ISSUE 5

MODERN CHESS
MAGAZINE

Understand GM Thinking Process

We continue with the explanation of the already initiated

topics, but also we begin new courses

Playing Positions with Small Advantage

The legendary GM Kiril Georgiev presents the beginning of the series of

lectures dedicated to the way of thinking of the Grandmasters in

practical games

Dragon Variation - Part 5

Endgame Series – Part 5

Grandmaster Repertoire

against 1 d4 . – Part 1

Methods of Playing with

Hanging Pawns – Part 1

In This Issue : GM Nikolai Ninov

GM Kiril Georgiev GM Davorin Kuljasevic

GM Grigor Grigorov GM Boris Chatalbashev

Table of contents
3 Playing Positions with Small Advantage (GM Kiril Georgiev)

3 Georgiev,Ki (2607) - Pavlovic,Milos (2488)

9 Nakar,Ey (2435) - Georgiev,Ki (2623)

Methods of Playing in Positions with Hanging Pawns - Part 1

13 (GM Grigor Grigorov)

14 Kortschnoi, V - Geller, E Moskow, 1971

17 Beliavsky,Alexander G (2650) - Benjamin,Joel (2620)
21 Euwe, Max - Winter, William

24 Dragon Variation- Part 5 (GM Nikolai Ninov)

24 Dragon - 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2

27 Dragon ­ 6.g3 Nc6 7.Nde2
30 Dragon variation ­ 6.Be2
33 Zhao Zong Yuan (2579) ­ Wei Yi (2604)

Grandmaster Repertoire against 1.d4 – Part 1

35 (GM Boris Chatalbashev)

36 Chapter I
39 Milchev,Nikolay (2348) - Chatalbashev,Boris (2541)
41 Tyomkin,Dimitri (2516) - Chatalbashev,Boris (2522)
43 Arnaudov,Petar G (2449) - Chatalbashev,Boris (2571)
46 Cvitan,Ognjen (2501) - Smirnov,Artem (2440)

47 Endgame Series – Part 5 (GM Davorin Kuljasevic)

47 Alekhine,Alexander - Flohr,Salo
48 Grischuk,Alexander (2710) - Shirov,Alexei (2720)
51 Peshina – Butnorius, Riga, 1975
52 Miler – Velmander, Izzevsk, 1949
55 Kacheishvili,Giorgi (2583) - Shankland,Samuel L (2498)
57 Mekhitarian,K (2568) - L'Ami,E (2631)
 Playing Positions with Small one of the priorities in chess. In this article, I
would like to share with you some of the practical
Advantage details typical for this type of positions. By
commenting on two of my recent games, against
GM Kiril Georgiev
strong opponents, I will try to explain my way of
thinking in practical situations. I hope that the
readers will benefit from my experience.

Georgiev,Ki (2607) - Pavlovic,Milos (2488)

TCh-SRB Premier 2015 Kragujevac SRB (9.6),
28.08.2015




Dear Readers of the Modern Chess magazine,

As we all know, the last decade brought a large
amount of sophisticated computer programs into
the chess world. In no time, computers became so
powerful and ubiquitous that our understanding
of chess had to radically change as well. The
change is most visible in the field of opening
theory. Knowledge became accessible for the
whole chess community, which led to a quick
I have played this variation on many occasions,
increase in the level of the games. Whilst 20 or 25
but one of the most memorable is the victory
years ago, weaker chess players were losing from
against the 12th World Champion Anatoly
the start, nowadays, the forces are equal. All
Karpov in Dubai in 2002
chess players (especially the younger ones)
invest a great deal of effort in preparation for  Black destroys the pawn structure and
their games, hence the difficulty of gaining sacrifices a pawn in some variations with the idea
advantage from the opening. Strong chess to develop quickly the pieces from the queenside
players tend to outplay their opponents in equal and to organize an attack on the kingside.
positions, by creating problems from a practical
prospective that are harder to solve during the An alternative for  is 
 with complicated game. Here is
game. This is why correctly playing the positions
possible the following funny trap.
with small advantage (or even equal) has become

3
 

 with big advantage for

White. The best move. White’s idea is to occupy the open
file “d” after the exchange of the pawns in the
 center. Another possible idea is “d4–d5”, in case
of a neutral move as 

 The position must have been new to my

opponent, as it took him 40 minutes to make this
move. It is a logical move: the rook places more
pressure on the “d4” pawn and fights for the “d”
file. Black has not decided yet where to develop
the light-squared bishop, keeping open two
options - “h3’ and “b7”



A modern variation, the main move is considered

 with
approximately equal game, which is what
happened in my game with Anatoly Karpov.

 Black's idea is to activate the light-squared

bishop by sacrificing a pawn. The bishop will take
an aggressive position on “h3”, which brings
hope for Black to have chances for an attack
against the white king

4
This move is also logical. Black places the bishop
on the “a8–h1” diagonal and has different motifs
for attack of the white king. One of them is Qe6–
Qh3. In middlegame positions with opposite-
colored bishops, the side that first manages to
create threats has the advantage. The following
variations are possible: 
The best move in this position. (After this
move, White can hardly seek for the advantage,
because he has to be careful even in maintaining
the balance. ( To open the
position when lagging is a serious mistake.

Killing move! 
Black has a winning position, because the white
pieces are paralyzed. White has
some compensation for the pawn, but for sure is
the side that has to fight for the draw.)
With the idea to prevent “d5” and the
queen is directed to h3. The sacrifice
of the pawn looks promising. Since the article
does not aim to explain the subtleties of the
opening, I will give only a few illustrative options: 
a) 
With more
pleasant game for White. Black, for now, cannot
use the weakness of the white king, while White
threatens to place pressure on the weak pawns of
the opponent.
b) Black has no longer
an attack and does not have compensation for the
worse pawn structure. Black keeps some chances
for a draw, however White’s position is
preferable.
The following variations serve
to demonstrate methods of defence and attack in
this type of positions. 
Good move
a) When we attack, we do not have to
open additional files and diagonals for the
opponent’s pieces. The last
black piece entered the game and for White it
becomes very difficult to defend. 
And White’s position has
collapsed.With slight
advantage for Black.
b) 
The computer evaluates this position as equal,
despite the fact that it is double-edged. Looks like
Black has enough counter play.; The idea
to double the rooks on the “d” file is a bit too slow
and gives White the possibility to play
Black’s
attack is neutralized and White can think about
the realization of the advantage.) It is
always favourable for the defending side to
exchange the queens. (his move allows
the activation of all black pieces:
5
 
With 
perpetual check  If White tries to play for
victory, nothing good awaits him.

 Despite the
fact that the material balance is almost equal,
White’s undeveloped pieces and the vulnerable
position of the king give advantage to Black. It is
hard to overcome the f4 and g5 threats.) 


 With a position that is close to equal, but
again I think that it is easier to play for Black.
Remember: the resources of the attack are
greater than the ones of the defence.)
 The rook on “d3” is very

active.  And again Black uses the weakness on the

kingside. This is the strongest move in this
With a very sharp endgame that cannot be
position. My opponent put a very beautiful trap.
properly evaluated but where the black pawn on
f3 appears to be more dangerous than the white
 I decided to continue the development of
passed pawns on the kingside.)
 the pieces and later find a better endgame for
White. Black’s pieces are temporarily active, but
the weaknesses of the queenside remain.

 of course; initially I thought why not take

the knight, but then I grasped Pavlovic’s
tremendous idea.  And there was
nothing left for White but to resign.

 I decided to target the "а7"

pawn, because it is much more important than
the one on "с7"

 Of course, it was not bad to develop the

bishop with a tempo.

 This move is the continuation for the  Ambitious  does not lead to
draw.  anything good. 

 And the passed pawn decided the outcome
 And soon the game between Wan
of the game.  After this move, Black has to
Yue and Wei Yi ended in a draw.
 exchange the pieces and an extra pawn gives me
 good chances for a victory.
 Strong and logical.
If   White is the only one who can Now is the time to create a plan. Initially, I
have problems. decided to exchange the rooks, because without

6
them Black’s chances to organize an attack on my
king weaken significantly. My main idea is, when
my king is safe enough, to organize an attack on
Black’s weak pawn on the queenside.
 My opponent
reluctantly exchanges the second pair of rooks,
because the surrender of the “d” file gives me
more advantage.
that I did not consider this maneuver at all,
instead I chose the ‘human’ continuation. 
(

 With big, probably decisive
advantage.) 


 My aim is to play the

position with  against . This tandem
gives me advantage, and the black pawns on the
queenside become targets for the attack. The
position is very unpleasant for the defending
side, because it does not have counter play,
although White can improve his position slowly
and systematically. 
 With long-lasting
advantage.

  If Black manages to develop  I do not like this move because of the
the knights, then the position will be equal. following variation. 
Nevertheless, White has a strong response to that 
move:  And Black remains  White won a pawn, but as we know,
with no material  endgames with opposite-colored bishops
 promise good chances for a draw for the weak

side, even when in material deficit
With a healthy pawn up and black knight is cut off
on the “a2”  Inaccuracy
Principal and stronger was
 It is easy to find the right plan - White
 Black pieces are very
should seek to exchange the queens and to play a active;  With this move, I execute my plan
better endgame. In the meantime, White should to exchange the queens, but also fix the Black’s
prevent the exchange of the knights, because the pawn structure, as we see in the following
endgame with with opposite-colored does not variation, Black can easily achieve a draw.
promise more than a draw. 

 The engines like a lot this The queen on “d4” is perfectly placed, giving
maneuver, and I also consider it the best Black the possibility to keep the position.
continuation. In addition, I find it very instructive 

with regard to the difference between human
thinking and the engines - in this type of
positions, when the white squares are weakened
and so is the king, a person will seek to keep the
pieces near the king, while computers have no
fear to place the queen on “a8”. I should confess

7
  A useful move,
claiming the “h3” square for the black bishop,
taking the king a square closer to the center and
preparing the movement of the pawn on the
kingside where we have a pawn up. In the
endgames, we strive to play on the side where we
have material advantage. This is our main
advantage; we have 4:3 pawns on the kingside
and can create a passed pawn, while Black has
3:2 on the queenside but cannot create a passed
pawn – first, the pawns are doubled, and second,
they can be subject to attack.

 Black violates one of the fundamental

principles: do not move the pawns where you are
My chances for a win were tied to this move. weak. Black weakens his position by moving the
 (Is weak because  pawns, but otherwise White threatens: “e4” or
 With a winning “g4” and to completely paralyze the black pieces.
endgame.)  It is
possible to try to play this endgame, but the  Before undertaking determined action, I
passed pawn on “d3” gives Black hopes for saving decided to fix the pawns on the kingside and
the game.)  eventually deprive Black of any chances for
 With a playable position, close to equal, counter play related to the "g7–g5".
but still White is the active side.;  Another
move that concerned me during the game.  
( 
 With a possible draw, regardless of the
pawn up, but I would try to make the most of the
position. ) 
 Although the engines appear to be
optimistic about this position, I worried about
the fact that my opponent now has the tandem
 against my  However, the weaknesses
on the queenside give me hope for a victory.

 Undoubtedly the strongest move. Now,

Black faces the dilemma of whether to play the
unpleasant endgame after the exchange of
queens or to maintain the queens, but almost
without chances for attack.

  The decisive mistake, but even the stubborn

 Black’s position is  does not gives Black big chances of saving
practically lost - he has a pawn less and his pieces the game.
are passive. 

8


 With a big advantage for White. He has a
pawn up and better chances for the attack on the
weakened black king.
 Now it was time to find the
optimal locations for my pieces. I wanted to put
the knight on "f4" near the black king and use the
queen to invade the "d6" square. Black’s position
is indefensible.
 Black sacrifices a
pawn with the hope to organize a counter play
related to the distant passed pawn “a”, but a more
important aspect in the position is the weakened
black king.
 In
this position, other moves also win, for example:
 or , but the move in the game is more
decisive and starts a direct attack on the black
king.


up and mate is threatening. Black resigned.
1–0
Nakar,Ey (2435) - Georgiev,Ki (2623)
16th ch-EUR Indiv 2015 Jerusalem ISR (11.59),
08.03.2015
 The Tournament in Jerusalem was not
very successful for me and my last chance to
finish with dignity was to win the last round and
to take the Veteran prize. How to play a decisive
game against a younger opponent and with black
pieces? I decided to play solidly, in order to play
a long game and to wait for my opponent to make
a mistake. That is why I chose to play the Caro-
Kan defense.
White chooses a quit
variation with the idea  –– and based on
Black’s play, to decide where to develop the
pieces from the queenside.



 If  then White wins after


 And this queen endgame with 2 pawns
This placement of the pieces is not new for me. At
up is easy to realize.
the Christmas Tournament in Zurich, I won
 surprisingly quickly the same position.
 White remains with a piece

9
 
 

Interesting idea. I borrowed it form the
Ivanchuk’s games. The idea is to quickly develop
the pieces on the kingside with  and , and
depending on White’s continuation, the knight
can be developed on either “b6” or “a7” square.
 White is
slightly better, because of his space advantage.

Logical move! I took advantage of White’s
passive move and now Black already has the
initiative. My knight on “a7” gets the opportunity
to go to a better position - “c6”.



White acquires space on the queenside and

takes the “b6” square for my knight.

Black’s aim is to secure the “a7”

square for the black knight on “c8”. He also
prepares the desirable advance c6-c5 in order to
release Black’s game on the queenside and to
attack the pawn on “d4”.

Principal and stronger was:

 With a promising game for
White.

 It was The position is approximately equal, but this
stronger to play:  does not necessarily mean that it is a draw. White
 White stands has doubled pawns on the “c” file, but his pieces
better due to the spatial advantage that gives are well centralized.
more freedom to his pieces.
  This is an important moment; I played

 this move after some hesitation because it was
related to entering an endgame. Eventually, I

10
decided that I could not create enough problems With a slight advantage for Black.
for my opponent without the queens.
 I decided to create a distant passed
An alternative that deserves enough attention is pawn on the queenside that will seriously
 Black’s aim is to prevent the queen distract white pieces. An alternative was:
exchange and to amplify the pressure on the “e”  with the aim to occupy the open “d” file
and “a5” pawns. The following variation is also and to gradually enhance the pressure on the
possible: With an excellent queenside and center.
game for Black.
 The rook took an active
 This does not solve White’s position on the “d” file and in some cases after
problems:   can create threats around the white king.
 Black has a better pawn structure and
this gives him better chances in the endgame.  In view of the opponent’s time trouble, it

is better not to force the events, but rather to
 White manages to exchange the
make some preventative moves, reinforcing our
pawn on “c5” for the one on “e4” and it looks like
position. Here this is the case.
it is not far from a draw.
It is not good to play:  Serious attention deserves the move:
 And White remains with a 
pawn up

 Logical and strong, I
decided to activate the knight from “a5” and
launch a simultaneous attack on the rook on “e3”
and the vulnerable pawns on “e5” and “b2”.
Moves that attack the opponent’s pieces with
tempos are usually good.
 Another option for White is:


This move has slipped away from my

calculations. White activates his pieces but his
position remains worse because of the “a” passed
pawn that distracts his pieces; he is forced to
defend the “a5” pawn.

 Here I
made a mistake, it was more precise to play:


11
 In a very
sharp time trouble, my opponent made a mistake,
at a time when the position was close to equal.
  gradual outplaying of the opponent. In order to
A beautiful end of the game. The conclusion:
When you need a victory at any price, there is no
need to rush into crazy attacks – it is better to
steer into a long unforced game allowing for
improve your level, I recommend you learn to
play simple positions with less material which
are close to equal. I hope my games have been
helpful and you managed to gain some insight
into the GMs thinking process.

0–1

The simple leads to an almost equal game.



 Suddenly, White is helpless against my

numerous threats.
 This does not prevent

 With a technical winning position.





12
 Methods of Playing in Positions
with Hanging Pawns -Part 1
GM Grigor Grigorov
Dear Readers,
The present article marks the beginning of a
series of lectures on positions with hanging
pawns. Before we dive into the topic, let us make
clear which pawns are hanging. Generally
speaking, this is a pawn couple situated on "d"
and "c" files ("c4" and "d4" for White and "c5" and
"d5" for Black). Pawns are called "hanging",
because there are no pawns on "e" and "b" files
which can protect them. As this pawn structure
arises quite often in modern chess practice, every
chess player must be familiar with it. Grunfeld
defence, Nimzo-Indian defence, Queen's Indian
defence and Queen's gambit constitute only a
little part of the openings from which positions
with hanging pawns could arise. Depending on
the concrete situation, hanging pawns could be a
strength or a weakness. In the middlegame, when
there are a lot of pieces on the board, the side
playing with hanging pawns enjoys a
considerable spatial advantage. In such kind of
positions, hanging pawns play the role of a shield
behind which we can prepare for an attack
against the opponent’s king. Sometimes, hanging
pawns could go forward and create dangerous
threats. That's why we should always take into
consideration their dynamic potential. Despite
the numerous advantages they offer, in some
cases, the hanging pawns could be weak. In order
to understand their weak points, we should
clarify some basic concepts related to positions
with a spatial advantage. The side which has a
spatial advantage avoids exchanges, because
every exchange reduces dramatically the
importance of the space. That's why, when
playing against hanging pawns, we should aim to
exchange pieces. In the endgame, the dynamic
potential of hanging pawns decreases and they
need constant protection. Our course on hanging
pawns is divided into two logically interlinked
articles. While the present material concerns the
methods of playing against such pawns, in the
next issue, I am going to present some ideas
which might help us exploit their attacking
potential. In practice, we fight against hanging
pawns by using three main methods: piece
pressure, attack from the side by b2–b4 advance
and central attack by e3–e4 advance.
1) Piece pressure - This is the most frequently
applied strategy when playing against hanging
pawns. It's highly effective when some minor
pieces are already exchanged and hanging pawns
are under fire from our major pieces. In such kind
of positions, queen and rooks exercise a
considerable pressure against the opponent's
pawn center. The attacker has the following plan
at his disposal: rooks are placed in front of the
pawns (on "c" and "d" files), while the queen
should be situated in a way which allows it to
attack at least one of the pawns. As the pressure
13
generated by major pieces is rarely sufficient,
minor pieces should enter the attack too. Let's
see how the above-mentioned plan was
practically applied by living legend Viktor
Kortschnoi in his game against Efim Geler.
"No Chess Grandmaster is normal; they only
differ in the extent of their madness."
Viktor Korchnoi
Kortschnoi, V - Geller, E
Moskow, 1971
As you can see on the diagram, dark-squared
bishops and a pair of knights are already
exchanged. As previously noted, the exchange of
minor pieces favours the pressure against the
hanging pawns. According to the rules,
Kortschnoj's first task is to place his rooks
against Black's central pawns.

As I already mentioned, we should always take
into consideration the dynamic potential of the
hanging pawns. With his last move, Kortschnoj
protects his bishop and eliminates the threat d5–
d4.
 A typical move for such pawn
structures. White tries to restrict Black's
counterplay along the "b" file. At the same time,
by playing b2–b3, White discourages his
opponent from playing  In this case, the b3–
pawn restricts the activity of Black's knight. It's
also interesting to note that the move b2–b3
should be played when Black's rook has already
left the "a8" square - otherwise Black could
generate counterplay on the queenside by means
of a7–a5–a4.
Nevertheless, it was interesting to consider
 Note that "a3" is a great square for the
queen. From this position, queen exercises
pressure against "c5" and "a7" pawns and avoids
possible oppositions with opponent's rooks.
14

Kortschnoj starts a maneuver which is quite
typical for such positions. As White's major
pieces are already exercising pressure against
Black's pawn center, it's time for minor pieces to
enter the attack. The knight goes to "f4" square
via "d3", while the bishop should be placed on
"f3" or "g4".
Maybe the reader is already wondering why
White doesn't play the obvious  This move
looks quite logical: we try to exchange pieces
when playing against hanging pawns.
Nevertheless, in this concrete position, knight's
jump leads to disaster, because Black can execute
the following tactical operation:

 An important intermediate
move after which the game is over. 
Black is winning. This variation illustrates how
dangerous hanging pawns could be.
As Black had already played
Rac8, white bishop is better placed on "g4". The
pin along the "c8–h3" diagonal is quite annoying.
Furthermore, at a suitable moment, White might
exchange the d7–knight which is currently
protecting the pawn on "c5". Later, White can
strengthen his pressure by means of 
The choice of opening, whether to aim for quiet
or risky play, depends not only on the style of a
player, but also on the disposition with which he
sits down at the board.
Efim Geller
Black loses a valuable time. Now
White's bishop goes to "h3" from where it
protects the g2–pawn. It's also necessary to note
that black queen is not optimally placed on "g6" -
in certain positions, it can be attacked by means
of . Instead of playing  Black should
have tried to free himself from the pin along the
"h3 - c8" diagonal.
However, the immediate  is not
appropriate here, because White has at his
disposal the typical As I am going to explain
in more detail later, the main idea of is to
weaken the central "d4" square by deflecting the
c5–pawn. In this particular position, this concept
works quite well because of the unprotected
position of black rook. Black should have given
preference to the move
15
 The restricted activity of Black's knight doesn't
allow him to make use of the dynamic potential
of his hanging pawns. Moreover, the c5 - pawn is
a static weakness which needs constant
protection)

A fatal mistake. There are is no

salvation anymore.

Still, Black could have remained into play by

accepting serious positional concessions. In
order to do so, he should have played  Of
course, White can consolidate his position by
means of 
This move is quite typical for such pawn
structures. By playing a7–a5, Black gains space
on the queenside and strengthens his control
over the key b4 - square. Later he might proceed
with natural moves like  and 
 This move is already a huge mistake
after which Black loses one of his central pawns.
Black should have perhaps admitted his mistake
by playing  In this case, the game might
continue:  With a playable position. (In
this situation, the central advance  doesn't
work quite well, because White could react with
the patient 


Quite a typical position has arisen. As Black has

already played the move c5–c4, d4–square is
weakened and the pawn on "d5" could be easily
attacked.

 Black resigns.

1–0

16
Beliavsky,Alexander G (2650) -
Benjamin,Joel (2620)
Munich SKA Munich (9), 1994

When looking at the position on the diagram, we

Alexander Beliavsky
can see that White's pressure against Black's
pawn center is not sufficient. At the same time,
2) b2–b4 pawn advance
however, as three pairs of minor pieces are
This pawn advance is one of the most frequently
already exchanged, Black's dynamic possibilities
used methods of playing against hanging pawns.
are highly restricted. All these factors favour the
As I have already pointed out in the beginning of
execution of b2–b4 pawn advance. The Slovenian
the current article, this idea is designed to deflect
grandmaster seizes this chance immediately:
the c5–pawn and weaken the "d4" square and
d5–pawn. In spite of its obvious advantages, b4–
 A huge positional mistake after which
b4 advance contains some risks. For instance, in
Black is doomed to passivity. With his last move,
some positions, the move b2–b4 could be met by
Joel Benjamin not only weakens the "d4" square,
means of the central break "d5 - d4" (sometimes
but also makes his pawn on "d5" backward.
the move d5–d4 is connected with a pawn
Furthermore, Black doesn't have at his disposal a
sacrifice), which often gives Black the initiative.
piece which could control the weakened "d4"
You should always pay attention to "d4" square!
square.
We know that in positions with many pieces on
the board, one shouldn't underestimate the
Black should have looked for an activity by
dynamic possibilities based on the advance of the
playing 
"d" pawn. That's why b2–b4 advance is quite
typical for endgame-type positions. The ideas
behind the move b2–b4 are very well illustrated
in the game Beliavsky - Benjamin. Let's take a
look at this positional masterpiece.

17

Black goes for a brilliant pawn sacrifice which
increases the activity of his pieces. Maybe his
counterplay is already enough for a draw. As a
rule, we should always avoid passivity. We
should fight for the initiative, even at the price of
material sacrifices! Let's see how the game might
continue after 

In
this position, White is a pawn up and his chances
are slightly preferable. Nevertheless, Black's
rook is very active and as there are pawns on
both wings, bishop is stronger than the knight.
The real fight is to follow.

  The threat "c4–c3" becomes
Very important positional move. In this game,
Alexander Beliavsky demonstrates the right way
to play against a backward pawn which supports
a passer. You should remember the following
basic rule: We should place our knight in front of
the more advanced pawn, while our major pieces
should exercise a frontal pressure against the
backward pawn. In this particular position,
White knight goes to "c3", while White major
pieces could be even tripled along the "d" file.
Why did White give preference to  instead
of playing  Was it a random choice? There
are no random choices in master's games! By
playing  White blockades the pawn on "d5"
and eliminates any possibilities based on its
advance. Even if our opponent's counter play
doesn't seem real, we should try to restrict it!
 Black realizes that the waiting
policy leads nowhere. By playing a7–a5, he is
planning to open the "a" file and to prepare the
invasion of his rook. Moreover, as the pawn on
"b4" could be a weakness, White should play very
carefully.
 Of course! White pawn should remain on
"b4". In this position, it's not advisable to take on
"a5". After such a careless move, the pawn on
"a3" will be a weakness and Black can make use
of the "b" file. Now White should pay attention to
the ideas connected with the advance of the "c"
pawn. That's what Benjamin aims for.
real. White knight should enter the play.



18
Played just in time! After placing his knight on
"c3" White will manage to neutralize Black's
pawn couple. Now Benjamin links his hopes to
the invasion along the "a" file.
 After  Black loses a pawn: 

Another good positional idea. When an enemy
piece invades our camp, our first job is to
exchange it or chase it out. In order to remain on
his active position, black rook needs support.
The move ? is a blunder. Black can
overtake the advantage after: 

 weakened.
 Again Alexander Beliavsky makes
the right decision. As I already mentioned,
White's long-term plan consists in generating
pressure along the "d" file. Nevertheless, for the
sake of precision, we should place our security
first. With his last move, White eliminates his
back rank weakness. In the following
consequence, the Slovenian grandmaster will be
aiming for the optimal set-up of his major pieces.
 White
has managed to generate a considerable pressure
against the pawn on "d5". That's why Black
decides to release the tension by exchanging a
pair of rooks. By doing so, however, he runs out
of counter play.




White is already dominating the board. All his
pieces participate in the attack against d5–pawn.
In order to protect his weak pawn, Black is
obliged to place his pieces in a passive way, thus
entering a position where there is no
coordination in his camp. That's why White is
already planning to open the position by means
of e3–e4 and invade the opponent's camp.
 This move is already a decisive mistake.
The position of black king is extremely
Black should have protected his back rank by
playing 
 This is the logical culmination of White's
strategy. Now black king is under fire.
 Tempting looks
, but after 
(or 
)
 White encounters some
difficulties in the conversion of his material
advantage. That's why the text move is much
19
more convincing.


 
This move marks the beginning of a well
calculated tactical operation. After the exchange
of the minor pieces, nothing can stop White's
major pieces in their invasion.


  The only way to prolong the resistance
The move  doesn't save Black. White must
play  Black is losing. I bring to your
attention the following forced lines: 








 White could have won
immediately by means of 

was 

 Black resigns.


1–0
20
Euwe, Max - Winter, William
Nottingham Nottingham, 1936
Whoever sees no other aim in the game than
that of giving checkmate to one's opponent will
never become a good Chess player.
Max Euwe
3) Central attack by e3–e4 advance
This is the last approach that we are going to
study in the present article. The e3–e4 advance
has two basic ideas: provoke the move d5–d4,
thus weakening the "c4" square and creating a
backward pawn on "c5"- exchange the central
pawns and create a weakness on "c5". Despite the
abovementioned considerations, in comparison
with b3–b4 advance, the move e3–e4 is much
more risky. One of its main disadvantages comes
from the fact that Black's light-squared bishop
becomes very active. Also, White's central pawn
break opens the "e"file along which Black could
potentially generate a counterplay. Generally
speaking, there are three cases in which the move
e3–e4 is advantageous for us: 1) we are ahead in
development; 2) our pieces are more active and
the opponent lacks coordination; 3) there are
only few minor pieces on the board. I want to
bring to your attention a game which perfectly
illustrates all the basic ideas in this kind of
positions.
The diagram position arose in the game Max
Euwe - William Winter played in 1936 at the
legendary Nottingham tournament. One look at
the position suffices to understand that the
former World Champion has the initiative. Being
much more active, his pieces are ready to occupy
attacking positions. At the same time, Black has
serious coordination problems. His knight is very
passive, while the opposition queen-rook along
the "d" file is quite annoying. That's why current
circumstances favour e3–e4 break. Before doing
so, Euwe decides to further weaken hanging
pawns by exchanging the light-squared bishops:
 Black commits a serious mistake. As
it will become clear later, White could exploit the
unprotected position of Black's light-squared
bishop.
Winter should have opted for the following
typical position: 
21
 



Despite looking simple, the position on the board

abounds in strategical ideas. Of course, White will
try to increase his pressure against hanging
pawns. At a suitable moment, he is prepared to
execute the e3–e4 pawn advance. Also, the fact This logical move can't be delayed anymore.
that two pairs of minor pieces are exchanged Otherwise, Black will have enough time to
favours White. On the other hand, we should consolidate his position.
admit that with his last two moves Black has
 Black makes another serious mistake.
considerably improved his position. It should not
First of all, Winter should have tried to activate
be long before he finds the optimal positions for
his knight - only then could he consider ways to
his rooks, which are already communicating very
improve the coordination between his major
well. Black queen not only indirectly controls the
pieces. Very often, chess players are inclined to
important "e4" square, but at the same time has
calculate variation instead of applying general
the potential to take part in a counter play along
chess principles. That's what Winter does in this
"b" file. What is the ideal arrangement of Black's
game. Always try to activate your passive pieces.
pieces? Even though it's difficult to give a 100%
valid answer, I will try to provide you with some The critical position
guide lines. As I have already pointed out, black arises after 
knight is rather passive on "d7". Generally, in 

positions with hanging pawns, the ideal square

for black knight is "e6". From here it not only
protects c5–pawn but at the same time prepares
the advance d5–d4. That's the reason why Black
is going to play moves like Rfd8 followed by Nf8–
e6. Black's other rook could remain on "a8" in
order to prepare the a7–a5–a4 advance.
 White loses a valuable time? There is no
point in chasing Black's bishop from his unstable
position.
As White is better developed and his pieces are
more active, he should have opted for the typical
Tactical complications work in White's
favour. For example:

22
We have reached a typical position which often
arises after e3–e4 advance. Let's try to evaluate
this complicated situation. From a statical point
of view, White's advantage due to his better pawn
structure is obvious while c5–pawn is a
weakness. The importance of this statical
advantage will increase in the endgame.
Nevertheless, this position is rich in dynamic
resources. Black's light-squared bishop rules
along the long diagonal, while his centralized
knight could easily jump to "f4" from where it can
create some threats against white king. Also, we
shouldn't underestimate the importance of the
open "e" file where white queen is placed rather
uncomfortably. Another dynamic resource for
Black is based on the maneuver . Taking
into consideration all of the above mentioned
constatations, we could say that this position is
rather balanced.
 White doesn't seize his chance for a huge
advantage.
He should have played ! with the following
variations: (The move loses
material because of the following nice maneuver:
It looks like Black
has managed to consolidate the situation in the
center. However, White has an unpleasant
surprise: 

After this energetic move, White is winning. For
instance: 




Another try was When analysing this
position, I have discovered the following
interesting line which leads to a perpetual:

 White is
planning to sacrifice his rook on "g6".
Black starts his
counterplay at the right moment. 

 with perpetual.



This is a blunder after which White is winning on
the spot.
White's initiative could have been neutralized by
means of  Despite eliminating White's
direct threats, the move  doesn't solve
Black's problems. The reader already knows that
every exchange increases the importance of
Black's static weaknesses.
 If  then 

1–0
23
 
Dragon Variation- part 5 

Dragon - 
GM Nikolai Ninov

Just like in the variation with , Black should

start with instead of 
Now Black encounters some problems with the
development of his knight. For example, the
move could be met by
 After possible
exchange of the queen, White has an advantage
because of his better pawn structure.



Dear Readers,
This is our last article on the Sicilian Dragon.
This time we are going to focus mainly on
variations where White's light-squared
bishop goes to "g2". Towards the end of the
present article, I am going to bring to your
attention an interesting line where White
develops his bishop on "c4" but castles on the
short side. All in good time, however. Let us
This is the most natural continuation.
begin with the bishop fianchetto: Nevertheless, White could have tried to interrupt
the development of black pieces. Let's take a look
at a few tries:

24
 In such a situation,
the brave "a" pawn could easily become a
weakness.; Relatively new idea is 
Playable but risky is 



White's initiative is so dangerous that even an
excellent theoretician like P.H Nielsen didn't
manage to neutralize White's initiative. ?!
(It was necessary to fight for the long diagonal by
means of 


 White is
winning completely, Vl. Onishchuk - P.H Nielsen,
UAE, 2014.)  (good
intermediate move) (Bad is

 Vl. Onishchuk -
Miroshnichenko, E, 2014)





 (Kramnik's recommendation 
doesn't create big problems for Black. He should
react with ! (but not ?!

As we already pointed out in our comments
to move 6, this kind of endgames are favourable
for White.)

! And Black has overtaken the initiative
in Adams - Kramnik. After


 Their advantage
was already decisive.;




 In this position, White's most popular

move is

 The move ?! seems less appropriate,

because the queen could be attacked by means of
the energetic 

With an approximately equal position, Kudrin -

25
Tal, 1984. Black is ready to make use of the semi-
open "e" file, while White encounters difficulties
in advancing his pawns on the queenside.

 on "d6" by means of ) 
Black is fighting for the control over the "c" file by
using the important outpost on "c4".
The move  doesn't stop White's typical
plan  Nevertheless,
Black can start preparing the e7–e5 advance by
means of 
Let's examine one game that perfectly illustrates
the possible ideas in such pawn structures.


 White
decides to launch a kingside attack which is not
justified. (White should have blockaded the pawn
?! By going for this
concession, White admits that his plan is wrong.
(White should have perhaps tried to exchange
pieces in order to neutralize Black's growing
initiative 
White'
s idea is to make a draw by exchanging all the
pawns on the queenside. For example, if Black
goes for ! he must be careful and
find the precise 
 with an
equality) 
?? After this move, Black is
winning. (After 
  Black has reasonable
chances to realize his extra pawn.) 
White resigns because he is losing material.
Inkiov - Marholev, 1993
26


 In order to better understand the idea
behind Black's last move, we should take a look
at White's standard reaction  Here Black
has at his disposal a powerful resource.

For White is very difficult to save his knight on
"d7". I provide you with some variations: 
Maybe this is the best move. White is ready to
sacrifice an exchange.
a) 
with a pawn up;
b)  And White hasn't a clear route to the
equality: 
b1) 


b2) 

b3) 









 As White can't execute the
typical , he encounters difficulties in the
defence of the queenside. Makarichev - Svider.
Dragon - 



As we have already seen, the exchange of the
knights favours Black. Generally, when our
opponent has a spatial advantage, we try to
exchange pieces. In such kind of positions, White
27
mostly tries to occupy "d5" square which is the
perfect outpost for his knight. Very often, White
tries to strengthen the position of his knight by
moves like "a2–a4", "b2–b3", "c2–c4" followed by
the  maneuver. Black has different
reactions to this dangerous plan. I think that he
should first prepare the exchange of the light-
squared bishops by means of
 And Black enjoys a comfortable position
after)

 White is winning an
exchange.)  (Worse is  In the above
mentioned game, Black followed by

  And now, instead of accepting

 Played with the idea  followed by

the repetition, Black could have gone for a
. Black forces his opponent to decide if he
brilliant tactical operation: 
 Black's idea is based on
wants to preserve his light-squared bishop. In the
90's, this was the favourite idea of GM Aleksander the spectacular:  
Delchev. He earned some great victories with


Of course, Black could seek other ways to develop

his bishop. For example:  In this
position, White could pose some concrete
problems by means of 

The threat  is unstoppable.)

This position arised in the game Vallejo, Pons -
Panos, E, 1996. Black is behind in the
development and encounters some difficulties.
Let's see some possible variations: 
( (White misses the initiative after
!(
)

0–0–0 White
has an obvious advantage.; Maybe  is slightly
more precise.  The move  is rarely
played but has better practical results. (Tempting
looks 0–0 (The ambitious
 Gives
Black more than enough compensation for the
missing exchange.)  With approximately
equal play after 

28
 
 

In this position, White has tried 3 moves so far -
 and . Let's take a look at them:

a)  Efimenko
Khalifman, 2012;
b)  0–0!? ( is a typical reaction. Black
wants to open the long diagonal for his bishop.)

 With a comfortable play in Sharapov -
Tukhayev, 2009.;
White has managed to preserve his light-squared
bishop but now it's difficult to castle.
  0–0  (An important tactical idea
- could be seen in the following variation:

With excellent play for Black.) 
Black is ready to start action in the centre


= Efimenko -
Riazantsev, 2014; After the natural
 The plan with ?! gives
White the advantage. (Better was  with
the idea b7–b5)  And
White is close to his dream set-up. 
(or followed
by c4, Plesec - Murko, 2014  in
the game Seyhanoglu - Baglan, 2014, Black gave
preference to 

 White is going to double his
rook along the "e" file and his pressure is In the game Chandler - Miles, 1981, White’s play
tremendous. Note that in spite of Black's was rather risky: After 
perfectly placed knight on "c5", he has no active  White's
play on the queenside. strategy has worked after Black's mistake
? (Chandler should have played 

29
 Preventing the move ) 
  With the idea to double the rooks along
 "d" file. Black has a huge advantage.
The plan with  is rather passive 
is possible  Dragon variation- 
! Narciso Dublan - Stets, 

 () , Salov -
 
Ivanchuk, 1994. Black enjoys a comfortable
game. 
Very much the same plan can be realized after
 but Black doesn't have problems at all

 Black
was better in, Belia - Moor, 1996.; In response to
 Black could follow
with the concrete 
 And here 
 Black's
chances are preferable.
 Black goes for the pet line of
the legendary English GM Anthony Miles.
Black played the same way he did in the variation
 Despite the fact that this move worked with . In this move order, he doesn't
well for Short in two of his games, it's difficult to experience any problems. Let's see an example:
accept that White has an advantage in this 
position. Note that white king is still in the centre! 
Let's follow the game Short - Mestel, played in  With
Hastings 1982/1983. balanced position in Di Paolo - Gashe, 2006. The
game continued: 
 






And here, instead of , Black has at his

disposal the powerful

 

30

  With a dangerous initiative for the missing
A similar position was already examined in Issue
3. The key difference is that in our previous
article, white dark-squared bishop was already
placed on "e3". Let's see Black's options: (If White
tries to increase his control over the center by
 Black could react with  (Interesting
developments took place in the game Cararo -
Beso, 2014. The game continued

 The pawn on "d5" is a
weakness. Black could attack this pawn in a very
interesting way. For example, after  He can
go for the following amazing maneuver:

 And Black won
the central pawn and the
game This is the main
a)  This move is one of the most popular of
Black's options. However, in this concrete
position, White has at his disposal the following
idea  This is the main finesse of
White's move order. The bishop goes to "g5" in
one move. The game can continue:




exchange. For example: 




b) The standard idea  is playable
but Black needs to be very careful. White can play
 or go for a break in the center.  A
dangerous continuation. Now Black must find the
following forced sequence:

Black has serious problems.)
 With mutual chances.
 ( transposes to the position that was
already examined in Part 3)  and after
 Black could follow by the typical 
!; Another interesting option for White is
 A solid move. White is planning to prepare
the move  by means of   In order to
make our reader's task easier, in my articles on
Dragon, I always recommend the move  when
white knight leaves the centre or is being
exchanged. In any case, there are enough
alternatives to make this the subject of an entire
book.  (Now  is less effective
 Nb4 Once the knight on
"b3" has been exchanged, it would be good to
place our knight on "b4". Otherwise White could
follow up with   At a
suitable moment, Black is ready to open the
centre by "d6–d5".)  Black has managed to
carry out this typical break in the centre. The
critical position arises after  And now
consistent is   (White shouldn't
provide his opponent with additional resources.
Wrong is for example 
Black has the initiative.)
31
 


Black is at least equal in this position, because his

pieces are very active, while the pawn on "c2"
vulnerable. Let's have a look at some concrete
variations: 
a) 
We are already familiar with this typical tactical
idea.
A decent alternative is 
 And Black can rely on his
pawn majority in the center.

b) 
 Also good is the intermediate

c) 

 
 Now it's time to make use of the
d)  long diagonal: , Silva -
Kamejo, 1988
e) allows
the effective 


 With a huge
Black is

going to win a pawn. He has an obvious compensation for the sacrificed exchange.
advantage in this position.
 Black has no problems in
 (If this endgame.
Black is fighting for something more than a draw,
he could go for 

 With
exchanges and full equality after



32
Zhao Zong Yuan (2579) - Wei Yi (2604)
Chinese Teams 2013 Tianjin CHN (22.4),
24.12.2013
Wei Yi
At
the end of our series on Dragon, we are going to
examine the move  followed by 0–0.
 Black should avoid the move 
because of 
It's difficult to say that Black is in trouble here but
there are is no point in studying additional
information.
 Sometimes, White gives
preference to  which leads to transposition to
the main line after  Nevertheless,
Black could have played  with the idea "b7–
b5" followed by  and . In this case, Black's
position is very flexible.
  is possible here. Nevertheless, Black
should take into consideration the fact that in the
fight for the centre, the move  is much more
useful than  Here is a fresh example:
 (Black often plays but after


White's initiative shouldn't be underestimated. I
bring to you attention two victories of the English
grandmaster Emms:


Black's weakness on "a6" has decided the
outcome of the game, Emms - Trent, 2002
33
 
 



 White has a tremendous pressure, Emms
- Mestel, 1997.)  A suspicious idea.
Generally, we should avoid the combination "g7–
g6" and "e7–e6". 
 In addition to the weak pawn on
"d6", White has managed to create an annoying
pin along the "h2–b8" diagonal.


 White has managed to
convert his material advantage in the game
Solodovnichenko - Hauge, Oslo, 2014. 

 The alternative  illustrates one of the Again, the bishop goes to its normal position. As
subtleties of White's move order. White is ready demonstrated in the game Grozpeter - Kan, 1999,
to play the standard Bf1 while the central break this move is justified from a tactical point of view.
"d6–d5" is impossible. Maybe, Black should play The game continued with
 If  then    In the game
Zagratsky - Afek, White followed with 

 and here, instead of the anti- 
positional ?! which takes the "e5" square
from the knight and at the same time kills the
bishop on "g7" (Black should have played 
overprotecting the "e6" pawn which controls the
key "d5" square. Later, Black can go for a
maneuver like  The move  is well
met by  ! With favourable
complications for Black.); The straightforward
 doesn't pose problems for Black. Good
option is  followed by and .

 Like in most Dragon variation cases,

Black tries to exchange a pair of knights. In the
game Kveynis - Migo, 2014, he proceeded with
normal developing moves but didn't manage to
go out of the opening after: Black has very comfortable position. "d5" square
 is under control and Black's dark-squared bishop

has no opponent along the long diagonal. With
 A quiet and
this nice position, we finish our series on Dragon.
beautiful continuation of the attack. 
 I wish you a lot of success in your own games!

 1–0


34

Grandmaster Repertoire against
1.d4 – Part 1
GM Boris Chatalbashev
When building an opening repertoire many
players (myself included) prefer slightly off-beat
and rare variations. Especially when they do not
have the time to study the latest trends in
modern lines. Besides, such an approach may
bring practical advantages, as it is likely that the
opponent may not be too well-versed in those
rare openings. But what to choose? Most gambits
do not have good reputation, and rightly so; other
rare openings like Classic Benoni, for example,
are known to lead to a passive play. To our
readers I offer a variation that has served me well
for many years, being solid enough, but far from
passive. There is no official name for it, although
in chess literature it is often referred to as
'Reluctant Benoni' or 'Late Benoni'. You should
not be put off by the rather unimpressive name –
at least as long as it yields impressive results:
 c7–c5) are considered as very good choices.



This is the normal set-up and move order, though
other move orders are also possible. It all
depends on what you expect from your
opponent. If he likes to play  aiming for
transposition into English Opening, then even
 might be a good move to start with. Also
 is common enough, but here
White has the option of going for Maroczy with
 We will deal with the differences in the
game section.
That's how Black develops in
Reluctant Benoni - he goes for fianchetto, then
d7–d6 and castles, leaving e7–e6 and eventual
e6xd5 (sometimes it is even e6–e5) for last. This
opening might be very useful for people who
already have experience with King's Indian or
Modern Benoni as it bears many similarities to
both. Even in Benko Gambit might be useful,
though here we rarely go for early pawn
sacrifices.
Obviously the main move. I consider the
alternatives rather harmless, even though 
and  was analyzed in Boris Avrukh's fine book
about 
and  normally lead to

transpositions into Four Pawns Attack and
Saemisch King's Indian, respectively. To both
these variations Modern Benoni set-ups (with
35
Other possibilities for White include  and
 - Averbakh variation or  and 
One might ask oneself - if so many transpositions
can happen, why not play just Modern Benoni -

? First, that opening conceals some
very dangerous lines for Black - like the sharp
 or the positional
 which has become quite popular in
grandmaster games, and Black is still searching
for ways to deal with it...These lines normally
require a considerable amount of knowledge, as
Black should know exactly what he is doing -
move by move. On the contrary - Reluctant
Benoni requires less concrete knowledge, it is
more about plans and positional nuances. And if
someone is that afraid of Saemisch or Averbakh,
we may try to avoid even that by move order
(more in the game section). So here is the main
advantage of Reluctant Benoni – it is very flexible,
allowing us, when preparing for a certain
opponent, to choose just the line and move order
to throw him out of his favorite positions. And the
negatives? Of course there are some, there is
hardly a perfect opening. Here it is mainly the
fact, that White may meet future e6xd5 with
e4xd5. In such positions Black is normally solid,
but playing for a win is quite problematic.
Here White can choose  which is
more restrained and not very ambitious.


This position is the main one, from my
experience I can say that it occurs in about 50%
of the games played in this opening. Unlike some
other authors, I shall start with the main and
most dangerous line, so the readers can decide
right from the beginning if they like the variation
or not :) Generally, of course, it is more suitable
for players that like complicated, dynamic
positions.
Chapter I : Main Line

If White decides not to spend time
on h2–h3, then the resulting positions are rather
dry, neither side has big chances for a win...
 (Worse is
 In Modern
Benoni structures exchange of white-squared
bishop is almost always favourable for Black.)


 Mrva,M
(2445)-Chatalbashev,B (2535) Krynica 1998

The key move that I like the most. Black's idea is,
after the knight comes to c7, to threat taking on
d5 and no matter how White responds- exd5 or
cxd5 - answer it with b7–b5. And if White decides
not to allow this and play a2–a4, then we close
36
the position with e6–e5, receiving a favourable
kind of King's Indian. In that case, yes, we have
lost a tempo, but typical play on the queenside
with a3 and b4 for White is now impossible.
Obviously in such positions a2–a4 is not a good
move, the square b4 might be of some use for
Black later.

The reason this is the main line against Black's

set-up goes back to the huge influence Botvinnik
had in his time (and not only!) - he proved that

 favours White.

The most natural move, and as it often Safer is  (

happens in chess, probably the best one, too.
Some years ago 

with huge complications  ( might
be best  (
)  (
)
)



was considered dangerous for Black. Not any

more, because of the pawn sacrifice typical for
many Benoni positions - b7–b5! Here it is surely 

justified, as White has not castled yet. It is a semi-
Blagojevic,D
forced line though, so it requires some memory. (2528)-Chatalbashev,B (2561) Zagreb 2010)
The good news - it is the only such line, all the
others can be handled just by intuition and 
Borovikov,V
understanding. 
 (2585)-Chatalbashev,B (2561) Bad Liebenzell
 2010)

37
 
  Georgiev,K (2669)-
Chatalbashev,B (2555) Blagoevgrad 2010;






 

White is slightly better, but the max. he can is rarely played in that position. Black has weak
achieve is some ending 3 against 2 pawns on the pawn on d6, but d4 square is also weak. The
kingside. Trying for more might result in knight maneuvers  and  are typical
 ways of trying to exploit those weaknesses.
 

 orand
 Georgiev,K (2671)-  () 

Ivanisevic,I (2664) Subotica 2008 CBM 126 Extra


0–1 (52) Odendahl,S (2400)-Quinteros,M (2515)

is harmless  Lone Pine 1980



38
 Black is ready to take on d5 with b7–b5
next. White has several options now - he may
take on e6, he may prevent the threat by playing
a2–a4 or he may ignore it. In the last case, the big
question how to take on d5 - ed5 or cd5. As you
will see in the game section, many prefer to make
this decision now - according to the type of
positions they like. However, the best move is to
postpone it and play
 first, protecting e4 pawn - 
is not working immediately for Black as after
 he can not take on e4.
hardly decide the game, but which of the two
moves is better? Practical advice - when
preparing for a certain opponent, it is good to
make a mental note of not only which moves he
likes in the opening, but also of his favourite type
of positions. That way you may guess his next
move(s) and make a choice accordingly.
Milchev,Nikolay (2348) - Chatalbashev,Boris
(2541)
BUL-ch 71st Pernik (4), 12.03.2007




Chapter 1A: Plan with a2–a4

  Some other good examples of typical King's

The idea is clear - to put pressure on e4 pawn.
Generally this is all the theory we need to know.
From now on both sides usually have a huge
choice of moves, which is normal - note that not a
single pawn is exchanged yet! And the most
important thing here are the plans and ideas -
let's see how they are handled in practice.
Indian play. In this opening engines quite often
estimate the positions to be in White's favour.
However, do not let that bother you - Nakamura
once said that computers really understand
nothing about King's Indian! And it is true! 


Another way of supporting b7–b5 is  Here,

in case of the most common reaction -  after
, Black's other rook is better placed on f8,
rather than on e8. The reason being that sooner
or later f7–f5 will follow, which is the typical way
of playing King's Indian - starting the attack on
the kingside. But in the plan which involves
ignoring b7–b5,  is more useful than
 So it is really a subtle thing that will

39

 
 


Lputian,S (2540)-Milos,G (2510) Palma de
Mallorca 1989)









 Lazarev,V (2450)-
Chatalbashev,B (2535) Bourbon Lancy 1998



 
 

Generally, in similar positions, it is preferable to

...
take with a pawn. But in our variation with the 0–1
knight already on b4, taking with the bishop gives
some tactical ideas. Here Black was not afraid
that he might lose a piece; with such an activity it
is logical there is some tactical resource in his
favour!

40
Tyomkin,Dimitri (2516) - Chatalbashev,Boris
(2522)
Verona op Verona (6), 05.01.2000
The same structure arose in my game against the
strong grandmaster Dmitri Tyomkin.
In the position on the diagram, White played
 which was met by
 In this game, I have decided to adopt the
plan we are already familiar with: when White
plays a2–a4, we close the center by means of e6–
e5 followed by the maneuver ,
 Even though Black's
last move looks logical, we must admit that it has
some obvious drawbacks. Firstly, in order to
reach "b4" square, black knight loses two tempi
which are important, despite the closed
character of the position. Moreover, in some
positions, if it's not supported by other pieces,
the knight will remain out of play.
Some grandmasters prefer to launch an attack on
the kingside, without losing any additional time.
For example, in one of his games, the Israeli GM
Ilia Smirin gave preference to the move
 White
has no compensation for the weakened kingside.
0–1 Porper,E-Smirin,I/Israel 1996/CBM 52 ext
(61)
 White intends to meet the move Nb4 by
Bb1. Otherwise, his rook on "a1" will remain out
of play.
 g1–e2

White is weakening his kingside without any
particular reason. It's interesting to mention that
in his comments to the game, Tyomkin explains
the result of the current game by his insufficient
understanding of that kind of positions. Such a
comment perfectly illustrates the practical value
of our weapon.
 
 Maybe the reader has already noticed
that in such kind of positions, I am inclined to
take on "f5" with the bishop. In this case, I
decided to play in this way in order to eliminate
the dangerous opposition along "b1–h7"
diagonal.

 This is already a dubious move. White
hasn't enough resources to keep the control over
"e4" square.
 
41
 Exchanges don't help White, either. 
After  

In this position, Black is winning by using a small

Black has the initiative because of the weakened
tactical operation – namely, letting Black gain a
light-squares in White's camp.
pawn on c4.
 





 ...
After this typical pawn break, Black has
0–1
overwhelming initiative. He is planning to open
"b" file and activate his queen's rook. White's
position is already very difficult.





42
Arnaudov,Petar G (2449) -
Chatalbashev,Boris (2571)
Albena op Albena (5), 24.06.2009



Chapter 1B: Plan with dxe6. Here Black must

always have in mind the maneuver Nd7–e5,
fighting for d4 square, which, as this game shows,
is sometimes more important than the weak
pawn on d6!

 


 (I could have
continued like in the main game 
(But somehow this bothered me
 was not
an easy decision, though after  White's
advantage must be just tiny.)
 with
good play)  This sacrifice is not
working well here, the piece on d4 square is
immediately exchanged. 
 

 Andreikin,D (2700)-
Chatalbashev,B (2550) Struga 2012)

43
As
the rook is already
placed on b8, this is the most logical plan.


 Dreev,A
(2615)-Damljanovic,B (2515) Manila 1990 CBM
019 [Stohl] 

 with idea

After the exchange of the white-squared bishop,
no matter for which piece, White will be left with
his good one, compared to the rather grim-
looking Black bishop on g7.) 




  Gladyszev,O
(2440)-Chatalbashev,B (2546) France 2004


Right timing.







0–1
Yakovich,Yuri (2534) - Marin,Mihail (2604)
Gothenburg Cup Gothenburg (7), 2001
Chapter 1C: White allows b7–b5. This is a
dangerous option, especially if it is followed by
44
exd5 - as the game here shows. It is important to 
note the set-up with , . The position is
semi-closed and Black can afford to stay passive
for a few moves before regrouping.

 The idea of White's  is after

 and eventual d1–d2 h6 will be

attacked.

 This regrouping of the

pieces looks better if we include  first, so 
from the line above is not a strong option.
 Then apart from the standard Bad is  in view of 
counter play with a5–a4, Black may also think about or)
 It is important to know that f7–f5, gaining  
space on the kingside, is logical only when White can
not make a good use of e6 square, for example if his
knight on e2 has gone already to g3, or the bishop is
on f4, preventing his own knight from jumping there.
Generally yes, for the moment our position is a little
passive, but White can hardly exploit the fact.


This is a serious mistake. Now Black's kingside is
completely weakened.







Beautiful move! This move allows White not only

to create concrete threats on the kingside but
also to make use of the opposition along the "b1–
h7" diagonal. White has converted his advantage without any
difficulties.
 1–0


45
Cvitan,Ognjen (2501) - Smirnov,Artem
(2440)
Split op 1st Split (8), 12.08.2011
Finally, we will deal with a Modern Benoni type of
position that comes after White chooses  The fact
that we manage b7–b5 is certainly an achievement,
but it is not so simple. The knight on c7 stands passive,
though his defensive role is also important. Apart
from protecting on b5, e4–e5 is also discouraged by
the hanging d5 pawn. Still, as we will see in the games,
Black gets good play when we activate it - either to c5
or after b5–b4 - to b5.


 with idea 






Berczes,D (2520)-Sale,S (2400) Sibenik 2010



 I like better the immediate b5–b4. Still, the game
is important, as White could also have played a2–a3
earlier, when similar positions arise.
 
 Some other tactical possibilities
- 



 



 


 


Conclusion: In the Main Line, the only plan, in my
opinion, that poses problems for Black, is the one
allowing b7–b5. Surprisingly, it is not White's most
frequent choice, as most players go for a2–a4. But
even if it happens - we are now well-prepared and not
afraid! ½
46
 Endgame Series – Part 5
GM Davorin Kuljasevic

"This is one of those sacrifices that an

experienced master does not calculate until the
very end, but plays partly by intuition as he
knows that kingside pawns must break their way
through."

Alekhine,Alexander - Flohr,Salo
Nottingham Nottingham (1), 10.08.1936

Hello Dear Chess Friends!

Now that theoretical material on connected
pawns has been covered (see previous issue),
let's look at how grandmasters treat such
endgames in practice. Alexander Alekhine, the
fourth world champion, made a very insightful Alekhine, with white pieces, being a pawn up, is
comment about connected pawns in relation to at the stage where he needs to find the best way
of converting his advantage. Bxd5 looks good
one of his moves in the game against
enough, but the ex-world champion finds an even
grandmaster Flohr: more convincing way:



47
was certainly a 
variation in which Alekhine had to take his 
calculation until the end:

and
White wins.

This breakthrough is at the core of White's

previous exchange sacrifice.





with g6–g7 to follow, Black resigned.

1–0

Grischuk,Alexander (2710) - Shirov,Alexei

(2720)
Moscow Tal Memorial 1st Moscow (7),
14.11.2006

White's two passers, supported by the long-

ranging bishop, prove to be unstoppable.

Alekhine points out that  fails to

stop because of 
(Alekhine); Neither does
Black survive the pawn race: 


 The final touch. f5–f6

can not be prevented.
In the next example we can see a true endgame
  is just as masterpiece by one of the strongest
hopeless. contemporary players (and the current World


blitz champion!), Alexander Grischuk.


48

Nominally speaking, the material is equal.
However, White's army of connected pawns is
much more potent than Black’s extra piece.
Grischuk masterfully proceeds to transform the
potential energy of his pawns into kinetic one.
 A slight, but almost a
decisive mistake already. Shirov aims to
challenge the white knight on c5 from e6, but his
priority should have been blocking the passed
pawns.
Therefore 26...Ne5 was called for - controlling the
c4 square, thus making it more difficult for White
to push his central pawns forward. For example,
 blocks both a- and c-
pawns and Black is OK.
 Grandmaster Ftacnik
comments: "The refusal to exchange the knight
looks like a wise decision. White will then
advance his pawns and two enemy pieces will be
suffering from the lack of maneuvering space."
  just
postpones the inevitable.  prepares 
anyway.
 Ftacnik correctly points out:
"White has to play very carefully. The immediate
advance of the d pawn would give Black a chance
to give up the piece for three pawns, the concept
that could save the game."



A sight to behold. White has 5 connected pawns
lined up for the final offensive. We have seen in
the previous examples that once connected
pawns cross the middle of the board, it becomes
very difficult for light pieces to stop them.
 Grischuk's
prophylactic play is textbook. He patiently builds
up his position, avoiding all of Shirov's tricks.
 would again allow the defender to sacrifice
a piece for connected pawns and reach an
acceptable position. 
 Not a very aesthetic move.
Black's troubles will now be compounded by the
bad position of his knight.
 seems better, but White nevertheless
starts pushing the pawns.  and
Black's position looks miserable.
49
 "Three connected passed pawns can be stronger
 than a rook. In case of the piece swap the knight
from f2 would certainly not be able to match
them."


 Now Black loses the last defender of the

queenside. Grischuk's technique in the last part
of the game is impeccable.
 Using the deflection motive to
launch the first passed pawn
and avoiding the last trap and White
suddenly loses his c-pawn.


The pawns start rolling.  is a technically winning endgame.

 Ftacnik: "Due to  The only move.

the knight at the edge of the board the defender
[It

can not realistically think about giving up the
is amazing how harmoniously white pieces
bishop for two pawns."
defend each other.

  The second one is ready to go.

  And here Shirov
 resigned due to the forced variation: 




and black pieces would finally have to admit the

The winning move. defeat against the connected passed pawns. A
beautiful game!
 An important insight from Ftacnik: 1–0

50
Peshina - Butnorius e- and f- pawn duo. Neither of them can move.
Riga, 1975.  (The attempt with f-pawn
 leads to nothing but a draw after
To an untrained eye, it might seem that White 
should be easily winning with his "extra" rook,  and here White can relax as his
but it is actually he who is on a verge of losing! king is close enough, which allows him to hold the
perpetual check with: 
 This passive retreat is already a  etc.
losing mistake!
 Putting the wrong foot forward.
White could hold a draw with very exact tempo
play:  (Giving up the c4 pawn Black should push the most advanced pawn:
 is not advisable for Black since he is   and with
not fast enough with his pawns White’s rook tied down on the kingside and pawn
 majority on the queenside, Black should be
) and now White draws by using the winning.
familiar technique of attacking the most
advanced pawn:  (If Black pushes the  The comedy of errors continues, but this
e-pawn first  then White has just enough time there is no coming back.
time to bring his king to the center:
 and now the best seems In relation to the previous comment, 
 (Black could try playing fast with his
king: 
 but the resulting position is
drawn. For example: 


allows the blockade  and now
the key move  nullifies Black's queenside
majority, so the position is drawn after



was called for, stopping the h pawn from

reaching h4 for the time being. 
 and White achieves just enough
counterplay for a draw. For example: 
 (But not

 and now the exciting pawn race

 ends

with a boring result!
 Again attacking the most advanced of the

51
 Black's pawns finally started
rolling.
 White's play is too slow and lacking any
defensive strategy. He allows Black's pawns to
get way too far.
It was still better to stop the h-pawn with
i
 leaves
defenceless against the pawns.) 


The domination of pawns over the rook is clearly
visible. The rest is simple.

 Breaking the blockade.
 
White
 And White resigned in a completely lost
position.

Miler - Velmander
Izzevsk, 1949.

Sometimes even two rooks have practical

problems fighting the connected passed pawns.
The following game featured a striking rook
sacrifice for the sake of creating connected
passed pawns.

and now Black needs to find  which is the

only winning move. 
and White will be stretched on both
sides of the board. 
 and with his king on the first
rank, White is clearly unable to oppose Black’s
army.




In a very sticky situation, Black finds an amazing

resource:

 A shocking
sacrifice!

52

  
How to assess this position? Winning for the
rooks or drawn? Losing perhaps? One thing is for
sure, both sides will have to play very accurately
and every move will count.
 By needlessly going for the a-pawn White
basically agrees to a peaceful outcome.
The critical move was the brave ! as now
White too will have his horse for the races - the g-
pawn. Black has many options now, but in all of
them White is just in time to stop the queenside
pawns and win thanks to his g-pawn. 

a)  and White has another
passer.


both sides promoted queens, which is definitely
something that favors White. He wins after
 etc.;
b)  King in the endgame!
 and Black's
pawns have been immobilized, so White wins.;
c)  (In this variation, we can see
that White unnecessarily went for the a-pawn in
the game. He would have had plenty of time to
stop it if it had gone forward: 
and if  White notices that black king is in
trouble:

and here White wins only with the help of his
king 
 and again White’s king is there to help
his rooks: 
 wins the a-pawn and the
game.) 



53
in the end White wins thanks to his passed pawn.


 Black overestimates the strength of his passed
pawns.

It was the right time to liquidate into a drawn

endgame with:







Giving up the rook for two dangerous passed
pawns is as good a trade as any. 
This endgame would be drawn if black king was
on g7. But here it is miles away from this safe
haven.  (or 
Cutting the king across the fifth rank as it is
essential that it does not reach g7.

Zugzwang.  and White gradually
wins.)

  puts Black in zugzwang
and he loses his last pawn.
 
 White misses his last chance to win the
game.


a) Because fails to 



b)  and Black is in zugzwang



 and white king will
soon reach f6 square.;


Black eventually got the new queen, but the
presence of two rooks makes it nearly impossible
for either side to win, so draw was agreed
½

54
Kacheishvili,Giorgi (2583) - Shankland,
Samuel L (2498)
USA tt ICC INT (8), 11.10.2010

As we could see, White could only win this

endgame by involving his king in the fight against
the passed pawns. The role of the king in the
endgame is the second important topic we will
devote our time to in the following issues. In
modern chess, one has to bear in mind that the
theory has evolved so much that certain opening
lines lead directly into the endgame. The Berlin
wall defense is perhaps the most famous one
these days. When we are talking about connected
passed pawns, the following line of Slav defense In the resulting position Black has three pawns
is the first that comes to mind: for the sacrificed piece, which is usually a decent
 compensation in this line. With the next
 impatient move, White makes this compensation
 even more tangible by connecting Black’s pawns
in the center.
 It was better to keep the tension with
either 
 Black correctly
plays for the pawn majority in the center
and doesn't go for the low-hanging fruit:





Here Black exploits certain tactical features of the

position to sacrifice the piece for the initiative:






Connected pawns in the center look impressive.

55
Black has full compensation for the sacrificed  
piece.



 Exchanging pieces usually favors the
side with passed pawns.

 was better.

 This very passive move can not

be good. White is losing the thread of the game.

Of course  would be even more

helpful to Black's cause. However,
 would
keep the game dynamically balanced. would still give White some hopes of achieving a
draw by virtue of sacrificing a piece for
 connected pawns, as we have seen in the
theoretical discussion.

 Now Black is simply winning thanks to

his powerful pawns and centralized king.

 

 The piece sacrifice

was White’s last practical
chance to achieve a draw.




Black activates his king at the right moment.

 A number of
strange decisions of GM Kacheishvili leads us to
believe that he might have been in serious time
trouble.

followed by  would keep Black busy with

defending b6 pawn, making it more difficult to
focus on pushing his central mass.


56
puts White in zugzwang as
(while  loses to 
 is similar to the game.

 An excellent decision by Shankland.

After the exchange of knights black king gets
access to f2 and supports the passed pawns.


 leads to
the same result.
This double-edged endgame appeared in the last
 Olympiad in the game between Brazilian GM
 Mekhitarian and Dutch GM L'ami. Four passed pawns
on one flank is a rare occurrence and it is only natural
that even GMs have difficulties in correctly assessing
such unbalanced positions. Objectively speaking,
Black does hold an initiative, especially after the next
move:

threatening to completely shut down
white rooks with .

 Preparing to sacrifice the bishop on c3.

The other sacrifice: 

 is less promising for White as he is not in time
to block black pawns (for example, by putting his king
 to b3) Forcing the bishop off the diagonal a3–
f8. (doesn't get White
and Black inevitably promotes the pawn in two anywhere.) ( is premature because of
moves, so White resigned. and weak back rank will cost
Black.) 

0–1

Mekhitarian,K (2568) - L'Ami,E (2631)

41st Olympiad Open 2014 Tromso NOR (8.9),
10.08.2014

As a conclusion to this vast and interesting topic,

we present a very recent example from
grandmaster practice where connected passed
pawns prevailed on both sides of the board!

57
keeps the initiative in Black's hands 
 correctly putting the pawns
on the color opposite of white bishop.
 White's life
would not be easy with permanent threats of
pawn promotion.

 Mekhitarian
perhaps overestimated his position at this point
or missed something in his calculation.

It was wiser to go for move repetition with

 (as  allows Black to
sacrifice his bishop for two pawns  
 leaving Black with a shattered
queenside. Winning chances would definitely be This is the point – Black can not defend against the
checkmate without giving up his knight.
with White.)  On the other hand,

  A very subtle
decision had to be made here.

Better was  allowing Black to keep his h-pawn

on the h-file, thus making it more difficult for white
pieces to catch it should the g3 pawn fall (very likely).
Black would then have 3 passed pawns on the
kingside: g4, g7 and h7, which are more dangerous
compared to g4, g7 and f7 (as in the game).

 Quite an unnecessary

and time-wasting maneouvre.

There was nothing wrong with taking the a-pawn

immediately 



leaving two rooks to battle against rook and 4
advanced pawns would be quite an irresponsible
decision as it is difficult to imagine a rook
sacrifice which could equalize the game.


! White finds an excellent
resource in a tough situation.

 leads to a lost pawn endgame by force

after 

 etc.

58
A very usual interference motif in endgames.
 and
compared to the game, White has extra tempi so
his king gets in front of the pawns on time.

  This precise
 Another time-wasting move that is difficult
to understand.
White should have played actively:
 (Black can not use the
pin along the third rank well, for example:

 draws.) 
with a drawn endgame, similar to what we
have seen in the theoretical part.
 White will win the b-pawn,
but he is several tempi short of reaching the drawn
setup.
 Now there is no time for
 because of  and Black wins.

 0–1
What a nightmare for White! Just when he got rid
of all queenside pawns, he has to deal with a
pawn mass on the other side of the board. What
is worse, his piece co-ordination is terrible so he
is not able to block the g-pawn.
move wins the game. White can't improve his
position without allowing Black to promote the
pawn, whereas Black's winning plan is to simply
march his king and pawns down the board.
If  then  wins.



The resulting rook endgame with two connected
pawns is technically winning for Black.



Dear chess friend, we hope you enjoyed the
presented material and that you will successfully
apply it in your games. As the ancient Romans
used to say, „repetition is the mother of learning“,
so we encourage you to review the material on
connected passed pawns in the „Test yourself “
section!
59
 Puzzle 1 Puzzle 3

Black to move and win.

Puzzle 4
Black to move and win.

Puzzle 2

Black to move and win.

Puzzle 5

Black to move and draw.

Black to move and draw.

60