(3) Mainline 7 Nc3 Ne4 8 Qc2 - 8...

Nxc3 9 bxc3 [A96]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.d4 f5 2.g3 [[#]]

2...Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.c4 Be7 5.Nf3 0–0 6.0–0 d6 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 [8.Qd3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Nc6 10.e4 e5 11.dxe5
dxe5 12.Qd5+ 1/2–1/2 (12) Lalic,B (2540)-Pert,N (2460) Torquay 2002 12...Kh8 13.Qxd8 Rxd8= Black's
activity easily compensates for the slight weakness of his e5 pawn.]

8...Nxc3 9.bxc3 [9.Qxc3]

9...Nc6! 10.e4 [10.Rd1 Na5!? Playing against the doubled c-pawns. 11.c5 (11.d5 e5 12.c5 b6=) 11...d5; 10.d5
Na5! 11.dxe6 (11.Qa4 b6! 12.dxe6 (12.Nd4 Bd7 Model game.) 12...Bxe6 13.Nd4 Bxc4 14.Bxa8 (14.Nc6!?
Qd7 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Bxa8 Rxa8° With fanastic play on the light-squares.) 14...Qxa8 Williams claims that
Black has excellent compensation and I agree. 15.Qd7 Rf7!?µ This is given by Williams as a sideline, but it is
clearly stronger than 15...Qd8!? 16.Qxc7?? Bf8–+) 11...c5! (11...Bxe6?! 12.Nd4² Bxc4 13.Nxf5) 12.e4 Bxe6
13.Re1 Kh8 14.h4!? (14.e5 Bg8 15.e6 (15.exd6 Bxd6 16.Bg5 Qc7=) 15...Nxc4= (15...h6!?) ) 14...Qd7 15.Bg5
Rae8! Development is more important than taking the c4 pawn, which will not run away anyway. 16.Bxe7
Rxe7= 17.Ng5 f4! 18.gxf4?! Rxf4³ 19.e5 This is Meister,P (2410)-Rahman,Z (2515) Sitges ESP 2014,
analysed on Chesspublishing.com by Flear. He also gives the following improvement: 19...Bg8! 20.e6 Qe8
21.Qd2 Rf6 22.Qxd6 h6µ When Black is better.]

10...e5! [10...fxe4 11.Qxe4]

11.d5 [11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Rb1!? f4! 13.Rb5 Qd6!? Williams 14.Rd1 Qf6!? (14...Qe6=) 15.gxf4 exf4 16.e5
Qh6³]

11...Na5 12.c5 Qe8³

=:=

(2) Parker,Jonathan (2523) - Pert,Nicholas (2425) [A92]

BCF-chT 9900 (4NCL) Birmingham (3.1), 20.11.1999
[Model Game 2]

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0–0 6.0–0 Ne4 7.d5 Bf6 8.Nfd2 Nxd2 9.Qxd2 Qe7 10.Nc3 Bxc3
11.Qxc3 e5 12.b3 d6 13.c5 b6 14.c6 a5 15.a3 f4 16.Bb2 Na6 17.b4 Bg4 18.Rae1 Rae8 19.Qc4 Bc8 20.Bc1
Qg5 21.f3 Rf6 22.Rf2 Rh6 23.g4 Qh4 24.h3 Qg3 25.e3 [25.Kf1 axb4 26.axb4 Rxh3 27.Bxh3 Qxh3+ 28.Kg1
Qg3+ 29.Kf1 e4 30.Rg2 Qh4 31.Bd2 h5µ 32.gxh5? Qh1+ 33.Rg1 Bh3+ 34.Kf2 Qh2+ 35.Rg2 Qxg2#]

25...axb4 26.axb4 Rxh3 27.b5? [27.exf4 Nxb4 28.Qxb4 Qh2+ (28...Ba6 29.Ra2) 29.Kf1 Ba6+ 30.Ree2 h5³
31.gxh5? exf4 32.Bxf4 Rh4]

27...Nc5 28.exf4 Rh2 [28...Bxg4!! 29.fxg4 Nd3 30.Ree2 Qh2+ 31.Kf1 Rg3 32.Qc2 (32.Qe4 Nxc1) 32...Rxg2
33.Rxg2 Qh1+ 34.Rg1 Qf3+ 35.Rf2 Qh3+ 36.Rgg2 exf4 37.Bd2 f3]

29.Ree2 e4 30.f5 [30.fxe4 Nd3–+]

30...Kf7 31.fxe4 Nd3 32.Qc3 [32.Re3!! Qxf2+ 33.Kxh2 Ne5 34.Qe2 Qf4+ 35.Kh3 h5 36.gxh5 g5÷ 37.Bh1!!
Qh4+ 38.Kg2 g4 39.Qf2! g3 40.Rxg3 Ng4 41.Qf3! Rxe4 42.Qxe4 Qh2+ 43.Kf3 Ne5+ 44.Kf4 Qh4+ 45.Ke3
Qxg3+ 46.Ke2 Qh2+ 47.Bg2 Qxh5+ 48.Bf3 Qh2+ 49.Bg2=]

32...Rh1+
0–1

(1) Babula,Vlastimil (2545) - Svoboda,Svatopluk (2441) [A96]

SVK-chT 1617 Slovakia (3.1), 17.12.2016
[Model Game]

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 d6 6.0–0 0–0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Nc6 10.d5 Na5
11.Qa4 b6 12.Nd4 [12.dxe6 Bxe6 13.Nd4 Bxc4 14.Bxa8 Qxa8]

12...Bd7 13.Qc2 e5 14.Nc6 [14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.dxe6 c6 16.e4 f4 17.Qd3 Qe8µ]

14...Nxc6 15.dxc6 Be6 16.Bd5 Bxd5 [16...Bf7]

17.cxd5 Qe8 18.a4 a5 19.f4 Bf6 20.Bd2 Qh5 [20...exf4 21.Bxf4 Qh5µ]

21.fxe5 Bxe5 22.Rf2 f4! 23.g4 [23.Bxf4 Bxf4 24.gxf4 Rxf4 25.Rxf4 Qg5+ 26.Kh1 Qxf4 27.Qd3 Re8 28.Qf3
Re4–+]

23...Qxg4+ 24.Kh1 f3! 25.Qd3 [25.Rg1 Qh4 26.Be1 Qc4 27.Qd3 Rf4–+]

25...Qh4 26.Kg1 [26.Raf1 Bg3]

26...Bxh2+ [26...Bxh2+ 27.Rxh2 f2+ 28.Kg2 Qg4+ 29.Qg3 Qxe2 (29...Qxg3+ 30.Kxg3 f1Q 31.Rxf1 Rxf1–+)
30.Rf1 Qe4+ 31.Kh3 Rf3 32.Rhxf2 Rxg3+ 33.Kxg3 Qxa4–+]

0–1

(4) Mainline 8 Qc2 Nxc3 9 Qxc3 - 9...Bf6!? Sidelines [A96]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.Nf3 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 d6!? 4.d4 e6 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Nc3 Ne4!? 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.Qxc3 Bf6!? 10.Rd1
[10.Qc2 Qe7!? Rare but strong. Only one previous game. 11.e4 Nc6!„ Moskalenko 12.Be3 Cheparinov,I
(2681)-Forster, R (2446) Jerusalem 2015 (12.d5 fxe4 13.Qxe4 exd5 14.Qxd5+ Be6³) 12...Nb4! N (12...fxe4
was the game.) 13.Qb1 fxe4 14.Qxe4 d5 15.Qb1 (15.cxd5 exd5 16.Qxe7 Bxe7 17.Bf4 Rxf4!? (17...c6=)
18.gxf4 Nd3=) 15...dxc4 16.Ne5 Nd5 17.Be4 (17.Nxc4 Bd7=) 17...Bxe5 18.dxe5 (18.Bxh7+?! Kh8 19.dxe5
Nxe3 20.fxe3 Rxf1+ 21.Kxf1 Bd7³) 18...Nxe3 19.fxe3 Bd7!„ Black has good counterplay. For example,
20.Bxh7+ Kh8 21.Qg6 Qc5! 22.Qh5 Qxe3+! 23.Kg2 Qh6!= Is an important defensive manoeuvre.; 10.Re1
Nc6 11.b4 (11.e4 fxe4 12.Rxe4 e5³) 11...e5 12.e3 e4 13.Nd2 Ne5!= 14.Ba3 Iljin,T (2509)-Nosov,A (2311)
Alushta 2011 14...Nd3! (14...Nf7=) ; 10.b3 Nc6 11.Bb2 e5 12.Qd2

a) 12.e3 a5!?= 13.Rad1 e4 14.Ne1 d5 15.cxd5 Nb4³;

b) 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Rad1 (13.Qc2 Qe7 (13...e4 14.Rad1 Qe7 Transposes to the game while avoiding 13 e4.)
14.Rad1 (14.e4 Qf7 15.exf5 Qh5„ Should be ok for Black, but he can also avoid this by starting with 13...e4.)
14...e4 15.Nd4 Carvalho,H (2265)-Pimenta,J Natal 1978 15...Bd7!= N) 13...Qe7 14.Qc1 e4 15.Ba3 Nb4!=;

12...e4! N 13.Ne1 d5 14.cxd5 Bg5! 15.e3 (15.Qc2?! Nb4=) 15...Ne7=]

10...Qe7! 11.Qc2 [11.b3 e5 12.e3 e4 13.Ne1 c5!=; 11.Qa3 a5]

11...e5 12.dxe5 [12.e4 Nc6!?„ N Moskalenko. 13.dxe5 (13.d5 Nb4 14.Qc3 fxe4 15.Nd2 Bg4=) 13...dxe5
transposes.]
12...dxe5 13.e4 Nc6! [N]

14.exf5?! e4 15.Nd2 Bxf5 16.Nxe4 Nd4!?° [16...Bd4°]

17.Qb1 Rad8 18.Re1 Ne2+ 19.Rxe2 Rd1+ 20.Bf1 Bh3 21.Bg5 Rxb1 22.Rxb1 Bxg5 23.Bxh3 Bf6

=:=

(5) Mainline 8. Qc2 Nxc3 9. Qxc3 - 9...Bf6!? 10.b4 [A96]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.Nf3 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 d6!? 4.d4 e6 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Nc3 Ne4!? 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.Qxc3 Bf6!? 10.b4!?
Nd7!? [10...Nc6? 11.b5!²]

11.Bb2 [11.Qc2 Qe7N 12.Bb2 (12.e4 fxe4 13.Qxe4 Nb6 14.Qc2 Bd7) 12...g6 13.e4 (13.Rae1 Bg7 14.e4 fxe4
15.Qxe4 (15.Rxe4 Nb6 16.Rfe1 c6 17.Nd2 d5 18.R4e3 dxc4 19.Nxc4 Qxb4) 15...Nb6 16.Qc2 Bd7) 13...fxe4
14.Qxe4 Nb6 15.Qc2 d5 16.c5 Nc4]

11...a5!? 12.b5 [12.a3 Nb6]

12...c5!„ [Is given by Moskalenko and looks ok for Black.]

13.Qd2 [13.Rad1 Qc7 14.Ba3 Nb6 15.Qc1! Re8!= (15...cxd4 16.c5) ; 13.Qc2 Qc7 14.Rfd1 Nb6 15.Rac1 e5
16.dxe5 dxe5 17.e4 f4 18.gxf4 exf4 19.e5 Be7; 13.Rfd1 Nb6 14.Qc2 Qc7 15.Rac1 e5 transposes.]

13...cxd4 14.Nxd4 Nb6 15.Rac1 e5 16.Nc2 [16.Nb3 a4 17.Na5 This is a weird engine suggestion. 17...Qc7=
Black can untangle over the next few moves by playing either ...e5–e4 or Be7, Rf6.]

16...Be6 17.Ne3 f4 18.Nd5 f3! 19.exf3 Bxd5 20.cxd5 Bg5 21.f4 exf4=

=:=

(8) Mainline 7 Nc3 Ne4 8 Nxe4 - 9. Nd2 with 12. Nxf1 [A96]
[Pert,Nicholas]

1.d4 f5 2.g3 [[#]]

2...Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.c4 Be7 5.Nf3 0–0 6.0–0 d6 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Nxe4 fxe4 9.Nd2 d5 10.f3 [10.e3 Nc6 11.a3
(11.f3 Transposes to note to 11.e3.) 11...a5 12.f3 exf3 13.Rxf3 Bf6; 10.Nb1 Nc6 11.Nc3 b6 12.e3 (12.Bf4 Bf6
13.Rc1 Ne7=; 12.Qa4 Bb7 13.Bh3 Nxd4 14.cxd5 c5=) 12...Na5 (12...Ba6!? 13.Qa4 Nb8 (13...Bb7) 14.b3 Bb7
(14...c6 15.Ba3 Bb7) 15.Ba3 a5) 13.b3 0–1 (44) Mikhalevski,V (2523)-Williams,S (2381) Port Erin 2003]

10...Nc6! 11.fxe4 [11.e3 exf3 12.Nxf3 b6! 13.b3 Bb7 14.Bb2 Qd7 15.Qc2 Rf7!?= Williams]

11...Rxf1+ 12.Nxf1 dxc4 13.Be3 [13.e3 e5!³]

13...Bd7! 14.e5 [14.Rc1 b5 15.e5 Rb8 (15...Nb4!? Exchange sacrifice. 16.Bxa8 Qxa8 17.a3 Nd5 18.Bf2 Nb6)
16.Nd2 Nb4 (16...Bg5!?=) 17.Ne4 Nxa2 18.Ra1 Nb4 19.Rxa7 Bc6=; 14.Nd2?! Nxd4! 15.Bxd4 Ba4! 16.Qxa4
(16.Nb3 cxb3 17.axb3 Bb5³) 16...Qxd4+ 17.Kh1 Qxd2 18.Qxc4 Qxb2 19.Qxe6+ Kh8 20.Rf1 Bd6 21.e5 Qxe2
22.Qd5 Qxe5 23.Qxb7 Rf8 24.Rxf8+ Bxf8³; 14.Bh3!? Qe8! N 15.Nd2 b5 16.a4 a6 17.Nf3 Rd8=; 14.Qc2 b5
15.Rd1 e5! N (15...Qe8 0–1 (34) Lalic,B (2443)-Pert,R (2414) chess. com INT 2017) 16.d5 Nb4 17.Qb1 Qf8
18.a3 Na6=]
14...Be8 15.Rc1 [15.Be4 Bg6!? 16.Bxg6 hxg6 17.Nd2 Qd5 18.Nf3 Qe4=]

15...b5 16.b3 Ba3 17.Rc2 Rb8 18.bxc4 bxc4 19.Qa1 [19.Rxc4 Nxe5=]

19...Na5= [Kojima, S-Williams, S London 2012]

Line

(12) Mainline 2 g3 and Nh3 - Seventh move alternatives [A91]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.c4 Be7 5.Nh3 0–0 6.0–0 d6! 7.Nc3 [7.Qb3 c6! 8.Nc3 Na6 9.Ng5 (9.Rd1 Qe8)
9...e5! 10.Rd1 (10.c5+ d5 11.dxe5 Nxc5 12.Qc2 Ng4³) 10...exd4!? N 11.Rxd4 Nc5 12.Qc2 Qb6=; 7.Nf4 e5
Without ...c7–c6 we must watch out for the Nf4–e6 trick and are unable to take back with the Bishop on d8
after 8.dxe5 dxe5 9.Qxd8 Rxd8! (9...Bxd8? 10.Ne6!±) 10.Nd5 Nxd5 Black is doing absolutely fine no matter
what White takes back with. 11.cxd5 (11.Bxd5+ Kf8!? 12.Bg2 Na6 13.Nc3 c6³ I prefer Black due to his space
advantage in the centre and White's ineffective Bishop on g2, "biting on granite" on the pawn on c6.)
11...Nd7=; 7.f4 This doesn't look like a serious move, especially with the Knight committed to h3. 7...d5!?=
Transposing to a Stonewall structure is a good idea when the Knight no longer has access to f4 and the e4
square and e2 can be weak.]

7...c6! [This is the most complex option, keeping Queens on the board.]

8.d5 [8.e4 e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Qe2 fxe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe4 12.Bxe4 h6= (12...Bxh3? 13.Qh5) ]

8...e5 9.e4 [9.b4 h6 10.dxc6 Nxc6! The correct recapture, not worrying about the d5 square as Black's pawns
on f5 and e5 are very strong. 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.Qxd5+³ Kh8 13.b5?! Nd4µ 14.e3 Ne2+ 15.Kh1 Nc3 16.Qd3
Ne4µ 0–1 (45) Palliser, R (2175)-Williams,S (2335) Hampstead 1998]

9...Na6!? 10.Ng5 [10.exf5 Bxf5 11.Ng5 Rc8=]

10...h6 11.Ne6 Bxe6 12.dxe6 fxe4 13.Nxe4 Nc7 14.Qb3 Qc8= 15.Nxd6?? Bxd6 16.Bh3 [16.c5 Bxc5 17.e7+
Rf7]

16...Qe8 17.Kg2 c5 18.Rd1 Qc6+ 19.f3 Be7 20.Qc2 e4 [0–1 (20) Abbasov,F (2426)-Ulybin,M (2583)
Barlinek 2001]

Line

(14) Mainline g3 without c2–c4 [A81]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.d4 f5 2.g3 [[#]]

2...Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 [If White delays or omits c2–c4, Black can play ...Nc6 without fear of being hit with d4–d5.
He can also aim to play ... d6 and ...e5 at some point.]

4.Nf3 [4.Nd2 c5! 5.e3

a) 5.Ngf3 Nc6 6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.0–0 0–0 8.a3 a5 9.c4 e5!³ N Is already a good move when I prefer Black, with
his space advantage and excellent control of the centre. Every Classical Dutch player should be thrilled with
Black's position.;
b) 5.c3 Nc6 6.Ngf3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 (7.cxd4 d5=) 7...d5 8.N2f3 Bc5 9.0–0 0–0=;

c) 5.e4 fxe4 6.Nxe4 cxd4 7.Qxd4 d5 8.Nxf6+ Qxf6 9.Qxf6 gxf6 ½–½ (9) Miljkovic,M (2411)-Vojinovic,G
(2482) Vrnjacka Banja 2005;

5...Nc6 6.Ngf3 b6!?= N Is again an excellent plan for Black. 7.Nc4 Is nothing to worry about: 7...Be7 8.dxc5
bxc5 9.Nd6+ Bxd6 10.Qxd6 Ne4µ]

4...Be7 5.0–0 0–0 6.Nbd2 [6.b3 a5!? (6...d6 Given as alternative in the notes.) 7.Bb2 a4 8.c4 Ne4 9.d5
(9.bxa4 d5 This makes sense as White has weakened his Queenside structure, in particular the c4 square.
10.Nc3 c6°) 9...a3 10.Bd4 c5 11.Bc3 Bf6³ 0–1 (25) Hansen,P (2056)-Pert,N (2563) London 2011]

6...Nc6 [6...d6 Alternative. 1/2 (21)–1/2 (21) Jirovsky,P (2315)-Polasek,J (2305) Czechia 1995]

7.Re1 d5!?= [Is a very good plan for Black and was the choice of Classical Dutch expert Robert Bellin.
White's pieces are not on threatening squares for the Stonewall structure. Neither of his Knights can get to f4
easily, the Rook is in the way on e1 prevent a potential Nf3–e1–d3 manoeuvre, and White will also find it
difficult to swap dark-squared Bishops either on a3 or f4 due to his Knight on d2.]

8.c4 [8.c3 Kh8 9.b3 Ne4 10.Nxe4 fxe4 11.Nd2 (11.Ne5 Nxe5 12.dxe5 Bc5=) 11...e5³ 1/2 (65)–1/2 (65)
Sonntag,H (2374)-Lombaers,P (2142) Belgium 2013]

8...Ne4 9.e3 b6!?= [N]

[9...Kh8 1–0 (69) Mestel,A (2450)-Bellin,R (2440) Hastings 1980]

Line

(17) London System [A80]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 [London system with c4. 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Bf4 b6 5.e3 Bb7 6.Be2 (6.Bd3 Be7! 7.0–0 (7.h3
0–0 8.0–0 Ne4 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 d6=) 7...Nh5!= 8.Nc3 Nxf4 9.exf4 Bf6) 6...Be7 7.0–0 0–0 8.Nc3 (8.h3
Ne4 This is Pruijssers recommendation. 9.Nfd2

a) 9.Bh2 d6!?= (9...a5) ;

b) 9.Nbd2 Bf6 !? (9...Nxd2 10.Nxd2 Transposes to Nfxd2.) 10.Nxe4 fxe4 11.Nd2 ?! (11.Nh2 d6 12.f3 Qe7!?
=) 11...Bxd4! This is a trick worth remembering, pointed out by Pruijssers when White must be very careful
to avoid a worse position.; 9...Nxd2 10.Nxd2 d6 11.Bf3 Here I would like to offer something different to
Pruijssers suggestion of taking on f3: 11...Qc8!? 12.Bxb7 (12.Qa4 c5!?= Looks simplest, followed by
...Nd7.) 12...Qxb7 13.Qf3 Qxf3 14.Nxf3 Nd7!? N Black is very comfortable in any case.) 8...d6 9.Ng5
Roeland Pruijssers: '!?'

a) 9.c5 Nd5 =;

b) 9.h3!? Strangely not mentioned by Pruijssers in his video series despite the fact that it was played almost a
year previously against him by someone as strong as Erwin L'Ami. 9...Ne4!? Is also possible. (9...h6!? ½–
(24) ½ (24) L'Ami,E (2628)-Pruijssers,R (2507) Amsterdam 2015 White got absolutely nothing out of the
opening.; 9...Nbd7?? 10.Ng5+–) 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.b4 Nd7! N Is a natural new move, with possibilities of
playing ...a7–a5 instead of ... c7–c5. For example, (11...c5 12.bxc5 bxc5 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Nd2 (14.Ne5!²)
14...Bc6 15.Bf3 Bf6 16.Rb1 e5 17.Bh2 e4 18.Be2 Nd7 19.Nb3 Be7 20.Qd2 a5 21.Rfd1 a4 22.Na1 Qc8
23.Nc2 Rd8 24.Na3 Ne5 25.Qc3 Nd3 26.Bxd3 exd3 27.Nb5 Qe6 28.Qe5 Qxc4 29.Qxe7 Bxb5 30.Rbc1 Qf7
31.Qxc5 Ba6 32.Qb4 Rac8 33.Rxc8 Rxc8 34.Be5 Qxa2 35.Qb6 Qb3 36.Qxa6 Qxd1+ 37.Kh2 Rf8 38.Qb7 Rf7
39.Qc8+ Rf8 40.Qd7 Rf7 41.Qe8+ Rf8 1/2–1/2 (41) Izeta Txabarri,F (2525) -Arizmendi Martinez,J (2470)
Mondariz 1997) 12.Qb3 a5 13.b5 (13.c5 Bd5 14.Bc4 Nf6=) 13...a4 14.Qc3 Bf6 15.Nd2 Bb7 16.Bf3 Bxf3
17.Nxf3 e5!=;

9...Qd7 10.Bf3 (10.d5 ? 10...e5 11.Bg3 Nxd5! Is another tactical trick worth noting.) 10...c6! I like the idea of
keeping as many pieces on the board as possible. This also means White's Knight will be misplaced on h3.
11.h4 h6 Pruijssers gives 12.Nh3 d5= R. Irizanin - I. Isak, Paracin 2013 which is also fine.]

2...Nf6 3.Bf4 e6 [Playing with d6 instead of b6 is also possible. 3...d6 4.e3 e6 5.h3 Be7 6.Be2 0–0 7.0–0
Nbd7 This is another possible move-order and plan. 8.c4 Ne4 9.Nfd2 e5 (9...Ndf6!?) 10.Bh2 Ng5 11.Nc3 c6
12.Qc2 Qe8 13.Rad1 Qg6 14.Kh1 Nf7„ Houdini 4 Pro - Stockfish DD, Internet (blitz) 2013]

4.e3 b6 [4...Be7 5.h3 0–0 6.Be2 b6 7.0–0 Bb7 8.Nbd2 c5! The same plan as in Chibukchian-Pert. 9.c3
(9.Nc4!? Nd5 10.Bh2 (10.Bd6!? Nc6=) 10...d6=) 9...Nc6 10.Nc4 Nd5 11.Bh2 d6=]

5.Bd3 Bb7 6.Nbd2 Be7 [6...Bd6!? 7.Bxd6 cxd6 8.0–0 0–0 9.c3 Nc6 10.Qe2 Ne7!?= Black has great central
control thanks to the doubled pawns. 11.e4 fxe4 12.Nxe4 Bxe4 13.Bxe4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Rc8=]

7.c3 0–0 8.Qc2 c5 [8...Nh5!=]

9.h3 Nc6 10.dxc5 Bxc5 [10...Rc8!? 11.cxb6?! Nb4 12.Qb1 Nxd3+ 13.Qxd3 Qxb6ƒ]

11.Bh2 Rc8 12.a3 d5= [0–1 (66) Chibukhchian,A (2413) -Pert,N (2425) Yerevan 1999]

Line

(20) Staunton Gambit 2 e4 [A83]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 [4.f3 d5 5.fxe4 dxe4 6.Bg5 Bf5 7.Bc4 Nc6 8.Nge2 e6 9.0–0 Be7 10.Qe1
Na5! 11.Bxf6 Nxc4! 12.Bxe7 (12.Bxg7 Rg8 13.Bh6 Qd7³) 12...Qxe7 13.Ng3 Qd7 14.d5 0–0 15.b3 Nd6³
White doesn't have enough play for the pawn, P. Lanzani - A. Roccetti, corr. 2013]

4...Nc6!? [4...d5? 5.Bxf6! exf6 6.Qh5+²]

5.d5 Ne5 6.Qe2 [6.f4 Nf7 7.Qd4 e5 8.dxe6 (8.fxe5 Nxg5 9.exf6 Qxf6 10.Qxf6 gxf6 11.h4 Nf7 12.Nxe4 Be7=
Black's position is full of potential. He has two Bishops, a fantastic square on e5 for his Knight and possible
pressure against White's potentially backward g-pawn.) 8...dxe6 9.Bxf6 (Deep Rybka 4 - Stockfish 1.8,
Internet 2010) 9...Qxf6 10.Qxe4 Nd6= 11.Qe3 Nf5 12.Qf3 (12.Qe4 Bd6!? Black can repeat or play on with
this natural developing move. If White gets greedy and tries to win material with (12...Nd6=) 13.Bb5+!? c6!
14.Bxc6+ Kf7!° Black gets loads of play: 15.Bxb7? Rb8!–+ Gives Black far too much for the material
investment.) 12...Bb4=; 6.Qd4 Nf7 7.Nh3 (7.Bxf6 exf6 8.0–0–0 Be7 9.Qxe4 0–0 10.Bd3 g6 (K. De Francesco
- W. Heil, Bad Woerishofen 2000) Black's Bishop pair safeguards him from any harm. 11.h4 f5 12.Qe3 Re8
13.Qh3! h5! 14.Qg3 Kh7= White has no breakthrough and Black can calmly complete his development.; 7.h4
e5 8.dxe6 dxe6 9.Qxd8+ Nxd8 10.0–0–0 Bd7 11.Nge2 Nf7 12.Nd4 Nd6 13.Ndb5 Nxb5 14.Bxb5 0–0–0
15.Bxd7+ Rxd7 16.Rxd7 Kxd7 17.Rd1+ Bd6 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Nxe4 Ke7= Black is absolutely fine here, J.
Murey - S. Schabanel, Le Touquet 2005) 7...c6 8.0–0–0 Nxg5 9.Nxg5 Qb6 10.Ngxe4 Qxd4 11.Rxd4 Nxd5
12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Rxd5 b6 14.Bb5 a6 15.Ba4 b5 16.Bb3 Bb7 17.Re1 e6 18.Nd6+ Bxd6 19.Rxd6 Ke7
(19...Bxg2!? N 20.Rg1 Bc6 21.Rxg7 Kf8! 22.Rg3 (22.Rdxd7 Bxd7 23.Rxd7 Rg8³ 24.Bxe6 (24.Rxh7 Rd8!³)
24...Rg7³) 22...Ke7³) 20.Rd4 Rhf8 21.f3 g5 22.Bd5 Bxd5 23.Rxd5 h6 24.h4 gxh4 25.Rh5 Rg8 26.Re2 Rg3
27.Rxh4 Rag8 28.Rh2 1/2–1/2 (28) Minzer,C (2385)-Permuy Lorenzo,C (2350) Nigran 1995]

6...Nf7 7.Bxf6 exf6 8.Nxe4 Bb4+ 9.c3 Be7 10.d6 cxd6 11.Qd2 [11.0–0–0 0–0 12.Nf3 Rb8 13.Qb5 a6 14.Qb3
d5 15.Qxd5 b5³ ½–½ (61) Straka,V (2290)-Kociscak,J (2482) Czech Republic 2016]
11...Qc7 12.Ne2= [White probably has enough compensation for equality, but definitely not more than that.]

12...d5 13.Qxd5 Qe5! [N Black is totally fine after this.]

[13...0–0 14.Nd4 g6 15.Nb5 Qb6 16.0–0–0 Kg7 17.Bc4 d6 18.Rhe1 Ne5 19.Bb3 Bd7 20.Nd4 f5 21.f4 fxe4
22.fxe5 e3 23.Kb1 Bf5+ 24.Ka1 a5 25.exd6 Bf6 26.Nxf5+ gxf5 27.Qxf5 Kh8 28.Bc2 Rf7 29.Qe6 Raf8
30.Rxe3 Qc5 31.Rh3 b5 32.Qe4 1–0 (32) Ivanisevic,I (2630)-Drazic,S (2487) Kragujevac 2011]

14.Qxe5 fxe5 15.Rd1 d6=

Line

(21) 2 Bg5 h6!? [A80]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.d4 f5 [[#]]

2.Bg5 h6 3.Bh4 [3.Bd2!? Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Be2 Be7 6.Nh3 0–0 7.Nf4 c5 8.Ng6 Re8 9.Nxe7+ Qxe7 10.dxc5
Qxc5 11.c4 Nc6 12.0–0 b6!= Black's well-placed pieces and extra central pawn compensate for the Bishop
pair.; 3.Bf4!? Nf6 4.e3

a) 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Bb4 6.Bd3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 0–0 8.Nf3 d6=;

b) 4.e4?! fxe4 5.Nc3 d5! 6.f3 Bf5 7.fxe4 dxe4 8.Bc4 e6! 9.Nge2 Nc6 10.0–0 (10.d5 Na5!³) 10...Qd7µ
(10...a6!?µ) ;

4...d6 5.Be2 g6 6.h3 Bg7 7.Nf3 (7.g4 c5 8.dxc5 Ne4 9.c3 e5 10.Bh2 Nxc5³) 7...Nc6 8.0–0 0–0 9.c3 Qe8=;
3.Bc1!? Nf6= 4.Nf3 e6 5.g3 c5! N Challenging the centre makes sense when Black has an extra tempo on the
mainlines. The weakenss on g6 doesn't really make itself felt. 6.Bg2 cxd4 7.Nxd4 d5 8.c4 e5!= 9.Nf3?! d4!³
Black's extra space gives him a great position.]

3...g5 4.e3 [4.Bg3 Nf6 5.e3= Transposes to 4 e3.; 4.e4 Bg7 5.Bg3

a) 5.Qh5+ Kf8 6.Bg3 Nf6!³;

b) 5.e5? d6! (5...gxh4? 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qxf5+ Ke8 8.Be2!+–) 6.Bg3 f4! 7.Bd3 (7.Bc4 e6µ) 7...dxe5 8.dxe5
Nc6! 9.Nf3 fxg3 10.fxg3 Bg4 (10...g4!?–+) 11.Bg6+ Kf8 12.Qxd8+ Rxd8 13.0–0 Bxf3 14.Rxf3+ Nf6
15.exf6 Bxf6 16.Nc3 Ne5–+;

5...d6 (5...Nc6!? N Is a very interesting move played only once before.) 6.Qh5+

a) 6.Bc4 d5! 7.Bxd5 e6 8.Bb3 f4 9.Bxf4 gxf4³ 10.c3 Qh4!µ N (10...Qf6 1–0 (42) Galego,L (2427)-Pinho,P
(2232) Caldas da Felgueira 1999) 11.Nf3 Qh5;

b) 6.h4 f4 7.Bh2 Nf6=;

c) 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.Qh5+ Kd7! 8.Qf3 e6!³ 9.Qxb7

c1) 9.Na3 Nc6 10.c3 Nge7µ 1/2 (53)–1/2 (53) Dgebuadze,A (2515)-Beukema,S (2396) Brasschaat 2017;

c2) 9.Nc3 Nc6 10.0–0–0 Nxd4 11.Qxb7 Qb8 12.Qa6 Qb6 13.Qa4+ c6? 1–0 (41) Wirig,A (2477)-Andersen,A
(2203) Differdange 2008 (13...Kd8!µ) ; 9...Nc6µ;

6...Kf8 7.exf5 Bxd4 (7...Bxf5=; 7...Nc6 8.c3 Bxf5=) 8.c3 Nf6 9.Qd1 Bb6 10.Bd3 Geirnaert,S -Beukema,S
Schelle BEL 2015 10...Kg7=]
4...Nf6 5.Bg3 [5.Be2 d6 6.Bh5+ Kd7 7.Bg3 Nxh5 8.Qxh5 Qe8 9.Qe2 Kd8 This is a very unusual piece
arrangement for Black! But it seems absolutely fine for him. Ivanchuk is fond of these strange King and
Queen manoeuvres in the opening. See, for example, Ivanchuk-Jobava, Khanty Mansiysk 2010. 10.Nc3 Nd7
11.h4 g4 12.e4 fxe4 13.Nxe4 Nf6= P. Harikrishna - V. Ivanchuk, Beijing (rapid) 2014]

5...d6 6.h4 [6.Nc3 e6 7.h4 Rg8 8.hxg5 hxg5= Transposes to 6 h4.; 6.Nd2 Bg7 7.h4 g4 8.Bc4 Nc6 9.Ne2 e5
10.c3 Qe7 11.Qb3 a6= T. Radjabov - R. Ponomariov, Beijing (blitz) 2013; 6.Bd3 e6 7.h4 Rg8 8.hxg5 hxg5
9.Ne2 Transposes to 8 Bd3.; 6.Be2 h5 7.h4 g4=]

6...Rg8 7.hxg5 hxg5 8.Nc3 [8.c4 Na6!? 9.Nc3 c5 10.Be2?! (10.d5 N 10...Qb6! 11.Qc2 e5!=) 10...Qb6!
11.Qd2 (11.Bh5+ Kd8³) 11...cxd4 12.exd4 f4³ 0–1 (25) Urkedal,F (2507)-Vovk, A (2638) Fagernes 2016;
8.Bd3 e6 9.Ne2 (9.Nc3 Nc6 10.d5 exd5!? N 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.Bc4 Be6! 13.Bxd5 Qf6 14.c3 0–0–0³) 9...Qe7
10.Nbc3 Nc6 11.f3 Bd7 12.Qd2 0–1 (44) Brodowski,P (2397)-Swiercz,D (2492) Lublin 2009 (12.e4 0–0–0
13.Qd2 Sharif,M -Santo Roman,M Toulouse 1995 13...Kb8 14.0–0–0 (14.a3 Bg7=) 14...Nb4 15.Bc4 d5=)
12...0–0–0=; 8.Nd2 e6 9.c3 Qe7 10.Qc2 Nc6 11.Bd3 Bd7 12.Ne2 Qf7 13.f3 0–0–0 14.b4 (14.Bf2 Kb8 15.0–
0–0 g4=; 14.0–0–0 Kb8=) 14...f4!³ 0–1 (32) Hille,R (2265)-Malaniuk,V (2615) Muenster 1995]

8...e6= 9.f3 [9.Qd2 a6! (9...Qe7 10.0–0–0 Nc6 11.f3= Transposes to 9 f3.

a) 11.Bb5 Qf7 ! (11...a6!?) 12.f3 Bd7 13.e4 0–0–0;

b) 11.Bc4!? Bd7? 12.d5!ƒ; ) 10.0–0–0 b5! N (10...d5? 11.Bd3 (11.Nf3±) 11...Nc6 12.Nf3 Bd7 13.Ne5 Bd6
14.Rh6 Qe7 15.f3 0–0–0 16.Rdh1 Rg7 17.Ne2 Be8 18.a3 Bxe5 19.Bxe5 Nxe5 20.dxe5 Ng8 21.Rh8 c5 22.g4
fxg4 23.fxg4 Bc6 24.Ng3 Qc7 25.Nh5 Rf7 26.Qh2 c4 27.Bg6 Rff8 28.Rh7 Qb6 29.Re1 c3 30.bxc3 Qa5
31.Kb2 Qb5+ 32.Kc1 Qa5 33.Kb2 Qb5+ 34.Kc1 Qa5 1/2–1/2 (34) Sveshnikov,E (2493)-Samolins,V (2426)
Di Roseto 2010) 11.a3 (11.Bd3 Nbd7 12.f3 c5 13.dxc5 Nxc5 14.Bf1 b4 15.Nce2 Qb6= 16.Bxd6? Nce4!³)
11...Bb7 12.Kb1 Nbd7 13.f3 Qe7 14.Bd3 c5!=; 9.Bc4 Qe7 10.Nge2 a6 11.a3 (11.a4 Nc6!?=) 11...b5 12.Ba2
Bb7=; 9.Nf3 Qe7 10.Bc4 Nbd7 (10...a6!?) 11.Bb3 Nb6 12.Qe2 Bd7 13.0–0–0 0–0–0=]

9...Qe7 10.Qd2 Nc6 11.0–0–0= Bd7 12.e4 fxe4 [This is Pruijssers recommendation, in order to secure g4 for
the Knight.]

13.fxe4 0–0–0 14.Kb1 [14.Nf3 g4 15.Ng5 Bg7 16.Bc4 Rh8=; 14.d5 exd5 15.exd5 (15.Nxd5 Qg7=) 15...Ne5
16.Re1 Kb8 17.Kb1 Bg7=; 14.e5 dxe5 15.dxe5 Ng4=]

14...Bg7 15.Be2 [15.Nge2?! Ng4!=; 15.Qxg5 Bh8!=]

15...Rh8 16.Rxh8 Rxh8 17.Qxg5 Bh6 18.Qh4 Qg7÷ [18...Bg7=]

Line

(23) 1 Nf3 f5 2 d3 Nc6!? [A04]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.Nf3 f5 2.d3 [This move has been popular since Carlsen-Dolmatov, Aeroflot Open 2004. It is still
dangerous.]

[2.e4 fxe4 3.Ng5 e5!? This is suggested by Pruijssers in a note and I think it is the simplest approach for
Black. Giving back the pawn for development and an extra central pawn deprives White of the gambit play he
was looking for. Black is absolutely fine. It has been played by Malaniuk and Onischuk, and by some of the
old greats like Larsen. 4.d3 This is the main move, but Black has nice response.

a) 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qe5+ Qe7 8.Qxh8 Qxe4+ 9.Be2 (9.Kd1 Bg4+ Complicated position but
very good for Black. 10.f3 Bxf3+ 11.gxf3 Qxf3+ 12.Ke1 Qe4+ 13.Kf2 Nd7 14.Qxg8 0–0–0 15.Bg2 Qh4+
16.Kf1 Qf6+ 17.Ke2 Qe5+ 18.Kf2 d3–+) 9...Qxg2! N Capturing before White has a chance to move the Rook
to e1. (9...Be6 10.Nd2 (10.Kd1! Qxg2 11.Re1 Is a better version of the 9...Qxg2 line for White.) 10...Qxg2
11.Bf3 Qh3 12.Qxd4 Nc6 13.Qc3 0–0–0 14.Be2 Qf5 15.0–0 Bd6 16.f4 Bxf4 17.Nf3 d4 18.Qe1 Nf6 19.Nh4
Qg5+ 20.Qg3 Bxc1 21.Raxc1 Ne4 22.Qxg5 Nxg5 23.Bf3 Nh3+ 24.Kg2 g5 25.Bxc6 bxc6 26.Rce1 Nf4+
27.Kg3 Nh5+ 28.Kg2 Bd5+ 29.Kh3 gxh4 30.Kxh4 Ng7 31.Re7 Rg8 32.b3 Be6 33.Kg5 Nf5+ 34.Kf6 Rg6+ 0–
1 (34) Hoensch,M (2325)-Heidrich,M (2310) Germany 1991) 10.Rf1 Be6! (10...Bf5! This looks to be a forced
draw with very precise play from White.) 11.Qxh7 (11.Qe5 Qe4! 12.Qxc7 Nc6 13.Qxb7 Rc8° With fantastic
play for Black.) 11...Nd7 12.Qh4 Ngf6 13.Qg3 Qxg3 14.hxg3 0–0–0° Black has great play for the exchange.;

b) 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nbc3 c6 6.d4 (6.Nxf6+ Qxf6 7.Ne4 Qg6 8.d3 d5³ 0–1 (32) Sedenko,A (2050)-Goriatchkin,J
(2376) Sterlitamak 2008) 6...exd4 7.Qxd4 d5 8.Nxf6+ Qxf6 9.Qxf6 gxf6= Black is totally fine here. The split
pawns on the Kingside aren't weak as White has no open files to attack them, and actually help prevent White
from creating a passed pawn in the long-term. Black has free development for his pieces and a safe square on
f7 for his King. 0–1 (30) Tylor,T-Milner Barry,P Hastings 1953;

4...e3! 5.Bxe3 Nc6!? 6.Nc3

a) 6.Be2 Be7 7.h4 (7.Bh5+ g6 8.Nxh7?? (8.h4 d5 9.Bg4 Nf6³) 8...Kf7–+ 9.Qf3+ Kg7 10.Bxg6 Kxg6 11.h4
Rxh7 12.Qg4+ Kf7 13.h5 Rg7 14.Qf3+ Nf6 15.h6 Rg8 16.h7 Rh8 17.g4 e4 18.dxe4 Ne5 19.Qf4 Bd6 20.g5
Nd3+ 0–1 (20) Plenkovic,Z-Biliskov,V (2312) Split 1999) 7...Nf6 8.Bh5+ g6 9.Bf3 d5!³ N;

b) 6.c4 Nf6 7.Nc3 Be7 8.Be2 0–0 9.0–0 d6= 10.d4 exd4 11.Bxd4 Kh8!= N (11...h6? 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Qd5+±
1/2 (58)–1/2 (58) Marchio,E (2305)-Heidrich,M (2380) Germany 2009) ;

c) 6.d4!? exd4 7.Bd3! Nf6 8.Bf4 Bb4+ 9.c3 dxc3 10.bxc3 Qe7+ 11.Kd2 Bd6 12.Bg3 (12.Bxd6 Qxd6)
12...Bxg3 13.hxg3 Qc5 14.Qe2+ Kf8!³ N;

6...Bb4 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Nf6= Black has great central control and aggressive possibilities down the f-file.
He was soon much better. 9.d4 d5 10.h3 e4 11.Be2? 0–0µ 0–1 (26) Pablo Marin,A (2392)-Simacek,P (2438)
Catalunya 2012]

2...Nc6! [This seems to be the safest move for Black.]

3.e4!? [3.d4 e6 4.g3 (4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 (5.g3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2 Ne4= Gelfand,B (2741)-Vallejo
Pons,F (2684) Berlin (blitz) 2015 1/2–1/2 (31)) 5...Bb4 6.Qb3 Ne4 7.d5 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Na5 9.Qa4 b6 10.Nd2
Qf6 11.Qb4 c5 12.dxc6 Nxc6 13.Qa3 Haria-Martinovic, EU Ch 2018 13...Bb7 14.e3 Nc5–+) 4...Nf6 5.Bg2 d6
This line is the one that is most in the spirit of the Classical Dutch. 6.c4 (6.0–0 Be7 7.c4 0–0 Transposes to
5...Be7. (7...e5) ) 6...e5 7.Nc3! (7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Ng5?! (9.0–0 e4 10.Ng5 Ke7 11.b3 h6=)
9...Nd4³) 7...e4 8.Ng5 h6 9.Nh3 g5 10.0–0 Bg7 11.f3! exf3 12.exf3 0–0 13.f4 g4 14.Nf2 This is given in "The
Modernized Reti" as slightly better for White but I disagree. Black looks absolutely fine in a position where
he has plenty of counterchances. Here is a sample line: 14...h5! 15.Be3 h4 16.d5 Ne7 17.Bd4 Ng6 18.Qd3
Nh5 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Rae1 a6=]

3...e5! 4.Nc3 [4.d4!? This is a reversed Vienna Game! 4...exd4 (4...fxe4 This is the mainline with colours
reversed, but I would like to offer something different. 5.Nxe5 Nf6 (5...Qf6) ) 5.Nxd4 (5.exf5 Bc5 6.Bd3
Qe7+! 7.Qe2 (7.Kd2!? Qf6=) 7...Qxe2+ 8.Kxe2 Nf6 9.Re1 0–0 10.a3 d5 11.Kf1 Ne4!=) 5...Nxd4 6.Qxd4
fxe4 7.Nc3 (7.Qxe4+ Qe7! 8.Qxe7+ Nxe7!= Black is totally fine thanks to his extra central pawn.) 7...Nf6
8.Bg5 Be7 9.0–0–0 (9.Nxe4 d5 10.Nxf6+ Bxf6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6! 12.Qxf6 gxf6= We see this structure in other
lines too. Black's split Kingside pawns aren't weak as White no open files to attack them on, and Black still
has a slight space advantage and a Queenside majority. Black's Kingside pawns are perfectly placed to
prevent White from creating a Kingside passed pawn in the long term.) 9...0–0 10.Bc4+ Kh8 11.Rhe1 b5! An
excellent pawn sacrifice which opens lines towards White's King and distracts White's pieces from the centre.
12.Nxb5 (12.Bxb5 c6 13.Ba4 Rb8 14.Qxa7 Rb7 15.Qd4 h6 16.Bf4 Rb4! 17.Qd2 Nd5! 18.Bxh6!? Kh7!
19.Nxd5 cxd5 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.Qc3+ d4 22.Rxd4 Rxd4 23.Qxd4+ Bf6 24.Qxe4 d5³ White's pawns will take
time to start rolling and Black has an easy attack on the Queenside.) 12...Bb7 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Qxd7 Bg5+
15.Kb1 Rxf2 16.Nxc7 Bd2! 17.Qxd8+ Rxd8 18.Ne6 Rb8 19.Re2 Rxe2 20.Bxe2 e3°]
4...Nf6!? 5.exf5 d5! 6.d4 [6.Bg5 Bb4 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 h6 9.Bh4 Bxf5 10.d4 Qe7³ Holm, S (2256)-Nijboer,
F (2561)/ Groningen NED 2009.]

6...exd4! 7.Nxd4 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 Bxf5 9.Bg5 [9.Bf4!? c6 10.0–0–0 Be7 11.Qe5 (11.f3 0–0 12.Kb1 Bd6 Black
is totally fine here. 1/2 (21)–1/2 (21) Movsesian,S (2657)-Galyas,M (2421) Germany 2014) 11...Qd7 12.Re1
Kf7!³ 0–1 (66) Rachela,M (2400)-Bosiocic,M (2562) Sarajevo 2010; 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 c6=; 9.Bb5+ c6
10.0–0 Bxc2 11.Bg5 Be7 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Rae1+ Kf7 0–1 (34) Batchelor,P (2177)-Pert,N (2564)
Aberystwyth 2014]

9...Bxc2! 10.Rc1 [10.Kd2 Bg6 11.Re1+ Kf7!³ Black's King is very safe here and he has an extra pawn.]

10...Bg6 11.h4 [11.Qe5+ Kf7³ 12.Nxd5! Bd6! 13.Qd4 Re8+ 14.Be2 Be5! 15.Bxf6™ gxf6 16.Qc4 Kg7³
17.Nxc7?! Bxc7 18.Qxc7+ Re7 19.Qxd8 Rxd8µ; 11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.Qe3+ Qe7! 13.Qxe7+ Kxe7! 14.Nxd5+
Kd7!³]

11...h6! 12.Qe3+ [This is a safer square for the Queen than on e5 as it is less exposed to attack from ...Bd6 or
when Black recaptures on f6 with the g-pawn.]

[12.Qe5+ Kf7 13.h5 Bh7 14.Nxd5 Bd6! N This is an improvement over my game with Hawkins, which was
also pretty good for Black. (14...c6 15.Nc3 Bd6 16.Bc4+ Kf8 17.Bxf6 Bxe5 18.Bxd8 Rxd8³ I still prefer Black
but White managed to hold in Hawkins,J (2516) -Pert,N (2564) Aberystwyth 2014 1/2–1/2 (42)) 15.Bxf6
(15.Bc4 Bxe5 16.Nxf6+ Ke7 17.Nd5+ Kd7 18.Bxd8 Raxd8) 15...Bxe5 16.Bxd8 Raxd8 17.Ne3 c6µ]

12...Qe7! [N Given by Demuth in "The Modernized Reti". This seems best, unlike after 12 Qe5+ when
12...Kf7! is definitely strongest.]

13.Qxe7+ Bxe7 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nxd5 0–0–0! 16.Nxf6 [16.Nxc7?? Kb8!–+]

16...gxf6³

Line

(25) The 1...e6 Move Order [A80]

[Pert,Nicholas]

1.d4 [1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.g3 Cuts out our recommendation, which involves an early ...e7–e5. So against 1 c4,
the usual 1...f5 is preferable.; 1.Nf3 e6 If the French is in your repertoire, you can avoid the 1...f5 2 d3 lines
via this move-order. 2.d3 d5! Transposes into the King's Indian Attack against the French, which I covered in
my French DVD. So this is a good choice when you know your opponent like the 2 d3 line but perhaps
doesn't play the mainline English.]

1...e6 [Black avoids the 2 Bg5 lines and the Staunton Gambit.]

2.Nf3 [2.c4 f5; 2.Nc3 d5 (2...f5 3.e4!²) 3.e4; 2.e4 d5]

2...f5 3.Bg5 [3.d5 Nf6 4.dxe6 (4.c4 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Qe7 6.Nc3 e5 7.Qc2 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 d6 9.g3 Ne4= 10.Bg2 0–0
11.0–0 Nd7 Black has easy play here. 12.b4 Nxc3 13.Qxc3 Nf6 1/2 (52)–1/2 (52) Hodgson,J (2589)-Pert,N
(2451) Bradford 2001) 4...d5! This is a fun line for Black, not mentioned in "A Killer Chess Opening
Repertoire for White". 5.Ng5 This is the only critical try. 5...Qe7 6.c4 Bxe6 7.e3 Nc6 8.Nxe6 Qxe6 9.cxd5
Nxd5 10.Bc4 0–0–0 Black's very quick development more than makes up for the loss of the light-squared
Bishop. I already prefer Black. 11.Nc3 Bb4 12.Bd2 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Qe4 14.Bxd5 Rxd5 15.Qf3 Qc4³ 16.Qe2
Rd3 17.Rc1 Nb4!³ 18.Bd2 Nc2+ 19.Kd1 Rxd2+ 20.Qxd2 Rd8 21.Qxd8+ Kxd8 22.Rxc2 Qxa2 0–1 (40)
Andres Gonzalez,A (2362)-Pert,N (2455) Aviles 2000]

3...Be7!? [3...Nf6 We reached this position from the 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Bg5 move-order.]
4.Bxe7 [4.h4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.e4 Nc6 (7...0–0!? 8.exf5 d5! 9.fxe6 Bxe6° Black has excellent play
for the pawn.) 8.Bc4 0–0 9.exf5 d5 10.Bb3 Na5 11.fxe6 Nxb3 12.axb3 Bxe6° Again, Black has great play
here.]

4...Qxe7 [4...g5]

5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Qd3 b6 7.d5 [7.e4 Ba6 8.Qe3 Bxf1 9.Rxf1 fxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.Qxe4 Qb4+ 12.Ke2 (12.c3
Qxb2µ) 12...Nc6³]

7...Bb7 [7...0–0!?³ Might even be more accurate: 8.d6? (8.Rd1 Bb7 9.d6 cxd6 10.Qxd6 Qxd6 11.Rxd6 Nc6³)
8...cxd6 9.Nb5 Ne8! Is now possible, avoiding the line that White played in the game.]

8.d6 cxd6 9.Nb5 Nd5 10.Qa3 0–0 11.Qxd6 a6 [11...Qf6³]

12.Qxe7 Nxe7 13.Nd6 Bxf3 14.exf3 Ra7! 15.a4 Nc8 16.0–0–0 Rc7 17.Be2 Nxd6 18.Rxd6 Rfc8 19.c3
Rc6„ 20.Rhd1 Rxd6 21.Rxd6 Rc6 22.Rxc6 dxc6 23.a5 b5 24.c4 Kf7 25.f4 Ke7 26.Kc2 Kd6 27.Kc3 Nd7
28.Bf3 bxc4 29.Be2 c5 30.Bxc4 Nb8 31.b4 cxb4+ 32.Kxb4 Nc6+ 33.Ka4 Nb8 34.Kb4 Nc6+ 35.Ka4 Nb8
36.Kb4 [1/2–1/2 (36) Ward,C (2509)-Pert,N (2396) Oakham 2000]

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