COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

GM Andrew Soltis

A White Opening You Can Use for the Rest of Your Career

Chess Digest, Inc. 1998

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 Copyright1998 Andrew Soltis

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION The Other CoW e CHAPTER ONE Zukertort 5 b3 vs Koltanowski 5 c3 The c-pawn strategies CHAPTER TWO How White Wins Stonewalling CHAPTER THREE How White Loses Queenside Disasters CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes (1) Black loses when he allows the game to become focused on White's bishops and their dominating diagonals For White, the biggest mistake is usually to lose control of e5 One of the principal causes for Black's downfall over the years is a premature exchange of pawns on d4 5 5 14 14 18 23 23 31 45 45 49 57 57 57

(2) (3)

62 65

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 (4) As in the Koltanowski 5 c3, Black should avoid an unfavorable change in the pawn structure when White plays d*c5 followed by e3-e4 It's often a mistake for Black to post his queen at c7 when White can favorably open the c-file with c2-c4 77

(5)

85

CHAPTER FIVE Main Line Zukertort Variation 5 b3 Analysis 1 d4 d5 2 e3 Nf6 3 Bd3 e6 4 Nf3 c5 5 b3 (A) (B)
5...NC6

88 88 89 92 98

5...Nbd7

INTRODUCTION The Other Colle

There are two faces to what we call the Colle System but many authorities recognize only one. Weighty tomes like The Encyclopedia of Chess and The Oxford Companion to Chess, and even the Russian Chess Encyclopedic Dictionary, de fine the Colle as an opening in which White puts pawns at d4, e3, and c3. But there's another version: the pawns remain at d4 and e3, and the c-pawn is held back, while the c1 bishop is fianchettoed at b2. This simplifies the problem of how to get that bishop into the game while giving White greater flexibility in handling the center. The variation is named after Johannes Hermann Zukertort, the first player to demonstrate the wonderful attacking potential of White bishops lined up on the b1-h7 and b2-g7 diagonals. Here's a typical Zukertort-ure, from his 1883-84 tour of the United States. His opponent in the game played at the Man hattan Chess Club was one of the leading U.S. players for three decades. Zukertort - Judd New York 1883 1 d4 2 Nf3 e6

As we'll see, there are many move orders by Black in the Colle-Zukertort, but White usually gets by with a single se quence: 1 d4, 2 e3, 3 Bd3 and 4 Nf3 although in this book we'll see a lot of other orders. Here his task is made easier by Black's first move, which makes ...Bf5 impossible (compare 1.. .d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 e3 Bf5).
2 ... 3e3 4 Bd3

Nf6 d5 Bd6

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

Black apparently waits for an indication of his opponent's strategy. Will it be the Colle-Koltanowski with Nbd2 and c2-c3 and the eventual e3-e4? Usually, White now plays 5 b3. 5 0 -0 6 b3 0-0

No. White wants to retain other options. One is to attack the center with the c-pawn (c2-c4) and another, quite different idea to keep the center closed and attack on the kingside with Ne5, f2-f4, and Rf3-h3. 6 ... Re8?l There are times when symmetry (6...b6) is risky. But here Black begins a good plan promoting ...e6-e5 that he never carries out. 7 Bb2 8 c4 Nbd7 c6

Later White found that the right response to this setup was Ne5! to keep Black bottled up. Black probably didn't like 8. .. e5 because of 9c5. 9 Nbd2? Now with 9...e5 Black should equalize. 9 ... Nf8? (see diagram on next page)

INTRODUCTION The Other Colle

This method of covering h7, a natural target for White's d3bishop, shows his sixth move was played with a dubious plan in mind. Now White obtains the initiative and never gives it up. 10 e4! If Black declines the opportunity to open the center, White will accept it. 10... dxe4 Black cannot allow 10...Bc7 11 e5! with a huge spatial edge for his opponent. 11 N*e4 12 B*e4 N*e4 f5?

Max Judd had his positional blind spots and this move, making e6 a horribly backward pawn, is indicative, he probably had ...f5-f4 in mind. 13 Bc2 14 Qd2 15 Nxh4 16 f4! Ng6 Nh4 Qxh4

(see diagram on next page)

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

But this thwarts that idea and fixes the e-pawn as well. White's plan now is to bombard e6 with a bishop at b3 and rooks on the e-file. 16 ... Bd7 This was Black's last chance for 16...c5 but he was probably afraid of opening the diagonal for the b2-bishop. 17 b4! Kf7 To protect e6 but, as it turns out, this, and his next, only en courage the winning breakthrough. 18 Bb3 19 c5! 20 b5l a5 Bc7

An excellent stroke. Black doesn't want to have his pieces locked in by 21 b6 so he allows the center to be opened. 20 ... 21 d5 21 ... 22 d6 23 Qc3 24 Rf2 cxb5

Now 21 ...exd5 22 Qxd5ch wins a piece (22...Be6 23 Q*f5ch). Rad8 Bc6 Qg4 b4

INTRODUCTION The Other Colle 25 Qe5 Bb8

A graphic illustration of the power of White's bishops. He could win by 26 h3 followed by Kh2 and preparing g2-g4. But the bishops have another, more direct, way of finishing off. 26 Bd1! 27 Bh5 Qg6

Black resigns because of 27...Q*h5 28 Q*g7 mate. Despite Zukertort's experience with the system, it gained few immediate supporters. But by the end of the last century a similar system with the White c-pawn at c3 and queenside fianchetto was appearing in master chess. It was later adopted with spectacular success by Belgium's Edgar Colle and George Koltanowski in the 1920s and became known as the Colle System, Koltanowski Variation. Colle didn't claim the superiority of one variation over another and, in fact, he adopted the Zukertort setup on occasion: Colle - Grunfeld Berlin 1926 1 d4 2 Nf3 3e3 4 Bd3 5 Nbd2 Nf6 e6 b6 Bb7 c5

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COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 6 0-0 7 b3 Be7

Note that White has delayed his decision b2-b3 or c2-c3 until now. 7 ... c*d4 This exchange usually favors White in the Colle-Koltanowski because it opens the diagonal for the bishop that just sits out the opening at c1. the exchange is more double-edged in the Zukertort because it provides Black with greater play along the c-file. The real question is a matter of timing: when ...c*d4 should be played. In Chapter Three we'll examine a faulty ...c*d4 and other typical mistakes of the Zukertort. 8 e*d4 d6 Black decides against surrendering control of e5. This has good points but also the minus side of granting White a greater share of the center. 9 Bb2 10 c4 11 Rc1 Nbd7 0-0

(see diagram on next page)

INTRODUCTION The Other Colle

11

One of the minor but significant differences between the Koltanowski and Zukertort Variations of the Colle is the use of White's QR. In this system it is often developed at c1 rather than d1 o r e l 11 ... 12 Re1 13Qe2 14 Nf1 Re8 Qc7 Rac8 Qb8

This illustrates Black's problem. With no play on the queenside to speak of, and no action to initiate in the center, his pieces are restricted to three ranks, while White has access to four or five of them. Now he is repositioning his queen at a8 to exert pressure along the long diagonal. 15 Ng3 16 Ng5! Qa8

12

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

But White can use his spatial edge to make specific threats, including N*f7, N*e6 and d4-d5 followed by Nf5 after ...exd5. 16... 17 Nxf7! 18 Qxe6ch 19 d5 g6 Kxf7 Kg7

White has excellent compensation besides two pawns for his knight: Black's pieces, particularly the a8-queen and b7bishop, are frozen out of the game, while White has several immediate (20 Q*d7) and long-range threats. 19 ... 20 Nf5ch! Nc5

Now on 20...gxf5 White crashes through with 21 Q*f5 Nxd3 22 Rxe7ch, e.g., 22...Rxe7 23 Qxf6ch Kg8 24 Qxe7 Nxb2 25 Rc3. 20 ... 21 Qe3 As good or bad as anything. 22 Qh6ch 23 Bxf5 Kf7 Kf8 gxf5

White isn't really interested in 24 Bxc8. His bishop is too valuable since it will help him mate (24 Be6ch N*e6 25 d*e6ch or 24 B*h7 and 25 Qg7 mate). He's also saving Rxe7ch for a more appropriate moment.

INTRODUCTION The Other Colle

23... Desperation.

B*d5

24 Rxe7ch! Like now: 24... K*e7 25 Q*f6 is mate. 24... 25 Qxf6ch 26 Qh8ch 27 Bxc8 Black resigns. Rxe7 Ke8 Kf7

CHAPTER ONE Zukertort 5 b3 vs Koltanowski 5 c3

There are major differences between the Koltanowski and Zukertort systems and they are primarily concerned with the pawn structures. The Koltanowski employs a structure based on solidity and stability White enjoys rock-solid control of d4 because he has pawns at both e3 and c3. This comes at the cost of some rigidity. White surrenders some of that solidity in the Zukertort by con trolling d4 with one pawn, at e3, plus the bishop at b2. This means his queen bishop will probably have much greater reach and flexibility. It also means that he will have holes at c3 and a3 that Black can exploit. Usually the advantages of the reach outweigh the holes. Here's an illustration: Donnelly - Gray Correspondence 1992-3 1 Nf3 This is not a good way of reaching the Colle if that's your in tention all along. 1 ... 2d4 3e3 4 Bd3 5 b3 6 0-0 7 Bb2 8 Nbd2 d5 Nf6 e6 c5 Nc6 Be7 0-0

(see diagram on next page)

CHAPTER ONE Zukertort 5 b3 vs Koltanowski 5 c3

15

White's development is fairly straightforward and he is ready to begin the middlegame that is, by moving his pieces for the second time, such as Ne5, and advancing his rooks, such as Rf3 after f2-f4. 8 ... 9 Ne5 b6 Nb4

You'll probably find opponents play this against you from time to time especially opponents who have been burned by B*h7ch mating attacks. The threat to remove your wonderful d3-bishop is only a temporary gain of time that Black must re turn in two moves. 10 Be2 Bb7 Black may have intended 10...Ba6, to trade off the dangerous bishop. But after 11 a3! B*e2 12 Qxe2 White exploits the knight's unfortunate raid ( 13...N*c2 14 Rac1). 11 a3 12 f4 Nc6

This, plus Bd3, is more or less what White had in mind at move 8. Even the move a2-a3 is useful in certain ways, as we'll see in Chapter Four. 12... 13 Bd3 14 Qe2 Rc8 Qc7

16

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

Note that White keeps his knight at d2 in order to prevent the line-blocking strategy of ...Ne4. Here's Black's problem: his opponent can make progress, e.g., Rf3-h3 or g2-g4-g5. But Black has no obvious way of improving his position. An exchange on d4 doesn't help much because there is no penetration point on the half-open c-file. An exchange of knights on e5 only seems to play into enemy hands ( 14...N*e5 15 f*e5). But this might have been his best chance, after either 15...Ne4or 15...Nd7 and 16...f5. 14... Bd6?

This is a blunder because it allows White to carry out a tactic you'll often find in the Zukertort (but not the Koltanowski). 15 Nxc6! 16 dxc5 Q*c6

Thanks to the b2-bishop, this exchange has much greater im pact in the Zukertort. Now 16...B*c5 17 Bxf6 gxf6 allows a textbook sacrifice: 18 Bxh7ch! Kxh7 19 Qh5ch, K-moves, 20 Qg4ch!, K moves, 21 Rf3 and Rh3 mating. 16... Sad, but best. 17 cxb6 18 Nf3 axb6 Ne4 Be7

CHAPTER ONE Zukertort 5 b3 vs Koltanowski 5 c3

17

Black can claim some compensation for his lost pawn he controls c3 and can occupy it with a knight. (And if White blunders and Black wins, he can even claim 14...Bd6! was a planned sacrifice.) But White wins this game in a manner that has nothing to do with his extra pawn: the usual attack on h7. 19 Nd4 20 Rf3! 21 Rd1 Qc5 Bf6 Rfd8

Here h7 would prove to be a greater weakness than c3: 21...NC3 22 B*c3 Qxc3 23 Bxh7ch! followed by Rh3ch/Qh5.

The vacating of f8 gives Black's king an escape square at f8. But White can take control of the kingside dark squares while Black tries to do the same to the queenside dark squares. 22 g4! 23 Bxc3 24 Qf2 25 g5 Nc3 Qxc3 g6 Be7

Black probably counted on meeting Qh4 with ...h5, since White cannot safely take en passant. But, with the bishop not at g7, there's another way of attacking the kingside. 26 a4 27 h4! Qb2

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COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

White's plan is to soften up g6 and h7 first by exchanging hpawns. 27... 28 h5 29 h*g6 30 Rh3 Bc5 Re8 hxg6 Kg7

Black intends to meet 31 Qh4 with 31... Rh8. 31 f5! Now 31...g*f5 loses to 32 Qf4, threatening Qe5ch. 31 ... 32 Bxf5 Black resigns. Black gives up after seeing that 32...gxf5 33 Q*f5 B*d4 34 Rh7ch gets him mated and 32...Rc7 or 32...Rcd8 allows a winning sacrifice on g6 (33 B*g6f, threatening Qf6ch as well as Q*f7ch). THE c-PAWN STRATEGIES Another difference between the two Colle variations is that, in the Zukertort, White often plays c2-c4, rather than c2-c3. This gives rise to a much more fluid center. White may, for example, end up with the notorious "hanging pawns" on c4 and d4. But, while this is often the issue in exf5

CHAPTER ONE Zukertort 5 b3 vs Koltanowski 5 c3

19

complex positional middlegames, the presence of this pawn pair does not deny White his chances for kingside attack. Seldems - Hiller Correspondence 1982 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 e3 4 Bd3 d5 Nf6 e6 Be7

As we'll see in Chapter Four when we get into specific analy sis, the major choices Black enjoys in the Zukertort are what to do with his bishops. There are pluses and minuses to ...Be7 over... Bd6 that must be weighed carefully. 5 0 -0 6 Nbd2 7b3 8 Bb2 0-0 Nbd7 c5 a6

This looks like a wasted tempo until you realize Black intends ...b5 rather than ...b6. 9 Ne5l 10 f4 Qc7 b5 Not 9...b5 immediately because of 10 Nc6. Threatening to kick White's bishop off the key diagonal by means of ...c4. In the Colle-Koltanowski White solved this

20

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

problem with c2-c3, and if Black dared to go ahead with ...c4 he found that it only made e3-e4 by White even stronger be cause then Black had no counterplay at all in the center. 11 c4 Here White has a different option. He's willing to open up the queenside in order to exploit the position of Black's queen. Note that White could have kept matters relatively closed with 11 dxc5, and if 11...Nxc5 then 12 Ndf3 and 13 Nd4. 11 ... dxc4 Black plays for a queenside majority at the cost of granting White a greater share of the center. 12 bxc4 13 Rf3 14 exd4 b4 cxd4

Even though two pairs of pawns are off the board, White's in tentions haven't varied much from the other Zukertort Variation games we've seen so far. He's thinking of mate on h7 and he'll use Rh3 and g2-g4-g5 to do it. 14 ... 15 Rh3 16 Qe2 17 Re1 Bb7 ge Rfd8

White hints at Nxf7/...Kxf7/Qxe6ch a la Colle-Grunfeld.

CHAPTER ONE Zukertort 5 b3 vs Koltanowski 5 c3 17... 18 Ndf3 Nf8 Bxf3

21

Otherwise 19 Ng5. Note that Black's queenside majority plays no role and he'd be better off if he could have played ...b4b5!?*c4 at some point making an illegal retreat of the pawn. 19 Qxf3 20 g4! 21 f5 Rac8 Bd6

White may have considered 21 g5 Nh5 22 R*h5 but the text, threatening f*g6/Q*f6 has more immediate impact. 21 ...Bxe5 22 Rxe5 23 fxg6 24 Re2 N6d7 fxg6 Nb8

Finally Black has a means of putting pressure on the enemy center: 25...Nc6. Unfortunately, it is much too late. 25 d5! 26 Qf6 Black resigns. exd5? Or 25...Qf7 26 Qe3 followed by 27 Qe5 or 27 Qd4.

22

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

We'll be examining the Zukertort Variation thematically. In Chapter Two, we'll see how White wins when he does. In Chapter Three, we'll consider what can go wrong. In Chapter Four, we'll analyze the typical mistakes to be made. Finally in Chapter Five, we'll get into the specific sub-variations you are likely to encounter when you adopt the Colle System, Zukertort Variation.

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CHAPTER TWO How White Wins

White's most successful strategies in the Colle-Zukertort bear a resemblance to his winning ways in the Colle-Koltanowski. He attacks, usually by driving away Black's best defensive pieces so that his bishops can take aim at the kingside. In both systems, this is often accomplished by a quick rush of White's e-pawn or g-pawn to the fifth rank or by the the matic Ne5 and if ...N*e5, then dxe5. True, the exchange of knights gives White doubled e-pawns. But this is usually well compensated by the pressure he de rives along the half-open d-file. Here's a vintage example. Marshall - Leonhardt Hamburg 1910 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 e3 4 Nbd2 d5 c5 e6 Nf6

This actually may be an error.Until Black knows White's in tentions he might do better to keep ...f7-f5 in reserve. 5 Bd3 6 0-0 7 b3 8 Bb2 9 Ne5 Be7 Nc6 0-0 b6

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COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

This is a standard device and should be answered by 9...Bb7, which would enable him to play 10...Nxe5 11 d*e5 Ne4. But White develops a nice game with 10 f4 which would enable him to recapture 11 f*e5!. 9 ... 10 dxe5 N*e5 Ne8

The exchange of knights is double-edged but White benefits more. He gets two reasonable plans as a result: pushing the c-pawn in an attack on d5 or pushing the f-pawn as part of a mating assault. He goes for the more direct route first. 11 f4 g6 Black cannot sit idly by while White throws his heavy pieces (Qh5, Rf3-h3) in this direction. But he might have done a better job of defense with the immediate 11 ...f5, since 12 exf6 Bxf6 gives Black counterplay on the dark squares. White would improve with 12 g4 and Kh1/Rg1. 12 Rf3 13 Rh3 Ng7 f5

The drawback of this move at this moment is the possible opening of the c4-g8 diagonal. Black should have delayed ...f7-f5 until White proved it was necessary. 14 Qe2 a6 Preparing 15 ...b5 which White stops with ...

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins 15 c4 16 Rd1 Bb7

25

In light of what explodes in the center now, Black should have followed general principles and gotten his queen off the d-file ( 16...Qc7). 16... 17 cxd5 18 e4! This still works here, thanks to the position of the d7-queen. 18... 19 Nxe4 fxe4 Ne6 Qd7 e*d5

On 17 ... Bxd5 18 e4 opens lines nicely for White.

Of course not 19 ...d*e4?? 20 Bc4ch and 21 Rxd7. But how is White going to meet the threat now 20...dxe4 as well as 20 ...Nxf4 here?

20 Qg4! 21 Rxh7!

Rxf4

Not 20...dxe4 21 Bc4 Q-moves 22 Bxe6ch. A remarkable shot, illustrating the power of the two White bishops: 21 ...Kxh7 22 Nf6ch wins. 21 ... Rxg4

26

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 22 Nf6ch 23 Rxd7 Bxf6 Bc8

Otherwise White wins back oneof the enemy bishops with a powerful endgame. 24 Rxd5 25 h3 26 Bxg6 This leads to a stunning finish. 27 Rd8ch! 28 Rxd8ch Bxd8 Kg7 Be7 Rh4 Nc7

29 Bf5? Now 29 ...Bxf5 30 e6ch Kg6 31 e7 Re4! b u t... 29 ... 30 e6ch 31 e7 Bb7? Kh6

Black resigns. Since 31 ...Bc6 is met by 32 Rd6ch. As we noted in the introduction, the Colle-Zukertort is more flexible than the Colle-Koltanowski because of the options of fered by Whites c-pawn. This is true whether or not White plays Ne5 as in the last example. In the Koltanowski we saw that White's best manner of changing the pawn structure was the e3-e4 advance (with or

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins

27

without an exchange of his d-pawn on c5). But in the Zukertort White has the alternative idea of c2-c4*d5. Here's a modem illustration that shows White winning without even at tempting a kingside attack. Smyslov - Suetin Bad Worishofen 1991 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 e3 4 b3 5 Bb2 d5 Nf6 c5 Nc6 Bg4

6 Be2 Black hastens to get his c8-bishop outside his center pawn structure before he plays ...e6. This has the added benefit of discouraging White from posting his own bishop the one that usually does the most kingside damage on d3. 6 ... 7 0 -0 8 Nbd2 9 h3 10 dxc5 11 c4 e6 Bd6 0-0 Bh5 B*c5

(see diagram on next page)

28

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

Black has reason to be happy about the outcome of the opening. His minor pieces are well placed and he can now post his heavy pieces on useful squares. But the position isn't as innocuous as it may seem. 11 ... 12 Ne5! 13 Qxe2 14 Bxe5 15 Radi This invites the liquidation of the center with 15...d4 16 exd4 B*d4 but White ends up with a queenside majority and promising endgame chances after 17 B*d4 Rxd4 18 Nf3. 15... Rac8 This is a major decision: Black avoids ...d*c4 and ultimately permits his d-pawn to be isolated. 16 Bxf6! 17 cxd5 Qxf6 Rxd5 Qe7 Bxe2 N*e5 Rfd8

After 14...d*c4 15 N*c4 White has a tiny edge.

(see diagram on next page)

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins

29

18 Ne4 19 Rxd5

Qd8

Now 19...Qxd5 20 Qc2! and Rd1 gives White a slight pull (20...f5 21 Ng5 h6 22 Rd1). 19... 20 Rd11 21 Nxc5 22 b4 e*d5 Qe8 Rxc5 Rb5

This is a clumsy square for the rook but Black may have been trying to avoid 22...Qb5 23 Qd2 Rc8 because of 24 a3 Rd8 25 Qd4 Qa4 26 Rd3 with the idea of 27 e4. 23 Qg4!

White's advantage lies in the weak d5-pawn and the some what confused Black pieces. His last move defends the b4-

30

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

pawn and threatens to win a pawn with 24 a4 but more im portantly it threatens 24 Rc1! and 25 Rc8. 23... Qe6 White's advantage is clear after 23...h6 24 a4 Rb6 25 Rxd5 Q*a4 26 Rd8ch Kh7 27 Qf5ch. 24 Qf4 25 a4 26 Qd4 h6 Rb6 a6

Black would be happy to trade off his weak pawn (27 Q*d5 Qxd5 28 R*d5 R*b4). 27 Qc5 28 b5 Kh7

Not 28 Rxd5 Rxb4. Now that the b-pawn is on the fifth rank, 29 Rxd5 is threatened. 28... 29 axb5 axb5 Rd6

30 e4l Of course, he can't play 30...Qxe4?? 31 Qxd6 or 30...dxe4?? 31 Rxd6. 30 ... 31 Qd4 32 Qd3l b6 Qd7

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins The threat of 33 e5ch, and defense of b5, wins a pawn. 32 ... 33 e5ch 34 f4 35 g4! 36 f5 37 Qxd4 d4 Rg6 Qd5 Kg8 Rg5 Qf3

31

This sets a final trap (38 Rd3? Q*f5) and avoids 37...Q*b5 38 h4. 38 Qd8ch! 39 Qd3 40 e6l Kh7 Qf4 Qe5

The e-pawn helps decide after 40...f*e6 41 fxe6ch Kg8 42 e7 Qe5 43 Rc1 Q*e7 44 Rc8ch Kf7 45 Qc4ch Kg6 46 Qc2ch Kf6 47 Rc6ch. 41 exf7 42 Qd7 Black resigns. STONEWALLING In that example we saw White exchanging on both d5 and c5. This strategy can even be conducted successfully when White has adopted a "Stonewall" pawn formation. This is a plan not seen often in the Colle-Koltanowski but the Zukertort ver sion is a bit different. Qf6

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COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 Barbalic - Mihalj Yugoslav Correspondence 1979 1 d4 2 Nf3 3e3 4b3 5 Bb2 6 Bd3 7 0-0 d5 Nf6 c5 Nc6 e6 Bd6 0-0

8a3 This may seem a waste of time since its only apparent pur pose is to prevent ...Nb4. Actually, it prepares a queenside pawn march. 8 ... 9 Ne5 White must not permit ...e6-e5. 9 ... 10 Nd2 11 f4 Rd8 Nd7 Qe7

(see diagram on next page)

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins

33

This allows White to recapture on e5 with his f-pawn and thereby open the f-file. This may resemble the Marshall-Leonhardt game but changes complexion quickly after d*c5. 11 ... 12 Ndf3
13 Nxc6 14 Qe1 15 dxC5l

Nf8 f6
bxc6 Bd7

Black had to do something about 13 Ng5 and Ngxf7.

As long as White acts quickly after this "surrender of the cen ter" Black won't have time to play ...e6-e5. 15... 16 b4 17 c4 Bxc5 Bb6 a5?

Black may not have liked to seal up his bishops with 17...c5 18 b5, followed by a3-a4-a5 or e3-e4. But that had to be bet ter than what happens now. 18 c5 19 Qh4 20 Ne5! Bc7 Ra7

Also promising was 20 g4 but White has a sacrificial plan in mind. If allowed, he will continue Ng4xf6ch or Rf3-h3.

gs

34

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

This wins a piece (21 f*g5 f*e5) but at considerable cost. 21Nxc6l 21 ... 22 fxg5 B*c6 f5!

After 22...fxg5 23 Qh6 White has Bf6 or Rf6/Raf1 coming up. This move allows Black to keep the f-file and d3-h7 diagonal closed. 23 b5 24 Qh6 25 Bd4 Ng6 Be5

The attack is over, at least temporarily, but White has fine compensation in the form of two passed, connected queenside pawns. He can renew hostilities on the kingside by ad vancing either of his pawns on the second rank. 25... 26 g4! 27 exd4 28 Rf6 Be8 Bxd4 fxg4 e5

This lets White's bishop into play on the weakened light squares. But the defense was difficult. White threatened, for example 29 Raf1 followed by 30 b6 Rb7 31 c6! and then 31...BXC6 32 Bxg6 or 31...Rxb6 32 Rf8ch! Nxf8 33 Rxf8ch Qxf8 34 Qxh7 mate. 29 Bf5! exd4

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins 30 Be6ch 31 Raf1 32 Rf7 33 Rxf7 34 Bxf7 Kh8 Bxb5 Qxf7 Rxf7 Bd3

35

White's rooks were going to penetrate at f8 or f7 in any event.

White has a variety of ways of winning but he has to solve the problem of activating his queen first. 35 h4 36 Qxh3 gxh3 Ne5

37 c6l 38 g6 Black resigns.

Ba6

The exchange of two pairs of White pawns d*c5 and cxd5 can also bring about the notorious hanging Black pawns. The status of these pawns is delicately perched between two conditions: they are either a fixed weakness that can come under withering fire from White rooks or they are a powerful pawn-web that deeply influences the center in Black's favor. Here's how White succeeds in making them the former.

36

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 Rashkovsky - Aseev Russian Championship 1994 1 d4 2 Nf3 3e3 4 Bd3 5 0-0 6 b3 7 Bb2 8 Ne5 9 Nd2 Nf6 e6 b6 Bb7 d5 Nbd7 Bd6 0-0 Ne4

Black takes advantage of his quick queenside fianchetto in place of ...c7-c5 to block the d3-h7 diagonal. Now 10 N*e4 d*e4 11 Bc4 N*e5 leads to symmetry and a dull middlegame. 10 f3l? A strange-looking way of resolving the center. White envi sions a favorable knight-less middlegame. 10... 11 Qxd2 N*d2 c5

(see diagram on next page)

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins

37

White doesn't mind the doubling of his pawns on the e-file af ter 11...N*e5 12 d*e5 Bc5 because then the d5-pawn be comes a target after Qe2/Rd1/c2-c4. 12 Radi f6 "What's good for the goose" (10 f3) should be good for the gander, Black reasons. 13 Nxd7 14 c4 Q*d7

We have a different version of symmetry after ...Rad8. For the next few moves each side waits for an indication of enemy intentions in the center. Who will make the first pawn cap ture? 14... 15 h3 16 Qc2 Qc7 Rad8 g6

The first deviation from symmetry (16...h6) encourages White to force matters. 17 cxd5 exd5 Clearly Black cannot continue 17...cxd4 18 Qxc7 Bxc7 19 dxe6 because of the threat of 20 e7. But 17...Bxd5 18 e4 Bb7 was a reasonable possibility. 18 dxc5 bxc5

38

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

Or 18... B*c5 19 Bd4 leaving the d5-pawn isolated. 19 e4l

This is what White aimed for with the double pawn trade. To gether on the same rank, the pawns have much greater strength than when one is advanced. Now 19...d*e4 20 B*e4 would leave him with an exploitable, isolated c5-pawn. 19... 20 Bc1! 21 f4 d4 Bc8 Kg7 Now White has a majority of kingside pawns that will expand.

With the c4-g8 diagonal now open, the king should be safer here, Black thinks. But White's next maneuver proves him wrong. 22 Qf2! 23 Qh4 23 ... Be6

White threatens 24 f5 and 25 Bh6ch. Rf7? After the proper 23... Kg8, White can maintain his initiative with 24 f5! g*f5 25 e*f5 e.g., 25...Bd5 26 Bh6 Rf7 27 Rde1 and then 27...Bg3 28 Qg4ch Kh8 29 Re6. 24e5l

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins

39

This wins because Black cannot allow the kingside to be opened by 24...f*e5 25 f*e5 B*e5 26 Bxg6! Then 26...hxg6 27 Qh6ch Kg8 28 Q*g6ch Bg7 29 Qxe6 with advantage. 24... 25 f5! 26 Bxf5 27 Rxf5 27... 28 exf6ch 29 Rdf1 30 Bf4 Bf8 gxf5 Bxf5

Here 27...fxe5 28 Qg5ch Kh8 29 Rxf7 costs a rook. Re8 Kh8 a5 Qd7

31 Rg5l 32 Rf3 33 axb3

a4 axb3 Rxf6

There was no other defense to the threat of 34 Rfg3 and 35 Rg8 mate. 34 Be5l Rxe5 35 Rxf6 Rxg5 36 Qxg5 Be7 37 Rf7 Black forfeits. On the other hand ... White can end up with the hanging pawns himself because of the prospect of ...cxd4/exd4 as

40

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

well as c2-c4/...dxc4. Then he has to be on the lookout for a tactical means of blowing the center open for his b2-bishop. Often this means a pawn sacrifice, since an attentive defender with the Black pieces will keep the d5-square under heavy surveillance. Vlado Kovacevic - P. Popovic Zagred/Rijeka 1985 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 e3 4 Bd3 5 b3 Nf6 e6 c5 d5 Qa5ch

This is an attempt to sow confusion in the enemy ranks. 6 c3 Black can't afford to go after the c-pawn (6...c*d4 7 e*d4 Ne4 8 0-0! N*c3? 9 Qe1 and the pin costs a piece, e.g., 9...Bb4 10 Bd2). 6 ... 7 0-0 8 c4 Nc6 Qc7

(see diagram on next page)

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins

41

So it took White two moves to get his pawn to the fourth rank while it took Black two moves to shift his queen to c7: the two lost tempi balance out. 8 ... 9 b*c4 10 Bb2 dxc4 Be7 cxd4

This apparently routine capture is an error here, since White gets more immediate use out of the e-file than Black gets in the form of pressure against c4. Since White wasn't ready to do anything with his d4-pawn, Black should have waited. 11 exd4 0-0

12 Nbd2 13 Rc1

b6 Bb7

White can begin calculating the consequences of d4-d5 al ready. Here, for example, 14 d5 exd5 15 cxd5 Nxd5 16 Nd4!

42

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 But White was unsure about Rad8 Qf4

gives him a strong attack. 14...Nb4!. 14 Re1 15 Bb1

And here 15...Rfe8 invites 16 d5!, which is based on the c-file pin after 16...exd5 17 B*f6 B*f6 18 Rxe8ch and 19 c*d5. Black gets his queen off the dangerous file and near the threatened kingside. If White aims at h7 with Qc2, the queen can retreat to h6. 16 d5!? 17 cxd5 e*d5 Nd5

Here we can appreciate the last note: 18 R*c6 Bxc6 19 Qc2 is met by 19...Qh6. White tries to force the queen to make a choice of retreats. 18 Rc4! Qd6!

Black saw that 18...Qh6 was the wrong idea here because of 19 Rxe7! and 20 Rh4. 19 Ne4 20 Bc1 21 Bd2 Qh6 Qg6

White shields the d-file and protects the b1-bishop so that it threatens to discover an attack on the queen (22 Nc5; 22 Neg5).

CHAPTER TWO How White Wins 21 ... 22 Ng3 23 Qb3 24 h3! f5l Kh8 Ba8

43

A remarkable strong "quiet" move which supports Rg4 and keeps the N*f5 idea on tap. 24... Bc5? The losing move. White meets the threat of 25...Qxg3 with a nice combination. 25 26 27 28 Nxf5! Rxc5! Nh4 Nxf5 Rxf5 bxc5 Qf6 Nd4

White was winning after 28...g6 29 Q*d5! Rxd5 30 Re8ch or 29...gxf5 30 Qxf5. 29 Nxd4 cxd4 Despite material equality, White's bishops give him a big edge, as the following queen maneuver demonstrates. 30 Qd3 31 Qg3 32 Qh4 33 Bd3 g6 Qg7 Rc8 h5?

44

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

Shortening what would have been a gradual loss (after 33...Qf6 34 Bg5 Qg7 35 Re7! and 36 Bf6). 34 Re6 Qb7

And Black resigned before 35 Rxg6.

45

CHAPTER THREE How White Loses

There are, naturally, as many ways for White to lose as there are for him to win, and in this chapter we'll examine some of the most common scenarios. White often loses when he dilly-dallies in the opening and loses control of e5. Normally, he has three units attacking that key point a knight at f3, pawn at d4 and bishop at b2. That's one more than he usually has in the Colle-Koltanowski, when White's bishop often sulks at c1 until the middlegame begins. But if Black outguns White on e5 and engineers ...e6-e5 the initiative can turn quickly. Moses - Rubinstein Southport 1924. 1 d4 2 Nf3 3e3 4 Bd3 5h3? d5 Nf6 c5 Nc6

What they used to call a "country move" the amateur's fa vorite way of anticipating pins like ...Bg4. But it loses a key tempo. 5 ... 6 0-0 7 b3 e6 Bd6 e5l

(see diagram on next page)

46

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

The difference is revealed here as White is one move short of playing Bb2. Black's game is freed and he threatens to fork a piece with 8...e4. 8 dxe5 9 Bb2 N*e5 Qe7l

By retaining control of e5 Black threatens to begin the middlegame with a nice spatial superiority (...0-0, ...b6, ...Bb7, Rfe8, etc.). 10 Nxe5 11 Bxe5 Bxe5 Qxe5

The exchanges have left Black with an edge in operating room and solid prospects of exploiting the queenside holes, such as c3. 12 Nd2 13 Nf3 14 Re1? 0-0 Qe7

Pointless. White had to fight back in the center at some point with c2-c4. 14... 15 a4? 16 Qe2 Bd7 Rad8 Ne4

White now has no chances for opening up lines for his rooks with e3-e4.

CHAPTER THREE How White Loses 17 Bxe4 18 Nh2 d*e4 Be6

47

Black looks for a winning plan. Doubling rooks on the open file will only lead to exchanges. But the White queenside is weak thanks to his 15th move and ready for exploitation. 19 Radi c4! Had White stopped this temporary sacrifice with 19 c4 Black would have gone after the b-pawn with 19...Rd3 and ...Qc7b6. 20 bxc4 21 Rxd8 22 Rd1 23 Qxd1 24 Qd8ch Qc5 Rxd8 Rxdlch h6 Kh7

The best White can hope for now is a knight-versus-bishop endgame in which all the queenside pawns are traded off or defendable on dark squares. 25 Qd4 26 Qxc4 Qxc4

White appreciates that 26 Qxa7 Qxc2 27 Qxb7 loses a piece to 27...Qc1ch 28 Nf1 Bc4. 26 ... 27 a5 Bxc4 Kg6

48

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 28 f4 29 Kf2 30 Ke1 Kf6 Ke7 f5

White is playing without his knight from now on since 31 Nf 1, B*f1 is a lost king-and-pawn endgame. 31 Kd2 32 g4 33 h4 34 g5 Kd6 g6 h5l Kc5

The only potentially serious weakness that White accepts when he plays b2-b3 and makes the Colie a Zukertort Varia tion is now exploited. White must lose at least a pawn. 35 Kc3 White resigns. This is a graphic example of what happens when White loses control of e5. He should remember it is the most important square on the board in the Colle System, Zukertort Variation. But White can also lose on the queenside as we'll see. a6

50

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

But this was the other Black threat. The exchange of bishops gives Black excellent queenside chances against the c2-pawn and the c3-hole. 11 B*a3 Qxa3

12 Ndf3? Much better is 12 c3!, safeguarding the queenside before it comes under too great an enemy assault. Then White should have a free hand for f2-f4 followed by Rf3 or f4-f5. For example, 12 c3! Bd7 13 f4 Qd6 14 Rf3 Rfc8 15 Qe1 a6 and Qh4. 12 ... Bd7 Black has ...Rac8 and ...Nb4 in mind. It's not too late for 13 c3 but that would leave his rook to defend the a-pawn. 13 N*c6 Bxc6 Black has one (minor) positional problem and that is the "bad" bishop at c6. But he solves the problem in a nice manner. 14 Qd2 Preparing a bad idea. Afterwards 14 Qc1, followed by Ne5 and Qe3 if Black avoids a queen trade, was recommended. 14... 15 c3? Rac8

CHAPTER THREE How White Loses

51

Now this turns out to be a horrible way of defending the weak c2-pawn turning it into a c3-pawn is even weaker. 15... a6l Black will exchange off his bishop with ...Bb5, not fearing B*b5/...a*b5 because White's a-pawn will turn out to be weaker than Black's b5-pawn. 16 Ne5 17 f3 Bb5

An ugly way of keeping the enemy knight off e4. Black has another use for the knight. 17 ... 18 Nxd3 B*d3 Rc7l

Black's plan is elegantly simple: heavy pieces. 19 Rac1 20 Rc2

pound that c-pawn with Rfc8 Ne8!

This guy's headed for b5, to join in on the attack on c3. It's easy to see that, when the issue in dispute is White's queenside, rather than Black's kingside, something has gone awfully wrong for the first player. 21 Rfc1 22 Ne5 Nd6

52

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

White's last chance was to block the file with 22 Nc5!, al though with 22...e5, Black is clearly doing well. 22... 23 a4 Qa5

The obvious drawback to this way of stopping ...Nb5 is the creation of yet another weak pawn at b3. 23... Qb6 This effectively ends the strategic battle, after which a brief tactical series brings the game to its close. White is also last after 24 b4 a5 25 b5 Nc4 or 24 Rb1 Nf5 25 Red f6 26 Ng4 e5. 24 Nd3 25 Ne5 26 Rb2 27 Qe1 Q*b3 Qb6 Qa7

27...

b6

White's mini-initiative is over and Black can resume the attack, this time against a4 as well as c3. 28 Nd3 29 a5 Rc4

Or 29 Ra2 Qc7 30 Ra3 b5! 31 axb5 N*b5 winning another White pawn.

CHAPTER THREE How White Loses 29... 30 Nc5 31 Re2 b*a5 Nb5 Nd4!

53

A nice combination that strikes at the very foundation of the Colle System, the d4-pawn. 32 cxd4 R8*c5 White resigned when saw that he will remain three pawns down (33 dxc5 Q*c5ch). White should always be looking for opportunities on the kingside but with one eye on the queenside, where Black has his best chance for a breakthrough. The center is usually closed or semi-open in the Colle-Zukertort and this enables White to perform some elaborate maneu vers and execute long-range plans denied him when the cen ter is open. But, at the same time, he risks having his pieces turn out to be badly misplaced if the queenside turns out to be just as much of a battleground as the kingside. Here's an example of Black winning a skirmish on the queen side that leads to a final battle on the kingside. Chiburdananidze - Galliamova Women's Candidates Match 1995 1 d4 2 Nf3 3e3 4 Bd3 5 b3 6 Bb2 7 0 -0 8a3 9 Nbd2 10 Qe2 d5 Nf6 eS c5 Nc6 Bd6 0-0 b6 Bb7 Qe7

54

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 11 Ne5 Rac8

A standard way of beginning the middlegame. White now opts for the Stonewall strategy, with f2-f4 and Rf3-h3 taking dead aim at h7. 12 f4 13 Rf3 Bb8 Ne4

This is tactically based on 14 N*e4 dxe4 15 Bxe4 Nxe5 and 16 f*e5 Bxe4 or 16 B*b7 Nxf3ch. 14 Rh3 15 dxe5?l 16 Rf1? 17 Qxd2 N*e5 h6 N*d2I c4l

White didn't want to play c2-c4, which would have been con sistent with the dxe5 recapture, out of fear of allowing Black to

CHAPTER THREE How White Loses

55

open the long b7-f3 diagonal. But now Black gains valuable space on the queenside and drives White's light-squared bishop out of play. 18 Be2 Now 19 Bd4 Qxa3 costs a pawn. 19 b4 20 Qe1 21 Bc1 c3! Qc7 f6 White can't afford 20 b*c5 c*d2 21 c*b6 R*c2. Qc5

With both of White's bishops out of commission right now, Black senses it is time to strike on the kingside. 22 e*f6 23 Rh5?! 24 Qh4 25 g4 R*f6 Qf7 Rf8

25 ...

g5!

Thanks to the problems he created for White's bishops with ...c4-c3, Black can now seize a decisive initiative on the kingside. 26 Qh3 Qg7 The f4-square now falls to Black and the b8-h2 diagonal is opened.

56

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 27 fxg5 28 Bxf1 29 Qg2 Rxflch Qf7 d4l

And it's Black's bishops who have the final say (30 e4 B*e4 31 Q*e4 Q*f1 mate). 30 Qe2 31 b5 32 g6 White resigns. Ba6 Bxb5 Qxflch

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes

There are so many ways of losing on either side of the ColleZukertort that we can only touch on the major mistakes here. ( 1) Black loses when he allows the game to become focused on the White bishops and their diagonals. Yusupov- Scheeren Plovdiv, 1983 1 d4 2 Nf3 3e3 4 Bd3 5 b3 6 Bb2 7 0-0 8 Ne5l Nf6 e6 c5 d5 Nbd7 b6 Bb7 a6?

Black is too concerned about stopping Bb5 and preparing ...b5 and begins to lose the thread. 9 Nd2 10 N*d7 b5 Q*d7

11 d*c5 Well timed. He stops ...c4 and opens an excellent line for his b2-bishop. True, White helps Black's f8-bishop get developed quickly but he has a major problem defending g7.

58

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 11 ... 12 Qf3l 13 Qg3 14 Nf3 B*c5 Be7 0-0

A passerby might have wondered how White managed to get his queen to g3. White had an excellent alternative in the form of 14 e4. But another of the major differences between the Koltanowski and Zukertort versions of the Colle is that in this one White doesn't need e3-e4 to open a diagonal for his QB and he can carry out a strong attack without the e-file for his rook. 14... Rac8? His position was troubled and now it becomes critical. Stop ping White's next move was essential. 15 Ng5! g6 This looks horribly weakening but Black had to meet the threat of 16 Nxh7 Nxh7?? 17 Qxg7 mate. 16 Qh4 With a simple threat of 17 B*f6 and 18 Q*h7. 16 ... h5 Note that 16...Nh5 allows the pretty two-bishop mate of 17 Q*h5! g*h5 18 B*h7.

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes 17 Radi Also good was 17 Qf4, to continue the assault on f6. 17 ... Nh7?

18 Qxh5l Pretty: 18...gxh5 19 B*h7 mate. 18 ... 19 B*g6 19 ... 20 f4 21 fxg5 22 h4! Bxg5

And now 19...fxg6 20 Qxg6ch and mate next. f6 Qg7 Nxg5

60

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

The game is over after either 22... Nh7 23 Rd4! and 24 Rg4 or, as play went, 22...Ne4 23 B*e4 d*e4 24 Rf4! and Black re signs. One of the most dangerous mistakes for Black is to allow his opponent the two-bishop advantage. And one of the best things about the "2 Bs" is that you can trade off one of the bishops favorably. Here's an illustration of that. Rubinstein Kostic Goteborg, 1920 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 e3 4 Bd3 5 0-0 e6 Nf6 c5 d5 Nc6

One wonders how Rubinstein, one of the great handlers of the Colle on both sides of the board, would have responded to 5...C4 6 Be2 b5. 6 b3 7 Bb2 8 Nbd2 9 c4 Bd6 0-0 Qe7

Another way of stopping 9...e5 or at least trying to discourage it (9...e5 10 c*d5 N*d5 11 d*e5 N*e5 12 N*e5 B*e5 and now 13 B*h7ch! and 14 Qh5ch/15 Q*e5).

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes 9 ... 10 Re1 11 e4 b6 Bb7

61

White gets the big break in first and, as a result, obtains the advantage in space. 11 ... 12 N*e4 dxe4 c*d4?

Inexact, as White demonstrates. Black hoped that, by trading three pairs of minor pieces and two pairs of center pawns, he would eliminate White's attacking chances. But 12...N*e4 was the proper order. 13 N*d4 14 Nxd6! 15 Bxd4 N*d4 Qxd6

Black can't take on d4 because of Bxh7ch. He should take some precaution now to safeguard his kingside ( 15...Qe7) but thinks that, by doubling on the d-file, he will force White into damaging retreats or exchanges. 15... 16 Bxf6 17 Qg4ch 18 Bxh7l Rfd8? gxf6 Kh8

This is what Black overlooked. The point is 18...Kxh7 allows 19 Re3! and 20 Rh3ch.

62

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 18 ... 19 Qh5 20 Re3 21 Rg3ch f5 Kg7 Qf4 Kf8?

Remarkably enough, Black can survive after 21...Kf6!. White's best chance then is 22 Rf1, protecting against ...Rd2, and setting up Rg6ch!, e.g., 22...Rd2 23 Rg6ch! f*g6 24 Qxg6ch Ke7 25 Qg7ch K-moves 26 Q*b7. 22 Rg8ch 23 Rg7 Ke7 Rf8

Black threatens an unusual fork (24...Qe5) but White gets to make threats first. 24 Bg8! 25 Rd1 Black resigns. The king's escape is cut off and 26 R*f7ch will mate. (2) For White, the biggest mistake is usually to lose control of e5. Black will often try to plug up the attacking lanes of the enemy bishops, he may sink a knight into e4 or engineer the pawn advance ...e6-e5. The following illustrates the consequences of both. But it is winning control of e5 that hurts White the most. Qe4?

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes Kuruccial - Lakatos Hungarian Correspondence 1 Nf3 2d4 3e3 4 Nbd2 5 b3 6a3 Nf6 e6 d5 c5 Nc6

63

Once again this odd-looking move that may prepare d*c5 and b2-b4. 6 ... 7 Bb2 8 Bd3 9 0 -0 10 Qe2 11 h3? Bd6 0-0 b6 Bb7 Rc8

And again this "country" move loses time. Black now develops a mini-initiative against the c2-pawn. 11 ... 12 exd4 13 Ne5 c*d4 Ne7! Qc7 For once, this exchange is well-timed.

64

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 14 f4 Ne4!

Black's tactical point is that a double exchange on e4 will cost White the c-pawn, after which his queenside would collapse. 15Bxe4 This looks like a poor way of responding to the major threat of 15... Ng3, and the minor one of 15... Nc3. Perhaps 15 Rf3 was his best try. 15... 16 c4 17 Kh2 dxe4 Nf5

White is all set to regain the initiative with 18 N*e4 or 18 g4, but Black destroys his control of the key e5 square just in time. 17 ... 18 Nd3 19 N*e4 20 Nxd6 f6 e5l exf4 Qxd6

Better than 18...exd3 19 Q*e6ch and 20 Qxf5.

White seems to have weathered the storm with a queenside pawn majority and bishops of opposite color, promising him drawing chances. But with holes at g3 and e3, as well as a serious weakness on the c7-h2 diagonal, he has better losing chances.

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes 21 c5 22 Nxf4? b*c5 cxd4

65

23 Qd3 24 Rf2 25 Qxd4 26 Bxd4 27 Bxa7 28 b4

Ne3 g5! Qxd4 gxf4 Nd5 Kf7!

The game is virtually decided by this.

All of Black's pieces will coordinate now in the final attack, on 92. 29 30 31 32 33 White resigns. (3) One of the principal causes for Black's downfall over the years is a premature exchange of pawns on d4. Bc5 a4 Kg1 Raa2 Bd6 Rg8 Rg3 Rcg8 f3 Rxg2ch

This is a difficult problem for Black because often ...cxd4 is essential to his counterplay. The question is not whether, but when, to do it. Alexander Alekhine once said, "Oddly enough, this exchange" is made "even by very experienced players."

66

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 Kosten - Dickenson Northampton, 1984 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 e3 4 b3 d5 e6 c5 cd4?

The ...c*d4 exchange is not in itself bad: it gives Black a half open file that may be useful in queenside counterplay and it closes the a1-h8 diagonal before White opens it with d*c5. But here it is clearly too early and could have been delayed for at least a half dozen moves. 5 e*d4 6 Bd3 7 0 -0 8 Bb2 9 Nbd2 10 Qe2 Nf6 Be7 Qc7 Nbd7 b6 Bb7

Unlike comparable positions without ...c*d4, Black cannot block the d3-bishop with ...Ne4 because the half-open e-file gives White an extra bit of control of the key e4 square.

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes 11 Ne5!

67

White benefits from the e-file. If Black wastes time ( 11...Rc8) White can continue 12 Rae1 threatening a 13 N*f7 knockout.
11 ... 12 f4 0-0 g6

This might seem like a high-risk defensive measure (to stop f4f5) and it turns out to be just that once White's dark-squared bishop is directed against the kingside. 13 Rac1 14 g4! 15 fxe5 Rac8 Nxe5 Ne8

Now th a t... Ne4 is out of the question, White can double rooks on the f-file. 16 Rf2 17 Rcf1 18 Nf3 Ng7 Qd8 Rc7

(see diagram on next page)

68

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

White needs one more piece to upset the house of cards on the kingside. Black transfers his queenside bishop to defend f7 but it is g7 that now comes under decisive attack by White's queen bishop. 19 Bc1! 20 Bh6 21 Qe3 22 Ng5 Bc6 Be8 b5 b4

23 Rf6l

Kh8

The justification of the blocking rook move is that 23... Bxf6 24 e*f6 wins the trapped knight. But the main function of 23 Rf6 was to gain time for Qh3 and mate on h7 after Bxg7. 24 Qh3 25 N*h7! Rg8 Now 25 N*f7ch would win eventually b u t...

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes Black resigns. There is no defense to 26 Ng5 and 27 B*g7ch.

69

As we've seen, a major trouble with ...c*d4 is that White usually gets more out of the e-file than Black gets from the cfile. But Black also loses the possible option of ...e6-e5 while giving White the option of using his queenside majority. Here's a case in point. Rubinstein - Metger Ostende, 1907 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 e3 4 Bd3 5 b3 6 Bb2 7 e*d4 8 0 0 9 Re1 d5 c5 e6 Nf6 Nc6 cxd4?l Bd6 0 0 b6

This is more hopeful than 9...Bd7, which Rubinstein encoun tered later in the tournament against James Mortimer and again won a nice game after 10 a3 Rc8 11 Nbd2 Ne8 12 Ne5 f5 13 Qe2 N*e5 14 d*e5 g5 15 c4. 10 a3 11 Nbd2 Bb7 Ne7

70

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

The knight is headed to g6 where it serves as an extra kingside defender. 12 Ne5 13 g3! Ng6 B*e5

This exchange wasn't necessary (although White might have forced kingside weaknesses with h4-h5-h6). 14 d*e5 15 b4l Nd7

This takes away c5 from Black's knight and hints at the use of White's queenside pawns (a3-a4-a5). 15... a5 This solves one problem but creates a potential weakness on b6. 16 b5 17 Bd4l 18 Nf3 19 c*d3 Nc5 Ne7 N*d3

(see diagram on next page)

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes

71

This capture may look odd but it effectively eliminates a lot of Black's queenside chances. Black's bishop is bad and his b6 remains weak. 19 ... 20 Qa4 21 Red Nf5 Rc8

White is preparing to mine the c-file, which Black cannot easily contest while he defends b6 (21...N*d4 22 Q*d4 Re8 23 R*c8 Qxc8 24 Q*b6 or23...B*c8 24 Rc1 with a small bind). 21 ... Qd7? Black gets impatient but his sacrificial plan to exploit the light squares on the kingside fails. 22 Bxb6 23 Nxd4! 24 Nc6! The best try in a bad position. 25 Qc4 26 bxc6 27 Qxd5! Bxc6 fxe5 exd5 d4 Qd5 f6

(see diagram on next page)

72

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

Because of the power of the c-pawn, White has an easy time finishing up. 28 c7! 29 Bxa5 30 Rcb1 Otherwise 31 Rb8. 31 Bb6 Black resigns. And the a-pawn begins to march. THE CASE AGAINST ...d7-d5 Playing ...c7-c5 and ...d7-d5 may even be considered a con cession to White. Although Black often advances both his dand c-pawns to the fifth rank in other Queen's Pawn games, it is not advisable when White has declared his intentions to play the Colle formation and even less so when he's adopting the Zukertort fianchetto. A super-GM case in point: Yusupov - Anand Linares, 1991 1 d4 2 Nf3 3e3 Nf6 e6 b6 Rf6 Nd4 Nc6

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes 4 Bd3 5 0-0 Bb7 dS?!

73

Premature: He should retain the possibility of ...d7-d6! 6Ne5! White can convert the center favorably to a Stonewall setup. 6 ... 7f4 8 b3 Nbd7 g6

With Black announcing his intention to abandon the a3-f8 di agonal, White threatens to seize it. 8 ... 9 Nd2 10 Bb2 Bg7 c5 0-0

11 Qf3

Ne8

74

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

Black sees the g2-g4-g5 handwriting on the wall and prepares to reposition his knights at f8 and d6. 12 Qh3 13 Ndf3 14 Ng5 Nd6 Re8 Nf8

It appears that Black has everything covered but White's next few moves reveal problems on the d-file of all places. 15 dxc5 16 Radii b*c5 f6

White had 17 c4 in mind so Black plays a highly provocative idea. 17 N*h7! 18 Nxg6 19 Rf3 N*h7 Qc7 Ne4

Black blocks the hot diagonal to avoid 20 Ne7ch R*e7 21 Bxh7ch Kf8 22 Rg3 with a strong White attack. 20 Bxe4 21 Rg3 22 Rxd8 dxe4 Rad8 Qxd8

(see diagram on next page)

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes

75

23 Qg4 24 h4 25 Qd1 26 Qg4 27 Qd1 28 Qe2l

Qd5 Qf5 Qd5 Qf5 Qd5

Correctly rejecting a draw because he has a dangerous plan of h5-h6 coming up. 28 ... 29 h5 30 Qg4l Bc8 Kf7

Now Black has no time for 30...Qf5 because of 31 Ne5ch and 32 Qxg7ch. 30... Ng5l

76

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

This is the only way to continue the game although it should lose soon after 31 Ne5ch! f*e5 32 f*g5. 31 f*g5? fS! Black can block the kingside now and the game becomes confused. 32 Qe2 33 c4l 34 Qxb2 Bxb2 Qd6 e5l

Black avoids 34...Qxg3 which would have lost to queen checks at f6 and h8 followed by mate at h7.

35 Rh3? Now Black gets back into it.With 35 Qc1 White is still much better. 35 ... 36 Rh4 37 Kh2? 37 ... 38 Qe2 39 Qf1 40 Rxe4 White resigns. f4! fxe3

And this loses. With 37 Qe2 the game goes on. Bf5 Qd2 Ke6l Bxe4

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes The checks are quickly exhausted. (4)

77

As in the Koltanowski, Black should avoid an unfavorable change in the pawn structure when White plays d*c5 followed by e3-e4.

Then he is usually better off exchanging pawns on e4, rather than allowing White to advance his e-pawn to the fifth rank, where it creates a powerful attacking wedge. The following should illustrate the risk to Black of allowing e4-e5. Spielmann - Stoltz Match, Stockholm, 1933 1 d4 2 Nf3 3e3 4b3 5 Bb2 6 Bd3 7 0-0 8 Nbd2 d5 c5 e6 Nf6 Nbd7 b6 Bb7 Be7

Here White can proceed with preparations for e3-e4 (such as 9 Re1) but chooses instead a plan seen often in the main lines of the Koltanowski. 9 d*c5 White intends to meet 9...b*c5 with 10 c4 (and has excellent play after 9...N*c5 10 Bb5ch! Ncd7 11 Ne5).

78

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 9 ... 10 Qe2 11 e4 Bxc5 0-0

The drawback to this advance is that the liquidation of the center ( 11...d*e4 12 N*e4 B*e4 13 B*e4 N*e4 14 Q*e4) also evaporates much of White's attacking chances. 11 ... 12 e5! Re8?

White drives away the best defensive piece on the kingside. In the face of the unusual enemy attack, Black finds a promis ing defensive response. 12... 13 g3 14 Nd4 15f4 16 Nb5 Nh5 g6 Rc8 Bf8

Black intends to neutralize the long diagonal with ...Bf8-g7.

(see diagram on next page)

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes

79

White is ready to sacrifice a pawn (with Nd6) to gain control of the kingside dark squares. 16... a6 Black decides to accept the offer, rather than offer his own with 16...Ba6 17 N*a7 B*d3 18 Q*d3 Ra8. 17 Nd6 18 e*d6 19 g4 20 Qe5! 20... 21 Qd4 B*d6 Nc5 Nf6

With g4-g5 coming up, Black's retreat is forced. Ncd7

White's threat, sooner or later, is g4-g5, since the f6 knight cannot retreat. Black has only one resource and it appears to work.

80

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 21 ... 22 fxe5 e5 Nxe5

Not 22...Rxe5 23 Nf3 Re6 24 g5 and the long diagonal is de cisive. 23 Rxf6! 24 d7 Qxf6

This is what Black overlooked: White ends up with two minor pieces for rook and pawn. In theory, material will be in bal ance, but in practice the rook is often not a match in the middlegame. 24 ... 25 Qxf6 Nxd7 Nxf6

26 Bxf6 27 g5 28 h4 29 Nf3

Rc6 h6 Bc8 h5

Black now sees that openingthe h-file only sets up a mating threat for White (K-moves and Rh1-h8). 30 Nd4 31 Kf2 32 a4 33 Nf3 34 Be5 35 Bd4 Rc7 Bb7 Kf8 Bc8 Rd7 Re6

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes 36 Kg3 37 Kf4 Kg8

81

Black comes up with an ingenious try which just fails. 37... 38 Bxe4 39 Re1l This refutes Black's desperate combination since 39...exf3 40 Re8ch mates. 39 ... 40 Bxb6 41 Bf2 Black resigns Good defensive play by Black comes in many shapes but control of e5 and the other dark squares is a common theme. Here's an example from a world championship match. Janowsky - Lasker Match, second game, Berlin, 1910 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 e3 4 Bd3 d5 Nf6 e6 c5 f5 Rd6 Re4ch d*e4

Black hopes for 39 K*e4 Bb7ch and ... Bxf3.

82

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 5 0-0 6 b3 7 Bb2 Nc6 Bd6 0-0

For reasons that will become clear, 8 a3 is usually played here and not just to prevent ...Nb4. Then 8...b6 9 Ne5! Bb7 10 Nd2 Qe7 11 f4 works well for White because the attempt to regain control of e5 by means of 11...Nd7 allows the notori ous two-Bishop sacrifice (12 N*d7 Q*d7 13 d*c5! B*c5 14 B*h7ch! K*h7 15 Qh5ch Kg8 16 B*g7! K*g7 17 Qg5ch Kh7 18 Rf3 and mates.) Black does better with 11...Rfd8 12 Rf3 Ne4! but his opponent retains the initiative after 13 Rh3! as we'll see in the next chapter. 8 Nbd2 Qe7! Now 9 a3 allows Black to seize the initiative in the center with 9...e5! 9 Ne5 Rd8?l But here Black undoes his accurate play. Correct was 9...c*d4 10 e*d4 Ba3! as we saw in the last chapter. 10 a3l 11 f4 12 Qf3 Bd7 Be8 Nd7l

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes

83

Black rushes the knight back to f8 where it preserves the kingside and enables him to oust the e5 knight with ...f6. He can't allow 13 Qh3 and the advance of the g-pawn. 13 Qh3 Nf8

14 Ndf3 Here White misses a great chance to use the dxc5/e3-e4 plan, e.g., 14 d*c5 Bxc5 15 b4 Bb6 16 Kh1 and e3-e4. 14... 15 Ng4 f6

And here he lets slip another opportunity in the form of 15 Nh4 followed by g2-g4-g5. The main strategic point is to stop ...Bg6. And the main tactical point is that 15...f*e5 16 f*e5 Bc7 invites 17 R*f8ch Kxf8 18 Bxh7 followed by a rook or knight check and ( 17...Q*f8 18 Rf1 Qe7 19 B*h7ch K*h7 20 Nf5ch) 15 ... After this White's attack peters out. 16 Bxg6 17 dxc5 18 Nd4 Nxg6 Bxc5 Bg6!

(see diagram on next page)

84

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

This meets the threat of 18...N*f4 and makes its own threat of 19N*e6Q*e6? 20 Nh6ch. 18... 19 Nxc6 20 Ne5 21 Bxe5l? f5! bxc6 Nxe5 Bxa3l

Black can safely grab this pawn because ...Bd6xe5 or ...e5 will reduce White's last kingside chances to nothingness. 22 Rf3 23 Bb2 24 Ra6 25 Rg3 Bd6 Rf8 Rac8 Rf7?

26 Qh6! Black missed his winning chance (25...e5!) and now must deal with the threat of 27 Bxg7 Rxg7 28 Rxg7ch Qxg7 29 Qxe6ch.

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes 26... e5

85

This leads to a major liquidation that enabled White to draw after 27 f*e5 B*e5 28 Bxe5 Qxe5 29 Rxc6 Rfc7 30 Qf6! Qxf6 31 Rxf6 RxC 2 32 Rxf5 Rd2 33 h4 , etc. (5) It is often a mistake for Black to post his queen at c7 when White can favorably open the c-file with c2-c4.

Even Akiba Rubinstein, an expert at handling the White pieces in the Zukertort, once succumbed to this error. At the Carls bad tournament of 1907 he played the system three straight times with White and performed well. But a few months later: Freiman - Rubin' Lodz, 190? 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 e3 4 b3 5 Bd3 6 0-0 7 Bb2 in

d5 e6 c5 Nf6 Nc6 Bd6 Qc7?l

8 c4! 9 Bxc4

dxc4 cxd4

Compounding the c-file error. Black should try 9...a6 to avert Nb5.

86

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 10 e*d4 11 Nc3 0-0

It's too late now: 11...a6 12 d5! favors White.

11 ... 12 Nb5 13 Ne5 14 N*d6

Nb4 Qe7 a6 Qxd6

White now restrains Black's development and gains time to make threats against h7. Black's iron control of d5 isn't enough. Qf3 Ba3! 17 Radi 18 Bd3 19 Qh3 20 Rfe1 Rb8 a5 b5 Bb7 Rfd8 Qd5

Threatening 21...N*d3. But Black fails to notice that White's next move also contains a threat of its own. 21 Bb1 Rbc8?
(see diagram on next page)

CHAPTER FOUR Common Strategic Mistakes

87

22 Ng4! Simple but strong . Now 22...Qg5 23 N*f6ch Q*f6 24 Qxh7ch Kf8 would have been relatively best. 22 ... 23 Bxh7ch 24 Be4! 25 Bxb7 26 Qxg4 Nxg4 Kf8 Qd7 Qxb7 Rc2?

Black was also lost after 26...Kg8 27 Re3 but it would have taken a while. 27 Qh4 28 d5l Qa8 Rcc8

Admitting his 26th move was an error. Naturally, 28...Rxd5?? 29 Qh8ch and 30 Qxa8 couldn't be played. 29 dxe6 30 Bb2 fxe6 Kf7

This meets the immediate threat of g7 (31 Qh8ch) but White can also win with quiet moves. 31 Qg4 Black resigns.

CHAPTER FIVE Main Line Zukertort Variation Analysis

Before we get into specific lines, we should consider move or der. The most natural way of playing the Colle is 1 d4 followed by 2 Nf3 and then 3 e3. This sequence may have a psychologist wondering where the opening is headed. For example: 1 d4 2 Nf3 Nf6

Hmmm, Black thinks. I can't get ir 'y normal Benko gambit (2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5) now. The Budapt^ v 2 c4 e5) is also out. I could get into a Queen's Gambit if I play 2...d5 and he replies 3 c4. But, if that's what I wanted, I would have played 1... d5. So... 2 ... e6 Now, Black thinks, I can meet 3 c4 with either a Queens In dian (3...b6) or Bogo-lndian (3...Bb4ch) or even some Queen's-Nimzo-lndian hybrid (3...b6 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 Bg5 Bb4). 3e3
(see diagram on next page)

MAIN LINE ZUKERTORT VARIATION ANALYSIS

89

Oops, now what? Black will play ...c7-c5 at some point but what does he do with his d-^ He may be reluctant to play into the main line of the Coi^*.ukertort, with ...d7-d5, but he doesn't have that much choice. With 3...d5 we have the main line Zukertort. The chief alter native strategy for Black is to play ...c7-c5 and develop the c8bishop on b7, while delaying a decision about what to do with the d-pawn. For example, 3...b6 4 Bd3 Bb7 5 0-0 Be7 6 b3 0-0 7 Bb2 c5, and now White has a choice between 8 c4, which may lead to a pair of pawn exchanges after 8...c*d4 9 e*d4 d5 and the more cautious 8 Nbd2 Nc6 9 d*c5 b*c5 10 e4 d6 as in Onischuk-Lautier, Biel 1996. On the other hand, there is this popular opening sequence of moves: 1 d4 d5 Note that Black is preparing to seize the key diagonal, d3-h7, with his c8-bishop. For that reason, we recommend: 2e3
(see diagram on next page)

90

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

The reason is that White is ready to play 3 Bd3 next move. What happens if Black crosses him up with 2...Bf5 you might ask. This would be a serious problem if the kingside attack strategy were White's only means of conducting the middlegame. But he has an alternative in this case: since Black's bishop is absent from the queenside, the light squares there, such as b7 and even d5, may become vulnerable after c2-c4 and Qb3. For example 2...Bf5 3 c4! d*c4 4 B*c4 and White is already threatening a knockout blow of 5 Qb3, attacking f7 as well as b7. Better is 3...c6 but then 4 c*d5 c*d5 5 Qb3 poses an awkward defensive problem to Black. If he defends his bpawn with 5...b6? he allows a strong 6 Bb5ch (6...Bd7 or 6...Nd7 hang the d-pawn to 7 Q*d5). Better is 5...Qc8 but then White contim-~ ^ Bd2 followed by Nf3-e5 and either Bb5(ch) or Bb4!. 2 ... Nf6 This is the most natural response and leads to our main line in a slightly different order than 1... Nf6/2... d5.

MAIN LINE ZUKERTORT VARIATION ANALYSIS 3 Bd3 e6

91

4 Nf3

c5

By putting some pressure on d4, this begins a struggle for the dark squares. Black can quickly get into trouble after, say, 4...g6 5 b3 Bg7 6 Ba3! and now 6...Nbd7 7 Nbd2 c5 8 0-0 0 0 9 c4 (Yusupov-Sosonko, Tunis 1985) 9...b6 10 cxd5 Nxd5 11 Ne4 or 10...exd5 11 Rc1, with pressure on the queenside in either case. 5b3 Black "threatened" to drive the bishop off the d3-h7 diagonal with 5...c5. The alternative way of dealing with that is 5 c3, the Koltanowski Variation. As we've seen in the previous chapters there are many ideas in common in the Zukertort and Koltanowski, but also quite a few that are different.

After 5 b3 we will consider the most promising plans for Black and some other attractive but not quite adequate alternatives.

92

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

The major choices facing Black are what to do with his bishops and b8-knight. We'll begin with the most natural spot for that knight: (A) 5 ... Nc6 We saw in Chapter Two that 5...Qa5ch 6 c3 is only a minor annoyance, since Black will spend another tempo later on to get a better square for the queen and this will match the tempo that White spends on c3-c4. Similarly, 5...cxd4 6 e*d4 Bb4ch 7 c3 manages to temporarily block White's b2-g7 diagonal. But this turns out to favor White after 7... Bd6 8 0-0 Nc6 9 Qe2 Qc7 10 Re1 0-0 11 Ne5 b6 and now 12 Bg5! is better than the b2 development and works excellently in coordination with Qf3-h3. threatening Bxf6 and mate on h7. Black can also vary slightly from the main line by developing his bishop at d6 or e7 at the sixth move. But this will almost certainly transpose into our main lines. The most substantive alternative to 5...Nc6 is the development of the knight at d7, which we'll consider in section (B) below. 6 0 -0

Solid development is prescribed here. If Black tries something strange, White should be well prepared to counter it. For ex ample, 6...Rb8 7 Bb2 b5 which prepares ...c5-c4 is well met by 8 dxc5 Bxc5 9 Nd4! with excellent play for White against the weaknesses at b5 and c6. The game Vorotnikov-

MAIN LINE ZUKERTORT VARIATION ANALYSIS

93

Korchnoi, USSR 1964, went 9...N*d4 10 e*d4 Bd6 11 Qe2 b4 12 Nd2 followed by Nf3-e5 with advantage. 6 ... Bd6 After this move Black is clearly intent on battling for control of the dark squares, principally e5 but also including a3 and c3, which can be weakened after ...cxd4/...Qe7 and ...Ba3. We saw that in the Bogolyubov-Capablanca game in Chapter Two. One of the few advantages of ...Be7 over ...Bd6 is that Black can play ... N*e5 after the inevitable occupation of e5. After 6...Be7 7 Bb2 0-0 8 Nbd2 b6 9 Ne5 Nxe5 10 dxe5 Black doesn't have enough support for 10...Ne4 and after 10...Nd7 11 f4 Bb7 12 Qe2 and c2-c4/Rad1 White has a promising middlegame. Also note that the plan of putting pressure on d4 with 6...cxd4 7 exd4 Be7 8 Bb2 0-0 9 Nbd2 Qb6 fails because the pawn is well covered, because the c8-bishop can't be fianchettoed now and because the queen is vulnerable to c2-c4. For ex ample 10 Re1 Bd7 11 c4 dxc4 (to stop 12 c5) 12 Nxc4 Qc7 13 Rc1 Qf4? and now in Rubinstein-Flamberg, Lodz 1906 White could exploit his edge with 14 Rc2 Qh6 15 Bc1.

7 Bb2 You'll find some opponents who will insert ...cxd4 at move six or seven because they want the center clarified. This is pre mature because after 7...cxd4 8 exd4 0-0 White can choose between 9 c4 preparing c4-c5 and creating a queenside pawn majority or 9 Re1 and Ne5, using the half-open e-file effec

94

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

tively. Another problem with that exchange is that it makes it easier for White to prevent ...c6-e5 with Re1 a move that has little point before ...c*d4/exd4. Black is in no rush to castle here and can play, for example, 7...b6 among other ideas. But that should not hinder White's development scheme of Nbd2, Ne5 and perhaps f2-f4. For example, 7...b6 8 Nbd2 0-0 9 Ne5 and now 9...Nxe5? costs a piece while 9...B*e5 10 d*e5 Nd7 11 f4 gives White a strong attack, e.g., 11...f6 12 exf6 Nxf6 13 Nf3 Nb4 14 Ne5 N*d3 15 c*d3 Nd7 16 Qg4 Nxe5 17 Bxe5 Qe7 18 Rf3! as in JanowskyEsser, Paris 1910.

7 ...

0-0

Black can also anticipate White's next move with 7...Qe7 threatening ...e6-e5 as well as ...cxd4 and ...Ba3. Then 8 Ne5 0-0 9 Nd2 cxd4 10 exd4 Ba3 11 Bxa3 Qxa3 12 c3 and f2-f4 is fine for White, as noted in Chapter Two. Note also the move 7...Nb4, which seems to drive the bishop off the key diagonal at a gain of time. However, White will get the tempo back after 8 Be2 and 9 a3 since the move a2-a3 is useful to him as we'll see. For example, 7...Nb4 8 Be2 0-0 9 a3 Nc6 10 Nbd2 and now 10...Qe7 11 Ne5! Bxe5 12 dxe5 Nd7 13 f4 f5 14 c4! with ad vantage to White (Rubinstein-Treybal, Baden-Baden 1925) or 10...b6 11 Ne5 Ne7 12 Bd3 Bb7 13 Qf3 Rc8 14 Qh3 ditto (Rubinstein-Bogolyubov, Match 1920).

MAIN LINE ZUKERTORT VARIATION ANALYSIS 8a3

95

Now, the capture on d4 eases White's attack and gives Black little in the way of pressure on the c-file. For instance, 8...c*d4 9 exd4 b6 10 Nbd2 Bb7 11 Qe2 Qc7 12 Ne5 Ne7 13 f4 Rac8 and with 14 Rac1! g6 15 g4! followed by c2-c4 White gets an edge as in Alekhine-Rosselli, Zurich 1934. 8 ... b6

The rush to exploit the c-file with 8...Bd7 9 Nbd2 cxd4 10 e*d4 Rc8 only leaves the bishop misplaced at d7. White can easily defend the c-pawn and it may turn out to be safer at c4 than c2. For instance, 11 Ne5 a6 12 Qe2 Ne7 13 f4 Ng6 14 g4! Bb5 15 c4! and, despite the opening of a good diagonal for Black, the position on the kingside has improved enough for White to give him a clear edge, e.g., 15...dxc4 16 bxc4 Bc6 17 g5 Bxe5 18 fxe5 (Plaskett-Sadler, London 1991). 9 Ne5 White could also play 9 Nbd2 and, if 9...Bb7, then 10 Ne5 but the text, threatening the c6-knight, is more forceful. 9 ... Bb7 On 9...Qc7 White can reinforce the knight with 10 f4 or go in for 10 Nxc6 Qxc6 11 dxc5 followed by Bxf6.

96

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3 10 Nd2

10...

Qe7

If Black bides his time with moves like 10...a6 and 11...b5, White starts his attack with 11 f4 and Qf3-h3. 11 f4 White's queenside is secure, thanks to 8 a3, and he has good reason to turn attention to the kingside. Now, in most situa tions, he will retake on e5 with the f-pawn. 11 ... Rfd8 Note that if Black tries to oust the e5-knight with 11...Nd7, White has one of the prettiest and most famous of combina tions the double bishop sacrifice: 12 Nxd7 Q*d7 13 d*c5 Bxc5 14 Bxh7ch K*h7 15 Qh5ch and 16 Bxg7! followed by a queen check and Rf3-h3ch. 12 Rf3 Ne4l (see diagram on next page)

MAIN LINE ZUKERTORT VARIATION ANALYSIS

97

Black blocks the key diagonal and forces White to conduct the attack in a different manner. After other moves White's attack becomes stronger, e.g., 12...Rac8 13 Rh3, threatening, among other things, N*c6 followed by dxc5, B*f6 and B*h7ch. 13 Rh3 If White becomes greedy with 13 N*e4 d*e4 14 B*e4 then Black has 14...Nxe5l. 13 ... 14 Bxe4l 14... f5

Now 14...Bxe5 15 Bxf5 costs Black a pawn. d*e4

15 Qh5 We are following Euwe-Rubinstein, Mahrisch-Ostrau 1923 in which White gained the upper hand since Black cannot play

98

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

15...g6? because of 16 N*g6 or 15...h6 because of 16 N*c6! B*c6 17 Nc4 with a prohibitively strong attack (Rg3 and dxc5). Play continued 15...Bxe5 16 Qxh7ch Kf7 17 fxe5 with an edge for White ( 17...N*e5? 18 Rg3 or 17...Rh8 18 Q*h8 R*h8 19 R*h8 Ba6). This analysis is fairly long and shouldn't be memorized. The point here is to consider the basic ideas that recur in the typi cal Zukertort middlegames. White's chances certainly look good here so we'll turn to the major alternative for Black. (B) (1 d4 d5 2 e3 Nf6 3 Bd3 e6 4 Nf3 c5 5 b3) 5 ... Nbd7 Of course, Black need not make a decision about this knight until later. But he will almost certainly transpose into one of the two systems examined in this chapter when the b8-knight is eventually developed. For example 5...Bd6 6 0-0 0-0 7 Bb2 Qe7 8 a3 was the move order of Rubinstein-Maroczy, The Hague 1921, which continued 8...b6 9 Nbd2 Nbd7 10 Ne5! Bb7 11 Qf3 Rfd8 12 Qh3 Nf8 13 f3!? N6d7 14 f4! with a small edge.

6 Bb2 An attempt to contest control of e5 with 6...Bd6 7 0-0 Qc7 works nicely if White cooperates (8 Nbd2 e5!).

MAIN LINE ZUKERTORT VARIATION ANALYSIS

99

However, Black's seventh move gives White another promis ing line of play 8 c4!, followed by opening up the c-file and Rc1. For example, 8...0-0 9 Nc3 a6 10 cxd5 Rb8 and 11 Rc1 must give White at least a small edge. Another version of this is 6...Bd6 7...0-0 0-0 8 Nbd2 Qc7 9 c4 since 9...e5? fails to 10 c*d5 exd4 11 exd4 Nxd5 12 Rc1 Nf4 13 Ne4 with advantage (Rubinstein-Berger, Carlsbad 1907).) 6 ... b6 In this manner, Black benefits from the placement of the knight at d7 because a bishop at b7 will indirectly support the block ing ...Ne4. He can also postpone the fianchetto in favor of completing his kingside development. A frequent move order is 6...Be7 7 0 0 0-0 8 Nbd2 b6 after which 9 Ne5 should give White a small pull. Typical play would be 9... Bb7 10 f4 Ne4 11 Qe2 Rc8 and now 12 Nxe4 dxe4 13 Bb5! Nxe5 14 dxe5! with f4-f5 coming up (Guimard-Lundin, Groningen 1936) which went 14...Qc7 15 f5 exf5 16 Bc4 with advantage.

7 0-0 8 Ne5

Bb7

The natural continuation by both White and Black so far. This is most accurate since it prevents Black from blocking the attack lines with 8...Ne4 (which now would be met by 9 Bb5!

100

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

and then 9...Nef6 10 Qf3, threatening 11 B*d7ch N*d7 12 Q*f7 mate).

8...

a6

After 8...Be7, White continues 10 f4, transposing into the note to Black's 6...b6 above. The main alternative is 8...N*e5 9 d*e5 after which 9...Ne4 fails to 10 Bb5ch and 9...Nd7 leads into positions weve already considered with f2-f4, Nd2, c2-c4, Qe2 and Radi.

9 Nd2 Again ...Ne4 is discouraged because 9...Ne4 10 Bxe4! dxe4 11 N*d7 and 12 Nc4 would favor White's knight over the en emy bishop. 9 ... 10Nxd7 b5

White acts to simplify the center before ...c5-c4 pushes him backward and gives Black too much operating room on the queenside. Now on 10...N*d7 11 d*c5 11...N*c5 Black is doing well but 11 c4! appears more promising. For example, 11...d*c4 12 b*c4 b4 13 Be4 gives White a slight pull and 11...b*c4 12 bxc4 cxd4 13 exd4 dxc4 14 Nxc4 Be7 15 Re1 does the same. 10... 11 dxc5 Qxd7

MAIN LINE ZUKERTORT VARIATION ANALYSIS Opening the diagonal at just the right moment. 11 ... B*c5

101

Now 12 B*f6 g*f6 only helps Black out. The right way to at tack the neglected kingside is: 12 Qf3 The queen is headed for g3, where it exerts great power against g7, or for h3, where it sets the tables for mate on f7. Note that 12...d4 could be met now by 13 Ne4, e.g., 13...N*e4 14 B*e4 B*e4 15 Q*e4 Rd8 (else Q*a8ch or e*d4) 16 Radi with advantage. 12... Qe7 We saw the consequences of 10...Be7, the other way of meeting 11 B*f6 in the Yusupov-Scheeren game in Chapter One. 13 Qg3 0-0 (see diagram on next page)

102

COLLE SYSTEM ZUKERTORT VARIATION, 5 b3

14 a3 This prevents 14...Ba3 and confers some superiority on White. He will continue Nf3 and either Nd4 or Ne5. He need not change the pawn structure in the center except for f2-f4 to get his f1-rook into the game via f3.

NOTES

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