starting out:

1 e4!
NEIL MCDONALD

EVERYMAN CHESS
Gloucester Publishers pie www.everymanchess.com

First published in 2006 by Gloucester Publishers pk (formerly Everyman

Publishers pk), Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EClV OAT
Copyright 2006 Neil McDonald
The right of Neil McDonald to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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Contents
Introduction

Ope n Games
1

1 e4 es

The Sicil ian

2

Sicilian: Introduction and Classical

48

Sicilian Scheveningen

58

Sicilian Najdorf

69

Sicilian Dragon

81

Sicilian Sveshnikov (and Kalashnikov)

94

Sicilian Taimanov (and other variations)

108

Black's Other Defences

8

Alekhine's Defence

Caro-Kann Defence

125
134

10

Scandinavian (and 1 Nc6)

146

11

Pirc and other Fianchetto Defences

161

12

French Defence

173

Index of Variations

194

Index of Complete Games

199

...

Introduction

Taking up a new opening is like being thrown into the jungle, with danger lurking
behind every bush. If you climb a tree to avoid the snakes, a tiger might be wait
ing to bite your head off.
It is also an incredibly refreshing experience. Indeed, when trying something new,
the extra alertness generated often at least compensates for any lack of formal
knowledge. If you find that you are often reckless in your chess, and tend to over
estimate your chances, being in unfamiliar territory can inject a healthy sense of
caution - or realism - into your play. Or if you are jaded and a little bored of the
game, facing a fresh series of problems - what psychologists call 'challenges' could be just what you need.
And here's a specific reason for playing 1 e4: it is the best move on the board!
Bobby Fischer, who certainly knew a thing or two about chess - and also jungles,
as his favourite reading was Tarzan - famously remarked that 1 e4 is 'best by test'.
Grandmaster Bogdan Lalic once explained things to me in a more technical style:
'When Kasparov plays 1 d4 as White, he doesn't always win versus the Slav (1...d5
2 c4 c6); whereas when he plays 1 e4, he usually manages to build up a big attack
against the Sicilian Defence. Therefore 1 e4 is the best move. QED.'
We may be back in the jungle, but we aren't going to be fighting with stone axes
or wooden spears. There are no variations in this book that are based on crude
tricks or primitive attacks that would only work against weak opponents. The
suggestions here will help you fulfil your potential as a player, no matter how
high you rise up the chess ladder.
Every line in your new 1 e4 repertoire has been tried and tested by world class
players such as Kasparov, Adams and Anand. The attacking systems presented
here have defeated Black in many Grandmaster games, and will no doubt con
tinue to do so.
5

Sta rting Out: 1 e4!

On the other hand, so that you can get up and running as quickly as possible with

1 e4, the theory you need to learn has been kept to a minimum.
For example, the Scotch Opening has been chosen in preference to the Ruy Lopez.
By selecting 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 you will have the chance to play against the
earlier divergences - such as 2 ... d6 and 2 . . Nf6, the Philidor and Petroff respec
tively - without having to worry about the hugely varied and theory-riddled de
fences that arise after 3 Bb5. Still, I hope at some point in the future you will try
out 3 Bb5: as someone once said, you can't claim to be a real chess player unless
you have played the Ruy Lopez as White or Black!
.

Of course, anyone taking up 1 e4 has to be prepared to meet 1 . ..c5, the Sicilian De

fence. There is nothing at all wrong with a quiet positional approach such as 2 c3
or 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5, but I am convinced that at the beginning of your 1 e4 career
you should play the bold 2 Nf3! and 3 d4!. It means more work for you, but the
rewards to your chess understanding will be enormous. The resulting positions
will expand your feel for the initiative and your tactical imagination, both of
which are essential for your development as a player.
Don't expect to understand everything in this book, at least on a first reading. Af
ter all, some of the moves and ideas presented here are of such subtlety that they
have perplexed and defeated Grandmasters. Nonetheless, just through becoming
acquainted with the strategic ideas that govern top class chess you will find your
play begins to improve.
Let me wish you good luck on embarking on your adventure with 1 e4 - and let
the journey begin!

Cha pter One

e4 es

D
D
D
R
R
R

I ntrod uction
Latvia n G a m bit
Eleph a nt Gam bit
Ph i l idor Defence
Petroff Defence
scotch Open i n g

/.

''//,

B
- t &J

, -

Sta rti n g Out:

e4!

I ntroduction
The die is cast. For better o r worse, you have played the daring 1 e 4 and your op
ponent has replied 1 e5 (Diagram 1)
...

Diagram 1 (W)
No going back!

Diagram 2 (W)
The Latvia n Ga m bit

A couple of centuries of analysis seems to have confirmed that 2 Nf3 is the best
move. White attacks the e5-pawn and develops his knight to its most active
square.

The Latvia n Gambit

Now the most scary move is perhaps 2 fs (Diagram 2).
...

Already your opponent is attacking your e4-pawn, and it looks like your centre is
going to be overrun after 3 exf5 e4. Then where does your knight go? Maybe you
are already thinking that you should have played 1 c4 or 1 Nf3 ...
In such situations the advice is: don't panic! If you are sure you've done nothing
wrong, there will be a move there to save you - just keep looking until you find it.
After all, why isn't 2 .. f5 played in international chess? Does your opponent have a
wonder weapon up his sleeve that Kasparov and Topalov and every other great
player in the history of chess has missed?
.

Players of the Latvian and other gambits are counting on the fact that their oppo
nent will be taken aback, play with insufficient energy and so hand them the ini
tiative 'for nothing'. Of course, we aren't going to be bluffed out of playing the
best moves. Let's see how a very strong player handles things as White.

1 e4 es
Came l

G.Lane M.Wojnar
Queenstown 2006
D

1 e4 es 2 Nf3 fs
You might have noticed that Black is mimicking the King's Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 f4) a
tempo down. So let's exploit the difference with...

3 Nxes!
Already Black has to watch out for a queen check on h5, which would, for exam
ple, be the killing reply to 3 ... fxe4?.

3 ... Qf6!
Attacking the knight and getting ready to meet 4 Qh5+? with 4 ... g6 when White's
impetuosity will cost him a piece. Still, there is something distinctly fishy about
Black's piece development, as the queen is taking the f6-square away from the
knight.
If instead 3 ... Nc6, White has a neat way of avoiding all the complications and
keeping a clear plus: 4 d4 (not being lured into the mess that follows 4 Qh5+ g6 5
Nxg6 Nf6) 4 ...Qh4 5 Nf3 Qxe4+ 6 Be2 and Black is dangerously behind in devel
opment without any counter-attack in sight.

4 d4
Direct, forceful play of the type required of White in every opening: he supports
his knight and opens up a line for his queen's bishop.

4... d6 5 Nc4 fxe4 6 Be2!? (Diagram 3)

Diagram 3 (B)

Diagram 4 (W)

Bronstein's 6 Be2!?

Black attacks d4

Sta rting 0 ut: 1 e4!

There was a lot to be said for 6 Nc3!?. At first glance Black seems to have a good
reply in 6 ...Qg6, when he is ready to bolster e4 with ... Nf6. Besides, the black
queen looks well placed on g6 to attack the white king once he castles; and cas
tling itself is problematical as Be2 drops the g2-pawn to ... Qxg2. With the open
file at his disposal after a subsequent ...Be7 and ... 0-0, you can see why some play
ers are attracted to the Latvian Gambit as Black.
However, it is all a mirage as (after 6 Nc3 Qg6) White has a strong attacking move
at his disposal: 7 3! when upon 7 ... exf3 8 Qxf3 it is the white pieces who are first
to seize the open lines. If then 8 ... Qxc2?? 9 Bd3 traps the queen, while otherwise
8 ...Nf6 9 Bd3 etc. leaves White in control.
The move chosen by former Australian Champion Gary Lane represents a more
subtle, positional approach. Black is prevented from unwinding his game with
6 ...Qg6?? as 7 Bh5 costs him the queen. This means that the black knight is denied
the 6-square and so, at one stroke, the pawn on e4 has lost two potential defend
ers.

TIP: A good strategy is based on preventing the opponent playing

the moves he wants to play.
6 ... Nc6 (Diagram 4)
Let's see quickly what happened in a recent game where Black hastened to rein
force his centre with 6 ... d5 7 Ne3 Be6 8 c4! (the black centre is undermined in clas
sic style) 8 ...Bb4+ 9 Bd2 Bxd2+ 10 Qxd2 Ne7 1 1 Nc3 c6 12 0-0 0-0 13 f3! (as in the 6
N c3 line discussed above, the opening of the -file finds Black unprepared)
13 ...exf3 14 Rxf3 Qg5? (an unfortunate square for the black queen to say the least;
instead after 14 ...Qh6 15 Rxf8+ Kxf8 16 Rfl+ White has the initiative, but the game
is still alive) and now 15 Nexd5! was a horrible surprise for Black, who would be
mated after 15 ...Qxd2 with 16 Nxe7+ Kh8 17 Rxf8+ Bg8 1 8 Rxg8. Black tried
1 5 ...Qh4, but in S.Kozhuharov-P.Vasilev, Bulgaria 2005, he resigned after 16 g3! as
his queen is crowded out from guarding e7.
Now let's return to the Lane game with 6 ...Nc6.

d s!
Cutting the e4-pawn off from its fellow pawns.
1

7 . Nd4 8 Nc3 Bfs 9 Ne3

..

Threatening 10 Nxf5 when the forced recapture with 10 ...Nxf5 costs the e4-pawn.

9 Nxe2 10 Qxe2 o-o-o

...

A doomed attempt to get the rook to e8 to support e4.

11 Qc4! a6
If 1 l...Re8 12 Nb5! and there is no good way to defend c7, as 12 ... Qf7 13 Nxf5 wins
a piece and 12 ... Re7 13 Nxf5 Qxf5? 14 Nxd6+ wins the queen.

10

1 e4 es

12 b4! (Diagram 5)

Diagram 5 (B)
Wh ite starts a n attack

Diagram 6 (B)
It's a total massacre

White could grab a pawn with 12 Nxe4, but he sees that there is more to be gained
through direct action against the black king, as the pawn on a6 is a hook for a
pawn onslaught with b4-b5.

12 ... Bd7 13 Bb2 Res

The pawn on e4 is now safe, but what about the king?

14 a4 Kb8 15 Rb1 Qe7 16 bs as 17 b6!

A vital move, as White's attack would grind to a halt after 17 0-0 b6!.
NOTE: A big lead in development is only of value if there are open
lines and diagonals that can be exploited.
11...cxb6 18 Qd4 Ka7 19 Ba3 Qd8
Back to square one for the black queen.

20 Nc4 1-0 (Diagram 6)

The b6-pawn drops with a quick massacre to follow. Black's kingside pieces re
mained on their starting squares right until the end of the game.

NOTE: It is necessary to play with a mixture of patience, alertness

and energy against gambit openings. You will therefore probably
have to work harder at the start of the game than is usual. On the
other hand, if you make the required effort, the reward could be a
nice win in twenty moves.

11

Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!

The Elepha nt Ga mbit

Well, that was fun. Now let's look at the second scariest move after 2 Nf3, which is
2 ds. This time we grab the pawn with 3 exds (Diagram 7)
...

Diagram 7 (B)
Position after 3 exdS

Diagram 8 (W)
The Elephant Gambit

If 3 ...Qxd5? 4 Nc3 Qa5, when for those in the know, we have a type of Scandina
vian (1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Qxd5 3 Nc3 Qa5 4 Nf3 e5?) in which Black has recklessly ex
posed the e5-pawn to attack. Simple development with 5 Bc4 followed by 6 0-0
must be excellent for White, not to mention ideas of attacking f7 with 6 Ng5 etc.
Instead 3 ... e4?! 4 Qe2 is highly awkward for Black, as after 4 ...Qxd5 5 Nc3 it's
goodbye to the e4-pawn. (Again, those with knowledge of other openings should
compare this to the King's Gambit line 1 e4 e5 2 f4 d5 3 exd5 e4 4 Qe2. It is only
just playable for Black in this form - so think how much worse it is for Black when
White has a knight on f3 rather than a weak pawn on f4!)
So far, so bad for Black, but he has the quixotic move 3 . Bd6!? (Diagram 8) - the
so-called Elephant Gambit. Despite its name, which is somewhat evocative of the
ancient origins of chess in India, it first came to my attention when Jonathan
Rogers, an English player of IM strength, began adopting it in the late 1980s.
..

Putting the bishop on d6 looks bizarre, but it is by no means easy to refute. Black
develops, defends e5 and plans to seize the initiative with ...e5-e4 at a more oppor
hme moment. Nonetheless, the following game extracts cast doubt on Black's plan.
He is, after all, handing over a pawn with no guarantee that he will ever get it back.

CJ
12

NOTE: Chess is a sea in which a gnat may drink and an elephant may
swim says the old Indian proverb. Ensure you drown the Elephant.

1 e4 es
Came 2

K.Dolzhikova A.lanovsky
Kiev 2005

1 e4 es 2 Nf3 dS 3 exds Bd6 4 Nc3 Nf6 5 d4!

The importance of playing such vigorous, assertive moves cannot be overesti
mated when facing gambits. You mustn't just sit tight and expect the extra pawn
to win the game by itself. Every move that passes without a crisis allows Black to
strengthen his game.
s ... e4 6 Nes (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 (B)
Strong knight or a target?

Diagram 10 (B)
White is the exchange up

White insists the knight is well centralized on e5; Black tries to prove it is a target.

6 0-0
After 6 ... Nbd7 7 Bb5! 0-0 8 Bxd7 Bxd7 9 Bg5 White is in charge. For example 9 ...Bf5
10 g4!? Bg6? (he had to play 10 .. . Bc8!) 1 1 h4 h6 12 Bxf6 Qxf6 (giving up the ex
change rather than endure 12 ... gxf6 13 Nxg6 fxg6 14 Qd2 etc.) 13 Nd7 Qf4 14 Nxf8
Rxf8 15 Qe2 Re8 16 Rh3! (an instructive move - placing the rook on the third rank
draws the strength of Black's pawn thrusts) 16 ...h5 17 Rg3 hxg4 1 8 Rxg4 Qf5 19 f3
(preventing ... Bh5, though Black doesn't realize it!) 19 . . . e3 20 0-0-0 Bh5? 21 Rg5
Qxf3 22 Rxh5 1-0 G.Lee-M.Van Dommelen, Ghent.2005.
...

7 Bgs Res?
A serious mistake. Still, if 7 .. .Nbd7 White can probably get away with 8 Nxe4!?,
but perhaps he should prefer 8 Ng4!? which maintains the pressure on f6 and pre
pares Ne3 to bolster dS if necessary.

8 Bbs! Nbd7?
13

Sta rting Out: 1 e4!

I guess he didn't want to move the rook back to 8.

9 Bxf6 Nxf6
Yep, Black is losing the exchange, as both 9 .Qxf6 10 Nxd7 and 9 ... gxf6 10 Qg4+
drop a piece.
..

10 Bxe8 Qxe8 11 o-o Bxes 12 dxes Qxes 13 f4!

An important move that prevents Black launching an attack with 13 ... Ng4 etc.

13 ...Qd6 14 Qd4 Bfs 15 Rad1 (Diagram 10)

Enough. Despite a stubborn resistance, Black resigned at move 30.

Philidor Defence
1 e4 es 2 Nf3 d6 (Diagram 11)

Diagram 11 (W)
Ph ilidor's Defence

Diagram 12 (B)
A n ice com binati on

Now we switch from the 'modern' Elephant Gambit to something that is as old as
the hills: the Philidor Defence. It is named after Francois Philidor, the French mu
sical composer and the strongest chess player of the 18th century. However, the
first game in my database is almost 400 years old, and was played by the first star
of chess, the Italian maestro Gioacchino Greco:
Came ]

G.Greco anonymous
Europe 1620
D

1 e4 es 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bc4 Bg4 4 h3 Bxf3 5 Qxf3 Qf6 6 Qb3 b6 7 NC3 c6 8 Nds! (Diagram 12)

14

1 e4 es
Beginning a nice combination to win a couple of pawns, as 8 . exd5 9 Bxd5 wins
the rook in the corner.
..

8 ... Qd8 9 Nxb6 1 Qxb6 10 Bxf7 + Kd7 11 Bxg8 ds

Trying t o trap the bishop, but. ..

12 exdsl Qxb3 1 3 dxc6 + Nxc6 14 Bxb3 (Diagram 13) 1-0

Diagram 13 (B)

Diagram 14 (B)

W h ite is three pawns u p

White takes the centre

And three pawns down Black gave up.

Such was his brilliance that Greco earned 5,000 crowns from his chess exploits in
France. Alas, he then travelled to London in 1622 and was robbed of all the
money. Greco has been similarly robbed by posterity, in that he was the first to
play both the Philidor and the Latvian Gambit, yet his name is attached to neither
of them.
Still, there is some sense in calling 2 ... d6 the Philidor, as Black uses his pawns be
fore his pieces; and the French genius always espoused the importance of the
pawns, as in his famous saying 'pawns are the soul of chess'.
To see this pawn strategy taken to an extreme, and how it is best countered, we
need to call on the services of one of the great positional players of the modern age.
Came 4

M.Adams B.Kurajica
European Club Cup, Izmir 2004

1 e4 es 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 (Diagram 14)

15

Sta rt i n g Out: 1 e4!

More energetic than Greco's 3 Bc4; Adams takes the space on offer.

3 Qe1?! 4 Nc3 c6
...

Black has certainly neglected his development, but no one can accuse him of ne
glecting to control the centre with his pawns. The pawn on c6 guards the d5square, and thanks to his eccentric-looking third move, the e5-pawn remains in
place, contesting the d4-square.

5 Bc4 h6
Remember Greco's bishop on c4 in the extract above? Kuraj ica is more careful. He
continues his strategy of using his pawns to keep the white knights at bay. If in
stead 5 ... Nf6 6 dxe5 dxe5 7 Ng5! and the attack on f7 will force Black to allow his
pawns to be wrecked with 7 ... Be6 8 Nxe6 fxe6.

6 o-o Nf6 (Diagram 15)

Diagram 15 (W)
Black fin a l ly develops!

Diagram 16 (B)
Ma king way for f2-f4

White can be said to have achieved a textbook development: pawns on d4 and e4,
knights on c3 and f3, bishop on c4, and king safely castled. This is the sort of
model of opening play we recommend to players not long after they have first
learnt the moves. In contrast, Black seems to have broken most of the rules with
his flurry of little pawn moves.
Nevertheless, Black has remained true to one principle: if you are behind in de
velopment, keep the position blocked. His pawns, like the bristles of a porcupine,
are warding off the white pieces from encroaching on to his central space. So what
can White do?
It is unlikely, though not entirely impossible, that he might be able to arrange a
piece sacrifice to break through Black's fortress. However, a far more realistic plan is
to use his own pawns to smash through the obstacles and win squares for his pieces.

16

1 e4 es
One approach would be with the pawn advance c2-c4-c5, ramming the d6-pawn;
but the pawn is obstructed by both the bishop on c4 and the knight on c3. Sud
denly we see that White's 'ideal' set-up of pieces has a downside. Another, more
plausible plan for White is the preparation of f2-f4, as this only requires the knight
on f3 to move out of the way.

7 a4!
First of all, however, Adams takes the chance to gain space on the queenside. He
is also keen to prevent Black from expanding with 7 ...b5, when the 1excellently
placed' bishop suddenly finds itself a target.

1 ... Qc1 8 a s
White i s in n o hurry to exchange with 8 dxe5? dxe5 a s it would open u p the way
for the black bishop to go to b4 or c5. As a general principle, with this type of cen
tre White delays or avoids an exchange on e5 for as long as possible - he hopes
that Black will be the first to blink with ... e5xd4, conceding the centre.
8 ... Be7 9 Nh4! (Diagra m 16)
There are two points behind this move. Firstly, it clears the way for f2-f4, as dis
cussed above; and secondly, it gives White the chance to answer 9 ... 0-0 with 10
Ng6! Re8 ll Nxe7+ Qxe7. The bishop on e7 might be an unremarkable piece at the
moment, but its loss would be felt once the game opened up.
White's move is also tactically sound. Remember what we said about Black need
ing to keep the centre blocked as he is behind in development: if 9... Nxe4? 10 Nxe4
Bxh4 1 1 dxe5 and the deadly 12 Nd6+ is about to follow.

1o dxe5
Tactics always come before strategy. We said above that White was reluctant to
make this exchange. However, 10 f4 exd4 11 Qxd4 d5! would be a nuisance, as
besides an attack on the white bishop, there is the threat of 12 ... Bc5. One can't be
too careful! White would have to bail out with 12 Bxa6 bxa6 when he has avoided
losing material, but he can't rejoice at giving up his strong bishop for an inactive
knight.

10...dxes 11 f4
Adams has achieved the strategically desirable advance.

11... Nb4
For better or worse, Black should have tried to complicate matters with 1 1 ...Bg4.

12 fs! (Diagram 17)

Perhaps you thought that White was going to play 1 2 fxe5 opening the Hile, and
then after 12 ... QxeS follow up with Bf4 etc. to try to overrun the black centre.
However, in that case Black's pieces spring to life; for example, the immediate 1 3
Bf4?? would lose the bishop on c4 to 13 . . . QcS+.
The game move seems quieter but, positionally speaking, it is highly poisonous as

17

Sta rting Out: 1 e4!

it cripples the bishop on c8 by denying it an effective route into the game, either
on g4 or e6. If Black now castles kingside, then after 12 . . 0-0 13 Be3!? (Adams never
hurries, so neither will we be tempted by 13 Rf3!?) White can prepare a direct
kingside attack with Rf3 and Rg3, with ideas of Bxh6, sacrificing the bishop to de
nude the black king. Just one little variation: 13 ...Nxe4? 14 Nxe4 Bxh4 15 f6! and
the attack is overwhelming.
.

Diagram 17 (B)
Position afte r 12 fs !

Diagram 1 8 (B)
Wh ite is in complete c ontrol

12 ...Qd6 13 Qe2 !
Naturally Adams avoids the exchange of queens so that the insecurity of the black
king remains a key theme. Here you will see that the pawn advance 7 a4 and 8 a5
wasn't just for cosmetic reasons: it has made the queenside an unattractive refuge
for the black king. As we have seen above, White also has a ready made attack if
the king goes to the kingside. Therefore Kurajica elects to leave the king in the
centre and embark on tactical manoeuvres, but this also proves fatal.

13 ... Ng4 14 Bb3

White prefers to keep control than be enticed into 1 4 Qxg4 Qd4+.

14 ... Qcs+ 15 Kh1 Bxh4 16 Qxg4 Bf6 17 Qhs Rf8

If 17. . . 0-0 1 8 Bxh6! gxh6 19 Qg6+ exploits the pin on 7, when 19 . . . Bg7 20 f6 mates
or if 19 ... Kh8 20 Qxh6+ Kg8 21 Qg6+ Kh8 22 Qxf6+ etc.

18 Na4! Qxa s 19 Be3 (Diagram 18)

White completes his development with strong threats that include 20 Bc5, attack
ing the defender of 7, when 20 ... Be7 21 Bxe7 Kxe7 22 f6+ gxf6 23 Qxh6 breaks up
the black king's defences. Therefore Black decides to give up his queen for a rook
and knight, but it doesn't bring much relief.

19 .. Na6 20 Nb6 axb6 21 Rxa s bxa s 22 Bb6 Be7 23 h3

.

18

1 e4 es
White makes a hole for his king as he intends to bring his rook to the third rank
and doesn't want to be bothered by back rank mates. Stylistically speaking, it is a
typical Michael Adams move: a quiet interlude in the midst of an attack that tells
his opponent he is tied up and can do nothing. Evidently Kurajica is painfully
aware of this state of affairs, judging from his next two moves!

23 ... Bd7 24 Rd1 Bc8 25 Rd3

With ideas of 26 Qdl and 27 Rd8+ followed by mate, so Black has to react fast.

25 ...a4 26 Bc4
Again Adams refuses to hurry. If instead 26 Qdl then 26 ...BxfS! fights on.
26 ... Ncs 27 Rg3
The white rook needed to be deflected from the centre, but putting the knight on
c5 means that Black can no longer reply 27 ... Bf6 without dropping a piece.

21 ... Nxe4 28 Rxg7 Nd6 29 Be6 Bf6 30 Bes ! (Diagram 19)

Diagram 19 (B)

Diagram 20 (W)

Removing the defender

What now for White?

30...Bxe6
Also hopeless is 30 .. .Bxg7 31 Bxd6, when the black rook dare not leave the defence
of f7.

31 fxe6 Bxg7 32 Bxd6 o-o-o

It's a surprise that Black can still castle, but it won't be enough to save him.

33 Bxf8 Bxf8 34 Qxf7 Rd1+ 35 Kh2 Bd6 36 Qd7+ Kb8 37 e7 1-0

A brilliant game by Adams. I have to admit that you may never play against
3 . . . Qe7 in your entire career with 1 e4. Nevertheless, seeing how Adams solves the
problems of this pawn centre is far more valuable than any rote learning of open
ing theory.

19

After 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4, it is more usual for Black either to concede the (
with 3 ... exd4 or else support the e5-pawn with . .. Nd7. Let's look at good lin
against these moves.

Shirov's wild idea

Game s

D A.Shirov M.Klinova
Gibraltar 2006
1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 es 4 Nf3 Nbd7 (Diagram 20)
A departure from the familiar move order which would be 1 ...e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d
Nd7 4 Nc3 Ngf6 or 3 ... Nf6 4 Nc3 Nbd7. However, in any case White's moves i
natural and easy to find. One reason Black would begin with 1...d6 is to avoid
King's Gambit and other 1 e4 e5 openings. Anyway, by hook or by crook we a
rive at the diagram position.
If you wish, you can continue in the style of Adams-Kurajica above with 5 Bc4
6 0-0 0-0 7 Rel c6 8 a4 and, having stopped 8 ... b5, White can count on a risk fre,
slight space advantage. On the other hand, your opponent is likely to have pla)
this position a lot of times. If you want to upset him with something new and g
him out of his Tm slightly inferior but safe' comfort zone, how about copying
rov's treatment with:

5 g4!?
The threat is 6 g5, driving the black knight from the centre, and if 5 ...h6 then 6 .
can follow anyway. So Black should probably accept the pawn offer.

s ... Nxg4 6 Rg1 Ngf6 7 Bc4

With the threat of 8 Ng5 when f7 drops.

7 ... h6
It is useful for White to have provoked this move, as the h6-pawn is a potentia
target and Black's defences along the g-file are undermined. Imagine, for exarr
if he developed with ...g7-g6, ...Bg7 and . 0-0. With the pawn on h7 this would
rock solid, but with the pawn on h6 White can play Rxg6! thank you very muc
.

8 Be3 (Diagram 2 1)
White has a straightforward plan for mobilizing his queenside pieces and cast]
long. In contrast, it is much harder for Black ever to evacuate his king from thE
centre.

8 .. c6 9 dxes dxes 10 Qd3

.

Here, rather than d2, as White has an insidious idea in mind.

20

1 e4 es

10 ..Qc7?
.

... which Black completely misses. In another Shirov game, versus Scottish IM John
Shaw, there followed 10 ... NhS 11 Bxf7+ Kxf7 12 Nxe5+ NxeS! (giving up the queen
but collecting a mass of material in return) 1 3 Qxd8 Nf3+ 1 4 Kdl Nxgl 1 5 Kcl Nh3
with complications that don't seem to favour White (A.Shirov-J.Shaw, Gibraltar
2005). In fact, Shirov had to work hard to get a draw. Instead, simply 1 1 0-0-0
looks sensible and good. Why should White hurry when his opponent's king will
remain a long time in the centre?

11 Bxf7+! (Diagram 22)

Diagram 21 (B)

Diagram 22 (B)

White has easier play

A thematic sacrifice

Black should always be on the lookout for sacrifices on the 7-square, especially
when playing Shirov!

11 Kxf7 12 Qc4+ Ke7

...

If 12 ...Ke8 13 Qe6+ and Black is being massacred after 13 ...Be7 14 Rxg7 (that's why
we needed the open g-file fo r the rook!) or 1 3 ... Kd8 14 0-0-0 when there's not
much to be done against 15 Nxe5, intending a big check on 7 which might even
be mate.

13 Nh4! (Diagram 23)

The knight was barred from g5, but it finds another way to infiltrate into the black
camp.

13 ... Nb6
Black loses rather tamely by handing back a rook and remaining the exchange
down.
Here is what might have happened if Klinova had insisted on 'being shown':

21

St a rt i n g O ut: 1 e4 !
1 3 ... Rg8 1 4 Ng6+ Kd8 15 0-0-0 Qa5 (freeing the c7-square in an escape bid) 16 Nxf8
Rxf8 1 7 Rxg7 Kc7 18 Bc5! (the entrance of the bishop decides matters) 18 ... Re8 19
Bd6+ Kd8 (if 19 ...Kb6 20 Na4+ wins the queen) 20 Qf7! b5 21 Qxf6+! Nxf6 22 Bc7
mate.
Instead, the game ended:

14 Ng6+ Ke8 1S Bxb6 axb6 16 Nxh8 gs 17 Ng6 Bes 18 o-o-o 1-0

Diagram 23 (B)
The knight heads for g6

Diagram 24 {W)
Black plays S .g6
..

Black con cedes the centre

So far we have looked at Philidor lines in which Black doggedly defends the e5point. However, there is an entirely different approach: namely, Black concedes
the centre with (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4) 3 ... exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 when White has more
space and freedom of movement for his pieces, but Black no longer has to worry
about defending e5 and is solidly entrenched. After S Nc3 Black has to make a
huge decision: how should he develop his king's bishop?
He could fianchetto on g7 with s ... g6 (Diagram 24).
Then I recommend that you respond 6 Be3 Bg7 7 Qd2 . White's idea is simple: he
will castle queenside, play Bh6 to get rid of the bishop on g7 that is vital for
Black's defence, and throw his kingside p awns at the black king. A recent game
went 7 ...Nbd7 (time wasting; 7... Nc6 would slow down White's attack) 8 0-0-0 a6 9
3 0-0 10 g4 Nb6 11 Bh6 Qe7 12 h4 Nfd7 1 3 Bxg7 Kxg7 14 hS (Diagram 2 S) and the
white attack was about to break through on the h-file.
This general attacking method will be examined in our discussion of the Sicilian
Dragon and Pirc Defence, so I won't go into more detail here. Suffice to say that in
the Sicilian Dragon Black at least has the open c-file for counterplay against the
white king, whereas his resources are more limited in the Philidor.

22

1 e4

es

The alternative bishop development is s ... Be7. Then I like the quiet, but venomous
kingside fianchetto by White 6 g3!? 0-0 (6 . . .d5 is considered below) 7 Bg2 (Dia-

gram 26).

Diagram 25 (B)
Breaking in on the h-file

Diagram 26 (B)
A ve n o mous fia nchetto

White has had very good results from this position. In effect, it is a King's Indian
with g2-g3, but with the black bishop on e7 rather than fianchettoed on g7. This
means that Black has a lot less counterplay.
White's scheme for deploying his pieces entails the moves 0-0, b2-b3, Bb2, h2-h3
and then perhaps g2-g4 or f2-f4 on the kingside - or both moves - as part of a gen
eral onslaught with the pawns.
Game6

N.Davies G.Wall
British League 2005
D

1 e4 es 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Be7 6 g3 o-o 7 Bg2 Bg4

An attempt to disrupt White's build-up, but it is rather unfortunate in that it en
courages White's h2-h3 move. However, Black had no more luck in L.Nisipeanu
A.Wong Castaneda, Spain 2005, after the alternative 7 ... Nc6 8 Nde2! (White de
clines the exchange of knights as this would ease the cramp in his opponent's po
sition) 8 ... Re8 0-0 Bd7 10 h3 Bf8 11 g4! Be6 12 b3 a5 13 Bb2. White has completed
his preparations and is ready to turn the screw on the kingside with f2-f4 and
Ng3, when a subsequent g4-g5 and f4-f5 will push back the black pieces. So Black
lashed out with 13 ... a4 14 Nxa4 Rxa4 15 bxa4 Bc4 16 Rel Nxe4, but after 17 Nd4
didn't have enough for the exchange.

23

Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!

8 Qd2 Qc8 9 h3 Bd7 10 g4! (Diagram 27)

Diagram 27 (B)
An important advance

Diagram 28 (B)
Making room for the rook

The familiar kingside pawn advance.

10 ... Res 11 o-o h5?! 12 f3!

GM Nigel Davies was shrewd to delay the f2-f4 move, as it means he can solidify
the g4-square against this attack from the wing. It looks like he is creating a
hotchpotch of weak dark squares around his king, but in fact White has every
thing under control as his pieces are dominant. If, on the other hand, Black's
bishop had been fianchettoed on g7 things might have been very different.

12 ... Nc6 13 Nf5!

In the King's Indian g2-g3 system this square would have been defended by the
g6-pawn.

13 ... Bxf5 14 gxf5 Nd7 15 Kh1! (Diagram 28)

Clearing the gl-square for the rook. It is obvious that Black has suffered a fiasco as
he has a loose pawn on hS besides the vulnerable g7-square, while his queen and
knights aren't helping their king. It is therefore no surprise that the game ends in
brutal fashion:

15 ... Nb6 16 Ne2!

Beginning an instructive knight manoeuvre.

16 ... d5 17 Ng3 h4 18 Nh5 Qd8 19 Nxg7! (Diagram 29)

19 ... Bg5
If 1 9 . .Kxg7 20 Qh6+ Kg8 21 Rgl followed by the lethal discovered check 22 Bfl +.
.

20 f4! Kxg7 21 fxg5 dxe4 2 2 Qf4 Qd6 2 3 Qxh4 Rh8 24 f6+ Kg8 2 5 Qxe4 Qd7 26 Bf4
Res 27 Qd3 1-0
24

1 e4 e s
Two pawns down with a ruined position, Black calls it a day.
In view of White's lasting pressure in the line above, Black has tried an immediate
break out in the centre with 6 ... ds (Diagram 30).

Diagram 29 {B)
Destroying the black kingside

Diagram 30 {W)
Black plays 6 ...d s

However, White also has good chances here, as the following game demonstrates.
Game 7
D A.Timofeev L.Nisipeanu
Ska nderborg 2005

1 e4 es 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 s Nc3 Be7 6 g3 ds 7 es Ng4

White also has a sumptuous initiative after 7 ... Ne4 8 Nxe4 dxe4 9 Bg2 QdS 10 0-0
Qxe5 11 Bf4 Qa5 12 Bxe4 0-0 13 Qf3 etc., as in E.Sveshnikov-J.Barle, Nova Gorica
2004.

8 Bg2 Nxes 9 Qe2 Nec6

A weird position to say the least. Black's king's knight has made four moves to
end up on c6!

10 Be3
White is a pawn down, but he is sure to regain it, when his lead in development
will give him a significant advantage.

10 ...0-0
Handing back the pawn. If instead 10 . . . Be6 the tactics allow White to reclaim the
d5-pawn anyway with an excellent position: 11 0-0-0 Nxd4 12 Bxd4 0-0 1 3 Nxd5!
Bxd5 14 Qe5 (the threat of mate on g7 obliges Black to give back the piece) 14...Bf6

25

Start i n g O ut: 1 e4!

15 Qxd5, while 11 . ..0-0 12 Nxe6 fxe6 13 Nxd5! exd5 14 Bxd5 + Kh8 15 Bxc6 is even
worse for Black.

11 Nxds Nxd4 12 Bxd4 Bb4+

Black hopes to escape the pressure through this simplifying combination.

13 Nxb4 Qxd4 14 c3 Qcs 1S Nds Be6 (Diagram 31)

Diagram 31 (W)

Diagram 32 (B)

Black has not eq u al ized

Wh ite continues his own plan

Black is almost but not quite equal, and this highlights the difference between
grovelling and having an easy draw.

16 b4!
Timofeev exploits the fact that the black queen must stay defending c7 to invigo
rate his attack.

16 ... Qd6 17 Rd1 Bxds 18 BxdS Qb6 19 0-0 a s 20 Rfe1! (Diagram 32)
White ignores his opponent's queenside demonstration. If now 20 . . . axb4 21 Bxf7 +!
wins in all lines, e.g. 21 ...Rxf7 22 Rd8 + Rf8 23 Rxf8 + Kxf8 24 Qe8 mate or 21 . . .Kh8
22 Rd8! Nc6 (if 22 ... Rxd8 23 Qe8 +) 23 Rxa8 Rxa8 24 Qe8 + and mates, or 2 1 ...Kxf7 22
Qc4 + Kf6 (22 ...Kg6 23 Re6+ wins the queen) 23 Qf4 + followed by 24 Qxf8 when
White is material up with a winning attack.

20 ... c6 21 Bb3 axb4 22 Qe7 Na6 23 Res !

The rook heads for h5 to finish off the attack.

23 ... bxc3 24 Rd7 Qb4

If 24. . . Nb4 25 Bxf7 + Kh8 26 Rh5 c2 27 Rxh7 + Kxh7 28 Qh4 mate.

2 s Bxf7+ Kh8 26 Qgs h6

After 26 ... c2 27 Bc4 clQ+ 28 Qxcl Black is still facing a decisive onslaught without
even a passed pawn to confuse matters.

26

1 e4 e s

27 Qg6 Qb2 28 Rhs Qc1+

Or 28 . . . c2 29 Rxh6 + gxh6 30 Qxh6 mate.

29 Kg2 Nb4 30 Rd1! (Diagram 33)

Diagram 33 {B)
Deflecting the black queen

Diagram 34 (W)
The Petroff Defence

The black queen is deflected from the defence of h6.

30 ...Qc2 31 Rxh6+! gxh6 32 Qf6+ Kh7 33 Rd7 1-0

After 33 ... Qe4+ 34 Kh3 there is nothing to be done to prevent a killing discovered
check from the white bishop.
Well, that pretty much deals with the Philidor. Now we will move on to an open
ing that has figured regularly in World Championship matches.

Petroff Defence
The Petroff, 1 e4 e5 3 Nf3 Nf6 (Diagram 34), is a boring, turgid opening line used
at the highest level to neutralize the advantage of the first move. Unfortunately,
you will also occasionally meet it in your games, as some ordinary players like to
copy the play of th e great masters, even at the cost of enjoying their chess.
But never mind - here is a great attacking system that has been used by Topalov,
Anand, Adams, Morozevich and Svidler.

Game8
D V.Tseshkovsky N.Giertz
Biel 2004
1 e4 es 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxes d6
27

Sta rti n g O ut : 1 e 4 !
A vital preliminary move as 3 ...Nxe4 4 Qe2 would be highly awkward for Black.

4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 Nc3! (Diagram 3 5)

Diagram 36 (B)

Diagram 35 {B)
Wh ite plays 5 Nc3!

Straightforwa rd play by White

A long time ago, World Champion Capablanca claimed to be astonished that the
Petroff was a viable opening. In his eyes, Black lost at least one tempo with ... Nf6
and ... Nxe4, and so deserved to be punished. Well, that is the spirit behind 5 Nc3 White intends to prove 2 ... Nf6 is a mistake by going straight for the jugular.

5 ... Nxc3
Black will run into trouble after 5 . dS 6 Qe2, so he can't maintain the knight in the
centre. The alternative 5 . . . Nf6 is considered below.
.

6 dxc3!
The correct recapture as it facilitates the plan of Be3, Qd2 and 0-0-0. You might
object that White has sacrificed the chance to build a pawn centre with d2-d4 and
in general compromised his pawn structure. True, but we aren't trying for a
squeeze in the centre. Our aim is rapid development and then a pawn storm
against the black kingside. For this reason, it is actually quite nice for White that
things remain static in the centre.

6 ... Be7 7 Be3

A somewhat contentious decision. At the time of writing, the best players are
leaning towards 7 Bf4, to make it harder for Black to employ a . . . Nc6 and ... NeS
response - not that it does Black much good in this illustrative game.

7 ... Nd7
A less committal way to get the knight out is via c6. After 7 ... Nc6 8 Qd2 Be6 White
can play 9 0-0-0 anyway: Black can't capture on a2 without dropping the bishop

28

1 e4 e s
after 9 . . .Bxa2 1 0 b3 and 1 1 Kb2 . Play might continue 9 . . Qd7 1 0 h4 h6 1 1 Kb1 0-0-0
12 Nd4 Nxd4 13 Bxd4 Rhg8 14 h5 as in M.Adams-P.H.Nielsen, Dortmund 2005.
Black has evaded an attack on his king by castling queenside, but White has a
space advantage on the kingside which Adams later increased with f2-f3 and g2g4 etc.
.

8 Qd2 Ne5 9 o-o-o (Diagram 36)

Straightforward, powerful and easy to remember play by White. One scheme to
get his kingside pawns rolling, especially if Black played ... 0-0 and .. . Be6, would
be Kbl, Be2, Nd4 and f2-f4, driving the black knight away. Or simply rolling the
h-pawn with h4-h5 might be good. The kingside pawns can be utilized in different
ways according to circumstances.

NOTE: The 'extra' pawn on c3 adds another layer of defence to the

white king; for example, if Black puts his bishop on f6 its gaze
doesn't reach b2. Therefore the white king is safer here than, say,
when castled queenside in the Sicilian Dragon variation.

9 ... Nxf3
Having spent three moves to exchange his king's knight for a knight that has
moved once, Black now performs the same trick with his queen's knight. He
hopes that by splitting up the white pawns he prevents the type of gradual pawn
storm described in the previous note. However, White is able to exploit the result
ing open g-file.

10 gxf3 o-o?
A classic example of castling into an attack. More solid was 10 ...Bf6.

11 h4!
Soon White is attacking like crazy, whereas Black has no counterplay whatever.

11... Be6 12 h5 Bf6 13 Rg1 Qd7 14 Bh6! (Diagram 37)

It's almost too easy. The threat is 15 Bxg7 Bxg7 1 6 h6.

14...g6 15 Bd3 !
White can't be bought off with the mere win o f the exchange. Now Black has to
reckon with a sacrifice on g6.

15 ... Bf5?
Black completes his plan to exchange light-squared bishops, but loses at once.

16 Qf4! 1-0
If 16 ...Bxd3 17 Qxf6 mates, while otherwise the bishop on f5 is under attack, to say
nothing of the rook which is still hanging on f8.

The strength and vitality of White's opening system, coupled with its essential sim
plicity, seems almost too good to be true. Here, to confirm we aren't dreaming, is
another overwhelming attacking win by White taken from a top notch tournament.

29

Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!

Diagram 37 {B)
Simpl e stuff

Diagram 38 (W)
Black retreats the knight

Game9
D A.Motylev H.Koneru
Wijk a a n Zee 2006
1 e4 es 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxes d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 Nc3 Nf6 (Diagram 38)
Black hopes to keep everything quiet with a knight retreat often seen in the main
line Petroff. Nevertheless, this is already the third move of the knight, and if Black
plays ... d6-d5 at some point to balance the space in the centre, it will be another
tempo down the drain. White can therefore push for the initiative.

6 d4 Be7 1 Bgs
A bolder square than e3 - and why not?

1 0-0 8 Qd2 c6
...

Humpy Koneru clears the way for a knight manoeuvre to e6 via a6 and c7, and at
the same time introduces the idea of counterplay with ...b7-b5.

9 Bd3 Na6 (Diagram 39) 10 a 3 !?

Such a move has to be weighed up very carefully, as the white king intends to live
on the queenside, and the pawn on a3 is now a potential 'hook' for a black queen
side attack with . . .b5-b4. However, Motylev considers it important to prevent
...Nb4, which would threaten to eliminate his strong light-squared bishop on d3,
or at least get the black knight to a good central square with ... NbdS.
N ote that 10 Bxa6? would be entirely wrong, even though it doubles Black's
pawns after 10 ...bxa6 and so removes any dynamism based on ...b7-b5. Not only
would White be deprived of his strong bishop, but Black would be presented with

30

1 e4 e s
the open b-file which the rook could exploit with . . .Rb8 etc.

10... Nc7 11 0-0-0

An efficient development by Motylev with his pieces only needing one move to
find their best squares.

11 ... Bg4?
This game was played at the end of a long, gruelling tournament. Black was only
playing for pride, as they say, whereas White had the wonderful incentive of
needing a win to clinch first place. It is therefore no wonder that Motylev shows
the most energy. Instead 11 . . . bS!? followed by ... a7-a5 or ... Rb8 would generate
queenside counterplay. White could respond with 12 Ne4 or the bold 12 h4.

12 h3!
Calling Black's bluff, as 1 2 ... BhS 13 g4 etc. gains time for the kingside attack.

12 ...Bxf3 13 gxf3 (Diagram 40)

Diagram 39 (W)

Diagram 40 (B)

What now for White?

White has excellent play

White's doubled pawns are a familiar sight from the Tseshkovsky game above.
Here again the open g-file gives White excellent dynamic play.

13 . . Ne6 14 h4!
.

Motylev maintains the dynamism in his position.

14 ... Nhs
If 14 ... Nxd4 15 Bxh7 + Nxh7 16 Bxe7 Qxe7 1 7 Qxd4 and the white queen supports
an attack on both d6 and g7.

15 Rdg1 ds?
Losing material, but after 15 ... Kh8 16 dS!? NcS 1 7 BfS White maintains a fearsome
attack.

31

St a rting O ut: 1 e 4 !

1 6 Bxe7 Qxe7 1 7 Qh6! (Diagram 41)

Diagram 41 (B)

Diagram 42 (B)

Black is losing a piece

The Scotch Opening

Suddenly White is winning a piece, as if 17 ... g6 18 Qxh5 or 17 ... Nf6 18 Rxg7+ Nxg7
19 Rgl and the threat of mate on g7 wins the game. Black could have resigned
here but lingered on for a few more moves:

11 ...fs 18 Qxhs Qf6 19 Ne2 cs 20 dxcs Raes 21 Kb1 Rc7 22 f4 Nxcs 23 Qf3 Rd8 24
Qe3 d4 2 5 Qes 1-0

Scotch Opening
It is now time to consider the opening you can expect to play the most after l ...e5:
namely 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 (Diagram 42).
First of all, a word about 3 ... d6 which maintains a pawn on e5. Judging from my
experience of coaching juniors, this move is quite popular at less exalted levels of
play.
Now White can get an endgame with some advantage after 4 dxe5 dxe5 5 Qxd8 +
Kxd8, but it's not so easy to take advantage of the displaced black king. Therefore
I recommend 4 Bb5, as once played by Kasparov in a simul'. (His opponent
promptly gave away a pawn with 4 ... a6? 5 Bxc6+ bxc6 6 dxe5 Bg4 7 exd6 cxd6 8
Nc3 and White soon won with a kingside attack; so the greatest player of all time
was right not to want to play an endgame!) After 4... Bd7 5 Nc3 Nf6 6 0-0 (taking
on c6 and then e5 at move 5 or 6 would just have led to unnecessary simplification
as e4 also drops; but now Black really must watch out for Bxc6 and dxe5, and is
therefore forced to concede the centre) 6 . . . exd4 7 Nxd4 Be7 8 Bxc6! bxc6 9 Bf4 (Dia
gram 43), Black has the two bishops, but he is very cramped. A recent game con-

32

1 e4 es
tinued 9 . .0-0 1 0 Qf3 Ne8 1 1 Radl g6 1 2 e5! and White was on the attack in V.Bhat0.Ganbold, San Francisco 2005.
.

Nevertheless, you should expect your opponent to play 3 ...exd4, when 4 Nxd4
regains the pawn. Now Black has three ideas that we should consider: attacking
the e4-pawn with the queen; attacking the knight with 4. . .Bc5; and attacking e4
with 4. . . Nf6. We shall begin with 4. . . Qh4 (Diagram 44).

Diagram 43 (B)
Black is very cra mped

Diagram 44 {W)
Trying to refute the Scotch

In effect, 4. . .Qh4 is an attempt to refute the Scotch, as it claims that the e4-pawn
has been left insufficiently defended. There is also a latent threat against f2 based
on . . .Bc5, when the knight dare not leave d4 on pain of mate with . . . Qxf2 .
However, Black has not only neglected the development of his kingside pieces, he
has also left c7 unprotected. As will be seen, a white knight can exploit this weak
point to force the black king to stay in the centre.

NOTE: White is obliged to sacrifice a pawn, but it is regarded as so

strong for him that players seldom risk 4 ...Qh4.

Game 10
D S.Karjakin V.Malinin
Sudak 2002
1 e4 es 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Qh4 5 Nc3 Bb4
An attempt to put pressure on f2 could end in embarrassment: 5 . . . BcS 6 Be3
Nge7?? (instead 6 ...Nxd4 7 Bxd4 Bxd4 8 Qxd4 is very pleasant for White, but the
plausible-looking game move just loses a piece) 7 Nf3 Qh5 8 g4! Qxg4 9 BxcS and

33

Sta rti n g O ut: 1 e4!

Black was busted i n L.Milov-A.Castro Acosta, Sauzal (rapid) 2004.

6 Be2! (Diagram 45)

Diagram 45 (B)

Diagram 46 (w)

White sacrifices th e e pawn

-

Has Black esca ped?

White offers the e-pawn in order to keep the black king permanently in the centre.
It doesn't win by force for White, but Black certainly doesn't have an easy life.

6... Nf6?
The critical line is 6 ... Qxe4 7 Ndb5!. The whole point of White's play is to go after
the c7-square. If now 7 ...Qxg2? 8 Bf3 when Black can resign due to the double
threat to g2 and c7. So play typically goes 7. . .Bxc3 + 8 bxc3 Kd8 (Black has little
choice but to forsake castling) 9 0-0 Nf6 10 Rel Re8 11 Be3 and White can build up
an attack against the beleaguered black king. If ll ... a6?, trying to drive away the
knight, White has 12 Nd6! winning at once, as 12 ... cxd6 13 Bb6 + Ke7 14 Bf3 pockets the queen. Nonetheless, this line was much to be preferred to what happens to
Malinin in the game.

7 o-o Bxc3 8 Nf5!

An excellent zwischenzug (in-between move). Instead the immediate 8 bxc3 gives
Black the chance to eliminate the dangerou s knight with 8 ... Nxd4. So first of all
White attacks the black queen, as the bishop on c3 won't be able to run away.

8 .Qxe4 9 Bd3 Qg4

..

After 9 . . . Qe5 there might follow two more zwischenzugs: 10 Nxg7 + Kf8 (he should
try fighting it out after 10 ... Kd8 11 bxc3) 1 1 Bh6 Kg8 and only now 12 bxc3 with a
winning attack.

10 f3!
Of course Karjakin has no interest in exchanging queens.

34

1 e4 e s

10...Qa4 11 bxc3 o-o (Diagram 46)

It looks as if Black has escaped, but there is about to be a big surprise ...

12 Nxg7!! Kxg7 13 Bh6+ Kxh6

After 13 ...Kg8 14 Qd2 Qh4 (to stop a lethal check on g5) 15 Bg5\ Qh5 16 Bxf6 and
White has regained his piece with a murderous attack.

14 Qd2+ Khs
The black king is dragged forever forwards, as if 14 ... Kg7 15 QgS+ Kh8 16 Qxf6+
Kg8 17 Qg5 + Kh8 18 Qh6 with a double threat of mate on f8 or h7.

15 g4+ Nxg4 16 fxg4+ Qxg4+ 17 Kh1 d6 18 Rf6! (Diagram 47)

Diagram 47 (B)
Playing for mate

Diagram 48 {W)
Black plays 4.. Bcs
.

Intending mate on h6. Here we see the deadly precision that has made Karjakin
one of the best players in the world. Most of us would settle for 18 Be2, winning
the queen, but the young Ukrainian remembers that the king is a more important
piece.

18 .. Qgs 1 9 Be2+ Bg4 20 Bxg4+ 1-0

.

If 20...Kxg4 21 Rgl + leads to mate in two. A brilliant game by the Ukranian prod
igy.

NOTE; Sergei Karjakin became a Grandmaster aged 12 years and 7

months - the youngest of all time. Judging from his play above as a
12-year-old, it's no surprise!

Instead 4. . .BcS is a developing and centralizing move that contains a big threat
and so should be respected. Let's see how to deal with it.

35

Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!

Game 11
D B.Savchenko Kir.Georgiev
Moscow 2006
1 e4 Nc6 2 Nf3 es 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Bes (Diagram 48) s Nxc6 Qf6! (Diagram 49)
An important zwischenzug. If instead 5 ...bxc6 Black has broken pawns and White
can complete his development smoothly with 6 Bd3, as 6 ... Qf6? can be answered
by 7 0-0.
After the game move, in case you think you have found a great improvement on
theory, I should point out that 6 Na5?? Qxf2 is mate. White therefore has no time
to save his knight. He usually plays 6 Qd2, defending f2, though it means that the
bishop on cl is shut in; the alternative played by Savchenko is highly interesting.

Diagram 49 (W)
What now for W h ite?

Diagram so (B)
Offering an exchange of bishops

6 Qf3!?
This offer to exchange queens is a serious psychological blow for Black - after all,
he played 4 ... Bc5 looking for the chance to counter-attack, and instead he is more
or less forced to play a slightly worse endgame with no real winning chances.

6 ... Qxf3
Or 6 ... dxc6 7 Qxf6 Nxf6 8 3 Be6 9 Nd2 0-0-0 10 Nb3 Bb6 1 1 Bd2 Nd7 12 Bc3 f6 13
Nd4 Bxd4 14 Bxd4 c5 15 Be3 b6 16 0-0-0 Kb7 17 Be2 and White had a slight, but
enduring initiative in l.Nataf-E.Postny, Bundesliga 2006.

7 gxf3
Generally speaking, in the middlegame the fracturing of White's kingside pawns
would be regarded as a more serious matter than any similar damage inflicted on

36

1 e4 e s
the black queenside. This is because the white king would be denied a safe refuge
through castling short. Here, however, the queens have been exchanged and so
Black's weaknesses on the queenside prove to be of more consequence.
1 . . . bxc6

Now Black has an isolated pawn on a7 which will become a target. On the other
hand, after 7. . . dxc6?! 8 Be3 Bxe3 9 fxe3 Black would no longer be able to seek
counterplay by attacking the white centre with ... d7-d5, while the .. .f7-f5 thrust
would also lose power, as e4-e5 followed by f3-f4 in reply would cement a pro
tected passed pawn in the centre.

8 Be3! (Diagram 50)

A very important part of White's plan. Black can only avoid the exchange of bish
ops with a retreat such as 8 ...Be7, which not only loses time but also leaves the
rook on a8 tied down to the defence of the pawn on a7.

8 ... Bb6?!
Black has no wish to play 8 . . .Bxe3 when 9 fxe3 has strengthened the white pawn
mass. Nevertheless, Black could then achieve counterplay with 9 . . . Ne7 1 0 Nc3 d6
11 Kf2 (the king stays on the kingside to help protect the pawns rather than castle
queenside) 1 l . ..Be6 1 2 h4 Rb8 13 b3 0-0 14 Be2 f5!, when S.Sulskis-P.Blatny, Par
dubice 2004, continued 15 Radl Rbe8 1 6 Rd4! preparing to swing the rook to a4 to
attack a7.

9 c4!
Threatening 1 0 c5 which would box in the black bishop and leave d7 as a fixed
target.

9 . Bxe3
..

After 9 . . d6 10 c5! Bxc5 1 1 Bxc5 dxc5 Black would be saddled with tripled isolated
pawns.
.

10 fxe3
So the bishops are exchanged after all. Perhaps Black hoped that the white pawn
would be weak on c4? If so, he has misjudged the situation.

10 ... Ne7 11 Nc3 d6 12 c s!

The pawn rams the black centre and ensures White a permanent advantage.

12 ... Be6
12 ... dxc5 13 Na4 Rb8 14 b3 followed by 15 Nxc5 would be horrible for Black.

13 0-0-0 Rd8 14 Rd4! (Diagram 5 1)

A characteristic theme in this variation: the rook heads for a4 to attack the isolated
pawn.

14 ...0-0 15 Ra4 Ras

It is a sure sign of a bad endgame when a rook is tied down to defending a pawn.

37

Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!

16 Ba6 Rfb8 17 Rd1 ds 18 Rdd4 dxe4 19 Rxe4 Kf8 20 Bd3 g6 21 Ras

Now Black feels compelled to seek counterplay before his rooks are permanently
tied down to the defence of a7 after 22 Rea4 Rb7.

2 1 ...BfS 22 Rd4 Bxd3 23 Rxd 3 fs 24 Ne2! (Diagram s2 )

Diagram Sl (B)
The thematic rook lift

Diagram S2 {B)
Re-routing the kn ight

White has an assortment of attacking ideas in mind, such as Rd7, Rda3, or Nd4
and Ra6.

24 ... Rbs 2s Rxbs!

Every strong player knows when to swap one type of advantage for another.
Savchenko allows his opponent to straighten out his pawns, as he sees that in return
the white rook and knight will achieve absolute mastery over the black pieces.

TIP: Always be on the lookout for a way to convert one advantage

into another.
2s ...cxbs 26 Nd4 c6 27 Ne6+ Kf7 28 Rd6 Res
The black knight and rook are both tied down to the defence of c6, as otherwise
N d8+ would win the pawn.

29 Kd2
The entrance of the white king will prove decisive.

29 ... as 30 e4 fxe4 3 1 fxe4 h6 32 Kd3 gs 33 Nd4 hS 34 es g4 35 Ke4 (Diagram 5 3)

The excellent co-ordination of the white pieces means that his passed pawn is of
far more value than Black's kingside pawns. In fact, Georgiev's attempt to achieve
counterplay will merely lead to the loss of a pawn.

3 s ... h4 36 Rf6+ Kg8 37 Rf4 g3 38 Rxh4 gxh2 39 Rxh2 Rd8 40 Rf2 a4 41 e6 b4 42 Rf7
38

1 e4 e s
Black is a pawn down and under even more pressure than before.

42 ... ReS 43 KeS b3 44 axb3 axb3 4S Nxb3 Ng6+ 46 Kf6 Nf4 47 Nd4 Nds+ 48 Kes
Nb4 49 Nfs Nd3+ so Kf6 Nf4 Sl Ne7+ Kh8 S2 b4 1-0

Diagram 53 {B)
White is in control

Diagram 54 (B)
The thematic pawn thrust

The strategic themes in the game above will be reinforced by considering the fol
lowing extract:

Game 12
D V.Tseshkovsky A.Morozevich
Russian Championship, Moscow 2004
1 e4 es 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Bes s Nxc6 Qf6 6 Qf3 Qxf3 7 gxf3 bxc6
Now, instead of 8 Be3, White played the intermediate . . .

8 Rg1!?
. . . when play continued:

8 . Ne7 9 Be3
..

Not 9 Rxg7? Ng6 when the rook is shut in and facing extinction after 10 Bf8 or
10 . . . Bd4.
...

9 Bb6?!
...

Once again this dubious bishop retreat.

10 c4! Bxe3 11 fxe3 o-o 12 f4 Rb8 13 b3 d6 14 Nc3 f6 1 S cs! (Diagram S4)

And once again Black is punished with this pawn stab.

1S ... Be6 16 0-0-0 RfdS 17 Rd4!

The rook goes to the familiar square .

39

Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e 4 !

1 1 ..a s 18 Be2 fs
.

Morozevich tries to enliven the struggle, but the d6-pawn is left fatally weak.

19 cxd6 cxd6 20 Rgd1 fxe4 2 1 Rxd6 Bds 22 Rxd8+ Rxd8 23 Bg4

But not 23 Nxe4? NfS!.

2 3...Rd6 24 Nxe4 Rg6 2 S Nf2 (Diagram S S )

Diagram 55 (B)
Wh ite is a pawn u p

Diagram S6 (W)
Black plays 4 ... Nf6

White exploited his extra pawn to win at move 63, despite the long and vigorous
resistance that you would expect from Alexander Morozevich.
As you can see from the games above, the apparently innocuous 6 Qf3 has been
claiming some mighty victims.

Black attacks e4 with his knight

1 e4 es 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 (Diagram S6)
The most popular and challenging move, after which White has to make a choice
that will effect the nature of not only the opening but also the middlegame. I rec
ommend 5 Nxc6!, but first of all let's take a moment to look at the solid approach
with 5 Nc3 when play typically runs 5 . . . Bb4 6 Nxc6 bxc6 7 Bd3 dS 8 exdS cxdS 9
0-0 0-0 10 BgS c6 (Diagram S 7). Compare this position to that reached after the
more ambitious 5 Nxc6 bxc6 6 e5 Qe7 7 Qe2 Nd5 8 c4 Ba6 9 b3 (Diagram S8).
In Diagram 57 (in the line after 5 Nc3), White has achieved a smooth, rapid piece de
ployment. :His king is safely castled and he has no loose pawns to worry about. In fact,
he doesn't have any pawn centre tu worry about! Moreover, Black's pawns on d5 and
c6 look solid, and he has also managed a quick and efficient development. It is no
wonder that the ratio of drawn games is high in this variation.

40

1 e4 e s
Now let us turn to the line after 5 Nxc6 (see the second diagram above). White's
development has been put on hold whilst he strives to keep the black pieces at bay
and prevent the e5-pawn dropping off the board.

Diagram 57 (W)
Th e Scotch with 5 Nc 3

Diagram 58 (B)
Th e Scotch with 5 Nxc6

However, it is precisely this pawn on e5 that gives Black the most headaches in
the Scotch. It dominates the centre, and despite its apparent weakness, is by no
means easy to capture or exchange off in a 'clean' way. Furthermore, although
White's development has suffered, the same goes for Black's. After all, the bishop
on f8 is just as shut in as White's bishop on fl . And take a look at the bishop on a6:
is it really 'developed' when it is staring at a brick wall on c4? And what about the
knight on d5: is that really well centralized when it is in perpetual danger of being
captured if White breaks the pin on his queen? Finally, in contrast to the 5 Nc3
line, Black hasn't been allowed to set up a secure pawn centre.
Thus we see that the 5 Nxc6 line, whilst demanding more commitment and
imagination from White, also sets Black a lot more problems. That is why it is the
continuation we shall examine in detail.

Game 13
D T.Radjabov S.Karjakin
Dos Hermanas 200 5
1 e4 e s 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nxc6 bxc6 6 es Qe7
Black blocks in his own bishop, but this is better than allowing White an easy de
velopment with 6 ... Nd5 7 Bd3. White's reply is more or less forced to defend the
e5-pawn.

41

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4 !

7 Qe2 Nds 8 C4 Nb6

The knight voluntarily retreats to b6 as Black feels that his bishop would be mis
placed on a6 after 8 ...Ba6 9 b3. That is of course a contentious issue and one which
will be analysed in the next game.

9 Nc3!? {Diagram 59)

Diagram 59 (B)

Diagram 60 (W)
Has Black freed his game?

Ambitious play

White takes advantage of the absence of the black knight from the centre to de
velop his own horse to its favourite square. This is the most ambitious approach
as White no longer has the option of Nd2 to protect the c4-pawn.

9 Qe6
...

Here is an instructive example of what might happen after 9 ... a5: 10 Qe4 (not only
to release the bishop on fl, but also to make the developing Be3 possible without
dropping the e5-pawn) 10 .. g6 (the fianchetto on g7 will prove most unfortunate)
11 Be3 Bg7 12 f4 f5 13 Qd3 Ba6 14 Bxb6! (an excellent exchange that will allow
White to exploit the weaknesses on b6, d6 and d7) 14 . . .cxb6 15 0-0-0 0-0-0 16 Qe3
Qb4 1 7 Rd4 Bb7 18 a3 Qe7 19 Rd6 g5 20 Qxb6 gxf4 21 c5! (suddenly White has a
winning attack; Black's counterplay against b2 never materializes) 21 . . . Qxe5 22
Ba6 Bxa6 23 Qxa6+ Kb8 24 Qb6+ Kc8 25 Rhdl Rhg8 26 Kbl Qe7 27 Qa6+ Kb8 28
Nd5! Qe4+ 29 Ka2 1-0 E.Sveshnikov-R.Berzinsh, Latvian Championship 2005.
.

10 Qe4
Both players have cleared the way for their king's bishops to enter the game.

10 Ba6
...

With the white knight committed to c3, and so no longer able to go to d2, Karjakin
feels that he can benefit from a sustained attack on the c4-pawn after all.

42

1 e4 e s
Instead, after 1 0... g6 1 1 Bd3 Ba6 1 2 b3 Bg7 13 f4 0-0 14 Ba3 Rfe8 1 5 0-0, White had
constant pressure in S.Rublevsky-J.Lautier, Poikovsky 2004.

11 Bd3 Bb4 12 Bd2 Bxc3

Black hopes that by removing the defender of the white queen, the pawn thrust on
the next move will be made powerful.

13 Bxc3 dS {Diagram 60)

Now Black would have an excellent position after 14 cxd5 cxd5 15 Qe3 Bxfl, when
White is prevented from castling. Instead Radjabov has a little surprise for him.

14 Qh4!
This pawn sacrifice will allow White to build up an attack.

14... dxc4 15 Rel!

A very precise move. Would you believe it is necessary because the dark-squared
bishop needs the al-square? Well, the careless 15 Be2? would allow Black to es
cape with 15 ... Nd5!, when if 16 Bb2? c3! or 16 Bd4? c5!. So White would have to
make do with 16 Rel Nxc3 1 7 Rxc3 0-0 when Black has freed his game. So Rad
jabov cleverly vacates the al-square.

15 .. o-o 16 Be2 Nds 17 Bal! Nb4 18 bxc4 Rad8

.

After 18 ... Nxa2 19 Rbl Rad8 20 0-0 both the black knight and bishop are cut off on
the queenside, which means that White can quickly build up a decisive attack
with f2-f4-f5 etc., or perhaps with Rb3 and Rg3. In the latter case he would intend
Bg4 and then e5-e6, uncovering an attack on g7 by the bishop on al.

19 0-0 Nd3 20 Rc3! {Diagram 61)

Diagram 61 (B)
A second pawn sacrifice

Diagram 62 {B)
Black has no defence

The second pawn offer of the game. It will allow the white queen, bishops and this

43

Sta rti n g O ut: 1 e4!

rook to launch a withering onslaught against the black king. The positional justifi
cation for such extreme measures is that Black is virtually a piece down as the
bishop on a6 is totally idle.

20 ...Nxes 21 Re3 Ng6 22 QgS Qd7 23 h4!

As usual, a direct attack requires the help of a pawn to achieve its aim.

23 ...f6 24 Qa S Qc8 2 s Rg3 Qe6 26 Re3 Qc8 27 Rel!

White corrects his inaccuracy of the previous move. Now that the bishop on e2 is
defended again, 28 Rg3, intending 29 h5 etc., cannot be met with 28 . Qe6 as White
can simply take on a6. Karjakin decides to eliminate the advancing h-pawn, but
White's pieces are ready to pounce on the open lines.
..

21 ... Nxh4 28 Rh3 Ng6 29 Qh s Qe6 30 Qxh7+ Kf7 31 Rg3 1-0 {Diagram 62)
Black loses his queen after 31 ... Qe4 32 Rxg6! Qxg6 33 Bh5. Judging from this game
and his earlier effort versus Malinin, it seems that Karjakin prefers to be on the
White side of the Scotch!

Game 14
D S.Rublevsky J.Geller
Russia n Tea m Championship 2004
1 e4 es 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nxc6 bxc6 6 es Qe7 7 Qe2 Nds 8 c4 Ba6
{Diagram 63)

Diagram 63 (W)
The critical 8 Ba6
...

Diagram 64 (B)
A forced seq uence follows

The critical move. Instead of retreating his knight, Black pin the c-pawn. Now 9
Nc3? Nxc3 10 bxc3 Qe6 would just leave White with shattered pawns, so we need
another approach.

44

1 e4 e s

9 b3!
White bolsters the c4-pawn and at the same time opens the b2-square to allow
Bb2, strengthening the e5-pawn.

9...g6
A radical idea for Black is 9 ... g5!? which prevents White from supporting his e5pawn with f2-f4. Play might then go 10 g3 Bg7 1 1 Bb2 0-0-0 (l l . . .d6? fails to 12
Qe4! when 12 . . .Nb4? 13 a3 d5 14 Qe2 costs Black a piece) 12 Nd2 f5 (12 . . .f6? 13
0-0-0 Rde8 14 Qf3! costs Black material) 13 exf6 Qxe2+ 14 Bxe2 Nxf6 15 0-0-0 Rhe8
16 Bd3 with a good endgame for White in A.Maksimenko-F.Jenni, Bundesliga
2006 - remember that the bishop on a6 is out on a limb.
If you have played through the sequence above after 9 . . . g5, you will have noticed
that attacks on e5 with . . . d7-d6 or ... 7-6 always look tempting, but never quite
work - and because they fail, the attempt itself ends in disaster for Black. When
you play the Scotch, you have to keep your eyes open for tactics to help you re
strain this type of attack on e5.

10 g3
Also worthy of attention is 10 f4, which led to a very pleasant endgame for White
after 10 . . .f6 1 1 exf6 Qxe2+ 1 2 Bxe2 Bb4+ 1 3 Bd2 Bxd2+ 14 Nxd2 Nxf4 1 5 Rfl Nxe2
16 Kxe2 in D.Pavasovic-0.Sepp, Calvia Olympiad 2004.

10... Bg7 11 Bb2 0-0

White has a lasting initiative for the pawn after 1 l . . . d6 12 Bg2 0-0 13 0-0 Bxe5 14
Bxe5 dxe5 15 Rel f6 16 Qe4 Nb6 1 7 Nc3 Bb7 18 Qe3 intending Ne4 and Nc5.

12 Bg2 Raes 13 o-o {Diagram 64) 13 ... Bxe5

There begins a forcing sequence that leads to an endgame with an interesting ma
terial balance. Instead 13 ... d6? 14 Qd2! Bxe5 15 Rel ! looks excellent for White.

14 Qxe5 Qxe5 15 Bxe5 Rxe5 16 cxd5 Bxf1 17 Kxf1 cxd5 18 Nc3 c6 {Diagra m 65)
Black has a rook and two pawns for a knight and bishop which, nominally speak
ing, is more than enough material. However, the a7-pawn is a significant weak
ness, and its loss would concede White a passed pawn. I have chosen this varia
tion for your repertoire as the winning plan is reminiscent of what we intend to do
versus 4 ...Bc5 (see Savchenko-Georgiev above). You will therefore get plenty of
practice in grinding out wins with the plan of Rd4 and Ra4!

19 Rdl Rfe8 20 Bf3

Of course 20 Rd4?? would jump the gun in view of 20 . . . Rel mate.

20... KfS 21 Ne2!

Another important precaution. After 21 Rd4 Black can activate his rooks with
21 ... Rel + 22 Kg2 Rel .

21 ... Ke7 22 Rd4

45

Start i n g O ut : 1 e4 !
At last it is time for the rook to switch to the queenside.

22 ... RbS 23 Ra4 Rb7 24 b4

The next stage in White's winning plan is to manoeuvre the knight to c5. If Black
plays . . . d7-d6 to chase it away, then c6 will be severely weakened.

24 ... Kd6 25 a3 Re8 26 Nd4 hs 27 Nb3 Re7 28 Ncs

Mission accomplished.

2 8... Rc7 29 h4 Res 30 Ra6 Re8 31 Be2 (Diagram 66)

Diagram 65 (W)
An interesting endgame

Diagram 66 (B)
Prepa ri ng to activate the king

After some preparatory moves, Rublevsky prepares to bring his king into action
via el and d2. Geller can't stand the slow torture any longer and makes a bid for
activity, but his central pawn structure crumbles away.

31 ... Kes 32 Ke1 d6 3 3 Nd3+ Ke6 34 a4 Rb8 35 bS Rb6

If 35 . . . cxbS 36 axb5 Rxb5? 37 Nf4+ wins a rook, while 35 . . . cS 36 Nf4+ Ke5 37 Bf3 d4
38 Nd5 Rd7 39 Kd2 intending 40 Kd3 is also horrible for Black, as after 39 . . . c4 40
Rc6 c3+ 4 1 Kd3 his passed pawns are stymied and very near to falling off the
board.

36 Ras cxbs 37 axbs

Black's proud centre is reduced to doubled and isolated pawns.

37 ... Rbb7 3 8 Bf3 Rc3 39 Kd2 Rb3

Allowing a pretty finish.

40 Bxds+! Kxds 41 b6+ Kc4 42 Ra4+ 1-0

White will end up with at least an extra piece following 42 ... Kd5 43 bxa7.

46

1 e4 e s
Having looked at these games with 4. . .Nf6 we can draw the following conclu
sions:
The main drawbacks to White's position are the pawns on c4 and e5, which are
targets, and a backward development.
The advantages of White's position are the pawns on c4 and e5 that dominate the
centre, and the capacity for a more efficient development than Black's.
Thus we see why such a tense battle occurs in the Scotch 4. . . Nf6 system. A weak
ness can transform into a strength and vice versa according to the quality of your
moves. It is no wonder that the Scotch is a favourite opening of young and ambi
tious players.

47

C h a pter Two

S i ci l i a n Defe n ce :
I nt rod u ct i o n a n d C l a s s i ca l
B
n
n

I nt rod u ction
The fi rst steps i n beating t h e Sici l ia n
Classica l Va riation

S i c i l i a n Defe n ce: I nt rod u ct i o n a n d C l a s s i c a l

I ntrod uction
You can expect around one in three of your games with 1 e4 to enter a Sicilian De
fence, so you have to be happy facing it! Let's get straight down to business by
considering the first few moves.

1 e4 cs {Diagram 1)

Diagram 1 (W)
The Sicilian Defence

Diagram 2 (B)
The Open Sicilian

2 Nf3 Nc6
Black's main alternatives are 2 . . . d6 and 2 . . .e6, after which White's reply would be
the same:

3 d4!
Instigating the Open Sicilian.

3 ... cxd4! 4 Nxd4 {Diagram 2 )

The first steps i n beati ng the Sicilia n

We have come to bury the Sicilian in this chapter, not praise it. Nevertheless, we
can't ignore the fact that over the last half century the opening has amassed liter
ally millions of devotees on the black side. Players with styles as diverse as Petro
sian and Tal, Capablanca and Topalov have been attracted to it at some point in
their careers. We need to understand the basis of this great appeal for Black, as
only by knowing what our opponent is trying to do can we hope to defeat his
plans.

49

Sta rt i n g Out: 1 e4!

No broad white pawn centre

One of the good things about the Open Sicilian from Black's point of view is that,
after the demise of the d4-pawn, there is no question of White ever building a
broad pawn centre. Therefore Black never has to fear a scenario in which his op
ponent is clamping down on the centre and suffocating the black pieces - or even
worse, crashing through with moves like e4-eS and d4-dS in order to drive back
the black pieces, either as the prelude to a mating attack or the creation of a passed
pawn. Already the black pieces are drawing benefit from the absence of the d4pawn as the knight is sitting pretty on the c6-square without any danger of being
harassed by d4-dS.

White's slight weakness on the dark squares

Furthermore, after 3 ... cxd4 White has lost pawn control of cS, more or less perma
nently (he is unlikely ever to want to play b2-b4), and his influence over eS, an
other centre square, is weakened, though in this case he sometimes makes amends
with f2-f4. In a general sense, with his influence over cS and eS lessened, White's
hold on the dark squares in the centre has been loosened. Black's various defences
in the Sicilian all attempt to profit in some way or other from the missing d4pawn: this could take the form of playing ...BcS or ... Qb6 or even . . . Qc7 - and in
the latter case the black queen has her eye on the e5-square. With no pawn barrier
on d4, the kingside fianchetto with ... g7-g6 and ...Bg7 becomes attractive - hence
the Dragon Variation. Or Black might advance . . . e7-e5 to directly control d4 with a
pawn, as for example in the Sveshnikov and some lines of the Najdorf.
White is fully aware of a certain fragility in his centre, which is why in the Dragon
Variation, for example, he meets the arrival of the black bishop on g7 by overpro
tecting the knight on d4 as many times as possible with Be3, Qd2 and 0-0-0.

NOTE: White's dark-squared bishop is an important piece as it helps

cover the squares in the centre that have been compromised by
3 cxd4. Therefore, a lthough there are many cases in which it is
good idea to excha nge off the bishop, White shouldn't part with it
on a whim.
...

White's space adva ntage

Now for the good news for White: the d4-pawn may have vanished, but he still
has a proud pawn on e4. Unless Black is prepared to arrange ... e7-eS, which is not
without its drawbacks, he will have to make do with setting up his stall on the
third rank with ... d7-d6 or . . .e7-e6, or perhaps both these pawn moves. Therefore
White still maintains a significant space advantage in the centre. Even the absence

so

S i ci l i a n Defe n c e : I nt rod u ct i o n a n d C l a s s i c a l
of the d4-pawn has its bright side as White now has a semi-open file for hi s rooks
in the centre, besides having the knight nicely ensconced on d4.

White's pawn advan ces on the kingside

Because White can't just sit behind a nice pawn centre and gradually suffocate his
opponent, he often augments the power of the e4-pawn with an advance of one or
more of his kingside pawns. This can entail f2-f4, which might be followed in
some cases by e4-e5 as a pawn sacrifice to disrupt Black's game; or else, after Black
castles kingside, the pawn on f4 supports a pawn storm with g2-g4-g5. Assuming
Black is kept pinned down, this pawn advance can be effectively combined with
kingside castling by White. Another common form of pawn attack employed by
White is f2-f3 and g2-g4 etc. combined with queenside castling.

Energy and precision is req uired !

Nonetheless, Black trusts in the solidity of his position when he chooses the Sicil
ian, despite the fact that white pieces will normally have greater scope for activity
at the start of the middlegame . Here are three winning scenarios for Black: firstly,
in pursuing his attack White makes a sacrifice, material or positional, that falls
short; secondly, White Lmderestimates the danger and allows a counter-attack that
leads to his own king getting mated; or thirdly, White's initiative spends itself,
leaving the black pieces and pawns better placed for the endgame.
Of course, if we play with sufficient accuracy and fighting spirit as White, none of
the above scenarios will occur: we will have a good chance of carrying out a suc
cessful attack and mating the black king; or at least Black will be forced to buy off
the attack at the cost of material or an endgame that is bad for him.
It is time to look at some specific opening lines and how best to meet them. We
shall begin with the so-called Classical Variation.

Classica l Va riation
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 {Diagram 3)
This i s the starting position o f the Classical Variation, but i t i s worthwhile pausing
to consider the moves that lead up to it.

4... Nf6
Black develops a second knight and attacks the e4-pawn. Note that to exchange
with 4 ...Nxd4? would be a poor decision for Black, even though it disposes of
White's strong knight. After 5 Qxd4 the white queen sits in majesty in the centre,
and there are no black pieces that can dislodge her. Black does better to maintain

51

St a rti n g O u t : 1 e4!
the tension between the knights on d4 and c6.

5 Nc3
It looks as though White can disrupt the black build-up with 5 Nxc6?! bxc6 6 e5?,
but alas 6 . . . Qa5+! wins the reckless pawn. Note that a move like 5 Nxc6 should
only be made if White has a definite idea in mind, as generally speaking it just
strengthens the black cluster of centre pawns by transferring the b7-pawn to c6.

Diagram 3 (W)
The Classical Va riation

Diagram 4 (B)
Wh ite will castle long

WARNING: Always be on the guard against double attacks by the

black queen, especially the move ...Qa s coming with check; it is one
of the easiest ways to lose material!
s d6
...

The defining move of the Classical Variation. Black's alternatives, to be analysed

later, include 5 . . . e6 and 5 ... e5.
On the other hand, 5 ... d5? would be wholly wrong. Certainly it would be nice for
Black if he could get away with this move, as the liquidation of the e4-pawn
would deprive White of his space advantage.
So why exactly is 5 ... d5 bad here? After all, Black has two knights in play, so we
can't just say it is because he is opening the centre when he is far behind in devel
opment!
If you have read the introduction to the chapter, you will be aware that the ex
change 3 . . cxd4 4 Nxd4 has loosened White's hold on the dark squares in the cen
tre but he remains as strong as ever on the light squares. Therefore it is inappropriate
for Black to challenge White on the light squares - and sure enough he is pun
ished by 6 Bb5! when, in order to stop Nxc6 (the collapse of one central light
.

52

S i c i l i a n Defe n c e : I nt rod u c t i o n a n d C l a ss i c a l
square!), Black has little choice but to play 6. . .Bd7, after which 7 exdS follows (the
collapse of a second central light square!) and he would be left a pawn down in a
horrible mess.
Note that we are by no means rejecting the possibility of Black playing his pawn
to dS at some later stage in the game: it is a valuable strategic idea. We are simply
pointing out that Black's position wasn't ready for 5 . . . dS?. The advance requires a
lot of preparation to engineer safely, and also some compliance from the oppo
nent.
Therefore Black is correct to prefer the modest 5 . . d6, which keeps the centre stable
and fits in well with a general scheme of fortifying the dark squares.
.

6 BgS!
Simple and strong: White develops his bishop and forces Black to reckon with 7
Bxf6, when after 7 ... gxf6 his king won't have a safe refuge on the kingside. He also
deters a fianchetto with ... Bg7, as if 6 ... g6? then 7 Bxf6 exf6 is horrible for Black: d6
is left weak and Black is deprived of the pawn that is needed to control dS (see his
next move).

6...e6
Black rules out the Bxf6 move as he can now recapture with the queen. He also
guards the dS-square and clears the way for the development of his bishop on f8.
In view of the importance of White's dark-squared bishop in the Sicilian, some
players have refused to accept that Bxf6 is actually a threat. And perhaps they are
right. In a recent game after 6 ...Bd7 White simply got on with his plan of advanc
ing the kingside pawns with 7 Qd2 Rc8 8 Nxc6! (a clever moment to exchange, as
having gone to the trouble of putting his rook on c8, Black won't want to block the
c-file with 8 ... bxc6) 8 ... Bxc6 9 f3 a6 10 0-0-0 e6 1 1 Ne2 Be7 12 h4 and White was
rolling in P.Svidler-A.Dreev, Russian Championship, Moscow 2004.

7 Qd2 {Diagram 4)
White's plan gradually unfolds. He clears the way for queenside castling and isn't
bothered by any apparent loss of tempo after 7 ... Nxd4 8 Qxd4, as he would be
happy to have his queen so finely placed .
Let's see how things might work out in practice:

Game 15
D K.Spraggett J.Khedkar
Wi n n ipeg 2004
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 6 BgS e6 7 Qd2 Be7
The alternative 7 ... a6 is considered below.

8 0-0-0 a6

53

Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!

As becomes clear, Black has chosen to linger with his king in the centre, as he
doesn't want him to be subjected to a white pawn storm of the kind that occurs
after 8 .. 0-0 9 3 intending h2-h4 etc. If then 9 ... dS, to open a second front in the
centre, White can effectively change plans: 10. exd5 Nxd5 1 1 Bxe7 Ncxe7 12 Bc4
Nxc3 13 Qxc3 NdS 14 Qd2 Nb6 15 Bb3 Bd7 1 6 Qf4! and White had strong pressure
in E.Inarkiev-P.Czarnota, Cappelle la Grande 2004, which Black couldn't see any
way to relieve but with 1 6 ... Qf6 17 Qxf6 gxf6, when 18 4! was nice for White due
to Black's weakened pawns.
.

9 f3! {Diagram 5)

Diagram 5 (B)

Diagram 6 (B)

Supporting g2-g4

The es-pawn is i m m u n e

Here we go: the first sign that White is limbering up for a kingside pawn attack.

9 ..Qc7 10 Kb1
.

NOTE: In the Classical, Dragon and other Sicilian lines in which he

castles queenside, White often takes time out for the consolidating
move Kb1. The king is immeasurably safer on bl than cl, and also
lends a hand in defending a2, should it ever be attacked.

10 ... Bd7 11 h4 bS 12 Nxc6 Bxc6 13 Ne2!

White often makes this knight retreat unprovoked in the Classical. As will shortly
be seen, the knight is much stronger (and safer) on d4 than on c3.

13 ... ds
Evidently Khedkar missed White's reply, but what else was t o be done? H e has no
real cuunterplay on the queenside and if 13 . . . 0-0 then 14 h5 etc. persecutes the
black king.

14 es! (Diagram 6) 14 ... Nd7

54

S i ci l i a n Defe n ce : I nt rod ucti o n a n d C l a ssic a l

The pawn is immune: 1 4. . .Qxe5 1 5 Bf4 Qf5 when 1 6 Nd4 is simplest, winning the
bishop on c6 for nothing. If instead 14 . . . NgS 15 Nd4 leaves the black knight buried
on g8.

15 Bxe7 Kxe7
A highly awkward situation for the black king.

16 f4 Rhd8 17 Nd4 Raes 18 Bd3 h6

A fatal weakening of the g6-square which Spraggett immediately pounces upon.

19 Qb4+ Ke8 20 Nxe6! 1-0

A move of fearsome strength: the black queen is attacked, mate on g7 is threat
ened, and if 20 ... fxe6 then 21 Bg6 is mate.
I hope White's plan of attack was clear to you in the game above. Here is a similar
example from absolutely top class chess.

Game 16
D V.Anand J.Tim man
Wijk aan Zee 2004
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Bg5 e6 7 Qd2 a6 (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 (W)

Diagram 8 (B)

Black takes control of b5

Wh ite prepares g2-g4-g5

Rather than develop the kingside with 7 . ..Be7, Black aims to mobilize his queen
side pieces with a view to gaining counterplay along the c-file. This entails playing
. . .Bd7, . . . Rc8 and . . . Na5; but if 7 . . . Bd7 immediately then 8 Ndb5 ! slays the unfortu
nate d6-pawn. Hence the preliminary 7 . . .a6 move.

55

Sta rti n g O ut: 1 e4!

Another idea is 7 ...Qb6 when Peter Svidler's play was instructive in the following
example: 8 0-0-0 Be7 9 Nb3 0-0 10 f3 Rd8 1 1 Nb5! (White takes advantage of the
fact that Black has omitted to play ... a7-a6 to get his knight to the superior d4square with gain of time) l l . ..Rd7 (an awkward move, but otherwise 12 Be3
would have ensnared the black queen) 12 Qel a6 13 N5d4 Rd8 14 Be3 Qc7 15 Nxc6
(this capture is effective as Black has no wish to shut in his queen by recapturing
with the b7-pawn) 15 ... Qxc6 16 g4 b5 17 Nd4 Qc7 18 Bd2 Nd7 1 9 Ba5! (the black
knight is forced into an awkward pin) 19 . . . Nb6 20 h4 Bd7 21 g5 and White's attack
eventually came up trumps in P.Svidler-A.Korotylev, Russian Championship,
Moscow 2004. You can see that there is more to good chess than flinging your
pawns towards the opponent's king. Svidler's play involved improving the layout
of his pieces by taking advantage of specific quirks of the position (11 Nb5!) and
hindering his opponent's designs (19 Ba5!).

8 0-0-0 Bd7 9 f3
I hope you are getting the hang of White's strategy by now. It's straightforward
but highly effective: not even a great analyst like Timman can find an answer to
the advance of White's kingside pawns.
g .. . Be7 10 Be3 {Diagram 8)

Anand calmly moves his bishop out of the way of his g-pawn.

10 ... Rc8
A better chance was to try to restrain White's kingside pawn advance with
10 ...hS!?, even though this would make the kingside a less than perfect haven for
the black king in the future.

11 g4 Nas
The kingside pawns march on after 1 1 . . .0-0 1 2 g5 Ne8 13 h4 etc.

12 Kbl
The trademark quiet move to safeguard the white king.

12 ... bs 13 Bd3 Nc4 14 Bxc4 Rxc4 15 Nce2 (Diagram 9)

Black has acquired the bishop pair, but this is of no significance when they are
languishing on d7 and e7. If Timman persists in leaving his king in the centre,
White can play h2-h4-h5 and then g4-g5, driving the black knight back to g8. It
would of course be intolerable to have a knight and rook entombed on g8 and h8.
So, for better or worse, Black is obliged to castle into the face of the white on
slaught.

15 . ..0-0 16 gs Ne8 17 h4 Qc8 18 b3 Rc7 19 Nf4 Rc3

After 19 . . .eS 20 Nd5 the knight threatens a fork on e7.

20 Rdgl
At last Anand judges it is the right moment to switch every piece to an all-out at
tack.

56

S i c i l i a n Defence: I nt rod u c t i o n a n d C l a ss i c a

20... b4 21 hS Nc7 22 g 6 Bf6

It is too late to try to 'win on points' : if 22 ... eS 23 h6! exf4 (23 ...fxg6 24 hxg7 is simi
lar to the game) 24 gxh7+ Kxh7 25 hxg7+ and wins.

23 h6! fxg6 24 hxg7 Rf7 {Diagram 10)

Diagram 9 {B)

Diagram 10 (W)

The black bishops are ineffective

White to play and win

Or 24 . . . Bxg7 25 Qh2.

25 Rxh7! Kxh7 26 Qh2+ Kxg7 27 Nxg6 Rxe3

If 27... QdS, 28 Qh6+ Kg8 29 Ne7 is double check and mate.

28 Ne7+ Kf8 29 Nxc8 1-0

Too much to bear is 29... BxcS 30 Qh6+ and the rook on e3 goes as well.

57

C h a pter Three

S i ci l i a n Sc h eve n i n ge n
m
m

I ntrod u ction
Mod ern Scheveni ngen
Black pl ays 7

...

es!?

S i c i l i a n S c h ev e n i n ge n

I ntrod uction
This typically begins with the moves 1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3

e6 {Diagram 1).

Diagram 1 (W)

Diagram 2 (B)

The Scheveningen Variation

6 Bgs is n ot good for White!

Here Black sets up the same mini-centre of pawns on d6 and e6 as in the Classical
Variation discussed in the previous chapter, but he delays the development of one
of his knights, usually the queen's knight.
Looking at the diagram above, you might be thinking 'Oh good, this is easy: I can
play the way I did against the Classical with 6 Bg5 (Diagram 2) and then a quick
f2-f3 and g2-g4.'
Alas, the Bg5 move proves strangely ineffectual and is hardly ever seen here. This
is because Black still has the option of putting his queen's knight on d7, a much
better square than c6, and can get his queenside pawns rolling quickly if White
follows the plan recommended against the Classical. For example, 6 Bg5 Be7 7
Qd2 a6 8 f3 b5 (this wouldn't have been possible with the knight on c6) 9 h4 Bb7
10 0-0-0 Nbd7 1 1 Kbl Rc8 12 g4 Nb6 (the knight heads for a fine attacking square)
13 Bd3 Nc4 and Black was very active in L.Mazi-M.Parligras, European Champi
onship, Antalya 2004.
Neither, incidentally, can White make 6 Bg5 work by answering 6 ...Be7 with 7 4
(hoping to mimic a line in the Najdorf which runs 2 ... d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3
a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4) as Black can take advantage of the fact that he hasn't 'wasted' a
tempo on ... a7-a6 by 7 ...h6! 8 BM? (not wanting to hand over the bishop with 8 Bxf6)
and now 8 ...Nxe4! (Diagram 3) a trick to watch out for in the Sicilian 9 Bxe7 Nxc3
1 0 Bxd8 Nxdl 11 Rxdl Kxd8 and Black has emerged with an extra pawn.
-

59

Sta rt i n g O ut : 1 e4!
The upshot of all this is that we have to be more modest with the development of
our queen's bishop. After 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6, the
move I suggest is 6 Be3! (Diagram 4)

Diagram 3 (W)

Diagram 4 (B)

A trap to watch out for

A flexible bi s h o p move

The idea is to follow up with 7 f4, or 7 Be2 and 8 f4. An excellent feature of 6 Be3
and the plan behind it is that it can also be played against the Najdorf. In fact, if
Black plays 6 ... a6 we are immediately in Najdorf territory. However, I'm jumping
ahead! To start with, let's see what might happen if Black treats the position in the
style of the Classical with a quick . . . Nc6.

CJ

NOTE: In the games that follow, the move order has sometimes been
amended to fit your repertoire.

Modern Scheveni ngen

Game 1 7
D

L.Nisipeanu Z.Hracek

B u n d es l iga 2004

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4
Some wise guy might play 3 . . . Nf6 here. He wants to delay the capture on d4 in
order to avoid the line 3 ... cxd4 4 Qxd4!? Nc6 5 Bb5 B d7 6 Bxc6 Bxc6 7 c4 when
White has a pincer-like bind on d5. After 3 ... Nf6 4 Nc3 cxd4 the c2-c4 move is no
longer possible, so 5 Qxd4 is less effective.

60

S i ci l i a n Scheve n i n g e n
Well, you had no intention o f retaking on d4 with the queen anyway; s o you can
happily transpose to the 3 ... cxd4 main line after 3 . . . Nf6 4 Nc3 cxd4 5 Nxd4.

4 Nxd4 Nf6 S Nc3 e6 6 Be3 Be7

Instead 6 . . .Nc6 7 4 e5 is the subject of the next game, whilst lines with 6 . . . a6 or
7...a6, including the Classical Scheveningen, will be discussed in the Najdorf chap
ter.

7 f4 (Diagram 5)

Diagram s (B)

Diagram 6 (W)

White builds an e4/f4 centre

A d o ubl e -e dged th rust

A key move in White's opening system: he has been denied the chance to build a
centre with pawns on d4 and e4, so he goes for the second best, which is pawns on
e4 and f4.

7... Nc6 8 Be2

The move order in this game was actually 6 f4 Be7 7 Be2 Nc6 8 Be3.

8...Bd7
This bishop development works out none too well. Black could still transpose to
Najdorf lines with 8 ... 0-0 9 0-0 a6, when 10 a4 transposes to Game 19.

9 0-0
Another approach was 9 Nb3, which makes it harder for the bishop on d7 to get
into the game.

9...Nxd4 10 Qxd4 Bc6

The bishop has found an open diagonal, but at the cost of allowing the white
queen to take up a strong post in the centre.

11 fs (Diagram 6)
This pawn advance always has to be weighed up very carefully in the Sicilian. It is
61

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e 4 !
a n impressive attacking move, but i t reduces the flexibility o f the white centre
pawns - for example, the alternative advance e4-e5 supported by a pawn on f4
ceases to be an option - and it has left a big hole on e5. In fact, if Black were able to
get a knight to e5 it would dominate the centre. However, such is not the case in
this specific position. Meanwhile, the black e6-pawn is under pressure and can be
further attacked with Bc4. Therefore Hracek decides to block the centre.

11 ...es
Black's e-pawn is out of harm's way, but he now has a hole on d5.

12 Qd3 a6
Ideally, Black would like to break out with 12 ... d5, but White can continue 13 exd5
Nxd5 14 Nxd5 Qxd5 15 Qxd5 Bxd5 16 Bb5+! Bc6 1 7 Bxc6+ bxc6 18 Radl when
Black's queenside pawns are split and he can't even castle because of 19 Rd7.
Hracek's game move rules out Bb5+ in this sequence, which means . . . d6-d5 is
suddenly 'on'.

13 Bf3!
Nisipeanu guards the d5-square a fourth time. He mustn't hurry to start a king
side attack, as 13 g4? is answered by 13 ... d5! .

NOTE: If your opponent starts an attack on the wing, counter-attack

in the centre; so if you want to start an attack yourself on the wing,
make sure everything is under control in the centre.

13 ... bs 14 a 3
Another precaution, as otherwise 1 4. . .b 4 would drive the knight from its good
central post.

'

WARNING: You can't play good chess unless you are aware of what
the opponent is up to.

14...QbS 15 g4! (Diagram 7)

It is worth repeating that this wing attack is only viable because Nisipeanu has
restrained his opponent in the centre. It would be quite ridiculous for White to
uproot the pawns defending his king if Black could smash open the position with
. . . d6-d5.

15 ... h6 16 Bf2!
A useful preparatory move. If immediately 16 h4 then 16 ... Nd7!? (uncovering an
attack on h4) 17 Bf2 Qd8 is annoying. By waiting until Black castles before playing
h2-h4, Nisipeanu also sidesteps a possible counter-attack against his kingside
pawns with ... h7-h5.

..

16 .0-0 17 h4 Nh7 18 Kg2

Thanks to his 16th move, White can now answer 18 ... Qd8 with 19 Rhl .

62

S i ci l i a n S c h eve n i n g e n

18...a s
Black seeks counterplay against White's impending kingside attack b y advancing
his queenside pawns.

19 Nds Bxds 20 Qxds!

Nisipeanu keeps control. Instead 2 0 exd5 splits u p White's pawns, blocks the at
tack on d6, and allows Black to generate counterplay with . . . e5-e4. Indeed, he
might even play 20 . . . e4 21 Bxe4 Bf6.

20 ... b4 21 axb4 Qxb4 22 Qd3 !

Another precise move. It gets the queen out o f the range o f . . .Nf6, defends c2 di
rectly, and rules out 22 . . .Qxb2? because of 23 Rfbl winning the queen.

22 .. RfcS 23 b3 (Diagram 8)
.

Diagram 7 (B)

Diagram 8 (B)

Black can not play ... d6-d S

White switches to the queenside

So where is White's much heralded kingside attack? Wasn't he supposed to have

played g4-g5 by now?
Actually, the white kingside pawns are doing a great job in tying down the black
minor pieces: both the black bishop and knight are anxiously guarding the g5square, when they might instead have been engaged in activity in the centre or on
the queenside. Therefore, Nisipeanu has his sights set on the queenside. For ex
ample, he can build up against the a5-pawn with Ra4, Rfal and Bel. His minor
pieces have much more flexibility than their black opposite numbers, so why not
exploit it by starting an attack on the queenside?

23 ... Rc3
Hracek has no wish to wait until the a5-pawn drops off, and so stirs up a crisis.

24 Be1! Raes

63

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e 4 !
Black loses the exchange after 2 4... Rxd3 2 5 Bxb4 Rd4 26 Bc3.

2S Qe2! Bxh4
This is Black's idea: he wins the white queen after 26 Bxh4 Rxc2, whilst he has
lovely dark square control for the exchange after 27 Bxc3 Qxc3. But Nisipeanu has
prepared a clever refutation.

26 Ra4!! Qcs 27 Bxh4 Rxc2 28 Rc4! 1-0 (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 (B)

Diagram 10 (W)

A winn ing s kewer

B lack plays 7 . . .e s ! ?

White sets up a winning skewer and Black will lose too much material for the
queen. A possible finish is 28 ... Rxe2+ 29 Bxe2 Qa7 30 Rxc8+ Nf8 31 Rfcl Qe3 32
Rxf8+ Kxf8 33 Rc8 mate.

Black plays 7 e s l ?
...

Next up after 1 e4 c s 2 Nf3 d 6 3 d 4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 S Nc3 e6 6 Be3 we consider

6 Nc6 7 f4 es!? (Diagram 10).

..

Black radically changes the nature of the centre position. Remember what we said
about White being slightly vulnerable on the dark squares in the Sicilian? Well,
Black is prepared to 'waste' a tempo on first 5 . . . e6 and then 7 . . . e5 in order to re
move the f4-pawn. Then the e5-square becomes a hole in White's centre - he can
no longer attack it with a pawn. As we know holes are bad things, and if a black
knight gets to e5 then it would be almost impossible to dislodge. Furthermore, by
eliminating the f4-pawn Black removes the lever that might have supported a
white attack on the kingside (see for example the Nisipeanu game above). The 4pawn might also have been used to attack e6 with 4-5, or even to chase away the
black knight from f6 after a well prepared e4-e5.
64

S i ci l i a n S c h eve n i ng e n
All well and good so far for Black: but let's not forget that 7 . . .e 5 is leaving a hole
on d5 which a white knight can try to exploit. And do you also remember what
we said about White being strong on the light squares in the Sicilian? Further
more, the backward black pawn on d6 isn't a very pretty sight.
There follows a good example of how to play the position as White by Swedish
GM Emanuel Berg. The move order is of some importance, so we shall examine it
from the beginning:
Game 1 8

D E.Berg J.Cam pos Moreno

Soller 2006
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 Nc6
To repeat, our normal move order is 2 ... d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Be3
Nc6 7 f4.

3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e6 5 Nc3 d 6

Black's convoluted move order is favoured b y players who want to play the
Scheveningen, but don't want to face the Keres Attack that occurs after 2 . . . d6 3 d4
cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 g4 (we, of course, intend 6 Be3 here)
We shall return to this position in the future. Suffice to say here that 5 . . .Qc7 or
5. . . a6 would be the Taimanov Variation (see Chapter 7).

6 Be3 Nf6
If instead 6 ... e5? 7 Nb3 Nf6 8 Qd2 Be7 9 f3 a6 1 0 0-0-0 White is a tempo up on a
well-known position in the so-called English Attack, that arises after 2 ... d6 3 d4
cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be3 e5 7 Nb3 Be7 8 f3 0-0 9 Qd2, as Black has played
... e6-e5 in two moves; and besides, . . . Nc6 doesn't fit in well with Black's opening
scheme - he might have preferred ... Nbd7 and ...b7-b5. White's plan would be to
attack after 1 1 . . .0-0 1 2 g4 in the style of the Anand-Timman game above.

7 f4 eS!?
The challenging move discussed above. Black immediately confronts White's
space advantage.

8 Nf3!
A good decision. In view of the note to 6 ... Nf6 above, you might have thought that
8 Nb3 is an automatic choice. However, things have changed as White has already
moved his -pawn up the board - so the knight can go to f3 without blocking the
pawn's attack on the black centre. Therefore, it is sensible to retreat the knight to
t3 where it fights for control of e5 and is ready to join in any kingside attack.

8 Ng4
...

Black continues his policy of trying to disrupt his opponent's build-up.

65

S t a rt i n g O u t : 1 e 4 !

9 Qd2! (Diagram 11)

Diagram 11 (B)
White a l lows ... Nxe3

Diagram 12 (B)
Play ing for mate

Another decision that is based on an analysis of the specific features of the posi
tion. White's dark-squared bishop is often a key piece in the Sicilian, but Berg al
lows its exchange. He realizes that because his knight on c3 has a brilliant outpost
on d5, it is at least as valuable as Black's bishop on f8. Furthermore, by refusing to
be bullied into retreating his bishop, White gains a lot of time for development after all, you could say that Black is breaking a cardinal rule of development by
moving his knight three times in order to exchange it for the white bishop that has
only moved once.

9 ... Nxe3 10 Qxe3 exf4

Given the chance White would answer 1 0 ...Be7 with 1 1 f5!, when not only is the
bishop on c8 denied the e6-square, but the black knight is also kept out of e5.

11 Qxf4 Be7 12 0-0-0 0-0 13 Nd5 Be6 14 Kb1

Berg keeps control, whereas after the pawn grab 14 Nxe7+ Qxe7 15 Qxd6 Qf6
Black would have a strong counter-attack with ... Bxa2 or ... Rfd8 looming.

14 ... RcS 15 h4! (Diagram 12)

Again White isn't interested in grabbing pawns: he intends to play for mate.

15 ... Bxd5 16 exd5

Much better than 16 Rxd5. White opens the bl-h7 diagonal for his queen and
bishop to terrorize the black king.

16 ... Ne5 1 7 Nxe5 dxe5 18 Qe4!

Excellent! After 18 Qxe5 Bf6 19 Qe3 (to stop ... Qb6 attacking b2) 19 ... Re8 Black has
bags of play for the pawn. It is important for White to keep the initiative, rather
than grab pawns.
66

S i ci l i a n S c h eve n i n ge n

TIP: It has been said, with mild exaggeration, that when there are
opposite-coloured bishops, the player with the attack has an extra
piece.
18 ...Qd6
In contrast, 18 . . .f5 weakens Black's kingside and hands the e6-square over to the
white queen, when White would take the pawn: 19 Qxe5 Bf6 20 Qxf5!?, so that
20 ...Qb6 21 Qe6+ exchanges the queens.

19 g4
The pawns roll forwards. Instead 19 Bd3? is met with 19 . . . f5.

19 ...g6 20 gs!
Again if 20 h5 then 20 ... 5! counterattacks in the centre .

TIP: If you want an attack on the wing to succeed, first prevent a

counter-attack in the centre.
20... Rcs 21 c4 RfcS 22 a3 (Diagram 13)

Diagram 13 (B)
22 a3 - a clever idea

Diagram 14 (W)
The two q u ee ns shou ld win

A clever idea. White threatens to roll his queenside pawns forwards with 23 b4
R5c7 24 c5, followed by 25 d6, when the black pieces drown in the deluge of
pawns. Campos Moreno therefore prevents this with 22 ... a5, after which 23 b4?
axb4 24 axb4 Rxc4! 25 Bxc4 Qxb4+ followed by 26 ... Rxc4 crushes the white king.
However, once Black has played 22 . . . a5, he has lost the option of ... a7-a6 and ... b7b5 to attack the c4 point. Therefore Black's counterplay on the queenside is re
duced in power.

22 ... as 23 Rh2 a4 24 Rc2

67

St a rt i n g

O ut: 1

e4!

White can take a s many precautions as h e wants before embarking o n the attack
on the black king, as the bishop on e7 can do nothing active.

24 ... BfS
After 24 ...b5 25 Rdcl bxc4 26 Rxc4 White can renounce a kingside attack

in favour

of winning the weak pawn on a4.

25 Bd3 Bg7 26 Rfl R8c7 27 Rcf2

The growing pressure on the kingside persuades Black to lash out, but White will
acquire a strong passed pawn on the b-file and the c4-square for his bishop.

27 ... b5 28 cxb5 Rxd5 29 b6! Rd7 30 Bc4 Rdl+ 31 Rxd1 Qxdl+ 32 Ka2 Qd4 33 Qc6 e4
34 Bxf7+!
Just when it seems that Black is escaping the pressure, the hammer blow strikes.
But not 34 b7? Rxb7 35 Qxb7 Qxf2.

34 ... Rxf7 35 b7 Qxf2

Without the pawn on 7, 35 . . . Rxb7 36 Qe8+ Bf8 37 Qxf8 is mate.

36 b8Q+ Rf8 (Diagram 14)

White has two queens, but it is still far from simple, as Black has a rook, a bishop
and a passed pawn. Berg succeeds in co-ordinating his queens in a final attack on
the black king.

37 Qe6+ Kh8 38 Qb7 e3 39 Qee7 Rg8 40 Qb5

The queen stops the passed pawn from advancing.

40 ... Qd2 41 Qeb4 Rd8

If 41 .. .Qxb4 42 axb4! and White can advance his own passed pawn.

42 Q4xa4 e2 43 Qe8+ Bf8

Or 43 . . . Rxe8 44 Qxe8+ and mate next move.

44 Qe5+ 1-0
Black resigned as if 44 . . . Kg8 45 Qc4+ or 44 . . . Bg7 45 Qae8 and mate.

68

Cha pter Four

Sici l i a n N aj d o rf

B
-

I n t ro d u ction
B l a ck plays 6 ... e 6/C l a ssica l Sc h' g e n
Blac k plays 6 ... Ng4
B l a ck plays 6 ... e s

Sta rti n g O ut: 1

e4!

I ntrod uction
The opening moves are

1 e 4 c s 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 S Nc3 a6 (Diagram 1)

Diagram 1 (W)
The

Najdorf Variation

Diagram 2 (W)
Black sets up the mini-centre

In the Najdorf, Black lays out his game in flexible style: he doesn' t commit himself
to . . . Nc6 and maintains the option of either . . . e7-e6 or . . . e7-e5. His reasoning is im
peccable: the move . . . a7-a6 almost always proves useful at some point, so why not
play it straight away and see how White responds? The chess titans Bobby Fischer
and Garry Kasparov were both fond of the Najdorf as Black, so we have to treat it
with respect.
Our intention is to play in the same style as against the Scheveningen above with

6 Be3, followed if permitted by the moves Be2 and f2-f4. Black has three ways of
meeting it: with 6 . . .e5, 6 . . . Ng4 or 6 . . . e6.
At the time of writing (June 2006) two players have a claim to be World Chess
Champion: Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov. Michael Adams has used the
system recommended here to crush both of them - in fact, Topalov has been
beaten twice with it! Let's start by looking at one of Adams' wins.

Black plays 6 ... e6/Classica l Scheveni n gen

Game 1 9

D M.Adams V.Topalov
Wijk aan Zee 2006
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 S Nc3 a6 6 Be3 e6 (Diagram 2)
70

S i c i l i a n N aj d o rf
The most common move. Black sets up the mini-centre characteristic of the Sicil
ian and look for counterplay along the c-file.

7 Be2
Against the Scheveningen we have been playing 7 f4 immediately. However, since
here Black is in a position to expand on the queenside, I prefer to put the bishop
on e2 straight away, so that if 7 ...b5 8 Bf3 is awkward to meet: 8 . . .b4?! (or 8 . . . e5

Nb3 Bb7 1 0 a4 b4 11 Nd5 Nxd5 12 exd5 a5 - or else 13 a5 cuts off the defence of b4
- 13 Be2! intending 14 Bb5+ with some advantage to White)

9 e5! dxe5 10 Nb3! and

White will capture the rook on a8, with B lack gaining insufficient counterplay.
Besides, not being committed to f2-f4 allows us to try out Adams' interesting plan
against 7 . . . Nbd7 in the next note.
1 .. Be7

After 7 . . . Qc7 White can set up the standard e4/f4 centre, e.g. 8 a4 b6

9 f4 Bb7 10 Bf3

Nbd7 11 Qe2 etc.

A critical alternative is 7 . . . Nbd7!?, after which Adams has scored a fine victory
with 8 g4!?

(Diagram 3).

Diagram 3 (B)
White plays 8 g4! ?

Diagram 4 (B)
Avoiding tricks on the dark squares

This wing pawn advance is justified by the fact that Black can't play actively with
. . . Nc6 and . . . Nxd4 any longer; furthermore, with d7 blocked, the knight on f6 is

9 g5. Play might go 8 . . .h6 (or

9 3 and then Qd2, 0-0-0, g4-g5 etc.) 9 f4 g6 10 f5! (White concedes the e5square in order to further the assault along the -file) 11 . . . Ne5 l l h3 (White's king
deprived of its natural retreat square if attacked by

8 ... Nc5

side pawns may look shaky, but there is a thread of steel that runs through them)

l l . . .b5 12 a3 (necessary to stop 12 . . .b4) 12 . . . Qe7 13 Qd2 Bb7 14 fxe6 fxe6 15 0-0-0
Rc8 (after 15 . . . Nxe4 16 Nxe4 Bxe4 17 Rhc1 White has strong pressure for the pawn

71

S t a rt i n g O ut : 1

e4!

due t o the black king's uncertain future: h e cannot castle kingside, the queenside
would offer him little shelter, and the centre is becoming inhospitable) 16 Rhfl
Bg7 17 g5 hxg5 18 Bxg5 and White had strong pressure which he duly converted
into a win in M.Adams-V.Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 2005.

8 a4
This advance is a regular part of White's plan in the e4/f4 centre, as otherwise
Black's . . . b5-b4 might prove highly disruptive. However, if your intention is to
play something like f2-f3, g2-g4, Qd2 and 0-0-0, then don't play it! The pawn be
longs on a2 if you intend to castle queenside - or perhaps on a3 if Black has
played . . .b7-b5, as in the Adams game of the previous note.

..

'

WARNING: The moves a2-a4 a nd o-o-o simply don't mix for White in
these positions.

8 . Nc6 9 0-0 0-0 10 f4

Reaching a Classical Scheveningen position. Adams used this exact move order
against Kramnik in the game given in the notes to move 12 below, but against To
palov he actually preferred 6 Be2 e6 7 0-0 Be7 8 a4 Nc6 9 Be3 0-0 10 f4; while the
Classical Scheveningen move order would be 5 . . . e6 6 Be2 Nc6 7 0-0 Be7 8 f4 0-0 9
Be3 a6 10 a4.

10 ... Qc7 11 Kh1 (Diagram 4)

As always, White has to be alert for trouble on the dark squares. Tucking the king
in the comer avoids any tricks along the a7-gl diagonal.

11 ... ReS
Here is the sort of disaster that can befall Black if he is careless: 1 1 ... Bd7 12 Nb3
Na5? 13 e5! (White always hopes this pawn advance will deserve an exclamation
mark) 13 . . . dxe5 14 fxe5 Nd5 (the black knight is driven from the defence of the
king, as 14 . . . Qxe5? 15 Bf4 will cost the knight on a5, or the bishop on e7 after
15 . . . Qf5 16 Bd6) 15 Nxd5 exd5 16 Nxa5 Qxa5 17 Bd3 Qc7 18 Bd4 b5 19 Qh5 and
White had a strong attack in N .De Firmian-J.Wikstrom, Stockholm 2003.

12 Bf3
White strengthens the e4-square in anticipation of Black playing . . . Bf8, . . . e6-e5 and

..

then attacking the pawn with the rook after . . . e5xf4.

12 . BfS
Or 12 . . . Rb8 13 Qel e5 14 Nde2 exf4 15 Nxf4 Be6 (naturally Black is keen to stop 16
Nfd5, taking possession of the outpost square) 16 Bh5!? (a curious move designed
to regain his grip on d5 by exchanging off the knight on f6 - the threat is 17 Nxe6,
winning the exchange) 16 ... Nxh5 17 Nxh5 Qa5 1 8 Nf4 Bc4 19 Nd3 Qd8 20 b3 Bxd3
21 cxd3 Bf6 22 Rel with some advantage to White due to his more compact pawn
centre. He went on to win after Black was in too much of a hurry to escape the
pressure in M.Adams-V.Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2004.

72

S i c i I i a n N a j d o rf

13 Qd2 Na5 14 b3
It is necessary to prevent 14 . . . Nc4, but White's loosened queenside pawns might
raise some eyebrows, and Topalov certainly thought that he might be able to play
for the initiative on the queenside. Unfortunately for him, the attempt proves a
disaster.

14 ... RbS 15 Rad1

Adams improves the layout o f his pieces with the eventual aim o f advancing e4e5. He is also waiting to see if his opponent will overpress - a typical case of
'know thy opponent!', as the Bulgarian Grandmaster soon becomes overconfident

in his pursuit of active play.

NOTE: There are two ways of winning a game of chess: either you go
for your opponent's throat, or you give him a rope with which to
hang himself.

15 ... Nc6 (Diagram 5)

Diagram 5 (W)
What now for White?

Diagram 6 (B)
Brea king open the position

16 Bf2!
The bishop heads for g3, where it supports an e4-e5 advance and could embarrass
the black queen and rook on b8.
On chesspublishing.com, GM Kosten suggests that 16 e5 was worth a try, when
16 ... dxe5 17 Nxc6 bxc6 18 fxe5 Nd5 19 Bd4 plans Ne4 and Bh5.

16 ... Nd7 17 Bg3 Nxd4 18 Qxd4 b5 19 axb5 axb5 20 b4

The black b-pawn is stopped in its tracks and the black knight is denied c5.

20 ...g6?

73

Sta rti n g O u t : 1 e 4 !
Now 2 1 . . .Bg7 looks as if it will be awkward to meet, but Adams seizes his chance.
Perhaps Black should have played 20 . . . e5, even though it leaves a hole on d5.

21 es! ds
After 21 . . . dxe5 22 fxe5 White's rook has the open -file and the knight can enter the
fray via e4, followed by landing on d6 or f6 at the right moment. Topalov's at
tempt to keep the centre blocked will prove spectacularly unsuccessful.

22 fs! (Diagram 6) 22 ... gxfs 2 3 Nxds! Qc4

Black is ripped to shreds after 23 . . . exf5 24 e6, when if the hanging black queen,
knight, and rook on b8 weren't enough, Black also has to reckon with 25 exf7+
Kxf7 26 Bh5+.

24 Qd2 h6 25 h3!!
Garry Kasparov, one o f the spectators a t Wijk aan Zee, was very impressed b y this
simple move which rules out any defence based on . . . Qg4. It is all too easy to get
overexcited during an attack and spend all your time looking at 'explosive' ways
to finish the game, but sometimes it is a quiet, preventative move that proves to be
a killer.

25 ... exds 26 Bxds Qxb4 27 c3 Qcs 28 Rxfs

Now Black has to resort to desperate remedies to avoid immediate disaster on f7.

28 ...Re6 29 Rxf7! (Diagram 7)

Anyway!

Diagram 7 (B)

Diagram 8 (W)

Crashing through

Black plays 6 ... Ng4

29 ... Nb6
Black won't survive very long after 29 . . . Kxf7 30 Qf4+ Ke8 31 Bxe6 or 30 . . . Kg7 31
Bxe6, with mate looming in three and two moves respectively after 32 Qf7+.

74

S i c i l i a n N aj d o rf

30 Rdfa NxdS 31 Rxf8+ Qxf8 32 Rxf8+ Kxf8 33 QxdS

The dust has settled and White has a queen and two pawns for a rook and bishop.
This is too much, even for the reigning FIDE World Champion.

33 ... KeS 34 Bh4 Bd7 3S Bf6 b4 36 Qe4 Bes 37 cxb4 Rb7 38 Qg6+ Kd7 39 Qxh6 Kc7
40 Qf4 Kb8 41 h4 Rc7 42 hs 1-0

NOTE: Topalov was punished here for his over-optimism; but don't
forget that it was his determination to win every game, as White or
Black, that had made him the number one rated player in the world
at the time of this defeat. You will no doubt lose some games in try
ing to beat the Sicilian, some as horribly as Topalov; but as long as
you don't lose heart, you will be rewarded for your positive play
with a lot of wins.

Black plays 6

...

Ng4

So far we have seen what to do if Black sets up the mini-centre on d6/e6. However,
Black has important other options, including

6 ... Ng4 (Diagram 8). Black seeks to

I think White has good

disrupt White's build-up and fianchetto on g7, but

chances, as the following game illustrates.

Game 2 0

1.Cheparinov B.Bruned
Andorra la Vella 2004
D

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 s Nc3 a6 6 Be3 Ng4 7 BgS h6

Black has to keep harassing the bishop or else he will simply have lost time after
White kicks the knight back with Be2 or h2-h3.

8 Bh4 gS 9 Bg3 Bg7

The bishop is excellently placed here; but is this enough to compensate for all the
damage done to the black kingside pawn structure?

10 h3! (Diagram 9)
Now Black is faced with a difficult choice: should the knight go to e5 or 6?

10... Nf6
Instead 10 . . . NeS keeps the white bishop out of c4, but 1 1 3 gives White a pleasant
plus. The bishop can rejoin the central struggle on 2, when play becomes reminis
cent of the Dragon Variation, but with Black having loosened his kingside pawns.
1 1 ...Nbc6 12 Bf2 N g6! (Black's king does best to remain in the centre, as he is liable
to be mangled on g8, e.g. 12 . . . Be6 13 Qd2 Nxd4 14 Bxd4 Qa5 15 a3 0-0 16 h4! and

75

St a rt i n g O u t : 1

e4!

the Classical World Champion was quickly butchered in V.Akopian-V.Kramnik,

Wijk aan Zee 2004) 13 Qd2 Qa5 14 0-0-0 Be6 15 Kbl Rc8 16 Nd5! (frustrating
B lack's bid for counterplay by exchanging queens) 16 . . . Qxd2 17 Rxd2 Nxd4 18
Bxd4 Bxd4 19 Rxd4 Bd7 20 g3 Bc6 21 h4 and White had a small but persistent edge
in D.Gormally-J.Rowson, British Championship, Scarborough 2004.

11 Bc4!
A direct attacking move endorsed by Kasparov. Here 11 f3 is less attractive as
Black has the option of . . . Nh5 at some point, followed perhaps by bringing the
knight to f4.

11 ...Qb6
Black tries for immediate counterplay, since if he plays slowly then White will
quickly build up with 0-0 and f2-f4, or perhaps Qd2, 0-0-0 and h2-h4.

12 0-0 0-0
The e4-pawn is poisoned, though this didn't stop a Super GM trying to get away
with taking it: 12 . . . Nxe4? 13 Nxe4 Qxd4 14 Nxd6+! exd6 15 Qe2+ Be6 (White has a
crushing attack after say 15 . . . Kf8 16 Radl Qf6 17 Rxd6 Qe7 18 Qd2 Kg8 19 Rel etc.,
or 15 . . . Be5 16 Radl Qc5 17 Rd5 and e5 drops) 16 Bxe6 0-0 17 Radl Qf6 18 Bd5 Nc6
19 c3 and Black was left with a horrendous pawn structure in V.Ivanchuk
A.Shirov, Wijk aan Zee 2001 .

13 Nde2! Qxb2 14 Bb3 Qa 3 1 5 Kh1 Qas 16 f4 (Diagram 10)

Diagram 9 (B)
Where should

the

knight go?

Diagram 10 (B)
Black

has

no cou nte rplay

There is no immediate mate, but Black will be subject to relentless pressure on the
kingside. Even worse, he has no counterplay and so can only watch as his oppo
nent feeds pieces into the attack.

16 ... gxf4 17 Bxf4 Qhs

76

Sicil i a n

N aj d o rf

The black queen tries to beef up the defence, but she herself becomes a target.

18 Qd2 Nc6 19 Ng3 Qg6 20 Rael

The fact that White has managed to get both rooks engaged in the attack is a sure
sign that the pawn offer was sound . Black now makes a fruitless counter-attack
that leads to a quick finish.

20... Nhs 21 Nfs Bxfs 22 exfs Ng3+ 23 Bxg3 Qxg3 24 Ne4 Qh4 2s Rf4 QhS 26 Qf2!
(Diagram 11)

Diagram 11 (B)

Diagram 12 (W)

Threatening Rf4-h4

Black plays 6 ...es

Threatening to trap the black queen with 27 Rh4. You will notice that the bishop
sitting quietly on b3 is contributing to the attack in a big way, as it prevents . . . 76, which would not only provide an escape route for the black queen but also
block the dangerous 5-6 advance.

26 ... Bd4 27 Qg3+ Kh7 28 Rh4 Qxfs 29 NgS+ Kg7 30 Nxf7+ 1-0

Black plays 6 e s
...

We have already seen several games with the d6/e5 pawn structure. Black en
trenches himself on the dark squares, but leaves a familiar hole on d5. Let's see
how Anand, erstwhile FIDE World Champion, exploits his light square superior
ity to grind down a particularly doughty opponent.

Game 2 1

V.Ana nd P.Leko
Wijk aan Zee 2006
D

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 s Nc3 a6 6 Be3 es (Diagram 12) 7 Nf3!?

77

St a rt i n g O u t : 1

e4!

Instead 7 Nb3 leads t o a very complex and theoretical position after 7 . . . Be6 8 3
Be7 9 Qd2 0-0 10 0-0-0. Anand has no wish to see what new idea Leko has come
up with for Black and so prefers a more positional approach. We shall follow the
Indian Grandmaster's example.

7 Be7
..

Black could prevent the white bishop getting to c4, but White maintains a small
but definite advantage, e.g. 7 . . . Qc7 8 a4 Be7 9 Be2 0-0 10 0-0 Be6 (or 10 . . .b6 11 Qd3
Nbd7 12 Qc4!? Qxc4 13 Bxc4 and the bishop reaches c4 after all) 11 a5 h6 12 Nd5
Nxd5 13 exd5 Bf5 14 c4 and White can prepare an advance of his queenside pawns
with the aim of breaking through on c5 with b2-b4 and c4-c5.

8 Bc4
The bishop seizes its best diagonal where it consolidates White's hold over the d5square.

8 o-o 9 0-0 Be6

...

After 9 . . . Bg4 play might continue 10 a4 Nc6 11 h3 Bh5 12 g4 Bg6 13 Nd2 when the
black bishop is shut out of the game on g6. Black would have no useful pawn
breaks with which to put the loosened white kingside under pressure, as the ad
vances . . . d6-d5 and .. .7-5 are virtually impossible to achieve. In fact, Black would
have to watch out for his opponent encroaching even further on the kingside with
h3-h4 threatening to trap the bishop.

10 Bb3 Nc6 11 Bgs! (Diagram 1 3)

Diagram 13 (B)
White t h reate ns 12 Bxf6

Diagram 14 (W)
Black's central pawns are wea k

With the positional threat of 1 2 Bxf6, eliminating one o f the defenders o f d5, when
after 12 . . . Bxf6 Black's dark-squared bishop wouldn't be able to attack much in the
future. Therefore Leko prefers to keep the knight to fight for the d5-square.

78

S i c i l i a n N aj d o rf

11 ... Nd7 12 Bxe7 Qxe7 13 NdS Qd8 14 c3

White can use this pawn to guard d4; unfortunately for Black he cannot fight for
d5 in a similar way.

14 ... Nas 15 Rei Res 16 h3 Nb6

In a later game, Leko improved his play with 16 . . .bS which led to a quick draw
after 17 Nh2 Nc4 18 Bxc4 bxc4 19 b4! (to stop . . . Nc5 and . . . Nd3) 19 . . . cxb3 20 axb3
Bxd5 21 Qxd5 Rxc3 V2-V2 in P.Svidler-P.Leko, Morelia 2006. Actually, after 22 Rxa6
I think White still has some winning chances. If your opponent wants to learn all
this theory by heart just to end up in a position with zero winning chances - well,
good luck to him!

17 Nxb6 Qxb6
White has no choice but to make this capture, as his bishop was attacked three
ways. Nevertheless, as we shall see, the change in pawn structure isn't all good
news for Black.

18 Bxe6 fxe6 (Diagram 14)

So there is no longer a hole on d5, and the black rook has gained the open -file.
On the other hand, the backward pawn remains on d6 and the e6-pawn will also
prove vulnerable

19 Re2 Rc6 20 Qd3 Qc7 21 Rdl NC4 22 b3 Nb6 2 3 C4

Anand prevents any bid for freedom with . . . d6-d5.

23 ... Nc8 24 Red2 h6 25 Qe2 Kh7 26 h4!

A fine preventative move. Anand puts a pawn on h5 before Black has the chance
to manoeuvre his knight via e7 and g6 to f4, when things would suddenly get
grisly for the white king.

26 ... Qb6 27 hS Qcs 28 Ne1!

Having obstructed the black knight, Anand now utilizes his own horse to help
smash up the enemy centre.

28 ... Rc7
Black can't stop White's breakthrough on c5, as if 28 . . . b6 29 Nd3 Qa3 30 Qg4 Rf6
31 c5! bxc5 32 Nxe5! dxe5? (better to be a pawn down for nothing with 32 . . . Rc7 33
Nc4 Qb4 34 Nxd6) 33 Rd7 and there is no good way to stop mate on g7.

29 Nd3 Qc6 30 cs! (Diagram 15)

A decisive breach in the black centre.

30 ... Ne7 31 Qg4 Rf6 32 b4!

Providing the knight with a square on c5, so that 33 cxd6 Qxd6 34 Nc5 followed
by infiltrating with the rooks down the d-file is looming. Leko elects to give up a
pawn in a bid for counterplay, but it all falls apart.

32 ... ds 3 3 Nxes Qa4 34 Qg3 Rc8 35 Ng4 Rf7 36 Qd6

79

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1

e4!

Now the threat of 3 7 Ne5, driving the black rook from the defence o f e7, forces the
creation of a passed pawn.

36 ... RcfS 37 Qxe6 Qxb4 38 exds Qxcs 39 d6

Despite Leko's stubborn defence, the pawn will prove unstoppable.

39 ... Nc6 40 d7 NdS 41 Qe4+ Qfs 42 Re2 Qxe4 43 Rxe4 bs 44 f3 as 45 Nes Rf6 46
Ng6 Rg8 47 Re8 Rf7 48 RdS b4 49 Ne7 1-0
A possible finish is 49 ...Rgf8 50 Re5 a4 51 Ng6 Rg8 52 Rxg8 Kxg8 53 Re8+ Kh7 54
Rh8 mate.

Diagram 15 (B)
B reaching the b lack centre

80

Cha pter Five

Sici l i a n D ra go n

B
B

I nt rod u ction
Accelerated D ra gon, ' D ra godorf' a nd
9

Nxd4

Black p l ays 9

...

Bd7

Black p lays 9

...

d5

Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!

I nt roduction
This celebrated defence begins

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6 3 d 4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 S Nc3 g6

(Diagram 1)

Diagram 1 (W)
The Dragon Variation

Diagram 2 (B)
Base camp for White's assault

We should meet the Dragon headlong with direct attacking play that pays no re
gard to reputation. With this in mind, the best recipe is to castle queenside and
rampage on the kingside. Diagram 2 shows the basic set-up we are aiming for as
White. It is reached after the further moves

6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 Nc6 8 Qd2 0-0 9 0-0-0

White has developed his pieces in a solid formation in the centre, with the knight
on d4 protected no less than three times. And quite rightly so, as it is the bulwark
against Black's famous 'Dragon bishop' on g7. There are no holes in White's pawn
structure and his king is safe; still, he might take a time out to play Kbl, which
removes his king from the semi-open c-file and protects the a2-pawn a second
time.
White's plan, against zero resistance, is to use his h-pawn and g-pawn to prise
open the h-file and give mate. This could involve moves such as g2-g4, h2-h4 and
h4-h5, then h5xg6, when we assume Black recaptures .. . f7xg6, and then Bh6, Bxg7,
answered by . . .Kxg7, Qh6+, NdS, Nxf6+ and Qxh7+.
This is, of course, easier said than done. For example, as soon as White plays Bh6,
he is weakening his protection of the knight on d4, which might give Black the
chance for a counterblow in the centre. And what of Black's counterplay on the
queenside based on either . . . Rc8, . . . QaS or a queenside pawn advance - or perhaps
all three ideas at once? Furthermore, Black might prise open the centre with . . . d6d5.

82

S i c i l i a n D ra g o n
S o things are by no means simple for White, which explains why a lot o f players
find the Dragon attractive as Black. N evertheless, if White does play precisely, he
has greater winning chances than against

an

opening like the Sicilian Taimanov or

Caro-Kann.
After 9 0-0-0 we shall consider three responses for Black. Against other moves you
can just get on with the business of mating the black king with g2-g4 and h2-h4
etc. In fact, if Black plays too passively, you might be able to dispense with the
preliminary g2-g4 move and play a fast h2-h4-h5 as a sacrifice. Then if . . . Nf6xh5 in
reply, g2-g4 kicks the knight back to f6, when Bh6 etc. should force a quick deci
sion on the h-file.
As will be seen, a kingside pawn storm is a fundamental part of White's strategy.
Black is often willing to make concessions elsewhere to buy off the attack. For ex
ample, he might aim to break in the centre with . . . d6-d5, or give up the exchange
with . . . Rc8 and then . . . Rxc3. In that case he is willing to play an endgame the ex
change down, trusting in his compact pawn formation to see him through.

Accelerated D ragon, 'Dragodorf' a nd 9

...

Nxd4

Game 22

Ki.Georgiev C. Ward
G i bra lta r 2005
D

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6
A hybrid variation o f the Dragon i s the Accelerated D ragon: 2 . . . Nc6 3 d 4 cxd4 4
Nxd4 g6

(Diagram 3)

Diagram 3 (W)

Diagram 4 (W)

The Accelerated Dragon

A 'Dragodorf' set-u p
83

St a rt i n g O u t : 1

e4!

Black has been sneaky i n delaying . . . d7-d6, a s h e hopes that h e c an play . . . d7-d5 in
one go. So we'll spoil his day with 5 c4!, clamping down on the d5-square. This
type of pawn centre is known as the Maroczy Bind, and will be discussed further
in the section on the Kan Variation (but without . . . Bg7). Here is a good way to
handle it after 5 . . . Bg7: 6 Be3 Nf6 (6 . . . Ng4 7 Qxg4 Nxd4 8 Qdl ! e5?! 9 Nb5! is
known to be good for White) 7 Nc3 0-0 8 Be2 d6 9 0-0 Nxd4 1 0 Bxd4 Bd7 1 1 Qd2
Bc6 12 f3 a5 13 Rahl! (preparing to push back the knight with an eventual b3-b4)
13 . . . Nd7 14 Bf2! (an instructive move; White keeps his dark-squared bishop to
fight on the queenside) 14 . . .Nc5 15 b3 (not 15 a3? a4! when White's queenside
pawns are crippled) 15 . . . Qb8 16 Rfcl Rc8 17 Rc2 Rc7 1 8 Bfl h5 19 a3 b6 20 b4 axb4
21 axb4 Nd7 22 Nd5 Bxd5 23 cxd5 and White had a space advantage and the
bishop pair in A.Volokitin-M.Leon Hoyos, Cuernavaca 2006.

3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7

Instead, 6 . . . Ng4?, trying to disrupt White's build-up, is a howler after 7 Bb5+ when
7 . . . Bd7 8 Qxg4! costs Black a piece.
Black has also tried 6 . . . a6

(Diagram 4) which combines the Dragon with the Na

jdorf to create a 'Dragodorf' . Here is an interesting response by White: 7 f3 Nbd7 8

Qd2 Bg7 9 g4 b5 10 g5!? (taking advantage of the fact that the black knight on f6 is
blocked from retreating to d7) 10 ... NhS 11 a4!? (as the black knight is shut out of
the game on h5, White decides that he can play actively on both sides of the
board) l l ...bxa4 12 Rxa4 Bb7 13 Nb3 0-0 14 Be2 f5 (how else to get counterplay?)
15 Na5 Qc7 1 6 Nxb7 Qxb7 1 7 Qd5+ Qxd5 18 Nxd5 and White won the endgame
thanks to the hapless knight on h5 in M.Al Modiahki-S.Williams, Amsterdam
2005.

7 f3
Now, however, it is worth White investing a move to prevent ... Ng4. The pawn on
f3 also supports a future g2-g4 advance.

7 ... Nc6 8 Qd2 o-o 9 o-o-o Nxd4

Black decides to exchange on d4 straight away. If immediately 9 . . . Be6, then you
could try 10 Nxe6 fxe6 1 1 g3 intending 12 Bh3, but this isn't that clear. The move
that would annoy your opponent is 10 Kbl in reply, when Black has nothing bet
ter than 10 . . . Nxd4 11 Bxd4, transposing to the main line.

10 Bxd4
Respect for Black's light-squared bishop is paramount. Instead 10 Qxd4 puts the
white queen's head in the lion's (Dragon's?) mouth, after which 10 . . . Ng4 1 1 Qd3
Nxe3 12 Qxe3 would be a brilliant exchange for Black: he has eliminated White's
dark-squared bishop, leaving the bishop on g7 without its natural enemy.

0
84

NOTE: White wants to exchange his dark-squared bishop for the

bishop on g7: an exchange for a knight is hard ly ever acceptable.

S i c i l i a n D r a go n

10 ... Be6 11 Kb1! (Diagram 5)

Diagram 5 (B)
Preventing 11...Qa s

Diagram 6 (B)
The e-pawn is backward

A useful precaution. It not only safeguards a2, but also removes the white king
from potential danger on the c-file and, as will be seen, vacates the cl -square for
the rook. It also has a specific idea in mind, namely:
Black's favourite attacking move is . . . Qa5, and that is what would follow after say
11 g4 QaS when 12 NdS? Qxa2 is abysmal for White. However, after the game
move, 11 Kbl QaS 12 NdS! wins a pawn upon 12 . . . Qxd2 13 Nxe7+ Kh8 14 Rxd2 or
else Black's pawns are smashed up after 12 . . . Qd8 13 Nxf6+.

TIP: Always try to prevent your opponent playing his favourite

moves.
11 . Qc7
..

Confounded in her intention of going to aS, the black queen has to make do with
c7, where at least she clears the way for the rook on 8 to reach the half-open c-file.

12 NdS!?
A t first glance this looks like a blunder, but the pawn o n d 5 will b e indirectly de
fended by the white queen.

12 ... Bxds
After 12 . . . NxdS 13 Bxg7 Kxg7 14 exd5 Bd7 15 h4 the black kingside lacks its de
fender on g7, so the white attack can just roll forwards.

13 exds (Diagram 6)
White has eliminated the bishop on e6, which means that there is no longer an
attack on a2. He has also opened the e-file and created a potential target at e7.

85

Sta rt i n g 0 ut: 1 e 4 !

13 ... RfcS
If 13 . . . NxdS?? then 14 Bxg7 uncovers an attack on the knight and wins a piece.
Putting the other rook on c8 is more subtle: 13 . . .Rac8 14 Rel a6 (Black waits until
White plays his next move before playing . . . e7-e6, as he hopes that the f3-pawn
will then become a target for the rook on f8) 15 g4 e6 (Black activates his centre in
search of counterplay) 16 dxe6 fxe6 17 h4 Qc6 1 8 Bg2 Qc4 1 9 Rhel e5 20 Bgl Rcd8.
So far this is D.Vasiesiu-V.Jianu, Rumanian Championship 2001, and now 21 hS!
gxh5 22 g5 NdS (if 22 . . . Ne8 23 Re4 Qc7 24 Rh4 intending Rxh5 etc.) 23 Re4! Qc6 24
f4 looks highly dangerous for Black in view of the potential attack on the black
queen from the bishop on g2.

14 Rel
For the moment White has to tread carefully. He overprotects the c2-square and
prepares as necessary to advance c2-c4 to safeguard the d5-pawn.

14... as
O r 14 . . .a 6 15 g4 b 5 16 g 5 Nh5 17 Bh3 Bxd4 18 Bxc8 BeS (Black will regain the ex
change) 19 Bg4 Bf4 20 Qd4 Bxcl 21 Rxcl Ng7 22 c4 bxc4 23 Qxc4 and White had a
big edge in the endgame in E . Van Haastert-T.Lammens, Ghent 2005.

15 BbS!
The bishop manually blocks any pawn sacrifice with . . . b7-b5. I t also makes the e7pawn less secure by preventing . . . Re8.

15 ... a4 16 c4!
Georgiev' s queenside is now a solid wall that bars any approach by the black
pieces towards his king.

16 ... Nd7 17 Bxg7 Kxg7 18 h4! (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 (B)
White begins his attack

86

Diagram 8 (B)
Bri l l iant and decisive

S i c i l i a n D ra g o n
Just the way we like it: Black's attack has come to a dead end o n the queenside
and we can push all our pawns at the black king, who has lost the chief defender
of his dark squares.

18 ...f6 19 g4 Ncs 20 f4 Rg8 21 Reel Raf8 2 2 hS gs 23 fxgs fxgs 24 h6+

Even stronger than taking on gS.

24... Kh8 2S Qd4+ Rf6 26 Rhf1 Qd8

The peril of the black king is shown by the variation 26 . . . Rgf8 27 Rxf6 exf6 28
Qxf6+! ! Rxf6 29 Re8+ and mate next move.

27 Rxe7 Qxe7 28 Qxf6+ Qxf6 29 Rxf6 Rg6 30 Rxg6 hxg6

So Black won't be mated, but the endgame is lost for him as the bishop is superior
to the knight, and the black king is too far away to prevent White staging a break
through on the queenside, where he already has a 4-3 pawn majority and the a4pawn is a ready target.

31 Kc2 Kh7 32 Kc3 b6 33 Kb4 Nd3+ 34 Ka3 NeS 3S cs!! (Diagram 8)

A brilliant move that not only creates a passed pawn for White, but also prevents
Black from acquiring one by winning time for the bishop to defend g4.

3S ... bxcs
If 35 . . . dxcS 36 d6 when Black has no time to take on g4.

36 Be2 Kxh6 37 Kxa4 Kg7 38 Kbs

Now the passed a-pawn rolls through.

38 ... Kf6 39 a4 Ke7 40 Kb6 Kd8 41 Kb7 c4 42 as Nd3 43 b4! 1-0

An elegant finishing touch. The defence . . . Nc5+ is ruled out, and taking en passant
will cost Black the knight.

Black plays 9 Bd 7
...

Game 23

D N.De Firmian C.Bleis

Copen hage n 2005
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 S Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 o-o 8 Qd2 Nc6 9
o-o-o Bd7 (Diagram 9)
Black utilizes his queenside pieces as rapidly as possible with a view to exploiting
the open c-file.

10 g4 Nes 11 Kb1 Rc8

After 1 1 . . .bS 12 Ncxb5!? is possible, or else he can ignore the pawn offer: 12 h4 b4

87

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1

e4!

13 Nd5 Nxd5 14 exd5 Qa5 15 Nb3! ? Qc7 16 Be2 a5 1 7 h5 a4 18 Nd4 a3?! 1 9 b 3 and
the white attack will get in first.

12 h4 Qas
If 12 . . . h5 White can press onwards with 13 g5 Ne8 14 4 Ng4 15 Bgl .

13 Be2
Instead 13 h5 lets Black unleash some heavy sacrifices: 13 . . . Nxf3 ! ? 14 Nxf3 Rxc3 15
Qxc3 Qxc3 1 6 bxc3 Bxg4 17 Bg2 Nxe4. Black has three pawns for a rook and the
threat of a big fork on c3. Enough material? Who knows, but Black is clearly hav
ing all the fun! Instead we want to mate him without any fuss: hence the simple
bishop development, which takes the sting out of any sacrifice.

13 ... Be6
Now White had better be on his guard against the idea of l 4 ... Rxc3! 15 Qxc3
Qxa2+. In at least 95% of cases this type of exchange sacrifice, with a2 dropping
whilst the queens remain on the board, proves excellent for Black.

14 Nb3! (Diagram 10)

Diagram 9 (W)
Black plays 9 .. Bd7
.

Diagram 10 (B)
Restra i n ing Black's counterplay

The subtlety of a top Grandmaster. Most of us would have broken up the black
kingside with 14 Nxe6 fxe6 15 h5 etc. or perhaps been tempted into an adventure
with 14 Nd5; but despite his aggressive intentions, De Firmian is for the moment
willing to play quietly, and restrain any possible counter-attack.

NOTE: This game ends with a flurry of pretty sacrifices, but don't be
deluded into thinking that's a ll it takes to win a game of chess.
Without the preliminary consolidating phase there would not have
been any fireworks.

88

S i ci l i a n D r a g o n

14... Qc7
After 14 . . . Bxb3 15 cxb3! not only is the white king safe inside a shell-like mass of
pawns, but also he no longer has any worries about a black knight landing on c4,
the weakest square on his queenside.

15 h5
This i s just the way w e want i t when we play against the Dragon: our own king i s
perfectly safe and w e are pushing the h-pawn a t the black king. I t is worth learn
ing a little theory rather than making do with 2 c3!

15 ... b5
A rather despairing bid for counterplay on the queenside .

16 Nxb5
The fact that White is now a pawn up is entirely irrelevant. What matters is that
his opponent is deprived of a lever to disturb the white queenside with . . . b5-b4.

16 ... Qb7 17 N5d4 Bc4 18 NaS!

Again White takes preventive measures rather than allow Black a glimmer of ac
tivity with 18 . . . Bxe2 and 19 . . . Nc4.

18 ... Qa6 19 Nxc4 Nxc4 20 Bxc4 Rxc4 21 hxg6 hxg6 22 c3 Rb8 (Diagram 11)

Diagram 11 (W)
White is ready to attack

Diagram 12 (B)
Piling in down the h-file

23 Bh6
Only now! White finally carries out the strategic thrust he has been aiming for
since move eight when he put his queen on d2.

23 ... BhS
It looks as if the h-file is going to remain blocked, but. ..

89

Sta rti n g O u t: 1

e4!

24 Bf8!
A common trick in this type of position. The h6-square is vacated for the white
queen, whilst at the same time depriving Black of the defensive resource . . . Bg7, as
if 24 . . . Bg7 25 Bxg7 Kxg7 26 Qh6+ and mate next move.

24... Rxfs
If 24 . . . Kxf8 25 Rxh8+ Ng8 26 Qh6+ and Black will soon be a knight and rook down.

25 Rxh8+!
Black's bishop is so precious that its elimination is well worth a rook.

2s ... Kxh8 26 Qh6+ Kg8 27 Rh1 (Diagram 12) 21 ... Nhs

The only way to prevent mate o n h8.

28 Rxhs! gxhs 29 Nfs hxg4 30 Nxe7 mate

B lack plays 9 d 5
...

Game 24
D M.Adams S.Rocha
French League 2005

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 S Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 o-o 8 Qd2 Nc6 9
o-o-o ds (Diagram 13)

Diagram 13 (W)
Black plays 9 ... ds

Diagram 14 (W)
Should White take the rook?

Black seeks counterplay in the centre; he has no wish to be mown down by a king
side attack as in the games above.

go

S i c i l i a n D ragon

10 exds Nxds 11 Nxc6

The correct capture. It would be quite silly to play 11 Nxd5, as after 1 1 .. .QxdS the
black queen is nicely centralized and a2 is already hanging.

11 ...bxc6 12 Bd4
You might think it a little odd, but White is actually keen to provoke ... e7-e5, as
then the bishop on g7 is shut in.

12 ...es
White has some edge after 12 ... Bxd4 13 Qxd4 Qc7 14 B c4 Nb6 15 Be2 etc. Another
line is 12 . . . Nxc3 13 Qxc3 Bh6+ 14 Be3 (definitely not 14 Kbl?? e5!) 14 . . . Bxe3+ 15
Qxe3 Qb6 16 Qxe7 Be6 17 Qa3 and White has good chances to consolidate his ex
tra pawn.

13 Bes
The bishop finds a safe niche in the black pawn structure and attacks the rook,
but. . .

13 ... Be6! (Diagram 14) 14 Ne4!

No doubt you are wondering why we don't just snaffle the exchange with 14 Bxf8.
Once again, we need to recall the words from the introduction to the chapter: due
to the exchange of his d4-pawn, White is slightly weak on the dark squares in the
Sicilian. This weakness has been exacerbated by Black putting his bishop on g7,
and also by the fact that White has castled queenside, which makes the al-h8 di
agonal of greater strategic significance. If White played 14 Bxf8, he would be giv
ing up the chief defender of his dark squares. Can he afford to be without the
bishop, given the circumstances? After 14 . . . Qxf8, leaving aside the shot 15 . . . Bh6
winning the white queen, there is the savage positional threat of an attack on b2
from the front with moves like . . . Rb8 and . . . Qb4, combined with pressure along
the diagonal after .. .Nxc3 and . . . e5-e4, or even . . . e5-e4 without the exchange on c3 .
Hence White should avoid taking on f8, at least for the time being. Putting the
knight on e4 is an astute decision, as it rules out . . . Nxc3 and blocks the . . . e5-e4 ad
vance. Of course, Black could try evicting the knight with 14 .. .f5, but this can be
answered by 15 Ng5, hitting the bishop on e6.

14... ReS
So White gets no second chance to grab the exchange.

15 h4
Hoping for a typical Dragon wipe-out down the h-file after 16 h5 etc.

1s ... h6!
Black prepares to block the kingside pawn structure. He also rules out Ng5, so
that 16 . . .f5 becomes an option.

16 g4 Qc7

91

S t a rt i n g O u t: 1 e4!
After 1 6 . . . f5? 17 gxf5 gxf5 18 Nd6 Black would b e i n big trouble; for example
18 ... Bf8? 19 Rgl + Kh7 20 Nxe8 Bxc5?, when a white rook and knight are hanging
and there is a threat of 2 1 . . .Be3, but 21 Rg7+ Kh8 22 Qxh6 is mate.

11 gs!
White acquiesces in the kingside pawns becoming fixed, even though this rules
out a pawn storm. In return he secures his knight against 17 . . .f5, as 18 gxf6 would
follow. This means that e4 can be considered an outpost - a fine station in the cen
tre for the knight. At the same time, Black's bishop on g7 has been enfeebled as,
unless White suffers a positional mishap, it is more or less permanently shut in
behind the e5-pawn.
Such a situation is very much likely to get on the nerves of a Dragon player, who
was no doubt looking forward to achieving an active game.

11 ... hs 18 Bc4 Reds

Nevertheless, we shouldn't exaggerate Black's misfortunes. He doesn't have to
fear a kingside pawn onslaught, he is solidly placed in the centre and if he is
lucky, there is always the b-file . . .

19 Qf2 as 20 a4!! (Diagram 1 S)

Diagram 1S (B)
Blocking Black's a-pawn

Diagram 16 (B)
Keeping up the press u re

This is the sort of move that might well elude a player inexperienced with facing
the Dragon. After all, in the section on the Najdorf it is categorically stated: the
moves a2-a4 and 0-0-0 don't mix for White. That sort of talk might put you off
playing a2-a4 forever!
Things will be easier to understand if we consider two plausible moves that White
didn't play: 20 Kbl and 20 a3.
Why he doesn't play 20 Kbl: Black can advance with . . .a4-a3, when if White re-

92

S i ci l i a n D r a g o n
sponds b2-b3, the black pawn on a3 would b e a thorn in his king's side. A n ugly
hole also appears on c3, which is almost asking for a deadly knight fork!
Why he doesn't play 20 a3: White wants to solidify his defences along the b-file
with b2-b3. For this purpose, he wants his rook's pawn on a4, not a3, so that b3
can't be undermined with . . . a5-a4.
Remember that the black bishop is entombed on g7. If it enjoyed an open diagonal
aiming at b2, then White's plan of 20 a4 and 22 b3 that follows would be suicidal.
As a more positive consideration for White, by fixing the black pawn on a5, he
makes it a possible target in the endgame.

20 ... Qb7 21 Rhe1 Rab8 22 b3 Qc7 23 Rd2

Adams prepares to double his rooks along the only open file and then probe for
weaknesses.

23 ... RaS 24 Qg1 Kh8 25 Red1 Rac8 26 Kb1 Rb8 27 Rd3 Rb7 28 Qe1
The first step in a plan that is psychologically speaking difficult to meet. Adams
intends to redeploy his bishop to b2 and create latent threats against the e5-pawn.

28 ... RaS 29 Bd6 Qd8 30 Ba3

With the threat of 31 Nc5, when 3 1 . ..Rbb8 32 Nxe6 fxe6 leaves Black's pawns shat
tered.

30 ... RbbS 3 1 Bb2 Qe7 3 2 R3d2 (Diagram 16)

Now Black always has to reckon with the rook sliding to e2, when the discomfort
of the e5-pawn will increase: after all, if the knight moves from e4 it would be at
tacked three times.

32 ... Nc3+?
Rocha is unnerved by the nagging threat to e5 and so plunges into active play that
merely dismantles his blockade in the centre. He should have waited calmly with
32 . . .Rb7, when Adams would still have to find a way to break through, as 33 Re2?
fails to 33 . . . Nf4.

NOTE: Adams wasn't lucky: he kept his opponent under unremitting

pressure until he cracked. We should try to emulate this strategy,
especially against Dragon players who are usually unhappy at having to defend passively.

33 Bxc3 Bxc4 34 Rd7

The lock gate has been opened, and the white pieces flood through.

34 ...QfS 3 5 Nd6 Be6 36 Rc7 cs

There was no good way to defend e5.

37 Bxes c4 3 8 Nxc4 Bfs 39 Qc3 1-0

93

C h a pte r Six

Sici l ia n Sves h n i kov

(a n d Ka las h n i kov)
R
g

I nt rod u ction
Svesh ni kov Va riation
Ka lash n i kov Va riation

S i c i l i a n Sve s h n i kov (a n d Ka l a s h n i kov)

Introd uction
Here Black begins

1 e4 c s 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d 4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 S Nc3 e s (Diagram 1)

Diagram 1 (W)
The

Sveshnikov Variation

Diagram 2 (B)
Position after 11 c3

The Sveshnikov Variation is immensely popular for Black at the highest levels,
with its most dedicated practitioners being the Hungarian Peter Leko and the
Dutchman Loek Van Wely. It has also played a useful role in the repertoires of
players such as Topalov, Shirov, Kramnik, lvanchuk and Radjabov. With all these
great names injecting ideas into the line as Black, we will obviously have to play
with considerable care and energy if we are going to gain an advantage. For this
reason we shall look very deeply into a couple of variations. The good news is
that, compared to other Sicilian lines, there are relatively few offshoots from the
main line to worry about; play tends to be of a forcing nature.
Our desired position is reached after the further moves

6 NdbS d 6 7 BgS a6 8 Na3

bs 9 NdS Be7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 c3 (Diagram 2). White has taken advantage o f
Black's 5 . . . e 5 b y putting his knight o n the d5-square, where i t is splendidly
centralized and can never be driven away by an enemy pawn. This has the further
consequence that the . . . d6-d5 pawn break, which is one of Black's main ideas in
the Sicilian, is for the moment impossible. With things quiet in the centre, White
can continue Nc2 and then a2-a4, to put pressure on the black queenside pawns.
With luck, the outcome of this plan will be that, after . . . b5xa4 and the recapture
Rxa4, Black will be left with a weak pawn on a6 which will drop off the board; or
if Black holds on to the pawn by playing . . .b5xa4 and then advancing . . . a6-a5,
White has the opportunity to create a passed pawn by preparing the advance b2b4.
This is White's standard plan for advantage, and not surprisingly players of Black

95

Sta rt i n g 0 ut: 1

e4!

have developed ways to contain its power. Nevertheless, i t remains effective even
at the highest level, as Leko and Anand will demonstrate in the illustrative games.

The Svesh nikov Va riation

First o f all, let's return to move five and trace the reasoning behind the moves that
lead up to the diagram position above.

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 s Nc3 es

Throughout our discussion of the Sicilian, a recurring theme has been White's
slight fragility on the dark squares which has been caused by the exchange
3 . . . cxd4 4 Nxd4. With 5 . . . e5 Black tries to profit from this by occupying one central
dark square with a pawn thereby gaining influence over two others: d4 and f4.
This is all the more attractive as it comes with gain of tempo by hitting the white
knight, which is dislodged from its excellent central post. On the downside, Black
is allowing White greater control over the light squares: not only is there a hole on
d5, but White might attack f7 with a future Bc4.

6 Ndbs! (Diagram 3)

Diagram 3 (B)
White threatens 7 N d6+

Diagram 4 (B)
The knight takes u p its post

Only thus. If he is to avoid a worse game White needs to discomfort Black with
the threat of 7 Nd6+, acquiring the two bishops. If instead 6 Nf3?! Bb4 and Black is
already threatening the e4-pawn, to say nothing of . . . d7-d5! which would free his
position. Sometimes 6 Nf5 is seen, as this at least has the check on d6 in mind, but
then 6 ... d5 should equalize for Black - the knight on 5 will be hanging if White
takes with the pawn on d5.

6 ... d6!
96

S i c i l i a n Sve s h n i ko v ( a n d Ka l a s h n i kov)
This pawn move not only prevents the check on d6, but also fits in well with
Black's philosophy of dark square control .

7 BgS!
White keeps up the initiative. He threatens to gain control of d5 in great style with
8 Bxf6 gxf6 (forced) 9 Nd5 and a knight check on c7 will be gruesome for Black.

1 ... a6
Black therefore has to challenge the knight straight away.

8 Na3 bs
A good decision despite the loosening of Black's queenside pawn structure, as the
pawn seriously impedes the co-ordination of the white pieces by taking away

the

c4-square from the white bishop and knight.

Instead 8 . . . Be6 is sometimes played, just developing, but then the knight can seize
the chance to escape from its prison on a3 with 9 Nc4!; for example 9 . . . Rc8 10 Nd5
Bxd5 11 Bxf6 ! gxf6 12 Qxd5 (note this sequence of moves) and White has good
chances.

9 NdS (Diagram 4)
Avoiding the fork on b4. So one of our knights reaches a great square; but it will
take a lot of effort to get the other one working even half as efficiently.
A sharper and very common alternative is 9 Bxf6 gxf6, which would dislocate the
black kingside but allow him to use the doubled f-pawns to undermine e4 in two
waves: with a basic plan of . . .f6-f5, . . .f5xe4 and then . . . f7-f5. Black might also be
able to attack g2 with . . . Rg8. Our chosen move keeps everything under control,
and also avoids

the bags of theory

our opponent has learnt after 9 Bxf6.

9. Be7
..

Alternatively 9 . . Qa5+ breaks the pin on f6, but it rather lacks ambition as after 10
.

Bd2 Qd8 White could of course put his bishop back on g5, repeating the position.
But we want to win, so let's try 11 Bd3 (a sharp alternative is 11 c4!?). Then
1 1 . . .Nxd5 12 exd5 Ne7 13 c4! g6 14 cxb5 Bg7 15 0-0 was played in V.lvanchuk-Ni
Hua, Moscow 2005, when Black's collapsing queenside yielded White a passed
pawn that proved more significant than the weakness of the d5-pawn.

10 Bxf6
Sometimes the bishops are servants of the knights. It is necessary to hand over the
dark-squared bishop to secure the d5 outpost. Black would already be thinking
about getting the advantage after 10 Nxf6+? Bxf6 1 1 Bxf6 Qxf6, as White has noth
ing to show for his development but the lame horse on a3.

10... Bxf6 11 C3
... and we have arrived at the position discussed at the beginning of the chapter.
It' s time to look at a few examples of how play might unfold.

97

Sta rti n g O u t : 1 e 4 !
Game 25

D P.Leko T.Radjabov
Morelia 2006
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 s Nc3 es 6 Ndbs d6 7 Bgs a6 8 Na3 bs 9
Nds Be7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 c3 0-0
The most natural move. Black castles with a view to gaining counterplay against
e4 and along the f-file with an eventual .. .f7-f5 .

12 Nc2 Bgs 13 a4
All as outlined in the discussion at the beginning of the chapter.

13 ... bxa4 14 Rxa4 as (Diagram S)

Diagram S (W)
Preventing b2-b4

Diagram 6 (B)
Black's kingside is weakened

Black advances his isolated pawn before White has a chance to tie the a8-rook
down to it with 15 b4, after which a subsequent . . . a6-a5 could be met with b4-b5,
when White has a strong passed pawn.

15 Bc4
As well as exposing Black' s remaining queenside pawn to attack, removing the
barrier on bS has won back this important square for the bishop.

1S ... Rb8 16 b3
The most solid move, after which the bishop on c4 and pawn on b3 are mutually
defended.

16 . . KhS
.

Black wants to play .. .f7-f5 in the future, but first of all he has to make sure there is
no discovered attack on his king by the bishop on c4.

98

S i c i l i a n Sve s h n i kov ( a n d Ka l a s h n i kov)

17 Nce3
The knight has completed its journey from the backwoods of a3 to respectable
centralization.

17 ... Be6
Black has no wish to hand over his light-squared bishop for a knight after 17 ... 5
18 Nxf5 Bxf5 19 exf5 Rxf5, when 20 0-0 is a definite plus for White. Therefore he
develops with a scheme of . . . g7-g6 and then . . .f7-f5 in mind.

18 h4!?
Leko begins a highly interesting plan of attack on the black king.

18 ... Bf4
Not 18 . . . Bxh4?? 19 Qh5 g5 20 g3, when the bishop dare not move on pain of mate.
Meanwhile, 18 . . . Bxe3 19 Nxe3 Bxc4 gives White the pleasant choice between 20
Rxc4 and 20 Nxc4 with a light square bind.

19 NfS! g6
The white knight must be driven away from a dominant square so near the black
king.

20 Nfe3 (Diagram 6)
Back again, but White can be well satisfied to have provoked Black's last move,
which provides a hook for an attack down the h-file with h4-h5.

20... Kg7
If 20 . . .h5, Leko might have changed tack with 21 g3 (to guard h4) 2 1 . . .Bh6 22 0-0.
Then Black's plan of .. .f7-f5 is difficult to implement, as after e4xf5, recapturing
with . . . g6xf5 drops the h5-pawn, while as we saw in the note to 17 ... Be6, Radjabov
has no wish to recapture with . . .Bxf5 and hand over his light-squared bishop after
Nxf5 . On the other hand, if Black avoided ...7-5 altogether he would have no
constructive plan; in which case, White could methodically increase the pressure
against d6 or on the queenside.

21 g3 Bh6 22 Ng4
Black will be allowed to play his ... 7-5 move, but his king will have to pay the
price of a crumbling shelter.

22 ...fs 23 Nxh6 Kxh6 24 h S gs 2 5 exfs Bxfs 26 Ne3 Bc8 27 Ra2 !

In some lines the rook will swing over to d 2 to attack the d6-pawn, which would
be in danger of dropping with check.

27 ... Ne7 28 0-0 Rf6

Radjabov feels compelled to place the rook on 6 to bolster the d-pawn and the
kingside, but here it will be unable to counter the pressure from the white rooks
on the queenside.

29 Qe2 Qb6 30 Rfa1 (Diagram 7) 30 ... Qc6

99

S t a rt i n g O u t : 1

e4!

Black has little choice but t o give u p the sickly a5-pawn and risk everything o n a
counter-attack.

3 1 Rxas Bb7 32 Bds!

White's pieces have got full value out o f the d5-square - first i t was the knight,
now a bishop and next a rook will enjoy a centre post free from attack by a pawn.

3 2 ... Nxds 33 Rxds Qxc3

Black regains his pawn, but the white army is able to infiltrate on both sides of the
board.

34 Ng4+ Kg7 35 Ra7 Re6 36 Qc4! Qe1+

The pin on b7 is unendurable after 36 . . . Qxc4 37 bxc4, with 38 RbS etc. to follow.

3 7 Kg2 Re7 (Diagram 8) 38 Rxb7!

Diagram 7 (B)

Diagram 8 (W)
What now for White?

Piling up on the as-pawn

At one stroke all Black's counterplay vanishes and his king is left wide open.

3 8... Rexb7 39 Rxd6 Rf8 40 h6+ Kh8 41 Qds Rbb8 42 Qd3 Qb4 43 Rd7 e4 44 Qds RbS
45 Nf6! 1-0
If he takes the queen, it is mate on h7, while 45 . . . Rxf6 allows another queen offer:
46 Rd8+ Rf8 47 Qd4+! Qxd4 48 Rxf8 mate.

Game 26

D G.Kasparov A.Shirov
Horgen 1994
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 Nc6
This game actually began with the move order 2 . e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3
.

100

S i c i l i a n Sve s h n i kov (a n d K a l a s h n i kov)

Nc6 6 NdbS d 6 7 Bf4 e S 8 BgS a6 9 Na3 b S

10 N d S B e 7 etc. It's the identical posi

tion, but with one more move having been played by White and Black! (Bf4 then
BgS, . . . e7-e6 then . . . e6-e5 respectively)

NOTE: When looking up games in the Sveshnikov main line in books

and databases, always take account of a possible difference in move
number.

3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 s Nc3 es 6 Ndbs d6 7 Bgs a6 8 Na3 bs 9 Nds Be7 10 Bxf6
Bxf6 11 c3 Bb7
Rather than castling, Shirov seeks i mmediate counterplay against the white centre.

12 Nc2 Nb8 13 a4 bxa4 14 Rxa4 Nd7 1s Rb4 Ncs

It looks as if the black pieces are well organized and causing White problems over
the defence of e4. However, Kasparov found something amazing:

16 Rxb7!! Nxb7 17 b4! (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 (B)

Diagram 10 (B)

Black has no active play

White starts a direct assa u lt

White is the whole exchange down, but he has killed off any semblance of activity
from Black and can proceed to create a passed pawn on the queenside. Further
more, the black knight on b7 is uselessly placed and the a6-pawn weak. It is ad
mittedly difficult to grasp the value of the sacrifice - after all, Shirov didn't see it
coming! However, playing through this game and Anand-Van Wely below (which
features a similar sacrifice) will help you to appreciate the concept.

11 ... Bgs 18 Na3 o-o 19 Nc4 a s 20 Bd3

White doesn't hurry to play b4-b5 as it would let the black knight out via cS

20 ... axb4 2 1 cxb4 Qb8 22 h4!

101

Sta rti n g O ut : 1 e4!

The black bishop is made to choose between going to d8, where it blocks the on1}
exit for the knight from b7, or else slunk back to h6, when it can no longer join th
fight on the queenside.

22 ... Bh6 23 Ncb6 Ra2 24 o-o Rd2 2S Qf3 ! (Diagram 10)

Suddenly Black has to reckon with a direct attack on his king.

2 S ...Qa7 26 Nd7 Nd8

Shirov gives back the exchange to try to buy off the attack, as if 26 ...RaS 27 Bc4!?
intending 28 Ne7+ etc. and f7 drops.

27 Nxf8 Kxf8 28 bs Qa3 29 Qfs! Ke8

Or 29 ...Rxd3 30 Qd7 and the threat of back rank mate decides.

30 Bc4 Rc2 31 Qxh7! Rxc4 32 Qg8+ Kd7 33 Nb6+ Ke7 34 Nxc4 Qcs 3S Rall Qd4
Or 35 ... Qxc4 36 Ra7+ Ke6 37 Qxd8.

36 Ra3 Bel 37 Ne3 1-0

Black resigned as the threat of a fork on 5 or invasion on dS is too much.
classic game with a theme that still works nowadays, as the following encounte
shows.

Game 2 7

D V.Anand L.Van Wely

Wijk a a n Zee 2006
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 es 6 Ndbs d6 7 Bgs a6 8 Na3 bs 9
Nds Be7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 c3 Bgs (Diagram 11)

Diagram 11 (W)
Black delays castling

102

Diagram 12 (W)
Black tries for counterplay

Si c i l i a n Sve s h n i kov (a n d Ka l a s h n i kov)

Van Wely delays castling in order to confront White's plan of queenside expan
sion as quickly as possible.

12 Nc2 Rb8
A classic 'mysterious rook move' - the rook is moved to a blocked file, as Black is
fully aware that White intends to blast it open.

13 a4
Anand is undeterred by the discovered attack on b2.

13 ... bxa4 14 Ncb4! Bd7 15 Bxa6!

White caphues the a6-pawn before it can drive away the knight with ... a6-a5.

1s ... Nxb4 16 cxb4 o-o 17 o-o Bc6

Van Wely intends to take on d5 and then b4. If it weren't for his opponent's excel
lent reply, he would have the better game.

18 Rxa4! Bxa4 19 Qxa4

Not quite as extreme a sacrifice as in Kasparov-Shirov above, as White has an ex
tra, passed pawn for the exchange.

19 ...Qe8
The Dutch Grandmaster thinks that the exchange of queens will help him counter
attack along the e-file, but he is confounded by White's brilliant 22nd move.

20 Qxe8 Rfxe8 21 bs fs (Diagram 12)

Black had relied on this move to generate counterplay after 22 exf5 e4 and then
perhaps 23 ...ReS, dislodging the white knight.

22 b6!
A fine riposte. Anand has seen that it is essential to keep the black rooks boxed in,
even at the cost of his e4-pawn.

22 ...fxe4 2 3 h4! Bd2

If 23 ... Bxh4 24 Rel and the rook invades c7 in support of the passed pawn.

24 b7 Kf7 25 Rd1 Bh6 26 Nb4 Ke7 27 Nds+ Kf7 28 g4!

As will be seen, the advance of the kingside pawns is no mere sideshow: it is an
essential part of White's strategy as he needs the possibility of a pawn break
through on the kingside to complement the passed pawn on b7.

28... Bf4 29 Re1 gs 30 Re2

The rook has found a way to get to the open file.

30... Red8 31 Nb4! (Diagram 13)

The knight leaves its dream outpost as it is needed to help smash the blockade on
the b8-square. The manoeuvre to c6 had to be calculated and assessed very pre
cisely, as Black's pawn mass in the centre now gets to rumble forwards.

31... ds 32 Nc6 Rg8 33 Nxb8 Rxb8 34 hs Ke7 35 Kf1 d4 36 Rc2 e3 37 fxe3 dxe3 38
103

Sta rti n g O ut: 1 e 4 !

Rc7+ Kf6 39 Rxh7 (Diagram 14)

Here we see Anand's astonishing foresight in advancing his kingside pawns: the
passed pawn on h5 will be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back.

39 ...e4 40 Bc4 Rd8 41 Rf7+ Kes 42 Rd7! 1-0

Counterplay along the d-file is squashed, after which the h-pawn advances.

Diagram 13 (B)

Diagram 14 (B)

The knight re-routes to c6

Now Wh ite has two passed pawns

Ka lashn ikov Va riation

A variation similar i n style to the Sveshnikov i s the Kalashnikov, which runs 1 e4
cs 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 es 5 Nbs d6 (Diagram 15)

104

Diagram 15 (W)

Diagram 16 (B)

The Kalashnikov Defence

White keeps control

S i c i l i a n Sves h n i kov (a n d K a l a s h n i kov)

In effect it is the Sveshnikov but without the moves Nc3 and ... Nf6 inserted. Some
years ago I wrote a book called Winning with the Kalashnikov, but now is no time to
be sentimental. Let's see how a chess legend takes on the opening as White.
Game 28

G.Kasparov J.Lautier
Moscow (ra pid) 2002
D

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 es s N bs d6

Instead 5 ...a6 is the Lowenthal, which positively invites the knight to invade on
d6. After 6 Nd6+ Bxd6 7 Qxd6 Qf6, one approach for White is 8 Qxf6!? Nxf6 9 Nc3
with a good game; for example 9 ... d5 (9 .. Nb4 10 Kd2!) 10 Bg5 Nxe4 1 1 Nxd5 0-0 (if
11 ... NxgS, 12 Nc7+ wins the exchange) 12 Be3 Rd8 13 Nb6 and White stands well.
As can be seen, Black very much misses his dark-squared bishop.
.

6 N1c3 a6 7 Na3 bs 8 Nds Nge7

Instead 8 .. .Nf6 9 Bg5 Be7 10 Bxf6 Nxf6 transposes to the Sveshnikov. Or if 8 ... Be6,
c4 looks dangerous for Black.

9 c4 Nxds
After 9 ... bxc4 10 Bxc4 White has developed his bishop to the strong c4-square something which Black had gone to the trouble of 7 ...b5 to prevent.

10 cxds! (Diagram 16)

A no-nonsense approach. Instead 10 exd5 wins a pawn in view of the double at
tack on c6 and b5, but it leads to messy complications. Kasparov prefers a guaran
teed plus without any hassle.

TIP: If you see a way to get a nice positional advantage without hav
ing to wrack your brains calculating difficult variations, then go for
it!
10... Ne7 11 Nc2
The knight looked feeble on the wing, but it is going to have a great future exploit
ing the hole on c6, which is only two hops away.

11 ... Bd7 12 Bd3 g6 13 0-0 Bg7

Lautier fianchettoes his bishop and looks for counterplay with ... f7-f5.

14 Be3 o-o 1s Rc1 fs 16 f3 f4 17 Bf2!

White gets his bishop to f2 where it not only bolsters the kingside against the
looming pawn storm, but can also play a useful role in pressuring the queenside.

17 ... gs 18 Nb4 (Diagram 17)

Why exactly is White better here? It would help to compare the situation to a

105

St a rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!
King's Indian Defence, say that reached after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5
Nf3 0-0 6 Be2 eS 7 0-0 Nc6 8 dS Ne7 9 Nel Nd7 10 Be3 5 1 1 f3 4 12 Bf2 gS (Dia
gram 18).

Diagram 17 (B}

Diagram 18 (W}

White stands better

A King's Indian position

Here White has to try to open lines on the queenside, for example with 13 a4.
Meanwhile Black already has the makings of an attack on the kingside.
Turning back to the Kalashnikov game, we see that White has an enormous head
start in his action on the queenside. Kasparov already has the open c-file for his
rook, and his knight is poised for action on b4. Furthermore, Black has loose
pawns on bS and a6, and a weak square on c6 that can be assailed in order to open
more lines.

18 ... Ng6 19 Be2!

Kasparov is one of the most dynamic players in the history of chess, but he is not
above making a quiet move to frustrate his opponent's attack. By controlling g4
again, he makes it harder for Black to arrange ... g5-g4.

19 .. h s 20 Khl
.

Another astute precaution. If Black ever manages to get in . . . g4-g3, the bishop can
now drop back to gl to guard the h2-square. Alternatively, a future Rgl might be
needed to guard g2.

20 ... Rf7 21 a4!

Having secured the kingside to his satisfaction, Kasparov seizes the initiative on
the other wing.

2 1 ... bxa4 22 Nxa6 Nf8 23 Rc6!! (Diagram 19)

23 ... Bxc6 24 dxc6 and White can follow up with Qxa4, followed by b4-b5 etc.,

106

S i c i l i a n Sve s h n i kov ( a n d K a l a s h n i kov)

when the connected passed pawns quickly decide the game.

23 ... Rf6
Black's counter-action on the g-file will arrive much too late.

24 Qxa4 Rg6 25 Qb4 Qf6 26 Nb8 Rxb8

A desperate move, as the threats included 27 Qb7 hitting both a8 and d7.

27 Qxb8 g4 28 Rc7 gxf3 29 Bxf3 Bg4 30 Qe8

With his own king being persecuted by the white queen and rook, Lautier will
never manage to generate a sufficient attack along the g-file.

30 ... Qgs 3 1 Rg1!

Here we see why Kasparov was clever in playing 20 Khl !

31 ... h4 3 2 h3 Bhs 33 Qf7+ Kh8 34 Res 1-0 (Diagram 20)

Diagram 19 (B)
A rook i ncursion

Diagram 20 (B)
Black has no defence

A reminder that it is not only a knight that can utilize an outpost square. If Black
defends 8 with his queen, BxhS will cost him more material.

107

C h a pter Seven

Sici l i a n Ta i m a n ov
(a n d ot h e r va riatio n s)
-

Ta ima nov: B l a ck p lays s

Ka n Variation

Pi n Variation a nd other B l a c k Id eas

I ntrod u ction

Ta ima n ov: Bla ck p lays s

. . .

. . .

a6
Qc7

S i c i l i a n T a i m a n ov (a n d ot h e r va r i ati o n s)

Introd uction
In this chapter we look at ways to defeat the remaining Sicilian set-ups, including
the Taimanov, Kan and Pin variations.

LJ

NOTE: A con-fusing aspects of the Sicilian is the enormous scope for

transpositions. For example, Black might play 2 e6, 2 ... Nc6 or 2 . d6
and still reach the same position after five moves! If 2 ... e6 3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nc6 S Nc3, Black can play s ... d6 when 6 Be3 Nf6 7 f4 trans
poses to a variation discussed in the Scheveningen chapter.
...

..

The Taimanov is reached after the moves 1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 or
2 .. Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e6 (Diagram 1).
.

Diagram 1 (W}
The Taimanov Variation

Diagram 2 {W}
Position after 6...bxc6

In the Taimanov, Black is in no hurry to play ... d7-d6, which ensures that the e6square, the scene of many catastrophes for him in the Sicilian, remains firmly de
fended. This also makes it harder for White to begin an attack against f7, tradition
ally Black's weakest square, as a bishop placed on c4 would be 'biting on granite'.

Having put his trust in the solidity of the d7/e6/f7 triangle of pawns to dampen his
opponent's attacking aspirations, Black is often willing to delay his kingside de
velopment in order to pursue a plan of rapid queenside expansion with b7-b5.
...

Tai ma nov: Black plays s

. . .

a6

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 S Nc3 a6

Black decides he can get by without a n immediate 5 .. Qc7, which is the main move
discussed below.
.

109

Sta rti n g O ut: 1 e 4 !

6 Nxc6!? bxc6 (Diagram 2)

At first sight, exchanging on c6 looks like a bizarre decision as it strengthens
Black's clump of pawns in the centre. Indeed, Nxc6 is one of those moves that,
generally speaking, is always condemned in a book on strategy. But thankfully in
chess there are no hard and fast rules that apply in every situation: if that were the
case, the players would just have to learn them to have faultless technique, and
chess would soon become a boring game if no one ever made positional mistakes!
If I may be allowed to digress, although we talk about laws of strategy as if they
were equivalent to the laws of science, that is not really the case, as a scientific law
is considered incorrect if just one single exception is found. A scientific law is the
equivalent of a rule of chess such as 'the bishop always moves diagonally', not a
precept such as 'a rook is well placed on the seventh rank'.
White's reasoning behind 6 Nxc6 is quite valid: 'my opponent has spent a move
with 5 ... a6 preparing to expand on the queenside with ... b7-b5. So I will play Nxc6,
when the pawn that could go to b5 vanishes after he recaptures. That way, 5 ... a6
starts to look like a wasted tempo.' Let's see how a world class player handles the
white side of the position.
Game 29

0 V.Anand 1.Morovic Fernandez

Sa o Pa u lo (rapid) 2004
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Nxc6!? bxc6 7 Bd3
White's plan is simple to understand and difficult to oppose: he will mass his
pieces in the centre as quickly as possible as a prelude to a kingside attack.

7 d5
If Black satisfied himself with a small centre based on ... d7-d6, then White can cas
tle and attack with f2-f4 etc. And besides, what value would the c6-pawn have in
that scenario?
...

8 0-0 Nf6
Other strong players have also got in on the act here. For example, 8 ...Qc7 9 Rel
Bb7 10 Qf3 Bd6 1 1 e5! Bf8 (not relishing 1 1 ...Bxe5 12 Qh5 Bxc3 - if the bishop re
treats, then 13 Rxe6+ comes - 13 bxc3 g6 14 Qh4 intending 15 Bf4 with strong pres
sure on the dark squares for the pawn) 12 Na4!? (clearing the way for c2-c4; ear
lier, V.Topalov-P.Svidler, Dortmund 2005 had gone 12 Ne2 Ne7 13 Nf4 g6 with
complex play) 12 ... cS 13 c4 Ne7 (or 13 ... dxc4 14 Be4 and White picks up c4 later) 14
Bg5 h6 15 Bxe7 Bxe7 16 cxd5 Bxd5 1 7 Be4 Bxe4 1 8 Qxe4 0-0 19 Rael and White
managed to exploit the sickly c5-pawn in J.Polgar-P.Tregubov, Bastia (rapid) 2005.

9 Re1 Bb7 10 Bf4 Be7 11 Qf3 (Diagram 3)

White's pieces seem to glide effortlessly on to strong posts. If Black castles, he has
1 10

S i ci l i a n T a i m a nov (a n d ot h e r va r i ati o n s)
to reckon with an attack that would be heralded by e4-e5, driving his knight from
its important defensive post. If, on the other hand, he seeks simplification with
11...dxe4, he is left with a weak pawn on c6. Marovic tries to confuse matters with
a queen sortie on the queenside.

Diagram 3 (B)
White's pieces ta ke control

Diagram 4 (W}
White to play a nd win

11 ... Qas 12 a3 d4
A classic example of a premature attack. Black is always going to come off worse
from an exchange of tactical blows, as his king is still sitting in the centre.

13 es! dxc3 14 exf6 cxb2

Black's king is trapped in the centre after 14 ...Bxf6 15 b4! Qb6 16 Bd6.

1S fxe7! bxa1Q 16 Rxa1

If Anand, who I consider one of the greatest defenders of all time, had been play
ing Black here, he might have found a way to save the king on e8 from its terrible
peril. However, the Indian super-Grandmaster has command of the attacking
pieces; and when it is recalled that this is a rapidplay game, with no time for
lengthy reflection, it is easy to guess that something brutal is about to happen.

16 ... Kxe7 17 Rb1 Bc8 18 Qg3 Kf8 19 Bd6+ Kg8 20 Bes

The attack on g7 forces Black to surrender all the dark squares on the kingside.

20... g6 21 Qgs h6 22 Qf6 Rh7 (Diagram 4) 23 Bxg6

I've often noticed that when a player dominates squares of a certain colour, the
winning method involves making a sacrifice on a square of the opp osite colour.

2 3...fxg6 24 Qxg6+ Kf8 2S Bd6+ 1-0

The win is as easy as pie after 25 ...Re7 26 Qf6+ Kg8 27 Qxe7.

111

St a rt i n g O ut: 1 e 4 !

Ta ima nov: Black plays s Qc7

...

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 S Nc3 Qc7 (Diagram S)

Diagram s (W)

Diagram 6 (B)

Black plays S . Qc7

A familiar set-up

..

In the Sicilian Black places a high value on concrete thinking. Not for him rules
such as 'develop your knights first!' or 'don't move the queen too early!' The
pieces are to be put on their best squares, even if this means breaking general posi
tional rules. Here c7 is a fine square for the black queen, and so she is placed there
without any more ado. Already she contests the important eS-square and is ready
to exert influence along the semi-open c-file.
So how do we intend to meet Black's deployment? Answer: by fearlessly castling
queenside right under the nose of the black queen! Good, honest, attacking moves,
with a dash of genius thrown in, reap fantastic rewards for top GMs Leko, Grischuk
and Sutovsky in the illustrative games. Maybe we are lacking that touch of genius
(or maybe not) but the chances are nobody will notice. Let's see how it is done:

6 Be3 a6 7 Qd2 Nf6 8 0-0-0 (Diagram 6)

A familiar trio of moves by White borrowed from our treatment of the Dragon
Variation. Note, however, that we haven't spent a move on f2-f3, which would be
a serious waste of time: it is only necessary if the e4-pawn is threatened by 8 Bb4
intending 9 .. Nxe4. But first of all, let's see what happens if Black plays 8 . .bS.
...

Game 30

E.Sutovsky K.Arakhamia
G i bra lta r 2005
D

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6 3 Nc3 Nc6 4 d4 cxd4 S Nxd4 Qc7 6 Be3 Nf6 7 Qd2 a6

112

S i c i l i a n T a i m a n ov (a n d ot h e r va ri ati on s )
Note the difference in move order to that given above: not only 3 Nc3 and 4 d4 on
White's part, but also 6 ... Nf6 and 7 ... a6 by Black. Here we reach the standard posi
tion, but you should always be wary for 'tricks' in move order - in the opening,
not all roads lead to Rome!

8 o-o-o bs 9 Bf4! (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 (B}
A critica I

m o m ent for

Black

Diagram 8 (B}
The knight heads for d6

The black queen finds herself driven from c7. Where should she go? It turns out to
be a matter of life and death for the black king.

9 . Qb7?
.

Instead 9 ... Bd6? falls for a common trick: 10 Ndxb5! axb5 (there's no time for
10 ...Bxf4 as the black queen drops) 1 1 Bxd6. Black also does well to avoid 9 ... e5?
which, to say the least, looks very risky after 10 Nxc6 exf4 (or 10 ... dxc6?? 1 1 Bxe5!
with mate on d8 if the bishop is taken) 11 e5! etc.
However, b7 is an unfortunate square for the queen. Best was 9 ... Qb6, when sim
plifying exchanges on d4 would be unwelcome to White, so let's play 10 Nxc6
Qxc6 (if 10 ... dxc6 maybe 1 1 Bd3!?, or 1 1 e5 Nd5 12 Ne4 with pressure on the d6square in A.Shirov-S.Movsesian, Sarajevo 2005) 1 1 f3 Bb7 12 Ne2 Rc8 13 Nd4 Qb6
14 g4 when typical kingside pawn pushing led to a winning attack for White in
Wang Hao-Wu Wenjin, Beijing 2005.

1o esl
Sutovsky grasps the chance to start a vicious onslaught.

10 ... b4 11 exf6 bxc3 12 Qxc3 Nb4 1 3 Bc4!

Meeting the threat to a2 without breaking stride in his attack.

13 ...gxf6 14 Nfsl (Diagram 8)

1 13

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e 4 !
The knight heads for d6 i n style, for if 14 ... exfS 1 5 Rhel+ Kd8 16 Qxf6+ and mates.

14 ... ds
Nonetheless, two of White's pieces are now hanging, so he has to be accurate in
finishing off the game.

15 Nd6+ Bxd6 16 Bxd6 dxc4 17 Qxf6!

Sutovsky isn't interested in 17 Bxb4 as he sees that conquering all the dark squares
will lead to a quick decision.

17 ... Nxa2+ 18 Kb1 Rg8 19 Ba3!

Again White spurns the knight. The bishop uncovers a threat of mate on d8, and if
19 ... Bd7 20 Qe7 mate.

19 ...Qc1 20 Rd6! (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 (B}

Diagram 10 (B)

Bri nging u p the he a vy a rtillery

Black plays 8 ... Bb4

Intending 21 Rhdl and then 22 Rd8+ forcing mate, and if 20 ...Bb7 21 Rxe6+! fxe6 22
Qxe6+ Kd8 23 Rdl + forces mate. Black therefore grows desperate.

20 ... Nc3+ 21 bxc3 Bd7 22 Rel Rb8+ 23 Ka2 a s

There is nothing to b e done, as i f 23 . . .Bc8 24 Redl etc.

24 Rb6! 1-0
Mate looms on e7, and if 24...Bc8 25 Rxb8 and the black queen dare not recapture.
A very encouraging win, but the real test of our opening line is 8 ... Bb4 (Diagram
10), pinning the knight on c3. Then we'll reply 9 f3! (only now, in order to prevent
9 ... Nxe4), and if 9 ... 0-0 we can get on with our kingside attack with 10 g4 and 1 1
g5. So Black usually tries to play actively in the centre with either 9 . . .Ne7 or
9 . . .Ne5.

1 14

S i c i l i a n T a i m a n o v (a n d ot h e r va ri ati o n s)
Game 3 1

D P.Leko J.Polgar
FIDE World Cha m pion s h i p, Sa n Luis 2005
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 S Nc3 Qc7 6 Be3 a6 7 Qd2 Nf6 8 o-o-o Bb4 9
f3 Ne7 10 Nde2! (Diagram 11)

Diagram 11 (B)
Prepa ring for ... d6-d S

Diagram 12 (B}
Eliminating the key b4-bishop

White vacates the d4-square, so that 10 ... d5 1 1 Bg5! dxe4 12 Bxf6 gxf6 13 Qd4 exf3
14 Qxb4 fxe2 15 Bxe2 gives him good attacking chances for the pawn, as in
I.Cheparinov-J.Ivanov, Coria del Rio 2005. Polgar, however, chooses a different
pawn move.

10 ... bs 11 g4
Beginning a plan of kingside expansion that we have seen in previous chapters.
11 ... h6 12 Rgl Ng6 13 a3!
A useful move that obliges Polgar to relinquish the pin if she wishes to keep her
bishop in touch with the centre.

13 ... Be7 14 f4 b4 15 axb4 Bxb4 16 Qd4!

Leko meets the threat of 16 ... Nxe4.

16 ... Qas 17 Kb1 Rb8?

It was essential to fight for the centre with 17 ... d6 intending 18 ... eS.

18 gs Nhs 19 gxh6 Rxh6 20 Rgs! Qc7 21 N bs! (Diagram 12)

Black is deprived of the vital dark-squared bishop.

21 ... RxbS 22 Rxbs axbs 23 Qxb4 N hxf4 24 Nc3

115

Sta rt i n g Out: 1 e4 !
Now there is no good way to stop 25 Nxb5 followed by a killer check on d6.

24... Rxh2 2S Bg1! 1-0

The rook has to retreat and then 26 Nxb5 decides, but not immediately 25 Nxb5??
because of 25... Qxc2+. A very impressive game by Peter Leko.
To reinforce the idea of dark square domination and complete the theoretical pic
ture, we need to look at one more game.
Game 32

A.Grischuk J.Geller
R ussia n Tea m Championship 2004
D

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6 S Nc3 Qc7 6 Be3 a6 7 Qd2 Nf6 8 o-o-o Bb4 9
f3 Nes
The alternative to 9 .. Ne7 in the game above.
.

10 Nb3 bS
There is no need for White to fear the capture on c3: 1 0 . Bxc3? 1 1 Qxc3 Qxc3 12
bxc3 leaves White with doubled pawns, but he is dominant on the dark squares.
..

11 Qe1!? (Diagram 13)

Diagram 13 (B)

Diagram 14 (B)
Removing the key bishop again
With a th reat
With the threat of 12 Nxb5! axb5 (forced, as the black queen hangs) 13 Qxb4 Rxa2
14 Kbl. Black has no real attack along the a-file and his king is trapped in the cen
tre. The queen retreat also ensures that Black's ... Nc4 doesn't gain time by attack
ing d2. Therefore White has the chance to expand in the centre with 3-4 and e4e5.
11 ... Be7 12 f4 Nc4 13 es

1 16

S i c i l i a n Ta i m a n ov (a n d ot h e r va r i at i o n s)
White's pawn expansion in the centre has opened up the possibility of exploiting
the hole on d6.

13 ... Ng4 14 Bd4

Now the threats include 15 Qg3, when if 15 ...Nh6 16 Qxg7 wins a piece.

14...fs
Instead 14 ... Bb7 15 Bxc4!? (I guess 15 Qg3 h5 16 h3 Nh6 1 7 Qxg7 0-0-0 isn't very
clear) 15 ...bxc4 16 Nd2 Nh6 1 7 Qe2 Rc8 18 Nde4 Nf5 19 g4 Nxd4 20 Rxd4 and
White later won in A.Volokitin-B.Macieja, Bermuda 2005. Black has the bishop
pair, but White has pressure along the d-file which can be increased with Rhdl,
and also the d6-square is a superb station for his knight.

1S h3 Nh6
Black has avoided disaster, but with the knight out of things on h6 White is practi
cally playing with an extra piece in the centre.

16 Qf2 !
Grischuk intends to seize control of the d ark squares with a well timed Bc5.

16 ... Bb7 17 Bxc4 bxc4

Or 1 7...Qxc4 18 BcS surrounding the black queen and, at the least, forcing the ex
change of dark-squared bishops.

18 Bb6 Qc6 19 Nas Qxg2

The pawn grab on g2 will be a disaster, but things would also be horrendous after
19 ... QcS 20 Rd4 intending 21 Rxc4.

20 Qd4 Bc8 21 Bes! (Diagram 14)

TI1e exchange of bishops wins the a3-f8 diagonal for the white queen, the d6square for the white knight and, as will be seen, the g7-square for the white rook!

21 ... Bxcs 22 Qxcs Kf7 23 Qe3 Rb8 24 Rhg1 Qa8

With the queen driven into the corner, the bishop still asleep on c8 and the knight
inert on h6, it is obvious that Black has been completely outplayed.

2S Nxc4 Rf8 26 Nd6+ Kg8 27 Rxg7+! 10

Black has seen enough, but it is a pity he didn't let Grischuk finish off his attack
with a pretty queen sacrifice: 27 ...Kxg7 28 Rgl + Kh8 29 Qg3 Rg8 (or 29 ... Ng4 30
hxg4 and then 31 gxf5 is murder on the g-file) 30 Qxg8+! Nxg8 31 Nf7 mate.
That's the Taimanov pretty much wiped out! Now let's deal with the Kan.

Ka n Va riation
Basically this is the Taimanov without an early ... Nc6. It is reached after the moves
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 a6 (Diagram 1S)

1 17

Sta rt i n g Out: 1 e 4 !
The ultimate i n flexibility: Black makes a pawn move that almost always proves
handy in the long term, and in doing so keeps open all his options as far as piece
development is concerned. He trusts that his shell-like pawn structure will blunt
any direct attack - and unfortunately we have to agree with him.
Instead, we'll try to make Black regret his lack of development in another way: by
increasing our grip on the centre with c2-c4. You will notice that this space
gaining exercise is only possible because Black hasn't played ... Nf6 to force us to
defend e4 with Nc3, when the advance of the c-pawn is blocked.
We'll let one of the greatest players of the modern age show us how to go about
the task.

Diagram 15 {W)

Diagram 16 (W)

The Kan Variation

Black plays S ... BcS

Game 33
D V.lvanchuk G.Kamsky
W ij k a a n Zee 2006

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 a6 5 Bd3!

A sensible response to Black's previous move. 5 Nc3 was also fully acceptable, but
it somehow plays into Black's hands to put the knight on a square where it can be
harassed by a future ...b7-b5 - which after all was the main motive behind 4 ... a6.
Furthermore, as will be seen, leaving the knight on bl gives White the chance to
increase his pawn presence in the centre.

s Bcs (Diagram 16)

...

Kamsky takes the chance to put his bishop on an open diagonal before setting up
a mini-centre with ... d7-d6.

1 18

S i c i l i a n Ta i m a n ov (a n d ot h e r v a ri at i o ns)
Instead 5 ...b5 seems inadequate as there is no knight to target on c3. A good re
sponse is 6 0-0 Bb7 7 a4! (undermining the pawn straight away) 7 ...b4 (Black has
no wish to be left with a weak pawn on a6 after 7 ...bxa4 8 Rxa4) 8 c3!? Nf6 (or
8 .bxc3 9 Nxc3 and lines are becoming open with White way ahead in develop
ment) 9 e5 Nd5 10 c4 (White establishes the familiar pawn centre in very favour
able circumstances, as c4 can no longer be attacked by . . .b7-b5) 10 ...Ne7 1 1 Nd2
Qc7 12 4 Ng6 13 Ne4 Nc6 14 Be3 when White had a strong grip on the centre in
P.Charbonneau-A.Karklins, Philadelphia 2004.
..

Here is another example of lvanchuk versus the Kan: 5 ... Qc7 6 0-0 Nf6 7 Qe2 (Dia
gram 17)

Diagram 17 (B)

Diagram 18 (B)

Pos ition after 7 Qe2

Clam ping down on bs and dS

Now Black has to take measures against 8 e5. If he decides to play 7 ... d6 then 8 c4!
Be7 9 Nc3 Nbd7 10 4, as in V.Ivanchuk-V.Sladek, Edmonton 2005, gives White the
kingside attacking scheme we are recommending versus the Scheveningen.
Instead he might try 7... Bd6, hitting h2, when the obvious response 8 4?! allows
8...Bc5 and 9 ... Nc6, etc., and White's weakness down the a7-gl diagonal forces him
to act defensively. As you may recall, he often plays Khl ! at an early stage in the
Scheveningen and Najdorf to avoid this type of discomfort. And that move is the
best recipe here: 8 Khl !, intending 9 f4 without allowing the ... Bc5 pin. Then
8...Bxh2? 9 g3 Bxg3 10 fxg3 Qxg3 1 1 Bf4 is a disastrous exchange for Black as the
bishop was far more valuable than the pawns in the middlegame. The fact that
White's king is denuded of pawn cover is of little consequence as White has the
initiative and plenty of defenders around it.

6 Nb3 Ba7 7 Qe2

The first step in Ivanchuk' s winning plan is to exchange off Black's best minor
piece, the dark-squared bishop.
1 19

Sta rti n g O u t : 1 e 4 !

7... d6
As in the Sladek game in the note above, Black has to play this move in order to
prevent e4-e5 disturbing his knight once he plays ... Nf6. On the other hand, the
d6-pawn sits on a semi-open file and is vulnerable to attack from the white rooks.

8 Be3 Nf6 9 Bxa7 Rxa7 10 c4! (Diagram 18)

Kamsky is prevented from playing . . .b7-b5, when the rook might even have
swung from a7 into the centre. Furthermore, by increasing his influence over the
d5-square, lvanchuk begins to fix d6 as a target: it will be less likely to be able to
evade capture by breaking out with ... d6-d5.

10...Nc6 11 Nc3 o-o 12 o-o

You will notice that White avoids f2-f4 in what follows. It would be a senseless
disruption of his kingside pawns when he has the straightforward plan of pres
sure along the d-file.

TIP: You can gather a lot of useful ideas by examining the games of
great players; but when it comes to the crunch, you should always
choose the moves and pla ns that make you feel comfortable. Don't
just blindly copy Kasparov!
12 ... b6 13 Qe3 !
An excellent move of the type that often goes unheralded, yet it marks the real
difference between a 2750 player and the rest of us. The queen gains a grip on the
dark squares and, in particular, ties Black down to b6. Moreover, she clears the e2square, which enables a white rook to attack d6 in due course.

13 ...Qc7 14 Be2 Qb8 15 Rfd1 Rd8 16 Rd2 es

Black concedes the d5-square voluntarily, as otherwise there would be no good
way to develop his bishop.

17 Rel Be6 18 Rcdl h6 19 h3 Rb7 20 Bfl (Diagram 19)

Ivanchuk plays a series of quiet moves, just improving the layout of his pieces and
waiting to see if his opponent will crack under the pressure of having to defend
passively. And he does!

20 ... bs?
A plausible bid for freedom - after all, isn't this advance the whole idea behind
the Kan? However, it turns out that Kamsky is doing his opponent's work for him
by opening lines on the queenside, though admittedly it takes some brilliant play
by White to prove it.

2 1 cxbs axbs 22 Nds!

The first surprise. Ivanchuk allows the attack on d6 to be blocked; but it is only
temporary.

2 2 ... Bxds 23 exds Ne7 24 Nas! Rc7 25 Nc6 Nxc6 26 dxc6 Rxc6 27 Qxes!!
120

S i ci l i a n Ta i m a n ov ( a n d ot h e r va r i at i o n s)
The point: if now 27... dxe5 28 Rxd8+ Qxd8 29 Rxd8+ Kh7 30 Bxb5 and wins; Black
can't even attack b2 because of 30...Rc2? 31 Bd3+.

28 Qd4 Qb6 29 Bc4 Qxd4 30 Rxd4 (Diagram 20)

Diagram 19 (B)
White reorgani zes patiently

Diagram 20 (B)
Black is tied down to defence

Black has been forced into a highly unpleasant endgame in which his rooks are
tied down to the defence of weak pawns, and White has a superior minor piece which means that f7 is also a target.

30 . Rb6 31 Bb3 Kf8 3 2 g4!

..

The advance of the kingside pawns is a key facet in the winning plan. lvanchuk
proceeded to grind down his opponent as follows:

32 ... Ke7 33 Rel+ Kf8 34 Rel Rd7 3 S Rc8+ Ke7 36 h4 gS 3 7 Rh8 Rd8 38 Rxh6 Rg8 39
f3 gxh4 40 Rxh4 dS 41 Kf2 Rbb8 42 Ke3 Kd6 43 Rh6 Rbe8+ 44 Kf4 KcS 4S Rd2 Rg6
46 Rhl Regs 47 Rei+ Kd6 48 Rdc2 Rd8 49 Rc7 Rd7 SO Rlc6+ Ke7 Sl Bel d4 S 2 Rxd7+
Kxd7 S3 Bxg6 Kxc6 S4 Bxf7 1-0
Highly instructive endgame play.

Pin Va riation a n d othe r Black Ideas

Game 3 4
D

C.Ross H.Johansen
(bl i n d oly m piad) 2000

Z a k op a n e

1 e4 cs 2 Nf3 e6

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e 4 !
Instead 2 ... a6, the O'Kelly Variation, takes flexibility to its absolute limit. We
should treat it like the Kan: 3 c4! e6 4 Nc3 Qc7 5 d4 cxd4 6 Nxd4 Nf6 (if 6 ...Bb4, 7
Qa4!? is an interesting response) 7 a3!? (to rule out ... Bb4) 7...b6 8 Be3 Bb7 9 f3 Nc6
10 Be2 Ne5 11 Na4 (so that if Black takes twice on c4 there is a fork on b6) 1 l ...Rb8
12 Rel Be7 13 b4 d6 14 0-0 0-0 15 Qd2 and White had typical pressure in V.Anand
A.Morozevich, Calvia Olympiad 2004.
Another irregular move is 2 ...Nf6. Then 3 e5 Nd5 4 Nc3! Nxc3 5 dxc3 gives White
attacking chances with Bc4 etc., somewhat reminiscent of the line recommended
versus the Petroff Defence. Or if 4 ... e6 5 b3!? Nc6 6 Bb2 Nxc3 7 Bxc3 d5 8 exd6
Qxd6 9 Bc4 Bd7 10 0-0 and White's pressure on g7 is awkward for Black.

3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3

After 5 ... Nc6 6 Ndb5 play is likely to transpose to the Sveshnikov with 6 ... d6 7 Bf4
e5 8 Bg5 a6 9 Na3 b5 10 Nd5 etc. However, Black might try throwing a spanner in
the works with 6 ...Bb4 (Diagram 21)

Diagram 21 (W)

Diagram 22 (B)

The Fou r Knights Variation

Taking on the Pin Variation

Then a good treatment for White is 7 a3 Bxc3+ 8 Nxc3 d5 9 Bd3!? d4 (after 9 ... dxe4
10 Nxe4 Nxe4 1 1 Bxe4 Qxdl+ 12 Kxdl the bishop pair and queenside pawn major
ity give White the edge) 10 Ne2 e5 1 1 0-0 Qb6 12 b4! Be6 13 Qel 0-0 14 b5 Na5 15
f4 and White had achieved a nice attacking position in J.Cubas-H.Van Riemsdijk,
Mendoza 2004.

s ... Bb4
It doesn't occur often, but you have to be ready for this annoying move. The e4pawn is suddenly hanging and a defensive reaction would delight your opponent,
who would easily equalize. Therefore as always, bold is best:

6 es! (Diagram 2 2) 6 ... Nd5!

122

S i ci l i a n T a i m a n o v ( a n d oth e r va r i ati o n s)
A head-spinning analysis shows that Black is near lost after 6 ... Ne4? (pure bluff,
but highly difficult for an unprepared player to meet) 7 Qg4! and now:
a) 7...Nxc3 8 Qxg7 Rf8 9 a3! Ba5 (if 9 ... Qa5 10 Nb3 Qd5 11 Bd3! and you win, be
lieve me!) 10 Bh6 Qe7 11 Nb3! and White wins.
b) 7...Qa5 8 Qxg7 Bxc3+ 9 bxc3 Qxc3+ 10 Ke2. If now 10 ... Qxd4 11 Qxh8+ Ke7 12
Ba3+ Nc5 13 Rdl and White wins, so critical is 10 ...b6, threatening l l . ..Ba6+, when
White has to act fast: 1 1 Qxh8+ Ke7 12 Ba3+! d6 13 Nc6+! Qxc6 (if 13 ... Nxc6, 14
exd6+ wins the queen) 14 exd6+ Kd7 15 Qb2 and White has escaped with his
booty, though there'll still be some kicking and screaming.
I suggest that you learn the above variations and then don't worry about the
6 .. .Ne4 variation any more. If you face it in a game, you should give yourself
plenty of time in the opening to remember the theory - or if you have forgotten it,
work out the variations over the board. You have the great assurance that you
know there is a strong continuation available, you just have to find it! And even if
you think you have forgotten, somewhere at the back of your mind the good
moves you need have all been stored: they will help your calculation at an uncon
scious level.

7 Bd2 Nxc3 8 bxc3 Be7

White's assault on the kingside is stronger still after 8 . . . Ba5?! 9 Qg4 0-0 10 Bd3 d6
11 Nf3 etc.

9 Qg4 g6
Sometimes Black sacrifices the exchange with 9 ... 0-0 10 Bh6 g6 1 1 Bxf8 Bxf8, but
I'm not convinced. You can consolidate with 12 Bc4 Qc7 13 Qe2 a6 14 a4 etc., as in
A.Danin-M.Shapovalenko, St. Petersburg 2004.

10 h4
The obvious attacking move, but I like the untried 10 Nb5!? here, aiming to take
advantage of the hole on d6. For example, 10 ... N c6 11 Nd6+ Bxd6 12 exd6 b6 13 h4
Bb7 14 h5 Qf6 15 Qg5! with dark square supremacy; or 10...0-0 1 1 Bh6 Re8 12 Rdl
Nc6 13 Qg3 with a clamp on d6.

10... h6?
I can sympathize with this attempt to guard the dark squares, but it was better to
develop with 10 ...Nc6, or else block the attack with 10 ... h5.

11 NbS! (Diagram 23)

Now Ross seizes control of the dark squares.

11 ...Qas
This leads to more trouble. It was imperative to develop with 1 l ... Nc6.

12 Qf4 a6 13 C4 Qd8 14 Nd6+ Bxd6 15 exd6

Now Black's best strategy would be to slip the bishop on c8 up his right sleeve,
juggle it through his clothes and then redeposit it from his left sleeve on g7, when
123

S t a rt i n g Out: 1 e4!
he would have an excellent game!

1s ... Nc6 16 Bc3 Rh7 17 Bd3 fS 18 g4!

With the dark squares firmly in his hands, White proceeds to dismantle the flimsy
light square barricades.

18 ... es 19 Qe3 Qf6 20 gxfS gxfs 21 f4 Qxd6 2 2 Bxfs Re7 23 o-o! (Diagram 24)

Diagram 23 (B)
Seizing the da rk squares

Diagram 24 (B)
White ca lmly castles

Coolly played. It should be remembered that White is in effect playing with an

extra rook and bishop, as the black queenside pieces are still shut in. Therefore his
king has nothing to fear from the open lines.

23 ... exf4 24 Qf2 bs

A belated attempt to free his queenside pieces, but Black's king is cut down by the
white bishops.

25 Radl Qa3? 26 Bg6+ Kf8 27 Qxf4+ Kg8 28 Qf8 mate

On that happy note we end our analysis of the Sicilian Defence.

1 24

Cha pter Eight

Al e k h i n e's Defe n ce

I ntrod u ction
Exch a n ge Va ri ati o n : s ... cxd 6

Excha nge Va ri ation: s ... exd 6

Sta rti n g O u t : 1 e4!

I ntrod uction
In this chapter we shall examine a promising line against 1 e4 Nf6 (Diagram 1), the
Alekhine Defence.

Diagram 1 (W)
Alekhine s Defence
'

Diagram 2 (B)
Evicting the black knight

B lack's double-edged strategy

Black is trying to cajole us into advancing our pawns en masse. He hopes that the
white pawn centre thus established will become a victim of a counter-attack by
the black pieces, or subject to stabs from his own pawns, which for the moment
have been deliberately held back.

Our moderate response

So how much territory should we try to seize? It is worth remembering that even

if objectively it is right for us to fill the centre with pawns, our opponent is likely
to be well versed in the tricks and the techniques that govern the resulting posi
tions. It is therefore best to meet Black halfway: we will take some of the space on
offer, but not commit ourselves to the burden of defending a large, unwieldy cen
tre.

0
126

NOTE: Understanding the nature of the pawn centre that arises i n

this chapter i s more important than knowing a lot of theory. Have a
good look at the middlegame manoeuvres in the illustrative games.

Al e k h i n e ' s D efe n c e

Excha nge Va riation: s

...

cxd 6

Game 35

M.Adams M.Santo Roman

French League 2004

1 e4 Nf6 2 es NdS 3 d4
A good start: White supports his e5-pawn and opens up more lines for his pieces.

3 ... d6
A necessary destabilizing move, as otherwise White would totally swamp the cen
tre with his pawns.

4 c4 (Diagram 2)
The black knight is evicted from the centre. A good decision, but of course it
means we can no longer attack straight from the opening with Bc4 etc. Therefore
we have to be ready for a long positional haul rather than dream of a snap mate.
This is actually just as well, since the Alekhine shows its teeth when White tries
for too much.

4 ... Nb6 5 exd6

Consistent with our anti-Alekhine philosophy: White spurns the chance to grab
more space with the loosening 5 f4 in favour of a safe long-term advantage.
s .. . cxd6

This is supposed to be the fighting reply, but the elegant play of Michael Adams
makes it almost look like a losing move!

6 Nc3!
It is important for White to mobilize his queenside pieces first, in order to take the
sting out of Black's projected counterplay along the al -h8 diagonal.

6 ...g6
How else is Black to develop his pieces? If 6 . .. d5 7 c5 Nc4 (or 7 ... Nd7 8 Nxd5) 8
Bxc4 dxc4 9 Qa4+ and White wins a pawn.

7 Be3
Shades of the Sicilian Dragon Variation. The bishop overprotects the d4-square
and clears the way for the rook to go to cl, out of the way of the bishop on g7. In
stead 7 Nf3 is inferior because of 7... Bg4, when the black pieces are starting to ex
ert uncomfortable pressure.

7 ...Bg7 8 Rel o-o 9 b3! (Diagram 3)

Adams continues to delay the development of his kingside. He removes the b2pawn from the range of the black bishop and stops the black knight ever going to c4.
127

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!

9 ...es
Black has relied on this advance for counterplay, but it has been emasculated by
his opponent's careful preparations on the queenside.

10 dxesl
So simple. After the exchange of queens White will have an enduring initiative.

10...dxes
Of course Black has no wish to be left with a weak pawn on d6 after 10 ...Bxe5.

11 Qxd8 Rxd8 12 cs! (Diagram 4)

Diagram 3 (B)
Consolidating the queenside

Diagram 4 (B)
An interfering move

So that if 12 ... Nd5 13 Rdl Be6 14 Bc4 and Black has to resign as he loses a whole
piece. Therefore the knight is forced back to d7, where it interferes with the devel
opment of the bishop on c8 - which of course means that the rook on a8 is also
boxed in.

12 ... N6d7 13 Nf3

Only now is it the right moment to develop the knight, when Black no longer has
the ... Bg4 response.

13 ... Nc6 14 Bc4!

It was also well worth the bishop waiting for this splendid post to appear.

14...h6
Directed against 15 Ng5 attacking f7, but there are other ways for the white
knights to cause Black grief.

1 5 Ne4!
Heading for d6 - a superb station for the knight in the enemy camp.

128

A l e k h i n e ' s D efe nce

1s...Re8 16 o-o
A typical Adams move: he lets his opponent stew in his bad position rather than
force matters.

16 ... Re7 17 Nd6 Nf8 (Diagram 5)

Diagram 5 (W)
What now for Wh ite?

Diagram 6 (B)
White is in control

18 Nxc8!
An instructive exchange. Adams eliminates the bishop before it has the chance to
challenge his own prelate with 18 ... Be6. Before you complain about White giving
up his great knight, read on ...
18 ...Rxc8 19 Nd2!
With the intention of Ne4 and Nd6 if appropriate. As White had two knights be
fore 18 Nxc8 and only one brilliant square to survey or occupy d6, it will be seen
that, rather than relinquishing control of d6, Adams has actually disposed of a
surplus knight. Simple, but ingenious!

19...Nas 20 b4!
More efficient than 20 Ne4 Nxc4 21 Rxc4 f5 with some counterplay for Black.

20... Nxc4 21 Nxc4

The gradual simplification is making White's 3-2 pawn majority on the queenside
of increasing value. Supported by the active white pieces, it can yield a passed
pawn in the future.

21... Ne6 2 2 Rfdl (Diagram 6)

White adds control of the d-file to his other positional trumps.

22...Nd4
Black can't stand the tension any longer. He builds up his pieces aggressively

Sta rt i n g O ut:

e4!

along the d-file, but only ends up falling into a deadly pin.

NOTE: Despite White's sublime play, objectively speaking his advan

tage is still far from decisive. However, the psychological effect of
being reduced to passive defe nce is more than most players can
bear. As Spassky has observed, modern players are very dynamic,
but in his opinion they defend worse than in the 1960s.
23 Kfl Rd8 24 Rd2 Red7 2S Rcd1 fs 26 f4!
The black knight loses the vital support of e5.

26 ...exf4 27 Bxf4 gs 28 Bes!

It is rather unfortunate for the bishop on g7 that, as soon as it comes to life, it falls
prey to a tactical mechanism that costs Black material.

2 8 Bxes 29 Nxes Rds 30 Nc4 RSd7 31 Kf2 1-0

...

The knight will be attacked again by Ne5 and Nf3, or by Ne3 and Nc2.

Excha nge Variation: s

. . .

exd6

Game 3 6

D A.Naiditsch J.Timman
1st matchga me, Dortm u n d 2002
1 e4 Nf6 2 es NdS 3 d4 d6 4 c4 Nb6 S exd6 exd6 (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 (W)

Diagram 8 (B)

Black plays 5 .. exd6

Preserving the bishop

13 0

A l e k h i n e' s D efe n ce
The alternative recapture, but it doesn't promise Black an easy life.

6 Nc3 Be7
More or less forced. In contrast to the 5 ... cxd6 variation, if Black played ...g7-g6
and ...Bg7 he wouldn't have an ... e7-e5 follow-up (not that it did Black much good
in the Adams game). Furthermore, the open e-file means that White might arrange
a disruptive check, perhaps even immediately: 6 ... g6 7 Qe2+ Qe7 8 Bg5! Qxe2+ 9
Bxe2 and White has a very nice position.

7 Bd3
With no danger looming from a bishop on g7, White can concentrate on develop
ing his kingside.

7. o-o 8 Nge2!
..

As in the game above, White has to be cautious about developing the knight to 3.
Here 8 Nf3 Bg4 is an awkward pin, which can be followed up with ... Nc6 and
...Bf6, hitting the d4-pawn. In that case, White might have been obliged to advance
d4-d5, something he is keen to avoid in the game (see the next note).

8 . Nc6 9 o-0 Bf6 10 b3!

..

Naiditsch refuses to be bullied into 10 dS, when 10 ... Ne5 11 b3 Nxd3 12 Qxd3 Bg4
followed by ... Nd7 and ... Ne5 gives Black active play.

10... Bg4
If 10 ... Nxd4 11 Nxd4 Bxd4 1 2 Bxh7+ Kxh7 13 Qxd4 and White has pressure in the
centre, besides the chance to threaten mate on g7 with Bb2 and Nd5.
11 Be3!
Steering clear of 11 f3 which might have been met with 1 1...Nxd4!? and complica
tions.

11 ReS
...

Whereas here 1 1 ...Nxd4 12 Bxd4 Bxd4 13 Bxh7+ Kxh7 14 Qxd4 is dull inferiority
for Black.

12 Qd2 Nb4 13 Bbl! (Diagram 8)

Black is striving with all his might to break White's control of the centre, but Naid
itsch holds firm. He sees that his bishop will have an important part to play later
on in the game, and so avoids the exchange on d3.

13 ... Bxe2 14 Nxe2 cs 15 a3 Nc6 16 Ra2 Qe7 17 h3 g6

Timman is reluctant to simplify by exchanging on d4, as he would be left with an
isolated pawn on d6.
1s ds

White finally decides he can make progress only if he concedes the e5-square to
the black knight.

18 ... Nes 19 Qcl Bg7 20 a4 Nbd7 21 Nc3 fs 2 2 Bgs!

131

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!
It's a good idea to exchange off dark-squared bishops, as the white bishop on e3
wouldn't have had much scope after the intended f2-f4.

2 2 ... Bf6 23 Bxf6 Qxf6 24 Re2 Re7?

An instructive moment. Black should have played 24 ... 4!, even though it concedes
the e4-square to the white pieces. In doing so, he would be converting the e5square into a de facto outpost for his knight, as it is hard to see how White could
ever arrange to attack it with a pawn. Then after 25 Ne4 Qf8 26 f3 (to stop 26 .. .f3)
things are by no means clear, though White has more scope to improve his posi
tion.

2 5 f4! (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 (B)
Evicting the black knight

Diagram 10 (W)
Position after 20 .. Ng6
.

Naiditsch takes the chance to evict the black knight from its fine centre square.
The situation here reminds me strongly of a position that Tiinman reached as
White against Topalov at Wijk aan Zee in 2004 (Diagram 10).
Here Timman, who was facing enormous pressure along the e-file, played 21 Bb2
and was ground down after 21...Bxb2 22 Rxb2 Qg7 23 Rc2 f4! (preventing the e5square ever being contested with 2-4) 24 Nc3 Nxc3 25 Qxc3 Qxc3 26 Rxc3 Re2
and Black won on move 57.
Returning to Diagram 10, for better or worse White surely had to play 21 f4 fight
ing for control of the e5-square. If Black responded 2 1 . ..gxf4 then his kingside
pawns have been broken up. At least White would have counterplay rather than
be forced into a horrendous endgame.
We should now return to the Naiditsch game (see Diagram 9),
German Grandmaster has just attacked the black knight.

2 s ...Nf7 26 Rxe7 Qxe7 27 Rel

132

in

which the young

A l e k h i n e ' s D efe n ce
With the black knight's grip on eS broken, the white rook dominates the only open
file on the board.

27 ...Qh4 28 Re6 Nf8 29 Re2 Nd7 30 Kh2 a6 31 g3 Qf6 3 2 Kg2 Rd8 33 Qe3 Qd4 34 g4!
Now the scope of the white bishop is to be increased.

34 ... Nf6 3 S Qf3 !

As he can get a clear plus by normal means, White shuns the complications that
follow 3S gxfS NhS!.

3s ...fxg4 36 hxg4 Rf8 37 Ne4 Nxe4 38 Qxe4 Qc3 39 Bc2 Qal 40 Rel Qc3 41 gs! (Dia
gram 11)

Diagram 11 (B)

Diagram 12 (B)

Restricting the black knight

A brea kthrough for activity

Continuing the strategy begun with 2S f4! . The black knight has been caged in, as
the white pawns deny it the squares es, gs and h6.

41 ... Rb8 42 Re2 Rf8 43 Qd3 Qxd3 44 Bxd3 Nd8 4S Kg3 as 46 Bc2 Rf7 47 fS! (Dia
gram 12)
After this breakthrough White will have the superior rook, bishop and king.

47 ... gxfs 48 Kf4 Kf8 49 Bxfs Rg7 so Rh2 Kg8 Sl Rh6 Nf7 S 2 Be6 Kf8 S3 Bxf7!
White acquiesces in the exchange of minor pieces, as he sees that his king will be
able to infiltrate to h6 with a simple win.

S3 ...Rxf7+ S4 Kg4 Ke7 SS Kh4 Kd7 S6 Kh5 Ke7 S7 Re6+ Kd7 S8 Kh6 1-0
Black is in zugzwang, as if S8 ... Kc7 S9 Re8 and 60 Rh8 wins the h7-pawn.

133

C h a pter N i ne

C a ro- Ka n n Defe n ce

I ntrod u ction
Black p l ays S

g6

Black p l ays S

Nc6

Black plays 5

e6

Ca ro-Ka n n Defe nce

Introd uction
We have to decide what to d o against 1 e 4 c 6 (Diagram 1), the Caro-Kann Defence.

Diagram 1 (W)

Diagram 2 (B)

The Ca ro-Kann Defence

The Panov-Botvin n i k Attack

Let's try the Panov-Botvinnik Attack: 2 d4 dS 3 exds cxdS 4 c4 (Diagram 2).

It is easy to play and easy to understand, whilst at the same time being hard for
Black to meet. White achieves a smooth, active development of his pieces, with
immediate pressure on d5. The only drawback is that he has to be prepared to ac
cept an Isolated Queen's Pawn (IQP) in some variations. However, as we shall see,
the IQP can be a superb attacking asset.
But first of all, let's see what happens if Black responds with a kingside fianchetto.
This is fairly common, despite not being at all convincing for Black.

Black plays s g6
...

Game 3 7
D M.Lyell K.Arkell
Coventry 2004

1 e4. c6 2 d4 d S 3 exds cxdS 4 c4 Nf6

Instead 4 ... dxc4?! 5 Bxc4 would just develop White's bishop for him.

5 Nc3 g6
Black is prepared to jettison the d5-pawn, as he believes he will regain it at a later
point with a good game. The alternatives 5 ... Nc6 and 5 ... e6 are examined below.
135

S ta rti n g O u t : 1 e4!

6 Qb3!
The motto of White's last three moves is: pressurize d5.

6 Bg7
..

The only consistent move, as after 6 ... dxc4 7 Bxc4 e6 (how else to meet the threat to
f7?) 8 Nf3, the combination of the moves ... e7-e6 and ... g7-g6 is ugly. After all, one
of the reasons Black intends to fianchetto on g7 is to avoid shutting in the other
bishop with ... e7-e6.

7 cxdS (Diagram 3)

Diagram 3 (B)

Diagram 4 (B)

White accepts the sacrifice

Exch anging da rk-squared bishops

The pawn on d5 cramps the black pieces, preventing them working together.
And no wonder: between them, the white pawns on d5 and d4 control four central
squares, besides the two they occupy - that is all territory that is denied to the
black pieces. The only drawback is the weakness of the d6-square, which would
make a nice base for a black knight; but then, how will the black queen or rooks
assail d5 from the front if the knight is in the way?

7 o-o 8 Be2!
...

Much better than the obvious and entirely wrong 8 Nf3?.

WARNI NG. I n the opening phase of a game, it isn't good enough to

solely rely on natural developing moves. If that were the case, this
book would be very short - in fact it would never have been written.
I nstead, every chess playing house would have a standard reference
book called Precepts of Chess, written about 1880 a nd full of price
less advice such as: 'move out your knights before your bishops',
'complete your kingside development within six moves' a nd 'move a
piece only once in the opening'.
136

C a ro - K a n n Defe n ce
Here, in the real world, Lyell is going to disobey all these rules by putting his
bishop on f3. Why? It is because he has a plan: the pawn on d5 needs to be pro
tected, and this will be done with Be2 and Bf3. All ideas of 'natural' development
have to be jettisoned.

8 ... Na6
The knight heads for c7 to add to the pressure on d5.

9 Bf4
Here the bishop will make things uncomfortable for the black knight.

9 . Nc7 10 Bf3
..

Even so, it might seem strange for White to spend two moves putting his bishop
on f3, when it might have gone to c4 in one move, and equally have defended the
d5-pawn. However, on c4 it would have been vulnerable to attack by the pawn
move ...b7-b5, perhaps after the preparatory ... a7-a6.

10 ... NeS 11 Bes! (Diagram 4)

Excellent: White counters the threat to d4 by offering Black a most unwelcome
exchange of bishops. But if 1 1 . . .BxeS 12 dxe5 and White has a beautiful centre, or
1 1 ...f6 12 d6+, so Black can hardly refuse.

11 ... Nd6
A fine post for the knight, but positionally speaking everything else for Black is
very poor.

12 Bxg7 l<xg7 13 Nge2 b6 14 o-o Ba6 1S Rfel Bc4

The white knight will do a lot of damage on f4 so, gruesome as it is, perhaps Black
should have tried 15 ...Bxe2.

16 Qdl Qd7 17 b3 Ba6 18 Qd2 Bb7 19 Nf4 (Diagram S)

An ideal set-up for White, and easy to play. He has every minor piece defending
the d5-pawn and depriving Black of activity. Of course, if Lyell loses control and
the d5-pawn drops off, then Black would be doing quite well; so care is still
needed.

19 ...Raes 20 Res
White prepares to double rooks on the e-file to increase the pressure on e7.

20 . Ncbs 21 Nxbs Nxbs 22 Rael Nd6 23 h4!

.

Now the winning plan takes shape. The advance of the h-pawn will shatter the
black kingside that has already been undermined by the exchange of the bishop
on g7.

23 ... Qc7 24 h s Bes 2s Be4! f6

The growing pressure on the kingside persuades Arkell to try his luck trapping a
rook, but it meets with a brilliant refutation.

26 hxg6! hxg6
137

Sta rti n g O u t : 1 e4!

Black is annihilated after 26 ... fxeS 27 Nh5+ Kg8 28 Qg5!? (threatening a discovered
check on h7, then mate on g7; 28 Qh6 also does the trick) 28 ... e6 29 gxh7+ Kh8 30
Qxe5+ and mate in two.

27 RhS! (Diagram 6)

Diagram 5 (B)
An ideal set-u p for Wh ite

Diagram 6 (B)
A decisive rook sacrifice

The rook insists on being en prise to a pawn.

2 7 RhS
...

Giving up the g6-pawn is hopeless, so Black should have insisted on being shown
why he is losing after 27... gxhS. However, 28 Nxh5+ Kg8 29 Qh6 Rf7 30 Bg6 Ref8
31 Re3 intending 32 Rg3 looks like a winning attack.

2 8 Bxg6 Regs 29 Qd3 RxhS 30 Nxhs+ Kf8 31 Nf4 Nbs 3 2 g3 Qc3? 3 3 Qxc3 1-0
Black speeds up his demise by missing that after 33 ... Nxc3 34 Rel he loses a piece.
A total demolition of 5 ... g6.

Black plays s

. . .

Nc6

A popular choice for Black, who i s slipping ahead i n development, s o we have to

be careful.
Game 3 8

P.H.Nielsen S.Milliet
French League 2004

1 c4 c6 2 e4
138

Ca ro-Ka n n D efe n ce
Note the move order, which is frustrating for anyone who wants to play the Slav
(after 2 d4 d5) as Black.

2 . d5 3 exds cxds 4 d4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 (Diagram 7)

.

Diagram 7 (W)
Black plays S ... Nc6

Diagram 8 (B)
The 6 ... Be6 variation

6 BgS!?
The main line is 6 Nf3 Bg4 7 cxd5 Nxd5 8 Qb3 etc., but the bishop move is tricky to
meet.

6...e6
The solid reply. A sharper alternative is 6 . ..Be6 7 Nf3 (Diagram 8). If now 7... dxc4?
8 Bxf6 exf6 9 d5 wins a piece. Or 7... Ne4 8 Be2 (a nice little move, not fearing
8 ... Nxg5 9 Nxg5 when the black centre is under siege) 8 ... Nxc3 9 bxc3 dxc4 10 Rbl
and White has a useful initiative for the pawn. Here is another quick way for
Black to lose: 10 ...b6 1 1 Qa4 Bd7 12 Bxc4 (getting the pawn back with a very pleasant position) 12 ... Ne5?? (or 12 ... Nxd4 13 Ne5!) 13 Nxe5 when Black saw the mate
on f7 and resigned in H.Rudnik-K.Kunert, Pocking 1996.
7 Nf3 Be7 8 cS! (Diagram 9)
So there won't be an IQP in this game. White fixes a 3-2 pawn majority on the
queenside which, in the long term, he intends to convert into a passed pawn. Such
a plan would fail if Black succeeded in blasting open the centre with ... e6-e5 or
breaking up the pawns with ...b7-b6 etc. Therefore Nielsen has to play precisely in
order to keep his opponent under restraint.

8 0-0
...

Black can try a bid for freedom with 8 ... Ne4 9 Bxe7 Nxc3 10 Bxd8 Nxdl (if
10 . . .Qxe7 1 1 Bb5 Bd7 12 0-0 0-0 13 Rel Nxc3 14 bxc3 Rfc8 15 Rbl and White has
pressure down the b-file) 1 1 Rxdl Kxd8 and there follows an impressive example

139

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e 4 !
o f preventive chess by White: 12 a 3 a 5 (to stop 13 b4) 1 3 Ng5! ( a manoeuvre de
signed to clamp down on Black ever playing .. . e6-e5) 13 ... Ke7 14 f4 B d7 15 Bb5 and
White had established a bind in D.Pavasovic-M.Zupe, Slovenian Team Champi
onship 2004.

9 BbS!
This is a key move for White in this variation. With 9 Bb5 he is prepared to give
up the bishop for the knight on c6 in order to consolidate his hold over the dark
squares.

9 ... Bd7 10 o-o Res 11 Rel b6

It looks at first glance as if White will have to play the insipid 12 cxb6, but he has
something much stronger:

1 2 Bxc6!
Here we see the value of White's 9th move.

12 ...Bxc6 13 b4
Suddenly Nielsen has a protected passed pawn.

1 3 ... a6 14 Nes bxcs 1 5 bxcs QaS 16 Qd2 (Diagram 10)

Diagram 9 (B)
Fixing a queenside majority

Diagram 10 (B)
An impressive bind

An impressive bind: every single white piece and pawn is on a dark square (apart
from a2 and g2), and the threat is 17 Nxd5! .

1 6... BdS 17 Rabl N d 7 18 Bf4 Nxes 1 9 Bxes Bbs 2 0 Qe3 Bc7 21 Bxc7 Rxc7 2 2 a4!
White increases his grip on both sides of the board.

22 ... Bc4 23 f4 Rcc8 24 Rb6!

The black queen finds herself boxed in.

140

Ca ro-Ka n n Defe n c e

24...RbS 2 5 Rehl Rxb6 2 6 Rxb6 h 6 27 Kf2!

Nielsen intends to get maximum value out of all his pieces. With the black queen
paralysed, he sends his king to d2 to free his queen from the need to defend the
knight.

27 ... RdS 28 Ke1 Rc8 29 Kd2 Rd8 30 g4 Kf8 31 h4 Re8 3 2 QeS Bf1 3 3 Qd6+ Kg8 34
Rb8 1-0
After 34 ...RxbS 35 Qxb8+ Kh7 36 Qb6! Qxb6 37 cxb6 the pawn queens.

Black plays s e6
...

When Black chooses the move 5 ... e6 the game usually heads towards typical iso
lated queen pawn (IQP) positions.

TIP: Before reading the explanation of strategy below, I suggest you

quickly play through the illustrative games that follow it. This will
give you a greater comprehension of what is under discussion. You
might return to the illustrative games later and look at them in
more detail.

Diagram 11 (W)
The popu lar s ...e6

Diagram 12 (W)
B lack plays 6 ... Bb4

White has two main winning plans in IQP positions.

The first is a direct kingside attack. Sometimes he plays Bd3, Bc2 and Qd3 to aim
directly at the weak h7 p oint. In that scenario, Black often responds ... g7-g6, but
this allows Bh6, perhaps in combination with Ne5, when the black kingside is be
ginning to feel threatened. Then the advance h2-h4 becomes a promising idea,
either supporting Ng5 or, if Black has played ... g7-g6, the further advance h4-h5.

141

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e 4 !
In carrying out the attack, White often employs some ingenious method to get a

rook involved in an attack on Black's king. For example, the rook can swing across
to g3 or h3 from a variety of squares: c3, e3, a3 (after a2-a4) to name but three!
White's second winning plan is to try to break through in the centre and exploit
the superior power to manoeuvre that a space advantage has conferred on his
pieces. This is sometimes achieved in style with a vigorous d4-d5! advance. How
ever, as described in the examples above, Black often cuts his own throat by open
ing the centre. So a good strategy for White might just be to build up his game and
say to Black: 'I've got a space advantage. Given time I will prepare an attack on
your king: what are you going to do about it?' With luck, Black will reply with a
premature bid for freedom and do White's work for him!
When the IQP position is reached via the Queen's Gambit, Black's king's bishop
has often already been committed to the e7-square. Here in the Caro-Kann Black
has the option of a more aggressive deployment with ... Bb4.
Another issue that Black has to consider is whether he should transform the struc
ture from one with an IQP to one with hanging pawns, typically with an exchange
of knights by ... Nxc3 when White replies b2xc3.
Game 39
D E.Liss L.Yudasin
I s rae li Cham pion s h i p 1998

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d s 3 exds cxd s 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 (Diagram 11) 6 Nf3 Bb4 (Diagram 12)
Black takes the fight directly to his opponent by pinning the knight on c3. This is
his most active way to handle the IQP p osition. The more cautious 6 ... Be7 is ana
lysed in the next game.

7 Bd3 dxc4 8 Bxc4 OO 9 0-0 Nc6?!

You may think it odd that I should criticize such a natural developing move.
However, it is much less flexible than 9 . . . a6 or 9 ...b6, as now Black won't have the
option of blocking the d-file or strengthening f6 with a later ... Nbd7. Furthermore,
as occurs in the game, the knight on c6 may become a target for the d4-d5 break
through.
Black's results after 9 ... Nc6 have been very poor and the present game is no excep
tion. However, White also has a useful initiative after 9 ...b6; for example 10 Bg5
Bb7 11 Rel Nc6 12 Bd3 Be7 13 Bbl Nb4 14 Ne5 Rc8 15 Rel etc. This led to a hard
tussle in which White (rated Elo 2469) beat Black (Elo 2687) in A.Braun-L.Van
Wely, Bundesliga 2005.

10 Bgs Be7 11 a3 (Diagram 13)

White wants to put his queen on d3 without being bothered by the reply ... Nb4.
Instead, 11 Rel was played in M.Tal-L.Ljubojevic, Manila Interzonal 1990, where

142

Ca ro-Ka n n Defe n c e
the Yugoslav Grandmaster, no doubt sensing the danger in this apparently in
nocuous position, opted for rapid development with l l ...Bd7 12 a3 Rc8. Of course
he couldn't have been overjoyed to have his bishop on the inferior d7-square.
In the present game Yudasin is more ambitious: he wants his bishop nicely placed
on b7. However, the time wasted in achieving this will have serious consequences.

11 ... bG
Another approach is to try to disrupt White's build-up with rapid action on the
queenside, but the open lines created tend to favour the active white pieces; for
example 10 ... a6 11 Ba2 b5 12 Rel Bb7 13 Qd3 b4 14 Na4 bxa3 15 bxa3 Na5 16 Ne5
Bd5? (a poor move, but Black is already uncomfortable as White intended 17 NcS)
17 Bxf6! Bxf6 18 Bxd5 exd5 (or 18 .. . Qxd5 19 Nb6) 19 Nc3 Nc4?! 20 Nc6 Qd6 21
Nxd5! and White was winning in l.Stohl-D.Rogozenko, Moscow Olympiad 1994.

12 Qd3 Bb7 13 Rfe1 Nds?

This is bad. Black should try 13 ... Na5 14 B a2 Nd5 (if 14 ... RcS 15 Ne5!), although 1 5
Bxe7 (or 15 Bbl) 15 ... Nxe7 16 Ne5 isn't very pleasant for him.

14 Bxds! Bxgs
If 14 . . .exd5 15 Bxe7 Nxe7 the b7-bishop is passive, but this may have been better.
15 Be4 g6 16 Rad1 Bf6 17 dS! (Diagram 14)

Diagram 13 (B)
Preventing ... Nb4

Diagram 14 (B)
The classic breakthrough

Here is the classic breakthrough. The absence of pawns in the centre won't make it
drawish; on the contrary, with his knight stranded on a5 and his rooks still pas
sive, it is the open lines that spell doom for Black.

11 ... exds 18 Bxds Nas 19 Qe3! Qc7 20 Bxb7 Qxb7 21 Nds! Bxb2
If 2l . . . Bg7 22 Ne7+!? Kh8 23 Ne5! threatening 24 Rd7 is crushing, for if 23 ... Qxe7 24
Nxg6+.

143

Sta rti n g O ut: 1 e4!

22 Ne5! Rads 2 3 Nf6+ Kg7 24 Neg4 1-0

Black resigned as he has no defence against 25 Qh6+. This was a drastic example
of how dangerous things can be for Black if he doesn't take appropriate measures
against White's central breakthrough.
Game 40
D A.Timofeev N.Eliet
Ca ppel le la G ra nde 2004

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6 6 Nf3 Be7 (Diagram 1 5)

Diagram 15 (W)

Diagram 16 (B)

Black plays 6... Be7

A typica l pawn offer

Less adventurous than 6 ... Bb4 in the game above.

7 cxd 5
White isn't losing time with this, as next move he can put the bishop on c4 in one
go, rather than spend a move on Bd3 first and only after ... d5xc4 reply Bxc4.

1 Nxd5
Black could recapture 7 ...exd5, creating a symmetrical pawn structure in the cen
tre, but it isn't very comfortable for him after 8 Bb5+!. For example, 8 ... Bd7 (or
8 . . .Nc6 9 Ne5 Bd7 10 0-0 0-0 11 Rel etc.) 9 Bxd7+ Nbxd7 10 Qb3 Nb6 1 1 0-0 0-0 12
Bg5 h6 13 Bh4 Rc8 14 Rfel Rc6 15 Re2 intending 16 Rael . By using the simplest of
means White had gained a positional advantage in M.Adams-J.Granda Zuniga,
Elenite 1993.
..

8 Bc4 Nc6 9 o-o Nxc3

Eliet decides to give White a weak pawn on c3 rather than try to exploit the IQP.

144

Ca ro-Ka n n Defe n c e
In principle this is a reasonable idea, as he can generate counterplay with . . .Rc8
etc.; but things happen too fast on the kingside.

10 bxc3 o-o 11 Rel b6 12 Bd3 Bb7 13 h4! (Diagram 16)

A typical pawn offer in this type of centre. If 13 . . . Bxh4 14 Nxh4 Qxh4 15 Re3!?,
followed by swinging the rook to h3, gives White a huge attack. Therefore the h4pawn lives to provide the knight with a platform on gS.

13 ... Bf6 14 Ng5 g6 15 Qg4 h5 16 Qg3 Ne7 17 Ba3

The white pieces increase the pressure on the centre until an 'explosion' occurs.
11 ... Qd1 18 Rad1 Rac8 19 d5!! (Diagram 1 7)

Diagram 17 (B)

Diagram 18 (W)

The fa mil iar brea kthrough

W h ite to play and win

Timofeev combines both plans we talked about in the introduction above: a cen
tral breakthrough and a kingside attack. Black would be ripped to pieces after
19 ... Bxd5 20 c4 Ba8 21 Bxg6 with a discovered attack on the black queen.

19 ...exd5 20 Qf4
Without his 19th move this could have been answered by 20 ... Nd5.
20... Kg7 21 Bb5! Bc6
If 21...Qxb5 22 Bxe7 Bxe7 23 Rxe7, when both b7 and f7 are hanging. Instead 21...Qc7

Bd6 Qd8 (Diagram 18) leads to a pretty queen sacrifice: 23 Qxf6+!! Kxf6 24 Be5+
Kf5 25 Rd4! and mate follows on 4, e.g. if 25 . . .Rc4 26 Bxc4 dxc4 27 Rf4 mate.
22 Ne4!
22

Another fine tactical stroke. The attack on 6 means that Black has nothing better
than to bail out into an endgame the exchange down.
22 ... Qf5 23 Qxf5 Nxf5 24 Bxf8+ Rxf8 25 Nxf6 Bxb5 26 Nxh5+! 1-0
A neat finishing touch. Soon Black will be the exchange down with smashed king
side pawns after 26 ... gxh5 27 Rxd5.

14 5

C h a pter Ten

Sca n d i n a vi a n {a n d

B
-

. . .

N c6)

I ntrod u ction
Sca ndinavia n : 2

Qxd s 3 Nc3

Sca n d i n avia n : 2

Nf6 3 Nf3 Nxd S

Nf6 3 Nf3 Qxd s a nd

1 . . . Nc6 (N i m z owitsch's Defen ce)

S ca n d i n a v i a n (a n d 1 . . . N c 6 )

I ntrod uction
The Scandinavian, or Centre Counter, i s 1 e4 dS (Diagram 1).

Diagram 1 (W)
Scandinavian Defence

Diagram 2 (B)
Positi on after 3 Nc3

The challenge to the e4-pawn more or less forces us to play 2 exd5, after which
Black has to make a key decision: whether to recapture 2 ... Qxd5, allowing 3 Nc3
(Diagram 2), or else develop with 2 . .. Nf6 followed by 3 ... Nxd5. The aim of the first
two parts of this chapter is to show how White can build up a strong initiative
against either of these moves. The third part looks at a type of hybrid between the
variations (2 . .. Nf6 3 Nf3 Qxd5) and brings us on to a discussion of 1...Nc6,
Nimzowitsch's Defence, which is a valid opening in its own right.

Sca nd inavia n: 2 . . . 0xd

s 3 Nc3
From Diagram 2, safest is 3 ... Qd8, but the loss of time is evident. One interesting
response is 4 d4 c6 5 Bg5!?, aiming to inflict damage on the black kingside after
5 . . . Nf6 6 Bxf6. Instead 5 .. .h6 6 Be3 Bf5 7 g4! Bh7 8 Bd3 Bxd3 9 Qxd3 Nf6 10 h3 e6 12
0-0-0 gave White a pleasant edge in E .Najer-E.Dizdarevic, Saint Vincent 2005.

NOTE: Our mantra versus 2 ... Qxd s is: castle queenside, be solid in
the centre and push the kingside pawns.

Alternatively 3 ... Qd6!? has received some attention over recent years. The queen
remains in the centre controlling some useful squares. However, White can
achieve a promising build-up; for example 4 d4 c6 (if 4 ... a6 5 Bc4 Nf6 6 Nge2
builds up smoothly, as the pawn snatch 6 .. .Qc6 7 Bb3 Qxg2 gives White a tremen-

147

Sta rti n g O u t: 1 e4!

dous initiative after 8 Rgl Qh3 9 Bf4 Qd7 10 Qd3 etc.) 5 Nf3 Bg4 6 h3 Bxf3 7 Qxf3
Nf6 (very risky is 7 . . . Qxd4 8 Be3 and White will develop a rapid attack) 8 Be3 e6 9
0-0-0 Be7 10 Kbl Nbd7 11 Bd3 0-0 12 g4 and in E.Vorobiov-R.Hasangatin, Cap
pelle la Grande 2006, White had everything on our wish list above: full develop
ment and the chance to gain space on the kingside.
The usual move is 3 Qas, when Black hopes that his queen is relatively safe from
attack and can hinder White's build-up by pinning the knight on c3. I recommend
that we cut across both these notions with 4 d4 Nf6 5 Bd2!? (Diagram 3).
...

Diagram 3 (B)

Diagram 4 (B)

White plays 5 Bd2 ! ?

A great position for Wh ite

I like this immediate attempt to exploit the position of the black queen. With best
play, White won't win any material but he will get to break up Black's kingside
with Nd5 and Nxf6+.
Black could provoke the advance of the white kingside pawns, but it would be a
case of starting an avalanche rather creating weaknesses: s Bg4?! 6 3 Bf5 7 g4
Bg6 8 h4 h6 9 Bc4 c6 10 Nh3! (heading for f4 to gain yet more time by harassing
the black bishop) 10 ... e6 11 Nf4 Bh7 12 Qe2 Bb4 13 0-0-0 (Diagram 4). Here in
F.Nijboer-H.Massink, Vlissingen 2005, White once again has everything he is hop
ing for against the 2 ...Qxd5 Scandinavian: his pieces are active, he has successfully
castled queenside, and his kingside pawns are rolling up the board. Black was
soon annihilated: 13 ... Nbd7 14 g5 Nd5 15 Bxd5 cxd5 16 g6! Bxg6 17 Nxg6 fxg6 18
Qxe6+ Kd8 19 a3 Bxc3 20 Bxc3 Qb5 21 Qxg6 Rg8 22 Rhel and Black lasted only six
more moves.
...

Instead, s Qb6 moves the queen away from the potential discovered attack and
attacks two white pawns, but 6 Nf3 looks good for White. For example, 6 ... c6 (not
6 ... Qxb2?? 7 Rbl Qa3 8 Nb5 and Black can resign) 7 Bc4 Bf5 8 Qe2 when if 8 ... Bxc2,
then 9 Ne5! (Diagram 5) gives White huge compensation for the pawn.
...

148

S c a n d i n a v i a n (a n d 1 . . N c 6 )
.

If now 9 ... e6??, 10 Nxf7! i s a typical tactical motif to drive the black king into the
open: 10 ... Kxf7 1 1 Qxe6+ Kg6 12 Qf7+ Kf5 13 Be6 mate! So Black has to try 9 ... Bg6
when 1 0 h4, threatening to trap the bishop with 1 1 h5, looks very strong, as Black
has no wish to see his pawns broken up by 10 ...hS 11 Nxg6 fxg6 - remember what
happened to Massink in the extract above!
Instead of grabbing the pawn on c2, 8 ... e6 is more sensible: 9 0-0-0 Bb4 10 Ne5
Nbd7 (or 10 ... Qxd4 11 Nb5! cxb5 12 Bxb4 attacking the black queen with Bxb5+ to
follow) 11 Nxd7 Nxd7 12 d5!

TIP: As a rule of thumb, if White achieves a d4-d5 breakthrough in

the Scandinavian, he is doing very well.
12...Bxc3 13 Bxc3 cxdS 14 Rxd5 0-0-0 15 Rddl Nf6 16 3! and White's bishop pair,
granted open lines by d4-d5!, gave him a useful initiative in V.Kramnik
V.Malakhov, Paris 2004.
So returning to move five, the usual move is s ...c6, opening a line of retreat for the
black queen back to d8. White can then fracture Black's kingside pawns, as the
following game demonstrates.

Diagram 5 (B)
White has huge compensation

Diagram 6 (W)
Black plays s .. c6
.

Game 41

D A.Grischuk C.Bauer
French League 2005
1 e4 ds 2 exdS Qxd s 3 Nc3 Qas 4 d4 Nf6 5 Bd2 c6 (Diagram 6)
If 5 ...Bf5 straight away, then 6 Qf3 attacking b7 looks very awkward for Black.

149

Sta rti n g O ut: 1 e4!

There is already the threat of 7 b4! winning the bishop .

6 Bc4 Bfs 7 Nds Qd8 8 Nxf6+ gxf6 9 Nf3 e6 10 c3

In contrast to the hectic lines above, Grischuk is content to build upon his superior
pawn structure.

10 ... Nd7 11 N h4
The knight clears a good centre post for the queen on 3 .

11 ... Nb6 12 Bb3 Bg6 13 Qf3 Be7 14 g3!

White opens an escape hatch for the knight before Black has the chance to play
14 . . . f5, otherwise the positionally undesirable exchange 15 Nxg6 hxg6 would be
foisted upon him.

14 ... Qd7 15 o-o fs (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 (W)

Diagram 8 (B)

The g6 bis h o p is entombed

W h ite wil l attack the king

Defensively speaking, the bishop on g6 is doing a great job in holding together the
black kingside. On the other hand, it is now entombed. In what follows the other
minor pieces are exchanged off, leaving White with the significant advantage of a
far more active light-squared bishop.
16 Ng2 Nds 17 Nf4 0-0-0 18 Rfe1 Nxf4
Here and on the next move Bauer is being rather compliant with his opponent's
wishes by simplifying the position.

19 Bxf4 Bd6 20 Bxd6 Qxd6 2 1 Res Kb8 22 Bc4 Rhe8 23 Rael Re7 24 b4 (Diagram 8)
Starting a direct attack on the black king, which has every chance of success in
view of the difference in strength of the respective bishops. Furthermore, Bauer
can't even generate any counterplay as his kingside pawns are defensively strong
but wtlit to move forwards.

24... Rc7 2 5 h4 h s 26 a4 Qf8 27 Qf4 Rdc8 28 Bf1 Bh7 29 Be2 Bg6 30 Bf3
150

Sca n d i n a vi a n (a n d 1 . . . N c6 )
For all intents and purposes White has an extra piece.

30... KaS 31 bs Qa3 32 as

The advance is remorseless. If 32 ... QxaS, 33 bxc6 uncovers an attack on the queen
and wins at once.

3 2 ... cxbs 3 3 Rxbs a6 34 Rxb71

It had to happen.

34 ... Rxb7 3 5 Rb1 Qe7

If 35 ... RcbS 36 Qc7! and disaster follows on b7.

36 Rxb7 Qxb7 3 7 Bxb7+ Kxb7 3 8 Qd6 Rc6 39 Qb4+ Kc8 40 f4 1-0

Sca ndinavia n : 2 . . . Nf6 3 Nf3 Nxd s

If Black prefers to have his knight rather than his queen sitting on d5, we can still
gain time to establish a centre with c2-c4. After 4 d4 Black has a big decision to
make: should he develop with 4 ... Bf5, fianchetto with 4 ... g6, or try pinning with
4... Bg4? The following illustrative games will show us how to meet these moves.

Diagram 9 (W}

Diagram 10 (B)

Black plays ... Nf6xds

Wh ite has a space adva ntage

Black plays 4 ... Bfs

Game 42

D V.Topalov G.Kamsky
Wij k aan Zee 2006
1 e4 ds 2 exds Nf6 3 Nf3 Nxds (Diagram 9) 4 d4 Bfs 5 Bd3
151

Sta rti n g O ut: 1 e4!

Topalov, slightly uncharacteristically, consolidates his space advantage in the cen
tre in a quiet manner ...

s ... Bxd3 6 Qxd3 e6 7 o-o Nc6 8 c4 N b6 9 Nc3 Be7 10 Bf4 (Diagram 10) 10...gs?
... after which Kamsky goes berserk, whereupon the reigning FIDE World Cham
pion switches to attacking mode:

11 Bg3 g4 12 Nes Nxd4

The attack doesn't abate after 12 ... Qxd4 13 Qe2! . Black has won a pawn, but his
king will be forever a target, whether it stays on e8 or goes to the kingside.
13 cs!
Deflecting the black bishop from the defence of the kingside and winning time for
a later Ne4.
1 3 ... Bxcs 14 Rad1 o-o 1S Ne4 Be7 16 Nxg4 cs (Diagram 11)

Diagram 11 (W)
White has an immediate win

Diagram 12 (W)
Black plays 4. . g6
.

1 7 b4?!
Here Kasparov pointed out there was an instant win with 17 Be5! (threatening 1 8
Nh6 mate) 17 ...f6 18 Ng5! Nf5 19 Nh6+ and a further knight check o n 7 o r e6 wins
the queen, as if 19 ... Nxh6 20 Qxh7 mate.
11 ... Nds 18 bxcs Nfs 19 Qf3 Res 20 Bd6!
Despite his imprecise 1 7th move, White's initiative becomes deadly with the ac
quisition of a passed pawn.
20 ... Nxd6 21 cxd6 Bh4 22 d7 Rc6 23 Nes Rc7 24 Qg4+ Kh8 2S Nd6 1-0
The threat of a knight mating on f7 is lethal.

152

Sca n d i n a vi a n ( a n d 1 . . N c6)
.

Black plays 4

...

g6

Game 43

B.Vuckovic S.Vukanovic
B ar 2005
D

1 e4 ds 2 exds Nf6 3 Nf3 Nxds 4 d4 g6 (Diagram 12) 5 c4

Obvious and best; the black knight is evicted from d5.

s Nb6 6 Nc3 Bg7

...

Or 6 ... Bg4 7 h3 Bxf3 8 Qxf3 with the two bishops - and the attack on b7 dissuades
Black from taking on d4. One of the drawbacks of 4 ... g6 is that in this sequence
7... Bh5?? loses the bishop to 8 g4, as the pawn on g6 gets in the way of the bishop's
retreat!

7 cs! (Diagram 13)

Diagram 13 (B)
The key adva nce

Diagram 14 (B)
B lack is lost

The key move in White's plan. The black knight is chased back to the d5-square,
so that it can be attacked with further gain of time by White's light-squared
bishop.

7 ... NdS
If 7 ... N6d7 8 Bc4 and 9 0-0 leaves White well on top as regards development.

8 Bc4 c6
White's d4-square is bolstered after 8 . Nxc3 9 bxc3 - not something that would
make the bishop on g7 happy.
..

153

St a rt i n g O ut: 1 e4 !

9 0-0 0-0 10 Rel!

With the simple, but highly effective threat of 1 1 Bg5, followed by taking the
knight on d5 and then Bxe7. If Black replied with 1 1 ...6, blocking the attack on e7,
his centre would be weakened and the bishop on g7 shut in.

10 ... h6
If 10 ... Be6 then 11 Qb3 looks good. So Black spends a move to ward off the threat,
but loosening the kingside pawn structure, rather than bringing out a piece, looks
highly suspicious. Not surprisingly, White can take advantage of his superior de
velopment.

11 Qb3 e6
The black knight refuses to be driven from d5 a second time, but now the bishop
on c8 is shut in and, even worse, a big hole has appeared on d6. A white knight
heads towards it immediately.

12 Ne4 Nd7 13 Bd2!

Sensible. Vuckovic's first priority is to take the sting out of any attempt by his op
ponent to undermine c5.
13 ... b6 14 Qa3 Qc7 15 Rael
The white rook is also keen to support cS, even if indirectly.

15 ... as?! 16 b4!

It turns out that Black's bid for counterplay on the queenside has merely weak
ened his pawns.
16 ... bxcs 17 bxcs es?
Opening the centre is disastrous. He had to try to get away with 1 7... Ba6! .

18 Nd6! 1-0 (Diagram 14)

The game ends abruptly as soon as the knight lands on its dream square. There is
nothing to stop 19 dxeS winning an important centre pawn for nothing, as after
1 8 ... exd4 the following sequence is virtually forced: 19 Ne8! Qd8 (going to a7 just
means that a later Bxh6+! will win without c6-c7 needing to be inserted) 20 Nxg7
Kxg7 21 Bxd5 cxd5 22 c6 Nf6 23 c7! (driving away the black queen from the de
fence of the rook) 23 ...Qd7 24 Bxh6+! Kxh6 25 Qxf8+ Kh7 26 Ng5 mate!

Black plays 4 ... Bg4

Game 44

P.Svidler A.Dreev
R u ssi a n Championship, Elista 1997

1 e4 ds 2 exds Nf6 3 Nf3 Nxds 4 d4 Bg4 s h3!?

154

S ca n d i n a vi a n (a n d 1 N c 6)
...

Often this move is made for rather vague reasons: 'it can't do any harm to drive
the bishop back a square, and maybe at move 48 it will be handy that I've given
my king an escape square on h2.'
Here, however, the attack on the black bishop is a fundamental part of White's
strategy, as he intends to expand with his pawns on the kingside and thereby gain
the initiative.

s ... BhS 6 c4 Nb6 7 Nc3 (Diagram 15)

Diagram 15 (B)
Position after 7 Nc3

Diagram 16 (B)
Open ing lines on the ki ngside

1 . es?
Dreev attempts to equalize quickly, but he brings down a big attack upon his
head. He had to settle for the modest 7 . . e6, even though 8 g4 Bg6 9 Ne5 c6 10 Bg2
N8d7 11 Nxg6 hxg6 12 Qe2 (to defend c4) gives White the advantage in view of
his bishop pair. His plan would be to blast open lines for the light-squared bishop
with d4-d5. Note that the he can castle kingside without any reservations about
his apparently fragile pawn defences: the bishop on g2 is a fine defender as well as
being a dangerous attacker.
.

8 g4 exd4 9 Nxd4 Bg6 10 Bg2 c6 11 0-0 Be7 12 f4!

The black bishop will be shut out of the game on h7, and this will give White the
positional justification for launching a sacrificial attack.

12 ... hG 13 fS Bh7 14 cs!

Shades of 13 c5! from Topalov-Kamsky above.

14 ... N6d7
If 14 ... BxcS 15 Rel+ Kf8 16 Be3, with the threat of 17 Ne6+ winning the queen,
looks very strong for White. Now the black knight on b8 and bishop on h7 are

155

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4 !
temporarily shut out of the game, to say nothing of the idle rooks on a8 and h8.
Therefore, Svidler is entitled to dream of a gaining a crushing attack:

1 5 gS! (Diagram 16)

The idea is to open the h5-square for the queen so that if 15 ... hxgS, 16 Ne6! attacks
the black queen and also threatens 17 Nxg7+ with a huge attack. If then 16 ...fxe6
17 QhS+ Kf8 (he won't last long after 17 ... g6 18 fxg6) 18 fxe6+ Nf6 19 Qf7 mate.

1 5 ...0-0 16 g6!
The g-pawn acts like a battering ram against the black kingside and ensures that
White wins the exchange.

16 ...fxg6 17 Ne6 Qc8 18 Nxf8 Bxcs+ 19 Kh1 Bxf8 20 fxg6 Bxg6 21 Bxh6! (Diagram
17)

Diagram 17 (B)

Diagram 18 (B)

Wh ite nabs another pawn

B lack misses his h-pawn

Without this further tactical blow Black might have survived.

21 ... Nes
Svidler gives the variation 21...gxh6 22 Qg4 Kg7 23 Be4 Qe8 24 Rael ! Nf6 25 Rxf6!
Kxf6 26 Rfl + Kg7 27 Bxg6 Qxg6 28 Qd4+ Kg8 29 Rgl and White pockets the queen
and should win.

22 Bf4 Nbd7 23 Ne4 Qe8 24 Qb3+ Qf7 25 Qg3 Bxe4 26 Bxe4 Nf6 27 Bg2 Nhs 28 Qgs
Nd3 29 Bes Qe7 30 Qxhs Qxes 31 Qf7+ Kh8 32 Rfs (Diagram 18)
Dreev has battled hard, but the missing h6-pawn is now his undoing, as there is
no way to prevent a fatal rook check on h5.

32 ... Nf2+ 33 Kg1 Nxh3+ 34 Kfl 1-0

A brilliant win by Peter Svidler. I hope you are ready to wipe Black off the board
in similar style if he dares to play l ...dS.
156

Sta rt i n g O ut : 1 e4l
temporarily shut out of the game, to say nothing of the idle rooks on a8 and h8.
Therefore, Svidler is entitled to dream of a gaining a crushing attack:

1 s gs! (Diagram 16)

The idea is to open the hS-square for the queen so that if 15 ... hxgS, 16 Ne6! attacks
the black queen and also threatens 17 Nxg7+ with a huge attack. If then 16 ... fxe6
1 7 Qh5+ Kf8 (he won't last long after 17 ... g6 18 fxg6) 18 fxe6+ Nf6 19 Qf7 mate.

1 s ... o-o 16 g6!

The g-pawn acts like a battering ram against the black kingside and ensures that
White wins the exchange.
16 ...fxg6 17 Ne6 Qc8 18 Nxf8 Bxcs+ 19 Khl Bxf8 20 fxg6 Bxg6 21 Bxh6! (Diagram
17)

Diagram 17 (B}

Diagram 18 (B}

White nabs another pawn

B lack misses his h-pawn

Without this further tactical blow Black might have survived.

21... Nes
Svidler gives the variation 21 ...gxh6 22 Qg4 Kg7 23 Be4 Qe8 24 Rael ! Nf6 25 Rxf6!
Kxf6 26 Rfl + Kg7 27 Bxg6 Qxg6 28 Qd4+ Kg8 29 Rgl and White pockets the queen
and should win.

22 Bf4 Nbd7 23 Ne4 Qe8 24 Qb3+ Qf7 2 S Qg3 Bxe4 26 Bxe4 Nf6 27 Bg2 Nhs 28 QgS
Nd3 29 Bes Qe7 30 Qxhs Qxes 31 Qf7+ Kh8 3 2 Rfs (Diagram 18)
Dreev has battled hard, but the missing h6-pawn is now his undoing, as there is
no way to prevent a fatal rook check on h5.

32 ... Nf2+ 33 Kg1 Nxh3+ 34 Kfa 1-0

A brilliant win by Peter Svidler. I hope you are ready to wipe Black off the board
in similar style if he dares to play 1 ...d5.
156

S ca n d i n a vi a n ( a n d 1 . . . N c 6 )

2 . . . Nf6 3 Nf3 Qxd s a nd 1 . . . Nc6 (Nimzowitsch)

Here we consider what happens if, instead of playing 3 ... Nxd5 as in Part Two
above, Black reverts to 3 . . . Qxd5 (Diagram 19) in the style of Part One.
White doesn't have to rush into 4 Nc3; he can instead take the chance to increase
his pawn control of the centre. For example 4 d4 Bg4 5 Be2, after which he is ready
to play 6 0-0 and 7 c4 with a pleasant edge. If 5 ... Nc6 6 h3! is a key move, when
6 ...Bxf3 7 Bxf3 Qxd4?? 8 Bxc6+ loses for Black, while 6 . . . Qh5 7 0-0 is also very bad
for him; and finally, after 6 ... Bh5 7 c4, the black queen, which can go neither to fS
(because of the g2-g4 fork) nor h5, is driven backwards.
The inability of the black queen to take up an active stance on 5 or h5 means that
Black's set-up here is less threatening for White than that reached from a
Nimzowitsch Defence move order after 1 e4 Nc6 etc.
Looking at an illustrative game beginning l . . .Nc6 will make this clear. I've twisted
the move order for the sake of clarity.

Diagram 19 (W}

Diagram 20 (W)

Black reverts to ...Qxds

N imzowitsch's Defence

Game 45

Y.Lapshun R.Adamson
US Cha m pionsh i p, Sa n Diego 2004

1 e4 Nc6 (Diagram 20) 2 d4

Why not? White takes the space on offer.

2 ...d s

157

St a rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!
Black sometimes wanders off the beaten track with 2 ... e5 here, after which I sug
gest we get him back into our territory with 3 Nf3 transposing to the Scotch - as
for example in Game 11, which did take this route.

3 exds Qxds 4 Nf3 Bg4 5 Be2

White is able to develop calmly since, as pointed out above, 5 ... Bxf3 6 Bxf3 Qxd4
would lose the black queen.

s o-o-o
...

A very aggressive stance which can easily demoralize an inexperienced opponent.

Here 6 h3?, which was the star move in the discussion above, just drops a pawn to
6 ... Bxf3 7 Bxf3 Qxd4.

6 C4 Qh5
You will see that the queen is able to go to this attacking square, whereas in the
Scandinavian move order, with Black having 'wasted' a move on ... Nf6, it would
be impossible: 1 e4 d5 2 exdS Nf6 3 Nf3 Qxd5 4 d4 Bg4 5 Be2 Nc6 6 h3 Bh5 7 c4
and the h5-square is blocked.
Another possibility (only with the l . . .Nc6 move order) is 6 ... Qf5 (Diagram 21)

Diagram 21 (W)

Diagram 22 (B)

Black play s 6 ... Qfs

White develops sensibly

This is less overtly threatening to the white king after he castles kingside, as the
queen isn't in contact with the h2-square . The game K.Spraggett-J.Shaw, Gibraltar
2006, continued sharply with 7 Be3 Bxf3 8 Bxf3 Nxd4 (Black wins material with
this trick, but he ends up facing a mighty attack) 9 Bxd4 Qe6+ 10 Be2 (the only
move, as if 10 Kfl Qxc4+) 10 ...Qe4 11 0-0 Rxd4 12 Nd2! Qf4 13 Qa4 Rxd2 14 Radl !
Nf6 (not 14 ...Rxe2 15 Qe8 mate) 1 5 Qxa7 Nd7 16 Bf3 c6 17 Rxd2 Qxd2 18 Rdl Qh6
19 b4! (White remains a whole piece down, but with the black kingside pieces still
out of the game, the black king is a sitting duck) 19 ... Qe6 20 b5 g6 21 bxc6 bxc6 22
158

S ca n d i n a v i a n (a n d 1 . . . N c 6 )
a4 Bg7 23 a5 and Shaw could find nothing better than to give back the piece with
23 ... NcS 24 Qxc5 when he eventually lost the endgame.

7 Be3!
The black queen is waiting on h5 for White to play 0-0, so that she can try for a
deadly blow against h2 with a future . . . Ng4 or ...Bd6. So we should frustrate her
by leaving our king in the centre for the time being and considering 0-0-0.

'

WARNING: The golden rule here for White is as follows: don't hurry
to castle!

1 ... es

Black is trying his best to upset the white centre, but it stands firm.

8 ds Nf6 g Nbd2 (Diagram 22)

Sensible play: the knight goes to d2 rather than c3 in order to break the pin on the
d5-pawn. Therefore the black knight is driven away from c6, which opens the way
for decisive action on the a-file.

9 ...Ne7 10 h3!
Although there is no immediate threat to take the bishop, this is a very annoying
move for Black. He has to worry all the time that White will suddenly defend the
rook on hl, or else move it, when his bishop really will be hanging, and if he re
treats it then his queen will come under a discovered attack from the bishop on e2.

10 .. Nfs 11 Bxa1!
Whereas Black has been playing lots of pseudo-attacking moves, it is White who
has managed to inflict real damage on the enemy king's shelter.

11 ... Bd6 12 Qa4 e4 13 o-o-o! (Diagram 2 3 )

Diagram 23 (B)
Castling out of it

Diagram 24 (B)
Opening up the black ki ng

159

S t a rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!
The complete vindication of White's decision to delay castling kingside. Black
would be a pawn down with no counterplay after 13 ...exf3 14 hxg4 Qxg4 15 Bxf3
etc.

13 ... Bxf3 14 gxf3 exf3 15 Bd3

White prefers to play for the attack rather than grab the pawn with 1 5 Bxf3, when
15 ...QM fights on.

15 ... Nd7 16 Qc2

Over the remaining moves Lapshun arranges a decisive c4-c5 advance to demol
ish the black king's already fragile shelter.

16 ... g6 17 Ne4 Bf4+ 18 Kb1 Ne5 19 Bf1 Nd6 20 Nxd6+ cxd6 21 Bb6 Rde8 22 Ka1
Nd7 23 cs dxc5 24 Bb5! (Diagram 24)
An efficient combination to conclude the game. The bishop pair come into their
own when attacking a badly defended king.

24...Nxb6 2 5 Qxc5+ Bc7 26 Bxe8 Kb8

If 26 ... Rxe8 27 Rel Nxd5 (or 27 .. .Na8 28 d6) 28 Rhdl, intending 29 Rxd5 then mate

on c7.

27 Rel Qe5 28 Rhe1 Qf6 29 Qxc7+ 1-0

160

Ch a pte r Eleve n

Pi rc a n d ot h e r
F i a n c h etto Defe n ces
R
R
R
R
R

I ntrod u ction
A model attack vs the Pi rc Defence
How to attack the Modern Defence
Attacki n g oth e r ... Bg7 syste ms
Attacki n g the q ueenside fia nchetto

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!

I ntrod uction
In this chapter we shall look at variations in which Black bases his strategy on a
fianchetto at g7 or b7.

Defeating the kingside fianchetto

The spectrum of Black systems involving ... Bg7 stretches all the way from the
mainstream Pirc Defence (1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6), to the slightly offbeat Mod
ern Defence l . . .g6 (Diagram 1), and beyond that to the decidedly irregular l...g5.
We'll begin by considering the standard Pirc set-up: 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6
(Diagram 2).

Diagram 1 (W)
The Modern Defence

Diagram 2 (W)
The Pirc Defence

What is the best way for White to take on the Pirc? It's easy: you should put the
bishop on e3, the queen on d2, play Bh6, break open the h-file and checkmate the
black king. In England this scheme is referred to as the '150 Attack'.
If it sounds familiar, it's because it's the same approach we advised against a
variation of the Philidor ( 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3
Bg7 7 Qd2) and against the Sicilian Dragon (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 3 0-0 8 Qd2). The experience you gain in conducting the
kingside attack in a variety of situations should increase the level of skill with
which you carry it out.
Let's see how the plan might work in practice.

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P i r c a n d ot h e r F i a n c h etto Defe n ce s

A model attack versus the Pirc Defen ce

Game 46

U.Dirr A.Carstens
Bu ndesliga 1992

1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6 4 Be3 Bg7 5 Qd2 o-o 6 Bh6 c6 7 h4! (Diagram 3)

Diagram 3 (B)

Diagram 4 (B)

The 150 Attack

White opens lines

Already 8 h5 is looming, when if 8 ... Nxh5? 9 Rxh5! gxh5 1 0 QgS and mate on g7.

7 ... Qb6 8 0-0-0

Everything is flowing well: White deals with the threat to b2 without the slightest
disturbance to his attacking plan.

8 ... es
A belated attempt to stir up counterplay in the centre.

9 Bxg7 Kxg7 10 h 5 Be6

Or 10 ... Qxd4 1 1 Bd3!? Nxh5 1 2 Rxh5! gxh5 13 Nf3 Qc5 14 Qg5+ Kh8 15 Qf6+ Kg8
16 Ng5 and the threat of 17 Qh6 and then mate on h7 is decisive.

11 hxg6 fxg6 12 Qh6+ Kg8 13 Nf3 Qc7 14 NgS

Now h7 is under maximum pressure, but it is also defended three times. The win
ning method is quite instructive.

14 ... Qe7 15 dS! (Diagram 4)

It isn't enough just to attack h7 from the front. White needs to open up a file in the

163

Sta rt i n g Out: 1 e4 !
centre for his rook on dl and a diagonal for the bishop o n fl.

1S ... Bg4
If 15 ... Bd7 16 dxc6 bxc6 17 Bc4+ Kh8 18 Rxd6! and the rook can't be captured be
cause of 18 . . . Qxd6 19 Qxh7+! and mates, while 19 Rxf6! would be a threat.
Alternatively, 15 ... cxd5 16 Nxe6! Qxe6 1 7 Nxd5 threatens to take on f6 and then on
h7, while if 17 ... Nbd7 18 Bc4 and the threat of a discovered attack on the black
queen or king is murderous, e.g. 18 ... Kh8 19 Nxf6 when saving the queen allows
mate on h7.

16 f3 BhS
The bishop blocks the attack on h7, but this is hardly an achievement as it is about
to be trapped.

17 g4 Bxg4 18 dxc6 bxc6 19 Bc4+ Kh8 20 fxg4 Nbd7 21 Rxd6 1-0

If Black takes the rook it is mate in two; while to add to his other woes he is a
piece down. This looked like an easy victory, but White had to play with some
finesse (15 d5!), and be aware of the tactics.

H ow to attack the Modern Defence

So far so good. Now let's imagine that Black leaves his bishop on 8 for some time
and keeps his king in the centre. Then the plan of Bh6 loses momentum, as not
only is there no king on g8 to target, but Black saves a tempo with ... Bf8xh6, hav
ing avoided the intermediate ... Bg7. In some circumstances, White will play Bh6
anyway, despite these drawbacks: his reasoning is that even if there is no mate in
sight, he is still depriving Black of his best minor piece and creating weaknesses
on his dark squares. Alternatively, White will wait patiently until Black does play
... Bg7 before venturing Bh6. After all, Black can't leave his bishop on f8 indefi
nitely, or else his king will end up in danger on e8 sooner or later.
Another 'anti-Bh6' method is to leave the knight on g8. That virtually rules out
Bh6 altogether; but again, how long can Black afford to delay his development?
Here is what happened to a strong Grandmaster when his king overstayed its wel
come in the centre:
Game 4 7

D K.Mekhitarian W.Arencibia
B uenos Aires 2005
1 e4 g6 2 d4 d6 3 Nc3 c6
The first indication that Black is angling for immediate queenside counterplay.

4 Be3 Nd7 5 Qd2 Ngf6

164

P i rc a n d oth e r F i a n ch etto D efe n ce s

Instead, delaying the development of the knight with 5 . . .Bg7 6 0-0-0 b5 7 Kbl a6
(Diagram 5) would transpose to the game J.Stocek-P.Petran, Tatranske Zruby 2004
(which actually began 1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Be3 d6 4 Nc3 - we would prefer the
move order 3 Nc3 d6 4 Be3 - 4... c6 5 Qd2 b5 6 0-0-0 Nd7).

Diagram 5 (W)
Black delays ... Ng8-f6

Diagram 6 (B)
A familiar attacking formation

Now Stocek played 8 h4!, which takes advantage of the knight being back on g8 to
threaten 9 h5 - after all, Black has no wish to see the h-file opened by 10 hxg6, or

perhaps his bishop pushed back to f8 with 10 h6!?. So Petran played 8 ... h5, stop
ping the pawn in its tracks. There followed 9 f3 Nb6 10 Bd3 Nf6 11 Nh3, when if
White is allowed to play 12 Ng5 his knight would be on an excellent square - it is
virtually an outpost, as even if Black could arrange .. .f7-f6 it would grievously
weaken his central squares. So Black took the knight: 11...Bxh3 12 Rxh3, but Stocek
expanded in the centre and got a knight to g5 anyway: 12 ... Nfd7 13 f4! Qc7 14 e5
0-0-0 15 Qf2 e6 16 Ne4 Bf8 17 Ng5 ! and Black was in a bind and eventually lost.

TIP: If Black keeps his knight back on g8, remember the plan of h2h4, provoking ...h7-h5, followed by putting a knight on gs.
6 f3! (Diagram 6)
In the Pirc White shouldn't hurry to play f2-f3 unless there is a distinct purpose, as
it could turn out to be an unnecessary weakening of the dark squares - and don't
forget the knight on gl is deprived of its best square. (Remember this considera
tion doesn't arise when playing Be3 and Qd2 versus the Dragon or the Philidor, as
there the white knight is already on d4 before he plays f2-f3).
Here White sees that Black is intending 6 ...b5, and so decides to pre-empt the
threat of 7 ...b4, driving away the knight from c3, followed by ... Nxe4. More ag
gressively speaking, he introduces the idea of g2-g4-g5; and in this specific situa165

S ta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!
tion, the knight on 6 is lacking its two natural retreat squares: d7 and e8.
Instead, 6 Bh6?! wouldn't be ridiculous, but Black gets ample play after 6 ... Bxh6 7
Qxh6 b5 etc.

6 bs 1 o-o-o
Bold, direct chess: but you only get to live once!
..

1 . Bb7 8 Kb1 es 9 g41 a6?

..

Black gets into all sorts of trouble as he underestimates the power of g4-g5. Per
haps best was 9 .. Nb6, vacating the d7-square for the other knight.
.

10 dxes dxes 11 gS! NhS 12 Bh3 Bc8

A horrible retreat, but d7 is attacked three times and if 12 ... NcS, then 13 Qf2 Qe7
14 Bxc5 QxcS 15 Bd7+ Kd8 16 Bxc6+ obliterates Black.

13 Nd S! (Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 (B)
A decisive knight sally

Diagram 8 (W)
The G u rgenidze System

With the threat of 14 Nb6 attacking d7 a fourth time, when if 13 ... Ra7 14 Nxc8 etc.

13 ... Bb7
If 13 .. cxdS 14 Qxd5 Rb8 15 Bxd7+ Bxd7 16 Qxe5+ and Black can only choose which
rook he wants to lose with check.
.

14 Nc7+ Qxc7 15 Bxd7+ Kd8 16 Bg4+ Ke8 17 Bb6! 1-0

It is mate on d7 in one move if he takes the bishop, or in two moves after 17 ... Qe7.

Attacking other ... Bg7 systems

Black can also play a type o f hybrid Caro-Kann/Modern Defence known a s the
Gurgenidze System. We will meet it in the usual style with the 150 Attack:
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P i r c a n d oth e r F i a n c hetto Defe n c e s

a ) 1 e4 g6 2 d 4 Bg7 3 Nc3 c 6 4 Be3 d S {Diagram 8)

If Black delays ... Bg7 we play the same way: L.d6 2 d4 g6 3 Nc3 c6 4 Be3 d5 5 f3.

5 f3
Not giving Black the chance to remove our pawn presence on e4 with ... d5xe4.
Play might continue 5 ...b6 (nonetheless, perhaps Black should act at once in the
centre with 5 ... dxe4!? 6 fxe4 Nf6, even though it frees the f3-square for the white
knight; after 7 Nf3 Ng4 8 Bg5 f6 9 Bf4 e5 10 dxe5 Qxdl + 1 1 Rxdl Nxe5 12 Nxe5
fxe5 13 Bg5 Be6 14 Rd6 Bd7 15 Bc4 White had a minimal advantage in the end
game in S.Ganguly-S.Syed Anwar, Dhaka 2005) 6 Qd2 Ba6 7 Nge2! h5 (Black tries
to restrain White's pawn advances on the kingside, but it turns out he is merely
loosening his own pawn structure) 8 0-0-0 e6 9 g4! h4 10 Bh3 (here we see that
White was astute to avoid the exchange of bishops offered on move seven, as the
cleric will support the breakthrough on f5) 10 ...Ne7 ll Kbl Nd7 12 e5 c5 13 f4 Qc7
14 5 and White had a clear edge in A.Lugovoi-G.Astashov, St Petersburg 2005.
b) 1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 Nc3 cs {Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 (W)
Black swipes with 3 ... cs

Diagram 10 {W)
The G rob

Here Black immediately attacks the d4-square. No doubt he is hoping for a good
version of the Accelerated Dragon after 4 Nf3 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Nc6. Instead 4 dxc5 is a
good response, which forces Black to expose his queen to attack in order to regain
the pawn: 4 ... Qa5 (4 ... Bxc3+ pays too high a price to triple White's pawns, as the
black kingside is left riddled with holes) 5 Bd2! Qxc5 6 Nd5! b6 (extremely risky is
6 ...Bxb2? as 7 Rbl Bg7 8 Bb4 Qc6 9 Bb5! exploits the fork on c7 to win at once) 7
Bb4 Qc6 8 Bb5 Qb7 9 Nf3 and White had a strong initiative in P.Wells
M.Dougherty, Hoogeveen 2005.

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Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!

c) The best way to answer 1...gS (Diagram 10), the Grob, is to treat it like a Modern
Defence in which Black has weakened his own kingside. Play might go 2 d4 h6 3
Nc3 Bg7 4 Be3 d6 5 Qd2 Nc6 6 0-0-0 (our completely familiar build-up) 6 ... a6 7
Nge2! (here rather than f3, so as not to obstruct the advance of the f-pawn; fur
thermore, the knight heads for g3, where it eyes the two squares - f5 and h5 - that
Black has senselessly weakened with l . . .g5) 7...b5 8 f4 Nf6 (an attempt to gain
counterplay that not surprisingly misses the mark in view of Black's backward
development) 9 fxg5 hxg5 10 Ng3 Ng4 1 1 Bgl! (jealousy guarding his dark
squared bishop from exchange) ll...b4 12 Nd5 e6 (giving up the b4-pawn, but if
12 ... Rb8 13 Be2 etc. and Black is in a very bad way) 13 Nxb4 Nxb4 14 Qxb4 Qf6 15
Be2 Qf4+ 16 Qd2 f5 17 Rfl Qxd2+ 18 Kxd2 and Black was a pawn down with a col
lapsing position in S.Collins-5.Williams, British League 2004.
It might also be worth playing again through the game Cheparinov-Bruned in the
Najdorf chapter, as it is a fine example of how to undermine the g5/h6 pawn struc
ture.

Attacking the queenside fia nchetto

Against the kingside fianchetto we are planning a set-up with Nc3, Be3, Qd2, 0-0-0
and f2-f3. A mirror image approach with Nf3, Bd3, Qe2, c2-c3 and 0-0 works well
against a queenside fianchetto, as the following examples demonstrate.

The Birmingham Defence

1 e4 a6!? (Diagram 11)
I probably have more sympathy for this move than it objectively deserves, as it
was used by the late and great Tony Miles to beat World Champion Anatoly Kar
pov at the 1980 European Team Championship in Skara. Incidentally, thanks to
Miles's win, England drew its match with the USSR 4-4 - an unprecedented
achievement for a Western chess power against a team that at the time combined
the might of Russia, the Ukraine and all the other former Soviet countries. The
opening was thereafter christened the Birmingham Defence in honour of Miles'
birthplace.

2 d4
Why not? If in doubt, seize the centre!

2 bs
...

On the other hand Black hasn't forgotten about the centre: he prevents Bc4, which

is the white bishop's best attacking post, and clears b7 for his own bishop to assail
e4. Furthermore, the knight on bl usually heads for c3, but then it might be driven
away with ...b5-b4.

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P i r c a n d ot h e r F i a n c h etto Defe nc e s

3 Nf3 Bb7 4 Bd3 e6 5 Qe2 c s 6 c3 !

Keeping the pawn centre intact. As described above, the 'mirror image' set-up to
that employed against the kingside fianchetto secures White a comfortable advan
tage.

6 ... Nf6 7 o-o cxd4 8 cxd4 Be7 9 Nc3 o-o 10 BgS d6 11 es!
Only now does White makes an aggressive move to increase his space advantage.

11 ... Nfd7 12 Bf4! (Diagram 12)

Diagram 11 (W)
The Birmingham Defence

Diagram 12 (B)
White has more space

The exchange of bishops would ease the cramp in Black's position. Furthermore,
the threat to d6 has to be met.

12 ...Bxf3 13 Qxf3 dS 14 Qg4

and White had an uncontested grip on the centre and attacking chances in
S.Rublevsky-S.Drazic, Bastia 2004. Rublevsky highlighted the deficiencies of l...a6
and 2 . .b5 not with wild attacking play, but rather by building his game up me
thodically and proving Black's pawn moves on the queenside to be an irrelevance.
.

Owen's Defence
Game 48

T.Radjabov A.Stromer
Mainz (ra pid) 2005
D

1 e4 b6 (Diagram 13)
A relatively popular move for Black, no doubt due to the attention that the Eng169

S t a rt i n g Out: 1 e4l
lish Defence 1 d4 e6 2 c4 b6 has received in recent times.

2 d4 Bb7
The variation might also arise after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 b6, when 3 Nf3 Bb7 4 Bd3 Nf6 (or
4 ... c5 5 c3) 5 Qe2 reaches the note to move 4 below.

3 Bd3
We don't want to play Nc3 as then we are liable to be pinned by ...Bb4 in the fu
ture.

3 Nf6
...

You have to know what to do against 3 ... 5? - a losing move, but one that requires
a precise response which would be very hard even for a Grandmaster to discover
over the board: 4 exf5! Bxg2 5 Qh5+ g6 6 fxg6 (Diagram 14).

Diagram 13 (W)

Diagram 14 (B)

Owen's Defence

Com plicated tactics

If now 6 .. .Nf6? 7 gxh7+! Nxh5 8 Bg6 mate! However, 6 .. Bg7! is surprisingly resil
ient, when analysis reveals 7 Qf5!, spurning the knight on g8, to be the best reply.
Black must deal with the threat of mate on f7, so 7... Nf6 8 Bh6! (forcing the bishop
to h6 where it becomes a target for a future Qg6+ and Qxh6+) 8 ... Bxh6 (or 8 ... Kf8 9
Qg5! Bxhl - he can't just let White take on g2 - 10 gxh7 Bxh6 11 Qxh6+ Kf7 12 Nh3
transposing to the main line) 9 gxh7 Kf8 (sidestepping the check on g6, but the
queen goes there anyway) 10 Qg6 Bxhl 11 Qxh6+ Kf7 12 Nh3 with the threat of 13
Ng5+ and mate next move, and White is winning, e.g. 12 ... Ke6 (or 12 ... Qf8 13 Bg6+
Ke6 14 Qf4! and the black king will be trapped sooner or later) 13 Ng5+ Kd5 as
even if the black king survives, White has at least an endgame a sound pawn up
after 14 Nf7 Qf8 (or 14 ...Qc8 15 Qg7) 16 Qxf8 Rxf8 17 h8Q Rxh8 1 8 Nxh8 etc.
.

This analysis may be difficult, but forewarned is forearmed; and as soon as 3 .. .f5
appears on the board, all your strength of mind, memory and calculative ability
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P i r c a n d ot h e r F i a n ch etto Defe nces

can focus on just this one tiny position.

4 Qe2 Nc6
The more solid 4... e6 leaves White with a space advantage similar to that in the
Rublevsky game above after 5 Nf3 d5 (or 5 ... c5 6 c3 etc.) 6 e5 Nfd7. Instead, Black's
plan of counter-attack with ...e7-e5 proves a little extravagant.

5 c3 eS 6 Nf3 (Diagram 15)

Diagram 15 (B)
A mirror 150 Attack

Diagram 16 (B)
W hite will win material

Once again we have the typical white set-up for the 150 Attack, but.in a kind of
mirror image as Black has played ... Bb7.

6...d6 7 0-0 g6
Stromer establishes a kind of Philidor Defence with both bishops fianchettoed.
Given the chance to castle kingside, this set-up doesn't look at all bad for him; but
of course his world class opponent won't allow him the time to make the couple
of vital moves he needs. Radjabov provokes an immediate crisis in the centre.
8 Rd1!
Radjabov sees that having the rook on the cl-file will bring dividends. Already the
black queen needs to flee a possible discovered attack.

8 Qe7 9 dxes Nxes 10 Nxes Qxes

...

If 10 ...dxe5 11 Ba6! Bxa6 12 Qxa6, when White has a strong attack with QbS+ or
Bg5.
11 Nd2 o-o-o 12 Nf3 Qh S
He had to make do with 12 ...Qe8, though White can attack with 13 Bg5 Bg7 14 a4!
etc.

13 NgS!
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Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!
The weakness of f7 will prove fatal, despite the exchange of queens.

13 ... Qxe2 14 Bxe2 Rd7 15 es! {Diagram 16) 1S ... h6

Dropping the exchange, but if 15 ... dxeS 16 Rxd7 Nxd7 17 Nxf7 Rg8 and White has
the pleasant choice between 18 Bg4 pinning the knight, or 18 Bc4 going after the
rook. Black would at the least lose the e5-pawn.

16 exf6 hxgs 17 Bg4 Rh4 1 8 h3! 1-0

An instructive final move. Most players would jump at the chance of 18 Bxd7+,
but after 18 ... Kxd7 Black at least has an active rook, and 19 Bxg5? meets with
19 ... Rg4 attacking both g5 and g2. So Radjabov simply defends his bishop, intend
ing Bxg5, and if 18 ... Bh6 19 Rel Rxg4 20 Re8+ Rd8 21 Rxd8+ Kxd8 22 hxg4 then the
simplification has made it much easier for White to win the endgame.

172

C h a pte r Twelve

T h e F re n c h Defe n ce
fj
fj

I ntrod uction
The Korch noi G a m bit a ccepted
The Korch noi G a m bit d ecli ned
Black avoid s the Korch noi Ga m bit

I
'

Sta rt i ng O ut : 1 e4!

I ntrod uction
Finally we consider 1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS (Diagram 1).

Diagram 1 (W)
The French Defence

Diagram 2 (W)
A sta ndard position

The French Defence is one of the oldest and most respected responses to 1 e4.
Black sets up a solid wall of pawns on the light squares in the centre in order to
dampen White's attacking chances - or so he hopes!
In fact, most of White's replies acquiesce to a blocked centre, in return for which
he gains a marginal space advantage. However, a lot of young and ambitious
players aren't willing to sell their attacking rights for the sake of long-term posi
tional pressure.

NOTE: The modern way of playing chess is very dynamic. As former

World Champion Boris Spassky has remarked, modern chess is more
fast moving and complex than in his heyday back in the 1960s a nd
1970s; on the other hand, players defend worse. Therefore we
should meet the French in a way that reflects the mood of the age
and gives us the best chance to win: namely outright attacking play.

It took a long time for the opening line described in this chapter to achieve inter
national popularity, but once established it has never looked back. It has truly
been the scourge of French players, who find they have to re-attune their mindset:
they thought they were going to be involved in trench warfare, but instead find
themselves engaged in an open tactical battle.
I have already discussed this opening variation on the website chesspublishing.com,
where I run the French Defence section. There I have often described it as the

1 74

T h e F re n c h D efe n ce
'Universal System', based on the fact that it works equally well against the move
orders (after 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2) 3 ... Nf6, 3 ... Be7 and even 3 . . . c5. Obviously this means
you will be spared a lot of labour learning a separate reply against these three
moves. The only way for Black to avoid the system is with 3 ... dxe4 or the less
popular 3 ...Nc6. We shall discuss how best to meet these moves towards the end
of the chapter.
Here I shall refer to the variation by its better-known name of the 'Korchnoi Gam
bit' - though, as will be seen, it has far outgrown in sophistication the original
idea of a pawn sacrifice for the sake of fast development.
Nevertheless, the willingness to offer the d4-pawn is central to White's thinking,
so we need to look in some detail at the consequences of Black's acceptance of the
gambit.
Consider these three move orders after 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2:
a) 3 ... Nf6 4 e5 Nfd7 5 Bd3 c5 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ngf3 Qb6 {Diagram 2);
b) 3 ... c5 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 c3 Nc6 7 Bd3 Qb6;
c) 3 ... Be7 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Bd3 c5 7 c3 Nc6.
The first two lead to an identical position at move seven.
In the last case, because the bishop went to e7 on move three, Black hasn't yet got
his queen to b6; and he is also lacking the option of ... g7-g6 and ...Bg7 considered
in Part Two below.

The Korch noi Ga m bit accepted

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5
We dealt with 2 ...b6 at the end of Chapter Eleven, whereas after 2 ... c5 White can
seize space with 3 d5!, or else transpose to the Sicilian Kan by 3 Nf3 cxd4 (there is
nothing better) 4 Nxd4.

3 Nd2 {Diagram 3)
The Tarrasch Variation. White defends e4 without exposing his knight to a pin, as
is the case in the Winawer Variation after 3 Nc3 Bb4. There are two positional ob
jections to putting the horse on d2: firstly, the bishop on cl is temporarily shut in,
which makes it less likely that White will be able to launch a quick attack; and
secondly, the pawn on d4 is no longer defended by the white queen. This last fact
encourages Black to make a concerted bid to attack d4 in the near future with ... c7c5. It is assumed that this will prove annoying for White and restrict his plans. In
fact, it could be said that putting pressure on d4 is the very life and soul of the
French Defence as far as Black is concerned.
Our system, however, cuts the Gordian knot. He refuses to be tied down to the
defence of d4. On the contrary, he positively invites Black to take the pawn. Thus
17 5

Sta rt i n g Out: 1 e4!

the two proposed deficiencies of 3 Nd2 vanish: the defence of d4 ceases to be an
issue and White gains freedom to attack, with the supposedly neglected bishop on
cl playing a major role.

3 ... Nf6
Black develops a knight and persists with his attack on e4. As we will see later on,
both 3 ... c5 and 3 Be7 could lead to an identical or very similar scenario at move
eight.
...

4 es
In what follows White develops his kingside pieces as rapidly as possible, whilst
maintaining an intact pawn centre. Black meanwhile builds up against the d4pawn, leading to a crisis at move seven.

4 Nfd7 S Bd3 cs 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ngf3 Qb6

Now the pressure on d4 is at breaking point, but White has no wish to give in
with 8 dxc5 when 8 ...Qc7!? spells the demise of the e5-pawn Qumping ahead to
Part Two of the chapter, it will be seen that White is only ever willing to sell his
e5-pawn at the price of a positional concession by Black such as ... g7-g5). There
fore, the d4-pawn is to be gambited:
..

8 0-0! (Diagram 4) 8 .. cxd4

.

Diagram 3 (B)
The Tarrasch Variation

Diagram 4 (B)
The Korch noi Gambit

Black won't always be in a hurry to take the d4-pawn, but we have to know what
to do if he does. After all, giving up a centre pawn is a serious business!

9 cxd4 Nxd4 10 Nxd4 Qxd4 11 Nf3 Qb6

The best retreat square for the queen.

12 Qa4! (Diagram S)

1 76

T h e F re n ch D efe n ce
We have reached a crucial position.

Diagram 5 (B)
White has a strong initiative

Diagram 6 (B)
The queen returns to a4

What does White have as compensation for the pawn? Basically a lead in devel
opment and attacking chances down the c-file. The player who gets his rooks into
the game before his opponent has a huge advantage in firepower, and here White
has the straightforward plan of doubling rooks on the c-file, having first vacated
the cl-square with gain of time by attacking the black queen by Be3.
The white queen also pins the black knight, and so it is easy to imagine a sequence
of White moves: Be3, Rael, Bb5, Rxc8+! and then Bxd7+. This sort of thing can eas
ily happen - here is a game with a Grandmaster playing White:
Game 49

D M.Saltaev A.Bednorz
Porz 1989
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 es Nfd7 S c3 cs 6 Bd3 Nc6 7 Ngf3 cxd4 8 cxd4 Qb6 9 o-o
Nxd4 10 Nxd4 Qxd4 11 Nf3 Qb6 12 Qa4 Be7
It will be necessary to develop this bishop at some point if Black is going to evacu
ate his king from the centre and develop his king's rook.

13 Be3
Alternatively he might swing the queen over to g4 to terrorize g7, as 13 ... 0-0 14
Bh6 costs Black the exchange. However, 13 ... g6 isn't very clear, as Black always
has the resource ...Qb4 if necessary. The game move is more logical and promis
ing.

13 ... Qb4 14 Qc2 Qg4 1S Rael QhS

1 77

Sta rti n g O ut: 1 e4!

Black defends h7 as a preliminary to castling, as if immediately 15 . .0-0 16 Bxh7+
regains the pawn with advantage due to the open black king.
.

16 Qa4! {Diagram 6)
Back again, and this time the black queen is stranded on h5 so she can no longer
contest the queenside squares. You will notice the artful way Saltaev switches be
tween threats on both sides of the board.

16 .0-0
..

Submitting to the loss of two pieces for a rook, but the alternatives were grim. If
16 ... Kd8 then 17 Rc2 builds up methodically on the c-file. There is no way for
Black to unwind his game: after a subsequent 18 Rfcl White already threatens to
show off with 19 Qxa7!! Rxa7 20 Rxc8 mate. Alternatively, 16 ...a6 achieves nothing
as it doesn't deter 17 Bb5 due to the pin on the a-file.

1 7 Rxc8!
The poor black bishop is slain without even getting to move.

17 ... Rfxc8 18 Qxd7

The two minor pieces are far more valuable than the rook in the middlegame, and
Black is still suffering terribly because his queen is out on a limb, whilst her oppo
site number is attacking both b7 and the bishop. Nonetheless, after the game con
tinuation White is spared a lot of work.

18 ... BdS?? 19 Qe8 mate

A better way for Black to resist is to break the contact of the white queen with d7
straight away with 12 ... Qb4. White of course has no wish to exchange queens
when he is trying for the initiative, and so 13 Qc2 follows. Now Black can try
13 ... Be7. Will delaying the bishop development for a move bring him any more
luck than in the game above? Let's see:
Game 50

D V.Rasik V.Laznicka
Czech C h a m pion s h i p 2004
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 es Nfd7 S c3 cs 6 Ngf3 Nc6 7 Bd3 Qb6 8 o-o cxd4 9 cxd4
Nxd4 10 Nxd4 Qxd4 11 Nf3 Qb6 12 Qa4 Qb4 13 Qc2 Be7 14 Bd2!
White finds another way to gain time by attacking the black queen.
14... Qg4 1S Rael
Familiar play. If now 15 ...QhS 16 Qa4! etc. as above.

1s ... Ncs
Black didn't have this resource in the Saltaev game as the white bishop was on e3,

178

T h e F re n c h Defen ce
not d2. Therefore White has to work harder to exploit the c-file. First step as al
ways is to remove the black queen from the picture.

16 h3! QhS
Once again the black queen is forced into the wilderness on h5. If 16 ...Qa4? Black
ends up losing two pieces for a rook in another way: 17 Qxa4+ Nxa4 18 Rxc8+!
Rxc8 19 Bb5+ Kd8 20 Bxa4.

17 Bb4! {Diagram 7)

Diagram 7 (B)

Diagram 8 (B)

What if 17 ... Nxd3 ?

-

White threatens Bc6

If there is a move crying out to be played, even though it seems to fail tactically,
then take a second look - maybe your instinct is trying to tell you something.
Nothing can be more natural than booting the knight on c5 out of the way, but it
appears that Black can now win material with 17... Nxd3 18 Qxd3 Bxb4. Not so: 1 9
Qb5+ Bd7 2 0 Qxb4 regains the piece, and leaves the black king trapped i n the cen
tre. Then after 20 ... Bc6 White can prepare a breakthrough along the c-file with
Nd4 etc.

17 b6 18 BbS+ Kf8
...

If 18 ... Bd7 19 Bxd7+ Black has to forgo castling with 19 ... Kxd7, since if 19 ... Nxd7 20
Qc6! Rd8 21 Bxe7 Kxe7 22 Qd6+ Ke8 23 Rc7 and White's rooks will rampage down
the c-file, whilst the black queen and rook on h8 are shut out of things.

19 Bxcs bxcs
If 19 . . .Bxc5 20 b4! Bxb4 21 Qc6 Rb8 22 Qe8 mate - evidently Black always has to
watch out for mate on e8 in this variation!

2o b4!
Anyway. Now 20 ... cxb4 21 Qc6 (or even 21 Qxc8+) and Black must resign. If in-

179

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!
stead 20 ... c4, which on the face of it looks highly plausible, then 21 Bc6 Rb8 22
Qa4! exploits the disorganization in the black camp to break through on the
queenside after 22 ... Rxb4 23 Qxa7, intending 24 Qa8 or 24 Qc7 slaying the bishop
on c8. Black also has to contend with Rbl, exchanging off his only active piece
with Rxb4, followed by the overrunning of his queenside with Rbl or a white
queen move.
In this variation, the black passed pawn on c4 is beautiful, but how does it help
Black when his pieces are so hopelessly uncoordinated?

20 ...g6
Black elects to sacrifice the c5-pawn in a last bid to get his pieces working to
gether.

21 Qa4! (Diagram 8)
One of the golden rules when it comes to exploiting an advantage is: do not hurry!
Most of us would grab the free pawn with both hands, but by introducing the
threat of 22 Bc6 Rb8 23 Qxa7, in the style of the note to 20 b4 above, Black is ca
joled into putting his bishop on b7, where it facilitates the advance of the white
passed pawn that appears next move.

21 ... Bb7 22 bxcs Kg7 23 c6

In what follows on the queenside, Black might as well be a queen down.

23 ... Bc8 24 c7 a6 2S Bc6 Ra7 26 Bd7 BgS 27 Rc2 Ra8 28 Qc6 Bxd7 29 Qxd7 Rhc8 30
Nd4
The knight will prove the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. Already
there is a threat to take on e6.

30... Kf8 31 Nc6 Kg7 32 Na7 1-0

So far we gave seen how White's pawn sacrifice allows him to exploit his superior
development/piece co-ordination to cause havoc along the c-file. But we should
also remember that a direct mating attack is another possible outcome of White's
initiative.
Came 51

D J.M.Degraeve V.Lukov
Cappe l l e la G ra nde 2002
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 Nf6 4 es Nfd7 S Bd3 cs 6 c3 Nc6 7 Ngf3 Qb6 8 o-o cxd4 9 cxd4
Nxd4 10 Nxd4 Qxd4 11 Nf3 Qb6 12 Qa4 Qb4 13 Qc2 Qcs
Black harasses White with one more queen move before developing his bishop. If
13 ... NcS White keeps up the initiative with 14 Bd2 Qa4 15 b3 Qd7 16 Be2!?, intend
ing 17 b4 to fight for the open c-file, or perhaps 17 Nd4 threatening 18 BbS.
180

T h e F r e n c h Defe n c e

14 Qe2 Be7
Well, it's third time lucky for Black in putting the bishop on e7. Will the preceding
dance of the queens help him?

15 Be3 Qc7 16 Rac1 Qd8 17 Rc2

Intending to double rooks with lasting pressure.

11 ... NbB (Diagram 9)

Diagram 9 (W)

Diagram 10 (B)

White has lasting pressure

Th reatening fxe6 a nd Qxg4

Black is anxious to block the c-file with . . . Nc6 and also complete his queenside
development, but relinquishing control of the d4-square allows White to begin a
snap attack on the kingside:

18 Nd4 Bd7 19 f4
Black always seems caught between a rock and a hard place in this variation. If he
avoids disaster on one side of the board, he always seems to be struck down on
the other wing.

19 ... Nc6 20 f5! Res

Black loses the knight after 20 ... Nxe5 21 fxe6 fxe6 22 Qh5+, while if 20 ... 0-0 21 f6
gxf6 22 exf6 Bxf6 23 Qh5 and h7 is indefensible.

2 1 Qg4
Now 21. .. 0-0 is definitely not on the cards because of 21 f6.

21 ... Nxe5 22 Qxg7 Bf6 2 3 Qh6 Ng4 24 Qh 5 (Diagram 10)

White's queen has been pushed around by the black knight and bishop, but she is
about to have her revenge as if 24 ... Nxe3 25 fxe6 Bxe6 26 Nxe6 is lethal.

24 ... e5 25 Qxg4 exd4 26 Bh6 ! Qb6 27 Bg7 Rxc2

181

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4 !
If 27... Bxg7 28 Qxg7 Rf8 29 Rel+ and the black king dare not move as then f8
drops.

28 Bxh8 Rc8 29 Qg8+

A long and rather amusing king hunt now begins.

29 ... Ke7 30 Rel+ Kd6 31 Qg3+ Kcs 32 Rc1+ Kb4 33 Qe1+ Ka4 34 b3+ Ka3 3 5 Bxf6
1-0
Black resigned rather than allow the curious mate after 35 ...Qxf6 36 Qa5+ Kb2 37
Rbl .
Having seen the games above, i t won't surprise you that in modern tournament
play Black has shown a marked reluctance to take the pawn on d4, or at least to
take it immediately.

The Korch noi Gam bit declined

Black has two main ways to decline the pawn: in a nutshell, he either fianchettoes
on g7, or else tries to counter-attack with ... a7-a5 or ... g7-g5, or even combines both
pawn moves. We'll start by getting a lesson from a great player on how to defeat
the fianchetto line.

Black fianchettoes on g7
Came 52

D G.Kasparov E.Bareev
Ca n nes (rapid) 2001
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 cs
Here we see an alternative move order by Black.

4 Ngf3
Adoption by Kasparov is the ultimate seal of approval for any opening variation.

4... Nf6
Instead, 4... cxd4 avoids the Korchnoi Gambit set-up. Now upon 5 Nxd4 Nf6 White
gains a useful space advantage with 6 e5 Nfd7 7 N2f3, so Black normally plays
5 ... Nc6 when 6 Bb5! (Diagram 11) is a clever move.
If immediately 6 Nxc6 bxc6 7 Bd3, Black can prepare the exchange of light
squared bishops with ...Qb6 and ...Ba6. Therefore White first of all obliges the
black bishop to go to d7: i.e. 6 Bb5! Bd7 7 Nxc6 Bxc6 (or 7...bxc6 8 Bd3, leaving the
black bishop shut in on d7, when White's plan would still be c2-c4) 8 Bxc6+ bxc6 9
182

T h e F r e n c h Defe n c e
c4! and White has pressure o n the black centre which can be increased with 1 0
Qa4 etc.
Alternatively, 4... Nc6 5 Bb5 transposes to the line above after 5 ... cxd4 6 Nxd4 Bd7
7 Nxc6 etc. Here Black has the extra option of 5 ... dxe4 6 Nxe4 Bd7, but White still
has the initiative after 7 dxc5 Qa5+ 8 Nc3 Bxc5 9 0-0 Nf6 10 Bg5, intending to break
up the black kingside with 1 1 Bxf6.
Another anti-Korchnoi Gambit method is 4 ...a6 (note that 3 ... a6 4 Ngf3 c5 amounts
to the same thing) 5 exd5 exd5 6 dxc5 Bxc5 7 Nb3 Bb6 8 Be2 Nf6 9 0-0 0-0 10 Bg5
and White has typical pressure against the isolated pawn on d5.

5 eS Nfd7 6 c3 Nc6 7 Bd3 Qb6

Black could leave his queen on d8 and play 7... g6 straight away. White can then
take advantage of the fact that he hasn't castled (which means the rook is still in
an attacking square on hl) with 8 h4!?. Then 8 ... Be7 (rather than 8 ... Bg7 as Black
intends to keep the h-file blocked after 9 h5 g5) 9 Kfl !? 0-0 10 Kgl f6 1 1 exf6 Bxf6
12 Ng5! Bxg5 13 hxg5 Qe7 14 Nfl e5 15 Ne3 Qf7 16 Ng4 and White had a promis
ing attack in M.Sebag-V.Popov, Cappelle la Grande 2006.

8 0-0
We have reached the standard position by a different route.

8 g6 (Diagram 12)
...

Diagram 11 (B)
Position after 6 BbS

Diagram 12 (B)
Black declines the gam bit

So Bareev chickens out of taking the d4-pawn - it's difficult to blame him. He
hopes that a fianchetto on g7 will allow him to complete his kingside development
in peace, after which he can think about gaining play in the centre either by chal
lenging White's space advantage with ... f7-f6 or by pressuring d4 with ...Qb6.

9 dxcs! Nxcs
183

St a rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!
If 9 ... Qc7, going after the e5-pawn instead, then 10 Nb3 Bg7 (or 10 ... NdxeS 1 1 Nxe5
Nxe5 12 Bf4 with an annoying pin on e5) 1 1 Nfd4!? Ncxe5 12 Nb5, intending a
check on d6, keeps up White's initiative.

10 Nb3!
Excellent judgment: Kasparov relinquishes the bishop pair in order to claim a
dark square bind in the centre.

10 ... Nxd3 11 Qxd3 Bg7 12 Bf4 o-o 13 Qd2! (Diagram 13)

Diagram 13 (B)
White lines up Bf4-h6

Diagram 14 (B)
The knight heads for f6

Do you recall the strength of the 150 Attack against the Pirc? Kasparov aims to
eliminate the bishop on g7 as soon as possible to leave the black kingside full of
holes.

13 ... Bd7 14 Rfel as 15 Bh6 a4 16 Bxg7 Kxg7 17 Nbd4

For the moment White consolidates his hold on d4 and e5, and then it will be time
for a direct attack on the black king.
11 ... Nas 18 Rab1 Nc4 19 Qf4 Qd8 20 h4! h6 2 1 Qg3 Qe7 22 Ne2!
The knight heads for 4 to join in the kingside assault.

2 3 ... Kh7 23 Nf4 Rg8 24 Re2 Raf8 25 Rbel Rc8 26 Nh2 (Diagram 14)
With the terrible threat of 27 Ng4 and 28 Nf6+. Black has no choice but to weaken
his defences in a last bid attempt to save himself with complications.

26 ... gs 27 Nhs gxh4 28 Qh3 RgS 29 Nf6+ Kg7 30 f4 Rg6 31 Nhg4 Rh8 32 Nhs+ Kf8
3 3 Ngf6 Bc6 34 Qxh4 a3 35 b3 Nb2 36 Kh2 Qcs 37 Re3
Kasparov sees that it is only the rook on g6 which is holding Black's kingside to
gether. He therefore hurries to exchange it off, when the white knights will be able
to wreak havoc.
184

T h e F r e n c h Defe n ce

37 ... d4 3 8 Rg3 dxc3 39 Rxg6 fxg6 40 Nd7+! Bxd7 41 Qf6+ 1-0

Black can only decide if he wants to be mated on g7 by the knight or queen next
move.

Black tries a counter-attack with his pawns

Came 53

D S.Rublevsky A.Morozevich
R u ssian Tea m Cham pionship 2003
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 Be7
An example of the third possible move order: Black puts his bishop immediately
on e7.

4 Ngf3 Nf6 S Bd3

The move order 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Bd3 is more usual. Perhaps White wanted to rule out
5 e5 Ne4, though 6 Bd3 Nxd2 7 Bxd2 is then a comfortable edge for White.

5 . cS 6 es Nfd7 7 c3 Nc6 8 0-0 gS (Diagram 1S)

.

Diagram 1S (W)
An aggressive-looking thrust

Diagram 16 (B)
Black's position is ful l of holes

Rather a frightening move for White to face. His knight is about to be pushed back
to el with 9 ..g4, which is hardly the way to pursue an attack, or even to keep his
centre defended. Therefore extreme measures are called for:
.

9 dxcs!
An ugly-looking move, as Black is allowed to capture on e5, when White's lovely
pawn centre is reduced to a stump on c5. On the other hand, it has to be admitted
18 5

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!
that 8 ... g5 is also a very ugly move: once it is stripped of its dynamism it becomes
no more than a self-inflicted gash in the black kingside.
Furthermore, the 'stump' on c5 will turn out to be the spearhead of an assault on
the queenside. And most important of all, White has vacated the d4-square for his
knight, which means it no longer has to fear the limbo of el .

9 ... Ndxes
Or 9 ...g4 10 Nd4 Ndxe5 11 Bb5 Bd7 12 b4 with a similar type of assault brewing to
that in the game.

10 Nxes Nxes 11 Bbs+ Bd7 12 Bxd7+ Nxd7?

Black should try to mobilize his pieces with 12 ...Qxd7, intending to castle queen
side, though White can still build up an attack with, say, 13 b4 etc.

13 b4 b6 14 c4!
Rublevsky plays in vigorous style by gambiting the c5-pawn. In what follows, his
sole aim is to break open lines and mate the black king.

14 ... dxc4 1S Nxc4 bxcs 16 Nd6+ Bxd6 17 Qxd6 Qb6 18 Qg3! (Diagram 16)
The centre is becoming open and the black king has nowhere safe to run. White's
bishop is far superior to the knight as it can co-operate with the queen to wreak
havoc on the dark squares, which Black himself has undermined with 8 ... g5.

18 ... cxb4 19 Qxgs Qcs 20 Qg3 Nb6 21 Be3 Qe7 22 Rac1 Nds 23 Bes Qd7 24 Qg7
This looks like the end, though Morozevich finds a way to play on.

24...0-0-0 2S Bf8+ Kb7 26 Qxh8 Qe8

Winning the bishop, but Black is still left the exchange down with an open king.

27 Qxh7 Qxf8 28 Rfd1 a s 29 h4 Kb6 30 Qd3 Qh8 31 g3 Qb2 32 a4! 1-0

The pawn which has been sitting unobtrusively on a2 suddenly decides the game.
There is no way to prevent a lethal check on b5, as 32 ...bxa3 33 Rbl wins the
queen.
Finally, we should return to the position at move eight in the above sequence and
consider the major alternative 8 ... as (Diagram 17).
In effect Black argues that he can profitably delay capturing on d4, as White hasn't
any way to strengthen his game after 9 Rel cxd4 10 cxd4 Qb6. In fact, the retreat
1 1 Nbl! is a highly useful move. It is paradoxical that the knight returning to bl is
the way to invigorate White's attack, but after ll ... Nxd4 12 Nxd4 Qxd4 13 Nc3
(Diagram 18), the knight returns to the fray with its eye on the b5-square which,
thanks to 8 ... a5, is a hole in the black queenside. After 13 ...Qb6 one way for White
to get a lasting initiative is by 14 Be3!? (or 14 Qg4!?) 14 ... d4 15 Na4 Qa7 16 Bf4, in
tending 17 Qg4 etc. Instead 13 ... Bc5 14 Be3 QM 1 5 Bc2!? worked out spectacularly
well for White in D.Gormally-G.Quillan, Gibraltar 2005: 15 ... b6?! 16 Nxd5! ! exd5

186

T h e F r e n c h Defe nce
17 Qxd5 Ra7 18 e6 0-0 19 exf7+! Kh8 20 Bxc5 bxc5 21 Re8 1-0 as 22 Qxd7 is a win
ning threat.

Diagram 17 (W)

Diagram 18 (B)
White has the i n itiative

Black plays 8 a s
...

Black avoids the Korch noi Gam bit

We have already seen (in the notes to the Kasparov game above) that in some
lines of the 3 . . c5 Tarrasch it is possible for Black to sidestep the Korchnoi Gambit
set-up. In the final part of this chapter we shall look at two other methods for
Black: namely the fairly unusual 3 . Nc6 and the more common 3: . dxe4.
.

Bashing the Guimard Va riation

Came 54

D l.Moiseev T.Galinsky
Kiev 2004
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 Nc6
This is the Guimard Variation. It is controversial for Black to block his c-pawn, as
in many variations it is regarded as essential to put pressure on d4 with ... c7-c5.

4 Ngf3
White plays the developing moves that we saw above in the Korchnoi Gambit.
4 Nf6 5 e s Nd7 6 C3
...

As will be seen, this not only supports d4 again but also clears the way for the
white queen to go to a4 with great effect.
187

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!

6 ...f6
Having no opportunity for ... c7-c5, Black hopes to achieve counterplay with this
alternative pawn advance.

7 BbS! (Diagram 19)

Diagram 19 (B)
Fighting for es

Diagram 20 (B)
Attacking the dark squares

An aggressive and correct response that maintains the pawn on e5.

1 ...fxes 8 dxes a6?

This natural move allows White to show up the weakness of the black pawn struc
ture. The alternative 8 ...Be7 is discussed below.

9 Bxc6 bxc6 10 o-o cS

Guarding the d4-square, but this won't be enough to keep the white knights at
bay.

11 Qa4!
Threatening 12 Qc6, attacking the rook, when 13 Qxe6+ would be unstoppable.

11 ... Bb7
The best chance was 1 1 . . .a5! 12 Nb3 Ra6 when the rook helps to defend e6.

12 Nb3!
Now Na5 has to be met, which means White gains time for his initiative.

12 RbB 13 Bgs Qc8

...

He can't even play 13 ... Be7 because of 14 Nxc5!! exploiting the pins on d7 and e7.

14 Qg4 Nb6 15 Be3 (Diagram 20)

Suddenly c5 is indefensible, as 15 ... c4 16 Nbd4 Ke7 17 Ng5 leads to murder on e6.

1s ... Nc4 16 Bxcs Nxb2 17 Bxfs Kxf8 18 Ncs

188

T h e F re n c h Defence
Black's defenceless dark squares are easy plunder for the white knights.

1s g6 19 Ngs Ke8 20 Ngxe6 Rg8 21 Qh4 hs 1-0

...

Returning to the position at move eight, rather than 8 ... a6, 8 ... N dxe5? loses a piece
as c6 is pinned; but let's look at the alternative 8 ... Be7.
Came 55

D V.Kotronias S.Halkias
G reek Champion s h i p 2005
1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 Nd2 Nc6 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 es Nd7 6 c3 f6 7 Bbs fxes 8 dxes Be7
A sensible developing move.

9 Nd41? (Diagram 21)

Diagram 21 (B)
A tricky kn ight move

Diagram 22 (B)
A swift assault

A tricky move to face from the renowned opening expert Kotronias.

9 Nxd4
..

Critical was 9 ...Ndxe5 10 f4 (or 10 Qh5+!?) 10 ... a6 (the only move, as Black loses
the exchange after 10 ... Nf7 1 1 Nxc6, while even worse is 10 ... Nd7 ll Nxe6 and the
queen is trapped) 1 1 Qh5+ and Black must move his king to d7, leaving White
with a strong initiative for the pawn, as 1 1 ...Kf8 12 fxe5 axb5 13 0-0+ wins for
White in view of the mate looming on '7'.

10 cxd4 o-o 11 Bd3

The bishop's visit to b5 has been successful, as the exchange it provoked on d4
means that e5 is secure from attack. Now it is time to aim at a target on the other
189

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4!
side of the board.

11 cs??
...

The defensive l l . . Rf7 was necessary, though White remains with a formidable
space advantage in the centre.
.

12 Qhs (Diagram 22) 12 Rfs

...

Black may have missed that, after 12 ... g6 13 Bxg6 hxg6 14 Qxg6+ Kh8 (an honour
able draw by repetition?), White has 15 h4!, intending Rh3 and then Qh6+ and
Rg3+ with a winning attack.

13 Bxfs exfs 14 Qf3 Nf8 15 dxcs 1-0

We do not need to see any more, as Halkias is the whole exchange down for no
compensation. Black resigned on move 41 .

Black concedes the centre with 3

...

dxe4

Game 56

D G.Vescovi A.Karpov
Sao Pa u l o (rapid) 2004
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 (Diagram 23)

Diagram 23 (W)
The Ru binstein Variation

Diagram 24 (W)
The Fort Knox Variation

The former World Champion adopts the solid Rubinstein Variation. Instead, the
early deployment of the black bishop to c6 with 4 ...Bd7 5 Nf3 Bc6 (Diagram 24)
constitutes the Fort Knox Variation, so named as it is very difficult to crack. There
is no violent response that promises White a strong attack; but on the other hand,
1 90

T h e F r e n c h Defence
he certainly has the better of it. A possible continuation is 6 Bd3 Nd7 7 0-0 Ngf6 8
Ng3 (it's sensible to avoid exchanges as they will only help Black's cramped posi
tion) 8 ...Be7 9 c4 0-0 10 b3 Bxf3 (if Black delays this capture, White can consider
Ne5!?) 11 Qxf3 c6 12 Bb2 Qa5 13 a3! (again White avoids exchanges, this time by
13 ...Ba3). We have been following V.lvanchuk-A.Chernin, Warsaw 2002. With the
bishop pair and the lion's share of space in the centre, White can be confident
about his chances in the middlegame.

5 Nf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+

The exchange of knights wins the e5-square for the other white horse.

6 ... Nxf6 7 c3
A quiet move by White, but extremely poisonous.

1 .. cs
.

If Black avoids this challenge to White's centre, he ends up in a rather passive po

sition: 7...Be7 8 Bd3 0-0 9 0-0 b6 10 Qe2 Bb7 1 1 Bf4 and White can build up an at
tack with Radl, Rfel, c3-c4 and Ne5.

8 Nes! (Diagram 25)

Diagram 25 (B)
A powerful kn ight

Diagram 26 (B)
White has full com pensation

It looks very strange to move the knight a second time, but then opening theory
often defies conventional rules - an idea either works or it doesn't! Incidentally,
all great chess players throughout history have been aware of this. Former World
Champion Capablanca, an apostle of logic and correctness, once began a game as
White with the similar 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 Nf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+
Nxf6 7 Ne5. After explaining the positional worth of moving the knight to e5 in
his great work Chess Fundamentals, the Cuban maestro ended by saying 'Generally
it is bad to move the same piece twice in the opening before the other pieces are
191

out, and the violation of that principle is the only objection that can be made to
this move, which otherwise has everything to recommend it.' In other words: be
aware of the principles, but if you need to break them to make a good move, go
ahead and break them!
It only remains to point out that modern theory regards 7 c3 c5 8 Ne5 (as given
here) to be a more precise method of attack for White - but we shouldn't be too
harsh on Capablanca, as the aforementioned game was played way back in 1913!

8 ... a6
After 8 ... Be7 9 Bb5+ Bd7 1 0 Nxd7 Nxd7 Black has been deprived of the bishop
pair. Therefore he guards the b5-square. Or if 8 ... Nd7?!, 9 Bb5 Bd6 10 Qg4! and
Black already felt obliged to give up castling with 10 ... Kf8 in G.Kasparov
R.Ponomariov, Linares 2002, as 10 ... 0-0 loses the exchange to 1 1 Bxd7 Bxd7 12 Bh6.

9 Bg5!
Black has defended himself against a bishop strike on the queenside, but he is hit
by a similar blow on the other wing. There is no entirely satisfactory way to shake
off the pin on f6, as after 9 ...h6 10 Bh4 g5? 1 1 Bg3 Black has wrecked any hopes his
king might have had of finding a secure haven on the kingside. Or 9 ... Be7 10 dxc5
Qxdl+ 1 1 Rxdl Bxc5 12 Be2 and White is ready to put pressure on b7 with 13 Bf3
when, despite the exchange of queens, Black is struggling to free his game.

9 ..Qd5!?
.

Karpov trusts that his active queen and bishop pair will compensate for the dam
age done next move to his kingside. But the big question is: will his king survive
White's initiative?

10 Bxf6 gxf6 11 Nc4 cxd4

Black choose to ignore the fork on b6, and rightly so it seems. After ll ...Qc6 12
Be2! (the fact that White can fearlessly develop his pieces is fatal for the black
king) 12 ... Rg8 (if 12 ...Qxg2 13 Bf3 Qg5 14 Nb6 Rb8 15 Qa4+ is very dangerous for
Black) 13 Bf3 Qc7 14 0-0 cxd4 15 Qxd4 Rb8 16 Radl, White built up a winning at
tack in S.Vysochin-Y.Kruppa, Kyiv 2006.

12 Nb6 Qe4+ 13 Be2 Rb8

The only move, as 13 ...Qxg2 14 Bf3 loses a rook.

14 o-o dxc3 15 bxc3 (Diagram 26)

White's attacking chances against the black king give him full compensation for
the pawn.

15 ... Bc5 16 Rbl Qc6?

The cold blooded 16 ... 0-0 was called for, as after 17 Bf3 Qf4 18 Nxc8 Black has
18 ...bS! !, when he can pick up the trapped knight without dropping the b7-pawn.
Of course White has other attacking options, such as 17 Bd3!?.

17 Bf3
192

I n d ex of V a r i at i o n s
Now White's onslaught grows in strength, as both the black queen and king are
targets.

17 ... Qc7 18 Qa4+ Ke7

If 18 ...Bd7 19 Nxd7 Qxd7 20 Bc6! and wins.

19 Qas Bd6 20 Rfe1 Bxh2+?

An unfortunate pawn snatch, but Black was already in bad shape.

21 Khl Bes (Diagra m 27)

Diagram 27 (W)
White to play a nd win
Or else 22 g3 will trap the bishop. It looks as if Black has blocked of the attack,
but...

22 NdS+l 1-0
An abrupt finish. After 22 . .exd5 23 Qxc7+ the queen is lost.
.

I hope all your efforts to attack with 1 e4 end as successfully, especially when
playing World Champions!

19 3

I n d ex of Va ri a t i o n s

Ope n Games
1 e4 es 2 Nf3 Nc6
2 ... 5 - Game 1
2 ... d5 - Game 2
2 ... d6 3 d4 (3 Bc4

Game

3)

3 ... Qe7 - Game 4

3 ... Nf6 4 Nc3 Nbd7

Game 5

3 ... exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Be7 6 g3

6 . . . 0-0 - Game 6
6 ... d5 - Game 7
2 .. Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 Nc3
.

5 .. .Nxc3 - Game 8
5 ... Nf6 - Game 9

3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6

4... Qh4 - Game 1 0
4 ... Bc5 5 Nxc6 Q6 6 Qf3 Qxf3 7 gxf3 bxc6
8 Be3 - Game 1 1
8 Rgl - Game 12

5 Nxc6 bxc6 6 es Qe7 7 Qe2 Nds 8 c4

8 ... Nb6 - Game 13
8 .. Ba6
.

19 4

Game 14

I n dex of C o m p l ete G a m e s

Th e Sicilian
1 e4 cs 2 Nf3
2 ... d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6
5 ... Nc6 6 Bg5 e6 7 Qd2
7...Be7
7...a6

Game 15

Game 1 6

5 ...e6 6 Be3
6 ... a6 - 5 ... a6 6 Be3 e6
6 ... Nc6 7 f4 e5 - Game 1 8
6 ... Be7 7 f4 Nc6 8 Be2
8 . . .0-0 9 0-0
8 ... Bd7

a6 10 a4 - 5 ... a6 6 Be3 e6

Game 1 7

5 . . .g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 0-0 8 Qd2 Nc6 9 0-0-0

9 . . . Nxd4
9.

.Bd7

Game 22

Game 23

9 .. . d5 - Game 24

6 Be3 e6
6 ... Ng4 - Game 20
6 ...e5 - Game 21

7 Be2 Be7 8 a4 Nc6 9 o-o 0-0 10 f4 - Game 19

2 ...Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
4... e5 - Game 28
4 ... e6 - 2 . .e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6
.

s Nc3 e s
5 ... d6 - 2 ... d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6

6 Ndbs d6 1 Bgs
(or 2 ... e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Bf4 e5 8 Bg5)

1 . a6 8 Na3 bs 9 Nds Be7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 c3

.

1 1 . . .0-0

- Game 25

11...Bb7 - Game 26
ll . ..Bg5 - Game 27

195

Sta rt i n g O u t : 1 e4 !

2 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nc6

...

4 ... a6 5 Bd3 - Game 33

4 ... Nf6 5 Nc3
5 ... d6 - 2 ... d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 e6
5 ... Nc6 6 Ndb5 d6 7 Bf4 e5 8 Bg5 - 2 . . . Nc6
5 . . .Bb4 - Game 34

5 Nc3 Qc7
5 ... a6 6 Nxc6 - Game 29

6 Be3 a6 7 Qd2 Nf6 8 0-0-0 Bb4

8 ... b5 - Game 3 0

9 f3
9 ... Ne7 - Game 3 1
9 ... Ne5

Game 3 2

Alekhine's Defence
1 e4 Nf6 2 es NdS 3 d4 d6 4 c4 Nb6 5 exd6
5 ... cxd6 Game 35
-

5 ...exd6 - Game 3 6

Caro-Ka nn Defence
1 e4 c6 2 d4 dS 3 exds cxds 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3
5 ... g6 - Game 3 7
5 ... Nc6 6 Bg5 - Game 3 8
5 ...e6 6 Nf3
6 ...Bb4 - Game 39
6 ...Be7 - Game 40

Scandi navia n Defence

1 e4 d5
l ...Nc6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 Qxd5 4 Nf3 Bg4 5 Be2 - Game 45

2 exds Nf6

196

I n dex of C o m p l ete G a m e s
2 ...Qxd5 3 Nc3 Qa5 4 d4 Nf6 5 Bd2 - Game 41

3 Nf3 Nxds
3 ...Qxd5 4 d4 Bg4 5 Be2 - 1 ...Nc6

4 d4
4 ...Bf5 - Game 42
4 ... g6

Game 43

4 ...Bg4 - Game 44

Pirc, Modern and Other Defences

1 e4 g6
1 ...a6 1 68
1...b6 - Game 48
1...d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3
3 ...e5 4 Nc3 Nbd7 - 1. e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 Nf6 4 Nc3 Nbd7
3 ...g6 4 Be3 Bg7

Game 46

2 d4 Bg7
2 ... d6 3 Nc3
3 ...Nf6 - 1 ...d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6
3 ... c6 4 Be3

Game 47

3 Nc3
3 ... d6 4 Be3 Nf6 - 1 ...d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 g6 4 Be3 Bg7
3 ... c6 4 Be3 d5 167
3 ... c5 1 6 7

French Defence
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 Nf6
3 ... dxe4 - Game 56
3 ...Nc6 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nd7 6 c3 6 7 Bb5 fxe5 8 dxe5
8... a6 - Game 54
8 ... Be7 - Game 55
3 ... Be7 4 Ngf3 Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 Bd3 c5 7 c3 Nc6

Game 53

3... c5 4 Ngf3

197

Sta rt i n g O ut: 1 e4!

4...Nf6 5 e5 Nfd7 6 c3 Nc6 7 Bd3 - 3 ...Nf6

4 ... cxd4 5 Nxd4 182

4 ... Nc6 5 Bb5 183
4 ... a6 5 exd5 183
4 es Nfd7 s Bd3 cs 6 C3 Nc6 7 Ngf3 Qb6
7... Be7

3 ... Be7

8 o-o cxd4
8 ... g6

Game 52

9 cxd4 Nxd4 10 Nxd4 Qxd4 11 Nf3 Qb6 12 Qa4 Qb4

12 ..Be7 - Game 49
.

13 Qc2
13 ... Be7

Game 50

13 ...QcS - Game 51

198

I n dex of C o m p l ete G a mes

I n d ex of Co m p l ete G a m e s

European Club Cup, Izmir 2004

Adams.M-Kurajica.B,
Adams.M-Rocha.S,

French League 2005

Adams.M-Santo Roman.M,

Anand.V-Leko.P,

French League 2004

Wij k aan Zee 2006

Anand.V-Morovic Fernandez.I,
Anand.V-Timman.J,

Sao Paulo (rapid) 2004

Cheparinov.1-Bruned.B,

Soller 2006

De Firmian.N-Bleis.C,

Dirr.U-Carstens.A,

. . . . . .......... ............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......

. . . . . ........................... ....... .................... ......

................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............ ........... .......

Cappelle la Grande 2002

Bundeshga 1992

Dolzhikova.K-Ianovsky.A,

...........................................

....... . .......................... ............... . . . . . . . . . . ........

Kiev 2005

Gibraltar 2005

Greco.G-anonymous,

Europe 1620

Grischuk.A-Bauer.C,

French League 2005

Grischuk.A-Geller.J,

Russian Team Championship 2004

Ivanchuk.V-Kamsky.G,
Karjakin.S-Malinin.V,
Kasparov.G-Bareev.E,

............................................... ........................

Wijk aan Zee 2006

Sudak 2002

...............................

............... . . . . . . . . . . . . ...........................

............... . . . . . . . . . .............................

65
75
23
87

13
83
14

149
116
118

....................................................... ...............

Cannes (rapid) 2001..

55

1 63

. . . . . . . ....................... ......................................

.................... .......... ...........................

77

180

. . . . .................. . . . . . . . . . . . ................. ...............

Georgiev.Ki-Ward.C,

70

1 02

.................. . . . .................. . . ................... .....

Copenhagen 2005

Degraeve.J.M-Lukov.V,

........................... ..............................

90

110

. ........... ..................................................

Andorra la Vella 2004

British League 2005

................ . . . . . . . . . . . ......

15

127

........ ............. . . . . . . . ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............

Wijk aan Zee 2006

Berg.E-Campos Moreno.J,

.............................................

............. ................. .................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wijk aan Zee 2004

Anand.V-Van Wely.L,

Davies.N-Wall.G,

..............................................................

Wijk aan Zee 2006

Adams.M-Topalov.V,

....................................

33

182

199

Sta rt i n g Out: 1 e4!

Moscow (rapid) 2002

Kasparov.G-Lautier.J,

Horgen 1994

Kasparov.G-Shirov.A,

Queenstown 2006

Lapshun.Y-Adamson.R,
Leko.P-Polgar.J,

US Championship, San Diego 2004

Morelia 2006

Lyell.M-Arkell.K,

Coventry 2004

Bundesliga 2004

Mainz (rapid) 2005

. . . ................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

........... . . . . ........ . . . . . . . . . . . . .....................................

Moscow 2006

Gibraltar 2006

Topalov.V-Kamsky.G,

Gibraltar 2005

.................................... . . ........... . . . . ....

Skanderborg 2005

Wijk aan Zee 2006

Tseshkovsky.V-Giertz.N,

Biel 2004

Tseshkovsky.V-Morozevich.A,
Vescovi.G-Karpov.A,

. . ...............................

.......... ...... ..................................

1 78
122
44

185
177

.......... ...................................... .........

.... . . . . . . ............. ............................ . . . . . . . ..........

20
53

154
144
25

151

........

.......... . . . . . . ................ .......... . . . . . . . . .

36

113

............................................ .........

Russian Championship, Moscow 2004

Bar 2005

1 70

. . . . . . . . . . . ............. . . . . . . ........................... .............

Sao Paulo (rapid) 2004

Vuckovic.B-Vukanovic.S,

. 41

. . ................ . . . . . . . . . . . .......................... ........

Cappelle la Grande 2004

Timofeev.A-Nisipeanu.L,

60

.................................. ........................

Russian Championship, Elista 1 997

Timofeev.A-Eliet.N,

138

. . . . . . . . . ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... .......................

Winnipeg 2004

Sutovsky.E-Arakhamia.K,

. ................

30

130

...............................

Russian Team Championship 2003

Porz 1989

Spraggett.K-Khedkar.J,

Svidler.P-Dreev.A,

. . . . . ............. . . . . . . . . ...................

Russian Team Championship 2004

Savchenko.B-Georgiev.Kir,
Shirov.A-Klinova.M,

....... ................ ........

................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . ..............

Zakopane (blind olympiad) 2000

Saltaev.M-Bednorz.A,

187

. . . . . . .................. . . . . . . . . . . ....... ...........

Czech Championship 2004

Rublevsky.S-Morozevich.A,

1 64

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................ ............

Radjabov.T-Stromer.A,

Rublevsky.S-Geller.J,

135

................................................ . . ...........

Dos Hermanas 2005

Ross.C-Johansen.H,

98

142

... ................ .........................................

Radj abov.T-Karj akin.S,

Rasik.V-Laznicka.V,

115

................... ........... . . . . . . . . . ............ .... ................

French League 2004

Nielsen.P.H-Milliet.S,

Nisipeanu.L-Hracek.Z,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . ................ . . . . . . . . . . ......

1st matchgame, Dortmund 2002

Naiditsch.A-Timman.J,

..........................

157

......... .................... . . . . . ............... ......................

Wijk aan Zee 2006

Motylev.A-Koneru.H,

.........................

.......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................

Buenos Aires 2005

Kiev 2004

Moiseev.1-Galinsky.T,

189

................................ ........ . . . . . . ............... . . . .........

Israeli Championship 1998

Mekhitarian.K-Arencibia.W,

1 00

. . . ............................. ...... ............... ...............

Liss.E-Yudasin.L,

200

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...........................

FIDE World Championship, San Luis 2005

Leko.P-Radj abov.T,

1 05

. . . . . . . . . ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... ...................... ........

Greek Championship 2005

Kotronias.V-Halkias.S,
Lane.G-Wojnar.M,

............................................ .........

27
39

190
152