Opening Lanes

Opening Lanes
Gary Lane
Ideas Behind
Modern Chess
Openings: Black
by Gary Lane

Opening Lanes is based in large part on readers' questions. Do you
have a question about a particular opening line? Baffled by a branch
of the Benoni or Budapest? Submit your questions (with you full name
and country of residence please) and perhaps Gary will reply in his
next Chess Cafe column...
Yes, I have a question for Gary!
Treasure Island
There is always the hope that someone might dream up a new brilliant
variation to make the chess world take notice. It is not unusual for a
grandmaster to get all the accolades for striking gold with a new line only
for it later to be revealed to have been all played before. Indeed there
have been numerous contributions to this column that have inspired
others to take up various new moves with success. Perhaps J onathan
Evans from the USA has come up with another gem after investigating
the Scandinavian and is intrigued by the following line: 1 e4 d5 2 exd5
Nf6 3 d4 Nxd5 4 c4 and now 4Nb4. Frequently, I run into 5 Qa4+
N8c6 6 d5 b5. What do you think?
The Scandinavian is a favourite amongst players with limited time to
study because you get your opening onto the board on move 1. It has also
been neglected in the past so modern players can contribute new ideas to
forgotten lines. One example of this has been the rise of 1 e4 d5 2 exd5
Qxd5 3 Nc3 and now 3Qd6, which I think is quite useful and I wrote at
length about it in the book Modern Ideas Behind the Opening: Black. I
have to admit that I also contemplated a short chapter on the blitz
favourite 4Nb4 which is certainly tricky, but ultimately not quite
correct. Still, lets see how the tactics can work in Blacks favour if
White wants to quickly refute Blacks bold play.
Lucia Redondo Arguelles-Roberto Auro Ordonez Asturias Primera
1997
1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Nf6 3 d4 Nxd5 4 c4 Nb4
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Opening Lanes
This is the unusual move that has
caught the attention of Mr. Evans.
The most basic point is that if White
ignores the knight and develops with
5 Nc3 then 5...Qxd4! is a delight
because 6 Qxd4 Nc2+wins back the
queen with a pawn bonus. 5 Qa4+
This is the natural reaction to punish
Black for his cheeky response with
the aim of winning a piece. 5N8c6
Not 5N4c6? because 6 d5 pins the
knight and effectively ends the game
as a contest because, unlike in the game, there is no escape plan. 6 d5?

A consistent approach, but it is wrong
because of a series of tactics that will
soon be revealed. If White tries to be
clever with 6 a3 then 6Na6 7 d5
might well win the knight, but White
pays a heavy price after 7Nc5 8
Qb5 e5! 9 dxc6 b6 when suddenly it
becomes clear that the queen is
trapped. For instance: 10 Be2 (or 10
Qb4 Nd3+11 Bxd3 Bxb4+12 axb4
wins) 10a5 intending ...Ba6. Also
possible: 7 Nf3 e5! 8 dxe5 Nc5 9 Qc2
Bg4 offers good compensation for the pawn; 7 Be3 has been suggested in
some sources and after the continuation: 7Bd7 8 Qd1 e5 9 d5 Ne7 the
position has been assessed as heavily in Whites favour. I would disagree
and think that Black can soon unravel his pieces with equal opportunities.
For example by playing ...Nf5 and swiftly developing the kingside.
6b5!! I am sure this must be an incredible shock for White who would
be contemplating an early finish. Well, he might be right, but with Black
winning! 7 cxb5 7 Qxb5 is hopeless and just an excuse for Black to claim
a brilliancy prize: 7Nc2+8 Kd1 (or 8 Kd2 Bd7 9 dxc6 Bf5+10 Qd5
and now 10Nxa1 wins comfortably) 8Bd7 9 dxc6 (9 Qa6 N6b4 10
Qb7 Bc6! is an amusing way to trap the white queen; 9 Qb3 N6d4 10
Qc3 e5 11 Ne2 Bb4 12 Qg3 Nxe2 13 Bxe2 Nxa1 with a clear advantage,
K.Pelikan-M.Benes, Brno 2001) 9Bg4+! 10 Kxc2 Qd1+11 Kc3
Qxc1+12 Kb3 Bd1+13 Kb4 a5+14 Kc5 e5+15 Kd5 Rd8+16 Kxe5
Bd6+01 Goldobov-Kanadin, Minsk 1970. 7Nd4 8 Na3 The knight
covers the c2-square which is somewhat better than 8 b6+because it
loses quickly upon 8Bd7 9 Qd1 Nbc2+winning easily. 8e5 9 dxe6
Bxe6 10 Bd2 Qh4!
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Opening Lanes
This is a great move and one that has
been missed in a number of previous
games. The big threat is 11...Ndc2+
12 Nxc2 Nd3+13 Bxd3 and then
13...Qxa4 gives Black a winning
position. The best assessment is that
White should start thinking of a good
excuse why he will lose so quickly.
10Qe7 the threat is a discovered
check 11 Ne2?? (if 11 Be2 then
11Rd8 gives Black all the chances)
11Nd3+12 Kd1 Nxb2+13 Kc1
Nxa4 14 Nxd4 Qxa3+01 M.Mladenovic-S.Ruzicic, Belgrade 2005. 11
b6+After 11 Be2 Black wins comfortably upon 11Ndc2+12 Nxc2
Nd3+13 Bxd3 Qxa4 when the white queen has been forced to leave the
board. 11Bd7 12 Qd1 Qe4+The queen swings across to facilitate a
knight crashing through on the c2-square. 13 Be3 13 Ne2 is fun for Black
after 13Nd3 mate. 13Nbc2+14 Nxc2 Nxc2+White can resign, but a
loss in 14 moves is never easy to cope with so White continues to see
what happens next. 15 Ke2 Bb5+16 Kd2 Rd8+The purists would prefer
16000+to finish in style. 17 Kc1 Rxd1+18 Kxd1 Nxe3+19 fxe3
Qd5+20 Kc2 cxb6 21 Rd1 Qe4+01
This is a great boost for the 4Nb4 variation and it will certainly gather
some fine victories on the Internet and tournaments. The problem for
Black is that anybody who is prepared can force the knight to retreat and
have a comfortable game. This long-term problem is why it is difficult to
recommend the knight manoeuvre as an opening solution.
Edhl Handoko-Russell Popara Los Angeles 2003
1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Nf6 3 d4 Nxd5 4 c4 Nb4 5 a3 This is the best approach.
White resists trying to refute the variation and instead relies on a space
advantage to secure a plus. 5N4c6 6 Nf3 Bg4
7 Be2 Handoko simply blocks the
pin. He is relying on a tactic to make
his d-pawn immune from capture.
The positional idea is that Black is
rather congested on the queenside
with a knight on b8 thats unable to
move to its best square on c6. After 7
d5 play might proceed: a) 7Bxf3 8
Qxf3 Ne5?! (the best way forward for
Black is to plant the knight on a
central square 8Nd4 because after
9 Qd1 it can be supported by 9e5
with roughly equal chances after 10 dxe6 Nxe6) 9 Qg3 Ng6 10 Nc3 a6
(or 10Nd7 11 Nb5 Nde5 12 f4 favours White) 11 Be3 Qd6 12 c5 Qxg3
13 hxg3 White may well have doubled g-pawns, but the open rook file is
good news 13Nd7 14 000 Nge5 15 Be2 000 16 f4 Ng6 17 Bf3
when the pair of bishops helps to restrict blacks pieces, S.Mladenov-
N.Iliev, Pamporovo 2001. b) 7Ne5 8 Be2 Bxf3 9 Bxf3 Nbd7
(9Nxf3+might well deprive White of the bishop pair but 10 Qxf3 Nd7
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Opening Lanes
11 00 is good for White) 10 Be2 Nb6 11 00 Qd7 (11Nbxc4? is a
poor choice in view of 12 Bxc4 Nxc4 13 Qa4+winning) 12 b3 000 13
Bb2 gave White the better prospects because of his space advantage in
M.Manolev-T.Arizanov, Struga 2005. 7e6 The desire to grab a pawn
will lead to ruin for Black after 7Bxf3 8 Bxf3 Qxd4 (8Nxd4? allows
9 Bxb7 winning comfortably) 9 Qxd4 Nxd4 10 Bxb7 Nc2+11 Ke2 Nxa1
12 Bxa8 Nb3 13 Bf4 with a very strong position because Black needs
time to organise his kingside pieces. 8 00 Be7 9 Nc3 White is not doing
anything special other than getting his pieces out, which is an easy
explanation for his future success, whereas it is not so clear where Black
should position his pieces. 900 Also possible: 9Bf6 10 Be3 00 11
b4 (11 Re1 is worth considering) 11Nd7 12 h3 Bf5 13 Qb3 e5 14 dxe5
Ncxe5 15 Rad1 c6? (15Re8 is a better choice offering equal
opportunities) 16 Nd4! now Black will lose material 16Bg6 17 f4
when the knight has no escape square, T.Naegele-B.Raedeker,
Wuerttemberg 1997. 10 h3
10Bxf3 Constant vigilance is
required from Black to avoid a
calamity because 10Bh5? leads to
problems after 11 g4 Bg6 12 d5 Na5
13 b4 when the knight has run out of
safe squares. 11 Bxf3 Bf6 As usual
the d-pawn is taboo in view of
11Qxd4 12 Qxd4 Nxd4 13 Bxb7
with an easy victory. 12 d5 Nd4
Black is understandably reluctant to
allow White to plant a knight on d5
after 12exd5 13 Nxd5 so he comes
up with a scheme to improve his knight at the cost of a pawn. 13 dxe6
c6?! The idea is right but the execution wrong. Black needed to justify
his pawn sacrifice by trying 13Nxf3+14 Qxf3 Nc6 when 15 exf7+
Rxf7 gives Black adequate compensation. Therefore White should
consider 15 e7! when 15Bxe7 16 Rd1 Qc8 17 Rd5 ensures a positional
edge. 14 exf7+Rxf7 15 Bg4 The light-squared bishop plays a useful role
in defending the kingside and keeping the knight on d4 on patrol in view
of the danger of Be6. 15Nd7 16 Be3 Nc5 A ploy to add support to the
knight with 16c5 backfires because it allows White to launch his
knight to an influential central square with 17 Nd5 where it undermines
Blacks support of the knight on d4. For instance: 17Kh8 18 b4 b6 19
Rb1 with the advantage. 17 b4
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Opening Lanes
17Ndb3? A ploy, probably
designed to cause confusion, which is
easily rebuffed. 17Nce6 is
essential, but White has all the fun
after 18 Ne4. 18 bxc5 Nxa1 Or
18Bxc3 19 Qxb3 Bxa1 when
White has the pleasant advantage of
20 Be6 and 20 Rxa1 with an excellent
game. 19 Qxa1 The two pieces for a
rook favours White because his
bishops are very influential. 19Qd3
20 Rc1 Re8 21 Be2 Handoko stops
any hint of a threat before trying to make progress. 21Qf5 22 Qb1
Whites material advantage is enough to persuade Black to avoid a lost
ending. 22Qe6 23 Bd3 g6 24 Ne4 10 Perhaps Black resigned
prematurely, but he was heavily out-rated and he does have a lost
position!
Paul Raphaelson from the USA has a plea that people new to the game
will identify with: My dad taught me how to play chess when I was
little, but beyond the basic rules, I learned nothing. Now Im playing for
fun, but realized that I am absolutely terrible. I cannot even beat my
computer, ever, unless I turn its skill level down to the point where it just
throws away all its pieces. Not much fun! Your column flies right over
my head. And I think this is a big part of my problem: zero
understanding of openings. I start to play okay after most of the pieces
are gone from the board (meaning, most of my pieces), but the computer
just makes a fool out of me in the beginning. Can you recommend a good
place to start? Most of what I find is in-depth tomes on individual
openings and defenses. Id like to learn one or two basic openings and
defenses ... something to practice and try to understand. Maybe
something with pictures.
There is no easy answer and if there were everyone would be a master.
Usually a good start to learning openings is to look at a best games
collection by someone such as Anand, Fischer or Shirov. You might like
what you see and then try to copy their approach. You might also be
interested in watching how to play a certain opening via DVD. J ust turn
on the television and let someone else explain the basics without having
to pick up a book. I know of a number of players who prefer this
approach because of their busy lifestyle. The key to avoid losing to a
computer is well-known it involves turning off the silicon monster
before it gleefully delivers mate.
Raleigh Foster from the USA has been looking at an old book and come
up with an original ideal in a fairly well-known position. He writes,
After 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 f6 6 Bb5!? Bd7 7 00 Qb6
8 Bxc6 bxc6 9 exf6 gxf6 and now 10 Ne5 but after 10fxe5 11 Qh5+
Ke7 White only has a draw with 12 Qg5+. Does White have anything
else?
I think your improvement is correct. Here is a famous game by
Nimzovitch, who was a renowned player and the author of the bestseller
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Opening Lanes
My Systemwhich has inspired numerous players to improve.
Aaron Nimzovitch-Grigory Levenfish Karlsbad1911
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5
The Advance French is still a
favourite amongst the top players.
3c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 f6 6 Bb5!?
The alternative 6 Bd3 is currently the
latest fashion. For example
Rozentalis-Karayannis, Kavala 2005,
continued: 6cxd4 7 cxd4 fxe5 8
Nxe5 Nxe5 9 dxe5 g6 (the threat was
Qh5+) 10 h4! Qc7 11 Bf4 Ne7 12
Nc3 (White is content to accelerate
development before provoking
concessions on the kingside)
12Nc6 13 h5 Qf7 14 Bg3 g5 (if 14gxh5 then 15 Rh4! is very strong
because the idea is to play Rf4 and when the black queen moves then
Qxh5 offers a fine game for White) 15 Qg4 Bb4 (or 15Nb4 16 Bb1
Bd7 17 a3 Nc6 18 Nb5 000 19 Qxg5 with the better chances for
White) 16 00 Bxc3 17 bxc3 Qg7 18 f4 Rg8 (18h6 is certainly no
improvement because of 19 Bg6+when 19Kd8 20 fxg5 is winning) 19
fxg5 Qxg5 20 Qf3 Kd8 21 Bxh7 Qxg3 22 Bxg8 10. 6Bd7 7 00 Qb6
Black seeks to undermine the pawn chain by putting pressure on the d4-
pawn. 8 Bxc6 bxc6 9 exf6 Nxf6 Mr. Foster notes there is something
wrong with the old analysis of this game because after 9gxf6 it was
assumed that 10 Ne5 was a crunching move that put Black into all sorts
of trouble.
However, 11 Qh5+can be met by
11Ke7! (instead 11Kd8 allows
12 Qxe5 which attacks the rook in the
corner with a winning position) 12
Bg5+(when the king can go on a
walk so 12 Qg5+Ke8 leads to a draw
by repetition) 12Kd6 13 Be3! exd4
14 Bf4+(14 cxd4?! is inaccurate
since 14Ke7 15 Qh4+Nf6 is good
for Black, because with the option of
dxe5 no longer available he can
afford to strengthen his defence) 16
dxc5 Qc7 17 Bd4 Bg7 18 Nd2 when I would prefer Black despite the
exposed king) 14Ke7 15 Qg5+Ke8 (15Nf6 16 Be5 at least gets the
piece back) 16 Qh5+Ke7 17 Qg5+with a draw by repetition. This
certainly seems to lead to a draw so it does overturn established analysis.
Therefore after looking at Mr. Fosters tip I would now recommend 10
Re1 to put pressure on the e-file and prevent a future ...e6-e5. 10 Ne5
The knight is established on e5 and this proves to be awkward for Black.
10Bd6 11 dxc5 Bxc5 If 11Qxc5 then Bf4 maintains the slight
initiative. 12 Bg5 A little ploy to put another obstacle in Blacks way
because now 12...00 fails to 13 Bxf6 followed by 14 Nxd7 winning a
piece. 12Qd8 Perhaps the critical move is 12Qxb2 when a sample
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Opening Lanes
line runs 13 Nd2 Qxc3 14 Bxf6 gxf6 15 Nxd7 Kxd7 16 Rc1 Qb4 17 Qc2
Bd6 18 Qxc6+Ke7 19 Nf3 with sufficient compensation for the pawn.
13 Bxf6 Qxf6 Alternatively, 13gxf6 runs into 14 Qh5+when 14Ke7
15 b4! (the tempting 15 Qf7+is designed to win material, but it allows
Black to generate some counterplay after 15Kd6 16 Nxd7 Qxd7 17
Qxf6 which is not good news for White despite the extra pawn because
Black gets his rooks into the action: 17Raf8 18 Qh4 Rxf2! 19 Rxf2
Rf8 winning) 15Bb6 16 Nxd7 Kxd7 17 Nd2 gives White the superior
chances because the centralised black king is weak. 14 Qh5+g6 15 Qe2
The queen retreats but the great thing about Whites play is that the
knight is still influential on e5 and Black cannot castle safely. 15Rd8
After 1500? 16 Nxd7 Black can put the pieces back into the box,
while 15000 allows White to engineer a swift attack: 16 Nd2 Rhf8
17 Nb3 Bb6 18 Nd4 Kb7 19 b4 with the brighter prospects. 16 Nd2 00
17 Rae1 Rfe8 18 Kh1 The king gets out of the way to facilitate f2-f4
which supports the knight. 18Bd6 19 f4 c5 20 c4 White decides to
probe Blacks pawn structure to increase the pressure. 20 Qa6 can also be
considered. 20Bf8? It seems natural enough to take time out to
improve the position of the bishop, but it allows a clever tactic. A more
constructive move is 20Rf8, but White has the edge after 21 Qd3 Qf5
22 Qb3. 21 cxd5
21Bc8 The point is that 21exd5
allows the knockout blow 22 Nxd7
when 22Rxd7 (22Rxe2 23
Nxf6+Kf7 24 Rxe2 is equally a
formality) 23 Qxe8 wins comfortably.
22 Ne4 Qg7 23 dxe6 Bxe6 24 Qa6
Nimzovitch is a clear pawn up and
now seeks to ensure that Black stays
on the defensive. 24Kh8 25 Rd1
Bg8 Alternatively, 25Bc8 is met by
26 Qa5 when 26Rxd1 27 Rxd1
Bg4 28 Rd2 leaves White dominating
the action because Blacks counterplay is far away. 26 b3 It is not always
necessary to force matters in order to win and this is illustrated here. This
is because White takes his time to safeguard the a-pawn by blocking out
the influence of the bishop on g8. 26Rd4 27 Rxd4 cxd4 28 Qa5 The
queen on a5 is designed to eliminate the prospect of ...Rd8. 28Rc8 The
best chance is 28Qe7, although 29 Qd2 maintains Whites advantage.
Conversely, 29 Rd1 is harmless because of 29Bh6! (the obvious
29Rd8? is useless upon 30 Nc6) 30 g3 g5 with decent counterplay
compared to the actual game. 29 Rd1 Rc2 30 h3 It makes sense to avoid
a future calamity associated with back rank mate. 30Qb7 31 Rxd4 Bc5
32 Qd8 Be7 The acceptance of the exchange sacrifice leads to bad news
upon 32Bxd4 33 Qxd4 Qg7 34 Nd6 intending Ne8 with a winning
position. 34Rxa2 35 Ne8 Qe7 36 Nf7 mate. 33 Qd7 Qa6 Of course
33Qxd7 leads to a hopeless ending upon 34 Rxd7 Bb4 35 Rxa7 and
Black can resign. 34 Rd3 Bf8 35 Nf7+Creating a mating net is the
quickest way to victory. 35Bxf7 36 Qxf7 Rc8 37 Rd7 10
Anyone who is interested in the Advance French should keep the faith
because there are plenty of opportunities to improve Whites play. The
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Opening Lanes
theme of putting a knight on e5 and a mass of tactics does work; you just
need to get your timing right:
Sergey Galdunts-Petr Novak Mittelrhein 1995
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 f6 6 Bb5 Bd7 7 00 Nxe5 This
has been played several times by optimistic players with the black pieces
because it seems to win an easy pawn after 8 Bxd7+Nxd7. 8 Nxe5!
This is the key move which swings
the initiative to White. 8fxe5 9
Qh5+Ke7 In the game Kawaciukova-
Ladanyike Karakas, Budapest 1994,
Black tried 9g6 which allowed
White a comfortable position upon 10
Qxe5 Qf6 (if 10Nf6? then 11
Qxe6+looks good) 11 Bxd7+Kxd7
12 Bf4! Rc8 (the point is that Black
cannot relieve the tension by
exchanging queens with 12Qxe5
because 13 Bxe5 wins material) 13
dxc5 Bxc5 14 c4?! (14 b4 Bf8 15 Qe3 is a good idea to threaten the a7-
pawn and Be5) 14dxc4 (14Bd4! is essential to fend off the attack.
For instance: 15 Qd6+Ke8 16 Re1 Rc6 and Black should survive with
ease.) 15 Nc3 Be7 16 Rad1+Ke8 17 Qb5+Kf7 18 Be5 Rc5 19 Bxf6
Rxb5 20 Bxh8 with a winning advantage. 10 Bg5+Nf6 It is obvious
compared to the previous game that the queen on d8 is a problem for
Black because White can target it. 11 dxe5 Bxb5 12 Re1 This position
presents multiple practical problems for Black since the king looks on the
verge of being routed. There might be an adequate defence somewhere,
but by the time he has found it he would surely lose on time! 12Kd7
13 Qh3 Galdunts sets up another trap by threatening 14 exf6 to reveal a
hidden attack on the e6-pawn by the rook on e1. 13 Qe7 14 c4 Bxc4 15
Na3 White has shed a pawn to bring another piece into the onslaught.
15Ba6 16 Rad1
This is tough for Black who now has
to contend with the prospect of
Rxd5+because the e-pawn is pinned
by the white queen. 16d4 17 b4
The pawn on d4 is undermined.
Basically, Blacks problems are
directly connected with his poor
development which means White has
many attacking options available.
17Qf7 18 exf6 The knight is no
longer pinned so it is time to take the
piece back. 18gxf6 19 Qf3 Rg8
After the obvious 19Be7 White can win comfortably with 20 b5,
which wins a piece. 20 Bh4 cxb4 21 Rxd4+The stranded black king
now comes under direct fire and the game is a joy for only one player.
21Ke8 22 Rde4 e5
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Opening Lanes
23 Bxf6 The black position collapses
and whites pieces invade to secure
the victory. 23Bd6 24 Rxe5+Bxe5
25 Rxe5+Kd7 26 Rd5+Ke8 27
Qe4+Kf8 28 Qxb4+Ke8 29 Re5+
10
Finally, there are some daft openings
that inspire others, and Craig Sadler
from Canada reveals his pet line:
This is in response to a comment
about the Krejcik Variation last
month. On the odd occasion that I play the Alekhines Defense and the
even rarer occasion that I get 2 Bc4 I play 2b5!? I originally got the
idea from Kieseritskys 3b5 in the Kings Gambit, but did a little
research and found that it is playable here as well. The idea that the
bishop is strong on the long diagonal. If 3 Bxb5 Nxe4 is good for Black 3
Bxf7+? Kxf7 4 e5 Bb7! If 3 Bb3 Bb7 and I wouldnt say the opening was
the reason that Black lost in the exciting game Ivanovic-Kovacevic
1983.
Well, it is probably not important to have a sharp line against an obscure
variation, but I have to admit that it is entertaining. I looked up the game
you mentioned in Informator and added new notes:
Bozidar I vanovic-Vlatko Kovacevic Sarajevo 1983
1 e4 Nf6 2 Bc4 b5!?
There is certainly nothing wrong with
2Nxe4, but the idea is to knock the
bishop off the a2-g8 diagonal and
only then take the e-pawn. 3 Bb3 Or
3 Bxb5 Nxe4 intending Bb7 is about
equal. Of course 3 Bxf7+Kxf7 4 e5
is a poor choice because of 4Bb7 5
exf6 and finally 5Bxg2 winning
comfortably. 3Bb7 4 d3 c5 5 Nf3
e6!? The idea of weakening the e-
pawn with 5c4?! does not quite
work upon 6 dxc4 Nxe4 7 cxb5 Qa5+
8 Nbd2 Qxb5 and now 9 Nxe4! Bxe4 10 Bxf7+Kxf7 11 Ng5+Kg8 12
Nxe4 Qe5 13 Qe2 when White is a pawn up for nothing. Maybe Black
could consider 5d5 as a possible improvement. 6 e5 Ng8 Kovacevic is
a good player so he thinks retreating is all right. However, I would prefer
6Nd5 when 7 c4 can be met by 7Nc7 with equal chances. 7 00 Nc6
8 c4?! Also possible: 8 a4!? Na5 9 Ba2 (9 axb5?! Nxb3 10 cxb3 Ne7
offers good compensation for the pawn because the tripled pawns are
harmless) 9bxa4 10 Nc3 Bc6 11 Ne4 Bxe4 12 dxe4; 8 Nc3! aiming for
the e4-square is the correct way to continue. 8b4 9 Bf4 Nge7 10 d4!?
cxd4 A good course to ensure equality is 10Nxd4 11 Nxd4 cxd4 12
Qxd4 Nf5 13 Qd3 Bc5. 11 Nbd2 Ng6 12 Bg3 Be7 Perhaps 12h5 is one
way to make White think because 13 h3 h4 14 Bh2 d6 gives Black a
slight edge. 13 Ne4 00 After 13Ncxe5!? 14 Nxe5 Bxe4 15 Qxd4
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Black can give up a pawn to gain some counterplay with 15Nxe5 16
Bxe5 Bc6! then 17 Bxg7 reveals adequate Black counterplay after
17Rg8 18 g3 d6 19 Bh6 Bf6 20 Qd2 Be5 intending ...Qh4 with the
better game. 14 Bc2 Not 14 Nd6?! because of 14Bxd6 15 exd6 f5 16
h3 f4 17 Bh2 Nce5 with excellent play thanks to the power of the bishop
on b7. 14a5 15 Re1 Ba6 16 b3 f5! 17 exf6 gxf6 18 h4 Or 18 Nxd4?
Nxd4 19 Qxd4 f5! 20 Nd6 f4 21 Bxg6 fxg3 22 Bf7+Rxf7 23 Nxf7
gxh2+24 Kxh2 Kxf7; 18 Bd6 to exchange the bishop is a good idea to
relieve the tension. 18f5
The advance of the f-pawn gives
Black the option of ...f5-f4 to harass
the dark-squared bishop on g3.
Instead 18d5!? is a harmless
gesture: 19 Ned2! dxc4 20 Nxc4 e5
21 h5 Nh8 22 Nh4 Nf7 23 Nf5 Kh8
offers roughly equal chances. 19
Neg5 Bb7 20 Qd2 a4! 21 Rac1 Or 21
bxa4? b3! 22 axb3 Bb4 23 Qe2 Bxe1
24 Qxe1 with an edge for Black.
21axb3 22 axb3 Ra3?! The rook
would be better on the a5-square to
keep an eye on Whites kingside ambitions. 23 h5 Nh8 24 Bf4 Qe8?!
24Ra5 is met by 25 Nh3 to avoid any tactics by Black. Maybe
24Bc5 intending to meet 25 g4 with 25h6 is worth considering. 25
g4 h6 25Ra5! also looks good. 26 Nxe6! dxe6 27 Bxh6 fxg4? A
sturdier defence is available: 27Nd8! 28 Nxd4! (28 Bxf8? is met by
28Bxf3! with advantage) 28fxg4 29 Re5! looks promising for
White; 27Rf6 is worth a try in view of 28 g5 Rxh6 29 gxh6 Qxh5 with
a big advantage.28 Ng5 Instead 28 Bxf8 Qxf8 29 Nxd4 g3 leads to a
double-edged position. 28Rf5? Or 28Rf7 29 Rxe6 Qd7 30 Rce1 is
good news for White. The best defensive resource has to be 28Nf7!
when 29 Rxe6 is easily refuted upon 29Nxg5 30 Bxg5 Qxh5 with the
better position. 29 Rxe6
29Rxg5?? This loses immediately,
but 29Raa5! would have kept
White working hard to create a decent
attack. 30 Qxg5+! Bxg5 31 Rxe8+
Kf7 32 Rf8+Ke7 33 Re1+Be3 34
Rxh8 It is time for Black to count the
pieces. 34Ne5 35 fxe3 d3 36 Rh7+
Ke6 37 Rxb7 Nf3+38 Kf2 Nxe1 39
Bd1 Nf3 40 Bxf3 Ra2+41 Kg3 gxf3
42 Kxf3 10
Copyright 2006 Gary Lane. All Rights Reserved.
Gary wants your questions on openings!! Send it along
and perhaps it will be answered in an upcoming
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Opening Lanes
column. Please include your name and country of
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