c5 d5 19.0-0 exchange twice on e5 then play Bxg2. But
f4 20.fd1 d3 21.a3 c2 The position un f o rt un at e ly f or h im he h ad miss ed t h e
f eels like a B enko Ga mbit th at h as gon e strength of White's forthcoming sacrifice.
horribly wrong for White. 22.f3 d8 23.fxe4 [ I f i n s t e a d 19...xh7 20.h5+ g8
fxe4 24.d2 xd2 25.xd2 e3 21.xf7+ h7 22.d3 and Black has no
Black's passed pawn is more potent than the good way to stop Rh3 mate. ]
'pretty' white queenside pawns. 26.f3 e2 20.f4! g6 21.xg6! fxg6 22.xg6+ g8
27.g3 c1! 28.xc1 d1+ 29.f2 xc1 23.g4 g7 24.xd5! I would guess it is this

611
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
second sacrifice that Rustemov had missed
as otherwise Black would have a good game-
the two bishops would outweigh the three
pawns. exd5 25.e7+ f7
[ Black will lose his queen and is also likely to
b e m a t e d a f t e r 25...h8 26.e6!
intending 27.Qh3+ or similarly ]
[ 25...h7 26.e6 xe6 27.xe6 ]
26.h5+ f8 27.h7 Now Black can only
avert mate on g8 by giving up his queen, when
t h e e n d g a m e i s h o p e l e s s f o r h i m . xe7
28.xe7 xe7 29.xg7+ d6 30.d4
ab8 Here the queen and three connected
passed pawns are far too strong for the black
rooks, especially as the black king and all the
other black pawns can be targeted. 31.f6+
c5 32.xa6 b3 33.a5+ c6 34.c3+
d6 35.f6+ c5 36.axb3 e8 37.c3+
d6 38.b4 bc8 39.d2 e4 40.c3 ce8
41.a2 d4 42.cxd4 e3 43.b5 a8+
44.b1 b3 45.e2 d5 46.e5+ c4
47.c5+
1-0
684
Hoell,Jonas
Speelman,Jonathan S
zt ,EXP Dublin (5)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
d7 12.c3 c7 13.b3 d6 Black decides
to castle kingside. The main alternative is
[ 13...0-0-0 as in Breyther-Glek. ]
14.h3 0-0
[ Or 14...h2+ 15.h1 f4 16.xf4 ( If
16.f5 0-0 looks secure for Black.)
16...xf4 17.f3 xf3 18.xf3 e7
The endgame is about equal, but careless
play will soon lead to trouble for White, for
example 19.e5 hd8 20.xd7?! xd7
21.ad1 ad8 22.g3?? ( 22.xd7+ xd7
23.e2 is safe. ) 22...d2! and Black was
winning in Forster-Pushkov, Cappelle La
Grande 1997. ]
15.g5 f4 16.xf6 This begins a sharp and
we ll e s t a b li s h e d t a ct ic a l s e q u e n c e . gxf6
17.h5 h8 18.c2 f5
If White doesn't play this sacrifice then Black
will be able to consolidate his pawn centre
and two bishops. exf5 20.e7 Now Black
seems defenceless against the threat of 21
Bxf5 or 21 Rxd7 Qxd7 22 Bxf5 hitting the
queen and also h7, but we are still in theory
land.... c6! 21.xd7 g8 The attack on g2
forces W hite to weaken his kingside, after
which Black stays afloat with another pre-
prepared tactical resource. 22.g4 xd7
23.xf5 h2+! Black gives up his bishop to
allow the queen to move from d7 with check.
24.xh2
[ If 24.g2 d5+ or ]
[ 24.f1 b5+ ]
24...d6+ 25.g1 g7 26.e1 Here at last
White plays an improvement, but it leads to a
quick draw. Previously
[ 26.c2 b6 27.b3 g6 'with roughly
equal chances'-John Emms- was
Huenerkopf-Luther, Munich 1992 ]
26...d2 27.e7 White has two pawns for the
exchange and active pieces, so Speelman
decides to call it a draw. d1+ 28.g2 d5+
29.g1 d1+ 30.g2 d5+ 31.g1
C07 ½-½
2470
2595
1993 685 C07
Howell,David 2611
Ledger,Andrew 2429
4NCL 2010-11 (3) 15.01.2011
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
[ 4...f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 ]
5.xd4
[ 5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 is the main line of the
3...c5 Tarrasch. ]
5...f6
[ This month's Vallejo Pons-Zhu Chen
features 5...c6 6.b5 d7 7.xc6 xc6
8.xc6+ bxc6 9.c4 . ]
6.exd5
[ 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ ( 7.exd5 xb5
8.xb5 xd5 9.0-0 a6 10.d4 e7
is considered equal, as in this month's Vajda,
L (2499)-Petrik, T (2536), Dunajska Streda
CZE 2011. ) 7...bxd7 8.exd5 xd5 9.0-0
e7 ( 9...b6; 9...c7 ) 10.e4 0-0 11.c4
19.xf5! 5f6 12.xf6+ xf6 13.e3 c7
612
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

was slightly better than equal for Black in 686 C07

Schiestl, J (2138)-Baumegger, S (2398), Hracek,Zbynek 2600
G r a z A UT 2 0 1 1 I p r e f e r B la c k' s 4 : 3 t o Borovikov,Vladislav 2570
White's 3:2. ] KB Czech Open (7) 25.07.2002
6...xd5 [Neil McDonald]
[ 6...xd5 has been the most common move
here. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
7.b5 a6 8.c4 5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.e1
[ In the Archives I analyzed the game Ni Hua c6 9.e4
(2657)-Sutovsky, E (2657), W ijk aan Zee [ Instead 9.b3 is the well worn road.
NED 2010, which featured 8.c3 . ] Kasparov's idea leads to a much sharper
8...f5 battle. ]
[ I previously annotated the games McShane 9...xe4 10.xe4 e7
-Ni Hua and Rublevsky-Riazentsev in the [ Better than 10...c5?! as played by Black
Archives, where 8...c6 was played. I think in another Hracek game. Watch how White
that's likely the move that gives the most ma n age d t o e xplo it th e b la ck qu e en t o
winning chances, not that 8...Qf5 isn't fully prevent Lamprecht developing his queen's
playable. ] bishop: 11.d3 e7 12.xd4 xd4
9.e2 e5 10.0-0 e7 11.a3 13.xd4 f6 14.c4 d5 15.e2 0-0
[ 11.c5!? is a Rybka suggestion. The idea is 16.e4 e5 17.c3 g6 18.g3 d8 19.a4!
xc5 ( 11...0-0 12.d6 ) 12.b3 0-0 W hite's use of his pawns is inspired. On
13.xc5 xc5 14.e3 , but b6 both wings they cause Black discomfort.
seems fine. ] d6 20.e3 e5 21.b4 e7 22.a5 a6
11...0-0 12.b4 d8 13.b3 d7 Now b7 is fixed as a permanent weakness.
[ 13...e8 14.f3 ac7 compare the 23.b6 b8 24.f3 g7 25.h4!
game. ] As the black pieces are tied down on the
14.f3! xf3 15.xf3 e4 16.fd4 queenside, Hracek decides to start an attack
Suddenly White has a substantial advantage. on the other wing where his pieces have
e8 17.f4 f6 much more fire power. h6 26.d1 xd1+
[ 17...g5!? 18.g3 xb5 19.xb5 f5 27.xd1 f8 28.d5 g7 29.d2 h7
20.e5! ] 30.h5 A fresh weakness appears on g6 and
18.ad1 xd4 A real concession, but Black it all proves too much for the defence. e6
can hardly move. 19.xd4 a4 20.d2 31.c2 e8 32.hxg6+ fxg6 33.xb7
ac8 21.e1 White is dominating the game 1-0 Hracek,Z-Lamprecht,F/Hamburg GER
and Black is short of moves. f6 2002. ]
[ 21...ac7 22.f1 f6 23.f5! ] 11.xd4 e5 Calling White's bluff: Black
22.g4!? exploits the pin and seems to be winning a
[ 22.c5! c7 23.f5! was also very piece! Unfortunately for him it is by no means
strong. ] that simple. In the stem game in this line
22...h6 23.h4 b8?! Black preferred the solid
[ 23...c7 hangs in there. ] [ 11...0-0 You can check out Kasparov-
24.g5 Gelfand on ChessPub. ]
[ or 24.f5! xd2 25.e7+ f8 26.xc8 ] 12.f4!?
24...hxg5 25.hxg5 h7 26.f1 f8 [ This very pretty move was discussed after
27.xe4 c6 28.e3 g6 29.h3 c7 the Kasparov game, but was rejected for the
30.f4 a5 31.b5 xd4 32.dxd4 xd4 reason explained in the note below. Instead
33.xd4 b3 34.c5 h7 35.d7 xd7 12.f3 was recommended as the way to
36.xd7 e7 37.c6 d5 38.c5 pursue the attack, sacrificing a piece after
1-0 xd4 13.xf7+ d8 etc. In my analysis to
the Kasparov game I give this as promising
f o r W h i t e , b u t B o r o vi k o v - r a t e d 2 5 7 0 -

613
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
evidently believes Black can successfully
defend. This all remains untested as Hracek
ducks the challenge. ]
12...exf4
[ Naturally if 12...xd4 13.xe5 and White
regains the piece with a winning position. ]
13.xc6 xd1+
[ Not 13...xc6 14.e2 regaining the piece
with Re1 next move if necessary, and if
e6? 15.b5 ]
14.xd1 bxc6 15.de1 f8 Also
[ 15...d8!? with the same idea as in the
game was worth a thought, though if he
wishes W hite can then force a draw with
16.d1+ e8 17.de1 ]
16.xe7 e6! The point of Black's defence:
W hite can't defend both his bishop and en
prise rook. 17.1xe6!
[ This is Hracek's improvement that looks
significantly better than 17.7xe6 fxe6
18.xe6 when Black has the annoying
riposte e8! 19.xc6 e1+ 20.f1 f7
threatening Rd8 and Rdd1, and White is in
big trouble. ]
17...fxe6 18.c7! Not allowing Black the
freedom of
[ 18.xe6 e8 etc as given above. Note that
in such positions the exchange of his last
rook with 19.xe8+ xe8 would seriously
damage W hite's chances: despite having
two pawns and a bishop White would have
to defend carefully to draw as he has
nothing to match the long range power of
the rook. ]
18...g5
[ If 18...d8 19.f1 etc. ]
19.f1 White has a rook on the seventh rank
and is guaranteed to regain at least one pawn,
possibly two. Therefore rather than force
matters he centralises his king and leaves
Black to solve the problem of how to activate
his passive rooks. e8
[ This allows White to create a dangerous
outside passed pawn. The other way to
u n r a v e l h i s g a m e w a s 19...g8!?
aiming to develop the rook to g7. If then
20.xh7 g7 21.h8+ g8 22.h7
etc. would be a draw. ]
20.xa7 e7 21.a6 c7 22.a5 h6
23.e5 e7 24.c5 c7 25.a4 e7
26.e5! If Black had been allowed to play Kd6
with impunity he would have a good game.
Instead Hracek finally takes the e6 pawn. d6
27.xe6+ c5 28.b3 b4 29.e2 c3
30.d3 Black's king is impressive, but both his
rooks are tied down to def ending pawns.
Furthermore, even if the rooks became free
they have no active prospects as W hite's
bishop and rook are blocking and controlling
the only open f iles. Black now makes a n
attempt to break open the position and gain
counterplay, but this involves the loss of the
c6 pawn, after which Hracek manages to grind
out a win. g4 31.e4 f8 32.f3 h5 33.c4+
b2 34.c5 e7+ 35.f2 g8 36.fxg4
hxg4 37.xc6 g3+ 38.hxg3 fxg3+ 39.f3
f7+ 40.e3 f2 41.e4 e8 42.d3
d8+ 43.e3 e8 44.d3 d8+ 45.c4!
White had to judge this winning attempt very
carefully as it depends on the sacrifice of two
of the queenside pawns. e8 46.d5 xc2+
47.b5 b8+ 48.b6 d8 49.b7 xb3
50.a5 It turns out that Black has no good way
to prevent this pawn powering through. a3
51.g6 d3 52.a6 b3 53.a7 xb7+
54.xb7 xg2 55.a6 b2+ 56.c7 c2+
57.b6 b2+ 58.a5! The white king finds a
shelter. b3 59.a7 b2 60.g8
1-0
687 C07
Hracek,Zbynek 2584
Kelly,Brian 2487
ECC Rethymnon GRE (4) 01.10.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.e1
Hracek has enthusiastically taken up this idea
of Kasparov's. e7 More usual is 8...Nc6 first,
but play quickly transposes to the mainline.
[ Hracek may have got the idea for 11.Bf4 in
the present encounter from studying his
earlier game with Lamprecht which went
8...c6 9.e4 xe4 10.xe4 c5?!
11.d3 e7 12.xd4 xd4 13.xd4 f6
14.c4 d5 15.e2 when White d a
surprisingly dangerous initiative and won
quickly. This indicates that if W hite can
re ga i n t h e p a wn o n d 4 h e h a s win n in g
chances, despite the absence of centre
614
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
pawns with which to pressurise Black. ]
9.e4 xe4 10.xe4 c6 11.f4!?
A novelty that avoids the sharp line
[ 11.xd4 e5! when despite Hracek's
success in his game with Borovikov- which is
given on ChessPub- it is by no means clear
that the position is good for White. ]
11...c5 12.d3 f6
[ Black has to hold onto the pawn as 12...0-0
13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4 is similar to the
Lamprecht game above. If then e5 15.d5!
is a smart way to win a pawn due to the
potential check on h7. ]
13.a3 0-0?
[ T h e o n l y g o o d m o v e w a s 13...a5!
which allows the black pieces to stand there
g r o u n d i n t h e c e n t r e . A f t e r 14.d2!?
( Useless is 14.b4? axb4 15.axb4 xa1
16.xa1 xb4 ) 14...0-0 15.ae1 d7
16.e5!? a curious position is reached in
which White is a centre pawn down but he
can launch an assault on the black king.
Naturally there is a lot of scope for
independent analysis here- another possible
move is ( 16.h4!? )]
14.b4 Now White drives both the black queen
and knight away from the defence of d4, after
which he recovers the pawn with a strong
initiative. h5 15.b5 e7 16.e5! d5
[ Black could have tried a queen sacrifice
with 16...xe5 17.h4! xh4 18.xh4
g6 19.xg6 hxg6 but White can continue
attacking with 20.h4! ]
17.xd4 xd4 18.xd4
[ Not 18.h4? xh4 19.xh4 xa1
when Black is more than alive. ]
18...f6 But now the threat of Rh4 had to be
met. 19.d2 a6 Black's problem is that he
cannot free himself with
[ 19...e5 as 20.h4 traps the queen.
T h e re f o re W h it e is a b le t o b u ild u p a n
initiative which culminates in a winning
kingside attack. ]
20.b6! c5 21.e1 xb6 22.e5!
Black has an extra pawn, but there is no way
to develop his queen's bishop or queen's rook
before W hite is able to bring all his pieces
i n t o a c t i o n a g a i n s t h i s k i n g . d5?!
Of course the rook on d4 is immune. The
knight move allows W hite a winning
combination. If Black had waited, then one
idea for W hite is 23.Rf4 intending 24.Rxf6
and after the recapture 24... gxf6 25.Qh6
threatens mate on h7. 23.xh7+! xh7
24.h4+ g8 25.d3! the queen get to h3
with gain of time by threatening mate on h7.
g6 26.h3 a5 27.h8+ g7 28.h6+
Black resigned as he is slaughtered after f6
29.g4+ e7 30.xf8+
1-0
688 C07
Hunt,Harriet 2406
Zatonskih,Anna 2419
EuTChw Leon ESP (8) 14.11.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
c7 12.b3 d7
[ Avoiding the long mainline with 12...d6
13.f5 ]
13.f3
[ Or 13.g5 0-0-0 14.c3 d6 15.xf6 gxf6
16.h5 df8 17.g3 c5 when Black was
OK in Kotronias-Kramnik, Chalkidiki 1992. ]
13...d6 14.h3 0-0-0 15.e3
[ Black held the balance after 15.g5 c5!
16.e3 ( 16.xf6 gxf6 17.xf6 would be a
risky pawn snatch as Black can attack along
t h e g f i l e a f t e r . hg8 etc. The fact that
Kramnik of fered the pawn and Tiviakov
declined it says a lot about the value of the
sacrifice!) 16...e5! 17.g3 e4 18.ad1
c6! 19.xe4 xe4 20.g5 g6
with equality in Tiviakov-Kramnik, Moscow
1991. ]
[ Another sacrificial line is 15.a4 b8
16.g5 as in Berg-LBHansen, Danish Ch.
1994, and here LB Hansen gives e5 17.f5
e4 18.xe4 xe4 19.xd8 h2+! 20.h1
xf2+! 21.xf2 xd8 with unclear play. ]
15...a5
[ Black tries to improve on one of her earlier
games which went 15...b8 16.c4 e5?!
17.c5!! xc5 18.ec1! a5 ( 18...exd4
19.f4 ) 19.xc5 xc5 20.e6 e7
21.c5 xe6 ( 21...e8 22.xg7 g8
23.xf6 ) 22.xe6 xe6 23.e7 d5
24.xf6 gxf6 25.xf6 and Black resigned in
615
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Berelovich-Zatonskih, Hlohovec 1996. ] 689 C07

16.c3! In the Tiviakov-Kramnik extract at Illescas Cordoba,M 2614
W hite's 15th move above Black equalised Drasko,M 2447
because he managed to gain control over the 19th European Teams (1.11) 08.11.2013
e4 square. Therefore White hastens to bring [John Watson]
the bishop to c2.
[ Instead Black comfortably equalised after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
16.f4 e5! 17.g3 c7 18.e2 5.xd4 f6 6.exd5
( Wise caution- for example 18.f5? e4 [ A handy trick to know is 6.e5 fd7 7.f4?
19.e7+ b8 20.xc7+ xc7 21.e2 xe5! with the idea 8.fxe5 h4+ ]
e6 and the knight is trapped.) 18...c6 6...xd5
19.f5+ d7 20.f3 c6 with a draw in [ 6...xd5 is also considered playable. One
Vujacic-Antic, Vrsac 2000. ] h i g h - le ve l ga m e f ro m t h is m o n t h we n t
16...c7 17.c2 e5 18.g3 d5 19.e2 7.2f3 b4+ 8.d2 0-0 9.e2 e7 10.c3
e5 A critical moment. It appears that Black has c5 11.0-0 xd4 12.xd4 e5 13.f3 d8
an excellent position for if the knight retreats 14.e1 f6 15.e4 f7 16.f5 c6
then Bc6 is very strong. However, White has 17.g4 h8 18.h4 g6 19.h6 g7
calculated further and with her next couple of 20.c4 de7 21.c3 g5 22.h5 e6
moves upsets Black's plan and gains the 23.g4 f7 24.h3 g6 25.xg6 xg6
initiative. 20.c4! d6 21.c5 f8 1/2-1/2 McShane, L (2697)-Erdos, V (2661),
[ A rather abject retreat. Black should try Bremen 2013. ]
21...d5 22.f5 b8 staying dynamic. ] 7.b5 a6 8.c3
22.c6 exd4 23.cxd7+ xd7 24.g5 b8 [ 8.c4 is seen in Howell-Ledger and other
25.xf6 gxf6 26.f5 d8 27.c4 games in the Archives. Then both 8...Qf5
Black has emerged with an extra pawn, but and c6 are fine. ]
White's pieces are very active. The difference 8...d8
in strength between the bishops means that [ 8...d4 is slightly more forceful, when
White has far superior attacking chances. h5 W hite gets nothing of value from 9.b5+
28.h4 g8 29.ad1 b6 30.d3 d7 10.0-0 xb5 11.xb5 a4! 12.c3
Blocking the pawn. As long as she doesn't c6 ]
suffer a disaster on g3 White can never lose. 9.a3 c7
e8 31.xe8+ xe8 32.b3 a7 33.b4 [ In the Archives notes, I gave the example
d8 34.a4 a5 35.c4 d6? 9...e7 10.c4 c7 11.0-0 0-0 12.f3
Black collapses. Instead fd5 ( 12...cd5! is more accurate,
[ 35...c7 36.d3 when White continues to k e e p i n g e 4 c o v e r e d : 13.de4 xc3
build up with Rb5, planning b2-b4 or 14.xc3 c7 15.d3 d7 ) 13.de4 f5
perhaps moves the bishop from f5 and goes 14.g3 xc3 15.xc3 d5 16.f3 b5?!
after the h5 pawn. ] (rash) 17.xb5 c7 18.c4 (Black lacks
36.xf7 f8 37.xh5 c6 38.f3 xa4 c o m p e n s a t i o n ) b6 Ni Hua (2657)-
39.h5 This pawn will win the game. e8 Sutovsky, E (2657), Wijk aan Zee NED 2010,
40.h6 a1+ 41.g2 c1 42.h7 h6 when 19.e1! would have yielded a very
43.f4 f8 44.b5 d8 45.d3 g7 large advantage. ]
46.d2 h8 47.b4 a4 48.a2 xh7 10.f3 cd5 Not the most accurate. Black
49.xa4+ b8 50.xb6 should simply develop with
1-0 [ 10...e7 , and if 11.de4 , 0-0
is fully equal. ]
11.de4! e7
[ 11...xe4 12.xe4 e7 13.g3!
provokes a concession like 13...g6 or 13...
Kf8, because 0-0 14.h6 f6 15.0-0-0
threatens c4, and e7 16.h4! has in mind

616
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

h8 17.xf6 xf6? ( 17...gxh6 18.xd5 e5 36.e2 and Black's pawns are
exd5 19.xd5 with a clear extra pawn) vulnerable. ]
18.g5 g6 ( 18...f5 19.d3 ) 19.h5 30...c7 31.e6!?
e4 20.h4! f5 21.d3 and the queen is [ 31.e1! ]
trapped ] 31...d8 32.e1 c6 33.h4?!
12.xf6+ xf6 [ 33.g4 ]
[ 12...xf6 13.b5+ h a s t h e i d e a d7 33...f7! 34.xf7+ xf7= 35.xc6 bxc6
14.xb7 ] 36.xe5 xh4 37.d6 e8 38.d1 d8
13.e4 e5 14.h5! c7! 39.b1 e7 40.xe7 xe7 41.a4 g5
A tough defence. 42.f1 d4 43.b5 axb5 44.axb5 cxb5
[ 14...f6 15.c4 c7 16.f4 with Rd1 next, 45.xb5 d7 46.b6 c4 47.xh6 xc5
or ] 48.g6 g4 49.e2 e7 50.e3 f7
[ 14...c7 15.g5! d7 16.d1 , although 51.a6 c4 52.g3
t h e n t h e s a c r i f i c e 0-0!? ( 16...c6 ½-½
17.d3 ) 17.c4 a4! 18.b3 xb3 19.cxd5
exd5 is of interest. ]
15.b5+ f8 690 C07
[ 15...d7 16.xd7+ forces xd7 Jones,Gawain C 2635
17.xf7+ ] Nakamura,Hikaru 2771
16.0-0 a6 17.e2 ITA-chT Arvier (4) 29.04.2012
[ 17.d3! was the best shot to retain a small [Sam Collins]
advantage, e.g., g6! ( 17...f5 18.g5 h6
19.e1 f6 20.h4 ) 18.h6+ g7 1.e4 c5 2.f3 a6 3.c3 One of the best-
19.d2 ] established responses to 2...a6 - White aims
17...f5! 18.g5 for a c3-Sicilian with what he hopes will be an
[ 18.g3 g6 19.h6+ g7 20.h4 h6! ] e x t r a t e m p o . e6 4.d4 d5 5.bd2
18...g6 19.h4 h6 A standard response for Gawain, who
[ 19...f6! ] n o rm a lly p la ys t h e T a rra sch a ga in s t t h e
20.f3 f6= 21.a4 French.
[ 21.g3 g5= ] [ Of course 5.e5 is an option, but ...a6 is
21...d7 22.b3 c6 sometimes useful in these Advance French
[ 22...b5 ] positions. See A.Greet (2453) - S. Conquest
23.d1 b6?! (2536), British Championship 2008 (0-1 in
[ 23...g7 ] 43), annotated by Andrew Martin in the
24.a2 Archives. ]
[ 24.xb6! xb6 25.d4 ] 5...cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.xe4 d7 8.d3
24...d8 f6!? Trademark Nakamura, unbalancing the
[ 24...a4! ] position at any cost.
25.c4 e7 26.b4!? Clever, but asking for a [ 8...c6 9.0-0 e7 10.eg5 ( 10.e5
lot xd1+ looks like an edge) 10...xg5 11.xg5 f6
[ 26...xf3 27.xd8+ xd8 28.xf3 12.f4 d5 13.e1 c6 and Black had
( 28.b2 xb2 29.xb2 xe2 30.xh8+ reached a relatively comfortable anti-IQP
g8 ) 28...xa1 29.xa1 f7 position in J. Stocek (2470) - V.Eingorn
doesn't look like quite enough for the (2610), Berlin 1998 (1-0 in 36). ]
e x c h a n g e , a l t h o u g h t h e re a r e d e f i n i t e 9.xf6+ gxf6 Taking with the queen is not to
counterchances. ] b e r e c o m m e n d e d . 10.0-0 c6
27.xd1 xf3 28.b2! e5 Now the players fight a battle for the key d5-
[ 28...f7 ] square. If White simply develops Black should
29.xf3 g7 30.c5 have reasonable long-term prospects based
[ 30.e1 e4 31.c5 c6 32.d1! xb2 on the g-file and the weak d4-pawn. 11.c4
33.xb2+ f6 34.xf6+ xf6 35.d6+ d5 12.b3 xc4 13.xc4 c6 14.d5!?

617
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Dramatically changing the course of the game.
[ Straightforward development with 14.f4
, was possible, but after b4 followed by ...
Nd5 White is the one with a static weakness
on d4 and still has to demonstrate the point
of his position. ]
14...xd5 15.xd5 exd5 On first seeing this
position I thought of the Howell - Wang Yue
game. However, there are several significant
dif f e re n c e s h e re . First, B la ck's kin gsid e
pawns are ruined. Second, W hite is much
better mobilised. Accordingly, Gawain's pawn
sacrifice looks like quite a good idea. 16.e3
0-0-0 17.ac1 d6 A draw seems a
reasonable result.
[ Fo r i n s t a n c e , 17...d6 18.d4 e7
19.b6 d6 20.fd1 d8 21.c5 d7
and W hite has full compensation but it is
not clear how he is to make progress. ]
½-½
691 C07
Karjakin,Sergey 2769
Giri,Anish 2714
74th Tata Steel GMA (3) 16.01.2012
[Gawain Jones]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.dxc5!? Most players automatically play 5.
Nf3 and this capture hasn't actually been
investigated on ChessPublishing bef ore.
Kasparov actually tried this back in 1999 but,
having lost the game, it failed to catch on.
However recently there's been a resurgence
of interest in this line. xc5
[ 5...f6 would cut out the game
continuation. 6.gf3 ( Potkin tried to exploit
th e m o ve o rd e r wit h 6.b3!? although
xd1+ 7.xd1 d7 8.f3 e7 9.a5 c6
10.e3 bd7 11.c3 xc5 12.xc5
1/2-1/2 Potkin, V (2682)-Vitiugov, N (2733)
Khanty-Mansiysk 2011 wasn't very
i n s p i r i n g .) 6...xc5 ( 6...xc5
would transpose to 5...Bxc5) 7.d3 e7
( Another Grandmaster game from this year
saw 7...bd7 8.0-0 c7 9.d4 a6
10.e1 e5 11.e4 xd3 12.xf6+ gxf6
13.xd3 d7 14.f3 e7 and Black
succeeded in holding her super-GM
opponent to a draw. Vachier Lagrave, M
(2699) -Zatonskih, A (2506) Caleta 2012.)
8.e2 bd7 9.0-0 ( The first time
Rublevsky reached this position he played
more aggressively with 9.b3 c7 10.g5
0-0 11.0-0-0!? but after b6 12.bd4 c5
13.b5 xd3+ 14.xd3 c6 15.bd4
a4 Black had absolutely no problems in
Rublevsky, S (2688)-Ni Hua (2645) Ningbo
2010. ) 9...0-0 10.e4
A) 10...xe4 11.xe4 h5 12.e2
( 12.g5!? ) 12...f6 13.e5 xe5
14.xe5 d8 15.f3 d5 16.d1 f6
17.c4 d7 Was seen in the second
encounter between Rublevsky, S (2688)-
Ni Hua (2645) Ningbo 2010. Here the
Russian erred with 18.xd5?! ( 18.a5
b6 19.c4! would have kept White with a
slight edge.) 18...exd5 19.xd5 and after
f5! was definitely worse.;
B) 10...c7
B1) In yet another game of Rublevsky's
from Ningbo (he seems to have played a
thematic tournament!) he continued
11.g3!? which worked out very well
following xe4 12.xe4 g6 ( 12...f6
looks more logical but perhaps Zhou
J i a n c h a o w a s s c a r e d o f 13.h4 )
13.e2 b6 14.f4 d6 15.xd6 xd6
16.fd1 c7 17.b5 d8 18.g5 b8
19.xe6! fxe6 20.xe6+ h8 21.d2
a6 22.c6 b5 23.ad1 b6 24.xd7
1-0 Rublevsky, S (2688) -Zhou Jianchao
(2668) Ningbo 2010;
B2) 11.g5 b6 This position has been
reached three times recently by th e
young Russian Nikita Vitiugov who has
held a draw each time:
B2a) Neither 12.xf6+ xf6 13.fe1
1/2-1/2 Mamedov, R (2667)-Vitiugov,
N ( 2 7 2 0 ) A i x- l e s - B a i n s 2 0 1 1 ( Nor
13.e5 b7 14.fe1 ad8 15.ad1
d6 16.f4 c8 17.g4
1/2-1/2 Kobalia, M (2637)-Vitiugov, N
(2710) Dagomys 2010 were very
inspiring. );
B2b) 12.ad1 b7 13.h4 c5
14.xc5 xc5 15.e5 ad8 16.c4
g6 17.a3 a5 18.e3 g7 19.g5
g8 and again Black's defences stood
firm. Balogh, C (2643)-Vitiugov, N
(2733) Ningbo 2011. ]
618
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ While 5...xc5 has been chosen by almost
all in the past. Black will still have to lose
some time with his queen. 6.gf3 f6
7.c4 when the Black queen has gone to
a l m o s t e v e r y s q u a r e ! ( Instead 7.d3
was the choice of the then World Champion
in a fairly old game 0-0 8.e2 bd7
9.e4 b6 10.xc5 xc5 11.e3 c7
12.d4 b7 13.0-0-0!? Given the way the
game went I imagine Kasparov was wishing
he'd castled kingside. c5 14.e5 xd3+
15.xd3 c4 16.d4 e4 17.e3 xa2
18.xf6 g6 19.a3 d5 20.h4 gxf6
21.h5 xd4 22.hxg6 hxg6 23.ah3 f5
and the tactics had worked out for Black.
Kasparov, G (2770) -Anand, V (2650)
Reggio Emilia 1992. )]
6.e4 Attempting to exploit Giri's move order.
[ 6.gf3 f6 would transpose to 5...Nf6 ]
6...b4+ 7.c3 A strange position. After
seven moves W hite has just developed his
knight while Black has only brought out his
queen - top GMs can break the opening rules
sometimes. f6 8.a3
[ The first game continued with 8.d3 bd7
9.a3 d6 10.f3 c5 11.b5+ d7
12.e2 a6 13.c4 c7 and Black had
brought his queen back to safety and had a
pretty solid setup. Timofeev, A (2665) -
Morozevich, A (2694) Taganrog 2011. ]
[ The latest word in the line was with 8.f3
bd7 ( 8...e4 immediately exploits
W hite's move order and immediately
equalises ) 9.d3 e7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e1
c5 12.a3 b6 13.e3 c7 14.b5 d8
15.f1 d7 16.bd4 c7 and Black had
completed his development and equalised.
Gorbatov, A (2377)-Ni Hua (2641) Moscow
2012. ]
8...a5
[ I think the point of Karjakin's move order
was to prevent Black from reaching
Morozevich's setup with 8...d6 as now
9.xd6 xd6 10.b5 e7 11.xd6 xd6
12.f4+ is very pleasant. ]
[ However 8...b6 is also possible 9.e3!?
( 9.d3 wouldn't be so different from the
game. ) 9...c5 The pawn is of course
poisoned. 10.a4 a5+ 11.b4 xa4
12.xc5 and White can hope to lay claim to
some advantage with his bishop pair. ]
9.d3 a6 Perhaps not immediately essential
but in the long term b5 needs to be under
Black's control or White will be able to hop his
knight into c7 or d6. Black also wants to bring
his queen back to c7 without it being
disturbed.
[ An alternative way of playing would be
9...c6 10.f3 e5!? although losing
more time in the opening does seem to be
asking for it a bit. 11.xe5 ( 11.0-0 xd3
12.xd3 e7 looks fine for Black to me.
W hite will certainly have to play very
energetically to exploit his slight lead in
development or else Black will have the
b e t t e r c h a n c e s w i t h h i s b i s h o p p a i r .)
11...xe5+ 12.e2 xe2+ 13.xe2 d6
( 13...a6 14.f4 gives White a slight plus.)
14.b5 b8 15.c4 with a fairly typical
position. I think I prefer White slightly who
can expand on the queenside, although I
know of at least one GM who would love
Black with his extra central pawn. ]
10.f4!? Preventing Black from taking the h2-
b8 diagonal.
[ After 10.f3 c7 followed by ...Bd6 Black
shouldn't have too many problems. ]
10...bd7
[ 10...e5 is rather risky as it weakens the d5
square and the e pawn itself but would force
the bishop away and looks quite critical. The
game might continue with something like
11.d2 ( 11.e2 c6 12.f3 g4
looks respectable.) 11...c7 12.f3 c6
13.0-0 e7 14.e2 g4 15.fe1 0-0
( 15...d4 16.xe5! xf3+ 17.gxf3 xe5
18.xe5 is strong.) 16.g5 h5 ( 16...ad8
17.xf6 forces Black to recapture with the
pawn as xf6? 18.e4 wins material)
17.e3 and White's pressure promises him
the better game. ]
[ 10...d5 also shunts the bishop away but
11.d2 leaves Black with problems with his
knight: c6 ( 11...e7 12.b5+! axb5
13.xd5 d8 14.xe7 xe7 15.g4
looks promising.) 12.e4 and White is
certainly more comfortable. ]
[ Of course 10...c6 should also be
considered. ]
11.f3 h5 The fight for the h2-b8 diagonal
continues.
[ The knight looks offside on the rim but
619
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
again 11...d5 runs into some difficulties
after 12.d2 for example: c5 13.c4
xc3 14.xc3 c7 15.e2 when White's
pressure is pretty unpleasant. ]
12.b4!? A double edged move but I think it
was the correct decision. White gains space
on the queenside but gives Black a target for
counterplay with a subsequent ....a5 break.
[ 12.e3 c7 was of course Giri's idea. ]
12...d8
[ 12...b6 13.e3 c7 would transpose to
the following note. ]
13.e3
[ 13.d2 looks a little more passive but
keeps the c3 knight defended and is also
interesting. ]
13...e7
[ It's somewhat surprising that Giri didn't
seize the opportunity to finally get his queen
to c7. 13...c7!? Perhaps he was
c o n c e rn e d b y 14.d4 when there doesn't
appear to be any way to exploit the loose
nature of White's pieces on the dark squares,
while they look quite menacing all pointing
at Black's kingside. ]
14.0-0 0-0 15.e4 a5! Black's major source
o f c o u n t e rp l a y. G iri h o p e s t o p r o ve t h a t
Karjakin is over-extended. It was important to
play this move before White got time to play
c4 when he would have been able to reply
with c5 retaining a strong structure. 16.b1
[ 16.d2 also defends the pawn but allows
B l a c k t h e i n t e r e s t i n g o p t i o n o f f5!?
( 16...c7 is sa f er a nd re sp ect ab le .)
17.eg5 df6 with a complex position.
Both sides have rat her clumsily place d
pieces. ( 17...b6 18.g4! )]
16...axb4
[ 16...f5 is no longer scary as White's knight
can drop back to c3 without b4 dropping. ]
17.axb4 c7 18.d4 g6 A slightly odd
choice and in my opinion not the strongest.
Perhaps Giri saw a ghost or two in the other
lines or wanted to keep ...f5 options open.
[ 18...f4! seems to equalise. The position
after 19.b5 b8 20.c4 ( 20.xf4 xf4
21.ed6 e5; and 20.d2 xd3 21.xd3
b6! both look fine for Black.) 20...d8
21.c1 g6 22.d1 b6 and Black
unravels. ]
[ 18...hf6!? also looks possible: 19.b5
c6 20.xf6+ xf6 21.c4 e5 22.a7
e6 23.xc8 fxc8 24.b3 is a touch
more comfortable for White. ]
19.b5 b8 20.c4 f5!? Giri fights for
counterplay. I presume he felt it was
necessary to shift the knight before c5
happened as then the knight could roost on
d6.
[ 20...b6 21.c5! is rather awkward. ]
21.ec3
[ 21.g5!? also favours W hite as fxe4?
22.xe7 exd3 23.d6! picks up the
queen. ]
21...b6 Preventing c5 for the moment but now
Karjakin plays a strong manoeuvre exploiting
the newly created weakness on c6. 22.e2!
df6 23.d4
[ 23.a4 also looks strong. ]
23...d7 This covers the c6 square but falls
foul of White's next. However by this point it's
not so easy to suggest good alternatives.
[ 23...d6 24.g3! stifles Black's attempted
counterplay. ( rather than 24.h3 f4 )]
24.f3 c7!? Giri decides his best chances
lie in sacrificing the exchange - a reasonable
practical decision.
[ 24...g4 keeps the rook but 25.xg4 fxg4
26.xg4 f6 27.e2 leaves Black with
very little for the pawn. ]
[ W h i le m o vin g t h e r o o k a l lo ws 24...a7
25.c5! with a powerful initiative. ]
[ 24...a3 25.c1 a7 26.c5
doesn't change much. ]
25.xa8 Having said that I really like the way
Karjakin plays in this technical phase - not
allowing Giri any activity.
[ In actual fact White could still consider
25.c5!? The pawn remains very strong
should Black keep the exchange but maybe
he can place his hopes in liquidating the
queenside: bxc5 26.bxc5 xc5 27.cb5
b6 28.xe6! xe6 29.d4 d6
30.xe6 xe6 31.xc5 ad8 32.a4 f7
33.fe1 and White's bishop pair on the open
board give him a great position but the
reduced material gives Black some hope. ]
25...xa8 26.f3! xc4 27.d4 xd4
[ 27...c8 28.fc1 doesn't change much ]
28.xd4 c8
[ I think Giri had to take the opportunity to
activate his knight with 28...f4 although of
620
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

course his position is still really unpleasant 14.xg7 and I think White has a very strong
and should be lost. ] attack- I've looked at e8 ( if 14...f8
29.g3! Now there's no such chance. Black has 15.g5! t h r e a t e n i n g 1 6 Q x f 8 + xg5
a pawn for the exchange but his pieces, in 16.xg5+ c7 17.xe5 and White's attack
particular the knight on h5, don't coordinate continues with already three pawns for the
well together and so his drawing chances are piece. ) 15.e3! ( 15.f4? f6 16.g5
minimal - particularly against someone as xg5 17.xg5+ c7 and Black eventually
strong as Karjakin. b5 30.e5 e8 31.fc1 won in Braig-Bibby, Berne Open 1991.)
g5 32.g2 f8 33.e2 a8 34.c5 15...xc2? ( if 15...f5 16.xh7 or;
d7?! The final error. 15...f5 16.xe5 in either case with three
[ 34...e4 should have been tried but still pawns and a dangerous initiative.) 16.c1
after 35.d4 g7 36.xe7+ xe7 37.a1 xe3 17.xe3 and White has a decisive
xa1 38.xa1 The win is just a matter of looking attack on the open d file. ]
technique. ] 12.f4 c5 13.xc6 xc6 14.d3 b5
35.xe7+ xe7 36.c6+ d6 Black must activate his game as quickly as
[ 36...f6 37.c3 c5 38.d4 d3 possible as W hite is planning a kingsid e
39.d1 e5 40.cxb5 would also allow assault. 15.a4 a6 16.e3 b7 17.e4
W hite to pick up the pawn with a trivially xe4!? Black makes a positional queen
winning position. ] sacrifice to destroy White's attacking hopes.
37.ed4 A well played game by Karjakin. 18.xe4 xe4 19.e2 d5 20.h4!
Objectively 5. dxc5 might not grant W hite Clearing h 2 in the m ost aggressive style
much but it's certainly an interesting rather than falling for
alternative to the highly theoretical mainlines. [ 20.axb5 axb5 21.xa8 xa8 22.xb5??
1-0 a1+ ]
20...ac8! The key to Black's safety is the
excellently placed bishop on d5. White must
692 C07 never be allowed to drive it away with c2-c4.
Kasparov,Garry 2827 Hence
Gelfand,Boris 2712 [ 20...bxa4? 21.xa4 when White has a
It Astana KAZ (2) 21.05.2001 passed pawn that can advance to c4 would
[Neil McDonald] be a terrible mistake. ]
21.axb5 axb5 22.g5
1.e4 e6 Gelfand is welcomed to the French [ 22.xb5 xc2 is very active for Black. ]
as a refugee from thrashings by Kasparov in 22...d6 23.a6 b8 24.e7 fe8 25.d6
the Najdorf! 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 ed8 26.xb8 xb8 27.a3 b7 28.g3
cxd4 5.exd5 xd5 The most solid line, but f6 The weakness created by this move- which
Kasparov has a big trick up his sleeve. 6.c4 is necessary to defend g7- proves of no real
d6 7.0-0 f6 8.e1!? This is it- Gelfand consequence. 29.g4 c8 30.d4 bc7
isn't going to be allowed to play another 15 31.xb5 xc2 32.b4 h6 33.g4 f5 34.g6
moves of theory after h7 35.h5 2c7 36.d3 b7 37.g3
[ 8.b3 ] c1+ 38.h2 c4 39.b5 b4 40.xe6
8...e7 9.e4 xe4 10.xe4 c6 White is losing his passed pawn and so forces
11.xd4 Walking straight into a pin. 0-0! a draw. xe6 41.g6+ Draw agreed as after
[ Black ducks the challenge and rightly so. h8 42.xe6 4xb5 43.e8+ h7
The critical variation is 11...e5 12.f3 44.g6+ it's perpetual. This was an important
( No good is 12.f4? exf4 13.xc6 xd1+ g a m e - I w o n d e r i f 8 R e 1 w i l l b e c o m e
14.xd1 bxc6 15.de1 f8 16.xe7 e6! fashionable?
17.7xe6 fxe6 18.xe6 e8! 19.xc6 ½-½
e1+ 20.f1 f7 planning Rd8 and R8d1.
Only Black has winning chances in this
endgame. ) 12...xd4 13.xf7+ d8

621
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
693 C07
Korneev,Oleg 2651
Farago,Ivan 2470
4th Open Lodi ITA (4) 15.06.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.b3
c7 12.e1 d6 13.h3 A walk down
memory lane [what used to be a very dark
and treacherous lane but is now well
illuminated by bright lights] goes
[ 13.f5 xh2+ 14.h1 0-0 15.xg7 d8
16.f3 xg7 17.h6+ g6 18.c3 h5
19.c1 f4 20.g4 g3+ 21.fxg3 xc1
22.axc1 b6 23.c2+ g7 24.e4 a7
25.c2 b7 26.h2 xe4 27.xe4 b7
28.xh7+ g8 29.xb7 xb7 30.h2 d3
31.g2 bd7 32.e2 g7 You can fin d
all these moves in the archives. GM Jon
Levitt played 32...b5 versus McShane back
in 1999, as given in the game Thiruchelvam-
L e vi t t . A f t e r a ll t h e b l o o d a n d t h u n d e r
through the years, the chief issue of this line
now seems to be: how do you create
winning chances as Black against a lower
rated opponent? Here Black is Petrik, Elo
2485, and he has to submit to the worse of a
draw against his 2297 Elo opponent.
33.h3 7d5 34.e4 a5 35.a4 g6
36.he2 d2 37.xd2 xd2 38.b4 c2
39.bxa5 bxa5 40.e5 xc3 41.xa5 f6
42.a8 a3 43.a5 a2 44.a6 e5 45.a7
h6 46.a8 g6 47.a7 h6
- Szamoskozi, G-Petrik, T/Pula CRO 2008. ]
13...0-0 14.g5 h2+ 15.h1 e5
[ G M B o g d a n L a l i c h a s p l a y e d 15...f4
successfully here- see his notes to
Nevednichy-Lalic in the archives. ]
16.c3 d7
[ After 16...h6 17.f3 d8 18.c1! hxg5
19.xe5 d5 20.c4 f4 21.g3 d3
22.xd3 xd3 23.c2 White has a slight
edge but a draw was agreed at this point
in Pavasovic-Nevednichy, Slovenia 2006. ]
17.f3 d6?
[ In an earlier game, GM Farago had
equalised effortlessly and more after
17...f4 18.xf6 gxf6 So I wonder what
made him avoid this position second time
r o u n d ? P e r h a p s i t w a s 19.d4!?
clearing the way for Qh5. ( Instead 19.d4
g7 20.c2 c6 21.d3 f5 22.d4
ad8 23.e2 h8 24.ad1 g8 25.xc6
wa s a gree d in Pa va so vic, D-Fara go, I /
Deizisau GER 2004. Black looks to have a
slight advantage.) 19...f5 ( Or 19...h6
20.h5 g7 21.ad1 and one of the white
rooks could enter the attack by swinging
over to g3.; And 19...e5? would just make
things worse after 20.e2 g5 21.g3
when Qh5 follows all the same, and the
knight can spy other attractive light square
on e4 and f5.) 20.h5 with the plan of Nf3
and Ng5. ]
18.xf6 gxf6 19.d4! Whatever the
demerits of 17...Bf4- see the previous note-
they pale in comparison to the catastrophe of
17...Bd6. At least after 17...Bf4 the white
queen was barred from swinging over to g4 or
h4 from d4 while here Black can't even play
the consolidating 19...Kg7 or 19...f5 as they
drop a piece to 20.Rad1. e7 20.c2 h6
[ White's attack would be entirely automatic
after 20...c6 : 21.h4 f5 22.g5 xg5
23.xg5+ h8 24.f6+ g8 25.e3 f4
26.e5 h6 27.g5+ hxg5 28.xg5+ h8
29.h6+ g8 30.h7# ]
21.g4+ h8 22.e4! White uses the threat
of mate on h7 to provoke a fatal weakening of
Black's pawns. f5 23.d4+ f6
[ Or 23...g8 24.xf5 exf5 25.xe7 ]
24.h4 f7 25.b3! Now all the white pieces
gang up on the e6 pawn. h7 26.d4 g7
27.xe6 A very instructive game. Sometimes
you don't need to mate the opponent, you just
need to alarm him enough about his king's
safety to start handing over pawns. And you
still win nice and quickly in 27 moves.
1-0
694 C07
Korneev,Oleg 2613
Fernandez Romero,Ernesto 2396
XII It II Dos Hermanas ESP (3) 30.03.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 d7
622
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ The alternative move order is 10...a6 11.b3
d7 ]
11.b3 a6
[ If Black intended to play the aggressive line
with queenside castling he should probably
omit a7-a6 and play the immediate
11...0-0-0 as the tempo can be used more
profitably for action on the kingside, e. g.
12.b2 c7 13.e2 h5 14.f3 g4 ]
12.b2 c7
[ The more modest 12...e7 13.e1 0-0
14.d3 was played in Slobodjan-Lamprecht
on ChessPub. ]
13.e2 0-0-0 14.ad1 h5?! The attempt to
play actively on the kingside rebounds: indeed
the h 5 pa wn its elf becom es a t arge t. He
should have tried a different strategy based
on centralisation:
[ 14...d6 15.h3 he8!? ( Similar to the
game is 15...h5 16.f3! c6 17.e5 )
16.a4 h6 17.fe1 e5! Black frees himself
before White is able to restrain him with Nf3
and Ne5. 18.f3 e4 19.d4 e3! 20.fxe3
h2+ 21.h1 e4 22.f3 g5 23.f1
e4 - Ernst,T-Johannesson,L/Gausdal
1995. ]
15.f3! The knight heads for e5 where it
dominates the centre. d6 16.h3 c6
17.e5 b8 18.fe1 White has an ideal set
up. The exchange of pieces that Black now
instigates fails to ease the pressure. b4
19.xd8+ xd8 20.d1 xd1+ 21.xd1
e4? A blunder, but even the natural
[ 21...d5 runs into trouble after 22.d3!
f or example xc4 23.xb4 b5 24.c4
d7 25.xf6 gxf6 26.xh5 ]
22.xf7! xc2
[ B l a c k i s a n n i h i l a t e d a f t e r 22...xf7
23.d8+ a7 24.d4+ b6 25.xb6+ a8
26.xa6+ b8 27.e5+ ]
23.xc2 xf7 24.e5+ a7 25.xa6!
A n o t h e r u n e x p e c t e d t a c t i c a l b l o w . bxa6
26.c8! e8
[ After 26...d7 27.c7+ a8 28.d4!
m a t e f o l l o ws o n a 7 o r B l a c k l o s e s h i s
queen. ]
27.d4+
1-0
695 C07
Korneev,Oleg 2551
Fernandez Romero,Ernesto 2394
Open Pamplona ESP (3) 22.12.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 d7
[ The set up reached in the game should be
compared with the line 10...a6 11.e1 d7
12.c3 c7 13.b3 d6 14.h3 0-0 15.g5
with some advantage to White. ]
11.c3
[ Sharper is 11.b3 ]
11...c7 12.e2
[ And here 12.b3 is the main alternative. ]
12...a6 To stop Nb5. More usual is
[ 12...d6 when 13.b5 xb5 14.xb5+
e7 15.g3 keeps a very slight advantage
for White. ]
13.h3 White anticipates Black's next move
and prepares a sharp riposte that leads to a
s t u n n i n g . . . d e f e a t . d6 14.f5?
The psychology behind this blunder is highly
interesting. Korneev becomes overconfident
and thinks he can successfully carry out the
attack with Nf5 and Nxg7 that occurs in the
'long' mainline. The reason for this
recklessness is that he considers Romero
has played three 'luxury' moves- a7-a6, Qc7
and Bd6 rather than arrange to castle.
Th e re f o re h e f e e ls t h a t B la ck sh o u ld b e
punished. And the way to do it is 'obviously'
Nf 5. Aga inst this re ason ing [besides th e
obvious fact that it is wrong!] you could point
out that playing h2-h3 when the pawn isn't
even threatened by a bishop on d6 is hardly
'deserving' of a quick win!
[ Instead White could keep some pressure
with 14.a4 to dissuade 0-0-0 0-0 15.g5
or maybe ]
[ 14.g5 straightaway. ]
14...h2+ 15.h1 0-0 16.xg7?
[ White rushes to his doom. If 16.f4? exf5
17.xh2 and White is in big trouble because
o f t h e w e a k n e s s o f e 4 a f t e r fe8
etc. However, it wasted too late to admit
his mistake with ]
[ 16.d4! ]
16...xg7 17.g3 xg3 18.d1
623
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
White discovers to his horror that he cannot
win the piece back as if
[ 18.fxg3 xg3 19.g1?! but anyway there
is no good answer to the check on c6. c6+
and Black wins. ]
18...c6+ 19.g1 h2+ 20.f1 e5
White could already resign here. 21.d2 h5
22.e2 xh3+ 23.e1 e4 24.d4+ e5
25.d3 g2 26.b6 g1+ 27.f1 ad8
0-1
696 C07
Kovalev,Vl 2583
Edouard,R 2653
19th European Teams (2.2) 09.11.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
This is easily the most popular solution.
[ 4...f6 is quite possible, however, when 5
e5 Nfd7 6 c3 enters the Universal System of
the 3...Nf6 Tarrasch, and 5.exd5 exd5
is illustrated by this month's game Sebag-
Pelletier, Cap d'Agde 2013: 6.b5+ d7
7.xd7+ bxd7 8.0-0 e7 9.dxc5 xc5
10.e1 0-0 11.f1 e8 12.e3 c7=
13.c3 cd7 14.d4 c5 15.e3 e4
16.xf6 xf6 17.xd5 xf2+ 18.xf2
c5+ 19.d4 xd5 20.g1 ae8
21.xe4 xe4 , and Black got the better of
t h i n g s , b u t h e r e 22.a4 would have
equalised. ]
5.xd4 c6
[ For 5...f6 , see Illescas Cordoba-Drasko
this update. ]
6.b5 d7 7.xc6 xc6 8.xc6+ bxc6
9.c4 f6 There are at least two other
reasonable moves:
[ a) 9...dxe4 10.xe4! ( a bit stronger than
previously thought. The main line has been
10.a4 f5! 11.xc6+ f7 and Black even
has some advantage) 10...xd1+ 11.xd1
and perhaps White has a slight edge, e.g.,
e7 ( The obvious 11...d8+ 12.e2 d4
might run into 13.f3! xc4 14.b3 d4
15.e3 d5 16.hc1 , although this is
playable for Black; 11...h6!? has the idea ...
f5 and . .e5, e.g., 12.e3 f5 13.c3 e5
14.c2 f6 , lightly +=) 12.c2 f6
13.xf6+ xf6 14.d1 e7 15.e3
(White has a simple positional edge due to
Black's weak queenside pawns, although
t h i s s h o u l d n ' t b e e n o u g h t o w i n ) hb8
16.ab1 e8 17.d6 c8 18.bd1 ab8
19.b3 b7 ( 19...a5 20.d7 a4 21.a7
axb3+ 22.axb3 ) 20.6d3 d8 21.g4!?
( 21.xd8+ xd8 22.d6 c7 23.f4
c8 ) 21...xd3 22.xd3 h6 23.d2 c5
24.e3 e7 25.a3 d7 26.d2 a6 27.b4
cxb4 ( 27...b7! 28.b3 f5 ) 28.axb4 xd3
29.xd3 d7 30.b5 axb5 31.cxb5 f8
( 31...c7 32.c4 b7 33.e3 d8 )
32.h4 g6 33.h5 gxh5 34.gxh5 f5?
( 34...c7 should still be drawn) 35.c4
( 35.f4! g7 36.c4 f8 37.d4 g7+
38.c5 e5 39.e3 and White is winning)
35...c7 36.a5+ b7 37.b4 g7
38.c3 f8 39.f6 b6 40.h8 a3
41.d4+ b7 42.g7 c1 43.f8 c7
44.c5 b2?! ( 44...g5 ) 45.d4 a3
46.e5+ b7 ( 46...b6 47.d4+ b7 )
47.f4 f8 48.d4 g7+ 49.c5 f8+
50.d6+- g7 51.e7 e5 52.f8 f4
53.g7 c7 54.b6+ b7 55.f3 e5
56.d5 e4 57.fxe4 fxe4 58.xe4 g5
59.d4 c6 60.f5 d2 61.g6 c1
62.g7 xb6 63.xh6 b2 64.g5
1-0 Stripunsky, A (2551)-Bartell, T (2383),
chess.com INT 2013 ]
[ b) 9...a5 also looks playable: 10.b3!?
( 10.exd5 cxd5 11.cxd5 xd5 12.a4+
d7 13.xd7+ xd7 14.c4 with a very
small advantage which won't be sufficient to
win against moderately accurate defense.)
10...d8 11.0-0 f6 12.cxd5 cxd5
13.exd5 xd5 ( 13...xd5!? 14.c4
c5= ) 14.c4 a6 15.d1 e7
( 15...c8 ) 16.e3 f4 17.xd8+ xd8
18.d2 0-0 19.c4 xc4 20.xc4 d5
21.c1 f6 1/2-1/2 Wegener, O (2434)-
Breder, D (2465), Austria AUT 2013 ]
10.a4
[ 10.e5?! d7 11.f3 b4+ 12.d2 a5
and only Black might have any advantage. ]
10...c7!
[ 10...d7 11.e5 forces the knight to an
inferior square. ]
11.cxd5 exd5 12.0-0
[ 12.exd5 e5+! 13.d1 xd5 ]
12...e7 13.exd5 xd5 This strong knight
an d p o t e n t ia lly a ct ive ro o ks give s B la c k
624
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
decent compensation for his pawn structure.
14.e4
[ 14.c4 0-0 with ideas of ...Rab8 and ...
Bf6 ]
14...0-0 15.d2 b6!? 16.c2 f5!?attack on Black's king: 14.g5 d7 15.c3
A little loosening.
[ 16...ab8 17.b3 fe8 ]
17.c3
[ 17.g5 xg5!? 18.xg5 f4 ]
17...f4
[ 17...ad8 18.fe1 f6 19.a4 ]
18.ae1 f6 19.e6 xc3!?
[ 19...c5 is close to equalizing. ]
20.bxc3 f3 21.g3 d8 22.fe1 c7
23.e7
[ 23.xc6? d7 24.e4! h3 25.c4+
f7 26.f1 d7 with a double attack. ]
23...d5 24.7e6 c7! 25.6e4 d7
26.h4 h6 27.h3 ae8 28.xe8 xe8
29.e3 d5 30.d4??
[ 30.d3= ]
30...c5 31.xg7
[ 31.xh6 cxd4 32.h7+ f8 ]
[ 31.e3 xe3 32.fxe3 xe3 ]
31...e1+ 32.h2 e3! Winning 33.b3+
xg7 34.b8 h1+
[ 25.xc6 xc6 26.g3 xd3+ 27.xd3
Missing the pretty mate in two with
34...xh3+! 35.xh3 g4# ]
35.xh1 d1+ 36.h2 f1+ 37.h1
xg3+ 38.h2 h1+ 39.xg3 g2+
40.f4 h2+ 41.xf3 xb8
0-1
697 C07
Lastin,Alexander 2622
Bareev,Evgeny 2711 16...xh2 17.g3 e5! If at once
TCh Dagomys RUS (1) 20.04.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 after
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.b3
Since the fashionable way for Black to handle 18...h4 19.g1 0-0-0?
the position is with a quick Qc7 and Bd6, the
move
[ 11.c3 might be an unnecessary luxury. ]
11...c7 12.f3 d6 13.h1! Normally
White would play
[ 13.h3 here, but then it was discovered that
the king move sets Black more problems.
The reason why is made clear in the next
note. ]
13...e5! After the obvious move
[ 13...0-0 White can bring his rook into the
e5 16.h5 g6 17.c2 b6 18.ae1
b7 19.e3! and there is the threat of 20.
Rh3 with mate to follow on h7. This would
of course be impossible if White had played
1 3 . h 3 . W h i t e wo n qu i c k l y i n t h e g a m e
Rublevsky-Morovic Fernandez given on
ChessPub. Bareev has a completely
different plan in mind: Black will leave his
king in the centre until it is the right moment
to castle queenside and meanwhile prepare
an attack of his own on White's king. ]
14.e3 Some rounds later Timofeev, who was
apprised of Black's plan to castle queenside,
[ 14.d1 d7 15.g5 h5 16.e2 0-0-0
17.h3 The bishop to g5 has hindered Black's
attacking chances because the knight on f6
is pinned. Nevertheless, he still held the
balance comfortably and a draw was agreed
a f t e r t h e m o v e s f4 18.xf4 xf4
19.c4+ c7 20.e1 xc4 21.xc4 c7
22.ad1 he8 23.h2 a4 24.d3 c6
d8 28.f4 g6 29.h4 d6 30.g4 hxg4
31.hxg4 e7 32.g3 d5 33.f5 g5
34.f3 and draw agreed in Timofeev, A-
Ionov, S/Sochi RUS 2004. ]
14...d7 15.ad1 White methodically
centralises his pieces, but as will be seen the
rook on f1 is actually a target. h5! 16.e2 If
[ 16.h3 g4 with the double threat of 17...
Nh2 and 17...Bxd4 18.Rxd4 Qh2 mate. ]
[ 17...h4 18.f4! but not ( 18.xh2 hxg3+
19.g1 g2 20.xg2 h2+ 21.f3 h3# )]
18.xh2 The tactics all seem to favour Black
[ 18.f4 g4 or ]
[ 18.f3 g4 ( 18...h4!? ) 19.xh2 e4 ]
[ According to Bareev this is a mistake. The
Russian Grandmaster gives the following
spectacular variation: 19...f8! 20.f3 g4
21.g5 e4 22.f4 exf3 23.xa6! bxa6
24.xc7 h3 25.h2 f5 26.b6
with unclear play. It might look impressive
for Black with his passed pawn, but White
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

has his two bishops and queenside pawns, led to a quick draw after xe4 13.xe4
and there is no deadly blow about to fall on c8 14.fxd4 e5 15.xe5 xe5
the h file. ] 16.he1 c4 17.d2 f6 18.h4
20.f3 hxg3 21.fxg3? in Pavlov, S-Kruppa, Y/Kyiv UKR 2006. ]
[ White misses his chance. Bareev suggests [ Definitely not 12.bxd4?? xd4 13.xd4
21.c4! when Black's attack is running out xd4 14.xf6 ( Of course White is just a
of steam: gxf2+ 22.xf2 c6 23.xd8+ piece down after 14.xb5 xb5 15.xb5+
xd8 24.d3+ c8 25.f5+ d7 axb5 16.xd4 ) 14...xf6 15.e4 c8
26.xd7+ xd7 27.e1 f6 28.e6 ] 16.b7 c7 17.xa6 a3 18.c3 ( or
21...e4 White's position appears on the point 18.bxa3 a1+ 19.d2 c3+ 20.c1
of collapse with both f3 and g3 hanging, but xa3+ 21.b1 xa6 ) 18...xc3+ 19.b1
he has one last shot. 22.f4 exf3 23.f2 f5+ 20.a1 c2 21.d3 xb2+ 22.b1
c6 24.d6 It looks like White has developed c1+! 0-1 Penttila, T-Sarakauskas, G/
vicious threats of his own, but... Jyvaskyla FIN 2006. ]
[ Instead 24.xf3 de8 25.xd7! xd7 12...e7 13.he1 d8! The future opposition
26.xc6+ bxc6 27.xf7 e2 is just a slight of ro o ks a lo n g t h e d -f ile sho u ld d am p e n
edge for Black- Bareev. ] White's attacking enthusiasm.
24...g4!! 25.xc6+ xc6 26.xf7 [ The renowned Grandmaster Tukmakov
[ 26.b6 f2+ 27.xf2 h1# ] suffered a startling defeat against a player
26...xf2 27.e6+ d7 28.xd7+ xd7 rate d 22 89 when he let W hite pus h his
29.xf2 h2+ 30.xf3 xc2 31.e1 f7 k i n g s i d e p a w n s a t h i s l e i s u r e : 13...c8
A great attacking display by the master of 14.h3 d5 15.xe7 xe7 16.e4 f6
positional play Evgeny Bareev. 17.fxd4 0-0 18.f3 xd4 19.xd4 c5
0-1 20.g4 fc8 Black's doubled rooks are
visually im pressive , but h e can't f in d a
tactical blow and meanwhile things get hot
698 C07 for him on the other wing. 21.d2 f8
Lie,Kjetil A 2563 22.h4 e8 23.g5 d7 24.e4 b6 25.f4
Avrukh,Boris 2641 c4 26.dd1 5c7 27.h5 d8 Much too
ETCC Crete GRE (7) 04.11.2007 late Black turns his attention to the d-file.
[Neil McDonald] 28.g6 cd7 29.c3 d6 30.gxh7+ h8
31.g1 f5 32.d3 f6 33.xc4 bxc4
1.e4 e6 A great example of the power of 34.de1 f7 35.xc4 xh7 36.e2 8d7
centralisation. 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 37.g5 xd4 38.cxd4 xd4 39.eg1 e5
xd5 5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.e2 40.xg7+ h8 41.h6 xf4 42.xa6 e4+
W hite embarks on the aggressive plan of 43.a1 d5 Black threatens mate in two
castling queenside. f6 8.b3 c6 9.g5 with 44...Qd1+, but... 44.g8+! 1-0 Schoorl,
a6 10.0-0-0 Given a free move White will R-Tukm akov, V/Am sterda m NED 2006 .
capture on d4 and target the black queen. And ( 44.g8+ xg8 45.f6+ h7 46.g7+
so: b5 11.d3 d7!? A solid if slightly less xg7 47.xg7# )]
ambitious bishop move than 14.h3 d5 15.xe7 xe7 16.fxd4 xd4
[ 11...b7 or ] 17.xd4 b4!
[ 11...e7 which have been the focus of [ 'Every move has to be checked, no matter
games in the archives. ] how obvious' said Capablanca. Obviously
12.b1 Black wants to castle, but first of all Avrukh
[ You might like to investigate 12.xf6 gxf6 threatens the knight as well as a check on
( Slightly awkward for Black is 12...f4+ c 3 , a n d s o a vo i d s t h e b l u n d e r 17...0-0?
13.b1 xf6 14.e4 ) 13.e4 f5 ( bad is 18.xh7+! xh7 19.h5+ g8 20.xd5
13...e5? 14.bxd4 ) 14.xc6 xc6 exd5?! 21.xe7 and White is a pawn up. ]
15.bxd4 with an initiative for White. ] 18.b3 Forced, but Black can be happy that
[ M e a n w h i l e t h e i m m e d i a t e 12.e4 the white knight is now a long way from his

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

king. 0-0 19.e4 f6 20.d4 e7 21.d3? [ 19.e3 and ]

The first sign that Lie is planning a berserk
[ 19.c1 have already been scrutinised on
kingside attack. Instead the position looks
the Tarrasch 3...c5 webpage. ]
equal after 19...xh6 20.h4 e5! The best move
[ 21.f3 ] which brings the queen to the defence of the
21...c6 The black bishop gratefully takes
kingside. Much inferior is
control of the diagonal handed to it. 22.h4
[ 20...e5? 21.e1! the bishop becomes a
the consistent move, but it will lead to target. g7 22.xh5 f5 ( 22...f6 23.xe5
xe5 24.xh7+ f8 25.h8+ e7
inevitable defeat against a top class opponent.
26.h7+ d6 27.xd8+ wins ) 23.xe5!
g6! Blunting the diagonal of the white bishop.
[ Lie was hoping for 22...d7? 23.xh7+!
and in Buervenich-Engstrom, Stockholm
xh7 24.h5 when he suddenly has a
2 0 0 0 , W h it e re ga in e d t h e p ie ce wit h a
winning attack. ] strong attack as xe5 24.g5+ will take on
23.d4 b7 24.e3 d5! All according to d8 with check. ]
the classical principle that says that an attack
21.xh2!? White has two alternatives here.
on the wing should be met with a Firstly
counterattack in the centre. 25.g4 fd8
[ 21.g4? seems virtually refuted by d7! e.g.
26.f5!? c5! A highly unwelcome offer to A) W hite loses at once after 22.xh5+?
exchange queens. Instead after xh5 23.gxh5 c6 while also insufficient
[ 26...gxf5 27.h6 White has his desired
is;
B) 22.h3 c6+ 23.f3 g3! 24.xh5+
attack with the threat of 28.g5, attacking
g7 25.xh7+ f8 26.h6+ e8
the knight that defends f6 or else 28.gxf5,
opening the g-file. ] 27.xf7 There is no other way to defend f3
27.h6+ g7 28.d2 d4! Stopping 29.g5 as ( 27.f1 xf3+ 28.xf3 g1#
and clearing the way for his bishop on b7 to
is mate. ) 27...xf3+ 28.xf3 xf3+
enter the fray. 29.f4 e4 30.e3 xd3 29.xh2 e2+ 30.h1 d2 31.xe6+
31.cxd3 e4 32.e2 c8 With a rook and a xe6 32.xe6 xb2 and Black had a
knight shut out of the game on the h-file, winning endgame in Van den Brande-Van
W hite can't cope with events in the centre Ael, Antwerp 2000.;
and along the c-file. 33.d1 f2 34.d2 C) 22.xf7 e8 23.xh5+ xh5
xd3 It's all far too easy. 35.xd3 xd3
24.f8+ g5 25.e7+ xg4 26.xe6+
f3
White is facing a lethal check on c1 or g1, and 27.xb7+ f4 28.c7+ e5
if and White has run out of checks and so
[ 35...xd3 36.xd3 c1# ] resigned in Holmes-Redpath, Edinburgh
0-1 1999. ]
[ Alternatively 21.xf7 d7! seems to hang
on for Black and therefore win, e.g. 22.f8+
699 C07 g7 23.f3 f7 24.g4 g6 25.h3
Luther,Thomas 2547 c7 26.e1 d3! 27.g3 e5! 28.h2 g4
Schlecht,Daniel 2348 29.c2 ad8 30.xd3 xd3 31.g1 d8
17th Open Böblingen GER (4) 28.12.2000 32.xg4 xg4 33.g2 b6 34.xe5
[Neil McDonald] xg3! and White resigned in Berelovich-
Barsov, Dieren 1997. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 21...d7!
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3 [ Worse is 21...f5 22.e3+ g5 23.f4! ]
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1 22.xf7 c6
c7 12.b3 d6 13.f5 xh2+ 14.h1 [ T h e m a j o r a l t e r n a t i v e w a s 22...e8!?
0-0 15.xg7 d8 16.f3 xg7 17.h6+ which seems to lead to a draw after 23.f8+
g6 18.c3 h5 19.e4 Another way to A) Too risky is 23...g5?! 24.e7+
attack Black's opening system. The A1) Instead Black loses his queen after
alternatives 24...f6 25.xh5+ xh5 26.f4+ f5

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

27.c2+ so he has to reply; 17.ae1 e6 18.xe6 xe6 19.h1 e7

A2) 24...h6 when White has to force a 20.bd2 g4 21.g1 h5 22.c4 g5
draw with 25.f8+ ( 25.g4? c6+
23.xd6+ cxd6 24.d2 f6 25.c4 b7
26.g1 g8 ); 26.xb6! xb6 27.xa5+ c7 28.c6
A3) 24...f6? 25.g7+ g6 26.h6+ e8 29.a5 d7 30.b6+ b7 31.a6+
f5 27.c2+ e4 28.h4 and White xb6 32.b1+ Panov resigned here, not
wins.; wanting to see the finish c7 33.b7+ c8
B) 23...g7 24.f4+ g5 25.f8+ g7 34.a7# 1-0 Bronstein, D-Panov, V/Moscow
with a repetition. ] 1947. ]
23.f4! f5 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 5.gf3
The only move to keep both e6
a n d h 5 c o v e r e d . 24.xf5 exf5 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3 c6
25.f7
White regains his piece but Black is at least 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1 d7
OK d2 26.xh5 xg2? 12.c3
[ Black loses his nerve. Instead after
[ Recently we looked at 12.g5 in Adams-
26...ad8 27.f3+ g6 28.b3 ( 28.xc6?? Nisipeanu and Venevtsev-Nakhapetiane. In
d1+ 29.xd1 xd1# ) 28...8d3!
the f irst of these games, Black came to
his pieces are so active that he could hardly grief after a Nxe6! sacrifice in the second
lose. ] he fell to a Bxa6! blow. Judging from what
27.e2+ xh2+ 28.xh2 e8 29.d3 d8 happens in the present game, we might
30.xf5 d2+ 31.h3 xb2 32.e1 g7 conclude that Black is taking his life into
33.g1+ f6 34.xh7 xa2 35.g6+ e7 his hands when he spurns castling kingside
36.f5 f2 37.e6+ f7? The Grandmaster in the 4...Qxd5 Tarrasch. ]
has made a lot of progress but even so 12...0-0-0 The boldest move. Black wants to
[ 37...d7 should draw without much
engage a player rated 228 points below him in
trouble. ] a hard fight- his wish will be granted, but not
38.g6+ f8 39.d6 a5 40.f6 e2 in the way he would have imagined.
41.d8+ e8 42.xe8 xe8 43.g4 f7 [ S a f e r , i f l e s s a m b i t i o u s , w a s 12...c7
44.f5 c6 45.e5 a4 46.c8 f3 13.e2 ( As soon as White drops the bishop
47.c7+ f8 48.c4 b5 49.c8+ f7 back with 13.b3 Bla ck ca n p la y 0-0-0
50.c7+ f8 51.c8+ f7 52.c7+ f8 with a clearer conscience.) 13...d6 ( Or
53.f7 g7 54.e6 h5 55.a7 g6 13...0-0-0 transposing to the Mannion
56.c7 h5 57.b7 g6 58.f8+ xf8 game. ) 14.h3 ( 14.g5 0-0-0! ) 14...0-0
59.f6 15.g5 h2+ 16.h1 f4 17.xf4 xf4
1-0 with equality in Palac-Savchenko, Yerevan
1996. ]
13.e2 More energetic than
700 C07 [ 13.b3 ]
Mannion,Stephen R 2347 13...c7 14.a4 d6 15.h3 b8 16.e3
Erdos,Viktor 2575 [ Instead 16.a5 was played in Belov-
XXIV Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (3) Danielian, as given on ChessPub. ]
[Neil McDonald] 16...c8 17.xa6!? A somewhat surprising
offer, as there is no mate in sight, and neither
1.e4 e6 can White regain his material any time soon.
[ The role of the white queenside pawns in On the other hand, a pawn roller against a
the following encounter reminds me of a denuded king can often prove irresistible.
game that David Bronstein gives in his '200 H a v e a l o o k a t t h e B r o n s t e i n - P a n o v
Open Games': 1...e5 2.f4 c5 3.f3 d6 gameabove!
4.c3 g4 5.fxe5 dxe5 6.a4+ d7 7.c2 [ More nervous individuals might consider
c6 8.b4 d6 9.c4 f6 10.d3 e7 17.b3 with unclear play in Rodin, D-
11.0-0 0-0-0 12.a4 a5 13.b5 b8 Airapetian, G/Voronezh RUS 2007. ]
14.bd2 g4 15.b3 b6 16.e3 bd7 17...bxa6 18.xa6 e8 19.b5 b7

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
20.a5 c6 21.ed1 a6 22.d8+ c8
23.h4 The white queen has been chased all
the way from a6 to h4, which you might think
means a diminution of White's attack. But as
indicated above the sacrifice is of a positional
nature, and getting the queen out of the way
means that the white pawns can advance
more effectively. a8 24.c4 b8 25.a5 f6
26.b6 g5 27.d4 Black is struggling to find
counterplay, and so Mannion avoids taking the
bait on g5, after which the g2 square would
become a target to Rg8 and Bc6 or Qb7. e5
28.d3 g4 29.h4 c6 30.d6 e6?
A very serious mistake under pressure. The
white knight must be eliminated, though it still
wouldn't be easy for Black:
[ 30...xd6 31.xd6 e4 32.xe5 e8
33.f4 Black has some centre counterplay,
but he is still facing the threat of b4-b5. ]
31.c5! attacking a6, and there's no good way
to defend it. a7
[ Also inadequate is 31...b7 for example
32.xb7 xb7 33.b4 e4 34.e2 e5 ( or
34...e5 35.c6+ xc6 36.xa6 h2+
37.f1 and W hite wins.) 35.ac1 aa8
36.c6+ c8 37.b5 and there is a killer
threat of 38.Bc7! clearing the way for 39.
Qb7 mate. ]
32.xa7 xa7 33.b4 e4 34.d4 g3
35.fxg3 g8 36.b5 The advancing pawns are
a beautiful sight. d5 37.b6+ a8 38.a6
c6 39.b7+ a7 40.c8+?!
[ A pity, as mate in two should have crowned
Ma n n i o n 's v i g o ro u s a t t a c k i n g d i s p l a y:
40.b5+! xb5 41.c6# ]
40...xc8 41.bxc8 xc8 42.xf6 xg3
43.xf7+ a8 44.e7 c7 45.f1
An impressive attacking win!
1-0
701
Matulovic,Milan 2495
Marjanovic,Slavoljub 2515
Serbia and Montenegro 1986
[Neil McDonald]
42/344 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3
cxd4 5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6
8.b3 c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 d7
11.b3 0-0-0 The more solid
[ 11...e7 and ]
[ 11...a6 are analysed in Slobodjan-
Lamprecht ]
12.b2 c7 13.e2 h5 14.f3
[ Instead 14.h3 g4 15.f3 transposes. ]
14...g4 15.h3 c6 This is a standard
position which has been reached many times.
Black's results have been excellent, including
this game. Obviously if White takes the knight
immediately he comes under a fierce attack,
b u t I b e l i e ve i f h e t i m e s t h e m o m e n t t o
ca p t u re righ t t h e n h e ca n re f u t e B la c k ' s
a t t a c k i n g s y s t e m . 16.fd1! c5
The consistent attacking move, though it
seems to fail. However, if Black retreats his
knight he is left with a lousy position. Note
also that
[ 16...xf3 17.xf3 h2+ 18.f1
is just good for White. ]
17.xd8+?
[ This is where I think White can win with
17.hxg4 hxg4 18.e5!! The point is after
the long tactical sequence
A) 18...gxf3 19.xc7 fxe2 20.xd8+
xd8 21.xd8 xd8 22.xe2 and;
B) 18...e7 19.h2 xd1+ 20.xd1
h4 21.xg4!? xf2+ ( 21...xf2+
22.f1 xg4 23.xg4 h1+ 24.e2
xd1 25.xd1 ) 22.h1 threatening 23
Bxe6+ winning.];
C) 18...xd1+ [also unsatisfactory for
Black are 19.xd1! xf3 20.xc7! xd1
21.g3! xc2 22.c1 and Black loses
material in view of the potential pin down
the c file. If this analysis is correct, then
this line is unplayable for Black. ]
17...xd8 Now all goes well with Black, who
has a nice attacking position. 18.f1 h6!
19.b5 xf3 20.xf3 d6 21.g3 xf2!
22.xf2 g6 23.f1? The only way to hold
on was
C07 [ 23.g2 xf2 24.xf2 ( 24.xf2 d5+ )
24...c5+ 25.e1 xb5 26.xf7
[ M a r j a n o v i c ] t h o u g h a f t e r g5!
Black eventually evades the checks and
win s, e . g. 27.e8+ c7 28.f7+ b6
29.f2+ ( 29.d4+ a6 30.f1+ b5 )
29...c6 30.f3+ d5 31.c3+ d7 ]
23...xg3 24.xh5 xf2 25.e5 g1+
26.xf2 c5+ 27.f3 xb5 28.c4 c6+
29.e3 e1+ 30.d2 e4 31.h8+ d7
629
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
32.b8 e3+ 33.c2 c1+ 34.d3 e3+
35.d4 c3+ 36.c5 b6+
0-1
702 C07
McShane,Luke J 2615
Ni Hua 2665
Chess Classic (6) 14.12.2009
[John Watson]
Again st t he 3 ...c5 Tarrasch, W h ite of te n
employs 4 Ngf3 to avoid the 4 exd5 Qxd5 lines.
This can make it difficult for Black to generate
active play, but White's punishment is that his
play is limited as well. I've used a game from
two months ago as my basis for examining 4
Ngf3, which was actually used in 11 games
this month. My main idea is to show some
standard Black solutions, dull though some of
them might be! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5
4.gf3 cxd4
[ 4...e7!? (a surprising transpositional
attempt it seems adequate) 5.exd5 ( 5.c3
f6 6.e5 fd7 is a normal 3...Be7
Tarrasch, as is; 5.dxc5 f6 6.d3 ) 5...exd5
6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ xd7 8.dxc5 xc5
9.0-0 f6 We have transposed to an old
system of the 3...c5 4 exd5 exd5 5 Bb5+
Bd7 Tarrasch. It is represented by seven
games in the Archives and is considered
somewhere between equal and very slightly
better for White. Generally top players have
held the resulting positions without many
problems, as in this month's 10.b3 ce4
11.e3 0-0 12.d3 c7 13.c3 fd8
Palit (2386)-Jumabayev (2536), Chennai
IND 2010/. ]
[ 4...f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 ]
5.xd4
[ 5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 is the main line of the
3...c5 Tarrasch. ]
5...f6
[ A n o t h e r s t a n d a r d a p p r o a c h i s 5...c6
, when the most critical line is 6.b5 d7
7.xc6 xc6 8.xc6+ bxc6
and there seem to be three satisfactory
moves. This month's game Howell (2606)-
So (2656), Wijk aan Zee 2010 continued
A) 9...dxe4!? has worked in a couple of
Archives games, with the surprising idea
10 Qa4?! f5! and the acceptable ending
after Black has to be prepared the defend
t h e e n d g a m e a f t e r 10.xe4 xd1+
11.xd1 f6 12.xf6+ gxf6 13.e3
g8 14.g3 c5! of White, M-Luther, T,
Barcelona 2007.;
B) 9...d6 gets Neil's (and Kamsky's)
approval, games in the Archives going
10.cxd5 ( 10.a4 d7 11.exd5 cxd5
12.xd7+ xd7 13.cxd5 exd5 14.0-0
e7 Mahjoob, M-Ghane Gardeh, S/IRI
2000 ) 10...cxd5 11.exd5 exd5 12.0-0
e7 13.f3 0-0 14.d3 d7 15.d1
fd8 16.e3 a5 17.g3 h6 18.b6 dc8
19.d4 c5 20.c3 b4 21.e5
Topalov, V (2796)-Kamsky, G (2725),
Sofia BUL 2009, and now Neil
recommends that 'Black should activate
his game wit h g4! e.g. 22.a3 c5
23.ac1 e4 and there is little to fear.';
C) 9...a5
C1) Kaufman claims an advantage for
W h i t e a f t e r 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.exd5
xd5 12.a4+ d7 13.xd7+ xd7
, but Black's ability to put a knight on d5
defends his king long enough to activate
his rooks, for example, 14.e2 f6
15.c4 c5 16.e3 xe3 17.hd1+
e7 18.xe3 ab8 19.b3 bc8
20.ac1 e4 ( or 20...hd8 21.f3
d7 ) 21.c4 hd8 22.f3 xd1
23.xd1 f6 24.e5 xc1+ 25.xc1
a6 26.d2 d5 27.a3 f6 28.c4 e5;
C2) 10.b3!? may well be the best try:
d8 11.0-0 f6 12.e5 d7 13.g3
Tseitlin, M (2426)-Zontakh, A (2525),
Cappelle la Grande FRA 2004, and here
h5! would be a good try, since 14.f3
c5 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.g5 e7
is fairly balanced;
C3) 10.0-0 f6 11.c2 a6 12.b3
e7 13.b2 0-0 14.e5!? d7 15.f4
g6 ( Or 15...b6+ 16.h1 a5 ) 16.h1
b6 17.ac1 dxc4 18.bxc4 fd8
19.a1 a4 20.e4 1/2-1/2. ( 20.e4
9.c4 xc2 21.xc2 a4 may favour Black
slightly because of his better bishop. )]
6.exd5
[ 6.e5 fd7 7.2f3 ( 7.f4? xe5! 8.fxe5
h4+ is an old trap) 7...c6 8.xc6 bxc6
is comfortably equal for Black. ]
630
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
6...xd5 7.b5
[ Another recent game went 7.2f3 c6
8.xc6 xc6 9.d3 c7 10.b5+ d7
11.xd7+ xd7 12.0-0 c5 13.e2 0-0
14.c3 fe8 15.e3 xe3 16.xe3 b6
17.fd1 ad8 with equal play Godena
(2537) -Caruana, (2652), Reggio Emilia ITA
2010. ]
7...a6 8.c4
[ 8.c3 This isn't as commonly played as 8
Nb5, but offers just as many chances in
practice.
A) Black stands satisfactorily after 8...d6
9.e2 ( 9.b5+ d7 10.e2 xb5
11.xb5 c6 ) 9...e7 10.0-0 0-0
11.c4 c7!;
B) 8...d8 9.a3 V e rs u s . . . B b 4 . e7
10.c4 c7 11.0-0 0-0 12.f3 fd5
( 12...cd5! is more accurate, keeping e4
covered: 13.de4 xc3 14.xc3 c7
15.d3 d7 ) 13.de4 f5 14.g3 xc3
15.xc3 d5 16.f3 b5?! (rash)
17.xb5 c7 18.c4 (Black lacks
c o m p e n s a t i o n ) b6 Ni Hua (2657)-
Sutovsky, E (2657), W ijk aan Zee NED
2010, 19.e1! would have yielded a very
large advantage. ]
8...c6 9.a3
[ Two other recent games went 9.f3 b6
( 9...b4+! 10.d2 0-0 equalises.) 10.e2
b7 11.0-0 e7 12.bd4 ( 12.a3 0-0
13.bd4 c8 14.b4 d8 15.b3 e5
16.c2 e4 17.fd4 b8 18.b2 c6
19.ad1 xd4 20.xd4 a5 21.h3 axb4
22.axb4 f8 23.c1 c7 with equality
Howell, D (2597) -Istratescu, A (2624),
Hastings ENG 2010) 12...c8 13.a4+
d7 14.g5 ( 14.f4 ) 14...ac5 15.a3
f6 16.ad1 0-0 17.e5 e8 18.e3
ce4 19.f4 d8 20.f3?! ( 20.f3 )
20...d6 21.g3 d7 22.xd7 xd7
23.b3 c5 24.f2 ad8 25.fe1 f6
1/2-1/2 Rublevsky (2697)-Matlakov(2587),
Moscow RUS 2010. ]
9...e7 10.b4 0-0 11.f3
[ Kaufman recommends 11.b2 , giving d8
( 11...e5 12.f3 g4 is also equal) 12.f3
, w h i c h h e c a l l s ' p l e a s a n t ' b u t b8!
f o llo we d b y . . . a 5 a t le a st e qu a lise s b y
compromising White's pawns ]
11...b8! 12.b1 a5 13.bxa5
[ 13.c5 axb4 14.axb4 e5 15.b2 g4
16.xc6 xc6 17.c4 a4! 18.xe5
d5! ]
13...xf3!? Perfectly fine, but
[ 13...xa5 and ]
[ 13...e5 are both somewhat favourable for
Black. ]
14.xf3 xa5 15.e2 bd7
[ 15...c6 16.0-0 e5 ]
16.0-0 b6?!
[ 16...e4! ]
17.d2! a4 18.b4 c5?
[ 18...xb4 19.axb4 b7 20.d6 xf3
21.xf3 e5 ]
19.fd1!?
[ 19.e5! b7 20.fd1 ]
19...b7
[ 19...fe4! ]
20.e5 a8 21.f3 b8 22.d2 e8
23.d7 b7 24.bd1 g5 25.xc5?! bxc5
26.c3 b8 27.e5 c8 28.d7 f6
29.d6?!
[ 29.xf6 xf6 30.d8+ xd8 31.xd8+
g7 32.c8 ]
29...c6! 30.xc8 xd7 31.xf6 xf6
32.b6 a7 and in spite of White's bad
bishop, this is close to equal and should be
drawn, although Black later won out. 33.a4
f8 34.xd7+ xd7 35.a1 e7 36.f2
e5 37.e3 c6 38.d3 b7 39.c3
a5 40.d3 b3+ 41.c2 h5 42.g3 g4
43.f4 f5 44.e1 d6 45.d1 c7 46.e1
b6 47.c3 b3 48.c2 d4 49.a1 b8
50.d1 h8 51.d2 h4 52.a3 b6
53.a5+ a6 54.e1 hxg3 55.hxg3 h1+
56.d2 g1 57.a4 g2+ 58.e1 xa5
59.c6+ b4 60.a4+ b3 61.xg2 xa4
62.b7 b4 63.a6 a5 64.c8 b6
65.d2 c7 66.a6 c6 67.b5 a7
68.a4 c8 69.e3 d6 70.f2 d8
71.c2 e7 72.d3 d7 73.g2 c6
74.f1 b6 75.f2 e4+ 76.g2 a5
77.d3 d6 78.f2 b4 79.b1 c3
80.g2 e4
0-1
631
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

703 C07 14...e7 15.b2 0-0 16.d2?! g4

Movsesian,Sergei 2723 17.xg4 xg4 Now Black has the bishop pair
Shirov,Alexei 2749 at no apparent cost. 18.e3 f5 19.f3?! exf3
26th European Club Cup (6.2) 22.10.2010 20.xf3 f4!? 21.f2
[John Watson] [ 21.d4 ]
21...ac8 22.h1 c5! 23.d4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 [ 23.xc5 xc5 24.e5 e6 is probably
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3 better, but rather depressing. W hite's
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 passivity has slowly led to very serious
The main and most ambitious line. problems. ]
[ Another high-rated contest from this month 23...h5 24.d2 cd8
went 10...e7 11.c3 0-0 12.f3 c7 [ 24...f3! was quite strong, but
13.b3 d7 14.g5 ( 14.f4!? is slightly unnecessary. ]
more promising, e.g., e5!? 15.g3 ad8 25.g1?! f3! 26.g3 c5 27.b4 xb4!
16.f5 c6 17.xe7+ xe7 18.f5 fe8 Winning. 28.f2
19.ae1 e4 is about equal, but perhaps [ 28.xb4 allows the nice king hunt f2+
worth a try because of White's bishop pair. 29.xf2 xf2 30.xf2 xh2+ 31.e3
Bla c k h a s t h e id e a o f .. . Rd2 , so 20.d1 xg3+ 32.d2 f2+ 33.c1 f1+
e3!? 21.fxe3 xd1 22.xd1 xe3+ 34.d2 e2+ and mates next. ]
23.f2 might follow) 14...a5 15.a4 d5 28...c5 29.c3 de8 30.fe1 e2 31.xe2
16.xe7 1/2-1/2 Kobalia, M (2656)-Vallejo fxe2 32.e3 h3
Pons, F (2697), Plovdiv BUL 2010. ] 0-1
11.b3 There's only one main game with this
move in the Archives. e5!? Typically dynamic
play by Shirov. Two alternatives: 704 C07
[ a) After 11...c7 (preparing the standard ... Nevednichy,Vladislav 2576
Bd6 and an eventual ...b5/ .. Bb7 ), Neil Lalic,Bogdan 2488
McDonald cited the following game: 12.b2 chT Sibenik (4) 25.09.2006
d6 13.f3 b5 14.d3 b7 15.c4 g4 [Lalic, Bogdan]
( jw:?! 15...0-0 16.cxb5 axb5 17.xf6 gxf6
18.xb5 a3! ) 16.h3 ( jw: 16.cxb5 xh2+ 1.e4 e6 My thanks to GM Bogdan Lalic for
17.h1 g1? 18.bxa6! xf3 19.b5+ providing analysis to the following game. 2.d4
f8 20.a3+ g8 21.d6! ) 16...h2+ d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 5.gf3 cxd4
17.h1 g1! 18.e5 ( 18.xg1 xf2#; 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
18.xg1 h2#; 18.xg1 xf3 19.xf3 [ Or 8.e1 c6
h2#; jw: 18.e5! looks about equal: xf2+ A) 9.b3 a6 ( 9...d7!? 10.bxd4
19.xf2 xf2 20.cxb5 ) 18...xe5 19.xe5 xd4 11.xd4 0-0-0 );
xe5 - Tiviakov, S-Prusikin, M/Dresden B) 9.e4 xe4 10.xe4 e7
GER 2007. Neil: Black has a slight edge B1) 11.f4 c5 12.d3 d7 ( 12...f6
after 20.xg1 d8 ] 13.a3 a5; 12...0-0 13.xd4 xd4
[ b) 11...d7 12.b2 c7 13.e2 0-0-0 14.xd4 e5? 15.d5! );
14.f3! c6 15.e5 Faibisovich, V B2) 11.xd4 e5 12.f3 ( 12.f4 exf4
(2421)-Johannesson, I (2344), Differdange 13.xc6 xd1+ 14.xd1 bxc6
LUX 2008. See the Archives. ] 15.de1 f8 16.xe7 e6 17.1xe6
12.f3 fxe6 18.c7 h5! 19.xc6 h6 )
[ 12.e1 e7 13.f3 xd1 14.xd1 e4 12...xd4 13.xf7+ d8 14.xg7
( 14...g4 15.e1 ) 15.e5 0-0 is about B2a) 14...f6 15.g3 ( 15.h6
equal. ] f5! ) 15...g6!;
12...b5 13.e2 e4 14.d4 B2b) 14...e8 ]
[ Rybka gives 14.xd6 xd6 15.d1! e7 8...c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4
16.d4 d7 17.c4 with a very small edge. ] [ 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 d7 12.f4

632
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

c8= ] and Black looked well placed in Savchenko,

10...a6 11.e1 V-Pilaj,H/Solingen GER 2005. ]
[ 11.c3 ] 12...c8!? The most energetic way of
11...c7 12.b3 d6 13.h3 re t u r n i n g t h e p a wn , a n d t h e re f o re m o r e
[ ChessPub has focused on the sharppromising than 12...0-0-0 or 12...Be7 which
variation 13.f5 xh2+ 14.h1 0-0 are also sometimes played. The solid
15.xg7 d8 with unclear play. ] alternative was
13...0-0 14.g5 h2+ [ 12...c5!? e.g. 13.e5 ( White managed
[ Alternatives are 14...f4 and ] to get some pressure after 13.b1!? 0-0-0
[ 14...b5 and ] 14.e5 xe5 15.xe5 d6 16.e2!?
[ 14...e5 ] c6 17.xd4 in Vysochin,S-Kobylkin,E/
[ 14...d7? 15.xe6! c5 16.e3 fxe6 Kharkiv UKR 2004.) 13...xe5 14.xe5
17.xe6 e5 18.g3! ] d6 15.xd4 White has little choice but to
15.h1 f4 agree to the exchange of queens if he wants
[ 15...e5 16.c3 h6 17.f3 d8 18.c1! to get his pawn back. xd4 16.xd4 c5
hxg5 19.xe5 d5 20.c4 f4 21.g3 d3 17.f3 ( 17.he1 0-0-0 18.f3 he8
22.xd3 xd3 23.c2 ] - S a t ya p r a gya n , S -L a h n o , K / Du b a i UA E
16.xf6 gxf6 17.c3 2004. ) 17...h6 18.h4 a6 19.he1 0-0-0
[ 17.h5 h8 18.f3!? g8 19.e4 d7! 20.d3 xd4 21.xd4 g5 22.g3 b5
( 19...b5?! ) 20.h4 g5 21.xg5 xg5= ] 23.xb5 xd4 24.e5 f4 25.g3 f5
17...h8 18.e4!? g8 26.d3 xe5 - Deepan,C-Vakhidov,T/Pune
[ 18...f5? 19.xf5! exf5? 20.d4++- ] IND 2004. ]
19.f3 e5 13.bxd4
[ 19...g5? 20.h4 f5 21.xf5! exf5 [ Black quickly disintegrated after 13.fxd4
22.c4 ] i n t h e f o l l o w i n g g a m e : xd4
20.ae1 d7= ( I would suggest 13...e7 as in the Ernst
½-½ game, for example 14.e3 xd4 15.xd4
c7 ) 14.xd4 c5? 15.xf6 gxf6
16.xc5 xc5 17.hd1 c6 18.xe6! 0-0
705 C07 ( if 18...fxe6 19.xe6+ f8 20.xf6+
Nijboer,Friso 2529 and mate will follow after a rook move to d8
Ernst,Sipke 2457 or g4. ) 19.b3 g5 20.e7 c5 21.xf6
ch-NED Leeuwarden NED (5) 12.09.2005 xg2 22.f4 h5 23.h4 a6 24.c3 g6
[Neil McDonald] 25.e7 g7 26.e5+ g8 27.xf7+!
1 - 0 S c h m a l t z, R- F o i s o r , O / A t h e n s G R E
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 2004. ( it's mate af te r 27.xf7+ xf7
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.e2 f6 8.b3 28.d8+ )]
c6 9.g5 b4+! For the moment at least in 13...e7 14.xc6 xc6 15.e5 0-0
tournament play, the redeployment of the 16.xf7? Very tempting, but judging by this
black queen to b6 is looking healthier for ga m e a t le a st , W h it e sh o u ld h a ve m a d e
Black than dowith
[ 9...a6 10.0-0-0 b5 which has been studied [ 16.he1 completing his development. ]
on ChessPub. ] 16...d5!
10.d2 b6 11.0-0-0 d7 12.g5 [ Not 16...xf7? 17.xe6 cf8 18.xe7 ]
The move with most bite. 17.e5
[ 12.f4?! e7 13.e5 d8 14.g4 d3! [ Black has a dangerous attack after 17.xd5
an instructive pawn sacrifice than wins the xd5 18.xe7 xf7 19.h4 ( not 19.a3?
d5 square for the black knight. 15.xd3 ( If xf2 ) 19...b4!? or ( 19...fc7!? )]
15.xd3? b4 and a2 drops.) 15...d5 17...xc4 18.xc4 a6! The black queen
gaining time by attacking the bishop on f4. moves to safety and introduces the idea of
16.d2 xe5 17.xe5 f6 18.e1 c7 Qxa2- a move that no white king likes to see

633
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
when he has castled queenside. However,
Ernst doesn't take on a2 next move as the pin
on the white knight causes his opponen t
discomfort, and besides for the moment he
wants to keep e6 defended. It is obvious that,
pra ctica lly s pea kin g, th e out com e of th e
opening has been a success for Black. 19.d4
c5!? Black doubles rooks with gain of time
by hitting the white bishop. 20.d2
[ White is in for a horrible time after both
20.f4 fc8 21.b3 b5 and ]
[ 20.xf6 xf6 ]
20...xa2?!
[ Still t oo so on : 20...e5! 21.h4 d5
22.g4 fc8 with irresistible pressure, as if
23.b3 xa2 etc. ]
21.b4 d5 22.xe6+ h8 23.xe7 c8
24.xd5 xd5 25.xb7?
[ It looks very natural to capture a pawn,
d e f e n d a b is h o p a n d a t t h e sa m e t im e
threaten a rook and knight. However, it was
essential to play 25.e6! which not only
carries all the same threats as the game
move, but also ensures that the black knight
i s p i n n e d o n c e h e p l a y s Q x c 4 : xc4
26.c3! Now White only needs one free
move to play 27.Rd1 and he is in control.
f4+ ( In contrast to the game, Black just
h a s a b a d e n d g a m e a f t e r 26...xc3?
27.xc4 xc4 28.bxc3 xc3 29.d1 c8
30.d7 ) 27.d2 xc2+!?
A) White drops his queen to a discovered
a t t a c k a f t e r 28.xc2? c4+ 29.b1
( 29.c3? b4+ ) 29...c3+ 30.xc3
xe6;
B) 28.b1!! xb2+! Black's hand is
forced as he has every piece hanging- his
queen, rook and knight, as well as his
king: there is a back rank mate on c8 or e8
looming. 29.xb2 xd2+ 30.b1 b4+
( the a2 square is guarded after 30...c3+
31.a1 ) 31.c1 c3+ 32.b1 b4+
33.c1 with a draw! ]
25...xc4 26.c3
[ Or 26.c3 xb4 winning a piece. ]
26...xc3 27.bxc3 f4+
[ W hite loses his king or queen: 27...f4+
28.d1 ( 28.b2 b8 ) 28...d8+ 29.e2
d2+ 30.e1 xf2# ]
0-1
706 C07
Nithander,Victor 2365
Brynell,Stellan 2447
38th Rilton Cup 2008-9 (6) 02.01.2009
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
5.xd4 c6 6.xc6
[ Recently attention has focused on 6.b5
d7 dragging Black's bishop away from c8.
T h e n a f t e r 7.xc6 bxc6?! ( So Black
prefers 7...xc6 here ) 8.d3 the bishop is
on d7, rather than c8, which means the plan
o f Q b 6 o r a 7 -a 5 f o llo we d b y B a 6 is n o
longer available to challenge White's bishop
on d3. But as this game shows, the Ba6
move can be a poison chalice for Black. ]
6...bxc6 7.d3 d6!?
[ A solid alternative is 7...f6 and 8...Ne7,
as discussed in Benjamin-Shulman in the
archives. ]
8.0-0!
[ Black achieves e6-e5 with an active game
after 8.e2 e5 9.0-0 f6 10.exd5 cxd5
11.c4 g4! 12.e1 0-0 in Sudakova, I-
Movsisian, N/Sochi RUS 2004. ]
[ Over aggressive is 8.g4 f6 and Black
will gain time by hitting the white queen with
e6-e5 or possibly Nh6. ]
8...e7
[ Here 8...e5? comes a cropper after 9.exd5
cxd5 10.b5+ d7 11.e4! xb5
( 11...dxe4 12.xd6 xb5 13.xe5+ f8
14.xb5 ) 12.xd5 xf1? ( Black can limit
himself to the loss of a pawn with 12...c5!
13.d1! e7 14.xd8+ xd8 15.xd8+
xd8 16.xc5 ) 13.xd6+ e7 14.g5+!
f6 15.d1 threatening mate on f7. White
has a winning attack. ]
[ Instead it was possible to anticipate the
plan of f2-f4 with 8...f6 9.f4 not forced, of
course. h5! 10.h1 ( Bad for White is
10.e5 c5+ 11.h1 g4 ) 10...g4
11.e1 b6 and Black is active. ]
[ A n o t h e r a p p r o a c h 8...c7!? 9.f3?
W hite has to investigate ( 9.exd5! cxd5
10.b5+ d7 11.xd7+ xd7 12.g4!
f8 13.c4 f6 14.e2 with chances for
the initiative based on the badly placed
black king.) 9...dxe4 10.xe4 f6 11.d3
b7 12.e1 c5 13.g5 d8 when Black
634
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
already had a dynamic attacking set up in
Tomic, B-Predojevic, B/Neum BIH 2008. ]
9.f4 a6!? So Brynell achieves Ba6 'on one
go' without needing to invest in either a7-a5
or Qb6. Somewhat surprisingly, this doesn't
solve his problems. 10.e2!
[ Naturally if 10.xa6 b6+ 11.h1 xa6 ]
10...xd3 11.cxd3! c7
[ Black could have anticipated his opponent's
plan with 11...a5 in order to answer 12.Nb3
w i t h 1 2 . . . a 4 . H o w e v e r , t h e n 12.f5!?
looks dangerous, intending either 13.fxe6 or
13.f6. Therefore Black puts his queen on c7
so that he can answer 12.f5 with Bxh2+. ]
12.b3 0-0 13.e3 Now White has a serious
positional advantage both on the queenside-
control of the c5 square- and on the kingside-
the capacity to attack with f4-f5. It is very
instructive to see how Nithander combines
play on both sides of the board, culminating in
an attack down the e-file. fb8 14.ac1 a5
15.c2 a4 16.c5 b5 17.f2! On f2 the
queen supports both the knight and also the f4-
f5 advance. d8 Retreating the queen allows
the f4-f5 advance because Bxh2+ is no longer
a p o s s i b l e re p l y. B u t I gu e s s B l a c k wa s
hoping that the opening of lines on the
kingside might give him some counterplay to
off set the bind on the queenside. In any case,
White could have prepared f4-f5 in time, even
if the black queen had stayed on c7. 18.f5!
exf5 19.exf5 e5 20.d4! It makes sense to
exchange off the enemy bishop which
opposes the f5-f6 advance and at the same
clear the e-file for the rooks. d6 21.xe5
xe5 22.e2 d6 23.d4! Cementing the
knight on c5 where it will oversee the invasion
a l o n g t h e e - f i l e . a3 Black's attempt at
counterplay merely concedes an outsid e
passed pawn to his opponent. 24.bxa3 xa3
25.fe1 a7 26.h4! Now the e6 square will
fall to the white pieces. f6 27.e6 d8
28.f4 h8 29.e3 g8 30.e8
The fall of the back rank means that the end
is near. d6 31.e6! Creating a second
passed pawn by threatening mate on g8.
xe6 32.fxe6 e7 33.c8 b4 34.a4 g5
35.a1 g7 36.a5 f5 37.a6 a7 38.d8
f6 39.d7+!
[ For if 39.d7+ xd7 40.exd7 b8
41.e6+ f6 42.d8+ xd8 43.xd8
and White is ready for 44. Nxc6. A superb
positional game by White. ]
1-0
707 C07
Oral,Tomas 2541
Huzman,Alexander 2581
Eu Team Ch Batumi GEO (5) 03.12.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.e2
W hite prepares to castle queenside. Black
must now play accurately to avoid disaster.
f6 8.b3 c6 9.g5 a6 10.0-0-0 b5
[ T h e d r a w b a c k t o 10...h6 is the sharp
variation 11.bxd4! hxg5 12.xe6 fxe6
13.xd6 xd6 14.xe6 when Black has a
lo t o f p ie ce s f o r t h e q u e e n b u t h e h a s
difficulty activating them and safeguarding
his king, for example d8 15.d2 e4
16.d5 xe6 17.xe6 e8 18.f7! e7
19.g8+ e8 20.xg7 e7 21.g8+ e8
22.g7 e7 23.g8+ e8 24.g6
a n d W h it e se e m s b e t t e r in t h is d o u b le
edged position though it ended as a draw
in Popovic-Bareev, Moscow 1994. ]
[ Finally 10...c7 11.bxd4 xd4 12.xd4
e7 13.he1 0-0 14.f5! b4 ( 14...exf5
15.xe7 xc4? 16.xf8+! xf8 17.d8+
e8 18.dxe8# ) 15.xf6 f4+ 16.e3
draw agreed was Larios Crespo-Pomes,
Linares 1998, though this all looks
extremely suspicious for Black. ]
11.d3 b7
[ The main alternative is 11...e7 e.g.
12.b1 e5 ( 12...d7 13.he1 d8
14.h4!? ) 13.h3 [stopping 13...Bg4] e6
14.he1
A) Not 14...d7? 15.xe7 xe7 16.e4!
hc8 ( 16...f6 17.xc6 xc6 18.fxd4! )
17.xc6 xc6 18.xe5 xe5 19.xd4
xg2 20.xe5 g6?! 21.f5+
and Black resigne d in Anka-I.A lma si,
Gyula 1997.;
B) 14...c8!? 15.h4! ( 15.xe5? xe5
16.xe5 xe5 17.xe5 d7! ) 15...d7
16.g3 with unclear play according to
S m a gi n . I t d o e s n ' t se e m p a r t i c u la r l y
comfortable for Black, as he seems
635
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

destined to lose his extra pawn and then 708 C07

be left with an inferior pawn structure, e.g. Oral,Tomas 2508
0-0 ( 16...f6? 17.bxd4! xd4 18.xd4 Pomes Marcet,Juan 2364
xd4 19.g6+ hxg6 20.xd4 Open Granada ESP (8) 09.12.2006
wins for W hite.) 17.xe5 ( 17.bxd4? [Neil McDonald]
xd4 18.xd4 xd4 19.xh7+ xh7
20.xd4 exd4 ) 17...cxe5 18.xe5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
xe5 19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
and the two bishops don't quite c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.b3
compensate for the weakness on d4. ] [ A major alternative is 11.e1 for example
12.bxd4 xd4 13.xd4 d5! This is the see Nevednichy-Lalic in the archives. ]
new idea. 11...c7 12.f3
[ In Smagin-Levitt, Amantea 1993, Black [ The last chance to engage in a memory
was destroyed after 13...0-0-0? 14.xb5! exercise with 12.e1 d6 13.f5 ]
axb5 15.xb5 b4 16.xd8+ xd8 12...d6 13.h3 I once raved about
17.d1+ c8 18.d4! a5 19.c4+ [ 13.h1 but the simple pawn move is back
and here he resigned as b8 20.f4+ a8 in fashion. ]
21.d8+! xd8 22.a4+ mates. Huzman's 13...0-0 14.g5 h2+ Wary of the fact that
move breathes new life into this variation their kingside pawns are going to be broken
for Black. ] up by Bxf6 at some point, nowadays Black
14.xf6 There isn't much choice, as a2 is has tended to prefer the knight retreat
attacked and [ 14...d7 as seen in Tiviakov-Lalic. ]
[ 14.xb5? xg5+ is of course check! ] 15.h1 e5 16.ad1 h6 17.h4 d7
[ A fun variation is 14.b1!? xg5 15.xe6 18.fe1 ad8 19.c3 c8!
fxe6 16.xe6+ e7 17.he1 when Black [ Let's see what happens when Black wastes
probably holds on e.g. d5 18.e4 f6! ] a valuable tempo with 19...fe8? : 20.c2
14...gxf6 15.xb5 c8 21.e2 xd4 ( If now 21...f4
[ White can play in the style of Smagin-Levitt then White gets a strong attack with 22.xf6
with 15.b1 0-0-0 16.xb5? axb5 gxf6 23.g3 e5 24.e4 invading on h7.)
17.xb5 but he no longer has his dark 22.cxd4 b5 23.d3! b7 24.xf6 gxf6
square bishop to mate Black with- he 25.d2 d5 26.c3 d7 27.xh6 g5
exchanged it off at move 14. Therefore both 28.h7+ h8 29.xf6+ 1-0 Jansa, V-
e4 and ( 17...c5 appear safe, and Jirovsky, M/Brno CZE 2006. ]
therefore winning for Black. )] 20.e2 f4 In contrast to the Jansa game
15...xa2 16.c7+ e7 17.h5 Not above, Black can keep his bishop to fight for
[ 17.xa8? h6+ and White loses his the dark squares, as White has no time for the
queen or is mated. Another way to lose is ] Bc2 and Qe4 plan- see the next note. 21.xf6
[ 17.e3? a1+ 18.d2 a5+ W hite would pref er to delay this move in
and the knight drops. ] favour of keeping up the pressure with say
17...h6+! Anyway! 18.xh6 a1+ 19.d2 [ 21.c2 but perhaps he was afraid of g5!?
a5+ 20.c1 xc7 21.he1 d5 22.e4 22.g3 e5 ( Too risky is the pawn snatch
[ After 22.f5 ad8 ( Not 22...c6 23.xd5 22...xg3 23.fxg3 xg3 as White will build
xd5 24.xe6 fxe6 25.g7+ d6 up a big attack with 24.f1 etc. ) 23.xf4
26.d1 and White looks better) 23.xd5? exf4 and Black has imposing pawns on the
xd5 24.xe6 e5! Black wins. ] kingside. ]
22...xe4 23.xe4 a5 Draw agreed, for if 21...gxf6 22.g3
24.f4? a1+ 25.d2 xb2 defends f6. A [ We see the value of 20...Bf4 after 22.h5
very important theoretical game. g7 - the g3 square is defended by the
½-½ black bishop, ruling out an attack with Rd3
and Rg3+. ]
22...e5 23.c2 xd4 Here Black is

636
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
compelled to exchange the bishop for knight,
as White has ideas of 24.Qe4. However, he
does so under much better circumstances
than in the Jansa game- notably a white rook
can no longer go to g3 to terrorise his king.
[ Alternatively 23...b5 24.g1 ( If 24.e4??
b7 or; 24.d3?! f5 ) 24...xd4 25.g4+
h8 26.xd4 f5 27.h4 xd4 28.xd4+
( If 28.xh6+ g8 29.g5+ h7
30.h5+ g7 31.g5+ h7 with a draw
by repetition- note that White gains nothing
by 32.cxd4 as c2 drops.) 28...g8 29.d1
c6 threatening 30...Bb7 and then mate on
g2 o r h 1 , s o W hit e f o rces a re p e t it io n .
30.d6 f3 31.d3 c6 32.d6 f3
33.d3 c6 - Rasik, V-Petrik, T/Brno CZE
2004. ]
24.g4+ h8 25.xd4 f5 26.h4 xd4
27.xd4+ h7 28.d1
[ You might like to investigate the immediate
28.g4 F o r e xa m p l e g8!? ( Also OK for
Black is 28...d8 29.e3 c6+ 30.f3 b5
31.gxf5 exf5 ) 29.gxf5 exf5 and it is actually
good for Black to have doubled pawns as
they provide shelter for his king. W hite is
a w k w a r d l y p l a c e d - i f 30.f6? f4!
and Black is suddenly winning. ]
28...g8 29.g4? White is playing with fire: he
is the higher rated player and he has done all
the attacking so far, and this makes him and
this makes him oblivious to the way things
have changed. He should safeguard his king
with
[ 29.h2 ]
29...b5! Suddenly Black's bishop is about to
spring to life on b7, leaving the white king in
peril. 30.gxf5 exf5 31.b3??
[ He had to grovel with the wretched move
31.f1 when g6!? keeps up Black's
initiative. But not ( 31...b7+ 32.f3 g3?
when W hite can turn the tables with
33.xf5+ g6 34.g4 )]
31...b7+ 32.d5 d8 the white bishop is
fatally pinned. 33.c4 bxc4
0-1
709 C07
Parligras,Mircea 2588
Kruppa,Yuri 2547
SuperLiga-ROM (5) 05.09.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6
[ The queen sacrifice to mate with the bishop
at move 17 somehow reminds me of the
f inish to Anderssen 's 'Immortal Game':
1...e5 2.f4 exf4 3.c4 h4+ 4.f1 b5
5.xb5 f6 6.f3 h6 7.d3 h5 8.h4
g5 9.f5 c6 10.g4 f6 11.g1 cxb5
12.h4 g6 13.h5 g5 14.f3 g8
15.xf4 f6 16.c3 c5 17.d5 xb2
18.d6 xg1 19.e5 xa1+ 20.e2 a6
21.xg7+ d8 22.f6+ xf6 23.e7#
1-0 Anderssen, A-Kieseritzky, L/London
1851. ]
2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 5.gf3
cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3 c6
9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 d7 This and
Black's next move are something of a Kruppa
speciality.
[ As you can see from the archives, Black
has b een h aving a h ard t ime o f it af te r
10...a6 11.e1 d7 12.g5 ]
11.b3 d8 12.b2
[ The obvious plan is to try to take advantage
of Black's omission of a7-a6 with 12.b5
attacking d6 and a7, but Kruppa got a good
p o s i t i o n i n a n e a r l i e r g a m e : b8!
( B l a c k i s i n t r o u b l e a f t e r 12...xd1
13.c7+! e7 14.xd1 ) 13.e3 a6
14.a7 c8 15.d6+ xd6 16.xd6 c6
17.f4 ( M o r e p r e c i s e i s 17.g3
though Black is fine after 0-0 etc. ) 17...b5
18.d3 1/2-1/2 Pavlov, S-Kruppa, Y/Rivne
2005. In fact Black should play on as White
has negligible compensation for the pawn
after ( 18.d3 xg2! 19.xg2 b7+
20.f3 xa7 21.c6+ e7 )]
12...f4 13.g3!
[ W hite gets nowhere with 13.f3 xf3
14.xf3 c5 15.e5 0-0 16.xd7
1/2-1/2 Yandemirov, V-Kruppa, Y/St
Petersburg 2004. ]
13...h6 14.e1! The sort of speculative
decision that used to be the provenance of
Adolf Anderssen and his like minded
de sce n d a n t s, b u t is n o w t he p ro p e rt y o f
637
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
anyone who is willing to do the necessary
work with a computer. It appears that White is
taking a great risk by ignoring the potential pin/
discovered attack on his queen down the d-file.
It also looks reckless to drive the black queen
towards the h3 square, but in fact it is king
sitting on e8 who turns out to be in most peril.
[ Less effective for White is 14.f3 c5
15.ad1 0-0 16.fe1 xd4 17.xd4 c6
18.f4 h5 19.h4 h6 20.xd8 xd8
21.xf6 gxf6 22.d3 ( not 22.xf6 d1
with dangerous threats based on a mate
with the queen on h1.) 22...g7 23.e3
and draw agreed in D.Solak, D-Y.Kruppa,
Predeal 2007. ]
14...c5 15.f5 h3 16.xg7+ e7
At first glance the position appears excellent
for Black: there are hideous threats to the
white king: firstly 17... Ng4, hitting both the f2
an d h 2 s qua re s, a n d se co n d ly 1 7 . . . B c6 ,
announcing an intention of mate on g2 whilst
uncovering an attack on the white queen.
Meanwhile the white knight is 'stalemated' on
g7. But all this proves of no consequence
after Parligras's stunning queen offer.
17.d4!! A beautiful move.
[ After 17.xf6+ xf6 18.h5+ e7
19.d5 Black gets in his counterattack:
xf2+ 20.xf2 xh2+ 21.f1 ( 21.g2?
xh5; 21.e3? exd5 ) 21...h3+ 22.g1
c6 23.g5+ ( or 23.c5+ d6 24.g5+
f8 25.h6+ e7 ) 23...d7 24.d2+
c8 25.h2 f5 and despite the extra
piece it isn't easy to ward off Black's
threats. ]
17...e4 What is to be done? Both c5 and f6
were hanging and it is mate upon
[ 17...xd4 18.a3+ c5 19.xc5# ]
18.xe4 c6 19.h4+ xh4 20.f5+!
Paligras makes sure he stays a piece up in a
clean way with 21.Nxh4 next move, whereas
[ 20.gxh4 hg8 21.f1 f8 still leaves him
with some work to do. ]
1-0
710 C07
Qin Kanying 2501
Maric,A 2443
FIDE WCh Women KO (5.1) 09.12.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.e2 f6 8.b3
c6 9.g5 a6 10.0-0-0 b5 11.d3 e7
The main alternative is
[ 11...b7 which was played in Oral-Huzman-
see this game for the analysis of earlier
divergences. ]
12.fxd4 This is sharper than
[ 12.b1 which is also mentioned in the
Huzman game. ]
12...xd4 13.xd4 d5! The best move
which attacks both the bishop and the a2
pawn. 14.xf6 White is more or less forced to
part with his strong dark squared bishop as
for example
[ 14.h4? xa2 turned out badly for him in
S a l m e n s u u - B a r s o v, U b e d a 2 0 0 0 a f t e r
15.b3 d7 etc. ]
14...xf6 15.b1 c5 16.e4 b8?!
After an immaculate opening Black begins to
lose the thread. Better was
[ 16...a7 when the rook could be activated
along the second rank. Then 17.c6+ f8
18.e3 g8! 19.d2 h5! 20.e4 g6
21.hd1 c7 22.e2 g7 23.g3 h4!
was f ine f or Black in Dovliatov-Barsov,
Abudhabi 1999. ]
17.c6+ f8 18.e3 b6? This is a natural
reaction to the threat of 19.Nxe6+ but it loses
time. She should have preferred
[ 18...g8! as in the Barsov game of the last
note. ]
19.f4 g6? Another natural move to make a
hole for the king, but it could have waited.
Restraining White's kingside pawns with
[ 19...h5! would have avoided most of the
trouble that follows. ]
20.g4! Planning g4-g 5. Now Black is in a bind
and the attempt to escape through
simplification leads to a bad endgame. xd4
21.xd4 xd4 22.xd4 g7 23.a4! bxa4
24.hd1! The passed pawn on the c file will
eventually win the game for White. a3 25.b3
b6 26.f3 e5 27.fxe5 e6 28.a2 c8
29.c4 c5 30.d5 a5 31.c1 b8
638
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

32.xe6 fxe6 33.c5 f8 34.c2 c8 35.b4 double rooks on the f file and build up an
b5 36.xa3 a5 37.a4 cb8 38.c6 xe5 a t t a c k o n f 7 . 22.xb5! This pawn grab is
39.c7 justified by White's control of b7. a4 23.d2
1-0 f5 Black frees his rook on h6 to join in the
attack, but now his pawn structure is
crumbling. 24.xf5 exf4
711 C07 [ Or 24...b7 25.xe5 ]
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2588 25.c4 b7 26.d5 c6 27.d3 e6
Rustemov,Alexander 2607 Black has done everything he can to activate
16th North Sea Cup (8) 13.07.2001 his position, but even without this blunder that
[Neil McDonald] loses the exchange he would be in a bad way.
The basic problem that has haunted him since
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4 move 13 remains: the difference in power
5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.e2 f6 between White's bishop and his own useless
8.b3 c6 9.g5 a6 10.0-0-0 b5 11.d3 one on e7. 28.e4! cb6 29.xb6 xb6
e7 12.b1 e5 13.xf6!? This breathes 30.b3 f6 31.g3 e7 32.a8+ g7
new life into the variation for White. Previously 33.gxf4 c5 34.g1+ h6 35.f5 axb3
[ 13.h3 has been played without much effect, 36.cxb3 xb3 37.xb3 c5 38.d3
f o r e xa m p l e e6 14.he1 c8! and if xb3+ 39.axb3 b4 40.d5 c3 41.e2
15.xe5? ( White can keep equality but no T h i s a p p e a r s t o b e a t h e o r e t i c a l l y v e r y
more with 15.h4 planning Bg3.) 15...xe5 important game.
16.xe5 xe5 17.xe5 d7! -winning 1-0
material- 18.e4 xg5 19.f4 e7 20.de1
c5 and White resigned in P.Carlsson-S.
Ivanov, Sweden 1998/99. ] 712 C07
13...gxf6 Rublevsky,S 2698
[ Or 13...xf6 14.bxd4 xd4 15.xd4 Goganov,A 2604
and Black is very uncomfortable, e.g. d7 St.Petersburg Rapid 2014 rapid (10.4) 31.8.14
( Not 15...xd4? 16.xb5+ axb5 [John Watson]
17.xd4; Perhaps the best try is 15...c5!? )
16.e4 d8 17.c6 and White wins. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
14.h4! The knight heads for the fine outpost 5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d7 This has been
square on f5. It can then only be eliminated used increasingly often. The ideas are to keep
by Bxf 5, but this would leave Black even the queen developed (as opposed to 6...Qd8)
weaker on the light squares. Black has a and yet leave the path of the f8 bishop open
broad centre, but his pawns have no mobility (as opposed to 6...Qd6). 7.0-0 c6 8.b3
and can be undermined by f2-f4. Meanwhile f6 9.bxd4
the black king has no safe haven on either [ 9.e2 is featured in the Archives game
wing. W hite's sacrifice therefore looks very Adams-Fridman. ]
strong- in fact the wonder is that it took so 9...xd4
long for tournament players to discover the [ 9...c5 is also played. See the notes to
s t r e n g t h o f i t . h5 Preventing White from Adams-Fridman in the Archives. ]
completing an invasion of the light squares 10.xd4
with Qh5. 15.f5 c7 With the advantage of [ In a very recent game, 10.xd4 xd4
hindsight, it appears that he should have 11.xd4 was played, transposing to the well-
played known ending from 6...Qd6. Play continued
[ 15...xf5 16.xf5 a5!? looking for d7 12.f4 c8 13.b3 c5 14.ad1 0-0
counterplay on the queenside. ] 15.f3 b5 16.fe1 fd8= (eventually
16.e4 a7 17.f4! xf5 18.xf5 f8 drawn) Rindlisbacher, L (2332)-Kovacevic, A
19.hf1 h6 20.e4 d8 21.f3 a5 (2564), Biel 2014. ]
Black decides to act before White is able to 10...a6 11.g5

639
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 11.f4 and ]
[ 11.b3 are examined in the Adams-
Fridman game. ]
11...c5!? This turns out to be a little risky.
Better
[ 11...b5 12.b3 b7 , thinking about ...Ne4
or perhaps ...Bc5. ]
12.xf6
[ Rublevsky tried 12.c3 in another game
from the same tournament: b5?! The game
went ( 12...c7; 12...xd4 13.cxd4 b5
14.b3 b7 )
A) W h it e s h o u ld p l a y 13.xf6!
( 13...gxf6 14.xe6 fxe6 15.h5+ f7
16.xc5; 13...xd4 14.xe6! ) 14.xg7
g8 15.h5!+-;
B) 13.b3?! b7? ( 13...e4 ) 14.xf6
gxf6 15.h5?! ( 15.xe6! ) 15...xd4
16.cxd4 0-0-0 17.ad1 b8 18.h4 f5
19.d5 exd5 20.d4 a8 21.fd1 e6
22.h5 and White had modest pressure,
although the game was eventually drawn,
Rublevsky, S (2698) -Levin, E (2507), St
Petersburg 2014. ]
12...gxf6 13.c3 0-0?
[ 13...c7 is the normal redeployment.
White then has an edge after 14.g4 d6
, but it's limited. ]
14.g4+
[ 14.h5! is better, because it attacks c5,
and xd4 ( 14...c7 15.fe1 has the idea
Re3-g3 ) 15.ad1! ( 15.cxd4 xd4 ) 15...e5
16.d3 is winning. ]
14...h8 15.ad1 e7
[ 15...c7! ]
16.fe1 f5 17.f4 f6 18.c7 a7
There's nowhere good to go, and
[ 18...b6 19.b4 xd4 20.xd4 is awful for
Black. ]
19.f3 b5 20.f1 b8
[ 20...g8 21.g3 b8 22.b6 ]
21.c5 g8 22.e5
[ Or 22.g3 f4 23.d4 ]
22...a7?
[ 22...xe5 23.xe5 ( 23.xe5 b7= )
23...xe5 24.xe5 b7 ]
23.c6 c7?
[ 23...b7 is forced, when 24.xb8 xb8
25.c7 b7 26.f4 might follow. ]
24.d6 xc6 Everything else loses still more
material. 25.xc6 h6 26.g3 f4 27.b6
fxg3 28.hxg3 Black resigns. Remarkably, the
bishop on b8 is trapped, so Black has only
two moves:
[ 28.hxg3 f4 ( or 28...f4 29.g2 c7
30.d4+ e5 31.h4 with Be4 and doubling
on the d-file being two ideas.) 29.g2 g7
30.d8 and White is winning. ]
1-0
713 C07
Rublevsky,Sergei 2657
bxc4 Morovic Fernandez,Ivan 2565
Karpov It Poikovsky RUS (8) 08.05.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.b3!?
Rather than challenge Black to a memory test
in the 'long' mainline beginning
[ 11.e1 c7 12.b3 d6 13.f5
White simply retreats his bishop. As will be
seen, this can be the prelude to a powerful
attack. ]
11...c7 12.f3 d6 13.h1! This is the
best way to meet the threat to h2 as it leaves
the h3 square free- exactly why this should be
important soon becomes clear. Instead
[ 13.h3 0-0 14.g5 d7 15.c3 e5
16.h5 g6 17.c2 b6 18.e3 b7
19.f3 h6!
A) White decides he should avoid 20.xg6
fxg6 21.xg6 as both f6 and ( 21...xf3
give Black a strong initiative for the pawn. );
B) 20.fd1 f4 21.xf4 xf4
and White was slightly worse in Tiviakov-
Ionov, 2nd IECC Ohrid 2001. ]
13...0-0 14.g5 d7 15.c3 e5 16.h5
g6 17.c2 b6
[ Instead 17...h6 18.e3 f4 19.f3
allows White to retain the initiative as Black
cannot easily develop his queen's bishop.
He tried to and lost the exchange after b8
( The heroic 19...b5? hoping to trap White's
queen after she takes the rook on a8, fails to
20.xf4 xf4 21.xa8 b7 22.h7+! )
20.ad1 b5 21.c6 b7 22.xf4 xf4
23.d3! g6 24.xb8 in Rogic-Kruppa, 2nd
IECC Ohrid, 2001. However, he somehow
managed to generate enough counterplay
640
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

with the two bishops to hold the draw. ] 21.xc8 hxc8 with near equality, Vachier
18.ae1 b7 19.e3! Now we see why it Lagrave, M (2703)-Ivanchuk, V (2703)/Biel
was good to leave the square h3 unoccupied 2009. ]
by a pawn- the rook threatens to swing over to 9...e7 10.b4 0-0 11.b2 d8
h 3 a n d b e g i n a m a t i n g a t t a c k . c5 [ Kaufman's main line is 11...e5 12.f3 e4
Threatening the cheapo 20...Bxg2+! 21 Kxg2 ( 12...g4 is pro bably bette r) 13.g3
Nf4+ winning the queen. 20.g4! with the better game. ]
[ If 20.h3 h6 defends, but after this simple 12.c2
reply White's threats include 21 Bxg6 hxg6 [ 12.f3 'is pleasant for White due to the
22 Rh3 and 23 Qh4 or the immediate 21 misplaced knight on a6' - Kaufman. Rybka
Rh3. ] wants to solve this problem with
20...e7 21.xe6! White finds an alternative A) 12...d7 is also logical, for example,
way to win material. fxe6 22.xe6+ f7 13.e2 ( 13.d4 c7 14.e2 b8
23.xg6 hxg6 24.xe7 b5 25.c4 xb2? 15.0-0 a5!? o r 1 5 . . . B a 4) 13...xf3
[ He had to fight on two pawns down with 14.xf3 xb5 15.cxb5 c7
25...c6 ] with excellent play, since 16.xb7 ab8
26.d7 b8 27.c7 e8 28.xb7 17.c6 xb5 has ideas of ...a5 and ...
1-0 Nd5;
B) 12...b8! , which is not only solid, but
has the idea ...a5
714 C07 B1) 13.d1 a5!;
Rublevsky,Sergei 2704 B2) A sample line would be 13.e2 a6
Riazantsev,Alexander 2674 ( or 13...a5 ) 14.d4 xf3 15.xf3 a5
11th Karpov Poikovsky RUS (1) 02.06.2010 16.b5 bd7 17.0-0 b6!? (with the
[John Watson] i d e a . . N a 4 ) 18.a2 ( 18.a4 b4 )
18...fd7 19.d1 c5;
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4 B3) 13.c3 a5 14.d4 d7 15.b5
5.xd4 f6 6.exd5 xd5 d6 16.e2 bd7 17.4b3 a4
[ 6...xd5 has been the most common move 18.e4 f4 19.bd2 c5 20.f3 b6
here. ] 21.g3 h6 22.f2 b7 23.d1 d7
7.b5 a6! 8.c4 c6 The key to this 24.f1 ad8 25.e3 xd1+ 26.exd1
position is that if Black can unwind, he has b3 27.0-0 c5 28.g2 d2 29.e1
that extra center pawn and 4:3 majority which d4 30.b4 xf2 31.xf2 e3
characterizes many good defences such as 32.xf6 gxf6 0-1 Grekh, A (2362)-
the Sicilian. 9.a3 Vysoch in, S (2 51 4 ) / L ip e tsk 20 0 8 5
[ '!', according to Kaufman, and the most Extra ]
c o m m o n c h o ice . B u t a b a t t le o f 2 7 0 0 + 12...b8 13.d4 c7 14.e2 a5 15.b5
tested the commonsense alternative 9.f3 : a4!? Ambitious, although unnecessary. Black
b6!? ( or 9...e7 ) 10.e2 b7 11.0-0 e7 already has good play following
( 11...d8 12.bd4 d7 ) 12.bd4! c8 [ 15...bd7 or ]
( another game saw 12...d6 13.a4+ [ 15...c5 16.2b3 bd7 ]
d7 14.d1 ac5 15.c2 b8 16.b4 16.0-0 bd7 17.ad1 c5 18.4f3 fd7
e4 and White has a little more space to 19.e4 f6! 20.fe1?!
work with. The game Abergel, T (2532)- [ Or 20.d4 b6 . Chances are equal. ]
Kashtanov, R (2343)/ St Petersburg 2009 20...xe4 21.xe4 c5 22.xd8+ xd8
was eventually drawn.) 13.a4+ d7 23.c2 d7
14.g5 ac5 15.a3 ( maybe 15.c2 [ 23...e5 also secures a minor advantage
would be more accurate, when f6 16.e3 Black has the superior centre. ]
a5 c o u l d f o l l o w) 15...f6 ( 15...xg5 24.c3 e8! 25.b4 g6 26.b2 c7
16.xg5 0-0 ) 16.b4!? ce4 17.xf6 xf6 27.d1 d8! 28.xd8+ xd8 Here Black's
18.c5! bxc5 19.b5+ e7 20.ac1 cxd4! minor pieces are superior, although probably

641
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
not decisively so. 29.c3 e5 30.e3 b6
31.h3 f8 32.h4 It's not obvious what to
do. f7 33.f5 e6 34.g4 b3!?
[ 34...d7! refuses to release the tension. ]
35.xf8 xf8 36.e4! c5 37.c6 xf5
38.gxf5 Now Black stands better because of
his much better minor piece, although this is
somewhat offset by the annoying pressure of
White's queen. g6! 39.fxg6 hxg6 40.f3
[ 40.h4 ]
40...g7 41.d5?
[ 41.h4 ]
41...f5!
[ 41...d3 is also good, e.g., 42.b7+ h6
43.a8 xa8 44.xa8 g5 ]
42.f1 e4 43.e2 b3
[ Or 43...h6! In any case, White is lost. ]
44.b7+ h6 45.f7 d6
[ 45...d4+ 46.d1 f3! ]
46.g8 f6 47.b8 c1+ 48.f1
[ 48.d1 d3 will lead to an early mate. ]
48...d3 49.h4 a1+ 50.g2 e1+
51.g3 xa3+ 52.f4 c3 53.f8+ h5
54.f3 g2+ 55.g3 xf3+ 56.h2 f4
0-1
715 C07
Sax,Gyula
Tukmakov,Vladimir B
CRO 2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
c7 12.b3 d6 13.f5 xh2+ 14.h1
0-0 15.xg7 d8 16.f3 xg7 17.h6+
g6 18.c3 h5 19.e3 f5 20.g4 f6
21.c2? White plays 20 moves of theory and
then straightaway makes a decisive mistake.
The idea is commendable: he threatens 22.
gxf5+ exf5 23.Qg2+ picking up the bishop on
h2 as with the f5 pawn pinned Black cannot
reply 23...Ng4 because of 24.Qxg4+. However,
Black's response is a complete answer to this
threat.
[ The latest 'best play' is 21.gxf5+ exf5
22.g2+ g4 23.f3 b5 ( less successful
was 23...d7 in Rublevsky-Ivanov, Elista
1997. ) 24.d4 h5 etc- see the game Barua-
Harikrishna Udaipur 2000 on ChessPub. ]
21...h5! Black prepares to play Ng4 by adding
another guardian to the g4 square. This move
demonstrates the concrete nature of modern
chess- you can't just rely on general principles
such as develop your pieces- otherwise you
would come to grief after
[ 21...d7? 22.gxf5+ exf5 23.g2+ etc. ]
22.gxf5+ exf5 23.g2+ g4 24.f3 g3!
Black uses the tempo White squandered on
2 1 . B c 2 t o s t a rt a co u n t e ra t t a c k . 25.fxg4
hxg4 26.d4 White stops a fatal check on h8,
but not for long. xd4!
[ Not 26...xe1?? 27.xg4+ which would
justify White's 21st move after all! ]
27.cxd4 d7 Only now is it time to develop
t h e q u e e n s i d e . T h e b l a ck k i n g is n i c e l y
sheltered behind the wall of pawns whereas
White's king is completely denuded of pawn
cover. 28.g1 h8 29.e3 h3 30.d5?!
f2+! White resigned as if 31.xf2 f4+
32.e1 xe3+ 33.d1 e6! simplest- leads
to a massacre. A very instructive game.
0-1
716 C07
Shaw,John K 2506
Paci,Cedric 2197
XVIII Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (5)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.d3!?
A solid sideline. A careful player thinks as
follows: W hite avoids any loosening of his
queenside pawn structure with c2-c3 or b2-b3
and keeps his bishop on an open diagonal
rather than committing it to b3, where it stares
at a brickwall on e6. Meanwhile the potential
threat of Qc7 and Bd6 will be neutralised by
Nf3, then Re1 and if necessary Qe2 followed
by Ne5. c7
[ Or 11...g6!? This makes a lot of sense as
the bishop on g7 will fight for control of e5.
12.f3 g7 13.b5+ Not very ambitious,
but perhaps at the time the 15 year old
Ponomariov was happy to draw against a
highly rated opponent. ( Perhaps 13.e2!? )
13...e7 14.xd6+ xd6 15.e2 e7
642
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
16.d1 b6 17.d2 a5 Just in time to stop
Bb4+ 18.c3 b7 19.d4 hc8! 20.c3
a6 21.f1 a4 With his active play Black
avoids getting in a bind. 22.xa6 ( Not
22.xb6 xe2+ 23.xe2 ab8 ) 22...xa6
23.d3 f8 - Ponomariov,R-Glek,I/Bad
Wiessee 1999. ]
[ 11...d7 12.f3 c6 13.e2 b5 14.e5
b7 15.g5 e7 16.xf6 xf6 17.fe1
0-0 ( White has a slight edge after 17...xe5
18.xe5 xe5 19.xe5 planning to
undermine Black's queenside with a2-a4.)
18.ad1 and White was doing well in
Mueller,B-Kuenitz,K/Bad Wildungen 1998. ]
12.e2
[ The FIDE World Champion has tried
12.e1!? he re wit h go od re sult s. d7
13.f3 d6
A) Or 14.g5 0-0-0 15.e2 c6 16.e5
xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.xe5 d5
19.ae1 It looks fairly equal, but it is
instructive to see how Ponomariov
exploited the two bishops: xe5 20.xe5
d7 ( Not 20...h6? 21.xf6 gxf6
22.h5 ) 21.e1 h6 ( Maybe 21...f6
22.c1 e5 to utilise his centre.) 22.c1
c5 23.f1 d8 24.f3 b5 25.c4 c6
26.e3 b6 27.b4 a4 28.h4 b7 29.a3
b5 30.c5 and White eventually won in
Ponomariov,R-Savchenko,S/Torshavn
2000.;
B) 14.e2 d5 15.a3 f4 16.xf4
xf4 17.g3
B1) As in the Glek game given at move
eleven above, Black could try to deploy
the bishop to g7: 17...h6!? 18.e5 g6
19.xd7 ( Instead 19.ad1 d8
looks solid enough for Black.) 19...xd7
20.ed1 c7 21.e4 0-0 22.d3 g7
23.c3 ad8 and Black equalised
comfortably in Zatonskih,A-Prudnikova,S/
Istanbul 2000.;
B2) 17...d6 18.ad1 d8 19.c4 g6
20.b4 b6 21.e3 0-0 22.h6 e7
23.f1 c6 24.g5 xg5 25.xg5
b7 26.e2 a5 ( Perhaps hereabouts
Bla c k s h o u ld p la y 26...c6 to force
White to weakens himself slightly with
27.f3 ) 27.f6 axb4 28.axb4 d6
29.xd6 xd6 30.c3 e5 31.b5!
Finally stopping Qc6. Now almost by
ma gic t he qu ee nside p a wn m a jo rit y
becomes potent. c5 32.e3! xe3
33.fxe3 d8 34.c1 f6 35.c5 bxc5
36.xc5 d7 37.g4 e7 38.b6
and Black was in big trouble in
Ponomariov,R-Huebner,R/Istanbul
2000. ]
12...d6? With the white bishop pointing at a6
the plan of Bd7 and 0-0-0 looks risky for Black.
Perhaps
[ 12...c5 was the way to try to exploit
W hite's move order as 13.f5 ( 13.e3
0-0 ) 13...0-0 is harmless. ]
13.f5 This is very dangerous for Black as the
white bishop is much stronger on d3 than in
the standard variation with Bb3- after all, in
that line White has to spend time playing c2-
c3 and Bc2 to get the bishop onto the ideal
diagonal. xh2+ 14.h1 f8
[ Or 14...0-0 15.xg7 xg7 16.g3
regaining the piece with a powerful
initiative. ]
15.xg7! xg7 16.g3 h5
[ Naturally 16...xg3 17.fxg3 leaves the king
wide open. In the game the two bishops
soon become an important factor as Black
has weak defences on the dark squares. ]
17.f4 c6+ 18.xh2 g4+ 19.g1 e5?
A wild move. He had to try to hold on with
[ 19...d7 ]
20.xe5+ f6 21.c3 e8 22.d2
Threatening 23.Qg5+ so Black has no time for
a cou ntera ttack wit h b7-b5 an d Bb7 . His
position soon crumbles. d5 23.fe1 d7
24.e4 f7 25.g5+ h8 26.d5 e6
27.xe6 xe6 28.xe6 xe6 29.xh5+
g7 30.e1 d7 31.f3
1-0
717 C07
Sjugirov,Sanan 2545
Vysochin,Spartak 2514
Kings Gambit A (10) 18.07.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
d7 12.g5! A move that is fast making a
name for itself. It is more energetic than
643
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 12.c3 which would block the forthcoming
plan of attack along the third rank by
denying the white rook the c3 square. ]
12...0-0-0
[ Already Black has to tread carefully-
previously on ChessPub we have seen that
attacking either white bishop with the queen
leads to disaster after 12...c5? 13.xe6!
or ]
[ 12...c7 13.xe6! -see Adams-Nisipeanu
for details. ]
13.e3! The key move in White's attacking set
up. e7
[ Black would like to develop this bishop to
th e mo re ac t ive d6 squa re, b u t 13...c7
p r e p a r i n g B d 6 , r u n s i n t o 14.xa6!?
as analysed in Venevtsev-Nakhapetiane,
which can also be found in the archives. ]
14.d3! Threatening 15.Nxe6. It turns out that
Vysochin doesn't have time to safeguard both
his king and queen. c5
[ V e r y u n p l e a s a n t f o r B l a c k i s 14...c7
15.f3! h6?! ( Black is also annihilated after
15...b8 16.xa6! bxa6 17.b3+ a7
18.xe6 fxe6 19.e3+ ) 16.xa6 bxa6
( Or 16...hxg5 17.c3 c5 18.xc5 xc5
19.xb7# ) 17.a8+ b8 18.c3+
with a quick mate. ]
15.e3!
[ A week or so before the current game Black
wa s a l s o b e a t e n a f t e r 15.h4?! g5?
( Black should have evacuated his king with
15...b8! when c4 is hanging and he is
ready to push forwards in the centre with e6-
e5. ) 16.g3 e4 17.f3 c6? Now White
wi n s a p a w n . ( Necessary was 17...xg3
with some edge for W hite after 18.hxg3 )
18.xc6 xc6 19.xf7 xc4 20.xe7
xg3 21.hxg3 xd3 22.cxd3 d5
he can't let e6 drop. 23.c1+ b8 24.c7
c8 25.xc8+ xc8 26.b3 and Black lost
the queen endgame in S.Mijovic-D.Kosic,
Cetinje 2008. ]
15...xc4
[ After 15...e4 16.xa6! bxa6 17.f3!
White will regain his piece having ripped up
the black king's defences, as d6?! fails to
18.c3 c4 19.e2 ]
[ Meanwhile if 15...c7 16.f3 increases
the pressure. ]
16.c3 xc3 17.bxc3 Black has a rook and
a bishop for the queen and can claim that
W hite's doubled pawns add to the
compensation. But if you are going to make a
successful positional queen sacrifice, you
n e e d t o h a ve a s a f e k i n g - a n d h e r e t h e
weakness on b7 beckons the white rook,
q u e e n , a n d e v e n t h e c 3 p a w n . . . d5
Black should at least drive the white knight
away from the centre, either here with
[ 17...e5 or on the next move. ]
18.e1 d6 19.b1 he8 20.c4 xe3
21.xe3 e7 22.c5! The c-pawn becomes a
battering ram. b8
[ Or 22...xc5 23.c3 b6 24.xb6 ]
23.c6 e8 24.g5! The white queen makes
a zigzag manoeuvre to e7 in order to decide
the game. f6 25.c5 c7 26.xe6 xc6
27.e7 Mate is threatened on both b7 and d8.
1-0
718 C07
Slobodjan,Roman
Lamprecht,Frank
Hamburgo 1998
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4
5.exd5 xd5 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 d7 11.b3
a6 This prepare the solid plan of castling
kingside. Black could also play
[ 11...e7 immediately, e.g. 12.b2 0-0
13.e1 fe8! So that the queen can
a d va n c e t o f 4 o r r e t r e a t t o c 7 wi t h o u t
allowing any Nf5 move. 14.f3 ( 14.f3
xd1 15.axd1 ed8 16.e5 e8
gave Black equality in Liberzon-Spassky,
B a d e n 1 9 8 0 .) 14...c7 15.ad1
and White might have a tiny edge. ]
12.b2 e7 13.e1 0-0 14.d3 f4?
In this type of pawn structure f4 is often an
excellent square for the black queen, but here
she cannot be supported by the other black
pieces and soon finds herself exposed to
attack. In fact, the tempo spent on 11...a6 is
Black's undoing.
[ 14...fe8 planning 15...Qc7 was safer, but
not ]
[ 14...c7 15.f5! ]
15.f3 fd8 16.e5 c5?! 17.e2 e8
644
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
18.ad1 ac8 19.g3! b4 20.c4! d4 21
L o s i n g m a t e r ia l , b u t t h e re wa s n o g o o d
answer to the threat of a3, 21 c3 or 21 Bxf6
21.xd4 xd4 22.xh7+ xh7 23.xd4
1-0
719 C07
Szabo,Gergely 2506
Lysyj,Igor 2620
10th EICC Budva MNE (4) 09.03.2009
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d8 A very solid move.
Classically speaking, Black is three tempi
down, as White has three pieces developed
and has the move to boot. However, there are
no weaknesses in the black pawn structure
and White has no centre pawns left to charge
forwards. 7.0-0 c6 8.b3 a6 Not only
guarding against Bb5, but also preparing to
clear the b7 square for his bishop, where it
enjoys a splendid diagonal. 9.e2
[ Lysyj has also neutralised the Qg4 attack by
White: 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 d6
11.g4 f6 12.h4 ( A disaster for White
is 12.xg7 xh2+! 13.xh2 g8 14.h6
g4+ ) 12...0-0 A simple approach. The
attem pt to pla y sha rply with quee nsid e
castling is risky e.g. ( 12...c7 13.b3 d7
14.g5 0-0-0 15.ad1 e5 16.f4 xd4+
17.xd4 c6 18.xf6 gxf6 19.xf6 xd4
20.xd4 g8 21.f2 a5 22.e5 b6
23.xe6+ 1-0 Rublevsky, S-Gurevich, M/
Khanty Mansyisk RUS 2005.) 13.d3 h6
14.e1 d5 15.xd8 xd8 16.c3 c7
- Navara, D-Lysyj, I/Dagomys RUS 2008. ]
[ The same Bd6 approach also brought Black
equality after 9.f4 : d6 10.d2 ge7
11.bxd4 xf4 12.xf4 xd4 13.xd4
g6 14.e3 e7 15.b3 0-0 16.ad1
d7 17.d2 draw agreed in Nisipeanu, L-
Gurevich, M/Port Barcares FRA 2005. ]
9...b5 10.d3 f6 11.d1 b7
[ Black was in too much of a hurry to
challenge the white knight on d4 in the
following game, and as a result his kingside
be ca me b roken u p : 11...e7 12.bxd4
xd4 13.xd4 c7 14.c3 c5
the double move of this bishop makes a
dubious impression. 15.g5 b7 16.xf6
gxf6 17.e4 xe4 18.xe4 0-0 19.h4
fd8 20.xf6 f8 21.d3 g7 22.g5
e5 23.g4 d6 24.g3 c8 25.h4
h8 26.e7 c5 27.e1 f8 28.xe6!
e5 29.ge3 1-0 Adams, M-Gurevich, M/
Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2007. ]
12.bxd4 xd4 13.xd4 c7 14.g5
e7 15.c3 d5 16.xe7 xe7 17.e4 0-0
Black has fully equalised with a comfortable
game. 18.a4 b4 19.c4
[ Interesting was 19.f3 threatening 20.c4.
bxc3 ( White has good chances after 19...f5
20.xf5 xf5 21.xf5 f8 22.e1 xf5
23.xf5 exf5 24.xe7 xe7 25.cxb4 )
20.bxc3 f5! ( Black can't go after the weakie
on c3 because of 20...ac8 21.c4! xc4
22.xh7+ xh7 23.d3+ ) 21.xf5 xf5
22.xf5 f8 23.e1 xf5 24.xf5 exf5
25.xe7 xe7 26.b1 c8
with a somewhat better endgame for Black. ]
19...f4 20.f3 xe4 21.xe4 g6 22.g3
ac8 23.h4? White is enchanted by a pretty
tactical possibility. fe8! White's 23 rd move
is revealed to be a pseudo-attacking gesture
that has merely undermined his kingside.
Szabo was no doubt hoping for
[ 23...xc4 24.h5 h8 25.f5! c5
26.xc4 xc4 27.e7# ]
24.ac1 f5! Lysyj begins to utilise his 4-3
pawn majority on the kingside, while Szabo
strives to create activity with his queenside
p a s s e d p a w n . 25.e2 f6 26.c5 e5
27.b3 e4 28.d6 f8 29.xa6 f4!
White has achieved a lot on the queenside,
but the situation on the kingside has grown
critical. You can see in what follows how
much damage has been done to the white
defence with 23.h4? If the white pawn were
back on h2 he would have a far better chance
of resisting the attack and then winning the
ga m e o n t h e q u e e n s i d e . 30.f1 e5!
the knight heads for the hole on f3. 31.dd1
f3+ 32.g2 f5! Soon the h4 pawn will be
a target for Nxh4+. 33.d4 g4 34.xf3
The black k night was intolerable, but the
pawn that appears in its place is even more
lethal. exf3+ 35.g1 e4 36.e1 e2
37.c4 e6 38.ec1 fxg3 39.4c2 g2
A ve ry e n e rge t ic a t t a ck b y B l a ck f r o m a
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
modest beginning.
0-1
720
Thiruchelvam,Murugan
Levitt,Jonathan
Match Game 2
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6
[ This is a major branching point. White
wo u l d m a i n t a i n a s l i g h t p l u s a f t e r t h e
a l t e r n a t i v e 10...d7 e.g. 11.c3
( 11...e7 ) 12.e2 d6 13.b5 xb5
14.xb5+ e7 15.g3 ]
11.e1 c7 12.b3 d6
McDonald.
[ Instead 12...d7 13.c3 d6 14.h3 0-0
( More consistent is the ambitious 14...0-0-0
but 15.e2 b8 16.a4 c8 17.a5
followed by Nf3 and Be3 aiming at b6 was
good for W hite in Adams-Akopian,
Khalkidhiki 1992.) 15.g5 and Black looks a
bit uncomfortable here. ]
13.f5 xh2+ 14.h1 0-0
[ A fairy tale variation is 14...f8
exf5 16.xf6! gxf6?? 17.h6+ g8
18.e8# ]
15.xg7 d8
[ It is well known that 15...xg7
is very good f or W hite, so Black has to
chase away the queen. ]
16.f3 xg7 17.h6+ g6 18.c3 h5
Probably the only reasonable move. The
alternative
[ 18...d5 is now regarded as refuted after
Speelman's idea 19.ad1! when xh6
20.xd5! xd5 ( 20...g7
21.f6+ h5 22.e3 leaves the Black king
facing immediate death. In the game Adams-
Dreev, Wijk aan Zee 1996, Black's defences
soon crumbled after 19... f5 20 Bc1 Bd6?
[20... Be5 was the only chance, but 21 c4 is
a good answer] 21 Bxd5 exd5 22 Rxd5 Bd7
23 Qh3! Bf8 24 Re3 Kg7 25 Rg3+ Kh8 26
Qh4 Be6 27 Bf4 Be7 28 Bxc7 and Black
resigned. ]
19.c1 The alternative
[ 19.e3 also leads to highly complex play-
see Barua-Harikrishna. ]
19...f4! This is Jon Levitt's idea, which
seems to equalise.
C07 [ I p l a y e d t h e m u c h i n f e r i o r 19...f5?
against Michael Adams in the 4NCL, West
Bromich 1997. To be honest I hadn't studied
1999 this variation in any detail before the game,
so it was a pretty suicidal opening choice.
However, having been positionally outplayed
every time with Black in my previous
meetings with Mickey my philosophy was
'well, take the piece and hope for the best.
A t le a st I c a n ' t b e g ro u n d d o wn h e r e ! '
Instead I was obliterated after the moves:
c7 20.g4 b5? ( Adams gives the forcing
variation 20...f6 21.xe6 xe6 22.xe6
f7 23.g5! xe6 24.xf5+ f7
'!?' Harley/ 25.xf6+ g8 26.e6+ f7 27.xf7+
xf7 28.xd8 xd8 29.xh2 d2
which he assesses as clearly good for White.
Nevertheless, it isn't so straightforward.
W hite's best sequence seems to be
30.b1!? xf2+ 31.g3 c2 32.f1+!
g7 33.f2 etc. ) 21.gxh5+ g7 22.g2+
f7 23.h3! c5 ( 23...f6 24.h6! )
24.e3 e5 25.g5 c5 26.xd8 b7+
27.f3 xd8 28.xe6 g7 29.xh2 d2+
15.d4! 30.h1 f2 31.g1+ f8 32.g8+!
and I finally resigned. ]
20.g4 g3+! This desperado move prevents
the g file being opened, as occurs after
16.d4! [ 20...xc1? 21.gxh5+ etc. Black's king is
therefore quite safe. ]
21.fxg3 xc1 22.axc1 b6 23.c2+ g7
24.e4 b8 25.c2!
[ After 25.f1 e7 26.g5?! b7 27.ce1
d2 28.f6+ xf6 29.gxf6+ h6
Black's rook on the seventh gave him a
winning advantage in Bowden-Levitt,
21.g5+ ) England 1997. ]
25...b7 26.h2 xe4 27.xe4 b7
[ After 27...h6 28.g5! hxg5 29.h7+ f8
30.f2!? White has a dangerous attack.
Therefore, Black forces the exchange of
queens at the cost of a pawn. ]
28.xh7+ g8 29.xb7 xb7 30.h2 d3
31.g2 b5?! I wonder if this is a winning
attempt by Jon Levitt against his young and
inexperienced opponent? If so, I think he
chose the wrong opening variation. In the
646
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

sixth match game he tried the Sicilian as rather dispiriting experience for Black- at least
Black and won convincingly! In an earlier up until the present game! xd4 11.xd4
game Levitt played d7 12.e2 White's standard plan is to
[ 31...bd7 reroute the bishop to f3. c5 13.b3 b6
and held the endgame
c o m f o r t a b l y : 32.e2 b5 33.h1 d2 14.a4 a5!? A highly interesting divergence
34.f2 7d3 35.he1 g7 36.xd2 from known theory. Instead Black is supposed
xd2+ 37.e2 d3 38.e3 d2+ 39.e2 to respond to White's wing thrust by castling
d3 40.g2 f6 41.f2+ g6 42.h3 f6 queenside and accepting broken pawns as
43.c2 e5 44.c4 bxc4 45.xc4 d2 follows:
and a draw was shortly agreed in McShane- [ 14...a6 15.f3 0-0-0 16.d2 c6
Levitt, Birmingham Black's best strategy 17.xc6 bxc6 Black is OK but all his efforts
seems to be to exchange one pair of rooks to generate winning chances proved fruitless
and then tie down the remaining white rook in the following game by an Indian prodigy:
and king to the defence of the second rank 18.c3 hg8 19.fe1 d5 20.d2 g4
21.e2 gd8 22.f1 d4 23.c4 c5
an d t h e d ou b le d p a wn s. L e vitt d id t h is
immaculately against McShane, but then Taking on c3 allows a fork on b6. 24.xd4
changed plans against Thiruchelvam. ] xd4 25.b3 c7 26.f3 f6 27.c1 d7
32.e2 b4 33.cxb4 xb4 34.h4 g7 28.f2 h5 29.g3 cd5 30.e3 d6
35.h3 a5 36.h5 d5?! 37.xd5 exd5 31.c4 6d5 32.e3 d6 33.c4
38.d2 a4 39.a3 b5 40.g5 g6 41.g4 - Ravi,T-Harikrishna,P/ Sangli 2000. ]
c5 42.d4 c2 He has to stay active. After 15.f3 Black's last move has left his pawns
[ 42...a5 43.f4 Black is in zugzwang and disjointed, but I don't see how W hite can
has to give way with his king. ] exploit it. If for example
43.xd5 xb2 44.d6+ g7 45.a6 a2 [ 15.d2 then a good reply is e4! ]
46.xa4 a1 47.a8 a2 48.a4 a1 49.a5 15...c8! Kristjansson prefers dynamism to
a2 50.a6 a4+ 51.f5 a5+ 52.f4 a4+ the dour position after
53.f3 [ 15...c6 16.xc6+ bxc6 ]
[ According to Chess Monthly, White can16.d2 White plunges into the complications.
now win with 53.e5 e.g. a5+ 54.d6 If instead
xg5 55.c6 xg3 56.b8 a3 57.b6 [ 16.c3 then c6 ( 16...c4!? ) 17.xc6+
b3+ 58.c7 a3 59.b6 f6 60.b7 xc6 looks at least equal for Black- he has
g6 61.a7 xa7+ 62.xa7 g5 63.a6 no isolated pawns and the d5 square will be
f5 64.b5 f4 65.c4 and the king heads a fine post for his knight. ]
off the pawn. ] 16...xc2 17.c3 d5! 18.xd5?
53...a3+ 54.f2 a2+ 55.e1 a5 56.a7 [ He cannot trap the rook with 18.e4 e2
1/2-1/2 Thiruchelvam,M-Levitt,J/London, 19.xg7 ( Or 19.d3 xc3! ) 19...g8
match g2 1999. 20.f3 xf2 21.xf2 xg7 ]
½-½ [ b u t b e s t s e e m s t o b e 18.d1 xc3
19.bxc3 xc3 20.d2 when Black has two
pawns and an active bishop for the
721 C07 exchange, but his queenside is loose and he
Thorarinsson,Pall A 2281 is behind in development. ]
Kristjansson,Stefan 2428 18...exd5 19.xg7 g8 20.c3?
ch Seltjarnarnes ISL (2) 21.08.2002 [ The only way to fight on was 20.fe1+ d8
[Neil McDonald] 21.f6+ ]
20...h3 21.g3 Complete surrender, but if
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5 [ 21.fe1+ d7 when both f2 and g2 are
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3 hanging. ]
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 Hitherto 21...xf1 22.xf1 g4
exchanging queens has given W hite a very 0-1
slight, but persistent edge. This has made it a

647
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

722 C07 14.g5 d7 15.c3 b5!?

Tiviakov,Sergei 2678 [ Or 15...e5 16.h5 -BL. ]
Lalic,Bogdan 2491 16.c2
Erin (open) Porz (7) 30.09.2005 [ Two other variations: 16.xa8 b7
[Neil & B.Lalic] 17.a7? c5 ]
[ 16.fe1!? b7 17.h5 c5 18.c2 g6
1.e4 e6 Bogdan Lalic has kindly supplied 19.h4
analysis to this exciting encounter with a A) 19...e5? 20.f5! gxf5?? ( 20...f6 )
player now rated over 2700. his notes are 21.f6+-;
marked '-BL' 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 B) 19...fe8 20.e3 -BL. ]
xd5 5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 16...b7 17.h5 g6 18.h4 fe8!
8.b3 c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 [ Not 18...e5? 19.f5! f6 ( disaster follows
11.b3 c7 You can find an explanation of o n h 7 a f t e r 19...gxf5 20.xf5 ) 20.xd6
the starting moves and a discussion of the xd6 21.h6 fe8 ( He should play
alternatives for both sides on ChessPub. 21...fd8 to guard d7 a second time, though
12.f3 The plan o f Qf3 and Bg5 has received the strong bishops give White a clear plus.)
a lot of attention in recent years. It seems that 22.ad1 e7? ( here 22...c6 threatening
White has become convinced by the strength mate on g2, was imperative, though White
of Black's resources- or bluffed?- into can keep up his initiative with 23.b3+ h8
avo iding the f a mou s 'lo ng' va ria tio n t ha t 24.d5 etc. ) 23.b3+ h8 24.xd7!
begins 1-0 Azarov,S-Wiedenkeller,M/Saint Vincent
[ 12.e1 d6 13.f5 xh2+ 14.h1 0-0 ITA 2005. ( if 24.xd7 xd7 25.xf6+
15.xg7 d8 etc. ] and mates. )]
12...d6 19.fe1 b6 20.e2
[ Not 12...d7?! 13.f4 -BL. ] [ A novelty according to Bogdan Lalic.
13.h3 Instead 20.ad1 d5 is equal. ]
[ You can find a couple of games with 20...e7
13.h1 e5!? on ChessPub. ] [ 20...e5? 21.f5! gxf5 22.f6 e6
13...0-0 23.g5+ f8 24.xf5 ]
[ Black came unstuck in an important recent [ 20...d5 21.ae1 h2+ ( 21...f4
ga m e a f t e r 13...e5?! it seems to me that 22.xf4 xf4 23.e4 xe4 24.xe4 e5
this should wait until White has played Bg5. 25.f6 d7 26.g3! exd4 27.xd4! xe4
14.c3 h6?! Black wants to prevent Bg5, but 28.xe4 d8 29.xf4 xh3 30.f6
it proves one luxury too many. ( Natural was d7 ) 22.h1 f4 ( 22...f4 23.e4!? )
14...0-0 ) 15.e1 0-0 16.e3 d7 17.e2 23.f3! -BL. ]
ad8 18.ae1 fe8 allowing White a 21.ae1 xg5 22.xg5 d5 23.e4?!
strong pseudo-sacrif ice, but Black wa s [ 23.e4 f4 24.e3 xe4 25.xe4 d3
a lre a d y in a b a d wa y. 19.xh6! xd4 26.1e2 e5= -BL. ]
20.cxd4 c6 Volkov had relied on this 23...f6!
zwischenzug which deflects the white queen [ 23...b4?! 24.h6? ( 24.a4! ed8
from the attack on f6, but Khalifman has 25.cxb4 b6 26.c1 xc1+ 27.xc1
seen further. 21.e3 gxh6 22.xh6 h7 xe4 28.e3 ) 24...bxc3 25.f5 f6!
23.c2 f6 Black staves off the mate, but he ( 25...gxf5 26.g4+ fxg4 27.xh7+ h8= )
loses a terminal number of pawns in the 26.c4 d7 -BL ]
process. 24.xe6 xe6 25.xe6 d5 24.h4
26.xh7+ xh7 27.xf6 b1+ 28.h2 [ 24.g4?! f5!? 25.xf5 f6 26.h6+
xe6 29.xd8+ g7 30.e7+ f7 g7 27.f4 xf4 28.xf4 g5 29.xf6
31.e5+ h7 32.c7 f5 33.f3 xf6 30.g4+ g7 ]
and White's four pawns far outweighed the [ 24.d2 e5 25.b3 g7 -BL ]
bishop in Khalifman,A-Volkov,S/Kazan RUS 24...e5 25.b3
2005. ] [ Not 25.f4?! xf4 ( 25...xc3?! 26.bxc3

648
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

xe4 27.xe4 exd4 28.xa8 xa8

20.d3 c8 21.ac1 c3 A tactical
29.xf6 f8= ) 26.b3+ g7 27.xf4 oversight. Black could still consolidate with
exf4 28.e6+ xe6 29.xe6 f8 30.e1 ( 21...xc1 22.xc1 f6! ) 22.e5! d4
( 30.f2 d8 ) 30...f7 -BL. ] ( Black loses the exchange after 22...xe5
25...g7 26.xd5 xd5 27.4e2?! 23.xc8 xc8 24.c5+ f6 25.xb7 )
[ I n t i m e t r o u b le W h i t e m i s s e s 27.4e3!
23.xg7 f6 24.h6 a4 25.b4?
when if xa2?? ( 27...f7 ) 28.f5+! gxf5 ( Better to eliminate the pawn with 25.bxa4 )
29.g3++- -BL ] 25...a3! 26.b1 ( Black is very active after
27...f7?! 26.c5+ xc5 27.bxc5 b2 ) 26...d5
[ Now Black could have played 27...xa2! 27.b3 c4 28.d1 a8 29.f4 d5
28.f4 exd4! 29.xe8 xe8 30.xe8 dxc3 30.d6 d7 31.c5 c7 32.f1 b5
31.bxc3 xc3 32.e7+ f7 33.f2 b4 and hereabouts White gave up trying to win
-BL. ] and agreed a draw in Mahjoob, M-Ghane
28.b3?! xb3 29.axb3 xb3 30.f4! c4 Gardeh, S/IRI 2000. ]
½-½ 10...cxd5 11.exd5 exd5 12.0-0 e7 13.f3
0-0 14.d3 d7 15.d1 fd8 16.e3 a5
17.g3 h6 18.b6 dc8 19.d4 c5
723 C07 20.c3 b4 21.e5 d6? Much too routine.
Topalov,Veselin 2796 [ Black should activate his game with
Kamsky,Gata 2725 21...g4! e.g. 22.a3 c5 23.ac1 e4
World Chess Challenge (5) 23.02.2009 and there is little to fear. ]
[Neil McDonald] 22.d2 xe5 23.xe5 d6 24.e1 c7
25.f3 f8 26.g2 b7 27.h4 b4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 Surprise and 28.ee2 a4 29.b3 b4 30.d3 d6
counter-surprise: Kamsky plays the French 31.h5 c7 32.f4 d4 33.e4 c6 34.d3
and Topalov responds with the Tarrasch. c5 d8 35.c2 b4? Black is in too much of a
4.gf3 cxd4 5.xd4 c6 6.b5 d7 hurry to simplify.
7.xc6 xc6 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.c4 d6! [ H e h a d t o b e p a t i e n t w i t h 35...cc8
An almost new move that should give Black a putting the rook on a defended square so
satisfactory game, albeit with the need to that Nb4 becomes a feasible idea. 36.c4!
defend patiently in an IQP position which k e e p i n g u p t h e p r e s s u r e . b4?
won't appeal to everyone. 10.cxd5 ( Black has to continue to wait, say with
[ The stem game with 9...Bd6 went 10.a4 36...d7 ) 37.exd4! xd4 38.xd4 xd4
d7 11.exd5 cxd5 12.xd7+ xd7 39.e5 f8 ( Or 39...c7 40.a8+ h7
13.cxd5 exd5 14.0-0 e7 15.f3 ab8?! 41.xa5 ) 40.a3 d5 41.c6 d2
( Of course, you should always think twice 42.xa5 and White has good winning
about making loosening pawn moves in the chances. ]
centre, but 15...f6! seems better. The hole 36.xb4 axb4 37.xd4! Simply pocketing
created on e6 would be negligible compared the passed pawn. f8
to t he im po rt a nce o f co nt rolling th e e 5 [ Bla ck wo uld lose a ro ok af te r 37...xc2
square. In fact 15.. .f6 would not only avoid 38.xd6 xd6 39.a8+ h7 40.e4+ ]
the trouble Black has in the game after [ I f i n s t e a d 37...xd4 38.xc7 f8
Ne5+ but also rule out Ng5, which can be the black rook would be tied to the defence
awkward in some positions [ for example of f7, meaning that the b4 pawn would be an
imagine the sequence Ng5 f7-f6 Nf7, easy picking for the white queen and rook. ]
attacking h8, Rhe8 Nxd6 and W hite has 38.xd8 xd8 39.xc7 xc7 40.a8+
carried out a favourable exchange of knight h7 41.e4+ g8 42.xb4 c6+ 43.g1
for bishop.]) 16.b3 a5 the pawn proves a c1+ 44.h2 c2 45.e1 f8 46.a3 b2
target here rather than an aggressor. 17.d2 47.b4+ g8 48.g2 e5 49.g4 b2
b4 Now Black loses all control of the e5 50.c8+ h7 51.c4 xa3 52.xf7 b4
square. 18.f4 b7 19.e5+ e6

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

53.c4 b7+ 54.g1 f3 55.g4 k i n g s i d e i n vi e w o f t h e a t t a c k o n g 7 . h6

1-0 14.b3 a4 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.e3 g6
17.d4 c5
[ Unfortunately for Black he can't complete
724 C07 h i s d e v e l o p m e n t w i t h 17...g7
Tseitlin,Mark D 2426 without allowing the destruction of his pawn
Zontakh,Andrey 2525 chain with 18.xe6! fxe6 19.xg6+ f8
20th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (2) 20.xe6 ]
[Neil McDonald] 18.fc1 d7 19.c2 e4 20.g4 c5
21.ac1 xd4 22.xd4 If Black does
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 cxd4 nothing W hite can play f 2-f 3, driving th e
B la ck h a s n o wish t o t ra n s p o se in t o t h e knight to g5, followed by Rc7 and Bc5 with a
dangerous Universal System with le t h a l a t t a ck. A lt e rn a t ive l y, W h it e c o u l d
[ 4...f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 ] surround the knight with h2-h4 and then win it
5.xd4 ... and White for his part avoids the with f 2-f3. a4 23.e3 h5 24.h4 0-0
complexities of 25.h6 d4
[ 5.exd5 xd5 ] [ Also hopeless is 25...fe8 26.f3 c3 ( or
5...c6 6.b5!? The most challenging move. 26...d4+ 27.h1 ) 27.f6 ]
[ After 6.xc6 bxc6 7.d3 as in the 26.xf8 xf8 27.f4 g7 28.h4 a5
Benjamin-Shulman game given in the 29.h2
December 2004 update, Black has available 1-0
the plan of exchanging bishops with Ba6,
after either a7-a5 or Qb6. In order to
prevent this Tseitlin entices the bishop to the 725 C07
d7 square. ] Vallejo Pons,Francisco 2698
6...d7 7.xc6 xc6 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.c4! Zhu Chen 2495
The exchange of light squared bishops has Gibraltar Masters (5.17) 29.01.2011
speeded up White's development- he is ready [John Watson]
to castle- and also left the c6 pawn vulnerable
to a quick attack with Qa4. Practical results 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3
have been very promising for W hite. a5 This won a set of four high-level games this
This is played in order to rule out 10.Qa4 by month.
White. [ 4.exd5 xd5 is still doing well for Black in
[ Routine development fails to equalise: grand maste r pla y, f o r exa mple, Adam s
9...f6 10.a4 d7 11.e5 g8 12.0-0 shouldn't have gotten anything with the line
e7 13.b3 g6 14.f4 b8 15.e3 b4 5.dxc5 xc5 6.gf3 f6 7.c4 c6!?
16.a6 b7 17.xb7 xb7 18.a5 ( or 7...h5 ) 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 bd7
and Black was lucky to escape with a draw ( 9...a6!= ) 10.b3 b6!? 11.xc5!?
in Balogh,C-Malakhatko,V/Basel SUI 2004. ] ( 11.f4 ) 11...xc5 12.b3 b7 13.b2
[ alternatively 9...c5 10.a4 e7 11.exd5 fd8 with roughly equal play, Adams, M
exd5 12.b3 b6 13.0-0 0-0 14.c5 c7 (2723)-Lemos, D (2553), Caleta 2011. ]
15.g5! provoking a weakness on e6. f6 4...cxd4 5.xd4 c6 6.b5 d7 7.xc6
16.f4 e5 17.ae1 c7 18.c1 d7 xc6 8.xc6+ bxc6 9.c4 dxe4
19.f4 c7 20.d4 fd8 21.e2 ac8 [ I looked at 9...d6 (from Topalov-Kamsky)
22.fe1 and Black was being squashed in and ]
Zagrebelny,S-Vysochin,S/Korinthos GRE [ 9...a5 in the recent Howell-So (2656) in
2004. ] the Archives. ]
10.b3!? With the threat of 11.Qb7 picking up 10.a4
the c6 pawn. d8 11.0-0 f6 12.e5 d7 [ Another game from this month's batch,
13.g3! Not only defending e5 but also Zhigalko, A (2566)-Stupak, K (2527), Minsk
obstructing the mobilisation of Black's BLR 2011 went 10.xe4 xd1+ 11.xd1

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
f6 12.xf6+ gxf6 13.e3 c5 14.c2
d7 15.hd1+ c6 16.d3
( 16...g8 17.g3 e7 transposes) 17.ad1
hd8 18.xd8 and: Zhigalko-Stupak
continued ( 18.g4 xd3 19.xd3 d6
20.h3 e5 21.a3 a5 22.b3 a4 23.b5
d6 24.d3 f5 led to a quick draw in
Delchev, A-De la Riva Aguado, O/ Andorra
la Vella AND 2006. )
A) Black's pawn structure is inferior
following 18...xd8 19.xd8
, but can White really expect much out of
this? ...f5 is intended, so 20.g4 , but then
f5!? ( 20...c7 21.h3 f5 ) 21.gxf5 exf5
keeps White's king from penetrating.;
B) 18...xd8 19.g4 c7 20.h3 h8
21.h6 e5 22.d3 b8 23.b3 a5
( 23...d4 24.f3 d7 25.d3 e7 )
24.f3 g8 25.a3 d7 26.d3+ e7
27.e3 c8 . White has a small plus. ]
10...f5 11.xc6+ f7 12.0-0
It's odd that Vallejo Pons would go into this
known position, in which Black's pawns are
strong and he will develop efficiently. 13.b3
c8 14.a6 c7!?
[ 14...e7 15.f4 ( 15.xa7 xc4 16.d2
a8! ) 15...b6! is better (and easier to
play) for Black ]
15.f4! xf4!?
[ 15...xc4! 16.xa7+ e7 ]
16.xc8 g4!? Enterprising.
[ 16...xh2+ 17.xh2 d6+ 18.g3 xc8
with ideas like ...Ng4(+)-e5 or ...Be5 should
be satisfactory for equality. ]
17.g3 h6 18.h4 e7! 19.c7!
[ 19.xh8?? xh4 20.g2 xg3 21.h1
f4 leads to mate. ]
19...g5 20.g2 gxh4 21.h1 xf2??
A miscalculation. The right move was
[ 21...g7 22.xh4 e3! 23.xg4! ( 23.fxe3
xb2+ ) 23...xg4 24.e5 d8 25.xe3
xc4 ]
[ 21...e3 22.xh4 g7 transposes ]
22.xf2 hxg3+ 23.xg3 f6 24.c3
and White went on to win: xc3 25.bxc3 h5
26.ad1 h4 27.d7 f6 28.c5 c8
29.xe7 xe7 30.xh4 a5 31.a4 e5
32.h7+ f6 33.h6+ g5 34.e6 f4
35.c6 e3+ 36.e2 h8 37.c7 h2+
38.d3 h8 39.h6 e4+ 40.e2 xh6
41.c8 h2+ 42.f1
e7 1-0
726 C07
Venevtsev,Andrey 2178
Nakhapetian,Pogos 2442
4th Open A Moscow RUS (2) 03.02.2008
[Neil McDonald]
xd8 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
d7 12.g5!?
[ More direct than 12.c3 ]
12...0-0-0
[ Previously on ChessPub we saw Adams-
Nisipeanu, in which White won in crushing
s t y l e a f t e r 12...c5? 13.xe6! fxe6
14.xf6 gxf6 15.xe6 xe6 16.xe6+
f6 e7 17.b4! etc. ]
[ a similar disaster for Black was 12...c7
13.xe6! xe6 14.xf6 gxf6 15.xe6
fxe6 16.xe6+ f7 17.d5
as in Andriasian, Z-Rodshtein, M/ Yerevan
ARM 2006- see the analysis to the Adams
game for more details. ]
13.e3!? The rook causes Black a lot of
consternation on the third rank. His queen
wants to retreat to c7, clearing the way for Bd6,
b u t t h a t i n vi t e s i d e a s o f B xa 6 a n d R c 3 ,
pinning her against the king.
[ The rather lacklustre 13.f3 allowed Black
to equalise after c7 14.e2 h6 15.h4
d6 16.g3 xg3 17.hxg3 c6 18.e5
e4 19.f4 d6 etc. in Rajlich, V-Kosic, D/
Budapest 2006. ]
13...c7
[ If 13...b8 the focus of the white pieces
moves from c7 to b7, with a6 remaining a
target to Bxa6: 14.b3 c8 15.f3 c6
16.xc6+ xc6 17.xf6 gxf6 18.xf6
g8 19.f1 and Black didn't have enough
for the missing pawn in Asrian, K-Wang Hao/
Taiyuan CHN 2006. ]
14.xa6!? A critical moment. After
[ 14.f3 e5 the players called it a draw in
Asria n , K-A n a st a sia n , A / Yere va n A RM
2007. ( Of course if 14...xc4 15.c3 )]
[ Not 14.c3? b4 and Black wins
material. ]
651
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

14...c5 Black is well entrenched and f ar f rom

[ Giving up a pawn just leads to a lost losing. ]
endgame: 14...c6 15.c3 bxa6 16.xf6 gxf6 17.c3 b6 18.h5!
( Black is being annihilated after 15...xd4 The correct way to exploit the pin on the c-file.
16.xd4 bxa6 17.f4 b7 18.b3 a8 Not
19.e5 intending 20.Rb8+.; also hopeless is [ 18.b3 c6! ]
15...e5 16.xc6 xc6 17.xc6 xd1+ 18...e5 19.b3 c6 20.xc5 hg8 21.g3
18.xd1 bxa6 19.xe5 e7 20.xf7 ) b8 22.xf7 b7 Apparently e game scores
16.xc6 xc6 17.xc6 xd1+ 18.xd1 from the Moscow Open 2008 are incomplete,
c5 19.e3 xe3 20.fxe3 g4 21.d3 as I doubt that Black resigned here despite
c7 22.c3 b6 23.h3 xe3 24.e5 his three missing pawns. He should certainly
d5 25.b3+ c5 26.xf7 c8 27.g3 try for a swindle along the a8-h1 diagonal or
b8 28.b3 b4 29.a3 1-0 Warakomski, T- with a sudden Qd1+! and back rank mate!
Krensing, J/Pardubice CZE 2007. ] However, with best play W hite would
[ not 14...bxa6? 15.c3 c5 16.xf6 gxf6 undoubtedly have won.
17.b4 and White wins. ] 1-0
15.xb7+!?
[ In my previous analysis in Adams-
Nisipeanu, I mentioned 15.c3 e8 16.d3 727 C07
xd4 17.e3 d5 18.b4 e4 19.xe4 Wittmann,Walter 2376
xd1+ 20.xd1 c6 21.xc5 d8 22.d3 Pap,Gyula 2384
when W hite has a useful initiative for the FSGM November (8) 12.11.2005
positional queen sac, but perhaps Black is [Neil McDonald]
OK after d5 ]
15...xb7? It's not surprising that Black 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
b e c o m e s b e wil d e re d b y a ll t h e p o s si b l e 5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
variations and makes a mistake that loses in c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
a clear cut manner. You might like to c7 12.e2!? An exciting idea that avoids
investigate the long and complex mainline. d6
[ 15...xb7! which I haven' t managed to [ The major alternative 12...c5 is analysed
crack. With the black king denuded of pawn in Emms-Kelly on ChessPub. ]
cover White has good practical chances, for 13.g5 0-0 Black castles into a menacing
example attack, but keeping the king in the centre has
A) 16.b3+ led to disaster:
A1) 16...a8? 17.f3+; [ 13...xh2+? 14.h1 f4 ( Or 14...d6
A2) 16...c8? 17.e2 ( or 17.f3!? ) 15.xe6! fxe6 16.xe6 xe6 17.xe6+
17...c6?! ( Black is also in trouble after e7 18.e3 and the white attack with 19.
17...a7 18.c4!? ) 18.f4! xf4 Rae1 coming looks irresistible.) 15.xf6
19.a6+ d7 20.xc6+ e7 gxf6 16.xe6! 0-0 ( Black is smashed to
21.xc5+ and White wins.; p i e c e s u p o n 16...fxe6 17.xe6 xe6
A3) 16...a7! 17.a4 e8 ( or maybe 18.xe6+ f8 19.xf6+ g8 20.e7 )
17...xd4 18.xd4+ a8 ) 18.b5+ 17.f5 h8 18.ad1 e5 19.f3 xf5
xb5 19.axb5+ b8 20.f3 b7 20.xf5 xc2 21.c1 d2 22.g3 g8
and Black has avoided disaster.; 23.g2 g5 24.h1 ag8 25.xh7+!
B) 16.f3+!? a7 17.c3 d5 ( not 1-0 Kotronias, V-Sarakauskas, G/Cork IRL
17...b6? 18.e3! intending 19.Rxc5, etc. 2005. ( If 25.xh7+ xh7 26.h1+ g6
when if xd4 19.xd4 xd4 20.c7+ 27.h6# )]
b6 21.b7+ a5 22.b4+ xb4 [ After 13...c5? it is the same old story:
23.a7+ b5 24.a4+ and wins. ) 14.xe6! xe6 15.xe6 fxe6 16.xe6+
18.xd8 xd8 19.c4 b6 20.d1 f6 d8 17.xf6+ gxf6 18.ad1 c7 19.f7+
21.c3 with advantage to White, though c6 20.xd6+ xd6 ( or 20...xd6

652
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

21.e6+ d5 22.d7+ c4 23.e4+ ) 23.xg5 xh3+ 24.xh3 ( 24.xh3

21.e6 ad8 22.xf6 1-0 Tzermiadianos, xh7 ) 24...fxg5 25.f5 with an equal
A-Dochev, D/Panormo Open, Crete GRE endgame, or ]
2001. ] [ 22.e4 e5 ( Black must avoid 22...f5?
14.d3!? White prepares a quick wipe out 23.f3 f6 24.h1 fxe4? 25.g4+ g6
based on the attack on the h7 square. This 26.xg6 ) 23.f5 ( 23.f5+ xf5 24.xf5
quiet move, which involves the sacrifice of the h8 ) 23...h8 etc. ]
h2 pawn, seems stronger than the direct 22...d7 23.f3? Ceding the c6 square to
[ 14.xf6 gxf6 15.g4+ ] the black bishop and falling into an
[ Instead the passive 14.g3?! allowed Black unpleasant pin. He should have kept going
to equa lise wit h e4! 15.xe4 xc4 with
in Van der Wiel, J-Nogueiras, J/Rotterdam [ 23.ae1!? ]
1989. ] 23...c6 24.ad1 e5 25.d7 A lot of
14...xh2+ 15.h1 f4 16.xf6 gxf6 sound and fury signifying nothing. f5 26.g8
17.g4+! xf3+ 27.xf3 g4+ The exchange of
[ Alternatively 17.h5!? f5 18.f3 f6 19.c3 que ens is a killer. W hit e is f o rce d int o a
Intending Nd4, etc. to build up against e6. wretched endgame where he is bound to lose
d7? Obviously this is a bad mistake, the bishop. 28.xg4+ fxg4+ 29.e4 xb2
allowing W hit e's n e xt m ove , b u t it wa s 30.h7 h8 31.xb7 f6 32.f4 xh7
already uncomfortable for Black. 20.xf5! 33.xh7+ xh7 34.xf7+ g6 35.c7 d8
c6 ( if 20...exf5 21.e7 and the attack on 36.xg4 d4+ 37.f4 a4 38.c4 xa2
h7 wins at once.) 21.xe6 ae8 22.ae1 39.c5 d4 40.f3 a3+ 41.e4 a4
and White ground out the win in Emms, J- 42.d3 f2 43.c6 xg3 44.e7
Knott, S/Douglas IOM 2005. ] [ Alas for White, if 44.g7+ xg7 45.c7
17...h8 18.g3 d6 19.xh7 c5 Black can stop the pawn: a3+ 46.c2 ( or
20.g2!? 46.d4 f2+ 47.c4 e1 48.c8 c3+ )
[ Also worthy of attention was 20.d3!? g8! 46...e1 47.c8 c3+ 48.xc3+ xc3
( 20...g5? 21.h3+ g7 22.h7# ) 49.xc3 f6 and wins. ]
21.h4+ g7 22.h7+ f8 23.h6+ 44...xf4 45.xe6+ f5 46.e2 c7
( There is only perpetual after 23.f5 exf5 47.e3 f4 48.a2 a5 49.d2 e6 50.d7
24.h6+ g7 25.h8+ g8 26.h6+ ) e5 51.d3 f7 52.d8 c7 53.d4 f3+
23...e8 24.xf6 e7 ( 24...b5? 25.e4 54.c2 f5 55.b3 d5 The bishop
e5? 26.xe5! ) 25.f4 d6 26.e4 controls the a1 queening square, so there is
and W hite has a clear plus, though Black no hope for white.
isn't without tactical resources. ] 0-1
20...g5 21.h3?
[ White misses his big chance: 21.e4!
A) if 21...xh7 22.h4+!! xh4 728 C07
( 22...g7 23.g4 ) 23.xh4+ g6 Zaw,Win Lay 2633
24.g4+ h5 25.f3! ( 25.f3! ) 25...e5 Khalifman,Alexander 2656
26.h1#; Japfa Classic (1) 22.04.2000
B) 21...g7! 22.f3! e5 ( 22...xg4 [Neil McDonald]
23.xg4+ xh7 24.h1# ) 23.xg5
xg4 24.xg4 fxg5 25.xg5+ f6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 xd5
26.h5 and White has good winning 5.gf3 cxd4 6.c4 d6 7.0-0 f6 8.b3
chances in endgame. ] c6 9.bxd4 xd4 10.xd4 a6 11.e1
21...g7 22.h1 Black is ab le to escape c7 12.b3 d6 13.f5 xh2+ 14.h1
f ro m h i s d if f ic u lt i e s t h a n ks t o t h e e 6 -e 5 0-0 15.xg7 d8 16.f3 xg7 17.h6+
discovered attack on the white queen after g6 18.ad1? Evidently White forgot his
other moves, e.g. theory. Instead he should play
[ 22.f3 e5! ( not 22...h6 23.g4+! ) [ 18.c3! as in the other examples given on

653
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
the website. ]
18...xd1 19.xd1 e5! Now Black threatens
20...Bg4. 20.xh2 g4+ 21.g1 xh6
White resigned. He can't even get one pawn
for the piece, as 22.xf7 e4! 23.h3+ g7
leaves him facing the double threat of 24...
Qxf7 and 24...Nxf2.
0-1
729 C08
Carlen,E
Nikolic
Corus Chess 2005 (11) 2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 exd5
5.gf3 c4!? We shouldn't reject this idea just
because an out of form Nikolic loses in 22
moves. In fact the Bosnian Grandmaster has
used this pawn thrust to score some
impressive results, notably draws against top
notch GM like Adams and Beliavsky. Black
avoids having an isolated pawn on an open
file and denies the white knights access to the
d4 square as occurs after a typical sequence
such as
[ 5...c6 6.b5 d6 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0
ge7 9.b3 etc. ]
6.b3! On the other hand, the d5 pawn will be
isolated, even if not on an open file, and can
be undermined by c2-c4 after careful
preparation. The fact that White is allowed to
maintain a pawn on d4 also reduces Black's
counterplay- there is for example no Bc5
move to probe the f2 square. cxb3 7.axb3
[ Carlsen keeps the tension. White was
unable to make anything of his more
compact pawn formation after 7.b5+ d7
8.e2+ e7 9.xd7+ xd7 10.axb3 f6!
a neat little move. It guards e5 and creates
a nice hole on f7 for the king. 11.f1 xe2+
12.xe2 d6 13.e3 e7 14.a3 xa3
15.xa3 f7 16.e1 f8! White is
reminded his pawns can also be vulnerable
t o a t t a c k . 17.d3 e6 18.c3 hd8
19.d2 c6 20.d1 ac8 and a draw was
agreed in Adams-Nikolic, Neum BIH 2002. ]
7...b4 An irrit ating move. The bishop not
only pins the knight and introduces the idea of
Bc3 in some cases, but also obstructs c2-c3.
This makes the defence of d4 more
problematical, especially if Black is allowed to
complete his development untroubled with
Bg4 and Nc6. 8.e5!? This is Svidler's idea.
It sets more problems than the pseudo
aggressive
[ 8.b5+ when d7 9.xd7+ xd7 10.0-0
e7 11.a3 xa3 12.xa3 0-0
is welcome simplification for Black. Nikolic
had used this sequence to draw quickly
versus Brunner at Munich in 1990. At that
time Carlsen was no doubt lying in his pram
not concerned with the subtleties of the
French Tarrasch. ]
8...e7!? Nikolic keeps the option of chasing
back the bold white knight with f7-f6 or else
challenging it with Nbc6 without suffering
damage to his pawn structure as would occur
if he were forced to recapture on c6 with the
b7 pawn. The stem game went
[ 8...f6 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0 c3 11.a4
d7 12.xd7 bxd7 13.b1 a5 14.d2
c7 15.c3 e8 16.f3 and Black was
never comfortable in the game P.Svidler-V.
Kortschnoi, Groningen 1996, due to the
weakness on d5 and White's bishop pair. ]
[ Of course not 8...c3? 9.f3 when the
attack on f7 forces the ugly exchange xd2+
10.xd2 ]
9.d3 bc6
[ Possibly Black can get away with the risky
9...0-0 10.0-0 f6 11.h5 g6 12.xg6
hxg6 13.xg6 xg6 14.xg6+ h8 ]
10.0-0 c3? I assume this move was based
on a miscalculation. After
[ 10...0-0 Black looks OK, e.g. 11.h5 g6
12.h4 ( Not 12.h6? xd4 ) 12...xe5
13.dxe5 c6! 14.xd8 ( The exchange of
queens is unwelcome, but the d4 pawn
drops after 14.g3? c3 when just losing
is 15.xg6? xe5 ) 14...xd8 15.f4 c3
16.a4 b4! 17.b1 d4+ 18.h1 a5!
with good play for Black, as the attempt to
fork on c3 drops the bishop on d3. ]
11.a4 xd4
[ Perhaps Nikolic originally intended
11...xe5 12.dxe5 d7 which looks at first
glance highly awkward for White as both the
rook and e5 are hanging. However, he has
thegetoutclause 13.h4! g6 14.h5 f4
15.b1!! xh5 16.xc3 when despite
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

being the exchange up Black is in deep prefer

trouble, for example h4?! ( Grim necessity [ 11.2f3 to unwind White's game. ]
demanded 16...g6 17.xd5 when White's 11...0-0 12.f5?! This is an impressive-
d a rk s qu a r e d b i sh o p will b e d o m in a n t) looking attacking square for the knight, but
17.xd5 0-0 18.g3 h3 19.e2! g6 there is no good f ollow up. W hite's other
20.xh5 with a winning fork on f6. ] pieces aren't ready launch a concerted
12.xc6 xc6 13.a3 The chess masters of kingside attack
the 19th century rejoiced to stop their [ Kasparov managed to grind out a win after
opponent castling in this fashion. e6 14.f3 12.2b3 ce4 13.f5! fd8?!
b6?! ( 13...d8!? ) 14.e1 f8 15.c3 xf5
[ F a r m o r e r e s i l i e n t w a s 14...c3!? 16.xf5 in Kasparov-Kharitonov, Moscow
to keep the white queen deploying to a1 and 1988, but I'm not particularly convinced by
the rook to e1. ] this. Have a look in the notes to Rosentalis-
15.a1! c7 16.b4! Whether the black king Bareev, in which Black's improvement at
stays in the centre or goes to either wing, he move 13 is discussed. ]
will be pursued by the white pieces. f6 12...d8 The black bishop isn't upset at
[ If 16...0-0 17.b5 e7 18.h4 h6 ha ving t o re t re a t , a s it is h e a din g to t h e
19.xh6!? gxh6 20.f6 with the threat of excellent square on b6 where it attacks f2 and
Qxh6 and then Ng5 if necessary, as well as contests the important d4 square. 13.h3?!
the prosaic Bxe7 or the slow but deadly Much too slow. He should develop his pieces
lo o k i n g B b 2 wh e n i f d 5 - d 4 , t h e n N xd 4 with
reopening the diagonal. ] [ 13.b3 ce4 14.e3 though Black is
17.e1 f7 18.b5 a5 solid enough after e8 or ( 14...c8 )]
[ The only chance to hold on was 18...d8 13...e8 14.d1 c8 15.f1 ce4 16.c3
bolstering the bishop on e6. ] e5 17.5g3 This knight left the wonderful
19.d1! A quiet but insidious move. ae8 d4 outpost only to end up on the dismal g3
20.g5+!! fxg5 21.f3+ g8 22.xe6! square. b5! Now step by step White is
A great attacking finish in the style of Morphy. outplayed on the queenside and in the centre.
[ 22.xe6 xe6 23.f8# ] 18.a4
1-0 [ Giving away the b3 square doesn't help
much. Perhaps he should grovel with 18.f4
e6 19.ab1 ]
730 C08 18...b3 19.e3 xg3 20.xg3 c7
Carlsson,Pontus 2330 21.f3 ce8 22.g3 d6 23.g2 c5
Potkin,Vladimir 2530 24.e2 a6 25.c2 xc2 26.xc2 xf2?
WJun Athens GRE (3) 18.08.2001 [ Black runs out of patience. He should delay
[Neil McDonald] winning material f or just a little longer:
26...e2 27.d4 ( If 27.d2? xd2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 28.xd2 e2 ) 27...xd4 28.cxd4 ( Or
5.gf3 f6 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ bxd7 28.xd4 e4 29.e3 xb2 30.xd5
8.0-0 e7 9.dxc5 xc5 10.d4 xc3 ) 28...e4 29.f1 c8! followed by
[ For information on the alternative set up Rcc2 would be crushing. ]
with 10.e1 0-0 11.f1 e8 12.e3 27.xf2 e2+ 28.f3 xc2 29.d2 xd2
h a v e a lo o k a t t h e ga m e s Ha m d o u c h i - 30.xd2 The extra pawn isn't easy to exploit
V a g a n i a n a n d R o s e n t a l i s - B a r e e v o n in the endgame- white has a better king and
Chesspub. ] better minor piece and the pawn on d5 is still
10...d7 11.f3 The most direct move, once a potential weakness. e4 Black completely
used by Kasparov. The drawback is that it loses the thread of the game in what follows.
deprives the knight on d2 of its best square on A natural way to begin was
f 3 . T he re f ore 'classical' p la yers such a s [ 30...e6 followed by centralising the king. ]
Bo tvinn ik an d n owad a ys Mich ae l A da m s 31.f4 c5 32.a5 f6 33.d1 d8 34.c4

655
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

d4 35.b4 e6 36.e4 f7? 13...xb3! As in the note above, Black does
[ It was essential to drive away the white we ll t o get rid o f his rat h er u seles s ligh t
bishop before White had time for c4-c5 and squared bishop for a knight that can control
then Bd6. Therefore correct was 36...g5! ] the dark squares before recapturing on c5.
37.c5 Now suddenly White has winning [ Instead 13...xc5 14.xc5 ( 14.fd1!? )
chances based on a queenside breakthrough. 14...xc5 15.f3 ( 15.c3!? ) 15...b6
e8 This lets in the white king, but otherwise 16.f5 xe3 17.fxe3 gives White attacking
Bd6 and Kd5 follows. 38.d5 h5 39.d6 chances, for example see Foldi,I-Ivanov,O/
g6 40.c6 bxc6+ 41.xc6 h4 42.gxh4 Gyongyos 1995. ]
f5 43.b5 axb5 44.a6 e4 45.a7 d3 14.xb3 xc5 15.xc5? Giving up his dark
46.b8 I suppose this will be classified as a squ ared b ish op p ro mises n o advan ta ge -
'swindle' but White played the endgame very indeed White is now very slightly worse. Solid
forcefully. moves were
1-0 [ 15.d4 or ]
[ 15.ad1 with equal chances. ]
15...xc5 16.f3 b6 17.fe1 d6!
731 C08 Beginning an excellent queen manoeuvre.
Dritan,M 18.ad1 b4 The latent target here is f2.
Brynell,Stellan 2506 19.c3 a4 20.b1 xe1+ 21.xe1 e8
EuTCh Leon ESP (1) 06.11.2001 22.f1? White is worried about pressure on f2
[Neil McDonald] and so cedes the e file. Instead he should
have fought it out with
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6 [ 22.xe8+ xe8 23.f1 when a draw is
5.exd5 exd5 6.b5+ d7 7.e2+ e7 likely. ]
8.dxc5 0-0 9.b3 e8 10.e3 a6 11.d3 22...g4! 23.xg4
a4 12.fd4 bd7 13.0-0 [ T h e b e s t c h a n c e w a s 23.d3 xf3
[ If 13.0-0-0 xb3! Exchanging off his bad 24.gxf3 ]
b i s h o p i s b e t t e r t h a n t h e i m m e d i a t e 23...xg4 24.d3 xf2! A well judged
recapture on c5. 14.xb3 xc5! ( Instead simplification. 25.xf2 e1+ 26.f1 xf2+
14...a5? This attacking gesture is extremely 27.xf2 b1 Now Black picks up two
dubious as it hands White the fine outpost queenside pawns with a winning endgame.
square on b5 for his bishop. 15.a4! xc5 28.d2 xb2 29.e3 xa2 30.g3 a5
16.b5 xb3+ 17.cxb3 c7+ 18.b1 31.g2 a4 32.xd5 b2 33.c4 b3
ed8 19.d4 and Black was in trouble in 34.d4 a3 35.xa3 xa3 36.xb7 f8
Bareev-Rublevsky, Polanica Zdroj 1997- you 37.c4 e7 38.e4 h6 39.d5 f6 40.e4
can find this game on ChessPub. ) g6 41.f4 c3 42.h4 g5+ 43.g4 h5+
A) If 15.f3 - probably the best move with 44.xh5 xg3 45.hxg5 xg5+ 46.h4
e q u a l c h a n c e s - b o t h a4!? and d6 47.b7 c5 48.a6 d4 49.b5
( 15...xd3+ 16.xd3 a5 as in Hennigan, g7
M-Knaak,R/Germany 1996/GER-chT give 0-1
Black dynamic play to offset the weakness
on d5. );
B) 15.d4 a4! 16.c3 c8 17.c2 732 C08
b6 18.d3 g6 19.b3 c4 20.d4? Hamdouchi,Hicham 2541
a3!! 21.bxa3 d6 22.c5 If ( 22.de1 Vaganian,Rafael A 2623
xa3+ 23.d1 b2+ wins. ) 22...e4 FIDE WCh KO New Delhi ITA (1.1) 27.11.2000
23.xc4 A desperate move but otherwise [Neil McDonald]
he loses back the piece with a wrecked
queenside. dxc4 24.xe4 xe4 25.xe4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
f4+ 26.d2 xe4 and Black won in 5.exd5 exd5 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ bxd7
Yudasin,L-Psakhis,L/Beersheba 1993. ] 8.0-0 e7 9.dxc5 xc5 10.e1 0-0 11.f1

656
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
e8 12.e3 f8!? A useful move whose
point is to control the e5 square and so rule
out White's manoeuvre Ne5 and Nd3. Instead
after
[ 12...d7?! 13.e2! b5 14.c3 ce4
15.e5 b7 16.d3 White had gained
time to manoeuvre his knight to the excellent
d3 square. ]
[ Alternatively 12...a5!? 13.e2 b5 14.d4
e6 has proved OK for Black- see
Rozentalis-Bareev. ]
13.c3
[ T h e m o s t a c t i v e p l a n w a s 13.e2
intending Rd2, Ne3, etc. to put pressure on
d5. ]
13...d7 14.c2 b5! The familiar move to
gain space on the queenside. 15.d4 fe4
16.ad1 b7 17.e3 ad8 18.b4?
White forces a crisis before Black is able to
build up on the queenside with a7-a5 etc.
However I think he should settle for
something safe such as
[ 18.e5 followed by 19.Nd3. ]
18...e6 19.xd5 This is the idea: White
wins a pawn. On the other hand, he cannot do
so 'cleanly' as his kingside will be broken up.
xd4 20.xd4 g5! This exploits White's
back rank. 21.xe8 xf3+ 22.gxf3 xe8
23.g2 e5 24.d3 g5+ 25.f1 c8!
Black's initiative more than compensates for
the pawn. A really hard tactical battle now
begins. I'll just say that it always looks as if
Vaganian holds most of the aces as White's
king will be buffeted around the board. 26.f4
g6 27.d7 b8 28.d4 f5 29.d5 xh2
30.d8 e5 31.e3 h3+ 32.e2 e6
33.xa7 c4+ 34.d2 h4! Hitting the
rook and also f2. 35.d4 xf2+ 36.d3 f6
37.f4 g7 38.d7+ e7 39.a7 h5 40.a4
bxa4 41.b5 e1 42.c4 g5 43.d4 g6
44.a6 b1+ 45.e2 c2+ 46.f1 b1+
47.e2 g7 48.a7 a3 49.b6 c2+
50.f1 b1+ 51.e2 h6 52.xe7 b2+
53.d3 xe7 54.f5+ h7 55.xb2 axb2
56.c2 e6 57.c5 c6 58.xb2 xc5
59.d6 c6 60.b7 b6+ 61.c3 h4
0-1
733 C08
Kharlov,Andrei 2581
Gurevich,Mikhail 2635
4th IECC Istanbul TUR (7) 06.06.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
5.exd5 exd5 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ bxd7
8.0-0 e7 9.dxc5 xc5 10.b3 ce4
11.fd4 d7 12.f3 d6 13.c5 c7
14.d3 0-0 15.b3! Even in a quiet position a
tempo can make an enormous difference. So
far the game has been following Pavlovic-
Antal, which can be found on ChessPub. In
that game W hite understandably felt a bit
insecure about a potential pin on the knight on
d4 a n d so p la yed 15 .K h 1. Ho weve r, th is
precaution wasn't necessary. The Pavlovic
game went
[ 15.h1 fe8 16.b3 ( to guard c4 as if
immediately 16.e3 c4 is awkward )
A) 16...ac8 but thinking about it White
might be able to keep an edge with
17.e3 ( rather than getting involved in
17.b2 c4! as I gave earlier which looks
good for Black. );
B) Therefore I will guess that Gurevich
intended 16...f8!? to prevent White
playing 17.Be3, when Black seems to
have equal chances. Unfortunately for
him Kharlov's improvement can one half
move before his own!;
C) 16...b6? an inferior move. In the
notes to the earlier game I suggest ]
15...fe8 16.e3 Now White achieves a
smooth deployment of his pieces with Qd2
and Rae1 when Black is struggling to find any
active play. The white pawns on b3 and f3 are
doing an excellent job in keeping the black
knights at bay. f8 17.d2 g6 18.ae1
g7 19.f2 White follows the classical
precept of exchanging off pieces when the
opponent has an isolated queen's pawn. It is
well known that the reduction of material
lessens the opportunity for dynamic play and
therefore increases the importance of a static
weakness. a6 20.xe8+ xe8 21.e1 c8
22.a4! White has no need to hurry and so
makes a useful pawn move which deters any
attempt to gain space with b7-b5. In some
lines it will be followed by a4-a5, fixing the
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

queenside pawns. Furthermore it prevents He re is a re ce n t ga m e in t h e Nc 6 lin e :

Nb5 [after Nd6] which would challenge the 4.exd5 exd5 5.gf3 c6 6.b5 d6
knight on d4- see the note to move 27. And in 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0 ge7 9.b3 d6
the future Black will never be able to gain 10.e1 0-0 11.g5 g4 12.e2
time by Qa5 hitting the pawn as would be the ( M o r e p e a c e f u l t h a n 12.h4 e8
case if it were still on a2. f8 23.xe8 xe8 etc. is Emms-Hansen, given in the eBook.)
24.g5! White attacks d5 and also anticipates 12...e8 13.c3 h6 14.h4 b6 15.fd4
Black's attempt to gain counterplay with Bd6 xe2 16.xe2 xd4 17.xd4 c6 18.f5
b y p r e p a r i n g B g 3 . d6 25.g3 e7f8 19.xh6+ White forces a draw as he
26.xd6 xd6 27.g4! White's use of his has no advantage left. Of course he cannot
pawns to deprive the black knights of active take on d5 without dropping the b2 pawn.
squares is extremely instructive. The pawn on gxh6 20.xe8 xe8 21.g4+ h7
a4 prevents Nb5 the pawn on b3 rules out Nc4 22.f5+ g8 23.g4+ - Brynell,S-
the pawn on f3 covers e4 and the pawn on g4 Vaganian,R/Koelln GER 2002. ]
defends f5. In comparison the weakening of 4...f6 5.exd5 If you are tempted to try this
the white kingside is of small consequence. b5 as Black, don't forget there is another whole
28.a5! The more pawns on the board the
world of theory after
harder Black's defensive task. Therefore [ 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 ]
Kharlov fixes the pawn on a6 as a weakness 5...exd5 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+
in the endgame. Here we see that the white [ The latest example of the 'pawn hunt
queen is beautifully placed on g5 not only variation' is 7.e2+ e7 8.dxc5 0-0 9.b3
because she attacks the d5 pawn: she also e8 10.0-0 This allows Black's dark
eyes the weak squares on f6 and h6 and the squared bishop to reach an active square
knight on e7, thereby ruling out 28. ..Qxa5. u n c h a l l e n g e d . T h e f i g h t i n g m o v e wa s
ec8! Therefore Gurevich turns on his
( 10.e3 - s e e t h e e B o o k .) 10...xc5
fantastic defensive skill to force back the 11.d3 b6 12.xd7 bxd7 13.f4 e4
white queen. 29.d2 b7 And now White is 14.g3 e7 15.ad1 e8 and Black had
obliged to defend his a5 pawn which will give an easy development in Backelin,R-Brynell,
the black knights the c4 square. The upshot is S/Stockholm SWE 2001. ]
that the sickly d5 pawn drops but Black gets 7...bxd7 8.0-0 e7 9.dxc5 xc5
active play. 30.b4 cd6 31.c3 e7 32.f4 10.b3?! Too routine. White puts his queen's
c4 33.e2 d7 34.d1 d8!
knight on d4 but then fails to find a decent
This is another fine defensive move that aims follow up plan. Good alternatives which you
to prove W hite has a weakness on the f 4 can find by looking in the Tarrasch 3...c5 4.
square. 35.c2 e6 36.xd5 f8
exd5 exd5 eBook include
37.ce3 xe3 38.xe3 c7 39.d2 e5 [ 10.e1 0-0 11.f1 e8 12.e3
40.f1 f6 41.e2 e5 42.f1 f6 followed by Bd4 and Ne3, putting serious
43.g2 e5 The sudden end to the gamepressure on the d5 pawn, or ]
suggests an incomplete score as there is still [ 10.d4 d7 an d n o w e it h e r 11.2f3
a lot of resistance in the black position. with ideas of Ne5 or ( 11.f3 aiming for
1-0 Nf5. )]
10...ce4 11.bd4 d7! Stopping Nf5.
12.f4 0-0 13.e5 c8 14.d3
734 C08 [ Perhaps 14.c3!? ]
Kveinys,Aloyzas 2555 14...a6 15.f3 e8 16.ad1?
Brynell,Stellan 2505 [ And here White should definitely safeguard
Bundesliga 2001-2 (9) 24.02.2002 his knight with 16.c3 ]
[Neil McDonald] 16...c4! This pawn grab looks highly risky
but Brynell has correctly adjudged the
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 position. 17.f5 xa2 18.e5 a4!
[ In the main game Black plays a quick Nf6. The queen attacks c2 and also prepares to

658
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

return to d7 where she will obstruct White's control of the e4 square. f6 ( The reason
attack. 19.xg7 White has to do or die. W hite has preferred Be2 is perhaps that
xg7 20.f4 f8! Side-stepping the threat Black can disrupt things with 7...e7+!? )
of Nh5+. 21.h3 d7! 22.h6+ g8 8.0-0 0-0 9.b3 a7 10.h3 c6 11.e1
23.xd5 Apparently very strong, but... d6 12.e3 xe3 13.xe3 a5 14.bd4
[ If instead 23.xd5 f8! -covering the g7 xd4 15.xd4 d7 16.d2 b6 17.c3
square against mate- 24.h4 xd5 ] fe8 18.ae1 with a pleasant edge for
23...f5! The black qu een has had quite a W hite in Balaji,G-Girinath,P/Mumbai IND
journey f rom a2 via a4 and d7 to f 5! She 2004. ]
a r r iv e s j u s t i n t i m e t o h o l d t o g e t h e r t h e 7...b6 8.e2
kingside. 24.d4 xd5 25.xf6 f8! [ Here's an excerpt that reminds us that all
26.h4 f5 27.d4 ad8 White's attack moves, no matter how obvious, have to be
has fizzled out and he is a piece down. checked in case they are a blunder: 8.g5
0-1 e7 9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 h6 11.h4 bc6
12.fd4?? xd4 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4
f5! win n in g a p ie ce 15.xg7+ xg7
735 C08 16.xd8 xd8 you might think it is time to
Olsson,Anders 2426 resign, but because it was a blitz game
Brynell,Stellan 2459 W h i t e p l a ye d o n g r i m l y a n d m a n a g e d
ch Gothenburg SWE (5) 14.07.2004 somehow to get a draw in Bauer, C-
[Neil McDonald] Grabuzova,T/playchess.com INT 2004. ]
8...f6 9.0-0 0-0 10.fd4 Two other moves
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 look superior:
[ A n o t h e r p o p u l a r m o v e o r d e r i s 3...a6 [ 10.g5 pins the knight and puts indirect
4.gf3 c5 ] pressure on d5 or ]
4.gf3 a6 It is handy to stop Bb5 which is [ 10.bd4 deploying the other knight to d4
White's strongest attacking move in this set up. keeps h2 under guard. ]
At the same time Black keeps things in 'IQP 10...c6 11.c3
territory' rather than transpose to the [ An unnecessary luxury. The direct and bold
universal Ngf3 mainline with 11.g5! was called for. ]
[ 4...f6 5.e5 fd7 6.c3 ] 11...e8 12.e1 d6 13.g3 h3 14.e3
5.exd5 exd5 6.dxc5 A common move, but [ Here 14.f4 makes more sense. ]
pe rs o na lly I wo u ld n 't b e in a hu rry t o le t 14...e5 15.c2 fg4 16.f4 f6
B l a c k ' s d a r k s q u a r e d b i s h o p g e t t o a n Thanks to W hite's passive play the black
excellent post on c5. Instead White can delay pieces have all found good attacking squares.
the capture on c5: 17.d3?
[ 6.e2 c6 7.0-0 [ Nevertheless Black would still have to prove
A) Black cannot profitably block the he has something tangible after say 17.f1
queenside as the following sacrifice looks xf1 18.xf1 g6 ]
very good for W hite: 7...c4 8.b3 b5 17...xd3 18.xd3 g5 19.e3 xe3!
( 8...cxb3 9.axb3 is somewhat better for The f2 square drops with fatal consequences-
White. ) 9.a4 c3 10.axb5! cxd2 11.xd2; and rather surprisingly it has nothing to do
B) Meanwhile 7...f6 8.e1 sets Black with the black bishop on b6!
some problems.; 0-1
C) 7...cxd4 8.b3 d6 9.bxd4 ge7
10.h3 0-0 11.d3 h6 12.c3 c7 13.e1
d7 14.e3 fe8 15.d2 with a solid set
up for White in Czarnota,P-Vybiral,Z/Brno
CZE 2004. ]
6...xc5 7.b3
[ More active was 7.d3 which fights for

659
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
736 C08
Pavlovic,Milos 2560
Bukal,V 2404
11th Open Saint Vincent ITA (6) 13.02.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
5.exd5 exd5 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ bxd7
8.0-0 e7 9.dxc5 xc5 10.b3
Previously I regarded this as slightly dubious,
but Pavlovic has found a new way of treating
the position. Whether or not it works depends
on the critical line discussed at move 16
below. ce4 11.fd4 Here is the first stage
in White's plan: he clears the way for f2-f3 to
evict the knight from e4. Previously
[ 11.bd4 d7! has looked pleasant for
Black. ]
11...d7 12.f3 d6 13.c5 And now he
puts the knight on d3 and prepares a
fianchetto on b2. c7 14.d3 0-0 15.h1
fe8 16.b3 b6? Can White really get away
with slow and loosening moves like f2-f3 and
b2-b3? The queen was well placed on c7
attacking the backward pawn on c2. Perhaps
[ 16...ac8 17.b2 ( Black would at least be
a tempo up on the game after 17.f4 b6
18.e3 b5 19.xb5 xe3 ) 17...c4!
is the way to disrupt White's build up, for if
18.bxc4 dxc4 19.f2 c3 20.c1 cd8
and I assume Black will regain the piece with
a winning position. ]
17.e3 b5 18.xb5 xb5 19.d2 b6
W hite has a slight but definite edge. Black
now destroys his own kingside pawn structure
with a misguided attempt to exchange off
bishops. 20.fe1 c5? 21.g5 xe1+
22.xe1 e8 23.xf6 gxf6 24.g3 xe1+
25.xe1 The ending is now horrible for Black.
d6 26.g2 c6 27.d2 g7 28.f2 h5
29.d1 d4 30.f2 c3 31.xc3 dxc3
32.f4 c5 33.e4 d4 34.d6 c5
35.b5 a6 36.xc3 f5 37.d5 a5 38.a4
f6 39.c3 f7 40.f3 e6 41.e3 a3
42.e2 f8 43.d3 c5 44.h3 d6
45.c2 h4 46.d4+ d7 47.gxh4 xf4
48.h5 e8 49.xf5 f7 50.b4
1-0
737 C08
Rosentalis
Bareev,Evgeny
Elista 1998
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3
Although this move order sometimes has an
independent value, in this game it proves the
equivalent of
[ 4.exd5 exd5 5.gf3 f6 6.b5+ etc. ]
4...f6 5.exd5 exd5 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+
bxd7 8.0-0 e7 9.dxc5 xc5 10.e1
[ After 10.b3 ce4 11.fd4 d7 12.f3
0-0 13.f5 d8!? ( In Psakhis-Bareev,
Polanica-Zdroj 1997, our hero allowed the
exchange of queens, when 13...g6 14.xd7
xd7 15.f4 was a bit better for White,
though this game f inished in a draw as
well! ) 14.f4 g6 15.h3 e8 16.ad1
d6 and a draw was agreed in Rublevsky-
Bareev, St. Petersburg 1998. Evidently,
Bareev has decided that preserving the
q u e e n s g i ve s B l a c k m o r e c h a n c e s f o r
activity. In particular, the b2 pawn can be
put under pressure by a future...Qb6 in
combination with ... a5 and ...a4. ]
10...0-0 11.f1 e8 12.e3 a5!
Black mobilises his queenside pawns without
more ado. Against the same opponent a year
earlier, Bareev had got into trouble after
[ 12...d7 13.e2! b5 14.c3 ce4 15.e5
[gaining time for a strong manoeuvre by
attacking the black queen.] b7 16.d3 a5
17.d4 b4 18.cxb4 axb4 19.b3 f8
20.e3 etc. Rozentalis-Bareev , Kazan
19 9 7 . B la ck h a s in su f f icie n t a c t ivit y t o
compensate for the fixed weaknesses on b4
and d5, and only a typically gritty defence
saved Bareev from defeat. After this earlier
game, Bareev had recommended 12...a5 as
an improvement in Informator 71. Here he
gets the chance to try it out. It is pleasing
to see that, unlike some top class
Grandmasters, Bareev is willing to reveal his
true opening thoughts to the masses! ]
13.e2 b5 14.d4 e6 15.e5 g4
In Informator 73, Bareev was critical of this
move and instead suggested
[ 15...c5 with complications after 16.e3
b4 17.xf6 xf6 18.xd5 xb2 19.c4
660
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
a3 etc. This looks fine for Black, as long as
his queen doesn't drop off the board! ]
16.g3 b4 17.xe6? White has
miscalculated the tactics that result from this
move. Instead
[ 17.h3 f6 18.e3 planning to answer
c5 with 19.e5 is recommended by
Ba re e v, t h o u gh g5!? 20.xg5 xe5
21.f3 e4 is very active for Black. ]
17...fxe6 18.d4 f6! 19.xg4 h5! 20.d1
h4 21.f4 e5 Black wins back a piece and
remains the exchange up for a pawn. 22.e3
exd4 23.xd4 xd4 24.xd4 g5 25.d3
e5 26.a3 e4! This bullies White into
conceding more ground, as after the
e x c h a n g e o f q u e e n s a n y ch a n c e o f h i m
gaining counterplay by exploiting the slightly
exposed black king would disappear. 27.d1
ac8 28.axb4 xc2 29.bxa5 f5 30.d4
[ Here 30.d2 h3 31.f3 is given as
unclear by Bareev. However, the mundane
hxg2 32.a6 xb2 33.a7 a8 followed by
rounding up the a7 pawn looks like a simple
win for Black. ]
30...e4 31.b6 d4 32.b3+ e6 33.f3
h7 34.d1 ee2 35.xd4 xg2+ 36.h1
h3 Now White doesn't have perpetual check,
so the mating threats of ...Rxh2+ or . ..Rg1+
cannot be averted. This was an exciting game,
but don't be mislead: normally in Bareev's
hands this opening line leads to a solid draw
after some careful defence by Black! 37.d3+
h6 38.e3+ g5 39.d6+ h7 40.d3+
f5
0-1
738 C08
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2586
Ross,D 2318
4th It Montreal CAN (4) 26.07.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 f6
5.exd5 exd5 6.b5+ d7 7.xd7+ bxd7
8.0-0 e7 9.dxc5 xc5 10.b3
[ A major alternative is 10.e1 planning Nf1 ,
Be3, Bd4 and Ne3. Then the knight attacks
the isolated pawn and the bishop aims at
the defender of the pawn- the knight on f6. ]
10...ce4 11.bd4
[ Recently we have looked in some detail at
11.fd4!? which clears the way for f2-f3 to
evict the knight from e4. ]
11...c8!? As played by the great Tigran
Petrosian. The key thing is to prevent Nf5.
[ In Kveinys-Brynell on ChessPub 11...d7
12.f4 0-0 13.e5 c8 turned out l for
Black. The reasoning behind provoking Ne5
is that the knight might prove a target on
e5. ]
12.d3!? White decides to leave his knight on
d4 and wait to see if he can exploit the f5
square. Earlier the plan of c2-c3, Nc2 and Bd4
h a s h e l d swa y, b u t W h i t e h a s a c h i e v e d
nothing much, f or example, here are two
games by a top Chinese GM:
[ 12.c3 0-0 13.e3 e8 14.c2 b6 ( or
14...d6 15.d4 c6 16.e3 ad8
17.e1 b8 18.c2 h5 19.g3 g6
20.h4 g5 21.f3 g6 22.h4 g5
23.f3 g6 and Black was actively placed
in Ye Jiangchuan-Gurevich,M/Belfort 1999.)
15.d4 c5 16.e3 e6 17.e1 ad8
18.a4 h5 19.g3 f5 20.xc5 bxc5
21.g2 f4 22.g5 and in this messy
position a draw was agreed in Ye
Jiangchuan-Short,N/ Beijing 2000. ]
12...0-0 13.f4 a6 14.c3 e8 15.ad1
c5?!
[ Instead 15...g6!? intending Bf8 and Bg7
looks very solid. ]
16.h3 b5 17.fe1 b7?! Black wants to
develop his queen's rook but he gives away
his control of the f5 square.
[ It wasn't too late for 17...g6 followed by Bf8
and Bg7. In this way the queen would be
freed from the need to defend f5. ]
18.e3 ac8 19.f5! Now White achieves
the ideal set up for his pieces mentioned on
move 10. f8
[ Nevertheless Black's position would be a
hard nut to crack after 19...xe3 20.xe3
cd8 ]
20.d4 e6 21.e3 Mission accomplished.
ce8?
[ Black drifts into serious danger. He should
have safeguarded d5 with 21...d8 ]
22.xf6 xf6 23.f1! Now the d pawn is
really threatened. Black can only defend it at
the cost of allowing White a strong attacking
manoeuvre. d8 24.g5! b6
661
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ Even worse is 24...ee8 25.g4 ]
25.g4 g6 Or else h7 collapses. 26.e5
Now there is no way to defend f7. The
Gran d ma st e r win s h is pa wn , a n d af t er a
s h a r p s t r u g g l e t h e g a m e a s w e l l . g7
27.exf7 f8 28.e5 b4 29.c4 b3 30.c5
b5 31.e6 bxa2 It might look like Black is
fighting hard but there are two white rooks to
stop the passed pawn whereas a disaster has
occurred on the kingside. 32.xf8 xf8
33.c6 b6 34.f3 g7 35.c1 c5
36.xc5 xc5 37.c3 xc3 38.bxc3 e8
39.f4 g5 40.g3 gxf4 41.gxf4 c7 42.a1
h6 43.xa2 xf4 44.g2+
1-0
739 C08
Rublevsky,Sergei
Bareev,Evgeny
Polanica Zdroj 1997
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 exd5
5.b5+ White embarks on an immediate raid
to snatch a pawn. d7 6.e2+!?
[ Exchanging bishops allows Black to
equalise, which isn't very surprising as
Black often spends a tempo with ..a6 to
provoke the bishop to move from b5! A
sample game is 6.xd7+ xd7 7.e2+
e7 8.dxc5 f6 9.gf3 0-0 10.b3 e8
11.e3 a6! 12.0-0 xc5 and a draw was
agreed in B.Lalic-Bareev, Pula 1997. ]
6...e7 7.dxc5 f6 8.b3 0-0 9.f3 e8
10.e3 a6 This forces the bishop to declare
its intentions. 11.d3
[ 11.xd7 bxd7 obviously suits Black. ]
11...a4! The routine
[ 11...c6? would leave Black hard pressed
to ever regain his pawn. ]
12.fd4 bd7 13.0-0-0
[ T h e q u i e t e r 13.0-0 is best answered by
xc5 according to Emms, but this leaves
the bishop looking rather sad on a4 after
14.xc5 xc5 etc. The problem with 13...
Bxb3 is the zwischenzug 14 c6! to weaken
Black's pawns, but 14...Ba4 15 cxd7 Bxd7
doesn't seem too bad for him. ]
13...xb3 14.xb3 a5 15.a4 xc5 16.b5
xb3+ 17.cxb3 c7+ 18.b1 ed8
19.d4 White cannot really claim to have the
superior pawn structure any longer, but his
two bishops give him a dangerous initiative.
Black has to aim for further simplification and
pla y in the cent re . I f W hite is allo wed t o
develop an attack on the kingside it will be
almost impossible to generate any counter
threats against the white king. e4 20.f3
c5 21.e5 d6 Not
[ 21...b6 22.xg7 Black pursues his plan
of simplification, but the resulting endgame
is rather unpleasant for him. ]
22.xd5 xe5 23.xe5 xe5 24.xe5
xb3 25.a2 Not letting the knight return to
the c5 square, but the beast finds another way
to fight White's plan to control the c file. d4
26.c1 ab8 27.c7 e6 28.d7 dc8
29.f5 f6 30.d6 c5 So the knight reaches
c5 after all. Bareev has succeeded in holding
the balance, but it has involved some serious
grovelling. 31.g4 b6 32.h4 f7 33.g5 d8
34.c6 dc8 35.gxf6 xc6 36.xc6 gxf6
37.h5 h8
½-½
740 C08
Vajda,Levente 2576
Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter 2613
ch-ROM Arles Curtea de ROM (5.1) 01.12.02
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 exd5
5.gf3 f6 6.b5+ d7 7.e2+ e7 8.0-0
[ The game position can also arise via the
move order 8.dxc5 0-0 9.b3 e8 10.0-0
( On Che ssPu b we a lso loo k a t 10.e3 )
10...xc5 11.d3 etc. ]
8...0-0 9.dxc5 e8 10.b3 xc5 11.d3
a6! As used by the great David Bronstein in
his match against Botvinnik, and still the most
successful idea for Black in this line. However,
the retreat of the bishop is also solid, e.g.
[ 11...b6 12.g5 c6 13.a4 h6 14.h4
a6 15.xc6 bxc6 16.a5 a7 17.ae1 g5
18.xe8+ xe8 19.g3 e4 and Black
had dynamic play in Timman,J-Short,N/
Linares 1989. ]
12.xd7
[ T h e p o i n t i s t h a t 12.xc5? xb5
costs W hite the exchange. But now the
662
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
bishop on c5 is defended. ]
12...bxd7 13.a4
[ The pawn advance is less effective than in
the Timman extract above, as White doesn't
gain time by attacking a bishop on b6 with
a4-a5. Here is a heavy weight battle from
the match mentioned above. Black tries to
generate activity by utilising the e4 square,
while White aims to keep things quiet and
gradually exploit the d4 square. It ends all
even: 13.g5 f8 14.ad1 c7 15.c3 h6
16.h4 e4 17.g3 b6 18.fd2 ee8
19.c2 ac8 20.f3 g6 21.fe1 g7
22.xe8+ xe8 23.f4 f8 24.h3 h7
25.h2 e5 26.e3 c7 27.d4 e4
28.xe5 xe5 29.g4 f4 30.c1
( It looks risky to take the pawn after
30.xd5 h5 ) 30...d6 Not wanting an
endgame in which the d5 pawn becomes a
liability. 31.c2 f6 ( It is a moral success
for Black that he could repeat with 31...f4 )
32.xf6+ xf6 33.d3 ( Not 33.xd5
e1+ 34.h2 f4+ 35.g3 f3 ) 33...d8
34.e3 g7 35.g3 h5 36.g2 d6
37.d4 with an eventual draw in Botvinnik,M-
Bronstein,D/Moscow 1951. ]
13...a7 compared to Bb6 line, the plan of a4-
a 5 l e s s e f f e c t i v e a s n o B o n b 6 . 14.a5?!
White presses on with his queenside pawn
advance, but he unjustly neglects the centre.
You would never find a Botvinnik playing like
this! It is no wonder that he is soon over run
by Black's dynamism: c7 15.a4? e4!
This is extremely awkward for White. Taking
on e4 loses a piece, while if he occupies d4
with the queen's knight then the fork Nc5
appears. 16.bd4 c8
[ The pin saves White after 16...c5 17.c3
but now all he can do is retreat the queen. ]
17.d1 e5! 18.c3 xf3+ 19.xf3 ce8
20.g5 g4! Threats will appear against f2
and h2. 21.h4
[ He r e ' s wh a t m i g h t h a p p e n a f t e r 21.h3
xf2!? ( Or 21...xf2+ 22.xf2 e1+
23.xe1? h2+ 24.f1 h1# ) 22.xf2
g3 23.f1 xa4 ]
21...xa4 22.xa4 e4 Black uses the e4
square in great style. 23.b4
[ The only way to resist was 23.c2 ]
23...xc3
[ W h i t e w a s h o p i n g f o r 23...xh2??
24.xh2 xh4 25.e8# ]
24.h3 f6 25.xf6 xf6 26.c1 g6
27.c8+ g7 White resigned. He is a passed
pawn down, there is a threat of mate in three
and the f2 square will be assaulted by Re2 or
Qb2.
0-1
741 C08
Van Beers,Eddy 2431
Kern,Guido 2329
TCh-2003-4 Belgium BEL (4) 08.12.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 exd5
5.b5+ d7 6.e2+ You can find detailed
analysis of this variation in other games on
ChessPub. e7 7.dxc5 f6 8.b3 0-0
9.e3 e8 10.f3 a6 11.d3 a4 12.fd4
bd7 13.0-0-0 xb3 14.axb3!?
[ A new attempt to set the opponent
p r o b l e m s . H e r e 14.xb3 is universally
played, but xc5 is solid enough for Black. ]
14...xc5? White is rewarded immediately for
his opening experiment. Because the correct
response to the normal 14.Nxb3 is 14...Nxc5,
Black automatically assumes it is the best
reply to 14.axb3. Not so:
[ 14...xc5! would contain the awkward
threat of 15...Bxd4. Then I would
recommend that W hite probe for a
positional advantage with
A) 15.f3 e5 16.h3 b6 17.f5
xe3+ 18.xe3 ( I prefer Black after
18.fxe3 g6 ) 18...xd3+ 19.xd3 e4
( risky is 19...xf2 20.hf1 ) 20.hf1 e5
21.d4 ( Not 21.d4? a5! and wins. )
21...ae8 - Prandstetter,E-Schmidt,W/
Prague 1987.;
B) 15.f5!? as in the only previous game
with 14.axb3 Black equalised after b6
16.xd7 ( 16.he1!? ) 16...xd7 17.f3
with a miniscule plus for White due to the
weak d5 pawn. ]
15.f3 Now White can get his queen onto an
attacking post without being harassed by Ne5.
a5?! Black can't resist trying to exploit the
apparent weakness created by 14.axb3, but
after W hite's reply there is no more black
a t t a ck a n d t h e b la ck qu e e n is n o lo n ge r
663
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
available for the defence of the kingside. It
made much more sense to play in the centre
with
[ 15...fe4 or ]
[ 15...c8 when if 16.f5?! xb3+ ]
16.b1 ce4 17.f5 c5 18.xe4 dxe4
[ Black cannot avoid damage to his kingside
with 18...xe4 because of 19.h6+ f8?
( He has to endure 19...gxh6 20.xf6 )
20.xd5! xd5? 21.xf7# ]
19.h6+! gxh6
[ Forced as here 19...f8 20.f5 b4
21.xa5 xa5 22.c5+ is fatal for Black. ]
20.xf6 xe3 21.d7! a powerful g that
cements W hite's positional advantage. Not
only will White have more compact pawns but
he will also have a rook on the seventh rank.
h5 He has to stop mate in two. 22.fxe3 e6
23.f4 b5 24.hd1 ae8 25.1d5 g6
26.f5 8e7 Black manages to safeguard f7
and get rid of W hite's dominant rook, but it
costs him a pawn. 27.xe7 xe7 28.f6
g5 29.xg5+ hxg5 30.xa6 f5 31.c1
f4 32.d2 White's king arrives in time to
subdue Black's counterplay. Now Van Beers
gradually grinds out a win in the endgame.
g7 33.b6 d7+ 34.e2 c7 35.c3 c5
36.e6 b4 37.c4 a5 38.d6 a1 39.exf4
gxf4 40.d1 a2 41.d2 f6 42.c2 e6
43.c5 d7 44.g3 fxg3 45.hxg3 a1
46.c4 c6 47.xb4 b1 48.e3 xb2
49.xe4 xc5 50.b7 h2 51.g4 h3
52.f5 f3+ 53.g5 h3 54.b4+ c6
55.e7 d6 56.f7 h6+ 57.f4 b3
58.f6+ e7 59.b6 f7 60.f5 f3+
61.e4 g3 62.f5 f3+ 63.e5 g7
64.c6 e3+ 65.d5 d3+ 66.e5 e3+
67.d5 d3+ 68.c5 g3 69.b5 xg4
70.b6 g1 71.b7 c1+ 72.d6 b1
73.c7
1-0
742 C09
Adams,Michael 2737
Jussupow,Artur 2601
ch-FRA Top 16 Poule Haute (8) 04.05.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 exd5
5.gf3 c6 6.b5 d6 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0
ge7 9.b3 d6 10.e1 0-0 11.d3
Preven tive p lay th at is typical of Adams '
chess temperament. His priority is to stop the
pin 11...Bg4, which can now be answered by
12.Bxh7+! Kxh7 13.Ng5+ and 14.Qxg4 picking
up a pawn.
[ Instead the more direct 11.g5 led to a
convincing win for White in Emms-Hansen
on ChessPub. ]
11...h6 12.h3 Putting paid to the pin on g4 for
good. f5! White's non confrontational play
give s Yu su p o v t h e ch a n ce t o d e p lo y h is
pieces onto active squares. 13.c3 f6
14.c2 d8 15.d3 g6 16.d2 f8
17.f4 g7 18.d2 g5 19.h2 b6?!
Up until here Yusupov has resisted all White's
probing in excellent style. Now, however, he
starts to weaken. Having gone to so much
trouble to manoeuvre his bishop from d6 to g7,
Black was naturally reluctant to move it back
again, but after
[ 19...f8! 20.ad1 d6 21.h1
W hite's queen is on a bizarre square. I
guess he can gradually bring it into action
again with g2-g3 and Qg2, but Black has at
least maintained the energy in his position. ]
20.ad1 a6?!
[ The bishop looks better on e6, when if
20...e6 21.xf5 xf5 it is poised to go to
e4. ]
21.xf5! With a series of astute exchanges,
Adams seizes the chance to destroy Black's
dynamism. xf5 22.e3 c4 23.bd4!
xd4 24.xd4 xd4 25.xd4 Suddenly
there are serious dark square holes in the
bla ck p ositio n . e8 26.c7! This is the
queen that Black could have forced to h1!
xa2?
[ Black should fish in troubled waters with
26...e2! ]
27.c6! I've often observed that when a
player is weak on squares of a certain colour,
the win nin g breakth ro ugh a lm ost a lways
occurs on a square of the opposite colour.
Here for example W hite is dominant on the
dark squares, but it is this light square move-
hitting a8, e8 and h6- which is decisive. f8
28.xh6 f6 29.e7 f7 30.de1 af8
31.xf7 xf7 32.g4!
[ It is mate on h7 if the queen goes to f4 or f3
to keep f6 guarded, while if 32.g4 g6
664
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
33.e7+ wins the queen. ]
1-0
743 C09
Caruana,Fabiano 2709
Short,Nigel D 2680
53rd Masters (3) 30.12.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 c6
5.exd5 exd5 6.b5 cxd4
[ Previous updates have featured the old
main line, in which Black seems to lose a
tempo, but ends up in the game position
with White's knight on b3 instead of d4. It's
not clear whom this favours. Of the
hundreds of grandmaster games, here are a
few excerpted from the ChessPublishing
French column: 6...d6 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0
ge7 9.b3 d6 10.e1 0-0 11.g5!?
( 11.d3 h6 12.h3 (compare the main
game) f5! 13.c3 f6 14.c2 d8
15.d3 g6 16.d2 f8 17.f4 g7
18.d2 g5 19.h2 Adams, M (2737)-
Jussupow, A (2601)/Port Barcares FRA
2005 and here Neil McDonald recommends
playing f8 with the idea ...Bd6. Perhaps
W hite will still get some pressure on the
centre, but Black will be reasonably active
and at any rate stand only slightly worse. )
A) I annotated a nice game from White's
point of view which went (quoting my own
notes) 11...h6!? 12.h4 ( 12.xe7!?
xe7 13.bd4 is a reorganization that
has a good reputation for White, in spite
of granting Black the bishop pair.
Nevertheless, Black should be okay after
b6 14.b1 c6 15.c3 g4 ) 12...g4
13.g3 c8 ( Or 13...xg3 14.hxg3 e8
. I d o n ' t t h i n k t h a t B l a c k h a s se ri o u s
difficulties in this line, as he can always
play actively around his d-pawn.) 14.c3
a6!? ( 14...xg3 15.hxg3 e8 ) 15.e2
e8 16.fd4! xe2 17.xe2 d7
Kudrin, S (2546)-Yang, D (2402)/Arlington
USA 2010, and here I think White should
h a ve t ri e d 18.xd6! xd4 ( 18...xd6
19.ad1 ) 19.xd4 c6! ( 19...xd6
20.g4! ) 20.d3 xd4 21.xd4 xd6
22.ad1 with a very small edge, slightly
irritating to Black.;
B) 11...g4!? 12.h4 e8 ( or 12...h5 )
13.g3 xg3 14.hxg3 b6 15.a4 h6
( 15...a6! 16.d3 f5 ) 16.d2! xf3!?
17.gxf3 ed8 18.d3 c7 19.g2 d6
20.e2 f8 21.ae1 with a nice
advantage, Emms, J (2527)-Hansen, L
(2562), Esbjerg DEN 2000. ]
7.0-0
[A 7.e2+ e7 8.xd4
has a considerable history, but the verdict
has always been that White could create no
serious problems after xe2+ 9.xe2
d7 ]
[ B The main alternative is 7.xd4 : d7
8.2f3 f6 ( 8...d6 9.0-0 ge7
i s e q u a l l y p o p u l a r a n d m a y g i ve m o r e
positive chances nevertheless, White has
succeeded in getting small edges in some
contests. ) 9.0-0 e7 10.c3 0-0 . This has
led to manageable positions and decent
results in practice , e.g. , 11.d3 e8
( 11...g4 is also playable) 12.e1 g4
( 12...d6! 13.xe8+ xe8= ) 13.a4
Hoang Thanh Trang (2487)-Gvetadze, S
(2342), Rijeka CRO 2010. Here ( 13.b3!
a5 14.c2 ) 13...b6 is probably the
simplest course, e.g., 14.b3 c5 15.xb6
xb6 16.f4 e4 . The problem for White
is that such positions are so difficult to win
even if Black plays inaccurately. Black's
problem is that W hite really has to play
poorly to give him anything at all. ]
7...d6 8.b3 ge7 9.bxd4 0-0
The difference here from the dxc5 main lines
is that W hite's knight is already on d4. In
some ways that makes Black's defence easier,
in that he can make convenient exchanges
and his d-pawn is not attacked by W hite's
queen. On the downside, his winning chances
are greatly reduced. 10.h3
[ 10.e1 g4 is easy for Black once White
is committed to Nbd4. ]
10...e8 11.c3 a6 12.d3 xd4 13.xd4
c6 14.f3 c7 15.g5 d6 16.h4 h6
[ Both 16...c5 and ]
[ 16...e6 17.g3 d7 18.xc7 xc7
may be very lightly +=, but are easy to play. ]
17.c2 e6 18.g3!?
[ 18.g5 h5 19.e3 xh3! 20.gxh3
xh3 will draw, and ]
665
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 18.e1 h5!? 19.g3 xg3 20.fxg3
isn't much to brag about, but is W hite's
best. ]
18...xg3 19.fxg3 ad8 20.d3 g6 21.g4
f5 22.ae1
[ Or 22.g5 f8 23.fe1 c5+ 24.d4 f7
with no problems. ]
22...fxg4 23.hxg4 f7 My original version of
this game gave it as drawn at this point, but
that proves not to be the case, as Caruana
goes on to win a lengthy battle. So my note
tha t A s the game goes, W hite ga in s just
enough edge to keep the pressure on. This
didn't have to happen, however:
[ 23...xg4 24.xe8+ xe8 25.b3 g7
"is a lso f in e " t ake s o n so me wha t m o re
significance. Rybka gives a tiny edge for
Black, which inevitably dissipates to a draw
with any care on White's part, e.g., 26.xd5!
f5 27.d1 e3+ 28.h1 d3 ( 28...g4
29.xc6 bxc6 30.d6 xf3 31.xf3
e1+= ) 29.h4!? ( 29.xd3! xd3
30.d1 e4 31.xe4 xe4 32.g1
s h o u l d b e e a s i l y d r a w n) 29...xd1
30.xf5+! ( 30.xd1 g4 31.f3 e5
32.xg4 xg4 33.d7+ f6 34.f3 b5!?
35.xh7 e2 with some winning chances)
30...gxf5 31.xd1 d8 32.g1= ]
24.g5 f8 25.a4 xe1
[ Or 25...b5 26.b3 c5+ 27.h1
( 27.d4 xd4 28.cxd4 b6 ) 27...g7= ]
26.xe1 b5 27.b3 d6
[ 27...c5+ is consistent. Then White gets
n o t h i n g f r o m 28.d4 ( 28.h1 f2
29.e2 c5 ) 28...xd4 29.cxd4 d6 ]
28.d4 xd4 29.xd4! g3? This will lose
material.
[ 29...a5 , but White has some pressure by
now anyway. After W hite wins the pawn,
things go pretty smoothly. It's almost
impossible to defend such positions under
the best circumstances. ]
30.e5 a5 31.a3 b4 32.axb4 axb4
33.xd5 bxc3 34.bxc3 xd5 35.xd5
xd5 36.xd5+ g7 37.d2 c7
38.d4+ g8 39.c4 e7 40.c5 xg5
41.c4+ f8 42.c6 d8 43.f4+ g8
44.h2 d5 45.f6 h5+ 46.g3 c5
47.g4 d5 48.h3 h5+ 49.g3 c5
50.e6+ g7 51.f3 c3+ 52.e4 c2+
53.d4 xg2 54.c7 d2+ 55.c5 a5+
56.d6 a3+ 57.d7 a4+ 58.e7 a7
59.d7
1-0
744 C09
Emms,John M 2527
Hansen,A1 2562
North Sea Cup (3) 09.07.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 exd5
5.gf3 c6 6.b5 d6 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0
ge7 9.b3 d6
[ If 9...b6 then the straightforward 10.e1
followed by 11 Be3 gives W hite a slight
but enduring edge after the exchange of
dark squared bishops. ]
10.e1 0-0 11.g5!? This is the Karpov
a p p ro a ch t o t h e p o s it io n . W h i t e a i m s t o
e xc h a n g e d a rk s q u a r e d b is h o p s a n d s o
deprive Black of most of the dynamism in his
set up. g4 12.h4 e8 13.g3 xg3
14.hxg3 b6 15.a4 h6 16.d2!? xf3
Black exchanges before the knight runs away
to d4, when he would be left with a clumsy
bishop. 17.gxf3 Now between here and move
35 W hite brings all his pieces to excellent
squares- the rooks are doubled on the e file,
the knight reaches d4, the bishop decides it
likes d3 an d f in ally the quee n rea che s a
pleasant post. Meanwhile the white king sits
snugly on g2, completely free of any danger.
ed8 18.d3 c7 19.g2 d6 20.e2
f8 21.ae1 g8 22.b5 ce7 23.d4
a6 24.d3 e8 25.c3 ac8? This is a bad
tactical blunder which completely misses
White's reply. Another way to lose was
[ 25...f6? 26.xe7! xe7 27.f5
so he had to try something dour and
defensive such as ]
[ 25...ad8 ]
26.f5! This combination wins a pawn by
force. xf5 27.xf5 The point: queen is
immune to capture and taking on e2 would
c o s t B l a c k a r o o k a f t e r 2 8 Q x c 8 + . d4
28.xe8+ xe8 29.xe8+ xe8 30.c8+
d8 31.xb7 e7 32.d3 a5 33.b4 g5
34.b5+ f8 35.bxa5 d5 36.a6
1-0
666
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
745 C09
Jones,Gawain C 2624
Socko,Bartosz 2628
Schachbundesliga 2011-12 (13) 18.03.2012
[Sam Collins]
1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 Of course. Socko is a
regular French defence player, so he can
happily play this variation against the c3-
Sicilian. 3.d4 d5 4.exd5
[ 4.e5 would lead to the Advance French,
which Ga wain do esn't p lay. His norma l
repertoire against the French is the Tarrasch,
which can lead to similar positions (after 1.
e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5) to
those reached in the game. ]
4...exd5 5.f3 c6 6.b5 d6 7.dxc5
xc5 8.0-0 ge7 9.bd2 0-0 10.b3 b6
11.e1 g4 12.e3 e8 13.a4
[ Gawain's attempted improvement on the
13.h3 of Howell - Short (covered in a
previous update). A thematic plan for Black
in such structures is to put his queen on b6
and then start harassing the b3-knight (and
the b2-pawn) by pushing his a-pawn. To
anticipate this by seizing queenside space
is thematic. However, just how good
W hite's chances are in the resulting
positions is debatable. The queen on b6 will
now be hitting a knight on b3 without any
pawn cover. Hence White will probably have
to play a5 to kick the queen away from its
strong post. Once this is done, the a5-pawn
will be attacked by two black pieces (the
knight on c6 and the queen on the d8-a5
diagonal) and W hite will have to allow a
queenside weakness, either on a5 or (after
b4 ) on c 3. T he curren t ga me is a go o d
illustration of this script playing out. ]
13...a6
[ The position after 13...f5 was agreed
drawn in R.Rabiega (2490) - K.Van der
Weide (2375), Beriner Sommer 1997. After
14.xb6 xe1+ 15.xe1 xd1 16.xd8
xb3 the computer assesses the position as
drawn. I can't see a way for White to exploit
his bishop pair. ]
14.d3
[ Similar play to that in the game arose in D.
Rosandic (2385) - O. Cvitan (2520), Zadar
19 9 5 a f t e r 14.xb6 xb6 15.e2 g6
16.a5 c7 17.h3 xf3 18.xf3 ed8
19.e2 d6 20.g3 ge5 21.g2 g6
22.ed1 ad8 . Black is perfectly mobilised
and has no problems, though of course it is
difficult for him to generate any winning
chances. After 23.d2 c4 24.xd5 xd5
25.xd5 4xa5 26.xa5 a draw was
agreed. ]
14...g6! This feels like the right square once
the bishop has gone to d3 - now Black has
ideas of ...Ne5 (with or without a preliminary
exchange on f3). 15.xb6
[ 15.h3 xf3 16.xf3 ce5 17.e2 xd3
18.xd3 e5 19.c2 c4 and Black is
very comfortable. ]
15...xb6
[ T h e m o r e f o r c i n g 15...xe1+
is also possible: 16.xe1 ( 16.xe1 xb6
17.bd4 f4 is fine for Black) 16...xd1
( 16...xb6 17.c2 ce5
is more ambitious) 17.xd8 xb3 18.b6
e8 and Black can't be worse. ]
16.xe8+ xe8 17.a5 d8
[ Sounder than 17...xf3 18.axb6 xd1
19.xd1 when Black has given White some
ch a n c e s o n t h e q u e e n s i d e , t h o u g h h e
should still be fine after ge5 ]
18.h3 xf3 19.xf3 ge5 20.d1 xd3
21.xd3 e7 22.d4 xd4
[ 22...e5 is also equal. ]
23.xd4 g6 24.b4 Shoring up the a-pawn,
but now there is a weakness on c3 which
balances the weakness on d5. e4 25.d2
f6 26.d1 f5 Black is far too active to
have any problems here. 27.f3 e5 28.e1
h5 29.xe5 xe5 30.f2 h4 31.e3 f5
32.d4 c2+ 33.f1 c1+ 34.e2 c2+
35.f1 Another game which confirms my
asse ssm e nt t ha t th is lin e p o ses a m a jo r
headache for W hite to get any class of an
advantage. It will remain uncommon since
few players can handle both the Sicilian and
the French, but for those with both in their
repertoire it remains a very solid choice, with
t h e o n l y d o wn s i d e t h a t B l a c k ' s wi n n i n g
chances are even more limited than White's.
½-½
667
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
746 C09
Kosintseva,Nadezhda 2528
Muzychuk,Anna 2598
Kazan FIDE GP (Women) 4th (11) 22.06.2012
[Sam Collins]
1.e4 c5 2.f3 c6 3.c3 e6 4.d4 d5
5.exd5 exd5 6.b5 d6 7.0-0 ge7
8.dxc5 xc5 9.bd2 0-0 10.b3 d6
In terms of popularity, this seems to be a
close second to the other bishop retreat.
[ I ' v e g i v e n m y t h o u g h t s o n 10...b6
in my notes to Howell - Short and Jones -
Socko. ]
11.d3 Again, the most popular move. h6
12.e3 A very positionally well-motivated
move, aimed at trading the dark-squared
bishops. Godena has played this twice.
[ 12.h3 is overwhelmingly the most popular
move here, and makes a natural
complement to 11.Bd3. Black couldn't play ...
Bg4 on the last move in view of Bxh7+, and
now can't play ...Bg4 for a more
straightforward reason. A recent high level
game proceeded f5 13.c2 e8 14.d3
g6 15.d1 e6 16.d2 f8 17.xf5 xf5
18.xd5 f6 19.bd4 e4 20.b5 xd4
21.xd4 a6 22.f1 ad8 with full
compensation in S.Rublevsky (2703) - A.
Kovalev (2515), Ohrid 2009 (1/2-1/2 in 33). ]
12...f5
[ A typical example of the drawish tendency
of this line is the following: 12...f5 13.e1
e8 14.h3 d7 15.c5 xd3 16.xd3
g6 17.xd6 xd6 18.bd4 ge5
19.xe5 xe5 20.g3 f6 21.ad1 ac8
22.e2 and a draw was agreed in M.Godena
(2508) - O.Renet (2573), Switzerland 2004. ]
[ 12...g4 has been played in several
games. 13.h3 h5 14.e2 e8 15.fd4
( or 15.bd4 c7 16.d2 xd4 17.xd4
xe2 and a draw was agreed in M. Ragger
(2347) - N.Sommerbauer (2413), Hartberg
2003 ) 15...xe2 16.xe2 e5 17.ad1
was M.Godena (2528) - A.Pihlajasalo (2436),
ICC INT 2008 (1-0 in 32), and no w c4
would have given Black good play. ]
13.c5 e8 Kosintseva now goes in for a
desirable piece exchange, but in the process
adds to Black's lead in development. 14.xf5
[ Conservative play with 14.e1 and equality
was perhaps more advisable. ]
14...xf5 15.xd6 xd6 16.fd4 g6
Houdini initially assesses this as slightly
better for Black, an assessment I find tough to
believe. However, Black is well mobilised,
White is a million miles away from
pressurising d5, and while the d4-knight vs.
g6-bishop imbalance is in White's favour, the
presence of knights on c6 and b3 is in Black's -
in p a r t ic u la r, t h i s give s ch a n ce s o f p la y
against the b2-pawn. Accordingly, Black has
no problems. In the game, Kosintseva gets
into troub le rem arkably quickly. 17.d2?!
This invites Black's knight manoeuvre.
[ 17.f3 e5 18.g3 is a more active
setup. ]
17...e5! 18.f4 b6 19.ae1 c4
[ 19...d3 20.xe8+ xe8 21.d2 a6!?
22.a3 b6 also left Black on top. ]
20.c1 White has fallen into passivity, and
th e t e xt b o o k a d va n ce o f t he a -p awn will
create further problems. ac8 21.f3 a5!
22.a4 f5 23.xe8+ xe8 24.e1 xe1+
25.xe1 d7 White has defended against
the immediate threats, but still can't move
either of her knights. 26.a1 One of the
h a rd e st d e cisio n s in a wo rse p o s it io n i s
whether to stay passive or go active. Here, it
seems, Kostintseva made the wrong decision.
In fairness, a1 is a ridiculous square for the
white queen, notwithstanding the fact that it
covers two queenside weaknesses.
[ 26.e7!? c6 27.h3 xb2 28.h1
f ollowed by Nc5 gives a ctivity which, it
seems, is sufficient to compensate for the
pawn. ]
26...g6 27.f2?
[ 27.e2 was more tenacious, when after
b6+ 28.ed4 Black needs to come up
with a new idea, perhaps h5!? with play on
both sides of the board. ]
27...g5! The queen is now in touch with a
network of weakened dark squares around the
w h i t e k i n g . 28.c5 Allowing a decisive
penetration, but it is hard to give good advice
to White at this point. d2+-+ 29.g3 c8
30.f1 b6 31.d3 g5+ 32.f2 e3+
33.g3 d2 It's mate in 8, apparently. 10...
Bd6 looks like an entirely viable alternative to
10... Bb6.
0-1
668
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

747 C09 19.xc6 xc6 20.d4 b6 21.e2!?

Kudrin,Sergey 2546 [ 21.xd6 xd6 22.e3 is better. ]
Yang,Darwin 2402 21...xe2?!
Continental Class Ch (9) 11.10.2010 [ 21...xg3 22.hxg3 e4! 23.ae1 ce8
[John Watson] is safe and sound. A lengthy line is 24.f1
e5! 25.xe4! xd3 26.xe8+ h7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 27.d1 xb2 28.b1 c5 29.xb2 xc3
5.gf3 c6 6.b5 d6 7.dxc5 xc5 8.0-0 30.xb7 xd4 31.xf7 , which will very
ge7 9.b3 d6 Old-timers will recall that likely be drawn. ]
this was onc e th e ma in line of t he 3 ...c5 22.xe2 c5 23.b3 d4!?
Tarrasch. Today it isn't seen as much but still [ 23...c6 24.xc5 xc5 25.d1
has a solid reputation. Kudrin has a lifetime of a n d B l a c k is a b it wo r se , a l t h o u g h d8
playing against it, so his treatment is 26.h3 f8! with the idea ...Ne6 keeps the
noteworthy. 10.e1 disadvantage small. ]
[ 10.bd4 and ] 24.g4! A fine move.
[ 10.g5 have been played and analysed [ 24.xc5 xc5 25.cxd4 xd4 26.d1
extensively over the years. ] leads to the pretty forcing line f4! 27.g4
10...0-0 11.g5 xd1+! 28.xd1 c1! 29.xc1 e2+
[ For some time, 11.d3 was the main move 30.f1 xc1 31.a3 , with equality following
Black seems to have found adequate f6 32.b4 f7 33.e1 b3 34.d1 e6
resources. ] 35.c2 d4+ 36.d3 d5 ]
11...h6!? This has been considered inferior, 24...d8 25.f5 e7 Ceding a pawn for
although perhaps it's not so bad. The main some compensation..
move is [ B l a c k m a y g e t a w a y w i t h 25...dxc3!?
[ 11...g4 , and sometimes Black tries ] , but it's not clear, to say the least: 26.xc5
[ 11...c7 ] ( 26.xc5? xb2 27.e1 c2 ) 26...xc5
12.h4 27.xc5 c2 28.f1 d1 ( perhaps 28...f5!?
[ 12.xe7!? xe7 13.bd4 29.f4 a5! 30.b3! a4 31.c1 d2
is a reorganization that has a good is better ) 29.b3 e7 ( 29...a5 30.c1 )
reputation for W hite, in spite of granting 30.f3 d5 31.f2 b4 32.e2 xf1
Black the bishop pair. Nevertheless, Black 33.xf1 d3 34.e2 c1 35.xc1
should be okay after b6 14.b1 c6 xc1+ 36.d1! d3 ( 36...xa2 37.e1 )
15.c3 g4 ] 37.c2 this looks promising for White. ]
12...g4 13.g3 c8 26.cxd4 f6 27.c1 b4 28.h3 a4
[ Or 13...xg3 14.hxg3 e8 . I don't think [ 28...xd4 29.c8 ( 29.xd4 xd4
that Black has serious difficulties in this line, 30.c7 xb2 31.xf7+ h7 ) 29...f6
as he can always play actively around his d- 30.xd8+ xd8 31.c8 b6 32.d2!? ]
pawn. ] 29.c8?! Now Black completely equalises.
14.c3 a6!? White retains the advantage after
[ 14...xg3 15.hxg3 e8 ] [ 29.c7! e8 30.a5! d7 ]
15.e2 e8 16.fd4! xe2 17.xe2 d7 29...xa2 30.xd8+ xd8 31.c8 xb3
18.d3!? 32.xd8+ h7 33.d5?! xb2??
[ 18.xd6 xd4 ( 18...xd6 19.ad1 ) [ 33...f5! 34.c7 xb2 and Black has the
19.xd4 c6! ( 19...xd6 20.g4! ) better chances: 35.d6 a1+ 36.h2 e5+
20.d3 xd4 21.xd4 xd6 22.ad1 37.g1 ( 37.g3 f4 38.d7 e2 ) 37...f4 ]
with a very small edge, slightly irritating to 34.d6 Now this pawn can hardly be stopped.
Black. ] d4 35.e8 f4 36.d7 e6 37.xf7 f8
18...g6?! Decentralizing. 38.xf8 xd7 39.c5 b5 40.b6 c8
[ The dull 18...xg3 19.hxg3 xd4 41.e5
20.xd4 c6 is safer. White will be hard- 1-0
pressed to come up with real chances. ]

669
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

748 C09 ac8 26.d2 c5 is difficult but perhaps

Safarli,E 2649 defensible for Black. ]
Savchenko,B 2556 24.xe8+ xe8 25.xd5 e7 26.xe7+
Bronstein Mem Open A 2014 (3.3) 13.02.2014 xe7 27.f1 c7 28.d2 c5 29.e2 f7
[John Watson] [ 29...a5 30.d4 ]
30.d1 e6 31.d4 a5 32.d2 h5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 c5 4.gf3 c6 33.d3 f5 34.f3 g5?
5.exd5 exd5 6.b5 d6 7.dxc5 xc5 [ 34...c5 is better. White remains a clear
8.0-0 ge7 9.b3 b6 This is still played pawn up, however. ]
periodically, but the classical solution White 35.c4! h4
employs has always been thought to yield [ 35...e7 36.d5 f4+ 37.b3 g4
some advantage. For 38.hxg4 hxg4 39.xa5 gxf3 40.gxf3 ]
[ 9...d6 , see games in the Archives, e.g., [ 35...e5? 36.e4+- ]
Kudrin-Yang and Emms-Hansen. I'm not 36.a3 bxa3 37.bxa3 f7 38.a4
sure that Black can't equalize in that line, [ 38.d5 was better still, but this is a winning
although he needs to know some specifics position. An almost routine-looking
about the move order. ] exploitation of Black's pawn weaknesses. ]
10.e1 0-0 11.e3 g4 12.h3 xe3 1-0
13.xe3 a6!?
[ 13...h5 is normal, but as in the game,
Black lacks counterchances after a slow 749 C10
move such as 14.d2 ] Abdulov,Orkhan 2271
14.xc6 xf3 15.xf3 bxc6 16.d4 Rustemov,Alexander 2557
This is the kind of position White wants in the 2nd President's Cup (6) 08.05.2007
Tarrasch. He has positional pressure against [Neil McDonald]
the dark squares and 'hanging' pawns. This
may not be a winning advantage (it's close), 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
but Black has no positive prospects 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.c3 A restrained
whatsoever. g6 17.e1 g5 18.e3 method of play, as normally White aims for c2-
[ 18.c3 , as in the game, is also attractive, c4 at some point to establish a more
but perhaps W hite feared kingside significant space advantage. On the other
counterplay. ] hand, d4 is firmly guarded: this spoils a lot of
18...h4?! Black's fun as his strategy in the Fort Knox
[ For better or worse, Black probably has to normally revolves around undermining this
live with 18...xe3 19.fxe3 , perhaps key centre point. gf6 8.g3
followed by h5 ( or 19...fb8 )] [ Instead 8.xf6+ was played in the archive
19.d4 game Adams-Rustemov. ]
[ 19.c3! fc8 ( 19...fe8 20.xe8+ xe8 8...d5!? Rustemov prepares c7-c5: a move
21.xc6 e1+ 22.h2 ) 20.d4 that is highly double edged for Black once he
, because now c5?? 21.f5 wins the queen has played Bxf3, as White can probe the open
by hitting f7 and h4. ] lines on the queenside [hence the moves Bxf3
19...c5! 20.f5 White is still comfortably and c7-c6 go together]. Here, however, Black
better. b4 21.c3! Now the queens come still has his light squared bishop. In an earlier
off in a way that's favourable for White. f6 game Rustemov played in more typical
[ 21...xc3 22.xc3 h i t s c 5 , a n d ac8 fashion:
encourages the tricky 23.h4 h5 24.g4! [ 8...e7 9.e2 xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.e3
with the idea hxg4? 25.h5 ] d5 ( An alternative way to play it is with
22.xb4 cxb4 23.d3 fe8?! 11...a5 and 12...a4, preparing a queenside
[ Better to hunker down and hold onto the demonstration should White castle there.)
pawn by 23...fd8 , when 24.d4 12.0-0-0 xe3 13.fxe3 g6 14.b1 c7
blockades the pawn and after a5 25.e6 15.h4 h5 16.e4 f8 17.g5 xg5

670
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
18.hxg5 0-0-0 White has the superior minor
piece- there are no worthy posts for the
knight in the centre- and he can put
pressure on f7. On the other hand, Black
has a compact position and can target the
isolated pawn on g5. Chances seem quite
bala nced , an d Ru ste mov succeede d in
outplaying his opponent before making a
real howler to lose the game: 19.hf1 a5
20.g3 c7 21.h3 a5 22.g3 c7
23.h4 b6 24.f3 fe8 25.df1 e7
26.g4 hxg4 27.xg4 a6 28.h4 b8
29.h7 dd7 30.h4 a7 31.c2 c5
32.b3 c6 33.f4 e5 34.dxe5 c4
35.c2 c5 36.h2 d5 37.e4 c7
38.f2 xf2 39.3xf2 e6 40.g1 c5
41.gf1 e6 42.g1 d8 43.b3 h8
44.d1 h4 45.e2 cxb3 46.axb3 xe4
47.c4 xe5 48.xe6 5xe6 49.gf1
e1+ 50.c2 xf1 51.xf1 e5 52.xf7
xg5 53.f6 g3 54.b4 g5 55.g6 g4
56.b3 g1 57.b5 g3?? 58.b6+
1-0 Zhang Pengxiang-Rustemov, A/Bastia
FRA 2004. ]
9.0-0 c5 10.e5 This game is rather
p e r p le xin g, a s wit h o u t a p p a re n t ly d o in g
anything seriously wrong White ends up with
no real activity and a fractured pawn structure
which his skilful opponent can gradually wear
down. Perhaps the game move isn't best, but
even if White plays a normal developing move
like 10.Re1 Black looks fully equal. I'm a fan
of the Fort Knox, but it shouldn't be that easy
for Black, should it? Perhaps the crux of the
matter is the sacrificial try for White outlined
at move 16 below. cxd4 11.cxd4 e7
12.e3 0-0 13.f4 g6! Restraining the f4-f5
advance. 14.e2 c8 15.a3 He wants to
develop his queen's rook without dropping the
pawn on a2, but the black bishop is delighted
to b e p re s e n t e d wit h t h e b 3 squ a re . b3
16.ac1?
[ Either here or on the previous move,
p e rh a p s h e s h o u ld h a ve t rie d a h e ro i c
sacrifice of the kind 16.f5!? exf5 17.xf5
( or 17.xf5!? gxf5 18.xf5 ) 17...gxf5
18.xf5 It would require Black to play with a
clear head and a lot of defensive skill. ]
16...xc1 17.xc1 d5 18.d2 7f6
The black knights take over the d5 square.
Rus te mo v now h as a go od versio n of a n
isolated queen's pawn position. 19.e4 xe4
20.xe4 b6 21.d3 d8 22.f3 f6
23.h1 e7 24.b4 d5 25.g4 h4
The bishop cannot retreat to g7 as it needs to
stay defending the knight on e7. 26.xd5
[ Rustemov must have calculated things
carefully around here. If 26.g3 xd4!
27.xd4 xf3+ 28.g1 xd4 and Black
wins. ]
26...xd5 27.h3 xb4 28.xh4 d5
29.c5 h5 30.e5 g7 31.b4
White's initiative has run out of steam and the
weakness on d4 remains, to say nothing of
the loose pawn on f4. If
[ 31.f2 f6! is highly awkward for him, as
d e a l in g wi t h t h e t h re a t o f a f o r k o n e 4
whilst avoiding dropping the b2 or d4 pawns
is by no means easy. ]
31...a6 32.g1 e2 33.h3 f6 34.f3 b6
35.c6 d7 36.f2 e4 37.e1 xe1+
38.xe1 xf4 Black's pressure has finally
netted him a pawn. The rest is not too difficult,
and it's no surprise that a dispirited W hite
hangs a rook at the end. 39.f3 f7 40.f2
g5 41.b5 h4 42.c2 e7 43.e3 d5+
44.e4 a6 45.bxa6 a7 46.b2 xa6
47.b3 a7 48.d2 c7 49.g3 hxg3
50.xg3 c2 51.d3 c3+
0-1
750 C10
Adams,Michael 2731
Akopian,Vladimir 2689
ROW Match Moscow RUS (2) 11.06.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 This quiet
move, keeping the tension in the centre, can
lead to surprisingly sharp play. c5 8.e5
[ Black suffered a total disaster after 8.e3
d5? ( Instead 8...cxd4 9.xd4 e7
10.d3 0-0 11.d2 d5 12.0-0-0 xa2
13.he1 was obscure in Mainka-Luther,
Recklinghausen 1998.) 9.e5 xe3?
10.b5+ d7 11.f3! the mate threat on f7
is decisive. f5 12.xd7+ e7 13.xb7
f6 14.c6 e7 15.xa8 xa8 16.xa8
xa8 17.d7+ 1-0 Xu Yuhua-Tkeshelashvili,
S/Elista RUS 2004. ]
671
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
8...a6 9.g5 The new danger move. It
appears that
[ 9.a4+ has had its fangs drawn after
A d a m s ' s u c c e s s a g a i n s t A n a n d : d7
10.e3 c7
A) S i m i la r i s 11.0-0-0 cxd4 12.xd7
xd7! ( Not 12...xd7? 13.c2! c5
14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 c7 16.d3
d7 17.g3 and White built up a strong
initiative in Adams-Anand on ChessPub.)
13.xd4 White's queen is on a strong
centre square where she attacks g7, but it
o n l y s e e m s t e m p o r a r y a s a f t e r c6
followed by Rd8 in the style of the Pinter-
Erdos game Black escapes the pressure.;
B) 11.d1 cxd4 12.xd7 xd7 13.xd4
c6 14.f3 d8 15.xd8+
16.xd8+ xd8 17.b6+ e8 18.d3
d6 19.e2 e7 -and Black was at least
equal in Pinter,E-Erdos,V/Zemplinska
Sirava SVK 2004. ]
9...e7
[ 9...h6?! 10.h4 g5? 11.g3
12.a4+ d7 13.0-0-0! and White was
wi n n i n g i n M u r a r i u - J a k a b a s g i ve n o n
ChessPub. ]
[ 9...cxd4 10.a4+ d7 11.xd4 c7
12.xd7 xd7 13.0-0-0 and White had
some advantage thanks to his bishop pair in
Damaso,R-Cubero Ferreiro,R/Ferrol 2002 ]
10.dxc5 xd1+ 11.xd1 xc5 12.e2 h6
[ White keeps up the initiative after 12...d7
13.h5! as if xe5 14.d8# ]
13.h4 g5 This may look like a rash move,
but in f act it isn't obvious how Black can
escape the typical Adamsesque pressure
[ 13...e7 14.f3 ]
14.g3 e4 15.f3 xg3 16.hxg3 e7?
[ The best chance to resist was 16...b6! ]
17.xb7! xb7 18.d7+ f6
The mate threat on f7 ensures White regains
h i s p i e c e w i t h a w i n n i n g p o s i t i o n . gxf4
20.gxf4 f5 21.xf7+ e4 22.xb7 ag8
23.c7 e3 24.c4+ d5 25.h5
[ Black drops a piece after 25.h5
26.g4+ xc4 27.xe3+ d3 28.xg2 ]
1-0
751 C10
Adams,Michael 2742
Anand,Viswanathan 2757
SuperGM Linares ESP (6) 01.03.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 This quiet
move has proved surprisingly venomous. c5
8.e3 c7 9.e5 a6 10.a4+ d7
11.0-0-0 cxd4
[ Bad is 11...b8? 12.dxc5! xe5 13.f4
xc5 14.xb8 b5 Breaking one pin but
f a l l i n g i n t o a n o t h e r . 15.a5 xf2
( 15...xb8?? 16.d8# ) 16.c7 c5
17.e2 e7 18.xc5 xc5 19.d6
xd8 and W hite won the endgame in Illescas
Cordoba,M-Speelman,J/Salamanca 1998. ]
[ M e a n w h i l e i f 11...d6 12.c4!?
( Complex is 12.b5 axb5 13.xa8 cxd4 )
12...f4 13.g3 xe3+ 14.xe3 0-0 15.d5
b5?! ( 15...exd5!? ) 16.d6! b6 ( If
cxd4 16...c6 17.h4 xh1 18.g2 xd1+
19.xd1 b8 20.e7! leaves Black tied
up. ) 17.h4 b7 18.d3 g6 19.he1
and White stood excellently in Dvoirys, S-
Zakharevich,I/Novgorod 1997. ]
12.xd7! Adams finds a clever sequence of
moves to keep the advantage. Instead the
obvious recapture just leads to equality after
[ 12.xd4 d6 13.xd7 xd7 14.b3 0-0
15.b6 c6 16.b1 c7 17.e3 a4
18.xa4 and a draw was agreed in Dvoirys,
S-Zakharevich,I/St Petersburg 1998. ]
12...xd7
[ If 12...xd7 13.xd4 puts the queen on a
strong centre square where by attacking g7
she hinders Black's kingside development. ]
13.c2! It soon turns out that White is happy
19.f4! t o e xc h a n g e e ve ry p ie ce a p a r t f r o m t h e
queens! c5 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 c7
16.d3 d7 17.g3
[ Anand is just the sort of player who would
answer 17.d1 xh2!? and then defend in
xg2 a phenomenal way. ]
17...h6 18.d1 0-0-0 Naturally if
[ 18...0-0 19.xd7 wins at once, but now
Black is forced into a poor endgame. ]
19.c4 c6 20.e4 xd1+ 21.xd1 d8
22.f3 d6 23.h4 b8 24.xc6 xc6
25.xc6 bxc6 26.h5 b7 27.c2 f5
672
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

28.d3 f7 29.e2 f4 This active move just c6 if White tried a queenside fianchetto
leaves more holes in Black's pawn structure. Black could ease his game with 10.b3 a5
He could liquidate the cramping h5 pawn with 11.c4 a3 etc. ]
[ 29...g6 though White keeps up the 7.0-0 f6 8.g3 bd7 9.e2
pressure with 30.hxg6 xg6 31.e5 f4+ [ White would just lose a pawn after 9.e5
32.b3 ] xe5 10.dxe5 d5 with a double attack on
30.g4 g6 31.e5! The white queen e5 and g2. ]
dominates her counterpart. g5 9...0-0? This shows that Adams made an
[ Losing without a fight. Necessary was astute choice in directing play into the Fort
31...gxh5 32.gxh5 but White has real Knox, as Korchnoi makes a serious
winning chances by bringing his king over strategical lapse. Though to be fair this had
towards f3. ] already been played by Rustemov as Black. In
32.h8 Winning a pawn, after which it fact letting the white knight live is against the
transpires that White's king is in no danger of whole spirit of the system. Black should have
perpetual check. e5 33.xh6 e4 34.g6 eliminated it with
[ Not falling f or 34.xg5? e3! when if [ 9...xf3 when 10.xf3 c6 has been
35.fxe3 f3 Black has a monster passed discussed in games on ChessPub. ]
pawn. ] 10.e5! Of course. Now White gains a grip on
34...c4 35.g7+ c8 36.h8+ b7 the centre as Black cannot tolerate having his
37.g7+ c8 38.f8+ c7 39.e7+ c8 pawns weakened by 11.Nxc6.
40.e8+ c7 41.e7+ c8 42.h6 c5 [ For some strange reason Black wasn't
43.e8+ c7 44.h7 punished in the game Gdanski-Rustemov
1-0 which continued 10.d1? xf3 11.xf3 c6
see ChessPub. ]
10...xe5 11.dxe5 d5 12.f4 d7 13.d1
752 C10 a5 14.c3! A typical Adams move which
Adams,Michael 2723 quietly points out to the opponent the folly of
Kortschnoj,Viktor 2632 his ways. Black can no longer utilise the c5
It Enghien les Bains FRA (4) 16.06.2003 square to free his position with exchanges in
[Neil McDonald] v i e w o f 1 4 . . . N c 5 1 5 . b 4 . a4 15.e1
With a solid grip on the centre, White doesn't
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 d7 An unusual even think about weakening himself with 15.
move which Adams doesn't try to exploit. b3. fd8 16.h1! There is no hurry. White
Instead he directs play into the Fort Knox wants to develop his bishop to e3 without
Variation. 4.gf3 allowing Black to exchange it off with Bc5.
[ If 4.e5?! c5 and we have the Advance Therefore he moves his king away so that 17.
Variation with the white knight on the silly Be3 Bc5? 18.b4 would win a piece, as 18...
d2 square- whereas the bishop on d7 is Bxe3 is no longer check. f8 17.e3 c5
logically placed. Or ] Otherwise 18.b4 would be awkward for the
[ 4.exd5 exd5 when Black could continue queen. 18.e4 c7 19.f5! Having done
Nf6 and c7-c5, then Nc6, when in contrast everything possible to strengthen his position
to Tarrasch 3...c5/French Exchange lines in a quiet way Adams decides it is the moment
the bishop on d7 is useful as an antidote to to pounce. c6
a potential Bb5 pin. ] [ Horrible for Black is 19...xe5 20.g4
[ Meanwhile we end up in Fort Knox territory with an overwhelming attack based on the
again after 4.d3 dxe4 5.xe4 c6 ] weakness of g7 and potential attacks on the
4...dxe4 5.xe4 c6 6.d3 e7 bishop on a 4 and the black quee n. Fo r
A typical move, but I don't think it is example c6 21.f4 f6 22.h5
necessary to commit the bishop so soon to e7. crowds the black queen out of the defence
Thus after of g7. ]
[ 6...d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3 xf3 9.xf3 20.xc6 bxc6 21.g4 Threatening 22.f6.

673
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

d7 16.e5 a5 Black now proves solid enough on

[ Giving up the e6 pawn is hopeless, but the queenside so White prepares a kingside
White could also win a pawn in prosaic style pawn. First of all he provokes ...g6. 17.c2
after 21...exf5 22.xf5 g6 23.xe7+ g6 18.ad1 d8 19.b3 d7 20.h4!
xe7 ( 23...xe7? 24.g5 ) 24.xc5 ] T h e a t t a ck b e gin s . g4 21.h5 xe5
22.f4 h8 22.dxe5 c8 23.e3 g5 More solid was
[ After 22...exf5 23.xf5 f8 White is spoilt [ 23...f8 and ...Bg7. ]
for choice between 24.h6+ and ( 24.e6 )] 24.h3 c7 25.e1 ad8 26.c2 e7
23.fxe6 fxe6 24.xe6 b6 25.g4 d5 27.e4 Better was
26.f5 f8 27.g3 c8 28.e6 g6 [ 27.e2 ed7 28.c4 planning Qg4-
Or else 27.e7 will be decisive. 29.e5+ g8 Michael Adams in Informator 74. The next
30.c4 Korchnoi decides enough is enough. two comments are also based on his
1-0 analysis. ]
27...ed7 28.g3 h6 29.hxg6 hxg6
30.h4 g7 31.f4 f8? Here Black should
753 C10 try
Adams,Michael 2716 [ 31...xe5! 32.fxe5 xe5 33.hh3 e1+
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2577 34.h2 e5 with unclear play. Now White
Belgrad 1999 should seize his chance at once with 32
[Neil McDonald] Rh7! ]
32.h2? d5 33.h7 8d7?
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 [ No doubt in time pressure, Black misses the
5.f3 c6 This manoeuvre looks odd, but chance to punish W hite for his bad 32nd
finding a decent role for the queen's bishop move with 33...xe5! e.g. 34.fxe5 xe5
has always been a headache for Black in the 35.xg6! [Black even wins after ( 35.hh3
French Defence and particularly so after 3... xg3+ 36.xg3 e7! threatening ...Rh8+])
dxe4. Therefore Black activates his problem 35...xg3+ 36.h3 d7 37.h8+ g7
piece first of all. 6.d3 d7 7.c3!? 38.h7+ with a draw. ]
[ This is a restrained method of play, as 34.xg6! The winning breakthrough. fxg6
normally White aims for c4 at some point to 35.xg6 f7 36.h5! with the decisive
e s t a b l i s h a m o r e s i g n i f i c a n t s p a c e t h r e a t o f 3 7 R x g 7 R x g 7 3 8 Q h 8 + . xe5
advantage. More usual is 7.0-0 which is 37.h6+ g7 38.fxe5 xe5 39.xg7+
analysed in Gdanski-Rustemov. ] 1-0
7...gf6 8.xf6+ xf6
[ 8...xf6?? 9.g5 xf3 10.d2!
is a trap I fell into in a similar position about 754 C10
18 years ago. Although I won the game after Adhiban,Baskaran 2608
xg2 11.xf6 xh1 etc. I wouldn't Ravi,TeS 2367
recommend it for Black. ] 19th Kolkata GM Open 2014 (3.12) 20.03.2014
9.0-0 xf3 10.xf3 d5? This is an obvious [John Watson]
looking move but it misplaces the queen.
Simply 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
[ 10...c6 followed by 11... Be7 was better. ] 5.f3 gf6 6.d3
11.e2 e7 12.e1 0-0 13.f4 c6 14.a4! [ 6.xf6+ xf6 7.g5 is Predke-
White's pieces are all on good squares so it is Beldyugin. ]
time to use the pawns to soften up Black's 6...c5! Black's best chance for full equality.
p a w n s t r u c t u r e . fd8 Black is suffering [ 6...xe4 7.xe4 f6 8.g5
because of his careless 10th move. If the is an important and aggressive line. d6!?
black queen were still on d8 he could have is examined in the PGN Archive, see
played 14...Nd5 followed by . ..Bf6, ...g6 etc. Karjakin, S-Wang Hao/Tashkent UZB 2012,
with a satisfactory position 15.c7 e8 for example. ]

674
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
7.0-0 xe4
[ For 7...cxd4, see this month's game
Shomoev-Kryakvin. 7...cxd4 ]
8.xe4 f6 9.g5
[ 9.d3 cxd4 10.xd4 c5 is considered
equal, for example, 11.b3 ( 11.c3 d7
12.f4 xd4 13.cxd4 c6 is balanced)
11...b6 12.g5 d7= There is loads of
theory on all this, but these are arguably a
few of the very most important lines. ]
9...cxd4 10.xd4
[ 10.e2 b6! 11.xf6 gxf6 is roughly
equal ]
10...e7 11.f3 0-0 12.a4
[ 12.e1 b6 is another important main
line ]
[ 12.d3 b6 or 12...Qc7 is also played ]
12...a6 13.f4 d5 14.g3 d6 15.xd6
xd6 16.c4 f6 17.f5 c5 18.d6 b8
[ 18...d8 19.e4 e7 20.xf6+ xf6
21.e2 is a little better for White. ]
19.a5 d7 20.d2 c7
[ 20...e8 ]
21.fd1 c6 22.a3! e8 23.c5 xf3
24.xf3 d8 25.b4 d7 26.d3 White has
built up a nice advantage due to his outpost
on d6 and d-file control. xd6 27.xd6 e7
28.d7 xd7 29.xd7 b8! 30.g3 h6
31.b5 axb5 32.xb5 c8 33.b1 c7
34.xb7 xb7 35.xb7 xc5 36.a6 a5
37.a7 Forcing. h7 38.xf7 White should
win now. g6 39.c7 h5 40.f1 a2
41.e1 f6 42.d1 g5 43.c1 f5
44.b1 a6 45.h3 h4 46.g4+ e4 47.f7
e5 48.c2 d4 49.d2
[ 49.b3 ]
49...a2+ 50.e1
[ 50.c1 ]
50...a1+ 51.e2 e4 52.e7 a3 53.f1
a2 54.g1? The wrong way, now the king
can get trapped. a1+ 55.g2 a2?
[ 55...d3 should draw! ]
56.f1 a1+ 57.e2 a3 58.d2 a2+
59.d1 a3 60.c2 a6 61.b3 d3
62.b4 e2 63.b5
1-0
755 C10
Alavi Moghadam,Seyed Javad 2493
Goh Wei Ming 2388
6th Asian Men's Championships (5) 23.09.07
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e3!?
A relatively obscure move. I figured there
must have been some form of preparation as
Alavi had played this rather quickly. b4 5.e5
Transposing into related positions with 4.e5
which immediately gave me the idea of the
following set up. f6 6.f3 d7 7.d3 e7
8.0-0 0-0-0 I had played pretty quickly in the
opening and had a comfortable 'Frenchy'
position. 9.a3
[ 9.e2 was possibly better where I intended
f7 10.c3 f8! in true French fashion. The
position wou ld have rema ined comple x
and interesting. ]
9...xc3 10.bxc3 f7 11.e2 ge7
12.fb1 b8 13.a4 a5 14.f4 f5 15.c1
h6
[ 15...ec6 was more accurate. This move
was necessary in any case whereas 15.. h6,
preparing ..g5, might not be required if
W hite moves his knight away from the f3
square. ]
16.d2 ec6 17.a3 a8 18.b3 g5
19.xa5 xa5 The position had clarified and
the result was favourable for Black due to his
better pawn structure and attacking chances
on the kingside. Despite his possession of the
2 bishops, W hite is quite unlikely able to
generate any form of attack on Black's king
as Black is very solid. 20.b4 c4! 21.a5!
[ 21.xc4 dxc4 22.xc4 c6 23.a5 a6
an d B lack' s b ish op was f a r su p erior t o
White's. Alavi admitted he overlooked 20..
Nc4 in his calculations. ]
21...a6 22.c5 c6
[ 22...b5!? was possible, clogging up the b-
file. ]
23.b4 Preparing an exchange sacrifice that
would give W hite some counter chances. I
remembered I was way ahead of time at this
stage and was very confident of winning. Not
surprisingly, I soon (typically) started on a
series of inaccuracies... d7 24.xc4 dxc4
25.xc4 b5 This was good enough to
secure a draw but perhaps Black can try for
675
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
more with
[ 25...g4! w i t h t h e i d e a 26.xa6??
( 26.f1! ) 26...d5 27.f1 xg2+
28.xg2 xg2 which was winning for
Black. ]
26.xb5 xb5 27.xb5 axb5 28.b1
Here, I ma de an inexplica ble e rror. d5?
Giving up a pawn for nothing. Simply
[ 28...c6 29.a1 I was afraid of this during
the game but b8 30.a6 h7 ( 30...d7
31.axb7 xb7 32.d6+ ) 31.axb7 xb7
d e f e n d s f o r B l a ck a n d g ive s B l a ck t h e
advantage. White should probably sit tight
with a move like 31. Kf1 when the game is
probably drawn. ]
29.xb5 hd8 30.f1 5d7 31.e2 h5
32.e3 f7 33.c4 fd7 34.c3 e8 35.b1
b8 36.f3 The position was still balanced at
this point but it was already starting to feel
u n p l e a s a n t f o r B l a c k a s h i s r o o k s we r e
ineffective. However, despite the merit of
White's position, it was not clear how he can
formulate a breakthrough. e8
[ 36...h4! Preventing White's next move, was
a better defence. ]
37.h4! gxh4 38.h1 g7 39.xh4 g5
40.g3 b8 41.a3 c8 42.c1 Black was
near desperation as he was about to lose a
3rd pawn. However, there was still a chance
in this position.. g6?? and I blew it again.
[ 42...gg8! 43.xh5 h8 44.g5 eg8
forcing the exchange of rooks would still
have yielded Black the draw. The activity of
the rook was sufficient to compensate the 3
pawns deficit. This is not to say that Black
could draw this easily though, a certain
degree of caution must still be exercised to
save the half point. ]
[ 42...g4 43.xh5 e4 44.e3 ]
43.xh5 I failed to put up any resistance from
here on and W hite won easily. For
completeness sake, here are the remaining
moves. d7 44.a3 eg8 45.h1 g4
46.b4 8g7 47.f8 g8 48.h7+ c6
49.b4 8g7 50.h1 d7 51.b1 g8
52.a3 c6 53.b5 b8 54.c1 h8
55.f4 b8 56.e3 d7 57.e2 gg8
58.d5 c6 59.b6 exd5 60.cxd5 cxd5
61.d6+ e7 62.xd5 bd8 63.b5 d7
64.d4 g4 65.f3 d8 66.b6
1-0
756 C10
Alekseev,Evgeny 2716
Ismagambetov,Anuar 2479
World Cup Khanty Mansiysk RUS (1.4)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.d3 This simple developing
move actually contains some poison. xe4
7.xe4 f6 8.g5 d6!? The queen leaves
home to break the pin, so that White has to
decide what to do about his hanging bishop on
e4. 9.d3!? As Alekseev was facing 8...Qd6
a second time in his mini-match with
Ismagambetov, he must have done some
homework on it. In the first game he played
the most popular move
[ 9.xf6 and the game went gxf6 10.c3 f5
( A solid alternative is 10...g7 for example
11.e2 0-0 12.0-0 f5 13.c2 b6 14.ad1
b7 15.b3 ad8 16.fe1 f4 17.e5
- P r e d o j e vi c , B - K o s i c , D / Z l a t i b o r S R B
2007. ) 11.c2 ( Or 11.d3 d7 12.e5
g7 13.xd7 xd7 14.e2 0-0-0 15.0-0
c5 16.b5 c7 17.dxc5 xc5 and Black
held the draw in Timofeev, A-Rychagov, A/
K r a s n o y a r s k R U S 2 0 0 7 .) 11...g7?
( Instead 11...d7 as in the Timofeev-
Rychagov extract looks the way to play it.)
12.e2 Already Black has a problem due to
th e im p re cise 1 1 . . .B g7 - t h e f 5 p a wn is
hanging and he isn't yet ready to castle
qu e e n sid e . d7? ( Things were tough, but
giving up a pawn for nothing is hardly the
right approach. As White hasn't committed
himself to castling kingside, he could answer
12...0-0 with the crude but effective 13.g1
inte ndin g 14 .g4 .; Perhaps the best try is
12...d5!? 13.b3 d6 ) 13.xf5 0-0-0
14.c2 and Black was just a pawn down in
Alekseev, E-Ismagambetov, A/ Khanty-
Mansiysk RUS 2007. ]
9...b4+ Grabbing the pawn is highly risky.
[ Instead 9...b6!? looks the critical test of 9.
Bd3. A couple of years ago Black achieved
a perfectly respectable position after 10.e2
b7 11.0-0 e7 12.a6 xa6 13.xa6
0-0 14.d3 c6 15.ad1 d5 16.xe7
xe7 but he was outplayed in the endgame
by his much higher rated opponent in
Sutovsky, E-Managadze, N/Aghia Pelagia
676
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

GRE 2004. ] 757 C10

10.d2 xb2 Anand,V 2780
[ A slightly worse endgame with 10...xd2+ Meier,Geo 2640
11.xd2 might appeal to some gritty 1st GRENKE Chess Classic (8.1) 15.02.2013
defensive players. ] [John Watson]
11.0-0 e7 12.f4! Alekseev carries out a
strong manoeuvre: the white queen heads for 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
g3 and attacks c7 en passant. b6 13.g3 5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.e3
c5 Black is understandably reluctant to castle In the January update we saw two games with
into an attack, but how can opening lines in 7 Bd3 and one with 7 c3. Meier has also faced
the centre help him? [ 7.g3 , when a recent high-level game went
[ If 13...0-0 14.ab1 a5 15.b5 xa2 b6 8.g2 b7 9.0-0 d6 ( 9...e7
16.h4 gives White a highly dangerous 10.e2 0-0 11.d1 c8 12.c4 e8
attack e.g. d8 17.e5 h6 ( Or 17...c6 13.h3?! d7 14.e3 d6 15.d5?! exd5
18.b3 with threats including 19.Ng4.) 16.cxd5 d8! Stellwagen-Meier, Yerevan
18.xh6 gxh6 19.xh6 and the black king ARM 2006 ) 10.e2 0-0 11.d1 h6 12.c4
is defenceless: a6 20.c6! axb5 ( Or e7 13.e5 xg2 14.xg2 xe5
20...bxc6 21.g5# ) 21.xe7# ] Harikrishna (2698) -Giri (2720), W ijk aan
[ Perhaps a 'Fort Knox' strategy with 13...c6 Zee 2013, and here 15.dxe5 d7 16.d2
was Black's best chance, followed by Qd8. ] would have left W hite on top by a small
14.ab1 d8 15.dxc5 xc5 16.fd1 margin. ]
White's rook seizes the file that his opponent 7...d6
opened for him, forcing the black queen to [ Many games have seen 7...d5 8.d2 c5
move yet again. e7 17.b5+ f8 18.e5 a couple of examples: c) A game Meier
h6 19.d7!? Who could resist such a himself annotated went
spectacular move? In fact, more precise was A) a) Meier faced Adams in Liverpool 2008
the simple a n d r a n i n t o 9.e5 a6 10.c3 d6
[ 19.xf6! xf6 ( Black loses a piece in ( 10...f6 11.d3!? d6 12.f3 0-0
prosaic style after 19...gxf6 20.d7+ xd7 Kokol-Crespo, Puerto Madryn 2009 and
21.xd7 e8 22.c7 b8 23.xc5 ) h e r e s i m p l y 13.0-0 would retain a small
20.b3! and Black has no defence against edge ) 11.a4+ e7 ( 11...d7
the threat of 21.Rf3 followed by a cataclysm 12.xd7+ xd7 13.xd7 xd7
on f7. ] leaves White with the bishop pair: 14.dxc5
19...xd7? xc5 15.g3 c7 16.g2 hd8 17.e2
[ White would surely win in the end after e5!? 18.hd1 f6 19.b4 f8 20.a4 b6
19...hxg5 20.xe7 xe7 but it would take 21.a5 c4 22.e1 d6 23.xd6 xd6
some time. If for example 21.a6!? h4 24.d5 and White had long-term pressure
( White was hoping for 21...bxa6 22.f3 which eventually resulted in a win, Van
trapping the rook as if d5 23.xf7# ) Delft-Baider, Queenstown 2009.) 12.d1
22.xb7 xb7 23.xb7 d8 and Black has ( 12.d3 ) 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 xe5?!
the temerity to threaten mate in one. ] ( 13...f6 ) 14.dxe5 b6 15.c4 d7
20.xf6 xf2+ 16.0-0 b5? 17.b3?!
[ Too gruesome is 20...gxf6 21.xd7+ e8 ( A d a m s u n d e r e s t i m a t e d 17.xd5!+-
22.xc5+ f8 23.d7+ ] and 17... exd5 18 Bb4+ Ke8 19 Re1 or
21.xf2 gxf6 22.xd7+ g7 23.b3 hd8 xf1 18.b3 b5 19.g4 f8 20.b4+
[ Or 23...h7 24.xf6 xf6 25.g3+ ] g8 21.a4 ) 17...hc8 ( 17...f8 )
24.g3+ h8 25.f4 18.g4 f8 19.xd5! xf1 ( 19...exd5
[ 25.f4 I t ' s a q u i c k m a t e a f t e r h7 20.b4+ g8 21.a4 ) 20.b4+ xb4
26.xf6+ ] 21.xb4+ e8 22.xb7 b5 23.xa8
1-0 ( 23.d6!? ) 23...xa8 24.c1 and White
wasn't able to convert with the opposite-

677
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
coloured bishops. But the opening clearly
wasn't what Black wanted.;
B) b) 9.b5+ d7 10.xd7+ ( 10.e2
is also seen) 10...xd7 11.c4!? ( 11.c3
has the idea Ne5 and Qa4+ either 11...a6
or b5 is reasonable in that case) 11...b6
12.c1 c8 ( 12...cxd4 13.c5 d5
14.e5 b5 15.f3 seems to favour
White ) 13.dxc5 xc5 14.b3 e7 15.0-0
0-0 16.e2 cc8 17.c3 Navara, -
Laznicka, Pardubice 2011.;
C) 9.dxc5 xc5 10.d3 c7! ( 10...0-0
11.e2 b4 12.xb4 xb4+ 13.c3 e7
14.0-0-0 a5 15.b1 f6 16.h4 d8
17.g5 Fressinet, L (2626)-Vaisser, A
(2568), Besancon BRA 2006) 11.e2
d7! 12.0-0-0 ( 12.0-0 f4= Guliyev,
N(2560)-Meier, G (2558), Hamburg GER
2007 ) 12...f4 13.xf4 xf4+ 14.d2
0-0-0 15.e4 b8!= Stellwagen-Meier,
Yerevan 2007. ]
8.d3
[ 8.g3 is a logical option. In order to counter
W hite's modest pressure along the long
diagonal, d7 9.g2 c6 looks best and
should almost equalize. ]
8...0-0 9.e2
[ 9.0-0 b6 10.e5 b7 11.f4!?
is too ambitious following d5 12.d2
( 12.f3 g6 ) 12...c5 ]
9...b6 10.0-0-0
[ 10.0-0 b7 11.ad1 has ideas of Ne5 and/
or Bg5, but in general W hite has little to
brag about in these positions. ]
10...b7 The opening has come out level.
11.c4
[ 11.e5 e7 12.b1 with the idea c5
13.g5 ]
11...c5! 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.g5!? h6
[ 13...g6 14.h4! ]
14.h7
[ 14.h4 b8! ]
14...xh7 15.xh7+ xh7 16.d3+ g8
17.xd6 a5 18.b1 e4+ 19.a1 c2
[ 19...ac8= ]
20.g3! h7 21.d2 a4 22.b3 c6
23.c3 g6 24.d6 e4 25.e1 c2
26.d2 f5 27.e5 f6 28.xf5 xf5
29.a5 Logical, controlling the d-file, but
[ 29.d7 causes more problems, e.g., fd8
30.c7 dc8 31.e7! e5 ( 31...e8
32.xf6! ) 32.f4! ]
29...f7 30.ed1 g5 31.d6 c8 32.d7
cf8 33.1d6 g6 34.d2 e5 35.xf7
xf7 36.e3 c7 37.a6 h5 38.b2
[ 38.a5 d7 ]
38...h4 39.a5 d7 40.xc5 d1 41.a6
c8 42.xa7 h1 Two pawns down, but
once a kingside pawn falls the g5/h4 pawns
are conveniently advanced. 43.c7 f5
44.h3 h2 45.a4
[ 45.b4 xg2 46.b5 g4 47.hxg4 e4
48.c8 g7 49.c7+ g6 50.c8= ]
45...xg2 46.a5 g4 47.hxg4 xg4
[ 47...xg4 48.a6 h3 49.a7 e4 50.d7
h4! ( 50...h2 51.d5 xd5 52.cxd5 h1
53.a8= ) 51.f3 h2 ( 51...xf3 52.g1
g4 53.h2 g2+ 54.a3 xh2 55.d5
xd5 56.cxd5 h1 57.b2 h2+= )
52.fxe4 h1 53.a8 h2+ 54.d2 xd2+
55.c3 d7! ]
48.a6 h3 49.a7 f3 50.d7 h2 51.d5
xd5 52.cxd5 h1 53.a8 g1 54.g8+
f5 55.e6+ g6 56.g8+
½-½
758 C10
Anand,Viswanathan 2781
Gurevich,Mikhail 2644
Masters KO Bastia FRA (2.2) 02.11.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4
5.xe4 bd7 6.f3 h6 7.xf6+ xf6
8.h4 c5 9.b5+ d7 10.xd7+ xd7
11.e2 cxd4 12.0-0-0 c5 13.e5!?
Anand decides to resuscitate an old idea.
[ Previously on ChessPub I made a lot of
fuss about 13.xd4 xd4 14.xf6 gxf6
15.c3 when White regains the piece with
some initiative. However, as usually
happens the passage of time and a bit of
work on Fritz neutralises an idea, and Black
seems safe enough after c8 16.b1 c6
17.xd4 e7! 18.hd1 hd8 This was
verified in two games played at the
Capablanca Memorial in Cuba in 2004:
19.d2 xd4 20.xd4 a5 21.f3
( This is Bluvshtein's attempted
improvement in round 10 on a round 2 game
w h i c h w e n t 21.a4 c7 22.c2 c6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
23.b1 c7 24.c2 c6 25.b1
draw agreed in Perez,R-Gonzalez Garcia,J/
Havana CUB 2004.) 21...c7 22.c2 g8
23.d2 g5 24.e3 h5 25.h4 c5 26.d4
b5 27.a3 e5 28.d2 c6 29.b1 f5
30.d8 e5 31.d3 f5 32.e3 d5
33.e4 f5 34.e3 xd3 35.xd3 c5
36.d2 c4 37.g5+ draw agreed in
Bluvshtein,M-Gonzalez Garcia,J/Havana
CUB 2004. ]
13...e7 14.xd4 0-0 15.he1
[ Pretty dull was 15.b3 ac8 16.xc5
xc5 17.xf6 gxf6 18.d6 xd6 19.xd6
fc8 20.c3 and draw agreed in Parma,B-
Petrosian,T/Vinkovci 1970. ]
15...fd8?!
[ More solid was 15...ac8 with the amusing
point that if White tries to break up Black's
pawns with
A) 16.f4 xd4 17.xd4 ( 17.xd4 c5
f o l l o we d b y R f c 8 a n d a g a i n B l a c k i s
active. ) 17...c7! hitting c2 and intending
Rfd8 completing his development.;
B) 16.f5? he falls for the Noah's Ark
trap: exf5 17.xe7 xe7 18.xe7 g5
19.g3 f4 ]
16.f4 d5? It is remarkable how often world
class players collapse in the face of a
surprise in a mainline opening. Mikhail
Gurevich overlooks a simple reply that costs
h i m a p a w n a n d t h e g a m e . 17.xd5!
I'm sure most of us could find the winning
combination if it was presented to us as a
puzzle in a book. It is far harder to create the
psychological conditions which make
someone rated over 2600 allow it to happen.
exd5
[ Even worse is being the exchange down
after 17...xd5 18.xe7 xe7 ]
18.xe7 xe7 19.f5 d8
[ Or 19...f8 20.xe7 xe7 21.xd5 ]
20.xf6 xf6 21.xd5 e8 22.c3 h5
23.d6 d8 24.d2 A pawn down for
nothing against the currently most successful
player in the world, Gurevich decides to call it
a day.
1-0
759 C10
Anand,Viswanathan 2801
Pelletier,Yannick 2609
23rd ECC Men (7) 09.10.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 Anand has
suff ered himself on the black side of this
variation versus Adams, and so decides to
give it a go himself as White. c5 8.e3 cxd4
A fairly popular move. In the archives we
have focused on the sharp line
[ 8...c7 9.e5 including the game Adams-
Anand. ]
9.xd4 c7
[ Too stereotyped is 9...a6?! 10.d3 c7?!
Black plays the moves you are meant to play
in the 8... Qc7 9.Ne5 line, but they just
waste time here. 11.0-0 c5 12.e5 e7
13.d2 h6 14.f4! d7 ( The only chance
was to try to tough it out with 14...0-0 15.b4
d8! 16.ad1 b6 ) 15.b4 a7 16.g3
g8 ( Black loses the exchange on 16...0-0
17.d6 ) 17.d6 d8 18.e5 g5
( Inst ead any no rma l mo ve like 18...c8
meets with 19.g6! ) 19.f3 b8 20.xb8
xb8 21.ad1 e7 22.c2 c8 23.d4
f8 24.fd1 g7 25.h4 1-0 Volokitin, A-
Paehtz, E/Lausanne SUI 2005. Black has no
way to develop the queenside and
meanwhile is facing disaster on the g-file
after 26.Qg3 etc. ]
[ T h e i m p o r t a n t 9...d6 is examined
separately in the game Vandervoort-
Dambacher. ]
10.b5+!? At first glance this is a strange
move as it gives Black the opportunity to
excha nge o f f h is 'p ro blem' light squa re d
bishop. However, as will be seen, White will
gain a couple of useful tempi by hitting the
black queen, to say nothing of clearing the
way for castling kingside with gain of time.
d7 11.xd7+ xd7
[ After 11...xd7 12.0-0 all would be well
with Black if he could castle queenside. But
A) Pawn sacrifices never work against
Anand, but perhaps in our own less
e x a l t e d g a m e s 12...d6?! might give
e n o u g h c o u n t e r p l a y : 13.xg7 g8
14.h6 ( Or 14.d4 e5 15.e3 e4
679
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
16.g5 xh2+ 17.h1 0-0-0 ) 14...c6
15.g3 0-0-0 etc.;
B) 12...0-0-0 13.xa7!? throws a spanner
in the works. For example b6 14.d4!
xa7 ( Or 14...e5 15.e2!? ) 15.c6
c7 16.xd8 xd8 17.f3 with the
makings of a strong attack on the black
king. ]
12.e5 b5
[ Black cannot allow 12...c7 13.a4+ d7
14.d1 with a horrible pin on d7. ]
13.a4 The black queen provoked this move so
that a possible Qa4+ by White is blocked off
by his own pawn. Only trouble is, the a-pawn
will prove an integral part of W hite's
queenside bind once it advances to a5. d5
[ Instead 13...xb2?? gives White the
choice of moving the knight to c4 or d3 to
win the queen. ]
14.e2 e4
[ Highly awkward is 14...e7 15.b5+! as
xb5 16.axb5 leaves Black under severe
queenside pressure. ]
[ Or if 14...a6 15.0-0 e4 hoping to
exchange queens in a more favourable
manner than in the game as the white king
will be further away from the queenside
action. 16.d1!? and the black queen will
be pushed around. ]
15.a5 a6 16.f3 xe2+ 17.xe2 c8
18.a4! d5? Anand has stopped his
opponent freeing his game with
[ 18...c5 b e c a u s e o f 19.c4 winning a
piece. ]
[ I think Pelletier's decision to keep his king
in the centre is a mistake. After 18...e7
followed by 19...0-0 and 20...Rfd8 he would
have all his pieces mobilised and ready to
offer exchanges with Nd7 or Bc5. Keeping
t h e k in g i n t h e ce n t re a llo ws A n a n d t o
increase his grip on the queenside with c3-
c4 , e t c - a s t ra t e gy t h a t wo u ld b e m o re
problematical if Black got in Rfd8. ]
19.d3 Stopping 19...Nf4+. d6 20.c4
[ Not falling for 20.xg7? g8 and 21...
Rxg2+. ]
20...e7 21.b6! An excellent post for the
bishop where it controls the d8 square and so
makes Rfd8 impossible, even if Black decided
to castle after all. The black rooks are
t h e re f o re d e n ie d t h e ir n a t u r a l so u rce o f
activity. c6 22.b4 e5 23.c5 xd3
24.xd3 b8 25.c4 White's advantag e
has incre ased dram at ically over t he las t
couple of moves: his 3-2 queenside majority
far outweighs Black's 4-3 majority on the
kingside and his king is much more active
than Black's. h5 26.h4 h6 27.a2 c7
28.d1 e5
[ If 28...xb6 29.axb6 when the pawn on b6
is immensely strong. White might prepare
b4-b5 to open the a-file followed by Ra7 etc.
or Rad2 intending Rd7. ]
29.b3 There now follows a tough endgame
battle in which Pelletier puts up a great fight
but can't quite manage to save himself. e6
30.ad2 f6 31.d5 e7 32.a4 g6 33.b3
e4 34.fxe4 xe4 35.d7 e7 36.7d3 f7
37.c4 g5 38.hxg5 fxg5 39.d5 f4
40.d8 e4+ 41.b3 g6 42.d7 b8
43.c7 xc7 44.xc7 h4 45.d6+ f5
46.b6 At last b7 will drop. Black's kingside
counterplay hasn't proved fast enough. ee8
47.cxb7 xb7 48.xb7 e6 49.f7+ e4
50.b5 g4 51.c4 The black rook won't be
able to hold back both of W hite's passed
pawns. Meanwhile the white rook can as
necessary give itself up to eliminate any
enemy passed pawn.
1-0
760 C10
Antal,Gergely 2405
Varga,Zoltan 2541
FSGM December (5) 07.12.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.d3 c6 6.f3 d7 7.0-0 e7
[ This is the main alternative to 7...gf6 ]
8.e2
[ Instead 8.c4 gf6 9.g3 xf3 10.xf3
c5! was fine for Black in Tzermiadianos-
Solak, Crete 1999. ]
[ A similar attack on White's centre was seen
after 8.e1 gf6 9.g3 0-0 10.d2 xf3
11.xf3 c5! 12.xb7 cxd4 13.e4 d5
14.a6 e5 15.f1 c7 16.ac1 ab8
and Black was better in Kagan-Gliksman,
Canberra 1999. ]
8...gf6 9.eg5 h6?
680
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ Instead of this careless move Black would closed and attends to the development of
have a satisfactory position after the his queen's bishop- the so-called problem
exchange 9...xf3 for example 10.xf3 c6 piece in the French Defence. ]
11.e1 a5 12.c3 0-0 13.g3 g6 14.h3 7.f3 b7 8.d2 White sticks to his plan of
fe8 15.d2 f8 16.e2 g7 and Black's castling queenside, but as will be seen Black
kingside was very solid in Watson-Hodgson, has in mind an intriguing plan of counterattack.
London 1990. ] White could revert back to castling kingside,
10.xe6! This type of disruptive sacrifice is but this would of course be something of a
well known in Caro-Kann lines. fxe6 11.g6+ moral victory for Black.
f8 12.c4! Not [ 8.xf6+ xf6
[ 12.xe6? d5 but this capture is now A) More solid for W hite is 9.d2 e7
really threatened. ] 10.c4 0-0 11.c3 a6 12.0-0 c5 13.dxc5
12...d6 13.xe6 e7 14.h3! Now White and now rather than xc5?! as played in
intends to regain his material with 15 c5 or 15 Mohr,G-Mufic,G/SLO-chT 1995, I think
d5 Ba4 16 b3, when he would also maintain a ( 13...bxc5 looks best for Black, followed if
lethal attack. So Black tries to escape by possible by manoeuvring the queen to c6
simplifying, but there is no hope- he cannot or f4. );
resist all the white pieces when he has a rook B) 9.g5 e7 10.0-0-0 0-0 11.c4 b5!?
shut out of the game on h8. xf3 15.xf3 c6 Black begins an inspired counterattack
16.d2 e6 17.d3 c7 18.fe1 d6 similar to that in the main game. 12.cxb5
19.g3 b6 20.e2! xd4 21.f4 d6 13.b1 a6 14.bxa6 xa6 15.xf6
Black resigned as if the quee n moves t o xf6 16.e4 g6 17.e5 fb8
safety 22 Qe6 will force mate on f7. This was White has run out of attacking ideas and is
a drastic example of what can happen if Black now facing a barrage from the black rooks
thinks there are no tactical lines in the Fort on a8 and b8. 18.c2 b7 19.f4 g7
Knox! 20.b3 d5 21.d3 c5! 22.c1 xb3
1-0 23.axb3 cxd4 24.xg6 a1+!
0-1 Strikovic, A-Pavlovic,R/Kladovo 1991.
( 24...a1+ 25.xa1 a6+ 26.b1
761 C10 xd3+ followed by picking up the knight. )]
Baramidze,David 2461 [ In contrast to all the excitement above,
Mufic,Goran 2337 8.0-0 e7 9.c4 looks like a small but safe
22nd Open Triesen LIE (6) 19.05.2004 edge for White. ]
[Neil McDonald] 8...e7 9.0-0-0
[ The consistent move, but with the
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 advantage of hindsight 9.0-0 looks a great
5.d3 This is one of the most aggressive idea here. ]
responses to the Rubinstein/Classical set up: 9...xe4 10.xe4 xe4 11.xe4 0-0
White leaves the knight on g1 for a couple of 12.c4? A natural move, as White wants to
m o v e s a n d i n s t e a d a i m s t o d e ve l o p h i s control the d5 square, but it was time to bail
qu e e n s i d e qu ic kly a n d ca st l e l o n g . gf6 out with
6.e2 b6 [ 12.e5 xe5 13.dxe5 ]
[ The immediate attack on the centre with 12...b5! The beginning of a counterattack of
6...c5!? has been investigated in three unexpected venom. 13.cxb5
games on ChessPub. Generally speaking, it [ It would be ugly to hand over the d5 square,
makes a lot of sense as it strikes but 13.c5 was imperative. ]
immediately at the undefended d4 point, but 13...a6 14.bxa6 xa6 15.b1 f6 16.c2
on the other hand opening the centre could d5! Now Black exploits the open files on the
well benefit the white pieces- a white rook q u e e n s i d e t o b u i l d u p a r a p i d a t t a c k .
will enjoy an open d file after 0-0-0. W ith M e a n w h i l e W h i t e h a s n o c o u n t e r p l a y
the game move Black keeps the centre wh a t s o e ve r . 17.b3 a8 18.c1 b8

681
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

19.c4 a4 20.xc7 d5 21.c6 xb2+! should forget about the dark squares and
22.xb2 xa2+ 23.b3 set up a total blockade on the light squares.
[ Or 23.b1 a1+ 24.b2 ( 24.c2 Such an approach would be very
xc6+ ) 24...a2# ] unappealing for most human players, who
23...a3+ 24.b2 b8+ don't like to see their position full of holes:
[ White resigned as it is mate after 24...b8+ but then, how exactly is W hite going to
25.c2 b3# ] capitalise on his advantage? Remember
0-1 also that Black has two extra pawns, not just
one, which is a substantial material
advantage. Consider the following lines:
762 C10 13...d7
Becerra Rivero,Julio 2556 A) Or 14.f4 a5 15.d6 ( 15.f5?! b4 )
Sarkar,Justin 2323 15...g6 and White's attack isn't breaking
ch-USA GpB San Diego USA (9) 11.03.2006 through on f5 as if 16.g4? h4!;
[Neil McDonald] B) 14.b3 a5 15.d6 not letting 15..b4
shut in his bishop. c8 16.g3 g6 17.f4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6 h5 he must vacate h7 so that the rook can
5.e5 e4 6.d3 b4 7.0-0 xc3 8.bxc3 d e f e n d f 7 . 18.f3 h7 19.g3 c6
xc3 9.b1 xd4!? If Black can get away and W hite's attack has reached a dead
with this move, then 3... Nc6 is well and truly end, though it is difficult to see how Black
alive. Instead I gave c o u l d p l a y t o w i n e i t h e r . ( Instead
[ 9...h6 an exclamation mark in the notes to 19...c4? 20.xg6! xf4 21.g8# while;
the game Ibragimov-Peric on ChessPub. 19...h8 20.f3 h7 would repeat
However, I'm not sure any longer. 10.e3 moves. )]
d7 Black plans to castle queenside. The 14.exf6 gxf6
alternative ( 10...0-0 looks somewhat risky [ After the alternative recapture, Black can't
as the bishop on c3 is a long way from the shake off the dark square pressure. For
defence, and can be attacked with gain of example, here is a series of natural moves
time by 11.b3 followed by swinging the that leads to his sudden defeat: 14...xf6
rook over to the kingside in some variations. 15.c5 d7 16.fe1 f7?
Also the pawn on h6 is a possible target for An unsucce ssf ul bid to f lee t he centre .
a Bxh6 sacrifice.) 11.a3!? ( if 11.xb7 a5 ( better to try 16...c8 17.xd5 xc2
12.b1 c5! 13.dxc5 c6 and White's th o u gh W h it e 's in it ia t ive p e rsis t s a f t e r
centre is collapsing.) 11...a5 12.d2 e7 18.c5 ) 17.e3! hc8 18.d6 d8
13.g4 0-0-0 14.b3 ( not 14.xg7 dg8 19.b2! a quiet retreat of enormous
15.f6 xf6 16.exf6 c5! ) 14...c6 strength.
15.e2 xb3 16.cxb3 a5 17.b4 b6 A) If 19...xc2 20.f4+ g8 ( or
and W hite had the makings of a strong 20...e8 21.f3 e7 22.a3 ) 21.xg7
a t t a c k in P it l, G -W e rn e r, D / FS I M Ju ly, xg7 22.g3+ h8 23.e5+
Budapest HUN 2003. He might perhaps and mates.;
have played 18.c2!? rather than the game B) 19...e7 20.e5 e8 21.a3!
( 18.a4 xa4 19.b5 c6 20.fc1 b8 a change of front again. f7 22.f3
21.bxc6 xc6 ) 18...f6 Black gets into and the idea of Rf8+ will cost Black his
trouble after this move, but he is in any queen. ]
case lacking counterplay. 19.exf6 gxf6 15.g4! c7 16.fe1 You might have
20.a4 e5 21.a5 xd4 22.xd4 exd4 noticed that this rook didn't figure at all in the
23.b5 e8 24.b6 etc. ] discussion of 13...Bd7 above, whereas now it
10.xd4 xd4 11.b5+ c6 12.xd4 cxb5 enters the battle straightaway, with the big
13.a3 f5? threat of 17.Rxe6+! b4 Black tries to confuse
[ It's very easy to sit here at my desk and, matters, as obviously he didn't fancy
with the help of Fritz, conclude that Black defending after

682
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 16...e5 17.h5+ d8 ( 17...f7
18.xe5+! ) 18.xb5 ]
17.xb4 h5 18.f3 f7 19.c3 h6
20.b4! Once the rook arrives on f4, all the
white pieces will be well coordinated in the
attack. d7 21.f4 d8 22.xf6+!! xf6
23.xh5+ f8
[ The rook goes with a quick mate after
23...g6 24.h7+ ]
24.e3! A beautifully quiet move that decides
the game. The main threat is 25.Bxf6 Qxf6 26.
Rf3, winning the queen. f5 Now it is death
on the dark squares. 25.b4+ g7 26.g3+
f6 27.g6+ e5 28.e2+ Black resigned
rather than be mated by a pawn after
[ 28.e2+ d4 29.c3# ]
1-0
763 C10
Berelowitsch,Alexander 2500
McDonald,Neil R 2500
Elec 1996
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3
e7 9.c4 xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.b3 0-0
12.b2 a5 Our standard queen move which
a i m s t o s wa p o f f b is h o p s wi t h B a 3 a s a
prelude to an attack on the d4 pawn. White's
reply prevents this but allows his queenside to
b e s o f t e n e d u p . 13.a3 b5! Berelovich
described this as a novelty in his notes to this
game in Informator 68, though in fact I had
first used it earlier that year. It allows Black
to gain immediate counterplay on the
queenside. 14.d5!?
[ White loses a piece after 14.xc6? d2
while if he plays nothing forcing then he has
to reckon with b5xc4 when after the
recapture b3xc4 Black can utilise the b file
with Rab8 etc. ]
[ The previous game cited above went
14.fc1 a more passive response. ac8
15.e2 bxc4 16.bxc4 fe8 17.c2 f8
18.e4 g6 19.d1 ed8 20.c3 c7
21.xf6+ xf6 22.e4 d7 23.d3 e7
24.ad1 h6 25.g3 and Black had useful
pressure against the d4 pawn, though it is
more than adequately defended. According
to Nimzowitsch's celebrated maxim in such
cases you should 'first restrain, then
blockade and finally destroy!' but I bungled it
with f5? when after 26.xf5 exf5 27.a4
f4 28.d5 the pawn had broken free of the
restraint and become a passed pawn. Black
had great difficulty in holding the draw in
Gross,S-McDonald,N/ Budapest 1996. ]
14...cxd5 15.b4 b6 16.cxb5 Black now
has a lovely centre but he mustn't
underestimate the potential of White's mass
of queenside pawns or his attacking chances
due to the two bishops. Fortunately for Black
th e se t wo p lu sse s f o r W h it e d o n 't re a lly
complement each other- the pawns might be
good in the endgame while the attacking
ch a n c e s b e lo n g t o t h e m id d le ga m e . d6
17.fc1
[ In Informator 68 Berelovic and Vaisman
suggest that White's best continuation was
to force a draw after 17.ac1 ac8 18.h5
xh5 19.xh7+ xh7 20.xh5+ g8
21.xg7 xg7 22.g5+ etc. but I don't see
why Black can't play to win with 17... Rfc8 as
in the game, clearing f8 for the king to rule
out the double bishop sacrifice. ]
17...fc8 18.h5 The fact that he makes this
a gg re s sive ge s t u r e a ga in s t B la ck ' s we l l
defended kingside indicates that White has
no promising plan. xh5 19.xh5 g6
20.g5 xc1+?
[ After 20...f8! followed by Bg7 to exchange
off White's strong dark squared bishop Black
would have serious winning chances: his
qu e e n a n d kn igh t cou ld se ize t h e d a rk
squ are s in th e ce n tre , n o ta b ly d 4 . T h e
passed pawn on d5 would far outweigh the
inert pawn on b5. In the game Black aims
to exchange off bishops, but does it in a
far inferior way by giving up control of the c
file and misplacing the queen. ]
21.xc1 b8 22.g3 e5 23.xe5 xe5
24.e2 Suddenly all Black's pieces are on
rotten squares- the rook is trapped on a8, the
queen passive on b8 and the knight hanging
in the centre. This lack of co-ordination far
outweighs the plus of a better pawn structure.
d6 25.f4 d8 26.d4! Blocking the d
pawn and attacking a7 en route to the c file.
How Black wishes he had left his queen on
b6! b8 27.a4! The queenside pawns begin
683
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
to rumble forwards. h5 28.a5 g4 29.c5
d4 30.c7! e5 31.f4 d3 32.xb8 xb8
33.fxe5 dxe2 34.b6! The decisive move that
I had missed. axb6 35.a6 b5 36.f2 a8
37.c6 f8 38.xe2 e7 39.e3 d7
40.d6+ c7 41.d4 h4 42.gxh4 h8
43.c5 xh4 44.c6+
1-0
764 C10
Berg,Emanuel 2583
Rendle,Thomas 2393
Gibtelecom Masters (8) 29.01.2008
[Tom Rendle]
1.e4 e6 The comments to this game were
kindly supplied by IM Thomas Rendle. 2.d4
d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 I am afraid to
say that I have a horrible record in the Fort
Knox. I do not blame the opening entirely as I
have consistently achieved playable positions
with it (usually equalised in fact). However,
W hite gets a comfortable position without
having to do very much and Black has to be
very accurate. In contrast if W hite makes
inaccuracies it is hard for him to end up worse.
Perhaps this opening just doesn't suit my
style but 3.Nc3 is giving Black a few
headaches in the French at the moment (at
least for me) and I was trying to avoid
'mainline theory'. 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7
7.0-0 gf6 8.g3 e7 9.e2 Khalifman's
recommendation.
[ 9.e1 is the main alternative here, hoping
to gain a tempo if Black takes on f3
immediately. ]
9...xf3 Black is practically forced to concede
the two Bishops as if
[ 9...0-0 10.e5! xe5 11.dxe5 d5
12.f4 ]
10.xf3 c6 11.b3
[ 11.c3!? is also problematic, planning Bf4
and maybe h4-h5 etc. ]
11...0-0 12.b2 e8 13.c4 a5 14.a3
this prevents Black from gaining control of the
dark-squares with Ba3. b5!? this idea has
been seen in slightly different positions on
ChessPub.
[ 14...f8 is a solid alternative ]
15.c3 b6 16.fe1 a5 17.c5 c7
I was fairly happy with the opening so far. I
h a d ga i n e d s o m e t i m e o n t h e cl o c k a n d
achieved a playable position. Although Black
should be equal it is an uneasy sort of equality.
White has pressure on the kingside and the
d5 weakness is not going to be relevant for a
while. Black has to try and swap off material
and aim for pressure on d4 if he is to hope for
any advantage. Having said all that it can't be
denied that my position is very solid! 18.d2
f8
[ 18...d5!? ]
19.f4 d7 20.e5 g6 21.e4 xe4
22.xe4 ac8 that's one pair of minor pieces
off at least! White continues to crank up the
pressure.. 23.b4! a4
[ 23...axb4?! 24.axb4 just gives White the a-
file to use. ]
24.ad1 ed8 25.h5 e8 26.d3
this forces my next move f5 27.h3 h4?
My first real mistake and it seems to lose the
game! I had already used quite a lot of time
(as had he) and it's never easy to defend
without counterplay.
[ 27...f8 28.xe8 xe8 29.f3 f6
is obviously comfortable for White but we
didn't really see a way for him to win in the
post-mortem. ]
28.xh4 xh4 29.xh4 fxe4 30.xe4 d7
31.g4 f8 32.h6 e8 33.h4 ee7
34.g5 here I made a decisive mistake. I
should sit tight and wait for White to try and
find a breakthrough. We decided White should
be winning. He can start by playing f2-f4 then
Kh2 and possibly even g2-g4 and f4-f5. It's
not clear Black can obtain any counterplay.
g6?
[ 34...e8 35.h5!? ( 35.f4!? )]
35.h5 If White is allowed to retreat the
Queen and play h5 then my Kingside will
collapse, so I tried.. f5 36.xf5 gxh5
37.xh5 but the Bishop on e5 is such a
p o we rf u l p ie ce . B la ck is t o t a lly lo s t . d5
38.g5+ f7 39.g7+ f8 40.g4 ed7
41.f1 f7 my only hope is to try and play
Rf5 and sac on e5 for some counterplay but
of course Berg does not allow this. 42.d6+
e8 43.g8+ d7 44.e5 h5 45.e2
W h ite is t h re a t en in g t o ge t t h e K in gs id e
pa wn s ro lling a nd B lack ca n d o no th in g.
xe5+ a last try 46.dxe5 f4 47.g7+ d8
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
48.g4! e4+ 49.f3 xe5 50.gxh5 xh5
51.g4
1-0
765 C10
Bluvshtein,Mark 2462
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2619
It A Montreal CAN (8) 12.08.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3
xf3
[ For what it is worth, in a recent game
Rustemov gained a tempo by delaying the
capture on f3 for a move: 8...e7 9.e2
( Here 9.e1 or; 9.c4 are ways of preparing
Ne5 which don't fall behind the tempo count
of the present game if Black plays Bxf3.)
9...xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.e3 White decides
on a different development for his bishop.
As will be seen, it is more vulnerable to
exchange on e3 than on b2, a f act that
should favour Black as every simplification
should ease the cramp in his position. 0-0
12.ad1 e8 13.c3 f8 14.e4 xe4
15.xe4 g5 16.h5 xe3 17.fxe3 e7
18.f3 g6 19.h6 f5 20.c2 g7 21.h3
c5 22.g4 ad8 with unclear play in Kritz, L-
Rustemov,A/Biel SUI 2004. ]
9.xf3 c6 10.b3 e7 11.b2 0-0 12.c4
a5 13.a3 A key move that prevents Black
from easing his game by exchanging bishops
with Ba3. Nevertheless, it somewhat loosens
White's queenside structure. As will be seen,
Bluvshtein loses the present game precisely
because he tries too hard to hold onto the
weak pawn on a3. fe8 A standard position in
the Fort Knox mainline that has been
examined in the games Ivanchuk-Chernin
and Berelovic-McDonald on ChessPub. In
both games Black played the double edged
[ 13...b5!? Here Rozentalis prefers
something a bit more solid. ]
14.fe1 ad8 15.e2 f8 16.h4 d7
17.ae1 c7! The queen has done her duty
on a5 and is now needed on c7, as if
[ 17...ed8 18.f5! would be highly
awkward. Therefore the bishop on e7 needs
to be over protected before Black can carry
on with his plan. ]
18.f1?!
[ T h e c o n s i s t e n t m o v e w a s 18.h5!
aiming to undermine the black knight on f6
with h5-h6 as a prelude to a d4-d5
breakthrough. A possible continuation is
then h6 19.e4 8h7 ( 19...xe4!? )
20.d5!? cxd5 21.xf6+ xf6 22.xf6 xf6
23.cxd5 ed8 ( 23...xd5? 24.xd5 exd5
25.xe8# ) 24.e4! xd5! ( 24...exd5
25.d3 with the double threat of mate on e8
and 26.Qf5 aiming at h7 would be lethal.)
25.xd5 xd5 and Black has active pieces
and a pawn for the exchange. ]
18...ed8 19.b1 xd4! An excellent
exchange sacrifice. Black removes the main
strategical danger he faces in the position-
namely a sudden d4-d5 pawn advance
followed by a tactical blow from the bishop on
b2. 20.xd4 xd4 21.e3? Too ambitious.
White should safeguard his kingside with
[ 21.g3 and then seek an exchange of rooks
after xa3 22.d2 ]
21...xh4 22.xa7 h5! Black prepares the
way for his queen to swoop into the white
kingside via f 4 without allowing any trick
based on the fork g2-g3. 23.b4 f4 24.g3
d6 25.c5
[ Of course 25.xh5 h2+ mates. ]
25...h4 26.e3
[ Again if 26.cxd6 h2+ mates next move. ]
26...xg3 27.fxg3 The only move, but now
W hite falls into a fatal pin. d4! 28.b8
Fritz tells me that
[ 28.f1 g4 leads to mate in seven moves.
It doesn't surprise me. ]
28...d5 29.d6 e5 30.g4 g5 31.d8
xg4 32.f5 g3 33.h2
0-1
766 C10
Borriss,Martin 2439
Firman,Nazar 2468
Bundesliga 2006-7 (2) 29.10.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6!? You can find
further explanation of the opening moves that
follow in the ChessPub archives. 4.f3 f6
5.e5 e4 6.d3 b4 7.d2 xd2 8.xd2
685
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
d7 9.a3 e7
[ Black has a very reasonable alternative in
9...xc3 10.xc3 f6 as you can ee in the
C h e s s P u b a r c h i ve s . H o w e ve r , F i r m a n
prefers to keep his bishop pair. ]
10.0-0
[ In the analysis to Ibragimov-Peric I mention
10.e2 when Black a poor position after
10... g5?! etc. in Goloshchapov-Firman.
Actually there was an immediate way for
Black to free his game with the surprising
tactic xd4! when he will regain his piece
with a free game no matter how White plays:
11.exd4 ( Similar is 11.fxd4 c5 ) 11...c5
12.b5 ( likewise if 12.b3 c4 or; 12.e2
c4; while similar to the game is 12.0-0 cxd4
13.xd4 ) 12...c4 etc. ]
10...a6 11.e2 xd4! As in the note to 10.
0-0, Black is able to force an exchange of
knights, thereby disrupting White's long term
space advantage in the centre and facilitating
the key advance c7-c5. Evidently Firman had
learnt f rom his game with G olosh chapo v
above- or, being more cynical, should I say
that he just switched on his computer, where
the sham knight sacrifice is the first move
recommended? 12.exd4 c5 13.c3 cxd4
14.xd4
[ After 14.cxd4 it would be tempting to play
b5! straightaway, when 15.xb5+ axb5
looks very comfortable for Black, who can
aim for queenside pressure based on the
advance b5-b4. ]
14...c5 The absence of a white pawn on d4
allows Black immediate counterplay. 15.ad1
c8 16.b1 b6!? It is a feature of the
modern handling of the French that the black
king often stays in the centre. The game move
is more courageous, and therefore better, than
[ 16...0-0 when White could try to stabilise a
small advantage ba sed on dark square
control with 17.d3 g6 ( but 17...h4!?
lo o k s l i k e a n u i s a n c e f o r W h i t e h e r e .)
18.g3 etc. ]
17.g5 Borriss seizes the chance to play
actively. xb2
[ After 17...0-0 White could begin an attack
with 18.d3 planning 19.Rh3. ]
18.xg7 f8 19.xh7 xc3 20.f3 b5
Black has two menacing bishops, a dominant
position on the queenside, and a solid looking
ce n tre . O n th e ot h e r h a nd , th e po t e nt ia l
advance of the white passed h-pawn is a
great danger to him. 21.g5?
[ If immediately 21.h4? xf1 22.xf1 b2!
looks good for Black as 23.h5 runs into
xf2+! winning the f2 pawn in view of
24.xf2 c1+ 25.f1 b6+ 26.h2 xf1 ]
[ However, the cold blooded 21.fe1 xa3!?
22.h4! would keep the dynamic balance-
White is being crushed on the queenside,
but the passed pawn is an enormous
trump. ]
21...xf1 22.xf1 d6! A clever move. Black
wants to play Be7 to consolidate, but
[ 22...e7? allows 23.xf7 xf7?! 24.g6 ]
23.f3
[ W hite's back rank crumbles af ter 23.f4
e3+ 24.h1 c1 ]
23...e7 24.h4 c4 25.h5 f4 26.h6 d7!
It is vital that His Majesty can make way for
the rooks to act together to deal with the
passed pawn. 27.a4 fd8 28.b1 c1+
29.xc1 xc1+ 30.h2 f4+ 31.h3 f8
Winning the h6 pawn, which means it is time
for White to give up.
0-1
767 C10
Burnett,Ronald 2400
McDonald,Neil R 2485
GM Hampstead (9) 31.03.1998
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.e2 gf6 8.g3
xf3 9.xf3 c6 10.d2 White prepares to
castle queenside. I always thought this was a
critical position, having reached it twice in my
games but having checked it out on BigBase, I
see that these are the only two times it has
ever been played! b6?! Walking into my
opponent's preparation. Burnett needed to win
this game for a GM norm so had obviously
done some work on some of my previous
games. It seems natural to attack b2 and d4,
but in fact the queen becomes misplaced on
b6 after White's fine reply.
[ Imagine instead that Black had simply
played 10...e7 If now White castles
queenside then Black can start an attack
686
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

w i t h o u t a n y m o r e a d o : 11.0-0-0 a5! K b 3 lo o k s l ik e it wi n s a p a wn a s i f c4

etc. It is also handy that the queen on d8 31.c2 d4 32.b3 etc. ]
defends the bishop on e7, so that White has 30...xc3 31.c1 b4 32.b5 d6
no tricks with Rhe1 and Nf5. White doesn't 33.xb7 c3 34.a7 f3 35.a4 h5
appear to have any strong waiting moves to 36.gxh5 gxh5 37.xa3 xf4 38.e4+ d8
delay castling queenside and if he castles 39.e2 f5 40.h4 g3 41.e7+ d7
kingside then the move Bd2 suddenly looks 42.g5 f4 43.d2+ c6 44.c2 f1
rather silly. ] 45.d1 f2+ 46.d2 f1 47.d1 f2+
11.c3! 48.d2
[ In my earlier game in this line White had ½-½
replied weakly with 11.c3?! when b4
12.0-0 xc3 13.bxc3 c7 14.c4 0-0
looked better for Black in view of W hite's 768 C10
weakened pawn structure in Fogarasi,T- Caruana,F 2757
McDonald,N/ Budapest 1995, though my Meier,Geo 2640
opponent held the draw. ] 1st GRENKE Chess Classic (1.3) 07.02.2013
[ Meanwhile if 11.0-0-0 xd4 and White [John Watson]
hasn't enough for the pawn. ]
11...e7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
[ White has a fearsome initiative after 5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.e3
11...xb2 12.b1 xa2 13.xb7 [ We see 7.d3 in Eduoard-Tiviakov, and ]
but this means that as the b2 pawn cannot [ 7.g3 in Harikrishna-Giri. All three of these
be taken Black's queen f oray to b6 has ga m e s ( a n d a f e w o t h e r s t h is a n d l a s t
failed. ] month) led to wins for W hite, which calls
12.0-0-0 a5 13.he1 a4 Black still has into question the purported safety of
attacking resources and a solid position, but Black's slightly passive setup. ]
he will suffer from the fact that he cannot 7...d5
bring his king's rook into the game. 14.h5 [ 7...e7 8.d3 b6 is Kokarev-Pushkov. ]
xh5 15.xh5 a3 16.b3 f6 17.h3 c5 [ Meier played 7...d6 against Anand this
[ If 17...0-0 18.g4 gives White a ready year, a game I annotated in this column. ]
attack. ] 8.d2 c5 A favourite line for Black which
18.dxc5 xc5 19.f4 d5 20.c4 g6 Meier has played before. 9.b5+
21.e5!? Heading for the better endgame. [ 9.e5 a6 10.c3 was played in Adams-
Instead Meier, Liverpool 2008 for notes, see Anand-
[ 21.f5 aims for a middle game attack e.g. Meier in the Archives, which also covers ]
gxf5 ( not 21...exf5 22.xd5 xd5 [ 9.dxc5 xc5 10.d3 c7 . ]
23.g5 ) 22.xd5 xd5 23.c4 d4!? ( not 9...d7 10.xd7+
23...c6 24.c3 f6 25.h5+ ) 24.c3 [ 10.e2 cxd4 11.0-0 xb5 12.xb5+
f4+ 25.b1 f8 though it looks like d7 13.xd7+ xd7 14.xd4 c8= ]
Black's position is hanging by a thread. ] 10...xd7 11.c4
21...0-0 22.xd5 exd5 23.e3! xe3 [ 11.c3 b5!? ]
24.xe3 f6 25.d3 ac8 White has a clear 11...b6 12.c1 f6 Versus Ne5.
edge as c3 is much easier to defend than d5 [ 12...c8 13.dxc5 xc5 14.b3 e7 15.0-0
and the a3 pawn can also become vulnerable. 0-0 16.e2 cc8 17.c3 Navara, -
During the game I recall seeing several strong Laznicka, Pardubice 2011. ]
continuations for my opponent in what follows. [ 12...cxd4 13.c5 d5 14.e5 b5
Instead he slipped up somewhere and 15.f3 favours White, since f6 ( 15...f6
towards the end of the game Black even had 16.a4! a6 17.b4! ) 16.h5+ g6 17.xg6
the initiative. 26.b1 fe8 27.g4 c6 hxg6 18.xh8 f7 19.h4! e8 20.h5
28.e1 f8 29.xe8+ xe8 30.xd5 a l l o ws W h i t e ' s q u e e n t o e s c a p e wh i l e
[ The odd looking 30.b4!? planning Kc2 and continuing the attack. ]

687
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.0-0 cxd4 14.e1
[ 14.c5 c8 15.e1 looks more likely to
produce a slight edge. ]
14...c8 15.b3 e7!? This keeps Black
very close to equality.
[ 15...f7 thwarts White's plan of c5 and
also holds a rough balance. ]
[ 15...c5 16.xe6+ xe6 17.e1 xe1+
18.xe1 0-0 19.d3! may favour White
with the idea b4, but even that's not
absolutely certain. ]
16.c5! xc5 17.xc5
[ 17.xe6 b5!? ( 17...xc1+ 18.xc1 )
18.d3 xe6 19.xb5+ f7 20.xd4
d5 is about equal. ]
17...xc5 18.xe6+ d8 19.e1 d5
[ Or 19...e8 20.c1 ( 20.xe8+ xe8
21.a3 e4= ) 20...a4!? ]
20.d3 d7
[ 20...c4! 21.b4 xd2 22.xd2 b6= ]
21.b4 b6 22.a4 a6?
[ 22...e8! 23.xe8+ xe8 24.a5 c7
25.xh7 f8= ]
23.a5 a7??
[ 23...c7 24.xd4 xd4 25.xd4 c8
26.e6 ]
24.f4 Suddenly Black is lost: he has no good
moves for his pieces. b8
[ 24...e8? 25.c7+! . Maybe Black missed
this. ]
25.xb8! xb8 26.xd4 d6 There's no
defense. 27.e6+ e7 28.c5+ f7
29.c4+ g6 30.g3 h5 31.e4+ h6
32.xb7 d2 33.e7 d1+ 34.g2 h4
35.d7 d6 36.e4
1-0
769 C10
Caruana,Fabiano 2640
Berg,Emanuel 2623
38th Olympiad (7) 20.11.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3 c5
8.dxc5 xc5 9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.g5
b7 12.ad1 c7 13.e5
[ Previously we examined 13.xf6 gxf6
in the archives. ]
13...fd8 14.h1!? A quiet move but with a
clea r p u rp o se : t he pin o n t he f 2 pa wn is
broken so that the knight can be supported if
need by f2-f4, for example in reply to Rd5.
e7!?
[ A s h a r p a l t e r n a t i v e i s 14...d4!?
f o r e xa m p l e 15.fe1 ( Or 15.f4 xb2
16.xf6 gxf6 17.g4+ f8 ) 15...xb2
16.xf6 gxf6 17.g4+ f8 ( Black loses to
a rather pretty attack after 17...h8 18.h4
f5 or else mate on h7. 19.xf5! exf5
20.xf7+! xf7 21.xd8+ xd8 22.xd8+
g7 23.e7 ) 18.b4+ c5 19.xb2 fxe5
20.xe5 d4 21.a3+ d6 22.b2 d4
with a draw by repetition. ]
15.de1! I like the positional creativity of this
move, which was first played by Mamedov in
2003. White has to overcome two prejudices
in order to make it: firstly, the feeling that
having played the rook to the perfectly decent
square d1 a mere three moves ago, it made
more sense to centralise the other rook with
15. Rfe1 and secondly, it feels strange to give
Black a free hand on the d-file. But it turns out
in the game that Black can't achieve anything
down the d-file, and the decision to play 15.
Rde1 has not only kept the other rook on f1,
where it supports the f2-f4 advance, but also
avoided any unwelcome exchange of rooks on
d1, which would have diluted the power of the
white attack. h6 16.h4 d5
[ White can build up his attack after 16...d4
with 17.f4 d5 ( Or 17...e4 18.xe7
xe7 19.e3 ad8 20.f3 xd3 21.cxd3
and W hite had won the exchange in
Mamedov, R-Aliev, E/Baku 2003.) 18.g3!
intending 19.f5. ]
17.g3 d6 18.e4 f6 19.h4 d7?
Falling for a great combination.
[ The position remains unclear after
19...ac8! ]
20.xf7!! xf7 21.xe6! c5
[ A l s o h o p e l e s s f o r B l a c k a r e 21...xe6
22.c4+ f5 ( 22...d5 23.e4+ f6
24.xd5 ) 23.h5+ g5 ( if 23...e4 24.c3
xc4 25.f3#; or 23...f6 24.f7+ g5
25.h4+ g4 26.e6# ) 24.f7+ f6
25.e6+ e4 26.g6+ d4 27.d3+
c5 28.c4# ]
[ or 21...c6 22.f3 f8 23.xd6 xe6
24.e7+ g8 25.xe6+ h8 26.g6
g8 27.h7+ f7 28.e5 g8 29.f5+
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

e7 30.e1 d8 31.f7 e8 32.c7+ both a2 and c3.) 19...h8 20.c4
xc7 33.xe8# ] guarding a2.;
22.xd6 xd6 23.f4+ e7 24.e1+ d7 A2b) 17...f6 18.h5 f5 19.xe7
[ Or 24...e6 25.c4 ] xe7 20.c4 fd8 21.he1 f4?
25.b5+! c6 26.f5+ e6 27.xd6 xd6 Blundering the important f5 pawn in a
28.xe6! A second rook offers itself on e6 to position that looks solid enough for
conclude a very nicely played attack. Black. 22.xf5 f8 23.g4 xg2
[ B la c k re s ign e d f o r i f 28.xe6 xe6 24.d7 h5 25.xe6 hxg4 26.xe7+
29.xc6+ d6 30.xe6+ xe6 31.xa8 ] h7 27.xb8 xb8 28.dd7 h5
1-0 29.d3+ h6 30.d6+ f6
1-0 Feygin, M-Brady, S/Kallithea GRE
2008.;
770 C10 B) 8...f6?? 9.xb7! White wins a pawn
Charbonneau,Pascal 2499 for nothing. xb7 10.b5+ d7 11.xb7
Hussein,HA 2354 Interesting that a player called J.
38th Olympiad (6) 19.11.2008 Waterfield caught two opponents in this
[Neil McDonald] trap at the South W ales International in
2008! ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 7...xf6
5.f3 e7 [ Instead 7...xf6 8.g5 transposes to
[ One advantage of this move order is that it Nenashev-Slobodjan in the archives.
deters an attacking line based on a quick ( White also has other moves such as 8.0-0
B g 5 a s w o u l d o c c u r a f t e r s a y 5...gf6 and; 8.e3!? )]
6.g5 e7 7.xf6+ xf6 8.h4! ] 8.e2 0-0 9.f4
6.d3 gf6 7.xf6+ [ The Serbian GM Pavlovic has won a couple
[ One of the best traps in the whole of chess of games with the direct 9.h4!? c5 ( Or
occurs after 7.e2 xe4 8.xe4 9...e8 10.e4 f8 11.g5 d7 12.e5
A) S o l i d a n d s e n s i b l e i s 8...0-0 c6 13.g4 e7 14.0-0-0 ed8 15.h3
when White still has to prove he has the and White's onslaught became decisive in
advantage. The best try seems to me Pavlovic, M-Rajkovic, L/Arandjelovac 1991.)
9.e3!? planning queenside castling. 10.d2 g6 ( Instead White is allowed the
( Instead Bacrot equalised comfortably Greek Gift in all its glory after 10...cxd4?
against a more modest development by 11.xh7+ xh7 12.g5+ g8 13.h5
White: 9.f4 f6 10.d3 c5 11.dxc5 e8 14.h7+ f8 15.b4+ e7
a5+ 12.c3 xc5 13.0-0 b6 14.ad1 16.h8# ) 11.0-0-0 cxd4 12.g5 a5
b7 15.e5 ad8 etc. in Ivanisevic, I- 13.b1 g7 14.h5 e5 15.xe5 xe5
Bacrot, E/Dresden GER 2008.) 9...f6 16.g4 f5 17.h4 f7 18.de1 d6
10.d3 c5 11.0-0-0 c7 12.b1 b6 19.g4 d7 20.gxf5 gxf5 21.h6
13.g5 b7 14.dxc5 1-0 Pavlovic, M-Cika, A/Agios Nikolaos 1995,
A1) After 14...ab8!? White can throw a for if h8 22.h5+ g8 23.e7 f4
s p a n n e r i n t h e w o r k s w i t h 15.c6! 24.hg1+ ]
( whereas 15.cxb6 xb6 gives Black a [ Another attacking method is 9.e4!? g6
d a n g e r o u s i n i t i a t i v e a g a i n s t b 2 .) 10.h6 e8 11.0-0-0 ]
15...xc6 16.e5 etc.; 9...c5 10.h4 cxd4 11.xh7+??
A2) 14...bxc5 15.e5 d5 [ White should continue his build up with
( a w k w a r d f o r B l a c k i s 15...ab8 11.0-0-0! ruling out the check by the black
16.d7! ) 16.h4 ab8 17.a1 queen that kills him in the game. The Greek
A2a) The spirited attempt 17...a5? Gift sacrifice might then lead to a draw: e5
fails to 18.xe7 c3! 19.xh7+! A) He could strive for advantage with
o t h e r wi s e W h i t e h a s t o r e s i g n a s 12.e4 g6 13.g5 seeing tha t c5?
( 19.bxc3 d5! threatens mate on ( 13...e8!? ) 14.xf6 xf6 15.xe5

689
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

is poor for Black.; h e h a s u n d e r e st im a t e d Cla e se n 's re p ly

B) 12.xh7+ xh7 13.g5+ g8
19.g3! threatening a mighty skewer/ fork
( not of course 13...xg5? 14.hxg5+ g8 with 20.Bc7. d7 20.xe6! Black always has
15.h5 f6 16.g6 when Black will be
to watch out for a sacrifice on e6 is the type of
mated. ) 14.h5 e8 15.xf7+ h8 pawn centre. Though it has to be admitted that
16.h5+ g8 with a perpetual. ] a gradualist approach with 20.Be5 and then f4-
[ But not 11.g4? e5 12.d2 c5 13.g5?! f5 was also possible. fxe6 21.xe6+ f8
e4 14.xe4 e8 when it all falls apart for 22.xd7 b5!?
White. ] [ N o t w a n t i n g t o s u b m i t t o 22...xd7
11...xh7 12.g5+ g8 13.h5 a5+ whe n a f te r 23.c7 b5 24.xa5 xa5
This check must have been a terrible shock to White has a rook and two pawns for bishop
Charbonneau, who was dreaming of and knight, plus attacking chances against
[ 13...e8 14.h7+ f8 15.d6+ e7 the black king due to the open e-file and f-
16.h8# ] file. ]
[ I n s t e a d a f t e r 13...a5+ 14.f1 f5
23.c7?
guarding h7, White has no compensation for [ Co rre ct wa s 23.d6! targeting the black
the piece. ] king. If then
0-1 A) Or 23...xd7 24.e2! xb2 ( not
24...xd6 25.xd6+ f7 26.e6+ f8
27.e8# ) 25.xe7 b1+ 26.e1+ f7
771 C10 27.e3 xe1+ 28.xe1 or alternatively;
Claesen,Pieter 2393 B) 23...xb2 24.xe7+ f7
Hovhanisian,Mher 2391 ( Black's kingside pawns all drop off after
ch-Expert Namur BEL (5) 04.07.2007 24...xe7 25.xg7+ d8 26.xf6+
[Neil McDonald] xd7 27.g7+ c8 28.h8+ d7
29.xh7+ ) 25.xb2 xb2 26.h3 xd7
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 27.b4 and in both cases Black emerges
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 e7 a pawn down in an endgame. ]
The main alternative to 23...xb2 24.h3 b5 25.xb2 xb2
[ 7...gf6 ] 26.e6 xa3 Stopping 27.Bd6 ideas and
8.e1 creating a gigantic passed pawn. W hite's
[ Previously in the archives we looked at 8.c4 attempt to mate the black king just leads to a
and ] lost endgame. 27.e5 xc3 28.h2 c5!
[ 8.e2 ] 29.a2 cxd4 30.b6 c6! Just in time
8...gf6 9.ed2 The plan of putting this before Claesen wins with 31.Qe6 threatening
knight on e5 via c4 was popular a few years 32.Qf7 mate. Now b6 is hanging and White
ago. But in my opinion as long as Black is also has to deal with 31...Bd6, winning the
happy to exchange on f3 rather than try to queen. He is therefore obliged much against
preserve his bishop with b7-b6 and Bb7 he his will to allow the exchange of queens.
should be OK. 0-0 10.c4 xf3 11.xf3 c6 31.xd4 d6+ 32.xd6 xd6+ 33.g3 d7
12.f4 b6 13.ad1 xc4 14.xc4 Hovhanisian pushed his luck in this game, and
The exchange of two minor pieces has eased h a s b e e n r e w a r d e d wi t h t wo c o n n e c t e d
Black's game, but W hite maintains a small passed pawns. 34.e3 c5 35.f4 xf2
edge thanks to his bishop pair and space 36.d6+ e8 37.d5 c5 38.c7 b6
advantage- not that fans of the Fort Knox are 39.g2 a3 40.f3 e7 41.b3 d6
particularly bothered by this. a5!? 15.c3 a4 0-1
16.a3 b6
[ Perhaps he should fortify the knight on the
d5 square with 16...b5 17.a2 d5 ]
17.d2 fd8 18.a2 a5 Aiming to cause
White problems with 19... Rb5 or 19...Nh5, but

690
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
772 C10
Conquest,Stuart 2560
McDonald,Neil R 2384
ch Edinburgh SCO (9) 23.07.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.ed2
e7 9.c4 d5!? This plan is considered in
the notes to the game Ledger-McDonald on
ChessPub. 10.e3!?
[ Instead 10.ce5 c5 has proved adequate
for Black- if 11.dxc5 then simply xc5 ]
10...xf3?! This is too stereotyped. I don't
know why I didn't seriously consider
[ 10...c5!? which seems to give good
chances of equality, for example 11.xd5
( Harmless is 11.dxc5 xc5 while simply
bad for White is; 11.b5? xf3 12.xf3
cxd4 ) 11...xd5 12.b5 ( Or 12.c4 5f6 )
12...0-0 and I can't see any danger for
Black. ]
[ Too risky however is 10...e4? 11.xe4
xe4 12.d5! ]
11.xf3 c6 12.b3 0-0 13.b2 e8 14.c4!
[ I had reached this position in the previous
years British Championship. Play had then
gone 14.fd1 c7 15.c4 ad8 16.f1
f8 17.d5 exd5 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.xd5
xd5 20.xd5 c5 21.f5 xd1 22.xd1
d8 White has some advantage due to the
two bishops but as there are no apparent
weaknesses in his position Black managed
to hold on in J.Rowson-N.McDonald,
Torquay 2002. ]
14...a5?! Now that White can no longer play
Nc4 I thought it was a good idea to try to ease
the pressure with Ba3. However,
[ 14...c7!? to strike out with c6-c5 to win
control of the e5 square might have been
better. ]
15.a3 ad8 16.c2! After this simple move
Black has to try to answer the question: what
can I do? In the game I came up with an
unf ortunate knight manoeuvre, but there
doesn't seem to be a constructive alternative
anyway. f8 17.ad1 g6?! 18.g3! h5
19.xh5
[ The more aggressive option was to prepare
a promising middle game attack with
19.g2!? planning f4-f5. ]
19...xh5 20.d5 exd5 21.cxd5 c5!
Black has to try to keep the centre closed.
22.c4?!
[ This lets the bind slip. Instead 22.g4!
would leave the black knight stranded on h5
unless Black submitted to doubled pawns
with f6 23.xf6+ xf6 24.xf6 gxf6 ]
22...f6! 23.c1 d4 Suddenly Black has
become active. 24.b4 f6 25.bxc5 xc5
26.e3 xe3 27.xe3 d6 28.xg6 hxg6
29.d4 c8 30.b1 c7 31.g2
The passed d pawn looks more like a liability
than a strength, but I was outplayed for the
second time in the game by Stuart Conquest
f8 32.a4 cd7 33.f3 e7 34.e1 d8
35.ed1 e7 36.g4 a6 37.e1 d8
38.h4 a5 39.ed1 e8 40.h5 gxh5
41.gxh5 f6 42.h4 xd5? As usually
happens, I saw that this was a blunder as
soon as I took my hand off the piece. 43.h6!
gxh6 44.h5! Now White wins the knight, but
Black has just enough defensive resources.
xa4 45.xd5 a5 46.e4 d6 47.d4
c5 48.f4 a5 49.a4 a6 50.d4 d6
51.f5 e6+ 52.f3 d6 53.e4 e6+
54.e5 xe5+ 55.fxe5
[ Perhaps 55.xe5 offered better winning
chances. ]
55...c1 56.f6+ e7 57.g8+ e8
58.f6+ e7 59.g8+ e8 60.xh6 b5
61.d5 e1+ 62.f5 f1+ 63.g5 g1+!
An important move. If
[ 63...b1 64.f6 intending Nf5 is
dangerous for Black, but not ( 64.f5 g1+
65.f6?? g6# )]
64.g4 b1 65.f5 f1+ 66.g5 b1
67.d6 b4 68.a6 b3! 69.xa5 b2
Now White's king and knight are paralysed by
the threat of a check from the black rook.
70.b5 d7 71.d5+ c6 72.d2 c5
73.f2 d4 74.f6 c3 The black king
arrives in time to save the day. 75.f3+ d4
76.f4+ c3 77.f3+ d4 78.f4+ c3
½-½
691
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
773 C10
Danin,A 2572
Timofeev,Arty 2597
Tikhookeansky Meridian 2014 rapid (5.2)
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
5.e5 e4 6.e2 f6 7.g3 fxe5
[ We saw 7...f5 in Juracsik-Zentai in the
Archives ]
8.b5!?
[ T h e n o r m a l m o v e h a s b e e n 8.dxe5
, e.g., see Khusnutdinov-Goh W eiming in
the Archives. ]
8...exd4 9.xe4 dxe4 10.xd4 d6?!
[ See Hector-Rozentalis in the Archives. I'll
quote from Dangerous W eapons: "
10...d5! 11.c4? ( McDonald gives long
ana lys is be gin nin g wit h 11.xc6! a6!
12.a4 d7! 13.c4! xd1+ 14.xd1 c5!
leading to an equal gam e) 11...b4+!
12.f1 d6 and Black is a pawn up with
some weaknesses, but little to fear." ]
11.xc6 xd1+ 12.xd1 a6 13.a4 d7
14.e2?
[ 14.e1! bxc6 15.xe4 d6 16.e2
will not be easy or Black to defend. ]
14...d6 15.e3 xc6 16.xc6+ bxc6
17.d4 0-0 18.ad1 f5 Black is still a pawn
up, however strange his structure is, and now
his rooks will place pressure upon W hite's
pawns. 19.h3 a5 20.a1 b8 21.hd1
e5!? 22.c3 c5 23.d2 a5 24.a3 a4
25.b4 c4 26.c3 Black has maintained
some pressure and now brings his king in
before making advances. f7 27.d1 e6
28.e2? c5! 29.a2 d4 30.b4 c5
31.c3 xc3 32.bxc3 xc3 Black's active
rooks will bring home the point. 33.d1 h5
34.e1 d8 35.b1 c4 36.b7 d6
37.a7 b8 38.a6+ b6 39.a8 b1
40.g8 d4 41.xg7 dd1 42.g5 c4
43.e3 e1+ 44.d2 d5 45.g8 c5
46.e8 e3+ 47.fxe3 bd1+ 48.c3 xe3+
49.b2 c3#
0-1
774 C10
De Firmian,Nick E 2553
Holst,Allan 2361
25th Politiken Cup (5) 18.07.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.ed2
e7 9.c4!? So the apparent intention of Nc4
and Nce5 proves a feint: instead the American
GM strengthens his grip on d5 and as will be
seen plans a direct kingside onslaught with
Ng5, f2-f4 and Ndf3.
[ You can find several games with 9.c4
on ChessPub. ]
9...0-0 10.e2 b6? I have never much liked
the concept of putting the bishop on b7 in the
Fort Knox. Instead
[ 10...xf3
A) The alternative 11.xf3?! c5! 12.xb7
( If 12.dxc5?? e5 or; 12.d5? e5 )
12...cxd4 looks excellent for Black.;
B) 11.xf3 c5 is more active. ]
11.b3 b7 12.b2 e8 13.ad1 c5
14.dxc5 bxc5 This is a very ugly recapture as
the c5 square is a good post for a black knight
or bishop. Evidently Holst was afraid of the
tactics down the d file, but he might have
toughed it out with
[ 14...xc5 15.e4 fxe4 16.xe4 c8 ]
15.g5! c7 16.f4 Now Black c an only
brace himself for the coming assault on his
king as he has no counterplay. ad8 17.df3
xf3 Seven moves too late! 18.xf3 g6
19.c2 f8 20.df1! De Firmian needs all
his pieces for the attack. g4 21.g3 f5
22.xh7? After his fine build up White goes
astray. It would require a lot of calculation and
some bravery to take on e6, but W hite
appears to be winning:
[ 22.xe6! d6 ( White is also winning after
either 22...g5 23.xg4! xe6 24.xf5
gxf5 25.xf5 or; 22...h4 23.xg4 fxg4
24.xc7 e2 25.xg4 xc2 26.e5 e7
27.d5 ) 23.xf5! gxf5 24.xg4+! fxg4
25.xc7 xc7 26.xg4+ g6 ( If 26...f7
27.g7+ ) 27.f5 e2 28.f6 dd2 29.fxg6
h5 30.g5 and Black can resign. ]
22...xh7
[ Instead Black would be trounced after
22...xh7 23.xe6+ f8 24.xg6 ]
692
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

23.xg4 27.xb7+ d6 28.b6+ e7 29.c7+

[ No better is 23.h3+ h6 24.e3 d4! ] 1-0 Skripchenko Lautier,A-Bricard,E/
23...fxg4 24.xg4 Threatening mate in four Montpellier 1998. ]
m o v e s b e g i n n i n g w i t h 2 5 . Q h 3 + . d4! 4...c6
Nevertheless, White had underestimated the [ Black succeeded in holding a draw against
strength of this blocking move. Black can a much higher rated opponent after 4...b4
af f ord to be gen erous a nd give b ack th e 5.exd5 exd5 6.a3 e7 7.f3 f6
exchange as he will still be a piece up. 25.h4 in Fressinet-Bricard, Val d'Isere 2002. ]
f6 26.h5 h6! 27.hxg6 5.f3
[ If 27.xg6 g7 ] [ A n i n t e r e s t i n g r e s p o n s e w a s 5.b5!?
27...g7 28.h2 The king desperately seeks when if f6 ( Black could try 5...b4!? )
shelter on g3 as after 6.e5 d7 7.f3 the standard attack on e5
[ 28.xd4 xd4+ 29.h2 d7 followed by with f6? f a i l s h e r e d u e t o 8.h4!
Rh8+ and Nf6 he would be facing a lethal which exploits the hole on g6. ]
attack. ] 5...b4 6.e2 f6 7.e5 e4! 8.e3
28...d7 29.xd4 xd4 30.g3 f6 [ Black's third move justifies itself for after
31.h3 e5! 32.f3 exf4 33.e4 xe4 8.xe4 dxe4 White can't play Ng5! ]
A sad end to White's impressive build up. [ Instead 8.a3!? xc3 9.bxc3 c6 10.0-0
0-1 a5! He has to stop c3-c4 and also clear
the way for c7-c5. 11.d3 d7 12.e1 c5
13.f4 c7 14.g4 0-0-0 led to a messy fight
775 C10 which White won in Gashimov-Eingorn, Bled
Delorme,Alban 2195 ol 2002. ]
Legky,Nikolay A 2497 8...c5 Now Black succeeds in breaking up the
National I Bordeaux FRA (6) 06.04.2003 white centre and achieves an active game.
[Neil McDonald] 9.dxc5 xc3 10.bxc3 c6 11.0-0 a5
12.c4 xc5 13.cxd5 exd5 14.d4 xd4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 h6 A very unusual 15.xd4 0-0 16.f4 f5! On this blockading
move. Black prepares Nf6 without allowing the square the bishop stymies White's attacking
p i n B g 5 : b u t c a n i t b e w o r t h t h e t e m p o chances. 17.c3 ac8 18.g4 xd4
expended? 4.d3 19.cxd4 c2 20.e2 c4 21.e6 e4
[ Black's loss of time shouldn't hurt too much 22.ac1 xc1 23.xc1 fxe6 24.xe6+ h8
in an Exchange type centre: 4.exd5 exd5 25.f5 a3 26.f1 b5 27.xb5?
5.d3 f6 6.ge2 c5 7.dxc5 xc5 [ Here 27.d2 with the idea of f5-f6 leaves
Here h7-h6 is justified as it has prevented Black with the advantage due to his potential
the pin Bg5. Unfortunately for Bricard in the to advance his queenside pawns, but a hard
example that follows he wanted to prove that fight would be ahead. The game move just
h7-h6 wasn't just a good move, it even wins leads to a lost endgame. ]
a piece! 8.f4 0-0! 9.d2 c6 10.a3 e8 27...d3 28.c5 xc5 29.dxc5 xf1
11.0-0! a6 12.g3 g5? 30.xf1 b8 31.c6 b1+ 32.e2 c1
Black underestimates the attack that follows. 33.xd5 c5 34.e4 g8 35.d3 f8
13.xg5 hxg5 14.xg5+ f8 15.h6+ 36.d4 c1 37.e5 e7 38.g4 g1
e7 ( Or 15...g8 16.h5 xh5 17.h7+ 39.d5 xg4 40.e6 d8 41.d6 d4+
h8 18.g6+ g8 19.h7+ f8 42.d5 d1 43.h4 d2 44.h5 d1 45.e6
20.xf7# ) 16.b4 ( Perhaps stronger was c7 46.b3 h1
t h e i m m e d i a t e 16.ae1+!? ) 16...d4 0-1
17.ae1+ e6 18.f5+ d7 19.xd4
xd4 20.a4 h8? ( 20...c6!
looks a much tougher defence.) 21.c5+
c6 22.e3 xh2 23.xd4 h8 24.b5+
axb5 25.xb5+ xb5 26.b4+ c6

693
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
776 C10
Dominguez Perez,Leinier 2760
Jobava,Baadur 2713
41st Olympiad Tromso 2014 Open (10) 12.8.14
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 It's remarkable
how resilient the Hecht-Reefschlager has
been over the years. White still hasn't found a
sure way to an edge, much less a refutation.
Jobava has played 3...Nc6 several times this
year, so his opponents are hardly unprepared,
but they haven't achieved much. 4.f3
[ For 4.e5 , see this month's game Tomczak-
Betkowski, which includes another top-level
Jobava game in the notes. ]
4...f6 5.exd5 A very safe solution, but one
which is relatively easy to meet.
[ Caruana (2791)-Jobava (2713), Dubai UAE
2014 went 5.d3 b4 ( There are several
games with 5...b4 in the Archives.) 6.g5
( See the Archives for games with 6.e5 and;
6.0-0!? xc3 7.exd5; In Dangerous
W e a p o n s : T h e F r e n c h , I a l s o a n a l ys e
6.exd5 exd5 ) 6...dxe4 7.xe4 e7!
( F r o m D a n g e r o u s W e a p o n s : 7...d6!?
8.xf6 xc3+ 9.bxc3 gxf6 10.0-0 f5
11.d3 d7 12.e1 0-0-0 13.g5 h6
14.h5 f8 with double-edged play and;
7...h6 8.xf6 xf6 9.0-0 0-0 10.d3 d7
11.ad1 ad8 12.fe1 d6
Wedberg-Kengis, Haninge 1992) 8.d3
ed5 9.0-0 ( 9.d2 h6 10.xf6 xf6 )
9...xc3 ( 9...xc3 10.bxc3 xc3 11.e1
cd5 12.c4 e7 and White probably has
enough for a pawn, but it's hard to believe
that's it's more than sufficient) 10.bxc3 xc3
11.b1 h6!? ( 11...a5 12.c4 c6; and
11...c6 both look reliably safe) 12.h4
( risky 12.xf6 xf6 13.e4 c6 14.e5
gives interesting compensation) 12...c6
13.b3!? xd4 14.c4 b6 ( 14...c5! )
15.d3 e7 16.e5 g5 ( 16...c5 )
17.g3 e4!? ( 17...0-0 18.h1; 17...h5!?
18.h3 h4 19.h2 ) 18.e2 xg3 19.hxg3
c7 20.fd1 f6?! ( 20...xe5 21.xe5
0-0 ) 21.g4 g7 22.f3 d8??
( 22...e7 ) 23.xd8+ xd8 24.f6 g4
25.d2+ c7 26.f4+ ]
5...exd5 6.b5
[ 6.g5 e7 7.b5 0-0 8.0-0 h6 9.h4
e4= is seen in Modwal Sankalp (2164)-
Goh Weiming (2375), Caissa IM
Tournament 2007 in the Archives. ]
6...b4 7.0-0
[ 7.e5 0-0 is know to give Black plenty of
compensation should W hite capture the
pawn. ]
7...0-0 8.xc6
[ 8.g5 xc3 9.bxc3 d6 is an important
line, as given in Dangerous Weapons. ]
8...bxc6 9.e5 xc3 Maintaining the
symmetry, although it certainly isn't necessary.
In Dangerous W eapons: the French, I
suggest looking into the alternatives
[ 9...c5 and ]
[ 9...a6 , after which I give 10.e1 e8
11.xc6 xc3 12.bxc3 xe1+ 13.xe1
d7 14.e5 a4 and Black has
satisfactory compensation. For a discussion
of the alternatives, see 'Hecht-
Reefschlaeger-5ed5 analysis' in the
Archives. Another notable game in which
Black held off an opponent rated over 500
points higher went ]
[ 9...d6 10.e1 e8 11.f4 xc3
12.bxc3 f5 (about =) 13.a4 c5!? 14.d3
c6 15.xc5 d7 ( 15...e4! ) 16.e3
( 16.xd7 ) 16...xc5 17.dxc5 h6 18.f3
e7 19.a2 ae8 20.d2 g6 21.f2
h5 22.g1 g6 23.f2 h5 24.g1
g6 1/2-1/2 Short, N (2697)-McPhillips, J
(2161), Bunratty 2013. ]
10.bxc3 e4 11.f3
[ The most prominent earlier example from
this position is in the Archives. It continued
11.a3 e8 12.c4!? dxc4 ( 12...c5!? )
13.xc6 f6 14.e7+ h8!=
Kasimdzhanov, R (2670)-Kosyrev, V (2530),
Tallinn 2006. ( 14...xe7? 15.xe7 xe7
16.e1 when 17.f3 is threatened. )]
11...f6!?
[ 11...xc3 12.d3 a4 13.a3 b6
14.xc6 should give White a modest pull, e.
g., d6 ( 14...e8 15 Qc5! is strong, but in
Visakh-Shtembuliak, Moscow 2014,
15.e7+ h8 16.c5 e6 gave White a
much smaller edge and the game ultimately
turned in Black's favour.) 15.xd6 cxd6
16.f4 chances of winning in spite of the
opposite-coloured bishops. ]
12.a3
694
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 12.fxe4 fxe5 is about equal. ] passive. 9.0-0 c7 10.e2; or 9.e2

12...d6 13.xc6 d7 14.xd6 cxd6!? lo ok m ore dire ct , bu t st ill with o nly th e
[ 14...xd6 15.a5 e8 ] usual small advantage) 9...c7 10.e5!?
15.b4 b7 16.d2 fc8 17.fe1 c7 ( 10.0-0! d6 11.dxc5 xc5 12.d2 xe3
18.ab1 13.xe3 and Ne5 keeps a typical small,
[ 18.e3 a5 19.d3 xc3 ] nagging advantage) 10...cxd4 11.xd4 c5
18...xc3 19.e8+ This makes it relatively 12.xd7 xd4!? 13.xf6+ xf6 14.a4+
easy for Black. Better was f8 (Black intends ..g6 and ...Kg7 with
[ 19.xc3! xc3 20.e7 , when a5 equality) 15.0-0-0! ( 15.e4 g6 16.d1
21.xb7! axb4 22.1xb4 xc2 23.d7 h5 g7 17.d7 e5 18.0-0 b5 19.c2
24.bb7 g5 25.a4 c1+ 26.f2 h4 ac8 (soon drawn) Bae, T (2442)-Getz, N
may hold, e.g., 27.f4 g4!? 28.g7+ f8 (2352), Haraldsheim 2013) 15...g6 16.h4
29.bf7+ e8 30.xf6 xa4 31.e6+ f8 ( 16.c2 g7 17.d7 b6! ) 16...h5
32.xg4 f7 . Obviously only White has ( 16...g7 17.h5 ) 17.c2 g7?!
real winning chances, but objectively this ( 17...b6! 18.e4 d8 19.xd8+ xd8
looks drawn. ] 20.d1 f6 21.d7 xf2 22.xb7 )
19...f7 20.xc3 xc3 21.xa8 xa8 18.d7 c6 ( 18...b6? 19.e4! )
22.b3 c4 23.c3 a5 24.c2 c6 25.a3 19.xc6 bxc6 20.e4 ]
[ 25.e3 a4 26.a3 e6 ] [ b) 8...d5 9.0-0 xe3? 10.fxe3
25...a4!? Preparing an exchange sac to draw. threat ens Ne 5, an d f6 11.e5! fxe5
[ Or 25...a4 26.xa4 xa4 27.e3 12.h5+ d7 13.xe5! produces an
e6= ] indefensible attack. ]
26.b4 9.e2
[ 26.e3 ] [ 9.e5 with the idea Bb5+ might lead to a
26...e8!? very small endgame advantage after e7
[ 26...g5! 27.xc6 xc6 28.xa4 xc3 ] ( 9...a6 10.f3; 9...d6 10.b5+ )
27.xd5 e6 28.f4+ 10.b5+ ( 10.0-0 0-0 11.e2 d8 )
[ 28.b6 d5 29.xc4 dxc4 ] 10...d7 11.0-0 0-0 12.xd7 xd7
28...d7 29.d5 c6 30.e3 b5 13.xd7 xd7 14.dxc5 c7 15.d4 ac8
31.xc4 xc4 32.f2 d5 33.e3 d7 16.fd1 xc5 17.xc5 xc5 18.xc5
34.h4 g6 35.d2 h6 36.e3 e8 37.g3 xc5 19.c3 , but Black should be able to
d7 38.e2 e8 39.d2 c6 40.e3 defend this pretty easily. ]
d7 41.f4 f5 42.d2 h5 43.e3 9...e7 10.0-0-0 A daring-looking way to
½-½ proceed. However, White is really playing in
the centre more than the kingside. 0-0
[ 10...d7 11.e5 0-0 12.xd7 xd7
777 C10 13.b1 with a slight edge due to the
Edouard,R 2686 bishops. ]
Tiviakov,S 2655 11.dxc5 d5
75th Tata Steel GpB (6.6) 18.01.2013 [ 11...xc5 12.xc5 xc5 13.e5
[John Watson] and now a kingside advance is in the works,
e.g., b6 14.g4! g6!? ( 14...d5 15.g5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 e7 16.hg1 b7? 17.xh7+ xh7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3 18.h5+ g8 19.g4 ) 15.he1 b7
[ 7.e3 d7 8.d3 c5 was the order of 16.g5 d5 17.d7 f4 18.xc5 xe2+
Bae-Getz in the following note. ] 19.xe2 bxc5 20.e4 ]
7...c5 8.e3 12.d4 f4 13.e4
[ 8.dxc5 xc5 9.e2 is seen in Geske- [ 13.e5!? lo o ks be t t e r: xe5 14.xe5
Gasthofer. ] xd3+ 15.xd3 xc5 16.d6 xd6
8...c7 17.xd6 and White has a little pressure,
[ a) 8...d7!? 9.c3 ( Not bad, if a little although it may be that Black can neutralize

695
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

it. ] l e a d t o s u r p r i s i n g l y s h a r p p l a y . e7
13...xd3+ 14.xd3 f6! The alternative is the immediate
[ 14...xc5?? 15.c3 ] [ 7...c5 when 8.e3 is the best reply. Then
15.hd1 cxd4 ( 8...c7 9.e5 a6 10.a4+ d7
[ 15.e1 e5 16.b1 f7 17.e3 d7 11.0-0-0 was dangerous for Black in Illescas-
with plenty of play for the pawn. ] Speelman, Salamanca 1998) 9.xd4 e7
15...f7 10.d3 0-0 11.d2 d5 12.0-0-0 xa2
[ 15...e5! ] 13.he1 was obscure in Mainka-Luther,
16.e3 e5 17.d5 f8 18.d2! e7 Recklinghausen 1998. ]
19.d8!? 8.d3 0-0 9.0-0 More aggressive was
[ 19.c4 e6 20.a4 ] [ 9.g5 which keeps the option of queenside
19...e6 20.b3 castling. Then h6 10.h4!? d5 11.d2 b5
[ 20.a5 ] 12.0-0-0 b7 13.e5 xa2 14.xf6 xf6
20...b6! Black is getting out now and should 15.d7 e7 16.xf8 xf8 gave Black
b e f u l l y e q u a l . 21.d5 xd5 22.xd5 adequate play for the exchange in
bxc5!? Khalifman-Short, Keres Memorial 1998. ]
[ 22...b7! 23.d3 xg2 24.cxb6 axb6 9...b6 10.e2 b7 11.f4 a6?! The start of
25.a4= ] a creative idea to put pressure on g2, but
23.d8 b7 24.c4 c7 25.f4 xd8 unfortunately it doesn't work! Black should
26.xd8 exf4 27.xf4 c8 28.d2 g5 have tried for mundane equality after
[ 28...e8 29.d6 e6 30.g3 f3 ] [ 11...d6 e.g. 12.g5 ( 12.e5 c5 )
29.d6 d8?! 12...h6 13.h4 c5 etc. ]
[ 29...e8 ] 12.ad1 a7 13.c4 e8 14.e5 a8
30.g3 h5? 31.xf8 xd2 32.xd2 xf8 Black completes his plan and hopes for the
33.d6 g2 34.e3 g7 35.e4 c4 passive reaction 15 f3, when 15...c5 looks OK
36.bxc4 for him. However, the problem is that White
[ 36.b4! was pretty obvious, but White is can ignore the threat to g2. 15.fe1! b4 If
better in any case. ] [ 15...xg2 16.d5 cuts off the bishop when
36...g6 37.d6 f5 38.b5 a5 h3 17.f3 f5 18.xf5 exf5 19.c6
[ 38...a6 39.d4 ] looks crushing. ]
39.d4 f6 40.f3 f1 41.c5 c4 42.a3 16.g4!! It looks as though the pawn is running
d5 away from the attack, but in fact it is spear
[ 42...b5 43.h4 gxh4 44.gxh4 a4 45.c3 heading a strong attack against the under
e6 is the best chance. ] defended black kingside. xe1 17.xe1 e7
43.h4! gxh4 44.gxh4 e6 45.f4 Winning. 18.g5 d7 19.h5 f8 20.e3 c5 21.d5!
c4 46.e5 a6 47.c4 a4 48.c6 c8 This rules out Be4 as a defence against Rh3.
49.c5 d5 50.g6 a6 51.e7+ e6 The black pieces stuck on the queenside are
52.xf5 d5 53.c7 xc5 54.e7 c4 too far away to help the king. g6 22.h6
55.c8+ xc8 56.xc8 b3 57.b6 exd5 23.g4! e6 After
1-0 [ 23...xe3 24.f6+ h8 25.fxe3
there is no defence to 26 Be5 with a quick
mate. ]
778 C10 24.f6+ h8 25.h3 e1+ 26.f1 dxc4
Emms,John M 2586 27.xh7+! A good attacking display.
Arkell,Keith C 2462 1-0
86th ch-British (3) 03.08.1999
[Neil McDonald]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7

5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 This quiet
move, keeping the tension in the centre, can

696
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
779 C10
Emms,John M 2570
Ledger,Andrew 2455
Redbus KO, Southend (1.2) 1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 This is the natural developing move. For
5 Bd3 see the archives.
[ 5.d3 ]
5...gf6
[ Sometimes 5...e7 is played, with the idea
of recapturing on f6 with the bishop after
6.d3 gf6
A) 7.e2!? when xe4 8.xe4 c5 9.0-0
0-0 10.d1 c7 11.c3 left him with a
small advantage. Seirawan soon got into
ho t wa t er a f t e r f6 ( Seirawan himself
suggested 11...d8!? ) 12.g5!
[making things difficult for Black to develop
his queen's bishop is White's key theme in
this opening. Thus the obvious ( 12.c2
is inadequate as it allows Black to play b6
and 13...Bb7.]) 12...h6? A complete loss
of a tempo. 13.xf6 xf6 14.c4! e7
15.b4 and Black had no way to avoid
losing a pawn.;
B) 7.xf6+?! when 7...Bxf6 puts the
bishop on a good diagonal and the knight
on d7 is ready to support the important
advance ...c5. However, W hite doesn't
have to be so compliant. In Yermolinsky-
Seirawan, Merrillville 1997, W hite
preferred ]
6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3
[ Also possible is the pin 7.g5!? e.g. h6
( 7...c5 8.b5+ d7 9.xd7+ xd7
is also OK for Black.) 8.h4 ( 8.e3!? )
8...e7 9.d3 c5 10.dxc5 a5+ 11.c3
xc5 12.e2 Todorovic-S.Marjanovic,
Yugoslavia 1997. Now Todorovic gives d7
as slightly better for White. ]
7...c5 8.dxc5
[ Black equalised after 8.0-0 cxd4 9.xd4
c5 10.c3 0-0 11.g5 h6 12.h4 xd4
13.cxd4 d7 planning ...Bc6 in Arencibia-
Nogueiras, Cienfuegos 1997. ]
8...xc5 9.0-0
[ More aggressive is 9.e2 for which see
Ponomariov-Speelman. ]
9...0-0 10.e2 b6 11.g5 b7 12.ad1
c7 13.xf6 gxf6 14.e4 fd8?!
T h e b i g q u e s t i o n h e r e is wh e t h e r B l a c k
should initiate the exchange of bishops. The
evidence suggests the answer 'yes' as
[ 14...xe4!? 15.xe4 fd8 16.c3 ac8
17.g3 d7 draw agreed was Oll-Speelman,
Beijing 1997. Black only seems to get into
trouble in this variation when he loses the
fight for control of the d file. Therefore, it is
better to keep the queen on c7, where it
guards the d8 square, rather than allow it to
be forced to b7 after White plays Bxb7. ]
15.c3 In view of the above comment, here or
on the next move Bxb7 should be played. h8
16.g3 f8?! This loses a tempo as the bishop
belongs on f6.
[ Better was 16...xe4 17.xe4 e7 when
18.h4 ( 18.d4 f5 ) 18...ac8!
looks unclear. ]
17.a3?! Still correct is
[ 17.xb7! ]
17...g7? After this White finally takes up the
chance of capturing on b7 and deflecting the
black queen from c7. Instead Black should
play
[ 17...xe4 18.xe4 ac8 with equal
chances as if 19.d3?! xd3 20.xd3 d8
it is Black who seizes control of the open
file. ]
18.xb7! xb7 19.d3! Now Black has lost
the fight for the d file. f5 20.fd1 xd3
21.xd3 f6 22.d1 c8 An instructive
moment. The white queen and rook are well
placed controlling the only open file on the
board. However, it isn't clear how White can
in cr e a se h is a d va n t a g e , a s 2 3 R d 7 R c 7
achieves nothing. John Emms finds a brilliant
s o l u t i o n t o t h e p r o b l e m . 23.e1!!
The beginning of an inspired manoeuvre.
W h it e se e s t ha t t h e b la ck b ish o p h a s t o
remain on f6 as it has two roles to perform-
defence of the back rank [the d8 square] and
the kingside [the g7 square]. Therefore the
white knight is dispatched to h5, where it will
dislodge the bishop. b5 24.g2 b6
[ Here 24...e7 to answer 25.d7
[ b y n o m e a n s t h e o n l y m o ve ] w i t h d8
looks a tougher defence, though even the
endgame after 26.xd8+ xd8 27.xd8+
xd8 looks very promising for White due to
Black's doubled pawns and his own
697
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
queenside majority. ]
25.f4 d8 26.h5 e7 27.d2 xd3
Losing at once, but
[ 27...e5 28.d7 threatening 29 Rxe7! was
also hopeless e.g. e8 29.d5 e6
30.xb5 ]
28.h6!
1-0
780 C10
Enders,Peter 2480
McDonald,Neil R 2460
Budapest Elekes (2) 1995
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.g5 This is the
sort of crude attacking response Black hopes
for when he plays the Fort Knox. It leads to
exchanges that help him ease his cramped
position. e7 8.xe7 xe7 9.e2 xe4
10.xe4 gf6! Black exploits a tactical trick
to avoid having to waste a move defending b7-
if 11.Bxb7?? Qb4+ wins the bishop. So White
allows the exchange of another minor piece.
11.0-0
[ White has nothing after 11.d3 0-0 12.0-0
c5 ]
11...xe4 12.xe4 c6 13.c4 0-0 14.fd1
fd8 15.h3 f6 16.e3 b4 Trying to
provoke White into playing b2-b3, when the
pawn can be undermined with a5-a4. 17.e2
d6 Now Black begins to restrain the d pawn.
My op p on e nt , wh o wa s t he Ch a mp ion o f
Germany, said after the game that he thought
he stood slightly worse here, because of the
weakness of d4. I'm not at all sure about this
as the d4 pawn confers a space advantage to
W hite and can be defended easily by the
white pieces. Only if White pushes too hard
for the initiative does the pawn become a
liability. 18.c2 ad8 19.a3 a5 20.b4
W hite is happy to advance his queenside
pawns as they increase his space advantage
meanwhile Black is happy to see them
advance as he hopes that weaknesses will
appear. As long as neither side over steps the
bounds of safety both players are right in their
assessment of the position. c7 21.a4 6d7
22.a5 h6!? Black prepares to undermine the
defence of d4 by offering an exchange of
knights. 23.e1 h7! 24.c3 g5
25.xg5 hxg5 26.e4 d6! Now the queen
prepares to enter the attack on the d pawn via
e7 and f6. What saves White is the weakness
of the g5 pawn. 27.c5!
[ If immediately 27.a6 b5 is good for Black. ]
27...d5
[ Black is deflected from his plan for if
27...e7 28.a6 breaks up his pawns. ]
28.ae1 f5 29.g4 d5 30.g3 a6
31.e5! Forcing equality before Black has
time f or Qf6, etc. xe5 32.xe5 xe5
33.dxe5 d1+ 34.h2 b1 35.g3 b3+
36.f3 b2 37.h4 gxh4+ 38.xh4 f8
39.g3 b3 40.d4 e7 41.f4 f6 42.e4
f7
½-½
781 C10
Erdelyi,Zombor 2264
Werner 2334
FSIM May Budapest HUN (3) 09.05.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.b5
Visually speaking, this looks like it should be
a strong move, but W hite has to be careful
that he doesn't overextend himself. As the
game shows, having bishops on b5 and g5
can be too much of a good thing. f6
[ The alternative treatment which I hope to
analyse in the future is 4...b4!? ]
5.g5
[ Or 5.e5 d7
A) Hickl won with 6.h3!? some years
ago, but I think the following is a good
response for Black: a6 7.a4 b6 8.b3
( After 8.xc6+ bxc6 Black can expand
with c6-c5 at the right moment.) 8...a5
9.h5 c5 10.g5 c7 11.dxc5 xc5
12.xh7 g8! sidestepping the threat of
13.Nf6+ winning the rook. Black has good
counterplay, as if 13.g5? xe5+ etc.;
B) Black has adequate chances after
6.f3 a6 7.e2 e7!? ( 7...f6!? ) 8.0-0
f6 It is important that Black has the option
of an attack on the centre with f7-f6, as he
can't really engineer the move c7-c5.;
C) 6.a3? Looking through games with 3.
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Nc3 Nc6, I have been surprised how often
players make this timid defensive move.
Anyone who plays 3.Nc3 is reconciled to
being hit by 3...Bb4, so why later on waste
v a l u a b l e t i m e t o p r e v e n t t h e p i n ? a6
7.e2 f6 8.exf6 xf6 9.e3 d6
10.h5+? ( Better was 10.f3 ) 10...g6
11.f3? To add insult to injury, White not
only delays the development of his knight
but blocks it of f f rom going to f 3 . b6
12.b3 d7 13.ge2 0-0-0 14.d2 h6
15.a4 undoing the purpose of his 6th
move. b4 16.0-0 g5 17.c1 e5
18.d1 exd4 The knight on c3 will be lost.
0-1 Fauve l,J-Ghan e,S/Elan court FRA
2004. ]
5...dxe4 6.xe4
[ Even worse for White than the game
continuation is 6.xc6+ bxc6 7.xe4 ( or
7.ge2 a6 8.xe4 d5! ) 7...d5!
8.xf6+ gxf6 9.xf6 g8 10.e2 xg2
I also think Black has sufficient chances
after other moves, for example: ]
[ 6.ge2 d7 7.xe4 e7 8.xf6 gxf6!?
9.d2 ( or 9.d5 b4 ) 9...f5 10.c5
( 10.4c3 b4 11.c4 c6 ) 10...xc5
11.dxc5 e7 12.0-0-0 0-0-0 while the
bishop on g7 is the best minor piece after ]
[ 6.xf6 gxf6 7.xe4 f5 8.c3 g7 ]
6...d5! A powerful centralisation that radiates
threats in all directions. White has to worry
about the g2 square as well as one of his
minor pieces dropping off. 7.xf6+ gxf6
8.xf6 g8 9.d3
[ Re t r e a t i n g d o e s W h i t e n o g o o d : 9.f1
e4+! 10.e2 ( Or 10.e2 b4 11.c1
xa2 ) 10...g6 11.f3 ( not 11.e5? f6!
12.xc7 xd4 and the fork on c2 decides
the game. ) 11...b4 12.d3 xd3+
13.cxd3 xg2 and White is left with
wrecked pawns. ]
9...g6 10.e5 d7 11.xc6 xc6 12.e2
xg2?! Black heads for a promising endgame,
but more dynamic was
[ 12...xg2! when White cannot castle
queenside as a2 drops. Black has every
chance of deciding the game with an attack
aided by the strong bishop pair, for example:
13.f4 ( or 13.a3 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 a2 )
13...a5+ 14.c3 g5 15.f3 xe5+ 16.dxe5
xe5+ 17.e2 d8 18.c2 e7
intending Bf3, Bh4+ etc. ]
13.f1 e4 14.xe4 xe4 15.0-0-0?
T h e o b vio u s m o ve , b u t it a llo ws B l a c k ' s
bishop pair to become ferocious. He had to
make do with
[ 15.c3 ]
15...f3 16.fe1 h6+ 17.b1 0-0-0 18.b4
A desperate move to prevent the downfall of
his centre with 18.. .c5, but W erner f ind s
another way to break through and win
material. f6 19.g3 e5! 20.c3
[ Of course White drops a piece after
20.dxe5 xd1+ 21.xd1 xe2 ]
20...b6 reintroducing the threat of 21...c5.
21.b5 b7 22.b2 a6 23.a4?!
[ He h a d t o se t t le f o r 23.bxa6+ xa6
though it is unlikely he could have avoided
losing a pawn in any case. ]
23...axb5 24.axb5 exd4 25.cxd4 g5
Now a pawn will be lost and eventually the
game despite W hite's extended resistance.
26.d5 gxd5 27.xd5 xd5 28.c3 d7
29.e6 g7 30.c2 g4 31.c6 f5+
32.b3 g6 33.h4 f5 34.g3 e8
35.c2 f7 36.c4 xc3 37.xc3 xb5
38.b4 f1 39.b1 g2 40.d4 e7
41.g1 c5+ 42.c3 d5 43.d6 d7
44.e5 c6 45.a1 e4 46.a8 d3+
0-1
782 C10
Erdogdu,Mert 2434
Gurevich,Mikhail 2607
ch Ankara TUR (9) 31.03.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6
[ A similar scenario is possible to the game
b u t wi t h o u t h 7 - h 6 t h r o wn i n b y B l a c k :
3...dxe4 4.xe4 d7 5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+
xf6 7.e3 d6 8.d3 b6 9.e2 b7
10.e5!? This works brilliantly in the game,
but only because Black responds with a
time wasting knight manoeuvre. 0-0 ( not
10...c5 11.b5+ ) 11.0-0-0 d5? ( Instead
11...c5!? brings the black game alive. Note
that W hite would pay too high a price for
t h e b la ck qu e e n a f t e r 12.dxc5? xe5
13.xh7+ xh7 14.xd8 fxd8 ) 12.d2
b4 13.xb4 xb4 14.c3 d6 15.f4 g6?
699
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Black's game was already unenviable, but
creating a hook on g6 for White's kingside
a t t a c k i s p l a i n s u i c i d a l . ( Also bad was
15...f6? 16.h5 g6 17.xg6 hxg6
18.xg6+ h8 19.d3 and Rh3 will mate
the black king. ) 16.h4
A) 16...f6 17.h5 fxe5 ( 17...g5 18.g6
hxg6 19.xe6+ g7 20.hxg6 xf4+
21.b1 h8 22.f7# ) 18.dxe5 c5
19.g4;
B) 16...f6 17.df1 ad8 18.h5 c5
Much too late to distract W hite from his
kingside attack. 19.g4 g7 20.hxg6
hxg6 21.f5! exf5 22.xf5 xe5 23.xf6
xf6
B1) B la c k is m a s sa cre d a f t e r 24.f4
fe8 ( alas if 24...h8 25.f1
the bishop dare not move from f6 as
then f7 drops.) 25.h6+ g8 26.xg6
fxg6 27.xg6+ g7 28.h7+ f7
29.f1+ e6 30.xg7 etc.;
B2) 24.f4 1-0 Fressinet, L-Marzolo, C/
Noyon FRA 2008. ]
4.g5 dxe4 5.xe4 bd7 6.f3 h6
7.xf6+ xf6 8.e3 d6 The bishop goes
to d6 rather than e7 as Black wants to fight
for the e5 square, and in some cases may
want to support his knight on the f4 square-
see for example the note to 10.0-0 below.
9.d3 b6! Black concerns himself with the
development of his queen's bishop rather
than hurrying to castle kingside. This reduces
the power of a white build up with Qe2 and
0-0-0 as there is no black king on g8 to target.
10.0-0
[ Or 10.e2 b7 11.0-0-0 ( If White tries
11.e5 in the style of the Fressinet game
above, then 0-0 12.0-0-0 c5!? is still t he
recommended response, not allowing White
t h e t i m e t o b u i l d u p o n t h e k i n g s i d e .)
11...d5! Ivanchuk refuses to commit his
king until he is satisfied that he has enough
activity in the centre. 12.d2 f4 13.xf4
xf4+ 14.b1 0-0 15.h4 d5 16.he1
Giving up on a direct attack as there is no
good way to get the kingside pawns rolling.
ad8 17.f1 a5 18.e4 a6 19.d3
b7 20.e4 a6 21.d3 with a repetition
in Leko, P-Ivanchuk, V/Nice FRA 2008. ]
10...b7 11.c4 0-0 12.h3 e7 13.e5?
Black's pieces are too well deployed to justify
this attacking bid. He should settle for the
modest
[ 13.e2 c5 14.ad1 ]
13...c5! The standard recipe against the Ne5
intrusion- see the notes at moves three and
ten. 14.e2 ad8 15.ad1 b8 16.b1
cxd4 17.f4
[ White finds to his dismay that the recapture
on d 4 co st s ma te rial: 17.xd4? xd4!
18.xd4 c5 hitting pieces on both d4 and
e5, which can't defend each other. 19.d7
( 19.d7 xd4 20.xf8 d6 -threatening
m a t e o n h 2 - 21.f4 xf8 ) 19...xd7
20.xd7 c6 and the knight can't move
due to mate on g2. ]
17...d7! An example of Gurevich's fine
judgment. If the game proceeded quietly,
W hite could regain his pawn on d4 by
doubling rook on the d-file. Therefore, he
decides to hold onto the passed d-pawn at the
cost of a kingside pawn. 18.d3 g6 19.xd7
xd7 20.xh6 e8 Planning to steam roller
through the centre with e5-e4. 21.f4 e5
22.fxe5 xe5 23.f4 xf4! The logical
culmination of the plan began with 17.. .Nd7.
With this positional queen sacrifice Gurevich
destroys White's hopes of a kingside attack.
The passed pawn will then keep White under
constant pressure, with no losing chances for
Black. 24.xf4 xf4 25.f1 e3+ 26.h2
e4 27.xe4
[ Erdogdu gives back the queen. After
27.d1 d3!? Black can add the plan of 28...
Re5 and Rg5, attacking g2, to his armoury.
( Or else 27...xb1 28.xb1 d3 etc. )]
27...xe4 28.xe4 d3 29.d1 d2 30.g3
d4 31.f3 h6 32.b3 g7 33.d5 d3+
34.e2 c3 35.f3 c2 36.d3 xa2
Despite Black's huge positional advantage,
there is no obvious way to win- the passed
pawn is invincible on d2, but advancing it one
more square is virtually impossible. Overall, a
f in e tribu te to th e dra wing te nde nc ies o f
opposite coloured bishops. 37.f1 f5 38.d1
a5 39.f2 c5 40.f3 e5 41.c2 e3
42.d3 f4 43.h4 g5 44.h3 a5 45.h1
b5 46.cxb5 xb5 47.hxg5 d5+ 48.e4
xg5 49.f3 f6 50.d3 g3 51.c2 g8
52.d3 d8+ 53.c3 f2 54.c2 e1
55.h6+ e5 56.d1 d4 57.c6 e3
58.c4 f8 59.a4 f7 60.d5 e7 61.f3
700
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

d3 62.a2 c7 63.a1 c3 64.d5 d4 is curtains. ]

Here W hite might have lost on time or 1-0
resigned prematurely. He can defend with
[ 64...d4 65.c4 g7 66.a4! ( but not
66.f1? c3 67.a4 xb3 68.xf4 c7 784 C10
wit h a d e c is ive ch e ck o n c1 t o f o llo w.) Fedorov,Alexei 2607
66...c3 67.d5 g5 68.e6 xg2 Stupak,Kirill 2412
69.xf4 g1 70.c4+ b2 71.c2+ a3 ch Minsk BLR (13) 22.01.2008
72.c6 etc. ] [Neil McDonald]
0-1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5
A logical move that sets up the characteristic
783 C10 French pawn chain-and here Black is deprived
Fedorov,Alex 2567 of the standard response c7-c5. f6 5.b5
Mateuta,G 2517 [ Or 5.f4 fxe5 6.dxe5 ( Of course if 6.fxe5??
TCh-ROU 2013 (7.3) 06.09.2013 h4+ 7.g3 xd4 ) 6...h6 7.f3 and now
[John Watson] b4 is active for Black. ( Rather than 7...c5
8.a4 e7 9.e3 0-0 10.d2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 which looked like a slight plus for White in
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.ed2 Perelshteyn, E-Montalvo, A/Santo Domingo
This has become arguably the most DOM 2006. )]
dangerous continuation. e7 9.e2 0-0 [ Alternatively 5.exf6 xf6 6.f3 d6
10.c4 xf3 11.xf3 c5 12.dxc5 xc5 7.g5 0-0 and Black has achieved an easy
13.d2 White has the bishop pair and wants piece deploym ent. Ok, there is a sligh t
to grab queenside space. He stands better. a5 weakness on the e5 square, but compared
14.ad1 b6 15.b3 fe8 16.c3 f8 to most Tarrasch lines White doesn't have
17.b2 8d7 18.a3 c7 19.b4 axb4 pressure down an open c-file to go with it.
20.axb4 e7 21.c5!? Slightly premature. 8.d2 e8 9.b5 d7 10.xc6 bxc6
[ 21.a1 preserves a nice advantage. ] 11.e5 b8 12.b1 c5 13.xf6 gxf6
21...b6 22.b5 bxc5 23.xd7?! 14.xd7 xd7 15.dxc5 xc5 16.0-0
[ 23.bxc5 , since there's no good way to The broad pawn centre and superior minor
capture immediately. Still, d5! 24.xg7 piece gave Black the better chances in
eb8 25.c6 a5 26.cxd7 axb5 27.a1 Zdebskaja, N-Zielinska, M/Chisinau MDA
leaves White with a smaller advantage than 2005. ]
he might otherwise have achieved. ] 5...d7 6.f3 a6? It doesn't bode well for
23...xd7 24.xg7 f6!? Black that the most constructive idea he can
[ 24...cxb4 25.h6 e5 ( or 25...f8 26.xf8 come up with is to spend a tempo forcing the
xf8 27.xb4 g6 ) 26.d4! looks very bishop to take on c6- an exchange that White
d a n g e r o u s , b u t c5! 27.f5 a6 welcomes.
defends adequately ] [ The superior 6...e7 was played in Zude-
25.h6 e5? Meinhardt. ]
[ 25...cxb4 26.d4 f8! 27.xf8 xf8 7.xc6 xc6 8.0-0 f5 Black avoids the hole
28.xb4 leaves Black a little exposed, but on e5 which would result after 8...fxe5 or if
he should hold. ] W hite were allowed to play e5xf 6 and he
26.e2! f7?! recaptured Nxf6. In that case the e6 pawn
[ 26...h8 27.c1 ] would become vulnerable to direct attack by
27.f4 xf3+ 28.xf3 e5 29.h5+ g8 R e 1 , e t c . H o we ve r , b l o c k i n g t h e c e n t r e
30.h6 c8? But things were bad anyway. doesn't solve Black's problems. His position
31.d3 f8 32.g3+ soon runs out of energy: he can't find any role
[ 32.g3+ h8 33.f7 xh6 34.xf6+ for the bishop on c6, and is unable to evict
the white knight that Fedorov will put on f4.

701
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Once Black is denied the life giving g7-g5 9...0-0 10.b2

pawn thrust it is all downhill for him. 9.g5 [ After 10.e5 xe5 11.dxe5 d5 12.f3
d7 10.b3! A far sighted move. White will e4 Black has achieved good counterplay. ]
eventually put pressure on the black centre 10...xf3 Black makes the exchange
w i t h c 2 - c 4 . h6 11.a4 f7 12.h3! immediately in order to clear the way for his
Fedorov avoids the exchange as his knight will next move and also rule out any Ne5 nasties
be excellent on f4. a5 13.f4 g6 in t h e f u t u re . 11.xf3 c6 12.c4 c7
[ Alas for Stupak he can't dislodge the knight 13.c2 g6 Black's defensive plan unfolds. He
as after 13...g5 14.h5 the f6 square will play Rfe8, Bf8 and Bg7, when his pawns
hangs. This means that Black can't achieve form a solid light square shell and his pieces
any kingside counterplay. ] are well placed for anything that White might
14.ce2 h6? 15.a3 d8 White would t h ro w a t t h e m . 14.ae1 fe8 Generally
soon build up a big attack if Black castled speaking, in this set up the rook chooses to go
queenside, but his king won't be at all safe in to e8 rather than d8. On e8 it over protects
t h e c e n t r e . 16.d3 b6 17.fd1 b7 the e6 pawn and so takes the sting out of any
In the is type of structure Black often tries for sa crif ice b a sed o n Nxe 6 o r Nxf 7 . I t a ls o
counterplay with c7-c5, which shows what a defends the bishop on e7 against any x-ray
serious mistake it was for his bishop to go attack by the white rook on e1 after a d4-d5
AWOL with 14....Bh6. 18.h4! Fedorov's main pawn advance. 15.e3 f8 16.e5 g7
plan is to break through with c2-c4, but he 17.fe1 White's build up appears impressive,
takes time out to restrict Black on the kingside. but the black position is fully developed and
The knight on f7 is now stalemated, and the devoid of any structural weaknesses. ad8
g6-g5 forever ruled out. f8 19.xf8 xf8 18.b4! White plans a kingside attack and so
20.ac1 c6 21.c4 a6 22.c3 e7 prevents a counterattack in the centre based
23.b2 h6 24.c3 b8? Missing White's on c6-c5. a5! Nevertheless, Rustemov finds a
reply. It was still possible to defend doggedly way to gain counterplay. Incidentally, we
with notice that Felgaer was shrewd in waiting until
[ 24...c8 25.dc1 f7 ] Black had moved his rook to d8 before playing
25.c1! aiming both forwards- 26. cxd5 cxd5 18. b4, as the rook will need to return to a8.
27.Rc7- and diagonally towards h6. bc8 19.a3 axb4 20.axb4 a8 Now even if White
[ After 25...dxc4 26.bxc4 White will soon gets an attack on the kingside, he will always
crash through with d4-d5. ] have to keep an eye on events on the
26.xe6 qu e e n sid e . 21.b3 xe5 22.dxe5 d7
[ There's no point carrying on against a 23.h4 The white attack finally begins, but
player of Fedorov's calibre after 26.xe6 Ru ste m ov is rea d y. c5! A fine strategical
xe6 27.xh6 ] move. Black secures a base on b6 for his
1-0 knight, from which it can support an infiltration
down the a-file with Ra4, etc. 24.b5 b6
25.h5 a4 26.hxg6 hxg6 27.h3 d8
785 C10 W ith ideas of an exchange sacrifice with
Felgaer,Ruben 2581 Rxd3 followed by Rxc4 or possibly even Nxc4
Rustemov,Alexander 2565 and then Nxe5. White prevents it by guarding
TCh-Honor Gp1 (2) 07.09.2006 c4 again, and also brings his rook into the
[Neil McDonald] kingside attack but as will be seen, this gives
Black the chance to break through along the a-
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 file. 28.e4 da8 29.c2 d7 30.e2
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.ed2 a1+! 31.h2
e7 9.b3 As a fan of the Fort Knox, it's nice [ Black has a huge advantage after 31.xa1
to know that xa1+ 32.h2 f5! 33.ee3 xe5 ]
[ 9.c4 has been more or less neutralised. 31...f5 32.eh4 8a2 Threatening to take on
You can see the details on ChessPub. ] e5, or else Rxb2 and then Bxe5+. It appears

702
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

that White is in grave danger of defeat, as his Ch e ss P u b . T h i s n o t o n l y ru le s o u t t h e

rooks look misplaced on the h-file. 33.f4 a5 dangerous line that occurs in the Filipek
34.xf5!! An ingenious move that saves game but also prevents W hite forcing an
White. gxf5 immediate draw as will be seen in the next
[ After 34...exf5? 35.d3! Black is strangely note. ]
helpless against the queen check on d5. If 7.d3
xb2 36.d5+ f8 37.h8+ xh8 [ An ambitious player of Black needs to know
38.xh8+ e7 ( 38...g7 39.g8# ) that White can virtually force a draw here
39.d6+ f7 40.xd7# ] with 7.xf7 xf7 8.g5+ e8 9.xe6
35.h5 e1! e7 10.e2 f7 11.g5+ e8 12.e6
[ Black can hardly hope to safeguard his king etc. ]
after 35...xb2 36.g3 threatening a queen 7...gf6 8.e2 xf3 9.xf3 c6 10.0-0
check on h7 or h8. ] d6
36.xa1 [ Black is uncomfortable after 10...e7
[ Of course if 36.g3? h1# ] A) Or 11.h3 d5 12.h5 ( Not falling
36...xa1 37.e8+ f o r t h e t r a p 12.xh7?? g6 when the
[ White could also force a draw with 37.h8+ black rook on h8 is defended after
xh8 38.xh8+ g7 39.3h7+ etc. ] 13.f6+ xf6 ) 12...xg5 13.xg5 b6
37...f8 38.h8+ xh8 39.xh8+ xh8 14.ae1 f8 15.c4 5f6 16.h4 g8
40.xf8+ 17.b3 with a clear positional edge for
[ It's perpetual, unless Black wants to walk White due to the misplaced black king in
into mate: 40.xf8+ h7 41.f7+ h6 Doghri,N-Proehl,H/Budapest 1996.;
42.f6+ h5? 43.g5# ] B) 11.e1 a5 12.f4 seizing the
½-½ d ia go n a l t h a t B la c k' s b ish o p h a s le f t
vacant. 0-0?! 13.h3 h6 14.xe6! fxe6
15.xe6+ f7 16.c4 d5 17.xd7
786 C10 b4 18.e8+ f8 19.xf7+ xf7
Filipek,Jakub 2395 20.xa8 b4 21.b3 xd4 22.e3
McMichael,Richard 2200 xb2 23.d1 and White had winning
op Gent 1998 chances in Plaskett, J-Arkell,K/Newcastle
[Neil McDonald] 1998. ]
11.h3!?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 [ The Romanian IM Ovidiu Foisor learns from
5.f3 c6 6.eg5 An unusual move order. his mistakes as the following excerpt shows:
The position at move nine is more likely to be 11.e1 e7! ( Instead 11...c7? 12.h3!
reached after the sequence led to a quick defeat for Black in Sermek-
[ 6.d3 d7 Foisor on ChessPub.) 12.d2 h6 13.e4
A) Note that if 7.0-0 gf6 8.eg5 d6! c7 14.g3 d6 15.c4 0-0-0 16.e3 h5!
( Black would be a tempo down on the 17.ed1 g4 and Black won after a hard
game after 8...xf3? 9.xf3 c6 10.e1 struggle in T.Oral-O.Foisor, Cappelle La
as W hite's queen has gone to f3 in one Grande2000. ]
move rather than two. This didn't stop me 11...e7 The natural response, but it meets
trying it for Black in a recent game but it with a thunderbolt. 12.g6!! fxg6
leads to a poor position.) 9.e1 h6 [ Black also looks in trouble after 12...f8
and Black was OK in Sutovsky-McDonald 13.xf7+ xf7 14.xe6 intending Re1, e.g.
on ChessPub.; e4 15.e1 xf2 16.xh7 with decisive
B) 7.e2 gf6 8.eg5 xf3 9.xf3 c6 threats of Qg8+ or Nxg7+ or Bg5. ]
etc. ] 13.xe6 Black has an extra piece but he can't
6...d7 evacuate the e file before W hite applies a
[ I recommend the alternative 6...d6! 7.d3 devastating potential pin with Re1. h6
h6 as fully satisfactory for Black on [ If 13...f8 14.e1! ]

703
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ Meanwhile White quickly builds up an
overwhelming advantage in firepower in the
centre after 13...f7 14.g5+ f8 15.d2
b6 16.ae1 d7 17.b3 bd5 18.c4
etc. ]
14.e1 f7 15.b3 d5 16.c4 c7
17.g5+ hxg5 18.xe7+ xe7 19.xg5+
Black has two minor pieces and a rook for the
queen, which is a respectable amount of
material, but his king is still terribly
vulnerable and all his pawns are targets. f6
20.h4 d7 21.h3+ e8 22.c5 e7
23.e1 cd5 24.d3 h7 25.xe7 xe7
26.b3! A clever move that attacks b7 and so
tempts a black rook onto a fatal square. b8
27.g3! Black resigned for if f7
[ Or 27...d8 28.e5 d7 29.xg7 ]
28.c7 be8 29.d5 cxd5 30.xb7
and the advance of White's passed pawn will
be decisive.
1-0
787 C10
Fontaine,Robert 2541
Vaisser,Anatoli 2571
ch Aix les Bains FRA (9) 27.08.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.g5
[ The position at move 14 below should be
c o m p a r e d wi t h t h a t r e a c h e d a f t e r t h e
alternative sequence 6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3
c5 8.dxc5 xc5 9.e2 0-0 10.g5 h6
11.xf6?! ( Here 11.h4! is Ponomariov-
Speelman ) 11...xf6 12.0-0-0 as in Zelcic-
Speelman. ]
6...h6 7.xf6+ xf6 8.xf6 xf6 9.b5+
c6 10.d3 d6 This move has come to be
preferred to 10...Bd7, whether or not Black
plans to castle queenside.
[ A solid alternative is 10...g6!? followed by
Bg7 with a structure akin to the Moscow
Variation of the Slav. ]
11.e2 0-0 12.0-0-0 c5
[ A n e a r l y g a m e o f L e k o ' s s a w 12...a5!?
this advance of the rook's pawn is a
standard idea in the Caro-Kann Mainline
once White has castled queenside. 13.b1
a4 14.a3 a5 15.he1 c5 16.e4
and in this unclear position a draw was
agreed in Leko,P-Lputian,S/Budapest
1996. ]
13.dxc5 xc5 Because Black has played
Bd6 and then Bd6xc5, he has reached by
transpo sition the game Ze lcic-S peelma n
mentioned at move six above- but a tempo
down! Speelman used the extra move to play
Rd8! and then Bd7 and Bc6 with an easy
game. If you intend to play this line as Black
you might like to compare the analysis here
with that in Speelman's games with Zelcic
and Ponomariov-both are on ChessPub under
code C10. 14.h4 White has ideas of Qe4
when if g7-g6 he can ram the pawn with h4-
h5. e5! An excellent move which frees Black's
queen's bishop and plans to utilise the f4
square to exchange queens after 15.Qe4 Qf4+.
White wants to play for attack and so moves
his king away to rule out this check. 15.b1
[ Fine for Black is 15.xe5 xf2 16.e4
e3+ when he has the two bishops in the
endgame. ]
15...e6 Black completes his development. As
usual he is happy to exchange the e5 pawn
for the f2 pawn. 16.e4 fe8 17.he1
[ The black king looks safe after 17.h7+
f8 ]
17...g6 Black nevertheless plays this
loosening move as he wants to seize the
initiative with Bf5 and e5-e4. 18.h5
[ White has the more shaky set up after
18.xe5 xf2 ]
18...f5 19.c4 xf2 20.e2 ac8 21.a4
e4! 22.xf2 exd3 23.cxd3 e3 Black has
emerged f rom the opening with the more
active rooks and the better minor piece. A
messy tactical battle now ensues but Black
always looks to be on top. 24.fd2 d8
25.hxg6 xg6 26.a1 exd3 27.xd3
xd3 28.e1 d7 29.xa7 d6!
As usual, perfectly centralised pieces more
than compensate for weaknesses in the black
king's pawn cover. It is the white king that
finds itself in trouble. 30.c1 d1 31.e3
f5 32.a3 d5 33.b4 A desperate move as
if
[ 33.xd1 xd1+ 34.a2 b1+
leads to mate in a couple of moves. ]
33...e6 There is no good answer to the
704
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

attack on a2. case c6!? is critical, for example, ( 10...c5

0-1 is safer and presumably close to equal)
11.e5! ( 11.e2 d8; 11.0-0-0 xf3
12.gxf3 c6! ) 11...xg2 ( or 11...h4
788 C10 with the idea 12.0-0 xg2! 13.xg2 f6
Forcen Esteban,D 2469 better 12 0-0-0! with attacking chances and
Belezky,A 2427 a do ub le -e dged gam e) 12.g1 c6
6th Augusta Aragon Open (5.5) 26.12.2012 13.0-0-0 g6 14.h6 ( 14.f4 d8 15.c2
[John Watson] d7 ) 14...g7 15.f4 d7 and probably
Black is fine, e.g., 16.xc6 ( 16.g4 f5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 17.e3 h8 18.d5 a4! ) 16...bxc6
5.c4 f6 6.xf6+! 17.xc7 fd8= ]
[ 6.c3 is seen in this month's game 10...c6 11.0-0 d8 12.fd1
Seymour-McDonald. It's not bad, but a bit [ 12.e3 d7 ( 12...xf3 13.xf3 c6
too slow to gain any advantage. ] 14.xc6 bxc6 15.ad1 c5! looks about
6...xf6 7.f3 b4+ equal )]
[ 7...c6 8.e2 b4+ 9.d2 xd2+ 12...d7 An interesting juncture. Perhaps this
10.xd2 0-0 transposes to the game. ] is a good point for the standard exchange
[ 7...c6 8.a3! gives Black a lead in [ 12...xf3 13.xf3 , and now 13...c6 is a
development, but prevents ...Bb4+ and standard structure, but Black also has c6
threatens to become active with Bd3, 0-0, ( 13...c6 14.a5!? d7 15.c7 ab8
and Bg5 or b4, as allowed. ] 16.d3 ) 14.d5 ( 14.xc6 bxc6 15.e3
8.d2 xd2+ 9.xd2 0-0 ab8 16.d2 c5= ) 14...e5 15.e2 exd5
[ 9...c6?! 10.d5 ] 16.cxd5 d7 ( 16...g6!? ) 17.b4 b6
[ 9...c6 ('!' Tzermiadianos) 10.e2 0-0 18.xb6 axb6 and Black is marginally
11.d1 ad8 12.0-0 ( 12.c3! would stop worse, but it's nothing to worry about, e.g.,
...e5 for the moment, with a small edge. 19.f4 g6 20.g4 dd8 21.ac1 h5!
Then fe8 13.d2 e5 14.d5 b8 22.xh5 xf4 23.f3 ]
15.0-0 ) 13.c2!?
A) 12...e5 13.dxe5 ( 13.d5 g4! ) [ 13.e3 is probably the best way to keep a
13...xe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.b3 c6 lim it e d a d va n t a ge b a se d u p o n W h it e 's
16.fe1 c7 17.c3 fe8 and Black superior centre. ]
doesn't seem to have any serious 13...b6
problems; [ 13...xf3 14.xf3 c6 is a standard Fort
B) 12...c8 13.e3 Nevednichy, V Knox manoeuvre. White has some sort of
(2555) -Negulescu, A (2438), Curtea de minor theoretical edge, but in practice Black
Arges 2002, this is cited by Tzermiadianos. has done well enough in such positions. ]
Th e gam e co nt inu e d h6!? 14.xh6 14.b4
( 14.c3 ) 14...gxh6 15.d2 f6 16.fd1 [ 14.d2 b7 15.ad1 , but this isn't much
g7 17.h3 e7 18.d5 exd5 19.cxd5 White can follow up with Ne1 and Bf3. ]
c6!? ( 19...d6 ) 20.dxc6 xc6 21.b5 14...a5 15.b5 b7= 16.ac1 g6!?
xd2 22.xd2 e5 23.d4 and White's [ 16...f4! ]
p ie c e s a re m o re a c t ive wh ile B la ck' s 17.d3?! h5
pawn structure is inferior, although [ 17...f5 looks weakening, but gives Black
objectively this probably isn't enough to more freedom and limits White's
win with perfect play. ] advantage. ]
[ 9...c5!? 10.dxc5 c6 11.e2 a6 18.e4 xe4 19.xe4 Now Black is tied
12.b1!? xc5 13.e3 d7 14.0-0 ] down and W hite can advance on the
10.e2 queenside. ac8 20.c6 h6 21.h3 f5
[ a) Tzermiadianos says 9...0-0 is inaccurate 22.c5 f4 23.g3 f5 24.g2 d5?
due to 10.d3! , but stops there. In that [ 24...g5!? ]

705
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
25.xd5 exd5 26.cxb6 cxb6 27.c6
xc6 White is winning now, but Rdc1 is
coming, and Black's kingside won't hold. The
rest is straightforward: 28.bxc6 f6 29.b1
b8 30.e5 e8 31.d7 c8 32.xb6
c7 33.f3 f6 34.e3 f7 35.b7 e6
36.c5+ d6 37.b6 a8 38.b7+ e6
39.a3 h5 40.d3 g5 41.b2 f5 42.c5
g4 43.h4 c8 44.b7 a8 45.a4 a6
46.c2 b6 47.d6+ e6 48.b5
1-0
789 C10
Fressinet,Laurent 2591
Morozevich,Alexander 2742
NAO Masters Cannes FRA (4) 25.02.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.g3 e7 Assuming he plays carefully and
neutralises the pressure against b7, Black still
ha s grea t d if f icu lt y cre at in g a ny win nin g
chances. This seems to frustrate Morozevich
in what follows. The alternative was
[ 5...gf6 as seen in Macieja-Speelman on
ChessPub, but Black didn't have a pleasant
life there either. ]
6.g2 gf6 7.xf6+ xf6 8.f3 0-0 9.0-0
c5
[ A major alternative was 9...e5 which may m
ore or less equalise but it is pretty lifeless at
best f ro m Black's point of view: : 10.e3
exd4 ( Similar is 10...c6 11.e1 exd4
12.xd4 xd4 13.xd4 f6 Lutz,C-Van
der Sterren,P/Germany 1997/GER-chT)
11.xd4 c5 12.xf6 xf6 13.xd8 xd8
14.e5 with some edge to White in Ivanov,
A-Christiansen,L/ Chandler 1997. ]
10.c3 cxd4 11.xd4 a6
[ Or 11...b6 12.b3 xd4 13.cxd4 xb3
( If 13...xd4 14.e3 gives White a serious
initiative and besides Black can hardly hold
on to the extra pawn.) 14.axb3 b6 15.a5
d8 16.e3 d5 17.fa1 a6 18.c5 d7!
19.xd5 exd5 20.xd5 e6 21.xd8+
xd8 22.b4 f6 - Magem Badals,J-De la
Villa Garcia,J/Pamplona 1991. The extra
pawn is meaningless. This looks sound for
Black, but it could hardly satisfy the
ambitious Morozevich. ]
12.e3 c7 13.e2 b6 14.f3 e8
15.ad1 e5 16.g5 d7
[ Black has to tread carefully for if 16...xg5
17.xg5 d7? 18.e4 hits both b7 and
h7. ]
17.fe1 h6 18.e3
[ White could have won a pawn with 18.xf6
xf6 19.xe5 though slightly awkward for
him is g4 ( The point is 19...d7 20.c4!
stays a clear pawn up. ) 20.f3 e6 ]
18...f8
[ Black could have played more actively with
18...c5 e.g.
A) 19.d2 f5!? with the plan of Nd3
perhaps combined with e5-e4. Then if
W hite plays to win a pawn with 20.f3
h7 21.xh6 e4 ( Risky for Black is
21...d3 22.e4 ) 22.g4 c8! 23.xc8
axc8 24.e3 d3 and Black regains his
pawn with the better position.;
B) 19.c4! b6 20.xc5! ( Not 20.b4
e6 ) 20...e6 21.e2 xc5 22.xe5
ad8 and Black is dynamically placed
though the extra pawn gives W hite the
better chances. ]
19.d2 e6 20.a4 White gains space on the
queenside and fixes the b7 pawn as a target.
ab8 21.a1 e7 22.a5 d7 23.f3 ed8
24.a7 bc8 25.ed1 c5 26.xc5 xc5
27.e2 d7 28.e4 cd8?? Morozevich
seems bored of defending his slightly worse
position and blunders a pawn. Instead
[ 28...b3 seems to equalise e.g. 29.xd7
xd7 30.d1 xa5 31.d6 d8 32.xe5
c6 ]
29.xc5 xc5
[ Or 29...xd1+ 30.xd1 xd1+ 31.xd1
xc5 32.d8+ h7 33.xb7 b5 34.b6
winning. ]
30.xb7 Winning a pawn and after a bitter
resistance the game. c4 31.e1 b5
32.xd7 xd7 33.e4 b3 34.f3 d6
35.e2 c4 36.e4! d5
[ If 36...xb2 37.b1 xc3 38.b8+
mates. ]
37.xe5 xb2 38.f1 xf3 39.xd6 xc3
40.f4 e2 41.c1 d3 42.b8+ h7
43.b1
1-0
706
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

790 C10 advantage into something more tangible.

Friedel,Joshua E 2425 21.g5 h8! 22.f3
Nakamura,Hikaru 2657 [ Or 22.h4 f4! followed by 23...g5. ]
33rd World Open (4) 01.06.2005 22...h4 23.f5? White is worsted in the
[Neil McDonald] tactics that now follow. Instead he had to play
defensively with
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 [ 23.f1 with a slightly inferior position. Then
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.e2 As White has bd7 followed by 24...Ne5 or perhaps 24...
no overt attack in mind, he might as well play Bf4, to clear an obstacle on the kingside,
[ 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3 If Black then throws in would give Black the initiative. ]
Bxf3, the recapture Qd1xf3 will leave White 23...xh2+ 24.h1 de8 25.xg7
in effect a tempo up on the game. ] [ It was better to try 25.xe8+ xe8 26.d1 ]
7...gf6 8.g3 25...xg7 26.f5? This just drops material.
[ The consistent and aggressive move was Imperative was
8.eg5! when e7 led to interesting play in [ 26.xf6 xf6 27.xh2 though then h3!
Pruess-Golod, as given on ChessPub. ] looks good for Black. ]
8...xf3 9.xf3 So the White queen has 26...h7 27.d2 c7!
taken two moves to reach f3. c6 10.0-0 [ B l a c k h a s t o b e c a r e f u l e . g . 27...e5?
[ More circumspect was 10.d2 planning 28.xe5! xe5 29.f4 he8 30.e1 c4!
queenside castling. See Burnett-McDonald -t h e o n l y wa y t o sa ve t h e ro o k - 31.d5!
on ChessPub. ] a8 32.xe5 xe5 ( 32...xe5??
10...c7 11.c4 33.c8# ) 33.f4! and White has escaped. ]
[ The safer course for White was 11.f4 d6 28.c3 g5 29.f7
12.xd6 xd6 13.c3 though he can't claim [ Entirely hopeless for White against a world
more than a tiny advantage. ] class player was 29.xg5 xg5 30.xh8
11...0-0-0! It isn't of ten that Black castles xh8 ]
queenside in the Fort Knox. Here, however, 29...ef8 30.e7 xe7 31.xe7 f6
White's development has been slothful and 32.ae1 fd5! White will remain a piece
the d4 point is an attractive target to an c6-c5 down whatever he plays.
or e6-e5 pawn advance. 12.e1 In view of the 0-1
looming attack on d4, more secure was
[ 12.d1 ]
12...c5 13.d5 791 C10
[ Wisely avoiding 13.dxc5 e5 ] Frolyanov,Dmitry 2486
13...d6! Anastasian,Ashot 2579
[ A strong temporary pawn sacrifice. Petrosian Mem Open (8) 26.11.2004
Nakamura wants nothing to do with [Neil McDonald]
13...e5?! 14.xe5! xe5 15.f4 d4
( not 15...xb2? 16.b1 xa2 17.dxe6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
exposing an attack on b7 when White has a 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 e7 8.c4
m o s t d a n g e ro u s in it i a t ive .) 16.d1! gf6 9.g3 0-0 10.b3 xf3 11.xf3 c5?
an d th e b la c k qu e en f ind s h erse lf ve ry The move c7-c5 is such an integral part of
awkwardly placed. ] Black's strategy in the Classical, Rubinstein,
14.dxe6 e5 15.f5 fxe6 16.xe6+ b8 Tarrasch, Winawer and Advance Variations
17.e2 The bishop blocks the e-file as after that it is hard to grasp it can be a positional
[ 17.f1 he8 18.f5 f3+ Black wins the mistake in the Fort Knox. Here Black has
exchange. ] handed over the bishop pair and so cannot
17...he8 18.f5 xc4 Black regains his expect to achieve full equality by eliminating
pawn with a fully mobilised position. 19.c2 the d4 pawn on the contrary, he is clearing
b6 20.d2 h5! A kingside attack is the way the way for White's dark squared bishop to
to convert Black's slender positional menace the g7 square.

707
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ The critical line is 11...c6 12.b2 a5
this is the right way for Black to handle the
position- he sets up a solid centre and aims
to exchange dark squared bishops with Ba3.
13.a3! b5!? 14.cxb5 cxb5 15.fe1
and now fe8! is recommended on
ChessPub in the notes to Ivanchuk-Chernin,
when the black centre is solid enough to
wit h s t a n d a n y c o m b in a t i o n s b y W h i t e .
( but not 15...d5? 16.f5! and Black was
in trouble in the Ivanchuk-Chernin game. )]
12.b2
[ Mo rt i f y in g wo u l d b e 12.dxc5??
and W hite will no longer have the bishop
pair. ]
[ Meanwhile 12.xb7? cxd4 gives Black a
pawn centre for no good reason. ]
12...cxd4 13.xd4 Now White's minor pieces
are well poised to launch a kingside attack.
c7 14.ad1 a5 15.h5 fd8 16.fe1
xh5 It would have been better to hold tight
on the kingside and tried to get some
counterplay with
[ 16...a4 ]
17.xh5 g6 18.f3 ab8 19.b1 f8
20.h4! My own experience of the Fort Knox is
that it can resist everything that the white
pieces throw against it, but when the white
pawns get involved things start to become
grim. g7?
[ The pawn can't be stopped as if 20...h5
21.xg6! fxg6 22.xe6 followed by 23.
Rxg6+ wins very quickly. ]
[ Instead it was necessary to block the key
d i a g o n a l w i t h 20...e5! with chances of a
successful defence. ]
21.xg7 xg7 22.h5 f8?! A blunder as it
loses control of the f6 square, but I can't see
wh a t B la c k c o uld h ave d on e aga in st t h e
looming threat of h5-h6+. 23.h6+!
The only move, but now the black king finds
itself trapped on h6. 24.f6 Now White has
only to get a rook to the h-file to decide the
game. e5 25.e4 e6 26.d5 f4
27.xe5 xd5 28.exd5 xd5 29.xd5
e8 Threatening mate in one, but after 30.g4!
Black resigned as he has no good way to stop
31.Rh5 mate:
[ 30.g4 e1+ 31.g2 c6 32.g5+ h5
33.f3+ h4 34.h3# ]
1-0
792 C10
Frolyanov,Dmitry 2494
Rustemov,Alexander 2593
TCh Sochi RUS (6) 25.04.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.e2
As Black has less space than his opponent it
is rather generous to let him exchange off two
pieces on e4. More critical are
[ 8.ed2 or ]
e5 [ 8.g3 Then if Black wants to exchange off
a piece he is obliged to concede the bishop
pair with Bxf3. ]
8...xe4 9.xe4 xe4 10.xe4 c6
11.g5?! This offer to exchange off yet
another minor piece is delightful for Black.
Sensible alternatives were
[ 11.c4 or ]
[ 11.f4 ]
11...e7 12.xe7 xe7 Now White has too
little firepower to begin a mating attack on the
black king, which means that Rustemov can
turn his attention to undermining the white
centre. 13.c3 White has clearly set out his
stall f or a draw: he has exchanged off as
ma n y m in or p ie ce s a s p o ssib le a n d n o w
overprotects d4. However, it will be seen that
Black can make good use of the d5 square.
Via a transposition I reached this position as
Black some years ago against the German
GM Peter Enders. That game went
[ 13.c4 White asserts control over d5 and
intends a queenside pawn advance to gain
space- a much better way to handle the
position than passive and planless play with
13.c3. 0-0 14.fd1 fd8 15.h3 f6
16.e3 b4 17.e2 d6 18.c2 ad8
xh6 19.a3 a5 20.b4 c7 21.a4
with balanced chances. You can find this
game with light notes on ChessPub. ]
13...0-0 14.fe1 fd8 15.e5??
The culmination of White's useless strategy to
e xch a n g e o f f a l l t h e m in o r p i e ce s . xe5
16.xe5 d5 17.e3 ad8 18.h3 g6
White has left himself with nothing
constructive to do whilst Black can
methodically prepare c6-c5. 19.f3 g7
20.e4 c5 21.dxc5 xc5 Black's advantage
begins to take shape: he has control of the
708
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

only open file on the board. 22.ae1 8d7 8.d2 Of course this weakens White's
23.4e2 b5 24.e4 c4! Rustemov is control of d4 and c5, so Black can strike at
happy to fall in with his opponent's desire for once with c5 f o r e xa m p l e 9.d3 cxd4
simplif ication as the exchange on c4 will 10.e2 b6 11.0-0-0 d6 12.e5 0-0
expose White's pawns on a2 and b2 to attack. 13.g4 d5! 14.e4 ( Black's idea is that if
25.xc4 bxc4 26.e4 a5 27.xc4 d2! 14.g5? c3! 15.bxc3? a3# so White
28.b1 xa2 At first glance Black doesn't forces a repetition.) 14...f6 15.e2 d5
appear to have achieved much, but in fact he 16.e4 f6 17.e2 and a draw was
has good winning chances. W ith the white agreed in Dworakowska-Peng Zhaoquin,
rooks tied down to b2, he can prepare in Leon 2001. ]
peace the advance a5-a4-a3 to split open the 8...d5
whole of W hite's second rank. This break [ Not bad, but Black could also have
through can be kept as a threat whilst he developed his queenside pieces for with:
improves the position of his pawns and king 8...d6 9.d2 d7 10.d3 e7!
o n t h e o t h e r wi n g . 29.c7 g5 30.g4 Black is in no hurry to castle kingside as
As will be seen this makes things easier for White would have a ready made attack with
Black by giving him a base on f4 for his rook, his bishop pointing at the h6 pawn. He could
but passive positions breed errors. a6 31.b7 begin the assault with 0-0-0 and then g2-g4.
g6 32.g2 a4 33.b4 a2 34.b7 a5 So Ivanchuk consolidates his position first
35.a7 c2 36.f3 a4! Now the rook on and keeps both kingside and queenside
b1 can't defend both b2 and f2, which means c a s t l i n g a s a n o p t i o n . 11.0-0-0 g4
that the white kingside will crumble. 37.e3 12.he1 c6 The bishop emerges in Fort
f4 38.f3 h2 39.xa5 xh3 40.f1 xg4 Knox style. 13.e2 xe3 14.xe3 0-0-0
41.b4 g2 42.f2 xf2 43.xf2 g4! 15.e4 f6! 16.g3 ( 16.xc6? f4 )
By eliminating W hite's connected passed 16...xe4 17.xe4 d7 with equal chances
pawns Rustemov ensures he gets a winning in Yermolinsky-Ivanchuk, Lucerne 1997. ]
endgame. 44.fxg4 xc3 45.a8 h5 9.d2 a6?!
46.gxh5+ xh5 47.b5 b3 48.b8 g5 [ This turns out to be a waste of time. He
49.b6 f4 50.e2 f5 51.d2 e5 52.c2 should play 9...d6 ]
b5 53.c3 e4 54.d4 b1 55.b7 f3 10.d3 d6?!
56.f8 b4+ 57.c3 xb7 58.xf5+ e3 [ The only way to justify his last move was
59.c2 e2 10...b5 to solidify the knight on d5. Then if
0-1 11.a4 b4 ]
11.0-0 e7 12.c4 xe3 13.fxe3
Now Black has the two bishops but nothing
793 C10 else to be proud of- his development has
Gallagher,Joseph G 2511 su f f e re d a nd h e h a s t o wa ste m o re t im e
Markos,Jan 2435 dealing with the threat of 14.c5. Meanwhile
EuTCh Leon ESP (8) 14.11.2001 W hite ha s a stro ng ce nt re an d a tt ack in g
[Neil McDonald] chances along the f file. c5? Normally this is
the thematic move, but here it just lets White
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 open more lines. A player like Korchnoi might
[ The line in the game can also be reached have held the game with gritty defence after
via the move order 3...dxe4 4.xe4 d7 [ 13...c6 ]
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.g5 h6 14.b4! b6 15.e4 b8 16.c6+ d7
8.e3 ] 17.dxc5! bxc5 18.xd7+ xd7 19.ad1
4.g5 dxe4 5.xe4 bd7 6.xf6+ xf6 d8 20.c3! Suddenly there is no answer to
7.f3 h6 8.e3 the double threat to c5 and g7. e7 21.xg7
[ As the bishop can be attacked on e3 with f8 22.f6 g8 23.e5 g7 24.f3!!
Ng4- which however doesn't always work Very instructive play. Many players would take
out well f or Black- W hite has also tried on f7 here but

709
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 24.xf7+ xf7 25.xf7 xh2+! 26.xh2 12.e2 cxd4 13.0-0-0 c5! 14.xd4
xd1 27.xd1 xf7 gives an endgame that 0-0-0 15.b3 d6 is just equal.) 11...e7
it would be diff icult f or W hite to win. 12.0-0-0 0-0 13.dxc5 c6!N 14.b1
Instead Gallagher stays alert and exploits ( 14.e5 xc5! 15.xf6 xf6 16.d7
his attacking chances in the middlegame. In xb2+! 17.xb2 b4+ 18.c1 a3+
fact you wouldn't really expect a King's was a forced perpetual. If White gets frisky
Gambit player to do otherwise in such a with 19.d2 , B l a c k c a n t r y fc8!
position! ] with serious compensation for the piece.)
24...f6 14...fd8= was pretty even in Anand, V
[ If 24...xe5 25.c6+ e7 26.b7+ e8 (2690)-Ivanchuk, V (2720)/ Linares 1992/
27.xd8+ xd8 28.d1+ e8 ( 28...d4 (46) though Ivanchuk eventually went astray
29.bxc5! ) 29.d7+ f8 30.d8# ] and lost the game. ]
[ or 24...xe5 25.xf7# ] 8...d5!? Going for the 2 bishops seems to
25.c6+ e7 26.bxc5! xg2+ be the fashion now.
[ If 26...xe5 27.b7+ wins as in the note [ 8...d6 is favoured by Gurevich with much
above. ] success and was previously annotated on
27.xg2 xg2+ 28.xg2 g8+ Entirely ChessPub (See Archives). ]
hopeless is 9.d3! This is probably the most accurate.
[ 28...xe5 29.xd8 ] [ Previously, 9.d2 was thought to be the
29.g4! A clever finishing touch. Black most aggressive but Black has since figured
resigne d a s if xg4+ 30.f3 leaves two t h e b e s t w a y t o o b t a i n e q u a l i t y . d6!
pieces hanging. 10.0-0-0 ( 10.d3 b6 11.0-0-0 b7 )
1-0 10...e7 11.d3 d7 12.e4 f6 13.d3
d5 14.c4 xe3 15.xe3 ( 15.fxe3 c5!
16.c2 0-0-0 17.hf1 b8 is equal as
794 C10 well. ) 15...c5! 16.e4 0-0-0 17.b3 b6
Gashimov,Vugar 2723 18.b1 f5! 19.c2 cxd4 ( Here, I prefer
Akobian,Varuzhan 2619 19...c6 20.d5 d7 21.he1 f6!? or;
7th Gibtelecom Masters (4) 30.01.2009 19...f6!? again with equality.) 20.xd4
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin] c5 21.f3 b8 22.g3+ b7 23.f3
c6 24.e5 d6 25.xc6 xc6 26.f3+
After the continuation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 c7 White had a very slight initiative but it
Nf6, White has the choices of playing either 4. never amounted to anything material in
e5 or 4.Bg5. After 4.Bg5, Black mostly plays Nakamura, H (2647)-Akobian, V (2570)/
4...Be7 or 4... Bb4 but some recent games Miami 2007/CBM 120 ext 1/2-1/2 (49) ]
have shown that Black has been willing to [ Avoiding the swap with 9.d2 is interesting
defend a slightly worse endgame after 4...de4 but I find it hard to believe W hite can get
which has personally, always been a real pest. away with losing 2 tempi (Bg5-e3-d2) from
A m o n g t h e t o p G M s, A k o b ia n is t h e ke y the opening. ]
adherent of this line and Wang Hao has also 9...xe3 10.fxe3 d6 11.e4 e5!?
played this from time to time. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 This pawn sacrifice was deemed to give good
d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 5.f3 gf6 chances for equality. Black hoped that the 2
6.g5 h6 7.xf6+ xf6 8.e3 This has bishops coupled with White's slightly damaged
been shown to be best by test. pawn structure was enough f or the pawn
[ 8.h4 c5 has proven to be a reliable deficit.
defensive weapon. I will include just one [ 11...c5!? is the alternative and would be
game to demonstrate the defensive analyzed in the next game. ]
r e s o u r c e s t h a t B l a c k c a n h a ve . 9.b5+ 12.dxe5 c5 13.b5+! Forcing the
White has other options but none was too exchange of queens was again, best by test.
convincing. d7 10.xd7+ xd7 11.e2 [ 13.c4 allows Black to keep queens on
( 11.xf6 doesn't work out too well: gxf6 with e7 14.d2 0-0 15.0-0-0 c6

710
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
The problem with White's position was that
despite being a pawn up, it lacked potential
and Black's position was the one with the
concrete ideas. 16.hf1 b5 17.b3 a5
By very simple and logical means, Black
had conjured a strong attack. 18.a3 a4
19.a2 b4 20.axb4 a3 21.b3?!
Black's initiative was very strong after this.
Here, Finkel commented that White should
force a draw with ( 21.bxc5 axb2+ 22.xb2
a7 23.b3 a3+ 24.c3 xc5+
25.b2 a3+= ) 21...xb4 22.c3 a5
23.b4 c7 24.d4 xe5 25.xc6 e8
and Black was clearly in control in
Nakamura, H (2494)-Akobian, V (2486)/San
Francisco 2002 and eventually won. ]
13...c6 14.xd8+ xd8 15.c4 e7
We have arrived at the critical position of the
entire variation. 3 moves have been played in
this position and we will take a look at all of
them. 16.c3 Commonest.
[ 16.a4!? Black normally plays ...Bc5-b6 in
this line and this pawn advance anticipates it,
where it can possibly gain a tempo with a4-
a5, followed by disturbing Black's queenside
p a w n s t r u c t u r e w i t h a 5 - a 6 . e6
B l a c k n o r m a l l y wa n t s t o g e t r i d o f t h e
nagging pressure on the f7 pawn and hence,
t h i s w a s a l m o s t a l wa ys p l a y e d i n t h i s
v a r i a t i o n . 17.xe6 xe6 18.e2!
This appears to give the best chances for a
squeeze. ( 18.d1?! This is probably a case
of the wrong rook syndrome as now White
would not be able to advance the a-pawn to
the a5 square when Black's bishop is on b6.
hd8 19.e2 b6 20.d3 xd3 21.cxd3
d8 22.c1 d4 23.a5 a6 24.c4 xe5
25.xe5 xe5 26.e3 g6 27.b4 d7
W hit e h ad a ne gligib le edge an d B lack
comfortably held in Naiditsch, A (2693)-
Akobian, V (2619)/Moscow RUS 2009 1/2-1/
2 (61) ) 18...hd8 19.hd1
A) Black has to be careful about making
w e a k e n i n g p a w n s s u c h a s 19...a5?!
which just provide W hite with additional
weaknesses to massage. For example,
20.d3 xd3 21.cxd3 d8 22.c1 d4
23.b3 seems good for White.;
B) 19...xd1 , initiating the exchange,
looks dubious. 20.xd1 b6 21.d6+
e7 22.d3 ( 22.g4!? ) 22...e6 23.b4
c7 24.a5 a6 25.e3 again with an
edge to W hite. Personally, I would rate
W hite's winning chances to be greater
then Black's drawing chances.;
C) 19...b6 20.d3
C1) Black should sit tight with 20...c7
and wait. 21.f1 White now threatens to
p l a y 2 2 . Nd 4 + K e 7 2 3 . N f 5 + , f u r t h e r
improving his knight. g6! ( Trying to
prevent W hite's idea of Nd4+ with the
natural 21...b6? surprisingly loses to
22.a5! c5 23.a6! when Black's
position is on the verge of collapse.)
22.d4+ e7 23.df3 f8
Black's position is passive but I was not
able to find a clear method to improve
White's position.;
C2) 20...xd3? This alters the pawn
structure to White's advantage. 21.cxd3
d8 22.a5! d4 23.a6! b6 24.c1 c5
25.b4! d7 ( 25...cxb4?? 26.c6+ e7
27.c7+ e6 28.xa7 b3 29.b7+- )
26.c4 g6 27.g3 g5 28.h3 d8
29.bxc5 bxc5 30.xd4+ cxd4 31.c7!
d7 32.b7 e7 33.f3 h5 34.h4
gxh4 35.gxh4 d8 36.b4 c7
37.f4 c6 38.f5 1-0 Landa, K
(2 62 6 )-V aisse r, A (2 5 13 )/Met z FRA
2009 ]
[ 16.f1!? This move has a completely
different strategy in mind as compared to 16.
a4!?. W hite intends to go for play on the
K i n g s i d e , i n p a r t i c u l a r , t h e f - f i l e . e6
17.xe6 xe6 18.e2 ad8 19.c3 d7
20.ad1 hd8 21.xd7 xd7 22.e1!
This is an instructive theme worth
remembering. White's knight is much more
e f f e c t i v e o n d 3 . e7 ( Of course not
22...xe5?? 23.d3+ d6 24.e5+ d5
25.c4+ xc4 26.c1+ losing a piece.)
23.d3 g6 24.g4 ( 24.d1!? inducing g5
i s w o r t h a t r y .) 24...d8 25.b4?!
This probably throws away any chance of a
White plus. ( 25.d1!? ) 25...b6 26.a4 c8
27.h3 h8 28.a5 bxa5 29.a1 axb4
30.cxb4 b8 31.xa7 xb4 32.a6 d7
33.e6+ xe6 34.xc6+ e7 35.h4 b5
36.e5 d7 37.f6 e7 38.c6 d7
1/2-1/2 Bruzon Batista, L (2607) -
Hernandez Guerrero, G (2536)/Merida MEX
2007 (39) ]
711
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
16...d8
[ Black can also initiate the typical 16...e6
immediately. This move order appears to be
more accurate. 17.xe6 xe6 18.e2
b6 This is a typical prophylactic measure to
prevent any tricks with Nf3-e1, making use
of the c5 bishop to reroute the knight to the
d3-square, at the same tim e, indirectly
defending the e5 pawn. Here, Marin
commented that "White's extra-pawn has no
real significance. In fact, both central pawns
are weak. It is hard to understand what Leko
was c ou nt ing o n wh en he ad in g f or t his
position. Could he have been tempted by
t h e f a c t t h a t F ri t z p r e f e rs W h it e ? ! " A s
comp are d to th e varia tio n with 16. a4! ?
analyzed above, Black is not deterred from
this prophylactic retreat as White is not able
to play a4-a5.
A) 19.a4 a5 20.hf1 hf8 21.g4!?
This idea of sof tening the Kingside is
another key idea to crack Black's fortress
in t h i s va ri a t io n . ad8 22.g5 d7
( 22...h5!? should be considered. The
tempting 23.g6 d o e s n ' t w o r k : fxg6
24.g5+ e7 is fine for Black.) 23.ad1
xd1 24.xd1 hxg5 25.xg5+ e7
26.f3 h8 27.h4 g6 28.h1 c7
29.f1 e8 30.d3 d8 ( 30...e7
31.g5! f8 32.d4 b6+ 33.c4 c7
34.c5 xe5 35.b6 ) 31.e6!?
The only way to make some progress but
i s i t e n o u g h ? fxe6 32.e5 h6
( 32...xh4 was possibly more resilient.
33.xg6 h6 34.f8+ d7 35.e5+
c7 and Black might be able to hold this.)
33.f7! xh4 34.d6+ e7 35.e5! h7
36.xb7 c7 37.f6 xe5 38.xg6
With such wretched pawns, Black never
h a d a n y r e a l s u r v i v a l c h a n c e s . f7
39.g4 c7 40.c4 f6 41.xc6 f5
42.xa5 e5 43.c4 e4+ 44.d4 d7+
45.c5 b8 46.c8 a7+ 47.c6 e7
48.c7 xc7+ 49.xc7 e3 50.xe3+!
xe3 51.a5 e4 52.a6 1-0 Zhang
Pe n gxia n g (26 4 0 )-Din g Lire n (2 3 9 5 )/
Beijing CHN 2008;
B) 19.hf1 hf8
B1) 20.d4+!? xe5 21.f5+ ( 21.f5
f6! 22.ad1 ad8 23.f3 f7!= )
21...d6 22.af1 e7 23.e5+ d6
24.h5 (with the idea of Nf5+) xd4
25.cxd4 f6 and the ending should be
holdable.;
B2) 20.ad1 ad8 21.xd8 xd8
White did not have any concrete ideas to
make further progress and the game
fizzled out to a draw in another 20 odd
moves: 22.d1 c7 23.e3 g6 24.g4
d8 25.xd8 xd8 26.f4 c5 27.h3
c7 28.h4 f6 29.c4 xe5+ 30.xe5
g5+ 31.e3 xe5 32.h5 a6 33.b3
d6 34.d3 b6 35.a3 c6 36.c3
d6 37.d3 e5 38.e3 d6
1/2-1/2 Leko, P (2749) -Ivanchuk, V
(2750)/Morelia/Linares 2007 ]
17.a4
[ The immediate 17.f1 should not have any
major differences from the main game had
Black replied with the standard 17...Be6
when play would likely transpose. I would
just like to highlight that here, the weakening
b5? is ill-advised as White can then leverage
o n t h e sligh t we a kn e ss cre a t e d o n t h e
Q u e e n si d e t o o p e n a n o t h e r f ro n t . T h e
following is a demonstration: 18.b3 e6
19.xe6 xe6 20.e2 d7 21.fd1 ad8
22.xd7 xd7 23.b4 b6 24.a4 bxa4
25.xa4 c5 26.bxc5 xc5 27.d4+! xe5
28.a5 d6 29.e5+ d5 30.d3 c7
31.b3 1-0 Degraeve, J (2540) -Mullon, J
(2375)/St Chely d'Aubrac 2006 ]
17...a6 As Black continued with ... a6-a5 just a
few moves later, one should also consider the
immediate
[ 17...a5 18.e2
A) Exchanging the knight with 18...g4
19.h3 xf3+ 20.gxf3 and hoping that the
opposite color bishop endgame would
suffice for a draw might also be playable.
Given my far from perfect endgame
capabilities, I would refrain from giving a
definite conclusion but I would imagine
Black's task to be a highly unpleasant
one.;
B) I am also intrigued by the following set-
up which is only possible after the
immediate 18...e6 . After 19.xe6 xe6
20.e1 I suggest e7!? Play can
continue ( Not 20...xe5?? 21.d3+
d6 22.e5+ d5 23.c4+ d4
24.af1!+- ) 21.d3 b6 ( 21...c5 22.hf1
712
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

ac8!? ) 22.hf1 a7!? 23.ad1 ad7 33.b4! axb4 34.cxb4 f8 35.e3 e8
White is admittedly still for choice after a 36.g5 hxg5 37.xg5 f8 38.g2 c5
move like 24.g3 but Black has developed 39.bxc5 bxc5 40.c2 e8 41.f4 b6
all his pieces and has successfully 42.b2! White has executed the endgame
reinforced the key squares c5 and f7.; brilliantly and this move, bringing the knight to
C) 18...b6?! Inaccurate. 19.hf1 e6 the fantastic c4 square, is the icing on the
20.xe6 xe6 21.e1! cake. e6 43.c4 c7 44.a5 f6+ 45.e3
By now, subscribers should be used to this a6 46.d3 a7 47.a2 a6 48.g2 f8
i n c r e d i b l y s t r o n g m a n o e u v r e . e7 49.b2 e7 50.b5 c6 51.b6 d8
22.d3 e8 23.f5 f8 24.af1 e7 52.c4 e6 53.a4 xa5 54.xc5 h6
25.e6! and White cleaned up in 55.xa5 xh5 56.d5 I understand that this
Areshchenko, A (2644)-Vorobiov, E (2563)/ is a really hefty piece of analysis and I won't
Moscow 2007/1-0 (51) ] be surprised if there are mistakes or
[ 17...e6 18.xe6 xe6 19.e2 im p o rt a n t o m iss io n s wh i ch I m i gh t h a v e
would likely transpose to the main game or missed. Having said that, I have not intended
the note to Black's 17th. ] to provide a comprehensive coverage of this
18.e2 e6 19.xe6 xe6 20.hf1 variation but rather, to illustrate a number of
[ The consistent 20.e1 can be met with key ideas for both White and Black
e7 21.d3 c5 22.hf1 ac8! when the particularly important in this line. However, I
d3 knight would soon be dislodged with ...c5- can't help to wonder if anyone below the level
c4. ] of super GM status should be encouraged to
20...d7 21.ad1 xd1 22.xd1 a5 venture into this line with Black there are
[ 22...b6 23.e1! ( 23.d6+ leads to virtually no winning chances and a single slip
n o t h i n g a f t e r e7 ) 23...c7 24.d3 could be enough to lose the game.
with an edge to White. Black can get into a 1-0
horrible mess if he tries to prevent Nd3-c5
with b6? 25.b4! c5 26.d5 d8
27.f4+! xe5 28.f3 and Black, who 795 C10
cannot prevent Rd1-d7, is much worse. ] Gdanski,Jacek 2535
[ Again, I believe that 22...e7! was the right Rustemov,Alexander 2553
square for the bishop. For example, Bundesliga 1999-2000 (14) 08.04.2000
23.d4+!? xe5 24.f5 f8 25.d7 [Neil McDonald]
xe4 26.xf7 b5 with counterplay for
Black. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
23.e1 g1? 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 White could
[ Again 23...e7 was possible, with the also try to set Black some problems with
same ideas as illustrated above. ] [ 7.e2!? aiming for queenside castling. ]
24.g3 b6 25.d3 White has achieved the 7...gf6 8.g3
best possible set-up for his pieces and he [ This is a natural move, but also possible
soon obtained a giant squeeze. e7 w a s t h e i n t e r e s t i n g r e t r e a t 8.ed2!?
[ 25...d8?? 26.c5+! wins. ] which heads with the knight for the excellent
26.g4 d8 27.f1 c7 28.h4 e8 29.h5 e5 square via c4. Then d5 9.e1 ( 9.c4
f8 30.f5 By very simple means, White has b4 10.e2 e4! is unclear.) 9...e7
improved his position with astonishing 10.c4 f4 11.f1 0-0 12.b3 g6
progress. g8 Black has nothing much to was Ok for Black in I.Rogers-McDonald,
play for except for tricks like 31..g6 32.hg fg London 1993. A third try for White is ]
33.Rf6 Kg7, winning the e5 pawn. 31.c5! [ 8.eg5 which introduces ideas of a
sidestepping that threat by sof tening the sacrifice on e6 which is well known from the
Queenside. b6 32.d3 e7 Caro-Kann. So Black must play accurately
[ 32...g6? was no longer possible due to with d6! ( 8...h6? 9.xe6! fxe6 10.g6+
33.hxg6 fxg6 34.f6 ] e7 11.e1 is very unpleasant for Black,

713
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

probably losing.) 9.e1 h6 and now with 796 C10

the bishop out on d6 the sacrifice on e6
doesn't work, as the king has the f8 square.
So White must retreat with 10.h3 when
xf3 11.xf3 c6 looks equal. ]
8...e7 9.e2 White wants to put his king's
rook on d1, but as Black intends Bxf3 at some
point, this may just amount to a wasted tempo.
[ 9.c4 then b3, Bb2, etc. made more sense. ]
9...0-0 10.d1
[ Perhaps more consistent was 10.e5 ]
10...xf3 11.xf3 c6 12.b3
Another approach was
[ 12...a5 hoping to exchange dark squared
bishops at some point with Ba3 or Bb4 as
appropriate. ]
13.c4 ad8 14.b2 fe8 15.f1 f8 16.a3
g6 17.b4 d7 18.d3 ed8 19.c3
The battle lines are draw. W hite wants to
expand on the queenside and open lines for
his bishop pair, while Black restrains the white
c e n t r e a n d p u t s p r e s s u r e o n d 4 . f8!!
A brilliant positional move. Black wants to
challenge White's queen with ... Qf4, but first
he moves his king, as
[ 19...f4? 20.xg6 xf3 21.xf7+!
would be an intermediate check winning a
pawn. ]
20.a4 f4 21.e2 The exchange of queens
allows Black to undermine the white centre,
for example
[ 21.xf4 xf4 22.c2 ( 22.f1 e5! )
22...h5 with ideas of h4 or b5!? ]
21...h4 22.f3 f4 23.e2 h4 24.f3
f4 25.c2 h5! 26.b5 g4! Again White is
bullied into retreating his queen to a worse
square by the threat of an unpleasant
endgame. 27.e3? Nevertheless, he should
take his chance with
[ 27.xg4 as this just leads to the loss of
material. ]
27...h4 28.h3 g5 29.f3 hxg3 30.fxg3
4h5 31.g4 f4 32.bxc6 bxc6 33.g3
xh3+ 34.g2 xg4 35.xg4 xg4
36.xh3 f2+ The sting in the tail. A
sp le nd id su c c e ss f o r B la ck's st ra t egy o f
trench warfare followed by counterattack.
0-1
Gelashvili,Tamaz 2519
Patuzzo,Fabricio 2296
6th WUCC Golden Sands BUL (1) 01.09.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 f6 The usual move is
[ 6...d7 while the radical ]
[ 6...xe4 isn't bad either. ]
7.xf6+ xf6? Here Black has to play
c7 [ 7...gxf6 with balanced chances. ]
8.g5! xf3 9.d2!! The point. Black's
queen is trapped as taking on d4 obviously
loses to the check on b5. xg2 10.xf6
xh1 11.e5 c5? This loses at once. I fell
for the initial trap in a weekend tournament
some 18 years ago and after
[ 11...c6 Black somehow won, but of
course it must be losing for him. ]
12.f3! This wins more material. c6
[ Or 12...xf3 13.xb8 xb8 14.f4
winning a piece. ]
13.f2 xf3 14.xf3 f6 15.g3 cxd4
16.b5 c5 17.e2 f7 18.xc6 bxc6
19.c4 b6 20.a4 ac8 21.a5
1-0
797 C10
Geller,Jakov 2494
Vysochin,Spartak 2584
20th Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (8) 5.3.04
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 xe4
[ A no-nonsense move. The whole point of
7...gf6 is to either force the white knight
from e4 to the passive g3 square or else to
exchange off two minor pieces after 8.Qe2
Nxe4 9.Bxe4 Bxe4 10.Qxe4. But this doesn't
happen these days: the knight goes back to
d 2 a n d a im s f o r a n e ve n b e t t e r c e n t r e
square on e5 with 8.ed2!? or else White
could try the lesser known but tricky
( 8.eg5!? In view of , why not play 7...Bxe4
and eliminate the white knight
straightaway? )]
8.xe4 c6 9.c4
[ Immediate action with 9.e5?! just favours

714
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Black, who is more than happy to exchange
off pieces- see the game Karlsen-Rozentalis
on ChessPub. ]
9...gf6 10.c2 d6 An interesting moment.
My experience of the Fort Knox has suggested
that the best square for the black bishop is on
e7, in order to take the sting out of the pin
with Bg5. Of course Black wants to stop Bf4,
and here
[ 10...e7!? 11.f4 is a slight but definite
edge for White. Still after 0-0 followed by
Qb6 and Rfd8 Black is solidly placed. ]
11.e1 0-0 12.b3?! The critical approach
must involve Bg5, especially now that Black
has committed himself to kingside castling.
For example
[ 12.d3 c7 It would take some nerve to
play ( 12...h6 but Black could then curl up in
a ball with Re8 and Nf8.) 13.g5 f4
14.h4 fe8 15.ad1 ac8 16.c3 a6
17.e5 xe5? A blunder, but the pressure
was already very unpleasant. 18.dxe5 d7
19.d4 The double attack on the bishop and
knight forces Black to ruin his pawn structure
g5 20.xd7 gxh4 21.d4 g5 22.g4 h6
23.f4 f5 24.exf6 xf4 25.xf4 xf4
26.d7 and Black was in a mess in Psakhis,
L-Skembris,S/ Belgrade 1988. Note that
Black's defensive options would be better if
he had put his bishop on e7 rather than d6:
that's why I prefer 10...Be7. ]
12...e8 13.b2 a5! The classic idea to
exchange dark squared bishops. 14.e5?!
[ There was more chance of keeping up the
pressure with 14.a3! ]
14...a3 15.xa3 xa3 16.c1 d6!
Black can be pleased with his position: the
exchange of two pairs of minor pieces has
lessened White's attacking chances and the
d4 pawn could become weak. Nevertheless
W hite still has a space advantage. 17.e3
ad8 18.c5? Much too ambitious. White
should settle for
[ 18.ad1! completing his piece
deployment. ]
18...c7 19.c4 White's idea is to put the
knight on d6, but it can't be challenged by an
eventual Ne8. Meanwhile the hole on d5 and
the weakness on d4 will prove significant. f8
20.b4?
[ L o s i n g a p a w n , b u t i f 20.d6 e7
and Black is ready for Ne8, etc. when he
clears the way to attack the d4 pawn. ]
20...g4! 21.g3
[ Or 21.h3 f4 hitting f2. ]
21...xg3 22.hxg3 xd4 Black wins a pawn,
after which W hite's attempt to gain
compensation just leads to the disintegration
of his own position. 23.d6 b8 24.ab1
d7 25.b5?! cxb5 26.xb5 b6! 27.cxb6
a6 Winning a piece, after which White can
already resign. 28.f5 exf5 29.xf5 g6
30.f3 xb6 31.b3 de5 32.c3 c6
33.xc6 xc6 34.e8+ g7 35.c8 a5
36.c2 d2 37.c7 xf2
0-1
798 C10
Geske,J 2401
Gasthofer,A 2441
Bundesliga 2012-13 (10) 24.02.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.d3
[ The m ain lin e 5.f3 gf6 is seen in
several other games this month. Notice that
6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3 c5 8.dxc5 xc5
9.e2 transposes back to the game. ]
5...gf6 6.e2 The old idea with this order is
to clear the last rank and in most cases castle
queenside. In this game White uses the move
order to arrive at a traditional main line and
avoids some alternative paths. c5 7.xc5
xc5 8.dxc5 xc5 9.f3 See the note on 5
Nf3 we've reached the same position. In the
Archives, there are numerous games with
[ 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 , which is at any rate
more exciting. There's nothing much going
on in this game, but I want to demonstrate
the move orders and options for guiding the
game into the paths you'd prefer. ]
9...0-0 10.g5
[ Another recent game went 10.0-0 b6
11.g5 b7 12.ad1 c7 13.e5
( 13.xf6 gxf6 14.e4 is seen in Emms, J
(2 5 70 ) -L ed ger, A (24 5 5), Re db u s K O ,
Southend 1999 in the Archives) 13...fd8
14.c3 ( 14.h1!? with the idea f4 was much
more interesting in Caruana-E Berg in the
Archives ) 14...d5! (a great idea which not
715
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
only equalizes but gains some advantage)
15.xf6 ( 15.f4 d6 16.fe1
threatens ...Nh6, and 17.g3 h5 18.f3
d8! 19.e4 xd1 20.xd1 xg3
21.hxg3 c8! is a standard idea from the 3...
c5 Tarrasch, to kick the bishop on e4 off
the diagonal and then return to b7, or to
advance in the centre) 15...gxf6 16.g4
g7 17.e4 xd1 18.xd1 xe4 19.xe4
d8 20.xd8 xd8 1/2-1/2 Antoniewski, R
(2552)-Kopylov, M (2473), Forchheim GER
2013. Actually, Black could play this out
because his bishop is better than the knight
and he controls the d-file, e.g., 21.e2 d5
22.a3 h5 23.e3 e4! 24.c2 e5 ]
10...h6 11.h4!
[ 11.xf6?! xf6 12.0-0-0 d8! is Zelcic-
Speelman in the Archives Black is at least
holding his own, and the bishop pair
promises more ( not 12...b6?? 13.e4 )]
11...a5+ 12.c3 d5 13.0-0!?
[ 13.d2 is the best try, when f5! 14.h3
( 14.0-0 c7! ) 14...d6 15.0-0 c7!?
16.d4 d7 17.ad1 might follow. ]
[ But not 13.g3?! xc3! 14.d2 b4 ]
13...f4 14.e4 xd3 15.xd3 c7
[ 15...a6! is the computer suggestion, to
use the bishop pair and b-file after 16.xa6
bxa6 ]
16.b4! e7 17.xe7 xe7 18.fd1
[ 18.e4!? ]
18...a5
[ 18...b6 ]
19.d6
[ 19.b5 e5! ]
19...xd6 20.xd6 axb4 21.cxb4 a6
22.xa6 bxa6 23.d2 b7= 24.b3 d5
25.c5 b8 26.xa6 b6 27.c5 xb4
28.a4 f8 29.a5 e7 30.f3 d6 31.d3
d4 32.a3 c4
[ 32...c7! ]
33.a6 d5 34.f2 a8 35.e3 c4
36.a2 g5
[ 36...e5!= ]
37.g3 f6 38.a7 c7 39.a6 c6?
As usual, right around move 40! Black should
hold after
[ 39...d7 ]
40.xc6+ xc6 41.f4! gxf4+
[ 41...b6 42.fxg5 fxg5 ( 42...hxg5 43.h4!
and wins ) 43.e5 xa7 44.f7 b6
45.xh6 c7 46.f7 d7 47.xg5 e5
g6! 48.e4 ]
42.xf4! A key decision.
[ 42.xf4 e5 43.h5 f5 44.g7 f4+
45.gxf4 exf4+ 46.xf4 b6 47.f5 h5
48.h4 xa7 49.g3 b6 50.xh5 c7
51.f6 d6 and Black gets back on time. ]
42...b6 43.f2! e5+
[ 43...xa7 44.g4 ]
44.f5 xa7 45.g4 e4 46.f4 b6
47.xf6 c5 48.xe4+ d5 49.f5 d4
50.f6 e3 51.h4 c6 52.g4 f3 53.g6
h5 54.xh5 f4 55.g6
1-0
799 C10
Gharamian,T 2655
Megaranto,S 2524
Biel MTO 2013 (5.5) 26.07.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.ed2
This still seems a promising line to me. I
analyse the main move
[ 8.g3 in Jones-Arkell and Kobalia-
D e m i d o v, a n d i t a p p e a r s i n n u m e r o u s
previous games on ChessPublishing. ]
8...e7
[ I analyse 8...xf3 in Gormally-Hanley in the
Archives, when 9 Qxf3 proved effective. ]
[ 8...d5 9.c4! is analysed in Ledger-
McDonald. ]
9.c4 See the references in the Archives
game 'Fort Knox 4 Nxe4 Bd7-7 0-0 Ngf6 8
Others' for reference to Archives games with 9
b3, 9 Re1, and 9 c4. 0-0
[ 9...d5 is an interesting alternative. Then:
A) a) 10.e3 is seen in Conquest, S-
McDonald, N in the Archives. McDonald
suggests c5 ( 10...xf3?! 11.xf3 c6
w a s p l a y e d) 11.xd5 ( McDonald:
'Harmless is 11.dxc5 xc5 ' however,
then 12.xd5! xd5 13.a3 a5 14.c4
5f6 15.f4 is attractive for White, who
has an active bishop pair) 11...xd5
12.c4 ( 12.dxc5 should still suffice for an
edge the continuation 0-0 13.c6!? bxc6
14.c4 5f6 15.f4 gives White a pull)
12...5f6;
716
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
B) 10.ce5 should be answered by 10...
c5. The game Kobalia-Shaposhnikov,
Kazan 2005 saw 0-0 , and 11 c4 looks to
produce an edge. The game's 11.g5!?
w o u l d h a v e b e s t b e e n t e s t e d b y h6
12.gxf7 xf7 13.xf7
and the attack is real, but unclear. ]
10.e1 b5!?
[ The structure after 10...xf3 11.xf3 c6
is one Black often plays for in the Fort Knox,
but here it is mistimed due to 12.g3! ]
11.f1!? Slow. Better seems
[ 11.f4 , eyeing d6 and intending to meet
the freeing move c5 with 12.c3 cxd4
13.xd4 ]
[ Or 11.a4 xc4 12.xc4 c5 13.a5!? ]
11...c6 Likewise slow. It's time for
[ 11...c5 and I'm not sure how White
proceeds. Maybe 12.a4 xc4 13.xc4
c7 14.e2 , but cxd4 15.xd4
, but Blck stands well enough after c5 ]
12.f4 xc4!?
[ 12...c5 13.c3 cxd4 14.xd4
15.xc4 ]
13.xc4 With space and the bishops. e8
14.c3 f8 15.b3
[ 15.h3 ]
15...b6 16.ad1 g6 17.f1!?
[ 17.c2 ]
17...h5 18.e3 ad8
[ 18...xb3 19.axb3 hf6 20.a1
signals a long, tough defence for Black. ]
19.g3 hf6 20.g5!? e7 21.g2 d5
22.h6 xb3 23.axb3 f6 24.f1 a6
[ 24...a5!? to prevent White's next, looks
preferable. ]
25.b4! 7b6 26.a1 e7 27.f4 d7
28.ad1 g7 29.g5 f6 30.c1 d5
31.d2 g7
[ 31...e5 32.dxe5 xe5 33.xe5 xe5
34.xe5 xe5 35.g5 e8 36.g2
two active bishops in the ending are hard to
fight against, although this might be tenable.
Now a lengthy period of maneuvering
ensures. ]
32.h3 a8 33.a1 ad8 34.g2 c8
35.g5 5f6 36.f4 cd8 37.ad1 h6
38.c4 b6 39.b3 bd5 40.f3 d7
41.e2 a8 42.a1 ad8 43.e1 f8
44.d3 e7 45.ae1 f6 46.f2 e7
47.d3 f6 48.a1 g7 49.e1 h5
50.d2 h8 51.f2 he8 52.e4 e7
53.ae1 5f6
[ 53...f8 54.g5 7f6 55.f3 d6 ]
54.g5 f8?!
[ 54...d5 ]
xf7 55.f3! 6h7 56.e4 d7?!
[ 56...f6 57.xf6 xf6 58.g4 and White
is making progress. ]
57.g4 hxg4+ 58.hxg4 But this is worse. h8
59.g5 Establishing a permanent bind.
[ W hite also has 59.f5! and Black is in big
trouble, e.g., exf5 ( 59...df6 60.c5 )
60.gxf5 g5 ( 60...gxf5 61.g2+ ) 61.g2
de8 62.f4 d8 63.d6 with a total
bind. ]
59...hf8 60.g3 b5?! 61.e3 h5 62.a1
a8 63.ee1 b6 64.c5 d6 65.e4
e7 66.d1 h7 67.c5 d5 68.f3 d6
69.xa6 xa6 70.xa6 d7 71.xd5 exd5
72.c5 b6 73.b3 c8 74.d3 e7
75.f2 f5+ 76.g2 h8 77.a1 c8
78.e5 f8 79.a6 e8 80.f3 xe5
xc4 81.dxe5 c7 82.b6 b7 83.a8+ d7
84.c5 c7 85.f8 e6 86.d8 h4+
87.e3 f5+ 88.d3 b7 89.e8+ d7
90.f8 e6 91.d8 c7 92.e2 g3+
93.e3 f5+ 94.f3 h4+ 95.g4 f5
96.b8 g7? Finally cracking under the
pressure. 97.b6 d7 98.c8 d4 99.xd4
d5 100.f3 e6 101.e3 d8
102.xd8+ xd8 103.d3 c5 104.xc5
e6 105.e3 g7 106.c4+ c6 107.e4
f5 108.f2 g7 109.e1 e6 110.d2
g7 111.cxb5+ xb5 112.d5
1-0
800 C10
Glek,Igor V 2538
Meier,Georg 2512
Bundesliga 2006-7 (12) 17.03.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.g3 e7 6.g2 gf6 7.g5?!
[ One of the annoying things about this
variation for Black is the drawish position
th a t re su lt a f t e r 7.xf6+ xf6 8.f3
- as you can see in the archives, Morozevich
once went crazy trying to create winning
chances against Fressinet and was soundly
717
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
thrashed. The situation is somewhat
different in the present game, as Glek is
the higher rated player. White's knight move
gives the impression of an over
extravagant attempt to make things
interesting. ]
7...0-0 8.e2 d5! The correct riposte.
Glek's weird knight move had come up trumps
in an earlier game where Black had tried to
kill off the centre tension too quickly:
[ 8...e5 9.0-0 c6 10.c3 exd4 11.xd4
e5 12.e1 g6 13.c2 c7 14.h4 c5
15.e3 b6 16.c4 with a useful edge for
W hite in Glek, I-Matthiesen, A/Izmir TUR
2004. Meier prefers to establish a knight on
the wonderful d5 square. ]
9.f3?! A very lame way of handling the
position. The only way to try to justify his
knight manoeuvre was with
[ 9.f4 gaining space in the centre. ]
9...b5! Cementing the knight on the d5
square. 10.0-0 b7 11.c3 a6 12.e1 c5!
Black has already more than equalised thanks
to his excellent piece deployment. 13.dxc5
xc5 14.ed4 b6 15.c2 ac8 16.b3
e7 17.g5 Little by little the white position
is deteriorating. As Black's plan is to ram the
c3 pawn with b5-b4, perhaps he should play
[ 17.a3 ]
17...7f6 18.e5 fd8 19.ad1 h6
20.xf6 xf6 21.g4 e7 22.d4 f6
23.xb7 xb7 24.e2 xg4 25.xg4 b4!
Now a we ak ness app ea rs on c3 t hat will
eventually cost White a pawn. 26.d3 bxc3
27.bxc3 f6 28.ed1 d5 29.e2 c4
30.b3 d5 31.f3 cd8 32.xd5 xd5
33.e1 xc3 34.c1 d3 35.a8+ h7
36.b7 f5! The advance of the f-pawn will
prove of decisive strategic value, but there will
be various tactical blunders first! 37.b6 f4?
Up until here Meier has played superbly, but it
seems that the next few moves were played
in serious time pressure. W e shouldn't
grumble too much as chess is not only an art
but also a sport and so mistakes are inevitable.
In fact, chess wouldn't be much fun if the
opponent never made any mistakes!
[ Opening the b1-h7 diagonal could have
proved very costly for Black. He should have
built up gradually with 37...e5 ]
38.c5 d2?
[ N e c e s s a r y w a s 38...f3 when White
probably does best to force a draw with
39.b1+ g8 40.b8+ h7 41.b1+ ]
39.xe6?
[ Black would be losing after 39.b1+ g8
40.e4! ( spurning a mere draw with
40.b8+ h7 41.b1+ ) 40...fxg3 41.hxg3
d3 42.b8+ h7 43.f4! threatening to
win the black queen with 44.Nf6+ or 44.
Ng5+. c6 44.g4! intending 45.Qe2 to
exploit the pin on the c-file. ]
39...f3 40.f4?
[ He had to make space for his king with
40.h4 when White would have the better of
the endgame after e4?! 41.f8+ g8
42.b3+ xf8 43.xc3 ]
40...e4! 41.xa6 d4 42.h3
[ If 42.f1 xf2! 43.xf2 e1+ 44.f1
xf2+ 45.h1 xf1# ]
42...e2!
[ The passed pawn decides the game after
42...e2 43.xe2 fxe2 44.e1 d1 ]
0-1
801 C10
Gormally,D 2500
Hanley,C 2420
e2e4 Brighton Masters 2013 (6) 19.02.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
The Fort Knox Variation. 5.f3 c6 6.d3
d7 7.ed2 An older idea. There are
numerous games in the Archives with
[ 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3 , and that will be seen
in Kobalia-Demidov. It happens that the
knight can sometimes lack scope on g3, so
t h e r e ' s so m e p o i n t i n b r i n g i n g i t t o d 2
instead. ]
7...gf6 8.0-0 xf3!? This is a normal Fort
Knox idea, but I'm not sure if it's best after
Nde2 has been played.
[ 8...d5?! is analysed in the game Ledger-
McDonald in the Archives. ]
[ 8...e7 is analysed with many references
in the game 'Fort Knox 4 Nxe4 Bd7-7 0-0
Ngf6 8 Others' in the Archives. A game this
month between lower-related players went
9.e1 xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.c3 a5 12.c4
0-0 13.f4 d5 14.h3 g6 15.h6 e8
718
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

16.ad1 f8 17.c1! b5 18.e5 xe5 802 C10

19.dxe5 f5? ( 19...c7 ) 20.exf6 xf6 Graf,Alexander 2642
21.c4!? ( 21.g4 with a bind and bishop Slobodjan,Roman 2539
pair ) 21...bxc4 22.xc4 c5 23.e2 d4 72nd ch Seebad Heringsdorf GER (9)
24.g4 e5 25.e3! xe3 26.xd5? [Neil McDonald]
( 26.xe3 ) 26...h8! 27.d7
A White (2107)-Strand, Plovdiv BUL 2013 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
and f8! would have been equal. ] 5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.g5 e7
9.xf3! [ Two o the r moves were p ossib le : 7...h6
[ 9.xf3 is also good, but Black can play an 8.h4 ( 8.e3!? ) 8...e7 9.d3 c5
early ...c5 and come closer to equalizing. ] 10.dxc5 a5+ 11.c3 xc5 12.e2
9...c6 as played in Todorovic-Marjanovic,
[ 9...c5 10.e4! xe4 11.xe4 cxd4 Yugoslavia 1997, when Marjanovic gives
12.xb7 b8 13.c6 ] d7 as slightly better for White or ]
10.g3 b8 11.h3 d6 12.g3 [ 7...c5 8.b5+ d7 9.xd7+ xd7
[ Or 12.c4 f4 13.e1 xc1 14.axc1 ] when Black is OK even though White can
12...c5!? inflict doubled pawns on him by capturing on
[ 12...0-0 with only a standard, limited f6. ]
disadvantage. ] 8.d3 a6?! Black wants to avoid double
13.dxc5 xc5 pawns on f6, rule out Bb5 and also achieve
[ 13...xc5? 14.b5+ cd7 15.d1 the c7-c5 freeing move. The French is a great
intending Nc4 ] opening, but that is asking for just too much!
14.e4 xe4 15.xe4 f6 16.f3 He could still play
[ 16.f4 d6 ( 16...e5 17.ae1 ) 17.xb7 [ 8...h6 or ]
xb7 18.xd6 e4 19.f4 c8 20.g2 [ 8...c5 ]
xc2 21.ac1 ] 9.e2 c5?! 10.dxc5 a5+ 11.c3 xc5
16...c7 17.g2 0-0 18.xb7 ab8 12.0-0 b6 13.e5! b7 14.fe1 d5
19.a6 fd8 20.f3 d5 21.d3 h5 22.b3 Here we see that Black hasn't quite equalised
e5?! 23.c4 d6 24.g5 b6 25.ae1 e8 from the opening as castling kingside leads to
26.e2 g6?! 27.c2 the loss of a pawn:
[ 27.b4! xb4 28.b1 ] [ 14...0-0 15.xf6 xf6 ( even worse is
27...g7 28.g2 d4 29.fe1 d7 30.e3 15...gxf6 16.g4+ h8 17.h3 f5
ee6 31.xd4 xd4 32.c3 a5 33.e4 18.d7 and W hite wins the exchange.)
[ 33.f4 intending c6+ 34.f3 16.d7 g5 ( or 16...d5 17.e4! xe4
is also promising. White stands better here 18.xe4 xe4 19.xe4 fd8 20.xb6
but Black defends tenaciously: ] ab8 21.c4 ) 17.e4! xe4 18.xe4
33...c5 34.g1 ed6 35.c1 a4 36.d5 fd8 19.xb6 ab8 20.c4 and White is
axb3 37.axb3 b6 38.e3 h4 39.g2 a 'clean' pawn up. In the game Black
d6 40.a2 f6 41.xe5 xe5 42.xe5 therefore delays castling but then his king
xb3 43.a8!? falls under a big attack. ]
[ 43.a7 xd5 44.cxd5 d2! 45.ee7 15.f1! d6
h3+! 46.xh3 f3 and Black can probably [ If 15...0-0 16.xf6 xf6 17.e4 xe5?!
hold. ] 18.xh7+ ]
43...xc4 44.e7 b8 45.aa7 f8 46.f3 16.f4 c5 17.ad1 c7
d4 47.ec7 hxg3 48.hxg3 d2 49.g4 [ Black desperately wants to castle but this
h7 50.c5 fd8 51.a1 time the trick is 17...0-0 18.d7! xd7
½-½ 19.xd6 xd6?! 20.xh7+ ]
18.b4 e7 19.b5+! Now there is a fine
attacking finish. Remember that it was all
made possible by Black wasting time in the
opening- such is the importance of having

719
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

good opening knowledge. axb5 20.xb5+ 19.e5+ xe5 20.fxe5 e6 21.h4
f8 21.d7+ xd7 22.xc7 e8 when his bishop is much the stronger. ]
[ Or 22...f6 23.d6 ] 16...dxc4 17.xc4 g5!? In return for the
23.xb6 c8 24.c5 c6 25.a6 d8 pawn Black has a superb bishop and great
26.d6 c7 27.dxe6+! fxe6 28.xe6+ attacking chances along the g-file. 18.e3
f7 29.c4 xc5 30.xc6+ e8 31.xc5! gxf4 19.xf4 0-0-0 20.f2 hg8 21.h2
xc5 32.bxc5 e7 33.e4+ f7 34.f5+ g7 22.a5 a6 23.c5 h6! A strong
e7 35.g4 g6 36.e5+ f7 37.d5+ e7 positional move that gives the knight access
38.d6+ f7 39.d7+ A tremendous to the g5 square. 24.h4? It is understandable
attacking display. that he tries to prevent Ng5, but the knight
1-0 hops to that square anyway with added effect
due to the weaknesses created on W hite's
light squares by this move and his next. g4
803 C10 The rook gratefully seizes the square handed
Greet,Andrew 2453 to it, thereby provoking another loosening
Rendle,Thomas 2363 move. 25.g3 g5!! White has g5 covered no
British Championship (11) 08.08.2008 less than three times but still the knight can't
[Neil McDonald] be kept out. 26.d2
[ If 26.hxg5 hxg5 27.xg5 ( Or 27.xg5
1.e4 e6 IM Tom Rendle sent me the following h8+ 28.h3 xh3+ 29.xh3 h7+
game, which won a special prize at the British a n d m a t e s .) 27...xg5 28.xg5 h8+
Championship. 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e3 29.h3 ( 29.g1 h1# ) 29...xh3+
b4 5.e5 f6 6.f4!? 30.xh3 h7# ]
[ Instead 6.f3 d7 was played in Alavi- 26...f7! The queen heads for h5 to introduce
G o h W e i m i n g - y o u c a n f i n d G o h ' s ideas of a sacrifice on h4. 27.g1 h3+
comments to this game in the archives. ] 28.f1 g6 An exchange on f4 or a sac on
6...e7 g3 will cause mayhem. A very well played
[ Rendle suggests that 6...fxe5 7.fxe5 h4+ game by Black.
8.f2 e4+ 9.e2 might give White a 0-1
slight edge. ( In an earlier game, White tried
a gambit with 9.e2!? xg2 10.f3 g5
11.h3 etc. with unclear play. )] 804 C10
7.f3 d7 8.d3 h6 9.0-0 xc3 10.bxc3 Gullaksen,E 2384
f5 11.f2 a5 12.a4 c6 You would Getz,N 2352
imagine tha t W h ite has som e a dvan tage TCh-NOR Eliteserien 2012-13 (7) 05.04.2013
hereabouts, but closed positions of this type [John Watson]
are difficult to handle. Often the correct plan
for White is to push his pawns in front of his 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5 ge7
king, b u t if he lo ses co nt rol it ca n p ro ve [ 4...f6 is the main recommendation in my
catastrophic. 13.h3 d7 14.b1 Dangerous Weapons book, but 4...Nge7 is a
[ Perhaps White should stop queenside logical and popular alternative. A recent
castling with 14.h4 as xa4? 15.b1! miniature, not very relevant to theory, is
with the threat of 16.Rxa4! or 16.Qb4 is nevertheless fun: 5.b5 d7 6.f3 b4
awkward for Black. ] 7.0-0 ge7 8.exf6 gxf6 9.h4 0-0
14...c4 15.b3 f7 More precise was 10.h6 f7 11.e2 g6 12.h5 ce7
[ 15...0-0-0 as now White has the chance to 13.d3 xh4 14.xf7+ xf7 15.xh7+
make a combination. ] e8 16.h8+ f7 17.g7+
16.xc4? Not only turning the bishop on c6 1-0 Vocaturo(2511)-Mazzilli, P (2365), Bratto
into a monstrous piece but also missing the 2013. ]
chance for 5.f3 f5 6.b5 Two interesting options:
[ 16.xf5! exf5 17.e6 d6 18.exf7+ xf7 [ A recent game: 6.h4 e7 ( The tradeoff

720
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

6...h5 isn't clear. I think protecting Black's and better bishop. 20.e2 h6 21.e3 e7
space is probably best, although 7.g5 e7 [ or 21...c8 with the idea 22.h4 a3 ]
8.d2 is probably a tad better for White.) 22.h4 It's consistent to try to make something
7.h5 Space h6 8.g4 h4 9.xh4 xh4 out of White committed kingside. d8 23.g5
10.e3 and The game Hector, J (2512)- hxg5
Johansson, L (2334), Halmstad 2013 went [ 23...h5 24.g6! ]
A) 10...d7 11.d2 e7 12.a3!? 24.hxg5 g6 25.h1 xh1 26.xh1 d5?!
( 12.0-0-0 b4 ) 12...xd4!? 13.xd4 [ 26...f8! is better, with a definite structural
c5 14.f4 d4 15.e4 dxe3 16.0-0-0; advantage, but you can imagine that some
B) 10...g5 11.d2 xe3 12.xe3 f6? d5 f o llowe d by Qh 4 t he me migh t worry
Awfully loosening. The normal solid setup Black. ]
would be ( 12...d7 13.0-0-0 e7 14.f4 27.c1?
0-0-0 ) 13.exf6 xf6?! ( 13...gxf6 [ 27.h8+ f8 28.xd5 xd5 29.a4=
14.0-0-0 d6 , but this is no fun for . If Black strays from d-pawn pressure, Nd2-
Black ) 14.xd5 f7 15.f4 White is e4 or bringing the bishop to a3 becomes a
virt ua lly winn in g, b ut B la ck som eh o w problem. ]
managed to hold. ] 27...b4
[ The Archives game Negi-Rozentalis, Essent [ 27...e4! is strong. Perhaps the players
Open 2005 went 6.e2!? f6!? ( 6...e7 missed 28.d3 xf3+! 29.xf3 xe5+
7.g3 0-0 8.xf5 exf5 9.e2 e6 30.e4 xd3 31.xd3 d5 ]
Schuetz, T-Keitlinghaus, L/Dortmund 1989) 28.a4 xc4+ 29.xc4 d5 30.d3?
7.g3 fxe5 8.dxe5 with complications. ] [ 30.a5! would stop Black's ...Nb6 as well as
6...d7 7.g5 c8!? An important juncture. ...b5. Then it's hard to make progress. ]
Both alternatives seem playable: 30...d7
[ 7...e7 8.h4 h5 9.d2 a6 10.f1 b6?! [ 30...b6! 31.c7 xa4 ( 31...d7
( 10...f6! 11.f4 0-0 is double-edged) 32.xd7 xd7 33.a5 d5 ) 32.e4
11.0-0-0 g6 12.f4 Polgar, J-Rozentalis, ( 32.xb7?? c5+ ) 32...b8 ]
E, Groningen 1993. ] 31.c1 Not bad.
[ In the Archives game Negi-Rozentalis, [ 31.a5 is perhaps more frustrating for
Essent Open 2005, Neil analyses 7...f6!? Black. ]
8.h4 fxg5 ( 8...fxd4 9.exf6 gxf6 [ 31.d2 b6! ]
10.xc6 xc6 11.xd4 e5 12.g4 fxg5 31...b5 32.axb5 axb5 33.a1
13.h5+ d7 14.g4+ e8 15.h5+= ) [ 33.d2! a8 34.e4 ]
9.h5+ g6 10.xg6 g7! ( 10...hxg6= ) 33...c6 34.d2
11.h6! xd4! 12.d3 df5 13.xf5 [ 34.d2 ]
xf5 14.h5 g7 15.h6 f5 ( 15...f7! 34...b7 35.h2! h8 36.g4 h3+
16.xh8+ g8 looks promising for Black) 37.e4 Risky, but manageable.
16.h5 g7 and a draw by repetition. ] [ 37.c2 isn't bad. ]
8.g4 fe7 9.g1 a5 10.d3 c5 37...b3 38.f4? Time trouble? Both
11.b5!? [ 38.h6 and ]
[ 11.dxc5 xc5 12.e3 c7 and White [ 38.h1 are fine. ]
has weaknesses. ] 38...g3 39.h6?
11...xb5 12.xb5+ ec6 13.c3 a6 [ 39.e3 b4 40.c1 is horrible, but
14.e2 cxd4 15.cxd4 c4 Black has a little perhaps necessary. ]
queenside play and although White has space, [ 39.h1 xg5! ( 39...xg4? 40.f3 )
he can't castle. This doesn't mean much, but 40.fxg5 xg4+-+ ]
the second player stands a bit better 16.c1?! 39...b4! This wins a piece and then some
[ 16.c1! ] 40.xf7
[ 16.b3 a3 17.c1 d7 ] [ 40.xb4 e3# ]
16...xb2 17.b3 c4 18.xc4 dxc4 [ 40.c1 c3# ]
19.xc4 d7 Now Black has a target on d4 40...xd2 41.d8+ b6 Mate follows

721
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
shortly.
0-1
805 C10
Hecht Reefschlaeger
Ed5 Analysis
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
IM Goh W ei Ming writes: The Hecht-
Reefschlaeger is now one of my favourite
weapons (Dangerous?) against 1.e4 and I
have naturally utilized it in my blitz encounters.
Many have underestimated the important of
blitz games but most of them fail to realize
how theoretically important some of these
games can be. GM Kasimdzhanov himself
admitted to have used a number of
theoretically novelties in his blitz games! In
the following games, I would like to
demonstrate the most important lines and
possible improvements over existing theory.
These are my own games on the Playchess.
com server and hence, do not be alarmed
when the moves seem ridiculous in the later
stage of the game! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3
c6 4.f3
[ Another N.Short-Goh Weiming game went
4.e5 f6 5.b5 d7 6.f3 This set up is
very logical. It gains space in the centre and
is easy f or W hite to develop his pieces
harmoniously. If Black is not careful, he
might find himself slowly squeezed to pulp.
e7 Planning to place the queen on f7,
castle queenside, and conjure a kingside
attack somehow as prescribed on ChessPub
in previous games. This system tend to
confuse players who have seen it the first
time and they very often tend to react badly.
7.0-0 0-0-0 8.e1 f7 9.a3 ge7 10.b4
( 10.f4?! was analyzed in Zude-Meinhardt
2006 in Feb's update and is clearly inferior.)
10...g6 11.xc6 This exchange gained
time for White's attack as a subsequent b4-
b5 would win a valuable tempo. However,
White's initiative was greatly hampered by
the loss of his white square bishop. xc6
12.b5 d7 13.a4 and now instead of 13...
fxe5 as played after b4! 14.d3 b8
15.e3 df8 Black stands very comfortable
after the opening. ]
4...f6 5.exd5 exd5 6.b5 b4 7.e5 0-0
8.xc6! I believe this was White's best chance
for an advantage (at least after 5.ed5 anyway)
and the fact that Short favoured this set up
every time after this game gave it a lot of
credibility. The position seemed harmless but
it actually contains a lot of hidden positional
traps that I've fallen into enough times to be
a w a r e o f t h e m . bxc6 9.0-0 c5!?
wa s su gge st e d b y J o h n W a t so n " J W " i n
"Dangerous Weapons-The French".
[ 9...a6!? was another suggestion by JW
10.e1 ( 10.xc6? d6 ) 10...e8
11.xc6 xc3! 12.bxc3 xe1+ 13.xe1
d7 14.e5 a4 "with dynamic equality"
was the evaluat ion given by JW , whic h
seems pretty fair enough. ( 14...f5 )]
[ 9...b7? 10.g5 e7 11.a4! e4
12.xe7 xe7 13.f3 f6 14.d3 d6
15.e1 f7 16.ac5 Nigel Short-Goh
Weiming 1-0 in 59 moves, playchess.com
Main Playing Hall. ]
[ 9...d7? was hopelessly passive (after 45
seconds thought!). 10.g5 e7 11.a4!
preventing the freeing move ..c5 and
continuing the squeeze. h6 12.xf6 xf6
13.c5 2 and eventually 1-0 Nigel Short
(3016) -Goh W eiming(846) /Main Playing
Hall 2008/playchess.com 2 ]
10.g5 b7? This gifted White an
embarrassingly winning position though I
somehow managed to win.
[ 10...e6 is probably the only move 11.e2
( 11.a3 xc3 12.bxc3 d6 13.xf6 gxf6
14.d3 c4 15.c5 f5= ) 11...c4 12.f4
d6 13.xe6 fxe6 14.c3 a5 15.a4
b6 and Black's position is solid enough. ]
[ 10...e8? 11.xf6 gxf6 12.d3 xc3
13.bxc3 c4 14.f4 f5 15.h5! ]
11.g4! d6 12.xf6+ gxf6 13.h6+-
though Black fluked his way through and won.
Nigel Short (3024) -Goh W eiming (2824)/
Main Playing Hall 2008/ playchess. com 0-1 in
56 moves.
722
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
806 C10
Hector,Jonny 2500
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2650
Sigeman and Co (4) 13.06.1997
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
5.e5 e4 6.e2
[ Or 6.d3 b4 7.d2 xd2 8.xd2 d7
( For detailed analysis of 8...f6 and other
moves see the game Ibragimov-Peric on
ChessPub. ) 9.a3 xc3 10.xc3 f6!
as recommended on ChessPub. 11.b5?
( White should prefer 11.exf6 gxf6 12.0-0-0
with chances to probe for a weakness down
the e-file, though Black looks very solid after
e7 13.he1 0-0-0 ) 11...b8?!
( 11...xe5! ) 12.d3 c6 13.b5? xe5!
14.dxe5 xb5 15.exf6
A) The tactical 15...xf6!? was also worth
a try, as White can't castle on either wing
after 16.e5 ( or 16.xc7? xb2 )
16...f4! threatening 17...Qe4+.;
B) 15...gxf6 16.d4 d7 17.h3 e7
18.0-0-0 0-0-0 19.he1 e5 Black is now
a pawn up with a strong centre. 20.f5
e6 21.g4 h5 22.e3 b8 23.h3 hxg4
24.hxg4 f7 and White was lucky to
e s c a p e wit h a d r a w in S t e ll wa ge n , R -
Reefschlaeger,H/Hamburg GER 2005. ]
6...f6 7.g3 fxe5 8.b5!?
[ In an earlier encounter between the same
players, Black was doing well after 8.dxe5
d7 9.d3 c5 etc- Hector, J-Rozentalis,E/
Malmo 1993. ]
8...exd4 9.xe4
[ Inadequate for White is 9.xc6+? bxc6
10.xe4 dxe4 11.xd4 c5! 12.b5
xd1+ 13.xd1 d6 14.e1 b7 etc. ]
9...dxe4 10.xd4 d5! 11.c4?
[ The critical move is 11.xc6 when Black
s h o u l d r e s p o n d w i t h a6! ( and not
11...xb5? when he is being crushed after
12.d8+ f7 13.xc7+ g8?! 14.e5 )
12.a4 d7! Again it is essential to delay
capturing on c6. 13.c4 xd1+ 14.xd1
c5! The final zwischenzug. The idea is to
make the white king go to e2 to defend f2,
so that the attack on the e4 pawn is blocked.
For this reason, inferior would be
( 14...xc6?! 15.xc6+ bxc6 16.e1
etc. though even this isn't completely clear.)
15.e2 xc6 16.xc6+ bxc6 17.e3 d6!
exchanging on e3 would let the white king
get at the e4 pawn. Now, however, I think
Black has equal chances, despite his
shattered pawns. He is a pawn up and can
use the b-file for counterplay. ]
11...b4+! 12.f1 d6 White has been
prevented f rom castling and so has little
dynamism to compensate for his pawn deficit.
The rest of the game, which I don't propose to
a n a l ys e h e r e , s h o w s R o ze n t a l i s s l o w l y
grinding down his opponent. 13.e3 d7
14.a4 e5 15.xc6 bxc6 16.e2 c5
17.b3 d3 18.d1 xb3 19.axb3 0-0-0
20.g5 de8 21.h3 e6 22.g3 c6
23.e2 e3 24.f3 g6 25.h4 f8 26.h3
d2 27.xe3 xe3 28.xe3 d7 29.h5
b6 30.h2 xb3+ 31.d3 xb2 32.a3
c6 33.h6 g6 34.e4 xe4 35.xe4 b7
36.h1 xg2 37.b1+ c8 38.xa7 f4+
39.d5 f6 40.xc5 d2 41.a8+ d7
42.h8 f7 43.bb8 e6 44.be8+ f5
45.ef8 xf8 46.xf8+ g5 47.f7 xh6
48.xc7 f2 49.d5 xf3 50.c5 g5 51.c6
g4 52.d7 g3 53.d6+ h5 54.d7 h6
55.c7 c3 56.g7 h4 57.xe5 c4
58.d5 c2 59.e4 h5 60.f3 f2+
61.e4 f8 62.d7 c8
0-1
807 C10
Hou,Yifan 2590
Toufighi,Homayoon 2478
8th Asian Continental Open (7) 19.05.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
The famous Chinese prodigy Hou Yifan was
recently in the headlines again but for all the
wrong reasons. By now, many must have
known of her infamous loss in the Chinese
National Championships due to the Zero Start
rule. I can only imagine how much distress
she must have felt in losing in such a manner,
after arriving in advance and was waiting for
the game to start all along! Personally, I think
a little common sense could be applied to this
Zero Start rule. In any case, it is certainly a
courageous act of Yifan to compete in the
Men's section although she seemed to be a
723
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
little bit out of her depth against some of
China's best. With more games against the
likes of Wang Hao, Bu Xiangzhi and Ni Hua,
Yifan could be even more formidable in time.
Before the Chinese Nationals, Hou Yifan also
took part in the Men's section of the incredibly
strong Asian Continental Championships and
finished a creditable 7th, qualifying for the
coming World Cup. I couldn't resist following
the live broadcast of the tournament (during
work!) and one of the games which captivated
me was this game between Hou Yifan & a
young, talented Iranian promise, Homayoon
Toufighi. I knew Toufighi through our bullet
duels on playchess.com and he is well known
on the server as a phenomenal blitz an d
bullet player. The game itself was highly
exciting: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6
4.f3 f6 5.e5 e4 6.d3
[ I previously annotated a game in the line
6.e2 f6 7.g3 fxe5
and had another encounter in the Singapore
National Championships 2009. The game
continued d7 9.e3 c5 10.xc5 xc5
11.d2 Much to my astonishment, this was
actually a novelty according to my database.
I would have expected the variation to surge
in popularity after Khalifmann's
e n d o r s e m e n t . 0-0 12.0-0-0 ( 12.e3
here, or in the next move was analyzed in
Khusnutdinov-Wei Ming (Archives)) 12...e7
13.h4 ( 13.e3 a4! ) 13...a5 14.e1
a4! The same concept as Khusnutdinov-
Goh Wei Ming. Black threatens ...Qb4. The
a4 knight was an annoying piece to handle
15.h5 b4 16.c3 f4! The queenless
middlegame was favourable for Black. The
f3 knight was pinned, the g3 knight was
certainly not very happy and White did not
really have a constructive plan at the
moment. On the other hand, Black had a
clear method to improve his position step by
step: 1) Doubling Rooks on the f-file, thus
t y i n g d o wn W h i t e ' s f 3 k n i g h t a n d a l s o
keeping the possibility of an exchange sac.
2) preparing a gradual queenside advance
to increase his space advantage on that side
of the board with ...c5 and ...b5. 17.h4
xd2+ 18.xd2 c5 19.g4 e7?!
( 19...h6! preventing White's next move was
stronger, with a better position for Black.)
20.h6 g6 21.d3 ( 21.h5? e4+!
22.exe4 dxe4 23.f6+ xf6 24.exf6
exf3 25.fxe7 fxg2 26.xg2 f7 )
21...xd3 22.xd3 h8 From here, Black
slowly unravel his plans: 23.c2 f7
24.e2 af8 25.d2 c5 26.d1 b5
27.e1 c6 It is now clear that Black has a
clear advantage. 28.e2? ( 28.g5 e7
29.f4 would have provided stronger
resistance.) 28...c8! 29.g5 f4 30.xf4
xf4 31.h3 h4 32.f4 xh6 Black was
in all likelihood winning now even though he
would experience some discomfort before
h e c a n e xt ra c t h is o u t o f p la ce ro o k . I
eventually went on to win but spoilt the rest
of the game with some substandard moves.
In fact, I was even losing at some stage
before my young opponent collapsed under
the pressure and blundered his rook away.
With this win, I effectively wrapped up the
8.dxe5 2009 National Championships, incidentally
my 4th title in a row! Tan Wei Liang (2107)-
Goh W ei Ming (2413)/Singapore Chess
Federation 2009 0-1 (67) ]
6...b4 7.d2 xd2 8.xd2 f6
[ The main move 8...d7 was analyzed in
detail and can be found in the Archives. ]
9.a3 xc3 Black gets a slight but
manageable disadvantage after this move.
[ 9...e7 was covered in Philippe - Bricard
(Archives) ]
10.xc3 fxe5 11.dxe5 0-0 12.h4 e7
13.d2 To be honest, I never really
understood the purpose of this move but
some strong players have played it so it must
have its merits.
[ I prefer 13.0-0-0! d7 14.h5 h6 15.h3
with a slight edge for White. ]
13...d7
[ 13...xf3!? seems to be a promising
exchange sac though I can understand why
no one has tried it before. 14.gxf3 xe5
15.0-0-0 d7 16.e2 ( 16.f4 xd3+
17.xd3 f8 ) 16...c5 17.dg1 f8
Black has some play here though I'm not
sure whether it's enough for the exchange. I
would have preferred White's King to be on
g1! ]
14.e3 b6N
[ 14...e8 was analyzed in the notes to
Ibragimov - Peric (Archives) ]
724
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
15.0-0-0 h6 16.c4!? The most concrete and
forceful idea. Black's main weakness was the
b1-h7 diagonal so it was not surprising that
White wanted to start aligning her queen and
bish o p o n t he sa m e d ia gon a l! Na t ura lly,
alternatives were plentiful:
[ 16.b1 c5 presumably the idea behind
14...b6 but I might be wrong 17.e2 b5
18.c3 ( 18.xb5? ab8 19.xc6? xa3! )
18...ab8 19.c1 a5 20.h3 leads to
complex play. ]
[ 16.h3
A) 16...c5 17.e2 ab8 ( 17...b5?
d o e s n ' t wo r k t h is t im e b e ca u se a f t e r
18.xb5 ab8 White can safely play
19.xc6 ) 18.g3 b5 19.d2;
B) 16...f7 17.h5 f4 and I think Black
is ok. ]
16...f7? This just gives White what she
wants. Black must fight for the light squares
with the uncompromising
[ 16...a5! 17.c2!? ( 17.cxd5 exd5
18.c2 c6 19.d2 ad8 is more then ok
for Black. He can continue with ...c5 & .. .d4
in due time and can always meet a future
Qd3 with ...Bf5.) 17...xc4 18.d3 g6
19.xg6+ ( 19.h3 e8 20.g3 g7
21.d4 h5 ) 19...g7 20.d3 f4!
holds the position for Black. In fact, I think
the position is more attractive for Black to
handle. ]
17.c2! e7 18.d3 g6?! A bit too obliging.
[ 18...fd8 19.cxd5 xd5 20.g4 f8!
is a better defence though White maintains
the upper hand with 21.hg1 ]
19.b1
[ 19.h5 g5 20.cxd5 xd5 21.h2!? ]
19...ad8 20.h5 g5 21.h2 g7 22.g4
White had a clear advantage at this juncture.
h8!? Setting a subtle 'trap' which White fell
into! 23.f6 This might objectively be ok but I
thought White can afford to be a little patient
here. For e.g.,
[ 23.f3 and ]
[ 23.g3 seem attractive. White most certainly
missed Black's next move. ]
23...c6! I remember thinking that White
might have lost her edge after this move as I
couldn't see how White could defend her e-
pawn. In truth, she had an unlikely resource
which was pointed out by my faithful friend,
Rybka. 24.xd7? This wasn't it.
[ In truth, a continuation like 24.cxd5! xe5
25.h7+!! was never going to be easy to
find, especially with the shortened time
control. W hite would have retained a big
a d va n t a ge a f t e r xh7 26.xh7 fe8
27.f6 e7 28.he1 f7 29.xd7 dxd7
30.a4! d6 31.dxe6 dxe6 32.xe6
xe6 33.d7 ]
24...xd7 The e5 pawn was falling. 25.cxd5
xe5? Unexplainable.
[ The perfectly natural, logical and strong
25...xd5 26.c3 c5 27.d2 xe5
would have given Black an extra pawn but
Black's weak king means there would still be
a struggle. ]
26.b3 exd5 27.xd5 xd5 28.xd5 c6
[ 28...xf2 29.e1 d7 30.c6
looks dangerous for Black. ]
29.e4 b5 30.e2 d8? Believe it or not, I
was actually calculating the continuation
which hap pened in the game but m isse d
White's 38th move which was nothing short of
brilliant. In fact, this position is a forced win
and I wouldn't be surprised if Yifan has seen
in advance what was coming.
[ 30...f6 was stronger as after 31.e1
Black can safely play ( 31.f3 ) 31...c4
without having to worry about tactical tricks
like Qe8+. ]
31.e1! c4 32.e8+! and here we go.. .
xe8 33.xe8+ g8 34.xg8+ xg8
35.b3 f7 36.c2 e6 37.c3 d5
Homayoon undoubtedly calculated this
position but I bet he missed White's stunning
reply. 38.a2!! A lovely, nonchalantly quiet
move which forces zugzwang and wins the
game by force. Yifan was playing her moves
very quickly so I was certain she must have
seen this in advance. c5 39.b4+ d5
40.a4 a6 41.b3 g4 42.a2! Black no
longer had any waiting moves so he promptly
resigned. In truth, this wasn't the most
theoretically important game but nonetheless,
wa s a ve r y e x c i t i n g o n e . C r e d i t t o b o t h
players for putting up a great fight. I'm certain
we will see more of both these players in time
to come.
1-0
725
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

808 C10 21...b7 22.c2 xd1+ 23.xd1 h6

Hou Yifan 2606 24.d3 f8 25.e3 d6 26.h3 e4!
Zatonskih,A 2489 27.d3 xd3 28.xd3 d7
SportAccord Blindfold Women 2012 rapid (1.2) 1/2-1/2 Kuczynski, R (2500)-Akopian, V
[John Watson] (2605)/Debrecen 1992. ]
13.e2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 [ Interesting is 13.g5 h6 (This has been
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3 e7 queried, perhaps incorrectly) 14.xf6 xf6?
8.0-0 ( But 14...gxf6! 15.h7 f5 16.xf8 g5
[ A n o t h e r r e c e n t g a m e w e n t 8.e2 17.g3 xf8 gives enough compensation for
(a more interesting try) b6 9.g5 b7 an exchange) 15.h7 h4 16.xf8 xf8
10.0-0-0 d5 ( 10...d6 11.e5 0-0 17.e2 d6! 18.g3 xg3! 19.fxg3 d4+
12.b1 ad8 13.c4 h6 14.f4 xd4 20.f2 xd3 21.ae1 h7 22.h4 ]
15.h7+ xh7 16.xd4 xd4 17.e3 13...e7 14.g5!?
e4 18.f3 d8 19.h3 g8 20.b3 [ 14.e5 and ]
Topalov, V (2630)-Vaganian, R (2640), [ 14.ad1 are normal. ]
Novgorod 1995; 10...h6 11.xf6 xf6 14...h6
12.d5! 0-0!? 13.dxe6 e7 14.c4 fxe6 [ Or 14...fd8= ]
15.xe6+ h8 16.xe7 xe7 17.d5 15.xf6!?
Sulskis, S (2555)-Sarakauskas, G (2449), [ 15.e4 xe4 16.xe4 xe4 17.xe4
Kaunas 2008) 11.b1 0-0-0 12.he1 h6 ad8= ]
13.h4 a5 15...gxf6
A) But here White could have played [ 15...xf6? 16.h7 is a tempo up for White
14.e5! has ideas of Nxf7 and Bb5, e.g., on the 13 Ng5 note. ]
hf8 ( 14...xd4 15.xf7 e8 16.e4
16.g6! ) 15.b5! b8 ( 15...d5 [ 16.h7? fd8 17.g4+ h8 18.h3
16.xe7 xe7 17.c4 xb5 18.d6+ ) g8 19.g5 g7! 20.f3 ( 20.xh6+
16.c3 g5 17.a4! d5 ( 17...gxh4 g8-+ ) 20...f5!-+ 21.e2 ag8 22.g3 f6
18.c4 ) 18.d2! ( 18.g3 a6 19.c6 ) 23.ad1 ( 23.h4 xh4 24.xh4 f4 )
18...e4 19.xe4 xe4+ 20.a1 gxh4 23...f4 , etc. ]
21.b4+-; 16...xe4
B) 14.c3 1/2-1/2 Grimm, D (2198)- [ Or 16...f5 17.xc5 xc5 18.ad1
Boguszlavszkij, J (2208), Budapest 2012. ] ad8= ]
8...0-0 9.b3 b6 10.b2 b7 11.c4 c5 17.xe4 ad8= This game goes from equal
Otherwise W hite simply stands better. to won f or Black and then won for W hite,
12.dxc5 xc5 undoubtedly due to the time control. The
[ 12...bxc5 has also been played a bit, for details aren't terribly interesting, so I'll mark
example, 13.e2 c7 and: only a couple of turning points: 18.ae1 d6
A) 14.ad1 c6 15.e5! fd8 19.g4+ h8 20.h4 g7 21.c2 f5
( 15...d6 16.xh7+ xh7 17.xd6 ) 22.b4? xb4 23.e3 e7 24.g3+ g5
16.g3 h6 17.fe1 a5 18.e5 c7 25.e5+ h7 26.c7 c5-+ 27.h4 f6
19.c1!? ( 19.c2 ) 19...h5? 28.f3 a5 29.h5 g8 30.b7 h8 31.c7
( 19...d4! with the idea 20.xh6 h5 g7 32.g3 d2 33.b3 d4
21.e3 f6! ) 20.h3 f6 21.xh6! [ 33...e5! ]
gxh6 22.g3+ g4 23.xg4+ f8 34.f4 b2 35.c1 c5 36.g2 d4
24.f4 1-0 McShane, L (2455)-Lee, G 37.g1 e5 38.d3 f4??
(2350), Hove 1997.; [ 38...xf2 39.xf2 e4-+ ]
B) 14.e5 fd8 15.c3!? ( 15.ad1 [ 38...g5-+ ]
and Bc2 ) 15...d6 16.ae1 ad8 17.c2 39.xd4 fxg3??
a6!? 18.b1 a8 19.d1 xd1 [ 39...xg3+ 40.fxg3 xg3+ 41.h1 h3+
20.xd1 d6 21.f3 ( 21.e1! with a pull) 42.g1 g3+= ]

726
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

40.g4 and White wins. gxf2+ 41.h1 f6 xd7 18.b5+ c7 19.xc5+ b8
42.xg8+ xg8 43.xb2 f3+ 44.h2 20.e5 c7 21.c6+ a8 22.b4 g5!
xh5+ 45.g2 g4+ 46.xf2 f4+ 23.c4 d5! and Black forced the
47.e1 e3+ 48.e2 c1+ 49.f2 f4+ exchange of queens and managed to win
50.g1 g5+ 51.g2 g7 52.xg5+ th e e nd gam e with his e xt ra m at e ria l in
hxg5 53.c5 bxc5 54.xf7+ g6 55.c7 Vallejo Pons, F-Gurevich,M/2003. ]
f5 56.xc5 f4 57.xa5 e4 58.a4 e5 13.b4! White doesn't waste a move with the
59.c2 f4 60.xe4+ g3 61.a4 g4 62.a5 preparatory c2-c3, as played in the Van den
h4 63.a6 h3 64.a7 g3 65.a8 g2 Doel game cited above. This attacking gesture
66.c8+ g3 67.g4# also has a positional motive in preventing
1-0 Black from freeing himself with c6-c5. he8
[ B l a c k l o s e s a t o n c e a f t e r 13...xb4?
14.ab1 d6 15.a6! ]
809 C10 14.fe1 He must prevent a break out with 14. ..
Hracek,Zbynek 2584 e5. g5
Mohr,Georg 2474 [ Black would be quickly mated after
TCh-CRO Rabat CRO (3) 09.09.2003 14...xb4 15.eb1 c3 16.a6 xa1
[Neil McDonald] 17.xb7 xd4 18.c4 e.g. e5 19.xa7+
b8 20.b3+ xa7 21.b7# ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4 15.ab1 e7 Black has no answer to the
5.xe4 bd7 6.f3 h6 7.xf6+ xf6 steamroller on the queenside. 16.c4 f6
8.xf6 xf6 9.b5+ c6 10.d3 d6 17.c5! This prevents Black from blocking lines
11.e2 on the queenside as would occur after
[ Instead 11.0-0 d7 12.e1 ( Transposing [ 17.b5? c5! ]
to the main game is 12.e2 while; 12.c3 17...b8 18.b5 g4 19.d2 g7 20.b6
0-0-0 13.e2 would transpose to Van den axb6 There aren't any blocked lines after
Do el-V a n W e ly on Ch essP u b, in which [ 20...a6 21.xa6! ]
W hite built up a dangerous attack af ter 21.c4! c7
some careless play by Black.) 12...c5 [ If 21...b5 22.b6+ c7 23.d2
13.dxc5 xc5 14.e4 d8! 15.c3 0-0 and 24.Qa5 looks decisive. ]
was very comfortable for Black in De Vreugt, 22.b2 e5 23.xb6+ xb6 24.xb6 e6
D-Baklan,V/2003. ] 25.a6! Attacking both b7 and c6. The rest is
11...d7 When Black plays this move it a carve up. e7 26.xc6+ b8 27.xb7
i n d i c a t e s t h a t h e i s p l a n n i n g t o c a s t l e xb7 28.xe6 xd4 29.c6 bb4 30.xb4+
queenside. The alternative xb4 31.d6+
[ 11...0-0 was safer, but look at Gurevich's 1-0
idea mentioned in the note to 12...0-0-0. ]
12.0-0
[ Alternatively 12.0-0-0 0-0-0 transposes to 810 C10
Svidler-Korchnoi on ChessPub. ] Ibragimov,Ildar 2603
12...0-0-0?! Peric,Slavisa 2230
[ Mikhail Gurevich has succeeded in getting 7th Foxwoods Open (1) 23.03.2005
away with an immediate attack on White's [Neil McDonald]
c e n t r e w i t h 12...c5!? although he had to
w e a t h e r a d a n g e r o u s l o o k i n g a t t a c k : 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
13.ad1 0-0-0 14.dxc5 xc5 15.e4 b8 The French Four Knights Variation? 5.e5
16.xb7? tempting, but it doesn't quite seem [ An important alternative move order is
to work. Still, even if White doesn't sacrifice 5.d3 b4 6.e5 e4 7.d2 which was for
the opening has been a success for Black example the move order in the Matlak game
as he has kept the two bishops and has a given below. ]
good share of the centre. xb7 17.xd7+ 5...e4 6.d3

727
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ It feels odd to accuse the Swedish GM [ 11.dxe5 0-0 12.h4 e7 13.d2 d7
Hector of playing too slowly, but his knight ( Black might have considered the exchange
manoeuvre to g3 allowed Black to become sacrifice 13...xf3!? 14.gxf3 xe5
active in the following game: 6.e2 f6 15.0-0-0 d7 though I feel that White is
7.g3 fxe5 8.dxe5 d7 9.d3 c5 slightly better.) 14.e3 e8 15.c3 h5
10.h5 xd3+ 11.xd3 e7 12.f4 f7 16.d4 xd4 ( I don't see why Black
13.g5 b4 14.e2 f5 15.0-0 e7 should strengthen the white centre and give
a n d B la c k d o in g ve r y we l l in He c t o r, J - h i m t h e c - f i l e . P e r h a p s 16...d8!?
Rozentalis,E/Malmo 1993. ] intending c7-c5 when if 17.g5 f7!? )
6...b4 7.d2 17.cxd4 f7 18.c1 c6 19.f3 g6 20.e2
[ White would struggle to justify his pawn h6 21.g3 h7 22.f2 e7 23.g2
sacrifice after 7.0-0 xc3 8.bxc3 xc3 and White ground out a win in Hjartarson,J-
9.b1 h6! ] Rozentalis,E/Tilburg 1994. ]
7...xd2 8.xd2 f6 An important decision. 11...exd4!? This turns out well, but possibly
The Ukrainian IM Firman has tried developing even better was
his bishops at once: [ 11...0-0!? when White ended up in a
[ 8...d7 9.a3 e7 ( here Black should horrible endgame af ter 12.xc6 exd4!
investigate 9...xc3 10.xc3 f6 11.exf6 13.xd4 bxc6 14.xc6 f6! 15.xf6 gxf6
gxf6! 12.0-0-0 ) 10.e2 g5 11.h3 h5 16.e7+ f7 17.xc8 fxc8 18.0-0-0
12.0-0-0 a6 13.h4 gxh4 14.b1 b8 g8 19.g3 c5 with a massive centre for
15.xh4 a7 16.f3 0-0-0 17.g3 b6 Black which he used to grind out a win in
18.c3 and White had the edge due to the Babula, M-Matlak,M/Czech Rep CZE 2005. ]
weakness of the h5 pawn in Goloshchapov, 12.xc6+ bxc6 13.xc6+ d7 14.c5
A-Firman,N/ch-UKR, Ordzhonikidze UKR e7! 15.xc7
2001. ] [ Black has the better minor piece and a
[ 8...e7!? 9.0-0 ( after 9.0-0-0 Black could superior centre after 15.xd4 c5 ]
a v o i d t h e g 7 - g 5 p l a n i n f a v o u r o f b4 15...0-0 16.e5
intending c7-c5, etc.) 9...d7 10.fe1 g5! [ After 16.0-0 Black can try a typical
the wing attack with the pawns is much exchange sac with xf3 17.gxf3 f8 ]
more powerful now that the white king is 16...f5 17.xd4 b5 Stopping White
committed to the kingside. 11.h3 h5 12.g4 castling kingside. 18.b4! Ibragimov shows
b4 13.f1 hxg4 14.hxg4 c5 and Black why he is rated over 2600. He starts a risky
was doing very nicely in Zhigalko,A-Firman, looking sequence, but it offers better practical
N/ Stork YM, Hengelo NED 2001. ] chances than
9.a3 [ 18.0-0-0 e2 19.de1 xf3 20.gxf3 c8
[ If 9.exf6 xf6 ( 9...gxf6!? ) 10.b5 d7 wh e n d e s p it e h i s e xt ra p a wn , W h it e i s
( not allowing White to double his pawns as fighting for the draw. ]
occurs after 10...0-0?! 11.xc6 ) 11.xc6 18...e8 19.d4 e5+ 20.d2 e4
xc6 12.0-0 0-0 with equality. ] 21.ae1! a5 22.c3 c8 Now White is
[ P e r h a p s W h i t e s h o u l d p l a y 9.b5 obliged to part with his queen, or else d4
straightaway, though d7 looks OK for drops. Nevertheless, things remain far from
Black. ] clear. 23.xe4 xc3 24.xe6 f7 25.bxc3
9...xc3!? Black gives up the bishop pair but xf2+ 26.c1 f1! Black ensures his
gets in f5xe5 before White can restrain him material advantage by slaying the rook on h1.
with Bb5. 27.g3 g2 28.xf1 xf1+ 29.b2
[ The retreat 9...e7 has been played many W hite has a rook, knight and pawn for the
times, but t he game move seems more queen. His pieces are well placed and
promising. ] working nicely together. The fact that Black
10.xc3 fxe5 11.b5 The pin comes too has no passed pawn, or a plausible way of
late to stop Black freeing his game. Critical creating one, negates his winning chances.
therefore must be Nevertheless, there is no way that Black

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

should lose. However, this was a rapid play bad. ]

game, and so it wasn't at all surprising that 11...a5
something strange happened. a4 30.e5 [ 11...dxe4! 12.d5 ( 12.fxe4 b4 13.ce2
h1 31.h4 g6 32.e3 f7 33.d3 h6 d6 ) 12...exd5 13.fxd5 d6 is fine for
34.c6 d4? Black. ]
[ he should play 34...g5 ] 12.b5 c6 13.d3 d6 14.b1
35.f3+?! [ 14.exd5! xd5 15.cxd5 exd5 16.b1!
[ Perhaps more precise was 35.e5+ e6 dc4 17.c1 ]
36.cxd4 creating connected passed pawns 14...dc4 15.c1 b4 16.ce2 e7
but then of course the black king wouldn't 17.exd5 exd5 18.g4 g6 19.h5 de8
have stumbled into mate! ] 20.hxg6?! hxg6 21.g2 f6 22.xh8
35...e6 36.xd4+ d5 Now the game peters out. xh8 23.h1 d8
[ The king rushes forwards, as it is told to in 24.c3 d6 25.xh8 xh8 26.b3 ab7
the endgame but in this case it looks better 27.c2 d8 28.a3 e7 29.c1 h4
to stay out of things with 36...e7 ] 30.d2 b7 31.g1
37.f6 e4 38.c6 c5?? 39.b4! ½-½
Now a mating net is suddenly unfurled. g4
40.c6+ Black must give up his queen on c4,
or else suffer mate with 812 C10
[ 40.c6+ b5 41.c4+ a5 42.a6# ] Ivanchuk,Vassily 2709
1-0 Chernin,Alexander 2573
AIG Life rapid QF2 (2) 22.12.2002
[Neil McDonald]
811 C10
Iordachescu,V 2644 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
Kuzubov,Yuriy 2615 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3
14th Dubai Open 2012 (5.3) 19.04.2012 e7 9.c4 0-0 10.b3 xf3 11.xf3 c6
[John Watson] 12.b2 a5 13.a3! White meets the
positional threat of 13...Ba3, when the
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e3 exchange of dark square bishops facilitates
A solid option which tries to maintain White's the defence of Black's cramped position. In
somewhat superior centre. ge7 that case the d4 pawn might even prove weak.
[ 4...b4 is also played, as in Greet-Rendle b5!? 14.cxb5
and Alavi Moghadam-Goh Weiming in the [ T h e i d e a i s t h a t 14.xc6? d2
Archives. ] drops a bishop. My game with Berelovich on
5.f3 b6 ChessPub went ]
[ 5...g6 6.d2 g7 7.0-0-0 0-0 would be [ 14.d5!? ]
interesting. ] 14...cxb5 15.fe1 d5?
6.d2 b7 7.0-0-0 d7 8.h4 0-0-0 [ Much more solid was 15...fe8! Then
A standard French setup which is solid but 16.f5 ( Or 16.d5 exd5! and despite his
tends to leave Black a little worse. Here, it's impressive bishops and the f5 square I don't
easier to handle because White has played see anything for W hite, e.g. 17.b4 b6
0-0-0 and will be loathe to expand on the 18.f5 f8 etc. ) 16...f8! is nothing for
queenside. 9.h3 b8 White- if instead ( 16...exf5 17.xe7 xe7
[ 9...e5!? 10.g5! ] 18.xa8+ e8 19.f3 e1+ 20.xe1
10.f2 c8!? xe1+ 21.f1 e4 22.e2 Black has a
[ 10...h6 11.b1 g6 12.e2 g7= ] temporary initiative but White has the two
11.f4 bishops and a passed pawn. Still, I'm not
[ 11.exd5! exd5 12.b1 prevents Black's sure about this variation so you might like
b7 bishop from gaining activity, although to look at it more closely.) 17.h6+? gxh6
b4 13.d2 a5 14.b3 c6 isn't so 18.d5 g7 and White has to resign. ]

729
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

16.f5! White now has a strong initiative. 11...a5!? to rule out an immediate 12.a5 sac
7f6 and make b2-b4 harder to achieve. )]
[ Or 16...f6 17.d6!? ] 7...c6 8.c4 This might be an inaccuracy as
17.xe7+ xe7 18.c3! d8 Black can gain a tempo by attacking the loose
[ If 18...b6 19.b4 is a wkwa rd : fd5 bishop in the future. More precise was
( 19...fe8 20.xe7 drops a piece as a8 is [ 8.d3 e.g.
hanging, while) 20.c5 etc. The bishop on A) Here is an example of the danger Black
b2 should never be allowed to become this faces: 8...c7 9.0-0 b7 10.e1 d7
active in the Fort Knox! ] 11.a4 a6? ( Better to block it up with
19.xb5 fd5 20.b2 b6 21.c4 fd8 11...a5 ) 12.a5! b5 13.c4 Here we see
22.ad1 c6 23.b4 ac8 24.d3 f6 clearly the advantage of having the bishop
Black hurries to regain his pawn but is struck on d3. 0-0-0 14.e2 b4 15.d2 xd2
down by the reply. He had to keep the knight 16.xd2 d6 17.f3 bxc4 18.xc4 c5
on d5, but a pawn down it would have been a 19.ed1 cxd4 20.xd4 hg8 21.f3
hard position to defend. 25.d5! Black's dark c6 22.d5 b5 23.xb7+ xb7
squares on the a1-h8 diagonal now become 24.e4+ c6 25.b4+ a8 26.d6
hopelessly weak. xd5 26.e4 g6 27.h4 b8 27.d4 e5 28.d1 1-0 Jens, J-
de7 28.c4 f5 29.xe6! fxe6 30.xe6+ Motwani, P/Belgium BEL 2004.;
[ After 30.xe6+ Black resigned for if f8 B) 8...b7 9.f4 d6 10.g3 e7
31.f6+ g8 32.h8+ f7 33.xh7+ 11.0-0 d7 12.e1 0-0-0 13.a4 a5
f8 34.h8+! going after the g6 pawn now 14.c3 f8 So far we have followed all the
that h7 no longer defends it. f7 35.f6+ moves in the Nakamura game, but with
g8 36.xg6+ etc. ] the bishop on d3 rather than c4, and here
1-0 15.b4!? axb4 16.a5 looks more potent for
White as 16...b5 doesn't attack a bishop
on c4. ]
813 C10 8...b7 9.f4 It makes sense to put the
Ivanov,Alexander 2587 bishop on g3 where it helps to obstruct an
Nakamura,Hikaru 2640 attack on the g2 square. d6 10.g3 e7
37th National Chess Congress (4) 25.11.2006 11.0-0 d7 12.e1 0-0-0 Having completed
[Neil McDonald] his development, Ivanov now uses his pawns
to generate attacking chances. 13.a4 a5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 f6 14.c3 f8 15.b3?
5.xf6+ By no means has everyone whipped [ The consistent move was 15.b4!? axb4
off the knight here. Other options are 16.xd6!? xd6 17.b3!? bxc3 18.xc3
[ 5.g5 or ] intending 19.a5 or 19.Reb1 when the black
[ 5.d3 ] king looks highly uncomfortable. ]
5...gxf6!? 15...c7 16.f1 h5 17.h4 g8 18.f5
[ W e l o o k e d a t 5...xf6 in the archives d7 19.e3 b8 20.ad1 f5 21.c4 a7
b a s e d o n t h e g a m e M c S h a n e - R o g e r s . 22.h4 c8 23.e5 e8 24.c4
Suffice to say here that the black queen is [ Instead 24.c2 -clearing the way for 25.b4-
likely to prove misplaced on f6. ] c5!? 25.b5 would lead to wild
6.f3 b6 7.b5+ So Black is allowed the complications. The black queen is trapped
Caro-Kann c7-c6 move 'for free'. However, as and lost, but the white king is placed in
the black bishop is heading to b7, Ivanov is great peril. For example
keen to force the closure of the diagonal a8-h1. A) or 25...xg2 26.f3 ( not 26.xe8?
Besides, after e4+ 27.f1 xc2 and wins. ) 26...xf3+
[ 7.d3 b7 8.0-0 Black could utilise the c6 27.f1 g2+ 28.e2 e4 etc.;
square for the knight: c6!? 9.e1 ( 9.c3 B) 25...xg2+ 26.f1 xe5 27.xe8
d5!? ) 9...d7 10.c3 0-0-0 11.a4 g8 xh2 28.xe5 f3 29.e1 h1+
with double edged play. ( or perhaps here 30.d2 xd1+ 31.e3 g4 32.f3 cxd4+

730
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

33.f2 h1 with bizarre play no doubt [ 12.e4 would seem to simplify into the
much to Nakamura's liking! ] type of position Black likes, but a game from
24...c5! After White's last move, Black gets to this month's batch illustrates that Black has
activate his queen's bishop without even to be careful: xe4 13.xe4 f6 14.h4
needing to of fer his queen. 25.f3 cxd4 g6 ( 14...e8 15.e3 h6 16.ad1 )
26.f2? A sudden collapse in a tense position. 15.h6 e8 16.ad1 h5 17.g4
He had to play ( 17.e4 ) 17...f5?! ( 17...f6 ) 18.f3 g5
[ 26.xd4 ] 19.xg5 xg5 20.e5 d8 21.c2 d6
26...f6! 27.d3 c6 28.xd4? d6! ( 21...d7 22.h3 f6 ) 22.b3 g7!?
Nakamura is alert as usual to the tactics. ( 22...f6 23.c5 d7 24.e2 f7
White can't defend both the bishop and h2. 25.h3 ) 23.c3 e7 24.f4 ( 24.d5! exd5
29.c3 xf3 25.xe7 xe7 26.cxd5 cxd5 27.xd5 )
0-1 24...c8 25.e3 ce8 26.d5 exd5
27.cxd5 c5?? ( but 27...f8 28.xa7
wins material) 28.xe7 1-0 Tan, J (2239)-
814 C10 P h il lip s, O (1 9 2 6 ) , L o n d o n E NG 2 0 1 2 .
Jones,G 2644 ( 28.xe7 xe7 29.xe7! xe7 30.d6+ )]
Arkell,K 2462 12...a5 13.a3 e8
Kilkenny Masters (5.1) 25.11.2012 [ 13...a4 is natural, but White can build up
[John Watson] normally and protection of the a-pawn can
be a sm all ha ssle af t e r 14.ad1 d6
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 15.c2 ]
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3 14.c3 f8 15.e4 xe4 16.xe4
e7 Normal. [ 16.xe4 f6 17.h4 or ]
[ 8...g6 is playable, but doesn't equalise. [ 16.xe4 f6 17.h4 look more
Here's a recent game: 9.b3 ( 9.e1 g7 dangerous. In the latter case, h6 18.d5!
10.f4 0-0 11.c4 ) 9...g7 10.a3 and: is a t h e m a t ic b r e a k, wit h t h e i d e a cxd5
A) 10...f8 11.xf8 ( 11.b2 g7 19.xh6! ]
, a l t h o u g h i f W h i t e wa n t s t o , h e c a n 16...f6 17.c2 b5! Black tries to secure the
repeat ) 11...xf8 12.e1 g7 13.c4 important d5 square, and in the process,
e8 14.e4; gains space and simplifies to equality. 18.b3
B) 10...xf3?! 11.xf3 c6 12.c4 a5 [ 18.xc6 b4 19.axb4 c8 20.b5 axb4 ]
13.d6 f8 14.e5 ( 14.f4! and White 18...a4! 19.xc6 axb3 20.xb3 bxc4
h a s t h e b i sh o p s a re s o m e wh a t m o r e 21.xc4 xa3 22.xa3 xa3 23.a4 f8
space ) 14...e7 15.e4 xe4! 16.xh8 ½-½
d2 17.h3 xf1 18.xf1= Duda-Maki
Uuro, Krakow 2012. ]
9.e1 815 C10
[ One of the better examples in the Archives Juracsik,J 2136
of the plan with 9.c4 , b3, and Bb2 is Short- Zentai,P2 2269
Vaganian. ] 29th Spring Festival (2.3) 19.03.2013
9...xf3 [John Watson]
[ 9...0-0 followed by ...Bxf3 is also
common. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
10.xf3 c6 The standard Fort Knox idea. 5.e5 e4 6.e2 f6 Thematically attacking
W hite's bishops are supposed to be the centre. In the Archives, we also see
neutralised by Black's central structure, which [ 6...d7 ]
I call the 'restraint structure'. 11.c4 0-0 [ and 6...a5 ]
12.d2 Logical, in some cases preparing Bc3. 7.g3 f5 Playable, if rather conservative.
Perhaps more importantly, it prevents .. .Qa5, [ 7...fxe5 is critical and can be seen in
one of Black's favourite moves in this line. several Archives games. With 7...f5, Black

731
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

is saying that he just wants to play a xg7 27.g1 and wins. ]

positional game without the sort of 24...b4 25.e3 exf5 26.fxe4 dxe4 27.h5
complications that opening the game g6 28.f6+ xf6 29.exf6 xf6 30.h5 e8
brings. ] 31.hxg6 xg6
8.c3 [ 31...hxg6 32.h2 ]
[ White slowly gained a big advantage in the 32.h2 g7?
recent game Louis, T -Velten, P, Saint-Paul- [ 32...b7 , but then 33.b4! threatens Bb3+ ]
Trois-Chateaux 2013: 8.h5!? e7 9.h4 33.d6 ab8 34.xg6
f7 10.f4 d7 11.c3 e7 12.d3 [ 34.xg6 hxg6 35.e6+ f7 36.h8+ ]
( 12.d3 0-0-0 ) 12...a5!? ( 12...0-0-0= ) 1-0
13.a4 b8?! ( 13...h6! ) 14.g5 ( or
14.g5 xg5 15.xg5 ) 14...b6 15.b3
xg5 16.hxg5 g6 ( 16...c6 17.f4 816 C10
e7! ) 17.f4 c6 18.b5 0-0 19.e2! Karjakin,Sergey 2772
d8 20.h6 xb5+ 21.xb5 with Rah1 to Andreikin,D 2716
come and a winning game. ] FIDE World Cup 2013 (4.2) 21.08.2013
8...e7 9.h4 0-0 10.h5 a5 11.f4 c5 [John Watson]
12.d3 c6 13.e3 cxd4 14.xd4 xd4
15.xd4 c5?! The knight is well-placed on 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 The Hecht-
e4 and should return there shortly. Black Reefschlager at a 2700+ level in a crucial
would obtain equality by developing, e.g., game! Karjakin stakes out territory. 4.e5 f6
[ 15...d7 16.c2 ( 16.xe4 fxe4 17.g4 5.b5 d7 6.f3 a6!? Neil gave this a '?' in
f7!; 16.a4 a5 and ...Rc8 ) 16...c8= ] the game Fedorov-Stupak, Minsk 2008, and
16.c2 e8? indeed it looks slow. But in some ways it
[ 16...c7 and ] makes Black's position safer, and if W hite
[ 16...b6 are superior, but White has a stable achieves any advantage it's a modest one.
advantage now. ] [ 6...e7 with the idea ...Qf7 and ...0-0-0 has
17.e2 been played in many games, including a
[ Missing 17.xd5! exd5 18.xc5 couple in the Archives. ]
with the idea xc5 19.xd5+ ] 7.xc6 xc6 8.h4 Trying to stake out some
17...d7 space, perhaps aiming to prevent ...g5 after
[ 17...b6 18.0-0-0 a6 19.e3 c8 Bf4.
20.b1 ] [ 8.0-0 d7 ( 8...f5!? 9.g5 d7 10.b3
18.0-0-0 f7 was the Fedorov game. Black should have
[ 18...c8 ] castled queenside with reasonable
19.b1 b5? prospects . 9 Ne1 allowing a timely f4 is a
[ 19...ac8 20.dg1 a4 21.b3 e8 22.g4 better way to establish a pull.) 9.e2 0-0-0
e4 23.e3 and White has better-placed with a double-edged game. ]
pieces with attack, but at least Black has 8...d7 9.h5 Stopping ...Nge7-g6. But
some play. ] an ot he r pa wn m ove is a n in dica tion t ha t
20.dg1! Now the simple threat of g4 is a White hasn't any ways to create immediate
nightmare. b4 problems for Black.
[ 20...e4 21.g4 g6 22.f3+- ] [ 9.f4 0-0-0 10.d2 h5= ]
21.g4 fb8 9...0-0-0 10.f4 b4
[ 21...bxc3 22.gxf5 ] [ 10...f7 11.d2 e7 12.0-0-0 b8
[ 21...fxg4 22.xg4 and Rhg1 is is solid. ]
overwhelming. ] 11.d2 h6!? 12.a3 xc3 13.xc3 f5
[ 21...e4 is the logical choice, but with ...b4 Black has given up the bishop pair and lacks
in, 22.c4 ] space, so W hite must stand better. 14.b3
22.gxf5 bxc3 23.b3 e4 24.f3 e7 15.a4 b8 16.c1!?
[ Or 24.xe4 dxe4 25.f6 f8 26.xg7+! [ 16.0-0-0 ]

732
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

16...dg8 17.g1 g5 18.hxg6 xg6 B) 23...ed8? 24.e3 xd4 25.xd4

19.e2 d8!? 20.d2 White has things 8d7 26.d1 d8 27.f3 a6 28.a4
under control, although it's hard to see him g4 29.g7 The game score ends
making real progress. h5 21.0-0-0 e8 abruptly here with '1-0' in Tiviakov, S-
22.h2 h4 23.dh1 h5 24.f3 gh8 Godena, M/Reggio Emilia ITA 2008.
25.f4 xf4 26.xf4 e7 27.f3 g7 Perhaps Black lost on time, as he can still
White's own bishop is restricted by his centre. p u t u p a s t u r d y r e s i s t a n c e ( 29.g7
Black's bishop is worse still, but White doesn't df6 )]
have a good plan that won't allow it to 10.xf3 c6 11.e1 0-0 12.c3 e8 13.f4
become active. In the game, Black gives up a a5 Gelfand intends to meet any plan of
pawn to bring it to the square h5. 28.e1 h3 encroaching on the kingside with h4-h5 by
29.gxh3 5h6 30.b2 g8 31.f2 h5 counterattack in the centre. 14.a3 f8
32.g1 g6 33.hh1 g2 34.h4 h7 15.ad1 e5! This should be good enough to
35.e3 hg7 36.xg2 xg2 37.h2 b6 equalise. 16.e3 ad8 17.b1
½-½ [ Black holds everything together after
17.e4 xe4 18.xe4 ( Or 18.xe4 g6 )
18...f6 19.g5 d6 ]
817 C10 17...d5
Karjakin,Sergey 2732 [ Also worth considering for Black was
Gelfand,Boris 2737 17...exd4 18.xd4 b5 19.b4 c5 20.bxc5
2nd ACP World Rapid Cup rapid (2.3) 6.1.08 xc5 21.f5 xd4 22.cxd4 a5 23.e3
[Neil McDonald] xe3 24.fxe3 xa3 25.xb7 g6
and White has problems with the e3 pawn. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 18.e4 exd4 19.xd4 xe4 20.xe4
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3 g5?
e7 The dark squared bishop belongs on e7 [ Black still looks perfectly OK after 20...b3
in the Fort Knox. Black forgot this 'rule' in the attacking b2, when White can't play in the
following game and was severely punished: style of the game as d1 is also hanging:
[ 8...d6? 9.e1 xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.f5! 21.xh7+? ( also not 21.h3? xe4 )
f8 12.f4 d5 13.d6+ xd6 14.xd6 21...xh7 22.xe8 xe8 23.h3+ g8
7f6 15.g3 and White had a winning 24.xd7 xd1# ]
attack in Zhao Zong Yuan-Larino Nieto, D/ 21.xh7+! Winning a pawn thanks to a
Mondariz-Balneario ESP 2007. ] tactical twist on move 25. xh7 22.xe8
9.e2 xf3 xe8 23.h3+ g8 24.xd7 d2 25.e3!
[ Here's another 'big-name' Fort Knox: 9...0-0 I suspect this is the move that Gelfand missed
10.d1 xf3 11.xf3 c6 12.c3 Here the in his earlier calculations. Without it Black is
white rook is on d1, rather than e1 as in the doing very well, as if
Karjakin game. e8 ( Too risky is 12...e5? [ 25.f1 e1 threatening mate in two, when
13.f5 ) 13.c2 f8 ( Again 13...e5 White will at least lose the b2 pawn. ]
is best avoided because of 14.dxe5 xe5 25...e2 26.h3 e6 27.d2 xd2 28.xd2
15.f5; but Black might have tried a6 29.d7 e7 30.d8 e5 31.b4 d5
13...a5!? ) 14.f1 d5 15.e2 g6 32.c8
16.g3 c5 17.e3 c6 18.h4 d5 19.h5 1-0
f8 20.c1 f6 21.h6 g6 22.h2 cxd4
23.xd4
A) At last the moment was right for a break
out with 23...e5! for example 24.d1 ( if
24.a4 e6; or 24.c4 a6 25.d3
ad8 ) 24...e4 25.g4 xg4 26.xg4
c5 and Black targets the f2 pawn, as well
as having ideas of e4-e3 in the future.;

733
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
818 C10
Karjakin,Sergey 2686
Prusikin,Michael 2567
8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (9) 12.04.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e3
c7 9.e5 a6 10.a4+ d7 11.0-0-0
[ Alte rn at ively 11.b5 cxd4 12.xd7+
( And not 12.cxd4?! b8! 13.c1? axb5 )
12...xd7 13.xd4 f6! It's important to be
rid of the dominant white knight as quickly
as possible, but if ( 13...d6? 14.xd7
xd7 15.xg7 drops a pawn . Hence Black
challenges the knight with the f-pawn, which
at the same time shields g7 from attack.)
14.xd7 xd7 15.e4 ( White also doesn't
h a v e m u c h a f t e r 15.xd7+ xd7
16.0-0-0+ c6 ) 15...0-0-0 16.0-0 d5
17.a4 d6 18.ad1 c6 19.xc6+ bxc6
and in this extract the game burnt out to a
draw: 20.b4 e5 21.c4 xd1 22.xd1
d8 23.xd8+ xd8 24.a4 c7 25.f1
d6 26.b5 axb5 27.cxb5 cxb5 28.axb5 g6
29.e2 e5 30.d3? ( White keeps the
edge thanks to his passed pawn with
30.h3!? ) 30...xh2! A clever way to achieve
a positional draw. 31.g3 h5 32.e4 h4
33.f3 hxg3 34.fxg3 g5 35.g2 xg3
36.xg3 f5 37.c5 ( If 37.xg5 b6 or;
37.d4 e5 38.xe5+ b6 ) 37...e5 38.f2
b7 39.e3 g4 40.d3 c7 - Guseinov,
G-Meier, G/Dresden GER 2007.
( White can make no progress after
40...c7 41.c4 g3 42.d5 f4 43.e4
d7 )]
11...cxd4 12.xd7
[ Or 12.xd4 f6 13.xd7 xd7 14.b3 b5
15.e2 d6 16.g4 f7 17.e3 ad8
18.d2 c8 19.e1 he8 and Black had
equalised in the blindfold game Vallejo Pons,
F-Bareev, E/Monte Carlo MNC 2004. ]
12...xd7 13.xd4 e5!? It's good
psychology to force an endgame, when you
are playing a young and ambitious player like
Karjakin. By way of contrast, the alternative
[ 13...c6 leads to sharper play and came to
grief in Karjakin-Rychagov in the archives. ]
14.b6
[ Black was able to quickly centralise his king
with nothing to fear in the endgame after
14.c4 c8 15.xc7 xc7 16.e2 c5
17.xc5 xc5 18.he1 e7 19.f3 b5
20.d5 e6 21.xe6 xe6 22.f4 f6
23.d4 hc8 24.c2 a5 25.d3 d5
26.fxe5 fxe5 and a draw was agreed here in
Shen Yang-Drozdovskij, Y/Moscow RUS
2007. ]
14...c8 15.d3 xb6 16.xb6 c5
17.xc5 xc5 18.e4 c7 19.d6 d8!
The king heads for c8 to protect the weakest
point in the black camp, which is the pawn on
b7. At the same time a path is cleared for the
rook on h8 t o en ter the stru ggle . 20.hd1
c8 21.b6
[ After 21.xd7 xd7 22.f5 hd8
23.xd7+ xd7 24.xd7 xd7
Black's mobile centre pawn majority negates
the classic 3-2 white majority on the
queenside. ]
21...c6 22.xc6 xc6 23.xc6+ bxc6
24.e1 e8 25.c2 c7 26.b3?! b8+
27.a3? Karjakin isn't satisfied with a draw
and so plans an attack on the a6 pawn. This
a m o u n t s t o ve ry p o o r j u d gm e n t , a s it i s
obvious that the black king will be able to
support a counter advance in the centre.
Me an wh ile , t he whit e kin g will f ind it se lf
hopelessly sidelined.
[ Instead 27.c2 is equal. ]
27...d6! 28.e2 f5 29.a4 e4 30.a5
d5 31.xa6 c4 32.d2
[ It seems that White's game can't be saved.
For example 32.a4 d3 ( Not 32...a8+?
33.b6 xa4 34.xc6 d3 35.e3+
d2 36.b4! when Black's pawn advance is
stymied. ) 33.e3+ d2 34.a5 ( Insufficient
f o r W h i t e i s 34.b4 e8 35.b5 cxb5
36.axb5 f4 37.h3 e3 38.fxe3 fxe3
39.xe3 xe3 40.b6 d3 ) 34...xb2!
( Black shouldn't touch 34...e8? 35.b7
f4 36.h3 e3 37.fxe3 fxe3 38.xe3 xe3
39.a6 )
A) Or 35.c4 d1 36.c5 ( 36.f3 d2 )
36...b4 and then the black f-pawn can
advance.;
B) 35.a7 d1 36.a6 xf2 37.b6
a2 38.a7 d2 39.h3 e3 and Black
wins. ]
32...c5 33.g3 g5 34.e2 e8 35.e3 a8+
36.b6 b8+ 37.c6 xb2 38.f3 xa2
734
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
39.fxe4 a6+ 40.c7 fxe4 41.h4
[ Or similarly 41.xe4+ xc3 42.e5 c4
43.xg5 d4 44.f5 c3 45.f1 c2 46.g4
e3 47.g5 a4 48.c1 d2 etc. ]
41...gxh4 42.xe4+ xc3 43.xh4 c4
44.b7 g6 45.xh7 b3 46.g4 c3
Black picks up the g-pawn while the c-pawn
will cost White his rook.
0-1
819 C10
Karjakin,Sergey 2686
Rychagov,Andrey 2571
TCh Sochi RUS (1) 02.05.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e3
White's development appears modest, but as
yo u ca n s e e in t h e we b sit e d a t a b a se it s
victims have included Anand. c7 9.e5 a6!
It is important to rule out Bb5+. 10.a4+ d7
Black has the choice between the game move,
in which he should be fully equal if he
survives the next ten moves without W hite
being able to land a forceful blow, or
[ 10...d7 11.xd7 when thanks to White's
bishop pair Black is likely to feel a low level
of discomfort right into the endgame. Again
if you wish you can check out the archives
for more details. ]
11.0-0-0 cxd4 12.xd7 xd7 13.xd4
c6
[ Here 13...e5 is the subject of Karjakin-
Prusikin in the archives. ]
14.c4 d8
[ Obviously it would be risky to snatch the
pawn on g2 with 14...xg2 though it proves
a h a r d n u t t o c r a c k . A f t e r 15.f4
( Unedifying was 15.he1 d8 16.g4
- Matsenko, S-Zakharevich, I/Sochi RUS
2007. ) 15...d8 16.e5 c8 17.xe6!?
xe6 18.he1 xe5 19.xe5+ e7
20.de1 0-0 - Ziatdinov, R-Zakharevich, I/
V l a d i m i r R U S 2 0 0 4 . H e r e 21.xe7
gives White a tiny but enduring advantage: a
rook on the seventh rank and the chance to
try to utilise his 3-2 queenside majority. ]
15.g4 d7?
[ Correct was 15...h5! when Black can gain
vital time for consolidation by harassing the
white queen. For example 16.xd8+ xd8
17.e2 ( Staying on the g-file is no more
promising: 17.g3 d6 18.f4 h4 19.g4
e4 20.d1 c6 21.b3 f5 22.f3
e4 23.f2 h5 24.g4 hxg3 25.hxg3
- Anand, V-Bareev, E/Monte Carlo MNC
2004. ) 17...e7 18.d1 a5 19.f3
- Ponomariov, R-Bareev, E/Poikovsky RUS
2006. ]
16.b3 a5 17.g5! An essential part of
White's attacking plan: Karjakin clears the e-
file with gain of time by targeting the rook on
d8. Furthermore, the bishop on d7 becomes
vulnerable to combinations once it loses the
protection of the rook. It is these factors that
make possible a sharp tactical finish. c8
18.he1 h5? Suicidal. The best chance of a
successful defence was
[ 18...c6! over protecting the e6 point.
Though even then the fate of the black king
stuck in the centre of the board was unlikely
to be auspicious. ]
19.xe6!! a3
[ If 19...hxg4 20.xd7# is discovered,
double check and mate! ]
[ Hopeless is 19...fxe6 20.xe6+ f7 ( or
20...xe6 21.xe6+ and mate in on e)
21.xd7+ g8 22.f4 etc. ]
20.xd7+ f8 21.g3 It looks as if Black
has counterplay despite his missing piece, but
his tricks against c3 can't work when his
opponent is fully centralised and there is a
black rook sitting passively on h8.
[ White mustn't try to be too clever: if
21.xc8? xc3+! and mate follows on b2.
( but not 21...hxg4 22.d8+ xd8 23.xd8
and White wins. )]
21...h4
[ White has prepared a second queen
sacrifice: 21...xc3+ 22.b1! ( It is White
wh o i s m a t e d a f t e r 22.xc3?? xc3+
23.b1 xb2# ) 22...xg3 23.e8# ]
22.e5!
[ Black is already a piece down with more
l o s s e s t o f o l l o w u p o n 22.e5 xe5
23.xe5 Note that Karjakin had to choose
his queen move carefully, as if ]
[ 22.d3 xg5+ or ]
[ 22.e3? xc3+ 23.b1 xe3 and there
735
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

is no mate on e8. ] 10...xb2 11.0-0 e7 12.c4!?

1-0 W hite obviously has compensation for the
pawn, although not necessarily more than
that. 0-0 13.e1 b6
820 C10 [ 13...a3 is more accurate, when 14.f4
Karjakin,Sergey 2775 a5 15.c2 might follow ]
Wang Hao 2737 14.c3
FIDE GP Tashkent (3.6) 24.11.2012 [ Or 14.c5! c6 15.e5 d5 16.c3 ]
[John Watson] 14...d6 15.e5 b5? This only succeeds in
returning the pawn without gaining much time.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 [ 15...b6 16.f3 d7 17.g4! with a strong
5.f3 gf6 6.d3 xe4 attack. ]
[ Also very recent: 6...c5 7.0-0 xe4 [ 15...c5! 16.dxc5 xc5 17.f3 also gives
8.xe4 f6 9.g5 cxd4 10.e2 b6 White the initiative, but is less clear. ]
11.xf6 gxf6 12.fd1 c5 13.b4 xb4 16.c5 d5 17.xb5 b7 18.f3 d8
14.ab1 a4 15.a3 a5 1/2-1/2 Ochsner, B 19.c6? White stands clearly better, and has
(2322) -Bromann, T (2378), Denmark a choice of good moves including
2012. ] [ 19.a5 and ]
7.xe4 f6 8.g5 d6 [ 19.b1 . ]
[ 8...e7 9.xf6 xf6 ( 9...gxf6 10.e2 19...xc6 20.xc6 d5 21.d3!?
d6! (Anand) but White still has an edge [ 21.a5 was the last chance to retain some
after 11.0-0 ) 10.d3 (This threatens Bxb7! advantage. ]
and Qb5+) ( 10.c3 also keeps Black a little 21...b8 22.c4 xc3!? Getting opposite-
restricted) 10...d6 ( 10...c6 11.0-0-0 d7 coloured bishops. He could also try
12.e5 ) 11.0-0-0 with the idea Ne5. [ 22...g5! , when Black has plenty of activity
Tzermiadianos gives c5 12.he1 b6 to show for his minor weaknesses. ]
13.e5! cxd4 14.f4 h6 15.c4 0-0 23.xc3 f6 24.ad1 g6 25.c4 g7
16.xd4 ] 26.d5 exd5 27.xd5 f6! Black actually
9.d3 Tzermiadianos doesn't mention this stands better now, although it's not serious.
move, but it may be best, at least in terms of 28.a4 b2 29.b3 h4 30.h1 f2
practical chances. 31.f4?!
[ F o r n o t e s o n 9.xf6 , see Alekseev- [ 31.g5 f6 32.g3 xc5 33.d7 ]
Ismagambetov in the Archives. ] 31...xf4 32.f1 f2 White has to work for
9...b4+!? the draw now, and doesn't do a very good job
[ 9...b6 is the safer move. Then play can go of it. 33.c4 xf1+ 34.xf1 xc4 35.xc4
10.e2 ( 10.e5 b7 11.c3!? a6 12.e2 h5 36.g3 e5 37.e1 e8 38.b5 b8
e7 13.0-0-0 h6 14.f4 d5 15.g3 39.a4 f6 40.d1 g7 41.d7+ h6
Czarnota, P (2547)-Laznicka, V (2602), 42.g2 a6 43.xa6 b2+ 44.h1 c2
Polanica Zdroj 2006) 10...b7 11.0-0 e7 45.f1 xc5 46.d2 c1 47.g2 a1
Sutovsky, E (2679) -Managadze, N (2463), 48.b5 c5 49.f3 g5 50.d5 a3+
A g h i a P e l a g i a 2 0 0 4 a n d 12.h4 0-0 51.e2
13.ad1 fd8 14.g3 keeps an edge ] [ 51.d3 is easier. ]
10.d2 51...h4! 52.xc5 hxg3 53.hxg3 g4
[ Some older theory goes 10.d2 xd2+ Now at least Black has two passed pawns to
( 10...xb2?! 11.0-0 is the Alekseev- play with. 54.a5 Whether or not White can still
Ismagambetov game in the Archives it's just achieve a draw after this, it's not worth it.
too risky ) 11.xd2 c5 12.0-0-0 d7 Better
( 12...cxd4 13.xd4 c5 14.b5+ d7 [ 54.d3 g5 55.a5 ]
15.xd7+ xd7 16.e3 d5 17.f5 54...xg3 55.a6 a5 56.d5 g5 57.c4
c6!= Rublevsky ) 13.dxc5 xc5 14.e5! a4
Rublevsky - Kosic, Yugoslavia 2002. ] [ 57...xd5 58.xd5 b8 59.e4 g4

736
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

60.f1 f4 61.c2 f5 62.f2 g5 10.b2 xf3 11.xf3 c6 12.e2 c7
63.d3 f4 64.e2= ] 13.g3 fe8 14.a3 ad8 was solid enough
58.b5 a5 59.c4 a4 60.b5 a2+ f o r B la c k in S vid le r-Ru st e m o v, T a l lin n
61.d2 2001. ]
[ 61.d3! ] 8.xe4 c6 9.e5?! This simplification is very
61...a5 62.c4 f5 63.d5?? xd5 welcome to Black. Standard moves would be
64.xd5 b8 White can't stop the pawns now. [ 9.c4 or ]
Fortunately, Black doesn't find the right way [ 9.e1 maintaining some pressure. ]
to advance them. 65.e6 f4 66.d3 g4 9...xe5 10.dxe5 xd1 11.xd1 e7
67.e4 f3 68.f5 a7? 12.f4
[ 68...h4! 69.e4 f2 70.c4 h3 ] [ The immediate 12.c4 made more sense. ]
69.g5! f2 70.c4 f3 71.d5+ e3 12...d5 13.f1 c5 14.e2 e7 15.c4
72.g2 g3 73.g4 b8 74.a7 xa7 b6 16.b3 hd8 17.e3 xe3 18.xe3
75.xg3 A lucky escape. a5! The standard idea aiming for counterplay
½-½ by undermining W hite's queenside with a4.
19.a3!? xd1
[ Not 19...a4 20.c5 d5+ 21.xd5 xd5
821 C10 22.xd5 exd5 23.b4 when White has the
Karlsen,Terje 2053 better pawn structure. ]
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2630 20.xd1 d7! 21.d4? Played to stop 21...
Troll Masters (4) 08.01.2001 Nc5 but falling for a neat trap. He should play
[Neil McDonald] [ 21.h4 c5 22.c2 with balanced
chances. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 21...xe5!! 22.c3
5.d3 [ He l o s e s a p a wn a s i f 22.xe5 f6+
[ The more usual move order is 5.f3 c6 23.d4 d8+ or ]
when 6.eg5 d6 ( This move was first [ 22.fxe5 d8+ ]
p l a y e d b y K a r p o v . I n s t e a d 6...d7 22...d7 23.d2 h6 24.h4 g5! Creating a
is more natural, but as I found out a couple passed pawn. 25.hxg5 hxg5 26.fxg5 g8
of years ago in a tournament in W hitby 27.b4 xg5 28.bxa5 xa5 29.b4 e5
W hite can virtually force a draw with the 30.f3 e3 31.a4 c5+ 32.a5 b3 33.a2
sacrifice 7.xf7 xf7 8.g5+ e8 b8! A nice finish. There is no good answer
9.xe6 e7 10.e2! when Black has to the threat of 34...b6 mate.
nothing better than f7! 11.g5+ e8 0-1
12.e6 etc. Of course a draw with Black
isn't always such a bad thing but personally
I would have played 6...Bd6 if I had foreseen 822 C10
this. ) 7.c4?! ( Better was 7.d3 h6 8.e4 Karpov,Anatoly 2668
xe4 9.xe4 c6 10.e2 f6 11.d3 Stojanovic,Mihajlo 2588
keeping a tiny edge for W hite in Anand- Gorenje GM Valjevo SRB (8) 20.06.2007
Karpov, Linares 1995.) 7...h6 8.xe6? [Neil McDonald]
A poor sacrifice as Black has no trouble in
deve lop ing his piece s. He shou ld have 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
played ( 8.h3 ) 8...fxe6 9.xe6 f6 10.d5 Karpov has played the Fort Knox himself in
d7 11.d4 e5+ 12.e3 f6 13.d3 t h e p a st , win n in g a n o t a b l e vic t o ry o ve r
xd5! and Black was winning in Aronian- K a m s k y a m o n g s t o t h e r s . I t i s t h e r e f o r e
Turner, Hastings 2000-2001. ] interesting to see what he has planned against
5...c6 6.f3 d7 7.0-0 xe4 it. 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6
Black immediately clarifies the situation. More 8.g3 e7 9.e1 Karpov delays committing
usual is himself to c2-c4. You can find many games
[ 7...gf6 when 8.ed2!? e7 9.b3 0-0 with the c2-c4 structure in the archives. Here

737
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
is another recent example, with Black being
the Fort Knox expert Rustemov:
[ 9.c4 xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.b3 0-0 12.b2
e8 ( Personally I would prefer 12...a5
here, and if 13.fe1 a3 ) 13.ad1 f8
A common knight manoeuvre to bolster the
kingside. 14.fe1 g6 15.c3 c7
16.xg6 hxg6 17.h4 ad8 18.h5 g5
19.h6 f4! the entry of the black queen
negates any danger of her king being
mated. 20.hxg7 xf3 21.gxf3 xg7 22.d5
White's initiative still looks threatening, but
Rustemov defends coolly and it soon blows
over. cxd5 23.cxd5 g6 24.dxe6 xd1
25.xd1 fxe6 26.xf6 xf6 27.e4 d8
28.xd8 xd8 29.c5 b5 30.xe6
At first glance you might think that White is
doing very well with his extra pawn, but in
fact after Black's reply the knight is trapped.
It is Rustemov who is pressing for
advantage, but it all fizzles out. b6 31.g2
f6 32.f8 f7 33.d7 d4 34.f4 gxf4
35.f3 e6 36.e4 xf2 37.e5 d6
38.d3 e3 39.a4 a6 40.b4 a5 41.d5
bxa4 42.bxa4 d2 43.xf4 c5 44.d5
g5 45.e3 b4 46.d3 xe3 47.xe3
xa4 48.d2 b3 49.c1 and draw
agreed in Guliev, L-Rustemov, A/Baku AZE
2007. ]
9...0-0 10.e2 b6 I simply don't like this
mo ve in th e Fo rt K n o x! Mayb e I 'm b e in g
irrational or stereotyped in my thinking, but it
seems to me that if Black goes to the trouble
of Bd7 and Bc6 it behoves him to take the
knight on f3, rather than put the bishop on b7-
a square it can go to in one move from c8
after b7-b6. 11.a6! A very nice idea. Karpov
wants to seize control of the light square
holes in the black queenside, and so
e n g i n e e r s a n e x c h a n g e o f b i s h o p s . b8
12.c4 b7
[ Black can preserve his bishop with 12...a8
but then he can be frustrated in his bid to
free his game with the thematic c7-c5 move,
for example 13.f4 ( or 13.e5!? ) 13...d6
14.e5 followed by Rad1 etc. and Black
remains in a bind. ]
13.xb7 xb7 14.e5 c8? For better or
worse he should surely play
[ 14...xe5 15.dxe5 d7 even though
W hite then has a significant space
advantage due to the e5 pawn. ]
15.c6 The white knight is beautifully placed,
not least because it blocks a c7-c6 or c7-c5
pawn advance, and so 'stalemates' the rook
on b7. e8 16.g5 f8 17.xf6 xf6
18.h5! Karpov is keen to exchange off both
black knights, so that nothing can challenge
his own knight on c6. d7 Stojanovic realises
that the only way to free his queen's rook
f ro m it s p rison is wit h Nb 8, b u t wh ile h e
occupied with this manoeuvre, Karpov is able
to use his advantage in f irepower on the
kingside to launch a direct attack on the black
king. 19.g4 h8 20.e3 b8
Black achieves his aim, but... 21.g3! f5
[ If 21...xc6 22.xg7 threatens 23.Nxe8
and then mate on g8. Or if d6 23.xe8
intends mate on g7 with the queen
supported by either the rook or bishop. ]
22.h4! xc6 23.f6! h6 24.xh6+! gxh6
25.g8# An excellent game by Karpov!
1-0
823 C10
Kasimdzhanov,Rustam 2670
Kosyrev,Vladimir 2530
Keres Mem Rapid rapid (9) 08.01.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
5.exd5 exd5 6.b5 b4!? the most
energetic response to 6.Bb5. For
[ 6...e7 see the game Kobalia-Nguyen in
the archives. ]
7.0-0
[ After 7.e5 0-0 8.xc6 bxc6 grabbing
the pawn looks like a bad idea for White e.g.
9.xc6 xc3+ ( maybe even better is
9...e8+ 10.f1 a6+ 11.g1 xc3!
12.xd8 e2 smothering the white queen.
13.d2 xd1 14.xc3 xc2 15.c6 a4
16.b4 a5 17.d3 e4 with very good
chances for Black in the endgame.) 10.bxc3
e8+ 11.e5 ( Or similarly 11.e3 d6
12.e5 a6 ) 11...a6 and not being able
to castle is a severe problem for W hite- if
12.f3? - i n t e n d i n g 1 3 . K f 2 - t h e n d7!
is dangerous for the white king. ]
7...0-0 8.xc6
[ If 8.g5?! xc3 9.bxc3 d6! and I like
738
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Black's position. ] immediately goes wrong. d7? A mere week

[ I find the symmetry aesthetically pleasing
later Kasimdzhanov tried 8.Ne5 and he found
after 8.f4 f5 but it doesn't appeal much his opponent fully prepared:
to my fighting spirit. ] [ 8...a6! Ruling out Bb5. 9.a4+ ( Or 9.e3
8...bxc6 9.e5 xc3 10.bxc3 e4!
cxd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 b5 12.b4
A key move. Keeping the symmetry for too d5 13.e2 f6 14.d3 b7 15.f4 0-0-0
long is often dangerous for Black, but the 16.c1 b8 17.a3 d6 18.0-0 he8
counterattack against c3 appears to give him with unclear play in Hort,V-Dydyshko,V/
full equality. 11.a3 Debrecen 1992/EU-chT .) 9...d7 10.xd7
[ Ko syre v h as a lso f ace d 11.f3 xc3
xd7 11.xd7+ xd7 12.dxc5 xc5
12.d3 a4 13.a3 here a draw was 13.e2 hd8 Black is able to bring his
i m m e d i a t e l y a g r e e d i n Z a k h a r t s o v, V -
rooks quickly into the game which
Kosyrev, V/Sochi RUS 2006. b6 14.xc6 neutralises White's bishop pair. 14.a4 a5
e8 15.e7+ h8 16.e1 e6 17.c5 15.f4 e7 16.f3 d7 17.0-0 ad8
and it ended peacefully in Baklan, V- 18.fe1 h6 19.h4 d5 20.g3 d6
Kosyrev, V/ Sochi RUS 2006. A repetition 21.xd6+ and a draw was agreed in
migh t re su lt a f t e r d7 18.a3 b6
Kasimdzhanov,R-Dorfman,J/Luebeck GER
19.c5 etc. ] 2002. ]
11...e8 12.c4 dxc4 13.xc6 f6 14.e7+ 9.b5 d6 10.g4! f8
h8! He must avoid falling into a pin after [ Black's problem is that he can't castle as
[ 14...xe7? 15.xe7 xe7 16.e1
W h i t e w i n s t h e e xc h a n g e a f t e r 10...0-0
when 17.f3 is threatened. ] 11.xd7 xd7 12.h6 ]
15.d5 d8 16.e3 b7 17.d5 11.0-0!? Kasparov was unlikely to refuse the
[ Here Black might have played on with 17.d5 chance to gambit a pawn to open lines and
f6! ] get at Black's king.
[ Instead 17.xc4? would have run into
[ Less courageous souls would prefer the
trouble after c3 attacking the queen and solid 11.f4 ]
with ideas of 18...Ne2+ or 18...Qd5/18... 11...xe5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.g5 f6
Qg5. ] 14.ad1 c7 15.h4 xg5 16.xg5 f6
½-½ 17.h5 g6 18.h6+ f7 19.d3!
Kasparov finds a clever way to strengthen the
attack. a6 20.h3
824 C10 [ Black would have been able to set up a
Kasparov,Garry 2838 solid defence after the slower 20.a4 b5
Ponomariov,Ruslan 2727 21.c2 b7 22.fd1 d5 ]
SuperGM Linares ESP (13) 09.03.2002 20...e7
[Neil McDonald] [ The point of White's play is that if 20...axb5
White wins with 21.xh7+! xh7 22.xh7+
1.e4 e6 g8 23.xc7 If instead ]
[ Curiously the position reached at move nine [ 20...d7 21.d3 ad8 22.g3 f5 23.h4!
below can also arise from the 2.c3 Sicilian: keeps up White's attack. ]
1...c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 xd5 4.d4 e6 21.d3 Now Kasparov has his queen, bishop
5.f3 f6 6.a3 d8 7.c4 c6 and rook all aiming at the black kingside. In
8.ce5 xe5 9.xe5 which was in fact the order to break through he has to utilise his
way the Hort-Dydyshko game given below pawns. f5 22.g4! f6 23.d1 b5 24.e2
began. ] e5?
2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 5.f3 [ He had to fight it out in the endgame after
gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e5!? 24...g5! 25.h5+ g6 26.gxf5 xh5
An example of Kasparov's inventiveness in 27.xh5+ f6 ]
the opening. There is an antidote to this move 25.hd3 Now White's attack becomes
but Ponomariov is taken by surprise and unstoppable. a7 26.d6 g7 27.e3 c7

739
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
28.a4 e4 29.axb5 axb5 30.xb5 e5
31.g5 e7 32.h6 e6 33.f4 c8
34.h6 e6 35.gxf5! After a bit of
superfluous repetition Kasparov finds the way
to win. gxf5 36.e2! f6 37.h5+ e7
38.xe6+! Black resigned as xe6 39.g7+
mates next move.
1-0
825 C10
Kaufman,Raymond 2319
Goh Wei Ming 2375
1st Saturday IM Tournament (2) 04.06.2007
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6!? After the
game, my opponent has told me that he had
prepared the W inawer variation and was
totally caught by surprise by my choice of
mo ve s. T his ga m e cle arly d e m on st ra t e d
Black's counter-chances against the
unprepared. 4.f3 f6 5.g5 I don't believe
this move is the most dangerous move for
Black.
[ 5.e5 e4 6.e2 was recommended by
Khalifman in his "Openings for W hite
according to W hite" series and was
analyzed in the games below. ]
5...e7 6.e5 e4 7.xe7 xe7 8.a3
[ 8.d3 allows b4 where after 9.0-0 xc3
10.bxc3 xc3 11.b1 it is not clear
whether W hite's compensation was
sufficient for a pawn. ]
8...d7 9.d3 g5 Of course, I have seen
t h e m a g n i f i c e n t g a m e L e k o - M o ro ze vi c h
Frankfurt 2000 and was merely regurgitating
the moves on auto-pilot. My opponent still
seemed shell-shocked by the turn of events
and started to go astray from here. 10.d2
in the above game, W hite had played the
uninspiring
[ 10.e2 and was duly murdered: xf3+
11.xf3 f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.e2 0-0-0
14.0-0 h5 15.c3 g5 and here he comes...
16.c1 g4 17.e2 e5! 18.b3 b8
19.b5 e4?! ( 19...exd4 20.cxd4 a6
21.xc6 xc6 was stronger as
demonstrated by W atson in "Dangerous
W eapons-The French") 20.c5
21.a4 ( 21.b3 with the idea 22.Na6
could be met easily by b6 22.ac1 e7
23.c4 f5! ) 21...d6! 22.ae1 h4 23.e3
hd8 24.xc6 xc6 25.b4 g5 ( 25...h3
26.g3 a6 ) 26.fe1 h6 27.c4 g3!
28.cxd5 gxh2+ 29.xh2 g8 30.g1
g3+! An aesthetic and pleasing finale.
31.h1 xf2 32.c3 h3 33.g3 h2
34.gc1 xg3 35.xg3 xg3 36.f1 g6
37.d7+ a8 0-1 Leko-Morozevich,
Frankfurt 2000 ]
10...f6 11.exf6
[ 11.f4 f7 12.f3 fxe5 ( 12...g5 13.d2
fxe5 14.dxe5 gxf4 15.xf4 0-0-0 ) 13.dxe5
( 13.fxe5? xd4! ) 13...g5 14.d2 gxf4
15.xf4 f8 was my intention. Black seems
to have pretty decent play here. ]
11...xf6 12.b3 0-0-0 Black had the
natural and typical plan of the pawn break e6-
e5 which promises him a good game. At the
same time, both of White's knights appeared
to b e mispla ced as they were blocking a
p o s s i b l e p a wn s t o r m o n t h e q u e e n s i d e .
13.d2 f7
[ 13...e5!? immediately, was an intriguing
possibility. After 14.xd5 ( 14.h4 f7
15.xd5 d6 16.e4 exd4 17.0-0-0 e6
18.f4 xb3 19.cxb3 b8 ) 14...f3+!!
15.gxf3 xf3 16.g1 exd4! 17.f4
( 17.b4 de8+ 18.e2 xe2+ 19.xe2
e8 ) 17...hf8 18.e2 xf2+ 19.d1
xh2 is a Rybka inspired piece of analysis
which seems very strong for Black indeed. ]
14.e3 White must had been loathed to place
his queen on the e-file but it was not easy to
find a solution for the d-pawn.
[ 14.e2 d6 15.0-0 c4! wins a pawn. ]
14...e5 15.dxe5?
[ 15.xd5! was White's only chance where
after d6
A) 16.f3 e4! 17.xf7 ( 17.xe4 g5 )
17...exd3;
B) 16.e4 exd4 17.xd4 xd4
18.xd4 c6 Black wins a piece. However,
I have overlooked that W hite could
con tin ue wit h 19.0-0-0 cxd5 20.xd5
winning a 3rd pawn and keeping matters
highly unclear. Instead, the game came to
an abrupt end. ]
15...fxe5 16.0-0-0?
c8 [ 16.xd5 xd3+ 17.xd3 he8+ 18.e3
e5 19.e2 g4! ]
740
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
16...d4 17.xd4 g4 This was a great
confidence boost for me and I went on to win
the June 2007 edition of the First Saturday IM
tournament, snaring my last IM norm in the
process.
0-1
826 C10
Khalifman,Alexander 2688
Bareev,Evgeny 2707
Corus Wijk aan Zee NED (11) 25.01.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.d3! Besides being a tricky line in itself this
was also good psychology. Bareev is more
renowned as an expert on the Classical than
the Rubinstein and by delaying Nf3 Khalifman
prevents him entering familiar territory after
[ 5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.g5 h6
etc. with a line reached from the Classical
5...Nbd7 variation. ]
5...gf6 6.e2 c5 7.xf6+ xf6 8.dxc5
xc5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 d5 The most
ambitious move, attacking both a2 and g2.
For further analysis on this position, start by
having a look at the Rubinstein electronic
book, which is given in PGN in ChessPub- all
you should have to do is scroll down and it
should be there. The note on the fifth move
about 5.Bd3 will direct you to games by Sadler
and Nedev.
[ Rather than trying to snatch a pawn, Black
could gambit one with 10...e5 This is a
t yp ic a l f re e i n g m o ve in t h e se t u p , b u t
Au s t ralia n GM I a n Ro ge rs m a n age d t o
emerge with a good game as W hite after
11.xe5 b6 12.f3 e6 13.c3 xf2
14.d4! fe8 15.f4 g4 16.b1 e3
17.g3 f2 18.f3 xd4 19.xd4 a5
20.b3 g5 21.g3 h6 22.he1 f6
23.xg5 hxg5 24.e5 h7 25.de1
and he won eventually in Rogers,I-Borgo,G/
Valle d'Aosta ITA 2002. ]
[ Meanwhile 10...c7 was played in Nedev-
S u p a t a s h v i l i . I wo u l d r e c o m m e n d yo u
choose this move unless you are prepared
to do an in depth study of what follows! ]
11.b1!? Diverging from
[ 11.c3 as played in Sadler-Miles. ]
11...xg2 An interesting moment. According
to Ian Rogers writing in the British Chess
Magazine after their game mentioned below
Morozevich and Van W ely came to the
conclusion that
[ 11...e5! 12.g5 ( Or 12.e3 c6 ) 12...e4
13.xf6 exd3 14.xd3 c6 leads to a
position in which Black's pair of bishops
outweighed the extra pawn. I'm curious to
know what Ian Rogers thinks about this, as
he was prepared to enter this line against
Borgo a couple of weeks after the games at
Wijk aan Zee- see the note above to move
10. Was Rogers hoping that Borgo wasn't
up to d at e with h is st ud ie s or h as h e a
sneaky improvement waiting? Time will tell. ]
12.f3 xf2 13.e5! e7
[ The very round after this game was played
at W ijk aa n Ze e V an W e ly e nt e re d t h e
same variation against Morozevich. Here he
tried 13...d7 but 14.xh7+! xh7
15.h5+ g8 16.hg1! gave White a very
d a n g e r o u s a t t a c k . T h e r e f o l l o we d e3
17.xe3! ( A nasty surprise for the
Dutchman. Apparently he had prepared to
answer 17.c3 with e5! improving on the
blindfold game Anand-Van Wely from the
M e l o d y A m b e r t o u r n a m e n t , 2 0 0 1 .)
17...xe3 18.g3! c5? Losing at once-
but there was no good line, e.g. ( 18...f6
19.h4 e4 20.g5 when Black has to
give up his queen for insufficient
compensation.) 19.h6 1-0 in Morozevich,
A-Van Wely,L/Wijk aan Zee NED 2002 for if
g6 20.h3 ]
[ Meanwhile White's attack became
overwhelming after 13...xf3 14.xc5 b6
15.g5 h6 16.h4 h5 17.g3 h8
18.hg1 g8 19.df1 b7 20.c3 e5
21.xe5 ae8 22.f5 in Ivanisevic,I-
Supatashvili,K/Panormo 1998. ]
14.df1 c5 15.g3 Two extra pawns is a
big material advantage at any level of chess,
but especially among the world elite where
defence is most refined. Or so you would
think! Yet both Van Wely and Bareev cave in
very quickly. I think this indicates that Black's
defensive task is too difficult here, even with a
solid pawn structure. h5 16.h3 g6
17.hg1 f4??
[ After the game the players analysed
741
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

17...g7 18.h6 h5 19.f4 d7 8...e7

20.e5 c6 21.c3 which keeps Black in [ 8...xf3 9.xf3 c6 is a tempo behind the
the game but the pressure on the diagonal game continuation for Black. A recent game
pointing at f6 and g7 looks ominous- already went 10.e1 e7 11.c3 ( 11.c4!?
there is the idea of 22.Ng4 aiming for Nf6+ is one of the basic structures, generally
or Nh6+. ] favouring White but also solid for Black in
18.xf4 e5 19.h6 exf4 20.g5! terms of preventing breakthroughs.) 11...0-0
Black resigned for if f5 12.d2 ( 12.f4 ) 12...a5 13.ad1 e8
[ Otherwise he is mated on h7 e.g. 20...xg5 14.h4!? ( 14.e2 d6 15.c4 c7
21.xg5 or ] 16.b1 ) 14...f8 15.a3 b6 ( 15...a4!? )
[ 20...c7 21.h5 gxh5 22.xh7# ] 16.c1 ad8 17.h5 c5? (Up to this point,
21.xg6+ hxg6 22.xg6+ h8 23.h6+ Black's position has provided the usual
g8 24.c4+! xc4 tough defence, but now he opens the
[ 24...f7 25.g6+ ] position and lets White's active pieces show
25.g1+ f7 26.g6# their superiority) 18.dxc5 xc5 ( 18...xc5
1-0 19.h6! ) 19.h6 ( 19.xb7 is safe enough)
19...g6 20.xb7 ( or 20.e4 xe4
21.xe4 b6 22.f4 ) 20...d5?!
827 C10 ( 20...g4! 21.f3 e5 22.e2 xd3
Kobalia,M 2652 23.xd3 xd3 24.xd3 d8 leaves White
Demidov,M 2462 a pawn up, but at least cuts into his attack)
20th TCh-RUS 2013 (2) 08.04.2013 21.e4 xe4 22.xe4 xd1 23.xd1
[John Watson] e5 24.e3 d8 25.xd8 xd8 26.g3
d6 27.c4 d7 28.g2 c5 29.a8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 xe4 30.xe4 1-0 Oparin, G (2478)-
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 Mueller, H (2087), Caleta ENG 2013. An
[ 6...xe4!? 7.xe4 c6 produces the same instructive example of how Black should
structure. Nisipeanu, L (2661)-Mann, C generally hunker down and not open the
(2447), Schwetzingen GER 2013 saw White position for his opponent. ]
build up an attack following 8.c3 f6 9.c2 9.e2 White is willing to enter the basic
d6 10.0-0 bd7 11.a4 0-0 12.e1 c7 position a tempo down. He can also play
13.g5 h6 14.h4 ad8 15.e2 c5 [ 9.c4 , e.g., Short-Vaganian in the Archives,
16.ad1 ( 16.dxc5!? xc5 17.a5 ) 16...g5 or ]
17.g3 xg3 18.hxg3 b6 19.a5 bd5 [ 9.c3 or ]
20.dxc5 ( 20.a6 b6 21.e5 ) 20...xc5 [ 9.b3 , e.g., Navara-Rustemov in the
21.d4!? (a bold pawn sacrifice, although Archives or ]
hardly necessary) ( 21.a6 b5 22.e5 ) [ 9.e1 , as in Jones-Arkell from November,
21...xa5 22.f3 fe8 23.e5 c7 which I annotated in this column. ]
24.de1 d7 25.5e2 7f6 26.e5 d7 9...xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.c3
27.5e2 7f6 28.a4 e7 29.b3 g4 [ 11.b3 0-0 12.b2 is seen in E Berg-
( 29...g7! ) 30.d3 b6 31.e5 ed7? Rendle, Gibraltar 2008 ]
( 31...ee8 ) 32.xd5 ( or 32.xe6 fxe6 [ 11.e1 0-0 12.c3 e8 transposes ]
33.xe6 ) 32...xd5 33.d2 ( or 33.xe6 11...0-0 12.e1 e8 13.c2
fxe6 34.xe6 ) 33...e7?? ( 33...g7 [ 13.f4 a5 14.a3 f8 15.ad1 e5
34.xe6! fxe6 35.xe6 d6 36.f5+ f7 is K arja kin -Ge lf an d f ro m t h e A rc hive s .
37.xd6 xd6 38.xd6+ xd6 39.c4 16.e3 preserves some advantage, but
, but this is still a fight) 34.xh6 g6 Black has his share of chances. ]
35.xe6 fxe6 36.xe6 1-0 ] 13...f8
7.0-0 gf6 8.g3 This is the main line. [ Perhaps 13...a5 is a better course, as in
[ 8.ed2 would transpose into Gormally- the Gelfand game. ]
Hanley. ] 14.f1!?

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 14.e4 g6 15.g3 has the idea h4-h5. ] 60.f1 g3+ 61.e1 e4 62.h8+ g6
14...g6 15.e3 a5 16.c4 d5 17.e2 63.ac6+ f6 64.e8+ f5 65.b5+
c5!? 1-0
[ 17...ad8 ]
18.dxc5 xc5 19.d2
[ 19.e3 c7 20.ad1 ] 828 C10
19...d5 20.g3 ac8 21.f3 f6 22.d2 Kobalia,Mihail 2630
ed8 23.ad1 a6 24.h4! b5 25.g5! Nguyen,Ngoc Truongson 2567
Finally White makes his move, intending Qh5. 1st Asian Clubs (5) 29.12.2008
xg5?! Ceding the bishop pair isn't ideal. [Neil McDonald]
Probably
[ 25...f8 was a better idea. ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
26.xg5 e8 27.e4 5.exd5 exd5 6.b5 e7 A Nguyen speciality.
[ 27.h5! f8 28.g4 ] He's achieved 1.5/3 with it against very strong
27...h6 28.c1 ge7 opponents, though his latest game as given
[ 28...e5!? ] here isn't very encouraging. A more energetic
29.f3 reply is
[ 29.h5!? f6 30.xc5 xc5 31.f3 [ 6...b4!? which back in 2006 Kosyrev also
subjects Black to a long, hard ending. ] u s e d t h r e e t i m e s , a n d a c h i e ve d 1 . 5 / 3
29...a5! 30.a3 b4 Counterplay! 31.cxb4 against formidable opponents- this time
axb4 32.a4 a5 33.b3 c3!? three rather early draws. You can consult
[ 33...c3 ] the Kasimdzhanov-Kosyrev game in the
34.d7 xe4 35.xe4 d5 36.f3?! archives and decide which way you wish to
[ 36.b2 c3 37.g4 ] play it. ]
36...f6 37.d3 e5! 38.d6 c3 39.d1 7.e5 d7 8.0-0! An instructive moment:
c5 40.e3 c8 41.d2 c2 42.xb4?! Kobalia realises that he shouldn't rush to take
[ 42.xh6! with the idea g4 43.d2 ] on c6. An earlier Nguyen game went
42...f5 [ 8.xc6?! xc6 9.xc6? It's just about
[ 42...e4! intending 43.xe4 c1 44.c4 possible to sympathise with 8.Bxc6, but the
xd1+ 45.xd1 with complications which second exchange makes no sense- why
seem balanced. ] give up the excellent knight for a bishop that
43.e2 xe2 44.xe2 b8 45.e1 xb3 is blocked in by the d5 pawn? At worst if
46.a5 e4 47.b6 W h i t e d e l a ye d t h e e xc h a n g e h e c o u l d
[ 47.c2! a3! 48.d4 f3 and White's always play Nxc6 at a later moment- as in
chances are limited. ] fact Kobalia does in the main game to great
47...a3 48.b5 e6 49.b6 f5 50.b2 effect. ( Instead one of the greatest stars of
d3 women's chess achieved a comf ortable
[ 50...f3! ] draw after some rather unambitious play as
51.c2? f3 follows: 9.g5 0-0 10.0-0 h6 11.h4 d7
[ 51...d7! intending ...Ne5, e.g., 52.c8+ 12.xe7 xe7 13.e1 xe5 14.xe5
h7 53.b1 e3 ] d6 15.d3 ae8 16.ae1 xe5
52.b1 a3? 17.xe5 e8 18.xe8+ xe8 19.g3
[ 52...d5= ] xg3 20.hxg3 c6 21.d1 d7 22.e3
53.b4! d3 54.a6 Suddenly this pawn is too h5 23.c3 f8 24.f3 e7 25.f2 e6
strong. e3 55.e1 26.e2 d6 27.a3 b6 28.d2 f6
[ 55.a7! exf2+ 56.xf2+- ] 29.e2 g6 30.d2 d7 - Hou Yifan-
55...e4? Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son/Gaziantep TUR
[ 55...g6 56.a7 a3! 57.b8+ h7 ] 2008. ) 9...bxc6 The newly opened b-file is a
56.a7 exf2+ source of joy f or Black, and rather than
[ 56...a3 57.b8+ h7 58.a8+- ] being a weakness, the c6 pawn solidifies d5-
57.xf2 xg3 58.b8+ h7 59.a8 e2+ W hite could do with something similar to

743
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
bolster the d4pawn! 10.0-0 0-0 11.g5
e8 12.e1 h6 13.h4 d7 14.g3
It soon becomes clear that W hite should
have sought simplification with ( 14.xe7
etc. The attempt to attack on the kingside
eventually leads to the loss of a pawn.)
14...f8! An excellent regrouping. The
knight will attack d4 and defend both c7 and
g7 from the e6 square. 15.g4 A shot in the
dark- he should have kept the queen on
hand to defend the queenside pawns. d6
16.xe8 xe8 17.f1 b8! 18.b3 b4
19.d1? ( better 19.e2 ) 19...e8
Suddenly there is a threat of mate on e1,
and the least bad way to prevent it is to give
u p t h e d 4 p a wn . 20.e3 ( Unhelpful for
White is 20.c3 b5+ ) 20...e4 21.c8
xg3 22.hxg3 xd4 23.d1 f6
Threat 24...Rxe3. 24.g1 d4 25.f5 c5
26.f1 e6 27.h4 e5 28.g1 e2
29.f1 xc2 30.xc7 d3 31.d8 d2
32.f3 e2 33.g4 xf2! A nice finishing
touch. Whichever way White takes on f2 the
pawn queens with check. 0-1 Stefansson, H-
Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son/Dresden GER
2008. ]
8...0-0
[ Black loses material after 8...xe5 9.dxe5 ]
9.e1
[ A vigorous alternative was 9.g5!? ]
9...a6 10.xc6 xc6 11.g5 e4?
Black is in too much of a hurry to equalise
and instead finds himself forced into a
horrible endgame.
[ 11...e8 was safe, though Black remains
annoyingly passive after say 12.f3 ]
12.xe7 xe7 13.xc6 Kobalia has very
sensibly delayed this exchange until he can
use it to gain a crushing advantage. bxc6
14.f3! Not allowing Black any chance to
confuse matters after
[ 14.d3 b4! ]
14...xc3 15.xe7 xd1 16.xd1 ab8
17.b3 bc8
[ If 17...fc8 then White can double rooks on
the seventh rank with 18.de1 and then 19.
Rd7, 20.R1e7, when either c7 or f7 will
drop. ]
18.d3 Threatening 19.Rc3 and 20.Rxc6.
fe8 19.xe8+ xe8 20.f2! No activity
permitted for the black rook! f5 21.c3 e6
22.b4! So simple: Black has no good answer
to W hite's next move. f4 23.a3 f7
24.xa6 e7 25.a3 d7 Nguyen has
done everything he can by defending his weak
pawns with his king and preventing W hite
from contesting the e-file with f5-f4. But in the
long run he can't prevent White's extra pawn
winning the day. 26.c3 h6 27.h3 e6
28.a4 c8 29.c5 d7 30.b5 e3
31.xc6 a3 32.c5 d6 33.c4 dxc4
34.xc4 g5 35.g1 d7 36.h4 a1+
37.h2 gxh4 38.d5 h3 39.xh3 h1+
40.g4 g1 41.c2 a1 42.xf4 xa4+
43.e5 b4 44.g4 b3 45.h2 e3+
46.f4 e7 47.h6 f7+ 48.g3 e8
49.f4 d7 50.h3 xd5 51.xh7 c5
52.g5 f8 53.g4 e8 54.f5
1-0
829 C10
Kobalia,Mihail 2614
Shaposhnikov,Evgeny 2533
58th ch-RUS Semi-Final (9) 11.09.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.ed2 gf6
8.c4 e7 9.0-0 d5 10.ce5 0-0
[ O n C h e s s P u b , I c l a i m t h a t 10...c5!?
is satisfactory for Black. See for example my
own game with Conquest given there. White
can try 11.xf7 xf7 ( Black lost after
11...xf3? 12.xd8 xd1 13.xe6 g4
14.c7+ f7 15.f3 etc. in Stellwagen,D-
Werle,J/Vlissingen NED 2004, though I'm
not sure how clear this is.) 12.g5+ g8
13.c4 h6! 14.cxd5 hxg5 15.dxe6 ( if
15.e2 f8! ) 15...f8 and I would say
Black is OK here. He is under pressure, but
he has an extra piece and tactical ideas
against h2 to help him. ]
11.g5! White suddenly has a dangerous
attack. It's usually a bad sign for Black in the
Fort Knox if he doesn't get to play Bxf3. c5
[ 11...h6 12.c4 c6 ( Black doesn't have
anything for the exchange after 12...xg2
13.gxf7 xf7 14.xf7 xf7 15.xg2 )
13.exf7!? ( 13.xc6 bxc6 14.f3 )
13...xf7 ( Even worse for Black is 13...e8
14.xh6+! gxh6 15.xe6 ) 14.xe6 c8
744
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

15.g6!? with a clear plus for White. 0-0 11.e2 d6 12.ad1 c5 is roughly
( and not allowing Black to wriggle after level ) 10...c6! is apparently satisfactory for
15.d5 e5! 16.f5 d7 )] Black, e.g., ( 10...f8 11.e2 ) 11.xc6+
12.c4 c6 13.c2! g6 ( 11.xc6? d5 ) 11...xc6 12.xc6 d5
[ Now 13...h6 just loses to 14.h7+ h8 and:
15.exf7+ xf7 16.xf7# ] A) a) 13.xe7 xg2 14.e2 ( 14.f1
14.exf7! xf7 15.xe6 c8 16.xg6! xe7 is unclear, but looks fine for Black)
g7 14...xe7 15.d3 e4 ( 15...c6 16.c4
[ Hope les s is 16...hxg6 17.xg6+ h8 hd8 ) 16.c4 b5!? ( The calm 16...hd8
18.xf7 ] should level the game) 17.xe4 xe4
17.xg7 xg7 18.e1 d6 19.dxc5? 18.cxb5 hb8 19.a4 a6 20.hc1! axb5
[ White could keep control of the position 21.a5 d7 22.d5! ( 22.a6 f6 23.f4
with 19.xh7! xh7 20.d5 when he gets c8 24.xc8 xc8 25.e5!? d5
the bishop back with a material advantage 26.d6! b6 27.c5 c7 28.d3
and every chance of carrying out a winning , b u t it 's n o t cle a r if W h it e ca n m a k e
attack against the bare black king. ] progress ) 22...exd5 23.a6 . Now White
19...e5 g e t s g o o d p r a c t i c a l c h a n c e s : d6
[ maybe 19...xc5!? ] ( 23...c8 ) 24.d3 ( 24.c5!? ) 24...c4
20.f5 c7 21.d2 xh2+? A losing 25.d4 f6 26.f4 c8 27.g1 ( 27.a7 )
blunder as the bishop becomes vulnerable to 27...g6 28.a7 c6 ( 28...d6! ) 29.gc1
being trapped. ( 29.h4! with the idea h5 and the game is
[ Black had to play 21...xc5! when White slipping from Black's control.) 29...a5!
still has to prove he is winning, for example 30.xc6 xc6 31.c5 c7 ( 31...b4
22.h6+ h8 23.g5 ce4 ] 32.e1 c8 33.e6 xa7 34.xf6
22.h1 h8 b5 ) 32.e1 d7 33.h4 h5? ( 33...b4
[ If 22...e5 23.f4 ] 34.h5 gxh5 35.h1 e6 36.xh5
23.xd7 xd7 24.b4!? xa7= ) 34.b4 xa7!? (what else?)
[ Even simpler was 24.e7! d8 25.g5 35.xa7 xa7 36.g1 c6 37.xg6
g8 26.xh2 ] e6 38.h6 ( 38.c3! d4+ 39.b3 d3
24...g8 25.b2+ e5 26.xe5! xe5 40.c3 d2 41.xd2 xb4 42.h6 )
27.f4 xg2+ 28.h2 38...xb4+ 39.c3 a2+ ( 39...c6
[ The pin on e5 is decisive and will cost Black 40.xh5 b4+ ) 40.b2 b4 41.c3 c6
a piece, for example 28.h2 e8 29.e1 42.xh5 b4+ 43.b3? ( 43.d2!
g8 30.xe5 c6 31.g5+ g6 with the idea d4 44.d3 c6 45.h7
32.xg6+ hxg6 33.xg2 ] f5 46.h5 ) 43...d4+ 44.xb4 e2
1-0 45.h7 f5 46.g7 xf4 47.c3 e4
48.d2 f3 ( 48...d4!? ) 49.g8 d4
50.g1 f2 51.g4 f3 52.g8 f2
830 C10 53.f8 g3 54.xf6 h5 55.f8 xh4
Kokarev,Dm 2627 56.d3 g5 57.xd4 f6 58.xf6
Pushkov,N 2374 xf6 1/2-1/2 Adams, M (2720) -Andreikin,
Dvorkovich Mem 2013 (6.8) 20.01.2013 D (2718), Eilat ISR 2012.;
[John Watson] B) 13.f3 xf3 14.gxf3 d6?!
( 14...c8! 15.xe7 xc2! and Black has
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 equalized.) 15.e5 ( 15.0-0-0; 15.c1 )
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.e3 15...c8 16.0-0-0 d5 17.hg1 f6
Once again White tries this move. e7 18.d3 f7 19.h3 c7 Black stands
[ 7...d5 is seen in Caruana-Meier. ] very solidly and went on to draw in
8.d3 b6 9.e5 d5 A natural move, but Frolyanov, D (2564)-Bochkarev, A (2410),
White achieves a small pull. Samara 2012. ]
[ 9...b7 is critical. Then 10.b5+ ( 10.0-0 10.e2

745
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 10.0-0 b7 11.f3 0-0 ]
[ Another recent game went 10.e2
11.f3 a5+ 12.d2 xf3 13.xf3 d5
14.xd5 xd5 ( 14...exd5= ) 15.0-0 0-0
( 15...f6! w i t h t h e i d e a 16.c4
17.dxe5 e7 and in this structure the knight
is as good or better than the bishop) 16.c4
f6 17.fe1 ( 17.c6 fe8 18.ad1 )
17...c5! 18.dxc5 xc5 19.c3 fd8 20.b4
f8 ( 20...d4= ) 21.c6 d3 ( 21...dc8
22.b5 d7= ) 22.xf6 gxf6 23.a4 c3
24.ec1 d3?! ( 24...b3 25.b5 c5 )
25.a5 h6? ( 25...bxa5 26.xa5 c8
27.a6 d6 28.b5 d2 29.c5 ) 26.cb1+-
. N o w t h e n o t a t i o n g o e s a w r y : d2?
(presumably a misprint, but White has a very
large edge in any case) 27.a2 ( 27.axb6
wins ) 27...c3 28.f1 d7 29.b5 c7
1-0 Karabashev, S (2071)-Ivanov, D (1968),
Kislovodsk RUS 2013. The end is incorrect,
I'm sure, but this game was extremely well-
played by Black for his rating! ]
10...b7 11.b5+ c6 12.c4 d8
[ 12...xg2 13.0-0-0 ]
[ 12...d6 ]
13.0-0-0 0-0 14.g4 d5 15.hg1 c5!?
[ 15...c7 16.g5 c5 ]
16.b1
[ 16.dxc5 bxc5= ]
16...xe3
[ 16...c7 ]
17.fxe3 c7 18.g5 e4
[ 18...d6 19.g4 is difficult to defend, e.g.,
h8 ( 19...e4!? ) 20.d3 (with the idea
Nf6) e7 ( 20...ac8 21.f6 h6 22.f2! )
21.f6! xf6 ( 21...gxf6 ) 22.gxf6 g6
23.g4 c6 24.f1! ]
19.h4 d6 20.d3 xd3 21.xd3 cxd4
[ 21...c4 22.f2 c3 23.b3 a5 is a better
try. ]
22.exd4 c4 23.g4 ac8 24.h5 d5
25.e1
[ 25.e5!? ]
25...c7 26.eg1 e7
[ 26...b5! and:
A) 27.f2 c4 ( 27...b4 28.e4 fc8
29.f6+ gxf6 30.gxf6+ h8 31.d2!+- );
B) 27.g6 fxg6 28.hxg6 h6 29.e1 ]
27.f2! Suddenly Ne4-f6+ looms large. c8?
[ 27...d7 28.e4 e7 29.f6+ xf6
30.gxf6 g6 31.h2! , but at least it's not
mate. ]
b7 28.e4 h8
[ 28...ec7 29.f6+ gxf6 30.gxf6+ h8
31.d2 and wins: f5 32.g8+! xg8
xe5 33.xg8+ xg8 34.g2+ g6 ( 34...f8
35.a8+ ) 35.a8+ f8 36.hxg6 hxg6
37.e8 g5 38.c3 g4 39.b5+- ]
29.h6 ec7
[ 29...g6 30.f1! f5 31.gxf6 ec7 32.f7
e7 33.c3+- ]
30.hxg7+ xg7 31.c3 e7 32.f1 b5
33.h2
1-0
831 C10
Kosteniuk,A 2501
Zatonskih,A 2489
SportAccord Blindfold Women 2012 rapid (5.4)
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3 c5 8.e3
W hite simply develops and prepares piece
play in the centre. Two recent games:
[ 8.dxc5 xc5 9.0-0 0-0 10.g5 b6
11.e2 b7 12.ad1 c7 13.fe1?
( W e ' v e s e e n ( 13.xf6 and; 13.e5
in the Archives) 13...g4 14.e3 xf3
15.xf3 xh2+ 16.f1 xe3+ 17.fxe3
ad8 18.g3 d5 19.e2 h3+ 20.f2
h2+ 21.f1 h5 22.g4 g5 23.h2 f5
24.e2 e5 0-1 Sancar, K (2075) -Smolny,
F (2169), Schwaebisch Gmuend GER
2013. ]
[ 8.0-0 cxd4 9.xd4 c5 10.b3 ( 10.c3;
10.e3 b6 11.c3 0-0= Beliavsky, A
(2620)-Ehlvest, J (2660), 32nd ol, Yerevan
1996. ) 10...b6 11.f3 h5 12.g5 d5
13.xd5 xd5 14.e4 f6 15.xd5 exd5
16.fe1+ f7 17.e3 c7 18.ad1 d8
19.c5 e5 20.d4 d6 21.c5 e5
22.d4 d6 23.c5 e5 1/2-1/2 (23)
Medina, W (2313)-Nguyen Van Hai (2356),
Penang MAS 2012. ]
8...c7
[ 8...d7 9.dxc5 c7 10.b4 ( 10.0-0 xc5
11.e2 ) 10...b6 11.c4!? ( 11.0-0 bxc5
12.bxc5 xc5 13.d2 xe3 14.xe3
0-0 ) 11...bxc5 12.b5 e7 13.0-0 0-0
14.g5 ad8 , about equal, Anand, V
746
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

(2788)-Milov, V (2652), Bastia 2005 ] 42.c5 f8 43.c8 g6 44.f4 e7

9.e2 cxd4?! 45.g5 h5! 46.c5
[ 9...e7 has been more common and [ 46.gxh5 d5+ 47.g4 xh5 ]
e f f e c t i v e , f o r e xa m p l e , 10.0-0-0 0-0 46...hxg4 47.hxg4 f8 48.c8 e7 49.f4
11.dxc5 ( 11.b1 b6 12.dxc5 bxc5 c7 50.e5 e8 51.g5 f6+ 52.gxf6+
13.g5 b8 14.c4 d8 Polgar, J (2709)- xf6 53.b8 f7 54.f4 e7 55.f3
Tiviakov, S (2675), Konya 2012) 11...b6!? d5+ 56.g5 e3!?
( 11...xc5 12.xc5 xc5 13.e5 ) [ 56...f6= ]
12.cxb6 axb6 13.c4?! ( 13.b1 ) 13...b7 57.h8 d1 58.h7+ e8 59.h2 f7
14.d4 b5!? 15.b3 d5 16.c3 fc8! 60.f4
17.xd5 xd5 18.e5 ( 18.a3 b4 ) [ 60.d2! e3 61.d6 e6 62.d7+ e7
18...xe5 19.xe5 xa2 20.c2 f6 63.e5+ ]
( 20...ca8 ) 21.b3 a4 22.d4 f7 60...e3 61.h7+
23.he1 d8 ( 23...ac4 24.d2 4c6 ) [ 61.g5+ g8 62.d2 ]
24.g3 h5 25.a1? e5 26.xe5 ( 26.e3 61...f6 62.h2 d5+ 63.g3 e3 64.f4
xe3 27.fxe3 xa1 28.xa1 d3 29.e1 d5+ 65.g3 e3 66.f2 f5+ 67.f4
c5 ) 26...xa1 27.xa1 fxe5 28.xe5+ h7 68.e5?! g5+ 69.e4 e6 70.f3
f6 29.c6 d6 30.d4 b6 g7 71.e5? White is beginning to slip,
Ne po mn iac ht chi, I (27 04 )-A nd re ikin, D perhaps from time pressure or exhaustion.
(2718), Moscow 2012. ] d6+ 72.d4 f5+ 73.e4 d6+ 74.d4
10.xd4 b4+!? 11.c3 c5 12.e5 d6 g4 75.g2?
13.b5+ e7?! [ 75.d3 g3 76.c5+ e7 77.f1 g2
[ But 13...d7 14.xd7+ xd7 78.e1+ f6 79.g1 ]
( 14...xd7?? 15.0-0-0 ) 15.xg7 g8 75...g3 76.f3 f5 77.d5 f4?
16.d4 xg2 17.0-0-0 a6 18.hg1 [ 77...b5 will win. ]
and White stands better. ] 78.d4 f5 79.e6+ f3 80.xg7 xg7
14.xd6+ xd6 15.d4!? 81.c5??
[ 15.d1! c7 16.0-0 . This is no fun for [ Obviously White intended 81.xg3+ xg3
Black. ] 82.c5= ]
15...c5?! 81...xg2
[ 15...c7 ] 0-1
16.0-0
[ 16.e3! threatens Nc6+ and moves such
as Qg3. ] 832 C10
16...d8 17.ad1 d7 18.c4 ac8 Kosteniuk,Alexandra 2517
19.b3 f8 20.f4 c6 21.h1 d5 Zhukova,Natalia 2465
Black has efficiently equalized. 22.e3 xb3 1st ACP Women World Rapid Cup rapid (2)
23.axb3 b6 24.h3 [John Watson]
[ 24.f5!? ]
24...d7 25.g4?! Loosening cd8 26.f3 This game features what might be considered
d5 27.e4 f6 the main line of the Hecht-Reefschlaeger, if
[ 27...g8! ] only because it has been played so often. I
28.c2 g8 29.e1 c5 30.g2 d5 pay particular attention to Black's 6th-move
31.fe3 5d7?! alternatives, especially W isnewski's 6...f5,
[ 31...a5 ] which hasn't yet been seen on
32.e5 ChessPublishing (or other theoretical books
[ 32.f5! ] apart from Wisnewski's own). 1.e4 e6 2.d4
32...d5 33.5e2 5d7 34.h2 c7 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6 5.e5
35.g3 a6 This all looks about equal. 36.g2 [ Notice that 5.d3 is unique, because as I
d6 37.e5 c7 38.f5 exf5 39.xf5 point to in my book 'Dangerous Weapons:
xg3+ 40.xg3 e8 41.xe8+ xe8 The French', b4 is possible, and might be

747
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
considered a drawback to the move order 5
Bd3. I'll show three relatively recent
examples (2008/9) of 5...Nb4: ( 5...b4 6
e5 Ne4 transposes to our game. In Kevin's
recent column, he suggests that Nijboer's
new move 6.0-0! xc3 7.exd5! produces
an advantage for W hite, adding that this
poses "a serious blow to the Hecht-
Re e f sc h lage r" a n d sa ys " u n less I f in d
something convincing, I guess it would be a
wh ile b e f o r e I p l a y t h e He ch t a ga in . " I
don't think Black need worry yet. While this
is likely a fair assessment of 6 0-0, it
doesn't threaten 3...Nc6, since Black has
the normal 5...Nb4 )
A) 6.e5 xd3+ 7.xd3 d7 (Wisneski
g i v e s t w o g a m e s w i t h ( 7...g8
, leading to equal play for Black. In this
solid position and with the two bishops,
that's plausible) 8.g5 e7 9.xe7 xe7
10.0-0 0-0 ( another approach is 10...a6
11.e2 c5 12.c3 0-0 ) 11.b5 b8!?
( or 11...b6 12.b3 d7 13.a4 a6
14.c3 e8 15.a5 d7 ) 12.c4 a6
13.c3 dxc4 14.xc4 b5 15.d3 b7
with approximate equality, Ragger (2518)-
Galyas (2454), Wattenscheid 2008;
B) 6.g5 xd3+ 7.xd3 e7 ( 7...dxe4
8.xe4 e7 . The computer likes White
after 9.xf6+ , and that seems right,
although the line gxf6 10.f4 b6 11.e4!
b8 12.c6+ d7 13.c3 d6
looks reasonable, e.g., 14.g3 c8
15.d5 b7 16.dxe6 fxe6 17.0-0-0 e5
should be only slightly uncomfortable for
the second player) 8.h4 h6!? ( 8...xe4!
9.xe4 dxe4 10.xe4 d5 with full
equality, and even retaining an imbalance
because of the bishops (or bishop versus
knight, which is more likely)) 9.xf6 xf6
10.0-0-0 c6 Majeric, Z (2257)-Michalik, P
(2428), Stara Pazova 2009. Black owns
the bishop pair, and went on to win, but
I'd rather play with W hite's space
advantage at this point. At any rate, the
position isn't something that either side
need avoid. It's important to point out that
from White's point of view, the positions
after 5.. .Nb4 are interesting, unbalanced
and by no means inferior, so he needn't
fear allowing them if he dislikes
transposing to the main line of the game. ]
5...e4 6.d3
[ L a s t m o n t h , w e l o o k e d a t 6.e2
, although not the principle line beginning
with 6...f6, which has been covered a lot on
this sit e with the con clu sion th at B lac k
stands well, but will have to take chances if
he is to avoid a certain drawish line. Of
course, that is hardly an advertisement for
White's side! ]
6...xc3 This is not necessarily bad, but is a
concession which strengthens White's centre
and gives him free rein on the kingside. There
are two crucial, and probably better,
alternatives: a) The 'normal' move has been
[ 6...b4 . I have to pause here for a second
and quote Chrisoph W isnewski, who
advocates 6...f5 (given next - variation 'b').
He says, "nearly all the theoretical sources
(including W atson) give only 6...Bb4,
concluding that W hite has a stable
advantage." I'm not sure who these sources
are, but in my book I conclude that Black
stands perfectly well, and practice has not
contradicted the lines given there. W hat I
would call the main line (skipping
a lt e rn a t ive s f o r b o t h sid e s) go e s 7.d2
xd2 8.xd2 f6 ( 8...d7!? ) 9.a3 xc3
10.xc3 fxe5 11.dxe5 0-0 , which I think is
dynamically equal if Black plays aggressively.
Analysis with my students, who have
reached this position twice in tournament
play, indicates the same. ]
[ b) 6...f5 , Wisnewski's interesting
recommendation, hasn't been covered on
ChessPublishing as far as I can tell. In fact,
there are only 8 examples in all of
Megabase, and only one example in his own
book! The move is intriguing here are a few
of the Megabase games with my notes:
7.exf6 ( 7.e2 e7 8.h4!? with the idea c3,
g3, Nfg1, and f3 is interesting, although
probably too exotic ) 7...xf6
A) 8.a3 prevents the idea ...Nb4 and ...c5,
but uses time: d6 9.0-0 a6 10.e1 0-0
11.g5 d7 12.e5?! ( 12.d2 h6
13.h4 wit h a s m a ll e d g e) 12...h6!
13.xf6 xf6 14.xd7 xh2+ 15.h1??
h4 16.xf8 g3+ 17.g1 xf2+
18.f1 xf8 19.h7+ xh7 20.d3+
g8 0-1 Ribeiro, F (2220)-Damaso, R
748
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

(2450), Lisbon 1992; 14.xc4 dxc4 15.xc4

B) 8.0-0 d6 9.g5 ( 9.e2 e5! [ 15.d2 xe5 16.xc4 xc3 17.ad1
- Wisnewski, based upon Lopez Gracia- b5 18.xd8+ xd8 19.d1+ c8
Ansola Martinez, Zaragoza 1998, cited in 20.d6+ xd6 21.cxd6 d8 isn't so bad. ]
Wisnewski ) 9...0-0 10.e1 V Sevillano 15...c6 16.f4 d5 17.d4!?
(2250)-J Gonzales, Manila 2007 and apart [ 17.d4! xc5 18.fd1 ]
from the game's 10...Bd7, Wisnewski likes 17...f5 18.e3 g5 Black has some
b4 "!", intending to play .. .c5 if the counterplay. 19.d2
bishop retreats.; [ 19.c4 d7 20.ad1 h5 ]
C) 8.f4 d6 9.g3 0-0 10.0-0 d7 19...f4? This leaves e4 loose for a knight and
11.e2 e8 ( 11...e7 12.e1; allows White's response:
11...b4! 12.d2 xd3 13.cxd3!? ) [ 19...a4 is logical. ]
12.f4 xf4 13.xf4 h5 14.e2 e4 20.h3 xc5?!
with equality, J Peters (2408)-T Taylor, [ 20...f7 21.f3 h5 22.c4 ]
(2323), Los Angeles 2008.; 21.xe6+ b8 22.b3 e7 23.ad1 hd8
D) 8.g5 d6 9.0-0 ( 9.b5 0-0 24.xh6 c8 25.e6 a8 26.fe1 b6 27.c4
10.xc6 bxc6 11.0-0 c5 12.xf6 xf6 [ 27.g7! is faster. ]
is given '?' by W isnewski in view of 27...5d6 28.c3 b7 29.h3 a6 30.c5
13.dxc5 xc5 14.xd5 , but then g6 bxc5 31.xc5 c4 32.d7 d5 33.e5
with the idea of ...Bb7 and attack turns the c4 34.a5 8xd7 35.exd7 xd7 36.b1
tables ) 9...0-0 10.e1 b4! with the idea a6 37.h8+
...c5 - W isnewski. I suspect that W hite [ 37.e6! ]
stands better after 11.a3 xd3 12.xd3 37...d8 and Black resigned.
, and this time c5 13.dxc5 xc5 14.xf6 1-0
xf6 ( 14...xf6 15.e4 ) 15.xd5
is probably a bit better for the first player:
xf2+! 16.xf2 exd5 17.g1 b6+ 833 C10
( 17...g4 18.xd5+ h8 19.d4 ) Kotronias,Vasilios 2626
18.d4 ] Franchini,Gabriele 2315
7.bxc3 h6 48th It Reggio Emilia ITA (7) 04.12.2005
[ 7...e7 8.0-0 0-0 is more natural, but [Neil McDonald]
Black wants to go queenside. ]
8.e3 d7 9.0-0 a5 10.d2! c5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
[ 10...b5!? is interesting one feels that White 5.f3 c6 6.eg5 A highly poisonous move
is better, but it has to be proven, perhaps by f o r t h e u n wa ry, a s Bla ck e n d s u p f a c in g
11.a4!? ] unpleasant problems after the obvious reply.
11.dxc5! Clearing the queen's way to the d7?
kingside. c7 12.g4 0-0-0 [ The best response is 6...d6! 7.d3 h6
[ 12...xe5 13.f3! xc3 14.d4 a3 8.e4 ( The sacrifice 8.xe6? is useless
15.e5! w i t h t h e i d e a xc5 16.g6! here: fxe6 9.g6+ d7! making good use
illustrates Black's problems. ] of the free d7 square. If necessary, the
13.b3 black kin g ca n hide o n c8 .) 8...f6!?
[ Or 13.d4 ] Not fearing the exchange of his dark
13...c4!? Sacrificing another pawn to squared bishop. ( More cautious is 8...e7!?
activate his d7 bishop and leave White with 9.c3 f6 10.e2 xe4 11.xe4 xe4
his bad one. The fact that White's pawns are 12.xe4 c6 13.0-0 d7 14.e1 f6
tripled makes this a reasonable try in a bad 15.e2 0-0 and here also Black was
position. comfortable in Brendel, O-Rustemov, A/
[ 13...c6 14.f4 and you have to like White, Warsaw POL 2005.) 9.e2 ( Black has few
who is still a pawn to the good with well- p ro b le m s a f t e r 9.xd6+ xd6 10.0-0
placed pieces. ] bd7 ) 9...xe4 10.xe4 xe4 11.xe4

749
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
c6 12.g4 f6 13.0-0 d7 14.d2 0-0
15.c4 fd8 16.fe1 a5 17.a4 e5
and Black had no problems and went onto
win in Predojevic, B-Drazic, S/Djakovo CRO
2005. ]
7.xf7!
[ Instead 7.d3 led to a crushing win for
White in Filipek-McMichael on ChessPub,
but it seems to have been defused by the
analysis given in that game. ]
7...xf7 8.g5+ e8 9.c4!
[ I was disappointed when some years ago I
stumbled into this position against a lower
rated opponent and he forced a draw with
9.xe6 e7 10.e2 f7 11.g5+ e8
12.e6 f7 13.g5+ e8 14.e6
Now I know it could have been a whole lot
worse! ]
9...xg2! Black has to try to disrupt his
opponent's build up as normal moves lead to
annihilation:
[ 9...e7 10.0-0 e5 11.e1 b4 12.f7+
d8 13.c4 h6 14.e6+ e7 15.xg8
xg8 16.d5 xc4 17.xc7 c8 18.b3
h4 19.dxc6 bxc6 20.a3+ d8 21.e6+
e8 1-0 Hector, J-Beltran, S/Oviedo 1992. ]
10.g1
[ It's best to avoid the tempting 10.xe6?
e7 ( but not 10...xh1?? 11.f7+ e7
12.e2+ d6 13.e6# ) 11.g1 d5
12.e2 gf6 when White' s attack was
running out of steam in Khetsuriani, B-
Kakade lis, S /6th O pen, K orinth os GRE
2002. ]
10...d5 11.xe6! b4+
[ After 11...xc4 12.xd8 xd8 Black has
three pieces for the queen, but in his
undeveloped state he can't restrain the white
queen: 13.h5+ f7 14.b5 d6 15.g5
gf6 16.0-0-0 f8 17.xb7 d5 18.a6
f3 19.de1 f7 20.d3 a8 21.b3+
d5 22.c4 b8 23.d3 a8 24.c5 f8
25.c6 xc6 26.xf6 xf6 27.c4+ d5
1-0 just before W hite takes on c7 in
Kotronias, V-Nielsen, U/Gausdal 1990. ]
[ Meanwhile, Black cannot survive the
onslaught after 11...xe6 12.xe6 gf6
13.e2 e7 ( 13...e7? 14.xg7 ) 14.f4
d8 15.0-0-0 etc. ]
12.c3 xe6 13.xe6 e7 14.g3!
A vital move. Black's bishop is hanging and he
is threatened with 15.Re3, when 16.Bxd7+ or
16.Bxg8 wins a lot of material. Therefore
Black h as t o sell h is qu ee n a s de a rly a s
possible, as otherwise with his rooks sitting
passively on a8 and h8 there would be no
hope of resisting the attack. xe6+ 15.e3
xe3+ 16.fxe3 e7 17.e4 h4+ 18.d2
If only Blac k could castle he would have a
splendid position, with a rook and two pieces
for a queen and pawn, and the white king
sitting awkwardly on d2. Alas, the black king
has been to f7 and back to e8. This means
that he has to remain in the centre, where he
can be assaulted by not only the white pieces
but also the advancing white pawns. e7
19.h5+ g6 20.c2 f8 21.e3 f7
22.e5 df8 23.d5 d8 24.e6 f6 25.d1
If Black waits then White can continue 26. Bd4
Rf4 27.Bxg7, etc. So Franchini decides to give
up a piece to get rid of the strong white pawns,
after which the alert Kotronias wraps things
up slowly and carefully. xe6 26.dxe6 xd1
27.xd1 xe6 28.d4 f6 29.xf6 xf6
30.b5+ d8 31.xb7 b6 32.a8+ d7
33.c2 e6 34.d5+ e7 35.c5+ d7
36.d4+ c8 37.g4 d7 38.h4 e5
39.d4+ c8 40.xa7 c6 41.a6+ b8
42.b5+
1-0
834 C10
Krivoborodov,Egor 2403
Graf,Alexander 2595
Acropolis Open (6) 19.08.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 All the game references without dates
refer to games analysed in the archives. 2.d4
d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6 5.d3
[ White can stop the black bishop going to b4
with 5.g5 e7 6.e5 ( for 6.d3
-se e S poe lma n-S tellwa gen .) 6...e4
7.xe7 xe7
A) Awkward for W hite is 8.xe4 dxe4
9.d2 xd4 10.xe4 c6 when e5 is
in de f e n sible - 11.b5? b4+ 12.c3
xb2;
B) 8.a3?! d7 9.d3 g5 10.e2
xf3+ 11.xf3 f6 12.xd5?
( White should go defensive with 12.exf6
750
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xf6 13.e2 ) 12...0-0-0! ( Quite rightly
not getting involved in 12...exd5 13.xd5
d8 14.h5+ g6 15.h6 when White
has a potent attack for the piece.) 13.e4
e8 14.exf6 xf6 15.0-0 xd4 16.e1
g6 and Black had the initiative in Mok
T ze M e n g- G o n za l e s, J / T a ra ka n I N A
2008.;
C) 8.d3 xc3 ( White might have the
edge after 8...b4 9.xe4! dxe4 10.a3
xb2 11.xe4 ) 9.bxc3 a5 10.0-0 d7
11.b1 h6! and Black seems solid
enough. ( Instead 11...c5?
looks premature. 12.dxc5 xc5 13.b4!
c8 14.g4 g6 15.h4 with pressure for
White in Arakhamia, K-Makka, I/Gibraltar
ENG 2008. ) 12.b4?! b6 ]
[ Another way for the game position to arise
is 5.e5 e4 6.d3 ( Here White has the
option of 6.e2 as in Hector-Rozentalis.)
6...b4 and so on. ]
[ White has tried to play it like a French
E x c h a n g e a n d wa s s o o n i n h o t wa t e r :
5.exd5 exd5 6.g5 e7 7.e2
( A better way to play it was 7.b5 while if;
7.h3 e4! seems fine for Black.) 7...0-0
8.0-0 e8 9.xe7 xe7 10.e5 f6
11.d3 the knight should go back to f3 to
k e e p d 4 d e f e n d e d . c6 12.f3 f5
an d W h it e ha d trou ble de f e nd in g d4 in
Nirmal, E-Ghane, S/New Delhi IND 2008 as
if 13.Ne2 Nh4 is awkward. ]
5...b4 6.e5 e4 7.d2
[ The pawn sacrifice 7.0-0 xc3 8.bxc3
xc3 9.b1 is discussed in Beccera Rivero-
Sarkar. ]
7...xc3
[ Here 7...xd2 8.xd2 is Ibragimov-Peric
and Borriss-Firman. ]
8.bxc3 e7 9.0-0 a5 Clearing the way for
c7-c5. A positional battle commences that is
typical of the Winawer mainline with 7.Nf3.
10.e1 c5 11.g4 f8 12.f3 c4 13.e2
d7 14.g5
[ White could prevent Black's 15th move with
14.a4?! The a4 pawn would be more or less
doomed in the long run: Black could arrange
Bc6, Qd7 and Bxa4. It is doubtful that White
would be able to develop a compensating
initiative on the kingside. ]
14...h6 15.h3 It is interesting to see how
over the next three moves Graf uses concrete
tactical threats to deter W hite from playing
the attacking move f2-f4. a4! Black's bishop
blocks the space gaining a2-a4 move and
forces W hite to defend c2. 16.d1 b6
Threatening to invade with 17...Qb2. 17.c1
c6 18.h1
[ A n d h e r e i f 18.f4 xd4 19.cxd4?!
( But also insufficient for W hite is 19.e3
b2 20.xd4 xa1 21.f5 d7 etc. )
19...xd4+ 20.f2 xa1 ]
18...0-0-0 19.f4 White finally carries out his
plan of f2-f4, but meanwhile Black has had
the chance to regroup his pieces.
[ A n o t h e r a p p r o a c h w a s 19.f4!?
and 20.Nh5, etc. ]
19...e7! The pawn structure requires an f4-f5
advance by White. If he can achieve it under
f avourable circumsta nces his pieces will
come alive. If for instance Black had 'passed'
somehow, say with 19...Kb8, then 20.f5 is
alre a dy a big init ia t ive f or W h it e . It 's n o
exaggeration to say that the fortunes of both
players depend on who controls the f5 square.
The knight retreat is the best way to stop 20.f5.
Instead
[ 19...g6 20.f3 h5 would block things up
and should hold for Black, as the
preparation of the f4-f5 advance with the
pawn moves g2-g3, h2-h3, g3-g4 would be
p ro b le m a t ica l f o r W h it e , a s h is k in g i s
stripped bare of cover. However, Graf wants
to win, and if he plays 19...g6 and 20...h5
his opponent can just sit tight. So he prefers
to keep his pawns flexible and develop his
own initiative on the kingside. ]
20.f3 f5! A measure against 21.g4 and 22.
f5. 21.exf6 gxf6 22.e1?
[ White gets outplayed in the game, so
perhaps he should play for complications
with 22.f5!? the 'impossible' pawn advance.
xf5 ( Not only are Black's pawns frozen but
W h it e can try t o exp lo it th e e -f ile a f t e r
22...exf5 23.f4 ) 23.g4 e7 ( not
23...h4? 24.xf6 and White wins a
piece. ) 24.xf6 g8 25.f4 etc. ]
22...h5 23.f2 e8!! Beginning a brilliant
regrouping of the pieces. The bishop heads
for g6 where it controls the centre squares f5
and e4. 24.f3 f5 All according to the
teachings of Nimzowitsch. Now that White's
751
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
break through f4-f5 has been prevented, the
f5 square becomes a strong point for the
black pieces. 25.a4 g6 26.a5 c6 27.a3
xa3 28.xa3 de8 29.aa1 d6
The knight retreats and defends the b7 square.
This might not seem important, but wait until
you see move 35! At the same time it clears
the way f or Black's b isho p and que en t o
intensify the pressure along the h7-b1
diagonal. 30.e2 White has no constructive
plan and can only wait and see if his opponent
can increase his advantage. Graf does so in
admirable style. c7! 31.f2 h7 32.a2
f5 33.b2 h6 34.d2 hg8 35.bb1
d7! Graf sees that the next step in his
winning plan is to exchange light squared
bishops. This will make g2 more susceptible
to attack, and the e4 square more accessible
to his knight. Besides, the removal of Black's
bishop will open up the f5 square to the black
queen or knight. But Graf sees that arranging
the exchange of bishops will leave the e6
square vulnerable, especially if the rook on e8
is called up to duty on the g-file. Therefore he
presses his king into service defending the e6
pawn. There is no danger to it sitting in the
centre, as the knight is guarding b7, the only
breakthrough square on the b-f ile. 36.g1
h7 37.b2 g7 38.e2 h8 39.e1 g4!
At last all is ready to offer the exchange of
bishops. 40.g1
[ If 40.xg4 hxg4 threatening mate on h2
41.xe6+ c6 42.h3 gxh3 43.g4 e8
and W hite loses his queen for rook and
knight and has a crumb ling kings ide t o
boot. ]
40...xf3 41.xf3 h4 42.g4 c6! 43.e1
[ Black's king has avoided the fork on f6 and
so the knight is trapped after 43.xf6 f5 ]
43...h3! 44.gxh3
[ White has to acquiesce in a ruined pawn
structure as if 44.g3 h5 wins the knight. ]
44...xh3 45.xh3 xh3 46.xf6
Now the knight really will be lost, but entirely
hopeless for White is
[ 46.f2 f3 47.d1 xf4 as if 48.xe6
f1# ]
46...h6 47.xe6 gg6 48.b1 xf6
Thanks to the new FIDE time controls I guess
we'll see a lot more games in which a player
lingers on when he really should resign. The
rest is a carve up. 49.xf6 xf6 50.g2
xf4 51.g3 e4 52.f1 e3+ 53.g4
xc3 54.f2 e3 55.h4 e4+ 56.g5
xd4 57.g2 c3 58.h5 d2
0-1
835 C10
Larino Nieto,David 2428
Mirzoev,Azer 2545
I Joan Casals (9) 01.11.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3
[ If Black is going to be wiped out in the Fort
Knox it will almost certainly be with a quick
Neg5 move followed by a favourable
sacrifice on e6 or f7. Therefore extreme care
is needed when facing this early attacking
t h r u s t . I f 6.eg5 d6! ( the 'automatic'
6...d7? here is bad after 7.xf7! ) 7.d3
h6 8.e4 f6!? ( Or 8...e7!? and Black
survives to a healthy middlegame. Details
are as usual in the archives. )]
6...d7 7.e2
[ After 7.eg5 gf6 Some players that like
sa crif ices migh t be a t tracte d t o 8.xf7?
( Transposing to the game is 8.e2 e7 )
8...xf7 ( not 8...xf3? 9.xd8 xd1
10.xe6 with a double threat to d1 and c7.)
9.g5+ g8 10.0-0 Black has a clear
advantage but it isn't altogether comfortable,
especially if it comes as a surprise! Perhaps
the best defensive set up is b6 11.xe6
( Or 11.c4 d7 12.e1 e8 ) 11...d5
12.f4 f7 with good winning chances for
Black. ]
7...gf6 8.eg5 e7 This is becoming
Black's move of choice at the highest level.
The normal plan of exchanging bishop for
knight gives White a free and easy game
[ 8...xf3 9.xf3 though Black is of course
far from being in trouble. ]
9.e5
[ The reply 9.0-0 allows Black to exchange
two pairs of minor pieces: h6 10.e4 xe4
11.xe4 xe4 12.xe4 c6 13.c4 f6
14.h4 ( Here 14.e3 has been suggested,
but then g6 followed by Bg7 and 0-0 looks
sound for Black. Sutovsky's move deters
752
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Black from castling kingside- on the whole a
good idea. However, it soon becomes clear
that W hite doesn't have enough pieces to
cause the black king problems even when
he is castled on the slightly more exposed
queenside.) 14...g6 15.e1 g7 16.h3
g5 17.e5 0-0-0 18.b3 d7 19.e3
xe5 20.dxe5 xe5 21.xa7
with equality in E.Sutovsky-A.Rustemov,
North Sea Cup 2001. ]
9...xe5 10.dxe5 d7 11.xh7?
[ Crit ic a l is 11.0-0 but unfortunately it has
only been tried in one reliable game. This
went h6 12.f3 b4 ( Not 12...g6 13.d4
when Nxc6 will damage Black's pawns.)
13.d2 a5 14.b3 a4 15.c3 b6 16.d4
d5 17.e3!? An interesting pawn sacrifice
that is typical of Luke McShane's style. c5
18.c2 xe5 19.b4 xd3 20.xd5
c6 21.ad1 d8 22.xd3 xd5 23.xd5
xd5 24.d1 c6 25.g4 g6
A) Here 26.g3! looks awkward for Black
as if g7 27.xh6!? forces him to enter
an in f erior en dgam e wit h 27 ...0-0, a s
xh6? allows mate on d8 while
( 27...xh6? 28.b8+ costs the
exchange. );
B) 26.d4?? cxd4 27.xd4
I guess White either missed this move or
forgot that a8 would be defended after
B l a c k ' s n e x t m o v e . 28.xa4+
and Black kept the extra piece and won in
L.McShane-T. Hillarp-Persson, Politiken
Cup 2002. ]
11...xg2? A curious moment. It seems that
neither player subscribes to chesspublishing.
com!
[ So far we have been following the game
Pruess-Golod in the archives. In that game
the temporary exchange sacrifice 11...xh7!
12.xh7 h4 13.d3
looked tremendous as if 14.g1
traps the rook. ]
12.g1 c6 13.d2 0-0-0 14.b4?
Provoking a powerful exchange sacrifice after
all.
[ Instead 14.0-0-0 is un clear e.g. xe5
nowhere near as effective as in the game.
15.xe5 xd3 16.g5!? exploiting the d8
square. xd1+ 17.xd1 f6 18.xf6! f7!
etc. ]
14...xe5! 15.xe5 xd3 16.cxd3 xh7
Black's far more compact pawn structure gives
him the edge. 17.g4 d6 18.e3?
[ White's king will have nowhere safe to live
in the middlegame. He had to endure the
rather unpleasant endgame with 18.xd6
xd6 19.e2 ]
d4 18...xh2 19.0-0-0 b6 20.b1 d5 21.c1
b7 22.d4? a further rash pawn move that
cuts off the rook on g4 from the defence of
th e qu e e nsid e . f6 23.e2 g5 24.a4?
Still intent on attacking. W hite has
systematically ripped his pawn structure apart-
just the sort of thing we are hoping for when
we play the Fort Knox. a6 25.gg1 h3
26.c3 d7 27.a5? xb4! 28.g3
[ White faces disaster after 28.xb4 b3+
29.c2 a4! with a killer discovered check
or the simple capture on b4 about to seal his
doom. ]
28...xg3 29.fxg3 d6 30.axb6 cxb6
31.g4 f5 Emerging black passed pawns on
the kingside a terribly exposed white king on
the queenside and no counterplay at all. It's
time for Larino Nieto to call it a day.
0-1
d5!
836 C10
Ledger,Andrew 2418
b5! McDonald,Neil R 2406
4NCL Birmingham ENG (2) 23.09.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6
8.ed2!? White avoids exchanges as these
would free Black's slightly cramped position
and heads via c4 for e5 with his knight. At
least that is the idea at the moment- after
xg2 Black's reply W hite comes up with a very
xh2 interesting alternative.
[ 8.eg5 ]
[ 8.g3 ]
8...d5?! Black acts fast to stop White
playing Nc4 and Ne5 in comfort. I give this
move an exclamation mark in Mastering the
French but it may be a mistake!
[ Now I like the idea of 8...e7 9.c4
W hite can also try o the r idea s s uch a s
( 9.e1 or; 9.c4 ) 9...d5!? which sidesteps

753
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

the threat of Nce5 and Nxc6 and clears the attack on the bishop buys White time to wreck
way for c7-c5 to attack d4. Play could go his opponent's pawn structure. b6 18.xg6
10.ce5 c5 11.c4 xf3 12.xf3 cxd4 fxg6 19.e5
( Or 12...0-0 13.dxc5 xc5 in Magem- [ I was more afraid of 19.f3!? to stop Black
B a d a l s , E s c a l d e s 1 9 9 8 wi t h e q u a l i t y .) castling kingside, though in fact f8 20.e2
13.xd4 0-0 14.e3 c5 15.b1 a5 f7 should hold on. ]
16.e2 b6 and Black was fine in 19...0-0 20.e3!
Beshukov-Rustemov, Krasnodar 1997. ] [ Keeping control: Black has an initiative after
9.c4!? A new idea. Instead I give the following 20.xe6+ h8 followed by Rae8, to say
lines in Mastering the French: nothing of the attack on f2. ]
[ Firstly, the sharp 9.c4 b4 10.e2 20...xe3 21.fxe3 c5 22.xf8+ xf8
e4!? e.g. 11.c3 ( Safer is 11.e3 ) 23.d1 h6 24.h3?
11...c2 12.b1 xd4 13.xd4 xb1 [ I was dreading the queen and pawn
14.g5 f6 15.xb1 fxg5 I gave this as e n d g a m e a f t e r 24.d7 f7 ( 24...f6
'unclear' in 1997 but as I get older I start to 25.c7! when the attack on g7 forces Black
value material over attack! ] i n t o a h o p e l e s s e n d g a m e a f t e r xc7
[ Alternatively 9.e1 e7 10.c4 f4 11.f1 26.xc7 ) 25.xf7 xf7 ]
0-0 12.b3 g6 gave Black a secure [ Not however 24.d6 b4 when the threat
p o s i t io n i n R o g e r s- M c D o n a l d , L o n d o n of mate on e1 keeps Black alive. ]
Lloyds Bank 1993. Note that if 13.d5? c5! 24...f5! Suddenly Black is alive again. The
is strong. ] wh ite qu e en ha s t o give u p its do m in a n t
9...f4? Black carries on with the standard central position. 25.d6
knight move seen in the extracts in the note [ Or 25.c3 c7 when Black has
above, but here the simple retreat counterplay with Qg3 etc. ]
[ 9...5f6! looks best. After all, the idea of 25...xb2 26.xe6+ h7 27.d8 h5!
Nd5 was to dissuade Nc4 by White and this [ Much better than 27...a1+ 28.h2 e5+
has been achieved. Also Black could claim 29.xe5 xe5 30.d3 when White has
that c2-c4 is a weakening move. If 10.b3 winning chances by centralising his king with
xf3 ( Not 10...b6? 11.d5! exd5 12.fd4 K g3 e t c. a n d t h e n u t il isin g t h e p a s s e d
b7 13.e1+ e7 14.f5 ) 11.xf3 c6 pawn. ]
12.f4 e7 looks passive but playable for 28.e8
Black. Still it isn't much fun. Therefore I [ Black might start playing for the win after
suggest you look at the alternative given at 28.g8+ h6 29.h8+ g5 ]
move eight. ] 28...h6! White hoped that Black would go
10.c2 e7? into the endgame with
[ Necessary was 10...g6 However, 11.b3 [ 28...a1+?! 29.h2 e5+?! etc. ]
xf3 ( 11...e7 12.a5! ) 12.xf3 c6 29.e7
doesn't look that great for Black- the ½-½
centre isn't quite stable so there is always
the threat that White will be able to arrange
a break through with d4-d5. The black knight 837 C10
would be better on f6 than g6 as then it Legaspi,Rhobel 2315
guards the d5 square. ] Goh Wei Ming 2403
11.b3 g6 12.a5! Now Black is in deep 4th Prospero Pichay Cup (7) 18.09.2008
t r o u b l e a s h e c a n ' t l e t W h i t e p l a y N xc 6 [Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
smashing his queenside pawns followed by
Be4, Qa4 etc. xf3 13.xf3 c6 14.xb7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
c7 Black regains his pawn but at a huge cost 5.e5 e4 6.d3 b4 7.d2 xd2 8.xd2
to his pawn structure. 15.c5 xc5 16.dxc5 d7 9.h4!?N According to my database, this
xc5 17.h5! An excellent move which I had lo gi ca l m o ve is a n o ve lt y. W h it e re t a in s
completely missed until it was too late. The options to castle on either side, depending on

754
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Black's response in the next few moves. f6
10.a3 e7? I underestimated White's next
few moves and soon found myself suffering in
an extremely cramped position.
[ 10...xc3 11.xc3 e7 12.0-0-0 0-0-0
was a logical continuation and looks drawish,
one of the reasons I avoided this variation. ]
[ 10...a5 an atypical move in the 3..Nc6
Fr e n c h i s a n in t ri g u i n g p o s si b i l it y a n d
creates some problems for White's future
King placement. Long castling might in the
future fall victim to a queenside onslaught
with ...b5-b4 while short castling defeats the
purpose of 9.h4. 11.exf6 xf6 12.e3
0-0-0 13.b5 a6 with plenty of play for both
sides. ]
11.e2 0-0 I was hoping to play 12..fe 13.de
Rxf 3! but overlooked W hite's reply which
simply prevents it. 12.f4! An accurate move
which restricts any form of activities from
Black. e8 13.g3? Fortunately for me, White
made a mistake almost immediately.
[ 13.c3?! simply strengthening the centre is
tough for Black to handle. For example, fxe5
14.dxe5 a5 To generate some sort of
counterplay. 15.g5! b3 16.xh7+ h8
17.c2! xf4! ( 17...xa1?? 18.g6+ )
18.xb3 was difficult to calculate and
evaluate over the board but could well be
objectively ok for Black. ]
[ 13.0-0-0! was also go od as a f te r f7
14.g3! White is in control. ]
13...xd4! After this, Black was allowed some
breathing space to manoeuvre his pieces
around. 14.xh7+
[ 14.xd4 fxe5 15.dxe6 exf4 16.xc7
( 16.xf8?? b4+ was too much to hope
for. ) 16...b4+ 17.xe8 axe8+ 18.d1
xd2 19.xd2 fxg3 20.fxg3 was likely
equal. ]
14...xh7 15.xd4 g8 16.0-0 a surprise
as I have expected my opponent to go
queenside all along. I was quite happy as it
means there would probably be no Kingside
attack to worry about in the near future! f7
[ I was contemplating to play the very
audacious 16...g5!? , a move perfectly in
the spirit of the opening but I couldn't find
an appropriate response against 17.d3
, simply threatening to wreck Black's
kingside pawns once and for all. I missed
h5! where after something like 18.e3
( 18.exf6 xf6 19.fe5 gxh4 ) 18...gxh4
19.xh4 f7 20.ae1 g7! surprisingly,
Black has managed to conjure a menacing
kingside attack from nowhere! ]
17.fe1 fe8
[ 17...g5 18.d3 g7 was again possible. ]
18.d3 Planning a grand and elaborate
regrouping of pieces. However, Black's pieces
start to come alive in the next few moves and
it is difficult to see how W hite could have
prevented this. b6 19.g4 f5 20.h3 g6
21.f4 g7 22.f1 c5 23.h3 c6
Objectively, one cannot speak for an
advantage in this position but undoubtedly,
B l a c k h a s s e i ze d t h e i n i t i a t i ve w i t h t h e
aggressive placement of his light square
bishop. 24.c3! An important move,
anticipating ..d4. Opening the c-file is
essential for White to obtain any sort of active
play. d4 25.e2 ad8 I figured my best
chance of winning the game comes in the
form of a passed d-pawn though at that time,
I wasn't sure if I could defend it sufficiently.
[ 25...dxc3 26.bxc3 ad8 27.ad1
and again, it is difficult for both sides to
make progress. ]
26.cxd4 cxd4 27.ec1
[ 27.ac1?? would have been a horrible
version of the "wrong rook syndrome". d3
28.e3 xf3 29.xf3 d2 and White could
resign. ]
27...d3 28.d1 c5 29.b4! Initially, I thought
I have won a pawn with the next few moves
but I failed to realize that I would lose my d-
pawn too. xf3 30.xf3 d4 31.a2 xe5
32.d2 d7 33.e3 f6
[ 33...d4 34.xd3! was White's crafty idea
of his previous move. xd3 35.xe5+ g8
36.f6 d7 37.xg6+ g7 38.h5
I calculated this position during the game
and with only minutes left, decided not to go
into this risky variation. Indeed, White has
more then enough play for the exchange. ]
34.f4 d4 35.xd3 This position seems to
be taken straight out of one of those "Can you
be a genius in Combinations" books but much
to my exasperation, I couldn't find a single
tactic that works. e5 36.cd1 b7
[ My best bet for a win seems to arise from
the rook ending after 36...exf4 37.xd4+
755
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xd4 38.xd4 xd4 39.xd4 fxg3 40.fxg3
e3 41.d7+ h6 42.xa7 xg3+
43.h2 b3 44.b7 xa3 45.xb6
This position was more or less forced and I
couldn't see how I could win this position.
However, with the accurate d3! 46.b7
h5 47.b6 d4! Black snares the crucial
h4 pawn and would have been winning. ]
37.c4! Excellent defence! My opponent saw
a critical possibility which I missed in my
calculations... f3 I thought I had done it, with
the multiple threats of ..Qxg3 and ..Bxf2.
38.e6+ xe6 39.c7+! This was the move
that I missed. Capturing the d8 rook defends
the threat of .. .Bxf2 effectively. My opponent
was proud of this move (which he had seen on
move 35) and quite rightly so. h6 40.xd8
xg3+ 41.f1 h3+ With a mating threat on
h8, Black was forced to take a perpetual.
42.e2 g4+ 43.f1 I felt this was an
exciting game despite it's obvious flaws and
outlined one of the main disadvantages of the
3..Nc6 French, the inherent space
d is a d va n t a ge . I b e li e ve t h a t t o p la y t h i s
system effectively, one has to be patient and
wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, in
some ways similar to the hedgehog.
½-½
838 C10
Leko,P 2744
Andreikin,D 2727
20th TCh-RUS 2013 (2) 08.04.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 e7
Other moves may be playable, but recently led
to quick wins for White:
[ a) 7...c5 8.e5 ( 8.d3 is seen in the
notes to the Archives game Macieja-Alvarez
Pedraza ) 8...a6 9.e3 c7 10.a4+ d7
11.b5 cxd4 12.xd7+ xd7 13.xd4 f6
14.xd7+ xd7 15.xd7 xd7 16.0-0-0+
c6 17.d4 d6 18.hd1 hd8 19.c4+
b5 20.a4+ a5 21.c2 1-0 (21)
Carlsson, P (2518) -Hultin, J (2307)/Sweden
SWE 2012/The Week in Chess 958 ]
[ b) 7...a6 8.e3 d6 9.d3 e7 ( 9...b6
10.0-0 b7 11.e2 0-0 12.ad1 ) 10.0-0
( 10.e5!? ) 10...d7 ( 10...b6 ) 11.c4 c5
12.e1 ( 12.e2 ) 12...0-0 13.g5!?
cxd4?! ( 13...h6 14.h4 cxd4 ) 14.xd4
d8 15.f3 e7 16.ad1 g6! 17.c2
h5 18.h6! g7 19.xb7 b8 20.f3
c7 21.f4 d6?? 22.xe6 1-0Prusikin,
M (2545)-Roth, P (2226), Salzburg 2012. ]
8.a4+ Previously I mentioned
[ 8.f4 , e.g., 0-0 9.d3 c5 10.dxc5 xc5
11.e2 d6 12.e5 (Timoshenko), but
this isn't much. ]
[ and 8.e5 0-0 9.e3 c5 ( 9...d5 )
10.d3 ]
[ 8.d3 is the main line of Macieja-Alvarez
Pedraza in the Archives. ]
8...d7
[ 8...c6 9.d3 ]
9.b3 b8
[ 9...c6 is natural, but White can cripple
Black's pawn structure f ollowing 10.e5
( 10.b5 0-0 11.xc6 bxc6 12.0-0 c5
13.dxc5 xc5 14.f4 e7 ) 10...0-0
11.xc6 bxc6 12.e2 . Then c5 13.dxc5
xc5 14.0-0 isn't much fun for Black. ]
10.e5 0-0 11.e2 e8 12.0-0 d7
[ 12...c5! is the obvious test of Black's setup.
White retains a modest edge from 13.dxc5
( 13.d1 c7 ) 13...xc5 14.f4 d6
15.fe1 ( 15.ad1 d5 16.g3 ) 15...c7
16.f3 , but this isn't much and will probably
dissipate. ]
13.d1 d6 14.c4!?
[ 14.c4! e7 ( 14...f6 15.f3 h6 16.c5
f4 17.h3 ) 15.xd7 xd7 ( 15...xd7??
16.c5 ) 16.c5 e7 17.f4 ]
14...b6! 15.a4
[ 15.xd6 a4! ]
15...xc4 16.xc4 h4 17.g3 h5 18.e3
b6
[ 18...c6 19.d5 exd5 20.xd5 a5
, about equal. ]
19.d2 d7 20.d1 xd1+ 21.dxd1 fd8
22.f1 f8 23.e2 e5
[ 23...a5 24.d3 c6= ]
24.dxe5 xe5 25.d2 g4+ 26.f3 xd2+
27.xd2 d7 Nothing more really happens in
this game, which is a typical situation in the
draw-as-Black strategy this system
r e p r e s e n t s . 28.e3 d6 29.b5 e6
30.d1 e7 31.d4 c5 32.h4 xe3
33.xe3 h6 34.c4 d7 35.e4+ f8
756
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

36.b5 c6 37.c4 e8 38.b4 f6 39.xe8+ q u e e n s i d e p a w n m a j o r i t y i n t h e f u t u r e .

xe8 40.f4 e7 41.a5 bxa5 15.fd1 c5 16.e2 c7 17.g3 c6
½-½ 18.g2 h5 19.f4 This allows Black to get
ri d o f h i s we a k h p a wn . T h e o n l y t ry f o r
advantage was
839 C10 [ 19.h4 ]
Leko,Peter 2745 19...h4! 20.xd8 xd8 21.d3
Shirov,Alexei 2718 [ Not 21.gxh4 d2 ]
SuperGM Linares ESP (2) 24.02.2001 21...d6 22.d1
[Neil McDonald] [ White would also be playing with fire after
22.gxh4? h8 23.h3 f5 intending 24...
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 Be7. ]
[ As will be seen, Shirov chooses this move 22...g8 23.e1! Leko's renowned defensive
order so that he can reach the Rubinstein technique allows him to force equality from a
set up having sidestepped lines like 3...dxe4 position that was beginning to look slightly
4.xe4 d7 5.g3!? which have proved a uncomfortable for W hite. e5 24.c3 f5
nuisance for Black recently. ] 25.f3 f6 26.d4+ c7
4.g5 In the 2000 World Championship Match [ He has to avoid 26...b6 27.xf5! exf5
between Anand and Shirov 28.d6+ ]
[ 4.e5 led to a big fight- see the archives ] 27.b5+ c6 28.d4+
4...dxe4 5.xe4 bd7 Very solid. [ Naturally not 28.xa7+ b6 ]
Morozevich and young Radjabov both prefer 28...c7 29.b5+ c6
the more aggressive ½-½
[ 5...e7 6.xf6 gxf6! ]
6.f3 h6
[ Anand managed to beat Korchnoi after 840 C10
6...e7 7.xf6+ xf6 8.h4 so Shirov Li,Chao 2634
prefers to head for the Rubinstein. ] Lysyj,Igor 2617
7.xf6+ xf6 8.h4 Here Lake Sevan GM (1) 10.07.2009
[ 8.e3 deserved consideration to make it [Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
h a r d e r f o r B l a c k t o a c h i e ve t h e c 7 - c 5
freeing advance as c5? 9.dxc5 a5+ 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4
10.c3 xc5? 11.b4 would be unfortunate. ] 5.xe4 bd7 6.f3 h6 7.xf6+ xf6
8...c5 8.e3 d5 9.d3 xe3 10.fxe3 d6
[ More direct than 8...e7 when after 9.d3 11.e4 c5!? The alternative which has only
c5 10.dxc5 a5+ 11.c3 xc5 12.e2 recently sprung to prominence. Out of the 4
in Todorovic-S.Marjanovic, Yugoslavia 1997, games played so far (with mostly 2600s),
Todorovic recommends d7 with a slight Black has scored an impressive 2 wins and 2
edge for White. ] draws. 12.e5 This was exclusively played at
9.b5+ d7 10.xd7+ xd7 This position the time of writing and there must be good
without the moves h7-h6 and Bh4 thrown in reason why if 4 super GMs have chosen it.
has been assessed as equal by theory. the e7 13.e2
addition of these moves may favour White in [ 13.d2?! d7! 14.0-0-0 c6
a miniscule way, as Black's pawn would be was an effective regroup by Wang Hao. In
better on h7 than h6 in the resulting endgame, fact, 11...c5 was first played by him against
but this is of trivial significance. Blacknever f ello w Ch inese GM Yu S haote ng in th e
seems to have any problems in what follows. Asian Continental Championships in 2007.
11.0-0 cxd4 12.xf6 gxf6 13.xd4 xd4 15.b1 c8 16.dxc5 xc5 17.f4 b6
14.xd4 0-0-0 The black king is no longer a 18.e4 0-0 19.xc6 xc6 and Black was
target and so goes to the queenside where it fairly comfortable in Yu Shaoteng (2524)-
will be best place to counter W hite's Wang Hao (2624)/Cebu City 2007/CBM 120

757
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
ext (53) ]
[ 13.dxc5 was not very inspiring. a5+
14.c3 xc5 15.e2 d7 16.d4 0-0-0
17.0-0-0 White's only realistic plan was to
at t a c k t h e f 7-p a wn . a4 It might seem
counterintuitive to exchange one of the pair
bishops but Black is a little cramped and
this frees up some space for Black to
manoeuvre. 18.c2 xc2 19.xc2 d5
A) 20.g4 hd8! 21.b1 f8 22.hf1
5d7 ( 22...8d7 23.f2!? with the idea
xe5 24.xf7! xf7 25.xe6 e7
26.d8+ xd8 27.xd8+ d7 28.e6
is interesting. This idea won't have been
p o s s i b l e w i t h 2 2 . . R 5 d 7 .) 23.de1
with level chances.;
B) 20.f3 xe5 ( 20...hd8 ) 21.xf7
f6 22.b1 f8 23.g6 d8 24.b3
e7 25.xd8+ xd8 26.d4 d5
27.c1 d7 28.e4 b8 29.f3 a6
30.a3 c6 31.a2 b6 32.e1 d6
33.e2 b5 34.g4 d3 35.xd3 xd3
36.e5 d5 37.f3 d3 38.e5 d5
39.f3 1/2-1/2 Naiditsch, A (2700)-
Drozdovskij, Y (2603)/Odessa UKR 2009.
White never got going in this game. ]
[ 13.c3 has never been played but seems
logical. Black should probably react with d7
14.e2 c6 15.e4 b6 with a fairly
comfortable position. ]
13...d7
[ Black can also insert 13...a5+ 14.c3
to discourage White from castling
Queenside. d7 15.0-0 b6 16.h1 a5
17.d2 cxd4 18.c4 c7 19.cxd4 c6
20.g4 0-0 Black was comfortably placed
here and seized the initiative after 21.ae1?
b5! 22.d2 ad8 23.e4 xd4! 24.f6+
xf6 25.xd4 d8 26.g4? ( 26.e3
should have been tried even though xe5
27.xe5 xe5 28.xe5 xd3 would still
have given Black a stable endgame plus.)
26...xe5 27.g6? d4 28.h3 f6
and Black went on to win in Zhang
Pengxiang (2638) -Ding Liren (2458)/
Xinghua Jiangsu CHN 2009/0-1 (41) ]
14.0-0-0 c6 15.e4 c7 16.d5 exd5
17.xd5 0-0-0
[ 17...0-0 would have been a bit risky: 18.e6
xd5 19.xd5 f6 20.c4! fxe6 21.xc5
b6 22.c3 ad8 23.e1 and White has a
comfortable edge. ]
[ 17...d8 looks ok. 18.xc6+ xc6
19.xd8+ xd8 20.d1+ c7= ]
18.c4
[ 18.xf7 xf3 19.xf3 xe5= ]
18...hf8 19.d3 b8 20.hd1 White might
cla im j u st a s lig h t a d va n t a g e d u e t o h i s
control on the d-file but I suppose Black can
live with the discomfort. His position always
seemed secure and he held the draw
comfortably: d7 21.e4 f5
[ 21...g6!? ]
22.e2 c8 23.e1 fe8 24.b3 b6 25.g3
g5 26.e6 g4 27.e5 g5+ 28.c2 d6
29.d3 xe6 30.h1 f4 31.gxf4 f5
32.g2 c8 33.fxg5 xd3 34.a8+ b8
35.c6+ c7 36.a8+ I think 11...c5 is here
to stay and I would be very surprised if we do
not see more of this in the near future.
½-½
841 C10
Loberg,J 2056
Rozentalis,E 2616
Norwegian Open 2013 (1) 24.03.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5 ge7
5.f4 Not bad, grabbing some space. But 5 Nf3
develops a piece and is the surer course. See
the other games with 4 e5 this month. f5
6.f3 d7
[ 6...b6 7.b5 d7 8.a3 occurred in this
m o n t h 's McCa rt h y, D (1 8 8 5 )-P a yn e , M
( 1 9 6 8 ) , C r a w l e y 2 0 1 3 . T h e n e7
looks equal. ]
7.e2 h5 This isn't really necessary, but it's
fine and establishes space. I think Black is
ge n u in e ly e q u a l in t h is t yp e o f p o s it io n ,
because his king is safe, White has no plan
that isn't extremely time-consuming to
implement, and Black given a good deal of
time can organize queenside play. 8.g3 b4
9.d3 a5 Now White has no easy way to
defend his d-pawn versus ... Bb6 without
losing the bishop pair. 10.a3 b6 11.e3
xe3 12.xe3 Space versus bishops
perhaps about equal, or a tad better for White.
e7 13.d3 a5
[ 13...c8 14.b4 ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
14.0-0-0 g6 Stopping f5.
[ 14...c8! with the idea ... c5 should give
Black plenty of counterplay. ]
15.h3 a4
[ 15...c8= ]
16.g4! a5 With the idea ...c5. 17.e2!?
[ 17.f5! exf5 18.f4! takes the initiative, e.g.
, c8 ( 18...fxg4? 19.g5 f8 20.df1
f5 21.hxg4 hxg4 22.h7 d7 23.xf8+
xf8 24.xf5+ gxf5 25.h5+- ) 19.df1
e6 20.h4! ]
17...c5 18.c3 c8 19.b1 b5 20.a1
xd3 21.xd3 c6 22.dxc5 xc5
23.ed4 a6 24.xa6?!
[ 24.c2! and Black can't prevent f5 with
excellent attacking chances. ]
24...xa6 25.g5 Apparently playing for a draw
versus a higher-rated opponent, which he
succeeds in doing, but shouldn't have: c6
26.d3 e7 27.hd1 a5 28.d2 c8
29.b1 b5 30.a2 b6 31.f1?
[ 31.c2 ]
31...xd4! 32.xd4 c6 33.d3 b4!
34.cxb4 xb4 35.ff3 d4! 36.b4 axb3+
37.xb3 c4 38.c3? xe5! 39.xc4
xc4 40.d4 d6
[ 40...d2 41.e3 e4-+ ]
41.b3 c4!?
[ 41...e4! ]
42.b4 xb4 43.axb4 f6 44.gxf6+ xf6
45.b5 e5 46.fxe5+ xe5 47.c6+ e4
48.b6 g5 49.e7 g4 50.hxg4 hxg4
51.g6 d4 52.b1 d3 53.c1 d4?
[ 53...e3 and White can resign, e.g.,
54.d1 ( 54.b7 xb7 ) 54...e4 55.b7
c3+ 56.c1 d2+ 57.b2 d1 58.b8
b1+ ]
54.d1 e3 55.h4! Suddenly White is
defending. e4 56.g2 d4 57.f4 e3
58.g2+ e4 59.h4 g3 60.g2 f3
61.h4+
[ 61.e1+! is even easier ]
61...f2 62.d2 c4+ 63.xd3 xb6
64.d4 This is drawn d7
[ 64...g1 65.f5 g2 66.e3 ]
65.e4 c5+ 66.d4 b3+ 67.e4 c1
68.d4 b3+ 69.e4 d2+ 70.f4 c4
71.e4 e3 72.e5 c2
[ 72...g2 73.f5 ]
73.f4 d4 74.e4 c6 75.d5 e7+
76.e6 g8 77.f5 h6+ 78.g5 f7+
79.f6 d6 80.e5 c4+ 81.e4 e3
82.e5 c2 83.f4
½-½
842 C10
Lomsadze,David 2268
Rustemov,Alexander 2557
2nd President's Cup (2) 04.05.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.e2?!
Just what we hope for when we play the Fort
Knox. Black is allowed to exchange off two
pairs of minor pieces, after which any worries
he might have had about his lack of space
immediately vanish. xe4 9.xe4 xe4
10.xe4 c6 11.f4 e7 It's no great loss for
Black that B d6 isn 't an optio n, as the e 7
square is almost always the better post for
the bishop: notably it deters any attack based
on Ng5. 12.fe1 0-0 13.c4 a5!
The queen clears the way for the rook to go to
d8 as part of a strategy of restraint against
the d4 pawn. She is well placed on a5 as she
not only fights against a future d4-d5
breakthrough by W hite, but also interferes
with White's development, as 14. Rad1 would
drop the a2 pawn. 14.e5? A useless move
as we know that exchanges help Black. White
might have played
[ 14.a3 as a preliminary to 15. Rad1, though
Rustemov would then be pleased at having
provoked a slight weakness in his
opponent's queenside pawns. ]
14...ad8 15.e2 xe5 Now White faces a
dilemma: if he recaptures with the pawn, Black
has 'first say' over control of the d-file but
recapturing with the bishop leaves him with a
vulnerable pawn on d4. 16.dxe5
[ If 16.xe5 d6! though that might have
been the lesser evil for White. ]
16...d4 17.g3 fd8 Dominating the only
open file. 18.b3 b4! 19.e3
[ Collapsing quickly, but Black has a useful
extra pawn after 19.ed1 xd1+ 20.xd1
xd1+ 21.xd1 xa2 22.d8+ f8
23.g5 a3 etc. ]
19...4d7 20.ed1 xe5 21.ab1 d2!
[ White is already one pawn down and
759
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
doesn't see any point carrying on against his
GM opponent when he will have a weak 8...0-0
pawn and a rubbish position to boot after
21...d2 22.f3 xe3 23.xd7 xd7
24.fxe3 d2 A fine demonstration of the
insidious power of the Fort Knox Defence
against lacklustre opposition. ]
0-1
843 C10
Macieja,B 2609
Alvarez Pedraza,A 2525
2nd UNAM Open Section I 2012 (6.1) 24.11.12 9.e2
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 e7
Black has some leeway against the slower 7
c3. Two other tries:
[ a) 7...c5 is the most thematic move. This
month's game Ankit, R (2423)-AlHuwar, J
(2275), Fujairah City UAE 2012 continued 9...b6 10.f4
8.d3 ( 8.e5 a6 9.a4+ d7 10.e3
c7 11.0-0-0 d6 12.xd7 xd7 13.c2
1/2-1/2 Ruiz C, J (2387)-Cordova, E (2564),
Bogota 2012.; 8.e3 is a main line see the
Archives, e.g., Roiz-Vaganian.) 8...cxd4
9.xd4 e7 ( 9...d6 ) 10.0-0 0-0 11.e2
c7 12.g5 d5!? 13.xe7 xe7
14.e5 ( 14.ad1 ) 14...f6 15.e4 g6 10...b7 11.0-0-0 xf3
16.f3 ( 16.ad1 ) 16...f4 17.e5 f6
18.c4 d7 19.fe1 c7 ( 19...ad8 )
20.e3 f4!? ( 20...xe3 21.xe3 e5
22.c4+ xc4 23.xc4+ g7 24.f4 ae8
25.fxe5 xe5 26.xe5 fxe5 27.e1 f6
and White is better but Black should hold)
21.f1 ae8 22.g3 h5 23.g2 b6
24.ad1 c8 25.d2 e5 26.ed1 e6?
( 26...f5 27.d5 f7 ) 27.d6 g7 28.a4 12.xf3
f5? 29.d7! xd7 30.xd7 b8 31.b7
d8 32.xa7 e6 33.d5 f6 34.xe6+
1-0 ]
[ b) 7...h6!? 8.d3 d6 9.e2 b6 10.e5
b7 11.b5+ f8 12.0-0 g6 13.e1
Adams - Nogueiras, Lucerne 1997. ]
8.d3 Other moves include:
[ 8.a4+!? c6 9.d3 ]
[ 8.f4 , e.g., 0-0 9.d3 c5 10.dxc5 xc5 The best way to use the bishop pair.
11.e2 d6 12.e5 Timoshenko, but this
isn't much. ]
[ 8.e5 0-0 9.e3 c5 ( 9...d5 ) 10.d3 ]
[ A surprising attack can arise after 8...c5
9.dxc5 xc5 10.e2 0-0 11.g5 h6
12.h4!? ( 12.h4 ) 12...e5 ( 12...c7!?
13.xf6 gxf6 14.0-0-0 Volokitin; 12...hxg5
13.hxg5 g6 14.gxf6 xf6 15.0-0-0
with attack, e.g., b6 16.e4 b8 17.h4!
b7 18.xb7 xb7 19.dh1 ) 13.0-0-0
b6! 14.xe5 e8 15.c4! Volokitin -
Gaprindashvili, V, Batumi 2003, when c7!
16.f4 is only slightly better for White. One
idea is g4 17.d5! ]
White signals his possible intention to
castle queenside.
[ 9.0-0 and ]
[ 9.g5 are also played, an example of the
la t t e r go i n g b6 10.e2 b7 11.e5
( 11.0-0-0 ) 11...d5 12.f3 d6 13.0-0-0
c5 14.c2!? fd8 ( 14...d5 15.h4! ) 15.h4
cxd4 16.xd4 c5 17.hd1 Geller, J -
Langrock, H, Berlin 2005 C 10/25 ]
[ Or 10.g5 b7 11.0-0-0 , when one high-
level game went d5 12.b1 c5 13.c2
fd8 14.h4 h6 15.c4?! d6 16.e3 cxd4
17.xd4 c7 18.hd1 e5 ( 18...xd4
19.xd4 c8 ) 19.xd8+ xd8 20.xd8+
xd8= Shirov, A (2736)-Bareev, E (2714),
Monte Carlo 2004. ]
[ 11...a5!? 12.h4 a4 (Grivas) ]
[ 11...c8 has been played multiple times, e.
g., 12.h4!? ( 12.he1 ) 12...c5 13.h5
cxd4!? ( 13...h6= ) 14.xd4 d8 15.b1
d5 16.h3 d6 17.xd6 xd6 18.g4!
wi t h a s e r i o u s a t t a c k , T i m o s c e n k o , G
(2510)-Kholmov, R (2435), Stary Smokovec
1996. ]
[ 12.gxf3 is interesting, gaining the g-file at
the expense of a shattered structure: d5
13.e5 d6 14.h4 e7 15.b1 ad8
16.h5 c5 ( 16...h6 17.hg1 ) 17.h6 g6
( 17...xe5? 18.xh7+! xh7 19.hxg7+
xg7 20.dg1+ ) 18.g7 with the idea
fe8? 19.b5 ]
12...d5 13.xd5 xd5 14.d2
[ 14.e5 d6 15.he1 ad8 16.c2
( 16.e4 ) 16...f4 ( 16...xe5 17.dxe5
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
f4 18.e4 g5! and ...Ng6 is about equal.)
17.e4 g6 ( 17...xe5 18.dxe5 g5 )
18.xd6 xd6 Goloshchapov, A (2556) -
Maslak, K (2549), Russia 2006. ]
14...c5?! In the end, this helps White's
bishops gain scope and makes it easier for
him to advance his queenside pawns. 15.dxc5
xc5 16.hf1 fd8 17.a6
[ 17.c2 f5?! ( 17...g6 ) 18.fe1 ( 18.g5! )
18...f7 19.e2 ac8 20.a3 d6 21.g3
g6 ( 21...e7! ) 22.a6! c7? ( 22...c6
23.de1 f8 ) 23.de1 e8 24.b5 ee7
25.g5 f6 26.d1 ( 26.f4! ) 26...c5
27.c4 b8 28.d8 c7
an d W h it e wa s winn in g in P et ro sian , T
(2 6 0 4 )-A n a s t a si a n , A (2 5 7 8 ), Y e re va n
2011. ]
17...f8 18.c2 e7 19.b4 d6 20.fe1
ab8 21.g5+ f6
[ 21...f6? 22.xd5 ]
22.h3 h6 23.c1!?
[ 23.e3! b5 24.b3 d7 25.a4 ]
23...e8
[ 23...b5! 24.e3 d7 25.b3
26.xd6 xd6 27.f4+ d7 28.xc7
xc7 29.a4 ]
24.b3 c7 25.e2 e5 26.d3 e6 27.g3
c7 28.ed1 f5 29.xd8 xd8
[ 29...xd8! 30.xd8 xd8 ]
30.b5 a5 31.d7+ f6 32.a3 axb4
33.axb4 e7 34.h4 g5 35.h5!? g7
[ 35...f4 36.g4 d8 ]
36.e2 e6 37.a7 g4 38.c4+ f6
39.c7 d8 40.b7 d6 41.xh6 xh5
42.e3 d8 43.h7 f4 44.xh5 fxe3
45.fxe3 d1 46.h8 c7 47.c8 d7
48.e4 d8 Perhaps on time. White will
eventually win by playing Bd5 and advancing
his c-pawn.
1-0
844
Macieja,Bartlomiej
Laznicka,Viktor
World Cup Khanty Mansiysk RUS (1.1)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.g5 h6 8.h4
c5 9.b5+ d7 10.xd7+ xd7 11.e2
cxd4 12.0-0-0 c5 13.e5!? As used by
A n a n d t o wi n a m i n i a t u r e g a m e a g a i n s t
French stalwart Mikhail Gurevich. It clearly
needs to be treated with great respect. e7
[ Th e alt erna tive 13...c8!? ignoring the
a t t a ck o n f 6 , h a s a ch ie ve d so m e go o d
results: 14.xf6 gxf6 15.xf6 g8
16.xd4 a4! not only eyeing a2, but more
importantly threatening 17...Bxd4 and then
1 8 . . . Q x c 2 m a t e . 17.b1 ( Black also
managed to achieve a good endgame after
17.b3 e7 18.f3 xa2 19.h4 a6
20.g3 c6 a noteworthy recentralisation of
29.a8 the black queen. 21.xc6+ xc6 22.he1
g4 23.d4 a6 24.b3 b6 25.e5
c4 and Black eventually ground out a win
in Haznedaroglu, K-Goloshchapov, A/Saint
Vincent ITA 2005.) 17...xd4 18.xd4
xd4 19.xd4 xg2 Black has a highly
attractive endgame in view of his rook on
the sevent h an d more co mp act p awns .
20.f4 e7 21.h4 e5 22.e1 f6 23.b4
b6 24.f4 cxc2 25.fxe5 f5 26.a4 e6
c7 27.a5 bxa5 28.b5 a4 29.d1 c6
30.d8 b6 31.e8+ f7 32.xb6 axb6
33.b8 e2 34.xb6 xe5 35.xh6 f4
36.h7+ f6 37.h8 f5 38.e8 f3
39.e1 f4 40.f1 e5 41.a2
the black king advances to force home the
passed pawn. 0-1 Stein, A-Akobian, V/ Los
Angeles USA 2005. ]
[ I n s t e a d G u r e v i c h p l a y e d 13...e7
versus Anand as you can see in the
ChessPub archives. ]
14.xd4 a4 15.c7! A highly irritating
move after which Black cannot castle without
leaving the bishop on e7 hanging. W ith the
b l a ck ki n g s t u c k in t h e ce n t r e , 1 6 . Q x b 7
becomes a sizeable threat, as it would crowd
out the rook on a8 and open the way for a
subsequent Nc6.
[ Much less effective would be the exchange
C10 of queens: 15.b5+?! xb5 16.xb5 0-0
2606 17.xf6? ( Kosic has had the luck to play
2610 this position twice as Black. He was angling
for the advantage after 17.he1 a6 18.d6
xd6 19.xd6 d5 20.d7 b5 21.g3
fc8 22.b1 c6 23.d1 ac8 24.d2
c4 - Haznedaroglu, K-Kosic, D/Saint
Vincent ITA 2005. etc. as the knight
outweighs the bishop.) 17...xf6 18.d7 a6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
19.d6 ad8! 20.xd8 xd8 21.e4
( poor for White is 21.xb7 b8 22.c5
xb2 ) 21...e5 White's temporary initiative
has come to an end leaving Black with a
powerful bishop against a knight with no
safe base in the centre- contrast this knight
with the black one in the Haznedaroglu-
Kosic extract. Black expertly increased his
ad va nt age b y ut ilising his ce n tre pa wn
majority. 22.g3 b6 23.c3 f5 24.d2 c7
25.d1 e5 26.f1 xd1+ 27.xd1 f7
28.e2 e4 29.f3 exf3+ 30.xf3 e6
31.h3 g5 32.g4 f4 33.c4 e5 34.gxf5
xf5 35.e3+ xe3 36.xe3 e5 37.b4
h5 38.d3 a5 0-1 Sibarevic, M-Kosic, D/
Banja Luka BIH 2004. ]
15...d8? A plausible reply: Black centralises
h i s r o o k a n d a t t a c k s t h e wh i t e k n i g h t a
second time. Meanwhile the a2 pawn is still
hanging. It will take a great move to extricate
White from his troubles. It turns out there is
only one such move- and it also wins the
game!
[ C a u t i o n w a s n e e d e d w i t h 15...a6
for example 16.he1 b6 17.xb6 axb6
18.a3 0-0 19.f4 c5 20.xf6 gxf6 21.f3
fd8 22.c3 f8 23.c2 The golden rule
for Black here is to keep at least one rook on
the board- a minor piece endgame would be
horrible for him in view of his wrecked pawns,
despite the strength of the bishop. I rather
prefer White's position, but Kosic held the
draw: e7 24.g3 h5 25.xd8 xd8
26.e4 f5 27.e2 c8 28.b4 d6 29.d4
f6 30.d2 e7 31.f3 f6 32.b3 b8
33.e2 d7 34.e3 e8 35.c4 c7
36.d4 h4 37.b5 hxg3 38.hxg3 e7
39.a4 e8 40.c4 e7 41.e2 e8 42.d2
c8 43.e2 d7 44.h2 e5 45.xf5
exf4 46.h7+ d8 47.gxf4 e4 48.h8+
d7 49.h7+ d8 50.h8+ d7 51.h7+
d8 52.f7 xf4 53.xf6 c7 54.f8+
d7 55.f7+ d8 56.c5 bxc5 57.xc5
f4 58.a5 and draw agreed in Todorovic, G-
Kosic, D/Vrnjacka Banja SCG 2005 ]
16.f5!! A fearful blow after which Black can
no longer save himself. d7
[ Ho pe les s is 16...exf5 17.xd8+ xd8
18.e1+ f8 ( if 18...e4 19.xd8# )
19.xd8+ e8 20.xe8+! xe8 21.e7+
and wins the black queen. ]
[ Or 16...xd1+ 17.xd1 exf5 18.c8+
and mates. ]
17.c8+ d8
[ No better is 17...d8 18.xg7+ f8 ( if
18...e7 19.c5+ and mate follows.)
19.xf6 f4+ 20.b1 xd1+ 21.xd1
xf6 22.h5! t h e m o s t p re ci s e g5
23.xd8+ and once again the black king will
be mated in one move. ]
18.xg7+
[ Black is losing a load of material after
18.xg7+ f8 19.xd8+ xg7 20.xf6+ ]
1-0
845 C10
Macieja,Bartlomiej 2536
Speelman,Jonathan S 2623
FIDE WCh KO New Delhi IND (1.4) 29.11.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.g3 This quiet move contains a lot of poison.
gf6 6.xf6+ xf6
[ Instead 6...xf6 didn't turn out very well for
Black after 7.f3! h6 8.g2 d6 9.0-0
0-0 10.c4 c6 11.e3 e5 12.d5
in Zatonskih-Arribas, FIDE W ch W omen
2000. Black's queen would be better placed
on the queenside, say on c7, where it would
help to hold things together. And besides,
Black still hasn't solved the problem of how
to develop the queen's bishop. ]
7.g2 c5 8.f3 b6
[ White would also maintain his advantage in
the endgame after 8...cxd4 9.xd4 xd4
10.xd4 for example c5 11.b3 d6?
( Instead 11...b6 looks safer, but I still like
White's position e.g. 12.a4! ) 12.0-0 e7
13.a5! b8 14.e3 c7 15.xa7 a8
16.c5+ and White was already winning in
Palac-Neubauer, Baden 1999. ]
9.0-0 d7 Speelman's idea is to relieve the
pressure on the long diagonal by offering an
exchange of bishops on c6. This is logical,
but W hite finds a way to exploit the black
queen's position to gain a lasting advantage.
[ Instead after 9...e7 Black was outplayed
in ele gant p ositional style in Iva nchuk -
Ljubojevuc, Amber Rapidplay 2000: 10.dxc5
xc5 11.e5 0-0 12.e2 d8 13.c3 h6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

14.b4 e7 15.c4 b5 16.a4 e8 has no real attacking chances and the d4
17.b2 d5 18.fe1 f6 19.e5 d7 pawn might prove weak. 15.e5 A pointless
20.b5 ab8 21.c4 e7 22.ed1 b6 23.a5 lunge, but if
c8 24.a6 d7 25.d2 g6 26.e1 [ 15.ad1 xa2 while ]
and White eventually won. ] [ 15.a3 leaves the queenside a bit more
10.a4! c6? Maybe shaky. ]
[ 10...a5!? would be OK. ] 15...a3 All according to plan, but
11.a5 c7 12.a6 Whichever way Black [ 15...ad8 would have been interesting. It
responds to this advance his queenside will keeps the option of Ba3 and it is difficult to
be seriously loosened. Things are made much see a constructive reply by White, unless he
more dangerous for him by the fact that he is plays 16.a3 after all. ]
still two moves away from castling kingside. 16.ad1 Thanks to Black's last move White
d8 13.c3 b5 14.e2 c4 15.b3! d5 can now develop this rook, as Qxa2 is no
[ lo n g e r a t h r e a t . xb2
Here with the king still stuck in the centre 17.xb2 ad8
opening lines with 15...cxb3 16.e5 xg2 Beginning the standard restraint procedure
17.xb5+ looks very dangerous for Black. ] along the d file. 18.b4! Ruling out an eventual
16.e5 e7 17.bxc4 bxc4 18.f4 c8 c6-c5 by Black. Once again in the Fort Knox
19.fb1 0-0 20.b7! Just in time! d6 the question arises: has White done well to
[ White is allowed to capture on a7 and
advance his queenside pawns and gain space,
create a decisive passed pawn as 20...xb7 or are they in fact a target? c7 19.d3 d6
21.axb7 c7 22.c6 would be even less 20.c1 fd8 21.f4 e7 Preparing his next
tolerable for Black. ] move without dropping f7. 22.fd1 d7
21.xa7 xg2 22.xg2 d5 23.xc4 23.f3 Not
xc4 24.xc4 xf4 25.gxf4 c8 26.e3 [ 23.xf7 e5! when the pin along the d file
xc3 27.d7 a8 28.a7 f6 29.c4 d5 will win material. White avoids the exchange
30.f5 fc8 31.fxe6 f4+ 32.f3 xe6 of knights to keep some dynamism in his
33.b6 c3+ 34.g2 xa7 35.dxa7 h5 position. ]
36.d5 d3 37.e7 xd4 38.xf6+ f8 23...f8! The knight begins a long manoeuvre
39.d7 Judging from this game and similar
to f5 to further pressurise the d4 pawn. An
recent encounters Black is in need of a good alternative plan was
remedy to 5 g3. [ 23...b5 e.g. 24.c1!? bxc4 Unfortunately
1-0 t h e b e s t p o s i t i o n a l m o v e ( 24...b6?
loses a piece t o 25.c5 ) 25.xc4 b6
and the black knight will have the d5 square,
846 C10 though it doesn't seem to amount to much. ]
Mah,Karl 2200 24.e3 g6 25.d2 h4 26.b3 f5
McDonald,Neil R 2425 27.e4 b5 At last Black decides it is the
Masters Hastings (8) 1995 moment to break up White's pawns and win
[Neil McDonald] control of the d5 square. A completely
different plan was
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 [ 27...h5 securing the knight on the f5 square,
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.e2 e.g. 28.h3 g6 followed by Qf6, when
This allows a double exchange of pieces that Black has every piece aiming at d4.
relieves Black's game. xe4 9.xe4 xe4 However, Black can't have everything as in
10.xe4 c6 11.c4 e7 12.b3 that case White could play 28.a4 when the
White unnecessarily loosens his queenside b7-b5 break is prevented. ]
structure. More appropriate was 28.cxb5 cxb5 29.c5 Rather passive.
[ 12.f4 ] Perhaps White should have tried the tactical
12...0-0 13.b2 f6 14.e2 a5! [ 29.a5!? or the immediate ]
A key part of Black's strategy is to offer the [ 29.g4 ]
exchange of bishops with Ba3 when W hite 29...d5 30.g4 If White wanted to play this he

763
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

should have done so a move earlier, when with the Rubinstein line 3...dxe4 4.xe4
the knight would have had to retreat to h6 or d7 5.f3 gf6 6.d3 when, rather than
go o f f s i d e t o h 4 . d6 31.e2 c4?!
putting the bishop on e7, it would be more
Perhaps a c t i v e f o r B l a c k t o l a s h o u t w i t h c5
[ 31...h5 or ] For an excellent handling of this line have a
[ 31...g5 intending h7-h5 were better. The
look at Pelletier-Morozevich. ]
knight doesn't prove well placed on c4. ] 4.d3 dxe4
32.f4 This further weakening move is forced
[ Slightly passive. There are manifold
by the threat of Qf6. f6 g6
exa m p le s o f 4...c5 5.dxc5 f6 6.e2
33.f2
34.g2 h6 This allows White to escape from on ChessPub. ]
the positional pressure which could have 5.xe4 f6 6.f3 xe4 7.xe4 d7
been maintained with 8.e2 f6?? 'All moves, no matter how
[ 34...f6 35.f2 a5!? ] obvious, should be checked' wrote
35.f5! An excellent counterattacking stroke.
Capablanca back in 1921. Positionally
exf5 36.b7 8d7 37.c5 7d6?
speaking, it is excellent to drive the white
The way for Black to play to win was bishop from e4, assuming, of course, it has to
[ 37...fxg4! 38.xd7 xd7 Black then has retreat to d3...
two pawns for the exchange and can begin [ If this line is playable for Black, then he has
a strong pawn advance on the kingside, to try 8...0-0 but then 9.d2 clearing the
where the 'score' is 4-1 in Black's favour. way for castling queenside, looks like a
W hite's passed pawn is going no where: dangerous response. If you compare the
indeed if it advances the black knight will position with that in the note to move three
get the e5 square and the queen could after 3..dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7, you will see that
attack from b6. ] here Black has potentially lost time for his
38.b7 e5?? Not wanting to agree to a
counterplay by committing his bishop to e7.
draw I came up with an alternative sacrifice, The following example is distinctly scary for
b u t i t l e a d s t o d e f e a t . 39.xd6 xd3
Black, despite the fact that he escaped with
40.xf5 a draw: c5 10.0-0-0 cxd4 11.xd4 c5
The decisive move that threatens a
massive fork on e7. f4 Trying for a swindle. 12.c3 c7 13.b1 d7 14.he1 fd8
41.e7+ h7 42.f3! c2 43.xd5 e2+ 15.xh7+!? xh7 16.h5+ g8 17.f5
This almost saves the day but after 44.f1! f8 ( After 17...exf5 18.xe7 threatening
xd1+ 45.f2 Black loses the knight. I
both 19.Qxf7+ or 19.Qg5, there is no hope
for Black.) 18.xg7 xg7 19.xg7 xg7
lin ge re d o n s t u b b o rn ly f o r so m e m o ve s .
xd4+ 46.xe2 b2+ 47.f1 a1+ - Martidis,A-Ivanovic,B/Nea Makri 1990.
48.g2 xa2+ 49.h3 g8 50.d3 g6 ( White gives perpetual check after
51.f6+ f8 52.e3 c4 53.c5+ xc5 19...xg7 20.g5+ f8 21.h6+ g8
54.d7+ e7 55.xc5 d6 56.b7+ d5 22.g5+ )]
57.a5 d4 58.c6+ c4 59.g3 f6 9.xb7! Winning a pawn for nothing. A
60.f4 c3 61.h4 c4 62.h5 gxh5 computer program sees this move in a flash,
63.gxh5 a5 64.bxa5 c5 65.b4 but some strong players have missed the
1-0 opportunity as White. Notably the great Paul
Keres once retreated his bishop to d3, though
this didn't stop him winning in impressive style:
847 C10 [ 9.d3?! c5 10.dxc5 a5+ 11.d2 xc5
Mahjoob,Morteza 2461 12.0-0-0 0-0 13.e5 b6 14.g4 b7 15.g5
Chernyshov,Konstantin 2585 d5
14th Open Abu Dhabi UAE (6) 20.08.2004 A) It's better to press on with the attack
[Neil McDonald] than try to grab material: 16.d7 c7
( 16...d4!? ) 17.xf8 f4!
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 e7 and the discovered attack on h1 gives
[ The game continuation should be compared Black good counterplay.;

764
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

B) 16.hg1! c7 17.g4! g6 18.h4 mistake! xf6? A natural reply, especially as

d6 19.g4 fc8 20.b1 b5 21.g1 it threatens 9...Bxf3, but the queen is
e7 22.h6+ f8 23.xf7! c5 ( Or misplaced on f6 and also takes this square
23...xf7 24.xh7+ g8 25.xe6+
away from the knight on d7. Best was
xh7 26.xg6+ h8 27.h7# ) 24.xh7 [ 8...xf6 e.g.
d4 25.xe6 and the rest was a carve
A) Black doesn't have to be afraid of
up: g7 26.d6 d8 27.xb7 xb7 9.e5 because he can safely capture on
28.xg6 e7 29.xe7+ xe7 30.b4 d4: xd4!
d7 31.e1 ad8 32.c1 1-0 Keres, P- A1) If 10.xf7? d5! threatening mate
Petrovs,V/Riga 1939. ] on g2 will win the knight next move, but
9...xb7 10.b5+ d7 11.xb7
not ( 10...xf7?? 11.g6+ discovering
White has s cored 12.5/14 according to my an attack on the queen. );
database from this position: Black's solitary A2) 10.xc6 bxc6 I don't believe White
win was by a player rated 2410 who managed is far enough ahead in development to
to swindle an unrated opponent. So although turn this into a good gambit. If 11.a6
Cheryshov battles hard his 2585 rating proves b6!? looks solid for Black.;
insufficient to save him. 0-0 12.a6B) 9.c3 xf3 10.xf3 c6 and Black will
c5
13.dxc5 xc5 14.0-0 ab8 15.e2 fe8 achieve a far superior piece deployment
16.b3 e5 17.e3 f8 18.fd1 c7 19.c4 than in the game. ]
g4 20.h3 xe3 21.xe3 f5 22.d3 g6 9.e2! Typical of my opponent's tough
23.d5+ h8 24.g5 Black has pressed positional style. Black is almost equal but not
forwards on the kingside in order to generatequite- and this makes the difference between
counterplay, but the white pieces are now able
easy equality and long term suffering. It's
to slip through the light square holes in hiswo r t h t h i n k i n g a b o u t h o w 8 . . . Q x f 6 h e r e
defences. b6 25.d7 xd7 26.xd7 h6 compares with Qxf6 in other French lines.
27.f7+ g8 28.ad1 e4 29.d6 e5 Normally W hite has given up his dark
30.d8 f4 31.d4 a5 32.xe4 xa2 squared bishop to force this displacement of
33.c5 g5 34.d7 xb3 35.xf8+ g7 the queen.
36.e4 b1+ 37.h2 aa1 It looks like the [ Note that the common 'catch the queen'
mate threat on h1 is awkward to meet, but a trap, which would work here if W hite had
s e r ie s o f c h e c k s s o o n cl e a r s t h in g s u p .
played c2-c3 defending d4 rather than 0-0,
38.e7+ g6 39.f6+ h5 40.g4+ fxg3+ would fail here after 9.g5? xf3 10.d2
41.xg3 h1 42.ee6 ag1+ 43.f3 as Black has xd4 ]
xh3+ 44.e2 b3 45.xh6+
9...d6 g4 10.c4 Threatening to wipe out the
46.e5+ bishop with 11.d5. xf3
[ It is discovered mate after 46.e5+ f4 [ Forced, for if 10...b6 11.d5 exd5 12.cxd5
47.hf6+ e4 48.f3# ] b7 13.b5! when the pin on d7 looks fatal
1-0 for Black, as White is also ready with Bg5
etc. to start a big attack. Generally speaking
I have never been impressed by the idea of
848 C10 b7-b6 to keep the bishop- it strikes me as
Malakhov,Vladimir 2510 not very thematic after Black has gone to
McDonald,Neil R 2425 the trouble of Bd7 and Bc6. If Black wants
Budapest FS07 GM 1995 to fianchetto his queen's bishop, why not do
[Neil McDonald] it straightaway with b7-b6 and Bb7- he might
save two temp i! S till, und er f avou rable
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 circumstances the plan of b7-b6 has been
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.xf6+ used by Karpov and regularly adopted by
This unpretentious move shouldn't cause English GM Keith Arkell, so don't take my
Black any problems, but as usual as soon as word as law on this! ]
a player has to think for himself he makes a 11.xf3 c6 White's bishop has reached its

765
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
ideal diagonal- something it normally fails to
do in the Fort Knox. The black queen
meanwhile is on f6 rather than d8, where,
combined with a knight on f6 and a bishop on
e7, it would help prevent the breakthrough d4-
d5 and restrain the d pawn generally. The
natural square for the black bishop is e7, but
here it would cut off the queen's retreat. So,
ra t h e r t h a n lo sin g t im e wit h 9 . B e 2 , a s i t
appears at first sight, W hite has thwarted
Black's general layout of pieces and achieved
an optimal set up. Also he has achieved c2-c4
'in one go' at move 10, whereas he is
sometimes compelled to limit himself to c2-c3.
12.e3 0-0 13.d2 h6
[ If 13...e7 to make it harder for White to
p l a y b 2 - b 4 , t h e n t h e p r o b i n g 14.g5!?
( 14.ab1!? ) 14...f6 15.e3 leaves Black
with a weakness on e6. ]
[ Meanwhile if 13...a5 14.d5!? possibly this
is to o f as t e5 15.e2 and again White
has a nice edge. ]
14.b4 e5 Looking for counterplay in the
centre, but W hite's pressure on the
qu e e n s i d e c a n n o t e a si l y b e sh a k e n o f f .
15.ad1!
[ If 15.d5 c5!? and the long white diagonal is
blocked. ( Also interesting is 15...e4!? )]
15...ad8 16.c5 exd4 17.xd4
18.c4 c7 19.e2! That annoying move
again! e5 20.e4 g6 21.xd8 xd8
22.a4 f4 23.f3 a6 24.b5 axb5 25.axb5
d5 26.bxc6 bxc6 Here I imagined that the
well placed knight would fully compensate for
the weak ne ss on c6 a nd of f ered a draw!
Malakhov politely turned down the offer and
proceeded to grind out the win. It took some
more blunder to lose the position, but it isn't a
pleasant defence for Black. 27.d4
28.g3 a5 29.a1 b4 30.h4 e7
31.xe7 xe7 32.e3 f5 33.b1 xe3?
Instead
[ 33...d4! 34.xb4 ( If 34.xd4 xd4
35.c1 d8 36.xc6 c8 and wins the c
pawn. ) 34...xf3+ 35.f1 when the bishop
on e3 is far less effective than the bishop on
f3- there is no attack on c6. ]
34.xb4 d5 35.a4 f8 36.a6 c8
37.e4 e7 38.f4 e6 39.f2
Perhaps a mistake as it creates a second
p o t e n t i a l t a rg e t o n f 5 . S t il l, i t is h a rd t o
believe that the ending is losing. 40.d3 e7
41.c4+ f6 42.a2 d8 43.e2 d5
44.h5 c7 45.a2 d4 46.g8 e7
47.e2+ f6 48.b2 b5 49.a2 e7
50.a6 d7 51.a8 e7 52.c8 d8
53.xd8 xd8 54.c4 d7?
[ Here I missed the chance to force a draw
with 54...c3 when if 55.e3 ( 55.d3
a4 56.xf5 xc5 ) 55...e4 56.d4
xg3 etc. ]
55.e3 c3 56.d3 e6 57.d4 b5+
58.c4 c7 59.e2 d5 60.d4 c7
61.c4+ f6 62.c3 e7 63.b4 d7
64.a5 d5 65.d3 e6 66.c2 d7
67.xf5+ c7 68.e4 e3 69.b4 g4
70.f3 f6 71.c4 d7 72.d4 e6
73.g4 e7 74.c4 d7 75.g5 e8
76.b4 c7 77.f5 e7 78.gxh6 gxh6
79.xc6 f6 80.d7 d5+ 81.b5 e5
82.e6 f6 83.b6 e8 84.c6 f6
85.b7
1-0
849 C10
Mantovani,Renzo 2338
Bentivegna,Francesco 2361
42nd TCh-ITA Masters (4) 30.04.2010
e5 [John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
5.e5 e4 6.d3 b4 7.d2 xd2 8.xd2
d7
[ Often played, although I prefer 8...f6 9.a3
xc3 10.xc3 fxe5 11.dxe5 0-0 ( or
11...d7 with the idea ...Qe7 and ...0-0-0)
12.h4 e7 intending ...Bd7-e8 ]
9.a3 a5!?
g5 [ 9...e7 supports a potential ...g5, and ]
[ 9...xc3 10.xc3 f6 11.exf6 gxf6
isn't clear I trust White's position a bit more,
but can't seem to prove it with variations. ]
10.h4?! Slow, especially when Black can still
go queenside. Simply
[ 10.0-0 ]
[ or 10.b4 b6 11.e2 are more to the
point, although in the latter case, f6 12.0-0
xd4!? ( 12...fxe5 13.dxe5 0-0 14.f4
f5 e7 15.h4 ) 13.exd4 fxe5 14.b3 e4
is about equal, e.g., 15.a4! ( 15.xe4 dxe4
16.e5 b5 ) 15...exf3 ( 15...a6 16.xe4
766
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

dxe4 17.e5 ) 16.a5 fxg2 17.fe1 0-0 [ 8.g3 You can see examples of both
18.axb6 cxb6!? ] moves in the archives. ]
10...f6 11.e3 8...xf6
[ 11.h5 fxe5 12.h6 f6 ] [ Not falling for the trick 8...xf6? 9.g5
11...e7 This loses a tempo in some lines, xf3 It looks as if White has blundered a
and allows White's option on move 13.. p i e c e b u t : 10.e3! and the black queen
[ Black has a comfortable game following finds herself trapped. ]
11...fxe5! 12.dxe5 ( 12.xe5 xe5 9.0-0 e7 10.d1 xf3! All according to the
13.xe5 f6 ) 12...e7 ] Fort Knox schema: the white knight is
12.b4 b6 13.e2? eliminated before Ne5 could be played- on
[ 13.exf6! gxf6 ( 13...xf6? 14.xd5 ) the previous move it would have invited the
14.0-0 0-0-0 15.a4 hg8 is double- reply Qxd4, whereas here if for example
edged. ] [ 10...0-0 11.e5 and the d4 pawn is
13...0-0-0 taboo. ]
[ Black has a small positional edge after 11.xf3 d5 On the whole I have an
13...fxe5 14.xe5 xe5 15.xe5 f6 ( or aversion to the Qd5 move in the Fort Knox,
15...0-0 )] but here it works a treat as White is happy to
14.c3 xe5 15.xe5 fxe5 16.xe5 c6 exchange queens.
[ 16...f6 ] [ T h e a l t e r n a t i v e w a s t h e s o l i d 11...c6
17.f4 c7 18.e3 f6 19.d2 hf8 20.g3 followed by castling. ]
de8?! Dropping a pawn. 12.xd5? Renouncing any attempt to keep
[ The standard 20...e8!? would have the the initiative. He should have tried
idea .. .Bg6 or ...Bh5. For example, 21.h5! [ 12.e2 planning to push away the black
( 21.xh7 g6 22.h5 gxh5 ) 21...g6 22.h6 queen with 13.Be3 and 14.c4 or else ]
b8 ( 22...g8 23.c2 e7 24.b2 g5 )] [ 12.g3 0-0-0 13.e3 Black can then aim
21.xh7! e5!? Black makes it a piece and for a queen exchange with d6 14.h3
stirs up complications, but they're fairly easy h5 15.xh5 xh5 but it wouldn't be as
to contend with. favourable for him as in the game, where
[ 21...g6 22.d3! wins another pawn. ] his knight lan ds imme dia tely on th e d 5
22.dxe5 xe5 23.fxe5 xe5 24.d3 h6+ square. ]
25.f4 xf4 26.gxf4 xf4+ 27.c2 f2+ 12...xd5 When there are lots of pieces on
28.c1 e3 29.d4 f3 30.b2 g2+ the board, White can kick back the knight from
31.b3 a5 32.a4 e2 33.bxa5 b2+ d5 with c2-c4 with a clear conscience. But
34.a3 d2 35.f4 d4 36.hg1 e2 once simplification has occurred the d4 pawn
37.ge1 c4 38.h1 might need to be bolstered from frontal attack
1-0 with c2-c3. 13.a3 0-0-0 14.e4 f6 15.c3
Murshed will succeed in exploiting the holes
created by White's last two pawn moves. c5!
850 C10 16.e3
Mas,Hafizulhelmi 2372 [ Instead 16.dxc5 runs into xc3! 17.xd8+
Murshed,Niaz 2428 xd8 when the black knight is immune due
Parsvnath ch-Commonwealth (10) 10.12.2007 to the mate threat. ]
[Neil McDonald] 16...cxd4 17.xd4 xd4 18.xd4 b6
the knight has been driven away f rom its
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 centre post, but on b6 it is well placed with its
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.e2 gf6 latent threat of Na4 or Nc4 once the rooks are
8.xf6+?! The sort of lame response that e x c h a n g e d . 19.ad1 with the threat of 20.
always delights a Fort Knox player. W hite Bxb7+! xd4 20.xd4 White suddenly
should have avoided exchanges and kept the seems to be doing pretty well, with his rook
fire in his position with and bishop both on active squares. In fact it is
[ 8.eg5 or else ] a mirage. Murshed sees that he can use his

767
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

kingside pawn majority to push back the white who pioneered the Elephant Gambit some
bishop, whilst the white rook will soon be years ago: 1...e5 2.f3 d5 3.exd5 d6!? ]
exchanged off. f5 21.c2 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 f6?!
[ If 21.f3 e5 then 22...e4 and 23...Rd8 Another maverick opening by Rogers, but alas
etc. ] I think we are going to have to trundle on with
21...d8 22.xd8+ xd8 In the endgame, 4...Nd7 or 4...Bd7. Talking of which, some
Black has a couple of important advantages: years ago, my queen also ended up on f6 in a
firstly, his king is closer to the action in the
game with Malakhov that began:
centre and secondly his kingside pawns are [ 4...d7 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0
full of energy, whereas W hite's queenside gf6 8.xf6+ xf6? ( 8...xf6! ) 9.e2!
majority is ineffectual as it isn't supported by d6 10.c4 xf3 11.xf3 c6 12.e3 0-0
the king and is facing threats from the black 13.d2 h6 14.b4 and Black was facing an
knight. Nevertheless, in an endgame with onslaught against his rather flimsy c6 and b7
imbalanced pawn structures on both wings, a pawn chain. The problem with the black
bishop outstrips a knight and for this reason queen isn't so much in being on f6, but in
despite his inaccuracies White should still be NOT being on the queenside, where she
OK. 23.b3?! Staving off Nc4, but the bishop could bolster the defences. ]
is awkwardly placed on b3 and gets in the way 5.xf6+ xf6 6.f3 h6 Not forced, but the
of the b2 pawn. Instead qu e e n b e i n g h it b y B g 5 wo u l d b e h ig h l y
[ 23.b3! irritating. 7.e3 c6 8.g3! Another strategy
followed by rushing the king to the
centre combined with c3-c4 etc. looks the was to try to exploit the position of the black
best strategy. ] queen directly with queenside castling and
23...e7 24.f1 g5! The black pawns
the pawn push g4-g5. However, that would be
charge forwards and put W hite's inert difficult to arrange and contain an element of
queenside pawns to shame. 25.e2 d6
risk. So, as in Malakh ov's gam e with m e
26.d3 d7 27.d1 c5+ 28.c4 e4 above, McShane prefers to take advantage of
29.f3 f6 30.d3 h5 31.g3 g4 32.c4 e5 the absence of his opponent's strongest piece
33.e3 c5 Once pawns lose their energy, from the queenside. The fianchetto on g2
they become targets. 34.b3 a5! Introducing serves this purpose perfectly. d6 9.g2 0-0
the idea of a5-a4. 35.c2 gxf3 36.xf5? 10.0-0 e5 11.dxe5 xe5 12.xe5 xe5
[ T h e o n l y c h a n c e w a s 36.xf3 13.c3 Black looks almost equal: the pawn
t h o u g h B l a c k c a n p l a y t o w i n wi t h e4+
structure is symmetrical and- to use a very
37.f4 g4! intending 38...Kd4 when if
h a ck n e ye d p h ra s e - t h e re a r e n o gla rin g
38.xf5? e3+ ] weaknesses in his position. However, the
36...e4! 37.h3 a4! 38.bxa4 xc4
bishop on e5 is staring at two brick walls on
Thanks to the intervention of his king, Black'sc3 and g3 whereas W hite's bishops have
connected passed pawns will win the race with targets on a7 and b7. The pressure on the
the white g-pawn. 39.g4 hxg4 40.hxg4
pawns can be increased with moves like Qa4
d5+ 41.f2 d3 42.a5 c3 43.g5 d1+ or Qb3. Black needs to develop his
44.g3 f2 45.h3 e3 queenside pieces without dropping a pawn,
0-1 but then we shall have the glaring
weaknesses mentioned above. a5 14.e1
A s it t u rn s o u t , B la ck' s p ro b le m s o n t h e
851 C10 queenside mean that he won't even manage
McShane,Luke J 2609 t o d e ve l o p a l l h i s p i e c e s wi t h o u t l o s i n g
Rogers,Jonathan 2340 material. c6 15.c5 d8 16.e2 d6
4NCL 2005-06 (7) 04.03.2006 17.xd6 xd6 18.e8+ h7 19.ad1
[Neil McDonald] xd1 20.xd1 g4 The only move as
otherwise White ends the game with 21.Rd8.
1.e4 e6 21.xa8 xd1 22.e4+ g6 23.xb7
[ Jonathan Rogers was one of the players A p a wn i s l o s t , a f t e r wh i c h M c S h a n e i s

768
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
relentless. It turns out that Black wasn't able
to hold onto his 'almost equal' position. f3
24.xf3 xf3 25.d7 c5 26.d2 g5 27.b3
e4 28.h3 f5 29.g2 h5 30.e2 h6
31.c4 g7 32.a3 g4 33.h4 g8 34.f4
d5+ 35.h2 f8 36.f6 e8 37.c4
A nice game by McShane.
1-0
852 C10
Motylev,Alexander 2632
Roiz,Michael 2600
WCC Khanty Mansiysk RUS (1.2) 27.11.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 e7
A popular alternative to
[ 7...c5 Note that against the pawn move,
the queen check on a4 would be feeble:
8.a4+?! d7 9.b3 cxd4 10.xd4 c7
etc. and Black is fine. ]
8.a4+!? A highly interesting attempt to
interfere with Black's standard deployment
involving b7-b6 and Bb7.
[ Th e n at u ra l 8.d3 has been seen many
times before, e.g. in Emms-Arkell on
ChessPub. ]
8...c6
[ The maverick Morozevich has tried a
stunningly simple answer to White's queen
check: 8...d7 9.b3 ( Ideally, we want the
queen on c2, to carry out the attacking plan
we see in the main game but after 9.c2
c6! spoils W hite's fun- 10.e5 e4
11.a4+ c6 etc. ) 9...c8!? ( poor for Black
is 9...b6? 10.e5 ) 10.b5+ c6 11.e2
0-0 12.0-0 c7 13.e5 d6 14.f4 d7
15.xd7 xd7 16.xd6 xd6 17.f3
ab8 18.ad1 fd8 19.c4 e5 20.e3
exd4 21.xd4 f6 22.fd1 e8 23.d2
- G ris c h u k , A -Mo ro ze vich , A / S o ch i RUS
2005. ]
[ F i n a l l y , j u s t b a d f o r B l a c k i s 8...d7?!
9.b5 c6 10.d3 etc. with Ne5 looming. ]
9.d3! The prelude to a straightforward
attacking plan.
[ If White castles queenside, there is no
logical reason why the black king should be
in more danger than the white king. f or
example 9.g5 0-0 10.0-0-0 h6 11.h4
c7 12.g3 d6 13.d3 b6 14.he1
xg3 15.fxg3 b7 16.e5 fd8 17.g4
d7 18.e4 xe5 19.dxe5 xd1+
20.xd1 c5 21.xb7 xb7 and with his
dynamism spent, White was just left with a
ragged pawn structure in Asrian, K-
Mchedlishvili,M/ Olympiad, Bled SLO 2002. ]
9...0-0 10.c2 b6 11.g5 h6 12.h4 b7
Here we see a good feature of the queen
check on a4: if the black pawn hadn't been
drawn to c6, then Bxf3 would be an option.
13.h3 c5 14.xh6! c4
[ Black goes under after 14...gxh6 15.d2!
g4 16.g3 f5 ( if 16...h5 17.h6! )
17.xh6 f6? ( Black defences take longer
to crumble after 17...f7 18.e5 ) 18.xg4+
fxg4 19.h7+ f8 20.h8+ f7
21.e5# ]
15.xg7 cxd3?
[ A h a r d e r n u t t o c r a c k w a s 15...xg7
16.g3+!? ( if 16.d2 e4! ) 16...h8
17.d2 g8 18.c2!? White keeps in
reserve the idea of Rxg8+ and if necessary
can build up his attack with 0-0-0, etc. ]
16.d2! xg7 17.g3+ g4 Black has to
jettison his knight to save his king, for if
[ 17...h8 18.h6+ and mate next move
or ]
[ 17...h7 18.g5+ h8 19.xe6! fxe6
20.h6+ ]
18.xg4+ h7 19.g5+ xg5 20.xg5
h8
[ Also hopeless in the long run is 20...e4
21.h5+ g8 22.h6 f6 23.f3 f5 24.g4
and W hite traps the bishop, when he will
h a ve b o t h a m a t e ri a l a d va n t a ge a n d a
strong attack. ]
21.xd3+ f5 22.g3 h6
[ 22...f6 23.h5+ wins the Q. ]
23.g6+ h5 24.g5+ h6 25.g7!
[ It isn't mate, but White's three extra pawns
are more than enough after 25.g7 f6
26.xb7 ]
1-0
769
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
853 C10
Murariu,Andrei 2389
Jakab,Attila 2442
FSGM Budapest HUN (8) 09.08.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e5
a6
[ Instead Black got into great trouble after
8...d7? in Kasparov-Ponomariov on
ChessPub. ]
9.g5!? This is the new fly in the ointment as
far as Black is concerned. It leads to a livelier
game than the immediate exchange of queens
that follows after either
[ 9.a4+ d7 10.xd7 xd7 11.xd7+
xd7 or ]
[ 9.e3 cxd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 ]
9...h6?!
[ This variation has had very few tests.
Instead 9...d5 10.e3 ( Here 10.a4+!
look s th e wa y to ke ep u p th e in itia tive)
10...cxd4 11.xd4 and a draw was agreed
in Robatsch,K-Geller,E/Havana 1963. ]
[ 9...cxd4 10.a4+ d7 11.xd4 c7
12.xd7 xd7 13.0-0-0 and White had
some advantage thanks to his bishop pair in
Damaso,R-Cubero Ferreiro,R/Ferrol 2002 ]
10.h4 g5? This breaks the pin on the knight
but it irreparably damages the black kingside
pawn structure and drives the white bishop to
a far more lethal diagonal. 11.g3 cxd4
12.a4+ d7
[ Because he has chased the white bishop to
g3 Black would no longer be able to unwind
his game by putting his queen on c7 after
12...d7 13.xd4 g7 14.0-0-0
He faces a similar problem in the game:
there is no good way to break the
forthcoming pin on the d file. ]
13.0-0-0! c5
[ The pressure on d7 leads to collapse after
13...dxc3 14.b5! cxb2+ 15.b1 axb5
16.xa8 Also hopeless is ]
[ 13...g7 14.xd4 ]
14.cxd4 a7 15.d5 b5 16.c2 exd5
17.g6! An abrupt finish. Black resigned as
his rook is attacked, a fatal check is
threatened on the e file and he loses the
queen after fxg6 18.xg6+ f8 19.d6+
1-0
854 C10
Nakamura,Hikaru 2733
Nguyen,Ngoc Truongson 2633
Trophee CCAS GpA rapid (3) 24.10.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 The Hecht-
Reefschläger Variation makes an occasional
appearance at a high level. Here Black seems
to hold his own until a single mistake costs
him dearly. 4.e5 f6 5.b5 d7 6.f3 e7
7.0-0 0-0-0 8.e1 f7 9.a3 ge7 10.b4
[ Another game f rom this month: 10.e2
f5!? ( 10...b8; 10...h6 ) 11.b4 h6 12.a4
( 12.h4 g5!? 13.hxg5 h5 ) 12...b8?!
( 12...g5 13.c5 g6 ) 13.c5 c8 14.c3
g5 15.d2 a8?! ( 15...f4 ) 16.a4 b8
17.a5 f4 18.d3 h5 19.db3
White's attack is faster, and supported by
pieces. g4 20.f3 h6 21.b5 dg8 22.b6!?
gxf3? 23.xf3 g6 24.xg6!? ( 24.h3
with the idea f3 25.f1 ) 24...xg6 25.e2
a6 26.bxc7 c6 ( 26...xc7 27.xf4 )
27.h1 h4 28.d3 ( 28.a4! xc7
29.b6+ a7 30.a3 f8 31.xf4 )
28...h3 29.xh3?? g7 30.f3 g3
31.xf4 xd3 32.d2 h5 33.e3 xe3
34.xe3 h6! 35.g3 xe3 0-1 Garcia, J
(2008)-Zaragatski, I (2490), Plovdiv BUL
2010. ]
10...g6 11.d3 fxe5 12.dxe5
[ 12.xg6 hxg6 13.b5 a5 14.xe5
f5 ]
12...e7
[ 12...a6 ]
13.b5 a5 14.d2 b6 15.e2 c5?!
[ Bla ck sh ou ld p la y 15...c4! 16.ed4
( 16.xc4 dxc4 17.ed4 c3 18.g5 f8
19.e3 xe5 20.h5 xg5 21.xg5 e8
22.h4 d5= ) 16...xd2 ( 16...f4!? )
17.xd2 f4 18.f5!? ( 18.f1 g5 19.g3
g4 ) 18...g5 19.g3 exf5 20.gxf4 h5
21.e6! xb5 22.e5 c4 23.xf5 c5
24.e7 de8 25.g7 h4 26.xe8 xe8
27.h1 d6 with compensation for the
exchange. ]
16.b4!?
770
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ or 16.xa5! bxa5 17.ed4 with a nice which the white king proves to be in the most
advantage. ] jeopardy. xa2 25.g7 a1+ 26.c2
16...h4 17.ed4 xf3+!? 18.xf3 e7 a4+ 27.c1
19.c3 df8 20.d4 f4 21.a2! hf8?! [ B la ck a lre a d y h a s a d ra w a s i f 27.b1
[ 21...h5 is better, but there can follow e4+ wins, but Vaisser wants more. ]
22.a4 xd4 23.cxd4 xd4 24.c2 d8 27...g8 A very exciting position has been
25.xa5 bxa5 26.c3 a4 27.c2 g4 reached.
28.h3 h4 29.xa5 ] [ If 27...b4
22.a4 d8 23.g3 4f7 24.xh7 g5 A) But not 28.xh8 a1+ 29.c2 ( Or
25.d3 g4 26.xc5!? 29.d2 xb2+ 30.e3 c5+ 31.d4
[ 26.g6! g7 27.c2 ] xc3+ with a quick mate.) 29...b3+
26...xc5 27.b4 c6 28.a4 e7? 30.d3 d8+ 31.e3 c5+ 32.d4
But W hite had a substantial edge. 29.bxc6 xb2 33.xf6 xd4+ 34.cxd4 xd4+
xc6? 35.e2 d2+ 36.f1 xg2#;
[ 29...xc6 30.xc6+ xc6 31.xg4 ] B) 28.e6! pins the pawn on b4 against
30.xa5 the black queen and allows the bishop to
1-0 o p p o s e a f u t u r e b 4 - b 3 a d v a n c e . f5
29.c4 and White, who threatens mate on
f7, can fight on. ]
855 C10 [ Another promising move for Black is 27...f5
Nataf,Igor Alexandre 2588 though here also W hite can keep the
Vaisser,Anatoli 2544 tension: 28.f6 e4 29.xe4 xe4
ch-FRA Aix les Bains FRA (8) 21.08.2007 30.xe7 fxg4 31.b4 etc. ]
[Neil McDonald] 28.d4!? There is much to admire in the
vitality of Nataf's attacking play, even if in
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 this case he doesn't manage to pull it off.
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e5 [ Here he decides to gamble rather than play
a6 9.e3 c7 10.a4+ d7 11.0-0-0 28.xf6 f4+ 29.b1 xf6 30.xf6 xf6
cxd4 12.xd7 xd7 13.xd4 e5! 31.d6 xg2 32.xf6 g7 33.xe5+
This is looking much better than as after e7 who would wan t to defend an
[ 13...c6 ] endgame a pawn down against a player with
14.e4 Diverging from strong technique? ]
[ 14.b6 or ] 28...b4 29.xf6 a1+ 30.c2 a4+
[ 14.c4 which are discussed in the archives 31.d3 xb2 32.xe5 xc3+ 33.e2
in the game Karjakin-Prusikin, which Black It looks as if the white king is going to find
won. Nataf wants to keep the queens on and shelter on the kingside, after which his attack
attack, but it turns out that his own king will will t riu mp h in glo rio us st yle . B u t : b5+!!
be in the most danger. ] The only move, but it completely turns the
14...c6 15.g4 c8! Another chance to tables. 34.xb5
enter an endgame that is unwelcome to White. [ Played with a heavy heart, but if the white
Nat af th eref ore m oves his que en f o r th e king moves then two rooks are gobbled up
fourth move in a row, but this means that the by the black queen: 34.f2 xd4+ 35.g3
en e m y la dy rea ch es e 6, whe re sh e b o t h xe5+! when 36.xe5 xh4+ is the end for
defends e5 and attacks a2. 16.g5 e6 White. ]
17.e2 f6 18.h5+ g6 19.h4 b5 20.f4 34...xd4! 35.xd4 xh4 36.xb4 e7
e7 21.f5 Vaisser was about to castle The rest is a bit of an anti-climax. Vaisser is
kingside with the advantage due to his strong obliged to play carefully to exploit his sizeable
centre, and so White decides to do or die with material advantage. 37.b7 f7 38.c5
this disruptive pawn advance. xf5 22.g4 ge8 39.f2 a5 40.f3 ac8 41.d5+ f8
e4 23.he1 c4 24.h6 Ruling out 42.e3 Tricky to the end: mate is threatened
castling, but now the a2 pawn drops after on h6. ed8 43.h6+ e8 44.b3 d4

771
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

45.e6 c2+ 46.e3 b4 47.d7+ f7 which can be combined with Nf5 and ideas
48.b5 c5 of Bxf6, looks very annoying for Black:
0-1 A) B l a c k i s a l s o w o r s e a f t e r 17...a6?!
18.f5 axb5 ( not 18...f8? 19.h6+
gxh6 20.xd7 xe1+ 21.xe1 xd7?
856 C10 22.g4+ a n d m a t e s .) 19.xe7+ f8
Navara,David 2719 20.xd5 etc.;
Rustemov,Alexander 2557 B) 17...d6 18.xe8+ xe8 ( 18...xe8
Bundesliga 2006-7 (8) 03.02.2007 19.xf6 and there is no good way to
[Neil McDonald] recapture, as if gxf6 20.g4+ ) 19.xd5
and the open centre is a delight for
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 White's powerful bishops. ]
The Fort Knox Defence, in which Black is 17.xh7+! xh7 18.xf7?!
p re p a re d t o g ive u p t h e b i sh o p p a ir a n d [ White can virtually force a draw after
endure a long term space disadvantage. On 18.xd5! but probably no more:
the other hand, his position is very solid and A) Black has to be very careful, for
safe, and he can try to wear down his example 18...f6?! 19.xd7! xd7
opponent's pawn structure. 5.f3 c6 6.d3 20.xf6 gxf6 21.e4 with a gigantic fork
d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3 e7 Here rather looming on f6, or;
than d6 is almost always the right square for B) 18...f6 19.g5!? c2 20.xf6 xf6
the bishop in the Fort Knox, as it anticipates a 21.e4! xg5 22.xg5+ and f7 is
pin with Bg5. 9.b3 0-0 10.b2 dropping. Meanwhile if;
[ Instead 10.e5?? would be catastrophic C) 18...exd5? 19.xf7 and the threat of
f o r W h i t e a f t e r xe5 11.dxe5 d5 mate on g7 wins at once as Black's pieces
Normally the threat of mate on g2 would are paralysed by the pin on the e-file and
'only' cost W hite the e5 pawn, but in this the latent pin on his second rank. Thus if
case he loses a lot more material: 12.f3 f6 20.xf6 xf6 21.h5+! ( 21.xc7?
d4+ and the rook on a1 drops off. ] xe1+ ) 21...g8 22.xe8+ xe8
10...xf3! Once the white bishop is on b2, 23.xe8+ h7 24.h5+ g8
controlling the e5 point, Black does well to 25.xd5+;
eliminate the knight as D) 18...g8!? 19.xg7 ( 19.h5!?;
[ 10...e8 11.e5! gives White the edge. ] 19.dd1!? ) 19...exd5
11.xf3 c6 12.c4 e8 Rustemov defend s D1) if 20.g4 g5! 21.xe8+ ( 21.f1
the bishop and clears the f8 square for the f4 ) 21...xe8 22.xg5 e1+ 23.f1
possible manoeuvre Nf8 and Ng6. The c1! threatening mate and forcing off
alternative was the queens.;
[ 12...a5!? planning 13...Ba3 to loosen up D2) 20.h5 xg7 21.f5+ f6
the white pawn structure with an exchange 22.h6+ xf5 23.h7+ f6 24.h6+
of bishops. ] with a very sharp draw. This is all very
13.ad1 c7 14.fe1 ad8 15.d5!? terrifying [ terrifying for Black because
Black's whole strategy depends on preventing h is kin g is wid e o p e n , t e rri f yin g f o r
this centre breakthrough, or at least rendering White because he is committed to heavy
it ineffective. It would therefore be a serious sacrifices] so please make sure you
blow to the Fort Knox if W hite was able to check there variations carefully before
gain the advantage by advancing d4-d5 at the you try this as either colour! ]
first opportunity after completing his 18...7f6 19.d4?
development. Fortunately, in what follows, [ After 19.xd5! f8! 20.h5+ xh5
Black comes under a dangerous attack, but 21.xh5+ g8 White can and probably
W hite doesn't appear to have more than a should force a draw with 22.xg7! xg7
draw. cxd5 16.cxd5 xd5 23.g4+ h8 24.h5+ g7 25.g4+
[ After 16...exd5 17.b5! the pin on d7, etc. ]

772
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
19...f4! The only good way to prevent a
lethal rook check on h4, but it turns the tables
as the white queen is now trapped on f7.
20.c4 f8!
[ And not 20...b8 21.e5 ]
21.xg7+ I wonder what Navara missed in his
calculations when he played his 19th move?
Perhaps he thought he could win with a sham
queen sacrifice, but in his eagerness to attack
g7 had overlooked the weakness of his own
g2 square:
[ 21.xf8
A) Even simpler than 21...xc4 22.xe7
( or 22.xd8 c6! ) 22...d5 23.f3
( 23.e4 xe4 ) 23...d2 and mate
follows on g2 or after 24...Qxe1+.;
B) 21...a5! 22.c3 d5 and the threat
of mate on g2 wins the white queen. ]
21...xg7 22.xc7 f7 White has some
meagre survival chances with his two pawns
for the piece and puts up a tough fight, but
Rustemov eventually forces the win. 23.e4
g6 24.h4 xe4 25.xe4 d1+ 26.h2
d6 27.xf7 xf7 28.e5 xe5 29.xe5
d2 30.g4 xa2 31.c5 d5 32.g3 b2
33.c8 xb3+ 34.f3 e5 35.d8 f4 36.h5
e6 37.d7+ e8 38.h6 xd7 39.h7
xf3+! A knight fork on g5 will gobble up the
pawn on h7.
0-1
857 C10
Nedev,Trajce 2514
Supatashvili,Khvicha 2515
EuTCh Leon ESP (9) 15.11.2001 20...xb4 21.xd8+ xd8 22.d1 e7
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 29.f1 e4 30.h4 f5 31.d2 g4
5.d3 gf6 6.e2 One of the offbeat lines 32.e1 g2+ 33.c1 g3 34.xe4 xe4
against the Rubinstein. White delays Nf3 in 35.e2
favour of a rapid queenside mobilisation. c5 fine positional game by Black.
7.xf6+ xf6 8.dxc5
[ A n in t e re s t in g a l t e rn a t ive wa s 8.g5!?
a5+ ( Highly risky is 8...xd4? 9.0-0-0
while if; 8...cxd4 9.0-0-0 intending Nf3,
Bb5+ regaining the pawn with attacking
chances. ) 9.d2 b6 ( 9...c7!? ) 10.0-0-0
cxd4 11.f3 d7 12.e5 a6 13.g5 d8
14.f4 e7 15.f5! when White had attacking
chances in Smirin-Borgo, Leon 2001. ]
8...xc5 9.d2
[ Instead 9.f3 transposes back to the
mainline. ]
9...0-0 10.0-0-0 c7!? The best square for
the queen. Besides supporting action on the
queenside it has influence over the important
e5 and f4 dark squares.
[ I n s t e a d a f t e r 10...d5 11.c3!
White developed a big attack in Sadler-Miles-
see ChessPub. ]
[ Meanwhile the sharp 10...e5 is untested
here. ]
11.f3 b6 12.e5 b7 13.b1 fd8 14.f4
d4! Provoking White's reply that creates a
weakness on the light squares and so makes
the exchange sacrifice that follows viable.
15.c3 d6!! 16.he1
[ If 16.b4 xd3 17.xd3 d6 and the light
square holes on c4, d5 and e4 mean that
Black has ample play for the exchange.
Also White's queenside is ragged and can
be undermined, for example 18.e5 a5
19.b5 a4 20.c4? e4+ 21.c1 xe5
22.fxe5 xe5 and White faces destruction. ]
16...ad8 17.c2
[ Now unpleasant for White is 17.b4 xd3
18.xd3 e4 19.c1 e7!? ]
17...g6 18.b4? Finally White succumbs to the
bait. He should have resisted with
[ 18.g3 ]
18...xd2 19.xd2 d6 20.c4
[ White gives up the b pawn to gain control of
d5 as if 20.b2 d5 hits both c3 and f4.
However, the resulting dark square
weaknesses prove fatal. ]
23.g4 c3 24.g5 b4+ 25.b3 e4
26.d3 a5 27.c2 d4 28.c1 c3
c5 Now more pawns will drop. A
0-1
773
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

858 C10 E2b2) 11...xd4!?

Negi,Parimarjan 2352
Rozentalis,Eduardas 2585
Essent Open Hoogeveen NED (3) 23.10.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5
A logical move that sets up the characteristic
French pawn chain-and here Black is deprived
of the standard response c7-c5. ge7!?
[ A major alternative is 4...f6!? ]
5.f3 f5 6.e2!? White intends to
challenge the black knight with Ng3.
[ The young Judith Polgar played 6.b5 d7
7.g5 and here the big question is whether
B l a c k c a n g e t a w a y w i t h f6!?
( Not necessarily bad for Black is 7...e7
8.h4 h5 9.d2 a6 10.f1 b6 11.0-0-0 g6
12.f4 b5 but White eventually came out
trumps in this odd position in Polgar,J-
Rozentalis,E/Groningen 1993. )
A) Harmless is 8.f4 b4;
B) Black has the better chances thanks to
the bishop pair after 8.g4? fxg5 9.gxf5
g4 10.fxe6 ( or 10.g1 g5 ) 10...xe6
11.d2 h4;
C) White is just a piece down after 8.exf6
gxf6 9.e5? xe5 10.dxe5 fxg5
11.h5+ e7 12.xg5+ f7 13.h5+
g8 etc.;
D) Finally if 8.h4 b4!? ( or perhaps
even better 8...xh4 9.xh4 g6 );
E) 8.h4! The critical move. fxg5 9.h5+
g6 10.xg6
E1) B l a c k m i g h t c o n s i d e r 10...hxg6
as W hite has to force perpetual with
11.xg6+ ( 11.xh8? cxd4 ) 11...e7
12.f6+ e8 13.g6+ etc.;
E2) 10...g7!
E2a) not 11.h3? g4! 12.h6 ( or
12.xg4 h5 ) 12...xd4 13.d3 df5
14.xf5 xf5 15.h5 g7 16.h6
g8! 17.xh7 g5 and Black takes
advantage of the vacant g5 square to
gain a winning position after 18.xg8
xg6;
E2b) 11.h6!
E2b1) Again Black has a draw option
with 11...hxg6 12.xg6+ ( 12.xh8
xd4 ) 12...e7 13.f6+ e8
14.g6+ e7 etc.;
E2b21) I n a d e q u a t e i s 12.xh8
xc2+ 13.d2 xa1 14.d3
( 14.xh7? xb5 ) 14...e7
15.xa1 0-0-0 and Black stands to
win.;
E2b22) 12.d3 df5 13.xf5
xf5 14.h5 g7 15.h6 f5
16.h5 g7 and a draw by
repetition. ]
6...f6 A somewhat risky move as Black's
centre becomes flimsy. The solid approach
was
[ 6...e7!? 7.g3 0-0 8.xf5 exf5 9.e2
e6 10.0-0 a5 11.e3 a4 as in Schuetz,T-
Keitlinghaus,L/Dortmund 1989. ]
7.g3 fxe5 8.dxe5 c5? A serious mistake.
If
[ 8...h4 White has the confusing, and
possibly good, reply 9.g5!? e.g. xe5
10.h5+ eg6 11.xh7 with ideas of both
Bd3 and Bg5. e5 12.g5 xh7 13.xh4!
xh5 14.xd8 h8 15.xc7 winning a
pawn and if b6 16.b5+ d7 17.d3 e4?
18.xe4! dxe4 19.xe4 attacking both a8
and g6. ]
[ Therefore Black should be satisfied with the
quiet 8...e7! As will be seen, the bishop is
needed on the kingside for defensive
duties. ]
9.d3 0-0 10.0-0 h6 11.xf5 exf5 12.h5!
e7 13.e1 c6 14.d2! Excellent play by
yo un g Negi who sud d en ly ha s a win nin g
position. g6 15.e6?! Here, however, the
Indian prodigy begins to lose the thread.
Decisive was
[ 15.xg7! f4!? ( Black loses at once after
15...xg7 16.xh6+ f7 17.g5+ )
16.h5 g4 ( or 16...f5 17.f6+ )
17.f6+ xf6 18.exf6 xf3 and now
19.c3! hits both bishops when Black will be
left the exchange down for insufficient play.
( instead the simple recapture with 19.gxf3
might also be good enough to win. )]
15...e7 16.b3 b4! This ensures that White
won't be able to attack g7 directly next move
with Bb2. 17.c3 d6 18.b2 h4
19.d4?? In one move White's position goes
from near-winning to lost. He could still have
gained a huge advantage with
[ 19.c4! opening up an attack on g7. For

774
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

example xf3+ 20.gxf3 b4 21.f4! [ Necessary is 12.d2 but this line is holding
I assume Negi missed the strength of this up very well for Black, mainly due to the
quiet move, which gives up the exchange in resource e6-e5! giving up a pawn to activate
order to plunder the g7 square. his game before White can organise a pawn
A) If 21...g5 22.d4 h7 23.cxd5 g6 storm on the kingside. b6! ( Also more
24.g3 xe1 ( also hopeless for Black is than reasonable for Black is 12...b4 13.c3
24...cxd5 25.e2!? ) 25.d6 xe6 d6 14.g5 White has to do or die as he
26.g7#; has no where saf e to castle [if he goes
B) 21...xe1 22.xe1 Now g7 is kingside, what is the pawn doing on h4?] e5!
indef ensible, and exchanging queens 15.0-0-0 xa2 16.b1 a1 17.d3 a3!
do e sn 't h elp B lack: g5+?! 23.xg5 White's king turns out to be in much more
hxg5 24.xg7 and 25.e7 is a winning d a n g e r t h a n B l a c k ' s . 18.bxa3 xa3+
threat. ] 19.c2 d7 20.c1 a4+ 21.d2 e7
19...f4! The knight suddenly finds itself cut off 22.e2 fd8 23.c4 xd1+ 24.xd1
on h5 and W hite is obliged to weaken his xd1 25.xd1 hxg5 There's no longer a
kingside horribly in order to save it. 20.g3 mate, but Black is winning easily 'on points'.
g5 21.d1 c5 22.a3 fxg3 23.hxg3 26.hxg5 d5 27.e1 b6 28.e4 g6
cxd4 24.f4 29.a2 g7 30.f4 c5 31.b2 d8
[ If 24.xd6 f3+ 25.f1 ( or 25.g2 32.xe5+ xe5+ 33.fxe5 c8 0-1 Kobese,
xe1+ 26.xe1 xh5 27.xf8 xf8 ) W-Hamdouchi, H/Turin ITA 2006.) 13.0-0-0
25...xh5 26.xf8 xe6 27.xe6 e5! 14.xe5 e8 15.c3 ( White was also
( no better is 27.d6 h3+ 28.e2 e8+ i n d e e p t r o u b l e a f t e r 15.c4 a6
29.d3 g6+ a n d m a t e s .) 27...h3+ in Pelletier-Morozevich, as given in the
28.e2 xe6+ 29.xf3 e4# ] archives. I recommended 15. Bc3 there as
24...xf4! 25.xf8 xg3 White will suffer an improvement, but it is still pretty
fatal material losses fending off mate, for miserable for White- the best he can hope
example: for is a bad endgame.) 15...xf2! 16.c4
[ 25...xg3 26.h1 xe1 27.e2 c5! ( not 16...a6 17.xf2 ) 17.b4
or else it is mate on g2- d3 28.h2 xh5 It's already rather desperate for White. xe2
29.xe1 d2 ] 18.bxc5 e7 19.d6 A flurry of tactics
0-1 cannot disguise the fatal weaknesses on the
white qu eenside . d5 20.xc8 xc8
21.f5 xc5! 22.b4 b5 ( but not
859 C10 22...xb4 23.d8+ a n d m a t e s .) 23.a3
Nepomniachtchi,Ian 2587 ( This time it is White who is mated after
Drozdovskij,Yuri 2562 23.xe7 e3+ 24.d2 c3 ) 23...g6 24.c4
Aeroflot Open (7) 20.02.2007 c7 25.b2 xc4 26.d7 d4+ 27.b3
[Neil McDonald] c3+ 28.b2 c4+ 29.b3 bxb4+
30.axb4 xb4+ 31.a2 c3+ 32.a3
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 c5 0-1 Solovjov, S-Maslak, K/Peterhof
d7 5.d4 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3 RUS 2006. ]
As you can see in the archives, over the last 12...g4! Already White is in deep trouble.
f ew ye ars mo st to p players h ave tried t o How is he to defend the f2 square? 13.d4
attack the Rubinstein with [ Hopelessly over extravagant is 13.0-0-0
[ 7.c3 c5 8.e5 ] xf2 while miserably passive is ]
7...c5 8.dxc5 xc5 9.e2 White's plan of [ 13.e3 xe3 ( or 13...xe3 14.fxe3
castling queenside seems to be under severe c5 ) 14.fxe3 b6 etc. ]
pressure due to Black's 11th move. But not [ Meanwhile if 13.b4 a3 14.bxc5 xc3+
very exciting is the alternative and Black wins the rook. ]
[ 9.0-0 ] 13...e5! Often Black plays this pawn advance
9...0-0 10.g5 h6 11.h4 a5+! 12.c3? as a positional sacrifice, so he is delighted

775
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
that it comes here with a direct threat. The
white knight dare not move as it is pinned
against the f2 square. 14.e4
[ Hopeless for White 14.b4 xb4 15.cxb4
xb4+ 16.d2 xd4 etc. ]
14...g6 Nepo's attack isn't breaking through
and he is dropping a lot of material. 15.h5
xd4 16.hxg6 f5 17.c4+ g7 18.xh6+
xg6 19.f3 xf2+ 20.e2 h8 21.d2
e6! A startling defeat. White never seemed
to have a chance after 12.c3?
[ Black is a piece up for absolutely nothing
after 21...e6 22.xe6 a6+ 23.c4
xe6 ]
0-1
860 C10
Nijboer,Friso 2540
Reinderman,Dimitri 2572
ch-NED Haaksbergen NED (2) 13.09.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
Th e Dut c h G ra n dm a st er Friso Nijbo e r is
renowned in the European circle as a
theoretician especially with his beloved 1.e4
and 3.Nc3 against the French. In this game,
he came up with a fresh idea against the
Hecht-Reefschlager which probably took his
strong opponent by surprise.... 1.e4 e6 2.d4
d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6 5.d3 b4
6.0-0!? This of course, must come as a
surprise as any Black exponent must have
been expecting the automatic 6.e5. Only 1
serious game with this move was played prior
to this game so we can expect Nijboer to have
s o m e i d e a s o f h i s o wn . xc3 7.exd5!
This was obviously the only move. White gave
Black a chance to decide how he wants to
give up the 2 bishops in exchange for a pawn.
xd4 It is hard to decide the best move here
but no matter how I see it, W hite gains a
strong initiative almost by force!
[ 7...exd5 8.bxc3 gives up the 2 bishops for
nothing but at least Black's king is much
safer and there are no real hacking chances
for White yet. Having said that, I think this
position is still clearly the more comfortable
for W hite and bears similarity to the
Winawer exchange with 4.Bd3:1.e4 e6 2.d4
d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 with Black
capturing on c3 voluntarily. With this, after
0-0
A) 9.e5 was a bit too direct in my
opinion but W hite still can get an
advantage after xe5 10.dxe5 e4
A1) 11.a3?! e8 12.f3 and now,
B l a c k c a n p l a y xc3! instead of the
insipid ( 12...g5?! in Teran Alvarez, I
(2442) -Arizmendi Martinez, J (2524)/
Ceuta ESP 2008 ) 13.d2 d4;
A2) 11.c4! though I think Black can
manage it with a move like c6 or
( 11...e8 );
B) I initially thought that 9.h3! , stifling
Black's light square bishop could be met
by e8 when it wasn't clear to me how
W hite can improve his position further.
H o w e v e r , a f t e r t h e n o r m a l ( 9...e4?!
can be met with 10.c4 f5 11.cxd5 xd5
12.c4 a5 13.b2 with a clear plus for
White. ) 10.e1 e4 ( 10...xe1+
11.xe1 d6 12.e5! d7 13.f4
i s g o o d f o r W h i t e .) 11.c4! f5
( The Petroff like 11...b4 doesn't work:
12.cxd5 xd3 13.xd3 xd5? 14.c4!
wins for W hite!) 12.cxd5 xd5 13.c4
d6!? 14.b2 Black's play against
White's centre pawns is not as dangerous
as what I initially assessed. For example,
after f4 ( 14...b4 15.b1 ) 15.b3!
a5 16.c2 d6 17.c5 xd3 18.xd3
e4 19.e2! with the idea Bc1 seems
extremely good for White.;
C) 9.e1!? g4 10.h3 h5 11.b1 b6
( 11...b8 12.f4 ) 12.f4 ( 12.a3!?
e8 13.g4 g6 14.b5 xe1+ 15.xe1
a5 16.e5 ) 12...d7 appears to be
slight better for White. ]
[ 7...xb2 wins a pawn and keeps his pawn
structure intact but W hite retains an
annoying initiative: 8.xb2 xd5 ( 8...exd5
9.e1+ e6 10.a3 is annoying for Black.;
8...xd5 9.c4 f6 10.d5! exd5 11.e1+
e6 12.g5 is just a sample variation to
illustrate White's attacking potential.) 9.c4
d6 an d he re, t h e im p orta n t 10.a4!
with the idea of Ba3 keeps W hite's attack
going. For example,
A) 10...b4 11.c2 d6 ( 11...0-0
12.d5! is a lot of trouble for Black. ..)
12.a3! 0-0 13.d5! blows the centre wide
776
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

open f or W hite's raking bish ops. exd5 point. g6 27.g3 f6 28.a4 a5 29.f4 e7
14.cxd5 xd5 ( 14...e7 15.e5! ) 30.e5 d8 31.c4 c8 32.f6 h7
15.xf6 gxf6 16.xh7+ g7 17.e4 33.h4 h5 34.g2 d7 35.e3
with terrific compensation for the pawn.; [ 35.g4! is also strong. ]
B) 10...d7 11.b3! 0-0-0 12.c3 35...hg8 36.f4! g7 37.d3 e7
looks like a lot of fun for White. ] 38.xd8 xd8 39.xf7+- d7 40.xg7+
[ 7...xd5 8.bxc3 xc3 9.d2 d5 xg7 41.d2 e7 42.xa5 e5 43.d2
10.a3 looks like a superior version of one g4 44.b4 e4 45.d4+ h7 46.a4 e8
of my favourite lines in the Sicilian: 1. e4 c5 47.a5 f3+ 48.h2 g5 49.hxg5 h4 50.f6
2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6. hxg3+ 51.xg3 h5 52.h6# I seriously
Be2!? Bb4 7.0-0! when White normally gains think this new idea can be a serious blow to
a powerful attack in exchange for a pawn. the Hecht-Reefschlager and unless I find
A f t e r , s a y , de7 11.g5!? something convincing, I guess it would be a
is o n e in t e re s t i n g wa y t o i n c re a s e t h e while before I play the Hecht again. For now,
pressure on Black's position. ] good news for White exponents!
8.dxc6 c5 1-0
[ 8...bxc6?! is extremely ugly after 9.xd4
xd4 10.f3 with more than sufficient
compensation for the pawn. ] 861 C10
9.e5 bxc6 10.e2 b7 11.g5 d6 O'Shaughnessy,Conor 2295
12.fe1 b8 13.ad1 This position is McDonald,Neil R 2390
ext re m ely u n p le a sa n t f o r B la ck a nd it is 4 London 1994
difficult to find any improvements after 7... [Neil McDonald]
Bxd4. White's play is very logical and natural
and sure enough, Black caved in under the 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
pressure. e7 14.e3! eyeing a7... a8 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.e2 gf6
which Black can only defend passively. 8.eg5 White aims to acquire the two bishops
[ 14...c5 15.h3 would have been equally whilst keeping a knight on the optimal f 3
unpleasant. ] square. On the other hand this plan does
15.h3 xe5 16.xe5 h6 17.d2 nothing to hinder the smooth development of
[ 17.de1! also looks tremendously Black's pieces. xf3 Embarrassing would be
powerful. ] [ 8...d6?? 9.xf7! ]
17...d8 18.de1 f8 9.xf3 e7 10.0-0 0-0 Black is in no hurry
[ 18...0-0 would have been met with to play c7-c6 as he might get to go c7-c5 in
19.xh6! winning almost immediately. ] one leap. It is probably this consideration that
[ 18...a6 19.xe6! fxe6 20.xe6 xd3 p r o v o k e d m y o p p o n e n t ' s r e p l y . 11.d1
21.b4! ] A committal move, since the rook could be
19.a5 a6 20.e3 a8 21.a3! very powerful better placed on e1 or even f1 as the game
play by Nijboer, utilizing all his trump cards in unfolds.
the position. g8 22.h3?! [ One of my later games went 11.c4 c5
[ I prefer 22.g3! continuing the squeeze Naturally a restraining policy with ( 11...c6
and preventing d5? 23.c4 is just bad for was also possible.) 12.dxc5 xc5 13.c2
Black. ] c7 14.b3 ac8 15.b2 fd8 16.ad1
22...d5 23.e2 xd1 17.xd1 d8 18.e1! cd7 19.g5
[ Again, I prefer 23.g3 ] b4 20.d1 a5 Attacking the knight and
23...f6 24.c4 f4 White really shouldn't planning Bc3. Black is prepared to give up a
have allowed Black to exchange minor pieces, pawn if necessary to safeguard his king from
whatever the reason was. As it turned out, a direct attack. 21.e4 xe4 22.xe4 f6
White was still much better even after this! 23.xd8+ xd8 24.d3 ( Black could
25.xf4 xf4 26.c5! The squeeze continues hardly lose after 24.xf6 xf6 25.xh7+
and Nijboer eventually reined in the whole f8 ) 24...a5! Keeping the queens on in

777
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
order to avoid an unpleasant endgame in
which White's two bishops and queenside
pawn majority would be significant factors.
25.xf6 gxf6 26.xh7+ f8 27.h8+ e7
28.b8 b6 29.c7+ f8 30.a4 c5
31.d8+ g7 32.d1 c3 33.g3 f5
34.g2 a5 35.h4 e7 36.d3 f6
and Black easily held the draw in Burnett,
R-McDonald,N/London 1998. ]
11...c6 12.b3 a5 13.e5 This looks like an
impressive square for the knight but in fact it
achieves little here. He might have played
[ 13.c4 immediately. ]
13...ad8 14.a3 As so often White wants to
play Bb2 without allowing the exchange of
bishops after Ba3. fe8 15.b2 f8 16.c4
g6! Having bee n thwarted in the idea of Ba3,
Black finds an alternative way to deploy his
king's bishop. The fianchetto blunts the range
of the bishop on d3 and will apply pressure
along the diagonal towards d4. 17.c2 g7
Black is solidly entrenched, but how can he
play actively for a win? The only method is to
gra d u a lly u n d e rm i n e W h i t e 's qu e e n s id e
pawns. 18.b4 c7 19.b3 h5 20.e3
hf6 21.e2 a5 The first counterattacking
blow against the pawns. It is fortunate for
Black that his opponent's bishops aren't well
placed for the battle on the queenside- they
are facing in the wrong direction! White would
have c onside rably great er op tions is th e
bishop were on f 3 rather than b3: in f act
Black's active scheme would be difficult to
im p le m en t wit ho u t lo sin g a pa wn . 22.c3
axb4 23.axb4 a8 24.g3 xa1 25.xa1
b5! This thematic stroke has been seen many
times in the Fort Knox structure. Black wants
to win control of the d5 square. 26.xd7
[ If he tries to keep it blocked with 26.c5 then
d5 is highly awkward as if 27.xd5 exd5
threatens 28...f6 etc. ]
26...xd7 27.cxb5 cxb5 28.b2 b8
29.a5 c6 Defending b5 again and ready
for Nf6 and Nd5 to exploit the d5 square. As
long as Black is careful to prevent W hite
playing a favourable d4-d5 sacrifice he has
good winning chances due to the weakness
o n d 4 a n d t h e p a s s i vi t y o f W h i t e ' s d a r k
squared bishop. 30.c2 Trying to attack b5
again with Bd3, but losing more ground. c4
31.d2 h6! The entrance of the bishop
overwhelms the defence as 32. Qxh6 Qxc2
would be horrible f or W hite - he lose s all
in f l u e n c e o ve r t h e l i gh t s qu a r e s . 32.d1
xb4 33.a1 d2 34.e4 e3! 35.fxe3
xe3+ 36.f1 xe4 37.g1 d5 38.f1
g7 39.e2 f6 40.e3 c8 41.d3 c4
42.e2 c6 43.d5 At last comes the freeing
move, but White resigned after b6+
0-1
862 C10
Oparin,G 2504
Rozentalis,E 2607
15th Trieste Open (6) 04.09.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
The Fort Knox may have seen its heyday. In
the main lines Black seems to be cramped
with no counterplay. In 23 games this month,
W hite scored over 80% with nearly a
400-point performance rating advantage!
Naturally that's not typical, but in general
Black's results have declined over the past
few years. 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0
gf6 8.g3 d6 9.e1 xg3
W hat a negative idea. This obsession with
safety in the Fort Knox can be
counterproductive. Bishops and space mean
something in almost every standard opening
pawn structure. 10.hxg3 0-0 11.c4 e8
12.b3 b6
[ Setting up the standard structure by
12...xf3 13.xf3 c6 is rather depressing
after 14.f4 ]
13.b2
[ or 13.f4 ]
13...b7 14.e2 c5 15.ad1 c7 16.c2
Now dxc5 followed by b4 is a theme. ad8
17.d2 cxd4 18.xd4 a6 19.ed1
[ 19.f3! f8 20.ed1 keeps a firm grip on
the position. ]
19...c5
[ 19...e5! 20.f3 d7 is a better defense. ]
20.f3! ce4 21.xd8 xd8 22.xd8+
xd8 23.e5
[ Or 23.g4 h6 24.e5 ]
23...h5! Else g4. 24.a4 d6 25.e3 a5
26.d4 c5 27.f3 fd7 28.f4 f6
29.e3 fd7 30.f4 f6 31.c3 cd7
778
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

32.h2 c5 33.g5 f8 34.b4 Pelletier improves on his game with Anand
After a period of manoeuvering, White finds a that was given in the October 2007 update.
way to break through. axb4 35.xb4 g8 That went
[ 35...c7 36.d3 wins a pawn. ] [ 14...e4 15.a5 a6 16.f3 xe2+ 17.xe2
36.d3?! c8 18.a4! etc. and White ground out a
[ 36.a5! has the tricky idea bxa5 (There's win in the endgame. ]
nothing else) 37.xf7! xf7 38.xc5 c7 15.0-0 e7
39.g6+ ] [ Here 15...e4 16.d1!? leaves the black
36...d8! 37.e3 xd3 queen vulnerable to further attack. ]
[ 37...e4! exploits the potential fork on g4. ] 16.fd1? A lack lustre move. Instead
38.xd3 c6 [ 16.fe1 preventing Black's next move gives
[ 38...d7! ] W hite a continuing edge due to his
39.c2 a8?! excellent centralisation after 0-0 17.ad1
[ 39...b8 ] a5 ( and not 17...b3 18.g4 xg4?!
40.xb6 xa4 41.d3 19.xg4 g6 20.e2! aiming to put the
[ 41.xa4 xa4 42.c5! ] queen on e5. ) 18.b3!? etc. ]
41...c6 42.c5 d8 43.c2 a8 44.c3 16...e4 17.xe4 xe4 Pelletier has
a2? excha nge d qu een s in a mo re f a vou ra ble
[ 44...b7 ] manner than in the Anand game as the white
45.xc6 xc2 46.a8+ h7 47.xf6 gxf6 king is less active on g1 than on e2. 18.c4
48.f8 White either wipes out Black's kingside g8! The first move in a plan of advancing his
pawns or shepherds his own passed pawn kingside pawns. 19.b6 d8 20.a5 f5!
home. g6 You may recall that in Anand-Pelletier, the
[ 48...xc4 49.xf7+ h6 50.xf6+ h7 black 4-3 kingside majority was inert for most
51.h4 d5 52.g4 ] of the game, whilst the white 3-2 queenside
49.c5 h4 50.gxh4 Now it's a matter of majority became dangerous very quickly. In
t e c h n i qu e . h5 51.g1 e5 52.xf7+ contrast, here Pelletier is already getting his
h6 53.f8+ h7 54.f2 d4+ 55.g3 pawns working hard. 21.f1 g5 22.f3 f6
e5+ 56.f4 e1+ 57.f3 d1+ 58.e3 23.e5 f7 24.c7 xd1+ 25.xd1 g4
c1+ 59.d3 a3+ 60.e2 g6 61.e8+ 26.b4 h5 27.g3 d8 28.xd8 xd8
g7 62.xe6 29.c4 e7 30.e2 It has cost the white
[ 62.e7+! g6 63.h5+! f5 ( 63...xh5 king two tempi to reach the square it was
64.h7+ g4 65.h3+! wins on the spot) given free of charge in the Anand game. d5
64.d6 ] 31.e5 e8 32.d3 neither player can
62...xc5 63.f3 g6 64.g4 h5+ make any progress.
65.h3 c5 66.g4+ f7 67.h5 g1 ½-½
68.d7+ f8 69.e6 g7 70.e7+ g8
71.e8+
1-0 864 C10
Pavlovic,Milos 2496
Anic,Darko 2481
863 C10 56th ch Herceg Novi YUG (8) 31.03.2001
Palac,Mladen 2567 [Neil McDonald]
Pelletier,Yannick 2609
ETCC Crete GRE (9) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6
06.11.2007
[Neil McDonald] [ The position at move seven in the main
game can also be reached via the move
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 order 3...dxe4 4.xe4 d7 5.f3 gf6
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e3 6.xf6+ xf6 7.g5 h6 ]
cxd4 9.xd4 c7 10.b5+ d7 11.xd7+ 4.g5 dxe4 5.xe4 bd7 6.xf6+ xf6
xd7 12.e5 b5 13.a4 d5 14.e2 a6 7.f3 h6 8.h4 c5 9.b5+ d7 10.xd7+

779
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xd7 11.e2
[ Instead 11.0-0 was played in Leko-Shirov. ]
11...cxd4
[ A c o m m o n a l t e r n a t i v e i s 11...e7!?
12.0-0-0 0-0 13.dxc5
A) After 13...c6 White has a method to
f o rc e a d ra w: 14.e5 ( White can keep
the tension with 14.b1 but I don't see
any problems for Black e.g. fd8 15.he1
xc5 16.e5 xd1+ 17.xd1 d8
18.xd8+ xd8 19.d3 c4 20.g3
d5 and Black looks at least OK to me,
though he soon went haywire and lost in
Anand-Ivanchuk, Linares 1992.) 14...xc5
15.xf6 xf6 16.d7 xb2+! 17.xb2
b4+ 18.c1 a3+ 19.b1 and White
can't evade perpetual check as ( 19.d2
fd8 would be a highly risky winning
attempt for White. This drawing method
has been used in several so called 'GM
draws'. );
B) 13...a4!? 14.b1 ac8 15.d4
a5 16.e5 xc5 17.c4? White gets
his pieces into a tangle. Instead the simple
( 17.hd1 looks slightly better for him.)
17...b5 18.a4 b6 19.d1 a3! 20.c3
d5 21.xc8 xc8 22.a1?
( The only way to stay alive was 22.b5! )
22...b3 23.c4 xb2+ and White
resigned in Mainka-Chiburdanidze,
Lippstadt 1995. ]
12.0-0-0 c5 13.xd4!? This looks like a
significant improvement on
[ 13.e5 when e7 14.xd4 0-0 15.b3
ac8 16.xc5 xc5 17.xf6 gxf6 18.d6
xd6 19.xd6 fc8 20.c3 was agreed
drawn in Parma-Petrosian, Vinkovici 1970. ]
13...xd4 14.xf6 gxf6 15.c3 This is the
point: W hite regains his piece whilst
maintaining important positional advantages-
namely his better pawn structure and safer
king. c8
[ Neither 15...a4 16.xd4 xa2 17.b5+
nor ]
[ 15...0-0-0 16.xd4 e7 17.hd1
solve Black's problems. ]
16.b1 c6 17.xd4 d8
[ W h it e h as t h e in it ia t ive a f t e r 17...xg2
18.hd1 ]
18.xd8+ xd8 19.e3 e7 20.d1 d8?
[ Black was worse but this just leads to a
queen endgame a pawn down. It was better
to wait with 20...a6 when it is up to White to
prove he can increase his advantage. ]
21.xd8 xd8 22.xh6 e4+ 23.c1
e1+ 24.c2 e4+
[ Black's problem is tha t a f te r 24...xf2+
25.d2+ xd2+ 26.xd2 White has a
winning pawn endgame- besides the h pawn
he can create a passed pawn on the
queenside as well. ]
25.d2 d5+ 26.c1 e7 27.e3 b6
28.f4 xg2 29.c7+ f8 30.b8+ e7
[ A l s o a f t e r 30...g7 31.g3+ xg3
32.fxg3 White wins as in the previous note. ]
31.xa7+ f8 32.b8+ e7 33.c7+ e8
34.xb6 f5 35.a4 e5 36.a5 e4 37.a6
The conclusion from this game seems to be
that Black should prefer 11...Be7.
1-0
865 C10
Payne,Matthew J 1968
Lock,G 2173
e2e4 Gatwick Open 2013 (1) 05.04.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
5.g5 e7 6.e5
[ 6.exd5 exd5 frees Black's bishop on c8. A
game this month continued 7.e2 0-0 8.0-0
h6 9.h4 e4 10.xe7 xe7= 11.xe4!?
dxe4 12.e5 f5 13.c3 c5!? ( 13...g5;
13...e8 14.c4 d6= ) 14.d5?! ( 14.dxc5!
c7 15.d5 ) 14...e8 15.c4 b6 16.e3
d6 and the d-pawn is securely blockaded,
Dionisi, T (2276) -Velten, P (2375), Saint-
Paul-Trois-Chateaux FRA 2013. ]
6...e4 7.xe7 xe7 8.d3 b4
[ As I say in Dangerous Weapons: The
French, Black can also play 8...xc3 9.bxc3
f6 ( 9...a3 10.d2 ) 10.exf6 xf6
, but naturally White stands somewhat better
after 11.0-0 d7 12.b1 ( 12.e1 0-0-0
13.d2 h6 ) 12...0-0-0 13.e1 ]
9.xe4 dxe4
[ I don't mention 9...xb2!? in my book (nor
does anyone else that I know of), but it may
be a good move, e.g., 10.xd5 ( 10.a4
a3 11.d3 xa4 12.0-0 b6 ) 10...exd5
11.xd5 c3+ 12.e2 g4 13.xc6+
780
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xc6 14.d3 0-0-0 with good play. ]
10.a3 xb2 11.xe4 b5 12.ed2!?
[ 12.c1 0-0 ( 12...c4!? ) 13.d3 ( 13.c4
a5+ 14.d2 xd2+ 15.xd2 d8
16.e3 b6= ) 13...a5+ 14.c3
15.0-0= ]
12...b6 Logical, as are two other moves:
[ 12...0-0 13.c4?! (but White would like to
castle) b2 14.e4 d8 ]
[ 12...a5 13.c4!? d7 14.0-0 b6 15.c1
b7= is 'The Hecht-Reefschlaeger - A: 4 Nf3
Nf6 5 Bg5' in the Archives, from a game
Keres-Lein. ]
13.c4 a5
[ 13...b2! 14.0-0! xd4 15.e4 b7!
16.xd4 xe4 17.a4+ e7 18.c5!
is unclear and balanced. ]
14.0-0 b7 15.c2 0-0-0 16.b3 a4
17.c3 h6 18.fc1 e7!?
[ 18...b8 and Black stands comfortably. ]
19.e1?!
[ 19.d5! exd5 20.c5! is worth a try, although
d4! 21.bxd4 d5 gives Black
counterplay. ]
19...g5!? 20.d3 c6 21.f3 g4 22.b4
a4 23.f4
[ 23.c5! ]
23...a5 Loosening, but probably fine. 24.d3
h5
[ 24...g3! 25.d5! ( 25.h3 e4 ) 25...exd5
26.c5 d4 27.b2 gxh2+ 28.xh2 dg8 ]
[ 24...e4!? ]
25.c5
[ 25.d5! ]
25...d5 26.b2 b5 27.b1
[ 27.cxb6! xd3 28.bxc7 e3+! 29.h1
xf4! 30.cxd8+ xd8 31.c2 d3
32.a2 ( 32.c3 f2+ ) 32...g3 ( 32...h4
33.e2 f4 ) 33.c5 xg2+! 34.xg2
f2+ 35.g1 d3+ 36.h1 f2+= ]
27...a4 28.d2 xb1 29.axb1 b8
30.b4?? After a well-played game, White
miscalculates something. Better
[ 30.c4 ]
30...xf4 31.cxb6
[ Maybe 31.c6 was White's idea, but then
e2+! 32.f2 xc1 33.cxb7 d3+!
34.xd3 xd4 35.e3 hd8 leaves White
lost. ]
31...e2+ 32.f1 xc1 33.bxc7+ xc7
34.xc1+ b8 35.b1 a7 36.c2 c8
37.b4 hd8
0-1
h6 866 C10
Pelletier,Yannick 2597
Morozevich,Alexander 2743
It Biel SUI (9) 28.07.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.d3 The Rubinstein Mainline.
Alternatives for White are
[ 6.g5 and ]
[ 6.xf6+ ]
6...c5 7.xf6+ xf6 8.dxc5 xc5 9.e2
This is White's most aggressive set up, which
aims to castle queenside and then, after ...0-0,
launch a direct attack on Black's king with g4
etc. 0-0 10.g5 h6 11.h4 a5+ 12.d2
b6 13.0-0-0
[ The major alternative is 13.0-0 but it turned
out badly in the following example: xb2!?
( Instead 13...e5 was good enough for
active play in Ponomariov-Speelman on
ChessPub. However, grabbing the pawns
seems even better for Black.) 14.ab1
xa2 15.c4 ( Guarding d5 for if 15.c3
d5 ) 15...d8 16.a1 b3 17.e5 b2
18.ad1 d7 19.b1 d4 20.xb7 xh4!
21.a5 e8! an inspired sacrifice to get
control of the dark squares. 22.xd8 xd8
23.d1 h5 24.f3 g3 25.h7+ xh7
26.xd8 f4 27.c2+ f5 28.e1 c6
29.b3 xf2+! 0-1 Brendel,O-Gerber,R/
Crans Montana 1999. ]
13...e5!
[ Previously attention has focused on
13...g4 -see for example the notes to the
af orementioned Ponomariov game- but
Morozevich shows that bold play in the
centre gives Black excellent counter
chances. ]
14.xe5
[ Black is also very dynamic after 14.xe5
e8 15.f4 e6 16.a4 xf2 etc. ]
14...e8 15.c4??
[ A disastrous move. He had to support the
knight on e5 with 15.c3 though Black gets
an a ct ive ga me a nd sup e rio r at t a ck in g
ch a n ce s a f t e r, sa y, e6 ( 15...xf2!? )
781
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
16.a3 ac8 Note that ]
[ 15.f4? g4 costs White the exchange. ]
15...a6 Now both the white queen and a2
are hanging. 16.f3 g4 17.g3 xa2!
[ The strongest move, but from a practical
point of view a simpler way to the win was
17...xd1!? 18.xd1 ( 18.xh6? g4 )
18...xa2 19.xh6 f8! when the black
kingside is solid and he can pursue his
attack with Rad8 and Ne4, etc. ]
18.c3 e4?
[ Black could win brilliantly if he ignored the
threat to f6 and brought the rook into the
centre with 18...ad8! for example 19.xf6
( It is a ls o m at e a f t e r 19.de1 a1+
20.d2 xe1 21.xe1 e4+! 22.xe4
d1# or; 19.a3 d6 20.f4 d5!
hitting both c3 and f 4. 21.xg4 xc3
22.bxc3 xa3+ 23.d2 xd3+! 24.xd3
d5# ) 19...a1+ 20.d2 b4+ 21.c3
( 21.c3 e2# ) 21...e2# ]
19.xe4 xe4 20.d2 Now rather
surprisingly White manages to put together a
defence. The pressure on g7 is highly
annoying for Black- hence his next move.
d4!? 21.xd4 xd4 22.b3 a1+
23.b1 xd1 24.xd1 xf2 25.d7 f8
26.h5 a5 27.c3 xh5 28.xb7 e8
Black's pressure has gained a pawn, which
proves good enough as Morozevich grinds out
the win. 29.b1 b6 30.a2 f5 31.b3
e3 32.d5 e5 33.d6 c5 34.e7 c8
35.d6 e8 36.d5 g6 37.a2 e3
38.a8+ h7 39.d5 e6 40.d2
Here the score of the gam e comes to a n
abrupt end. I assume Pelletier overstepped
the time limit, as although he is losing there is
still plenty of fight in the position.
0-1
867 C10
Perez Candelario,Manuel 2522
Perez,Rodney 2450
It Platja de Muro ESP (1) 10.10.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e5
a6 9.g5 h6
[ Three other moves deserve attention.
9...e7 This move is discussed on
ChessPub in the game Adams-Akopian.
10.dxc5 xd1+ 11.xd1 xc5 12.e2
d7 ( Instead Akopian played 12...h6
but was soundly beaten after 13.h4 g5
14.g3 etc. ) 13.h5! I pointed out this was
very strong in the notes to the Akopian
game, but it seems it wasn't the end of the
story. g6 ( the f7 square was attacked and if
13...xe5? 14.d8# ) 14.f3 a7 15.b4
e7 ( More or less forced as 15...b6
16.c4 is highly unpleasant for Black.)
16.e3 xe5 ( The only move as if
16...a8 17.xd7 xd7 18.xb7 ) 17.xa7
xf3+ 18.gxf3 d7 White is now the full
exchange up, but his pawns are loose and
his rooks only have one open file, which is
heavily fortified. Nevertheless, I find it hard
to believe that Black has enough for the
exchange. I'm willing to be proved wrong,
and after the game continuation 19.d4 f6
20.f4 b5 21.d2 f7 22.c1 a5 23.a3
a4 24.b2 c8 25.e3 c6 26.he1 b5
27.d4 f5 the black position looked
impregnable. Black even won when his
opponent over pressed in Rodriguez
Guerrero,E-Ubilava, E/Platja de Muro ESP
2005. ]
[ A solid and important alternative is
9...c7!? which has stood up to some tough
opposition: 10.a4+ d7!? ( or 10...d7
11.f4 d6 12.b5 b8 13.xd7+ xd7
14.xd7+ xd7 15.xd7 xd7
- D e l c h e v, A -K o s i c , D / B i j e l o P o l j e S C G
2005. ) 11.xd7 xd7 12.xd7+ xd7
13.d1!? c7 14.g3 d8 15.g2 cxd4
16.cxd4 h6 17.xf6 gxf6 and Black held
the draw in Polgar,J-Milov,V/Bastia FRA
2005. ]
[ Finally 9...d5 is similar to the main game,
but without the h7-h6 move thrown in. It was
Karpov's choice in his game versus Vescovi
on ChessPub- true, the former W orld
Champion lost in 22 moves! The latest word
is 10.xf6 gxf6 11.c4 b8 ( Rather than
Karpov's 11...cxd4 which I still think is OK.)
12.e3 d6 13.f3 e7 14.0-0-0 cxd4
15.xd4 c7 16.c4 b5 17.b3 b7
18.h3 d8 19.h4 e5 20.xh7 xh7
21.xh7 c5 22.h3 and Black had a lot
of dynamic play for the pawn in Gongora,M-
782
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Garcia Roman,D/Mislata ESP 2005. ]
10.h4 d5 11.xf6 gxf6 12.g4
[ It is worth reminding ourselves that 12.c4
is the Gongora note to 9...h6 above and
the Vescovi-Karpov game on ChessPub, but
with the black pawn on h6 rather than h7. ]
12...g5 13.e2
[ Instead 13.h4 f4 14.e2 e7 15.g3
d6 16.0-0 d7 17.f3 - Zhang Zhong-Zv
jaginsev,V/Moscow CHN 2004. The line was
tested further in a game involving a young
Hungarian GM but it also led to a quick
draw: ( 17.f3 0-0-0 18.e3 b8 19.d5
c7 20.b3 f5 21.c4 c8 22.ad1
he8 23.b6 xb6 - Videki,S-Erdos,V/
Paks HUN 2005. )]
13...d7
[ After 13...e7 the question n is whether
White has to revert to the 13.h4 line given in
the note above, or whether he can profit by
avoiding it. He might try 14.0-0 ( 14.h4 )
14...f4!? ( White gets an initiative after
14...cxd4 15.f4!? ) 15.g3 ( 15.f3!? )
15...d6 16.e3!? ( 16.f3 h5 ) 16...h5
17.d5 with complex play. ]
14.h4 g7 The black queen has to stay
guarding thef6 pawn, and so can't stay in the
centre, as in the Zhang Zhong game. However,
it isn't clear that the queen is necessarily
worse on g7 than d6. 15.f3 b8?
[ An obvious response to the threat to b7, but
Black had to seize the chance for active play
with 15...d8! 16.xb7?! ( maybe
16.b3!? ) 16...cxd4 17.cxd4 b4+ etc. ]
16.d2! White's Q dominates Black's. d8
17.0-0-0 h5 18.e3 c8 19.d5 e7
20.e2 h6 21.b1 f8 22.a1?
White overlooks
[ 22.c4! with excellent chances- g7 ( if
22...exd5 23.xd5 b5 24.he1! ) 23.d6
f8 24.b6 when the passed pawn is very
strong and immune from capture- xd6?
( or 24...xd6 25.xc8 ) 25.xc8 xc8
26.xd6 and wins. ]
22...b5 23.d2
[ Perhaps a better approach was 23.dxe6!? ]
23...f5 24.hd1 e5
[ Not falling for 24...g7? 25.xf5+ exf5
26.xe7 ]
25.d6 xd6?
[ Black should call White's bluff with
25...xd6 when White has various ideas
based on achieving Nxf5 through deflecting
or interfering with the bishop on c8. However,
there is no obviously good continuation, e.g.
26.c6!? ( if 26.b7 xb7 27.xf5 f4 )
26...f4 27.d7 xd7 28.f5 f6 29.xd6
g7 and White's attack is running out of
energy. ]
26.xd6 xd6 27.b7! xb7 28.xf5 f4
29.d3!
[ White maintains his initiative, as bad would
be 29.xd6 xg2 ]
29...g8
[ He avoids falling for 29...c7 30.d8+
xd8 31.xd8# ]
30.xd6 xg2? 31.f5?
[ White misses a hard to spot win with
31.g1 xf2 32.d1! f8 ( If 32...h6
33.e4 and the bishop is lost.) 33.e4! f3
( or 33...xe4 34.d8# ) 34.d6+ g7
35.xe5+ with a decisive attack. ]
31...f3?
[ It is counter intuitive to walk into a potential
discovered check, but the way for Black to
s a v e h i m s e l f w a s 31...h7! 32.d7
( Perhaps White should fish in muddy waters
with 32.g3+ g7 33.d6 ) 32...d5!
33.xd5 xf5 34.xc5 g8 and Black has
a nice game as his pawns are more
compact. ]
32.d7
[ White threatens a killing check on e8, and
after 32.d7 b7 33.d8+ h7 34.f6
m a t e w i l l f o l l o w o n g 7 , o r o n h 6 - g8
35.h6# ]
1-0
868 C10
Philippe,Christophe 2378
Bricard,Emmanuel 2490
TCh-FRA Top 16 Gp A (7) 13.04.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
5.e5 e4 6.d3
[ Another critical line is 6.e2 f6 7.g3
fxe5 8.b5 exd4 9.xe4 dxe4 10.xd4
d5 11.xc6 a6 12.a4 d7 13.c4
xd1+ 14.xd1 xc6!? ( In the analysis to
Hector-Rozentalis, the zwischenzug
783
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

14...c5 is recommended to persuade 15.xf8 xf8;

W h i t e i n t o p l a yi n g 1 5 . K e 2 , b l o c k i n g a B) 13.e2 xf3 14.gxf3 xe5
potential attack on the e4 pawn with Re1.) with good play for the exchange in
15.xc6+ bxc6 16.e2 The key test has to Meessen, R-Marechal, A/W esterlo BEL
be ( 16.e1 when I assume that Black's 2004. ]
activity compensates for his fractured pawns 13.gxf3 xe5 14.dg1 f8
after say c5 17.xe4 xf2 18.xe6+ [ Not 14...xf3? 15.xh7+ h8
d7 19.e2 g1 20.f4 hf8 etc. ) ( 15...xh7 16.d3+ g8 17.xf3 )
16...d6 17.e3 Now Black has saved a 16.e2 f8 ( 16...xg1? 17.h5 ) 17.g3
tempo on the 14...Bc5 line by putting the with a strong initiative for White. ]
bishop on d6 straightaway without bothering 15.h5
to go Bc5. He uses this extra move to attack [ Instead 15.h3
b2. e5 18.hd1 xb2 19.ab1 e5 A) Whereas Black is mated after
20.c5 f7 21.e3 hd8 22.xd8 xd8 15...xf3? 16.h6 xg1 17.xh7+ f7
23.xe4 d6 24.e3 c5 25.b3 a8 18.h5+ f6 ( or 18...g8 19.h7+
26.d2 h5 27.h4 e7 28.f4 g6 29.c1 h8 20.g6+ g8 21.h7# ) 19.e3!
d7 30.g3 g8 31.a3 a8 32.d2 threat mate on g6 d6 20.xd5+ exd5
b8 33.xa6 b2 34.d3 b1 35.e3 21.g6#;
e7 36.g3 f6 37.a8 d4+ 38.e2 g1 B) 15...d7 leads to complex play. ]
39.e1 e5 40.fxe5 xe5 41.a3 15...xf3 16.h6 g5?
and draw agreed in Kovchan, A-Kosyrev, V/ [ The wrong check. After 16...g5+! 17.xg5
Dagomys RUS 2008. ] f4+ 18.b1 xg5 19.xh7+ Forced, as
6...b4 7.d2 the white queen is trapped. h8 20.g6
[ A big name game featured 7.0-0 xc3 f5! 21.xf5 ( no better is 21.h6 xg6
8.bxc3 xc3 9.b1 h6 ( I still like 9...xd4 22.xg6 gxh6 ) 21...exf5 22.g6 c6
h e r e , b y t h e w a y .) 10.e3 e7!? a n d B l a c k h a s e m e r g e d wi t h a n e x t r a
diverging from ( 10...d7 which I have my pawn. ]
doubts about in the analysis to the game 17.xg5 f4+ 18.b1 xg5 19.xh7+
Becerra Rivero-Sarkar.) 11.b3 a5 f7 20.g6+ f6 21.g8! With Black's
12.c1 d7 13.a3 a4 14.b2 b6 ro o k a nd b ish op o n c8 u n ab le t o a id t h e
15.d2 a6 16.c5 b5 and with no Sofia defence, the black king will soon be hunted
Rules to confound them, the players agreed down., e7 22.xg7+ d6 23.d1
a quick draw in Svidler, P-Ponomariov, R/ [ 23.e4+ dxe4 ( or 23...c6 24.e8+
Dagomys RUS 2008. I think Black has a b6 25.d4+ a6 26.a4+ b6
slight edge e.g. 17.xb5+ axb5 18.xb6 27.b5# ) 24.d4+ e7 ( 24...c6
cxb6 19.fb1 c6 20.xb5 a5! 25.e8+ d7 26.xd7# ) 25.d1
and the knight aims at the hole on c4. ] and there is no good answer to the threat of
7...xd2 8.xd2 f6 9.a3 e7 26.Qd8 mate- if d7 26.g7+ and mate in
[ Previously we have investigated 9...xc3 two moves. ]
10.xc3 in the archives. ] 23...c6 24.e8+ b6 25.a4+
10.0-0-0!? The most aggressive set up for [ White has a great win with 25.xd5!! f6
White. fxe5 11.dxe5 0-0 12.h4 xf3 ( Or 25...c1+ 26.a2 exd5 27.d4+
[ In principle Black should delay this move a6 28.b5+ a5 29.b4# ) 26.xf6! xf6
with 12...d7 which keeps the option of 27.a4+ a6 28.b5+ a5 29.b4# ]
Rxf3 whilst denying W hite an immediate 25...a6 26.c5+ b6 27.d3 f6
mobilisation along the g-file as occurs after [ The only chance was 27...h4 ]
12...Rxf3 13.gxf3 Nxe5 14.Rdg1. 28.h6 So White wins by advancing the passed
A) Perhaps White should try to take pawn rather than mating the black king. e5
advantage of the omission of Rxf3 with 29.g1 xh6 30.xg5
13.g5!? h6 14.h7 ( White could 1-0
s p e c u l a t e w i t h 14.f4!? ) 14...xe5

784
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

869 C10 23.e4 e7 24.c3 ed7 25.d2 h6

Polzin,Rainer 2494 26.a3 a6 27.b3 g5 28.g3 xe3
Zaragatski,Ilja 2490 29.xe3 f7 30.a4 White has definitely
Schachbundesliga 2010-11 (8) 05.02.2011 made progress and plays for a5. g5 31.a2
[John Watson] b8 32.f3 g6 33.a5 c8 34.axb6 axb6
35.e3 d8 36.h2 d7 37.a6! c8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6 38.a7 d7 39.a1 b7 40.f4! Presumably
5.d3 b4 at time control, White makes what appears to
[ We've seen 5...b4 6.0-0 xc3 7.exd5! be the winning break. exf4 41.gxf4 b5!?
before, intending xd4 8.bxc3 xf3+ 42.e6
9.xf3 xd5 10.g3! ] [ 42.e4! e8 43.ae1 bxc4 44.bxc4
6.g5 dxe4!? I'm not thrilled with this move, and White is winning, e.g., gxf4 45.f3 f5
although it's fairly solid, because it gives 46.g1+ f7 47.xc5 ]
W hite a nice space advantage and limits 42...bxc4 43.bxc4 c8 44.f5+ g7
Black's counterplay. He should consider 45.b5?
[ 6...e7 with: [ 45.e4! with the idea f7 46.xc5! xe6
A) 7.0-0 xd3!? ( 7...0-0 8.e5 d7 47.xe6+ h7 48.c5 will win. ]
9.xe7 xe7 7 transposes to e5) 8.xd3 45...db7 46.ae1 xe6?
dxe4 9.xe4 xe4 10.xe7 xf2!? [ 46...d7! ]
11.xd8 xd3 12.cxd3 xd8 13.g5 47.fxe6 f8 48.d6 a8 49.f1 g7 50.f5
e8 14.xf7 f8 15.e5 f6 a2+ 51.g3 d2 52.e7?? Throwing away
and W hite may have something, but it's a lot of work. Black can resign after
not clear what.; [ 52.d7 ]
B) 7.e5 d7 8.xe7 xe7 9.0-0 0-0 [ or 52.d5 ]
10.d2 c5 11.fe1 c6 12.dxc5 xc5 52...b8 Suddenly it's hard to make progress!
13.a3 a6 ( or 13...d7 )] 53.xc5 f7 54.c6
7.xe4 xd3+ [ 54.g4 xb5! 55.e8+ xe8 56.cxb5
[ 7...e7 8.xf6 gxf6 9.0-0 favours White, xd6 57.h5 d3 58.xh6 xh3+
but Black gets some counterplay by 59.g6 e7 is equal. I'll leave it here after
fianchettoing his queen's bishop. ] inaccurate play, White again took a winning
8.xd3 e7 9.xf6+ xf6 10.xf6 xf6 edge, but a draw was the deserved result. ]
11.0-0 0-0 12.e5 d8 54...f5 55.c5 xb5 56.cxb5 d3+ 57.f2
[ or 12...b6 13.e4 b8 14.g4 ] xd6 58.e5 e8 59.e2 b6 60.xf5
13.ad1 xe7 61.d3 e6 62.c5 b8 63.c4
[ 13.c4 e7 14.fe1 d6 has the ideas d7 64.b4 c8 65.e5 c7 66.e7+
of ...f6 and ...b6. ] b8 67.g7 f8 68.c5 f5+ 69.b6
13...e7 f6+ 70.a5 f3 71.a6 xh3 72.g8+
[ Or 13...b6 . Black has reasonable play c7 73.b6+ d6 74.g6+ e5 75.b7
now. ] a3+ 76.b6 b3+ 77.c7 xb7+
14.fe1 f6 15.f3 b6 16.e4 b8 78.xb7 f4 79.c6 g4 80.d5 g3
[ 16...d7 ] 81.d4 f3 82.d3 g2 83.xh6 g1
17.c4 84.f6+ g2 85.g6+ f1 86.xg1+ xg1
[ 17.d5 e5 18.d4 d7! ] ½-½
17...c5?!
[ 17...d6! ]
18.d5! e5 19.d2 d6 20.f3 d7
21.h3!?
[ or 21.e4! ]
21...f5 22.e3 b7?!
[ 22...c2 23.b3 f5 gains some activity
and is better. ]

785
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

870 C10 which in turn defends the rook on c6. Then all
Ponomariov,Ruslan 2673 will be ready to begin the advance of the
Psakhis,Lev 2575 queenside pawn majority to force a passed
2nd IECC Ohrid MKD (6) 06.06.2001 pawn. d8 38.e3 h5 39.c4 g6 40.d4
[Neil McDonald] e7 41.b4 d7 42.c5 c7?
[ He h ad to t ry 42...bxc5 43.bxc5 c8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4 44.xc8 xc8 though 45.e4 offers White
5.xe4 bd7 6.f3 h6 7.xf6+ xf6 good winning chances- he has a better king
8.h4 c5 9.d3 and knight and a passed pawn. ]
[ Instead Leko tried 9.b5+ against Shirov in 43.d6+ c8 44.xd8+ xd8 45.c6+
the March update. Ponomariov's move looks d7 46.xa7 bxc5 47.bxc5 e6 48.c6+
fairly harmless but it turns out to contain c7 49.b5+ b6 50.c7 Black resigned as
some poison. ] the outside passed pawn wins easily in the
9...cxd4 10.xd4 e7 king and pawn endgame after xc7 51.xc7
[ W h i t e h a d a s l ig h t e d g e a f t e r 10...c5 xc7 52.e4
11.f3 ( if 11.c3 xd4 12.cxd4 a5+!? ) 1-0
11...0-0 12.0-0 b6 13.e2 b7 14.ad1
c7 15.e5 in Fedorchuk-Mirzoev, Wch
U20 Calicut 1998. ] 871 C10
11.0-0 0-0 12.g3 d7? Ponomariov,Ruslan 2550
[ This is too passive. The immediate Speelman,Jonathan S 2625
12...b6! makes it less easy for White to It Pamplona (9) 1997
find a good way to defend the b2 pawn as [Neil McDonald]
13.b3 decentralises the knight. ]
13.c3 b6 14.e2 Black's hesitation at 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
m o v e 1 2 h a s a l l o w e d W h i t e t o d e v e l o p 5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3 c5
s m o o t h l y a n d d e f e n d b 2 . d6 15.f4! 8.dxc5 xc5 9.e2 This is White's most
White realises that control of the e5 square is a gg re s sive s e t u p , wh ich a i m s t o c a s t l e
more important than any apparent weakness queenside and then, after ...0-0, launch a
created in his kingside pawn structure. The direct attack on Black's king with g4 etc. 0-0
knight becomes inviolable on d4 and Psakhis 10.g5 h6
is unable to find any constructive plan. c5 [ 10...a5+!? 11.c3 e7 12.0-0-0
16.ae1 ae8 17.h1 b6 If was Fedorov-Holmov, Ekaterinberg 1997,
[ 17...h5? 18.e4 xg3+ 19.hxg3 when according to Holmov the pawn grab
when the threat to h7 wins the b7 pawn, but xa2! is best, leading to unclear play. ]
now 18...Nh5 is on the cards. ] 11.h4
18.h3! White refuses to give Black any [ 11.d2 e5! 12.0-0-0 e8 13.c3 b6
freedom. h5 19.h2 f6 20.a3 c7 14.xe5 e6 was very dynamic for Black in
21.f3 c5 22.c2 c8 23.g1 c7 Fedorov-Supatashvili, Ekaterinburg 1997] ]
24.d3 b8 25.a6 cd8 26.b5! 11...a5+ 12.d2 b6 '!?'
W hat follows is a lesson in the art of [ 12...b4 13.0-0-0! xd2+ 14.xd2 e5!
exchanging off pieces to reach a promising 15.a3 gave White a slight advantage in
endgame. xb5 27.xb5 c5 28.d4 a8 Hector-L.Hansen, Copenhagen 1995. Note
29.xa8 xa8 30.f5! exf5 31.xf5 xg1 that in all these lines Black has to think
32.xg1 fe8 33.xe8+ xe8 34.d1 twice about capturing the a2 pawn with his
The queenside pawn majority is a valuable queen, as W hite can get an attack going
asset here as it is combined with control of with g4 etc. That is why in this instance, as
the open d file and a more active minor piece. in the example at move 11, Black preferred
f6 35.d6 f8 36.c6 e8 37.f2! the freeing move 14... e5. ]
White has already worked out his winning set 13.0-0
up- King on e3 supporting the knight on d4 [ If 13.0-0-0?! g4! is Rublevsky's idea,

786
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

which looks good for Black according to 13...cxd4 ( 13...h6 ) 14.xd4 d5 15.e5
some analysis by Speelman in Informator 68. d8 16.g4?! ( 16.b1 f6 17.f4! )
However, castling kingside here is hardly 16...f6 17.xf6 xf6 18.h4 h6
consistent with White's aggressive opening H a k o b ya n , H ( 1 8 6 9 ) - B yk o v, E ( 2 0 8 9 ) ,
play. ] Yerevan ARM 2014. ]
13...e5!? As we have seen above, this pawn 8.e5 d6!? This ambitious move forfeits
a d v a n c e , wh e t h e r o r n o t a s a s a cr i f i c e , castling for quick development, but apparently
always seems to give Black dynamic chances. it fails to equalize.
However, Speelman thinks that capturing the [ 8...a6 is nearly always played and is
poisoned pawn with represented by many games in the Archives.
[ 13...xb2!? deserved attention. ] I believe that it's holding up well enough.
14.xe5 e8 15.c4 This frees the knight T h e m a i n l i n e i s 9.e3 ( for 9.g5
from the pin, but Black nevertheless has good , see the main game in Rubinstein 3...dxe4-
compensation for the pawn because of the 4 Nxe4 Nd7: Intro in the Archives. Possibly
weaknesses in White's kingside-notably the this deserves a revival.) 9...c7 10.a4+
g4 square and the h4 pawn. d8! 16.f3 ( 10.d3!? keeps more pieces on the
g4! Black gambits a second pawn for the board. ) 10...d7 and I'll give a
attack. 17.xb7 b8 18.a6 e4 19.e3 condensation of what seem to be the main
f3 '!' Black's onslaught looks dangerous but lines:
there is no clear way to proceed. Therefore A) 11.0-0-0 cxd4 12.xd7 xd7
he makes a combination to f orce a draw. 13.xd4 c6= ( 13...e5 14.b6 );
20.gxf3 xh4 21.xe4 xe4! 22.fxe4 B) 11.b5 cxd4 12.xd7+ xd7
g4+ 23.h2 It's perpetual check. This was 13.xd4 f6 ( 13...b5 is possibly okay,
a short but sharp and interesting game. b u t m o r e d i f f ic u l t) 14.xd7 xd7
½-½ 15.xd7+ xd7 16.0-0-0+ c7!
w i t h t h e i d e a 17.d4 ( 17.a4 a5 )
17...d8 18.c4+ b8 19.b6 d5!= ]
872 C10 9.b5+ e7
Popov,Iv RUS 2650 [ 9...d7 10.g4! forces kingside
Kopylov,M 2460 weaknesses. ]
Basel Master Open 2014 (3.6) 02.01.2014 [ 9...d7 10.xd7 xd7 11.dxc5 xc5
[John Watson] 12.h5! t h r e a t e n s Q x c 5 , a n d d6
( 12...e7 13.h6! gxh6 14.d1 ) 13.g5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 c7 14.d1 exerts pressure. Then 0-0
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 15.e7!? xe7 16.xd7 f4!? ( 16...c5
[ 7.d3 and ] 17.xc5 xc5 18.b4 b6 19.xb7 )
[ 7.g5 are featured in other games this 17.0-0 g6 18.e2 ]
month. ] 10.0-0
7...c5 [ 10.e3 is also effective, with Nc4 in mind. ]
[ Slow moves like 7...e7 are almost always 10...c7 11.e2 h6!?
playable, but usually better for White, who [ 11...a6 12.d3 d8 13.g5 ( 13.f4 )]
h a s t im e t o co n so l id a t e h i s s p a ce a n d 12.f4! d8 13.ad1 a6 14.c4 b5
activity. A well-played lower-level game in 15.dxc5! xc5 16.b3 xe5
this month's batch went 8.d3 0-0 9.e2 [ 16...b7?? 17.xf7 and ]
b6 10.f4 b7 11.0-0-0!? (risky) ( 11.0-0 [ 16...f8 17.d3! e7 18.f3 are inferior
c5 12.dxc5 xc5 13.ad1 c8 14.e5 ) for Black. ]
11...c8 ( 11...d6 12.e5 e7 17.xe5 b7 18.d4 g5??
is unclear. One ambitious idea would be [ 18...c6 19.f3 f8 definitely favours
13.hg1 fd8 14.g4 with the idea c5 15.g5 White's bishop pair, but there's a lot of game
d5 16.g4! ) 12.h4! ( 12.hg1 c5 left. ]
13.b1 ) 12...c5 13.h5!? ( 13.b1 ) 19.f4 h4

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 19...f5 20.c2 e4 21.fe1 ] 8...0-0

20.c5+ e8 21.xe6 e4 22.d5 [ 8...b6 9.e2 b7 10.0-0-0!? gives White
[ White wins massive material after 22.d5 a good practical attacking position. ]
f5 ( 22...xd5 23.xd5 xd5 24.xe4+ ) [ I n t h e A r c h i v e s , t h e i n t e r e s t i n g 8...a6
23.xb7 ] was tested in Nenashev-Slobodjan. All notes
1-0 by Neil McDonald: 9.e2 c5?! 10.dxc5
a5+ 11.c3 xc5 12.0-0 b6 13.e5! b7
14.fe1 (with the idea Nxf7)
873 C10 A) 14...0-0 15.xf6 xf6 ( even worse is
Predke,A 2491 15...gxf6 16.g4+ h8 17.h3 f5
Beldyugin,A 2098 18.d7 and White wins the exchange.)
12th ch-Volga Region 2014 (1.6) 14.03.2014 16.d7 g5 17.e4 xe4 18.xe4
[John Watson] fd8 19.xb6;
B) 14...d5 15.f1! d6 16.f4 c5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 17.ad1 Nenashev, A (2642)-Slobodjan,
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ R (2539), Seebad Heringsdorf GER 2000 ]
[ 6.g5 h6 7.xf6+ xf6 transposes to the 9.e2 d5 The alternatives are uninspiring:
note to 7...Be7. ] [ Going way back: 9...h6 10.xf6 xf6
6...xf6 7.g5 11.e4 g6 12.h4 e5? ( 12...h5 ) 13.dxe5
[ 7.d3 , by transposition is the note on 6... f5 14.f4 xd3 15.0-0-0! Capablanca,
Nxe4 to Adihban-Ravi. ] J-Chajes, O, New York 1918 ]
[ 7.e3 has been played on the highest [ 9...c5 10.dxc5 a5+ 11.d2!? ( 11.c3! )
levels. The main answer is d5 ( but 11...xc5 12.a3 c7 13.0-0 b6 14.e5
7...d6 is solid and may be easier )] b7 15.fe1 (very light) Zoldan, M (2209)-
[ 7.c3 is Popov-Kopylov. ] Johannsson, O (1999)/Reykjavik ISL 2014. ]
7...e7 This isn't bad, but it hasn't scored [ 9...b6?? 10.xf6 xf6 11.e4 g6
particularly well. 12.xa8 ]
[ 7...h6 8.h4 c5 is a traditional main line 10.d2
t h a t h a s b e e n m e t b y n u m e ro u s W h it e [ 10.h4 is a promising alternative, e.g., c5
moves, e.g., 9.c3 ( 9.e5!? a5+ 10.c3 11.dxc5 a5+ 12.d2 ( 12.c3 ) 12...xc5
cxd4 11.xd4 c5 is an old line, 13.a3 b6 14.0-0-0 b7?? 15.e4 g6
considered equal, while; 9.d3; and 9.c4; 16.h5 and the attack is too strong. ]
and 9.dxc5 are among the options) 9...cxd4 10...b4 11.xb4 xb4+ 12.c3 d6 13.0-0
10.xd4 e7 ( 10...c5 ) 11.d3 0-0 This looks fairly harmless, but W hite has
12.0-0 and perhaps White has a slight control of the centre and more space. b8
advantage, but not enough to worry Black. To prepare ...b6 without facing the Qe4 fork.
This ...c5 idea is the one to study if you're 14.c4
playing either side of this line. ] [ 14.e5! ]
8.d3 14...c5 15.dxc5 xc5 16.ad1 c7
[ 8.c4 was played in another recent game This is equal. 17.a3 b6 18.e5
between lower players. Black responded [ 18.b4 e7 19.e5 b7= ]
passively with e4 9.xe7 xe7 10.0-0 18...g6! 19.g4?! b7?!
d6 11.d3 0-0 12.e1 ( 12.c4! ) 12...f6 [ 19...h5 20.e5 d4 21.f3 g7 ]
( 12...b6 ) 13.c3 ( 13.e5! b6 14.g4 ) 20.e4 xe4 21.d7! c6 22.xe4 xe4
13...b6 14.e5 g5!? 15.c2 b7?! 23.f6+ g7 24.xe4 Threatening b4. a5
( 15...g6 16.e4 xe4 17.xe4 b8 25.fd1 Black can probably hold this, but
18.h4 f6 19.g4 ) 16.xh7+ h8 17.g3 W h i t e h a s a d e f i n i t e a d v a n t a g e . h6
g6 18.xg6 fxg6 19.xg6+ g7 20.xf8 Versus Ng5 at some point. 26.f1 fc8
xf8? ( 20...xf8 ) 21.xe6 g4 22.ae1 27.a7
1-0 Cannesar, R (1820)-Alic, G (1454), [ 27.a4 f8 28.b3 ]
Kemer TUR 2014. ] 27...a8 28.xa8 xa8 29.d7 c8 30.e2

788
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
g5 31.d3 g6?
[ 31...f8! 32.d6 ( 32.b7 c6!; 32.f3 )
32...xd6 33.xd6 b8 34.c3 ( 34.b4
axb4 35.axb4 f6 36.c5 bxc5 37.bxc5
b1 ) 34...f6 35.d7 ( 35.b4 axb4+
36.axb4 e7 37.c6 d7 ) 35...h5
36.b4 ]
32.xc5! xc5
[ 32...bxc5 33.a7 d8+ 34.c3 ]
33.b4 axb4 34.axb4 c6
[ 34...c8 35.c5! bxc5 36.b5+- ]
35.b5
[ 35.c5 with the idea bxc5 36.b5 ]
35...c8 36.d6 b8 37.c5 bxc5 38.b6
f6 39.c4 e7 40.xc5 a8 41.d2
[ 41.b7 ]
41...a1 42.b7 b1 43.c6 c1+ 44.b6
b1+ 45.c7 c1+ 46.b8 a1 47.c2
d8 48.c4 f5 49.d4+ e7 50.c7 c1+
51.b6 b1+ 52.c6 b2 53.d7+ e8
54.h7
1-0
874 C10
Predojevic,Borki 2645
Stojanovic,Dalibor 2510
3rd ch-BIH Sarajevo BIH (8) 25.12.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.e3 d5
8.d2 The bishop retreats to evade an
exchange.
[ The alternative is 8.d3 xe3 9.fxe3
White hopes that the semi-open f-file and
his stronger grip on d4 will give him
dynamic chances. g6!? ( A solid alternative
was 9...d6 -the bishop goes here rather
than e7 because it wants to control the e5
square, not only to deter Ne5 by White, but
also if possible to help stage an e6-e5 break
out. 10.0-0 0-0 11.c4 c5 12.b4 b6
13.bxc5 bxc5 14.b1 f5 15.a4 c7
16.d5 d7 17.a6 c8 18.a4 d7
19.a6 c8 draw agreed in Gallagher, J-
Varga, P/Gonfreville FRA 2006) 10.e2
g7 11.0-0-0 d7 12.e4 e7 13.e5!?
( Obviously 13.xb7 is a risky pawn snatch
as b2 will come under attack af ter b8 )
13...xe5 14.dxe5 c5 castling on neither
side is attractive f or Black: ( White has a
straightforward attack after 14...0-0 15.h4
or if; 14...0-0-0 15.f3 c6 and the bishop
on d7 is shut in.) 15.f3 xe5 16.xb7
d8 17.xd7! just in time before Black can
castle his king to safety. xd7 18.xf7+
d6 It looks dangerous for the black king,
but there doesn't seem to be any death
blow. 19.d1+ c5 20.e7+ b6
21.xd8 xd8 and draw agreed in
Aroshidze, L-Rozentalis, E/Kavala GRE
2006. ( It would be a repetition after
21...xd8 22.xd8 xe3+ 23.d2 g1+
24.d1 e3+ 25.d2 )]
8...c5 9.dxc5 xc5 10.d3 c7 11.e2
a6? Not only does this waste a precious
tempo but it signals W hite's aim of castling
kingside, when queenside castling is a safer
option.
[ Far more sensible was 11...d7! e.g.
A) Black held the draw after 12.0-0 f4
13.xf4 xf4 14.g3 c7 15.e5 c6
16.xc6 bxc6 17.e4 e7 18.c4 c8
19.ad1 0-0 20.d3 fd8 etc. in Guliyev,
N-Meier, G/Hamburg GER 2007.;
B) Don't fall for the sucker punch 12.e5
0-0 ( here 12...b4! looks the best reply)
13.0-0 d4?? ( another way to drop a
piece is 13...b4 14.xb4 xb4
15.xd7 xd7 16.e4; 13...d6 )
14.e4 to be fair this was a blitz game!
1-0 Fressinet, L-Guliyev, N/ Ajaccio FRA
2007.;
C) 12.0-0-0 f4 13.xf4 xf4+ 14.d2
0-0-0 15.e4 b8 16.g3 c7 17.hd1
c8 18.xd8 xd8 19.xd8 xd8
20.xh7 f6 stopping a queen check on
e5. 21.e1 ( Black regains the pawn after
21.d3 b6 a s f 2 d ro p s .) 21...h8
22.e4 xh2 23.d3 b6 and Black
seemed at least equal in Stellwagen, D-
Meier, G/Yerevan ARM 2007. ]
12.0-0-0 f4 13.xf4 xf4+ 14.b1 0-0
15.g3 f6 16.e5 White's attack is now
pretty much automatic as there is no black
counterplay to worry about. g6 17.f4 d6
18.h4 d8 19.h5 f8 20.hxg6 hxg6
21.h2 g7 the position is now reminiscent
o f a S i ci l i a n D ra g o n i n wh ic h B l a c k h a s
forgotten to develop his queenside pieces.
22.h7+ f8 23.e4 xd1+ 24.xd1 b8
789
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

25.d7! A pretty move which concludes the A) Here 26.g3! looks awkward for Black
attack as Black can't defend the f7 square. as if g7 27.xh6!? forces him to enter
xe5 26.d8+ an in f erior en dgam e wit h 27 ...0-0, a s
[ The bishop on g7 drops after 26.d8+ e7 xh6? allows mate on d8 while
27.fxe5 xd8 28.xg7 ] ( 27...xh6? 28.b8+ costs the
1-0 exchange. );
B) 26.d4?? cxd4 27.xd4 d5!
I guess White either missed this move or
875 C10 forgot that a8 would be defended after
Pruess,David 2376 B l a c k ' s n e x t m o v e . 28.xa4+ b5!
Golod,Vitali 2552 and Black kept the extra piece and won in
Invitational (5) 15.05.2004 L.McShane-T.Hillarp-Persson, Politiken
[Neil McDonald] Cup 2002. ]
11...xh7! 12.xh7 h4 13.d3 xg2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 14.g5 A desperate move. In effect the game
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.e2 gf6 is already over as Black would regain the
8.eg5 e7!? A move that is relatively rare exchange and be a pawn up after
but it has enjoyed success in top level games. [ 14.g1 xh2 to say nothing of the weak
Black keeps the tension rather than clarifying pawn on e5 and the unsafe white king. ]
matters at once with 14...xg5 15.g1 c5 If White could castle
[ 8...xf3 9.xf3 ( or 9.xf3 when White queenside there would be some hope, but
can count on a small but definite edge. )] with the king stuck in the centre any attempt
9.e5 to exploit the pin on g2 is going to lead to
[ The reply 9.0-0 allows Black to exchange disaster. 16.d1 0-0-0 17.f4 f5!
two pairs of minor pieces: h6 10.e4 xe4 Golod gives up the bishop in order to get at
11.xe4 xe4 12.xe4 c6 13.c4 f6 th e wh ite kin g. 18.xg2 xd3 19.cxd3
14.h4 ( Here 14.e3 has been suggested, xd3+ 20.e1 d4 21.f1 c5!
but then g6 followed by Bg7 and 0-0 looks Much better than allowing the white king to
sound for Black. Sutovsky's move deters slip into the corner after
Black from castling kingside- on the whole a [ 21...xf4+? 22.g1 ]
good idea. However, it soon becomes clear 22.g4 e4 23.f3 e3 24.d1 e4
that W hite doesn't have enough pieces to 25.g3 h1+ 26.g1 f3+ 27.e2
cause the black king problems even when The rest is gruesome for the white king who is
he is castled on the slightly more exposed driven out into the open. f2+ 28.d3 d5+
queenside.) 14...g6 15.e1 g7 16.h3 29.c3 f3+ 30.c2 e4+
g5 17.e5 0-0-0 18.b3 d7 19.e3 0-1
xe5 20.dxe5 xe5 21.xa7 d4
with equality in E.Sutovsky-A.Rustemov,
North Sea Cup 2001. ] 876 C10
9...xe5 10.dxe5 d7 11.xh7? Question
[ Crit ic a l is 11.0-0 but unfortunately it has N,Archana
only been tried in one reliable game. This [Glenn Flear]
went h6 12.f3 b4 ( Not 12...g6 13.d4
when Nxc6 will damage Black's pawns.) 1.d4 e6 2.c3 This move may come as a
13.d2 a5 ( Perhaps 13...g6!? is the best s u r p r i s e t o D u t c h a n d E n g l i s h D e f e n c e
option here .) 14.b3 a4 15.c3 b6 fanatics as Paul Cumbers points out. However
16.d4 d5 17.e3!? An interesting pawn if one is playing 1...e6 then surely the French
sacrifice that is typical of Luke McShane's Defence is not a major inconvenience, so 2...
style. c5 18.c2 xe5 19.b4 xd3 d5 seems logical when White's best move is
20.xd5 c6 21.ad1 d8 22.xd3 xd5 almost certainly 3 e4. If W hite tries 3 Nf3
23.xd5 xd5 24.d1 c6 25.g4 g6 Black could consider 3...c5 when W hite's

790
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

centre is under pressure as he cannot use his 16.d2 White acquiesces in the exchange the
c-pawn for support. The move-order 1 d4 Nf6 alternative was
2 Nc3 d5 3 Bg5 e6 is again only appropriate [ 16.a3!? preparing Bb2 without allowing Ba3
for French Defence players who are happy to and aiming for a future queenside expansion
face 4 e4. So those W hite players who are with b3-b4. ]
happy to face a French Defence would play 2 16...b4 17.xb4 xb4 Swapping bishops
e4 and those who pref er a queen's pawn has eased Black's position as there is now
opening will play 2 c4 or perhaps 2 Nf3. I'm one less piece to house in his rather cramped
not a great fan of blocking my c-pawn so the quarters. 18.d3 ad8 19.ad1 f6
lack of popularity of 2 Nc3 doesn't surprise 20.xg6 hxg6 21.d2 a5 With the d pawn
me! d5 3.f3 c5!? restrained- d4-d5 is never viable- Black turns
[ 3...e7 4.e4 dxe4 5.xe4 f6 his attention to softening up W hite's
is another French Defence. ] qu e en sid e p a wn st ruct ure . 22.a4 d6
4.e4 Otherwise White has no hope of an 23.ed1 fd8 24.d3 g4 25.e4 f6
op en in g a dva nt age. Tran spo sing to C1 0 26.e3 g4 27.f4 White avoids the draw
another line of the French. but his next move gives away the d5 square.
f6 28.c5?! d5 Now the d pawn is firmly
blockaded. Still, it is difficult to see how Black
877 C10 would have won it if White had kept his knight
Rogers,Ian 2595 on f3. 29.e5? g5! 30.e3 d7 31.f3
McDonald,Neil R 2395 e5! Finally the d4 point is conquered and
Lloyds London (6) 1993 White's hold on the centre begins to collapse.
[Neil McDonald] 32.dxe5 xc5 33.xd5 xd5 34.xd5
cxd5 35.xg5 e6 36.e3 d4 The white d
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 pawn has vanished and been replaced by a
[ The brilliant thing about the Fort Knox for strong enemy passed pawn. 37.d3 c3
the non-theoretical player is that it occurs all 38.d1 d3 39.g3 c2 40.e1 g5!
the same after 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 ] Forcing the pawn through. 41.d4 b2
3...dxe4 4.xe4 d7 The Fort Knox: Black 42.e6 fxe6
solves the problem of the 'bad' French bishop 0-1
by putting it on c6 straightaway. The quiet
situation in the centre permits this eccentricity.
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.ed2 878 C10
Back in 1993 when the present game was Roiz,Michael 2600
played this retreat seemed rather odd, but Vaganian,Rafael A 2614
now it has become the mainline in the Fort World Team Ch (1) 01.11.2005
Knox. In an ideal world White will play Nc4 [Neil McDonald]
and then Ne5 to get control of a key centre
square. d5 From a theoretical stand point 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
t h i s g a m e h a s b e e n s u p e r s e d e d b y t h e 5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3!?
analysis in Ledger-McDonald on ChessPub. I still find it hard to believe that this quiet
9.e1 Here for example move can be so powerful. c5 8.e3 c7
[ 9.c4!? might have been stronger. ] 9.e5 a6 10.a4+ d7 Vaganian
9...e7 10.c4 f4 11.f1 0-0 12.b3 g6 completes his development, but he is handing
13.e3 o ve r t h e t wo b i sh o p s i n a r a t h e r c a s u a l
[ If 13.d5 Black can save the bishop and win manner.
a pawn with Nc5, etc. ] [ B l a c k s o m e t i m e s p r e f e r s 10...d7
13...xf3 14.xf3 c6 15.b3 a5 h e re , b u t t h e t re a t m e n t h e re ce ive d i n
Black's plan takes shape: he has fixed the Adams-Anand on ChessPub gives pause for
pawn on d4 and is now ready to exchange off thought. ]
its natural defender after say 16.Bb2 Ba3. 11.xd7 xd7 12.e2

791
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ On the same day and in the same
tournament hall, Grischuk preferred 12.g3!?
The idea is to avoid any unpleasantries
against h2 of the kind that occur in the 12.
Be2 line after Bd6, and at the same time aim
the bishop at the b7 point. 0-0-0 13.g2
b6 14.b3 d5 15.g5 ( The g3 square
would be a juicy target after 15.0-0 xe3
16.fxe3 h5! ) 15...d7 16.0-0 cxd4 17.cxd4
b8 18.d2 e7 19.ac1 d6 20.c4
White has a slight, but definite positional
advantage due to his control of the c-file.
Note that as appropriate he can play Bxd5 to
open up the possibility of Bf4. Nonetheless,
Nogueiras managed to hold the balance
after a temporary pawn sac: c8 21.xc8+
xc8 22.c2+ b8 23.xh7 f6 24.d3
b6 25.c3 c7 26.d1 b5 27.d5
exd5 28.xf6 xf6 29.a4 c7 30.b4 b2
31.b5 b4 32.bxa6 xa6 33.c2 c5
34.b1 c4 35.b2 - Grischuk, A-
Nogueiras,J/Beer Sheva ISR 2005. ]
[ Meanwhile 12.0-0-0?! seems to commit the
white king unnecessarily to the queenside,
which negates most of his attacking chances.
For example 0-0-0 13.e2 b6 14.b3
d5 15.b1 e7 16.f3 d7 17.c1
hd8 and Black, who is perfectly centralised,
went on to win in Kobalia,M-Milov,V/Ajaccio
FRA 2004. ]
12...0-0-0 13.0-0 b6 14.b3!?
[ Anand tried to grind out a win after 14.a5
d5 15.xc7+ xc7 16.dxc5 xe3
17.fxe3 f5 18.b4 g6 etc. in Ana nd, V-
Savchenko,S/Koelln GER 2005, but failed to
beat his much lower rated opponent. Which
proves that firstly, the Indian GM doesn't
have a magic formula to beat the French
and secondly, W hite should keep the
queens on to maintain attacking chances. ]
14...c4? A fundamental mistake. Black should
have activated his knight with
[ 14...d5 f o r e x a m p l e 15.g5!?
( White's dark squares are flimsy after
15.f3? xe3 16.fxe3 d6 )
A) if 15...f6?! 16.d2 leaving a hole on
e6 ( but not 16.g4?? c4! and Black wins
a piece. );
B) 15...e7 16.xe7 xe7 and here I
suppose White puts one of his rooks on d1,
with a tiny advantage. Still, this shouldn't
trouble Black. Perhaps Grischuk's recipe
with 12.g3 is therefore W hite's best bet
after all? ]
15.c2 d6 16.h1! h5
[ White's bishop pair far outweigh the knight
and three pawns af ter 16...xh2 17.g3
xg3 18.fxg3 xg3 19.f4 ]
17.b3! White's attack looks much slower than
his opponent's, but the weakness of the b7
square means that the bishop sitting idly on
e2 will soon be more powerful than a rook. In
playing 14...c4, Vaganian has provided the
white attack with just the hook it needs to
prise open the b-file. xh2
[ If 17...d5 18.g5 cxb3 19.xb3!
better than taking on d8 d7 20.c4 f4
21.f3 and the white attack is gathering
pace. ]
18.bxc4
[ White just ignores the kingside and with
good reason for if 18.g3? h4! 19.f4 d7!
20.xh2 e5 21.dxe5? hxg3+ 22.g2
h3+ and Black wins. ]
18...f4 19.xf4 xf4 20.ab1 a8
So m e h o w I d o n't t h in k t h e f o rm er W o rld
Championship candidate enjoyed making this
move.
[ However, the defences along the b-file cave
in after 20...c7 21.b3 d7 22.f3 b6
23.c5 b5 24.a4 ]
21.f3 d7 22.c5 h4 23.b3 d8
[ E n t i r e l y h o p e l e s s f o r B l a c k i s 23...h3
24.xb7+ d8 25.g3 ]
24.c4!
[ Now the bishop on f3 is defended by the
white queen. If at once 24.c6? then Black
turns the tables with h3! 25.cxd7? hxg2+
26.xg2 h2# ]
24...e7 25.d5 e5 26.e3! It is rare for a
Grandmaster to resign when he is neither
material down nor threatened with mate, but
there is nothing to be done about the white
pawn avalanche in the centre. For example
[ 26.e3 xe3 27.fxe3 b8 or else b7
drops to a discovered attack after 28.d6+.
28.c6 c7 29.c5 ]
1-0
792
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

879 C10 be opened? Less mysteriously, the queen

Rozentalis,Eduardas 2619 avoids any pins on the d file and clears the
Hillarp Persson,Tiger 2513 way for the king's rook to go to d8. 15.e5
12th Sigeman & Co (2) 01.04.2004 xe5 16.dxe5 d7 17.e4 c5!
[Neil McDonald] With this move Black achieves dynamic play.
The fact that he incurs doubled pawns is of
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 far less importance than the pressure his
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.ed2 queen, knight and rook get to exert on b3.
e7 9.c4 Of course this is a sensible move 18.xc6 bxc6 19.c3 d8 20.b1
that gets control of the d5 square, but I can't W h i t e n o l o n g e r h a s a n y r e a l a t t a c k i n g
help thinking that the knight on d2 has been chances on the kingside and must submit to
'betrayed'- after all, wasn't it promised the c4 defence. a3 21.b4 a4 22.a1 c5!
square when it retreated back from e4? An excellent positional move that prevents
[ 9.c4 i s c r i t i c a l w h e n I t h i n k d5 White clamping a bind on the queenside with
10.e3!? ( 10.ce5 c5!? ) 10...c5!? 23.c5 followed by Nc4. 23.b5
is the best bet for Black rather than 10...Bxf3 [ 23.bxc5 a8 followed by Nxc5 etc. looks
as played in Conquest-McDonald on very good for Black. ]
ChessPub. ] 23...a8 24.e4 b6 The weakness on b3
9...a5!? Black goes for instant queenside has vanished but a fresh target has appeared
counterplay, without even pausing to castle. It on c4. 25.e2 a4 26.bc1 xc4! 27.fe1
makes a lot of sense: after all, with the knight [ White has to remain a pawn down as if
on d2 blocking in the bishop on c1, White is 27.xc4 xa1 ]
bound to choose a system of development 27...b6 28.c3 g5 29.xg5 hxg5 30.h3
with b2-b3 and Bb2, when targets will appear d5 31.h5 g4 32.d2 gxh3 33.xh3
for the a5 pawn. b8! Black temporarily returns the extra pawn
[ An alternative strategy is to play b7-b6, Bb7 in order to activate his last piece and so ward
and c7-c5. I have always thought this a of f a n y a tt a ck b y W hit e o n t h e kin gsid e .
rather passive strategy, but it has been 34.xc5 d4 35.g5 a4 36.cc1 xb5
p la ye d wi t h s u cce ss b y Ru s t e m o v a n d 37.g3 d3 38.f3 g6 Black's king is now
others. For example 9...0-0 10.b3 b6 safe and he manages to grind out the win in
11.b2 b7 12.e2 c5 13.ad1 e8 the endgame. 39.e2 b1 40.xb1 xb1+
14.b1 c7 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.e4 xe4 41.e1 d1 42.xd1 xd1+ 43.h2 c2
17.xe4 xe4 18.xe4 f6 19.c2 ad8 44.f6 h7+ 45.g1 c5 46.h4 b1+
and Black held the draw in N.De Firmian-L. 47.e1 xe1+ 48.xe1 f8 49.f2 e7
Couso, Stockholm 2002. ] 50.g3 d7 51.f4 c6 52.f3 c4 53.e4
10.b3 c5 54.f5 c3 55.fxe6 fxe6 56.d3 b5
[ Perhaps White should play more sharply 57.g4 b4 58.d4 g5 59.d3 b3
with 10.e2 planning Ne5. ] 60.d4 f4
10...a4 11.b2 0-0 It was inevitable that 0-1
Black would have to castle, but I'm impressed
with how he has managed to avoid the other
'necessary' move b7-b6 whilst keeping the 880 C10
bishop on c6. 12.c2 h6 Black prefers this Rustam Khusnutdinov 2866
pawn advance to Goh Wei Ming 2900
[ 12...g6 in order to keep a solid barrier 3m + 0s, rated 21.10.2007
against the bishop on b2. ] [Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
13.ad1 axb3 14.axb3 b8! Nimzowitsch
would describe moving a rook to a blocked file 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
as a 'mysterious rook move'. Here Hillarp 5.e5 e4 6.e2 Khalifman's
Persson makes an equally mysterious queen re co m me n da t io n in " Op e nings f o r W hit e
move- did he know that the b file was going to according to Anand". White's main idea is to

793
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
attac k th e e4 knight f rom the g3 square ,
combined with a move like Bd3, at the same
time not allowing Black to compromise his
queenside pawn structure. This move also
allows c2-c3, buffering up his d4 pawn. f6
7.g3 fxe5 8.dxe5 d7 9.e3 c5
10.xc5
[ 10.xe4 could be met by xe3 11.g3
c5 ]
10...xc5 11.d2
[ 11.b5 ]
11...0-0 12.e3 e7 13.0-0-0 Khalifman
now continues his analysis with the typical 13..
Be8, concluding that White has a small plus.
However, he did not analyze W atson's
innovation in his "Dangerous Weapons" book.
a4! regardless of White's reply, Black is
assured a dangerous initiative on the
queenside. Black's immediate threats are 14..
Qb4 and 14..b5 and they are not easy to deal
with. 14.b5? It must have been difficult to
react to a counter intuitive move like 13..Na4
and almost immediately, White went wrong.
[ 14.h4? b4! ]
[ 14.d2!? prevents Qb4 e8 15.h4 a5
( 15...b4 16.b1 c5 17.b3 b6 18.c3
c6 19.h5 c4 with a double edged position
but I prefer Black.) 16.h5 h6 17.b1 b8
with an attack on the queenside. ]
14...b4 15.xa4 xa4 16.b3
[ 16.b1 e8! 17.d2 g6 gives Black a
promising position. ]
16...f4+?!
[ 16...xb3 17.axb3 a5! with ideas like Be8-
g6 and a5-a4 would have given Black active
play in the queenless middlegame. ]
17.b1 xe5 18.xe5
[ Rybka demonstrated that af ter 18.h5!
f5 19.xg7!! xg7 20.c3 would have
turned the game around. ]
18...xe5 19.he1 d6 20.e4 b6
21.h3 e8 22.g5 g6 23.xe6?
Missing a tactical blow. xc2+! A pleasing
sacrifice the finish the game. 24.xc2 xf2+
25.d2 xd2+ 26.xd2 xb2+ 27.e3
c1+ 28.d4 xg5
0-1
881 C10
Sadler,Matthew 2665
Miles,Anthony J 2595
ch-GBR (Playoff) ENG (1) 1997
[Neil McDonald]
1.d4 e6 Note the move order. You rarely see
Matthew Sadler playing 1 e4 as W hite, so
Tony Miles feels he can safely offer a French
Defence, even though it has no big part in his
own repertoire. However, it turns out that
Matthew knows everything about everything!
2.e4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 5.d3!?
This is an attempt to inject new life into the
position by avoiding the 'universal' 5 Nf3. It is
highly aggressive: White plans to mobilise the
queenside pieces as quickly as possible and
castle queenside. The drawback is that the
development of the king's knight is delayed for
a considerable time. gf6 6.e2 c5!
This attack on d4, which is thematic in the 5
Nf3 mainline, makes even more sense when
the pawn is undefended by the knight.
7.xf6+ xf6 8.dxc5 xc5 9.d2!?
This is the real novelty as
[ 9.f3 transposes back to the mainline after
5 Nf3-see Ponomariov-Speelman. ]
9...0-0 10.0-0-0 Sadler gambits a pawn. It
wasn't too late to bail out with
[ 10.f3 ]
10...d5? If you have played through
Ponomariov-Speelman you will know that
[ The 'magic move' in this set up is 10...e5!?
which looks rather good here. ]
11.c3 g5+ Capturing either the a2 or g2
pawns looks extremely risky, but of course it
is psychologically difficult for Black to back
down and admit his queen venture was a
mistake. 12.b1 d5 13.e5 xg2?
This turns out to be fatal. Stuart Conquest
recommends the solid
[ 13...f6! ]
14.h5! f5 15.f3 g4 16.hg1! xh5
17.xg7+ h8 18.g5+? It is nice to win
back the queen, but instead
[ 18.dg1!! leaves Black entirely helpless.
The threat is 19 Rg8 mate, and if 18...Nf6
simply 19 Bxf6 followed by 20 Rf7 or 20 Rg8
mate. If 18...h6 19 Rg8+ or 19 Rf7+ with
mate next move. ]
18...f6 19.xh5 xf2 This is not so much
794
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

to win a pawn as to stop the white rook joining 12.0-0 is fairly balanced. ]
in the attack with Rg1, etc. However, despite 9...0-0 10.d2
the exchange of queens White's attack is still [ 10.a3 xd3+ 11.cxd3 c5 12.d4 b6! ]
irresistible. The pin on f6 will eventually lead 10...c5 11.f2 g4 12.g3 d4! 13.e4 d5
to the win of a piece. 20.d2! The white rook [ 13...b5! is more precise this was a Rapids
finds another way to enter the attack. e3 game. ]
21.g2 d7 22.g5 xg5 23.gxg5 f7 14.a3 xd3+ 15.cxd3 b6 16.h3 xf2
24.h6 af8 25.b3 Of course, there is no [ 16...h6 ]
need for W hite to hurry. Such a beautiful 17.xf2?
p o s it i o n s h o u l d b e s a vo u re d a s l o n g a s
[ 17.xf2 ]
possible. c6 26.c4 d7 27.a4 a6 28.a5 17...a6 18.c2 c4 19.dxc4 xc4
c8 29.b2 d7 30.gg6 Finally deigning 20.fd2 a6
to win the piece. The rest requires no [ 20...ac8! and White is hopelessly tied up,
comment. c8 31.xf6+ xf6 32.xf6 xf6 with cute possibilities like 21.b1 xf4!
33.xf6 g7 34.xe6 xe6 35.xe6 f4 22.gxf4 h4+ 23.d1 b3+ 24.e2
36.d5 c2-+ ]
1-0 21.b3 xb3
[ 21...d7 ]
22.xb3 b7 23.bd2 ac8 24.e2?
882 C10 Time constraints are undoubtedly having their
Sadykov,Re 2069 effect from here on out. Nevertheless, this is
Timofeev,Arty 2603 an instructive example of how Black's center
36th Nezhmetdinov Rapid 2014 rapid (1.6) can be converted into a dynamic force.
[John Watson] [ 24.d1 ]
24...c2 25.d3 xb2 26.xd4 d8+
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5 f6 5.f4 27.c3 b5 28.hc1 bd5! 29.b3 8d7
Not a bad move, but the trade of White's d- [ 29...d4! ]
pawn for Black's f-pawn gives the second 30.c3 f8 31.a2?
player plenty of chances. fxe5 6.dxe5 [ 31.c2 ]
[ 6.fxe5? h4+ ] 31...d4 32.e3 d5+
6...h6 0-1
[ Black tried to take advantage of his
s t r u c t u r e b y 6...c5 Bendriss-Bauer, C
(2630), Rabat 2014: 7.f3 h6 8.g5!? 883 C10
( 8.a4 e7 9.a3 a6= , to prevent 10.c4? Sankalp,Modwal 2147
dxc4 , etc. ) 8...e7 9.d3 f7 10.h4 Ghane Gardeh,Shojaat 2442
( 10.xh7 h4+ 11.g3 h3 ) 10...d7!? 6th Parsvnath Open (9) 19.01.2008
( 10...h6! 11.f3 d7= ) 11.h5?! [Neil McDonald]
( 11.xh7! is perhaps not as risky as it looks,
e.g., 0-0-0 12.a3 b8 13.h5 ) 11...g6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5 ge7
12.xg6? (simply unsound) hxg6 13.xg6 This is more solid, though less enterprising,
d4! 14.d1 0-0-0 15.c3 xg5 16.cxd4 than
b4+ 17.f1 e4 18.g4 dg8 0-1 ] [ 4...f6 ]
7.f3 e7 5.f3 f5 6.h4
[ 7...c5 8.a4 e7 9.a3 0-0 10.d3 [ White's passive play met with a vigorous
is similar, except that ... Nb4 isn't an option. ] response in the following game: 6.e2 b6
8.d3 7.0-0 b7 8.a3 This vague pawn move is
[ 8.a3!? 0-0 9.d3= ] always a sign that White isn't enjoying his
8...b4 A key move by preparing ...c5, Black Hecht-Reefschlaeger experience. e7 9.b3
acquires central pressure. 9.e3?! h5! 10.e3 g5! And why not? White has no
[ 9.e2 c5 10.b1!? 0-0 11.c3 c6 co u n t e rp la y. 11.d2 g8 12.b5 a6

795
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.xc6+ xc6 with a promising attack for
Black in Dinesh, K-Ghane, S/New Delhi IND
2008. ]
[ After 6.e2!? the solid response is e7!?
( rather than 6...f6 7.g3 fxe5 8.dxe5
which I thought risky for Black in my analysis
to Negi-Rozentalis.) 7.g3 0-0 8.xf5
exf5 9.e2 e6 10.0-0 a5 11.e3 a4
as in Schuetz, T-Keitlinghaus, L/Dortmund
1989. ]
[ Also in the Negi game I looked at 6.b5
d7 7.g5 and discussed in some detail
th e c om ple x f6!? ( Not necessarily bad for
Black is 7...e7 8.h4 h5 9.d2 a6 10.f1
b6 11.0-0-0 g6 12.f4 b5 but White
eventually came out trumps in this odd
position in Polgar, J-Rozentalis, E/
Groningen 1993. )]
6...b4 7.h5 a6 8.h6?
[ White should keep up the pressure with
8.g4 h6 ( or 8...fe7 9.h6 ) 9.g1!
with some advantage due to the misplaced
black knight on h6. ( but not 9.xh6 gxh6
10.d2 f8 )]
8...xh6 Now White has to part with his dark
squared bishop, after which Black's dynamic
chances at least compensate for his
weakened kingside. 9.xh6 gxh6 10.xh6
[ Delaying the recapture on h6 is
problematical as it might become hard to
regain the pawn, for example 10.d2 f8
11.h2 ( or 11.0-0-0 d7 12.e2 e7
13.f4 0-0-0 ) 11...g5! ]
10...f8! the bishop returns home to staunch
up the kingside dark squares and more
specifically drive back the white rook, which
facilitates an attack on the white centre with
f7-f6. 11.h5 e7 12.d2 d7 13.0-0-0
0-0-0 14.g4? A loosening move that White
can ill afford.
[ Perhaps he should try 14.g3 f6 15.exf6
xf6 16.e3 d6 ( or 16...g7 17.e2
e8 18.hh1 ) 17.e2 or else head for an
endgame with ]
[ 14.g5 h6 15.xe7 xe7 though in both
cases Black is very comfortable. ]
14...f6 15.g5
[ Extremely unpleasant for White is 15.exf6
xf6 16.e2 d6 ]
15...fxe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.dxe5 g7
18.f4 h6 19.g6 White has a far advanced
p a s s e d p a wn , b u t i t i s g o i n g n o w h e r e .
Meanwhile, Black has a pawn majority in the
centre that can rapidly expand. Now Sankalp
becomes f atally obsessed with staging a
break through on the kingside, and makes no
provision for fighting the advancing black
pawns. hf8 20.d3 c5 21.g1 b8
22.h2 c6 23.h4
[ Black ignores an exchange sac as in the
game: 23.xh6 c4 24.e2 d4 25.b1 d3
and the pawns power through. ]
23...c7 24.d1 c4 25.f1 d4 26.f2 f3
27.xh6 An amusing picture. Every white
piece- queen, two rooks, knight and bishop-
have removed themselves to the kingside,
leaving their king to face the onslaught all
alone. d3! 28.d2 xh6 29.xh6 c5
30.h4 dxc2+ 31.xc2 Here White
resigned or lost on time. In any case, after
[ 31.xc2 e3 it is all over. ]
0-1
884 C10
Sermek,Drazen 2545
Foisor,Ovidiu Doru 2472
Open Porto San Giorgio ITA (8) 27.08.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.e2 gf6
8.eg5 xf3 This is more or less forced as
[ 8...d6 9.e5! ( 9.xf7!? looks good for
White. )]
9.xf3 Objectively
[ 9.xf3 is better, retaining a small positional
advantage-the two bishops and more space.
Play could go 9. . .Be7 10 0-0 0-0 11 c4 c5,
etc. However, Sermek's move does set a
d a n g e ro u s t ra p wh ic h B l a c k h a s t o b e
careful to avoid. ]
9...c6 10.0-0 d6 Black was blown away
after
[ 10...b6?! 11.e3 c5? 12.d5! exd5
13.fe1 e7 14.f4 h6 15.h3! f8
16.h7+! in Tkachiev-Martin, Oakham
1993. ]
11.e1 c7? This leads to difficulties. He
should have played
[ 11...e7! defending e6 and f7. Then after
12.h3 0-0-0 looks OK for Black. ]
796
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

12.h3! The trap is sprung! Black is suddenly d-pawn is quite vulnerable. ]

without a good continuation. Castling kingside 9.e2 exd5 10.cxd5 e8?!
is ruled out by the attack on h7, while castling [ 10...f5! either wins the d-pawn or bishop
queenside drops f7. Black decides to attack pair:
the knight but... h6? 13.xe6+! f8 A) 11.g5 h6 ( 11...xd5 12.xf6
[ 13...fxe6 14.g6+ e7 15.xe6+ d8 xd1+ 13.xd1 gxf6 14.0-0 xc3
16.f7+ c8 17.xd6+ b8 18.f4! 15.bxc3 d7 is at least equal for Black,
gives White a winning attack. ] probably better.) 12.xf6 xf6 13.c1
14.g6! The final point-if xh2+ d7 14.0-0 b6 and White will have
[ 14...fxg6 15.xf6+! planning a knight fork trouble hanging on to the d-pawn.;
on e6. Black's position is therefore totally B) 11.0-0 xc3 12.bxc3 xd5 ]
wrecked. ] 11.0-0 g4
15.h1 g4 16.e2 d6 17.xf7 xg6 [ 11...f5 12.b5! bd7 13.h4
18.xh8 f5 19.f3! is unclear. ]
1-0 12.h3 h5 13.c4?!
[ 13.b5 bd7 14.g5 keeps things
complicated, although a6 15.xf6 gxf6
885 C10 16.d3 b6 still favours Black. ]
Seymour,T 2093 13...bd7 14.g4 xc3
McDonald,N 2454 [ 14...g6! and the d-pawn won't last. ]
4th London Classic Open (9) 09.12.2012 15.bxc3 g6 16.d3
[John Watson] [ 16.g5 b6 17.b5 e7 ]
16...c4!?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 [ 16...xd3! 17.xd3 c4 18.xc4 b6
5.c4 It's good to see any game by Neil 19.d3 xd5 ]
Mc D o n a l d wi t h t h e F o r t K n o x, wh i c h h e 17.xc4 c8 18.b3 xc3 19.e3?
recommends in his book How to Play Against [ 19.d2! ]
1 e4. Here we get to see his response to 5 c4, 19...d3
w h i c h i s n ' t c o v e r e d i n h i s b o o k . f6 [ or 19...b6! ]
Instead of 5...Bc6. 6.c3 20.c1 xd5 21.xa7?? But Black is a
[ 6.xf6+ is seen in this column's game pawn and position up. c3 Threatening both
Forcen Esteban-Belezky. ] ...Ne2+ and ...Rxf3 22.g2 e4 23.e3 f6
6...b4 Neil chooses development first. The 0-1
natural response is
[ 6...c5 , which disturbs White's centre and
equalises after 7.f3 ( 7.d5 d6! 8.f3 886 C10
0-0 9.e2 exd5 10.cxd5 a6! with the Shirov,Alexei 2699
idea ...Nc7, and Black stays very active in Gurevich,Mikhail 2643
case of 11.xa6 bxa6 12.0-0 b8 ) 37th Olympiad (12) 03.06.2006
7...cxd4 ( 7...c6!? 8.e2 cxd4 9.xd4 [Neil McDonald]
bd7= ) 8.xd4 c6 ]
7.f3 c5 8.d5?! This is definitely an 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4
overextension when White is underdeveloped. 5.xe4 bd7 6.f3 h6 7.xf6+ xf6
The normal continuation would be 8.e3 White's other ideas discussed on
[ 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 cxd4 10.xd4 c6 ChessPub include
11.d3 , which is hard to assess and [ 8.xf6 xf6 9.b5+ c6 10.d3 and ]
potentially double-edged. Probably White [ 8.h4 c5 ]
h a s a s m a l l a d v a n t a g e w h i c h c a n b e 8...d5 9.d3
neutralised by careful play. ] [ Or immediately 9.d2!? a very rare move.
8...0-0 It is strange indeed that White can move his
[ 8...exd5 9.cxd5 0-0 is also good. White's bishop three times and still get the

797
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

a d v a n t a g e ! e7 ( Perhaps Black should 23.xd7 xd7 24.c4! ae8 25.ad1

play 9...c5 10.e5 a6 ) 10.d3 f6 11.c3 f7 26.d6 winning the e6 pawn with a
d7 12.e2 c6 13.0-0-0 d6 14.e5 crushing position. ]
and Black was unde r some pressure in 21.xd7! Gurevich probably missed the
Areshchenko, A-Vaganian, R/Godesberg strength of White's 23rd move. xa1 22.b5!
GER 2006. ] 0-0-0 23.d1! A great attacking player like
9...d6 10.d2 f4 Black acquires the two Shirov isn't going to allow simplification with
bishops without strengthening the white centre, [ 23.xa1? xd7 ]
as would be the case after 9...Nxe3 10.fxe3 23...e5
f o r e xa m p le h o we ve r, wi ll h e b e a b le t o [ A longer way to resist is 23...a6 24.b6+
develop his pieces adequately? 11.xf4 xf4 b8 25.xa1 axb5 26.a4! e7 27.axb5
12.e2 c6? The obvious move, but now the A) or 27...g5 28.c6 c7 29.a7! b8
bishop on c8 remains shut in. As a lover of ( 29...xb6 30.xb7# ) 30.d7
the Fort Knox I cannot approve of this! The and wins.;
bold B) 27...f6 28.a8+ c7 29.c8! xc8
[ 12...d7!? looks a better chance e.g. 30.b6+ d7 31.d3+ e7 32.d6+
A) Or 13.e5 xe5 14.dxe5 ( or e8 33.xc8+ and mates. ]
14.xe5 g5!? ) 14...c6 15.b5 xb5 24.c6! a6 25.cxb7+ xb7 26.e4+ a7
( here 15...d7 looks safe enough.) 27.c6!
16.xb5+ c6 17.xb7 a5+ 18.f1 0-0 [ 27.c6 c8 28.e3+ d4 29.xd4 exd4
with plenty of play f or Black based on ( or 29...xc6 30.d6+ winning the queen)
Qxe5 or Rab8 and Rxb2.; 30.xd4+ and mate next move. ]
B) 13.e4?! d6 14.xb7 b8 15.xa7 1-0
c6 threat Ra8. 16.a6 b6 17.a7
( 17.c4? b4+ 18.c3 d5 traps the
queen. ) 17...0-0 and even if White 887 C10
succeeds in extricating his queen, Black Shirov,Alexei 2726
will still have excellent play with Bxf3 or Sumets,Andrey 2545
Rxb2. ] 8th Amplico AIG Life Rapid rapid (13)
13.0-0 c7 [Neil McDonald]
[ Not 13...0-0?? 14.e4 winning a piece. I
guess we all fall for that sort of thing once! ] 1.e4 e6 This isn't your usual spectacular
14.c4 c5 15.dxc5 xc5 16.a3! Black is Shirov game. On the other hand, it isn't often
almost equal but not quite: and that makes all t h a t a p l a y e r m a n a g e s t o c o m e u p wi t h
the difference in this type of position. c7 something new on move eight of a heavily
Black is pushed back all the same after analysed variation. And yet as we shall see
[ 16...a5 17.b4! c7 ( 17...axb4?? 18.axb4 the Latvian born GM manages to dodge all
wins a rook. ) 18.g3 d6 19.c5 etc. ] the theory and keep a small advantage going
17.b4 d7 18.g3 d6? into the middlegame. 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4
[ A better chance was 18...g5! 19.xg5 ( if 4.xe4 d7 5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6
19.e5? f6 and White has none of the 7.g3 White has an abundance of alternatives
Nxd7 and Bb5 tricks that occur in the here:
game. ) 19...hxg5 when risky for White is [ 7.e3 ]
20.e3 0-0-0 21.xa7 i n v i e w o f c6 [ 7.g5 ]
with the double threat of 21...Rxd3 and 21.. [ 7.c3 ]
Rxh2! 22.Kxh2 Rh8+ 23.Kg1 Rh1 mate. ] [ 7.d3 ]
19.c5 e7 20.e5 f6 This loses in [ 7.c4 ]
spectacular style, but Black is already in a 7...b6 A very sensible response. The only way
very bad way. If the bishop on c8 is going to have an active
[ 20...0-0 21.e4! forcing Black into life is on the a8-h1 diagonal. If Black delays
weakening the e6 pawn f5 22.e2 f6 the counter fianchetto on b7, say with 7...Be7,

798
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
then W hite will have time for 8. Bg2,
whereupon 8...b6 will run into 9.Ne5.
8.b5+!? First White prepares a fianchetto on
g2, then the bishop gives a check on b5.. .
[ Five years ago Shirov had played the more
c o n v e n t i o n a l 8.g2 against the current
World Champion, but hadn't achieved much
after b7 9.0-0 e7 10.c4 0-0 11.b3 a5!
beginning a plan to undermine b3 beloved of
Fort Knox players. 12.b2 a4 13.e2 a6
14.fd1 e8 15.c3 e4 16.e1 axb3
17.axb3 xa1 18.xa1 f6 19.d1 a8
and although it eventually ended in a draw
Black had rather the better of it in Shirov,
A-Anand, V/Mainz GER 2004. ]
8...d7 9.e2 xb5 10.xb5+ d7
11.e2 e7 12.0-0 0-0 13.c4 We can sum
up the outcome of the eccentric check on b5.
White's kingside has been weakened by g2-g3,
but it doesn't really matter as none of Black's
pieces or pawns are capable of launching an
attack to exploit it. Of course, if Black had a
light squared bishop the verdict might be very
dif f e re n t . Fo r h is p a rt , t h e re a re n o re a l
weaknesses in Black's camp, and he is poised
to play his favourite freeing move c7-c5. I've
no doubt that Anand would have drawn this
position as Black. On the other hand, Shirov
has kept a small space advantage, and should
Black attempt to ease his game by exchanging
rooks down the d-file, the fabled advantage of
the queenside pawn majority might come good.
In summary, White's pieces and pawns have a
little more energy than Black's, and the chess
genius Shirov utilises this to the full- with
some necessary help from his opponent. c5
14.d1 b7 A good diagonal for the queen,
as she takes advantage of the only real defect
of g2-g3- the white knight doesn't have its
usual defender on g2. 15.e3 cxd4?
[ I don't think Black should let White activate
his dark squared bishop, as the pressure on
g 7 i s a n n o y i n g . I n s t e a d 15...ac8
looks right, when there is further
simplification after 16.dxc5 probably White
should keep the tension rather than making
this exchange. xc5 17.xc5 xc5 etc. ]
16.xd4 fd8 17.d3! ac8 18.ad1 e4
[ Instead 18...xc4? is a disaster after
19.xf6 when Black can only limp into a lost
e n d g a m e w i t h xd3 20.xd3 gxf6
21.xc4 xf3 etc. ]
19.b3 h6 20.e3 g5 21.xg5 xg5
22.ed3 e7 23.b2 f8 24.h4 e7
25.e2 c5? Up until here Sumets has more
or less resisted the pressure from his 2726
Elo opponent, but now he is too anxious to
simplify. He should have contested control of
the d-file with
[ 25...d6 e.g.
A) The sacrifice 26.xg7? fails after xg7
27.g4+ ( Or 27.e5+ f6 ) 27...h7
28.xd6 xd6 29.e4+ f5 30.xe6 d8
31.h5 e7 etc.;
B) 26.c3 cd8 though White can
continue to play for a win thanks to his
queenside majority and more active
bishop. ]
26.xc5 bxc5 27.d7! Suddenly White has
the seventh rank and pawns on a7, f7 and c5
to target. a5 28.f3! the queen looks both at
f7 and also down the long diagonal towards a8,
which has some attractive stopping off points
e n r o u t e t o a n a t t a c k o n a 5 o r c 5 . xd7
29.xd7 a4 Despair, as White intended 30.
Ra7, winning the a5 pawn, and if
[ 29...a8 30.xf7! xf7 31.xa8+ ]
30.bxa4 e8 31.d3 e5 32.a5 e4 33.d2
e3 34.fxe3 e5 35.h2 c6 36.d5
b2+ 37.h3 f6 38.d8+ h7 39.e4+
A killer check: Black will soon be mated after
[ 39.e4+ g6 ( Or 39...g6 40.h5 )
40.e8 ]
1-0
888 C10
Shomoev,A 2560
Kryakvin,D 2588
Vladimir Dvorkovich Mem 2014 (9.5) 26.01.14
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.d3 A solid continuation. The
other Bd3 line with 7 Nxf6+ Nxf6 8 Bd3 is
common, often transposing. c5!
[ 6...xe4 7.xe4 f6 8.d3 e7
is a lit t le slo w, a n d W h it e ca n p re p a re
queenside castling in conjunction with Ne5.
A poor way of doing this was 9.e2 0-0
10.d2?! b6 11.c3 b7 12.0-0 d5
13.fe1 1/2-1/2 Petrisor, A (2404)-Fang, Y
799
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

(2258), Kecskemet HUN 2014. ] 11...d6

7.0-0 I can't reproduce all the theory here, [ 11...e7? 12.xd8+ xd8 13.c5
obviously, but I can indicate an outline of wins a pawn for White. ]
theoretically important continuations. 12.e3
[ A recent game saw 7.xf6+ xf6 8.dxc5 [ White can play for a little something with
xc5 9.0-0 c7 ( 9...b6!? 10.e5 0-0 12.d3! , preparing Rd1: c7! ( 12...0-0
11.f3 c7! ) 10.g5 d7 11.e2 d6 13.d1 e7 14.xd8 xd8 15.xd8+
12.fe1 d5 ( 12...h6 ) 13.b5 h6 14.h4 xd8 16.c5 ) 13.g3 0-0 14.d2 e5
c6 15.ad1 ( 15.xc6+! bxc6 16.ad1 ( 14...e5 15.a5! d7 16.c4 ) 15.a5!?
0-0 transposes) 15...0-0 16.xc6 bxc6 ( 15.fe1!? ) 15...e7 16.fe1 ]
( 16...xc6!? ) 17.c4!? ( 17.d3 12...c7 13.g3 d7? Missing the following
t h r e a t e n s c 4 , a n d g5 18.g3 xg3 tactic.
19.hxg3 fd8 20.c4 is slightly better for [ 13...0-0= ]
White ) 17...e7 18.g3 xg3 19.hxg3 14.xb7! d8 15.f3 b5 16.e2 c6
ad8 20.b4 a5 21.a3 axb4 22.axb4 b8 17.d4?! Walking into the pin is completely
23.b1 fd8 24.ed1 xd1+ 25.xd1 e5= unnecessary.
26.e2 f6 27.g4 d7 1/2-1/2 Neuman, P [ 17.e1 ]
(2499)-Jirovsky, M (2480)/Jicin CZE 2014. ] 17...c5 18.c3!? Not that bad, but White is
7...cxd4!? losing the thread.
[ 7...xe4 8.xe4 f6 is this month's game [ 18.f4! b6 ( 18...e5? 19.xe5 ) 19.c3
Adhiban-Ravi. ] xb2 20.b3! xb3 21.axb3 xd4
8.xd4 xe4 9.xe4 f6 10.f3 22.cxd4 ]
[ 10.g5 e7 approaches complete equality. 18...e5 19.b5
A recent game went 11.f3 0-0 12.e1 [ 19.c1 is probably better: b6 ( 19...0-0
b6 13.b3 ( 13.b1 d8 14.c3 20.f3 ) 20.c2 a8! gives plenty of
gives a few more prospects) 13...d8 p r e s s u r e f o r a p a w n , s i n c e 21.f5?!
14.e2 d7 15.e3?! c6! 16.xb6 ( 21.f3 xe3 22.fxe3 c5 ) 21...c6!
axb6 17.e2 h6 18.h4 a4! 19.c4 da8 22.f3 xe3+ 23.xe3 b6 24.f2 d5
20.a3 Saduakassova, D (2348)-Bykov, E will at least equalize ]
(2089), Taganrog RUS 2014 and here b5 19...b8 20.b3 xe3 21.fxe3 0-0
would gain some advantage, based upon 22.ad1 b6
21.xf6 ( 21.cxb5 d5 22.xf6 xf6 [ Or 22...xd1 23.xd1 b6 24.c4 a8 ]
23.c5 4a7 ) 21...xf6 22.c5 xc4! 23.c4 a8 24.a3
( 22...4a7 ) 23.xc4 bxc4 24.ab1 d4 [ 24.xd8 xd8 25.a3 c5 ]
25.e4 g6 and the pawn and bishop pair 24...xd1 25.xd1 c5! 26.e2
are more important than the exchange. ] [ 26.f3! ]
10...c5 11.b3 26...e4 27.d3 g5 28.h4 e4?
[ 11.e3 threatens Nxe6 and appears more [ 28...c6! is very strong, e.g., 29.d5 c8
challenging, but with care, Black shouldn't 30.xe5 f6 31.f5 b8 ]
be in real trouble, e.g., 29.h2 e7 30.d1?
A) 11...b6 12.e2 ( 12.b5 xe3 [ 30.c2 ]
13.xd8+ xd8 14.ad1+ e7 15.fxe3 30...f6?
e5 ) 12...0-0 ( 12...d5 13.xd5 xd5 [ 30...f2 31.d7 ( 31.d6 b7 )
14.c4 e5 15.c5! ) 13.fd1 e7 14.c4 31...c5! 32.f1 xe3 33.f5 e4 ]
e5 15.b5 xe3 16.xe3; 31.f1 g6 32.g1 b6 33.b3 f6
B) 11...0-0! 12.xe6 xd1 13.axd1 34.f1 g6 35.g1 d8 36.b5 h6
xe3 14.c7 g4! 15.xa8 xf3 [ 36...h5! can lead to the pretty line 37.xe5
16.gxf3 f4 17.d4 g5 18.fd1 xa8 f2 38.xh5 g4!! ]
19.d8+ xd8 20.xd8+ g7 21.a8 a6 37.xe5 c6 38.b1?
22.a7 b5 23.xa6 d5 and the two [ 38.f3 e8 39.xe4 ]
pieces should hold ] 38...d2!? 39.c3! xc4 40.xc4 xc4

800
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

41.e4 This is about equal, now that Black's the barrier on g6. Furthermore, as we shall
c o m p e n s a t i o n i s l a r g e l y p o s i t i o n a l . d4 see in the game, Black doesn't get mated after
42.f4 e8 43.e1 f6 44.e2 c4 45.f2 the simplistic h5xg6 etc.: positionally speaking
a5 46.a7 f5 47.xa5 fxe4 48.a4 things are far more complex. 16.b1 c8
[ 48.b6 ] Having consolidated on the kingside, Black
48...c8 49.b3+ h8 50.d5? looks for queenside counterplay. He has to
[ 50.b6= ] def end c6 be f ore p laying his n ext mo ve .
50...e3! Now Black has opened the long 17.fe1 b5 18.f4 bxc4 19.bxc4 c7
dia gon a l an d is winn in g. 51.xe3 d8 20.h4 a5 21.h6! h8 Advancing 21. h6
52.f4? was much better than the exchange 21.hxg6
[ 52.d3! c6 53.a4 xd5 54.xd5 xd5 hxg6. White wants the pawn on h6 as it fits in
55.xd5 xd5 56.a5 may not hold, but at with various attacking schema: firstly, play d4-
least there are technical difficulties. ] d5, arrange an exchange of dark squared
52...d2+ 53.e2 b i s h o p s , a n d t h e n m a t e B l a c k wit h Q g 7
[ 53.e2 xe2+ 54.xe2 c6 ] secondly, open one of the centre files, or
53...c6 54.h3 g2+?! seize the b-file, and then mate Black on the
[ 54...h5! , winning on the spot. ] b a c k ra n k wi t h a m o ve li ke R e 8 o r R b 8 ,
55.g4 xe2 56.b8+ h7 57.xa8 h5+! perhaps with a sacrifice as a prelude. Or
58.f4 xa8 59.xe2 xa2 60.e5?! thirdly, attack f7 with the rooks, or after a
c4+ 61.e4 f1+ 62.e3 g2 63.b4 centre clearance, with the bishop along the a2-
xg3+ 64.d4 d6+ 65.c4 c6+ f7 diagonal, and maybe the knight on e5 or g5.
66.d4 g6 67.e5 d6+ Such an attack would be harder to meet with
0-1 the black king denied the g7 square, and the
bish o p o n h 8 u na b le to aid t h e d ef e nc e .
22.f4 b4? Evidently, n is keen on the
889 C10 freeing move c6-c5, and so leaves his rook on
Short,Nigel D 2660 c8. But this is the Fort Knox, where c6-c5 is
Vaganian,Rafael A 2617 often a poison chalice, as it will prove later in
King's Tournament (5) 28.05.2008 the game. Since he has gone to the trouble of
[Neil McDonald] opening the b-file, he should exploit it in a
natural way with
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 [ 22...b8 23.a1 ( If 23.c1 b6
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.g3 threatening 24...Nxc4. 24.d3 xa2 )
e7 9.c4 xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.b3 0-0 23...a4 24.c1 b4 when White has to
12.b2 e8 worry about his c-pawn. ]
[ An alternative plan for Black much analysed 23.c1 It will take tremendous skill for Nigel
on this website is 12...a5 13.a3 b5!? Short to exploit his advantage- just the right
( or the more solid 13...fe8 )] balance of aggression and restraint is
13.ad1 f8!? Vaganian diverges from required. b6
normal paths, which include [ Here is what might happen after 23...c5 :
[ 13...c7 14.fe1 ad8 15.d5 24.d5! exd5 25.xe8+ xe8 26.cxd5
as in Navara-Rustemov, and ] xd5 27.xh8 xh8 28.e4! ( and not
[ 13...a5 or ] 28.xd5? e1+ ) 28...5f6 29.c6 e7
[ 13...f8 ] 30.a1! Black's weak back rank and g7
14.h4 g6 15.h5 g7 It would be very easy to square put his pieces under intolerable
criticise Black's manoeuvre Bf8, g7-g6 and strain. g8 31.xd7 xd7 32.xd7 xd7
Bg7: after all, he has kindly provided White's 33.g7# ]
h4-h5 advance with a target on g6. However, 24.d3 ed8 25.e2 e7 26.f1 h5
there is no arguing with the fact that the black 27.g4! Pushing the knight back before Black
bishop is well placed on g7, and that the can dream of 27...Bxd4. f6 28.h2 d7
power of W hite's bishop on d3 is dented by 29.g5 fd5 30.xe7 xe7 31.f3 a4

801
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
32.a1 c5? At last Black feels he is ready to
'free' his game- in fact he is destroying it. It
wasn't too late to try for counterplay along the
b-file with
[ 32...b8 e.g. 33.e5 xe5 34.xe5 b2
35.b1 db7 ]
33.d5! Short doesn/^t miss his chance to
break open the centre. Now the attacking
scenarios discussed in the note after 21...Bh8
above begin to appear. c3
[ Or 33...xa1 34.xa1 exd5 35.ae1
cc7 ( after 35...dxc4 36.c2! two black
knights hang.) 36.cxd5 c3 37.b2 c8
38.e5 xd5 39.b7 and even if Black
somehow deals with the threat to e7 after
Bc4 etc. the f7 square will drop spelling
disaster for the black king. ]
34.xc3 xc3 35.c2! cd8
[ The white passed pawn marches onwards
after 35...exd5 36.a4! b7 37.cxd5 ]
36.d3 f6 37.g5 the white pawns continue
to hound Black's bishop. h8 38.de3 d6
39.dxe6 f6
[ Horrible for Black is 39...fxe6 40.xe6
xe6 41.xe6 ]
40.a3 a6 41.b3 e8 42.b7 c6
43.xg6! Completing a superb positional
display by Nigel Short.
[ 43.xg6 hxg6 44.h7+ f8 45.f7# ]
1-0
890 C10
Shyam,Sundar M 2415
Zaragatski,Ilja 2472
HZ Open Vlissingen NED (4) 03.08.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
The Hecht-Reef schlager continues to be
popular at lower levels and in this game, we
look at a different Black approach in one of
the most popular variations in the Hecht. 1.e4
e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6 5.e5
e4 6.e2 d7!? A different approach
favoured by Zaragatski, apparently a great fan
of the Hecht-Reefschlager! This might be a
way to play for the win as the alternative more
or less leads to a forced draw if White wishes.
[ 6...f6!? has been covered but having seen
a number of recent games with this move, I
feel obliged to do a "ref resher" course.
7.g3
A) 7...e7!? is another way to deviate
from the well-trodden lines. 8.exf6 ( 8.d3
f5! 9.c3 0-0 10.0-0 d7 and with ...Na5
& ...c5 coming up, I actually like Black's
prospects despite his cramped position.)
8...xf6?! ( 8...xf6 9.d3 0-0 10.0-0
b4!? looks interesting. After the text,
White gains a slight edge.) 9.c3 xg3
10.hxg3 e7 11.f4 0-0 12.d3 h6
13.e2 g5 14.e5 with natural moves,
White has gained a powerful initiative. It
is almost a travesty that he somehow
contrived to lose the game in Grandelius,
N (2515)-Jurek, J (2353)/Pardubice CZE
2009/(0-1 in 55);
B) 7...fxe5
B1) 8.dxe5 is the Khalifmann endorsed
move which has been thoroughly
defanged on ChessPub many times. A
recent game demonstrated why c5?
is a huge positional mistake: ( 8...d7
is of course the well-analyzed mainline)
9.xe4 dxe4 10.xd8+ xd8 11.g5
xe5 12.f4! g6 13.d1+ e7
14.xc7 e3 15.f3 d7 16.e4 b6
17.d6+ e8 18.a3
1-0 Solodovnichenko, Y (2564)-Galje, H
(2152)/Utrecht NED 2009/The Week in
Chess 763 (30);
B2) 8.b5!? White can gain a draw by
force with this if he wants. exd4 9.xe4
dxe4 10.xd4 d5 11.xc6 a6!
( 11...xb5? 12.d8+ f7 13.xc7+
f6 14.d4 1-0 Peschlow, P (2296) -
Rudolf, M (2117)/Dresden GER 2009/
(56) ) 12.a4 d7!
B2a) 13.c4 xd1+ 14.xd1 xc6?
This has been known on ChessPub for
some time to be a positionally crucial
i n a c c u r a c y . ( The intermediate
14...c5! forcing the White King to
cl o g u p t h e e - f i le i s n e c e s s a r y t o
m a i n t a i n e q u a l i t y : 15.e2 xc6
16.xc6+ bxc6 and White, for the
time being, is not able to attack the e-
pawn. ) 15.xc6+ bxc6 16.e2?
This gives up any chance of an
advantage. ( White has to try 16.e1!
when the following variation illustrates
W hite's chances in the resulting
802
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

endgame: d8+ 17.c2 d4 18.b3 c5 b e f o re d o in g a n yt h ing e lse . K in d o f

White will slowly but surely win the e- amusing, especially when he plays Nc6 on
p a w n a f t e r w h i c h h e wi l l h a ve a n t h e 3 r d m o ve ! ( Having said that, 8...e7
automatic plus. b4 19.e2 0-0 followed by ...0-0 is also very reasonable.)
20.a3! e7 21.b2 d7 22.f1! g5 9.d3 c5 10.e2?! ( 10.0-0 c6 11.c4!?
23.c3! with a slight but definite is a way to take the fight to Black. xd4
a d v a n t a g e .) 16...d6 17.e3 c5 12.xd4 cxd4 13.cxd5 exd5
18.h4 f7= 1/2-1/2 Rombaldoni, A with interesting prospects for both sides. In
(2334)-Galyas, M (2454)/Reggio Emilia fact, Rybka found an unexpected route to a
ITA 2009; White plus: 14.xf5!! xf5 15.f3 ) 10...c6
B2b) 13.0-0 and after all the pussyfooting from both
B2b1) 13...xc6! is best: 14.xc6+ side s, Bla ck h a s a ch ie ved a prom isin g
bxc6 ( 14...xc6 15.h5+ g6 position in Ootes, L (2064)-Zaragatski, I
16.e5 g8 17.g5 is again (2419)/Netherlands NED 2009/ (0-1 in 26) ]
unpleasant for Black.) 15.e2 d6 7...a5 8.g3 c5 9.d3 cxd4 10.cxd4?
16.e1 0-0! with the subtle trick As W hite soon went into trouble after this
17.xe4? c5! 18.f4 xf4! move, I suspect he has to improve
19.xf4 f8 20.e4 xf2+ 21.h1 somewhere earlier.
xe1 22.xe1 with Black a clear [ Another Zaragatski game went 10.xd4
pawn up.; xg3 11.hxg3 g6!? I thought this was a
B2b2) 13...xd1? Anyone thinking brave decision as Black was risking getting
this endgame is simple has to think his dark square bishop locked out of the
again. It is not too difficult for sure game. As it turns out, the position contains
but Black definitely has to play enough dynamism for him to find
accurately. 14.xd1 xc6 15.xc6+ c o u n t e r p l a y w h e n n e e d e d . ( 11...c6
bxc6 Black has nothing to 12.f3 c7!? ) 12.g4 g7 13.g5 c7
compensate for his wretched pawn 14.f4 h6 15.f6 xf6 16.exf6 e5! 17.e2
structure and he was ground down e4 and Black seized the initiative in
by his highly rated opponent: 16.d4 Schuetze, N (2278)-Zaragatski, I (2472)/
d8 17.e3 xd4 18.xd4 f7 Nuernberg GER 2009/(0-1 in 59) ]
19.e1 d6 20.xe4 b8 21.c3 [ 10.xe4!? dxe4 11.xd4 c7 12.f4
e5 22.a4 b6 23.b3 e6 24.f1 c4 ( the typical French move 12...g5!?
g6 25.e2 d5 26.d3 c5 is also playable: 13.xg5 xe5 14.g4
27.e4 b8 28.a4 b6 29.f3 e7 g8 15.h4 h6 16.xe4 c4! and Black's
30.d2 e6 31.c4 d7 32.e3 activity and better minor pieces compensate
c6 33.c3 f8 34.a5 e7 for White's extra pawn.) 13.e2 xe5
35.xc5 xc5 36.xc5+ d6 14.xe4 d3+ 15.xd3 xf4
37.a5 c6+ 38.d3 b6 39.b4 with equality. ]
c6 40.c4 e6 41.d5 h6 42.a3 10...b4+! Misplacing White's King. 11.e2?
g5 43.g4 f6 44.c5 e6 45.e4 Maybe White has not counted on opening the
a5 46.b5 1-0 Bobras, P (2568)- centre so quickly but this was definitely too
Wittenberg, A (2129)/Dresden GER risky in any case.
2009/The Week in Chess 769 ] [ 11.d2 xd2 12.xd2 b6!
7.c3 wins a pawn. ]
[ T h e n a t u r a l 7.g3 can be met with the [ 11.d2 xg3 12.hxg3 b6! 13.g4
radical f5!? when the e4 Knight is c6! and the complications after 14.xg7
s u r p r i s i n g l y d i f f i c u l t t o d i s l o d g e . 8.c3 0-0-0 15.g4 ( 15.xh7 xh7 16.xh7
( 8.exf6 xf6 9.d3 d6 with ....e5 to xd4-+ ) 15...xd4 16.0-0 c5!
f o llo w is a ls o ok f or B la ck.) 8...e7 favour Black. ]
Zaragatski has his own way of playing the [ 11.f1 was best with Black maintaining an
Hecht and normally tries to play a quick ... edge with f5! ]

803
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

11...f5! 12.exf6 xf6 13.g5 b6 14.e5 ( 9.f3 is a main line) 9...0-0 10.0-0-0
c6 15.xc6? is seen in Khalifman-Bareev in the
[ Not surprisingly, getting his King out of the Archives. White is gambiting a pawn after
way with 15.f1 was comparatively White's d5 11.b1 xg2 ( 11...e5 is critical)
best chance but Black retains better 12.f3 with the idea xf2 13.e5! ]
c h a n c e s w i t h xe5 16.dxe5 e4 7.xf6+ xf6 8.f3 c5
with initiative. ] [ 8...0-0 is safer. Then, for example, 9.g5
[ 15.e3?! 0-0 16.f1 d6! ] ( 9.f4 ) 9...h6 10.h4 prepares 0-0-0 and
15...bxc6 16.xf6 gxf6 17.a3 d6 g4 ( or 10.h4!? )]
It's not difficult to see that Black's opening 9.dxc5! a5+
had been a complete success and he duly [ 9...xc5 is a full tempo behind a main line,
converted his advantage. 18.d2 d8 si n c e B l a c k t o o k t wo b i sh o p m o v e s t o
19.c2 h5! Cleverly covering both h6 and h5 recapture on c5. One approach would be
squares. 20.hd1 h4 21.f1 e8 22.f3 c5 10.g5 ( or 10.0-0 0-0 11.g5 ) 10...h6
23.dxc5 xc5 24.b4 d6 25.e3 g8 11.h4 0-0 12.0-0-0 c7 13.xf6
26.f1 c8 27.e4 e7 28.xd5 b5+ ( 13.e5 ) 13...f4+ 14.b1 xf6 15.e4
29.d3 xe3 30.xb5 xg2 31.b7+ c7 g6 16.e5 ]
32.xc7+ xc7 33.xg2 h3+ 34.f1 b6 10.d2
0-1 [ Or 10.c3 xc5 11.e3 c7 12.d4
, a l t h o u g h t h i s s h o u l d b e p l a ya b l e f o r
Black. ]
891 C10 10...xc5 11.0-0-0!?
Smirin,I 2644 [ 11.0-0 ]
Petrov,G MKD 2210 11...0-0 12.e5 d7!?
Karpos Open 2014 (1.4) 29.03.2014 [ 12...b6 is thematic and sound, e.g., 13.f4
[John Watson] b7 14.b1 with a limited edge ( 14.hg1
ad8 15.g4 d7=; 14.hf1? d5 )]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 13.b1
5.d3 gf6 6.e2 The idea is a quick 0-0-0. [ 13.g4! puts the pressure on Black's
e7 In general. Black should avoid this kingside, e.g., c6 14.g5 d5 15.h4
passive move if he can enforce ...c5. Two ( 15.hg1; 15.a3!? , stopping ...Nb4, may be
alternatives: the best try to maintain an edge) 15...b4!
[ a) 6...xe4 7.xe4 c5 ( 7...f6? 8.xb7! 16.xb4 xb4 17.xc6 bxc6 18.e4
xb7 9.b5+ d7 10.xb7 d8 11.f3 ) xe4 19.xe4 ]
8.d5!? ( 8.f3 f6 9.0-0 cxd4 10.d1 13...c6 14.f4 ad8 15.hf1 d7 16.xc6
b6 11.xd4 c5 12.c3 xe4 13.xe4 bxc6 17.f5! e5 18.g4 h6 19.e3 b4
0-0 ) 8...f6 ( 8...exd5 9.xd5+ e7 20.c3 a4 21.h4! c5?
10.f4! ) 9.dxe6 xe4 ( 9...fxe6 10.d3; [ 21...e4 22.c2 b5 23.xb5 cxb5
9...xe6 10.xb7 ) 10.exf7+ ( 10.xe4 24.xe4 ]
xe6 11.xb7 e7 ) 10...xf7 11.xe4 22.f6! gxf6 23.c2?!
and Black has some definite compensation [ 23.xc5! xc5 24.xf6 is winning, e.g., e4
with the bishop pair, but perhaps W hite's 25.c2 xd1+ 26.xd1 b5 27.xe4 ]
pawn is worth a bit more e7 12.e3 f5 23...b5 24.xb5 cxb5 25.xh6 xd1+
13.f3 xe3+ 14.xe3 xc2 15.c1 ] 26.xd1 d8 27.xd8+ xd8 28.e3 b6
[ b) 6...c5! gives us a standard position, e.g., 29.b4!? d7 30.f5
A) 7.dxc5 xe4 8.xe4 xc5 9.f3 [ 30.c1! ]
d7; 30...f8?? A self-trap!
B) 7.f3 cxd4 8.0-0 xe4 ( 8...b6!? ) [ 30...xe3! 31.xd7 f2 32.h5 g7
9.xe4 c5 10.d1 b6 11.b1 a5?! 33.xb5 f5 34.gxf5 h6 35.e8 xh5
12.c3!; 36.xf7+ g5 37.e6 e4 and it may be a
C) 7.xf6+ xf6 8.dxc5 xc5 9.d2 win, but Black has drawing chances. ]

804
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
31.xb6 axb6 32.c4! Quickest. Black's
knight can't move. bxc4 33.a4 e4 34.xe4
[ Or 34.a5! bxa5 35.bxa5 e3 36.c2 e2
37.d2 ]
34...d7 35.b2 e5 36.a5 bxa5 37.bxa5
1-0
892 C10
Spoelman,Wouter 2193
Stellwagen,Daniel 2487
Essent Open Hoogeveen NED (6) 15.10.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3
[ Here I wish to remind you that there is a line
in the French Exchange that runs 3.exd5
exd5 4.f3 c6 5.b5 d6 6.c4 etc. ]
3...c6 4.f3
[ Instead 4.exd5 exd5 5.b5
is less effective than in the note above as
the white knight is committed to c3 and so
the c2-c4 attack on the centre is no longer
p o s s i b l e . P a y m i g h t c o n t i n u e b4
intending Nge7, etc. White isn't going to get
m u c h a f t e r 6.xc6+ bxc6 7.ge2 f6
In fact I already prefer Black here. He can
dissolve the doubled pawns with c6-c5 as
required, or even try Ba6, when White has
no compensation for the two bishops. ]
4...f6 5.g5 White avails himself of an
a t t a ck in g o p p o rt u n it y n o t p r e se n t in t h e
similar Guimard, where his dark squared
bishop is shut in by 3. Nd2. e7 6.d3
White declines to close the centre with 6.e5,
but that might have been the better way to
play it:
[ 6.e5 e4
A) White just gets into trouble after
7.xe4? dxe4 8.xe7 xe7 9.g1 ( or
9.d2 xd4 ) 9...b4+ attacking d4 and
b2.;
B) 7.xe7 xe7 8.d3 xc3 9.bxc3 f6
10.exf6 xf6 11.0-0 0-0 12.e1 d7
13.e3 f7 14.d2 af8 15.ae1 h6
16.1e2 ( Black was probably intending to
answer 16.b5 with xf3!? 17.gxf3 xf3
wh e n h e h a s a p a wn a n d a f a r m o r e
compact pawn structure to compensate for
t h e lo s s o f t h e e xch a n ge .) 16...a6
Objectively speaking, White might have a
small advantage due to the hole on e5, but
Black has the f-file for counterplay and
e ve r y p i e c e i n t h e g a m e . R o ze n t a l i s
actually managed to win as Black against
his famous opponent in Timman, J-
Rozentalis,E/Manila 1992. ]
6...dxe4 7.xe4 b4
[ Black could have grabbed a pawn with
7...xe4!? 8.xe7 xf2 9.xd8 ( or
9.xf2?! xe7 ) 9...xd1 10.xc7 xb2
but it wouldn't be easy to unwind his position
and get the knight back home. Still, you
m i g h t li k e t o i n ve s t ig a t e 11.b5 a6
12.xc6+ bxc6 13.d2!? Note that Black
has the option of c6-c5 in some lines, giving
back the pawn but after d4xc5 facilitating
the escape of the knight with Na4 and Nxc5,
as well as Bb7, activating the bishop [ but
only once the knight has left b2, or else
Rb1 might be painful. ]
8.0-0 d7 9.xf6
[ The sharp 9.e5 seems to lead to a burn
o u t a n d d r a w : xd3 10.xd3 xe4
11.xe7 xe7 12.xe4 0-0-0 13.fe1 f6
14.xd7 xd7 15.c3 ( not 15.ad1 e5!
nor; 15.xe6? xe6 16.xe6 xd4 )
15...de8 16.e2 d5 17.c2 e7 18.a4
( 18.ae1? xa2 ) 18...g6 ( 18...he8?
19.xh7 ) 19.ae1 he8 with equal
chances. ]
9...gxf6! Black intends to attack along the g-
file with both Bc6 and Rg8. This is much
better than the insipid
[ 9...xf6?! ]
10.c4 c6 11.e2 d7 12.b3 0-0-0
13.c4 f5 14.ed2 hg8 Black has a
dynamic position with a clear target on g2.
The only drawback is having a knight out on a
limb on b4. 15.a3?
[ He had to play 15.fd1! first in order to give
his king an escape square on f1. Then the
position would remain unclear. ]
15...xd4!! 16.xd4
[ Choosing to end the misery as quickly as
possible. He also gets mated upon 16.axb4
xg2+ 17.xg2 ( or 17.h1 xh2+!
18.xh2 f4+ 19.h1 h6+ 20.g1
g8+ 21.g5 h1# ) 17...g4+ 18.h1
xd2 19.xd2 xf3# ]
16...xg2+ 17.h1 g1+
[ A pretty finish. It will be mate in one after
805
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
17...g1+ 18.xg1 g8+ ]
0-1
893 C10
Sutovsky,Emil 2624
D'Costa,Lorin 2386
XXII Open Reykjavik ISL (7) 12.03.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
A very reliable opening line, as long as Black
plays the first ten moves with care. 5.f3 c6
6.d3 d7 7.e2 e7?! Normally this is the
c o r re c t s qu a re f o r t h e b is h o p i n B la c k' s
opening scheme, but why not put pressure on
e4 with the immediate
[ 7...gf6 Then 8.eg5 e7! worked out
well for Black in Pruess-Golod, as given in
ChessPub. ]
8.0-0 gf6?!
[ Black should have taken the chance to
s i m p l i f y w i t h 8...xe4 9.xe4 c6
f o l l o we d b y 1 0 . . . N g f 6 wi t h a p e r f e c t l y
reasonable position. W hite has slightly
more chances than in the usual line, but so
what? There are no weaknesses in the black
camp. ]
9.eg5! Now Black has to reckon with
sacrificial ideas of Nxf7 or Nxe6, as well as
the simple Ne5, increasing W hite's space
advantage in the centre. His next move is
t h e r e f o r e m o r e o r l e s s f o r c e d . xf3
He re we se e th at B la ck h as p re ma tu re ly
committed his bishop to e7, and so doesn't
have the Qe7! riposte, defending f7 as in the
Pruess game above. 10.xf3 White has the
two bishops and a space advantage- no more
you might think than he usually gains in the
Fort Knox- but here the knight on g5 causes
Black additional problems. c6 11.e1 a5
[ If 11...0-0 12.h3! and the double attack
on h7 and e6 forces Black to weaken his
king's defences with
A) 12...h6? loses: 13.xe6! fxe6
14.xe6+ f7 ( 14...h8 15.xe7 e8
16.xd8 axd8 17.f4 with two extra
pawns for White.) 15.g6 f8 16.xf7+
xf7 17.xe7 and wins.;
B) 12...g6 as the natural ]
12.c3 h6 The logic of chess dictates that after
all Black's imprecise moves there must be a
way to punish him, and so... 13.xe6! fxe6
14.xe6 It may seem slightly surprising that
W hite makes a p iece sacrif ice whilst his
queen's rook and bishop are on their starting
squares, but they can be rapidly brought into
play with Bf4 and Rae1. The same cannot be
said of Black's rooks. Indeed, besides the two
pawns and the discomfort of the black king,
an integral part of the justification for the
sacrifice is the permanent entombment of the
ro o k o n h 8 . d8 15.g6+ f8 16.e2
W hite prepares to line up his major pieces
a l o n g t h e e - f i l e . d5 17.c4
White remembers the need to use his pawns
in the attack. c7 18.f4 f6 19.e1 b4
[ Thee is nothing to be done. I f 19...g8
20.e5 xe6 21.xe6 and the threat of
mate on f7 costs Black his queen. ]
20.xc7 d7
[ He might as well have gone out in a blaze
of glo ry wit h 20...xc7 21.e8+! xe8
22.xe8+ xe8 23.xe8# ]
21.c5! xe1 22.d6+ g8 23.xe1 d5
24.e4 h5 25.e8
[ After 25.e8 d8 26.g6 h6 27.f7+
h7 28.xh6+ xh6 White can choose
between mate on g6 or h5. ]
1-0
894 C10
Sutovsky,Emil 2575
McDonald,Neil R 2490
Grandmasters 'A (4) 17.12.1998
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.eg5
This direct attacking gesture is less
dangerous for Black than the quiet but
insidious
[ 8.ed2 ]
8...d6! Getting the bishop out straightaway to
avoid it being entombed in variations like
[ 8...h6? 9.xe6! fxe6 10.g6+ e7 ]
9.e1 h6! 10.h3
[ Here Black planned to answer the sacrificial
10.xe6+ with f8! when White's attack
fails. ]
10...xf3 11.xf3 c6 White threatened 12.
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Qxb7. If instead 9.xd1 g4 10.e2 xe5 ]

[ 11...c5 12.dxc5 xc5 8...xd4 9.f3 e4
13.b5+
looks awkward for Black. ] [ Five rounds later at the Amber Rapidplay,
12.c4 c5! A curious second move with the c t h e r e w a s a m u c h l e s s e ve n t f u l d r a w :
pawn. The point is that now White has played 9...d5!? 10.0-0 d6 11.e1 g4 12.h3
c2-c4 there is no Bb5+ move available as in xf3 13.xf3 e4 14.xe4 xe4 15.xe4+
the note to the previous move. Furthermore xe4 16.xe4+ d7 17.f4 he8 18.d4
White has loosened his centre and made the e6 19.ad1 ae8 20.f1 c6 21.xd6
bishop on d3 vulnerable to attack. Therefore it xd6 22.xd6+ and they shared the point in
m a k e s s e n s e f o r B la ck t o co u n t e ra t t a c k
Svidler-Anand, Monte Carlo 2005.
immediately against d4. This was just as well, ( The chances of beating the World's best
as after the game my opponent showed me a c t i v e p l a y e r a f t e r 22.xd6+ cxd6
various attacking lines he had planned are extremely tiny, though I can imagine that
against 12... 0-0. 13.d5 an arch grinder like Karpov might have tried
[ Black would be happy with the pawn swap to do something here. )]
13.xb7 cxd4 10.xe4 xe4 11.xe5 c5 12.e3 f6
as it gives him a strong
centre. ] 13.c4?! Svidler begins a tempting plan to
[ Meanwhile White has to avoid the trap put the knight on a5 and attack b7, but in view
13.dxc5? e5 14.e2 xd3 15.xd3 of Bareev's brilliant response he should have
xh2+ ] settled for
13...e5 14.e2 xd3 15.xd3 0-0
[ 13.f3 even though he was hardly likely to
With at least comfortable equality for Black as create winning chances against a player of
W hite would lose his queen to the Bxh2+ Black's calibre after say d7 14.d4 0-0-0
discovered attack if he takes on e6. 16.f4 15.0-0-0 No matter: a quick draw is better
exd5 17.cxd5 xf4 18.xf4 d6 19.g3 than struggling to stay alive a pawn down! ]
fe8 20.b5 b6 21.xe8+ xe8 22.d1 13...e6 14.a5 0-0-0! 15.b4?! The point of
f8 Here I accepted the draw against my Black's smart defence is that if
much higher rated opponent. Black has some [ 15.xc5 xc5 16.xb7 ( Not 16.xb7+?
advantage as the d pawn is a weakness rather b8 when White drops material as he can't
than a strength. deal with the double threat of 17...Bb4+ and
½-½ 17...Bb6. ) 16...xf2+ 17.xf2 d2+
18.g1 d5 19.xd5 xd5 and Black
regains the piece as the knight is trapped.
895 C10 Then his active rook compensates for his
Svidler,Peter 2735 split queenside pawns. Still, White should
Bareev,Evgeny 2709 prefer this to what happens in the game. ]
Amber Rapid Monte Carlo MNC rapid (5) 15...e4! 16.0-0
[Neil McDonald] [ White loses a pawn after 16.xe4? xb4+ ]
16...f5 Now Black has a strongly centralised
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 knight blocking out W hite's bishop on g2.
5.g3 Earlier I described this as a quiet move Furthermore, White's queenside pawns are
that contained a lot of poison. Hopefully the disjointed, with a hole on c3, and his knight
present game contains the antidote. gf6 on a5 is out on a limb. All this means that
[ Instead 5...e7 brought Black no joy in Bareev actually has the better chances, and it
Fressinet-Morozevich on ChessPub. ] is Svidler who must strive to hold the balance.
6.xf6+ xf6 7.g2 e5!? A bright new idea 17.a3 e7 18.ad1 f6 19.d3 a6 20.fd1
where it is much needed, as c6 21.b6 xd3 22.xd3 c3 23.d6
[ Black had an unpleasant time after 7...c5 [ White's pieces are awkwardly placed- for
in Macieja-Speelman on ChessPub. ] exa mp le if 23.e3 d5 24.b3? xg2
8.e2 25.xg2 d5 and the exchange is lost. ]
[ Black would be delighted by 8.dxe5 xd1+ 23...d5 24.h3 White gives up a pawn.

807
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Obviously he didn't relish the alternative 18.dxc5 xc5 19.e5 hg8 20.xd7+
[ 24.xd5 cxd5!? 25.e6 d7 26.e1 c8 Svidler forces equality. In effect, he reached a
when the c2 pawn is a target. ] Caro-Kann type centre with too few minor
24...e4 25.c4 d5 26.c5 xc2 27.e6 pieces left to put much pressure on Black.
d7? ½-½
[ Black would have decent winning chances
after 27...c7! ]
28.e2! Svidler seizes his chance to direct 897 C10
play into an opposite coloured bishop Swinkels,Robin 2511
endgame. d3 29.e5+ xe5 30.xe5 g6 Zaragatski,Ilja 2475
31.g2! Now Black cannot avoid the Bundesliga 2009-10 (3) 14.11.2009
simplification as moving his knight concedes [John Watson]
t h e s e v e n t h r a n k t o t h e wh i t e r o o k . e8
32.xe8 xe8 33.xd5 cxd5 34.f4 d7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
35.f2 c6 36.e3 e4 37.d4 b5 5.e5 e4 6.e2 a5!? Zaragatsi, a
38.c3 There is no way through for Black. devo tee of 3... Nc6, tries out yet ano the r
½-½ method of play. Both Wisnewski in his book
'Play 1...Nc6' and I in my book 'Dangerous
Weapons: French' suggest 6. ..f6. The recent
896 C10 Archives game Shyam-Zaragatski looks at that
Svidler,Peter 2695 in some depth (Kevin Go W ei thinks that
Kortschnoj,Viktor 2617 White can play a drawish forcing line, but at
GM Biel SUI (4) 26.07.2001 the same time he gives interesting
[Neil McDonald] alternatives for Black). At any rate, Black gets
equal play. The problem is that he wants
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4 better winning chances.
5.xe4 bd7 6.xf6+ xf6 7.f3 h6 [ That game (Shyam-Zaragatski) features the
8.xf6 xf6 9.b5+ c6 10.d3 d7!? l a t e s t w o r d 6...d7 , c o n t i n u i n g 7.c3
Korchnoi avoids the attempt to gain ( 7.g3 f5 is also reported upon) 7...a5!?
immediate counterplay with (Khalifman doesn't give this move) 8.g3
[ 10...a6 preparing c6-c5 which turned out c5 9.d3 cxd4 10.cxd4? b4+!
ba dly f o r Black in To pa lo v-An an d. T h e with a good game. ]
simple bishop move has hardly ever been 7.g3 c5 8.d3
seen before. At first sight this fact doesn't [ 8.c3 c6! ( this looks better than
s e e m a t a l l s t r a n g e a s t h e b i s h o p wi l l Khalifman's line 8...xg3 9.hxg3 cxd4
re m a in b o xe d in f o r a wh il e . Ho we ve r , 10.xd4 c6 11.f4 ) 9.e3! ( 9.d3
Korchnoi wants to castle queenside. He has cxd4 10.xe4 dxe4 11.xe4 dxc3= )
judged that his king will be safer there than 9...cxd4 ( 9...h5!? 10.d3 cxd4 11.cxd4
on the kingside, where he has to watch out a5+ 12.f1 favours W hite) 10.xd4
for the idea of Qe2 and Qe4. ] ( 10.xd4 f5 11.exf6 xf6 ) 10...xg3
11.e2 d6 11.hxg3 xe5 is unclear and interesting:
[ Instead 11...c5?! runs into problems after White has some compensation for the pawn
12.e4 c6 13.b5! as if c8 ( 13...xb5 because of his rapid development (including
14.xb7 ) 14.e5! xb5 15.xb7 wins. ] 0-0-0), but it's probably okay for the
12.0-0-0 White could castle kingside and aim second player as well. ]
for an attack, but Black could always liquidate 8...xg3 9.hxg3 cxd4
with c6-c5. 0-0-0 13.b1 b8 14.e4 g5! [ 9...c6 is natural-looking and doubtless
A player with the experience of Korchnoi playable, since there's no good way to grab
knows better than to sit still while his the h7 pawn. ]
opponent builds up with c2-c4 and Rhe1. 10.g5!? This is enterprising, but perhaps too
15.d2 e7 16.c4 f5 17.d3 c5 much so.

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ White should try for an edge with 10.xd4 ] 898 C10

10...c7 Timman,Jan H 2565
[ Not 10...h6? 11.h5 ] Vaganian,Rafael A 2617
11.f4?! King's Tournament (7) 30.05.2008
[ 11.xh7 xe5+ 12.e2 ( 12.f1 g6 ) [Neil McDonald]
12...xe2+ 13.xe2 g8 14.xf8 xf8
gives Black a wonderful centre and better 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
practical chances. Still, it's better than the 5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.e2 gf6
game move. ] 8.xf6+ xf6
11...h6 12.h7!? [ Not falling for the standard trap 8...xf6?
[ Risky, but White can't like 12.f3 c6 ] 9.g5 xf3 10.e3! and it's goodbye to the
12...d7!? black queen. ]
[ 12...b4+! 13.f1 c4 gives a clear and 9.b5!? Normally in the Fort Knox White
safe advantage. ] forces Bxf3 at some point, and then jealously
[ 12...xh7 13.xh7 g5 14.d2 xe5+ guards his two bishops. But Timman prefers
15.e2 xe2+ 16.xe2 c4 ] to exchange bishop for bishop, arguing that in
13.xf8 xf8 14.e2 c6 15.0-0-0 g5!? the semi-closed centre the white knight will
[ 15...0-0-0 is also possible, leaving the h- prove its worth. It looks a harmless approach,
pawn protected. ] the sort of decision that a veteran
16.d2 xe5 17.xe5 Grandmaster would make looking for a quick
[ 17.h5 f6 18.xh6 xh6 19.xh6 f6! draw but the middlegame proves
with the idea of ...0-0-0 and ...e5. ] u n e x p e c t e d l y d i f f i c u l t f o r B l a c k . d5
[ 17.xh6 xe2 18.xe2 f6 19.f4 10.xc6+
is a better version of that. ] [ The rare previous games in this line have
17...xe5 18.xh6 xd3+ featured a quick c2-c4 by White e.g. 10.a4
[ 18...g4 19.h7 c8!? ( 19...xf2 a6 11.c4 b4+ A key move that disrupts
20.b4 xd1 21.xf8 f2 22.c5 xd3+ White's build up. 12.f1 d6 13.c5 d5
23.cxd3 ) 20.b4 g8 21.d2! f6 14.xc6+ xc6 15.c4 ( It turns out that
( 21...xf2 22.f1 xd3 23.cxd3 f5 W h i t e h a s n o g o o d wa y t o e xp l o i t t h e
24.d6 should be fine for White.) 22.h6 isolated bishop on b4. For example if 15.a5
e4+ 23.xe4 dxe4 24.dh1 c6 25.h8 b5!? ) 15...a5 16.g5 d5 17.e2
is very close to equal. The opposite- ( If White pushes too hard he can end up
coloured bishops are the main factor in any with his queenside falling apart: 17.b5?
ending. ] xb5+ 18.axb5 b6 19.c6 a4! intending
19.cxd3 c8+ 20.b1 g8 21.c1 xc1+ Ra5 at a convenient point when b5 will
22.xc1 e5 drop. ) 17...0-0 18.hc1 e8 19.b5 c6!
[ 22...f8!? ] 20.d3 ( the white queen is trapped after
23.b4 f5 20.xb7 f6 21.d2 f7 ) 20...h6 21.d2
[ 23...b5 24.d2 g4 ] d8 22.f1 e7 23.e1 xd2 24.xd2
24.d6 xd3 25.xe5 e7 26.d2 g6 b4 25.e4 d5 26.ae1 fd8
27.h8 xh8 28.xh8 f6 29.a3 f7 Black has achieved the pressure against d4
30.e2 e4 31.d2 d3 32.e3 d4+ that is his strategic aim in the Fort Knox. On
33.d2 a6 34.g4?! the other hand, the beleaguered pawn has
[ 34.f3 g6 35.g4 is easiest. ] many friends. A disruptive advance with e6-
34...xg2 e5 is out of the question, so Rustemov tries
[ 34...xg2 35.xd3 f3 36.xd4 xg4 a different tack, but it burns out to a draw.
is objectively drawn, but Black should play 27.c3 b6 28.cxb6 b7 29.c4 xb6
on. ] 30.c1 8d6 31.c3 d8 32.h4 h5
½-½ 33.g1 f5 34.e2 f6 35.e5 d5
36.xd5 xd5 37.e4 f5 38.g3 g6
39.g2 g7 40.c4 d5 41.e5 f5

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

42.e2 d6 43.c3 f6 44.f3 d5 [ Black is crushed after 35.xf7+ xf7
45.e3 d6 46.c3 d5 47.e3 36.xh7+ f8 37.c8+ e8 38.h8+ ]
- Zaitsev, I-Rustemov, A/Moscow 1996. ] 1-0
10...xc6 11.0-0 d6 12.g5 0-0?
Making things much too easy for his opponent.
A fighting approach was called for: 899 C10
[ 12...h6! 13.xf6 ( It's hard to see any Tomczak,J 2551
advantage for W hite after 13.h4 h5 ) Betkowski,A 2064
13...gxf6 14.c4 0-0-0 and Black will be able X Baltic Pearl Open 2014 (1.1) 29.06.2014
to attack down the g-file. Here is a strictly [John Watson]
fantasy variation for Black: 15.c5?! f4
16.b4 ( White can't trap the bishop, as if 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5 f6
16.g3 hg8 17.h1? xd4 18.gxf4? xf4 This dynamic but somewhat risky course has
a n d B l a c k w i n s .) 16...hg8 17.b5 been favoured by most H-R players. I'll be
W hite should have centralised his rooks citing games from 2014.
rather than immediately pushing pawns on [ The safer alternative, which we've seen
t h e q u e e n s i d e . d5 18.c6? xh2+! m a n y t i m e s in t h e A r ch i ve s , i s 4...ge7
19.xh2 h5+ 20.g1 xg2+ 21.xg2 . Then a 2014 game between top GMs went
g8+ and mates. ] 5.f3 f5 6.h4 h5 ( 6...b4 is a good
13.xf6 gxf6 14.c4 Now Timman's plan is alternative, with the idea 7.a3 xc3+
simple: centralise his rooks and then break up 8.bxc3 a5 ) 7.g5 e7 8.d2 b6
the black centre with d4-d5. fe8 15.ac1 9.0-0-0 b7 10.g3 d7 11.h3 g6?!
f8 16.fd1 ad8 17.c3 g7 18.e3 12.xf5! gxf5 13.e2 a6 14.f4 0-0-0
d6 19.d5! Every fan of the Fort Knox knows 15.b1 a5 16.b3 b7 17.f6!?
that it is important to restrain this advance. ( 17.c1 ) 17...xf6 18.exf6 df8?!
But the black queen never found a convenient ( 18...c6 with t he ide a 19.e5 xe5
moment to move away from c6 to allow the 20.dxe5 c5= ) 19.e5! d8 20.e3 c8
move c7-c6. And besides, with a pawn on f6 21.f3 xf6 22.xh5 e7 23.f4 b8
and a passive bishop on g7, rather than the 24.h5 with a clear advantage, although
knight on f6 and pawn on g7 that is normal in Black managed to draw, Saric, I (2637)-
the Fort Knox, it is doubtful that Black would Jobava, B (2710), Wijk aan Zee 2014. ]
have been able to stop the d4-d5 5.b5
breakthrough, even if he had managed to [ We see 5.f4 in this month's game Sadykov-
arrange c7-c6. c6 20.dd3 cxd5 21.cxd5 Timofeev. ]
e5 White has acquired a passed pawn, to 5...d7
wh ic h h e n o w a d d s t h e b le ssi n g o f l igh t [ Top GMs continue to play 3...Nc6, and
square dominance on the kingside. 22.h4! Rapport demonstrated that even 5...d7
d7 23.g4! Timman prevents his opponent is playable in Hansen, E (2559)-Rapport, R
from gaining dynamic play by seizing the f5 (2691), Caleta 2014: 6.f3 a6 7.xc6
square with 23...f5, and at the same time xc6 8.exf6 ( 8.0-0 f5!? ) 8...xf6 9.e5
creates a beautiful outpost for the knight. b5 ( 9.0-0 d6 10.e1 0-0 is only slightly in
24.d6 f8 25.f5 e6 26.d1 e8 White's favour, if that) 9...b6 10.0-0 d6
27.ed3 b5 28.3d2 b6 11.a4 a7 12.e3 b6! 13.b3 0-0 14.c4
[ Or 28...xe2 29.xe2 intending Rc2, d6- dxc4 15.bxc4 b7 ( 15...b7 16.c5 bxc5
d7 and Rc8. xd6 30.ed2 and the bishop 17.xc5 d5 ) 16.c5 bxc5 ( 16...xe5!
drops. ] 17.dxe5 d5= ) 17.dxc5 ( 17.xc5 d5
29.d5 dxd6 A desperate remedy, but the 18.c2 ) 17...d5 18.d4 xe3 19.fxe3
pin wins again after xe5 20.xe5 xf1+ 21.xf1 d5
[ 29...xd6 30.d2 ] 22.d1 (eventually drawn) ]
30.xd6 xd6 31.e4 g7 32.1d2 c5 6.f3 e7 7.0-0
33.c2 d4 34.d7 a5 35.xf7+! [ 7.f4 0-0-0 8.d2 f7 9.h4 h5

810
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
( 9...b4! has the idea ...Bxc3 and ...Nxe5)
10.a3! h6 11.0-0-0 ( 11.xh6 xh6
12.0-0-0 ) 11...f5 12.g3 e7 13.he1
Macieja, B (2583)-Remlinger, L (2304),
Santa Clara USA 2014. ]
7...f7 8.e1
[ Coraretti, B (2170)-Remlinger, L (2304),
Santa Clara 2014 went 8.a3 ge7 9.e1
h6?! ( 9...0-0-0 ) 10.e2 ( 10.exf6! gxf6
11.xc6 ) 10...0-0-0 11.b4?! fxe5 12.xe5
( 12.dxe5 g5 ) 12...xe5 13.xe5
( 13.dxe5 g5 ) 13...f5 14.xd7+ xd7
and Black was already better, since 15.xe6
xe6 16.xe6 xd4 picks up the c-pawn. ]
8...0-0-0 9.a4 A space grab that doesn't seem
too challenging.
[ An alternative queenside attacking idea is
9.a3 ge7 10.b4 ( For 10.f4?!
s e e Z u d e - M e i n h a r d t i n t h e A r c h i v e s)
10...g6 11.xc6 xc6 12.b5 d7 13.a4
and now instead of 13...fxe5 as played,
Kevin Goh Weiming suggested on this site
that after b4! 14.d3 b8 15.e3 df8
, Black stands very comfortably. ]
9...ge7 10.b4!? An agressive and
challenging thrust. Nevertheless, it may be
more of a bluff than brilliant. h6!?
[ 10...xb4 is of course critical. I'm not
convinced that W hite's attack is good
enough, but in a practical game one tends to
be cautious. ]
11.a5 g5?! Losing control over e5, after which
White stands substantially better.
[ 11...a6 ]
12.xc6 xc6 13.b5 b8 14.exf6 b4
15.e3 xf6 16.e2 Protecting the b-pawn.
[ 16.b6!? is thematic and also good, opening
up lines against the king, e.g., cxb6 17.axb6
a6 18.e5 ]
16...c5!? A little crazy.
[ 16...d6 is solider, with White maintaining
a nice advantage. ]
17.a4! g4?!
[ 17...c4 18.e5! w i t h t h e i d e a xb5
19.f3 ]
18.c3 xa5?! But it's already a disaster, e.g.,
[ 18...hf8 19.cxb4 gxf3 20.xf3 xd4
21.b2+- ]
19.e5 White is winning. c4 20.c5 b6
21.exd7
[ 21.xg4 ]
21...xd7 22.xe6
[ 22.xe6 de8 23.xg4+- ]
22...g7?
[ 22...f5 ]
23.xb6 xb6 24.e6+ d7 25.e3
[ 25.xd7! xd7 26.xb6 axb6 27.a8+
c7 28.f4+ ]
25...f7 26.xg4 g8 27.h3 d8
28.xd7 xd7 29.xh6 g6 30.h4+
c8 31.xa7 f6
1-0
900 C10
Topalov,Veselin 2711
Anand,Viswanathan 2794
Sparkassen Cat XXI (3) 14.07.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4
5.xe4 bd7 6.f3 h6 7.xf6+ xf6
8.xf6 At first glance it is hard to believe that
this simplifying move can set Black any real
problems, let alone beat the reigning FIDE
World Champion. xf6 9.b5+ White gives
a check to force Black to block the c6 square
and so prevents him from developing with Bd6,
0-0, b7-b6 and Bb7, when the light squared
b i s h o p e n j o ys a n e xc e l l e n t d i a g o n a l . c6
10.d3 a6 As always in this type of centre
Black rejoices in the two bishops at the same
time as wishing he didn't have a bad bishop
on c8! In fact there is no paradox here as the
two bishops will prove a blessing or a curse to
B l a c k a cc o r d in g t o h o w s u c c e s s f u ll y h e
manages to unwind his game. Anand
prepares an immediate c6-c5 to eliminate
White's d pawn. A slower approach was
[ 10...g6 when the position is somewhat akin
to the Moscow Variation in the Slav. Play
can go 11.c3 g7 12.e2 0-0 13.0-0 d8
14.ad1 d7 15.e5 e8 16.f4
when in Smyslov -Dolmatov, Rostov 1993,
Black was solidly entrenched but the white
knight dominates the centre. ]
[ Perhaps the safest method was 10...d6
11.e2 b6 12.0-0 ( A sharper attempt is
12.0-0-0 ) 12...b7 13.a6 xa6 14.xa6
0-0 15.c3 c5 when Black was very close to
equality in Dolmatov-Hickl, Rubinstein mem
1993. ]
811
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
11.c3 c5 12.e5 d6 13.e2! This simple
move which defends e5 improves on
Topalov's Advanced Chess game against
Shirov at Leon 2001 which went
[ 13.a4+ e7 14.0-0 xe5 15.dxe5
xe5 16.ae1 c7 17.h4+ g5 18.h5
d7 and although White has the initiative
Black managed to consolidate and win. ]
13...cxd4 14.cxd4 d7
[ Anand is willing to leave his king
pe rm an e n tly in t he ce nt re in re t u rn f o r
getting rid of his problem bishop. If instead
14...b4+ 15.f1 the rook on h1 can be
brought into the game with h2-h4 and Rh3. ]
15.0-0
[ If 15.xd7 xd7 16.0-0 xd4
is similar to the game, except that W hite
hasn't played g2-g3. This gives Black the
extra option of Qe5 to offer the exchange
of queens and also hit h2. ]
15...f4 16.g3 xd4 17.xd7 xd7
18.f3 e7 19.xb7+ f6 20.ad1
Now Black appears very close to equality as
W hite's attacking resources seem rather
de p le te d . Ne ve rth e le ss T o p alo v- wh o a t
Dortmund played his best chess for many
years- keeps on probing for a way to get at
the black king and is eventually rewarded for
his de t ermin at io n . a7 21.f3+ e7
22.g4 g5 23.c4 b6 24.d3 ad8
25.f3 e5 Meeting the threat of 26 Rxf7+!
Kxf7 27 Qxe6+ with mate to follow, as now
t h e q u e e n d e f e n d s e 6 . 26.e1 f6
Black's pawn structure becomes even more
ragged, but Anand is defending well. 27.h5
b4 28.xe5! xc4! 29.e1 xa2 30.g6
hf8 31.xh6 xb2 32.g7+ f7
33.xe6+ This wins Black's queen and
exposes his king to a lot of checks. Probably
Black is still surviving, but the relentless
pressure eventually proves too much even for
Anand. xe6 34.e3+ e5 35.xe5+ fxe5
36.xg5 df8 37.g4+ d5 38.d1+ c5
39.c2+ b4? The decisive blunder, as
W hite is able to check in such a way as to
preve nt Bla ck ca p tu rin g t h e p awn o n f 2 .
Instead
[ 39...b6 40.b2+ c6 41.xe5 xf2
should hold on. ]
40.b2+ c5
[ Black gives away the pawn with check but if
40...c4 41.e2+ d5 42.d3+ c5
43.xa6 xf2 44.a7+ d5 45.xf2 xf2
46.xf2 and White wins the pawn ending. ]
41.xe5+ b6 42.h4 a5
[ Or 42...xf2 43.d4+ b5 44.xf2 xf2
45.xf2 a5 46.h5 etc. when White queens
first and prevents Black from queening. ]
43.h5 d7 44.e6+ c7 45.h6 A really
hard struggle. A reigning W orld Champion
never gives in without a fierce fight!
1-0
901 C10
Vachier Lagrave,Maxime 2634
Tratar,Marko 2502
ETCC Crete GRE (2) 29.10.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 e7
A modest move that tries to avoid the trial-by-
theory that comes after
[ 7...c5 ]
8.d3
[ The eccentric looking 8.a4+!? was seen
in the game Motylev-Roiz in the archives. ]
8...0-0 9.c2!? No false modesty: White
plans to castle queenside and mate the black
king.
[ The more positional 9.0-0 was discussed in
Emms-Arkell. ]
9...b6 10.g5 h6 11.h4!
[ T h e a n a e m i c 11.xf6 allows Black to
equalise without any trouble: xf6 12.e4
b8 13.0-0-0 b7 14.g4 xe4 15.xe4
d5 16.xd5 exd5 17.he1 and draw
agreed in Lanka, Z-Langrock, H/Hamburg
GER 2005. ]
11...b7
[ For the moment it's not too difficult to see
that Black would be slaughtered along the h-
file after 11...hxg5? 12.hxg5 but the white
bishop doesn't have such a charmed life in
the complex variations that follow. ]
12.0-0-0 d5! Black activates his queen by
putting her on a post where she looks down
two important diagonals- towards a2 to attack
the white king and towards g2 to help save her
own monarch.
[ Too passive is 12...h5?! 13.b1 d6
812
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
14.e5 ad8? 15.h7+ h8 16.g6! f6
( H o p e l e s s f o r B l a c k a r e b o t h 16...hxg5
17.hxg5 fxg6 18.xg6 and; 16...fxg6
17.xg6+ g8 18.xe7 ) 17.xf6 xf6
18.xf7+ xf7 19.xf7 xg2 20.hg1
and White was winning but managed to lose
in Mader, M-Kubikova, A/Herceg Novi MNE
2006. ]
[ Meanwhile Black was crushed without a
fight after 12...c5 13.h3 cxd4 14.xh6!
gxh6 15.g3+ h8 16.d2 g8
17.xg8+ xg8 18.xh6 f5 19.c4 f6
20.xe6+ xe6 21.xe6+ g7 22.xd4
b8 ( or 22...f8 23.d7 ) 23.xe7+ g8
24.g5 1-0 Pinkas, K-Jakab, A/ Gyor
1997. ]
13.h3
[ A s l o w e r a p p r o a c h w i t h 13.b1
has the virtue of cutting out all
cou nt era tt ac kin g lin es b ase d on Qxa2 .
White was able to build up in promising style
after c5 14.h3 ac8 15.g4 c4 16.h7+
xh7 17.xe7 fe8 18.a3 e4 19.e1
xg4 20.g3 f5 21.xf5 exf5 22.eg1
g6 23.e5 planning a breakthrough on g6
in Korbut, E-Bystryakova, E/St Petersburg
2003. ]
13...fd8
[ Taking on a2 certainly looks reckless but it
isn't easy to find a convincing line for White:
13...xa2 14.xh6 gxh6 15.g3+ h8
16.d2 a1+! this queen check is a tough
nut to c rack . ( not 16...g8? 17.xg8+!
xg8 18.xh6 f5 19.g6+ h8 20.g5
xg5+ 21.hxg5 xg2 22.h6+ g8
23.g6 and wins. ) 17.c2 ( Bad for White is
17.b1 g8 when if 18.xg8+ xg8
19.xh6 e4! ) 17...a4+ The fact that the
ro o k o n d 1 is h a n g in g in va r i o u s li n e s
impedes White's attack. He has a draw with
18.c1 with perpetual check on a1 and a4,
but ( 18.b1 g8 19.e1!? looks the way
to keep up an attack, as defensive ideas
based on f7-f5 can be met with Rxe6 as
required. )]
14.e5 hxg5
[ Again capturing on a2 deserves attention:
14...xa2 15.xh6 gxh6
A) Or 16.d2 a1+ 17.c2 ( 17.b1??
e4 ) 17...a4+ 18.c1 with a draw, as
Black looks saf e af te r ( 18.b1 f8
19.g3+ g7 20.e1 f8 );
B) 16.g3+ f8 17.d2 a1+ 18.c2
a4+ and as usual White has to choose
b e t w e e n a p e r p e t u a l w i t h 19.c1
or a double edged winning attempt with
( 19.b1 )]
15.hxg5 xg2 16.g3
[ Here 16.gxf6 xf6 ( Black might also
consider 16...xh3!? 17.fxe7 e8 ) 17.g3
h2 transposes to the game. ]
16...h2 17.gxf6 xf6 18.e2 h6+
19.b1 c5 20.e1 d6 21.g4 h4
22.e2?
[ Funnily enough the way to maintain the
initiative was by exchanging queens:
22.xh4 xh4 23.h3 xf2?
( White keeps up his onslaught after 23...g5
24.g1 f8 25.f4! but most solid for Black
is; 23...f6 24.h8+! xh8 25.xf7+ g8
26.xd6 d5 27.c4 d8! and Black
should hold the draw.) 24.f1 g2 25.h7+
f8 26.xf2 xh3 27.xf7+ e8 28.g6!
and Black finds himself caught in a so-
ca ll e d W in d m il l : ad8 ( Or 28...cxd4
29.xa7+ f8 30.xa8+ ) 29.xg7+ f8
30.f7+ e8 the point is that if ( 30...g8
31.h7+ h8 32.g6# ) 31.xa7+ f8
32.f7+ e8 33.f3+ e7 34.xh3
and wins. ]
22...cxd4 23.g4 h6 24.e4 d3
[ E v e n s t r o n g e r w a s 24...dxc3! when
25.xb7 d2 26.e3 ( the c-pawn will be
queening after 26.xa8 c2+! ) 26...xb2+
27.c1 xe3+ 28.xe3 d8 gives Black a
decisive attack. ]
25.xd3 xe4 26.xe4 ad8 27.h1 d2
28.c1 xf2 White's attack has run out of
steam leaving him two pawns down with the
less safe king. 29.f4 g3 30.g4 e5
31.h7+ f8 32.e4 g5 33.h5 g1
34.h1 g5 35.h5 g1 36.h1 c5
37.ee1 b5 38.a4 xa4 39.e4 b5
40.h5 d5
0-1
813
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

902 C10 so there might follow 14.b3 b5 15.c3

Van Kampen,Robin Oscar 2443 b4 16.c6 b7 17.d6 xd6 18.exd6
Hertneck,Gerald 2542 d8 19.e5 ) 13.e1 a6 14.d6 f6
3rd Batavia-Grolsch (6) 24.02.2011 15.a4 ]
[John Watson] 12...c5!?
[ 12...a5! 13.b5 c5 14.fe1 b8!
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 has the idea ... Ba6 and ...Rfc8 with rough
Surely ChessPublishing files, going back to equality. ]
the excellent contributions by Neil McDonald, 13.b5
are the best source for this still-viable mode [ 13.dxc5 bxc5 14.a3 yields a small pull. ]
of defence. 4.f3 f6 5.d3 13...a5 14.b4 cxd4 15.c7 a7 16.b5
[ W e have seen 5.e5 e4 6.e2 f6 a8
more than once, but at this point W hite ½-½
usually ch ooses 7 Ng3. In th is month's
Shukh, N (2442)-Stupak, K (2527), Moscow
RU S 2 0 1 1 , W h it e c h o s e 7.exf6 xf6 903 C10
( 7...xf6 was successful in Maringer- Van den Doel,Erik 2607
Reef schlaege r, V elde n 19 96. Then th e Van Wely,Loek 2695
setup 8.g3 d6 9.g2 0-0 10.0-0 Lost Boys Open (8) 18.08.2001
is logical Black seems to get away with e5 [Neil McDonald]
11.dxe5 xe5 12.xe5 xe5= and ...c6 )
8.g3 h6!? (rather slow in my book I give 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
an example with ( 8...e5 9.dxe5 xe5 5.f3 gf6 6.g5 h6 7.xf6+ xf6
10.xd5?! b4+! ) 9.d3 xg3 10.hxg3 8.xf6 xf6 9.b5+ c6 10.d3 d7
( 10.fxg3! opens the f-file and puts pressure 11.0-0 The most ambitious move- White
on Black's defences, e.g., d6 11.0-0 intends to mate Black with a queenside pawn
xd4 12.c3 xf3+? 13.xf3 e7 attack.
14.g6+ d8 15.f7 e8 16.h5 ) [ Instead White aimed for queenside castling
10...g5 11.b5 d6 12.e2 d7 13.d2 in Svidler- Korchnoi, given on ChessPub, but
0-0-0 14.0-0-0 df8 with sufficient play. ] soon gave up his winning attempt af ter
5...b4 6.g5 e7 7.e5 xd3+ 8.cxd3 11.e2 d6 12.0-0-0 0-0-0 13.b1 b8
[ 8.xd3 gives White a theoretical lead 14.e4 g5! etc. ]
(space), but it's hard to find a good plan 11...d6 12.c3!? White secures his centre
versus accurate defence: and clears the way for his queen to enter the
A) 8...e4?! 9.xe7 ( not allowing the attack on the queenside. Instead
option 9.xe4 dxe4 10.xe7 d5!? ) [ 12.e1 planning Ne5 keeps a slight edge in
9...xe7 10.xe4 dxe4 11.xe4 b4+ a quiet position. ]
12.c3 xb2 13.0-0 and White must stand 12...0-0-0 13.e1 c5?
better.; [ This exposes b7 to attack. Safer was
B) 8...d7! 9.xe7 xe7 10.0-0 13...g5!? in Korchnoi style!- see the note to
( 10.b5 0-0 11.0-0 a6 12.c3 b6 move 11. ]
with ...c5 and/or ...a5/...Ba6) 10...0-0 14.e4! b8 15.b3 c8 16.a4!
with less space but a playable game. ] [ W hite has nothing special after 16.e5
8...d7 9.xe7 xe7 10.0-0 0-0 11.c1 a8 or ]
b6!? [ 16.b5 cxd4 17.xd4 a8 ]
[ Black is only slightly tied down following 16...d7 17.a5 a6 18.b6! e7 19.c4
11...b8!? 12.a3 d7 13.b3 c6 hd8 20.g3 cxd4 21.xd4 c7 22.c6+?
14.fe1 a5 ] So far Van den Doel has built up his attack in
12.a4 impressive style. However, he is in too much
[ 12.b5 is a more determined approach: c5 of a hurry here. After all, White's rook on a1 is
( 12...a6 13.xc7 a7 has the idea ...Nxe5, passive whilst all Black's pieces are involved

814
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

in the defence. Therefore it is no surprise that B) 10...0-0 11.0-0 b6 12.xf6 gxf6

Van Wely can turn the tables with a sudden 13.e4 b8 14.d4 b7 15.f3 xe4
counter attack. Instead White should play 16.xe4 f5 17.f3 c7 this seems OK
[ 22.ad1! xc4 ( if 22...a8? 23.xa6+ for Black but he fell for a terrible trap:
or; 22...c5 23.c6+ xc6 24.xd8; or 18.g3 e5 19.b5 b7 20.e3 g7
22...b4 23.c6+ xc6 24.xc6 xe1 21.fd1 fd8 22.a4 a6 23.d4 d7
25.xd8 ) 23.c6+ xc6 24.xc6 24.d2 bd8 25.ad1 h6 26.h4 d5
and White wins the exchange cleanly. ] 27.h2 d7 28.b3 b7?? ( The space
22...xc6! 23.xc6 c5 24.b3 d2 gaining 28...e5 29.f3 e6 looks at
25.f1 f6 26.f3 xb2 27.d1 h5 least equal for Black.) 29.xe6! 8d6
28.e2 e5 29.d5 d4 30.f3? ( T h e p o i n t i s 29...xd2 30.xd8
[ After 30.f3 attacks the white queen- note this works
A) 30...h3 31.xf6 gxf6 32.xh5! ( not because the white king is no longer on g1,
32.fe1 xe2 33.xe2 xa1 ) 32...xf1 so 30...Rxd1 doesn't come with check.)
33.xf1; 30.xd5 xd5 31.xd5 xd5 32.xg7
B) 30...f5! keeps up the attack. Instead xg7 33.d4+ xd4 34.cxd4 f6
White would hold on after ] 35.g2 e6 36.f3 d5 37.f4 xd4
30...d7! White had missed this killer blow. 38.xf5 c3 39.g4 xb3 40.h5 f6
Here he gave up as there is no answer to the 41.xf6 xa4 42.g5 b5 43.gxh6
t h re a t o f 3 1 . . . B c6 , e . g. 31.xd7 xf3 1-0 L'Ami, E-Wempe, J/Wijk aan Zee NED
and next move 32...Bxf2+ is curtains. 2005. ]
0-1 10...0-0 11.d3 d7
[ If 11...xe5?! 12.xe5 d5 13.xf6
xg2? 14.h5! and White has a decisive
904 C10 attack. ]
Vandevoort,Pascal 2392 12.f4 c7
Dambacher,Martyn 2437 [ White maintains an attacking build up after
TCh-2006-7 Belgium BEL (8) 11.02.2007 12...h4+ 13.g3 h3 14.f3 ]
[Neil McDonald] 13.h5 f5
[ Less damaging to the centre pawn structure
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7 is 13...g6!? White then has a choice of
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e3 attractive-looking moves but there is nothing
cxd4 9.xd4 d6 Black aims to fight for the clearly good for him e.g.
e 5 s q u a r e . 10.e5!? The most aggressive A) 14.xd7 xd7 ( Black has a bad
response. endgame after 14...gxh5 15.f6+ g7
[ 10.d3 16.e8+ g8 17.xc7 xc7 18.0-0 )
A) Similarly 10...c7 11.0-0 b6 12.e1 15.h6 e5!;
0-0 13.c2 h8 Making sure that Bxh7 B) 14.g4?! xf4 and White has no
d o e s n ' t c o m e w i t h c h e c k . 14.ad1 b r i l l i a n t m o v e . B u t n o t ( 14...gxh5?
( Inadvisable is the capture on h7 at any 15.h6# );
point where Black can play f6-f5, even if C) 14.xf7!? xf7 ( White has three
White obtains a couple of pawns for the pawns for the piece and a rampant attack
bishop. For example if 14.xf6 gxf6 after 14...xf7 15.xh7+ e8
15.xh7 f5 and the bishop perishes.) 16.xg6+ d8 17.0-0 ) 15.xg6 f8
14...b7 15.xf6 gxf6 16.e4 ( 15...hxg6 16.h8# ) 16.xf7+ xf7
( Whereas here 16.xh7 fails after xf3 with an interesting material balance. ]
17.gxf3 f5 18.xf5 exf5 19.xf5 g8+ 14.e2 f6? Dambacher gives up the fight
20.h1 g6 etc. ) 16...ad8 17.xb7 for the e5 square. Putting the knight back on
xb7 18.e3 c5 19.ed3 e4 20.f1 f6 is a clear loss of time. Critical was
b5 with active play for Black in Luther, T- [ 14...xe5
Vysochin, S/Tusnad ROM 2005.; A) Alternatively 15.xe5 xe5 16.xe5

815
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

( 16.fxe5 d7 ) 16...xe5+ 17.fxe5 d7 Black had no time to activate his rook as d5
18.c4 f7 19.0-0-0 e7 20.d6 g5! was hanging. 24.g1 g6
21.hd1 ad8 and Black seems OK as [ After 24...g3 White can fall for the trap
White can't exploit his pressure along the and still have a winning endgame: 25.xg3?!
d-file.; ( Even better is 25.a1! e8 26.hxg3 )
B) 15.fxe5 c5 16.xc5 xc5 17.0-0-0 25...xg3 26.hxg3 g6 27.xg6 hxg6
b8 18.g4 b5! with unclear play. ( not 28.c2 etc. ]
18...f4? 19.e4 g6 20.hf1 )] 25.xg6 hxg6 26.d5+ h7 27.f7!
15.0-0-0 One could imagine Capablanca Much stronger than taking on a8. With Black's
castling kingside here and then beginning the rook fast asleep, there is little hope of his king
long process of exploiting the backward pawn surviving the attack. h6
on e6 and his control of the e5 square. b5 [ F r u i t l e s s i s 27...g8 28.f6+ h6
16.g4! b7 White's attack is stronger than 29.xg8+ ]
anything Black can drum up on the queenside 28.xg7+ g5 29.e7+ h5 30.h7+
as the bishop on d4 aims at g7, whereas the g5 31.h4+
bishop on b7 can't harm the white king- it is [ Fritz likes a bizarre variation beginning
pointing in the wrong direction. 17.hg1 fxg4 31.h3! threatening 32.Bf6 mate. d6 ( Or
18.xg4! An excellent positional exchange 31...d6 32.f6+ xf6 33.xf6 xf6
sacrifice. White couldn't have calculated all 34.f3 and Black loses the bishop as well
t h e v a r ia t io n s t h a t m ig h t f o l lo w, b u t h i s as a8 hangs.) 32.f6+ f4 33.e7! e5
judgment told him that his fine bishops and ( If 33...xe7 34.g3+ wins the black
well placed knight would plague the black queen. ) 34.xe5 xe5 ( there is a fork
king once the g-file and b1-h7 diagonal were after 34...xe7 35.xg6+ ) 35.d6!
wrenched open. In the transaction Black is setting up a skewer. xd6 36.g3+ f5
also deprived of the knight on f6, which is his 37.xd6 A wonderful use of the white
best defensive minor piece as it blocks the bishop. ]
attack on g7 and guards the h7 square. xg4 31...g4 32.xg6+ h3 33.f5+ h2
19.xg4 f5? Understandable panic in view 34.e5 g3 35.g4+ g2 36.e3+ h2
of White's potent threats against g7 and h7. 37.f3 h3 Black resigned here without
But the calm waiting for the mate in three with
[ 19...f6 seems to hold on though it [ 37...h3 38.h1+ h2 39.g2+ xh4
remains highly dangerous for the black king: 40.g4# ]
20.g1 ( Perhaps the most promising move 1-0
is 20.d7!? e.g. xf4+ 21.b1 f7
22.f6+ h8 23.xh7 e5! 24.g5 xg5
25.xg5 exd4 26.h5+ g8 27.h7+ 905 C10
f8 28.e1 f2 threatening 29...Rxb2+! so Varga,Zoltan 2540
W hite has to call it a draw with 29.h8+ McDonald,Neil R 2450
f7 30.h5+ f8 31.h8+ etc. But how Elekes mem Budapeste (9) 1996
many players would want to go through such [Neil McDonald]
a h a i r r a i s i n g e x p e r i e n c e a s B l a c k ?)
20...af8 ( not 20...h6 21.g5 xh2 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
22.f6! attacking e6 and also with ideas 5.f4 White's plan is simple: castle queenside
against g7 based on 23.Nd7.) 21.h4 f5! as soon as possible and start attacking! c6
only now with unclear play. In contrast to 6.d3 xe4 7.xe4 c6 8.0-0-0 f6
the game, Black has brought his rook on a8 A small victory for Black: he gains time to
into the game and avoided a collapse on the develop by attacking the white queen.
centre light squares. ] Furthermore, it is difficult for Varga to find a
20.xf5 exf5 21.xf5 d5 22.d7! suitable retreat square for the queen: if she
giving back the extra pawn to clear the way for goes to e3 then Nd5 will deprive him of his
a n a t t a c k o n g 7 . xf4+ 23.b1 f7 dark square bishop, while d3 or e2 blocks in

816
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
the other bishop. Meanwhile going back to e1
looks rather passive and gets in the way of a
future Re1. The square he selects in the game
also isn't fully satisfactory as it blocks his
knight's natural development. 9.f3 d5!
Black is provoked by his opponent's clumsy
opening play into making an immediate bid for
the initiative. 10.g3 b5 This cements the
knight on the excellent d5 square and is part
of a general pawn advance against the white
king. 11.b1 d7 12.c3 a5 Black is in no
hurry to develop his kingside. His onslaught
on the queenside is stronger than anything
W hite can muster on the kingside f or the
simple reason that White has no good pawn
ad va nc es t he re : th u s th e wh it e qu ee n is
blocking a f4-f5 counterattack in the centre.
13.d3 a4 14.e2 e7 15.h4! At last White
begins a concerted attack but it is way too
la te a s th in gs are alre ad y critica l on t h e
queenside. b6 16.e4 7f6 17.h5 0-0
18.h6 g6 19.h4 d8 Bolstering the
kingside as a prelude to a decisive opening of
lines on the other wing. 20.c2 b4 21.c4 b3!
22.axb3 axb3 23.xb3 b4 24.c3 a5
25.a4 d7 26.xe7 xe7 27.d5!
The only chance to gain counterplay before
Black plays Nb6 and Rfa8, etc. c5 28.d6
g5 29.b3 xa4 30.xa4 xa4! 31.bxa4
b8 32.d7 d5+ 33.c2 b4+ 34.c3
e5+ 35.d2 d8 36.b1 xd7+ 37.c1
c5?
[ In time pressure Black decides to force a
draw, but 37...d3! would win at once as
the threat of Qc3 is lethal. ]
38.h4 a2+ 39.c2 b4+ 40.c1 a2+
41.c2 b4+
½-½
906 C10
Vescovi,Giovanni P 2648
Karpov,Anatoly 2682
Rapid Sao Paulo BRA rapid (1) 20.08.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2
[ After 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4 5.xe4
bd7 6.f3 h6 7.xf6+ xf6 8.h4 c5
9.e5 a6 10.c3 d5 11.xf6 gxf6
we h ave the position in the main gam e
analysed here but with the black h pawn on
h6 rather than h7. A very slight difference,
but it does mean that the black king is likely
to be le ss saf e a f te r ca st lin g kings id e .
Zvjaginsev sensibly keeps his king in the
centre. 12.g4 ( Or 12.c4!? as in the
main game. The knight proves rather
ineffective on g4.) 12...g5 13.h4 f4
14.e2 e7 15.g3 d6 16.0-0 d7
17.f3 - Zhang Zhong-Zvjaginsev,V/Moscow
CHN 2004. ]
3...dxe4 4.xe4 d7
[ H e r e K a r p o v h a s p l a y e d 4...d7
with success. ]
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e5
This move was used by Kasparov to put one
over Ponomariov, and has since been
enthusiastically adopted by Michael Adams
and others. a6 9.g5 This move came into
the spotlight when Adams used it to beat
Akopian in 25 moves. In Murariu-Jakab Black
did even worse when he lost in 19 moves.
Both these games are on ChessPub. Will the
former World Champion fare any better? d5
An old move, first played by the great
openings expert Efim Geller, who incidentally
was the one time trainer of Karpov. 10.xf6!?
[ 10.e3 cxd4 11.xd4 draw agreed was
the unedifying conclusion to Robatsch, K-
Geller,E/Havana 1963. ]
[ Here I must confess that my own
s u g g e s t i o n o f 10.a4+ in some earlier
analysis is nonsense as Black can play b5
-I had forgot ten the black queen is
defending the rook on a8 so that 11.Bxb5+?
doesn't work. ]
10...gxf6 11.c4!? This retreat makes a lot
of sense as the biggest hole in Black's
position is on b6. On the other hand, it
commits W hite to a pawn sacrif ice. cxd4!
12.b6 e4+ 13.e2 b8
[ Not 13...xg2? 14.f3 winning a rook. ]
14.0-0 dxc3 15.bxc3 c5 16.b1
[ After 16.xc8 Black has the clever
zwischenzug 0-0! Then Black can recapture
on c8 with Rfxc8, as ( rather than 16...xc8
17.f3 when b7 will drop.) 17.d6 xd6
18.xd6 xe2 doesn't help White. ]
16...c6? Karpov is understandably keen to
evacuate his queen from the centre and, at
the same time, gives the white knight a nudge.
817
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

However, his king now b ecomes a direct
target. Instead
[ 16...0-0 looks safe for Black as if White
tries to cash in his pressure in exchange for
the b7 pawn then 17.f3 ( 17.d3 h4!? )
17...f4 18.xc8 b5!! is another powerful
zwischenzug. ]
17.f3 c7 18.a4+ e7 19.a5 d6
M e e t i n g t h e t h r e a t o f 2 0 . N d 5 + . 20.fe1
xh2+? 21.h1 e5
[ A blunder, but Black was already in deep
tro ub le a s af t e r 21...d8 22.g3 xg3
23.fxg3 xg3 24.h5! White's extra knight
and huge initiative is worth far more than
the four black pawns. ]
22.d5+! The black queen is lost whether or
not he takes the knight.
1-0
course in practice, it may become difficult for
him to develop and expand. 15.f1
[ 15.d3! with the idea e5?! 16.xg6 hxg6
17.dxe5 ]
15...e8
[ 15...e5! intends ...Bf5, and the forcing
16.a3 ( 16.dxe5 g4! ) 16...a5 ( 16...xc3
17.bxc3 g4= ) 17.b4 b6 ]
16.a3 d6 17.g3
[ 17.d1 e5 18.e3 ]
17...e5 18.g2 g4 19.e2 e7 20.h3
d7 21.c3 ae8 22.c1 h5 23.b3 e4
24.fd2 f5 Black is threatening ...f4 and or ...
h4, so W hite is thrown on the defensive.
25.c5 c8 26.f1 f4 27.h4 h7 28.h2
fxg3+ 29.fxg3 xh4 30.d2 f5 31.f1
b6 32.b3 g8 33.h3 xg3
0-1

907 C10 908 C10

Vilchenko,M 2256 Vishnu,P 2406
Timofeev,Arty 2597 Kuzubov,Yuriy 2615
Tikhookeansky Meridian 2014 rapid (3.4) 14th Dubai Open 2012 (7.10) 21.04.2012
[John Watson] [John Watson]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5 ge7
5.e5 e4 6.d3 b4 7.d2 xd2 8.xd2 [ T h e o t h e r s t a n d a r d m o v e i s 4...f6
f6 9.exf6 Unusual. See the Archives for , when Black's reorganization 5.b5 d7
games with 9 a3. xf6 10.0-0 6.f3 e7 7.f4 0-0-0 8.d2 f7
[ McDonald gives 10.b5 d7 11.xc6 ha s b e e pla ye d a lo t . A f t e r 9.h4 h5
xc6 12.0-0 0-0 with equality ] ( 9...ge7 10.h5 a6 ) 10.a3 h6
10...0-0 , W h it e la sh e d o u t wit h 11.b4!? g4
[ In my Dangerous Weapons book, I claim 12.g3 fxe5 13.dxe5 in this month's game
that 10...d7 11.ae1 ( 11.b5 0-0; Szelag-Szymanski, Warsaw 2012 and here
11.e3 0-0-0 ) 11...0-0-0 equalizes. e7= gives Black sufficient play. ]
Perhaps 12.b5! d6 13.xc6 xc6 5.f4!?
14.e5 e8 15.f4 keeps an edge, but it's [ 5.f3 ]
not much. ] 5...b6
11.b5 e7! Freeing the way for ...c5. [ or 5...f5 6.f3 e7= ]
[ 11...d7 12.ae1 d6 is approximately 6.f3 b7 7.e3 f5 8.f2 h5 9.a3 d7
equal, e. g., 13.e3 ae8 14.xc6 xc6 10.d3 e7 11.d2 0-0-0 12.0-0
15.e5 xe5 16.xe5 g6 ] The same basic setup as in the previous
[ or 11...d6 12.xc6 bxc6 13.fe1 b8 game. a5 13.d1!?
14.b3 ] [ 13.xf5! exf5 14.h4! c4 15.c1
12.g5 pre se rve s W h ite 's po we rf ul ce ntre an d
[ 12.a3 d6 13.fe1 a6 14.d3 c5= ] limits Black's counterplay, although he can
12...g6 still play ...Kb8 and ...c5. ]
[ Or 12...xg5 13.xg5 h6 14.f3 d6= ] 13...b8 14.b3
13.xf6 gxf6 14.fe1 c6 The bishop pair [ 14.xf5 ]
and centre give Black a theoretical nod. Of 14...c8 15.e3!? h6!? Probably a poor

818
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
move, but it is provocative and keeps the
game complicated. 16.b4!?
[ 16.e2! g6 17.b4 with the idea c4
18.xc4 dxc4 19.xc4 and White wins a
pawn for what seems insufficient
compensation, although it's a game. ]
16...c4 17.xc4 dxc4 18.xc4 f5!?
[ 18...h4 ]
[ 18...xf3 19.gxf3 g5! 20.fxg5 xg5
21.d3! ]
19.e2 cg8 20.d3 g5! 21.fxg5 xg5
22.e4 xe4 23.xe4 h6 White seems to
stand better after this.
[ 23...h6!? ]
[ 23...a4!? ]
24.ad1 hg6 25.h1 h6 26.g1 h4!?
[ 26...g4 27.d3 c6 28.c4 e4 29.h3
xd3 30.xd3 e4 31.e1 favours White's
extra territory, although it will be hard to
exploit that. ]
27.c4 g4 28.e2 b5! Going for the light
squares. Otherwise W hite stands better.
29.d3!?
[ 29.cxb5 d5 gives decent counterplay ]
29...bxc4 30.c3 d5 31.xc4?!
[ 31.xc4 e4 32.c2 xc2 33.xc2 e3
34.xe3 xe3 35.d2 f4 36.d3 d5
is more-or-less equal, but White has what
chances there are. ]
31...xc4 32.xc4 e3 33.xe3?!
[ 33.h3 xf2 34.hxg4 g3+ 35.h2
xg1+ 36.xg1 xg4 37.f2 b7
and Black has some advantage, probably
not convertible. ]
33...xe3 34.c3 xg2 35.c2
[ 35.d2 xd4 36.xg2 xg2 37.xg2
xd2+ 38.h3= ]
35...f4
[ 35...h3 also establishes some advantage. ]
36.xg4 xg4 37.g1 b7 38.h3?!
Po ss ible t im e t rou ble . B ut in t h e f a ce o f
Black's king advance the position is difficult.
g3 This will win. 39.f2 xh3 40.xh3
xh3+ 41.g2 g3+ 42.h2 xa3 43.xf7
b3 44.d7 xb4 45.h3 a5 46.d5 exd5
47.xd5 b6 48.d8 e4 49.e8 a4 50.e6
a3 51.b8+ c6 52.a8 xe6 53.xa3
e4 54.a5 b6 55.h5 c5
0-1
909 C10
Volokitin,And 2704
Kuzubov,Yuriy 2623
81st ch-UKR 2012 (8.2) 04.08.2012
[John Watson]
Two high-rated players duke it out in the
Hecht-Reefschlaeger. The notes show two
further games from highly-rated participants
in the same variation. 1.e4 e6
[ 1...c6 2.d4 e6 3.f3 d5 4.c3 f6
reaches the H-R by transposition. Af ter
5.g5 , an aggressive way for Black to play
it is b4 ( 5...e7 is safer and probably
objectively better) 6.e5 h6 7.d2!?
( 7.h4! g5 8.xg5! hxg5 9.xg5 e7
10.exf6 xf6 11.e3! and Black has some
extra activity, but the pawn looks more
important ) 7...e4 8.xe4? ( 8.d3 xd2
9.xd2 0-0= with the idea ...f6) 8...dxe4
9.xb4 xb4 10.d2 xd4 11.c3 d3+
12.xd3 xd3 13.e2 d7 14.xe4
xe4+ 15.xe4 c6 16.d2 d8
17.e2 ( 17.0-0-0 ) 17...e7 18.hd1 d5
19.f4 hd8 20.f3 xd1 ( 20...g5!?
21.fxg5 hxg5 22.h3 b5 ) 21.xd1 xf3+
22.gxf3 xd1 23.xd1 f8!? (heading for
f5 or h5-h4 you'll have to assess this ending
for yourself I don't think White can hold, but
I ' m n o t s u r e ) ( 23...f6!? ) 24.d2 g8
25.d3 h7 26.a4? g6 27.e4 h5
28.e3 h4 29.f2 h3 30.g1 c5
31.b4 ( 31.b3 a5 ) 31...c4 32.a5 a6
33.h1 g6 34.g1 g5 35.fxg5 hxg5
36.h1 g4 37.fxg4 xg4 and wins:
38.g2 f4 39.f2 xe5 40.e3 f5
41.h4 f4+ 42.f3 f5 43.h5 e5 44.h6
e4+ 45.f2 g6 0-1 (45) Vasques, A
(2214)-Rocha, S (2404)/Matosinhos POR
2012/The Week in Chess 925 ]
2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5 b6!? Rare, This
is slow but at least brings W hite into a
complex strategic game. Two other important
moves with highly-rated games from this
month:
[ (a) I think of 4...f6 as the most critical line:
5.b5 d7 6.f3 a6!? (considered too
slow, but that's not clear) ( 6...e7 7.0-0
f7 has been played a lot and is featured in
the archives game Zude-Meinhardt) 7.xc6
xc6 8.0-0 d7 ( 8...f5?! is Fedorov-
819
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Stupak in the Archives) 9.a4!? ( 9.e1
0-0-0 ) 9...e7 10.e1 g6 11.b3 b4=
12.d2 0-0 ( 12...fxe5 13.dxe5 0-0 )
13.e2 ( 13.a2 e7! 14.exf6 xf6
15.c1 af8 16.d3 d6 ) 13...e7
14.f4 xf4 15.xf4 f5 16.g5
(White gts rid of his bad bishop otherwise
he could end up with the worst of it ) h6
17.xe7 xe7 18.d3 a5 ( 18...e8!? )
19.d2 f4!? 20.ec1 g5 21.c3 e8
22.c4?! dxc4 23.bxc4?! d8 24.c3 c5
( or 24...c6 ) 25.dxc5 g6 26.a3 c6
27.f3 d7 28.xa5 fd8 ( 28...f5! )
29.a2 d3 30.e1 d4+ 31.f1 d3+
( 31...g5 ) 32.e2 ( 32.g1! ) 32...f5
( 32...g5! ) 33.b6 h5 34.h3 d3
35.b1?! ( 35.g1 ) 35...e3 36.e1
xe5 37.a3 xe2 ( 37...d4! ) 38.xe2
xc5 39.d3 xd3 40.xd3 e5
( 40...xa4! ) 41.e4 a1+ 42.f2 xa4
43.d8+ h7 44.d3 a7+ 45.e2
( 45.c5+ g8 46.d8+= ) 45...g6
46.c5+ f7 47.d4 a2+ 48.f1 e5
49.xe5 xc4+ 50.g1 d5 51.f5+
e7 52.e5+ f8 53.d7+ f7 54.d6
c1+ 55.h2 c6 56.e5+ g8 57.g6
e1 58.xf4 e8 59.e6 d7 60.c5
c6 61.h4?! f8 62.e6+ h8 63.d3?
d8 64.c4 b5 65.c3 xh4+ 66.g1
c4!? 67.a3 d4+ 68.h2 h7
and Black was able to win by a surprising
kingside advance: 69.b3 e8 70.b4
g6 71.a3 e5+ 72.g1 h5 73.c6
d5 74.b4 d4+ 75.h2 e5+ 76.g1
h4 77.b3 e1+ 78.h2 g3+ 79.h1
h3 80.gxh3 e4 0-1 (80) Vovk, Y (2562)-
Kuzubov, Y (2623)/Kiev UKR 2012/The
Week in Chess 926 ]
[ (b) 4...ge7 is solid but concedes space:
5.f3 f5 6.h4 h5 ( 6...e7!? 7.h5 h6
8.g4 h4 9.xh4 xh4 10.e3 ) 7.g5
d7 8.e2 b6 9.f4 b7 10.c3 ce7?!
( 10...e7 with the idea ...f6) 11.d3 0-0-0?
( 11...g6 ) 12.xf5 exf5 13.e6! fxe6 14.0-0
b8 15.e5 e8 16.xe6 and White is
winning. d6 17.f4 c6 18.e1 xe5
19.xe5 f7 20.e2 c6 21.e1 b7
22.e6 d7 23.xf8 xf8 24.g3 g6
25.e6 a6 26.f3 g8 27.f4 a5
28.1e5 h7 29.f3 d7 30.e7 xe7
31.xe7 c8 32.e2 f7 33.a6+ b8
34.f4 xe7 35.xb6+ a8 36.xa5+
b7 37.xc7+ 1-0 (37) Volokitin, A (2704) -
Miroshnichenko, E (2621)/Kiev UKR 2012/
The Week in Chess 925 ]
5.f3 b7 6.a3 Versus ...Bb4. ge7 7.d3
d7 8.0-0 0-0-0 Petrosian and Bronstein
used to play this way, as has Gulko. 9.e1 h6
10.e2 g5!? 11.h3 g7?!
[ 11...f5 12.b4 e7 at least gets Black's
pieces out and prepares an eventual ... f6 or
...h5 still, White should stand better with a
queenside attack which moves faster. ]
12.g3
[ Or 12.b4 f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.b5 a5
15.g3 ]
12...f5 13.exf6 xf6 14.c3 he8 15.b4
b8 16.a2!? Artificial.
[ 16.c2 prevents both ...Nf5 and a later ...
Ng6. ]
[ 16.h5 h8 17.a4 is also good. ]
16...f5 17.h5 h8 18.ae2 f7 19.g3
d6?
[ 19...h4 20.xh4 gxh4 21.f1 e5!
22.b5! e7 23.dxe5 g8 isn't clear. ]
20.c2 e7 21.a4! g8 Black has no
serious counterplay versus W hite's attack.
22.b5! a5 23.a3 ee8 24.h7!
Winning material. c8
[ 24...g7 25.e5 ]
[ 24...gf8 25.g6 ]
25.xg8 xg8 26.xd6
[ 26.e5! ]
26...cxd6 27.d2 h5 28.d3 g4 29.hxg4
hxg4 30.c4 dxc4 31.xc4 xc4 32.xc4
d5 33.b4 f4 34.d2 d8 35.e3 e5
36.e2+- g5 37.a5 e4 38.axb6 axb6
39.a2 b7 40.a4 e7 41.a7+
1-0
910 C10
Vovk,Yuri 2561
Timoshenko,Georgy 2560
2nd Agzamov Memorial (5) 24.03.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.f3 f6
5.e5 e4 6.d3 b4 7.d2 xd2 8.xd2
d7 9.a3 a5!? Previously on ChessPub we
have only looked at ideas based on the retreat
of the bishop to e7 or the exchange on c3.
820
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ Black's pseudo-sacrifice at move 12 should factor. 26.xf4 xe5+ 27.f2 xg5

be compared to 9...e7 10.0-0 ( Or 10.e2 Now Black has a 6-3 superiority in pawns.
xd4! with similar ideas.) 10...a6 11.e2 28.h1
xd4! when Black had freed his game after [ Or 28.f7 e8 29.e7 d7 30.h1 d8
12.exd4 c5 13.c3 cxd4 14.xd4 c5 31.f7 e8 32.f3 e5 and the pawns
in B o rri s s , M-Fi rm a n , N/ B in d la ch G E R begin to roll. ]
2006. ] 28...d7 29.h7 e7 30.fh4 e8 31.g4
[ Black has a very reasonable alternative in f6 32.h8 g6 33.f8+ e5 It turns out
9...xc3 10.xc3 f6 as you can see in the that White's bid for counterplay has led to the
C h e s s P u b a r c h i ve s . H o w e ve r , F i r m a n loss of the c2 pawn. 34.e2 xc2 35.d2
prefers to keep his bishop pair. ] e4 36.c8 b6 37.a4 d6 38.c1 c6
10.b4 b6 11.e2 f6 0-1
[ Timoshenko had been on the White side of
the sto ry a year ea rlier. Th e game ha d
continued 11...a6 12.0-0 f6 13.c3 911 C10
( P e r h a p s V o v k i n t e n d e d 13.c4!? Vysochin,Spartak 2551
here if given the chance.) 13...e7 14.fe1 Kruppa,Yuri 2541
fxe5 15.dxe5 0-0-0 16.a4 ( 16.ed4!? ) 4th I.Platonov Mem (9) 15.01.2006
16...df8 17.b5 xf3! 18.bxc6 [Neil McDonald]
A) Black has the better chances after
18...xf2+ 19.h1 xe1 20.cxd7+ xd7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
21.xe1! e3! ( but not 21...xd3? 5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.c3 c5 8.e5
22.f4 trapping the rook. ); a6 9.g5 d5 10.xf6 gxf6 11.c4 c6?
B) 18...xf2?! 19.cxd7+ xd7 20.h1 [ We saw 11...cxd4! in Vescovi-Karpov.
hf8 21.g1 h4 22.a5 g5?? Despite the unfortunate outcome of that
( I t i s s t i l l a b i g f i g h t a f t e r 22...a7 ) game for the former World Champion, we
23.axb6 g4 24.e1 1-0 Timoshenko, G- cannot dispute that his choice was correct at
Genocchio, D/Venice ITA 2007. Black this point. Kruppa's timid queen retreat
resigned as W hite has avoided the does nothing to stop White developing his
swindle ( 24.bxc7 g3 25.h3 xh3+! kingside, after which he is bound to gain a
26.gxh3 h2# )] strong attack. ]
12.b5? Timoshenko must have analysed his 12.e2! g8 White gains a strong attack after
game with Genoccio and discovered that either
Black didn't have to spend a move stopping 12. [ 12...xg2?! 13.f3 g5 14.b6 b8
b 5 , b e c a u s e - xd4! demolishes the white 15.a4+ or ]
centre. White's minor pieces are so bunched [ 12...d7 13.f3 c7 14.d5 d8 15.e2
together that they have become vulnerable to b5 16.dxe6 xe6 17.e3 ]
pawn forks. 13.exd4 13.f3 c7
[ Or 13.fxd4 fxe5 14.b3 e4 [ Black can't slow down the attack with
and the bishop is trapped. ] 13...b5 because of 14.d3! cxd4 15.0-0!
13...fxe5 The game is in effect already over, dxc3 16.fd1 e7 17.bxc3 intending 18.
as White is going to be a pawn down with a Rab1 etc. ]
tattered position no matter how he plays. 14.0-0 cxd4 15.xd4 b8 16.ad1 d7
14.xe5 xd4 15.g6+ hxg6 16.xd4 17.b6 b5
xb5 17.xg6 g8 18.h4 f6 19.e5 c5 [ T h e n a t u r a l 17...c6 loses at once to
20.e3 d4 21.g5 0-0-0 22.f4 d5 23.h3 18.xc6+ xc6 19.d7+ xd7 20.xd7
f8 24.f3 xg5 25.hxg5 xf4! with a double threat to b8 and f6. ]
An excellent decision. The only feature of the 18.fe1 e7
position that W hite can be proud of is the [ Or 18...c5 19.d5! attacking both c7 and
knight on e5, and once that is removed the f6 xd4 20.xc7+ and White wins a
big black pawn centre becomes a decisive piece. ]

821
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
19.c4 c6 It looks as though Black has
managed to organise counterplay against g2,
but the next move destroys all his hopes.
20.d5! exd5 21.cxd5 d6
[ If 21...b5 22.d6 ]
22.dxc6 xd4 23.xd4 bxc6 24.xc6+
f8 Black has been forced into a horrendous
endgame where he is not only a pawn down
but all his remaining pawns are smashed up.
The opposite coloured bishops allow him to
fight on for some time, but that is all. 25.d7
b4 26.e4 a3 27.b3 c8 28.g3 f5
29.c4 e7 30.d5 xc4 31.xc4 g6
32.a7 d6 33.xa6 d2 34.a5 f4 35.f5
f6 36.a4 fxg3 37.hxg3 g7 38.a5 a2
39.a6 b4 40.f1 c3 41.d5 b4
42.d7+ g6 43.d3+ f5 44.d5 g7
45.xf5
1-0
912
Wang Hao
Goh Wei Ming
1st World Mind Sports Games Team Rapid rapid (1)
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6! I have no
qualms playing this move against anyone, not
even my 2700 opponent in this game! 4.f3
f6 5.e5 e4 6.d3 2 rounds later, the gold
medallist for the individual blitz event tried 11...e7 12.h5 0-0-0 13.b4 Whoops, here
Khalifmann's recommendation against me:
[ 6.e2 f6 7.g3 fxe5
At this stage, I cursed silently at not
s t u d y i n g t h i s v a r i a t i o n we l l e n o u g h . I
vaguely remembered the following moves
and some intermediate ...Bc5 somewhere.
Not very well prepared I know, especially for
someone who claims to be a fan of 3..Nc6!
exd4 9.xe4 dxe4 10.xd4 d5 11.xc6
a6 12.a4 xd1+?? After this horrendous
move, Black is just positionally lost in the
resulting endgame. Loyal ChessPub
subscribers will know that ( 12...d7! 13.c4
xd1+ 14.xd1 c5! (the afore mentioned
intermediate move) gives Black equality.
After the text, White simply gets one tempo
f o r f ree as h e d id n't ha ve to p lay c4 t o
induce Qxd1.) 13.xd1 d7 14.e1 c5
15.xe4 b5 16.e5 bxa4 17.xd7 xd7
18.e2 a3 19.b3 the young IM from
Ukraine did not give me any chances and
finished the game with fine technique: hf8
20.e3 xe3 21.d1+ e7 22.xe3 f5
23.f3 a5 24.c4 c5 25.a4 d5 26.d3
d6 27.xa3 g5 28.a4 h5 29.h4 gxh4
30.xh4 xd3+ 31.cxd3 g8 32.f2 g5
33.f4 f5 34.e3 e5 35.e4 e6 36.g3
exf4 37.gxf4 d5 38.h1 a4 39.bxa4
d4+ 40.e3 xa4 41.xh5 d6 42.h2
a3 43.c2 d5 44.f5 a8 45.f2 e8+
46.d2 f8 47.f6 c4 48.f7 cxd3 49.a4
c4 50.f5 d4 51.a5 e4 52.f2 d5
53.a6 c6 54.f6+ d7 55.a7 e7
56.b6 a8 57.b7+ 1-0 Kravts iv Martyn
(2549)-Goh Wei Ming (2420)/Beijing 2008/ It
pays to study and remember some concrete
theory in this variation! ]
6...b4 7.d2 xd2 8.xd2 d7 9.a3
xc3!? This is more of a drawing attempt. I
certainly didn't expect the fireworks that were
C10 about to appear on the board!
2696 [ 9...e7 was also analyzed on ChessPub:
2420 10.e2 a6 11.0-0 xd4! with nice
counterplay for Black. ]
10.xc3 f6 11.h4!
[ The amazing blunder 11.b5?? xe5!
was analyzed on ChessPub . 11.h4 is a
logical move, preventing any frisky ...g5
ideas and also keeping options of castling
either side. ]
he comes... df8?!
8.b5!? [ 13...fxe5 14.dxe5 a6! would have been a
saf er option. During the game, I was
reluctant to touch any of my queenside
pawns and create a "hook" for W hite to
hasten his attack. However, there is no easy
way to make further progress. For example,
15.b1 df8
A) 16.b5 axb5
A1) 17.xb5 xf3! ( 17...g5!?
is a suggestion of Hiarcs 12 and seems
pretty tough for White to handle as well.
18.b2 b6 ) 18.gxf3 g5!;
A2) 17.xb5 f5 and it is difficult to see
why White's attack would be any faster
then Black's.;
B) 16.a4 d4! ( 16...xf3!? 17.gxf3 g5
18.b5 axb5 19.axb5 xe5 20.e2
is unclear) 17.xd4 f4! The following
822
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

lines are (obviously) computer assisted:
18.xc6 xc6
B1) 19.g3 leads to a forced draw: xf2!
( 19...xh1 20.gxf4 f8 ) 20.xf2
f8+ 21.g1 g5 22.e2 f3!
23.xf3 xf3 24.xf3 xg3+ 25.g2
e3+ with a perpetual;
B2) 19.b5 axb5 20.axb5 xg2 21.b6!
c6! ( 21...xh1 22.a1 with a crazy
position, W hite is a rook down but his
attack f or some reason is diff icult to
refute. ) 22.a1 b8! and Black's
position seems to hold up well. It is of
course unreasonable to expect normal
homo sapiens to come up with such
moves over the board but this piece of
analysis does illu strat e th at Black's
position is objectively fine after 13..fe5.
You just have to remember some pretty
accurate moves:) ]
14.b5 d8 15.a4 It is easy to prefer White
now. He has more space, an attack in the
making on the queenside and a relatively safe
King. In a few moves however, Black would
managed to create some counterplay which
proved to be tricky for White to handle. b8
16.a5 c8
[ I didn't much like the look of 16...f7 17.b6
cxb6 18.axb6 axb6 19.0-0 ]
17.e2
[ 17.b6! a6 18.0-0 preparing Rfb1 would
have been difficult to handle. ]
17...f7 18.hb1 fxe5 19.dxe5 g5!
Finally, my knight had finally escaped from his
miserable predicament a few moves earlier
and taken up a menacing position. 20.d4
f7 21.f3 f4 I was quite pleased to obtain
such a complicated position, especially in a
rapid game where even strong players tend to
mis s th ings. Rybka 3 however claims a n
alm os t winn in g ad va nt age af te r. .. . 22.b6!
xe5+ 23.d1? It is amazing that such a
natural move could be a mistake, but the
baffling
[ 23.f1!! would have given White a winning
position. For example, h2 ( 23...xf3?
24.xc7+ xc7 25.bxc7+ xc7
26.gxf3+- ) 24.bxa7+ a8 25.a6 h1+
26.f2 h4+ 27.e2 and there are no
more checks! ]
23...h2! 24.c1 f4+
[ Yet again, Rybka came up with a
completely unexpected, but yet beautiful
idea 24...a6 25.xa6 c5!? ( 25...bxa6
26.bxc7+ just loses immediately) 26.xc5
bxa6 27.c6+ b7 28.b4! and White's
attack is irresistible. ]
[ 24...cxb6 25.axb6 a6 26.xa6!+- ]
25.b2 f7?
[ 25...a6! would have held the position and
even gives Black some winning chances.
26.e2 ( 26.xa6 bxa6 27.a4 a8!;
26.a2 c6 ) 26...d6 27.xg7 f7
and Black is fine here ]
26.a4! a8 27.a6
[ 27.ba1 with the idea Nxe6 or a6 looks
even stro nger b ut W a ng Hao wa nt ed a
glorious finish. ]
27...cxb6 28.axb7+ xb7 29.b5
[ 29.ba1! a5 There is no other move as
W h i t e i s t h r e a t e n i n g 3 0 . N c 6 30.b5
and it should be winning for White. ]
29...c7 30.c6+ b8 31.ba1 d6??
As usual, time trouble rears his ugly head and
Black loses the game immediately.
[ 31...f6! would have held the position for
Black 32.xa7! ( 32.b1 e5 wins the
bishop on c6.) 32...xa7 33.b4! f7
34.xb6+ b7 35.xb7 xb7 36.a7+
c8 37.c5+ b8 38.a7+
with an unexpected draw. ]
32.xa7 xa7 33.xa7 c5 34.xc5 bxc5
35.b5 Despite the result, I really enjoyed this
game and it's wonderful complexities. This
game reminds me for the umpteen times just
why I am a big fan of the French Defence.
1-0
913 C10
Wells,Peter K 2517
McDonald,Neil R 2398
4NCL Birmingham ENG (9) 04.05.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 c6 6.d3 d7 7.0-0 gf6 8.ed2
d5?? A quite preposterous novelty that I
doubt will eve r be played a gain. If Blac k
wanted t o take o n f 3 th en he ca n save a
tempo with
[ 8...xf3 9.xf3 c6 etc. Instead Black just

823
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
gives his opponent a free move for c2-c4.
Have a look in the game Ledger-McDonald
on ChessPub for better ideas here. ]
9.c4 xf3 10.xf3 c6 11.b3 a5 12.c5!?
After the game Nigel Short joined in the post-
mortem and criticised this move as too
committal. Indeed there is no real reason to
give away the d5 square when White can gain
a good game with simple moves like Bf4, Qe2
etc. d5 13.b4! Nevertheless, this is a useful
gain of space. c7
[ After either 13...xb4 14.b1 or ]
[ 13...xb4 14.d2 a3 15.xb4 xb4
16.b1 the irruption with Rxb7 would be fatal
for Black. ]
14.b5 g6 The less ambitious
[ 14...e7 might have been better as then
t h e b i s h o p c a n jo i n i n t h e f i g h t o n t h e
queenside in a direct manner. ]
15.bxc6 bxc6 16.d2 g7 Too routine.
[ 16...a5! would prevent White's next move. ]
17.a6! Fixing the pawn on a7 and so
threatening Qa4 followed by Ba5 etc. when
Black is strangled on the queenside. Black
deals with this threat but has to put a knight
on an awf ul square . b8 18.c4
19.a4 a5 Now we see that 16...a5 would
have saved Black a tempo as this position
could have been reached with the black knight
on d7 rather than b8. 20.ab1 d7 21.fe1
e5! Essential counterplay. 22.xd5 cxd5
23.c6 b6 24.b5 c4 25.dxe5 xd2
26.xd2 xe5 27.f3 c3 28.ec1 d4
29.c4 fb8 30.xd4 In time pressure
White gives up his winning attempt. With
[ 30.g5! he could have continued to set
Black problems. ]
½-½
914 C10
Zelcic,Robert 2547
Speelman,Jonathan S 2596
EuTCh Leon ESP (2) 07.11.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 dxe4 4.xe4 d7
5.f3 gf6 6.xf6+ xf6 7.d3 c5
8.dxc5 xc5 9.e2 0-0 10.g5 h6
11.xf6?!
[ Giving up the dark squared bishop makes
things very easy for Black. Critical is 11.h4
as in Ponomariov-Speelman, Pamplona
1997. ]
11...xf6 12.0-0-0 d8!
[ Embarrassing would be 12...b6?? 13.e4
winning a rook. ]
13.b1 d7 14.e5 c6! Solving the
problem of the bad bishop in style. Whether it
lives or dies Black will have the initiative. 15.f4
[ Not 15.xc6? bxc6 16.e4 ab8
and already W hite is facing disaster for if
17.c3 ( 17.b3 a3 ends things at once)
17...a3 ( avoiding the tempting 17...xc3
when White can escape to an ending 'only' a
pawn down: 18.h7+ f8 19.h8+ e7
20.xd8+! xd8 21.b5+ d4 22.xd4+
xd4 23.d1 cxb5 24.xd4+ ) 18.b3 xc3
19.e2 xb3+ 20.axb3 xb3+ 21.a1
e7! and the threat of Bf6 is decisive. ]
15...d4!
[ Black wants to capture the f pawn but he
d o e s n ' t r u s h w i t h 15...xf4? 16.hf1
The exchange of a pair of rooks will lessen
White's attacking chances in the
middlegame and also make him less able to
0-0 de f e nd all h is p a wn s a ga in st th e b la c k
bishops. ]
16.hf1 xf4 17.xf4 xf4 18.f1 e3
19.h5
[ Very bad is 19.xe3 xe3 20.xf7 xg2 ]
19...f8 20.a3
[ If 20.xf7 e8 21.g6 g5! exploits
White's weak back rank to win material. ]
20...e8! Holding on to his booty. White's
attack now grinds to a halt and he can only
play for complications. 21.c4 g5 22.e2
c6 23.g3 d4 24.f4 d8 25.e1 g6
26.a5 g2 27.h4 e5 28.d2 e3!
Forcing a decisive simplification. 29.xg2
xf4 30.xb7 e1+ 31.a2 xd3 32.cxd3
xg3 33.e4 e3 34.c4 e5 35.c5
d4 36.b5 h7 37.e4 g7 38.b1 f5
39.c5 xh4 40.b3 h1+ 41.a2 d5
42.xe6 xb3+ 43.xb3 f6 44.d4 h5
0-1
824
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
915 C10
Zude,Erik 2421
Meinhardt,Maximilian 2387
3rd LGA Premium Cup (4) 09.09.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 c6 4.e5 f6
5.b5 d7 6.f3 e7! Black not only clears
the way for queenside castling and but also
prepares to put the queen on f7, where she
helps to generate kingside counterplay.
[ Instead 6...a6? was played in Fedorov-
Stupak. ]
7.0-0
[ I assume that Black answers 7.exf6 with
gxf6 guarding the e5 square e.g. 8.0-0 f7
( Or 8...0-0-0 9.e1 f7 ) 9.e1 ge7
and then develops with moves like 0-0-0,
Rg8 and Bg7or Ng6 and Bd6, etc. ]
7...f7 8.a3?!
[ White should expand at once on the
q u e e n s i d e w i t h 8.a4! though he didn't
manage to achieve much in the following
game. ge7 9.e1 f5
A) Judging from his knight manoeuvre in
his game with Stupak, if given a second
crack at this position, Fedorov might have
chosen 10.g5!? here to disrupt Black's
queenside build up. g8 11.h3 h6
12.f4 when if g5? ( or 12...h5?!
13.h4!? ) 13.h5 and the hole on f6 is
Black's undoing.;
B) 10.f1 a6 11.a5 h6!
Black's counterplay depends on advancing
his kingside pawns. 12.a4 g5 13.c5
g6! Naturally it would be suicidal for
Black to castle queenside into his
opponent's ready made attack. 14.xd7
( A good swap for Black is 14.xb7 g4
15.d2 xd4 ) 14...xd7 15.c3 e7
16.b4 a7 17.d2 g4 18.b3 b5
19.d2 c6 20.c2 0-0-0 21.c4 dxc4
22.xc4 b8 23.ed1 c8 24.a2 c7
Black has achieved a promising position
as his kingside pawns are free to advance,
unlike their W hite counterparts on the
queenside. But he was content to call it a
draw against his higher rated opponent in
Fedorov, A-Medina, M/ Turin ITA 2006. ]
8...ge7 9.e1 0-0-0 10.f4? Zude is being
reckless in putting his bishop on a square
where it can be hit by g7-g5. g8 11.e2 f5!
[ He mustn't allow the centre to be opened
after 11...g5 with 12.exf6! ]
12.ad1 h6 13.h4 h5 14.e3 White has
managed to hold back g7-g5 for the moment,
but not forever. It is a curious fact that the
more obstacles placed in the way of this type
of pawn stab, the greater is the 'explosion'
when it actually occurs. This is because the
pieces that have been trying to restrain it
sudd enly be com e a ttra ctive t argets . g6
15.g3 ce7 16.e2 f4! the beginning of
the end for W hite's kingside blockade.
17.xf4 f5 18.d2 xf4 19.xf4 g5
20.hxg5 hxg5 21.h2 f7 22.g4
Other wise he will be rammed by g5-g4-g3,
and besides the white queen needed some air.
But now the white kingside is fragile and there
is a hole on f4 beckoning the black knight.
e7 23.d3 g7 24.d2 g6 25.h3 f4
26.h7 g6 27.d1 c5! A well timed
ch a n g e o f f ro n t . 28.e2 White prefers to
have the d4 point collapse rather than allow
the black bishop to attack f2 after
[ 28.dxc5 xc5 when Rdf8 etc. looks fatal. ]
28...xe2+ 29.xe2 cxd4 Objectively Black
is now winning, but the game remains tense.
30.h5 e8 31.b3 d3 32.e3 dxc2
33.c3+ b8 34.xc2 xh5 35.gxh5 g7
36.d4 xe5 37.b3 b6?? Strange things
happen in time trouble:
[ 37...xd4 38.bxb7+ a8 and the game
is over because a7 is defended. ]
38.xe6 c8 39.d3 g4 40.b5??
And White returns the compliment on the last
move of the time control. After say
[ 40.b4 giving the knight a retreat to d4 or
f4 if needed, the game is still alive- the
passed pawn on h5 is not to be
underestimated. ]
40...c1+ 41.g2 xb5 42.xb5 c6!
All of a sudden the white knight is surrounded
and lost. 43.xd5
[ Or 43.e7 f6 ]
43...xe6 44.dd7 f8 45.b7+ c8
46.be7 xe7 47.xe7 f6 48.xa7 h8
49.g3 xh5 50.xg4 a5 51.f7 xb2
52.f4 xa3 53.f5 e3 54.f6 xf6
S wa p p i n g o f f t o a t r ivi a l r o o k a n d p a wn
endgame. The white king is far too distant
from the passed pawn. 55.xf6 c7 56.f4
825
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

e1 57.h6 b7 58.f3 a6 59.f2 e5 [ No better is 20...h8 21.h3 h6 22.f4
60.h1 b5 61.b1+ c5 62.c1+ d4 a1+ 23.d2 d8+ 24.e2 and there is
63.c8 b5 64.b8 c3 65.f3 b4 66.f4 no answer to 25.Rxh6+ followed by mate. ]
e1 21.g3+ h8 22.h4 a1+
0-1 [ Not only are f6 and the g file channels of
attack but also the h file: Black has to resign
after 22...e6 23.h3 ]
916 C11 23.d2 d8+ 24.e2 xe5+ 25.f1
Aagaard,Jacob 2373 The checks have run out and there is no good
Brynell,Stellan 2462 way to prevent 26. Rh3. d1
33rd Rilton Cup (9) 05.12.2003 [ Or 25...d4 26.xe5 xh4 27.e8# ]
[Neil McDonald] 26.xd1 e6 27.h6 c4+ 28.g1
[ 28.g1 Black resigned for if g8 29.xg8+
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 ( Mo re e l e ga n t i s 29.g7+? ) 29...xg8
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 30.d8+ mates ]
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2! 1-0
Here we go again. Devotees of this variation
of the Classical have yet to find a convincing
answer to Kramnik's idea. xd4 12.xd4 917 C11
c7 13.d3 xd4 Abu Sufian,Sakil 2361
[ Black is already facing an unstoppable Lalic,Bogdan 2500
k i n g s i d e p a w n a v a l a n c h e a f t e r 13...b5 Masters Hastings (9) 05.01.2008
14.h4! h6 15.e2 etc. as in Kramnik- [Lalic, Bogdan]
Radjabov on ChessPub. ]
14.xd4 b5 The latest try. Having distracted 1.e4 e6 The tactical analysis to this game
W hite's queen from going to the kingside, was kindly provided by GM Bogdan Lalic. 2.d4
Brynell makes a thematic pawn advance on d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5 6.f3
the queenside. As you can see on ChessPub, c6 7.e3 e7!? A trendy alternative to
Blac k ha s h ad lit tle luck af te r t he que e n mainlines such as
exchange [ 7...cxd4 8.xd4 c5 9.d2 a6 10.g3!?
[ 14...c5 15.e2! as Grischuk has beaten or ]
Iijushin twice. Perhaps it is time for Black [ 7...a6 8.d2 b5 9.a3 ]
t o u n l e a s h C h e s s P u b ' s o w n 8.d2 0-0 9.0-0-0?!
recommendation of ] [ It was better to play 9.dxc5 or ]
[ 14...b6!? planning Qc5. ] [ 9.e2 ]
15.he1! A simple centralising move with the 9...c4! Black closes the centre and aims to
b i g p o s i t i o n a l t h r e a t o f f 4 - f 5 . c5? rapidly advance queenside pawns against the
It is nice to get rid of White's strong bishop, white king. 10.f5 b5! 11.fxe6
but there is no time for this. He had to get the [ C r i t i c a l i s 11.f6!? gxf6 12.h6
queens off after all with ( Black has the initiative after 12.exf6 xf6
[ 15...c5 ] 13.h6 b4 14.e2 c3 15.bxc3 a5
16.f5 Now Black's centre crumbles as he must 16.xf8 xf8 17.b1 bxc3 18.xc3
deal with the terrible threat of 17.f 6. exf5 b8+ 19.a1 b4 ) 12...fxe5 13.dxe5
17.xd5 xd3+ 18.xd3 a5 At first dxe5 14.xf8 xf8 15.xb5 g7 16.c3
glance it looks as though White has blundered b8 17.bd4 d7 when Black has ample
as both a2 and e1 are hanging, but... 19.b4! compensation for the exchange. ]
xa2 20.f6+! White's attack can call on the 11...fxe6 12.h4?N
services of all his pieces, so it is no wonder [ He had to try 12.xb5 though Black has an
that the black queen finds herself sidelined on attack after b8 13.d6 xd6 14.exd6
a2 whilst her king takes a battering on the f6 ]
other wing. gxf6 12...a5 Now Black has a clear advantage.

826
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

13.g5? 14.exf7+ f8 15.e2 ( 15.c1!? f6 )

[ Losing, but even after 13.b1 b4 14.e2 15...cxb2 16.ad1 b6 17.fe1 f6
c3 White is in deep trouble. ] Neil says: "In return for the piece, White has
13...b4 14.e2 bxc3 15.h5 h6 16.g6 a sizeable lead in development. Notably,
xg5 17.hxg5 cxb2+ 18.b1 dxe5! both his rooks are centralised, whereas
[ Simpler tha n 18...b4 19.xe6+ f7 Black's rooks are still stuck passively in the
20.e8+ f8 21.a4 g4 which also wins. ] corners of the board. The white pawn on f7
19.dxe5 b4 helps to keep the rook shut in on h8 by
0-1 denying it the g8 square it also keeps a
black rook out of e8. A second factor in
W hite's favour is of course the awkward
918 C11 position of the black king, which is
Akash,G 2340 surrounded by holes that are particularly
Caruana,F 2796 accessible to White's knight, such as d7, e6
FIDE World Cup 2013 (1.1) 11.08.2013 and e5 or even f5 after Nh4, etc." But this is
[John Watson] all still unclear, and Caruana presumably
has his own analysis. 18.c3 e4 ( 18...c6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4 19.xb2 ) 19.h4! with an unclear attack. ]
5.xe4 e7 6.xf6 gxf6 Arguably the most 12...xc5
ambitious line. [ 12...xd1 13.fxd1 xc5 14.e5 a7
[ 6...xf6 is very well represented in the 15.d3 ( 15.d2 xg2 16.xg2 e7
Archives. ] 17.a4 b4 18.e2 may be slightly better for
7.f3 f5 Larry Kaufman has advocated this White ) 15...xg2 16.xg2 e7 17.ad1
move order. Normally Black has played c8 18.e2 f6 19.f3 d7 20.f4 e5
[ 7...a6 first, and then if 8.g3 , b5 9.g2 21.3d2 xf3 22.xf3 e5 23.d5+ e6
b7 10.0-0 d7 delaying or foregoing ...f5 , about equal, Tseshkovsky, V-Chebotarev,
entirely. But 7...f5 forces the knight back O/Kazan RUS 2005. ]
before White gains more choices, so it has 13.xd8+ xd8 14.e5 xg2 15.xg2
its points. ] e7 16.ad1 a7 17.a4!?
8.c3 a6 This is the setup popularised by [ 17.fe1 is natural. ]
Morozevich (importantly, however, this is [ or 17.a3 ]
usually played via 8 g3 a6). Black plays to 17...b4 18.e2 c8 19.b3?! This comes out
expand on the queenside and in some cases all wrong. White's majority is paralysed while
put both bishops on long diagonals. Black's central majority is mobile.
[ I discuss 8...f6 9.d2 c5 10.d5! [ 19.a5 c6 20.c4 is an idea ]
in the Archives game Naiditsch-Von 19...d7! 20.xd7
Herman ] [ 20.c4! might maintain equality ]
9.g3 The safe system, to guard against attack 20...xd7 21.xd7+ xd7 22.d1+ d6
by a bishop on b7 and rook on g8. 23.d2
[ 9.d2 is Naiditsch-Von Herman from the [ 23.d4 e7 24.f4 c5 ]
Archives, which I analyse in great detail 23...e5 24.c1 e6 25.e2 White has to sit
and where I indicated that W hite may get as B lack m ake s pro gress. W h a t e ve r t h e
an advantage in a few lines. But that needs objective assessment, Black has the better of
more tests. ] things and Caruana makes it look easy. e4
9...b5 10.g2 b7 11.0-0 26.f3 d5 27.d2+ e5 28.e2 c3
[ In Naiditsch-Von Herman, I also analyse 29.d3+?!
11.e2 ] [ 29.fxe4 fxe4 30.d3+ d5 31.b2 f5
11...c5 12.dxc5 32.d1 ]
[ 12.d5!? , sacrificing a piece, is the main 29...d5 30.e1
line of Ivanchuk-Volkov in the Archives: b4 [ 30.fxe4+ fxe4 31.b2 f5 will be very
( 12...exd5 13.e5! ) 13.dxe6 bxc3 difficult at best ]

827
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

30...c5 31.f4? as the exchange on e5 had given him extra

[ 31.d2+ d4! looks depressing but had to breathing space to regroup whenever he
be tried. ] needs. 21.g4
31...e3 32.f1 c1 33.g2 e3 34.e1 [ W hite should hunker down with 21.c5
e4 35.d1 d2 36.h4 c6 37.c4 bxc3 xc5 22.xc5 xh4 23.xh7+! xh7
38.c2 a5 39.g2 h6 40.e2 xh4 24.xc6 f5 with approximate equality. ]
41.gxh4 Great technique by Caruana. 21...e7 22.h5 g6 23.xg6 h8 24.b3
0-1 xa4 25.bxa4 c5 26.f3
[ According to Rybka 3, White's best
response appears to be 26.h6 xa4
919 C11 27.g5 with the idea of Rh5. Black can try
Akhayan,Ruben 2262 b3! 28.axb3 a3+ 29.d1 b7 30.xh7!
Meessen,Rudolf 2303 xh7 31.xe6 with a messy position. c3+
TCh-BEL 2008-9 (1) 05.10.2008 32.d2 Here, Black can push for the win
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin] with f2+ ( but not 32...e4+?
as the astonishing tactic 33.xe4 dxe4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 34.g8+!! xg8 35.f6+ allows White to
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 give a perpetual! Beautiful tactic I thought.)
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.h4 xd4 33.d3 f8! 34.d6 e4 35.xf8+ xf8
12.xd4 b5 13.h3 36.g6 xh4 with some winning chances. ]
[ For 13.h5 see Archives for detailed 26...xf3 27.gxf3 g8 28.g1 g7?
coverage. ] This should have thrown the win away.
13...b4 14.a4 xd4 15.xd4 a5! [ I can't really blame Black for missing this
[ 15...f6 16.xb4 fxe5 17.d6 but 28...d3+!! 29.cxd3 ( 29.b1 f4;
was the afore-mentioned Kasparov-Short 29.xd3 xg1+ 30.b2 c7-+ ) 29...c5+
and subscribers should really delve into 30.b2 d4+! was the winning variation. ]
the Archives for some fantastic coverage 29.g5 xa4 30.d3 c5
on ChessPub. ] [ 30...f7 31.h6 ]
[ 15...a5!? was held in high regard by Neil 31.xg7 xd3+ 32.cxd3 xg7 I thought
so I thought I'll refresh everyone's memories: this was a clear draw but Black somehow
16.b3 b7 ( 16...f6 17.exf6 xf6 18.e3! managed to take advantage of a number of
e4 19.g3 has to be better for White.) very small inaccuracies and squeezed the win.
17.c3 ( 17.g3 c6 18.b2 xa2 ) I'll give the rest of the game with some short
17...fc8 18.b2 bxc3+ 19.xc3 xc3 analysis: 33.g4+ f7 34.f4+
20.xc3 d8! was analyzed as equal by [ 34.b2 e8 35.b3= ]
Ron Langeveld in 2001 and appears to have 34...e8 35.d4
stood the test of time. ] [ 35.b2 c5 36.b3 c3+ 37.a4= ]
16.b5 This move, preventing ...Ba6 is best 35...g7 36.b1? g3 37.c5 xe5
according to just about everyone. b8 38.c8+ f7 39.d7+ g6 40.e8+
[ 16...a6? 17.xd7 xd7 18.b6 h6-+ 41.d4 f6 42.c8 h5 43.c7
was the point. ] f5+ 44.c1 xh4 45.xa5 f4+ 46.b1
17.d3 f6!? This was recommended by both xd4 47.c7 d3+ 48.b2 a3+ 49.b1
W a t s o n an d P e d erso n a nd lo o ks like a n xf3 50.xh7+ g3 51.g6+ f2
effective retort. See Archives for analysis on 52.c2+ e1 53.c7 e5 54.d6 d1
17...Bb7 & 17...Qc7. 18.e1N 55.a6 e4+ 56.a1 c4 57.a4+ c1
[ Pederson analyzed 18.exf6 xf6 19.xf6 58.a3+ d2 59.b2+ c2
xf6 20.f3 e4 21.xe4 dxe4 22.e3 0-1
xf4 23.g3 f8 24.xe4 b5!
with equality. ]
18...fxe5 19.fxe5 b7 20.g3 c6!
Black didn't need to worry about his Kingside

828
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

920 C11 [ 14.g3 h8 15.f5 exf5 is also double-

Alekseev,Evgeny 2673 edged. ]
Demidov,M 2441 14...g6 15.a1!? b4
19th TCh-RUS 2012 (3) 11.04.2012 [ Or 15...h8 16.h4 b4 ]
[John Watson] 16.axb4 b8?!
[ 16...xb4! is fine ...Ne7-f5 might follow,
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 with some advantage. ]
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5 17.c3 a5 18.h4!?
9.a3 The most popular solution to the [ 18.g3 h8 19.bxa5 xb2!? ( 19...xa5
immediat e 7...a6 and 8. ..b5 move order. 20.a2 ) 20.xb2 xb2 21.d2
White discourages ...b4. a5 A rare move, Black doesn't seem to have full
appearing only twice in this column (see the compensation for the pawn. ]
next note). The move 18...axb4 19.g3 h8 20.h5 bxc3 21.bxc3
[ 9...g5 has been seen in many games on b2
ChessPublishing, and ] [ After 21...e7 , the temporary two-pawn
[ 9...b7 and ] sacrifice 22.f2!? gxh5 23.f5! xf5
[ 9...b6 are also well-represented. ] 24.xf5 exf5 25.h4 looks effective. ]
10.a2 22.a2
[ 10.e2!? was featured in Anand-Ivanchuk [ 22.xb2 xb2 23.hxg6 xh1+ 24.xh1
in the Archives. That game continued b4 fxg6 is fairly solid for Black. ]
11.d1 c4 12.a4 c3 13.bxc3 bxc3 22...b3!?
14.c1 b6 15.0-0 d7 16.f2 xa4 [ 22...xd2+ 23.xd2 gxh5 24.xh5 g8
17.e1 with excellent compensation. ] 25.g5 e7 ]
[ 10.b1 is more conservative. Then 10... 23.f2 gxh5 24.xh5 g8?!
Rb8 led to equality in one game, but in the [ 24...e7 first is more circumspect. ]
game Short-Zhukova in the Archives, b4? 25.g5?!
11.axb4 xb4 12.e2 g5?! led to disaster [ 25.f5! is very strong, since exf5 26.h4
following 13.fxg5 cxd4 14.xd4 dxe5 is simply too strong for White. ]
15.0-0 g7 16.f4! ] 25...a3?
10...b6 11.e2 c4 This may be a new [ 25...e7! ]
move. Previously 26.c2?!
[ 11...b4 has been seen and analysed in the [ 26.f5! and White is crashing through with
Archives as follows: 12.axb4 xb4 13.a1 ideas like fxe6 and Nh7-f6. ]
c6 14.b3 g6!? ( 14...b7 15.c3! c7 26...e7
16.a4 cxd4 17.xd4 b4 18.c3 xd4 [ 26...e7! ]
19.xd4 e7 20.d3 0-0 21.0-0 27.f3! xc2 28.xc2 b2 29.c1
Svidler, P-Komarov, D/Paris FRA 2006) [ 29.d2 xd2+ 30.xd2 ]
15.c3 cxd4 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 c6 29...a6? 30.f5! At last this thematic break.
18.e2 ( Neil McDonald analyses 18.a4!? xc2+ 31.xc2 b8 32.f6+!?
in the Archives I prefer White in that case, [ The computer instantly finds 32.xf7! xf7
b u t i t ' s a p l a y a b l e p o s i t i o n f o r B l a c k) 33.fxe6+ xe6 34.g4+ e7 35.g5+
18...c5 19.0-0 0-0 20.a4 xd4+ e8 36.e6 with a winning game. ]
21.xd4 with some advantage for White in 32...f8 33.f4 cxe5 Desperation.
Timofeev-Wang Hao, Moscow 2006. ] [ 33...d8 34.c1 xc1 35.xc1
12.g4!? Ambitious. f ollo we d b y Rg1 o r Rh 1 win s eas ily f o r
[ 12.f5!? exf5 13.f4 e7 14.e2 White. ]
gives White a serious lead in development 34.dxe5 xe5 35.g3 d6 36.h2 e8
for a pawn in practice, this looks tough for 37.h8+ d7 38.h7 g8 39.g7 h8
Black to play. ] 40.xf7 xf7 41.xf7+ c6 42.f2 c8
12...h5 Correctly damaging White's pawn 43.g6 h2+ 44.g2 h5 45.e7+ d7
structure. 13.gxh5 xh5 14.g2

829
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
46.f5+ c6 47.d4+
1-0
921 C11
Almasi,Zoltan 2676
Bareev,Evgeny 2729
Amber Rapid Monte Carlo MNC rapid (2)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4
b6 12.d2 The outcome of this double
pawn snatch that follows is critical for the
whole variation, as if Black can get away with
it then W hite is hard pressed to f ind an y
advantage, as
[ 12.xb6 xb6 13.a4 e7! promises
White very little. ]
12...xb2 Once more Bareev puts his head
into the lion's mouth. 13.b1 a3 14.b5
xa2 15.d6+ e7! A significant
improvement on Bareev's first game in this
line with Shirov, when
[ 15...f8 16.d1! left Black with problems
developing his kingside and his king facing
an attack down the f file. You can see this
fine game on ChessPub. ]
16.d1
[ Two rounds later in the same tournament
Shirov tried 16.b4 here- have a look at the
second game Shirov-Bareev on ChessPub. ]
16...b6! Another outstanding defensive idea.
Bla c k p re p a re s to o f f e r t h e e xch a n ge o f
queens with 17...Qa5 in order to win time for
Qc5 before White has the chance to castle.
17.d3 a5 18.c3 c5 19.b5
[ In contrast to the first Shirov game cited
above, W hite cannot cause Black any
p r o b l e m s wi t h 19.c4 because- assuming
there is nothing better- Black can always
play a5 ]
19...a6 20.xd7 xd7 21.b7 c7 22.d6
b5! The bishop takes over the duty of the
queen in preventing W hite from castling.
23.f2 hd8 24.he1 f8 25.g1 xd6!
26.exd6 xd6 The exchange sacrifice has
killed off White's attack, after which Black has
a straightforward winning plan: advance the
passed rook's pawn. 27.h1 c4 28.f5
A desperate attempt to activate his game, but
now Black gets a fourth pawn for the
exchange. exf5 29.g5 f6! An excellent
move. Black is willing to accept tripled pawns
as while White is arranging to attack them the
passed pawn can race towards a1. 30.f4
White keeps the queens on, but to add to his
woe it is Black who gets an attack. g5 31.c7
f4 32.d2 g7 33.c2 a5 34.g3 f3 35.f2
a4 36.g4 a3 37.g3 d4! So that if 38.Rxf3
Bd5. 38.g1 dxc3 39.xf3 d4+
0-1
922 C11
Alvarez Pedraza,Aramis 2515
Moskalenko,Viktor 2564
TCh-CAT Div Hon (5) 26.02.2011
[John Watson]
Moskalenko effused over White's system with
11 0-0-0 in his Flexible French. Now we get to
see him play against it! 1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5
3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d4 c5 6.dxc5
c6 7.f4 xc5 8.d3 f6 9.exf6 xf6
10.e2 0-0 11.0-0-0 a6 12.e5
[ 12.b1 is less ambitious. After d7 ,
13.e5 d6?? fails to ( 13...c8 ) 14.xc6
xc6 15.xe6+ ]
12...d6! Pinning the knight, as given in his
book. Black stands well because W hite's
control over e5 is loosened. Still, White isn't
under much pressure yet. 13.g3
[ 13.b1 c7! 14.xc6 xf4 15.d4 e5
is miserable for White. ]
13...c7 14.g4 Simplifying.
[ 14.f3 d7! ( 14...e5? 15.xd5 xd5
16.c4 ) 15.he1 ae8 is less effective. ]
14...xg4
[ 14...d7 15.xf6+ xf6 16.b1
( 16.xd6 xd6 17.g3 b5 18.f4 b4;
16.xh7+ xh7 17.xd5? exd5 18.xd5
d4! ) 16...af8 ( 16...b5 17.xh7+! xh7
18.e4 dxe4 19.xd6 with an unclear
attack; 16...c8 17.xd6 xd6 18.g3!=
with the idea f4) 17.f3 e5!? 18.he1
xd3 19.xd6 xd6 20.xd3 f4= ]
[ 14...f4+!? 15.b1 d7 16.xf6+ xf6
may be objectively best. ]
15.xg4 e5 16.d4 d7 17.he1 xd3+
18.xd3 ac8 19.a3 b5 20.b1 f7
830
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

21.ee3 Slightly passive. 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4

[ 21.xd6! xd6 22.g3! intends f4. Then c5 This has been the mainline in the
c4 23.e3 b4!? 24.e4! f8 25.d2 Classical French for a long time before the
c7 26.f3! a4 ( 26...c4 27.d2= ) Grandmasters of our time started coming up
27.c1 b5 28.g5! fe7 29.d2 with more and more new ideas. 9.d2 0-0
is fine for White. ] 10.0-0-0 a6 This is the main continuation but
21...c5! 22.xd6 xd6 23.f3 e8?! Black can consider eschewing ...a6 altogether
[ 23...c4! 24.e3 xf3 25.xf3 e8! with
with the idea ...Bg6 ] [ 10...e7!?
24.xf7 A) 11.b3 is a move more commonly
[ 24.e4! xh2 25.g5 xf3 26.xf3 seen after 10...a6. A recent game went b6
is unclear ] 12.e2 b7 13.f3 ac8 14.b5 a6
24...xf7 25.e3 15.5d4 xd4 ( 15...xd4 16.xd4 c4
[ 25.g3 g6 ] is another way to get his queenside
25...g6 moving. 17.b1 f6 18.exf6 xf6 19.b3
[ 25...xh2! ] a6 20.g4!? would give rise to a complex
26.g3 c6 27.f4 h6 m i d d l e g a m e .) 16.xd4 a5?!
[ 27...a5! is hard to meet, e.g., 28.xb5 As White easily prevented the threat of ...
( 28.e2 b4 29.axb4 axb4 30.d1 b3 Nc4 with her next move, I don't see the
31.e3 bxc2+ 32.xc2 c4 33.f2 d4 ) point of placing the Knight on a5 at all.
28...xc2+ 29.a2 b8! 30.c3 a4! ] ( 16...c5 with the idea of ...Bb7, ...Nxd4
28.e2 an d . . .Ne 4 se em s mo re t o t h e p oin t .)
[ 28.e5 c4 ] 17.b3 c5 18.b1! Only but good move.
28...c4 29.e5 xe5 30.xe5 f7 c7? ( 18...e4 19.xe4 dxe4 20.g4
With the 2:0 central pawn majority and bishop- was more natural but W hite admittedly
versus knight, only Black can win this. 31.h4 retains the better chances after the logical
f5 32.h5 f6 33.e2 c5 34.e5? c6? fd8 21.f5! ) 19.f5! White's attack is
[ 34...a5! ] startling swift and Black went down in
35.e2 c5 36.e5 c4 37.e3? a5! flames: fc8 20.g5 f8
38.xb5 xc2+ 39.a2 a4 40.e1 d4 A1) 21.f6! g6 ( 21...d7 22.fxg7 xg7
41.d6 c6 42.e4+ f5 43.f2 d3 23.h6 xe5 24.f4 ) 22.h6 e8
44.e5+ f6 45.e4+ f7 46.d2 23.h4 with a tremendous attack?;
[ 46.b5 b3+ 47.xb3 axb3+ 48.xb3 A2) 21.b4?! Strange-looking move
g6! ] h e r e . W h y n o t e8? ( Black must
46...b3+ 47.b1 c2 48.xb3 axb3 regroup with 21...c6! 22.xc6 xc6
49.e1 e2 50.c1 d2 when there's still a fight.) 22.f6 a4?
0-1 This shows desperation to create
counterplay but Black was facing a dire
sit u at io n a n ywa y. ( Perhaps, 22...g6
923 C11 23.h4! h5 24.he1 c6 25.xc6
Amonatov,Farrukh 2648 xc6 represents Black's best fighting
Rychagov,Andrey 2530 chance. ) 23.xa4 f8 24.c1 gxf6
16th TCh-RUS Premier (7) 10.04.2009 25.exf6 e5 26.f5 e4 27.h5 c5
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin] 28.h6+ h8 29.xf7+ xf7 30.xf7
xc2+ 31.a1 c4 32.b2 xb3
Continuing the Classical 3.Nc3 Nf6 coverage, 33.d7 a4 34.g4 1-0 Kosintseva, T
we now look at the line 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5!?, (2536)-Danielian, E (2489)/Ohrid MKD
a line that has been favoured by a number of 2009;
authors. Recent results have not been good B) 11.f2 (See Huschenbeth-Brynell in
though, with W hite scoring extremely well. the Archives for a brilliantly conducted
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 game by Black.);

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

C) 11.b1 f6 Interestingly, this move was ( 14.e2 b4 15.g4 b7 ) 14...b8 15.xc5
not covered by Khalifmann despite its xc5 16.d4 a5! 17.xb5 d7 18.a4
logic. 12.exf6 xf6 13.e2!? xa4! Black has seized control of the game
( 13.xc6?! See Sebag-Gurevich for a n d t h e Q u e e n o n b 6 s e e m s ve ry we l l
another convincing Black demonstration.) placed indeed! 19.xa4 xb5 20.b3 fc8
13...b4 14.f3 a5 15.d3 c4 21.hd1 a6 22.b2? xa4 23.xa4
16.c1 d7 17.he1! This appears to be c6!-+ 0-1 Timoshenko, G (2550) -
an improvement over ( 17.g4 which was Rathnakaran, K (2427)/Bhubaneswar IND
previously analyzed in the afore 2009 ]
mentioned Sebag-Gurevich game. W ith [ The topical 11.h4 and ]
this move, W hite doesn't go for a direct [ 11.f2 will be analyzed in the next 2
Kingside attack but focuses his attention games. ]
o n B la c k ' s . . . e 6 , d 5 p a wn s t ru ct u r e .) 11...b4 Most popular, and likely best.
17...ac8? I must admit I was quite [ 11...b6!? This move came into prominence
s u r p r i s e d t o s e e a n e a r 2 5 0 0 p l a ye r in the last couple of years and we last saw
b l u n d e r l i k e t h i s . S u r e l y , ( 17...d6 this on ChessPub in Berg-Marinkovic where
getting out of the pin was forced? Black scored a huge upset. The bishop
A d m i t t e d l y , 18.xe6 xe6 19.xe6 remains on c5, keeping its pressure on its
xe6 20.xd5 looks like deep trouble for count erpart wh ile p reparing to de velo p
Black but he has the spectacular d2+!! harmoniously with ...Bb7 and ...Rc8. White
as a saving resource: 21.xd2 xd2 would preferably refrain from capturing on
22.xd2 ad8 23.g3 with approximate c5 as that would allow Black to recapture
equality. ) 18.xe6?! This must have favourably with ...bxc5, increasing Black's
looked tempting but surely the natural control of the centre and helping Black in
( 18.xd5! xd5 19.xd5 xe1 20.xe1 his attack on the Queenside. This means
wa s even m ore winn in g?) 18...xe6 that Black has control over the tension in
19.xd5 xd5 20.xe6 ( 20.xd5 xe1 the centre and theref ore to counteract,
21.xe1 h8 22.xe6 must have been White must attack on the Kingside quickly.
w i n n i n g a s w e l l .) 20...a3+! A) 12.h4 was by far the most popular and
A n i c e re s o u rc e t o ke e p B la c k in t h e wa s a na lyzed in t h e af o re me nt ion e d
game. 21.bxa3 c3+ 22.xc3 xc3 Berg-Marinkovic game. As this was also
23.d5? This was the final inaccuracy. recommended by Khalifmann, I thought I
( 23.xe7 xe7 24.d7 xa3 25.d5+ would ta ke a sh ort look at this optio n
h8 26.d2 cc8 27.xb7 b8 again. b7 13.h3 c8 14.h5
28.b3! would have still been a fight.) A1) 14...h6?! is always a risky move to
23...c5 24.axb4 xb4+ 25.b3 h8 play in these venomous positions but
26.d2 xb3+ 27.axb3 d4 28.ee1 Black certainly doesn't want to allow
d8 29.e2 h6 30.de1 h7 31.c1 White to play h6 himself. Here however,
c8 32.g4 a5 33.e4 f2 34.1e2 g1 W hite can seize the initiative with
35.h3 b5 36.g5 a4 37.e6 hxg5 38.fxg5 15.xc5! ( The direct 15.g4 will be met
g6 39.e7+ g8 40.2e6 axb3 by b4! 16.d3 a5! 17.g5 xc3
41.xg6+ f8 42.e4 d1 43.f4+ e7 18.bxc3 hxg5 19.h6 g6 20.fxg5 cxe5
44.g7+ d6 45.f6+ c5 46.f2 b2 where White has insufficient
47.f5+ b4 48.f4+ a5 compensation for the pawn.) 15...bxc5
0-1 Gaponenko, I (2438) -Danielian, E 16.f2! I mentioned earlier that Black
(2489)/Ohrid MKD 2009. ] would normally avoid capturing on c5 but
11.b3 This is a favourite of Nijboer and is there are always exceptions. W ith the
one of the 4 main continuations in this line. slight weakening of Black's Kingside, it is
[ 11.b1 xd4 12.xd4 b5 13.e3 b6!? now a question of who's faster in the
Previously, Black has always preferred 13... mutual hacking that would soon surface
Qc7 but I find this more to the point. 14.a3 o ve r t h e b o a r d . T h e c a p t u r e o n c 5

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
temporarily prevents Black's play on the
c-file as Black was undoubtedly
preparing ... Bc5-b4 followed by ...Qc7.
After the exchange on c5, Black would
be distracted bet ween the incomin g
attack on the Kingside (left more
vulnerable with the "hook" on h6) and
starting his own attack down the b-file.;
A2) With the above in mind, 14...xe3!?
15.xe3 h6 deserves consideration.
The natural continuation 16.g4 e7
17.e2 c5 (Threatening . ..Nxb3 and ...
d4.) 18.d4 xd4 19.xd4 e4
20.xe4 dxe4 21.c3 f6
looks marginally better for White.;
A3) 14...b4?! Dubious, despite the
notable upset. 15.h6! This looks best.
( 15.g4? was rightly criticized in Berg-
Marinkovic (Archives)) 15...g6 16.a3
e7 Here, instead of 17.Ne4 which was
played in Baramidze-Buhmann
(enclosed in the notes to Berg-
M a r i n k o v i c ) , ( Neil rightly indicated that
W h i t e g e t s a n e d g e a f t e r 16...xc3
17.xc3! especially if Black plays
cxe5?? 18.d4! ) 17.b1!?
preparing g4 is a sensible option.;
B) 12.g4 was played just once and was 12.d3
essayed by another top GM. This game is an overwhelming margin.
n o t re a lly t h e o re t i ca lly r e le va n t b u t I [ 12.g4
thought I'll include it as it illustrates some
key ideas that Black should be aware of in
this 11...b6 line. In any case, it's always
nice to see a top GM get beaten so
c o n vin c in gly a g a i n st t h e F re n ch . b7
13.g2 c8?! On hindsight, Black should
h a v e p r e f e r r e d ( 13...b4! due to the
tactic 14.a3 xc3 15.xc3 cxe5!
16.fxe5 d4 17.xd4 xg2 18.he1 c8
followed by . ..Bd5.) 14.b1? This natural
move was actually a huge mistake as we
shall soon see. ( On hindsight, 14.xc5
bxc5 15.b1 was a better option but I
p r e f e r B l a c k ' s p o s i t i o n .) 14...b4!
The point! White had to choose allowing
doubled pawns or losing the e5 pawn.
15.f2 Alternatives were grim.
( Rybka suggests 15.he1 where Black
retains a huge attack after xc3 16.bxc3
a7! intending ...Nb5.) 15...xc3 16.bxc3
a7! The following was a massacre and
the veteran didn't allow his esteemed
opponent an ounce of counterplay: 17.d4
b5 18.d3 e7 19.a1 c4! 20.b1
fc8 21.e1 a3 22.d2 xc3!
23.xc3 ( 23.xc3 xc3 24.b2 c5! )
23...xc3-+ With an extra pawn and a
raging attack, Black cruised to victory in
Bologan, V (2663) -Speelman, J (2491)/
Gibraltar ENG 2008 (0-1 in 54);
C) 12.f2 This is a recent nuance and the
position can be transposed from another
move order with 11.Qf2 b6 12.Nb3!?. e7
13.b1 b7 14.h4 ac8 15.h5 f6
( Again, Black should consider 15...h6!?
e s p e c i a l l y w h e n t h e c a r e l e s s 16.g4?
l o s e s m a t e r i a l t o d4! ) 16.xc5
( Black must be careful whenever he
wants to play this ...f6 move. Here, White
should have tried 16.exf6 xf6 17.h6 g6
18.e2 instead of exchanging on c5 first.
As explained e arlier, W hite gene rally
should avoid exchanging on c5.) 16...bxc5
17.exf6 xf6 18.c1 White had an edge
in this position but Black's control in the
centre gave him sufficient counterplay in
Solodovnichenko, Y (2601)-Rojas Keim, L
(2443)/Sabadell ESP 2009 (1/2-1/2 in 80) ]
This is the most popular approach by
is a new move in a recent game
which perfectly demonstrates Black's key
ideas: b5 13.g1 a5 14.d4 c4
15.f2 b8 16.g3 a5 Black's attack was
rampaging while W hite has not even got
started!
A) 17.d2 e7 Allowing Black's
queenside pawns to surge forward.
( When White's bishop is on the d4 square,
Black must always be careful with the
p a wn b r e a k 17...f6!? A sample variation
would be 18.xc4 bxc4 19.exf6 xf6
20.e5! b7 21.g2 when White's
position seems easier to play somewhat.)
18.d3 b4 19.a4 c7 20.h3 g6
with an unclear position. If W hite plays
g5 followed by Qh4, Black can always
reply with ...h5.;
B) 17.xc4? White must retain the light
square bishop to create attacking
chances. bxc4 18.d2 e7 19.e1
c5! 20.f5 xd4 21.xd4 b4! 22.d1
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

a6 23.f4 fc8 Threatening 24..c3! I 24.f5 exf5 25.xd5 1-0 Nijboer, F (2562) -
am quite impressed with Black's incisive B it a lza d e h , A (2 4 1 7 ) / H ilve rs u m NE D
and direct play in this game. The amusing 2009;
thing is it was a blitz game but her play B) 14...c8! 15.g3
seems to be flawless so far. 24.c3 c5 B1) 15...xc3!? 16.bxc3 a5
25.f6 a4 26.a3 f8 27.ee3 xc3 wi t h i d e a s o f . . . N c 4 a n d . . . Q e 7 i s
28.xc3 0-1 Tairova, E (2450)-Xu Yuhua interesting. White can go for mate with
(2485)/Sochi RUS 2009 (0-1 in 52) ] 17.h3 g6 18.f2 c4 19.xc4 xc4
12...b5 After loads of deviations along the way, with balanced chances. ( 19...bxc4!? );
(my apologies), we have finally arrived at B2) 15...a5 16.h3 g6
what could be the most critical position of the ( Rybka 3 suggests 16...h6 but it looks
e n t ir e va r ia t io n b e g in n in g wit h 1 1 . Nb 3 . really dangerous after, say 17.g5 xc3
13.g4!? Commonest. I'm not a great fan of 18.bxc3 c4 19.e2 Black can try
statistics but it is notable that from my e7! 20.b1 xe3 21.xe3 c5
database, White has scored a fantastic 13-4 when Black can reply 22.gxh6 with g6 )
from this position! 17.d4 threatening f5 and Qh6 e8
[ 13.d4!? was played twice by Bobras. ( 17...c4 18.xc4 dxc4 19.f5! ) 18.f5
Surely, playing moves like 11.Nd4-b3 & 13. f8 19.xa5! xa5 20.f4 ( 20.g5!
Nb3-d4 cannot promise an advantage for d8 21.f6+- ) 20...c5 21.xc5 xc5
White? c7 14.xc6 xc6 15.d4 c5! 22.xh7 1-0 Nijboer, F (2580)-Sielecki,
( 15...c5?! was almost like asking for a bad C (2410)/Breda 2001 ]
bishop: 16.e2 b6 17.e3 xd4 14.f2 c4 15.xc4 If this is the best White
18.xd4 c5 19.b1 d7 20.he1 can do here, I suppose Black can be
Bobras, P (2537) -Bobula, M (2396)/Lublin reasonably satisfied with the outcome of the
POL 2009 (1-0 in 61)) 16.b1 b7 17.e3 opening.
ac8 18.e2 xd3 19.cxd3 c2+ [ For 15.e4!? see Anand-Morozevich
20.a1 a4 21.c1 e7 22.xc8 (Archives). I can also mention that after e7
was slightly better f or Black but agreed Khalifmann produced some impressively
drawn at this stage in Bobras, P (2565)-Pap, detailed analysis with the move 16.c5!?
G (2467)/ Nagykanizsa HUN 2009. ] claiming an advantage for W hite. Here I
[ 13.hf1 was analyzed in the famous game recommend xc5 ( 16...c7 17.xe7
Anand-Morozevich, San Luis 2005 xe7 18.g5! h6 19.h7 e8 20.g5!
(Archives). ] g6 21.f6+ gxf6 22.gxf6
13...b6 This is a standard move in this l o o k s d a n g e r o u s .; 16...a5 17.g5!
position. Black wants his knight on c4 and if and again the threat of a future Nf6+ looks
White captures, Black can recapture with ... d a n g e r o u s .) 17.exc5 a5!?
bxc4, opening the b-file. which Khalifmann didn't cover. Again, Black
[ Black can also delay the manoeuvre by 1 must play actively on the Queenside. For
move with 13...b7 Here, Nijboer has example, 18.d4 xd4 19.xd4 e7
practically made a living by employing the 20.hf1 a7! preparing ...Rc7 and
following attacking device: Rook to g1 to g3 dislodging the c5 Knight seems to give Black
to h3, Queen to f2, a bishop sac on h7, g4- ample counterplay. ]
g5 (blocking the d8-h4 diagonal) and finally 15...bxc4 16.d4 xd4? This was too
Queen to h4 and mate down the h-file. Here obliging.
are some examples: 14.hg1 [ I prefer 16...d7! 17.xc6 xc6 18.d4
A) 14...b6 15.f2! c4 16.c5 xc5 b8 followed by ...Qa5. One shouldn't be
( 16...xc3 17.bxc3 e8 18.g5! afraid of 19.f5? at this stage due to the
and the attack continues) 17.xc5 b8 possibility of g5+! ]
18.g3 b4? ( 18...e7 19.g5 g6 17.xd4 e7 18.hf1 f5 This is a normal
20.h3 ) 19.xh7+! xh7 20.h3+ move in a lot of French positions but not this
g8 21.g5 e8 22.h4 f8 23.a3 c6 one. In fact, Black was just positionally lost

834
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

after this due to the proverbial bad bishop 924 C11

syndrome. I have to say it is difficult to find Analysis White
anything better here. Analysis Black
[ For example, I suppose Black was afraid of Gravesend ENG 2001
something like 18...b8 19.f5 where White [Neil McDonald]
c e rt a in ly h a s a m e n a cin g, re a d y m a d e
attack on the Kingside. h4 20.f3 f6!? 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
comes into consideration but White retains 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
the edge after 21.exf6 xf6 22.xf6 xf6 c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.h4 xd4
23.e3! controlling some vital central 12.xd4 b5 13.h3 b4 14.a4 xd4
squares. ] 15.xd4 f6 The critical line- is Black alive or
19.exf6 xf6 20.xf6 xf6 21.e3 b8 dead? 16.xb4 fxe5 17.d6 f6 18.f5
22.g5 g6 23.e2 b7 24.d4 h6+ 19.b1 f6! So far the game has
White had a safe edge here and a followed W edberg-Brynell. Now Daniel
comfortable position where he can press for S t e l l w a g e n h a s s u g g e s t e d 20.d3!?
the win at his leisure. Definitely a nightmare as a possible refutation of Black's opening.
position for Black. bf7? exf5! I think this is Black's best response,
[ Like it or not, Black should go for though there are three other moves worth
counterplay with 24...d7 25.de1 fb8 considering:
though W hite retains the edge after 26.b3 [ F i r s t l y , S t e l l w a g e n s h o ws t h a t 20...e4
cxb3 27.axb3 ] is bad: 21.e2
25.de1 d7 26.f3 a4 27.d4 d7 A) if 21...exf5 22.b6 f4 and now most
28.e5 e8 29.a3?! White had patiently p re cis e i s 23.b3! which seems to win a
improved his position since the last comment piece as if the rook moves to a7 there is
but this was a tad too casual. t h e f a m ilia r Nxc8 Rxc8 Q e 6 + t r ic k . i f
[ I like 29.e3! covering the 3rd rank, and instead ( 23.hh1 Black can fight on with
preparing to double rooks or simply b8! 24.xb8 g4 25.d6 xe2
advancing the h-pawn. ] 26.dg1 f3 27.gxf3 exf3 when we reach
29...h5! 30.f2 the position in the note to 22...Bg4 below. );
[ 30.e2?! c3! 31.bxc3 b5 B) 21...e8 22.c6 b8 23.b3! xb3
with counterplay was what Black was hoping 24.axb3 f6 25.fxe6 and the passed
for. ] pawn should soon win the game for
30...h4 31.ef1 b5 White. ]
[ 31...c3 32.b3 ef8!? ] [ The idea of 20.Bd3 was to stop Ne4 and
32.b1 d7 33.g2 ef8? indeed 20...e4? 21.xe4 dxe4 22.b6
[ 33...h3!? ] a7 23.c3 looks fatal. ]
34.g6! hxg6 35.xg6 f6 36.fg1 xg6 [ Finally if 20...h5 21.e1! ( Black would
37.xg6 f6 38.f5 This was good enough be happy after 21.hh1 e4 22.b6 exd3
but 23.xa8 dxc2+ 24.xc2 xf5+
[ 38.f5!! exf5 39.e7 is a beautiful with plenty of play for the exchange.) 21...e4
winning variation pointed out by Rybka 3 of 22.e2 xf5? ( Highly unpleasant for Black
course. ] is 22...e8 23.b6 a7 24.c3 d7
38...xg6 39.fxg6 f6 40.b8+ f8 25.g4!? threatening 26.g5.) 23.b6 a7
41.c7 e8 42.f3 b5 43.e5 f8 24.f1 and White wins- if the queen goes
44.h4 e7 45.c8+ e8 46.b7 e7 away there will be the idea of Nxc8 and
47.b8+ e8 48.b6 e7 49.h5 Qxe6+ while the heroic xf1+ 25.xf1 e8
1-0 j u s t d r o p s a p i e c e t o 26.xf8+ xf8
27.xc8 f7 28.xa6 ]
21.b6 f4! 22.hh1 g4
[ A key line is 22...e4 23.e2 ( Not 23.xa8
exd3 24.cxd3 g4 ) 23...b8! 24.xb8

835
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
g4 25.d6 xe2 26.dg1 f3 27.gxf3
exf3 28.xd5 f2 ( 28...xd5?? 29.xh6 )
29.e7+ h8 30.f5!! fxg1+ 31.xg1
and Black is helpless against the double
threat of mate on f8 and his queen. ]
23.xa8 xd1
[ The black centre doesn't compensate for
th e lo ss o f t he e xch an ge a f t e r 23...xa8
24.de1 e4 25.xa6 e3 26.hf1 ]
24.c7 e4
[ A n o t h e r c r u c i a l m o m e n t . I f 24...h5
25.xd5 xd5 26.xd5+ h8 27.xe5
just leaves White a pawn up, but much more
double edged is ]
[ 24...g4!
A) Black has chances to turn the tables
a f t e r t h e p l a u s i b l e 25.xd5 xd5
26.xd5+ e6
A1) 27.xe6+ xe6 28.e1 ( 28.xa6
d5! ) 28...d5 29.e4 xe4 30.xe4
e8! with the better ending for Black, e.
g. 31.c4 f7 32.b4 e6 33.a4 f5;
A2) 27.c4 xd5 28.xd5+ h8
29.e1 e4!! 30.xe4? ( If 30.xe4 e8
and Bf5 will win.) 30...f3! and White's
weak back rank costs a piece.;
B) 25.xe5! f3 26.gxf3 xf3 27.g1
and White, with the threat of Ne6, has a
great position. ]
25.xa6 g4! The only way for Black to
battle on- and perhaps it is more than OK for
him!
[ H o p e l e s s i s 25...h5 26.e6 e8
27.xf4 while Stellwagen points out the
similar variation ]
[ 25...h5 26.e6! e8 27.b5! c8
28.xf4 ]
26.xd5
[ The passed f pawn gives Black a lot of
co u n t e rp la y a f t e r 26.b7 f3 27.gxf3
( White has to be careful- not for example
27.xd5 fxg2 or; 27.xd5+ xd5
28.xd5+ h8 29.xe4 f2 ) 27...exf3
28.xd5 f2 29.e7+ f7! ]
[ Also ineffective for White is 26.f1 f3
27.gxf3 exf3 ]
26...xd5 27.xd5+ e6 28.xe4 xa2+!
The point: Black gains counterplay against
the white king. 29.xa2 xa6+ 30.b1 a8
31.c3 a2+ 32.c2 b8 33.b1 b3+
34.d2 Here I'll stop and conclude that Black
has ample compensation for the pawn- the
white king is exposed and the rook passive.
for now, we'll call it a draw! My thanks to
Daniel Stellwagen for his contribution to the
analysis.
½-½
925 C11
Anand,Viswanathan 2762
Bareev,Evgeny 2702
FIDE World Cup KO (3.2) 13.09.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 cxd4
[ The main theoretical battle has been after
6...c6 7.f4 when b5 ( Instead 7...b6
is seen in Anand-Shirov and Lalic-
Speelman ) 8.a3 cxd4 is another encounter
A n a n d - S h i r o v , a n d ( 8...c4 is Anand-
Morozevich. )]
7.cxd4 f6 Black besieges White's centre
head on... 8.f4! ...and White counter attacks
against the weakness created on e6.
[ The alternative 8.f4 is also interesting, for
example fxe5 ( The more solid 8...b4+
9.d2 b6 10.xb4 xb4+ 11.d2 c6
12.f3 fxe5 13.fxe5 xd2+ 14.xd2 b6
wa s O K f o r B la ck in K o zlo v-Ma t ve e va ,
Geller mem. Russia 1999.) 9.fxe5 b4+
( 9...h4+!? ) 10.f2 0-0+ 11.f3 c6
12.a3 dxe5? 13.axb4 h4+ 14.g1
xf3+ 15.gxf3 xf3 16.g3 xd4 17.g2
f7 18.e3 and White consolidated and
won in Polgar-Hernandez, Merida 2000. ]
8...b4+ 9.d2 b6
[ Black would be slightly worse after
9...xd2+ 10.xd2 e7 11.exf6 xf6
12.d3 c6 13.ge2 0-0 14.0-0 d7
15.a3 as in Sax-Glek, Germany 1993. ]
10.xb4 xb4+ 11.d2 xd2+ 12.xd2
e7 13.exf6+ gxf6 14.e1 b6 15.f3!
[ Anand improves on 15.d3 when in the
game Bezgodov-Sakaev, Moscow 1999,
Black succeeded in seizing the initiative after
c6 16.f3 d6 17.h5 f8! 18.xh7
e5! etc. ]
15...c6 16.b5! This is Anand's idea. By
exchanging bishop for knight he will be able
to prevent the black centre ever expanding
836
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

with e6-e5. This will allow him to exert heavy [ The game continuation casts doubt on this
pressure on e6. d7 17.xc6 bxc6 18.e2 m o v e , s o B l a c k s h o u l d t r y 16...a5
ae8 19.he1 f7 though White seemed to have the edge after
[ An amusing variation could follow the 17.c3 a6 18.xa6 xa6 19.cxb4 axb4
natural 19...d6 as after a merry go round 20.c1 b8 21.b3 f6 22.e3 fxe5 23.fxe5
with the knight W hite wins the exchange: in Zelcic,R-Dreev,A/Las Vegas 1999. ]
20.h5! hf8? 21.g7 e7? 22.f5+ ] 17.e3! White defends e5 as the prelude to a
20.c1 c4 21.d2 xd2 22.xd2 kingside attack based on f4-f5. a5 18.f5 b6
N o w W h i t e p l a n s N d 3 a n d N c 5 . c5?!A critical moment. The game move just seems
This attempt to break out fails to an inspired to lead to a rotten endgame.
exchange sacrifice. 23.dxc5 e5 24.xd5 [ Bad for Black is 18...exf5 19.xd5 b6?
b5 This is Black's idea: the bishop attacks20.xa5 So I have investigated ]
the rook and 25...Rd8, winning a piece is also [ 18...b7 19.f6 fc8 ( White has at least a
on the cards. 25.c3! However, Anand has pleasant plus as in the game after 19...c6
20.c5 ) 20.d3 c6 Now White has to do
co rre c t ly ju d ge d t h a t W h it e 's qu e e n sid e
p a s s e d p a w n s w i l l c a r r y t h e d a y . xe2
something fast. I think he can win as follows:
26.xe2 c8 27.c4 e6 28.b4 hd8 A) I don't see anything for White after
29.d2 d7 30.f4! e4 21.g4? g6 22.g5 f8! ( but not
[ If now 30...cd8 31.c6 xd5 32.f5+! 22...h8 23.h6 g8 24.h5 xa4
is simplest. ] 25.hxg6 fxg6 26.xh7+! xh7
31.d4 f5 32.g4 g7 33.e3 fxg4 27.h1# ) 23.h5 xa4 24.b3 b5 etc.;
34.d6+ f7 35.f5 e3 36.xg7 e8 B) 21.xh7+!? xh7 22.g4! g6
37.xe8 e2 38.f6+ Another impressive win ( W hite mates after 22...gxf6 23.g3 )
for Anand with 5.Nce2. 23.h5 f8 ( Not 23...xa4 24.hxg6+
1-0 g8 25.gxf7+ xf7 26.g7+ e8
27.e7# ) 24.h1 xa4 ( It is also mate
after 24...g8 25.hxg6 xg6 26.eh3
926 C11 f8 27.h8+ ) 25.hxg6+ g8 26.h8+!
Anand,Viswanathan 2755 xh8 27.h5+ g8 28.gxf7+ xf7
Buhmann,Rainer 2527 29.g3+ g6 30.xg6+ xg6 31.xg6+
Bundesliga 2002-3 (7) 13.12.2002 f8 32.g7+ e8 33.e7# ]
[Neil McDonald] 19.xb6 xb6 20.f6 xd4 21.xd4 gxf6
Also miserable is
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ 21...g6 22.h5 etc. ( or 22.c3!? )]
5.f4 Anand has a rest from his patent 5.Nce2 22.exf6 b6 23.e5 h8 24.g4!
system. c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 Anand now wins in elegant positional style by
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.b1 attacking the weakness on h7: the one point
[ And here the Indian Grandmaster ducks the in Bla ck's p ositio n t hat his ligh t squa re d
sharpest line about which so much has been bishop cannot help defend. g8 25.xg8+
written on the website, both by me and xg8 26.g5+ h8 27.e2 d7 28.h5
subs crib ers : 11.h4 xd4 12.xd4 b5 e8 29.g4 c6 30.b3 c3 31.g7 c7
13.h3 b4 14.a4 xd4 15.xd4 f6!? ] 32.g5 e5 He cannot just wait for Be2 and Bd3,
11...xd4 12.xd4 c7 13.h4! but now a new hole appears on f5. 33.g4 e4
In some previous games W hite has been 34.f5 c3 35.xh7+ g8 36.g7+ h8
obsessed with developing his king's bishop, 37.g6 fxg6 38.e6 The check on g8 is
and so has wasted time with either 13.Qe3 or irresistible.
13. Qf 2, t o de f e nd t he bish op o n d4 a s a 1-0
prelude to 14.Bd3. Anand chooses a superior
idea: the king's rook will go to e3 to support
the centre. b5 14.h3 b4 15.a4 xd4
16.xd4 b8?!

837
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
927 C11
Anand,Viswanathan 2786
Ivanchuk,Vassily 2711
Amber Rapid Monte Carlo MNC rapid (5)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5
9.a3 This little pawn move has become
popular since Kasparov essayed it against
Radjabov, even though the W orld Number
One lost. Ivanchuk seeks to prove it has
created a 'hook' for Black's queenside
exp a n s io n wit h b 5 -b 4 . a5!? 10.e2!?
Anand chooses to ignore Black's queenside
demonstration and simply develops. Already
he may have had in mind the pawn sacrifice
that occurs in the game. Instead, White was
much more respectful in the previous GM
game in this line:
[ 10.b1 b8 11.d1 b4 12.axb4 xb4
13.c3 b8 14.d3 cxd4 15.xd4 xd4
16.xd4 c5 17.b4 xd3+ 18.xd3 b5
19.xb5+ xb5 20.a1 and a draw was
soon agreed in Enders-Schmittdiel, Passau
1998. ]
10...b4 11.d1 c4 12.a4 c3 Ivanchuk
seizes the moment to break open lines on the
queenside. Otherwise, White would be able to
lock the pawn structure there with b2-b3 and
t h e n p ro c e e d wi t h h i s k i n g s id e b u i ld u p
without any distractions. 13.bxc3 bxc3
14.c1
[ Not of course 14.xc3 b4 when the
black queen being on a5 is more than
justified. ]
14...b6 15.0-0 Anand has no choice but to
hand over the a4 pawn. On the other hand,
his centre is under no pressure from Black's
pawns- normally in this set up there is a black
pawn still on c5, forcing White to pay attention
to the defence of d4. Therefore, W hite can
calmly manoeuvre f or the f 4-f 5 advance,
despite being a pawn down. After all, it will be
a long time before Black manages to turn the
pawn on a6 into a useful asset by queening it.
d7 16.f2! An inspired positional retreat. As
the re is n o pa wn pressure on d4 , An an d
redeploys his dark squared bishop to a more
active diagonal. At the same time he clears
the e3 square for both his queen and knight.
xa4 17.e1 b4 Necessary as White
threatened 18. Nxc3. The black pieces are
becoming bunched together on the queenside
which means that his kingside is left looking
under defended. 18.e3! e7 19.d3 c7
20.e2 a5 21.a2 b6 22.e3 Here the
knight aids the f4-f5 break through. c8
[ Perhaps Black should have blocked things
with 22...h5 23.h4 g6 24.f6 g8
when White will have a difficult task finding
a way to break through. ]
23.h4 Anand's quiet manoeuvres with his
minor pieces and queen have been highly
instructive. Now at last he is ready for
aggressive play on the kingside. h6
[ Perhaps Ivanchuk originally intended
23...f5 but noticed in time that it leads to
disaster: 24.xf5 ( Not 24.xf5? exf5
25.d3 0-0 26.xf5 c4 27.xc4 xc4
wh e n B la ck su d d e n l y h a s a n e xc e lle n t
endgame. ) 24...exf5 25.g5 0-0?
( Also awkward for Black, if not quite so fatal,
are 25...h6 26.e6! and; 25...e6 26.g4! )
26.xh7!! xh7 27.h5+ g8 28.f6
fe8 ( 28...gxf6 29.f3 and mates, as also
occurs after; 28...c6 29.g5 ) 29.f3
p l a n n i n g R h 3 . gxf6 30.h6 and mate
follows with Rg3, etc. ]
[ Note that it is too late for 23...g6 as then
24.g4 planning a check on f6 looks ugly
indeed. ]
24.xe7! xe7
[ After 24...xe7 25.xa5 Black still has
problems with finding a safe refuge for his
king, without even having an extra pawn to
cheer him up. ]
25.f5 cf8 26.f6+ gxf6 27.exf6+ d8
28.e5 c8 29.a6 d7 30.3g4 b6?
[ Now things get very grim for Black. The way
to generate counterplay was with 30...h5!
for example 31.xc8 xc8 32.xd7 hxg4
the point: Black gets the open h-file. 33.e5
g3! 34.h3 b6 35.e3 h4 36.f3 e4
and Black is fighting hard. White still has
the initiative after say 37.g5 but 'unclear'
looks to be the verdict. ]
31.xc8 xc8
[ White has a winning attack after 31...xe5
32.xe5 xd4+ 33.h1 xc8 34.a6+
- in fact Fritz tells me it is mate in 10
moves! ]
838
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
32.d3 hg8 33.h1 g5 34.xd7 xd7
35.e5+ c7 36.aa1 d6 37.e3 f5?
Now Black's pawn structure on the kingside
disintegrates. A solid alternative was
[ 37...b6 but then White could switch to a
direct attack on the queenside with 38.fb1
as Black isn't able to achieve any
counterplay. ]
38.xf5 exf5 39.xh6 e6 40.g7
[ This was a rapid play game so it is no
surprise that the play has become rough
e d g e d . S i m p l e s t w a s 40.xa5 xa5
41.xf8 ]
40...d6 41.h3 f4 42.xa5 xe5 43.xf8
d6 44.a7+
[ Here the trick 44.xf7+! is much faster. ]
44...b6 45.e7! xe7 46.xe7
[ Black draws after 46.fxe7 e1+ 47.h2
g3+ ]
46...e4 47.xe4 dxe4 48.h4 b5 49.h5
b4 50.h6 a3 51.h7 b2 52.h8 xc2
53.e8 d3 54.xf7 c2 55.b3+
1-0
928 C11
Anand,Viswanathan 2788
Morozevich,Alexander 2707
WCh-FIDE San Luis ARG (13) 13.10.2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.b3
[ For a long time 11.f2 caused Black a lot
of grief here, but now it seems to be
neutralised. The details are all on ChessPub.
Incidentally, if you have forgotten what a
great player Kramnik was just a couple of
years ago, check out the game Kramnik-
Radjabov in this line on ChessPub. Other
ideas for White are ]
[ 11.b1 and ]
[ 11.h4 ]
11...b4
[ The bishop could also stand its ground on
c5 with 11...b6!? Black drew very
comf ortably in the f ollowing encounter:
12.e2 a5 13.ed4 xd4 14.xd4 a6
15.b1 c7 16.d3 a4 17.e2 xd3
18.cxd3 b5! Things are normally going well
for Black in the Classical when he has got
rid of light squared bishops AND has a pawn
roller on the queenside. 19.f3 b4 20.c1
b6 21.xc5 xc5 22.e3 fc8 23.g4
c7 24.d4 e4 25.xc7 xc7 26.c1
a7 and draw agreed in Nijboer,F-
St ellwa ge n, D/ G MB , W ijk aa n Zee NE D
2003. ]
12.d3 b5 13.hf1!? The rook heads for h3
square where it can attack the weak square on
h7 without being obstructed by its own pawns.
The alternative was to start flinging the g-
pawn forwards with
[ 13.g4 b6 14.f2 c4 15.e4!
avoiding having his queenside wrecked by
15...Bxc3. W hite also has ideas of Nf6+,
giving up the kn igh t to wreck th e b lac k
king's defences. Hence Black's next move
which guards f6. e7 Here the bishop also
controls h4, which allows the black queen to
be deployed to c7 without permitting White
an easy Qh4. 16.g5 dxe4 17.xc4 c7
18.b6 b8 19.e2 b4 20.c3 d5
21.d4 c7 22.hg1 b7 23.h4 a5
24.d2 b4 25.b1 d5 26.g3
and a draw was agreed in another game
between the Dutch Grandmasters in Nijboer,
F-Stellwagen, D/sf ch-NED, Leeuwarden
NED (3.1) 2002. I guess neither player liked
his position. Note that 27.Rh3 could be
answered by 27...h6, exploiting the pin on
the g5 pawn to stop White breaking through
for at least a while. Meanwhile Black can try
to land a tactical blow of his own on the
queenside. ]
13...b6! The manoeuvre of the knight to c4
is an int egra l pa rt o f B la ck's p la n in t his
variation. If W hite captures it on c4, then
b5xc4 exposes his king to attack down the b-
file while left alone the horse dominates the
queenside. Morozevich' s reply rules out Na4,
when his queenside pawn structure would be
wrecked by a capture on c3, but it leaves a
t a r ge t f o r B la c k' s p r o je ct e d b 5 -b 4 p a wn
assault. 14.a3!? e7 15.d4 c7 16.xc6
xc6 17.d4 c4 18.e2 b8 19.xh7+!
[ After 19.f3 b4?? presents White with an
other tempo for his attack, which means he
i s s u d d e n l y w i n n i n g : ( Instead 19...f5!
is forced and looks excellent for Black, for
example 20.exf6 xf6 21.xh7+ xh7
839
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
22.h3+ g8 23.h5 xd4 24.xd4 e5
hitting both white rooks. 25.xd5
s t o p p i n g a f o r k o n e 7 . 26.h7+
27.g3 h6 now White has to exchange
queens 28.xh6 gxh6 29.fxe5
and white will struggle to draw the
endgame. ) 20.xh7+! xh7 21.h3+ g8
22.h5 f5 ( It's the same thing after 22...f6
23.exf6 ) 23.exf6 xf6 ( Or 23...xf6
24.h8+ f7 25.h7 g6 26.xg7
threatening 27.Be5+ followed by mate, and
if xg7 27.xg7+ and mate next move.)
24.h7+ f7 25.xf6 xf6 26.g3!
A) Black also loses after both 26...bxc3
27.xg7+ f5 28.g6+ xf4 29.g5+
e4 30.g4+ f4 31.xf4# and;
B) 26...b7 27.xd5+! xd5 ( 27...exd5
28.g6+ f7 29.xc6 ) 28.g6+ f7
29.xd5 exd5 30.xg7+ e8 31.xb7;
C) 26...b7 and now Fritz 8 comes up
with an incredibly flashy win rather than
just nabbing the black queen: 27.e4+!!
( Prosaic is 27.g6+ f7 28.xg7+ e8
29.xb7 ) 27...dxe4 28.g6+
29.xg7+ e8 30.c7!! xc7 ( 30...bxa3
31.e7# ) 31.xc7 and it will be mate in
two at latest. ]
19...xh7 20.h5+ g8 21.d3 f5 22.h3
[ Inadequate for W hite is 22.g3 b7!?
23.xg7+ ( Or 23.ff3 c5 ) 23...xg7
24.f3 h4! 25.xh4 f7 and the black
king slips away to the centre with his booty
of an extra rook. ]
22...c5 23.ff3! The point: the bishop on d4
is blocked off from contributing to the kingside
attack, so W hite might as well jettison it in
return for getting his other rook involved in the
onslaught. xd4 24.fg3 b7! Morozevich,
h o we v e r , a l s o s u c c e e d s i n b r i n g i n g h i s
inactive rook into the battle. 25.h7+
26.xg7+ e8 Now White is two pieces
down and there is no mate in sight, so he
agrees to call it a draw: 27.xf8+!
[ There is no way to avoid the perpetual
check as the rook on b7 can never
interpose: 27.xf8+ xf8 28.h8+ f7
( unless you want to give Anand a last
chance at becoming World Champion, not
28...e7?? 29.g7# ) 29.h7+
30.h8+ etc. ]
½-½
929 C11
b7 Anand,Viswanathan 2786
f7 Morozevich,Alexander 2741
Amber Blindfold rapid (6) 25.03.2005
f5 [Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5
9.a3 White takes measures against Black's
plan of a queenside advance with b5-b4 and
a5 -a 6, wh en B a6 a ctiva t in g th e p ro b le m
bishop becomes possible. g5!? A radical
attempt to prove that 9.a3 is imprecise. In
Kasparov-Radjabov Black preferred
[ 9...b6 while in Anand-Ivanchuk, also on
ChessPub, ]
[ 9...a5 led to a hard fight. For more
coverage you should also check up
Timoshenko-Heberla. ]
10.fxg5
[ After 10.xg5 cxd4 11.xd4 xd4
12.xd4 c5 13.d2 ( 13.d1? xe5! )
13...b6 Black has ample compensation for
f7 the pawn: his dark squared bishop is very
strong and prevents White from castling on
either wing. Play could continue 14.d1
( I would expect Anand to notice 14.0-0-0
e3 even in a blindfold game!) 14...f6
15.exf6 xf6 and Black's attack continues. ]
10...cxd4 11.xd4 g7 12.0-0-0 0-0
13.a2
[ Anand rushes to hand back the pawn. If
instead 13.e1 then Morozevich could build
up a lightning attack with a5 and then b5-
b4, etc. ]
13...xd4 14.xd4 xe5 15.h4 c4
[ At first glance this looks very strong, but
p e r h a p s t h e m o r e p o s i t i o n a l 15...f5!?
was better, when Black deters the white
f7 kingside pawn attack that occurs in the
game. After 16.h5 ( Instead 16.gxf6 xf6
with the immediate threat of 17...Bh6, looks
great for Black.) 16...c4 17.xc4 bxc4
18.g6?! h6 White's attack is stymied which
means Black can build up along the b-file
and in the centre with no distractions. ]
16.xc4 bxc4 17.b1 b8
[ Again 17...f5 looks to me more
f8 appropriate. ]
18.c3 b6 19.g4! Anand has bolstered his
queenside against the bishop on g7 and now
840
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

begins to generate counterplay. He must act have given him a slight edge, but Black's
fast or else the broad black centre is going to counterplay involving a5 and b4 should not
crush him. d8 20.a1 e5 21.f5 xf5 be underestimated. ]
22.gxf5 d4 A dramatic battle between the 16.fxg5 hxg5 17.h4!! This is a brilliant
pawn fronts is beginning. 23.h5 e4 24.f6 e3 positional move which sucks all the dynamism
25.g2 d3! There was no time to save the from Black's kingside pawns and gains control
bishop as White was about to capture on d4, of the dark squares f4 and g5. g4 Also grim is
when the pawns are broken up. 26.fxg7 e2 [ 17...gxh4 18.f4 etc. ]
I wonder if facing this pawn rush brought back 18.g5 c8 19.h2 Now White's h4 pawn is
unhappy memories to Anand of his game with s e c u r e . H i s wi n n i n g p l a n i s s i m p l e : p u t
Leko at W ijk aan Zee 2005. 27.b1 e8 pressure on the f5 pawn until it drops. a5
28.g6 fxg6 29.b4 xg7 Black's activity on the qu eenside prove s
[ The move he wants to play is 29...bd8 irrelevant. 20.g3 a6 21.e3 a4 22.c2
to drive the passed pawns home, but then f8 23.f2 d7 24.e6 Black resigned as
30.c6 cuts off the black queen from g6 c7 25.f4!?
when a mating attack is looming. ] [ 25.h5!? ]
30.hxg6 xg6 31.f2 bd8 32.hg1 25...d6 26.xd6 xd6 27.xf5
Winning the black queen, but two more are wins easily.
likely to appear on the board. Not surprisingly, 1-0
Anand feels compelled to head for a draw. d2
33.a7+ g8
[ Black can't escape the perpetual check 931 C11
after 33...f8 34.xg6 hxg6 35.b6 etc. ] Anand,Viswanathan 2772
34.xg6+ hxg6 35.b6 e1 36.xg6+ Nakamura,Hikaru 2769
f8 37.f6+ g8 38.g6+ 75th Tata Steel GpA (1.4) 12.01.2013
½-½ [John Watson]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7

930 C11 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
Anand,Viswanathan 2769 b6 9.d2 xb2 10.b1 a3
Morozevich,Alexander 2748 I'm not going to try to definitively assess this
Fujitsu-Siemens Giants (7) 24.06.2000 variation, which should only be played by the
[Neil McDonald] extremely well-prepared but in spite of years
of experience and analysis, theory hasn't
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 settled upon a verdict, so I'll merge a number
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.f4 b5 8.a3 c4 of games f rom the past year and earlier:
Morozevich decides to close the queenside as 11.b5 Now the main move.
a prelude to an expansion there with a5 and [ 11.cb5 doesn't seem to work after xa2
b4. Other moves are analysed in the game . One game went 12.b3?! ( 12.c1 b8 )
Anand-Shirov, Advanced Chess 2000. 9.f3 12...a1+ 13.f2? ( 13.e2! d8! )
b6 10.g4 f5 Perhaps this should have 13...c5 14.f3 e4 15.d3 a5
waited until W hite's f 5 advance was a 16.e2 e7 17.bb1 0-0 18.a1 d8
genuine threat for example 19.c4 a6 20.cxd5 exd5 21.g4 xg4+!
[ 10...a5 11.g3 f5 ] 22.xg4 d7+ 23.e6 fxe6 24.h3 axb5
11.gxf5 exf5 12.g2 e7 13.0-0 h6 Maybe 25.xb5 c3 0-1 (25) Trkulja, G (2395)-
[ 13...a5!? ] Dizdarevic, E (2462), Jahorina BIH 2012. ]
14.f2 e6 15.f1 g5? This plausible move [ 11.b3 is featured in Bologan-Volkov in the
is refuted in fine style. He had to play more Archives. ]
cautiously, say with 11...xd4
[ 15...d7 or castling kingside. White's [ 11...db8 used to be played a lot, but has
potential pressure along the g file would fallen from favour. ]

841
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
12.xd4 a6
[ 12...b4 13.b3 a5 14.a3 e7 15.e3
0-0 16.0-0 b6 17.f5 exf5 18.xd5 c5
19.f6+ xf6 20.exf6 xd4 21.xd4 g5
22.e3 f4 23.f3 e6 24.h5 h8
25.d3 c5+ 26.f2 f5 27.b5 g6
28.h6 g8 29.xc5 bxc5 30.h4 xd3
31.cxd3 g6 32.h5 ag8 33.hxg5 xg5
34.xf7 f3 35.e7 1-0 (35) Papp, P (2302)
-Paulauskaite, G (2053)/Istanbul TUR 2012 ]
13.xd7+
[ 13.b3 e7 14.a4 h4+ ( 14...b5
15.xb5 axb5 16.xb5 d8 17.c3 a5
18.c7+ d8 19.xa8 xa8 20.0-0 a4
21.h1 e7 22.fb1 f6 23.exf6 gxf6
24.b6 xa2 25.e1 c4 26.bxe6 b4
27.xf6+ xf6 28.xf6+ c7 29.e7+
d7 30.e5+ c6 31.xh8 xe7
32.a8+ c7 33.a7+ d8 34.b8+
c8 35.e5 c5 36.f5 xc2 37.f6 f5
38.e8+ c7 39.c1 b6 40.f7 d4
41.d8+ b5 42.c7 1-0 (42) Topalov, V
(2775)-Nakamura, H (2774)/Monaco MNC
2011 ) 15.f2 d8 16.b6 h4+ 17.f2
( 17.d1 e7 18.h3 d8 19.xd7+ xd7
20.f2 h5+ 21.g4 g6 22.c5 c6
23.g1 a5 24.d4 h5 25.c1 0-0-0
26.b6 xb6 27.xb6 d7 28.xc6+
bxc6 29.a4 e4 30.b6+ c7 31.xe4
dxe4 32.xd7 xd7 33.g5 d8 34.e1
c5 35.xe4 c6 36.h4 d4 37.xd4
cxd4 38.d2 d5 39.d3 a5 40.a3 a4
41.c3 dxc3 42.xc3 e4 43.b4 xf4
44.xa4 xe5 45.b5 d6 46.a4 c7
47.c5 f5 0-1 (46) Popilski, G (2450)-
Ik o n n iko v, V (2 5 3 7 )/ Die re n NE D 2 0 1 2)
17...d8 18.b6 h4+ 19.f2= g4!?
(playing for a win) 20.0-0 e7 21.xd7+
xd7 22.xb7 c8 23.e4 f5 24.d6+
xd6 25.exd6 xc2 26.d4 0-0 27.xd7
e5 28.a7 exf4 29.c7 f3 30.xc2 xc2
31.gxf3 h5 32.e7 g6+ 33.g3 h4
34.xh4 f5 35.f4 d4 36.d1 e6
37.xd4 d7 38.e1 f4 39.xf4 f7
40.g3 b5 41.e4 c5+ 42.g2 c3
43.e2 f6 44.d2 c3 45.c2 f6
46.c8+ 1-0 (46) Brkic, A (2575) -Battaglini,
G (2434)/Bastia FRA 2012 ]
13...xd7 14.b3 e7 15.xb7 h4+
[ 15...c8 16.0-0 a3 17.f3 a5 18.h3
c5 19.h2 c6 20.b3 0-0 21.xc5
xc5 22.e2 d4 23.g3 a4 24.a3
b5 25.f5 1/2-1/2 (25) Ganguly, S (2629)-
Poetsch, H (2462)/Vlissingen NED 2012 ]
16.f2
[ 16.f2 e7 17.xh4 xh4+ 18.d2
d8 19.hb1 c6 20.b8 xb8 21.xb8
0-0 22.c8 b7 23.b8 c6 24.c8 b7
25.b8 1/2-1/2 (25) Dominguez Perez, L
(2730)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2718)/Sochi RUS
2012 ]
16...d8 17.b6
[ Nakamura's other well-known experience
wi t h t h i s l i n e ( a p a r t f r o m t h i s a n d t h e
Topalov game) went 17.0-0 c8 18.b3
c4 19.e2 e7 ( or 19...c8 with the
idea 20.d4 c5 ) 20.fb1 0-0!?
( 20...c8 ) 21.b7 c8 22.c3 d8
23.xc8 xc8 24.b8 xb8 25.xb8 c7
26.a8 d7 27.a7 c8 28.c3 g5!
29.g3 gxf4 30.gxf4 g7 31.f5 h6!
32.e3+ h5 33.e2 g4 34.d4 exf5
35.g2 f4 36.h3+ g5 37.f2 Karjakin, S
(2776) -Nakamura, H (2774), Monaco MNC
2011 and instead of 27...Bf5? 28 Bh4+,
Black had e6 with extremely good winning
chances. ]
17...c8 18.c7 d8 19.d4
[ 19.b7 c8 20.c7 d8 21.b7
would repeat. ]
19...c8
[ 19...b8 has also been played here: 20.0-0
c8 21.xc8 xc8 22.f5! c6
( 22...c4!? ) 23.b1 ( 23.fxe6 xe6
24.e4 e7 25.d6+ xd6 26.exd6 0-0=
Quesada Perez, Y (2604)-Oms Pallisse, J
(2506), Barcelona ESP 2012.) 23...e7
24.a7 c8 ( 24...0-0 25.f6 a3 26.b3
c1 with balanced chances) 25.b8 0-0?!
( 25...a5; 25...c7 ) 26.f6! a3 27.b3 c1
28.c5 e8 29.e2 h6 ( 29...g5 )
30.h3 b5 31.f2 c4 32.xc4 dxc4
33.e3 ( 33.h4! b7 34.d6 ) 33...xe3+
34.xe3 Kurnosov, I (2657)-Andreikin, D
(2689), Sochi RUS 2012. ]
20.xc8
[ 20.a7 h4+ ( 20...e7! ) 21.g3 h3
22.xd7! xd7 23.a4+ c6 24.xa6
xc3 25.b7+ e8 26.a8+ d7
27.a4+ c8 28.a6+ d7 29.a4+
c8 30.a6+ d7 31.a4+ 1/2-1/2
Solodovnichenko, Y (2598)-Ikonnikov, V
842
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

(2537), Ghent BEL 2012. ] b4. 12.b3 This prevents Black from gaining
[ 20.c6 e7 21.xc8+ xc8 22.0-0 co n tro l o f a light squ are co m ple x o n t h e
b4= ] queenside with a5-a4, when Na5 would follow
20...xc8 21.0-0 c6 aiming to play Nb3 or Nc4. c7 13.eg1!
[ 21...a5 with the idea ...Bb4 is another Very provocative to say the least! This looks
idea. ] slow, but Anand plans a quick redeployment
22.b1 of his pieces with Bd3 and Ne2, when he
[ 22.f5 e7 ] saf eguards his advanced centre and can
22...e7 23.e3 0-0 24.d4 c8 25.b6 begin to pressurise Black. a4 This already
c4 26.b7 c6 has the forthcoming sacrifice in mind. Instead
[ 26...c7 27.b8+ f8 would be the way to Shipov suggests that Black can quietly
play for a win. ] complete his development with
27.b6 c4 28.b7 c6 [ 13...b6 14.d3 a6 as there is no mate
½-½ after 15.xh7+ xh7 16.g5+ fxg5
17.hxg5+ g8 18.h5 xg5! etc. ]
14.b4 fxe5 15.fxe5 dxe5! The only way to
932 C11 f re e h is ga m e . 16.dxe5 xe5 17.xe5
Anand,Viswanathan 2762 xe5+ 18.e2 xh4+! Black gains a third
Shirov,Alexei 2746 pawn for the piece. 19.d1
FIDE WCh KO Tehran IRI (7.4) 24.12.2000 [ Not 19.xh4? g3+ ]
[Neil McDonald] 19...f6? Quite understandably Shirov wants
to keep the queens on the board and attack
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 the white king. However, it turns out that the
5.ce2 c5 6.f4 c6 7.c3 b6 calm
[ The main alternative is 7...b5 as played in [ 19...xe2+ 20.xe2 f2 21.h1!
A n a n d - S h i ro v a n d A n a n d - Mo r o ze vi c h , ( 21.f3? e5 ) 21...e5 was better, with a
although the Indian Grandmaster won both continuing initiative though I think W hite
these games as well! ] has enough defensive resources to make
8.f3 f6 the assessment 'unclear'. ]
[ In their previous game in this line Shirov 20.f3 xc3 The fourth pawn proves too
played 8...e7 9.a3 0-0 10.h4!? f6 much for the black queen's digestion, but
11.h3 when Black erred with a5?! 12.b4! there was no alternative in view of the
etc. You can see this and other game hanging bishop. 21.b2 b3+ 22.c1!
references in Anand-Shirov. ] Suddenly the black queen is surrounded- if
9.a3! Unlucky! By delaying committing his the bishop retreats from h4 then 23 Ne5 is
bishop to e7 Shirov had hoped to profit after decisive. So Shirov throws in a second piece
say but against Anand's imperturbable defence it
[ 9.h4 cxd4 10.cxd4 b4+ etc. ] proves fruitless. e5 23.xh4 f5 24.d1 e4
9...e7 10.h4 25.xb3 axb3 26.d2 e3 27.f3 ae8
[ Also to be considered was 10.b4 cxd4 28.d1 c4 The passed pawns look
11.exd4!? Then Steffen Pedersen won impressive, but two extra pieces are more
quickly as Black after fxe5 ( After the usual than enough to deal with them. Nevertheless,
11...xd4 12.cxd4 White has a bind and the final phase is still very exciting. 29.e2
easy development as in I. Almasi-Plischki, e4 30.c1 e6 31.c3 g6 32.h2 d3
Pardubice 2000.) 12.fxe5?! ( The critical 33.xd3 cxd3 34.b2 d2 35.xb3 g3
t e s t i s s u r e l y 12.xe6! ) 12...dxe5 36.b2 g5 37.c2 c8 38.d3 g4 39.e5
etc. in Meyer-Pedersen, Germany 1999. ] c1 40.h1 xg2 41.h4! The e3 pawn
10...0-0 11.h3 So play has transposed to drops.
their previous game mentioned above. Now 1-0
S h i r o v p l a y s a n i m p r o v e m e n t . a5!?
This restrains White from expanding with b2-

843
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
933 C11
Anand,Viswanathan 2769
Shirov,Alexei 2751
Fujitsu-Siemens Giants (9) 25.06.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.f4 b6 In their
previous encounter, Shirov had played
[ 7...b5 here and fallen into a fatal bind on
the queenside- see Anand-Shirov. And two
rounds before this game, Anand had
beaten Morozevich after 7...b5- see Anand-
Morozevich. Therefore it is no wonder that
this time Shirov decides to play a different,
more aggressive move. Alas, the result is no
better. ]
8.f3 e7 9.a3 White diverges from
[ 9.g3 a5 10.h4 a4 11.h3 etc. as in Lalic-
Speelman, Hastings 2000. As will be seen,
Anand has come up with a new idea- he
wants to keep the g3 square free for his
pieces to use as a base for an attack on
Black's king. This works brilliantly in the
game. ]
9...0-0
[ Instead 9...f6 -this reduces White's options-
for example, if you look at the Bologan-
Gurevich extract in the next note it would
have made Nexd4 a less attractive response
to cxd4- 10.b4 cxd4 11.cxd4 0-0 12.b1
a5 13.b5 a4 was Shirov-Gurevich, Munich
1993, and now Shirov recommends 14.exf6
xf6 15.c3 d8 16.d3 f7
with unclear play. ]
10.h4!?
[ Also interesting is 10.b4 when the game
Bologan-Gurevich, Frankfurt 2000 went cxd4
11.exd4! xd4 12.cxd4 f6 White soon
gains a dangerous attack after this.
( S o u n d e r w a s 12...f5 ) 13.d3 fxe5
14.fxe5 a5 15.b5 a4 16.h4! h8 17.e3
a5+ 18.e2 b6 19.d2! a7 20.g5!
f7 21.b1 d7 22.xh7 xb5+
and now rather than 23.f2? White could
win with ( 23.xb5 xh7 24.xe7 xe7
25.g5+ g8 26.b1 a6+ 27.e1
a5+ 28.d1 etc. )]
10...f6 11.h3! All according to plan. a5?
After White's response Black is unable to put
any pressure on d4. This means that Anand
can build up his attack on the kingside without
a n y d i s t r a c t i o n s , a s S h i r o v' s a t t e m p t e d
counterplay on the queenside is too slow. It
was better to play
[ 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 a5 -Shipov. ]
12.b4! cxb4 13.axb4 c4 The knight looks
excellent on this square, but what exactly does
it do? 14.g3 a5 15.d3 f5
[ White also has a decisive attack after
15...f7 16.xh7+! xh7 17.g5+ g8
( Or 17...fxg5 18.hxg5+ g8 19.h5 f5
20.xf5 exf5 21.g6 ) 18.h5 g6 19.xg6+
g7 20.e8+ f8 ( 20...f8 21.h5! )
21.h5 fxg5 22.hxg5 f7 ( 22...c6
23.xg7 xg7 24.h5 ) 23.g6 e7
24.f6+ xf6 25.exf6 xe8 26.f7+ g7
27.fxe8 with a quick mate. ]
16.g5 d8 17.h5 xg5 18.xg5!
The g7 square is a much big target than h7.
Totally wrong would be
[ 18.hxg5? f8 ]
18...f8 19.h5 f7 20.g3 g6 21.xc4
dxc4 22.b5! This fine move clears the way for
the bishop to join in the attack. xb5 23.a3
b6 24.h6 b7 25.xg6+ hxg6 26.xg6+
h8 27.xf7 g8 28.f8! Black resigned as
xf8
[ 28...xf8 29.g7# ]
29.f6 forces mate.
1-0
934 C11
Anand,Viswanathan 2769
Shirov,Alexei 2751
Advanced Chess (2.1) 04.06.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.f4 b5
Black immediately mobilises his queenside
pawns. The main alternative is
[ 7...b6 which is analysed in Lalic-
Speelman. ]
8.a3! This move was introduced into
international chess by Alexei Shirov about ten
years ago. And here he has to play against his
own invention! The idea is to take the sting
out of Black's projected b5-b4 advance by
r e p l y i n g a x b 4 . cxd4 Instead Black could
persevere with the plan of b5-b4. If
844
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
immediately
[ 8...b4?! 9.axb4 cxb4 the pressure on d4
has been relieved, but ]
[ 8...a5 is playable: 9.f3 a6 10.h4 b4
11.h5 e7 12.f5 exf5 13.g3 xf1
14.xf1 was the wild continuation in
Waitzkin-Thorhallsson, Mermaid Beach Club
1999, and here I don't understand why Black
didn't defend f5 with g6 ]
9.xd4 xd4 10.cxd4
[ Shirov had a nasty experience with White in
this line against Bareev at Hastings, 1991,
wh i c h we n t 10.xd4 c5 11.d3 0-0!
Already Black is at least equal. 12.f3 f6
13.d4? and now Bareev sacrificed a piece
with xe5 14.fxe5 fxe5 and won after a
sharp tussle, but later he recommended 13...
Qe7! 14 exf6 Rxf6, intending 15.. .e5, as
even stronger. ]
10...b4 11.a4 a5?! This prevents White
from gaining space with 12 a5, which would
deny the black knight the b6 square, and also
prepares Ba6 to exchange off his bad bishop.
Nevertheless, the queen isn't entirely happy
on a5. Another approach would be
[ 11...a5!? planning Be7, Ba6 etc. ]
12.d2 e7 13.f3 0-0 If
[ 13...a6 14.xa6 xa6 15.a5!
followed by Qe2 keeps the edge for White in
a similar fashion to the game. ]
14.b5! b6 15.b3 a6 16.xa6 xa6
17.a5! d7 18.e2 b8 19.f2 xe2+
20.xe2 c6 This knight has had a wretched
existence. Finally it seems to have found a
decent square where it attacks a couple of
white pawns, but in fact this is a mirage: soon
it will be exposed to heavy attack down the c
file. 21.hc1 fc8 22.a2 c7 23.ac2
ac8 24.a6 f8 The king rushes to break the
pin on the c file, but meanwhile things grow
critical on the kingside. 25.g4! e8 26.f5
d7 27.f4 g5
[ This creates a fatal weakness on the
kingside, but if 27...a5 28.xc7+ xc7
29.xc7+ xc7 30.f6! also looks bad. ]
28.e3 h6 29.f6 f8 30.d3 a5
31.xc7+ xc7 32.xc7+ xc7 33.xg5!
The thematic breakthrough sacrifice after
which the kingside passed pawns will be
decisive. hxg5 34.xg5 xb3 35.h4 a1
36.c1 b3 37.e3 a5 38.g5 c4
39.c1 There is nothing to stop the h pawn
advancing all the way to the eighth rank. So
where exactly did Black go wrong? The whole
line after 11...Qa5 was made to look rotten by
Anand's flawless technique.
1-0
935 C11
Apicella,Manuel 2508
Gurevich,Mikhail 2688
GM Clichy FRA (7) 01.07.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 xd4
[ The usual move order is 10...a6 11.h4
xd4 12.xd4 b5 ]
11.xd4 a6 12.h4 b5 13.xc5 Apicella's
pet system: usual are
[ 13.h5 or ]
[ 13.h3 ]
13...xc5 14.d4 c7 15.a3 White's plan
unfolds. He takes a move to safeguard against
b5 -b 4 a n d is n ow re ad y to a t ta ck on t h e
kingside beginning with f4-f5. d7
[ Black keeps the b file open. An alternative
strategy aimed at central counterplay left
Black slightly worse after 15...b7 16.d3
ac8 17.b1 fd8 18.h5 e4 19.xe4
dxe4 20.e3 in Apicella-Milijanic, Ciocaltea
Mem 2000. ]
[ Meanwhile 15...b8 16.d3 d7 17.f5
exf5 18.xd5 b3+ 19.b1 c5 20.xc5
xc5 21.xf5 left Black a pawn down in
Apicella-Leconte, Clichy 1999. ]
16.f5 fc8!! This shows Gurevich's brilliant
understanding of chess. He never had any
intention of e6xf5: He realises that keeping a
st ro ng cen tre is f ar m ore im po rt an t th a n
preventing White from advancing his pawn to
f6. 17.f6 gxf6 18.exf6 h8 19.b1 ab8
The pawn on f6 looks tremendous, but where
are the pieces to support W hite's attack?
Meanwhile all Black's forces are ready to
storm down the b and c files after a6-a5 and
b5-b4. 20.e2 a5 21.h5 b4 22.xf7 e5!
[ Not allowing White any counterplay with
22...bxc3 23.g4 g8 24.xg8 xg8
25.f3 ]
845
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

23.e3 f5! 17...f6 18.fg5 h6! Now Black beats off the
[ This time Gurevich isn't interested in atta ck and win s ma terial. 19.e2 g6
23...bxc3 24.h6 The discovered attack on 20.f4 xg5 21.h4 xf4 22.xf4 xf4
the bishop on f7 kills off White's attack and Black seems to have broken the white attack
leaves his king facing destruction on the and has a big material advantage-rook and
queenside. ] two knights for a queen. Now, however, I did
24.axb4 axb4 25.xd5 xf7 26.e7 b3 my best to be swindled before finally rallying
27.xf5 bxc2+ 28.xc2 e4+ at the end and mating the white king. The rest
W h i t e r e s i g n e d a s 29.b1 c3+ is perhaps entertaining, but not really
will be murder. deserving of serious analysis. 23.f3 f6
0-1 24.c1 c4 25.e2 e4 26.f3 e7 27.f2
f5 28.g4 be8 29.d1 h7 30.g5 h5
31.g1 hxg5 32.hxg5 g6 33.d2 e5
936 C11 34.h1 a6 35.h4 f5 36.c4! ef8 37.b5
Appleberry,Martin axb5 38.cxb5 e7 39.e3 5f7 40.e6
Mcdonald f5 41.b6 g6 42.xb7 d3 43.b4 c4
Bagneux 1991 44.a4 f5 45.b6 f4 46.a5 h7
[Neil McDonald] 47.g1 e8 48.c6 e1+
0-1
1.c3 At the time Appleberry played this
move almost exclusively. d5 2.e4 e6
Incidentally, I once played in a theme 937 C11
tournament where 1 Nc3 was obligatory. I Arakhamia Grant,Ketevan 2405
discovered that Volkov,Sergey 2554
[ 2...dxe4 3.xe4 d7 4.f3 gf6 Monarch Assurance Open (7) 20.10.2000
is fine for Black- he has a Caro-Kann where [Neil McDonald]
he hasn't wasted a move with 1...c6!! ]
3.f3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 Or 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
[ 6.b5!? c6 7.0-0 e7 8.dxc5 0-0 5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.f4 b6 8.f3 a5!?
9.f4 xc5 with equality-J.Watson. ] Black de cide s to lea ve h is b isho p on f 8 .
6...c6 7.f4 xc5!? Of course Instead
[ 7...xc5 is a major alternative, when 8.d3 [ 8...e7 is the move previously seen when
f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 0-0 looks fully 9.a3 ( Or 9.g3 a5 10.h4 a4 11.h3 db8
satisfactory for Black. ] -see Lalic-Speelman.) 9...0-0 10.h4 f6
8.a3 e7 9.b4 d7 10.b5 0-0 11.h3 was Anand-Shirov. ]
Much safer was 9.a3 a4 10.h4 White plays the same moves
[ 10...a6 e.g. 11.bd4 c7!? but Black as in another Anand-Shirov game, but in that
wanted to play for more. ] g a m e B l a c k h a d a l r e a d y c a s t l e d . a7!?
11.d3 f6 This natural attack on the white An amazing move. Black anticipates a
centre leads to huge complications. 12.exf6 possible fork in the future on c7 and so moves
xf6 13.c7 e8 14.d6 xa1 15.xa1?! his rook out of the way. Also, by leaving his
This is too ambitious. The fatal flaw in White's kingside untouched he is also not presenting
attack is that he hasn't found time to castle. a clear target f or the white attack. 11.f5!?
He had to settle for Naturally an aggressive player like Arakhamia
[ 15.xf8 when xf8 16.xa1 f4!? cannot resist these provocations. On the
is unclear. ] other hand, Black has three pieces in play
15...h5 16.c7? Still intent on attacking. [four if you envisage a role for the rook on
[ 16.xf8 was necessary. ] a7 ! ] a n d W h it e o n ly t wo , so wh y e xa c t ly
16...b8 17.xe6 should Black be mated by the attack? exf5
[ If 17.g4 f7 18.xh7+ h8 seems to win 12.f4 cxd4 13.cxd4 a5+! A necessary
for Black. ] zwischenzug as

846
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 13...d8 14.xd5 just loses material. ] pair of knights. xd4 A welcome exchange
14.d2 d8 15.d3 for Black, though it lets White strengthen his
[ Now however 15.xd5 dxe5! is fine for centre with c3xd4. Black could try to exploit
Black. ] his sudden control of the c5 square with the
15...b6 16.c2 g6 17.h5 g5?! logical
This eventually leads to a hair raising attack [ 8...c5!? e.g. 9.gf3 b6 10.e2 e4
on Black's king. Much more solid was 11.0-0 c5 12.h1 d7 13.d3 xd4
[ 17...g8 ] 14.xe4 dxe4 15.xd4 xd4 16.e3
18.e2 f4 19.xh7 c4! Just when it xb2 17.xd4 b6 18.xe4 c6
seems White's attack is becoming 19.xb6 xe4 20.d4 0-0 and despite the
overwhelming Black's counterplay kicks in. f a ct t h a t W h it e wo n it will t a ke a lo t t o
The kingside structure now has some affinity persuade me he is better here in Vinogradov,
with the King's Gambit. 20.f5 g4! 21.g5 P-Lipka,J/ Zvolen 2000. ]
xg5 22.xc8 xd2 23.xb7! e7 9.cxd4 f6? At best this is a waste of time. In
24.c7 xb7 25.xb7 c4 26.a8+ the stem game with 8.Nxd4 Black also reacted
This begins an incredible king hunt, but the with a blunder:
black king keeps diving and weaving until [ 9...b6? Black misplaces the knight. A
finally White runs out of attacking resources. model game ensues in which the horse
d7 27.xa4+ e6 28.a6+ f5 29.g3+ n e ve r ge t s t o p e rf o r m a n y u se f u l ro le .
[ If 29.0-0 f3 keeps Black alive. ] Me a n wh i l e W h i t e ' s b e t t e r c o o r d i n a t e d
29...fxg3 30.0-0+ e4 31.ae1+ e3 pieces crash through along the f file: 10.f3
32.e2 xh5 33.c2+ xd4 34.c3+ e4 e7 11.d3 d7 12.0-0 h5 13.b3 g6
35.c2+ xe5 36.c7+ e6 37.xg3 14.d2 f8 15.a4 g7 16.g3 a5 17.h3
h6 The bishop finally emerges to perform a c8 18.e1 b6 19.b1 b4 20.xb4
vital role in defending the knight. 38.c7 f5 axb4 21.d2 e7 22.fc1 ac8 23.f2
39.b6+ f7 40.f2 g3 A very complex a5 24.xc8 xc8 25.g4 hxg4 26.hxg4
game, in which the verdict 'unclear' seems to c3 27.f5! The culmination of Larsen's fine
sum up the result of Black's opening strategy. exf5 28.h1 g8 29.gxf5 b6
experiment. On the other hand, somehow I 30.f6+ f8 31.h8 g4 32.xg8+
don't think Black's king would have survived if 1-0 Larsen,B-Brinck Claussen,B/Esbjerg
the attacker had been Shirov! 1978. ]
0-1 [ Much more thoughtful is the retreat of the
knight back to b8: 9...b8! Black reroutes
his knight to the c6 square. In the following
938 C11 extract he combined this idea with a familiar
Atlas,Valeri 2465 manoeuvre to exchange off his bad bishop:
Weinzettl,Ernst 2410 10.a3 b6 11.f3 d7 12.e2 e7
chT 9899 AUT 1999 13.0-0 b5 14.f2 xe2 15.xe2 c6
[Neil McDonald] 16.e3 a5 with an unclear position in
Loeffler,J-Mraz,M/Ceske Budejovice 1996. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 10.f3 b4+ 11.d2 b6 12.d3 0-0
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 Black could of course 13.xb4 xb4+ 14.d2 xd2+ 15.xd2
r u l e o u t t h e l i n e t h a t f o l l o w s w i t h t h e White has w on the opening battle. Now Black
immediate should have tried to staunch up the c file with
[ 6...cxd4 -not that Black has any reason to Nb8, Nc6 and Bd7, despite the fact that White
fear it. ] could oppose this plan with b4 and b5 etc. In
7.f4 cxd4 8.xd4 White gets his knight out the game he makes matters worse by opening
of the way of his king's bishop and so clears t h e f f i l e . fxe5? 16.fxe5 b8 17.af1
some clutter from his position. Nevertheless, White could have played
since he has more space it isn't an entirely [ 17.b4 as a prelude to Rac1 when if Nc6 b4-
logical decision to let Black exchange off a b5, etc. But there is no need to look for a

847
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

break through in the f ace of resistance [ In the analysis to Kogan-Bruno in the

from Black's minor pieces along the c file archives I comment on the following rather
when there is the open f file. ] uneventful game: 10...b7 11.d1 cxd4
17...h6 H e h a d t o s t o p 1 8 . N g 5 18.h4 12.xd4 c5 13.xc6 xc6 14.d4 e4
Perhaps more vigorous was 15.e3 c5 16.f2 f5 17.xe4 xd4
[ 18.g4 c6 19.h4 d7 20.e3 etc. ] 18.f6+ xf6 19.xd4 e7 20.ad1
18...xf1 19.xf1 c6 20.g6 d7 ac8 21.c3 c7 22.f2 - Kokarev, D-
21.e3 Now Black can only defend grimly as Volkov, S/ Plovdiv BUL 2008. ]
White probes to find a way to break in. Finally 11.exf6 xf6 12.b5 c7 13.h1 d7
the pressure of his pawns on the kingside 14.ad1 a6 15.xc6 xc6 16.e2 b5
proves decisive. e8 22.c1 d8 23.h4 [ Perhaps Black should try for the initiative
e8 24.f4 f7 25.g4 f8 26.g5 e7 with 16...e4!? ]
27.g6 e8 28.a3 a6 29.f1 a5 30.h5 17.g1 c8 18.dxc5?
c4+ 31.xc4 dxc4 32.xg7 xg6 [ The position remains double edged after
33.xe6 d7 Black resigned before 34.f8 18.fe1!? d7 ]
1-0 18...b4 19.fe1
[ Suddenly White is dropping material as if
19.b1 b5 ]
939 C11 19...bxc3 20.xe6+ f7 21.g5 xe6
Baramidze,David 2593 22.xe6 d7 23.e3 xc5 24.xc3 xg1
Berczes,David 2458 25.xf7 a7 26.g5 h6 27.f3 e4
41st Festival MTO (4) 24.07.2008 28.xd5 e6 29.e5 f2+ 30.g1 d3+
[Neil McDonald] 31.f1 xe5 32.fxe5 d5 33.b3 e8
34.c7 b8 35.c5 xf3 36.gxf3 xe5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 37.c6 f8 38.xa6 xf3+ 39.e2 h3
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 40.a4 g5 41.a5 xh2+ 42.d3 f4 43.b4
[ French expert Volkov has adopted the idea d2+ 44.c3 g7 45.a7+ g6 46.a6 g4
of b7-b6 with the move order 8.e2 0-0 47.a8 d7 48.a7 h5 49.f8 d2+
9.0-0 b6 10.d2 b7 -see the note to 10... 0-1
f6 below. ]
8...0-0 9.e2
[ GM Bogdan Lalic annotated the game Abu 940 C11
Sufian-B.Lalic for chesspublishing.com and Belov,Vladimir 2589
gave some detailed analysis of the critical Akobian,Varuzhan 2598
line 9.0-0-0?! c4! 10.f5 b5! 11.f6!? gxf6 1st GMA Cup Manila PHI (6) 20.11.2006
12.h6 fxe5 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.xf8 xf8 [Neil McDonald]
15.xb5 Here I think b8!? might be more
p r e c i s e t h a n B o g d a n ' s s u g g e s t i o n 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
( 15...g7 )] 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
9...b6!? Strengthening the c5 square and so c5 9.d2 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4
preventing White from gaining control over d4. b6 12.b5!? Despite the exchange of
10.0-0 queens, Black is by no means entirely
[ After 10.0-0-0 Black can play sensibly with comfortable in the endgame that f ollows.
b7 but what about the crazy idea Certainly this is a valid way for White to avoid
( 10...c4!? f o r e x a m p l e 11.f5 b5 the sharp line
then we have Bogdan Lalic's line above but [ 12.d2 xb2 ]
a tempo down for Black- the white bishop is 12...xd4 13.xd4 e7 14.h4
on e2, not f1. Is this still strong for Black? [ A vital grab of space on the kingside, as
The idea needs further investigation. )] after 14.0-0-0 b8!? 15.d3 c6 16.f3
10...f6!? Berczes raises the tempo of the a draw was agreed in Khalifman, A-Dreev,
battle with his attack on the white centre. A/Novosibirsk 1995. ]

848
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
14...h5!?
[ Instead Black could allow White more
space on the kingside in return for getting rid
of the knight from d4: 14...b8 15.h5 c6
16.f3 h6 17.d3 d7 18.d2 f6
19.h3! It would be a serious positional error
t o e x c h a n g e o n f 6 w i t h ( 19.exf6+?
as it is the white e5 pawn that keeps Black
in a bind.) 19...fxe5 20.fxe5 hf8 21.g3
f7 22.h1 g8 23.h4 ae8 24.a3 e7
and with gritty defence Black survived in
Bolo gan , V -Gu revich, M/ Gib raltar ENG
2006. ]
15.h3! The idea of swinging the rook over to
the c-file is a vital feature of White's play. It
fights directly against Black's plan of Nb8 and
Nc6 , which would qu ickly e qua lise if lef t
unopposed. b8 16.c3 d7 17.c7 c6
18.0-0-0!
[ Belov improves on a game he had played
earlier in the year. He had won that game as
w e l l , b u t a f t e r 18.b3?! his opponent
missed the cha nce f o r hc8! ( instead
18...b6? 19.b5 b8 20.a4 left Black
under pressure in Belov, V-Nikolenko, O/
Sochi RUS 2006.) 19.xb7 d8! 20.b4
c6!? ( White might have a tiny edge after
20...xc2 21.d4 cc8 22.d2 ) 21.b7
( after 21.b5 xe5! 22.fxe5 xb5
23.xb5 xc2 Black looks at least equal as
W hite's pawns are scattered and so
vulnerable to attack by the black rooks.)
21...d8 with a draw. ]
18...hb8 Already Black is in deep trouble, as
if
[ 18...xd4 19.xd4 b6 20.b5 hd8
21.c4! will win a pawn. ]
19.b5 d8 It looks as if the rook is trapped,
but now we see the point of W hite's play.
20.xc6! a6
[ Black ends up a pawn down after either
20...bxc6 21.xc6! xc6 22.xc6+ c7
23.xb8 xb8 or ]
[ 20...xc6 21.xc6+ bxc6 22.xc6 c7
23.xa8 xa8 ]
21.c3 axb5
[ The best response to 21...xb5 is 22.f5!
attacking e6 and with ideas of 23.Rg3. The
black pieces would be too poorly placed to
defend the centre and the kingside. ]
22.a3 c8 The discovered attack on a2 has
given Black time to activate his rooks
somewhat, but the endgame with the classic
good knight versus bad bishop is frightful for
him. 23.xc8+ xc8 24.d3 c4 25.b3
c5 26.g3 g6 Every one of Black's pawns
is now on a light square, impeding his bishop.
27.b2 c8 28.c3 a8 29.c5
[ Perhaps Black lost on time here, as White
still has to demonstrate the win. One way
NOT to do it would be 29.c5 a5 30.b4
a4 31.xb5?? b6! and the black bishop
proves it isn't so bad af ter all, as it will
capture the knight! ]
1-0
941 C11
Berg,Emanuel 2606
Marinkovic,Slavisa 2388
10th EICC Budva MNE (1) 06.03.2009
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.b3 b6!?
The bishop stands its ground on c5. Instead
the pinning
[ 11...b4 was analysed in Anand-
Morozevich in the archives. ]
12.h4 b7 13.h3 c8 14.h5 b4 15.g4?
A natural move, but it takes away any chance
that the rook on h3 has of using the g-file to
put pressure on g7. It also seems too much of
a luxury when Black is about to launch an
attack down the c-file. In previous games
W hite has arranged to break the pin on c3
without having to recapture with b2xc3. For
example
[ 15.g3 h8 16.a3 xc3 17.xc3 a5
( Not 17...cxe5 18.d4! winning a
piece. ) 18.b4 c7 19.d4 c5 20.d3
c4 21.b1 e4 22.h3 b5 23.e1
e7 24.b4 c7 25.e1 e7 26.b4
and draw agreed in Diermair, A-Luther, T/
Ansfelden AUT 2009. ]
[ Or 15.h6 g6 16.a3 e7 ( Once again
Black can't snatch the d4 pawn because of
the weakness of g7: 16...xc3 17.xc3
cxe5? 18.d4! ) 17.e4 dxe5 18.fxe5
dxe4 19.f2 c7 20.xb6 xe5 21.d7
A) I would prefer 21...f6!? so that after
849
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
White's reply the knight on b3 and the d3
s q u a r e a r e u n d e r m i n e d . 22.c3
( There's no joy for the white king in
22.xb7 xb2+ 23.d1 b1+ 24.c1
g5 ) 22...g5+ 23.b1 b8 with good
counterplay for Black.;
B) 21...b8 22.c7 g5+ 23.d2 c5
24.f4 xf4 25.xf4 e5 26.xe4
and White was in control in Baramidze, D-
Buhmann, R/Bad W oerishofen GER
2008. ]
15...c5! Threatening 16...Ne4. Already
White looks to be in trouble as he has no good
way to resolve the pin on c3. 16.xc5 bxc5
17.a3 a5! 18.axb4 xb4 19.b1 d4
20.c4 fd8!! A move of terrible strength. It
turns out that White is in trouble because of
the weakness of his back rank-the immediate
threat is 21...dxc3 winning at once. In contrast,
the black initiative would have been stymied
after either
[ 20...dxe3 21.xe3 or ]
[ 20...dxc3 21.xc3 ]
21.e1 Berg is obliged to lose vital time, after
which Black can exploit the open d-file. dxc3
22.xd8+ xd8 23.c1
[ Or 23.xc3 d1+ 24.c1 a1+! 25.xa1
xc1# ]
23...d4! 24.xc3
[ If 24.xc3 xc4 25.xc4 a2# ]
24...e4! The black attack unfolds beautifully.
If instead
[ 24...xc4 25.xc4? d5 hoping to mate
on a2 o r win t he que e n, W hit e h a s t h e
defence 26.a3 And so Marinkovic attacks
the c2 square first of all, knowing that if 25.
Rh2 then 25...Rxc4! will then win. ]
25.d2 xd2? Good enough to win in the
end, but more efficient and elegant was
[ 25...d5! when the white queen ends up
overloaded as she can't defend the a-file
and also the bishop on d2. 26.xd5 exd5
when Black threatens mate in two and if
27.a3 ( Or 27.b3 xd2 28.xd2 a2+
29.c1 a1# ) 27...xd2 ( but not
27...xa3 28.bxa3! ) 28.xa5 d1# ]
[ Note that Black has to avoid 25...xc2+?
26.xc2 as the knight on b4 is pinned. ]
26.xd2 xc2+ 27.xc2 xc2 28.xc2
Black managed to exploit his material
advantage despite White's desperate efforts.
a4+ 29.b3 a2+ 30.c3 f2 31.d3
f8 32.f5 exf5 33.gxf5 e1+ 34.c2
f2+ 35.c3 xf5 36.d5 f3+ 37.b2
e7 38.a3 e3 39.a4 g5 40.hxg6
hxg6 41.a5 g5 42.b6 g4 43.c6 e4
44.c7 d4 45.c6
[ 45.xd4 cxd4 46.c6 g3 47.f1 d3
and a pawn queens. ]
45...g3 46.f1 e4 47.xc5 f3 48.h3
c3+
0-1
942 C11
Berg,Emanuel 2474
Radjabov,Teimour 2533
Sigeman & Co (4) 15.06.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 a6 7.e3 b6 8.a3 c6
[ T h e i m m e d i a t e 8...a7 seems less
a c c u r a t e a s W h i t e c a n r e p l y 9.e2!
when the knight joins in the battle for d4
and this key square can also be supported
with c2-c3.Then c6 10.c3 b5 11.dxc5
xc5 12.xc5 xc5 13.ed4 d7 14.d3
looked rather better for White in Gdanski-
Short, 2nd IECC Ohrid 2001. ]
[ Of course if 8...xb2?? 9.a4 ]
9.e2 If
[ 9.e2? here Black can capture on b2. ]
9...a7! A fine retreat-Black wants to play Bc5
without being disturbed by Na4 as occurs after
[ 9...cxd4 10.xd4 c5 11.a4 ]
10.d2
[ As White can no longer play Ne2 to clear
the way for c2-c3 to support his centre,
T im m a n h a s t rie d 10.a2!? I guess the
principle is that one odd move deserves an
odd looking reply! cxd4 11.xd4 c5
12.c3 0-0! 13.b4 b6 14.g4! If Black is
allowed to play f7-f6 then he will have a
good game as the knight on a2 is badly
placed. xd4 15.cxd4 b8! 16.d2 c6
17.d1 d7 18.c3 e7 19.0-0 ac8
20.f3 f5 21.exf6 xf6 22.f2 f5
23.xf5 xf5 with an unclear position and
eventual draw in Timman-Radjabov, Sigman
& Co 2001. ]
10...cxd4 11.xd4 c5 12.d1 0-0 13.0-0
850
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
b5! Black now achieves at least an equal
position, but White is too well centralised to
be in any real danger. 14.f3 b7 15.h3
xd4 16.xd4 f6 17.exf6 xd4+ 18.xd4
xd4+ 19.xd4 xf6 20.a4 bxa4 21.xa4
af8 22.f3 c6 23.b3 b5 24.xb5 axb5
25.c3 c8 26.d2 Radjabov has played all
the thematic moves but there is no win here.
Therefore he forces a draw with a curious
repetition. e5 27.e3
[ Ve ry ba d f or W h it e is 27.fxe5? xf3
28.gxf3 xc3 ]
27...g4 28.f3 e5 29.e3 g4 30.f3
e5
½-½
943
Bladez2
Alefzero
www.teamchess.org
[Neil McDonald]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 g8
Somehow this move order feels more
respectable for Black than 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.
Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Bf8. 5.f4 White decides to play
in the style of the Classical Variation. At first
gl a n c e i t l o o k s a s i f t h i s is a p r e f e r a b l e
version for Black to the usual 1.e4 e6 2. d4 d5
3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4, as the knight can
head from g8 to the f5 square. On the other
hand, Black has wasted time: despite being
maligned for being on the d7 square in the
mainline Classical, the knight has the function
there of supporting a counterattack with c7-c5
and is at least out of the way when it comes
to kingside castling. h6
[ Let's see how the greatest genius of closed
positions handled things as Black: 5...b6
A) Here is a recent game as White by a
2 6 0 0 R u s s i a n G M : 6.f3
( More consistent was 6...d7 planning
7...Ba6. ) 7.e3 a6 8.xa6 xa6
9.e2 b8 10.f2 If Black had played
Qd7 and put his knight on h6, he would
have the option of Bb4 here. Now,
however, he has no way to mobilise his
kingside unless he plays Nf5-but then the
k n ig h t b e c o m e s a vict i m t o g2 -g4 . h5
11.0-0-0 f5 12.g3 c5 13.dxc5 bxc5
14.h3 c6 15.g4 hxg4 16.hxg4 xh1
17.xh1 h6 18.g5 f5 19.h8
Threatening 20.Bxc5. a5 20.g6! fxg6
21.g5 cd4 22.xd4 xd4 23.g4
a6 24.h7 0-0-0 25.xf8 and White
won with his extra piece in Smirnov, A-
Trifonov,P/Ishevsk RUS 2005.;
B) 6.e3 h6 7.f3 d7 8.d2 a6
9.xa6 xa6 Typical Petrosian: both
kn ight s de ve lop e d t o th e e dge of t h e
board. 10.f2!? c5
B1) 11.e2! c4 ( or 11...cxd4 12.xd4
c5 13.g4! keeping the black knight out
of f5. ) 12.h3 b5 13.g4 b4 14.d1
with a slight advantage to White.;
B2) 11.h3? This gives Petrosian the
chance to carry out an instructive
C11 po sit io n a l exch a n ge t o ge t a k n igh t
beautifully centralised on e4. After the
g a m e A r n a s o n s u g g e s t e d cxd4
2005 12.xd4 b4! 13.a3 xc3 14.xc3
c5 15.g4 g8 the knight finds itself
sitting on g8 for the third time, but it is
heading for c6 to exchange itself off for
White's well centralised horse. 16.0-0-0
e7 17.f5 e4 18.f3 c6! 19.xc6
xc6 20.d4 0-0-0 and Black had won
the battle of the minor pieces in Arnason,
J-Pet rosian,T / Ta llinn 198 3, t hough
White managed to hold the draw. ]
6.f3 b6 7.d3
[ Or 7.e3 ]
7...a6 8.g4! An ultra aggressive variant of
t h e s t a n d a r d g 2 - g 4 m o ve . xg4 9.f5
Somehow I don't think Petrosian would have
allowed the position to have been opened as
occurs both here and in the Smirnov game
above. xd3 10.xd3 c6 11.h3 h6
12.xh6 gxh6 13.g1 d7
[ After 13...b4 14.fxe6 fxe6 15.g7
looks highly dangerous for Black, but now
e7? the cage door slams shut on the bishop on
f8. ]
14.a3! 0-0-0 15.f6! Now the bishop is
paralysed, which means the rook on h8 also
remains sitting in the darkness on h8. b7
16.b4 h5 17.g5 h6 18.g2 a5 19.b5 a7
20.h4 c6 21.bxc6+ xc6 22.d2 c8
23.g3 a8 24.a2 c7 25.f3 b5
26.xb5 xb5 27.a4 a6 28.c3!
Not allowing the bishop to slip out to b4. c8
851
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
29.b2 a7 30.b1 d7 31.d1 c4
32.b5 c6 33.b3 a6 34.d2 xa4
35.xb6+ xb6 36.xa4 b5 37.c2 a4
38.f2 a3 39.c4! Black's passed pawn is
visually impressive, but he is playing without
any h elp f rom h is rook. Th eref ore W h it e
allo ws th e b is h op t o e sca pe t h e ne t a n d
closes in for a decisive attack. dxc4 40.xc4
b4 41.xa3 b6 42.c4+ a5 43.e2
[ Quicker was 43.c2 when Black loses his
queen after b8 44.xb4 xb4 45.a2+
b5 ( 45...a4 46.a3 ) 46.b3 ]
43...a6 44.xa6+ xa6 45.c2 a5
46.g7 c8 47.e3 c7 48.d5 exd5 49.e6
b4 50.xd5 c2+ 51.f3 d6 52.e7 c8
53.xf7 b5 54.h7 c5 55.f7
A fine positional display by White.
1-0
944 C11
Bobras,Piotr 2565
Feygin,Michail 2569
Bundesliga 2008-9 (11) 01.02.2009
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5
9.a3 g5!? A fighting move that was
introduced to the top flight by Morozevich:
Black dismantles the white centre. Of course,
this isn't necessarily a good thing, as the
white pieces get open lines with which to
attack the black king, who has lost his best
f r ie n d o n t h e ki n g s id e - t h e p a wn o n g 7 .
10.fxg5
[ Black has the two bishops and a strong
initiative for the pawn after 10.xg5 cxd4
11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4 c5 13.d2 b6
14.d1 ( Black's whole plan rests on the
t a c t ic a l p o in t 14.0-0-0?? e3 ) 14...f6!
15.exf6 xf6 In the following example Black
managed to break open the e-file with lethal
effect: 16.b4 d6 17.d3 0-0 18.f2 e5
19.d1 a7 20.fxe5 xe5 21.f3 d6
22.c4 ( If 22.0-0 g4 with ideas of Bf4 or
Rg7. ) 22...e7+ 23.f1 bxc4 24.xc4
b7 25.a2 a5 26.bxa5 a6+ 27.g1
e2 28.g5+ h8 29.d2 c5 30.h3
xf2+ 0-1 Abhishek, D-Das, A/New Delhi
IND 2009. ]
10...cxd4 11.xd4 cxe5
[ Instead 11...dxe5 leaves a hole on f6, so
the longwinded plan of Nce2, Ng3 and Nh5-
perhaps attacking a bishop that Black has
put on g7- becomes feasible. 12.ce2 b7
( Previously on ChessPub I suggested the
sharp 12...c4 but looking at the position
again I see that W hite can get the
ad va n t age wit h 13.xc6 c7 14.f4!
xc6 15.c3 g8 16.d4 and so on.)
13.g3 h6 with unclear play in Landa, K-
Jacoby, G/Hamburg GER 2007. ]
12.f3!? A paradoxical retreat, as normally
the knight very much enjoys sitting on d4 in
t h e C l a s s i c a l . B u t h e r e t h e r e i s a p a wn
missing from g7, and so White clears the way
to attack with Bd4. There will also appear
ideas of a Nxd5 sacrifice once W hite has
castled queenside. g7 13.xe5 xe5
14.0-0-0 c6! By putting the bishop on g7
and retreating his own knight, Black has taken
the sting out of the Bd4 idea- indeed White
has to address the threat of 15...d4 with a fork.
[ The natural plan of castling kingside leads
to trouble after 14...0-0? 15.e4! b7
16.f6+ xf6 17.gxf6 xf6 18.d4 g7
19.g4! The g pawn will arrive in time to stop
B l a c k c o n s o l i d a t i n g w i t h f 7 - f 6 . fc8
( Black has no joy in the forcing sequence
19...f6 20.g5 f3 21.gxf6 xf6 22.xf6
xd2 23.g1+ f7 24.e5 xf1
25.dxf1+ e8 26.xf8+ xf8 27.g7
c6 28.xh7 when he will suffer trying to
d r a w t h e e n d g a m e .) 20.e2 c4
Giving up the exchange to break the pin.
21.xc4 xc4 22.xg7 xd2 23.xd2
xg7 24.f1 White ground out a win as
follows: c8 25.c3 c7 26.g5 a5 27.c2
c6 28.f4 d7 29.e2 c8 30.d2 f8
31.ef2 e8 32.f6 g7 33.2f4 c7
34.h4 c4 35.fh6 xh4 36.xh4 g6
37.b4 axb4 38.axb4 e5 39.h6+ xg5
40.xh7 f4 41.h4+ f3 42.h6 f4
43.f6+ g5 44.d6 f4 45.d8 c6
46.h4 g4 47.d6 a8 48.a6 b7
49.a7 c6 50.xf7 xh4 51.e7 e4
52.g7 e8 53.e3 h5 54.f4 e2
55.h7+ h5 56.h8 1-0 Kokarev, D-
Vysochin, S/Zvenigorod RUS 2008 ]
15.c5 The obvious response: the black king
is prevented from going to the kingside. Also
852
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Black is denied the option of Rf8, to guard the
f7 pawn- see the next comment. b7 16.e2
The Achilles' Heel of the otherwise brilliant
black centre is the pawn on f7. It stands not
o n l y o n a n o p e n f il e - i t ca n b e a t t a c ke d
frontally by Rhf1- but also on an open
diagonal- White's bishop can go to h5 when,
due to 9...g5, there is no pawn to block it out
with g7-g6. Nevertheless, despite this one
weakness I think Black is at least OK once he
secures queenside castling- his queen and
minor pieces are all well placed and White's
centre is devoid of pawns. c7! Here the
black queen guards f7, clears the way for
queenside castling and will be attacking h2
after White's natural reply.
[ Instead White has the initiative after 16...h6
17.g6 fxg6 18.d3 etc. ]
17.hf1 0-0-0
[ The h2 pawn is distinctly poisoned:
17...xh2? 18.xd5! exd5 ( Or 18...d8
19.e3 etc. ) 19.xd5 c7 20.h5
and Black is soon mated as f7 drops. ]
18.h5 d7 19.f2?
[ A routine move missing all the tactics. It
was better to get the bishop on c5 out of
harm's way and defend h2 with 19.g1 ]
19...xh2?
[ Black could have embarrassed the white
bishop with 19...d4! 20.e2 ( or 20.e4
a5 uncovering an attack on e4.) 20...e5
and c5 and g5 are both hanging. ]
20.g4
[ White must have overlooked that after
20.xf7 d8! his bishop can't be extricated,
for example 21.g6 hxg6 22.xg6 h6+ ]
20...e5
[ It wouldn't have been easy for Black to
e x p l o i t t h e e x t r a p a w n a f t e r 20...xf2
21.xf2 d8 but that's the way he should
have played it. ]
21.de1 xg5+ 22.e3 d8 23.b6 g5+
24.e3 e5 A brave winning attempt rather
than agreeing to a draw after
[ 24...d8 25.b6 ]
25.c5 c7 26.b6 b8? A serious
mistake. Black missed the chance to avoid all
danger with the simplifying
[ 26...xb6! 27.xb6 d4 when the white
queen is trapped. After 28.xc6+ xc6
29.xf7 White will regain the pawn on e6 to
equalise material, but Black would have
slightly the better of it. ]
27.xf7! With the black queen buried on b8,
and moreover taking away a flight square from
her king, Bobras is able to start a lethal attack.
It requires some imagination and courage as
h e m u s t p a r t w i t h h i s o w n q u e e n . f8
Has White fallen for a pin? No, Bobras has it
all worked out, though as we shall see it
seems to have taken too much time on his
clock. 28.xe6! dxf7 29.xf7! xf7
30.xf7 d8 31.xd8! Very well played. At
first glance
[ 31.e8 wins at once due to the threat of
mate on d8, but Black has the unexpected
defence h6+ 32.b1 g5! ]
31...xd8 32.xg7 f4+ and draw agreed.
Evidently the game must have concluded here
in severe time pressure as after
[ 32...f4+ 33.b1 White still stands to win
e.g. f1+ 34.a2 c4+ 35.a1 d4
( 35...f1+ 36.b1 ) 36.f6! e8
to avoid mate on f8. 37.xb7 dxc3 38.xa6
cxb2+ 39.b1 f1+ 40.xb2 and Black
has no more good checks. ]
½-½
945 C11
Bologan,Viktor 2627
Gurevich,Mikhail 2634
Gp B Cap d'Agde FRA (5) 26.10.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e2 e7
This no-nonsense approach to 7.Ne2 was first
essayed by Ivanchuk. Black castles as quickly
as possible and aims for a quick f7-f6. 8.c3
0-0 9.a3
[ An interesting alternative was 9.g3 cxd4
10.cxd4
A) More solid was 10...f5 11.d3 ( After
11.exf6 xf6 12.d3 b6 13.c2 b4+
would be awkward for White.) 11...b6
and we have a line in the Tarrasch 3. ..Nf6,
5.Bd3 variation in which the knight on g3 is
in the way of an attack with Rg1 and g2-
g4.;
B) 10...b6 11.d3 f6 12.a3 a5 13.h4
h8 14.c2 fxe5 15.dxe5 dxe5
853
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Bla ck ha s t o d o so m et h in g in view o f
W hite's escalating attack, but this
sacrifice doesn't altogether convince me.
16.xe5 xe5 17.h5! g6 18.xe5+
f6 19.e2 e5! White has a piece for a
pawn, but as usual it is hard for him to
safeguard his king and coordinate his
pieces. In the game Spraggett got into big
trouble: 20.f2 b5 21.h5 exf4 22.hxg6
g4 23.g7+ xg7 24.xh7+ g8
25.xg7+ xg7 26.d4+ g8 27.xf4
ae8+ 28.e3 xe3+ 29.xe3 e8
30.e4 dxe4 31.b3+ xb3 32.xb3+
g7 33.d1 h8 34.d2 h1 35.c1
e3+ 36.xe3 xd1 37.c5 d7 38.xa5
and White struggled to draw in Spraggett,
K-Dias,P/ Santo Antonio POR 2001. ]
9...a5 10.g3
[ Instead 10.h4 f6! worked out well for Black
in Macieja-Ivanchuk on ChessPub. ]
10...cxd4 11.cxd4
[ If 11.exd4 c5 intending f7-f6. ]
11...f6 12.h3 The modest
[ 12.g2 l o o k s s a f e r , b u t t h e n b6
and White has no effective continuation as if
13.0-0 fxe5 14.fxe5 dxe5 wins a pawn. ]
12...fxe5 13.dxe5 An unnatural recapture but
of course taking back with the f pawn drops
the knight on f3. Mean while if
[ 13.xe6+ h8 14.dxe5 dxe5! 15.xe5
xe6 is excellent for Black. ]
13...b6! Gurevich isn't cowed into defending
e6 with a move like
[ 13...c5 when White completes his
development with 14.0-0 with a good game
for White due to his control of d4. ]
14.c3
[ In all my year s of looking at the French I
can't recall White ever prospering by taking
the pawn on e6 in this type of situation but
maybe W hite should have tried 14.xe6+
h8 15.xd5 Black has a tremendous
attack after dxe5 16.fxe5 xe5 17.xe5
f2+ 18.d2 and now he has to decide on
the best way to keep up his initiative- maybe
f5!? ]
14...dxe5! 15.fxe5 xe5 16.g2 d7
Black has two centre pawns and easy
development, whilst White's king is stuck in
the centre. 17.f1 c4 18.b1 f6 19.d3
ac8 20.g5 Now White loses quickly, but
Black was about to add to the pressure with
Be8 and Bg6. xg5 21.xg5 xf1+ 22.xf1
f8 23.e2 f5 Now the double threat of 24...
Re5 and 24... Rxg5 is decisive. 24.f4 g5
25.xd5 exd5 26.b8 f8
0-1
946 C11
Bologan,Viktor 2658
Luther,Thomas 2580
Aeroflot Open (7) 20.02.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2
[ The alternative discussed in the archives is
8.dxc5 ]
8...0-0 9.g3!? b8! A very useful so-called
'mysterious rook move'. 10.a3?
[ If 10.g2!? b5 gains space on the
queenside. But it soon becomes clear that
White should play like this, as delaying the
development of his kingside leads to
problems. ]
[ Also interesting was 10.h3!? to restrain
the f7-f6 move, and with ideas of a future f4-
f5. b5 ]
10...b6 11.e2 f6! Thanks to 9...Rb8, with its
feint to advance b7-b5, Luther has persuaded
Bologan to misplace his bishop on e2, where it
is not only less effective than on g2 or h3, but
also blocks the regrouping move Ne2. The
German Grandmaster now begins the process
of dismantling the white centre. 12.exf6 xf6
13.d1 g4! An awkward moment for White
who has no wish to allow the exchange of his
dark squared bishop. He therefore retreats it
to g1 but this means that his king has to stay
in the centre. 14.g1 h6! Another cunning
move. The black knight appears to be heading
f o r f 5 t o jo i n i n t h e a t t a c k o n d 4 . W h i t e
prepares to meet this move with Bxf5, but in
doing cuts off his queen and rook's contact
with the d4 square. All is then ready for Black
to stage an e6-e5 break out. 15.d3 d7
16.h3 cxd4 17.xd4 e5! 18.fxe5
[ Horrible for White is 18.xc6 xc6 19.fxe5
d4 20.e4 f7 intending 21...Nxe5 and
then a fork on f3. ]
18...xe5 19.g2 c5 20.e2 g5
854
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

21.xd5 be8 Black has achieved a 13.xd4 b6

complete mobilisation of his pieces against [ 13...a6! 14.xd7 ( 14.e2 xd4 15.xd4
the white king, who is denuded of pawn cover b8 ) 14...xd7 15.xf6 xf6 16.0-0-0
and trapped in the centre. It is therefore no c7 17.g3 c8= ]
wonder that a winning combination suddenly 14.0-0-0 d7 15.e3!?
appears for Black. 22.e3 g6 23.f4 [ 15.he1 gives chances for a slight
xf4! 24.xf4 xd4 25.xd4 c6 26.d5 advantage. ]
[ It is perhaps poetic justice that the white 15...c8
rook on h1 should pay for his idleness after [ Nijboer, F (2564)-Fiebig, T (2405), Belgium
26.f2 f3+ 27.f1 xd4 28.xd4 2008 went 15...e8 16.xf6 xf6 17.xd7
xh1 ] xd7 18.he1 b6 19.d4 g6 20.d3
26...f7 27.0-0 xd5 28.xd5+ xd5 ac8 21.b3 e7 22.g3 f7 23.b5 f8
Black has little trouble putting the extra piece 24.f3 and White was clearly better. ]
to account. 29.b3 hf7 30.d1 g6 31.c1 16.he1?
b7 32.h2 d6 33.b2 e4 34.e1 f7 [ 16.xf6 xf6 17.xd7 xd7 18.g3= ]
35.f3 fg5 36.g2 f8 37.f1 xf1 16...xc3! 17.xc3 xb5 18.xe6 xd4
38.xf1 f3+ 39.g2 e1+ 19.xd4 d7 20.e5 f5?
0-1 [ 20...h4! wins another pawn, and even ]
[ 20...f6 21.g3 f5 keeps some
advantage. Now W hite gains space and
947 C11 creates a balance. ]
Bologan,Viktor 2712 21.g4! g6 22.a4!? c7 23.f5 c8 24.e2
Short,Nigel D 2698 f7 25.d3 d8 26.b3 d7 27.b2
13th Karpov GM (9) 07.10.2012 [ 27.c3 ]
[John Watson] 27...a5 28.de3 b8! 29.f4
[ 29.g5!? xg5 30.g3 c6 31.c3 h6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 32.eg2 d4 33.xg7+ xg7 34.xg7+
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 0-0 xg7 35.g3+ f6 36.h4+ e5
9.d3 A move that was often seen when this 37.xh7 c7 is unclear. ]
syst em was young. It 's certa inly a d irect 29...d4 30.h3?
attempt to punish Black. f5!? [ 30.f3 c6 31.f6 ]
[ In PTF4 I give analysis on 9...c4 and 9...f6! 30...c6 31.g5 b4 32.d2 d3! 33.c4
, which leads to the game after 10 exf 6 h6!?
without allowing any decent alternatives, ] [ 33...d7! ]
10.exf6 34.f6 c6 35.fxg7
[ 10.e2 and ] [ 35.gxh6 ]
[ 10.0-0 are sound continuations. ] 35...hxg5 36.g2 xg7?!
10...xf6 11.b5 cxd4 [ 36...g6 37.xg5 f6+ ]
[ I see only two other games in this position. 37.xg5+ g6 38.g2
B l a c k e q u a l i z e d t h i s y e a r b y 11...db8 [ 38.h7+! xh7 39.h4+ g7 40.xg6+
12.0-0-0 c4!? ( 12...cxd4 13.xd4 xd4 xg6 41.xd8 g2+ 42.b1 g1+= ]
14.xd4 a6 ) 13.xc6 xc6= 14.b1 38...f6+! 39.xf6+ xf6 40.e3 b6
( 14.e5 ) 14...b5!? 15.xb5 ( 15.e5 ) 41.h4!? h6 42.h5 h7 43.e8 a6
15...b8 with plenty of compensation, 44.h8 c5 45.g6+! xg6 46.hxg6 xg6
Nijboer, F (2535) -Geurink, J (2331), Den 47.c3 d2
Bosch NED 2012. ] [ 47...g7 48.b8 d7 49.b7 f5
12.xd4 xd4 50.xd7+ xd7 51.xd3 f6 52.c5 b5
[ In PTF4, I give 12...xd4 13.xd4 a6 53.c6 xc6 54.axb5 xb5+ 55.d4= ]
14.xc6 ( 14.f1 xd4 15.xd4 b8!= ) 48.xd2
14...bxc6 intending ...c5 or in some cases ... [ 48.d8 f7 49.xd2 xb3+ 50.e3
e5 ] c5 51.d6 xa4 52.d7+ g8

855
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
53.d4= ]
48...xb3+ 49.e3 c5 50.b8!? xa4
51.c5?
[ 51.b7 g8 52.d4 f6 53.c7 f7
54.c5 xc5 55.xc5 bxc5+ 56.xc5= ]
51...bxc5 52.b5 Diagram g8?
[ Baburin demonstrates the win with 52...f6!
53.xa5 c2 54.d2 b3
A) 55.b5 e6 ( 55...c4? 56.e3= )
56.a5 d7 57.c2 e5-+;
B) 55.d3 e5 56.b5 d1-+ ]
53.xa5 b3 54.d3= c4+ 55.d4 b2
56.b5 d1 57.b4 f5 58.xc4 xc4
59.xc4
½-½
948 C11
Bologan,Viktor 2650
Volkov,Sergey 2620
ECC Rethymnon GRE (4) 01.10.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 cxd4 7.xd4 c6 8.e3
b6 9.d2 xb2 10.b1 a3 11.b3
[ It is more usual to play 11.b5 first. Then
db8 ( The main alternative is 11...xd4!?
which also leads to obscure play. )
A) Or 12.xc6+ bxc6 13.0-0
A1) 13...c5 which led him into trouble
against Fedorov in an earlier game after
14.b3 a5 15.fb1 b6 16.c1!
xd4 17.xd4 d7 18.f5 exf5 19.e6
fxe6 20.g5 d8 21.xg7 f8
and now 22.a4 would give White a
strong initiative according to Finkel.
Certainly it all looks scary for Black,
though Volkov won after ( 22.e2 e7
etc. in Fedorov-Volkov, Omsk 1996. );
A2) 13...a6 Volkov's improvement on
14.b3 a5 15.xb8 xb8 16.xc6
c7 17.xb8 xb8!? 18.f5 xe5
19.d4 c7 20.e3 c4 with unclear
play in Fedorov-Volkov, Chigorin mem
1997.;
B) 12.f5 b4 13.b3 a5 14.0-0 exf5
15.fb1 f4! 16.xb4 ( The pressure is off
Black after 16.xf4 c5 17.e3 0-0 )
16...fxe3 17.xe3 0-0 18.xc6 xc6
19.b5 a6 20.xd5 and in this position
a draw was agreed but Black looks slightly
better due to W hite's split pawns in
Dolmatov-Volkov, Kstovo 1997. ]
11...a5 12.b5 db8!? This is Volkov pet
idea- and as usual it leads to manic
complications, in which Black is only hanging
on by a thread- but if he does survive then he
wins thanks to his extra material.
[ T h e a l t e r n a t i v e 12...xd4 was still
available. ]
13.0-0 b4 14.a3!?
[ Here 14.f5 transposes to the Dolmatov-
Volkov extract above. ]
14...c5
[ After 14...xc3 15.xc3 0-0 16.xc6
xc6 17.xc6 bxc6 White has a useful
dark square bind- he could even
contemplate the immediate 18.f5 exf5
19.h6!? ]
15.f2! White breaks the pin on his queen's
knight and finds a nice attacking square for
the queen. In contrast to most of the earlier
ga m e s a b o ve , B o l o g a n is n ' t t r yi n g f o r a
knockout blow along the b file. Instead he
avoids a capture on c6, and leaves Black with
a knight out of the game on b8. He hopes that
this will give him a decisive advantage in
firepower once he starts action in the centre.
b6
[ Black cannot castle as he loses a fatal
amount of material after 15...0-0 16.xc6
xe3 ( Or 16...bxc6 17.xc5 cxb5
18.xf8 ) 17.e7+ h8 18.xe3 ]
[ Meanwhile White gets an all out attack after
15...xd4 16.xd4 0-0 17.c5 when f4-f5
is in the offing. ]
16.f5! The long awaited pawn onslaught.
Volkov now fights as hard as always, and out
of the jumble of pieces on the queenside-
including a queen is stalemated on a5- he
manages to put together some sort of
defence. exf5 17.xd5 xd4 18.xd4 e6
19.c4! d7
[ After 19...0-0 the weakness of the g7
square would allow W hite to build up a
decisive attack, perhaps beginning with
20.c5 ]
20.c5 a6 21.b4 d8 Volkov is as slippery
as an eel. He has brought his queen back into
the fight and if now 22.Bxc6 bxc6 looks very
healthy for Black as he can shut out the white
856
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
bishop next move with 23...c5. But Bologan
rises to the occasion. 22.d6! axb5!
[ Volkov gives up his queen as if 22...c8
23.xc6 bxc6 24.e3 is just horrible- all
Black can do is sit and wait while W hite
builds up along the f file or b file. ]
23.c7+ xc7 24.xc7 xc4 25.c3 0-0
[ Obviously not liking 25...xf1 26.xf1 0-0
27.xf5 when if db8 -back again! 28.h3
gives W h ite a very dan gerous kingsid e
attack. ]
26.e1 Now White is winning 'on points' but it
is by no means easy to finish off his solidly
placed opponent. e6 27.b2 b4! 28.axb4
a2 29.b1 fa8 30.b5 d4 31.d3!
2a4 32.d6 h6 33.c7 b6 34.f1 h7
35.d1 a2?? I suspect the score must be
wrong here, and
[ 35...8a5 36.b1 a2 more feasible. ]
36.h1?? Here the game score ends. I
imagine that Black lost on time, as although
he only has two pieces f or a queen he is
actively placed with a potential attack on g2
after say
[ 36.h1 b3 but, of course, ]
[ 36.xd4 just wins on the spot.
Nevertheless, this was an excellent fighting
game! ]
1-0
949 C11
Carlsen,Magnus 2646
Prasca Sosa,Raphael 2448
37th Olympiad (6) 27.05.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4
b6 12.d2! As you would expect, Magnus
Carlsen heads for the sharpest and most
theoretical line. xb2 13.b1 a3 14.b5
xa2 15.d6+ e7! 16.c1! The latest try
for White. It seems somewhat strange to play
so quietly after sacrificing two pawns, but it is
by means easy for Black to escape the
pressure, as his king is more or less
permanently stuck in the centre.
[ 16.b4 contrary to first impressions, only
leads to a draw- you can see why by
checking out ChessPub. ]
16...b6?!
[ I still think the critical line is the untested
16...b2 17.e2 b6!? which stops White
f r o m c a s t l i n g . ( Black comes to grief after
17...c5 18.0-0 b3 19.f5+! exf5
20.b4+ etc. as you can see in Grischuk-
Zvjaginsev which is also on ChessPub.)
18.c4 c5 19.f5 ( If 19.e3 e4 or;
19.cxd5? b3 ) 19...f6 with complications.
It's very risky for Black, of course, but then
two pawns is a lot of material. ]
17.e2 a5 18.c3 f5?!
[ This stops a breakthrough with f4-f5, but the
cure proves worse than the disease.
Perh aps Black sh ould t ough it o ut wit h
18...c5 19.c4 a5 20.xa5 ( 20.c3
a6 ) 20...bxa5 21.cxd5 etc. ]
19.0-0 White completes his development,
which is always a fateful sign for his opponent
in this variation. c5+? A move too late, and
what a dif f erence it makes! The check is
useless now, as it just facilitates the advance
c3-c4 by breaking the a5-d2 pin and putting
the black queen on a square where she might
be exposed to attack after c4xd5. Furthermore,
the white king is happy at being chased to h1,
as clearing the g-file introduces the idea of g4,
g x f 5 a n d R g 1 . 20.h1 f8 21.g4!
It is possible that a computer might be able to
defend Black's position, but a human has little
chance when his centre is crumbling and his
king is caught in the centre. d7 22.gxf5
exf5 23.f3 g6 24.c4! Far better than
taking on d5 with the bishop. The threat of 25.
cxd 5 , o pe n in g t he c-f ile a n d a cqu irin g a
crushing pawn centre, obliges Black to loosen
his defences along the d-file. d4 25.b7!
W inning the d4 pawn. It would have been
sheer madness to take the rook with
[ 25.xa8? as after xa8 followed by 26...
Bc6+, Black would suddenly have
counterplay. ]
25...a3 26.xd4 Now begins the final attack,
which Carlsen handles immaculately. e6
27.a1 b3 28.d6+ f7 29.d5! xd5+
[ If 29...he8 30.d7+ wins the bishop. ]
30.xd5+ e7 31.d6+ e8 32.e6+
e7 33.d6+ It is either mate on f7 or Black
loses a lot of material after
857
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 33.d6+ d8 34.f7+ ] 22.b7 b4+ 23.f2 xb6 24.xb6 c5

1-0 T h i s f o l l o ws m y a n a l ys i s i n t h a t g a m e I
assess this as 'close to equal'. 25.d1 dxc4!?
[ 25...xd4+ 26.xd4 dxc4 27.c3 e7
950 C11 28.xa6 c7= transposes to the game. ]
Caruana,F 2779 26.c3
Agdestein,S 2603 [ 26.xc5! xc5 27.xa6 ]
29th ECC Open 2013 (1.1) 20.10.2013 26...xd4+ 27.xd4 c7 28.xa6 e7
[John Watson] 29.b6 a8 30.e3 a3 31.d2 a5
The play is essentially equal here, although
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 Black should probably take the opportunity to
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 play ...f6 as early as possible. 32.h4!? h5
b6 Once again the 'Nakamura' line. Every [ or 32...f6 ]
month sees some high level games with it, 33.b8 f6 34.exf6+ gxf6 35.g3 e5 36.fxe5
and the evidence seems to be pointing fxe5 37.d5 ca7 38.h8 e8 39.a4 f7
towards equality again, with three draws in 40.b5 xb5 41.axb5 d7+ 42.c2 e4
the latest batch. 9.d2 43.b6
[ 9.a3 is seldom played. Black equalises with [ 43.xe4 g6 ]
c5 ( 9...xb2?? 10.a4 ) 10.a4 a5+ 43...e3 44.a8 g6+
11.c3!? ( 11.c3 b6= ) 11...xd4 [ 44...d6!= ]
12.xd4 xd4 13.xd4 b6 , as in a game 45.c1 f5 46.a5 e6 47.b5 d8
this month which continued 14.b4 xb4 48.d5 e4 49.xe3 d3 50.f5 f6
15.axb4 e7 16.b5 b7 17.d2 hc8 51.b7 xb7 52.xb7 xf5
18.b3 c6 19.a6 c7= Salem, A (2567)- ½-½
Hoang Thanh Trang (2495), Jakarta INA
2013 ]
9...xb2 10.b1 a3 11.b5 xd4 951 C11
12.xd4 a6 13.xd7+ xd7 14.b3 e7 Caruana,F 2796
15.xb7 h4+ 16.f2 d8 This position Fridman,D 2629
has arisen in five games in the Archives, all 41st GM Dortmund GER (9.5) 04.08.2013
from this year. 17.b6 c8 18.c7 d8 [John Watson]
19.d4 a3 This has become the preferred
move. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
[ Another game this month continued 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 b6 8.a4
19...c8 20.c6 h4+ ( 20...e7 a5+ 9.c3 b6 10.d2
21.xc8+ xc8 22.0-0 with a very slight [ 10.a3 ]
advantage.) 21.g3 e7 22.xc8+ xc8 [ 10.e2 ]
23.d2 h5 ( 23...d7 24.b1 e7 25.c5 [ and 10.f2 are dealt with in the game
with the idea 0-0 26.e4! ) 24.b1 h4 Jakovenko-Nepomniachtchi in the
25.a5 d7 ( 25...hxg3 26.b8 d7 Archives. ]
27.hxg3 f6 28.exf6 gxf6 29.xf6 h6 10...c4 11.b4 xb4 In the same game
30.d4 d6 ) 26.b8 e7 27.a4 0-0 Jakovenko-Nepomniachtchi I examined
28.xd7 xd7 29.b7 hxg3 30.hxg3 d8 [ 11...a6 The piece sacrifice is much more
31.xd8 xd8 Ganguly, S (2639)- popular. ]
Batchuluun, T (2529), Jakarta INA 2013 and 12.cxb4 xb4 13.c2 Over the years, this
here 32.a7 was the way to get winning mo ve h a s b e co m e t h e a p p ro ve d c h o ic e .
chances. ] xd2+ 14.xd2 b5 15.c3 b4
20.b1 e7 21.c4 c8 [ 15...b6 16.e2 b4 17.d1 d7 18.0-0
[ 21...b8 22.d2 0-0 23.cxd5 exd5 a4 19.c1 xd1 20.xd1 was clearly
24.0-0 is Leko-Nakamura in the Archives, better for W hite in Gharamian, T (2560)-
when 24...Qe8 was my suggestion. e8 ] Hovhanisian, M (2458), Charleroi 2008 ]

858
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 15...0-0 is another possible order, when and the pawns were too hard to stop in
several games have gone 16.e2 ( 16.f3 Videnova, I (2318)-Muminova, N (2349),
b4 17.d1 ) 16...b4 17.d1 , transposing Mexico City 2012.;
to lines below. ] B) 17...b6 18.f3 f6 19.e3?
16.d1 I don't really understand this position. ( 19.d2 a5 20.0-0 f5?! 21.b1
A wh o l e m i n o r p i e c e in t h e m id d l e g a m e Gaponenko, I (2466)-Sadilek, P (2176),
seems worth more than a few mobile pawns. Lienz AUT 2011; 19.exf6! xf6 20.0-0 a5
But Black has taken on this position many 21.f2 ) 19...fxe5 20.fxe5 xe5
times over the years. 21.dxe5 ( 21.xe5 xd4 ) 21...xe3
[ Another good choice is 16.a4 , to which Picanol Alamany, A (2350)-Ferran Biosca,
Karjakin assigns an '!' and clear advantage. R (2210), Barcelona 1996. ]
Probably that's only a small one, but it's still 17.f3 0-0
a problem for Black. After b6 White has [ 17...a5 18.e2 0-0 19.0-0 a6 20.f2
two tries: a) ( 20.b1! ) 20...fc8 ( 20...b3 21.axb3 cxb3
A) b) Another approach which may yield a 22.b2 xe2 23.xe2 a4 24.b2 fc8
small advantage is 17.e2 0-0 18.g3!? and the pawns are hard to stop) 21.ab1
( 18.b1 a5 19.f3 ) 18...a5 19.g2 ab8 ( 21...b3 ) 22.fc1 h6 Movsesian, S
a7!? ( 19...a7! with the idea ... Nb6 (2700) -Zatonskih, A (2506), Caleta ENG
gives more chances) 20.0-0 a6 21.f3 2012 and 23.d1 c3 24.e3 keeps the
f5 22.h1 ( 22.c2! ) 22...c3 23.c2 advantage. ]
Herrera, I (2483)-Iruzubieta Villaluenga, J 18.a3!?
(2431), Albacete 2002.; [ 18.b1 and ]
B) 17.b5 0-0 18.f3 looks best: f6!? [ 18.e2 are safer, with a small advantage ]
( 18...xe5!? 19.fxe5 d7 20.xb4 18...b3 19.d2 f6 20.h4?!
xb5 21.e2 ) 19.d6? ( 19.b1 fxe5 [ 20.e2 fxe5 21.fxe5 ]
20.fxe5 a5 21.d6 ) 19...fxe5 20.xc8 20...b8
( 20.fxe5 xf3! 21.gxf3 xd4 ) [ 20...fxe5! 21.fxe5 b8 and ...Nc6 with full-
20...axc8 21.xd7 c7 22.a4 e4 fledged play. ]
23.g3? ( 23.g1 xd4 24.c1 xf4 21.h5 a5
25.e2 f2+ 26.d1 ) 23...exf3 [ Now 21...fxe5 can be answered by
24.d1 b3 25.axb3 Stripunsky, A (2495)- 22.xe5 ]
Hmadi, S (2325), Pardubice 1995, and 22.h6 a7 23.c3 c6 24.d1 af7
simply cxb3 would have won quickly. ] 25.exf6 gxf6
16...b6 [ 25...xf6 26.hxg7 xg7 27.g3 ]
[ 16...0-0 17.e2 brings up a big decision 26.g3 h8 27.h3! d8 28.f2 d6
point: 29.he1 f5 30.b2 f6 31.h1
A) 17...f6 18.exf6 ( 18.0-0? b6 19.f3 [ 31.g2 xh6 32.a4! with ideas of Nc5
fxe5 20.fxe5 xe5! 21.xe5?? xd4+ and Ne5. ]
22.h1 xf1+ 23.xf1 xa1-+ 31...xh6 Black is about equal now. 32.g5
Videnova, I (2318)-Muminova, N (2349), g7 33.a4 e7 34.f3 a7
Mexico City 2012) 18...xf6 19.g3 b6 [ 34...b8 35.c5 d7 ]
20.f3 b8 21.e3 c6 22.d1 35.c3
( 22.g4 f8 23.d2 ) 22...a5 23.g4 [ 35.c5 b5 with the idea ...Nd6-e4 ]
f8 24.ge5 xe5 25.xe5 b3 26.axb3 35...d7 36.de1 d6 37.e3 b6 38.d2
cxb3 27.b1? ( 27.c5! xc5 28.dxc5 d6
a4 29.d2! a3 30.c3 b2 31.b3+-; [ 38...c8! 39.g2 d6 ]
27.b2 a4 28.a3 a6 29.g4 ) 39.b2 b6 40.g2 c8! 41.e5 e8
27...a6 ( or 27...a4 28.d3 g6 29.xg6 42.d2 d6 43.ee1 a4 44.g4 fxg4
a7! ) 28.xa6 xa6 29.0-0 ( 29.d7! [ 44...d8! 45.g5 h5 ]
b4+ 30.f2 and Nc5 with some 45.xg4 xh1 46.xh1 f5 47.xf5 xf5=
advantage ) 29...a7 30.f3? a4 48.e3 h5 49.g1 f8 50.f3?! d6

859
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

51.e2 g6 [ 9...cxd4 is the main line recommended in

[ 51...e7! 52.f2 d8 ] Vitiugov's book. There is loads of theory
52.f2 h7?! 53.g5 g8 54.g3 e7? after 10.b4 xb4 11.cxb4 xb4+ 12.d2
[ 54...f7 55.h4 e8 ] xd2+ 13.xd2 with three pawns for a
55.h4 f6?! 56.xh5 c3? 57.h7+ piece. I will try to get to the current state of
xh7 58.xh7 xf4+ 59.xf4 xf4+ theory in a future update. ]
60.e2 e4+ 61.xe4 dxe4 62.d1 e7 10.b4 c7 11.e2
63.g5 [ 11.g3 has been played quite a bit, with one
1-0 main line being e7 12.h3 , for example,
f8 13.0-0 b6 14.g2 d8 15.b2 e7
16.a4 a6 17.d2 a7 18.e2 b5
952 C11 with interesting play, Bologan-Volkov, Sochi
Caruana,F 2779 2006. ]
Ivanchuk,V 2731 11...e7
FIDE GP Paris (6.5) 28.09.2013 [ 11...e7 12.0-0 b8!? was Volkov's
[John Watson] remarkable choice against Salem in Dubai
2002. W hite couldn't make any progress
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 after 13.h4!? g6 14.xg6 hxg6
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 b6 15.g4 c6= ]
[ 7...cxd4 8.xd4 b6 , line I've put 12.0-0 0-0 Volkov has played
perhaps too much time into (but it is being [ 12...f8 and ]
played by super-GMs), is examined again in [ 12...f5 with success, although it seems
Caruana-Agdestein. ] likely that White retains some edge in either
[ 7...e7 is the current 'main line', if there is case. ]
o n e . T h i s m o n t h ' s g a m e A g o p o v - 13.c2
Rombaldoni, W arsaw 2013, illustrates a [ 13.b2 b5 14.a4 bxa4 15.xa4 a5= ]
co m m on 'tra p ' t h at W h it e ca n f a ll in t o , 13...b5 14.c5 xc5 15.dxc5
although perhaps it only leads to equality: [ 15.bxc5 b4 ]
8.d2 0-0 9.e2 a6 10.dxc5 xc5 15...a5 16.a3 d7 17.d4 xd4 18.xd4
11.d4 (this was formerly given a '?') [ 18.cxd4 f6= ]
dxe5! 12.xc6! ( 12.fxe5?! xd4 18...axb4?!
13.xd4? h4+-+ ) 12...xe3 13.xd8 [ 18...a6= has the idea ...Rfa8 ]
xd2+ 14.xd2 c4+ ( 14...g6 15.xf7 19.axb4 xa1 20.xa1 b7 21.a2 c6
xf7 16.g3 d7= ) 15.xc4 dxc4 16.c6!? 22.b1 f5 23.exf6 xf6 24.d1 a8
( 16.xf7 xf7 17.hf1 b5 looks about 25.xa8+ xa8 26.g4 d7 27.h3 e8
even. ) 16...bxc6 17.a4 b8 is very close 28.d2
to equal: 18.c3 b5 ( 18...d8 19.hd1 [ 28.xf6! gxf6 29.f5! destroys Black's
d5 ) 19.he1 c5?! ( 19...d8= ) 20.ad1 pawn structure. If exf5 30.xd5+ e6
( 20.e5 ) 20...b7 21.d7 xg2 22.c7 31.h5! ]
h6 23.xc5 d8 24.g1 h3 25.a4 b6 28...f7 29.e3 xd4 30.xd4 f6?!
26.d7 d6 27.e5 f8 28.xc4 d5 [ 30...h5 31.f3 ]
29.e5 g5 30.d7 xd7 31.xd7 c8+ 31.xf6 gxf6 32.f2 f7 33.e3
32.d2 e5 33.d6 f5 34.xh6 xc2+ The game ends here with Black resigning,
35.d1 xb2 36.xg5+ g6 37.f5 g7 which seems rather early but in any case
38.h3 f6 39.fxg6 1-0 ] W h it e in t en d s K d 4 an d f 5 , which s h o u ld
8.a4 a5+ 9.c3 c4 suffice.
[ We recently looked at 9...b6 in the game 1-0
Caruana-Fridman, which continued 10.d2
c4 11.b4 xb4 12.cxb4 xb4 13.c2
xd2+ 14.xd2 b5 15.c3 b4 ( with
15...b6; and 15...0-0 in notes )]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

953 C11 25.e5 d8 26.h4= Llaneza Vega, M

Caruana,F 2796 (2467)-Kipper, J (2394), Delmenhorst GER
Meier,Geo 2610 2011 ]
41st GM Dortmund GER (7.4) 02.08.2013 [ b) 16.d4 xd4 17.xd4 a5 18.d3
[John Watson] ( 18.h4 a6 19.f5 Fedorov, A (2584)-
Petrov, A (2253), Vladimir 2009 and xf1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 20.hxf1 ac8 is equal ) 18...a6 19.g3
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 fc8 ( 19...xf1 20.xf1 g6 21.f5 exf5
c5 A traditional main line with a reputation 22.xf5 ae8= ) 20.f5 c5 21.d3 b3
for solidity. 9.d2 0-0 We've seen numerous ( 21...xd3 22.cxd3 exf5! 23.e6 g6
games with is unclear) 22.f6 g6?! ( White eats 6 pawns
[ 9...xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 b6 ] in the remarkable line 22...xd3 23.xg7+
10.0-0-0 a6 The main line by a wide margin. h8 24.cxd3 xd3 25.xh7+ xh7
For a couple of games with 26.h4+ g8 27.g3+ f8 28.g7+
[ 10...e7 , see the Archives. ] e8 29.g8+ d7 30.xf7+ c6
11.f2 Of the dozens of games in this line, 31.xe6+ b7 32.xd5+ c6 33.xb3+
we've seen mainly this move, b4 )
[ 11.h4 , and ] A) 23.xa6! bxa2+ ( 23...xa6
[ 11.b3 , with the occasional ] 24.xb3; 23...bxc2+ 24.xc2 xa6
[ 11.b1 . All are worthy of study, and Black 25.d2+- ) 24.a1 xa6 25.d2 d8
needs to know what he's doing. ] 26.h4 f8 27.h5 c7 28.hxg6 fxg6
11...xd4 29.gh3;
[ In the Archives you can find games with B) 23.d2 xd3 24.axb3 a4 25.xd3?
11...xd4 12.xd4 c7 , which is seldom xd3 26.xd3 axb3 27.xb3 a5-+
seen these days but ] Szelag, M (2469) -Lamprecht, F (2389),
[ 11...e7 is quite important. See, for Germany 2007. ]
example, Prijssers-Sengupta. ] 16...a5 17.h5 a4 18.b5?!
12.xd4 b5 13.e3 a5 [ 18.d3 a6 19.f6+! ( 19.g3 g6
[ 13...b4 has been played much more often 20.g5 h8 21.f6 b3! ) 19...gxf6
(again, see several Archives games), when 20.xh7+ xh7 21.h4+ g8 22.g4+= ]
White seems to get a rather small 18...a6 19.xa6 xa6 20.d3 c8 21.c1
advantage, and Black remains within e7 22.d2 b7
drawing range. The queen move stops Na4, [ 22...a3! 23.b3 xe5 24.fxe5 xe5
but might lose time. ] 25.d4 xh5 ]
14.b1 b4 15.e2 c7 Preparing ...a5 and 23.g4 ac6 24.d4 b5
...Ba6. Another approach is to leave the queen [ 24...a3! ]
on a5 in order to support a piece on c5, for 25.f3
example, [ 25.f5!? ]
[ 15...b7 16.d4 fc8 17.d3 ( 17.f5!? ) 25...b3?!
17...c5 18.xc6 xc6 19.xc5 xc5= [ 25...c5 ]
Collins, S (2482)-Daly, C (2340), Bunratty 26.axb3 axb3
IRL 2013. ] [ 26...a6 27.b4 ]
16.g3 This may be a new move. White 27.xb3 c4 28.b4 c5 29.xc5
would like to play Nh5 and attack, but there [ 29.xc4! dxc4 30.a3 ]
may not be enough support to make this 29...xc5 30.xc4 dxc4 31.b7 d5
effective. Here are some other tries: and Black held on to draw: 32.c3 g6 33.f6+
[ a) 16.h4 a5 17.h5 a6 18.d4 xd4 xf6 34.exf6 h5 35.h3 hxg4 36.hxg4 g5
19.xd4 fc8 20.f5 c5 21.xa6 xa6 37.f1 gxf4 38.xf4 8c7 39.b8+ c8
22.f6?! ( 22.xc5 xc5 23.hf1 40.b7 8c7 41.xc7 xc7 42.b3 cxb3
, a b o u t e q u a l) 22...gxf6? ( 22...e4! 43.b2 h7 44.xb3 g6 45.c4 g5
23.f4 gxf6 ) 23.exf6 h8 24.e2 c6 46.f1 c8 47.b4 b8+ 48.a5 c8

861
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

49.b5 b8+ 50.a6 c8 51.c1 xf6 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 fd8 18.e3 b4
52.c5 g5 53.b7 h8 54.c6 f5 55.gxf5 19.axb4 xb4 20.a2 c5 21.e2 b6
exf5 56.c7 f4 57.c8 xc8 58.xc8 f3 ( 21...ac8 ) 22.c3 xb2 23.e4! xe4
59.c6 g4 60.f8 g3 61.xf3+ 24.xe4 b4 25.c4 e7 26.fb1 c5
½-½ 27.h4 h6 28.h2 a7 29.a4 c7
30.d4 c8 31.f5 f6 32.f3 exf5
33.xf5 e8 34.e1 1/2-1/2 (34) Fluvia
954 C11 P o ya t o s , J ( 2 4 7 2 ) - N a rc i so D u b l a n , M
Caruana,Fabiano 2775 (2532)/Sabadell ESP 2011/The W eek in
Meier,Georg 2644 Chess 863 ]
40th GM Dortmund GER (6) 19.07.2012 14...f6!? Normally a good move, and not bad
[John Watson] here, but Black might want to develop first
and see what White intends, e.g., by
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ 14...ac8 ]
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 0-0 15.xc5 Why give up the bishops?
9.e2 a6 [ 15.exf6 xf6 16.d1 is natural. ]
[ 9...b6 has been played quite a bit recently 15...xc5 16.d3 f5
by strong players. I hope to update this [ I like Black here, e.g., 16...d4!? 17.exf6
variation soon. ] xf6 18.xd4 xd4 19.e2 c5 ]
10.0-0 b5 11.a3 b7 12.h1 This move 17.e2 d4 Opening the long diagonal. The
never seems to achieve much, although it semi-waiting
strongly resembles what Karjakin played in a [ 17...ad8 was a way to prepare this. ]
famous game against Carlsen and transposes 18.b4 b6 19.a4 e7! 20.axb5 axb5
in a moment. I don't cover this precise move 21.b1 a2?!
order in PTF4, but do manage to analyse [ 21...a6 is artificial, but how does White
[ 12.d1 (the standard move), ] improve his position and continue protecting
[ 12.dxc5 ] b4? There might follow 22.c3!? ( 22.d2 )
[ 12.ad1 ] 22...fd8 23.cxd4 xd4! 24.fxd4 xd4 ]
[ 12.f5 and ] 22.c1!?
[ 12.d3 ] [ Or 22.d2 ]
12...c7 Carlsen's move (by transposition). 22...a4 23.xb5 xb4 24.d3 xb1
Black has also equalised with the standard 25.xb1 c8
moves [ 25...b8 26.c4 c8 ]
[ 12...c8 and ] 26.c4 a5?
[ 12...b6 ] [ 26...d8! ]
13.dxc5 Probably best. 27.a2 c6 28.g5?
[ 13.ad1 ac8 14.e1 cxd4 15.xd4 Caruana uncharacteristically misses
xd4 16.xd4 c5 17.h4?! xd4 [ 28.b5! with the idea xc2 29.b4 ]
18.xd4 f6! 19.d3 h6 was already good 28...d8??
for Black in the aforementioned game [ 28...h6! , i n t e n d i n g 29.xe6?! h7!
Karjakin, S (2720) -Carlsen, M (2810), Wijk and the knight can't escape! ]
aan Zee 2010. ] 29.b4? Time pressure already? Otherwise
13...xc5 [ 29.xe6+ xe6 30.a2 c8 31.c5!
[ 13...xc5 is also fine, e.g., 14.xc5 xc5 is too easy to miss. It wins. ]
15.e3 b6 ( 15...e7 ) 16.d3 ( 16.b4!? 29...c8 30.xd4 h6 31.f3 xc2
a4 ) 16...h6= ] This is about equal. 32.b4 c6 33.xc6
14.e1 xc6 34.a4 d7 35.d1?! c1! 36.b3
[ 14.d3 xd3 ( Black generally needn't c5 37.d3 xd1+ 38.xd1 b6 39.h3
rush wit h th is, sin ce t he knigh t ma y b e c8! 40.a4 f7 41.h2 e7
deployed elsewhere. An option is 14...ac8 ) In retrospect Black should probably keep his
15.xd3!? ( 15.cxd3 ) 15...d4 ( 15...ac8 ) king off this square. 42.h4 d7 43.d1 b4

862
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

44.d6+! a far-seeing move. White sees that of these knight manoeuvres, I assume that
he can hold the draw. xd6 45.exd6+ xd6 Cheparinov would have prepared the
46.e5 Getting rid of a bishop. c8 47.c4+ advance f4-f5.That would have required a lot
c5 48.xb6 xb6 49.g3 c5 50.f2 of engineering, and Black hasn't given up
d4 on counterattack with c6-c5. In the game,
[ 50...d6 51.e3 e7 52.d4 f6 Karlsson has no wish to suffer a passive
53.c4 g5 doesn't help after 54.fxg5+ hxg5 defence, and wants to get in c6-c5 as soon
55.hxg5+ xg5 56.e5 ] as possible. On the other hand, it is bound
51.b3 e5 52.fxe5 xe5 53.g3 f4 54.d1 to be risky to permit the opening of lines on
g5 55.hxg5 hxg5 56.gxf4+ xf4 57.f3 the queenside when the black rook on h8
g4 58.xg4 1/2-1/2 can't join in the battle any time soon. ]
½-½ 13.axb6 axb6 14.d3 xa1 15.xa1
It looks as if Black is going to be in trouble on
the queenside, but for the moment his knights
955 C11 manage to hold the white rook at bay. c8
Cheparinov,Ivan 2634 16.a4 c5 A bold move when the rook is out
Karlsson,Lars 2472 of the game on h8, but evidently Karlsson
15th ETC Gothenburg SWE (4) 02.08.2005 likes to take risks. 17.dxc5 bxc5 18.b3 e7
[Neil McDonald] 19.h2! The knight heads for g4 where it
introduces threats against the black castled.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 b4 4.e5 f8!? 0-0 20.g4 e8 21.c4 White's pressure is
When you are facing the trainer of Topalov, growing as the black knights have both been
who comes to the game armed with masses of forced onto passive squares on the back rank.
sharp theory a nd a clear, young brain, it [ Or 21.xh6+ gxh6 22.xh6 h8!
makes sense to play the opening like ( 22...g7? 23.g3 and wins. ) 23.xf8
Petrosian. 5.f3 Impressive development by xf8 with unclear play. ]
White, but it shouldn't be forgotten that his 21...f5 Now there will be just enough
k n i gh t s o n c 3 a n d f 3 a r e b l o c k in g p a wn simplification to allow Black to survive. 22.exf6
attacks on the black centre with c2-c4 or f2-f4- xf6 23.g6 xg4 24.xg4 dxc4 25.e5
f5 respectively. [ Not 25.bxc4 d4! hitting a1 and f4 and f2
[ The obvious alternative was to keep open a in some cases. ]
channel of attack with 5.f4 when we have a 25...d6 26.xd6 xd6 27.xc5 f7
s t a n d a rd Cla s sica l ce n t re b u t wit h t h e 28.xe6 cxb3 29.xf7+ xf7 30.xb3 f5
black knight on g8 rather than d7. This line 31.a5 xa5 32.xa5 e4 33.g4 f6
has been discussed in the game Bladez2- 34.f3 g6! clinical defence by Black, who
Alefzero, which also features a game by manages to eliminate all the pawns. 35.hxg6
former World Champion Petrosian. ] g7 36.c6 xg6 37.e5+ g5 38.f7+
5...b6! Karlsson goes about his business of f4 39.xh6 xg4! 40.fxg4 g5 41.g2
exchanging off the light squared bishop. 6.h4! xh6 Holding a draw with Black against a
Denied the chance to attack in the centre, m u c h h i g h e r r a t e d o p p o n e n t i s a g o o d
Cheparinov intends to use his rook's pawns to achievement. Nevertheless, White can claim a
squeeze Black on both sides of the board. moral victory: he managed to win material but
d7 7.h5 h6 8.f4 a6 9.xa6 xa6 it wasn't quite enough to matter.
10.a4! c6 11.0-0 c7 12.a5 e7? ½-½
[ Black could block things up with 12...b5!?
when his position looks ugly but is a tough
nut to crack. Thereafter, White could aim to
put a knight in the hole on c5 with Ne2, Nc1
and Nb3, combined with Ne1 and Nd3 but
then Black always has Na6, adding a
defender to the square. Therefore, instead

863
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
956 C11
Cheparinov,Ivan 2696
Topalov,Veselin 2767
4th M-Tel Masters (3) 10.05.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6!? 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.e2!?
This knight retreat is something of a Topalov
speciality - as you can see in the archives he
used it to beat Morozevich. But in that game
the Bulgarian Super GM was playing White-
whereas now he is on the black side. And his
opponent in his trainer, Cheparinov. e7!?
A simple developing move.
[ Another approach was 8...b5 9.c3 b6
10.g3 b4 11.h3 bxc3 12.bxc3 cxd4
13.cxd4 b4+ 14.f2 a5 Andrenko, I-
Podolchenko, E/Minsk BLR 2007. ]
[ The Topalov-Morozevich game continued
erratically 8...b6 9.c1 g5!? ]
9.c3 White consolidates his centre pawn chain
with a view to expanding on the kingside with
an eventual g4 and f5. 0-0 10.g3 cxd4
11.exd4 c5 12.g2 d7 13.0-0 c8
14.h1 e4 15.xc6 bxc6!? An interesting
decision. The black rook on c8 and bishop on
d7 are denied squares by the recapture with
the pawn. On the other hand, a white knight
can no longer sit with impunity on d4 as is the
case after
[ 15...xc6 16.d4 ]
16.c4! A precise reply that puts pressure on
d5 and so prevents Black from expanding with
c6-c5 and Bc6. Now 16. ..c5? would just lose
a pawn to 17.cxd5. a5 17.c2 g6 18.ad1
c5 19.d4 c7 Black is solid but a little
passive. 20.g4 White decides it is time to
begin a pawn onslaught on the kingside. It
should be good enough for a draw, but no
more. fd8 21.f2 e8 22.f5!? xe5
23.fxe6 xe6 24.xe6 xe6 25.de1
xg4 26.d4?
[ White should force an honourable draw
a g a i n s t h i s B o s s w i t h 26.c5 xc5
27.xe8+! xe8 28.xf7+ h8 29.f6+
g8 30.f7+ and it's perpetual. ]
26...h4! 27.xe7 xe7 28.e1 g5
29.e5?
[ T h e o n l y m o v e w a s 29.h4!
It is understandable that Cheparinov wasn't
thinking about the exchange of queens in
the middle of an attack, but that was the
p a t h t o s a f e t y : f5 ( Not 29...g4??
30.f6 ) 30.xf5 gxf5 31.g1 d6 32.h5!
s t o p p i n g a n i n t e r v e n t i o n w i t h R g 6 . c5
W h i t e t h r e a t e n e d a d i s c o ve r e d c h e c k
combined with Bc5. 33.e5 b6 34.h3+
f8 35.xf5 d8 36.c7 f6 37.xd8
xf5 38.cxd5 xh5+ 39.g2 xd5
40.xa5 and White should draw the
endgame without too much trouble. ]
29...c1+
[ Gaining time on the clock: 29...f5! ]
30.e1 g5 31.e5 f5! It turns ou t that
White cannot land a tactical blow on the dark
squares- in fact his own king soon becomes a
target. 32.h4 g4 33.h2 dxc4 34.h3
d1 35.e1 xd4 Decisive simplification.
36.xd1 xd1 37.f1 f7 38.e2
[ White suffers more material losses after
38.e2 d2 ]
0-1
957 C11
Danin,A 2575
Gleizerov,E 2546
Admiral Niels Juel Cup 2013 (7.1) 25.04.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
b6 9.cb5 a6
[ 9...c5 might be met by 10.c3 a6 11.b4
, when xb4! 12.b1! d3+!? ( 12...axb5
13.cxb4 xd4 14.xd4 a6 15.d3
looks dangerous for Black. There's nothing
defending the kingside) 13.xd3 axb5
14.xb5 ( 14.xb5 a5 ) 14...a7 15.0-0
0-0 is also unclear, but again, I'd prefer not
to have to defend Black's kingside.
( 15...xa2 16.f5! )]
[ 9...xd4 10.xd4 c5 ( 10...c6!?
11.g4!? xc2 12.c3 ) 11.d6+ e7
12.xc5 xc5 13.g4 is messy, e.g., d7
14.0-0-0 ( 14.xg7? b4+ and ... Qxf4)
14...a4 15.b3 e3+ ( 15...c3 ) 16.d2
and:
A) 16...c3 17.d3 b2+ ( 17...e1+
18.d1 );
B) 16...e1+ 17.d1 xd1+ 18.xd1
864
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

c5 19.c4 c6 20.cxd5 xd5 14...xg4 ( 14...d7 15.xf6+ xf6=;

, about =. ] 14...f4+!? 15.b1 d7 16.xf4 xf4
10.f5 c5 11.bd6+ f8 12.h5 d8 17.h3= ) 15.xg4 e5!? ( 15...f7= )
13.xg7 xe3 16.d4 d7 17.he1 xd3+ 18.xd3
[ 13...xg7?? 14.g5+ f8 15.h6+ e7 ac8 19.a3 b5 20.b1 f7=
( 15...g8 16.e8! ) 16.xc5 xc5 Alvarez Pedraza-Moskalenko, Barcelona
( 16...xc5? 17.g5+ ) 17.f6+ d7 2011. ]
18.xh8 xb2 19.d1 and Black seems to 12.b1! This prepares Ne5, since after ...Bd6,
come up short because of W hite's strong if White exchanges knights on c6, ...Bxf4 won't
knight, e.g., xc2 20.e2 c7 21.f1 be with check.
d7 22.f2 b8 23.f1 ] [ Another game from this month went Black's
14.xe6+ way: 12.h4?! a6 and:
[ Or 14.h6 f2+ 15.d1 e7 16.gf5+ A) 13.e5 d6 14.b1 c7
exf5 17.xf5+ e8 18.d6+ e7 ( 14...xe5 15.xe5 xe5 16.xe5 g4
19.f5+ e8 20.d6+= ] 17.h5 f6 18.e5 g4= ) 15.xd7
14...fxe6 xd7 16.xd6 xd6=;
[ 14...e7?? 15.g5+ xe6 ( 15...f6 B) 13.h5 h6 14.h4 b5 15.d2?!
16.g7+ xe6 17.f5+ xe5 18.e7+ ( 15.a3 b4 16.axb4 xb4 17.a2 e7 )
f4 19.g3+ g4 20.e2+ h3 15...b4 16.b1 ( 16.a4 e7 )
21.c4+- ) 16.f5+ xe5 17.e7+ f4 16...e8! 17.e2 ( 17.g4?? e4!
18.d3!+- ] 18.xe4 dxe4-+ ) 17...e7 18.g6
15.e8+ g7 16.e7+ g8 17.g5+ f8 ( 18.dh1 d7 19.bd2 e5 20.g3
18.h6+ g8 19.g5+ f8 20.h6+ g8 f6 ) 18...xg6 ( or 18...e5!
21.g5+ , for example, 19.xe5 xg6 20.hxg6
½-½ ae8 ) 19.hxg6 e4 ( 19...e5! ) 20.e3
xe3+ 21.xe3 xf3!? ( 21...d6 )
22.gxf3 xh4 23.fxe4 d4 24.e2 g5+
958 C11 25.d2 e5 26.b1 f8!?
Danin,A 2595 ( 26...xg6 ) 27.xa6 xg6 28.d6 xf2
Kniest,O 2310 29.xd4 ( 29.xe5 xd2 ) 29...h5=
20th Schloss Open 2014 (3.1) 11.04.2014 Zh o u , Y ( 2 4 8 6 ) -R o b e r s o n , P ( 2 3 7 4 ) ,
[John Watson] Hinckley ENG 2014 ]
12...a6
1.e4 e6 2.c3 [ 12...c8 13.e5 ]
[ The position in the game also arises from 13.e5 xe5
the Classical Steinitz move order 2.d4 d5 [ Or 13...c8= ]
3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f3 c5 ] [ Now 13...d6?? loses to 14.xc6 xc6
2...d5 3.f3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.d4 c5 15.xe6+ ]
6.dxc5 c6 7.f4 xc5 8.d3 f6 9.exf6 14.xe5 b5 15.g4 e8 16.g5 h5 17.f3
xf6 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0-0 d7 A natural d7?!
move. [ 17...e8= is unnatural but correct, in view
[ In PTF4, I recommend 11...a6 in order to of what follows: ]
meet Ne5 with ...Bd6, for example, 12.e5 18.xg7! xg7?
( 12.b1 , as in the game, can be met [ 18...e8! hits g7 and g5 and gives Black
variously, but I like expansion with b5 , e.g., some compensation for the pawn, e. g.,
13.e5 e8; 12.he1 b5! ) 12...d6! 19.h6 c7 20.de1 ( 20.g6! hxg6
pinning the knight and loosening W hite's 21.g2 e5 ) 20...f4 ]
control over e5: 13.g3 ( 13.b1? c7! 19.xe6 White is winning, Qh6+ being the
14.xc6 xf4 15.d4?! e5 is miserable first threat. f6??
for W hite.) 13...c7 14.g4! (simplifying) [ 19...xg5 20.xd7+ f7 21.h4+- ]
(c3) ( 14.f3 d7! 15.he1 b5 )

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

20.xd5! xf3 21.gxf6+ [ 18.h6 g6 19.e3 d8 20.exf6 xf6

1-0 21.d2 provides mutual chances. ]
18...c7
[ 18...c6!? 19.c1 a4 ]
959 C11 19.exf6 xf6 20.c1 d8
Druckenthaner,Andreas 2296 [ 20...e5!? ]
Drozdovskij,Yuri 2625 21.c5
85th Masters (1) 28.12.2009 [ 21.h6 ]
[John Watson] 21...f7 22.f4 e8
[ 22...b6! 23.e3 a5 ]
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 23.d2 e5!? This creates the desired
5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 c6 7.f4 xc5 complications. 24.ce1! e4 25.c3?
This move has long been held to be a [ 25.dxe4! dxe4 26.g3 c6 27.c2
legitimate alternative. The game position can with the idea h4 ( 27...d7! 28.h6 g6 )
also arise via 7...Be7 8 Bd3 Nxc5. Of course, 28.xe4! xe1 29.g5 ]
White can look into another 8th move. 25...xc3! 26.xc3 b5 27.f3!? exf3!
[ For the main line 7...xc5 , see the two 28.xe8+ xe8 29.g3 e2 30.d6??
Gurevich games this month. I'm not going to Black has an edge, but it's not so dire:
go seriously into the theory of 7...Nc5, but [ 30.h6 f6! ]
White should definitely know about it, and [ 30.f2! d4!? 31.c8+ e8 32.c2 h6 ]
Black can at least count upon a solid game if 30...d7! and wins. 31.c5 g2+ 32.f1
he chooses it. ] h3 33.f2 e7
8.d3 In general, I'm not impressed with 0-1
White's game after this.
[ 8.a3 , 8. Be2, and ]
[ 8.b5 are known alternatives there are 960 C11
some examples in the Archives, and Duda,J 2534
especially in the Forum! ] Ivanchuk,V 2731
[ I wonder if 8.e2!? with the idea 0-0-0 is FIDE World Cup 2013 (2.19) 12.08.2013
worth a thought, in the spirit of the [John Watson]
Zakharov line. White could follow 0-0-0 with
Qe3 and Nd4 (Kb1 is also handy), or 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 dxe4
perhaps h4. ] 5.xe4 bd7 6.f3 h6 7.xf6+ xf6
8...e7 9.h4!? 8.e3
[ To avoid 9.0-0 g5 and ] [ A relatively dull draw followed 8.h4 c5
[ 9.d2 xd3+ 10.cxd3?? ( 10.xd3 0-0 9.b5+ d7 10.xd7+ xd7 11.dxc5
11.0-0-0 f6 ) 10...d4 and if the knight moves, ( 11.e2 is more interesting see, for
..Bb4. ] example, Macieja-Laznucka, Pavlovic-Antic,
9...b6 10.0-0 a6 11.b1 d7 Black has a a n d A n a n d - G u r e vi c h i n t h e A r c h i v e s .)
comfortable game, although objectively it's 11...xc5 12.xd7+ xd7 13.d1+ e7
still equal. 12.a3 A) 14.xf6+ gxf6 ( 14...xf6 15.d7 b5
[ 12.e2!? ] is also playable) 15.0-0 ac8 16.c3 b5
12...xd3 13.cxd3 is fine for Black.;
[ Or 13.xd3 h6 and ...0-0. ] B) 14.c3 g5 15.g3 hd8 16.e2 h5
13...0-0 14.b4? 17.e5 f6 18.d3 b6 19.f3 e5
[ 14.e3 c7 15.c1 ] 20.e1 e6 21.g3 f5 22.f2 f6
14...d4! 15.xd4 xd4 16.e2 b6 23.he1 e4 24.c5+ xc5 25.xc5
Now Black's bishop pair are able to gain xd1 26.xd1 exf3+ 27.xf3 e4
activity. 17.h5 f6?! 28.e3 h5 29.d4 c8 30.c4 a6 31.b3
[ 17...h6 is both natural and safer. ] b5 32.e2 bxc4 33.xc4 xc4 34.bxc4
18.e3 d6 35.a3 1/2-1/2 (35) Liu Qingnan

866
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

(2500)-W ang Hao (2747)/Tromso NOR Morozevich. ]

2013 ] 11...dxe5!? Malakhato elects to take with
8...d6 this knight in order to keep up pressure on d4
[ See the Archives for examples of 8...d5and so make it harder for White to carry out a
9.d3 xe3 10.fxe3 , which is equal but knight manoeuvre that proved dangerous in
gives White the centre and unique prospects
the following game:
for an unbalanced game. ] [ 11...cxe5 12.d3 ( instead after
9.d3 b6 10.e2 b7 11.0-0-0 d5 12.e2!? b7 13.h5 e7 14.0-0 g7
12.b1 15.ce2 0-0 16.b3 ac8 17.g3 f5
[ Ivanchuk was on the Black side of another
18.gxf6 xf6 19.h6 White built up a
game in this line: 12.d2 f4 13.xf4
dangerous initiative in Zhang Zhong-Roiz, M/
xf4+ 14.b1 0-0 15.h4 ( 15.e4
Beer Sheva ISR 2005.) 12...b7 13.0-0
might produce a slight edge) c7 14.h1 g7 15.ae1 0-0 16.ce2!
15...d5
16.he1 heading for h5. c4 17.xc4 dxc4 18.g3
Giving up on a direct attack as
there is no good way to get the kingside c3 19.bxc3 ac8 20.h5 the culmination
pawn s rolling. ad8 17.f1 ( 17.e4 ) of White's knight manoeuvre. The threats
17...a5 18.e4 a6 19.d3 b7 20.e4 include 21.Nxg7 Kxg7 22.g6! intending 23.
a6 21.d3 1/2-1/2 Leko-Ivanchuk, Nice Bh6+. xc3 21.xc3 xc3 22.xg7 xe3
FRA 2008. ] ( he has to give up the exchange as if
12...f6 13.d2 0-0 14.e4 e7 15.c3 22...xg7 23.xe6+! fxe6 24.d4+ g6
[ 15.xd6 cxd6 16.c3= ] 25.xc3 and wins. ) 23.xe3 xg7 24.c3
15...f4 16.g3 xe3 17.fxe3 e5 18.he1 and White converted his material advantage
ad8 19.d2?! in Motylev, A-Volkov, S/Moscow RUS 2005 ]
[ 19.c2 with the idea f5 20.f2 ] 12.ce2
19...f6 20.a6 a8 21.c4 fe8 22.b5? [ P e r h a p s c r i t i c a l i s 12.d3!? g7
[ 22.f1! gives the a6 bishop retreat squares
for example
and is only slightly worse for White. ] A) 13.de2? d4! 14.xd4 xd4
22...c6! 23.xc6 15.xd4 xd3+ 16.xd3 xd4
[ 23.a6? exd4 24.cxd4 b5! 25.c1 b8 ] and wins;
23...c8 24.d5 xd5 25.xd5 xc6 B) 13.ce2?! xd3+ 14.cxd3 ( 14.xd3
26.b5 d8 27.e4 cc8 28.a4 e6 e5 ) 14...xd4 15.xd4 ( 15.xd4 e5 )
29.c2 g4 30.f2 h5 31.h4 f3 32.g4 15...e5;
xd1+ 33.xd1 xe3 34.f5 f8 35.d7 C) 13.0-0-0?! xd3+ 14.xd3 e5!?;
f3 36.d3 g1+ 37.c1 xg4
D) 13.0-0 b7 with unclear play. If
A simple game, but at any rate indicative of instead ( 13...xd4?! 14.xd4 f3+
h o w k e e p in g t h e p ie ce s o n ca n p ro d u c e
15.xf3 xd4+ 16.h1 Black has a
opportunities. strong dark squared bishop and a broad
0-1 centre, but W hite has a big lead in
development and a saf er king. I think
Black should avoid the exchanges
961 C11 beginning with 13...Nxd4, as the f7 pawn
Dworakowska,Joanna 2370 becomes more exposed to attack. )]
Malakhatko,Vadim 2556 12...a5?
22nd Open Cappelle la Grande FRA (1) [ I think Black missed a trick which would
[Neil McDonald] ensure him of at least equality: 12...c4!
13.xc6 c7 14.c3 xe3! 15.xe3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 ( not 15.xh8? xc2+ 16.f2 xa1 )
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5 15...xc6 16.d4 c7 etc. ]
9.a3 g5!? The most fighting move. 10.fxg5 13.c3 b4 14.cxb4 xb4 15.c3 d6
cxd4 11.xd4!? 16.e2 b7 17.0-0 c7?
[ Earlier we looked at 11.xd4 in Anand- [ The queen is exposed to attack by either

867
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
rook or knight here. It was better to go all
the way home with 17...d8! ]
18.h1?!
[ Here White had an intriguing sacrifice with
18.f5!? exf5 19.xd5 b8 20.f6+ f8
21.ad1 e7 22.c3 and Black faces
endless pressure. ]
18...a5 19.b3 g6 20.ac1 d8
[ After 20...xh2 21.xd5 g3 22.xe6
fxe6 23.f6+ e7 Black threatens mate on
g2, but W hite gets in first: 24.d7+ f8
25.xh7+ g8 26.f7# ]
21.b4?
[ There was another chance to sacrifice:
21.cb5!! axb5? ( losing, but Black is also
in a bad way after 21...b8 22.b4 or;
21...e5 22.b4 ) 22.xb5+ e7
( 22...f8 23.xe6+ ) 23.f2 and wins. ]
21...c4 Black snatches the chance to
activate his light squared bishop. 22.xc4
dxc4 23.f2 0-0 24.f3 c7 25.a4
ae8 26.b6 c3 27.c5 xc5 28.bxc5
Now the c3 pawn is doomed, which means
that on the queenside W hite will have an
extra passed pawn. However, Dworakowska
proves unable to restrain the dynamism of the
black pieces on the kingside, which can all
focus their power against f3. f6! 29.gxf6 xf6
30.xc3 c6 31.d4? White's efforts to
activate her queen lead to a serious loss of
time. It was essential to bring the wayward
k n i gh t o n b 6 b a ck i n t o t h e g a m e . I n t h e
meantime Black can build up a strong attack,
but the outcome would remain in doubt:
[ 31.c4 ef8 32.d6 e5 33.e1 g7
etc. ]
31...ef8 32.d6 b7 33.g1 e5 34.d1
f4 35.d2
[ If 35.h1 g7 36.g1 g6 37.g3 e4
38.gxf4 exf3 and wins. ]
35...g6 36.g3 e7! 37.xg6+ hxg6
38.b3+ g7 39.c4
[ The g2 square is indefensible as if 39.g3
e2# ( or 39...h3# )]
39...g5 40.f2 h3+ 41.f1 xf2+
0-1
962 C11
Eberl,Hans-Christian 2334
Johansson,Thomas 2493
CL/2012/B2 ICCF 03.02.2013
[Thomas Johansson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.dxc5 0-0
9.d2 xc5!? [jw:] More often
[ 9...xc5 is played, the latest example in the
Archives being Leko-Wang Ho. ]
10.0-0-0 a6
[ [jw:] 10...c7 is played in Nakamura-
Vitiugov in the Archives, a game with a few
notes on other lines. ]
11.f5 This has only been played once before.
[ [jw:] 11.f2 is Sadowski-Johansson and ]
[ 11.b1 is Verhoef-Johansson. ]
11...a5!?N Preferring natural development.
Black has several options of roughly equal
worth according to the engines. As I
remember it, I chose the text move over 11...
Nd7 as I didn't like to "undevelop" the knight
in case white replied with 12.Bf4 when Black's
position is so congested that Be7-b4 will soon
be the only coherent option, even though it
would weaken the dark squares around the
king.
[ 11...e4 (?!) was played in the stem game
12.xe4 dxe4 13.f6 gxf6 ( 13...exf3
14.f2 a5 15.fxe7 e8 16.b1 xe5
17.gxf3 xe7 18.d3 /+/ - ) 14.e1 a5
15.xa5 xa5 16.exf6 xf6 17.d2 e7
Najer, E (2670)-Maslak, K (2521)/Pardubice
2008 (1-0 72) 18.xe4 b5 19.e2 b7
20.d6 d5 21.f5 ]
[ 11...d7 12.f6 ( 12.fxe6?! fxe6 13.f4?
dxe5 14.xe5 xf4; 12.f4!? a5
13.b1!? b4 14.f6 ) 12...gxf6
( 12...b4?? 13.b6! xb6 14.g5 )
13.exf6 xf6 ( 13...xf6 14.h6 g4 )
14.h4 g7 15.b1 h8 16.h5 g8 17.h6
f6 18.f4 b5 ]
[ 11...b6 12.e1 ( 12.f6 gxf6 13.exf6 xf6
14.h4 a7 ) 12...a7 13.b1 ( 13.a3
h8 14.fxe6 xe6 15.b1 d7 16.d4
c7= ) 13...h8 14.g3 exf5 15.xd5 e6
16.f4 ( 16.xe7 xe7 17.g2 d7 )
16...d7 17.g2 ]
[ 11...exf5 12.xd5 e6 13.c4!?
( 13.xe7+ xe7 14.d6 e4 15.xe7
868
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xe7 16.a3 ac8 17.g3 ? ) 13...c8
14.xc5 ( 14.e2 e8 15.b6 d8
16.b1 e4 17.xe6 fxe6 18.xd8 xd8
19.d1 xb6 20.xb6 b4= ) 14...xc5
15.f4 h8 16.b1 a5 17.g5 h6
18.d3 cd8 19.h3 xd5 20.xh6+ gxh6
21.xe6 fxe6 22.xh6+ g8 23.xd5
exd5 24.g6+ h8= ]
12.f6 White was probably happy with a draw
due to the rating difference, as he more or
less forces a drawish ending in the following
moves.
[ 12.b1!? would be the fighting option, after
for example: a4 13.xa4 xa4 14.f6
gxf6 15.exf6 xf6 16.c3!? e5 17.d3 e6
18.c2 g4 19.h3 g3 the chances seem
balanced, even though optically one might
prefer Black. ]
[ 12.f4? exf5 13.a3 e4 14.xe4 dxe4
15.xa5 xa5 16.d4 d8 ]
12...gxf6 13.exf6 xf6 14.xd5
[ 14.f2 a4 ( 14...d7 15.d3 xc3
16.xh7+ xh7 17.h4+ g8= ) 15.xa4
xa4 16.b1 ( 16.d4 g7 17.b1
d7 ) 16...g7
A) 17.d3 b4 18.a3 xd3 19.xd3
A1) 19...d7? 20.d4! xd4
( 20...c6?? 21.g4+- ) 21.g3+ h8
22.xd4+ f6 23.h4;
A2) 19...f6 20.f1 e8;
B) 17.a3 f5 18.c5 e8 19.d3 d7
20.b3 f4 ( 20...b5 21.g1 f4 22.g3
c7 23.g4 f4 24.d3 ) 21.xb7 ab8
22.e3 d6 23.c5 f4= ]
14...b3+! 15.cxb3 xd2+
[ 15...xd5? 16.d3 g7 17.f2 ]
16.xd2 exd5 /= Black's development and
passed d-pawn make up for his scattered
pawns. The pawn is even en prise, but taking
it would give Black serious compensation.
17.c5
[ 17.xd5?! e6 18.c5 ( 18.d2?! b4
19.a3? fc8+ ) 18...e7 19.xc6 bxc6
20.d3 d5 ]
17...e8
[ 17...d8 would not be an improvement as
the rook seems to soon end up on e8
anyway due to Bc5-b6 eventually. ]
18.d3
[ 18.xd5 e6 ( 18...g4 19.c4 ac8
20.b1 e6 21.d2 xc4 22.bxc4 a5
23.d4 xd4 24.xd4 xc4 25.c1 b5= )
19.d2 ac8 20.b1 e5 ( 20...ed8 )
21.xe5 xc5 22.f3 d5 ( 22...f5+
23.d3 xd3+ 24.xd3 e2 25.d2 xd2
26.xd2 e5= ) 23.xd5 xd5 24.d3
e3 25.d1 xf3 26.gxf3 xf3= ]
18...g4!?
[ 18...e6 would also see the pieces get
hoovered off the board in various ways:
19.b1 g7 20.f1 ac8 21.g4 e5
22.xe5 xc5 23.xf7 xf7 24.df2 f8
25.xf6 g6 26.xf8 xd3+ 27.a1 xf1
28.xf1 c2 29.h1 f6 30.b1 f2
31.h4 d4 32.d1 e5 33.g5 e4 34.c1
b5 35.e1+ d3 36.d1+ e3 37.h5
g2 38.h6 d3 39.e1+ d4 40.e7 xg5
41.xh7 g1+ 42.d2 ]
19.f1 (=) With a draw offer which I accepted.
Black may actually have a tiny edge due to the
d-pawn, but if White plays consistently to draw
he should succeed, so it seemed wise to get
rid of a game with black and spend the time
on the remaining ones instead.
[ A test game for another move I was
expecting, illustrates one "annoying" thing
for corr-players wanting to draw, i.e.
sometimes their engine may have higher
ambitions than the players and they end up
losing as a result!:) 19.c2 ad8 20.b1
d4 21.a3 d5 22.b4 a5 23.b3 f5
24.c2 axb4!?
A) 25.xf5 xf5+ 26.a1 bxa3
( 26...a5 27.xd4 b3+ 28.a2 xd2
29.xf6 e6+ 30.a1 e4 31.d4
bxa3 32.bxa3 d6 ) 27.xa3 d3;
B) 25.axb4 d5 26.g1 h5 27.h3 g6
28.xg6 hxg6 29.gd1 ed8 30.e1
8d7 31.d3 g5 32.c2 e7 33.e1
e3 34.a2 c6 35.ce2 f6 36.b3
f7 37.d1 g5 38.ee1 g6 39.a1
d8 40.ed1 c8 41.a3 f5 42.c4
e4 43.e1 d7 44.b5 f5 45.b6
d5+ 46.c5+ f4 47.d3 e5 48.c4
f4 49.dd1 e7 50.b3 c6 51.d3+
f5 52.c5 c8 53.a1 b6 54.f8 c7
55.b5 xb5+ 56.b4 e4 57.ed1 a7
58.a3 xa3+ 59.bxa3 a7 60.c2 f5
61.e1 g4 62.hxg4 g5 63.b3 xg4
64.c2 c6 65.b3 f2 66.c4 g5
67.b3 b5 0-1 Houdini 3-Critter 1.4 ]
½-½
869
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

963 C11 B1) White has a dangerous attack after

Efimenko,Zahar 2616 12...xg5? 13.hxg5 g6 14.g3 ( or
Goloshchapov,Alexander 2555 14.e4!? ) 14...dxe3 15.h2
Bundesliga 2006-7 (12) 17.03.2007 with Bxg6 to follow as necessary.;
[Neil McDonald] B2) A l t e r n a t i v e l y a f t e r 12...dxe3?
13.xe3 the white queen is ready to join
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 in the assault, perhaps with Qe4 at some
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 point.;
[ The battle in the centre that ensues should B3) 12...dxc3! The correct piece to
be compared with that in Shomoev- grab.
Riazantsev, as given in the archives: 8.dxc5 B3a) White can keep the game alive
0-0 9.e2 xc5 10.d2 xe3 11.xe3 with 13.bxc3!? xg5 14.hxg5 g6
f6! 12.exf6 xf6 13.d4 e5! Black is but it's hard to believe he has enough
always trying to make this break out move for the piece.;
work in the Tarrasch pawn structure. 14.fxe5 B3b) Finally White can, and perhaps
g4 15.xg4 xg4 and White was in deep should, grab the pawn on h7:
trouble. ] 13.xh7+!? h8 and now either
8...0-0 9.d3! 14.xc3 or ( 14.bxc3!? maintain the
[ Much more testing than 9.g3 when b8 tension, but I like Black's extra piece! );
turned out very nicely for Black in Bologan- B3c) 13.xc3 xg5 ( Black needn't
Luther- see the archives. ] rush into the exchange of queens,
9...f6 though even then it looks good for him:
[ Leading French expert Mikhail Gurevich has 13...a5?! 14.xa5 xa5 15.xe6
preferred 9...c4 here, followed by a pawn xe5! 16.xh7+ xh7 17.xf8+
rush on the queenside. 10.e2 ( Maybe xf8 18.fxe5 c4 etc. ) 14.hxg5 g6!?
10.f1 to keep the e2 square for the knight if a n d B la ck h a s e xce lle n t ch a n c e s .
it is hit by Rb8 and b5-b4. Meanwhile White ( here again White gets more than he
can expand on the kingside with moves like deserves after 14...a5? 15.xh7+
g2-g3, Bh3 and f4-f5.) 10...b8 11.f5 b5 f7 16.xa5 xa5 17.d1 c4
12.a3 ( The aggressive 12.f6 gxf6 13.h6 18.c1 etc. )]
would have been interesting.) 12...b6 10...xf6! Recapturing with the bishop
13.fxe6 xe6 14.0-0 d7 15.h1 a5 enables Black to dismantle the white centre.
16.f4 b4 17.axb4 axb4 18.d1 b6 11.e2 cxd4 12.xd4 xd4! The correct
a n d B l a c k s t o o d we l l i n V a n D e l f t , M - way to exchange on d4, as it makes possible
Gurevich, M/Hoogeveen NED 2006. ] Black's freeing e6-e5! 13.xd4 e5! 14.xe5
10.exf6 [ T h e n a t u r a l 14.fxe5? loses a piece to
[ When I first analysed this position, I was h4+ ]
c o n c e r n e d a b o u t t h e c r u d e 10.h4?! 14...dxe5 15.fxe5 e6! Black takes time
preparing a sacrifice with Ng5 to get at the out to develop his bishop and prepare a surge
black king. But if he is careful Black has the with d5-d4. The e5 pawn can wait. 16.0-0-0
better chances, perhaps a serious d4 17.b5 d5 18.c4! Efimenko has no
advantage: fxe5! ( not 10...xd4 11.xd4 choice but to return the pawn in order to
cxd4 12.xd4 c5 guarding e6. 13.0-0-0 keeps Black's initiative under control. xe5
and White has completed his attacking build 19.he1 c5 20.xd4! White does best to
up. ) bail out with a draw. If
A) After 11.fxe5 Black has a rather [ 20.c7? xc4 21.c2 g5+ 22.d2
p l e a s a n t c h o i c e b e t we e n g r a b b i n g a ( not 22.b1? xa2+! ) 22...xd2+
centre pawn or two pieces f or a rook: 23.xd2? ( He h a s t o e n d u r e 23.xd2
xf3!? ( or 11...cxd4 12.xd4 dxe5 ) xe2 24.xe2 ac8 ) 23...xe2 24.xa8
12.gxf3 cxd4 etc.; d3! 25.c7 c8
B) 11.dxe5 d4 12.g5 A) Or 26.b5 b4+ 27.b1 c2!

870
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
28.xc2? dxc2+ 29.c1 ( 29.a1 d1! )
29...d3+ 30.xc2 xe1+ 31.d2 xb5
and Black wins a piece.;
B) 26.d5 b4+ 27.c3 xa2+
28.b1 xc3+ 29.bxc3 xc3 and Black
has a winning endgame. ]
[ After the game move it might end in a draw
by repetition with 20.xd4 xc4 21.c2
g5+ 22.d2 c5 23.c2 etc. ]
½-½
964 C11
Estrada Nieto,Julian
Lim,D
American Continental 2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2
[ Black can also play the Ne4 idea against
3.c3 i.e. f6 4.e5 e4 but after
5.ce2!? he has to make sure the knight
has an adequate retreat from e4 if
necessary, so that it isn't suddenly attacked
by f2-f3 with no way out, for example c5??
a very natural move, but necessary is ( 5...f6
when the knight can retreat all the way back
to f7 via g5 if necessary.) 6.f3 g5 7.h4
and it's good night to the knight! ]
3...f6
[ A n o t h e r N e 4 i d e a i s s e e n a f t e r 3...c5
4.gf3 f6 5.e5 e4!? A Tarrasch 3. ..c5
player is no doubt happy to avoid being
dragged into 3...Nf6 territory after Things
worked out quite well f or Black af ter
( 5...fd7 6.c3 c6 7.d3 b6 8.0-0
with a highly theoretical position.) 6.d3
( Perhaps a better approach for White is
6.c3!? keeping his centre intact.) 6...xd2
7.xd2 cxd4 8.xd4 c6 9.xc6 bxc6
10.0-0 b8 11.b4 e7 12.b1 g6 13.e2
0-0 14.g3 c5 in J.Emms-D.King, Staunton
Memorial, London 2003. ]
4.e5 e4 5.xe4 dxe4 6.c4 With this
simple developing move W hite plans Ne2
without blocking in his bishop, and then 0-0,
c2-c3 or Be3, or whatever other defensive
measures are required to defend d4, and then
he will be ready to pick off the isolated pawn
on e4 with Ng3 or Re1 or a queen move to c2
or g4. c5! In view of the long term threat to e4,
it is essential that Black counterattack
energetically against d4. 7.d5 White changes
plan as if
[ 7.c3 cxd4 8.cxd4 b4+ is awkward, e.g.
9.d2 xd4! 10.xb4!? ( Not 10.a4+?
c6 11.xb4 xc4 ) 10...xc4 11.d6
c6 12.e2 when White's compensation
for the pawn is unconvincing. ]
7...d7! Black continues to play dynamically
as
[ 7...exd5? 8.xd5 xd5 9.xd5
leaves the pawn on e4 doomed. ]
8.dxe6 fxe6 9.xe6 xe5 10.xd8+
[ White has nothing after 10.h5+ g6 ]
10...xd8 11.g5+ e7 12.0-0-0+?
[ White continues to play aggressively, but it
ends in disaster. Black has a lead in
development and the king in the centre
could even prove an asset af ter 12.xc8
xc8 but this is how White should play. ]
12...d3+! A stunning counter check! 13.b1
[ White loses a piece after 13.cxd3 xg5+
14.b1 xe6 ]
13...xe6 14.xe7+ xe7 15.cxd3 exd3
16.f3 White remains a passed pawn down
as if
[ 16.xd3 f5 The rest is fairly
straightforward. ]
16...f6 17.he1 he8 18.e5 c4 19.h5
h6 20.b5 b6 21.d4 ad8 22.c6
This leads to the knight being trapped, but all
real hope was gone anyway. d7! 23.xd8
xb5 24.b7 a6 25.d6 e6
0-1
965 C11
Feco,Ján 2426
Johansson,Thomas 2493
CL/2012/B2 ICCF 24.11.2012
[Thomas Johansson]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.e2
Last month we looked at games with dxc5.
The vast majority of games include Qd2 here
or on the next move, but White skips that in
this game. For many, many games with 8 Qd2
or 9 Qd2, see the Archives, as well as this
month's game Poli-Johansson. Tomas also
has an example in the next note. 0-0
871
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ [jw: If Black is trying to react uniquely to 8
Be2 (and 9 0-0 instead of 9 Qd2), he can
start with 8...a6 9.0-0 b5 , as in Kogan-
Bruno in the Archives. Or ]
[ 8...b6 , which is being played in a variety of
positions these days. ]
9.0-0 I don't see why White would play this
move unless he wanted to draw the game
from the beginning. However, my opponent
had a great tournament, with 71/2 of 12 and a
SIM norm. In another game in the tm he chose
to transpose back to the mainlines with 9.Qd2,
as can be seen below.
[ 9.d2 a6 ( jw: For 9...b6 , see Poli-
Johansson from this month) 10.0-0 b5
11.a3 b6 ( Maybe Black should keep b6
open for the knight with for example
11...b7!? ) 12.d1 b7 13.c3 a5
14.c2 f5 15.f2 ac8 16.dxc5 xc5
17.b4 xf2+ 18.xf2 c4 19.d4 b8
20.a4 c6 21.b3 d4 22.c5 dxc3
23.xc3 xb4 24.d7 d8 25.xf8 xf8
26.axb5 axb5 27.b1 d5 28.d4 a3
29.b2 b4 30.h3 h6 31.e3 xe3
32.xe3 d5 33.d4 c4 34.c2 b3
35.xc4 xc4 36.xc4 b4 37.f1 xc4
38.xc4 xc4 39.d1 f7 40.f2 d5
41.d4 e7 42.b4 d7 43.e2 c6
44.d2 c7 45.h4 g6 46.c1 c6
47.b8 c5 48.g3 d4 49.b2 e4
50.g8 f3 51.xg6 h5 52.g5 f2
53.xh5 xg3 54.xf5 exf5 55.h5 xf4
56.h6 xe5 57.h7 e4 58.h8+-
Feco, J (2426)-Eberl, H (2334)/ICCF 2012
(1-0 65) ]
9...f6! This seems to equalise immediately.
10.exf6 xf6 11.h1 d6!? 12.dxc5
[ 12.e5 has also been played. Black
sh o u ld b e o k ay b u t n e e d s t o a void t h e
temptation of a safe but passive position.
cxd4 13.xd4
A) 13...a6 14.f3 c7 15.e1 xd4
16.xd4 g6 ( 16...b5 17.d3 b8 )
17.e2 c5 18.d3 g7 19.ae1 b5
20.a3 b7 21.d2 ae8 22.d3 d6
23.e3 e7 24.d4 c8? 25.xd5!
Oparin, G (2488)-Ghosh, D (2417)/Athens
GRE 2012 (1-0 47);
B) 13...e7 14.f3 a6 15.e1 c7
Black is a f ull tempo behind the game
above, but seems quite alright anyway!
16.g3 ( 16.a4 ) 16...xd4 17.xd4 b5
18.d3 b8 19.e3 e8 20.e2 b7
21.d4 e4 22.e2 b4 23.d1 e7
24.g1 f8 25.f1 b6 26.g2 h8
27.ee1 c8 28.d1 g5 29.h1 gxf4
30.gxf4 f7 31.g2 f6 32.e5 c7
33.d3 g7 34.h3 xc2! 35.f3
( 35.xc2? d4-+ ) 35...c8 36.g1 h6-+
37.e1 cf8 38.e3 e8 39.a3 a5
40.axb4 axb4 41.g2 e5 42.fxe5 xe3
43.xe3 xe5 44.f3 xf3 45.xf3 e7
46.fe1 b3 47.g1 c7 48.g4 b6+
49.g2 e3 50.h4 d4 51.g4 d2+
52.g3 f1+ 53.h3 g5 54.h5 e3+
55.f3 xf3 56.xg5 e4+ 0-1 Bucsa, I
(2270)-Voiculescu, C (2520)/ICCF 2009 ]
12...g4 13.g5 xe3 14.d3 f5
15.xe3 xf4 16.xf4 xg5 17.af1 d7
(=) Over the board one would even be
tempted to give Black the edge here due to
the centre pawns, but in corr with tablebases
activated everything seem to soon be "0.00"
and stay that way until a draw is a fact. I didn't
see any real improvements on the stem game
below and saw no reason to repeat it.
[ 17...d7 18.h4 h6 19.g3 xf4 ( jw:
19...e7 20.g4 xf4 21.xf4 g6
22.b4! xh4 23.g1 ) 20.xf4 a6 ( jw:
20...e5 and ..Be6 looks more promising)
21.h2 e5 22.f1 e6 23.g4 g6
24.xe6+ xe6 25.h3 xh3+ 26.xh3
d4 27.e4 f8 28.xf8+ xf8 29.g4
e7 30.c4 a5 31.h5 g6 32.hxg6 hxg6
33.f3 b4 34.f2 e6 35.e4 a4
36.a3 c6 37.g4 e7 38.h2 a5
39.f3 xc4 40.d5 xb2 41.xe5 d3
42.f3 d1 43.e4 c3+ 44.xd3 b5
45.e5 xa3 46.xg6+ e6 47.f4+
e5 48.e2 b5 49.c4 a3 50.c3
1/2-1/2 Haraldsson, H (2394)-Skripko, P
(2383)/ICCF 2009/OM Corr 1112 ]
½-½
872
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

966 C11 c8 16.d1 e7 with the idea ...Nf5 could
Fedorov,Alex 2562 follow. ]
Ibragimov,I 2539 14.g1!? A new move, but nothing special.
Corporation Centre Cup A (4.1) 18.07.2012 [ 14.a3 c7 15.e1 Kosintseva-I Rajlich,
[John Watson] Novi Sad 2009 and instead of releasing the
ce n t ra l t e n sio n b y 1 5 . . . c4 , K o s i n t s e v a
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 suggests ae8 when I give the hypothetical
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 0-0 line 16.h4 cxd4 ( 16...d6; 16...g6!? )
9.e2 b6 10.0-0 f6 17.xd4 e4 18.h3 xd4 19.xd4
[ 10...f5 11 exf6 transposes, but White can f6 ]
also play 11.d1 , and ] 14...d6?!
[ 10...b7 is a good option, approved by [ In PTF4 I suggest 14...d6 ]
Moskalenko, that waits a bit before 15.dxc5! Giving up the centre, but White has
committing to a plan and asks White what concrete attacking ideas. bxc5 16.g5 e8
he's doing. We saw some examples of this [ 16...c8 is ugly, but not bad, with the idea
in the notes to Perunovic-Sedlak (Archives) 17.ae1 c4 18.e2 h6 19.f3 b4 ]
and this month's game Sivuk-Volkov, 17.fe1
P a l e o c h o r a 2 0 1 2 wa s e q u a l f o l l o w i n g [ 17.ae1 c8 ( 17...c4 18.xe6!? xe6
11.d1 a5 ( 11...cxd4 12.xd4 xd4 19.xe6 cxd3 20.xd3 is unclear and
13.xd4 c5= ) 12.a4 a6 13.xa6 xa6 probably what White was trying to avoid. )]
.] 17...d4?!
11.exf6 The main move. My book covers [ 17...c4 18.f1 c8 19.f5! ]
[ 11.dxc5 and ] 18.a4! b8 19.c3?
[ 11.d1 ] [ 19.h3 has the idea c6 20.xc5! xc5
11...xf6 12.h1 Making room on g1 for the 21.c3 , forcing f3 22.gxf3 xg1
e3 bishop in case of ...Ng4, as well as 23.xg1 ]
clearing the g1-a7 diagonal from potential [ Or 19.xd4! cxd4 20.xe6 c6 21.ac5
pins. xc5 22.xc5 xb2 23.f5 ]
[ 12.b5 is seen in Baramidze-Berczes in 19...b5! 20.xb5 d4! 21.h3
the Archives, also analysed in PTF4. ] [ 21.xe8! dxc3 22.f7+ h8 23.xe6
12...b7 12... Qc7 has also been played here, xg2+! 24.xg2 b7+ 25.h3 f8 ]
and 12...a6 is also useful. Instead, 21...axb5 22.xe6 h6 23.xf6
[ the move 12...c4 seems a little odd to me, [ 23.b6 hxg5 24.fxg5 h5! 25.g6 xg2+!
releasing the pressure, but Black hung in 26.xg2 ( 26.xg2?? f4+ ) 26...xe6
there in with only a small disadvantage in 27.xa8 xa8+ 28.xa8 e2 ]
t h is m o n t h ' s g a m e R a s m u s se n - H il la r p 23...hxg5 24.b6??
P e r s s o n , H e l s i n g o r D E N 2 0 1 2 : 13.e5 [ 24.xc5! xc5 25.b3+ h7 26.h3+
( 13.a3 ) 13...b7 14.f3 b4! 15.a3 a5 g8 27.b3+= ]
16.b4!? cxb3 17.cxb3 xc3 18.xc3 c8 24...e2 25.f2 gxf6 26.d7 d8 27.f5
19.b2 e7 20.g4?! ( 20.ac1 ) 20...e4 g7
21.ac1 c6! 22.g2 xe5 ( 22...h4!? ) 0-1
23.xc8 xc8 24.dxe5 c5 25.g3
e4+ 26.g2 c5 27.g3 e4+
1/2-1/2 ] 967 C11
13.d3 a6 A nice description from Fedorov,Alexei 2589
Kosintseva: "Black intends the central setup ... Akopian,Vladimir 2680
Qc7/...Qd6, ...Rae8, followed by ...Ng4, so Aeroflot Open (7) 09.02.2002
White cannot afford to play casually" [Neil McDonald]
[ 13...c4 14.e2 b4 is similar to the Hillarp
Persson game, but more effective, since ... 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
Ne4 has no easy answer. Perhaps 15.c1 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4

873
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.h4 xd4
12.xd4 b5 13.h3 b4 14.a4 xd4
15.xd4 a5 Here
[ 15...f6 is of course a controversial
alternative. ]
16.b5 To prevent Ba6. b8
[ If 16...a6? 17.xd7 xd7 18.b6
winning the exchange. ]
17.d3 c7!?
[ Or 17...b7 18.f5! c6 ( here 18...c7
19.e1 turned out well for White in Fedorov,
A-Korchnoi as given on ChessPub.) 19.c5
( Personally if I was Black I would be afraid
of being wiped out by a sacrificial line such
as 19.f6 xa4 20.g3 g6 21.h5 )
19...xc5 20.xc5 b6 21.xb6 ( Instead
21.e7 d8 22.c5 b6
was an immediate draw in Perunovic,M-
Kalezic,B/Novi Sad 2000.) 21...xb6 22.f3
c8 23.fxe6 fxe6 24.f4 b5 25.d2
xd3 26.cxd3 bc6 27.e3 f8 28.xf8+
xf8 29.f1+ e7 30.d2 and Black held
the balance in Marjanovic,S-Antic,D/
Subotica 2000. ]
18.h5
[ Or 18.e1 c6 ( 18...b7
transposes to the Fedorov-Korchnoi game
c i t e d i n t h e p r e v i o u s n o t e .)
As in th e n o te to 17 . .. B b7 ab o ve , h e re
extreme wildness with ( 19.f5 xa4 20.f6
f o l lo we d b y Rg 3 a n d h 4 -h 5 e t c. wo u l d
c e r t a i n l y f r i g h t e n m e i f I w e r e B l a c k .)
19...a6 20.xa6 xa6 21.h5 fc8 22.f5
c6 23.e2 c5 24.f6 e4 25.fxg7 h6
26.f3 b7 27.e3 xg7 28.f4 bc7
29.g4+ h7 and Black was in control
thanks to his far superior knight and
pressure along the c file in Sedlak,N-Antic,
D/Subotica 2000. ]
18...b7
[ T h e p l a n o f 18...c6
( Maybe Fedorov was going to speculate
with 19.f5!? xa4 20.f6 ) 19...a6
is still possible here. ]
19.e3 c6 20.c5 xc5 21.xc5 fc8
22.f5 b5! and a draw was agreed. Black has
sufficient pressure on the queenside to offset
White's space advantage on the king's wing.
½-½
968 C11
Fedorov,Alexei 2659
Kortschnoj,Viktor 2676
Eu Team Ch Batumi GEO (8) 06.12.1999
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 cxd4
9.xd4 c5 10.0-0-0 0-0 11.h4 xd4
12.xd4 b5 13.h3 b4 14.a4! White does
best to block the black queenside pawns, as
[ 14.e2 a5 15.e3 c7 16.xc5 xc5
17.d4 a4 18.b1 a3 gave Black a strong
attack in Polgar-Shirov, Match 1999. ]
14...xd4 15.xd4 a5 Here
[ 15...f6? 16.xb4 fxe5 17.d6! f6
23.e7 18.f5! h6+ 19.b1 xf5 20.f3 xf3
21.gxf3 f6 22.h3 f7 23.c4!
gave White an overwhelming attack in the
game Kasparov-Short, Amsterdam 1994.
Another alternative is ]
[ 15...a5 but then 16.b3 b7 17.c3!
an idea first seen in Nijboer-Luther,
Leeuwarden 1992, has been shown to give
White at least a slight positional edge, e.g.
19.f5 fc8 18.b2 bxc3+ 19.xc3 xc3
20.xc3 xc3+ 21.xc3
19.b3 with an unpleasant endgame for Black. ]
16.b5! The best pl an is to rule out 16...Ba6
which would ease Black's game considerably
by exchanging bishops. b8
[ Of course not 16...a6? 17.xd7 xd7
18.b6 winning the exchange. ]
17.d3 So White has taken two moves to get
his bishop to d3, but on the other hand ...Ba6
has been frustrated. b7 18.f5! Instead after
the transposition 17...Qc7 18 Re1 Bb7 the
slower 19 g4 was played in Fogarasi-Luther,
Kecskemet 1993. Fedorov's move is much
more dangerous. The threat of a kingside
19.b3 attack bullies Black into accepting a bad
endgame. c7 19.e1 exf5 In the Luther
game mentioned above with the pawn
advance g4 rather than f5, Black had time to
play Qc6, attacking the knight on a4, when b3
was answered by Ba6. Here, however,
[ 19...c6 c a n b e i g n o r e d w i t h 20.f6!
when a spectacular finish would be xa4?!
21.g4 g6 22.g5 h8 23.h6 g8
24.h5 f8 25.hxg6 fxg6 26.xh7+!! xh7
27.xh7+ xh7 28.h1# ]
874
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

20.xf5 c6 21.c5 xc5 22.xc5 fe8 on a knife edge, but he does have an extra
23.he3 b6 24.xb6 xb6 25.e6! centre pawn.;
Now W hite has serious winning chances in B) 14.c3 a strange looking move, but
view of the serious weakness on d5 and his now Black has to act fast or else 15. Qg3
better co-ordinated pieces. g6 26.exf7+ is just good for W hite. xe5 ( disaster
xf7 27.e6+ g7 28.g4 bb8 29.d2 follows 14...xe5? 15.c6 xc6
e4 30.f3! xe3 31.xe3 f6 32.g4 16.xg7 ) 15.xe5 xe5 16.xb5 h4+
e8 33.f3+ e7 34.f4 d6 35.f3 e7 17.d1 axb5 18.xb5+ d7 19.xe5
36.f6+ e6? This leads to simplification into g8 20.xd7+ xd7 White is a pawn up,
a losing endgame. but his practical difficulties are enormous
[ 36...c5 was a good chance to resist. ] as the black rooks are much more active. ]
37.f7! White desires the exchange of rooks 11.fg1 With the intention of h2-h3 which in
in such a way that Black's king is kept out of both the available games with 10.Ne2 Black
the e5 square. e7?! Losing, but has anticipated but with different pawn moves.
[ 37...h5 38.a7 was also pretty hopeless. ] h5
38.xe7 xe7 39.e3 a4 40.c3 bxc3 [ Or 11...f5 12.h3 g3 13.f3 cxd4
41.bxc3 d6 42.d4 c6 43.g3! 14.exd4 Already it's clear that something
Sooner or later Black will run out of pawn has gone horribly wrong for Black. W hite
moves, when the d5 pawn will be lost. h6 can readily develop his pieces and has a
44.g2 g5 45.hxg5 hxg5 46.f3 solid centre, whereas Black has nothing to
Zugzwang. b7 47.c4 c8 48.xd5 g4 show for his escapade with 9.. .g5 but a
49.c5+ c7 50.e5 e2 51.f5 g4 weak pawn on g3. Besides, where is the
52.f4 d7 53.a3 d1 54.e4 c7 black king e ve r going t o be saf e ? xd4
55.f5 c6 56.xg4 a4 57.e5 xc5 15.xd4 c5 16.e2 e4 ( Or 16...h5
58.e6 Fedorov is known as a dangerous 17.d1 h4 18.h5+ ) 17.h5+ d7
at t a c k in g p la ye r, b u t h e a lso p o sse sse s 18.e2 c5 19.b3 xe3 20.xe3 c7
excellent endgame technique. 21.0-0 b7 22.f3 f2 23.c5+ e7
1-0 24.b4 h5 25.a4! There is only one way for
W hite to break open lines, but it is good
enough to win the game. h4 26.d4 hc8
969 C11 27.axb5 axb5 28.xa8 xa8 29.a1 b8
Fedorov,Alexei 2617 30.a5 xa5 31.bxa5 a7 32.xe6! a6
Podolchenko,Evgeniy 2270 33.g5 xa5 34.c5+ d8 35.e6+
Inautomarket Open (8) 17.07.2006 d7 36.d6+ c8 37.f8+ d7 38.c5+
[Neil McDonald] 1-0 Cvek, R-Akobian, V/Turin ITA 2006. ]
12.h3 g8 13.hxg4 hxg4 14.dxc5 xc5
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 15.d4 Black hasn't managed to obstruct
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5 White's development in any meaningful way,
9.a3 g5 10.e2!? This is a new and and meanwhile he has had to hand over the h-
important alternative to file to the white rook. xd4 16.xd4 b6
[ 10.fxg5 or ] 17.e2 b7 18.h7! xd4 As in the
[ 10.xg5 both of which have been analysed Akobian extract above, Black proves unable
on ChessPub. ] t o s a f e g u a rd h is k in g a n d lo o k a f t e r h i s
10...g4 It looks sensible to drive the white kingside pawns. Thus if
knight back to g1, but perhaps Black should [ 18...0-0-0 19.xf7 or ]
investigate [ 18...f8 p r e p a r i n g 0 - 0 - 0 19.g7
[ 10...gxf4 f o r e x a m p l e 11.xf4 cxd4 and the g4 pawn is doomed. ]
12.exd4 xd4 13.xd4 g7 19.xd4 c5 20.b4 c6 21.d3 a5
A) if 14.e3 c7 15.e2 xe5 16.h5 22.d2 d7 23.e2! c8 24.ah1 xd3
0-0 ( not 16...xf4? 17.xe6+ d8 25.xd3 c4 26.h8! Black pays a heavy
18.c6+ ) 17.h6 g7 and Black is living price for his failure to get his rooks working

875
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

together. xh8 27.xh8+ e7 28.h7 e8 W hite definite compensation but not
[ Or 28...xd4 29.h4+ and mate next necessarily any advantage;
move. ] B) 13...g4 14.fd4 ( 14.f4 gxf3!?
29.g8 c8 30.f5! 15.xe6 is also examined 14...Qb6 looks
[ W hite wins a pie ce af te r 30.f5 exf5 better ) 14...cxe5 15.f4 f6
( 30...xd4 31.f8+ d7 32.d6# ) , with an unclear mess. ]
31.f8+ d7 32.e6+ c7 ( 32...fxe6 9.exf6 xf6
33.h7+ d8 34.e7# ) 33.e7+ b8 [ 9...xf6 is the 'main line', when
34.exf7 xf7 ( or 34...xd4 35.fxe8 M o s k a l e n k o a d v o c a t e s 10.e2 0-0
c4+ 36.e1 ) 35.xc8+ xc8 36.f8+ 11.0-0-0 '!', a specialty of Zakharov which he
d8 37.xf7 ] christens the 'Russian Roulette'. Let me
1-0 quote McDonald's book about 9...Qxf6: 'A
double-edged move as the queen might
become a target and the bishop remains
970 C11 shut in on c8. On the other hand, Black
Fernandez Torre,Ivan 2170 brings his most powerful piece into action on
Gurevich,Mikhail 2597 the kingside with gain of time by hitting the
World Chess Open rapid (2) 01.01.2010 white bishop on f4. In the game she finds a
[John Watson] st r o n g p o st o n h 6 wh e re sh e is b o t h a
consta nt th reat t o the white king and a
1.e4 e6 2.f3 staunch def ender of the e6-pawn. In
[ The Steinitz variation following 2.d4 d5 addition to all this, Black's rook on f8 enjoys
3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f3 c5 6.dxc5 an open file.'. ]
is a transposition to the variation in this 10.g5
game. ] [ 10.g3 is McDonald's main line, which I'll
2...d5 3.c3 f6 q u o t e i n p a r t : 0-0 11.0-0 a6!
[ 3...d4 is the main option, as in Shivaji- ( jw: sometimes 11...d4 is played in these
Shulman, Guseinov-Fillipov, and Bielczyk- positions Tony Ro gives a massive analysis
Socko in the Archives. ] of 12.xd4 xd4 13.e2 c5 14.d6!
4.e5 fd7 5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 c6 in the Forum competition, which is worth
[ 6...xc5 allows White the extra option of seeing ) 12.e2 h6 'All as planned. Now
7.d3 c6 8.e2 ] Black is able to bring his knight to f6 to
7.f4 xc5 create counterplay and also clear the way
[ 7...xc5 (or 7...Be7, intending 8 Bd3 Nxc5 for development with ...Bd7 and ...Rae8.'
transposing) is respectable line which is 13.ae1 f6 14.a4 ( McDonald: 'If White
considered satisfactory by theory. See this does nothing fast with, say, 14.a3?! then
month's game Druckenthaner-Drozdovskij. ] h5! intends to exchange off the dark-
8.d3 f6 squ ared b ish op o n g3 f o r th e knigh t. I f
[ I n t h e F o r u m C o m p e t i t i o n , 8...h6 allowed, and it is certainly awkward f or
is examined (8..a6 9 Qe2 h6 is similar, White to prevent it, then after 15...Nxg3 and
according to Martin), with a game Blimke- the recapture 16 hxg3 the f2-square is left
Socko proceeding 9.g3 a6 10.0-0 b5 gravely weak. For example, Black might
11.e1 b7 12.e2 g5 13.c3 double up rooks along the f-file and then
A) 13...h5 14.h4 g4 15.g5 is Otchiyev - pla y . . . g5 ! a nd . .. g4 , t o drive a way t h e
Pavlov, when it seems Black can grab by knight from f3. White would have little in the
cxe5 , with the idea 16.f4 way of counterplay, because the
A1) after 16...f6 17.e2!? d6 disappearance of his bishop means that he
18.c2 , Martin suggests c4 , but has lost any hope of achieving the dark-
( b e t t e r h i s 18...0-0-0; or 18...c8 ) square supremacy which was the aim of his
19.fxe6! is strong.; opening.' ) 14...a7 15.d6 e8 16.e5
A2) 16...h6!? or 16...Qf6, both offering xe5

876
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
A) j w : ' ? ! ' . N M : 17.xe5 d7 ( jw:
17...d7 18.g3 e5 19.c4 , and 19...
Nf6! looks much better to me than Neil's
b5!? 20.cxb5 e4 , when 21.c2! e5
22.xe4!? dxe4 23.xe4 d7 24.b6
is one path to a large White advantage)
18.c3 f8 .;
B) 17.xe5 d7 ( jw: not best, I think.
Instead, 17...g4! 18.g3 e5
19.xe5!? ) 18.c5 c6 19.xe6? ( jw:
19.h3! ) 19...e4! 20.xe4! dxe4 21.c4
S.Vega Gutierrez-A.Strikovic/Benidorm
2007, and Neil gives b5 ('! Black gets
w i n n i n g c h a n c e s ' ) ( 21...b5??
22.d8+! ) 22.b3 f6 (he undoubtedly
means , when ( 22...h8! 23.g5 f6!
24.f7+ xf7 ) 23.d8+ wins a slip of the
pen, but his point is well taken and Black
seems to stand satisfactorily in this line. ]
10...f7 11.0-0
[ White headed for the 'Russian Roulette'
f ormation versus G urevich in the sam e
tournament, in Llaneza Vega, M (2514)-
Gurevich, M (2597), Leon 2010: 11.e2 0-0
12.0-0-0 ( In the Forum competition,
Ametanoitos gives the line 12.d2 de5! )
A) A fascinating juncture. A Bareev game
cited in the Forum went 12...h6 13.h4
a6 ( 13...b4 14.b5 a6 15.c7 f4+
16.b1 xc7 17.xe6+ is Forum
analysis then f7 18.h7+ f8 19.xd5
f6 20.xf6 gxf6 is still messy, but Black
should be able to defend ) 14.g3
A1) 14...b5 15.he1 was played in one
game, but ( 15.e4! is also a problem );
A2) 14...b6 15.b1 d7 16.hf1
( To avoid 16.he1 b4 , although
17.e5 xe5 18.xe5 isn 't cle a r)
16...h5 17.a3 ac8 and Black has
sufficient play, although White might find
this a pleasant position in practice;
B) 12...f6 13.b1 d7 14.c1?! h6
15.he1 a6 16.h4 h5?! ( 16...d6! )
17.e5 xe5 18.xe5 f4 19.e4?
( 19.xf4 xf4 20.xd5! xe5 21.xe5
xf2! 22.c7 d6 23.e2 af8 24.xf2
xf2 25.c4 is slightly better for White,
but will probably be drawn.) 19...ac8
20.f3 a7!? 21.h5 b8 22.d4 e5?!
( 22...c4 ) 23.b6 ( 23.b4!
wins material, although Black stays active
xc3 24.xc3 e4 25.xf4 xf4 26.e2
c8 27.d4 e6 ) 23...e4 24.xf4 xf4?
(this may be a notation mistake in
re co n st ru ction - it wa s a ra pid gam e .
C o r r e c t i s ( 24...xc3! 25.bxc3 xf4
26.e2 c8 ) 25.e2 ( 25.xd5! exf3
26.e7+ h7 27.xd7 , but this may not
have been possible in reality) 25...e6
Now Black has a nice advdantage. The
play got sloppy, but eventually he won. ]
11...0-0 12.h4 h6 Perhaps an innovation.
[ T h e n a t u r a l 12...h5 13.g3 f6
seems about equal: 14.a3 ( Neil prefers
14.d2 ) 14...a6 15.d2 ( 15.h3 d7
16.e1 ) 15...d7 in H. Gargatagli-P.
Carlsson, Illes Medes 2007. ]
13.e2 f6 14.e5
[ 14.a4 is met by d6 15.c4 ( 15.g3
xg3 16.hxg3? e5! ) 15...h5! ]
14...xe5 15.xe5 d7 16.a3 a6
[ Or 16...h5 ]
17.ae1 ae8
[ 17...ac8! ]
18.c7! c6 19.xf7+ xf7 Black is
definitely better, but it's still a game. 20.g3
g5 21.b1?! h5 22.e5 f4 23.c3
g6! 24.xg6+ xg6 25.d1 g4! 26.g3
g5 A nice manoeuvre. 27.fe1 f5
[ Or 27...h5 28.d2 h4 29.e5 f5!
30.d4 d6 , which is clearly in Black's
f a v o u r ( t w o b i s h o p s a n d c e n t r e ) ( or
30...xd4 31.xd4 e5 32.d2 d8 )]
28.e2?!
[ 28.e2 h5 29.b4 a7 30.d6 h4!
31.de1 d4 32.d1 b5!? ( or 32...d5 )
33.xe6 xe6 34.xe6 a4 intending ...
Bxc2 and ...d3 is strong. ]
28...e5 29.c3? h5 Black will win major
material. 30.xd5
[ 30.h4+ gxh3 31.gxh3 h4 ]
30...h4 31.c3 hxg3
0-1
877
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

971 C11 but now both white rooks are unleashed.

Filippov,Anton 2481 19.xf3 With the threat of 20.Nxd5.
Kasyan,Aleksandr 2267 Something has to give! e5 20.xb5+! c6
ch Tashkent UZB (13) 23.05.2007 [ More resistant was acceptance with
[Neil McDonald] 20...axb5 though White is well on top after
21.xb5 c6 22.xd6+ xd6 23.xe5!
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 xe5 24.f6 e4 25.f4 g6 26.xh8
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5 xa3 27.e2! with ideas of both 28.Qb5+
9.a3 g5 10.dxc5!? Previously attention has and 28.Rg4. Note that the bishop on h8 is
focused on doing a great job in ruling out any back
[ 10.fxg5 and [the inferior] ] rank tricks with Ra1+. ]
[ 10.xg5 ] 21.xd5! exd5 22.xc6+ xc6 23.f6
10...gxf4 11.xf4 xc5 12.b4!? A precisely calculated attack by Filippov.
[ Black gained the initiative after 12.a4 a5 Black resigned without ever using his rooks.
13.d3 b7 14.e2 xd2+ 15.xd2 [ White is two pawns up with a continuing
bxa4 16.xa4 b6 17.aa1 c4+ 18.c1 initiative after 23.f6 g8 24.xe5 xe5
h5 19.h4 e3 20.d2 g4 21.hf1 25.xe5+ f8 26.xd5 ]
in Frolyanov, D-Volkov, S/Sochi RUS 2005. 1-0
This game seems to have deterred players
of White from looking further into 10.dxc5. ]
12...f8 A critical position. He might have 972 C11
retreated the bishop to b6 to prevent W hite Fogarasi,Tibor 2500
from castling kingside, or perhaps with the Bricard,Emmanuel 2500
same idea op Paris 1995
[ 12...a7!? keeping the option of Qb6. ] [Neil McDonald]
13.d3 b6?!
[ This misses the mark as White manages to 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
castle after his excellent reply. However, 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
Kasyan would face an awkward defence c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.h4 xd4
e v e n a f t e r 13...g7 f o r e xa m p l e 14.h6 12.xd4 b5 13.h3 b4 14.a4 a5 15.b3
( or 14.0-0 dxe5 15.h6 ) 14...xh6 xd4 16.xd4 b7 17.c3 fc8 18.b2
15.xh6 dxe5 16.0-0 when the f-file and bxc3+ 19.xc3 xc3 20.xc3 d8!
the holes on f6 and g7 cause the black king [ Much more challenging than 20...xc3+
a lot of consternation. ] 21.xc3 when White has an excellent
14.e3! c7 endgame. By keeping the queens on the
[ If 14...d4 15.xd4! xd4 16.f2 board Black hopes to prove that the white
and White regains the piece with a rampant king is a target in the middlegame. ]
attack: xc2+ 17.xc2 c7 18.e4 e7 21.g3? A perfectly obvious move most players
19.0-0 xe5 20.b6 b8 21.c5 etc. ] would p lay it in a b litz ga me with out an y
15.0-0 dxe5 16.ae1 thought. White defends h4 and looks to have
White's compensation for the pawn is in the good prospects with his dark square control.
style of the Tarrasch 'Universal System'. The Surprisingly however things aren't that simple.
black pawn centre looks solid, but it proves Black can quickly generate counter chances
unable to withstand the pressure, mainly against the white king with a combination of
because it is assaulted by the two white rooks the moves Rc8, a6-a5, Bc6 and a5-a4. This
whilst the two black rooks are still asleep in whittles away the king's pawn cover and gives
the corners of the board. d6 17.h1 b7 Black serious counterchances. Therefore, if 21.
18.g5! Stopping the black king sneaking g3 isn't totally necessary then White shouldn't
away to the queenside and also aiming at the w a s t e a m o v e p l a y i n g i t - h e h a s m o r e
f6 square, when e5 and h8 would be forked. important things to do on the queenside. I
xf3 Kasyan feels obliged to capture on f3, have analysed two alternatives for W hite- I

878
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

especially like the second one which seems The bishop comes to e6 and kills off White's
very strong. The onus is certainly on Black to attacking aspirations. Meanwhile the open a
find an improvement: and c files begin to cause White problems to
[ 21.c5!? xc5 22.xc5 c8! say nothing of ideas of Na4+. 34.f1 e6
( 22...xh4? 23.b6 e7 24.c1 35.d1 h8 36.f4 c8 37.c1 b6
is just bad for Black- if he prevents Rc7 he 38.d1 b4 39.d2 a8 40.e3 a3+
will drop the a6 pawn.) 23.b4 c7 24.d3 41.c3 a1+ White resigned as it is mate
a5 25.d4 and I'm not quite sure how to after 42.b4 a5#
assess this position. Black has the c file 0-1
but White can be pleased the bishop on b7
is still passive. ]
[ However, much better for White seems to 973 C11
be 21.c1! threatening 22.Qc7. Fogarasi,Tibor 2465
A) The h4 pawn is still immune: Jakab,Attila 2390
21...xh4? 22.c7 c8 ( 22...f2+ FSGM July Budapest HUN (4) 06.07.2004
23.b1! ) 23.g3! xg3 ( 23...e7 [Neil McDonald]
24.b6 ) 24.d8+ f8 25.b6
and White wins.; 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
B) 21...c8 22.b4 c6 ( White should 5.f4
win after 22...xh4 23.xb7 f2+ [ The play that follows should be compared
24.a3 xc1 25.xd7 ) 23.xa6 b8 with the examples of 5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6
24.d4 xa4 25.xa4 b6 26.d4 7.f4 that can be found on ChessPub. ]
and White has a winning position. ] 5...c5 6.f3 a6 7.e2!? An interesting idea:
21...c8 22.e3 basically W hite wants to play the 5.Nce2
[ Instead 22.b4 c6 23.c1 a5 24.d4 variation of the last note with Black having
xa4 25.xc8 xc8 26.xa4 c7 27.d4 'wasted' a move on 6...a6. c6
c5 28.b5 e4 29.e3 h6 [ As White rushes to keep a pawn on d4 in
in Lamoureux-Bricard, Nantes 1993, was t h e 5 . N c e 2 c 5 6 . c 3 l i n e , su r e l y 7...cxd4
very pleasant for Black. The black queen deserves attention, e.g. 8.exd4 c6
and knight combine nicely together and f o ll o we d b y m o ve s l ik e B c 5 , Q b 6 , e t c .
there is a target on g3. ] Though of course here the a7-a6 move is
22...c6 23.c3 a5 24.d3 b8?! looking rather irrelevant. ]
[ Not 24...a4 25.b4! and as Black has no 8.c3 f6 9.a3 e7
tactics based on a4-a3+ White will solidify [ White had a small advantage after 9...cxd4
the b4 pawn next move with 26.a3 with an 10.exd4 c5 11.e3
excellent position. Perhaps more accurate A) This allows White to develop the bishop
than the game move was ] o n d 3 wi t h i m p u n i t y , b u t a w k w a r d i s
[ 24...e7!? with the idea of 25.e2 a4! ] 11...e7 12.exf6 gxf6 ( 12...xf6??
25.e2 a4 Now Black has good counterplay- 13.xc6 wins a piece.) 13.xc6 bxc6
White's possession of d4 is balanced by the 14.d4 with the threat of both 15.Nxc6
atta ck o n b3 . 26.d4 b6 27.f5 axb3 and 15.Qh5+.;
28.axb3 c5 29.c2 exf5 30.xf5 h6 B) 11...e4 12.d3 xd4 13.xd4 e7
31.f3? 14.0-0 0-0 15.e2 f5 16.e3 d7
[ W hite should try the sacrifice 31.xh6+ 17.c4 in Kosintseva,N-Aginian,N/Dresden
gxh6 32.xh6 e4 33.e6! with definite GER 2004. ]
attacking chances, e.g. b7 34.exf7+ xf7 10.g3?!
35.xd5 for this reason perhaps 24...Qe7 [ Weakening the knight on f3 leads to white's
wa s b e t t e r a s it wo u ld ke e p t h e qu e e n downfall. A heavy weight game in this line
involved in the defence of the kingside and continued 10.h4!? which makes more
deters f4-f5 as e5 would hang. ] sense: White forgoes castling and instead
31...c7 32.e3 a4 33.d4 d7! develops his king's rook via h3.

879
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Nevertheless, Black had few problems and a
quick draw was agreed after 0-0 11.h5 b6
12.h3 cxd4 13.cxd4 a5 14.a2 b3
15.c3 xd1+ 16.xd1 in V.Ivanchuk-T.
Radjabov, EU-chT [Men] 2001. ]
10...cxd4 11.cxd4
[ Black has a better version of the Kosintseva
game at move nine above after 11.exd4
c5 ]
11...fxe5 12.fxe5 0-0 13.f4?
[ W hite is awkwardly placed after 13.g2
b6 as he can't complete his development:
14.f4 ( 14.0-0 dxe5 ) 14...f7! when
15.xe6 dxe5 is excellent for Black. ]
13...a5+! The beginning of a positional
attack involving sacrifices that occurred fairly
regularly in Tarrasch 5.f4 games 20 years ago.
Much to the disgust of modern computer
programs, Black gives up a horde of material
with no checkmate in sight. Whether or not it
proves to be sound, no true lover of chess
should pass by the chance to activate his
game in this fashion. 14.d2 b6 15.xe6
dxe5! 16.xf8 g4 17.dxe5 c5!?
I mu st a dmit I was also a sce ptic wh en I
wa t c h e d t h i s g a m e b e i n g p l a y e d l i v e . I
couldn't believe that Fogarasi, with an extra
rook and knight, wouldn't find a way to give
back some of the booty to defeat the attack.
18.d7 f2+ 19.e2 xd7
White stops 20... Bg4, but he has overlooked
the fact that the light squared bishop can
c a u s e h i m g r ie f f r o m a n o t h e r d i r e c t i o n .
Perhaps best was
[ 20.f4 when g4!? keeps up the initiative
in a murky position. ( Black mustn't lose his
nerve and grab back some material:
20...xb2+? 21.d2 xa1
and his attack comes to a halt. However
also interesting was; 20...d4!? when the
bishop is taboo: 21.xd4? g4+ 22.f3
d4+ 23.f2 xf3 etc. )]
[ Not however 20.c3? e3# ]
20...f8 21.g2 d4+ 22.xd4
[ Or 22.xf2 c2+ 23.f1 b5+ ]
22...b5+!
[ A pretty finish. Black only has three pieces
left but they all contribute to the mate after
22...b5+ 23.xb5 xb5# ]
0-1
974 C11
Fontaine,Robert 2527
Kosten,Anthony C 2545
National I Clermont Ferrand FRA (9) 09.05.03
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 a6
[ Another move order is 6...b6 7.e3 a6 ]
7.e3 b6 8.a4
[ Here 8.a3 is an important alternative which
has been analysed deeply on ChessPub. ]
8...a5+ 9.c3 cxd4 10.b4 c7 11.xd4
b5 This is a shrewd move order as it gives
White an extra option that proves bad for him!
[ Usual is 11...c6 e.g. 12.d2
( Alternatively White could solidify the
queenside with 12.a3!? but Black can get
counterplay by utilising the c4 square: e7
13.d3 b5 14.b2 xd4 15.cxd4 b6
16.0-0 c4 as in Vidarsson-Thorhallson ,
Reykjavik 2000. In contrast, the queenside
proves too loose for White after; 12.e3?!
b5 13.b2 cxe5! 14.fxe5 xc3+
15.d2 xb4 16.f2 xd2+ 17.xd2
xe5 when the four pawns outweighed the
piece in Sedlak-Radjabov, Aviles 2000.)
12...b5 13.b2 xd4 14.xd4 b7
15.d3 c8 16.d1 g5! 17.g3 h5 18.h4
20.h3? gxf4 19.gxf4 e7 was unclear in E.Berg-P.
Kiriakov, Skelleftea 2001. At first glance
Black appears to be doing very nicely, but
as always it is difficult for him to make the
inert bishop on b7 play any useful role in the
game. ]
12.b2 c6 13.a4?! White aims to 'punish'
Black for the 11... b5 move order by starting
22.xf2 an immediate attack against b5. However, his
queenside structure fails to restrain the black
pieces sufficiently. Instead he could simply
transpose to one of the usual lines given in
the previous note e.g.
[ 13.d2 ]
13...xd4 14.xd4 bxa4 15.xa4
[ After 15.xa4 a5! ( Better than 15...e7
16.d3 0-0 17.0-0 f6 18.c4! ) 16.b5
( Losing is 16.d3? axb4 17.cxb4? xa4!
18.xa4 c1+ ) 16...c5 and Black has an
excellent game. ]
15...e7 16.e2 0-0 17.0-0 c5!
An unexpected tactical stroke. If it wasn't for
880
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
th e disrup tion cau se d by t his mo ve t he n
White could build up on the queenside and
eventually win. 18.a3
[ Of course if 18.bxc5?? xc5 ]
18...b7 19.d2 White retreats the knight to
prevent 19...Ne4, but now the e5 point is left
under defended. f6! 20.a5 d7 The knight
is happy to go back, as it adds to the pressure
on e5 and clears the way for a potential attack
on c3. Meanwhile Black menaces ...Qxa5!
21.g4!? fxe5!? On principal Black opens
the position for his bishops, but he thought
long and hard about grabbing the exchange by
[ 21...f5 22.e2 xa5! 23.bxa5 c5
when White might have some play following
24.d3 xd4+ 25.cxd4 fc8 26.b4
as the b7-bishop is not particularly useful.
W hen quizzed about this line afterwards,
White admitted that he simply hadn't seen
it! ]
22.xe6+ h8 23.fxe5 xe5 White's centre
has dissolved which means that Black's dark
square bishop faces no barriers in exercising
its powers. 24.aa1
[ Or 24.xd5 c6! 25.xc6 xc6 26.xf8+
( Or 26.f3 d8 27.c5 g6! intending
Bb6 when the pin will win material.) 26...xf8
27.f3 xf3! 28.gxf3 xf3 and wins. ]
24...f6 25.c5 White seeks to escape
Black's gathering initiative on the kingside by
exchanging queens, but he ends up with a
pawn wreckage rather than a structure on the
c file. xc5+ 26.bxc5 c6 27.a4 ae8
28.h3 g5 29.xf8+ xf8 30.f1 f4
31.b2 e7 The advanced c-pawn now
drops after which Black only needs to show
s o m e g o o d t e c h n i q u e . 32.g3 xc5+
33.h1 b5
[ 33...f2! 34.d1 d2 35.f1 e2!
is even stronger, as ...Re1 is coming. ]
34.e1 g6 35.e6 f2 36.d1 d2
37.f1 e2 38.xe2 xe2 39.fe3
W h it e ga in s t h e f a m o u s lin ke d kn igh t s -
neither of them can move without losing its
brother! f4 40.f7 g6 41.h4 g7 42.e8
f6 43.c6 e5 44.g3 f3+ 45.h2 d3
46.c4+ e6 47.cb2 e5 48.b7 a5
49.a4 a7 50.db2 d6 51.c4?
Missing the point of Black's manoeuvres.
g4+! 52.h3 g1 Threatening ... Nf2
mate. 53.d3 e3 And now mate on g2 and
g4! 54.g4 xg4+ 55.g3 dxc4 56.db2
e6
0-1
975 C11
Friedel,Joshua E 2474
Nakamura,Hikaru 2658
ch-USA Stillwater USA (1) 15.05.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 a6 7.e3 b6 8.a4 a5+
9.c3 cxd4 10.b4 c7 11.xd4
[ A similar line is 11.xd4 b5 12.b2 c6 ]
11...a5
[ Instead 11...c6 12.d2 b5 13.b2
was analysed in Lutz-Morozevich. ]
12.b5 b6 13.d2 It soon becomes clear that
Friedel intends to adopt a defensive stance
along the c-file and aim for kingside activity
with a future f4-f5. Such a strategy seems
reasonable, but Nakamura is able to block up
the kingside and then start a counterattack of
his own on the queenside. More promising for
White is the plan of taking the initiative with a
well timed c3-c4. Let's look at an example:
[ 13.e2 c5 14.c1 bd7 15.0-0 b7
16.d1! the queen not only clears the d4
square for the knight on f3 but also defends
d ia go n a l ly t h e o t h e r k n i gh t i n o rd e r t o
f a c il it a t e c 3 - c4 - n o t ( 16.c4?? xa4 )
16...e7 17.d4 0-0 18.c4 ac8?
( He had to prevent White's Bf3! plan by
deflecting the bishop with 18...dxc4 19.xc4
then the position looks rather uncomfortable,
but not necessarily bad, for Black after
ac8 ) 19.cxd5 xd5 20.f3! the exchange
of light squared bishops wins the c6 square
for the white knight, where it will stop the
black rooks going to d8. xf3 21.xf3 fe8
22.c6 f8 23.xc5 xc5 24.fd1
and the prodigy Negi had a stranglehold on
the d-file which he exploited smoothly: a4
25.xc5 xc5 26.f5 exf5 27.xf5 e6
28.d6! f8 ( If 28...xd6 29.exd6 xd6?
30.xc8+ ) 29.cd1 ee8 30.1d4 e6
31.h3 h8 32.xe6 xe6 33.xa4 d7
34.d4 b7 35.d6 g8 36.d3 a8
37.b3 h8 38.h2 h6 39.a4 c5
40.e3 e6 41.a3 c8 42.a5 bxa5
881
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
43.xa5 h5 44.b6 h4 45.b4 1-0 Negi, P-
Stark, L/Bad Woerishofen GER 2006. ]
13...c5 14.xc5 xc5
[ Despite being a long way behind in
development, Black got away with
14...bxc5!? 15.d3 d7 16.f5 b6
in Safarli, E-Gleizerov, E/Tehran IRI 2006. ]
15.d4 d7 16.d3 g6! Nakamura takes
immediate preventive measures against f4-f5.
17.a4
[ If 17.g4 h5 more or less forces 18.g5
when White's attack is stymied. ]
17...b7 18.h4? Not merely a weakening of
the kings ide bu t a lso a se rio us strate gic
mistake. After
[ 18.0-0 White would have two pawn breaks
available to him. Firstly, he could prepare
the c3-c4 advance after all with moves like
Kh1 and Rac1 etc. However, it looks
considerably double edged to say the least-
c3-c4? seems more likely to destroy
W hit e's po sit ion th an improve it as th e
black bishop on b7 comes alive. The second
o p t i o n i s g2 -g 4 , s u p p o rt e d b y h 2 -h 3 i f
necessary in response to h7-h5. It would
have to be carefully timed, and might remain
no more than a positional threat but even so
it wo u ld k e e p t h e whit e p o sit io n f u ll o f
latent energy. After the game move, White
is deprived of a plan. He hasn't much choice
but to sit back and ask his higher rated
op p o n e n t 'h o w d o yo u in t en d t o a t t a ck
me?' Nakamura provides the answer. ]
18...h5! 19.0-0 e7! the bishop eyes the
weak pawn on h4 and clears the c5 square for
the knight. 20.e3 c5 21.g3 c8 22.d2
xd3 23.xd3 c5 24.fc1 xd4+
25.xd4? White misses his chance. To be
fair, it was very difficult to see, especially the
strength of 30.f5:
[ 25.cxd4! xc1+ 26.xc1 xc1+ 27.f2
0-0 Black appears to have a huge
advantage, as the rooks can invade along
the c-file and attack the white king. However,
the white queen is able to exploit the weak
dark squares around the black king and the
vulnerability of the 'dead' bishop on b7. The
result is a sharp draw, with Black having to
be as caref ul as W hite : 28.a3! fc8
29.e7 8c2 30.f5! gxf5 ( After 30...xd2+
31.e3 the black rook hangs and 32.Qe8+
and 33.f6+ is looming or; 30...exf5 31.e6
and the black king will be denuded.) 31.e3
( Or perpetual check with 31.g5+ f8
32.d8+ etc. ) 31...g1 32.d8+ h7
33.f3 xg3 34.e7 c3+ 35.e2 cxf3
36.xf7+ h8 37.f8+ h7 38.f7+
and the black king can't evade the checks. ]
25...0-0 26.f1 d8 27.e3 c5 28.f2
e7 29.e2 fc8 30.d2 c7 31.c2
[ It is too late for White to become active on
the kingside, for if 31.g4 hxg4 32.xg4
c4 33.f6+ g7 ( not 33...f8 34.xb6!
with a fork on d7 in the offing.) 34.g1 d4!
and Black's attack gets in first. ]
31...f8 32.a3 d8 33.c1 c4!
A bold sacrifice. The aim is to energise the
bishop which has sat passively on b7 for far
too long and so create tactical threats against
the white king. 34.xc4 xc4 35.e3 e4
36.f2 d4! 37.cxd4 e7 38.ac3 b4
A computer be able to defend White's position,
but for a human it is a well nigh impossible
task when facing such a fast thinking and
resourceful opponent as Nakamura. Friedel
def ends well for a time, but a collapse is
in e vit a b le a t so m e p o in t . 39.d5 xd5
40.xb6 g7 41.d8
[ If 41.c5 xa4 42.a3 e1+ 43.b2
e4 44.xa5 h1 with a rampant attack e.
g. 45.b6? b1+ 46.a3 ( or 46.c3 f3+
47.d4 d1+ ) 46...b3+ 47.a4 a1+
and mate follows. ]
41...e1+ 42.d2 g1 43.f6+ g8
44.d8+ h7 45.b6 b1 46.c1 b2+
47.1c2 g2+ 48.d3 xg3+ 49.d4
b4+ 50.c4 xc4 51.xc4 a3!
After all th e checks, a quiet move forces
resignation as mate follows on d3 or e3.
0-1
976 C11
Further Analysis
Further Analysis
Gravesend. 2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 Most of the analysis that follows was
kindly provided by subscriber Ron Langeveld.
2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5
6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 c5 9.d2
882
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.h4 xd4 12.xd4 b5
13.h3 b4 14.a4 xd4 15.xd4 f6
[ Ron Langeveld writes: the main reason why
I did not want to play this variation with white
is 15...a5! 16.b3 b7 17.c3 fc8
18.b2 bxc3+ 19.xc3 xc3 20.xc3
d8! 21.c1 c8 22.b4 and here Ron
improves on my recommendation in the
game Fogarasi-Bricard on ChessPub with
xc1 23.xc1 c6! when White has no
c o n v i n c i n g c o n t i n u a t i o n . F o r e xa m p l e
( Instead 23...xh4 24.xb7 looks good
for W hite.) 24.xa6 ( Ron gives as bad for
White 24.d6?! xa4 25.bxa4 c8+
26.d1 c5 27.a5 g6 28.b6 a4
29.xa6 c3 30.d3 c5 ) 24...xh4
25.c5? h1+ 26.b2 xg2+ 27.a3
g1!! It never rains but it pours... 28.xd7
( 28.d3 a7! ) 28...c1# ]
16.xb4 fxe5 17.d6 f6 18.f5 h6+
[ Here Ron writes: If Black wants to play for a
win then only 18...e8! is an option. 19.fxe6
( NM: If White gains time to defend the knight
on a4 by hitting the rook on a8 with 19.c6
then Black gets the advantage anyhow: b8
20.fxe6 f4+ 21.b1 f6 22.f3?! xh4
23.xf6 b7! Ron also mentions that if;
White speculates on restricting black 's play
(Bb7) with for example 19.b3 then his
instinct tells him that black should not be
a f r a i d o f t h e c o m p l i c a t i o n s a f t e r xh4
20.fxe6 xa4 ) 19...f4+ 20.b1 xa4
21.exd7 xd7 22.a3 g4 23.xd5+ e6
gives Black better compensation than in
the mainline. The crucial test of this
assertion is in the note at move 23 below. ]
19.b1 f6! 20.b6 e4! 21.c7 f7!
22.c6
[ Instead White can force a draw with
22.d8+ f8 23.c7 ]
22...b7 23.xe6 f2
[ T h e c r i t i c a l l i n e i s p e r h a p s 23...d8!?
24.xh6 ( If 24.xd5 xe6 25.fxe6 xf1
26.xf1 d2+ 27.c1 xf1 ) 24...gxh6
25.d3 f2 26.g3+ g7 27.xg7+ xg7
28.f1 and here I like
A) Instead Ron gives 28...g4 29.a4
c8 ( 29...f6 30.c5 ) 30.b4!
as good for White.;
B) 28...xd3 29.cxd3 f6 with a lot of
play for the pawn- Black has the better
minor piece and better king and in most
line s be tte r ro ok! For exa mple 30.a4
g8 31.c5 c8 Of course there are
many other lines but I trust in Black's long
term compensation. ]
24.xh6 gxh6 25.g3+ h8 26.e1 e8
and here in the notes to W edberg-Brynell I
say that Black seems to have plenty of play
for the pawn. Ron disagrees with this
assessment and says 'it is white that gets
active play after 27.Ra3 with a "domino" attack
on the queen-side (a6 directly and d5
indirectly). Yes, Ron is right- I overestimated
Black's counterplay here.
[ Also not good enough for Black is 26...af8
27.xe5 e4 28.d3 xf5 29.xf5 xf5
30.e2 f2 31.f3 ]
27.a3! xf5 28.xa6 xa6 29.xa6 f6
30.a8 and Ron points out that "Black's
position is hanging on a (too) thin thread".
Yep.
977 C11
Georgiadis,Ioannis 2383
Berczes,David 2513
10th EICC Budva MNE (9) 15.03.2009
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6
[ As we shall see, Georgiadis plays for an f4-
f5 centre advance in the style of the
following game: 1...c5 2.f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4
4.xd4 c6 5.c3 a6 6.e3 f6 7.f4
d5 8.e5 d7 9.d2 c5 10.0-0-0 0-0
11.f2 e7 12.b1 xd4 13.xd4 b5
e t c . R a d ja b o v, T -I va n ch u k, V / Mo re l ia /
Linares MEX/ ESP 2008. This game has
be en a nn o ta te d by Rich ard P allise r o n
ChessPub. Despite beginning as a Sicilian, it
is available to French section subscribers if
you check out the archive. ]
2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5
6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 c5 9.d2
0-0 10.0-0-0
[ The immediate 10.g3 was played by the
gre at Ka sp arov in an ot he r gam e in th e
archives. His opponent, Shirov, replied e7
( O t h e r m o ve s in clu d e 10...xd4 and;
10...a6 ) 11.0-0-0 after which we have
transposed to the main game. ( Not at all
883
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
c o n v i n c i n g f o r W h i t e w a s 11.g2
leaving a hole on c4 for the black knight.
b6 12.f2 xd4 13.xd4
14.xd4 d7 15.f1 fc8 16.d3 c4
Mareco, S-Iermito, S/ Buenos Aires ARG
2008. )]
10...e7!? 11.g3!? Kasparov's idea was to
make available the move Bh3 or in some
cases Bg2 if Black exposed his centre pawns
wi t h t h e f r e e in g a d va n c e f 7 - f 6 . I f B l a c k
remains passive in the centre and
concentrates his action on the queenside, as
in the present game, then Bh3 is valuable as
it supports the f4-f5 pawn stab. a6
[ Black looked OK after 11...b6
aforementioned Kasparov-Shirov though the
W orld Champion f ailed to find the most
testing variation some moves later. ]
12.h4 If we compare White's attacking build
up with that in Radjabov-Ivanchuk, it will be
seen that W hite gets away without playing
Qf2. xd4 13.xd4 b5 14.h5 b7?
And here White is handed a tempo. In such a
sharp position, with attacks looming on both
wings, time is especially precious. Black
should have played to activate his bishop at
once with
[ 14...b4 15.e2 a5 16.h3 ( Premature
for White is 16.f5 exf5 etc. ) 16...a6 etc. ]
15.h3 b4 16.e2 a5 17.he1 a6 18.f5!
W h i t e is a b l e t o s t ri ke f ir st in t h e b a t t l e
between the wings. fc8 19.f6 f8 20.g5?
This appears strong at first glance as it ties
down the black queen to the defence of g7
after a subsequent Qg4. However, analysis
shows t hat re moving the queen f rom th e
centre leaves White outgunned along the c-file.
After the fairly obvious
[ 20.fxg7 Black is in trouble because of the
holes around his king and the open f-file e.g.
xg7 21.h6 ]
20...a4 21.f4 The white knight also deserts
the king and even worse cuts off all the white
queen's contact with the centre. Still, in the
he at o f ba tt le it is by n o me an s ea sy f o r
Berczes to find the correct path with moves
like Nxe 6 loo m in g. h6! 22.h4
23.xd4 c5?
[ The key line is 23...xc2+! when it turns
out that Black has just enough time to carry
out his assault on the queenside before
W h i t e c a n p u t p r e s s u r e o n g 7 . 24.b1
( After 24.xc2! c5+ 25.b1 xd4
xd4 26.g4 xf6! 27.exf6 xf6 Black has
three pawns for the piece that form a solid
shell around his king. Meanwhile the white
kin g ca n b e a ssa ile d wit h 2 8 . . . a 3 e t c .)
24...c5 25.g4?! xb2+! 26.xb2
xd4+ 27.b1 d3+ 28.xd3 xd3+
29.a1 c3+ 30.b1 xe1+ 31.b2 a3+
32.c2 c8+ 33.b3 c3+ 34.a4 a8+
35.b5 c5# ]
24.d2 xe5!
[ Inadequate for Black is 24...a3 25.xe6!
axb2+ 26.b1 ]
in the 25.xe6!
[ B la ck ca n d ra w a f t e r 25.xe5 g1+
26.d1
A) White has an extra rook and doesn't
s e e m t o g e t m a t e d a f t e r 26...xc2+
27.xc2 c8+ 28.d2 d4+ ( 28...f2+
29.e2 ) 29.d3 xd3+ 30.e1;
B) 26...f2 27.d2 g1+ 28.d1 f2
with a repetition. ]
25...c4! The exchange of queens should
save Black.
[ Instead he is annihilated af ter 25...fxe6
26.xe6+ f7 27.xf7+ xf7 28.e7+
g8 29.xg7+ f8 ( Or 29...h8 30.f4
g1+ 31.d1 xc2+ 32.xc2 c8+
33.c7 and W hite wins.) 30.g4 g1+
31.d1 xc2+ 32.xc2 c8+?! ( 32...b3+
33.b1 ) 33.xc8+! ]
26.xc4 xc4 27.xg7 c6?
[ After an excellent defence Berczes finally
go e s wron g. B lack co u ld e qu a lis e wit h
27...xd2 28.xc8 e4! ]
28.xd5 It turns out that Black's queenside
initiative doesn't compensate for his wounds
on the kingside. b3 29.axb3 axb3 30.ed1
e3
[ Or 30...xf6 31.f5 and White stays a
sound pawn up. ]
31.d8+ xd8 32.xd8+ h7 33.e6!
the knight breaks out with a threat of mate in
a couple of moves. xc2+
[ If 33...fxe6 34.f7 ]
xd4 [ Or 33...bxc2 34.f8+ g8 35.g6+ h7
36.h8# ]
34.b1 fxe6 35.d7+
[ A neat finish is 35.xe6! f2 36.g8+
h8 37.f7+ h7 38.g6# ]
884
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

35...h8 36.d8+ h7 37.f7 e7 20.d3 c8 , and Black's two bishops
[ Or 37.xe6! ] give him somewhat the better game. ]
37...c4 16...b8 17.xb8
[ Black loses a piece after 37...f2 38.f8 [ 17.fb1 xb7 18.xb7 c8 19.b3 c5
d3+ 39.xd3 xf8 40.xe3 ] 20.f5 c7= ]
38.h8+ xh8 39.f8+ h7 40.f7+ h8 17...xb8 18.f5
41.f6+ h7 42.g6+ h8 43.xh6+ [ 18.b1 c7= ]
A great fighting game. 18...c8! 19.f6
[ 43.xh6+ g8 44.xe6# ] [ 19.d3 exf5 20.xd5 b5 21.xf5 xf5
1-0 22.xf5 c4 23.c3 b4 is fully equal. ]
19...gxf6
[ 19...c4 20.fxg7 xg7 21.f3 0-0
978 C11 22.g3 h8 is fairly safe, but not worth the
Grischuk,A 2792 potential trouble. ]
Agdestein,S 2628 20.xf6
2nd Norway Chess 2014 (5.1) 08.06.2014 [ 20.exf6 d6 favours Black with his
[John Watson] uno ppo sed cent re, e. g. , 21.h6 c4
22.d1 f8 with the idea 23.xh7?? e5 ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 20...h5!?
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 [ 20...g8 looks better, with the idea ...Qc4. ]
b6 9.d2 21.f3!?
[ 9.cb5 is Danin-Gleizerov in the Archives, [ 21.d3 c4 ( 21...c5 22.f2 ) 22.xc4
and ] dxc4 23.e4 c6= ]
[ 9.a3 is found in Macieja-Shiminov. ] 21...c4 22.h3 e7 With the bishop pair,
9...xb2 10.b1 a3 11.b5 Other moves B l a c k h a s a n e d g e . 23.a3 xa3?!
are covered in the Archives, e.g., Giving up the advantage.
[ 11.cb5 xa2 12.b3?! ( 12.d1 b8 [ 23...g8! ]
13.c7+ d8 ) 12...a1+ is examined in 24.e4!?
the notes to Anand-Nakamura in the [ 24.xd5! xd5 25.xa3 g8 26.b3=
Archives ] , since xg2+ 27.xg2 xd4+ 28.f2
11...xd4 12.xd4 a6 13.xd7+ xd7 a1+ 29.f1 d4+ 30.f2 draws ]
14.b3 e7 15.xb7 This position has been 24...dxe4 25.xa3 g8 This looks equal.
the starting point of numerous games (and a 26.b3 c7 27.c3 e3!?
f ew a rticles). Black has had treme ndou s [ 27...b7 28.b3 c7= ]
success in securing draw after draw. It's a 28.xe3 There's nothing better:
little surprising that these world-class players [ 28.xe3 c6 29.g3 d7 with attack. ]
are willing to give their lower-rated opponent [ 28.xe3 c6 29.e2 a5= ]
such confidence when they are playing with 28...xe5 29.d3 b5!?
the White pieces. d8 [ 29...g3 30.f2! h4 31.d4 g5 32.f6
[ 15...h4+ is seen in this month's game c1+ 33.h2 xd3 34.cxd3 c7+
Karajakin-Agdestein, played before this one. is drawn. ]
Agdestein decides to deviate. ] [ 29...c7 30.f4 c8 31.c3 b7
16.0-0 32.b3 c6= 33.c3 xg2+ 34.xg2
[ 16.f5!? was played by none other than xc3 35.g8+ e7 36.g5+ f6 37.g7+
Karajakin in the Archives game Karajakin, S e8 38.g8+ e7 39.g7+= ]
(2786)-Nakamura, H (2767), Zug SUI 2013. 30.b3 c6 31.b8+
I'll reproduce my notes f or the f irst f ew [ 31.c3? xg2+! ]
moves: c8 ( 16...h4+ 17.g3 h3 31...c8 32.c4!?
18.fxe6 xe6 ) 17.b3 c4 18.fxe6!? [ 32.e2 ]
( 18.d1 c5 19.c3 xd4 20.cxd4 exf5 32...xc4!?
21.e3 c6 22.0-0 0-0= ) 18...fxe6 19.f1 [ 32...a5 ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 32...e7 ]
33.b4?!
[ 33.d6! c2 34.g3= ]
33...c6 34.d4 f6?!
[ 34...d7! ]
35.h1
[ 35.d8+ f7 36.xg8 xg8 37.d8+
f7 38.h8 e5 39.xh5+ e6 ]
35...f7 36.d6 b5 37.h2 h4
[ 37...e5+! 38.h1 g6!-+ White has little
for the two pawns. ]
38.f4 f5 39.c6?? g6? A move before
Time Control! Black misses a win with
[ 39...xg2+ 40.xg2 ( 40.xg2 xf4+
41.g1 b7 ) 40...e4+ 41.h2 xc6 ]
40.c7 e5
[ 40...e4! ]
41.e3 e6
[ 41...e4! ]
42.b4! g7 43.xg7+ xg7 44.b7+
[ 44.xh4 d5 ]
44...f7 45.xa6 e4 46.e2 f5 47.f3
xf3?!
[ 47...d5 48.xe4 xe4 gives a few more
chances. ]
48.gxf3 g6 49.f4 exf4
½-½
979
Grischuk,Alexander
Iljushin,Alexei
56th ch Krasnoyarsk RUS (2) 04.09.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2 xd4
[ In a later game in the same tournament
Iljushin tried another approach for Black, but
h e a g a i n f a i l e d t o e q u a l i s e : 11...xd4
12.xd4 b5 13.e3 White has to let
him s e lf b e p ush e d a ro u n d f o r t h e n e xt
couple of moves but on the other hand it's
tremendous for him to be able to keep this
bishop. b4 14.a4 f6 15.exf6 xf6
16.b6 e4 17.e1 f6 18.g3 f7
19.g2 e5 Black decides he has to press
on as if he retreats the knight then he will
just be left with a collection of dark squared
holes in a quiet position. However, with his
next move W hite is able to demolish the
b la ck ce n t re . 20.xd5! xd5 21.xe4
xe4 22.xe4 d7 23.c5 f6 24.fxe5
h6 25.e3 h5 26.d5+ h8 27.b6
d8 28.xd7 xe5 29.b6 g4 30.f3
xh2 31.xh2 xh2 32.e2
White's pressure has won him two bishops
for a rook, though perhaps due to
in expe rie nce h e wasn't a ble t o win t h e
endgame in Shomoev,A-Iljushin,A/56th-ch-
RUS. ]
12.xd4 e7
[ In an earlier encounter with Grischuk,
Iljushin preferred 12...c7 and reached the
same position as in the present game after
13.d3 xd4 14.xd4 ]
13.d3 xd4 14.xd4 c5 15.e2 xd4
This is Iljushin's attempted improvement over
his previous game with Grischuk mentioned
above, in which he got ground down after
[ 15...b5 16.b1 b4? etc-see ChessPub.
Incidentally the suggestion in that game of ]
[ 15...b6 16.b1 a5 intending Ba6, has yet
to be tested. ]
16.xd4 b8 So this is the idea: the black
knight will challenge for control of the d4
square. 17.h4! Despite the exchange of
queens White still has attacking chances on
th e kingsid e . d7 18.h5 c6 19.f3!
C11 Grischuk keeps on the knights as he needs
2732 pieces for the kingside assault. h6
2553 [ If 19...b4 20.h6! forces Black to weaken
his dark squares on the kingside. ]
20.c3 Now White must prevent 20...Nb4
exchanging off the bishop. ac8 21.g3 c7
22.d2 The king sidesteps any tricks on the c
file. e8 23.de1 e7 24.h2! White sees
that his opponent is geared up for the self
destructive e6-e5, and so calmly waits for him
to play it! f6?! This bid for counterplay is the
culmination of Black's last couple of moves,
but his centre and kingside now come under
severe pressure. 25.exf6 gxf6 26.h4!
The decisive move: once the knight gets to g6
it will cause havoc, whether or not Black takes
it. e5
[ Black would be left in a horrible endgame
after 26...xh5 27.f5 exf5 28.xh5
his pawns are weak and the knight is no
match for the bishop. ]
27.c2 d7 28.g6 xg6 29.hxg6
886
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Suddenly White has a passed pawn and the h 16.b1 b4? Whereas his last move was a bit
file for his rooks. d4 30.xh6 dxc3+ 31.c1 doubtful this will prove to be clearly a serious
cxb2+ 32.b1 fd8 33.eh1 f5 34.b3+ mistake. Black had to make do with a quiet
g7 35.h7+ f8 36.xd7 xd7 move like
and Black resigned without waiting for the [ 16...b7 ]
check on h8 which forces the pawn through. 17.c1! A simple but powerful move. White
1-0 can use the target on b4 to break open the c
file. xd4 18.xd4 c5 19.hd1!
It would be illogical to waste time saving the
980 C11 bishop from exchange with 19. Be2 as in the
Grischuk,Alexander 2701 endgame the white knight will dominate the
Iljushin,Alexei 2556 black bishop. f6 20.c3 fxe5 21.fxe5 bxc3
4th IECC Istanbul TUR (1) 30.05.2003 22.xc3 xd3 23.dxd3 d7 Black has at
[Neil McDonald] least managed to isolate the e5 pawn, but all
the important dark squares are in W hite's
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 Grischuk has hands. The knight beautifully centralised on
bro a de n e d h is o p e n in g rep e rto ire a s we d4 and free from any possible pawn attack is
normally expect the Advance Variation. f6 far superior to the black bishop which cannot
4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 at ta ck an yth in g. 24.f3! xf3 25.gxf3!
8.xd4 c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 xd4 Grischuk has neutralised any possible black
[ The Kramnik game mentioned below had counterplay on the f file. a7 Meanwhile
t h e m o ve o r d e r 10...a6 11.f2 xd4 White's own rook has undisputed control of
12.xd4 c7 ] the only one open file on the board as after
11.xd4 a6 12.f2! Evidently Grischuk [ 25...c8 26.c2!? ( White loses control
concurs with Kramnik in the belief that White after 26.a3? c4 ) 26...xc3+ 27.xc3
should play with his big pieces rather than the white king will infiltrate on the dark
aim for a pawn storm with squares and help exploit the queenside
[ 12.h4 ] pawn majority. ]
12...c7 13.d3 xd4 So far play has 26.c2 f7 27.f4 b7 28.b3 h6 29.d2!
followed the brilliant game Kramnik-Radjabov W hite's winning plan is very interesting. A
from Linares 2003, in which White built up an player such as you or I might prepare the
attack after immediate advance of the queenside pawns,
[ 13...b5? 14.h4! The immediate bishop supported by the king, rook and knight, in
exchange makes a lot of sense as it deflects order to create a passed pawn. But Grischuk
the white queen away from the kingside. ] is in no rush. First of all he intends to create
14.xd4 c5 15.e2 b5 A standard move fresh weaknesses on the kingside- where
in this type of position: Black plans b5-b4, a6- incidentally there are fewer black defenders
a5 and then Ba6 to find an active role for his to oppose his plan. e7 30.a3 f7 31.h4
problem bishop, or at least exchange it off. g6?! Of course defending such a position
However, Grischuk is able to refute this plan against a player rated number six in the world
in convincing style. When I showed this game isn't much fun, as there is a feeling of
to Thomas Rendle, a young 2200 player who inevitability about the result. But it certainly
do e s n't p la y t he Classical V a ria t ion a n d helps W hite that Black no longer has the
th e re f ore h a s n o p re jud ice s a s t o h o w it option of Kg6 to launch a sudden
should be played, he suggested counterattack with Kh5 etc.
[ 15...b6!? f o r e x a m p l e 16.b1 a5 [ Black should just suffer quietly with
wi t h t h e p l a n o f B a 6 a l l t h e s a m e b u t 31...e7 ]
without exposing the queenside pawns to 32.c5 e7 33.b4 f7 34.e3 e8
the attack that occurs in the game. ] 35.f3 f7 36.g4 e7 37.h5 After a lo t
[ I f i n s t e a d 15...f6 I think White gets a of preparation White is ready to break through
definite edge e.g. 16.exf6 xf6 17.g3!? ] the light square barricades. f7 38.hxg6+

887
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
xg6 39.f5+! exf5+ 40.f4 e8
Or else 41.e6, then Ke5 and Nxf5 wins easily.
41.c8 d7 42.a8 b5 43.f8 f7
44.d8 White of course avoids the exchange
of rooks as his own rook is far more active.
d7 45.b8 d3 46.b6+ h7 47.e6 g7
48.xf5! White is willing to exchange off his
knight for the bishop only when it is decisive.
If now 48...Bxf5 49.Kxf5 and the king
s h e p h e r d s h o m e t h e p a s s e d p a w n . g5
49.xh6! g1 50.e7 e1 51.f5! f1+
[ After 51...xf5 52.xf5 xe7 53.xa6
White wins easily as the black king is so far
away from the passed pawns. ]
52.e3 xf5 53.e2!
[ T h e l a s t t h i n g t o a v o i d w a s 53.e8??
e1+ ]
1-0
981 C11
Grischuk,Alexander 2763
Potkin,Vladimir 2651
65th ch-RUS Moscow RUS (3) 05.08.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 My book (and
others) promotes 7...Be7, which I like for its
flexibility but I've always felt that the ...a6/...
b 5 p la n wa s go o d e n o u gh f o r e qu a lit y i f
p l a y e d a c c u r a t e l y . 8.d2 b5 9.a3
A move that Kasparov and Anand have used,
among other stars. a5 This foray, with the
idea of ...b4, has been used by some strong
players, and may be a handy repertoire move.
[ In the Archives you will find multiple
examples of 9...b7 , ]
[ 9...g6 , and ]
[ 9...g5 ]
10.e2 Solid an logical, developing. Some
options:
[ a) 10.b1 is examined by Neil in a couple
of games in the Archives: b8! as examined
in the notes to Kasparov-Radjabov. For
example, ( 10...b4!? 11.axb4 xb4
12.e2 g5?! 13.fxg5 cxd4 14.xd4
dxe5 15.0-0 gave White a powerful attack
in Short-Zhukova, Gibraltar 2006.) 11.d1
xd2+ ( I prefer White slightly following
11...b4!? 12.axb4 xb4!? 13.c3 b8
Enders-Schmittdiel, Passau 1998. On the
other hand,; 11...cxd4 12.xd4 xd2+
13.xd2 b7 is a standard type of position
in which Black has done perf ectly well)
12.xd2 e7= ( or 12...cxd4 13.xd4
b7 )]
[ b) 10.a2 is also played, when b6
11.e2 c7 ( safer than the two games
that went 11...b4 12.axb4 xb4 13.a1
c6 14.b3 intending Nc3 in many cases)
12.g3 e7 13.g2 b7 14.0-0 0-0
when Black has plenty of play the rook on
a2 does not impress. ]
10...b4 11.d1 b8 A calm move. In the
Archives Neil analyses the exciting game
Anand-Ivanchuk, Monte Carlo MNC 2005,
which went
[ 11...c4 12.a4 c3!? 13.bxc3 bxc3 14.c1
b6 15.0-0 d7 16.f2! and White slowly
consolidated, followed by a kingside attack. ]
12.c3!? bxc3!? Perhaps best, simply
guaranteeing usable open lines on the
queenside.
[ 12...c4 13.0-0 bxa3 14.bxa3 b6 15.a4
is messy, because although White has little
direct pressure on the kingside, his pieces
can head that way quickly, perhaps with f5.
Black already has queenside pressure. ]
13.xc3 cxd4 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4
c5 16.xc5 xc5 17.b4 a7 18.d1
b7?!
[ 18...h6 is suggested by Dom in the Forum,
presumably to keep the king in the centre in
some lines, and perhaps to meet 19.d4
with xd4 20.xd4 g5!? ( 20...e7= )
21.g3 b7 22.f2 gxf4 23.gxf4 c8
24.c1 f6 25.exf6 xf6 26.f3 f8
with balanced chances. ]
[ Alternatively, Black might play simply
18...0-0 , since 19.d4 xd4 20.xd4 b7
21.d2 fc8 doesn't give White much. ]
19.e4! Now White can claim some
advantage, although the knight coming to d6
is not as effective as it first looks. 0-0 20.d6
c6 21.d4 xd4 22.xd4 b5
23.xb5!? An odd decision, giving up such a
good piece. Black isn't threatening anything,
so activating the h1-rook looks logical, e.g.,
[ 23.d2 xe2 24.xe2 f6! 25.f5!
( 25.exf6 xf6 26.g3 e5!? ) 25...xe5
( 25...fxe5 26.fxe6 f6! 27.xd5 xe6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

28.c1 ) 26.fxe6 g6 27.f3! e7 b1+ 23.d1 b4+ 24.d2 ) 21...b5?
28.c1 with an edge. ] ( Black has to make do with something like
23...axb5 24.d2 g5!? 21...a3 22.d6+ f8 23.xe2 b4+
[ 24...f6 25.exf6 xf6 is also playable. ] though I favour White here after 24.f2 )
[ , or 24...fc8 ] 22.dxe6 xd1 ( or 22...fxe6 23.d6+
25.g3 b7 26.c1 a8 27.c3 f6!? and White wins by utilising the Nc3! trick
28.exf6 xf6 29.f3 gxf4 30.gxf4 ba7 i f n e e d e d .) 23.d6+ e8 24.c3!
31.dd3 f7 32.f5 White tries to mix things and Black loses his queen as she dare not
up a little in an even position, but this move away from the defence of d7 or else
simplifies to a dead draw: e4+ 33.xe4 25.Qxd7+ will mate. ]
dxe4 34.fxe6+ xe6 35.h3 e5 36.e3 [ Meanwhile see Shirov-Bareev on ChessPub
xa3 37.h5+ d6 38.xa3 xa3+ for the forced draw after 16.b4 a5! ]
39.xe4 b3 40.xb5 h3 41.d5+ e6 16...b2
42.e5+ [ Black's 16...b6 recipe runs into trouble after
½-½ A) but not 17.b5?! a5 18.c3 ( or
18.xa5 bxa5 19.c4 f6! ) 18...a6!
( also worth considering for Black is
982 C11 18...a6 19.xd7 xd7 20.xf7 hf8 )
Grischuk,Alexander 2720 19.c6 a7 and Black is doing very well
Zvjaginsev,Vadim 2659 as 20.0-0? would drop the bishop to a
Ordix Open Mainz GER rapid (10) 14.08.2005 queen check on c5.;
[Neil McDonald] B) 17.e2 a5 18.c3 c5 19.c4 d4
( it's important that 19...a6? fails to
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 20.cxd5 ) 20.f3 b8 21.0-0 and White
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 will have excellent attacking chances. ]
c5 9.d2 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 17.e2 c5
b6 12.d2! The offer of the b2 pawn is [ The attempt to undermine White's centre
excellent in that White has at least a draw if with 17...g5? looks more or less suicidal. e.
he wants it. xb2 13.b1 a3 14.b5 g. 18.0-0 gxf4 19.xf4 ( maybe 19.xf7!?
xa2 15.d6+ e7! 16.c1!? xf7 20.xf4+ ) 19...xe5 20.b4 e3+
[ A new move. I think White should also ( not 20...xd6? 21.xf7+ ) 21.h1 c5
consider 16.d1 b6 22.b2 with a strong attacking set up for
A) Or 17.d3 a5 18.c3 c5 White. ]
and here White didn't achieve much with [ However 17...b6 stopping White castling
19.b5 as given in Almasi-Bareev on is a tougher nut to crack e.g. 18.c4 c5
C h e s s P u b . I n s t e a d ( 19.c4 a6! threatening a fork on b3. ]
looks fine for Black. You will notice that 18.0-0 b3
with the white rook on c1, as after 16.Rc1 [ Now 18...b6 is useless as White is safely
in the Grischuk game, things are very castled and can answer 19.h1 ]
different as c4xd5 would expose an attack 19.f5+!
on the black queen. So the Ba6 option [ Not 19.b4 d4+ exchanging queens. ]
would be ruled out for Black- see the note 19...exf5 20.b4+ d8 21.cxb3?
16...Qb2 below. ); Strangely enough this might throw away the
B) 17.e2!? a5 ( Instead 17...a6 win. On the other hand, the ice calm
18.0-0 gives White everything he wants, [ 21.cd1!! cuts out the threat of a check on
especially as xe2 19.a1 b2 20.fb1 d 4 a n d l e a ve s B l a ck d e f e n c e l e s s . F o r
wins the black queen.) 18.c3 c5 19.c4 example
a6 20.cxd5 xe2 21.e4! A) 21...c7 22.d6#;
( This zwischenzug looks superior B) 21...e6 22.d6+ c8 ( if 22...e8
21.xe2 when White probably has to 23.b5+ ) 23.cxb3 and there will be a
acquiesce in a draw with b4+ 22.d2 decisive check on c1.;

889
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

C) 21...d4 22.b5! d7 He must block g8 24.f4! - see analysis there) 17.c7 f8
the queen check on d6. 23.xd7 xd7 18.a3 with ongoing complications discussed
24.xb7+ e6 25.c6+ e7 26.d6+ there. ]
e8 27.e6! d8 ( Black drops his rooks 10...f7 11.h4
after 27...fxe6 28.xe6+ f8 29.xf5+ [ 11.e2 is also discussed in the forum.
g8 30.d5+ f8 31.xa8+ ) 28.c6+ After 0-0 12.0-0-0 ( 12.d2 de5!
e7 ( or 28...f8 29.c7 ) 29.c7+ - Amenitanos) 12...h6 13.h4 , I think b4!
xe6 30.fe1+ f6 31.c6+ looks awkward f or W hite, since ...Bxc3
and mates ] doesn't just double pawns, it prepares ...e5.
21...xe2 22.c7! A spectacular move and ( 13...a6 14.g3 b5 15.e4! b6!
the only way to keep the attack going. d7 is a mess )]
23.xb7 11...de5!
[ White should take the draw with 23.xd7+ [ 11...h6 12.0-0 0-0 13.g3 f6
xd7 24.xb7+ e6 25.c6+ e7 is more-or-less equal. ]
26.b7+ etc. ] 12.xe5 xe5 13.g3
23...b5? [ 13.0-0 0-0 14.e2 xd3 15.cxd3 ]
[ Black can beat off the attack with [ 13.b5+ d7 14.e2 g6 15.g3 0-0
23...e3+! -it is important to guard the a7 16.xd7 xd7 seems to favour Black's
p a wn a n d p re ve n t a f u t u re Rc1 c h e ck- central pawns. ]
24.h1 c8! 25.d7+ ( 25.c6 b6! ) 13...xd3+
25...xd7 26.xa8+ c8 27.xd5+ c7 [ 13...0-0 14.0-0 c6 15.h1= ]
28.xf7+ b8 29.xg7 d8 and Black 14.cxd3 0-0 15.d4 b4
has turned the tables. ] [ 15...e7! is a solid option Black isn't about
24.xd7+ Now White regains his material and to capture on c3 anyway. ]
picks up a couple of pawns in the process. 16.0-0 d7?!
xd7 25.xa8+ c8 26.xa7 e8 [ 16...b6 ]
27.xf7 d7 28.h5 a7+ 29.h1 g6 17.e1
30.f3 e7 31.xd5 d8 32.c6 [ 17.b3! either wins the b-pawn or solidifies
Two passed pawns down with a badly placed White's dark squared grip, e.g., e7 18.a3
king, Black decided to call it a day. xc3 19.bxc3 b6 20.fe1 ]
1-0 17...ac8 18.e3
[ Now 18.b3 c4 19.a3 a5 20.xb7
b6! 21.e2 c2! 22.b3 e5! takes over
983 C11 the initiative. ]
Gunnarsson,Jon Viktor 2435 18...c4
Halldorsson,Jon Arni 2194 [ 18...e7! with idea of ..Bg5 or ..Bf6. ]
TCh-ISL Div 1 2010-11 (1.1) 08.10.2010 19.e2
[John Watson] [ 19.a3 ]
19...a5 20.h3 b6 21.a4
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ or 21.c1 ]
5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 c6 7.f4 xc5 8.d3 f6 21...a5 22.b3 c6 23.f4 c3?!
9.exf6 xf6 This is a very popular recapture, [ 23...c3 ]
featured in the Forum contest (see the first 24.d3! Covering f2 and finally winning e5 in
entry at the top of the French section). 10.g5 a stable way. e7 25.e5 e8 26.f4!?
[ 10.g3 0-0 11.0-0 d4 12.xd4 xd4 [ 26.c1! preserves a clear advantage. ]
13.e2 c5 14.d6! won the Forum 26...xe3 27.fxe3 g6?
contest, leading to great complications. The [ 27...f7! 28.c1 c6 , but White has all
main line began with d8 15.b5 xb2 the play. ]
16.ab1 b6 ( 16...a6 17.xc5 axb5 28.xg6 hxg6 29.d3 f7 30.d6 f2+
18.xb2 xb2 19.h5 h6 20.e7 d7 [ 30...c8 31.f1 d7 32.e5 ]
21.g6 e8 (? jw) 22.h7+ f7 23.h4 31.h2 f5 32.b4! d8 33.g3 b2

890
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

34.b1 a2 35.a5!? A practical move. White whilst White can continue to pursue his
has played extremely accurately, Here he kingside advances.;
doesn't trust B) 15...f6 16.exf6 xf6 17.h5 g4
[ 35.b3 xb3 36.xb3 to suffice for a win, 18.g3 xe3 19.xe3 d6 20.g3 d7
and wants to keep it complicated. ] 21.h6 g6 22.h3 ae8 23.b6 e7
35...g5 24.de1 fe8 25.b1 and thanks to his
[ 35...e7! ] excellent positional play W hite had
36.c1 Pene trat ing. b2 37.c8+ h7 strong pressure in Kraai,J-Schneider,I/
38.b5! e7 39.xb7 xb4 40.a6 d6 Philadelphia USA 2004. ]
41.xb4 xb4 42.c7 15.d3?
[ Black should probably play on, even if it [ This doesn't help at all. Instead 15.b1
should be hopeless with accurate play, e.g., would defend a2 and so take the sting out
42.c7 d2 43.xa7 ( 43.e5! xe3 of Black's next move, as if a5? 16.b6
44.g3 g5 45.xg7+ h6 46.e7 ) xb6 17.xb6 a4 18.d3 looks very
43...xe3 44.a8 f1 ( 44...xd4 45.a7 ) pleasant for White. ]
45.e5 a1 46.a7 ] 15...a5! 16.b3 d4! This pawn offer ruins
1-0 White's game. 17.e4
[ White decides to speculate with a sacrifice
as if 17.xd4 xd4 18.xd4 fd8
984 C11 threatening Bc6 looks pretty horrible. ]
Hertneck,Gerald 2552 [ Or 17.d2 c5 18.xc5 xc5
Knaak,Rainer 2486 and Black is aiming for a quick a5-a4. ]
Bundesliga 2004-5 (8) 29.01.2005 17...dxe3 18.h4 fd8 defending the knight
[Neil McDonald] and making a hole on f8 for the king.
19.xh7+ f8 20.h8+ e7 21.xg7 f8
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 The black king is awkwardly placed, but a
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 piece is a piece. White also has to contend
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2 xd4! with the passed pawn on e3 and the fact that
12.xd4 b5 A refined method of play for his knight is still out of the action. 22.de1
Black that has removed the fear factor from 11. W hite goes after the dangerous pawn, but
Qf2. 13.e3 b4 14.a4 meanwhile Black has to chance to get all his
[ I'm also deeply unconvinced by White's pieces working together. a7! 23.xe3 d4
chances in the variation 14.e2 a5 15.d4 24.xb7 xb7 25.b2 e8 26.h3 f5
xd4 16.xd4 a6 when he has tried 27.g5 d2 28.c1 d5 29.g4 g2
17.b1 in Shirov-Radjabov and ( 17.f5 [ Good enough, but a brutal finish was
in Karjakin-Stellwagen on ChessPub. )] p o s s i b l e wi t h 29...d4+ 30.b1 c7!
14...b7!? 31.gxf5 dxc2 32.xc2 ( Or 32.f1 e4
[ T h e u s u a l m o v e h e r e i s 14...a5 33.a1 c1+ also forces mate.) 32...d1+
but perhaps Black was afraid of the direct 33.b2 xc2# ]
attacking response 15.h4!? ( An attempt to 30.b1 c7 31.d3 d4 32.f5 xe5
prevent Black exchanging bishops with Ba6 33.cd1 d7 34.c3 bxc3 35.xc3 b5
pro ve d in e f f e ct ive a f t e r 15.b5 c7 36.c1 xc3+ 37.xc3 xc3
16.e2 cb8! 17.b1 a6 etc. in Solov [ Of course 37...xd1 38.xd1 xc3
jov, S-Nikolenko,O/St Petersburg RUS 2004- isn't bad either! ]
see the notes to Shirov-Radjabov. ) 0-1
A) In view of the comment above, the
critical line has to be 15...a6 16.xa6
( 16.h5!? ) 16...xa6 17.h5 Black has got
rid of W hite's powerful bishop, but now
what? There is no obvious way for him to
break the blockade on the queenside,

891
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
985 C11
Horvath,Andras 2305
Balog,I 2330
FSIM December (1) 02.12.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 g6!?
A very rare idea. Unfortunately it's difficult to
tell how good it is, as in most of the examples
W h it e wa s a G ra n d m a s t e r a n d B l a ck a n
amateur!
[ However, it is related thematically to games
played as Black by both Radjabov [versus
Kasparov!] and Volkov. 8...b5 9.a3 g6!?
( Instead after 9...b6 10.e2 c4 11.g4!
h5 12.gxh5 xh5 13.g3 h8 14.f5
White gradually built up a winning attack in
Kasparov-Radjabov, Linares 2003, as given
in the archives. However, don't forget that
Radjabov actually won that game, so Black
is by no means without counterplay [How
often did Kasparov lose as White, even if he
was having an off day?]) 10.f2 c4
A hard battle begins on both wings, with
Volkov outplaying his opponent: 11.g4 b6
12.h4 h5! 13.gxh5 xh5 14.e2 e7
15.g5 h8 16.h5 a4! An excellent
move. White has no wish to open the b-file
with 17.Nxa4 bxa4, when his king could
never find safety on the queenside due to
Rb8, etc. 17.d1 a5+!
A) 18.c3 xb2! 19.xb2 xc3+ wins.;
B) 18.d2 b6
B1) If 19.xf7!? h7! ( not 19...xf7
20.hxg6+ g7 21.xh8 when Black is
mated in a couple of moves if he
recaptures the rook.) 20.d6+ xd6
21.exd6 xd4 and Black is in control.;
B2) 19.c3 d7 with good chances for
Black after 20... 0-0-0 etc.- it isn't at all
easy for White to get the rook on a1 into
the game.;
C) 18.f1 Unfortunately for White if d7
19.g2 g8 20.c3 0-0-0 21.g4 gxh5
22.xh5 f6 23.exf6 xf6 24.d2 xg5
25.xg5 df8 26.f2 d8 and White w
as gradually worn down on the kingside
in Timoshenko, G-Volkov, S/Korinthos
GRE 2004. ]
9.0-0-0? Just what Black was hoping for. Eve
wi t h t h e ' wa s t e d ' 8 . . . g 6 m o ve , c a s t l i n g
queenside is very risky for the white king, as
Black can bring down an avalanche of pawns
against him.
[ Instead 9.e2?! b5 10.g3 b6!
I think it is a good idea for Black not to rush
to play c5-c4. Here the positional threat of
11...Nc4, exchanging off White's important
dark squared bishop, provokes White's next
move, which creates a hook f or Black's
queenside pawn advance. 11.b3 c4 12.h4
h5 13.f2 a5 14.h3 a4 15.g5 e7
16.c3 a6 17.g2 d7 18.d1 e7
19.b4? White, exasperated at being
outmanoeuvred, blunders away a pawn. a3
20.b1 c6 21.d2 xb4 22.ce4
and now White makes a combination that
loses a rook. dxe4 23.xb4 c3! 24.xc3
d5 25.b3 xb4 26.xe4 e7
0-1 Anceschi, V-Horn, P/Reggio Emilia
1989. ]
[ M o r e c h a l l e n g i n g i s 9.d1!? c4
( Here also Black should perhaps consider
delaying c5-c4 so as not to give W hite a
f r e e h a n d wit h h i s m a n o e u vr in g o n t h e
kingside. For example 9...b5 10.e2 b8
keeping the option of c5xd4 if White's pieces
go too far off side- e. g. the bishop goes to
h4. ) 10.e2 b5 11.0-0 b6 12.c3 d7
13.f2 c7 14.e3 0-0-0 15.h4
and W hite had persistent pressure in
Hebden, M-Guigonis, D/FRA-chT 1989. ]
9...c4! 10.e1 White's next couple of moves
represent sheer panic. He had to try to hold
things together with his king staying on the
queenside, as what follows is too easy for
Black.
[ On the other hand, it's hard to give advice,
as Black gets a vicious attack af ter say
10.g4 b5 11.f5 b4 12.e2 c3! 13.bxc3
a5 14.b1 b6 etc. ]
10...b5 11.d1 a5 12.e2 b4 13.d1
b7 14.f2 xa2 White's king is safe, but
he is a pawn down for nothing. Horvath makes
a futile attempt to muddy the waters, but
Black has a simple winning plan: bring the
queen back to the defence of the king and
then advance the a-pawn down the board.
15.e2 a5 16.g4 e7 17.g2 a4 18.f2
c6 19.a1 f6 20.exf6 xf6 21.e5 c7
22.g5 d7 23.xd7 xd7 24.g4 g7
892
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
25.c3 f5 26.f2 b3 27.f3 a4 28.a3
f8 29.e5+ c8 30.ha1 xa3 31.xa3
d6 32.g4 e8 33.g3 e7 34.a1 e4
0-1
986 C11
Huschenbeth,Niclas 2417
Brynell,Stellan 2447
38th Rilton Cup 2008-9 (9) 05.01.2009
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6
[ One of the most amusing transpositions in
the openings is 1...c5 2.f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4
4.xd4 c6 5.c3 a6 6.e3 f6 7.f4
d5 8.e5 d7 9.d2 c5 10.0-0-0 0-0
11.f2 e7 12.b1 -from the Sicilian to
the French! This is the game Radjabov-
I va n c h u k , Mo re lia 2 0 0 8 wh ich Rich a r d
Palliser has annotated for the Open
Sicilian section of ChessPub. Fortunately it
has been made available in the archives for
French Defence subscribers. ]
2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5
6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 Recently this
exchange has been somewhat overshadowed
by
[ 7...e7 but it remains a well established
m o v e - a n d h a s a lo t o f b it e if W h it e i s
careless. ]
8.xd4 c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 e7!?
[ When checking up games in the ChessPub
archives remember that the move order
might be 10...a6 11.f2 e7 ]
11.f2
[ Mikhail Gurevich won as Black versus
Sebag in the archives after 11.b1 f6 ]
11...a6
[ Does Black need to spend a tempo on this
move, when he can play f7-f6 to
i m m e d i a t e l y u n d e r m i n e t h e e 5 p a wn ?
Gurevich dispensed with a7-a6 in the game
mentioned above, and Black also seized
the initiative in the following game: 11...f6!?
12.exf6 xf6 13.h3 ( I guess White should
try 13.xc6 xe3+ 14.xe3 bxc6
but I wo uld be af raid of the ope n b-f ile
after Black's Rb8 etc.) 13...b4! 14.b1
e5!? ( Also strong for Black is 14...xc3
15.bxc3 e4 16.e1 a3 ) 15.xc6 bxc6
16.fxe5 ( Giving up the queen as quite
a p p a l l i n g f o r W h i t e i s 16.d2 xc3
17.xc3 e4 18.e1 xf4 ) 16...e4
17.xe4 xf2 18.xf2 xe5 and Black h
as good winning chances but only managed
to draw in Swathi, G-Aginian, N/Dresden
GER 2008. ]
12.d3
[ Instead 12.b1!? gives us the Sicilian
move order game mentioned at move one
above. I should add that the plan of f6?
then backfires horribly, as Black can no
longer capture on e3 as necessary with
check: 13.f5!! exf5 14.xd5 f7 ( Or
14...e8 15.xc5 ) 15.e6! xe6 16.c4
h8 17.xc5 and Black is being mangled. ]
12...f6 13.exf6
[ He r e o f c o u r s e 13.f5? is stupid after
xe3+ ]
13...xf6 14.h3 d6 15.h4? So far we
have been following Jakovenko-Morozevich in
the archives, when Black was doing well after
[ 15.hf1 The game move is equally
uninspiring- so maybe it's time to test ]
[ 15.g4!? ]
15...d7 16.he1 Over the next few moves
White goes into centralising/ retreating mode,
which means that his queen is looking rather
ridiculous on h4- there is no attack for her to
support. Meanwhile, she is a long way from
t h e d e f e n c e o f h e r k in g - a f a c t o f wh ic h
Brynell takes full advantage. b4! 17.f1
The bishop is obliged to relieve its pressure
on h7, leaving the white queen with no allies
in her pursuit of the black king. In contrast,
the black pieces are soon queuing up for an
assault on the queenside. ac8 18.f3
xc3! I guess that the move order in the
Radjabov-Ivanchuk game [see move one
above] is the most appropriate, as this is
def initely a Sicilian rather than a French
sacrif ice! 19.bxc3 xa2+ 20.b2 xc3!
Another sacrifice on c3. 21.xc3 c8+
22.d2
[ A pity as after 22.b2 Black can give up a
bishop and rook in addition to the knight
and exchange he has already sacrificed to
force mate in nine moves: a3+ 23.a1
b2+! 24.xb2 b4+ 25.c1 ( 25.a1
xc2 ) 25...xc2+! 26.xc2 a4+ 27.c1
( pretty is 27.d3 c4+ 28.d2 e4# )
893
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

27...c3+ 28.b1 c2+ 29.a2 ( 29.c1 15...f4!? Missing an opportunity.

f5# ) 29...b3+ 30.a1 a3# ] [ A good illustration of the exchange sac in
22...e4+ 23.e2 b5+ 24.d3 xc2+ conjunction with central pawns and bishops
25.d1 xh4!? is 15...xf3! 16.gxf3 f7 17.e2 d4
[ Also killing is 25...c7! 26.d2 b2 ] 18.g3 ( 18.a4 xf3 19.c3 xh4
26.xh4 a4! Despite the exchange of 20.xh3 e7 ) 18...e5! 19.g2 ( 19.xe5?
queens, W hite is entirely defenceless- the xf3 ) 19...d6 ]
discovered check is inescapable and will cost 16.ad1
him at least a rook, when he will be three [ 16.d1! f7 17.g3 h5 and Black has
pawns down in an endgame. 27.f3 b4! a small edge at best. ]
28.d4 16...xd2
[ Again, I have to say it's a pity that White [ 16...d7 17.g3 xd2 18.xd2 f4 ]
didn't choose the artistic end 28.e2 c3+ 17.xd2 f4 18.e1 d7
29.e1?! c1# double check and mate! ] [ Or 18...h6 19.e2 xd3 20.xd3 g5
28...a2+ 29.c1 a1+ 30.b2 xe1 21.g3 g4 22.fd4 e5 , which is
31.e2 c5 A very pretty game. dynamically balanced. ]
0-1 19.f1 ac8 20.e2 h5!? 21.c3?!
[ 21.c4= ]
21...f6 He a d i n g f o r e 4 . 22.xf6 xf6
987 C11 23.ed4 xd4 24.xd4 xd4?!
Imnadze,N 2066 [ 24...cf8 ]
Efroimski,M 2317 25.cxd4 Now it's about equal. In the game,
23rd EYCC Girls U18 2013 (8.2) 07.10.2013 both sides play well until White allows Black
[John Watson] t o b r e a k t h r o u g h o n t h e q u e e n s i d e : c7
26.g3 f8 27.h3 f7 28.de2 c6 29.f4
1.e4 e6 2.c3 d5 3.f3 f6 4.e5 fd7 d6 30.c1 c6 31.ec2 fc8 32.xc6
5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 xc5 7.d3 c6 8.f4 f6 bxc6 33.a3 a5 34.g2 b8 35.c2 b3
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 36.d2 e7 37.g4 d6 38.d1 b6
[ In the Archives we have two examples of 39.a4 e8 40.f2 g6 41.e3 c5 42.f2
10.e2 0-0 11.0-0-0 ] For the next six moves or so W hite should
10...0-0 11.e2 An older continuation. play dxc5, and Black should play ...c4 (which
[ 11.e5 is seen in four Archives games. It she finally does). b7 43.g4 e4 44.d2
would prevent Black's next. ] b8 45.d1 f8 46.g5 c8 47.a4 c4!
11...h5 12.g5 f4! This was played by 48.d1? c3 49.b4 c2-+ 50.c1 c3+
Spassky versus Larsen in what now seem like 51.d2 d3+ 52.e2 xa3 53.xc2 a2
p r e h i s t o r i c t i m e s . 13.d2 c7 54.d1 axb4 55.b3 xh2 56.c8 f2
W hite's problem in this line is that Black's 57.f8 e7 58.b8 xf4 59.xb4 g4
central majority tends to ultimately assert 60.b7+ f8 61.e2 xg5 62.e3 f5
itself, so he needs to upset the balance. Also, 63.d1 f7 64.b8+ e7 65.h5 g6
there tend to be tactics around the kingside: 66.e2 f6 67.a8 h5 68.a1 b7
14.h4?! White wants to play Bg3, but this 69.f1+ f5 70.c1 b3+ 71.f2 h4
has tactical problems. 72.c8 g5 73.h8 g4 74.f1 f3+
[ One alternative is 14.b5 b8 15.xf4 75.g2 f4
xf4 , but Black can still attack following 0-1
16.c3 xf3! 17.gxf3 e5 18.e2 g6
and ...Nf4. ]
14...h3+! 15.h1
[ 15.gxh3? xf3 is already terribly strong for
Black: 16.g2 ( 16.g3?? xg3+ 17.hxg3
xg3+ 18.h1 xh3+ 19.g1 d4
20.e2 d6 21.f4 c5 ) 16...f7 ]

894
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

988 C11 [ 45...f8 46.h4! ]

Inarkiev,E 2680 46.d6+ e6 47.c4 c2? 48.xa5
Gordievsky,D 2474 [ 48.xd5! xc4 49.xa5 c2 50.b3+-
FIDE World Blitz 2013 blitz (2.9) 09.06.2013 with 3 extra pawns! ]
[John Watson] 48...xb2 49.c6? d6 50.g6+ c5
Now Black wins the a-pawn and forces White
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 to sacrifice his knight, when the game quickly
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d3!? devolves into a draw. Unfortunately, rapid
An adventurous try, sacrificing a pawn for chess and increments being what they are (I
development. b5 assume), Black cannot hold the elementary
[ 8...b6 is critical White might have rook-and-knight versus rook ending (which
intended 9.b1 cxd4 10.f2 , although do e s requ ire a lit tle th inking tim e, in m y
B l a c k c a n ' t b e t o o u n h a p p y w i t h c5 experience, or the defending side can get into
11.e2 a5+ ] trouble): 51.h4 xa2 52.xb4 xb4 53.h5
9.dxc5 c5 54.h6 a7 55.g4 Trying to win. It's
[ 9.0-0 ] easier to get rid of the knight immediately, e.g.
9...xc5 10.xc5 xc5 11.0-0 b6 ,
12.h1 b4 13.e2 a5 This standard Black [ 55.g7 a6 56.h7 h6+ 57.g1 d4
manoeuvre equalizes. 14.d2 a6 58.g4 f4 59.g5 h3+ 60.g2 xg5
[ 14...e4 is safer, keeping an eye on the f5 61.xg5= ]
push, but 14...Ba6 should be fine ] 55...d4 56.g5!?
15.f5 xd3 [ 56.g7= ]
[ 15...exf5 16.xf5 e7= ] 56...e5 57.g8
16.cxd3 exf5 17.g5?! e6 18.xf5 0-0 [ 57.g7 ]
19.ac1 ac8 57...h7 58.f8 f4 59.g3 e6 60.g8
[ 19...e3! ] f5 61.h4 a7 62.b8
20.g5 xg5 21.xg5 h6 22.g3= [ 62.g6! a4+ 63.g3 f4 64.h7 a3+
d4?? An awful mistake, but after all it's a 65.f2 xg6 66.xg6 h3= ]
Blitz game. Fortunately for Black, White takes 62...a4+ 63.h5 f4+ 64.h4 g6+
him at his word: 23.f4?? 65.g3 a3+ 66.f2?!
[ 23.xc8 xc8 24.e3 and Black can [ 66.g2! ]
resign! ] 66...xg5 67.h7 h3 68.b7 f6 69.a7
23...f5 24.h3 xc1 25.xc1 e7 e7 70.a6+ f7 71.g2 xh7
This is about equal. 26.e2 e6 27.xe6 P o o r W h i t e ! I a s s u m e h e ' s d o wn t o t h e
fxe6 28.g1 f7 increment from here on out. 72.f3 h5
[ 28...g6! 29.d4 f4 30.xf4 xf4 ] 73.g3 b5 74.f3 c5 75.e3 c6
29.d4 c8 30.f1+ g8 31.h3 76.e4 e6 77.b6 d6 78.b1 c4+
[ 31.xe6 g6 32.d4 c6 33.c5 79.d3 h4 80.b5 b4+ 81.e3 d5+
xe5= ] 82.d3 e5 83.a5 d4+ 84.e2 e4
31...g6 32.xe6 xe5 33.f4 d4 34.e1 85.a8 b4 86.e8+ d4 87.f3 b3+
d7 35.e7 f6?! 88.f2 f6 89.d8+ e4 90.e2 b2+
[ 35...c1+ 36.h2 c5!= ] 91.d1 d5 92.c1 h2 93.d7 d4
36.e6 c1+ 37.h2 e1 38.xg7+ h8 94.d8 c4 95.c8+ b3 96.b8+ b4
39.e7 d1? Now Black gets back into real 97.d1 c3 98.c8+ d4 99.d8+ d5
trouble: 100.c1 h6 101.c2 c4 102.c8+ d4
[ 39...e2 would have given him only a slight 103.d8 h2+ 104.b3 h7 105.c2 c4
disadvantage. ] 106.c8+ c7 107.d2 d4 108.d8+
40.xd4 xd3 41.f5 e4 109.c2 e6 110.d6 d4+
[ Or 41.b3! ] 111.b2 b7+ 112.a2 d3 113.d8 b6
41...h5 42.e6 d5 43.h6+ g8 44.xh5 114.c8 c6 115.a3??
With two extra pawns. d2 45.g5+ f7?! [ 115.h8= ]

895
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

115...c3 116.a4?? In PTF4 I prefer

[ 116.a2 c2 117.a8 ] [ 12...d7 with many games and a great
116...b4+? deal of analysis, which at any rate offers
[ 116...b2! and White has to resign. ] more dynamic chances. ]
117.a3 b6 118.a4?? b2! 119.c7 13.e3!
b4# [ 13.d4 d7 14.h3 ac8 is another
0-1 kn o wn va ria t io n , e qua l if B la ck a c t s t o
neutralise a potential attack, e.g., 15.g3
xd4! 16.xd4 c7 ( 16...e8=
989 C11 with the idea ... Ne4) 17.d2 e8 18.d3
Inarkiev,Ernesto 2707 xd3+ 19.gxd3 a5= Ragger-Paehtz,
Gurevich,Mikhail 2596 Germany 2008. ]
Turkish Bank Chess League 2012 (2) 12.7.12 13...b6!?
[John Watson] [ Golizadeh, A (2454)-Zhou Weiqi (2584),
Olongapo City 2010 saw 13...a4 14.xa4
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 xa4 15.b1 d7 16.h5 ( 16.d3!
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.dxc5 looks better, intending b4 17.a3 xd3
A relatively popular way to bypass the main 18.xd3 with a minor edge) 16...ac8
lines with 17.d2 h6 ( 17...e4 ) 18.e2 e4
[ 8.d2 . ] 19.f2! a4 20.e3 e4 21.f2 a4
8...xc5 There are two interesting 22.e3 ( 22.c3! with the idea b5 23.a3 a5
alternatives: 24.d4 ) 22...e4 23.f2 a4 , etc. ]
[ 8...xc5 has been considered inferior after [ I think that simply 13...d7! should be
9.e2 0-0 10.0-0 , although in my book I considered, planning ...Rac8, ... Be8 and/or
suggest that b6 isn't bad at all, e.g., 11.e1 . . . N e 4 , e . g . , 14.d4 ( 14.e2 e8 )
( 11.a3 b7 12.e1 e4 ) 11...f5 . ] 14...e4! 15.xe4 dxe4 16.c4! e8!?
[ 8...0-0 9.e2 ( 9.d2 transposes to 8 ( 16...xd4 17.xd4 c6 ) 17.xe4 xd4
Qd2 0-0 9 dxc5. Then 9...Bxc5 transposes 18.xd4 c6= ]
to 8...Bxc5, and as I describe in PTF4, Black 14.d4 e4
h a s a l e g i t i m a t e a l t e r n a t i v e i n xc5 [ Or 14...d7 15.h5 ( 15.h3 ) 15...h6
, i n t e n d i n g 10.0-0-0 c7 o r 1 0 . . . b 6) 16.h3 ac8 ]
9...xc5 10.d2 xe3 11.xe3 f6 15.h5!?
, a position examined in PTF4, with equal [ 15.h3 ]
chances. ] 15...d7 16.xe4 dxe4 17.xe4 xd4?
9.d2 This can only be better for W hite, who
[ 9.xc5 xc5 10.d2 0-0 11.0-0-0 remains a pawn ahead. Two other ideas:
is also played, when a5 transposes to the [ 17...e8!? 18.d3! ( 18.c3 xd4
game ( o t h e r p o s s i b i l i t i e s : 11...b6; 19.xd4 c6 20.e3 xd4 21.xd4
11...e7; 11...d7; 11...b6 )] xd4 22.cxd4 d8= ) 18...xd4 19.xh7+
9...0-0 10.0-0-0 a5 11.xc5 f8 is unclear, but dangerous for Black. ]
[ 11.d4 xd4 ( a game from this month: [ The unusual 17...b4 may be best, e.g.,
11...b4 12.b3 xc3 13.xa5 xd2+ 18.c4! ( 18.b1 c6 19.e3 ac8
14.xd2 f6?! 15.exf6 xf6 16.xc6 bxc6 20.d2 a4! ) 18...ac8 19.b3 a5
17.g3 with excellent winning chances, with an attack for the pawn. ]
Aro s h id ze , L (2 58 2 )-Cori T ., D (2 3 8 6 )/ 18.xd4 a5 19.c4 c6 20.f2 a4
Montcada i Reixac 2012.) 12.xd4 b8! 21.h4!
13.b1 b5 14.e2 b4 15.e3 a6 [ Or 21.b3 e4 22.h6! ]
16.d4 fc8= Shomoev-Potkin, Dresden 21...dc8?
2007. In PTF4 I mention 11 Kb1 Bb4!?. ] [ But 21...xd1+ 22.xd1 e8 23.f5!
11...xc5 12.h4 d8!? One of several is clearly better for White. ]
moves in this fundamentally sound position. 22.b3 e4 23.he1

896
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ Or 23.h6 ]
23...f5 24.d2 d5 25.b1 c5 26.f2!
Protecting f4 now g4 will be terribly strong. h6
27.g4 h7 28.d2 e8 29.xd5 exd5
[ 29...xd5 30.xd5 exd5 31.f5! ]
30.f5 h8 31.h1 ec8 32.ed1 g8
33.c3 e8 34.xd5 b5 35.e4 a5 36.xc5
xc5 37.e6 A nice positional demonstration,
but Black unnecessarily gave up his pawn for
little or nothing.
1-0
990 C11
Inarkiev,Ernesto 2686
Lalic,Bogdan 2454
Melilla (Division de Honor) (4) 23.11.2011
[Lalic and Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6
[ 7...e7 has been the rage for several years
now, but both the traditional ]
[ 7...cxd4 and the text move 7...a6 are still
very popular. My book features 7...Be7, by
the way, whereas PTF3 recommended 7...
cxd4. I've always liked 7...a6 as an
alternative. ]
8.d2 b5 A position very well-represented in
the Archives. 9.d1!? But not this one. Lalic
attributes 9 Nd1 to Grischuk. Alternatives
include
[ 9.e2 and ]
[ 9.dxc5 , both played in numerous Archives
games. ]
[ Last month, we looked at by far the most
p o p u l a r a l t e r n a t i v e 9.a3 in the game
Alekseev-Demidov, with the unusual move
a5!? ]
9...cxd4 Lalic gives:
[ 9...b4 10.e2 b6 11.0-0 a5 12.h1
a6 13.xa6 xa6 14.c4!? Zelcic Robert ]
[ and 9...b7 (a flexible move I like). ]
10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 c5 12.c3 b6
13.e3!?
[ jw: 13.e2 0-0 14.0-0 b4 15.f2 b8!?
, about equal. ]
13...b4
[ jw: A s o li d a p p ro a c h wo u l d b e 13...0-0
14.d3 xd4 15.cxd4 b8 16.c3 c6
17.e2 d7 with the idea ...Nb4 and ...
Rac8 ]
14.d3 a5 jw: Slow!
[ 14...0-0 ]
15.0-0 a6 16.xa6 xa6 17.f2 bxc3
18.bxc3 0-0 19.d3 xd4 20.cxd4 c8
21.f5! Ultra-thematic. exf5
[ [Lalic:] 21...c4? 22.ab1 xd4?
( 22...a7 23.f2! f6 24.exf6 xf6
25.c5+- ) 23.xd4 xd4 24.c5+- ]
22.ab1 d8?
[ Lalic: 22...a7 23.xf5 c4 24.f4 h6
25.h4 ac6= , but 26.bf1 e6 27.h2
with the idea Qf3 and attack. ]
23.xf5 The entire initial stage has been a
success for White. I'll leave you with Lalic's
notes from here on out: g6
[ 23...f8 24.c5 a7 ( 24...b6 25.bf1
c7 26.f3! e8 27.xd5+- ) 25.b7
h4 26.d6 ]
[ 23...a7 24.e6 ]
24.f2 f8 25.f3 a7 26.f4 c4
27.d1 e6 28.xe6!?
[ 28.xd5?! xd4 29.xd4 xd4 30.f6+
g7 31.e4 e6= ]
28...fxe6 29.h4 e8 with idea ...Ra7-f7.
30.df1! b7?
[ 30...xd4?? 31.e3 a4 32.h6+- ]
[ 30...ac7 31.e3! g7 32.h5 c3
33.g5 h6 34.g4 g5 35.f6+- ]
[ 30...cc7 31.a3 f7 32.xf7 xf7
33.xf7 xf7 34.xa5 f4? ( 34...e7 )
35.d8+ f7 36.f6+ xf6 37.exf6 xf6
38.a4 e7 39.f2 d6 40.e3 e5
41.dxe5+ xe5 42.a5 d6 43.d4+- ]
31.g4 bc7 32.f6
[ 32.f8+! xf8 33.xf8+ xf8 34.xe6
xd4 35.d6+ e7 36.f6+ f7 37.d8+
g7 38.e6+- ]
32...c1 33.xc1 xc1+ 34.h2 e1?
[ 34...c6 35.h5 g7 36.h4 ]
35.h5
[ 35.xe6 f8 36.f6 e8 37.d6 e4
38.g5+- ]
35...e4 36.g5+- xd4
[ 36...g7 37.h6+ g8 38.f2 xd4
39.f6+- ]
37.hxg6 c4 38.f7
1-0
897
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
991 C11
Inarkiev,Ernesto 2684
Vitiugov,Nikita 2617
TCh-RUS Dagomys RUS (6) 07.04.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5
9.g3!?
[ Previously on ChessPub we have looked at
9.a3 and ]
[ 9.dxc5 and ]
[ 9.e2 ]
9...b4
[ Here's how a 11 year old female prodigy
handles the position as White after 9...cxd4
: 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4 c5 12.g2
b7 13.0-0-0 0-0 14.hf1 xd4 15.xd4
b6 16.e2 fe8 17.xb6 xb6 18.d4
c8 19.h4! with d4 securely controlled, it is
time to gain space on the kingside. d7
20.h5 f6 21.h6! Impressive positional play
that leaves Black weak on the dark squares.
fxe5 22.fxe5 c4 23.de1 a7 24.hxg7
c8 25.b3 a5 26.h3 xg7 27.f6
xg3 28.xe6+ xe6 29.xe6 And White
was winning thanks to the strong passed
pawn. g6 30.xg6+ hxg6 31.c7 e7
32.xd5 e6 33.c7 e7 34.e6 g7
35.xa6 b7 36.e5 d6 37.d5 xe6
38.c7 e1+ 39.d2 e7 40.xb5 e4+
41.d3 g5 42.d6 f2+ 43.d4 g6
44.e5 d7 45.e6+ h5 46.e3 g4+
47.f3 h6 48.e4 f7+ 49.f6
1-0 Hou Yifan-Huang Qian/Beijing CHN
2005. ]
[ Perhaps Black should consider 9...b6!? ]
10.e2 a5 Black's idea is to solve the
problem of the 'bad' light squared bishop by
putting it on the a6 square. Whether this time
consuming plan is viable is put in doubt by
I n a r k i e v ' s s h a r p r i p o s t e . 11.f5!
White's alternatives seem tame by
comparison:
[ 11.g2 g6 12.g4 a6 13.g3 cxd4
14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 c5 16.xc5
xc5 17.h4 c7 18.d4 c8 and White's
king was looking precariously placed in
Peters, J-Sevillano, E/Los Angeles USA
2006, or ]
[ 11.h3 g6 12.0-0 a6 13.f2 xe2
14.xe2 cxd4 15.xd4 xd4 16.xd4
c5 with a comfortable position for Black in
Martinez, L-Sieiro Gonzalez, L/Santa Clara
CUB 2005. ]
11...cxd4
[ White also builds up an initiative after
11...exf5 12.f4 cxd4 13.xd4 ]
12.exd4 xd4 13.xd4 xe5 14.0-0-0
d7 15.f4 c4
[ Or 15...d6 16.fxe6 fxe6 it looks as if
Black has a solid centre, but now comes a
thunderbolt. 17.f5!! wrenching open the d-
file. exf5 18.xd5 c6 19.b5! d7
( White gets his piece back with a winning
attack after 19...xb5 20.xe5 ) 20.xe5
xd5 21.xd5 xb5 22.xb5 xe5
23.xe5+ f7 24.xf5+ and White has an
extra pawn. ]
16.e2?
[ Here Inarkiev misses the most powerful
continuation: 16.xc4 dxc4 17.e2! f6
18.fxe6 fxe6 19.b5!! another unexpected
knight move of exceptional power. xb5
( Hopeless for Black is 19...c8 20.c7+
xc7 21.xc7 ) 20.h5+ g6 21.xb5+
f7 22.b7+ e7 23.d6 g5+ ( or
23...ae8 24.hf1+ g8 25.xe7 )
24.b1 ae8 25.hf1+ g8 ( if 25...g6
26.e4+ h5 27.xe6 xd6 28.h3+
g6 29.xd6+ ) 26.xe7 xe7 27.xe7
xe7 28.d8+ and mates. ]
16...f6 17.g2 e7 18.he1 g5 19.fxe6
xe6?
[ Black misses his chance to gain
c o u n t e r p l a y w i t h 19...fxe6 20.b3
( 20.xe6?? xb2# ) 20...gxf4 21.bxc4 0-0
22.cxd5 ac8 23.dxe6 a4!? ]
20.b3! gxf4 21.bxc4 c5
[ Black can't evacuate his king as if 21...0-0
22.cxd5 ad8 23.b1 , ruling out any Qa1
mate tricks, when Black loses material due
to the pin on the e-file. ]
22.cxd5 xd4 23.dxe6 e3+ 24.b1 c8
25.gxf4 c3 26.b5+
[ Black is pole-axed after 26.b5+ f8
27.d7 xe6 ( or 27...fxe6 28.b8+ )
28.d5 ]
1-0
898
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
992 C11
Jakovenko,D 2741
Nepomniachtchi,I 2707
Piterenka Blitz 2012 blitz (3) 29.12.2012
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 b6 8.a4
a5+ 9.c3 b6
[ 9...c4 has been a major move here as
well. ]
[ and 9...cxd4 10.b4 xb4 ( 10...c7
11.xd4 e7 12.d3 0-0 13.0-0 d8!?
14.h5 f8 15.b5 Dorrington, C (2307)-
Gourlay, I (2347), Staverton ENG 2013.)
11.cxb4 xb4+ 12.d2 xd2+ 13.xd2
has been debated ad inf initum, usually
ending in a small advantage for W hite. A
game this month went b6 ( Vitiugov tries to
revive 13...0-0 in his book, but I wouldn't
swear by it.) 14.d3 a6 15.b2 c5
16.xa6 xa6 17.e2 d3 18.e3 a3
19.d1 a6 20.0-0 c8 Barbosa, E
(2413)-Cubas, J (2528), Santos BRA 2012
and W hite might have gotten somewhere
with 21.g3 ( 21.f5!? c5 ) 21...0-0 22.f5
, but stumbled and lost. ]
10.a3
[ The move 10.d2!? has been considered
critical. Long given as favorable for White,
2012 has seen several victories for Black,
particularly in the piece sacrifice line with
11..Nxb4. I'll give several games here: c4
The threat 11.c4, discovering an attack on
the black queen, obliges Black to close the
queenside. 11.b4 The sacrifice
A) 11...a6 is playable. White seems to
keep some advantage, for example, he is
3-0 in 2012 with 12.a3!? ( maybe not best
12.e2; 12.c2; and 12.g3 are all played
in general, White seems to keep a minor
edge and score normally )
A1) 12...e7 13.g4!? ( 13.e2; 13.g3?!
f5 is seen in Nyback, T (2587)-Volkov, S
(2633), Plovdiv BUL 2008 in the
Archives. But here instead of 14 exf6?,
W hite should play 14.b2 ) 13...f8
( 13...h5!? ) 14.g2 g6 15.e3?!
( 15.0-0 ) 15...h5 ( 15...h4+ 16.xh4
xh4 17.h3 h5 ) 16.h3 d7
( 16...h4+!? ) 17.b2 hxg4 18.hxg4
xh1+ 19.xh1 0-0-0 and Black stood
well enough, although he later lost to
his opponent, rated 340 points below
him, in Van Beek, A (2329)-Khenkin, I
(2669) /Leiden NED 2012.;
A2) 12...b5 . Now "13 Nb2 is possible,
as Black can't reply Qa3 [as would be
the case after 12.Be2 rather than 12.a3"]
- Neil but recent praxis has seen 13.c5
xc5 14.dxc5 , e.g., b7 15.e3 d7
( 15...e7 16.g3 0-0 17.h3 d7
18.0-0 f5?! 19.exf6 xf6 20.c1
Spence, D (2244) -Clarke, B (2097)/
Canterbury 2010) 16.e2 e7 17.0-0
g6 18.f2 h6 19.d2 g8 20.h4
Tan, J (2221)-Theodorou, N (2129)/
Istanbul TUR 2012.;
B) 11...xb4 gives Black several mobile
pawns for a piece: 12.cxb4 xb4 13.c2
(The computer likes this a lot for White,
and it is easily the favourite move, but
recent games haven't been very clear. I'll
just list several and let you judge.
( 13.xb4 . Karjakin, S-Ernst, S, Wijk aan
Zee NED 2005., which you can find in the
A r c h i v e s , w e n t xb4+ 14.f2 b5
15.c5 xc5 16.dxc5 xc5+ 17.d4
xd4+ 18.xd4 d7 19.e2 e7
20.a3 a5 21.hb1 hb8 22.e3 b6
23.d1 f6 24.c2 h6 25.h4 ab8 26.g4
f8 27.h1 fxe5 28.fxe5 bb8 29.g5
a8 30.hg1 h5 31.gb1 ab8 32.g6
b4 33.axb4 axb4 34.a7 1-0 ) 13...xd2+
14.xd2 b5 15.c3 0-0 ( 15...b4
16.d1 b6 17.f3 a5 18.e2 0-0
19.0-0 Movsesian, S (2700)-Zatonskih, A
(2506)/Caleta ENG 2012) 16.e2 b4
17.d1 f6 ( 17...b6 18.f3 a5 )
18.exf6! ( 18.0-0 b6= 19.f3?! fxe5
20.fxe5 xe5 Videnova, I (2318)-
Muminova, N (2349)/Mexico City MEX
2012 ) 18...xf6 19.g3 b6 20.f3
b8?! ( 20...a5 ) 21.e3 c6 22.d1
( 22.g4 f8 23.d2 a5 24.ge5 )
22...a5 23.g4 f8 24.ge5 xe5
B1) 25.fxe5? b3 ( 25...a4! ) 26.axb3
cxb3 27.c3?! a4 28.b1? ( 28.0-0
d7 29.d2 xf1+ 30.xf1 b2
31.b1 c8 ) 28...a6 29.xa6 xa6
30.f1 ac8-+ Umudova, N (2220)-
Muminova, N (2349)/Mexico City MEX
899
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

2012.; 15.d2 a6 16.f5 e7 17.fxe6 fxe6

B2) 25.xe5 b3?! ( 25...a4! 18.c4 a5 ( 18...0-0 ) 19.xa5 xa5+
may still favour White, but the pawns are 20.d2 f8 21.xf8+ xf8 Vedder, R
so dangerous that in practice this gives (2283)-Liodakis, K (2097), Rethymno GRE
d e c e n t c h a n c e s) 26.axb3 cxb3 2012.;
27.b1?! ( 27.c5! xc5 28.dxc5 a4 C) 13.f5 e7 14.b2 c8 15.f2 0-0
29.d2! a3 30.c3 b2 31.b3! ) 16.d3 xd3 17.xd3 a6 18.f4 a5
27...a6 ( 27...a4 ) 28.xa6 xa6 19.c2 c6 20.h4 fc8 Pavlov, S
29.0-0 a7! 30.f3? ( 30.a1 a4 (2433)-Drozdovskij, Y (2587), Odessa
31.a3= ) 30...a4 31.g4 b2 32.g2 2008. ]
a3-+ Videnova, I (2318)-Muminova, N 11...a6
(2349)/Mexico City MEX 2012. ] [ A wild example was 11...g6 12.0-0 b8
[ 10.e2 a6 11.xa6 xa6 12.f2 c8 13.h1 a6 14.f5?! gxf5 15.g4!? fxg4?
is easy for Black to play. ] ( 15...e7! ) 16.g5 d8 17.xg4 e7
[ Neil liked 10.f2 in the old days, but Black 18.xf7 xf7 19.xf7 f8 20.f3! xa4
c a n i m p r o v e u p o n t h e k e y g a m e : a6 21.xe7+ xe7 22.f6+?? ( 22.g5+
( 10...c4 isn't played, although 11.b4 a6 e8 23.f6 wins ) 22...d7 23.xh8 c2!
is conceivable) 11.xa6 ( A recent game 24.g7+ c6 25.f1?! ( 25.f7 e4+
with 11.b3 doesn't change the assessment: 26.f3 ) 25...e4+ 26.f3 xe3 27.xa7
xf1 12.xf1 c8 13.g1 e7= d7 ( 27...d3 28.g2 d7 29.xa6
14.d3!? c4 15.c2 b5 16.c5? xc5 e2= ) 28.xa6 g8? 29.a4+?
17.dxc5 b4 Motylev, A (2677)-Fridman, D ( 29.xc4+!+- ) 29...b5 30.b4 ( 30.c2 )
(2667), W arsaw POL 2012) 11...xa6 30...g1+ 31.xg1 xf3+ 32.g2 f1+
12.f1 e7 13.g1 0-0 14.g4 f6 ( 14...f5! 33.g1 1/2-1/2 Vergara, J-San Marco, B
i s m o r e f o r c i n g , w h e n 15.gxf5 xf5 (2270), Paris 1995. ]
is solid for Black.) 15.exf6?! ( 15.b3; 15.f5 12.b4
exf5 16.e6 fxg4 17.h4 f5! 18.exd7 xh4 [ 12.c2
19.dxc5 d4 20.cxd4 ad8 is unclear but A) 12...b5 13.d1 e7 14.0-0 c8
apparently fine for Black) 15...xf6 16.g5 ( 14...0-0! 15.f5 ae8 ) 15.f5! xa4
c8 17.f5 ( 17.dxc5? b5 ) 17...exf5 ( 15...0-0 ) 16.xa4 xa4 17.xa4 exf5
( 17...d8! followed by ...h6, and White is 18.g5!? ( 18.e1 ) 18...h6 19.xe7
looking overextended) 18.gxf5 cxd4?! xe7 20.h4 g6 21.ae1 d8 22.g4
( 18...d8! ) 19.cxd4 e4? 20.xe4 dxe4 fxg4 23.e6 f6 24.exf7+ xf7 25.e2
21.d5?! ( 21.c1 e8= ) 21...e5 22.d6 f8 26.c2 g8 27.a4 f8 28.c2
f6 23.d5+ h8 24.xe4 d7 g8 29.a4 f8 30.c2 1/2-1/2 Berg, E
( 24...e8! 25.f2 d7 ) 25.ad1= (21 80)-K ania, A (2 275 ), Co pe nha ge n
Glek, I-Visser, Y, Vlaardingen 2005. ] 1996.;
10...c4 11.e2 A rare move. B) 12...b5! 13.c5 xc5 ( 13...xd4
[ Black has been doing well after 11.b4 cxb3 14.xd4 xc5 ) 14.dxc5 b4 ]
12.xb3 a6 : 12...cxb3 13.xb3 xe2 14.xe2 a6+
A) 13.f2 c8 14.b2 xf1 15.hxf1 15.f2 a5 16.c2 c8 17.b2 b5
a6 ( 15...e7 16.c4 dxc4 17.xc4 18.d2 e7 19.hc1 0-0 20.a4 c6
d5= ) 16.f5 e7 17.g1 0-0 18.g5 21.d3 b7 22.g1 c7 23.f5 fc8
h6 19.d2 fd8 (this isn't much) Tan, J 24.c2 c6
(2161)-Muminova, N (2319), Kuala [ 24...exf5! 25.xf5 f8 26.f1 b4 ]
Lumpur MAS 2011.; 25.ac1
B) 13.b2 xf1 ( 13...c8 14.a4?? [ 25.fxe6 fxe6 26.ac1 f8 ]
cxe5 15.fxe5 xc3 16.d2 xb3 25...a3
17.xa5 xf1 0-1 (17) Walter, A (1931)- [ 25...f8 ]
Buhmann, R (2617)/Schwaebisch 26.f3 exf5 27.xf5 e7?
G m u e n d G E R 2 0 1 2 .) 14.xf1 c8 [ 27...f8! 28.e2 a6 29.ce1 e7

900
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
30.g4 xc3 ]
28.d3 f8 29.d2 c6?! 30.a1 xb2?!
[ 30...b4 ]
31.xb2 c4 32.a5 b5 33.a6 b6 34.h3
[ 34.ab1! xa6 35.xb5 ]
34...h6 35.h2 e6 36.e1 g6 37.f2
a4 38.fa2 xa2
[ 38...xa2 39.xa2 e7 ]
½-½
993 C11
Jakovenko,Dmitrij 2710
Morozevich,Alexander 2755
60th ch-Superfinal (1) 18.12.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2 e7!?
You can f ind other ideas f or Black in the
ChessPub archives. Morozevich perseveres
with this queen move despite the unhappy
res ult again st Karjakin described be low.
12.d3
[ Instead 12.g3 turned out to be too passive
in Shomoev-Chebotarev as given in the
archives. ]
12...f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.h3
A wise precaution. But if White has to prevent
14...Ng4 then he is a tempo down on the
aforementioned Karjakin game. Here is my
earlier analysis to this game:
[ 14.he1 the move that White wants to play,
b u t c a n h e g e t a w a y w i t h i t ? b4?!
( I could be missing something here, but I
believe that because this was a rapidplay
game, perhaps Morozevich didn't have the
chance to work out the consequences of
14...g4 15.xc6 f6! which looks at least
O K f o r B l a c k e . g . 16.xc5 the queen
s a c r i f i c e i s m o r e o r l e s s f o r c e d . xf2
17.e7+ h8 18.xf2 xe7 19.xd5
f7 20.b6 b8 21.g3 e5! attacking a2
with counterplay.) 15.h4 xc3 16.bxc3
One would imagine that having broken up
White's queenside pawns, Black was doing
well. However, White has every single piece
on an active post, and the bishop pair add a
lot of dynamism to his position. For example,
there is the idea of Nxc6 followed by Bxh7+,
exploiting the pin on f6. a3+ 17.b1
xc3 18.b3! The black queen is
surrounded and threatened with loss by 19.
Bd2. It is necessary to give back the pawn,
after which Black remains painfully weak on
the dark squares. e4 19.xe4 dxe4
20.c5 e8 21.xe4 f6 22.h5 f7
23.xf7+ xf7 24.b6 and White's
initiative stretched into an endgame which
he eventually won in Karjakin, S-Morozevich,
A/Tomsk RUS 2006. ]
14...d6! So no 14...Bb4 in this game. Instead
Morozevich gets his bishop out of the way of
any Nxc6 tactics and reserves the b4 square
for his knight. 15.hf1?!
[ White underestimates the danger he faces
on the queensid e. The immediat e 15.g4
seems best. ]
15...d7 16.de1 Another slow rook move.
Here
[ 16.g4 to generate activity still looks the way
to play it. ]
16...b4! The signal for a rapid queenside
onslaught. 17.d2 xd3+ 18.cxd3?
[ With hindsight it is easy to recommend
18.xd3 keeping the white queen active and
the c2 pawn to guard the king. ]
18...b5 19.b1 b4 20.ce2 a5 21.f3 a4
22.ed4 b3 23.a3 xa3!! If it wasn't for this
spectacular move I would have to withdraw
my criticism of Jakovenko's 'slow' build up at
moves 15 and 16 and instead praise his fine
positional play in the centre. On the contrary,
Morozevich would be worthy of blame for
allowing the queenside pawns to become
locked together, thus blocking his attack. But
all these considerations disappear after this
f i n e p i e c e s a c r i f i c e . 24.bxa3 xa3
There is no immediate mate, but the
connected passed pawns will prove a terror to
the white king. 25.e5 fb8 26.f5 b2
27.c2 d6 28.xd7 xd7 29.f4 a3
30.a2 e5 31.b4 d4 Black clears the way
for a queen check on d5, which persuades a
despairing Jakovenko to give up his bishop to
gain some counterplay in the centre. 32.xd4
exd4 33.xd4 f6 34.c3
[ If 34.xd7 b1+ 35.xb1 b2+ 36.a1
xb1+ 37.xb1 b2# ]
34...xf5 35.b4 h8 36.e7 White is
fighting with great tenacity. The latent threat
901
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
to g7 seems to unnerve Morozevich. f1?!
[ Here for example he missed a win that is
easy for a computer to spot but very hard for
a human: 36...b1+ 37.xb1 a2+ 38.a1
c5!! 39.xc5 xc5 and White has no
answer to a killing check on b3. Of course,
Morozevich wasn't looking to give up his
passed b-pawn and then offer an exchange
of queens. ]
37.e1 f2?
[ There was still a win with 37...f7+ 38.c4
f2 39.b1 c8 40.d5 f6 41.d6
c1 ]
38.xd7 The game has suddenly turned in
W hite's favour. xg2 39.b1 h6 40.c7
f8 41.h4 g4 42.c4 g2 43.c7 g4
44.c4 g2 45.c6 h7 46.d4 g4 47.d5
f4 48.c2+ h8 49.d3 f5 50.c4 f3
51.b4 ff8 52.c3 f5 53.d3 d7
54.c3 f7 55.c6 g8 56.c4 f5
57.d6 h8 58.c5 g6?
[ More resilient was 58...f6 ]
59.d3
[ White missed his chance to more or less
force the exchange of queens with 59.c8+
xc8 60.xc8+ h7 61.c2 when the d6
pawn, which can be supported with the
knight if needed, would decide the game
af t e r f o r e xa m p le d7 62.d1 xc2
63.xc2 g5 64.hxg5 hxg5 65.xa3 g6
66.c4 etc. ]
59...fa7 60.d5 a4 61.h5 xd6 62.xd6
xc4 63.d5 h7 64.d7 g4 65.c7 a5
66.c5 a8 67.d7 f4 68.b6 a5
69.c4 xh5 With all White's pawns
liq u id a t e d , a d r a w is in e vi t a b le . A gr e a t
fighting game.
½-½
994 C11
Jamrich,Gyorgy 2246
Schneider Zinner,Harald 2329
FSIMB Budapest HUN (2) 05.08.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.f4 b6 8.f3 e7
[ If 8...f6 9.a3 should lead to the game by a
long transposition, whilst ]
[ 8...a5 9.a3 a4 10.h4 a7!?
wa s th e ob scure co urse o f Arakha mia -
Volkov. ]
9.a3
[ This has become more popular than 9.g3
as in Lalic-Speelman. ]
9...a5! This seems to be Black's best move
order. If instead
[ 9...0-0 10.b4! ( I consider this a better
op tio n th a n 10.h4 which should transpose
to the game.) 10...cxd4 11.exd4 xd4
12.cxd4 turned out well for White in Bologan-
G u r e v i c h . T h i s i s g i ve n i n t h e n o t e t o
W hite's 10th move in the Anand-Shirov
Frankfurt game. ]
10.b3
[ Transposing is 10.h4 0-0 11.h3 f6 12.b3
c7 ]
10...0-0 11.h4 f6 12.h3 c7 13.c2?!
[ In the Anand-Shirov game in Tehran White
played 13.eg1!? here, after which b6!?
followed by Ba6 was recommended. The
present game seems to indicate that the
sensible development of the bishop is the
best plan irrespective of White's choice of
moves. ]
13...b6! 14.d2?! a6 15.a4 ac8 16.f5?
Af ter a series of f eeble defensive moves
White suddenly lashes out. Naturally the logic
of the position ensures that his position soon
collapses. fxe5 17.fxe6 e4! A well calculated
c o m b i n a t i o n . 18.exd7 xd7 19.e5
Wherever the knight moves the idea of Qxh4!
and Bxh4+ will prove decisive as in the game.
xe5 20.dxe5 xh3! 21.gxh3 xh4+
22.d1 xf1+ 23.e1 xe1+ A pretty finish.
0-1
995 C11
Kabanov,Nikolai 2502
Lysyj,Igor 2620
Open A Moscow RUS (5) 04.02.2009
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 a6!?
A new approach to the position for Black: he
has played
[ 8...0-0 no less than eight times in games in
the archives! Compare the position reached
in the game with the line 9.e2 a6 10.0-0
902
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
b5 11.a3 b6 12.d1! which is perhaps
the most demanding response to 7...Be7 at
the moment. ]
9.e2 b5 10.a3 b7 11.0-0 c7
Black persists in avoiding kingside castling.
12.d1 f5!? So this is the idea: Lysyj blocks
White's f4-f5 advance. 13.h1
[ The critical reply is 13.exf6 breaking open
lines. Lysyi must have analysed the
resulting position and decided that he would
prefer to have his king on e8, where it is
surrounded by defenders and sheltered by
the pawn centre, rather than on the kingside.
Some rounds later in the Aeroflot
tournament his idea received a practical
test: gxf6 ( If 13...xf6 14.g5
is awkward.) 14.f5 e5 15.dxe5 cxe5
16.xe5 xe5 17.h5+ d7 The black
king has been disturbed, but he turns out to
be safe on d7. And if he is allowed the time,
Black can begin a strong counterattack
against g2 with Rhg8 and d5-d4. Therefore
White set about simplifying: 18.f4 d6
19.e3 d4 20.g4 xg4 21.xg4 hg8
22.xd6 xd6 23.f3 xf3 24.xf3 ae8
25.b4 e4 the rest o f the score of the game
is garbled, but it ended in a draw in
Kurnosov, I-Lysyj, I/ Moscow RUS 2009. ]
13...cxd4! Black exchanges before White has
the chance to consolidate his grip on d4 with
14.c3. 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4 c5
16.e3 e4 17.f2 0-0 Only now does
Black castle, having established his knight in
the centre.
[ Not 17...xc2?? 18.xe4 xe4 ( Or
18...fxe4 19.fc1 a4 20.b4 when the
black queen is paralysed and threatened
with 21.Bc2.) 19.d2 c8 20.d3 xd4
21.xb5+ axb5 22.xd4 ]
18.ac1 c6 19.xe4 dxe4 By recapturing
with the d-pawn, Black gives his bishop on c6
a bit more scope. The drawback is that White
c a n s t a g e a b r e a k t h ro u g h o n t h e c - f i l e .
Nonetheless, Black can be pleased at having
a protected passed pawn.
[ After 19...fxe4 White could plan an f4-f5
advance, perhaps with the immediate 20.g4
-though this might be a bit premature. ]
20.c4 b4 21.axb4 xb4 22.b6 d2!?
[ After 22...e7 23.c5 White's bishop
controls d8, meaning that Black's rooks
can't challenge for control of the open file. ]
23.xd2 xb6 24.d6?! White begins to be
outplayed around here. He should investigate
[ 24.c5 b7 25.c4 though Black looks OK
after d5 26.xd5 xd5 ]
24...fe8 25.a3 ab8 26.b4?
[ Instead 26.c2! holds the balance. ]
26...xb4 27.xa6 c5! Not only defending
the bishop and blockading the c4 pawn, but
also threatening to trap the white queen with
28...Ra8. She runs away, but this permits the
black rooks to seize the a-file. 28.a1 a8
29.c3 a2 30.c2 ea8 31.d2 xc2
32.xc2 e3 33.d1 a4 34.e1 b3
35.g1 c2
[ Also possible was the win of the f-pawn:
35...xf4 36.c3 f2 37.xb3 xe2
38.c5 a6 etc. ]
36.f1 b3 37.h3 h6 38.c5 xc5
Black should be winning, but for some baffling
reason the win escapes Lysyi. Perhaps he
was short of time. 39.h5 d5 40.g3 e3
41.e1 a2 42.f3 xf3 43.xf3 a3
[ Here 43...e2 should do the trick as White
has to hand over his f-pawn: 44.xe2 ( If
44.h2 b4 ) 44...xe2 45.xe2 c1+
46.h2 xf4+ etc. ]
44.h2 h7 45.h4 e7 46.g3 h5
47.e2 d8 48.g5 xg5 49.hxg5 h4
50.g3 hxg3+ 51.xg3 g6 52.f3 b3
53.g3 f7 54.f3 g6 55.g3 a3
There's no way for the black king to break
through. A disappointment for Black, but his
plan of delayed castling looks very interesting.
½-½
996 C11
Kamsky,G 2741
Shimanov,A 2655
FIDE World Cup 2013 (2.1) 14.08.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
b6 9.d2 xb2 10.b1 a3 11.b5
xd4 12.xd4 a6 13.xd7+ xd7 14.b3
e7 15.xb7 h4+ 16.f2 d8 17.b6
c8 18.c7 d8 19.d4 a3 This is the
move that analysts have been most happy
with, and Nakamura's choice. So Kamsky's
903
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

choice as White is definitely of interest. with an edge ]

[ 19...c8 20.c6! is Saric-Lalic from the
Archives. Black can probably hold, but it's
work and he has no winning chances. ]
20.b1 e7 21.c4 c8
[ Previous play saw 21...b8 and now:
A) 22.0-0 was possibly Kamsky's intent,
when there might follow dxc4 23.b7
( 23.c3 b5! ) 23...xb7 ( 23...c8??
24.xd7+ xd7 25.xb8+ ) 24.xd8
xd8 , but it seems to me that the bishop
pair should just about equalise matters
even if White picks up another pawn (and
it's not obvious that he does), e.g.,
25.d6! ( 25.h1 0-0 26.c3 a5 )
25...b6 26.a3 ( 26.c5 b8 ) 26...e7
27.a5 d8 and to avoid repetition White
might play something like 28.d2
29.c3 0-0 30.b1 e7 31.f2 c6
32.c2 c5+ 33.f1 b6 34.xb5
axb5 35.a4 bxa4 36.xb6 xb6
37.xa4 c3 38.c4 e3=;
B) 22.d2 w a s p l a y e d : 0-0 23.cxd5
exd5 24.0-0 Leko, P (2744)-Nakamura, H
(2767), Zug SUI 2013 see Saric-Lalic,
where I suggest e8! ]
22.b7 b4+ 23.f2 xb6 24.xb6 c5
In my notes to Saric-Lalic, I call this 'close to
equal'. White outplays Black in what follows,
b u t h is a d va n t a ge i s e xt r e m e l y s m a l l t o
nonexistent at this point. 25.d1 xd4+
26.xd4 dxc4 27.c3 c7 28.xa6 e7
29.b6 a8 So far, so good. 30.e3 a3
[ 30...f6 is also satisfactory, perhaps better,
because it reduces material. ]
31.d2 a5!?
[ 31...c6 32.g3 d5 ]
32.g3 f6 33.exf6+ gxf6 34.c1 h5!?
Planning ...h4, although that may not help
matters.
[ 34...h5 35.h4 hc5! holds the balance. ]
35.b2 h4!? 36.g4 h3 It's not clear what
this does. 37.e4 f5!? 38.gxf5 xf5 39.a4
c6 40.b7 d6 41.xc4 e5 Black has
given up a pawn to get active, but this also
exposes him.
[ 41...d8 42.e4 dd5 is hard to make
progress against ]
42.fxe5 d2+?
[ 42...f2+! 43.b3 dd2 44.e4 b2+
45.c3 fc2+ 46.d3 xh2 47.a7
43.a3?!
[ Better 43.c1! xh2 44.cc7 ]
43...xe5
[ 43...f3 ]
44.e4 xh2?
[ 44...d1! keeps Black in the game. ]
45.d4 e6 46.d6+ f5 47.g3+ f4
48.f1 f2 49.dxd7 h2
[ 49...xf1 50.f7+ ]
50.h7 f3+ 51.b4 e4+ 52.a5 a3
53.b4
1-0
997 C11
Karjakin,Sergey 2771
b5 Agdestein,S 2628
2nd Norway Chess 2014 (3.1) 05.06.2014
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
b6 9.d2 xb2 10.b1 a3 11.b5
xd4 12.xd4 a6 13.xd7+ xd7 14.b3
e7 15.xb7 h4+ This has been the most
common continuation. For
[ 15...d8 , see Grischuk-Agdestein. ]
16.f2 Unusual. It makes sense to vary from
theory. The Archives have 6 games with 16
Bf2, with players of White having an average
ELO of 2723, a clear lead over their
opponents. Five of the games were draws,
and one a win by W hite from a dead equal
position. e7!? The only problem is that 16
Qf2 isn't really very good. For example, Black
can choose to equalize with
[ 16...xf2+ 17.xf2 c8 with the idea ..
Rc4, ( or 17...e7 )]
17.g3! A new move, as far as I can make out.
It makes sense to keep the queens on, and
this causes Black some trouble due to the
idea of Bc5.
[ 17.xh4 xh4+ 18.d2 d8!
leaves Black in an ending with the bishop
pair and pawns on both sides of the board.
Two high-level games ended in short draws:
19.hb1 c6 20.b8 xb8 21.xb8 0-0
22.c8 b7 23.b8 (1/2-1/2 Dominguez
Perez, L (2730)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2718),
S o c h i 2 0 1 2 ) c6 24.c8 b7

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

1/2-1/2 Shirov, A (2714)-Morozevich, A e7 31.c5+ xf7 32.c7+ is drawn by

(2694), Biel SUI 2011. ] perpetual. ]
17...h3 18.d2 24...c7 25.xc7 xc7 26.e6!? Risky. 26
[ 18.c5 xc5! 19.xc5 g2 20.f1 exf6+ was another draw. Now the threat is
( 20.g1 xc2 21.xd7 xd7 22.d6+ Qxa6, but Black's reply is forced and not
c8 23.c6+ b8 24.b6+= ) 20...d4! difficult to find: b6 27.xb6
hits c3 and b7, f orcing 21.xd7 xd7 [ 27.xa6? xe6 ]
, and the miracle move 22.f5! salvages a [ 27.a3? h5 ]
draw in a line such as e8 23.fxe6 fxe6 27...0-0 28.e7 e8 29.d8 c8 Now it's
24.b6 dxc3 25.xe6+= ] clear that only Black has winning chances.
18...d8? This turns out to be surprisingly Perhaps Karajakin was hoping for a blunder.
risky, and even favourable for White.. 30.b2 g6 31.d3 c6 32.c3 b5+
[ 18...c8 19.hb1 c4 is interesting, and ] [ Or 32...e6 ]
[ 18...c8 19.xe7+!? ( 19.hb1 xb7 33.b3 c5
20.xb7 c8!; 19.b2 0-0 is safe and [ 33...c6 34.c3 e6 ]
sound, probably slightly in Black's favour.) 34.a3?
19...xe7 20.c5+ e8 21.a4 b7 [ Really, White needs to bail out by 34.a4
seems to hold. ] f7 35.xa6 b4+= ]
19.hb1 c6 20.c5! A nice exchange 34...f7 35.d3 c6 36.b3 h5 37.b4
sacrifice. Otherwise, a line like h4 38.g4 h3!
[ 20.b8 xb8 21.xb8 0-0 gives no hope [ 38...d6+ 39.a5 d4 ]
for an advantage. ] 39.a5 h8 40.a4 h4 41.g3 White risks
20...xb7 21.xb7 c8 The only move. For losing, but seem s t o sta y wit hin d rawin g
example, range. g5!?
[ 21...f5?? 22.d4! and Qa4+. ] [ 41...c5+ 42.xa6 c6+ is of course
22.c1?! Karjakin's only real opportunity of drawn. ]
the game. As far as I can see, [ 41...h6!? ]
[ 22.d6! was good for White, opening the 42.d3
way for moves like Qa7. Black's best chance [ 42.fxg5! c5+= ( 42...fxg5?? 43.f3+ )]
is probably c6 ( 22...a5 23.c1! xc3 42...gxf4 43.f5 f3!
24.b2! h5 25.a7 xc2+ 26.xc2 [ 43...d6 ]
e2+ 27.b3 and amazingly, White king 44.xf3 e6 45.g5 c6! 46.g6+
e s c a p e s t h e ch e ck s) 23.e2! xd6 This looks like d esp era tio n, bu t e nds u p
24.exd6 0-0 , but White has the better of it confusing Black.
after 25.d4 ] [ 46.c4 c5+ 47.xa6 xc4+ wins. ]
22...f6! 46...e8 47.b3 g4
[ At first, 22...c7 looks safer, and if 23.b8 [ or 47...c4! ]
, d7 . But then White has the remarkable 48.g7 f5!?
( 23...d7 24.e4! ) 24.b5!! axb5 [ 48...f7! and White has run out of tricks, e.
25.e2 , threatening the slow mating idea g., 49.g8+ xg8 50.e8+ xe8
26 Qxb5 and 27 Rxb8+ and 28 Qb5 mate! 51.xd5+ g7-+ ]
There's no good way to prevent this. ] 49.g8+ xg8 50.xh3 e6 51.b6 xe7
23.xd5!? 52.h7+?! f7 53.xf7+ xf7 54.xa6 f4
[ 23.d6 is the obvious alternative, but 55.a5 f3??
Karajakin did n't want to a llow the dra w [ 55...c8! 56.b7 xc2 57.a6 xh2
following xc3 24.a7 f1+ 25.b2 58.a7 a2 and wins. ]
xc2+ 26.xc2 e2+ , etc. ] 56.b7 g2?
23...exd5 24.e2 [ 56...g4! has the idea ...d4, for example,
[ 24.exf6 c7! 25.e2+ d7 26.xc7+ 57.a6 d4 58.a7 f2 59.a8 f1
xc7 ( 26...xc7? 27.f7 ) 27.f7 d6 and this may be drawn but it's not
28.xd6 xd6 29.e5+ d7 30.xd5+ straightforward. ]

905
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

57.a6 xc2 58.a7 a2 59.h4 f6 60.h5 32.gxh6 f2 33.a1 e2 34.g3 g2
g5 61.a8 xa8 62.xa8 xh5 63.b7 35.c7 xc2 ) 32.h6 f7 appears to be
A narrow escape for Karajakin. insufficient compensation ]
½-½ 29.e3 e4 30.g1
[ 30.g5 is messy and unclear. ]
30...xe5 31.g3!
998 C11 [ Karjakin is trying to avoid positions like the
Karjakin,Sergey 2772 one after 31.g5 hxg5 32.xg5 xg5
Andreikin,D 2716 33.xg5 xg5 34.xe6+ , when a draw is
FIDE World Cup 2013 (4.4) 22.08.2013 the best White can expect. ]
[John Watson] 31...f7 32.g5 hxg5 33.xg5 f5 34.c1?
Pressing a bit too hard for a win.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ 34.h6! g6 35.d8 , hitting a5, is
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 apparently level following h7 36.xa5
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 See Yemelin- f1+ 37.xf1 xf1+ 38.b2 f6+ 39.c3
Zvjaginsev for the notes to the moves that bxc3+ 40.xc3 e5 ]
follow. a6 11.f2 xd4 12.xd4 b5 34...xh5 35.c7 d4
13.e3 a5 14.b1 b4 15.e2 c7 [ 35...e5! is a good option ]
16.d4 xd4 17.xd4 a5 18.d3 36.c8+
[ 18.b5 is this month's Yemelin-Zvjaginsev [ 36.d8+! h7 37.b2 e5 38.xa5 ]
game. ] 36...h7 37.c4 e5!?
18...f6 This seems to be new. [ 37...f2 ]
[ 18...a6 is analysed at some length in the 38.xd4 f3 39.e4+?!
notes to Caruana-Meier in the Archives, [ 39.d3+! f5 40.d1! xd3 41.xd3
citing the game Szelag-Lamprecht. ] is still good for Black, but not as easy. ]
19.f3!? Other ways to a small advantage are 39...f5 40.g4 xe4
[ 19.exf6 xf6 20.h4 a6 21.g3 h8 [ 40...h1! ]
22.xa6 xa6 23.e1 ] 41.xe4 e5
[ and 19.h4! , intending fxe5 20.fxe5 a6 [ 41...e5! 42.e3 h3 ]
( 20...xe5 21.h3 h6 22.g3 h8? 42.c4?
23.d3 a6 24.xg7!!; 20...d8 ) 21.h3 [ 42.f4 f5 43.e4 e5 44.c3
h6 22.xa6 xa6 23.g3 with the idea puts up more resistance. This endgame
h8?! 24.e7 ] could prove very tricky. ]
19...fxe5 42...g5 43.c3 bxc3 44.c2 e2+ 45.xc3
[ 19...f5 is safer ] xa2 46.b2 g6 47.c2 f5 48.b1
20.fxe5 a6 xb2+ 49.xb2 g4 50.c5+ e5
[ 20...xf3 21.gxf3 gives White the g-file ] The g-pawn costs White a rook.
21.xa6 xa6 22.h4?! What does this do? 0-1
[ 22.xf8+ xf8 23.c5 g6 24.d6
keeps the advantage ]
22...aa8 23.h5 h6 999 C11
[ Or 23...ac8 24.h6 g6 ] Karjakin,Sergey 2720
24.b3 ac8 25.xf8+ Carlsen,Magnus 2810
[ 25.e1= ] Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (10) 27.01.2010
25...xf8 26.e3 d8 27.h3 e7 [John Watson]
28.g4?! Loosening, and there doesn't seem to
be a purpose, although the move g5 does end I ' m p u t t i n g t h i s g a m e a s t h e m a i n o n e
up being important . f4 because of the stature of the opponents, but
[ 28...g5! g r a b s a p a w n , a n d 29.e3 m o s t o f t h e m a t e r i a l ( w i t h p o t e n t i a l l y
( 29.e1 f4 ) 29...xe5 30.g5 d4 important new games) is in the note on 11 a3.
( 30...hxg5 31.h6! ) 31.c1 hxg5 ( 31...e4 You may even want to separate that out by

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
putting it on a different board in your
database. 1.e4 e6 This move surprised
e ve ryo n e . B u t C a rlse n h a s b e e n ra p id l y
expanding his repertoire, and I suspect that
he will try to present a moving target for most
of his career. It's interesting to see how the
younger stars are developing in this regard:
Karjakin h as bee n m ore pre dictab le, bu t
Nakamura goes to the other extreme. 2.d4 d5
3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6
7.e3 e7
[ 7...a6 has also been important. See
Quesada Perez-Noguieras in this update. ]
8.d2
[ 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.a3 b5 has been
discussed here before. White doesn't always
get time to regroup in the way he does in the
11 a3 notes below. ]
8...0-0 9.e2 I won't look at options such as 9
g3, but here are two alternatives:
[ ( a ) I s h o u l d m e n t i o n t h a t 9.0-0-0?!
i s v e r y d a n g e r o u s b e c a u s e o f c4!
, and Black's queenside pawn attack with ...
b5-b4 is hard to hold up. ]
[ (b) In the Forum, contributor Ametanoitos
analysed the fascinating 9.d3!? f6 10.exf6
xf6
A) jw: 11.b5 contests the dark squares
and is probably better, but at least Black
will end up with the two bishops in many
lines, e.g., after cxd4! 12.xd4 xd4
13.xd4 a6 ( 13...e5? 14.fxe5 dxe5
15.xe5 xe5 16.0-0-0 ) 14.xc6 bxc6;
B) 11.e2 cxd4 ( jw 11...b6 is slow )
12.xd4 xd4 13.xd4 e5!
the difference being 14.fxe5?? ( 14.xe5
dxe5 15.fxe5 d4 16.e4 h4+
17.g3 e6 is fine for Black ) 14...h4+ ]
9...a6
[ If Black doesn't like this line, he might try
9...f6 , as explored in the Archives. So far 9...
a6 is dominating the top level discussion,
which I think means something in this case. ]
10.0-0 b5 11.h1 An important moment.
A l t h o u g h t h i s m o ve c a n h a r d l y b e b a d ,
Karjakin is avoiding a theoretical duel
following what has become the main line with
11 a3 and 12 Nd1. There is an enormous
amount of material on 11 a3, of which I'll do
my best to hit what I think are the (or some)
highlights. In general, and approximately,
W hite is trying to combine ideas of (a)
consolidating his centre, with c3 in some
cases (the idea Nd1 is extremely common,
with Nf2 or Ne3 following later (b) controlling
dark squares, with dxc5 and, after ...f6, exf6
moves such as Qf2 and bringing a rook to d1
are often useful (c) launching some sort of
kin gsid e a t t a ck, e it h e r b y f 5 o r B d 3 a n d
bringing the queen to that sector. Black will
normally combine some of these ideas: (a)
develop his queenside with ...Qb6/... Qc7 and
...Bb7 (b) expand on the queenside with ...b4
and perhaps ...a5-a4 and ...Ba6 (hopefully in
one jump) (c) play ...f6 and either hold the
position or, hopefully, play a timely ...fxe5
(wh i c h t e n d s t o f o ll o w e it h e r . . . c x d 4 o r
W hite's dxe5 (d) liquidate with ...cxd4 and
simplify on that square with ... Bc5 or play ...
Nc5-e4. That's a rather pathetic summary of a
situation in which so much else can happen,
bu t it 's a st a rt . I 'll m ix in f ou r ne w ga m e
fragments from this month with some old
ChessPublishing material , a look at Neil
McDonald's How to Play Against 1 e4 book,
and a couple of Forum comments. Alas, this
means that I'll only touch upon a few of the
basic variations!
[ 11.a3
A) White had a pretty and skilful win
(a p p a re n t ly wit h o u t m u ch t h e o re t ic a l
significance, but showing how dangerous
things can be if Black doesn't take care)
recently in the line 11...b7 12.d1 cxd4
13.xd4 c8 ( or 13...c7 14.f2 c5 )
14.f2 c7 15.c3
A1) Looks good, but Black seems to
have another way to easy equality: Kevin
analysed Hou Yifan (2590) -Ding Liren
(2 45 8)/Xin ghu a Jian gsu CHN 2 00 9 ,
wh ich we n t 15...c5 ('Threatening not
just ...Ne4 but also ...Nxd4 and ...Nb3,
w i n n i n g t h e e x c h a n g e . ' ) 16.e1?
( h e s u g g e s t s 16.c2 , when h6
se e m s b a la n ce d n e it h e r sid e h a s a
compelling threat. White should probably
develop rooks and slowly prepare a
kingside advance (pretty hard to do),
whereas Black has modest ideas of ...
Na4 and/or ...Nd7-b6, but may well bail
out with simply ... Nxd4) 16...xd4
17.cxd4 e4 18.d3 b6 19.b4 c3
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

20.f3 fc8 21.c5 xe3! 22.xe3 40.xf7 1-0 Vocaturo, D (2495) -

xc5 23.dxc5 xc5 with a powerful Robson, R (2570)/Wijk aan Zee NED
position for the exchange; 2010.;
A2) 15...a5 16.d3 ( 16.d3!? c4 B) 11...c7 12.d1 f6! 13.exf6? ( 13.c3
17.c1 ) 16...c4 ( 16...c5 17.c2 fxe5 14.fxe5 a5 15.e1 is unclear)
g6 might lead to simplification, or 18.e2 13...xf6 14.f2 ( 14.dxc5 e4 15.c1
c4 19.c1 e4 with good play) e5 ) 14...e4 15.d3 ( 15.xe4?! dxe4
17.e2 c5 18.ae1 g6?! 16.e5 xd4 ) 15...cxd4 16.xd4 xd4
( 18...d7!?; 18...f5! is the safest move) 17.xd4 xf4 18.g4 d6 19.h3 d7
19.c1 b6!? 20.b1 ( 20.g4!? ) (with a winning game) 20.h6+? gxh6
20...a4? Black intends moves such as 21.xh6 xf1+ 22.xf1 e5 23.c3
. . . a 5 , . . . b 4 , a n d . . . B c 5 ( 20...d7 xd4+ 24.cxd4 d8 25.f4 e7
is a sad admission, but maybe W hite 0-1 Kiran, M (2234)-Shyam, S (2377)/
isn't doing that much either) 21.f5! Chennai IND 2010;
(A thematic attack which works better C) 11...b6
than it should when Black collapses C1) 12.ad1 b7 13.dxc5 ( 13.fe1
defensively, but it is at least sound and cxd4?! 14.xd4 c5 is Szabo, K
probably better perhaps there's a really (2489)-Manca, F (2356)/ Budapest HUN
thorough analysis of this game by one or 2009 in the Archives. Here W hite is
both of the players somewhere) exf5 probably slightly better.) 13...xc5
A2a) It's hard to decide what's best. 14.xc5 xc5 15.e3 ac8 16.d3
22.xf5 is more natural, since gxf5?! ( 16.f5!? ) 16...a4 ( 16...b4 ) 17.xb6
( 22...ce8! ) 23.xf5 has ideas of e6 xb6 18.e2 c4 19.xc4 dxc4
and kingside attack.; 20.d7 Mekhitarian, K (2486) -Rodriguez
A2b) 22.xf5! Vila, A (2521)/Campinas BRA 2010 and
A2b1) 22...gxf5! 23.xf5 d8!? here a5 appears best, with some
has the defensive idea ...Qg6. ( after advantage for White.;
23...c5 , one possibility is 24.b4 C2) 12.d1 a5 13.c3 a4
xf2+ 25.xf2 ce8 26.g4+ g6 ( In the Forum, 'whiteatak shredder'
27.h6+ h8 28.xf7+ g8 follows Svidler(2739) - Hou, Yifan (2584),
29.h6+= ) 24.h6 g6 25.g4! NH Chess Tournament Amsterdam 20.
with a promising attack; 08.2009, 13...b7 14.f2 f6 15.exf6
A2b2) 22...ce8? 23.e6!? ( 23.d7! xf6 16.dxc5 xc5 17.xc5 xc5+
with the idea e6 is even stronger) 18.e3 , a n d s u g g e s t s e4
23...c5?! ( 23...f6! is the best - the analysis is in the thread ' Steinitz 7...
chance ) 24.g4 ( The artificial- Be7 Svidler-Yifan - a better move?'.)
looking sequence 24.exf7+! xf7 14.d3 ( 14.f2 and now besides 14...
25.b4! i s t e r r i b l y s t r o n g : gxf5 b4!? which Neil analyzed, Black can also
26.bxc5 w i t h t h e i d e a xc5 t r y t h e i m m e d i a t e a5 with decent
27.g4! ) 24...d6 ( 24...h8! ) play ) 14...f5?! ( 14...cxd4 15.xd4
25.h6 xf5 (Perhaps there's a c5 was Motylev, A (2710) -Yemelin, V
better move, but it was almost (2570)/Ulan Ude RUS 2009.in the
c e r t a i n l y l o s t a n y w a y ) ( 25...h8 A r c h i v e s , b u t 1 5 . c x d 4 i m p r o v e s .;
26.b4! ce4 27.xe4 dxe4 A n o t h e r m o ve , 14...a5 of Djukic, N
28.exf7 xf7 29.d7! ) 26.xf5 (2491) -Kosic, D (2488)/Cetinje MNE
xe6 27.xe7+ xe7 28.xf8 2009 is analysed in the Archives - also
xf8 29.h4 h5 30.f6 e8 considered okay for Black.) 15.exf6
31.h1 d4 32.d3 dxc3 33.xc3 xf6 16.dxc5 xc5 17.xc5 xc5+
d4 34.xe6! xg2+ 35.xg2 18.e3! xe3+ 19.xe3 b8 20.ae1
d5+ 36.f3 g5+ 37.f1 xe6 a5 21.e2 c4 22.d4 and White
38.c8+ d8 39.xd8+ xd8 had a very nice advantage in this

908
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

month's Bologan, V (2692)-Rychagov, A e1+ 31.h2 xg3+ 32.xg3 f7 33.f2

(2568)/Moscow RUS 2010. This is an f6 34.g3 c8 35.c3 g4 36.c2 g5
ideal example for White. I wonder how 37.hxg5+ hxg5 38.b3 e5 39.c2 f8+
Bologan would have treated Black's 40.g2 d7 41.f3+ f6 42.b3 g4
earlier alternatives. Perhaps they aren't 43.d4 e5 44.c2 a5 45.d1 e4
as definitely equal as they seem to be! ] 0-1
11...c7
[ 11...b4 has been played and isn't bad, but
since White now has 12.a4 , it may not be 1000 C11
worth it, even if ultimately Black can hold Karjakin,Sergey 2786
the balance with accurate play. ] Nakamura,Hi 2767
12.a3 Back to normal but Karjakin doesn't go Renova FIDE GP Zug (1.4) 18.04.2013
in for the Nd1 plan, which is what would make [John Watson]
...f6 more attractive. b7 13.ad1
[ An earlier game went 13.ae1 ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
13...ac8 14.e1 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
[ 14.dxc5 xc5 15.d4 a5!? ] b6 9.d2
14...cxd4 [ 9.cb5 is Danin-Gleizerov, and 9 a3 is
[ 14...a5!? 15.dxc5 xc5 is similarly examined in Macieja-Shiminov, both games
interesting. ] in this update. ]
15.xd4 xd4 16.xd4 c5 9...xb2 10.b1 a3 11.b5
[ 16...b6 17.f5! exf5 18.xf5 is unclear. ] [ 11.db5 a5 12.xd5 is ineffective
17.h4 xd4 18.xd4 f6! 19.d3?! because W hite's remaining knight is
[ But 19.exf6 xf6 is fine for Black ( or even genuinely trapped after xd2+ 13.xd2
19...xf6 20.h3 ce8 )] exd5 14.c7+ d8 15.xa8 b6 ]
19...h6! 20.exf6 [ 11.cb5 has had poor results, and this
[ 20.h3 c5 doesn't seem to improve month's game Harper, R -W arner, D,
anything. ] Hastings 2013 is a further example: xa2
20...xf6 Already Black has the easy plan of 12.d1 ( 12.b3?! a1+ is examined in
doubling and looks to stand better. 21.f5? the notes to Anand-Nakamura in the
The first major error. White should have done Archives ) 12...b8 13.c7+ d8
something boring like 14.dxe6+?! ( but 14.cb5 a6 15.d6
[ 21.g3 , and if cf8 22.f3 b8! , try xd6 16.exd6 a3 17.e2 f6
23.f5 xg3 24.xg3 and hope for the isn't very good either) 14...fxe6 15.xe6+
best. ] e7 16.c7? ( 16.xf8 xf8 17.b5 d4
21...cf8 18.xc6 bxc6 19.xd4 f7 ) 16...d4!
[ Actually, 21...c5! looks at least as hard to 17.e6 ( 17.xd4 xd4 18.xd4 a5+ )
meet, almost winning already, but White is 17...d8 ( 17...dxe3! also wins ) 18.xd4
in trouble regardless. ] xc7 19.exd7 , a n d h e r e xd7
22.g1 c5! 23.fxe6 xe6 24.g4 f4 leaves Black a clear piece ahead. ]
25.g3 e7 26.xf4 The problem is that ... 11...xd4 12.xd4 a6 13.xd7+ For
d4 was coming, when Black's attack was too [ 13.b3 e7 , see the notes in Anand-
strong, for example, Nakamura in the Archives. ]
[ 26.h3 d4 27.b1 h5 28.g5 e6 13...xd7 14.b3 e7 15.xb7 d8
29.d2 xd3 30.cxd3 e3 ] [ 15...h4+ is seen in Leko-Nakamura. ]
26...xf4 27.e2! This actually proves tough [ 15...c8 deserves attention. I mentioned
to crack, even after the exchange of queens, G a n gu l y, S (2 6 2 9 ) -P o e t sch , H ( 2 4 6 2 ) /
but I'll call it a matter of technique at this Vlissingen 2012 in February's column, with
point. Technically that's true in reality, it's a equality after 16.0-0 a3 17.f3 a5 . ]
bit lazy, but that 11 a3 note was exhausting! 16.f5!?
f1 28.d4 xg1+ 29.xg1 e8 30.h4 [ 16.0-0 b8 17.fb1 ( 17.xb8 xb8

909
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
18.b1 c7= ) 17...xb7 18.xb7 c8
19.b3 c5 20.f5 c7= ]
16...c8
[ 16...h4+ 17.g3 h3 18.fxe6 xe6 ]
17.b3 c4 18.fxe6!?
[ 18.d1 c5 19.c3 xd4 20.cxd4 exf5
21.e3 c6 22.0-0 0-0= ]
18...fxe6 19.f1 e7 20.d3 c8
Black's two bishops give him somewhat the
better game. 21.d2 f8 22.xc4 xc4
23.b8+ c8 24.xf8+ xf8 25.e2 d7
26.c3 a4 27.c1
[ 27.f4! e7 28.xe6 xa2+ 29.e3
xe6 30.xc8 xg2 31.c6+ f7
32.c7= ]
27...c7 28.b1 d7 29.a1 b5 30.b3
c6 31.c2 c4 32.b2 d3 33.a3 e7
34.d2 b5 35.g3 h5 36.b3 g5 37.b2
g4 38.e3 f8 39.d4 f5 40.b3 h6
41.d1 d3 It's hard to break through. In the
end, Black wins a pawn but in spite of
ge n e ra t in g s o m e p r e s su r e c a n ' t win t h e
opposite-coloured bishop ending. The rest is
fairly self-explanatory: 42.b2 f8 43.a1
e7 44.e3 h4 45.d4 h3 46.e3 f5
47.b3 f8 48.b2 g7 49.d4 h6
50.d1 g6 51.b3 f5 52.b2 g5
53.b3 c6 54.f1 a5 55.e3 b5+
56.a2 e4 57.e1 f3 58.a4 b7 59.b1
xb1 60.xb1 a5 61.c2 d8 62.d2
d7 63.c2 e8 64.e3 c7 65.f4 e4
66.d4 d7 67.c1 g6 68.b2 e8
69.b3 g6 70.b2 d3 71.b3 b6
72.b2 e7 73.b3 f7 74.b2 a6
75.b3 g6 76.d2 c8 77.b2 d7
78.b3 c5 79.c1 xd4 80.cxd4 f5
81.c3 e4 82.a3 xa4 83.b2 e3
84.a3 b5 85.b2 a4 86.a3 c4
87.b2 b3 88.a3 e2 89.b2 d1
90.a3 f2 91.d2 g2 92.e1 b3
93.b2 f3 94.d2 a2 95.a3 c4
96.b2 e4 97.c3 f3 98.d2 g2
99.e1 xh2 100.f2 h1 101.a3 e2
102.b2 h2 103.a3 d1 104.b2 e2
105.a3 d1 106.b2 e2 107.a3
½-½
1001 C11
Karjakin,Sergey
Stellwagen,Daniel
Corus Chess 2005 (13) 2005
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2
[ Black has no reason to fear 11.b1 c7
A n u n u s u a l m o ve o rd e r b y B l a c k . T h e
Alekseev game in the sub note that follows
featured the standard ( 11...xd4 12.xd4
c7 etc. ) 12.f2 xd4 13.xd4 b5
14.d3 xd4! 15.xd4 b8!? ( Black also
a c h i e v e d e n o u g h p l a y a f t e r 15...b7
16.e2 f6 17.exf6 xf6 18.e3 b4
19.he1 c5 20.d4 e4
etc. in Alekseev-Zhukova/W ijk aan Zee
2005.; Meanwhile 15...c5 as in Grischuk-
Iljushin on ChessPub, looks a bit worse for
Black after 16.e2 ) 16.e2 b4 17.e3
c5 18.h4 d7 19.h5 a5 20.h6 g6
The black kingside is surprisingly resilient in
these type of positions. In fact as long as he
avoids being mated by the white queen on
g7, Black can be pleased that there is a
white pawn on h6 blocking the h file. 21.d4
a4 22.g3 a3 23.g5 d8 24.xd8
fxd8 25.b3 b6 26.c1 c8 27.d2
and a draw was agreed in Smeets-
Stellwagen/Wijk aan Zee 2005. ]
[ The other move for White is the direct 11.h4
when on ChessPub we have analysed in
depth xd4 12.xd4 b5 ]
11...xd4! 12.xd4 b5! It has taken a lot of
blood and tears for Black to discover that this
is the be st an ti-11. Qf 2 me th od. W h ite is
allowed to keep his dark squared bishop, but
in return Black activates his queenside pawns
and can arrange a quick Ba6 to get rid of his
bad bishop. 13.e3 b4 14.e2 a5 15.d4
xd4 16.xd4 a6 17.f5 A far from
impressive novelty. This is Karjakin's
attempted improvement on Shirov-Radjabov,
as given on ChessPub, which went
[ 17.b1 c7 18.h4 fc8 19.h5 c5!
threatening 20...Ne4, when W hite would
have to resign at once. 20.xc5 xc5
21.xc5 xc5 and Black looks at least
equal. ]
910
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
17...exf5
[ White would have a good endgame after
17...g5+ 18.e3 xf5 19.xf5 exf5
20.xd5 ]
18.xf5 e7 A wise precaution as
[ 18...a4 19.e6 fxe6? 20.xe6+ h8
21.xa6 would cost a piece. ]
19.g4 xf1! This exchange makes sense as
[ 19...a4 20.g2 looks good for White, e.g.
b3 21.xd5 bxa2 22.xa2 a3 23.e6
and White should win. ]
20.hxf1 fc8 Stellwagen has emerged from
the opening with a fully satisfactory position:
his mobile queenside pawns and the c file are
more significant than anything W hite has
achieved on the kingside. Black's best plan
involves an attack with a5-a4, but it is difficult
to decide on the correct moment to implement
it. W hat is certain is that in the game the
pawn advance comes much too late. Already
[ 20...a4 was enticing, e.g. 21.f3 ( if 21.b3
axb3 22.axb3 c5 ) 21...fc8 ( or
21...b3!? ) 22.b1 c5 and Black has the
makings of a strong attack. ]
21.f2 f8?! Why so passive?
[ Here again 21...a4 22.b1 b3 23.cxb3
axb3 24.axb3 c5 was attractive for
Black. ]
22.e3 b7?!
[ At t he ris k o f re pe a t ing m yse lf , 22...a4
i s t h e r i g h t i d e a w h e n 23.xd5 b3
gives Black a formidable initiative. ]
23.f3 Black's reluctance to launch a
queenside attack has allowed White to gang
up on the isolated pawn. c4 24.xd5 xg4
Black regains his pawn, but the opening of the
d-file means that W hite has become very
dynamic. 25.b3 a4 26.bxa4 c4 27.b5
xf3 28.xf3 xa4 29.e6!? Karjakin gains
time to set up a strong pin on the back rank.
His bishop trumps the black knight now that
all the light square blockades have vanished.
xe6 30.b8+ f8 31.f4 c6 32.f5 h6
33.fb5 xa2 34.c5 b3 35.cxb3 f6
36.b1 xh2 37.xf8+ h7 38.e3 f1+
39.c1 hh1?
[ This wastes time and frees the white king.
Despite his inaccurate play earlier in the
game, Black should hold the draw af ter
39...g5! ]
40.c5 h5 Why push the pawn which is
obstructed by its own rook? Black may still
have survived with
[ 40...g5 ]
41.fc8 h3 42.c2 f6 43.b4 f2+ 44.d2
g6 45.c3 xc3+ 46.xc3 f5 47.h3
b5 48.c3 b8 49.f4 h8 50.b5 f5
51.c7 h4 52.b6 g4 53.d3 g5 54.b7
h3 55.b8 xb8 56.xb8 f5 57.h2!
[ Black would escape with a draw after
57.d2 f4 58.e2 h2 59.d1 g3
Now, however, the pawns are stopped after ]
[ 57.h2 f4 58.d2 h4 59.e2 ]
1-0
1002 C11
Karjakin,Sergey 2782
Topalov,V 2784
Sberbank GM Rapid rapid (4) 06.06.2013
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2
[ In Inarkiev-Gordievsky, we see 8.d3!? ]
8...b5 9.dxc5
[ Another game this month went 9.e2 e7
10.0-0 b4!? 11.d1 ( 11.a4 c4 12.c3
with b3 next) 11...0-0 12.h1 ( 12.c3 )
12...a5 13.f2 a6 14.c3 xe2 15.xe2
b6 16.e3 a6!? 17.e1!? bxc3
18.bxc3 cxd4 19.cxd4 b4 20.f5!? d3
21.e2 ab8 22.ad1 3c5 23.xa6
xa6= Frolyanov, D (2570)-Gordievsky, D
(2474), Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2013. ]
9...xc5 10.d3!? For surprise value. White
sacrifices a piece, but Black shouldn't accept.
This is known to theory, but Topalov may not
be up on French theory.
[ W e've see n 10.xc5 several times (e.g.,
Tessir-Vyoschin), as well as ]
[ 10.e2 (e.g., Leko-Ivanchuk). ]
10...d4!? Only barely playable and not worth
it.
[ 10...b6! is solid and has done very well in
practice. ]
11.xd4 xd4?!
[ 11...b6! 12.e4! ( 12.xc6?! xe3
13.e2 xf4 14.f3 b7 15.xf4 xc6
16.e4 xe4 17.xe4 d8 ) 12...xd4!
13.xa8 f3+ 14.xf3 xe3 15.d6!
xf4 . Black has something for the
911
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

exchange but perhaps not quite equality: developing ]

16.xb6 xb6 17.e4!? e7 ( 17...xe5 [ 9.e2 ]
18.0-0-0 e7 ) 18.c5 ( 18.g3 xe5 9...b6
19.0-0-0 ) 18...xe5 19.0-0-0 h5 20.a3 g5 [ If Black wanted to enforce b5-b4 then he
21.d3 c7 ( 21...d6! ) 22.h3 h4 had the interesting 9...a5!? when a draw
23.he1 f5 24.c5 d6 25.d3 f6= was agreed after 10.b1 b8 11.d1 b4
Li Chao2 (2669)-Vovk, Y (2564), Shenzhen 12.axb4 xb4 13.c3 b8 14.d3 cxd4
CHN 2011. ] 15.xd4 xd4 16.xd4 c5 17.b4
12.e4 Threatening c3. Or, if that's not xd3+ 18.xd3 b5 19.xb5+ xb5
available, Nxc5, Bxd4, and if ...Qxd4, Bxb5+. 20.a1 e7 21.f1 d8 22.f2 f6
It turns out there is no ideal answer. 23.b2 f8 24.d3 a5 in Enders,P-
[ 12.e4 b6! ] Schmittdiel,E/Passau 1998. Of course it is
12...h4+!? highly likely that the World Number One had
[ Or 12...0-0 13.c3 ( 13.xc5 xc5 a surprise waiting somewhere! ]
14.xd4 xd3+ 15.xd3 b7 16.0-0 10.e2!? White strengthens his hold on the
d5 ) 13...f3+! 14.gxf3 xe3 15.xe3 d4 square. After
h4+ 16.d2 b7 17.c2 and White still [ 10.e2 cxd4 11.xd4 c5 12.d1 b7
stands better, but Black is in the game. ] 13.0-0 c8 everything is fine for Black as
13.f2 g4? This results in a miniature. regards development apart from the fact that
[ Better 13...f3+! 14.gxf3 xf2+ 15.xf2 the bishop on b7 is doing nothing. One
( 15.xf2 0-0 16.0-0-0 c5 ) 15...xf4 example is 14.h1 xd4 15.xd4 xd4
16.d6+ e7 17.e4 b8 18.d1 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 e7 18.a4 bxa4
( 18.g1 xe5! 19.c5 f6! ) 18...xe5 19.xa4 c7 20.fa1 b8 21.b4 g5!
( 18...xe5 19.c5 f6 20.e2 ) 19.c3 ] The standard move in such positions to
14.xd4 xd4 15.d6+ e7 16.e4! break up the opponent's pawns and gain
xb2 17.b1 White is winning. After the extra counterplay. 22.fxg5 xe5 with an unclear
piece falls, Black's king is too exposed. a3 position in Apicella,M-Legky,N/Paris 1998. ]
[ 17...b8 18.xb2+- ] 10...c4 Radjabov plays it in the style of
18.xa8 c5 19.f3 g6 20.e4 d8 Botvinnik and Korchnoi, who would often block
21.d1 b6 22.b4+ the queenside in this type of set up. It makes
1-0 s e n s e i n t h a t wi t h N e 2 W h i t e h a s b e e n
gearing up to exploit the d4 square af ter
d4xc5 and Ned4 on the other hand, W hite
1003 C11 hasn't played Be2- so the white bishop can be
Kasparov,Garry 2847 developed easily to g2 or even h3 after his
Radjabov,Teimour 2624 n e x t m o v e . 11.g4! With the centre closed
XX SuperGM Linares ESP (2) 23.02.2003 White can now launch a direct pawn storm on
[Neil McDonald] the kingside. Of course Radjabov has
anticipated this and tries to prove that White's
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 pawn advances are loosening rather than
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5 powerful. h5 12.gxh5 xh5 13.g3 h8
T h i s is a s o li d a n d d e p e n d a b l e o p e n in g 14.f5! This is the key move for which White
system for Black- just the sort of thing to play strives in the French mainline pawn structure.
against Kasparov! 9.a3 A far sighted move Despite the outcome of the game I think White
wit h wh ic h K a sp a ro v h o p e s t o t h r o w h i s has won the opening battle. exf5 15.xf5
young opponent onto his own resources. f6 Black uncovers an attack on the white
White takes measures against Black's plan of knight. Of course not
a queenside advance with b5-b4 and a5-a6, [ 15...dxe5 16.dxe5 attacking the black
whe n Ba 6 ac tiva ting t he p ro blem b isho p queen. ]
becomes possible. More usual are 16.g3 g4 17.f4 e6 18.c3!
[ 9.dxc5 clearing the d4 square or the W hite defends d4 as a preparation for an

912
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
e x c h a n g e o n e 6 . e7 19.g5 0-0-0
20.xe6 fxe6 21.e2 Up until now Kasparov
has been slowly outplaying his young
opponent. If now 21...Nh6 then Black has no
counterplay and his pieces are disorganised.
Instead Radjabov came up with an inspired
s a c r i f i c e : gxe5! 22.e3! A solid and
sensible response. Instead
[ 22.dxe5 d4 with the idea of 23...g5! 24.
Bxg5 dxc3 is very double edged. W orth
consideration though was ]
[ 22.xe5!? xe5 23.dxe5 c7 24.0-0-0
xe5 and Black has two pawns and activity
for the piece but it doesn't look quite enough
after 25.b1 ]
22...d7 23.xe6 h4 24.g4! g5!
Radjabov does his best to confuse matters.
25.d2 de8 26.0-0-0 a5 27.df1??
[ After 27.b1 White has three advantages:
a safer king, the two bishops and a superior
pawn structure: in particular the pawn on d5
is vulnerable. Black then has to meet the
threat of Nf 5, when the bishop on h4 is
pretty useless. After g6+ 28.a2 xg3
29.hxg3 xh1 30.xh1 Black is in deep
trouble due to the weakness on g5 and the
pin on d7. An attempt to attack rebounds
after c2 31.xg5! xe2 32.h8+
and White gets in first for example b7 ( or
32...c7 33.d8+ c6 34.h6+
wi t h a q u i c k m a t e .) 33.xd5+ c6
34.xd7+ b6 35.h6! b3+ 36.b1
d1+ ( 36...e1+!? 37.c1! ) 37.c1 c2+
38.a2 b3+ 39.a1 and Black's attack is
at an end and he has to resign. ]
27...b3+ 28.d1 A terrible necessity. xg3
29.f7
[ If 29.hxg3 g6 when disaster on b1 is
unstoppable except by giving up a rook after
20.Qf5 Qxf5 etc. ]
29...d8 30.xg5 There is nothing to be
done. g6 31.f5 xf5 32.xf5 df8
33.xf8+ xf8 34.f3 h4 35.e3 d7
36.xd5 e8 37.h6 dc5! A nice finishing
touch : if 38. dxc5 Rd8 etc. 38.f7 e7
39.h5 d3 White lost on time but he was
past all hope.
0-1
1004 C11
Kasparov,Garry 2838
Radjabov,Teimour 2610
vs. ROW Moscow RUS (7) 10.09.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 b6 7.e3 a6
[ Too risky is 7...xb2 8.b5 but now b2
really is hanging. ]
8.a3 c6 For those of you who are just
enjoying a Kasparov game rather than
devotees of the variation I should mention
that the point of White's last move is
[ 8...xb2?? 9.a4 wins the queen. ]
9.dxc5
[ White has had miserable results after 9.e2
a7! See for example Berg-Radjabov on
ChessPub. ]
9...xc5 10.a4 a5+ 11.b4 The only
move. xa4 12.bxc5 Kasparov hopes that
the miserable bishop on c8, which in turn
keeps the rook on a8 shut in, will prove a
more significant positional factor than White's
loose pawn structure. Note that it isn't just the
c5 pawn that is a potential target- the head of
W hite's pawn chain on e5 can also be
undermined by f7-f6 at some point. 0-0
[ Let's look at two other games in this line.
The f irst is an exa mple of W h ite's pla n
working perf ectly: 12...a5?! Generally
speaking it is desirable to exchange of f
W hite's good bishop f or the knight, but
B l a c k c a n n o t a f f o r d t h e l u xu r y o f t h i s
manoeuvre while the bishop on c8 remains
buried. 13.d2 c4 14.xc4 xc4
15.d3! This is the kind of positional move
you wo uld e xpe ct of a playe r called M.
Botvinnik, even if he isn't the 'right' one!
Now Black has the unenviable choice of
straightening out W hite's pawn with 15...
Qxd3 16. cxd3, losing a pawn after say 15...
0-0 16.Qxc4 dxc4 17.Nd2 c3 18.Ne4, or
moving his queen away. a4 Nevertheless
( 15...xd3 16.cxd3 b8 looks the lesser
evil. ) 16.0-0 a5 ( If 16...0-0 17.g5
is very threatening.) 17.d4 b8 18.f5!
It is no surprise that this breakthrough is
decisive when Black is so far behind in
development. exf5 19.e6 f6 20.xd5 c6
21.ad1 c7 22.xf5 e7 23.h5+ g6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
24.h4 0-0 25.d4 The poor bishop on c8
remains entombed. e5 26.h6 d8
27.f3 xc5+ 28.h1 xd1 29.xd1 d5
30.xd5! 1-0 Botvinnik,M-Haimovich,T/Tel
Aviv 1998. ]
[ M u c h m o r e s e n s i b l e i s 12...b8!?
which aims to free the bishop with b7-b6 etc.
In the next game White became obsessed
with countering this plan and completely
forgot about the other pawn thrust f7-f6:
13.d2 ( If 13.d3? a5+ 14.d2 xc5
15.xa5 xd3+! wins a pawn, but maybe;
13.e2!? ) 13...0-0 14.c3? ( A total waste
of time: 14.d3! ) 14...f6 15.exf6 xf6
16.d3 g4 17.d2 e5! 18.fxe5 gxe5
19.xe5 xe5 20.xe5 No more hopeless
than other moves as W hite's king has no
where safe to go. e8 21.xe8+ xe8+
22.d1 h5+ 23.c1 f5 24.xf5 xf5
25.b1 d4 0-1 Bobras,P-Baklan,V/Cappelle
la Grande FRA 2002. ]
13.c4 a5+! The attack on c5 forces White to
agree to the exchange of queens, when his
lead in development won't be a important as in
the Botvinnik game above. 14.d2 d8!?
A clever new move that waits until W hite
plays c4xd5 before capturing on d2. This cuts
out the 16.Kc2! move in the note that follows.
[ White managed to grind out a win after
14...xd2+ 15.xd2
A) If 15...d8 in the style of the Radjabov
game, 16.c2! looks like the way to keep
a slight edge. ( Instead 16.cxd5 exd5
allows Black dynamic chances as if the
king goes to c2 it might be hit with Bf5+ at
s o m e p o i n t . A n d i f 17.d4? xc5
18.xc6 e4+! winning a pawn. );
B) 15...d4 16.xd4 a5 17.c2 xc5
18.c6! xc6 19.xc5 d8 20.b6 f8
21.c5 d8 22.e2 etc. thanks to his
e x c e l l e n t d a r k s q u a r e b i s h o p wh o s e
potential control of the d8 square allowed
him to win the battle for the open d file in
Klimov, S-Kruppa, Y/St Petersburg 2000. ]
15.cxd5
[ He doesn't want to bring the knight to an
a c t i v e s q u a r e a f t e r 15.xa5 xa5
with the threat of Nb3 etc. Nor does White
have any good waiting move so he is
o b lige d t o t a k e o n d 5 a n d f re e B la ck' s
game. ]
15...xd2+ 16.xd2?
[ Instead 16.xd2 keeps his bishop
guarding c5. It seems like Black has the
tactic xc5 but after 17.c2! ( 17.xc5
xd5+ regaining his piece a pawn up.)
17...xd5 18.c4 White wins the exchange!
However, Black can settle for the simple 16...
exd5, as in the note to the Kruppa game
above, when White's king isn't particularly
co m f o rt a b l e i n t h e c e n t re . S t il l , W h i t e
should have preferred this as in the game he
ends up in deep trouble. ]
16...exd5 17.c1 e8! Now the white king
comes into the firing line as f7-f6 cannot be
stopped. 18.f2 f6 19.e6
[ If 19.exf6 xf6 intending Ne4+ is very
pleasant for Black, so Kasparov prefers to
sacrifice to keep up the initiative. ]
19...xe6 20.d3 e8 21.g4 f8 22.hg1
d7 23.b1 e6 24.a2 c7 25.b1
ab8 26.f5 e4! In classical style Radjabov
trusts in the power of centralisation to defeat
Kasparov's wing attack. 27.g5 xf5 28.gxf6
g6 29.xg6!? A spirited attempt to stay
alive hxg6 30.g5 e5 31.f7+ f8 32.f4
f5 33.g3 b5 34.e1 xg5+ 35.xg5
c3! The knight eyes the bishop. Kasparov's
attack has failed and Black is clearly winning.
However, the W orld No1 puts up a
magnificent resistance and somehow saves
h im se lf in t h e e n d ga m e . 36.b1 xf7
37.f1+ e6 38.xg6 e4+ 39.xe4 dxe4
40.d1 e5 41.d6+ f5 42.d5 e8
43.e3 e6 44.h3 g6 45.f4 d3+
46.g4 e5+ 47.f4 c4 48.g5+ f7
49.d4 g6 50.g3 e3 51.g1 d2 52.g3
e2 53.e1 e4 54.g1 e6 55.f2 d5
56.xe2 xe2+ 57.xe2 e4 58.f3
xc5 59.g4 e6 60.a4 b5 61.axb5 axb5
62.f2 b4 63.e1 b3 64.c3 e4 65.h4
d3 66.b2 c2 67.a1 d3 68.b2
e4 69.a1 d4 70.g5 f3+ 71.g4
d4 72.g5 f5 73.b2 f3 74.a1 g3
75.h5 gxh5 76.xf5 h4 77.e4 f2
78.d3 h3 Draw agreed. It's all over after
79.e5 b2 80.c2
½-½
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
1005 C11
Kasparov,Garry 2827
Shirov,Alexei 2722
It Astana KAZ (6) 26.05.2001
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.g3
[ The mainline is 10.0-0-0 a6 etc. for which
you should refer to the comments on the
Classical 4 e5 sub-page and the games
given there. Kasparov keeps the option of
castling kingside. ]
10...e7!?
[ In view of Kasparov's apparent distaste for
queenless middlegame positions that he
exhibited in his match with Kramnik,
perhaps Shirov should have tried 10...xd4
11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4 b6 13.0-0-0
xd4 14.xd4 with just a slight edge for
White. On the other hand, Shirov himself
likes to play energetically. He would like to
be able to answer Bg2 with Nb6 and then
Nc4, exploiting the hole left on c4. Therefore
he defends his bishop before playing Nb6.
If immediately ]
[ 10...b6 11.xc6 xe3 12.xd8 xd2+
13.xd2 xd8 14.b5 is slightly better for
W hite- Black has a bad bishop, W hite's
knight will be beautifully placed after Nd4
an d his king is m ore usef u l on d 2 th a n
Black's on g8 in the endgame. ]
[ Finally, it should be mentioned that Black
failed to equalise completely after 10...xd4
11.xd4 a6 12.g2 b5 13.e2 a5 14.a3
xd4 15.xd4 b6 16.0-0 in Gofshtein-M.
Gurevich, French Team Ch. 2001. ]
11.0-0-0 Deterred by
[ 11.g2? b6 aiming at c4 Kasparov
elects to castle queenside after all. He can
claim that Black's queen isn't best placed on
e7. ]
11...b6 Rather than advancing the
queenside pawns with a7-a6, Nxd4 and b7-b5
Shirov decides to attack with his pieces. This
turns out well, but there is a critical moment at
move 18 below. 12.b3 xe3 13.xe3 d7
14.b1 fc8 15.g4! b4 Black clears the c
file for his rooks. His attack looks more potent
than W hite's with its quiet pawn advances,
but don't be deceived- once the pawns reach
a certain point they stop being quiet and
usua lly become de adly! T heref ore B lac k
needs activity at all costs, even if it involves
sacrifices. 16.d4 c5 17.a3 c6 18.cb5
After this Black always seems to be at least
equal, so if you plan to pay this lin e yo u
should look at the important alternative given
here. On Kasparov's website Shipov and
Notkin point out that White could force Black
to sacrifice a pawn with
[ 18.b3 when d4 19.xd4 xd4 20.xd4
ac8 21.d6! shuts out Black's queen from
the attack and so rules out a Rxc3
e xc h a n g e s a c r i f i c e f o l l o w e d b y Q x a 3 .
Perhaps Black should sacrifice anyway with
xc3 22.bxc3 d5 though it's not
p a r t i c u l a r l y c o n v i n c i n g a f t e r 23.xa7!?
( 23.xd5? exd5 24.b2 xg4! )
23...xc3+ 24.b2 ]
18...xd4 19.xd4 ac8 20.d3 c4!
21.h3 h6! Well judged. It looks like
[ 21...g6 is safer, but then Black has
weakened his dark squares which means
W hite could play 22.xc4 xc4 23.e3
planning f4-f5 either to break open the f file
for his rooks with f5xg6 or advance f5-f6 to
create mating ideas on g7. The game move
holds out on the kingside just long enough
for Black to strike a sacrificial blow on the
other wing. ]
22.g5 Here with no pawn on g6 to attack with
a f4-f5 advance
[ 22.xc4 xc4 is much less interesting for
White. ]
22...xa3+! 23.bxa3 c3 Now whatever
White does Black has Rxa3 followed by Qb4+
and an exchange sac on b3 if necessary to
give him at least equality. 24.gxh6 g6
25.g2! Kasparov just sees through positions!
The queen is needed on g2 both to defend
along the second rank and make possible his
next move . xa3 26.b3 b4 27.xg6!
Forcing Black to sacrifice on b3. If White does
something slower then Black would have
win n in g ch a n ces wit h Rc3 o r B a 4 . xb3+
28.cxb3 xb3+ 29.b2 xb2+ 30.xb2
fxg6 Now an endgame has been reached
which should surely be as draw with best play.
Instead something extraordinary happens.
31.h4 h7 32.h5 xh6 33.hxg6+ xg6
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

34.hg1+ Perhaps Shirov had expected 20.ad1 ac8 21.c3 c7 22.f2
[ 34.dg1+ w h e n h e m u s t p l a y f5 - K o k a r e v , D - V o l k o v, S / P l o v d i v B U L
( 34...f7? 35.h7+ wins a piece, so when 2008. ]
Kasparov played the other rook over he 9.0-0 b5 Note how Black has delayed castling
automatically replied )] i n f a v o u r o f q u e e n s i d e a c t i o n . 10.a3
34...f5?? Black threatened 10... b4 when since White
[ It is a d ra w b y re p e t it io n a f t e r 34...f7 has spurned Qd2, he doesn't have the retreat
35.h1 g6 etc. ] Nd1 available, after which the knight could
35.d4 It is mate with Rg5. A tragedy for have bee n e f f ective ly rero uted via f 2 f o r
Shirov after his splendid play earlier in the active play on the kingside. 0-0
game. [ Now 10...b4? would be far less attractive
1-0 for Black as after 11.axb4 cxb4 ( Instead
11...xb4 misplaces the knight and leaves a
weak pawn on a6.) 12.a4 he no longer
1006 C11 has pawn pressure on d4. ]
Kogan,Artur 2570 11.dxc5 xc5 12.e1 b7 13.d1 c7
Bruno,Fabio 2450 14.g3 e4! White has achieved his aim of
IV Open Sora ESP (5) 27.06.2008 putting his queen on g3, and if Black had been
[Neil McDonald] a little passive, say with
[ 14...ad8 he might have lashed out with
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 15.f5!? with ideas of 16. f6 or 16.Bh6, when
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.e2 the only saving grace would have been e4!
Kogan comes up with an interesting plan. He reverting to counterplay as in the game as
wa n t s t o p u t h is qu e e n o n t h e a t t a ckin g ( 15...exf5? 16.xd5 would have been
square g3, and so avoids both the typical disastrous for Black.) 16.xe4 dxe4 17.f6
move Qd2 and also for the next few moves xf6! 18.exf6 xg3 19.hxg3 exf3
d4xc5, so that he won't have to play Qd2 to etc. and Black survives. ]
defend the bishop on e3 should Black reply 15.xe4 dxe4 16.g5 ad8 17.b4
Bxc5. [ W h i t e h a s l o o s e p a w n s a f t e r 17.xe4
[ W e h a v e s e e n i n t h e a r c h i v e s 8.d2 xe5 18.fxe5 xe4 ]
f or e xample 0-0 9.e2 a6 10.0-0 b5 17...xd1 18.xd1 White is intent on
11.d1 b4 12.c3 in Zelcic-Riazantsev. ] attacking and so avoids the simplification
8...a6 which might have resulted from
[ An important alternative is 8...0-0 9.0-0 [ 18.xd1 ]
b6!? strengthening the c5 square and 18...d8 19.d4 c4 20.e3 c6 21.a1
preparing to develop the bishop on b7. It d8 22.h5 Creating a weakness in the black
turned out solid but a little boring in the kin gsid e. Th is is a ll very cle ve r, bu t it is
following game, which is not the way you essentially anti-positional as Black has good
would normally describe a game by Volkov! centre control and so doesn't deserve to be
10.d2 b7 11.d1 cxd4 12.xd4 c5 mated.
13.xc6 xc6 14.d4 e4 15.e3 [ After 22.xe4 Black does best to avoid
A) Perhaps 15...f5!? tries to keep some xf1+? ( F i n e f o r B l a c k i s 22...xe5
dynamism e.g. 16.f2 e8 17.c4 g6 23.fxe5 xe4 ) 23.xf1 xd1+ 24.f2
18.cxd5 xd5 19.d3?? ( actually this is xa1 when 25.b6! d8 26.d6
a fairy tale as equal is 19.xe4 xe4 causes him grief. ]
20.f3 is equal. ) 19...d2! and mate on 22...g6 23.g4 Now White is ready to play 24.
g2 looms, costing White the exchange.; Q h 3 i n t e n d i n g c a r n a g e d o wn t h e h - f i l e .
B) 15...c5 16.f2 f5 17.xe4 xd4 xb4!! the triumph of centralisation! 24.axb4
18.f6+! A curious move that stops Black [ No time for 24.h3? : c5+ 25.h1
acquiring a passed pawn as occurs after xf1# ]
( 18.xd4 fxe4 ) 18...xf6! 19.xd4 e7 24...xb4 25.c1

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ And now if 25.h3 c5+ 26.f2 h5! [ Black could start immediate action on the
b u yi n g t i m e f o r h is n e xt m o ve . 27.xh5 qu e e n sid e wit h 11...xd4 12.xd4 b5
xc2 with a quick mate by checking on f2 or but then the simple 13.e3 keeping the
the back rank. ] useful bishop, gives White a pleasant edge.
25...d2 In return fo r the piece, Black has a In a Blindfold game at the Melody Amber
s t r o n g p a s s e d p a wn , a p a i r o f p o we r f u l tournament Kramnik won easily against
bishops, a well placed queen and a rook on Shirov: b7 14.d3 b4 15.d4
the seventh rank which can join forces in an don't ask me to explain any of these moves!
attack against g2 with the bishop on b7 after c8 16.b1 a5 17.a3 c6 18.f5
e4-e3. Alternatively, the rook could grab the dxe5?? ( H e s h o u l d t r y 18...b4 or;
c2 pawn, giving Black three pawns for the 18...cxe5 ) 19.b6 1-0 Kramnik,V-Shirov,A/
piece and keeping up the attack. Meanwhile, Monte Carlo MNC 2003. ]
the coordination of the white pieces has been 12.xd4 c7 13.d3 b5?
smashed. [ It seems to me that Black should have
[ Another strong continuation was 25...h5 prevented White's next move with 13...xd4
26.h3 d2 27.b1 e3 ] dragging the white queen to the centre and
26.c3 c5+ 27.h1 h6 28.e1 There's no o n l y a f t e r 14.xd4 should he start his
joy in counterplay with b5 ]
[ 28.h3 e3 or ] 14.h4! The white queen takes her chance to
[ 28.xd2 xf1# ] inflict weaknesses on the black kingside. h6
28...e3 29.f3 xf4 30.h3 15.e2 f6 Otherwise White's kingside pawns
[ Of course the pawn fork means it's over would just roll forwards with g4 and g5 etc.
after 30.xd2 exd2 ] 16.g4! Kramnik shows that one move
30...h5 31.f1 g3 32.e1?! and I'll leave it threats aren't only useful in the games of
to you to find the next move! A very fine game beginners. Having provoked 14...h6 with the
by Bruno. attack on h7, the queen now tries to persuade
0-1 Black to play 16...f5 when 17.Qg6 is horrible
for him: he has no pressure on White's centre
and can only await an attack with g2-g4 etc.
1007 C11 xd4 17.xd4 c5 18.g6 xd3+
Kramnik,Vladimir 2807 19.xd3 White has won the opening battle as
Radjabov,Teimour 2624 Black is left with the notorious bad bishop
XX SuperGM Linares ESP (6) 28.02.2003 against a good white knight. c4?
[Neil McDonald] [ Black cannot escape from the dark square
bind as if 19...fxe5 20.xe6 wins a pawn.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 The only hope was to defend dourly with ]
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 [ 19...f7 ]
[ R a d j a b o v d e c i d e s t o v a r y f r o m 7...a6 20.hd1 a7
despite his success against Kasparov earlier [ White also has a strong onslaught after
in the tournament. ] 20...xa2 21.a3!? c4 22.g3 c7
8.xd4 c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 23.xh6 ]
11.f2!? A rather unusual move. Evidently 21.b1 c7 22.f5! The difference in power
W h i t e w a n t s t o p l a y B d 3 , b u t t o d o s o between the knight and the bishop allows
immediately would drop a piece so he puts White to develop a winning attack. b6
his queen on a square where she guards d4 [ If 22...xe5 23.c6 ]
diagonally. There is also a second point to the 23.h3! fxe5 24.xh6 f6
move that becomes clear in what follows. [ White has a winning attack after 24...exd4
White normally plays the aggressive 25.h7+ f7 26.f6! g8 27.f1!
[ 11.h4 or consolidates with ] when there is no answer to 28. fxg7+. ]
[ 11.b1 ] 25.e8+ f8 26.h8+ xh8 27.xf8+ h7
11...xd4 28.f3! Now the final attack begins. c7

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

29.fxe6 e4 30.g5+ h6 31.h4 h5 28.d4 xf1+ 29.xf1 c4 gives Black
32.f5 g6 33.g4+ xh4 34.h1+ g3 activity in return for the pawn and will likely
35.g1+ h4 36.f6 draw. ]
1-0 26.e3 e7 27.f7! e8 28.xg7 f8
29.g3 g8 30.xg8+ xg8 31.xe6 f7
32.xa6 Now White is two pawns up, which is
1008 C11 a dif ferent matter. In what f ollows, Black
Kravtsiv,M 2620 manages t o ho ld, b ut I suspect that wit h
Batchuluun,T 2517 perfect play White could have prevailed: c4
Universiade Men (8.8) 14.07.2013 33.e6+?!
[John Watson] [ 33.f2! d4 34.h6 ]
33...f6 34.f2 c2+ 35.f3 c3 36.e2
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 c2+ 37.f3 c3 38.e2 c2+ 39.d3
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 xg2 40.f4
b6 The line favoured by Nakamura, to which [ 40.d4 xh2 41.xd5 h5+ 42.c4
we've devoted considerable time in this year's h3 43.d4+ f5 and Black seems to
columns. 9.d2 xb2 10.b1 a3 11.b5 hold ]
xd4 12.xd4 a6 13.xd7+ xd7 14.b3 40...g4
e7 15.xb7 h4+ [ 40...f5! ]
[ See the Archives for 15...c8 and ] 41.g3 e4 42.a4 xe6 43.xe6+ xe6
[ 15...d8 ] 44.d4 h5 45.h3 b4 46.b8 d6
16.f2 d8 17.0-0 47.xd6 xd6 48.h4 c6 49.a5 b5
[ 17.b6 has been the main move here, with 50.xd5 xa5 51.e5 b6 52.f5 c7
the theory reviewed in Saric-Lalic in the 53.g5 d7 54.xh5 e7 55.g6 f8
Archives. ] 56.h5 g8 57.h6 h8 58.h7
17...c8 ½-½
[ 17...b8 is a satisfactory-looking alternative
a n d p e r h a p s s i m p l e r , e . g . , 18.b3
( 18.xb8 xb8 19.b1 c8 20.f5!? 1009 C11
c5= ) 18...xb3 19.axb3 b4 20.d4 a5 Kritz,Leonid 2522
and Black has nothing to complain about. ] O'Cinneide,Mel 2258
18.b3 MTO Biel SUI (2) 22.07.2003
[ 18.fb1 c5 19.d4 ( 19.xc5 xc5+ [Neil McDonald]
20.h1 d8 21.e2 f2! 22.xd7!?
xd7 23.b8+ d8 24.b4 xe2 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
25.a4+ e7 26.a3+ e8 27.a4+= ) 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
19...0-0 20.f2 xd4 21.xd4 c6 c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2!
22.7b3 c7= ] This is Black's main bug bear at the moment
18...c4! 19.f5!? in the Classical Variation. xd4 12.xd4
[ 19.d4 c5 20.e2 b5! 21.e1 0-0 c7 13.d3 b5? Black should have played
22.xc5 xc5+ 23.d4 ab8= ] [ 13...xd4 14.xd4 c5 and then tried the
19...c8 20.fxe6 xe6 21.e2! xc2?! improvement suggested in the notes to
[ 21...c5 is equal following 22.xc5 xc5+ Grischuk-Iljushin on ChessPub, namely
23.d4 0-0 ] 15.e2 b6!? ]
[ and 21...e7 tries for more, e.g., 22.f4 14.h4! g6?! So far play has been following
0-0 23.c3 b8 ] the Kramnik-Radjabov game which won the
22.xc2 xc2 23.d4 c8 24.xe6 fxe6 game of the month competition on ChessPub.
25.b6 Arguably White has an advantage now In that game Black played
because Black can't castle and activate his [ 14...h6 and was soundly beaten. Black's
rooks. d7?! But this worsens matters. choice here is certainly no improvement: in
[ 25...e7 26.xe6 f8 27.xa6 f5 fact it looks decidedly worse as W hite's

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
queen can exploit the holes in the dark
squares on both h6 and f6. ]
15.e2 b4 16.h6! Route one chess: White
simply intends h4-h5 followed by a quick mate
on h7. a5 17.h4 xd4 18.xd4 d8 19.h5
f8 20.g5! The black knight has been
forced to give up its defence of f6 due to the
potential threat to h7. Therefore nothing can
stop White's queen infiltrating. a6 21.xa6
xa6 22.f6 d7 Or else 23.h6 mates.
23.e7! Black resigned as he is defenceless,
e.g. a4 24.hxg6 hxg6 25.h7! xh7
26.xf7+ h6 27.h1#
1-0
1010
Kurnosov,Igor
Swiercz,Dariusz
2nd GM Lublin POL (2) 10.05.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 7... Be7 has
been played more than any other move for
some years now, and several recent books
and articles have either featured or
recommended it.
[ 7...a6 8.d2 b5 9.e2
i s a l s o p l a y e d) 9...e7 10.0-0
transposes! ]
8.d2 0-0 9.e2
[ 9.0-0-0? c4! leads to a powerful attack for
Black. Then 10.f5 b5! has been analysed in
the Archives Black is simply better. ]
9...a6
[ For 9...f6 , see the notes to Svidler-Hou
Yifan in the Archives. ]
10.0-0 b5 The new main line of the Classical
Steinitz? 11.a3
[ 11.h1 was Karjakin-Carlsen from my
earlier update. Then, instead of Carlsen's
1 1 . . . Q c 7 , E m i l A n k a s u g g e s t s b6
with the idea 12.f5 cxd4 13.xd4 g5!
, intending 14.f6 xd4! ]
[ 11.d1 b4 12.f2 a5 and ...Ba6 is easy
for Black to play. ]
[ 11.ad1 b4 12.a4 cxd4 13.xd4 xd4
14.xd4 a5 15.b3 c5 16.xc5 xc5
17.a4 b6 ( 17...d7 ) 18.e3 ( 18.c3 )
18...xd4 19.xd4 xd4+ 20.xd4 a5
21.f3 a6 22.d1 ac8 23.f2 c5
24.e3 f6 25.d2 Miladinovic-Sedak,
Ma t a r u s k a B a n j a 2 0 0 7 a n d h e r e A n k a
suggests d4+ 26.xd4 fc8 27.e3 b7
28.ff2 fxe5 - Anka ]
[ 11.dxc5 xc5 ( 11...xc5 ) 12.xc5 xc5
13.h1 b4 14.d1 a5 15.f2 a6
with m ore sp ace on the queenside an d
perhaps a slight edge. ]
11...b7
[ 11...b6 12.d1 b7 transposes. ]
12.d1 b6 The Anka setup. One of several
previous games saw, sometimes by
transposition,
[ 12...cxd4 13.xd4 c7 , for example,
14.f2 ac8 15.c3 c5 16.e1!?
C11 ( 16.c2 xd4 17.cxd4 e4 18.xc7
2680 xc7 19.ac1 with Nd3 coming and a small
2501 edge ) 16...xd4 17.cxd4 e4 and White
is slightly better, Hou, Y-Ding, L, Xinghua
Jiangsu 2009. ]
13.h1
[ The Archives game Sethuraman-Bajarani
went 13.c3 a5 14.e1
A) Also in the Archives, I analysed
Sadvakasov-Hernandez Guerrero, Merida
2008, with these notes: 14...b3 15.b1
f5 ( 15...a5!? )
( 9.a3 A1) 16.f2 looks better, with the idea
0-0 Bd1 then a5 ( 16...c4 17.d1 ) 17.d1
cxd4 18.cxd4 a4 is an interesting setup,
because 19.xb3 axb3 20.d3 b4!
followed by ...Ba6 gives compensation
( 20...fc8 21.d2 b4 is similar, e.g.,
22.xb4 ab8 23.d1 a6 24.xa6
xa6 25.c3 b5 26.a1 b6 );
A2) 16.h1 a5 17.g1 b4 18.axb4
axb4 19.g4 , and here Rybka gives
Black the nod after
A2a) or 19...fxg4 20.xg4 h8
, or here ( 20...a6 );
A2b) 19...a6 20.gxf5 xe2 21.xe2
xf5;
B) 14...c7 15.d3 f5 16.exf6 xf6
17.f2 c4 18.g4!? with a promising
attack. ]
13...a5 14.c3 b4 15.a4 Black has an ideal
anti-pawn chain formation, but White's pieces
are well-placed in the centre.
[ 15.f2 a6 16.d3!? is a good option. ]
15...a6 16.g1?! This puts the bishop out of
919
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
play.
[ 16.f2 xe2 17.xe2 looks level. ]
16...bxc3 17.bxc3 cxd4 18.cxd4 b4
[ Or 18...b4 19.b2 fc8 ]
19.e3 f5! Dashing White's idea of kingside
at t a c k , s in c e 2 0 e xf 6 Nxf 6 a n d . . . Ne 4 is
undesirable. 20.fc1 fc8 21.f2 xe2
22.xe2 a6!?
[ 22...a7 ]
23.xa6 xa6 24.h4! trading off his bad
bishop. f8 25.g5!? Or maybe not. xg5
26.xg5 h6 27.h4 b4 28.g4 g6 29.gxf5
gxf5 30.g1 f7 31.g2 g8 32.xg8
xg8 33.c1
[ 33.b1 b6 34.e7 ]
33...b6! 34.c7! c8
[ White gets a miracle draw out of 34...xa4
35.f6 a6 36.c8+ f7 37.c7+ e8
38.e7+ f8 39.xf5! exf5 40.e6 ]
35.e7?
[ He should try 35.xc8+ xc8 36.e1
with the idea b6? ( 36...f7 ) 37.xb4
axb4 38.a5 ]
35...d3
[ 35...c6! will probably win, even though it
gets messy: 36.f6 ( 36.a7 c1+ 37.g2
c6 38.a6 xa4 ) 36...d3! 37.xf5?
( 37.g2 xf4+ 38.f3 h5 39.e8+
f7 40.e7+ f8 41.b7 xa4 ) 37...exf5
38.e6 c1+ 39.g2 xf4+ 40.f3 f1+
41.g3 h5+ 42.g2 c1 ]
36.g3 c4! 37.f1 c6 38.g2 b6
[ 38...a6! 39.f3 db2 and ...Nxa4 ]
39.f3?
[ 39.a7! with the idea db2 40.e1 ]
39...b3?
[ 39...db2! 40.e1 xa4 41.a7 b3+
42.e2 ab2 with the idea 43.xa5 xa5
44.xa5 d3 ]
40.e2 c1+ 41.d1 b1 42.d2
[ 42.c2! ]
42...e3+ 43.e1 a1 44.f3
45.d2 a1 46.f3 a2 47.d2 c4
[ 47...g2+! 48.d1 a1 49.c2 e2
wins ]
48.xc4 d3+ 49.f1 dxc4
b4??
[ 50...xa4! was obvious and good. ]
51.xc4 xa4 52.g2?
[ 52.c8+ ]
52...a2+ 53.h3? c2! Winning again!
54.c5 xc5 55.dxc5 a4 56.e1 d3
57.c6 xf4+ 58.h4 d5 59.b4 f7
60.h5 e8 61.c5 e7??
[ After 61...f4+ ]
[ or 61...f4 , White has to resign. ]
62.c7! c8 63.xh6 d7 64.h4
[ 64.g5! xc7 65.h4 c6 66.a3 d7
67.h5 f4 68.xf4 e8 should be drawn. ]
64...f4 65.g5 f3 66.g4 c6 67.e3
xc7 68.xf3 e7 Quite a game!
½-½
1011 C11
Lalic,Bogdan 2548
Speelman,Jonathan S 2604
Premier Hastings ENG (7) 10.01.2000
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.f4 It could be said
that White has transposed from the Classical
set up to the Tarrasch, but whenever do you
see the queen's knight on e2 in the Tarrasch?
Therefore, although it's the Tarrasch centre,
all the variations are a little different. b6
8.f3 e7 9.g3 a5 The white knights are
solidly defending d4. Therefore, Black elects
t o le a ve t h e ce n t re u n t o u ch e d a n d s e e k
counterplay on the queenside. 10.h4 a4
11.h3 db8 12.h5?! In the Hastings
bulletin Lalic said he avoided
[ 12.0-0 as he thought Black could then
block the kingside with h5 However, after
t h e g a m e h e e s t a b l i s h e d t h a t 13.g2
followed by g4 would have allowed him to
break things open. Therefore, this was a
superfluous pawn move. ]
12...cxd4 13.cxd4 d7 14.0-0 a5 15.c3
Lalic suggests
[ 15.b3!? as a way to keep control of the
a2! position. The massive onslaught he has
got prepared will be crushed by Jon
Sp e e lm a n 's a ct ive d e f e n ce . S p e e lm a n
himself in the German magazine Schach
50.c7 analyses ]
[ 15.f5!? exf5 16.c3 c6 17.g2 e6
18.xa4 xa4 19.xa4 d7 which he
concludes gives W hite slightly the better
chances. ]
15...c4 16.f5 xb2! 17.e2 a3 18.f6
920
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Black has his booty so White cannot afford to d6 19.h5 xd3 20.xe6 c5
break off the attack. gxf6 19.exf6 d6 [ Bla ck h ad a stron ge r mo ve in 20...e5!
20.h6 White's tragedy is that threatening ...Bxc3 and then ...Bxe6,
[ 20.xd5 b5! merely drops material. ] although it takes some calculation and is not
20...c6 21.h1 xd4! There goes another the first move you'd think of. A sort of 'main
one. White's position in the centre crumbles. line' would be 21.d1 c2 22.e3 h8
22.e3 c5 23.g7 f5 24.g5 h6! , f in a ll y p ic kin g u p t h e e xc h a n ge f o r a
25.xd5 Now there is a mighty bloodbath pawn. ]
which ends with White's kingside smashed to 21.e2 xe2 22.xe2 d4!?
pieces. However, the only alternative [ 22...f5! 23.d2 d7 with strong
[ 25.g4 is ghastly after e3 26.xd5 bishops. ]
xd5 27.xh8 0-0-0 when despite being 23.d5 g4 24.e5!?
th e e xch a nge u p W h it e will lo se t o t h e [ 24.c2!= ]
threats of Rxh8 or Ne3, perhaps combined 24...a7? Black's first serious mistake. He
with Bc6. ] should have stayed aggressive by
25...hxg5 26.xb6 xh5 27.xa8 xh3+ [ 24...d3! 25.e7+ xe7 26.xe7 xh5
28.g2 xg3+ 29.h2 d6 27.xb7 ac8 ]
W hite's scattered army is no match for the 25.h6! d3 26.hxg7 xg7 27.d2 e2
monsters eating up his kingside. 28.g5+!?
0-1 [ 28.c3! g6 29.e6+ with perpetual
check, as in the line f5 30.e5+ g6
31.e6+ f7 32.e7+ ]
1012 C11 28...f7 29.c1 ac8 30.f5+ e6
Lehtimaki,T 2063 31.xf8 xf8 32.f4+ e5!?
Kosmo,S 2213 [ 32...d7 33.c3= ]
TCh-FIN SM-Liiga 2011-12 (5.7) 19.11.2011 33.g3 e4?! 34.c7 f3? 35.h3 d1
[John Watson] Suddenly Black is very vulnerable and has to
at least cede a pawn.
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ 35...h6 may be the best way to do that:
5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 c6 7.f4 xc5 8.d3 f6 36.xb7 c5 37.c7 d4 38.xh6 g8
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 0-0 11.e5 a6 12.e2 39.f7+ e4 40.g2 xb2 41.f3+ d5
e8 13.ae1 h5 14.g5 f4 42.f4+ d6 43.xe2 dxe2 44.f2 ]
[ 14...d6!? is the best winning try. Then 36.e7 h5??
15.f4 xf4 16.xf4 xf4 17.xf4 xe5 [ 36...c8 ]
gets the bishop pair, a pawn, and a 2:0 37.g5+ g4 38.e4+ f5 39.f4+ xg5
c e n t r a l m a j o r i t y f o r t h e e x c h a n g e . 40.xf8+ g6 41.d8 e2 42.e3
Objectively this may be equal, but there's , winning: xe3 43.fxe3 f5 44.f2 e4
plenty of play for both sides. ] 45.d4+ e5 46.e1 f5 47.d2 g5
15.g4? 48.b4 f5 49.a4 g5 50.f4
[ 15.d2! is probably best answered by h5 1-0
and strange to say, in the face of ...Nxe5,
W hite has nothing b etter tha n ( although
15...xe5 16.xf4 xd3 17.cxd3 f5 1013 C11
gives W hite only a minor edge after 18.d4 Leko,P 2744
f8 19.dxc5 xf4 20.g3 ) 16.e2 Nakamura,Hi 2767
( 16.h1 xe5 17.xe5 d6 18.ee1 Renova FIDE GP Zug (3.5) 20.04.2013
f4 ) 16...f4 17.d2 h5 , etc. ] [John Watson]
15...xe5 16.xe5 xd3 17.cxd3 g6
[ Or 17...d6! 18.ee1 ( 18.e2 g6 ) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
18...g6 19.h4 f7 ] 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
18.h4! Otherwise Black stands much better. b6 9.d2 xb2 10.b1 a3 11.b5

921
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

Alternatives are given in Karjakin-Nakamura, e7 23.e3 0-0 24.d4 c8 25.b6 c4
and I might mention that 26.b7 c6 27.b6 c4 28.b7 c6
[ 11.db5 a5 12.xd5 is ineffective 1/2-1/2 . ]
because W hite's remaining knight is [ That game also has notes on 19...b8 ]
genuinely trapped after xd2+ 13.xd2 20.b1 e7 21.c4 b8
exd5 14.c7+ d8 15.xa8 b6 ] [ 21...c8 22.b7 b4+ 23.f2 xb6
11...xd4 12.xd4 a6 13.xd7+ xd7 24.xb6 c5 is the option, close to equal. ]
14.b3 22.d2 0-0 23.cxd5 exd5 24.0-0 f5
[ The immediate 14.xb7 allows b4 15.0-0 [ 24...e8! 25.a7 b4 26.xd5 e6
c8 with counterplay, e.g., 16.f3 c4 27.d3 a4 28.f5 d8!= ]
( 16...c6 17.a7 g6= ) 17.b8+ c8 25.b3
18.f5! exf5 19.e6 fxe6 20.xg7 g8 [ 25.fc1! ]
21.h6 xg7 22.xe6+ ( 22.xg7 c1+ 25...a3 26.b7 c8 27.c7 d8 28.h3
23.f2 d2+-+ ) 22...d8 23.e3! c1+ h4!?
24.e1 xe1+ 25.xe1 xc3 and White [ 28...e4 ]
h a s t o lo o k f o r a p e r p e t u a l c h e ck wit h 29.h2 b2 30.xb2 xb6 31.f2 xf2
26.e6 ] 32.xf2 b4 33.g4 b1?
14...e7 15.xb7 h4+ In Karjakin- [ 33...e4! grabs the outpost, and Black's
Nakamura, we'll see activity is worth a pawn after 34.a7 b6
[ 15...d8 . This position is absolutely critical, 35.c5 c8 36.xe4 ( 36.xa6 h5! )
and if White can't show any advantage here 36...dxe4 37.e2 f8 38.xe4 c3!=
the whole variation with 7...Qb6 presents a with the idea 39.e2 h6 ]
serious challenge to White. ] 34.c5 d4
16.f2 [ 34...e4 35.e6! ]
[ 16.g3 h3!? ( 16...d8!= is safer ) [ 34...c4 35.b2 ]
17.d1! c6 18.f2 h5 19.a5 35.d7?
( 19.b6 b5 ) 19...xb7 20.a4+ d8 [ 35.e6! d3 36.d7 ]
21.b6+ e7 22.c5+= ] 35...b5
[ 16.f2 e7 17.xh4 xh4+ 18.d2 [ 35...c4! 36.xa6 e4 ]
d8 19.hb1 c6 20.b8 xb8 21.xb8 36.xa6 d3 37.d4
0-0 22.c8 b7 23.b8 c6 24.c8 b7 [ 37.g3! ]
25.b8 1/2-1/2 Dominguez Perez, L (2730)- 37...g5!? 38.b4!?
Nepomniachtchi, I (2718), Sochi 2012. ] [ 38.g3 ]
16...d8 17.b6 38...gxf4 39.xd3 xd3 40.xd3 xe5
[ Yet another Nakamura game went 17.0-0 41.d4 a8 42.a4 e3 43.dxf4 a3
c8 18.b3?! ( 18.fb1 c6 19.7b3 44.xf7 3xa4 This is drawn, but Black still
e7= ) 18...c4 19.e2 e7 ( or 19...c8 has to play accurately, and does. 45.g3
with the idea 20.d4 c5 ) 20.fb1 0-0!? 4a7 46.7f5 a5 47.e2 xf5 48.gxf5
with a slight edge for Black, Karjakin, S f7 49.f4 a6 50.g5 h6+ 51.h5 f6
(2776)-Nakamura, H (2774), Monaco MNC 52.f2 a4 53.h4 b4 54.h2 xf5
2011 ( 20...c8 is probably better still )] 55.xh6 b6+ 56.g7 b7+ 57.h6 b6+
17...c8 18.c7 d8 58.g7 b7+ 59.h6 e5
[ 18...b8? 19.d4 isn't worth it. ] ½-½
19.d4 a3
[ I've cited my note from Anand-Nakamura,
W ijk a an Ze e 2 0 13 (a n ot h er su p er-G M
game), which was analysed in the February
update. That game went 19...c8 20.xc8
( 20.c6! e7 21.xc8+ xc8 22.0-0
b4 23.b1 xd4+ 24.xd4 ) 20...xc8
21.0-0 c6 ( 21...e7 22.f5 c6 ) 22.b1

922
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

1014 C11 xd4 15.xd4 b8 16.a2 b4 17.c1 ]

Leko,P 2737 12.xc5 xc5
Wang Hao 2752 [ 12...xc5 didn't turn out badly after 13.d3
41st GM Dortmund GER (6.1) 01.08.2013 e8! 14.e2 b5 15.ed4 b8 ( 15...xd4
[John Watson] 16.xd4 b6 17.b1 c5= ) 16.c3 f8
( 16...xd4 17.xd4 b6 ) 17.b4!?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 ( 17.xc6 xc6 18.h4 ) 17...xd4
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 0-0 18.xd4 c7= Poetsch, H (2466)-
9.dxc5 xc5 Bluebaum, M (2433), Griesheim GER
[ For 9...xc5 , see Nakamura-Vitiugov in 2012. ]
the Archives. ] 13.e3 d7
10.0-0-0 a5 11.a3!? This relatively new [ 13...d7!? 14.d3 e8 15.b1 b8 ]
move has been successful in several contests 14.f5! b6! 15.f4
ove r t h e la st t wo yea rs. T h ere are th re e [ 15.b1 a4! 16.xb6 xb6= ]
games in the Archives with 15...d4!?
[ 11.xc5 , but none with 11 a3, which at [ 15...e7?! 16.f6 g6 17.d4 gxf6
first sight appears rather weakening. ] 18.exf6 ac8 19.h4+- ]
11...a6 A couple of the few examples we have [ 15...exf5 16.xd5 a5 17.e3 ]
so far: 16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4
[ a) 11...f6 12.exf6 xf6 13.g3 d7 [ 17.xd4 fd8 18.f6! ]
14.xc5 ( 14.h3 xa3! ) 14...xc5 17...exf5 18.d6 a7 19.d5 h8?
15.h3 b5 16.e5 ( 16.e2 b4 17.axb4 [ 19...b5 20.e7+ h8 21.xf5 xf5
xb4 ) 16...c8 17.he1 ( 17.e2 b4 22.xf5 e7 ]
18.d3 ) 17...b8 18.b4! ( or 18.e3 20.b6 ad8 21.xd7?!
with the idea d4 19.f3 ) 18...d6 19.e3 [ 21.h4! is extremely strong, refuting
b6 20.c5 Najer, E (2634)-Nikolenko, O Black's play. ]
(2526), Moscow 2013 ] 21...xd7 22.d2 b5 23.e2 c7!
[ b) 11...b8 12.xc5 xc5 13.d3 b5 24.d1 c5 25.c3!?
( 13...h6 14.b5!? a6 15.d6 f6 16.xc8 [ 25.xd8? b3+ 26.b1 xd2+ ]
bxc8 17.exf6 xf6 18.he1 ) [ 25.g5! xd6 26.exd6 d7 27.d5 ]
A) 14.b4! b6 15.xh7+! xh7 25...c8 26.b4 e4 27.xc7 xc7
16.g5+ g8 17.d3 f5 ( 17...e8 28.xa6 fc8 29.d3 g6 30.b2 g7
18.h7+ f8 19.h8+ e7 20.xg7 31.e6! f2 32.d2 xd3+ 33.cxd3 d8
e3+ 21.b2 b6 22.f6+ d7 34.exf7 xf7 35.a5 b7 36.a4!?
23.ge4! ) 18.xd5! exd5 19.xd5+ [ 36.d4 ]
h8 20.d3+-; 36...bxa4 37.xa4 e6 38.g3 e5 39.c3
B) 14.xh7+?! xh7 15.g5+ g8 c8+ 40.b3 d4 41.b2
16.d3 f5?? ( 16...e8! 17.h7+ f8 [ 41.c2 xc2 42.xc2 e3 43.a8 xb4
18.h8+ e7 19.xg7 d8 20.xf7 44.c3 b1 45.e8+ f3 46.d4 d1= ]
d4 is only moderately better for White, e. 41...c3+ 42.a2 xd3 43.a8 g5
g., 21.xd4 xd4 22.xe6+ xe6 [ 43...c4 44.c8+ b5 45.c5+ a6 ]
23.xe6 xf4+ 24.b1 xe5 25.g8+ 44.b5 f4 45.gxf4 gxf4 46.b6 e3 47.a7
c7 26.xd5+ b7 27.h4 ) 17.h3 dd7 48.a3+ e4 49.e2+ f5 50.b2
e8 18.h5 e3+ 19.b1 b7 20.f7+ e4 51.e2+ f5 52.b2
h8 21.d3 xd3 22.cxd3 c5 ½-½
23.h5+ g8 24.h7+ f8 25.h8+
e7 26.xg7+ 1-0 (26) Potkin, V (2665)-
Rychagov, A (2561), Moscow RUS 2012. ]
[ c) Incidentally, 11...xa3 12.bxa3 xa3+
fails after 13.b1 b5 ( 13...b4 14.d4;
13...b4+ 14.a1 a3+ 15.a2 ) 14.d4

923
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
1015 C11
Leko,Peter 2738
Gurevich,Mikhail 2635
WCh Candidates s/f (3) 29.05.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5
9.dxc5 xc5 10.e2!? With this rather
unusual move Leko achieves his objective of
ge t tin g h is op p on e nt ou t o f we ll tro dd e n
French lines.
[ The standard continuation for White is
10.xc5 xc5 11.f2 of which you can
find several examples in the database. ]
10...b6 The comparative rarity of 10.Ne2
begs the question of why White is usually so
keen to exchan ge bishops wit h 10. Bxc5 .
Perhaps it is because he doesn't want to give
Black the option of preserving his bishop with
[ 10...e7!? f o r e xa m p l e 11.ed4 xd4
12.xd4 c7 13.b4 taking the c5 square
away from the black knight to prevent the
manoeuvre Nc5 and Ne4. b6 14.a3 0-0
15.d3 c4 and a draw was agreed in
Kallio, H-Bischoff, K/Cork IRL 2005. ]
[ Alternatively 10...a5 tries to exploit 10.
Ne2 in a different way: the knight aims at the
now undefended c4 square, and also
exploits the fact that the white queen can't
run away to the f2 square [in contrast to 10.
Bxc5 Nxc5 11.Qf2].
A) Maybe Leko intended to keep a slight
edge with 11.xc5 xc5 12.ed4 e4
13.b4!? ( or 13.e3 );
B) 11.b3 e7! again Black declines the
bishop exchange. 12.ed4 c5 13.d3
e4 14.xe4 dxe4 15.g1 f6! 16.exf6
gxf6 17.c3 g8 and Black was fighting for
the initiative in Fahnenschmidt, G-Glek, I/
Boeblingen 1994. ]
11.xc5!
[ The immediate exchange looks more
a c c u r a t e t h a n 11.ed4 when Black
managed to genera te more than ample
c o u n t e r p la y o n t h e q u e e n si d e a f t e r b4
12.f2 b7 13.c3 a5 14.b5 xf2+
15.xf2 xf2+ 16.xf2 e7 in Werner, B-
K a c h e i s h v il i , G / S c h wa e b i sc h G m u e n d
1994. ]
11...xc5 12.ed4 e4 13.e3 b4
A natural-looking move, but the pawn on b4
becomes a target in the future. Perhaps he
should have played in the style of Glek above
with
[ 13...a5 or ]
[ 13...b7 14.d3 a5 ]
14.d3 b7 15.0-0 0-0 16.ae1 xd4
17.xd4 xd4+ 18.xd4 It's interesting to
compare this position with that reached after
16. ..Ke7 in Werner-Kacheishvili above- see
the note to 11.Bxc5. Here the black king being
on g8 rather than e7 favours W hite as it is
less well placed to augment counterplay in
the centre or help fend off a white attack on
the queenside. Also the fact that there are
only two rather than three sets of minor pieces
on the board depletes Black's dynamic
chances. g6 19.a1! An excellent decision.
The rook returns home in order to support the
attack on the b4 pawn. a5 20.a3 c5
21.axb4 axb4 22.f2 fc8?!
[ Too passive. I'm not too fond of Black's
position, but it was still possible to generate
counterplay with 22...f6! 23.e3!? ( Or
23.exf6 f7! and 24...Kxf6. ) 23...f7!? ]
23.g4 b3? Probably the losing move as White
i s a b l e t o c r e a t e a p a s s e d p a wn o n t h e
q u e e n s i d e wh i c h c a n b e c o m b i n e d wi t h
kingside action. A stout defence was possible
with 23...Kf8 and 24...Ke7. 24.e3!
[ Of course Black would be delighted with
24.xb3 xd3+ 25.cxd3 c2+ ]
24...bxc2 25.xa8 xa8 26.xc2 f8
27.c1 c8 28.a1 a8 29.xa8+ xa8
30.b4 Gurevich doesn't have the resources to
hold back the passed pawn AND defend his
kingside pawns against the pressure that Leko
is going to exert upon them. a6 31.b5 c5
32.b3 d7 33.d4 e7 34.c5 b6
35.h4 d8 36.d3 e7 37.e2 d8
38.f1 e7 39.d3 d8 40.c2 e7
41.d1 d8 42.e2 e7 43.g5!
After some waiting moves to build up time on
his clock, the Hungarian Grandmaster begins
to fix the kingside pawn chain in an instructive
manner. d8 44.h5 e7 45.h6 d8
46.d3! At first glance it seems hopelessly
clogged up on the kingside. But that is not so:
the white knight has the f6 square whence it
can attack h7, and the white bishop has the
latent threat of Bxg6! if the black king
924
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

wanders too far away to deal with the b5 in it ia t ive in Fa h n e n sch m id t , G -G le k , I /

pawn. e7 47.c2! The bishop clears the Boeblingen 1994.' ]
wa y f o r t h e k n i g h t t o h e a d f o r f 6 w h i l s t
[ (c) Neil's main game is Leko, P (2738)-
keeping his eye on g6. f8 48.d3 d7 Gurevich, M (2635), Elista 2007, for which
49.f2 e7 50.g4 Gurevich has had
s e e t h e A r c h i v e s . I t b e g i n s 10...b6
enough. The finish might be 11.xc5! ( Neil: 'The immediate exchange
[ 50.g4 b7 51.f6 xf6 52.gxf6+ d7 l o o k s m o r e a c c u r a t e t h a n 11.ed4
53.c5 c7 If the black king doesn't
when Black managed to generate more than
counter on the queenside then 54.Kb6 etc. ample counterplay on the queenside after b4
12.f2 b7 13.c3 a5 14.b5 xf2+
wil l win t h e b la c k b is h o p . B u t - 54.xg6!
The crowning move in White's fine strategy 15.xf2 xf2+ 16.xf2 e7 in Werner, B-
that Leko had planned well in advance. ] Ka ch eish vili, G/ Schwae bisch Gm ue n d
1-0 1994. ) 11...xc5 12.ed4 e4 13.e3
b4 'A natural-looking move, but the pawn on
b4 becomes a target in the future. Perhaps
1016 C11 he should have played in the style of Glek
Leko,Peter 2737 above with ( 13...a5 or; 13...b7 14.d3
Ivanchuk,Vassily 2769 a5 ' ) 14.d3 b7 15.0-0 0-0 16.ae1
1st FIDE GP London 2012 (2) 22.09.2012 ( jw: 16.f5!? ) 16...xd4 17.xd4 xd4+
[John Watson] 18.xd4 and White was somewhat better.
He went on to win. ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ (d) I analysed Quesada Perez, Y (2584)-
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5 Nogueiras Santiago, J (2570) , Ciego de
9.dxc5 xc5 10.e2 Avila 2010 in the Archives. Here's what I
[ 10.xc5 xc5 11.f2 is thoroughly said about the opening: 10...0-0 11.ed4
covered in the Archives. ] b7 ( This is okay, but Black's next moves
10...b4 There are at least five moves of a r e t o o s l o w . O n e i d e a i s 11...xd4
interest here. In the Archives, I've annotated 12.xd4 b6!? with the idea of ...Nc5.)
one game (see 'd' below), and Neil McDonald 12.d3 e7!? ( 12...xd4 13.xd4 b6
has great annotations in the Archives to the or 13...Be7 with the idea ...Nc5 is more
ga m e L e k o -M G ure vich , Elist a 2 0 07 . He co n ve n t i o n a l) 13.0-0-0 , and instead of
covers these options (which I quote directly): Noguieras's 13...f6, I suggested (quote:) '
[ (a) ' 10...e7!? 11.ed4 xd4 12.xd4 ( 13.0-0! is safer. ) 13...xd4 14.xd4 b6!
c7 13.b4 taking the c5 square away from 15.f5!? is very messy and double-edged,
the black knight to prevent the manoeuvre o n e co n t in u a t io n b e in g c4 16.xc4
Nc5 and Ne4. ( jw: 13.d3 looks better to ( 16.f6 gxf6 17.xc4 transposes) 16...dxc4
me ) 13...b6 14.a3 0-0 15.d3 c4 17.f6 ( 17.hf1 fd8!? ) 17...gxf6 18.hf1!
and a draw was agreed in Kallio, H-Bischoff, fxe5 19.c6! xc6 20.xc5 xc5
K/ Cork IRL 2005.' ] 21.g5+ , drawing. 15 Nb3 is a more solid
[ (b) 'Alternatively 10...a5 tries to exploit 10. positional approach.' ]
Ne2 in a different way: the knight aims at the 11.xc5 xc5 12.ed4 xd4 13.xd4
now undefended c4 square, and also [ 13.xd4 d7!? 14.e2 ( 14.xb4 e4!
exploits the fact that the white queen can't with the double ideas ...Qh4+ and ...Rb8
run away to the f2 square [in contrast to 10. gives Black a nice initiative for the pawn, e.g.
Bxc5 Nxc5 11.Qf2]. 11.b3 ( Maybe Leko , 15.a3 b8 16.b1 g5! ) 14...b6
intended to keep a slight edge with 11.xc5 15.0-0 0-0 . This is a fairly standard position
xc5 12.ed4 e4 13.b4!? 13 or Qe3 ) which is generally considered about equal. ]
11...e7! again Black declines the bishop 13...b6
exchange. 12.ed4 c5 13.d3 e4 [ M y e n g i n e l i k e s 13...e7 , but the
14.xe4 dxe4 15.g1 f6! 16.exf6 gxf6 differences won't show up for a long time, so
17.c3 g8 and Black was fighting for the t h i s i s h a r d t o m a k e i n t e ll i ge n t n o i s e s

925
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
about. ]
14.a3 b8 15.e2 a5!? Fine, although for
some the resulting structure may seem more
static than what Black ideally wants. I see
nothing wrong with
[ 15...0-0 16.0-0 bxa3 17.xa3 d7! 18.b3
fc8 ( 18...b5!? ) 19.fa1 b5 ]
16.axb4 axb4
[ 16...xb4+? 17.xb4 xb4 18.xa5 ]
17.0-0
[ 17.d2!? 0-0 18.b3 xb3 19.xb6
xb6 20.cxb3 keeps White's king well-
placed in the centre, but it's only a minor
advantage at best following f6 21.exf6
gxf6 ]
17...0-0 18.e3 a6!?
[ 18...d7 is safe and sound. ]
19.xa6 xa6 20.xb6 xb6 21.f2 b8
22.a8
[ 22.e3 might be more accurate, to defend
c2 next. c6 23.d4 c4 24.b3 c3+
25.d2 ]
22...c6
[ 22...c6! 23.c1 c4 24.g3 c6= ]
23.fa1 f6 24.e3
[ 24.exf6 gxf6 25.e3 , although these
position all seem well within drawing range. ]
24...fxe5 25.fxe5 h6 26.h4 b7 27.h5 c7
28.xf8+ xf8 29.a8+ e7?!
[ Strange. 29...f7 is both natural and better,
since 30.g4 can be met with g5! ]
30.g4! d8 Allowing the knight to d4 but it's
not easy to find a useful move.
[ 30...f7? 31.g5 ]
31.d4 c6? Now White is almost certainly
winning.
[ 31...b7 ]
32.f3
[ Best is 32.g8! xe5 ( 32...f7??
33.xg7+ ) 33.xg7+ f7 34.g6! e5
35.c6+ d7 36.xb4 ]
32...f7?
[ 32...b7 ]
33.g5 hxg5
[ 33...a7 34.g6+ e7 35.g8 ]
34.xg5+ e7 35.g8 xe5 36.xg7+
d6 37.xc7 xc7 38.xe6+ d6 39.f4
c6 40.d3 g4+ 41.f4 f6 42.g5
1-0
1017 C11
Li,Chao 2582
Ni Hua 2704
TCh-Real Estate Cup (9) 21.10.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 Another victory for the seemingly
quiet 7...Be7 move. 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6
4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7
8.d2 0-0 9.dxc5 xc5 10.0-0-0 a5
11.xc5 xc5 12.h4 The most aggressive
response to Black's counter attacking system.
Rather than 'waste' a move on
[ 12.b1 White hurls his h-pawn straight at
the black king. ]
12...d7 13.h5 b5!? Ni Hua retaliates with a
pawn strike of his own. Previously on
ChessPub we have examined the moves
[ 13...ab8 and ]
[ 13...h6 and ]
[ 13...ac8 ]
14.h6
[ Black has the more dangerous initiative
after 14.xb5 b4!? 15.xd7 xa2+
16.xa2 xa2 17.c3 xd7 ]
14...g6
[ You might like to investigate the fearless
14...b4!? e.g. 15.hxg7 bxc3 ( Black is dead
after 15...fb8? 16.f5! bxc3 17.h6 )
16.gxf8+ ( Not 16.xc3 fb8! ) 16...xf8!
( Giving the black king some air as he is
m a t e d a f t e r 16...xf8? 17.xc3 b4
18.e1! xa2+ 19.b1 b4 20.g3+
h8 21.xh7+ xh7 22.d3+ cxd3
23.h1# ) 17.xc3 b4 18.e1 xa2+
19.b1 b4 In contrast with the 16...Rxf8
line, it is the white king who finds himself
f acin g ma ting thre ats. The game migh t
continue 20.d4 a2+ 21.c1 a1+
22.d2 xb2 23.e3 xc2+ 24.xc2
xc2 25.f3 b8 26.g3 e4+ 27.h2
b2 28.c1 f2 29.xf2 xf2 30.g1 a5
and Black has good winning chances. ]
15.xd5? A doomed tactical sequence, but
against slower moves I think Black has the
more potent attack. exd5 16.xa5 xa5
17.b4
[ Also inadequate for White is 17.xd5 ab7
18.b4 e6 ]
17...e4 18.bxa5 f2 19.e2 g4!?
Played to avoid being left with a bad bishop on
926
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

d7 after White plays Nd4. 20.hf1? A1) b a d f o r W h it e i s 19.fxe5? f7

[ Nonetheless, White shouldn't look a gift 20.f4 d5 ( not 20...g5? 21.e6! xe6
horse in the mouth. As the game only lasts 22.e5+ ) 21.f1 b5 etc.;
another seven moves he might as well have A2) 19.dxe5 c6 20.f1 ( he has to
grabbed the pawn with 20.xb5!? ] avoid 20.0-0? c5+ 21.f2 ad8
20...xd1 21.xd1 fd8 22.d4 22.e2 d5 and Black seems to be
Strange that White never sees fit to take on winning. ) 20...ad8
b5. a6 23.d3 xf3 24.gxf3 f6! A2a) Probably the best square, as it
An excellent move after which the rotten White controls b 5. In stea d 21.c2 b5
pawn structure on the kingside caves in. 25.a4 22.f2 ( 22.f3 d7 23.d2 d5 )
f7 26.b4 db8 27.f5 gxf5 22...d3 intending 23...Rfd8 is great
0-1 for Black.;
A2b) 21.e2 e6!? 22.f2 ( if
22.f2 b3 or; 22.e3 d5
1018 C11 with ideas of Bb5, Rfd8.) 22...d5
Lupulescu,Constantin 2560 23.e3 and if there is nothing better,
Smerdon,David 2425 Black can at least grab back a pawn
36th Olympiad (10) 25.10.2004 with xe5!? when he has massive
[Neil McDonald] compensation for one pawn.;
B) 18...h3? Black wants to stop White
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 White's play in this castling, but I think there is a better way to
variation is in the spirit of a line in the do it: 19.e3 ad8 20.e2 e6
Tarrasch: The remaining analysis in this note is by
[ 3.d2 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5 6.c3 c6 Soza. 21.f2 xd4 22.xd4 xd4
7.df3 b6 8.g3 cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 10.h3 B1) Better was 23.hd1 b6 24.e1
and here the line with fxe5 11.fxe5 b4+ B1a) 24...dd8 25.f2 a5+
was resurrected for Black on ChessPub in B1a1) 26.b4 xd1+ 27.xd1 xa3
the game Mack-Beach. ] 28.d4 e6 ( 28...b3 29.d3
3...f6 4.e5 fd7 5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 c2 30.c4 b1+ 31.d1 f5
7.f4 b6 8.f3 f6 9.g3 An extremely 32.d8 b1++- );
ambitious move that aims to wreck Black's B1a2) 26.d2 xd2 27.xd2 c5
centre with Bh3 and Bxe6. But can W hite 28.f2= ( 28.e2 b5+ 29.e3 );
af f ord t h e lu xu ry o f t h is pla n wh en he is B1b) 24...d5
behind in development? cxd4 10.cxd4 b4+ B1b1) 25.f3 e6 26.f2
11.c3 0-0 12.a3 e7 13.h3 fxe5 ( 26.ac1 xd1+ 27.xd1 g4
14.xe6+ h8 15.xd5 d8 16.xd7 28.d3 h6 ) 26...a5+ 27.f1;
xd7 B1b2) 25.xd5 g1+ 26.d2
[ Abysmal is 16...xd7? as Black should be xa1 27.c3 c1+ 28.b4 c7;
tryin g to deve lop f ast . 17.xe7 xe7 B2) 23.ad1 b6 24.f3 b3+
18.dxe5 g4 19.0-0 ad8 20.b3 f5 draw agreed in Peli, G-Soza, J/Semifinal
21.e3 d3 22.f2 e4 23.e3 ICCF. ]
here the score of the game ends with the 17...g4 threatening 18...Nxe5! 18.0-0 c5+
laconic 1-0. I assume that Black fought on 19.e3 xe3+ 20.xe3 b6! 21.d2 xf3
longer, though he is losing. Solleveld, M- 22.xf3 d4 23.ff1?
Molander, R/Cork IRL 2005. ] [ According to Smagin, White should play
17.dxe5!? 23.af1! xf3+ 24.xf3 with unclear play.
[ Jose Soza has kindly sent me a game of his Play might continue ad8 25.b4 xb4
own with notes which features 17.xe7!? 26.axb4 d4 when White has a powerful
xe7 ( not 17...xe7 18.dxe5 h3 passed pawn but Black has counterplay and
19.xd8 axd8 -Soza. ) 18.xe5 a sizeable material advantage. In the game,
A) 18...xe5 W hite has to spend a move returning the

927
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
rook from a1 to f1. ]
23...b3 24.e2 xa1 25.xa1
S m e rd o n s e i ze s h is ch a n ce t o ge n e ra t e
counterplay. A nerve jangling tactical battle is
about to begin. 26.f1 gxf4 27.gxf4 f5?!
[ Perhaps 27...d4!? was more precise in
o r d e r t o p r e v e n t W h i t e ' s p a wn r o l l i n g
forwards. ]
28.h1 f7 29.f5 g8 30.e6
Despite the highly impressive connected
passed pawns, Black has a lot of resources
due to the doubled rooks and the precarious
position of the white king. Here, for example,
he is threatening 31. ..Qc6+ followed by a
queen exchange and then mate on g1. 31.f3
g5 32.b4 d6 33.d5 g3!? A startling
move and a big shock for White who makes a
blunder in reply.
[ Instead 33...g2!? seems to lead to a burn
out draw or repetition in all variations:
A) not 34.xg2? xg2 35.xg2 xd5+;
B) 34.c3+ 8g7 35.c8+
36.c3+ 8g7 and White could check on
c8 and agree a draw or 37.f4 f2!
B1) 38.xf2? d1+;
B2) 38.xg7+?! xg7 39.xf2 d1+
40.g2 g4+ 41.h1
( 41...xf5 and passed pawn enough for
Q );
B3) 38.g1!? xh2+! 39.xh2 xf4+
40.g3 f2+ 41.h3 f1+ 42.h2
f2+ also with a draw.;
C) 34.f4 c2 35.f6 d2 36.e2 xe2
37.xe2 xe2 38.e7 h6 39.f7 xe7
40.fxg8+ xg8 41.g2 with dead
equality. ]
34.d1? Now White gets into big trouble. He
had to play
[ 34.hxg3 xg3 35.e3!? ( White must
beware of mate: 35.e7? h6+ or; 35.e4
h3+ 36.g2 g3# ) 35...xf3 36.xf3
with an interesting ma terial b alan ce. A
positional draw? ]
34...3g4 35.f3 e5! 36.e7?!
[ Now the strong passed pawn will be lost.
Perhaps he should tough it out with 36.e3 ]
36...h4?!
[ More accurate was 36...e4! 37.f6 e1!
38.f4 ( or 38.f7 xf1+ 39.xf1 xd5+ )
38...e4! 39.xe4 xf1# ]
37.f4 xe7 38.c3+ g7 39.f6 f7
40.e5 b6 41.b5 hg4 42.h3 g3
g5! 43.h2?!
[ The way to resist was 43.e1 ]
43...a2+ 44.e2 g2+ 45.h1 xe2
0-1
1019 C11
fg7 Lutz,Christopher
Morozevich,Alexander
[ol Elista 1998
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 a6 '!?' As usual, Morozevich
likes to avoid the mainline.
[ The usual move is 6...c6 when after
7.e3 cxd4 ( or 7...a6 8.d2 b5 9.dxc5
xc5 10.xc5 xc5 11.f2 b6
with a sound game for Black in Votava-Glek,
Germany 1997) 8.xd4 Black can play the
g8 double edged b6 ( Instead the simplifying
8...c5 9.d2 xd4 10.xd4 xd4
11.xd4 b6 12.xb6 xb6 13.a4 e7
14.a5 d7 15.d2 g5! leads to unclear
play a s in K aspa ro v-Ba re ev, No vgoro d
d1+ 1997. ) 9.d2 xb2 accepting the poisoned
pawn. There is no definite verdict on this
sacrifice, but after 10.b1 a3 11.b5
xd4 12.xd4 b4 13.0-0 White had
pressure for the pawn in Peptan-Zuger, Biel
1998. ]
7.e3 b6 8.a4 a5+ 9.c3 cxd4 10.b4
c7 11.xd4 c6 An obvious move, but
attention has focussed on
[ 11...a5!? which puts immediate pressure
on the white queenside. Then 12.b5 b6
13.e2 c5 14.0-0 bd7 15.ac1 b7
16.h1 e7 worked out well for Black in
Jonasson-Thorhallson, Iceland 1996. ]
12.d2 b5
[ This could wait. In Arakhamia-Drasko,
He ra klio 1 9 9 3, B la ck p re f e rre d 12...e7
13.d3 b5 14.b2 a5 15.0-0 axb4
an d a dra w was agre ed ! Mo ro zevich is
more ambitious, as will be seen. ]
13.b2 f6!? Rather than play on the
queenside with ...a5 ideas, the young Russian
launches a frontal attack against W hite's
centre. 14.exf6
[ Instead in Informator 73 Morozevich
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

r e c o m m e n d s 14.a4 which tries to exploit 1020 C11

Black's neglect of the queenside. However, Macieja,B 2608
after b8 things don't seem much different Shimanov,A 2639
to the game. ] Nakhchivan Open A 2013 (8.3) 30.04.2013
14...xf6 15.d3 d6 16.0-0 0-0 17.a4 [John Watson]
b8 18.axb5 axb5 19.d4? This not only
leads to the weakening of the f4 pawn but also, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
after the exchange of knights, allows the 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
black bishop to become influential on b7, b6 9.a3 White has done rather well with this
where it supports ...Ne4. Even in apparently passive-looking move, although Black holds
quiet positions such a positional error can his own at the top levels. c5
h a v e g r a v e c o n s e q u e n c e s . M o r o z e vi c h [ 9...xd4 10.xd4 c5 is less common
suggests 19 Nd1 in order to reroute White's b u t a p p a r e n t l y s a t i s f a c t o r y : 11.xc5
poo re st piece t o a ct ivity on f 2. Th en th e ( 11.a4 a5+ 12.b4!? xa4 13.bxc5 b6!
position is balanced. xd4 20.xd4 e4 14.cxb6 axb6 15.e2 a6 Kobalia, M
White has achieved nothing from the opening. (2573)-Bareev, E (2698), Moscow 1999)
Now Black seizes the initiative based on the 11...xc5 ( 11...xc5 12.d4 d7
two bishops and the weakness of f4. 21.xe4 13.0-0-0 c8 14.e2 , about =, although
dxe4 22.e3 b7 23.c4 This hopes for 23... W hite did win one important game in this
b x c 4 2 4 N x c 4 w i t h u n c l e a r p l a y . g5! line ) 12.g4 0-0 13.0-0-0 a6
Black ignores White's demonstration on the looks dynamically balanced, which would
queenside and instead aims for an attack have to be investigated. ]
against the white king after 24 fxg5 Bxh2+. [ 9...xb2?? 10.a4 is a trap everyone
Probably W hite should now play 24 g3 to should know, in this and other openings! ]
bolster the f4 pawn. However, the weakness 10.cb5!?
created on the light squares would plague him [ 10.a4 a5+ 11.c3!? is a line in which
in the future, especially if Black succeeded in Black has done well, e.g., ( 11.c3 b6
breaking the blockade on e3 and unleashing 12.a4 has been a way to agree to an early
his bishop on b7 with ...e3! Instead W hite draw ) 11...xd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.xd4
perseveres with his queenside counterplay, b6 14.e2 a6 15.d1 b5 ( 15...0-0
but he has fatally mis-assessed the resulting 16.b4 b5 17.b2 c6 18.a4
position. 24.cxb5? gxf4 25.b6 fxe3! Alekseev, E (2597)-Ivanchuk, V (2739)/
26.bxc7 xf1+ 27.xf1 White would prefer Sochi 2005 b5!? 19.b3 fc8 20.c1 b7
t o b r in g h is k i n g i n t o a c t i o n a g a i n s t t h e 21.0-0 a5 ) 16.b4 c8 17.b2 c6
passed pawns with 27 Kxf1, but then Black 18.c1 0-0 19.a4 c4!? 20.g4 b3
can buy time to save his rook with 27...Rf8+. ( 20...a5 ) 21.0-0 xa4 22.f5 ( 22.xa4!
exd2 28.cxb8+ xb8 The dust has settled xa4 23.a1 c2 24.xa7 fd8 25.f5
and White is the exchange up. However, the xc3= ) 22...b5 23.fe1 fe8 ( 23...a5! )
black passed pawns combined with the two 24.e3?! f6 25.fxe6 xe5 Kamsky-So,
bishops are lethal. 29.d1 a7+ 30.f2 Khanty Mansiysk 2009. ]
a6! Of course, not 10...xd4 11.xd4 0-0 12.b4 xd4
[ 30...xf2+?? 31.xf2 when White can 13.xd4
capture the d pawn after Ke2 with [ 13.xd4? f6! 14.exf6 xf6
excellent chances to win! But now White has and the centre is collapsing: 15.d3 e5!
no defence to 31... e3 which will lead to 16.fxe5 g4 17.f3 ae8-+ ]
the queening of the d pawn. ] 13...a5
0-1 [ Or 13...xd4 14.xd4 a5 15.b1 axb4
16.axb4 b6 17.d3 d7= Kritz, L (2616)-
Ku lja se vic, D (2 5 5 2), B ro wn sville US A
2010. ]
14.b1

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 14.xb6 xb6 15.c7 a7 16.b5 a8 the centre, even if his d pawn has
17.c7 a7 1/2-1/2Magem Badals, J disappeared. Ivanchuk therefore prefers to
(2589)-Vallejo Pons, F (2697)/El Sauzal go into the mainline, especially as it appears
2010 ] he had a new idea ready! ]
[ 14.d1 axb4 15.axb4 xd4 ( 15...f6! ) 6...c6 7.c3 e7!? Ivanchuk cunningly
16.xd4 b6 17.d3 d7= Saric, I (2614)- leaves his queen on d8.
Martinovic, S (2538), Plitvicka Jezera CRO [ Y o u c a n f i n d 7...b6 in several other
2013. ] games on the ChessPub. ]
14...axb4 15.axb4 f6 16.exf6 xf6 8.f3 0-0 9.a3 a5! Stopping White's
[ 16...xd4 17.xd4 xf6 18.d3 e4 queenside expansion with b2-b4 is one of the
is roughly equal ] key elements of Black's opening system.
17.xb6 xb6 18.g3 d7 19.d4 10.h4?! Exactly what Ivanchuk was hoping for.
[ 19.d6!? ] W hite carries on with the standard plan as
19...h6 used by Anand and others in this line after
[ 19...e5! 20.fxe5 e8= ] Qb6. However, in this case Black can exploit
20.h4 e5 21.fxe5 e8 22.d2 xe5 the fact that his queen is still on d8.
23.d3 c4+ 24.c3 e3 25.hg1 g6 [ If 10.b3 Black could try b6 followed by Ba6,
26.e2 but much more testing was ]
[ 26.bf1! e5 ( 26...exg3 27.xg3 xg3 [ 10.g3! when if b6 ( Instead 10...f5!?
28.f5 xf5 29.xf5 ) 27.f5 xf5 might be best when Black looks very solid.)
28.xf5 g4!? 29.d2 d4= ] 11.d3 and White has been able to transfer
26...g4 27.a1 e5 his bishop to the strong diagonal b1-h7.
[ 27...f5 ] Note that this wasn't an option in the normal
28.a8+ f7 29.f1+ e7 30.d2 d4 Qb6 line as Black had deferred castling-
31.b8 c6 32.b5 therefore Black could take on d4 without
[ 32.ff8 f3+ 33.c1 e5 34.d2= ] losing to a Bxh7+. ]
32...e4 33.xe4 gxe4 34.xb7+ d6 10...f6 11.eg1? If you look at Anand-Shirov
35.f2 c4+ in Teheran and other encounters in this line,
[ 35...a3! ] you will see that after Rh3 or b2-b3 by White,
36.e1 xg3 37.f4!= xf4 38.xg3 wi t h t h e b l a ck q u e e n o n b 6 , t h e p la n o f
[ 38.xf4 ] retreating the queen with Qc7 followed by b7-
38...g6 39.h5 g4 40.f2 gxh5 41.h7 b6 and then Ba6 was suggested. Well here
g6 42.e2 h4 43.xd4 h3 the black queen is still sitting on d8, so after
[ 43...c5 ] [ 11.h3 Black can play b6 and be at least a
44.xh6 xh6 45.f5+ c5 46.xh6 e3 tempo up in this line- no messing about with
47.g3 xc2 48.xh3 xb5 the queen! The same applies after ]
½-½ [ 11.b3 b6 intending Ba6. Alternatively if he
wished Black could answer either move with
11...b5!? with what I believe is a superior
1021 C11 version of a queenside advance to 7...b5 as
Macieja,Bartlomiej 2582 played a couple of times. Naturally this
Ivanchuk,Vassily 2731 doesn't appeal to Macieja, but he comes up
FIDE WCh KO Moscow RUS (2.4) 30.11.2001 with something much worse- he borrows
[Neil McDonald] Anand's idea of Neg1 but at a bad moment.
Anan d o nly to ok t he lib ert y of th is lazy
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 lo o ki n g m o ve wh e n B l a c k h a d a l re a d y
5.ce2 c5 6.f4 The point of this move order played his queen back to c7. So Ivanchuk
rather than 6.c3 seems to be to sidestep the decides to revert to the Qb6 plan as White
line has left d4 underdefended. ]
[ 6.c3 cxd4 7.cxd4 f6!? It allows 6...cxd4 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 b6 13.d3 This leads
but then 7.Nxd4 gives White the initiative in to d e st ru ctio n , bu t h ow e lse d o e s W h it e

930
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

successfully develop? fxe5 14.fxe5 dxe5! game- putting the knight on h5. 0-0 14.g3
A well known sacrificial theme under xd3+ 15.cxd3 b6 16.f2 f5 17.f3
favourable circumstances. 15.dxe5 xe5
b8 18.h5 f4 19.d4 e5 20.xg7
16.c2 Naturally if xg7 21.c3 g8 22.0-0 d4 23.a5 b7
[ 16.xe5 f2# ] 24.ac1 and Black's open king and
16...d7 With two pawns, a big lead in
vulnerable dark squares caused him trouble
development and the white king as a target. and eventual defeat in Jakovenko, D-Bareev,
17.e2 ac8! I like the way Black just
E/Sochi RUS 2006. ]
ignores the threat to e5 and brings another 10...cxd4 11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4 c5
piece into the attack. 18.xh7+ 13.d2 b6 14.d1
[ If 18.xe5 xh4+ 19.xh4 ( After 19.d1 [ Or 14.g3 xe5!
there is the beautiful move a4!! 20.xa4 A) 15.xd5? exd5 16.fxe5 e3
d4+ 21.d3 xa4+ winning for Black.) 17.xd5 0-0! and Black has a huge attack
19...xc2! ( but not 19...xg1+? 20.d2 as if 18.xa8? f2+ 19.d1 ( 19.d2
f2 21.xh7+ f8 22.f4+! xf4
e3+ 20.d1 e1# ) 19...g4+
23.g6+ e8 24.xf4 and White has wins the white queen.;
escaped. ) 20.xc2 ( Hopeless is 20.e3 B) 15.fxe5 e3 16.d3 xg5;
xc1+ 21.xc1 xg1+ ) C) 15.e2 e3 16.xe6 fxe6 17.fxe5
20...xg1+
21.d2 f2+ 22.c3 d4+ 23.b3 a4+ f8 and Black had ample pressure for the
and wins. ] p a wn i n I va n o v, A - L i n t c h e v s k i , D / S t
18...xh7 19.xe5 d6 20.e3 b3 Petersburg RUS 2005. ]
21.d2 Buying time to save his queen while[ Black's whole strategy depends on
14.0-0-0?? losing to e3 ]
p ic k in g u p W h it e 's. T h is wa s a m a st e rly
display by Ivanchuk on his way to the World 14...f6 15.exf6 xf6 16.d3 0-0 17.f1
Championship final. a7! an excellent move. Black will build up a
[ W h i t e i s h e l p l e s s a f t e r b o t h 21.xd6
winning attack because his rook can swing
xe3+ 22.e2 c2 and ] over to the centre or kingside, whereas the
[ 21.d4 g3+ 22.f2 c4 23.d2 c2 ] white rook on a1 will never achieve much,
21...f1+! 22.xf1 d3+ 23.f2 xe5 even when it gets to d1. 18.f3 g4 19.g3
24.gf3 xb2 25.ab1 c2 26.hd1 e5 e5! Nakamura is in his element. 20.fxe5 e3
27.g3 g4 21.xe3 xe3 22.g2 af7 23.g4
0-1 t o s t o p B g 4 . h8 24.d1 d4 25.d2
The knight out of the way of ideas such as
Bb7 or Qc6, but it costs White his queen. f2+
1022 C11 26.xf2
Macieja,Bartlomiej 2584 [ If 26.e2 h6 threatening mate on e3
Nakamura,Hikaru 2664 looks decisive. ]
37th Olympiad (4) 24.05.2006 26...xf2 27.xf2 xf2 28.xf2 h6
[Neil McDonald] 29.f1 h4+ 30.g3 xg4 31.h1 g5
32.f1 f4+ 33.e1 xe5+ 34.f2 f4+
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 35.e1 c1+ 36.f2 d1 37.g3 d2+
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5 38.e2 xc2 39.xc2 xc2 40.c1 f5+
9.a3 g5 10.xg5?! A great counter attacking game by Nakamura.
[ Here is the most recent example of the 0-1
alternative capture on g5: 10.fxg5 cxd4
11.xd4 cxe5 12.d3 ( 12.e2!? )
12...g7 ( rather than 12...b7 13.0-0 c7
which turned out unsuccessfully for Black
in Motylev-Volkov, as given in ChessPub in
the notes to Dworakowska-Malakhatko.)
13.ce2! The same plan as in the Motylev

931
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
1023 C11
Mo,Kevin
Stoyko,Steve
USATE 2013
[John Watson]
Steve Stoyko contributed the following game,
featuring a startling move that has almost
never been seen in master play: 1.e4 e6
2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5
6.f3 c6 7.e3 h6!? A remarkable idea,
played after over 100 years of heavy practice
in this line. Stoyko says that he was inspired
by Korchnoi's use of 7...Rb8, which
demonstrated that W hite has no particular
threats and that Black is in no hurry here.
Thus Stoyko look for another 'constructive
wa i t i n g m o v e ' a n d ca m e u p wi t h 7 . . . h 6 ,
threatening ...g5! Stoyko continues ' played
7...h6 many times in blitz on ICC winning most
of the games (or having a winning position
and losing on time!).' The position after 7... h6
has arisen just a few times before, but usually
by means of the order 3 Nc3 h6 (featured in
my Dangerous Weapons book), and then, for
example, 4 Be3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 f4 c5 7 Nf3
Nc6. It has hardly occurred to anyone to make
this innocent-looking push at this juncture.
8.d2 This has been the normal response.
[ A r a r e e x a m p l e w e n t 8.e2 b6?!
( Stoyko's idea is better: 8...g5! 9.fxg5 cxd4
10.xd4 dxe5 is equal ) 9.d2 cxd4
10.xd4 c5?? ( 10...c7 isn't bad )
11.0-0?? ( 11.xc6 bxc6 12.a4 wins )
11...d7 12.a3 xd4 13.xd4 c7
14.e3 with a solid advantage, Janulynas, J
(1 8 1 4 )-Zit o , R (1 73 0 ), P a n e ve zys L T U
2011. ]
8...g5 9.fxg5
[ Probably 9.dxc5 is a bigger challenge, with
the idea gxf4 10.xf4 and now
A) 10...a6 11.0-0-0 a5!? ( 11...xc5
12.b1 ) 12.b1 xc5 , or;
B) 10...xc5 11.0-0-0 a6 12.b1 b5
. These positions need testing W hite's
a d v a n t a ge i s n ' t t o o s e r i o u s , a n d t h e
position is nicely double-edged. ]
9...cxd4 10.xd4 dxe5 Now Black has a
2:0 central majority and must be at least
equal. 11.e2
[ St o yk o give s 11.0-0-0 hxg5 12.xg5
xg5! 13.xg5 h6 and Black should
stand slightly better. ]
11...hxg5 12.xg5
[ 12.0-0-0 e7 leaves White short
compensation. ]
12...h6! 13.xh6 h4+ 14.g3 xh6
15.xh6 xh6 16.0-0-0 Here Stoyko
comments: 'White is ahead in development
but his B is passive. His queen's knight has
no good function. The knight at d4 is nice but
prevents his rook at d1 going to g1, a natural
square for the push of the King side pawns.
So he will lose a tempo with that knight, either
re tre at ing it or exch a nging it on c6 . ' d7
17.h4 e7
[ Or 17...f6 ]
[ or 17...f5 ]
18.h5?!
[ 18.g4 is probably best, and was actually
played once: f6 ( 18...g8 19.g5 hh8
20.f3 xf3 21.xf3 e5 22.g2 f8
23.e2 g4 24.d4 e3 25.f3 f5
26.f4 e5 27.xf5 xf5 28.xd5 c8
29.g3 e7 30.e4 This isn't entirely
clear but, for example, e6 31.xb7 b8
32.a6 b4 33.d3 d5 give Black a
clear advantage) 19.h5 g8 20.hg1?
( 20.he1 ) 20...xd4 21.xd4 xh5
22.f1 h2 23.df4 g6 24.d1 g2
and Black is ahead a pawn with the better
position, Jakovenko, D (2662)-Kiriakov, P
(2555), playchess.com INT 2006. ]
18...g8 19.h3 f5! 20.xc6+!?
Stoyko doesn't like this, understandably, but
what else? He says: 'The last mistake - I think
White is strategically lost now.'
[ 20.b3 b6 doesn't help White. ]
20...bxc6 21.a4 g4 22.xg4 xg4
23.c5 e8 24.e1 g5 25.h4 gxh5
26.a4 h1 27.xa7+ d6 Black is clearly
winning once he achieves ...e5. 28.d3 e5
29.d2 6h2+ 30.e2 xe2+ 31.xe2
h5+ 32.d2 d4 33.c3 d1+ 34.c2 e2
Good enough, although
[ 34...e4 is immediately decisive, since
35.f4 d3+ 36.b3 e3 37.xh5 e2
will queen a pawn ]
35.xe5 d3+ 36.xd3 xd3 37.f7 xg3
38.f6+ c7 39.a4 d3+ 40.d2 e4
41.b4 d3+
0-1
932
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

1024 C11 [ Instead 9...b4+ was played in Polgar-

Morawietz,D 2392 Hernandez on ChessPub, with the
Bluebaum,M 2510 Hungarian GM successfully beating off a
17th OIBM 2013 (8.15) 01.11.2013 sacrificial attack. ]
[John Watson] 10.g3 b4+ 11.f2 0-0+ 12.f3 c6
13.e3
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ Sensible development which reinforces the
5.f4 c5 6.f3 e7 7.e3 0-0 8.d3 d 4 sq u a re . Mu ch wo rs e wo u ld b e 13.a3
A very aggressive try. c6 xd4 14.axb4 xe5 etc. ]
[ Bobras, P (2518)-Svane, R (2458)/Bremen 13...dxe5! Violent measures are called for-if
GER 2013 returned to normal channels after White is allowed to consolidate with moves
8...cxd4 9.xd4 c6 . ] like Be2, Rf1 and Kg1 Black's position would
9.a3?! soon become uncomfortable due to his lack of
[ 9.dxc5! has the idea of capture on c5 and space- in particular his knight on d7 has no
then Bxh7+. A safe reply is h6 , when good centre squares and is shutting in the
10.d2 xc5 11.e2 b6 is equal. ] bishop on c8. Therefore sacrificing this knight
9...f6! This breaks up the centre and already makes a lot of sense. 14.dxe5 xe5 15.g1
favours Black: 10.dxc5 fxe5 11.fxe5 xf3! [ If 15.d4 Black's initiative is strong despite
12.xf3 dxe5 13.xh7+?! the exchange of queens: xd4 16.xd4
[ White should accept his disadvantage and g4+ 17.g1? ( 17.e2 e5! ) 17...e5
play 13.e2 , e.g., xd3+ 14.xd3 d4 18.xe5? ( White can fight on with 18.h3! )
15.0-0-0 dxc3 16.xc3 e8 17.hf1 g6 18...xe5 19.xe5 c5+ and mates. ]
or 17..e5 ] 15...f6 Black doesn't need to checkmate
13...xh7 14.h5+ g8 15.0-0-0 d7 White in the next couple of moves to prove
16.hf1 f6 Black's extra minor pieces are his sacrifice is sound- his two centre pawns
ideally place for a queenside attack. 17.b1 and better coordinated pieces give him an
e7 18.g4 e8 19.h3 c4 20.c1 g6 enduring initiative. 16.d4! d6 17.e2
21.b3 4a5?! Not throwing away the win, but d7 18.c1 b6! Introducing ideas of Bc5.
[ 21...d4! 22.xd4 xd4 23.bxc4 xc5-+ 19.a3 xf3+?!
wins, and ] [ Gurevich is in a hurry to win a pawn or two
[ 21...xc5 22.bxc4 xc4 is also very to at least restore material equality, but he
strong. ] l o s e s t h e i n i t i a t i v e . I n s t e a d 19...ac8
22.g5 e5 23.e2 e8 24.f4 xf4 would bring his last undeveloped piece into
25.xf4 xc5 26.d2 b6 27.a2 e5 the game with the threat of Rxc1+ Bxc1 Bc5,
28.e2?! d3 29.f1 xc1+ 30.xc1 c6 winning White's queen. Then awkward for
31.d1 c5 32.dd2 d6 33.c3 a5 W h i t e i s 2 0 . K f 2 B c 5 w h i l e 20.xc8
34.h4 h5 35.g2 c8 36.e3 e5 ( 20.f2? c5 ) 20...xc8 21.f2 c2
37.d3 b4+ 38.axb4 axb4 39.d4 22.b4 S t o p p i n g B c 5 . b5 gives Black
xc2+ enormous pressure for the material. ]
0-1 20.gxf3 Now the white king has the g2 square.
e5 21.d2 xb2 22.c7 f7 23.g2
xa3 24.f1 d6? A disastrous move which
1025 C11 allows White to take control.
Morozevich,Alexander 2742 [ The computer module Crafty suggests that
Gurevich,Mikhail 2605 24...e5 25.b7 Not caring if the rook might
FIDE WCh KO Moscow RUS (3.1) 01.12.2001 be trapped! d6 is unclear- White can try to
[Neil McDonald] drum up an attack with his extra piece, but
Black has a lot of passed pawns! ]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 25.g5! Of course Morozevich never misses a
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 cxd4 7.cxd4 f6 8.f4 fxe5 tactical trick. b4 Black has to lose time and
9.fxe5 h4+ material with this move.

933
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ The black queen has run out of squares
after 25...e5 26.f4 or ]
[ 25...g6 26.d3 ]
26.xb4 xg5 27.d6 d8 28.xa7 c8
29.xb6 xa7 30.xa7 e5 I assume
Gurevich still has some drawing chances, but
not surprisingly af ter ruining a promising
position he fails to find the energy to resist.
31.c7 e6 32.b1 h5 33.b7 e8 34.h4!
g6 35.d3 e4 36.fxe4 dxe4 37.xe4
h6 38.c3 g4 39.f3 xf3+ 40.xf3
g6 41.d5+ f8 42.b2 e6 43.d8+
e8 44.f2+ g8 45.d5+ h8 46.f5
e2+ 47.f1 e6 48.e4 e8 49.xe6
1-0
1026 C11
Mueller,Matthias 2405
Malakhatko,Vadim 2596
16th Monarch Assurance (1) 22.09.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5
9.a3 b7 10.d3 c7 The beginning of a
very aggressive plan that has been espoused
b y M o r o z e v i c h . 11.0-0 0-0-0 12.f2
So far the game has followed Svidler-
Morozevich in the archives. Black won very
quickly after
[ 12.d1 cxd4 13.xd4 g5 as White
suffered a disaster in the shape of 19...
Rxg2+!. In the present game, 34...Rg2+
proves lethal, so it seems that White really
needs to watch out for a black rook invading
on g2 in this variation! ]
[ Other moves were discussed in the
M o r o z e v i c h g a m e , m y f a vo u r i t e b e i n g
12.ad1 ]
12...h6 13.d1 cxd4 14.g3?
White chooses a disastrous plan: he intends
to recapture the pawn on d4 with his queen.
But in doing so he removes his bishop from
the a7-g1 diagonal where it belongs and also
makes the cleric a target for an h5-h4 advance
by Black.
[ He should simply take back on d4. For
example 14.xd4 xd4?! ( If 14...c5
15.c3 intending b2-b4 and then a2-a4 looks
good for White. But Black has other moves,
for example; 14...c5!? with double edged
p la y a f t e r 15.xc6 xc6 16.d4 e4
17.e3; o r p e r h a p s 14...b6 when
15.e2!? is a safe reply.) 15.xd4 f5 16.b4
( After 16.a4 b4 it is by no means easy to
o p e n l i n e s a n d g e t a t t h e b l a c k k i n g .)
16...b6 17.f2 c4 18.a4 g5 19.axb5
axb5 20.e3
A) Or 20...gxf4 21.xf5! exf5 22.xf5+
d7 ( 22...b8 23.a7+ a8 24.b6+ )
23.e6 e7 24.xh8 and White wins.;
B) 20...g8 21.xf5! exf5 22.xf5+ d7
23.xd7+ xd7 24.f5 and Black can
resign as the white passed pawns and
rook vastly outweigh the two black minor
pieces. Of course, this variation is a bit of
a fairytale, but it shows White's chances.
In contrast, Black has everything his own
way in the game. ]
14...f5! Crushing any dreams White might
have had of advancing f4-f5 and preparing his
own pawn storm on the kingside. 15.b4 b6
Denied the c5 square, the knight heads for
the hole on c4. 16.f2 c4 17.xd4 xd4
18.xd4 g5! Black's kingside action is far
more potent than anything White can arrange
on the queenside. 19.c3 g8 20.f2 e7
21.a4 h5 The wretched white bishop is even
threatened with loss by 22...h4. 22.h3 h4
23.e1 g4 24.g5 xg5!!
[ It looked as if White's knight manoeuvre
m i g h t h a v e s a v e d h i m , a s i f 24...xg5
25.fxg5 xg5? 26.xh4 wins the exchange
in a clean way. ]
25.fxg5 xg5 26.xc4 Opening the diagonal
for Black's light squared bishop and the d-file
for the rook is a positional disaster. But there
is no choice: the white queen was faced with
loss by 26... Be3, whether or not with check,
and if
[ 26.f2 g3 27.hxg3 hxg3 and the bishop
dare not save itself as if 28.xg3 e3+ ]
26...dxc4 27.c5 Despite the exchange of
qu e e n s B la ck will h a ve a m a t in g a t t a c k .
xc5+ 28.bxc5 e3+ 29.f2
[ Black's light squared bishop will triumph at
once after 29.h1 h3 ]
29...d2! Black has two rampant bishops, a
mobile pawn mass on the kingside, and now a
rook on the seventh rank- it is all too much for
the white king. 30.axb5
934
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ White can neither eliminate the bishop nor Black's attack is getting in first, as in
challenge the rook: 30.xe3 xg2+ 31.h1 C h a n d l e r - A n d e r s s o n , H a n i n g e 1 9 8 8 .)
g3+ and mate follows or ] 10...xc5 11.f2! b6 though Black had a
[ 30.ad1 xf2+ ( also good enough is so u n d g a m e in V o t a va -G le k, G e r m a n y
30...xf2 31.xf2 g3 ) 31.xf2 xd1+ etc. ] 1997. ]
30...axb5 with the threat of 31...g3, removing [ Mea nwh ile , 9.0-0-0 looks risky after c4
the barrier to a killer check on g2. planning to attack the white king with 10...
[ No t a t o n c e 30...g3 b e c a u s e o f 31.c6 b4. ]
plugging the bishop on b7. ] 9...b6 10.0-0 cxd4 11.xd4 c5
31.g3 hxg3 32.hxg3 f4! Black's pawns will This pin is highly irritating for White. 12.ad1
succeed in clearing a way to g2 after all. g5!? Black strives his utmost to exploit
33.ae1 White's discomfort in the centre. 13.g3 gxf4
[ Or 33.xe3 g2+ 34.h1 xg3+ [ A better way to keep the tension was
etc. in the style of the game. ] 13...h5!? planning h4, or perhaps Bb7, just
33...xc5! developing. ]
[ A blunder would be 33...fxg3?? 34.xe3 14.gxf4 g8+ 15.f2? Black finds a way to
but it is a measure of the strength of Black's support his bishop on e3 and so break the pin
initiative that even then he could play for on his knight, but he has underestimated
advantage with f3 ] Black's reply. Instead
34.xc5 g2+ 35.h1 xg3+ 36.h2 [ 15.h1 b7 16.g1 0-0-0 would be
g2+ 37.h1 g3! Mate follows with 38... unclear. ]
Rh2+ and 39...Rh1. An energetic attacking 15...d8! Oops. Now the check on h4 will be
display by Malakhatko. p a i n f u l . I f 16.g1? This is immediately
[ By th e wa y, I like t h e self m a t e 37...g3 disastrous. If
38.g1 h2# ] [ If 16.xc6 h4+ 17.f3 h3+ 18.f2
0-1 xe3+ 19.xe3 g2+ wins White's queen,
so the only defence was ]
[ 16.e1! e.g. xd4 17.xd4 h4+ 18.f2
1027 C11 with survival chances. ]
Muth,Roland 16...h4+ 17.f3?
Vrana,Frantisek 2267 [ T h e h e l p m a t e c o n t i n u e s . 17.f1
La Perla Open (1) 09.03.2000 was forced. ]
[Neil McDonald] 17...dxe5+ and White resigned just before
18.fxe5 xe5#
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 0-1
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6
[ See Topalov-Morozevich for the more direct
7...cxd4 8.xd4 c5 ] 1028 C11
8.d2 b5!? This is one of Black's most Nakamura,Hikaru 2758
attractive options if he wishes to avoid the Vitiugov,Nikita 2729
sharp mainline. He gains space on the 54th Reggio Emilia (6) 02.01.2012
queenside and prepares to play Qb6 without [John Watson]
h a vin g t o wo rry a b o u t Na 4 in re p ly. T h e
alternative 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
[ 8...cxd4 9.xd4 c5 is analysed in 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 0-0
Fedorov-Korchnoi. ] 9.dxc5 xc5!? There have been countless
9.e2?! This is a natural move, but White's games with
pieces end up bunched together in the centre. [ 9...xc5 and relatively few with the knight
The best line is probably recapture. ]
[ 9.dxc5!? xc5 10.xc5 ( After 10.0-0-0 10.0-0-0 c7
b6 11.xc5 xc5 12.d3 b4 [ 10...a5?! 11.b1 is less than ideal

935
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

b e c a u s e t h e n a t u r a l d7? falls into 20...cd8 21.h3?!

12.xd5! of Zhigalko - Li Shilong, Cappelle
la Grande, 2006, with the follow-up exd5
13.xa5 xa5 14.xc5! xc5 15.xd5 ]
[ 10...b6 11.b1 ( 11.e1 b7 12.b1
c8?! Nekhaev-Voiculescu, ICCF email
2009 and White could already have pushed
13.f5! ) 11...b7 . This can go in various
directions, with Black shifting between using
the c-file, advancing with ...f6 or ...f5, or
playing .. .Ne4, e.g., 12.h4 e4 13.e1
b4!? 14.d2 xd2+ 15.xd2 d4
16.xd4 xd4 17.xd4 xc3 18.bxc3
c7 , and 19.d7 xc3 20.xb7 b4+
will d ra w: 21.c1 xf4+ 22.d2 xe5
23.d1 f4+= ]
11.b1 b6
[ I see only one previous game from this
position. Is that possible? Anyway: 11...a6
12.h4 b5 13.f2 a4 14.xa4 bxa4
15.h5 b8 16.h6 g6 17.c5 a5 18.xe7
xe7 19.d4 xd4 20.xd4 d7 21.c3
fc8 Ledezma Alvarez-Lerari, ICCF email
2008. ]
12.b5 b7 13.h4 a5!?
[ This is probably okay, and it may even be a
very good move, but it is also dangerous. A
clearer path would be 13...e4 14.xe4
dxe4 15.g5 fd8 16.e2 ( 16.c3
dc8 ) 16...h6 17.xe4 xe5 ]
14.d4
[ Neither 14.f5!? e4 ]
[ nor 14.xc5!? bxc5 15.f5 f6! 16.exf6
xf6 is clear, but Black seems to be holding
his own ]
14...ac8?!
[ 14...a6!? 15.d3! ( 15.e2 c4 )
15...c4 ( 15...h6 16.g4!? ) 16.e2 ac8
( 16...b5? 17.xh7+ xh7 18.g5+ h6
19.xc5! xc5 20.d3 h8 21.g4 ) 17.f5
( 17.xh7+ xh7 18.g5+ h6 19.xc5
xb2! ) 17...exf5 18.xf5 ]
15.g5 c4
[ 15...h6? 16.xc5 bxc5 17.d3 ]
16.e2! h6 17.xc4 dxc4 18.xc5!?
[ 18.b5 b8 19.d6 ]
18...xc5?
[ 18...bxc5! 19.ge4 b8 20.xc4 xe4!
21.xe4 b4 22.f3 fb8 23.b3 c4 ]
19.ge4 b4 20.d6
[ 20.b5! ]
[ 21.cb5! ]
21...xd6?
[ 21...a6!= ]
22.b5 c6 23.xd6 xg2 24.e3
[ 24.xg2 xg2 25.g3 d5 26.dg1 g6
27.h5 ]
24...e4 25.c1 f5 26.g3 h2 27.g1
xg1 28.cxg1 d7 29.g6 e7 30.xh6
This looks pretty bad. I'm not sure if or how
Black can wriggle out. c3 31.bxc3 f3
32.hg6 g4 33.g5 h7 34.h5 h6
35.h1 d8 36.c4 f3 37.h2 g4
38.b2 b8 39.c3 d8 40.d4 b8
41.e3 h7 42.f2 h8 43.g3 g8
[ 43...d8 44.h4 h8 45.g6 d8
46.g5 and h6 wins. ]
44.h6 h7 45.g6 d1 46.c3 g4 47.f2
f8 48.e3
[ 48.hxg7+ exg7 49.xh7 xh7 50.xe6
will also win, but White is in no hurry. ]
48...gxh6 49.hxh6 xh6 50.xh6 g7
51.h2 d7 52.d4 f3 53.h3 g4
54.h1 f3 55.g1+ g4 56.c5 bxc5+
57.xc5 c7+ 58.b4 c6 59.b5 f8
60.a4 a5+ 61.xa5 c4 62.d4 xc3
63.b1 c8 64.b6 f7 65.xe6 c4
66.g5+
1-0
1029 C11
Nijboer,Friso 2567
Gurevich,Mikhail 2649
6th HZ Open Vlissingen NED (9) 11.08.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5
9.e2 I quite unfairly maligned this move with
a '?!' because of the game Muth-Vrana on
ChessPub. In fact as long as White supports
his knight on d4 with Nd1 and c2-c3 when
necessary [as opposed to Muth's Rd1?] he
has reasonable chances in this line. b7
[ Nijboer has had various adventures in this
line. He managed to win in smooth
positional style after 9...cxd4 10.xd4
xd4 11.xd4 c5 12.xc5 xc5 13.d4
b6 14.b4! a4 15.xb6 xb6 16.a4!
bxa4 17.xa4 xa4 18.xa4 b7

936
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
19.d2! The king be longs on the queenside
def ending the c f ile, not castled on the
kingside. d7 20.ha1 hb8 21.c3
c8+ 22.b3 c6 23.b5! axb5 24.xa8
xa8 25.xa8 c7 26.h8 h6 27.h7
c4 28.g3 e4 29.xg7 and White ground
out the win in Nijboer, F-Boersma,J/Dieren
NED 2002. ]
[ Instead after 9...e7
A) 10.0-0 0-0 11.h1 b4 12.a4?
( 12.d1! ) 12...cxd4 13.xd4 xd4
14.xd4 b7 15.f5 The standard
attacking idea, but inferior to that in the
main game because the knight is way off
s id e o n a 4 . exf5 16.xf5 c6 17.b3
xa4 18.bxa4 c5 19.af1 e6 20.a1
a5 21.g4 a6 22.f2 c5 23.f3
g5 24.d3 h6 25.b2 e4 26.c1
c6 27.f3 e7 28.e2 e6
and Black won after a sharp struggle in
Nijboer,F-Gurevich,M/Amsterdam 2000.;
B) 10.d1! is the correct retreat as the
knight belongs on the kingside where it
can aid a n a tt ack. I n a n earlie r gam e
against Gurevich, Nijboer went wrong with
b7 11.f2 c7 12.0-0 0-0 13.c3 c4
14.g4! f6 15.h3 d8 16.f2 e7
17.g2 fxe5 18.fxe5 g6 19.f1
and W hite built up a potent attack in De
Firmian, N-Bruinenberg,C/Antwerp 1994. ]
[ Finally White had some positional
advantage after 9...b6 10.d1 b4 11.0-0
cxd4 12.xd4 xd4 13.xd4 xd4+
14.xd4 c5 15.c3! bxc3 16.bxc3 e7
17.e3 xd4 18.cxd4 a5 19.ac1 a6
20.xa6 xa6 21.f5 but the Russian
technician held the draw in De Firmian,N-
Dreev,A/ Manila 1990 ]
10.0-0!? Nijboer isn't afraid of b5-b4. And
rightly so, as after
[ 10.a3 c8 11.d1 cxd4 12.xd4 c5
13.c3 a5 exploiting the hole on b3 as if
now 14.b4? Bxd4 intending Nb3 etc. 14.c2
c6 15.d3 g5! Black broke up the white
cen tre wit h a p ro misin g end ga me af te r
16.xc6 xc6 17.f2 xe3 18.xe3 b6
19.xb6 xb6 20.d3 gxf4 21.0-0 g8
in Topalov, V-Shirov,A/Wijk aan Zee 1999. ]
10...b4 11.d1 b6 12.c3 White secures
control of the d4 square which stabilises his
centre. He can therefore begin to play actively
on the kingside. a5 13.f2 e7 14.f5!
Th e key a d va n ce . a6 15.xa6 xa6
16.f4 d3 17.g4! hitting both e6 and g7.
Gurevich now puts up a fierce resistance but
as this involves sacrificing two pawns Black's
position looks highly dubious. exf5 18.xg7
0-0-0 19.xf7 hg8 20.xd5 b7 21.e1
e4 22.xe4 fxe4 23.c2 b6 24.e1 a4
25.xe4 b3 26.e1 c4 27.f3 cxd4
28.cxd4 a3 29.axb3 xb2 30.xb2 axb2
31.b1 a3 32.d2 c5 33.f3 a3
34.e1 c8 35.e2 xd4 36.xd4 c1
37.bxb2 xb2 38.f3 c3 39.f2 xe1+
40.xe1 The knight and three pawns prove
too much for a rook. c6 41.f3 d5
42.d2+ e4 43.h3 c3 44.b4 gc8
45.d4+ f5 46.g4 h6 47.b5 8c4
48.g7 b4 49.g3 b2 50.h4 c4+
51.h5 xb5 52.f7+ e6 53.f6+ e7
54.xh6 c8 55.g6 h8+ 56.g5 b2
57.h4 e2 58.f5+ d7 59.g7+ d8
60.f6 e8 61.e7 d7 62.g6+ c6
63.g4 a8 64.h4 f2+ 65.g5 a4
66.h5 e4 67.g5 g2 68.f7 h2
69.h6 d5 70.d7+ c5 71.d1 g2
72.g7 a4 73.e6 e2 74.e7
1-0
1030 C11
Nyback,Tomi 2587
Volkov,Sergey 2633
IX EICC Plovdiv BUL (8) 29.04.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 b6
[ Alternatives are 7...e7 ]
[ 7...a6 and ]
[ 7...cxd4 ]
8.a4
[ White can also offer a gambit with 8.d2!?
or stabilise the queenside with ]
[ 8.a3 as Black would lose the queen after
xb2?? 9.a4 ]
8...a5+ 9.c3 b6 10.d2!?
[ Here's how Black can take control after
purposeless play from White: 10.e2?! a6
11.xa6 xa6 12.f2 c8 13.e1?! e7
14.g1 0-0 15.g4 cxd4 16.cxd4 f5
17.exf6 xf6 18.g5 b4 19.c3 d8
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
20.f2 xc3! 21.bxc3 xc3 22.c1 xe1
23.xe1 xg4 and White's position was
crumbling in Brkic, A-Atalik, S/Plovdiv BUL
2008. ]
[ Now let's see how White can do better:
10.f2! Since Black is intending Ba6
anyway, White saves a move over 10.Be2
and 11. Bxa6. a6 11.xa6 xa6 12.f1
and here, rather than putting the rook on e1,
Glek uses it to support an eventual f4-f5
advance. e7 13.g1 0-0 14.g4 f6
15.exf6 xf6 16.g5 c8 17.f5 ( But not
17.dxc5? b5 ) 17...exf5 18.gxf5 cxd4
19.cxd4 e4 20.xe4 dxe4 21.d5 e5
22.d6 f6 23.d5+ h8 24.xe4 d7
25.ad1 ac8 26.c3 c4 27.d5 e8
28.d4 c6 29.e4 c2 30.c3 e2
31.g3 c2 32.e4 xc3 33.bxc3 f7
34.d5 e5 35.d3 g5 36.fe1 c5
37.c4 h6 38.h4 f7 39.e6 e5 40.e2
xc4 41.e8+ h7 42.h5 e5 43.e4
f3+ 44.xf3 xe8 45.xc5 bxc5 46.d7
d8 47.h5 d4+ 48.xd4 cxd4 49.g6+
g8 50.e8+ h7 51.xd8 h5 52.e7
1-0 G lek , I -Visse r, Y/V laa rdin ge n NE D
2005. ]
10...c4 The threat 11.c4, discovering an attack
on the black queen, obliges Black to close the
queenside. 11.b4 a6
[ The sacrifice 11...xb4 isn't regarded as
quite sound, though Black gains a clump of
pawns for the piece. Here is a recent
example: 12.cxb4 xb4 13.xb4 xb4+
14.f2 b5 15.c5 xc5 16.dxc5 xc5+
17.d4 xd4+ 18.xd4 d7 19.e2 e7
The former prodigy now outplays his
opponent, neutralising Black's queenside
pawns and edging forwards on the kingside.
20.a3 a5 21.hb1 hb8 22.e3 b6
23.d1 f6 24.c2 h6 25.h4 ab8 26.g4
f8 27.h1 fxe5 28.fxe5 bb8 29.g5 a8
30.hg1 h5 31.gb1 ab8 32.g6 b4
33.axb4 axb4 34.a7 1-0 Karjakin, S-Ernst,
S/Wijk aan Zee NED 2005. ]
12.a3!?
[ Or 12.e2 b5 13.c5 ( After 13.b2
a3! is rather irritating for White, as the
black queen is difficult to eject and a7-a5
is looming.) 13...xc5 14.dxc5 White has a
passe d pawn, b ut it is going no where .
M e a n wh i l e h i s q u e e n s i d e s t r u c t u r e i s
vulnerable to a flank attack with a7-a5. d7
15.0-0 b7 16.a3 a5 17.e3 g6 18.d4
e7 19.d2 d8! the black king heads for
the queenside rather than castling kingside
into a white attack. 20.g4 c7 21.xc6
xc6 22.f3 a6 23.g2 a8 24.ad1
f5 and Black was striving for the initiative
in Browne, W -Pruess, D/ Stillwater USA
2007. ]
12...e7
[ If 12...b5 13.b2 is possible, as Black
can't reply Qa3 [as would be the case after
12.Be2 rather than 12.a3.] ]
13.g3?!
[ I t wa s s i m p l e r t o d e ve l o p w i t h 13.e2
and then aim for an f4-f5 advance. ]
13...f5! Stopping White's plan of Bh3 and f4-
f5. 14.exf6?!
[ Having cajoled Black into playing 13...f5, it
made more sense to use it to lever a
kingside advance with 14.g1 and then g3-
g4. ]
14...gxf6 15.f5 The consistent move but the
whole idea of attacking in the centre seems
decidedly premature.
[ After 15.h3 f5!? Black could play Nf6 and
Ne4. ]
15...e5 White needs a strong move here if he
is going to justify conceding a big centre to
Black. But there is no good follow up to 15.f5,
which means that from now on he is going to
be on the defensive. 16.h3 b7 17.0-0
0-0-0 18.b1 b5 19.c5 xc5 20.bxc5
he8 21.e1 f8 22.c1?! White has run
out of ideas. The game move not only
encourages Black to put his knight on b3 but
also leaves f3 unguarded, which sets up the
combination that follows on move 24.
[ More solid was 22.g2 ]
22...a5 23.b2 b3 24.e3?
[ Now 24.g2 was imperative. ]
24...xc5! After his excellent positional build
up, Volkov switches to tactics. 25.dxc5 d4
26.cxd4 xf3 Black regains his piece having
smashed up the white pawn front. 27.dxe5
xe5 28.f4 xe1+ 29.xe1 xc5 30.f2
c6 Everything holds together for Black, after
which his queenside pawns will prove
decisive. 31.f1 d5 32.e7 d7 33.e8+
b7 34.b2 a4 35.f2 c5 36.b8+
a6 37.e3 xa3! Why not? 38.f4 d6
938
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

39.xd6+ xd6 40.h8 b4 41.xh7 b3 two minor pieces versus a queen and three
42.xa7+ b5 The passed b-pawn can only pawns. ]
be stopped by giving up a bishop with 16...g6!
[ 42...b5 43.c1 b2 44.xb2 xb2 [ Not 16...xf4 17.xd5 ]
after which the passed c-pawn is likely to 17.xd5 e8 18.g4 e6 19.xh5+!
claim the life of White's other bishop. ] Much stronger than
0-1 [ 19.xc5 xf4 ]
19...gxh5 20.xh5+ g7 21.xc5 xg4
22.e5+?
1031 C11 [ The quiet 22.d2! looks very strong. White
Pablo Marin,Alejandro 2424 wants to utilise the g-file for his rook and the
Narciso Dublan,Marc 2476 c3 -h 8 d ia go na l f or his bisho p, a f te r h e
Open Barbera del Valles ESP (8) 11.07.2005 moves his knight from c3. W hite to move
[Neil McDonald] could play f2-f3! clearing the way for Rg1.
After f3 ( or 22...f5 23.e3 ) 23.e2!
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 Black is in deep trouble. ]
5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 c6 7.f4 xc5 8.d3 f6 22...h7 23.f4 xe5 24.fxe5??
9.exf6 xf6 10.e2 0-0 11.0-0-0 [ He had to play 24.xe5 when xf4+
A very aggressive set up for W hite. h5!? 25.xf4 xf4 is a drawn endgame. ]
The move Black wants to play, as if now 12. 24...f4+
B e 3 Nf 4 lo o k s g o o d f o r h im . B u t ca n h e 0-1
survive White's blitzkrieg?
[ If Black is content to develop in the same
style as against 10.0-0, W hite is able to 1032 C11
launch a wing attack with his pawns. Peptan,Corina 2411
Nevertheless, it is by no means plain sailing: Repkova,Eva 2434
11...d7 12.e5 e7 13.he1 xe5 Cotroceni Women (5) 14.02.2010
14.xe5 c6 15.g4 d7 16.g3 ae8 [John Watson]
17.a3 Otherwise 17... Bb4 is awkward. So
f ar this is Rome ro Holmes,A-Zlo tnik,B / 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
Salamanca ESP 2005, where Black played 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
17...Qf6. But why ever not xa3! 18.bxa3 c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.b1
xa3+ 19.d2 d4 ( Very dynamic is [ 11.f2 e7 12.b1 xd4 13.xd4 b5
19...e5!? ) 20.e4 and at worst Black can 14.d3 xd4 15.xd4 c5 16.e2
force a draw with a5+ 21.c1 a1+ was the actual order of the Yu Lie-Pap game
22.d2 ] in the next note. ]
12.xh7+! xh7 13.g5+ g6 14.xe6 [ 11.h4 has been featured a lot in the
xe6 Archives, and might transpose. ]
[ 14...xf4? 15.g4+ f6 ( The black 11...c7
q u e e n g o e s w i t h c h e c k a f t e r 15...f7 [ Two other recent games in this variation:
16.xd8+ ) 16.xf4+ xe6 17.he1+ d7 11...xd4 12.xd4 c7 13.e3 b5
18.xd5+ and mates. ] 14.d3 xd4 15.xd4 c5 16.e2 b4
15.xe6+ h7 16.h3! A) 17.c1 a5 18.c3 a6 19.xa6 xa6
[ The only previous game in this line went 20.xc5 xc5 21.cxb4 d3 22.c3 f2
16.xd5 xf4 17.e4+ h8 18.xd8 23.b5 b6 24.hc1 e4 25.d4
axd8 19.g3 and now d4!? ( rather than (Exciting. And practical!) ( 25.a3 xb5
19...de8 20.c4 e6 as in Kosteniuk,A- 26.d4 is also good.) 25...xc3+ 26.xc3
Stellwagen,D/Wijk aan Zee 2000.) 20.e1 a4?! ( 26...f6! is more to the point,
( The only safe square for the queen as if activating Black's rook.) 27.a3 f6
20.e3 d1+! ) 20...d5 21.xd5 xd5 ( 27...a8 28.b3 ) 28.xa4 fxe5 29.fxe5
with a strange material balance-a rook and White is winning now, because the a- and

939
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
b-pawns can't be stopped for long. f4?!
( 29...g5 30.b4! f1+ 31.c2 f2+
32.b3 xg2 33.a4 , etc. ) 30.c2 ( Or
30.g3 , for example, e4 31.c2 xe5
32.a6 b7 33.b6 h6 34.a4 e4
35.b5! ) 30...b8 31.b3 e4 32.c3
xe5? 33.c6 c8 34.d3 1-0 Yu Lie
(2359)-Pap (2478), Budapest HUN 2010.;
B) 17.he1 a5 18.f5
B1) 18...a6 risks attack after 19.f4!?
. This is unclear, but White has practical
ch a nc e s, f or exa mp le , a4
fe8? ( 20...xd3 21.xd3
22.d2 ) 21.f6! w i t h t h e i d e a g6
22.c6!;
B2) 18...xd4 19.xd4 , and White
had a comfortable advantage in Wegerle
(2450)-Nagel (2264), Solingen 2010. ]
12.h4 xd4 13.xd4 Transposing to the
Archive game Anand-Buchman, Stuttgart GER
2002... b5 14.h3 b7
[ which went 14...b4 15.a4 xd4 16.xd4
, and now a5 was apparently better than
16...Rb8?! 17 Re3!. ]
15.e2 Taking over d4 in Classical style. b4
16.xc5 xc5 17.e3!?
[ 17.d4 is natural White plays it safe. ]
17...ac8
[ 17...xe3 18.xe3 c5
yields W hite a small edge, one she can
nurture for a long time. ]
18.d4 b6 19.g3 f5?? 20.xg7+!
(whoops!)
1-0
1033
Perez,Yudit
Nogueiras Santiago,Jesus
46th ch Ciego de Avila CUB (8) 20.01.2010
[John Watson]
A fine positional demonstration by White: 1.e4
e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5
6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 We've seen over twice
as many games with this move as with 7...
Be7. 8.d2
[ Svidler played 8.e2 versus Vitiugov in the
recent 2010 Russian Championship. ]
8...b5 9.dxc5 9 a3 and 9 Be2 are the most
common moves here.
[ In a rather wild game from this month, both
sides got play on a different colour complex.
What should have happened in the opening
isn't cle ar, b ut B lack en d ed u p wit h a n
excellent game, only to toss it away later:
9.h4!? (unusual!) b4 10.e2 a5 11.g3!?
b6 12.h5 cxd4 13.xd4 c5 14.c3!?
0-0 ( 14...bxc3 15.bxc3 xd4 16.xd4
h6 ) 15.d3 a6 16.0-0?! ( 16.h6 g6
17.xa6 ) 16...f6 17.xa6 xa6 ( 17...fxe5!
was strong, with the idea 18.fxe5 xa6
20.d4 19.xf8+ xf8 ) 18.h6 g6 19.ae1 bxc3
fc8 20.bxc3 xd4 21.xd4 f5!? 22.d3 c6
23.b1 c8 24.e2 f8 25.h3 c5
26.h2 e4 . Black has a clearly superior
game here, but W hite ultimately out-
manoeuvres him: 27.b2 a3 28.c2 a4
29.d3 c4 30.xc4 xc4 31.b1 ac6
32.b7 a4 33.g7+ h8 34.a7 c7
35.a6 7c6 36.a7 c7 37.a6 7c6
38.a5 g8 39.g1 f7 40.d4 c8
41.a7+ e7 42.b5 f8 43.b2 b8
44.d6 xb2 45.a8+ d8 46.xd8+
e7 47.e8+ d7 48.xc4 dxc4 49.h8
c6 50.xh7 b8 51.d4 g5 52.e7
d5 53.fxg5 xg5 54.g3 h8 55.f4
h7 56.g7 1-0 Kurnosov, I (2666)-Lipka, J
(2409)/Graz AUT 2010. ]
19.d4 [ See the archives for 9.d3 b4 10.d1
b6 11.f2 a5 12.0-0 a6 13.xa6 xa6
of Shaposhnikov-Volkov, Samara 2000. This
is one of Black's standard strategies,
although played rather early on. ]
9...xc5 10.e2
[ W e've seen several games with 10.xc5
xc5 11.f2 . To quote a couple of notes:
C11 A) 11...a4!? 12.xa4 bxa4 13.d3
2584 a5+ 14.e2? ( 14.d2! b6 15.c3
2570 intending Qf2 seems to give W hite the
advantage [Neil].) 14...b4 15.d4 0-0
16.a3 xd3 17.cxd3 b8 18.e3 f6
and although W hite eventually won in
Czebe-Jurkovic, Budapest 1999, I wouldn't
want my king centralised on e3 at this
point in the game![Neil];
B) 11...e7 12.d3 b4 13.d1
bxd3+ 14.cxd3 b4 15.e2 a5 16.fd4
a6?! C.Cobb-Summerscale, MSO 2000
and 17.e3! was strong.;
C) 11...b6 12.d3 b4 13.e2 a5
14.0-0 a6 15.h1 e7
940
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

- see Przedmojski, R (2349)-Vysochin, S 1034 C11

(2511)/Polanica Zdroj POL 2000 in the Perunovic,Mil 2618
Archives. ] Antic,De 2463
10...0-0 TCh-SRB 1st League 2013 (8.5) 31.08.2013
[ See the Archive for the alternatives [John Watson]
10...b6 ]
[ 10...e7!? , and ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
[ 10...a5 ] 5.f4
11.ed4 b7 [ An example of the ...b5 plan versus White's
[ This is okay, but Black's next moves are too Nce2 went 5.ce2 c5 6.c3 b5 7.f4 b6
s l o w . O n e i d e a i s 11...xd4 12.xd4 8.f3 c6 9.e2 ( 9.e3 first ) 9...e7
b6!? with the idea of ...Nc5. ] ( 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 g5!? is interesting)
12.d3 e7!? 10.e3 cxd4 11.cxd4 ( 11.xd4 b7
[ 12...xd4 13.xd4 b6 with the idea ... 12.xc6 xc6 13.d4 0-0 14.0-0 a5
Nc5 is more conventional ( or 13...e7 )] might theoretically favour W hite, but it's
13.0-0-0 very close to eve n) 11...a6 12.h4!?
[ 13.0-0! is safer. ] (ambitious) ( 12.0-0 b4 13.c1 ) 12...b4
13...f6?! 13.h3!? xe2 14.xe2 b3 15.a3
[ 13...xd4 14.xd4 b6! 15.f5!? ( 15.g3 0-0 16.axb3= ) 15...c8 16.g3
i s ve r y m e s s y a n d d o u b l e - e d g e d , o n e 0-0 17.d1 a5 (Black's queenside attack
continuation being c4 16.xc4 ( 16.f6 looks the equal of White's on the kingside)
gxf6 17.xc4 transposes) 16...dxc4 17.f6 18.g5! ( 18.d2 f5 ) 18...xg5 19.xg5?!
( 17.hf1 fd8!? ) 17...gxf6 18.hf1! fxe5 ( 19.g4! h6 20.h5 f5 21.exf6 xf6!?
19.c6! xc6 20.xc5 xc5 21.g5+ - 2 1 . . . Rxf 6 m a y b e b e t t e r, a n d e qu a l -
, drawing. 15 Nb3 is a more solid 22.xf6+ xf6 23.xh6 c7 24.g5 f8
positional approach. ] 25.f4 with the idea Be5, but Black
14.exf6 xf6 15.he1 shouldn't be too worried) 19...f6 20.g3!
[ 15.xc6! xc6 16.he1 ] f7 21.g4?! Pavlidis, A (2467)-Rychagov,
15...b4 16.b1? A (2544)/Kavala GRE 2013 and now c4!
[ White loses some of his control of the 22.xe6 xe6 23.xe6 fxe5 24.dxe5
position. Forcing and good was 16.g5! ] dxe5 25.xd5 e7! gives Black good
16...xd3 17.xd3 d6 18.g5 g6 chances. ]
19.c1 c5 20.h3 e8 5...c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4
[ or 20...e4 ] [ Antic's book recommends 7...e7 and ]
21.h4 e4 22.xe4 dxe4 23.c6?! [ 7...a6 , so this is a bit of a surprise ]
[ 23.xb5! axb5 24.xd6 xd6 25.xf6 ] 8.xd4 c5 9.d2 0-0 10.g3
23...xc6 24.xd6 xd6 25.xf6 f8 [ 10.0-0-0 is normal, as seen in this month's
26.c3 White has a pawn less than in the Yemelin-Zvjaginsev (and Sutovsky-Bologan)
previous variation, and it's only about even. b4 game. ]
27.e3 a5 28.b3 a4!? 29.b6 a3? 10...e7 11.a4 This looks harmless. xd4
Undoubtedly time trouble. 12.xd4 xd4 13.xd4 b8!?
[ 29...axb3 30.axb3 d8 ] [ 13...a6! and ...b5 is equal. ]
30.xe4 b8? 31.xe6 xe6 32.xb8+ 14.0-0-0 b6
1-0 [ 14...a6?! 15.b6 c6 16.e3 ]
[ 14...c6 15.c5!? ( 15.f2 d7 16.c5
fc8 17.xd7 xd7= ) 15...d7 16.xe7
xe7 17.c5 c6 18.b3 and Nd4 is a
standard position in which Black has few
positive prospects, but also few problems
preventing White from making progress. ]
15.c3 c6 16.f2 d7 17.b1 c5!?

941
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

A little negative, co nsidering that slowe r A1) 11.d1 cxd4 12.xd4 c5
moves seemed OK. 18.xc5 bxc5 19.e4! ( 12...xd4 13.xd4 b8 14.c3 c6
fc8? This loses material, and was likely 15.f2 f6= Nijboer-Narciso Dublan,
miscalculated. Barcelona 2007) 13.xc6 xc6 14.d4
[ 19...c4 20.c5 ( 20.d6 fd8 21.b3 e4 15.e3 , and here Neil McDonald
ab8 22.c1 cxb3 23.axb3 b6= ) recommends f5!? as a dynamic choice,
20...e8!? 21.f5 exf5 22.xd5 c8 although 15...Bc5 also isn't bad.;
is approximately equal ] A2) 11.ad1 a6 12.f5!? (ambitious)
20.xc5 xe5 21.b4! xc5 cxd4?! ( 12...c7 is better, since 13.f6!?
[ Black may have bee counting upon gxf6 14.h6? fxe5! favours Black)
21...ab8 and missed simply 22.a6 a4 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4 exf5 15.xf5
23.c1 ] c5 16.e3 S Nikolov-Antic, Skopje
22.bxc5 g4 23.d4 A case where the 2012.;
exchange means something. c8 B) 10...f6 has been the main move, but
[ 23...b8+ 24.c1 f6 25.c4! ] 10... Bb7 and 10...f5 are probably at least
24.b4 xc5 25.b7 f6 26.xa7 as good;
From now on it's straightforward. g6 27.d3 C) 10...f5!? 11.exf6 ( 11.dxc5 xc5
h6 28.a4 g7 29.b2 g5 30.a5 b5 12.b5 e4 13.d1 c5= Paikidze-
31.a1 gxf4 32.gxf4 h5 33.b7 xd3 Vorobiov, St Petersburg 2010) 11...xf6
34.cxd3 xf4 35.a3 12.h1 ( 12.b5 is a main line, such as
1-0 there is, when both c7 and 12...Bb7 are
satisfactory) 12...d6 ( With the positional
threat of ...Ng4. 12...b7 has been played
1035 C11 in a number of games and held its own;
Perunovic,Mil 2582 A l t e r n a t i v e s i n c l u d e 12...e4; and
Sedlak,Nikola 2593 12...c7 13.e5 a6! 14.xc6 xc6
ch-SRB 2012 Vrnjacka Banja SRB (3) 25.4.12 15.e1 b7 16.f3 ae8 17.d1 d6
[John Watson] 18.h4 c7 19.e2 Bazeev-Iskusnyh,
St Petersburg 2010 here I recommended
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 c6 20.de1 e7 ) 13.b5?!
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 ( 13.b5= ) 13...e4 14.c1 a6
[ 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0 b6 transposes to the ( 14...b8!? 15.c4!? is unclear) 15.c3
m o s t c o m m o n p o sit io n in vo lvi n g . . . b 6 , ( 15.dxc5 xc5 16.a4 ) 15...xe2
illustrated by two new games in the note on 16.xe2 e7 17.g3 xg3+ 18.hxg3
10 0-0 below. ] f5 19.f2 f6 20.c3 cxd4 21.cxd4
8...0-0 9.e2 b6 As explained before in this ac8 22.d2 g6 23.h2 h5+
column, ...b6 is a relatively new idea in these 24.g1 f6 25.ac1 cf8 with better
positions which is quickly gaining in popularity. development, Meszaros-Sedlak, Decs
One obvious idea is that if White plays dxc5, 2012. ]
t h e n . . . b x c 5 t a k e s o v e r t h e c e n t r e a n d 10...cxd4
threatens ...d4. Furthermore, when Black [ 10...f5 illustrates one idea that can arise in
plays ...f6, he threatens ...fxe5 followed by ... the ...b6 lines after ...cxd4 and a W hite
cxd4, winning a pawn. And there are other piece recapture, Black can play ...Nc5-e4.
id e a s t h i s s e t u p is qu it e f le xib le . 10.d1 One example is 11.c4!? cxd4 12.xd4
Not the most co mmon move, but logical, xd4 13.xd4 dxc4! 14.xc4 c5
allowing White to play c3 or c4 as quickly as 15.c3 c7 Motylev-Vitiugov, Poikovsky
possible before Black completes his 20 1 0 a n d in st e a d o f 1 6 0 -0 -0 ? ! , W h it e
development. Two games from this month s h o u l d p l a y 16.0-0 , e.g., d8 ( or
feature the more frequently-played 16...a6 ) 17.ac1 a6! 18.xa6 xa6
[ 10.0-0 (by transposition): 19.d5 d7 20.xe7+ xe7 21.fd1
A) 10...b7 and: (thus far Kritz) c7! and Black transfers to

942
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

the excellent outpost on d5. ] support d4 with the c-pawn and then slowly
11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4 b8!? Black plays build up behind the space advantage. cxd4
for ...Nc6, with the eventual possibility of [ [jw:] This might be a good moment to play
playing ...Nxd4 and gaining the bishop pair. 10...f6 ]
W hite has space and perhaps a slight 11.xd4 h4+? This mistaken "novelty"
theoretical edge, but it's not easy to find a (losing time and eventually the bishop pair) is
plan. a good reminder to keep the human
[ 12...c5 13.0-0 b7 is a sound
p e r s p e c t i ve e ve n i n c o r r . H o u d i n i & C o
alternative. Although it might be easier to consider this completely equal, expecting 12.
play W hite, this basic type of position is g3 a n d a la te r 0 -0-0 f rom W h ite . B u t m y
generally equal. ] opponent demonstrates the power of building
13.0-0 c6 14.c3 d7 15.e3 xd4 up one's position with simple moves. By move
16.cxd4 b5 17.f3 b6 18.g4 18 I realised I was in real jeopardy of losing
[ 18.f5 is the most natural move, but here it
the game. But with a lot of effort, some luck
s h o u l d b e p r e p a r e d , b e c a u s e f6!
and perhaps some over confidence in his
opens up lines with good counterplay. ] engines' technical ability from my opponent - I
18...f5?! managed to save the game somewhat
[ An interesting alternative is 18...h5 19.e3 miraculously. By th e way, those who are
ac8 ] interested in some training or want to
19.exf6! xf6 20.xf6+ xf6 21.c1 experience what corr-play is like, could click
W ith a simple positiona l advantage . af8 "Training" above the game in ChessBase,
22.ff1 e8 23.c5 d6 24.g3 g5? which hides the coming moves, start their
25.fxg5 xf1+ 26.xf1 e5 27.e3 e4 engines and see if you can predict all moves,
28.e2?! get an idea of what engines were used, where
[ 28.b3! is stronger. ] the mistakes were made and so on.
28...d7 29.c1 [ Eingorn's suggestions from his Rock-Solid
[ 29.b3! with a very substantial Repertoire would have been a better choice:
advantage. ] 11...b7 12.0-0 xd4!? ( 12...c5 13.f2
29...h3 30.g4! f4 31.xf4 xf4 d7 ) 13.xd4 b8 14.e3 c6
32.c5?! [jw:] Play might continue 15.c3 c8 16.f3
[ 32.c3 xg4 33.xb5 was the way to with the idea f5, e.g., xd4 17.cxd4 c7
preserve winning chances. ] ( 17...f5 18.exf6 xf6 19.g4 ) 18.af1
32...e3 33.c3 xg4 g6 19.h3 , threatening f5. ]
½-½ [ [jw:] Another idea is 11...xd4 12.xd4 f6
13.exf6 xf6 and Black stands satisfactorily
with the move ...Ne4 in store, especially
1036 C11 since 14.c3 can be met by ( 14.f2 d6
Poli,Giuseppe 2480 15.0-0-0 d7!? with the idea ...Qa4)
Johansson,Thomas 2493 14...b4 ( and 14...d7 15.0-0 c5
CL/2012/B2 ICCF 05.10.2013 is solid, if a bit dull )]
[Thomas Johansson] 12.f2 xd4 13.xd4 b7 14.0-0 c8
15.c3 e8 I think the point of this was to
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 prepare ...f6/f5 by defending e6 in advance,
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 but now it looks more like an indicator that
[ 8.e2 0-0 9.0-0!? is seen in this month's something has already gone wrong for Black...
game Feco-Johansson. ] [ 15...c5 16.e3 c7 17.h3
8...0-0 9.e2 in t e n d in g Nf 2 -g 4 if t h e b i sh o p d o e s n ' t
[ [jw:] Last month we saw three instructive capture it. ]
games by Thomas with 9.dxc5 ] 16.e3 xf2+ 17.xf2 c5 18.b4!?
9...b6 10.d1!? A more interesting move [ [jw:] 18.f5! looks strong, and if exf5
than I realised at the time. White intends to 19.xf5 e6 20.af1 c7 , 21.g3

943
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
keeps up the pressure. ]
18...e4 19.ff1
[ A more direct approach on the kingside
seemed more worrying to me at the time
19.f3!? d7 20.af1 but apparently his
engines preferred play on the queenside.
[jw:] This idea looks very promising.
White's attack is hard to deal with. In the
game, W hite's queenside play is also
effective: ]
19...d7 20.a4 c6 21.b5
[ White could also play less direct with
21.d1!? ]
21...b7 22.a5 c7 23.axb6 axb6 24.d3
ec8 25.a3 e7 26.fa1 c5 27.f5!
exf5 28.xf5 e8 29.f3 f8 30.h3 h6
31.f3 e8 32.h3
[ [jw:] White stands clearly better. Two other
approaches: (a) 32.c2 (with the idea Qf5)
c8 33.a8 e6 34.e3 ec8 35.g3 ]
[ (b) 32.b1 e6 ( 32...c8 33.a2! )
33.f2 ]
32...f8 33.h2 e8 34.f1 e4
35.xe4!?
[ 35.f4! ]
35...dxe4 36.g3 e7 37.a7 h7!?
[ 37...xb5 38.f6 e3 39.xb6 d5
40.xe3 fe8 might be holdable, but the
text 'felt better'. ]
38.c4 c8 I won't bore you with the details of
t h e f o llo win g, u p t o W h it e 's 6 4 t h , it wa s
certainly not amusing to play Black... 39.c1
e6 40.g4 d8 41.xe6 xe6 42.g1
d7 43.ca1 g6 44.1a2 h5 45.e3 h4
46.e2 f5 47.exf6 xf6 48.d2 xd2
49.xd2 c8 50.c3 g6 51.d4 e6
52.c7 g8 53.g1 d6 54.xg7 g6
55.f8 d1+ 56.f2 e6 57.e3 f5
58.c5 d3+ 59.e2 bxc5 60.b6 b3
61.xc5 e5 62.e3 b2+ 63.f1 d5!?
64.g4 The turning point of the game. Both me
and the engine had forgotten about Be6-d5
allowing g2-g4, and all engines wanted to take
the pawn en passant. However, the more I
looked at that, the more winning it seemed for
White. So, if White can find a way to achieve
g2-g3 instead, he could be winning. But it's
not so easy...
[ 64.g3? b3 65.e2 hxg3 66.h4 b2+
67.f1 g2+ 68.g1 b3= ]
64...b3! Armed with the knowledge that the h-
pawn is the real enemy, this is suddenly quite
strong! The machines do tend to wander
aim le ssly wit h t h e kin g f o r a wh ile h e re ,
attempting to break out on the q-side.
[ 64...hxg3? It's beyond the engines' horizon,
but once the rooks disappear, Be3
protecting both passed pawns while
continuing to block pawn-e4 is enough to
win e ve ntu ally. A f ew exam ples: 65.g7
c4+ 66.g1 e2 67.g5+
A) 67...d6 68.c5+ c6 69.d4 e1+
( 69...d5 70.xg3 b5 71.f2 b2
72.e3 b1+ 73.h2 b2+ 74.g2
b1 75.h4 b3 76.e2 f7 77.g3
c6 78.e1 b7 79.f4+- ) 70.g2
d5 ( 70...a6 71.xg3 e2+ 72.g1
e1+ 73.h2 d5 74.f2 e2 75.g1
b2 76.a3 b7 77.h4 d6 78.e3
b5 79.c3 f5 80.g2 c6 81.g3
f3+ 82.g4 d7+ 83.g5 f5+
84.g6 b5 85.c7 e8+ 86.g7 c6
87.f4+ d5 88.h5+- ) 71.xg3 f1
72.g2 f7 73.e3 h7 74.g3 f7
75.h2 h7 76.g2 d6 77.g4 b7
78.h4 d5 79.f1 d6 80.g6+ d5
81.h6 f7+ 82.e2 g7 83.h5+ e6
84.a5 g2+ 85.f1 g7 86.h5 d7
87.h6 f6 88.g5 h7 89.g1 e6
90.e1 a8 91.g6+ e7 92.c5+ f7
93.d6 e8 94.e6+ d8 95.g6 d7
96.g7+ xg7 97.hxg7 d5 98.e2
g8 99.e3 d5 100.b4 c6
101.a5 b7 102.d4 e6 103.xe4
1-0;
B) 67...e6 68.xg3 f5 69.f2
B1) 69...d2 70.c5 d3 71.e3
d1+ 72.h2 e1 73.c5 e2+
74.g2 xg2+ ( 74...e1 75.b2 d5
76.b7+- ) 75.xg2 d5 76.e3+-;
B2) 69...c2 70.h4 c1+ 71.g2 c2
72.g5+ f6 ( 72...f4?? 73.b7 b2
74.b8+ xb8 75.g3+ ) 73.g1 c1+
74.h2 c2? 75.g2 f5 76.e3+-
and as the rooks come off, the game
becomes lost:;
B3) 69...b2 70.a3 d2 71.e3 e2
72.c5 d2 73.a5 e6 74.a4 d5
75.e3 d1+ 76.f2 h1 77.g2 e1
78.a3 d1 79.a7 e1 80.f2 h1
81.h7 b1 82.h4 f5 83.h5+ e6
84.g5 h1 85.h5 h3 86.e2 b7
944
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
87.d2 d6 88.g7 h2+ 89.c3
h3 90.d4 c6 91.h6 xb6 92.h7
a7 93.e5+ b8 94.g8+ c7
95.h8+-;
C) 67...f6 68.xg3 e1+ 69.g2 e2+
70.f2 b2 71.g1 b1+ 72.h2 b2
73.g2 b3 74.d4+ f5 75.f2+ g5
76.b2+- xb2+ 77.xb2 a6 78.g3
f5 79.d4 b7 80.h4 c6 81.e3
g6 82.g4 d7+ 83.f4 c6 84.e5
h5 85.d6 a8 86.f2 g4 ( 86...e3
87.e1 ) 87.c7 e3 88.e1 f3 89.h5
e2 90.b4 1-0 ]
65.e2 b2+ 66.d1 h2 67.c3 h1+
68.e2 e6 Simply "best by test", I doubt
any human would be able to hold this ending
OTB vs a top engine.
[ 68...b7 might be a tiny bit inexact, but it
provides a few examples of how Black holds
when White's king infiltrates on the q-side:
69.g5 h2+ 70.e1 h1+ 71.d2 h2+
72.d1 h1+ 73.c2 h2+ 74.b3 f5
75.c4 e6 76.d4 b2 77.c5 h2
78.c1 h1 79.b4 g1 80.a5 d5
A) 81.c7 c6 82.f4 e3 83.xe3 g3
84.d2 xh3 85.h7 h2 86.c1 g2
87.b4 ( 87.xh4?? a2+ 88.b4
a4+ ) 87...g4+ 88.b3 g3+ 89.b2
h3 90.f4 g4 91.d2 g2 92.c3
g3+ 93.c2 a4+ 94.c1 c6 95.f4
g4 96.e3 g3 97.d2 e4 98.e7+
f3 99.f7+ e4 100.f4+ e5
101.h4 f5 102.g6 g2 103.g7
xg7=;
B) 81.a4 e6 82.b5 h1 83.c7
d5 84.g6 xh3 85.g7 b3+ 86.c5
c3+ 87.b4 b3+ 88.a4 g3 89.f4
g1 90.h6 h3 91.c3 h2 92.h3 d6
93.xh2 a1+ 94.b5 b1+ 95.a5
a1+ 96.b4 b1+ 97.c3 b3+
98.c2 xb6 99.d2 c6+ 100.d1
c8 101.e3 a8 102.d4 e3 103.d3
e8 104.c3 e6 105.xe3+ f7
106.h3 g8 107.h7 g6= ]
69.f2 b1 70.d4 h1 71.g5 h2+
72.f2 b7 73.f1 e3! Finally, the French
bishop awakens fully! 74.xe3+ f5 75.g6
h1+ 76.e2 a6+!
[ 76...xg6 77.xh4 c8 78.b3 f5
may also be a draw, but the text is much
cleaner. ]
77.d2 h2 78.g7 xf2+ 79.c3 g2
80.e7 g3+ 81.d4 f6 82.a7 c8
83.a8 e6 84.b7 b3 85.g8
[ 85.b8 xb8 86.xb8 xg7 leaves h3
en prise. ]
85...xg8 86.b8 xb8 87.xb8 e6
[ 87...e6 88.f8+ g5 89.f3
is a Nalimov draw, thanks to the weakness
on h3. ]
½-½
1037 C11
Polzin,Rainer 2500
Feygin,Michail 2569
Bundesliga 2008-9 (15) 29.03.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5
9.a3 g5!? I've always like this aggressive,
dynamic variation but it has suffered a dip in
popularity in recent times. I played a game in
this line before during an open tournament in
the Philippines and a certain Chinese GM told
me to give it up as it's "not playable". Well,
let's see. 10.fxg5
[ 10.xg5?! cxd4 11.xd4 xd4 12.xd4
c5 13.d2 b6 is a lot of fun for Black
and was analysed previously on
ChessPub. ]
10...cxd4 11.xd4 cxe5 The other
recapture 11...Ndxe5 will be analysed in the
next game. 12.f3!? A slightly odd move but
it does makes some sense to put pressure on
B la ck 's c e n t r e a s we ll a s f re e i n g t h e d 4
square for W hite's dark square bishop.
Needless to say, there are other options here:
[ 12.e2 g7 This is a clear improvement
over ( 12...b7 which was covered in
Dworakowska-Malakhatko - See archives.)
13.0-0 0-0 A similar position arose in Wan
Yun Guo - Goh Wei Ming (see next game)
but the key difference was the placement of
Black's knights in that game which could
have seen White seizing a large advantage.
He re , W h it e 's o p t io n s we r e s o m e wh a t
limited. 14.a4 c4 ( 14...b4 can be met by
an enterprising piece sac: 15.xd5! exd5
16.f5 where White can pluck a couple of
pawns or play moves like Bd4 and so on.)
945
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

15.xc4 bxc4 B1a) The point is that after 17...exd4

A) White might be afraid of getting his 18.xd4 Black has nothing better than
knight trapped but he can try 16.c6!? to return the piece with xg5 19.xg7
c7 ( 16...e8 17.d4 would have given xg7 ( 19...xg7? 20.h5 g6
w h a t W h i t e w a n t s w i t h o u t a f i g h t .) 21.f6+ h8 22.d4 wins. ) 20.d4+
17.e7+ h8 18.d4 to exchange and Qxb6 with an obvious advantage.;
Black's dark square bishop. Play can turn B1b) 17...c4! 18.c6! ( 18.bxc4
increasingly sharp: b7 19.ae1 d6 exd4! is good f or Black.) 18...e4
20.f6 xf6 21.gxf6 c5+ 22.h1 xf6 19.e2 After playing a move like Ng3,
23.xf6 xe7 24.f4 with definite it is understandable that White rather
compensation for the pawn. ac8; chose to keep queens on the board.
B) 16.ce2 I felt this was a bit feeble. ( In fact, the straightforward 19.xe4
c5 ( 16...e5 threatening ...Ng4 is worth dxe4 20.xd8 xd8 21.bxc4 d7
a try. ) 17.g3 e4 18.xe4 dxe4 22.ad1 would have given her a slight
19.ad1 b8 20.c6 xd2 21.xd2 but safe endgame advantage due to
and in Najer, E (2682)-Feygin, M (2569)/ her more active pieces.) 19...g4!
Wattenscheid GER 2008/(1/2-1/2 in 58), Mo re sh arp p la y, th e se lad ie s a re
Blac k s ho uld t ake o n b2 with a sligh t fearless! 20.f2 c7 21.bxc4 xc6
worse but I think defensible endgame. ] 22.cxd5 xd5 23.f4 e6 24.h3
[ White has fantastic results with the move e5 25.f2 xh3? Black's rooks
12.d3 The plan is straightforward: castle were never going to be a match
short and get a knight to the h5 square and against White's 2 minor pieces after
the attack will come pretty smoothly. I get this. ( Rybka 3 pointed out 25...f5!!
the impression that Black has to be extra another amazing move by anothe r
careful to emerge from the opening standards, with the idea 26.hxg4? f4!
u n s c a t h e d . g7 ( Black was keeping Black in the game.) 26.gxh3
unc ere mo nio usly crush ed af te r 12...b7 xh3 27.f5 ( 27.xe4! ) 27...g4+
in Motylev-Volkov - Archives; 12...d6!? 28.g2 xg2+ 29.xg2 xa1
is a novel approach, preparing ...Bb7 and ... 30.xa1 ad8 31.c3 and White
Rc8 and keeping his King in the centre.) converted her advantage: fe8 32.f1
13.0-0 0-0 d7 33.g3 e6 34.d4 e3 35.f4
A) 14.h1 b7 15.ce2 b6 e2 36.e1 d8 37.e5 d3 38.xe2
( 15...xd3 16.cxd3 e5 17.f5 d4! xc3 39.d2 c4+ 40.f3 c8
18.f2 c5 is another logical continuation 41.f6 ce8 42.d7 f8 43.d6
where Black should be fine.) 16.b3 xd3 xd6 44.xd6 e6 45.d8+ e8
( 16...bc4! 17.bxc4 dxc4 must be at 46.xe8+ xe8 47.e4 d7
least equal.) 17.cxd3 d6 18.f4 d7 48.d5 a5 49.c3 e7 50.xa5 f6
19.h5! As advertised. Suddenly, Black 51.gxf6+ xf6 52.c6 e6 53.c7
found himself in a whole lot of trouble. e5 h5 54.xb5 d7 55.b6
20.g1 h8 21.ae1 f5 22.gxf6 f7 1-0 Kosintseva, T (2522)-Matveeva, S
23.xe6 d4 24.g5 ff8 25.f7 ad8 (2410)/Dagomys RUS 2009;
26.f5 g6 27.exe5 xe5 28.xe5 h6 B2) 14...g4! 15.c3 de5 16.c2
29.e6 1-0 Timoshenko, G (2550)- g6 17.h1 xe3 18.xe3 b6
Sengupta, D (2466)/Bhubaneswar IND 19.d2 e5 20.f5 xf5 21.xf5
2009; Belov, V (2579)-Vysochin, S (2520)/St
B) 14.ce2 Petersburg RUS 2008 and here, Black
B1) Kosintseva demonstrated some ca n i m p ro ve wit h ad8 with roughly
f a n t a s t ic o p e n i n g p r e p a ra t io n a f t e r equal chances. ]
14...b6 15.b3 xd3 16.xd3 e5 12...g7 13.xe5 Khalifmann awarded this
and here, 17.g3!! was a lovely move an exclaim, claiming that it is more accurate
which I assume was home-cooked. than 13.0-0-0.

946
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 13.0-0-0 b8 ( Khalifmann prefers
13...c6 where Black would have been
ready for a counter attack. Maybe that is
true but I still prefer W hite after say,
14.e2!? preparing Nf4 or Ned4.) 14.xe5
xe5? Black must have missed White's
reply which is a consistent theme in these
S t e in it z l in e s . ( 14...xe5 15.f4 0-0
16.d3 b4! with counter chances.) 15.e4!
After this, White was almost just winning in
all variations as the threats of Bc5 and Nf6
are indefensible. As it is all too often the
case whenever Black develops his bishop
on g7, the a3-f8 diagonal become incredibly
weak and Black always has to be cautious
that a move like 15.Ne4! could happen. g4
16.c5 e5 17.b4? White was probably
afraid of ...Qc7, attacking both minor pieces
and threatening the game changing ...Bf4!.
( However, the simple 17.e2 embarrassing
the offside knight would have been enough
t o g a r n e r a d e c i s i v e a d v a n t a g e : b7
18.xg4 dxe4 19.e3 c7 20.hf1
followed by Bh5 is just one plausible
c o n t in u a t io n .) 17...c7 18.a5 a7
19.c3 xc3 20.xc3 e3+ 21.xe3
xe3 22.f6+ e7 23.d3 Black has
survived the worst but W hite retained a
small edge and he eventually won in Oliveira,
S (2357)-Cori T. , D (2390)/Villa Martelli
ARG 2009/ (1-0 in 44) ]
13...xe5 For some reason, Khalifmann did
not analyse this, only commenting on the
knight recapture.
[ 13...xe5 14.0-0-0 0-0 After this, we are
greeted by the same old same old tactic so
th e re s h o u ld b e a n im p ro ve m e n t h e re .
( 14...c6 15.d3 c7 might be worth a
shot but something about the position stinks
after 16.c5 ) 15.e4! b7 16.f6+
The practical problems after this move were
always going to be difficult to handle but I
t h i n k o b j e c t i v e l y , ( the quiet 16.g3
preparing to hop to h5 was stronger. For
example, c4 17.xc4 bxc4 18.h5 c3
19.f2! Fe a r le ss p la y! cxb2+ 20.b1
and after the inevitable capture of Black's
dark square bishop, White would dominate
the kings ide .) 16...xf6 17.gxf6 xf6
18.d4 g7 19.g4! ( 19.e3 f6 20.e2
followed by Rhf1 also looks good for
White. ) 19...fc8 20.e2 c4
A desperation manoeuvre but Black was
stuck for a good move anyway. ( Maybe he
could try 20...a5 hoping for 21.xb5? f3!
but White could simply deviate with 21.Kb1
with a huge advantage.) 21.xc4 xc4
22.xg7 xd2 23.xd2 xg7 24.f1 c8
25.c3 c7 26.g5 a5 27.c2 c6 28.f4
d7 29.e2 c8 30.d2 f8 31.ef2
e8 32.f6 g7 33.2f4 c7 34.h4 c4
35.fh6 xh4 36.xh4 g6 37.b4 axb4
38.axb4 e5 39.h6+ xg5 40.xh7 f4
41.h4+ f3 42.h6 f4 43.f6+ g5
44.d6 f4 45.d8 c6 46.h4 g4
47.d6 a8 48.a6 b7 49.a7 c6
50.xf7 xh4 51.e7 e4 52.g7 e8
53.e3 h5 54.f4 e2 55.h7+ h5
56.h8 1-0 Kokarev, D (2582)-Vysochin, S
(2514)/Zvenigorod RUS 2008 ]
14.0-0-0 b7 Feygin tends to keep his King in
the cen tre in th is line , pre f e rrin g t o f u lly
complete his development on the queenside
before deciding the best place for his King.
The arrangement of his pieces (Be5 and Nd7)
means that he never had the dark square
problems everyone else had with this line.
15.h4 c7 16.h5 0-0-0
[ I'm not sure what deterred Feygin from
playing the natural 16...c8 but I would
assume that it's because he has an
inclination to castle queenside in these lines
and doesn't like to keep his King in the
centre. However, this move seems
promising to me as the pressure on the
queenside keeps W hite busy and the
absence of the g-pawn means that Black
can make use of the absence of the g-pawn
by developing his King's rook on g8. ]
17.h4 White logically tries to develop his
rook by making use of his previous pawn
moves but this was already starting to look
unpleasant for White.
[ White is better off developing simply with
17.b1 with a complex middlegame
ahead. ]
17...b6
[ I prefer 17...c5! threatening ...Ne4 with an
edge for Black. ]
18.g4 c4 19.xc4 dxc4 20.f2 xd1+
21.xd1 g8! 22.b6 e7 23.e3 d6
24.c5 c7 25.b6 d6 26.c5 c7
947
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

27.b6 d6 This was almost flawless play by 11.h5 g4 12.g5 b4+ 13.f1 xd4 ]
Feygin and probably represents Black's best 8...0-0 9.h3 I don't like this move, which
continuation against Khalifmann's 12.Nf3!? seems more designed to throw the opponent
½-½ off than achieve anything concrete. b5!
[ 9...f5!? is interesting, because ...g5
becomes a realistic possibility, while White
1038 C11 has difficulties reorganising for attack on
Ponomariov,Ruslan 2764 the kingside ]
Ni Hua 2662 [ but 9...b6 is still more logical, intending ...
FIDE World Cup 2011 (2.4) 02.09.2011 Ba6, when 10.a4 c7 11.0-0 a5
[John Watson] doesn't hinder Black's development ]
10.0-0 b4 11.f4 b6
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ 11...bxc3! 12.bxc3 a6 13.e1 cxd4
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.f3 e7 14.cxd4 b6 begins an effective queenside
[ Also this month: 7...b6 8.a3 c4!? 9.f4 attack while White struggles to find play. ]
a5 10.g3 e7 11.h4 b3 12.b1 xc1 12.g2?!
13.xc1 c6 14.h3 b5 15.h5! g8 [ This was White's chance for 12.dxc5 xc5
16.c2 g6 17.f4 b7 18.h2 0-0-0 13.d3 e7 14.d4! with full equality. ]
1/ 2 -1 / 2 Nara ya n a n , S (2 3 3 6 )-V o lk o v, S 12...bxc3 13.bxc3 c4 14.a4 b6
(2614), Trieste ITA 2011. ] [ 14...d7! 15.c2 b8 White has serious
8.g3 Here are some alternatives: problems. ]
[ (a) In the same mini-match, Ponomariov 15.dxc5 a6? safe, and still better for Black,
s u c c e e d e d wi t h 8.a3 a5 9.f4 a4 but giving away much of his advantage, which
( 9...b6! prevents 10 Bd3, White's most still would have been fairly substantial after
dangerous plan 10.h4 a4= ) 10.d3 b6? [ 15...xc5 ]
( Black could still counterattack by 10...cxd4 16.xa6 xa6 17.d3 e3+
11.cxd4 g5! 12.h5 g4 13.g1 b6! [ 17...b6! ]
14.e3 xd4! 15.xg4 c5 16.g7 f8 18.xe3 xd3 19.fe1 e4! 20.d4 f5?
, which involves more risk) 11.0-0 0-0 [ 20...fc8 or ]
12.h4!? ( 12.h3! threatens Nfg5, and h6 [ 20...ab8 ]
13.b1! with the idea Qc2 or Qd3 is no 21.exf6 xf6 22.xf6
solution ) 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 c4 14.g3 [ or 22.xe6+ h8 23.g4 g6 24.e3! h5
( 14.c2 h6 15.e2!? ) 14...b5 15.c2 25.d7 xd4 26.cxd4 with the idea xf3
with a dangerous attacking position. Black 27.xe4 dxe4 28.xc6 ]
played f5?! 16.exf6 gxf6 17.e1 d6 22...xf6 23.xe4 dxe4 24.g5 Safe and
18.h2 ( Strange that Ponomariov would sound it will be three pawns (two weak) for
miss 18.xh7+! xh7 19.g5+ fxg5 the exchange. d8?!
20.h5+ g7 21.g6+ h8 22.h5 f6 [ 24...e3! ]
23.xf6 xf6 24.xf6++- ) 18...f7 19.g4 25.xe4 f7 26.d1
h8?? ( 19...f8 isn't bad ) 20.h6 g7 [ 26.g5 e7 27.b1 is a simple way to
21.h5 e5 (nowhere to go, and White is keep the advantage ]
actually winning a whole rook, not just the 26...c7 27.d6!? f7 28.g5+?! e7
exchange, after other moves like ( 21...f8 29.xe6 xe6 30.xe6+ f7 Equalising.
22.xg7 xg7 23.g4+ ) 22.xg7 xg7 31.e5 d8 32.g4 g6 33.h4?
23.h5 e6 24.f5+ xf5 25.xf5 [ 33.c4 ]
1-0 Ponomariov, R (2764)-Ni Hua (2662), 33...e7 34.xe7+ xe7 35.c6 d6
Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2011. ] 36.f3
[ (b) 8.g3?! b6 9.e2 cxd4 10.cxd4 [ 36.d7 b8 ]
b4+ 11.f1 f6 ] 36...xc6 37.e3 c5 38.e2 b8
[ (c) 8.f4 cxd4 9.cxd4 b6 10.e2?! 39.d3 b2 40.a4 a2 Forcing White's
Y u d k o v s k y - C o e l l o , C a n n e s 1 9 9 7 g5! pawns onto light squares. Black should be

948
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
able to convert this, but it's not easy. 41.b5
c2 42.g4
[ 42.c4 b6 43.g4 a6 ]
42...xc3+ 43.f4 b3 44.g5 f3
[ 44...a5 45.f4 ( 45.h6 xb5 ) 45...d6
46.e2 b4 47.d1 e6 is not completely
clear. ]
45.h6 xf2?
[ 45...f7 46.h5 gxh5 47.gxh5 d4
will be hard to hold at best. ]
46.xh7 h2 47.xg6 xh4 48.g5 d6
49.f5 h2 50.g6 f2+ 51.g5 e7
52.c6 f8 53.a5! g7 54.a6 f6
[ 54...a2 55.b7 a5+ 56.f4 xg6
57.e4 f7 58.d4 e7 59.c3 d6
60.b4 ]
55.b7 xg6+ 56.f5 This is drawn. b6
57.e5 f8 58.d5 e7 59.c8 d8
60.b7 c7 61.c5 g6 62.d5 b6
63.d4 g5 64.c4 c5+ 65.d4 c1
66.d5 b5 67.d4 a1 68.c8 d1+
69.e3 d6 70.b7 c4 71.c8 d3+
72.e2 c3 73.b7 d6 74.e3 e6+
75.f4 d4 76.f5 e1 77.c8 e5+
78.f6 d5 79.b7+ d6 80.c8 e8
81.b7 f8+ 82.g5 e5 83.g4 f6
84.g3 f4 85.c6 f6 86.b7 f7
87.g4 f8 88.g3 d6 89.g4 f7
90.g5 f1 91.g4 f2 92.g5 e5
93.g4 d4 94.g3 e3 95.g4 f8
96.g5 d4 97.g4 e5 98.g3 f4
99.c6 f5 100.a8 g5 101.b7 f6
102.c8 c6 103.b7 c3+ 104.f2 f4
105.e2 e5 106.d2 d4 107.e2 a3
108.f2 e3 109.a8 d3 110.b7 d2
111.a8 e6 112.b7 f6+ 113.g3 e3
114.g4 d4
½-½
1039 C11
Predojevic,Borki 2651
Morozevich,Alexander 2774
Sarajevo BIH (2) 24.05.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 The first couple of notes are
b a s e d o n m y co m m e n t s in t h e a rch ive s .
3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6
7.e3 a6 8.e2!? An unusual move, but it
couldn't have been a surprise to Morozevich,
as Topalov had played exactly the same way
against him at Morelia/Linares 2007. White
intends to consolidate his pawn chain with c2-
c3 and then start a pawn storm on the
kingside with g2-g4 and f4-f5. b6
[ Here's what might happen if Black ignores
his opponent's kingside expansion: 8...b5
9.c3 c4 10.g4 c7 11.f5 b7 12.f4
already Black is in deep trouble because of
the weakness on e6. 0-0-0 13.fxe6 dxe5
14.dxe5 xe5 15.xe5 xe5 16.d4
c7 17.g5 1-0 Ivanov, I-Haskins, R/
Dearborn 1992. ]
9.c1 On c1 the queen not only protects the
b2 pawn but also guards the bishop on e3,
thereby reducing in strength any pin should
Black play c5xd4 and Bc5. Therefore this
seems more precise than
[ 9.b1 ]
9...g5 Typically Morozevich gets his
'counterattack' going before the white attack
even begins. 10.c3 cxd4 11.cxd4 b4+
12.f2 f6 13.g3 g4! So this is the result of
Mo r o ze vi c h ' s m i d n i g h t o i l : a c h a n c e f o r
revenge kept for over a year. Without more
ad o , h e d rive s t he wh ite knight f ro m t h e
centre and prepares a sacrifice on e5.
[ In the Topalov game, Moro preferred
13...f8? and got into trouble after 14.g2
g4 15.h4 g8 16.h3! Black's problem is
that he cannot keep the kingside blocked,
which means his own king will be in more
danger than White's. ]
[ I commented Black seems to lose time with
his rook hereabouts and suggested 13...gxf4
14.gxf4 ( Black looks better after 14.xf4
fxe5 15.xe6 f6 as if 16.dxe5? g4+ )
14...fxe5 15.fxe5 ( 15.dxe5 c5! )
A) or t he a tt ackin g 15...f8!? when if
16.g1 dxe5 17.dxe5 d4 18.f4 ( not
18.d2 xe5 ) 18...c5! and the threat of
19...d3+ gives Black great chances.;
B) 15...f8!? intending to develop with
Bd7, Rc8 etc. or even 0-0-0. ]
14.h4 fxe5 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.dxe5 d4
17.f4 f8 The rook goes to f8, and in
contrast to the Topalov game it stays there.
18.g2 d7! I can't recall my exact thoughts
when I analysed the Topalov game a year ago,
but I probably looked at this sacrifice and
concluded that it was too slow. Indeed, White
949
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

is a piece up for a pawn and his king seems on h2 decides the game. 33.xc6+ bxc6
pretty well sheltered, with the g-file blocked 34.f3 xf3 35.xd8 xd8
and the bishop on f4 keeping out the black 0-1
rook. On the other hand, the looming threat of
Bc6, giving a killing check to the white king, is
d i f f i c u l t t o m e e t . T h e p a s s e d d - p a wn i s 1040 C11
disruptive, and Black can quickly bring his Prelevic,Dusko 2328
rook to c8, when the white queen faces a Trkulja,Goran 2293
discovered check. Meanwhile W hite's own TCh Neum BIH (3) 31.05.2004
rooks are passive and his minor pieces are [Neil McDonald]
hardly on ideal squares- the bishop on f1
can't move at all, and the knight on h4 is 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 e4
s t a le m a t e d . I t is a qu e st io n o f ve r y f in e 5.ce2! Already Black is threatened with the
judgment combined with work with a computer. loss of the knight after 6.f3. f5
In order to win the game, Black needs to have [ Now Black is committed to a knight sacrifice
'computer moves' such as 21...Ba5!! and 23... wh i c h i s m e s s y b u t o f d o u b t f u l v a l u e .
d2!! in his locker- see the note to move 20. Virtually the only reasonable alternatives
19.h3 d3 20.hxg4 Predojevic gives back the 5...f6 which frees up the f7 square if
p ie c e a t o n c e . T h e p o s it io n i s t a ct i ca ll y necessary for the knight and attacks the e5
speaking highly complex, but the essence of point. Nevertheless, W hite has a strong
Black's plan against other moves is really looking reply in 6.f4! clearing the way for a
quite simple: move the knight to e5 and then queen check on h5. For example
give a lethal check on c6. For example: A) Black is falling behind in development
[ 20.e3 a5 21.f4 xe5 with a loose centre after 6...d7 7.exf6
The key variation is perhaps the following: ] gxf6 8.d3 ( or 8.e2 aiming for a bishop
[ 20.c3 xe5 21.e1 ( 21.xe5 f2# ) check on h5. );
21...a5!! the only way to win is by B) 6...fxe5?! 7.h5+ d7 8.f3!
u n c o v e r i n g a n a t t a c k o n b 2 . 22.b1 In contrast to the lines after 5...f5, here
( 22.xe5 xb2+ 23.g1 xc3 ) White gives up a knight rather than grabs
22...xc3! 23.bxc3 ( 23.xc3 c6+ one in order to gain a decisive initiative.
24.h2 f2+ 25.g2 xg2+ 26.xg2 exf4 9.e5+ e7 10.f7+ d6
f3# ) 23...d2!! without this move the black B1) Perhaps even better is 11.f3!? e.g.
attack would falter and he would have to h4+ 12.g3 fxg3 It looks as if Black is
resign. This shows how important computer getting a lot of counterplay but 13.g6!
analysis is these days. General principles kills it stone dead, as hxg6 ( 13...d8
aren't enough. The white queen is diverted 14.xh8 Juroszek,T-Przewoznik,J/
from defending both f2 and b1 and attacking Gdynia 1989.) 14.f4+ mates on c7 or
e5. 24.xd2 ( 24.xe5 xb1 ) 24...xb1 costs Black his queen.;
25.xe5 c6+ 26.h2 xf1 and Black B2) 11.xf4!? g5 12.c4 gxf4
wins. ] ( The ever fearless Fritz recommends
20...dxe2 21.xe2 d4 22.e3 c5 12...c5!? 13.dxc5+ xc5 ) 13.c5+ xc5
Now Predojevic feels obliged to return what is 14.xf4 e4 15.f7+ d7 16.xd8
left of his material advantage for counterplay, b4+ 17.e2 f8 18.f7 e8
but Black's attack proves irresistible 23.b4 19.xc7 a6 20.c2 xf7 21.f3 d2
xb4 24.hb1 a5 25.h3 xe2 22.a3 c7 23.d1 a5 24.b4
26.xe2 d4 After his big sacrifices, 1-0 Schmidt,P-Zach,A/Bayern 1987. ]
Morozevich suddenly becomes a materialist [ 5...h6? There isn't any immediate pressure
and grabs the exchange. 27.h6 f2 28.e4 on e5 after this move, so W hite can
xa1 29.xa1 0-0-0 30.g5 c6 31.c1 immediately hunt down the black knight:
d5! The Russian is at his best in this type of 6.h4 e7 7.g3! c5 8.f3 xg3 9.xg3
slugfest. 32.xh7 xa2 Now the mate threat xh4 10.1e2 c6 11.c3 f5 12.f4 cxd4

950
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
13.cxd4 g5 14.e3 d7 15.d2
an d B la c k wa sn 't a b le t o pro ve h e h a d
enough for the piece in Lau,R-Wanders,M/
Essen 1996. ]
6.h4 e7 7.g3! With his last two moves
White tightens the net around the knight on
e4.
[ Not of course 7.f3? xh4+ ]
7...0-0
[ Black managed to hold on and get a draw
after 7...c5 8.f3 xg3 9.xg3 xh4
10.f2 c6 11.c3 cxd4 12.cxd4 g5
13.xh4 gxh4 14.h5 b6 15.e3 xb2+
16.e2 d8 17.h3 g8 18.3f4 c7
19.a4 etc. but I think White had good
winning chances here in Xu Yuhua-Repkova
Eid,E/Genting Highlands 1998. ]
8.f4!
[ White refuses to get involved in 8.f3 xg3
9.xg3 xh4 10.f4 g5 11.xh4 gxh4
12.h5 h8 It seems to me that the
position is crying out for development with
Qd2 and 0-0-0, followed by a direct attack
on the black king, but W hite was in too
much of a hurry in the stem game and lost
after 13.f6 d7 14.g5 xf6 15.xf6+
xf6 16.exf6 xf6 17.h3 d7 18.f4 g8
19.g5 e8 20.d3 h5 21.d2 h6
22.f3 xf3 23.xf3 xd4+ 24.d3 g3
25.f1 e3+ 26.c3 c5 27.e1 d4+
28.d2 c4 29.xe6 cxd3 30.c3 a4
31.b1 g2+ 32.xd3 c4+ 0-1 Bokros,A-
Szilagyi,Z/ Paks 1996. ]
8...g5 Black is obliged to rip open his kingside
o r e ls e h e wil l lo s e t h e k n i gh t in a n o n -
disruptive way after 9.f3. 9.hxg5 xg5
10.xg5!
[ Embarrassing would be 10.h3 f3# ]
10...xg5 11.h3 e7
[ From a positional point of view 11...c6
12.xg5 xg5 13.f4 is horrible for Black,
but now he falls under a direct attack. ]
12.ef4 c5 13.h5 f7 14.g4! a5+
The black counterattack lasts one move and
deprives his king of any help from the queen.
Still, it was inevitable that things were going to
ge t grim do wn th e g f ile . 15.d1 fxg4
16.g1 f8
[ If 16...g7 17.e8+ f8 18.xc8 ]
17.g6+! e8
[ 17...hxg6 18.h8# ]
18.h8 gxh3 19.xf7+ d7 20.xe6+!
A pretty finish as
[ 20.xe6+ xe6 21.xh3# is an elegant
mate. ]
1-0
1041 C11
Pruijssers,Roeland 2443
Sengupta,Deep 2508
40th Bosna Open (5) 09.05.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4
Still a popular course.
[ 7...a6 8.d2 cxd4 9.xd4 c5 10.0-0-0
0-0 transposes to the game [7...cxd4 8 Nxd4
Bc5 9 Qd2 0-0 10 0-0-0 a6]. ]
[ 7...e7 , all the rage, is featured in this
month's game Sethuraman-Bajarani. ]
8.xd4 c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6
[ a) 10...xd4 11.xd4 a6 is apparently a
poorer move order due to 12.xc5! xc5
13.d4 , when Bd3 and an immediate f5 or
gradual kingside advance looms, a typical
game going b6 14.b1 b7 15.d3 c8
16.he1 c7 17.g4 f6 18.f5 xd3
19.cxd3 fe8 20.exf6 ( Nijboer gives
20.fxe6 xe6 21.exf6 xf6 22.xd5
c2+ 23.a1 xd5 24.xd5+ h8
25.h4 ) 20...e5 21.f2 ( or 21.a4 gxf6
22.b3 ) 21...d4 22.e4 xe4 23.dxe4!
gxf6 24.h4! with attack, Nijboer, F (2565)-
Gurevich, M (2645)/ Amsterdam 2002. ]
[ b) 10...e7 with the idea ...f6 is covered by
Wei Ming in the game Amonatov-Rychagov
in the Archives. ]
11.f2 The old move, played by the three
highest-rated players in this month's batch. It
seems fairly harmless, but may provide a few
mo re ch a n ce s t h a n we o n th is sit e h a ve
p re vio u s ly t h o u g h t (a cco rd in g t o e a rl ie r
updates). Apart from 11 h4, which has been
given a thorough going-over in the Archives,
there are two main moves:
[ a ) W h i t e h a d s o m e l u c k w i t h 11.b3
(a move associated with Nijboer) in a couple
of recent games, to which I've appended
limited notes, but there's more in the
Archives:
951
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

A) 11...e7 is rather slow: 12.b1 b5 22.xf5 xf5 23.f1 ( 23.xb6 c4

13.h4 ( or 13.d3 ) 13...c7 14.h5 b7 24.f2 ) 23...e6 24.d4 and White is
( 14...h6 15.g4 ) 15.h3!? ( 15.h6 g6 winning, even if he only drew in Rasidovic,
16.f2 ) 15...b4 16.a4 ( 16.e2 S (2348)-Petrosian, D (2490)/Sarajevo BIH
gets a knight to d4. Then a5 and ...a4 2010. ]
gives good counterplay, although the play [ b) 11.b1 is the most flexible move. I
i s s t i l l u n c l e a r) 16...a5 17.g3?! showed some games with this in Peptan-
(the rook gtes stuck here) c6 18.xa5 Repkova from February (in the Archives)
xa4 19.b3 b5 with equality, Wan White did well. ]
Y u n g u o ( 2 4 2 4 ) - L o u Y i p i n g ( 2 4 2 9 ) / 11...e7 Currently this is the most popular
Shenzhan CHN 2010. A double-edged setup. An instructive game went
game followed and White won.; [ 11...xd4 12.xd4 b5 ( 12...xd4
B) 11...b4 is the popular and approved 13.xd4 b5 14.b1 b7 15.h4 c8
move. I'm not sure that it's better or worse 16.h5 h6 17.d3 c5 18.e2 c7 19.g4
than the options: 12.d3 b5 ( 12...f6 , and whether or not Black goes into an
is playable, but 13.exf6 xf6 14.hf1 endgame or not, W hite has the better
keeps good control of the dark squares, chances, if nothing else because Black's
while xc3 15.xc3 xc3 16.bxc3 bishop on b7 is restricted by a White piece
, W hite's doubled pawns are more than on d4. ) 13.e3 In view of Black's dark-
co mp en s at ed b y h is t wo bish o ps a n d square weaknesses, this piece is useful to
B l a c k ' s b a d b i s h o p , f o r e x a m p l e , b5 retain. b4 14.a4 a5 15.h4 a6 16.h5
17.de1 b7 18.c5 xc5 19.xc5 c7 ( 16...h6 17.xa6 xa6 18.g4
fe8 20.e3 ) 13.g4 (this has scored doesn't leave Black much counterplay, while
e x t r e m e l y w e l l ) ( 13.hf1 b6 White prepares Rdg1 and g5, .) 17.h6 g6
, and now 14 Bc5 is probably better than 18.b1 xf1 19.hxf1 f5 After this White
14.a3 e7 15.d4 of Anand-Morozevich, is clearly better perhaps Black should wait
San Luis 2005, when getting developed by a r o u n d w i t h ( 19...e7 ) 20.exf6 xf6
d7 followed by ...Nc4 might be a little 21.h4!? ( 21.c5! e7 22.fe1 ac8
more precise than 15...Qc7) 13...b6 23.a4 e4 24.e2 ) 21...e4 22.c5
( Wei Ming showed several Nijboer games xc5 23.xc5 f5 1/2-1/2. White stands
with 13...b7 14.hg1 with the idea Rg3- better here, for example, 24.f2 e5
h3, Qf2-h4, perhaps preceded by Bxh7+ ( 24...c8 25.g4 f7 26.b6 d7
and g5 ) 14.f2 c4 15.e4!? e7 27.e3 ) 25.e3 f7 26.e2 c4 27.g4
16.g5 dxe4 17.xc4 c7 18.b6 b8 f6 28.d4 xf4 29.xf4 xf4 30.xe6+
19.e2 b4 led to equality in Nijboer- f7 31.c6 e8 32.b3 e6 33.c5
Stellwagen, Leeuwarden 2002.; 1/ 2 -1 / 2 Rif f , J (2 50 5 )-Feller, S (2 5 76 )/
C) 11...b6 12.e2 (White plays Guingamp FRA 2010. ]
straightforwardly to put a knight on d4 this 12.b1 xd4 13.xd4 b5 14.xc5
isn't mentioned in W ei Ming's or Neil's [ 14.d3 has been the normal move, for
previous updates, where 12 h4 and 12 Qf2 example, b4 15.e2 a5 16.b5 ( 16.he1
a r e t h e m a i n m o v e s ) f6!? 13.ed4 a6 17.f5 xd3 18.xd3 exf5 19.f4!?
( 13.exf6 xf6 14.g3 ) 13...xd4 xd4 20.xd4 Radjabov, T (2735)-
14.xd4 e7 15.exf6 xf6 ( 15...xf6 Ivanchuk, V (2751), Morelia/Linares 2008.
16.d3 d7 ) 16.g3 e5 17.fxe5 xe5 White has with perhaps a slight positional
18.g2 b7 19.hf1 g6 20.f5! advantage, but Black can try to force the
( 20.e2 i s a l s o g o o d) 20...h8? p l a y b y , e . g . , fe8 21.xd5 c5
( 20...xf5 21.xd5+ h8 22.xb7 xf1 22.xb4!? axb4 23.xd7 f2 )
23.xa8 xe3 24.xe3 c4 25.xf1 16...xd4!? ( 16...a4 is natural and I
xc2+! 26.xc2 xe3+ 27.d3 xf1 suspect it improves) 17.xd4 b8?!
28.b7 a5 29.a4 xh2 30.c4 ( 17...c5 ) 18.f5! exf5 19.xf5 xf5
and W hit e is f a ste r) 21.xc5 xf5 20.xf5 e6 21.f3 a6 ( 21...xe5?

952
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

22.xd5 e7 23.f1 ) 22.xd5 xd5 threatening d5, but this will be difficult to
23.xd5 c7 24.c5 e6 25.c6 d4 win with so few pawns left. ]
26.b6 ac8 27.a4 and White stayed a 36...e2?
pawn up in Karjakin, S (2732)-Iljushin, A [ 36...h5 37.xa5 xh4 38.b4 g4
(2552), Dagomys 2008. ] 39.d7 xf4 , e.g., 40.xd5 xe6
14...xc5 41.xf6 h8 42.d1 xh2 ]
[ In an earlier game with Pruijssers as White, 37.a4 c8 38.d7 g7 39.a7 e8
B l a c k c h o s e t h e a l t e r n a t i ve r e c a p t u r e 40.c5+ h6 41.f7!?
14...xc5 , to which h e re plie d 15.f5!? [ 41.xa5! ]
( 15.e2 b7 16.d4 ac8 17.d3 41...xf4
offers some attacking chances) 15...exf5 [ 41...f5 ]
( 15...d7!? ) 16.xd5 a7 17.h4 e6 42.xf6 h5 43.f1 c8?! 44.b7
18.e2 fe8 19.f3 ac8 20.f4 a4 [ 44.e7 sh o u l d win f a ir l y e a s il y : e8
( 20...a5 ) 21.d4 c5 22.c1 a5 23.c4 ( 44...g7 45.f8 e8 46.e6 ) 45.f7 g5
b4 Pruijssers, R (2427)-Berelowitsch, A 46.d7! gxh4 47.xa5 ]
(2587), Haarlem 2007. The play is 44...g7 45.e1
balanced. ] [ 45.e7! c7 46.f7! will win. ]
15.xc5 xc5 16.d4 45...d4 46.xa5 d3 47.c4
[ 16.a3 b7 17.e2 fc8 18.hf1 c6 [ 47.e7 d2 ( 47...e8 48.c6 ) 48.d1 c7
19.f5 ab8 is typically double-edged, but 49.xd2 xe7 50.b4 ]
neither side has the firepower to do much 47...e8 48.e7 f5 49.d1
damage. ] [ 49.b4! ]
16...b7 17.e2 ac8 18.e1 c7 19.a4 49...xe7 50.xd3 e4 51.b5 xh4
Breaking up Black's pawns, but it doesn't 52.e5 e4
achieve much. bxa4 20.xa4 d7! 21.d3 [ 52...g7! Then a win, if any, will be
[ 21.c3 ] difficult. ]
21...a5 53.f3
[ 21...c6! 22.c3 a5 is fully equal. ] [ 53.c6! ]
22.b5 c6 53...g5! 54.c5 g4 55.d4 e7 56.b4
[ 22...c5 ] c8 57.c6 f4 58.b5 f2 59.e5
23.xc6 xc6 24.c4! c5? [ 59.d8 c2+ 60.b4 b6 61.e5 ]
[ 24...xc4 25.xc4 dxc4 26.d1 b8 59...c2+ 60.c4?
27.b6 c3 28.bxc3 favours White Black is [ 60.b4 b2+ 61.b3 g2! ]
a bit tied down. ] 60...xh2 61.d8 h5+ 62.b4 e7
25.cxd5 exd5 26.c1 b3 27.xc6 xd4 63.h8+ g6 64.xh5 xh5 65.c5 g3
28.d6 White has good winning chances. f6 66.e3 A close escape for Black.
29.e6 Not bad, but ½-½
[ 29.exf6! wins a pawn. Although Black gets
his king to the centre, he can't do much:
xf6 30.xf6 gxf6 31.c3 f7 32.xd5 1042 C11
e6 33.e3 ] Przedmojski,Rafal 2349
29...c8 30.c5 Vysochin,Spartak 2511
[ 30.g4 ] Open Polanica Zdroj POL (2) 18.08.2000
30...e8 31.b3 [Neil McDonald]
[ Or 31.g4! g6 32.a2 ]
31...g6 32.b2 h5 33.g3 h4 34.gxh4 g7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
35.a6 h6 36.a3 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5!
[ 36.f5!? xf5 ( 36...gxf5 37.c3 b5+ 9.dxc5
38.d3 ) 37.xa5 h5 38.b4 d4 39.b5 [ Here 9.e2 turned out badly in Muth-
xe6 40.d7! xh4 41.b6 and White can Vrana. ]
hold his b-pawn while picking up f6 and [ Meanwhile 9.d3 helps Black expand on

953
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

the queenside: b4 10.d1 b6 11.f2 a5 xc6 25.d4 ca6 26.a4?

12.0-0 a6 13.xa6 xa6 14.c3 e7 [ Necessary was 26.g2 as after the game
15.f5!? exf5 16.f4 cxd4 17.cxd4 0-0 move White collapses on the kingside. ]
18.h1 d8 19.e3 e7 and Black 26...f2+! 27.g2 xg4 28.g3 h5 29.f5
e v e n t u a l l y wo n a f t e r a sh a rp t u s s le i n exf5 30.xf5 c7 31.h3 xc2+ 32.g1
Shaposhnikov-Volkov, Samara 2000. ] xe5 33.e1 g6 34.e8+ h7 35.d4
9...xc5 10.xc5 xc5 11.f2 b6 c1+ 36.f2 f6+ 37.e2 ff1 38.f3 f6
[ Very interesting is 11...a4!? for example 0-1
12.xa4 bxa4 13.d3 a5+ 14.e2?
( 14.d2! b6 15.c3 intending Qf2 seems
to give W hite the advantage.) 14...b4 1043 C11
15.d4 0-0 16.a3 xd3 17.cxd3 b8 Radjabov,Teimour 2735
18.e3 f6 and although White eventually Ivanchuk,Vassily 2751
won in Czebe-Jurkovic, Budapest 1999, I Morelia (5) 20.02.2008
wouldn't want my king centralised on e3 at [Richard Palliser]
this point in the game! ]
[ Also possible is 11...e7 as played GM 1.e4 c5 2.f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.xd4 c6
Summerscale. Then 12.d3 b4 13.d1 5.c3 a6 6.e3 f6 7.f4 Having previously
bxd3+ 14.cxd3 b4 15.e2 a5 been employed by Motylev and Lutz, this
A) M u c h m o r e n a t u r a l w a s 16.ed4 recommendation of John Emms' (from
a6!? 17.e3! but not ( 17.c6 xd3+! 'Dangerous W eapons: The Sicilian') finally
18.xd3 c7 which looks good for receives a top-level test. d5
Black. ); [ Taking play into French-like waters. For the
B) 16.fd4?! a6 17.c1 ( Here 17.c6 main line 7...b4 please see both Motylev-
runs into xd3+!? 18.xd3 c7 but; Potkin, Russian Team Championship 2007,
17.e3 would be a solid move.) 17...c8 and the notes to Spoelman-Movsesian, Wijk
and Black was well on top in C.Cobb- aan Zee 2008, in the Archive. ]
Summerscale, MSO 2000. ] [ I should also mention the recent encounter
12.d3 b4 13.e2 a5 14.0-0 a6 15.h1 De la Villa Garcia-Savchenko, Cappelle la
e7 16.fd1 Grande 2008: 7...d6 8.f3 e5 ( this 'looks
[ Instead 16.g3 g6 17.e2 b8 18.xa6 a bit out of place' according to Emms who
xa6 19.ed4 c5 as in Lutz-Glek, mainly focuses on 8...c7 in this particular
Germany 1995, is unclear. ] position ) 9.xc6 bxc6
16...h6 Black prepares to castle kingside A) Emms prefers 10.f5!? when his a5
whilst avoiding the Greek Gift ( 10...d5!? is more critical, but I think that
[ 16...0-0? 17.xh7+! xh7 18.h4+ g8 White is doing well after 11.exd5 cxd5
19.g5 with a dangerous attack for White. ] 12.0-0-0 e4 13.g3 , not least because
17.b3?! o f t h e l i n e xf5?! 14.xd5! xd5
[ More natural was 17.ed4 though after 0-0 15.c4 , regaining the piece with interest)
I can't see any problems for Black, who 11.c4 b8 12.b3 d5 13.d2
has already made a lot of progress on the certainly looks a little better for White;
queenside. ] B) 10.c4 e7 1/2-1/2. A rather
17...0-0 18.fd4 fc8 19.g4?! premature halt to a game which was just
This is W hite's idea: a direct pawn storm beginning to look quite interesting. Once
against the Black king. Unfortunately for him again 11.f5 is an option, ( and I'd also
the central situation isn't stable enough to prefer to be White after 11.0-0-0!? g4
justify this advance. e4! 20.e3 c6 12.g3 xd1 13.xg7 f8 14.xd1 . )]
21.xa6 xa6 22.d3 a7 23.xc6 8.e5 d7 9.d2
W hite surrenders into a bad endgame, but [ Radjabov elects to transpose to the French!
otherwise Black would increase the pressure Fo r t h e in d e p e n d e n t a p p ro a ch , 9.g4!?
on the c file with Rac7, etc. xe3 24.xe3 , do see the aforementioned 'Dangerous

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Weapons' book. ]
9...c5 10.0-0-0 0-0 We have reached a
position which more usually arises via the
move order 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e5
Nfd7 5 f4 c5 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Be3 cxd4 8 Nxd4
Bc5 9 Qd2 0-0 10 0-0-0 a6 (ECO code C11). I
should probably leave Neil to cover it, but will
make a stab at coverage myself, not least
because this unusual transposition might well
be new to many readers. 11.f2 Kramnik's
plan and one which remains quite popular.
e7
[ Morozevich's preference. Neil, however,
feels that Black's best approach is 11...xd4
12.xd4 b5 (see the games Hertneck-
Knaak, Bundesliga 2005, Shirov-Radjabov,
Leon (rapid) 2004, and Karjakin-Stellwagen,
Wijk aan Zee 2005, in the Archive). ]
12.b1!?
[ Not a novelty, but a move which hasn't
(yet!) been covered in the French section.
Instead 12.d3 was examined by Neil in the
ga m e J a k o ve nko -Mo ro ze vich , Ru ssia n
Championship 2007. ]
12...xd4 13.xd4 b5 This position should
obviously be closely compared with the one
which arises after 11...Bxd4 12 Bxd4 b5. It's
not clear to me that Black's queen has to then
go to e7, but then neither do I feel that Black
has too many problems here. Indeed, he
appears to have sufficient play on the
queenside to maintain the balance. 14.d3
b4 15.e2
[ The knight might also go the other way and
15.a4!? xd4 16.xd4 b7
( m o r e l o g i c a l m i g h t w e l l b e 16...a5!?
, followed by either .. .Ba6 or ...Bb7-c6)
17.f5! exf5 18.xf5 xe5 19.he1 f6
20.c5 h8 21.h4 h6 22.d3
saw White regain his pawn with advantage
in L'Ami-Esen, Istanbul 2005. ]
15...a5!?
[ Ivanchuk doesn't want to waste any time on
the queenside, and this also allows him to
trade off his traditionally bad bishop.
Pre viou sly B la ck h ad pref erre d 15...b7
and 16.he1 ( 16.h4!? is another
possibility) 16...a5 17.f5 exf5 18.xf5
xd4 19.xd4 c5 20.e3 g6
was probably OK for him in E.Berg-Ni Hua,
Gibraltar 2008, although I'd slightly prefer
to play White here. ]
16.he1 a6 17.f5! Very logical play from
Radjabov, but Ivanchuk is in time to make a
couple of exchanges. xd3 18.xd3 exf5
19.f4
[ Radjabov wants to pressurize the d5-pawn.
White might also recapture with 19.xf5!?
and perhaps this was a better try for a pull:
f o r e x a m p l e , xd4 ( 19...ac8 20.f4
looks like an edge,; but perhaps Black can
g e t a w a y w i t h 19...g6 20.f2 xd4
21.xd4 ac8 ) 20.xd4 ae8 21.dd1!
c5 22.b5 f6 23.xd5 fxe5 24.g4
and W hite is slightly for choice, albeit in
quite a complex position. ]
19...xd4 20.xd4 f6 21.f1
[ As White never gets anywhere in the game,
I wonder whether 21.ed1!? wasn't a better
try, angling for g4 ( 21...e4!? 22.xd5
g5 is a more ambitious alternative)
22.xd5 xe5 23.h3 xd4 24.xd4 f2
25.e7+ h8 26.f1 fe8 27.d7 e4
28.xf5 f6 29.c7 a6 when White
retains some pressure. ]
21...d7 22.e1 f6 23.f1
[ Repeating before capturing on d5 was
certainly a better try than 23.xd5 xd5
24.xd5 fd8 with full equality. ]
23...d7 24.xd5 xe5 25.xf5 xd4
26.e7+ h8 27.xd4 At first I thought that
Black might be under a bit of pressure here
(W hite's forces are the more active and a5
might become weak), but Ivanchuk now held
without difficulty: g6! 28.b5 f6 29.c6
fe8 Now the open e-file grants Black
counterplay. 30.b3 e2 31.xa5 xg2
32.h4 g4 33.c4?!
[ Bottling out and now it's a draw. More
consistent with Radjabov's active play so far
would have been 33.dxb4 e3 34.c5!
when anything might happen, but White is
surely a little better placed: his a-pawn can
quickly become mobile, and Black cannot
easily win the h4-pawn. White might hopefor
g7 35.a4 xc2 36.xc2 g1+ 37.c1
xc1+ 38.xc1 xa5 39.b5 a7 40.a5
when his pawns look the faster, h6 41.b4
f5 42.b6 h5 43.a6 f4 44.b5 f3!
45.d2! ( 45.f6 I think that Black is still in
time to draw here: g4 46.d2 g3
47.b6 xa6 48.b7 xf6 49.b8+ xh4
955
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

50.e5 f5 and Black has a fortress.) [ 19...b4 ]

45...f7 ( 45...xh4 46.b7 a8 47.f7 20.h3 b4 21.cxb4 axb4 22.h5!
g3 48.a7 f2 49.b6 g2 50.b7 xa7 An exciting race between attacks. Black's is
51.xf2+ xf2 52.b8 d7+ 53.c2 f7 faster, but he has to be very caref ul. c4
54.h2+ f3 55.h3+ f2 56.d2 23.f3 exf5?
seems to win) 46.e1 e7+ 47.f1 xh4 [ 23...c5! 24.f6! xd4 25.xd4 fc8
48.f6 g3 49.b6 e2 50.b7 b2 is unclear, probably better for Black,
51.e1 f2+ 52.f1 b1+ 53.e2 b2+ especially since 26.h3 ( 26.xe4? dxe4
54.e3 b3+ 55.d2 and wins. ] hits d4 with check.) 26...h6 27.fxg7 c1+
33...g1+ 34.b2 f2 Now Black's active 28.g2 b5! counterattacks just in time:
pieces combine to force perpetual. 35.xb4 29.he3 1c2 ]
d1+ 36.b1 c3+ 37.b2 d1+ 38.b1 24.gxf5
½-½ [ 24.xf5 c5 25.xc5 xc5 26.xg7!?
xg7 27.xe4 dxe4 28.g5+= ]
24...c5!?
1044 C11 [ 24...g5 25.xg5 xd4 may hold. ]
Rasmussen,A 2499 25.h3 h6?
Andersen,Mad 2476 [ 25...g5! 26.xg5 xd4 27.xd4 xd4
29th ECC Open 2013 (5.21) 24.10.2013 28.h5 h6 29.g2 c6 30.xg7+ h8!
[John Watson] 31.h1 c4 32.g1! d4+ 33.f3 ]
26.xh6??
In this game, Black uses the 6...Be7 game to [ 26.g2! wins outright, e.g., f6 27.xh6
implement a ...b6 plan. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 c1+ 28.xc1 xd4+ 29.h1 f2+
3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 5.f4 c5 6.f3 e7 30.xf2 gxh6 31.g2+ f7 ( 31...h8
7.e3 0-0 8.d2 b6 Keeping the knight on 32.g6 ) 32.e6+ ]
b8 supports ...Ba6, swapping off Black's bad 26...gxh6 27.g2+ g5 28.xh6
bishop for White's good one. This takes time, [ 28.xg5 xf5! 29.xh6+ g6 ]
of course. 9.e2 White wisely foregoes 28...f6 29.exf6 xd4
[ 9.0-0-0 , played in this month's game Saric- [ 29...xd4 30.xg5+ f7 31.g7+
Svane. ] ( 31.xd4 e8 ) 31...e8 32.xd7 xe3+ ]
[ 9.f2 a6 ( 9...c6 ) 10.xa6 xa6 0-1
11.0-0 is a solid approach. ]
9...a6
[ 9...c6 10.0-0 b7 is more conservative, 1045 C11
as in this game from July: 11.ad1 c8 Resika,Nathan A 2203
12.h1 f6 13.dxc5 xc5 14.exf6 xf6= Schneider Zinner,Harald 2329
Giri, A (2734)-Morozevich, A (2736), Beijing FSIMB Budapest HUN (7) 10.08.2001
2013. ] [Neil McDonald]
10.0-0
[ Or 10.xa6 xa6 11.0-0 with space and 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
chances of achieving f5, when b4 12.a3 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c6 is dynamically balanced. ] c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.h4 xd4
10...xe2 11.xe2 c6 12.c3 c8 13.g4!? 12.xd4 b5 13.h5
Loosening. cxd4 14.exd4?! [ After 13.h3 b4 14.a4 xd4 15.xd4
[ 14.cxd4 f6 15.h3 e8 16.ac1= f6!? now seems the critical variation. ]
improves. ] 13...b4 14.a4
14...c5 15.f5 e4 16.g2 d7 [ Instead 14.e2 was unsuccessful in
[ 16...c5 ] Topalov-Morozevich. ]
17.ae1 xd4!? 18.xd4 b5!? 14...xd4 15.xd4 a5 Black decides to
[ 18...c5 ] consolidate his queenside, but he could have
19.e2 a5 A touch slow. tried

956
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 15...f6!? This move seems OK after 13
Rh3 in the first note above- so we have to
consider what difference it makes with a
white pawn on h5 rather than rook on h3. It
may favour Black e.g. 16.h6 g6 and Black's
king seems secure whilst the white centre
is becoming loose. ]
16.b5 This plan of preventing Ba6 is well
known from the 13 Rh3 line. b8
[ Not 16...a6? 17.xd7 xd7 18.b6 ]
17.d3 b6! 18.c5 d7 19.h6 g6
20.a4 Giving Black the pleasant choice
between forcing a draw by repetition after 20...
Nb6 21 Nc5 Nd7 o r p layin g t o win . b7!?
21.f5? A valiant attempt to breakthrough and
win but it proves unsound. In any case White
looks worse after
[ 21.b5 a8 etc. in view of the awkward
position of the knight on a4. ]
21...exf5 22.b5 a8! 23.e6 f6 24.e7
xe7 25.c5 h5! White's clever idea was
[ 25...xb5? 26.d7! xd7?! 27.xf6
and mate follows. ]
26.xh5 f6 White is temporarily a piece up
but is bound to emerge a couple of pawns
down as both the rook and bishop are hanging.
Rather than submit to this White prefers to go
down in a blaze of glory. 27.d3 bc8
28.xf5 xc5 29.xg6 hxg6 30.h7+ h8
0-1
1046 C11
Riff,Jean Noel 2505
Feller,Sebastien 2576
TOP 16 Guingamp FRA (9) 04.06.2010
[John Watson]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2 xd4
12.xd4 b5
[ 12...xd4 13.xd4 b5 14.b1 b7
15.h4 c8 16.h5 h6 17.d3 c5 18.e2
c7 19.g4 , and whether or not Black goes
int o a n e ndgam e o r n ot, W hit e h as th e
better chances, if nothing else because
Bla c k's bis h op o n b 7 is rest rict e d b y a
White piece on d4. ]
13.e3 In view of Black's dark-square
weaknesses, this piece is useful to retain.
This position has arisen 70 times in Megabase
2010, and more times since. b4 The most
popular move by a wide margin.
[ 13...b7 ]
[ and 13...a5 are the main alternatives. ]
14.a4
[ A fairly recent example of 14.e2 a5
15.d4 xd4 16.xd4 a6 17.b1 c7
went 18.c1 ( 18.h4 and; 18.xa6
had been played) 18...fc8 ( 18...a4!? )
19.c3 b7 20.xa6 xa6 21.f1 b7
22.cxb4 xc1+ 23.xc1 axb4 24.b3 b8
( 24...c8 25.d2 c6 26.c1 xc1+
27.xc1 a6 ) 25.d2 c6 26.c5 a6
with equal chances, Alonso, S (2441)-Orsini,
A (2352)/La Plata 2009. ]
14...a5
[ White controls more dark squares after
14...f6 15.exf6 ( or 15.b6 b8 16.xc8
xc8 17.exf6 xf6 18.g3 c7 19.h3
of Michie lsen-Bran denb urg, Gron inge n
2005 ) 15...xf6 16.b6 e4 17.e1 f6
18.g3 f7 19.g2 with a clear advantage
(bishop pair and dark squares) Shomoev, A-
Iljushin, A, Krasnoyarsk 2003. ]
15.h4 The most popular move. a6 16.h5
c7
[ a) 16...h6 17.xa6 xa6 18.g4
doesn't leave Black much counterplay, while
White prepares Rdg1 and g5, . ]
[ b) A widely published game Cheparinov, I
(2625)-Stellwagen, D (2573)/Wijk aan Zee
2006 went 16...xf1 17.hxf1 f6 18.h6!?
( 18.exf6 ) 18...g6?! ( 18...fxe5 19.hxg7 f7
20.e2 xg7 21.fxe5 is Finkel's analysis
Black looks to be in reasonably good shape
after cxe5 22.c5 g6 ) 19.exf6 xf6
20.e2 ( 20.f3 e4? 21.c5! ) 20...e4
21.b5!? , and here Finkel suggests c7
22.g4 ac8 23.d3 e7 'depriving White
a chance to push f5.' Nevertheless, White
ha s d ark squa re p ro sp e cts a n d s t a n d s
better. ]
17.h6 g6 18.b1
[ 18.b6 xb6 19.xb6 d7 is perhaps
not much, but it's easier for White to play:
20.c5 fc8 21.b1 xf1 22.hxf1 a7?
( 22...a4 ) 23.g4 ( or 23.f5! exf5 24.g4!
, a theme to remember) 23...b5 24.f5
ab8 25.fxg6 fxg6 26.d3 d4 27.f3 d8
28.f7 xc5 29.g7+ h8 30.f7
957
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
( 30.g8+! ) 30...a3+ 31.bxa3 bxa3+
32.a1 1-0 Koepke, C (2330)-Zueger, B
(2400), Germany 2008. A nice example of
what Black need avoid. ]
18...xf1
[ 18...fc8 19.c1 cb8 20.b3 xf1
21.hxf1 a6 22.g4 c6 23.d4 d8
24.f5! e7 25.f4 a6! 26.f2 c7
27.cf1 b5 with a dynamically balance
position, Luther, T (2536) -Drozdovskij, Y
(2607), Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 2009. ]
19.hxf1 f5 After this White has a free hand
perhaps Black should wait around with
[ 19...e7 ]
[ The alternative 19...a7 is slightly risky:
20.b6 ( 20.f5! looks like fun) 20...xb6
21.xb6 b7 22.xa7 xa7
A) 23.f5!? exf5 ( 23...c8 24.fxg6 fxg6
25.d3 a4 26.f3 e7 27.b6
e xe rt s p re ssu r e o n B l a ck's p o s it io n .)
24.g4!;
B) 23.g4 e7 ( 23...a4!? 24.f5 b8
25.fxg6 fxg6 ) 24.f5 c7 25.fxg6 fxg6
26.b6 fc8 27.d2 a4 28.df2 a3!
29.b3 c6 (now Black is fine neither side
can break through) 30.d4 c5 31.f4
6c7 32.g5 d7 33.f6 e8 34.f4 d4
35.f3 c8 36.f4 e8 37.f3 c8
38.1f2 e8 39.e4 c8 40.d3?
1 / 2 -1 / 2 G u re vich , V (2 4 4 5 )-K ip p e r, J
(2368), Germany 2006. ( 40.d3? f7!
41.df3 f5! 42.xf5 gxf5 43.b7 c7
and Black has good chances. )]
20.exf6
[ A more conservative approach was 20.c1
b7 21.fd1 ac8 22.d3 d8 23.b3
f7 24.h4 c6 25.d4 fc8 26.d2
8c7 Ragger, M (2528)-Stellwagen, D
(2639), Yerevan 2007. Here White could go
for it without much risk by 27.g4 , e.g., fxg4
( 27...f8 28.gxf5 exf5 29.e6! ) 28.h2
intending Qxg4. Then Black will be tied to
defence, but whether White can engineer a
break is unclear. ]
20...xf6 21.h4!?
[ 21.c5! is a better way to increase the
pressure, e.g., e7 22.fe1 (intending
Bd4) ac8 23.a4 e4 24.e2 c7
25.c5 xc5 26.xc5 fe8 27.g4 , etc. ]
21...e4 22.c5 xc5 23.xc5 f5
The game was drawn here (1/2-1/2). W hite
still stands better, for example, 24.f2 e5
[ 24...c8 25.g4 f7 26.b6 d7 27.e3 ]
25.e3 f7 26.e2 c4 27.g4 f6
28.d4 xf4 29.xf4 xf4 30.xe6+ f7
31.c6 e8 32.b3 e6 33.c5
and the attack is breaking through.
½-½
1047 C11
Rodriguez Guerrero,Enrique 2468
Cruz,C 2531
LIII TCh-ESP CECLUB Gp2 (3) 18.09.2009
[Goh Wei Ming, Kevin]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 cxd4
9.xd4 c5 10.0-0-0 0-0 11.f2 xd4
[ 11...xd4 12.xd4 b6!? This is normally
seen after 11.Nb3 instead and was very
r a r e l y p l a y e d . ( T h e n o r m a l 12...c7
has been covered by ChessPub with
fantastic statistics for White. )
A) 13.d3?! is the normal move in this
Qf2 line but it somehow doesn't quite work
in this variant. Here, we see a top player
ge t o u t p la ye d b y a m u ch lo we r ra t e d
player: f6 14.h4 g6 15.xc5 ( 15.e2
fxe5 16.xd8 xd8 17.fxe5 xd4
18.xd4 xe5 19.he1 xd3+ 20.xd3
e8 was about equal in Teran Alvarez-
Larina Nieto, Seville 2004. White's active
ro o ks ju s t a b o u t c o m p e n s a t e f o r t h e
pawn. ) 15...bxc5 16.exf6 xf6
with the pawn on b6, White was forced to
open the b-file for Black which makes it
much easier for him to conduct an attack.
17.g4 I can understand Caruana's desire
to hack at Black's Kingside but as it
doesn't seem to work against this
particular set up, maybe he should have
re in ed it in wit h a mo ve like 1 7 .Rh e 1
instead. c7 ( 17...b8 followed by 18...
Q b 6 a l s o l o o k s g o o d .) 18.g5
This, together with White's next move was
White's plan all along but it just blunders a
pawn. e8 19.f5 gxf5? I'm a bit
confused here. ( Doesn't 19...c4! 20.e2
xf5 just wins a pawn?) 20.hg1 g7
21.f2 c4 22.e2 b8! and Black
eventually won in Caruana, F (2649)-
958
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Larino Nieto, D (2464)/Zafra ESP 2009/
(54);
B) 13.g3 The frustrating thing about this
line with Black is that White has so many
different plans. Here, White was not going
for the tried and proven plan of Bd3 and
Qh4 but instead was angling for another
thematic plan, the f5 push. c7 14.h3
b5 15.he1 b4 16.e2 a5 17.f5 exf5
18.f4! White's main idea of the f5-push is
normally to weaken the d5 pawn and it
makes sense to apply the squeeze
straightaway. ( Recapturing the pawn with
18.xf5 xd4 19.xd4 xe5 20.b5
e7 21.xd5 f6 would have given Black
a tremendous Knight in the centre of the
park. ) 18...xd4 19.xd4?! Slightly
i n a c c u r a t e . ( Maybe White missed the
pretty tactic 19.xd4! b6 20.e6! fxe6
21.xe6! xe6 22.xe6 a7 23.xf8
xf8 24.g2! when White has broken
through with a slightly more comfortable
m a j o r p i e c e s e n d g a m e a f t e r c7!
25.xd5+ xd5 26.xd5+ h8
This is probably drawn with best play but
W hite definitely is on the sunny side.)
19...b6 20.h5?! The idea of Qf2-f4-g5
and mate was noble but maybe
Dominguez overlooked Black's typical, but
nonetheless very strong attacking idea: b3!
21.axb3 a4 Opening up the a-file! Similar
m o t if s c a n b e s e e n f r o m t h e S i c il i a n
De f e n c e . I t i s q u i t e a s t o n i s h i n g h o w
devastating Black's attack was when it
didn't look too threatening from an optical
perspective. 22.bxa4? This gave Black a
great chance to finish his highly rated
opponent. ( 22.xf5 axb3 23.f6+ h8!
24.xh7 a1+ 25.d2 c4+! 26.xc4
dxc4 27.xa1 xe5 was winning for
Black but it rep resen ted W hite's best
chance. )
B1) 22...xa4! would have given White
a lot to think about. For example,
23.xd5 ( 23.g2 e6! 24.xd5 xd5
25.xd5 b6! ) 23...c3!! 24.d4
( 24.bxc3 xc3 25.d1 a1+ 26.e2
a6+! ) 24...a1+ 25.d2 e4+
26.dxe4 a5+! 27.c3 fxe4-+;
B2) 22...xa4? Letting White off the
hook. 23.xa4 xa4 24.d4 c5
Black was still obviously better but the
proverbial fitting end didn't arrive and he
sa d ly b lu n d e re d a f e w m o ve s la t e r:
25.b1 e6 26.e3 e4 ( 26...a5! )
27.a3 c8 28.c3 b7 ( 28...c4
29.xc4 d2+ 30.c1 xc4 ) 29.f1
b8 30.b4 h6 31.b2 c8?? 32.a6
Black played the game of his life and it
must have been a heart-breaking defeat
in Dominguez Perez, L (2716)-Munoz, L
(2391)/ Mendes BRA 2009.;
C) P u s h i n g t h e h - p a w n w i t h 13.h4!?
is also one trustworthy plan in this line of
the Steinitz. b7 14.h5 c8 ( 14...h6
was worth considering, as the natural
15.g4 can be met by f6! 16.exf6 xf6!
with decent chances for Black. )
C1) 15.h6!? g6 16.b1 is an idea.
W hite can p rep are an a tta ck on th e
weakened dark squares on the Kingside
in future. ( Again, 16.g4?! can be met by
f6! );
C2) 15.b1 b5 16.d3 f6 17.h6 g6
18.xc5 xc5 19.g3 c7?
This was too passive and allowed a
s u r p r i s i n g b l o w . ( The slightly
paradoxical 19...xd3! 20.xd3 fxe5
21.fxe5 c7 was actually pretty decent
for Black. It might seem that Black is
suffering from the bad bishop syndrome
but a closer look will indicate that the
weak e5 pawn will become an attractive
target f or Black. If anything, I prefer
Black's activity and I can imagine his
next few moves would be ...Rf5 followed
b y d o u b l i n g r o o k s o n t h e f - f i l e .)
20.he1? ( 20.xg6!! is a surprising
t a c t i c a s t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n hxg6
21.xg6+ h8 22.exf6 f7 23.g7+!!
xg7 24.hxg7+ g8 25.h8+ f7
26.g8+ xg8 27.h7++- is not an
easy one to see from move 20. A really
pretty tactic there.) 20...f5? After this,
Black got what she wanted, an extremely
poor bishop! ( Like it or not, Black surely
had to try 20...b4 21.e2 fxe5 22.fxe5
e4 gaining some counterplay.) 21.e2
a4 22.e3 b4 23.d4 a5 24.c1
c6 25.b3 b6 26.c3! and White
seized the advantage and eventually
won quite comfortably in Zhang, J (2292)-
959
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
Tairova, E (2415)/Yerevan 20064 ext
(1-0 in 50);
D) 13.b1 b7 14.e2 c8 15.hf1
c7 16.d3 b5 Black has developed his
pieces smoothly and appears to be
comfortably placed. To cause problems,
White must go for the f5 push as quickly
as p o ss ible . 17.e2 b4 18.e3 a5
( In view of what happened in the game,
Black might want to consider the
prophylactic 18...fe8!? , delaying the f5
push for a while.) 19.f5! As advertised,
I've noticed most players often panic when
they see this move and quite often
collapse soon after. exf5? true enough,
B l a c k i m m e d i a t e l y e r r e d ! ( 19...xd4
20.xd4 xe5 21.h3! was White's
clever idea in sacrificing the e5 pawn and
his attack certainly seems dangerous. Play
c a n c o n t i n u e c5 22.fxe6 xd3
23.xd3 fxe6 24.fe1! followed by
capturing on e6 with a def inite edge.)
20.xf5 xd4 21.xd4 g6? 22.h6!?
( 22.e6! wins on the spot.) 22...ce8
23.xd7 xd7 24.de1 White had an
enormous positional advantage and he
not surprisingly converted the win (though
not before nearly butchering it by
blundering a pawn!) in David, A (2565)-
Antic, D (2523)/ Paleohora GRE 2009 (1-0
in 36 moves) ]
12.xd4 b5 13.e3 Retaining the dark
square bishop with the hope of exploiting the
weaknesses left behind by the departure of
Black's dark square bishop is known to be
White's best chance in this line.
[ In c o nt ra s t , 13.d3 doesn't make much
sense. Black is able to get in some
automatic moves quickly with b4 14.e2
( 14.a4 xd4 15.xd4 a5 16.b3 b7 )
14...a5 15.b1 a6 16.h4 Kharitonov-
Iliushin, Krasnoyarsk ch-Rus and here,
Black should have played xd3! 17.xd3
xd4! 18.xd4 e7! with the idea of a5-a4-
a3 and ... Nc5-e4 ]
[ 13.h4!?N was played in a recent game
between 2 famous GMs: b4 14.a4 xd4
15.xd4 b8 I like Black's chances here.
The Knight on a4 helps Black to develop his
attack. Black's next few moves would be ...
Q a 5 f o l l o we d b y . . . B b 7 - c 6 , h i t t i n g t h e
offside knight. 16.d3 a5 17.b3 b7
18.b1 c6 19.b2 c5! Black was
certainly not worse here. 20.e1 ( 20.h5
h6! 21.g4?! f6! is a recurring motif that
everyone should be used to by now.) 20...a5
21.h5 a4 ( 21...h6 22.g4 f6 was again ok
for Black.; Perhaps, Black should try 21...f6!?
where Black's compensation after 22.exf6
xf6 23.xe6 d7 24.e1 be8!
l o o k s g o o d .) 22.f5 h8?! ( 22...a3
is risky: where 23.f6! is very interesting and
I'm not sure what the correct result would
turn out to be. Black can try gxf6 24.exf6
h8 25.e3! and incredibly, Black loses
after xf6 26.e5 e7 27.f1!; 22...axb3
23.cxb3 h8!? ) 23.bxa4 f6 24.exf6 xf6
25.xe6 1-0 Quezada Perez, Y (2580) -
Ehlvest, J (2581)/Merida MEX 2008/ (1-0 in
57) ]
13...b4 14.a4
[ 14.e2 is seldom a good idea after a move
like ...b5-b4: a5 15.d4 xd4 16.xd4
a6 and Black had no problems in Shirov-
Radjabov, Leon 2004. ]
14...a5 15.b1
[ 15.h4 a6 16.h5 c7 ( 16...h6!? 17.g4
xf1 18.hxf1 c7 ) 17.h6 g6 18.b1
xf1 19.hxf1 f5 Ragger-Stellwagen,
Yereva n 2 007 an d h ere , inst ead of th e
insipid 20.Rc1, W hite should have played
20.exf6! xf6 21.c5 d6 22.e2
with a slight edge for White. ]
15...a6 16.xa6 xa6 At first glance, it
appears that Black's initiative on the
Queenside was stymied and it was White who
was going to launch an attack on Black's King
instead. Black's next few moves illustrated
som e imp ort an t a tta cking idea s a nd it is
important to take note of the key manoeuvres
(especially ...Na7-b5) as they can be applied
in similar positions. 17.he1
[ Maybe White should have went for it by
playing 17.h4!? For example, e7 18.h5
h6 19.g4 c7 20.dg1 c8 21.h2 c6
22.hg2 is unclear. ]
17...c7 18.d3 c8 19.g4 a7! 20.e2
b5 21.d4 c6 Black had attained a dream
position: no bad bishop, and a wonderful
attack! 22.dd2 c4 23.b3 xd4!
Maybe this was unnecessary but I love this
exchange sacrifice. Black's knight was ideally
960
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

p la c e d t o e xp lo it a l l t h o s e d a rk squ a re s 14...b4 here: 15.a3!? xd3 16.xd3

around White's King and White's rooks were and the exchange of pieces has clarified
made to look incredibly stupid. 24.xd4 c5! White's advantage: Black no longer has a
exchanging a key defender. 25.xc5 xc5 knight to fight for the centre dark squares. ]
26.d3 c6! Classy. 15.b5 c5 If Black want ed to justify his
[ I would probably have rushed to win back previous move, then a sharp tactical line was
the exchange with 26...c3+ 27.xc3 xc3 the way to do it:
but the position would be too simplified and [ 15...xe5 16.xe5 xe5 17.xe5 g4!?
not nearly as fun as the text. ] hitting f2 as well as the white queen.
27.f5 a4 28.f6 axb3 29.axb3 c3+ A) Or 18.g3 c5! 19.xg4 xb5
30.c1? 20.xe6 xd3 21.xe8 ( if 21.cxd3 c8!
[ 30.xc3 xc3 31.e3 gxf6 32.xc3 22.fe1 xe6 with Rxf2 to follow.)
xc3 33.exf6 f3 34.g5 h6! ] 21...xe8 22.cxd3 xf2! and Black
30...a6! 31.d2 a2 32.e3 b1 33.e1 regains his pawn with the better game.;
e4+ 34.e2 xc2+ 35.f1 xh2-+ B) 18.h5 xf2+ 19.xf2 xf2
36.f3 d2+ 37.xd2 xd2 38.fxg7 c3 and White doesn't seem to have anything
39.f6 d3+ 40.e2 f3+ 41.xf3 xf3+ bet te r tha n a dra w by re pe titio n af te r
42.g2 xb3 20.xh7+ f8 21.h8+ f7 22.h5+
0-1 f8 23.h8+ ]
16.g3 d4?? As so often, positional
confusion is followed by a tactical blunder.
1048 C11 17.xd4 xd4 18.xd7 xd7
Rogers,Ian 2569 [ E v e n w o r s e i s 18...xd7 19.b5
Witt,Rob 2292 and the exchange is lost. ]
ACT Open Amsterdam NED (1) 16.07.2005 19.xh7+! xh7 20.d3+ g8 21.xd4
[Neil McDonald] White has a sound extra pawn and in Rogers'
capable hands there can only be one result.
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 a6 22.f3 f6 23.f2 c8 24.fe2 c6
5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 c6 7.f4 xc5 8.d3 f6 25.c3 f7 26.h3 e8 27.e5 d7 28.g4
9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 0-0 11.e5 d7 c5 29.e3 d7 30.d4 f6 31.h4 d7
12.e2 e7 13.ae1 ae8 14.h1!? 32.f4 e7 33.xe7 xe7 34.f5 f8
White prepares f2-f4 in some lines to increase 35.e5 f7 36.fxe6+ exe6 37.f1+ f6
the press ure on th e cent re. Also, f rom a 38.ef5
defensive perspective it is useful to break the 1-0
pin on the f2 pawn by Black's dark squared
bishop.
[ 14.a3 a6 15.g3 xe5 16.xe5 c6 1049 C11
and here 17.b4?! was the start of a bad Sadowski,Marek 2500
plan in Scheider-Ulibin on ChessPub. Johansson,Thomas 2493
( Instead 17.h1 is similar to Rogers' CL/2012/B2 ICCF 29.03.2013
idea. )] [Thomas Johansson]
14...d4 Ian Rogers has had some quick
draws against impressive opponents here, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
who seem to prefer the waiting 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 0-0
[ 14...a6!? f o r e x a m p l e 15.a3 ( 15.g3 9.dxc5 xc5 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2
xe5 16.xe5 c6 17.a3 - Rogers,I- [ 11.b1 is Verhoef-Johansson, and ]
Psakhis,L/W ijk aan Zee 1997.) 15...d4 [ 11.f5 is Eberl-Johnansson. ]
16.d1 xe5 17.xe5 xe5 18.xe5 11...b6! Anchoring the knight in the middle
g4 19.h5 f6 20.e5 g4 21.h5 in s t e a d o f 1 1 . . . Q a 5 . I p l a ye d t h i s p a r t l y
- Rogers,I-Glek,I/ BL9596 1996. ] because I came to like it and partly because
[ No one has been queuing up to play there were a couple of lines after the Qa5-

961
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
recommendation, that I didn't agree with.
Since the game was quickly drawn, I thought I
could spend some of the space on the theory
instead.
[ 11...a5 12.b1 d7 13.f5!? ( 13.h4
fc8 14.h5 a7!? (/\...Nb5) - The Modern
French, does seem like a good idea. )
A) 13...a4!? 14.xa4 ( 14.f6 xc3+?
15.bxc3 ) 14...xa4 15.f6 gxf6 16.h6
h8 17.exf6 xf6 18.xf8 xf8
19.d3;
B) 13...f6? By the way, I see that I was a
bit conf used by the annotation "?!" in
TMF(p263), considering that they end at
move 20 with "|^" after Black's Kh8 - so,
did they mean "!?" instead? 14.exf6 xf6
15.fxe6 xe6 16.xd5 xd5 ( 16...e4?
17.e1 xd5 18.xa5 xa5
19.xd5+- Bishop pair and a pawn more.)
17.xd5 b4 18.c4 xd5 19.xd5+
( 19.d1 h8 ) 19...e6 ( 19...h8
20.d4 d3 21.e2 xd5 22.xf6
xf6 23.xd3 xd3 24.cxd3 e8
25.c1 ) 20.c4!N This engine novelty
seems to settle into a quite nice technical
ending when all the commotion is over, e.
g. ( 20.d1 h8 TMF. Which seems
correct, Black's compensation increases
f o r e ve r y m o ve a f t e r : 21.xb7 b8 14.f6
22.d5 c5 23.xc5 xc5 24.e1
b6 25.b3 a4 26.d3 d6 27.d2
a3 28.c1 c5 29.e3 c3+
30.xc3 xd5 ) 20...h8 21.c2 c7
22.xb7 b8 23.e4 e6 24.c1 c5
25.d5 xf3 26.gxf3 f6 27.d1 a4
28.d2 b6 29.b3 xb3 30.axb3
xb3 31.e1 xb2+ 32.c1 b8 33.f4
c8 34.c2 h6 35.e5 e8 36.f4 c5
37.c3;
C) 13...exf5 14.xd5 e4 15.xa5 xf2
16.d5 xh1 17.xd7 b4
"with complicated play and mutual
chances" - TMF (p263). However, after
18.xb7 xc3 19.bxc3 f4 20.xf4
I would rather play White, especially in a
corr game. ]
12.f5 a7 13.d3 Black's three options here 14...gxf6 (=) with a draw offer. 15.--
all seem to be about equal. h8 Inviting
White to either force a draw or perhaps allow
t h e p a w n s a c f r o m 1 3 . . . f 6 i n a s l i g h t l y ½-½
improved version.
[ 13...exf5 14.c4 e6 15.xd5 c8
16.xc6 xc6 17.d4 c8 18.b1 d7
19.d2 g6 20.hd1 ( 20.h4 b5 21.a3 h5
22.f3 a4 23.xa4 bxa4 24.xe6 xd2
25.xd2 xe6 26.f4 b8 27.g3 b6
28.c3 d8 29.e1 e6 adj. 1/2-1/2
Houdini 3-Critter 1.4, the expected line was
something like this: 30.f3 d4 31.e3
h7 32.f1 c5 33.c3 d5 34.d3
xd3 35.xd3 xd3 36.cxd3 g7
37.c2 d4 38.b3 f8= ) 20...b5 21.a3
e8 22.h4 h5 23.g3 f8 24.xe6 xd2
25.xd2 xe6 26.f4 c6 27.d5 e4
28.b6 xb6 29.xb6 e6 30.d5 g7
31.c7 e7 32.d8+ h7 33.d5 xe5
34.c3 e6 35.d7 f6 36.e7 c5 37.a7
d3 38.d5 xf4 39.xf4 e3 40.d5
xg3 41.xf6+ h6 42.g8+
1/2-1/2 Skripko, V (2357)-Tulfer, P (2493)/
ICCF 2011 ]
[ 13...f6 14.fxe6 xe6 15.exf6 ( 15.xc5
xc5 16.g3 e3+ 17.b1 f5 18.c4 f4
19.e1 d7 ) 15...xf6 ( or simply
15...xf6 16.he1 f7 17.b1 d7 )
16.xc5 bxc5 17.xc5 c7 18.he1
e5 The bishop pair and half open files
should compensate for the pawn, but I doubt
it would give any real winning chances. ]
[ 14.b1 f6 15.exf6 xf6 16.xc5 bxc5
17.xc5 c7 18.a3 b7 19.fxe6 xe6
20.he1 f7 ]
[ 14.h4 f6 15.exf6 xf6 16.xc5 bxc5
17.xc5 e7
A) 18.xc6?! d7 19.e5 xc6
20.xc6 c7 21.xa7 xa7 22.fxe6
e3+ 23.b1 b8! ( 23...xe6?
24.de1 d7 25.xd5 ) 24.e2
( 24.h3 xe6 ) 24...f6 25.c3 xe6;
B) 18.e3 exf5 19.c4 d4 20.xd4
c5 21.ce2 d7 22.c3 b7 23.f4
b6 ]
[ 14.e2?! f6 15.fxe6 xe6 16.exf6 xf6
17.xc5 bxc5 18.xc5 c7 19.xa6 b8
20.b6 xc3 21.xe6 c6 22.xd5 xd5
23.xd5 xa6 0-1 H3 C2TLH-H3 HL ]
[ 15.xh7 fxe5 16.g3 xh7 17.h3+
g8= ]
962
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
1050 C11
Sadvakasov,Darmen 2643
Guerrero,Gilbert 2549
XXI Carlos Torre KO (2.2) 18.12.2008
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 0-0
9.e2! This approach by White seems much
more challenging to the 7... Be7 system than
the gung ho
[ 9.dxc5 xc5 10.0-0-0 ]
9...a6 10.0-0 b5 11.a3! White takes time out
to deter Black from any further queenside
expansion. b6 12.d1! And here the knight
retreats so that the d4 point can be supported
by c2-c3.
[ It's interesting to compare Sadvakasov's
refined play here with one of his earlier
games which was given in t he no tes t o
Zelcic-Riazantsev in the archives: 12.h1
b7 13.g1 cxd4 14.xd4 xd4 15.xd4
c5 16.xc5 xc5 17.ad1 e4
18.xe4 dxe4 19.d4 c7! An astute
decision: after the exchange of queens the
e4 pawn would be a liability, not to mention
White's unchallenged control of the d-file
after ( 19...xd4 20.xd4 fd8 21.fd1 )
20.c3 fd8 21.e3 h6 22.g1 xd1
23.xd1 d8 24.f2 xd1 25.xd1 c4
N i H u a p r o v o k e s a we a k n e s s e s i n h i s
opponent's queenside by threatening to
invade on a2 with the queen. 26.b3 d5
27.e1 a5 28.c2 a4 29.bxa4 bxa4
30.a7 a2! White has never been allowed
the t ime required t o tie down the black
pieces to the defence of e4. 31.xa4 a1+
32.d2 f1 33.e8+ h7 34.xf7
xg2+ 35.c1 g1+ 36.b2 b6+
37.a1 g1+ 38.b2 b6+ 39.a1
g1+ 40.b2 b6+ with a draw in
Sadvakasov, D-Ni Hua/Moscow RUS 2007 ]
12...b7?! A rather pointless move- why put
the bishop on b7 when it might go to a6 more
profitably in the future- but note the bishop
shouldn't go to a6 when it can be blocked in
by b2-b4 as in the Alekseev game below!
[ The immediate p awn a dvance 12...a5!?
looks more promising e.g. 13.c3
A) Instead 13...a6 gives White the
chance to play d4xc5 in a more effective
manner as Black is left with a useless
b i s h o p o n a 6 : 14.dxc5 xc5 15.b4!
xe3+ 16.xe3 f6 17.d4! xd4?
( White's bishop shows it is more valuable
than Black's after 17...fxe5 18.xe6 fe8
19.g4 but this is how Ni Hua should have
played with a tense position.) 18.cxd4
fxe5 19.fxe5 xe5 20.dxe5 d4 21.d5!
exd5 22.bxa5 c5 23.ac1 xa3
24.xd4 xa5 25.e6! and Black wasn't
able to hold the game because of the
strong passed pawn: b7 26.e7 xf1+
27.xf1 b4 28.f2 1-0 Alekseev, E-Ni
Hua/Ningpo CHN 2008.;
B) 13...a4 14.f2 And now worthy of
attention is ( Or 14.e1 b4!? 15.cxb4
cxb4 intending Ba6 etc. with counterplay.)
14...b4!? which leads to a mess after
15.dxc5 xc5 16.xc5 xc5 17.cxb4
b3 18.d3 xa1 19.g5 f5 20.exf6
g6! ]
[ Looking at Ni Hua game begs the question
as to whether Black should capture on d4 at
once to create some centre tension before
c2-c3 is played. This should be less
favourable for Black than in the Ni Hua
game, as here White hasn't 'wasted' a move
on Bg1. Instead he has got in Nd1, and so
12...cxd4?! 13.xd4 xd4 14.xd4 c5
15.c3! stabilises White's control of d4 giving
him a good game. ]
13.c3 a5 14.e1 Surprisingly enough, the
weakness created on the b3 and c4 squares
by the c2-c3 move doesn't seem troublesome
for White, who can simply retreat his queen to
e1to get out of the way of Nb3, and then focus
o n a k i n g si d e a t t a c k b a se d o n t h e f 4 - f 5
ad va nce. S o t he m oral see m s to b e th a t
Black should advance his queenside pawns
with a5-a4 rather than attack at once with his
knights. b3 15.b1 f5 16.h1!
Black has deterred the immediate f4-f5, but
he can't prevent the plan of Rg1 and g2-g4. a5
17.g1 b4 18.axb4 axb4 19.g4 a6
20.xa6 xa6 21.g3 f7 22.f2!
An excellent move that clears the way for the
knight to go to e3, after which the centre-
splitting f4-f5 is on the cards. fxg4 23.xg4
b5 24.e3 cxd4 25.xd4 xd4 26.cxd4
d3 27.g2! Another fine move. It means
that 27...Qxd4 28.Nf5 can't be answered by a
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

black queen check on e4, so that 29.Nh6+ will ensure that Black won't be able to castle
win. Also White wants to play f4-f5 without his kingside. d6 Kosten spent a lot of time on
queen h anging af ter t he reply e6xf 5 . f8 this move, his first thought was
28.f5! exf5 29.xd5 e6 30.bc1 f8 [ 16...d8!? when White intended the losing
31.c8 Even if Black survives the direct attack c o m b i n a t i o n 17.xe6? xe6 18.xd5
h e h a s n o a n s we r t o W h i t e 's co n n e c t e d d8! 19.xa8 b7 20.a7 c6
passed pawns. e2 32.f6+ xf6 33.exf6 but 17 fxe5 is better. ]
g6 34.d5 f4 35.c5! The threat of mate on [ 16...exf4!? is also possible, but after
f8 tidies things up. xg2+ 36.xg2 xf6 17.xe6 e5 18.xf4 xb4!? 19.e2
37.d2 f7 38.xb4 g7 39.d6 d6 20.0-0! is a problem: c2 21.d4
1-0 and the black king is stuck in the centre. ]
17.fxe5 cxe5 18.e2 h6!?
[ Black tries to solve his problems with a
1051 C11 counterattack. Instead after 18...e7 19.0-0
Santo Roman,Marc 2381 he has an extra pawn but his king is trapped
Kosten,Anthony C 2514 in the centre which means he cannot unwind
Open Montpellier FRA (2) 08.07.2003 his position. Still, that was the lesser evil. ]
[Neil McDonald] 19.h3 c4 20.xc4 dxc4 21.e2! e5!?
An 'Open move', Black should have been
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 happy with the ending after
5.f4 c5 6.f3 a6 7.e3 b6 8.a4 a5+ [ 21...d3 (his original intention) 22.xd3
9.c3 cxd4 10.b4 c7 11.xd4 c6 cxd3 23.f4 e5 24.xd3 b7 when the
12.d2 b5 13.b2 f6 14.a4!? bishop pair compensate t he tatty pawn
[ The more compliant 14.exf6 was played in structure. ]
L u t z - M o r o z e v i c h o n C h e s s P u b : xf6 22.f4 xb4!?
15.d3 d6 16.0-0 0-0 17.a4 b8 [ 22...e4 23.0-0 b7 24.ad1
18.axb5 axb5 19.d4 xd4 20.xd4 e4 is very uncomfortable for Black. ]
21.xe4 dxe4 22.e3 ( 22.e5!? 23.c1! Now Black is bound to lose material.
might be better, xe5 23.fxe5 d8 24.f4 a3 24.g6 f5?!
b7 although the knight on b2 is a problem, [ 24...e4 25.xh8 xc1 26.xc1 b7
Guidarelli,L-Kosten,A/St Affrique FRA 2003) is far from clear. ]
22...b7 23.c4 g5! winning quickly. ] 25.xh8 e5? Going into swindle mode
14...bxa4! during Santo's habitual time-trouble.
[ White keeps up the pressure after [ 25...xc1 26.xc1 e5 offered some
14...b8?! 15.axb5 axb5 16.d4!? xd4 chances as the h8-knight is trapped. ]
17.xd4 fxe5 18.fxe5 e7 19.a7 c6 26.d1?!
20.f4 and Black had problems in [ Now Black is fighting again whereas after
Skripchenko, A-Matveeva,S/Belgrade 26.a1! d3+ 27.d2 things are slightly
1996. ] uncomfortable for the white king, but he
15.xa4! does have a whole extra rook! ]
[ Also possible were 15.xa4 or ] 26...d3+ 27.xd3?
[ 15.exf6 xf6 16.d3 when Kosten [ 27.d2! should still be played. ]
intended a3! 17.xa3 d6 so that the 27...cxd3 28.f2 b7 29.0-0 xf2+
white rook proves misplaced after 18.a4 30.xf2 White thought he was 'just a piece up',
a5 ] but in fact matters are far from clear, as the
15...fxe5?! two black bishops and two pawns are the
[ Perhaps the quiet 15...e7!? was best equal of the extra white knight. During the
when if 16.d4 ( 16.exf6! ) 16...xd4 post mortem White refused to believe this was
17.cxd4 fxe5 18.fxe5 0-0 it is White who is the case, but the next day after analysing with
prevented from castling. ] Fritz he admitted he was wrong! c6! Tricky!
16.g5! A very strong move which aims to 31.c5?

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 31.b6? b8 32.f7 d2! 33.xd2 xf7 24.xb6 c5 is the option, close to equal.)
also regains the piece with advantage, but ] 22.d2 0-0 23.cxd5 exd5 24.0-0 f5
[ 31.b2! was the best move. ] ( 24...e8! 25.a7 b4 26.xd5 e6
31...0-0-0!! Yes, the black king can still castle! 27.d3 a4 28.f5 d8!= ) 25.b3
32.xe6 This lets Black escape but if ( 25.fc1! ) 25...a3 1/2-1/2 (59) Leko, P
[ 32.f7? xc5 33.xd8 ( Or 33.xc5 d2 ) (2744)-Nakamura, H (2767), Zug SUI 2013
33...xe3 34.xc6 d2 leads to a painful with a messy game. As mentioned, there's a
defeat for White. ] lengthy analysis of this in the Forum by
32...xh8?! Black is too hasty, Dom. ]
[ 32...e8! is stronger, ignoring the h8-knight, [ 19...b8 has also been played ]
and going straight for the pieces on the e- 20.c6! I suggested this in my notes, and
file, 33.d2 b5 34.xg7 xe3 Dom looks at it as well. h4+
and wins. ] [ I gave 20...e7 21.xc8+ xc8 22.0-0
33.a2! e8 34.xa3 xe6?! b4 23.b1 xd4+ 24.xd4 . Probably
[ 34...b5! ] Black sh ou ld dra w, bu t o nly W h it e h a s
35.xa6 The opposite-colour bishops save chances. ]
White. g6 36.g3 f6 37.a2 g5 38.f2 [ Dom examines 20...xc6 21.xd8 c5
f3 39.f1 g4 40.e1 a6 41.d2 ( and 21...c4 )]
½-½ 21.g3 e7 22.xc8+ xc8 23.d2!?
[ 23.0-0 b4 24.b1 xd4+ 25.xd4
is like the previous note. ]
1052 C11 23...f5!? I don't like this much. There are
Saric,Iv 2622 various options on every move. Here
Lalic,B 2493 [ 23...d7 24.b1 e7 ]
22nd TCh-CRO Cup 2013 (3.11) 23.05.2013 [ and 23...f6 are two ideas. I like the latter. ]
[John Watson] 24.b1 g5 To get some space. 25.a5!
c5?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 [ 25...g7 ]
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 26.xc5 xc5 27.fxg5 A pawn up, White will
b6 9.d2 xb2 10.b1 a3 11.b5 play on the dark squares. d7?!
xd4 12.xd4 a6 13.xd7+ xd7 14.b3 [ 27...f7 28.b6 e7 29.h4 ]
e7 15.xb7 h4+ 28.a4 d4 29.c3
[ In the Archives (from last month) we see [ 29.b6+ xb6 30.xb6 e7 is a direct
15...c8 and ] route. ]
[ 15...d8 (Karjakin-Nakamura), which 29...a7 30.b6+!?
continued 16 f5. Also possible is 16.b6 [ 30.a5 ]
c8 17.c7 d8 18.d4 , and now 18... 30...c6?
Ba3!? is analysed at length in the Forum by [ 30...xb6 31.xb6 h6! ]
D o m s e e t h e n o t e t o B l a c k ' s 1 9 t h . 31.d4 a5 32.c3 a6?
Presumably many of the same lines can be [ 32...xb6 33.xb6+ c7 34.h4 ]
l o o k e d a t w i t h g 3 i n s e r t e d d u e t o t h e 33.a4 b8 34.xb8 xb8 35.h4 c8
interpolation of ...Qh4+, but I'm not going to 36.h5 c7 37.g6 hxg6 38.hxg6
do it! ] 1-0
16.f2 d8 17.b6 c8 18.c7 d8
19.d4 c8 Probably not the best move.
[ Last month's game Leko, P (2744)-
Nakamura, H (2767), Zug SUI 2013
continued 19...a3 20.b1
( Dom considers the moves 20.0-0; 20.f5;
20.b7; and 20.a7 ) 20...e7 21.c4 b8
( 21...c8 22.b7 b4+ 23.f2 xb6

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

1053 C11 16.c3 e4 Black is winning. 17.a3 exf5

Saric,Iv 2628 18.e2
Svane,R 2467 [ 18.c3 xd6! ]
2nd Danube Rapid Cup 2013 rapid (3.4)1.11.13 18...xg5 19.xg5 xd4 20.h5 g6
[John Watson] 21.c3 b5 22.f6 d4
[ 22...a3+! is faster still: 23.c1 ( 23.a1
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 xc2+ 24.b1 d4 ) 23...e3+ 24.d2 c3 ]
5.f4 c5 6.f3 e7 This unusual order delays 23.c1
...Nc6 in order to see how White sets up. In [ 23.b3 d3! ]
the game, Black chooses to discourage dxc5 23...c3 24.bxc3 b2+ 25.d2 xc3+
by playing ...b6, also retaining the option of ... 26.e2 d3+ The queen falls.
Ba6. 7.e3 0-0 8.d2 b6 9.0-0-0!? 0-1
This is dangerous, because Black can start a
standard attack on the queenside via ...c4. On
the other hand, it's not as bad as the same 1054 C11
p o s it io n wit h . . . Nc6 a lre a d y in , b e ca u s e Saric,Ivan 2469
Black's attack proceeds more slowly. Gurevich,Mikhail 2635
[ See Rasmussen-Andersen from this month 4th ch-Mediterranean (3) 19.02.2007
for 9.e2 ] [Neil McDonald]
9...c6
[ 9...c4 10.f5! ] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
10.b1 Not the only move. In fact, White 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7!?
should probably attack more quickly: An interesting alternative to the monstrously
[ a) 10.f5!? cxd4 ( 10...exf5 11.xd5 b7 complex theory after
12.dxc5 ) 11.xd4 is interesting. Then [ 7...a6 ]
xd4 12.xd4 c5 13.e2 b7 14.g4 8.dxc5 0-0 Black keeps his options open by
exf5 15.xf5 looks about equal. ] delaying the recapture on c5. 9.d2
[ b) 10.h4 doesn't seem to contribute much. [ I'm curious that no one seems to have tried
One recent game went c4 11.f5 b5! 9.d3 i n t h i s p o s i t i o n . T h e n xc5?
12.f6!? ( 12.fxe6 fxe6 13.e2 b6 ) falls for the Greek Gift sacrifice:
12...gxf6 13.h6 ( 13.exf6 xf6 14.h6 ( but Black has interesting alternatives in
g4 15.xf8 xf8 ) 13...b4?! ( 13...fxe5! 9...a5 and; 9...f5 ) 10.xc5 xc5
gi ve s B l a c k m o r e t h a n e n o u g h f o r t h e 11.xh7+! xh7 12.g5+ g6 ( 12...g8
exchange. ) 14.f4! h8 15.exf6 ( 15.xf8 13.h5 e8 14.xf7+ h8 15.h5+
xf8 16.e2 ) 15...xf6 16.xf8 xf8 g8 16.h7+ f8 17.h8+ e7
Nolte, R (2447)-Lou Yiping (2489), Tagaytay 18.xg7# ) 13.d3+ f5 14.g3 and White
City 2013. This is messy, as indicated in the is winning. ]
note to move 12. ] 9...xc5 10.0-0-0 a5 Already I like Black's
10...c4 11.f5! b5 12.xb5? Too greedy, and position: he has the open c-file for his rooks
certainly impractical. Instead, and the chance to target the a2 square with
[ 12.f6 gxf6 13.exf6 xf6! ( 13...xf6 h is qu e e n a n d kn igh t s . 11.xc5 xc5
14.h6 h8 15.xf8 xf8 is complex, but 12.b1 d7 13.d3 b4! In an earlier
after 16.f4 and Ne5, White may have a game Gurevich had played the less dynamic
s m a l l e d g e .) 14.h6 ( 14.xb5 b8 [ 13...xd3?! The game went 14.xd3 b4
15.c3 a5 16.a1 e7 17.b1 b6 A) 15.d2 fc8 16.a3 c6 17.g4!?
is s c a ry b u t n o t co m p le t e ly cle a r a f t e r and Black has to be careful as White gets
18.h6 ) 14...b4 15.b5!? is unclear ] a dangerous attack after ( also interesting
12...b8 13.d6!? is 17.f5 exf5 18.xd5 ) 17...b5 18.f5 b4
[ 13.c3 a5 is no fun. ( or 13...b6 14.b3 19.f6! when bxc3? 20.g5 g6 21.h6
a5 )] forces mate.;
13...xd6 14.exd6 f6! 15.g5? b6 B) 15.e3? White wastes vital time with

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

his queen. Better was fc8 16.a3 c6 Russian Champion. This is the only way for
17.d3 e7 18.g5 g6 19.h4 h6 White to win, as if
20.h5 xc3! an excellent exchange [ 26.c3 with the same idea Black has
sacrifices that ensures it is Black who xh2 ]
d o e s a l l t h e a t t a c k i n g . 21.bxc3 26...e7 There's no way to avoid disaster.
( evidently White didn't want to cross [ If 26...xc2 27.xf7# or ]
swords wit h a ma st er strat egist in a n [ 26...ac8 27.xf7+ xf7 28.xc8+
unpleasant endgame after 21.xc3 xc3 and mates. ]
22.bxc3 xf4 23.f3 c8 ) 21...b5 27.fxe7 xe7 28.xf7+
22.f3 e7 23.c4 xc4 24.h3 c8 [ It is mate in three after 28.xf7+ xf7
25.f2 b5+ 26.c1 ( Or 26.a1 e2 ) 29.c3+ ]
26...b3 27.d2 a2 28.d1 b1+ 1-0
29.e2 c4+ 0-1 Calistri, T-Gurevich, M/
Vandoeuvre FRA 2007. ]
14.d4 fc8 15.g4 a4! Even the 'bad' light 1055 C11
squared bishop finds a role in attacking c2. Sax,Gyula 2593
16.f5 Atalik,Suat 2527
[ Saric decides to give up the exchange in TCh Bled SLO (2) 19.10.2001
order to generate some counter chances. [Neil McDonald]
Otherwise he would be in a bad way- for
example he drops a piece after 16.xa4? 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
xa4 17.a3 bxd3 18.cxd3 xd4 ] 5.ce2 c5 6.c3 cxd4 7.cxd4 f6 8.f4
16...bxd3 17.cxd3 xd1 18.f6 gxf6 b4+ 9.d2 b6 10.xb4 xb4+ 11.d2
19.exf6 h8 20.xd1 a4? It is natural to xd2+ 12.xd2 f7! Up until here the
want to exchange of f pieces when the game had followed Anand,V-Bareev,
exchange up, but in fact Shenyang 2000 which is given on ChessPub.
[ 20...d7! looks the correct way to play it, This game continued
when white is denied the giant knight on e5 [ 12...e7 13.exf6+ gxf6 14.e1 b6
he archives in the game. After 21.h6 g8 15.f3! c6 16.b5! d7 17.xc6 bxc6
I would expect Gurevich's technique to win 18.e2 ae8 19.he1 f7 20.c1 c4
the day. ] 21.d2 xd2 22.xd2 with a very
21.xa4 xa4 22.f3! Whereas now the pleasant advantage for White who plans to
white knight reaches e5 after which it is by no put Black in a dark square bind after Nd3,
means obvious how Black can exploit his Nc5 and f2-f4. Atalik must have studied this
material advantage. xg4 23.e5 h5 game and noticed firstly that Black played
24.e1! c7 12...Ke7 and then later on Kf7. Therefore he
[ Black's main problem is that the obvious saves a tempo by putting the king on f7
'winning' move 24...g8?? loses to 25.h6! straightaway. Secondly, he realises that with
xh6 ( or 25...g5 26.xg5 xg5 the king on f7 there is no need to waste a
27.xf7+ g8 28.xg5 ) 26.xf7# ] move on Bd7- the bishop can come out to a
25.g1 h4?? Gurevich is in a hurry to more active square. ]
remove the f 6 pawn, but this is a terrible 13.exf6 gxf6 14.f3 c6 15.b5 b6
blunder. After 16.xc6?
[ 25...ac8 26.a3 Black is the exchange and [ He s h o u l d p l a y 16.ae1 straightaway.
a pawn up, but it isn't obvious how he can However Black can continue g8 17.g3
play to win. Note that if ( not 26.g2 h6 c4+ 18.c1 d6! note if the king was on
followed by a rook check on c1.) 26...xe5?! e7 White could now play 19.Nxd5+ winning
27.h6 Black can bail out for a draw with a pawn. 19.xc6 bxc6 and Black is ready
c1+ ( as if 27...g8? 28.xg8+ xg8 to play Ne4 with counterplay. He didn't have
29.g7# )] to 'waste' a move with Bd7 as in the Bareev
26.c2!! A horrible shock for the former game. ]

967
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

16...c4+! A clever zwischenzug. If now the in t h e m a in ga m e , t h e lo ss o f h is d a r k

white king drops back to c1 as in the Anand squared bishop for a knight is very harmful
game it will obstruct his queen's rook. for White. d7 16.ad1 f7 17.a4? a5
Therefore it has to advance to the third rank. 18.b3? It was imperative to retreat the
The black pieces will gain time for knight back to c3. d4! Now not only are
manoeuvres by harassing it. 17.c3 bxc6 the white queen and knight hanging, but the
18.d3 g8 19.g3 d6 20.c5 b5+ rook on e1 and the pawn on f2 also prove to
21.d3 e5! activating his position. 22.dxe5 be targets.
f5+ A) White is also poleaxed after 19.xd4
[ More precise than 22...g4 23.e6+ xe6 xd4 20.xd4 ( 20.c3 xf2+ )
Now the game burns out to equality. ] 20...xe1+;
23.e3 ae8 24.e6+ xe6 25.he1 g4+ B) 19.xd4 xd4 20.c3 xc3 21.bxc3
26.f4 xf3 27.xf3 d4+ 28.g2 xe1 c8 and White was busted in Golod,V-
29.xe1 b8 30.b3 Akobian,V/Philadelphia USA 2004. ]
½-½ 8.d3 f6 9.exf6 xf6 10.0-0 0-0 11.e5
d7 12.e2
[ Instead 12.xc6 xc6 13.e2 e7
1056 C11 was equal in one of the Spassky-Petrosian
Schneider,Ilja 2370 World Championship games of 1966. ]
Ulibin,Mikhail 2586 12...e7 13.ae1 ae8 14.a3 a6 15.g3
MTO Biel SUI (2) 20.07.2004 xe5 16.xe5 c6 17.b4?! The beginning
[Neil McDonald] of a plan that leads to self destruction. Instead
[ 17.h1 would prepare f2-f4 to increase the
1.e4 e6 2.f3 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 pressure on the centre. Also from a
5.d4 c5 For another example of this line take defensive point of view it would be wise to
a look at the game Cherniaev-Baburin, which break the pin on the f2 pawn by Black's
is annotated by Nigel Davies on ChessPub. dark squared bishop. ]
I n c i d e n t a l l y , i t b e g a n w i t h a n A l e k h i n e 17...b6 18.b5? As Tarrasch once remarked,
Defence move order. 6.dxc5 if you don't know what to do, wait for your
[ The sharp 6.b5 can be neutralised with opponent to get an idea- it's sure to be wrong!
careful development: c6 7.0-0 e7 H e r e B l a c k h a s d o n e n o t h i n g e x c e p t
8.dxc5 0-0 9.f4 xc5 with equality methodically develop his pieces, but this is
according to John Watson. ] enough for him to gain a winning position
6...c6 7.f4 xc5 thanks to the impatience of his opponent.
[ An interesting way to avoid the mainline is [ The calm 18.h1 was called for. ]
7...xc5!? as I played versus Appleberry in 18...axb5 19.xb5 xb5 20.xb5
a game on ChessPub. This was also seen Now, despite the fact that the rook on e8 is
recently in an all GM encounter which went hanging, Black is able to punish his opponent
8.e2 ( A p p l e b e r r y p r e f e r r e d 8.a3 for neglecting the important e4 square. e4!
It is difficult to see how White can hope to Suddenly the f 2 square is attacked three
set his opponent any real problems after times. 21.g3
either move. In the present example, White [ White is a pawn down with a horrid position
wi ll b e m a d e t o p a y f o r l e a vin g t h e e 4 after 21.xe8 xf2 22.xf2 xf2+ 23.h1
square under protected.) 8...a6 9.0-0 e7 xe1 24.xe1 xe8 ]
10.a3 0-0 11.e1 f5! Now White has either 21...d8 22.d3 xg3 23.hxg3 f6
to admit that Black has a supersolid centre The position supports the old saying that if
and a strong point on e4, or else capture en th ere a re op po sit e colou red b ish op s t h e
passant, after which Black's dark squared player with the initiative is a piece up At first
bishop comes to life and his own bishop on glance you might think that chances are fairly
f4 is a target. 12.exf6 xf6 13.g3 e4! equal. In reality White has no way to meet the
14.d3 xg3 15.hxg3 As we shall also see pressure on f2, which if necessary can be

968
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

attacked by all four black pieces- Rdf8 and surprise even very strong players can make
Qc5 are waiting to be played. There is no rotten decisions. I'm sure that Marie Sebag
escape, as if White moves his king to h1 and realised that opening the b-file and
then plays f2-f3, he is creating a help mate strengthening the black centre is not a good
with Rh6. 24.g4 df8 25.f5 h8 26.e5 decision. On the other hand, she might have
c5 been afraid of the pin after
[ Too terrible for words is 26...c5 27.d3 [ 13.e2 b4 and so chose the game move
xf2 ] as the lesser evil. In fact 14.f3 stopping
0-1 14...Ne4 then looks pretty good for White e.
g.
A) Or 14...d7 15.g4 ac8 16.g5 e4
1057 C11 17.xe4 dxe4 18.a3 a5 ( if 18...xa3
Sebag,Marie 2521 19.b3!? when both of Black's bishops
Gurevich,Mikhail 2611 a r e h a n g i n g .) 19.b3 with a clear
IX EICC Plovdiv BUL (4) 24.04.2008 advantage for White.;
[Neil McDonald] B) 14...a5 15.d3 c4 16.c1 d7
17.g4 ac8 18.g5 a3+ ( 18...e8?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 19.xd5! ) 19.bxa3 xc3 20.gxf6 xf6
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4 21.d2 b3+ 22.axb3 xd2 23.xd2
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 e7!? xa3 24.f5 and White has a rook and two
[ P r e v i o u s l y w e h a v e l o o k e d a t 10...a6 pieces for a queen and two pawns plus
11.f2 e7 12.d3 f6 in the game attacking chances. ]
Jakovenko-Morozevich. The logic of 10... 13...bxc6 14.xc5 xc5 15.g3 b8
Qe7 is impeccable: if our plan is counterplay 16.h3 a3 17.b3 c5 From now on,
wit h f 7 -f 6 r a t h e r t h a n q u e e n si d e p a wn everything flows very nicely for Black: his
expansion, why not omit 10...a6 and save a knight will get the d5 square once its white
tempo? ] counterpart is driven from c3, and his king's
11.b1 f6 rook can swing over to the queenside via f7.
[ The living legend Korchnoi chose a 18.he1 d4 19.e4 d5 20.c1 f7!
simplifying strategy: 11...xd4 12.xd4 21.c3?
b6 13.xc5 xc5 14.b5 d7 15.d4 [ Most humans would see the looming attack
a4 16.b3 b6 17.d4 ac8 18.xb6 and regard the white king as a lost cause.
xb6 19.g3 c7 20.d4 c8 21.d3 B u t m o re sa n gu in e o b se r ve rs m a d e o f
e7 22.he1 a6 23.e3 c6 24.f3 b5 silicon tell me that 21.c4! might have held
25.a3 b8 26.b3 b4 27.a4 a5 28.b2 the draw. For example
b6 29.c1 c8 30.b5 a7 31.d4 A) Also insufficient to win seems to be
a6 32.xa6 xa6 33.f5 c6!! 21...fb7 22.cxd5 xb3+ 23.axb3 xb3+
an excellent defensive move. Black gives up 24.c2 b2+ 25.d1 b3+ 26.e2
a pawn to get his king to a blockade square ( 26.c2? d3 ) 26...e3+ 27.d1 b3+
on e6. 34.fxe6 xd4 35.exf7+ xf7 with a repetition.;
36.xd4 e6 37.f4 ac6 B) 21...dxc3 22.xc3 fb7 23.d1
The wea kne sses o n c2 an d e5 preven t xb3+ 24.axb3 xb3+ 25.b2 b4
W h it e m a k in g p ro gr e s s . 38.e2 c8 it looks as if mate on a2 will end the game,
39.d1 6c7 40.h4 h6 41.f4 c3 but White has enough to draw by 26.d8+
42.ef2 3c7 43.g4 xe5 44.e2+ f6 f7 27.xe6+ xe6 28.c7+ g8
45.f4+ g6 46.e6+ h7 47.f2 d7 ( 28...f6? 29.e5+ ) 29.d8+ f7
48.d2 c5 49.b6 - Khalifman, A- 30.c7+ etc. ]
K o rc h n o i, V / Dra m m e n NO R 2 0 0 5 . T h e 21...fb7 22.cxd4 xb3+ 23.axb3 xb3+
game has burnt out after d4 50.b5 xb5 24.c2 b2+ 25.d1 f3+ 26.e2 xd2+
51.axb5 b7 52.xd4 xb5 ] 27.xd2 a6! The bishop has spent a long,
12.exf6 xf6 13.xc6? When taken by long time watching the game from c8, but it

969
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

has chosen the perfect moment to enter the Merida 2008 went 14...b3 15.b1 f5
battle. 28.xe6+ f8 29.ce1 ( 15...a5!? )
[ Alas for White if 29.ee1 d3# ] A) 16.f2 looks better, with the idea Bd1
29...d3+ 30.c1 xd4 31.b2 b4 then a5 ( 16...c4 17.d1 ) 17.d1 cxd4
32.b3 d3+ A nice attacking game from 18.cxd4 a4 is an interesting setup,
Gurevich. because 19.xb3 axb3 20.d3 b4!
0-1 followed by ...Ba6 gives compensation
( 20...fc8 21.d2 b4 is similar, e.g.,
22.xb4 ab8 23.d1 a6 24.xa6
1058 C11 xa6 25.c3 b5 26.a1 b6 );
Sethuraman,SP 2493 B) 16.h1 a5 17.g1 b4 18.axb4 axb4
Bajarani,Ulvi 2422 19.g4 , and here Rybka gives Black the
VIII World's Youth Stars (4) 12.05.2010 nod after
[John Watson] B1) or 19...fxg4 20.xg4 h8
, or here ( 20...a6 );
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 B2) 19...a6 20.gxf5 xe2 21.xe2
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 This has xf5 ]
been the main focus of the Classical Variation [ b) Another course, probably somewhat in
for a couple of years, as reflected in W hite's favour, is 14...f6 15.b4! cxb4
ChessPublishing and recent books and 16.axb4 c4 17.f2 ]
articles. See the Archives for the several 15.d3 f5 16.exf6 xf6 17.f2 c4
alternatives. 8.d2 0-0 9.e2!? A topical 18.g4!? A promising attacking move. White
c h o i c e . W h it e wi sh e s t o ca st le s h o rt . a6 would stand slightly better after
10.0-0 b5 Diagram 11.a3 The normal move. [ 18.e2 ]
[ I covered 11.h1 in Karjakin-Carlsen, 18...xb2
Corus 2010, and appended a lot of material [ 18...e7 ]
on 11.a3. Rather than include it all here, I 19.xh7+! xh7 20.b1+ g8 21.g6!?
refer you to that game in the Archives. ] Rather than the obvious
11...b6 [ 21.xb2 ]
[ 11...c7 and ] [ or 21.xf6+ , both granting White a small
[ 11...b7 have also been played a fair advantage due to his somewhat better minor
amount. ] pieces. ]
12.d1 White's most frequently-employed 21...d8? Strange to say, this is a huge
idea. b7!? mistake.
[ 12...a5 is analysed in the Karajakin- [ 21...c4 is better, and perhaps equal.
Carlsen game. ] Craziness results from 22.g5!? xg5
13.c3 The move ... Bb7 tends to go with ..cxd4 23.fxg5 xe3 24.h6+ h8 25.f7+ g8
and ...Rc8, so White tries to bolster d4. 26.h5!? ( 26.h6+ ) 26...f6! 27.h8+
[ An alternative course is 13.dxc5 xc5 xf7 28.xf6+ gxf6 29.h7+ e8
14.c3 f6 ] 30.xc7 f7 with complications Black
13...a5 With the ideas ... Nb3 and ...Nc4. seems okay. ]
[ 13...a5 14.f2 is also referenced in 22.g5! xg5 23.fxg5 White's ideas include
Karajakin-Carlsen. ] Nh6+-Nf7 and Qh5 with g6. e7 There is no
14.e1 White looks towards the kingside, and good defence, e.g.,
may also find the move Qf2 handy. [ 23...e8 24.xf8+ xf8 25.f6+ h8
[ 14.dxc5 xc5 15.b4 xe3+ 16.xe3 26.xe8 ]
c4 17.xc4 xe3+ 18.xe3 dxc4 24.h6+ h8 25.f7+ g8 26.h5!
is unclear, with White's initiative balanced A pretty combination. xf7 27.xf7 xf7
by Black's strong bishop and d5 outpost. ] 28.g6 It's over. f5 29.h7+ f8 30.f1
14...c7 xf1+ 31.xf1
[ a) Sadvakasov-Hernandez Guerrero, [ 1-0. For example, 31.xf1 f6 32.h8+

970
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
g8 33.h6! gxh6 34.h7 e8 35.xb7
, etc. ]
1-0
1059 C11
Shirov,Alexei 2723
Bareev,Evgeny 2729
Amber Rapid Monte Carlo MNC rapid (4)
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4
b6 12.d2 xb2 13.b1 a3 14.b5
xa2 15.d6+ e7!
[ S h i r o v h a s f o n d m e m o r i e s o f 15...f8
16.d1! -see his other encounter in this line
with Bareev on ChessPub. ]
16.b4 This looks absolutely crushing- Black
is faced with a discovered check 17.Nb5+ Kd8
18.Nc3 when his queen is lost. There is the
lesser but quite deadly threat of 17.Nxc8+
winning a piece, whilst the double check 17.
Nf5+ also appears very strong.
[ Instead 16.d1 turned out poorly for White
in Almasi-Bareev. ]
16...a5!! Incredibly this saves the day. I
assume that Bareev checked this position with
a computer program before playing it: after all,
if a computer can't discover a forced win for
W hite here then not even a tactical genius
like Shirov is going to find anything. 17.xc8+
[ If 17.f5+ d8 18.e7+ c7 19.d6+
d8 and White has to force a draw as both
his rook and knight are hanging. ]
17...d8 18.e7+
[ White comes to grief after 18.xb7 b8!
19.xb8 -forced- xb8 20.xb8 c7!
and the knight is lost. ]
18...xc8 19.xb7! White does best to bail
out with a draw as he is f alling behind in
development and is still a pawn down. xb7
[ Black is asking for trouble after 19...a4
20.b5 ]
20.xd7+ b8 Here a draw was agreed as
White can force a perpetual check on d6, c6,
or d7 as necessary. A short game but very
noteworthy in regard to theory.
½-½
1060 C11
Shirov,Alexei 2723
Bareev,Evgeny 2729
Wijk aan Zee NED (7) 19.01.2003
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 xd4 10.xd4 xd4 11.xd4
b6 This is somewhat annoying for White if
he wants to play a lively game. So it is no
surprise that the ultra aggressive Shiro v
r e s p o n d e d : 12.d2!? There is no love lost
between Shirov and Kasparov, but this doesn't
stop them using each other ideas! W hite
avoids the exchange of queens, but what
about the pawn on b2? xb2 Not a move for
the faint hearted! Timman held a draw against
Kasparov in the stem game at elite level after
[ 12...c5 13.0-0-0 d7 14.d4
t o s t o p N a 4 a6 15.h4 0-0-0 16.h3
e t c. t h o u g h W h i t e h a d t h e in i t i a t iv e i n
Kasparov-Timman, Horgen 1995. This game
is given with further notes in 'Mastering the
French'. Incidentally, maybe it is time for a
reprint of this book now that we know what
happens after Black takes on b2. ]
13.b1 a3 14.b5 xa2
[ Black meets the threat of a fork on c7 by
counterattacking against the rook on b1.
Here is a great attacking game after Black's
only other move: 14...c5 15.d6+ e7
16.b5 a3 17.c4! d4 18.b3! ( Not
18.xd4 c1+ The game move prevents
the exchange of queens on e3.) 18...c5
19.e4 c6 20.b4+! Accurate chess.
This check prevents Black from developing
his ro ok t o d8 a s occu rs a f t e r ( 20.xd4
d8 ) 20...d8 21.d3 f8 22.0-0 b6
23.d6 c5 24.e4!! breaking the
blockade in the centre after which Black's
position begins to crumble. xe4 25.xe4
g8 26.d6 c5 27.a4 c7 ( 27...d7?
28.b7+ ) 28.b5 c6 29.c5! b7 30.f2
a6 31.b4
A) Horrible is 31...xa4 32.cxb6+ c6
( Or 32...b8 33.xa4 then d4 drops
etc. ) 33.xa4 xb6? 34.b2+;
B) 31...b5 32.d1 d3 33.xd3 xc5
34.d4 c1+ 35.f1 c5 36.e3 c6
37.c1 b6 38.a4!
971
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
B1) If 38...bxa4 39.xc6+! xc6
( 39...xc6 40.c4 ) 40.c4+;
B2) 38...ac8 39.xc8 xc8 40.d7+!
1-0 Nielsen,P-Holst,A/Aars 1999. ]
15.d6+ f8 16.d1!
[ Shirov decides temporarily to give up any
attacking options on the b file and
co n ce n tra te on pla y in t he ce n tre . I t is
possible that W hite is already winning as
Black has no good way either to hinder his
opponent's build up or to develop his own
pieces. Instead after 16.b3 c5 or ]
[ 16.b4 a5! 17.b5 xc2 as mentioned
in 'Mastering the French' Black gets
counterplay. ]
16...b2
[ If 16...c5? 17.c3 b6 18.a1
traps the queen, e.g. a4 19.xc8+ xc8
20.xa2 ]
17.e2 b6 White had the simple plan of 0-0
and then f4-f5 when the position of the black
king on f8 becomes highly dangerous.
Therefore Bareev puts his queen back on b6,
where he hopes it will prevent W hite from
completing his development by castling. In a
couple of moves time this idea is seen to be
inadequate. Furthermore, now that the black
queen is off White's second rank he can play
c2-c4 to break open lines as in the Nielsen
game without worrying about the exchange of
queens. Still, Black was already at a loss for a
good plan, e.g.
[ 17...a5 18.0-0 g6 19.f5! planning a queen
check on h6 might already be winning. ]
18.c4 d4 19.f3! So simple: White moves
his bishop f rom e 2 so t hat h e can castle
without losing it to a discovered check. a5
[ If 19...d3 20.xd3 b4+ ( 20...c5
21.a3! ) 21.f2 c5 22.e3 threat Rb1
then Nb5, winning the knight on c5. b2+
23.g3! and Black can resign as effectively
he is playing two rooks down. ]
20.0-0 d3+ 21.h1 d4 22.b5!
The knight leaves the excellent d6 square to
oust the queen from her vital defensive role.
Bareev may have missed the strength of this
move in his earlier calculations. c5
[ Or 22...xc4 23.d6 a6 24.c1 b6
25.c7 when either f7, b7, or the bishop on
c8 drops according to Black's reply. ]
23.xd3 g6 24.d6 b6 25.b1 g7
26.b5 c7 27.d4 d7 28.f5!!
After all White's pressure on the b file, it is
surprising that the game is ended by a direct
attack on the king. gxf5 29.xf5+ exf5
30.e6+ e5
[ it is mate after either 30...f6 31.xf5 d8
( T h e f 6 s q u a r e d r o p s a f t e r 31...e7
32.d5! ) 32.g5+ f8 ( or 32...h6
33.h4+ h5 34.xh5# ) 33.xd8+ e8
34.e7# ]
31.xe5 f6 32.xf5 f8 33.d5 e7
34.h5! Homing in on the weakest point in
B l a c k ' s p o s i t i o n . h8 35.e4 xe6
36.xh7+ xh7 37.xh7 xh7 38.e4+
1-0
1061 C11
Shirov,Alexei 2713
Radjabov,Teimour 2670
Rapid KO Leon ESP rapid (3) 05.06.2004
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2
Radjabov was the first high profile victim of
t h is cra f t y qu e e n m o ve , wh e n h e lo s t t o
Kramnik at Linares in 2003- you can find the
game on Chess Pub. It is therefore interesting
to see what he has come up with against it.
xd4
[ White has enjoyed tremendous success
after 11...xd4 12.xd4 c7 13.d3! ]
12.xd4 b5 13.e3 The white bishop has
been allowed to evade capture, which is a
healthy sign for White's dark square control.
On the other hand Radjabov is able to prepare
the exchange of light squared bishops which
besides ridding him of his poorest piece also
removes any danger of a disaster on h7. b4
14.e2
[ The alternative move fared no better in the
following game: 14.a4 a5 ( An attempt to
profit from the white knight's absence from
the centre rebounded after 14...f6 15.exf6
xf6 16.b6 e4 17.e1 f6 18.g3
f7 19.g2 e5 20.xd5! xd5 21.xe4
xe4 22.xe4 d7 23.c5 f6 24.fxe5
and Black was in deep trouble in Shomoev,
A-Iljushin,A/56th-ch-RUS.) 15.b5 c7
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
16.e2 cb8! A notable manoeuvre to
exchange off light squared bishops. 17.b1
a6 18.d3 b7 19.h4 c8 20.b3 xd3
21.xd3 a6! The knight goes to a6 rather
than c6 as part of a manoeuvre to exploit
th e ho les o n a 3 a nd c3 . 22.g4 c6
23.c1 c7 24.c3 b5 25.cxb4 a6
26.e2 axb4 27.d2 a3+ 28.b2
c4+! 29.bxc4 xa4 30.b1 b3
and Black had a rampaging attack in
Solovjov,S-Nikolenko,O/St Petersburg RUS
2004. ]
14...a5 15.d4 xd4 16.xd4 a6
17.b1 c7 18.h4 fc8 19.h5 c5!
The threat is 20...Ne4, when c2 would drop.
Therefore W hite has no choice but to
acquiesce in further exchanges, after which
all his attacking chances have vanished.
20.xc5 xc5 21.xc5 xc5 22.g3 xf1
23.hxf1 ac8 24.f2 c4 Black has
emerged with the better game due to his
active rooks. I have little doubt that Karpov at
his peak would have found a way to increase
the pressure on the white pawn structure, but
Radjabov seems a little over eager and goes
astray. Still if this position is the best White
can do after 11.Qf2 then theoretically
speaking this game is great news for Black.
25.e2 f8 26.d3 e7 27.a3 b8?!
[ Rather than lessening the pressure on c2, it
was possible to widen the struggle with
27...g5!? 28.hxg6 ( 28.fxg5 g4 ) 28...hxg6
intending g6-g5. ]
28.a2 a4? Now the a4 pawn becomes a
target. It will prove a big advantage for White
that his king is far nearer the action. 29.axb4
cxb4 30.c3 b3?! 31.c2 3b5 32.d4
a8 33.b4! An excellent move that forces
o p e n t h e c f i l e f o r t h e o t h e r r o o k . xb4
34.cxb4 d7 35.a3 c8 36.c3!
Anyone who reads Shirov's games collection
'Fire on Board' will discover that he is a fine
endgame player as well as a brilliant tactician.
c7 37.b5 c8 38.xa4 b7 39.a5 c8
40.b6 b8 41.a6 d8 42.c7 d4
43.b7+ a8 44.a7+ b8 45.b4 d3
46.b7 c7 47.b5 d4 48.b6+ c6
49.b8+!
[ Not 49.b8 a4# ]
49...c5 50.c7+ d5 51.c1 d2 52.d1
e4
1-0
1062 C11
Shomoev,Anton 2528
Chebotarev,Oleg 2505
59th ch-RUS 1st League (9) 11.09.2006
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 cxd4 8.xd4
c5 9.d2 0-0 10.0-0-0 a6 11.f2 e7
W e have analysed a lot of games on
ChessPub with 11.Qf2, and there have many
disasters for Black. At the moment, his best
bet seems to be
[ 11...xd4! 12.xd4 b5 Still, the game
move is also worthy of attention, if only to
force the opponent to think for himself! ]
12.g3 In what follows, White makes things
very comfortable for his opponent with his
passive play. A 'big name game' went as
follows:
[ 12.d3 f6 13.exf6 xf6 14.he1
the move that White wants to play, but can
he get away with it ? b4?! ( I could be
missing something here, but I believe that
because this was a rapidplay game,
perhaps Morozevich didn't have the chance
to work out the consequences of 14...g4
15.xc6 f6! which looks at least OK for
B l a c k e . g . 16.xc5 the queen sacrifice is
more or less forced. xf2 17.e7+ h8
18.xf2 xe7 19.xd5 f7 20.b6 b8
21.g3 e5! attacking a2 with counterplay.)
15.h4 xc3 16.bxc3 One would imagine
that having broken up W hite's queenside
pawns, Black was doing well. However,
White has every single piece on an active
post, and the bishop pair add a lot of
dynamism to his position. For example,
there is the idea of Nxc6 followed by Bxh7+,
exploiting the pin on f6. a3+ 17.b1
xc3 18.b3! The black queen is
surrounded and threatened with loss by 19.
Bd2. It is necessary to give back the pawn,
after which Black remains painfully weak on
the dark squares. e4 19.xe4 dxe4
20.c5 e8 21.xe4 f6 22.h5 f7
23.xf7+ xf7 24.b6 and White's
973
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

initiative stretched into an endgame which winning attack on the white king bef ore
he eventually won in Karjakin, S-Morozevich, being horribly swindled in Gurevich-Saric. ]
A/Tomsk RUS 2006. ] 11...xd4! A wise exchange. Black eliminates
12...xd4 13.xd4 b5 14.d3 b4 15.e2 the white knight which would have obstructed
[ Black also gets to attack on the queenside his attack whilst keeping his own knight on c6
after 15.a4 xd4 16.xd4 b7 for the battle ahead. As will be seen, White's
-intending Bc6 to evict the knight from a4- dark squared bishop never really gets to the
17.b6 xb6 18.xb6 a5 etc. ] party. 12.xd4 b8! So simple: Potkin
15...a5! 16.he1 a6 The opening has been prepares to batter his opponent with the b-
a great success for Black: he has developed pawn. 13.b1 b5 14.e2 b4 15.e3 a6
his 'problem' light squared bishop without any It's always a good sign for Black when the
fuss and has mobile queenside pawns. light squared bishop can be developed without
Meanwhile W hite has no attack on the tears. 16.d4 fc8 Black completes his build
kingside to speak of, and despite his slow up with every piece ready for action on the
moves, hasn't found time even to play Kb1 to queenside. Meanwhile, W hite's own attack
consolidate his king's position. 17.f5 fc8 has gone missing. 17.b3 a4 18.g4 b7
18.fxe6 19.g2 bc7 20.f2 a5 21.d4
[ White has little to show for his pawn after Allowing Black to breakthrough, but if
18.f6 gxf6 19.exf6 xd4 20.xd4 xf6 ] [ 21.c1 then c4 with the plan of 22...Rc6
18...fxe6 19.f4 a4 20.b1 b3! The black and 23...Ra6 followed by a quick mate on a2
attack is now unstoppable. 21.cxb3 looks devastating. ]
[ Or 21.a3 bxc2+ ( 21...xa3!? ) 22.xc2 21...xc2!! a spectacular way to remove the
ab8 with a withering attack against b2. ] obstacles to an attack on the a2 point.
21...axb3 22.axb3 xd4 23.xd4 c5 22.xc2 c4 23.b3
24.xa6 xa6 25.e3 b7 26.c1 a7 [ T h e o n l y wa y t o f ig h t o n wa s 23.xb4!
27.e2 a1+ 28.c2 xc1+ xb4 24.d4 but the attack quickly
Winning thanks to the check on b3 next move. becomes overwhelming for example c5!
Also possible was ( W h i t e a vo i d s t h e wo rs t a f t e r 24...a4
[ 28...xb3+ when if 29.xb3 a2+ 25.xc4 xc4 26.c1 ) 25.c2 b8
30.b4 a4# ] 26.hd1 a3 etc. ]
0-1 23...xb3 24.axb3 xb3+ 25.c1 a2!
Threatening mate on b3 and clearing the way
f o r t h e g lo rio u s a d va n ce o f t h e b -p a wn .
1063 C11 26.d3 b3 27.d1 bxc2+ 28.c1 a1+
Shomoev,Anton 2551 29.d2 xh1 30.e2 c1
Potkin,Vladimir 2593 0-1
8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (4) 06.04.2007
[Neil McDonald]
1064 C11
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 Shomoev,Anton 2556
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 Riazantsev,Alexander 2629
A quiet move that is causing W hite a lot of Aeroflot Open (1) 14.02.2007
problems. 8.dxc5 0-0 9.d2 [Neil McDonald]
[ A couple of months earlier Shomoev had
tried 9.e2 against Riazantstev, but was 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
soundly thrashed in a game given in the 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.dxc5 0-0
archives. This time he decides to enter the 9.e2 A rather slow move. We have seen
mainline but meets with no better a fate. ] [ 9.d2 with the plan of queenside castling
9...xc5 10.0-0-0 a5 11.d4 in Saric-Gurevich. ]
[ T ryin g t o im p ro ve o n 11.xc5 xc5 9...xc5 10.d2 Already things are rather
af t er wh ic h Mikha il Gu re vich bu ilt u p a awkward for White as after

974
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 10.xc5 xc5 11.0-0 b6 there is a 9...g5!? See for example Dworakowska-
double threat of a discovered check and 12... Malakhatko. ]
Qxb2. ] 10.b1
10...xe3 11.xe3 f6! The apparently well [ Or 10.a2!? b6 11.e2 b4 12.axb4
centralised white queen will prove a target on xb4 13.a1 c6 14.b3 g6!? ( If 14...b7
e3- see the note to 13.Nd4. 12.exf6 xf6 15.c3! a noteworthy manoeuvre to gain
13.d4 control of the c5 square and so take the
[ White drops a pawn after 13.0-0-0 g4 p r e s s u r e o f f d 4 . c7 16.a4 cxd4
14.c5 xf4 ] 17.xd4 b4 18.c3 xd4 19.xd4 e7
13...e5! Black is always trying to make this 20.d3 0-0 21.0-0 White had a pleasant
break out move work in the Tarrasch pawn edge in Svidler, P-Komarov, D/Paris FRA
s t r u c t u r e . 14.fxe5 g4 15.xg4 xg4 2006. ) 15.c3 cxd4 16.xd4 xd4
White has an extra pawn, but how he is going 17.xd4 c6
to castle on either wing? This is a problem for A) 18.a4!? g7 ( Black loses a piece
his rooks as well as his king. Meanwhile, after 18...c5?? 19.xc5 xc5 20.c3 )
B la ck c a n f u lly a ct i va t e h is ga m e wit h a 19.d3 0-0 20.0-0 though Black can
scheme such as Qb6, hitting both d4 and b2, counterattack with f6;
followed by Rae8. 16.xc6 It is a sure sign of B) 18.e2 Maybe White should take a
trouble for White when his knight feels obliged leaf out of Svidler's book with c5 19.0-0
to give up the blockade on d4 and strengthen 0-0 20.a4 xd4+ 21.xd4 b7 22.f3
t h e b l a c k p a w n s . bxc6 17.d1 d4 ac8 23.c4 It looks as if White is imposing
It's amazing how quickly White's position has his will upon his opponent, but he slipped
c o l l a p s e d . 18.g3 a5+ 19.c3 ae8! out: c5! 24.ab1 xa4 25.bxa4 d7
20.d2 26.b6 a8 27.cxd5 xd5 28.bd1
[ 20.xg4 xe5+ 21.d2 f4 chasing the c6 29.xc6 xc6 30.d6 - Timofeev,
white queen away from the defence of e2. A-Wang Hao/Moscow RUS 2006. ]
22.d7 e2+ 23.c1 d3 and the mate [ Meanwhile 10.e2 was seen in Anand-
threat on c2 wins the game. ] Ivanchuk ]
20...h5 21.e1 d8 22.c2 g6+ 23.c1 10...b4?
a4 24.b3 a3+ [ Black should have got her queen's rook
[ White is mated upon 24...a3+ 25.b2 d3 i n v o l v e d i n t h e g a m e w i t h 10...b8!
26.d1 d2+ 27.xd2 f1+ 28.d1 as e xamined in t he n otes to Kasp arov-
fxd1# ] R a d j a b o v. F o r e xa m p l e , 11.d1 b4
0-1 12.axb4 xb4 13.c3 b8 and Black has
co u n t e rp l a y. N o d o u b t N ig e l S h o rt , a n
extremely well prepared player, had a new
1065 C11 idea in mind for White, but I doubt it could
Short,Nigel D 2676 have been as unpleasant for Black as what
Zhukova,Natalia 2432 occurs in the game. ]
Gibtelecom Masters (5) 28.01.2006 11.axb4 xb4 12.e2 g5 The thematic
[Neil McDonald] attack on the white centre that was discussed
at move nine. Now Short's pawn structure
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 disintegrates, but in return he gets open lines
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5!? f o r h i s p i e c e s . 13.fxg5 cxd4 14.xd4
9.a3 White takes measures against Black's dxe5 15.0-0 g7 16.f4! An excellent
plan of a queenside advance with b5-b4 and move that uses the threat of a discovered
a6 -a 5, wh en B a6 a ctiva t in g th e p ro b le m attack on the black queen to gain time to
b i s h o p b e c o m e s p o s s i b l e . a5 double rooks against f7. e7 17.xc6 xc6
B la ck re in t ro d u ce s t h e i d e a o f b 5 - b 4 b y 18.bf1! White presses on fearlessly with his
pinning the a3 pawn. kingside onslaught, apparently oblivious to
[ The most double edged alternative is the threat of d5-d4. 0-0

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[ If 18...d4 19.f3 b7 20.xc6+ xc6 11.gxf7+ c7 12.d1! g7 ( White also
21.xf7!? xf7 22.xf7 dxc3 23.d6! wins material and keeps an attack after
xf7 24.c7+! g6 25.xc6 and White 12...xe5 13.g5 d7 14.xe5 xd6
h a s a w i n n i n g i n i t i a t i v e a s i f cxb2? 15.f7 d7 16.f4+ b6 17.xh8 )
26.xe6+ h5 27.f7+ h4 28.f4+ 13.g5 f8 14.f4 h6 15.d8+ b8 16.c3
h5 29.g4+ and mate follows on f5 or g3. ] c6 17.h4 g5 18.xh8 xh8 19.fxg5
19.d3!! Again Short chooses to ignore the dxe5 20.xc8 xc8 21.d2 f5
fork on d4. d4 20.e2 xg5 Taking either 22.0-0-0 and White was the exchange up
minor piece is also hopeless, for example with a good development in Nieus, T-Tencati,
[ 20...dxc3 21.h5 f5 22.gxf6 xf6 G/Rimini 1993. ]
23.g4+ h8 ( 23...g7 24.xh7# ) 7.g5 b6 8.0-0-0 g6
24.xf6! xf6 ( or 24...cxb2 25.xf8+ xf8 [ Black cannot develop normally as 8...c6
26.xh7# ) 25.xh7 xh7 26.e8+ runs into 9.xd5! exd5 10.e6 threatening
and mate follows, or, identically, ] mate in one on f7 as well as the knight. ]
[ 20...dxe3 21.h5 f5 22.gxf6 xf6 9.g4 cxd4
23.g4+ h8 24.xf6 xf6 25.xh7 etc. ] [ After 9...c6 10.dxc5 xc5 11.g3 b5
21.xh7+! xh7 22.e4 e5 23.h4+ 12.d3 g7 13.he1 b7 14.h4!
g8 24.f4 d3 a type of position typical of the Classical
[ Losing at once, but if 24...b5 25.g4 Variation has been reached, but with the
threatening mate on f6. black queen poorly placed on c5, where she
A) no better is 25...f5 26.h6 g6 gets in the way of Nc5, and the black king's
( g 7 d r o p s a f t e r 26...xg4 27.xg4 ) bishop shut in on g7. h5 15.b1 c8
27.f6+ xf6 28.xf6 xg4 29.xg4+ 16.f4 b4 17.c1 c6 18.e2 b4
wins a rook.; 19.a4 a5 20.b3 a7 21.d4 0-0
B) 25...f5 26.g6 fxe4 27.h7+ f7 22.h6 Black has failed to achieve any real
28.d6+ e8 29.xf8 and Black is counterplay on the queenside which means
annihilated. ] that matters are quickly decided by a pawn
25.xe5 dxe2 26.f6+ storm on the other wing. c6 23.f3 e7
[ 26.f6+ xf6 27.xf6 exf1+ 28.xf1 24.xg7 xg7 25.g4 hxg4 26.xg4 h8
and Black is a rook and knight up, but will 27.g5 c6 28.g1 f5 29.xe6+! fxe6
be mated next move. A wonderful attacking 30.xg6+ f8 31.xf5 exf5 32.e6 e7
game by Nigel Short. ] 33.exd7+ 1-0 Smith,A-Henneteau,J/ Cannes
1-0 2000. ]
10.xd4 c6 Black has no good way to
complete his development.
1066 C11 [ After 10...xe5 there could be a
Simoli,Sergio 2225 s p e c t a c u l a r f i n i s h : 11.xd5! xg4
Ciampi,Vincenzo 12.xb6 xf2 13.xa8 xh1 ( If
op Rome (3) 1990 13...xd1 14.xd1 Black stays a piece
[Neil McDonald] down. ) 14.c6! xc6 15.c7# ]
11.xe6! White begins a splendid king hunt.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 fxe6 12.xe6+ e7 13.xd5 xe6
5.h5 c5 6.f3 a6 14.c7+ f7 15.xe6 xe6 16.c4+ f5
[ White has a slight but pleasant edge after [ At the very least White regains his piece
6...e7 7.g5 - intending 8.Nb5 and a two pawns up after 16...xe5 17.he1+
knight invasion on d6 or even c7 if f5 18.xe7 ]
appropriate- a6 8.0-0-0 c6 9.dxc5 ] 17.f4! xe5 One idea for White was 18.h3
[ The very natural 6...c6? appears to run and then 19. g4 mate. 18.g4+ xg4
into trouble after 7.g5! g6 ( Similarly if [ Again it is reassuring for a pessimist such
7...e7 8.b5 ) 8.f3 e7 9.b5 xd4 as myself that White is winning 'on points'
10.d6+ d8 ( 10...xd6? 11.xf7+ ) after 18...xg4 19.hg1+ f5 20.fxe5 ]

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

19.de1 No w 2 0 . B d 3 m a t e lo o m s . f2 18...d7 transposes to the main game.)

20.e5+ g4 21.e2+ h3 22.e3+ g2 19.xc6 xf2+ 20.xf2 xc3 21.b3
23.f3+ h3 24.e4+ Black resigned as he e4 22.xf5 0-0 23.e7+ h8 24.xd5
is mated after g4 25.g3+ h5 26.f3+ was better for White in Wiersma-Radjubov,
g4 27.xg4+ xg4 28.h3# Groningen 1999. ]
1-0 17...d7
[ Here Radjubov's idea in the note was worth
considering: 17...a4!? ]
1067 C11 [ A quick disaster f or Black wa s 17...c8
Skrzypnik,Maciej 2223 18.f5 exf5 19.xf5 0-0 20.b4! f6 21.g4
Hanley,Craig 2294 g6 22.exf6 c7 23.f7+! fxf7 24.h6+
EuYCh B16 Halkidiki GRE (9) 10.10.2000 f8 25.xf7 xf7 26.f4 and he resigned
[Neil McDonald] in Feletar-Kovacevic, Pula 2000. ]
18.f5! Now Black cannot allow the further
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 advance f5-f6 which would win control of all
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6 8.d2 b5 the dark squares on the kingside and make
9.dxc5 xc5 10.xc5 xc5 11.f2 b6 his king hopelessly placed. So he has to
This has been regarded as one of Black's capture on f5, but this leads to the loss of a
soundest variations in the Classical, but with pawn and eventual defeat. exf5 19.xd5
his next move White tries to blast him away e4 20.e3 0-0 21.bd1 ae8 22.xf5
with an unexpected pawn sacrifice. 12.b4!? xe3+ 23.dxe3 c6 24.d4 a8 25.c4
xb4 c5 26.fe1 d8 27.f5 fe8 28.cd6
[ Here I think 12...d4! is a strong response. e6?! 29.e4!
One of the ideas is that if White takes on d4 1-0
then his queen is no longer attacking the
knight on c5. This means that Black's queen
can go to a5 without dropping a piece. This 1068 C11
seems of crucial importance, for example Smith,Alan A
13.xd4 ( If 13.bxc5 a5 regains the piece Richards,Heather
with at least equality.) 13...xb4 14.b1 Torquay 1998
a5!? 15.dxb5? ( After 15.d2 [Neil McDonald]
the greedy xa2 looks good for Black- note
that then 16.c6?? xc3 pins White's 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
qu e e n a n d s o p re ve n t s a m a t e o n d 8 !) 5.h5 c5 The critical response to the
15...e4! and White is in trouble for H a l d a n e H a c k - B l a c k ' s m e e t s t h e
example 16.d6+ ( 16.xe4? d3+ ) decentralisation of the white queen with action
16...xd6 17.exd6 xa2 wins. ] in the centre. 6.f3! White must be prepared
13.b1 c6 14.xb5! This is White's idea. to offer the e5 pawn as a sacrifice. Do NOT try
He regains his material and breaks up Black's [ 6.g5 here- it always leads to catastrophe
queenside. It appears that in order to castle after b6 as the bishop no longer protects
safely Black will have to sacrifice at least one b2, the d4 pawn is hanging, and less
pawn. d7 obviously the white queen is blocked from
[ Instead after 14...axb5 15.xb5 d3+ defending e5. ]
16.cxd3 xf2+ 17.xf2 d4 18.e2 0-0 6...cxd4 7.xd4 Here also over aggressive
19.c1 e7 20.b2 d5 21.fxd4 are
Black had enough play for one pawn but [ 7.g5? b6 and ]
surely not two in Zelcic-Kovacevic, Pula [ 7.g5? g6 8.f3 xe5 ]
2000, though somehow he held the draw. ] 7...g6
15.0-0 a7 16.xc6 xc6 17.d4 [ There was a short and sharp draw after
[ A more accurate move order might be 17.f5 7...b6 8.db5 a6 9.e3 c5
at once, when exf5 18.d4 a4 ( Instead ( Losing at once is 9...c5? 10.d6+ )

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
10.a4 a5+ 11.d2 d8 12.g5 a5+
13.d2 d8 with a repetition in Gongalov,B-
Zaja,I/Imperia 1989. W hite could play on
with 14.xc5 xc5 15.c3 with attacking
ideas of Bd3 or Qg4 etc. though Black is
solid enough. In this extract W hite was
unrated and Black Elo 2365, so in some
sense a draw was a moral victory for the
Haldane Hack. ]
8.g4 xe5 9.g3 bc6
[ In the stem game with the line Robin
Haldane built up a winning attack af te r
9...g7 10.f4 f6?! 11.b5+!
A very embarrassing check for Black who
must move his king. f7 ( Blocking is no
good after either 11...d7 12.xe6 or;
11...bc6 12.xe5 fxe5 13.xc6 or;
11...ed7 12.xb8 xb8 13.xb8 )
12.0-0-0 d7 13.xe5 fxe5 14.f3 xb5
15.xb5 f6 ( T h e n a t u r a l 15...c6
i s b a d a f t e r 16.g5+ ) 16.xe5+ g7
17.g4 a6 18.he1 e8 19.d6
1-0 Haldane,R-Happel,H/Guernsey 1987.
The e6 pawn drops next move as if e7
20.xf6 xf6 21.e5# ]
10.xc6 xc6 11.f4 g7 Black is a sound
pawn up and if he could only have one extra
move to castle kingside he would be winning.
Therefore White must act fast. 12.c7!
[ An important zwischenzug as after the
immediate 12.d6 a5! White cannot
c a s t l e q u e e n s i d e a s 13.0-0-0 xc3
breaks up his defences. ]
12...f6 13.d6 Now the black king is obliged
to stay in the centre and face an attack. d4
[ Or 13...a6 -to stop 14. Nb5 in a different
way- 14.0-0-0 e7 15.d3!? keeps up the
initiative, e.g. 0-0 16.he1 when e8??
17.e5 h6+ 18.f4 leaves the black queen
trapped. ]
14.d3 d7 15.0-0-0 f5 It's great to have
an extra pawn but how does Black get the king
to safety? Here's what might happen after
[ 15...a6 : 16.he1 c6 17.xd5!?
A hair raising decision, but with both rooks
in the game White should come out on top
in the melee that follows. xb2+ 18.d2
c8 19.c5 a5 20.b1 xa2 21.d6
c6 22.xb7 a5+ 23.e2 d8 24.f1
g8 25.b6 f8 26.f6+ Splat! A. Smith-C.
Harris, Scarborough 1999. ]
16.xf5 xf5 17.he1 c8 18.d3
W h i t e h a s n o n e e d t o h u r r y. H e c a l m l y
prevents his queenside being broken up by
Bxc3 and prepares to bring his rook to f3. d4
19.f3 a5 20.h4! g5
[ Sadly for Black if 20...f8 21.xd4 ]
21.h5 The queen returns triumphantly to her
old haunt on h5. f8 Of course taking on c3
allows mate in two. 22.xf8 dxc3 23.xf7+
d8 24.e7+ c7 25.d6+ d8 26.d1
cxb2+ 27.b1 c7 28.xg7
1-0
1069 C11
Smith,Andrew
Hanley,Craig
British Rapidplay Championship rapid 1998
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
5.h5 c5 6.f3 c6? It seems that most
players respond to the Haldane with this
nat ura l- and ba d!- mo ve. Th ey jus t c an't
believe that White's crude attack can possibly
work. To be fair to Craig Hanley, who is now
IM strength, he was very young back in 1998!
The critical line, already discussed on
ChessPub, is
[ 6...cxd4! 7.xd4 g6 8.g4 xe5 9.g3
g7 10.f4 bc6 ( Tommy Curry points
o u t t h a t S h r e d d e r l i k e s 10...ec6
I guess that Black has good chances after
11.db5?! 0-0 as 12.c7? e5 is crushing.
But White can, of course, transpose to the
mainline with 11.Nxc6! Nxc6.) 11.xc6
xc6 12.d6 I t h i n k t h a t ( 12.c7!
is better, and Andrew Smith has confirmed
that nowadays he also prefers this move.)
12...a6 ( As given in the game Smith-
Richards on ChessPub, I think Black should
play 12...a5 here. ) 13.0-0-0 f5 14.h4
f6 15.f4 h5 16.d3 d7 17.he1 0-0-0
18.a4 b5 19.f2! and Andrew Smith built
up a winning position in a simul' back in mid
1990s versus the great David Bronstein and
after some ups and downs eventually won.
Note that if bxa4 20.xa6# is mate. ]
7.g5 g6 8.f3 e7 9.b5 xd4
10.d6+ d8 11.gxf7+ c7 12.c3!
This looks stronger than
978
Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

[ 12.d1 which I gave in the notes to the

for Black is
game Simoli-Ciampi. g7 13.g5 f8 [ 14...b5 15.f5 exf5 16.g3 e6 17.h6
14.f4 h6 15.d8+ b8 16.c3 c6 17.h4 b4
g8 i n s t e a d o f ( 17...g5? ) 18.b5 g5! A) White had an attractive exchange
is by no means clear. ] s a c r i f i c e a va i l a b l e w i t h 18.a3! f4
12...g7 13.g5 f8 14.f4 h6 If left in 19.xg7+ ( not 19.axb4 a1+ 20.d2
peace White can build up with 0-0-0 intending fxg3 21.xa1 gxh6 ) 19...xg7 20.axb4
R x d 4 , e t c . 15.d8+ b8 16.b5! b6 21.xf4 etc.;
Threatening to take on d7 and then c5. b6 B) 18.xg7+?! xg7 19.g5 fc8
[ Black loses his queen in a pretty manner 20.xh7+ f8 21.h6 xc3 22.xg7+
after 16...xb5 17.xb5 b6 18.c7+ b7 e7 23.f6+ e8 24.bxc3 xa2+
19.fd6+ c6 20.d4+ xc7 21.xe6+ 25.b2 xc3+ 26.b1 a3 27.h8+
An impressive pair of white knights! ] e7 28.f6+ e8 29.h8+ with a draw
17.d1 This was a rapid play game, and even by repetition in Najer, E-Riazantsev, A/
in a slow game it would be difficult to see the Sochi RUS 2007. ]
clever win with 15.e3
[ 17.d3!! with the threat of 18.Bxd7 Bxd7 [ Relatively uneventful was 15.g3 h8
19.Qa6! when Black has no useful way to 16.e3 a4 17.xa4 xa4 18.b1 fc8
ward off mate on b7- or mate on c8 if Black 19.d2 b5 20.d4 xd4 21.xd4 xd4
plays 19...Bc6. 22.xd4 b4 and draw agreed in Potkin, V-
A) 17...f5 18.c6 xd6 19.exd6 a6 Lysyj, I/Dagomys RUS 2008. ]
( 19...xf7 20.c7# ) 20.c7+ a715...fc8!
21.xh8 xh8 22.0-0 and White will [ More f igh ting t ha n 15...a4 16.xa4
soon be another exchange up.; xa4 17.b1 fc8 18.d2 b5
B) 17...a6 18.xd7 xd7 19.xb6 ( I would advise the immediate 18...b4!?
and wins. ] e.g. 19.b3 a5 20.a3 a6 intending
17...f5 18.a3 a6 19.xd7 xd6 Nc5 and maybe Ne4.) 19.g4 b4 20.b3
20.exd6 xf7 21.c7+ b7 22.b3! xd7 xb3 21.axb3 and White ground out a win
23.xb6+ c8 24.d8! b5 25.e7 d7 in Najer, E-Lysyj, I/ Novokuznetsk RUS
26.b7+ e8 27.xa8+ d7 28.b7+ 2008. ]
e8 29.c8# 16.d4
1-0 [ Or 16.b1!? e7!? ( Of course not
16...b5?? 17.xc5 ) 17.e1 and we might
have a curious repetition with c6 ( for if
1070 C11 17...b5? 18.xd5! ) 18.e3 e7 etc. ]
Smith,Axel 2391 [ Too risky f o r W hit e is t he direct 16.f5?
Berczes,David 2514 b e c a u s e o f b4! e.g. 17.g3 e4!
38th Rilton Cup 2008-9 (2) 28.12.2008 18.xe4 xc2+ 19.b1 xa2# ]
[Neil McDonald] 16...b5!? 17.dxb5
[ Critical is 17.cxb5!? e4!? ( Black is OK
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 b u t a s s u r e d l y d o e s n ' t wa n t t o p l a y a n
5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 e7 8.d2 0-0 endgame with 17...xd4 18.xd4 xa2
9.dxc5 xc5 10.0-0-0 This attacking 19.a3 xa3 20.xa3 c7; Similarly if
approach by W hite gives Black excellent 17...xa2 18.a3! is an unwelcome
counterchances, as has been proved in many exchange. ) 18.a3 d8! and Black has
recent games. a5 11.xc5 xc5 12.h4 huge compensation for the pawn. ]
d7 13.h3!? 17...b4
[ Instead 13.h5 was played in Svidler- [ Even stronger was 17...a4! ]
Riazantsev- see the archives. ] 18.a3 xc2 19.xc2 xb5 20.xb5?
13...ab8 14.h5 h6!? Berczes takes time out [ No one likes to walk into a discovered
for defence. Sharper but probably inadequate check, but the only chance was 20.xb5!

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

though Black will regain his piece and keep with d4, b2, and h4 hanging. There might
the initiative after e4+ 21.b1 a6! ] follow 16.xc6 bxc6 17.h5 c5 ]
20...e4! 21.a4 [ 13...a5+ isn't as f orcing, but 14.d2
[ If 21.d7 xc3 22.bxc3 c7 winning the ( 14.d2 b6 15.c3 e4 16.e5 xe5
bishop and maintaining the attack. ] 17.xe5 b4+ 18.c3 e3 ) 14...xg5
21...a6! 22.a7 15.hxg5 d7 with the idea of ...Nd4 or ...e4/
[ There is no defence e.g. 22.e2 xc3+ . . . N e 5 / . . . B b 5 l e a v e s W h i t e a wk wa r d l y
23.bxc3 ( Best for White but hopeless in the placed. ]
l o n g t e r m i s 23.xc3 xc3 24.xc3 14.d2
xa4+ 25.b1 xf4 ) 23...xa4+ 24.d3 [ 14.d2 may be more accurate. ]
( 24.c1 a1+ 25.c2 b2+ 26.d3 14...e4
xc3# ) 24...c4+ 25.c2 b3+ 26.c1 [ 14...d6 ]
( 26.d3 xc3# ) 26...b2# ] 15.d4 c5 16.b3?!
22...a8 23.b4 xb4 24.d4 a3 25.f1 [ W hite should return a pawn by 16.xc6
ab8 26.c1 b3+ 27.d3 b4 bxc6 17.b3 xh4 18.0-0-0 ]
If the white queen runs away, then c3 drops. 16...b6 17.h5 e5 18.0-0-0 xh3
0-1 19.xh3 xf2 With three mobile central
passed pawns for the piece, it's not hard to
see who stands better. 20.b1 f6 21.g5
1071 C11 f5 22.g4 f8
Stopa,Jacek 2460 [ 22...e6! prepares ...Raf8 as well as a
Kraai,Jesse 2516 central pawn advance. ]
4th Calgary Classic Int (3) 20.05.2011 23.b5 d4 24.xd4 exd4 25.c1 d8
[John Watson] 26.hh1 d3 27.a4 f3 28.f5?!
A tad desperate. Still, White can't be happy
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 with
5.ce2 c5 6.c3 c6 7.f3 This is not the [ 28.b3 e3 ]
usual move because it fails to sufficiently [ Best is 28.g5 h6 29.e7 d2 30.xd2
bolster the e5 point if Black attacks by ...f6. xd2 31.e6+ h8 32.xd2 xh1+
[ 7.f4 can be seen in many Archives 33.d1 xh4 34.xd5 h1+ 35.d1 xd5
games. ] 36.xd5 g1 ]
7...e7 8.h4 A normal advance, but White 28...xf5 29.gxf5 d4! 30.hf1 xf1
may also be afraid of ...g5. cxd4 9.cxd4 f6 31.xf1 e3
The critical point. 10.f4!? [ 31...h6! ]
[ 10.exf6 xf6 11.c3 0-0 gives Black a 32.d1?!
standard Tarrasch position in which he is [ 32.f3! d2 33.xd2 exd2 34.d3
better developed than usual. Nevertheless, is the better course. ]
this was the way to keep things more-pr-less 32...d2
even. ] [ 32...e2! 33.h1 ( 33.e1 f2 34.d2 d4
10...dxe5! This is a standard sacrifice by 35.h5 f7 wins ) 33...f2 34.d2 c8
which Blac k net s two p awns f o r a p ie ce , is close to winning. W hite should try for
opens lines, and sets up a powerful centre opposite-coloured bishops without the rooks,
wi t h t e m p o . 11.dxe5 fxe5 12.h3 0-0 but it's still very difficult, e.g., 35.b5 c2
13.g5 It's hard to find a good way to develop, 36.c3 xh4! 37.xd3 xc3 38.bxc3
for example, e1+ 39.xe1 xe1 ]
[ 13.e2 e4 14.d4 e5 15.xc6 bxc6 33.xd2 exd2 34.xd2 f6 35.b3!
16.g3 xh3 17.xh3 b6 18.h2 c5 [ 35.h5 let's the d-pawn escape, but it
, etc. ] prevents Black from getting a passed h-
13...b4+!? Inexact. pawn. W hite's p rob ab ly doing the righ t
[ Black should end up in a happy situation thing. ]
after 13...e4! 14.d4 a5+ 15.d2 b6 35...xh4

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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014
[ 35...f8 36.xd5 ]
36.xd5 f8
[ 36...xd5 37.xd5+ f8 38.xb7 ]
37.xd8+ xd8 38.c2 h5 39.d5 b6
40.d3 h4 41.g2 e7 42.e4 d6
43.b3 c5 44.d3 b4 45.c2 a3
46.b1 g5! 47.h1
[ 47.f1 holds back the h-pawn, but perhaps
White is still okay. ]
47...h3!? This looks like a innocent move, but
if Black ever wins the f-pawn, it will prove to
be more difficult for White to blockade than
with the pawn on h4. I'm not sure if it
ultimately makes any difference. 48.f3 h2
49.g2 a5 50.f3 b4 51.c2 c5
52.d3 b5
[ 52...b4 53.c2 and it's hard for Black to
make progress. ]
53.g2 b4
[ 53...d6 54.e4 ]
54.e4 d6 55.h1 d8 56.d3
[ Or 56.g2 e7 57.f4 f6 58.e4
c7+ 59.g4 e5 60.c6 d4 61.h3
c3 62.g2 b2 ]
56...e5 57.b7 xf5 58.h1 f4 59.e2
g5 60.b7 g4 61.h1 g3 62.g2 b6
63.h1 e5 64.d3 f4
½-½
1072 C11
Sulskis,Sarunas 2579
Gleizerov,Evgeny 2587
13th Goodricke (8) 24.03.2002
[Neil McDonald]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2
[ The game begins as a Tarrasch, but when
looking for other games in this variation it is
important to note that it could have started
as a Classical, with the move order 3.c3 12...a3 13.b3 db8 14.0-0 a6 15.e3
f6 4.e5 fd7 5.ce2 Anand's speciality! c7?
c5 6.c3 c6 7.f4 b6 8.f3 This is the
wa y m o s t o f t h e t o p cla ss ga me s h a ve
reached the position after 8.Ne2 below. ]
3...f6 4.e5 fd7 5.c3 c5 6.f4 c6
7.df3 b6 8.e2 Rather unexpectedly, this
move has become the focus of attention here
thanks to the Classical 5.Nce2 line- see the
note to move three above.
[ For a long time the usual move was 8.g3 16.c1 d7 17.c3 a5?! Black avoids
as given in other games on ChessPub. ]
8...a5
[ Instead 8...f6 9.a3 ( Here 9.g3 cxd4
10.cxd4 b4+ hasn't proved a popular
choice for W hite.) 9...e7 10.h4 0-0
11.h3 is Anand-Shirov on ChessPub- with
the Classical 4. Nce2 move order. I rather
like this for Black if he now adopts the plan
of Qc7 and b7-b6- for details see the
Classical 5.Nce2 eBook. ]
9.g3
[ Or 9.a3 a4 10.h4 a7 is Arakhamia-
V o l k o v a g a i n wi t h t h e C l a s s i c a l m o v e
order. ]
9...a4
[ Also via the Classical move order 9...e7!?
10.h4 a4 11.h3 db8 with unclear play is
Lalic-Speelman. ]
10.h3 cxd4 11.cxd4 b4+
[ Probably transposing is 11...a3 12.b3
b4+ ]
12.d2 This looks like an improvement on 12.
Kf 2, which the former Russian champion
Volkov has faced several times. Rather than
spend time on Kf2 and Kg2 White intends to
castle and get his rook to f1 one move sooner.
Instead
[ 12.f2 a3 13.b3 db8 14.g2 ( If
14.e3 d7 15.g4 h5 16.gxh5 xh5
17.f1 e7 18.g3 h8 19.c1 bc6
20.h4 0-0-0 with balanced chances in
Khalifman,A-Volkov,S/St Petersburg 1999.)
14...a6 15.e3 ( Unclear was 15.g4 h5
16.gxh5 xh5 17.e3 h8 18.c1 d7
19.g3 c7 20.g4 0-0-0 21.f5 exf5
22.xf5 xf5 23.xf5 e6 Cioara,A-
Volkov,S/ Tusnad 2000.) 15...d7 16.c1
e7 17.c3 ab4 18.d2 a5 19.a4
b6 and Black had a solid position in Ulibin,M-
Volkov,S/Krasnodar 1998. ]
[ I suggest that Black should copy Volkov's
moves from his game with Ulibin above,
namely 15...d7 when if 16.c1 e7
17.c3 ab4 18.a4 a5 19.d2 b6
The question is whether somewhere in this
sequence White can exploit the fact that he
has a rook on f1 rather than a king on g2
compared to the Ulibin game. ]
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Scorpionchess Prinout, 06/10/2014

falling into a positional bind after 21.e2 xc1 22.xc1 xc1+ 23.xc1
[ 17...0-0 18.a4 a5 19.c5 c6 24.e4 d5 25.xd5 exd5 26.b4!?
but the remedy proves even worse than the [ 26.e6 g5! 27.e2 e3 ]
disease. ] 26...f7
18.a4 b6 19.f5! It is almost always bad [ Or 26...a5 27.b5 xe5 28.a4 c5 ]
news for Black if W hite achieves this 27.f1 xe5
breakthrough in the mainline French structure. [ 27...a5 28.b5 xe5 29.xd4? xa3
exf5 20.xf5 xf5 21.xc6 a7 22.g5 and the passed a-pawn is very dangerous. ]
g6 Now Black is on the point of consolidating 28.xd4 f6 29.g1?!
with 0-0, but unfortunately for him it is White's [ 29.e2 is roughly equal. ]
move. 23.xg6!! fxg6 29...c6
[ If 23...hxg6 24.xf7 ( or even 24.g4 [ 29...g5! 30.e2 xd3 31.c3 c1! ]
0-0?! 25.h4 )] 30.b5 d4 31.xd4! xd4 32.b3 e5
24.g4 e7 25.c8+ d8 26.e6 xe6 33.h3 e6 34.e2 The bishop is superior to
27.xe6+ e7 28.c8+ d8 29.g5 b5 the knight, but it isn't enough to achieve more
30.c6+ Black resigned. He has survived one than a draw, as the rest of the game shows:
pin but falls into a fatal one after d7 31.e6 b2 35.a4 e5 36.f3 c3 37.g4 b2
A very drastic defeat. 38.e3 c3 39.c1 d4+ 40.f3 d6
1-0 41.b3 e5 42.h4 c3 43.e3 b4
44.d4+ e6 45.c1 e7 46.g5 f5
47.f3 h6 48.gxh6 gxh6 49.h5 b4
1073 C11 50.d3 d6 51.f2 f8 52.g4 g7
Svetushkin,D 2603 53.e3+ e6 54.c2 f6 55.g4 g7
Antic,De 2470 56.f4 f6 57.g4 g7 58.f4 f6
41st TCh-GRE (6.1) 06.07.2013 ½-½
[John Watson]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7 1074 C11

5.f4 c5 6.f3 e7 7.e3 b6 8.d3 a6 Svetushkin,Dmitry 2573
9.0-0 xd3 10.cxd3 0-0 Iljushin,Alexei 2551
[ 10...c6 11.h1 0-0 12.d2 c8 9th Aeroflot Open A (4) 12.02.2010
is similar: 13.ac1 a6!? ( 13...f6!= ) 14.e2 [John Watson]
c7 15.f5!? exf5 16.f4 d8?!
( 16...b7! 17.xd5 fe8 is at least 1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.e5 fd7
equal. ) 17.e6! f6 18.exf7+ xf7 19.g5 5.f4 c5 6.f3 c6 7.e3 a6
cxd4 20.g1 d7 21.xf7 xf7 22.e2 [ Among various 7...e7 games this month,
Bologan, V (2681) -Morozevich, A (2748), Zh e r e b u k h (2 5 3 1 ) - M G u re vi ch ( 2 5 9 7 ) ,
Beijing 2012. ] Cappelle la Grande 2010 was interesting
11.c1 c6 12.a4 cxd4 13.xd4 xd4 because in the main line after 8.d2 0-0
14.xd4 c8= 15.c3 b8! 16.f2 d7 9.e2 a6 10.0-0 b5 11.a3 c7 ( 11...b6
17.a3 c7 and; 11...b7 were analysed in last month's
[ 17...f6! is both more dynamic and good. ] column) ) 12.d1 , the always-theoretically-
18.f3 prep